Plane design is essentially used to pass on information through plane medium.The students should have fine collecting and expressing ability,have excellent sketching and bare-handed drawing ability,master advanced auxiliary design technique with a computer,possess good expression and communication capacity,and they should also completely understand the whole course of how the plane design goes into the market.
The sorption interactions of tetracycline antibiotics on loess soil surfaces under different pH and ionic strength conditions were investigated using batch sorption experiments.The results showed that tetracycline was adsorbed more strongly on loess surfaces than on loess-HA and the adsorption could be described by Freundlich isotherms.Adsorption of tetracycline on loess surfaces gradually decreased with the increase of natural cation concentrations in the solution,suggesting that cation exchange dominated the sorption processes.In addition,the sorption coefficients of tetracycline decreased as the pH increased from 4.0 to 9.0.
This paper presents an experimental method to find the vibrational transmission characteristics of structures by using the structural intensity method which is used as the important techniques of active vibration control method. Experimental results are obtained from measurements performed on a structure beam by 2, 3 and 4 position linear accelerometr array (2, 3 and 4 structural intensity : 2, 3 and 4 S.I.) methods at near and farfield conditions. These results are compared with the measurement values of conventional power flow measurement method called input power measurement in order to verify the accuracy of structural intensity methods. To minimize the errors associated with 2, 3 and 4 S.I. methods, the measurement locations were selected by the result of modal analysis and the averaged data by the inter-change of accelerometer array was utilized. In 3 and 4 S.I. methods measured wavenumber instead of theoretical wavenumber was used. This paper shows that measurements of bending wave power flow by using 2, 3 and 4 S.I. methods can give accurate values under general field conditions in structural beam and the accuracy of 2, 3 S.I. methods is higher than 4 S.I. methods. Finally, 2 position linear accelerometer array method is suggested as the practical structural intensity technique.
Emergency resources are important basis of effective emergency response. But there are many disadvantages of the Chinese traditional material reserve method in which the resources are separately reserved in different regions and sections according to disaster kinds. So there comes the Multi-formal and Informationization Emergency Resource Reserve System (MIERRS) in China. The reserve body and method change from the single into the multiple forms,that is ,the main body of reserve changes from the single government agency into the organization combining with military ,enterprise and society,and the reserve method changes from single material reserve into the reserve combining with market reserve,talents and technology reserve ,and production capacity reserve. The content of reserve changes from material to information means to develop Emergency Resource Management Information System realizing real-time control of resources characteristics and relevant reserve information. The MIERRS leads to a rapid-responded,flexible scheduling joint reserve system. It provides the convenient platform for resource sharing,thus can avoid duplication and waste,improve the utilization rate of resources,reduce the total reserves and loss,as well as rationalizing the structure of resource reserve.
In this paper, we analyze a novel set of features for the task of automatic edit category classification. Edit category classification assigns categories such as spelling error correction, paraphrase or vandalism to edits in a document. Our features are based on differences between two versions of a document including meta data, textual and language properties and markup. In a supervised machine learning experiment, we achieve a micro-averaged F1 score of .62 on a corpus of edits from the English Wikipedia. In this corpus, each edit has been multi-labeled according to a 21-category taxonomy. A model trained on the same data achieves state-of-the-art performance on the related task of fluency edit classification. We apply pattern mining to automatically labeled edits in the revision histories of different Wikipedia articles. Our results suggest that high-quality articles show a higher degree of homogeneity with respect to their collaboration patterns as compared to random articles.
This study is an attempt to develop a generalised procedure for determining the optimum distance of motorway access points, given fixed characteristics for the motorway and well defined relations with the area surrounding it. The approach is based on the rate of immediate profitability of the road with reference to the first year of service, and the study determines: (1), the number of access points to be opened initially; and (2), how these may be increased with maximum convenience, as traffic increases over the years. /TRRL/
A robust watermarking scheme for hiding binary or gray-scale watermarks in digital images is proposed in this chapter. Motivated by the fact that a detector response (a correlation value) only provides a soft evidence for convincing jury in courtroom, embedded watermarks are designed to be visually recognizable after retrieval. To strengthen the existence conndence of a watermark, visually signiicant transformed components are selected. In addition, a relocation technique is presented to tackle geometric-distortion-based attacks without using any registration scheme. Finally, a semi-public watermark detector which does not require use of the original source is proposed for the purpose of authentication. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach satisses the common requirements of image watermarking, and that the performance is superb.
Submitted for the MAR12 Meeting of The American Physical Society Direct observation of DNA translocation influenced by electrically gated nanopores GENKI ANDO, HIROKI MORIYA, KENTA TSUKAHIRA, SATOSHI YANO, TOSHIYUKI MITSUI, Department of Physics and Mathematics, Aoyama Gakuin University — One of remarkable recent developments in the solid state nanopore based DNA analysis is adding the ability to control electric potential near nanopore as a gate electrode by patterning metal in or on nanopore. In this approach, better control of DNA translocations for example, slowing down the translocation speed might be expected. We have fabricated insulator-metal-insulator nanopores of rather large 100 nm pore in diameter. The 100 nm diameter pores allow us to observe the translocation of lambda-DNA molecules directly by means of fluorescence microscopy without heavy clogging of the DNA molecules into the pores. By controlling ?gate voltage? on metal relative to the cis and trans voltages, the translocation rates of DNA are able to change. Interestingly, applying pulse voltage to the gate metal near 100 ms to reverse the direction of the electric field near the cis side of nanopore reverses the direction of the DNA translocation instantaneously. This in fact provides us a new way to repeat translocation of the same DNA molecule. Furthermore, repeating the pulse tends to clear off the clogged DNA molecules in nanopore. We will present more details of these phenomena caused by the gate voltages. Toshiyuki Mitsui Department of Physics and Mathematics, Aoyama Gakuin University Date submitted: 11 Nov 2011 Electronic form version 1.4
In the last years photochemical pollution has been recognised as a critical environmental problem. Summer smog episodes occur over large parts of Europe and also in Italy high ozone concentrations are measured. A working group is investigating the ozone distributions and estimating the contribution of breeze circulations transport to the actual ozone levels measured in the territories of the provinces of Milan, Bergamo, Varese and Como, in the Northern Italy. In this paper the principal results of this outstanding study are presented.
In this paper we propose the linear hull construction for block ciphers with quadratic Maiorana-McFarland structure round functions. The search for linear trails with high squared correlations from our Maiorana-McFarland structure based constructive linear cryptanalysis is linear algebraic. Hence from this linear algebraic essence, the space of all linear trails has the structure such that good linear hulls can be constructed. Then for the Simon2n and its variants, we prove the lower bound 12 n on the potential of the linear hull with the ﬁxed input and output masks at arbitrary long rounds, under independent assumptions. We argue that for Simon2n the potential of the realistic linear hull of the Simon2n with the linear key-schedule should be bigger than 12 2 n . On the other hand we prove that the expected diﬀerential probability (EDP) is at least 12 n under the independence assumptions. It is argued that the lower bound of EDP of Simon2n of realistic diﬀerential trails is bigger than 12 2 n . It seems that at least theoretically the Simon2n is insecure for the key-recovery attack based on our new constructed linear hulls and key-recovery attack based on our constructed diﬀerential trails.
adds another variation. The various components of the non-BJP, non-Congress third front that comprised the United Front government in mid-1990s are now to be found, for the first time post-reform, cohabiting with the Congress. Not long ago, some of them, like the DMK, were comfortable in the BJP-led NDA alliance. There is no contradiction in this shift as regional parties like the DMK, the RJD, the SP, the PDP are not anti-Congress per se but anti-AIADMK, anti-JD (U), anti-BSP and anti-NC respectively. So long as their regional rivals are kept out, they have no compunction joining a coalition led either by the Congress or the BJP. The left in West Bengal and Kerala is anti-Congress but given the political compulsions, it has shown readiness to dilute its stand to nonCongressism at the centre and prop up a Congress-led UPA coalition. Regional parties like the TDP, SAD, BJD, INLD, AGP which are primarily anti-Congress and have no other regional
We examined the ultrastructural features of postnatal alveolar septal formation in rats from birth to 28 days of age. At birth, the rat lung consists of large saccules with thick walls and cellular interstitium. Interstitial cells have large oval nuclei with scant cytoplasm containing few organelles and scattered lipid droplets. These cells appear to be poorly differentiated mesenchymal cells not engaged in active protein synthesis or secretion. Between 5 and 15 days of age, saccule walls thin and many new alveolar septa form. Two types of interstitial fibroblasts are present: one which appears at the tips of newly formed septa has the characteristics of a myofibroblast and appears to be engaged in synthesis and secretion of elastin; the other fibroblast appears at the base of new septa, is filled with lipid and contains few other cytoplasmic organelles. After 15 days of age, alveolar walls become thinner, few new septa form and interstitial fibroblasts begin to resemble the dormant type of fibroblasts seen at birth. Thus, the process of postnatal alveolarization of lung parenchyma involves differentiation of the interstitial fibroblast and elastogenesis. The factors which control this process, the precise role of elastogenesis in alveolar septal formation, the origin and fate of the lipid filled fibroblast and the ultimate fate of the myofibroblast remain to be determined.
Based on the deeper understanding of characteristics of young swimming athletes' training,four kinds of non-injury detection methods were selected to verify themselves(heart function tests,immunoglobulin A saliva test,follow-up observation of coaches and athletes self-diagnosis).Comprehensive use of these indicators can better reflect the young swimmers before competition.The ultimate aim is to make reasonable pre-competition training program to develop positive and effective restoration measures.
The gas turbine is an internal combustion engine operating under a continuous cycle having separate intake, compressor, combustion and turbine sections. An intake bellmouth delivers air to the compressor stages with minimum loss and distortion. Compression is essential to provide a sufficient subsequent expansion ratio to allow effective conversion of heat energy to mechanical work. The axial flow compressors used alternately accelerate and decelerate the air through successive rotating blades and stationary vanes which are concentric to the axis of rotation. The velocity pressure produced in the rotor stage is converted to static pressure by diffusion in the following stator stage.
The twentieth century not only saw a dramatic increase in dystopian accounts of science and technology, it also saw a resurgence of utopian depictions of science and technology, even if the former are better known today than the latter. A very good example of the former is Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, while an example of the latter is Hugo Gernsback’s novel Ralph 124C 41+ (1925). In this novel and the enormously popular magazine Amazing Stories Gernsback found in 1926, we find a glorification of the scientist and the role he will play in bringing about a utopian future. But these are not the only stances that are taken on science and technology in the twentieth century. George Orwell offers a third interpretation of the role of science and technology. In Nineteen Eighty-four, he portrays science as the main line of defense against totalitarianism. For Orwell this is summed up in the equation 2+2=4. Not surprisingly, all efforts of the Party are devoted to making people believe that 2+2=5; ultimately through torture. If the Party can manipulate reality and people’s minds they can achieve absolute power. To be sure, Orwell describes negative uses of technology, but this is not because technology is bad in itself, but because of the uses to which the totalitarian regime puts it. Despite the pessimistic ending of the novel, with the main character Winston Smith acknowledging his love for Big Brother, Orwell holds that a totalitarian regime can not last forever, simply because 2+2 cannot equal 5. Any attempt to establish a society based on this illogical premise is bound to fail. By refusing to observe the basic laws of science the totalitarian system falls apart.
An electromagnetic driving device is provided, which includes a movable member, a stationary member, a driving magnet, a driving coil, a conductive layer, and an external terminal. The movable member and the stationary member are arranged separate from each other along a main axis. The driving magnet is positioned on the movable member. The driving coils are arranged corresponding to the driving magnet and are disposed in the stationary member. The conductive layer is electrically connected to the driving coils and is disposed in the stationary member. The external terminal is exposed by the fixed member and electrically connected to the conductive layer. The thickness of the external terminal is different from the thickness of the conductive layer.
The invention aims at simultaneously achieving stability and safety of high performance computing (HPC) cluster log-in nodes based on linux and provides a method for achieving loading balance of high performance computing (HPC) cluster log-in nodes. A cluster dispatching loading balance system constructed in the method is applied to a large HPC cluster system with tens of thousands of nodes. A cluster ordinary user only needs to log in a virtual dispatching IP given by a manager to perform program compling and submit operation computing on a high performance cluster without logging in a real dispatching server node and knowing a dispatching node state of a background, and a loading balance device can automatically locate ssh access to a corresponding log-in node server according to a set access strategy.
There have been a number of experimental investigations into the backdraft phenomena. A backdraft occurs in the event of a ventilation source being formed in a compartment, within which a fire has been burning for a sufficiently long enough time to form a deep layer of excess pyrolyzates. The source of fresh air will flow into the compartment in the form of a gravity current. It is the gravity current feature ofbackdrafts that this research project focuses on. Application of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to fire problems is expanding, including the development of specific programs for fire engineering applications. The experimental programme that was used in this research project highlights the difficulties of analysing fluid flows by using CFD simulations. The Flow3D program was used to obtain a more detailed understanding of the behaviour of a gravity current, allowing a detailed study of fluid dynamics which cannot be investigated experimentally. The simulations used two different vent configurations, with the CFD model being validated on the experimental results of salt water tank models. The simulations preformed compared well to the experimental data that was used for scaled salt water tank experiments.
Third parties are very common in modern cryptography, both in symmetric cryptographic applications (e.g., a key distribution protocol and a non-repudiation protocol) and public key cryptographic systems (e.g., the certificate authority and the private key generator in identity-based cryptography). A widely used approach is to assume that a third party has a certain level of trust, but is not fully trusted. In this thesis, we present several new results about cryptosystems, which do not require any fully trusted third party. We provide detailed schemes and security analysis on server-aided verification signatures, certificate-based signatures and encryption, and optimistic fair exchange. The computational cost required by cryptographic protocols is a significant burden to power-constrained devices such as smart cards and mobile terminals. Serveraided computation is a promising solution to mitigate this issue by employing a powerful server to carry out costly cryptographic computation. Such techniques require an additional care since servers cannot be fully trusted. In this thesis, we investigate the issues of server-aided verification signatures, i.e., using server(s) to assist signature verification. Several notions in digital signatures with server-aided verification are formally defined, based on different trust levels of the server. As instances, we provide server-aided verification protocols for Boneh-Lynn-Shacham (BLS) signature (with the random oracle assumption) and Waters signature (without the random oracle assumption). As cryptographic primitives, certificate-based public key cryptography (CB-PKC) and certificateless public key cryptography (CL-PKC) are used to ease certificate management and solve key escrow problems due to the trust third party in identitybased public key cryptography. As one of features, the signature verification (resp. encryption) does not require public key authenticity check. In this thesis, we take a closer look at the relationship between certificateless cryptosystem and certificatebased cryptosystem, present the security definitions of certificate-based signatures
INTRODUCTION In children, vasculitis as a paraneoplastic syndrome has never been reported before. In this work we report a vasculitis syndrome as a neoplasm onset manifestation in a child and we discuss our case regarding the data from literature. CASE REPORT A 7-year-old girl presented with hand and foot ulceration, fixed cyanosis and pallor. During investigation, a central nervous system (CNS) rhabdomyosarcoma with metastasis on multiple sites was diagnosed. DISCUSSION Rhabdomyosarcomas represent 5 to 8% of child neoplasms, although the CNS seldom is the primary site. In the indexed English language literature there were no published cases of vasculitis associated with rhabdomyosarcoma as a paraneoplastic syndrome in childhood, which suggests that the described report is the first being published. Awareness of this possible coexistence could allow to an earlier diagnosis of neoplasms expressed by vasculitis, leading to an earlier treatment and a longer survival.
We report on a search for host galaxies of a subset of Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs) that possess a dispersion measure (DM) near or above the maximum Galactic value in their direction. These RRATs could have an extragalactic origin and therefore be Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs). The sizes of related galaxies on the sky at such short distances are comparable to the beam size of a single-dish telescope (for example, the $7.0'$ radius of the Parkes beam). Hence the association, if found, could be more definitive as compared to finding host galaxies for more distant FRBs. We did not find any host galaxy associated with six RRATs near the maximum Galactic DM. This result is consistent with the fact that the probability of finding an FRB host galaxy within this volume is also very small. We propose that future follow-up observations of such RRATs be carried out in searching for local host galaxies as well as the sources of FRBs.
Technical details on the measurements performed for the present study can be found in "Effet diedre sur plan reflecteur et sur surface absorbante - Descriptif des mesures", report LTE n°0414 (Fr), by J-M. Clairet and F-X. Becot. The present work deals with the influence of the road absorption on the prediction of pass-by noise levels using hybrid methods. First, the context of the present work is recalled. Objectives and milestones are given. In a second part, the determination of the acoustic properties of some material is tackled. Two complementary methods are used for this: tube measurements and level difference measurements. Results using the two techniques are compared and discussed. In a third part, the sound amplification due to the horn effect is characterized experimentally. Situations with a long cylinder and with a single tyre placed over a rigid or an absorbing surface are examined. Measurement results are compared to predictions using two-dimensional models for the tyre radiation. Finally, the horn effect for twin wheels over a rigid surface is measured and discussed. SILVIA code: SILVIA-INRETS-014-00-WP2-3/9/2004
3D medical image reconstruction techniques are useful to figure out complex 3D structures from the set of 2D sections. In the paper, 3D medical image reconstruction system is constructed under PC environment and programmed based on modular programming by using Visual C++ 4.2. The whole procedures are composed of data preparation, gradient estimation, classification, shading, transformation and ray-casting & compositing. Three speed optimization techniques are used for accelerating 3D medical image reconstruction technique. One is to reduce the rays when cast rays to reconstruct 3D medical image, another is to reduce the voxels to be calculated and the other is to apply early ray termination. To implement 3D medical image reconstruction system based on PC, speed optimization techniques are experimented and applied.
An analysis of the use of diacarb in treatment of 96 children with epilepsy and febrile seizures was carried out. Positive effects of the medication have been observed in these patients in terms of decreasing episodes of epilepsy seizures, protecting against recurrence of febrile seizures as well as positive electroencephalogram dynamics against background of the treatment. It enables the medication to be used as a preventive means of seizures in children with epilepsy and febrile seizures.
With advances in optical sensor technology, heterogeneous camera systems are increasingly used for high-resolution (HR) video acquisition and analysis. However, motion transfer across multiple cameras poses challenges. To address this, we propose a algorithm based on time series analysis that identifies motion seasonality and constructs an additive model to extract transferable patterns. Validated on real-world data, our algorithm demonstrates effectiveness and interpretability. Notably, it improves pose estimation in low-resolution videos by leveraging patterns derived from HR counterparts, enhancing practical utility. Code is available at: https://github.com/IndigoPurple/TSAMT
Because of the near ubiquitous communication available to network nodes beneath a satellites footprint, satellite network technology has enjoyed a recent and substantial increase in interest from academia, government, and commercial sectors. However, the benefit resulting from being beneath the satellite footprint comes at the cost of a substantial propogation delay, as well as other challenging network characteristics. To study networking over satellites, researchers need a network simulation tool that is capable of modeling existing and proposed satellite networks. This paper addresses the network modeling problem by adding an open source satellite mobility model (SatMob) suitable for Low/Medium Earth Orbit (LEO/MEO) satellites to Qualnet network simulation tool. We perform a basic set of experiments commonly found in network research by using an existing mobility model and SatMob. Our results indicate that our model yields an appreciable improvement over an existing Qualnet approach.
The concept of totalitarianism was particularly prevalent in intellectual and political debate in Germany in the 1970s, and was motivated largely by anti-totalitarian convictions. Although it did not enter everyday language, it persists in political rhetoric, where it is used today as a political football in speeches and constitutional reports. In response to historical approaches to the concept of totalitarianism, which generally contextualise the term and put forward alternative terms, this article probes the meaning of this term as it is actually used and misused in political and educational contexts in contemporary Germany. It concludes by highlighting the fictitious (figurative, semantic and epistemological) dimensions of the rhetoric of anti-totalitarianism, and calls for a more genuinely liberal, non-totalitarian, posture.
The hydrology of South America has changed dramatically during the rapid climate fluctuations of the last deglaciation, being the focus of several studies in recent years. However, much attention has been paid to the tropics, leaving an almost complete lack of data for the subtropical latitudes. Here we present high-resolution biomarker-based records of terrigenous organic matter input (as an indicator of hydrological changes on land) and of continental mean annual temperatures (MAT) from subtropical South America covering the last deglaciation. These data were obtained from marine sediment core GeoB6211-2, retrieved from the Brazilian continental margin at 32.51°S, 50.24°W, 657 m water depth. The core is characterized by high sedimentation rates (ca. 70 cm/kyr) for most of the deglaciation, likely fostered by high supply of terrigenous materials. We applied recently developed indices based on the relative abundances of several species of soiland marine-derived tetraether molecules. The results are then compared with stable oxygen isotope data from planktic foraminifera from the same core. Using the BIT index (Hopmans et al., 2004) we estimated the supply of terrigenous organic matter to the core site. BIT values are generally high during the deglaciation and decrease rapidly at the early Holocene, in accordance with other parameters. However, terrigenous biomarkers exhibit strong centennial to millennial scale variability during deglacial times, displaying distinct maxima near 14.5 kyr BP, between 17 and 16 cal kyr BP coincident with Heinrich event 1, and around 18.5 cal kyr BP. These variations indicate a strong link between oceanic conditions and continental climate in South America. Continental MAT estimated using the method of Weijers et al. (2007) shows a warming of 5°C across the deglaciation, generally parallel to the temporal evolution of Antarctic ice-core records. But centennial to millennial scale variability with amplitudes of 1-2°C observed in our MAT record seem to be unrelated to Antarctic climate. In our presentation we will discuss the data in context of changes in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, and resulting changes in South American precipitation, as well as in relation to global sea-level rise.
Droplet drying is an important phenomenon that widely presents in industrial powder manufacturing processes. Droplet drying involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer. When a droplet being dried contains dissolved solids, the properties of the solids could lead to interesting behaviours in drying, such as shell formation, crystallization and denaturation of bioactive materials. Such phenomena could make droplet drying a very complex process to understand. Meanwhile, these would also affect the functionality of the final dried particles. The study of droplet drying, the associated functionality changes and the mechanisms behind these changes require careful and sometimes new experimental approaches. Firstly, this study has extended the glass filament single droplet drying (SDD) experiment for studying the three phenomena mentioned above. The glass filament SDD technique was initially optimized to realize accurate measurements of droplet kinetics parameters during drying, including droplet diameter, droplet temperature and droplet mass. Using this technique, the effect of initial droplet properties on the drying behaviour was investigated. It was found that the initial droplet sizes tested did not affect drying behaviour. The drying kinetics of lactose droplets with three initial sizes could collapse to a general trend when correlated using the Reaction Engineering Approach (REA). This was the first time that this has been investigated. The so-called material-specific master activation-energy curve provides a useful quantitative description of the drying history for all the initial sizes tested. The drying kinetics of high solids skim milk droplets with an initial concentration of 50 wt% was also experimentally determined for the first time in literature and correlated with the REA modelling. Once again, a master activation energy curve was established, which is useful for predicting the drying history of the high solids content skim milk droplets at varied drying air conditions. It is noted that industrial operation in skim milk drying plants, 50 wt% or thereabout is a common practice. By comparing the drying behaviour of 50 wt% skim milk droplets to that of lower initial concentrations previously reported, it was found that the effect of drying air temperature is solids content dependent at high solids levels. Both droplet shrinkage kinetics and shrinkage ratio during the high solids milk drying were more significantly affected by the drying air temperature used. On the contrary, the drying rate appeared to be less affected by the increase in the drying air temperature. Perhaps this indicates that the mass transfer limiting regimes become real. The shrinkage coefficient of milk droplets with initial concentrations between 10 and 50 wt%, when correlated to the corresponding initial concentration, formed an consistent trend. This trend was used to develop a master equation for predicting the shrinkage kinetics of milk droplets within the stated range of initial concentration. The newly developed in situ analysis of particle surface formation allows the changes in the dissolution behaviour of the semi-dried particle to be monitored while droplet drying is in progress. By comparing the changes in dissolution behaviour of four dairy materials during drying, the possible material migration behaviour during milk droplet drying was examined. Fat was considered to start to accumulate on the surface of the droplet being dried as soon as drying started. Such accumulation appeared to take some time to complete. By the middle stage of drying, the fat was most probably concentrated on the surface layer leading to the dominant fat coverage on the spray dried milk powders, which provided evidence to the claims made in previous studies using XPS. Lactose was used as a model sugar to study its crystallization behaviour during droplet drying, which was achieved by both the improved SDD experiments incorporating dissolution tests and post-drying instrumental analysis including SEM and XRD. Dried lactose particles could possess two-layer morphology with the interior showing higher crystallinity. This finding demonstrated the importance of the moisture content on the crystallization during drying. It is believed that as drying progresses there is a critical crystallization period where the crystallization rate was maximal. Drying conditions that enhance the lactose crystallization during drying include a higher drying air temperature, a higher initial α-lactose level, and a longer exposure time. The study of the retention of microbial viability was carried out with a model bacterium, Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris. By correlating the inactivation kinetics explicitly to the drying process parameters, it was found that the inactivation constant kd obtained at six drying conditions can be correlated to the droplet temperature Td with a general trend. The results indicated that the heat-induced inactivation remained to be the main cause of cell death during a convective droplet drying process at an elevated temperature. The effects of other droplet drying parameters on cell survival were also discussed. Environmental parameters influence the cell inactivation kinetics by either stabilizing cellular components or by altering the droplet drying kinetics. The prominent protective effect provided by reconstituted skim milk was found to have at least two mechanisms: (1) particle temperature was kept lower at the later stage of drying; (2) there were fewer cells presented on the surface of dried particle. The trend of kd plotted against Td showed that a transition temperature exists at around 62-65oC, coinciding with the peak of denaturation of 30S ribosomal subunit on a thermogram as measured by DSC in previous works.
In treating ear disease every otolaryngologist is familiar with topical medications. The choice of the ideal agent for a given clinical situation may be difficult. In order to make this decision more easy, we overlook the composition of ear-drops. The most important disadvantages are ototoxicity, allergy and pain. The place of ototopical agents in otitis externa, otitis media and otomycosis is discussed.
Analytical models based on the compatibility of deformations and equilibrium of forces are presented to predict the failure modes and ultimate strength of reinforced concrete beams strengthened by flexible FRP sheets patched to the tension face of the beams. Using these analytical models, the strain distribution, internal forces across each section and the ductility of the strengthened concrete beams at different load levels (before and after the yielding of the steel reinforcements) can be evaluated. The onset and propagation direction of the debonding process of the FRP patch can be effectively analyzed by the presented models, and match experimental results very well.
Philosophy of Science in 20 th century mainly has three great schools——Logical Empiricism,Critical Rationalism and Historicism.These Schools not only have appcared successively in the history,but also have suffered the development of three stages from Positization of Rationality by Logical Empiricism,to the beginning of the problem of Historicization of Rationality by Critical Rationalism,to the initial solution of it by Historicism.The development is a great turn of important significance of western Philosoply of Science in 20 th century,which makes Historicization of Rationality the key of the further development of Philosophy of Science in 21 st century.
We propose a class of theories that can limit scalars constructed from the extrinsic curvature. Applied to cosmology, this framework allows us to control not only the Hubble parameter but also anisotropies without the problem of Ostrogradsky ghost, which is in sharp contrast to the case of limiting spacetime curvature scalars. Our theory can be viewed as a generalization of mimetic and cuscuton theories (thus clarifying their relation), which are known to possess a structure that limits only the Hubble parameter on homogeneous and isotropic backgrounds. As an application of our framework, we construct a model where both anisotropies and the Hubble parameter are kept finite at any stage in the evolution of the universe in the diagonal Bianchi type I setup. The universe starts from a constant-anisotropy phase and recovers Einstein gravity at low energies. We also show that the cosmological solution is stable against essentially all modes of perturbation, provided some reasonable conditions are satisfied.
The deposition of hematite (Fe2O3) and titania (TiO2) onto ceramic foams (support) was studied employing two different covering techniques: synthesis of Fe2O3 using urea and deposition of TiO2 nanometric powders. These same techniques were employed on another kind of support (ceramic tapes), along with hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) of WO3. With the last technique, better morphological results were obtained on the made coverings. However, the ceramic tapes, regarding the fact that they have microporosities, did not turn out to be suitable for working as a filtration media for emissions generated by diesel engines and therefore, the ceramic foams were selected as the ceramic support for working. Doing variations of the two studied covering techniques (2 levels) the prototipes to be evaluated were obtained. The morphological and chemical results show that functionalized foams with hematite and titania attained to reduce the oxidation temperature of particulate material at approximately 100°C
Wide-spectrum displays require narrow-band red phosphors activated by Mn4+, but most of them, such as K2SiF6:Mn4+, have long fluorescence decay lifetimes (>7 ms) that hinder their use in fast-response backlights. Interestingly, K2LiAlF6:0.05Mn4+ has a shorter fluorescence lifetime (3.43 ms), but its disadvantage is that its luminescence intensity is relatively weak. So, in this study, the luminescence intensity of K2LiAlF6:0.05Mn4+ is improved by doping with Zn2+. The experimental results show that enhancement of the luminous intensity is as high as 39%, the fluorescence lifetime is only increased by 13% (3.89 ms), and it is still less than 4 ms. Through experiments and differential charge density calculations, it has been revealed that the luminescence intensity improvement is due to an increased crystalline quality during the synthesis process. Specifically, the co-doping of Zn2+ reduces the formation of impurity ions Mn2+ and Mn3+ and the generation of K+ vacancies caused by nonequivalent doping. We demonstrate the advantage of this phosphor over K2SiF6:Mn4+ in terms of response speed by using a camera. It emits only weak red light after the blue chip stops working for 5 ms, indicating its potential application in next-generation fast-response displays.
Importance of managing organizational knowledge for manufacturing enterprises has been recognized since decades. This paper addresses two specific aspects of organizational knowl- edge modelling: (1) capturing organizational knowledge for support- ing product development with so called task patterns and (2) eval- uation of task pattern use with focus on economic effects achieved. Starting from an industrial case of product development, the pa- per introduces the concept of task patterns and the method used for development. The evaluation of task pattern use in product development is based on an adaptation of the balanced scorecard approach. The industrial application of task patterns did not only prove feasible and deployable, but resulted also in a number of posi- tive evaluation results. There is reason to believe that lead times can be shortened, the quality of product documentation increases, and the quality of best practices in general seems to improve when using active knowledge models instead of conventional documentation.
Evolutionary tracks are calculated for low-mass model close binaries with a compact primary and a slightly evolved, chemically inhomogeneous secondary, with orbital angular momentum being lost from the system by gravitational radiation and magnetic stellar wind. As the binary evolves, its orbital period will shorten to 20-80 min; the mass-transfer rate will reach about 10 to the -9th solar mass/yr, and the secondary will turn into a low-mass helium dwarf. Cataclysmic variables and X-ray binaries with ultrashort (less than about 80 min) may develop in this manner. 25 references.
Objective:To observe the effect of Yangyin Qingfei Decoction for xerophthalmia patients with the syndrome pattern of deficiency of lung-yin.Methods:Sixty patients with xerophthalmia were equally randomized into the treatment group,which was treated with Yangyin Qingfei Decoction combined with artificial tears,and the control group,treated with artificial tears alone.The Schirmer test(SIT),break up time(BUT) of tear film,corneal fluorescein staining(FL) were used to evaluate the therapeutic effect in two group.Results:After treatment,the SIT secretion and BUT of the treatment group were significantly higher than those before treatment(P 0.05).The difference of SIT and BUT between two groups was also significant(P 0.05)after treatment,and the improvement in the treatment group was superior to that in the control group.After treatment the score of FL in the treatment group was decreased significantly(P 0.05 compared with that before treatment).While the difference between the two groups was not significant(P 0.05)after treatment.The total effective rate in the treatment group was 76.7%,and was 50.0% in the control group,the difference being significant(P 0.05).Conclusion:Yangyin Qingfei Decoction combined with artificial tears has better curative effect than artificial tears alone in treating xerophthalmia patients with the pattern of deficiency of lung-yin.
Background & Aims: Mental retardation is one of the most common mental disabilities that are allocated about 3% of the world's population. The purpose of this study was to survey the effect of core stabilization training program on the static and dynamic balance of mentally retarded students. Materials & Methods: In a case-control study, 30 male mentally retarded students divided into two groups (CTL, 15 mentally retarded with a mean age of 11.23± 3.11 years, height 148 ± 7.51cm, weight 35.26 ±5.13kg) and (TRN, 15 mentally retarded with a mean age 11.53 ±2.25 years, height 150±7.02 cm, weight 42.12±7.08 kg), TRN group was performed a core stabilization program for 8 weeks and three times per week. The pre-test and post-test of Sharpened Romberg test was done to measure static balance, while 'Get Up' and 'Go test' was done to measure dynamic balance of two groups. Independent Ttest was used to analyze the data (p≤0.05). Result: Results showed significant differences in the mean of static balance (open eye (p 0.000), closed eye (p≤0.000)), and for dynamic balance (P≤0.000) in both groups. Conclusion: Core stabilization training program improve the static and dynamic balance of mentally retarded students, and it can be used with other training programs for improving the balance of mentally retarded students.
Apparatus for applying liquid substances to a nonwoven web, wherein at least one guide surface is provided, over which the nonwoven web is passed. In the guide surface outlet openings are arranged for the liquid substance, with the proviso that the guided over the guide surface nonwoven web with the liquid substance can be acted upon. The guide surface with their outlet openings defines at least one distribution chamber for the liquid substance. The distribution chamber is connected to at least one pump for inducting the liquid substance.
Ti3 AL-Nb-Mo composites were prepared by SHS using initial powder mixtures of Ti-Al-Nb-Mo and their corrosion and mechanical properties were studied to develop bioand environmental materials. The composites reached 99.8% of theoretical density after the direct consolidation. The composites shows equiaxed primary a2 in a matrix of fine secondary a2 plates and ordered 82 (Bo) forming a basket weave structure. The strain rate sensitivity (m = dlnσ/dlne) at 2% strain is 0.008. Corrosion potential and corrosion rate of the composites formed by SHS were -151. 5m VSHE and 5. 72× 10~(-8)A/cm2 for Ti3 Al-10Nb-1. 5Mo and - 138.4m VSHE and 4. 12×10~(-8)cm2 for Ti3 Al-12Nb-1.5Mo in a 50% NaOH-10%FeCI3 solution, respectively. Corrosion resistance decreased with niobium content in the composites and chloride content in the aqueous solution. Selective corrosion of a2 phase in a matrix occurred in the corrosion environment which suggests that the corrosion potential and rate changes are related to the niobium content and Q2 phase in a matrix.
An ice detector is a necessary component of any icing protection system for a helicopter, but at present no completely satisfactory instrument for this application exists. A number of methode suitable for the airborne detection of ice (mainly as applied to fixed wing aircraft) are described, and the special problems facing the application to helicopters are discussed. These methods that have been tried on helicopters are reviewed, and it is concluded that tbe most satisfactory detector would be one that detects ice actually at the rotor blade.
1982 was the best year yet for ethanol. Sales increased at an average rate of 10% a month. Increased capacity by producers, shift by wet millers from corn syrup to ethanol, and the startup of three more large facilities contributed to the increase. Ethanol compares favorably in price to regular gasoline. Market competition has driven the price down twenty cents. An increase in the tax exemption in 1983 will accelerate growth. Lead phase-down regulations will reduce lead use. This will shift demand to octane. The cost-effectiveness of ethanol gas as an octane enhancer should improve significantly, once the current octane glut ends.
Allergic diseases are frequent, and often begin during childhood. Environmental factors may promote allergy (sensitization) in atopic children, and after that generate symptoms (allergic hypersensitivity). One of the therapeutic possibilities is to avoid, when possible, the contact with allergens. Its usefulness has been demonstrated at the tertiary prevention level, and is discussed at the secondary prevention level. However, the question remains open to know whether this is feasible and useful at the first prevention level.
We investigate a new class of periodic solutions to the (2+1)-dimensional breaking soliton equation, by both the linear superposition approach and the mapping deformation method. These new periodic solutions are suitable combinations of the known periodic solutions to the (2+1)-dimensional breaking soliton equation obtained by means of the Jacobian elliptic function method, but they possess different periods and velocities.
Objective To observe the expression of protein inhibitor of activated STAT3(PIAS3) in human gliomas of various pathological grades and to study the relationship between PIAS3 and pathological grades.Methods Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of PIAS3 in 50 gliomas of various pathological grades and 5 normal brain tissues.The positive rate and the labeling index were counted and compared.Results No PIAS3 was expressed in normal brain tissues.The positive rate of total samples was 56%(28/50).With the advance of pathological grade,the positive rate and mean labeling index for PIAS3 in gliomas increased accordingly.The significant difference in positive rate was not found among grades Ⅰ,Ⅱand Ⅲ(P0.05),but existed between grades Ⅰ-Ⅲ and grade Ⅳ(P0.01).Labeling index was significantly higher in high grades(Ⅲ,Ⅳ) than in low grades(Ⅰ,Ⅱ)(P0.05),but showed no remarkable difference betweenⅠand Ⅱ,and between Ⅲ and Ⅳ(P0.05).Conclusion PIAS3 is expressed in human gliomas,closely correlated with the pathological grade and malignant intensity.PIAS3 may be involved in the development and progression of gliomas.
The representatives of the cyclic, situational and qualitative estimation of motions in the stereotypical kinds of sports have low excitability of the vestibular analyzer. The level of adaptation of sportsmen's vestibular apparatuses to the adequate irritants is defined by the quantity of rotatory movements in differ-ent sports, and influences the chronotopic reaction of the heart to the rotatory load. At the same time the changes of blood pressure in different sports do not depend on the level of vestibular system adaptation to this load.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are ideal platforms for remote sensing due to their point of view and freedom of movement. This paper introduces the cooperative localization of the interested target using four quad-rotors UAVs equipped with stereo vision systems. The system contains a vision-based algorithms for the detection and identification of the target on the video stream. An algorithm based on Kalman filter used to estimate the position of the target, in addition a method offered based on Kalman filter. This method applied to fusion of each UAV’s estimation together. Simulation results compared with non-cooperative and Two UAV cooperative systems. Results indicates that four UAV cooperative systems perform more accurate estimation of the target location.
Introduction Part I. The harbours of England: 1. Bibliographical note 2. Preface 3. Introductory essay 4. Text and plates Part II. Turner's works at the National Gallery 1. Letters to The Times on the Turner Bequest 2. Notes on the Turner Gallery at Marlborough House 3. Catalogue of the Turner sketches in the National Gallery 4. Catalogue of the sketches and drawings by Turner exhibited in Marlborough House 5. Mr Ruskin's report on the Turner drawings in the National Gallery 6. Letters to the press on the exhibition of the Turner drawings in possession of the nation 7. Catalogue of the drawings and sketches by Turner at present exhibited in the National Gallery Part III. Notes by Mr Ruskin: 1. On his own drawings by Turner 2. On his own handiwork illustrative of Turner Appendix.
OBJECTIVES To investigate the tissue specificity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) damage to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and to determine whether cochlear mtDNA is a sensitive target for ROS damage.   METHODS 10 Cu/ZnSOD gene (Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene, Sod1) knockout mice and 16 wild-type mice were analyzed by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR).   RESULTS Three deletions were detected in various tissues of Sod1 knockout mice. MtDNA3867bp and mtDNA3726bp deletions were the most visible, and mtDNA4236bp deletion was barely detected in these tissues. There were obvious differences in the ratio of deleted mtDNA/total mtDNA in different tissue. Deleted mtDNA was most abundant in the liver and kidney and less in cochlea, heart and brain. The lowest was in spleen and skin. The ratio in various tissues was 3 - 20 times in Sod1 knockout mice over wild-type mice. In cochlea, the ratio was about 15.   CONCLUSIONS Without the protection of Sod1, ROS can lead to mtDNA deletions in various tissues with significant tissue specificity. Cochlear mtDNA is a sensitive target for ROS damage.
1. Lerner CW, Tapper ML: Opportunistic infection complicating acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Medicine (Baltimore) 1984; 63: 155-164 2. Kovacs JA, Hiemenz JW, Macher AM et al: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: a comparison between patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and patients with other immunodeficiencies. Ann Intern Med 1984; 100: 663-671 3. Johns RJ: The collection and evaluation of clinical information. In Harvey AM, Johns RJ, McKusick VA et al (eds): The Principles and Practice of Medicine, 20th ed, ACC, New York, 1980: 5-31 4. loachim HL: Acquired immune deficiency disease; after three years the unsolved riddle. Lab Invest 1984; 51: 1-6 5. Masur H, Michelis MA, Greene JB et al: An outbreak of community-acquired Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: initial manifestation of immune dysfunction. N Engl J Med 1981; 305: 1431-1438 6. Laurence J, Mayer L: Immunoregulatory lymphokines of T hybridomas from AIDS patients: constitutive and inducible suppressor factors. Science 1984; 225: 66-69 7. Gallo RC, Salahuddin SZ, Popovic M et al: Frequent detection and isolation of cytopathic retroviruses (HTLV-III) from patients with AIDS and at risk for AIDS. Science 1984; 224: 500-503 8. Young LS: Pneumocystis carinii. In Pennington JE (ed): Respiratory Infections: Diagnosis and Management, Raven, New York, 1983: 429-437 9. Engelberg LA, Lerner CW, Tapper ML: Clinical features of Pneumocystis pneumonia in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Am Rev Respir Dis 1984; 130: 689-694 10. Davis WB, Crystal RG: Chronic interstitial lung disease. In Simmons DH (ed): Current Pulmonology, vol 5, Wiley, New York, 1984: 347-473 11. Stover DE, White DA, Romano PA et al: Diagnosis of pulmonary disease in acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Am Rev Respir Dis 1984; 130: 659-662 12. Coleman DL, Dodek PM, Luce JM et al: Diagnostic utility of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Am Rev Respir Dis 1983; 128: 795-799 13. Turbiner EH, Yeh SJ, Rosen PP et al: Abnormal gallium scintigraphy in Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia with a normal chest radiograph. Radiology 1978; 127: 437-438 14. Levin M, McLeod R, Young Q et al: Pneumocystis pneumonia: importance of gallium scan for early diagnosis and demonstration of a new immunoperoxidase technique to demonstrate Pneumocystis carinii. Am Rev Respir Dis 1983; 126: 182-185 15. Rifkind D, Starzl TE, Marchioro TL et al: Transplantation pneumonia. JAMA 1964; 189: 808-812 16. Singer C, Armstrong D, Rosen PP et al: Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia: a cluster of eleven cases. Ann Intern Med 1975; 82: 772-777 17. Rankin JA, Walszer PD, Dwyer JM et al: Immunologic alterations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Am Rev Respir Dis 1983; 128: 189-194 18. Munck A, Cruyre PM, Holbrook NJ: Physiological functions of glucocorticoids in stress and their relation to pharmacological actions. Endocr Rev 1984; 5: 2544
A comprehensive resource for anyone working with children in a Christian context, whether in schools, churches, youth groups or other organisations. Subjects covered include: The Sunday School Movement and its importance, worship with children, children and schools, children's religious experience, children and pastoral care and the law relating to children. The book also features practical suggestions of activities to do with children.
Malaysia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world today, and this book reflects current debates about the future directions of the national economy, polity and society in light of the late 1990s watershed period of financial crisis, the arrest of Anwar Ibrahim and the subsequent 1999 general election. Malaysian Economics and Politics in the New Century aims to answer questions about how the economy and society are organized, about how the benefits from economic development are distributed, about government's relations to major national institutions, and about the nature of the political process. With its focus firmly on Malaysia's future, this will be a volume of particular interest to scholars, academics, researchers, business leaders and policymakers involved in the Asian region, and Malaysia in particular.
The Paleoproterozoic Beidahe Group-complex remains as continental shivers in the interior of the North Qilian orogen.In its early stage of development,there occurred abundant amphibolite.The protolith of the amphibolite is basalts.The Alk-∑FeO-MgO plot,REE features and Rittmann index show that the protolith belongs to the calc-alkaline suite and exceptionally shows the subalkaline character.The rock is characterized by higher Al2O3 and ΣFeO and lower Mg#,indicating that it has a higher degree of compositional evolution and that the formation of volcanic rocks is related to activation of older crust.Highly fractionated REE patterns and amphibolite on the Ti-Zr-Y plot,Ni-FeO/MgO plot and Ta/Yb-Th/Yb plot all indicate the characteristics of volcanic arcs and active continental margins.On the geochemical diagram of basalt,the overall REE features are in the main analogous to those of calc-alkaline island-arc basalt,with Sr87/Sr86=0.71617-0.72033,Nd143/Nd144=0.512414-0.512495 and eNd=-2.79 to-4.37,eSr=245.78-305.3,showing that the magma was derived from the crust or subjected to contamination with the lower crust below the continent.So it may be inferred that the protolith of the amphibolite is the product of different degrees of partial melting of the mantle in a magma arc.This suggests that subduction of a paleo-ocean basin occurred between the Paleoproterozoic North China craton and Qaidam craton.
In an effort to expand the applications for polymer composite structures, a panel was convened to evaluate the status and outlook for manufacturing technology in the USA and Japan, with an eye to finding or developing mechanisms of cooperation. A 10–person team visited approximately 20 Japanese organizations over a 10–day period in December 1992. This paper addresses the general topic of the product realization process with emphasis on examples gleaned from the visit and from research on Japanese Industrial practices. The paper presents a glimpse of developments in Japan while simultaneously exploring the product/process realization process as applicable to the manufacturing of polymer matrix composites.
The production of cellulases by Aspergillus niger in submerged fermentation with two substrates rice husk and saw dust was compared. The highest cellulase activity was observed at 3 rd day in pretreated rice husk media (13.702±0.1) and at 2 nd day in pretreated saw dust media (9.683±0.2). The optimum temperature of the enzyme was observed to be around 40oC. It was found that the enzyme activity has a broad pH range between 3-9 and 40% of the original activity was retained after heat treatment at 90oC for 15 min. Maximum cellulase activity obtained when 2.5% substrate was used above this concentration no regular increase in enzyme activity was noticed. Among two lignocellulosic wastes tested in this study rice husk prove to be a good substrate for cellulase enzyme production by the organism Aspergillus niger.
The Orange Basin is a Late Jurassic to present day basin located on the volcanic-rifted passive margin of SW Africa. 2D seismic data and structural restoration techniques were used to develop a tectonostratigraphic model of the basin consisting of a syn-rift and a post-rift megasequences separated by an Early Cretaceous break-up unconformity. The post-rift megasequence is characterised by gravity tectonics where extensional faults transferred displacement downdip into a deep water fold and thrust belt (DWFTB). Gravity gliding tectonics occurred through a combination of cratonic uplift and ther- mal subsidence and stopped via deltaic progradation and associated differential sedimentary loading.
1. The support, comprising: magnetic core; and! a polymeric coating which is applied on at least part of the surface of the core and which contains kationsvyazyvayuschuyu group containing at least one cyclic structure. ! 2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the core is selected from the group consisting of iron, steel, ferrites, magnetites, nickel, and combinations thereof, and the average particle size of from about 20 microns to about 400 microns in diameter, wherein the polymeric coating It comprises a polymer derived from a monomer containing kationsvyazyvayuschuyu group selected from the group consisting of crown ethers, cryptands, cyclenes, porphine, porphyrins, and combinations thereof. ! 3. The medium of claim 1, wherein kationsvyazyvayuschaya group comprising a crown ether selected from the group consisting of 12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, 4-akriloilamidobenzo-15-crown-5, benzo-15-crown -5, benzo-15-crown-5, stearilbenzo-15-crown-5, hydroxymethylbenzo-15-crown-5, benzo-15-crown-5 dinitrile, aza-15-crown-5, 15-vinylbenzyl a crown 5, 4-formylbenzo-15-crown-5, 18-crown-6, 4-akriloilamidobenzo-18-crown-6, benzo-18-crown-6, benzo-18-crown-6, 18-hydroxymethylbenzo a crown 6, benzo-18-crown-6 dinitrile, aza-18-crown-6, vinylbenzyl-18-crown-6, 4-formylbenzo-18-crown-6, dibenzo-18-crown-6, 18-stearilbenzo crown-6, dibenzo-21-crown-7, dibenzo-24-crown-8, bis (m-phenylene) -32-crown-10, bis (carboxy-m-phenylene) -32-crown-10, and combinations thereof . ! 4. The carrier of claim 1, wherein kationsvyazyvayuschaya group comprising a crown ether selected from the group consisting of! ! and! ! where n can take values ​​from 0 to 6, m can take values ​​from 0 to about 6, a R1, R2, R3, R4, R1 ', R2', R3 'and R4' may be the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl
The viscoelastic properties of structural glass-reinforced plastics based on the resins Epikote-828 and filled with the natural mineral wollastonite, were studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The investigation was performed at the interval of temperatures ranging from 20 to 160 °C. Studying of the basic relaxation processes revealed the effectiveness of wollastonite application as a dispersed filler for creation engineering glass-fiber materials with in advance set physical mechanical properties.
In internet chatrooms, multiple conversations may occur simultaneously. The task of identifying to which conversation each message belongs is called disentanglement. In this paper, we first try to adapt the publicly available system of Elsner and Char-niak (2010) to a French corpus extracted from the Ubuntu platform. Then, we experiment with the discursive annotation of utterances. We find that disentanglement performances can vary significantly depending on corpus characteristics. We also find that using discursive information, in the form of functional and rhetoric relations between messages, is valuable for this task.
Food processing and preservation technologies must maintain the fresh-like characteristics of food while providing an  acceptable and convenient shelf life as well as assuring safety and nutritional value. Besides, the consumers’ demand for  the highest quality convenience foods in terms of natural flavor and taste, free from additives and preservatives  necessitated the development of a number of membrane-based non-thermal approaches to the concentration of liquid  foods, of which forward osmosis has proven to be the most valuable one. A series of recent publications in scientific  journals have demonstrated novel and diverse uses of this technology for food processing, desalination, pharmaceuticals  as well as for power generation. Its novel features, which include the concentration of liquid foods at ambient temperature  and pressure without significant fouling of membrane, made the technology commercially attractive. This review aims to  identify the opportunities and challenges associated with this technology. At the same time, it presents a comprehensive  account of recent advances in forward osmosis technology as related to the major issues of concern in its rapidly growing  applications in food processing such as concentration of fruit and vegetable juices (grape, pineapple, red raspberry,  orange, and tomato juice and red radish juice) and natural food colorants (anthocyanin and betalains extracts). Several  vibrant and vital issues such as recent developments in the forward osmosis membrane and concentration polarization  aspects have been also addressed. The asymmetric membrane used for forward osmosis poses newer challenges to account  both external and internal concentration polarization leading to significant reduction in flux. The recent advances and  developments in forward osmosis membrane processes, mechanism of water transport, characteristics of draw solution  and membranes as well as applications of forward osmosis in food processing have been discussed.
Even tough child labor is a wide spread phenomena in Bolivia, little is known about its main determinants. By using a bivariate probit model in order to take into account the joint nature of the decisions between labor and schooling, this paper investigates which are the key factors that influence the probability that a child works. The available information for the year 2001 allow us to make a comparative analysis between an â€œexclusiveâ€ definition of labor, which refers only to market oriented tasks, and an â€œinclusiveâ€ definition of labor, which also takes into account household duties. The results show that if we use the â€œexclusiveâ€ definition, the girlâ€™s participation rate on the labor market is underestimated. Many types of segregation of the data have been performed, which enable us to identify that exogenous factors affect children in different ways, depending on the geographical area of the household, the gender and the ethnic background of the children. We were able to identify that the most vulnerable group are indigenous children and in particular indigenous girls. Conversely high education of the head of the family lowers the probability that a child works
This study deals to find out Code Mixing in Desta and Gina in the Morning Program on Prambors Radio. The objectives of this research were to find out: 1) Factors of code mixing in Desta and Gina in the Morning Program on Prambors Radio. 2) Function of code mixing in Desta and Gina in the Morning Program on Prambors Radio. 3) Types of code mixing occur in Desta and Gina in the Morning Program on Prambors Radio. The source of this research is Desta and Gina in the Morning program which broadcasted on Prambors Radio station. It was broadcast every day at 9.00 – 11.00pm. The program talked something new weird words, music, the reality issues, national news and many more. The data of this research are the broadcaster’s utterances in Desta and Gina in the Morning Program on Prambors Radio. The research design was qualitative research design. The instruments of data tape recorder to interview and observe the subject. The result reveals that (1) factors of code mixing in Desta and Gina in the Morning Program on Prambors Radio because speaker partner with 36 times or 18%, bilingual or multilingual with 100 times or 50%, and situation with 64 times or 32%. (2) functions of code mixing in Desta and Gina in the Morning Program on Prambors Radio are communication strategy with 136 times or 68%, expression of community and personality with 30 times or 15% and style with 34 times or 17%, (3) the types of the code mixing in the insertion of words, phrase, reduplication and clause. It shows the most frequent insertion is words which is 50 times or 25%, then clause 88 times or 44%, then phrase 51 times or 25,5%, and the last is reduplication 11 times or 5,5%. And also there are have some impact of code mixing for the listeners of the program, and results are some listeners known a little bit about English and vernaculars vocabularies and they can used in daily life such as the broadcasters done, their English and Indonesian and some vernacular languages can be increased and they often followed the broadcaster’s style in speaking, will be increased their insight about new vocabularies and new terms from English, they felt more update.
Abstract : This report summarizes the proceedings, conclusions and recommendations of a two-day workshop (30-31 Jan 1979) on refractive index structure parameter, Cn(2), in the marine planetary boundary layer (MPBL). Scaling laws are described that are adequate to predict Cn(2) in the surface layer to an accuracy of approximately a factor of two. A stepwise procedure is described to predict Cn(2) using these scaling steps. No generally accepted quantitative scaling laws exist in the upper MPBL. Simple second-moment turbulence models hold the best promise for Cn(2) prediction in the upper MPBL at this time. After verification these models can be used by themselves or to generate upper MPBL scaling laws. (Author)
The following program notes are written on the occasion of my Master's of Music recital. The recital split in two halves separated by an intermission. The first half opens with J. S. second piece is Mozart's Concerto in C major for Oboe and Orchestra, KV 314 (285 d). This first half is designated as standards of Oboe repertoire before 1800. Following the intermission is two pieces from my favorite period—early twentieth century French. The first piece is L'Horloge de Flore: pour hautbois solo et orchestra. This seven movement piece by Jean Francaix provided the ultimate challenge for both performance as well as research; for it's quickly changing moods as well as the limited sources existing in the United States. The final piece of the program is the standard Trio for Piano, Oboe and Bassoon by Francis Poulenc. Representing the double reed instruments as a family, the blending of voices is a fitting close for the program, and represents the culmination of the oboe as an instrument fitting for chamber music.
Establishing a correspondence between two non-rigidly deforming shapes is one of the most fundamental problems in visual computing. Existing methods often show weak resilience when presented with challenges innate to real-world data such as noise, outliers, self-occlusion etc. On the other hand, auto-decoders have demonstrated strong expressive power in learning geometrically meaningful latent embeddings. However, their use in  emph{shape analysis} has been limited. In this paper, we introduce an approach based on an auto-decoder framework, that learns a continuous shape-wise deformation field over a fixed template. By supervising the deformation field for points on-surface and regularising for points off-surface through a novel  emph{Signed Distance Regularisation} (SDR), we learn an alignment between the template and shape  emph{volumes}. Trained on clean water-tight meshes,  emph{without} any data-augmentation, we demonstrate compelling performance on compromised data and real-world scans.
The porous anodic alumina,formed by electrochemical oxidation of alumina,is characterized by fine,regular,almost cylindrical and parallelsided pores which can act as transparent host templates for a variety of luminescent media.Embedded the organic dyes in the pores in porous alumina,the embedded films are obtained.The photoluminescence and absorption spectra of the embedded dyes are measued and compared with those of the liquid dyes.It is found their absorption spectra are similar,while the photoluminescence spectra of the embedded films show a blue shift in the peak of the luminescence with the spectra more symmetric and the photoluminescence intensity decreased.It is also found that the organic dyes existing in the porous alumina are often in the form of monomers.After a series of post treatment on porous alumina before embedding the dyes in it,the photoluminescence intensity of the embedded dyes is found to be increased by heat treatment and increasing the porosity of porous alumina.
PURPOSE: The puller for the backbone surgical operation is provided to handle automatically rotates and it is fixed in the proper location. CONSTITUTION: A puller(1000) for the backbone surgical operation is composed of the upper frame(500), the moveable member(80), moveable member moving part, the traction unit, the wire pass station ash. The upper frame is arranged on the top of the location in which patient puts. The moveable member moves according to the elongation direction of patient.
numeration systems An abstract numeration system (ANS) is a triple S = (L,Σ, <) where L is an infinite language over a totally ordered alphabet (Σ, <). The map repS : N → L is a bijection mapping n ∈ N to the (n+ 1)-th word of L ordered genealogically. The inverse map is denoted by valS : L → N. A set X ⊆ N is S-automatic if repS(X) is accepted by a finite automaton. 1-automatic sets L = a∗, Σ = {a} n 0 1 2 3 4 5 · · · rep1(n) e a aa aaa aaaa aaaaa · · · A subset X of N is 1-automatic if it is S-automatic for the ANS S built on a∗. Theorem (Characterization of 1-automatic sets) A subset of N is 1-automatic iff it is ultimately periodic. Second example L = {a, b}∗, Σ = {a, b}, a < b n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 · · · repS(n) e a b aa ab ba bb aaa · · · For instance, the sets valS(a ∗) = {2 − 1 | n ∈ N} and valS(a ∗b∗) = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, . . .} are S-automatic. Third example: a polynomial numeration language L = a∗b∗, Σ = {a, b}, a < b n 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 · · · repS(n) e a b aa ab bb aaa · · · The set valS(a ∗) = { 2)(n + 1) 2 | n ∈ N} is S-automatic. No set of integers whose n-th term grows faster than a polynomial can be S-automatic. Integer base b ≥ 2 numeration system
When students struggle with reading comprehension they are at a severe disadvantage. They do not retain what has been read and eventually become dissuaded by reading altogether. The purpose of this action research was to discover which guided reading strategies should be implemented to help develop comprehension skills. Educational professionals and theorists have determined that focused intensive instruction of reading strategies will improve reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of explicit direct instruction and cooperative learning on reading comprehension in fourth grade students. A quasi-experimental design was used. There were six cognitive and three affective measures used to collect quantitative data. The between and within the group analyses revealed that both groups had similar reading profiles before and after treatment, and neither group showed significant changes in the strategy use. The analysis of the SIFA Feedback Sheets, post treatment interviews, and three cases imply that strategy instruction can have a positive impact on students’ strategy use.
Documents related to the case of The State of Texas vs. Joe G. Warriner, accused of the murder of J. C. Bizzell, filed July 17, 1875. Documents include an arrest warrant for Joe G. Warriner, witness summons, and a bill of indictment signed by grand jury foreman N. P. Coleman. Also included is a document by presiding judge M. H. Bonner outlining the charge and the positions of the State and the defendant. Warriner pled not guilty to the charge of murder, contending that he was reacting in self defense to an attack by Bizzell. The jury's verdict, finding Warriner not guilty, is written on the back of the bill of indictment.
This paper presents a methodology for optimizing delay of circuits that consist of general CMOS logic gates and long interconnections.The methodology is based on an extension of the concept of logical effort.It is a simple delay model and good for insight and quick hand calculation.It helps you find the best number of stages,the best size of each gate,and the minimum delay of a circuit.Then this paper has demonstrated that it is possible to find simple solutions for delay optimization in the presence of resistive interconnections,even when all the gates are not simple inverters.
The French treat jazz as " high art, " as their state radio stations France Musique and France Culture demonstrate. Jazz came to France in World War I with the US army, and became fashionable in the 1920s—treated as exotic African-American folklore. However, when France developed its own jazz players, notably Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, jazz became accepted as a universal art. and propagated it through the Hot Club de France. After World War II, several highly educated commentators insured that jazz was taken seriously. French radio jazz gradually acquired the support of the French government. This thesis describes the major jazz programs of France Musique and France Culture, particularly the daily programs of Alain Gerber and Arnaud Merlin, and demonstrates how these programs display connoisseurship, erudition, thoroughness, critical insight, and dedication. France takes its " stewardship " of jazz seriously. ii Foreword This thesis is the result of many years of listening to the jazz broadcasts of France Musique, the French national classical music station, and, to a lesser extent, France Culture, the national station for literary, historical, and artistic programs. On vacations in France over many decades I was struck by 1) the high quality of music and commentary on jazz and 2) by the fact that France Musique and France Culture accorded a place of honor to jazz in their programs, which are chiefly devoted to classical music and French culture respectively. In searching for a master's thesis topic it occurred to me that it would be worthwhile to describe both the richness and the rigor of jazz programming at France Musique and France Culture and to place them in the historical context of French culture and radio from the end of World War I to the present. In using the term " stewardship " to describe the French approach to jazz it is perhaps useful to recall the word's definition: " The responsible use of resources, esp. money, time and talents in the service of God. " 1 My use of the term takes on some of the " nobility " —if not to say " sacredness " —of the task of stewardship, with its attributes of a knowledgeable, respectful, and conscientious approach to jazz. Much of the source material I present is the result of a visit to Paris in 2007. During that trip I was able to interview a dozen or so musicologists …
The inpainting model BSCB includes two parts mainly,one of which is the information propagation part and the other is anisotropic diffusion.The article has been carried out a further analysis on renovating effect of two parts,and have brought forward one kind of BSCB-based improvement methods.The result of experiment indicates the method not only has a big improvement on keeping isophotes direction but also improves arithmetic speed notably.
Exploration for geothermal energy in Uganda has been in progress since 1993. The studies have focused on three major geothermal areas namely Katwe, Buranga and Kibiro. The three areas are in advanced stages of surface exploration and will soon be subjected to exploratory drilling that will pave the way for a feasibility study. The overall objective of the study is to develop geothermal energy to complement hydro and other sources of power to meet the energy demand of rural areas in sound environment. Recent studies have used geological, geochemical, hydrological and geophysical methods to elucidate subsurface temperatures and the spatial extent of the geothermal systems. The results indicate that the geothermal activity in the three areas is related to the volcanic and tectonic activities of the Rift Valley, which has a higher heat flow than the surrounding Precambrian crust. Subsurface temperatures of approximately 140-200˚C for Katwe, 120-150˚C for Buranga, and 200-220˚C for Kibiro have been predicted by geothermometry and mixing models. Anomalous areas have been delineated in Katwe and Kibiro prospects using geophysical methods. Drilling of shallow boreholes to a depth of 200-300m for temperature gradient measurement was carried out. The temperatures measured (30-36˚C/km) were slightly above the global average of 30˚C/km, which suggests deep reservoirs in Katwe and Kibiro or geothermal reservoirs offset from the drilled areas. Additional geophysical surveys to locate the deep reservoirs and drill sites in the two areas are recommended. The results will then be used to update the geothermal models that will be a basis for drilling of deep geothermal wells in the two areas. The Buranga area still needs detailed geophysical surveys to delineate anomalous areas that could be targets for drilling. The fourth area, Panyimur in Nebbi district, West Nile region, has indications of a geothermal prospect following the results of the petroleum drilling programme that has encountered high temperature gradients (maximum 80˚C/km) in the vicinity of the thermal area. Preliminary investigations to promote the area for further studies are under way. Preliminary geothermal investigations on other geothermal areas of Uganda have been done. The results indicate subsurface temperatures in the range of 100 - 160˚C suitable for electricity production and direct uses. Further geothermal investigations are recommended for these areas.
An interactive workshop on systemic design for general and open attendance.  Following an introduction to principles and processes, small groups will form to construct design models in application areas of interest to participants (e.g. urban ecology, healthcare systems, political governance, sustainable business ). The workshop is largely based on the 10 Systemic Design principles (Jones, 2014) and Methods ( http://systemic-design.net/rsd3-proceedings/theories-methods/ . )
Currently the use of internet in Government Office Salatiga specially in secretariat still uses simple queue method for bandwidth management . Many disadvantages that arise due to the use of this method, one of them in the bandwidth management. User who log in first will get more bandwidth than the user’s log in later. So each user doesn’t get the same bandwidth and as needed. To overcome this problem, this research will be manage bandwidth use Hierarchical Token Bucket (HTB) method. By using Hierarchical Token Bucket (HTB) method, so user will get the same bandwidth and be adapted to their needs.
Witton is writing to Andrew Inglis Clark about the hot January weather and intense heat in both Melbourne and Hobart. He also notes that, to add to the heat, there is a water famine and access is limited. He then discusses a mutual friend in Tasmania called 'Walter' and a new church and classroom being established and its associated issues. Witton then informs Clark of a new Tobacconist & Hairdresser business he has purchased.From letters exchanged between Andrew Inglis Clark, Tasmania and Joseph G. Witton, Melbourne, 19 Jan 1886 - 11 Oct 1905. Letter to Andrew Inglis Clark in Tasmania from Joseph G. Witton from Melbourne, 12 January 1887  C4/C363
This project analyzes food access issues in Adams County, specifically within the setting of South Central Community Action Programs and the Gleaning Project through the collection of individual testimonies. Budget, time, transportation, health, and household composition emerged as common themes that affect food access within this rural community and limit choice and agency, and also serve as a major influence in the process of food provisioning and identity formation, especially in terms of motherhood, parenting, and caregiving. In most cases, due to these systemic shortcomings, individuals and families navigated multiple solutions to these challenges in order to sustain themselves and to be active members of their communities.
An embodiment of the invention provides an index information display control method and device and touch display equipment. The index information display control method includes acquiring stay positions of touch points on a touch display screen, and judging whether or not the touch points are in an indexing area on the touch display screen; if so, judging whether or not index information number of the indexing area is greater than the system preset number and whether or not the touch points stay in the indexing area longer than the system preset time; if the index information number is greater than the system preset number and the touch points stay in the indexing area longer than the system preset time, highlighting a preset range with the index information, corresponding to the touch points, as wave crests in the indexing area. In this way, as the user indexes the information in the indexing area, the preset range with the index information, corresponding to the touch points, as the wave crests is highlighted in the indexing area, the user is reminded of a letter area range corresponding to the current touch points and has a better experience.
Morphometry is a method to detect changes in a variety of tissues through quantitative elements. The purpose of this study was to examine several nuclear morphologic characteristics in normal and neoplastic mammary ductal cells using a multivariable method and expression of estrogen receptors by immunohistochemical techniques. A total of 1879 nuclei were examined by a computerized program, following the detection of estrogen receptors. Nuclear area, perimeter, diameter, maximal and minimal radio were obtained in 439 normal ductal nuclei. The mean nuclear area was 14.45 with a range between 10.88 and 17.90. Variables showed adequate statistical correlation (r > 0.5). A total of 1440 neoplastic nuclei were classified as grades I, II and III, and a statistical significative difference was found between these three groups. We conclude that the nuclear area is a reliable variable for statistical correlation being the ductal nuclei anisotropic objects. Recibido: 27-4-99. Aceptado: 28-12-99.
As a renewable energy source, methane can not only improve ecological benefits and save energy, but also bring good economic benefits. In order to enhance the efficiency of methane preparation, the author used sodium acetate as the base material to study the effect of various mineral materials on microbial methane preparation. The results showed that mineral materials with good conductivity play a positive role in anaerobic microbial methane preparation, which is of referential meanings to highly-effective CH4 preparation.
A 59-year-old man with primary myelofibrosis developed motor and sensory neurological disturbance of the legs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated a mass lesion of the thoracic vertebra at Th4-6, and in the thoracic vertebral canal at Th4-9, which compressed the spinal cord. Needle biopsy of the mass lesion demonstrated extramedullary hematopoiesis. Initial treatment with bolus methylprednisolone was ineffective and, after subsequent radiation therapy, the mass lesion disappeared and the neurological symptoms ameliorated; however, regrowth of the extramedullary lesion was observed one month later. Surgical resection of the extramedullary lesion, laminectomy, and subsequent radiation were performed. The clinical course after the final treatment was good with no neurological symptoms, although the follow-up period is still short.
The most important key aspect in Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is the assessment of the learning outcomes. In a learning outcomes context, assessment effectively means assessing student attainment of learning outcomes. At the initial stage of OBE implementation, the so called specific learning outcomes or also known as Course Outcomes (CO) for each course were drawn up based on the Program Outcome (PO) and other requirements. COs are the attributes, that the student is expected to have or obtained at the time he or she completing the course. A method to evaluate the achievement or attainment of the COs has been developed. The paper describes the analysis process of the CO and Attainment of CO for Logic Design, which is offered to 3 rd Semester (2 nd year) students of Computer Science and Engineering Department. It also describes the background of the method, how the method is used, and the results produced. The method utilizes data obtained from student marks in internal tests and final university exam. The findings will then be further used for improving the teaching learning process.
With COVID-19 coming into the picture, the Indian economy is going through a major slowdown, which was evident over the recent quarters even before the crisis struck. In the third quarter of the current financial year, the economy grew at a six-year low rate of 4.7%. With all these problems hitting the world of work from multiple directions, companies are finding it difficult to sustain in this environment. They are forced to take tough decisions such as cutting down the salaries, giving pink slips to employees and opting for other costcutting measures. The outbreak has presented new roadblocks for the Indian workforce and especially for the daily wage and contractual workers. Coronavirus has disrupted the demand and supply chain across the country and with this disruption, it can be seen that the tourism, hospitality, and aviation sectors are among the worst affected sectors that are facing the maximum impact of the current crisis. Closing of cinema theatres and declining footfall in shopping complexes has affected the retail sector by impacting the consumption of both essential and discretionary items. As the consumption of any product or services goes down, it leads to an impact on the workforce. In the current scenario, with all the retailers closing down their services, the jobs of the employees are at a huge risk.
Objective To monitor and analyze the detection rate and the variation in drug resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii(Ab) isolated from Intensive Care Unite(ICU),and provide the evidence for prevention and control of Ab infection.Method The data of Ab isolated from ICU were analyzed by WHONET 5.4 software.Result Between Jan 2005 and Dec 2009,there were 395 Ab strains isolated from patients in ICU.Ab was one of the most common pathogens,accounting for 15.29%(395/2584) of the total pathogens and 21.29%(395/1855) of the Gram-negative bacteria detected,with the respiratory tract being the major source(81.01%).The antimicrobial resistance rates of Ab were very high,with the resistance rates to carbapenemas and cefoperazone/sulbactam significantly increased from 2009 to 2005(P0.01).All resistance rates were more than 40.0% in 2009.Conclusion Ab is one of the most important microbials detected in ICU.Its resistance rates are high to all antimicrobials,with the resistance rates to carbapenemas and cefoperazone/sulbactam rising significantly,to which a great attention should be paid.
Objective To study the chemical constituents from the aereal parts of Andrographis paniculata.Methods The compounds were isolated and purified by various column chromatographies.Their structures were elucidated by means of chemical evidences and spectral analyses(MS,1H-NMR,and 13C-NMR).Results Fifteen compounds were isolated and identified as 5,4′-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-8-O-β-D-glucosyl-flavone(1),apigenin(2),luteolin(3),6,8-di-C-β-D-glucosylchrysin(4),isoscutellarein(5),5-caffeoylquinic acid(6),3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid(7),3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid mehtylester(8),3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid butylester(9),4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid methylester(10),caffeic acid(11),p-hydroxy-coumaric acid(12),ferulic acid(13),protocatechuic acid(14),and ethyl fumarate(15).Conclusion Compounds 4—6,9,10,14,and 15 are obtained from this plants for the first time.
This research was aimed to learn difference of daily production and quality of goat milk Peranakan Etawa (PE) on the first, second, and third lactation in Farm Sukodono, Sidoarjo. Samples totaled 7 samples of goat milk. Daily production of goat milk was recorded for 1 month and goat milk examination include organoleptic test, density, fat, total solid, solid non fat, protein, and lactose. The result of the research showed that average daily production goat milk decreased each period of lactation. Organoleptic test showed the same result each period of lactation. The period of lactation had significant decreasing effect fat and total solid. Solid non fat and lactose showed that decreased in second period of lactation and increased again in the third period of lactation. The period of lactation had significant increasing effect protein.
Thermal, magnetic and transport measurements are reported on CePd_{2-x}Ni_xAl_3 in the 0<= x <= 1 range, including the effect of pressure (p) and magnetic field on some selected samples. The low temperature results indicate that long range antiferromagnetic order is stable up to x=0.2, while between 0.25 and 0.5 magnetic disorder gives rise to non-Fermi-liquid (NFL) behavior. In this region, the low temperature specific heat can be described by the sum of two components, the major one showing a C_P/T=gamma_0 -gamma_1 T^(1/2) dependence, while the minor one includes a decreasing number of degrees of freedom related to a residue of short range order. The latter extrapolates to zero between 0.45<x_{cr}<0.5. Electrical resistivity (rho) studies performed under pressure for x=0.5 allow to investigate the evolution of the NFL state right above the critical point, where the exponent of rho ~ T^n is found to increase from n=1 (for p=0) up to n=2 (for p=12 kbar). The latter is observed for x=1.0 already at normal pressure, indicating the onset of the Fermi Liquid behavior. Doping and pressure effects are compared by fitting high temperature resistivity data employing a unique function which allows to describe the evolution of the characteristic energy of this series through a large range of concentration and pressure.
Based on establishing the mathematical model of electric power steering system (EPS),a method for estimating the state of steering wheel by the combination of the moment signal measured by steering wheel moment sensor and the estimated steering angle, then the fuzzy proportion derivative (PD) control strategy is applied for conventional power-assited or self-aligning control. The simulation results show the steering moment decreases apparently under in-situ and low speed condition, the returnability is improved remarkably. Moreover, the electronic control unit (ECU) is designed on the basis of control strategy. For verifying the feasibility of software and reliability of ECU, the comparison vehicle test is carried out on the vehicle equipped with the self-developed EPS and without EPS respectively according to the relative national standards. The test results indicate that the practical effectiveness of self-developed EPS system is consistent with the simulation results.
Based on the test results of fifteen reinforced concrete columns strengthened with continuous carbon fiber sheet (CFS) under cyclic loading, the factors affecting the ductility of the specimens are summarized. The confinement mechanism of CFS for reinforced concrete columns is discussed. Then the evaluation on the ductility of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with CFS is studied. A theoretical analysis method, based on the computer program, is presented to calculate and evaluate the displacement ductility of reinforced concrete columns with CFS. In order to meet the engineering requirements, a simplified method is also proposed. The calculating results with above two methods agree well with the test results. Both methods can be used to evaluate the ductility of reinforced concrete columns strengthened with CFS.
In this paper,the method of factor analysis (or principal component analysis) is used to make a monthly analysis of the distribution of the fish numbers in the Jiaozhou Bay from June 1980 to May 1981.The principal components and factors which stand for the numbers of fish species and sampled stations respectively are taken as indices for studying the distribution of the fish numbers in the studied area.Not only do they show the distributive relationship between the numbers of various species and that between different stations,but they also help us gain an insight into the structure of the distributions of fish species in the Jiaozhou Bay.The representatives selected are also found in relation to the station,the dense one.The method used here proves of certain practical value for future studies.Up to now,no papers have yet been found to have reported the topic.The operations involved are performed on theDJS-6 computer.
The purpose of this study is to clarify the main characteristics of practical knowledge in golf teaching based on Merleau-Ponty`s phenomenology of sensitive perception. Merleau-Ponty criticizes an intellectual model for explicating acquisition of skill in practice, and suggests a practical knowledge based on central notions of his phenomenology of embodiment, namely schema of body(habitual knowledge) and intentional arc. The schema of body is understood as a way that my body is situated and dwells in the world. The intentional arc based on the embodiment signifies the interconnection of skillful action and perception. So, practical knowledge in golf teaching has to get sensibility and skillful technology that is based on habitual action. but nowadays, most of golfers and instructors relying to heavily on mechanism training. So, this paper makes that these central notions of the embodiment in Merleau-Ponty`s the theory of sensibility can provide an alternative theoretical basis for the understanding of practical knowledge in golf. Finally, for getting practical knowledge, we have to exercise steadily on actual fighting and then, even though we don`t know how to make it mechanical process, we need to get more skillful training.
PURPOSE: A mobile terminal and realization method thereof are provided to block the leakage of personal information and important information through external apparatuses by providing a message which advices a user against deleting an application. CONSTITUTION: A storage unit(110) stores each list including sorted applications which are able to be executed according to each security level. A monitoring module(141) monitors security states. An evaluation module(142) evaluates security levels by monitoring the security states. When the security level is determined by evaluating the security levels, a control module(143) executes an application included in the established security level. The control module updates a list in order to enable the list of the established security level to include the application.
Urban Green represents Neil Chambers’ vision for bringing the power of the conservation and design movements together. Taking up the concept of ‘ecomimicry’, Chambers’ priority is to see cities designed in ways that mimic the functions of ecosystems. Karl Baker would have liked to see more rigorous analysis, but feels it is a welcome addition to the on-going work of developing truly sustainable cities. Urban Green: Architecture for the Future. Neil B. Chambers. Palgrave Macmillan. July 2011. 256 pages.
Objective: To determine the knowledge of parents about oral health in children with special abilities of C.E.B.E. Don Jose de San Martin cusco 2018.  Materials and methods: The sample size was 110 parents who have children who are currently attending the school year. the unit of analysis are the surveys that were made in 20 questions, 7 aspects were evaluated: Preventive Measures, oral hygiene, dental development, oral diseases, the level of knowledge of parents in relation to the level of instruction, age group and diagnosis of your child.  Results: This study was conducted at C.E.B.E. Don Jose de San Martin Cusco having 30.9% have a poor level of knowledge, 56.4% of parents have a regular knowledge that represents the largest number of parents and 12.7% of parents present a good level of knowledge. The knowledge about preventive measures was regular with 50.9%, the knowledge about oral hygiene was regular with 45.5%, the knowledge about dental development was regular with 50%, the knowledge about oral diseases was regular with 46.4%, In terms of knowledge according to the level of education, we found that parents with a higher education level were the only ones who obtained a good level of knowledge with 56.2%, according to the age group, the parents of all the groups their results were regular and according to the diagnosis of your child is regular in all three diagnoses.  Conclusion: The knowledge of the parents about oral health is regular with 56.4% followed by a deficient knowledge 30.9% and finally a good knowledge with 12.7%.
Objective To explore the nursing intervention of cancer patients not meeting their MRI examination. Methods 130 cases were analysis concluded during 2004-2007,whose were the of cancer patients with not meeting plain ordinary MRI scan or enhance and taken care of the nursing. Results In 130 cases, 127 cases of successful acceptance of the effective care and intervention, the successful completion of MRI, the overall response rate was 97.7 percent. Conclusion Cancer patients for various reasons not well meet with MRI .It should do the psychological care to patients, reducing or eliminating the fear, anxiety and other negative emotions. For the pain, irritability, and so uneasy situation ,we should take effective drug intervention. So that patients can successfully cope with and ultimately achieved success check.
The invention provides a method and a device for alarm processing, and a terminal device. The method comprises: detecting holding action of a user on a terminal device; determining whether the holding action is a preset holding event or not; and when the holding action is used as the preset holding event, sending an alarm message. Through the method and the device for alarm processing, and the terminal device, an automatic alarm trigger mechanism of users under emergency states is realized, thereby improving confidentiality and flexibility of an alarm processing method, and ensuring safety of users.
Infectious lesions of the mitral ring sometimes cause so much damage that insertion of the prosthesis in its normal place is impossible. In such cases, artificial valves with a dacron flange can be implanted into the left atrium, just above the mitral ring, and sutured to the atrial wall. These valves are generally used in first or second reoperations for recurrent desinsertion, but they have proved so reliable that their use can be extended to primary mitral valve replacement in cases where extreme calcification of the mitral ring throws considerable doubt on the success of conventional techniques.
The dual mass flywheel includes, conventionally, the primary flywheel elements (1) and secondary (2), resilient coupling means (3) with radial elastic tension, and friction damping means (4) . It also comprises a torque limiter arranged between a hub (20) driven by the coupling means (3) and an inertial disc (21) of the secondary element (2). The annular disc (21) has a central bore (21b) surrounded by a web portion engaged in an annular groove (20d) of the hub (20). This groove comprises a cylindrical centering bottom and an inner flank (20f) machined in the hub, and an outer side consisting of a friction ring (23) non-rotatably to the hub (20) and pressed against the external face (21d ) of the plate by an axial elastic washer (24) secured to the hub. The fastening rotation of the friction washer (23) to the hub (20) is achieved by tabs (23a) which protrude from the washer (23) and pass through openings (24d) formed in the axially resilient ring ( 24).
There are multi-hazards frequently occurring in Japan."The Building Standards Law" involves lots of concepts of integrated disaster prevention,including:integrated disaster prevention of multi-hazards,integrated disaster prevention of building equipment,integrated disaster prevention of various structural,integrated disaster prevention of diverse planning,environment and region,concept of integrated disaster prevention runs through all aspects of construction,etc.It implements concept of integrated disaster prevention based on organization,technology regulation and standard,penalty etc.
The article presents the research results concerning the application of the selected function characteristics in the domain of the amplitudes in a vibration signal for the valve clearance assessment in the internal combustion engine. It is pointed out here that before the calculations of the characteristics describing the vibroacoustic signal – for to make smaller the risk of the incorrect assessment – are made, it is necessary to apply an elaborate process for the preparing the signal of the increasing vibrations.
THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION FOUNDATION | AUGUST 2015 The future of the U.S. economy depends in part on the health of U.S. manufacturing. Unfortunately, over the last 15 years the U.S. manufacturing sector has declined significantly compared to those of competitor nations. In the face of this decline, congressional action is needed more than ever to reduce the effective corporate tax rate; to boost investment incentives, including for R&D; to better enforce trade rules globally; and to support manufacturing innovation and workforce development.
In 1978,Proshansky proposed the concept of place identity.Now in the field of environmental psychology,place identity is an important concept for investigating the relationship between humans and the places.As one component of self identity,it is related to physical environment.In the past literature,researches distinguish place identity from place attachment,sense of place and place dependence in terms of cognitions,feelings and behaviors,respectively.Across the levels of individual,society and culture,the factors affecting place identity were demonstrated.In the future,new research approaches such as experimental methods investigating social cognition and longitudinal design can be used to explore the internal mechanism of place identity.The ways of applying this concept to solve currently practical problems in China are discussed.
A pharmaceutical composition for treating drug withdrawal syndrome and detoxifying addicts comprises an aconitane derivative of formula I/II or their inorganic acid salts or their mixture, or tetrahydroprotaberine derivatives of formula III, with or without anticholinergic agent and a conventional excipient in the pharmaceutical field. The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is characterized by no drug-dependence, excellent effect, fast action and low side effect. In the formula I, R= OCH3, OH or OCH3, R1=OAcABz, OH, OABz or H, R2=H or OH, R3=H or OH, R4=H or OH, R5=H or OH, R6=OCH3, OBz, OAc or OH. In the formula II, R1=R2=R3 OH. In the formula III, R1=OCH3 or OH, R2=OCH3, R3=OCH3 or H, R4=OCH3 or OH, R5=H or OCH3, R6=H or CH3.
Crossbars are frequently used as the switching fabric for high-performance packet switches (IP routers, ATM switches, Ethernet switches). The performance, functionality, and scalability (in terms of line rate and/or number of ports) of these switches are directly related to the arbitration/scheduling algorithm which must retrieve the state information of input queues, compute a (pseudo-) optimum matching, and configure the crossbar accordingly, all within one packet cycle. In this paper, we give a detailed hardware design and implementation of a novel arbitration scheme, named RDSRR, that lends itself well to high-speed implementation, while at the same time achieves excellent performance under a variety of traffic patterns. We present a novel pipeline technique and the full-custom design of the arbiter circuit using TSMC 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS technology which can support switch sizes of up to 256 /spl times/ 256 at a line rate of 10 Gbps.
Objective To establish a kind of convenient,stable model of cerebral vasospasm following subarach-noid hemorrhage.Methods Eighteen Jersey rabbits were divided randomly into three goups,SAH group,operation control group and normal sodium control group.DSA,TCD and histological study were performed in all groups at the third,senventh and fourteenth day after the operation respectively.Results in SAH group,the velocity of cerebral blood flow detected by TCD has greatly risen and there was obvious inflammatory reaction reflected by histological study in vessel wall,the existence of cerebral vasospasm was confirmed by DSA also only in SAH group.Conclusion This method is fit for the establishment of cerebral vasospasm model following SAH.
Only those strains of corynebacteria that carry the gene for diphtheria toxin may cause diphtheria. The only known reservoir of C. diphtheriae is man. The past decade has seen a return of diphtheria in the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Owing to a lack of immunization of the population, more than 150,000 people went down with the disease. In Germany, too, contact resulted in a number of cases and two deaths. The sole effective protection is immunization. Although more than 90% of children and adolescents are protected, only 40% to 60% of adults are.
The PTCR (Positive Temperature Coefficient Resistivity) effect of BaTiO3 based semiconducting ceramics is usually allied to the donor or acceptor. B2O3 with high vapor pressure at high temperatures can be used as vapor dopants. The behavior of B2O3 vapor dopants was studied in BaTiO3 based semiconducting ceramics. The dramatic results show that the resistivity jumping of the samples is improved distinctly, in the mean time, the room temperature resistivity is also increased. The enhancement of the PTCR effect of the samples doped with B2O3 vapor is possibly associated with the interstice of boron ion and barium vacancy or their related composite defects.
Conducted a comprehensive analysis from various factors of adolescent physical health policy by adopting the methods of literature review and logical analysis,combining with China's political and social background,using the perform system model of Meter-Horn policy implementation system.And then we found out that the low policy goal level,strong utilitarian,depressed policy and law,shortage policy execution resources,single policy execution means,unsound enforcement mechanism and monitoring mechanism,insufficient interaction of policy enforcement agencies,less identity of executive policy,execute esteemed underpowered and unfavorable factors such as policy environment,inadequate executive power and various disadvantage factors along with the interaction between them make the policy implementation in trouble.So optimization path of policy effective execution is proposed.In the premise of promoting policy goal level,perfecting the policy system,and broadening the policy resources,we should integrate the policy execution organization,enrich policy implementation means,improve the execution mechanism and supervision mechanism and optimize the policy environment,to enhance the execution policy identity of the subject and object.
We suggest a new approach for treatment of local and non-local interactions in correlated electronic systems, which is based on the combination of the (extended) dynamical mean-field theory ((E)DMFT) and the two-particle irreducible functional renormaliztion-group (2PI-fRG) method. The considering approach uses self-energy and the two-particle irreducible vertices, obtained from (E)DMFT, as an input of 2PI-fRG approach. Using 2PI vertices may improve the applicability of various truncations and fulfilling conservation laws in comparison with one-particle irreducible approaches. In case of purely local interaction in a certain "ladder" truncation of the DMFT+2PI-fRG equations, the obtained equation for the self-energy has a similar, although not identical, structure to that in the ladder dynamic vertex approximation (D$ Gamma $A). For the non-local interactions, in a simplest truncation we reproduce the results for the two-particle vertices/susceptibilities in the ladder approximation of the dual boson approach, but obtain different equation for the self-energy with a correct treatment of the one-particel reducible vertices of higher orders. The proposed scheme is rather general and can be applied to study various phenomena in strongly-correlated electronic systems, e.g. as a tool describing ab initio screening of the Coulomb interaction in strongly correlated systems.
Objective By comparing the physiological index and diosgenin content of rhizome between the artificial tetraploid and the wild type diploid of Dioscorea zingiberensis, it is aimed at revealing the potential utility of polyploid breeding in medicinal D. zingiberensis. Methods Three clones of the natural diploid and the artificially induced tetraploid of D. zingiberensis were used as materials in this study. The content of SOD, PPO, and soluble sugar of leaves was determined by spectrophotometry, CAT content was measured by using the method of KMnO_4 titration. And the diosgenin content in rhizome was analyzed by HPLC. Results The tetraploid plants showed higher level of SOD, PPO, CAT, soluble sugar content in leaves, and diosgenin content in rhizome than those of the diploid origins. The diosgenin content in the three clones of tetraploid plants increased to 27% as compared to wild type. Conclusion Artificially induced tetraploid presents high content of diosgenin and great potential in stress resistance, which would be available in good seed breeding for high yield of diosgenin.
Objective To explore the value of the multrphasic stice spiral CT(MSCT) scan and reconstruction in the diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma.Method The CT finding of 25 cases with pathologically proved gallbladder carcinoma were retrospectively analysed.Results CT findings included thickened wall type of 8 cases,intra luminal type of 5 case,mass type of 12 cases.The gall bladder carcinoma had certain enhancing characteristics of high density in hepatic artery period,same or high density in porch vein period,and no clear fade away in delaying period,in other words,the gallbladder carcinoma was higher enhancement than normal gallbladder wall,and had long term enhancement.Conclusion The multiphasic and reconstruction MSCT scan plays an important role in diagnosis and differential dingnosis of gallblader carcinoma.
A commonly used recipe to determine CTV to PTV margins used in the radiotherapy of prostate cancer is the Van Herk margin recipe. The study done by Van Herk et. al. considers translations of the CTV and observer variation, but no rotation and deformation. Using implanted gold markers as guidance for correction during treatment, the uncertainties due to translational movement become zero, and only observer variation, rotation and deformation remain as sources of uncertainty. Therefor there was a need for a study which incorporates these uncertainties, which is done here. CTVs (prostate and seminal vesicles) are contoured by three observers in the planning CT and by one observer in eight follow-up CT scans using triangulized surfaces (meshes), for twenty patients. Rectums are also delineated with use of meshes. Treatments plans are developed with a five beam IMRT technique, aligning the 100% isodose with the PTV and minimizing the distance between the 95% isodose and the PTV. After evaluation an elastic body spline deformation model (based on Gaussian forces) is chosen to use for image registration, creating deformation fields of the follow-up scans to the planning CT using the CTV and rectum as constraints. These deformation fields are used to deform and accumulate the dose distributions for all follow-up CT scans. Meshes are generated from the 95% isodose surfaces. A distance tool is developed in Matlab which determines the distance between meshes. Because one and the same mesh is used to delineate all CTVs, distance mappings (from CTV to 95% isodose) can be constructed combining all twenty patients. A method is developed to incorporate observer variation, using the delineations of the three observers, into the distance mappings. Three patient setup protocols (using implanted goldmarkers, the patients bony anatomy and external skin markers) are simulated by aligning the CT scans accordingly. For the goldmarker protocol initially a margin of 0 mm is used. The distance of the CTV to the 95% isodose of the accumulated dose gives an impression of what margin should have been used to get no underdosage. Incorporating observer variation this resulted in requiring non-uniform margins. For the seminal vesicles (SV) a margin of 7 mm was found, for the apex region 6 mm for the posterior part (rectum side) of the CTV 2 or 3 mm margin and for the rest 4 or 5 mm margin. These absolute values are mere indications and should be validated. The effect of observer variability on the accumulated dose at rectal side of the CTV is small with respect to the anterior side of the prostate, whereas the movement of both sides is similar. It also became clear that the observer variability is a large source of error for the apex region, while the error due to displacement there is small. For the seminal vesicles it showed that movement is the main source of error. A 5 mm uniform margin is applied for the GM protocol. The resulting accumulated doses confirm the need for the non-uniform margins. For the bony anatomy and skin marker protocol only a 0 mm margin is applied. The results showed that larger margins would be needed using these protocols. It was also noted that the CTV possibly showed a systematic movement towards the rectum during treatment, for instance due to increasing laxation. Future studies should be done to determine the absolute values needed, for each of the non-uniform margins. These studies should entail evaluating possible underdosage applying these margins, and analyzing the accumulated dose in the rectum (wall).
The low velocity non-D arcy flow mechanism is always a controversial subject. Over the past ten years, the Chinese researchers have made many extensive simulations and experimental st udies of this flow in oil and gas reservoirs, most of them believe that this phe nomenon is related to the anomalous boundary layers of the fluids. The boundary water was considered to be a crystalline substance formed by the action of the r emaining force field at the solid surface. But early in 1970s this viewpoint was refused by the researchers including the advocator. The surface force measureme nt shows that the viscosity of water adjacent to the silica surface is not diffe rent from the bulk water and at most 1-2 layers of water molecule are immobiliz ed at this solid surface. On the basis of recent surface and colloid chemistry t heory, it is held that the low velo city non-Darcy flow of the liquid in the reservoir rock could be attributed, no t to the anomalous boundary layers, as generally been assumed, but to the plasti c flow caused by the colloid substances in the reservoir rock entering into the fluid and also held that the low velocity non-Dary flow of the gas in watered r ock could be attributed,not to the water membrane,but to the redistribution of w ater in the rock resulted from the delay of the gas phase permeability.
Three fungal isolates, KF-1, HN-14 and K-12, from barnyardgrass leaf blight, which were collected from Hunan and Beijing, were studied morphologically and molecularly. The results showed that there were differences between the three isolates and the two Exserohilum monoceras strains G-9 and X-27 which wereaccurately identified and deposited in culture collections of China Agricultural University in colonial morphology, sporulation and spore morphology especially septa of spore. G-9, KF-1, X-27 and HN-14 grow quickly and produce abundant spores on PDA plate, but K-12 grows slowly and produced less spores. To further identify the relationship of 5 isolates, 5.8S-ITS sequence were compared. Results indicated that the similarity of ITS sequence of five isolates were over 98% and the phylogenetic tree based on ITS1 and ITS2 sequence also revealed that G-9, KF-1, K-12, X-27, and HN-14 were all clustered into one group and distinct from the other outgroup and suboutgroup. Based on the above data, these three isolates were proved to be E. monoceras.
Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of laser-assited subepithelial keratomileusis(LASEK) for treatment of myopia and astigmatism.Methods LASEK was performed for 30 cases(60 eyes) with myopia and astigmatism.The preoperative myopia diopter ranged from -1.50DS to -11.00DS,the astigmatism ranged from -1.50DC to -2.50DC.To make corneal subepithelial valve,eyes were soaked in 20% alcohol for 30 to 35 seconds.It was applied with quasi-molecule laser system.Results The visions with 73.17% were between 0.8 and 1.0 one month post-operatively,26.55% between 0.5 and 0.7,and 0.27% less than 0.5;The average visions with 76.69% were between 0.8 and 1.0 three months post-operatively,and 23.30% between 0.5 and 0.7;The visions with 77.78% were between 0.8 and 1.0 in six months after operation,and 21.68% between 0.5 and 0.7.There were no significant difference between in three months post-operatively and preoperative in corrected visions.Conclusion LASEK induces less pain and HAZE than PRK and LASEK has wider surgery field.Moreover,the risk of LASEK has less risk and less hidden danger than LASIK.In summary,LASEK is one of the safe choices in the treatment of myopia with laser relatively.
The elastic parameter variations within seismic source region prior to an earthquake result in variations of the seismic wave velocity. In this paper, on the basis of the phenomenon of wave velocity anomaly, before an earthquake of M = 7, the distortion of the Earth's gravity and tilt by the M2 loading tide at some places near the coastline of China have been estimated by means of the results of the loading tide studies. We showed that the distortion of the gravity is very little and that of the tilt is observable. It is suggested that tilt observations should be done in the seismic active areas adjacent to the sea.
INTRODUCTION In order to determine the role lipids play in cerebral infarction (CI), the different aetiological subgroups of this disease should first be separated.   AIMS AND METHOD We conducted case control studies to identify whether there is a relation between blood lipid levels and the occurrence of cerebral infarction caused by atheromatosis (CIA). Our study involved a total of 98 patients with cerebral infarction of an atherothrombotic or lacunar aetiopathogenesis that were included in the CIA category. Two control groups were set up: one consisted of 23 patients with non atheromatous cerebral infarction (NACI), which included other aetiologies (cardioembolic, unusual and unspecified), and the other was made up of 101 healthy subjects who had not had a stroke.   RESULTS The group of patients with CIA presented higher average cholesterol rates than the group of subjects with NACI (p= 0.005). Nevertheless, compared to the control group they had higher average levels of cholesterol (p= 0.003), triglycerides (p= 0.011), VLDL (p= 0.028) and LDL (p= 0.000), as well as a higher average atherogenic index (p= 0.028). Furthermore, the average levels of LDL (p= 0.030) and the atherogenic index (p= 0.008) were seen to be statistically higher in the group of subjects with NACI than in the control group. Lastly, it must be pointed out that no differences in the average HDL levels were found between the three groups studied (p= 0.500). The presence of high blood pressure and a history of ischemic heart disease in patients with CI did not modify the variations that were observed in the lipids.   CONCLUSIONS Patients with CIA have a more atherogenic lipid profile than healthy individuals, while subjects with NACI are situated midway between the two groups
Since China entered the WTO, an increasing number of Chinese companies have experienced social responsibility barriers and lost many international orders. Therefore, Chinese and multinational companies, such as Ford, GM and Toyota are paying attention to Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) which includes economic, legal and ethical issues. This paper tries to provide theoretical and empirical evidence for apparel companies in China to conduct CSR in the supply chain which is called Logistics Social Responsibility(LSR). This paper tries to identify three potential drivers of LSR: economics, institution and reputation. This paper also tries to answer the question whether implementing LSR will improve companies' performances including customer service performance, operations performance and economic performance respectively. In order to answer the above research questions, this paper develops six hypotheses according to the literatures review, adopts a mail survey, and employs the structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. In the first part, we try to explain why LSR issues in China is an important research topic, especially for the apparel industry in China. In the second part, we proposed a research model based on the related literatures. Six hypotheses were proposed for the apparel industry in China:(1) economics factor is positively associated with a firm's logistics social responsibility;(2) institutional factor is positively associated with a firm's logistics social responsibility;(3) reputation is positively associated with a firm's logistics social responsibility;(4) a firm's logistics social responsibility is positively associated with a firm's customer service performance;(5) a firm's logistics social responsibility is positively associated with a firm's internal operations performance; and(6) a firm's logistics social responsibility is positively associated with a firm's economic performance. In the remains of this paper, we conduct a mail survey to collect a total of 228 firm-level questionnaires and employ structural equation modeling. Our results show that institutional factor, reputation and economics factors all exert positive influence on the implementations of LSR. Moreover, LSR has positive effect on the performance of supply chain management in terms of customer service and internal operations; however, it does not improve the economic performance of apparel companies. In summary, an increasing number of Chinese apparel companies are paying attention to LSR issue. However, at the early stage they need to invest in order to improve their LSR practices. That is why LSR cannot currently improve the economic performance. However, based on the successful experience in the developed countries Chinese companies can realize all the benefits of LSR in the future if they indeed regard LSR as a long-term business strategy. This paper still has some limitations as following:(1) the sample in the study is limited to the apparel companies located in Fujian and Guangdong Provinces because there are a lots of apparel companies in these two provinces. But this may potentially affect the quality and size of our samples, and it is necessary to conduct a larger survey around the country in the future;(2) the indicators adopted in the survey are limited to our understanding of LSR, its drivers and performance. It is necessary to implement a more thorough literature review so that to we can fully understand the LSR and design more comprehensive indicators;(3) this paper just focuses on the LSR drivers and its performance. However, there are still some important issues such as firm size, organizational culture, top management support and business strategy, which may affect the results of this paper. We will investigate these issues in the future.
Objective To analyze risk factors of ventilator dependent patients and suggest feasible countermeasures for discontinuing mechanical ventilation.Methods A retrospective clinical study in 183 patients with mechanical ventilation was carried out in department of respiratory of our hospital and Huaxi hospital.The time range and clinical data and other possible causes of difficult weaning were collected and analyzed by logistic regression.Results Our study suggest,in the discontinuing of ventilation,duration of ventilation,basic lung disease,recent lung infection,apacheⅡscore,plasma-albumin level,electrolyte disturbances,and the ability to cough or clear sputum were independent influential factors which influenced the success of weaning.Conclusion Weaning of mechanical ventilation is a complicated and systematic procedure.The management of optimal time and general condition during withdrawing,the mechanical ventilation are important for the ventilator dependent Patients.In the multi-variable logistic regression analysis,ventilation time,basic lung disease,recent lung infection,apacheⅡscore,plasma-albumin level,plasma-albumin level,electrolyte disturbances,and the ability to cough or clear Sputum are independent factors which influence the success of weaning.Among all these factors,plasma-albumin level and electrolyte disturbances are both most important but easily be neglected factors besides in-lung cause.Ignoring these factors will lead to failure of discontinuing of mechanical ventilat.
Currently, the Boeing 787 airplane program in Everett must create and send 2D paper copies of drawings to each customer. The goal is for recipients to view technical data from a Model Based Definition (MBD). An industry-academic collaboration project was undertaken between Boeing Commercial Airplane (BCA), Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) and students from Pennsylvania State University's College of Information Science and Technology. Eleven teams of Penn State students were assigned to develop three Model Based Instruction (MBI) templates: Shop- floor Information including Work Instruction, Manufacturing Specifications, and Engineering and Manufacturing Dataset Distribution. As measured by the students' outcome and by the opinion of the Boeing BCA & IDS team, the project was a success. Therefore, Boeing plans to continue integrating the collaboration on design projects into different colleges and universities for the foreseeable future.
This paper is intended to show the importance of maintaining a proper balance of fire prevention and control measure between the three main divisions of the ship: the cargo space, the machinery space and accommodation. It is shown how this balance is affected by the properties of the products carried and the need for proper containment is stressed. Examples of measures recommended for various chemicals are detailed, various fire extinguishing systems and their media are described and the importance of adequate training for officers and crew is emphasized.
This article explores the importance of political participation to a democracy’s integrity. For a government to be representative of its people, the people must make efforts to articulate their interests and find ways to implement them in government. The most iconic symbol of a democratic society is the right to vote. However, many citizens (especially youth), do not use this right to their advantage for many reasons. Youth in Italy, for example, have ostensibly lower rates of voting in comparison to the older population and show little interest in voting because they have no interest in politics. They feel as if it does not affect them, and is inconsequential. Not only is this a sentiment expressed in Italy, but there is a global resurgence of political apathy amongst youth, reasons for which will be further discussed in the paper.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________ vi Abstract The Arctic has been affected by the ongoing climate and environmental change more than other regions of the Earth. For the next century, increasing rates of change have been predicted. Only a few Arctic meteorological records date back to the 19th century. Hence paleoclimate archives are of particular importance for the reconstruction and assessment of past climate variability and its causes. In this thesis, glacier and ground ice from the Russian Arctic, more precisely an ice core from Akademii Nauk ice cap (Severnaya Zemlya) and syngenetic ice wedges from Oyogos Yar (Dmitrii Laptev Strait), both covering the Late Holocene, were studied to contribute new paleoenvironmental information. Both archives were mainly analyzed by using stable water isotopes. This thesis demonstrates the great potential of Akademii Nauk ice core for the high resolution reconstruction of regional climate and environmental variability. In particular, its δO data can be used as proxy for temperature in the Western Eurasian Arctic revealing significant changes on different timescales. The 20 century was the warmest period of the last two millennia, with an absolute doublepeaked maximum around AD 1920-1940. Of particular interest are rapid decadalscale climate changes, which occurred in the 15th and 16th century as well as at about AD 1900, most probably caused by internal dynamics of the Arctic climate system. Deuterium excess d provides valuable information on the participation of regional moisture in the precipitation feeding Akademii Nauk ice cap, which is linked to the regional sea ice extent. Decreasing δO and sea salt ion values due to the increasing ice cap altitude prove the growth of Akademii Nauk ice cap in the Late Holocene. A new approach, comprising high resolution sampling and radiocarbon dating, was used to gain paleoenvironmental information from the syngenetic Oyogos Yar ice wedges. Even though no continuous records could be obtained due to still inconsistent dating results, paleoclimatic information could be extracted. Ice wedge δO data show evidence that winters in the last decades were the warmest in the Late Holocene. These were accompanied by changes in the moisture sources, related to changes in the atmospheric circulation patterns and/or sea ice dynamics. Envisaged follow-up research will continue the work on the studied objects and will facilitate new insights into the paleoenvironmental history of the Eurasian Arctic. Introduction Chapter 1 __________________________________________________________________________________________________
Efficient planning of runway utilisation is one of  the main challenges in Air Traffic Management (ATM). It is  important because runway is the combining element between airside and groundside. Furthermore, it is a bottleneck in many cases. However, uncertainty and inaccuracy almost always lead to deviations from the actual plan or schedule. In this paper, we develop an optimization approach for the pre-tactical planning phase that provides some flexibility in the face of small disturbances in the input data, so that we need to change our plans less frequently. Instead of determining arrival/departure  times to the minute in this phase yet, we assign several aircraft to the same time slot of a given size. The exact orders within those time windows can be decided later in tactical planning. Mathematically, this leads to a generalised assignment problem on a bipartite graph. We develop an integer program (IP), which can be solved very fast but may provide unnecessary large time buffers, and extend it to a mixed integer program (MIP) that solves the problem to global optimality. We present computational results concerning the abovementioned optimization approach and investigate the impact of disturbances on our deterministic solutions. As a next step, we will incorporate uncertainties directly in our model. Therefore, we analyse real-world data from a large German airport in order to obtain realistic delay distributions and describe a simulation  environment to test current and future solution methods.
Purpose: Lichen planus (LP) is a common chronic immunologic inflammatory epidermal and mucocutaneous disorder involving skin, oral mucosa and both sometimes, the main cause of which is still unknown. Due to the importance and it’s prevalence, this study was carried out in order to assess the association of oral and dermal lesions in patients referring to Dermatology Clinic of Tehran Razi Hospital during summer of 2001. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive study, a total of 101 patients with individual involvement of LP in skin or mucosa were selected among 6510 patients referred to Tehran Razi Hospital-Dermatology Clinic. The selected cases were subjected to further and exact clinical examination along with interview, while in suspected lesions, the conducted histopatologic tests obtained by biopsy were used for the evaluation. A questionnaire was completed for each patient after taking history and physical examination, including history of systemic diseases, interacting medication, smoking habits, presence of oral and dermal lesions, the onset of mucosal and skin lesions and the treatment period, oral lesion’s signs and the patients complaint, involvement location, form, manner of distribution, oral lesion history as well as existence of amalgam restorations along side the lesion chi-square used to assess differences for variables. Results: The study revealed 34 percent association of oral and dermal lesions in the study population, while individual dermal lesion were observed in 61.1 percent of patients and individual oral lesions in 4.9 percent. The incidence of oral LP lesions was slightly higher in females in comparison to males (40.4 percent in females and 37.3 percent in males). About 20 percent of patients who gave history of oral LP, reported smoking cigarettes, while there was no case of pipe smoking or different smoking habits. Patients with dermal lichen planus reported a time between 1-6 months passing from their appearance, while the cases with oral lichen planus were unaware of the beginning time of lesions. The most reported symptom of oral lichen planus in the study population was the burning sensation, while the buccal mucosa was the most common site of involvement and reticular form was the high prevalent. Conclusion: High incidence of dermal and oral lichen planus association revealed throughout the study calls the attention for complete systemic examinations of the patients. As this study was carried out in the dermatology clinic, it seems that other studies in dental schools as well as throughout the public will be of necessity and importance to verify the results. According to this study, there was not a significant statistical relationship between LP and other variables. ______________________________________________________________________________
Wireless sensor network, composed by sensors, microprocessor and wireless communication interface, is an interesting field, and gains more and more attentions. The wide application prospects make it developing rapidly in some field such as military, environment monitoring, health care and space explore and so on. In this paper, the concepts of the sensor network and its architecture are introduc ed, some key questions about sensor network and its solution are presented. At last, prospects the future of the sensor network.
The training of creative consciousness and capacity during graduation projects for engineering students was studied from the practice for directing process equipment and control engineering students' graduation projects.The results showed that it was an available way for training the creative consciousness,creative thought and creative capacity of students by using the guiding model of inspiration and direction during directing students' graduation projects.
Based on the present situation and tendency of medicine information service on Internet,the paper discusses significance,basic condition and organizing model of the digitalization of hospital library The paper considers that,besides being the important information channel,Internet is also a major information source And constructing the digitalized library based on Internet service is the final developing purpose of hospital library
The objective of this study was to determine both the pharmacokinetic parameters and the bioavailability of a newly developed trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole preparation (cotrimoxazole, Kepinol forte, 160 mg of trimethoprim/800 mg of sulfamethoxazole) in comparison with a reference preparation customary in trade and registered according to the AMG 1976, after single oral administration. For this purpose the test and the reference preparation were examined in a randomized 2-way crossover design (Latin square) in 12 volunteers each. Both dosage forms led to maximum plasma levels of approx. 1250 ng/ml of trimethoprim and about 40 micrograms/ml of sulfamethoxazole 1.5-2 h after application; the plasma half-lives were about 9 h for trimethoprim and around 8.5 h for sulfamethoxazole. The statistical comparison (ANOVA, confidence intervals according to Westlake, Pratt-Wilcoxon test) of the pharmacokinetic parameters found in the study resulted in bioequivalence of the newly developed trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole preparation and the reference preparation. Furthermore, after the administration of both preparations no marked side effects worth mentioning were observed, suggesting a good and comparable clinical tolerability of the two preparations.
This thesis focuses on the monolayer films and nanostructures of Ti oxide and Nb oxide supported on the gold substrate. Particular emphasis have been placed on learning about the point and extended defects that occur in the films. The thesis begins with a significant improvement in the resolving power of the STM that can be achieved through automated distortion correction and multi-frame averaging. The broad utility of this approach is demonstrated with three examples: the Si(111)-(7 × 7) reconstruction, the Ti2O3 (2 × 2) film on Au(111) and the (4 × 4) reconstructed SrTiO3(111) surface. Ti2O3 monolayer films with a honeycomb lattice often contain local defects in which the hexagonal elements are replaced by four, five, seven, and eight-membered rings. The structure and energetics of Stone-Wales and divacancy defects in the Ti2O3 monolayers are investigated using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT). The substrate significantly influences the energetics, and hence favors vacancy-type defects, in compressively strained 2D materials. A variety of non-stoichiometric defects are observed and they can be generated by applying a voltage pulse using the STM tip. An epitaxial (2 × 2) honeycomb Nb2O3 monolayer is grown on an Au(111) surface. The films form a well-ordered honeycomb lattice and adopt a (2 × 2) periodicity with respect to the Au(111) substrate. The Nb atoms are located in Au(111) three-fold hollow sites and the O atoms are located in on-top positions. The existence of a strong interfacial interaction is characterized by a large electron transfer to the Au substrate, an increase of the Nb oxidation state, and substantial film rumpling. High resolution STM images are able to discriminate between Nb atoms adsorbed in fcc or hcp hollow sites on the surface. A variety of monolayer niobium oxide (NbOx) nanostructures are grown on Au(111) surfaces. The NbOx nanostructures can be classified as atomic clusters consisting of only a few atoms, or larger triangular islands of various sizes. The atomic clusters have rectangular, pentagonal and hexagonal shapes, and they can merge to form larger clusters. The atomic clusters have stoichiometries ranging from NbO to NbO1.5. The triangular islands have a close-packed structure and locally adopt the (1 × 1) periodicity of the Au(111) substrate. Triangular islands of different sizes have similar atomic structures and stoichiometries close to NbO. The nanostructures can be converted into (2 × 2) Nb2O3 honeycomb monolayer films when annealed for prolonged periods in 10-6 Pa of oxygen. The structures and properties of defects in monolayer films of Ti2O3 and Nb2O3 on Au (111) are compared. For both systems, a rich variety of defects including island edges and domain boundaries are observed. Characteristic domain boundaries consist of 4, 5, 7 and 8-membered rings. For the Nb2O3 monolayer films, a larger variety of structures within domain boundaries have been observed. Furthermore, the edge structures for both systems have been studied. While the Ti2O3 forms disordered edges containing nonhexagonal rings, the Nb2O3 forms armchair and zigzag edges containing only hexagonal rings. It is surprising that although both Ti2O3 and Nb2O3 form the same structure, the defects in these systems are distinctly different.
Description of the invention provides a method of detection and quantification of the hepatitis B virus (Hepatitis B Virus). SEQ ID Nos for the detection of hepatitis B virus. Oligonucleotide beginning with the first and second nucleotide probe (oligonucleotide probes) and SEQ ID Nos. 3 and 4, each primer [sense and antisense (sense and antisense)], beginning with 5 and 6 are described. It also provides a detection kit (kit) for the HBV containing the mixture with the hepatitis B virus PCR reaction mixture (PCR reaction mixture), and the package instructions (instruction package) for the detection of.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and a leading cause of death. Studies have shown that abnormal expression of microRNAs, small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression, is linked to the occurrence of cancer. This study sought to determine the role of microRNA-143 (miR-143) in colorectal cancer. Reduced levels of miR-143 expression were detected in colorectal cancer tissues compared to normal adjacent tissue. Transfection of artificially synthesized miR-143 mimics into SW-480 cells, a colorectal cancer cell line, resulted in increased levels of cell proliferation and apoptosis. Further, cells transfected with miR-143 mimics showed a reduction in the proportion of cells in S phase and an increase in the proportion of cells in G1 phase. The altered expression levels of miR-143 in colorectal cancer and its ability to affect the behavior of colorectal cancer cells suggest miR-143 could be used as a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer.
The study examines the technical efficiency and total factor productivity of firm of steel industry in India by employing data envelopment based Malmquist productivity approach. The empirical result of the study reveals that the firms are technically efficient and are experiencing improvement in efficiency score and productivity growth during the study period. Result on total factor productivity reveals that both efficiency and technology change components are responsible for the improvement in the productivity of firms. Besides, the study also unearths the need to focus on the determinants that are statistically contributing to various inefficiencies for the firms in the Indian steel industry.
Effect of twice daily administration of aspirin eyedrops on the onset and progression of cataract induced by 30% galactose diet was studied. On the 30th day of galactose feeding while all control group rats showed complete stage IV opacity, those receiving aspirin eyedrops showed only mild cataractous changes of stage I. In vitro studies showed that addition of aspirin to the medium significantly decreased dulcitol formation (p < 0.01) and maintained glutathione levels (p < 0.02). Intraocular penetration studies using isolated goat cornea showed excellent penetration by salicylate indicating feasibility of topical administration. The results of the present study demonstrate that topical aspirin possesses significant anticataract activity in galactosemic cataract.
This study is motivated by the delivery to the Pekan Olahraga Nasional-XVIII in Riau Province in 2012 as the host. Sports grand party in Indonesia has left a lot of problems and homework for Riau province and demanded to be resolved. The problem is quite important is the management of the venue which is used in various sports in Pekan Olahraga Nasional-XVIII. The Government has developed the initial concept for the management of post-execution venues to the Pekan Olahraga Nasional-XVIII. The concept is structured in line with the start of construction of venues, both new construction and rehabilitation of buildings venue preexisting buildings. But the facts on the ground indicate that the concept of management is not carried out in accordance with the concept that has been arranged from the beginning. Many venues that stay dormant in the sense not maintained and utilized. Based on this background , the study aims to find out how the venue budgetary policy of the Pekan Olahraga Nasional (PON) XVIII in Riau Province in 2012 and how the management of the venue after the implementation of the Pekan Olahraga Nasional (PON) XVIII Riau Year in 2012. This research is a descriptive study, the research aims to describe in a systematic, timely and reliable on the whole subject or object in the present study is based on the facts that appear. Method of data collection with interviews, field observation and documentation search. The results showed that the Riau provincial government has developed a number of policies with respect to venue construction budget of the Pekan Olahraga Nasional (PON) XVIII Riau Province in 2012 as outlined in several regulatory regions of Riau Province. The government has also made efforts to manage the venue to the Pekan Olahraga Nasional-XVIII but not entirely. Management is also not done in accordance with existing rules and concepts that have been developed previously. While there are obstacles that arise in the management process is done, the problem of availability of funds, limited human resources/implementers, and the disclosure of corruption cases involving officials in the government critical of Riau province. Keywords : Decentralization , Fiscal Decentralization , Asset Management , PON XVIII/2012
Introduction The Adirondack Park has been, for more than a century, an important experiment in conservation that should serve as a model for managing environments where people and wilderness coexist. Unfortunately, many residents feel the preservation of Adirondack communities has not historically received the same attention as the preservation of forest and wild land. For years, money and energy within the Park have predominantly been directed to efforts at environmental preservation and wilderness protection, separate from rather than in concert with helping human communities thrive. This perception damages residents' support for wilderness preservation, and threatens the future of the entire Adirondack Park. Some residents of the Adirondack Park are beginning to recognize the importance of their own power to build strong local institutions. From the growth of village libraries and the commitment to building new schools to the creation of an Adirondack Community Trust, individuals and groups are beginning to work collectively to create sustainable communities in the Park. But isolation, a failure to communicate, and a lack of coordination still hamper many local efforts, making it difficult for a regional community preservation movement to gain momentum at the Park level. The Adirondack Project (TAP), was launched in 1997 at the Blue Mountain Center, in Blue Mountain Lake, New York. The goal of The Adirondack Project is to help build a regional movement that will support both community and environmental preservation in the Adirondacks. Despite the extraordinary people and organizations working on local community or environmental issues in different parts of the Adirondacks, there has been limited conversation among them about broader issues. Few neutral forums exist where conflicting views on Adirondack conservation and development can be discussed, and opportunities for regional dialogue are rare. TAP
Given increasing dependence on imported wheat, studies have been carried out in Colombia regarding the use of composite wheat-cassava flour in bread-making. A project was carried out from 1986-1991 in which different cassava genotypes, harvest ages, substitution levels and bread acceptability were evaluated. However, these studies did not have any effect on the baking sector because a constant supply of high quality, high volume and reasonably-priced cassava flour was lacking. Based on these studies, this work was aimed at determining the influence of three industrial cassava market genotypes (CMC-40, HMC-1, MCOL-1505), using four wheat-cassava flour composite substitution levels (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%) regarding the rheological and fermentative characteristics of dough in bread-making. Farinogram, alveogram, amylogram and falling number index analysis were analysed. Specific volume and acceptability of three types of bread (common, mold and hamburger) were evaluated. It was determined that composite flours had higher fiber and reduced sugar content than the wheat flour pattern, thereby increasing water absorption and available sugar content during fermentation. Dough development time for the composite flours was half the average required for wheat flour and the tolerance index was higher; its stability became reduced due to increased substitution levels and its firmness increased due to a rise in water absorption. Falling number values came within an acceptable range (250400 s). The specific volume of all bread having 5% and 10% substitution was higher than that for the pattern. The best general acceptability was assigned to common and mold type bread from all varieties and substitution levels.
AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate the difference in functional outcome after repair and non-repair of the pronator quadratus muscle in patients undergoing surgical treatment for a distal radial fracture with volar plating.   PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 72 patients with a distal radial fracture were included in this randomized clinical trial. They were allocated to have the pronator quadratus muscle repaired or not, after volar locked plating of a distal radial fracture. The patients, the assessor, the primary investigator, and the statistician were blinded to the allocation. Randomization was irreversibly performed using a web application that guaranteed a secure and tamper-free assignment. The primary outcome measure was the Patient Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) after 12 months. Secondary outcomes included the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score, pronation strength, grip strength, the range of pronation and supination, complications, and the operating time.   RESULTS Of the 72 patients, 63 (87.5%) completed follow-up for the primary outcome measure: 31 (86.1%) from the non-repair group and 32 (88.9%) from the repair group. At the 12-month follow-up, the mean difference in PRWE of 5.47 (95% confidence interval (CI) -4.02 to 14.96) between the repair (mean 18.38 (95% CI 10.34 to 26.41)) and non-repair group (mean 12.90 (95% CI 7.55 to 18.25)) was not statistically significant (p = 0.253). There was a statistically significant difference between pronation strength, favouring non-repair. We found no difference in the other secondary outcomes.   CONCLUSION We found that repairing pronator quadratus made no difference to the clinical outcome, 12 months after volar plating of a distal radial fracture. We conclude that there is no functional advantage in repairing this muscle under these circumstances and advise against it. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:1498-1505.
Since their invention in the mid-1960's, surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices have become popular for a wide variety of applications. SAW devices represent a low-cost and compact method of achieving a variety of electronic signal processing functions at high frequencies, such as RF filters for TV or mobile wireless communications [1]. SAW devices also provide a convenient platform in chemical sensing applications, achieving extremely high sensitivity to vapor phase analytes in part-per-billion concentrations [2]. Although the SAW acoustic mode can be created on virtually any crystalline substrate, the development of SAW technology has historically focused on the use of piezoelectric materials, such as various orientations of either quartz or lithium niobate, allowing the devices to be fabricated simply and inexpensively. However, the III-V compound semiconductors, and GaAs in particular, are also piezoelectric as a result of their partially covalent bonding and support the SAW acoustic mode, allowing for the convenient fabrication of SAW devices. In addition, GaAs microelectronics has, in the past decade, matured commercially in numerous RF wireless technologies. In fact, GaAs was recognized long ago as a potential candidate for the monolithic integration of SAW devices with microelectronics, to achieve compact RF signal processing functions [3]. The details of design and fabrication of SAW devices can be found in a variety of references [1].
August Wilhelm Schlegel proclaimed that "[i]f the regeneration of the human species started in the East, Germany must be considered the Orient of Europe." How can this remarkable identification of Germany with the subjugated oriental 'other' be explained? In The Orient of Europe, Nicholas A. Germana explores how German thinkers, especially those associated with the Early Romantic movement, set India up as an "ideal mirror," in which they could perceive the image of the Germany they longed for - a nation whose greatness lay not in political and military power, but in the realm of culture and the spirit. Such an image was especially important during the years of French occupation and the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon. The 'mythical image' of India, however, underwent profound changes in the decades after 1815. The end of the Wars of Liberation and the onset of the Restoration era, led to the decline of the romantic image of India. As statist visions of German unity rose in prominence, especially in Prussia, this image of the connection between Germany and ancient India took on a new complexion. Politically volatile romantic "Indomania" gave way to a new, more acceptable, ideology - the ideology of Wissenschaft. In this book, which engages with the most recent scholarship in the rapidly emerging field of German Orientalism, Germana challenges traditional Saidian Orientalist readings of German intellectual engagement with Indian thought and literature. German romantic and humanist fascination with India, he argues, is best understood within the context of debates about the nature of 'Germany' and 'Germanness' in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, rather than in connection with nascent German "colonial fantasies."
The article is devoted to the interpretation of the dance theme in the work of the famous French artist E. Degas (1834–1917) against the backdrop of the development of the Paris Opera’s ballet theater, which introduces new forms of dialogue and communication into the sphere of interaction of related arts. It is shown that the artist’s works, in spite of the general theme, solve various creative tasks that lie in the sphere of the Impressionist image method. In addition, they form an artistic consciousness that requires creativity, which develops search thinking in the image of the behind-the-scenes life of dancers. Based on the study of a number of works in museum collections, the author formulates the main dynamic characteristics of the created artistic images of the ballet and their unique identity.
The present invention relates to a secondary battery, and more particularly to a secondary battery using the secondary to prevent the damage to the protection circuit board from static electricity battery protection circuit board and them. Protecting a secondary battery of the present invention hence the circuit board is a passive element and an active element that is connected to an electrode tab connection terminal and the charge / discharge terminal, and a printed circuit pattern, the printed circuit patterns printed circuit is engraved is mounted on the insulating substrate, the insulating substrate and a protection circuit including a protection circuit and is characterized in that it comprises electrostatic absorbing the printed circuit formed in the outside portion of the pattern portion. In addition, the electrode assembly is formed by stacking the secondary battery, a separator interposed between the positive electrode tab, the positive electrode plate connected with the negative electrode tab and the negative electrode plate is connected, the positive electrode plate and negative electrode plate using the same; The one end for receiving the electrode assembly, opening the can; And an electrode terminal electrically connected to the negative electrode tab and, closing an opening of the can and a cap assembly including a cap plate electrically connected to the positive electrode tab; The lead electrode portion connected to the electrode terminal and the cap plate and electrically; And characterized by further comprising: a secondary battery protection circuit board electrically connected to the lead electrode portion. A secondary battery, the protection circuit, the electrostatic absorbing portion
In this paper we investigate the properties of a generalized double pendulum. Previous investigations on double pendulums often limit it to a planar case, and fix the lengths of each stage of the pendulum. Astrojax is notable in that the pendulum stage lengths vary dynamically. We measure its behaviors in response to well quantified forcing using a perpendicular camera array to track position, and from that generate three-dimensional trajectories for each pendulum bob. The trajectories’ mean chaotic lifetime and dominant oscillation frequencies are analyzed, and we find that this chaotic pendulum’s oscillation frequencies are linearly correlated with the forcing frequency in the low-frequency regime. We also conclude that a naive periodic forcing of this system without a feedback mechanism is not sufficient to create stable, long-lived orbits of the Astrojax pendulum.
This article analyses the inter-semiotic transposition of two poems from the Anglo-American poetic tradition (the poems “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by W. C. Williams and “Musee des Beaux Arts” by W. H. Auden) and three poems that are representative of contemporary Macedonian poetry (“A Visit to a Museum” by Blaže Koneski, “The Soldiers of Xi’an” by Petre M. Andreevski, and “St. Tryphon, Nerezi” by Vlada Urosevic ). It proposes an analysis of the process of  ekphrasis  (description of visual works of art) from two aspects: 1) as a kind of “translation/transposition” of the image into text, and 2) as a form of intercultural communication through the act of commenting on a painting.
Field-calibrated mechanistic-empirical models have been develped for key performance indicators of jointed concrete pavements. Performance data from nearly 500 in-service pavements were used along with mechanistic and empirical variables to develop improved prediction models for joint faulting, slab cracking, joint spalling, and present serviceability rating. The models should prove extremely valuable in checking the performance capabilities of various pavement designs determined by other means and in determining the relative impact of different design variables on concrete pavement performance. However, the models must be used with care and applied judiciously because it is imperative that they not be extended beyond the conditions for which they were developed.
The deformation reinforcement theory is introduced into nonlinear FE time history analysis to establish a system of the aseismatic stability evaluation and reinforcement design of high arch dam-abutment structure.In this system,the dynamic plastic complementary energy is defined as the square of the Euclidean space distance between two compatible stress fields controlled by dynamic equilibrium and constitutive relation respectively,and it is regarded as an evaluation criterion of global aseismatic stability.This criterion can be used to find the moments when high level dynamic damages occur,and the distributions of unbalanced force at these critical moments reveal the dominant patterns and extents of the damages.By the principle of minimum plastic complementary energy,the unbalanced force is just the counterforce of optimal reinforcement force to stabilize the structure,which makes the aseismatic reinforcement design more targeted and effective.An analysis of the aseismatic stability and reinforcement is performed for the Maji high arch dam-abutment structure.The results show that the upper abutment is the most vulnerable under earthquake actions,and how the optimal reinforcement force there is distributed.This case study indicates that the established system has a good applicability to large-scale practical projects.
The time history of hydrodynamic pressure acting on a ship's side near the waterplane is cut because of the exposure of a point of the ship's side to the air. A method of long-term prediction of such hydrodynamic pressure that is non-linear has not yet been established. In this paper, a method for dealing with the cut time history of the sinusoidal or random hydrodynamic pressure is developed and the result of long-term prediction for hydrodynamic pressure using the proposed method is described.
Surface science has a wide range of applications that include semiconductor processing, catalysis, vacuum technology, microelectronics, flat-panel displays, compact disks, televisions, computers, environmental monitoring of pollutants, biomaterials, artificial joints, soft tissues, food safety, pharmacy, and many more. This volume is intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in universities, individual research groups and researchers working on surfaces of materials. It is of interest to chemists, solid-state physists, materials scientists, surface chemists, polymer scientists, electrical engineers, chemical engineers, and everyone involved in materials science.
Peritonitis, the major complication of peritoneal dialysis (PD), is associated with high morbidity and mortality. It is a major cause of hospitalization and transfer to hemodialysis. In the present study, we aimed to identify predictors of hospitalization in PD-related peritonitis and to examine its microbiology profile over time in our unit to determine the best therapeutic approach. We studied all peritonitis episodes that occurred in a 6-year period (January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2009), evaluating whether adequate treatment could be delivered on an outpatient basis. During the study period, 411 patients were on PD, and 229 peritonitis episodes were recorded in 91 patients. Peritonitis were treated according to unit protocol. The average hospital stay was 11.6 +/- 6.6 days. We observed an increase of Streptococcus (to 19.4% from 7.7%) and a stabilization of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, S. epidermidis, and S. aureus (from 9.5%, 22.6%, and 3.2% to 7.7%, 30.8%, and 3.8% respectively) peritonitis episodes. The main risk factors for hospitalization were fungal infection, poor 72-hour outcome, inability to perform self-care, and age greater than 80 years. We observed a decline in the incidence of peritonitis, and despite changes in its microbiology profile, no loss of sensitivity to antibiotics used was observed.
A series of CUCl2-KCl catalysts supported on MgO-modified y-Al2O3 were prepared by the impregnation method. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), N-2 physical adsorption, NH3 - temperature- programmed desorption ( TPD), and temperature- programmed reduction ( TPR) techniques were employed to characterize the structure, the acidity, the reduction and oxidation properties of the catalysts, respectively. The catalytic performance Of CUCl2-KCl/Mg0-Al2O3 catalysts was evaluated for the oxychlorination of ethane to produce vinyl chloride. XRD results indicate that impregnation of Al2O3 with Mg(NO3)(2) forms surface MgAl2O4 spinel on the support. TPR results show that the formation of MgAl2O4 strengthens the interaction between Cu species and the support and promotes the reduction of Cu-II to Cu-I. The catalytic results reveal that the conversion of ethane and the selectivity for vinyl chloride increase with increasing MgO content, and the highest vinyl chloride selectivity (49. 1 %) is obtained over the CUCl2-KCl/MgO-AI(2)O(3) catalyst with 10 % MgO loading. NH3-TPD results indicate that the surface MgAl2O4 neutralizes strong acid sites of the Y-Al2O3 support and increases the number of weak acid sites, and this is the main reason for the increase of vinyl chloride selectivity.
Nancy Hopkins, a biologist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, walked out on Summers' talk, saying later that if she hadn't left, ''I would've either blacked out or thrown up." Five other participants reached by the Globe, including Denice D. Denton, chancellor designate of the University of California, Santa Cruz, also said they were deeply offended, while four other attendees said they were not.
Autonomous enrollment is an important measure to expand the autonomy in enrollment and deepen the reform of enrolment system of colleges and universities.More and more excellent students are admitted in this new way,Yunnan University,Guangxi University,Guizhou University and some 211 project provincial universities have also attempted Autonomous Enrollment.This article take three Local Undergraduate Colleges as object of study analyzed the status quo and proposed s corresponding measure.
The application of the self‐consistent field (SCF) local‐impurity formalism to quasi‐one‐dimensional systems is discussed. We describe a general procedure for an accurate numerical determination of the Green's function matrix elements of the unperturbed system. An application to a local impurity in a model chain with two orbitals per unit cell is reported. The changes in the charge‐bond‐order matrix and in local and total density of states due to the impurity are discussed with special emphasis on the changes at the critical points (van Hove singularities) at the band edges. The Green's matrix approach is used to reexamine long‐range Friedel oscillations caused by an impurity in a strictly one‐dimensional metal. The extent of the long‐range tail of the perturbed charge density is in an inverse relation to the localization length of the impurity state: the stronger the perturbation the more localized is the bound state and the more extended are the oscillations in the charge distribution. The results for the model chain with two orbitals per unit cell indicate that the impurity‐induced change in charge distribution may be locally screened by redistribution of the population of the on‐site orbitals, therefore damping possible oscillations and leading to a faster decay than in strictly one‐dimensional systems.
Considering the interaction of three principal shear stress and three normal stress,octahedral shear stress and normal stress and three primary stress acting on the 26-polyhedron model,a new mutil-shears strength criterion is proposed. It is based on analysis of Mohr-coulomb strength criterion,Drucker-Prager strength criterion,liner and nonlinear unified strength theory and three shear strength criterion.Based on the exiting true triaxial experiment result,using the Partical Swarm Optimization,the parameters of shears strength criterion are finded out.Comparing with Mohr-Coulomb strength criterion,three shear strength criterion,triple shear energy yield criterion and twin shear theory,the results show that multi-shear strength criterion agrees with the experiment well,for all kinds of rocks.Also aiming at numerous strength theory,qualitative analysis in meridian plane or π plane only,direct comparison in σ1-σ2 plane is added particularly.The results indicate that multi-shear strength criterion has good applicability and high promotional value.
We propose an opportunistic channel access scheme for cognitive radio-enabled secondary networks. In our work, we model the channel occupancy due to Primary User (PU) activity as a 2-state Alternating Renewal Process, with alternating busy and idle periods. Once a Secondary Node (SN) senses the channel idle, the proposed scheme uses the residual idle time distribution to estimate the transmission duration in the remaining idle time. The SN transmits the frames within the transmission duration without further sensing the channel, thereby reducing average sensing overhead per transmitted frame. The analytical formulations used by the scheme does not require the SN to know the start of the idle period. We validate the analytical formulations using simulations, and compare the performance of the proposed scheme with a Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) scheme.
If your child has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, you have time to learn how cerebral palsy will affect them. Every child who has cerebral palsy has a unique combination of strengths and challenges. No one can predict where your child will fall within this diagnosis. Having cerebral palsy doesn’t mean your child will have cognitive impairment. Only 30 to 50 percent of children who have cerebral palsy have some level of cognitive impairment, ranging from mild to severe.
The effects of composite inorganic polymer flocculent(IPF),organic polymer flocculent(OPF) quantity and settling time on the removal of turbidity and total iron from oil field wastewater by means of coagulation were investigated.Optimized parameters on the coagulation sedimentation process by Box-Behnken centre-united experiment design and response surface methodology(RSM) to establish a predictive polynomial quadratic model were found to be IPF dosage of 152.15 mg/L and 143.84 mg/L,OPF of 4.14 mg/L and 4.32 mg/L,settling time of 11.77 min and 11.22 min.The experimental results of the removal rates of turbidity and total iron under the optimized condition presented better agreement with the predicted values and the deviation error was only 3%~5%.In order to compare the multivariate quadratic regression equations of turbidity and total iron,mean interpolation method was used and the two sets of optimized conditions proved to be suitable.
A 28-year-old widow, gravida 1, para 1 which took place ten years earlier, presented with heavy bleeding from the vagina. Pelvic examination revealed a hemorrhagic and necrotic mass protruding from the external cervical os. Further investigations demonstrated a positive urine pregnancy test and a low titer of serum beta-hCG (53.6 mIU/ml). Ultrasonography and color Doppler imaging showed a hyperechoic and hypovascularized mass in the cervical canal. During subsequent planned tissue biopsy, the bleeding was uncontrollable, thus a total abdominal hysterectomy was performed. The pathologic findings were compatible with a placental polyp.
The objective of this project was to provide an assessment of sediment quality in the area of Naval Station San Diego (NAVSTA). The study focused on two issues: the characterization of sediments including contaminant levels, extent and related ecological consequences, and the evaluation of processes that control the levels, transport, and biological exposure of any potential contaminants of concern. Sediments were characterized based on a range of physical, chemical, and toxicological testing. Processes evaluated included contaminant sources, sediment transport, sediment-water exchange, and degradation. As part of the object, new technologies for assessment and remediation were demonstrated and validated alongside traditional methods.
The Cost of Change aims to explore and discuss the representation of African-Americans through the form of musical theatre, whilst also taking in to consideration other entertainment mediums. In turn, the dissertation provides evidence to support the argument that money has complete control of the depiction of African-Americans. It does this firstly by analysing the early history of musical theatre, from the mid-1800s and the impact of minstrelsy, analysing how the minstrel shows constructed negative stereotypes of African-Americans and the effect this had on the shaping of America’s cultural structure. Following on from this will be a comparison of two case studies. They will provide a detailed description of representation of African-Americans, firstly in the musical Show Boat (1927) and then secondly Caroline, or Change (2003). From these case studies, a clearly understanding of how depiction in musical theatre has change in the intervening years and what that tells us about America’s society today. Finally, the study surveys the surrounding mediums of film, television and music, comparing their portrayal of African-Americans to those within musical theatre. The Cost of Change argues that it is not simply about misrepresentation of blacks, but how the pieces that hold together America’s cultural structure define it.
colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) ontheinfectivity ofpromastigotes ofLeishmania amazonensis, anobligate intramacrophage parasite. We measured thecapacity ofthepromastigotes toinfect macrophages after preincubation atdifferent temperatures (28, 34,and37°C) withrecombinant murine GM-CSF,aswellastheeffect ofananti-murine GM-CSFantibody ontheinvitro andinvivoinfectivity oftheparasite. GM-CSFincreases thecapacity ofthepromastigotes toinfect cells when preincubated at34and37°C, whereas theanti-GM-CSF antibody exerts theopposite effect: itdecreases the internalization rateandtheprogression ofinfection inmacrophage cultures andslows thegrowth ofthelesion ininfected BALB/cmice. Neither ofthedescribed effects wereobserved whentheinvitro andinvivoinfections weremadewithamastigotes. Promastigotes dieinatime-dependent mannerwhenincubated attemperatures higher than28°Cintheabsence ofGM-CSF.Theyareprotected fromthis heat-induced death byincubation withtherecombinant hormone. Ourinterpretation ofthese dataisthattheincrease intheinfectivity of promastigotes whenincubated withGM-CSFatthetemperatures atwhichinfection occurs (34and37°C) isdue tothelarger numberofsurviving forms within theinfecting population. Thedecrease ininfectivity whenthey areincubated withtheantibody isduetoinhibition oftheprotection conferred bytheGM-CSFproduced by themacrophages during theinvitro andinvivo infections. Leishmanias areeukaryotic parasites whichinfect cells of thereticuloendothelial system ofseveral mammalian species including humans. Theyoccurasflagellated promastigote formsintheintestinal tract oftheinsect vector, wherethey multiply extracellularly, andasamastigote forms, growing within thephagolysosome ofmacrophages (15). Thedimorphiclife cycle ofthese parasites requires theoperation of biological mechanisms forsurvival inverydifferent milieus. Thedifferentiation fromanextracellular promastigote into anintracellular amastigote certainly represents adramatic example ofbiological adaptation toahostile environment. During infection ofsusceptible mammals, mostofthepromastigotes die(9) asaconsequence ofadaptation tostresses, including heatshock. Therefore, onlythermotolerant forms arereally infective andarethusable toinvade macrophages, transform into amastigotes, andreplicate intracellularly. We havepreviously shownthatgranulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a hematopoietic growth factor produced bymacrophages, endothelial cells, and activated Tlymphocytes, actsasagrowth factor forpromastigotes ofLeishmania amazonensis (1). Hereweshowthat this hormoneisabletoprotect promastigotes fromheatinduced death andthat oneconsequence ofthis effect isan increase intheinfectivity ofapopulation ofpromastigotes. Besides theveryinteresting biological phenomenon by whichavertebrate hormone protects aninfective microorganism fromdeath, ourresults maybeanalternative explanation fordatashowing, on theonehand,correlations between GM-CSFandother hematopoietic factors andsusceptibility toleishmanial infections ininvivoexperimental
Process Control is acknowledged to be the technology that has the greatest potential for improving competitiveness in the process industries. Although Chemical/Process Engineers are the natural personnel to carry out Process Control functions, as undergraduate s, they often view Process Control to be a subject full of abstract concepts with high mathematical content and hence difficult; and that Process Control is non-mainstream Chemical Engineering. Many are therefore put off by Process Control at an early stage. Laboratories are traditionally used to mitigate this situation, and more recently, computer delivered interactive content have also been reported to be an useful tool in Process Control education. However, both have, up to now, been used as separate teaching tools. This paper proposes a framework whereby the two approaches can be integrated into a Process Engineering virtual teaching environment. Technical and implementation issues are also discussed. abstract concepts. This is vital in Process Control (1). However, suitable laboratories to support Process Control teaching and learning do not come cheap. There is now an increasing trend to replace traditional laboratories with computer based simulations. Computer-based teaching (CBT) technology has been around for some time now and computer delivered teaching material in Chemical Engineering has been developed since the mid-1980s (2). CBT systems present textual, graphical, video and audio content, but those that include simulations are rare. Improved learning or assimilation of knowledge is generally attributed to users interacting with the content, ensuring that they are playing an active role in the learning process. Content developed for delivery over the WWW is platform independent and, together with increasingly cheap computing power, mean that web-based educational material is now readily available to all, facilitating self-directed and distance learning (3)-(5). This paper discusses the relative merits of laboratories and interactive CBT modules and proposes a blueprint for a computer based process operation and control training system of the future. Design and implementation issues are also discussed.
For visual tracking, a radial basis function neural network algorithm will be used. Coupled with a feature extraction algorithm, the neural network has advantages for pattern recognition, including practical implementation in parallel hardware for real-time operation and low power requirements. Targets vary in terms of texture, contrast, sharpness of edge, relative speed, and size. Various feature extractors exhibit tradeoffs in terms of sensitivity and processing requirements as related to the characteristics of candidate target classes. An analysis of feature extractors based on the horizontal and vertical profile has been provided. A comparison of the distance traveled computed from vision to wheel encoders is presented to observe slipping. Feedback from the network can offer an indication of tracking confidence which will be useful in determining if the estimated position is correct. An attempt has been made to look at the various confidence factors to determine if the position estimated is correct.
Common acne, the most frequently occurring dermatosis of adolescence may lead to mentally unstable states, even depression, due to localization, its very prolonged duration, and in some patients leaving deforming cicatrices. The objective of the present paper is to answer the following questions: which treatment procedures were used for curing patients with different types of acne who were admitted to Department of Dermatology, Silesian Medical School, Katowice, Poland, in the years between 1991 and 2000. During 1991 to 2000, 206 patients were hospitalized with the diagnosis of acne. Mean age of patients was 25.51 years. The following types of acne were recognized: 108 patients--acne punctata, 82--acne conglobata, 4--acne fulminant, 4--papulous-pustular acne, 8--inverse acne, respectively. Analyses have been performed on the basis of case records related to patients admitted to Department of Dermatology, and registered at Outpatient Clinic in the years 1991-2000. It has been proven that there existed a substantial statistical difference between the age of patients affected by acne conglobata and inverse one and those suffering from acne conglobata and acne punctata. A significant difference in the age between the group of patients locally treated and the group of those cured by Roaccutane was observed. The results obtained point out that most frequently diagnosed cases: acne conglobata and acne punctata were treated by Roaccutane and locally, respectively. Results obtained revealed that the percentage of patients treated orally by retinoids showed a rising tendency, while a relatively constant percentage of local treatment methods (strongly marked in the late 1990s) and variable rate of administered antibiotics for curing acne was observed.
Recently, severity of motorcycle crashes has been considered by different researchers. One of the main reasons of such considerations is greater vulnerability of these users as compared to other vehicle drivers. In recent years, the number of fatalities caused by motorcycle crashes, particularly in suburban roads, has become a concerning issue in Iran since motorcyclists accounted for 24 percent of all traffic-related deaths in Iran in 2011. This study is the first research in Iran in which the factors associated with crash severity are identified. In this paper the crash data from police-reported motorcycle crashes in suburban roads of Iran during 2009 and 2010 is used to estimate ordered logit model to identify the factors affecting severity of suburban motorcycle crashes. In order to better understand the effect of variables on crash severity, the value of pseudo-elasticity has also been calculated for all the variables in the model. Results mainly show that factors such as occurring the crash at weekends, during winter and fall, during the dawn, in foggy and clear weather, in non-administrative areas, rider age above 60, rider without proper license, lack of helmet, motorcycle at-fault, speeding and overtaking as well as collision with bus, heavy vehicle, pedestrian and single vehicle crashes increase the crash severity of motorcyclist. Besides, head on crashes, fatigue and sleepiness, inexcusable haste, violating the rules, road imperfection and curved level roads cause increased in motorcycles crash severity. Finally, as a result of this research, several policy recommendations are presented for improving motorcycles safety at suburban roads.
Partially fermented tea such as oolong tea is a popular drink worldwide. Preventing fraud in partially fermented tea has become imperative to protect producers and consumers from possible economic losses. Visible/near-infrared (VIS/NIR) spectroscopy integrated with stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) and support vector machine (SVM) methods were used for origin discrimination of partially fermented tea from Vietnam, China, and different production areas in Taiwan using the full visible NIR wavelength range (400–2498 nm). The SMLR and SVM models achieved satisfactory results. Models using data from chemical constituents’ specific wavelength ranges exhibited a high correlation with the spectra of teas, and the SMLR analyses improved discrimination of the types and origins when performing SVM analyses. The SVM models’ identification accuracies regarding different production areas in Taiwan were effectively enhanced using a combination of the data within specific wavelength ranges of several constituents. The accuracy rates were 100% for the discrimination of types, origins, and production areas of tea in the calibration and prediction sets using the optimal SVM models integrated with the specific wavelength ranges of the constituents in tea. NIR could be an effective tool for rapid, nondestructive, and accurate inspection of types, origins, and production areas of teas.
While introducing electric vehicles EVs into the massive market volume is important for the global environmental protection and reduced dependence on the petroleum depletion, the customers' acceptance on electric vehicles is one of critical elements toward future eco-friendly transportation. Transportation sectors are responsible for approximately 25% of global CO2 emissions. One of the major issues in market penetration of electric vehicles is establishing enough numbers of charging stations in view of customers' convenience. Wireless and fast charging system can contribute significantly to establishing charging stations for EV with improved safety and convenience. Applying the shaped magnetic field in resonance SMFIR® technology enables the EV battery charging wirelessly without having any plug or wire. The power capacity can be high enough to reduce the charging time to less than half an hour depending on the energy storage capacity of battery. In this paper, the main features of intelligent wireless EV fast charging system operating at stationary are described with the technical aspect of system architecture including the development of billing and center operational management system.
Sharon Blake was monumental in establishing the Women’s Track and Field team as one of the premier programs in the state. In her 19-year career (16 as head coach), Sharon’s teams captured five conference, six regional and two sectional championships. Sharon qualified 35 individuals in 55 events for the state track meet and routinely produced state place winners including three state champions. In Sharon’s final year of coaching, the team captured its first and only “triple crown” winning the Conference, Regional, and Sectional team championships. Although Sharon coached her teams to great success, she is just as well remembered for the personal quality of her teams and her coaching. Sharon was well respected by her peers; she was often selected to serve on rules committees for meets ranging from the local through state level. Sharon’s assistant coach, Jim Walrath summed it up best, “I watched her lead the program with integrity and instill in her athletes the personal pride of being a Chi-Hi athlete and representing the Chippewa Falls community. She garnered the respect of the athletes but also had the respect of parents, fellow teachers, administration and community.”
Based on the complete DNA sequence of duck's Ghrelin gene(GenBank No:EF613552),8 primers were designed.The single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) of Ghrelin gene was investigated in eight national duck breeds,including Gaoyou duck,Jinding duck,Beijing duck,Jianchang duck,Liancheng duck,Youxian Partridge duck,Shaoxing duck and Putian black duck by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing.The results showed that there were 9 bp deletions at the site of 157 bp,T to C mutation at 431 bp site,A to G mutation at 909 bp site which caused Thr to Ala change.The A allele frequency of Beijing duck,C allele frequency of Shaoxing duck and E allele frequency of Youxian Partridge duck was highest in the 8 duck breeds.The frequency of A,C and E allele in Liancheng duck was lower than that in other breeds,respectively,which indicated the special trait of Liancheng duck breed.
In order to identify socioeconomic and demographic factors involved in the acceptance of family planning among rural people in Bangladesh researcher conducted a survey of village households in the Mymensingh district. With an annual growth rate of 2.32 the population of Bangladesh currently at 89.9 million will double over the next 30 years. Although the government has shown great commitment to family planning a large segment of the population does not practice family planning. Since 85% of the population lives in rural areas this study of the differences among users and nonusers focused on rural people. It investigated the following characteristics: age income education farm size family size wifes age wifes age at marriage wifes education newspaper reading and radio listening. The study examined data from 166 randomly selected households in 5 villages. 93% of the respondents indicated some knowledge concerning family planning methods 58% expressed support for the family planning program and 23% reported practicing some family planning method at the time of the study. Out of a total of 129 nonusers 46 chose to explain their reasons for nonacceptance. 505 cited religious reasons 11% mentioned health concerns and 39% cited old age. Of the 10 characteristics examined 5 were found to differ significantly between users and nonusers including age farm size education newspaper reading and radio listening. Young educated people with smaller farms were found to more receptive to family planning. The report recommends promoting education in rural areas to improve the success of family planning. Also it stresses the need to popularize contraceptive use among newly married couples and to motivate them towards continued use.
FIELD: information technologies. SUBSTANCE: method is used to prevent limitation of a signal in case of mixing with reduction of a number of channels of a multi-channel signal to a stereophonic audio signal. In accordance with the method it is determined, whether the first value (4) of amplification on the basis of the received audio metadata is sufficient for protection against limitation of an audio signal. The audio metadata is introduced into the first flow (1) of audio data. In case when the first value (4) of amplification is not sufficient for protection, the appropriate first value (4) of amplification is replaced with an amplification value sufficient for protection against limitation of an audio signal. Preferably, in case when metadata referring to control of a dynamic range is not available in the first flow (1) of audio data, the method may add values of amplification sufficient for protection against signal limitation. EFFECT: provision of signal limitation prevention based on received audio metadata in case of mixing with reduction of a number of channels in a multi-channel audio signal. 20 cl, 10 dwg
The present invention relates to an underwater cleaning robot capable of sucking deposits piled up on the underwater bottom and discharging the deposits while rapidly driving and converting the direction according to a driver or an automatic driving program on the ground by mounting a deposit suction unit; a pump; and a transfer screw transferring the deposits on the front of a platform. The underwater cleaning robot allows a user to effectively and safely clean the deposits such as various industrial sludge, sand, and small solids on the bottom of a tank or a reservoir by performing a danger and hard work with a robot instead of a diver.
Beyond the discussion of such so-called ‘urban problems,’ it is worth paying attention to the question as to whether cities, notably large cities, would themselves be part of the solution or rather of the problem. Inspired by Henri Lefebvre’s theses on ‘urban society,’ recent discussions on ‘planetary urbanisation’ are deeply embedded in values such as Eurocentrism and a clear urban middle-class bias. It seems that to radically rethink social relations, technology and the spatial organisation of society, in order to avoid both an uncritical and often ethnocentric ‘urbanophilia’ and a naïve (if not reactionary) ‘urbanophobia,’ is a necessary task. The aim of this paper is to discuss the intellectual and ethical-political relevance of this kind of debate.
The general theme of the thesis is the relationship between Amsterdam and the  restored stadholder, William III, from 1672 to 1684. Within this survey, several  subsidiary themes analyse the interests of the decision-makers during a period of  war and uneasy peace, and the compromises the principals made to prevent a return  to the crisis politics of 1650 and 1672. After three years of the restored  stadholdership the relationship tended to the confrontational, but the study shows  that effective lines of communication enabled Amsterdam and the stadholder to  survive their differences over the peace negotiations in 1677-78, the struggle for  alliances, 1679-1681, and the crises over military expenditure, 1682-1684, and  eventually to co-operate in the invasion of England in 1688.  The two major subsidiary themes are firstly, the regency of Amsterdam, in  particular the burgomasters, their backgrounds, interests and ideologies, and  secondly, the principal advisers and officials in the service of the stadholder and  the States. These two groups were not mutually exclusive and the study also  shows how the Amsterdam regents in the 1680s were able to operate as a more  coherent group than those in office in the 1670s.  The first of these groups is examined within a discussion of the role of party,  factional and individual interest in the last quarter of the seventeenth century,  which further develops recent theories of party and faction. Analysis of the second  centres around the changes in the administration of the Dutch Republic and the  emergence of a new kind of raadpensionaris, working both with and for the  provincial states and the stadholder. Both are further contextualised by analysis of  the political, economic, religious and social changes which had taken place during  the "Golden Age" and the first stadholderless period of the mid-seventeenth  century, and the changing relations with France and England.
OBJECTIVE: To establish the fingerprint method for semen coicis. METHODS:The Discovery C18column with acetonitrile - dichloromethanol (59 : 41) as the mobile phase was used in HPLC-ELSD. The flow rate was 0. 5mL/min and ELSD tube temperature is 70℃ , The flow rate of Nitrogen is 1. 2L/min. RESULTS: There are 7 mostly chromatogram in the fingerprint of semen coicis, the relative standard deviation ( RSD) of relative retain time for reproducibility was not more than 0.3% , for precision was not more than 0. 1% . the relative standard deviation (RSD) of relative peak area for reproducibility was not more than 1.8%, for precision was not more than 2. 0% , and the fingerprint for semen coicis of different producing area is very stabilization. CONCLUSION: The method is simple, accurate with a good reproducibility and can be used as a quantitative analysis method for semen coicis.
Micuna Ruphay will be an operation that will express, from its design and products a close relationship with Nature, the comfort and feeling of the Ecuadorian highlands. The business will be oriented to offer a quality gastronomic service to comply with food requirements of families coming from Quito, Latacunga and Ambato, people that are looking for the right place where they can enjoy typical Ecuadorian dishes in Pujili-Cotopaxi. Persons who are anxious of being in harmony with nature and demand relax and recreation. The added value of the business will be a personalized service, providing clients the appropriate space and privacy. To the creative presentation of dishes, the restaurant will add areas of entertainment for children and handicrafts spaces. Many macro-economic and social factors favor the operation and success of the restaurant, which will provide impulse to the touristic industry in the area; however, there are external economic forces that represent a risk for the company, like the political instability and the increase of prices, among others. Reviewing the micro environment, we have been able to identify threats like the appearance of new competitors, but also opportunities for a better service, like the improvement of the road infrastructure, that will favor the business. The market study undertaken through personal polls with adult people in the cities of Quito, Ambato and Latacunga, the interviews with experts that operate big restaurant chains, the criteria of experts in the industry and successful family businesses operators, were complemented with information obtained in focal groups, all of which provided a positive business environment, the acceptance of the location and the dishes to be offered by the restaurant. To start activities the company will require an initial investment of US $. 143,336.49 American dollars that will be financed with personal funds and bank loans. Micuna Ruphay will be an operation that will express, from its design and products a close relationship with Nature, the comfort and feeling of the Ecuadorian highlands. The business will be oriented to offer a quality gastronomic service to comply with food requirements of families coming from Quito, Latacunga and Ambato, people that are looking for the right place where they can enjoy typical Ecuadorian dishes in Pujili-Cotopaxi. Persons who are anxious of being in harmony with nature and demand relax and recreation. The added value of the business will be a personalized service, providing clients the appropriate space and privacy. To the creative presentation of dishes, the restaurant will add areas of entertainment for children and handicrafts spaces. Many macro-economic and social factors favor the operation and success of the restaurant, which will provide impulse to the touristic industry in the area; however, there are external economic forces that represent a risk for the company, like the political instability and the increase of prices, among others. Reviewing the micro environment, we have been able to identify threats like the appearance of new competitors, but also opportunities for a better service, like the improvement of the road infrastructure, that will favor the business. The market study undertaken through personal polls with adult people in the cities of Quito, Ambato and Latacunga, the interviews with experts that operate big restaurant chains, the criteria of experts in the industry and successful family businesses operators, were complemented with information obtained in focal groups, all of which provided a positive business environment, the acceptance of the location and the dishes to be offered by the restaurant. To start activities the company will require an initial investment of US $. 143,336.49 American dollars that will be financed with personal funds and bank loans. There are three economic scenarios for the cash flow that will support a five years period, where the evaluated financial indicators show positive rates of return for the investors as well as attractive net present value.There are three economic scenarios for the cash flow that will support a five years period, where the evaluated financial indicators show positive rates of return for the investors as well as attractive net present value.
Objective To review the application of laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy for scarred uterus.Methods Eighty seven patients with scarred uterus underwent laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy(LAVH).The clinical data of patients were retrospectively analyzed and compared with those of 98 patients with non-scarred uterus,including preoperative examination,operative parameters,surgical path,separation of scar adhesions,management of accidental bladder injury,postoperative indicators.Results Laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy was performed successfully in all patients.The average operative time of scarred uterus group was significantly longer than that of non scarred uterus group(128 ± 18 min vs 92 ± 21 min,P 0.05).There were no significant differences in blood loss,postoperative hospital stay and morbidity between two groups.Bladder injury occurred in 3 patients with severe pelvic adhesions in scarred uterus group,which was repaired after treatment.Conclusion The surgical difficulty of LAVH lies in the separation of scarred adhesions and management of uterine visceral peritoneum at processing.Timely detection and appropriate treatment of bladder accidental injury can avoid secondary surgery.
The Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) is characterized by an excessive release of inflammatory mediators as a systemic inflammatory response to a serious clinical injuries. The use of glutamine in nutraceutical doses has been studied as a strategy in tissue protection and preservative of tissue metabolic function in stressful situations, helping to improve the immune response of patients. The effects of enteral glutamine supplementation in nutraceutical doses on the inflammatory markers, of glycolytic metabolism, of immune system and of oxidative stress were studied in adult and elderly patients with SIRS in a prospective, clinical, randomized, controlled, double-blind crossover study. Thirty six moderately severe patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit were selected according to pre-defined criteria, diagnosis of SIRS and the APACHE II score (>10<20), distributed into two groups and submitted to the supplementation with 1 litre of enteral nutrition with addition of 30g of L-glutamine or calcium caseinate or 1 litre of enteral nutrition with addition of 30g of calcium caseinate or L-glutamine for two days, pause for one day only with diet, followed by four days of supplementation. Blood samples were collected before (T0) and after (T1) each supplementation. For evaluation blood parameters (hematocrit, leukocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, prealbumin, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, glucose, lactate, C-peptide and insulin), IL-1, IL-6, IL-10 and TNFα were also assayed. Glutathione, TBARS, and glutamine and glutamate amino acids were measured. Six patients died during the study. Thirty patients finished the study, 16 men (53%) and 14 (47%) women, median age 74.4 years (30-92 years) in moderately severe state of health (APACHE II 13.1 - range 10-19). All patients developed SIRS and were given enteral nutrition supplemented with L-glutamine or calcium caseinate, 1464kcal/day (range 792-1914kcal/day). The use of L-glutamine in nutraceutical dose of 30g/day showed no changes in blood parameters. All laboratory parameters remained within normal values except the blood urea [Calcium Caseinate T1=47.0mg/dL (range 34.0-69.0 mg/dL) versus Glutamine T1=50.0mg/dL (36.75-75.0mg/dL); p=0.030]. Creatinine concentrations were not statistically different. There was no statistically significant difference in assessment of inflammatory parameters (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10 E TNFα). Leukocytes count decreased significantly in both groups [Calcium Caseinate T0=13.650 1/mm3 (10.148-18.250 1/mm3) versus T1=11.500 1/mm3 (8.050-29.100 1/mm3); p=0,019] and [Glutamine T0=12.850 1/mm3 (11.155-15.550 1/mm3) versus T1=11.000 1/mm3 (9.200-16.325 1/mm3); p=0.046]. There was increase statistically significant difference in lymphocytes count between groups [Calcium Caseinate T1=1085 1/mm3 (range 805-1363 1/mm3) versus Glutamine T1=1916 1/mm3 (1301-2517 l/mm3); p<0.0001] and Calcium Caseinate group decreases [T0=1288 1/mm3 (range 834-2209 1/mm3) versus T1=1085 1/mm3 (range 805-1363 1/mm3); p=0.0324] and Glutamine group increases [T0=954 1/mm3 (range 785-1442 1/mm3) versus T1=1916 1/mm3 (range 1301-2517 l/mm3); p<0.0001]. Blood concentration of TBARS decreased significantly in both groups [Calcium Caseinate T0=20.56mol MDA/ml (range 13.64-20.56mol MDA/ml); p=0.001] and [Glutamine T0=17.67 mol MDA/ml (range 8.11-34.98 mol MDA/ml) versus T1=16.52 mol MDA/ml (range 5.41-21.86 mol MDA/ml); p=0.020]. The blood concentrations of Gluthatione showed a statistically significant reduction in caseinate group (T0=486.0mol/ml (range 486.0±165.8mol/ml versus T1=451.0±167.4mol/ml; p=0.047) and no statistically significant difference in the glutamine group, nor between groups. However, there were no differences between groups. Glutamine and glutamate were not statistically different. Enteral nutrition supplemented with glutamine in nutraceutical doses of 30g/day increase lymphocyte count, helps to reduce lipid peroxidation and maintains the antioxidant glutathione capacity, interfering beneficially modulating the inflammatory response and stress, but present no effect upon cytokines concentrations or glycolytic parameters.
We present the observed scaling of coronal luminosity with magnetic flux in a set of quiet regions. Comparison of this with the observed scaling found for active regions suggests an underlying difference between coronal heating in active regions and quiet regions. From SOHO/EIT coronal images and SOHO/MDI magnetograms of four similar large quiet regions, we measure L(sub corona) and Phi(sub total) in random subregions ranging in area from about four supergranules [(70,000 km)(exp 2)] to about 100 supergranules [(0.5 R(sub sun))(exp 2)], where L(sub corona) is the luminosity of the corona in a subregion and Phi(sub total) is the flux content of the magnetic network in the subregion. This sampling of our quiet regions yields a correlation plot of Log L(sub corona) vs Log Phi(sub total) appropriate for comparison with the corresponding plot for active regions. For our quiet regions, the mean values of L(sub corona) and Phi(sub total) both increase linearly with area (simply because each set of subregions of the same area has very nearly the same mean coronal luminosity per unit area and mean magnetic flux per unit area), and in each constant-area set the values of L(sub corona) and Phi(sub total) 'scatter' about their means for that area. This results in the linear least-squares fit to the Log ((L (sub corona)), vs Log ((Phi (sub total)) plot having a slope somewhat less than one. If active regions mimicked our quiet regions in that all large sets of same-area active regions had the same mean coronal luminosity per unit area and same mean magnetic flux per unit area, then the least-squares fit to their Log((L (sub corona)) vs Log((Phi (sub total)) plot would also have a slope of less than one. Instead, the slope for active regions is 1.2. Given the observed factor of three scatter about the least-squares linear fit, this slope is consistent with Phi(sub total) on average increasing linearly with area (A) as in quiet regions, but L(sub corona) on average increasing as the volume (A(exp 1.5)) of the active region instead of as the area. This possibility is reasonable if the heating in active regions is a burning down of previously-stored coronal magnetic energy rather than a steady dissipation of energy flux from below as expected in quiet regions.
Colon cancer associated with colitis (CAC) is a subtype of colorectal cancer in which inflammatory and tumorigenic processes converge and is associated with inflammatory bowel disease, such as occurring in ulcerative colitis (UC). To elucidate the factors involved in tumor onset and development, we must analyze immunological and genetic factors. The p38MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinases) signaling pathway links extracellular signaling to mechanisms that control fundamental cell processes such as growth, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. The p38MAPK family is formed by four members, p38?, p38s, p38? and p38?. p38? regulates inflammation and malignant transformation, but little is known about the functions of the other p38MAPK isoforms in these processes. The main objective of this thesis was to define the implication of p38? and p38? in murine models of CAC and UC. For this purpose, we studied the phenotype of wt, p38?-/-, p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- mice treated with AOM/DSS (Azoxymethane/Dextran sodium sulfate, for the CAC model), for the CAC model) or DSS (for the UC model). Histopathological examination of colon sections from AOM/DSS-treated mice showed larger, more numerous tumors in p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- than in wt and p38?-/- mice. Analysis of intestinal mucosa showed increased epithelial cell proliferation in p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- compared to wt mice, as well as lower numbers of apoptotic cells in p38?-/- than in p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- mice. Increase in MMP9 levels, which are generally implicated in CAC, were higher in treated p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- mice than in the other genotypes. These results indicated that p38? is implicated in tumor development, regulating processes such as proliferation and apoptosis, and altering levels of protumor proteins such as MMP9. We studied tissue damage and inflammation in hematoxylin/eosin-stained histological sections from the four mouse genotypes after DSS treatment. p38?-/- mice had the highest degree of inflammation compared with the other genotypes. Analysis of intestinal mucosa showed increased epithelial cell apoptosis in p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- compared to wt mice. Immunofluorescence studies of histological sections showed higher levels of macrophage infiltration in treated p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- than in the other genotypes and less neutrophils infiltration in treated p38?-/- and p38?/?-/- mice in both models (CAC and UC). COX2 protein and mRNA levels, which are linked to inflammatory processes, were higher in treated p38?-/- mice than in the other genotypes in CAC model. In DSS-treated p38?-/- mice, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (IL1s, IL6 and TNF?) were higher than in treated wt mice. These findings implicate p38? in inflammatory processes such as apoptosis, pro-inflammatory cytokine production and in regulating inflammatory molecules like COX2. The results indicate that although both p38MAPK isoforms are involved in the alterations found in CAC and UC models, the main isoform involved in tumor development is p38?, whereas p38? is involved in inflammatory processes.
Because of a large competition in the international market all the industries are looking for the quality assurance of your products with a minimum possible expense and because of this there is an increasing diffusion of the metrology concepts for satisfaction of these requirements above mentioned. With the purpose of adquiring satisfying needs, certified QS 9000 and ISO/TS 16949 companies need to implant statistical tools of qualification of Measurement Systems that assist in the reliability of the metrology employed. This report presents the most used tools in the industrial and laboratorial scope, also including procedures, later passing through the creation of an application systematic in all the stages of use of a Measurement System, since the selection until the control. Finishing with examples of the application in a certified ISO/TS 16949, that works with automobile products.
The objective of this work was to explore fundamental aspects of utilizing (DZ) and (ZD) bleaching stages in the prebleaching of oxygen delignified Scandinavian softwood kraft pulp, and compare paper properties of fully bleached pulps with a DEoD1ED2 bleached EDF reference pulp. According to the literature, the use of chlorine dioxide and ozone in combination in (DZ) and (ZD) bleaching stages seems advantageous from both environmental and economical points of view. A significant reduction in the formation of chloro-organic compounds and efficient delignification relative to chemical consumption is obtained.
Water-jet drive for water craft with a nozzle whose effective cross-section can be altered depending upon the water flow rate to pump rotation speed = constant ratio, as can its effective direction of propulsion, the effective nozzle cross-section of which can be altered via two mutually independently adjustable flaps (20, 21), whereby one control flap (20) is curved and arranged to be directly dirigible about a bearing fitted in the nozzle body (19) while the other is straight and adjustable for position via two mutually independent adjusting devices (26, 33) with bearings at each end in such a way that they can free a slot for the emerging water jet at their forward end for the nozzle body or at the rear end for the lower edge of the curved flap or at both ends.
This study focused on exploring an innovative way of teaching and learning measurement, what we refer to as Dynamic Measurement or DYME. Without relying on the common approach of counting square units, our goal was to engage students in contextually rich digital dynamic tasks to visualize area as a continuous quantity and evaluate the area of a rectangular region as a multiplicative relationship between the two lengths of the sides. In this paper, we briefly describe the iterative process of designing, testing and refining the tasks for DYME pointing to the significance of the design for developing students’ thinking of area as length times width. Geometric measurement: What we know and pushing forward Extensive research on measurement has described the importance of using square units to cover rectangular surfaces and quantify that covering by counting the square units (e.g. Barrett & Clements, 2003; Battista, Clements, Arnoff, Battista & Borrow, 1998; Izsak, 2005; Kamii & Kysh, 2006). For instance, we can use twenty 1 sq. inch tiles to cover a 5 by 4 inches rectangle as in Figure 1a and claim that its area is 20 sq. inches. Similar to these studies, the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSO, 2010) in the United States introduce third grade students to area measurement first by counting unit squares in a rectangular surface, thus forming an array (Content standards 3.MD.C.5 and 3.MD.C.6). Next, the standards assume that students will use this tiling experience to “show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths” (3.MD.C.7.A). However, the standards do not provide information on how students will transition from counting individual units to constructing the multiplicative area formula. Figure 1. Progression of structuring area based on a synthesis of the measurement literature. Although the measurement research studies mentioned above suggest a progression of structuring area (Figure 1 a-d), to understand how area is generated by multiplying lengths is a different notion conceptually from the construction of a matrix like shown in Figure 1d. As Piaget et al. (1960) argued, “the difference between the two operational mechanisms is the difference between a matrix which is made up of a limited number of elements and one which is thought of as a continuous structure with an infinite number of elements” (p. 350). Indeed, area, length and width are continuous quantities (Kamii & Kysh, 2006) that are related multiplicatively while covering a surface with discrete unit squares is one-dimensional and additive in nature (e.g. Outhred & Mitchelmore, 2000; Reynolds & Wheatley, 1996). As a result, this study aimed to go beyond the static perspective of understanding area as the counting of discrete square units and find a more intuitive and accessible approach of illustrating area as a continuous quantity that involves a multiplicative relationship between length and width. To do that, we built on the work of Confrey et al. (2012) and Lehrer, Slovin, Dougherty, & Zbiek (2014) on visualizing area as a ‘sweep’ of a line segment of length a over a distance of b to produce a rectangle of area ab. Figure 2. Visualizing area as a continuous structure through ‘sweeping.’ ICLS 2018 Proceedings 863 © ISLS For instance, imagine a paint roller with length 5 inches sweeping for a distance of 6 inches and generating a surface of 30 square inches (Figure 2). In this approach, which we refer to as Dynamic Measurement or DYME, area can be visualized as a continuous dynamic quantity which depends on both the length of the roller (length) and the distance of the swipe (width). DYME involves engaging students in dynamic experiences of generating 2D surfaces and 3D shapes by iteratively (and multiplicatively) composing lowerdimensional objects (linear measures).
Objective To filtrate simple effective method separating and purifying manganese porphyrin triple helix forming oligonucleotide (TFO) acridine compounds. Method TFO modified by acridine and amino modifier C6 were synthesized by solid phase phosphoramidite chemistry, then deprotected mildly. Meso tetrakis(4 carbocyphenyl) porphyrin was prepared by metallation and esterification, then linked with previously described oligonucleotides. The reaction products were separated and purified by denaturing polyacrylamide gel, oligonucleotide purification cartridge and thin layer plate respectively. Results When the reaction products were separated by denaturing polyacrylamide gel, the reaction products strand and manganese porphyrin activated esters strand were at same level, manganese porphyrin TFO acridine compounds strand was not observed. After the reaction products were separated by oligonucleotide purification cartridge, the products were still mixed of manganese porphyrin TFO acridine compounds and manganese porphyrin activated esters, which was made sure by ultraviolet absorption spectrometry. When the reaction products were separated by thin layer plate, there was a green lunarform strand behind manganese porphyrin monoactivated esters, the reclaim of this strand possess characteristic ultraviolet absorption peak of oligonucleotide and manganese porphyrin, which was show by ultraviolet absorption spectra. Mass spectrogram confirmed that the observed mass of TFO derivative were same as that of the theoretical mass. Conclusion Manganese porphyrin TFO acridine compounds were separated and purified simply and effectively by thin layer plate.
To solve the problems in conventional regular maintenance of transmission and transformation equipment,the strategy of condition-based maintenance(CBM) is proposed in stead.Three CBM techniques based respectively on lifecycle management,reliability,state evaluation and risk assessment are compared.It is held that the last technique is obviously advantageous.The state evaluation of equipment covers the selection of state quantities,the evaluation of equipment state,and the determination of equipment state class,etc.The risk assessment of equipment uses risk values as indices,including the quantization of assets and the determination of assets loss rate.
The alpha 1-adrenergic receptor ligand, 3H-WB4101, and the alpha 2-adrenergic receptor ligand, 3H-para-aminoclonidine, were utilized at a 1.0 nM incubation concentration to determine relative alpha 1-and alpha 2-adrenergic receptor binding by cell membranes from selected tissues within the brain, ovary and oviduct of the domestic fowl. Significant specific alpha 1-adrenergic binding was observed in the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, pineal, cerebrum and cerebellum but only the cerebrum had significant alpha 2-receptor binding. Significant levels of alpha 1-adrenergic binding were observed in the granulosa cells of the three largest ovarian follicles and in the postovulatory follicle. Significant specific alpha 2-adrenergic binding was measured in the infundibulum, magnum, isthmus and shell gland of the oviduct. The physiological implications of alpha-adrenergic receptors in these tissues are discussed.
Objective To concern air pollution and human health protection of China SEPA 45%-55% VOC regulations and US EPA,CARB and OTC guidelines was reviewed.Innovative and sustainable insecticide aerosol or RTU spray formulations of less than 20% VOC and 2 MIR had been developed with pyrethroid and plant oil combinations for household and industrial applications.Methods According to stable emulsion(o/w) or inverted emulsion(w/o) technology and bioassay related national standard.Results Formulation examples were the combination of d-tetramethrin and α-cypermethrin,cyfluthrin or bifenthrin with natural plant oils.Renewable EPA list 3 and 4 surfactants were employed for making stable emulsion(o/w) or inverted emulsion(w/o) products.LBC-4026A and 4026B sprays had obtained KT502 min and two week residual activity against Blattella germanica,Musca domestica and Aedes albopictus.Their aerosol and RTU formulations had less than 20% and 4% VOC respectively.Conclusion Studies demonstrate that essential oil A and B can be used to replace PBO synergist for improving knockdown activity and insect resistance management in conjunction with bio-diesel solvent.
Using the climate data got from the 70 observation stations in Beijing,Tianjin,and Hebhei origin,we analyzed the changes of the first and last day and the interval of them with the daily temperature above 0℃,10℃ stably,the change of the accumulated temperature in different region and also in different years and decades.The results indicated,in the recent 50 years,the boundary temperature of ≥0℃ and 10℃ in the whole province and in various regions change tendency performance showed the first day was moving up,the last day came later,the intervals from the first and the last day became longer,accumulated temperature increasd.In 70′s of 20th century,the accumulated temperature of ≥0℃ and 10℃ in the whole province and in different origin were few,but after the 80′s there was an increasing trend year by year.At the beginning of the 21st century the heat resources were more abundant.It respectively increased by 271.5℃,259.8 ℃ than the 60′s of zoth century.
The DIRECTT (Direct Iterative REconstruction of Computed Tomography Trajectories) algorithm represents a promising alternative to conventional algorithms, such as the Filtered Backprojection (FBP) or the Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART), by overcoming restrictions associated with them. Such restrictions include the limited spatial resolution achieved through FBP due to Nyquist‘s sampling theorem, the inability of FBP to perform a quality reconstruction when projections are missing, and the excessive computing time needed for ART.
The Space Technology 5 (ST5) mission is one of a series of technology demonstration missions for the New Millennium Program. This mission will fly three fully functional 25 kilogram micro class spacecraft in formation through the Earth s magnetosphere; the primary science instrument is a very sensitive magnetometer. The constraints of a 25 kg "Micosat" resulted in a spin stabilized, octagonal spacecraft that is 30 cm tall by 50 cm diameter and has state of the art solar cells on all eight sides. A non-magnetic boom was needed to place the magnetometer as far from the spacecraft and its residual magnetic fields as possible. The ST-5 spacecraft is designed to be spun up and released from its deployer with the boom and magnetometer stowed for later release. The deployer is the topic of another paper, This paper describes the development efforts and resulting self-deploying magnetometer boom.
This thesis investigates how web search evaluation can be improved using historical interaction data. Modern search engines combine offline and online evaluation approaches in a sequence of steps that a tested change needs to pass through to be accepted as an improvement and subsequently deployed. We refer to such a sequence of steps as an evaluation pipeline. In this thesis, we consider the evaluation pipeline to contain three sequential steps: an offline evaluation step, an online evaluation scheduling step, and an online evaluation step.  In this thesis we show that historical user interaction data can aid in improving the accuracy or efficiency of each of the steps of the web search evaluation pipeline. As a result of these improvements, the overall efficiency of the entire evaluation pipeline is increased.  Firstly, we investigate how user interaction data can be used to build accurate offline evaluation methods for query auto-completion mechanisms. We propose a family of offline evaluation metrics for query auto-completion that represents the effort the user has to spend in order to submit their query. The parameters of our proposed metrics are trained against a set of user interactions recorded in the search engine’s query logs. From our experimental study, we observe that our proposed metrics are significantly more correlated with an online user satisfaction indicator than the metrics proposed in the existing literature. Hence, fewer changes will pass the offline evaluation step to be rejected after the online evaluation step. As a result, this would allow us to achieve a higher efficiency of the entire evaluation pipeline.  Secondly, we state the problem of the optimised scheduling of online experiments. We tackle this problem by considering a greedy scheduler that prioritises the evaluation queue according to the predicted likelihood of success of a particular experiment. This predictor is trained on a set of online experiments, and uses a diverse set of features to represent an online experiment. Our study demonstrates that a higher number of successful experiments per unit of time can be achieved by deploying such a scheduler on the second step of the evaluation pipeline. Consequently, we argue that the efficiency of the evaluation pipeline can be increased.  ￼Next, to improve the efficiency of the online evaluation step, we propose the Generalised Team Draft interleaving framework. Generalised Team Draft considers both the interleaving policy (how often a particular combination of results is shown) and click scoring (how important each click is) as parameters in a data-driven optimisation of the interleaving sensitivity. Further, Generalised Team Draft is applicable beyond domains with a list-based representation of results, i.e. in domains with a grid-based representation, such as image search. Our study using datasets of interleaving experiments performed both in document and image search domains demonstrates that Generalised Team Draft achieves the highest sensitivity. A higher sensitivity indicates that the interleaving experiments can be deployed for a shorter period of time or use a smaller sample of users. Importantly, Generalised Team Draft optimises the interleaving parameters w.r.t. historical interaction data recorded in the interleaving experiments.  Finally, we propose to apply the sequential testing methods to reduce the mean deployment time for the interleaving experiments. We adapt two sequential tests for the interleaving experimentation. We demonstrate that one can achieve a significant decrease in experiment duration by using such sequential testing methods. The highest efficiency is achieved by the sequential tests that adjust their stopping thresholds using historical interaction data recorded in diagnostic experiments. Our further experimental study demonstrates that cumulative gains in the online experimentation efficiency can be achieved by combining the interleaving sensitivity optimisation approaches, including Generalised Team Draft, and the sequential testing approaches.  Overall, the central contributions of this thesis are the proposed approaches to improve the accuracy or efficiency of the steps of the evaluation pipeline: the offline evaluation frameworks for the query auto-completion, an approach for the optimised scheduling of online experiments, a general framework for the efficient online interleaving evaluation, and a sequential testing approach for the online search evaluation.  The experiments in this thesis are based on massive real-life datasets obtained from Yandex, a leading commercial search engine. These experiments demonstrate the potential of the proposed approaches to improve the efficiency of the evaluation pipeline.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world over the past 10 years. In this paper proposes the performance of clustering algorithm using heart disease data. We are evaluating the performance of clustering algorithms of EM, Cobweb, Farthest First, Make Density Based Clusters, Simple K-Means algorithms. The performance of clusters will be calculated using the mode of classes to clusters evaluation. The selected attributes after the Common Features Subset Evaluator (CFs) and Best-First Search (BFs) are cp, restecg, thalach, exang, oldpeak, ca, thal, and num. In the final result, Make Density Based Clusters shows the high performance algorithms for heart disease data after applying the Attribute selection Method and their Prediction Accuracy is 85.80%.
This paper introduces the generalized Pareto distribution( GPD) and discusses its application in the analysis of extreme wind pressure. Compared with the generalized extreme value distribution,to build peaks over threshold( POT) model can makes use of all data in the high wind pressure and provides an accurate calculation model with more data. The parameters can be acquired by using maximum likelihood estimation,which is a commonly recognized method in obtaining the parameters. Based on the fitted distribution,the fractile of certain guarantee rate is calculated. With comparison of results obtained from the peak factor method and generalized extreme value distribution method,it proves the GPD fits the data well and gets reliable extreme value. In addition,the study confirms that the peaks factor method is not suitable in the field of non-Gaussian distribution. The GPD method does not assume the wind pressure obeys Gaussian distribution,and it performs well in both Gaussian distribution and non-Gaussian distribution. Therefore,the GPD is more suitable in the calculation of extreme value in wind pressure.
On the basis of the Clausius - Clapeyron equation and the kinetic theory of liquid we obtained γｂ＝ ４．１８７×１０－３（１８．２Ｔｂ＋３．２Ｔｃ—７８０） And according to the rules of semi - metal structural theoretic model of organic molecules and the theoretic and experimental results from molecular physics, spectroscopy and matrix method, a new theoretic equation (Eq.5) for calculating enthalpy of vaporization γb at normal boiling point is derived. Eq5 is simple and reliable for calculating γb． The values Ci and Ce, required in this equation can be found in Table 3. This equation can be applied both to nonpolar and polar liquids. The average error from experimental data is 0.8% based upon 228 compounds of 36 types of structures. It is far better than all other methods in literature. The physical essence of Eq.5 is clear and definite. This work is of important in the development of engineering thermodynamics and its practical application.
With the development of multi-slice computer tomography scan and recombinant techniques,computed tomography angiography(CTA) is widely used in central nervous system due to its convenient operation and minimal invasion.It contributes to the diagnosis of acute cerebral vascular diseases,aneurysm,arteriovenous malformations,moyamoya disease,tumors and spinal vascular disease,and provides evidence to the growth of massive hematoma.This paper reviews the imaging advantage,imaging technology and clinical research focus of CTA in the diseases.
The end-to-end network one-way delay is an important performance indicator of the arising 5G network. One type of existing methods requires the end-to-end deployment of accurate clock synchronization mechanism, such as PTP or GPS, which results in relatively high deployment cost. Another type of existing methods uses round-trip delay measurements to estimate the one-way delay. However, since the delay of the downlink and uplink of the 5G network may be asymmetric, the accuracy is relatively low. This document introduces a method to accurately measure end-to-end network one-way delay using reference delay without deploying clock synchronization.
FIRST, THE PROCEDURES FOR ANALYZING ASYMMETRICAL TRANSVERSE LOADS ON BOX GIRDERS AND THE RELATED PROBLEM OF INTERMEDIATE DIAPHRAGM TRUSSES WERE ANALYZED. THREE DIFFERENT METHODS WERE USED TO CROSS-CHECK THE RESULTS: ONE BASED ON INFLUENCE LINES DERIVED BY THE ACCURATE ELASTIC ANALYSIS OF BOX GIRDERS AND TWO APPROXIMATE METHODS WITH SIMPLIFIED STATICAL MODEL WHERE BOX GIRDER IS TRANSFORMED TO AN EQUIVALENT PLATE GIRDER. SECOND, THE STABILITY PROBLEMS OF THIN PLATES FORMING THE BOX GIRDER WERE INVESTIGATED. USING BUCKLING COEFFICIENTS AVAILABLE FOR DIFFERENT GEOMETRY AND STRESS CONDITIONS OF THE PANEL UNDER CONSIDERATION, THE SPACING OF LONGITUDINAL STIFFENERS WAS OBTAINED GRAPHICALLY. TRANSVERSE STIFFENERS WERE DESIGNED IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS: (1) AS VERTICALS OF A DOUBLE PRATT TRUSS; AND (2) AS INTERMEDIATE STIFFENERS FOR TWO ADJACENT PANELS. /AUTHOR/
This article elaborates on the supporting effect and three-dimensional effect of working place when the surrounding rocks deform at the presence of tunnels.According to the feature curve of the three-dimensional effect of working place,it divides the deforming process of surrounding rock into strong-effect zone and weak-effect zone of three-dimensional effect.The article also reveals the discovery of the uniform decreasing rule after arranging and comparing the strong-effect zone of various surrounding rocks.
This study was conducted to measure the level of comfort and knowledge that educational diagnosticians possess regarding the unique learning needs, assistive technology, special accommodations, agencies, required visual impairment related individual educational plan (IEP) documents, and special evaluation considerations appropriate for students with a vision loss. Teachers of students with visual impairments (TVI) were surveyed to gauge their perception of educational diagnosticians’ knowledge of the field of visual impairment and diagnosticians were also surveyed to determine their comfort level in the management of a caseload of students with visual impairments. Research questions were based on how TVIs rated the comfort level and knowledge of educational diagnosticians to effectively manage a caseload of students with visual impairments, how diagnosticians rated their own comfort level and knowledge to manage a caseload of students with visual impairments, where TVIs and diagnosticians agreed that there is a lack of knowledge or awareness on the part of the diagnostician when it comes to managing a caseload of students with visual impairments, and what TVIs and diagnosticians believe can be done to better prepare diagnosticians to work with students who are visually impaired. Data collected for this study found that collaboration among a team of professionals, including TVIs and diagnosticians, provided benefit to students who are visually impaired. Survey responses from diagnosticians indicated they would like more training in low-incidence disabilities such as visual impairment to prepare them to manage a caseload of students with visual impairments.
The purpose of studying the correlation of total organic carbon (TOC) with permanganate index and chemical oxygen demand (COD) has been stated.By using the monitoring data of total organic carbon and the permanganate index which is obtained from the Jilin section of Songhua River in 1983-1998,by counting and analyzing,the following conclusion has been obtained that in this section of the river the total organic carbon have a good correlation with permanganate index and chemical oxygen demand,permanganate index=0.82×total organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand=2.2×total organic carbon.
The PE teaching in our country has been improved gradually.It turns out that it is unpractical to reform teaching methods only without changing teaching content.It is essential that we arrange teaching content,strengthen the specific density of teaching content,strengthen the specific density of teaching theory,achieve connection of teaching programme's unity and flexibility.All that can help us to improve teaching effect.
The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of project planning on sustainability of road construction projects in Kenya. The study sought to find out how project cost management,project quality management, project timeliness management, project deliverables management and project evaluation management affects sustainability of road construction projects. The study  used descriptive research design. A sample of 324 employees that represented 30% of the target population was selected. The target population comprised of six directors, top managers and other employees. Stratified random sampling method was used to arrive at the sample size.Stratified random sampling method was used picking a sample size of 30%, which was 99 and the response rate was 67 (representing 70%). The study used questionnaires which were reviewed to answer research questions. This study is important because road construction infrastructure is key to economic growth. It helps to reduce and eradicate poverty in nations through the enhancement of competition, facilitates trade and integration of international community. As infrastructure reaches to business regions and accommodate investment, each access to products and services as well as employing more people. It contributes to economic sustainability, growth and development raising revenue for the government and national development. Therefore, the issue of lack of sustainability of road construction projects in Kenya  should be addressed through outlining the project planning management techniques.
Founding fathers of sociology Karl Marx (1969, pp.303-304; 1990, pp.63-64), Emile Durkheim (1965, pp.75-476) and Max Weber (1974, pp.181-182) shared the view that traditional religion was becoming more and more trivial to the modern world. They all agreed that secularization was an inevitable process (Giddens, 1993, p. 477). For more than one and a half century, the following generations of sociologists did not question this modernist view either. They viewed this process as an inevitable and straight path in all of the modernizing societies. However, from the early 1970s and onwards, the modernist tradition, positivist sociology, and above all the 'grand narrative' of modernity was put under an increasing intellectual scrutiny. This new approach has led to a great diversification in secularization theories. What had started as a 'positivist certainty' and an indispensable feature of modernization, rationalization and urbanization, came to be defined as a social myth. First of all, in order to examine the existing theories of secularization, this paper aims to make an analytical literature review. Secondly, existing theories of secularization will be compared. Third, this paper aims to provide a broader understanding and objective approach to the discussions on secularization in general. Key
This paper discusses the design and development of attendance software on campus,talks about the problems to meet during desining,and how to resolve these problems.There are three parts of the software:Firstly is to gather and format all kinds of original data;After formatted data goes to the next stage-dig in huges data in Server,products some new data;The end is to provide some ways for the user to check up,to update,to delete the data,the formatted data or the new data in the database.
Western Europe and Southeast Asia - partners in a Pacific age?, G.Schiavone the importance of the EC for Southeast Asia - the ASEAN perspective, P.Wannamethee the importance of ASEAN to Western Europe, C.Tornetta Western European security and the role of NATO, C.A.Casado regional security - problems and prospects in Southeast Asia the relations with ASEAN as a "model" of European foreign policy?, E.Regelsberger EC-ASEAN in the context of interregional cooperation, A.Lukas EC-ASEAN trade and industrial cooperation - the pros and cons, R.Valiani the link between trade with an investment in ASEAN countries - lessons for EC suppliers and policymakers, R.J.Langhammer science and technology in ASEAN countries - an agenda for trade and growth, F.Alburo and W.Colozo ASEAN relations with Japan, K.Salih the Japanese economy in the 1980s and its relations with ASEAN, N.Hamaguchi China-EEC economic relations - experience and prospects, E.K.Y.Chen ASEAN relations with the United States - developments in the 1980s, D.S.Simandjuntak EC-ASEAN interaction and collaboration in a multilateral framework - the economic aspects, M.Ariff interaction and collaboration of the EC and ASEAN in the UN system and international conferences, K.Snitwongse the Soviet Union in Asia - conflict and cooperation, L.V.Ferraris.
The invention discloses a compound microbial fertilizer with an efficient disease prevention function. The raw material is a mixture of herb residues generated in the production process of validamycin and plant ashes, wherein a fungicide is a composite fungicide prepared from bio-control bacillus subtilis HL259, bacillus megaterium and bacillus mucilaginosus after fermentation and absorption; the mass ratio of the raw material to the fungicide is (50-70):(5-15). Meanwhile, the invention also discloses a production method of the compound microbial fertilizer with the efficient disease prevention function. The method comprises the following procedures: preparation of raw materials of validamycin herb residues, preparation of a compound microbial agent, and preparation of the compound microbial fertilizer after mixing and crushing; the microbial agent accounts for 5-15% of total weight of the compound microbial fertilizer; the raw materials of the validamycin herb residues account for 50-70% of total weight of the compound microbial fertilizer. By adopting the compound microbial fertilizer, the raw material range of the compound microbial fertilizer is expanded, and the obtained compound microbial fertilizer has a good inhibition effect on rhizoctonia solani.
In this paper,an analysis framework to competition system is built based on the logical thought with "mechanism-structure-evolution".It can be deep into the competition systems' internal,and study the decisive influence of the microscopic competitive mechanism between individuals to the system architecture,macro-state and long-term evolution of behavior.So it could provide us a common,quantitative research paradigm to the general analysis of competition systems.
Online lifestyles have been shown to reflect and affect consumers’ preferences across a wide range of online scenarios. In the context of e-commerce, it still remains unclear whether online lifestyles are practically influential in predicting consumers’ purchasing preferences across different product categories, especially considering its potential influence over the widely used personality traits. In this study, we provide the first, to the best of our knowledge, quantitative demonstration of online lifestyles in predicting consumers’ online purchasing preferences in e-commerce by using a data-driven approach. We first construct an online lifestyles lexicon including seven distinct dimensions using text mining approaches based on consumers’ language use behaviors. We then incorporate the lexicon in a typical e-commerce recommender system to predict consumers’ purchasing preferences. Experimental results on Amazon Review Dataset show that online lifestyles and all its subdimensions significantly improve preference predicting performance and outperform the widely used Big Five personality traits as a whole. In addition, product types significantly moderate the influence of online lifestyle on consumer preference. The strong empirical evidence indicates that the big e-commerce consumer data facilitates more specialized market psychographic segmentation, which advances data-driven marketing decision-making.
The phrase 'Covenant Chain' is unique in the English language and along with its antecedents---'linked arms', 'the rope', and the 'iron chain'---the Haudenosaunee established relationships with the Europeans. The 'Covenant Chain' has been the subject of extensive discussion since the mid-1980s when a group of scholars in Iroquois Studies published several volumes on the diplomacy of the Haudenosaunee during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Most studies focus on the political aspects of the Covenant Chain and the role it played in creating and sustaining alliances. This study examines the meaning of the word 'covenant' and related ideas in the context of Haudenosaunee cosmology, history, culture and religious traditions. The numerous metaphors employed by the Haudenosaunee in council oratory and the many meanings associated with these different metaphors are discussed with a view to better understanding the Covenant Chain in relation to what Mohawk scholar Deborah Doxtator calls 'history as an additive process'. In order to facilitate this discussion, the religious dimensions of covenant in European thought during this period are examined. While the basis of post-Reformation covenant theology differs radically from Haudenosaunee ideas of covenant, points of convergence do exist particularly in the area of political theory making. Johannes Althusius' (1557-1638) concept of 'symbiosis' is one such example. Surprisingly, Europeans who were involved in or who had knowledge of the Covenant Chain provide no theological discourse on it. Philosophical and theological discussions of the chain come from the Haudenosaunee themselves. These relationships went well beyond contractual obligations and along with the idea of the 'middle line' which separates people and at the same time joins them together. Contrary to the widely accepted scholarly view that the chain---either the 'Covenant Chain' or the 'Iron Chain'---was associated only with alliances between the Haudenosaunee and the British, this study shows that the Haudenosaunee used the same expressions in their alliances with the French as well.
Objective: To evaluate the effects of Chinese compound preparation,Danshaohuaxian(DSHX) capsule,on diabetic nephropathy(DN) of rats.Methods: Fifty SD male rats were randomly divided into control group(group C),DN group(group DN),Enalaprilt treated group(group E) and DSHX treated group(group DS).DN rat model was prepared by tail vena injection of STZ.Enalaprilt(10 mg·kg-1·d-1) and DSHX(0.8 mg·kg-1·d-1) were given respectively to groups E and DS orally for eight weeks.The level changes of blood glucose(BG),serum and urine creatinine(Scr and Ucr),24-hour urine protein(24h UP) were measured and the kidney pathological changes were observed on HE and PAS stained tissue sections with microscope at the end of experiment.Results: BG,Scr,and Ucr levels in groups DN,E and DS were distinctively different from those in group C(P0.05 or P0.01).The excretive quantities of 24 h UP were significantly lower in groups DS and E than that in group DN(P0.05).But no significant difference of 24 h UP was found between groups DS and E(P0.05).Different degrees of glomerular basement membrane thickening and fibration,nephric tubule epithelium cell hydr-degeneration and necrosis,renal interstitium fibroplasias,and lymphocyte infiltration were found in kidney tissues of groups DN,E and DS.But renal tissue damage in DN group was severer than those in other two treated groups.Conclusion: DSHX capsule can relieve proteinuria and protect renal tissue of DN rats from lesion.
Based on the similarity theory of fractal,this paper put forward a new SMOTE re-sampling algorithm.According to the real distribution of samples,a few sets of data samples should be reconstructed to realize the equalization of data sets.The new algorithm combined Adaboost technology,according to the classification of the error rate updating weights of samples to improve the classification performance of imbalanced data.The new algorithm was based on the simulation experiment on the research objection of polymetallic deposits such as tin and copper from Gejiu,Yunnan province.The experimental results show that predicted results for the new algorithm delineating regional geochemical anomalies are better than traditional methods,which can identify the geochemical anomaly accurately.
The transportation system of railways exists not for the purpose of safety itself. Railway operators exist for the purpose of moving people or goods to a destination or to provide service where the process of that movement—travel—is a wonderful experience. Those purposes are not achieved if an accident occurs, so accident prevention is without a doubt a top priority objective. Even so, it is not sufficient to simply keep accidents from occurring. Maintaining performance of the system of railways at the optimum level and raising that to the maximum level should be made to be objectives. In other words, just keeping accidents from occurring alone should not be the purpose of safety management. This paper considers what safety management for achieving this purpose should be and what sorts of measures are required. At first, however, the author would like to start the discussion by looking back in history at how safety management has dealt with the risk factor of human error.
Traditionally, pueraria has been utilized by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to treat hangovers, allergies, indigestion, diabetes and angina, as well as neck and shoulder pain, thirst, and fever. A more recent study showed that both daidzin and daidzein may be useful in reducing the urge for alcohol and treating alcoholism. This comprehensive book contains a concise description of the age-old knowledge, as well as authoritative scientific information that parallels the rapid increase in our scientific understanding of Pueraria. It has been designed with a broad and diverse readership in mind, including students, educators and prevention and treatment practitioners as well as research scientists from a broad range of disciplines.
The gender gap in study success in Dutch higher education has existed for many years, but has shifted around two decades ago. Boys always seemed to outperform girls, but since the ’90 females started to catch up in higher education. In 2005, female students became the majority and seemed to outperform boys in terms of study success in higher education. Male students tend to drop out more often and take more time in completing their studies. The female advantage and the gender gap in higher education has still been growing till this day. Politicians and policy makers are currently orientating what can be done towards this relatively new phenomenon. This literature study tried to look at which policy instruments could be used to address this issue through affecting the learning environment of Dutch higher education institutions. Factors of learning environment have been identified and several recommendations have been made on which policy instruments could mitigate the gender gap. These gender specific interventions were based on underlying gender differences in (non-)cognitive skills, meta-cognitive skills, attitude, behavior and motivation.
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This article is based on the issue of the connections and mediations between individuals, subjectivity and history in the theoretical tradition of Marxism. It results from a theoretical-methodological investigation wich is about the fertility of Marxist thought’s to understand the reciprocal determinations between individual, subject and history. It is concluded that the understanding of the individual as a synthesis of numerous social relations, of the inseparability between individual and class in the historical conditions of capitalism and of history as a human work are inherent elements to the educational project of formation of the historical subject in the Marxism.
With the use of a large number of sensitive power loads in power system, voltage sags become power quality problems which people mostly pay attention to, and it has seriously affected the normal operation of equipment. When distribution system voltage drops,dynamic voltage restorer(DVR) can maintain the sensitive load side voltage stability. The circuit structure of DVR and its basic working principle to improve the voltage sags were given,dynamic characteristics of DVR also were discussed in detail, and a number of measures based on these characteristics to improve the performance were made.
Information sharing among supply chain members regarding supply chain to manage said is the most basic request. However, without the suitable information system and the support technology, the management of supply chain is very difficult to obtain the success. This article through unfolding the evolution of information flow operation pattern, analyzes the feasibility of integrated information system, and produces the integrated information system's technical skeleton.
Like it or not, globalization is shaping the modern world. Yet international freight transportation, one of the industries that support the process, remains paradoxically old-fashioned. It is highly fragmented, with the top five container-shipping lines, for example, carrying only a quarter of the world's ocean freight among them; prices on some routes bear little relation to supply and demand; and contracts are so casual that they might be sealed by a one-page fax or a handshake. Despite growth, since the mid-1990s, of more than 5 percent a year in the revenues of the air- and sea-freight sectors--to more than $130 billion annually by the end of the decade--both consistently underperformed the S&P 500 during the same period (Exhibit 1, on the next spread). The proprietors of the many freight companies (including freight forwarders) that are state owned, in private hands, or owned by conglomerates have mostly been content to let them bump along the bottom. Are they doomed to stay there, or can the freight industry bring its practices and profitability more into line with its role in the modern world? We believe that it can. Much of the trouble in the freight industry stems from the unusual amount of risk affecting its revenues. But the industry also satisfies the conditions required by the risk- and revenue-management concepts that, over the past 20 years, have markedly improved the performance of the fairly similar energy and airline industries. The big question facing freight businesses is how soon they too can apply such measures. As leading companies begin to take them up, others will have little choice but to follow, for those that apply them will also serve customers better. More value at risk Risk in freight transportation stems largely from three sources: changes in demand caused by the economic cycle, anomalies in the way contracts are drawn up, and uncertainty over prices. Demand changes Demand for freight transport generally tracks global economic cycles, so the freight industry could keep its margins steady by matching supply to demand. But individual companies can increase supply only in "lumpy" increments of productive factors with long lead times: ships and planes. Companies tend to order these simultaneously, when they think the world economy is set to grow. If, as can easily happen, they make a collective mistake about the cycle's timing, they might all take delivery of new capacity just as demand drops. The fortunes of air cargo in particular are tied to those of the world economy, partly because sea freight offers customers a cheaper substitute. One international freight forwarder, expecting prices to reach at least $3 a kilogram on the trans-Pacific air route at the end of 2000, chartered several large freight planes for six months under a fixed contract. But from mid-2000 to mid-2001, air cargo rates--reflecting the global economic slowdown and an increase in air cargo capacity--dropped by more than 30 percent, leaving the forwarder substantially exposed. Contract anomalies Contract practices in freight make future revenues extraordinarily unpredictable. Customers can reserve space on terms that in effect give them a free call option, for example. If the spot price for space falls below the forward price agreed upon between carrier and customer, the customer can simply rebook space on the spot market, without paying any penalty to the original provider. Even if the contract has a minimum-volume clause, such provisions are rarely enforced. Equally curious, the industry gives volume-based discounts on all routes, regardless of capacity constraints. A customer seeking a lot of space on ships sailing from Hong Kong to Antwerp--a route in high demand--always pays less per 20-foot equivalent unit (the size of a typical freight container) than customers booking smaller volumes. …
A new expression of the modulation transfer function is derived for quantum dot (QD) lasers. The analytical approach is based on a cascade relaxation model taking into account three QD energy levels such as the wetting layer (WL), the 1st excited state (ES) as well as the ground state (GS). From the analysis, we demonstrate that the carrier escape from (GS) to (ES) is responsible for a non-zero resonance frequency at low bias powers.
Contingency analysis is a key function to assess the impact of various combinations of power system component failures. It involves combinatorial numbers of contingencies that exceed the capability of even very large supercomputing platforms. Therefore, it is critical to select credible contingency cases within the constraint of computing power. This paper presents a contingency selection method employing graph theory (edge betweenness centrality) to analyze power grid weighted graphs to remove low-impact components. The parallel implementation of the method was successfully demonstrated on the Cray XMT machine. The implementation takes advantage of the superior capabilities of the Cray XMT for graph-based problems and its programming features. This paper presents the performance and scalability of the Cray XMT and comparison with a cache-based, scalable, shared-memory machine.
Background while the duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following coronary angioplasty for chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) recommended by the European Society of Cardiology has decreased over the last decade, little is known about the adherence to those guidelines in clinical practice in France. Aim To analyze the real duration of DAPT post coronary angioplasty in CCS, as well as the factors affecting this duration. Methods Between 2014 and 2019, 8.836 percutaneous coronary interventions for CCS from the France-PCI registry were evaluated, with 1 year follow up, after exclusion of patients receiving oral anticoagulants, procedures performed within one year of an acute coronary syndrome, and repeat angioplasty. Results Post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) DAPT duration was > 12 months for 53.1% of patients treated for CCS; 30.5% had a DAPT between 7 and 12 months, and 16.4% a DAPT ≤ 6 months. Patients with L-DAPT (>12 months) were at higher ischemic risk [25.0% of DAPT score ≥2 vs. 18.8% DAPT score ≥2 in S&I-DAPT group (≤12 months)]. The most commonly used P2Y12 inhibitor was clopidogrel (82.2%). The prescription of ticagrelor increased over the period. Conclusions post-PCI DAPT duration in CCS was higher than international recommendations in the France PCI registry between 2014 and 2019. More than half of the angioplasty performed for CCS are followed by a DAPT > 12 months. Ischemic risk assessment influences the duration of DAPT. This risk is probably overestimated nowadays, leading to a prolongation of DAPT beyond the recommended durations, thus increasing the bleeding risk.
A 73-year-old man presented with acute renal failure due to bilateral hydronephroses. Urography and CT scan revealed stenosis and medial deviation of the bilateral ureters surrounded by a soft tissue mass at the level of the 4-5th lumber vertebrae. Under a diagnosis of retroperitoneal fibrosis, bilateral nephrostomies were temporarily placed and prednisolone administration was initiated at a dose of 20 mg/day. Ureteral passage markedly improved within 2 weeks in association with a decrease in size of the retroperitoneal soft tissue mass. The steroid therapy was continued for 4 months with decreasing dosing schedule. The patient has been doing well without any signs of recurrence for 3 months after the cessation of the steroid therapy.
This paper implemented tri-axial cyclic loading test by using MTS815 rock mechanics experimental system on coarse-grained gabbros collected in opencast mines. Investigated the deformation and damping characteristics of coarse-grained gabbros under tri-axial cyclic loading and discussed the impacts of vibration times with the same confining pressure,cyclic loading and confining pressure values with the same axial vibration loading on coarse-grained gabbro dynamic elastic modulus and damping ratio respectively. The results indicate that under the same axial vibration loading, the coarse-grained gabbro dynamic elastic modulus and damping ratio increase with the increment of confining pressure. When the confining pressure and cyclic vibration loading are fixed,dynamic elastic modulus grows with the increasing of vibration times at 3 MPa and 4 MPa confining pressure and does not experience obvious variant when confining pressure decreases to 2 MPa and damping ratio does not change explicitly with the change of vibration times in the same condition. However, damping ratio increases with the growing of confining pressure under the same vibration loading and times.
There is no reason why pregnancy should result in the mother losing calcium from her own teeth. Many pregnant women find their gums bleed during toothbrushing. This is due to hormonal changes and increased sensitivity to dental plaque. Careful, thorough toothbushing twice a day will help minimise this problem. Sugary snacks are best avoided, but if not it will help preserve dental health to follow them straightaway with foods that stimulate the flow of saliva, such as cheese or sugar-free chewing gum. All pregnant women should be encouraged to attend a dentist early in pregnancy. All NHS dental check-ups and treatment are free during pregnancy and for 12 months after the birth.
The utility model relates to a bouncing sorting belt conveyor, belonging to the technical field of sorting of chemical industry and environment-protection. The bouncing sorting belt conveyor comprises a driving roller, a tail roller, a tensioning device, a barrier roller, a material guide groove, a scraper, a sweeper, a belt, a motor reducing gear, a frame, and a support I. One end of the bouncing sorting belt conveyor is connected with a hinge support 3, and the other end thereof is hoisted in a traction way by two inhaul cables 5. By changing the inclination angle of a belt conveyor 2, the process of separation of hard inert material from the main material in a bouncing way is realized, thus furthering realizing sorting. The bouncing sorting belt conveyor has the characteristics of high sorting efficiency, low energy consumption, and convenient multistage series connection. The bouncing sorting belt conveyor is used for sorting of municipal domestic waste.
This paper focuses on the considerable hurdles and limitations encountered in carrying forward India's 'Look East' through Northeastâ€”problems caused by the nature of physical terrain, the history of violent conflicts in the region and its immediate neighbourhood which remains volatile, and the poor state of transport infrastructure and local industries in Northeast India and Myanmar, through which India has to access other ASEAN countries by land. It argues that although India will have to try to use the Northeast as a land bridge to Southeast Asiaâ€”more for ending the isolation of this frontier region to boost its future growthâ€”India and its economy will largely have to 'look east' through the sea into Southeast Asia for trade and human movement for a variety of reasons.
With the crisis of the foundations of mathematics in the late nineteenth and early  twentieth century, theorists developed works to solve the problems of this science. Post  was a mathematician whose academic life coincides with this decisive moment for the    birth and theoretical foundation of Computer Science. In 1921, in his postdoctoral pro-  ject he anticipated questions related to the incompleteness of formal systems. This is an    important result for both mathematics and computing. He did not complete his research  at that time because of the first attack of the disease today known as bipolar disorder,  which he had to deal with for the rest of his life, that way this knowledge would only  circulate in the academic environment a decade after Post’s perceptions. Years later, he    wrote an article about his project striving to show the academic community his contri-  butions made in the 1920s but, his text was rejected because much of this material had    already been published by mathematicians like Kurt G odel. Therefore the story about  the anticipation of Post’s incompleteness has been largely forgotten for a long time. This  monography reports the anticipation and attempt of Post of recognition amid the crisis of  foundations and the discovery of incompleteness by the mathematical academia through  G odel’s Theorem.
We have cloned and sequenced the fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) fas1+ gene, which encodes the fatty acid synthetase (FAS) beta subunit, by applying a PCR technique to conserved regions in the beta subunit of the alpha6beta6 types of FAS among different organisms. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Fas1 polypeptide, consisting of 2073 amino acids (Mr = 230,616), exhibits the 48.1% identity with the beta subunit from the budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). This subunit, with five different catalytic activities, bears four distinct domains, while the alpha subunit, the sequence of which was previously reported by Saitoh et al. (S. Saitoh et al., 1996, J. Cell Biol. 134, 949-961), carries three domains. We have developed a co-expression system of the FAS alpha and beta subunits by cotransformation of two expression vectors, containing the lsd1+/fas2+ gene and the fas1+ gene, into fission yeast cells. The isolated FAS complex showed quite high specific activity, of more than 4000 mU/mg, suggesting complete purification. Its molecular weight was determined by dynamic light scattering and ultracentrifugation analysis to be 2.1-2.4 x 10(6), and one molecule of the FAS complex was found to contain approximately six FMN molecules. These results indicate that the FAS complex from S. pombe forms a heterododecameric alpha6beta6 structure. Electron micrographs of the negatively stained molecule suggest that the complex adopts a unique barrel-shaped cage architecture.
The article examines the shortcomings of existing instruments governing the conduct of arbitration managers of financial analysis in the course of bankruptcy proceedings. The necessity of the transition to the new concept of this analysis, which will focus not on the consequences of the crisis for the debtor and on the identification of internal and external factors that caused the insolvency and determine the basic conditions for business recovery.
Despite the fact that slavery existed historically in almost all known societies, historians have as yet been unable to identify any shared values from which the institution could have arisen. This article reconstructs slavery as a form of debt or obligation, by suggesting that slavery occurred when an individual with no apparent alternative but that of imminent death offered the sum total of his life services in exchange for the chance to survive. Slavery may then have emerged in response to the threat of famine, as a result of judicial punishment, or through situations of conflict, for example. The slave trade was likely to have been a later development, as groups requiring additional labour supplies sought to sell or exchange subject individuals for an agreed price. This transfer of a life debt , which encapsulated within it all the future labour services of the debtor (slave), supported the development of a market in lives that is now recognized as the cornerstone of slavery as an institution. Distraint on the body of the debtor was the earliest form of debt recovery. Enslavement then appears as a peculiarly exploitative form of distraint, with obligation as its primary justification.
The generalized lymphoproliferative disease (gld) and lymphoproliferation (lpr) mutations induce the development of strikingly similar autoimmune and lymphoproliferative syndromes in C57BL/6 mice (B6). These syndromes are characterized by hyperglobulinaemia, high levels of circulating autoantibodies and significant splenomegaly and lymphadenopathy resulting principally from the accumulation of a double negative CD4/CD8 T-cell population. These similarities led to the suggestion that the gld and lpr mutations affect two different steps of a common metabolic pathway controlling the differentiation of the T cells. By transferring haematopoietic cells into sublethally irradiated recipients we provide evidence for the different aetiology of the gld- and lpr-induced syndromes. The [gld----gld] chimaeras developed a gld-induced syndrome, like the [lpr----lpr] chimaeras developed a lpr-induced syndrome. However, in contrast to the severe lymphoid aplasia observed in the [lpr----wild] chimaeras, the [gld----wild] chimaeras showed an attenuated form of the gld-induced syndrome. The [lpr----gld] chimaeras developed a lymphoid aplasia (as in the [lpr----wild] chimaeras). This result shows that the gld environment cannot substitute for the lpr environment and allow for the emergence of an lpr-induced pathology.
The synthesis, characterization and spectroscopic s tudies of new N-substituted pthalimide analogues 2 – 5 with antibacterial activity were described. The compound s were synthesized using phthalic anhydride with va rious amines (aminoethanol , aminopropanol,amino ethyl mo rphline, amino ethyl morphline iodide)in reflux syn thesizer. The purity of the synthesized products were monitor ed by using TLC in an appropriate developing system . The structures of the new synthesized compounds were co nfirmed byusing physical and spectral analysis. Ant ibacterial activity of the synthesized derivatives 2-5 were done in comparison with Phenol as standard com pound. All the selected compounds 2-5 showed very good activity against staphylococcus a ureus(S.aureus), Escherichia coli ( E. Coli ) when compared with Phenol.
Abstract : The mm ofthts study ts to provtde a methodology to Improve the cost-effectiveness of the mamtenance process ofthe F404-GE-400 engmes of the Canadian Forces CF-18 Fighter Aircraft through a better management of thelimited hfe components mside the engme. An effort was made to construct the present report as a sufficient,stand-alone source of documentatiOn to be used for any future nnplementatwn of the proposed methodology.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY States have various policies regarding physician reporting of drivers with dementia to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for testing. Some states have mandatory reporting policies, others have optional reporting policies, and some have no policy regarding this issue. Arkansas has no reporting policy. Physicians in Arkansas face the risk of liability if they report a patient against their will to the DMV.   DESIGN AND METHODS Three research questions were developed to identify how the problem of drivers with dementia is defined among neurologists and geriatricians in Arkansas: (i) What knowledge do these specialists have of state policy regarding reporting of drivers with dementia to the DMV; (ii) What are their opinions regarding various policy options for reporting such drivers; and (iii) What are their reporting practices for drivers with dementia? A survey was distributed to Arkansas neurologists and geriatricians.   RESULTS There was considerable uncertainty among respondents, regarding the process of assessing and reporting at-risk drivers with dementia. Support for optional reporting policy was strong. Mandatory reporting policy was less favored. Conversations with patients and caregivers regarding cessation of driving were described as being contentious and ongoing.   IMPLICATIONS These findings lead to the recommendation that the Arkansas legislature adopt an optional reporting policy. There is also a need for physician education regarding state reporting policy, as well as training for assessment of fitness to drive for patients with dementia.
In Qing Dynasty, Suiyuan region gradually became a subordinate of Shanxi province. But in 1914, Yuan Shih-kai set up Suiyuan region, which was to strengthen the border and guard against invasion. But the main reason for the partition is that Zhang Shaoceng, the first general of Suiyuan, wanted to get rid of the finance, military and judicial restraint of Shanxi province and Mongolians, and become head of political and military force. Yuan Shih-kai made use of Zhang's ambition.
Based on the questionnaire investigation and analysis of students of several universities,the author finds some students in lack of cooperative spirit.The paper describes the status of the lack and analyzes the reasons briefly.Then it proposes measures from five aspects,which are the relationship between competition and cooperation,the construction of relevant curriculum,mental health education,the methods of cultivating professionals and managing,campus culture construction,to cultivate college students'cooperative spirit.
Abstract Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) is a dioecious perennial shrub growing on peat land. The berries are a combined fruit with a color ranging from yellow to orange and bright red. Berries are highly valued in the Nordic countries and berries with orange to red color are preferred. Cultivation and breeding has started, and four Norwegian varieties are on the market. These clones were selected on the basis of good shoot production (both sexes), good pollinators (males), and big berries (females). Recently, berry quality has been introduced in breeding programs as a trait for selection. In this study we present the variation in levels of individual anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamic derivates between different clones of cloudberry. Both levels of anthocyanins and hydroxycinnamic derivates varied considerably between the different clones. The most abundant anthocyanin was cyanidin 3-glucoside, followed by cyanidin 3-rutinoside. One single clone (AN1372) from Andøya in Northern Norway had the highest levels of all the analyzed anthocyanins. Among the two analyzed hydroxycinnamic acids, p-coumaric acid presented the highest ratio in all analyzed berries. Differences between different years were relatively high, but not consistent. Levels of caffeic acid did not vary much between clones. The results indicate a genetic basis for the variation between clones, but since numbers of samples were few and sampling only were done during two growth seasons, further analysis will be needed to examine the variation and genetic basis of anthocyanin composition of cloudberry.
Linezolid binds to the large bacterial ribosomal subunit and inhibits protein synthesis. Resistance to linezolid is caused by three distinct mechanisms: i) mutations in the 23S ribosomal RNA, ii) changes in ribosomal proteins L3 and L4 and iii) methylation of nucleotide A2305 mediated by the Cfr methylase. The aim of this work was to evaluate the in vivo effect of the mechanisms of linezolid resistance in Drosophila melanogaster and characterize the cfr transfer capacity to Enterococcus faecalis. The Drosophila melanogaster infection model was developed by infecting flies with linezolid-resistant and susceptible S. aureus strains and feeding the insects with linezolid mixed in food (15 to 500 μg/ml). Results were compared with a mouse peritonitis infection model administering the antibiotic via oral gavage (linezolid doses of 80 and 120 mg/kg every 12 hours were used). Additionally, the characterization of the first cfr-mediated linezolid resistant E. faecalis strain of human origin was performed. A clear in vivo effect of linezolid resistance was documented with a strain harboring mutation in the 23S rRNA. In contrast, the effect cfrmediated resistance in vivo was only observed with the lowest linezolid concentrations (15 and 30 ug/ml). Our results in the D. melanogaster model were comparable to those observed in the mouse infection model. Characterization of cfr in a clinical isolate of E. faecalis demonstrated that this gene was present within a located on a plasmid within a transposable element and flanked by insertion sequences. The ability to transfer linezolid resistance was confirmed by in vitro conjugation assays to a laboratory strain of E. faecalis but not to S. aureus. In summary, we have adapted a model of Drosophila melanogaster for the study of linezolid resistance mechanisms and showed that cfr-mediated resistance may be overcome in vivo in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, our results are the first characterization of the potential horizontal transferability of the cfr gene from a human linezolid-resistant isolate of E. faecalis.
BACKGROUND Therapy with glucocorticoids often results in bone loss and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. However, the relationship between epidural steroid injection (ESI), bone mineral density (BMD), and vertebral fracture remains to be determined.   OBJECTIVE To establish a relationship between ESI, BMD, and vertebral fracture in postmenopausal women with low back pain.   STUDY DESIGN This study was a retrospective, nonblinded, cross-sectional clinical study.   SETTING University-based pain management center.   METHODS We reviewed the medical records of postmenopausal women with low back pain who were treated with ESI. A total of 352 postmenopausal women were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of patients without fracture and Group 2 consisted of those with fractures. The results of BMD measurements, as well as any fragility fractures, the anatomical site involved, and the treatment administered, were also recorded. BMD was measured in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total femur after the treatment.   RESULTS Of the 352 patients, 218 (62%) had no fractures while 134 (38%) sustained a fracture. The age was significantly higher among patients who sustained fractures, and BMD at the lumbar spine, total femur, and femoral neck regions was significantly lower among patients who sustained fractures. In each region, the prevalence of osteoporosis was significantly higher in patients with fracture than in patients without fracture (all P < 0.05). Age, height, and weight were associated with low BMD. However, our study showed no consistent correlation between BMD and the mean number of ESIs, mean total dose of glucocorticoids, or mean duration of ESIs.   LIMITATIONS First, this study is limited by the fact that it was retrospective. Second, the number of cases receiving very frequent, high-dose glucocorticoid injections was very small.   CONCLUSIONS Older age and lower BMD were associated with osteoporotic fracture in postmenopausal women treated for low back pain with ESI. The ESIs were not associated with low BMD or fracture.
Six solid complexes(TbL3 x 2H2O, TbL2 (phen) x H2O, TbL2 (TPPO), EuL3 x 2H2O, EuL2 (phen) x 2H2O and EuL2 (TPPO) x 2H2O) have been synthesized based on the pyrazole ligand(HL)(phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, TPPO = Tri-phenylphosphine oxide, HL=1-(5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-methyl-4,5-dihydropyrazol-1-yl) ethanone). These complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectra, and fluorescence spectra. The IR spectra indicated that all complexes exhibited the characteristic peaks of asymmetric stretching vibration v (C=O) and symmetric stretching vibration v (C=N) peaks. The C=O stretching band at 1,644 cm(-1) of HL molecule shifted to lower band in the complexes. The O-H band at 3,072 of the HL ligand is also shifted to lower band. All these shifts indicated that carbonyl group, O-H and C=N take part in coordinating with the rare-earth ion in the form of bridging tridentate. The excitation and emission spectra of the six complexes were determined at room temperature and the results show that EuL2 (Phen) x 2H2O and TbL2 (Phen) X 2H2O display the strongest relative fluorescence intensity with the excited bands at 310 and 320 nm, respectively. Meanwhile, the emission intensities of Eu3+ and Tb3+ complexes were greatly sensitized by phen.
Social policy, being the most important sphere of interests of modern society and an important part of the modern state activity obviously needs a single definition. Now a lot of opinions about the meaning of the concept and structure of social policy have been accumulated. This is due to the fact that social policy is closely connected with the type and level of development of society, the prevailing mentality of the population, with the goals and tasks that society puts in front of him in its social development.
A new nonlinear (NLO) chromophore has been prepared. The chromophore is similar in structure to DANS (N,N-dimethylamino-4-nitrostilbene), but includes bisphenol moities. The bisphenol structure makes this system an excellent candidate for cyclic polycarbonate chemistry. The ring-opening polymerization of cyclic precursors containing NLO chromophore provides a novel processing pathway to NLO polymers.
An improved Nonlinear Vortex Lattice Method is presented to simulate steady and unsteady flows for wings with leading edge and/or tip vortex separation at moderate or high angles of attack. A new type of vortex lattice shape along the leading edge is introduced and a multi-step method is presented for determining the position of the free vortex sheets which move downstream in the flow field. It is shown that this method can predict much more stable results for wings with leading edge separated vortex when undergoing very rapid and large amplitude movements. The calculated airloads agree well with the experiments.
OBJECT To study the relationship between hydration of lean body mass and adipose tissue location.   DESIGN Cross-sectional, clinical study of visceral adipose tissue area and total body water as a percentage of lean body mass.   PATIENTS Seventy-two adult, overweight, women, 52 pre- and 20 post-menopausal (age: 18-72 years, body mass index: 26-52).   MEASUREMENTS Total body water was obtained by electrical impedance measurement; visceral adipose tissue and lean body mass were obtained by computed tomography measurement of visceral adipose tissue area at the level of the 4th-5th lumbar vertebra.   RESULTS Visceral adipose tissue was found, by multiple regression analysis, to be the only predictor of the hydration of the lean body mass. The other independent variables: age, menopausal status, body mass index, glucose and insulin both fasting and after glucose load were not able to significantly improve the predictive power.   CONCLUSION Results of this study confirm the existence of a relationship between visceral adipose tissue content and hydration of the lean body mass.
This study reviews the possible tax and compliance issues of a student athlete trust fund as proposed in the case O’Bannon v. NCAA. With the possibility of the creation of a trust fund comes a myriad of issues to consider. The following review of the literature will review pertinent literature on the topic. Interviews were conducted with athletic directors of three universities and with three tax partners in Atlanta tax firms in order to determine potential compliance and tax implications. These interviews outline possible issues and solutions that may rise from the formation of the trust. Thesis Mentor:_____________________ Dr. Britton McKay Honors Director:____________________ Dr. Steven Engel April 2015 Accounting University Honors Program Georgia Southern University
Objective To observe the curative effect of the therapy of tonifing kidney and activating blood circulation combined with Western medicinal on renal osteodystrophy(ROD).Methods The randomized block method was used to divide 60 patients into the treatment group(n=30)treated with the granules with the actions of tonifing kidney and activating blood circulation and complicated therapeutic plan,and control group(n=30) treated with complicated therapeutic plan only.The observation period was 12 weeks.The levels of serum parathyroid hormone(PTH) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase(BAP) were detected respectively before and after the treatment.The changes of TCM symptomatology were reviewed by using scoring method.Results The total effect rate of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group.The levels of serum PTH and BAP decreased significantly in the treatment group but not changed in the control group.Conclusion The therapy of tonifing kidney and activating blood circulation combined with Western medicinal has good curative effect on ROD,which can relieve hyperparathyroidism and treat metabolic bone disease in ROD patients.
This paper is the study of literary modernism school(新感覺派 xinganjuepai), appeared in the early 20th century in China and Japan. This literary modernism, developed in Japan in the 1920s, was developed in China after 10 years in the 1930s. Chinese literary modernism was influenced by the Japanese school. However, the following occurs the difference in modernism caused by background of the two countries. Japanese school of literary modernism was formed by a backlash against the proletarian literature. The rivalry between Japanese proletarian literature and literary modernism occurred in 1920`s. Literary modernism in China occurred in the course of the development of the proletarian literature, as part. In addition, China`s literary writers of modernism have expressed their support proletarian literature for the position. This difference background(imperial and colonial) in early 20th century.
Western new planned economy theory oppugns the market orientation of socialism for the following aspects: Socialism needn't choose market,socialism cannot choose market,and socialism cannot coexist with market.But democratic negotiation of planned economy is not feasible,and market as an instrument does not conflict with socialism and market economy.These indicate that Western new planned economic theory's blaming for Socialism's choosing market is not correct.Socialism's choosing market is the need of practice.Chinese market oriented reform under socialism is successful.This indicates that socialism's choosing market is correct,and it is the new development for Marxism.
A semiconductor processing chamber and the process of the present invention provides apparatus, comprising at least two reaction chamber, at least two independent intake system and the wafer transfer apparatus, wherein the at least two reaction chamber disposed inside the process chamber, and evenly distributed along its circumference, each reaction compartment constitutes a separate process environment; one-intake system conveying the process gas into the reaction chamber; wafer transfer means for wafer transfer into the reaction compartment. The present invention provides a process chamber, the chamber may be a single process simultaneously two or more steps, so that not only the process chamber compact, small footprint, without the need to redesign the structure of the transfer chamber, the device can be reduced manufacturing costs.
For the sake of improving the structure of certain typed light truck frame,certain simplification has been made on side girder typed truck frame.Considering the influence of suspension frame on the dynamic characteristics of truck frame,the geometric model and finite element model of truck frame and suspension frame system were established.Using the large scaled finite element software ANSYS to carrying out finite element modality analysis on the established model,and obtained the mode parameters of truck frame.Verification was carried out on the truck frame by means of modality analysis method,the safety ness and reliability of the truck frame structure was confirmed,thus provided references for the following-up dynamics analysis and test.There are certain guiding significances on the design of frame and the improvement of structure.
Viral diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), calf scour (CS), bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) etc. affect the growth and milk production of cattle (Bos taurus) causing severe economic loss. Epitope-based vaccine designing have been evolved to provide a new strategy for therapeutic application of pathogen-specific immunity in animals. Therefore, identification of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) binding peptides as potential T-cell epitopes is widely applied in peptide vaccine designing and immunotherapy. In this study, MetaMHCI tool was used with seven different algorithms to predict the potential T-cell epitopes for FMD, BVD, IBR and CS in cattle. A total of 54 protein sequences were filtered out from a total set of 6351 sequences of the pathogens causing the said diseases using bioinformatics approaches. These selected protein sequences were used as the key inputs for MetaMHCI tool to predict the epitopes for the BoLA-All MHC class I allele of B. taurus. Further, the epitopes were ranked based on a proposed principal component analysis based epitope score (PbES). The best epitope for each disease based on its predictability through maximum number of predictors and low PbES was modeled in PEP-FOLD server and docked with the BoLA-A11 protein for understanding the MHC-epitope interaction. Finally, a total of 78 epitopes were predicted, out of which 27 were for FMD, 25 for BVD, 12 for CS and 14 for IBR. These epitopes could be artificially synthesized and recommended to vaccinate the cattle for the considered diseases. Besides, the methodology adapted here could also be used to predict and analyze the epitopes for other microbial diseases of important animal species.
In the fuzzy set,the elements assigned in a scope have not only two kind of situations "yes" or "no" in subordination relations,but also the middle state of transition,which is expressed the subordination degree by the real numbers situated between 0 and 1.In the criminal law discretion of penalty has the fuzziness;it has not the explicit extension,but has actually the degree of membership difference.Introducing the fuzzy mathematics theory into the discretion of penalty,turning the different discretion penalty plot into member,and carrying on the overall assessment in the quantity foundation,will be helpful to the discretion of penalty scientificly.
Global processes of exchange information and communication between organizations are leading to significant weak points and increasing incidences concerning information security. This leads to the question, which aspects the strategic management of information security of staterun organizations should consider to make information fully accessible but secure at the same time. The strategic management of information security should lead into an integral and convergent security process, which would take into consideration the specific demands and conditions of state-run organizations. Within the framework of the security process, structural components, security aims and the demands of a state-run organization are analyzed, evaluated and modified to meet specific conditions. The aim of the strategic security process is the system-immanent and integral strategy preparation and implementation of an information security for a state-run organization.
Problems of verification of Coase theorem in general and in connection with post-socialist privatization and corporate governance in particular are considered in this article. The author discusses the position of W. Andreff presented in his paper (VE, 2001, No 12). The appeal to this theorem is actual because it has been used as the justification of post-socialist economies' privatization methods. Orthodox and heterodox views on privatization and corporate governance are explored. The author analyzes the reasons of reform failures in transitional economies and the ways of emerging markets development basing on two different models - oriented on stock market or banking activity.
Abstract : This paper presents work in progress towards a program development and maintenance aid called the Intelligent Program Editor (IPE), which applies artificial intelligence techniques to the task of manipulating and analyzing programs. The IPE is a knowledge based tool: it gains its power by explicitly representing textual, syntactic, and many of the semantic (meaning related) and pragmatic (application oriented) structures in programs. To demonstrate this approach, the authors implemented a subset of this knowledge base, and a search mechanism called the Program Reference Language (PRL), which is able to locate portions of programs based on a description provided by a user. This work is an applied research effort. It was motivated by issues discovered during a study of software maintenance problems in the Air Force, and is intended to be moved into application within seven years.
Scotists and Toist show their different views on welfare, the nature of human, the way in which people live and the relation between person and society. Nowadays, in spite of the improvement in living conditions, people have the less feeling of welfare and perplex about the nature of human and how to live, so in the contemporary era, it is important for us to compare and analyze their ethical thoughts.
Traditionaly heat from the sun is employ in drying. The weakness is drying time relatively too long and weather can not be controlled. The utilization of spring water in Bukit Kasih Kanonang for drying of grain is an alternative that does not depend on weather conditions. The spring water heats the plate, then hot of plate directly in contact with the grain. It is causes the grain receiving heat and evaporate the water in the grain, them the grain dried well. From this research, it can be concluded that the drying time effect on grain’s moisture content linearly. The longer the drying time, the lower the moisture content of grain. In this research, the process of drying grain with water temperature 60 0 C is enough dry the grain as 2, 104 kg during 5.13 hours. Keywords : Grain, Spring Water, Bukit Kasih Kanonang
With fine precision,stiffness and flexibility in processing,CNC lathe is widely used.Because of limitations in manufacturing and testing technology,precision of CNC lathe also depends on installation and software compensation.Methods of Z-axis software precision compensation were discussed,and good results were achieved through combination of theory and practice.The method offers certain reference value to the personnel involved in mechanical repairing and maintenance.
Web site design is popular and prolific, meeting the communication needs of a large user community. Many of these sites are poorly designed. This paper contends that it is not enough for educators to train designers in the mechanics of HTML, tool usage, and modern web site design techniques. Effective web page design needs to put usability first, before tool mastery. Designing usable web pages requires an understanding of the site's audience, category, content, usability goals, and how to measure to achieve these goals. Web page design classes need to include iterative, order-independent, user-centered and evaluation-centered web site design processes to encourage the design of effective web sites.
Objective To investigate the influencing factors of the success of cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) in emergency room and to identify the ways to further improve the emergency treatment.Methods When the patients to undergo CPR arrived the emergency room of Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital,52 relevant items were recorded by the nurses.At last 35 indicators with potential influences on the success of CPR were selected to analyze among 142 patients with complete data.The patients admitted 2004 and 2005 were treated according to the 2000 American Heart Association Guidelines for CPR,and the patients admitted in 2006 were treated according to the 2005 American Heart Association guidelines for CPR.Results The trauma rate was higher,and the rates of precursory signs,past medical history of more than two diseases,and onset in winter and early spring were lower in the failure group than in the success group(all P0.05).The dose of adrenaline used and the rates of amiodarone and aloxane application of the failure group were all significantly higher than those of the success group(P 0.05 or P0.01)..Logistic regression showed that total amount of adrenaline was an independent risk factor of failure of CPR(OR= 1.2994),and using naloxane was an independent favorable factor of failure of CPR(OR=0.2894).Conclusion Timely identification of precursory signs,VPR begun as early as possible,hypothermic treatment of the head,application of low amount of adrenalin,and distraction of amiodarone and naloxane are all favorable factors of success of CPR.
In the article's control approach the nonlinear dynamic model of VSI-IMs undergoes approximate linearization around a temporary operating point which is recomputed at each iteration of the control method. This temporary operating point is defined by the present value of the VSI-fed IM state vector and by the last sampled value of the system's control inputs vector. The linearization relies on Taylor series expansion and on the system's Jacobian matrices. For the approximately linearized model of the VSI-fed IM an H-infinity feedback controller is designed. This controller achieves the solution of the nonlinear optimal control problem for the VSI-fed IM under model uncertainty and external perturbations. For the computation of the controller's feedback gains an algebraic Riccati equation is iteratively solved at each time-step of the control method. The global asymptotic stability properties of the control method are proven through Lyapunov analysis. Finally, to implement state estimation-based control for this system the H-infinity Kalman Filter is proposed as a state observer.
Coordination of independently executing threads of control within the operating system kernel is an important problem that must be addressed in the design of a multiprocessor operating system. The efficient coordination of operations is vital for avoiding performance bottlenecks without compromising system correctness. The Mach operating system achieves this coordination via carefully designed locking and reference counting techniques. This paper describes the design rationale for these techniques, and their use in the Mach operating system based on the experience of its implementors.
The Massif des Bauges Geopark is involved in the management of geo-hazards and works to develop this issue in relation with its main goals: heritage preservation, education, culture and geotourism.In 1931, a big landslide transformed totally the landscape around the small town of Le Châtelard. The site has become a very important place to improve knowledge, research and tests on mountain protection.Today, the National Forest Office and the Bauges Geopark are attempting to find a new aim to this site. Transforming it into a new attractive, touristic and educative geosite is an interesting tool to tell the story of this natural hazards event, as well as to educate and inform the local populations about geo-hazards, through a fantasy and recreational geotrail.
In this study, we introduce the structural analysis of amorphous silica nanoparticles by EF-TEM electron diffraction and in-situ heating experiments. Three diffused rings were observed on the electron diffraction patterns of initial silica nanoparticles, while crystalline spot patterns were gradually appeared during the insitu heating process at . These patterns indicate the basic unit of tetrahedra consisting amorphous silica and gradual crystallization into the ideal layer structure of tridymite by heating. Under high vacuum condition in TEM, SiO nanoparticles were redeposited on the carbon grid after evaporation of SiO gas from above and the remaining were crystallized into orthorhombic tridymite, consistent with ex-situ heating results in furnace at .
The present invention relates a wind turbine having external gluing flanges near flat back panel, comprising a wind turbine tower, a nacelle provided on the wind turbine tower, a rotor hub rotatably mounted to the nacelle, and one or more wind turbine blades having a blade root configured to be mounted to the rotor hub and a tip end, where the wind turbine blade further comprises a pressure side and a suction side connected to each other via a leading edge and a trailing edge, wherein the wind turbine blade comprises a first shell part having an inner surface and an outer surface and a second shell part having an inner surface and an outer surface, where the first shell part comprises a first flange having a first gluing surface and the second shell part comprises a second gluing surface, and where the two gluing surfaces are configured to be glued together using a glue when the two shell parts are placed on top of each other. The first flange extends outwards from the trailing edge and away from the outer surface of the first shell part. A second flange extends outwards from the trailing edge of the second shell part and away from the outer surface. This allows the glue line to be moved out of the inner area defined by the shell parts so that the glue process can be controlled more effectively and allows for a quick and easy inspection of the glue line. This also allows for a better control of the squishing process.
This special issue contains papers by various authors on migration and the informal economy in Europe. "It is conventional to identify demands for undocumented workers and to reflect on how relative disadvantage and population pressure in the countries of origin provide the pull and push of movement. This takes no account of how the people involved view their worlds.... Those without work permits are not prevented from working by widespread domestic unemployment for their wages are half the local rate but neither are they targets for local opposition since the domestic and labour services they provide are beneficial to both employers and native workers." (EXCERPT)
Nigeria’s national security has been threatened over the past few years by the menace of terrorism. On a large scale, several efforts have been made by the Nigerian government to combat terrorism (mostly military based strategies), yet the threats persist. Crucial to the quest of combating terrorism in Nigeria is the role of technology. This is especially so because, terrorists also utilize modern technology, both online and offline in seeking funds, engaging operations, recruitment, training and communication. Thus, there is a need to not only evaluate offline activities, but also include the monitoring of online and digital communications in the counter-terrorism process. The general objective of this paper is to highlight important strategies rooted in electronic surveillance that the Nigerian state should adopt in counter-terrorism efforts that can ultimately guarantee national security and engender national development. Using a qualitative approach, this paper relies majorly on secondary data analyzed textually. It is situated within the securitization framework. This paper submits that technology exclusively cannot guarantee security, however, security would be an impossible accomplishment without the influence of technology. A collaboration of technological tools, especially through the use of electronic surveillance poses a potentially effective counter-terrorism strategy, as more and more terrorist operations depend on ICT tools.
The invention discloses a method for correcting ASCAT inversion wind speed. The method is characterized by comprising the following steps: obtaining the buoy station inversion wind speed of each buoy station in a selected area at different observation times; obtaining a wind speed error time sequence of each buoy station in the selected area; determining a maximum influence distance according to the wind speed error time sequence of each buoy station in the selected area; correcting the ASCAT inversion wind speed to be corrected according to the selected buoy station so as to obtain the corrected ASCAT inversion wind speed. The method has the advantages of being simple in computing process, relatively good in correction effect and suitable for wide application to actual business.
An apparatus for controlling the movement of a relative to a first element (10) movably arranged second element (20), said apparatus comprising: disposed a) (the second element 20) controllable braking means (30), b) one with the braking device (30) communicating therewith mechanically coupled brake rod (2) which is also coupled to the first member (10), c) a on the first and / or second element (10, 20) arranged sensor (40), d) an electronic control means (50) for regulating the braking force of the braking device (30) on the brake rod (2) based on signals of the sensor (40) and method of operating the apparatus.
he agro climatic conditions of the state of J&K vary from sub-tropical to temperate and cold deserts making the state suitable for growing temperate to sub-tropical fruits. The hilly district of Ramban too possesses an agro climate which is suitable for growing temperate fruits like apple ,pear, plum, apricot, almond and walnut etc. Horticulture occupies an important place in this hilly district of J&K state because it is the only vocation which helps to overcome inherent problem like low land to man ratio, undulating topography, lack of irrigation facilities, uncertain rains, excessive soil erosion and low cereal crops productivity. Inspite of being a horticulture dominant state, the productivity of horticulture products has remained lower than that in other developed countries. There are so many factors which contribute to higher productivity and chemical fertilizers are one of the most critical inputs among them. Among the various factors contributing towards the poor productivity levels ,inadequate knowledge of fertilizers , low adoption and nonavailability of chemical fertilizers play a major role. Keeping this in view , a study was undertaken to find out the level of adoption of chemical fertilizers among the farmers and constraints in its adoption in the orchards.
On the basis of investigating and studying the basic situation of rural arable land circulation,analyzing the intention of different benefit main bodies,major obstacles restricting rural arable land circulation,advantages and disadvantages of arable land circulation,and principle measures for stimulating arable land circulation,this pa- per indicates that the nature of property right should be further definitude and puts forward 7 policy suggestions to encourage the farmers to circulate their lands independently.
The main problems associated with freeze-drying of biological material for electron microscopy concern the freeze-drying temperatures and times necessary to minimize artifacts. Due to the many parameters involved these problems have to be resolved experimentally. It can be shown that good morphological preservation of chemically unfixed material is possible when freeze-drying is done exclusively in a temperature range between -80 degrees C and -50 degrees C. OsO4 vapour fixation of the freeze-dried tissue is not necessary and should be avoided because it may cause ion redistribution artifacts. Embedding at low temperature of properly freeze-dried material does not seem to disturb structure and ion distribution of the freeze-dried material. Hence, sections of such freeze-dried material and embedded biological material seem to be suitable for microanalysis. Preliminary micro-analytical results obtained from sections of freeze-dried and Lowicryl K11M embedded muscle reveal an uneven distribution of potassium in the sarcomeres similar to the visualized uneven distribution of the electron dense thallium (potassium surrogate) in frozen hydrated cryosections. A comparison of different cryomethods shows that freeze-drying and embedding is the simplest way to obtain stable thin sections of chemically unfixed biological material which, for instance, may be used for future microanalytical investigation of the interaction of proteins with physiological and non-physiological ions.
Aim. To identify the relationship between the levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth hormone (GH) in the blood and the postnatal growth rate in children born with IUGR in the first 6 months of life. Material and methods. We prospectively examined 65 children: 33-term infants born with IUGR and 32 healthy full-term infants in the control group. Results and discussion. IGF-1 levels in cord blood in children with IUGR were reduced comparative to the control group. At 3-month age blood IGF-1 of children born with IUGR increases, which is higher than the control group, but in reference values. At 3-month age the level of growth hormone in children with symmetrical IUGR was significantly reduced compared with level at birth, in contrast to the group of children with asymmetric IUGR, in which GH persists on the same level. Children with «growth leap» mass had lower concentration of IGF-1 in the umbilical cord blood which is, on average, almost 2-times lower than children without a «growth leap». At 3-month age IGF-1 level dramatically increased in children with «growth leap» in children without it, on the contrast, IGF-1 level is significantly reduced. There were no differences of growth hormone levels between children with «growth leap» and without it. At 3-month age the level of growth hormone is reduced in comparison with the level of umbilical cord blood. Conclusion. Most children born with IUGR (over 87%) demonstrate accelerated growth rates after birth, the maximum increase in growth rates occur during the first 3 months of life. All groups examined at birth and at 3 months showed a large data spread of IGF-1 and GH.
Consideration of loading unit performance within the system “Rock mass - load-haul  equipment - stowing mass” justification of its design parameters covers to mine narrow vein heavy pitching  deposits. To intensify the machine performance it is proposed to use vibratory loader while entering ladle  into rock mass, and while unloading. Under the same geometrical characteristics of ladle it will help to  improve rate of load-haul machine work.
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Experiments in rats, introducing the proximal and distal stumps of tibial and sural nerves into a vein graft, showed by acetylcholinesterase and toluidine blue staining that sensory and motor fibers mix inside the vein graft, but that nevertheless they are able to select their distal targets correctly. The authors' hypothesis is that surface membrane antigens of Schwann cells might be responsible for this chemotactic phenomenon.
Objective To study oxidative stress induced by high-fructose diet and its effects on lipid metabolism of SD rats. Methods The rats were divided into two groups, one fed with basic diet and the other with high-fructose diet. At the end of 8th week, their blood samples were collected and contents of FBS, FSI, blood lipids, T-AOC, MDA and SOD were determined and ISI was calculated. Results Compared with basic diet group, the ISI and the levels of HDLC and T-AOC and the activity of SOD in high-fructose diet group decreased significantly (P0.05 or P0.01), while the levels of TG, TC, LDLC and MDA increased significantly (P0.05 or P0.01). Conclusion High-fructose diet induced oxidative stress and caused the disorders of lipid metabolism of SD rats.
The effect of administration of daidzein during late milk on the immune function,levels of growth hormone(GH),prolactin(PRL) and somatostain(SS) in serum and milk of cows were studied.These results showed: 1)The concentration of antibody to diazein in cow serum and milk were significantly enhanced,suggesting that both the systemic and mammary gland humoral immune functions in cows was notably enhanced.2)GH and PRL levels of cow serum and milk were strikingly enhanced,but the SS level was apparently lower than that of the control animals.It seems likely that the mechanism of daidzein regulated immune function is involved in decreasing the SS level,and increasing both the GH and PRL levels.
1Department of Geography, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; 2UMR 8591 CNRSUniversité Paris I, Laboratoire de Géographie Physique, Environnements quaternaires et actuels, Meudon, France; 3Czech Geological Survey, Prague, Czech Republic; 4University of Wroclaw, Institute of Geography and Regional Development, Wrocław, Poland; 5Department of Physical Geography, University of Novi Sad,Serbia; 6Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland; 7Institute of Speleology, Romanian Academy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 8Croatian Geological Survey, Zagreb, Croatia; 9Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra “A. Desio”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy;10BayCEER & Chair of Geomorphology, University of Bayreuth, Germany
Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of spiral CT multiple planarre construction(MPR) in the diagnosis of atypical airway foreign bodies in children.Method: Seventy-one patients suspected of having airway foreign body received spiral CT multiple planarre construction.Results: All gained clear graphs.The imaging results demonstrated that airway foreign bodies located in trachea in 6 cases, in right primary bronchus in 16 cases,in right lobar bronchus in 5 cases,in left primary bronchus in 7 cases,in left lobar bronchus in 1 case and in both bronchus in 1 case,and non-foreign bodies in other 35 cases.Of the foreign bodies,1 was proved to be ropy secretion by bronchoscopy.Conclusion: By MPR,the airway foreign bodies are well displayed.MPR may play an important role in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of suspected airway foreign bodies in children.
PURPOSE To assess the prevalence of refractive error and related visual impairment in school-aged children in an urban population in New Delhi, India.   METHODS Random selection of geographically defined clusters was used to identify a sample of children 5 to 15 years of age. From December 2000 through March 2001, children in 22 selected clusters were enumerated through a door-to-door survey and examined at a local facility. The examination included visual acuity measurements, ocular motility evaluation, retinoscopy and autorefraction under cycloplegia, and examination of the anterior segment, media, and fundus. Myopia was defined as spherical equivalent refractive error of at least -0.50 D and hyperopia as +2.00 D or more. Children with reduced vision and a sample of those with normal vision underwent independent replicate examinations for quality assurance in four of the clusters.   RESULTS A total of 7008 children from 3426 households were enumerated, and 6447 (92.0%) examined. The prevalence of uncorrected, baseline (presenting), and best corrected visual acuity of 20/40 or worse in the better eye was 6.4%, 4.9%, and 0.81%, respectively. Refractive error was the cause in 81.7% of eyes with vision impairment, amblyopia in 4.4%, retinal disorders in 4.7%, other causes in 3.3%, and unexplained causes in the remaining 5.9%. There was an age-related shift in refractive error from hyperopia in young children (15.6% in 5-year-olds) toward myopia in older children (10.8% in 15-year-olds). Overall, hyperopia was present in 7.7% of children and myopia in 7.4%. Hyperopia was associated with female gender. Myopia was more common in children of fathers with higher levels of education.   CONCLUSIONS Reduced vision because of uncorrected refractive error is a major public health problem in urban school-aged children in India. Cost-effective strategies are needed to eliminate this easily treated cause of vision impairment.
A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS) was used for the determination of 18 kinds of polybrominated diphenyl ethers(PBDEs) and polybromominated biphenyls(PBBs) in soils.The sample was extracted by accelerated solvent extraction(ASE) and cleaned up by gel permeation chromatographic technique(GPC).13C-labeled PCB and PBDE were added as internal standard and surrogate compound for quantitative determination.GC-EI/MS was used to analyze low-brominated PBDEs and PBBs,while GC-NCI/MS was applied for high-brominated PBDEs and PBBs,including BB-209,BB-206,BB-194 and BDE-209.Isotope dilution method was used for the analysis of BDE-209 to obtain accurate data.The average recoveries were 43.8%-97.2%(n=22) and relative standard deviations were 18%-31%.The limit of detection(LOD) of all the compounds were 0.15-0.43 ng/g,and LOD of BDE-209 was 4.0 ng/g.The method is highly sensitive,accurate,and specific for the quantitative determination for PBBs and PBDEs in soil.Furthermore it is practically satisfied for a general survey employing the analytical method.
A novel proposed second-order compensated CMOS bandgap voltage reference(BGR)is presented.The second-order temperature curvature compensation is accomplished effectively by the channel modulation effect of the MOSFET,and the specific qualifications of the second-order temperature curvature compensation are analyzed and given.The Cadence simulation results based on standard CMOS 0.35 μm technology show that the temperature coefficient of the first-order compensated BGR is 9.5 ppm/℃,while the proposed second-order compensated BGR has 2.7 ppm/℃ low temperature coefficient over the wide temperature range of-50° ～+120℃.
The invention relates to a system and a related method for carrying out automated quantitative management on glass substrates in thin-film solar cell manufacturing equipment. The system comprises a glass substrate carrying device, a photoelectric sensor and a control device, wherein the photoelectric sensor is arranged at the glass substrate carrying device, and used for detecting whether reflected lights exist on the side walls of the glass substrates; and the control device is respectively in signal connection with the glass substrate carrying device and the photoelectric sensor, and used for controlling the action of the glass substrate carrying device, and carrying out quantitative management on the glass substrates according to the situation that the photoelectric sensor detects whether the reflected lights exist on the side walls of glass substrates. The invention also relates to a method for carrying out automated quantitative management on glass substrates. By using the systemand method provided by the invention, the automated management function and operating efficiency of the production equipment are effectively improved, the failure rate of human errors is reduced, themechanical wear is reduced, the service time of the equipment is prolonged, the production cost is reduced, and the market competitiveness of the production equipment is enhanced, therefore, the system and method provided by the invention are wide in application scope.
All new patients seen at The Center must complete a nutrition evaluation questionnaire as part of their application packet. This questionnaire is the Sherlock Questionnaire containing 318 different food and drink items. For seven days, the patient, or parent in case of children, places a mark beside each serving of food or drink consumed. Blank spaces are available to write in any items not listed on the questionnaire. The information is entered into a computer program which calculates the percentage of the RDA from selected nutrients and prints out a nutrition evaluation summary. One obvious problem in using the information from the questionnaire is that one must be conscientious in keeping accurate records of all food and drink consumed. It has been our experience that patients coming to The Center are very conscientious and interested in their health and do a very good job with the questionnaire. One control available as a check on the nutrition information is the results from the various vitamin and mineral laboratory tests performed on the patient’s urine, hair, erythrocytes, leucocytes and plasma. One case will be presented demonstrating the value of the nutrition questionnaire. The patient is a 10 year-old white male with major complaints of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and obesity. Other complaints included insomnia, anger, and headache. His height was 58.5 inches and weight was 130 pounds (His calculated ideal weight is 95 pounds). He was diagnosed with ADD in 1994 and takes RitalinTM daily. The summary of his nutrition evaluation questionnaire is shown in Figure 1, p.29. Fats represented 32.6% of calories, carbohydrates were 54.6% with 18.7% of these being from refined carbohydrates. Some of the items recorded on the seven day profile included the following servings: 1 Tang, 4 soft-drinks, 6 unsweetened grape juice, 1 orange juice, 1 grapefruit juice, 1 pineapple juice, 15 different vegetables, 3 of potato chips, 1 fish sandwich with Tartar sauce, 2 of Rice Krispies, 10 of saltine crackers, 1 of Triscuit crackers, 5 of popcorn, 1 of chicken, 2 of chili with meat, 1 of baked beans, 3 hamburgers with bun, 3 of french fries, 3 slices of pizza, I of Cheerios. This list of foods could help explain the problem with obesity. A cytotoxic sensitivity test for adverse food sensitivities was ordered as part of the laboratory work-up. The results were interesting considering the foods consumed by this patient. He showed the following cytotoxic reactions. Plus 1 (1+): American cheddar and mozzarella cheese, avocado, broccoli chocolate, corn, dextrose, fluorine, grapefruit, oat, orange, rice, tomato, vanilla, Brewer’s yeast, MSG, yellow dye and lemon, In all, the patient was sensitive to 35 different substances out of a total of 90 tested. Note that the sensitivities almost mirrored the types of food consumed. With these many food sensitivities, it is not unexpected that child’s attention would wander. It is our experience that many children with ADD or ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder) have adverse food reactions. He also had a “O” urine vitamin C level and CASE FROM THE CENTER
Convolutional Neural Networks have proved to be very efficient in image and audio processing. Their success is mostly attributed to the convolutions which utilize the geometric properties of a low - dimensional grid structure. This paper suggests a generalization of CNNs to graph-structured data with varying graph structure, that can be applied to standard regression or classification problems by learning the graph structure of the data. We propose a novel convolution framework approach on graphs which utilizes a random walk to select relevant nodes. The convolution shares weights on all features, providing the desired parameter efficiency. Furthermore, the additional computations in the training process are only executed once in the pre-processing step. We empirically demonstrate the performance of the proposed CNN on MNIST data set, and challenge the state-of-the-art on Merck molecular activity data set.
OBJECTIVE To determine whether the extruded irrigation solution bag during passage of rigid cystoscope will reduce the patient's discomfort.   METHODS In the study, 378 male patients undergoing rigid cystoscopies were randomized into "Institute of Urology Peking University (IUPU)" technique group (n = 193) and routine manipulation group (n = 185). All the patients had received 10 mL oxybuprocaine gel before manipulation. In the IUPU technique group, irrigation solution bag was connected with cystoscope sheath and obturator. As the scope passed through the bulbar urethra, a nurse was instructed to extrude the irrigating fluid bag. A 10-point visual analog pain scale assessment was completed by the patient after the procedure.   RESULTS The visual analog pain score was 2 (1-2) in the IUPU technique group and 4 (3-6) in the routine manipulation group (P < 0.001, Mann-Whitney U test). All the procedure indications had no effect on the findings.   CONCLUSION This study has shown that a simple IUPU technique can significantly reduce the patient's discomfort during outpatient rigid cystoscopy. We strongly recommend this technique for all male patients undergoing rigid cystoscopy.
An apparatus for improving a vacuum in the housing of a machine, in particular a momentum mass Energispeicher comprises rotor without contact mounted a on at least one superconducting bearing (5), for example a shaft (4) having arranged thereon flywheel mass (3) (in a vacuum vessel 2 is arranged), the superconducting bearing (5) is thermally connected to maintain its operating state with a cooled by a cryogenic medium cooling source (8). According to the invention it is provided that the vacuum in the vacuum container (2) is improved by a thermally connected with a cooling device adsorber (20). The cooling of the adsorber (20) is preferably carried out with vaporized cooling medium from the superconducting bearing (5).
Introduction Margaret Clunies Ross 1. Social institutions and belief systems of medieval Iceland (ca. 870-1400) and their relation to literary production Preben Meulengracht Sorensen 2. From orality to literacy in medieval Iceland Judy Quinn 3. Poetry and its changing importance in medieval Icelandic culture Kari Ellen Gade 4. Olafr Po arson hvitaskald and oral poetry in the west of Iceland ca. 1250 Gisli Sigur sson 5. The conservation and reinterpretation of myth in medieval Icelandic writings Margaret Clunies Ross 6. Medieval Iceland artes poeticae Stephen Tranter 7. A useful past: historical writing in medieval Iceland Diana Whaley 8. Sagas of Icelanders as the literary representation of a new social space Jurg Glauser 9. The contemporary sagas and their social context Gu run Nordal 10. The matter of the north: fiction and uncertain identities in thirteenth-century Iceland Torfi H. Tulinius 11. Romance in Iceland Geraldine Barnes 12. The Bible and biblical interpretation in medieval Iceland Ian Kirby 13. Sagas of saints Margaret Cormack.
OBJECTIVE To determine the level of information and attitude that it has more than enough their illness has patient with diabetes type 2 (DM2), and their association with level of glycemic control.   DESIGN Cross-sectional.   SETTING Two units of family medicine.   PATIENT 200 subject with DM2.   INTERVENTIONS Two instruments were applied validated to measure, level of knowledge and attitude was measured the average of the last 6 glycemia.   MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS The qualification average of the instrument of knowledge was 58.6 +/- 17.9 (it scale 0-100). For the instrument of attitude it was of 18.9 +/- 2.1 (it scale 0 at 35). The qualification of knowledge of the controlled group was of 55.48 +/- 16.8, and of the uncontrolled group it was of 59.2 +/- 18.1. The qualification has more than enough attitude of the controlled group it was of 17.8 +/- 2.3, and of the uncontrolled group of 19.1 +/- 2, p = 0.001. The proportionate level of information the family doctor was of 42.9%, of the team of health of 10.2% and of other sources of 6.3%. At the analysis of the degree of attitude and the level of information, there was a better attitude when the information was provided by other sources p < 0.05. In the percentage of information and the level of glycemic control, the control level was better when the information was for the team of health p < 0.01.   CONCLUSIONS The level of medical information on diabetes provided by the family doctor and the team of health is low and it doesn't and only this last are associate to better glycemic control. The attitude is better when one receives information of other sources.
Purpose of review An update of the pharmacogenetic risk factors associated with T-cell-mediated delayed hypersensitivity reactions. Recent findings Recent HLA associations relevant to our understanding of immunopathogenesis and clinical practice include HLA-B∗13:01 with co-trimoxazole-induced SCAR, and HLA-A∗32:01 with vancomycin-DRESS, for which an extended HLA class II haplotype is implicated in glycopeptide antibiotic cross-reactivity. Hypoactive variants of ERAP1, an enzyme-trimming peptide prior to HLA loading, are now associated with protection from abacavir-hypersensitivity in HLA-B∗57:01+ patients, and single-cell sequencing has defined the skin-restricted expansion of a single, public and drug-reactive dominant TCR across patients with HLA-B∗15:02-restricted carbamazepine-induced SJS/TEN. More recent strategies for the use of HLA and other risk factors may include risk-stratification, early diagnosis, and diagnosis in addition to screening. Summary HLA is necessary but insufficient as a risk factor for the development of most T-cell-mediated reactions. Newly emerged genetic and ecological risk factors, combined with HLA-restricted response, align with underlying immunopathogenesis and drive towards enhanced strategies to improve positive-predictive and negative-predictive values. With large population-matched cohorts, genetic studies typically focus on populations that have been readily accessible to research studies, but it is now imperative to address similar risk in globally relevant and understudied populations.
Objective To provide a new model for the cultivation of senior nursing talents in Xinjiang through the analysis of autoditacte undergraduates' performance in clinical nursing skill test.Methods Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise(Mini-CEX) was applied among 213 students to evaluate their clinical nursing skills based on their performance in the test of Health Assessment.Results Of the total,78.9% of the students failed in the item of clinical flexibility and more than 60% of the students failed in the item of analysis and judgment ability and to elucidate the purpose and range of the operation to patients.What's more,more than 65% of them failed in heart-assessment,and electrocardiograph-related knowledge.Conclusion The total test indicates students remain in a poor knowledge level.Effective management and training should be performed to improve clinical nursing and teaching quality in Xinjiang.
Six polyamine anthracene conjugates (Ants) were studied that take advantage of the polyamine transporter system (PTS) to target specific cancer. The structural features of the Ants involve planar aromatic anthracene that has highly cytotoxicity properties and a polyamine chain similar to natural polyamine, which is taken up by eukaryote cells expressing the PTS actively. Experimental data show that Ants with di-substituted polyamine chains have significantly higher DNA binding affinities than the mono-substituted anthracene conjugates. The high ionic conditions (~150 mM NaCl and 260 mM KCl) in the eukaryote cell nucleus extensively impair the apparent DNA binding of the Ants, but may further reinforce DNA structural stability. Combining the published cytotoxicity of the PTS data with the DNA interaction data reported here, the di-substituted polyamine anthracene conjugates have the highest potential to, after cellular uptake via PTS, bind to DNA. INDEX WORDS: polyamine anthracene conjugate (Ant), polyamine, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, DNA binding constant (K), DNA binding mode, high ionic strength AN INVESTIGATION OF THE DNA INTERACTIONS OF POLYAMINE ANTHRACENE CONJUGATES UNDER HIGH IONIC CONDITIONS
Abstract : The United States Army will face a helicopter shortfall in any future mid- or high-intensity conflict. This study addresses the factors which contribute to this problem and identified possible short and long terms solutions. It concludes that the commercial helicopter fleet provides a viable source for alleviating the problem in the near term and suggests that a joint military and civilian development effort for future generations of helicopters provides the best opportunities for long term resolution. (Author)
Based on the number of the cerebrovascular patients obtained from Panjin center for disease control and prevention during 2008-2009 and the synchronous meteorological data,the relationship between cerebrovascular disease and meteorological elements,a meteorological forecasting model on the cerebrovascular disease incidence trend was established by methods of a correlative analysis and a stepwise regression. The results indicate that there is a relatively good correlation between the meteorological elements and the moving average of the number of the cerebrovascular patients in the coming three days. The impacts of the meteorological factors on the number of the cerebrovascular patients have the hysteresis and persistency effects. The number of the cerebrovascular patients has obvious correlation with the meteorological elements such as the daily minimum air temperature,average air temperature,the minimum pressure,average wind speed,humidity,and the maximum daily temperature range and so on. The number of the cerebrovascular patients is affected by different hypersensitive meteorological factors in different seasons,and the correlations between them differ greatly. The tests have shown that the accurate rates of the cerebrovascular disease incidence trend model are relatively high.
Myocardial infarction resulting from coronary atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in modern society. Reperfusion is an essential treatment to salvage ischemia myocardium from necrosis, while it also leads to additional damage. Therefore, exploring effective medicines to protect the heart from post-ischemic injury is one of the major objectives of cardiovascular research. Berbamine, a nature compound of bisbenzylisochinoline alkaloids from Barberry, protects the heart from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury when given before I/R, but it is unknown whether it has cardioprotective effects when given at the onset of reperfusion (postconditioning, PoC), a protocol with more clinical impact. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine whether berbamine PoC (BMPoC) is able to protect the heart from reperfusion injury by using perfused I/R rat hearts and simulated I/R cardiomyocytes. We found that BMPoC added during the first 5-min of reperfusion concentration-dependently improved post-ischemic myocardial function and limited infarcted area. A similar protection was observed in isolated rat cardiomyocytes characterized by the attenuation of I/R-induced depression of cell contraction and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, autophagy (an intracellular bulk degradation process for proteins and organelles) was significantly stimulated by myocardial I/R, but it was suppressed by BMPoC. Next, we examined how berbamine regulates autophagy and found that BMPoC inhibited the expression of beclin 1, a critical regulator for autophagosome initiation. Then, adenoviral overexpression and knockdown of beclin 1 in ventricles conformed its roles in the BMPoC-mediated cardioprotection. Further, Western blot analysis revealed that BMPoC-suppressed beclin 1 expression was mediated via the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Our results suggest that BMPoC confers cardioprotection against I/R injury at least in part by the inhibition of beclin1-dependent autophagy through the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. These findings reveal new roles and mechanisms of berbamine in the cardioprotection against I/R injury.
When one monocular image contains a red square partly occluding a green square, and the other monocular image is the same except that the green square is partly occluding the red one, the two images resemble each other's amodal completion. Observers typically perceive two complete squares as if the red and green surfaces are transparent or penetrating each other at their overlapping image location, which never appears yellow. With this example, we introduce dichoptic completion as a perception with the following characteristics. (1) Similar to binocular rivalry, it is evoked by dichoptic stimuli with monocular images so disparate that they cannot arise from physical scenes; however, (2) it occurs when objects inferred from one monocular image are identified with, or do not conflict with, objects inferred from the other; and, consequently, (3) it is a form of perceptual superposition, distinct from the result of binocular summation or rivalry.
The variations in indexes of tidal current,storage capacity of tidal water and water exchange were analyzed in Jinzhou Bay in 2000,2005 and 2010 by methods of numerical simulation,and marine environmental quality and developmental tendency were evaluated by water quality monitoring data.The natural coastline was found to be decreased nearly by 2.17 km,with the coastal area reduction of 28.1 km2 in Jinzhou Bay.It was indicated that the storage capacity and water exchange in the Jinzhou Bay was descending.The decrease in storage capacity of tidal water by 11.92% was observed,and the rate of the water exchange was decreased by 17.51% from 2000 to 2005.The storage capacity of tidal water was decreased by 29.74% and the rate of the water exchange decreased by 9.28% from 2005 to 2010.The levels of COD,inorganic nitrogen,phosphate,and petroleum were found to be increased from 1.13 to 2.10,from 0.16 to 1.07,from 0.0030 to 0.0389,and from 0.05 to 0.39 mg/L in Jinzhou Bay from 2004 to 2010,respectively,indicating that the water quality is lower due to the main pollutants including COD,inorganic nitrogen and petroleum.
Tropical forests are disappearing at alarming rates, and little is yet known about the ecophysiology of their species. One Of the constraints of tropical forest management is the control of natural regeneration. Forest shade is known to be one of the most important factors influencing growth and development of seedlings at the forest floor. The responses and adaptation strategies of light demanding and shade tolerating tropical tree seedlings to shade was investigated. Experiments have been performed in controlled environments in which shade conditions of tropical moist forests were simulated. Plant responses , have been assessed are the relative growth rate, net assimilation rate and extension growth. Physiological parameters recorded include 'chlorophyll contents of leaves developed at low and high photon flux density; rates of CO2 assimilation, respiration, and resistances to CO2 transfer, under low or high photon flux density with low or high red/far-red ratio. Whereas the shade tolerant Khaya seriegalensis maintained a positive carbon balance at very low photon flux, the light demanding Terminalia ivorensis was below its light compensation point under the deepest shade, resulting in negative growth rates and assimilation rates. One of the most important findings has been the demonstration that many of the classic responses of trees to forest shade are brought about not through a reduction in photon flux density per se but through a shift in the spectral composition of the light. In particular, a reduction in the red:far-red which causes the expansion of leaf area to produce large thin leaves with a higher specific leaf area which are characteristic of shade grown material. This was found to be more pronounced in the light demanding Terminalia ivorensis than in the shade tolerant Khaya senegalensis. When leaves raised under shade conditions are transferred to bright light, up to 50 7 of the chlorophyll was lost, although in some
Molecular/booster pump(MBP) is a new generation of vacuum pumps,which has advantages of both TMP and root's pump and,especially,it is available to bear atmospheric impact.So,it has prospects for wide applications.The construction,performance and applications of MBP are described,and comparisons are made between MBP and other high/medium vacuum pumps.A special application of MBP named "flushing/pumping technique for large vacuum chamber" is discussed,by which the pumping time can be shortened by 50% with energy consumption reduced to 10%～25%.
After analyzing the features of IHS transform and lifting wavelet transform image fusion algorithm,the design of a FPGA-based implementation method is proposed to implement the algorithm.Firstly,the IHS transform module is described in detail to complete the image space conversion.Secondly,the reasonable multi-level lifting wavelet transform module is given to improve image fusion quality.Finally,simulations are conducted on the presented algorithm,and the result indicates that the design can pass the verification on FPGA platform and has a good real-time performance.
Penelitian ini berkenaan dengan kualitas implementasi e-training di Pusat Pengembangan Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini Nonformal dan Informal Regional I Bandung. Penelitian ini menggunakan model evaluasi CIPP (in, input, process, product) dari Stufflebeam. Teknik pengumpulan data menggunakan instrumen kuesioner/angket, wawancara, dan studi dokumentasi. Responden penelitian adalah Guru PAUD yang berasal dari Kecamatan Cibadak, Kabupaten Sukabumi dan telah mengikuti diklat dasar berbasis e-training. Kesimpulan yang dapat diambil adalah 1) kualitas implementasi e-training pada komponen context yaitu baik. 2) kualitas implementasi e-training pada komponen input yaitu baik. 3) kualitas implementasi e-training pada komponen process yaitu baik. 4) kualitas implementasi e-training pada komponen product yaitu baik. Rekomendasi penelitian ini adalah 1) optimalisasi proses training needs analysis pada saat merencanakan sebuah program. 2) Resouces planning e-training pada komponen input juga harus diperhatikan. 3) sistem kontrol project management ditingkatkan optimalisasinya. 4) Return on investment dalam e-training kedepannya harus dibangun sehingga dampak e-training bisa terlihat sampai sejauh mana.----------This study deals with the quality of the implementation of e-training at the Center for Early Childhood Development Education Non-Formal and Informal Regional I Bandung. This study uses the CIPP evaluation model (in, inputs, process, product) of Stufflebeam. Data collection technique used questionnaire / questionnaire, interview, and documentation. Respondents are derived from early childhood teacher Cibadak subdistrict, Sukabumi and had undergone basic training-based e-training. The conclusions are: 1) the quality of the implementation of e-training in the context component that is good. 2) the quality of the implementation of e-training on the input component that is good. 3) the quality of the implementation of e-training component that is a good process. 4) the quality of the implementation of e-training component that is a good product. Recommendations of this study were 1) to optimize the process of training needs analysis when planning a program. 2) Resouces planning e-training on the input components must also be considered. 3) improved project management control system optimalisasinya. 4) Return on investment in e-training in the future must be built so that the impact of e-training can be seen to what extent.
The present invention discloses a method of image reconstruction degradation atmospheric turbulence, turbulence for solving the conventional image reconstruction method for reconstructing and recovery and rehabilitation technical problem of poor image clarity. The technical proposal is first multi-frame image registration eliminate distortion, then rebuild diffraction blurred image based on a combination of spatial and temporal neighbors, and finally the use of a global agreement to eliminate blind deconvolution diffraction blur. Since this method takes into account the full registration error, the presence of the redundant structure information and influence the spatial and temporal dimension interpolation registration derivatives resulting artificial reconstruction of the observed effect on an object, using a similar establishment spacetime block image and the image blocks of pixels between the latent image-quality content statistical dependencies and the corresponding sampling strategy designed to select a high quality image blocks having similar structure in space and time. The method of using the neighborhood merging diffraction blur image is obtained. Finally, a common method for globally consistent deconvolution diffraction image blur to blur, to get a clear image reconstruction.
The study investigated effect of classroom questioning behaviour of student teachers on teaching competency. The population of the research was chosen from the students teachers of various colleges of Education. The research sample consisted of 80 student teachers from colleges of Education. The results indicated that Classroom Questioning Behaviour Training helps to improve the structural characteristics e.g. relevance, precision, grammatical correctness and clarity, of questions used by the student teachers in the classroom. Moreover there is no effect of Classroom Questioning Behaviour Training (CQBT) on the incidence of classroom questions at memory level. The Classroom Questioning Behaviour Training makes it possible to modify classroom questioning behaviour of student teachers along the desired lines. Also, CQBT improves teaching competence of student teachers.
PTH increases bone formation and has an anabolic effect on bone. Antiresorptive drugs such as bishopshonateand selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) inhibit bone resorption and increase bone mineral density (BMD) . Efficacy of combinationtreatment with PTH and antiresorption drugshas been investigated. It has been reported that single intravenous infusion of zoledronic acid along with daily subcutaneous injection of PTH (1-34) (teriparatide) increases both spine and hip BMD. On the other hand, daily oral alendronate and daily PTH (1-84) showed no additive effects. Patients who had been treated with antiresorption drugs showed somewhat blunt but significant positive response to teriparatide. It warrants sequential therapy with teriparatide following antiresorption drugs that is common in daily practice of osteoporosis. Since a period of PTH administration is limited up to 24 months and bone mineral density starts to decreases shortly after discontinuation of PTH, sequential treatment with antiresorptive agents following PTH is highly recommended.
Wind turbine blade (14, 26, 52, 76, 102) comprising: an outer skin (28, 56, 80, 106) having a closed wing profile (29, 57), an outer side, an inner side and opposite sides along a length of the blade (14, 26, 52, 76, 102) and an inner support structure (30, 54, 78, 104) within the closed wing profile (29, 57) is arranged: supporting at least one shear load element (32, 58, 82, 84, 108) disposed between the opposite sides of and along the length of the wing (14, 26, 52, 76, 102) is arranged and with a number of bending load-bearing elements (34, 36, 60, 62, 86, 88, 90, 92, 110, 112), which (along the inner surface in the longitudinal direction along the length of the wing 14, 26, 52, 76, 102 ) are arranged, wherein the inner support structure (30, 54, 78, 104) is adapted to a Scherungszentrum and a center of aerodynamic pressure loading in relation to each other at different locations on ...
Government financing of schooling is necessitated by capital market imperfections. Governments are also res­ ponsible for maintaining a stock of public capital that enters private production function. In this paper the welfare implications and politics of these investments are examined in a version of Diamond (1965) growth model. It is argued that in decentralized environments where the working generation is decisive each period significant underinvestment in both schooling and in­ frastructure will be observed relative to the Ramsey equilibrium.
This paper aims to identify alter competitive advantage creation path in Chinese lodging industry where the two resource-based constructs, managerial capability and organizational culture have examined their effects on hotel’s financial performance and customer satisfaction. The paper based on the previous literature review of RBV. A census-based questionnaire was distributed to the member of Chinese hotel top management team in two North-East city in China. By using structural equation modeling as the main data analysis tool, the results found that both hotel’s managerial capabilities and organizational culture have no impact on its financial performance. Alternatively hotels’ managerial capabilities have significant impacts on customer satisfaction, Further discussion is included in the paper.
To assess the appropriateness of the EQ-5D in 13 specified conditions (inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), epilepsy, diabetes, bowel cancer, head and neck cancer, psychological therapies, schizophrenia, dementia, cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, coronary angioplasty, acute coronary syndrome, adult cardiac surgery); identify what measures may be used when the EQ-5D is not appropriate; identify if fields in corresponding National Clinical Audits (NCA) will suffice to conduct economic evaluations; present recommendations and future research questions in this area.
Abstracts for Dirk de Bruyn Panel This panel responds to the work of experimental filmmaker Dirk De Bruyn who has been creating film works for over 35 years; mostly in the hand-made, 'direct animation' mode. He also performs live with multiple projections of his films in a highly embodied mode of expanded cinema performance. His work is renowned for its intricate, suggestive layering of sound and image, and use of sumptuous, blooming fields of colour, and speaks to several of the conference themes in its consistent engagement with memory, affect and expanded cinema. http://otherfilm.org/dirk-de-bruyn/ http://www.innersense.com.au/mif/debruyn.html Spatial Hauntology in Dirk de Bruyn¹s Conversations with my Mother Derrida’s neologism, hauntology, unsettles any simple formulation of Being as presence. For Derrida, ontology, or what is, always has a spectral dimension that disturbs absolute distinctions between past, present and future. This philosophical perturbation finds its most apt formulation in the figure of the ghost. Dirk de Bruyn's documentary film, Conversations with my Mother (1990) is a ghost story in this Derridean sense. The film stages a trans-generational dialogue between de Bruyn and his mother, which interrogates the relations between the living and the dead with specific reference to de Bruyn¹s father, a literal absence that nevertheless dominates the work. The filmmaker revisits various familial dwellings with his mother, engaging her in sometimes truculent conversations about a variety of topics: the trauma of migration (from Holland to Australia), the alienation that comes from having to learn a new language and customs, domestic violence and mental illness (de Bruyn's father suffered from mental illness, which had tragic repercussions for the family). Both the filmmaker and his mother approach these topics with candor and raw honesty. This paper argues that the film exemplifies what I call ‘spatial Hauntology’ a cinematic practice that uses personally significant locations as the mise-en-scene for disquieting Ospectral¹ encounters that transgress the boundaries of language and memory. Put differently, de Bruyn¹s film summons the figure of his deceased father to mediate between rival epistemological and ethical claims about past events. By revisiting the scenes of past traumas, de Bruyn and his mother are forced to reconsider established verities about the nature of their relationship, as the spectator is made witness to the spectres that inhabit the protagonists¹ past, present and future. Glenn D’Cruz, Deakin University, Australia. Glenn D’Cruz teaches drama and cultural studies at Deakin University. He is the author of Midnight’s Orphans: Anglo-Indians in Post/Colonial Literature (Peter Lang 2006) and editor of Class Act: Melbourne Workers Theatre 1987-2007 (Vulgar Press, 2007). Performing Erasure This presentation examines my abstract films from my ongoing 16mm and digital experimental film practice, e.g.: 223(1985, 6 mins), Migraine Particles (1984, 12 mins) , Understanding Science (1992, 18 mins), Rote Movie (1994, 12 mins), Trauma Dream (2002, 7 mins) and Analog Stress (2004, 12 mins) as expressing a process of erasure, a method employed to construct a gutted and marooned identity.  It rereads the essentialism of Modernism as laying bare the mechanics of erasure and denial and Peter Gidal’s anti-illusionist ‘Materialist Film’ as a practice outlining the structure of trauma, and the nature of traumatic memory, described as dissociative in Pierre Janet's early work. I understand my practice as a response to trauma, dislocation and resettlement expressible in the emptied and gutted voice of the New Australian, a 50s term for the assimilated migrant of which the Dutch were considered exemplar performers, good white New Australians, who neatly left their Dutch identity at the door, but who never-the-less witnessed the ambiguities of the ideologies they implicitly embraced. The term ‘New Australian’ is an ‘official’ 1950’s identity which asks you to forget your past for a problematic, undefined Oother¹ that is set apart from ‘Australian’. Dirk de Bruyn, Deakin University, Australia. Dr. Dirk de Bruyn teaches Animation and Digital Culture at Deakin University. He has a 40-year history of experimental film practice. More recently he has staged his multimedia performances internationally in London and Brighton UK, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam Netherlands, Wellington, NZ. Tokyo and Shanghai. Empirics of Artaudian Cruelty: Dirk de Bruyn's Experiments Experiments is a multi-screen, expanded cinema work which combines film projection with live gestural and vocal performance by the artist. Not quite cinema nor theatre, never the same in any of its presentations, and situated elusively in the past-worlds of performance and trauma, de Bruyn's Experiments poses significant difficulties for interpretation, except perhaps through the aesthetics of Artaud's 'theatre of cruelty', themselves originally proposed to fall somewhere between thought and action. In Artaud's conception, though evocative of physical violence and pain, cruelty becomes a critical, counter-cultural position hostile toward any conventions of representation, exhibition and indeed life-practice which impose limits on expression. Similarly, In de Bruyn's cruel practice, the traditional boundaries between film-maker, screen, and audience are broken (down) in what becomes something closer to a psychic experience of shock than 'a movie'. As de Bruyn shakes and swivels the projectors across the space and the backs of the audience, shadows and fragments the image with his body and hands, and screams savagely into the microphone, something un-wished-for passes from the artist through to the nervous system of the spectator. Though authentically cruel, I argue that de Bruyn's expanded cinema is best understood not as a conceptual heuristic - a calculated application of Artaud, or sort of conscious 'new Artaudism' - but rather as a parallel development, a homologous strategy by an artist striving precisely to give form to his trauma or perish. Steven McIntyre, Independent Scholar, Australia Steven McIntyre is a filmmaker and media academic at Deakin University, Melbourne. Top of Form Bottom of Form
The present invention discloses such an optical mount which includes an optical member at least one limiting element, the limiting element having at least one contact point of first contact with the surface of the optical member; at least one force element, which has at least a point of contact with the second surface of the optical member; wherein a second contact point on the surface of each contact point on the first surface of the optical component corresponding to the optical member.
TContemporary Art of the last century by the 1970s avant-garde art of shock,it has faced an unprecedented dilemma.Easel painting and the history of the development and have a long history of easel painting in the long period of exploration,the emergence of many popular old master has accumulated great wealth of the "law",forms and techniques perfect height,as well as oil painting art that was already completed their heyday,it has long been left out of the micro-it is sunset afterglow.Its decline is inevitable, but fortunately,a number without looking at the sky to see faces not act artists still survived.They want to explore deep excavation human world of the enormous possibilities,coupled with the survival of the present confusion is for the arts to express the human richness,distortion,the contradictory nature of the possible conflict before and coercion to accept demands from these areas,the easel painting has a great future,great performance and create the possibility of.
The dynamic response of contracted airway smooth muscles to a finite length change and longitudinal oscillations is described using a simplified model. The model is intended to interpret the biophysical events but not to accurately describe them. It shows that the value of tissue length changes have pronounced indications of cross-bridge detachment. However, the frequency of oscillations represents the velocity of the length change, which affects the cross-bridge cycling rate reflected in the low frequency range.© 2011 ASME
Method for measuring the length of an electrode (14) or determining the position of a cross section of electrode consumption in an electric furnace (10), wherein the measurement is performed by radar, so that a transmit / receiving radar (22) is connected via a connecting waveguide (21) to a waveguide (20) arranged on the electrode and extending in the direction of wear (19) of the electrode from an end cross section ( 18) the electrode to a cross section of consumption (17) of the electrode and is constructed as waveguide tube or waveguide channel, and the time difference is measured between the emission of the radar signal and receiving the echo produced by reflection by a point of discontinuity of the waveguides in the cross section of electrode consumption
Ashéninka Perené speakers reside in thirty six settlements scattered in the river valley called Alto Perené (Upper Perené River), cutting through Distritos Perené and Chanchamayo of Provincia Chanchamayo, Departamento Junín, Peru. The speakers refer to themselves as katonkosatzi ‘upriver people’ or parenisatzi ‘river people’. Another autodenomination is ashaninka or asheninka ‘our fellowman’. When speakers use Spanish to describe themselves, they say ‘Asháninka del Alto Perené’, i.e. Asháninka from the Upper Perené River. Ashéninka Perené [prq] belongs to the Kampan (a.k.a. Campa) subgrouping of Arawak, along with other varieties of Ashéninka/Asháninka, which have a various degree of intelligibility, and Caquinte, Nomatsiguenga, Machiguenga, and Nanti.
In the theory of random vibration, a problem of considerable practical importance is to determine the probability, called first passage or first excursion probability, that the structural response will pass out of safety bounds or thresholds for the first time within a specified time interval. Within the framework of point process approach, a recurrence solution for approximating the first passage probability of a Gaussian random process, stationary or nonstationary, is suggested herein. Numerical results of the present approximation are displayed along with the results of other approximations. It is shown that the accuracy of the present approximation is satisfactory compared with the results of numerical simulation.
We develop the heat kernel method in the context of finite temperature quantum field theory. We compute the heat kernel expansion in the presence of general gauge and scalar fields which may be non Abelian and non stationary. The Polyakov loop appears at finite temperature as a new gauge covariant operator. We apply this method in the computation of the fully gauge invariant effective action of QCD in the regime of high temperature. It is obtained the dimensionally reduced effective action of QCD as well. In the context of chiral quark models, in particular the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio and the spectral quark model, we apply this method to compute the low-energy chiral Lagrangian at finite temperature. The coupling of the Polyakov loop with these models allows to solve some inconsistencies appearing in the standard treatment at finite temperature: generation of multi-quark states, large $N_c$ counting, etc. On the other hand, we show that recent available lattice data for the renormalized Polyakov loop above the deconfinement phase transition exhibit unequivocal inverse power temperature corrections driven by a dimension 2 gluon condensate. This simple ansatz provides a good overall description of the data throughout the deconfinement phase until near the critical temperature with just two parameters. Finally, we study several chiral quark models in the light of chiral perturbation theory in curved space-time. The low energy structure of the energy momentum tensor in these models with SU(3) flavor symmetry is analyzed in the presence of external gravitational fields.
In this work,a compact printed spiral monopole antenna operating in the FM frequency band (88-108MHz) is reported. The antenna is printed on a 100mm £ 50mm PCB layer providing more than 20MHz bandwidth at i2dB threshold and is easily fabricated with low manufacturing cost.The antenna was also measured and simulated on 900mm £ 900mm ground plane which is representative of a vehicle roof Electrically Small Antennas (ESAs) are desired and essential for many applications and especially at lower frequencies such as in the HF and VHF bands. Nowadays, compact antennas have become standard for radio receivers on vehicles and mobile terminals which lead to new requirements for small, e-cient and low cost designs. Good performance of a radio receiver is heavily depended on the antenna performance. A variety of FM antenna types have been reported for automo- tive and portable applications including, active (1) and short meander line monopoles (2), fractal Hilbert curve antenna (3), chip antennas (4), window-printed active antennas (5) and the shark type antennas (6). The frequency range for the FM radio band which deflned from FCC regulation is from 88MHz to 108MHz and the respective wavelength ‚0 for the centre frequency f0 = 98MHz is around 3 meters. The height of a quarter wavelength FM monopole antenna is around 750mm. In order to reduce the size of the monopoles, helix antennas with a height of 80mm are used for FM radio receivers. In this paper a compact spiraled monopole antenna is reported with an overall volume of 100mm £ 50mm £ 1.5mm. A flve element network matching circuit is embedded in orderto increase the bandwidth to more than 20MHz. The antenna can be easily integrated into compact volumes, is low cost and easily fabricated.
Calculations have been performed to design the coil case, the coil vessel, the support links and the quench protection scheme for the CBM superconducting dipole magnet. The general parameters of the magnet have been discussed in a separate contribution to this Scientific Report. The code TOSCA was used for calculating electromagnetic forces exerted on the coil, while the structural analysis was made by using the code ANSYS. The radial Fr and vertical Fy forces were calculated at 1.08 T with TOSCA as a function of the azimuthal angle of the coil. The radial force points toward the outer direction, while the vertical force attracts the coil toward the iron yoke. The integrated forces along the coil circumference are radially 60 tons and vertically 254 tons. The ANSYS calculation was based on the results of TOSCA.
The review of the modern literature about a role of essential dietary antioxidants and first of all of vitamins E, C, P, A and carotenoids in protection of cell components against of damage by excessive strengthening of free radical oxidation is submitted. Expediency of inclusion of antioxidant vitamins in complex therapy of rheumatic diseases is discussed taking into account the failure in an antioxidant system and excessive strengthening of free radical oxidation as important symptoms in development of rheumatic diseases.
The National Institute of Social Security (INSS) is the managing body of the Spanish social security, with legal personality, which is entrusted with the management and administration of the economic benefits of the social security system. The protective action of the Social Security System includes, among others, the economic benefits for temporary disability and permanent disability. The classic indicators of temporary disability benefit incidence, prevalence and mean duration of the procedures are provided on the website of social security: http://www.seg-social.es/Internet_1/Estadistica/Est/Otras_Prestaciones_de_la_Seguridad_ Social/Incapacidad_Temporal/Incapacidadtemporal2015/index.htm. Epidemiological data on disability pensions complete the reviews that the National Institute of Social Security has built-in electronic headquarters of social security through a computer application called ESTADISS, which provides data statistics Pension Security Conclusions: Different frequency data in temporary disability benefit, allow us to analyze the different processes with the greatest impact on temporary disability, being able to say that the low back pain (724.2 ICD-9) is the most common in the processes of temporary disability initial specific diagnosis. Likewise, the most common diagnosis group is osteomioarticular system diseases and connective tissue. The group of diagnoses are greater average length neoplasms. Following the National Classification of Occupations and surpassed the 365 -day temporary disability is the group of service workers, restoration, personal, security and sellers trade, which has the greatest number of temporary disability processes.
The positive effect of certain physical and chemical factors viz., inoculum level and growth phase, cultural condition, temperature, pH, presence of divalent cation and chelating agent, on the enhancement of coaggregation among the PGPR isolates viz., Pseudomonas fluorescens (PFR-3) and Paenibacillus polymyxa (PBR-3) was studied under in vitro condition. It was observed that 10 7 : 10 7 inoculum level of PGPR partners was found to be optimum for achieving the maximum coaggregation percentage while any increase or decrease to this inoculum level could reduce the coaggregation percentage of PGPR partners. The use of PGPR partners at stationary growth phase augmented the “ Intergeneric coaggregation” to a higher level when compared to lag and log growth phase. The cells of PGPR partners, harvested from N-deficient media, yielded more coaggregation when compared to the cells harvested from N- rich media. Further, the PGPR cells cultured at 35 o c at a pH level of 7.5 recorded higher coaggregation percentage than other levels. Moreover, the addition of Ca 2+ , as divalent cation, recorded higher coaggregation percentage of PGPR cells whereas the addition of EDTA, as chelating agent, derastically reduced the stability of PGPR coaggregates. It was concluded that the use of PGPR cells cultured in N-deficient media, at a growth temperature of 35 o c and at a pH level of 7.5 during the stationary growth phase yielded more coaggregation percentage among PGPR partners. Moreover, the use of 10 7 :10 7 inoculum level of PGPR partners and addition of Ca 2+ , as divalent cation, was found to maximise the coaggregation
Channels and gaps inside a bearing mechanism are filled with lubricating oil, and the lubricating oil is retained in a first tapered seal portion arranged radially outward of a sleeve, and a second tapered seal portion arranged between the shaft and an upper cap placed above the sleeve. An arrangement of groove-shaped recessed portions on an inner circumferential surface of the upper cap and raised portions on a lower surface of a top portion thereof contributes to increasing a channel cross-sectional area of a channel provided between the upper cap and the sleeve to connect the first tapered seal portion with the second tapered seal portion.
Social enterprises have substantially affected Indonesia’s economic growth and may contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs’) achievement. Social enterprises empower minority groups by giving greater accessibility to a facility for a sustainable means of livelihood to the low income and disadvantaged groups, which make up a considerable part of the population, thereby creating an inclusive workforce. However, financial issues still pose a challenge for the sustainability of social enterprises in Indonesia due to the awkward reconciliation of their social missions, a characteristic of their businesses, with the less attractive returns for their investors. Cash waqf is one of the Islamic social finance instruments accepted to invest and manage certain funds to solve different social challenges relevant to the SDGs. Hence, this study aims to achieve the following objectives: (i) to identify the current issues of social enterprises; and (ii) to propose an Integrated Cash Waqf Social Enterprise Business (ICWSE-B) model in achieving the SDG8 in Indonesia. This paper adopts a qualitative research method with primary data obtained mainly from interviews. The findings suggest that financing remains the most significant challenge for most social enterprise businesses. The study also introduced an innovative integrated business model of social enterprise and cash waqf known as the ICWSE-B model to solve many social enterprises’ financial issues. The proposed ICWSE-B model is considered most suitable for social enterprise as it supports decent work and economic growth of the SDGs.
The objective of this research was to modify TRANSYT-7F so that arterial priority can be increased and minor-movement performance degradation can be controlled. The product is known as TRANSYT-7F with Arterial Priority Option (APO). TRANSYT-7F "globally" minimizes overall stops and delay to all vehicles. This is satisfactory for a grid network on which good traffic performance is desired equally for every street. However, it is unsatisfactory for arterials on which progression for the through movement typically is considered much more important than minimizing stops and delay for left-turning and side-street motorists. In the United States, TRANSYT-7F is widely perceived as unsatisfactory for arterial signal timing. TRANSYT-7F with APO modifies the iterative-search process to give priority to the arterial. APO changes the optimization process, not the traffic flow model. In general, the user specifies which links are to receive priority and the degree of saturation for the minor movements (nonpriority links). The performance index (PI) equation is formulated to minimize stops and delay for only the priority links. The degree of saturation specified by the user for the minor movements is used to control the performance degradation to acceptable levels. The results of a program run may be used to make changes to the list of priority links and to the required degree of saturation of one or more nonpriority links on the basis of the engineer's judgment. APO is thus user interactive; the engineer retains control over the optimization and can tailor it to local conditions.
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) acts as a mitogen, motogen, morphogen, anti-apoptotic factor, and scatter factor for various kinds of epithelial cells. It is a protein secreted by mesenchymal cells such as fibroblasts, and promotes motility and matrix invasion of epithelial cells. To clarify whether HGF is involved in periodontal disease, this study was conducted to determine whether HGF is present in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and to investigate the relationship between levels of HGF and the clinical parameters of periodontal disease, probing depth (PD), gingival index (GI) and bleeding on probing (BOP). We examined and collected GCF samples from 80 sites in 38 subjects with periodontal or other oral diseases. The concentrations of HGF, IL-1beta and PGE2 were determined by ELISA, and active collagenase activity was determined by functional assay. The HGF level correlated positively with PD and GI, and was significantly higher in specimens from BOP-positive sites and those where PD exceeded 4 mm compared with those from sites that were BOP-negative or with a PD less than 3 mm. There was a significant positive correlation between the concentrations of HGF and IL-1beta. These results indicate that the HGF level in GCF correlates well with clinical parameters of periodontal disease, and suggest that HGF may be involved in epithelial invasion through its role as a scatter factor.
The performance of steam seals plays an important role in economic efficiency and reliability of the units. In order to decrease the leakage lose and to enhance the security and economic efficiency of the units, it is most necessary to retrofit the seal structure from traditional stepped labyrinth seals to new type ones. The working principle and practical application of several kinds of steam seals have been analysed and compared, and problems needing to pay attention in seal retrofit and seal application being expounded.
The synthesis and plant growth regulating activity of some novel 2-methoxy-4-(1or 2-propenyl)-6-substituted phenols are described. Most of the compounds possessed cytokinin like activity – they stimulated betacyanin synthesis in A. caudatus cotyledons, growth of excised radish cotyledons and induced retardation of chlorophyll disappearance in radish leaf discs. Some chemical structure – plant growth regulating activity relationships have been established.
Objective To provide anatomic basis for fetal intrauterine surgical repair of complete cleft lip and palate.Methods Vascular cast specimens of the head and neck from 21～32W normal fetus and unilateral complete cleft lip and palate fetus were carried out.Blood supply source and arterial anastomosis of lip and palate were observed and compared.Results ①For healthy fetus,blood supply of lip and palate mainly came from superior labial artery,nasal alar artery and greater palatine artery.The arterial arch formed by the anastomosis between the left and the right superior labial artery.The superficial and deep vascular networks were formed in nasal septum,and the nasal septum branch of superior labial artery anastomosed with the perforator branch of greater palatine artery.② Due to the slit separation,The lip and palate vessels of unilateral complete cleft lip and palate fetus absent the anastomosis between the left and the right superior labial artery,however the greater palatine artery and nasal vessel anastomosed with each other through bone stump.Conclusions For fetus of cleft lip and palate,blood supply of the lip and palate was plentiful,especially for superior labial artery and greater palatine artery.
OBJECTIVE To describe the clinical care path for retropubic radical prostatectomy of the La Paz teaching hospital and the results achieved after the first 6 months. METHODS We have developed a clinical care path for radical prostatectomy with a hospital stay of 6 days. Thirty-one patients submitted to retropubic radical prostatectomy from June to November 1998 were included in the program. The mean length of total, preoperative and postoperative stay were analyzed and compared with those of 31 patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy before the program was developed. Readmissions, adverse effects and patient satisfaction were also analyzed. RESULTS Of the 31 patients included in the clinical care path, 22 (71%) had a stay equal to or less than the program's length of stay. The mean total, pre and postoperative stay for the group of patients included in the clinical care path were 6.0 days (SD = 1.1), 1 day (SD = 0.0) and 4.9 days (SD = 1.1), respectively. The length of stay was significantly longer before the program was developed [mean total 10.2 days (SD = 4.9), mean preoperative 2.6 days (SD = 2.6) and mean postoperative 7.6 days (SD = 3.6)] (p < 0.001). Twenty-four patients (77.4%) completed the questionnaire on patient satisfaction, which was highly positive, the overall patient satisfaction rate being higher than the 90% standard. There were no readmissions or significant events ascribable to the program. CONCLUSIONS In our experience, the clinical care path for radical prostatectomy is a useful tool to reduce the unwanted variability. Its design is based on the best possible evidence, therefore the scientific and technical quality, patient satisfaction and efficiency are enhanced. In our view, our results are attainable and feasible in any health care setting.
After the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, there is an urgent need for medical schools, teaching hospitals, and practice plans to work together seamlessly across a common mission. Although there is agreement that there should be greater coordination of initiatives and resources, there is little guidance in the literature to address the method to achieve the necessary transformation. Traditional approaches to strategic planning often engage a few leaders and produce a set of immeasurable initiatives. A nontraditional approach, consisting of a Whole-Scale (Dannemiller Tyson Associates, Ann Arbor, MI) engagement, appreciative inquiry, and a balanced scorecard can, more rapidly transform an academic health center. Using this nontraditional approach to strategic planning, increased organizational awareness was achieved in a single academic health center. Strategic planning can be an effective tool to achieve alignment, enhance accountability, and a first step in meeting the demands of the new landscape of healthcare.
Khusyuk has a very important position in Islam. Moreover, it is a matter that will be missed from Islam before salat . Based on this fact, this research aims to find out the concept of khusyuk , especially according to the Qur’anic perspective. This research was a library research. The primary data sources were the verses of the Qur’an, while the secondary data sources were any books of tafsir. The data were collected by using documentation method, while the technique of analysis data chosen for this study was athematic method. From the analysis conducted in the research, it can be concluded that the meaning of khusyuk in the Qur'an are generally not varying much with the meaning used in the Arabic daily, where the meaning of khusyuk refers to a state of subjection, quiet and humble. Nevertheless, khusyuk for believers is not only limited to a physical attitude, but also the inner attitude of submission to God. K husyuk in the Qur'an also contains special meaning and common meaning. There are some messages contained in the verses of khusyuk ;   first,   khusyuk is an attitude that must be performed in salat, second ly ,   khusyuk is an attitude of prophets, third ly ,   khusyuk is a praise of God to Ahli Kitab who believe in Allah, Muhammad and the Qur'an, fourth ly ,   khusyuk in remembrance of God and the Qur'an can keep someone from ungodliness, and fifth ly , t he people who can reach for khusyuk will get a reply from God in the form of forgiveness and a great reward. Furthermore, there are several factors that can help in reaching for khusyuk, which are; a true faith, a useful science, remembering death, and tadabur the verses of the Qur'an.  Keywords: al-Qur’an, khusyuk , thematic method, salat
Background: Patients with neurogenic bladder are more likely to urinary tract infection. Proper antibiotic treatments that sensitive to common bacteria pathogens could both prevent drug resistance and enhance patient care. Objectives: To identify the pathogenic urinary tract infections and antibiotic susceptible in patients with neurogenic bladder during cystography at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital. Methods: Retrospective Analytic Studies. One hundred and forty three spinal cord injured patients with neurogenic bladder were admitted for cystography in Rehabilitation inpatient unit during January 1, 2556 to December 31, 2558. Data collected from chart review. Results: There were 117males and 26 females. Accident was the main cause of spinal cord injury with frequency of 83.92% (120 cases) and could be classified in paraplegia 81.82% (117) and quadriplegia 18.18 %(26). Urinary tract infection after cystography showed only 4.23% (6).More patients received antibiotic prophylaxis 85.31% (122). Ceftriaxone 16.78% (24) and ampicillin with gentamycin 13.99% (20) were often selected for antibiotic administration. Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli (ESBL), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobactor cloacae and Enterococcus faecalis were bacterial uropathogens from urine culture 18.44% (26), 11.35% (16), 4.26% (6), 3.55% (5), and3.55% (5) respectively . However,i t was also found that Amikacin, Cefuroxime, Cefoxitin, Ceftriaxone,and Netilmicin were still sensitive antibiotics to Escherichia coli. Discussion : The most pathogens in urinary tract infection was Escherichia Coli. Standard antibiotic recommended for prevention and treatment are very susceptible to infection. The antibiotic-susceptible and inexpensive were Amikacin and cephalosporin (Cefuroxime, Cefoxitin, Ceftriaxone). Conclusions : Escherichia Coli is a bacteria causing urinary tract disease and the most common antibiotic used to treat or recommend antibiotic prophylaxis before investigation bladder were Amikacin and cephalosporin. Keywords: urinary tract pathogens * Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital
With the deepening of the reform continuously in the engineering accounts of the price realm in our coun- try and the trend of information-based and internationalization arrives, the former teaching system in professional college need to be reformed.This text, based on analysis of students'future station ability structure, puts forward the idea of setting up the theory of teaching system and teaching practice system centered on the development of the student abilities.
This paper is one of a series of reports on the genetic improvement of cotton varieties in the Yangtse valley in China since 1950s, the purpose of which is to study the genetic improvements on yield and yield components (bolls per plant, boll size and lint percentage). Experimental data of 11 representative varieties at 7 locations in two years and historical data of regional cotton trials in the Yangtse valley in the last 30 years were analyzed. The results indicated that the effect of genetic improvement of cotton varieties in the Yangtse valley was significant, the average increase of the lint yield in the last 50 years is 6.50 kg/hm 2 per year; the narrow-sense contributive ratio of genetic improvement is 36.9%( 4.2%~52.1%); the broad-sense contributive ratio of genetic improvement is 62.0%. 45.0% and 20.4% of the increase of the current varieties were due to genotype and genotype-environmental interaction respectively. Compared to old varieties, lint yield of the current varieties increased by 24.3%, number of bolls by 3.49 per plant, lint percentage by 2.80% and boll size changed non-significantly. The yield increase of the current varieties was mainly caused by the improvements of number of bolls per plant and lint percentage. The relative effects number of bolls per plant and boll size and lint percentage on lint yield varied at different stages, which reflected the change of breeding strategy and selection emphasis. Selection for big bolls and high lint percentage would be a valid strategy for cotton lint yield breeding in the Yangtse valley .
The influence on a model-generated January climate of various surface boundary conditions, as well as initial conditions, was studied by using the GISS coarse-mesh climate model. Four experiments - two with water planets, one with flat continents, and one with mountains - were used to investigate the effects of initial conditions, and the thermal and dynamical effects of the surface on the model generated-climate. However, climatological mean zonal-symmetric sea surface temperature is used in all four runs over the model oceans. Moreover, zero ground wetness and uniform ground albedo except for snow are used in the last experiments.
We examined 33 patients aged 41-76 years having stable class II-III effort angina associated with arterial hypertension of 1-2 degrees and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Prevailing antianginal effect of betaloc-zoc above eprosartan was revealed: reduction of frequency of angina by 35,1%, need in nitroglycerin pills by 46,8%, increased threshold capacity of loading by 19,8%, improvement of quality of life by 20,7% in betaloc-zoc patients. Hypotensive action of eprosartan was comparable with the effect of betaloc-zoc. Decreased diastolic dysfunction was noted in both groups. Eprosartan was well tolerated.
Tuberculosis is reported by WHO to be most important infectious disease. At present,the diagnosis of tuberculosis mainly depends on smear and microscope observation,but this meathod consumes time and has bader accuracy. Elisa、RIA、BACTEC and MB-check culture system improve accuracy and pace. but their prices are expensive and they can't finally diagnose Mycobecterium tuberculosis.Genetic diagnosis can specially,sensitively and fastly detect and idenfify Mycobacterium tuberculosis on the basis of nucleic acid. In this paper,several main geneic diagnostic methods are disscused,which include gene probe technique、 gene amplification and gene typing and so on. The wide application fo PCR technique in Mycobacterium tuberculosis diagnosis accentuated.
The category of revelation is central to the definition of theology from the epistemological aspect and it is decisive from a theoretic viewpoint because it establishes the fundamental hermeneutic perspective for the theological reflection of today. The fact of revelation, by presenting a universal truth within human history, recalls the mystery of God and his otherness. It then provokes in the human mind, a kind of condition that can open itself to faith. From a phenomenological aspect, revelation is also decisive for the codifying of religious experience and it makes necessary an attentive interpretative analysis to identify what is special and distinguishes revelation from other faiths. The uniqueness of Christ in Christian revelation and the universality of Christian theology, stand against the thesis of religious pluralism. The concept of revelation does not exclude the inter-religious dialogue which is also fundamental for the understanding of the mystery of Christ in all its fullness and depth.
Pulmonary disease is very rare during the course of tuberous sclerosis of Bourneville (STB). The authors report two cases of STB with pulmonary involvement occurring in the same family, mother and daughter. Both presented with typical cutaneous manifestations of the disease and bilateral renal angiomyolipomas. In the daughter, the early pulmonary diagnosis was made by computed tomographic examination (TDM) which showed the images of the cyst very sharply, although the pulmonary radiograph was normal. Prolonged follow up with pulmonary function tests is important. Lung function tests were very abnormal in the mother with a frank diminution of the TLCO and hypoxia at rest. In the daughter, they revealed the development of obstructive airways disease. Bronchoalveolar lavage was carried out in both the mother and daughter and showed intra-alveolar haemorrhage (with a ground glass appearance on computed tomography in the mother). Pulmonary lymphangiomyomatosis (LPM) and STB with pulmonary involvement are clinical disorders which are anatomically closely related. If the value of hormonal treatment has been shown during the course of LMP, their efficacy in STB is variable.
A poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide] (PHPMA) hydrogel immobilized with the neurite-promoting peptide sequence of xIKVAVx was synthesized and its structure was characterized. The PHPMA-IKVAV hydrogel displayed an interconnected porous structure. The ability of the hydrogel to support axonal outgrowth in the injured adult rats cerebrum cavity and to promote tissue regeneration was evaluated. After implantation for 4, 6, 12 and 18 weeks, the brain sections were processed for histological staining. The observations of the sections showed that the polymer hydrogel provided a structural, three-dimensional continuity across the defect and favoured reorganization of local wound-repair cells, angiogenesis and axonal growth into the hydrogel scaffold. Compared with the unmodified PHPMA hydrogel, the PHPMA-IKVAV hydrogel displayed greater ability to repair tissue defects in the cerebrum nervous system.
Many industrial servo amplifiers employ power transister as output device. Thyristor converters are not adopted to drive servo motor, although thyristor is superior to power TR in power rating, noise immunity, price, and size. The reason is, thyristor has no ability of self turn - off. Here in this paper line commutation, in which thyristor is turned off naturally since cathode voltage is higher than anode as time goes by, is employed to turn on thyristor with a delicate sequence. We developed thyristor servo amplifier which does not cause any damage on thyristor because it is designed to prevent triggering the two SCRs in the same arm simultaneously. And it was made clearly how to trigger SCR without any power line shorting and also harmonic analysis is carried out with the aid of FFT analyzer and proved that it can be used even severe reactive load. The designed circuit operated as a good DC amplifier in conventinal servomotor and the results can be use as a position control system application.
In a previous study we reported that nitric oxide (NO) partially mediates centrally the decrease of arterial blood pressure induced by adenosine A(2) subtype receptor stimulation. The present study confirms the earlier suggestion and shows that in adult male normotensive anaesthetized rats 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA), a non-selective adenosine receptor agonist, centrally injected induced a significant decrease of arterial blood pressure. Moreover, the observation that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a NO synthase inhibitor, +8-(3-chlorostyryl)-caffeine (CSC), antagonist of A(2a) receptors, did not reduce furthermore the hypotensive effect induced by NECA injection, demonstrated that NO is involved only via A(2a) and not via A(2b) adenosine subtype receptors in the central regulation of blood pressure.
OBJECTIVE To study the postnatal changes in lymphocyte subsets in early preterm infants and the effect of perinatal factors on lymphocyte subsets.   METHODS A total of 61 early preterm infants were enrolled. Flow cytometry was used to measure the absolute counts of lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets at 1, 7, 14, and 28 days after birth, as well as at 6 months after birth for 17 of these early preterm infants. The effects of perinatal factors, such as antepartum use of hormone, intrauterine infection, gestational age at birth, and Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) colonization, on lymphocyte subsets were analyzed.   RESULTS The absolute counts of lymphocyte subsets except natural killer (NK) cells were lowest at birth, increased rapidly at 1 week after birth, and reached the levels in healthy infants at 6 months; the count of NK cells remained at a low level and increased significantly at 6 months after birth. Compared with those with a gestational age of <28 weeks, the early preterm infants with a gestational age of ≥28 weeks had significantly higher absolute counts of T cells, T helper (Th) cells, and NK cells at 7 days after birth, a significantly higher absolute count of T cells at 14 days after birth, and significantly higher absolute counts of lymphocytes and Th cells at 28 days after birth (P<0.05). Compared with the group not using hormone, the group using hormone showed a significantly higher absolute count of T cells at 7 days after birth and significantly higher absolute counts of lymphocytes and all subsets at 14 days after birth (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in lymphocyte subsets at 1 day after birth between the intrauterine infection and non-infection groups (P>0.05); the intrauterine infection group had significantly higher absolute counts of B cells at 7 and 14 days after birth than the non-infection group. Compared those without UU colonization, the infants with UU colonization had significantly higher absolute counts of lymphocytes, T cells, Th cells, and Ts cells at 1 day after birth and a significantly higher absolute count of B cells at 14 days after birth.   CONCLUSIONS Early preterm infants have deficiencies in innate immune cells at birth and normal levels at about 6 months after birth. Various perinatal factors including antepartum use of hormone, gestational age at birth, intrauterine infection, and UU colonization have long-term effects on lymphocyte subsets in early preterm infants.
1. Introduction: pluralism, devolution and education in Northern Ireland - Caitlin Donnelly, Bob Osborne and Penny McKeown 2. The education system in Northern Ireland - Grainne Byrne and Caitlin Donnelly 3. Human rights and pluralism in education: prospects under devolution - Laura Lundy 4. Inclusion and special educational needs in Northern Ireland: peeling back the layers - Rosemary Kilpatrick and John Hunter 5. School exclusions: reversing the trend - Rosemary Kilpatrick and Alex Barr 6. Including pre-school education - Anne Sutherland 7. Gender stereotyping in the classroom: perpetuating the gender divide - Helen Leith and Colette Gray 8. Perpetuating inequality through the education market in Northern Ireland - Penny McKeown 9. Equality in higher and further education in Northern Ireland - Bob Osborne 10. Curriculum Matters: the process of education reform and the creation of a more pluralist curriculum under devolution - Carmel Gallagher 11. Making education policy under devolution: the role of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committees - Penny McKeown and Bob Osborne 12. The impact of devolution on education policy: two case studies - Tony Gallagher 13. Section 13.1: Policy and influence: a model for progress - Donal Flanagan and Jim Clarke Section 13.2: Creating a pluralist school system: the Protestant perspective - Huston McKelvey Section 13.3: Moving beyond sectarianism: the drive for integrated schools - Michael Wardlow Section 13.4: Irish Medium Education: embracing pluralism - Sean O'Coinn Section 13.41 Irish translation 14. The pluralist ethos in integrated schools: a contested concept? - Caitlin Donnelly 15. Conclusions - Caitlin Donnelly, Penny McKeown and Bob Osborne Appendix 1: Key education statistics: Northern Ireland in context Appendix 2: The selection of comparative regions with Northern Ireland.
This research presents the state-of-the-art related to the management of conservation units in the State of Espirito Santo, characterizing the conditions for management and infrastructure. The analysis carried out at the units, which were created in 2009, counted on the participation of all sixteen units’ managers, considering factors inherent to the prevention and combat actions impacting the units. Results indicated that ‘Duas Bocas REBIO’ holds the best conditions for management and infrastructure (82%) and ‘RDS Concha D’ostras’, the worst (5%). ‘PARE Itaunas’ showed the greatest deficit of staff. Regarding the availability of operational equipment, it was possible to observe that 75% of the fully protected units are operationally deficient. As for tools to combat forest fires, ‘PARE Cachoeira da Fumaca’ presented the largest deficit, with no individual protection equipment (IPE). Inadequate infrastructure (14%) and hunting (12%) are the main threats to the units. These results will subsidize the planning and management of protected areas in the State of Espirito Santo.
In this paper the spectral enhancement of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for copper plasma in the presence of a magnetic field is investigated and the temporal- and spatial-resolved plasma emission spectra are analyzed. Experimental results show that the copper plasma atomic and ion spectra have been enhanced in the presence of the external magnetic field. In addition, the Cu I 521.82 nm spectral intensity evolution with delay time appears to have a double peak around the delay time of 2 μs, but that of Cu II 507.57 nm has a sharp decrease because of the electron-atom three body recombination process. The plasma temperature with magnetic confinement is lower than that of the case in the absence of magnetic fields. Finally, the spectral enhancement mechanisms of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy with magnetic confinement are analyzed.
The paper researches the wellsprings of genuine swapping scale developments in various districts by deteriorating genuine conversion scale developments into those owing to genuine and ostensible stuns. Considerable conversion standard developments have happened in a significant number of the created and creating nations in the course of recent decades. The results of real changes in return rates are of enthusiasm for two reasons, right off the bat since they may effectsly affect global exchange (Baldwin and Krugman, 1989), and also in light of the fact that these impacts might be practically identical to the impacts of levy diminishments (Feenstra, 1989). Analyzing the impacts of trade rates on efficiency, Harris (2001) recommended that the deterioration of the dollar may have been a contributory factor to the broadening profitability hole between the numerous locales, since it might prompt the expanding expenses of imported apparatus and gear, extended the advancement hole, and backed off the procedure of imaginative decimation.
This thesis describes qualitative research into risk-taking, dangerous  behaviour in childhood using a post-Kleinian, psychoanalytic clinical approach.  Risk-taking, dangerous behaviour itself has received no research attention,  although a wider category of externalising behaviour has been the subject of many  studies. Many factors have been identified which are associated with externalising  behaviour but there is an absence of explanation between these factors and the  problematic behaviour, neither a causal nor a meaningful link being made between  them. Assessment and therapeutic treatments of children from three different age  groups were undertaken. Clinical data from different sources were analysed using  the constant comparative method of grounded theory, within a psychoanalytic  framework. The factors already known to be associated with externalising  behaviour were found to be present in the research families but none of these  factors, nor other similarities and differences between families based on historical  data, provided an organising principle enabling the risk-taking, dangerous  behaviour to be understood. The organising principle which meaningfully  discriminated between cases was the evident emotion of the parent or primary  carer and an exploration of this revealed different emotional configurations in the  parent-child relationship. Three different configurations were identified, emerging  from the clinical material, which were linked to and extend established  psychoanalytic theory. These were called illusory-haven, no-haven and periloushaven  each of which is unsafe for the child. The connections made between these  configurations and Oedipal theory gives the latter a central place in understanding  the origin, structure and meaning of the risk-taking, dangerous behaviour. The  concepts developed have significance for clinical work and are useful tools for any  professionals working with children and families, helping them to identify  different family patterns for which there are different strategies and different  prognoses.
Abstract : Between 10 and 24 April 1974, a series of rocket flights was launched at White Sands Missile Range as part of a cooperative project between the Arbeitsgruppe D-Schicht-Aeronomie of the Max-Planck-Institute fur Aeronomie and the US Army Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory. Primarily, the purpose was to compare wind sensing techniques in the height range between 95 and 80 km. In addition, the foil chaff clouds are capable of providing neutral air density over the height interval from 85 to 92 km. The inflatable falling sphere experiment is capable of deriving density, tempeature, and wind data between 35 and 90 km, with less accuracy above 85 km. The foil chaff cloud is primarily intended to measure winds and wind shears between 95 and 75 km with good height resolution due to its low fall velocity. The foil chaff can also be used to determine density, pressure and--within certain limits--air temperature for smaller height interval from 95 to about 85 km. However, some assumptions have been made in deriving the additional thermodynamic data. (Author)
The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of different fatty acids on the amino acid catabolism judged on the level of xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH). The model system of protein depletion with subsequent repletion was used in the trial consisted of Japanese quails 71 days old. In the period of protein repletion, the fatty acid (stearic, palmitic, oleic, linolenic, linoleic and lauric, respectively) was used instead of common fatty compound in the diet. Specific activities of XDH in liver, kidneys and pancreas of quails were tested dynamically from the first to the eighth day of feeding. It was demonstrated that neither lauric, palmitic nor oleic acid, respectively, had an effect on the development of the specific activity of XDH (Fig. 3). Stearic acid as a sole fatty compound in the diet however evoked reactibility of XDH in liver or in pancreas in different way as in kidneys (Fig. 4). The dynamics of the XDH development in kidneys was practically identical than that in the control. However, XDH in liver and pancreas raised statistically already from the first day of feeding. The effects of linoleic and linolenic acids on the development of specific activity of XDH were organ selective, too (Fig. 5). XDH in kidneys was shown in the same manner as in the control group. In liver and pancreas, however, the specific activity of XDH was diminished markedly just from the first day of feeding.
Ultrasonic tomography was used in 40 patients with locally-advanced fibrosarcoma of soft tissues who had undergone polychemotherapy or radiation in combination with short-term (5-10 minutes) ultrasound or microwave treatment of physical therapy intensity (1-2 W/cm2) given as a modifier. These procedures were used prior to surgery in 24 cases and as the only treatment--in 16. Ultrasonic tomography was performed before start, in the middle and right after termination of therapy, and before surgery. Addition of short-term ultrasound and microwave treatment was followed by formation of dense fibrous capsule around the tumor which assured a longer (3-5 years) recurrence-free survival. Ultrasonic tomography allows to monitor formation of the capsule and is, therefore, useful for assessing treatment outcome, making prognosis and determining time and extent of surgery.
By Andrew McGowan. Oxford Early Christian Studies. New York: Oxford University Press; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999. xiii + 312 pp. $85.00 (cloth); L55.00 (cloth). For as many weeks as Andrew McGowan's book sat on my desk it proved irresistible to every person who walked into my office, particularly in speculating on what the primary title, Ascetic Eucharists, might mean. That was a telling entry into McGowan's superb study-not immediately accessible to everyone but always intriguing. McGowan's careful presentation of the context and evidence for particular groups of early Christians using bread and water for the eucharist, rather than bread and wine, should give pause to institutional and individual desires to see, for a number of reasons, ultimate homogeneity as either a goal or a reality. He traces the very real and still present patterns in early church scholarship that want to find uniformity for the sake of unity, either by reading the evidence anachronistically to prove a preconceived ideal, or by setting aside what is different so as not to disturb the calm waters of uniform practice and meaning. And as he unfolds his methodology to get at the heart of these less common practices, he gently nudges a number of scholarly presumptions or preoccupations into a place where they can be examined in a more objective light. Throughout the book, McGowan presents a model for analyzing older methodologies that allows one to see their advantages and disadvantages, before moving to use the methodologies to enhance his own thesis. After an introductory chapter, he discusses food, feasting, and fasting in Greco-Roman antiquity, introducing the key concept of the "cuisine of sacrifice" which will prove important to his argument regarding the theology of the bread and water eucharist. The third chapter begins the primary focus on Christian ritual meals, reviewing the varieties of foods used in the eucharist and/or other important ritual meals, including not only the baptismal cups of milk and honey, but also cheese, oil, salt, fruits, and vegetables, and the confusing but fascinating symbol of the fish. The remainder of the chapters focus on the evidence or suggestions of the Christian ritual use of bread and water, first in early Asian and Syrian Christianity from which comes the bulk of the evidence (chapter 4), then the bread and water tradition in the Pseudepigrapha (chapter 5), the "Orthodox Use of Bread and Water" (chapter 6), where the references are interesting but far more speculative, and finally within the New Testament itself (chapter 7). …
In near-field optical storage,dynamic flying height measuring technique is a key of the theory and its application.Light intensity interference principle and calibration steps are detailed.The measurement resolution was improved by means of dual optical path arrangement.The disturbance caused by feedback light was reproved by using polarization of light.Analysis and experiment prove that this method has a measuring resolution of 1nm,and dynamic frequency of 500 kHz.These parameters enable high-resolution dynamic measurement of spacing between the flying head and disk.
Changes in the business environment are coming increasingly faster. Thus, knowledge sharing among employees appears to be more important than it was previously, as it can help organizations to improve responses to changes and increase their innovativeness and performance. Therefore, the thesis deals with the topic of knowledge sharing and its impact on performance of organizations. Considering different views on performance of organizations, the performance is defined as innovativeness, perceived performance and financial performance in this thesis. This thesis employs qualitative and quantitative research methods to answer research questions and achieve the main goal. The main goals is to identify benefits of knowledge sharing, propose the method of measurement of knowledge sharing extent and its benefits, and identify the relationship between the extent of knowledge sharing and performance of organizations defined as the innovativeness, perceived performance and financial performance.
In view of the current poor gas drainage sealing effect problems,including serious leakage phenomenon,too low gas extraction concentration,etc,the paper put forward the active confined pressure sealing technology,through the pressure grouting and active supporting extraction drilling,can be effective in blocking extraction early drilling leak channel,and avoiding the generation of late leak channel,so as to improve the hole sealing quality.Application test was carried out in Wang Xing Zhuang Mine of SDIC HeNan New Energy Development Co.,LTD,the experimental results show that the active confined pressure sealing technology can be long time reliable seal drilling and greatly improve concentration of gas extraction.
SAFETY AND HEALTH IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN ZAMBIA Construction is considered as one of the most accident prone industries across the world. In Zambia, construction is labor intensive and flooded by unskilled workers who migrate within and outside the country. As Zambia modernizes its infrastructure through the construction of roads, bridges, shopping malls, hotels, hospitals, and schools among others; the incidences of on-site accidents and ill-health detrimental to the workers during the execution of these projects is likely to increase thus negatively affecting the nation. Zambia currently lacks a National Occupational Safety and Health Policy and as such the Factories Act is applied to all industries including the construction sector. Despite the use of the Factories Act and company safety and health regulations, accidents are still prevalent in the construction industry. Reported and unreported accidents can be prevented or their effects mitigated if standardized safety and health procedures are adhered to. The aim of this research is to study the status of safety and health in the construction industry in Zambia. The study also targets to identify measures to improve safety and health in the construction sector in Zambia. Interviews were conducted alongside a questionnaire survey, objectively for data collection. Three sites were used for the purpose of triangulation and verification regarding the interview and questionnaire results. Interviewees and respondents to the questionnaires were construction stakeholders who included clients, consultants, contractors and government organizations. Observations from the data collected highlighted the lack of coordinated safety and health practices in the industry which in-turn translates to a high risk factor for accidents and ill-health. The Factories Act which is used in the industry was found to be relatively adequate but lacked sufficient enforcement. The results indicated; falling from a height, being hit by falling objects and the collapse of earth as the three most predominate types of accidents. Causes of accidents were identified to result from poor attitude to safety, inadequate safety equipment, poor enforcement of safety and health regulations, lack of safety training, and inclement weather. The common ill-health elements were diarrhea, respiratory disorders and backaches resulting from handling of heavy loads, exposure to dust and chemicals, poor sanitary conditions and poor personal hygiene. Severe weather significantly contributed to unsafe working conditions as more accidents occurred and were recorded during the rainy season accompanied by ill-health due to floods and wet conditions. The common recognized effects of accidents consisted of high costs, disabilities, reduced productivity, job schedule delays and fatalities. The preventive measures identified included improved attitude to safety and health by all stakeholders, enhanced enforcement of the Factories Act, inclusion of safety and health as an item in all Bills of Quantities, provision…
Title: Unpacking dominant discourses in higher education language policy. A critical study of language policy in Swedish higher education Author: Susanne Strömberg Jämsvi Language: English with an extended Swedish summary and abstracts in Amharic, Arabic, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish ISBN: 978-91-7346-502-1 (print) ISBN: 978-91-7346-503-8 (pdf) ISSN: 0436-1121
Treatment of refractory myeloma is still a problem. For patients where treatment with melphalan and prednisone had no effect, many therapeutic procedures were suggested and tested. Some were more, others less successful. In the first part of this review the author summarizes clinical studies which evaluate the importance of glucocorticoids and various combinations of cytostatics administered in this indication. He considers a continual four-day infusion of vincristine and adriamycin or mitoxantrone with large doses of glucocorticoids the most effective treatment. In the primarily resistant form glucocorticoids are the most important component of treatment. Finally the author presents a review of therapeutic patterns. In the second part of the paper the author will deal with the therapeutic results of large doses of cytostatics, interferon and discuss experience with transplantation of bone marrow in patients with myeloma.
OBJECTIVE:To study the expressions of Ang-2 and Tie2 in breast cancer and the relation with invasion and metastasis.MEHTODS: The immunohistochemical technique SP was used to detect the Ang-2,Tie2 and MVD which was marked by CD34 in 42 cases of breast cancer,16 cases of breast fibroadenoma and 13 cases of normal breast,the associations between their expressions and the features of clinical pathology of invasive ductal breast carcinoma were also analyzed.RESULTS: The positive rates of Ang-2 and Tie2 in malignant breast tumor were 95.2% and 92.9%,much higher than those in normal breast and breast fibroadenoma which were 15.4%,15.4% and 12.5%,12.5%,P=0.001.There were close correlations between Ang-2 and CD34,Tie2 and CD34.CONCLUSIONS: Angiogenesis is enhanced in breast carcinoma.Ang-2/Tie2 may play a critical role in promoting tumor angiogenesis and progression in human breast carcinoma.
The aim of this study was to record traditional medicinal uses of weed flora of sugarcane crop in district Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa during the year 2012. It was the first attempt to understand the importance of weeds with special reference to their medicinal uses in this area. Study was conducted in 25 distant villages of District Bannu in order to collect information from 100 resourceful persons including 85 men and 15 women related to the collection and use of common weeds found in the field of sugarcane. Questionnaires were developed to collect data from local Inhabitants. Total of 73 weed species belonging to 65 genera and 27 families were documented having medicinally important and are being used by the local people for treating their various diseases. Out of the 27 weed families, three were monocots (with 13 genera and 13 species) and 24 were dicots (with 52 genera and 60 species). Asteraceae contributed significant number of species (12 genera and 12 species), followed by Poaceae (11 genera and 11 species), Papilionaceae (5 genera and 5 species), Solanaceae (4 genera and 5 species), Malvaceae (4 genera and 4 species), Amaranthaceae (3 genera and 5 species), Euphorbiaceae (3 genera and 3 species), Polygonaceae (2 genera and 4 species), Plantaginaceae (2 genera and 2 species), Verbenaceae (2 genera and 2 species), Chenopodiaceae (1 genera and 3 species), and Convolvulaceae (1 genera and 2 species). The rest of the families were represented by only one species each. Data were systematically arranged in alphabetic order of botanical name, synonym, family, followed by English name, local name, part(s) used and ethnomedicinal uses. It was found that the area is rich in indigenous knowledge associated to weeds but still there is large number of underutilized weeds which could not prove useful yet. It is suggested that such type of studies should be carried out in future on utilization and conservation of indigenous knowledge of weeds. Keyword: Ethnobotany, Weeds, sugarcane, Bannu.
The federal government has asked its agencies to incorporate environmental considerations when planning new projects and activities. Environmental impact assessments and statements (EIA and EIS) provide a basis for review and analysis of a proposed project's environmental consequences. The Environmental Impact Computer System (EICS), which the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory has developed, helps planners efficiently identify the primary and secondary impacts of their proposed projects or activities and suggests ways to mitigate these impacts. This manual assists Army personnel in accessing EICS for activities associated with construction, one of the nine functional categories of Army activity. The manual begins with definitions of new terminology and an overview of the system's philosophy, purpose, and components. Included in the step-by-step instructions for accessing the system are designation of construction activity categories and detailed construction activity descriptions. An input form, necessary for obtaining EICS output, and instructions for its completion are provided. This form includes filter questions which help the user reduce output to more site- and project-specific information. The manual discusses in detail procedures necessary for using EICS output for environmental impact assessment, and outlines the steps for preparing a proper and complete EIA/EIS. The EICS will save its users time and money by eliminating unnecessary library and field research.
ABSTRACT  Like many other developing countries, naturally pluralistic in term of social differentiation, social structure is considered central factor in order to grasp political parties in Indonesia which follow social distinction to gain political power. However, little research has been conducted investigating specifically how or what strategy political parties use to exploit social distinction for political benefit as well as questioning whether or not categorization of major social distinction flooding by Cliffort Geertz notion of santri-abangan dichotomy is still relevant . That led me to conduct a field research investigating the ratification delay of Jombang local regulation of education for more than a decade suspected to be caused by party competition in Jombang. Data primarily gathered from in-depth interview and observation as well as secondary data from government resources and were analyzed by using qualitative-descriptive approach. Results show political parties in Jombang use public policy (local regulation) to strengthen their social base. They follow social differentiation in Jombang which is divided to santri-puritan-abangan distinction. Santri party attempts to integrate traditional santri-based education pondok pesantren to local regulation of education in hope they could strengthen their santri social base for political benefit whilst in response, both abangan party and puritan party stop the attempt by delaying the local regulation. Moreover, finding presenting how sosial distinction of Jombang society divided into santri-puritan-abangan shows that Geertz has simplified santri which should actually be distinguished that there are differences between the tradisionalist santri and the modernist puritan.
PURPOSE: A drain structure of air-conditioner for a vehicle is provided to prevent damage to a drain port by separately manufacturing a lower case and a drain port. CONSTITUTION: A drain structure of air-conditioner for a vehicle comprises a blower and a case for an air conditioner. According to air intake modes, the blower draws in inner/outer air and controls the volume of air discharged within a vehicle interior. The case for an air conditioner comprises an evaporator cooling air blown from the blower. A draining unit is formed in the lower case. The draining unit is made of separate members and discharges condensed water. The draining unit is a drain port(64) composed of an assembly hole(62) and a connection pipe. The assembly hole is connected to the outside of the lower case.
Objective To investigate long term surgical outcome of temporal lobe epilepsy with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis on MRI. Methods 25 refractory temporal lobe epilepsy patients with MRI demonstrating unilateral hippocampal sclerosis were included. All the patients were processed anterior temporal lobectomy under intraoperative electrocorticogram( ECo G) monitoring.The seizure outcome were analyzed after long-term follow-up. Results The outcome was favorable.With ILAE classification,1 year postoperatively 76% belonged in class 1,4% in class 2,16% in class 3 and 4% in class 5. 3 years postoperatively,68% belonged in class 1,4% in class 2,24%in class 3,and 4% in class 5,5 years postoperatively,65% belonged in class 1,29% in class 3and 6% in class 5. Conclusion The long-term surgical outcome of temporal lobe eiplepsy with unilateral hippcampal sclerosis on MRI is favorlable,the quality of life for patients was improved.
Radioimmunoassays for LH-RH were performed on frozen rat brain sections cut serially in coronal, parasagittal and horizontal planes. In some of the assays, samples were pooled from corresponding areas in different animals. A clear pattern of distribution of LH-RH rich regions emerged. Two prominent components - a caudal high curve and a rostral smaller hump - were observed, and their variable characteristics discussed. The high curve represents the arcuate-medium eminence (ME) region. Our data suggest that this region is not homogeneous, and three different subdivisions of this arcuate-ME region can be distinguished on the basis of LH-RH content. High values were obtained consistently in the arcuate-ME region, except for females in the late afternoon of dioestrus day 2, at which stage the levels in this region dropped until they were little more than base line. The rostral hump of high LH-RH activity varies both in position and amplitude. These variations are associated with (1) the sex of the animal and (2) the stage of the female cycle. In males this hump appeared in the region of the suprachiasmatic nucleus, while in dioestrous females it appeared in the medial preoptic area, rostral to the male location. Some changes in LH-RH levels are thought to be related to the stage in the female sex cycle. During the afternoon of dioestrus, the caudal high curve representing the arcuate-ME region shrank, whereas the rostral smaller hump (preoptic region) showed much higher levels. Some feed-back take-off may occur from the LH-RH released by the arcuate-ME region. Instead of synthesizing its own LH-RH, the preoptic area may concentrate some of the LH-RH released from the arcuate-ME region, thereafter initiating sexual behaviour as suggested by Moss & McCann (1973).
approved: Douglas A. Keszler The emphasis of this work has been toward characterization of the optical properties of several inorganic borates and oxoanion halides. General surveys have been conducted to identify features that may be important for the development of new phosphors. Toward this goal, Sr6YAI(B03)6, a representative member of the large family of compounds designated STACK, was doped with Bi+3, Pb+2, Ce+3, Eu+2, Tb+3, and Eu+3. Its luminescent characteristics were predictable on the basis of the site symmetries of the Sr and Y atoms. The poor overlap between Ce emission and Tb excitation in these hosts precluded efficient energy transfer. Twenty-three new materials were doped with the ion Eu+3, and ratios of areas of the emission peaks 1D0>7F1 (orange) to 11210>7F2 (red) were determined. The compounds BaNaB9O15 and BaLiB9O15 were found to exhibit the highest red to orange ratio among the tested materials. Redacted for Privacy The compound Sr LiB9015 has previously been examined as a possible nonlinear optical material. Following UV excitation, a bright green luminescence from a Ce, Tb codoped sample has been observed. Unusual luminescence properties have recently been observed for the host InB03 and selected tellurites. In these materials, there appears to be sufficient overlap between the conduction band of the host and excited levels of selected dopants to give rise to a photooxidation of the dopant. To determine if this effect could be associated with an isolated In center, the compounds Sr3Sc(B03)3, Sr3ln(B03)3, and Sr3Lu(B03)3, were doped with Bi+3. Evidence for an ionization effect was not found, but a clustering of Bi+3 ions is proposed. LUMINESCENT PROPERTIES OF INORGANIC OXIDES by Kimberly Hockaday Dahm A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Completed December 5, 1994 Commencement June 1995 Master of Science thesis of Kimberly Hockaday Dahm presented on December 5, 1994
It is not easy to translate 'Oratorio' and 'Cantata' into proper Chinese, but the meaning can be described in terms of changing movement. Such changes have seen three big turning directions: from religion to secularism, from polyphony to homophony, from chamber music to symphony. From the emergency of 'Oratorio' and 'Cantata' to the end of Baroque times is one such stage of changing movement, which is characterized by the transformation from religion to secularism.
What makes a good learning environment? Over the pa  st century education authors have  tried to define the concept of learning environment  s as it is recognised to mean more than  just physical space. This paper will discuss learnin  g in the context of practice  opportunities, break-out rooms, technology and grou  p learning. The authors contend that  using break-out rooms assists deep learning; rooms  need to be big enough for a group to  spread out so as to obtain good social distance. Thi  s aids discussion of a collegially  combative nature. A large whiteboard is vital; this  simple technology facilitates formative  group-based learning. And assessment structure matt  ers; a single end of unit assessment  focuses students on formative learning opportunitie  s rather than on piecemeal mini  assessments
Protease produced from a newly isolated strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied. Physico-chemical conditions such as temperature,pH and incubation time were optimized for the best enzyme production. The strain produced about 560U/ml of the enzyme at27°C in a production media of pH 8 in 24h. Case in was found to be the most suitable substrate. Various parameters such as optimum temperature and pH, temperature and pH stability, effect of metal ions and detergentson the enzyme activity were studied. The optimum temperature and pH were found to be 60°C and pH 10, respectively. Enzyme was stable at temperature 25°C to 40°C but the stability declined above 40°C. The enzyme was also stable at pH 7 to 10 and showed maximum stability at pH 10 after 2h of incubation. Metal ions as Mn++, Cu++ and Ca++ enhanced the activity of the enzyme. The enzyme showed compatibility at 60°C with commercial detergents.
The terahertz band is an electromagnetic region that has important scientific values.In the recent twenty years,remarkable progress in the research on terahertz wave has been achieved.The properties and applications of terahertz wave are presented in this paper.Also,the generation and detection methods of terahertz wave are introduced.Combined with the research characteristics of China Jiliang University,the future work on terahertz wave is discussed.
The development of equilibrium network methods from astarte corridor model of 1969 to the urban mass transit administration incorporation of the frank wolfe algorithm for equilibrium estimation into utps. The relationship between different approaches to the underlying mathematical programming specification of equilibrium demand and flow on the network are discussed, and the more recent work on producing a range of different equilibrium algorithms is given as an example.
BACKGROUND Attention throughout Europe continues to focus on bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), with increasing evidence linking it to the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. In particular, recent attention has been directed at Portugal, where the incidence of confirmed BSE cases continues to rise.   METHODS We modelled the age-specific incidence of BSE in Portuguese-born cattle by birth cohort as a function of: the survival distribution; the cohort-specific incidence of BSE infection; the age-specific probability, conditional on survival, that an infected animal will experience clinical onset; and the under-reporting rate of BSE cases prior to 1998.   RESULTS We obtained good fits to the age-specific incidence of BSE by birth cohort in Portugal. Under a range of assumptions, the estimated incidence of BSE infection was relatively low initially, except possibly in the 1989 cohort, and then rose gradually between the 1992 and 1994 cohorts. The estimated decrease in infection incidence between the 1994 and 1995 cohorts probably reflects the effectiveness of the ban on the use of mammalian meat and bone-meal introduced in Portugal in mid-1994. Assuming no infections in animals born after June 1995, the models predict that the incidence of BSE cases in Portugal will peak in 1999 with BSE case-incidence declining thereafter.   DISCUSSION Our results illustrate the power of epidemiological analysis to detect decreasing trends in infection incidence prior to the resulting decrease in case incidence. The findings should inform the deliberations of the European Commission, which recently reported concerns about the sharp increase in case incidence from 1997 to 1998.
The effect of Titanium on the microstructure of grey iron was investigated experimentally in this work. Tensile test bars of grey cast iron of near eutectic alloys containing 0.01, 0.1, 0.26 and 0.35% Ti, respectively were made in green sand moulds. Chemical analysis, metallographic investigation and thermal analysis of the specimens were carried out thoroughly. An SEM and TEM study were performed in order to observe the effect of Ti on the microstructure of the alloys in smaller scale. Furthermore, the microstructure and thermal analysis are related and discussed.
The study of protein-protein interaction is an important part of the proteomics,with the further study of protein-protein interaction,the research techniques of it has been developed and perfected. The article will introduce the features and applications of these skills,such as the two-hybrid system,biolu- minescence resonance energy transfer,bimolecular fluorescence complementation,fluorescence resonance energy transfer,bimolecular interaction analysis,protein chips et al.
The aim of the thesis is twofold: to analyze the effects of the expectations on the Bothnia Line on the housing market and expectations on railway use. To fulfill these aims, three questions are considered: 1. To what extent is property prices influenced by the expected effects of the Bothnia Line? 2. Are there differences in expectations on regional development and future journeys between residents in different locations and with different individual characteristics? 3. How are trips to work affected by the expectations on the Bothnia Line and the performance of the train service according to residents in different locations? Property prices are investigated quantitatively with data delivered from Lantmaeteriet. The data contains every sold property from 1994 to 2001 in the municipalities of Umeaa, Nordmaling, and Oernskoeldsvik. Expectations on regional development and future travelling on the Bothnia Line were investigated with two questionnaires conducted in the autumn of 2002. The empirical results from the study of property prices are clear. There are no signs of influence from the Bothnia Line on the property prices close to the railway stations or in the proximity of the railway. The empirical results from the questionnaires reveal a mixed picture of the expectations. In the municipalities located furthest away from the railway, the expectations are low. On the contrary, a large proportion (>75 per cent) of the residents in municipalities along the railway line believe it can be useful for the population in general when searching for new employment opportunities. This is especially true for males living in Oernskoeldsvik. A significantly smaller proportion (approx. 25 per cent) believes they will use the railway themselves. One explanation to the geographic variations is that they are a result from an ongoingdiffusion process. Residents in Oernskoeldsvik were the first ones to have a visual image of the railway since the construction started there. As the construction continues, the expectations might increase in other locations as well. Another possibility is that people only react on word of mouth from someone that actually made a trip before they consider changing the mode of transport. If that is the case, the expectations will increase only after the opening of the railway line. With the exception of residents in Nordmaling, expectations on future journeys with the Bothnia Line are low. The low expectations on journeys on the Bothnia Line might be explained by the lack of attraction between the places along the line. They are satisfied with their present situation and cannot find any rationale to consider other alternatives. It is a different story if they are forced to consider other alternatives. The result from a stated preference study shows that if they are offered employment at another place, the majority is willing to commute (A). This report is also available at http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-662.
The analysis of alpine sediment cascades requires the identification, differentiation and quantification of sediment sources, storages, and transport processes. On a continental scale the Alps can be considered as source area with high rates of sediment production and huge amounts of sediments available for transport. However, large areas shift to (intermediate) sediment storages when analysing smaller spatial and temporal scales. These sediment storages frequently interrupt sediment fluxes and therefore decouple alpine cascading systems. Valley blockings due to large rockfall deposits or glacial oversteepening effects are possible causes for decoupled systems. As a consequence characteristic knick points in longitudinal profiles with increased sediment storage above and reduced sediment storage below develop. Subject to the considered spatial scale, altering driving forces controlling sedimentation patterns and processes can be observed. Whereas the variability of major driving forces (e.g. geology, lithology, and climate) controls sedimentation patterns on larger scales, the relation of landscape adjustment to specific topoclimatic, morphometric and subsurface characteristics is of major concern on smaller scale investigations. Both categories of parameters controlling sedimentation in high mountain systems show a high variability in the area under investigation (upper Möll basin with several subcatchments, approx. 430 km2). Due to the location within the transition zone between Tauern Window formations and the Palaeozoic, geological, lithological, and tectonical conditions are varying significantly between the different subcatchments. In addition, small scale driving forces are also highly variable, not only between different subcatchments, but also within them. In this context, the spatial variability of permafrost conditions and a heterogeneous glacial imprint in the study area plays a key role for the explanation of local patterns of sediment storage and flux. In contrast to frequent studies dealing with alpine sediment budgets on smaller scales, this contribution highlights the transferability of locally acquired field data to a mesoscale catchment. For this purpose, the whole set of the above mentioned parameters have to be analysed complementary in order to identify key parameters finally serving as input for modelling postglacial relief evolution. Overall objectives of this study are to improve the knowledge of source area characteristics in general and to provide a better understanding of source to sink linkages in alpine sedimentary systems.
This article analyzes the theory that political and historical forces have created a legal environment that has weakened shareholders and resulted in a relatively large degree of fragmentation of ownership. The article observes that shareholders desiring to exercise control over management may be able to contract around whatever legal rules are established, thereby evading the constraining influence these rules might have on corporate structure. One important example may be found in the venture capital industry. By contracting with managers, who are often desperate to acquire venture capital funding, venture capitalists seek concessions that allow them to exercise actual or, more frequently, potential control over management as well as constrain the activities of managers. In addition to significant board representation, venture capitalists often impose restrictive covenants governing managerial self-dealing and compensation, abuse of corporate opportunities and competition with the firm, new issues of stock, and disclosure of company information. The capital structure of the portfolio company also gives venture capital investors leverage over management, which may be used to conform managerial actions more closely to investor interests. Venture capital investors achieve these ends through contractual means despite a regulatory environment that may frustrate active investor control over corporate activities. The venture capital company therefore provides a potentially powerful rebuttal to the notion that political and historical forces have created legal rules that inevitably prohibit shareholders from exercising significant influence in corporate governance.
In models with extra dimensions that accommodate a TeV-scale gravity, small black holes could be produced in near future accelerator experiments. Such small black holes, whose gravitational radius is much smaller than the characteristic size of extra dimensions can be very well described by asymptotically flat solutions, thus losing the information about the global geometry of the extra manifold. One might conclude that such small black holes would be indistinguishable in different scenarios. We argue that important differences still exist, especially regarding experimental signature in colliders, which may help us distinguish between the various extra dimensional scenarios. The main differences come from the fact that most of the models with the warped extra dimension have an additional discrete Z2 symmetry that makes the brane behave as if it were an infinite tension brane.
Aerodynamic shape design has long persisted as a difficult scientific challenge due its highly nonlinear flow physics and daunting geometric complexity. However, with the emergence of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) it has become possible to make accurate predictions of flows which are not dominated by viscous effects. It is thus worthwhile to explore the extension of CFD methods for flow analysis to the treatment of aerodynamic shape design. Two new aerodynamic shape design methods are developed which combine existing CFD technology, optimal control theory, and numerical optimization techniques. Flow analysis methods for the potential flow equation and the Euler equations form the basis of the two respective design methods. In each case, optimal control theory is used to derive the adjoint differential equations, the solution of which provides the necessary gradient information to a numerical optimization method much more efficiently then by conventional finite differencing. Each technique uses a quasi-Newton numerical optimization algorithm to drive an aerodynamic objective function toward a minimum. An analytic grid perturbation method is developed to modify body fitted meshes to accommodate shape changes during the design process. Both Hicks-Henne perturbation functions and B-spline control points are explored as suitable design variables. The new methods prove to be computationally efficient and robust, and can be used for practical airfoil design including geometric and aerodynamic constraints. Objective functions are chosen to allow both inverse design to a target pressure distribution and wave drag minimization. Several design cases are presented for each method illustrating its practicality and efficiency. These include non-lifting and lifting airfoils operating at both subsonic and transonic conditions.
The rotor impeller wheel methods and axial turbine for the production of coated turbine blade. The present invention relates to a method for producing coated turbine blade (40), thereby the frequency characteristics of the turbine blades can be particularly easily adapted to the required boundary conditions. Therefore, the vanes of the turbine blades (40) after coating the turbine blade (40) tip (42) be provided with a recess (48) is performed. .FIELD 4
As a basic step, in this study we propose a model to describe the snatch incident on residential streets. This model is based on one of the methodologies of social science and the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design’s concept. The objective variable is the feasibility of snatch and explanatory variables are physical factors concerning road network design and traffic regulation, like traffic volume and visible range on streets. As the result of the application to actual situations, the model provided reasonable predictions for distribution of point of incidence in a street section. It is possible to examine the influence that road network design and traffic regulation have on snatch by extending this model to road network.
The soluble hexavalent chromium Cr (VI) used in industrial welding is an environmental contaminant widely recognized to act as a carcinogen, mutagen and teratogen towards humans and animals. The carcinogenic potential of metals is a major issue in defining human health risk from exposure. In the present investigation, 93 welders and 60 control subjects with similar mean ages, smoking prevalences and alcohol consumption were enrolled for DNA damage analysis in blood leucocytes by Micronucleus assay (MN) and the Comet assay. DNA repair inhibition was also analyzed by assessing XPD gene polymorphism. Welders showed a significant increase in micronucleated cells compared to controls with respect to their smoking habits and alcohol consumption, age and years of exposure (P<0.05). Results indicated that the welders had a larger mean comet tail length than that of the controls (P<0.05). The current study suggested that chronic occupational exposure to Cr (VI) during welding could lead to increased levels of DNA damage and repair inhibition.
The food waste to the grinding, is provided. A crushing of the food treatment system according to the invention in one aspect is milled with at least one drive blade that is formed extending from the body, the rotating shaft being rotatably fastened to the inside of the body and the rotary shaft having an open area therein a screw, and a ring in the form of a hollow outer surface, the inlet and the outlet is formed to include an exhaust path to be fastened to the upper end of the body. Further, the crushing of the food treatment system according to the invention in another aspect is provided with at least one drive blade that is formed extending from the body, the rotating shaft being rotatably fastened to the inside of the body and the rotary shaft having an open area therein It includes a pulverizing screw, and a cover which can be fastened removable on an upper part of the body. A pulverizing screw, the cover, the exhaust channel unit, grinding, rotary shaft, a non-laid
No discussion of the topic of oncology chemotherapy quality improvement is complete without the patient as the focus of health care provider efforts. To explore the patients' perspective in their wellness quest, we present an interview with a patient who was diagnosed with lymphoma and received autologous stem cell and allogenic bone marrow transplants. As health care providers, let us never forget that advances in the science of medicine will ultimately be judged by their lasting effects, either positive or negative, on real people.
The Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias was already famous in the United States as a caricaturist, when in 1931 he began the series, ?Impossible Interviews?, easily the most innovative caricatures of his career. All told, he produced 38 gouaches, roughly one per month, for the magazine Vanity Fair and then, when that publication folded in 1935, for its sister publication, Vogue. The Impossible Interviews not only represent the pinnacle of his caricatural work, but also mark a significant step in the development of the postmodern world. The thesis which I propose ? ?The Impossible Interviews of Miguel Covarrubias: Redefining a Culture of Celebrity,? examines the artistic importance of these works and shows how they incorporated new definitions of fame, identity and success, and contributed to the development of what French philosopher Guy Debord called ?la societe du spectacle?. Each caricature, which was accompanied by an imaginary conversation written by Corey Ford, paired two celebrities, well known to the public, but who had never actually met in real life (for example, psychiatrist Sigmund Freud and screen star Jean Harlow). Since Covarrubias did the majority of his caricatures in the United States before returning to Mexico in the mid-1930s, much of the documentation for the thesis is to be found in The National Portrait Gallery and The Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.), The New York Public Library and the Library for the Performing Arts (New York) and The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center (Austin, Texas). Using the Impossible Interviews, the thesis illuminates important cultural changes that took place in America in the 1930s. At the same time, it will show how they anticipate the 21st century and a social system which values fame, the mask, and the simulacrum more than reality itself. In addition, the thesis relies upon observations by Covarrubias?s contemporaries, as well as latter-day experts in caricature and celebrity, such as Beverly Cox, Wendy Rick Reaves Reaves, Sylvia Navarrete, Adriana Williams and Daniel Boorstin.
Because of the limitation of energy and the huge number of nodes in a WSN,it takes a long time for all nodes to transmit a new program then the working period of the network becomes longer.On the other hand some nodes cease working before receiving all new program because of shortage of energy,and this causes quite a lot waste of time and energy and makes the network traffic heavier.Prompt Response network reprogramming mechanism for wireless sensor network will avoid sending new program to those nodes which have insufficient energy.It will send new program to those nodes which stand in line within regular hops,then copy new program to one of their neighbors,and after that,acquisition and data processing start,The advantages of this mechanism has been theoretically proved.
The development on study of polycrystalline silicon production technology and the treatment methods of its tail gas are reviewed.Six kinds of common production process of polycrystalline silicon and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed.The recovery technology of the tail gases from polycrystalline silicon production and the improvement process from open-circuit control to close-circuit control are related emphatically as well as the advantages of close-circuit circulation technology.
Sol-gel silica-supported hydrated silicotungstic acid (STA sol-gel), prepared by incorporating hydrated silicotungstic acid (STA) into silica via sol-gel technique, was used as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst for condensation reaction of a mixture ricinoleic acid (RA) and oleic acid (OA). The activity and selectivity of STA sol-gel for the condensation reaction of a mixture RA and OA have been investigated and compared with unsupported STA and homogeneous perchloric acid. STA sol-gel and bulk STA catalysts surface were characterized using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. The reactions were carried out under vacuum (2 mBar) for 10 hours at 70 0C under solvent-less conditions. The Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) of reaction products results showed chromatographic peaks for the presence of three new monoestolides at retention times (tR) 9.2 min (m/z 577.48, as [M-H]-), 11.2 min (m/z 559.46, [M-H]-) and 12.6 min (m/z 561.48, [M-H]-). STA sol-gel catalyst is new promising heterogenous catalyst that can be used for producing estolide compounds from a mixture of RA and OA. STA sol-gel gave 100 % conversion with 60.62 % selectivity to ricinoleic-ricinoleic monoestolide acid (m/z 577.48, [M-H]-), 25.69 % selectivity to ricinoleic-linoleic monoestolide acid (m/z 559.47, [M-H]-) and 13.65 % selectivity to ricinoleic-oleic monoestolide (m/z 561.48, [M-H]-).
Objective To inresigate the situation of bacteria contamination of thermos bottle corks and analyse the disinfection effect so as to provide countermeasures for the hospital.Methods First,under aseptic condition,corks were craped with cotton swabs stained with the aseptic eluent before being sampled.Next,cut off the part that had been touched by the operator's hand.After that,put the cotton swabs into the aseptic eluent of 5 ml and submit them for censorship immediately.Results For those 120 corks given a germiculture both before and after the disinfection after the use in the surgical ward,we had an investigation showing that the corks without disinfection had a large number of conditional bacteria,while the number of bacteria on the corks after disinfection were obviously reduced.Conclusion The pollution of thermos bottle corks has been the potential source of infection in the hospital.In order to avoid and prevent infection in the hositpal,the corks of thermos bottles after use in surgical ward must be disinfected and cleaned strictly according to the requirement every day.
The thermal inactivation of a great number of immobilized enzymes shows a biphasic kinetics, which distinctly differs from the first‐order inactivation kinetics of the corresponding soluble enzymes. As shown for α‐amylase, chymotrypsin, and trypsin covalently bound to silica, polystyrene, or polyacrylamide, the dependence of the remaining activities on the heating time can be well described by the sum of two exponential terms. To interpret this mathematical model function, the catalytic properties of immobilized enzymes (number of active sites in silica‐bound trypsin, KM and Ea values in silica‐bound α‐amylase and chymotrypsin) at different stages of inactivation and the influence of various factors (coupling conditions, addition of denaturants or stabilizers, etc.) on the thermal inactivation of silica‐bound α‐amylase were studied. Furthermore, conformational alterations in the thermal denaturation of spin‐labeled soluble and silica‐bound β‐amylase were compared by electron spin resonance (ESR) studies. The results suggest that the biphasic inactivation kinetics reflects two different pathways according to which catalytically identical enzyme molecules are predominantly inactivated.
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The invention relates to a device (10) and a method for processing of output parts (11) and for sorting it severed waste parts (12). For this purpose, there is an optical detecting means (38) which is adapted to at least one geometric feature G to detect each drop part (12) and to generate a said at least one detected geometric characteristic G corresponding control signal S. The control signal S is transmitted to a sorting means (33). Depending on the received control signal S supplied to the waste part (12) is sorted. This makes it possible to assign the severed waste parts (12) a particular output component (11). This in turn allows the assignment and determination of the material from which the waste part (12) that is corresponding to the material from which the output part (11). This makes it possible, for example, for large pressing plants, the different waste portions (12) disposed in a common flow of material through a conveyor (28) are transported to distinguish such a way that its origin from an output part (11) and thus determine its material can , This allows a clean separation of the waste parts (12).
Traditional school programs frame gang membership as anti-social behavior where the adolescent operates outside the normative structure of the school. As a result, schools outlaw gang presence by banning gang colors or the "flashing of gang signs, " etc. Alternatives seem to have no long term or large group effect. In effect, gang membership seems to be increasing rather than decreasing among MexicanAmerican adolescents. We consider the decision making component of Mexican-American adolescents as they weigh the benefits of joining a gang or opting for the traditional value structure that is offered by the American public school.
In the past 15 years corporations and governments have developed a growing appreciation of the need for "sustainability" and have worked the term into their goals, strategy and mission statements. Despite extensive efforts to define the term, there is still little clarity on how to move toward sustainability or measure improvements. Further advances toward sustainability will require system specific metrics to assess both current performance and the impact of operational, technological or regulatory changes on that performance. Not only are there currently few operational metrics by which to practically assess progress toward sustainability, there is also very little understanding of how to judge the effectiveness of such metrics. Electronics recycling is used in this thesis as a case problem in developing and evaluating system specific performance metrics for sustainability. Electronics recycling is a growing national and international concern due to the increasing volume of waste, the potential toxicity of the scrap, and reports of improper handling and disposal. Despite this concern, there is limited understanding about the electronics recycling system. There is a need for systematic ways to describe system functioning and quantitative methods to assess system performance. Existing evaluations of eco-efficiency or sustainability are either too aggregated to guide operational decisions or too complex and data intensive to be performed in the context of a low-margin system. A range of performance metrics were developed and assessed for several electronics recycling operators. These included measures of resource recovery and environmental performance. These metrics were assessed for their ability to provide insights on resource efficiency comparable to more complex indicators, with minimal data required beyond that collected for normal business operations. The informative value of these metrics, their ability to capture system behavior, and the similarity between evaluations using different metrics were compared. Recovery effectiveness results for three US Electronic recycling operators are presented based on several quantitative indicators. Results show that current simple measures such as "mass percent to landfill" are not sufficient to fully assess system performance. Composite indicators of systems performance can provide valuable insights even using currently available data collected by operators for business purposes. Thesis Supervisor: Randolph E. Kirchain, Jr. Title: Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering and Engineering Systems
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the in vitro MTT assay for determining the drug sensitivity in fresh human tu- mors. METHODS: We tested the samples from 75 patients with gastric cancer, 55 patients with colorectal carcinoma, 55 patients with bladder cancer and 6 patients with carcinoma of tongue. RESULTS: On the average, the MTT sensitive drug in the above - mentioned first three kinds of solid tumors corresponded with the drug used by clinican experience. The response rate in MTT sensitive group was 73. 8% (48/65) while only 34.0% (17/50) in the control group and 0% (0/10) in MTT resistant group. CONCLUSION: MTT assay appears to be useful in exploring the possible anticancer effect of arsenic trioxide on tongue cancer. This test demonstrats that the MTT assay is clinically useful on an individual basis to optimize chemotherapy.
To simplify the development process of bottom control system for soccer robot,and improve the real-time and robust performance to a high degree,the 32-bite embedded system(ARM) was utilized to take the place of the 8-bite single chip micyococ(SCM).The construction principle,development method,and the software flow-diagram were focused on in detail.The research shows that the control system has the merits of power-saving,high control-precision,high calculating-speed and tiny volume,and is compatible to extend and improve the functions of the robot.
The aim of this study is to detect the presence of Avian Influenza H5 subtype viruses on ducks sold in Sepanjang live bird market. Samples for virus isolation were taken from ducks by pooling cloacal swabs. One pooled sample  contained three individual samples. Swab samples were inoculated in SAN (Specific Antibody Negative) 9-11 days embryoned chicken eggs, then were incubated at 37oC for 5 days. At fifth day, the allantoic fluids from embryoned  chicken eggs were harvested, then they were tested using HA test. HA test was positive when hemaglutination of chicken red blood cells was shown. The positive allantoic fluids were continued for HI test. HI test was positive when inhibition of hemaglutination was shown, that was signed by unagglutinated, sedimented erythrocytes on the base of microplate’s wells. The result for this study showed  that from 100 pooled samples; that came from 300 ducks; there was 18 pooled sample (18%) had Avian Influenza H5 subtype viruses.
The combination of mineralogical and geochemical data of sedimentary rock can reveal the nature of source rocks, the tectonic settings of the sedimentary basins and the Paleoclimatic conditions. The aim of this research is to determine the geochemistry and mineralogy of the Imobi sandstones and to infer the provenance and possible depositional environment for these sand stones. Eight rock samples were collected from the study area, some portion were used for geochemical analysis to determine the chemical composition using X-ray fluorescence and the remaining portion were also used for mineralogical analysis to determine the mineralogical compositions and to estimate the modal percentages of minerals in the Imobi sandstone samples with the aid of the Petrological microscope. From the geochemical analysis, sixteen (16) elements and oxides were revealed and they includes SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3, Fe 2 O 3, CaO, V 2 O 5 , ZrO 2 , SO 3 , K 2 O, Br, P 2 O 5 , CuO, TiO 2 , MnO, Rb 2 O, As 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , while the mineralogical study show the presence of three minerals along with accessory minerals, they include quartz, iron oxide, microcline and accessory minerals. The presence of element and oxides like Br, V 2 O 5 , ZrO 2 , CuO, Rb 2 O, As 2 O 3 and MnO (especially Br which occurred in a recognizable quantity of about 12%-27%) suggests the depositional environment of the Imobi sandstone to be a shallow marine or near marine environments.  However the abundance Of Fe 2 O 3 infers the derivation of the sediments from a metamorphic source. The Petrography study reveals the presence of microcline, a feldspathic mineral commonly found in metamorphic rocks, and is consistent with the inference made from the geochemical composition that the provenance of these sandstones is from a metamorphic origin Key words: Geochemical, Sandstone, Aluminum, Bromine, Marine, Quartz, Provenance.
Nowadays, in the era of global competition with regard to the growing economy and tight. The Government should prepare a generation of human resources quality, creative, and innovative. One of the container to find the HR role is through education. There are still many agents of education especially higher education who have not yet applied the science of entrepreneurship in the life of a lecture. This research aims to describe how the implementation of entrepreneurial management who are in Bali STIKOM through college industry. Using data collection techniques of observation, interview and documentation of entrepreneurial management concept with a honed i.e. planning, organizing and implementation. This research was conducted in the campus environment STMIK STIKOM Bali. The results of this research are the activities of the industrial College became one of the entrepreneurial management implementation opportunities by creating a generation of active, creative, innovative, with the goal of nation-building. This activity is implemented by all students STMIK STIKOM Bali and initiated by the management team Committee. The lecture Industry aims to create the actor driving the economy of the country by giving real learning to the students about the world of work, the world of entrepreneurship in the field of IT and non IT by presenting speakers that have been successful in the world expo as a container and industr students implement entrepreneurship through food.  Keywords: Entrepreneurial Management, Industrial College, STIKOM Bali
The invention discloses a method, a monitor, a printer and a simulation platform for printing data and belongs to the technical field of computers. The method comprises that current printing data sent through a bus by the printer is received on a first special address; and the current printing data is sent to a displayer through a special port, so that the displayer enables the current printing data to be printed. The monitor comprises a first receiving module and a first sending module. The printer comprises a first receiving module and a first sending module. The simulation platform comprises the monitor and the printer. According to the method, the monitor, the printer and the simulation platform for printing the data, the problems that the printer is not capable of outputting the printing data to the displayer, so that the displayer is not capable of printing the printing data, SOC verification efficiency is reduced and SOC verification cost is improved are solved, the effects of improving the SOC verification efficiency and reducing the SOC verification cost are achieved.
as stated by Orton (1943) the term "reversing reader" (strepho symbolia) may be applied to describe those school children who demonstrate one or more of the following: 1] confusion of single letters "b" and "d," "p" and "q," 2] tendency to read words back wards (read "was" for "saw," "on" for "no," "ratshin" for "tarnish" or "astrep" for "repast"), 3] ability to read mirrored print very well, or 4] ability to mirror write very well. There are many studies reported in the literature which discuss the tendency to make reversal errors during the reading of English by children studying only English, but none pertaining to the tendency to make reversal errors during the reading of English by children studying both English and Hebrew. Since English and Hebrew require contrasting direction ality, the purpose of this study was to determine what possible effect simultaneous instruction in both of these languages has upon the tendency to make reversal errors during the reading of English. The children studied were the twenty-three (twelve females; eleven males) students in grade two, and the twenty (nine females; eleven males ) in grade three of the Yeshiva of Hartford, a Hebrew day school in Hartford, Connecticut. This school is twenty-seven years old and serves children from diversified socio-economic back grounds. Classes are conducted starting with the nursery school through the ninth grade. Children in the kindergarten participate in a reading readiness program in both Hebrew and English, and formal instruction in the reading and writing of both of these languages is initiated in the first grade. During one-half of the school day, each student receives a secular education comparable to that offered in the public schools. During the other half, under different teachers, he engages in a Hebrew program which includes the study of reading and writing.
The invention discloses an MIMO parallel test method and system based on a multi-core DSP, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. According to the method and system, N cores of the DSP are divided into a master control core and demodulation cores, so that control information sent by the master control core reaches the demodulation cores at the same time, parallel processing is achieved and MIMO data processing efficiency and data processing ability are improved.
With the references from the design concepts and experiences of the relevant foreign projects,the structure systems,design parameters,design calculation methods and the construction procedures of the articulated concrete block revetment are systematically summarized herein in accordance with the actual cases of the similar projects applied at home;so as to provide a basis and some references for both the design and construction of this kind of revetment,and then,for compiling the design code and standard concerned in China.
Japanese merger and acquisitions strategy to leverage country's cheap labour and establish long-term competitive advantage has been challenged by today's world economy that performed below the expected growth. This study explores the efficiency of the Japanese affiliates in the regions of North America, European Union, Newly Industrialized Economies (NIEs), ASEAN4 and China for manufacturing sub-sector from 1997 to 2012 that believe could help Japan to regain her competitiveness. Results found that the Japanese affiliates in North America and Europe are relatively efficient as compared to the rest of the regions. The efficiency for iron and steel industry is relatively higher as compared to other manufacturing industries in ASEAN4, NIEs and China. The efficiency for electrical machinery in Europe and transportation, electrical machinery and chemical in North America industry are relatively higher as compared to other manufacturing industries.
Assessment of different eco-friendly approaches for their efficacy against pulse beetle (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) on mungbean under storage condition during the year 2017-18 at Department of Entomology, Agril. Research Station, Badnapur. Based on the biological parameters of the pulse beetle viz., (Oviposition, number of holes, adult emergence, per cent insect infestation and per cent weight loss), significant variation was observed among the treatments with respect to seed damage. Among the treatments castor oil @ 5 ml/kg was found significantly superior over the others and followed by karanj oil @ 5 ml/kg seeds and sesamum oil @ 5 ml/kg seed were found effective against pulse beetle for minimum ovipositional preference, adult emergence, seed infestation and weight loss etc. All the treatments found to be superior over untreated control. In eco-friendly protectants can be used as sustainable, safer human and environment, alternative to protectants for long term storage of pulses. Hence, they may be recommended in food security programme as eco-friendly alternatives of synthetic pesticides against pulse beetle of mungbean.
In the framework of the Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) and lexical transfer in Machine Translation (MT), the representation of word meanings is one critical issue. The conceptual vector model aims at representing thematic activations for chunks of text, lexical entries, up to whole documents. Roughly speaking, vectors are supposed to encode ideas associated to words or expressions. In this paper, we first expose the conceptual vectors model and the notions of semantic distance and contextualization between terms. Then, we present in details the text analysis process coupled with conceptual vectors, which is used in text classification, thematic analysis and vector learning. The question we focus on is whether a thesaurus is really needed and desirable for bootstrapping the learning. We conducted two experiments with and without a thesaurus and are exposing here some comparative results. Our contribution is that dimension distribution is done more regularly by an emergent procedure. In other words, the resources are more efficiently exploited with an emergent procedure than with a thesaurus terms (concepts) as listed in a thesaurus somehow relate to their importance in the language but nor to their frequency in usage neither to their power of discrimination or representativeness.
We explore the kinematic and chemical properties of Monoceros stellar overdensity by combining data from 2MASS, WISE, APOGEE, and $ text{Gaia}$. Monoceros is a structure located towards the Galactic anticenter and close to the disk. We identified that its stars have azimuthal velocity in the range of $200<v_{ phi} ,{ rm(km ,s^{-1})}<250$. Combining their kinematics and spatial distribution, we designed a new method to select stars from this overdensity. This method allows us to easily identify the structure in both hemispheres and estimate their distances. Our analysis was supported by comparison with simulated data from the entire sky generated by $ texttt{Galaxia}$ code. Furthermore, we characterized, for the first time, the Monoceros overdensity in several chemical-abundance spaces. Our results confirm its similarity to stars found in the thin disk of the Galaxy and suggest an $ textit{in situ}$ formation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the southern (Mon-S) and northern (Mon-N) regions of Monoceros exhibit indistinguishable chemical compositions.
This work investigated the thermal fatigue behavior of Inconel-738LC material deposited thermal barrier coating by vacuum plasma spray(VPS). The Inconel-738LC material which is widely used as a turbine parts is a CoNi-based superalloy with CoNiCrAlY bond coating and ZrO₂-8wt%Y2O3 ceramic top coating. The micro structure of coating layer was analyzed by SEM/EDS and XRD. Thermal fatigue tests were performed using compact tension specimens at 550,750,950℃, with the load frequency of 10㎐. The fatigue crack growth behavior was characterized depending on number of cycles. The crack growth rate was found to be greater at lower frequency and higher temperature.
The invention discloses an information processing method and an electronic device. The method is applied to an electronic device with an alarm clock function. The method includes the following steps: when it is detected that a preset alarm clock starting time reaches, a first instruction is generated; and the first instruction is executed to control the electronic device which is in a power-off state to start so that the electronic device enters a first work state and the alarm clock function of the electronic device is started, wherein the first work state represents that the electronic device is in a first sleep state and the power consumption of the electronic device in the first work state is lower than the power consumption of the electronic device in a normal work state.
The invention discloses an equipment monitoring and controlling system of an instrument. An equipment information description module describes and defines equipment. An equipment operation and configuration module performs parameter configuration on an information item. An equipment operation and management module sets up the service environment when the equipment is controlled and operated. An equipment order dispatching module receives equipment program control orders input by all users and is matched with orders in an equipment program control order list. If matching succeeds, an executing successive sequence of the equipment program control orders is planned, and an equipment order executing module is triggered. The equipment order executing module verifies input parameter values corresponding to the equipment program control orders input by all the users. If verification is passed, a parameter format is input according to the order required by a control protocol of the equipment, and input parameters are coded and sent to corresponding equipment. An order executing result is waited to be sent back by the equipment, and the executed result is sent to an equipment parameter decoding managing module which decodes the executed result and sends back the equipment order executing condition to the users.
Objectives. The present study was conducted to determine the bacterial aetiology and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of lower respiratory tract infections so as to update the clinicians in the various antimicrobial alternatives available in the treatment. Methods. patients with lower respiratory tract infections were collected in time span of six months. Bacterial pathogens were isolated from sputum specimens, and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing, using standard bacteriologic techniques. Results. Out of the 60 cases, only 46 had an established bacterial aetiology. The most prevalent pathogen pneumoniae followed by Staphylococcus aeruginosa. Gram positive organisms showed 100% susceptibility to vancomycin, linezolid and levofloxacin. While, Gram negative isolates showed high susceptibility with aztreonam, piperacillin/tazobactum and cefoparazone/sulbactum. effective management of LRTIs b acteriological diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility pattern is indispensable.
ObjectiveTo study correlation between the listening attitude and self-consistency.Methods334 college students at school were sampled by grade1,3,5. They were asked to answer the active listening attitude scale and self-consistency and congruence scale,and the correlations between them were analyzed.ResultsThe score of listening attitude was negatively correlated with the total score of self-consistency ( r = -0.307 ),the score of self-rigidity( r =-0.284),and that of inconsistency of self and experience ( r =-0.228),but positively with that of self-flexibility( r =0.167).The score of listening skill was negatively correlated with the total score of self-consistency( r =-0.286),the score of inconsistency of self and experience( r =-0.126),and the score of self-rigidity( r =-0.210).On the contrary,it was positively correlated with self-flexibility( r =0.291).The score of conversation opportunity was negatively correlated with the total score of self-consistency( r = -0.110 ),and that of inconsistency of self and experience( r =-0.165).All the results above were significant at the 0.05 level (2 tailed). ConclusionListening attitude was correlated with self-consistency to some extent. Active listening attitude could improve the extent of self-consistency.
Results of a survey conducted within the United States to determine the extent of development and capabilities of automotive performance simulation programs suitable for electric and hybrid vehicle studies are summarized. The survey was conducted for the Department of Energy by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in support of Public Law 94-413, the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1976.
A business whether small or big, simple of complex, private or public is created to provide competitive prices. Business in Nigeria, has been classified as small, medium and large. In both the developed and developing countries, the government is turning to small and medium scale industries, as a means of economic development and a veritable means of solving problems. It is also a seedbed of innovations, inventions and employment. Presently in Nigeria, SMEs assist in promoting the growth of the countryâ€™s economy, hence all the levels of government at different times has policies which promote the growth and sustenance of SMEs. Small scale industry orientation is part of the Nigerian history. Evidence abound in the communities of what successes our great grand parents, made of their respective trading concerns, yam barns, cottage industries, and the likes.
The paper discuses the application of artificial neural network in quantitative evaluation of mining structure by the example of Dengyo Mine. Firstly on the base of analyzing main factors of mining structure, 12 indexes are decided as evaluating indexes; Secondly, in detail it introduces how to the determine the numbers of input layer, hidden layer and output layer, and how to get the training samples by the methods of optimizing division and inserted value; Finally, after BP network being trained, it tries to evaluate the unknown unites of Dengyo Mine, the result of assessment is feasible.
A new type of hydrotest setup for the filamentwound cases was successfully developed. According to the thrust state of solid rocket motors, its piston diameter was designed, the aft closure used in the former test was replaced by the piston unloading device to decrease the load on the aft adapter. The axial displacement and deflection angle of the tested aft adapter were decreased by 15.6% and 42.1% respectively. The hydrotest setup has a simple structure. The travel is smooth and the dynamic seal between the piston and cylinder is good
Retinoids regulate various aspects of vertebrate development through the action of two types of receptors, the retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and the retinoid-X-receptors (RXRs). Although RXRs bind 9-cis-retinoic acid (9cRA) with high affinity, in vitro experiments suggest that RXRs are for the most part not liganded, but serve as auxiliary factors forming heterodimers with liganded partner receptors such as RAR. Here we have used RXR- and RAR-specific ligands 4-[1-(3,5,5,8,8-pentamethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2-napthyl)ethenyl]b enzoic acid (LG69) and (E)-4-[2-(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2-naphthalenyl)-1-prope nyl]benzoic acid (TTNPB), and show that, in the context of an embryo, liganded RXR can mediate retinoid signal transduction. This conclusion emerges from examining the induction of several retinoid-responsive genes in the limb bud (Hoxb-6/-8, RARbeta) and in the developing central nervous system (Hoxb-1, otx-2). RARbeta and Hoxb-1 genes were most effectively activated by a combination of TTNPB and LG69, suggesting that the activation of these genes benefits from the presence of ligand-bound RAR and ligand-bound RXR. Hoxb-6/-8 genes were most efficiently induced by LG69, suggesting that liganded RXR can activate these genes. The regulation of the expression of the otx-2 gene was complex; expression was repressed by TTNPB, but such repression was relieved when LG69 was provided together with TTNPB, suggesting that ligand-bound RXR can overcome repression of transcription exerted by liganded RAR. Based on these findings, we propose that in our experimental system in which ligands are provided exogenously, transcriptional regulation of several genes involves liganded RXR.
Most of traditional electric power system calculation software,such as PSASP has the function of network loss calculation but without the function of special reactive optimization computation.As for the reality demand,based on the Matlab2009a and Delphi7.0 development platform and using the object-oriented idea,we developed a visual computing software meeting the need of reactive operation optimization and reactive planning optimization in power system.The drawing platform of single line diagram was developed by vector graphics control TCAD of Delphi,the important calculation program was formed by m-file of Matlab2009a.Then,the calculation program was embedded into Delphi in form of control through the COM technology.The software posses such functions as power flow calculation,reactive operation optimization and reactive planning optimization etc.Finally,this software was illustrated to have simple operation and good optimization effect through example and the development goal of reactive optimization visual calculation was achieved.
A battery system comprising: a plurality of battery modules that are electrically coupled together in series. The battery system further comprises: a first electronic control unit (ECU), which is configured to be used as a master ECU. Electronics coupled to the master ECU plurality of battery modules in the first battery module. The battery system further comprises: a plurality of slave ECU, wherein each slave ECU is electronically coupled to one of the other battery module of the plurality of battery modules. The master ECU is configured to control whether to provide power to a plurality of said each slave ECU.
Dao is the most basic concept in Chinese culture. I t came from primitive ritual, was rationalized in the period of Pre-Qin Dynasty, and is relative to every aspect in ancient Chinese culture. And by its relation s with other philosophical concepts, such as Wu(nothingness), Qi(air) and Li(rat ion), and with other cultural concepts, such as Xin(heart), Yan(speech) and Lu( way), Dao presents the characteristics of Chinese culture.
Taking lithium carbonate,nickel hydroxide and nitric acid as raw materials,LiNiO2 was synthesized by half solid-state reaction,and influences of synthesis condition and synthesis process on performance of product were investigated.The thermal behaviors of the samples were analyzed by DSC-TG,and the microstructure and phase composition of the samples were characterized by SEM and XRD respectively.The results show that the thus-obtained samples has 60% whiskers with a diameter less than 0.3um and a length about 4～6um,when they were prepared at the condition of 250℃ drying temperature,heating from 25℃ to 620℃ with a heating rate of 5℃ / min,and calcinated at 620℃ for 9 hours.
The role of the community and voluntary sector in developing effective responses to drug and alcohol misuse is now clearly recognised and appreciated1. The Ballymun Youth Action Project has been to the forefront of this response from the outset, through the development of prevention education, community based treatment responses, and research initiatives designed to identify community specific patterns. This strategic plan provides another tool in the ongoing development of this response. It is drawn up in a context marked by economic challenge and uncertainty, but at the same time in circumstances where there is evidence of greater openness toward interagency work, the integration of services, and a clear emphasis on client focused outcomes. It is hoped that this document will provide support for the enormous amount of ongoing services provided by the Ballymun Youth Action Project, and at the same time provide clear direction in relation to future developments within our work and the way in which we organise our work.
The need for information is basic for concrete and explicit management decision to ensure the success and survival of an organization and since the aim of any business organization is “profitability” Accounting information is indispensable to achieving this goal. Hence, this research work studies how effective and efficient the instrument of good accounting information is in decision making in an organization. It also looks at the importance of good accounting information as it relates to maximizing the profitability target of an organization. Despite the huge information provided to the management of the selected tertiary institutions, management deviates from the set objectives. The purpose of this research work is to find out the impact of the use of accounting information in decision making in the tertiary institutions and to identify the cause of failures in education sector by providing possible solutions. Organisation should eradicate weak accounting systems by making sure that every staff in the Accounts Department is co-operative and fully conscious of his or her role in the department so as to produce good accounting information.
The operation of colliders are often limited by the nonlinear effects of beam-beam interaction, especially for the strong current machines, such as BEPCII (BEPC multibunch collision scheme). The beam-beau interaction in BEPCII is very complicated. The bunch will collide with another bunch head on at the south interaction point and interact with another bunches due to the long distance beam-tram force at other eleven points along the ring. This paper has studied the tune shift and tune spread due to the long distance beam-beam interaction effects. The long distance beam-beam effects of BEPCII injection mode have also been studied.
Efficiency evaluation of command automatic system is an important part of operational research. The paper analyses the characteristics of C~3I system, designs a tool of efficiency evaluation, introduces its primary function modules and its work flow and finally discusses the technology of its implementation. The tool is universal to different kinds of C~3I system and has good expansibility and it improves the intelligence of efficiency evaluation of C~3I system.
Introduction. Coronary surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) causes a significant inflammatory response with potential postoperative adverse effects. The off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (OPCABG) allows to perform myocardial revascularization in a more physiological way, without external circuits or cardiac arrest. Mainly because its greater technical complexity new alternatives were sought. The Mini-extracorporeal circuit (MECC) is a modification of conventional CPB that intends to maintain the technical advantages of the conventional CPB reducing its deleterious effects. There are numerous studies demonstrating that off-pump coronary artery surgery and mini cardiopulmonary bypass coronary artery surgery have lower morbidity and generate less inflammation than surgery with conventional CPB. But there are only few studies that compare OPCABG with MECC coronary artery surgery. Previous research show that morbidity between both of them is equivalent but only two prospective randomized studies have compared the inflammatory response of both techniques, with a maximum of two cytokines studied and with controversial results.. Objective and working hypothesis. It is hypothesized that OBCABG generates less inflammatory response than MECC coronary artery bypass surgery. The aim of our research is to compare the inflammatory response after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery and after mini-extracorporeal circuit coronary artery bypass surgery. Material and methods. A prospective and randomized study was performed in 230 patients for coronary artery bypass graft surgery. After the randomization process 117 patients were assigned to OPCABG group and 113 to MECC group. Of all patients, 40 patients were randomly selected, which resulted in 19 of the OPCABG group and 21 of the MECC group. From each of them we obtained four blood samples corresponding to four times of the perioperative process. The variation of inflammatory markers was our primary endpoint. The process was divided into two phases: initial determination of 19 inflammatory mediators and definitive cytokines determination in the remaining 30 patients. Results. Of the initial 19 cytokines, the levels of 9 of them did not change significantly compared to baseline, with no differences between groups: TGF-α, Fractaline, IFN-γ, IL-1ra, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-4, MIP-1α y VEGF. Over the 48 hours analyzed the OPCABG group had higher levels of GRO, MCP-1, MCP-3, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and sCD40L, all with pro-inflammatory function. MECC group presented higher levels of IL-10, MIP-1β and EGF in the 48 hours studied, the first two anti-inflammatory and the latest pro-inflammatory. These differences were statistically significant. Conclusions. OPCABG surgery produces greater inflammatory response than MECC coronary artery bypass surgery. Therefore, the working hypothesis is rejected. Similar studies are needed with larger number of patients to confirm the results.
In short, the European Union, as we know it, no longer exists. The very foundations on which it was built are eroding. Shared memories of the Second World War have faded away – half the 15- and 16-year-olds in German high schools do not know that Hitler was a dictator, while a third believe that he protected human rights. The collapse of the Soviet Union has stripped away the geopolitical rationale for European unity. The democratic welfare state that was at the heart of the post-war political consensus is under siege by, among other things, sheer demographics. And the prosperity that bolstered the European project’s political legitimacy is vanishing. More than six out of ten Europeans believe that the lives of today’s children will be more difficult than those of people from their own generation.    Against this background, how unthinkable is the EU’s disintegration? Should Europeans make the mistake of taking the Union for granted? Should they assume that the Union would not collapse because it should not collapse? Here, Europe’s capacity to learn from the Soviet precedent could play a crucial part. For the very survival of the EU may depend on its leaders’ ability to manage a similar mix of political, economic and psychological factors that were in play in the process of the Soviet collapse. The game of disintegration is primarily a political one driven much more by the perceptions and misperceptions of the political actors than simply by the constellation of the structural factors – institutional and economic.
BACKGROUND Several studies have reported several platelet abnormalities in patients with sub-clinical or overt thyroid dysfunctions. The primary mechanism that affects the hemostatic balance is excess or deficiency of thyroid hormones. The different ways of thyroid gland to the platelet function are not yet clearly understood. The relationship between in the thyroid gland and platelet activation without thyroid hormones has not been studied yet.   AIM The aim of our study is to determine the platelet function in euthyroid patients undergoing thyroidectomy in females.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The study group includes 52 female euthyroid patients undergoing thyroidectomy. The control group consisted with 21 healthy euthyroid female. Platelet count (PC), platelet mass (PM), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW) were measured. PM was calculated by multiplying MPV and PLT.   RESULTS MPV (8.4 ± 1.3 versus 7.9 ± 0.8) and PDW (17.8 ± 1 versus 17.6 ± 0.8) values were similar between the two groups.   CONCLUSIONS Thyroid gland does not directly affect platelet activation. Accordingly, platelet abnormalities of thyroid disease can be considered to be independent of the underlying thyroid tissue. This finding suggests that association between thyroid diseases and platelet function is dependent on the status of thyroid hormones.
The relation between ownership centralization and corporate performance,and the relation between independence on the board of directors and corporate performance are very important aspects in corporate governance.Most research only test the direct relation.But the triangle relation exists in them.In this paper,an empirical analysis based on the structural equation model is presented to study the triangle relation.The samples are data of corporates included in Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 Index.We find a negative correlation between ownership centralization and independence on the board of directors,a negative correlation between independence on the board of directors and corporate performance by the empirical analysis.Ownership centralization not only affects corporate performance directly but also indirectly by independence on the board of directors.
Being essentially cut off from the global scientific community, Ukrainian and Russian scientists have developed a new concept for the beneficial use of adaptation to artificial intermittent hypoxia in treating of many diseases. The basic mechanisms underlying intermittent hypoxic training were elaborated mainly in three areas: regulation of respiration, free radical production and mitochondrial respiration. Twenty-year experience of the application of intermittent hypoxic therapy for the treatment of chronic obstructive bronchitis and bronchial asthma allows affirming that the adaptation to this kind of hypoxia causes a significant improvement of the clinical picture or even a complete recovery. The absence of negative side effects, typically observed during drug therapy, and the stimulation of organism's general, nonspecific resistance, makes the hypoxic therapy a treatment with a future. A special note is devoted to the use of intermittent hypoxic training in industrial health care for the purpose of prophylaxis and treatment of professional diseases.
The extraction conditions of jujube polysaccharide were optimized by designing orthogonal experiment,and the extraction rates of jujube polysaccharide were 11.33% with water soak method,12.40% with ultrasonic method and 10.98% with microwave method under the optimal conditions.The study on anti-oxidation confirmed that in the concentration range of 0.075mg/mL to 0.135mg/mL the maximum scavenging ratio was 48.5%(microwave),47.1%(water soak) and 28.2%(ultrasonic) respectively.Three kinds of jujube polysaccharide extracts could scavenge.OH in vitro,which showed the relationship to dose-dependence,but the anti-oxidation of jujube polysaccharide extracted with the different extraction method has the significant deviation.It shows that the bioactivities of jujube polysaccharide depend on the extraction condition.In view of these results,the microwave method has the best effect in the extraction of jujube polysaccharide by synthesizing extraction process,extraction rates and anti-oxidation efficiency.
Abstract Diet is a major modifiable lifestyle factor that may affect the components of the metabolic syndrome. We aimed to investigate the association between relative proportions of macronutrients and the components of the metabolic syndrome in a population of individuals with type 1 diabetes. In all, 791 individuals without nephropathy, with plausible energy intake and known metabolic syndrome status, taking part in the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study were included in the analyses. Dietary data were collected with a diet record. The association between the relative macronutrient intake and the outcome variables were analysed using multivariable nutrient density substitution models. The relative proportions of dietary macronutrients or fatty acids were not associated with the presence of the metabolic syndrome. In men, however, favouring carbohydrates over fats was associated with lower odds of the waist component, whereas favouring either carbohydrates or fats over proteins was associated with lower odds of the blood pressure component of the metabolic syndrome. In women, substituting carbohydrates for fats was associated with lower HDL-cholesterol concentration. Substituting carbohydrates or fats for alcohol or protein was, in men, associated with lower systolic blood pressure. To conclude, the relative distribution of macronutrients may have some relevance for the metabolic syndrome.
The present invention relates to high efficiency amphiregulin duplex oligo RNA specific to amphiregulin is the expression inhibitor of phosphorus that may be usefully employed in the prevention or treatment of respiratory diseases. Further, the present invention is simple covalent bond or linker hydrophilic and hydrophobic substance in order to improve the efficiency of improving and cell transfer stability in vivo of specific double-stranded oligo RNA of the above amphiregulin - it relates nanoparticle has a structure and their specific double-stranded oligo RNA to amphiregulin by covalent attachment of a medium.
E-Commerce constitutes an important part of all commercial activities. Online Alternative Dispute Resolution(Online ADR) or Online Dispute Resolution(ODR) is a new method of dispute resolution which is provided online. Most Online ADR services are alternatives to litigation. In this respect, they are the online transposition of the methods developed in the ADR movement such as negotiation, mediation and arbitration. But there are also online courts which are really normal courts in which the contesting parties communicate essentially online. This paper deals with the current operation of Online ADR and the ways to activate it. They include (1) the establishment of legal stability regarding Online ADR, (2) the enhancement of system security in providing Online ADR services, (3) the introduction of Online ADR service platform for providing the various services through single window on a national or global basis, and (4) the introduction of Online ADR online monitoring system for systematic dispute resolution services.
Multimedia has been used to describe a wide variety of computer-based systems, primarily the integration of video with text, still images, animations, other graphics, audio, etc. Interactive multimedia is a newer concept, but the benefits of its proper use are well documented. For example: * Harvard Business School uses a CD-ROM based multimedia course entitled "Managing International Business" as an aid in devising global strategies. * George Washington University teaches knowledge acquisition skills through a multimedia program called KARTT (Knowledge, Acquisitions, Research and Teaching Tool). * Anderson Consulting Co. has developed several multimedia training packages to teach basic business functions. * The Educational Technology Laboratory, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, S.C., has developed two multimedia programs for middle school students. Their purpose are (1) to encourage middle school students to explore various environmental careers and (2) to help students understand that high school is the place to start preparing for those careers by taking as many math and science courses as possible. Based on statistics from 650 middle school students, both multimedia programs were very successful. Students enjoyed using them and they met their objectives. Their success is attributed to the following reasons, among others: * Detailed design plan with a realistic timeline; * A design team that held organized and frequent meetings; * Enthusiastic and cooperative educators and students; and a * Well-designed evaluation plan. * United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y. (Department of Electrical Engineering -- Computer Science) has developed an adaptive hypermedia interface based on individual students' learning styles. Initially, students had online access to a wide variety of multimedia tools including slides, a student response system, extensive graphics and sound files, animations and digital movies. However, this plethora of tools confused many students and the value of making all this multimedia available was questioned. As a result, an adaptive hypermedia interface was developed based on the Felder Learning Style model. The Felder model defines five dimensions of learning, of which four are measurable: sensing/intuitive, visual/ verbal, active/reflector and sequential/global. An assessment tool developed at North Carolina State University determines each student's learning style. …
OBJECTIVE To compare the differences of three diagnostic criterions for metabolic syndrome( MS), issued by the National Cholesterol Education Program(NECP), International Diabetes Federation(IDF) and CDS,in a Chinese population aged 35-64 years in 11 provinces.   METHODS A total of 29 564 Chinese resedents aged 35-64 years were recruited from 11 provinces and a survey on cardiovascular risk factors was conducted in 1992. Additionally,3129 participants were added into the study from 1996 to 1999. MS prevalence was calculated according to three definitions and results of MS components distributions and risk factor aggregation were analyzed.   RESULTS (1)The age-adjusted prevalence of MS in Chinese population were 18.7% for ATP III criterion, 14.6% for IDF criterion and 9.0% for CDS criterion,respectively. (2)Seventy-seven point eight percent of the subjects with MS diagnosed by ATP II criterion presented central obesity. Four point six percent of subjects without MS diagnosed by IDF criterion and 11.2% of subjects without MS diagnosed by CDS criterion presented at least 3 risk factors, respectively. (3)Kappa index showed 0.795 for ATPIII criterion and 0.899 for IDF criterion when applied in Chinese population. (4)The shortest distance in ROC curve for forecasting risk factor aggregation of MS was 0.40 in male and 0.34 in female when waist circumferences were 85 cm in males and 80 cm in females respectively.   CONCLUSION ATPIII definition could be used to detect the highest prevalence of MS and the percent of risk factor aggregation among three definitions. The appropriate cut-off points of waist circumference for Chinese were 85 cm for male and 80 cm for female respectively.
Ozet Orgutsel adalet, yonetim yazininda bircok calismaya konu olmustur. Bu calismada Orgutsel Adalet Olcegi kullanilarak (N=466) orgutsel adaletin medeni duruma gore iliskisi incelenmistir. Analizler sonucunda bekârlarin orgutsel adalet algisinin evlilere gore daha yuksek oldugu belirlenmistir. Anahtar Kelimeler : orgutsel adalet, orgutsel adalet algisi, medeni durum Abstract There are many different researches on the subject of organizational justice in management literature. In this specific research, with the usage of Organizational Justice Scale (N=466) the perception of organization justice according to marital status is surveyed. At the end of the study, it is proved that bachelors have a higher perception on organizational justice compared to married people. Keywords: organizational justice, organizational justice perception, marital status
In this paper, we consider the long-term effects on economic output of fiscal deficits and banking crises. Using an unbalanced panel of thousands of annual observations from 169 countries around the world, we find very limited evidence that (average) banking crises have either statistically significant or substantial effects on GDP growth five years after their onset. The evidence for deficits is mixed, such that deficit spending seems to have negative impacts on long-term growth only if performed in a pro-cyclical fashion; counter-cyclical deficits have either a much smaller negative impact, or in fact a positive impact, depending on the sub-sample of countries examined, although generally not statistically significant in either case. We further find that the effect of deficits on growth varies substantially by income category and by geographical region. Finally, we find no consistent evidence for a "catch-up" effect, whereby countries with lower incomes are postulated to grow at higher rates.
With the coming of the Big Data period,Big Data researches have escalated from technical level to national RD level rapidly.This paper focused on the research questions and applications of 'Big Data Research and Development Initiative' program in American national defense fields,explored the new challenging and discoveries for national RD strategy,and tried to apply these new ideas into China's technology innovation management researches in order to help handle with the opportunities from Big Data effectively.This paper proposed the two-way decision making model for the technology innovation management researches,involving both the traditional 'objective-based decision making' and the 'data-based decision making' concepts with Big Data,and extended this model to 'assessment and forecasting' and 'monitoring and early warning' systems separately.The aim of this paper is to improve the ability to extract knowledge and insights from large and complex collections of digital data in China's technology innovation management researches.
Previous studies have demonstrated that the Chinese medicine paeoniflorin, derived from the Ranunculaceae plant peony, peony, purple peony root, was able to have anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-hypersusceptibility and anti-oxidation activity. In order to elucidate the pesticide effect and the mechanisms by which paeoniflorin exerts its effect of anti-inflammation and immunoregulation on oxazolone-induced colitic mice, disease activity index (DAI) and histological grading of colitis (HGC) were evaluated in animal model. Moreover, the expressions of HBD-2, IL-6 and IL-10 of mice with experimental colitis were observed with immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR in this study. Results showed that DAI and HGC of oxazolone control group was significantly higher than that of normal control group, and that paeoniflorin groups and 5-ASA group, compared with oxazolone control group, could alleviate the symptoms and histological damages of colitic mice (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The expression of HBD-2 and IL-6 cytokine on the colon of colitic mice was higher than that of normal control, paeoniflorin and 5-ASA groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), but the expression of IL-10 is lower than that of normal control, paeoniflorin and 5-ASA groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). The positive correlations were demonstrated between the expression of (HBD-2 and IL-6) and DAI (Pearson r = 0.728, Pearson r = 0.758, P < 0.01, respectively), (HBD-2 and IL-6) and HGC (Pearson r = 0.819, Pearson r = 0.825, P < 0.01, respectively), whereas, the negative correlations were demonstrated between the expression of IL-10 and DAI (Pearson r = -0.789, P < 0.01), IL-10 and HGC (Pearson r = -0.725, P < 0.01). It can be concluded that to some extent paeoniflorin effectively alleviate the symptoms of oxazolone-induced colitis through regulating the expression of HBD-2, IL-6 and IL-10.
The so-called imago refers to the structure which can express sensibility independently,the special scenery and things which the poet implies his/her given sensibility and comprehensions.It is the carrier on which the poet expresses his/her thoughts and feelings.The visualization refers to the artistic ambit shaped by the real life usually described in the literatures.However, the concept of the artistic ambit is larger than that of the imago,which is usually,formed by imagoes thus imago consisted in the artistic ambit is not the same.They are concepts closely related but different.
The position paper of the GastrointestinaL Oncology Section of the Israeli Gastroenterological Association recommends specific guidelines for surveillance after polypectomy and curative resection of colorectal cancer. Periodic colonoscopy is necessary for early detection of metachronous lesions or cancer recurrence. After polypectomy of a simple hyperplasic polyp, colonoscopy is repeated in 10 years. Small adenoma dictates colonoscopy after 5-10 years. In the case of advanced adenoma, repeat coLonoscopy is to be conducted after 3 years. The personal impression of the colonoscopists may advance procedures to an earlier colonoscopy, especially after piecemeal polypectomy of a large sessile polyp. Fecal occult blood test or any other screening procedures are not needed after polypectomy. Colonoscopy, carcinoembrionic antigen examination (CEA) and liver imaging are necessary for surveillance after curative resection of colorectal cancer, and improve survival. Total colonoscopy should be performed before the operation or in cases with obstructive carcinoma, colonic imaging should be completed with virtual colonoscopy. Total colonoscopy should be performed 3-6 months after surgery if not conducted previously. The next follow-up is needed 3 and 5 years after the operation. After low anterior resection, the recurrence rate may be high and patients who have not undergone radiation therapy nor mesorectal resection should undergo sigmoidoscopy every 3-6 months for 2-3 years after surgery.
AIM: To determine the contents of ephedrine、laetrile、glycyrrhizic acid and liquiritin in Huagai Powder traditional decoction and granule decoction(Herba Ephedrae,Semen Armeniacae Amarum,Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae,etc.) by HPLC. METHODS: An Agilent SB-C_(18) column was used for ephedrine,the mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid(4∶96),detection wavelength at 207 nm;An Agilent XDB-C_(18) column was used for laetrile,the mobile phase was methanol-water(23∶77),detection wavelength at 215 nm;An Agilent XDB-C_(18) column was used for glycyrrhizic acid,the mobile phase was methanol-0.2 mol/L ammonium-acid(67∶33∶1),detection wavelength at 250 nm; An Agilent XDB-C_(18) column was used for liquiritin,the mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.5% acetic acid(20∶80),detection wavelength at 276 nm. RESULTS: There were discrepancies between traditional decoction and granules in the contents of four ingredients,the average contents in granules were more than those in the traditional decoction. CONCLUSION: The peaks of the four ingredients are(segregated)(effectively),and the method is simple,conveient,exact and has good reproducibility,the other ingredients do not have interferences for the determination.
Experimental hepatosis induced by intragastric administration of CCl4 was revealed to be accompanied by changes in temporal organization of lipid peroxidation, sideremia and iron excretion with urine. Even at early stages of organ lesions, the activation of free-radical lipid oxidation and rearrangement of sideruria circadian rhythm were found to result in a substantial and stable increase in mesor of the trace element excretion with urine in spite of a statistically significant decrease in water release.
A petrochemical effluent is usually a matrix of very high complexity and composition variability, requiring robust and suitable methods for routine analysis. In this paper, the feasibility of applying a voltammetric technique for the determination of metals species in the petrochemical industry effluent was demonstrated after UV-assisted digestion procedure. Voltammetric (electrolyte volume, deposit time, pulse time, pulse amplitude and scan rate) and digestion variables (hydrogen peroxide volume, nitric acid volume and digestion time) were studied using a 2-level factorial design. The developed voltammetric method using anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) presented limits of quantification of 11, 5, 15 and 5 µg L−1 for Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu, respectively, and was effective to analyze petrochemical effluents after UV-digestion.
The study about the adjustment of the changes of industry core interests in mode of development for sericulture and silk industry is analyzed and researched by scientific concept of development.Understood anew the interests between each subject in industry chain,this paper puts forward a new argument about reshaping development subject group of sericulture and silk industry,innovates the industry chain architecture of sericulture and silk industry,forms the rational interests allocation mechanism for insider trading in industry chain,and explores the new model of the industrial distribution,and etc.
Objective To investigate both intracranial and extracranial components surgical approach to resect the jugular foramen (JF) lesions in single stage.Methods With the aid of the magnification(×3 40), the microsurgical anatomy and extended exposure of the transjugular approach were studied in 10 cadaveric head neck specimens of adults.Results The exposure of the transjugular approach was directed through the jugular process of occipital bone to posterior surface of jugular bulk (JB). After removal of the mastoid process and the petrous bone under the labyrinth, the vertical segment of facial nerve was skeletoned. The exposure was extended lateral to JF.The transverse process of C 1 was removed and the segment of the VA between the transverse foramen of C 2 and its entrance of the dura was seperated, the cervical exposure was extended. The tympanomastoid notch and the posterior belly of digastric were closely related to facial nerve. Conclusions The modified transjugular approach can provide sufficient exposure for JF. The tympanomastoid notch and the posterior belly of digastric are useful anatomic landmarks to identify facial nerve.
The observatory data of the magnetic differences and the azimuth between frusta in the Seismic Standard Station of Chengdu are put in order.The comparative measuring methods,the quality of observer and the measurement precise degree are checked in order to provide the users in future with the tables which include the original observation data,the 11 items differences for the F,I,D,H and Z observatory elements,the direction and azimuths formed between observatory frusta.
One kind of magnetic field sensor of the electronic compass using the magnetic field sensor, the magnetic field sensor for sensing the magnetic field component in each axis on a first reference coordinate system, and the first reference frame is associated with the magnetic field sensor. Wherein, when the first magnetic field sensor on the reference coordinate system wherein a sensitivity axis A is different from the sensitivity of the remaining coordinate axes, the magnetic field component in the axis A following equation available Am corrected: Am = Am ( n-1) × (Wa-1) / Wa + Am (n) × 1 / Wa (a) where, Am (n) refers to the current measured along the the field component of the axis a, Am (n-1) along the axis a of the first magnetic field component measured or calculated before means, Wa, compared with a weight value. Advantageous effects of the present invention can be made more accurate Am magnetic field components, so that a digital compass can be made more accurate pitch angle, roll angle, or yaw.
The invention provides an SAN access control method which is applied on edge network equipment of an SAN and comprises the steps that Zone configuration information of the SAN is obtained, and the Zone configuration information comprises default Zone policies and Zone members; Zone rules are generated according to the default Zone policies; rule characteristics of the Zone members which are involved in the Zone rules are obtained; access control list items are generated and issued among the Zone members with the different rule characteristics according to the Zone rules. By the aid of the technical scheme of the SAN access control method, the number of the access control list items is reduced, and the access control resources of the network equipment are saved.
The study starts with an explanation of ‘innovation’ and its significance for business organizations, followed by a description of Bad Schwartau, the company of investigation; its market environments, competitors and its current product portfolio. The next chapter contains an explication of the five dimensions of innovation (Tidd & Bessant, 2009), what these dimensions cover and why they are a useful approach for the investigation. Two methods have been chosen for the further research, an innovation self assessment survey and a qualitative interview research. The results of the self assessment lead to a ranking of the five dimensions; this gives a first indication about the innovation capabilities of the firm. The second method is a qualitative interview research; it analyzes relevant issues in depth. All content and results of the interviews have been categorized. The core findings are separated in strength and weaknesses. Based on that, areas for improvement have been determined. The research study ends with a set of recommendations, how Bad Schwartau should improve and develop its innovation capabilities.
Energetic hadronic and electromagnetic showers in the keV era of the hot big bang are produced by the decays of long lived particles. These showers initiate a new phase of nucleosynthesis. The abundance ratios of D, /sup 3/He, /sup 6/Li and /sup 7/Li are given by fixed points of rate equations, which are determined by nuclear physics not by the nature of the decaying particle. The fixed points are independent of prior abundances, so that constraints from the MeV era of nucleosynthesis evaporate, except for a requirement that /sup 4/He not be underproduced. For example, ..cap omega../sub B/ = 1 and many more than four neutrino species are both possible. Within the accuracy of our calculation (there are uncertainties of at least a factor of three), the abundances agree with those inferred from observations. Considerable /sup 6/Li is produced and must be depleted in both population II halo stars and in the galactic disk. We predict /sup 6/Li, /sup 3/He and D abundances in primordial material which are higher than conventional nucleosynthesis. 8 refs.
The organic salt, (H2Bpy)(cda)2, was synthesized by the reaction of sodium car- bamyldicyanomethanide, 4,4-bipyridyl and manganese(II) perchlorate in water solution. The crystal belongs to monoclinic, space group C2/c with a = 20.333(7), b = 6.177(2), c = 15.566(5) ? b = 116.860(5), V = 1744(1) ?, Z = 4, C18H14N8O2 (Mr = 374.37), Dc = 1.426 g/cm3, F(000) = 776, m = 0.100 mm-1 and l = 0.71073 ? The structure was refined to R = 0.0560 and wR = 0.1072 for 590 observed reflections (I 2s(I)). Two nitrogen atoms of the 4,4?bipyridyl molecule bonded to two hydrogen ions, resulting this neutral molecule into a divalent cation. Through the interaction of colorless H2bpy cation and colorless cda anion the red neutral organic salt was formed.
Controlled thrombosis initiates and regulates tissue repair and remodeling in the vessel wall. Processes from heart attack to stroke, and deep vein thrombosis to pulmonary embolism, are all derived from unrestricted clotting. The frustrating aspects of these diseases lie not only in the difficulty of their timely diagnosis, but in the selection of appropriate therapy, titration of intervention, and identification of patients at risk. Assays like the INR, PTT, and ACT can follow the course of specific pathways that govern activation of specific coagulation factors or platelet function, but they do not provide the insight into mechanism, risk and potential therapeutic benefit. We posit that elucidation of the complex dynamics of clot generation requires an integrated assessment that takes into account all of the factors driving thrombosis simultaneously. Virchow's Triad, has for years been identified as the three critical parameters of clot formation. We propose to examine an individual's clot propensity and response to therapy on minute blood samples, in virtual real time, across a range of flow rates, blood state, and wall conditions with the use of our newly developed in vitro highthroughput testing device. In this manner we will generate a unique thrombotic fingerprint that defines an individual's risk of clotting at a specific point in time over a range of stresses. This fingerprint can aid in tailoring therapeutic clinical treatments, determining the duration and dose of therapy, and assist in clinical trial management and establishment of clinical norms. Thesis Supervisor: Elazer R. Edelman Thomas D. and Virginia W. Cabot Professor of Health Sciences and Technology
An emerging aspect of neuronal–glial interactions is the connection glial cells have to synapses. Mounting research now suggests a far more intimate relationship than previously recognized. Moreover, the current evidence implicating synapse loss in neurodegenerative disease etiology is overwhelming, but the role of glia in the process of synaptic degeneration has only recently been considered in earnest. Each main class of glial cell, including astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia, performs crucial and multifaceted roles in the maintenance of synaptic function and excitability. As such, aging and/or neuronal stress from disease‐related misfolded proteins may involve disruption of multiple non‐cell‐autonomous synaptic support systems that are mediated by neighboring glia. In addition, glial cell activation induced by injury, ischemia, or neurodegeneration is thought to greatly alter the behavior of glial cells toward neuronal synapses, suggesting that neuroinflammation potentially contributes to synapse loss primarily mediated by altered glial functions. This review discusses recent evidence highlighting novel roles for glial cells at neuronal synapses and in the maintenance of neuronal connectivity, focusing primarily on their implications for neurodegenerative disease research.
It uses ANSYS to establish the finite element model of inverse structure under moving load to study the effect of over loading on the fatigue life of inverse structure asphalt pavement.The results show that the stress of inverse structure asphalt pavement under moving load which is 0.17MPa,lager than that of half-rigid pavement;the bottom tensile stress of asphalt pavement gets a slight increase with the increase of velocity but no more than 15%;with the increase of load,the bottom tensile stress of the inverse structure asphalt pavement gets a linear increase;and in the case of 100% over loading,the tensile stress is 1.7 times of that in the case of standardized axle load.
PURPOSE: A self-heating electrometer for a high pressure ionization chamber for verifying temperature compensation is provided to easily induce a temperature variation by including an electrical amplifier. CONSTITUTION: An electrical amplifier receives a current signal and converts the current signal into a voltage signal. A compensation circuit (76) corrects the voltage signal and includes a resistor (78), a capacitor (80), and a switch (82). A heat generator induces the temperature variations of the compensation circuit and the electrical amplifier.
Following Donald Trump’s retweeting of Britain First’s anti-Muslim videos, this article shows how the far-right have previously used Twitter as a platform for anti-Muslim propaganda but also to boost the profile and political success of Donald Trump and his political allies. After the Brussels terrorist attack of 2016, some mainstream media outlets reported on a racist hashtag #StopIslam that had been ‘hijacked’ by anti-racists to counter the negative publicity being peddled about Muslims in the aftermath of the attack. This inspired us to seek funding from the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust to investigate the dynamics of this campaign. What we found was surprising. We expected to find a preponderance of European far right voices in the debate but we were wrong!
This study explored three approaches for the utilization of transpiration cooling in thermal protection systems. One model uses an impermeable wall with boiling water heat transfer at the backface (Model I). A second model uses a permeable wall with a boiling water backface and additional heat transfer to the water vapor as it flows in channels toward the exposed surface (Model II). The third model also uses a permeable wall, but maintains a boiling condition at the exposed surface of the material (Model III). The governing equations for the models were developed in non-dimensional form and a comprehensive parametric investigation of the effects of the independent variables on the important dependent variables was performed. In addition, detailed analyses were performed for selected materials to evaluate the practical limitations of the results of the parametric study.
Cournot model of oligopoly appears as a central model of strategic interaction between competing firms both from a theoretical and applied perspective (e.g antitrust). As such it is an essential tool in the economics toolbox and always a stimulus. Although there is a huge and deep literature on it and as far as we know, we think that there is a ”mouse hole” wich has not already been studied: Cournot oligopoly with randomly arriving producers. In a companion paper [Bernhard and Deschamps, 2016b] we have proposed a rather general model of a discrete dynamic decision process where producers arrive as a Bernoulli random process and we have given some examples relating to oligopoly theory (Cournot, Stackelberg, cartel). In this paper we study Cournot oligopoly with random entry in discrete (Bernoulli) and continuous (Poisson) time, whether time horizon is finite or infinite. Moreover we consider here constant and variable probability of entry or density of arrivals. In this framework, we are able to provide algorithmes answering four classical questions: 1/ what is the expected profit for a firm inside the Cournot oligopoly at the beginning of the game?, 2/ How do individual quantities evolve?, 3/ How do market quantities evolve?, and 4/ How does market price evolve?
The primary autoxidation products of polyunsaturated fatty acids are known to stimulate DNA synthesis and induce ornithine decarboxylase activity in colonic mucosa. In the present study we have determined the structural features of the oxidized fatty acids necessary for the stimulation of these two components of mitogenesis. Compounds were instilled intrarectally in either aqueous or mineral oil vehicles and 3 h later (ornithine decarboxylase activity) or 12 h later (tritiated thymidine incorporation), the animals were killed and the colonic mucosa harvested for measurement of the two parameters of cell proliferation. Hydroperoxy and hydroxy fatty acids derived from oleate and stearate were studied. Ricinoleic acid and the alpha,beta-unsaturated ketone derived from oleic acid were also investigated. The minimal requirement for stimulation of cell proliferation is the presence of an oxidized functionally adjacent to a carbon-carbon double bond. All active compounds studied were roughly equipotent, which suggests a common mediator may be involved. These results imply that, in addition to biliary steroids, the autoxidation products of unsaturated fatty acids may play a role in the enhancement of tumorigenesis by high levels of dietary fat. Furthermore, the data suggest a possible mechanism of action for the active compounds.
High-pressured jetting is now widely used in the advanced cutting processes of polymers, metals, glass, ceramics and composite materials because of some advantages such as heatless and non-contacting cutting. Similarly to the focused laser beam machining, it is well known as a type of high-density energy processes. High-pressured jetting is going to be developed not only to minimize the cutting line width but also to achieve the short cutting time as soon as possible. However, the interaction behavior between a work piece and high-velocity abrasive particles during the high-pressured jet cutting makes the impact mechanism even more complicated. Conventional high-pressured jetting is still difficult to apply to precision cutting of micro-scaled thin work piece such as thin metal sheets, thin ceramic substrates, thin glass plates and TMM (Thin multi-layered materials). In this paper, we proposed the advanced high-pressured jetting technology by introducing a new abrasives supplying method and investigated the optimal process conditions of the cutting pressure, the cutting velocity and SOD (Standoff distance).
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease affecting the brain and spinal cord and it is the main cause of neurological disability among young adults. Recombinant interferon beta (IFNβ) and natalizumab are commonly used disease-modifying drugs that reduce disease severity. Even though these treatments show beneficial clinical effects they are associated with the development of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs), which at high titer levels reduce drug efficacy. Although ADAs are known to adversely affect the clinical effect of the treatment on a group level, the treatment response in individual patients is less characterized. In addition, it is unknown why only a subgroup of treated MS patients develops ADAs. The objective of this thesis was to identify biologically relevant ADA titer cut-points that can be used to predict treatment response and persistence of ADAs in individual patients, and to investigate if genetic and immunological factors influence the development of ADAs in MS patients. MS patients analyzed for the presence of ADAs against IFNβ or natalizumab in the routine NAb laboratory at Karolinska Institutet were included in this project. In Sweden, NAb monitoring became clinical practice in 2003 and during 2003-2004 the overall seroprevalence of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) against IFNβ was 32%. When the NAb seroprevalence was analyzed five years later, in 2009-2010, the overall frequency of NAb-positive patients had decreased significantly to 19%. Importantly, the greatest reduction was observed in patients with high NAb titers (study I). By correlating the in vivo IFNβ bioactivity with patients’ NAb titers we identified that a NAb titer of 150 TRU/ml is a biologically functional cut-point for treatment response, since titers above 150 TRU/ml completely block IFNβ bioactivity (study II). Furthermore, characterization of ADA responses in natalizumab-treated patients revealed that the level of total anti-natalizumab antibodies in a first positive sample can be used to predict patients at risk of becoming persistently antibody positive (study V). It is known that factors such as protein modifications and/or impurities impact the immunogenicity of IFNβ, which can explain the variation in NAb positivity between IFNβ preparations. In addition, since only a subgroup of IFNβ-treated patients develops NAbs, patient-related factors are likely to influence the immunogenicity of IFNβ. In study III, we hypothesized that MS patients with and without intrathecal production of oligoclonal IgG bands (OCB) have different propensities to induce humoral immune responses. The presence of OCB was found to be associated with NAb development, and this risk was confined to NAbs against IFNβ-1a. From these results we proposed that MS patients with and without OCB differ immunologically, potentially influenced by distinct human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles. The role of HLA in the immunogenicity of IFNβ was further investigated in study IV, in which we found that HLA-DRB1*15 carriage was associated with increased risk of developing NAbs. Stratification on type of IFNβ preparation showed that HLA-DRB1*15 increased the risk of NAbs against IFNβ-1a, while HLA-DRB1*04 increased the risk of NAbs against IFNβ-1b, indicating that there is an IFNβ preparation-specific genetically determined risk to develop NAbs. Overall, these results can be used to assist when making decisions about whether treatment should be discontinued or not. In addition, the identification of factors contributing to the immunogenicity of protein therapeutics can increase our understanding of the immunological mechanisms leading to ADA responses, possibly resulting in less immunogenic drugs in the future. LIST OF PUBLICATIONS I. Prevalence of anti-drug antibodies against interferon beta has decreased since routine analysis of neutralizing antibodies became clinical practice. Jungedal R, Lundkvist M, Engdahl E, Ramanujam R, Westerlind H, Sominanda A, Hillert J, Fogdell-Hahn A. Multiple Sclerosis Journal 2012 Dec;18(12):1775-81. II. Anti-interferon beta antibody titers strongly correlate between two bioassays and in vivo biomarker expression, and indicate that a titer greater than 150 TRU/ml is a biologically functional cut-point. Hermanrud C, Lundkvist Ryner M, Engdahl E, Fogdell-Hahn A. Accepted for publication in J Interferon Cytokine Res. 2013 Oct III. Multiple sclerosis patients lacking oligoclonal bands in the cerebrospinal fluid are less likely to develop neutralizing antibodies against interferon
The extraction of Event Related Potential (ERP) is one of important points of EEG research. And it is obtained by the method of coherent averaging at the present clinical study. But this way is extremely inconvenient to the test receivers because the EEG signal is non-stationary so that it needs the same stimulations at least over hundred times, furthermore, it has difficulty for the estimation of ERP on time. This paper lists the examples of P300 that reflects the related potential of the brain's recognizing rare events. A method based on the extended infomax of independent component analysis (ICA) is proposed for seldom trials extraction of ERP. In this algorithm, firstly the interferences such as blink artifacts and power noise are removed, then the EEG data is rebuilt finally the several trails are added in order to get a rather satisfied P300 wave patter which is similar to that obtained by the conventional coherent averaging needed over 36 times. It illustrates that the ICA algorithm has an obvious effect on the pattern recognition of ERP peaks latencies, and is valuable for application in clinical engineering.
The operative procedure described by the author, is a combined perineal and abdominal procedure for resection of the rectum. The first step is a perineal approach: patient placed in lithotomy position. The rectum is dissected free of the sphincter ani muscle. The second step perineal and abdominal: patient being placed in a semilithotomy position draped for work in the abdomen and at the same time, in perineum: the sigmoid brought down preferably if it found free of any pathology. On 18 cases of cancer, of the rectum, even some of large volume: when the inferior limit of the lesion was from 6 to 12 mc, above the anus, this procedure was carried on with good post-operative results.
Most claims of global biodiversity loss,while they appear to be reasonable, suffer from the problem of scale. Reliance is placed on data from islands and other restricted localities and extrapolated to the size of the entire globe. It is possible to avoid the scale effect by relying on direct information about extinctions, rather than indirect approximations as indicated by habitat decline, the species-area curve, and invasive species. Aside from isolated islands or space-restricted freshwater habitats, there is a lack of evidence indicating an abnormal loss of species diversity on the EarthÂÂs continents and oceans. Instead, speciation apparently continues to provide the world with gains in biodiversity, leaving little justification for claims of unusual global losses. The worldÂÂs major conservation problem is not the loss of species, it is the plight of thousands of threatened populations, remnants of larger ones that have been over-exploited or restricted by loss of habitat. This means that our conservation attention needs to be shifted from alarm over unsubstantiated global biodiversity loss, to the current problem of the rescue of small populations that are under threat.
Employability is defined as a set of skills, understandings and personal attributes that graduates should have in order to succeed in their careers. But how can humanities disciplines improve graduate employability even further? The feedback from workshops and interviews undertaken for this report demonstrate that the nature of the university context is critical to whether professional standards can be integrated into undergraduate topics and courses.
The objective of this study is to present a method of  performing activity-based cost control for the integrated  schedule-cost management. As a medium between schedule and  cost management, the Project Breakdown Structure is selected.  The existing Project Breakdown Structures are analyzed and the  most appropriate one is selected. It is applied to the scheduling,  estimating and estimate-sheet generation. The estimation is  performed using the standard building element-based database  which enables allocation of resource and cost to the each activity.
The atrium is emerging as one of the most versatile and useful  urban design elements available to contemporary architects and  urban plannerns. Atria add to the inventory of public spaces  available to the pedestrian, Joining inside and outside and enriching  the urban experiance. The purpose of this study is to extract the  caracteristics of the in-between space connecting buildings and the  public space providing urban amenity from the atrium of mixed-use  complex buildings in Korea.
Training deep neural networks requires massive amounts of training data, but for many tasks only limited labeled data is available. This makes weak supervision attractive, using weak or noisy signals like the output of heuristic methods or user click-through data for training. In a semi-supervised setting, we can use a large set of data with weak labels to pretrain a neural network and then fine-tune the parameters with a small amount of data with true labels. This feels intuitively sub-optimal as these two independent stages leave the model unaware about the varying label quality. What if we could somehow inform the model about the label quality? In this paper, we propose a semi-supervised learning method where we train two neural networks in a multi-task fashion: a "target network" and a "confidence network". The target network is optimized to perform a given task and is trained using a large set of unlabeled data that are weakly annotated. We propose to weight the gradient updates to the target network using the scores provided by the second confidence network, which is trained on a small amount of supervised data. Thus we avoid that the weight updates computed from noisy labels harm the quality of the target network model. We evaluate our learning strategy on two different tasks: document ranking and sentiment classification. The results demonstrate that our approach not only enhances the performance compared to the baselines but also speeds up the learning process from weak labels.
The magnifying-glass of Mind. A comparative study of the ideas of J.P. van Praag and contemporary authors on humanism in relation to spirituality. A theoretical investigation has been carried out of the views of Van Praag about humanism and spirituality in relation to those of H. Kunneman, T. Todorov and S. van IJssel. The research can be subdivided into four parts. Part I (Introduction and Chapter 1) introduces the for this study relevant concepts and a more detailed specification of the research topic, that is subdivided in three research questions. Part II (Chapters 2 and 3) contains a short bibliographical overview of the life of Van Praag, next to his theoretical point of views. Part III (Chapter 4, 5, and 6) contains the theoretical views of Kunneman, Todorov and Van IJssel. Finally, in part IV comparisons are made and conclusions will be drawn. Each chapter will be preceded by a narrative text, witnessing and representing the process of the quest and the moments of contemplation; they form also the basis for reflection and scientific insights. The aim of the research is to get insight in the theoretical viewpoints of Van Praag about humanism in relation to spirituality and whether this insight in his theoretical developments might be of interest for current debates about humanism. He could be considered as one of the leading figures in both the theoretical developments on humanistic premises and the organization of the humanistic movement in the Netherlands in the previous century.
To solve the broadcast storm problem caused by blind flooding,a cross-layer fuzzy logic broadcasting algorithm for mobile ad hoc networks(CLFBA) is proposed.CLFBA allow the routing layer to share the received signal power of the MAC layer by the cross-layer design while still maintaining separation between the two layers.The rebroadcast probability is calculated with fuzzy logic,by which the nodes with more additional transmission range and residual energy have higher probability to rebroadcast the packets.CLFBA reduces redundant retransmission and the chance of contention and collision among neighboring nodes in the networks. It also balances energy consumption of the network.Simulation results demonstrate that CLFBA improves the saved rebroadcast and prolongs the network lifetime,reduces the average packet drop fraction per node and the average end-to-end delay,as compared with the blind flooding and fixed probabilistic flooding at the routing layer while IEEE 802.11 at the MAC layer.
Online communities are rapidly growing as an  outlet for social support and community building.  However, very few succeeded in inspiring members  to share their knowledge. The problem of under  contribution in online settings has triggered  researchers to investigate the role of virtual  leadership in promoting knowledge sharing. Using  path-goal theory, this study examines the role of  supportive, participative, and achievement-oriented leadership towards knowledge sharing in online programming communities. Data were collected from 20 online programming communities and used to empirically test the proposed model. The result from the structural equation modelling suggests that the three leadership behaviors significantly moderate the effect of self-efficacy and outcome expectancy towards members’ knowledge sharing in the online programming community. A suitable level of autonomy and recognition of members contributions can motivate members to  continuously contribute to online programming  communities and help promote sustainability in this platform.
The polarization curves of iron in the solutions with diffirent concentrations ofH+ and CI-- are measured. The corrosion parameters of iron are obtained. It is showed that,inthe solutions with high concentrations of H+ and CI--, the anodic process of iron is not apparentlyaffected by CI--, and it can accelerates the HER of cathodic process as increasing itS concentrations. H+ can accelerate the anodic process of iron as increasing itS concentrations.The mechanismof anodic process and HER process are suggested,the r. d. s of HER is Volmer reaction.
More than half of schizophrenia patients have a limited insight in their illness. In an attempt to discover why some patients do not understand what is wrong with them while others do, Lisette van der Meer from the University Medical Center Groningen conducted research into the link between social skills and illness insight. The ability to recognize and understand one’s own and other people’s emotions and the ability to deal with negative experiences appear to be connected to these patients’ insight into their illness. The areas of the brain that are involved in the relevant social skills overlap and are less active in schizophrenia patients than in healthy people.
In the present pluralistic as well as the ancient society there remains a question: How many is God? This work through the study of the Shema (Deut 6:4-5), which is the creedal statement or the confession of faith of Israel, that “God is one,” leads one to the monotheistic faith. This confession of faith is considered the exclusive property of the people of Israel. But then Zechariah 14:9 expands this declaration that includes all the nations of the world whose God and ruler shall be One. Further, this study shows the relevance of the Shema, which is extended to pluralistic societies including the polytheistic and pantheistic society of India. The interpretation of the biblical passage and the intended context of the research points to the oneness of God who desires people to be one and in harmony with the divinity.
Recently,the phenomenon of epithelial cell transdifferentiation has became a focus of multiple discipline such as cell biology and immunology,since it closely relates to pathogenesis and development of diseases in human,which including inflammatory diseases,organ fibrosis,tumorigenesis and metastasis.As a basically biological phenomenon in cellular differentiation and development,transdifferentiation exists in various physiological and pathological processes.The epigenetics can provide new theories to interpret the regulatory mechanism in gene expression and biological heredity.As is known that epigenetic changes of genes that mediated by DNA methylation,histone modification,and non-coding RNAs,play crucial roles in transdifferentiation of epithelial cells.Further identification of mechanisms of transdifferentiation will contribute to better understand of the basic processes in vital phenomenon and providing novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for related diseases.This review describes the relationship between epithelial cell transdifferentiation and epigenetic regulation.
The adult fecundity,egg hatchibility and nymph development of N.muiri China and N.bakeri(Muir),two sibling species of Nilaparvata lugens(Stl) were studied on several common gramineous crops or weeds by using the cage method in laboratory.The results indicated that the suitable hosts of N.muiri and N.bakeri were Leersia hexandra Swart and Leersia sayanuka Ohwi which are different from N.lugens whose suitable host was Oryza sativa.Both N.muiri and N.bakeri could complete their life cycle on rice but could not continue to propagate because the population trend indexes were only 0.2 and 0.02,respectively.The fecundity of N.lugens was significantly higher than N.muiri and N.bakeri.The highest population trend indexes of the three Nilaparvata species were 333.82 of N.lugens on rice,82.06 of N.muiri on L.hexandra and 39.28 of N.bakeri on L.sayanuka,respectively.
stable pelvis fracture is easily treated by conservative treatment with little complication. Unstable pelvic ring fracture, however, is difficult to manage due to various problems. Conservative treatment is rarely indicated because prolonged traction and immobilization often lead to life-threatening complications. The malunion produces pain, limb length discrepancy and eventually poor life quality. Surgical stavilization can help easy care of patients, early mobilization and diminish the morbidity. This study is to present the clinical results of two kinds of metal fixations using seven transiliac bars and four perecutaneous sacral screws for the surgical stabilization of the unstable pelvic ring fractures. Total eleven cases had been operated by  he authors at Geyong-Sang national hospital from .August 1991 to April 1994. They were eight male and three female patients of average forty one years in age(range, eighteen to sixty two years). The average duration of follow-up was thirty one months(range, twenty to fifty three months). All cases of sacral screw fixations revealed satisfactory results bath at clinical and radiological aspects. Out of seven cases of transiliac bar fixation, there was two cases of minor infection and throe cases of painful and palpable hardware requiring removal, especially in thin patients. The results confirm that sacral screw is better tolerated by thin patients in spite of risk of temporary entrapment of sacral cutaneous nerves.
The invention provides a production method of an environment-friendly medium beneficial to environmental protection. The middle-layer medium of the environment-friendly medium is prepared from the following substances of bark, rotted leaf, broken bricks, honeycomb briquet slag, coconut bran and pinecone (scale) at a volume ratio of (2-4):(1-3):(0.5-2):(0.5-1.5):(0.5-1.5):(0.5-1.5); the lower-layer medium is crushed stone; and the upper layer medium is sphagna. The production method comprises the following steps: adding 0.4-0.6 kg of fermentation strain to per cubic meter of bark, leaf mold, coconut bran and pinecone (scale), adding 2-4.5 kg of urea and water, sufficiently mixing, carrying out stacking fermentation, overturning when the center temperature exceeds 50 DEG C, mixing with the honeycomb briquet slag and brick after fermentation, airing and sunning, crushing, and screening; airing and sunning crushed stone, crushing and screening; removing impurities from sphagna and cleaning; and subpackaging the media according to a ratio. According to the invention, the cost is lowered and the environmental pollution is reduced.
The existence and success of an organization in achieving its goals, can not be separated from the human resources factor. human resources have an important role in various sectors, because human resources is a key factor driving all factors in the company. The importance of the role of human resources makes the organization should seek to maximize the existing human resources in the organization, and one way is to improve the performance of human resources in the organization optimally. The purpose of this study to determine the effect of work environment, and career development opportunities on employee performance. The type of research is explanatory research, data collection techniques are questionnaires and interviews. The sample in the study amounted to 72 respondents with sampling technique is the sampling census / population. Scale measurement using Likert Scale. Data analysis in this study, using quantitative analysis. Quantitative analysis uses validity test, reliability test, correlation coefficient, simple and multiple regression analysis, determination coefficient, significance test, (t test and F test) and path analysis that using SPSS tools. Based on the results of this study shows that the work environment (𝑋1) and career development opportunities (𝑋2) both simultaneously and partially affect employee performance (𝑌 ) Pursuant to result of path analysis, direct influence of work environment and career development opportunity have an effect on to employee performance. Based on these results, the authors suggest that the company can provide a conducive working environment and adequate equipment to accomplish tasks assigned by employees. In addition it also provides ongoing skills and talent training for employees to keep growing, and provide clear knowledge on employees about existing career development paths in the company.
This paper addresses the discussion on precariousness from the dimension of care and feminist criticism . On one hand it noted that job insecurity is the result of the application of neoliberal policies and on the other that precariousness is a cons titutive element of human life . It is shown that these two basic forms of precariousness are not contradictory , but they are two different elements that are positioned against the mechanisms of mass production of precariousness : neoliberal policies and patriarchy . Thus , from insecurity , we stand critically against the feminisation of precarious employment , proposing a care policy which is also , democratic and feminist.
The present invention provides the use of safety technology compliance detection method in an environment which payment application virtualization, is paid. The detection method for detecting compliance for PCI DSS isolation requirements, the detection method may analyze the current virtual machine and its connection to field conditions to determine whether the data traffic from the compliance, can also analyze the purity of the virtual machine network traffic situation to determine whether compliance. This detection method is applicable to a virtualized environment and in a virtual environment compliance detection accuracy and help to guarantee the security of payment applications.
Objective To investigate effects of Benazepril on the expression of PDGF B chain and its β receptor in diabetic rat renal cortex.Methods 20 rats were divided into control group (C),diabetic group(D) and diabetic+Benazepril group(DB).After 4 weeks of Benazepril treatment, ACE activities of plasma, renal cortex and medulla,were detected by fluorimetric assay; the expression of type Ⅳ collagen , fibronectin (FN) and PDGF B chain protein were determined by immunohistochemistry in renal cortex, and the expression of PDGF B chain mRNA and PDGF β receptor protein were measured by Northern and Western blot analysis in renal cortex and its cell membrane, respectively. Results Benazepril could decreased elevated serum creatinine lever,relative kidney weight and ACE activities in diabetic rats renal cortex. Immunohistochemistry showed that Benazepril could prevent overexpression of type Ⅳ collagen, FN and PDGF B chain protein within glomeruli and tubule of diabetic rats renal cortex.Compared with C group,the expression of PDGF B chain mRNA increased by 3 0 folds in renal cortex of D group from Northern blot and the expression of PDGF β receptor protein increased by 1 5 folds in cell membrane of renal cortex of D group from Western blot. Benazepril treatment had no effect on overexpression of PDGF B chain mRNA in diabetic rats renal cortex, however, it could significantly reduce increased expression of PDGF β receptor in cell membrane of diabetic rats renal cortex. Conclusion The protection of benazepril against kidney was associated, at least in part, with down regulating overexpression of PDGF B chain and PDGF β receptor protein in diabetic rats kidney cortex.
Drawing upon naturalistic contextualized data, this study aims to expand current understanding of power and politeness in three higher education classrooms in the Philippines. It is particularly concerned to explore the usefulness of a politeness theory in describing the linguistic strategies that professors and students use when performing potentially face threatening acts. On the basis of data consisting of observation notes and audio recording, it is argued that (1) the difference in power between professors and students influences their choice of linguistic strategies. Professors used bald on-record language to ask lesson-related questions but oriented towards positive politeness rather than negative politeness when performing potentially face-threatening acts; students invoked negative politeness markers such as formal address forms, deference and hedging; (2) Pedagogical goals, lesson content, interactional context, and the presence and/or number of over hearers also exert pressure on the linguistic realisation of politeness. (3) The authoritative and discursive power of the professor over the students appears to be relatively fixed and unchallenged. But as the current investigation finds, there is another dimension to the professor-student relationship outside of the four walls of the classroom, where students, through one-to-one consultations, on-line discussions and journaling are afforded a less exposed, less face-threatening space.
BACKGROUND Hyperlipidemia associated with clomiphene use is an uncommon but potentiallly serious complication of this therapy. Clomiphene is structurally similar to other synthetic estrogen analogs, which are known to induce marked hypertriglyceridemia. There is a paucity of data regarding the effects of clomiphene on lipid metabolism in humans.   CASE A 33-year-old woman with obesity, polycystic ovary syndrome and a long history of amenorrhea was treated with clomiphene therapy to induce ovulation. Baseline lipids were suggestive of an underlying lipid disorder, but there was a marked deterioration in her lipid profile in association with the use of clomiphene. On cessation of the clomiphene therapy her lipid profile slowly improved, and specific lipid-lowering therapy was not used. Further investigation for the possibility of an underlying lipid disorder confirmed the diagnosis of familial dysbetalipoproteinemia.   CONCLUSION Clomiphene should be used cautiously in women known to have dyslipidemia. We recommend that patients with predisposing risk factors have their lipids measured prior to ovulation induction with clomiphene.
The article represents a comparative analysis of human development of the countries observers of the Arctic Council. Similarities, distinctions and advantages are presented in their relation to the quality and dynamics of human development. The conclusion is drawn on positive tendencies of human development and prospects of a joint implementation of the most important social and economic projects in the Russian Arctic
A new kind of coal gasification based on Zn/ZnO redox pair via a two-step cycle is proposed.Firstly,coal is mainly gasified to CO by reacting with ZnO in a highly endothermic step at about 1200℃.Secondly,in an exothermic step at a lower temperature of about 500℃,hydrogen gas and solid ZnO are produced via the hydrolysis of liquefied zinc produced from the first step.The produced ZnO can be then recycled to the first step.In this paper,both the auto-thermal reactor with partial oxidation of coal and solar reactor were considered as heat supply in the first step.The theoretical energy analysis of the new system based on the 1st and the 2nd law of thermodynamics was performed.The result showed that the system could reach an ideal thermal efficiency as high as 89% when equipped with the auto-thermal reactor,and 67% when solar reactor was used considering the current thermal efficiency of solar collector.The relative exergy efficiencies were 80% and 66% respectively.The major sources of exergy losses came from the irreversibility of reaction in auto-thermal reactor,and heat losses from solar reactor.A simple environmental evaluation for the system was also performed based on the ratio of produced CO to H2(CHR)in the system.Apparently,the solar heated system was more environmentally friendly than the auto-heated system,the CHR of the former was smaller than 1/6 of the latter.
INTRODUCTION Most patients with male breast cancer (MBC) express the androgen receptor (AR). AR expression in these tumors may have both prognostic and predictive values because its presence indicates the potential benefits of an anti-androgen therapeutic approach. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between AR expression and clinicopathological parameters in MBC.   MATERIAL AND METHODS The data of 35 patients who received a histological diagnosis of MBC at the pathology department of our hospital between January 2007 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients' demographic data, follow-up records and pathology reports were recorded. AR expression status and its relationship with clinicopathological parameters were evaluated. The chi-square test was used to compare independent groups. Univariate survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier survival procedure. A p value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant.   RESULTS There was no significant relationship between AR expression and AJCC stage (p=0.585), pathologic stage (p=0.696), histologic grade (p=0.685), lymph-node status (p=0.685), survival rate (p=1.000), age(p=1.000), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.700), perineural invasion(p=1.000), skin invasion (p=1.000), nipple involvement(p=1.000), DCIS presence(p=1.000), ER positivity(p=1.000), PR positivity (p=0.218), Her2 expression (p=0.523), Ki67 index (p=0.685), Luminal A group (p=0.700), Luminal B group (p=0.691), triple negative group (p=1.000).   CONCLUSION Further investigation of the relation between AR expression and clinicopathological parameters of patients with MBC might yield important information and lead to the development of additional treatment options.   KEY WORDS Androgen receptor, AR expression, breast cancer, Male Breast cancer, Prognosis, Receptor status.
Aimed at the deficiency of common de-noising method for ECG(electrocardiograph)of non-uniform noise distribution,a de-noising method,which is based on singular value decomposition and wavelet transform,was proposed.ECG of non-uniform noise distribution was decomposed into several orthogonal-components,which had comparatively uniform noise,by singular value decomposition.Each component was de-noised by wavelet threshold de-noising method and de-noising ECG was obtained by rebuilding de-noised orthogonal-components.The results show that the proposed method can avoid the inconsistency of threshold choosing,which is caused by noise uneven distribution,the proposed method can de-noise thoroughly in big noise part and completely preserve the features of ECG in small noise part,and the Euclid distance between de-noised signal and non-noise signal is the least.
Light scattered from dynamic random media has numerous applications in medicine, biology, engineering, physics and numerous other fields. Short term and long term variations and correlations in the scattered intensity (“speckle”) provide information about the crossing of scattering paths as a result of the local structure and dynamics within the medium. Poincaré descriptors are statistical tools used to study variations or self-similarity in neighboring values of a quantity. Herein, we modify this definition to examine correlations not only between neighboring (temporally and spatially) values of dynamic speckle patterns, but also between values with larger spatial and temporal distances between them. The effects of incoherently summed, that is, time-averaged speckle patterns will be examined, as will be the separate cases of incoherently summed correlated and un-correlated speckle patterns. The unique case of elongated speckle will also be presented. The ratio of short-term to long-term differences in the pattern, a term referred to as the ‘ellipticity’ of the data, yields information on the dominance of long-term variations in the scattered intensity compared to the short-term variations. We will show that Poincaré descriptors are useful in quantifying the width of the coherence areas in all 3 dimensions in the scattered intensity patterns and also for quantifying motions in speckle patterns from which information about the dynamics of the medium can be inferred.
Prosopopeia Bardo 2: Momentum was a five-week larp featuring double-layered character model. Every player was expected to larp a diegetic copy of himself, and the spirit of a deceased revolutionary possessing the diegetic larper. The combination of these twin roles, long game duration and a design where players had to interact with non-players lead into interesting types of social interaction in the game. In this paper we describe how the players experienced some of the various play modes provided, and introduce a model for interaction modes in pervasive larps.
The invention relates to an adaptive method of positioning a coder / speech decoder (C-C4) within a communication infrastructure (1). The method comprises for each initiated call between two or more communication devices connected to the substructure (1), a first step for determining whether it is necessary to implement an encoder / decoder, and in the If so, a second step to choose the optimum position of the encoder / decoder in the infrastructure (1) depending on the type of call. use in mobile radio, in particular in digital professional mobile radio (PMR) systems.
Objective To understand the relationship between the clinico pathologic significance of estrogen receptor (ER) and biological behavior of pancreatic carcinoma. Methods ER was detected in 57 pancreatic carcinoma patients with immunohistochemistry. Some pathologic characteristics such as differentiation, invasion and metastasis, and expression of some genes—p21ras, nm23 H1 and PCNA were observed. Seventeen out of the 57 patients were subjected to long term treatment with 30 mg/d TAM. Results ER positive carcinoma had better differentiation, less invasion and longer survival time as compared to ER negative one (P0 05). The percentages of positive expression of PCNA and p21ras in ER positive pancreatic carcinoma were lower than those in ER negative one, while the positive expression of nm23 H1 in ER positive carcinoma was higher than that in ER negative one. Patients with ER(+) and treated with TAM had a longer survival duration. Conclusion The results suggest that ER positive pancreatic carcinoma has less malignant biologic behavior and better prognosis than ER negative one does. TAM therapy is beneficial to the survival time of pancreatic carcinoma patients.
In our current study, supercritical water impregnation (SCWI) was introduced as a unique catalyst preparation method by employing the high diffusivity property of supercritical water. The method allows nano-particles to place on support surfaces in extremely dispersed conditions. The silica-based nanocatalyst granules for this purpose were prepared by initial impregnation of highly porous silica (500 m 2 /g) in aqueous nitrate solutions, followed by hydrothermal decomposition of the nitrates to oxides at supercritical condition. The prepared sample prior to undergoing characterized by X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption analysis (BET). Although the catalytic properties of the CuO in silica supports were not evaluated, the procedure of employing supercritical water in comparison to other routes to deposit metal oxide particles on hydrophobic surfaces inside support structures offers promise for catalyst preparation without the use of toxic or noxious solvents.
In this work, EuF3 and NaYF4 nanocrystals were prepared by liquid-solution-solid (LSS) method respectively, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images revealed that the as-prepared NaYF4 nanocrystals were monodisperse nanoparticles with the size about 30 nm; while the as-prepared EuF3 were polydisperse nanoparticles with the size of 5~20 nm. And they were used to prepare a series of novel ternary complex hydrogels of EuF3-NaYF4 nanocrystals/poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAm) by free radical polymerization. In a typical synthesis, 2 mg the as-prepared EuF3 and NaYF4 nanocrystals, 201.6 mg reactants of N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAm), N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) and azodiisobutyronitrile (AIBN) (mNIPAm∶mBIS∶mAIBN=200/0.2/1.4) and 4 mL CHCl3 were mixed and added into a 10 mL sealing tube. The tube was placed into an ultrasonic oscillator for about 10 min to obtain a uniform mixture, and then oxygen was removed by bubbling N2 and successfully exerting vacuum on the tube for about 5 min. After the operation was repeated three times, the tube was sealed and kept at 60 °C for 3 h. After that, the crude complex hydrogels were synthesized. Finally, the crude hydrogels were immersed into deionized water to remove the remained monomers and impurities. The total time of soaking was about 7 d, and the deionized water was replaced every 10 h. Following the above procedure, all of the mentioned EuF3-NaYF4/PNIPAm complex hydrogels were obtained. The structure and fluorescent properties of the complex hydrogels were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), photoluminescence (PL), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD). And the thermosensitive fluorescent behavior of the complex hydrogels was investigated and the mechanism was discussed in detail. The results suggested that, in the PNIPAm hydrogel matrix, energy can be transferred between the bulk doped EuF3 nanocrystals and NaYF4 nanocrystals. Either the relative content of two kinds of nanocrystals or the ambient temperature plays an important role in the thermosensitive fluorescent behavior of the complex hydrogels.
During adaptive immune response, peptides from foreign microorganisms are processed and displayed on the surface of Antigen Presenting Cells (APCs) within the cleft of major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC), which are recognized by T cells that patrol the body. In recent years, a large spatially organized molecular cluster called immune synapse (IS) has been identifed, which forms at the T cell/APC interface. Little is known about the biophysics of these cell conjugates and it is generally believed that cell adhesion molecules are activated on the T cell surface after recognition, which presumably leads to higher adhesion forces between the two cells. Thus, the goal of this thesis was to measure the change of total adhesion forces between T cells and APCs when peptide was present compared to the case when peptide was absent. In this work, we report the first measurement of separation forces between T cells and APCs employing a cell stretcher device and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). We analyze the kinetics of T cells that interact with APCs presenting a foreign peptide by their MHC (pulsed), and APCs carrying no peptide (unpulsed) for contact times of 0 to 60 minutes. Unlike pulsed cells, unpulsed APCs did not show the formation of immune synapses. Forces are comparable for short time points but start to deviate after 15 min to reach a maximum after 30 min in the pulsed case. We were able to correlate single rupture events in AFM spectra to protein unbinding theories and, hence, gained a deeper insight into the molecular basis for the increase in adhesion forces. Thus, this work provides an important contribution to the physical understanding of cell-cell adhesion.
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC) agreed that we should insist on flexible policies of rural economy,giving more but taking less.Central Government and all local Governments should increase investment to agriculture and countryside.Agriculture Policy-Based Finance(APBF) acts as an important role in supplying funds for agriculture,countryside and farmers regions due to its essence and characteristic.Especially,we should take into account APBF' special superiority at under-developed regions,where the countryside,agriculture and farmers are short of investments very much,in order to promote constructing agriculture modernization,increase farmers' incomes,develop the public services and accelerate constructing a new socialist countryside.
To determine the incidence and prognostic significance of mutation in the N-ras gene in de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) we performed an analysis of bone marrow smears from 219 patients with de novo AML treated between 1984 and 1986 and followed for at least six years. DNA extracted from bone marrow smears taken at diagnosis was screened for the presence of mutations in codons 12 and 13 of exon 1 by using the polymerase chain reaction to insert an Hph1 restriction enzyme site into DNA. Presumptive mutations were confirmed by direct sequencing. Mutations were detected in a total of 26 patients (12%); in nine patients (4%) in codon 12 only, in ten patients (5%) in codon 13 only, and in seven patients (3%) in both codons. Mutations in codon 12 or codon 13 were not associated with any clinical features. Mutations in codon 12 had no prognostic significance but mutations in codon 13 were associated with an increased remission rate, a more durable remission, and a significantly prolonged survival which appeared to be independent of other prognostic factors.
According to the experience of the author during everyday teaching and training,taking notice science as the precondition,the experimental method for the caltivation of the rules-consciousness of calisthenics athlete is founded.The result of the experiment shows that the low lever of the rules-consciousness of calisthenics athlate is the main factor which restricts the improvement of technic,cultivating and training of the rules-consciousness of calisthenics athlete should be emphasized.
Chapters: 1. Introduction (K. Noda). 2. Basic concepts of the optical waveguide (T. Kimura). 3. Optical fiber and cable (H. Takada and K. Masuno). 4. Waveguided optical circuit elements (H. Iwasaki). 5. Fundamental concepts of the emission and absorption of light (Y. Kato). 6. Semiconductor light sources (Y. Furukawa). 7. Solid state lasers (H. Iwasaki). 8. The photodetector (T. Kimura). 9. Optical fiber transmission systems (S. Shimada).
In scientific writing, entitled The Effect of Rate Cost of Sales Product Innovation Nataco in CV. Resandi this, the authors wanted to know the effect of the cost of innovation in packaging, composition, and promotion of the products produced by CV Nataco. Resandi. The analysis tool used is multiple linear regression, multiple correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination, F test The result of the discussion and analysis found that there was no significant effect between product innovation Nataco to the level of sales in the CV. Resandi because Ho is accepted and Ha is rejected which means that the effect caused by the incremental cost of innovation is not real enough because due to other external factors such as pricing and purchasing power of people.
A test block of Inconel (IN) 718 was fabricated using electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF(sup 3)) to examine how the EBF(sup 3) deposition process affects the microstructure, crystallographic texture, and mechanical properties of IN 718. Tests revealed significant anisotropy in the elastic modulus for the as-deposited IN 718. Subsequent tests were conducted on specimens subjected to a heat treatment designed to decrease the level of anisotropy. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to characterize crystallographic texture in the as-deposited and heat treated conditions. The anisotropy in the as-deposited condition was strongly affected by texture as evidenced by its dependence on orientation relative to the deposition direction. Heat treatment resulted in a significant improvement in modulus of the EBF(sup 3) product to a level nearly equivalent to that for wrought IN 718 with reduced anisotropy; reduction in texture through recrystallization; and production of a more homogeneous microstructure.
Analogue black holes in non-Riemannian effective spacetime of moving vortical plasmas described by moving magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows. This example is an extension of acoustic torsion recently introduced in the literature (Garcia de Andrade,PRD(2004),7,64004), where now the presence of artificial black holes in moving plasmas is obtained by the presence of an horizon in the non-Riemannian spacetime. Hawking radiation is computed in terms of the background magnetic field and the magnetic permeability. The metric is singular although Cartan analogue torsion is not necessarily singular. The effective Lorentz invariance is shown to be broken due to the presence of effective torsion in strong analogy with the Riemann-Cartan gravitational case presented recently by Kostelecky (PRD 69,2004,105009).
The purpose of this study is to constitute the background theory and framework for developing the family-empowering program of Healthy Family-Support Center(HFSC). For this purpose, first, this study emphasizes that the development of integrated and differentiated program for HFSC is needed. Second, this study shows the theoretical background including ecological system theory, family system analysis theory, and family life coaching process. Third, assessment and evaluation system and subsystems are suggested as a basic frame for developing family life diagnosis tool. This system is based on the comparative analysis about the studies relating family life planning and case management. Fourth, the process of family empowering program is suggested to accomplish the family needs and goals. This process include the assessment, family life coaching for problem solving and/or family life planning, and following education and counselling. Last, this study shows how this program is related to other programs of HFSC. Family members can participate various programs of this center for preventing or solving the problem on the basis of evaluation results. Family-empowering program for making family healthy can be a representative and integrating program for this center.
the authors also rightly champion their exploration of medieval and early tudor drama. the plays were probably performed up until the 1570s and they are more sophisticated than is usually thought. Yet the book’s neglect of shakespeare’s peers means that Imagining Spectatorship is not “the relatively wide sweep of theatrical history” (viii) it claims to be. elizabethan hits such as thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy and Christopher marlowe’s Tamburlaine are ignored. omitting strategies of interpretation-control such as those found in Ben Jonson’s grex in Every Man out of His Humour and The Staple of News’s gossips is a serious oversight. there is little on masques, elizabeth’s progresses and indoor theatres. this could have been easily remedied. the analysis is only 184 pages long and the two authors could have written more. While Imagining Spectatorship provides a basis from which a theory of spectatorship can develop further it is a pity that this slim book feels like only three-quarters of a monograph.
This paper presents a low-complexity robust data-dependent dimensionality reduction based on a modified joint iterative optimization (MJIO) algorithm for reduced-rank beamforming and steering vector estimation. The proposed robust optimization procedure jointly adjusts the parameters of a rank-reduction matrix and an adaptive beamformer. The optimized rank-reduction matrix projects the received signal vector onto a subspace with lower dimension. The beamformer/steering vector optimization is then performed in a reduced-dimension subspace. We devise efficient stochastic gradient and recursive least-squares algorithms for implementing the proposed robust MJIO design. The proposed robust MJIO beamforming algorithms result in a faster convergence speed and an improved performance. Simulation results show that the proposed MJIO algorithms outperform some existing full-rank and reduced-rank algorithms with a comparable complexity.
This paper studies the dynamic irreversible demagnetization characteristics of an interior permanent magnet (PM) brushless DC motor with a stator turn fault. A new algorithm, which is a finite element method (FEM) combined with a line voltage equation of the motor, is developed to analyze irreversible demagnetization under dynamic and transient states and considers a stator turn fault. The input current, circulating current, magnetic distribution characteristics, and operating property of the PM, including the irreversible demagnetization in the fault state, are analyzed using this algorithm by considering the magnetic saturation effect. The feasibility of the proposed method confirmed from the analysis results is verified via an experiment. Through this fault analysis, we can accurately check the fault phenomena of a PM motor against the demagnetization fault for fault prevention.
A cell-free translation system was prepared from 3- to 5-day-old embryonic axes of gherkin (Cucumis sativus L.). The system was optimized for Mg2+ , K+ , NH+4 , high speed supernatants, tRNA mixture from wheat germ, time and temperature. The system translates efficiently both endogenous mRNA (using a 30000 g supernatant) and polyuridylic acid (using either a 30000 g supernatant or a 100000 g supernatant supplemented with purified ribosomes). Translation by gherkin ribosomes was inhibited by several well-known eukaryotic inhibitors, antibiotics and ribosome-inactivating proteins. A translational inhibitory activity found in Cucumis sativus L. dry seeds acted on polypeptide synthesis carried out by cell-free systems from several mammals and plants, including gherkin embryonic axes. Our results indicate that the inhibitor is located in the seed bark and cotyledons, and is either blocked or absent in the embryonic axes, thus allowing the isolation of active gherkin ribosomes. The presence of the putative inhibitor appeared to be unevenly distributed in developing plants.
Recently some authors have claimed that primary repair of an acute tear in the anterior cruciate ligament will fail in the long run. A review of the literature reveals that this opinion is mainly based on an American study in 1976. However, the poor results presented in this study were never reproduced. The study is critically analyzed, and 14 more papers presenting successful primary reconstructions of the anterior cruciate ligament are discussed. Preserving proprioceptive structures may be an important advantage of this technique, as it is hypothesized that the anterior cruciate ligament functions as a significant sensory organ, not only providing proprioceptive information, but also initiating protective and stabilizing muscular reflexes. In conclusion, it is recommended that primary suture be used combined with intra-articular semitendinosus tendon augmentation for rapid rehabilitation in cases of acute tears in the anterior cruciate ligament.
Purpose: Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is an important method of renal replacement therapy for patients with chronic renal failure. A significant number of complications and catheter failures in CAPD are due to mechanical problems and peritonitis. Secure, correct positioning of the catheter is important to minimize the risk. The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical outcomes of two different CAPD catheter insertion techniques, that is, the laparoscopic method versus the traditional open technique. Methods: We reviewed a total of 96 consecutive cases of CAPD catheter insertion that were performed at Seoul National University Hospital from January 2004 to December 2005 (laparoscopic: 52, open: 44). The data was retrospectively collected using the medical records to determine the clinical results and the catheter-related complication. Results: There was no case of catheter obstruction in the laparoscopic group, but there was 1 case in the open group. There were 6 cases of catheter migration in each group. There were 12 cases of peritonitis in the laparoscopic group and 7 cases in the open group. There were 7 cases of exit site infection in the laparoscopic group and 5 cases in the open group. There were 8 cases of incisional hernia in the laparoscopic group and 2 cases in open group. There were 2 cases of peritosol leakage in the laparoscopic group and 1 case in the open group. The incidence of complication was not statistically different between the groups. Conclusion: The laparoscopic technique showed a similar mechanical complication rate compared to the open technique. Incisional hernia developed more frequently in the laparoscopic group, and incisional hernia requires more careful closure technique.
The effect of outlet velocity and location of nozzle on jet loop reactor(JLR) whose bottom is designed for truncated right angle cone was studied,and the optimal outlet velocity and location of nozzle were determined sequentially.The velocity was measured and the speed distribution within JLR was drawn.The velocity field and the flow ratio of internal reflux flow to external reflux were analyzed,and the optimal parameters were determined.The result indicates that the optimal outlet velocity is 2.1 m/s and the location of nozzle is 40 mm.The liquid velocity presents parabolic in radial distribution with the highest velocity at the central axis of the draft tube.With the increasing of outlet velocity,the liquid velocity in downcomer increases,and the volume flow ratio of internal reflux to external reflux increases;when the jet nozzle location raises from a lower position to a higher position,the volume flow ratio of internal reflux to external reflux increases first and then decreases,and the liquid velocity in downcomer is subject to the same rule.
Several factors affecting the rate of heterogeneous electron transfer (ET) reactions at the nonpolarized interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) were investigated by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). The reactions between zinc porphyrin in organic phase and aqueous Ru(CN)63/4- or Fe(CN)63/4- redox species, which have previously served as model systems for probing the potential dependence of the ET rate constant, were used to investigate the effects of adsorption of a reactant and a potential-determining ion on ET rate at the interfaces between water and different organic solvents. It was demonstrated that the rate constant of an interfacial ET can be either potential-independent or potential-dependent under different experimental conditions. The same model experimental systems were used to probe the kinetics of long-range ET across a monolayer of phospholipid adsorbed at the ITIES. The results obtained with a family of phosphatidylserine lipids are compared to those previo...
In a recent issue of this Review, Bryan and Gavin (1986a) hereinafter referred to as GB, compared the forecast accuracy of three alternative series of inflation forecasts: the Livingston survey of Economists' CPI forecasts, the Michigan survey of household inflation expectations, and a generated series of out-of-sample time-series forecasts of the inflation rate. They concluded that the household survey is a more accurate forecast of inflation than the Livingston survey of economists' forecasts but that "the relatively simple time-series model ...p erformed about as well as the Michigan survey." This note addresses the second part of this conclusion. The BG study was designed primarily to compare the Livingston and Michigan surveys. Since these two surveys measure different expectations, some compromises had to be made. First, in fairness to the semiannual Livingston survey, half the observations from the quarterly Michigan While the Economic Review primarily contains articles by economists associated with the Bank or the Board of Governors, occasionally we receive comments from readers that are appropriate for the Review. Prof. Hvidding's comment on an earlier Review article by Michael Bryan and William Gavin is one such case.
In a review of the bronchoscopic biopsy techniques currently available for the diagnosis and staging of lung cancer, the author individually analyses the sampling instruments and procedures used in cancer of the central airways, peripheral lung lesions, and in the study of hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes. With regard to central bronchial lesions, data concerning diagnostic yield, the advantages and limits of forceps biopsy, brushing, washing and transbronchial needle aspiration are reported. With the integration of two or more of the sampling methods, a cytohistological diagnosis can be obtained in almost all cases. In the field of peripheral lung cancer, the diagnostic possibilities of the transbronchial approach are described. The experience of the Regional Hospital of Ancona, Italy on 1,027 patients affected by peripheral pulmonary nodules or masses is reported. The biopsy technique is based on the integration of transbronchial (using forceps biopsy and transbronchial needle aspiration) and percutaneous approaches, and on a team approach with the close co-operation of a pulmonologist, a radiologist and a cytopathologist, all simultaneously present in the diagnostic suite during the procedures. On the basis of the results obtained, the author suggests that, in peripheral pulmonary lesions, the transbronchial approach should generally be performed before the percutaneous needle aspirate, especially in patients who are candidates for surgery. The transbronchial approach has the advantages of allowing an examination of the tracheobronchial tree and staging of lymph nodes with a lower incidence of complications. In addition, the diagnostic yield of transbronchial needle aspiration in the study of hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes is analysed. This method, if positive, plays a major role in the staging of lung cancer and makes it possible to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures. Knowledge of the advantages and limits of different sampling instruments and procedures, and of their integration, is essential to optimize the diagnostic management of each patient with lung cancer. The goal is to maximize the diagnostic possibilities whilst minimizing risk and reducing costs.
The purpose of the present invention is to ensure accurate positioning of a wire electrode and a workpiece. A control device (100) that is provided for the wire electric discharge machine (1) according to the present invention is configured: to cause a drive unit (40) to move a wire electrode (10) and a workpiece (W) relative to each other and, at the same time, to cause a capacitance measurement unit (70) to measure a capacitance, while the movement of the wire electrode (10) in a longitudinal direction is being halted; to cause the capacitance measurement unit (70) to measure a capacitance while causing a wire movement unit (20) to move the wire electrode (10) in a longitudinal direction and while maintaining that state; and then to cause the drive unit (40) to make adjustments to the relative positions of the wire electrode (10) and the workpiece (W).
This paper deals with digital integration between design and fabrication in order to construct a complex double-curved concrete surface. This research focused on practical application of CNC technology to polyurethane (EPS), as an alternative to concrete formwork. The influence of specific EPS properties as deformability under compression, water tightness and finish on concrete prefabrication was analysed. This enabled high flexibility of architectural forms and textures, integrated in structural elements. Limitations were found on the mould reuse for several elements.
From 1929-1957, Harry Armstrong, M.D., rose from first lieutenant in the U.S. Army to the rank of major general in the U.S. Air Force. He founded the aeromedical research laboratory at Wright Field, Dayton, OH, founded the Central Medical Establishment, England, became command flight surgeon, U.S. 8th Air Force, England, and founded the Department of Space Medicine (1947), Randolph Field, TX, and served as Surgeon General, USAF (1949-54). Armstrong worked throughout his career on the most advanced aeromedical problems and personally directed breakthrough programs for which he received the highest national and international awards. Applying Armstrong-like projections, one can forecast faster, larger aircraft for the coming decades as well as 21st century habitations on the moon and Mars.
A fermenting pool for treating garbage (city's life garbage) to generator marsh gas features structurally that it has 4 mechanisms respectively used for pulverizing big organic material particles, automatically separating and collecting the inorganic substances, using solar energy or marsh gas to heat the liquid material, and generating the thermal insulation effect by use of air, vacuum and insulating material. Its advantage is short period.
AIM To describe the treatment of a 7-year-old patient with a hyperdivergent (dolichofacial) pattern, Class II Division 1 malocclusion, and anterior open bite.   METHODS Treatment was performed in 2 stages following the principles of the Ricketts bioprogressive technique and comprised early extraction of the maxillary permanent first molars and primary second molars.   RESULTS The treatment plan established for correction of the initial malocclusion reached the orthodontic goals, providing optimal esthetics and normal function.   CONCLUSION Posterior dentoalveolar height, which is fundamental in diagnosis and treatment planning, should be investigated in cases with excessive vertical dimension. In addition, extraction of permanent or primary maxillary posterior teeth at an early age may be a good option for hyperdivergent patients with excessive posterior dentoalveolar height.
The aims of this study were to reveal the prevalence of complications associated with PBV over a long-term follow-up, and to investigate the factors related to those complications, especially pulmonary restenosis. Forty dogs who underwent PBV were retrospectively reviewed. Long-term follow-up was available in 22 dogs. Exacerbation of PI and TR after PBV was observed in some dogs; however, right-sided heart failure due to PI or TR was not observed in any of them. During long-term followup, restenosis developed in 6 dogs (6/22). Restenosis was noticed 5.5 months (ranging from 1.5 to 68.2 months) after successful PBV. Multiple regression analysis identified atenolol administration prior to PBV as the independent predictor of restenosis during long-term follow-up. Further investigation is warranted to investigate the mechanism of restenosis and to determine a strategy to prevent complications.
Introduction Part 1: Character and Expression: Staging Architecture 1. Architecture as an Expressive Language 2. Character Theory at the Theatre 3. Rules of Expression and the Paradox of Acting Part 2: Playacting and the Culture of Entertainment: Architecture as Theatre 4. Theatre as the Locus of Public and Social Expression 5. Theatre Architecture and the Role of the Proscenium Part 3: Language and Personal Imagination: An Architecture for the Senses 6. Taste, Talent and Genius in Eighteenth-Century Aesthetics 7. Newtonian Empirical Sciences and the Order of Nature 8. Empirical Philosophy and the Nature of Sensations Part 4: Plotting an Architectural Program: The Space of Desire 9. Staging an Architecture in Words 10. The Narrative Space of Desire Conclusion: The Temporality of Human Experience Selected Bibliography
The Resilience of Competitive Authoritarian Regimes – Turnovers, Party Institutionalization and Democratizatio n Since the end of the Cold War, a clear majority of all states hold elections. The literature on electoral authoritarianism has acknowledged that authoritarianism can survive the introduction of multiparty elections, triggering a vivid academic discussion on how to distinguish democracies from autocracies with elections. A common argument is that democracies, in contrast to electoral autocracies, produce transitions in power and that we can therefore utilize electoral turnovers as the central criterion for democracy. This article contests this ”turnover rule”, both conceptu- ally and empirically, and suggests that newly elected governments in competitive authoritarian regimes often have clear incentives to maintain authoritarian institutions in order to improve their prospects of reelection. Moreover, it is argued that democratization is particularly unlikely when levels of party-system institutionalization are low. High levels of party-system institutionalization reduce the level of electoral uncertainty for the newly elected regime, enable a stronger opposition (formed from the former dominant party) and create higher voter and civil society expectations on democratization. The argument is tested using data from all competitive authoritarian regimes in the period 1989-2010 , and illustrated by two case studies: Kenya, where the turnover in 2002  did not lead to democratization and Ghana where a transition of power in 2002  had a more positive outcome.
Objective: To observe the curative effect of Lin s Chixiong Tongyang Tang(CTT) for ejaculatory dysfunction(ED) . Methods: 132 cases were classified as 4 syndromes, i. e., stagnation of damp-heat(SD), blood -stasis(BS), hyperactivity of fire due to yin-deficiency(HFY) and declination of kidney - yang(DK) and were treated by CTT with additions accordingly. Results: Among them, 108 cases were markedly effective, 15 cases effective and 9 cases ineffective, the markedly effective rate being 81. 82% and total effective rate being 93. 18%.The markedly effective rate was 85. 71% in SD, 86. 49% in BS, 80. 65% in HFY and 72. 41% in DK. The curative effects in various syndromes were basically similar (P 0. 05). Conclusion: CTT is an effective formula for ED with various syndromes.
There is an extensive range of positive rhetoric concerning the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) and its many benefits for awarding credit in recognition of one’s experience. However, it still remains very much a marginal activity within many institutions. This study investigates the nature of any existing barriers to the greater take-up of APEL and explores whether technology could play some part in overcoming them.    The existence and nature of barriers to wider APEL take-up is under-represented in the literature. This action research study uses qualitative methods to develop a case study within a single UK college of further and higher education. The research design included a focus group for student feedback, semi-structured interviews for staff feedback and the development and testing of a technology solution comprising a website and software application.    The study found clear evidence of the existence of a range of barriers affecting the wider uptake of APEL and established several ways in which the technology used did help or could help overcome these barriers. The role of the tutor within the APEL process is of great importance, whether the system used is paper-based or technology based, and further training and support were found to be necessary to ensure that all staff were consistent in the application of the APEL process.    Although this is a small-scale study in a single institution, it is typical of other institutions. Further research into the wider range of barriers identified and further development of appropriate technology solutions could help a larger proportion of people in employment to gain credit for the skills and knowledge they have developed through their work, as they seek to complement their practical experience with formal education and gain recognition for this experience though an institution’s APEL process.
In teaching logistic regression for case–control studies, I ask master’s students in epidemiology to assess an interaction between a 2-level exposure and a 4-level exposure using a likelihood-ratio test. Theory suggests that the test statistic has 3 degrees of freedom, but Stata uses 2 degrees of freedom. The explanation turns out to be that one exposure combination contains controls but no cases, so that one parameter goes to infinity. It is hard to convince the students (and myself) that this combination contributes no degrees of freedom. I will review how Stata handles situations in which parameters go to infinity. Although asymptotics for likelihood-ratio tests may not work well in this situation, I will argue that lrtest should be modified to reflect the true number of degrees of freedom.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the respiratory system response to individually specified doses of methadone in opiate dependent patients during 6 months' methadone maintenance treatment at the Department of Clinical Toxicology CM UJ. There were 34 persons (14 women aged from 21 to 33 years and 20 men aged 21-46 years) under examination. Examinations were performed three times: I--initial examination--before administration of methadone maintenance treatment; II--control examination after 3 months--methadone maintenance treatment; III--control examination after 6 months--methadone maintenance treatment. Ventilation efficiency was assessed on the basis of the results from a "flow-volume" loop, spirometry and the measurements of the respiratory tract resistance (Rrs) in a computerised system. Rrs was determined by means of the flow-interruption method. The parameters obtained from a "flow-volume" loop and spirometry were stabile within opiate substitution with methadone, whilst the values of respiratory resistance were significantly different. Significant increase in respiratory resistance values between initial and control examination (after 3 months) was noted. The normalisation of respiratory resistance was proved after 6 months treatment. It can indicate the impact of nervous component on spastic reaction of central bronchi.
Reliability response surface FEM method is a direct coupling of reliability calculation with re sponse surface FEM, which can solve the reliability problems with the closed formed performance function in actual engineering based on FEM numerical simulation. Various version of reliability response surface FEM are comprehensively discussed. The reliability calculation based on response surface FEM and the application of the response surface FEM are reviewed.
Introduces how to quickly generate resource library of images by using IO file function of ASP.NET.The method is based on Windows file system and applies programs to dynamically generate website.It can quickly generate resource website when the main resource files are mainly network images such as JPG and so on.It selects the appropriate parameters to re-draw the images to get thumbnails by calling the method of Graphics class,such as Draw Image,so as to shorten the system response time.
Breath-holding coupled with face cooling triggers a set of the reflex cardiovascular responses, defined as a diving reflex. The major reflex responses include a decrease in heart rate and peripheral vasoconstriction with an increase of arterial pressure to evoke central blood pooling with preferential provision of the brain and heart perfusion. Due to high individual variability and situational dependence the individual course of the reflex response is hardly predictable. Heart rhythm disturbances are the major, sometimes fatal complications of the response. This review is an outline of causing factors, circumstances, mechanisms and the effects of the diving reflex and their practical implications, including risk factors of the critical arrhythmias occurred in diving.
An efficient Monte Carlo computer program for simulation and calculation of the total and full energy peak efficiency (absolute and intrinsic) of the cylindrical NaI(Tl)detector (with different: volumes, source-detector separation and gamma rays energies) is described. All the fundamental physical processes (photoelectric effect, compton scattering effect and pair production effect) occurring inside the detector are taken into account. Very fast analytical expressions for the absorption coefficients are obtained. The same program can be used to calculate the response function of the detector to gamma ray. The results show quite well agreement with experimental data and with other calculations within error rate less than 2%. The results can be used in gamma spectroscopy and determining the activity of sources.
Interest in and a commitment to "outcomes" is growing. There is general agreement that "health outcomes" are a good idea but, as yet, no generally agreed concept of what health outcomes are about. This paper offers a conceptual framework for the discussion of health outcomes from the perspective of health economics. It is written for a non-economics audience. This framework helps clarify the conceptual basis for health outcomes and identifies an agenda for research and development. The economics perspective on health outcomes draws on the analogy of the production process to clarify the relationships between health inputs, processes, outputs and final health outcomes. Jargon is kept to a minimum and technical points are expanded in self contained notes. A simple model of the production of health is described and then developed to include health promotion and non-health activities which are, nevertheless, beneficial to health. Conceptualising health outcomes with the economic framework provides the clarity needed to promote health outcomes and improve the effectiveness of health services. Doing good in health care is no longer good enough; we need to do better. Health outcomes are about doing better. So too is health economics. By making objectives explicit, and by systematic comparison of the costs and effects or health outcome of alternative means of meeting these objectives, health economics provides the most useful perspective on health outcomes.
Abstract : New and improved self-sealing fuel line composites were developed under this program. Fabric reinforced plastic and nonflowering integrated aluminum foil, fabric reinforced laminated fuel line composites employing compressed natural rubber foam as the sealant were fabricated which successfully sealed wounds inflicted by .30 and .50 caliber projectiles. The weight of these new self-sealing fuel line composites ranged from 0.83 to 1.28 lbs/sq ft. Results of pressure tests demonstrated that the fabric reinforced plastic fuel line and certain fuel line composite based on plies of aluminum foil reinforced with plies of ballistic nylon fabric to be capable of withstanding hydraulic pressure in excess of 240 psi and resistant to distortion under (29.5 inches of Hg) vacuum. The compressed foam self-sealing concept utilizing plies of ballistic nylon for controlling damage was also investigated as a means of protecting standard aluminum fuel line tubing. The self-sealing compressed foam composite evaluated for protecting a standard aluminum fuel line was found to be effective for sealing wounds inflicted by .30 caliber projectiles but proved to be inadequate at the .50 caliber projectile threat level.
Ontology can bedivided into 3 stages according to the different use of the core concept of on by philosophers,but with the completion of Plato's ontology,universalism follows,so does in the Middle period and the modern period—during the developing periods,universalism hides itself in pursuing the universal knowledge.Along the way of plato,some latter philosophers such as Aristotle and some others overcome or continue ontology.With the endeavor of Heideggers' destructing all ontology on his thinking,we accquire how to deal with the universal knowledge problems by Chinese philosophy as well as western philosophy,the right way to keep off universalism is to face the things themselves,i.e.return to the original,rather than observe the world separately and fixedly.
Purpose- This study presents an analysis of textiles labor market of Pakistan with a gender perspective. The study aims at highlighting different dimensions using indicators of gender mainstreaming in textiles and clothing sector in Pakistan. Methodology/sample- This analytical paper is large based only on Secondary research of Official data, recent surveys, research studies and articles, and civil society reports relating to this study. Primary research consisted of unstructured interviews/informal meetings of representatives of textile industry and stakeholders. The main dimensions being the gender, technology and skills, unequal and discriminatory wages and attitude towards women, unregistered work, social dimensions, gender and labor laws and globalization, and forward and backward linkages of this gender mainstreaming. Findings- The study concludes that although the existing laws are not that much insufficient but poor/weak implementation and enforcement of the laws make them weak. There is a need to diversify the training program throughout the textile and garment value chain segments so that more and more women could be able to get job opportunities and better working conditions. Practical Implications- This paper also suggests mitigation strategies like gender specific policymaking, implementation of international commitment, increased vigilance on labor laws to remove the impediments in the pursuit of growth of female employment and ultimately growth of the country’s economy.
The index of relative importance (IRI), niche breadth, and niche overlap (Qik) of nekton species were calculated using data collected from four fishery resource surveys from May 2016 to February 2017 in Yueqing Bay, Zhejiang Province. The results showed that there were 27 major nekton species (IRI＞100) with higher turnover rates across different seasons, while their niche breadth values differed greatly and showed significant positive correlation with IRI. The niche overlaps of nekton were generally low, with the highest overlap value in autumn and the lowest in spring. The total amount of species pairs with niche overlap over 0.6 (Qik＞0.6) were 14 in the autumn and five in the spring, which represented 15.4% and 7.6% of the total pairs, respectively. Results from the redundancy analysis suggested that the distribution of main nekton species were mainly affected by temperature, salinity and turbidity, which cause ecological differentiation of nekton species.
The design of a flux chamber affects accurate ammonia measurements from manure. The objective was to compare dairy manure ammonia emissions from a whole-room mass balance calculation (ventilation rate x gas concentration) versus emission measurements performed within that room using portable flux chambers. Assessment focused on two chamber measurement systems: a widely-accepted U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) steady-state flux chamber and a non-steady- state recirculation flux chamber designed specifically at Penn State for ammonia measurements from manure. To simulate naturally-ventilated animal building environment in the test room an air velocity of 0.3 m s -1 was established at 8 cm above the floor. During trials fresh dairy manure was uniformly spread over the room floor. Ammonia concentration (infrared photoacoustic analyzer) multiplied by room air flow rate (duct traverse of exhaust fan) calculation was compared with the ammonia emission rate calculated using accepted formulas appropriate for each flux chamber type. Emissions were evaluated over 9 - 20 o C and conducted 18 hours after manure application to establish equilibrium emission conditions. The Penn State flux chamber offered more accurate emission estimates compared to the EPA device by measuring 90% to 119% of ammonia emissions of the whole room. This compared to EPA chamber measures of 14% or 50% of the emissions of the whole room at sweep air flow rates intervals of, respectively, 3.25 L min -1 (manufacturer recommendation) to 10.0 L min -1 (maximum available). This work suggests that the EPA chamber method, although universally recognized in USA emission evaluations, is not as suitable for sources with high gas emissions (manure) versus its previous uses with lower emission sources (soil, industrial, etc.).
In this paper,based on the uniaxial compression tests,consolidated undrained shear tests,consolidation drainage shear tests of Malan loess with different water contents,and based on understanding deeply of peculiar physico-mechanical property of Malan loess,the properties and physical meanings of stress-strain curves of Malan loess were analyzed,and softening constitutive model of Malan loess was proposed.The model can be used to describe accurately stress-strain of Malan loess which axial strain was lower than 5%~6%,and disclosed mechanical behavior of Malan loess under lower strain,and it also provided theoretical basis for further study on other mechanical properties of Malan loess.At the same time,variations of parameters from softening constitutive were analyzed.It was shown that parameters a and b were all functions of water contents(w)and confining pressures(σ3),which had some certain change patterns.
The present invention discloses a built-resource management method, and a terminal apparatus, which belongs to the field of computer technology. The method comprising: extracting from the built-in operating system resource; built-stored database to save resource; query built for obtaining index information resource according to the resource stored in the database built; index information according to the resource compiler that does not have a built-in operation system. The present invention is independent of the built-in operating system resources, such that when the need to change the built-in operating system resources, may be performed only by a built-in resource manager of the change, then the operating system is compiled directly from the manager, is no longer necessary each application developers are required to change their applications and be responsible for compiling the operating system, which can greatly reduce the burden on developers, to achieve the effect through the centralized management of built-in resources, reduce system development and maintenance costs.
OBJECTIVE The dramatic rise in healthcare expenditures calls for innovative and scalable strategies to achieve measurable, near-term improvements in health. Our objective was to determine whether a remotely delivered behavioral health intervention could improve medical health, reduce hospital admissions, and lower cost of care for individuals with a recent cardiovascular event.   STUDY DESIGN This retrospective observational cohort study included members of a commercial health plan referred to participate in AbilTo’s Cardiac Health Program. AbilTo is a national provider of telehealth, behavioral change programs for high risk medical populations.   METHODS The program is an 8-week behavioral health intervention delivered by a licensed clinical social worker and a behavioral coach via phone or secure video.   RESULTS Among the 201 intervention and 180 comparison subjects, the study found that program participants had significantly fewer all-cause hospital admissions in 6 months (293 per 1000 persons/year vs 493 per 1000 persons/year in the comparison group) resulting in an adjusted percent reduction of 31% (P = .03), and significantly fewer total hospital days (1455 days per 1000 persons/year vs 3933 per 1000 persons/year) with an adjusted percent decline of 48% (P = .01). This resulted in an overall savings in the cost of care even after accounting for total program costs.   CONCLUSIONS Successful patient engagement in a national, remotely delivered behavioral health intervention can reduce medical utilization in a targeted cardiac population. A restored focus on tackling barriers to behavior change in order to improve medical health is an effective, achievable population health strategy for reducing health costs in the United States.
The present paper uses a survey of 1062 Czechs and 524 Slovaks to ask why people evade taxes. We maintain that the Czech and Slovak Republics are “twins” separated at birth and that divergences between these countries since their separation in 1992 can explain divergences in their rates of tax evasion. High Slovak tax rates and lower Czech tax rates seem to explain little of the difference in evasion between the two countries. Rising Czech incomes seems the main reason that Czech Republic evades more taxes. We also look at detailed demographic and psychological reasons for tax evasion. We find that morality is a strong deterrent to evasion.
Aims: To introduce the clinical effect of the dorsal cutaneous nerve of fingers nutrient vessel skin flap repairing the paratelum of finger cutaneous deficiency. Methods: Based on the conditions of cutaneous deficiency, cutting the skin flap in the near segment finger, the skin flap contains the dorsal cutaneous nerve and the dorsal branch of nervous proprii. flyback to repair the raw surface. Results: Among the 15 case of flaps, 14 cases survived, 1 case suffered from small partial necrosiss. All the flaps were not tumefaction or clumsy. The texture was soft without complication in the donor site, or influence in the joint motion. Conclusion: The flap does not damage the inherent artery or nervous proprii. The test was successful. The author finds the method is an effective way to repair the paratelum of finger cutaneous deficiency.
System parameter uncertainties have effect on a system performance uncertainty. Therefore, effects of system parameter uncertainties on the system performance uncertainties should be considered in design of mechanical systems. Previous works for uncertainty analysis require the population distribution of the system parameter. However, in most practical engineering problems, an evaluation of system parameter population distribution is impossible because of cost and inefficiency. Therefore, statistical inference of statistical characteristics for the system performance population based on system parameter samples is needed. In this paper, the statistical characteristics of the system performance population are estimated based on system parameter samples by employing Bayesian approach.
BACKGROUND Constipation is best defined as difficulty passing stools that may be infrequent (≤2 per week), painful and associated with stool retention. Childhood constipation is common, with a prevalence of 3-30% worldwide. Most constipation in children is functional and related to behavioural withholding after an unpleasant stool event. Successful diagnosis and management can occur in primary care, and specialist referral is only needed for refractory cases or concerns regarding organic pathology.   OBJECTIVE This article aims to provide a structure for evaluating, diagnosing and managing childhood functional constipation in general practice.   DISCUSSION Structured history and examination can screen for organic pathology or red flags that require specialist referral. Investigations such as abdominal X-ray are not routine. Early management of childhood constipation provides improved quality of life for patients and their families. Management, including disimpaction and maintenance, should maintain continuity of care and provide long-term support for families.
Several species of mites are known to inhabit the quills of bird feathers (Wehr, 1952; Radford, 1953; Kethley, 1970). Obviously entry and exit from the quill must be either through the superior umbilicus or through specially constructed openings, but no adequate descriptions exist of the methods utilized. Whether the superior umbilicus remains open, allowing free access, or closes during formation of the quill is not clarified in the literature. Although feather development has been extensively studied (Lillie, 1940; Lucas and Stettenheim, 1972), the “umbilical plug” which seals the superior umbilicus has not been well described. The quill mite, Syringophiloidus minor (Berlese) is a common parasite of the House Sparrow (Passer dome&us) and provides an excellent example of how mites have adapted to life within the quill. After the internal pulp has been resorbed, the mites feed by piercing the quill wall with their styletiform chelicerae (Kethley, 1971). Adult female mites emerge from mature quills and disperse to enter developing feathers. Transfer of mites from the feathers of parent birds to the developing feathers of nestlings presumably occurs during diurnal brooding or nest roosting. During molt the mites disperse from the old quills into the developing feathers of the new plumage (Kethley, 1971; Casto, 1973 ; 1974). In this report, I describe those aspects of feather development and structure which affect entry and exit of S. minor from the quill.
Cytotoxic activity of various extracts of Crinum asiaticum Linn were studied by means of brine shrimp lethality test. Its methanol extract showed the strongest toxic effect on the brine shrimp ( LC50value = 257.1 ug/mL respectively. Thus the cytotoxic activity of the methanol extract was (P388 D1). This resulted in the inhibition of potato disc tumor formation with the percentage inhibition of 71.9. In addition a significantly potent cytotoxic effect on the P388 D1 cells (IC50 approx 12.5ug/mL)was observed. ( author abstract)
The physical action verb in Russian possesses prominent characteristics of polysemy,and the polysemy primarily stems from metaphor.Metaphorical meanings of Russian physical verbs possess a steady cognitive foundation.The cognitive metaphorical mechanism of a verb transferring from physical action meaning to non-physical or abstract action meaning is represented through a few aspects.This paper will provide an analysis of the following sides of cognitive metaphor of physical verb:space movement-direct perception; space movement-abstract evaluation; space movement-mentality activity and relation event.Analyses presented in this paper have an important value for deepening the cognitive metaphorical study of the polysemy problem of the Russian physical verb.
Based on the experience in constructing the national experimental teaching demonstration centre of marine environment,Xiamen University,elaborated on the guidelines,measures,objectives,the demonstration and radiating role,aiming to in speed up the step of experimental teaching reform and construction of laboratory,promote the superior resources integration and sharing,and cultivate the innovation spirit and the practice ability of the high-quality marine environmental science personnel.
Endang Sulistian: The Influence of Teaching English by Using Communicative  Approach on the Students Understanding in Speaking  Procedure Text at Tenth Grade of SMAN 4 Kota Cirebon  Speaking is more complicaed than listening,reading, and writing skill and  Learning to speak is not easy especially for the learners are often reluctant because  they are shy and difficult to express themselves in front of other people, especially  when they are being asked to give personal information or opinions. Besides they are  rarely given a chance to practice their speaking in SMA Negeri 4 Kota Cirebon.  Because of less in practicing to speak English or even never, students are finally  afraid of speaking. They are afraid of making mistakes, especially in grammar and  pronunciation. So it is important for english teacher to find some ways to teach this  skill. In this matter, Communicative approach can be used as one way to teach  speaking procedure text.  The aims of this research are to find out the data about the students’  application of the Communicative approach, to find out the data about the students’  achievement in Speaking procedure text, and to find out the data about the influence  between the students’ application of using communicative approach on the students  understanding speaking procedure text at the tenth grade of SMA Negeri 4 Kota  Cirebon.  The method of the research is quantitative research. The population of the  class X-7 for 30 students. The instrument of collecting data is test. The instrument has  been tested for validity, reliability, discriminatory power, and difficulty index. The  result of the pre test and post test at Experiment and Control Class shows that the  influence of communicative approach on the students understanding in speaking  procedure text can improve students’ achievement in speaking skill.  The result of the test shows that the influence of communicative approach in  learning English can improve students speaking skill.The average score of the pre  test at experiment class is 54.04 and the average post test is 74.57, with total N-gain  0.45 the average pre test of the control class is 36.37 and the average of post test is  47.53, with total N-gain 0.18. According to the research outcomes, the students’  achievement in speaking procedure text by using communicative approach is  categorized “good”, with the average value of test is 74.57 and the result account T  test usage SPSS 16 for Windows got value significant / sig = 0.061 > 0.05.  The result analysis data of test, the writer found the data from the Ho is  rejected and Ha is accepted, which means there is acceptable that means there is  positive and significant if experiment class > control class or based on the table of  test results using the Independent Sample T Test is 0.061 > 0.05. This case can see  from the result account T test usage SPSS 17 for Windows got value signifficant / sig  = 0.00 (< 0.05 ).
Summary Recent renewed interest in the suprageneric classification of the Rubiaceae has made a clarification of the subfamilial, tribal, and subtribal nomenclature an urgent necessity. Presented here is a list of all suprageneric names published within the Rubiaceae, with an indication of their nomenclatural status; names of segregate families are also included. Attention is drawn to various problems concerning the interpretation of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature with regard to the names of taxa published between the ranks of family and genus. Three subfamilial and ten tribal names are validated with Latin descriptions or diagnoses.
After the repeal of the special decisions for Jewish candidates for a doctorate which was done in 1784 it lasted still more than 60 years, before a far-reaching equality of status became reality also with regard to possibilities of a university career. In 1847 this phase of development is marked by the official licence of Jews to academic teachership. It is a partial complex within a general process of emancipation which was quite differently practised in the German territorial states.
Part 1 The twilight world of gentlemanly capitalism: a foreign affair buy side, sell side simple but not easy shoes with laces - trousers with braces. Part 2 Riding elephants, 1983-86: laissez-faire eager buyers - European commercial banks buyers, builders and stay-at-homes - the merchant banks the Americans the brokers and jobbers "trying to stuff the whole lot into one big bag" seeds of disaster. Part 3 Bang, crash, wallop, 1986-89: market overview European commercial banks merchant banks the independents the foreign banks. Part 4 The grand old Duke of York, 1990-94: European commercial banks merchant banks the independents the foreign banks. Part 5 The end game? 1995-2000: Barings Warburg - the final year Kleinwort and Smith shareholders rule OK Schroders (and Flemings) the survivors. Part 6 The city unplugged: what happened? does it really matter? herding cats.
Technology innovation talent is a very scarce human capital in enterprises.Human resource management of technology innovation talent in enterprises is suitable to adopt team management method.Being in progress of five management aspects-team building,performance appraisal,pay administration,human capital increment,and innovative individual culture.Based on this method is a kind of pointed administration and relative scientific and reasonable stimulating mechanism.In pay administration,the share approach based on EVA about project taking technology innovation talent as human capital to participate economic profit distribution in enterprises is a new incentive way.
Objective To compare the masticatory function of patients rehabilitated with complete overdentures and complete dentures.Methods Thirteen subjects with complete overdentures and fourteen subjects with complete dentures more than half a year were studied by means of measuring masticatory efficiency, recording mandibular movement trace and electromyography of masseter muscles and anterior and posterior portions of temporalis muscles during mastication.Results The subjects with complete overdentures had better masticatory performance, better regulation of chewing cycle, more centralized end tracks during mastication, and higher EMG activities of anterior and posterior portions of temporalis muscles than those with complete dentures.Conclusion The patients with complete overdentures have better masticatory function than those with complete dentures.
Objective: To analyze the incidence, etiological factors, clinical characteristic, diagnosis, treatment method and the prevention measures of recurrent ectopic pregnancies in our hospital from January 2001 to June 2004. Methods:19 cases of recurrent ectopic pregnancy were analyzed retrospectively. Results: There were 19 recurrences in 353 cases of ectopic pregnancy with a incidence rate of 1∶ 18.6( 19/353). The average age was 31.7 years old. 17 were operated with lesions involving the contralateral oviduct in 16 cases and the homolateral oviduct in 1 case. Pathological examination revealed additional chronic salpingitis in 13 cases. The shortest interval between the recurrent ectopic pregnancies were 2 months to 6 years,with an average of 33 months. Among them, 10 patients recurred within 36 months. There was one patients suffering from 3 times of ectopic pregnancies. The misdiagnosis rate was 5.26%. And the disease of misdiagnosis was miscarriage of early pregnancy. Surgical treatment can be the first choice of treatment of recurrent ectopic pregnancy. Conclusion: Pelvic adhensions, inflamed salpinx and conservative treatment are risk factors of recurrent ectopic pregnancy. Effective treatment of pelvic inflammation and avoiding of the first heterotopic pregnancy are the important measures for prevention of recurrent ectopic pregnancy.
The Neural Basis of the Number Sense by Nicholas Kurshan DeWind Department of Neurobiology Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Michael Platt, Supervisor ___________________________ Elizabeth Brannon, Chair ___________________________ Jennifer Groh ___________________________ Katherine Heller ___________________________ Marc Sommer An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Neurobiology in the Graduate School of Duke University 2014 Copyright by Nicholas Kurshan DeWind 2014
The vast majority of the islands in the Anglophone Caribbean ratified the Convention of the Rights of the Child shortly after its adoption by the United Nations in 1989. In this piece, we examine how the articulation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in the Caribbean has shaped early childhood care and education. We note that though significant strides have been made, approximately 30 years after the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, many Anglo-Caribbean islands continue to struggle to fulsomely ensure children’s access to all their fundamental rights. This conceptual article presents a historical overview of the implementation of specific Articles of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in the Caribbean. How these Articles have shaped the policies and practices guiding early education across the region is also explored. We conclude that though much has been achieved, as a region, more progress is needed to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to fulfil their rights.
Objective To explore the influence of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and rbc volume distributing width (RDW) to platelet count using XE-5000 automatic hemacytology analyzer. Methods Group samples with mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in different ranges were assigned, and platelet was counted by impedance technology and fluorescence method, the count results were (PLT-I) and (PLT-O), which platelet count were compared, and then statistical analysis were made. Results When MCV≥80 fL, the results of impedance technology and fluorescence method have no statistical significance (P 0.05); when 70 fL≤MCV80 fL, the results of two methods have no statistical significance (P 0.05); when MCV70 fL, there were statistical significances between the two methods (P 0.05); when 70 fL≤MCV80 fL and RDW0.15, the results of two methods have statistical significances (P 0.05); when 70 fL≤MCV80 fL and RDW0.15, there was no statistical significance between the two methods (P 0.05). Conclusion When MCV70 fL or 70 fL≤MCV80 fL and RDW 0.15, the platelet count should be performed by electric optical method.
A case of foetal goiter diagnosed by ultrasonography is reported. A first child had been under treatment since the age of 4 months for goitrous hypothyroidism. A second pregnancy developed normally. However, at 27 weeks a first ultrasonography showed hypertrophy of the foetus' thyroid gland, and this was confirmed by a second ultrasonic examination performed at 34 weeks. The femoral ossification centre, which usually appears between 31 and 33 weeks of amenorrhoea, was absent. The child was born at 41 weeks. Additional examinations confirmed the presence of hypothyroidism with goiter and disorders of organification. This is the third case of foetal goiter discovered in utero by ultrasonography. The important therapeutic implications of such a diagnosis (appropriate neonatal intensive care in case of compressive goiter, very early treatment of hypothyroidism) open new possibilities of monitoring in pregnant women whose history suggests a risk of foetal goiter.
Logistical problems encountered and solutions for transporting concrete to narrow tunnels over both short and long distances are given. The "Geneva" system which is used for narrow tunnels uses a dry premix transported by drums, shuttle cars or transport cars. The 0.5 cu m compacted concrete mix is then transported to a single-shaft compulsory mixer for weighing and mixing, emptied into the concrete pump hopper which must be able to handle 1.5 times this amount of concrete, then the necessary water is supplied from an automatically fed tank situated under the conveyor belt. For longer distances, it is suggested that tunnel concreting trains (TCTs) with modified supply system be used.
An imaging device produced at a lower cost than conventional and a portable terminal with the imaging device are disclosed. An imaging device (10) comprises a lens (11) for focusing the light from a subject, a magnet (12) fixed to the lens (11), lens moving means (13) for moving the lens (11) along the optical axis, a Hall element (14) for capturing the magnetic flux generated from the magnet (12), a constant current circuit (15) for driving the Hall element (14), a Hall amplifier (16) for amplifying the output voltage of the Hall element (14), a Hall comparator (17) for comparing the output voltage of the Hall amplifier (16) and a reference voltage, a PWM signal section (18) for generating a pulse width modulated signal, a lens drive control section (19) for outputting a control signal for controlling the drive of the lens moving means (13), and a lens driver (20) for driving the lens moving means (13).
The invention concerns an aqueous binder composition for use in the lamination of two or more layers of tissue paper. The composition has a viscosity of 600 to 35,000 mPa.s and contains: a) 10 to 80 parts by wt. of an aqueous dispersion of plastic, the dispersion having a solids content of 30 to 70 % by wt. of polymers of one or more monomers selected from the group comprising acrylic acid esters, methacrylic acid esters, vinyl esters, olefins, vinyl halides, vinyl aromatics and ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids and their amides which may contain 0 to 10 % by wt., relative to the total weight of the polymers, of N-alkylamides and/or N-alkoxyalkylamides of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids, b) 0.1 to 300 parts by wt. of an organic or inorganic filler with a low solubility in water and a mean particle size of 0.5 to 100 mu m and c) 0 to 4 parts by wt. of a thickening agent and/or 0 to 1.0 parts by wt. of a dispersing agent.
In engineering and laboratory research, the dynamic long perioriodic and aperiodic waveform singals are often required. To meet this need, a direct digital synthetic (DDS) dased arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) with double RAMs has been studied and developed. Beginning with the DDS, the general design of this AWG PC card is discussed. The principles of the hardware circuits are described and the characteristices of this AWG are also given. The normal statical RAMs are used to construct two daul port RAMs with large capacity memory and so the dynamic waveform change without stopping the output is achieved. Direct memory access is used to transfer the waveform data as soon as possibile. A wide support of the computer software and hardware is available for this PC compatiblie ISA bus AWG. The AWG discussed has a good application perspect and a high perfomance price ratio.
P n On June 20, 2011, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, ASN(RDA), issued a memo stating, “The Fully Burdened Cost of Energy (FBCE) must be calculated using operational scenarios or use conditions specified in the program’s AoA1 guidance. System Commands (SYSCOMS) will develop a uniform method for calculating FBCE to support their respective acquisition programs.” In response to this memo, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) initiated a project to develop a Design Data Sheet (DDS) to document the “uniform method”. Following extensive review within the technical community, on August 7, 2012, NAVSEA issued DDS 200-2, Calculation of Surface Ship Annual Energy Usage, Annual Energy Cost, and Fully Burdened Cost of Energy. Introduction On June 20, 2011, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, ASN(RDA), issued a memo stating, “The Fully Burdened Cost of Energy (FBCE) must be calculated using operational scenarios or use conditions specified in the program’s AoA guidance. System Commands (SYSCOMS) will develop a uniform method for calculating FBCE to support their respective acquisition programs.” In response to this memo, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) initiated a project to develop a Design Data Sheet (DDS) to document the “uniform method”. Following extensive review within the technical community, on August 7, 2012, NAVSEA issued DDS 200-2, Calculation of Surface Ship Annual Energy Usage, Annual Energy Cost, and Fully Burdened Cost of Energy. The end product of DDS 200-2 is an estimate of the amount of fuel consumed by a surface ship in each year of its service life (as well as the sum over the service life), and an estimate of the cost of that fuel. DDS 200-2 breaks the calculations into four tasks: Operational Profile Development, Annual Energy Usage Calculation, Fully Burdened Cost of Energy Calculation, and Annual Energy Cost Calculation. The inter-relationship of these tasks is shown in Figure 1. A worked example of the process is provided as an appendix to DDS 200-2. The Operational Profile Development methods are based on the methods used for a 2007 Navy report to Congress, Alternative Propulsion Methods for Surface Combatants and Amphibious Warfare Ships. The Fully Burdened Cost of Energy Calculation method is based on an internal SEA 05C document. 1 Analysis of Alternatives.
The great changes in social circumstance have made some deep influences on college students' thoughts and behaviours. Some defects in the mechanism of the ideological poltical work have partly restricted the “Two-subjects” teaching .What I suggest is to reinforce the innovation in “Two-subjects ” content and methods, meanwhile, to furthur build and improve a new efficient mechanism to better cordinate the relationship between the “Two -subjects”and the students' managent.
An electric switch, comprising a module (100) housing containing a stationary contact (122) mobile and a contact (110) is an elongated structure having a portion (110C) of connection to provide an external contact connection stationary and a portion (110B) of contact which must contact the contact (122) movable, the stationary contact comprising a portion (110A) assembly for supporting the contact (110) stationary in the module (100) housing, said portion (110B) assembly located closer to the center of the module (100) housing being the portion (110B) of contact of the contact (110) stationary, and the portion (110B) of contact is situated on the elongated structure stationary contact between the part (110C) and connecting part (110A) assembly, characterized in that the module housing comprises a receptacle (114) to accommodate the mounting portion of the stationary contact.
There is increasing interest in the 'prospect right' recently. The 'prospect right' of high-rise housing is often reflected in the house price value. The concept and value of 'prospect right' seems not yet defined accurately in Korean law, nor agreed among Korean people. The individual differences of the understanding on the prospect right may cause social problems such as construction delays and litigation. This study tried to quatify the degree of the prospects of objects, which were limited to 'the objects with prospect value'.
A sensitive oscillopolarographic method for the determination of trace cobalt based on the complex adsorptive current of the cobalt-Nitroso R salt (1-nitroso-2-naphthol-3, 6-disulfonic acid disodium salt,NRS)system with a cationic surfactant,tetradecyl pyridinium chloride(TPC) was developed.With TPC the current response was increased about 20 times compared to that obtained without TPC.Under optimum experimental conditions,the peak current was directly proportional to the concentration of cobalt (7.0×10~ -10 ~6.0×10~ -6 mol/L),with the detection limit of 1.4×10~ -10 mol/L(8.0 ng/L).The electrochemical behavior of NRS with cobalt in the presence of TPC was investigated.The composition of the Co(Ⅲ)-NRS-TPC complex was estimated to be 1∶3∶6,and the apparent stability constant was 6.5×10~ 37 .The adsorption of  Co(Ⅲ)(NRS)_3(TPC)_6 on the mercury electrode obeyed the Frumkin adsorption isotherm.The adsorption coefficient (β=1.21×10~5 L/mol),the amount of saturated adsorption(Γ_s=9.8×10~ -10 mol/cm~2) and the attractive factor (v=0.96) were evaluated.The mechanism of the reaction was discussed.
The article deals with the geometrical modeling of spatial deflections of parts and assemblies. For each type of location and form of tolerances it describes the procedure to construct a corresponding configuration space, by whose point it is possible to derive various positions of the marked reference frame and/or altered coefficients of quadratic forms of this surface within a specified tolerance, and therefore, to obtain a fully described position of the surface in a three-dimension space.
Sperm populations from 65 patients with fertility disturbances were investigated by pulse cytophotometry. The determination of the cell number showed 21 normospermias, 14 hypospermias, 19 oligospermias, 9 polyspermias, and 2 cryptospermias. As controls were used sperm samples of fertile men. The pulse cytophotometric DNA histograms were made full use quantitative and qualitative. The results of these investigations represent a methodical contribution for the diagnosis of fertility disturbances of men.
Spray forming is a novel materials processing technique for obtaining near net shape products. It involves atomisation of liquid melt into a spray of micron sized droplets by high energy gas jets and its collection over a substrate giving rise to a dense perform. This provides several microstructural and process benefits. Interesting microstructural features as well as constitution of phases have been reported. Some of the microstructures observed in spray formed AI-Si, AI-Si-Fe alloys are also discussed. The development of microstructures during spray deposition is a complex phenomenon. This has been explained in light of thermal profiles of the deposit as well as process parameters employed during spray deposition. A large number of critical experiments and modelling studies have been made to develop mechanisms for the evolution of microstructures.
Objective To study the relationship between the polymorphism of cyclooxygenase 2(COX-2)gene and the clinical outcome in atherosclerosis ischemic stroke patients on aspirin therapy.Methods Nine hundred and sixty-two atherosclerosis ischemic stroke patients on long-term aspirin therapy registered in the Nanjing Stroke Registry System were included in this study.Genotypes of COX-2rs20417and rs5275polymorphism were analyzed by improved multiplex ligase detection reaction.The patients were followed up for an average time of 15.13±7.42months.Results The minor allele frequency of rs20417and rs5275was 5.1%and 19.1%,respectively.Major endpoint events occurred in 89patients(9.25%)during the follow-up period.No significant difference in the incidence of primary endpoints was found for rs20417genotypes(CC+CG vs GG,P=0.81)and rs5275genotypes(AG+GGvs AA,P=0.48).Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model analysis showed that the clinical outcome was better in male patients than in female patients with no significant difference observed in the clinical outcome between rs20417Cand rs5275Gcarriers(P0.05).Conclusion The polymorphism of rs20417and rs5275in COX-2 gene may not be related with the clinical outcome in atherosclerosis ischemic stroke patients.
Meaning of the Existence of the Particles:—It is only a few years since physics hoped to correlate all the architecture of matter in terms of the ultimate properties of two entities, the electron and the proton. Now with a suddenness which is almost embarrassing, several other particles have been thrown into the arena and demand consideration in building the structure. Among the particles now available we have: The deuton. The hydrogen particle. The alpha particle. Nuclear entities of various kinds usually regarded as composed in some way of more fundamental entities 1. to 4.
Aim Recent evidence suggests that several dietary polyphenols may exert their chemopreventive effect through epigenetic modifications. Curcumin is one of the most widely studied dietary chemopreventive agents for colon cancer prevention, however, its effects on epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation, remain unclear. Using systematic genome-wide approaches, we aimed to elucidate the effect of curcumin on DNA methylation alterations in colorectal cancer cells. Materials and Methods To evaluate the effect of curcumin on DNA methylation, three CRC cell lines, HCT116, HT29 and RKO, were treated with curcumin. 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) and trichostatin A treated cells were used as positive and negative controls for DNA methylation changes, respectively. Methylation status of LINE-1 repeat elements, DNA promoter methylation microarrays and gene expression arrays were used to assess global methylation and gene expression changes. Validation was performed using independent microarrays, quantitative bisulfite pyrosequencing, and qPCR. Results As expected, genome-wide methylation microarrays revealed significant DNA hypomethylation in 5-aza-CdR-treated cells (mean β-values of 0.12), however, non-significant changes in mean β-values were observed in curcumin-treated cells. In comparison to mock-treated cells, curcumin-induced DNA methylation alterations occurred in a time-dependent manner. In contrast to the generalized, non-specific global hypomethylation observed with 5-aza-CdR, curcumin treatment resulted in methylation changes at selected, partially-methylated loci, instead of fully-methylated CpG sites. DNA methylation alterations were supported by corresponding changes in gene expression at both up- and down-regulated genes in various CRC cell lines. Conclusions Our data provide previously unrecognized evidence for curcumin-mediated DNA methylation alterations as a potential mechanism of colon cancer chemoprevention. In contrast to non-specific global hypomethylation induced by 5-aza-CdR, curcumin-induced methylation changes occurred only in a subset of partially-methylated genes, which provides additional mechanistic insights into the potent chemopreventive effect of this dietary nutraceutical.
The study of the Ba/La order in the Ba 6-x-yLa 8+2/3x+y Ti 18-y Al y O 54 solid-solution was performed by X-ray diffraction on single-crystals. The crystal structu re of these phases belongs to the tetragonal tungst en bronze type, build on the basis of (3x3) TiO 6 octahedron more than (2X2) (space group Pnma, a ≈22.4A, b ≈7.7 A, c≈12.2 A). The substitution of titanium by aluminum within the Ba 6-x La 8+2/3x Ti 18 O54 solid-solution concerns preferentially the two crystallographic sites Ti(1) and Ti(3) of the structural model.
The overall aim is to determine the prevalence of lifestyle related risk factors for noncommunicable disease (NCD) in Mongolia. The prevalence of NCD risk factors was survey in among 15-64 years old population, using the World Health Organization (WHO) STEPwise approach for NCD surveillance. The risk factor survey instrument was designed within the concepts of NCD surveillance taking in to account local needs and resources. The average fruit and vegetables intake has been reported as being 3.2% (+/- 0.004 CI) serving sizes per day in the surveyed population. The overall proportion of current daily smokers was 24.2% (+/- 0.1 CI) and 66.5% (+/- 0.1 CI) of surveyed population were used alcohol beverages over the past 12 months. About 23.1% (+/- 0.1 CI) of the surveyed population engaged only in low levels of physical activity or have had physical inactivity and 22.2% (+/- 0.05 CI) had elevated blood pressure. In regard to body mass index risk categories, 31.6% (+/- 0.1 CI) of the population aged 15-64 years was overweight and obese. The prevalence of people with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and elevated blood cholesterol level were 12.5% (+/- 0.05 CI) and 7.0% (+/- 0.01 CI) among 25-64 years old population. In conclusion, 9 in every 10 people aged 15-64 years had at least one risk factor for developing NCDs. One in every five people had three and more risk factors or was at HIGH risk and in particular, one in every two males aged 45 years and above was at high risk in developing NCDs.
0 n 4 August 1998 a set of twin Sun Conures was born to Elizabeth Clark - not really. The parents were Sunny and Sara Sun Conure This pair of conures lives in a cage three feet square by four feet high. their nest box is a small metal bootbox filled part way with a mix of pine and cedar shavings. They eat a seed diet with added vegetables including cabbage, carrots, celery, and broccoli. They also receive hardboiled eggs, Honey Nut Cheerios, apples, and oranges. Com and assorted melons are added in season. All is sprinkled with spirulina and wheat grass. Neighboring birds include Amazon parrots, Alexandrine Parakeets, Half Moon conures and an occasional walk-by, look-in by an emu. Because this pair disfigured their first baby while feeding it, I decided to be more careful with the following clutches and do all I could to safeguard their next offspring. On July 1, 1998 their first egg was laid, followed two days later by a second egg. By july 15 both eggs were determined to be fertile and no additional eggs had been laid. The first egg hatched on August second and the parents slightly disfigure the chick as they had done to the previous one. It now seemed more important than ever to safeguard the remaining egg. When I checked the last egg on August fourth, I was blown away by what I saw when I opened the inspection door - twins. Two babies. The egg was broken directly in half, not pipped at the top as normal. One baby was up and full of seed. The other lay lifeless in the shavings. At least I had one baby alive of the two. When I removed the body of the dead one it twitched. I called Kathy, my handfeeder, and she was over in a flash with syringe, saline solution, and formula. We removed both babies and warmed them in a brooder until we could weigh them and start their growth charts. The larger one weighed in at 10 grams while the little one was only six grams. The first three days were touch and go all the way. The smaller one had a slow feeding response and seemed to lack energy. The larger one ate like a horse. By the end of four days, both babies seemed more normal. We thought we were out of the woods. Not so. While I was on vacation the little one developed a problem. Kathy rose to the occasion and took it to the vet who lanced an abscess over its right eye. After 10 days of medication the baby was fine again. DNA testing determined the larger baby was a female and the smaller a male. At the time of this writing, both are weaned, happy, and healthy. Both babies from the same egg. ~
America's pastime has roots in New Jersey dating back to 1846 when the first baseball game using modern rules was played on Elysian Fields in Hoboken. The sport thrived throughout the state until the 1950s when fans began to turn away from local competition, preferring to watch games broadcast on television, to take a trip to see a major league team in New York, or to frequent newly air-conditioned movie theaters or bowling alleys. By the early 1990s, however, a growing disenchantment with the high ticket prices and corporate atmosphere of Major League Baseball led to the revival of a purer form of the sport in the Garden State.In "No Minor Accomplishment", sports historian and New Jersey native Bob Golon tells the story of the state's baseball scene since the Trenton Thunder arrived in 1994. Drawing on interviews with team owners and employees, industry executives and fans, Golon goes behind the scenes to show how maintaining a minor league ball club can be a risky business venture. Stadiums cost millions to build, and a team full of talented players does not immediately guarantee success. Instead, each of the eight minor league and independent professional teams in the state must tailor themselves to the communities in which they are situated. Shrewd marketing is necessary to attract fans, but Golon also explains how, unlike Major League Baseball, the business aspect of the minor and independent leagues is not something the average spectator notices. For the fans, baseball in New Jersey is wholesome, exciting family entertainment.
Statement of the Problem: Border molding is one of the important biologic factors required to provide optimal retention of the denture by creating a peripheral seal. Purpose: Previous studies have evaluated different materials individually for the purpose of border molding. The literature does not report about comparative evaluation of the efficiency of different materials for the purpose of one step border molding. This clinical study compares and evaluates the effectiveness of different materials for the purpose of one step border molding. Aims: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different materials for the purpose of one step border molding. Methods and Material: One step Border molding was completed for each subject by manual manipulation of the soft tissues adjacent to the tray borders using three different materials -1) Low fusing Impression Compound Type I b, 2) Heavy bodied Elastomeric Material : Polyvinyl Siloxane and 3) Modified Zinc Oxide Eugenol Impression Paste. Three examiners evaluated the border molding based on tissue contact, tissue displacement, bond to the tray and overall peripheral seal. Each criteria was scored on a scale of 1-5, with score 1 as bad while score 5 was considered excellent. The average of the score recorded by the three examiners for each criteria was considered. Results: Heavy Bodied Elastomeric Material- Polyvinyl siloxane has the best efficiency, while Low fusing Impression Compound Type I a had the least efficiency amongst the three when used for the purpose of border molding. Conclusions: One step border molding is an viable and advantageous alternative to conventional border molding (sectional border molding) as it results in reduction of chairside time, less discomfort for the patient and less efforts for the dentist.
Abstract : Heavy frozen precipitation produced by complex mesoscale patterns embedded within winter extratropical cyclones (ETCs) adversely affect many areas of the United States each year. The initiation, organization, and movement of these mesoscale precipitation systems (MPSs) within ETCs needs to be studied to more accurately predict these events. This study focuses on developing diagnostic techniques from synoptic scale datasets, which help to isolate those forcing mechanisms responsible for MPS events within larger scale precipitation regimes. Constant pressure and isentropic datasets are used to explore the structure of numerous frozen precipitation events occurring during the 1987-1992 winter seasons
Under the 1986 amendments to the False Claims Act, whistleblowing has become big business. The Act’s qui tam provision empowers private parties, called relators, to bring suit on behalf of the government for frauds committed against it— and to receive substantial portions of that recovery. Relying on the award-sharing provision to draw out relators with inside knowledge of complex and well-hidden frauds, the government uses these qui tam suits as a critical part of its regulatory policy. The recent history of the Act shows that it has done this to great effect: the government recovers billions of dollars annually from fraudulent contractors through relators’ suits. However, the Act has become something of a victim of its own success. The promise of big rewards for relators has led to a dramatic increase in the number of suits overall and, especially, in the number of dubious claims costing valuable prosecutorial resources. In response to the increase in meritless suits, the government has resolved to more aggressively seek dismissal to sort the wheat from the chaff. The circuit courts of appeals have split over the proper dismissal standard. The first approach, created in United States ex rel Sequoia Orange Co v BairdNeece Packing Corp, requires the executive branch to explain why dismissal is justified by cost-benefit analysis. The second approach, created in Swift v United States, offers near plenary dismissal power to the government. Sequoia, in permitting relators to probe the government’s reasoning, encourages meritless and strategic suits, while stunting the government’s ability to respond to this increase. Swift, in denying relators a meaningful opportunity to object, discourages meritorious relators from bringing suit. Beyond their suboptimal incentive structures, neither approach fully comports with the text and legislative history of the 1986 amendments, and both raise serious constitutional concerns. As such, this Comment offers a new standard of dismissal that resolves the incentive, interpretive, and constitutional issues. To address these issues, this Comment turns to an area in which courts and legislatures have long worked to create a standard that draws out only the meritorious claims: shareholder derivative lawsuits. Analogizing the executive to a Special
i 1.0 GENERAL CONCEPTS AND BACKGROUND 1 1.1 Is Spent Fuel a Waste? 4 1.2 Is the Management of Spent Fuel a Unique Problem? 4 1.3 Concepts for the Management of Spent Fuel 5 2.0 ANALOGUE CONCEPT 8 2.1 Natural Analogues for Deep Geological Disposal 8 3.0 ANALOGUES FOR SPENT FUEL 10 3.1 Depleted Uranium Orebody – The Oklo “Reactors” 12 3.2 Natural Uranium Deposits – Cigar Lake 14 3.3 Roll-Front Uranium Deposits 17 3.4 Other Deposits 17 4.0 ANALOGUES FOR BARRIERS 19 4.1 Metals 20 4.1.1 Noble Metals 20 4.1.2 Metals of Intermediate Reactivity 21 4.1.3 Reactive Metals 21 4.2 Clays 22 5.0 ANALOGUES FOR TRANSPORT AND RETARDATION 24 5.1 Tono Orebody 24 5.2 Loch Lomond 24 6.0 ANALOGUES FOR STRUCTURAL MATERIALS 26
First,kernel principal component analysis(KPCA) method and the generalized regression neural network(GRNN) are optimized by using the particle swarm optimization(PSO) algorithm after the covariance matrix for beam forming is obtained.Second,optimized KPCA method is used to reduce the dimension of train samples in order to reduce the complexity of GRNN.Finally,considering both difference and correctness of every neural network weight coefficients for beam-forming are obtained by using the proposed neural network ensemble method based fuzzy clustering method(FCM) and Heuristic idea.The simulation results show that the proposed method has good performance under a very simple structure of the neural network.
Data aggregation is essential for the efficient operation of wireless sensor network. Data aggregation has been widely recognized as an efficient method to reduce energy consumption by reducing the number of packets sent. In this paper a comprehensive review of the existing data aggregation techniques in wireless sensor network have been presented. Suitable criterias have been defined to classify existing solutions. In this paper several open issues have been identified and discussed which propose directions for future research in this area. Key WordsLEACH, PEGASIS, SDAP, TAG.
This thesis entitled “Moral Values And Figurative Languages in Coldplay’s Band Songs. Formalis theory and Affective theory are used in analyzing the moral values and figurative languages. Theory that used to image moral values is Formalist theory and theory that used to analysis figurative is Affective thoery. Then, data analyzed by using descriptive analysis method. The result of this study is there are several moral values that found in coldplays song such as regiousity, love, humbleness, peace loving. Figurative languages found are methapor, similie, personification, irony, and symbol in lyrics.
Discloses a method and system of the present invention, the touch-screen camera quick start lock screen, the method comprising the steps of: A, the touch screen lock screen preset first control and second control, the user is detected in the sliding track of the touch screen the movement of the sliding track of the first control, and calculates the distance between the first control and the second control; B, the calculated distance is judged, when the calculated distance is less than or equal to the first distance, start the camera in the background. The present invention is provided by the camera during unlocking process back on, to achieve a unlocking the touch screen display while the camera application is started completed, avoids the problem of a conventional unlock interface long waiting time to start the camera, allowing users access to preferred product experience.
In order to solve the problem that frozen block of copper concentrate is hard to crush,combined with the physical properties and in field situation,systematically improved design of the frozen block crushing technology was carried out following the selection of impact crushers,trying to thoroughly improve the low crushing efficiency for frozen block,and meet the requirements for product size. After the frozen block crushing system is put into use,the company's production organization could be optimized,and the production efficiency could be improved,and the production cost decreased.
Categories are made on the basis of shared similarity between stimuli – they function to group together things that are similar and distinguish these things from things that are different. This is sometimes called “lumping and splitting”. But all things are similar to other things in some ways and different in other things. So the question becomes one of which dimensions should we focus on? With regards to the social sciences, the question is which dimensions of our disciplines are the proper ones to form groups around. Should we focus on the dependent variables that are studied (which is more or less what we do now)? The methods we use? Political factors? Shared language/jargon?
The appearance of this new publication by Igor de Rachewiltz is evidence of the unquenchable interest in the Mongolian medieval literary monument The Secret History of the Mongols. To quote: ‘The real interest of the Secret History lies . . . in its faithful description of the Mongol tribal life in the 12th and 13th centuries’. Why is this text so especially valuable? Firstly, ‘The Secret History stands alone also because it is so close to the events which it relates’ (p. lxiv), and secondly, ‘The Secret History is and remains a true and original Mongol product, unique of its kind, for no other nomadic or seminomadic people has ever created a literary masterpiece like it, in which epic poetry and narrative are so skilfully and indeed artistically blended with fictional and historical accounts’ (p. xxvi). In the present study the author used more than forty translations in different languages. By doing it he pays a tribute to his predecessors: ‘Mostaert’s outstanding contribution’ (p. cxiii), ‘Mostaert’s and Ligeti’s epoch-making studies’ (p. lxxv), ‘Cleaves’ book is nevertheless of paramount importance’ (p. lxxvi) etc. To complete the translation and the commentary, the author used bibliographies, references, and dictionaries, all of which helped him to create a piece of work which revealed different sides of Mongolian life in the period of formation of the Mongolian Empire. For instance, the mentality of the time is revealed through interpretation of various folk motifs. Types of social organisation are revealed by explanation of terms, social positions, ranks and hierarchy, the levels of political organisation, and through analysis of interrelations between social groups and the elite. The present translation is the product of thirty years’ continuous investigation into this difficult text. ‘Over 1,300 primary and secondary sources, as well as monographs and essays in many languages, have been consulted by the author’. One can not disagree with the statement that, despite the longevity of observation and interest in it, the Secret History still remains ‘a true mine of information’.
The present invention is a warm-blooded animal, especially a human brain, in a non-invasive method, relates instrument (1) for selectively cooling, the instrument, cooled activatable self-contained cooling a source means (4,18,19), and a mounting means for attaching to a warm-blooded animal head / neck. An object of the present invention, the warm-blooded animal brain temperature, without the need for medical personnel skilled in especially, more quickly, as more efficiently can be reduced, the effect is obtained that, the aforementioned it is to improve the instrument. This object is appliance as heat conduction path (9,15,16) is formed between the cooling source means and (4,18,19) and a warm-blooded animal at least one of the carotid artery (1) the is accomplished by configuring the attachment means so that it can be attached to a warm-blooded animal. .FIELD 1
Modelling human immune response dynamics to Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. Thesis: MSc. (Mathematics) December 2017 Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) still poses a great challenge to the well-being of the population, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ability to trigger strong mounted cellular response within the host environment is daunting. The host cell depends on the robust adaptive cellular immunity to battle MTB infection. Of these, localizing TB bacteria by the development and the sustainability of a strong T helper type 0 cells (Th0) response is key to thwart MTB dissemination. The factors fuelling TB pathogenesis include, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and TB copandemic, the growing burden of Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and Extensive drug resistant TB (XDR-TB), and incompetency of host cell to kill MTB. The survived MTB load can trigger Latent TB infection (LTBI). In addition, the largely unknown biology of the host-MTB interaction, is yet to be elucidated. In this study, we develop a mathematical model capturing and addressing key dynamics of the adaptive host immune response to MTB infection. Of these, we consider the interplay of MTB with three distinct subsets of key immune cells and cell signalling molecules, namely; macrophages, T cells and cytokines. Furthermore, we explore the mechanisms of phagocytosis, T cells priming with delay, macrophage activation leading to lysis of infected cells. To estimate unknown parameters in the model, we perform curve fitting to experimental data of an infected mice using non-linear least square and Bayesian-based Markov Chain Monte ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za
Growth of femora and tibiae has been measured in mice carrying three distinct chondrodystrophic mutants (achondroplasia cn, brachymorphic bm and stumpy stm) aged 6--128 days, and in normal litter-mates. cn and bm resemble each other in growing slowly until the time of weaning, when growth is interrupted, stm grows strongly at first, but stops at around 14 days. The significance of these findings is discussed.
This paper is based on a doctoral study of leadership development within the Defence Force Academy, a pre-commissioning training and education institution for the Australian military. Leadership is a core capability for the military. The paper highlights the changed emphasis in leadership style for the leader and explores evidence of consequent change in the leadership development processes. In examining the relative influence of educational processes, this study highlights a gap between espoused theory and practice, the result of personal and social culture. This fact invites an understanding that development is not entirely an individual issue and suggests an important strategy, in order to bridge the gap between theory and practice, is to understand learning within the social context.
Through the consideration and influence of friction and setting up the dynamics model of the gear, the author of the present paper conducts a research into the stress distribution law of the gear tooth root, deduces the calculatio n equation of gear tooth root flexural fatigue strength under the action of fric tion and puts forward the comprehensive gear shape factor, which is one of the i nfluential factors of gear tooth flexural fatigue strength.
Presumptive treatment of fever with Chloroquine (CQ) remains the major strategy for malaria control in Nigeria. Efficacy surveillance of CQ must therefore be continuous for this strategy to remain valid. In this study we determined the efficacy of CQ in 120 patients aged 6m to 34yr who presented with acute uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Clinical success was 86.6%. Parasitological cure was 56.7%. Mean fever and parasite clearance times were 2.5 +/- 1.2D and 4.2 +/- 1.6D, respectively. Recrudescence rate was 24.45%. Twenty-four patients (20%) showed R11 response while 6 patients (5%) showed R111 response. Risk of treatment failure was significantly higher among children (< or = 15 yr) [P = 0.02, RR = 2.35 ] and among patients whose level of parasitaemia on day 2 was higher than day zero value. [P = 0.04; RR = 6.54]. Although malnutrition was not associated with higher risk of parasitological failure (P = 0.52), the proportion of children with R11/R111 response compared to R1 response was significantly higher among malnourished children compared to children with satisfactory nutritional status (OR 2.92; p = 0.001). The findings suggests the need for extra vigilance of CQ-Resistant P. falciparum (CRPF) malaria in children in general, and malnourished children in particular if potentially serious complications are to be averted.
OBJECTIVE To study the mechanism of pravastatin enhancing atherosclerosis regression.   METHODS Patients with hypercholesterolemia were treated with pravastatin 10-20 mg/d for 4 and 8 weeks. The changes of blood cholesterol and platelet functions were examined.   RESULTS After 4 weeks and 8 weeks treatment, the expression of platelet membrane P-selectin was decreased from 748 +/- 154 molecular number(MN)/platelet to 478 +/- 110 MN/platelet and 378 +/- 119 MN/platelet, respectively, plasma P-selectin was decreased from 24.3 +/- 9.9 micrograms/L to 16.8 +/- 4.5 and 16.1 +/- 4.0 micrograms/L, respectively, correlative with the lowering of blood cholesterol. Platelet P-selectin was positively correlated with plasma P-selectin(r = 0.8722).   CONCLUSION The early benefit of pravastatin in enhancing atherosclerosis regression was partly due to the improvement of platelet function.
This paper proposes an effective method for the automatic music transcription in polyphonic music. The method consists of a combination of Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF), subharmonic summation method and onset detection algorithm. We decompose the magnitude spectrum of a music signal into the spectral component and the temporal information of every note using NMF. Then, the accurate pitch of each note is calculated from the decomposed frequency components based on the subharmonic summation method. And an algorithm for detecting the onset is applied for estimating the temporal information of a musical note. Our method is simple and has a low computational cost, because the method is not a note training-based. The previous researches using NMF detect the pitch and the time duration ‘manually’, therefore the previous methods are difficult to use in the real engineering. Our proposed method improved this problem with ‘automatically’ detecting the fundamental frequency and the rhythm component. Furthermore, the proposed method automatically performed the indexing of the musical notes which is useful in the real engineering field. The transcription performance is evaluated with recorded polyphonic music signals, and the performance of the proposed method is better than the conventional NMF based methods in estimating both frequency component and time duration information.
Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a disease with autoimmune features that affects mainly women and compromises the health-related quality of Life (HRQoL); it is important to evaluate illness experience for a better understanding of the life situation of the patient. The aim of the study was to summarize the individual life experiences and determine the impact of HRQoL and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and their correlation with health self-assessment in women with SS. The life experiences evaluation employed a concept mapping design to structure qualitative content obtained from semi-structured interviews. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to analyze the patient’s experiences. EQ-5D-5L and OHIP-14Sp were used. The correlation between appreciation of the general health status and OHIP-14 was evaluated. The experience classification by patients were analyzed and a dendrogram was obtained, identifying 10 clusters of disease experiences of SS, being limitations, pain and difficulties, coping and attitudes towards treatment the most common. Pain/discomfort in EQ-5D-5L and physical pain and psychological discomfort in OHIP-14 were the most affected dimensions in the patients. The results support the theoretical perspective that the experience of illness is relevant to describing the main difficulties of patients with SS and how it affects their quality of life.
The relevance of innovation in service industries has been addressed within a project-based construction setting. Adopting innovative technologies and practices is important in accruing beneficial outcomes related to improved project delivery and performance as well as sustained competitive advantage of construction firms. However, little empirical emphasis has been paid to small and medium scale firms that constituted the bulk structure of the industry. The present study aims to develop an innovation framework, together with its mathematical equations, that considers organizational capabilities as a distinguishing character of superior firm performance in small and medium contracting firms (SMCFs). Construction innovation is defined as two different types of innovation activities, that is, technological and organizational innovations. Organizational capabilities involve several dimensions, such as entrepreneurship, organizational learning, integrated market orientation, human resource practice and inter-organizational network. The present study proposes an innovation framework, based on resource-based view (RBV) of firm, which assumes a positive effect of organizational capabilities on innovation, which in turns exerts a positive effect on firm performance. To date, to what extent these concepts are interrelated to each other and how innovation can be achieved within a small and medium (SME) setting remain unclear. Draw upon a mixed method, the proposed innovation framework and its mathematical equations are sequentially developed and validated with 157 empirical surveys and 12 in-depth interviews. Both the quantitative and qualitative studies are sampled on SMCFs (of general and specialist types) located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  iv  The purpose of the quantitative surveys was to gauge the strength of relationship between capabilities, innovation and firm performance. To this end, partial least square (PLS) approach of structural equation modelling (SEM) is utilized to produce quantitative results, which are then validated with a qualitative study that involves 12 experts specifically associated with SMCFs. The findings affirmed that capabilities can positively spur the effectuation of the two different, yet, complementing types of innovation desired by SMCFs. In turn, both the technological and organizational innovations are found to spur the development of superior performance of SMCFs. Further analysis indicated a partial mediating effect of the two distinct types of construction innovation. The results are expected to contribute to the academics in two main areas. First, the new innovation framework considers both capabilities-based antecedents and firm-based consequence to understand the nature of innovation in SMCFs. It provided an advanced explanation of how SMCFs innovate to accrue competent market position. Second, the conceptualization of innovation is consolidated on two different types of construction innovation, therefore advancing the understanding of innovation in SMCFs setting. Finally, the mathematical equations provide practical guidance for both practitioners and policymakers as to promote new value creation among SMCFs.
This paper presents a 30uw ultra-low power 10 bit successive approximation register(SAR) ADC which is realized in a 0.18um CMOS process.The design uses a fully-differential mode which is under 1.2V source supply,and 1V is used as reference voltage,the SNR of pre-simulation is 55.8dB.The two fully-symmetry capacitor-arraies are combined to the auto-zeroed comparator which is combined to the register.To improve the resolution,matching case,and reduce the whole capacitor area,one kind of new capacitor-array which is different from the classical ones is used,and all of the unit capacitors use the same size and shape.The design was implemented in Chartered 0.18um technology,and the test of the chip was fulfilled.
Following a general introduction to gas treatment, the chemistry of CO2, H2S and amine systems is described, and selected topics from physical chemistry with relevance to gas treating are presented. Thereafter the absorption process is discussed in detail, column hardware is explained and the traditional mass transfer model mechanisms are presented together with mass transfer correlations. This is followed by the central point of the text in which mass transfer is combined with chemical reaction, highlighting the associated possibilities and problems. Experimental techniques, data analysis and modelling are covered, and the book concludes with a discussion on various process elements which are important in the absorption–desorption process, but are often neglected in its treatment. These include heat exchange, solution management, process flowsheet variations, choice of materials and degradation of absorbents. The text is rounded off with an overview of the current state of research in this field and a discussion of real-world applications.
DO THE OUTCOMES AND COST JUSTIFY THE MARKETING? THE often repeated mantra that robotic surgery must be better because it has 3-dimensional vision, tremor reduction and wristed instrumentation has reached the level of surgical dogma among patients and physicians at the expense of objective data. The result is a prevailing belief that robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) is the optimal approach to prostate removal. In fact, it seems urologists and hospitals are in a technology race without pausing to assess the clinical and cost impact to our patients and society. Fortunately, data are available that demonstrate what has always been known and taught in medical school and residency, which is what matters most in surgery is the experience, judgment and results of the surgeon and not the surgical technology used. After approximately 10 years of experience with RALP and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP), a valuable review coauthored by well respected and accomplished open, laparoscopic and robotic surgeons was recently published. This comprehensive analysis of the existing literature easily makes my point, which is existing data cannot “prove the superiority of any surgical approach in terms of functional and oncologic outcomes.” Rather than review the literature again in depth, suffice it to say that the authors concluded that the secondary end points of postoperative pain (minimally), transfusion rates and hospitalization favored the laparoscopic approaches and that is all. This review essentially confirms what surgeons with expertise with more than one of these techniques already know, which is morbidity, surgical margins, continence and potency are equivalent for LRP, RALP and open radical prostatectomy (RRP). Any advantage for LRP and RALP in the secondary end points must be weighed against the cost disadvantage for RALP (and LRP to a lesser degree). I remain dumbfounded that hospitals and physicians wish to develop “robotic surgery” programs that require an investment that can be conservatively estimated as a purchase price of more than $1.4 million, an annual maintenance contract of
A phenomenon of the formation of liquid mobile metal-carbon particles is experimentally studied at comparatively low temperatures (600-700°C) in a vacuum during the reaction of Fe, Co, and Ni with amorphous carbon and catalytic graphitization of carbon. A mechanism of the formation and maintenance of a liquid state of these particles is proposed and characterized by transient and pseudo-steady-state regimes. The liquid particles (catalytic intermediates) are abnormally supersaturated solutions of carbon in metal (up to 50 at. % at 700°C).
Self-compacting concrete features good construction and filling performance.The good mechanical properties and durability are obvious when concrete was hardened.In recent years,it is obtained more and more attention on projects.However,with the reduction of water to cement ratio and the incorporation of mineral admixture,the volume stability of self-compacting concrete can not be ignored.Especially the autogenous shrinkage,it has already become one of the main reasons for cracking and influenced the durability of self-compacting concrete seriously.In view of the research and current application situations of self-compacting concrete,different factors impacting on the volume stability of self-compacting concrete and the corresponding experimental study methods were introduced.It attached importance to the research of shrinkage.It also pointed out that the concrete is a very complicated system in construction,and a comprehensive analysis should be done for shrinkage of self-compacting concrete.
Changes in the proportion of macrophages, granulocytes and subpopulations of lymphocytes in the secretory endometrium and decidua have been reviewed. The decidual transformation and principles of the neutralization of an adaptative response to embryonic tissues as well as the fetal growth promoting decidual factors have been discussed. The immunological response can broadly be divided into two types, cell mediated and humoral. Cell-mediated immune responses involve the activation of macrophages and the induction of macrophages and the induction of cytotoxic CD8+ and CD4+. T cells, whereas humoral immunity is characterized by antibody production. These two arma of the immune response are regulated by distinct subsets of CD4+ helper T cells, termed Th1 and Th2 cells, which secrete different patterns of cytokines. The pregnancy induced possible Th2 prevalence so as role of such factors like PGE2, TGF2, 1.25-(OH)2-Vit. D3, IL-2, progesteron, estrogens and dehydroepiandrosteron have been reviewed.
An immunocytochemical assay using a monoclonal antibody to estrogen receptor was applied to frozen sections of 43 prostatic tumors. In addition, in 16 tumors the results of the immunocytochemical assay were compared with those obtained using an enzyme immunoassay for estrogen receptor, a tritiated ligand binding assay, and a histochemical procedure using fluorescein-labeled estradiol conjugates. Specimens from 14 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 29 patients with prostatic carcinoma were analyzed in assays in which human breast carcinoma specimens of high, medium, low, or negative estrogen receptor content acted as controls. The intensity of nuclear staining and the percentage of stained cells in the breast sample controls correlated well with estrogen receptor content as determined by both the enzyme immunoassay and the tritiated ligand binding assay. None of the fixed, frozen sections from the 43 prostatic tumors exhibited nuclear staining of either the benign or the malignant epithelial cells or of the stromal components. Negative results were also obtained with the tritiated ligand binding assay. The majority of prostatic samples were negative when using the enzyme immunoassay but four specimens had a mean value of 6.2 fmol/mg protein which is just above the sensitivity of the assay. Using fluorescein-labeled estradiol conjugates both cytoplasmic and nuclear binding was observed in the prostatic samples which did not correlate with the results obtained by the other three procedures.
Contents Foreword - A Note on Sociology Keith Tester Preface Gorana Ognjenovi? and Jasna Jozeli? 1. Introduction Gorana Ognjenovi? and Jasna Jozeli? 2. Quo vadis Vlachs? Project C?arnojevic? into the 21st century Gorana Ognjenovi? 3. Ethno-religious Mimicryin the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina Marjan Smrke 4. Religious Symbology and Mythology in Sexual Violence and Rape during the Conflict 1992-1995 Nena Mo?nik 5. The Catholic Pledge in the Croatian Identity Frano Prcela 6. Political Control and Religious Life at Narona: A Case Ctudy from Antiquity Adam Lindhagen 7. Three Receptions of Bosnian Identity as Reflected in Religious Architecture Amra Hadzimuhamedovi? 8. Kosovo as Serbia's Sacred Space: Governmentality, Pastoral Power and Sacralization of Territories Filip Ejdus and Jelena Suboti? 9. Nation, Religion and Gender Zilka Spahi? Conclusion
This paper explores the various dilemmas covertly represented in Sir Philip Sidney's An Apology for Poetry The Apology is not only a passive defense of poetry which is in a lamentable condition, but also a confident celebration of the limitless capacity of poetry and a critical analysis of its failure. It is, among other things, Sidney's defense of himself, his reputation as a courtier, as an protestant activist, as a soldier, as a politician, and finally as a poet. Like any other literary work of Sidney's, there is a slippery quality in the Apology, which invites us to be unusually alert. At every stage of its argument, there are inconsistencies and implications that discourage us from taking the Apology at a face value. Sidney deals with the most important issue of the defense of English poetry in the most marginalized part of Digression, which, while emphasizing the inferior condition of English poetry, effectively reveals that to marginalize poetry is a mistake. In this most stylish and confident work of literary theory, Sidney reveals his confusion, uncertainty, and anxieties not only about poetry but also about himself as a courtier-poet. He struggles with the right identity of poetry as well as with his own true identity. He is uncertain about the rightful future of poetry as well as his own future. Through the defense of poetry, Sidney makes an eloquent defense of himself, criticizing the government of the day. Sidney reveals frustrated political ambition and offers an oblique criticism of Elizabeth I, whose placatory foreign policy has rendered her subjects, like him, idle. But most of all, Sidney's work grapples with the inevitable gaps between the ideal and the reality; with his anxiety between political ambition and frustration; with the tension between the ideal poetry and the corrupt practice of poetry of the period. The Apology embodies the tension of the Elizabethan court in the early modern period.
Last year we received trom S. C. I. W. van Musschenbroek, Ex-Resident of Menado, a large collection of Mammalia and Birds; and among them the following species of the genus Mus of Celebes. Four species are new to science and another species is new to the Celebian Fauna. It should here be observed, that the different authors, describing new species of Mice, have not paid attention enough to the nature of the fur which is nevertheless of special importance. For instance, Mus speciosus and Mus argenteus, both described and figured by Temminck, Fauna japonica, 1843, p. p. 51 and 52, tab. 15, may be very easily confounded. Reading the descriptions one would think them to be the same species, the only difference being the longer tail of Mus argenteus. But in studying the types found in the Leyden Museum, it is evident that Temminck has omitted to remark that the fur of Mus argenteus consists of woolly hair only, that of Mus speciosus on the other hand of hair which is woolly and spinous. In fact, in the latter species the woolly hairs of the upper and lower parts of the body are mixed with numerous flexible spines: on the back they are slate-coloured near the base, rusty towards the tip, on the belly they are entirely white; the woolly hairs being here slate-coloured near the base and for the rest of a pure white.
The eastern enlargement of the European Union provides Austria with the opportunity to expand to the fullest its political and economic relations with neighbouring countries. For Austria's economy, the enlargement would open new avenues of economic development, but it would impose also greater adjustment costs than for the EU countries as a whole. However, the degree to which the economic potential will be reached depends on political factors, in particular on the reform of the EU institutions and on the specific conditions attached to membership. Furthermore, it is difficult to predict how the enlargement to the east will play out because it is unclear how the economies of transition will develop if they cannot join the Union within a reasonable time frame.
Many integral membrane proteins exist on the plasma membrane as part of multicomponent complexes. In addition to correctly transporting newly synthesized proteins from their site of synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane, the cell must possess mechanisms to ensure that the complexes expressed on the cell surface are accurately assembled. The cell appears to accomplish this feat by superimposing a set of constraints on the newly synthesized membrane proteins whereby the structure and state of assembly of the protein determine its intracellular fate. These processes impose a dramatic level of post-translational regulation on the expression of surface membrane protein complexes. By and large, the cell uses these mechanisms to dispose of, or "edit out," newly synthesized proteins that are not correctly assembled or folded. This review will describe current views of the processes of architectural editing, with an emphasis on the regulation of cell surface expression of the multicomponent T-cell antigen receptor complex.
The invention relates to a method for estimating and predicting video data compression motion by using the edge effect, belonging to the field of the data compression. The method for partitioning the round macroblock which is provided with an intersection part is adopted; the intermediate value is obtained according to the intersection part motion vector to determine the macroblock motion vector prediction value; the initial searching and the initial matching module determination are carried out, and the secondary search range is determined and the video data compression motion is estimated by taking the matching module which is initially determined as the base point. The method can improve the accuracy and the speed of estimating the video data compression motion and can effectively eliminate the square block in the video.
Developed to assist individuals and institutions in the evaluation of staff development programs, this guide reviews strategies to determine desired program outcomes, to include evaluation in ongoing planning, and to implement evaluation results. Following an introductory review of societal and educational trends affecting community colleges, the second section stresses the importance of careful planning in staff development evaluation. The next section emphasizes that desired outcomes of a program must match the unique needs of individual institutions, but lists 15 general goals for staff training and development. Next, methods and goals are described for four progressively complex levels of program analysis: the assessment of participant reaction, participant learning, participant behavior and attitude change, and impact of staff development on the institution. The following sections review evaluation strategies, describe staff development applications and activities, provide answers to common questions about evaluation, describe the writing of evaluation reports, discuss the use of data for program improvement, and provide a sample planning and evaluatio, cycle checklist. Finally, a 29-item bibliography and the following sample resources are appended: a college goal statement, staff development program goals, a campus climate/needs assessment survey, an application for staff development funding, participant evaluation forms, program results from college report, a goal and activity evaluation report, workshop evaluation results, a farulty evaluation survey, and a student survey. (PAA) ****************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Guide to taff Development Evaluation
Soft sets theory is emerging as a powerful tool for reasoning about data.The data representation is more flexible and the data analysis process has effectively simplified by method of soft sets.It has important application in artificial intelligence and cognitive science.Using soft set theory,the paper proposes the notion of incomplete decision soft sets,dominance relation and dominance sets,respectively.Furthermore,an effective approach is given to obtain optimal credible rules using dominance relation in incomplete soft set,and an algorithm of soft optimal credible rules mining is introduced.Theory proof and case analysis show that the method is effective and simplifies the process of reduction greatly in comparision to coarse sets,thus improving the efficiency.
The readout electronics of the ATLAS Hadronic Endcap Calorimeter (HEC) will have to withstand an about 3-5 times larger radiation environment at the future high-luminosity LHC (HLLHC) compared to their design values. The preamplifier and summing boards (PSBs), which are equipped with GaAs ASICs and comprise the heart of the readout electronics, were irradiated with neutrons and protons with fluences surpassing several times ten years of operation of the HL-LHC. Neutron tests were performed at the NPI in Rez, Czech Republic, where a 36 MeV proton beam was directed on a thick heavy water target to produce neutrons. The proton irradiation was done with 200 MeV protons at the PROSCAN area of the Proton Irradiation Facility at the PSI in Villigen, Switzerland. In-situ measurements of S-parameters in both tests allow the evaluation of frequency dependent performance parameters, like gain and input impedance, as a function of fluence. The linearity of the ASIC response was measured directly in the neutron tests with a triangular input pulse of varying amplitude. The results obtained allow an estimation of the expected performance degradation of the HEC. For a possible replacement of the PSB chips, alternative technologies were investigated and exposed to similar neutron radiation levels. In particular, IHP 250 nm Si CMOS technology has turned out to show good performance and match the specifications required. The performance measurements of the current PSB devices, the expected performance degradations under HL-LHC conditions, and results from alternative technologies will be presented.
Objective To explore the effect of intracerebroventricular injection of urocortin(UCN) on gastrointestinal function and plasma ghrelin level and its mediated receptor.Methods Immune fluorescence staining and ELISA method were used to observe the changes of the food intake,gastric emptying speed and plasma acylated and des-acylated ghrelin levels after intracerebroventricular injection of UCN or UCN+corticotropin-releasing factor receptor(CRF) antagonists in 8-week-old male SD rats.Results ①The indices were significantly reduced after intracerebroventricular injection of UCN(P0.05).The indices were not significantly different after intracerebroventricular injection of UCN or UCN+CRF-1 receptor antagonists(P0.05).Indices were significantly higher after intracerebroventricular injection of UCN+CRF-2 receptor antagonists than UCN(P0.05).Conclusion The results suggest that the intracerebroventricular injection of UCN can inhibit the gastrointestinal function and decrease the plasma ghrelin level via CRF-2 receptors.
Background: Hip arthroscopy is becoming more advanced and commonly performed. However, significant controversy exists regarding whether high-grade acetabular cartilage lesions should be treated with debridement/abrasion or microfracture. In addition, patients treated with microfracture are subject to extended protected weightbearing rehabilitation to mitigate risk of subchondral plate fracture and to protect fibrocartilage tissue formation. Purpose: To determine the midterm patient-reported outcomes and failure rate of patients with grade 3 and 4 acetabular labrum articular disruption (ALAD) lesions managed with debridement/abrasion or microfracture. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Primary arthroscopic labral repair cases at 2 centers from November 2008 to April 2016 were reviewed for patients aged <55 years with unipolar ALAD grade 3 and 4 chondrolabral acetabular delamination. Patients undergoing microfracture and debridement/abrasion were compared using the visual analog pain scale (VAS), modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), and Hip Outcome Score–Sports-Specific Subscale (HOS-SSS) to determine predictors of outcomes and failure. Results: A total of 113 hips in 110 patients (66 males, 44 females; mean age, 34.5 ± 1.1 years) undergoing debridement/abrasion (n = 82) or microfracture (n = 31) were followed for a mean of 4.9 years (range, 2.0-8.5 years). Lesion size was not statistically different between the debridement/abrasion (1.3 ± 1.0 cm2) and microfracture cohorts (1.4 ± 1.0 cm2) (P = .47). Patients undergoing debridement/abrasion achieved 3.6-point mean improvements in VAS (P < .01), 21.2-point improvements in mHHS (P < .01), and 25.4-point improvements in HOS-SSS (P < .01), which were not significantly different from those observed in microfracture patients (P≥ .20). The 5-year rate of survival free of revision surgery was 84.0% in the debridement/abrasion group and 85.6% in the microfracture group (P = .78). The cartilage treatment technique was found not to be predictive of revision risk during both univariate (hazard ratio [HR], 1.01; P = .98) and multivariate (HR, 0.93; P = .90) analysis accounting for patient age, lesion grade, and acetabular coverage. Conclusion: Patients undergoing debridement/abrasion of high-grade unipolar acetabular cartilage lesions demonstrate similar outcome scores and revision rates compared with those of patients undergoing microfracture. These outcomes support the consideration of preferential debridement/abrasion at the discretion of the treating surgeon to optimize recovery while maintaining established positive outcomes after hip arthroscopy.
Reinforcement learning (RL) is a popular approach for robotic path planning in uncertain environments. However, the control policies trained for an RL agent crucially depend on user-defined, state-based reward functions. Poorly designed rewards can lead to policies that do get maximal rewards but fail to satisfy desired task objectives or are unsafe. There are several examples of the use of formal languages such as temporal logics and automata to specify high-level task specifications for robots (in lieu of Markovian rewards). Recent efforts have focused on inferring state-based rewards from formal specifications; here, the goal is to provide (probabilistic) guarantees that the policy learned using RL (with the inferred rewards) satisfies the high-level formal specification. A key drawback of several of these techniques is that the rewards that they infer are sparse: the agent receives positive rewards only upon completion of the task and no rewards otherwise. This naturally leads to poor convergence properties and high variance during RL. In this work, we propose using formal specifications in the form of symbolic automata: these serve as a generalization of both bounded-time temporal logic-based specifications as well as automata. Furthermore, our use of symbolic automata allows us to define non-sparse potential-based rewards which empirically shape the reward surface, leading to better convergence during RL. We also show that our potential-based rewarding strategy still allows us to obtain the policy that maximizes the satisfaction of the given specification.
PURPOSE Keratoconus and cataract are common causes of visual morbidity. Both conditions show genetic predisposition. The purpose of this study was to map the disease locus in a large three-generation family affected by combined early-onset autosomal dominant anterior polar cataract and clinically severe keratoconus. Uniquely, in this family both disorders were present and fully penetrant in those affected.   METHODS Thirty members of the family were examined clinically on two occasions, at an interval of 5 years, to establish their phenotypes and determine the progression of the disease. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples of 16 affected and 14 unaffected individuals, and typed with more than 350 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci in a genome-wide linkage screen. Markers were amplified by PCR with fluorescently labeled primers and sized with an automated DNA analyser before calculation of lod scores. After linkage was established, several positional candidate genes were assessed by PCR-based DNA sequencing.   RESULTS The locus for keratoconus with cataract was mapped to a 6.5-Mb region of the long arm of chromosome 15, at 22.33-24.2 between CYP11A and D15S211. The positional and functional candidate genes CTSH, CRABP1, IREB2, and RASGRF1 were excluded as the cause of keratoconus with cataract in this family.   CONCLUSIONS This is the first report of a family with autosomal dominant inheritance of keratoconus in association with cataract. The causative gene maps to the long arm of chromosome 15 but has not yet been identified.
The utility model discloses a household efficient heating furnace which comprises a hearth, a second combustion opening on the upper portion of the hearth, a second air distribution opening, a furnace body water sleeve, and a smoke waste heat exchanger, wherein the second air distribution opening is arranged outside a furnace body and communicated with the second combustion opening, the smoke waste heat exchanger is arranged inside the furnace body and communicated with the lower portion of the hearth, the smoke waste heat exchanger is a dividing wall type heat exchanger formed by a circulation water cavity and a smoke chamber which are communicated with the furnace body water sleeve, and a smoke channel opening is arranged in the upper portion of the smoke waste heat exchanger. The household efficient heating furnace has the advantages of being small in size, high in heat efficiency, convenient to produce, transport and install and the like.
The experience of the use of an electric bike in Ceske Budějovice, a transport that is still unknown in the Czech Republic, is described. Electric bicycle is an additional kind of traditional bicycles in the bicycle sphere, which is often, through unprecedented and unnecessary problems, is developing in Czech cities, too. The use of electric bikes as a means of individual transport in cities cause the realization of the system "one car less", i. e. an alternative replacement of cars. The conditions of the development of bicycles are the following: a change of legislation and the existence of the quality network of cycle tracks, the creation of which must be one of the priorities of urbanization.
In recent years Mutual Fund Industry has emerged successfully to cater the growing needs of different class of investors in India.Most of the investors are more attracted to the investments schemes offered by mutual fund institutions because they represent a sensible, efficient vehicle for individual investors to participate in the market, funds of all types with different cost and expense characteristics are created to meet the changing and growing needs of different class of investors. Mutual fund institutions offer a number of alternative types of managed portfolios to the investors to providing alternative channels of investments with ease of flexibility to reduce risks, save investments, earn good returns and utilize the services of professional management experts in the investment process.
Every language user is linguistically creative. Creativity, along with productivity, displacement and arbitrariness, is one of the most important features of human language. This study investigates the relationship between creativity and listening comprehension. At first, a modified version of Comprehensive English Language Test was administered to a group of 82 students to determine their homogeneity as well as to assess their language proficiency. In the next phase of the study, Arjomand creativity Questionnaire was administered to the participants. Afterwards, the students were given a listening comprehension test consisting of two lectures to measure the listening comprehension of students. This test was designed to examine the relationship between creativity and listening comprehension. The findings suggest that there is a significant correlation between creativity and listening comprehension.
A disputable problem in the field of contrastive rhetoric is whether there are fundamental differences between English and Chinese rhetorical patterns.Some researchers,represented by Kaplan,hold that Chinese rhetorical pattern,influenced by the eight-legged essay or the qi-cheng-zhuan-he structure,is indirect in development,while still some insist that there are not fundamental differences between English and Chinese rhetorical patterns. An analysis of the major previous research reveals that much research is flawed with problems like sole reliance on Chinese students' ESL compositions and small sampling.On this basis,it is suggested that later contrastive rhetoric research should pay more attention to research methodology.
Microgravity greatly benefits the study of fundamental combustion processes. In this environment, buoyancy-induced flow is nearly eliminated, weak or normally obscured forces and flows can be isolated, gravitational settling or sedimentation is nearly eliminated, and temporal and spatial scales can be expanded. This document reviews the state of knowledge in microgravity combustion science with the emphasis on NASA-sponsored developments in the current period of 1992 to early 1995. The subjects cover basic research in gaseous premixed and diffusion-flame systems, flame structure and sooting, liquid droplets and pools, and solid-surface ignition and flame spread. They also cover applied research in combustion synthesis of ceramic-metal composites, advanced diagnostic instrumentation, and on-orbit fire safety. The review promotes continuing research by describing the opportunities for Principal Investigator participation through the NASA Research Announcement program and the available NASA Lewis Research Center ground-based facilities and spaceflight accommodations. This review is compiled by the members and associates of the NASA Lewis Microgravity Combustion Branch, and it serves as an update of two previous overview reports.
In this paper, a real-coded genetic algorithm is proposed for identification of time delay systems from step responses. FOPDT (First-Order Plus Dead-Time) and SOPDT (Second-Order Plus Dead-Time) systems, which are the most useful processes in this field, but are difficult for system identification because of a long dead-time problem and a model mismatch problem. Genetic algorithms have been successfully applied to a variety of complex optimization problems where other techniques have often failed. Thus, the modified crossover operator of a real-code genetic algorithm is proposed to effectively search the system parameters. The proposed method, using a real-coding genetic algorithm, shows better performance characteristics when compared to the usual area-based identification method and the directed identification method that uses step responses.
Boiled of liquefied natural gas flows from, say, storage tank 10 and is compressed in vapour compression stages 40 and 42. The resulting compressed vapour is condensed in a condenser 46 and the condensate returned to the tank 10. The condenser 46 is cooled by means of a working fluid, for example nitrogen, flowing in a Brayton cycle 60. The Brayton cycle includes a heat exchanger 86 which removesheat of compression from the compressed natural gas vapour upstream of its passage through the condenser 46. In addition a part of the working fluid is withdrawn from a region of the Brayton cycle 60intermediate the working fluid outlet from the condenser 46 and the working fluid inlet to the heat exchanger 86 and the withdrawn working fluid flows through another heat exchanger 88 in which it removes heat of compression from the natural gas vapour intermediate the compression stage 40 and the compression stage 42. The withdrawn working fluid is returned to the Brayton cycle 60.
In ICS, WUT a COSMA design environment is being developed. COSMA is based on Concurrent State Machines (CSM) formalism of system specification. It contains a graphical tool for system design, various tools for the analysis (including a temporal model checker), simulator and code generator. In many projects, some common susbsystems take place. This concerns both complicated modules and simple counters. In the report, a concept of macrogeneration technique for building of libraries of automata is presented. The new technique will support a compactness of projects and reusability of modules.
Friction Stir Processing (FSP) is a relatively new post-processing technique. Fatigue strength of MIG fillet welds of aluminium alloys can be substantially improved using FSP. Beyond other properties intrinsically tied to fatigue life, especially attention should be paid to the effect of the final residual stress state. In this study the residual stress distribution in T-joints of two aluminium alloys was determined by Neutron and X-ray diffraction. FSP effect on the residual stress state and fatigue life was analysed.
For the current bending industry needs to achieve bending different thickness, different specifications and double-sided bending production, an automatic adjustable double-sided bending method is proposed. The main steps of this method are as follows: First, the structure model is established according to the bending process requirements; Then, the PLC control system and the robot system are developed; Finally, the digital bending programming of the man-machine interface is carried out. It is proved by practices that the double-sided bending mechanism, control system and robot system are applied to the bending system which improves the bending forming quality, forming precision and processing efficiency. It promotes the rapid development of bending industry and the application prospect is very broad.
The globalisation of the financial markets challenges the limits of national and regional law and regulation, and increases the role of market-based rules. The emphasis on principles by public-sector regulators enhances co-operation between sectors, and mirrors developments in private law. This article assesses the existing and potential role of the markets as rule-makers, and asks whether it amounts to the privatisation of law and regulation.
Drought is a worldwide issue that impacts seriously on the security of food production. The aim of this research was to study the effect of soil water deficit on some physiological parameters of durum and bread wheat genotypes. Gas exchange parameters of flag leaf measured by using LI-COR 6400-XT Portable Photosynthesis System. Drought caused of reduction photosynthesis rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate (E), mesophyll conductance (gm), photosynthetic pigments content, leaf area (LA), dry weight (DW), relative water content (RWC) of flag leaf. Leaf specific mass (LSM) was increased under rainfed condition. Strong relationships were detected between gs and E, between gm and Pn. The Pn was positively and significantly correlated with LA, RWC, and DW but non-significantly correlated with Chl content. Physiological traits can be used as selection criteria for drought resistance.
The reputation of the field of psychiatric genetics has recently become tarnished in the view of many human geneticists. Too many linked loci were claimed and withdrawn, too many association studies published and not confirmed and, more recently, too many new and different chromosomal regions have been implicated for the same disorder. Here, we summarize recent trends, focusing on research that moves away from traditional linkage studies. Some promising strategies include psychopharmacogenetics, and consideration of endophenotypes such as neurophysiological and behavioral markers in addition to the clinical diagnosis. Utilization of rapid and automated methods for scoring genetic variants in large-scale association studies followed by multivariate analyses, which include environmental as well as genetic data, will likely fare better than traditional linkage analysis in disentangling the complex genetics of psychiatric disorders. Some notable areas of recent progress include quantification of the genetic complexity of autism, identification of genetic variants protecting individuals from alcoholism, and the description of several polymorphisms likely to be relevant to behavior and psychiatry. The most notable example may be a common variant that affects the transcription rate in the promoter for the serotonin transporter gene that may be relevant for individual differences in the response to common anti-depressants.
SUMMARY The heart of Squilla oratoria contains a cardiac ganglion that consists of 15 intrinsic neurons, supplied by a pair of inhibitory nerves and two pairs of excitatory nerves, arising from the central nervous system. These comprise the extrinsic cardiac innervation. The paired cardio-inhibitor (CI) nerves run out in the 10th pair of nerve roots emerging from the subesophageal ganglion (SEG). The cell bodies of the CI neurons are found in the hemisphere of the 1st segment of the SEG contralateral to the nerve roots in which the CI axons emerge. The two pairs of 1st and 2nd cardio-accelerator (CA1 and CA2) nerves run out in the 16th and 19th pairs of nerve roots of the SEG. The cell bodies of the CA1 and CA2 neurons are found in the hemispheres of the 3rd and 4th segments of the SEG ipsilateral to the nerve roots in which the CA1 and CA2 axons are found. The heartbeat was activated by application of glutamate, serotonin, dopamine, octopamine or acetylcholine, which were applied to the heart by perfusion into an organ bath. Joro-spider toxin (JSTX) blocked myocardial excitatory junctional potentials evoked by the cardiac ganglion. Neuronal cell bodies and processes in the heart were examined using immunocytochemical techniques. All 15 neurons of the cardiac ganglion showed glutamate-like immunoreactivity. Glutamate may be a neurotransmitter of the cardiac ganglion neurons. JSTX also blocked cardiac acceleration by activation of CA1 and CA2 axons. CA1 and CA2 axons showed glutamate-like immunoreactivity. It is likely that glutamate is a neurotransmitter for the cardio-acceleratory neurons. The heartbeat was inhibited by application of γ-amino-butyric acid (GABA). Cardiac inhibition induced by activation of CI axons was blocked by picrotoxin. CI axons showed GABA-like immunoreactivity. These results may support the identification of GABA as an extrinsic inhibitory neurotransmitter.
Acid alizarin violet N in an acidified aluminum potassium sulfate solution (AAV) is presented as a nuclear fluorochrome. We demonstrate using 1 N HCl, deoxyribonuclease, and ribonuclease digestion methods that this stain has specificity for nucleic acids similar to other aluminum mordant stains in 95% ethanol-fixed material. The method presented gives stable preparations and is resistant to fading for at least two years. Strong fluorescence of AAV stained material is detected under conventional mercury vapor lamp and argon ion laser illumination. AAV stained confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) images are collected in the red channel of the microscope (detecting lambda > 600 nm), there being no AAV emission in the green channel (detecting lambda 527-565 nm). The xanthene dyes eosin Y and dichlorofluorescein are used as counterstains and can be imaged in both channels. We present a method for use with the CSLM, utilizing double imaging techniques.
Physical function is one of the most important constructs assessed in health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and it could be very useful to assess movement ability from the perspective of the patient. The objective of this study was to compare the content of the domains related to mobility covered by the HRQOL questionnaires based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and to evaluate their quality according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidance. For this, a systematic review was carried out in the databases Scopus, Web of Science and Science Direct. The inclusion criteria were development and/or validation studies about generic HRQOL measures, and the instruments had to include items related to mobility and studies written in English or Spanish. The comparison of content was performed using the ICF coding system. A total of 3614 articles were found, 20 generic HRQOL instruments were identified and 120 (22.4%) mobility-related items were found. Walking was the most represented category. Low-quality evidence on some measurement properties of the generic HRQOL instruments was revealed. The CAT-Health is a useful questionnaire to be used in rehabilitation due to its psychometric properties and its content.
AbstractPaul Spade argues that there is a tension between Ockham’s descriptions of the various types of supposition at Summa Logicae (sl) I.64 and a rule he provides at sl I.65. In later papers, Spade proposes a solution: a term supposits significatively (i.e., personally) just in case it supposits for everything it signifies. I evaluate Spade’s proposal and explore some of its implications. I show that it successfully resolves the tension and that it suggests a way to more precisely describe material and simple supposition. I argue furthermore that Ockham is committed to the proposal by showing that uncontroversial features of his theory imply it. In doing so, I raise and refute three potential objections. Finally, I highlight and discuss a controversial result: self-signifying conventional terms can supposit materially. I argue that this result makes for a more satisfying theory.
The British Psychological Society’s report “Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia: why people sometimes hear voices, believe things that others find strange, or appear out of touch with reality, and what can help” (Cooke, A. (ed.), 2014) has generated extensive media coverage and debate. It is a book-length consensus report outlining in everyday language a psychosocial approach to experiences that are commonly thought of as psychosis. Written by a group of 24 authors including many of the leading psychology researchers in the field, together with people who have themselves experienced psychosis, it aims to provide an accessible overview of the current state of knowledge in language that everyone can understand. This editorial summarises the report, the reasons we wrote it and the responses it has received.
Candida albicans, an opportunistic fungal pathogen, frequently colonizes immune-compromised patients and causes mild to severe systemic reactions. Only few antifungal drugs are currently in use for therapeutic treatment. However, evolution of a drug-resistant C. albicans fungal pathogen is of major concern in the treatment of patients, hence the clinical need for novel drug design and development. In this study, in vitro screening of novel putative pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline derivatives as the lead drug targets and in silico prediction of the binding potential of these lead molecules against C. albicans pathogenic proteins, such as secreted aspartic protease 3 (SAP3; 2H6T), surface protein β-glucanase (3N9K) and sterol 14-alpha demethylase (5TZ1), were carried out by molecular docking analyses. Further, biological activity-based QSAR and theoretical pharmacokinetic analysis were analyzed. Here, in vitro screening of novel analogue derivatives as drug targets against C. albicans showed inhibitory potential in the concentration of 0.4 µg for BQ-06, 07 and 08, 0.8 µg for BQ-01, 03, and 05, 1.6 µg for BQ-04 and 12.5 µg for BQ-02 in comparison to the standard antifungal drug fluconazole in the concentration of 30 µg. Further, in silico analysis of BQ-01, 03, 05 and 07 analogues docked on chimeric 2H6T, 3N9K and 5TZ1 revealed that these analogues show potential binding affinity, which is different from the therapeutic antifungal drug fluconazole. In addition, these molecules possess good drug-like properties based on the determination of conceptual Density Functional Theory (DFT)-based descriptors, QSAR and pharmacokinetics. Thus, the study offers significant insight into employing pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoline analogues as novel antifungal agents against C. albicans that warrants further investigation.
In 1909, during the months of July,.August, September, October, and the first part of November, an epidemic of this terrible disease occurred at Montreal. It was widespread, most of the cases being from the poorer districts. 'Same, however, were found in the suburbs of the city and a few in the country districts, within a radius of fifty miles. Several hundred cases were treated here, between :50 and 60 of which were under my personal care. Daring the autumn of 1910, while we have had only a few oases in Montreal, probably six to eight altogether, the epidemic has been present in many districts of Qaebec and Oatario. In the Province of Qaebec many cases have ooorred at Stkerbrooke and North Hatley; while in -Ontario the disease has been prevalent in both Toronto and Hamilton, some one hundred cases having occarred at Hamilton alone. The epidemics have differed in severity in different .plaoes. In Montreal we have not had many fatal cases. Atong the number treated by me personally, the results were fatal in only three instances, or, in other words, a fatality of a little under 6 per cent. In many places, however, they have had a fatality of 12 per cent., and even as high as 17 per cent. In this respect it resembles typhoid fevei'. Although the number of fatalities has not been great, *the disease has added a great number of crippled little ones to our homes. It is, indeed, a sad sight, after an epidemic of this type, to see the number of children crippled and maimed for life. Daring the past five years great progress has been made in the pathology of this peculiar disease. We have had opportanties to study it in recent cases which have ended fatally, and much of interest has been written on the Bubject. What about the etiology ? In all the great medical centres distinguished pathologists and bacteriologists have devoted a great deal of time, attention, and skill in an endeavour to ascertain the cause of poliomyelitis. Landsteiner and Popper have done the pioneer work. They inoculated two monkeys successfully with the spinal cord obtained from two fatal cases of poliomyelitis. The injections were made into the peritoneal cavity, and one of the monkeys died on the sixth day; it was paralysed in the lower extremities. the other was killed on the nineteenth day, and the pathological changes were the same as those foand in fatal cases in the human beings. It remained for Flexner and Paul A. Lewis, at the Rockefeller Institute, New York, to make another step in advance. They succeeded in producing the disease
Summary  Kelejian (Letters in Spatial and Resources Sciences; 1: 3–11) extended the J-test procedure to a spatial framework. Although his suggested test was computationally simple and intuitive, it did not use the available information in an efficient manner. Kelejian and Piras (Regional Science and Urban Economics; 41: 281–292) generalized and modified Kelejian's test to account for all the available information. However, neither Kelejian (2008) nor Kelejian & Piras (2011) considered a panel data framework. In this paper we generalize these earlier works to a panel data framework with fixed effects and additional endogenous variables. We give theoretical as well as Monte Carlo results relating to our suggested tests. An empirical application on a crime model for North Carolina is also estimated. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Selective inhibition of the isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) could be therapeutically useful in the treatment of certain disease states arising from the overproduction of nitric oxide. Recently, we reported nitroarginine-containing dipeptide amides (Huang, H; Martasek, P.; Roman, L. J.; Masters, B. S. S.; Silverman, R. B. J. Med. Chem. 1999, 42, 3147.) and some peptidomimetic analogues (Huang, H; Martasek, P.; Roman, L. J.; Silverman, R.B. J. Med Chem. 2000, 43, 2938.) as potent and selective inhibitors of neuronal NOS (nNOS). Here, reduced amide bond pseudodipeptide analogues are synthesized and evaluated for their activity. The deletion of the carbonyl group from the amide bond either preserves or improves the potency for nNOS. Significantly, the selectivities for nNOS over eNOS (endothelial NOS), and iNOS (inducible NOS) are greatly increased in these series. The most potent nNOS inhibitor among these compounds is (4S)-N-(4-amino-5-[aminoethyl]aminopentyl)-N'-nitroguanidine (7) (K(i) = 120 nM), which also shows the highest selectivity over eNOS (greater than 2500-fold) and 320-fold selectivity over iNOS. The reduced amide bond is an excellent surrogate of the amide bond, and it will facilitate the design of new potent and selective inhibitors of nNOS.
Despite the importance of cryoprotectants for avoiding ice crystal formation, the high concentrations required for vitrification may be toxic to bovine oocytes. During warming (thawing), the removal of permeating cryoprotectants from cells can lead to osmotic injury, and the most appropriate time interval for warming and cryoprotectant removal from vitrified oocytes is currently uncertain. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of cryoprotectant exposure, vitrification, and warming time of bovine cumulus oocyte complexes (COC) on fertilization and ability to develop as embryos in vitro. Follicles  0.05). In VS1, VS1+VS2, and vitrified groups, warming time had no effect on cleavage or blastocyst rates (P > 0.05). In conclusion, although cryoprotectant exposure and warming times had no apparent adverse effect, vitrification of bovine COC drastically reduced cleavage and blastocyst rates. Further studies are required to understand how vitrification of bovine COC affects subsequent fertilization and embryo development. This study was supported by the Canadian Animal Genetic Resources Program, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
Nanotechnology focuses on special properties of a material which emerge from nanometer size—is becoming one of the most promising scientific fields of research in decades. The realisation that the nano-scale has certain properties needed to solve important biomedical challenges and cater to unmet biomedical needs is driving nano-biosystem research. Proper nutrition and a clean environment promote human health. Nanotechnologies are only used to a limited extent at the moment for achieving these aims although it has the potential to revolutionize agriculture and food systems. We will see increasing uses of tools and techniques developed by nanotechnology to detect carcinogenic pathogens and biosensors for improved and contamination free food and agricultural products. This article will review some of the current nanotechnology research that is applicable to agriculture and food technology and project what the future will bring to the newly emerging field of Agrifood Nanotechnology.
In this paper, in-plane equivalent elastic modulus Ey of a hexagonal honeycomb sandwich, which includes the effect of face sheet interference, is studied by using numerical results of FEM. It is shown by comparing with deformation of practical honeycomb sandwich that there are two error factors to apply the rule of mixture to honeycomb sandwich. One of error factors is that the deformation of honeycomb core does not coincide with the face sheet since an inclined cell wall deforms much larger than a vertical cell wall. Another one is that the non-uniformity deformation of core along the height direction is induced by the interference effect with face sheet. Then, a method to calculate elastic modulus based on the compatibility condition of core and face sheet is proposed, and its validity is verified by using numerical results of FEM.
Real-time streaming media over wireless networks is a challenging proposition due to the characteristics of video data and wireless channels. In this paper, we propose a set of cross-layer techniques for adaptive real-time video streaming over wireless networks. The adaptation is done with respect to both channel and data. The proposed novel packetization scheme constructs the application layer packet in such a way that it is decomposed exactly into an integer number of equal-sized radio link protocol (RLP) packets. FEC codes are applied within an application packet at the RLP packet level rather than across different application packets and thus reduce delay at the receiver. A priority-based ARQ, together with a scheduling algorithm, is applied at the application layer to retransmit only the corrupted RLP packets within an application layer packet. Our approach combines the flexibility and programmability of application layer adaptations, with low delay and bandwidth efficiency of link layer techniques. Socket-level simulations are presented to verify the effectiveness of our approach.
In inflamed colonic mucosa, the equilibrium between absorptive and secretory functions for electrolyte and salt transport is disturbed. We compared the expression of three major mediators of the intestinal salt transport between healthy and inflamed colonic mucosa to understand the pathophysiology of diarrhea in inflammatory bowel disease. Expression levels of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) (Cl- channel), SLC26A3 (Cl-/HCO exchanger) and SLC9A3 (Na+/H+ exchanger) mRNAs were measured by real-time quantitative RT-PCR in peroperative colonic samples from controls (n = 4) and patients with ulcerative colitis (n = 10). Several samples were obtained from each individual. Tissue samples were divided into three subgroups according to their histological degree of inflammation. Expression of CFTR and SLC26A3 proteins were determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting from the same samples, respectively. Increased expression of CFTR mRNA was observed in all three groups of affected tissue samples, most pronounced in mildly inflamed colonic mucosa (5-fold increase in expression; P < 0.001). The expression of the CFTR protein was detected from health and inflamed colon tissue. Although the expression of the SLC26A3 mRNA was significantly decreased in severe ulcerative colitis (P < 0.05), the SLC26A3 protein levels remained unchanged in all groups. The expression of SLC9A3 mRNA was significantly changed between the mild and severe groups. Intestinal inflammation modulates the expression of three major mediators of intestinal salt transport and may contribute to diarrhea in ulcerative colitis both by increasing transepithelial Cl- secretion and by inhibiting the epithelial NaCl absorption.
Hollis, C.J, Stickley, C.E., Bijl, P.K., Schiøler, P., Clowes, C.D., Li, X, Campbell, H. March 2017. The age of the Takatika Grit, Chatham Islands, New Zealand. Alcheringa 41, xxx–xxx. ISSN 0311-5518. The oldest Paleogene strata on Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand, are the phosphatized conglomerates and sandstones of the Takatika Grit that crops out on the northeastern coast at Tioriori and unconformably overlies the Chatham Schist. An intact Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary transition is not preserved at this locality. New biostratigraphic analysis of dinoflagellate, diatom and radiolarian microfossil assemblages confirms that the Takatika Grit is of late early–middle Paleocene (New Zealand Teurian stage) age but contains reworked microfossils of early Campanian (Early Haumurian) age. Vertebrate fossils found in this unit are inferred to be a mixture of reworked Cretaceous and in situ Paleocene bones and teeth. The overlying Tutuiri Greensand is of middle–late Paleocene age in its lower part and also contains reworked Cretaceous microfossils. Christopher J. Hollis [c.hollis@gns.cri.nz], Chris Clowes [c.clowes@gns.cri.nz], Xun Li [x.li@gns.cri.nz], Hamish Campbell [h.campbell@gns.cri.nz], GNS Science, PO Box 30-368, Lower Hutt 5040, New Zealand; Catherine Stickley, Evolution Applied Limited, 50 Mitchell Way, Upper Rissington, Cheltenham GL54 2PL, UK [catherine.stickley@gmail.com]; Peter Bijl [p.k.bijl@uu.nl], Marine Palynology and Paleoceanography, Department of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, the Netherlands; Poul Schiøler [poul.schioler@mgpalaeo.com.au], Morgan Goodall Palaeo, Unit 1/5 Arvida St, Malaga, WA 6090, Australia.
The inconsistency in large-scale battery pack significantly degrades the performance of electric vehicles. In order to diminish the inconsistency, the study designs an active equalization method comprising of equalizer and equalization strategy for lithium-ion batteries. A bidirectional flyback transformer equalizer (BFTE) is designed and analyzed. The BFTE is controlled by a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller to output designated balancing currents. Under the purpose of shortening equalization time and reducing energy consumption during the equalization process, this paper proposes an equalization strategy based on variable step size generalized predictive control (VSSGPC). The VSSGPC is improved on the generalized predictive control (GPC) by introducing the Step Size Factor. The VSSGPC surmounts the local limitation of GPC by expanding the control and output horizons to the global equalization process without increasing computation owing to the Step Size Factor. The experiment results in static operating condition indicate that the equalization time and energy consumption are reduced by 8.3% and 16.5%, respectively. Further validation in CC-CV and EUDC operating conditions verifies the performance of the equalizer and rationality of the VSSGPC strategy.
Offshore wind energy continues to be a potential candidate for meeting the electricity consumption needs of the Chilean population for decades to come. However, the Chilean energy market is skeptical about exploiting offshore marine energy. At present, there are no offshore marine energy farms. This is probably attributable to the current legal framework, payback period, initial costs of inversions, and future wind speed trends. This work aims to break this paradigm by advancing knowledge regarding the main issues concerning offshore marine energy in Chile. To this end, we estimated the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) from 2000 to 2054 using the CMIP RCP 4.5 and 8.5 climate projections. These projections were based on the estimations for a 608 MW offshore wind project located along the Chilean coast. A comprehensive analysis of the legal framework for implementing offshore marine energy is also presented. The results show that the LCOE ranges between 24 USD/MWh and 2000 USD/MWh. Up to 80% of the study area presents favorable results. Future climate scenarios did not affect the project’s economic viability and notably indicated two major zones with low interannual variability. In terms of legal frameworks, there is a gap in a Chilean trans-ministerial law that ends up causing several processes to be duplicated. Further research is needed to reduce the uncertainties associated with offshore wind energy generation on the Chilean coast. This study aims to further knowledge related to both the opportunities and challenges associated with offshore wind.
Fourteen field and laboratory attributes of 49 south‐east Queens land soils were examined by numerical analysis. Three different models were used for description: the soils were viewed (1) as arrays of layer‐attributes, (2) as sets of depth functions (orthogonal polynomials) each of which describes an attribute, and (3) as sequences of layers of soil material. Dendrograms derived from Euclidean distance similarity matrices were constructed for the 49 profiles. Very similar dendrograms were obtained using (a) layer‐by‐layer comparisons (with layers weighted by an exponential depth function) and (6) orthogonal polynomials, with equal weight given to profile mean (size parameter) and five coefficients (shape parameters). The dendrogram derived from sequential analysis differed markedly from the others and seemed less meaningful; the divisive approach that had to be adopted to delineate groups of profile‐layers may have resulted in a sub‐optimal classification.
FEDERAL, state and, in some instances, municipal governments levy taxes on motor vehicles. The combined taxes in 1993 totalled nearly $500,000,000, and were roughly in the proportion of 33 per cent Federal, 64 per cent state, and 3 per cent municipal. The following is an analysis of the 1923 taxes: EXCISE Tax Passenger cars 5% of selling price Commercial vehicles...... 3%. " " Parts, accessories, tires .... 5% " " OCCUPATIONAL TAX ON MOTOR VEHICLES CARRYING PASSENGERS FOR HIRE
Currently, hand rehabilitation following stroke tends to focus on mildly impaired individuals, partially due to the inability for severely impaired subjects to sufficiently use the paretic hand. Device-assisted interventions offer a means to include this more severe population and show promising behavioral results. However, the ability for this population to demonstrate neural plasticity, a crucial factor in functional recovery following effective post-stroke interventions, remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate neural changes related to hand function induced by a device-assisted task-specific intervention in individuals with moderate to severe chronic stroke (upper extremity Fugl-Meyer < 30). We examined functional cortical reorganization related to paretic hand opening and gray matter (GM) structural changes using a multimodal imaging approach. Individuals demonstrated a shift in cortical activity related to hand opening from the contralesional to the ipsilesional hemisphere following the intervention. This was driven by decreased activity in contralesional primary sensorimotor cortex and increased activity in ipsilesional secondary motor cortex. Additionally, subjects displayed increased GM density in ipsilesional primary sensorimotor cortex and decreased GM density in contralesional primary sensorimotor cortex. These findings suggest that despite moderate to severe chronic impairments, post-stroke participants maintain ability to show cortical reorganization and GM structural changes following a device-assisted task-specific arm/hand intervention. These changes are similar as those reported in post-stroke individuals with mild impairment, suggesting that residual neural plasticity in more severely impaired individuals may have the potential to support improved hand function.
The development of an efficient diastereoselective method that permits rapid construction of the tetracyclic core 17 of the Strychnos-Aspidosperma alkaloids is described. Enaminone 16, synthesized in high yield, has been cyclized under the influence of a Brønsted acid to provide the core tetracyclic framework 17 of the Strychnos alkaloids in optically active form or alternatively to the β-ketoester tetrahydro-β-carboline (THBC) unit 18, by varying the equivalents of acid and the molar concentration. Attempts to utilize 18 to form the C₇-C₁₆ bond of the akuammiline related alkaloids represented by strictamine (22), using metal-carbenoid chemistry, are also described.
Obesity is a modern-day epidemic with increasing prevalence that is directly impacting the global burden of primary total hip arthroplasty. The risk of requiring total hip arthroplasty for osteoarthritis increases incrementally with increasing obesity class. Surgical intervention in obese patients presents a set of unique challenges that should be recognized by the treating medical team. Although predominantly satisfactory outcomes have been reported, perioperative anaesthetic and surgical concerns require thorough patient assessment. There is an increased potential risk of thrombogenic and septic complications, but the body mass index cutoff level beyond which total hip arthroplasty should not be offered in the obese patient remains controversial. Preoperative medical optimization of the patient and appropriate intraoperative interventions are essential to mitigate the risk of complications.
Introduction Dengue in Africa is underreported. Simultaneous reports of travellers with dengue returning from Luanda, Angola, to six countries on four continents suggest that a major dengue outbreak is currently occurring in Angola, South West Africa. Methods To identify the origin of the imported dengue virus, we sequenced the virus from Angola and investigated the interconnectivity via air travel between dengue-endemic countries and Angola. Results and Conclusion Our analyses show that the Angola outbreak was most likely caused by an endemic virus strain that had been circulating in West Africa for many years. We also show that Portugal and South Africa are most likely at the highest risk of importation of dengue from Angola due to the large number of air passengers between Angola and these countries.
We measured the electron capture to the continuum (ECC) peak in the ionization of He atoms by the collision of 50, 100 and 200 keV H+ and 100 keV amu-1 He2+. We exhaustively scanned the double differential cross section between the angles -1.5 degrees to 10 degrees and within the velocities (1+or-0.15) upsilon i where upsilon i is the impact velocity. We propose a new method for analysing the ECC structure which is independent of the spectrometer transmission function modellization and enables a direct comparison with the available theories. Furthermore, we distinguish two regimes for the ionization process, depending on whether the electron velocity is larger or smaller than the projectile velocity.
No battles occur between philosophy and its adversaries. Rather what happens is that philosophy seeks to be philosophy while remaining non-philosophy, i.e. a “negative philosophy” (in the sense of “negative theology”). “Negative philosophy” has access to the absolute, not as “beyond,” as a positive second order, but a another order which must be on this side, the double, inaccessible without being passed through. True philosophy scoffs at philosophy; true philosophy is a-philosophical. According to Hegel, one attains the absolute by way of a phenomenology (the appearance of mind; mind in the phenomenon). This is not because the phenomenal mind is on one level of a scale, after which one moves on to the absolute, but because the absolute would not be absolute if it did not appear as absolute.
A survey of handedness in Kwakiutl Indian totem and house poles found 56% bihandedness, 24% left-handedness, and 20% right-handedness. These findings are in marked contrast to other research findings on artforms, which show about 90% right-handedness. In the previous studies no systematic variation in the incidence of right-handedness was found across time eras, cultures, or geographic location. This apparent consistency was interpreted as supporting an hypothesis that right-handedness is universal and physiological. However, the present authors' findings with regard to Kwakiutl handedness clearly refutes the notion of universal right-handedness in artforms. In the current Kwakiutl population, there is a strong indication that sociocultural and environmental factors may also strongly influence the expression of handedness.
The surface chemistry and catalytic activity of small alcohols (methanol, ethanol, and propan-2-ol) were studied over LaMnO3(100) and La0.7Sr0.3MnO3(100) thin films. The observed C-containing products corresponded to products typically associated with dehydrogenation (methanal, ethanal, and propanone), dehydration (ethene and propene), and oxidation (COx). No coupling products were observed. Two types of temperature-programmed reaction experiments (TPR) were performed: pre-exposure TPR (PE-TPR) experiments in which the reactant is preadsorbed and the temperature is then ramped, as well as continuous exposure TPR (CE-TPR) experiments during which the reactants are continuously introduced and the temperature is ramped. Mechanistic pathways are proposed based on the results and literature, including removal of lattice oxygens by surface hydrogens, organic intermediates adsorbed in oxygen vacancies, C–H bond breaking by alkoxy disproportionation reactions, and direct C–H bond breaking. The vacancy related pat...
Abstract The article highlights the fact that public health is an element of the security dimension that must be included on the priority agenda of specialists in the fields of international relations and security studies. There are arguments in favor of this theory. The costs of materializing threats to human security in general and public health in particular are particularly high, with serious long-term consequences. Global trends and prospects for the implications that can be generated are likely to change the world’s security landscape, and increasing global connectivity increases the degree of uncertainty about public health implications. Non-traditional issues arising from technological change can induce risks, whose management may go beyond institutional capacities. On the other hand, the new types of wars, increasingly interconnected with various forms of risk materialization, make this mission more difficult. The final conclusion is that these risks need to be assessed to ensure national, regional or even global security, and international cooperation for prevention and counseling.
Abstract The paper studies what kind of support could be applied to the management of partly configurable modular systems. The main tasks of product management, product portfolio management and product variety management are defined. In addition, a partly configurable product structure and modular system are defined. Because the limited support in the literature for managing partly configurable modular systems, the article reviews previous product development cases in which authors have been involved on lessons learnt basis, i.e., if the methods and tools used in the cases could provide support for the research objective. As a result, the existing definition of the modular system should be extended by the concepts of non-module and design decision sequence description when dealing with partly configurable modular systems. This is because engineer-to-order should be made possible in cases where it brings clear added value to the customer compared to completely pre-defined solutions that may limit the customer's interest in the offering. Tools to assess the impact of changes to the product offering are required. These should be taken into account in frameworks that are used in method and tool development.
ABSTRACT Proteus mirabilis contributes to a significant number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, where coordinated regulation of adherence and motility is critical for ascending disease progression. Previously, the mannose-resistant Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbria-associated transcriptional regulator MrpJ has been shown to both repress motility and directly induce the transcription of its own operon; in addition, it affects the expression of a wide range of cellular processes. Interestingly, 14 additional mrpJ paralogs are included in the P. mirabilis genome. Looking at a selection of MrpJ paralogs, we discovered that these proteins, which consistently repress motility, also have nonidentical functions that include cross-regulation of fimbrial operons. A subset of paralogs, including AtfJ (encoded by the ambient temperature fimbrial operon), Fim8J, and MrpJ, are capable of autoinduction. We identified an element of the atf promoter extending from 487 to 655 nucleotides upstream of the transcriptional start site that is responsive to AtfJ, and we found that AtfJ directly binds this fragment. Mutational analysis of AtfJ revealed that its two identified functions, autoregulation and motility repression, are not invariably linked. Residues within the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix domain are required for motility repression but not necessarily autoregulation. Likewise, the C-terminal domain is dispensable for motility repression but is essential for autoregulation. Supported by a three-dimensional (3D) structural model, we hypothesize that the C-terminal domain confers unique regulatory capacities on the AtfJ family of regulators. IMPORTANCE Balancing adherence with motility is essential for uropathogens to successfully establish a foothold in their host. Proteus mirabilis uses a fimbria-associated transcriptional regulator to switch between these antagonistic processes by increasing fimbrial adherence while simultaneously downregulating flagella. The discovery of multiple related proteins, many of which also function as motility repressors, encoded in the P. mirabilis genome has raised considerable interest as to their functionality and potential redundancy in this organism. This study provides an important advance in this field by elucidating the nonidentical effects of these paralogs on a molecular level. Our mechanistic studies of one member of this group, AtfJ, shed light on how these differing functions may be conferred despite the limited sequence variety exhibited by the paralogous proteins.
Introduction: Infection is one of the most feared complications in surgeries with the inclusion of breast implants, associated with the need for new procedures and aesthetic compromise. The agents that are most associated with this conditions are the ones that colonize the skin, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase-negative staphylococci. Case Report: We described the case of a 25-year old patient, who came to our service after an augmentation mammoplasty performed about 60 days before in a hospital in the countryside. She reported bilateral seroma and extrusion of the right breast implant on the 14th postoperative day, being submitted to antibiotic therapy and a new procedure for site review, with the placement of new implants, bilaterally. When she came to our service, on the 45th day after the exchange of implants, she presented with pain, fever, hyperemia and drainage of the purulent secretion in the operative wounds with extrusion of the implants. In the transoperative period, after the changes were identified, on the 3rd, 4th and 5th costal arches to the right, suggestive of osteomyelitis, associated with partial necrosis of the intercostal muscles and pectoralis minor. The bacteriological test of the periprosthetic secretion was bilaterally positive for mycobacteruim abscessus, and the anatomopathological study of the right costal arch biopsy was compatible with chronic osteomyelitis. The patient presented favorable clinical evolution after the removal of the implants and antibiotic therapy. Discussion: Mycobacteria are opportunistic organisms, which hardly cause diseases in human beings. Despite being uncommon, the infection of breast implants by mycobacteria can be associated with the contamination of surgical instruments and immunosuppression of the host. The infection can be similar to those caused by more common agents. In many cases, it presents with the later onset of symptoms. Prophylaxis and antisepsis, including special care regarding the protocols of sterilization of surgical instruments, are still the main factors associated with the impact of this type of complication in surgeries with breast implants.
One significant socio-psychological barrier for peaceful resolution of conflicts is each party’s adherence to its own collective narrative. We hypothesized that raising awareness to the psychological bias of naïve realism and its identification in oneself would provide a path to overcoming this barrier, thus increasing openness to the adversary’s narrative. We conducted three experimental studies in the context of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Studies 1 and 2, conducted among Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Israelis, respectively, revealed that participants with hawkish political ideology reported greater openness to the adversary’s narrative when they were made aware of naïve realism bias. Study 3 revealed that hawkish participants at the baseline adhered to the ingroup narrative and resisted the adversary’s narrative more than dovish participants. They were also more able to identify the bias in themselves upon learning about it. This identification may explain why the manipulation led to bias correction only among hawkish participants.
The present paper proposes to interpret the differences in legal systems between common-law and civil- law nations as arising from the importance given to adjudication in comparison with statute laws. It focuses on the relative costs of legal change by adjudication (case law development) when compared with legislation (statutory law development). The main argument is that the public concern with equality is a major determinant of the relative cost of adjudication in a legal system. We develop a model of the legal process that illustrates Tocqueville's fundamental intuition with regard to the uniformity of legal rules, and as a consequence, the relative importance of adjudication and legislation.
All the organizations of the contemporary society require professional management. Special challenges are to be faced by public organizations which – because of their public mission – are obliged to take care of the common good. Proper management of public sector organizations by leaders with leadership qualities determine the level of public value attained by the very organizations. In the era of knowledge-based society, the rudimentary role of leadership is to achieve high standards by the organizations in the area of knowledge acquisition, knowledge sharing, implementation of innovative solutions and the ability to adapt to fast changing environment. Leadership is also about creating corporate cultural identity – a significant link between corporate mission and its human resources so as to develop the best possible standards of providing public services to inhabitants of the set community.
Although much research has been written on the idea of substance abuse in the American theater, this paper presents a new perspective by discussing how the abuser can undergo an identity change. Drug and alcohol addiction is one of the salient themes of twentieth-century American theater. Playwrights like Eugene O’Neill depicted this social problem in their plays by drawing upon their own personal experience in substance abuse. The paper examines alcoholism and drug addiction in O’Neill’s Long Day's Journey into Night. It shows how addicts experience identity change during the course of their addiction. The main argument, in this paper, is based on some sociological research on alcoholism and identity change proposed by Tammy L. Anderson. Identity transformation of the addicts may result from the existence of various personal and environmental factors, which correlate to personal and social identity respectively. These factors will be used in relation to the characters of the play to show how addicts and alcoholics pass through several stages to reach their final identity change. Those characters, by immersing themselves in substance intake, cease to belong to ‘normals’ and in their search for a new identity they liaise with ‘deviants’ where they find affinity. When the curtain is drawn, the addicted characters have already embarked on their journey which will end, both literally and figuratively, in haziness and fog, a strong indication of their loss of sense of existence and self-awareness.
On commencera donc par inviter l’historien a voir, dans l’Amerique indienne, un Moyen âge auquel aurait manque sa Rome: masse confuse, elle-meme issue d’un vieux syncretisme dont la texture fut sans doute tres lâche, et au sien de laquelle subsisterent ca et la, pendant plusieurs siecles, des foyers de haute civilisation et des peuples barbares, des tendances centralisatrices et des forces de morcellement. From the start, then, I ask the historian to look upon Indian America as a kind of Middle Ages which lacked a Rome: a confused mass that emerged from a long-established, doubtless very loosely textured syncretism, which for many centuries had contained at one and the same time centers of advanced civilization and savage peoples, centralizing tendencies and disruptive forces.
OBJECTIVES to understand the spirituality and the practice of euphemism experienced by nursing professionals in the hospital scenario.   METHODS a descriptive, exploratory research with a qualitative approach, carried out with 18 nursing professionals from a hospital in southern Brazil. Data collection took place from September to October 2018, through recorded audio interviews. The reports were submitted to thematic content analysis and the discussion was based on the theory of transpersonal care.   RESULTS four categories emerged from the speeches: Motivational reflection of spirituality in the work environment; Adherence to the practice of euphemism by nursing professionals; Satisfaction and frustration in the practice of euphemism by nursing professionals and; Spirituality as an increase in human faith.   FINAL CONSIDERATIONS professionals understand spirituality and the practice of euphemism as a tool that helps in motivating the team to face difficulties at work and increase the faith of hospitalized patients.
A narrow-beam leaky-wave antenna using an artificial dielectric (AD) is investigated. A planar slab with effective dielectric constant less than unity is considered. The slab is excited from one end, while the other end is kept open to support the radiation. The Kirchhoff-Huygen integration method is used to compute the radiation characteristics of the proposed antenna. The leaky-wave AD antenna considered is found to give a very sharp radiation beam of 1.25 degrees without any significant sidelobe radiation. Typically, the antenna has a sidelobe level of 21 dB down the main lobe. A very restricted scanning angle of 4 degrees is observed. A change in the beam-width of 0.25 degrees is observed when the frequency is varied from 8.5 GHz to 10.5 GHz, which indicates a marked improvement in the beam-width variation with frequency.<<ETX>>
Acquired resistance to tamoxifen remains a major obstacle in breast cancer (BC) treatment, since the underlying mechanism has not been fully elucidated. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) has been recently shown to be dysregulated and plays important roles in progression of breast cancer. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the biological role and clinical significance of UCA1 in BC drug resistance. Hence, we used quantitative PCR assay to evaluate the UCA1 expression in tissues from patients with BC as well as established tamoxifen-resistant BC cell lines in vitro. We tested the viability, invasive ability and apoptosis rate in MCF-7 and T47D cells using MTT assay, transwell assay and flow cytometry assay, respectively. The influence of UCA1 on tumorigenesis was monitored by in vivo mice xenograft model. The activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was evaluated by immunofluorescence assay, western blot assay and luciferase reporter assay, respectively. We found that the expression of UCA1 positively correlated with the pathological grade and mortality of breast cancer patients, moreover, expressions of UCA1 was increased significantly in the tamoxifen-resistant cell lines compared with the wild type parental cells. Ectopic expression of UCA1 promoted cell survival and resistance to tamoxifen treatment, whereas inhibition of UCA1 enhanced tamoxifen sensitivity of BC cells and induced more apoptotic cells. In addition, tamoxifen-resistant cells exhibited increased Wnt signaling activation as measured by the TOP/FOP Wnt luciferase reporter assay and β-catenin protein level compared with parental MCF-7 and T47D cells, respectively. In line with these data, UCA1 depletion attenuated the activity of Wnt/β-catenin pathway activation and the tumorigenicity of the tamoxifen-resistant BC cells. Taken together, our data highlights the pivotal role of UCA1-Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer, which could be targeted to improve the effectiveness and efficacy of tamoxifen treatment in breast cancer.
OZET Bu makalede, Ti1hiru'I-Mevlevl (18771951)' nin1919·1926 yillarinda 68. sayiya kadar nesredilen Mahfi! i adli dergide cikan siirlerine yer verilmistir. Bu siirler Divance-i Tahir'de (Istanbul 1318 h.) yer almamistir. ABSTRACT In this paper Tahiru' l-Mevlevi (1877-i 95 l)'s poems published in Mahfii Journal up to 68lh number between i 9i 9-i 926 years have been presented. These poems had notbeen includedin Divance-i Tahir (Istanbul, 13 18 h.)
The aim of this paper is to obtain the analytical solution for the optimal design of reinforced concrete sections under ultimate design. The equilibrium equations of the section under bending moment and axial force in rupture are derived. The ultimate conditions are considered either in the steel or in the concrete according to the concrete design codes. The definition of the strains and stresses in the materials is based on the use of Heaviside functions. With this definition the equilibrium equations are described by unique equations. The optimization can then be developed with any design variables in the geometric definition, as area of the reinforcement and location. The optimization is developed with yielding of tensile steel and crushing of concrete. Although this is the current situation in reinforced concrete design, future developments of the model can include other steel and concrete conditions. Cost optimization and variable materials strength ratio are possible applications of the model. The interest of the model is the use of closed form unique equilibrium equations in the optimization of reinforced concrete sections. Numerical examples of the optimization of a rectangular section with minimum reinforcing steel area and economic bending moment are presented. The originality of the paper is the use of Heaviside functions in the definition of the ultimate strains in the reinforced concrete section. Unique equations for the objective function and restrictions are derived. The paper is useful for the design of reinforced concrete. The equations derived can be implemented into computer programs.
Collaborative filtering (CF) is a method to perform automated suggestions for a user based on the opinion of other users with similar interest. Most of the CF algorithms do not take into account the existent duality between users and items, considering only the similarities between users or only the similarities between items. The authors have proposed in a previous work a bio-inspired methodology for CF, namely BIC-aiNet, capable of clustering rows and columns of a data matrix simultaneously. The usefulness and performance of the methodology are reported in the literature. Now, the authors carry out more rigorous comparative experiments with BIC-aiNet and other techniques found in the literature, as well as evaluate the scalability of the algorithm in several datasets of different sizes. The results indicate that our proposal is able to provide useful recommendations for the users, outperforming other methodologies for CF.
Sustainable agricultural development and increasing the rate of renewable energy sources have become an economic issue after Hungary joined the EU. Under the present economic conditions the private sector cannot solve in its complexity the problems of environment protection and energy from its own sources. The paper introduces biogas production and utilization methods that are suitable for providing continuous operation of existing biogas plants and also for determining the parameters of establishing biogas plants. Experimental variants (mixtures of liquid pig manure and plant additives) were developed to produce biogas and intensify biogas yield, and then gas engine tests were done for the energy utilization. The eco-energy system can be built up by taking into consideration the specific local conditions. It does not require any change or transformation of agricultural structure. The system can be expanded by the utilization of other organic materials, so it supports efficient operation. Furthermore, it can be the pillar of energy independence of rural life, because during the establishing of the eco-energy system, ecological aspects are taken into consideration, which makes this system sustainable. Waste disposal requirements can be integrated, too. We created a complex biogas production and utilization system by developing variants, so that both the energy and the waste disposal goals can be achieved together. This system was presented as an alternative agricultural system for an animal farm.
Saksenaea vasiformis is an emerging human pathogen, most often associated with cutaneous or subcutaneous lesions following trauma. This is the report of a case of subcutaneous zygomycosis from which Saksenaea vasiformis was isolated on culture. As the patient developed acute interstitial nephritis, amphotericin B could not be administered in full dose. Surgical debridement was carried out, but the patient deteriorated gradually and died. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Zygomycosis due to Saksenaea vasiformis from Visakhapatnam.
Henry Jeffray Weston—known by family, friends, and colleagues as “Jeff”—was born on 9 September 1926 in New Plymouth, New Zealand, where his father was a newspaper proprietor. He studied medicine at the University of Otago Medical School, completing his final clinical year at Wellington Hospital, and graduating MB ChB in 1950. Following junior appointments at Wellington Hospital, he came to London in 1955, where he held house physician posts at the Hammersmith and Brompton Hospitals—traditional training grounds for Commonwealth postgraduates—leading to the MRCP (London), which was essential at that time for paediatric trainees.  He had already set his sights on a career in paediatrics, and in 1956 obtained posts as house physician, then registrar, in the cardiorespiratory unit at Great Ormond Street, where I first met him. After two more years as resident assistant physician (RAP), he returned to New Zealand, and was appointed consultant paediatrician to Wellington …
e462 www.ccmjournal.org October 2015 • Volume 43 • Number 10 between organ failure during index admission and subsequent readmission. Index event bias may occur in recurrence risk research when independent risk factors that are associated with the outcome of interest appear to be dependent upon each other inside of a population that has experienced the outcome of interest (4). As a result, the presence of some risk factors may seem to “protect” against having others, and, therefore, these risk factors appear to be “paradoxically” not associated with recurrence of the outcome of interest. Although we cannot completely rule out the possibility of undetected index event bias in our data, we do not agree with Drs. Shen and Li’s (1) assertion that this is contributing to the lack of association between acute organ failure and hospital readmissions for two reasons: 1) acute organ failure is not always a risk factor for severe sepsis, in fact, it is more commonly a sequelae of severe sepsis and 2) it is highly unlikely that patients who experience acute organ failure during severe sepsis will be “protected” from other identified risk factors such as the comorbidities associated with readmission in our study. We feel that a much more likely explanation of our findings lies in the inherent characteristics of our study cohort. As we chose to examine only patients who survived their initial admission for sepsis, we were, by definition, selecting a group who did not incur sufficient organ failure to result in death. Thus, we were deliberately examining a cohort with less severe organ failure, which may not have been sufficient to increase the risk of readmission. Alternatively, it is possible that sepsis survivors who experience a larger burden of acute organ failure have higher rates of discharge to chronic or intermediate care facilities and by controlling for discharge destination, we were subsequently unable to detect associations with organ failure. Finally, it is also possible that acute organ failure is just not associated with the risk of readmission. Although there is ample evidence to suggest that organ failure is associated with mortality in severe sepsis (3), similar data linking organ failure to readmissions are not available. Dr. Goodwin received support for article research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His institution received grant support from the U.S. Department of Defense W81XWH-10-2-0057 and the NIH/National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences UL1 TR000062 and KL2 TR000060. The remaining authors have disclosed that they do not have any potential conflicts of interest.
Ser54 of Gsα binds guanine nucleotide and Mg2+ as part of a conserved sequence motif in GTP binding proteins. Mutating the homologous residue in small and heterotrimeric G proteins generates dominant-negative proteins, but by protein-specific mechanisms. For αi/o, this results from persistent binding of α to βγ, whereas for small GTP binding proteins and αs this results from persistent binding to guanine nucleotide exchange factor or receptor. This work examined the role of βγ interactions in mediating the properties of the Ser54-like mutants of Gα subunits. Unexpectedly, WT–αs or N54-αs coexpressed with α1B-adrenergic receptor in human embryonic kidney 293 cells decreased receptor stimulation of IP3 production by a cAMP-independent mechanism, but WT-αs was more effective than the mutant. One explanation for this result would be that αs, like Ser47 αi/o, blocks receptor activation by sequestering βγ; implying that N54-αS has reduced affinity for βγ since it was less effective at blocking IP3 production. This possibility was more directly supported by the observation that WT-αs was more effective than the mutant in inhibiting βγ activation of phospholipase Cβ2. Further, in vitro synthesized N54-αs bound biotinylated-βγ with lower apparent affinity than did WT-αs. The Cys54 mutation also decreased βγ binding but less effectively than N54-αs. Substitution of the conserved Ser in αo with Cys or Asn increased βγ binding, with the Cys mutant being more effective. This suggests that Ser54 of αs is involved in coupling changes in nucleotide binding with altered subunit interactions, and has important implications for how receptors activate G proteins.
Abstract Using a sample of 72 European and 22 North American educational institutions, we examine the extent to which business schools in North America and Europe are driving educational programs and initiatives in corporate social responsibility and sustainability (CSRS). Drawing on several theoretical perspectives, such as institutional-comparative perspectives and resource dependence theory, the study indicates the increasing prominence of CSRS education in business schools on both continents. It does so through analysis of the extent to which business schools offer (a) dedicated CSRS programs, (b) CSRS tracks and majors, (c) compulsory CSRS classes or modules, and (d) optional CSRS modules across the range of taught programs. Contrary to some previous findings, religious affiliation, public/private status, and program size had only a negligible direct association with schools' commitment to CSRS education. However, business school prestige showed a statistically significant relationship. Finally, the study highlights how European respondents' perceptions concerning the primary drivers and constraints of CSRS initiatives differed from those in North America.
Prostatic artery embolization is a minimally invasive endovascular treatment that improves lower urinary tract symptoms in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Although further randomized studies and long-term evidence is still needed for this method to be fully incorporated into treatment guidelines for benign prostatic hyperplasia, current studies show that this method can be an effective and safe alternative in patients with a significantly enlarged prostate gland who are not good surgical candidates. Therefore, we present the theory, technical details and potential benefits of this method as we review the current evidence on prostatic artery embolization.
The solid solution Na1-xSrx/2NbO3 is prepared by solid state reaction method. Detailed analyses of powder x-ray diffraction data clearly suggest a change of structure from ABO3 perovskite (NaNbO3 like) to complicated Tungsten Bronze SrNb2O6 like. The presence of additional reflections clearly suggests that cell multiplicity for x≥0.20 is different to that of pure NaNbO3. For composition x≥0.20, the lattice parameters are related with pseudocubic perovskite cell parameters as follows: Ao= 4ap, Bo= 3bp Co= 5cp. The lattice parameters and volume increases monotonically with increasing concentration of Sr2+ in NaNbO3 matrix.
BACKGROUND Use/misuse of the opioid combination hydrocodone-acetaminophen has been associated with permanent hearing loss. Although reports have been rare, this potential effect can have significant detrimental effect on patients' overall quality of life. To date, the ototoxic effect of hydrocodone alone has not been systematically investigated.   OBJECTIVE In this report, we aimed to evaluate the potential ototoxicity of a novel, single-entity, once-daily, extended-release hydrocodone tablet (Hysingla® ER; HYD).   STUDY DESIGN Clinical study.   SETTING Audiology clinics in US.   METHODS Results from 1207 patients in two phase 3 clinical studies were evaluated: A placebo-controlled study with an enriched enrollment, randomized withdrawal design in patients with chronic low back pain, and an open-label, long-term, safety study in patients with chronic nonmalignant and non-neuropathic pain. Comprehensive audiologic assessments (comprising pure-tone air-conduction audiometry in the conventional [0.25-8 kHz] and ultra-high [10-16 kHz] frequencies, pure-tone bone-conduction audiometry, tympanometry, speech reception thresholds, and word recognition) were conducted at baseline and end-of-studies; air-conduction audiometry was conducted periodically during the studies. All audiologic assessments were performed in audiology clinics in the United States by licensed audiologists. The primary endpoint was changes from baseline in pure-tone air-conduction thresholds in the conventional frequencies during the studies. These trials are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, identifiers NCT01400139 and NCT01452529.   RESULTS During the studies, mean changes from baseline in air-conduction thresholds were clinically unremarkable. Bidirectional variability across all test frequencies was observed; 82% of patients did not experience significant threshold changes during the studies, 7% had potential hearing decrement, and 10% experienced hearing sensitivity improvement. No notable differences were observed between patients receiving HYD and placebo or between different HYD doses.   CONCLUSION No ototoxic signal was observed for single-entity hydrocodone tablets at the dosages and treatment durations investigated. Key words: Audiologic monitoring, clinical trials, hydrocodone, opioids, ototoxicity monitoring, sensorineural hearing loss.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphate esters and it seems to be a prerequisite for normal skeletal mineralization. Also, ALP is the most widely recognized marker of osteoblast phenotypes. By a tissue regenerative technique called Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR), it is possible nowadays to regenerate small bony defects. The aim of the present study was to investigate early events in bone healing and neogenesis by studying histochemically the temporal and local appearance of the marker Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) in a GBR model system. Nine healthy volunteers (5 males, 4 females, mean age 31.7 years) participated in the experiment. After raising a mucoperiosteal flap from the mandibular second molar to the retromolar area in each volunteer, a hollow titanium test cylinder was placed into a congruent bony bed and the coronal end of the cylinder was closed with an ePTFE-membrane. Then the flap was adapted and sutured to obtain primary wound closure. After 2, 7 and 12 weeks, the regenerated tissue within the cylinders was harvested. Histologically, ALP activity was observed associated with the osteoid seams in the very basal part of the regenerate where new bone trabeculae were in the process of being formed. More coronally, large round cells seemed to secrete an ALP-positive substance since in the center of such cell clusters strong ALP activity located extracellularly was detected. In the present experiment, ALP seemed to have been an early sign of osteoblast secretion of a matrix which subsequently was determined to become osteoid. ALP activity was never seen isolated within connective tissue and away from bone. This is an indication that its source is linked to existing bone. The present study has documented for the first time the appearance of ALP activity in guided bone regenerations in humans. It has revealed that: 1) Osteogenesis in guided bone regeneration is preceded by localized, marked expression of ALP in an organized connective tissue environment. 2) Bone neogenesis is an early event in this experimental setup and may be detected already 2 weeks after wounding. 3) Expression of ALP and subsequent bone neogenesis is originating from and topographically linked to pre-existing bone structures.
This study aimed to evaluate Pacific white shrimp larval quality from several shrimp breeding centers in East Java. parameters measured include 1) bolitas, 2) abundance of Vibrio spp. (water and shrimp body), and 3) muscle gut ratio (MGR). Larval samples were collected from 8 hatcheries located in East Java. The results showed that the percentage of bolitas in the hepatopancreas organ of shrimp larval in ponds 6, 7, and 8, respectively was <35%. Larval guts were found in all hatcheries, except for the 2nd pond as many as 60%. The highest abundance of Vibrio spp. (yellow colonies) in water samples and fry bodies was found in the 6th pond (26.5 × 103 CFU mL-1) and the 4th pond (76.9 × 103 CFU gr-1). The abundance of Vibrio spp. (green colony) and the highest water sample was found in the 3rd pond (3.8 × 103 CFU mL-1), while the larval was not detected. The larval found the highest percentage of MGR in the 3rd pond (87.5%), and the lowest was in the 7th pond (57.50%). Overall, our results demonstrate the infection of Vibrio spp. has involvement in the incidence of zoea syndrome in pacific white shrimp fry in hatcheries.
OBJECTIVE Early initiation of intensive diabetes therapy aimed at achieving near-normal glycemia reduces the early development of vascular complications in type 1 diabetes. We now assess whether intensive therapy compared with conventional therapy during the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) affected the incidence of cardiovascular disease over 30 years of follow-up. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The DCCT randomly assigned 1,441 patients with type 1 diabetes to intensive versus conventional therapy for a mean of 6.5 years, after which 93% were subsequently monitored during the observational Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study. Cardiovascular disease (nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke, cardiovascular death, confirmed angina, congestive heart failure, and coronary artery revascularization) was adjudicated using standardized measures. RESULTS During 30 years of follow-up in DCCT and EDIC, 149 cardiovascular disease events occurred in 82 former intensive treatment group subjects versus 217 events in 102 former conventional treatment group subjects. Intensive therapy reduced the incidence of any cardiovascular disease by 30% (95% CI 7, 48; P = 0.016), and the incidence of major cardiovascular events (nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death) by 32% (95% CI −3, 56; P = 0.07). The lower HbA1c levels during the DCCT/EDIC statistically account for all of the observed treatment effect on cardiovascular disease risk. Increased albuminuria was also independently associated with cardiovascular disease risk. CONCLUSIONS Intensive diabetes therapy during the DCCT (6.5 years) has long-term beneficial effects on the incidence of cardiovascular disease in type 1 diabetes that persist for up to 30 years.
ABSTRACT Sooty Albatrosses (Phoebetria fusca; Endangered) breed only on sub-Antarctic islands in the South Atlantic and south-west Indian Oceans, with most of the population at Gough Island (≈37%), the Prince Edward Islands (≈24%) and the Tristan da Cunha archipelago (≈20%). Breeding Sooty Albatrosses from all three of these populations were tracked during the incubation and brood-guard periods. Birds from Marion Island (Prince Edwards) ranged farther north, despite being the most southerly of the three study sites. Tristan-Gough Sooty Albatrosses concentrated mostly around the Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF) in the southern Atlantic Ocean, whereas Marion birds were associated with both the SAF and the Sub-Tropical Front (STF) in the southern Indian Ocean. Our tracking data describe where 80% of breeding Sooty Albatrosses forage during the incubation and brood-guard period, including the first records of birds from Marion and Tristan. Such data are important to identify key areas where these threatened birds need protection from mortality on long-line fishing gear. Overlap with the distribution of tuna long-line effort was greater for Sooty Albatrosses from Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island than for Marion birds, suggesting that birds breeding at Atlantic colonies might be at greater risk of bycatch mortality in this fishery.
Based on the requirement of mine acoustic wave technology for the signal generator, this paper aims to explore the key factors affecting the amplitude of the output acoustic signal of rare earth giant magnetostrictive materials (RE-GMM), including bar size, magnetic field strength and pre-stress in order to set an optimal plan based on the influence of various factors on output signal amplitude. This paper establishes a test platform for measuring the output performance of the acoustic signal generator and to test the prototype. Result verifies the correctness of the scheme.
The stability of thermal convection of large Prandtl number fluids in a vertical slot (aspect ratio = 10, 15, or 20) was studied experimentally. Secondary cells began to appear from the center of the slot and then prevailed. The critical Rayleigh number showed an increasing trend as the aspect ratio was increased, and became higher than that obtained from a linear stability analysis owing to a possible traveling wave mode of instability. As the Rayleigh number was increased, either the onset of the tertiary cells or the traveling waves occurred depending on the Prandtl number. In the transition process from laminar to turbulent flow, the secondary cells around the end regions split into smaller cells and an unsteady flow structure appeared with an original secondary cell in the center region and some smaller cells along the sidewalls.
We report on the oligosaccharide recognition through noncovalent interactions in water based on a unique supramolecular homoduplex-to-heteroduplex transformation of the oligoresorcinol nonamer as a fully artificial receptor. The oligoresorcinol forms a double helix in water, which unravels and entwines upon complexation with specific oligosaccharides with a particular chain length and glucosidic linkage pattern, thus generating the heteroduplex with an excess one-handed helical conformation that can be readily monitored and further quantified by absorption, circular dichroism, and NMR spectroscopies.
The N-end rule relates the in vivo half-life of a protein to the identity of its amino-terminal residue. Overexpression of targeting components of the N-end rule pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae inhibited the growth of haploid but not diploid cells. This ploidy-dependent toxicity was shown to result from enhanced degradation of Gpa1, the alpha subunit (G alpha) of a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein) that regulates cell differentiation in response to mating pheromones. Sst2, a protein whose absence renders cells hypersensitive to pheromone, was essential for degradation of G alpha but not other N-end rule substrates, suggesting the involvement of an indirect, or trans-, targeting mechanism. G alpha degradation by the N-end rule pathway adds another regulatory dimension to the multitude of signaling functions mediated by G proteins.
In July, JAMA Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association, published an article on survival outcomes for men with prostate cancer who undergo androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The authors said that when given on its own, this therapy did not improve survival rates for men with localized prostate cancer. (This means the cancer is confined to the prostate gland and has not spread to other parts of the body. Nowadays, about 90% of new prostate cancer diagnoses are localized.)
A lot of researches have been carried out on the recovery of resources from the seawater all over the world. The boron concentration in seawater is low about at 4.5ppm, but considering the volume of seawater, the total weight of dissolved boron amounts to about 5.4 trillion tons. The boron is an essential resource in about 300 kinds of industries. Korea has imported all of the boron and spent more than 700 billion won each year. In this article, we introduce the domestic and international research trends and technologies for removing or recovering the boron from wastewater and seawater. Most of the researches have been conducted to remove the boron from the desalination process
We study the expansion of biomolecular networks from the view point of first evolutionary principles based on the duplication and divergence of ancestral genes. The expansion of gene families and subnetworks is analyzed in terms of logistic map compositions, which capture the varying functional constraints of individual genes in the course of evolution. Using a mean-field approach, we then demonstrate the existence of spontaneous growth-rate variations between gene families and discuss the relevance of such heterogeneous expansions for the emergent properties of actual biomolecular networks.
One of the effective methods known as pulse laser ablation in liquid (PLAL), in which a solid target material is immersed in an organic solvent and laser beam is irradiated through liquid on a target material, is a direct method used to generate nanoparticles in liquid medium. The present work is focused on the preparation of bismuth selenide (Bi2Se3) nanoparticles using PLAL to study their field emission characteristics. The PLAL was performed under nanosecond (ns) laser with different ablation time of 120 min and 240 min. The field emission characteristics were measured in the planer “diode” configuration in all metal ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chamber. The prepared Bi2Se3 nanoparticles were analyzed with different characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-visible spectroscopy in order to study the surface morphology and structural information. The generation of Bi2Se3 nanoparticles is found after PLAL, which clearly suggests that bulk Bi2Se3 microsheet is transformed into Bi2Se3 nanoparticles. The X-ray spectra and UV spectra show the formation of nanoparticles upon laser ablation. The improvement in the field emission properties is found for laser-ablated Bi2Se3 nanoparticles. The field emission characteristics lead to increase in current density, which can be ascribed to the reduction in size of Bi2Se3 nanoparticles due to laser ablation. The prepared Bi2Se3 nanoparticles could be considered for novel applications in optoelectronics devices.
One of the approaches to intensify horticulture is to introduce cultivars with an unusual canopy into commercial production. Such plants can be columnar Apple trees. In modern breeding, there is a trend to create cultivars with a compact canopy. In such orchards, it is reduced to a minimum the cost for pruning, harvesting, and protection against pest and disease, which are the main expenses in apple orchards with a traditional canopy. The use of molecular markers linked to columnar growth habit allows us to identify a physiological sign at an early stage of growth: in the juvenile period. The assessment of apple cultivars and hybrids was carried out at the I. V. Michurin Federal Scientific Centre in 2015-2018. Four markers were used in the research: Mdo. chr 10.12, C18470-25831, 29f1, and jwlr to identify plants with the columnar growth habit gene (Co). The use of various DNA markers made it possible to establish that not all of them are well linked to the Co gene. In the research process, primers were identified for markers 29f1 and jwlr, which reliably allowed us to identify plants with columnar growth habit at the juvenile stage, which will significantly reduce the breeding process.
We analyse the drivers of European Power Exchange (EPEX) wholesale electricity prices between 2012 and early 2022 using machine learning. The agnostic random forest approach that we use is able to reduce in-sample root mean square errors (RMSEs) by around 50% when compared to a standard linear least square model − indicating that non-linearities and interaction effects are key in wholesale electricity markets. Out-of- sample prediction errors using machine learning are (slightly) lower than even in-sample least square errors using a least square model. The effects of efforts to limit power consumption and green the energy matrix on wholesale electricity prices are first order. CO2 permit prices strongly impact electricity prices, as do the prices of source energy commodities. And carbon permit prices’ impact has clearly increased post-2021 (particularly for baseload prices). Among energy sources, natural gas has the largest effect on electricity prices. Importantly, the role of wind energy feed-in has slowly risen over time, and its impact is now roughly on par with that of coal.
A wavelet multi-component decomposition algorithm has been used for data analysis of micro-Raman spectra from human biological samples. In particular, measurements have been performed on some samples of oral tissue and blood serum from patients affected by pemphigus vulgaris at different stages. Pemphigus is a chronic, autoimmune, blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes with a potentially fatal outcome. The disease is characterized histologically by intradermal blisters and immunopathologically by the finding of tissue bound and circulating immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody directed against the cell surface of keratinocytes. More than 150 spectra were measured by means of a Raman confocal microspectrometer apparatus using the 632.8 nm line of a He-Ne laser source. A discrete wavelet transform decomposition method has been applied to the recorded Raman spectra in order to overcome related to low-level signals and the presence of noise and background components due to light scattering and fluorescence. The results indicate that appropriate data processing can contribute to enlarge the medical applications of micro-Raman spectroscopy.
Horse manure (HM) content of nitrogen and phosphorus can improve soil nutrient as organic fertilizer. Biodegradable pineapple waste (PW) contains high organic carbon, which is also a good bulking agent if appropriately treated with HM through co-composting to optimize the better quality of the co-compost product. The study objective was to optimize the composting quality of HM with PW via response surface methodology (RSM). Twenty treatments based on 3 level codes (-α, 0, +α) of three compositing factors, namely co-composting period (20, 25, 30 days), percentage of composition HM: PW (85:15, 90:10, 95:5) and particle size of PW (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 cm), respectively were designed using the central composite design (CCD). At the end of composting period, the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), moisture content (MC), bulk density and pH were determined as co-compost qualities (dependent responses). The optimum results indicated that the Day 20 of composting period, composition 95:5 (HM: PW) and 0.25 cm of particle size had significant optimum values of 27.2 % DM, 72.8 % MC, 90.3 % OM and pH 6.7. No significant interaction of the three factors was found on C/N ratio and bulk density by RSM analysis. Subsequently, the significant results of optimum value developed a prediction model for co- composting HM and PW.
This paper reports the development of several general recurrence relations that can be used to evaluate one-dimensional, three centre harmonic oscillator matrix elements of the operators and f = exp(−cx C ). The matrix elements have the general form ⟨φ m (a 1/2 x A )|g(or f)|φ n (b 1/2 x B )⟩; φ m is the harmonic oscillator basis function for an eigenstate m. The coordinates are x A  = x − A x , and so on, where A x , B x , and C x are points of reference for the displacement of a common atom whose instantaneous coordinate is x. A typical case might be that of a hydrogen atom referred to two wells located at A x and B x , and a second atom located at C x on the x axis. The recurrence relations apply to all cases including the two centre A x  = B x and overlap integrals, A x  ≠ B x , c = 0, and C x  = 0. Moreover, the recurrence relations can generate matrix elements to any order. The applications of some of these recursions are illustrated with several examples: (1) the variational treatment of the Morse oscillator using one-dimensional harmonic oscillator basis functions; (2) the development of a model of the Morse oscillator in Gaussian coordinates together with (3) the variational analysis of that model. In addition, (4) the simplest version of a symmetric double potential well system is examined using both the Morse oscillator and the model potential.
Many aggregate-prone proteins, including proteins with long polyglutamine or polyalanine tracts, cause human diseases. Polyalanine proteins may also be present in the tissue of polyglutamine diseases as a result of frameshifting of the primary polyglutamine-encoding (CAG)n repeat mutation. We have generated a Drosophila model expressing green fluorescent protein tagged to 37 alanines that manifests both toxicity and inclusion formation in various tissues. Surprisingly, we show that this aggregate-prone protein with a polyalanine expansion can also protect against polyglutamine toxicity, which can be explained by induction of heat-shock response. A heat-shock response was also seen in an oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy mouse model expressing an authentic polyalanine-expanded protein. We also show that long polyalanines can protect against a pro-apoptotic stimulus or the toxicity caused by the long polyalanines themselves. Thus, overexpression of an aggregate-prone protein without any normal functions can result in both pathogenic and protective effects in cell culture and in vivo.
For the case in which the gas of a magnetized filamentary cloud obeys a polytropic equation of state, gravitational collapse of the cloud is studied using a simplified model. We concentrate on the radial distribution and restrict ourselves to a purely toroidal magnetic field. If the axial motions and poloidal magnetic fields are sufficiently weak, we could reasonably expect our solutions to be a good approximation. We show that while the filament experiences gravitational condensation and the density at the centre increases, the toroidal flux-to-mass ratio remains constant. A series of spatial profiles of density, velocity and magnetic field for several values of the toroidal flux-to-mass ratio and the polytropic index, is obtained numerically and discussed.
Kawasaki disease (KD) is rare in infants less than 3 months of age, and its recurrence is exceptional. Infants with KD are at higher risk of severe clinical presentation, therapy failure, complications and coronary aneurysms (CAAs), and this is the reason they deserve more aggressive therapy and a strict clinical follow-up. We report a 2-month-old male with KD, complicated by Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS). Despite timely and aggressive therapy with immunoglobulins, steroids and aspirin, multiple CAAs developed. Two-month therapy with anakinra completely reverted all the aneurysms. After six months, the infant experienced KD relapse and was successfully re-treated with immunoglobulins, steroids and aspirin. A strict echocardiographic follow-up did not show recurrence of aneurysms. Two years later, the child is healthy, without cardiac sequelae. In our experience, anakinra was effective in reverting multiple aneurysms and its effect proved to be long-lasting, even in front of KD recurrence. Based on this evidence, it seems reasonable to hypothesize not to limit the use of anakinra as rescue therapy for complicated or refractory KD, but to consider the possibility of adding it to first-line therapies for some subgroups of very-high-risk patients, in order to strengthen the prevention of CAAs.
Additional at the end of the chapter Abstract The community pharmacists (CPs) are legally responsible to hand out a wide range of ready-made prescription medications to patients. Additionally, CPs are also involving in advocating customers who determine to self-medicate. Interestingly, it is also noted that CPs in developed countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada have performed more than these services. What are the extended community pharmacy services available? What are the barriers and perceptions of these extended services? It is rationale to explore such issues globally since it might have potential to give some possible course of action to CPs to incorporate more values to the contemporary services.
AIM A higher Gleason score was associated with a lower tumor urotensin II receptor (UTII-R) expression in prostate cancer patients.   METHODS A retrospective review of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor tissue derived from those who had prostatectomy and matching biopsy specimens was conducted at six Institutions. UTII-R expression was evaluated on biopsy by immunohistochemistry.   RESULTS A total of 58 subjects undergoing radical prostatectomy were included. At multivariate analysis, low UTII-R expression was a significant predictor of Gleason upgrading, with an odds ratio of 10.3 (95% CI: 1.55-68.4), and of pathology upstaging, with an odds ratio of 11.1 (95% CI: 1.23-100.48).   CONCLUSIONS UTII-R expression on biopsy was associated with Gleason upgrading and pathology upstaging in prostate cancer patients.
In this paper we present the preliminary results provided by the simulation from a multiechelon inventory system. Real data is taken from a chemical Spanish company with the factory located in the south of Spain. This supply chain includes distribution centers in different locations in Spain as well as in other European countries. Inventory optimization is applied to the scenario focuses in the main product. Therefore, a optimization model provided by the literature for multiechelon inventory systems is implemented in order to provide the replacement point. Using the output of the model, a simulation, based on the data of stochastic demands, determines the cost of inventory.
The win ratio approach proposed by Pocock et al. (2012) has become a popular tool for analyzing composite endpoints of death and non-fatal events like hospitalization. Its standard version, however, draws on the non-fatal event only through the first occurrence. For statistical efficiency and clinical interpretability, we construct and compare different win ratio variants that make fuller use of recurrent events. We pay special attention to a variant called last-event-assisted win ratio, which compares two patients on the cumulative frequency of the non-fatal event, with ties broken by the time of its latest episode. It is shown that last-event-assisted win ratio uses more data than the standard win ratio does but reduces to the latter when the non-fatal event occurs at most once. We further prove that last-event-assisted win ratio rejects the null hypothesis with large probability if the treatment stochastically delays all events. Simulations under realistic settings show that the last-event-assisted win ratio test consistently enjoys higher power than the standard win ratio and other competitors. Analysis of a real cardiovascular trial provides further evidence for the practical advantages of the last-event-assisted win ratio. Finally, we discuss future work to develop meaningful effect size estimands based on the extended rules of comparison. The R-code for the proposed methods is included in the package WR openly available on the Comprehensive R Archive Network.
Near the end of the last century, remarkable progress was made in elementary particle physics both experimentally and theoretically, which led to the development of the Standard Model. However, we consider the model as a realization of a more fundamental theory at low energies, since there are so many unexplained physics in the model. Now, elementary particle physics is entering an exciting period in which a new paradigm of the field will be opened by the new discoveries expected in experiments at high-energy frontier colliders. The Higgs boson and supersymmetry are the main targets in these experiments. In parallel to energy frontier physics, experimental and theoretical studies attack the mystery of quark and lepton flavors. The combined efforts in cosmology and particle physics give synergy effects in understanding the history and the current state of the Universe.
Optimal tax and monetary policies in a stochastic monetary growth model are investigated. Our findings are of three general types. First, both capital income taxes and monetary growth are shown to influence the economy through effective risk adjusted measures, expressed as a linear function of their respective means and variances. Second, two stochastic netrality results relating to money and bonds, the two nominal assets in the economy, are identified. Third optimal policy rules relating to taxes, bond finance, and money creation are characterized. An essential component of optimal financial policy is a risk-adjusted balanced budget.
Regression testing - running tests after code modifications - is widely practiced in industry, including at Samsung. Regression Test Selection (RTS) optimizes regression testing by skipping tests that are not affected by recent code changes. Recent work has developed robust RTS tools, which mostly target managed languages, e.g., Java and C#, and thus are not applicable to large C projects, e.g., TizenRT, a lightweight RTOS-based platform. We present Selfection, an RTS tool for projects written in C; we discuss the key challenges to develop Selfection and our design decisions. Selfection uses the objdump and readelf tools to statically build a dependency graph of functions from binaries and detect modified code elements. We integrated Selfection in TizenRT and evaluated its benefits if tests are run in an emulator and on a supported hardware platform (ARTIK 053). We used the latest 150 revisions of TizenRT available on GitHub. We measured the benefits of Selfection as the reduction in the number of tests and reduction in test execution time over running all tests at each revision (i.e., RetestAll). Our results show that Selfection can reduce, on average, the number of tests to 4.95% and end-to-end execution time to 7.04% when tests are executed in the emulator, and to 5.74% and 26.82% when tests are executed on the actual hardware. Our results also show that the time taken to maintain the dependency graph and detect modified functions is negligible.
Black gram is cultivated in India and is the essential legume crops. It is used as whole, split beans and dehusked split beans (dhal). Due to better nutrient content and availability, new improved varieties of black gram are being evolved and there is little information available on them. So, the purpose of the study is to develop product using whole black gram and dehusked black gram of same variety (Pant U-31) and to assess the nutritional properties, shelf life and consumer acceptability of the developed product. Badi was prepared using whole black gram (Pant U-31) and was compared with dehusked black gram of same variety and was evaluated for sensory characteristics, nutrient composition and storage study for the period of 60 days. Results showed that during storage, obtained values were found to be in acceptable range for total plate count and it was observed that the badi packed in polyethylene pouches could be stored up to 2 months at room temperature safely. For sensory evaluation, the prepared badis were cooked in a vegetable curry preparation and was done using Nine Point Hedonic Scale and Score card method. Results of Nine Point Hedonic Scale showed that control badi curry was liked very much by 33.33% of panel members and badi curry prepared by whole black gram was liked very much by 46.66%. Statistical analysis of data obtained by score card method showed that there was non-significant difference in overall acceptability between badi curry prepared with dehusked black gram (control) and whole black gram. Nutrient composition of whole black gram (Pant U-31) badi curry revealed that it contained higher amount of fibre (3.31g), calcium (60.87 mg/100g) and iron (3.41 mg/100g) content than that of control (Dehusked black gram) badi curry of same variety.
A series of recent findings about the aurora has made it clear that the ionosphere is not merely a passive recipient of magnetospheric dynamics, or space weather, but plays an important—at times even controlling—role in shaping the unfolding of those dynamics. Although some researchers have been stressing the coupling between the ionosphere and the magnetosphere for many years [see, e.g., Atkinson, 1970], the only aspect of this coupling which seems to be widely accepted is the role of the ionosphere in supplying plasma to the magnetosphere.    Eight recent statistical studies have now amply demonstrated that background ionospheric conductivity is a crucial determinant of whether intense auroral arcs form. In retrospect, this probably should not have been surprising—a fluorescent light will not fluoresce if a highly conducting alternate path such as a piece of copper wire exists. However, the results reviewed here did surprise the space physics community, and there are clear implications forsubstorm development and other magnetospheric processes which have not yet been thought through.
The diagnosis of hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) is based on the Curaçao criteria: epistaxis, telangiectases, arteriovenous malformations in internal organs, and family history. Genetically speaking, more than 90% of HHT patients show mutations in ENG or ACVRL1/ALK1 genes, both belonging to the TGF-β/BMP9 signaling pathway. Despite clear knowledge of the symptoms and genes of the disease, we still lack a definite cure for HHT, having just palliative measures and pharmacological trials. Among the former, two strategies are: intervention at “ground zero” to minimize by iron and blood transfusions in order to counteract anemia. Among the later, along the last 15 years, three different strategies have been tested: (1) To favor coagulation with antifibrinolytic agents (tranexamic acid); (2) to increase transcription of ENG and ALK1 with specific estrogen-receptor modulators (bazedoxifene or raloxifene), antioxidants (N-acetylcysteine, resveratrol), or immunosuppressants (tacrolimus); and (3) to impair the abnormal angiogenic process with antibodies (bevacizumab) or blocking drugs like etamsylate, and propranolol. This manuscript reviews the main strategies and sums up the clinical trials developed with drugs alleviating HHT.
Introduction The reluctance to perform tracheotomy in other than terminal respiratory obstruction has been somewhat overcome in recent years. However, there remains considerable apathy in some areas, when one is confronted with respiratory problems in the newborn, toward utilizing this procedure. Whatever the reasons, they are largely insupportable in clinical situations in which the alternative is constantly impending asphyxia. The purpose of this paper is to propose tracheotomy in the newborn, not as a desperate, last-resort operation, but as a planned emergency procedure of value, indeed of necessity, in the proper management of certain respiratory problems. The subjects of tracheotomy and tracheotomy in infancy have been covered by several authors in recent literature. The indications are discussed as they apply specifically to conditions encountered in the newborn in articles by Bigler, Holinger, et al., 6 Diab, 7 and Goff. 8 As pointed out by Reichert, 11 respiratory distress is the
Electronic stability control system (ESC) is one of the advanced active safety technology for modern vehicles. The active yaw-moment control (AYC) is one of the most important parts of ESC to enhance vehicle active safety. The control method with combination of logic threshold and PID method is brought out. The PID parameters are generated by logic threshold method through the controller adjusting parameters. The wheel brake torque to keep vehicle stable is calculated by PD controller. The self-correcting threshold of PD control algorithm has the merit of decreasing calculation processes and increasing computation speed. The results of simulation show that the proposed algorithm can be used to control the vehicle more stably under various conditions.
Platystethus is a relatively small genus (35 described species) with only two species being known to be indigenous to the United States. The Nearctic species were reviewed by Moore and Legner (1971). The larva of one of these, P. americanus Erichson, was described and illustrated by Paulian (1941). The larvae of the other species, P. spiculus Erichson, is described here. It goes to Platystethus in Paulian’s (1941) key to the genera of the larvae of the Staphylinoidea. Several larvae were taken by Berlese extraction as previously described (Legner et al., 1975) in company with many adults of P. spiculus in bovine manure that, at the time, contained no other staph3;linids. Ten to 25 L samples were taken at random from bovine feces deposited in green and dry irrigated pastures at 3 sites near Calexico, California between 9 AM and 11 AM over several sample dates from October 22, 1974 to April 22, 1975. Two age groups of manure were distinguished" 12 hr and 24-48 hr old.
Glyburide is widely used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We studied the mechanisms involved in the disposition of glyburide and its pharmacologically active hydroxy metabolites M1 and M2b and evaluated their clinical pharmacokinetics and the potential role in glyburide-induced cholestasis employing physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. Transport studies of parent and metabolites in human hepatocytes and transfected cell systems imply hepatic uptake mediated by organic anion–transporting polypeptides. Metabolites are also subjected to basolateral and biliary efflux by P-glycoprotein, breast cancer resistance protein, and multidrug resistance–associated proteins, and are substrates to renal organic anion transporter 3. A PBPK model in combination with a Bayesian approach was developed considering the identified disposition mechanisms. The model reasonably described plasma concentration time profiles and urinary recoveries of glyburide and the metabolites, implying the role of multiple transport processes in their pharmacokinetics. Predicted free liver concentrations of the parent (∼30-fold) and metabolites (∼4-fold) were higher than their free plasma concentrations. Finally, all three compounds showed bile salt export pump inhibition in vitro; however, significant in vivo inhibition was not apparent for any compound on the basis of a predicted unbound liver exposure-response effect model using measured in vitro IC50 values. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the important role of multiple drug transporters in the disposition of glyburide and its active metabolites, suggesting that variability in the function of these processes may lead to pharmacokinetic variability in the parent and the metabolites, potentially translating to pharmacodynamic variability.
Fifty-nine gastrointestinal tracts and 52 blood samples were collected from eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Vieillot) during the spring turkey hunts of 1979–1980 from two areas in western Kentucky and Tennessee. Eight species of parasites were recovered, and included (combined prevalence): Haemoproteus meleagridis Levine, 1961 (25%), Hymenolepis carioca (Magalhaes, 1898) (44%), Metroliasthes lucida Ransom, 1900 (25%), Raillietina georgiensis (Reid and Nugara, 1961) (15%), R. williamsi Fuhrmann, 1932 (64%), Ascaridia dissimilis Perez Vigueras, 1931 (83%), Capillaria caudinflata (Molin, 1858) (2%), and Heterakis gallinarum (Schrank, 1788) (27%). A significant difference existed between the intensities of A. dissimilis from the two states. Twenty-two subinoculations of collected blood were made in 1979, but no Plasmodium infections were recovered. Helminths of wild turkeys from 11 southeastern states were compared using similarity and diversity indices. High similarities were observed in helminth populations of two groups of states: 1) Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Virginia, and Tennessee; and 2) Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois. Simpson's diversity index indicated helminth populations of wild turkeys in Florida were the most diverse (0.10), while those in Louisiana turkeys were the least diverse (0.33).
IntroductionDifferent studies had explained the treatment outcomes of the food by prescription (FBP) program among people living with HIV (PLHIV). This study aimed to assess factors affecting nutritional treatment outcome among PLHIV using FBP. MethodsAn institution-based unmatched case control study was conducted from August 1 to September 30, 2017 in public health facilities. A total of 566 samples (283 cases and 283 controls) was drawn using random sampling technique. Data were collected from FBP, ART/PRE-ART registers and client’s follow up charts. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate the relationship of the independent variables with the outcome variable, and a p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant at 95% confidence level. All statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.ResultsIn this study severe acute malnutrition at admission (AOR=4.45. 95% CI: 2.63–7.55), moderate acute malnutrition at admission (AOR=3.8, 95% CI: 2.18–6.67), lack of regular follow up (AOR=3.81, 95% CI: 2.18–6.67), low CD4 count below 100 (AOR= 2.93, 95% CI: 1.19–7.20), hemoglobin value below 10mg/dL (AOR=2.72, 95% CI: 1.17, 6.35), and male sex (AOR=1.77, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.63) were found to be significant predictors for poor nutritional treatment outcome.Conclusions Severity of malnutrition was the major predictor for poor nutritional treatment outcome of patients who were on FBP program. The policy makers can use the information to improve HIV and nutrition interventions based on the result.
Information about perception and memory is accumulating rapidly in both basic and clinical neuroscience, and this progress has been made using a variety of approaches while drawing jointly on the traditions of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology. In order to disseminate research occurring in leading laboratories around the world, an international symposium on "Brain Mechanisms of Perception and Memory: From Neuron to Behavior" was held in Toyama, Japan, in October 1991. Planned in conjunction with this important meeting, this volume presents the work of over 40 eminent scientists from around the world. Their research covers many topics, including such core issues as the perception of form, perception of motion, memory and the limbic system, the neocortex, and neural plasticity. A prominent area of discussion at the symposium, and one which figures prominently in this volume, is work with nonhuman primates, especially useful in the study of perception and memory. The breadth of coverage of this volume in conjunction with its extensive studies of nonhuman primates makes this book a necessary reference for those interested in current perspectives on brain mechanisms of perception and memory. Neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, cognitive and physiological psychologists will find this authoritative, state-of-the-art review important and informative reading.
Brain edema has been shown to increase brain lactate, but the effect on pH is unclear. We used in vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to measure lactate and pH in a region of brain edema. Ninety-five anesthetized rats underwent proton and 31P-NMR spectroscopy with a 7-T 89-mm vertical bore spectrometer, using a surface coil over the edematous regions and distant from a hemorrhage produced by the injection of bacterial collagenase. Brain water content was measured from multiple regions after the NMR measurements in all rats. Lactate was significantly increased 4 h after the hemorrhage and remained elevated for 48 h, but brain pH was unaffected. The increase in lactate correlated (P < 0.01) with the increase in water content in the measured region. We conclude that lactate and pH are dissociated in a region of primarily vasogenic edema.
Purpose To determine whether a 3-day application of ofloxacin results in the selection of fluoroquinolone-resistant conjunctival coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Design. Prospective randomized trial. Methods Patients scheduled for ocular surgery were randomized to a control (89 eyes) or study group (70 eyes). The study group received topical ofloxacin (0.3%) four times a day for 3 days. Conjunctival cultures were obtained at baseline (T0) and after 3 days of ofloxacin (T1). Cultures were also obtained at T0 and T1 for the control group, but these eyes did not receive an antibiotic. Bacteria isolated were identified and antibiotic susceptibility was determined. Results At T0, 53 out of 89 patients (60%) in the control and 48 out of 70 patients (69%) in the study group harbored coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Among these coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 12 out of 53 in the control and 11 out of 48 in the study group were resistant to ofloxacin (p>0.9999). At T1, significantly fewer coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (p=0.0003) were isolated from the study group (18 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus), compared the control group (48 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus). Of these, 5 out of 17 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in the study group and 9 out of 48 coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in the control group were resistant to ofloxacin (p=0.5649). There was no significant difference in the number of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus resistant to ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin in the study group compared to the control group at T1. Conclusions Ofloxacin given four times a day for 3 days does not select out for conjunctival fluoroquinolone-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus.
In addition to providing a semipermeable barrier that protects a cell from harmful stimuli, lipid membranes occupy a central role in hosting a variety of biological processes, including cellular communications and membrane protein functions. Most importantly, protein-membrane interactions are implicated in a variety of diseases and therefore many analytical techniques were developed to study the basis of these interactions and their influence on the molecular architecture of the cell membrane. In this study, sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy is used to investigate the spontaneous membrane insertion process of cytochrome b(5) and its mutants. Experimental results show a significant difference in the membrane insertion and orientation properties of these proteins, which can be correlated with their functional differences. In particular, our results correlate the nonfunctional property of a mutant cytochrome b(5) with its inability to insert into the lipid bilayer. The approach reported in this study could be used as a potential rapid screening tool in measuring the topology of membrane proteins as well as interactions of biomolecules with lipid bilayers in situ.
This article is about mystery [taina] as a means of social control, about its role in the processes of the self-organization of communities. We are concerned here with the problem of control in conditions of uncertainty, and in particular with the role of irrational mechanisms. The principal figure here is the strannik ["stranger," "odd one"], a professional in the field of using irrational means of influence. The quality of being a stranger [strannichestvo] is not merely a social phenomenon—it is also an esoteric tradition.a This phenomenon is extremely characteristic of Russian history; in the opinion of N. A. Berdiaev, it even provides the key to specific ethnic characteristics [1, p. 47]. Berdiaev, as well as VI. Weidle, see here the key to understanding certain political processes—primarily the periodically recurring "catastrophes" that change the political organization of society in Russia [Rossiia] [1, p. 46; 3, p. 32]. It is noteworthy that the strannik as can be seen from historical observations,...
This paper explores the notions of hope and how individual patient autonomy can trump carefully reasoned ethical concerns and policies intended to regulate stem cell transplants. We argue that the same limits of knowledge that inform arguments to restrain and regulate unproven treatments might also undermine our ability to comprehensively dismiss or condemn them. Incautiously or indiscriminately reasoned policies and attitudes may drive critical information and data underground, impel patients away from working with clinical researchers, and tread needlessly on hope, the essential motivator of patients, advocates and researchers alike. We offer recommendations to clinicians and health care providers to help balance the discourse with individuals seeking treatment while guarding against fraud, misconception, and patient harm.
T his quote, from an 1865 article in Once a Week, draws attention to a I rarely examined interconnection between the fashion for Kashmiri shawls B in Victorian Britain and the rather intense preoccupation in popular narratives from this period with their place of origin, the raw material of which they were manufactured, the processes involved in their production, and the people who produced them.1 This preoccupation linked the production, circulation, and consumption of Kashmiri shawls to the gradual absorption of empire, variously defined, into the everyday lives and practices of Victorian Britons. A variety of Victorian narratives on Kashmiri shawls, including travelogues, novels, journal articles, poems, pamphlets, and so on, literally brought the empire home by at tempting to place that remotest of regions?Kashmir?within the geography of the British empire and, as in the case of the Once a Week article, used the op
We have found a difficulty in the learning of a human-friendly behavior in a face robot by means of human instruction. The difficulty is mainly spotted at the learning algorithm of the robot not taking account of characteristics of human instruction. This paper suggests an effective learning algorithm constructed by the results obtained through analysing characteristics of human instruction, and evaluates its effectiveness by computer simulation and human-face robot interaction experiments.
Recent research has demonstrated the great capability of deep belief networks for solving a variety of visual recognition tasks. However, primary focus has been on modelling higher level visual features and later stages of visual processing found in the brain. Lower level processes such as those found in the retina have gone ignored. In this paper, we address this issue and demonstrate how the retina’s inherent multi-layered structure lends itself naturally for modelling with deep networks. We introduce a method for simulating the retinal photoreceptor input and show the efficacy of deep networks in learning feature detectors similar to retinal ganglion cells. We thereby demonstrate the potential of deep belief networks for modelling the earliest stages of visual processing.
Background The difficulties associated with sequencing and assembling some regions of the DNA sequence result in gaps in the reference genomes that are typically represented as stretches of Ns. Although the presence of assembly gaps causes a slight reduction in the mapping rate in many experimental settings, that does not invalidate the typical statistical testing comparing read count distributions across experimental conditions. However, we hypothesize that not handling assembly gaps in the null model may confound statistical testing of co-localization of genomic features. Results First, we performed a series of explorative analyses to understand whether and how the public genomic tracks intersect the assembly gaps track (hg19). The findings rightly confirm that the genomic regions in public genomic tracks intersect very little with assembly gaps and the intersection was observed only at the beginning and end regions of the assembly gaps rather than covering the whole gap sizes. Further, we simulated a set of query and reference genomic tracks in a way that nullified any dependence between them to test our hypothesis that not avoiding assembly gaps in the null model would result in spurious inflation of statistical significance. We then contrasted the distributions of test statistics and p-values of Monte Carlo simulation-based permutation tests that either avoided or not avoided assembly gaps in the null model when testing for significant co-localization between a pair of query and reference tracks. We observed that the statistical tests that did not account for the assembly gaps in the null model resulted in a distribution of the test statistic that is shifted to the right and a distribu tion of p-values that is shifted to the left (leading to inflated significance). Conclusion Our results shows that not accounting for assembly gaps in statistical testing of co-localization analysis may lead to false positives and over-optimistic findings.
Yet much can be learned henceforth from these statutes about the efficacy of alien law to change a fixed social pattern or intrenched interest group. Here, the effect desired—indeed sometimes even the perceived problems—often turned out to be illusory; the ball took some odd bounces and only in recent years have some of these reforms experienced a revival because Japanese lawyers have found new uses for them, and Japanese students are coming abroad again to take new readings of the "mother law."
Forty-eight primigravidae were interviewed when 3-4 months pregnant about their knowledge of fetal development, awareness of hazards to development and sources of information. Although there was reasonable knowledge about normal fetal development, the women were not generally aware of the repercussions of maternal rubella or rationale for many routine tests at antenatal clinics. Fourteen of the women were smoking and only four of these intended to change during pregnancy. The general practitioner was perceived as a vital source of information, in marked contrast to the midwife. Few women reported learning about child development or care at school, but most used pamphlets or books as a source of information.
Because of a fierce battle among crown princes of the Huns, the great Hunnic Empire was divided into two parts in 53 BC, when two brother, Huhanye [呼韓邪] and Zhizhi [郅支] fought for the throne of the Huns. The southern part led by Huhanye was submitted to the Han-dynasty. The northern part remained independent for a while, while the southern part, under the guidance of Huhanye Shanyu, concluded an agreement with the Han dynasty. The Huns received a wide ranging autonomy inside the Chinese Empire. A new situation emerged when the Han Empire weakened, from the second half of the 2nd century onward, and, instead of the elected emperors, eunuchs, and later on several warlords, who served the Han dynasty, acquired the main power, took control over certain territories of the former Han dynasty, and gradually created independent kingdoms. The Southern Huns were not able to achieve their independence from the Chinese Empire, because the great warlord Cao Cao [曹操] occupied a big part of the Empire, which contained the territory of the Huns. Right that period [3rd century CE], one significant portion of the Huns – the Beidi Huns – lived in the eastern part of Yellow River, today Shanxi province. The Jin shu chronicle [an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty from 265 to 420] includes a summary account of their life and short history. I present some important details of that account.
A data management protocol for executing transactions on a replicated database is presented. The protocol ensures one-copy serializability. i.e., the concurrent execution of transactions on a replicated database is equivalent to some serial execution of the same transactions on a non-replicated database. The protocol tolerates a large class of failures, including: processor and communication link crashes, partitioning of the communication network, lost messages, and slow responses of processors and communication links. Processor and link recoveries are also handled. The protocol implements the reading of a replicated object efficiently by reading the nearest available copy of the object. When reads outnumber writes, the protocol performs better than other known protocols.
Background: Sepsis is defined as life threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to infection. It is the tenth leading cause of death among older adults in United States. Mortality rate of the sepsis ranges from 3040%. In severe cases sepsis can drastically reduce blood flow to the major organs, leading eventually to septic shock, widespread organ failure and death. So, the present study was done to evaluate the clinical profile, symptoms, source of infection, co-morbid conditions and outcome with respect to the organ dysfunction in sepsis cases. Methods: This prospective observational study was undertaken among 100 cases of sepsis diagnosed by the “International Sepsis Definitions Conference” criteria admitted during October 2015 to September 2017. All patients were evaluated clinically and subjected for laboratory investigations. Results: In present study, a total of 100 cases were enrolled. Mean age of cases were 38.15 years. Male and female ratio was 1.63:1. Most common symptom was fever (100%). Pneumonia was the most common (36%) source of infection. Mortality was highest in pneumonia (55.55%). 77 % of cases had organ dysfunction. Cardiovascular system was the most common system involved. Maximum mortality was within the age group of 56-65 years. Diabetes was the most common co-morbid condition. Mean APACHE II score was high among the death cases. Conclusions: Sepsis was more common in younger group of patients but mortality was more in elderly age group. Overall mortality was 38%.
We developed an evaluation tool that evaluates the system performance of fifth generation mobile communication systems that use multi-antenna technologies such as massive MIMO and beamforming that compensate for the increase in path loss due to high frequency usage in various areas based on computer simulation. The tool calculates propagation characteristics utilizing ray-tracing and the SINR/throughput based on the Shannon capacity using the obtained propagation characteristics. This report describes the tool functions and presents evaluation results.
Cationic porphyrin derivatives such as meso‐tetrakis(4‐N‐methylpyridinium)porphyrin, TMPyP, have been shown to interact with double‐stranded DNA. The manganese derivative, Mn(III)‐TMPyP, activated by an oxygen donor like potassium monopersulfate, provides an efficient DNA‐cleaving system. Previous experimental work 1 has shown that DNA cleavage by the Mn(III)‐TMPyP/KHSO5 system was due to an oxidative attack, within the minor groove of B‐DNA, at the C5′ or C1′ carbons of deoxyribose units. The aim of this study was to use molecular modeling to elucidate the specificity of the interactions between the transient active species oxyl‐Mn(IV)‐TMPyP and the DNA target. Geometric parameters, charges, and force field constants consistent with the AMBER 98 force field were calculated by DFT methods. Molecular modeling (mechanics and dynamic simulations) were performed for oxyl‐(hydroxo)‐Mn(IV)‐TMPyP bound in the minor groove of the dodecamer d(5′‐TCGTCAAACCGC)‐d(5′‐GCGGTTTGACGA). Geometry, interactions, and binding energy of the metalloporphyrin located at the A.T triplet region of the dodecamer were analyzed. These studies show no significant structural change of the DNA structure upon ligand binding. Mobility of the metalloporphyrin in the minor groove was restrained by the formation of a hydrogen bond between the hydroxo ligand trans to the metal‐oxyl and a DNA phosphate, restricting the access of the oxyl group to the (pro‐S) H atom at C5′. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 24: 797–805, 2003
Korean ginseng is a source of functional foods and medicines; however, its productivity is hindered by abiotic stress factors, such as light. This study investigated the impacts of darkness and different light wavelengths on the metabolomics and anti-cancer activity of ginseng extracts. Hydroponically-grown Korean ginseng was shifted to a light-emitting diodes (LEDs) chamber for blue-LED and darkness treatments, while white fluorescent (FL) light treatment was the control. MCF-7 breast cancer and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced BV-2 microglial cells were used to determine chemo-preventive and neuroprotective potential. Overall, 53 significant primary metabolites were detected in the treated samples. The levels of ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, and Re, as well as organic and amino acids, were significantly higher in the dark treatment, followed by blue-LED treatment and the FL control. The dark-treated ginseng extract significantly induced apoptotic signaling in MCF-7 cells and dose-dependently inhibited the NF-κB and MAP kinase pathways in LPS-induced BV-2 cells. Short-term dark treatment increased the content of Rd, Rc, Rb1, Rb2, and Re ginsenosides in ginseng extracts, which promoted apoptosis of MCF-7 cells and inhibition of the MAP kinase pathway in BV-2 microglial cells. These results indicate that the dark treatment might be effective in improving the pharmacological potential of ginseng.
Abstract. A simple model (2layer) was constructed that describes the exchange of the reactive gases NO, NO 2 and O 3 between forest and the atmosphere. The model uses standard equations to describe exchange processes and uptake of gases. It also takes into account reactions taking place in the trunk space between NO and O 3 and photolysis of NO 2 . All equations are solved analytically leading to a scheme efficient enough to allow implementation in a large scale dispersion model such as the EMEP model. The model is tested on two comprehensive datasets obtained in a coniferous forest and a deciduous forest. The model calculations of NO 2 and O 3 fluxes to the forest were compared with observations of these fluxes. Although the comparison is often not perfect some of the striking features of the observed fluxes i.e. upward fluxes of NO 2 were simulated quite well. The impact of chemical reactions between O 3 , NO and NO 2 in the trunk space appear to have a significant effect on the deposition rate of O 2 . This is especially true during the night and more so for forests emitting large amounts of NO.
Abstract We examine the effect of vertically differentiated entry under retail-minus access pricing. Unlike the existing studies, we show that retail-minus regulation could obtain the intended result of reducing the retail price. This concurs to a great extent with conventional wisdom, which has been criticized, but not entirely, because the price-reducing effect in our model is not driven by competition. Such an effect is more obvious in the case of inferior-quality entry, where the lower incumbent price can help the entrant expand the market. The key is that the retail-minus rule offers the incumbent an incentive to reduce its price in order to utilize the value created by the entrant. The outcome relies on the combination of a differentiated entry and the retail-minus rule. Differentiated entry under the retail-minus rule could benefit both the incumbent and consumers because the rule protects the incumbent from business stealing while allowing value creation by the entrant.
We proposed and fabricated a resonant tunneling diode (RTD) oscillator using a stacked-layer slot antenna toward terahertz range. The proposed antenna is formed with a slot of SiO2 sandwiched between metal layers on a semiconductor substrate. This structure is convenient in obtaining small diffracted radiation and also in extracting most of the output into the air side, compared with conventional slot antennas directly formed on the substrate with high refractive index. Using this antenna integrated with GaInAs/AlInAs RTD on InP substrate, an oscillation at 254 GHz was demonstrated. Theoretical analysis of the oscillation frequency estimated from the admittances of the RTD and antenna is in good agreement with the measurement. Oscillation in the terahertz range is expected by reducing the antenna length and by optimizing the RTD structure.
Aims: To determine the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement in English language, the relationship between academic interest and academic achievement in English language, the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement in Mathematics, the relationship between academic interest and academic achievement in Mathematics. Study Design: The study adopted the correlational survey design Place and Duration of Study: Secondary schools in Anambra state, Nigeria. Methodology: Disproportionate stratified sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 2,160 students from a population of 18,297 SS2 students in Anambra state government owned secondary schools. The instruments adopted for data collection were standardized locus of control scale, student’s academic interest scale, these instruments were administered using the direct delivery approach. Data collected were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, while the hypotheses postulated was tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test of correlation and multiple regression analysis. Original Research Article Akunne and Anyanmene; AJESS, 16(1): 9-15, 2021; Article no.AJESS.66648 10 Results: the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement of secondary school students in English language is moderate and positive (r = 0.469/n = 2050), the relationship between academic interest and academic achievement of secondary school students in English language is high and positive (r = 0.731, n = 2050), the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement of secondary school students in Mathematics is high and positive (r = 0.613, n = 2050). The relationship between locus of control and academic achievement of secondary school students in English language is significant (t-cal. = 24.03 > t-cal. 1.960), the relationship between academic interest and academic achievement of secondary school students in English language is significant (t – cal. = 48.46 < t – crit. = 1.960), the relationship between locus of control and academic achievement in Mathematics is significant (t-cal. = 35.12 > t-crit. = 1.960), the relationship between academic interest and academic achievement of secondary school students in Mathematics is statistically significant (t-cal. = 28.32 > t-crit. = 1.960). Conclusion: locus of control and academic interest are variables associated with academic achievement of secondary school students in Anambra state. Nevertheless, secondary school students spend significant part of their time in the classroom (about 7 1⁄2 hrs a day, 5 days a week, and 36 weeks a year) with teachers and peers, there is need to help them understand their locus of control, improve their interest in learning as well as develop belief in themselves to succeed academically.
Objective of the research was to establish the growth of body mass and slaughter characteristics of the autochthonous chicken breed - naked neck of different varieties (white, black, gray) in our country, reared in extensive system. Fattening lasted 98 days (14 weeks). In the paper, the growth of body mass of chickens at the age of 8, 10, 12 and 14 weeks of fattening are presented, also slaughter yields, conformation measures, shares of major carcass parts and roasting loss. Average body mass varied from 1108.93g (W), 1080.26 g (B) and 1005.00g (G). Slaughter yield 'traditionally dressed carcass' varied from 75.09% (B) to 76.58% (G), yield 'ready to cook' from 67.88 (W) to 68.76 (G) and yield 'ready to grill' from 58.38% (W) to 58.89 (G). Obtained mean values of conformation measures indicated poor carcass built of chickens of both sexes and were result of strong effect of body mass of chickens. Considerable effect of variety and sex on differences between mean values for major carcass parts (breast, thighs, drumsticks, wings) was not established. Further research shall be necessary in order to confirm the hypothesis that naked neck chickens have better meat quality for which the consumers who prefer natural food are prepared to pay higher price. .
Abstract The influence of seagrasses on water quality was investigated seasonally from permanent stations located along transects across vegetated and formerly vegetated sites in shoal regions of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia. The effect of the seagrass bed on conditions inside compared to outside the bed varied seasonally and could be related to bed biomass and development. During spring (April to June), the rapidly growing seagrass bed was a sink for nutrients, suspended inorganic particles, and phytoplankton, whereas during the summer, as bed dieback progressed, resuspension and release of nutrients were observed. Reductions in suspended particle concentrations and light attenuation were generally not measurable until bed biomass exceeded 50–100 gdm/m2 or 25–50% vegetative cover. During April, when nitrate levels in adjacent channel waters were observed to be highest (>10 μM), rapid uptake, equivalent to 48% of nitrogen requirements for seagrass growth, reduced inorganic nitrogen standing stocks by 73% within the bed compared to outside of it. An unvegetated site that previously supported seagrass demonstrated little capacity to reduce measurable levels of suspended particles or nutrients, and resuspension of bottom sediments contributed to higher levels of suspended particle concentrations and turbidity in the unvegetated shallows compared to adjacent waters. The capacity of seagrass beds to improve local water-quality conditions, such as turbidity and nutrients, during the spring when suspended particle concentrations are highest may be key to their continued long-term survival in this lower bay region. High levels of spring turbidity, which have been related to seagrass declines in this area, can be mediated by dense seagrass structure, but largely unvegetated areas are unlikely to modify conditions to permit survival of first-year recruits or transplants through the summer. Therefore, water-quality conditions that are suitable for recovery are likely greater than those required for continued survival of existing seagrass beds. Given this, statistically derived estimates of water-quality conditions or habitat requirements that are usually obtained from measurements in areas adjacent to existing seagrass beds should be used with caution. Although suitable for predicting the maintenance of existing beds with adequate biomass and structure, they may underestimate the levels needed for restoration and recovery of many currently unvegetated sites.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Bendamustine with or without rituximab provides an effective and more tolerable alternative to the polytherapy cyclophosphamide–doxorubicin–vincristine–prednisolone (CHOP) in the treatment of haematological tumours and is currently approved for the treatment of many haematological malignancies. Navitoclax (ABT‐263) is a potent inhibitor of Bcl‐2, Bcl‐xL and Bcl‐w, which has demonstrated efficacy in haematological tumours alone and in combination with other agents. This paper describes the in vivo efficacy of combining either bendamustine or bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) with navitoclax in xenograft models of non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma
Background: Crowned dens syndrome (CDS), related to microcrystalline deposition in the periodontoid process, is the main cause of acute or chronic cervical pain. Microcrystal-line deposition most often consists of calcium pyrophosphate dehydrate crystals and/or hydroxyapatite crystals. Case Presentation: This report describes the case of an 89-year-old woman who presented with sudden onset, high fever, severe occipital headache, and neck stiffness. A laboratory examination revealed a markedly elevated white blood cell count (11,100/µl) and C-reactive protein level (23.8 mg/dl). These clinical findings suggested severe infection such as meningitis with sepsis. However, the results of blood culture, serum endotoxin, and procalcitonin were all negative, and cerebrospinal fluid studies revealed only a slight abnormality. The patient was first diagnosed with meningitis and treated with antiviral and antibiotic agents as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but they only had limited effects. A cervical plain computed tomography (CT) scan and its three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction detected a remarkable crown-like calcification surrounding the odontoid process. On the basis of the CT findings, the patient was diagnosed as a severe case of CDS and was immediately treated with corticosteroids. The patient's condition drastically improved within a week after one course of corticosteroid therapy. Conclusion: Some atypical symptoms of CDS are misleading and may be misdiagnosed as meningitis, as happened in our case. A CT scan, especially a 3D-CT scan, is necessary and useful for a definitive diagnosis of CDS. CDS should be considered as a differential diagnosis of a possible etiology for fever, headache, and cervical pain of unknown origin.
Fast thermalization and a strong build up of elliptic flow of QCD matter were investigated within the pQCD based 3+1 dimensional parton transport model BAMPS including bremsstrahlung $2  leftrightarrow 3$ processes. Within the same framework quenching of gluonic jets in Au+Au collisions at RHIC can be understood. The development of conical structure by gluonic jets is investigated in a static box for the regimes of small and large dissipation. Furthermore we demonstrate two different approaches to extract the shear viscosity coefficient $ eta$ from a microscopical picture.
Studies report the good potential of Pinus heldreichii (PIHE) and Pinus peuce (PIPE) for developing long chronologies from living trees and warn that the climate signal is weak in tree-ring widths of PIHE, and particularly PIPE. The goals of the study were to develop long chronologies, and to analyze the climate–growth relationship and potential for long climate reconstructions using tree-ring widths (TRW) and stable carbon isotopes ratios (δ13C) in tree rings at the northern edge of species distribution in the eastern part of Montenegro. The PIHE TRW chronology covers the period 1571–2013 (443 years) and the PIPE TRW chronology 1521–2013 (493 years). The temperature signal in PIHE TRW is weak and the precipitation signal is non-existent. PIPE has no climate signal in TRW. Both studied species have very similar δ13C chronologies, which allows us to merge isotope chronologies into a single composite δ13C Pinus chronology. The composite chronology has a strong signal related to average monthly temperature in June, July, and August and monthly values for cloudiness in July and August, with r > 0.6 and r < −0.6 for individual months, respectively. The climate signal was enhanced when June, July, and August values were merged into seasonal variables. The temporal stability of temperature, precipitation and cloudiness signals is consistent. The spatial extent of the δ13C chronology extends over a very large region, including all surrounding countries.
Polytype control and crystal growth on 3C-SIC substrates have been investigated by using a sublimation growth technique. Single crystalline 3C-SiC(100) films (∼10 μ m thick) grown on Si (100) were used as substrates after removing Si by etching with a HF+HNO 3 mixture. Polytypes of crystals grown on 3C-SiC(100) were examined by photoluminescence, Raman scattering, X-ray diffraction and reflection high energy electron diffraction analyses. Polytypes of grown crystals change from cubic 3C-modification to hexagonal 6H-modification with temperature increase. 6H-SiC(01 1 4) was grown on 3C-SiC(100) substrates at high temperatures. For the first time, polytypes of grown crystals were controlled to be 3C- and 6H-modifications, and the reproducibility of polytype control was confirmed through many growth runs. 6H-SiC ingots up to 20mm in diameter and 10mm in length were grown on 3C-SiC for 6 hours. The growth mechanism of 6H-SiC on 3C-SiC was discussed based on experimental study of thermal stability of 3C-SIC. Electrical properties of 6H-SiC ingots were investigated.
SOIL STABLE CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF LANDSCAPE FEATURES AT AGUATECA, GUATEMALA David R. Wright Department of Plant and Animal Sciences Master of Science The ancient Maya of the Classic period (1700-1050 B.P.) relied on maize agriculture to support their populations. The agricultural systems they employed to produce that maize varied in form and degree of intensity, with more productive forms of agriculture needed in the Late Classic period (1350-1050 B.P.) to sustain the peaking population. It is likely that the ancient systems of production agriculture contributed to environmental degradation that in turn contributed to the pressures that culminated in the collapse of the civilization. In this study, stable carbon isotope ratios contained in the soil organic matter were used to further investigate ancient maize cultivation in the Petexbatún region of Guatemala. Maize, a plant that uses the C4 photosynthetic pathway, leaves a different carbon (C) isotopic signal in the soil than the C3 plants of the native forest vegetation. Soil profiles were collected from various landscape features around the Classic Maya site of Aguateca: bajos (or wetlands), control locations (areas not conducive to agriculture), defensible locations (areas within or near defensive walls), rehoyadas (natural karst depressions), and upland locations (level soils from across the rest of the landscape). The
The effects of Verapamil and S9788 (triazineaminopiperidine), a new modulator of multidrug resistance, on mdr-1 mRNA expression were determined using in situ hybridization. S9788 appeared to be a better reversal drug by strongly decreasing drug efflux. However, Verapamil only decreased mdr-1 mRNA expression in Human erythroleukemic resistant cells (ADM/k562) and in Human lymphoblastic resistant cells (VLB/CEM). This effect occurred in all Verapamil-treated resistant cells with no difference between cell subpopulations. These results were confirmed by slot-blot experiments. In conclusion, S9788 and verapamil effects are comparable overall although the mechanisms responsible for this resistance modulation are not strictly identical.
Preeclampsia is a hypertensive syndrome that occurs after the 20th weeks of gestation. The objective of this review was to describe the mechanisms of production and action of aspirintriggered lipoxins in order to consider them as a suitable alternative to modulate oxidative processes, which are characteristic of preeclampsia and proinflammatory cycles starting with cascade activation of nuclear factor-kappa B, consequently of their products. Preeclampsia is characterized by the production of proinflammatory substances that induce directly or indirectly endothelial cell activation,, through prior activation of monocytes, which can generate reactive oxygen species and expression of adhesion molecules that mediate interacting with the endothelium, contributing to its dysfunction, activation and induction of signaling cascade nuclear factor-kappa B. Aspirin induces lipoxin, which inhibits the activation of nuclear factor-kappa B by blocking IkB protein kinase, necessary to trigger the activation of canonical and non-canonical pathway of this nuclear factor.
The present invention has over a certain time, related to methods and formulations for treating proliferative disorders using intravenous formulations comprising temozolomide. These methods and formulations are particularly appropriate for patients who can not swallow oral formulations. These methods and formulations are also already in patients receiving other therapeutic, providing more convenience. In some embodiments, the method, carcinomas, sarcomas, glioma, glioblastoma, brain cancer, brain cancer, melanoma, lung cancer, thyroid follicular cancer, pancreatic cancer, anaplastic astrocytoma, bladder cancer, myelodysplasia, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, mycosis fungoides, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, selected from colorectal and / or colon cancer, or esophageal cancer, a patient having a proliferative disorder used to treat.
This article presents the results of a study devoted to the measurement of the income polarization in Romania. In the first part the key methodological issues of measuring polarization are addressed, with emphasis on the polarization indices. To measure the polarization of the household incomes in Romania, which is the subject of the second part of the study, several indices of bipolarization (Foster-Wolfson, Wang-Tsui, Milanovi􀃾, Esteban-Ray and Esteban-Gradin-Ray indices) and group polarization (Esteban-Ray and Gradin indices) have been used. All indicators show a higher degree of polarization in 2008 as compared with 1995 and 2000.
This paper reports on an investigation that surveyed elementary classroom teachers (not music specialists) in California and Colorado in the United States, New South Wales in Australia and Tokyo Prefecture in Japan. Through a survey, inservice elementary classroom teachers were asked to rate the influence of music methods courses and professional development experiences on their use of music in the classroom. The classroom teachers also rated the usefulness of music skills and knowledge typically taught in university teacher certification programs. The investigators were interested in the extent to which music skills and knowledge from music methods courses were utilized by inservice elementary teachers in their regular classroom instruction. Results indicated some local differences in what music content was considered most beneficial although there was agreement across locales and cultures about the general usefulness of much of the music content in preservice classes. A major finding was an inconsistency of music preparation among classroom teachers, with large numbers of teachers in both Colorado and California indicating they had no music methods courses in their preservice preparation.
Micro-surfacing is the primary means for preventive pavement maintenance,and with Guangxi Tanbai Expressway pavement rutting restoration project as the example,and combined with local traffic and weather conditions,this article introduced the gradation ratio design and application method of micro-surfacing mixtures,thereby providing the reference basis for the applications of local micro-surfa-cing process technology.
Holistic disability rights monitoring is essential in order to translate rights on paper into rights in reality for people with disabilities. At the same time, evidence-based knowledge produced through holistic monitoring has to be made accessible to a broad range of groups - researchers, representatives of disability community, people with disabilities, the media, policy makers, general public - and also has to contribute to building capacity within disability community around human rights issues. This article focuses on the design process of a complex Virtual Knowledge Network (VKN) as an operational tool to support mobilization and dissemination of evidence-based knowledge produced by the Disability Rights Promotion International Canada (DRPI-Canada) project. This tool is embedded in the more general framework of the project grounded in a human rights approach to disability and that acknowledges the importance of creating knowledgeable communities in order to make the disability rights monitoring efforts sustainable, advancing thus the decision making process in Canada in order to enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities.
bed in which the authors were far from comfortable. Dobbs on the shift from 'secret' alchemy to ' open' chemistry is not well suited to the professed theme; Daston's study of' nationalism and scientific neutrality under Napoleon' although remote from the Church or secret societies does interestingly develop the theme that French scientists in the early nineteenth century were traditionalists in preferring ' honours' to gain. With Session 4 we come to the beginnings of 'big science' and to firmly sociological analysis. Kranakis considers the relation between science and technology in general in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, a familiar theme, while Lindqvist deals with the same question from the particular case of glass technology and laboratory technique notably in twentieth-century Sweden, a less well-worn topic. In Session 5 ('Driving Forces behind Science') Friedman tells us in some detail how the Nobel prizes generated selfish competition among Swedish scientists who nominated the recipients while Edge restores the balance in a very professional but clear sociological analysis of competition in modern science, weighing its advantages (as a source of vitality) against its disadvantages (secrecy, jealousy). In Session 6 ('National or International: The Role of Big Science'), Crawford discusses the difference between universalism and internationalism 1880-1939, showing clearly a shift at the time of the First World War and the tensions inherent in trying to maintain internationalism in science in a world of growing and vituperative nationalism of which scientists naturally partook. Krige in 'Scientists and Policymakers' charts the problem (not least in the changing points of view of the scientists concerned) involved in offering 'advice' to the British government as to the desirability of joining CERN; while it is clearly true that more than advice was involved, for here ultimately policy was formulated, I think Krige is wrong to assume that this was 'novel, as nineteenth-century examples could show.
OBJECTIVE:To strengthen the pharmacovigilance in hospital and to minimum the risk of drug in medical practice. METHODS: Literature optimization method and case analysis were applied for statemental analysis. RESULTS: Pharmacovigilance capacity of medical staff and propaganda and information exchange of pharmacovigilance should be strengthened. So the safety of clinical drug use could be improved. CONCLUSION: The leading role of hospital in pharmacovigilance should be full played to guarantee the safety of drug use.
The inhibition performance and adsorption mechanism of thio -phosphate inhibitor on the carbon steel surface in high temperature naphthenic acid/white oil solution has been studied with chemical?SEM and X-ray analysis methods.It is shown that,in naphthenic acid / white oil solution,thio -phosphate can be adsorbed on the metal surface by both reacting sediment and molecules adsorbing cover .At the lower inhibitor concentration,the surface film is formed by reacting sediment type,but at higher concentration,it will be formed by adsorbing cover type.When the concentration is 1000 mg/L,the inhibition efficiency of thio -phosphate will be upon 94%.
Post burn contracture release is required in all patients with functional deficit of the affected region, however timely intervention is required to preserve the form and function of involved area. We hereby share our experience of 136 patients of PBC release, out of which 71 contractures were released before 1 year of initial burn injury. Though postoperative splintage and physiotherapy was required for around 1 year in 21 cases, final outcome was good in view of preservation of form and function.
Taguchi optimization methodology was applied to optimize cutting parameters in end milling operation. Machining carbon steel AISI 1060 with high speed steel tool under finishing conditions with coolant is used in this study. The experimental work has been conducted on CNC milling machine tool, and the experiments carried out by using orthogonal array as suggested by Taguchi. The milling parameters are; cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and cutting tools with different number of flutes were used as additional factor in cutting conditions. An orthogonal array signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio is employed to analyze the effect of these milling parameters on surface roughness. The results show that the optimum parameters of machining is obtained at a depth of cut of 0.3 mm, cutting speed 1000 rpm, feed rate 50 mm/min. and number of flutes of four. Confirmation tests with the optimal levels of cutting parameters are carried out in order to illustrate the effectiveness of Taguchi optimization method. Taguchi method has been found very efficient tool to obtain an optimum surface roughness namely a smaller surface roughness.
This paper deals with the situation of the island of Mljet, its population, legends and historical sources. Archaeological and hydro-archaeological sites on the island have been also mentioned, in addition to the facts concerning the late Middle Ages and modern history, fishing and shipping trades on the island, as well as its administration. Literary travelogues and modern documents have been listed as valuable sources.
An online discussion support system is introduced. This system consists of an online discussion user interface and a tutor agent. The online discussion user interface has the function to communicate via a computer network with animated characters. The utterances of participants are translated into XML documents and they are stored in a case base. The agent chairs the discussion instead of a tutor.
BACKGROUND From June to November 2013 an elective subject "The doctor before death" was held in a public medical school. The aim of this report is to assess the achievement of the objectives of this course.   METHODS The main objectives of the course were to develop competences, aptitude for reflection before death and encourage changes in attitude towards it. Each session was preceded by an article on the content; during sessions the interaction with physicians and patients facing the approach of death was favored; audiovisual, computer resources were used and conducted discussions. The evaluation of the course was a retrospective questionnaire as a quantitative source, and semi structured interviews and essays as qualitative sources.   RESULTS The development of competences, aptitude for reflection about death and attitude changes showed an increase after the intervention (p < 0.01); competence development had the smallest increase. With qualitative information 11 categories were integrated; all showed positive changes in attitude towards death, aptitude for reflection and developed competences (although in this respect the impact was minor).   CONCLUSIONS The educational intervention evaluated met the objectives, however, for a future intervention is necessary to reinforce competence development.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of garlic (Allium sativum) supplementation in diets of broiler as a replacement antibiotic on productive performance and meat acceptability test. Three hundred and twenty, one-day-old chicks were randomly allocated to 4 groups consisting of 4 replications with 20 chicks. The groups were assigned to receive the treatment diet as follows: balanced diet with 0.01% antibiotic (T1), balanced diet supplemented with 0.7% garlic powder (T2), balanced diet supplemented with 1% garlic powder (T3) and balanced diet supplemented with 1.3% garlic powder (T4). The balanced diet was formulated according to the growing period; 0-3 weeks, 3-6 weeks. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in feed intake and weight gain and FCR across treatment was observed in this study. The garlic supplementation treatment tended to have higher weight gain compared to the treatment supplementation with 0.01% antibiotic. A slightly better FCR was also observed in all garlic supplementation treatment compared to the treatment supplementation with 0.01% antibiotic. The mortality rate of the broilers in treatment 1, 2, 3 and 4 was 0, 3.5, 5 and 3.5%; respectively. In term of carcass quality, there were no significant difference (P>0.05) in abdominal fat, meat cholesterol among treatment. To evaluate the sensory quality, the 9- point Hedonic Scale was used. The result showed no significant (P>0.05) differences in an overall liking of meat among treatment. It was suggested that replacing of garlic powder for antibiotic growth promoter could maintain productive performance of broiler and have no effect on sensory quality.
Treatment with aerosols is the major form of treatment of obstructive airway disease. It has become possible not only as a result of improved medication, but also, and in particular, the continuing technological development of inhalation systems. The large selection of widely differing systems increases the chance of achieving effective treatment through appropriate individual application and good compliance. Even modern inhalation systems are not ideal in every respect and for every patient and disease stage. Only when correctly applied are almost all currently available systems clinically effective. When deciding what constitutes the best option, technological aspects of the systems together with the resulting demands made on the patient, as well as the mental and manual abilities and ventilatory characteristics of the patient, must be taken into account.
Ti3 SiC2-cBN composite was prepared by a cubic high pressure apparatus under 4.5GPa at 1 050℃for 10min with commercial cubic boron nitride(cBN)powders and Ti3 SiC2 powders as starting materials.The Ti3 SiC2 powders were prepared in a tube furnance under Ar atmosphere.The microstructrure was observed using scanning electron microscope.The phase and the composition were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and electron energy dispersive spectra.The results show that the cBN particles were homogenously distributed in Ti3 SiC2 matrix.The cBN particles are bonded with the matrix during friction and are not removed.The main phase of the composites matrix is Ti3 SiC2 with a little TiC as a second phase.However,the composites cannot be obtained in a tube furnace under normal pressure.The main reason is not the phase transformation of cBN at a high temperature under normal pressure.It is because that Ti3 SiC2 reacts with BN and decomposes at a high temperature.
Peptidylglycine-alpha-hydroxylating monooxygenase (PHM; EC 1.14.17.3) catalyzes the rate limiting step in peptide alpha-amidation, a posttranslational modification that is essential for receptor recognition and signal transduction. Secretory granules of the cardiac atrium contain the highest natural concentration of PHM and clearly demonstrate regulation of PHM expression and activity. The HL-1 atrial myocyte cell line faithfully maintains the differentiated phenotype of native atrial cells and thus provides an in vitro model system for investigating the mechanisms that regulate PHM. We observed that the specific activity of PHM expressed in HL-1 cells is five times higher than that found in rat atrium. The increased activity of HL-1 cell PHM was not reflected by a difference in Km for peptide substrate, change in copper optimum, altered sensitivity to inactivation by suicide inhibitor or variance in response to limited proteolysis by trypsin. Additionally, mixing experiments indicated that the increased activity in HL-1 cells versus rat atrium was not due to a diffusible factor. Based upon these findings we propose that the increased Vmax of HL-1 cell PHM results from a structural or conformational difference that involves either differential posttranslational modification and/or a high affinity chaperone that serves to regulate enzymatic activity by protein-protein interaction. The mechanism involved may participate in physiologic regulation of PHM.
This paper describes the integration of water quantity and quality objectives within the framework of a computerized interface design to assist with the difficult process of long-range river basin planning under competing water demands. The approach accounts for uncertainty in model predictions of system behavior resulting from temporal and spatial variability and inadequate data associated with model parameters. It emphasizes simulation-based assessment of strategic planning alternatives through the use of graphics and expert systems interfaces. Performance measures were developed to facilitate the evaluation and comparison of alternatives in light of planning objectives.
Tariffs on imports protect domestic producers and raise public revenue. The World Development Report 1987 finds that effective rates of protection to manufacturing in developing countries typically exceed 40 percent; while the World Development Report 1988 estimates that the importance of import taxes in tax revenue is over 20 percent in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and in the Middle East and North Africa, compared to 2 percent in the industrial countries. These figures clearly show that tariff reform, which is intended to reduce anti-export bias and promote an outward-oriented development strategy, can be viable only if alternative and administratively collectible sources of revenue can be found to offset potential revenue losses. The tradeoff between liberalization and fiscal imperatives is thus frequently central to tariff reform. This paper argues that tariff reform must be seen as part of a broader program of tax reform. The need to adopt such a public finance perspective is argued with reference to selective reviews of country experience with trade liberalization and tax reform, protection and revenue objectives in developing countries and the instruments available to further those policy goals.
The question of Islamic literacy has attracted global scholarly interest in Africa. Earlier studies on the activities of Islam have concentrated on the growth of Islamic learning centres and its impact in the propagation of Islamic ideals in Ilorin, Kano and Lagos. However, there is yet an exhaustive study on the activities of the growth and development of Islamic learning in Ibadan under colonial and postcolonial influence in Nigeria. The Arabic schools found in Ibadan were established as centres of Arabic civilisation and culture. The schools promoted spiritual and sectarian concerns of Islamic religion than by the secular needs of the society. The paper complements the existing studies on how colonial authorities in Ibadan encouraged the spread and teachings of Islam with the establishment of modern Arabic schools in Ibadan. The paper concludes that all the schools covered in this study were committed to character building based on the ideals of Islamic ethics and civilization.
The diabetes-induced cognitive impairment complications have serious effects on the patients' lives, and there is an enormous and financial burden on patients, their families and society as a whole. This review investigates the current research status of diabetes-induced cognitive impairment from different view points including molecular, models, clinics and electrophysiology. The relationship between diabetes and cognitive function and developments of research are hereby summarized. And finally, future issues of diabetes-induced cognitive impairments are pointed out, and the effective rehabilitation methods should be considered.
As one of the core of Green Designs,recuperabilty means a kind of regenerate.We take the production recuperability as the point of penetration,and emphasize on analyzing the cost/value in production recuperability,the design specialty of configuration and the occasion cycle of recuperability design.It will support to optimize the design of production configuration and upgrade production recuperability value.
The experimental and theoretical studies of stratified flows in heterogeneous fluids in confined domains are widely presented in the scientific literature. The interest to the problems associated with the stratified liquid dynamics is based on the practical needs. To achieve the efficiency of the technological process one need to take into account the hydrodynamic features of the fluid flow in closed containers. Despite the fact that the volume of experimental data is currently increasing, they cannot be described within the framework of traditional concepts and with the help of approximate and constitutive models. A common drawback of existing studies is the neglecting on the structure and dynamics of currents of such factors as inhomogeneity of density and, in particular, dependence of viscosity on thermal properties, as well as the presence of impurities, heat and substance flows. The heterogeneous liquid flows are presented both in nature and in technology, and therefore their study is of a great necessity. Experimental methods are sometimes not enough for such problems, that’s why numerical simulation is used. Current study represents the mathematical model of thermo gravitational convection of heterogeneous liquid: model of convection in a weakly compressible fluid; model of micro convection of isothermally incompressible fluid; classical Oberbeck-Boussinesq model taking into various factors. Based on the the classical Oberbeck-Boussinesq model, a model of the thermo concentration convection of an incompressible stratified fluid with coefficients of viscosity, thermal conductivity, and molecular diffusion depending on temperature was obtained. Represented mathematical models provide an adequate (in the framework of comparison with experiment) identification of features and regularities of heat and mass transfer of inhomogeneous liquids.
Objective To evaluate the safety of laparoscopic colorectal surgery in patients of octogenarians with colorectal cancer.Methods Operation safety,complications,and postoperative recovery of 36 patients of octogenarians who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery(LAP group) were analyzed retrospectively and compared with those of 48 patients performed with conventional open surgery(OP group) between January 2006 to December 2009.Results No case in LAP group has hypercapnia during operation.One of 36 cases in LAP group was died of heart failure,while 2 of 48 cases in OP group were died of severe pulmonary infection(1 case) and heart failure(1 case).There were 9 cases in LAP group caused complications which were significantly less than those in OP group 21 cases(P 0.05).Mean time of hospital staying after operation in LAP group were(12.55 ± 6.29) days,which were significantly less than those of OP group(24.31 ± 12.79) days(P 0.05).No significant difference was found between LAP group and OP group in terms of mortality(P 0.05).Conclusions Laparoscopic-assisted resection of colorectal cancer for the octogenarians with colorectal cancer surgery has a good safety.
Northumbria University has a well-established Industrial Design provision in its Design for Industry course, however a need has been identified in the design industry for a course with a different philosophy towards the design process. Increasingly the demand from employers is for a designer possessing a good grounding in both the engineering/manufacturing and design aspects of products to satisfy users’ demands or to expand a product’s market. The problems that were foreseen in such a provision were associated with achieving a balance between the disciplines of the engineering sciences whilst maintaining the creativity, within the student, required by a product designer. The solution was to design a new curriculum by taking an innovative approach to both the engineering and design provisions that are currently being offered. After careful consideration, and taking into account the needs of industry and the expertise available within the University, it was decided that in both areas of engineering and design a holistic and integrated approach was to be attempted. The primary consideration in the development of the engineering and manufacturing sections within this new curriculum was that the course was to be delivered to design students who have a different outlook and background to engineering students. Similarly the design provision was also to be different from the standard industrial design course in order to accommodate the additional engineering skills input. To produce the type of designers that are true to the broad philosophy of the course, two complementary strands of design were integrated in an attempt to develop the students design flair as with a traditional design course whilst also developing the discipline of questioning the functionality of the product they are designing. A number of innovative methodologies were used to achieve this integration of disciplines, drawing upon cross-school collaboration in order to meet the demands imposed by such an approach. The result of this approach has been the establishment and successful delivery of a new undergraduate course, Product Design and Technology, the demand for which illustrates and justifies the novel steps taken in its
OBJECTIVE To test the nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) shape memory alloys of vertebral body reduction fixator with assisted distraction bar for the treatment of traumatic and osteoporotic vertebral body fracture.   METHODS A Ni-Ti shape memory alloys of vertebral body reduction fixator with assisted distraction bar was implanted into the compressed fracture specimens through vertebral pedicle with the radiographic monitoring to reduce the collapsed endplate as well as distract the compressed vertebral fracture. Radiographic film and computed tomographic reconstruction technique were employed to evaluate the effects of reduction and distraction. A biomechanic test machine was used to measure the fatigue and the stability of deformation of fixation segments.   RESULTS Relying on the effect of temperature shape memory, such an assembly could basically reduce the collapsed endplate as well as distract the compressed vertebral fracture. And when unsatisfied results of reduction and distraction occurred, its super flexibility could provide additional distraction strength.   CONCLUSION A Ni-Ti shape memory alloys of vertebral body reduction fixator with assisted distraction bar may provide effective endplate reduction, restore the vertebral height and the immediate biomechanic spinal stability. So the above assembly is indicated for the treatment of traumatic and osteoporotic vertebral body fracture.
In our daily life everyone is experiencing speed to reach the goal. But during this daily rush of work if we give quality of time for our hobby so that mind feel relax.  Music is one of it, having relaxing power. In India music is well rooted for its application since ancient times. Music helps to clean the person from within and induce happiness. Many evidences support music as a therapy for mental physical related problems.
The article presents the results from a modelling exercise on five crops: wheat, barley, maize, sunflower and rapeseed. These crops cover 55 per cent of the utilised agricultural land in Bulgaria and over 90 per cent of the arable land. The main goal of the research was to project the development of the production and trade of these crops in Bulgaria between 2013 and 2017, as well as to implement an analysis of certain scenarios related chiefly to upcoming changes in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The model is linked with the global crop market through European Union prices, as the Bulgarian commodity market is considered to be a price taker, and it assumes the development of other agricultural sectors (livestock) and the macroeconomic situation in Bulgaria as exogenous variables. The research is an attempt to incorporate into Bulgarian analytical practice modelling methods that can provide useful figures and projections about the impacts of different political measures for decision makers, and market information on the prices and global supply and demand trends for farmers and agri-business organisations. The results show that the production of the modelled commodities will continue to increase in the coming years, mainly as a result of the growing global demand for cereals and the advantages of the production of these crops in Bulgaria compared to other field and permanent crops. It is also evident that the expected changes in the CAP will cause a small decrease in the planted and harvested area for most of these crops.
This paper is aimed to study fire suppression effects in highway tunnel by water mist when the pool fire is set at different location and it can provide technical basis for design of water mist in the construction of long and narrow spaces.FDS(Fire Dynamics Simulator)is applied to establish the model of oil fire in highway tunnel,following parameters are discussed to analyze the fire suppression effects,i.e.,the heat release rate of pool fire,the distribution of temperature and CO concentration,the height of smoke and other parameters in the tunnel.By means of comparison method,this paper analyzes the average temperature over the oil surface,the temperature curve at the height of 4 meters above pool fire,the volume percentage of CO in the air at 1.5 meters high in the tunnel.It is found that the fire suppression effect with water mist is quite different with the different location of fire.The most effective situation occurs when the fire is located just below the nozzle.Additionally,the effect becomes worse when the distance between the nozzle and the fire is increased.It's effective to expand the protecting scope of the nozzle by increasing the spray angle,which is helpful to fight against the worse case when the nozzle is far from the fire.
Model-driven development of software-intensive systems aims at designing systems by stepwise model refine- ment. In order to create software product lines by model-driven development, product variability has to be represented on every modelling level and preserved under model refinement. In this paper, we propose ∆-modelling as an generally applicable variability modelling concept that is orthogonal to model refinement. Products on each modelling level are represented by a core model and a set of ∆-models specifying changes to the core to incorporate product features. Core and ∆-models can be refined independently to obtain a more detailed model of the product line. Based on a formalization of ∆-modelling, we establish conditions that model refinement and model configuration commute resulting in an incremental model- driven development process.
Pro/E secondary development method based on Internet B/S structure is presented. A common product model parameterized reconstruction system is developed by using VC++, Pro/TOOLKIT and data base technology. In the system, the data sharing of model library and parameters is realized, the efficiency of model parameterized reconstruction is improved and the scope of Pro/E secondary development application is extended. Especially, a model parameterized method is provided for Web application, which is used to develop more powerful and widely used Web application. The proposed methods are verified in the fixture design practice by a company.
Application of SPSS statistical software,three years traffic accident statistical data were analyzed,and the Q type cluster analysis with Euclidean distance and Ward's method is used to,identify road accident-Prone section.Practice shows that: principal component cluster analysis method can not only carry out scientific statistical analysis,makes the comprehensive evaluation to various cluster,but also can fully reflect the actual situation traffic safety of each section,provides the basis for the traffic safety improvement decision-making.
The use of designed antimicrobial peptides as drugs has been impeded by the absence of simple sequence-structure-function relationships and design rules. The likely cause is that many of these peptides permeabilize membranes via highly disordered, heterogeneous mechanisms, forming aggregates without well-defined tertiary or secondary structure. We demonstrate that the combination of high-throughput library screening with atomistic computer simulations can successfully address this challenge by tuning a previously developed general pore forming peptide into a selective pore former for different lipid types. A library of 2,916 peptides was designed based on the LDKA template. The library peptides were synthesized and screened using a high-throughput orthogonal vesicle leakage assay. Dyes of different sizes were entrapped inside vesicles with varying lipid composition to simultaneously screen for both pore size and affinity for negatively charged and neutral lipid membranes. From this screen, nine different LDKA variants that have unique activity were selected, sequenced, synthesized, and characterized. Despite the minor sequence changes, each of these peptides has unique functional properties, forming either small or large pores and being selective for either neutral or anionic lipid bilayers. Long-scale, unbiased atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations directly reveal that rather than rigid, well-defined pores, these peptides can form a large repertoire of functional dynamic and heterogeneous aggregates, strongly affected by single mutations. Predicting the propensity to aggregate and assemble in a given environment from sequence alone holds the key to functional prediction of membrane permeabilization.
Adoption involves strong emotions. From the adoptee’s point of view, adoption means not only the gain of a new family but also inevitable losses. This study aims at analyzing adoption-related feelings, which include the feelings of loss and the ensuing curiosity about the birth family and pre-adoption life. A total of 81 adopted adolescents, aged 12–22, adopted at 4 years of age, on average, participated in this study. The data were collected using the Questionnaire of Adoption-related Feelings and the Adopted Adolescents Interview, which allowed for the identification of the experiences, feelings, and attitudes of the adopted adolescents regarding their story before and after adoption, and their feelings towards their birth family. The results showed that most participants did not identify adoption-related losses. Nevertheless, they acknowledged the existence of some aspects of their adoption story that made them feel sad and angry and could identify several difficulties associated with their adoptive status. Participants showed low levels of curiosity even if they were mostly curious about the reasons why they had been placed up for adoption. The adoptees’ feelings when thinking about their birth parents, the curiosity regarding their past, and their adoption-related losses predicted their feelings related to the adoption experience. Several implications for the psychological practice with adopted adolescents will be presented.
In the present study, sophorolipids were produced by yeast Candida bombicola ATCC 22214 when cultured on various lipophilic carbon substrates, such as oleic acid, rapeseed oil, cottonseed oil, and frying waste oil. The structure and surface active properties were investigated. Fed-batch fermentations of Candida bombicola resulted in sophorolipids yields of 101, 73 and 51 g·L-1 from oleic acid, rapeseed oil, and cottonseed oil. The structures of individual sophorolipid components were quantified and identified by HPLC-MS/MS system. Results showed that the products were heterogeneous mixtures of acetylated lactonized and acidic sophorolipids, and the large majority of the sophorolipids existed in the lactonic forms. Among the lactonized sophorolipids, the predominant component is sophorolipid containing hydroxyoleic acid (C18:1) as the lipid moiety. Sophorolipids had high surface activity, such as low surface tension and CMC and good stability. The minimum surface tension of the produced sophorolipids in aqueous solution were found to be 36.0—37.0 mN·m-1 regardless of the carbon substrates while disparity occurred in the CMC values. Unhindered surface activity of the sophorolipids was found at wide range of pH(2—10), temperature (heating at 100 ℃ for 2 h) and salt concentrations (0—20% NaCl).
ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between cultural participation and regional development with reference to the European Capital of Culture in 2017. From the bidding stage, Aarhus 2017 claimed it put “participation” at the heart of its strategic plans, through consultation at roadshows and exhibitions. In addition, it aspired to use culture as a catalyst for development not only in the city of Aarhus but across the region of Central Denmark. This paper, therefore, examines how participation is defined and implemented to address regional development in the Aarhus 2017 process through textual analysis of documentation from Aarhus 2017 and delivery partners as well as over 20 interviews with managers and participants involved in a range of 2017 projects. The paper argues against the common prioritisation of urban and professional cultural institutions and makes the case for decentralised cultural provision that supports both amateurs and professionals through a regional networked structure.
In spherical mechanisms, the instantaneous poles have the same function as the instant centers in planar mechanisms. So they can be used for kinematic analysis of spherical mechanisms, as the instant centers are for planar ones. The first step to make the instantaneous poles applicable for this analysis is the determination of the position of these poles. This paper presents a new analytic technique for locating the secondary instantaneous poles of single-degree-of-freedom spherical mechanisms. The proposed method does not rely on any velocity information or graphical techniques. Therefore, it can be applied systematically to all types of indeterminate single-degree-of-freedom spherical mechanisms.
Testing adaptive systems shows some similarities to playing a game against a human. We investigate this analogy and consider the differences to the game of testing traditional systems. We map the task of revealing reachable failure situations to a stochastic game. This viewpoint enables us to evaluate and find good test strategies with methods normally used by game playing machines. A reference case is given which considers an exemplary adaptive, self-organizing system to be tested.
In aortic dissection, differentiating the true and false lumen can often be difficult but is crucial for planning endovascular management. The ‘aortic cobwebs’ sign is a helpful anatomic marker for the false lumen, appearing as thin linear filling defects bridging across the false lumen on contrast enhanced CT (Fig. 1). Pathologic correlation by Williams et al. 1994 suggests these ‘cobwebs’ represent residual ribbons of incompletely sheared media. This sign has also been reported on MRI and US. Further studies have demonstrated this sign is a specific but relatively insensitive indicator of the false lumen in aortic dissection. Various stenoses in the arteries have been described as webs or web-like. These have also been reported in the aorta, although are more common in smaller vessels. Coarctation typically occurs in the aorta just distal to the left subclavian artery. 0.5–2% occur in the distal descending or abdominal aorta where they present as the ‘middle aortic syndrome’. The coarctation may be several centimetres long or short and ‘web-like’. A systematic review of the middle aortic syndrome in children found 64% to be idiopathic, 15% to be genetic (including neurofibromatosis andWilliam’s syndrome), 17% to be inflammatory (such as Takayasu’s disease) and 4% due to fibromuscular dysplasia. The morphology was not reported in 62% of patients in this systematic review, but of those in whom the Fig. 1 Aortic Cobweb – Axial view of CT Aortogram demonstrating cobwebswithin the false lumen of the aortic arch in a Stanford A aortic dissection.
Approaches to 1,4-anhydro-3-α-azido-2,3-dideoxy-2-β-[3,4-dihydro-2,4-dioxo-5-methyl-1(2H)-pyrimidinyl]-D-arabinitol and 1,4-anhydro-3-α-azido-2,3-dideoxy-2-β-[3,4-dihydro-2,4-dioxo-1(2H)-pyrimidinyl]-D-arabinitol, conceptually new hydrolytically stable, optically active analogs of 3'-α-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) have been developed. These are among the first examples of regioisomeric analogs of AZT. The key synthetic steps and key intermediates are described. The generality aspects of the approaches are addressed
A series of donor--bridge--acceptor (D--B--A) systems with varying donor-acceptor distances have been studied with respect to their triplet energy transfer properties. The donor and acceptor moieties, zinc(II), and free-base porphyrin, respectively, were separated by 2-5 oligo-p-phenyleneethynylene units (OPE) giving rise to edge-to-edge separations ranging between 12.7 and 33.4 A. The study was performed in 2-MTHF at 150 K and it was established that triplet excitation energy transfer occurs with high efficiency in all of the studied D--B--A systems. The distance dependence was exponential with an attenuation factor, beta, equal to 0.45 +/- 0.015 A(-1). The experimental study was also supported by quantum mechanical DFT and TD-DFT calculations on a series of closely related model systems. A thorough analysis of the OPE-bridge conformational dynamics led to an equation that quantitatively models the distance dependence of the electronic coupling found in the experimental study.
The purpose of this study was to assess different in vitro biological activities such as phytochemical constituents, enzymatic antioxidant status, cytotoxicity through hemolytic activity, and antidiabetic potential of plant methanolic extract through glucose uptake by yeast cells. Further, using in silico approach by the SwissADME technique the drug-likeness rules for bioactive components were characterized, while potential interactions were identified via molecular docking of a ligand with target proteins by GOLD 5.3.0. The results showed that T. divaricata was rich in TPC and TFC, i.e., 62.32 ± 4.02 and 24.53 ± 0.61, respectively, and the cytotoxic potential was 10% towards human RBCs, while protein estimation revealed the presence of protein in the extract, which was 22.82 ± 4.6. DPPH assay in comparison with ascorbic acid and several enzymatic assays, such as CAT, SOD, and POD, showed maximum antioxidant potential, i.e.,15.9 ± 2.33%, 65.57 ± 13.4%, 3.02 ± 3.4, 15.87 ± 0.5, and 0.74 ± 0.2, respectively. Glucose uptake by yeast cells, i.e., α-amylase and α-glucosidase, showed a maximum antidiabetic potential such as 75.11 ± 1.44%, 41.81 ± 3.75%, and 35.9 ± 1.24%, respectively. Our results indicate that the methanolic extract of T. divaricata has antioxidant potential and inhibits α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity and possesses maximum antidiabetic potential. The results provide scientific proof that the medicinal plant being studied is a powerful source of natural antioxidant, antidiabetic, and medicinally significant substances. In silico study, using a molecular docking, unveiled that two compounds showed good interactions with 5kzw protein with considerable binding affinities and fulfilled docking parameters. It may conclude that T. divaricata is an important vegetable with a potent source of natural antioxidants and antidiabetic activity justifying its traditional use in green therapeutics.
1. Introduction 2. Catholic Social Thought: nature, sources and core principles and values 3. CST and work 4. CST, private property and markets 5. The corporation 6. The firm and society 7. Employee participation in corporate governance: an ethical analysis 8. Corporate governance in the United Kingdom 9. Labour law and employee participation 10. Employee participation and EU corporate governance 11. Conclusion.
We examine solvent effects on carbon radical and ionic centers of HCXY by including a self-consistent reaction-field into the AM1 and MNDO electronic structure models to mimic dielectric effects. We find that such concepts as merostability are principally solvent effects, and that, as expected, molecules with large dipoles or with charge assymmetry are stabilized more by solvent than those with atoms that are more electrically neutral. Of some importance in this study is the finding that conformation is also dependent on solvation and that change in geometry must be considered if an accurate estimate is to be made of energy differences such as those examined in the calculations of merostabilization.
Electronic structure calculations were carried out for bcc iron (Fe) clusters with or without hydrogen (H), and also involving a vacancy, using the self-consistent Discrete Variational method (DV-X α ) within the local density functional formalism. Bonding characteristics investigated show the following: (i) Interstitial H notably decreases interatomic Fe–Fe bond strengths, but acts over a small distance (within 0.3 nm). (ii) In the perfect Fe lattice field, interstitial H feels a repulsive force at any site. As a result of lattice relaxation, volume expansion may be expected. (iii) H in combination with a vacancy prefers a position shifted from the octahedral site toward the vacancy. This is fairly consistent with an experimental result.
As a new step towards defining complexity for quantum field theories, we map Nielsen operator complexity for $SU(N)$ gates to two-dimensional hydrodynamics. We develop a tractable large $N$ limit that leads to regular geometries on the manifold of unitaries as $N$ is taken to infinity. To achieve this, we introduce a basis of non-commutative plane waves for the $ mathfrak{su}(N)$ algebra and define a metric with polynomial penalty factors. Through the Euler-Arnold approach we identify incompressible inviscid hydrodynamics on the two-torus as a novel effective theory of large-qudit operator complexity. For large $N$, our cost function captures two essential properties of holographic complexity measures: ergodicity and conjugate points.
The aim of this research is to determine to whom the high school and university students express their anger, and investigate this with respect to gender and educational status of the student. Subjects of this research are 309 students who were randomly chosen from Vocational Education School of Gazi University and Aksaray Anatolian Hotel Management and Tourism Vocational High School in 2000-2001 academic year. To collect data, a questionnaire which includes both personal information and the characteristics of the anger has been prepared by the researcher. Data have been analyzed by using frequencies, percents and chi-square technique. The results have shown that students usually express their anger to their mothers, friends and their younger sisters and brothers but avoid expressing it to the administrators, teachers, fathers and older brothers. A significant difference between males and females in expressing their anger to mothers, Ofke ifadesi, cinsiyet, egitim durumuOfke ifadesi, cinsiyet, egitim durumu Tam Metin
It has been shown that embryos which cleaved earlier (<30 h postinsemination, hpi) have greater chance to develop to blastocyst. It has been shown that in in vitro conditions male embryos develop faster than females. Further, spermatozoa with the Y chromosome more frequently penetrate oocytes during the first 6 hpi. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the sex-related embryo growth rate in relation to the timing of the first zygotic cleavage and GH presence during IVM. Oocytes were matured in TCM-199 supplemented with fatty acid free BSA and hormones (FSH and GH) and then inseminated (Parrish et al. 1998 Biol. Reprod. 38, 1171–1180), whereas embryos were cultured in sequential media (Lane et al. 2005 Theriogenology 60, 407–419). All embryos that cleaved by 30 hpi (early cleavers, EC) were selected and cultured separately. The remaining embryos cleaved by 48 hpi (non early cleavers, NEC) were also incubated in separate drops. Blastocysts of proper morphology were collected at 176 hpi and subjected to sex determination by PCR (AMGL gene). The significance of developmental stage, timing of the first zygotic cleavage and GH supplementation in relation to the sex ratio was evaluated by the chi-square test. All straws with frozen semen of 2 bulls used in this experiment were derived from single ejaculates. The sex ratio of sperm samples used for IVF was evaluated by FISH with locus-specific probes. The experiment was done on 266 embryos obtained from 1249 oocytes. A significant predominance of male blastocysts regardless of the experimental conditions was observed [the male to female ratio (M:F) 2:1, P < 0.001]. FISH analysis revealed that there was no deviation from the expected 1:1 ratio of X and Y spermatozoa in sperm samples used for IVF. When the timing of the first zygotic cleavage was considered, shift in M:F ratio in favor of males (P < 0.01) in blastocysts derived from EC zygotes was noticed. Due to a very low number of NEC embryos, this category was not included in analysis. Although the M:F ratio was shifted towards males, the rate of female embryos was greater in the control group (25F/38M) v. GH group (16F/39M) of EC expanded blastocysts. This phenomenon was not observed among hatched blastocysts; however, GH presence caused an increase (P < 0.01) in the number of females at this stage. Therefore GH may stimulate embryonic growth, especially embryos of reduced quality, through its positive influence on cytoplasmic oocyte maturation. In conclusion, the predominance of male blastocysts observed in this study may be attributed to the applied IVF procedure because the X:Y ratio in spermatozoa was not different from the expected 1:1 ratio. Moreover, significantly fewer females among analyzed blastocysts may suggest that the developmental potential of female embryos in applied in vitro conditions was somehow reduced when compared with males. This became evident when the transition from expanded to hatched blastocysts was observed. This work was supported by the project No. N302 046 31/3780 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland.
A patient who is told that she or he is obese by a physician is more likely to attempt to lose weight. However, physicians often fail to diagnose and prescribe weight loss interventions in obese patients. In this study, U.K. researchers used a large primary care database to ascertain weight management interventions (lifestyle advice, referrals for weight management, and antiobesity drug prescriptions) in overweight and …
This paper analyzes the interaction between firms' investment in general skills training and workers' incentives. It shows that when a firm has an informational advantage over its workers, its provision of free general skills training can serve as a signal that there will be a long-term relationship between the firm and its workers. This signal induces the workers to exert more effort in learning firm-specific skills, which enhances the firm's profits. In contrast with most of the existing literature, the model implies that firms may provide free general skills training even if there is no labour market friction.
Experimental investigations have shown presence of cavitation in biological tissues during ultrasonic irradiation at low‐megahertz frequencies. Most of the energy of acoustic emissions from the cavitating zone was found to be contained in the subharmonic portion of its spectrum. A mathematical model has been developed to describe the stress field associated with this cavitation power. The exact mechanism(s) of interactions of this stress and the tissue is essentially unknown. Therefore five possible “damage laws” based on threshold and cumulative damage criteria have been tested. The histologically observed diameter of the ultrasonic focal lesion in the central nervous system of cats was taken as the quantitative measure of the extent of damage. The functional nature of the theoretical correlation between the diameter of the lesion, irradiation power, and the duration of irradiation was compared with the empirical observations. The cumulative damage criterion based on fatigue failure due to random‐stress ...
The present study aimed to examine the role of manager attitude (MA) on enhancing employee performance (EP) at the tourism and travel institutions (TTI) in Jordan. The study population consists of 3700 employees at the TTI located in the capital of Jordan (Amman) as most of institutions located their (97%). A randomly sampling technique was employed at the present study. Collected data were analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The researcher distributed 132 questionnaires, 123 of them were returned, which forms 93% of the sample. The study found a statistical significant influence of MA on EP in general. More specifically, the results showed that there is a statistically significant impact of MA on the three dimensions of EP (quality of work, quantity of work and speed of work achievement). The researcher accounts these results that the concept of MA helped people at the organization to become more effective in carrying out of their duties to improve organizational performance through the increasing level of individual competences. Finally, further research opportunities could enrich the understanding of MA and EP at the Jordanian TTI has been verified.
We explore models for the natural history of breast cancer, where the main events of interest are the start of asymptomatic detectability of the disease (through screening) and the time of symptomatic detection (through symptoms). We develop several parametric specifications based on a cure rate structure, and present the results of the analysis of data collected as part of a motivating study from Milan. Participants in the study were part of a regional breast cancer screening program, and their ten‐year trajectories were obtained from administrative data available from the Italian national health care system. We first present a tractable model for which we develop the likelihood contributions of the observed trajectories and perform maximum likelihood inference on the latent process. Likelihood based inference is not feasible for more flexible models, and we implement approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) for inference. Issues that arise from the use of ABC for model choice and parameter estimation are discussed, including the problem of choosing appropriate summary statistics. The estimated parameters of the underlying disease process allow for the study of the effect of different examination schedules (age range and frequency of screening examinations) on a population of asymptomatic subjects.
A method to measure magnetic field fluctuation using a heavy ion beam probe for a toroidal magnetically confined plasma is proposed by providing a mathematical formula to connect the probing beam movement with the change in the magnetic field. The first challenge of the method has been faced in an electron-cyclotron resonance heated plasma in the compact helical system (CHS). The results reveal the existence of three characteristic frequency regimes of the magnetic field fluctuations: a low frequency regime showing a long-distance correlation, an intermediate frequency regime obeying a power law and the turbulence regime. Discussion is held on the degree of the contaminations in the local magnetic field fluctuation that are caused by the magnetic field fluctuations integrated along the beam orbit and the local electric field fluctuations.
Among the factors influencing investment performance measurement is the weight dedicated to each security. This paper develops metrics for measuring the extent of equal weighting and value weighting of a portfolio. A sample of 506 actively managed mutual funds shows that funds tend to be equally weighted to a greater degree than they are value weighted, implying that investment performance based solely on a single value-weighted benchmark may not adequately identify excess performance. We propose a two-factor model utilizing both a value-weighted and an equally weighted index and show that the model provides a better fit than the single-index model.(JEL G1)
Fifty dogs have been perfused at flow rates of between 5 and 100 cc/kg/min. with complete cardio-pulmonary bypass for up to three hours using a pump-oxygenator. There was an approximately linear relationship between pressure and flow. Extrapolation to zero flow produced an intercept on the pressure axis of approximately 20 mm Hg. Calculated total systemic resistance was more uniformly related to flow than to pressure. Coronary blood flow did not correlate with perfusion pressure. There was, however, an inverse relationship between perfusion rate and the percentage of total flow passing through the coronary bed. Coronary resistance decreased with perfusion time whereas total systemic resistance rose initially and then declined. Total peripheral resistance in these open chest perfused animals was one to two times the accepted normal for the intact dog. The actual value varied with the anesthetic agent used.
In this work, the densities and viscosities of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethylphosphate ([EtMeIm]+ [Et2PO4]−) in binary mixtures with water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at atmospheric pressure and temperatures between 293.15 and 373.15 K were determined. The properties were measured in a Stabinger densimeter–viscosimeter SVM 3000 model. In addition, a correlation of the viscosity data was made with a modification of the Grunberg and Nissan correlation, in which corrections for the interaction between the ionic liquid and the water, DMSO, or both were introduced. For the mixture H2O + ([EtMeIm]+ [Et2PO4]−), the %AARD is 13% with a maximum deviation (%max) of 49%; for the mixture DMSO + ([EtMeIm]+ [Et2PO4]−), the %AARD is 9.5% and the %max is 49%.
Microconidia suspension of Trichophyton verrucosum virulent culture isolated originally from the mycotic lesions of cattle was inoculated epicutaneously to calves in various doses. Four application methods were selected, namely, onto the sheared and gently scarified skin, onto the sheared and non‐scarified skin, onto the non‐sheared and gently scarified skin, and onto the non‐sheared and non‐scarified skin. The inoculated area was 10 × 10 cm for all cases mentioned. When the application was performed onto the sheared and scarified skin, at least 18 000 microconidia of T. verrucosum per one animal had to be used to induce the mycotic disease in 100% of animals. This value was 10 times higher when the application was performed onto the non‐sheared and scarified skin, 100 times higher in the case of the sheared and non‐scarified skin and 1 000 times higher in the case of the non‐sheared and non‐scarified skin. The minimum infectious dose still capable of inducing dermatophytosis was 180 microconidia per 100 cm2 of the scarified skin, 18 000 microconidia per 100 cm2 of the sheared and non‐scarified skin, and 180 000 microconidia per 100 cm2 of the non‐sheared and non‐scarified skin.
In order to evaluate the use of low level light (LLL) indocyanine green angiography in the diagnosis and  treatment of central serous choroidopathy (CSC), a new system for LLL infrared videoangiography is described. The system was coupled with a standard fundus camera employing a low-power continuous light  source. The system consists of a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and a third-generation image intensifier. The CCD camera investigates the pathologies of choroidal images with very good performance in terms of spatial resolution, dynamic range, and signal-to-noise ratio. The image intensifier carries out the choroidal angiography in real time. The results of 48 cases of CSC demonstrated the following ICGV features: focal RPE leakage; hyperfluorescent areas appearing in late phases and underlying the focal leakage or pigment epithelium detachment (PED); PED in the guise of early hyperfluorescent areas; delays in choroidal  filling. The findings support the hypothesis that CSC originates in the choroid with localized hyperpermeability. The system described minimized retinal illumination and demonstrated increased angiographic resolution and contrast compared with conventional ICG angiographic systems.
Fat distribution and postprandial lipemia have been identified as important risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. A strong association between postprandial triglyceride (TG) response and body composition has recently been shown in adults.' However, no data exist for children or adolescents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between postprandial lipemia and body composition in obese girls.
In this paper, we propose a network-agnostic and convergence-invariant light-weight parallelization framework, namely GLP4NN, to accelerate the training of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) by taking advantage of emerging GPU features, especially concurrent kernel execution. To determine the number of concurrent kernels on the fly, we design an analytical model in the kernel analyzer module and integrate a compact asynchronous resource tracker in the resource tracker module for collecting runtime configurations of kernels with low memory and time overheads. We further develop a runtime scheduler module and a pool-based stream manager for handling GPU work queues in GLP4NN to avoid consuming too many CPU threads or processes while dispatching workloads to GPU devices. In our experiments, we integrate GLP4NN into Caffe to accelerate the batch-based training of four well-known networks on NVIDIA GPUs. Experimental results show GLP4NN is able to achieve a speedup of up to 4X over the original implementation as well as keep the convergence property of networks.
A series of experiments were conducted to systematically study the effects of etching conditions on GaN by a convenient photo-assisted chemical (PAC) etching method. The solution concentration has an evident influence on the surface morphology of GaN and the optimal solution concentrations for GaN hexagonal pyramids have been identified. GaN with hexagonal pyramids have higher crystal quality and tensile strain relaxation compared with as-grown GaN. A detailed analysis about evolution of the size, density and optical property of GaN hexagonal pyramids is described as a function of light intensity. The intensity of photoluminescence spectra of GaN etched with hexagonal pyramids significantly increases compared to that of as-grown GaN due to multiple scattering events, high quality GaN with pyramids and the Bragg effect.
An 11‐year‐old boy was experienced severe life‐threatening hemorrhage from a branch of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) after acute lymphoblastic leukemia induction therapy. The patient had a history of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), diagnosed at 3 years of age. Subsequent to discontinuing his psychotropic medication, the patient’s mental status deteriorated and treatment with midazolam for 3 weeks was necessary to allow the completion of the leukemia induction regimen. On day 51, although there was no indication of thrombocytopenia or a coagulation disorder, the patient began to hemorrhage suddenly from anal with resulting hypovolemic shock, and large‐volume blood transfusion was initiated. Although upper and lower endoscopy failed to determine the location of the hemorrhage, angiography enabled us to determine that it was a branch of the SMA (the middle colic artery #6), and selective arterial embolization was used to arrest the bleeding. There could have been underlying causes, such as, a probable malformation or aneurysm in that area, although there was no indication before or after the event. This is a rare case of arterial hemorrhage from a branch of the SMA that occurred in a pediatric patient idiopathically during the induction therapy of leukemia.
Xenotransplantation-focused eGenesis has secured $38 million in its first round of financing. The biotech firm plans to use the gene-editing technology CRISPR to engineer pig cells to grow human-transplantable cells, tissues, and organs. eGenesis was founded by renowned Harvard Medical School geneticist George Church and his former postdoctoral researcher Luhan Yang, who developed a way to use CRISPR to get rid of pathogenic factors in pig cells. Yang now serves as eGenesis’s chief scientific officer.
This research focuses on fourth-grade (9-year-old) students’ informal and intuitive conceptions of probability and distribution revealed as they worked through a sequence of tasks. These tasks were designed to study students’ spontaneous reasoning about distributions in different settings and their understanding of probability of various binomial random events that they explored with a set of physical chance mechanisms. The data were gathered from a pilot study with four students. We analyzed the interplay of reasoning about distribution and understanding of probability. The findings suggest that students’ qualitative descriptions of distributions could be developed into the quantification of probabilities through reasoning about data in chance situations.
The purpose of this study is to know and analyze the marriage of one kaum  in Pekal society in Malin Deman  sub-district  of Mukomuko  regency  in banned and  to know  the  view of Islamic  law concerning the prohibition of marriage of one  people in Pekal  society  in Kecamatan Malin Deman  of Mukomuko  Regency. The results of the study showed that the prohibition of marrying one of the people in Pekal sub-district,  Malin Deman  sub-district  of Mukomuko  Regency,  due  to the relative nature  of the kinship relationship, is feared  to damage the  relationship of silaturrahim, it is feared  there  will be  marriage between siblings, consider one brothers and to decide which dunsanak ) which does  not, educate shame, and a strong conviction  that there will be a bad thing against the descent and view of Islamic law concerning the prohibition of marriage of one kaum  in Pekal tribe society in Malin Deman  sub-district  Mukomuko  regency  is not in accordance with Islamic law because one brother  not included in those  who are forbidden to be married according to the Qur’an and Sunnah.  Thus can be said marriage of one punishable people may (mubah).
Incorporated on the eve of the Panic of 1837, the Nesbitt Manufacturing Company of South Carolina owned and hired enslaved individuals to labor in their ironworks, but they also leveraged the market value of this enslaved property by exchanging them for shares of company stock and offering them as collateral in loan contracts. These slaveholders actively experimented with increasingly sophisticated financial tools and institutions in order to facilitate investment, market exchange, and profit maximization within the system of enslavement. Although historians have examined the role of enslaved labor in industrial concerns, they have largely ignored their role in the financing of these operations. Understanding the multiple ways that southerners were turning enslaved property into liquid, flexible financial assets is essential to understanding the depth and breadth of the system of enslavement. In doing so, we can move beyond questions of whether slavery was compatible with industrialization specifically and capitalism more broadly, to an understanding of how slavery and capitalism interacted to promote southern economic development in the antebellum period. At the same time, the experience of the Nesbitt Company reveals the limits of enslaved financing. The aftermath of the Panic of 1837 demonstrated that the market value of enslaved property was much more volatile than enslavers cared to admit. Although southerners could often endure this volatility in the case of enslaved laborers working on plantations or in factories, it made the financialization of slavery a much riskier endeavor for an emerging industrial regime.
Background: Trypanosoma brucei is a blood-borne, protozoan parasite that causes African sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in animals. The current chemotherapy relies on only a handful of drugs that display undesirable toxicity, poor efficacy and drug-resistance. In this study, we explored the use of lysosomotropic drugs to induce bloodstream form T. brucei cell death via lysosome destabilization. Methods: We measured drug concentrations that inhibit cell proliferation by 50% (IC50) for several compounds, chosen based on their lysosomotropic effects previously reported in Plasmodium falciparum. The lysosomal effects and cell death induced by L-leucyl-L-leucyl methyl ester (LeuLeu-OMe) were further analyzed by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence analyses of different lysosomal markers. The effect of autophagy in LeuLeu-OMe-induced lysosome destabilization and cytotoxicity was also investigated in control and autophagy-deficient cells. Results: LeuLeu-OMe was selected for detailed analyses due to its strong inhibitory profile against T. brucei with minimal toxicity to human cell lines in vitro. Time-dependent immunofluorescence studies confirmed an effect of LeuLeu-OMe on the lysosome. LeuLeu-OMe-induced cytotoxicity was also found to be dependent on the acidic pH of the lysosome. Although an increase in autophagosomes was observed upon LeuLeu-OMe treatment, autophagy was not required for the cell death induced by LeuLeu-OMe. Necrosis appeared to be the main cause of cell death upon LeuLeu-OMe treatment. Conclusions: LeuLeu-OMe is a lysosomotropic agent capable of destabilizing lysosomes and causing necrotic cell death in bloodstream form of T. brucei.
We revisit the free-fall energy density of scalar fields semiclassically by employing the trace anomaly on a two-dimensional Schwarzschild black hole with respect to various black hole states in order to clarify whether something special at the horizon happens or not. For the Boulware state, the energy density at the horizon is always negative divergent, which is independent of initial free-fall positions. However, in the Unruh state the initial free-fall position is responsible for the energy density at the horizon and there is a critical point to determine the sign of the energy density at the horizon. In particular, a huge negative energy density appears when the freely falling observer is dropped just near the horizon. For the Hartle–Hawking state, it may also be positive or negative depending on the initial free-fall position, but it is always finite. Finally, we discuss physical consequences of these calculations.
Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses and it is better referred to as rhinosinusitis as it usually involves the nasal cavities. It is a common illness world-wide and can be diagnosed clinically, radiologically, by laboratory evaluation or antral procedures. The antral radiographs of 83 patients who had maxillary antral lavage done were retrieved and the findings recorded. Similarly the antral lavage findings were also recorded. The radiographs were reported by trained radiologists while the antral lavages were done by trained otorhinolaryngologists. The data were then analyzed using SPSS version 17 with the level of statistical significance set at 0.05. Binary classification test was conducted for the right and left maxillary sinuses separately. Chronic sinusitis of the left maxillary antra occurred more commonly than the right. There was significant correlation between radiographic and antral findings. High proportion of false positives and negatives were reported and the binary classification tests for each maxillary sinus showed that the sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy were not high and the specificity was low. The sensitivity pattern of sinus radiography at detecting chronic sinusitis is not high. Radiography may only be utilized for the diagnosis of chronic sinusitis in areas where better imaging modalities like CT or MRI are unavailable or not justified.
Discusses some important problems in applying integration technology of GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographical Information System) to wetland study. The study focuses on both dynamic data exchange of GPS and GIS technology and wetland resource investigation on current status using information integration technology of GPS and GIS. Study points' position in subject digital maps can be displayed and tracked using GPS and GIS integration technology. Ecological environment changes can be found. The GPS study points' position information and satellite status data can be displayed and be used to update the wetland database. GPS data communication technology, positioning data process method and data display techniques are presented in This work. A special resolving method, flow charts and the data processing method are discussed in detail. The GIS platform is Arc/Info 8.2 of ESRI. The data communication is realized by using MSComm Control. The study is undertaken on Zhalong Wetland, Qiqihaer City, Heilongjiang Province, China. The result of practice proves that the integration technology of GIS and GPS can orient changed areas accurately and reflect the current situation and historical background of wetland comprehensively. It is an efficient method in dynamic analysis of wetland protection and is helpful in trend prediction of wetland for the sustainable development of regional economy. It offers basic data for some macro adjustments and government policy.
It is difficult to think of an area of practical medicine for which national and international guidelines cover so many aspects as for oral anticoagulation (OA) with vitamin K antagonists (VKA). Computer assisted dose management is increasingly used in anticoagulant management services, and standardization and technical precision of prothrombin time measurement are assured by external quality programs and by modern technology. Point of care and patient self testing are gaining widespread application and preliminary data show that these procedures can produce an overall quality improvement. No less than 1% of the population of Western countries is receiving VKA for a few months or for their lifetimes, and the proportion of patients exposed to VKA is increasing. An estimated 1–3% of them still experience major bleeding during 1 year of treatment and a sizable proportion still spend half of their time outside the optimal therapeutic range [1]. Clearly, there is room for improvement. Unfortunately, in contrast with the more compelling evidence concerning the specific indications of OA in the different clinical situations, there is a paucity of research on how to predict and reduce the risk of bleeding and on how to best approach the patient with excessive OA with or without concomitant bleeding. With this background in mind, it was a great pleasure to read the two complementary articles by Garcia et al. and Ageno et al. [2,3] in this issue, which deal with the prevention and treatment of bleeding complications in patients receiving VKA. The authors, a selective team from Italy, the USA, and Canada, were able to focus on relevant issues not adequately covered by existing guidelines, in particular by the most recent edition of ACCP [1], to which some of them contributed. After a careful review of the existing literature, the authors propose focused clinical vignettes to suggest how the available evidence— though it is insufficient for determining a universal approach—can be conveyed to solve individual clinical problems. As medicine is made of individuals, not of categories of patients, the proposed exercises challenge the expertise of the reader and his/her knowledge altogether. In some instances, one might well disagree with the proposed action and take a different direction or be more open to discuss with the patients their different options, an aspect perhaps neglected by the authors. One of the controversial areas discussed in the first article is the clinical usefulness of genetic testing for assessing individual sensitivity to warfarin, which can vary by a factor of 10 among patients. Current ACCP guidelines [1] state that the value of genetic testing for polymorphism in the genes coding for CYP2C9 (the enzyme that metabolyzes the active enantiomer of warfarin) or VKORC1 (vitamin K oxide reductase) in assisting dose prediction remains to be determined by appropriately designed randomized trials. In August 2007, the FDA highlighted the fact that genetic testing may have clinical implications by stating that certain genetic variations in CYP2C9 and VKORC1 may increase the need for more frequent monitoring and use of a lower dose [4]; the FDA demanded updated information for prescribing warfarin (see Coumadin, rev January 2009). Although not explicitly recommending testing in all patients, the FDA subsequently approved assays for genetic testing. Opinions among experts remain divided. Many health care professionals are waiting for demonstration by randomized controlled trials that clinical outcomes, not just in range time, are improved by a widespread addition of pharmacogenetic testing. Other experts believe that evidence that genetic testing can be successfully incorporated in management algorithms and computer-assisted dose assignment, as also demonstrated by a recent large validation study [5], is all that is required. After all, the pharmacodynamic end point is the entire basis of warfarin dosage [6]. With >1% of the population of Western countries receiving VKA for a few months or lifelong and >30 million prescriptions for warfarin written in the United States in 2004 [7], the issue of additional cost is formidable. Furthermore, the difficulty of making the results available in a matter of hours further complicates this issue. Garcia et al. bluntly recommend against using genetic testing by highlighting the lack of studies showing a clinical benefit. Their’s is an opinion with which many clinical experts, including the author, would certainly agree. The second article deals with the treatment of bleeding complications. The authors, in keeping with their scope, identified several topics that were lacking sufficient evidence or were not adequately addressed by current guidelines. As a matter of fact, most recommendations offered are of such low strength that the specific circumstances become of primary importance. The vignettes the authors presented focused on management of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with a low to high risk of thromboembolic complications, on the management of intracranial bleeding, and on the best time to restart warfarin in patients with major or life threatening bleeding. For rapid correction of excessive coagulation in addition to vitamin K, orally or parenterally, the authors give preference to 3-factors, prothrombin complex concentrates (PPC) (containing factors II, IX, and X in approximately equal quantities but with low factor VII), or better 4-factors PPC, which also contain sufficient factor VII in comparison with fresh frozen plasma (FFP). Unfortunately, 3-factors PCC are available in the US, but they are not FDA-approved for reversal of VKA,
Due to globalization and industrialization, the environment has become a major problem in many developing countries. Environmental crisis not only bring a healthy problem to a country but also have a big impact of economy and political affair, even international crisis. Therefore, how to delivery the risk information to the public, and what is the appropriate strategy to manage the public outrage are very important research topics. In this paper, I used the framework of risk communication from Cox (2015) to assess the communication of risk of Beijing air pollution issue. And the second part I used Sandman’s risk formula “Risk=Hazard + Outrage” and Outrage management methods to analyze what is wrong with Chinese government in this risk communication, and what is role of U.S Embassy in this risk communication. Furthermore, I discussed the role of new media, how social media has helped lay people to engage to this risk communication. I hope this paper can help readers to better understand what is risk communication, and how to manage the public outrage.
In the global era, more than half of the world population live in urban area. With rapid urbanisation growth where the highest percentage concentrates in Asia, a relevant approach is needed to eliminate the possible threat that occurs after urbanisation took place; the urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is a popular term in academic discourse and has a long history but until these days, the concrete definition of this term is not yet configured. Many studies of sprawl have rooted back in non-Asian countries making the solution for sprawl is not suitable to be implemented in term of theories and practice. This research attempts to study the measurement of sprawl by using these geospatial indexes with Remote Sensing and GIS approach. The SPOT-5 images with 2.5 meters resolution were used to analyse the growth of sprawl in Kuala Lumpur metropolitan due to its high urbanisation rate. The findings show that Kuala Lumpur is a sprawling city. It is anticipated that this research will provide a new direction in urban sprawl studies and represent a robust analytic approach for characterizing urban development on the city scale at once as well as promoting a city via Remote Sensing and GIS technology.
Perception as a thought process has been one of the most popular fields of study and therefore much has been stated about it. Perhaps the most fundamental cognitive function is perception, in the sense that, is one of the basic elements that constitute the structure of mental states and activities. This chart review examines the extent of the interaction of ICTs with special needs and brain perception itself. For this scope a thorough search and comprehensive review of numerous articles was conducted with respect to the aforementioned aspects in order to survey the findings. The various tests of perception such as n-back, illusions and simulation tests … are representative examples of the knowledge acquired through this study regarding the current trend of research. Six different approaches of perception have been discussed over the past century. In that respect the questions which concern us at least most of all are, firstly, which are the types of perceptual phenomena that we use to form conjunctions with special needs and, secondly, what are the causes of these interesting phenomena. These studies indicate that, for the purpose of tests, participants are related to mind procedures such as verbal or visual processing strategies as well as their combination.
Background: The ocular manifestations of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vary from acute follicular, pseudomembranous, and hemorrhagic conjunctivitis to keratoconjunctivitis with subepithelial infiltrates and dendritic lesions. Similar to other respiratory viruses, such as adenoviruses, it is thought that COVID-19 may impact the cornea. However, its impact on the cornea and anterior segment parameters are currently poorly understood. Objective: This study aims to assess the corneal endothelial cell morphology and anterior segment parameters in patients who have recovered from COVID-19. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the COVID-19 group comprised 34 patients who had been diagnosed with and recovered from COVID-19, while the control group comprised age- and sex-matched individuals without any systemic or ocular diseases. The endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV) of cell area, hexagonal cell percentage (HEX), anterior chamber depth (ACD), central corneal thickness (CCT), horizontal anterior chamber diameter (HACD), iridocorneal angle (ICA), horizontal visible iris diameter (HVID), pupillary diameter (PD), and keratometry values (K1 and K2) were analyzed for each participant. The differences in each of these between the groups were analyzed using either an independent samples t test or a Mann–Whitney U test based on the normality of the data. Results: Regarding corneal endothelial cell morphology, the ECDs for the COVID-19 and control groups were 2278.50 ± 186.78 cells/mm2 and 2420.15 ± 222.25 cells/mm2, respectively (p = 0.002). A significant increase was noted in CV values in the COVID-19 group compared with the control group (p < 0.001). The HEX values for the COVID-19 and control groups were 56.26 ± 5.75 and 61.50 ± 3.63, respectively (p < 0.001). Regarding the anterior segment parameters, no significant differences were observed between the groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: It was hypothesized that individuals who had recovered from COVID-19 would demonstrate a reduction in their endothelial functional preserves. A decrease in ECD and HEX and an increase in CV were observed in the individuals during their early post-recovery period from COVID-19.
Twenty alleles, 12 at Mendelian locus Rrn1 and 8 at locus Rrn2, control rRNA genes [ribosomal DNA (rDNA)] variability in barley. These alleles differ strikingly in their effects on adaptedness. In the present study, we determined variation in the copy number of 101 accessions of wild barley plants from 10 ecologically diverse sites in Israel and examined relationships between rDNA copy number and adaptedness. The average multiplicity of rDNA per haploid genome was 1881 copies and the average numbers of copies for Rrn1 and Rrn2 were 962 and 917, respectively. The total number of copies as well as the number of copies for Rrn1 and Rrn2 varied widely from plant to plant within sites and also from site to site. The predominant allele of Rrn2 had somewhat more copies on the average than the other alleles of this locus but differences between the predominant allele and other alleles of Rrn1 were not statistically significant. Overall, the results indicated that differing amounts of rDNA resulting from variations in copy number and/or number of subrepeats in the intergenic spacer region were not closely associated with adaptedness. This suggests that the high adaptedness of a few specific alleles results in large part from adaptatively favorable nucleotide sequences in the transcription units and/or the intergenic spacer regions of the favored alleles--i.e., that adaptedness in barley depends on the quality more than on the quantity of rDNA present.
Normal and streptozotocin diabetic rats were subjected to ischemic injury by unilateral renal artery occlusion for 60 min. The cortical and the medullary oxygen consumption (QO2) in the postischemic and the control, contralateral nonischemic, kidneys were measured 1 h, 1 day, and 1, 2 and 4 weeks for normal rats and 1 day, and 1 and 4 weeks for diabetic rats after ischemia. The effects of furosemide on QO2 of the cortex and the medulla of normal and diabetic rats were studied. The diabetic kidney was more vulnerable to ischemic injury than the normal kidney. Furosemide-sensitive active transport function in the medulla of the diabetic kidney was higher than that of the normal kidney. Furosemide did not decrease the cortical QO2 significantly in the control and the postischemic kidneys of normal and diabetic rats. In contrast, the medullary QO2 of the control kidney in both rats was significantly reduced by furosemide at every period after ischemia. In the medullary QO2 of the postischemic kidney, there were no significant decreases at any period after ischemia in the diabetic rats and only after a 1-hour period for normal rats. However, 4 weeks after ischemia, there was no statistically significant difference in the medullary QO2 inhibition by furosemide between the control and the postischemic kidneys in both normal and diabetic rats. We conclude that the furosemide-sensitive active transport function in the medulla recovers by the 4th week after ischemia in normal and diabetic rats.
ABSTRACT Levels were evaluated of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure through the intake of AFB1-contaminated foods among Koreans. Average daily intake, excess cancer risk, and population risk of AFB1 from food intake were calculated from Koreans with age greater than 20 years. Average daily intake of AFB1 by food ingestion was 0.064 ∼ 0.361 ng/kg bw/ day. Excess cancer risk of AFB1 in food with the surface antigen of the hepatitis B-virus negative (HBsAg−) and positive (HBsAg+) population was 5.76 × 10− 7∼ 3.25 × 10− 6 and 1.47 × 10− 5∼ 8.31 × 10− 5, respectively. Application of JECFA's two tentative maximum levels (MLs) (10 μ g/kg and 20 μ g/kg) resulted in the population risk of 0.0009 ∼ 0.0075 and 0.0014 ∼ 0.0079 cancers/year/100,000 people, respectively, indicating that lower ML does not give a significant reduction of the risk. However, because Korea has a high incidence of HBsAg+ individuals, adoption of lower ML may be a reasonable decision to protect a high risk group. This is the first report on the risk assessment of AFB1 in food among the Korean population. Our study will contribute to providing the solid basis of establishing the maximum levels of AFB1 exposure through food ingestion in Korea as well as other countries.
This paper gives details of facility to test wind generator in the laboratory. Various types of prime movers may be used in the test set up. These prime mover motors can be DC motor, induction motor, synchronous motor or permanent magnet synchronous motor. The generator may be any kind of generator like DC generator, induction generator, synchronous generator, permanent magnet synchronous generator etc. The speed of the prime mover motor is varied. As the generator is coupled with the motor speed of the generator is also varied. The speed of the generator is varied over a wide range. The impact of the change in the speed of the generator on the output and output voltage flicker is observed. The gear box is also provided. It can be connected in between the generator and the motor. So the speed of the generator is increased. The impact of gear box on the power quality also can be observed. The test is carried on the generator with and without gearbox. The impact of gear box and variation in the speed on the flicker initiated in the wind turbine can be observed.
Background Recent in vitro studies strongly implicated mast cell-derived proteases as regulators of IL-33 activity by enzymatic cleavage in its central domain. A better understanding of the role of mast cell proteases on IL-33 activity in vivo is needed. We aimed to compare the expression of mast cell proteases in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, their role in the cleavage of IL-33 cytokine, and their contribution to allergic airway inflammation. Results In vitro, full-length IL-33 protein was efficiently degraded by mast cell supernatants of BALB/c mice in contrast to the mast cell supernatants from C57BL/6 mice. RNAseq analysis indicated major differences in the gene expression profiles of bone marrow-derived mast cells from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. In Alternaria alternata (Alt) - treated C57BL/6 mice the full-length form of IL-33 was mainly present, while in BALB/c mice, the processed shorter form of IL-33 was more prominent. The observed cleavage pattern of IL-33 was associated with a nearly complete lack of mast cells and their proteases in the lungs of C57BL/6 mice. While most inflammatory cells were similarly increased in Alt-treated C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, C57BL/6 mice had significantly more eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and IL-5 protein levels in their lungs than BALB/c mice. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that lung mast cells differ in number and protease content between the two tested mouse strains and could affect the processing of IL-33 and inflammatory outcome of Alt -induced airway inflammation. We suggest that mast cells and their proteases play a regulatory role in IL-33-induced lung inflammation by limiting its proinflammatory effect via the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway.
Sniffer tests are used to locate leaks in equipment during operation. The sensitivity of a sniffer leak detector must be calibrated against a known gas flow to atmospheric pressure generated by a sniffer test leak artefact. We have developed a primary flow meter for calibrating gas flows to atmospheric pressure through the leak artefact. The flow meter is based on a pressure rise method and two chambers are used to measure the pressure rise with small uncertainty even at atmospheric pressure. The calibration range of the flow rate is 5 × 10−7 Pa m3 s−1 to 7 × 10−4 Pa m3 s−1 to atmospheric pressure at 23.0 °C with a minimum uncertainty of 1.4% (k = 2), as well as 4 × 10−8 Pa m3 s−1 to 5 × 10−4 Pa m3 s−1 to a vacuum at 23.0 °C. The long term stability of the flow meter was determined as 0.41% by repeated measurements of the conductance of the leak artefact. In case of the flow rate into a vacuum, the flow meter was successfully linked to the international reference value of CCM.P-K12 by a lab-internal comparison.
In view of iron and steel sintering ingredients, a comprehensive optimization method for iron and steel sintering ingredients is proposed. With the lowest cost of sinter as objective function, through upper and lower limits of chemical composition of neutralization powder and sinter, upper and lower limits of basicity of sinter, and proportion range of raw materials as constraint conditions, a comprehensive optimization model for sintering ingredients is established. Besides, the improved particle swarm optimization is used to solve the comprehensive optimization model. Simulation and calculation is conducted to prove the method effective. The method is used in domestic iron and steel enterprises, compared with actual ingredients ratio, which has strong practicality and is of great significance for reducing cost of sintering production. At the same time, the iron and steel sintering batching system is established, which could make sintering ingredients more visually and significantly and could provide effective technical support for actual sintering plant ingredients.
To apply p wave analysis of the signal‐averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) clinically, the knowledge of normal values and the verification of highly reproducible measurements are essential. In 40 healthy volunteers (ages 23 ‐37 years), an SAECG of the p wave was performed and then repeated after 1 week and 1 month. In addition to Simson analysis (unidirectional and bidirectional filters), the data were filtered with finite impulse response (FIR) and least squares fit (LSQ) filters to obtain a better differentiation between the end of the p wave and QRS onset. All recordings were evaluated by two independent observers, and the following parameters were calculated: the duration of the p wave in the three unfiltered leads; and for the vector magnitude of the three leads x, y, and z: the duration of the p wave and the root mean square voltage of its last 30, 20, and 10 ms. The average p wave duration was significantly different among the various filter techniques: 135 ± 7 ms (unidirectional); 97 ± 8 ms (bidirectional); 109 ± 8.5 ms (FIR); and 126 ± 10 ms (LSQ) (P = 0.001 for each comparison). There was a good reproducibility of the data analyzed with the Simson method (R = 0.80–0.91). Filtering with the FIR and LSQ leads to a considerably greater variability.
We measured quantitative cortical mantle cerebral blood flow (CBF) by stable xenon computed tomography (CT) within the first 12 h after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) to determine whether neurologic outcome can be predicted by CBF stratification early after injury. Stable xenon CT was used for quantitative measurement of CBF (mL/100 g/min) in 22 cortical mantle regions stratified as follows: low (0-8), intermediate (9-30), normal (31-70), and hyperemic (>70) in 120 patients suffering severe (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score ≤8) TBI. For each of these CBF strata, percentages of total cortical mantle volume were calculated. Outcomes were assessed by Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at discharge (DC), and 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge. Quantitative cortical mantle CBF differentiated GOS 1 and GOS 2 (dead or vegetative state) from GOS 3-5 (severely disabled to good recovery; p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for percent total normal plus hyperemic flow volume (TNHV) predicting GOS 3-5 outcome at 6 months for CBF measured <6 and <12 h after injury showed ROC area under the curve (AUC) cut-scores of 0.92 and 0.77, respectively. In multivariate analysis, percent TNHV is an independent predictor of GOS 3-5, with an odds ratio of 1.460 per 10 percentage point increase, as is initial GCS score (OR=1.090). The binary version of the Marshall CT score was an independent predictor of 6-month outcome, whereas age was not. These results suggest that quantitative cerebral cortical CBF measured within the first 6 and 12 h after TBI predicts 6-month outcome, which may be useful in guiding patient care and identifying patients for randomized clinical trials. A larger multicenter randomized clinical trial is indicated.
In the present study cubic 3C–(Si1–xC1–y)Gex+y solid solutions were created by using ion beam synthesis. 3C–SiC thin layers grown on on‐axis Si (111) substrates by Molecular Beam Epitaxy were implanted with Ge in order to incorporate Ge atoms in the Silicon Carbide lattice. Two series of experiments were carried out. The implantation energy was chosen to be 140 keV and 200 keV and the implantation dose 1 × 1017 cm–2 and 4.7 × 1016 cm–2 respectively. The samples were annealed under rapid thermal annealing conditions in the temperature range between 800 °C and 1300 °C. X‐ray diffraction measurements indicate an enlargement of the lattice constant. The observed higher absorption in the implanted layers could be a sign of a band gap reduction as a consequence of Ge incorporation. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The numerical simulations of a plasma opening switch (POS) involve a lot of complex physical problems. Here the two temperature magnetohydrodynamic model (MHD) is used. The computations with such model are not so time consuming, as for the particle codes, and they give reasonable results. The effect of the Hall term in MHD equations is essential for correct physical description of the process. Another essential point is in the physically correct description of plasma-vacuum boundary, where the magnetic field detaches the plasma current carrier and passes to the load. The two stages can be separated in POS dynamics. The first one is conductivity, when plasma ports the current. It is well described by MHD equations. Second stage, the opening, can be described by MHD equation, but with the attentive analysis of applicability of such a model. The simulations were concentrated mainly on the different types of POS behaviour. Such an approach can be used for optimisation of the composite plasma configuration of POS, which had been proposed to be one of the possible ways of improvement of the POS performance.
In recent decades, stands of Greek fir (Abies cephalonica Loudon) are declining and high tree mortality has been observed in some years. The exact causes of fir decline and mortality have not been established although many have been proposed (drought, climatic change, air pollution and attacks by pathogens or insects). This study has focused on the effects of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) on fir crown condition by assessing the mistletoe infestation level and its effects on fir defoliation. In the fir forests of Central Greece, the tree crown condition and the extent of mistletoe infestation were assessed and their relationships with tree height, altitude and aspect were investigated. The role of mistletoe on overall fir mortality was investigated by assessing standing trees that had died recently. The leaf water potential and chlorophyll fluorescence of mistletoe and fir were also measured during one growth season. The results showed that mistletoe infestation is related to crown defoliation. Altitude and tree height were not related with mistletoe infestation while infestation levels were lower on northern exposures. Mistletoe showed significantly lower water potentials and higher photochemical efficiencies than fir branches.
The objective of oral fluid therapy for the treatment of mild infantile gastroenteritis is the provision of adequate replacement of caloric, water, and electrolyte deficits without increasing stool losses. Solutions used to accomplish this should be accepted readily by the infant and be balanced to avoid accentuation of hypotonic or hypertonic conditions.  Jell-O-Water (85 gm package of Jell-O per liter of water) is an inexpensive and palatable mixture. The original package costs 10c. During the past few years we have found this solution useful in the oral treatment of mild dehydration during infancy.
the the biochemical study. co-designed research, literature and statistical analysis. participated in the animal care and Laboratory work. KDSB in the Laboratory work and final draft of the JBF the laboratory procedures. the final ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to comparatively verify the effects of aqueous extracts of three plants on some biochemical parameters following ethanol administration with a view to ascertaining the role of the extracts in ameliorating ethanol toxicity. A total of forty rats were divided into eight groups (n=5). Group A were control rats; Group B were administered with absolute ethanol; Group C were ethanol administered rats treated with Xylopia aethiopica ; Groups D were ethanol administered rats treated with Fiscus mucuso, Group E were ethanol administered rats treated with Anthocleista vogelli ; Group F were normal rats administered orally with Xylopia aethiopica ; Group G were normal rats administered orally with Fiscus mucuso ; Group H were normal rats administered orally with Anthocleista vogelli . At the end of the experimental period, the animals were sacrificed and serum was obtained for total protein, uric acid, creatinin, urea, aspartate aminotrasferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) analysis using respective research kits. The result showed that Xylopia aethiopica had protective effect on the kidney as compared with Fiscus mucuso and Anthocleista vogelli treated rats. Also, The AST and ALT was lowered with the beginning of Xylopia aethiopia treatment. The total protein, creatinin and urea were slightly (p>0.05) affected with ethanol, an effect which was normalized with the beginning of extract treatment. It can be concluded that Xylopia aethiopica had a better reno-protective and hepatoprotective effect than Anthocleista vogelli and Fiscus mucuso extract as evident in its ameliorative role on the biochemical profiles.
Background Liver transplantation usually requires blood transfusion, and a red blood cell (RBC) antibody screen is essential for the prevention of a hemolytic reaction. Since proper ABO-compatible grafts are lacking, ABO-incompatible living donor liver transplantation (ABO-i LDLT) with desensitization is a feasible therapy. Desensitization includes intravenous rituximab injection and plasmapheresis before surgery. Case A 60-year-old female was diagnosed with hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma and planned for ABO-i LDLT. She tested positive in a RBC antibody screen over two years; however, she tested negative for the test after desensitization. Clinicians noted the seroconversion during induction, and thus, a delay in the preparation of adequate packed RBC was unavoidable. Conclusions Even when the latest RBC antibody screen is negative after immunosuppression, clinicians should consider the possibility of a prior positive result to promote safer medical treatment and management.
Marine ecosystems are affected by multiple, well-known stressors like fishing and climate change, but a less documented concern is disease. Marine reserves have been successful in replenishing stocks and aiding recruitment but studies have shown that high population abundances in marine reserves may lead to unwanted secondary effects such as increase in predators and competition, altering trophic webs, and disease. Here, we investigate factors contributing to disease prevalence in a brown crab (Cancer pagurus) population around Lundy Island (the UK’s first MPA) after 7 years of no-take protection. Population parameters (size, sex, and abundance), disease (shell disease, Hematodinium spp. infection) and injury presence (a known precursor to some disease conditions) were assessed over two years in both fished and unfished areas of the MPA. We found no significant difference in prevalence between the disease prevalence in fished and unfished areas, however overall, the number of injured crabs increased significantly over the two years (12%), as did the prevalence of shell disease (15%). The probability of crabs having shell disease increased significantly in male crabs, and in those missing limbs. The probability of crabs being injured increased significantly in crabs below the minimum landing size. In terms of population parameters, crabs were more prevalent in the fished area compared to the unfished area, thought to be a result of an increase in the predatory European lobster. The findings of the present study highlight potential secondary community changes as a result of MPA implementation. Therefore, surveillance for such changes, as part of MPA management, would provide useful information on the health and overall function of the protected ecosystem.
Suspension linkages are one of the fundamental structural elements in each vehicle since they connect the wheel carriers i.e. axles to the body of the vehicle. Moreover, the characteristics of suspension linkages within a suspension system can directly affect driving safety, comfort and economics. Beyond these, all these design criteria are bounded to the package space of the vehicle. In last decades, suspension linkages have been focused on in terms of design development and cost reduction. In this study, a control arm of a diesel public bus was taken into account in order to get the most cost-effective design while improving the strength within specified boundary conditions. Due to the change of the supplier, the control arm of a rigid axle was redesigned to find an economical and more durable solution. The new design was analyzed first by the finite element analysis software Ansys and the finite element model of the control arm was validated by physical tensile tests. The outputs of the study demonstrate that the new design geometry reduces the maximum Von Mises stress 15% while being within the elastic region of the material in use and having found an economical solution in terms of supplier’s criteria.
Logistics integration and network orientation in the port and maritime industry have redefined the functional role of ports in value chains and have generated new patterns of freight distribution and new approaches to port hierarchy. Existing models on the spatial and functional evolution of ports and port systems only partially fit into the new freight distribution paradigm. This paper aims to add to existing literature by introducing a port regionalization phase in port and port system development. It is demonstrated that the regionalization phase and associated hinterland concepts demand new approaches to port governance and a functional focus that goes beyond the traditional port perimeter.
The paper deals with the linguistic anthropological paradigm which is aimed at the study of various aspects of text production of the linguistic personality. The goal of the study is to investigate the communicative behavior of the Russian Germans in Siberia and describe its various structural components. The techniques of interpretation and synthesis as type of descriptive method are used. The characteristics of various sides of the hypergenre, reflecting its diverse palette, help to identify the peculiarities of text organization of folk spoken type of German of the individual.
Oculomotor palsy can result from trauma, tumor, cerebral aneurysm, diabetes mellitus, infection, neurodegenerative diseases, or myasthenia gravis.3 Among these, traumatic oculomotor palsy is rare, and the majority of such cases is thought to be caused by injury of cisternal portion of the oculomotor nerve.7 Only a few cases of traumatic oculomotor palsy are associated with a brainstem injury.1,2,6,7 We report on a patient with oculomotor palsy related to a focal ischemic lesion in the brainstem after a head injury.
In this paper, after describing the basics of lock-in thermography investigations of solar cells, the application of this imaging technique for the characterisation of silicon wafer-based solar cells is reviewed. In particular, the differences between various variants of this technique working with and without light illumination are discussed. It is found that, for imaging and a detailed local investigation of leakage currents, both under forward and reverse bias, the application of dark lock-in thermography is most useful. On the other hand, illuminated lock-in thermography provides some unique possibilities, like the investigation of shunts in non-metallised solar cells or without contacting the cells, local efficiency imaging, and the imaging of the local avalanche multiplication factor under reverse bias. A special variant of illuminated lock-in thermography enables the imaging of the minority carrier lifetime distribution and of trapping centres in bare silicon wafers.
In a typical CELP vocoder, the unvoiced speech is processed like the voiced speech. Hence the speech quality is degraded. Also, the degree of the speech quality degradation is excessive depends on the performance of the U/V classifier. In this paper, we propose a new U/V (Unvoiced/Voiced) decision algorithm with minimized error rate and preprocessing computation. This U/V classifier uses the LSP (Line Spectrum Pair) parameter, which is acquired from the spectrum analysis process in CELP vocoders. Applying this method to the 5.3 kbps ACELP, we can achieve a transmission bit rate reduction of 5.6% (280 bps) approximately. By applying the synthesis speech quality in the G.723.1 and the proposed method to the MOS (Mean Opinion Score) test the former gets average MOS 3.77 and the latter does 3.75.
Do behavioral measures of ecological lifestyles reflect actual environmental impact? Three convenience samples of German adults (N = 881) completed such a measure, the General Ecological Behavior (GEB) scale. Their household electricity consumption was self-reported (Study 1), assessed by a smart-meter (Study 2), or reported by the power company (Study 3). The latter two studies controlled for income, which can boost consumption just as it opens possibilities for behaving ecologically. Within and across studies, analyses revealed a negative association between self-reported ecological behavior and electricity consumption (−.18 ≤ rs ≤ −.22), even with adjustment for income. Furthermore, customers in a green electricity program reported more ecological engagement and consumed one third less electricity than did regular customers. These results indicate the criterion validity of the GEB scale for a highly practically relevant criterion and encourage the use of generic behavior measures in efforts to understand and foster more ecological lifestyles.
A method is described for the accurate and precise determination of tributyltin (TBT) by species specific isotope dilution mass spectrometry (ID-MS) using solid phase microextraction (SPME) in combination with gas chromatographic (GC) separation and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) detection. Butyltin compounds were ethylated in aqueous solution with sodium tetraethylborate and the headspace sampled with a polydimethylsiloxane coated fused silica SPME fiber. The analyte was then directly transferred from the fiber to the head of the GC column for desorption following insertion of the fiber through the heated injection port. Reverse spike ID analysis was performed to determine the accurate concentration of a 117Sn-enriched TBT spike using two well characterized natural abundance TBT standards. A concentration of 0.923 ± 0.005 µg g−1  (one standard deviation, n  =  5) as tin was obtained for TBT in National Research Council of Canada (NRCC) marine sediment PACS-2 using the present method, in good agreement with the certified value of 0.98 ± 0.13 µg g−1  (as 95% confidence interval). A TBT concentration of 0.93 ± 0.09 µg g−1  (one standard deviation, n  = 5) as tin in PACS-2 was subsequently determined by standard additions calibration using tripropyltin (TPrT) as an internal standard. An eighteen-fold improvement in the precision of TBT concentration measured using ID was observed, clearly demonstrating its superiority in providing more accurate and precise results as compared to the method of standard additions. A detection limit (3s) of 0.09 ng g−1 was estimated for TBT in PACS-2 sediment.
Recently, genetic variants in the WNT signaling pathway have been reported to affect the survival outcome of Caucasian patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We therefore attempted to determine whether these same WNT signaling pathway gene variants had similar impacts on the survival outcome of NSCLC patients in a Korean population. A total of 761 patients with stages I–IIIA NSCLC were enrolled in this study. Eight variants of WNT pathway genes were genotyped and their association with overall survival and disease-free survival were analyzed. None of the eight variants were significantly associated with overall survival or disease-free survival. There were no differences in survival outcome after stratifying the subjects according to age, gender, smoking status, and histological type. These results suggest that genetic variants in the WNT signaling pathway may not affect the survival outcome of NSCLC in a Korean population.
This study prospectively follows changes in quality of life (QoL) of 40 patients undergoing surgical treatment for head and neck malignancy over a 1-year period, using the University of Washington QoL questionnaire version 4.0. The tumour types included oral, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, oesophageal, laryngeal, sinonasal and thyroid carcinomas. Mean overall QoL scores were significantly worse at 3 and 6 months (P < 0.05) and returned to around preoperative scores at 12 months (P = 0.11). Oropharyngeal, laryngeal, sinonasal and thyroid subsites all maintained QoL scores at each time point. QoL scores for hypopharyngeal and oral subsites dropped markedly at 3 and 6 months but returned to around preoperative levels at 12 months. The domains most affected by treatment varied depending on tumour subsite. For the population as a whole, their appearance, activity, speech, shoulder and saliva domains were all significantly less at 12 months. Anxiety scores were significantly better at 12 months.
Effects on relative nonheme iron availability of soy protein products incorporated into meals were evaluated. An in vitro method was used to estimate nonheme iron availability. Incorporation of soy isolate into a semisynthetic meal reduced estimated iron availability (dialyzable iron) compared to an egg white control, but this effect was reversed by baking the soy isolate. Ascorbic acid was not as effective in increasing estimated iron availability in soy-containing meals as in an egg white control meal. When 34 individual soy products were substituted for egg white in semisynthetic meal, iron availability range from 3.23 to 0.00% dialyzable iron. Iron availability appears to be inversely related to the protein content of the soy products. Soy isolates, as a group, had lower relative iron availability than the group of soy flours evaluated. The amount of soy product protein incorporated into a standard meal was negatively correlated with relative iron availability. The majority of meals containing soy products had lower estimated iron availabilities than meals that did not contain soy.
Abstract : Intensity ratios, coherence and phase relationships of 10 c/sec EEG among six scalp locations were obtained from 20 subjects during focused attention on visual and auditory decision tasks. The analysis was based on 2 sec epochs immediately preceding subjects' decisions, in which gradually changing stimulus parameters led to a decision, as opposed to the usual sudden onset stimulus presentation. It was assumed that the subjects' attention was maximally focused on the information content of the stimulus during this period. The distributions of intensity ratio, coherence and phase were ensemble-averaged across trials to reduce their variances. The results suggest that during focused attention, the intensity ratios and phase angles do not differentiate sensory mode, but that right fronto-occipital coherence may be less during visual attention than auditory attention. Furthermore, the left hemisphere shows a negative phase angle during the auditory task but not the visual, although the distribution of phase angles is highly variable across subjects. The phase angles obtained in this study are contrasted with those obtained in a previous study in which passive, as opposed to focused, attention was maintained. (Author)
Studies have shown that music confers plasticity to the brain. In a preliminary pilot study, we examined the effect of music listening on steroid hormones and the relationship between steroid hormone receptor polymorphisms and musical ability. Twenty-one subjects (10 males and 11 females) were recruited and divided into musically talented and control groups. The subjects selected (1) music they preferred (chill-inducing music) and (2) music they did not like. Before and after the experiments, saliva was collected to measure the levels of steroid hormones such as testosterone, estradiol, and cortisol. DNA was also isolated from the saliva samples to determine the androgen receptor (AR) and arginine vasopressin receptor 1A genotypes. Advanced Measures of Music Audiation (AMMA) was used to determine the musical ability of the subjects. With both types of music, the cortisol levels decreased significantly in both sexes. The testosterone (T) levels declined in males when they listened to both types of music. In females, the T levels increased in those listening to chill-inducing music but declined when they listened to music they disliked. However, these differences were not significant. The 17-beta estradiol levels increased in males with both types of music, whereas the levels increased with chill-inducing music but declined with disliked music in females. The AMMA scores were higher for the short repeat length-type AR than for the long repeat length-type. Comparisons of AR polymorphisms and T levels before the experiments showed that the T levels were within the low range in the short repeat length-type group and there was a positive relationship with the repeat length, although it was not significant. This is the first study conducted in humans to analyze the relationships between the AR gene, T levels, and musical ability.
Spatially resolved ac susceptibility measurements on epitaxial Fe films are performed as a function of temperature using a conventional soft-x-ray photoelectron emission microscope. A magnetic contrast is observed at sample locations where the magnetic film undergoes a para/ferromagnetic phase transition. Due to the wedge structure of the Fe film and the thickness dependence of the Curie temperature the spatial extend of the phase transition region and the correlation length can be estimated.
Since the early 1970s, concern for children who are both gifted and handicapped has risen dramatically. Books written about this emerging field deal with identification and programmatic concerns (e.g., Fox, Brody, and Tobin, 1983) and also with case studies illustrating the ways in which the two conditions may coexist (Whitmore and Maker, 1985). This research focuses on the problems involved in identifying the child who is both gifted and learning disabled (GLD). The state of the art is demonstrated by surveying procedures in use in Texas by special education and gifted programs. Results from the survey yield characteristics of GLD children that are consistent with observations in the litetature.
ABSTRACT It has been recently shown that the singularity locus of a 3R robot, and in particular its nodes and cusps, can be algebrai cally characterized in terms of nested determinants. This neat an d structured formulation contrasts with the huge and often me aningless formulas generated using computer algebra systems . In this paper we explore further this kind of formulation. We pr sent two new results which we think are of interest by themselves. First, it is shown how Chrystal’s method, used to obtain the r esultant of two quadratic polynomials, can be formulated as nest ed determinants. Second, it is also shown how the coefficients o f the harmonic conic of two given conics, can also be expressed in t he same form. These results lead to new formulations for the inv erse kinematics of 3R robots, their singularity loci, their node s, and some of their high-order singularities.
OBJECTIVE. The response of desmoid tumors (DTs) to chemotherapy is evaluated with Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) in daily practice and clinical trials. MRI shows early change in heterogeneity in responding tumors due to a decrease in cellular area and an increase in fibronecrotic content before dimensional response. Heterogeneity can be quantified with radiomics. Our aim was to develop radiomics-based response criteria and to compare their performances with clinical and radiologic response criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Forty-two patients (median age, 38.2 years) were included in this retrospective multicenter study because they presented with progressive DT and had an MRI examination at baseline, which we refer to as "MRI-0," and an early MRI evaluation performed after the first chemotherapy cycle (mean time after first chemotherapy cycle, 3 months [SD, 28 days]), which we refer to as "MRI-1." After signal intensity normalization, voxel size standardization, discretization, and segmentation of DT volume on fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging, 90 baseline and delta 3D radiomics features were extracted. Using cross-validation and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-penalized Cox regression, a radiomics score was generated. The performances of models based on the radiomics score, modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, European Association for the Study of the Liver criteria, Cheson criteria, Choi criteria, and revised Choi criteria from MRI-0 to MRI-1 to predict progression-free survival (PFS, as defined by RECIST 1.1) were assessed with the concordance index. The results were adjusted for performance status, tumor volume, prior chemotherapy, current chemotherapy, and β-catenin mutation. RESULTS. There were 10 cases of progression. The radiomics score included four variables. A high score indicated a poor prognosis. The radiomics score independently correlated with PFS (adjusted hazard ratio = 5.60, p = 0.003), and none of the usual response criteria independently correlated with PFS. The prognostic model based on the radiomics score had the highest concordance index (0.84; 95% CI, 0.71-0.96). CONCLUSION. Quantifying early changes in heterogeneity through a dedicated radiomics score could improve response evaluation for patients with DT undergoing chemotherapy.
Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) threaten the longevity of vineyards in New Zealand and internationally. Researchers and wine industry representatives met in Christchurch in November 2016 to develop a strategic plan to enhance the progress of GTD research and improve consistency across studies in New Zealand over the next ten years. Four outcome areas were identified: disease prevention and improved sustainability; improved management decisions; fewer susceptible vines; and improved pathogen management in nurseries and young vines. The group used these outcomes to determine four research focus areas: Disease Etiology/Pathology; Biologicals affecting the host or pathogen; Breeding; and Physiology (including a holistic measure of plant health and biochemistry). The focus areas and outcomes were used to develop a framework that takes into account current research or related activities, any challenges or issues involved, future research required (underpinning and applied), and potential for technology transfer. Attendees also summarised recent research activity and identified current knowledge gaps. Researchers agreed to: enhance sharing of methods and isolates; improve comparisons between experimental results; and increase awareness of the current range of activities and skills employed. Publishing the framework on the MWRC and PFR websites will allow other researchers to access, and comment on, current thinking on this topic.
The neurochemical mechanisms supporting the role of the ventral hippocampus in anxiety are now under investigation. To address this issue, we examined whether the pharmacological blockade of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channels in the ventral hippocampus would attenuate anxiety-related behaviour. Rats infused with the TRPV1 channel antagonist capsazepine (2.0 nmol) showed less inhibitory avoidance than controls in the elevated plus-maze test. This result indicates an anxiolytic-like effect, and suggests a role for TRPV1 channels in regulating anxiety.
In this work we present an algorithm for the solution of multiparametric linear and quadratic programming problems. With linear constraints and linear or convex quadratic objective functions, the optimal solution of these optimization problems is given by a conditional piecewise linear function of the varying parameters. This function results from first-order estimations of the analytical nonlinear optimal function. The core idea of the algorithm is to approximate the analytical nonlinear function by affine functions, whose validity is confined to regions of feasibility and optimality. Therefore, the space of parameters is systematically characterized into different regions where the optimal solution is an affine function of the parameters. The solution obtained is convex and continuous. Examples are presented to illustrate the algorithm and to enhance its potential in real-life applications.
Two new norcadinene sesquiterpenes oxyphyllones C and 1) (1 and 2, rest).), and one new 1,10-secoguaiane sesquiterpene, (+)-mandassidion (3), together with two known compounds. oxyphyllenodiol B (4) and (1R,2R)-p-menth-3-ene-1,2-diol (5), were isolated front the fruits of Alpinia oxyphylla. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, including 2D-NMR spectroscopic techniques. Compounds 1, 2, and 3 exhibited no cytotoxicity against three cancer cell lines.
World-wide, there is increasing recognition of gaps and limitations in mental health systems for children and adolescents. With this increased recognition has come increased momentum to develop a comprehensive range of mental health promotion and intervention programs in schools, a setting offering unmatched opportunities to reach students, families and others. A national technical assistance center focusing on advancing school mental health programs in the United States, with national and international collaborators, has been developing a network of people from diverse countries who share an interest in school mental health. In this article, we review factors behind the increasing world-wide interest in school mental health, and describe the development of the International Network for Mental Health in Schools. Opportunities to become involved in this network at upcoming international meetings are discussed.
The existence of high-permeability features, such as fissures, fractures, and eroded-out zones, diminishes the sweep efficiency of any water, gas, or polymer flooding operation. Placing crosslinked conformance polymer gels or other types of blocking agents in injection and/or production wells can generate the necessary flow diversion for increasing the recovery factor of enhanced oil recovery/improved oil recovery (EOR/IOR) treatments. This paper evaluates a high-molecular-weight (HMW) organically crosslinked polymer (OCP) (referred to as HMW-OCP) gel system for such scenarios. This conformance technology is the result of crosslinking reactions between HMW polyacrylamide and polyethylenimine (PEI). The relatively medium viscosities of the fluids caused by the HMW of the components of the system allows for in-depth gel placement in fractures and high-perm channels, without invading the matrix of the rock. A low-molecular version of this polymer system has proven to successfully control water production in matrix applications. This HMW-OCP system gelation occurs gradually with time and temperature and can be designed to suit the need for short and long placement times. Optimization of gelation times using chemical activators and bimodal distribution of polymer molecular weights (MWs) is discussed. Fast hydration of the base polymer provides on-the-fly mixing capabilities. Also, the use of all liquid polymers and additives allows ease of transportation, handling, and storage and mixing of large volumes of material usually necessary for this type of treatment. Laboratory test results show long-term plugging capabilities, thermal stability, and fluid-loss control.
A broad consensus has emerged regarding the importance of both ocean mass and heat content changes for global sea level (GSL) rise, but their respective contributions to interannual GSL variability are less certain. Here, we use changes in the Earth's dynamic oblateness (J2) to infer land ice contributions to GSL variability during a 10.5‐year period encompassing the intense 1997–98 ENSO event. By accounting for heat content and water mass distribution changes in the oceans, atmosphere and land hydrology using observational and model results, we isolate unexplained residuals in J2 and GSL that are well‐correlated with each other and with melt‐season temperature and mass balance anomalies in Alaska, a particularly active and well‐studied glaciated region. The close agreement between residual GSL and oblateness variations found in our results indicates that the latter can provide a useful proxy for changes in high‐latitude land ice when corrections for other sources are applied.
Service discovery is an integral issue in the area of service oriented computing (SOC). A centralized platform based service discovery suffers from major drawbacks such as scalability and a single point of failure. A P2P based design incurs high maintenance overhead for a distributed service registry and querying task. In this paper, we have proposed SMARTSPACE-a hybrid multiagent based distributed platform for efficient semantic service discovery. By utilizing reactive agents in modeling services, users' requests, and registry management middleware, the proposed service discovery algorithm, SmartDiscover, is able to achieve fast, scalable, parallel, and concurrent service finding within a systemic environment that can be highly dynamic, asynchronous, and concurrent. We have conducted the SmartDiscover experiments within the JADE 3.7 agent framework on top of both IBM Cloud Cluster and NetLogo simulation environments. The results showed promising positive outcomes in terms of average query response time and the number of message exchanges to maintain the distributed registry. The accuracy of SmartDiscover was measured and compared with the widely accepted benchmark OWL-S MX approach.
This paper is not a history of the discovery of the strangeness, but rather a contribution to such a history, consisting of personal reminiscences. The atmosphere and ideas of the period 1951 1953 are described. The au.thor explains the reasons that led him to introduce the concept of the strangeness and how he had to convince people and to overcome oppositions. I have not prepared a history of the discovery of strangeness, but rather a contribution to such a history, consisting entirely of personal reminiscences. I will not be able to discuss how Nishiiima and his colleagues arrived at similar conclusions. Some of them are here, including Nishijima himself, and I hope that they can comment on it. Also I have not carefully studied the published material, not even my own published material, which is itself very sparse, and so I can't claim in any way to be giving a presentation that belongs in the realm of historical research. Rather it resembles a story told by an old farmer near a peat fire recollecting his youth, or something of tnat sort. Such accounts are often recorded these days. Let me try first to recall briefly, especially to the younger people here , if there are any, what it was like at that time, 1951 to 1953. Strange particles had been discovered experimentally, as you heard from many of those who took part in the work. Such particles were not considered respectable, especially among theorists. I am told (Dick Dalitz, who is here, can perhaps confirm it) that when he wrote his excellent paper on the decay of the tau particle into three pions Dalitz was warned that it might adversely affect his career, because he would be known as the sort of person who worked on that kind of thing. Second, speculation by theorists in the physics journals was not considered particularly respectable. In fact theoretical physics itself had not been respectable during the decade prior to 1948, when the muon didn't have the properties of the meson, and, even worse, theorists dealt with field theory, which, as soon as you tried to correct the lowest order, gave infinity. Apparent defects in theory had led to a situation in which theorists hung their heads in shame all the time and were not taken verv seriously. Well, those defects had iust been remedied at the time of which I am speaking, but theorists were still not encouraged to speculate. The journals did welcome innumerable articles on perturbation calculations in field theory, even when the coupling was strong and the theory, for example the pseudoscalar meson theory, was not very useful. JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE Colloque C8, supplément au n° 12, Tome 43, décembre 1982 page C8-395 Article published online by EDP Sciences and available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/jphyscol:1982825 C8-396 JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE Not everyone thought a t t h a t t ime i n terms of s t rong , weak,andelectromagneticintera c t i o n s , but I was one of those who d id . The weak i n t e r a c t i o n s had been u n i f i e d by Puppi, by Klein , by Lee, Rosenbluth, and Yang, by Tiomno and Wheeler, and so f o r t h around 1949. Another concept t h a t had j u s t r e c e n t l y been c l a r i f i e d was t h a t o f baryon conservat ion, d iscussed by Wigner i n 1949, and no one u n d e r s t o o d w h y i t s h o u l d b e e x a c t i n the absence of a long range v e c t o r i a l f o r c e t o accompany t h e baryon charge. These days one says : "Well, probably i t i s n ' t exact" . Very simple ! Now the problem of s t r ange p a r t i c l e s was i n t h e a i r i n 1951 and 1952, t h e puzzle of why they were produced copiously , a t a reasonable f r a c t i o n of t h e r a t e of product ion of p ions , but decayed very slowly. I a r r i v e d a t Chicago a s an i n s t r u c t o r i n Januzry 1952 and I worked on a v a r i e t y of sub jec t s . One of them was, of course , t h e (g N T Y ~ U IT) f i e l d theory, which was so popular a t t h a t t ime, but a t l e a s t Goldberger and I were s t u d y i n g a w a y t o d o n o n p e r t u r b a t i v e c a l c u l a t i o n s i n t h a t theory. I a l s o c o l l a b o r a t e d wi th a n e x p e r i m e n t a l p h y s i c i s t c a l l e d Telegdi on i s o t o p i c s p i n physics i n t h e nuc lea r domain. These were my main occupat ions . As a s i d e l i n e I began t o look i n t o t h e s t r ange p a r t i c l e s i n t h e t n e win te r and sp r ing of 1952. I s o t o p i c s p i n was aga in much i n vogue. Although t h e charge independence of nuc lea r f o r c e s should have s e t t l e d t h e use fu lness of i s o t o p i c s p i n many yea r s e a r l i e r , as i nd ica ted i n t h e b e a u t i f u l t a l k by Professor Kemmer, i n f a c t it had been f a l l i n q out of f avor f o r reasons t h a t were obscure t o me ; b u t t he rewasag rea t r ev iva lo f in t e r e s t i n i s o t o p i c s p i n a s a r e s u l t of t h e work a t Chicago, where P e r m i a n d h i s c o l l a b o r a t o r s found t h a t pion-nucleon s c a t t e r i n g was indeed charge independent, so t h a t t h e pion had i s o t o p i c s p i n one, the nucleon had i s o t o p i c sp in one h a l f , and t h e v e c t o r sum was conserved. I had always been i n t e r e s t e d i n i s o t o p i c s p i n conservat ion, and e a r l y i n t h e winter of 1952 I began t o wonder whether i s o t o p i c s p i n could e x p l a i n t h e behavior of s t r a n g e p a r t i c l e s . I t r i e d a s s ign ing 1 = 512 t o a s t r ange baryon, assuming t h a t t h e r e would be many a s yet undiscovered charged s t a t e s . I s o t o p i c s p i n conse rva t ion would t h e n prevent t h e V h a r t i c l e , a s A D was c a l l e d , from decaying i n t o nucleon p l u s pion, and conservat ion o!t' energy would prevent i t s going i n t o nucleon p l u s two pions . The Q value was q u i t e well known. I soon r e a l i z e d though, i n th ink ing about it and a l s o i n d i scuss ing it with Ed Adams and Murph Goldberger, t h a t t h e e lect romagnet ic i n t e r a c t i o n would r u i n t h e scheme , by changing i s o t o p i c s p i n by one u n i t . I dropped the idea . Many yea r s l a t e r I heard t h a t Okun, when he had an idea t h a t sounded good bu t t o which t h e r e s e e m e d t o b e f a t a l o b j e c t i o n s , was given t h e advice t h a t he should pub l i sh t h e idea wi th t h e ob jec t ions . It never en te red my mind t o do t h a t , b u t i t w a s doneby a n o t h e r p h y s i c i s t , D a v e Peas lee , whom I had never met but who had been my ~ r e d e c e s s o r a s g radua tes tuden t a n d a s s i s t a n t t o Viki Weisskopf a t MIT, and who was a t Columbia. Apparently he had t h e same i d e a , found t h e same o b j e c t i o n , and publ ished t h e idea wi th t h e ob jec t ion . It appeared a s a l e t t e r t o the Physical Review on A p r i l 1 , 1952. (No connect ion in tended w i t h t h e "poisson d ' a v r i l " ) . I d i d n ' t read t h e a r t i c l e a t t h e t ime, I only glanced a t it f o r a few seconds, but a couple of days ago I t r i e d t o read it and found it d i f f i c u l t t o follow. A few weeks a f t e r t h a t , probably i n May of 1952, I pa id a v i s i t t o the I n s t i t u t e f o r Advanced Study, where I had spen t t h e p rev ious year . I ih i le I was t h e r e someone asked me whether I had read Peas lee ' s l e t t e r . I descr ibed t h e s i t u a t i o n , and I was t h e n asked t o g e t up and t a l k f o r a few minutes i n the seminar room on t h e i d e a and why i t wouldn't work. I don ' t r e c a l l e x a c t l y who was t h e r e bu t I th ink Franc i s Low, T.D. Lee Abraham P a i s , and va r ious o t h e r s . I n my exp lana t ion , a s I got t o t h e I = 512 proposal I made a mis take, a s l i p of t h e tongue, and s a i d I = 1 . I paused and d idn ' tgo on with t h e t a l k f o r a minute o r two because I was th ink ing t o myself " A 1 = 1 o r 0, AI = 0 a r e t h e r u l e s f o r electromagnetism ; i f we need A 1 = 112 and A I Z = + 112 f o r zecay electromagnetism w i l l have t r o u b l e doing t h a t , and t h e problem 1s solved. "I went on, but a t t h e end I s a i d : "by t h e way, a few minutes ago I got what I t h i n k i s t h e r i g h t idea . I f t h i s V p a r t i c l e belongs t o a t r i p l e t , p l u s , zero and minus, w i t h I = I , electromagnetism w i l l have g r e a t d i f f i c u l t y causing decay ; we don ' t know of any k ind of e lect romagnet ic i n t e r a c t i o n t h a t w i l l change i s o t o p i c s p i n by a h a l f u n i t , o r t h e z component by a h a l f u n i t , and so t h e decay can be weak "I might have g o t t e n v e r y exc i t ed about it a t t h a t time but i n f a c t t h e audience was not very e n t h u s i a s t i c . Let me say a word now about g e t t i n g i d e a s i n t h a t way. Years l a t e r i n Aspen,Colorado, we had a d i scuss ion a t t h e Aspen Center f o r Physics a b o u t h o w o n e g e t s i d e a s i n p h y s i c s , i n poetry , i n pa in t ing , and i n o the r sub jec t s . There were two p a i n t e r s , one poe t , and a couple of o t h e r people. I spoke about t h i s inc iden t involving a s l i p of, t h e tongue. The o t h e r s spoke about some of t h e i r problems. It was agreed t h a t i n a l l these q u i t e d i f f e r e n t domains one sometimes t r i e s t o achieve something t h a t i s n o t permit ted by t h e t r a d i t i o n a l framework. It i s necessary t o go o u t s i d e t h e usual framework i n some way i n order t o accomplish t h e ob jec t ive . I n t h e o r e t i c a l physics t h i s f r u s t r a t i o n u s u a l l y appears a s a paradox. But a paradox i s a f t e r a l l j u s t one way of having your pa th blocked ; i n a r t the blocking i s manifested d i f f e r e n t l y . Having f i l l e d your mind with t h e problem and the d i f f i c u l t y you may then f i n d t h
Abstract. Arctic amplification of global warming has accelerated mass loss of Arctic land ice over the past decades and lead to increased freshwater discharge into glacier fjords and adjacent seas. Glacier freshwater discharge is typically associated with high sediment loads which limits the euphotic depth, but may also provide surface waters with essential nutrients, thus having counter-acting effects on marine productivity. In-situ observations from a few measured fjords across the Arctic indicate that glacier fjords dominated by marine-terminating glaciers are typically more productive than those with only land-terminating glaciers. Here we combine chlorophyll a from satellite ocean colour, an indicator of phytoplankton biomass, with glacier meltwater runoff from climatic mass-balance modelling to establish a statistical model of summertime-phytoplankton dynamics in Svalbard (mid-June to September). Statistical analysis reveals positive spatiotemporal association of chlorophyll a with glacier runoff for 7 out of 14 primary hydrological regions. These regions consist predominantly of the major fjord systems of Svalbard. The adjacent land areas are characterized by a wide range of total glacier coverage (35.5 % to 81.2 %) and fraction of marine-terminating glacier area (40.2 % to 87.4 %). We find that an increase in specific glacier-runoff rate of 10 mm water equivalent per 8-day timeperiod raises summertime chlorophyll a concentrations by 5.2 % to 20.0 %, depending on region. During the annual peak discharge we estimate that glacier runoff contributes to 13.1 % to 50.2 % increase in chlorophyll a compared to situations with no runoff. This suggest that glacier runoff is an important factor sustaining summertime phytoplankton production in Svalbard fjords, in line with findings from several fjords in Greenland. In contrast, for regions bordering open coasts, and beyond 10 km distance from the shore, we do not find significant association of chlorophyll a with runoff. In these regions, physical ocean and sea ice variables control chlorophyll a, pointing at the importance of a late sea ice breakup in northern Svalbard, as well as the advection of Atlantic water masses along the West Spitsbergen Current for summertime phytoplankton dynamics. Our method allows for investigation and monitoring of glacier-runoff effects on primary production throughout the summer season and is applicable on a Pan-Arctic scale, thus complementing valuable but scarce in-situ measurements in both space and time.
The authors review the practice of psychiatry in Africa today. They describe the similarities as well as the differences between psychiatry in Africa and in the Western world in the rates, presentations, and treatment of neurosis, depression, schizophrenia, and suicide and drug- and alcohol-related problems. Child psychiatric services and research in biological psychiatry are rare in Africa, and sociocultural problems confront epidemiologic studies and the use of psychotherapy. The authors conclude that to achieve the goal of mental health care for all Africans, psychiatry should be included in the primary health care program, regional postgraduate medical centers are needed, and a means of gathering statistics and funding research should be fostered.
On December 4th 2016, the Italian people was called to confirm or reject the reform of the constitution approved by the parliament. This paper focuses on a topic of the most important events during the referendum campaign and their impact on the final result of the voting. The article describes the actions taken by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to gather as many votes as possible and the main opposition's objections to the expected reform. The results of the referendum and other important consequences of the defeat were presented, as well as Matteo Renzi's resignation from the position of the Italian prime minister after being defeated. The article intends to present the strong agitation generated by the discussion between constitutionalists, politicians, journalists and italian political scientists during the referendum campaign.
The current study presents useful digital monitoring tools for environmental impact assessment, sustainable development, safe infrastructures related to sustainable tourism, heritage and cultural tourism monuments, archaeological sites, water resources sports tourism sites, ecological landscape tourism sites close to landfill sites. Useful tools are presented for stakeholders examining particular digital utilities for decision making to mitigate toxic hazardous probable landfill gas’s atmospheric pollution concentrations from landfill sites. In this paper are presented useful digital utilities as a framework of an integrated community health policy to support safe construction designs and proper monitoring schemes for public health protection and efficient economic designs. Integrated public health policy is presented within useful digital utilities applying proper management techniques for monitoring landfill emissions and decision making protecting community health and public health. Useful results are presented for sustainable construction facilities next to landfill sites that promote sustainable tourism, cultural – heritage tourism, sports tourism, ecological tourism and safety of associated community health infrastructures at post COVID-19 era within renewable resources from treated landfill emissions, green circular economy, clean technologies.
Abstract IN THE femurs of young pullets, the ends were found to be the principal site of storage of available calcium which may be utilized during the early period of egg production (Hurwitz, 1965). The ends were found to lose calcium during the production of the first five eggs but the calcium content of the cortical and medullary segments did not change significantly, even under conditions of calcium restriction. It was of interest to identify the site of available calcium stores in older laying hens which had been producing eggs for several months. The reaction of birds to periodic calcium restriction and their ability to recover from it is of considerable importance since calcium restriction is used to facilitate the utilization of dietary antibiotics (Price et al., 1959). Antibiotic utilization was also found to be enhanced by the substitution of gypsum (calcium sulfate) for limestone (calcium carbonate) in poultry rations (Eoff …
The aim of this article is to characterize a sample of black ink (Parker Quink), widely used in 1950–1980, and to compare it with other traditional inks. In addition to chemists, collectors and historians may be interested in this type of study because the alteration of the "permanent" nature of this and other inks can threaten the survival of documents. There is agreement that the main cause of decay is the iron(II) sulfate content of the ink, whose effect is stronger than the destructive action of the acids. The conversion to pyrite and its subsequently loosening can lead to a loss of clarity in the documents. Our data on the chemical composition of the black ink and the different ability of inks to act as a growth substratum for bacteria and fungi may be useful for individuals interested in studying the preservation of writings.
The hemoflagellate Trypanoplasma bullocki and its leech intermediate host, Calliobdella vivida, were studied concurrently over an 18-mo period. Calliobdella vivida occurred throughout the lower Chesapeake Bay but was most abundant near the mouths of major rivers where salinity ranged between 15 and 22 ppt. Calliobdella vivida produced one generation per year, and aestivated in cocoons. Nine different fishes harbored C. vivida, and leeches fed on an additional five species in the laboratory. Trypanoplasma bullocki infected 35% of 595 C. vivida examined, and also infected 13 species of teleost fishes representing 10 families, although it was most prevalent in flatfishes. The hogchoker, Trinectes maculatus, was infected throughout the year, but infections in summer flounder, Paralichthys dentatus, were only observed during winter. Infections of T. bullocki in migratory fishes were rare and were re- stricted to periods of leech contact during early spring or late fall. Flagellates were rare in blood samples from hogchoker or absent in summer flounder for up to 9 wk after experimental inoculation by syringe or leech at 25 C. Fishes subsequently cooled to 15 C or less developed acute infections. This pattern was the result of host-mediated effects rather than of parasite temperature tolerance.
Static and dynamic allodynia occurred in a rat model of neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Static allodynia was detected within 1 day after the CCI surgery, and persisted for 28 days. Dynamic allodynia displayed a slower course of development with a late onset, and statistically significant changes were achieved between 14 and 28 days after the surgery. Mexiletine at 10 and 30 mg/kg, s.c. produced a significant and dose-dependent inhibition of CCI-induced static and dynamic allodynia on day 14 post-surgery. Pregabalin, used as a reference drug, also significantly inhibited both static and dynamic allodynia at 30 and 60 mg/kg, p.o. These findings rationalize the clinical use of mexiletine for treatment of neuropathic pain.
Abstract Organic metals exhibit a relatively high resistivity at ambient temperature and the mean free path l may be less than the molecular spacing. In one-dimensional metals like TTF-TCNQ, TMTSF2X, and even doped polyacetylene, a symmetry argument provents linear coupling between the low-frequency librations and the electrons. In the two-dimensional organic metal BEDT-TTF2I3 linear coupling with the librons is possible, resulting in much greater resistivity. A very strong coupling with a very soft phonon of frequency 1 meV has been observed experimentally. The conductivity of the metallic state can be considerably less than Mott's minimum value, because of interband scattering.
OBJECTIVES This study examines the association between the regional availability of cardiac technology and outcomes of care for patients admitted to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. Patients using the VA regional medical system initially are admitted to a hospital with or without the on-site availability of technology-intensive cardiac services.   METHODS The authors identified male veterans (n = 24,229) discharged from VA hospitals with a primary diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) from January 1, 1988 through December 31, 1990. Analyses of mortality up to 2 years after AMI and the use of cardiac procedures were stratified by the type of VA hospitals to which patients initially were admitted. Logistic regression models adjusted for age, race, marital status, hospitalization in previous year, comorbidities, cardiac complications coded, and year of AMI.   RESULTS Adjusted mortality was significantly higher for patients initially admitted to hospitals without on-site cardiac technology at: 2 days (odds ratio [OR] 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-0.81), 90 days (OR 0.78; 95% CI 0.73-0.85); 1 year (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.81-0.93); and 2 years (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.81-0.92) compared with hospitals with on-site cardiac technology (ie, coronary angioplasty and cardiac surgery facilities). Patients initially admitted to hospitals without on-site cardiac technology also were less likely to undergo cardiac procedures than patients admitted to hospitals with on-site cardiac technology.   CONCLUSIONS The regional distribution of cardiac technology may restrict patient access to technology-intensive services and to "equally good medical care." Policies that promote regionalization of medical services should consider carefully the distribution of benefits and burdens to patients.
The performance of a novel 1*8 optical power splitter is demonstrated. Consisting of seven three-guide power couplers connected in a cascade manner, the splitter has a relatively short length of 11 mm. The use of a tapered waveguide in the constituent couplers should make it possible for this power splitter to provide a wide bandwidth and little polarization dependence. Also it has the advantage of strong tolerance to the waveguide parameter deviation.<<ETX>>
Most extant leadership research has focused exclusively on leadership in the workplace. We propose that leadership research would benefit from a multi-domain perspective that includes multiple domains of a leader’s life including work, community involvement, and family/friends. We begin by explaining the concept of multi-domain leadership. Next, we draw on work-family enrichment research to explore reasons why leaders might engage in multi-domain leadership and to consider how leading in one domain might increase leader effectiveness in a different domain. We then draw on leader development research to consider how engaging in multi-domain leadership builds leader expertise and leads to greater leader effectiveness across multiple domains. We conclude with discussion and future directions about the potential benefits of studying multi-domain leadership.
Summary The stages of spermiogenesis in Myobia murismusculi were investigated on the basis of ultrastructural analysis of both the testes and the female organs: receptaculum seminis and seminal duct. The walls of the testes consist of a thin epithelial layer. Germ and secretory cells lie free in the lumen of the testes. In the early stages of differentiation, both cell types represent clusters of sister cells joined by intercellular bridges. Each secretory cell contains prominent RER and Golgi complex, which produce single dense granule. Growing gradually the granule fills the whole volume of the cell's cytoplasm. Mature secretory cells disintegrate and the secretory product discharges into the testicular lumen. The germ cells are represented by the early, the intermediate and the late spermatids as well as the immature sperm (prospermia). Neither spermatogonia nor meiotic figures were observed in adult males. As spermiogenesis starts, numerous narrow invaginations of the outer membrane (peripheral channels) develop on the cell surface. They form a wide circumferential network connected to pinocytotic vesicles. Owing to the secretory activity of the Golgi complex, a large acrosomal granule is formed in the early spermatids. A long acrosomal filament runs along the intranuclear canal. Nuclear material condenses and forms two spherical bodies of different electron density. The lighter one can be observed until the stage of the late spermatids, when the nuclear envelope almost completely disappears. The electron-dense nuclear body transforms into a definite chromatin body, which is observed in the mature sperm as a cup-shaped structure. The late spermatids are characterized by the presence of a large electronlucent vacuole, which seems to be unique for the process of spermiogenesis in Actinedida. After the spermia enter the female genital tract, the peripheral channels disappear as well as the vacuole. The cells form long amoeboid arms with a special microtubular layer underneath the plasma membrane. The chromatin body is encircled by a large acrosomal granule of complex shape provided by long extensions running deep into the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm contains no organelles except for a group of unmodified mitochondria in the post-nuclear region. The main characteristics of the Myobia spermiogenesis are discussed with regard to other actinedid mites.
Homologous recombination (HR) repairs DNA double-strand breaks using intact homologous sequences as template DNA. Broken DNA and intact homologous sequences form joint molecules (JMs), including Holliday junctions (HJs), as HR intermediates. HJs are resolved to form crossover and noncrossover products. A mismatch repair factor, MLH3 endonuclease, produces the majority of crossovers during meiotic HR, but it remains elusive whether mismatch repair factors promote HR in nonmeiotic cells. We disrupted genes encoding the MLH3 and PMS2 endonucleases in the human B cell line, TK6, generating null MLH3-/- and PMS2-/- mutant cells. We also inserted point mutations into the endonuclease motif of MLH3 and PMS2 genes, generating endonuclease death MLH3DN/DN and PMS2EK/EK cells. MLH3-/- and MLH3DN/DN cells showed a very similar phenotype, a 2.5-fold decrease in the frequency of heteroallelic HR-dependent repair of restriction enzyme-induced double-strand breaks. PMS2-/- and PMS2EK/EK cells showed a phenotype very similar to that of the MLH3 mutants. These data indicate that MLH3 and PMS2 promote HR as an endonuclease. The MLH3DN/DN and PMS2EK/EK mutations had an additive effect on the heteroallelic HR. MLH3DN/DN/PMS2EK/EK cells showed normal kinetics of γ-irradiation-induced Rad51 foci but a significant delay in the resolution of Rad51 foci and a 3-fold decrease in the number of cisplatin-induced sister chromatid exchanges. The ectopic expression of the Gen1 HJ re-solvase partially reversed the defective heteroallelic HR of MLH3DN/DN/PMS2EK/EK cells. Taken together, we propose that MLH3 and PMS2 promote HR as endonucleases, most likely by processing JMs in mammalian somatic cells.
Based on videotaped data from two televized Taipei mayoral debates from 1998, this study examines, both qualitatively and quantitatively, how the use of the second-person singular pronoun ni ‘you’ by three Taiwanese politicians reflects their attitudes and relations toward other participants as well as their perceptions of the interactive goals of the speech activity. My analysis has found that compared with the first debate, the frequency of ni in the second debate increased from 63 to 221. More importantly, the functions of ni in these two debates are very different. In the first debate, more than 60 percent of the occurrences of ni are used by the three debaters either to address the audience/voters or to refer to an indefinite person (i.e., the impersonal ni), thereby establishing solidarity with the audience or voters. In contrast, more than 80 percent of the occurrences of ni in the second debate (which took place only four days before the election) are used when debaters address their opponents directly to challenge or attack them. I suggest that the different uses of ni in the two debates signal that the interactive goal of the debate has changed from establishing or reinforcing solidarity with the audience to expressing antagonism and confrontation vis-a`-vis one’s opponent. In addition, the different uses of ni among the three mayoral candidates also reflect their distinct communicative styles, e.g., casual or formal.
Using a face validity approach, this paper provides a validation of the Database Forensic Investigation Metamodel (DBFIM). The DBFIM was developed to solve interoperability, heterogeneity, complexity, and ambiguity in the database forensic investigation (DBFI) field, where several models were identified, collected, and reviewed to develop DBFIM. However, the developed DBFIM lacked the face validity-based approach that could ensure DBFIM’s applicability in the DBFI field. The completeness, usefulness, and logic of the developed DBFIM needed to be validated by experts. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to perform the validation of the developed DBFIM using the qualitative face validity approach. The face validity method is a common way of validating metamodels through subject expert inquiry on the domain application of the metamodel to assess whether the metamodel is reasonable and compatible based on the outcomes. For this purpose, six experts were nominated and selected to validate the developed DBFIM. From the expert review, the developed DBFIM was found to be complete, coherent, logical, scalable, interoperable, and useful for the DBFI field.
Myelin loss has a crucial impact on behavior disabilities associated to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Ischemic Stroke (IS). Although several MS therapies are approved, none of them promote remyelination in patients, limiting their ability for chronic recovery. With no available therapeutic options, enhanced demyelination in stroke survivors is correlated with a poorer behavioral recovery. Here, we show the experimental findings of our group and others supporting the remyelinating effects of C-Phycocyanin (C-PC), the main biliprotein of Spirulina platensis and its linked tetrapyrrole Phycocyanobilin (PCB), in models of these illnesses. C-PC promoted white matter regeneration in rats and mice affected by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Electron microscopy analysis in cerebral cortex from ischemic rats revealed a potent remyelinating action of PCB treatment after stroke. Among others biological processes, we discussed the role of regulatory T cell induction, the control of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory mediators, gene expression modulation and COX-2 inhibition as potential mechanisms involved in the C-PC and PCB effects on the recruitment, differentiation and maturation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in demyelinated lesions. The assembled evidence supports the implementation of clinical trials to demonstrate the recovery effects of C-PC and PCB in these diseases.
Spanish electrical system is one of most successful cases for electric power generation from renewable energy sources such as the wind and solar. In order to reveal the key points for the introduction of renewable energy in the electrical grid, we performed the statistical analysis of the composition of Spanish the power sources. Based on the Spanish power generation and demand, as well as the type of power source by area, we analyzed the error in demand forecast made by REE. Furthermore, we performed a Cross-correlation analysis for the time series of energy source data. As a result, we could understand buffering systems like International Power Interchange are inevitable for a high percentage of unstable renewables and unpredictable demand. One way to reduce the burden for the power grid is to construct segmented grids, and in this way improve the demand response balance within the gird.
The reactions of Cu(ClO4)2 with NaCN and the ditopic ligands m-bis[bis(1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene (Lm) or m-bis[bis(3,5-dimethyl-1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene (Lm*) yield [Cu2(μ-CN)(μ-Lm)2](ClO4)3 (1) and [Cu2(μ-CN)(μ-Lm*)2](ClO4)3 (3). In both, the cyanide ligand is linearly bridged (μ-1,2) leading to a separation of the two copper(II) ions of ca. 5 Å. The geometry around copper(II) in these complexes is distorted trigonal bipyramidal with the cyanide group in an equatorial position. The reaction of [Cu2(μ-F)(μ-Lm)2](ClO4)3 and (CH3)3SiN3 yields [Cu2(μ-N3)(μ-Lm)2](ClO4)3 (2), where the azide adopts end-on (μ-1,1) coordination with a Cu-N-Cu angle of 138.0° and a distorted square pyramidal geometry about the copper(II) ions. Similar chemistry in the more sterically hindered Lm* system yielded only the coordination polymer [Cu2(μ-Lm*)(μ-N3)2(N3)2]. Attempts to prepare a dinuclear complex with a bridging iodide yield the copper(I) complex [Cu5(μ-I4)(μ-Lm*)2]I3. The complexes 1 and 3 show strong antiferromagnetic coupling, -J = 135 and 161 cm(-1), respectively. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies coupled with density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the exchange interaction is transmitted through the dz(2) and the bridging ligand s and px orbitals. High field EPR studies confirmed the dz(2) ground state of the copper(II) ions. Single-crystal high-field EPR has been able to definitively show that the signs of D and E are positive. The zero-field splitting is dominated by the anisotropic exchange interactions. Complex 2 has -J = 223 cm(-1) and DFT calculations indicate a predominantly d(x(2)-y(2)) ground state.
Abstract Background Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with brain tumors, but comprehensive studies on fatigue in patients with meningioma specifically are lacking. This study examined the prevalence and correlates of fatigue in meningioma patients. Methods Patients with grade I meningioma completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) before and 1 year after neurosurgery. The MFI consists of 5 subscales: General Fatigue, Physical Fatigue, Mental Fatigue, Reduced Motivation, and Reduced Activity. Patients’ scores were compared with normative data. Preoperative fatigue was compared with postoperative fatigue. Correlations with sex, age, education, tumor hemisphere, preoperative tumor volume, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), symptoms of anxiety/depression, and self-reported cognitive complaints were explored. Results Questionnaires were completed by 65 patients preoperatively, and 53 patients postoperatively. Of 34 patients, data from both time points were available. Patients had significantly higher fatigue levels on all subscales compared to normative values at both time points. Mean scores on General Fatigue, Physical Fatigue, and Mental Fatigue remained stable over time and improvements were observed on Reduced Motivation and Reduced Activity. Preoperatively, the prevalence of high fatigue (Z-score ≥ 1.3) varied between 34% for Reduced Motivation and 43% for General Fatigue/Mental Fatigue. The postoperative prevalence ranged from 19% for Reduced Activity to 49% on Mental Fatigue. Fatigue was associated with cognitive complaints, anxiety and depression, but not with education, tumor lateralization, tumor volume, or AEDs. Conclusion Fatigue is a common and persistent symptom in patients with meningioma undergoing neurosurgery. Findings emphasize the need for more research and appropriate care targeting fatigue for meningioma patients.
One hundred and sixteen patients with advanced and metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were randomized to treatment with combined Streptozotocin and 5-fluorouracil or combined Streptozotocin and cyclophosphamide. Toxic reactions to each regimen were qualitatively similar and consisted of nausea and vomiting during the time of treatment and subsequent leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Renal toxicity was less frequent and only rarely severe. Among 51 eligible and evaluable patients treated with the Streptozotocin-cyclophosphamide combination, 12% showed objective response and among 42 patients treated with Streptozotocin + 5-fluorouracil, 12% showed objective response. The Streptozotocin + 5-fluorouracil-treated patients showed a slight advantage in survival. Neither regimen can be considered of substantive value to the patient with advanced pancreatic carcinoma.
Currently, there are several different types of psychotherapeutic approaches that can be used with problem gamblers. Those most commonly used are cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, motivational interviewing, and supportive psychotherapy. Research into the effectiveness of each of these therapies is just now beginning. Demand for treatment services, however, is rising quickly in every developed country. Coupled with the fact that only a limited body of evidence supports pharmacotherapy for problem gambling is a pressing need for ongoing training and supervision in the therapy of problem gamblers. For instance, in the state of California, there are relatively few gamblingcertified specialists and there is no formalized network of clinical supervisors. To address this gap in training and need for supervision, Richard Bryant-Jefferies has written Counselling for Problem Gambling: Person-Centred Dialogues. (The author has written a series of "Person-centred Dialgues" books.) This text is designed to demonstrate the person-centered approach to counseling problem gamblers. It takes the reader through a series of dialogues, from the first therapy session. The book is geared toward those who treat problem gamblers, primarily therapists and counselors. The book describes the details of the therapy as it is applied to two patients with problematic gambling behaviors. Max, a slot machine and Internet gambler, initiates treatment, while Rob, a horsetrack bettor, is compelled to come to treatment at the request of his wife. Their counselors, Clive and Pat, utilize the same approach but have different counseling styles. Each counseling session is presented in dialogue format, giving the reader the sense of being present in the room. Most interesting are the highlighted boxes within session texts that summarize what is happening therapeutically with patient and therapist. Each chapter closes with a set of discussion questions that engage the reader to reflect further on that session. In addition to the patient dialogues, the book also has sections on supervision and sections that focus on the counselor's therapeutic techniques. The latter is a feature unique to this book, as it demonstrates that therapy for problem gamblers is not always unidirectional and that therapists also bring their own conceptions, distortions, and expectations about gambling to the therapy sessions.
Objective: Auricular seroma is a cystic swelling filled with serous fluid. It occurs spontaneously or following trauma. Successful treatment of the seroma remains a challenge because this disease has a high propensity for recurrence. The aim was to study the results of the Plaster of Paris (POP) cast in treatment of seroma in terms of complete resolution of swelling, recurrence, and auricular aesthesis. Study Design: Prospective. Setting: Smt. Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital. Materials and Methods: A total of 48 patients with auricular seroma were studied. They were treated with aspiration of the cyst followed by compression dressing with a POP cast, taking the contour of the pinna. The POP cast was kept for 3 days. The patients were followed up for 6 months for recurrence. Results: Out of 48 patients, 43 patients had complete resolution of the swelling in a single application of the POP cast. Five patients needed 2 applications of the POP cast. Not a single patient had recurrence. Temporary discoloration or thickening of the pinna was noted in 8 patients. No major complications like perichondritis were noted. Conclusion: Aspiration and contour dressing using POP is an innovative and effective treatment for management of auricular seroma as it prevents surgical trauma and recurrence and gives cosmetically excellent results.
Effect of flow on corrosion of inner wall of metal pipelines is complex, relationship between them has not been fully revealed yet in existing researches. In petrochemical industry, leakage of water pipelines often occurs. Once sewage pipelines leaking, serious pollution may happen. Therefore, valid researches on effect of flow on corrosion could provide a theoretical basis for process designing and inspection planning of water pipelines in petrochemical industry. In this paper, the static and flow induced corrosion were discussed according to the experimental results, the acceleration and influence of the velocity on flow induced corrosion were discussed.
In this paper controllers are designed such that the state trajectories of mechanical systems with impacts converge to a reference trajectory that contains impacts. The impact times of the plant will typically not coincide with those of the reference, such that the Euclidean tracking error intrinsically behaves in an unstable manner. Therefore, an alternative approach is needed and we propose to study the convergence of a non-Euclidean tracking error measure that corresponds to the intuitive notion of tracking: impact times of the plant converge to those of the reference, and the plant follows the reference away from the impacts. Sufficient conditions for asymptotic stability in terms of this tracking error are presented, and the results are illustrated with a bouncing ball example.
Germinal center dendritic cells (GCDCs) have been identified as CD11c+ CD4+ CD3− cells located in GCs with the ability of inducing marked proliferation of allogenic T cells. Using immunofluorescence techniques, we have observed that this CD11c+ CD4+ CD3− immunophenotype identified GCDCs but also a subset of extrafollicular DCs. By flow cytometry, we were able to discriminate the GCDCs (CD11chigh CD4high lin−) from the other tonsil DCs. By immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, we found that dendritic cells of germinal centers express more intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) (CD54) than extrafollicular dendritic cells. Proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) induced by coculture with purified CD11c+ CD4+ CD3− DCs was reduced by addition of blocking anti-CD54 antibodies. In summary, distinct levels of ICAM-1 expression allow the distinction between GCDCs and extrafollicular DCs, and cellular interactions mediated by CD54 are likely to play a role in the capacity of GCDC to stimulate allogenic PBMC proliferation.
A homogeneous ball is excited by an internal source. We investigate acoustic and electromagnetic inverse-source problems in the low-frequency region. In acoustics, we determine the strength and location of an internal point source, while in electromagnetics, the location and polarization of an internal point dipole. The developed algorithms are simple and analytic and are based on suitable far-field measurements in distinct observation directions.
Recall, from the beginning of Chapter 8, the problems (A) and (B) with the MCMC method. In that chapter, we saw one approach to solving these problems, namely to prove that an MCMC chain converges sufficiently quickly to its equilibrium distribution. In the early 1990's, some ideas about a radically different approach began to emerge. The breakthrough came in a 1996 paper by Jim Propp and David Wilson [PW], both working at MIT at that time, who presented a refinement of the MCMC method, yielding an algorithm which simultaneously solves problems (A) and (B) above, by (A*) producing an output whose distribution is exactly the equilibrium distribution π, and (B*) determining automatically when to stop, thus removing the need to compute any Markov chain convergence rates beforehand. This algorithm has become known as the Propp–Wilson algorithm , and is the main topic of this chapter. The main feature distinguishing the Propp–Wilson algorithm from ordinary MCMC algorithms is that it involves running not only one Markov chain, but several copies of it, with different initial values. Another feature which is important (we shall soon see why) is that the chains are not run from time 0 and onwards, but rather from some time in the (possibly distant) past, and up to time 0. Due to property (A*) above, the Propp–Wilson algorithm is sometimes said to be an exact , or perfect simulation algorithm. We go on with a more specific description of the algorithm.
A human brachial artery system prototype controller is devised in this paper. Operational procedure of the designed prototype has been highlighted. Results from executed numerical calculations and experiments have been pointed out. To calculate the controller parameter values, because of linearity of the designed prototype model, major structural components (pump and shaker) are considered independently during preliminary investigation. At the concluding stage, the calculated values are united to demonstrate response of the complete system. Major features of the developed LabVIEW software based controller have been described as well.
Endogenous cytokinins in alfalfa were isolated, and identified by mass spectrometry, trans- Ribosylzeatin (RZ) and ribosyldihydrozeatin (DHRZ) were identified from the root, and the combined content (benzyladenine equivalent) was estimated to be approximately 0.5/μg/100 g of fresh weight, eis- and trans-KL were identified from the stems and leaves. The relative content of the m-isomer was approximately five times greater than that of the trans-isomer.
1 Goletz S, Hashimoto T, Zillikens D, Schmidt E. Anti-p200 pemphigoid. J Am Acad Dermatol 2014; 71(1): 185–191. 2 Dainichi T, Kurono S, Ohyama B et al. Anti-laminin gamma-1 pemphigoid. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106: 2800–2805. 3 Commin MH, Schmidt E, Duvert-Lehembre S et al. Clinical and immunological features and outcome of anti-p200 pemphigoid. Br J Dermatol 2016; 175: 776–781. 4 Yoshimoto N, Ujiie H, Hirata Y et al. Bullous pemphigoid developed in a patient with prurigo nodularis. J Eur Acad Dermatology Venereol 2017; 31: e187–e189. 5 Fukushi S, Yamasaki K, Aiba S. Nuclear localization of activated STAT6 and STAT3 in epidermis of prurigo nodularis. Br J Dermatol 2011; 165: 990–996.
We discuss the concept of components in the Earth’s mantle starting from a petrological and geochemical approach, but adopting a new method of projection of geochemical and isotopic data. This allows the compositional variability of magmatic associations to be evaluated in multi-dimensional space, thus simultaneously accounting for a large number of compositional variables.We demonstrate that ocean island basalts (OIB) and mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) are derived from a marble-cake mantle, in which different degrees of partial melting of recycled lithosphere, which are heterogeneous in age and composition, contribute to the magma genesis. This view is supported by the variability in the geochemical and isotopic signatures of OIB that are observed on the scale of a single ocean island as well as on that of an ocean, mostly varying between two extreme compositions, that are not strictly related to the commonly accepted mantle components (DMM, EMI, EMII, HIMU). Rather they are a distinctive feature of the mantle source sampled at each ocean island and are strongly dependent on the Pb isotope system. We recommend a change in perspective in studies of MORB^OIB geochemistry from one based on physically distinct mantle components to a model based on the existence of a marble-cake-like upper mantle. Although resembling the statistical upper mantle, this model implies that geochemical homogenization can be attained only within the limits of local mantle composition, so that a world-wide uniform depleted reservoir cannot be sampled by simply extending the volume of the region undergoing partial melting.
Abstract The allocation of attention can be modulated by the emotional value of a stimulus. In order to understand the biasing influence of emotion on attention allocation further, we require an animal test of how motivational salience modulates attention. In mice, female odour triggers arousal and elicits emotional responses in males. Here, we determined the extent to which objects labelled with female odour modulated the attention of C57BL/6J male mice. Seven experiments were conducted, using a modified version of the spontaneous Novel Object Recognition task. Attention was operationalised as differential exploration time of identical objects that were labelled with either female mouse odour (O+), a non-social odour, almond odour (Oa) or not labelled with any odour (O-). In some experiments we tested trial unique (novel) objects than never carried an odour (X-). We found that when single objects were presented, as well as when two objects were presented simultaneously (so competed with each other for attention), O+ received preferential attention compared to O-. This result was independent of whether O+ was at a novel or familiar location. When compared with Oa at a novel location, O+ at a familiar location attracted more attention. Compared to X-, O+ received more exploration only when placed at a novel location, but attention to O+ and X- was equivalent when they were placed in a familiar location. These results suggest that C57BL/6J male mice weigh up aspects of odour, object novelty and special novelty for motivational salience, and that, in some instances, female odour elicits more attention (object exploration) compared to other olfactory stimuli and visual object novelty. The findings of this study pave the way to using motivationally-significant odours to modulate the cognitive processes that give rise to novel object recognition.
The authors show that by scanning at points on the surface of a sphere that the normal angle correction used in pulsed Doppler flow measurements is no longer necessary. Thus, it is possible to measure three-dimensional (3-D) flow using multiplanar ultrasound even though one only gets one-dimensional (1-D) velocity information from pulsed Doppler ultrasound. The technique handles the three basic problems in flow measurements using ultrasound Doppler: the variations of the cross-sectional area; the time-dependent changes in the velocity field; and the dependency of the angle of insonation. The technique is tested in a flow phantom using different angles of insonation to validate the angle independence of this new technique. Using six different angles of insonation in the range 0/spl deg/ to 69/spl deg/ with flow rates in the range of 0-170 ml/s a linear dependence was found to be: measured (color Doppler)=0.98 real flow (reference) +1.36 ml/s, with a 95% confidence interval of /spl plusmn/13.9 ml/s.
Georeferencing of health data gains relevance as the analysis and assessments of risks to public health incorporate variables related to the environment and to the socioeconomic profile of the population. Early motherhood does not occur at random within the society. This study aims to identify the spatial dependence of adolescent pregnancy within socioeconomic aspects and social vulnerability. Presuming the existence of a spatial dependence between these facets, the present work used the Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis. This tool is a collection of techniques which describes and visualizes spatial distributions; identifies atypical circumstances; discovers patterns of spatial association; makes clusters of similar values; and suggests spatial schemes or other forms of spatial heterogeneity. One of the results highlighted is the statistically significant correlation between social vulnerability and the rate of live births for women between 12-19 and 20-29 years of age. The study identified: (a) the presence of clusters with high proportions of teenage mothers associated with poorer socioeconomic conditions; and (b) a decrease in the proportion of teenage mothers in areas of better conditions, in which the highest number of births occurred in the 20-29 years and above 30 age groups. This study may help the organization and planning of actions and strategies in the area of sexual and reproductive health for young and adolescent audiences.
There is a wide chasm between what has been shown to be feasible in the application of artificial intelligence to data from the electronic medical record, and what is currently available. The reasons for this are complex and understudied, and vary across technical, ethical and sociocultural domains. This work addresses the gap in the literature for studies that determine the readiness of clinical end-users to adopt such tools and the way in which they are perceived to affect clinical practice itself.  In this study, we present a novel, credible AI system for predicting in-patient deterioration to likely end users. We gauge their readiness to adopt this technology using a modified version of the technology adoption model.  Users are found to be moderately positive towards the potential introduction of this technology in their workflow, although they demonstrate particular concern for the appropriateness of the clinical setting into which it is deployed.
Colorimetric aptamer-based sensors offer a simple means of on-site or point-of-care analyte detection. However, these sensors are largely incapable of achieving naked-eye detection, because of the poor performance of the target-recognition and signal-reporting elements employed. To address this problem, we report a generalizable strategy for engineering novel multimodule split DNA constructs termed "CBSAzymes" that utilize a cooperative binding split aptamer (CBSA) as a highly target-responsive bioreceptor and a new, highly active split DNAzyme as an efficient signal reporter. CBSAzymes consist of two fragments that remain separate in the absence of target, but effectively assemble in the presence of the target to form a complex that catalyzes the oxidation of 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid, developing a dark green color within 5 min. Such assay enables rapid, sensitive, and visual detection of small molecules, which has not been achieved with any previously reported split-aptamer-DNAzyme conjugates. In an initial demonstration, we generate a cocaine-binding CBSAzyme that enables naked-eye detection of cocaine at concentrations as low as 10 μM. Notably, CBSAzyme engineering is straightforward and generalizable. We demonstrate this by developing a methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV)-binding CBSAzyme for visual detection of MDPV and 10 other synthetic cathinones at low micromolar concentrations, even in biological samples. Given that CBSAzyme-based assays are simple, label-free, rapid, robust, and instrument-free, we believe that such assays should be readily applicable for on-site visual detection of various important small molecules such as illicit drugs, medical biomarkers, and toxins in various sample matrices.
Phase imaging with simple experimental setup and quantitative accuracy is being widely investigated and face particular challenges in x-ray imaging. Combining spectral detection schemes with light transport models has shown to yield significant simplification of phase imaging experiments. These ideas will be presented to show potential medical and biological applications in low dose x-ray imaging.
In this paper, a group of outdoor wireless sensors are assigned to trace the indoor barriers. We introduce a framework based on compressive sensing theory that allows sensors to map the 2D spatial details of a building non-invasively. By exploiting an alternative projection method, called fan-beam, sensors can efficiently observe area indirectly. It is also shown that how sparse representation of the spatial parameters in some domains may be utilized in order to realize obstacle mapping with minimum number of wireless transmissions and receptions. In addition, another random approach is considered and simulation results illustrate premier performance of our novel framework. Further, we test our method in different circumstances and show how weaknesses can be improved.
Hybrid evolutionary passive analog circuits syn- thesis method based on modified Univariate Marginal Dis- tribution Algorithm (UMDA) and a local search algorithm is proposed in the paper. The modification of the UMDA algorithm which allows to specify the maximum number of the nodes and the maximum number of the components of the synthesized circuit is proposed. The proposed hybrid ap- proach efficiently reduces the number of the objective func- tion evaluations. The modified UMDA algorithm is used for synthesis of the topology and the local search algorithm is used for determination of the parameters of the components of the designed circuit. As an example the proposed method is applied to a problem of synthesis of the fractional capaci- tor circuit.
Underground structures, such as tunnels, are vital for ensuring all kinds of transportation; and being buried under the surface makes them exposed to soil dynamics. Added to the moderate seismic activity in Morocco, the stability of tunnels is put to the test. This paper examines the interaction between the ZAM (Zaouit Ait Mellal) twin tunnels between the cities of Marrakesh and Agadir, using the Difference Element Method provided by FLAC 2D software. The acceleration is introduced as the one related to the historic event of El centro 1940 with free-field boundary conditions in the numerical model, with three configurations: tunnel 1 without tunnel 2, tunnel 2 without tunnel 1 and tunnel 1 with tunnel 2. The results of the simulations indicate that the differences values of the maximum displacement, axial force and bending moment on structural elements are very noteworthy from the configuration of the tunnel (single) to the twin tunnels in order to prove the interaction between these latter under seismic loading.
Around the world, new innovations and access to information are making it easier for people to have greater autonomy over their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Many governments and health providers are increasingly taking action to support long-standing self-care practices, ensuring connections to the health system where needed. For SRHR self-care options to be equitable and accessible to everyone, their design and implementation must account for varying levels of formal education and literacy among users. Self-care can enable individuals to preserve their health and treat illness, either with or without the support of a health care provider. Expanding self-care options can increase individuals’ autonomy, improve health outcomes, and close the equity gap in health services. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a second guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being, which is rooted in a review of global evidence and SRH-related human rights, including “the right to be informed of and have access to the safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of fertility regulation of their choice”. These rights extend to all populations that may experience stigma, discrimination, or other barriers when accessing health services, including individuals who have not completed primary or secondary education. In a recent commentary on discrimination in health care, for example, Babyar writes, “Providers may tailor conversations and wording based on an individual’s work or education achievements, displaying either negative or positive discriminatory practice”. The WHO guideline’s conceptual framework recognises that both information and education are enabling factors for practising self-care. Users must have access to accurate, high-quality information tailored to different education and literacy levels. At the same time, there is a risk that some policy-makers, implementers, and health providers may consider higher levels of education to be a requirement for practising self-care, rather than an enabler – a risk that has played out in discussions about self-care interventions including contraceptive self-injection (see below) as well as HIV self-testing. This risk would disproportionately affect women and girls because of long-standing gender disparities in education, as well as pervasive gender norms that can undermine trust in women’s and girls’ autonomy and decision-making. To address real and potential disparities, we must continue to advance inclusive and equitable quality education for all, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SRHR community must also take deliberate action to design and COMMENTARY
Objective. To assess changes in levels of salivary nitric oxide (NO) after insertion of new complete dentures and its association with clinical and salivary parameters. Methods. Nineteen fully edentulous subjects were included, mean age 64.4. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected before and after insertion of the dentures, at follow-up visits, and after 12 months. The concentration of the final stable NO product (nitrite) was measured by a colorimetric assay based on the Griess reaction. Clinical parameters were assessed during all clinical visits. Results. Functional adaptation to the dentures progressively improved, with no complaints at the long-term follow-up. NO concentration was not influenced by the level of functional adaptation, presence of injuries to the mucosa, salivary flow, and saliva viscosity. Pairwise comparison showed a reduction in NO concentration at the first follow-up compared to baseline values but differences were not statistically significant. Significant differences were observed in NO concentrations at the long-term follow-up when compared to the first (p = 0.024) and second (p = 0.027) visits. Conclusion. NO concentration reduced after denture insertion and returned to baseline levels in the long-term follow-up. This appears to be an autonomic response of the body and provides valuable complementary information for the management of the edentulous patient.
Climate change caused by global warming has resulted in an increase in average temperature and changes in precipitation pattern and intensity. Consequently, this has led to an increase in localized heavy rain which intensifies the uncertainty of the development of urban areas. To minimize flood damage in an urban area, this study aims to analyze the flood risk effect on buildings by ranking the risk of flood damage for each building type and sorting the long-term land use plan and the building type that requires particular consideration. To evaluate the flood risk of each building type, vulnerability analysis and exposure analysis were conducted in five regions of the Ulsan City. The vulnerability analysis includes determination of each building type by using the building elements which are sensitive to flood damage. In terms of the exposure analysis, environmental factors were applied to analyze the flood depth. The mapping based on the results from two analyses provided the basis for classifying the flood risk into five classes (green, yellowish green, yellow, orange, red). The results were provided in the urban spatial form for each building type. This analysis shows that the district near the Taehwa river is the area with the highest risk class buildings (red and orange class buildings). Notably, this area plays a pivotal functional role in administrating the Ulsan City and has a high density of buildings. This phenomenon is explained by city development which is centered around the lowland; however, given the high value of property, the potential risk is proven to be high.
Abstract Background and Aims: Transanal real-time elastography (RTE) was demonstrated to yield valuable information regarding elastic properties of the anal sphincter in patients with fecal incontinence. We studied the role of RTE findings as a risk factor for the outcome of patients with fecal incontinence following anorectal surgery in irradiated and non-irradiated individuals and compared these observations with conventional B-mode/color Doppler EUS.  Patients and Methods: 90 patients with postsurgical fecal incontinence were included in this prospective monocentric study. Baseline and follow-up (after 3 weeks and 1 year) assessment included an incontinence severity score questionnaire, rectal manometry, B-mode/color Doppler EUS and RTE with quantitation of the sphincter elastograms. Results: 81 patients could be finally assessed, in 24 patients (29.6 %) a pathological elastogram with predominantly hard elements was found; logistic regression analysis revealed no significant association with the short- and long-term clinical outcome nor were any differences seen between irradiated and non-irradiated patients. Defined sphincter defects as seen with conventional EUS were significanntly associated with a worse short- and long-term outcome: odds ratio ORshort-term: 1.414 (1.107 − 1.807, p = 0.0101); ORlong-term: 1.675 (95 % CI: 1.133 − 2.477; p = 0.0294). Submucosal thickening and hypervascularization were found more frequently in the irradiated group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: RTE with quantitation of sphincter elastic properties yields no further diagnostic and prognostic information compared to conventional EUS in irradiated and non-irradiated patients and, therefore, cannot be regarded as a new tool in the assessment of those patients. Our data further confirm the view that defined sphincter defects may be a major risk factor for an unfavorable outcome.
The basic approach in text categorization is to represent documents by single words. However, often other features are utilized to achieve better classification results. In this paper, our attention is focused on bigrams and 2-itemsets. We compare the performance improvement in terms of classification accuracy when these features are used to extend the single words-based document representation on two standard text corpora: Reuters-21578 and 20 Newsgroups. For this comparison we use the multinomial Naive Bayes classifier and five different feature selection approaches. Algorithms for bigrams and 2-itemsets discovery are presented as well. Our results show a statistically significant improvement when bigrams and also 2-itemsets are incorporated. However, in the case of 2-itemsets it is important to use an appropriate feature selection method. On the other hand, even when a simple feature selection approach is applied to discover bigrams the classification accuracy improves. The conclusion is that, in our case, it is not very effective to extend document representation with 2-itemsets because bigrams achieve better results and discovering them is less resource-consuming.
The fundamental principle of three dimensional Element-free Galerkin has been briefly investigated in this paper, and built forming mode of steel ball cold forging, Element-free Galerkin method successfully applied to the simulation analysis of steel ball cold forging forming process in the LS-DYNA simulation software. In comparison to Finite Element Method and experiment data, Proved Element-free Galerkin method was feasible in metal plastic forming process, and in the large deformation simulation was more accurate than the finite element method, Element-free Galerkin method has more obvious advantages after altering the impact factors.
Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is a stress response protein, which confers cytoprotection against oxidative injury and provides a vital function in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Molecular mechanisms involved in the inducible transcription of ho-1 occurring in response to numerous and diverse stressful conditions have remained elusive. Since the discovery of E1 and E2, the two upstream enhancers regulating induction of ho-1 transcription in 1989, there have been many studies dealing with molecular mechanisms involved in enhancing HO-1 expression. In this commentary, recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms involved in the induction of HO-1 expression in mammalian cells are summarized with some supportive results reported by others. Currently available data indicate that activation of ho-1 transcription involves both the heme (native substrate)-dependent selective alleviation of repressor and the oxidative stress-dependent activation of transcriptional activator. The stress-released free-heme (HO-1 substrate) from hemoproteins involved in causing oxidative stress itself appears to act as a molecular switch controlling the repressor- activator antagonism on the enhancer sequences of ho-1. Thus, induction of HO-1 appears to operate in a manner like a simple feedback loop. dox Signal. 7, 1674-1687.
This chapter consists of two parts. The first presents a general perspective on cognitive neuroscience in which we use natural language as an example to illustrate various issues involved in understanding the human brain from a cognitive point of view. We start with a brief review of some relevant structural and functional facts about neural systems and an outline of the cognitive science perspective on psychological explanation. A framework for describing cognitive systems is Marr’s three levels of analysis: the computational, algorithmic, and implementation levels (Marr, 1982). As a first approximation, natural language can be viewed as analyzed at levels 1–3 in theoretical linguistics (Sag, Wasow, & Bender, 2003), psycholinguistics (Gernsbacher, 1994), and neurolinguistics (Brown & Hagoort, 1999), respectively. The second part of the chapter provides a glimpse of the challenges that the human brain poses to our understanding of the same. Here, we review some empirical findings related to illiteracy in the context of literacy, we outline a perspective on the acquisition of reading and writing skills as well as other cognitive skills during (formal) education, and we take the view that the educational system is a structured process for cultural transmission; on this view, the educational system represents an institutionalized structure that subserves important aspects of socialization and cultural transmission. Cognitive neuroscience typically works with a modified perspective on cognition, learning, and development compared to classical cognitive science, although the underlying ideas are essentially the same. Within this modified framework (Petersson, 2005a), the three descriptive levels can be generalized to (1) the cognitive level: a formal theory for structured cognitive states and a corresponding cognitive transition system, which specifies the transitions between cognitive states and the results of informationprocessing; (2) the dynamical system level: given a formal cognitive theory, a state-space is specified and processing is formulated in terms of a dynamical system that embeds the system specification at the cognitive level; and (3) the implementation level: given a
The IEEE 802.11n wireless local-area network (WLAN) has been widely deployed at every place around the world for the Internet access services. In WLAN, the throughput unfairness problem appears among concurrently communicating hosts due to their signal strength differences when the distances to access-points (APs) are different. Previously, to achieve fair network services among users, we have studied the method of controlling the packet transmission delay at one AP using PI controller. However, it cannot be applied to multiple APs that are common in WLAN. In this paper, we propose a throughput fairness control method of applying traffic shaping at the APs to provide the fair throughput among concurrently communicating hosts with multiple APs. For evaluations, we implement the testbed system using Raspberry Pi for APs and conduct extensive experiments in six topologies with up to four APs. The results show that the throughput of every host is similar to each other in any topology, which confirms the effectiveness of the proposal.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited retinal degenerative disease, is characterized by a progressive loss of rod photoreceptors followed by loss of cone photoreceptors. Previously, when tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1), a key extracellular matrix (ECM) regulator that binds to and inhibits activation of Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) was intravitreal injected into eyes of a transgenic rhodopsin rat model of RP, S334ter-line3, we discovered cone outer segments are partially protected. In parallel, we reported that a specific MMP9 and MMP2 inhibitor, SB-3CT, interferes with mechanisms leading to rod photoreceptor cell death in an MMP9 dependent manner. Here, we extend our initial rat studies to examine the potential of TIMP1 as a treatment in retinal degeneration by investigating neuroprotective effects in a classic mouse retinal degeneration model, rdPde6b-/- (rd1). The results clearly demonstrate that intravitreal injections of TIMP1 produce extended protection to delay rod photoreceptor cell death. The mean total number of rods in whole-mount retinas was significantly greater in TIMP-treated rd1 retinas (postnatal (P) 30, P35 (P<0.0001) and P45 (P<0.05) than in saline-treated rd1 retinas. In contrast, SB-3CT did not delay rod cell death, leading us to further investigate alternative pathways that do not involve MMPs. In addition to inducing phosphorylated ERK1/2, TIMP1 significantly reduces BAX activity and delays attenuation of the outer nuclear layer (ONL). Physiological responses using scotopic electroretinograms (ERG) reveal b-wave amplitudes from TIMP1-treated retinas are significantly greater than from saline-treated rd1 retinas (P<0.05). In later degenerative stages of rd1 retinas, photopic b-wave amplitudes from TIMP1-treated rd1 retinas are significantly larger than from saline-treated rd1 retinas (P<0.05). Our findings demonstrate that TIMP1 delays photoreceptor cell death. Furthermore, this study provides new insights into how TIMP1 works in the mouse animal model of RP.
Nine Newcastle disease virus (NDV) isolates obtained from Puerto Rico, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas were analyzed for in vivo pathogenicity, biological properties (hemagglutination of mammalian erythrocytes), and for sequence variation at the amino acid and sense RNA level of the fusion protein cleavage site. Intracerebral pathogenicity index values ranged from 0 to 0.3 and the intravenous pathogenicity index obtained for all isolates was 0. Four isolates hemagglutinated bovine erythrocytes, whereas no hemagglutination was observed using equine erythrocytes. By direct sequencing of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction products, all the isolates had a predicted fusion cleavage sequence comparable to lentogenic NDV strains. Based on nucleotide sequence, the viruses could be grouped phylogenetically with the B1 vaccine-type virus. However, nucleotide sequences were not 100% similar to the B1 or La Sota NDV strains, indicating that minor genetic heterogeneity occurs among lentogenic field isolates of NDV.
616 LABMEDICINE Volume 35 Number 10 October 2004 labmedicine.com The safety of the blood supply, particularly the risk of transfusion transmitted infections, is a great public health concern. The transfusion of bacterially contaminated blood and blood products may have severe or even fatal consequences.1-4 Bacterial contamination of blood components is the most frequently reported cause of transfusion-related fatalities reported to the FDA after hemolytic transfusion reactions, accounting for more than 10% [77/694] of transfusion-associated fatalities from 1985 to1999.5 Of these, a majority (62%) were associated with the transfusion of bacterially contaminated platelets, while a minority (38%) were associated with transfusion of bacterially contaminated red cells. Platelets are stored at 22°C to 24°C and as a result are more likely to support bacterial growth than are the red cells, which are refrigerated between 1°C to 6°C. Review of literature6-16 on bacterial contamination of blood components reveals that there are no definite and clear cut guidelines or effective measures being practiced to tackle this problem, as not all contaminated blood components lead to overt clinical bacterial infections, and often there is lack of suspicion on the part of clinicians. Thus, there is not enough data in the literature to document the exact frequency of transfusion-transmitted bacterial infections, but reported values are around 0.1%.6 Recent figures estimate a prevalence of 0.2% for whole blood,6 0.002% to 1.0% for packed red cells, and 0.04% to 10% for platelets depending upon processing, storage, and the method of culture (Table 1).7-13 Much attention has been paid to the storage conditions and prevention of possible contamination during the collection and preparation of blood components in the blood bank,14-16 but the storage conditions and handling of blood and blood components outside the blood bank (ie, various wards and operation theaters) have never been looked into seriously. Keeping this in mind, we tried to evaluate: 1. The storage conditions within and outside the blood bank by sending random cultures of components stored in the blood bank and single cultures from received-back units from various wards and operation theaters. 2. The overall incidence of bacterial contamination of blood components at our center and the resultant morbidity and mortality over a period of 3 years, from January 1999 to December 2001. Evaluation of Storage Conditions and Bacterial Proliferation in Blood Components
At present, the optical fiber differential protection is widely used in high voltage power grid. However, due to the limitation of technology and equipment, there are still some reasons for the normal operation of optical fiber protection. In this paper, according to the actual operation of the optical fiber differential protection, the impact of optical fiber differential protection is analysed and classified after a long period of test summary. This has certain guiding significance to the reliable and stable operation of the optical fiber differential protection.
Objectives: Although intensive therapy for type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevents microvascular complications, 10% of well-controlled T2D patients develop microangiopathy. Therefore, the identification of risk markers for microvascular complications in well-controlled T2D patients is important. Recent studies have demonstrated that high-dose glucose induces neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, which can be a risk for microvascular disorders. Thus, we attempted to determine the correlation of circulating NET levels with clinical/laboratory parameters in well-controlled T2D patients and to reveal the mechanism of NET formation induced by high-dose glucose. Methods: Circulating NET levels represented by myeloperoxidase (MPO)-DNA complexes in the serum of 11 well-controlled T2D patients and 13 healthy volunteers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The pathway involved in the NET formation induced by high-dose glucose was determined using specific inhibitors. Results: Serum MPO-DNA complex levels were significantly higher in some well-controlled T2D patients in correlation with the clinical/laboratory parameters which have been regarded as risk markers for microvascular complications. The aldose reductase inhibitor, ranirestat, could inhibit the NET formation induced by high-dose glucose. Conclusions: Elevated levels of circulating NETs can be a risk marker for microvascular complications in well-controlled T2D patients. The polyol pathway is involved in the NET formation induced by high-dose glucose.
The proposed project explores the utility of Boids as a basis for building an intelligent robotic platform, capable of exhibiting complex flocking and exploration behaviors. Ideally, this platform would retain sufficient flexibility, such that it may be trivially retooled for a variety of applications. The environment for our proposed platform will also include a simulator and user interface, to allow for easy and rapid testing of new algorithms and coefficients. The interface would also provide functionality that is necessary to view simulated units, as well as to change their parameters.
This research was carried out due to the existence of the waste heavy metals in the aquatic environment, which was very harmful to the sustainability of the environment. The purpose of this research was to find out the reduction percentage of copper metal (Cu) on the waste. This research using method phytoremediation test. The plants used were water hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes) and algae (Hydrilla verticilata). This study was conducted three times of the repetition in each variable. The measurement of Cu concentration using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) flame. The Results of this research was found that the efficiency of the average reduction in the concentration of Cu by water hyacinth was 82.8368% and the efficiency of the average reduction in the concentration of Cu by algae was 63.4042%.
The automation of intralogistic processes is a major trend, but order picking, one of the core and most cost-intensive tasks in this field, remains mostly manual due to the flexibility required during picking. Reacting to its hard physical and ergonomic strain, the automation of this process is however highly relevant. Robotic picking system would enable the automation of this process from a technical point of view, but the necessity for the system to evolve in time, due to dynamics of logistic environments, faces operations with new challenges that are hardly treated in literature. This unknown scares potential investors, hindering the application of technically feasible solutions. In this paper, a model for the evaluation of the additional cost of training of automated systems during operations is presented, that also considers the savings enabled by the system after its evolution. The proposed approach, that considers different parameters such as capacity, ergonomics and cost, is validated with a case study and discussed.
Malaria has probably killed more human beings than any other single disease (Garnham 1) . In 1952 Russell (2) estimated that there were about 350 million cases of malaria per year with an estimated 1 percent mortality. More recently Bruce-Chwatt (3) has estimated that 1741 million people now live in areas that were once malarious; of that numher 381 million are still subjected to endemic malaria, and 710 million inhabit areas where malaria is only partially controlled. As a leading cause of human morbidity and mortality, malaria has undoubtedly been a major agent of natural se­ lection and consequently a determinant of man's genetic evolution. Haldane (4-6) was primarily responsible for directing the attention of geneticists to the importance of infectious disease including malaria in man's recent evolution. Although man undoubtedly has had many parasites during his long history as a hunter and collector, the domestication of animals and plants about 9000 years ago increased the number and severity of parasitic infections, since it enormously increased the population density of the human species and made it one of the most available hosts for parasites. The effects of either epidemic or endemic malaria are also so disruptive to human affairs that malaria has often been considered a major cause of historical events from the declines of Greece and Rome to the failure of the Crusades and the Gallipoli campaign of World War I (Jones 7 , Hackett 8, Garnham 1). Shortt (9) has discussed the economic importance of malaria and given examples of its disastrous effects. He also points out that this disease may have prevented the settling of some areas of India. Because of its distinctive symptoms, malaria can be traced more pre­ cisely than most infectious diseases in the writings of antiquity. References on papyri of the 16th century B. C. to splenomegaly, and hieroglyphic inscriptions referring to intermittent fever seem to indicate the presence of malaria in ancient Egypt (Hoeppli 10, Garnham 1) . But the characteristic symptoms of malaria, tertian or quartan fever and an enlarged spleen, were specifically recorded in Greece by Hippocrates in the 4th century B . C. and were also known in Roman times in Italy (Boyd 1 1 , Russell 12). Pre­ Christian written records from China and India also refer to the same symptoms (Gwei-Djen & Needham 13, Hoeppli 14, Russell 10); so we know that malaria was present throughout the civilizations of antiquity.
Objectives: The number of older adults on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) for opioid use disorder is increasing, but little is known about the characteristics and healthcare needs of this aging treatment population. This population may experience accelerated aging due to comorbidities and health behaviors. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of geriatric conditions among adults age ≥50 on MMT to a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults. Methods: We performed a geriatric assessment on 47 adults age ≥50 currently on MMT enrolled in 2 opioid treatment programs, in New York City and in East Providence, Rhode Island. We collected data on self-reported geriatric conditions, healthcare utilization, chronic medical conditions, physical function, and substance use. The results were compared to 470 age, sex, and race/ethnicity-matched adults in the national Health and Retirement Study. Results: The mean age of the study sample was 58.8 years and 23.4% were female. The most common chronic diseases were hypertension (59.6%) and arthritis (55.3%) with 66% reporting ≥2 diseases. For geriatric conditions, adults on MMT had a significantly higher prevalence of mobility, hearing, and visual impairments as well as falls, urinary incontinence, chronic pain, and insomnia than the Health and Retirement Study sample. Conclusions: Older adults on MMT in 2 large opioid treatment programs have a high prevalence of geriatric conditions. An interdisciplinary, geriatric-based approach to care that focuses on function and addresses geriatric conditions is needed to improve the health of this growing population.
undertaken. Model reactive dyes were studied. The samples collected from the simulated dyebaths were monitored online using an automated system and their absorption on the whole of the visible spectrum was measured. The studies of dyes that included halo-s-triazinyl groups revealed the existence of hypochromic shifts in the spectra of the dyes in the presence of an electrolyte (sodium chloride or sodium sulphate) and bathochromic and hyperchromic shifts, when evaluated in the presence of alkaline agents. However, the vinylsulphonyl derivatives present a more stable spectral profile. The use of buffer solution at pH 5 was an efficient method to stabilise the absorption profile of Levafix CA trichromatic samples.
Accelerated technological development of domestic industries capable of competing with foreign counterparts remains relevant in connection with the disappointed hopes for the lifting of sanctions. Currently, a variety of programs and funding schemes designed to facilitate effective implementation of the import substitution strategy are being utilized in the Russian Federation involving the simultaneous participation of the State and private sector on a partnership basis. The present research discloses methods allowing the State to stimulate this process, provides several examples from the practice of the Industrial Development Fund functioning and some funding results of the import substitution process. The authors have also given the forecast of probable scenario concerning future developments which are the most favorable for continuing the import substitution process in Russia's gas sector and improving the process management methods. The economic feasibility of this issue is unambiguous with regard to national security, but the problem of substituting the imported goods with the locally produced analogues has many aspects and includes the need to protect the internal market from foreign competition and improve the quality of products offered by domestic enterprises, as well as the complexity of entering new markets and much more. One of the tasks of import substitution is the reduction in hidden import and the Russian export dependence from components purchased abroad. The paper addresses the issue of the place and role of innovations in creating competitiveness in both domestic and foreign markets. The paper is aimed at determining the main targets for import substitution, analyzing the full list of methods for and approaches to achieving the set indicators and assessing their efficiency.
ScanSAR is an important imaging mode of operation for SAR systems. It allows extended range coverage albeit at the expense of azimuth resolution. Compared to stripmap, ScanSAR is used more for large swath coverage for mapping and monitoring over a wide area. Applications are numerous and include boreal forest mapping, wetland mapping and soil moisture monitoring. The goal of the present work was thus to explore the possibility of processing ScanSAR data optronicaly. Tests were performed with artificially bursted ASAR stripmap data demonstrating that reconstruction of ScanSAR data using the optronic SAR processor is feasible. This paper describes specifically how the data control and handling of ScanSAR data is performed to make it compatible with the optronic processor that was otherwise specifically designed for stripmap processing. As well, the ScanSAR images generated optronicaly are presented.
AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) on 6H-SiC with varying field-plate length and gate-drain spacing were fabricated and analyzed. The classical small signal FET model and the well-known ColdFET method were used to extract the small signal parameters of the devices. Though the devices with field-plates exhibited lower better f T characteristic, they did demonstrate better fmax, MSG and power density performances than the conventional devices without field-plate. Besides, no independence of DC characteristic on field-plate length was observed. With the increase of the field-plate length and the gate-drain spacing, the characteristic of fT and fmax degraded due to the large parasitic effects. Loadpull method was used to measure the microwave power performance of the devices. Under the condition of continuous wave at 5.4GHz, an output power density of 4.69W/mm was obtained for device with field-plate length of 0.5mum and gate-drain length of 2mum
Case report A 3.5 month old, well grown male infant, born of a non-consanguineous marriage, presented with abdominal distension and non-bilious, post feed vomiting since 20 days. Abdominal distension was more in the upper abdomen and was progressive. Examination revealed firm hepatomegaly with a span of 14 cm without splenomegaly. There was no icterus, pallor, lymphadenopathy or bleeding from any site. Birth history was normal and there was no history of previous admissions. Based on the clinical scenario, a differential diagnosis of malignancy and storage disorder were kept in mind.
In this article I analyse how parents' lethal violence is presented in Finnish murder‐suicide news reports. I explore how gendered ideas of parenthood and violence affect these constructions. The cases that I am interested in are those with child victims where the perpetrator is either the father or the mother. The theoretical frame of analysis is feminist ethnomethodology, and Membership Categorization Analysis is used as the method. One of the starting‐points is that parenthood is gendered in a way that mothers and fathers have different rights, responsibilities and competences in our culture. In other words, moral orders of fathering and mothering exist. Because of this, women's and men's violent actions towards their own children are understood differently. When a man kills his children and himself he can be portrayed as a caring parent. Instead, in a certain context a woman can be ‘a killer mum’, her act ‘a murder’ and her personality described in the light of the deed. The focus of this article is on gender and family categorization used in murder‐suicide news in Finnish newspapers and the moral orders created in them. I explore the differences by mainly using two case examples: 1) a man who killed his three children and himself, and 2) a woman who killed her husband, two children and herself. The consequences of these newspaper constructions are also considered.
The operation of a passively Q-switched laser emitting the TEMmn mode is described. The excited-state absorption losses and nonlinear absorption in the shaded ends of the active element are taken into account. We measured the laser pulse energy for the TEM00 mode, the ratios of the output energy in transverse TEMmn modes with m = 0–4, n = 0 and m = 0–3, n = 1 to the TEM00 mode energy in an erbium-doped glass laser and determined its temporal parameters in the passive Q-switching regime achieved with the help of a Co2+ : ZnSe crystal. It is shown that on passing from one type of the transverse mode to another for invariable parameters of the resonator, the laser pulse energy changes discretely. A change in the radius of the transverse distribution of the TEM00 mode at the output mirror of the passively Q-switched laser during the development of lasing is estimated. It is found that the relative change in the laser beam cross section on the output mirror under our conditions is less than 2%. The experimental data obtained in the study are in good agreement with our calculations.
During World War II, the british made a bomber De Havilland Mosquito which served in Europe, Middle and Far East and on the Russian front. Designed as a bomber, it excelled not only in this field but also as a fighter aircraft, mine layer, path finder in military transport and photo reconnaissence. It was constructed during the Battle of Britain and the first prototype made its maiden flight in november 1940, less than a year after the design project is started. From an engineering viewpoint, it has one spectacular feature the fuselage is made of a molded plywood-balsa sandwich material, which is strong and yet lightweight and equally important in times of war, its components are readily available unlike aluminium ones. The importance of the Mosquito in the war effort proved the value of the new sandwich materials [1]. Sandwich composites are popular due to high specific strength and stiffness. The concept of sandwiches came in as early as the year 1849 AD but their potential realized mainly during Second World War as mentioned earlier. Sandwiches are composed of two stiff, strong and thin faces (skins) bonded to a light, thick weaker core. Faces sustain in-plane and bending loads, while the core resist transverse shear forces and keep the facings in place. These provide increased flexural rigidity and strength by virtue of their geometry. The high specific strength and stiffness make them ideal in structural design [2-3]. Developments in aviation posed requirement of lightweight, high strength and highly damage tolerant materials. Sandwich composites, fulfilling these requirements became the first choice for many applications including ground transport and marine vessels [4].
The rate of electron transfer in polar media is calculated in the framework of the transition state theory. It is shown that this theory is valid if k B T > (hω0/2π), where ω0 is the frequency of a particle motion at the barrier top. The pre-exponential factor of the rate constant is found to be dependent on the reaction heat, dielectric loss spectrum, ϵ(ω), and the nondiagonal matrix element, Г. The rate constant of charge transfer in water, with allowance for the resonance absorbtion region, is determined. The influence of the motion of the water complexes on the rate constant is considered and it is shown that the pre-exponential factor depends not only on the frequency of the complex vibrations, but also on its reorganization energy. The maximum value of the complex reorganization energy is calculated under the conditions where the theory is valid. In the particular case of the Debye dielectric loss spectrum the multidimensional activated complex theory is shown to be equivalent to the stochastic Alex...
This study aims to present the dialogue with three teachers of Physical Education from the earlier grades of elementary school, giving a special attention to the evaluation practices. It was conducted a semi-structured interview as the research tool, and the analysis of the content was used for the interpretative basis. Results show possibilities of evaluating Physical Education classes based on different recording instruments, considering the specificity of this curriculum component. It shows directions to enhance the evaluation, in order to overcome academic discourses which support their analysis in diagnosis of complaints.
Smectite, which is a clay, is a promising material for a large number of applications. This is due to its specific properties i.e. cation exchange and surface complexation on amphoteric edge sites used to describe the uptake of aqueous metal species. This work addresses both properties, firstly by studying the acid-base properties of the Na and Zn-saturated smectites by using both mass and potentiometric titration methods, and secondly by studying Zn(II) adsorption as a function of pH and ionic strength. Mass titration was used to estimate the point of zero proton charge (PZC) by interpolation at different electrolyte concentrations. The potentiometric titration of the two clays suspensions between pH 3 to 11 at varying ionic strengths, 0.5 M, 0.1 M and 0.01 M NaCl was employed to characterize surface charge development on amphoteric edge sites and to graphically determinate the point of zero proton charge (PZC) which were in good agreement with those determined by mass titration. The surface charge forma...
Support for presidential candidate Donald Trump increased in the aftermath of the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, France, and San Bernardino, California, similar to Americans’ greater enthusiasm for President George W. Bush after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center. According to terror management theory (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon; Solomon, Greenberg, & Pyszczynski), people are prone to embrace charismatic politicians in times of historical upheaval to mitigate existential terror. Consistent with this view, previous research has demonstrated that reminders of death (relative to an aversive control condition) increased support for a charismatic leader in a hypothetical gubernatorial election, and support for President Bush and his policies in Iraq prior to the 2004 presidential election. The present Study 1 hypothesized and found that a death reminder increased support for Donald Trump. Study 2 found that while Hillary Clinton was viewed more favorably than Donald Trump in an aversive control condition, Mr. Trump was viewed more favorably in response to a death reminder while impressions of Mrs. Clinton were unaffected. Study 3 demonstrated that asking people to think about immigrants moving into their neighborhood increased the accessibility of implicit death thoughts. These findings suggest that electoral outcomes and public policy can be affected when existential concerns are aroused.
In this paper, we propose a macro-observation scheme for unusual event detection in daily life, where motions in time-space domain are described by a global representation and individual activities do not have to be defined and modeled beforehand. The proposed representation records the time-space energy of motions of all moving objects in a scene without segmenting individual object parts or tracking objects. In daily life, images from a video sequence that spans sufficient repetition of normal day-to-day activities are first randomly sampled. A hierarchical fuzzy C-means clustering is used to divide the sampled images into groups. The goal of clustering is to assign similar training samples to the same cluster so that the distance of every member in the cluster to the cluster center meets a minimum distance threshold. The new observed event that has distinct distance from any of the cluster centroids is then classified as an anomaly. The proposed method has been evaluated in daily work of a laboratory and a convenience store. In order to test the robustness of the proposed method for unusual events detection in daily life, the laboratory scene was continuously monitored for 31 days. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method can well detect unusual events such as fighting as long as they last for a sufficient duration of time.
William McLoughlin (I990) attempts to clarify the nature of nineteenthcentury Cherokee revitalization movements by creating a typological category, ghost dance. He uses the term ghost dance as a common noun. However, James Mooney (I973 [1896]: 766, 777) consistently capitalized Ghost when he referred to Wovoka's "dance" or, more often, to his "doctrines" or "the new religion." Mooney referred not to a typological category, a common noun, but to a specific, historically connected religious movement in western North America in the early reservation period. I follow Mooney in capitalizing Ghost in order to make clear, as he did, that Ghost Dance is a proper noun. Anthony Wallace (I956: 270-74; cited by McLoughlin on page 31), in his model of revitalization movements, nowhere refers to "ghost dances." Wallace (ibid.: 275) capitalizes Ghost Dance and uses the term as a proper noun referring to the specific historical phenomenon defined and described by Mooney. The discussion over "true" and "false" Ghost Dances addresses the question of adherence to Jack Wilson's doctrine as recorded by Mooney. In his final paragraph, on page 42, McLoughlin is right on track when he warns that "ethnohistorians [should avoid] . . . abstract theorizing about true and false ghost dances." Unfortunately, it is he who has sinned by demoting the Ghost Dance, clearly recognized and consistently
Doping silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) provides a new way to modify their luminescence properties and tailor them for a particular application. We prepared Li-doped SiNCs and characterized them by neutron depth profiling and x-ray diffraction. Our SiNC samples are doped with around 10–100 Li atoms per one nanocrystal and their lattice slightly expands after lithium insertion. We show that the photoluminescence (PL) properties of Li-doped SiNCs are distinctly modified compared to the undoped case. The PL maximum shifts to shorter wavelengths and the PL decay time decreases, both these features being favorable for applications in photonics. The spectral blue-shift is attributed to the tensile strain in SiNCs induced by doping with lithium.
Abstract New metal chelates of 4-phenyl-1-(p-nitrobenzoyl)-3-thio-semicarbazide (HPNTS) with some transition metal ions have been synthesized and characterized by spectral (UV, visible, IR, 1HNMR), magnetic and thermal (DSC) measurements. The infrared spectral data show that HPNTS behaves as a mononegative bidentate ligand. The stereochemistry of the Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) chelates has been discussed with the help of magnetic and spectral studies. The formation of the complexes in solution is investigated conductome-trically and spectrophotometrically.
BACKGROUND A lack of consensus exists regarding indications for surgery for lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS). Hence, the aim of this study was to develop an artificial neural network (ANN) model that is designed to accurately select patients for surgery or non-surgical options and to compare such with the traditional clinical decision making approach in LSCS patients.   METHODS An ANN model and a logistic regression (LR) model were used as predicting models. The data for a total of 346 of 379 patients (143 male, 203 female, mean age 59.5±11.5 years) were available for the analysis. The measured metrics included Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of leg pain/numbness, the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) Score, the Neurogenic Claudication Outcome Score (NCOS), the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Score (SSS), the Stenosis Bothersomeness Index (SBI), the dural sac cross-sectional surface area (DSCA), the Stenosis Ratio (SR), the Self-Paced Walking Test (SPWT), morphology grade presented by Schizas et al. and grading system introduced by Lee et al. Successful outcome was recorded based on the criteria presented by Stucki et al. Twelve measures and age, gender, and duration of symptoms, were recorded as the input variables for the ANN and LR, and the ANN was fed with patients. A sensitivity analysis was applied to the developed ANN model to identify the important variables. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, Hosmer-Lemeshow (H-L) statistics and accuracy rate were calculated for evaluating the two models. The study was not supported by a grant and the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.   RESULTS The patient information was divided into training (N.=174), testing (N.=86), and validation (N.=86) data sets. Successful outcome were achieved in 93.4% of the patients selected for surgery and 89.4% for non-surgery at 1-year follow-up. The SR, morphology grade and grading system were important variables identified by the ANN. The ANN model displayed better accuracy rate (97.8 %), a better H-L statistic (41.1 %) which represented a good-fit calibration, and a better AUC (89.0%), compared to the LR model.   CONCLUSIONS The findings showed that an ANN model can predict the optimal treatment choice for LSCS patients in clinical setting and is superior to LR model. Our results will need to be confirmed with external validation studies.
Abstract High-Tc superconducting oxides are composed of structural elementary building blocks including pyramids, planes, and chains in such a manner so as to create a large internal local electric perturbation field. In addition, the presence of d9 Cu2+ creates a Jahn-Teller distortion affecting the position of the of apical oxygen (04) ions. Observations have also been reported of spontaneous polarization, piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, and circular dichroism in this class of materials. These structural and property criteria suggest that high-Tc Perovskite-like superconductors in their normal state may be in the microscopic domain a special case of marginal ferroelectric materials. The importance of ferroelectric polarization in the pre-transition normal state relates to a number of phenomena which are reported to be associated with the high-Tc mechanism such as phonons, polarons, and charge transfer excitations. The unique structure of the Y1Ba2Cu3O7-a gives rise to local perturbation electric fiel...
Armbrust, C. A., and Levine, S. A. (1950). Circulation, 1, 28 Burni, J. H., Gunning, A. J., and Walker, J. M. (1957). J. Physiol. (Louid.). 137, 141. Digilio, V. A. (1938). Amer. Heart J., 15, 116. Ernstene, A. C. (1938). Amer. J. med. Sci., 195, 248. Kremer, D. N., and Laplace, L. B. (1936). Amer. Heart J., 11, 227. McIntyre, M. (1931). Amer. J. Physiol., 99, 261. Parkinson, J., and Papp, C. (1947). Brit. Heart J., 9, 241. Phillips, J., and Anderson, J. P. (1927). J. Amer. med. Ass., 89, 1380. Rosenblum, H., Hahn, R. G., and Levine, S. A. (1933). Arch. intern. Med., 51, 279.
Lipoedema is an adipose tissue disorder almost exclusively affecting women. Evidence shows lipoedema is both poorly recognised and misdiagnosed which results in many women struggling to get a diagnosis and to gain access to specialist NHS services. This article aims to raise awareness of lipoedema and highlight the main role that community and primary care nurses can play in identifying this long-term condition earlier. It provides detail on the condition to help signpost, refer for diagnosis and initiate conservative management for those individuals with this challenging condition.
Aim:  In the midwifery literature in English, little attention is paid to midwifery practise in Asian countries. To remedy this, we explore the knowledge and beliefs of independent Japanese midwives.        Methods:  We collected data in natural settings through the active participation of the authors in midwifery work after receiving informed consent. We visited midwives’ practise settings and observed ante-partum, intra-partum, and post-partum midwifery practise. We also interviewed the midwives. Throughout the study, the authors discussed the findings with the participating midwives.        Results:  The concepts that summarize what midwives and women in our study described as the desired outcomes of care were: (i) feelings of happiness and joy; (ii) positive change; (iii) mother–child bonding; and (iv) lifelong health. The concepts that guided the midwifery process were: (i) positive communication; (ii) the woman’s commitment to her health; (iii) supporting the woman’s own way; (iv) the support of other pregnant women; (v) food as care; (vi) warmth; and (vii) respect for the natural process. The two encompassing features of midwifery practise were: (i) awareness, which includes the assurance of normalcy and the prevention of abnormalities; and (ii) networking and collaboration, which describes the relationships of midwives with their colleagues, doctors, and other health professionals.        Conclusion:  The traditional knowledge of Japanese midwives offers concepts that might be useful to international midwifery and should be studied more in depth.
We outline our GRB afterglow observation program using the 1-m telescope at Mt. Lemmon Optical Astronomy Observatory (LOAO), and report the first observations of the GRB afterglows. During the 2007B semester, we performed follow-up imaging obsrevations of 6 GRBs, and succeeded in detecting four GRB afterglows (GRB 071010B, GRB 071018, GRB 071020, and GRB 071025) while placing useful upper limits on the light curves of the other GRBs. Among the observed events, we find that three events are special and interesting. GRB 071010B has a light curve which has an unusually long jet break time of U.8 days. For GRB 071025, its red R - I (~ 2) color suggests that it is likely to be at z ~ 5. GRB 071020 has a light curve which shows a clear brightening at 0.3-1 days after the burst, where our LOAO data playa crucial role by providing an unambiguous evidence for the brightening. These are the first successful detections of GRB afterglows by a facility owned and operated by a Korean institution, demonstrating the usefulness of the 1-m telescope for transient phenomena such as GRBs up to very high redshift.
Bimetallic nanocrystals (NCs), associated with various surface functions such as ligand effect, ensemble effect, and strain effect, exhibit superior electrocatalytic properties. The stress-induced surface strain effect can alter binding strength between the surface active sites and reactants as well as their intermediates, and the electrochemical performance of bimetallic NCs can be significantly facilitated by the lattice-strain modification via their morphologies, sizes, shell-thickness, surface defectiveness as well as compositions. In this review, an overview of fundamental principles, characterization techniques, and quantitative determination of the surface lattice strain is provided. Various strategies and synthesis efforts on creating lattice-strain-engineered bimetallic NCs, including the de-alloying process, atomic layer-by-layer deposition, thermal treatment evolution, one-pot synthesis, and other efforts are also discussed. It is further outlined how the lattice strain effect promotes electrochemical catalysis through the selected case studies. The reactions on oxygen reduction reaction, small molecular oxidation, water splitting reaction, and electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reactions are focused. In particular, studies of lattice strain arisen from core-shell nanostructure and defectiveness are highlighted. Lastly, the potential challenges are summarized and the prospects of lattice-strain-based engineering on bimetallic nanocatalysts with suggestion and guidance of the future electrocatalyst design are envisioned.
Four variants of arcelin, an insecticidal seed storage protein of bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., were investigated. Each variant (arcelin-1, -2, -3, and -4) was purified, and solubilities and M(r)s were determined. For arcelins-1, -2, and -4, the isoelectric points, hemagglutinating activities, immunological cross-reactivities, and N-terminal amino acid sequences were determined. On the basis of native and denatured M(r)s, the variants were classified as being composed of dimer protein (arcelin-2), tetramer protein (arcelins-3 and -4), or both dimer and tetramer proteins (arcelin-1). Although the dimer proteins (arcelins-1d and -2) could be distinguished by M(r)s and isoelectric points, they were identical for their first 37 N-terminal amino acids and had similar immunological cross-reactions, and bean lines containing these variants had a DNA restriction fragment in common. The tetramer proteins arcelin-1t and arcelin-4 also could be distinguished from each other based on M(r)s and isoelectric points; however, they had similar immunological cross-reactions and they were 77 to 93% identical for N-terminal amino acid composition. The similarities among arcelin variants, phytohemagglutinin, and a bean alpha-amylase inhibitor suggest that they are all encoded by related members of a lectin gene family.
One novel bandpass filter implemented with combination of two different structures‐complementary split rings resonators (CSRRs) and substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) is proposed in this article. Several CSRRs are etched on the surface of SIW to form the stopband with very sharp rejection. One prototype was fabricated, the measured results indicate 30% passband (at −15 dB return loss), the rejection band ranges from 6.4 GHz to 7.8 GHz, about 20% bandwidth at −20 dB rejection, the maximum rejection even reaches 50 dB. The rejection skirt is very sharp, only 18 MHz. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 50: 699–701, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.23182
Upper Jurassic strata in the Black Hills area consist mainly of fossiliferous/ tightly cemented , gently folded sandstone deposited in a shallow marine environment. Upper Cretaceous strata on Sanak Island are strongly deformed and show structural features of broken formations similar to those observed in the Franciscan assemblage of California. Rocks exposed on Sanak Island do not crop out on the peninsular mainland or on Unimak Island/ and probably make up the acoustic and economic basement of nearby Sanak basin. Tertiary sedimentary rocks on the outermost part of the Alaska Peninsula consist of Oligocene/ Miocene/ and lower Pliocene volcaniclastic sandstone, siltstone/ and conglomerate deposited in nonmarine and very shallow marine environments. Interbedded airfall and ash-flow tuff deposits indicate active volcanism during Oligocene time. Locally, Oligocene strata are intruded by quartz diorite plutons of probable Miocene age. Reservoir properties of Mesozoic and Tertiary rocks are generally poor due to alteration of chemically unstable volcanic rock fragments. Igneous intrusions have further reduced porosity and permeability by silicification of sandstone. Organic-rich source rocks for petroleum generation are not abundant in Neogene strata. Upper Jurassic rocks in the Black Hills area have total organic carbon contents of less than 0.5 percent. Deep sediment-filled basins on the Shumagin Shelf probably contain more source rocks than onshore correlatives/ but reservoir quality is not likely to 1 be better than in onshore outcrops. The absence of well-developed folds in most Tertiary rocks, both onshore and in nearby offshore basins, reduces the possibility of hydrocarbon entrapment in anticlines.
Background: Over the last decades, the use of gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic procedures has been increased in children worldwide, allowing the early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention in multiple GI diseases. Aims and Methods: In order to evaluate the appropriateness and the diagnostic yield of initial GI endoscopic techniques in children in a Portuguese tertiary hospital, we performed a retrospective cohort study during a 12-month period. Results:A total of 308 procedures were performed in 276 patients; the median age was 11 years and 50.4% were males. Esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy (EGD) corresponded to 81.8% of the procedures and ileo-colonoscopy (IC) to the remaining; 11.6% of the patients underwent both EGD and IC. Overall, 51.3% of the exams showed abnormal macroscopic findings, and 69.6% showed histopathological signs of disease, with IC showing significantly more positive results than EGD (p < 0.05). Considering the different indications independently, abnormal serology for celiac disease, suspected ingestion of foreign bodies, suspected inflammatory bowel disease, and food impaction were frequent in our population; and in the majority of the cases, the suspected diagnosis was confirmed: celiac disease, ingestion of foreign bodies, inflammatory bowel disease, and eosinophilic esophagitis, respectively. On the other hand, despite the high frequency of epigastric pain in this population, only nearly one-third of the patients showed abnormal histological findings. The final diagnosis was established in 63% of the patients, and 39.1% initiated the new treatment. Discussion:Our results emphasize the importance of endoscopic procedures, especially IC, in the diagnosis of GI diseases in pediatric patients, as well as the careful choice of the endoscopic techniques in those with less specific symptoms, as chronic abdominal pain. In this particular situation, given the proportion of cases that may be due to functional disease, good characterization of the clinical context is needed, and endoscopy should be reserved for a second-line approach. Conclusion: It is important to monitor and examine the endoscopic techniques as an index of quality criteria for clinical practice.
The recent editorial by Dr. Estabrook in the August issue of The FASEB Journal prompted me to write thisletterof concern. I have also had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Estabrook when he addressed a joint meeting of the Chairs of Physiology and Anatomy Departments in 1991. In addition, I have read the Robert Wood Johnson Commission report and various other articles and comments related to this report. The essence of the editorial is that there is a need for “fundamental changes” and “thorough reform” in the education of medical students. There is also the recurring suggestion that the perceived problems are related to current departmental structures that “fail to meet today’s needs for planning and implementing a program of medical education” I must admit that I am astonished by the failure on the part of those that keep insisting that our system of medical education is in such disarray to provide solid evidence in support of these sweeping statements. Instead, we are exposed to a contrived message that refers to a new “paradigm for biolgical science” and a need for the “integration of science education across disciplines.” How this will actually solve the problems that exist is never really explained. Indeed, itisnot clearthat the solutions deal with the realproblems thatexistin the health care sector. First of all, if medical education has been so pitiful for these past years, why are the products of medical schools and the associated graduate schools doing so well? One need only pick up lay or professional newspapers and journals to realize that the medical education system and the biomedical research enterprise of the United States have consistently provided major leadership to the world of medicine. There have been countless accomplishments in all areas of medicine and medical research, including advances in biomedical technology and therapeutic innovations. We can consider examples in transplantation medicine, treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, and immunology. Are the talented physicians, surgeons, and scientists who have participated in these activities the products of an educational system that is in such dire straits? Indeed, it seems that there are more bright, talented young physicians interested in biomedical research than our research enterprise can support. Our tragic dilemma is the limited funds available to provide young investigators with the resources they need to fulfill their potential. I have personally known many excellent young physician-investigators who had originally made a serious commitment to enter biomedical research but finally chose to go into private practice because of the problems and hassles related to obtaining research funding and walking the tightrope of biomedical research. The educational system did not fail these bright young minds. It prepared them for exciting careers at the forefront of medicine either as practitioners or investigators in biomedical research. With regard to actual health care, we hear of many problems related to the access, costs, and distribution of health care to all Americans, but there is general agreement that the quality of health care that American physicians provide is among the best in the world. In essence, the problems are not related to the training and competence of physicians, but rather to the distribution of health care and to the incredible bureaucracy that has developed around the health care industry. Incredibly, these problems seem to be blamed on the inadequacies of the education of medical students. Where are the data that lead to this conclusion? It would seem prudent that, before we destroy what is considered by many of us to be the finest medical education system in the world and replace it with unproven and highly inefficient approaches, we take careful assessment of what may be lost. I should hasten to emphasize that my comments should not be construed as being against continuous improvement and upgrading of educational approaches and techniques. I firmly believe that allof us in medical education should be highly
Background Kidney transplant services all over the world were severely impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The optimum management of kidney transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 remains uncertain. Material/Methods We conducted a multicenter cohort study of kidney transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 infection in Saudi Arabia. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to study predictors of graft and patient outcomes at 28 days after coronavirus disease 2019 diagnosis. Results We included 130 kidney transplant recipients, with a mean age of 48.7(±14.4) years. Fifty-nine patients were managed at home with daily follow-up utilizing a dedicated clinic, while 71 (54.6%) required hospital admission. Acute kidney injury occurred in 35 (26.9%) patients. Secondary infections occurred in 38 (29.2%) patients. SARS-CoV-2 antibodies testing was carried out in 84 patients, of whom 70 tested positive for IgG and/or IgM. Fourteen patients died (10.8%). A multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that age, creatinine at presentation, acute kidney injury, and use of azithromycin were significantly associated with worse patient survival. Graft loss was associated with requiring renal replacement therapy and development of secondary infections. Conclusions Despite kidney transplant recipients with coronavirus disease 2019 infection having higher rate of hospital admission and mortality compared to the general population, a significant number of them can be managed using a telemedicine clinic. Most kidney transplant patients seem to mount an antibody response following coronavirus disease 2019 infection, and it remains to be seen if they will have a similar response to the incoming vaccines.
We analyze the execution time of Reed-Solomon coding, which is the MAC-layer forward error correction scheme used in CDMA2000 1xEV-DO broadcast services, under different air channel ∙제1저자 : 강경태 ∙교신저자 : 노동건 ∙투고일 : 2014. 1. 16, 심사일 : 2014. 2. 10, 게재확정일 : 2014. 3. 2. * 한양대학교 컴퓨터공학과(Dept. of Computer Science & Engineering, Hanyang University) ** 숭실대학교 정보통신전자공학부(School of Electronic Engineering, Soongsil University) ※ 이 논문은 2012년도 정부(미래창조과학부)의 재원으로 한국연구재단-차세대정보・컴퓨팅기술개발사업의 지원을 받아 수행 된 연구임(No. 2012M3C4A7032182). 64 Journal of The Korea Society of Computer and Information March 2014 conditions. The results show that the time constraints of MPEG-4 cannot be guaranteed by Reed-Solomon decoding when the packet loss rate (PLR) is high, due to its long computation time on current hardware. To alleviate this problem, we propose three error control schemes. Our static scheme bypasses Reed-Solomon decoding at the mobile node to satisfy the MPEG-4 time constraint when the PLR exceeds a given boundary. Second, dynamic scheme corrects errors in a best-effort manner within the time constraint, instead of giving up altogether when the PLR is high; this achieves a further quality improvement. The third, video-aware dynamic scheme fixes errors in a similar way to the dynamic scheme, but in a priority-driven manner which makes the video appear smoother. Extensive simulation results show the effectiveness of our schemes compared to the original FEC scheme. ▸
Some 18 months ago, a Sounding Board article in these pages drew attention to conflicts between peer review and federal antitrust law.1 In that article, Dr. Leigh C. Dolin, one of several physician defendants facing a judgment for over $2 million in damages and fees, portrayed the plight of physicians attempting "to prevent the practice of bad medicine in their community." The author argued that he and his colleagues at the Astoria Clinic (Astoria, Oreg.) were held to a legal standard of behavior designed to preclude unfair business practices, a standard at odds with the public's own desire for self-policing . . .
Abstract Dual left anterior descending artery is a rare coronary artery anomaly showing two left anterior descending arteries. Short anterior descending artery usually arises from the left coronary artery, while long anterior descending artery has anomalous origin and course. Dual left anterior descending artery with origin of long anterior descending artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) is a very rare coronary artery anomaly which has not been reported previously in the literature. We present the computed tomography coronary angiographic findings of this rare case in a young female patient who presented with atypical chest pain.
nitroglycerine given three times a day (which gives a nine hour washout period overnight) and confirmed that tolerance developed only with the oral isosorbide dinitrate.'2 Short periods ofwithdrawal seem to reverse nitrate tolerance. Nitrates remain the first line treatment of angina, but the widespread use of transdermal preparations is probably unwarranted. It may well be the early development of tolerance that undermines the usefulness of the transdermal preparations. Ifa doctor wants to prescribe long term nitrates he should thus give either oral nitrates three times a day with no dose at night or transdermal patches for 12-16 hours a day with an overnight washout. A DEsILVIO M P BARLATTANI Universita' Degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza," Istituto di Terapia Medica Sistematica, Sevizio Speciale di Terapia Medica, Rome
Variations of the idea that regardless of how bad things are in the world of man, man's tendency to protect himself by creating illusionary presentations about it is worse, exist in many places in Kafka's works. If the origin of the leading among the fatal illusions of the present is connected to the need for security, safe haven, protection - the same need that laid the foundation for the necessity to introduce laws and develop a legal system - then important pages of Kafka's literature can be read in light of a type of negative anthropology. Its premises seem as if to testify to the betrayed human urge to protect every individual via courts and laws. The author pays special attention to the question of what it means to be outside of the law, stressing that the man from the country who remains before the law metaphorically represents Jewish refugees from Galicia who remained before the gates of Prague in 1914.
Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune hemorrhagic disease. Loss of immune tolerance plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of ITP. Monocytes and macrophages play an indispensable role in the pathophysiology of hematopoietic malignancies and have been implicated as key players in platelet destruction. Approximately 80% of adult patients with ITP exhibit corticosteroid treatment failure or become dependent, requiring novel therapy. Thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) have been used clinically to manage ITP effectively, however, little is known about the effect of TPO-RAs on monocyte and macrophage modulation in adult ITP. In this study, we investigated the phenotypic evolution and potential immunomodulatory roles of monocytes/macrophages in ITP patients receiving eltrombopag therapy. Results showed that the peripheral monocyte count positively correlated with IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio in ITP patients. Moreover, numerous phenotype-associated genes in ITP macrophages exhibited diverse responses, and ITP macrophages exhibited more M1-related characteristics. After eltrombopag therapy, the peripheral monocyte count and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratio significantly decreased in ITP patients. M1-related characteristics of ITP macrophages were partially reversed by eltrombopag. Therefore, this study revealed eltrombopag restored the monocyte dynamics and the associated Th1/Th2 imbalance, and partially reversed the M1-related characteristics of the ITP macrophages, which suggest the potential vital roles of TPO-RAs in regulating the monocyte/macrophage plasticity in ITP.
A task of random size T is split into M subtasks of lengths T1, …, TM, each of which is sent to one out of M parallel processors. Each processor may fail at a random time before completing its allocated task, and then has to restart it from the beginning. If X1, …,XM are the total task times at the M processors, the overall total task time is then ZM = max1,…,MXi. Limit theorems as M → ∞ are given for ZM, allowing the distribution of T to depend on M. In some cases the limits are classical extreme value distributions, in others they are of a different type.
Two hundred eight adults participated in 2 field experiments that investigated the effect of drawing as a mindfulness treatment. Novelty provokes mindfulness, and it was hypothesized that drawing is a method for introducing novelty. Experiment 1 showed that in novel settings, participants who drew the stimuli that they observed felt significantly more competent than those who simply observed. Experiment 2 demonstrated that in a familiar setting, instructions to engage in this task were not enough to overcome perceived incompetence. A mindfulness treatment, however, was effective in enabling participants overcome perceived incompetence. Taken together, the results demonstrate a relationship between mindful creativity and perceived competence.
We report the characterization of 6 Leishmania tropica isolates from 2 patients with visceral leishmaniasis who were unresponsive to treatment with sodium stibogluconate. The Leishmania isolates, MHOM/KE/81/NLB-029A, -029XIB, and -029XIC and MHOM/KE/81/NLB-030I, -030B, and -030XXA, all from splenic aspirates, were characterized by cellulose acetate electrophoresis using 11 enzymes: malate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase, adenylate kinase, nucleoside hydrolase, mannose phosphate isomerase, glucose phosphate isomerase, and phosphoglucomutase. Isozyme migration patterns were indistinguishable from those of 2 WHO reference strains of Leishmania tropica (MHOM/SU/60/LRC-L39, NLB-305 and MHOM/IQ/OO/LRC-L36, NLB-067). These are the first reported cases of visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) caused by L. tropica in Africa; these cases were refractory to sodium stibogluconate.
This case examines a transformation journey at Smithfield Foods, a global pork processing company. In 2005, Mansour Zadeh, a company’s CIO, initiated a replacement of the old order management legacy system with an SAP SD (sales and distribution) module in one of company’s independently operating divisions. The case ends in 2017 when the entire corporation switches business operations to a company-wide SAP HANA system. The case allows for a discussion of strategic alignment of business and IT, issues involved in selection and customization of an Enterprise Resource Planning package, and structure of IT governance.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) exhibits excellent non-stick properties and a very low coefficient of friction under tribological stress, but it is incompatible with almost all other polymers. In the first part of this study we presented the generation of the novel tribological material based on unsaturated oil, radiation-modified PTFE (MP1100) and Polyamide 66 (PA66). To get a better understanding of the chemical properties and chemical composition of the compounds, the PA66-MP1100-oil-cb (chemical bonded) compounds were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). In this part, the mechanical properties of the compounds are compared with plain PA66 and PA66-MP1100-cb. The tribological investigation was carried out using the Block-on-Ring tribometer. It was found that the mechanical properties of PA66-MP1100-oil-cb with 20 wt.% MP1100-oil-cb only show slight differences compared to PA66, but the tribological properties of the compounds have been significantly improved through chemical coupling between the three components. Finally, the amount of the compound that was deposited on the surface of the steel disc counterpart was analyzed after the tribological testing.
The discovery of auxetic behavior (negative Poisson's ratio) within elements and alloys had focused attention on their elastic anisotropy in an effort to understand the range of crystal orientations that manifest this property. A comparison of elastic constant data to atomistic models based on pair-wise, central force models provides key insights into deformation behavior of cubic crystals over a wide range of anisotropy, including, for the first time, those with Zener anisotropy ratios less than 1. A simple criterion is derived which dictates all cases in which a crystal whose atomic ordering obeys cubic symmetry will display auxetic deformation, where the extrema in Poisson's ratio involves (110) orientations. In the field of stress determination through x-ray diffraction, these findings also shed light on strain anisotropy in polycrystalline materials, where the elastic incompatibility between adjacent grains alters their overall deformation. By applying these same atomistic models, we can predict the Voigt/Reuss weighting fractions associated with Kroner limit x-ray elastic constants for cubic materials, a necessary component in quantifying stress using diffraction data. We also establish that greater elastic anisotropy in a constituent crystal leads to a more rigid mechanical response in the corresponding polycrystalline aggregate, with implications for auxetic crystal ensembles.The discovery of auxetic behavior (negative Poisson's ratio) within elements and alloys had focused attention on their elastic anisotropy in an effort to understand the range of crystal orientations that manifest this property. A comparison of elastic constant data to atomistic models based on pair-wise, central force models provides key insights into deformation behavior of cubic crystals over a wide range of anisotropy, including, for the first time, those with Zener anisotropy ratios less than 1. A simple criterion is derived which dictates all cases in which a crystal whose atomic ordering obeys cubic symmetry will display auxetic deformation, where the extrema in Poisson's ratio involves (110) orientations. In the field of stress determination through x-ray diffraction, these findings also shed light on strain anisotropy in polycrystalline materials, where the elastic incompatibility between adjacent grains alters their overall deformation. By applying these same atomistic models, we can predict the ...
Candida albicans is the most common cause of fungal infections worldwide. Infection by C. albicans is closely associated with its ability to form a biofilm, closely packed communities of cells attached to the surfaces of human tissues and implanted devices, in or on the host. When tested for susceptibility to antifungals, such as polyenes, azoles, and allylamines, C. albicans cells in a biofilm are more resistant to antifungal agents than C. albicans cells in the planktonic form. Cyclic Adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is one of the key elements for triggering hyphal and biofilm formation in C. albicans. It is hard to detect or extract molecular markers (e.g., cAMP) from C. albicans biofilms because the biofilms have a complex three-dimensional architecture with an extracellular matrix surrounding the cell walls of the cells in the biofilm. Here, we present an improved protocol that can effectively measure the level of intracellular cAMP in C. albicans biofilms.
Distributed intrusion detection is one of the most promising information security techniques. It is used to detect various attacks from distributed network environment. But attack behaviors are becoming more complicated with the development of network techniques so that it is becoming more difficult to detect them. In order to overcome the shortcomings of current intrusion detection techniques, a novel hierarchical model of multi-level detection intrusion is proposed. The model utilizes the intelligent, mobile and self-adaptive characteristics of agent and its distributed collaborative calculation capability. So it can detect complicated attacks effectively. The adoption of the clone and migration mechanism of agent and the security communication protocol enhances the security and collaborative detection capability of the model. communication load is reduced effectively and intrusions can be detected and responded as quickly as possible. The model can evolve and adjust itself dynamically to adapt to the external environmental change. The model is robust and scalable.
On the first of October, 1949, the Chinese Communists* climaxed their military success by establishing on the mainland a new revolutionary government, the “Chinese People's Republic.” While this government included a number of splinter parties, it was—and is—undisguisedly dominated by the Chinese Communist Party. The new rulers, who quickly destroyed the old system of political control, are today drastically reorganizing the country's social and economic relations. And they are planning to go far beyond the changes accomplished to date.
Background: Today, lifestyle-associated health problems are increasing, while healthy behaviors could reduce their consequences, e.g. mortality. The physical activity enjoyment (PAE) is one of the most important factors which might lead to enhanced physical activity, as a protective factor of chronic diseases and mental disorders. The main purpose of this research was to study the effectiveness of educating mindfulness, self-compassion and self-regulation on the PAE of obese and overweighed students. Methods: This is a semi-experimental pre-post study on the effects of educational interventions on the PAE among the high-school students. After informing all participants about the goals of the research, through a list generated based on block randomization methods with size 4 in each block, they were divided randomly into 4 training groups (17 students per group). To assess the PAE, the valid and reliable version of 18-items questionnaire made by Kendzerski and Decarlo (1991) was employed. Results: All participants were in grade 9 aging 14-16 years. Their BMI had a mean of 32.10±2.35 (ranged 26.22 to 37.28). All of the experimental groups had significantly higher levels of PAE than the control group. Conclusion: The educational methods had a significant effect on increasing PAE. Mindfulness, self-compassion, and self-regulation might be used as educational methods to increase the PAE.
Intake of dietary sources of collagen may support the synthesis of collagen in varying tissues, with the availability of key amino acids being a likely contributor to its effectiveness. This study analyzed commonly consumed preparations of bone broth (BB) to assess the amount and consistency of its amino acid content. Commercial and laboratory-prepared samples, made with standardized and variable (nonstandardized) protocols, were analyzed for key amino acids (glycine, lysine, proline, leucine, hydroxyproline, and hydroxylysine). The main finding of this study was that amino acid concentrations in BB made to a standardized recipe were significantly lower for hydroxyproline, glycine, and proline (p = .003) and hydroxylysine, leucine, and lysine (p = .004) than those provided by a potentially therapeutic dose (20 g) of reference collagen supplements (p > .05). There was a large variability in the amino acid content of BB made to nonstandardized recipes, with the highest levels of all amino acids found within the café-prepared varieties. For standardized preparations, commercial BBs were lower in all amino acids than the self-prepared varieties. There were no differences (p > .05) in the amino acid content of different batches of BB when prepared according to a standardized recipe. If the intake of collagen precursors is proven to support the synthesis of new collagen in vivo, it is unlikely that BB can provide a consistently reliable source of key amino acids. Research on the provision of key amino acids from dietary sources should continue to focus on the standard sources currently being researched.
Sociolinguistic approaches to the relationship between gender and status/power analyze either linguistic or social and cultural phenomena in a given speech community. While in the former approach a gender pattern is observed regarding the use of language, this article is based on the latter approach. Discussing question tags and interruptions in speech situations an explanation is sought for the differential speech behavior of men and women, i.e. whether it is gender or status specific. To this end the dominance and difference hypotheses are explored, and a biological explanation is also offered. Both approaches are seen as providing a useful description for most interactions. However, it is suggested that the difference approach may provide a more viable base for behavioral changes. Efforts that result in raising the ethnolinguistic vitality of women in their subculture are seen to be a more fruitful undertaking than those focussing on status or power.
The workshop discussed the interactions between algebraic geometry and various areas of noncommutative algbebra including finite dimensional algebras, representation theory of algebras and noncommutative algebraic geometry. More than 45 mathematicians participated with a notable number of young mathematicians present. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 14A22, 16K20, 16S38, 16P90. Introduction by the Organisers This meeting had over 45 participants from 11 countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Norway, Russia, UK and the US) and 26 lectures were presented during the five day period. The sponsorship of the European Union allowed the organizers to invite and secure the participation of a number of young investigators. Some of these young mathematicians presented thirty minute lectures. As always, there was a substantial amount of mathematical activity outside the formal lecture sessions. This meeting explored the applications of ideas and techniques from algebraic geometry to noncommutative algebra . Several lecturers presented open problems to stimulate the interest of researchers in other areas. Areas covered include • noncommutative projective algebraic geometry, • Hopf algebras, • combinatorial ring theory, • symplectic reflection algebras, • representation theory of quivers and preprojective algebras • homological techniques and derived categories 1320 Oberwolfach Report 23/2006 The sweep of the meeting can be seen from de Jong’s contribution that uses contemporary algebraic geometry to prove a theorem in the classical theory of finite dimensional division algebras to the works of Keller-Reiten and Ingalls on cluster algebras. Additionally, de Jong notes a result obtained during the workshop with van den Bergh. Looking to the future, Goodearl and Zelmanov propose a number challenging problems. Zelmanov discusses both an interesting Lie algebra example and a possible connection to an old problem of Kurosh. The previous paragraph represents just a sampling of the scope and variety of the mathematics at the meeting. The abstracts following will give the whole story.
An indispensable parameter to study strongly correlated electron systems is the magnetic field. Application of high magnetic fields allows the investigation, modification and control of different states of matter. Specifically for magnetic materials experimental tools applied in such fields are essential for understanding their fundamental properties. Here, we focus on selected high-field studies of frustrated magnetic materials that have been shown to host a broad range of fascinating new and exotic phases. We will give brief insights into the influence of geometrical frustration on the critical behavior of triangular-lattice antiferromagnets, the accurate determination of exchange constants in the high-field saturated state by use of electron spin resonance measurements, and the coupling of magnetic degrees of freedom to the lattice evidenced by ultrasound experiments. The latter technique as well allowed new, partially metastable phases in strong magnetic fields to be revealed.
THROW ME A LIFELINE: A COMPARISON OF PORT CITIES WITH ANTITHETICAL ADAPTATION STRATEGIES TO SEA-LEVEL RISE Claudia Marie Risner Old Dominion University, 2018 Director: Dr. Regina Karp Sea-level rise (SLR) is a manifestation of climate change that is particularly hazardous to port cities that must remain on the waterfront to function, yet are increasingly battered and flooded by encroaching storms, and sinking into the rising saltwater. Despite sharing a common high level of risk, port cities are choosing antithetical adaptation strategies that range from hard-engineered structural flood protection, to behavioral modifications, to innovative softengineered measures, to doing nothing at all. Why is this? Are transnational city networks, such as C40 Cities, a lifeline to drowning cities? Do differences in governance structure, financial capacity, risk tolerance to the hazard, or the influence of special interest groups matter? These factors and the interplay of civil, public, and corporate actors in the context of changing environmental conditions are examined in this cross-disciplinary qualitative study to understand their effects on adaptation decision-making processes over time. Four at-risk global port cities—Venice, Rotterdam, Guangzhou, and Miami—were selected for comparison based on their antithetical adaptation strategies of retreating, climate proofing, innovating, and denying. The Panarchy model of nested four-stage adaptive renewal cycles frames the ongoing and cross-scalar interaction of stakeholders and special interest groups at the city, national, transnational, and international levels. This methodology enables the identification of patterns, power distributions, and path dependencies that contribute to appropriate or maladaptive adaptation. As is characteristic of complex adaptive systems, this study finds that decisions cannot be correlated with a single factor. For those cities that display key characteristics of resilience, SLR is a catalyst for proactive and appropriate adaptation. For others, socio-economic and socio-political factors trump environmental factors in deciding whether, when, and how a city decreased its risk to SLR hazard.
The choice of anticoagulant therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and concomitant diseases – coronary heart disease (CHD), including acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in history, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), is discussed in the article. The overall mortality and incidence of myocardial infarction in patients with CHD and AF is higher than in patients with AF without CHD. Patients with AF and PAD compared to patients with AF without PAD have higher risks both stroke and systemic embolism. The prescription of triple antithrombotic therapy is necessary for patients with a combination of AF and CHD who underwent percutaneous coronary interventions (in ACS or elective surgery). The possibility of prescription and duration, the choice of specific drugs and their doses should be determined individually, based on the risks of ischemic events associated with stenting, the risk of ischemic stroke and bleeding. Use of new oral anticoagulants (NOAC) instead of vitamin K antagonists (eg, warfarin), low doses of NOAC, studied in trials and proven efficacy in the prevention of stroke/systemic embolism, the use of clopidogrel as a drug of choice from the P2Y12 inhibitor group, the use of low doses of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), the routine administration of drugs from the proton pump inhibitor group is recommended to minimize the risk of bleeding. The data of subanalysis of the ARISTOTEL randomized clinical trial, indicating a high profile of efficacy and safety of apixaban in patients with AF, depending on the presence of CHD, PAD, concomitant use of ASA, are also presented in the article. The benefits of apixaban over warfarin for reducing the risk of stroke/systemic embolism, total mortality and the risk of bleeding in a subgroup of CHD patients are just as obvious as in the general population of the ARISTOTLE study, and in the subgroup of patients without CHD. Treatment with apixaban, both in the subgroup of patients taking ASA, and a subgroup of patients without ASA, is accompanied by a lower risk of strokes and systemic embolism and a lower incidence of major bleeding. The risk of stroke or systemic embolism was similar in patients with AF and PAD randomized to the apixaban group or to the warfarin group, as well as in patients with AF without PAD. Patients with AF and PAD who received apixaban or warfarin had a similar incidence of major bleeding or clinically significant minor bleeding.
Dupuytren’s contracture was described by Baron Guillaume Dupuytren in 1831 and subsequently, it was a term as Dupuytren’s disease (DD). We illustrate a rare case of bilateral DD. A 68-year-old male farmer with no underlying medical illness presented with bilateral hand contractures. It affected his right ring and little finger and left middle and little finger. Further questioning revealed the presence of a neglected gunshot wound involving the right hand. He also had a history of wound debridement for a left-hand abscess, twenty years prior, which had healed via secondary intention. Hand examination showed evident palmar bands over the metacarpals extending to the proximal interphalangeal joints of the affected fingers. Both hands exhibited grade three contractures. Despite the chronicity, high recurrence rate, and history of defaulting follow-up; we still offered him treatment in the form of surgery for his bilateral hand contractures, i.e Dupuytren’s release. However, he was not keen on any surgical interventions. This case was worth sharing because DD is usually unilateral, either affecting the right or left hand, seldom both.
This paper introduces an idea of mobile applications for hardware learning laboratory. It can be used to deliver the hardware courses laboratory as M-learning courses. Much work has been done for developing the hardware design laboratories as electronic learning for delivering the hardware courses as full E-learning courses. This paper introduces a digital design lab as a mobile application to be used for M-learning courses. Using the introduced idea, the students can get a full access to the hardware laboratory tools through mobile applications. The students can also design, implement, test, and verify the results of the hardware experiments, remotely.
A preliminary study of limestone deposits in the continental U. S. and Alaska was made for the purpose of selecting deposits of sufficient size, relief, and purity in which to conduct an underground nuclear test. Of the many areas that received preliminary appraisal as potential sites, l0 in the continental U. S. and 6 in Alaska appear to offer possibilities of meeting the primary criteria of purity and thickness. Requirements of the areas and information on the areas themselves are listed. (P.C.H.)
This article aims to verify whether the parents of high school students were more concerned about their children's school education during remote learning. For this purpose, a bibliographic-documental and field research was conducted through a questionnaire on the Google Forms platform. 30% of the parents of 2nd year high school students from a state public school in the center of Boa Vista / Roraima were interviewed. The data obtained were interpreted from a phenomenological qualitative perspective. This study concludes that there is indeed a concern to keep students connected to the school during the pandemic period, even through apparently simple actions, parents are more involved with issues related to education. In relation to remote learning, it is evident that it is not effective, not satisfying and not meeting the needs of the moment, this is evidenced both by the direct answers and by the significant number of parents who did not answer the questions related to teaching in this modality. Thus, in order to overcome the new social order, parents sought ways to help their children within their own  possibilities.
Abstract New York State's Adirondack Park is home to an estimated 6,000 black bears (Ursus americanus), about 75% of the state's total population. Human–bear interactions at the Park's nearly 100 campgrounds are commonplace. Some interactions are conflicts that include risks to personal safety and property damage. Between 19 June 2003 and 18 August 2003, we interviewed 54 Adirondack Park campers and caretakers at 7 campgrounds to determine stakeholder-perceived risks. We structured interviews to assess 9 possible constructs influencing risks not yet reported in the literature for human–bear conflicts from campground stakeholders' perspectives: volition of exposure; certainty; feelings of dread; perceived frequency of exposure to risk; responsiveness of black bear managers; trust in black bear managers; familiarity of risk; natural causes of risk; and control over risk. Overall, perceived risk associated with human–bear conflict was low. Evidence-based analysis revealed 8 of 9 constructs to be salient. We characterized salient constructs according to camper and caretaker perspectives. Caretakers had a higher risk perception than campers. Using camper comments as a foundation, we classified groups of constructs as agency capacity/responsiveness (i.e., incorporating volition, trust, and responsiveness of wildlife managers), and individual capacity/knowledge (i.e., incorporating perceived certainty, dread, and frequency, control over exposure to risks associated with black bears, and magnitude or acuteness of exposure to risks associated with black bears). With additional confirmatory analysis, these constructs and methodology may have the potential to increase understanding of risk perceptions associated with human–bear conflict and inform the content and format of strategic management plans incorporating risk management and communication.
An analysis of the data on the back-cross generation of a mouse interspecific cross between large Mus musculus, with three recessive color characters, and small Mus bactrianus, with the three dominant allelomorphs, has indubitably shown an association in heredity between factors productive of a large size in several quantitative characters and a recessive qualitative character, brown coat color. Thus, the fact that size in mice is influenced by chromosomal genes can scarcely be questioned any longer. To a lesser extent factors linked with dilution also affect size in certain characters.
In this paper, we propose an improved two-dimensional run-length encoding (I2DRLE) scheme for representing grayscale images. Conventional 2D run-length encoding scheme is simple and effective that has been widely used, while it is not suitable to represent nonblock images. Our approach is a new data compression algorithm inspired by 2D runlength encoding and quadtree, which apply some predefined patterns to represent various data and can sharply reduce the number of blocks in image representation. Experimental results show that this method is an effective lossless grayscale image encoding scheme.
We present a detailed characterization of the extremely dusty main-sequence star TYC 8830 410 1. This system hosts inner planetary system dust (T dust ≈ 300 K) with a fractional infrared luminosity of ∼1%. Mid-infrared spectroscopy reveals a strong, mildly crystalline solid-state emission feature. TYC 8830 410 1 (spectral type G9 V) has a 49.5″ separation M4-type companion comoving and co-distant with it, and we estimate a system age of ∼600 Myr. TYC 8830 410 1 also experiences “dipper”-like dimming events as detected by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, and characterized in more detail with the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope. These recurring eclipses suggest at least one roughly star-sized cloud of dust orbits the star in addition to assorted smaller dust structures. The extreme properties of the material orbiting TYC 8830 410 1 point to dramatic dust-production mechanisms that likely included something similar to the giant impact event thought to have formed the Earth–Moon system, although hundreds of millions of years after such processes are thought to have concluded in the solar system. TYC 8830 410 1 holds promise to deliver significant advances in our understanding of the origin, structure, and evolution of extremely dusty inner planetary systems.
Crude lipase extracts from defatted rice bran were obtained using three different extraction solutions: 1; CaCl 2 0.01 M; 2; Sacarose 0.6M, KCI 10mM, MgCl 2 1mM, Ditiotreitol 2mM and 3; Sacarose 0.4M, Ditiotreitol 2mM. Factors (variables) studied were pH (6.0, 7.0, 8.0) and extraction time (1h, 2h, 3h). Extraction temperature was 4 °C. The extracts obtained presented different lipase activities, and the crude extract obtained with CaCl 2 0.01 M was the one with the highest specific activity (12.1mU/mg). Partial purification of this crude extract with acetone and ammonium sulfate resulted in fractions with specific activities of 50.7mU/mg and 63.5mU/mg, respectively.
This paper is a review on would-be donor impurities in diamond lattice: N, P, Li, and Na. Other impurities like oxygen and sulfur are also discussed. As the solubility of donor impurities in the diamond lattice is predicted to be low, new methods of forcing the introduction of impurities into the diamond lattice are discussed. We propose a new method of electric-field-assisted diffusion and a method of increasing the sticking coefficient of the impurities by growth under electric bias. We also discuss the method of ion-assisted doping during growth proposed by a research group from SI Technologies.
This study reconstructs linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) prevalence and stress episode duration among Jomon period foragers from Hokkaido, Japan (HKJ). Results are compared to Jomon period samples from coastal Honshu, Japan (HSJ) and Tigara Inupiat from Point Hope, Alaska (PHT) to provide a more comprehensive perspective on the manifestation of stress among circum-Pacific foragers. LEH were identified macro- and microscopically by enamel surface depressions and increased perikymata spacing within defects. Individuals with more than one anterior tooth affected by LEH were labeled as LEH positive. Stress episode durations were estimated by counting the number of perikymata within the occlusal wall of each LEH and multiplying that number by constants reflecting modal periodicities for modern human teeth. LEH prevalence and stress episode duration did not differ significantly between the two Jomon samples. Significantly greater frequencies of LEH were found in HKJ as compared to PHT foragers. However, HKJ foragers had significantly shorter stress episode durations as compared to PHT. This suggests that a greater proportion of HKJ individuals experienced stress episodes than did PHT individuals, but these stress events ended sooner. Similarity in stress experiences between the two Jomon samples and differences between the HKJ and PHT are found. These findings are important for two reasons. First, stress experiences of foraging populations differ markedly and cannot be generalized by subsistence strategy alone. Second, due to significant differences in episode duration, stress experiences cannot be understood using prevalence comparisons alone.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine identity intersectionalities of age, ethnicity, and gender among US professional women of color working in upper management as they challenge the glass ceiling in order to change organizations from the inside out.Design/methodology/approach – Featured are narratives of 36 midlife‐aged, middle‐class African‐American, Asian‐American, and Hispanic women who have built careers in mediated message industries. Feminism and Foucauldianism provide theoretical underpinning.Findings – The findings illuminate how midlife‐aged women of color paradoxically resist and accept master narratives of “less than” in striving to change organizations and achieve their maximum potential. Organizational glass ceilings remain impenetrable, but women of color are optimistic that benefits of diverse upper‐level managements ultimately will be embraced. Moreover, overlapping public and private spheres continue to further complicate career advancement.Research limitations/implications ...
Abstract Microwave (MW) heating and conventionallyheated continuous-flow processing have emerged as viable alternatives to the traditional methods of preparing organic compounds. These tools enable the chemist to circumvent some of the issues associated with conventional processing, while improving the efficiency of chemical transformations. Recently, several strategies have been developed to perform reactions using gaseous reagents, employing MW heating or conventionally-heated microand meso-flow technologies. This perspective describes some of these strategies by means of a discussion of work performed in our laboratory, focused around alkoxycarbonylation and hydrogenation reactions.
The purpose of this study was to analyze (1) the correlation of factors that affect the spread of forest fire indication, and (2) the pattern of distribution, land burning time, and the public perception of combustion in Kubu Raya and Bengkayang Districts. The research activities were carried out in 12 villages in Kubu Raya and Bengkayang Districts during the month of November 2014 until January 2014. The research method is using correlation analysis and descriptive to explain the distribution patterns, land burn time, and the public perception of combustion. The results showed: 1) there is a relationship between the purpose of combustion (open land and eradicate weeds) with the population, and there is no relationship between the objectives of land combustion on the combustion behavior of the land associated with the main types of cultivated plants, and there is a correlation to the density of hotspots, the density of dry land farming and bush, shrub/ swamp density, marsh density, density of plantation, and density of open land. 2) The pattern of the farmers burning rice, horticulture and perenninal crops were classified into the type of the pattern of spots and the perception is part of a burning activities,  type with ash beds and lodge with the perception of not being a part of burning activities, and type with only one time burning on the stages of land preparation, and type with in the eradication of weeds. Keywords: Peat fires, Land burning behavior, Climate Change Mitigation
Down-regulation mode of wind turbine is commonly used no matter for the reserve power for supporting ancillary service to the grid, power optimization in wind farm or reducing power loss in the fault condition. It is also a method to protect faulty turbine. A down-regulation strategy based on minimum wake deficit is proposed in this paper, for the power improvement of the downwind turbine in low and medium wind speed region. The main idea is to operate turbine work at an appropriate operating point through rotor speed and torque control. The effectiveness of the strategy is verified by comparing with maximum rotor speed strategy. The result shows that the proposed strategy can improve the power of downwind turbine effectively.
Almost 10 years ago, proteolytic activity due to plasminogen activation was appreciated as one of the general phenomena seen in activated cells and in tumor cells. Urokinase was reported already in 1976 by Astedt and Holmberg to be released by human ovarian cancer cells in vitro, and with few exceptions, such as Bowes melanoma cells lines, the fibrinolytic activity of tumors is related to the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA). Although tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) is thought to be mainly regulated by its binding to fibrin and is responsible for intravascular thrombolysis, the urokinase system does not depend in its plasminogen activating activity on the presence of fibrin. Rather, it can be regulated by receptor binding and thereby localizing plasminogen activating and in turn proteolytic activity. Because of this different regulatory mechanism, the activity of the urokinase-dependent system is rather regulated by the synthesis of the enzyme, the receptors as well as by synthesis of specific inhibitors of the plasminogen activator (PA). By regulated and localized proteolytic activity on the cell surface, the u-PA-dependent system might therefore be capable of mediating extracellular proteolytic activity involved in processes such as tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, tissue remodeling, and cell migration. In all these processes cell-to-cell, cell-to-matrix, and cell-to-basement membrane interactions with generation of proteolytic activity are necessary. In the following paragraphs mechanisms involved in regulation and function of the urokinase-dependent system will be analyzed. SPECIFIC COMPONENTS OF THE u-PA DEPENDENT SYSTEM
Stem cells and regenerative medicine are emerging and promising fields both in academic and industry points of views. They are currently under active investigation worldwide and their market size is expected to grow rapidly in the near future. The Korean government is also investing a huge amount of money on these fields to promote R&D and product com mercialization. However, its technical maturity is still in its infant state and many hurdles should be resolved to accelerate technology to business. I can definitely say that we have to focus in the future on innovations in technology, regulations and reimbursement. In particular, the importance of translational research and clinical studies are of no doubt in the stem cells and regenerative medicine. I am going to deal with some of these issues in more detail in the main text.
Recent studies point out the importance of urban areas, in spite of the ever increasing unsustainable nature of the conventional city. In the specific context of the Mediterranean compact city, new settlement models are still a negligible proportion compared to the great mass of the ordinary city. Find operative way to transform the existing building stock, became more crucial than imagine a new one much more energy-efficient. Hence, seems necessary to deal with the existing urban fabrics in order to define more sustainable condition. The results here proposed of a comparative study carried out on various urban fabrics, in search of parametric relations between density and energy performance. Such methodology can represent a knowledge-base and lead to conscious and effective urban transformations, towards more efficient conditions.
Objective  To compare the effects of islet-like cells originated from different generations of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) with pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1(PDX-1) induction in treating type 1 diabetic SD rats.      Methods  The third (P3) and fifth (P5) generation of BMSCs were transfected with PDX-1 and induced to islet-like cells. Dithizone staining was used to detect insulin secretion. Streptozotocin was intraperitoneally injected into SD rats to induce type 1 diabetic model. The 45 established diabetic SD rat models were divided into three groups with random number table(15 rats in each group): transplantation group A, transplantation group B and model control group, the three groups were injected with islet-like cells derived from P3BMSCs+PDX-1, P5 BMSCs+PDX-1 and saline through tail-vain, respectively. Another 15 healthy SD rats with tail-vein injection of equal volume of saline were set as normal controls. Blood glucose, fasting insulin and C-peptide levels were measured at 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after transplantation. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) was conducted at the 21st day after transplantation. Rats were euthanized at day 28 and pancreatic tissues were collected and tested by immunohistochemistry. One-way analysis of variance was applied to do statistic analysis.      Results  From the 14th day of transplantation on, blood glucose levels significantly decreased in rats from group A and group B when compared with those in model control group. Fasting insulin and C - peptide levels in transplantation groups increased, although the difference was not statistically significant. The blood glucose levels in group B on the 21th and 28th day were all significantly lower than those in group A ((21.90±0.26) vs (23.60±1.49) mmol/L, (21.80±1.32) vs (24.20±2.06) mmol/L, t=9.65, 12.73, both P<0.05). Consistently, plasma insulin and C-peptide levels were higher in group B than those in group A at the corresponding time points(t=8.73, 12.51, 18.36, 25.12, all P<0.05). IPGTT showed that the area under curve in group B was significantly lower than that in group A ((1 809.0±2.6) vs (2 301.0±6.8) mmol·L-1·min, t=5.241, P<0.05). Pancreatic immunohistochemistry showed that insulin positive cells were detected in both transplantation group A and B; and the percentage of insulin positive cells were higher in group B than that in Group A(48.0% ± 1.3% vs 32.8% ± 3.2%, t=8.38, P<0.05).      Conclusion  Islet-like cells originated from the 5th generation of BMSCs with PDX-1 induction have better effects than the 3rd generation in treating type 1 diabetic rats.      Key words:  Diabetes mellitus, type 1; Pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1; Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; Insulin-producing cells
Surface-wave waveguides (SWG) are generally sensitive to the polarization direction due to different dispersion characteristics for TE and TM modes and therefore limitations exist in many practical applications. In this paper, a polarization-insensitive SWG, which could support both TE and TM modes with the same phase velocity is introduced and holographic antennas with broadside radiation and polarization-reconfigurable property are implemented based on the proposed SWG.
A novel technique for visualizing the gas temperature layer around bodies flying at hypersonic speeds is presented. The high temperature zone is visualized by photographing the light emitted from the electric discharge generated over a model exposed to hypersonic flow in a shock tunnel. The technique is based on electrical discharge phenomena, where the frequency of radiation emitted by the discharge path passing through the flow field varies with the temperature of the gas medium in the discharge path. The experiments are carried out in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India, hypersonic shock tunnel HST-1 at a nominal Mach number of 5.75 using helium as the driver gas, with free stream velocity of 1.38 km/s and free stream molecular density of 2.3396 X 1016 molecules/cm3. The electric discharge is generated across a line electrode embedded in the model surface and a point electrode suspended in the free stream. A high voltage discharge device (1.6 kV and 1 A) along with a micro-controller based pulse delay control module is integrated with the shock tunnel for generating and controlling electric discharge which lasts for approximately 2 microseconds. The gas temperature layer at zero angle of incidence around a flat plate and slightly blunted (5 mm bluntness radius) 20 degree apex angle slender cone model are visualized in this study. The visualized thickness of the high temperature layer around the flat plate is approximately 2 mm, which agrees well with numerical simulation, carried out using 2-D Navier-Stokes equations.
Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most fatal dementia occurring in elderly persons. LRP6 and DKK1 proteins are found in the senile plaques of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Inducing the disassociation/inhibition of the LRP6–DKK1 complex is a vital mechanism for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This study accomplished its goal of targeting potent inhibitors against LRP6 by molecular modeling techniques such as high throughput virtual screening and molecular dynamics simulations. Zinc database compounds were docked in the hydrophobic patch of LRP6 and in the active site of DKK1 using the GLIDE module. The initial docking results were well exemplified to amino acid residues interacting on the hydrophobic patch of LRP6 and active sites of DKK1. Further, the best hit compounds (866) were again redocked with Glide XP and finally six lead compounds were identified as the best inhibitors against LRP6 which was later confirmed by molecular dynamics simulation studies.
The effects of environmental loads (physical, chemical, biological) interfere with human homeostatic psycho-neuroendocrine-immune mechanisms. Clarifying the role of the triggered effects and their impact factors became an acute task for the 21st century. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of chemical (aromatic/halogenated hydrocarbons) and physical (extreme low frequency and dose electromagnetic fields: ELF-EMF) environmental loads as endocrine disruptors (ED). In addition, we have investigated the role of these factors in cell and individual exposure to clarify the mechanisms induced. We considered it particularly important to  study the relationship between indirect and direct effects in cell transformation events associated with endocrine regulatory disorders. In our work, we developed in vivo (Wistar rat chlorobenzene treatment through gastric tube; ♀ Wistar rats treatment by subcutaneous estrogen implantation; treatment of turkey with ELF-EMF), and in vitro (neurohypophysis, adenohypophysis monolayer cell culture) exposure models and standardized them for general viability and/or specific functional attractors (mechanism  cycles). The chemical agents tested were hexachlorobenzene: 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene = 1:1 (mClB); 1,4-dichlorobenzene (dClB); phenuron (PU), monuron (MU) and diuron (DU) as ED investigated for dose and time dependence. It has been found that said agents have ED effects on  OT, AVP, ACTH and PRL release. Furthermore, we have determined the human toxicity potential(HTP) values for dClB in the chemical exposures studied. We have demonstrated that ELF-EMF is a cellular ED which modifies the functions of cell membrane receptors (G proteins) involved in regulatory mechanisms. We developed an adenohypophyseal prolactinoma (PRLOMA) model by  estrogen stimulation through a positive feed-back mechanism. We have experimentally demonstrated that the functional derangement of the PRLOMA-like adenohypophysis with ED agents often triggers a non-compensable event cascade when compared to normal cell function. Based on our in vitro results, we also investigated the role of ED effects in the background of  thyroid cell transformation disorders diagnosed in medical practice. We found a correlation between ED exposures and anti-TG or anti-TPO-labeled thyroid malignant tumors, respectively. Our findings reveal that mClB, PU, MU, DU, and ELF-EMF can be regarded as ED. In addition, we have demonstrated that chronic endocrine regulatory disorders may induce cell transformation  so that the target cells of which show different behavior in their regulation compared to healthy cells. We have found a relationship between the real thyroid cell transformations (malignant tumors), the presence of anti-TG/anti-TPO markers and ED in the medical histories of the patients.
torians, such as Rudolph Wittkower and Michael Baxandall, have been concerned with this aspect of their material, and D.J. Gordon's discussion of the documents relating to the building of Palladio's Teatro Olimpico (now included in his collected essays, The Renaissance Imagination) reveals in fascinating detail the kind of evidence we must be willing to confront if we are really to understand the art of the period. The masque is in the most literal sense a collaboration, of artists with patron, performers, audience; and it is much closer to the norm of Renaissance works of art than we are commonly able to realize. It therefore is trie ideal case for this sort of investigation, and Professor Randall's book tells us more about the creation of a court masque than any book I know. To say that is to say that it is a very important book. THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY Stephen Orgel
Today’s design professionals are faced with challenges on all fronts. They need not only to keep in step with rapid technological changes and the current revolution in design and construction processes, but to lead the industry. This means actively seeking to innovate through design research, raising the bar in building performance and adopting advanced technologies in their practice. In a constant drive to improve design processes and services, how is it possible to implement innovations? And, moreover, to assimilate them in such a way that design, methods and technologies remain fully integrated?
By milling 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) and hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) together, a nano CL-20/RDX co/mixed crystal explosive with a mean particle size of 141.6 nm is prepared from the raw materials, and the co/mixed crystals are characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal-infrared spectrometry online (DSC-IR) technology; furthermore, the impact, friction and thermal sensitivity of the samples are tested. The results show that after milling, the morphology of the co/mixed crystal explosive is near-spherical, and the particle size reveals a normal distribution. The milled sample showed the same molecular structure and surface elements as the raw materials, but the XRD test shows that CL-20/RDX has a new crystal phase and the Raman and IR spectra gave a supplementary confirmation for the existence of a cocrystal phase in the milled sample. The activation energy of the thermal decomposition of CL-20/RDX is 206.49 kJ mol−1 higher than that of raw RDX. DSC-IR analysis showed that the thermolysis of CL-20/RDX produces a large amount of CO2 and N2O and a small amount of H2O, NO2 and NO. The mechanical sensitivity of CL-20/RDX is very low. In impact sensitivity tests with a 5 kg hammer, the special height (H50) is 51.43 cm, which is higher than the values of 36.43 cm for raw CL-20 and 9.78 cm for raw RDX. In the friction sensitivity tests, the explosion probability (P) is 56%; however, the thermal sensitivity of CL-20/RDX is higher than that of the raw materials, with its 5 s burst point being only 243.51 °C.
Abstract Aims Lower parental education has been linked to adverse youth mental health outcomes. However, the relationship between parental education and youth suicidal behaviours remains unclear. We explored the association between parental education and youth suicidal ideation and attempts, and examined whether sociocultural contexts moderate such associations. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis with a systematic literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline and Embase from 1900 to December 2020 for studies with participants aged 0–18, and provided quantitative data on the association between parental education and youth suicidal ideation and attempts (death included). Only articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals were considered. Two authors independently assessed eligibility of the articles. One author extracted data [e.g. number of cases and non-cases in each parental education level, effect sizes in forms of odds ratios (ORs) or beta coefficients]. We then calculated pooled ORs using a random-effects model and used moderator analysis to investigate heterogeneity. Results We included a total of 59 articles (63 study samples, totalling 2 738 374 subjects) in the meta-analysis. Lower parental education was associated with youth suicidal attempts [OR = 1.12, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 1.04–1.21] but not with suicidal ideation (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.98–1.12). Geographical region and country income level moderated the associations. Lower parental education was associated with an increased risk of youth suicidal attempts in Northern America (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.10–1.45), but with a decreased risk in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54–0.96). An association of lower parental education and increased risk of youth suicidal ideation was present in high- income countries (HICs) (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.05–1.25), and absent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.77–1.08). Conclusions The association between youth suicidal behaviours and parental education seems to differ across geographical and economical contexts, suggesting that cultural, psychosocial or biological factors may play a role in explaining this association. Although there was high heterogeneity in the studies reviewed, this evidence suggests that the role of familial sociodemographic characteristics in youth suicidality may not be universal. This highlights the need to consider cultural, as well as familial factors in the clinical assessment and management of youth's suicidal behaviours in our increasingly multicultural societies, as well as in developing prevention and intervention strategies for youth suicide.
In order to solve the issue of poor gate signal transmission in display panels based on InGaZnO thin film transistors, the panels were disassembled and analyzed. The poor transmissions of the gate signal results from the drain current drop phenomenon of some thin film transistors in gate circuits. When the collision ionization effect occurs in the high-resistance region near a drain electrode, the phenomenon could be observed. On one hand, the rate of electron capturing is higher than that of hole capturing, therefore the current of the thin film transistor decreases and the threshold voltage drifts forward. On the other hand, the broken Zn-O bonds caused by hot carriers forming electron trap sites degrade the electron transport. Some measures are implemented to solve the issue of drain current drop.
PURPOSE To determine whether the use of a recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor ([G-CSF] lenogastrim) can increase the chemotherapy dose-intensity (CDI) delivered during consolidation chemotherapy of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).   PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-seven children with very high-risk ALL were randomized (slow early response to therapy, 55 patients; translocation t(9;22) or t(4;11), 12 patients). Consolidation consisted of six courses of chemotherapy; the first, third, and fifth courses were a combination of high-dose cytarabine, etoposide, and dexamethasone (R3), whereas the second, fourth, and sixth courses included vincristine, prednisone, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and methotrexate (COPADM). G-CSF was given after each course, and the next scheduled course was started as soon as neutrophil count was > 1 x 10(9)/L and platelet count was > 100 x 10(9)/L. CDI was calculated using the interval from day 1 of the first course to hematologic recovery after the fifth course (100% CDI = 105-day interval).   RESULTS CDI was significantly increased in the G-CSF group compared with the non-G-CSF group (mean +/- 95% confidence interval, 105 +/- 5% v 91 +/- 4%; P <.001). This higher intensity was a result of shorter post-R3 intervals in the G-CSF group, whereas the post-COPADM intervals were not statistically reduced. After the R3 courses, the number of days with fever and intravenous antibiotics and duration of hospitalization were significantly decreased by G-CSF, whereas reductions observed after COPADM were not statistically significant. Duration of granulocytopenia was reduced in the G-CSF group, but thrombocytopenia was prolonged, and the number of platelet transfusions was increased. Finally, the 3-year probability of event-free survival was not different between the two groups.   CONCLUSION G-CSF can increase CDI in high-risk childhood ALL. Its effects depend on the chemotherapy regimen given before G-CSF administration. In our study, a higher CDI did not improve disease control.
Dispersion of metal coagulant should be completed in a fraction of a second before the metal hydroxide precipitate has formed. For this reason, so-called pump diffusion flash mixing (PDFM) has been proposed, and PDFM is one reasonable method to quickly disperse the hydrolyzing metal salts. In this study, we attempt to understand the difference of removal characteristics of natural organic matter (NOM) between PDFM and conventional rapid mixing (CRM) in a water treatment system, and to enhance the removal of NOM through the improved mixing process. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and turbidity removal by PDFM was higher than those by CRM, while specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) of treated water by PDFM was higher than that by CRM. NOM was more effectively removed by PDFM compared to CRM due to quick and uniform dispersion of coagulants. Though the hydrophilic fraction found as major faction in bulk NOM from Han River water is enriched in haloacetic acid precursor sites as compared to hydrophobic fraction, the hydrophilic fraction was more effectively removed by PDFM rather than CRM. Therefore, PDFM is effective and innovative process in reduction of DOC and DBPFPs as well as turbidity, and requires lower coagulant dosage compared to CRM.
We have investigated the characteristics of a Cu/W–N/SiOF multilevel interconnect. The resistivity and surface roughness of the Cu film on a W–N/SiOF/Si substrate are better than those of the Cu film on a SiOF/Si substrate after annealing at 500°C for 30 min. These results are due to the W–N thin film inserted between the Cu and SiOF because the surface energy of the W–N film is greater than that of the SiOF film, which improves the wettability of Cu on the W–N film and prevents the agglomeration of the Cu film during the annealing process. Also, the stress evolution, current–voltage (I–V) characteristics and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) spectra reveal that the Cu/W–N/SiOF/Si interconnect has lower tensile stress and better electrical properties than the Cu/SiOF/Si interconnect, which is due to the stress relaxation and the improvement of the barrier performance as a result of inserting the W–N thin films.
Feature selection, selects a representative subset of features, which can greatly improve the computational efficiency and the performance of data mining and machine learning tasks. Semi-supervised feature selection methods deal with the data whose labels are not complete. Most least square regression (LSR) based semi-supervised feature selection methods usually learn a projection matrix W, which reveals the relationship between features and labels. The features are ranked according to their corresponding row norm in W. Some sparse norm regularizations are imposed on W for selecting discriminative features. However, similar features usually have similar rankings if there is no constraint about the importance of features. Hence, the selected features by the sparse models based methods might have redundancy. To reduce the redundancy, we propose a regularization to penalize the high-correlation features. Combined with the loss function based on LSR, the manifold regularization and the regularization about the label matrix learned by LSR, a semi-supervised feature selection framework (SFSRM) is presented. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
This paper addresses the problem of unsupervised speech separation based on robust non‐negative matrix factorization (RNMF) with β‐divergence, when neither speech nor noise training data is available beforehand. We propose a robust version of non‐negative matrix factorization, inspired by the recently developed sparse and low‐rank decomposition, in which the data matrix is decomposed into the sum of a low‐rank matrix and a sparse matrix. Efficient multiplicative update rules to minimize the β‐divergence‐based cost function are derived. A convolutional extension of the proposed algorithm is also proposed, which considers the time dependency of the non‐negative noise bases. Experimental speech separation results show that the proposed convolutional RNMF successfully separates the repeating time‐varying spectral structures from the magnitude spectrum of the mixture, and does so without any prior training.
The availability and geographic distribution of fresh water resources may undergo significant changes in response to global environmental change. In this study, we examine the water balance of the Amazon Basin using a modified version of the LSX land surface model [Pollard and Thompson, 1995; Thompson and Pollard, 1995a, b] which includes a representation of land surface processes, canopy physiology (stomatal conductance, transpiration, and photosynthesis), and continental-scale hydrological routing. The model operates on a 0.5° by 0.5° grid and is forced with observed long-term climatological data. As an initial application of the model, we examine the seasonal variability of water balance within the Amazon Basin. The simulation is evaluated by comparing (1) simulated evapotranspiration with observations for different vegetation cover types and (2) simulated river discharge against the long-term records of 56 fluviometric stations spread throughout the basin. The model results show that evapotranspiration is strongly dependent on the vegetation cover, especially during the rainy season. Overall, we find good agreement between the simulated and the observed water balance: for most of the fluviometric stations the error is less than 25%. In addition, we perform a model sensitivity study to determine the role of changes in vegetation cover on the water balance, without considering feedbacks on climate. When forests, woodlands, and savannas are replaced with grasslands, annual average evapotranspiration decreases by ∼0.5 mm d−1 (∼12%), which is comparable to observations. Finally, we perform a model sensitivity study in order to assess the potential physiological effects of increased CO2 on stomatal (canopy) conductance and, as a consequence, on the water balance of the Amazon Basin, again without considering feedbacks on the atmosphere. The model results suggest that doubling atmospheric CO2 concentrations (from 325 to 650 ppmv) would decrease the canopy conductance by 20 to 35% (depending on the vegetation type) arid would decrease evapotranspiration by ∼4% throughout the region. As a consequence, annual river discharge increases by between 3% and 16.5%, depending on the position within the basin. At the mouth of the Amazon arid Tocantins Rivers, annual discharge increases by 5 and 9%, respectively.
Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to identify and discuss recent findings related to inherited metabolic disorders of the liver that increase our understanding of the pathophysiology and treatment for hemochromatosis and other iron overload disorders, Wilson disease and alpha one antitrypsin deficiency. Recent findings The main theme in the recent discoveries for both iron overload disorders and Wilson disease is our increasing understanding that the phenotypic expression of these disorders are greatly influenced by genes involved in the metabolic pathways for these metals, or influence the progression of liver disease independent of metal metabolism. For example, the role of hepcidin dysregulation in hemochromatosis has been a surprising discovery that provides some mechanistic understanding for the increased iron absorption that is present in this disorder. Summary Given the recent explosion of information on iron and copper metabolism and the cellular processing of alpha one antitrypsin, the highlights reviewed in this article will help the reader keep up to date with the current understanding of these diseases and potential future approaches to their treatment.
Clinical and morphologic features of 89 cases of childhood yolk sac tumor (YS) and embryonal carcinoma (EC) (29 associated with teratomas) submitted to the Rare Tumor Registry of the Southwest Oncology Group (1971–1979) or the Pediatric Oncology Group (1980–1984) between 1971 and 1984 were reviewed and submitted to statistical analysis. This review showed an improved survival for each 5‐year period regardless of tumor site, no statistically significant difference between “pure” tumors and those mixed with other teratomatous components, no statistically significant difference between YS and EC in children, a better than reported prognosis for sacrococcygeal tumors occurring after the neonatal period, a particularly poor prognosis for neonatal “benign” sacrococcygeal teratomas respected without coccygectomy when they recur as YS, excellent survival for all testicular tumors regardless of age or the presence of EC, and the occurrence of mediastinal tumors in females.
Reduction of the indate complex In(NONAr )(μ-Cl)2 Li(OEt2 )2 (NONAr =[O(SiMe2 NAr)2 ]2- ; Ar=2,6-iPr2 C6 H3 ) with sodium generates the InII diindane species [In(NONAr )]2 . Further reduction with a mixture of potassium and [2.2.2]crypt affords the InI N-heterocyclic indyl anion [In(NONAr )]- , which crystallizes with a non-contacted [K([2.2.2]crypt)]+ cation. The indyl anion can also be isolated as the indyllithium compound In(NONAr )(Li{THF}3 ), which contains an In-Li bond. Density functional theory calculations show that the HOMO of the indyl anion is a metal-centred lone pair, and preliminary reactivity studies confirm its nucleophilic behaviour.
In the new environment, how to clearly understand the shortcomings of the private colleges during the process of their development, and how to find the right direction of their own development under the background of the education reformation, these have become the key factors that influence the development of private colleges. To private colleges, financial issue is the key factor which influences their development. During the many years development of private education, financial issue makes the managers of the colleges feel nervous all the time, if a college is lack of funds or faces the risk of financing, these issues will block the development of the college; and if these problems happen, it will bring a lot of problems to the college, such as quality of education is getting worse, lack of all some kinds of resources, etc. At present, because of some realistic reasons, not only the ways of the colleges’ financing are limited, but also it is very difficult to finance enough funds, there often are many problems on investment and financing of private colleges, these greatly blocks the development of the private colleges. Start from the present situation of the private colleges’ investment and financing, the writer of this thesis brings out some simple opinion in order to promote the sustainable development of private colleges. The main way of financing of many domestic private colleges is governmental and national support, because of the long-term support, most of the private colleges neglect the other financing ways so that their ways of financing become limited, and it is hard to financing enough money as well. As the progress of recent educational reformation and the development of private colleges, the publics call for the higher teaching quality to private colleges, and the private colleges should pay more attention to increasing their financing ways in order to solve the problems of funds and make progress on their own development. Current problems of private colleges’ investment and financing. Although the main way of financing of the most domestic private colleges in China is governmental support, but there still is a certain distance between the funds that are invested to education in China and the average level of that abroad , and the investment of education still need to be improved. So, during the development of colleges, lack of funds and governmental financial support become the common phenomena; although “education strengthens national power” is advocated in China, but the real useful effects of education reform need to be improved further more. What’s more, because of the total amount of basic educational unit in China is huge, education resources are allotted to each unit unfairly, and educational task is heavy, these cause lots of colleges are lack of funds. The huge mount of basic educational unit in China leads to the financial burden of the government becomes heavier and heavier, and this is the main reason that colleges feel difficult to invest and finance funds . Most of the schools in China are used to rely on the government financial support, but this makes lots of private colleges in China lose their enthusiasms of development of their own and rely on political support all the time, and then, they become weak on undertaking risk; when they are lack of funds, they can not solve these financial problems well, but only can wait the financial support from the government with a mentality of dependence . These make lots of private colleges in China feel difficult on financing funds for fulfilling the current demands of their own development. 2017 International Conference on Frontiers in Educational Technologies and Management Sciences (FETMS 2017) Copyright © (2017) Francis Academic Press , UK 33 At present, in common Chinese rural family, a college student spends 50% of the annual income of his or her family, this proportion in common urban family is 20%, so, it is a very heavy load to a common family on paying for the tuition of a college student in China. However, the proportion in the developed countries is about 10%-13% , this kind of great difference shows the deficiency of domestic education system and the reasonable tuitions of many private colleges. The hug difference of tuition makes the private college face lots of obstacles on investment and financing. Because of the strategy of “education strengthens national power” and some political supports, lots of commercial banks have taken part in educational field, and have invested a certain mount of funds to private colleges so as to provide the financial supports to the colleges. To combine the capitals of the bank with the colleges is an important way of domestic educational reformation, and an important step of promoting the development of education as well. Although this cooperative model that ties the colleges and banks has been proposed for a long time, but there still are lots of obstacles of its implement. When the colleges pay back the loans, colleges have no enough funds because the main ways of the incomes of the colleges are tuitions, fees, and financial allocations, but these have almost been spent during the daily educational activities. Moreover, according the credit rules of the banks, educational assets can not be mortgaged and the colleges also can not be the bondsman for loaning funds, therefore, it is quite difficult to loan funds to the colleges. The incomes from the colleges’ industries are limited. In general, the benefits of college run enterprises in China are sizable; it provides strong financial support for the construction of colleges. But nationwide, sale income of colleges’ technology enterprises only holds 2.3% of the income that comes form the total domestic high-tech enterprises, its total size is still small. Undoubtedly, to the large mount of funds that colleges need badly imminently, these funds are very little. Therefore, although the total incomes of colleges are increasing year by year, but the incomes of the colleges are still limited because of the colleges’ regular incomes become less and less, which are difficult to meet the needs of the rapid increasing demands of funds for colleges’ development. Diversified investing and financing countermeasures of private education. According the relevant materials, we could find that the private colleges hold the 5% in the whole GDP of China, compared with the average level aboard that is 14%, this datum of China lags behind a lot. At the some time, the total amount of domestic savings have been rising, lots of private capitals are idle. In order to optimize the usage of capitals and reallocate the resources, the colleges could carry out the reformation of property rights, let the private capital enter into the system, and let the private education in China walk on the path of the industry group, then organize a public offering for raising enough funds which could promote the development of the colleges. (1)To issue the higher education bonds which property are national debts. In order to support the basic industry of national economy, China has issued the relevant national bonds many times when the governmental financial situation is bad. To support the development of the higher education, government could also use this method. It is feasible that the Ministry of Education issues the special bonds publicly for supporting the higher education . (2)To issue the higher education bonds which property are enterprise bonds. The higher education bond which property is enterprise bond means a kind of special bond which is issued to the publics by a college; it is similar with the enterprise bond. Trust and Investment Company as a non-bank financial intermediary, its basic function is “manage the properties for the costumes”, it could increase the ways of financial business, expand the range of financial activities, and do some business that can not be dealt with in banks. Colleges could take the best of trust for conducting financial transactions. At present, colleges in China have many kinds of foundations, such as non profit foundation which is donated by the publics, scientific research foundation and so on. But how to operate these foundations is a question, especially how to use some kinds of the huge educational fees for investing also is a question. Therefore, colleges could make these funds add value by the professional techniques of the trust and investment companies . Private colleges need to pay attention to the three-side cooperation of college, enterprise and
Background: Salvia divinorum has known hallucinogenic effects and is legal in most parts of the United States. Given that this psychoactive substance has a potential of misuse and abuse, further data regarding the clinical and psychosocial factors associated with use are needed. Objectives: To examine the clinical and psychosocial characteristics associated with use of salvia. Methods: The study uses data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2008 (N = 55,623). Results: The results of this study suggest that salvia use is most common among young adults aged 18–25 years as well as individuals who had engaged in risk-taking behaviors (selling illicit drugs, stealing) or illicit drug use (especially other hallucinogens/ecstasy). Self-reported depression and anxiety were also associated with salvia use. Conclusions/Scientific Significance: The results provide evidence that salvia use is part of a broader constellation of psychosocial and behavioral problems among youth and young adults. The accessibility, legal status, and psychoactive effects of salvia can be a potentially complicating health risk to young people, especially among those with existing substance use problems.
In this paper, we propose distribution-aware hierarchical weighting (DHW) method for deep metric learning. First, we formulate the distributions of different classes according to the form of gaussian curves, and update distributions as the training process. Second, depending on the learnable distribution, we propose a loss function named distribution-aware loss with dynamic mining margins and hierarchical degrees of weights to make full use of samples. The experimental results show that our algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art methods in terms of retrieval and clustering tasks. Code is available at https://github.com/zhuyinong1/DHW-master.
Background: Several natural products have been reported to elicit beneficial effects against neurodegenerative disorders due to their vitamin E contents. However, the neuroprotective efficacy of palm oil or its tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) from the pre-clinical cell and animal studies have not been systematically reviewed. Methods: The protocol for this systematic review was registered in “PROSPERO” (CRD42019150408). This review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) descriptors of PubMed with Boolean operators were used to construct keywords, including (“Palm Oil”[Mesh]) AND “Nervous System”[Mesh], (“Palm Oil”[Mesh]) AND “Neurodegenerative Diseases”[Mesh], (“Palm Oil”[Mesh]) AND “Brain”[Mesh], and (“Palm Oil”[Mesh]) AND “Cognition”[Mesh], to retrieve the pertinent records from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect from 1990 to 2019, while bibliographies, ProQuest and Google Scholar were searched to ensure a comprehensive identification of relevant articles. Two independent investigators were involved at every stage of the systematic review, while discrepancies were resolved through discussion with a third investigator. Results: All of the 18 included studies in this review (10 animal and eight cell studies) showed that palm oil and TRF enhanced the cognitive performance of healthy animals. In diabetes-induced rats, TRF and α-tocotrienol enhanced cognitive function and exerted antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory activities, while in a transgenic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) animal model, TRF enhanced the cognitive function and reduced the deposition of β-amyloid by altering the expression of several genes related to AD and neuroprotection. In cell studies, simultaneous treatment with α-tocotrienols and neurotoxins improved the redox status in neuronal cells better than γ- and δ-tocotrienols. Both pre-treatment and post-treatment with α-tocotrienol relative to oxidative insults were able to enhance the survival of neuronal cells via increased antioxidant responses. Conclusions: Palm oil and its TRF enhanced the cognitive functions of healthy animals, while TRF and α-tocotrienol enhanced the cognitive performance with attenuation of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and apoptosis in diabetes-induced or transgenic AD animal models. In cell studies, TRF and α-tocotrienol exerted prophylactic neuroprotective effects, while α-tocotrienol exerted therapeutic neuroprotective effects that were superior to those of γ- and δ-tocotrienol isomers.
Abstract Targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR) is a surgical procedure used to improve the control of upper limb prostheses. Residual nerves from the amputated limb are transferred to reinnervate new muscle targets that have otherwise lost their function. These reinnervated muscles then serve as biological amplifiers of the amputated nerve motor signals, allowing for more intuitive control of advanced prosthetic arms. Here the authors provide a review of surgical techniques for TMR in patients with either transhumeral or shoulder disarticulation amputations. They also discuss how TMR may act synergistically with recent advances in prosthetic arm technologies to improve prosthesis controllability. Discussion of TMR and prosthesis control is presented in the context of a 41-year-old man with a left-side shoulder disarticulation and a right-side transhumeral amputation. This patient underwent bilateral TMR surgery and was fit with advanced pattern-recognition myoelectric prostheses.
Modeling of photovoltaic properties of multi-junction solar cells integrated on a Si substrate with an array of GaN nanowires as a top emitter has been carried out. Very good antireflection properties of the structure are demonstrated theoretically: the calculated reflectance is lower than 3% for both GaN nanowires/Si and GaN nanowires on GaPN/Si cells. According to our simulations, basic GaN nanowires on Si cell with optimised parameters (doping and NWs morphology) provides energy conversion efficiency of 20%. The approach demonstrates high potential of the GaPN(As)-based multi-junction lattice matched with Si solar cells using an array of GaN nanowires as a top emitter.
A case of acute acquired afibrinogenemia (the defibrination syndrome) in a 15-month-old female is reported. Despite extensive hemorrhage and gangrene the child survived after transfusions of whole blood and fibrinogen. The etiology, laboratory diagnosis, and treatment of the defibrination syndrome is briefly reviewed and described. The possibility that the cause could have been a snake bite is discussed.
This study examined group differences among a middle-aged, middle-class, community sample (N = 616) of female adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and female non-ACOAs with regard to features of intra- and interpersonal functioning. Consistent with previous research, ACOAs reported higher levels of depression and lower levels of self-esteem. ACOAs also reported lower levels of perceived social support, family cohesion, and marital satisfaction and higher levels of marital conflict. ACOAs also indicated more parental role distress and perceived themselves as more powerless than non-ACOAs to control the actions of their offspring. ACOAs were more likely to drink for coping purposes (e.g., to relieve stress), although their level of alcohol consumption did not differ significantly from that of non-ACOAs. Although consistent differences were indicated between groups, ACOAs were still functioning in the nonpathological range on all measures.
The present study investigates the role that shape and color play in the representation of animate (i.e., animals) and inanimate manipulable entities (i.e., fruits), and how the importance of these features is modulated by different tasks. Across three experiments participants were shown either images of entities (e.g., a sheep or a pineapple) or images of the same entities modified in color (e.g., a blue pineapple) or in shape (e.g., an elongated pineapple). In Experiment 1 we asked participants to categorize the entities as fruit or animal. Results showed that with animals color does not matter, while shape modifications determined a deterioration of the performance – stronger for fruit than for animals. To better understand our findings, in Experiments 2 we asked participants to judge if entities were graspable (manipulation evaluation task). Participants were faster with manipulable entities (fruit) than with animals; moreover alterations in shape affected the response latencies more for animals than for fruit. In Experiment 3 (motion evaluation task), we replicated the disadvantage for shape-altered animals, while with fruits shape and color modifications produced no effect. By contrasting shape- and color- alterations the present findings provide information on shape/color relative weight, suggesting that the action based property of shape is more crucial than color for fruit categorization, while with animals it is critical for both manipulation and motion tasks. This contextual dependency is further revealed by explicit judgments on similarity – between the altered entities and the prototypical ones – provided after the different tasks. These results extend current literature on affordances and biofunctionally embodied understanding, revealing the relative robustness of biofunctional activity compared to intellectual one.
In an online learning environment it is important to select an effective way of presenting the artifacts that are created by students who perform various course related assignments. In this paper the authors discuss the features of ePortfolio systems, adoption strategies and other issues that are relevant for the effective use of an ePortfolio as an educational tool. However, the focus of the paper is on practical experiences in the use of an ePortfolio system for presentation of students' artifacts and assessment of their work. Two case studies of ePortfolio usage for assessment purposes are presented.
Background In Japan, as society changes, becoming ever more isolated and with rises in nuclear families, mothers are increasingly concerned and uneasy about child care. These changes have also coincided with a significant decrease in birth rates. The government took out the “indicator of support plan for the 21st century” in 2001. So, each prefecture had to draw up a concrete plan by 2005. Purpose The purpose of study was to explore factors affecting mothers' anxieties and to evaluate effects of a child care support plan. Sample and Statistical Analysis The questionnaire surveys were conducted with 1000 mothers, selected randomly, in 2002 and 2008. Mothers' anxiety was measured using feelings of loneliness, confusion about child-rearing and lack of standards as the children's development process. These were analysed using “ordered categorical logistic regression”. The explanatory variables were mother's age, child's age and child-rearing methods. Results ‘Feelings of loneliness' was negatively correlated with a child's age (p value=0.07) and a maternal age (p value=0.044). Mothers' mental instability and a lack of families' cooperation significantly related with ‘feelings of loneliness' (p values=0.000, 0.000, respectively). “Feelings of loneliness” and “confusion about child-rearing” in 2008 (after implementation of the child care support plan) were reduced compared with those in 2002 (p values=0.069, 0.065, respectively). Conclusions The introduction of a child care support plan including opportunities for counselling, friendship and activities increased family co-operation and more social interaction for both mother and child. The research shows these can be effective methods in reducing mothers' anxieties.
Reaction of the furo[2,3-e]pyrido[l,2-b]-as-triazinium salt 1 with methyl hydrazine gave the zwitterionic 1-substituted pyrido-pyridazino-as-triazine 4. The neutral 2-substituted isomer 6 was formed when 1 was treated with 1-formyl-1-methylhydrazine. Reaction of 1 with 1-acyl-2-methylhydrazine gave rise to 1,3,4-trisubstituted zwitterionic derivatives of the same ring system. Efforts to synthesize aryl-substituted zwitterions led to simultaneous formation of the desired compound 12 and of a new ring transformation product, the pyrazolopyrido-as-triazine derivative 15.
Objectives The present study aimed to explore the inter-relationships among maternal death, household economic status after the event, and potential influencing factors. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of households that had experienced maternal death (n = 195) and those that experienced childbirth without maternal death (n = 384) in rural China. All the households were interviewed after the event occurred and were followed up 12 months later. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship model, utilizing income and expenditure per capita in the following year after the event as the main outcome variables, maternal death as the predictor, and direct costs, the amount of money offset by positive and negative coping strategies, whether the husband remarried, and whether the newborn was alive as the mediators. Results In the following year after the event, the path analysis revealed a direct effect from maternal death to lower income per capita (standardized coefficient = -0.43, p = 0.041) and to lower expenditure per capita (standardized coefficient = -0.51, p<0.001). A significant indirect effect was found from maternal death to lower income and expenditure per capita mediated by the influencing factors of higher direct costs, less money from positive coping methods, more money from negative coping, and the survival of the newborn. Conclusion This study analyzed the direct and indirect effects of maternal death on a household economy. The results provided evidence for better understanding the mechanism of how this event affects a household economy and provided a reference for social welfare policies to target the most vulnerable households that have suffered from maternal deaths.
The aim of the current study was to examine different aspects of procedural memory in young adults who varied with regard to their language abilities. We selected a sample of procedural memory tasks, each of which represented a unique type of procedural learning, and has been linked, at least partially, to the functionality of the corticostriatal system. The findings showed that variance in language abilities is associated with performance on different domains of procedural memory, including the motor domain (as shown in the pursuit rotor task), the cognitive domain (as shown in the weather prediction task), and the linguistic domain (as shown in the nonword repetition priming task). These results implicate the corticostriatal system in individual differences in language.
The light observation-protective container (LOOK) is intended for security and protection of soldiers/officers performing observation missions, defence and control tasks at checkpoints, military bases or other important strategic locations. It increases the level of protection of staff performing observation and defence tasks thanks to the container's armouring, technical means of observation in both visible and infra-red light spectrums, as well as offering the possibility of armouring the container with weapons. LOOK equipped with integrated weapons reduces personnel losses and effectively combats threats in surveilled zones. LOOK is equipped with an operator (guard commander) post enabling observation and control, a gunner-sentry post with a control and observation desk, communication system, armoured windows with firing positions on three sides and a hatch in the roof for an additional external manual shooting position. In addition, the LOOK container system is equipped with a ventilation and heating subsystem with air conditioning and can be retrofitted with an emergency power supply subsystem. High mobility and transportability by land and sea are characteristics of LOOK.
Jane Cooper: That's a very complicated question. But yes, you're right, I do think this is my most American book. First of all, it's a book that's very much concerned with history, and how the sense of history extends an individual life, both as you look back and as you look ahead into the future. I used to think that what was most important for Americans was to focus outward, to accept internationalism; this was the legacy of World War II for me. At the same time, three-quarters of my ancestors came from what used to be called "old American families," from Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Delaware. What's changed is that in the "Family Stories" section of Green Notebook I've consciously explored that legacy, rather than turning away from it, toward internationalism, as I did earlier. But both these attitudes are aspects of my consciousness of being an American, and of being a citizen, if you will. Then, I've always been very interested in imagining what the task is for an American writer, an American artist. In this book there are two extended meditations, on Willa Cather and Georgia O'Keeffe, and the American landscapes they chose as their signatures, and that's obviously a very different focus from writing a long poem about Rosa Luxemburg. Cather says at one point?she paraphrases Virgil in My Antonia?"For I shall be the first, if I live, to bring the Muse into my country." Of course she's leaving out the Native Americans, which points to a central flaw in her, but, you know, this too is part of our legacy, that until quite recently someone could still feel that way. . . .
The first local anaesthetic operating list faced by a Core Surgical Trainee (CT) can appear a daunting task. Fresh from Foundation Year (FY) posts, (s)he will lack experience in basic surgical techniques. At present, there is no formal training in minor surgical skills for FY doctors, and exposure to operative surgery can be variable. This review provides an introduction and practical guide to the operative management of minor surgical pathologies.
Formation control of mobile multi-agent system is a question with practical significance in the complex dynamics system. In this paper, a multi-agent system moving in free-space and moving with obstacle avoidance is studied. Applying potential function, the multi-agent algorithms are proposed. The first algorithm is an algorithm for multi-agent system moving in free-space. Then we discuss flocking with Obstacle avoidance in multi-agent system, the second algorithm has obstacle avoidance capabilities. We present the control algorithm and make stability analysis. Finally, many computer simulations are used to show the validity of the results.
This study explored the impact of green marketing strategies under the intermediary role of green attitudes implemented by Chinese fashion companies on brand images and consumers’ purchase intentions. A survey was conducted among selected college students in Shanghai to identify the relationship between green marketing, green attitudes, brand image, and purchase intention in relation to fashion companies and their products. The SPSS 24 was used to analyze the relationship between variables via factor analysis, reliability analysis and confirmatory factor analysis: CFA, Correlation analysis and other series of analyses. It also used the AMOS 24 to establish a structural equation model (structural equation model: SEM) for verification. A total of 300 responses to the questionnaires were recovered, and 290 of them were used for final research and analysis. The results showed that under the intermediary effect of green attitudes, the green marketing 4P strategy of fashion companies has a positive impact on corporate brand images and consumers’ purchase intentions. The purchase intention of green fashion products and the green fashion brand images have a positive effect on each other. The results show that under the condition of similar brand images, when companies formulate green marketing strategies, efforts related to influencing consumers' green attitudes can more promote the generation of green behaviors.
To determine the effects of aging and concentric hypertrophy on the reserve of the left ventricle (LV), 36 patients with hypertension (HT), 22 with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and 25 age-matched normal subjects (N) were studied by isoproterenol (ISP) infusion echocardiography. The end-diastolic LV relative wall thickness (RWT), fractional shortening (FS), peak mitral flow velocity during the rapid filling phase (R) and atrial systole (A), and the A/R ratio were measured. At rest, the RWT and A/R were larger in groups HT and HCM than in group N. There were no significant differences in age, heart rate (HR), and FS among the groups. The A/R of all groups showed a good positive correlation with increasing age. The A/R of the HT group was also positively correlated with RWT. During ISP infusion, the HR, R, A, A/R and FS increased in all groups. The changes in R and FS were smaller in groups HT and HCM than in group N. The change in HR in groups N and HT, and the change in FS in all groups during ISP infusion were all inversely correlated with increasing age. The change in FS during ISP infusion was inversely correlated with RWT in the HT group, but not in HCM. Thus, it was suggested that the impairment of LV reserve in patients with HCM is not only caused by concentric hypertrophy and the aging process, but also by other myocardial factors.
Polyaniline (PAn), polypyrrole (PPY), Poly(3‐methylthiophene) (P3MT) and polybithiophene (PBT) thin films are layer‐by‐layer (LL) synthesized and deposited on insulator, semiconductor or conductor substrates using a specially constructed machine. Films, 40–500 nm thick, are obtained by successive depositions of many layers, 2–20 nm thick, by means of chemical oxidative polymerization of thick monomer layers adherent to the solid‐solution interface, in a large excess of FeCl3 oxidant solution. The deposition machine, procedure, mechanism and the working conditions are described in detail and discussed.
This article introduces the package Vdgraph that is used for making variance dispersion graphs of response surface designs. The package includes functions that make the variance dispersion graph of one design or compare variance dispersion graphs of two designs, which are stored in data frames or matrices. The package also contains several minimum run response surface designs (stored as matrices) that are not available in other R packages.
Three experiments were conducted to determine the order of amino acid (AA) limitation in meat and bone meal (MBM) using AA addition and deletion assays. In two addition assays, various individual and combined additions of eight AA were made to semipurified basal diets containing 16% protein solely from a MBM. The two MBM had previously been determined to vary greatly in protein quality. In the deletion assay, a semipurified basal diet containing 13.5% CP provided solely by MBM was supplemented with L-Thr, L-Val, DL-Met, L-Leu, L-Ile, L-Phe, L-Tyr, L-Lys-HCl, L-His, and L-Trp to fulfill the Illinois Ideal Protein or AA pattern on a digestible basis. Each AA was then deleted individually from the basal diet, and the effect of its deletion on growth performance was assessed. In both addition assays, supplementation of the MBM basal diet with Trp and Cys together yielded a large increase in growth performance, whereas supplementation with these AA individually had no effect. These results indicated that Trp and sulfur AA (with a primary need for Cys) were equally first limiting in the MBM. The order of limitation for the other AA was unclear. The results of the deletion assay showed that deletion of Trp, Thr, Phe + Tyr, Ile, Met, Lys, Val, or His significantly depressed growth performance. The results of the combined addition and deletion experiments indicated that the order of AA limitation in MBM was 1) Trp and sulfur AA, 2) Thr, 3) Ile and Phe + Tyr, 4) Met, 5) Lys, and 6) Val and His. The deletion assay using diets formulated on an ideal protein basis was more effective than the addition assay for determining the order of AA limitation in MBM.
Selective anodization is a process that can enable the formation of isolated conductive regions in a dielectric layer. It's novelty arises from the way a single layer of conductive metal can be anodized so as to create a dielectric material with isolated regions of a defined pattern that remain conductive. Electrical contact can be made to the underlying device via the conductive regions while the device remains passivated by the anodized regions. This paper reports on two different methods for achieving the selective anodization of aluminium and presents a novel interdigitated rear contact device design that could use this selective anodization process to achieve a pattern of metal and dielectric regions.
A vital part in development of physical models, i.e., mathematical models of physical system behavior, is testing whether the simulation results match the developer’s expectations and physical laws. Creation and automatic execution of tests need to be easy to be accepted by the user. Currently, testing is mostly performed manually by regression testing and investigation of result plots. Furthermore, comparisons between different tools can be cumbersome due to different output formats. In this paper, the test framework MoUnit is introduced for automatic testing of Modelica models through unit testing. MoUnit allows comparison of Modelica simulation results with reference data, where both reference data and simulation results can originate from different simulation tools and/or Modelica compilers. The presented test framework MoUnit brings the widespread approach of unit testing from software development into practice also for physical modeling. The testing strategy that is used within the Modelica IDE OneModelica from which the requirements for MoUnit arose, is introduced using an example of linear water wave models. The implementation and features of MoUnit are described and its flexibility is exhibited through two test cases. It is outlined, how MoUnit is integrated into OneModelica and how the tests can be automated within continuous build environments.
It is commonly agreed that a recommender system should use not only explicit information (i.e., historical user-item interactions) but also implicit information (i.e., incidental information) to deal with the problem of data sparsity and cold start. The knowledge graph (KG), due to its expressive structural and semantic representation capabilities, has been increasingly used for capturing auxiliary information for recommender systems, such as the recent development of graph neural network (GNN) based models for KG-aware recommendation. Nevertheless, these models have the shortcoming of insufficient node interactions or improper node weights during information propagation, which limits the performance of recommender systems. To address this issue, we propose a Multi-dimension Interaction based attentional Knowledge Graph Neural Network (MI-KGNN) for enhanced KG-aware recommendation. MI-KGNN characterizes similarities between users and items through information propagation and aggregation in knowledge graphs. As such, it can optimize the updating direction of node representation by fully exploring multi-dimension interactions among nodes during information propagation. In addition, MI-KGNN introduces a dual attention mechanism, which allows users and items to jointly determine the weight of neighbor nodes. As a result, MI-KGNN can effectively capture and represent both structural (i.e., the topology of interactions) and semantic information (i.e., the weight of interactions) in the knowledge graph. Experimental results show that the proposed model significantly outperforms baseline methods for top-K recommendation. Specifically, the recall rate is increased by 5.78%, 6.66%, and 3.22% on three public datasets, compared with the best performance of existing methods.
The relation between the water and the city is very close. Water is essential for city development, although urban floods may heavily affect city life. The urban layout defines new patterns for natural drainage system and changes the hydrological cycle, increasing peak discharges. Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, urban drainage systems were designed to face sanitation problems and adequate the system to the exceeding runoff. Traditional flood control projects tended to focus on improving discharge capacity. The concept of sustainability in urban drainage, however, implies that urban floods may not be simply transferred and the drainage systems have to be planned jointly with urban development. Storage and infiltration measures distributed over the basin and integrated with urban landscape should be introduced to reduce flood peaks. Following this line of action, the concept of low impact development (LID) may be a reference for urban drainage projects. This concept tends to produce built environments with minor hydrological changes, trying to preserve or recover natural flow conditions prior to urbanisation. This paper discusses urban flood problems, starting from a conceptual perspective and compares different possibilities for developing a new urban site. This way, a non-urbanised area in Rio de Janeiro City, Brazil, was chosen as case study to simulate different approaches for an urban expansion. A sustainable approach, considering LID concepts, allowed an economic and effective micro-drainage system design, at the allotment level, while it has improved the macro-drainage system response, in the basin scale.
Biological markers that could predict the progression of ductal carcinoma in-situ (DCIS) to invasive breast cancer (IDC) are required urgently for personalized therapy for patients diagnosed with DCIS. As stroma was invaded by malignant cells, perturbed stromal-epithelial interactions would bring about tissue remodeling. With the specific expression of the fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAP-a), Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the main cell populations in the remodeled tumor stroma. Golgi phosphoprotein 3 (GOLPH3), a documented oncogene possessing potent transforming capacity, is not only up-regulated in many tumors but also an efficient indicator of poor prognosis and more malignant tumors. The present study aimed to retrospectively evaluate the pathological value of FAP-a and GOLPH3 in predicting the recurrence or progression of DCIS to invasive breast cancer. Immunohistochemical techniques were applied to investigate the expression of FAP-a GOLPH3 in 449 cases of DCIS patients received extensive resection and with close follow-up, but not being treated with any form of chemo- or radio-therapy. The combination of FAP-a and GOLPH3 in predicating the recurrence or progression of DCIS into invasive breast cancer was specifically examined. The study demonstrated that the overexpression of FAP-a in stromal fibroblasts and GOLPH3 in carcinoma cells are highly predictive of DCIS recurrence and progression into invasive breast cancer. Both FAP-a and GOLPH3 have high specificity and sensitivity to predict the recurrence of DCIS. Moreover, the combination of FAP-a and GOLPH3 tends to further improve the specificity and sensitivity of DCIS recurrence by 9.72–10.31 and 2.72–3.63%, respectively. FAP-a and GOLPH3 serve as novel markers in predicting the recurrence or progression of DCIS into invasive breast cancer.
Chronic overproduction of IL–15 contributes to the pathogenesis of numerous inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Experimental methods used to reduce the cytokine activity show promise as potential therapeutic approaches to modify IL–15 signaling and alleviate the development and progression of IL–15–related diseases. We previously demonstrated that an efficient reduction of IL–15 activity can be obtained by selective blocking of the specific, high affinity subunit alpha of the IL–15 receptor (IL–15Rα) with small–molecule inhibitors. In this study, we determined the structure–activity relationship of currently known IL–15Rα inhibitors in order to define the critical structural features required for their activity. To validate our predictions, we designed, analyzed in silico, and assessed in vitro function of 16 new potential IL–15Rα inhibitors. All newly synthesized molecules were benzoic acid derivatives with favorable ADME properties and they efficiently reduced IL–15 dependent peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) proliferation, as well as TNF–α and IL–17 secretion. The rational design of IL–15 inhibitors may propel the identification of potential lead molecules for the development of safe and effective therapeutic agents.
Emerging data indicate that complement and neutrophils are involved in the maladaptive host immune response that fuels hyper-inflammation and thrombotic microangiopathy increasing the mortality rate in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we investigated the interaction between complement and the platelet/neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)/thrombin axis, using COVID-19 clinical samples, cell-based inhibition studies and NETs/human aortic endothelial cell (HAEC) co-cultures. Increased plasma levels of NETs, TF activity and sC5b-9 were detected in patients. Neutrophils yielded high tissue factor (TF) expression and released NETs carrying functionally active TF. Confirming our ex vivo findings, treatment of control neutrophils with COVID-19 platelet-rich plasma generated TF-bearing NETs that induced thrombotic activity of HAEC. Thrombin or NETosis inhibition or C5aR1 blockade attenuated platelet-mediated NET-driven thrombogenicity. Serum isolated from COVID-19 patients induces complement activation in vitro, which is consistent with high complement activity in clinical samples. Complement inhibition at the level of C3 with compstatin Cp40 disrupted TF expression in neutrophils. In conclusion, we provide a mechanistic basis that reveals the pivotal role of complement and NETs in COVID-19 immmunothrombosis. This study supports emerging strategies against SARS-CoV-2 infection that exploit complement therapeutics or NETosis inhibition.
This essay focuses on two tenth-century bronze objects, a basin and a bowl, inscribed with an epigraphic band that can be read as the repetition of the Arabic word for sovereignty, al-mulk. These objects were probably made in the area that now comprises Iran and Central Asia, an artistic, intellectual, and commercial center of the Islamic lands in the ninth and tenth centuries. Bronzes like these, luxury commodities that would have appeared gold when new, are rarely found outside Iran and Central Asia (Allan; Baer). Yet those I discuss here were discovered far from their likely region of origin—indeed, at opposite ends of the Islamic territories of Eurasia. The large bronze basin was discovered in Inner Mongolia, while the small bronze bowl was unearthed in Córdoba, in southern Spain. These inscribed objects hint at a transhemispheric cultural-political history that has implications for reigning narratives of modernity, including for those that relate to medieval studies.
A plethora of adaptive responses to predation has been described in microscopic aquatic producers. Although the energetic costs of these responses are expected, with their consequences going far beyond an individual, their underlying molecular and metabolic mechanisms are not fully known. One, so far hardly considered, is if and how the photosynthetic efficiency of phytoplankton might change in response to the predation cues. Our main aim was to identify such responses in phytoplankton and to detect if they are taxon-specific. We exposed seven algae and seven cyanobacteria species to the chemical cues of an efficient consumer, Daphnia magna, which was fed either a green alga, Acutodesmus obliquus, or a cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus (kairomone and alarm cues), or was not fed (kairomone alone). In most algal and cyanobacterial species studied, the quantum yield of photosystem II increased in response to predator fed cyanobacterium, whereas in most of these species the yield did not change in response to predator fed alga. Also, cyanobacteria tended not to respond to a non-feeding predator. The modal qualitative responses of the electron transport rate were similar to those of the quantum yield. To our best knowledge, the results presented here are the broadest scan of photosystem II responses in the predation context so far.
Aim and objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of oral health on the quality of life of drug addicts in rehabilitation. Materials and methods: A total of 398 male individuals admitted to two drug rehabilitation centers between 2013 and 2016 responded to a structured questionnaire including sociodemographic, oral health habits, and drug usage variables. Respondents were also examined for dental caries. Oral health-related quality of life was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile, in short-form, the OHIP-14. Descriptive statistical analysis, Mann–Whitney test, univariate and multiple Poisson regression with robust variance were performed using Stata/SE 14.1. Results: The mean severity score was 22.8 (SD = 13.2). The prevalence of worse impact (higher OHIP-14 scores) was 84.9%. In the univariate analysis, < 8 years of schooling, no brushing teeth, self-perceived metallic taste, self-perceived tooth mobility, use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and oxy, missing teeth, and DMFT score > 10 were associated with a negative outcome ( p < 0.05). After adjustment, remained independently associated low schooling ( p = 0.021) and self-perceived metallic taste ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: Drug users perceived negatively the impacts of oral health-related quality of life. Clinical significance: Drug addicts have poor oral health and quality of life. Thus, public health strategies for the rehabilitation of these individuals should account for the biopsychosocial aspects.
Protective immunity against a lethal malaria challenge infection was passively transferred to naive recipient mice with spleen cells from donor mice bearing a lethal infection with the virulent YM strain of Plasmodium yoelii. Successful transfer of protection was contingent upon the elimination of residual, viable parasites from donor spleen cell suspensions prior to the infusion of cells. Passive transfer experiments failed to detect suppressor cells in the spleens of lethally infected mice because unfractionated spleen cells or T-cell-enriched spleen cells from mice infected with P. yoelii YM did not enhance parasitemias upon infusion into mice infected with cross-reactive nonvirulent P. yoelii 17X. We concluded that a form of protective immunity was generated during the course of virulent infection but that its expression was inconsequential because parasite growth apparently exceeded the capacity of the immune system to clear the infection.
Background The common causes of lower back pain with or without leg pain includes disk disease and spinal stenosis. A definitive diagnosis is usually made by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but treatment is often difficult because the MRI findings are not consistent with the symptoms of the patient in many cases. The objective of this study was to observe the correlation between the patterns of epidurography performed in patients having lower back pain with or without leg pain and the position or severity of the pain as subjectively described by the patients. Methods The subjects of this study were 69 outpatients with lower back pain with or without leg pain who visited our clinic and complained of predominant pain on one side. We performed caudal epidural block using an image intensifier. A mixture of the therapeutic drug and the contrast agent (10 ml) was injected to observe the contrast flow pattern. The patients who complained of predominant pain on one side were divided into the left side group and the right side group. A judgment of inconsistency was made if the contrast agent flowed to the side of the pain, while a judgment of consistency was made if the contrast agent flowed to the opposite side of the pain. The degree of the drug distribution was evaluated by counting the number of cells to which the contrast agent's flowed for evaluating the correlation between the contrasted cell and the severity of pain (one group ≤ VAS 7, the other group ≥ VAS 8) the degree of the contrast agent's contrast was evaluated by dividing and counting an image into 15 cells (the left, right, and middle sections at each level of L4, L5, S1, S2, and S3). Results Thirty out of the 69 patients who had laterality in pain, that is, those who complained of predominant pain on one side, showed that the laterality of the pain and the contrast agent flow was consistent, while 39 patients showed that the laterality was inconsistent (P: 0.137). The evaluation of the correlation between the pain and the contrast agent flow showed that the mean number of contrasted cells was 9.0 ± 2.2 for the 46 patients in the group with a VAS of 7 or lower and 6.5 ± 2.0 for the 23 patients in the group with a VAS of 8 or higher, indicating that the former group showed a significantly greater number of contrasted cells (P < 0.001). Conclusions This study, conducted with patients having lower back pain with or without leg pain, showed that the contrast flow pattern of caudal epidurography had a significant correlation with the severity of the pain but not with the laterality of the pain.
Abstract Receptor potentials are measured extracellularly by means of an air gap method along the optic nerve of the median and the lateral photoreceptor of the barnacle. Both photoreceptors have an outward dark current (photoreceptor positive with respect to the nerve) which is diminished approximately 70% during the plateau phase of the receptor potential. Ouabain abolishes dark current and receptor potential in the same proportion. With a Limulus lateral eye preparation a dark current and light induced current changes were measured which had the same polarity and a similar magnitude as the receptor currents of the barnacle.
PURPOSE To assess the repeatability and reproducibility of central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements obtained by combined scanning-slit/Placido-disc topography (Orbscan II; Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, NY) after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and to compare the results with another noncontact method, specular microscopy (SP-2000P; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan).   METHODS To analyze intrasession repeatability, one examiner measured 22 postmyopic LASIK eyes 10 times successively in the shortest time possible, using both devices randomly. To study intersession reproducibility, the same operator obtained measurements from another 50 eyes with stable refraction in two consecutive visits at the same time of the day between 6 and 9 months after myopic LASIK. Any association between residual stromal bed thickness and measurement variability was recorded and evaluated.   RESULTS For intrasession repeatability, Orbscan II and Topcon SP-2000P CCT measurements showed a repeatability of 20.2 (4.3%) and 12.8 (2.6%) microm, respectively. Both devices yielded excellent intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC; 0.98 and 0.99, respectively). For intersession reproducibility, no difference in CCT measurements was found. The coefficient of intersession reproducibility were 6.7% (29.5 microm) for Orbscan II and 4.3% (19.5 microm) for Topcon SP-2000P CCT measurements. The ICCs (0.95 and 0.96, respectively) indicated good intersession reliability. Repeatability and reproducibility with both devices were unrelated to stromal bed thickness.   CONCLUSIONS Both noncontact pachymeters provide repeatable CCT measurements in transparent postmyopic LASIK corneas after the early postoperative period. Intersession variations in CCT of more than 29 microm with the Orbscan II and 19 microm with the Topcon SP-2000P may reflect true corneal change. These estimates should help investigators and clinicians differentiate actual CCT modification from measurement variability.
An immense amount of impressive research went into the making of David Abulafia’s The discovery of mankind: Atlantic encounters in the age of Columbus. It is based on extensive reading of primary documents in several languages, as well as the relevant archaeological literature. Yet, for all of this work, Abulafia runs into difficulties when he seeks to summarize his book’s major accomplishments. In addition, he handles the identification of the parties to early modern Atlantic encounters in a manner that, while seemingly straightforward, ensnares his text in a host of difficulties. In Abulafia’s own account of his book’s most important contributions, he presents established approaches and conclusions as distinctive, even novel. In the first paragraph of his preface, for example, Abulafia tell us that his book departs from the received ‘literature on the early discoveries’ by replacing a focus on ‘geographical and navigational questions’ with a focus on ‘first encounters between Europeans and peoples previously unknown to them’ (p. xv). Contrary to what this suggests, however, historians of ‘the age of discovery’ abandoned a focus on ‘geographical and navigational questions’ several decades ago and have, in the last three or so decades, built up a rich literature on ‘first encounters’, as evidenced by the work of Todorov, Seed, Sahlins, Pagden, Greenblatt, and Boon – to name just a few of the most obvious suspects. Similarly, it seems anticlimactic for Abulafia to state, as he does in the book’s final pages, that a major lesson of the age of discovery is that what ‘Europeans’ discovered in the ‘age of Columbus’ was not just lands but a humanity more diverse than they had previously known – except, alas, that theirs was ‘an incomplete discovery’, since ‘not all [European] observers accepted that the newly discovered peoples were fully human’ (pp. 312–13). In short, in his efforts to sum up his own work, Abulafia appears as someone who has completed a journey both arduous and fascinating – but without quite knowing what to make of it all. On my reading, what most deserves recognition in Abulafia’s text is that it brings together, in a single narrative, accounts of encounters on islands in the eastern Atlantic in the fourteenth century and on islands in the Caribbean in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This narrative framing, in combination with the specifics offered about the different encounters, makes Abulafia’s book a useful contribution to the collective scholarly project of mapping out the continuities and discontinuities between these two historical moments. Nevertheless, one prominent aspect of the way in which Abulafia links the encounters of these different times and places warrants scrutiny, if not scepticism. In his text, Caribbean and Canary islanders alike are coded in social evolutionary terms (as ‘primitive’, ‘Stone Age’, or ‘Neolithic’), while the seafarers who ‘discovered’ these various islanders are coded in continental terms (as ‘European’). Thus, each encounter becomes a case of a more general type: the first contact between ‘Europeans’ and ‘primitive’ Others. But what, we should ask, justifies the use of these terms of identification? We should note that they are not historically motivated. Indeed, the two codes from which Abulafia draws did not emerge until several centuries after the encounters he is depicting, and the terms that he takes from these codes differ in their meanings, in non-trivial
In this paper, a dynamical system model has been proposed and a new approach for analyzing homeostasis and evaluating potential systemic toxicity in a living biological system has been developed for nanotoxicology study. Based on the model and approach, the toxicity of 30 nm-sized Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles was investigated and explained. Experiment results verify feasibility and effectiveness of the dynamical system we proposed. It also can be adapted to a wider range of applications such as general toxicology study, pharmacokinetics, efficacy and diagnosis.
We have performed a density functional calculation for the centrosymmetric neodymium gallate using a full-potential linear augmented plane wave method with the LDA and LDA+U exchange correlation. In particular, we explored the influence of U on the band dispersion and optical transitions. Our calculations show that U = 0.55 Ry gives the best agreement with our ellipsometry data taken in the VUV spectral range with a synchrotron source. Our LDA+U (U = 0.55) calculation shows that the valence band maximum (VBM) is located at T and the conduction band minimum (CBM) is located at the center of the Brillouin zone, resulting in a wide indirect energy band gap of about 3.8 eV in excellent agreement with our experiment. The partial density of states show that the upper valence band originates predominantly from Nd-f and O-p states, with a small admixture of Nd-s/p and Ga-p B-p states, while the lower conduction band prevailingly originates from the Nd-f and Nd-d terms with a small contribution of O-p-Ga-s/p states. The Nd-f states in the upper valence band and lower conduction band have a significant influence on the energy band gap dispersion which is illustrated by our calculations. The calculated frequency dependent optical properties show a small positive uniaxial anisotropy.
Metal cations are ubiquitous components in biological environments and play an important role in regulating cellular functions and membrane properties. By applying metadynamics simulations, we have performed systematic free energy calculations of Na(+), K(+), Ca(2+), and Mg(2+) bound to phospholipid membrane surfaces for the first time. The free energy landscapes unveil specific binding behaviors of metal cations on phospholipid membranes. Na(+) and K(+) are more likely to stay in the aqueous solution and can bind easily to a few lipid oxygens by overcoming low free energy barriers. Ca(2+) is most stable when it is bound to four lipid oxygens of the membrane rather than being hydrated in the aqueous solution. Mg(2+) is tightly hydrated, and it shows hardly any loss of a hydration water or binding directly to the membrane. When bound to the membrane, the cations' most favorable total coordination numbers with water and lipid oxygens are the same as their corresponding hydration numbers in aqueous solution, indicating a competition between ion binding to water and lipids. The binding specificity of metal cations on membranes is highly correlated with the hydration free energy and the size of the hydration shell.
Significance: The authors report a highly regioselective copper-catalyzed synthesis of trisubstituted alkenylstannanes. Through a three-component coupling of alkylboranes, alkynoates and tributyltin methoxide, these trisubstituted alkenylstannanes are obtained in good yields and with high syn selectivity. The appropriate alkylboranes are easily accessible by hydroboration of the corresponding alkenes with the 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN-H) dimer. Comment: Standard methods for the synthesis of alkenylstannanes described by Shirakawa and Hiyama include the palladiumor nickel-catalyzed carbostannylation of internal alkynes with organostannanes which are somewhat difficult to prepare. R2 B
Focuses on modeling, parameter estimation, and control for a heavy-duty electrohydraulic manipulator of a harvester machine. The linear-graph method is implemented in deriving mathematical models for the swing, boom and stick subsystems. Actuation dynamics are subsequently integrated with manipulator dynamics to result in a complete machine model. Identification procedures employed in estimating physical parameters are discussed in detail and key parameter results supplied. Model validation studies show good agreement between model predictions and experiments. A Cartesian controller for the motion of the manipulator end-point is described and response results are presented. It is shown that the obtained response is very good for the purposes of this harvester machine, resulting in very small relative tracking errors.
This article shows the potential of remote sensing techniques, based on the descriptions of ecosystem functional attributes, to solve classical questions of conservation biology. We present an analysis aimed to evaluate how the protected area networks in two countries, Spain and Uruguay, represent the national ecosystems diversity. First, we identified the functional space (continuum approach) of natural vegetation in each country, using two functional attributes derived from vegetation indices (VI), mean VI (VI-I) and relative range (RREL). The VI-I is an estimator of the fraction of photosynthetic active radiation absorbed by the canopy, and the RREL is a surrogate of the seasonality of radiation interception. The functional space defined in this way constitutes a rapid way to describe the whole ecosystems variability within a region. Moreover, it allows the evaluation of the representation of the network, as the used variables are related to ecosystems ’ response to the regional environmental gradient. Thus, this methodology identifies not only the common and singular protected areas in each country, but also the gaps in the network, and how redundant or complementary are the protected areas in the national context of ecosystem functioning.
Tooth enamel is generated by ameloblasts. Any failure in amelogenesis results in defects in the enamel, a condition known as amelogenesis imperfecta. Here, we report that mice with deficient autophagy in epithelial-derived tissues (K14-Cre;Atg7 F/F and K14-Cre;Atg3 F/F conditional knockout mice) exhibit amelogenesis imperfecta. Micro–computed tomography imaging confirmed that enamel density and thickness were significantly reduced in the teeth of these mice. At the molecular level, ameloblast differentiation was compromised through ectopic accumulation and activation of NRF2, a specific substrate of autophagy. Through bioinformatic analyses, we identified Bcl11b, Dlx3, Klk4, Ltbp3, Nectin1, and Pax9 as candidate genes related to amelogenesis imperfecta and the NRF2-mediated pathway. To investigate the effects of the ectopic NRF2 pathway activation caused by the autophagy deficiency, we analyzed target gene expression and NRF2 binding to the promoter region of candidate target genes and found suppressed gene expression of Bcl11b, Dlx3, Klk4, and Nectin1 but not of Ltbp3 and Pax9. Taken together, our findings indicate that autophagy plays a crucial role in ameloblast differentiation and that its failure results in amelogenesis imperfecta through ectopic NRF2 activation.
This study investigates Chinese teachers’ feedback on Korean CFL learners’ typical errors of overuse of conjunction “suoyi” and pronoun “ta”. The results showed that Teacher feedback was much concerned rather than cohesion errors but grammar errors because teacher have considered cohesion errors as minor problems. Chinese teacher should acknowledge of repeated typical errors in Korean CFL learners’ writing and be recommended to give direct feedback of cohesive errors (untreated errors: a higher use of “suoyi” and “ta”) to avoid causing fossilization at the beginning.
In order to find a counterpart for reducing the frictional coefficient of Al2O3-ZrO2-CeO2 plasma-splayed film, the sliding properties in mixed and boundary lubricating conditions was investigated. It was found that combination of a CrN-coated cast iron pin and an Al2O3-ZrO2-CeO2 plasma sprayed plate provided the lowest frictional coefficient among several combinations chosen from practical materials. The coefficient of friction was much lower than that of the materials combination widely used for piston ring and cylinder liner. It was inferred that the combination of a pin made of hard materials with high density, a smooth surface such as CrN-coated cast iron and a porous plate can reduce the frictional coefficient because less sliding resistance is implemented and porosity retains oil.
The evaluation of therapeutic success in sudden hearing loss (90 publications), and in sudden unilateral isolated vestibular loss (9 publications) showed unvarying results, obtained by the most various forms of treatment, which were within the range of the spontaneous remission rate established by us. The efficacy of the forms of treatment applied so far is doubted. The early treatment will remain as in the past, since therapeutic methods more successful in the future will be effective only in those cases in which diseased sensory cells were not degenerating. At the present stage of therapeutic possibilities the therapeutic advantage to be expected for all measures to be taken should be considered by rule and line as for therapeutic complications and detriments. Therapeutic nihilism must be rejected same as any adherence to a rigid conception of therapy, an individual critical approach seems to be necessary.
Ultrasound simulators can be used for training ultrasound image acquisition and interpretation. In such simulators, synthetic ultrasound images must be generated in real time. Anatomy can be modeled by computed tomography (CT). Shadows can be calculated by combining reflection coefficients and depth dependent, exponential attenuation. To include speckle, a pre-calculated texture map is typically added. Dynamic objects must be simulated separately. We propose to increase the speckle realism and allow for dynamic objects by using a physical model of the underlying scattering process. The model is based on convolution of the point spread function (PSF) of the ultrasound scanner with a scatterer distribution. The challenge is that the typical field-of-view contains millions of scatterers which must be selected by a virtual probe from an even larger body of scatterers. The main idea of this paper is to select and sample scatterers in parallel on the graphic processing unit (GPU). The method was used to image a cyst phantom and a movable needle. Speckle images were produced in real time (more than 10 frames per second) on a standard GPU. The ultrasound images were visually similar to images calculated by a reference method.
The method for determining the financial state of a company, regulated by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, is considered. To determine the factors that affect the value of the net profit (loss) of the company, and to study measures of their influence a system of factor analysis “DuPont” is proposed to use. In addition, the expediency of uses a multiplicative Holt-Winters model is demonstrated for the forecasting of net income of the company.
A 4x4 substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) Butler matrix for two‐dimensional (2‐D) beam steering operating at 60 GHz is developed and experimentally evaluated in this article. The SIW beamforming network is a Butler matrix that is implemented with new designs of its constituent components in order to achieve a compact design. Namely, an SIW phase shifter that uses periodic rectangular slots is introduced for the first time at 60 GHz to replace the more area‐consuming meandered SIW. The phase shifter prototype, fabricated and measured as a proof of concept, demonstrates achieving an additional 20.3° of phase shift with using only 3 apertures without increasing the length or meandering the SIW line. The hybrid coupler and crossover sections of the SIW Butler matrix are also optimized to reduce the overall area of Butler matrix by 53.9%. The SIW Butler matrix prototype is fabricated and measured demonstrating achieving the differential output phase values needed to switch the beam of a 2‐D array in four quadrants while keeping the insertion loss magnitude imbalance of below 1.47 dB from simulations and 3.34 dB from measurements.
This paper presents experimental testing that has been performed on wireless communication devices as victims of electromagnetic interference (EMI). Wireless victims included universal serial bus (USB) network adapters and personal digital assistants (PDAs) equipped with IEEE 802.11b and Bluetooth technologies. The experimental data in this paper was gathered in an anechoic chamber and a gigahertz transverse electromagnetic (GTEM) cell to ensure reliable and repeatable results. This testing includes: Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing performed in accordance with IEC 60601-1-2, an in-band sweep of EMC testing, and coexistence testing. The tests in this study show that a Bluetooth communication was able to coexist with other Bluetooth devices with no decrease in throughput and no communication breakdowns. However, testing revealed a significant decrease in throughput and increase in communication breakdowns when an 802.11b source is near an 802.11b victim. In a hospital setting decreased throughput and communication breakdowns can cause wireless medical devices to fail. It is therefore vital to have an understanding of the effect EMI can have on wireless communication devices.
The accurate measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASH), and their alkylated homologues is essential at all levels of risk assessment and remedial decision-making. In the field of environmental forensics, diagnostic ratios of these compounds are used to delineate fossil fuel-based sources from one another and to assess the degree of weathering occurring on-site. Fresh and weathered coal tar and crude oil samples from different locations were analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The same files were analysed by selected ion extraction of one-ion and two-ion signals from full-scan data and compared to a new data analysis method using spectral information from homologous isomers. Findings showed that using too few ions produced false positives and concentrations much higher than those found using the homologous isomer spectral method, which adversely affected the corresponding diagnostic ratios used by forensic scientists.
Microwave sub-surface imaging system for structural damage detection using reflection array is developed. The analytical expressions of bi-focusing procedures are derived and applied to a series of numerical simulations. Slot antenna array is designed and fabricated for experimental study. From the results of measurements, it is demonstrated that the proposed imaging system can reconstruct sub-surface images efficiently.
The electronic properties of macromolecular semiconductor thin films depend profoundly on their solid-state microstructure, which in turn is governed, among other things, by the processing conditions selected and the polymer chemical nature and molecular weight. Specifically, low-molecular-weight materials form crystalline domains of cofacially $ pi$-stacked molecules, while the usually entangled nature of higher molecular-weight polymers leads to microstructures comprised of molecularly ordered crystallites interconnected by amorphous regions. Here, we examine the interplay between extended exciton states delocalized along the polymer backbones and across polymer chains within the $ pi$-stack, depending on the structural development with molecular weight. We combine optical spectroscopies, thermal probes, and theoretical modeling, focusing on neat poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), one of the most extensively studied polymer semiconductors, of weight-average molecular weight of 3-450 ,kg/mol. The spatial coherence within the chain is significantly reduced (by nearly 30 %). These observations give valuable structural information; they suggest that the macromolecules in aggregated regions of high-molecular-weight P3HT adopt a more planar conformation compared to low-molecular-weight materials. This results in the observed increase in intrachain exciton coherence. In contrast, shorter chains seem to lead to torsionally more disordered architectures. A rigorous, fundamental description of primary photoexcitations in $ pi$-conjugated polymers is hence developed: two-dimensional excitons are defined by the chain-length dependent molecular arrangement and interconnectivity of the conjugated macromolecules, leading to interplay between intramolecular and intermolecular spatial coherence.
Since World War II, the term "Southeast Asia" has come to be applied to the southern fringe of the Asian continent stretching from India on the west to China on the east and including the Malay Peninsula and the archipelagos stretching east to. Australia. The region comprises the present nation-states of Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines. All of these countries, with the exception of Thailand, were during the first half of this century, and in some cases for preceding decades and centuries, dependencies to one degree or another of the Western colonial powers: England, France, Holland, Spain, and the United States. In most of them, the language of the former metropolitan country has continued in use, in some cases on a par with the national language. As a consequence, their official publications, newspapers, and other current research materials are accessible to a much wider coummunity of Western scholars than would be the case if such publications were issued exclusively in their respective national languages. The development of multidisciplinary programs focused on Southeast Asia in several American universities in the postwar period was accompanied by extensive efforts on the part of their respective university libraries to acquire current and retrospective research materials about and from the countries of Southeast Asia. Major research collections comprehensive in scope and covering all of the
Sudden cardiac death remains a worldwide health problem. More than 1000 such deaths occur daily in the United States1; most are secondary to ventricular fibrillation (VF).2Unfortunately, only about 5% of victims survive.3-5Sudden cardiac death is the most common “accidental” death in the US. A combined total of all airline, automobile, and drowning deaths would not equal the number of accidental or unexpected sudden cardiac deaths.  The key issue in successfully treating sudden cardiac death is early defibrillation. “The sooner the better” is never more true than with defibrillation of VF. In various settings, if defibrillation is applied immediately or very early, such as in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory or at cardiac rehabilitation centres, a survival rate of 90% is possible and should be expected.6-8 For every minute of delay, however, the survival rate appears to decrease by approximately 10%.9   The importance of early defibrillation for successful resuscitation has prompted important statements on both sides of the Atlantic supporting first responder defibrillator use. The American Heart Association has stated, “it is essential to integrate the concept of early defibrillation into an effective emergency cardiac care system”.10 To achieve this goal, the AHA endorses the position that “all emergency personnel should be trained and permitted to operate an appropriately maintained defibrillator, if their professional activities require that they respond to persons experiencing cardiac arrest”.10 The UK Department of Health Steering Group on ambulance performance standards has likewise proposed that:  Emergency medical system response should occur within eight minutes of cardiac arrest through the use of rapid response vehicles, including motor bikes, and through first responder automated external defibrillation schemes. The first responders are anyone who has been selected and trained by an ambulance service to provide basic support and, in the event …
Abstract 3334 Background. All low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) exert their antithrombotic effect primarily via the binding of pentasaccharide domain on antithrombin but vary in physicochemical properties, anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratios, and their effect on global coagulation tests such as the inhibition of thrombin generation (TG). Definition of criteria for biological similarity between generic LMWHs and the original product is a challenging issue. Aim of the study. We evaluated the capacity of Lovenox® and seven generic enoxaparins to inhibit TG in platelet poor and platelet rich plasma (PPP and PRP). Materials and Methods. Citrated PPP and PRP from 15 healthy volunteers was spiked with increasing concentrations (2-20 μg/ml) of Lovenox®, Novex®, Enoxa®, Dilutol®, Versa®, Cutenox®, Loparin®, Fibrinox®. Platelet count in PRP was adjusted to 200 /L. The anti-Xa and anti-IIa activities in PPP were measured on STAR analyser using chomogenic assays from Diagnositca Stago. Thrombin generation in fresh PPP and PRP was triggered with PPP-reagent® and 1/200 diluted Innovin® (from Siemens) respectively and assessed with Calibrated Automated Thrombogram® (Stago, France). Mean Rate Index (MRI) of the propagation phase of TG and endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) were analysed. The enoxaparin concentrations which reduced 50% of theTG parameters (IC50) were calculated. Results. All studied compounds showed the same anti-Xa activity/mg and anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratio as the comparator Lovenox®. The IC50 for MRI and ETP in PPP was not significantly different between Lovenox® and each one of the generic enoxaparins. In PRP the IC50 of Lovenox® for MRI and ETP was significantly lower compared to the generic enoxaparins. The IC5O of Fibrinox®, Dilutol®, Cutenox® and Versa® was 1.5- to 2-fold higher compared to that of Lovenox® (Table 1). Conclusion. Lovenox® and seven generic enoxaparins were the same in terms of anti-Xa activity/mg and anti-Xa/anti-IIa ratio. They exerted similar inhibitory effect on thrombin generation in PPP. In contrast, in the presence of platelets, the sameness and even the biological similarity of the studied compounds are not evident. The reasons for these diversities need to be elucidated. The results of the present study introduce the inhibition thrombin generation in platelet rich plasma as an additional biological criterion for the comparison of generic LMWHs to the innovator product. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
to our hospital for catheter ablation. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed no structural heart disease. Two(Figure A) and 3-dimensional (Figure B) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans (Figure C) and left atrial (LA) A 62-year-old man experienced sudden onset of tachycardia during triathlon training. During a treadmill exercise test, atrial fibrillation (AF) started when the heart rate was approximately 140 beats/min. Due to symptomatic paroxysmal AF, the patient was admitted
Dehalogenases are microbial enzyme catalysed the cleavage of carbon-halogen bond of halogenated organic compounds. It has potential use in the area of biotechnology such as bioremediation and chemical industry. Halogenated organic compounds can be found in a considerable amount in the environment due to utilization in agriculture and industry, such as pesticides and herbicides. The presence of halogenated compound in the environment have been implicated on the health and natural ecosystem. Microbial dehalogenation is a significant method to tackle this problem. This review intends to briefly describe the microbial dehalogenases in relation to the environment where they are isolated. The basic information about dehalogenases in relation to dehalogenation mechanisms, classification, sources and the transportation of these pollutants into bacterial cytoplasm will be described. We also summarised readily available synthetic halogenated organic compound in the environment.
Submicron-sized voids and void channels can be generated in a solid transparent polymer by using a tightly focused femtosecond laser induced micro-explosion method. By stacking the voids and void channels layer by layer and periodically, we can fabricate various three-dimensional (3D) photonic crystals of woodpile, face-centred-cubic, body-centred-cubic, and diamond lattice structures. The photonic bandgap effects and the defect generation in the photonic crystals have been revealed.
Expectation propagation defines a family of algorithms for approximate Bayesian statistical inference which generalize belief propagation on factor graphs with loops. As is the case for belief propagation in loopy factor graphs, it is not well understood why the stationary points of expectation propagation can yield good estimates. In this paper, given a reciprocity condition which holds in most cases, we provide a constrained maximum likelihood estimation problem whose critical points yield the stationary points of expectation propagation. Expectation propagation may then be interpreted as a nonlinear block Gauss Seidel method seeking a critical point of this optimization problem
After the application of IT system being described briefly, operating characteristics and constraints of IT system with the neutral conductor are expounded. The feasibility of the neutral conductor in IT system is discussed in detail. Then the reason why insulation fault in N conductor can't be diagnosed by traditional methods is explained, and the problem can be solved by the method of injecting external diagnostic signals. The first and second earth fault protection schemes are presented in the paper. Analysis shows that IT systems with the neutral conductor have excellent performances and deserve promotion.
OBJECT The aim of this study was to determine whether high-resolution MR imaging is suitable for identifying and differentiating among the nerve root bundles of the glossopharyngeal (cranial nerve [CN] IX), vagus (CN X), and accessory nerves (CN XI) as well as any adjacent vessels.   METHODS Twenty-five patients (50 sides) underwent MR imaging using the 3D constructive interference in steady-state (CISS) sequence, as well as noncontrast and contrast-enhanced 3D time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography. Two individuals scored these studies by consensus to determine how well these sequences displayed the neurovascular contacts and nerve root bundles of CNs IX and X and the cranial and spinal roots of CN XI. Landmarks useful for identifying each lower CN were specifically sought.   RESULTS The 3D CISS sequence successfully depicted CNs IX and X in 100% of the sides. Nerve root bundles of the cranial segment of CN XI were identified in 88% of the sides and those of the spinal segment of CN XI were noted in 93% of the sides. Landmarks useful in identifying the lower CNs included the vagal trigone, the choroid plexus of the lateral recess, the glossopharyngeal and vagal meatus, the inferior petrosal sinus, and the vertebral artery. The combined use of 3D CISS and 3D TOF sequences demonstrated neurovascular contacts at the nerve root entry or exit zones in 19% of all nerves visualized.   CONCLUSIONS The combined use of 3D CISS MR imaging and 3D TOF MR angiography (with or without contrast) successfully displays the detailed anatomy of the lower CNs and adjacent structures in vivo. These imaging sequences have the potential to aid the preoperative diagnosis of and the presurgical planning for pathology in this anatomical area.
In this paper, we consider near-field acoustic source localization using distributed microphone arrays. Range differences (RDs) are estimated using a recently proposed joint direction of arrival (DOA) and range estimator. The RDs are used to estimate the location of an acoustic source using a recently proposed cone-based localization method. The performance of the proposed localization method is compared to generalized cross-correlation with phase transform, and a pitch-based time difference of arrival (TDOA) estimator, using synthetic and real signals. Results show a decrease in the error of the estimated position when joint DOA and range estimation is used for RD estimation.
The design of geometric form is widely used in daily life, such as Product Design, Communication Design and Digital Animation. In fact, it is an indispensable element of artistic creation. However, there is still a large possibility to explore for clothing design. This study discusses the relationship between the features of geometric form and clothing patterns. Through the works of fashion designers analyse the techniques used and the possibility of development. In order to break the traditional concepts of pattern making and to dismantle the patterns, the geometric form was used as the basic structure to create a three-dimensional silhouette. As a result, the clothing would produce visual effects with the movement of body. The overall design process and creative outcomes contribute researchers different design thinking for further study and development.
Digital transformation involves changing and transforming the business model and adaptingthe company to market changes using different digital technologies. For companies to survive in the market and become competitive, it is necessary to adapt to the process of digital transformation that can be viewed as a change in all aspects of human life caused by digital technology. Nowadays, in the context of digital transformation, we can talk about the application of robots, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, drones, or so-called “industry 4.0”. The concept of Industry 4.0 requires digital transformation and networking of all functions inside and outside of the factory, where robots are used instead of workers in production lines. The development of robotization comes in all spheres of human life and is increasingly paying attention to their development, research and appliance. Robotization has an increasing impact on employment, so accordingly there is a need for new jobs, while today’s professions go to oblivion. Robots use sensory and control systems and artificial intelligence that leads them toindependence in decision-making and work. Replacing workers in jobs that don’t seek creativity, other than routine work. Considering that the labor market will be significantly altered, the impact and automatization will be significantly different from sector to sector.
In metazoan animals, almost every known mutation of visceral asymmetry, which presents the polarity of primary asymmetry established in early development, reverses development in only about half or fewer of homozygotes. However, in pulmonate snails, the dextral and sinistral alleles are traditionally known to determine the polarity of offspring with complete dominance, and thus, each parent should produce either dextral or sinistral progeny. Contrary to this expectation, we found a mutant that produces both chiral morphs (enantiomorphs) within the same clutches in Bradybaena similaris. This study demonstrates that the consistent production of both enantiomorphs is determined by a maternal effect of a recessive allele, which probably randomizes the polarity. In snails that copulate simultaneously and reciprocally, a left-right reversed strain cannot usually be established or rescued from inbreeding depression by ad hoc outbreeding because a rarely found single mutant cannot reproduce due to great difficulties of mating with the wild type and selfing. Moreover, the rare recessive homozygote cannot easily be detected because it often exhibits the wild-type phenotype in maternal inheritance and breeding difficulty hampers genotyping it by phenotyping its progeny. The present strain established by virtue of rare advantages will, therefore, provide unique opportunities to investigate whole-body enantiomorphs.
The visualization of specific 3-D urban scenes can be done calling upon different techniques, from those more traditional, such as photogrammetry, to the most advanced ones, such as laser scanning that uses different techniques and algorithms of selection and modelling of 3-D point clouds. The use and utility of this kind of data for the study of urban development remain however debatable. Indeed, indicators for urban development and durability are highly necessary and the best methodology to build them is largely open. This thesis anticipates the use of 2-D and 3-D models and data for the environmental analysis of cities, aiming to provide useful tools for urban planning and design. According to end-users requirements, the extraction of urban environmental quality (UEQ) indicators from 2-D and 3-D information using innovative methods is proposed and implemented, which is based on recent research on computational algorithms for the analysis, evaluation, management and design of the urban space. Moreover, results that can be obtained with different data sources and aggregation methods are compared. In particular, the main advantages of urban models generated from LiDAR data are highlighted. In consequence, an iterative process is proposed, involving professionals of various fields, aiming at improving the utility of those indicators for the support of applied decision activities related to the sustainable development of cities. This process is sub-divided in three correlated steps: A preliminary inquiry concerning the user requirements for the implementation of a 3-D project of the State/City of Geneva was launched. Based on the obtained replies, several potential applications related to both the definition and extraction of urban indicators were identified, and also, end-users were classified into 6 different domains: 1– architecture, urbanism and territory planning; 2– urban traffic (motor vehicles, trains and airplanes); 3– environment and energy; 4– pedestrian and cyclist mobility; 5– security and emergency situations management; 6– underground information; Based on point 1. and according to the assessment of the specific needs among each of these domains, several interviews were carried out in which 25 end-users decided to focus on UEQ indicators considering three main stakes: 1– assessment of the morphological properties of the urban texture; 2– exploration of the solar potential on the urban fabric; 3– estimation of the energy demand on the urban fabric. Many empirical case-studies are emphasized, mostly for the city of Geneva, and also for the cities of Lausanne and Florence. These indicators are extracted from the segmentation of planar roof areas using classified LiDAR point clouds and the use of image processing techniques based on Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and Digital Height Models (DHM), defined in this thesis as 2.5-Digital Urban Surface Models (2.5-DUSM) and normalized 2.5-Digital Urban Surface Models (n2.5-DUSM) respectively. These models are constructed in a step by step basis, using LiDAR and 2-D and 3-D vector data, thus applying different methods of interpolation and enhancement, whose accuracy is also evaluated on a statistical basis; Finally, an inquiry on how the same group of 25 end-users mentioned in point 1. perceives and interprets the different exploratory 2-D and 3-D geo-visualizations proposed for some of the UEQ indicators is undertaken, evaluating their utility according to the requirements previously defined.
BACKGROUND Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at particular risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) during their hospital course. In most researches on the prevention of thromboembolic events after SCI, the cause of SCI was usually limited to traumatic origin, and pharmaco-prophylaxis was usually started immediately after SCI irrespective of the presence of DVT. For this reason, it is difficult to determine the exact incidence of DVT after SCI from all possible causes in the absence of anticoagulation treatment. We sought to determine the incidence of DVT and the effect of mechanical treatments without chemical prophylaxis.   METHODS From November 2009 to October 2010, 37 consecutive patients were admitted to our institute for SCI regardless of causes. Patient data including age, sex, types of injury in motor completeness, causes of SCI, and results of color Doppler ultrasonography (DUS) were collected. Routine mechanical prophylaxis for DVT was performed in all patients; pharmacologic prophylaxis was not used to avoid the potential consequences that may have confounded their benefits. All patients were routinely checked for DVT of lower limbs. Examinations were usually performed within 1 week of injury and repeated fortnightly until any medications for DVT were started in cases of a positive DUS result.   RESULTS In total, 16 of the 37 (43%) patients with acute SCI routinely given mechanical prophylaxis without anticoagulation were found to have DVT in the lower extremities by color DUS. Ten patients showed new thrombosis by DUS within 7 days after injury, three patients after 2 weeks to 3 weeks, and three patients at more than 1 month after injury. The majority of DVT occurred in the distal leg vein (81.2%, soleal vein). The incidence of DVT in patients with traumatic SCI was not different from that of patients with nontraumatic SCI in this study (p>0.05). Age, sex, type of motor impairment, and cause of SCI were not found to be significantly related to the occurrence of DVT.   CONCLUSIONS The incidence of DVT in patients with SCI routinely given mechanical prophylaxis without anticoagulation was higher when compared with those reported in the setting of routine pharmaco-prophylaxis. Anticoagulation should not be excluded from initial DVT prophylaxis measures in the SCI patients unless there is any ongoing bleeding or severe coagulopathy. Further studies will be necessary to get a more precise data and to understand the clinical relevance of these results.
This study will enquire about issues related to the difficulties encountered regarding the social inclusion of the handicapped. It is based on the examination of some exclusion mechanisms which are part of the social. The devices constructed by the society for the inclusion of the difference have not been sufficient to deal with the uneasiness produced by those who carry marks which denounce the rupture of the narcissistic ideals of perfection. In this article, it is intended to raise only some issues which can contribute to think trough about a matter that has been approached with incipient manner by the society in its differente instances. The social debate has been premature as a result of the demand of adjustment to the laws which aim to preserve the inclusion spaces for the handicapped and advanced when it becomes necessary the revision or even the construction of inclusion practices.
Conditions are given for the performance requirements for a high speed spectrograph objective to be used primarily for the Raman effect in the region 4358 to 5000A. A formula is given for the construction of such an objective at a speed of f/2.0. This objective has a flat tangential field and gives extremely sharp definition. With slight retouching of the back of the second flint component perfection of definition can be achieved in lenses up to 12 in. focal length. A correction to the formula is given to render the field flat with all spherical surfaces. The unretouched system works perfectly satisfactorily up to an 8 in. focal length. The trignometrically calculated aberration curves are given for a lens of 10 in. focal length.The formula is given for construction of a 10 in. focal length f/3.5 three element lens. The design consists of a telescope objective followed by an aplanatic element. Aberration and performance characteristics are given and discussed.
Lots of mice line up at an experiment9s starting line, but not all of them make it to the finish. That9s just one of the flaws that bedevils animal studies—and, some say, a reason why these experiments often don9t pan out in people. There9s a push to raise standards and openness in the vast universe of animal research, and hope that doing so will not only improve the quality of science, but also its image in the public eye.
Abstract Plant macrofossils from the sites of Khao Sam Kaeo and Phu Khao Thong on the Thai-Malay Peninsula show evidence of cross-cultural interactions, particularly between India to the west and Southeast Asia to the east. Archaeobotanical analysis of various cereals, beans and other crops from these assemblages sheds light on the spread and adoption of these species for local agriculture. There is also early evidence for the trade of key commodities such as cotton. The plant remains illustrate a variety of influences and networks of contact across South and Southeast Asia during the late first millennium BC.
Reduction of an α-keto ester derived from chiral cyclitol, readily available from L-quebrachitol, with K-Selectride proceeded via re-face attack of the ketone with high diastereoselectivity to obtain the α-hydroxy ester in 92% de. On the other hand, reduction of the α-keto ester with K-Selectride in the presence of 18-Crown-6 took place via si-face attack of the ketone to furnish the corresponding α-hydroxy ester in 92% de. Thus both enantiomers of mandelic acid were obtained in optically pure form.
Subtenon's block is commonly used to achieve akinesia, analgesia, and anesthesia for ophthalmic surgeries. This case study detailed a rare hypersensitivity report in a 65-year-old female who had underwent manual small incision cataract surgery under subtenon's anesthesia (STA) in the left eye. On postoperative day 1, she presented with acute onset proptosis, periorbital edema, conjunctival chemosis, and restriction of extraocular movements. The pupillary reaction and dilated fundus examination were normal. A differential diagnosis of orbital cellulitis, Mucormycosis, and hyaluronidase hypersensitivity (HH) was considered. Since the patient was afebrile, and pupillary reactions, ENT, neurological, and fundus examination were normal, the diagnosis was narrowed down to delayed HH. The patient was managed with a 1 cc IV injection of dexamethasone once a day for 3 days, along with routine postoperative drugs. As per detailed literature review, this is probably a second case report of delayed HH post-STA.
Indium antimonide (InSb) is a promising material for mid- and long-wavelength infrared device applications. However, because of material’s small band gap and low melting point, reproducibility of high quality epitaxial InSb is difficult to obtain. This article reports growth experimentations for determining suitable conditions for growing InSb on InSb(100) substrate using solid source molecular beam epitaxy. The effects of growth temperature and antimony/indium (Sb∕In) flux ratio on epilayer structure, surface roughness, and electronic properties were investigated. The process of oxide desorption observed from reflection high energy electron diffraction pattern is reported. A three-layer model was used to extract the electronic properties of the epilayer, taking into account the effect of parallel conduction. Process conditions for good structural and electronic properties of the InSb epilayer, which includes substrate temperature and flux ratio, have been established in this study and reported herein.
The Forest County Potawatomi Community (FCPC or Community) implemented energy efficiency improvements to revitalize Wundar Hall, a 34,000 square foot (SF) building that was formerly used as a dormitory and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, into an office building. Wundar Hall is the first of many architecturally and historically significant buildings that the Community hopes to renovate at the former Concordia College campus, property on the near west side of Milwaukee that was taken into trust for the Community by the United States on July 10, 1990 (collectively, the Concordia Trust Property). As part of this project, which was conducted with assistance from the Department of Energy's Tribal Energy Program (TEP), the Community updated and/or replaced the building envelope, mechanical systems, the plumbing system, the electrical infrastructure, and building control systems. The project is expected to reduce the building's natural gas consumption by 58% and the electricity consumption by 55%. In addition, the project was designed to act as a catalyst to further renovation of the Concordia Trust Property and the neighborhood. The City of Milwaukee has identified redevelopment of the Concordia Trust Property as a Catalytic Project for revitalizing the near west side. The Tribemore » envisions a revitalized, mixed-use campus of community services, education, and economic developmen-providing services to the Indian community and jobs to the neighborhood.« less
I n the past decade school desegregation has been associated with busing students out of their neighborhoods and into someone else's neighbor­ hood. T h i s is a factor of economics, residential housing patterns, and white flight from cities to suburbs, as well as a result of years of racial descrimination in education, housing, and jobs. T r u e school integration in much of the nation wil l require changes in living patterns, massive redis­ r i c t i n g , and mergers of urban and suburban systems. Even then, many young children may have to travel long distances on buses, often through or to hostile neighborhoods. It is no wonder many parents, black and white, question the value of school integration. R icha rd Kluger's masterful book, Simple Justice, studies an apparently less complicated aspect of integration: the history of how the United States Supreme Court came to declare statutory school segregation un­ constitutional. There are, however, only two "simple" aspects of the book: its title, and the remedy asked for by the plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. (1) T h e book itself is a long, meticulous history of Brown and its antecedents. But , Simple Justice is many other things as well . I t is really three books in one. Part I , "Under the Color of L a w " is a history of law and race relations from the C i v i l W a r to Brown. I t can almost be seen as a constitutional his­ tory of black America for that period. Bu t , it also offers a history of the development of Howard University L a w School under the leadership of Charles Houston and the creation and growth of the N . A . A . C . P . Legal Defense and Education Fund . Kluger gives biographical sketches of law­ yers and activists involved in the early civil rights struggle. I n particular, Kluger has recognized and given credit to the critical importance of Charles Houston in literally creating an accredited law school to train black lawyers who could then apply their skills to fight for civi l rights. T h e first graduating class under Houston's tutelage included two of the leading counsel in Brown: Thurgood Marshall and Oliver W . H i l l . H i l l recalled that Houston "kept hammering at us all those years that, as law-
The effect of random reshuffling of amino acids on the properties of dimers formed by Aβ peptides is studied using replica exchange molecular dynamics and united atom implicit solvent model. We show that thermodynamics of dimer assembly and the dimer globule-like state are not affected by sequence permutation. Furthermore, sequence reshuffling does not change the distributions of non-local interactions and, to a large extent, amino acids in the dimer volume. To rationalize these results, we demonstrate that Gaussian statistics applies surprisingly well to the end-to-end distances of the peptides in the dimer implying that non-bonded interactions between distant along the chain amino acids are effectively screened. This observation suggests that peptides in the dimer behave as ideal chains in polymer melt, in which amino acids lose their "identity" and therefore the memory of sequence position. As a result large-scale properties of the dimer become universal or sequence independent. Comparison of our simulations with the prior theoretical studies and their implications for experiments are discussed.
The deep biosphere of the subseafloor crust is believed to contain a significant part of Earth's biomass, but because of the difficulties of directly observing the living organisms, its composition and ecology are poorly known. We report here a consortium of fossilized prokaryotic and eukaryotic micro‐organisms, occupying cavities in deep‐drilled vesicular basalt from the Emperor Seamounts, Pacific Ocean, 67.5 m below seafloor (mbsf). Fungal hyphae provide the framework on which prokaryote‐like organisms are suspended like cobwebs and iron‐oxidizing bacteria form microstromatolites (Frutexites). The spatial inter‐relationships show that the organisms were living at the same time in an integrated fashion, suggesting symbiotic interdependence. The community is contemporaneous with secondary mineralizations of calcite partly filling the cavities. The fungal hyphae frequently extend into the calcite, indicating that they were able to bore into the substrate through mineral dissolution. A symbiotic relationship with chemoautotrophs, as inferred for the observed consortium, may be a pre‐requisite for the eukaryotic colonization of crustal rocks. Fossils thus open a window to the extant as well as the ancient deep biosphere.
The effect of carbonate and bicarbonate alkalinity (soda ash buffer as 5,180 mg/L HCO3- alkalinity at pH 7 and as 5,100 mg/L CO32- alkalinity at pH 12) on the ozonation of reactive vinylsulphone dyestuffs in a simulated spent dye-bath has been studied at varying pHs. Adsorbable organic halogen (AOX) formation due to the high chloride content of the effluent and detoxification, which was evaluated in terms of the relative toxicity index Itox determined from the ED50 values for the marine photobacteria Vibrio fischeri, were also evaluated. Highest total organic carbon (56%), chemical oxygen demand (44%), and UV254 (77%) removals were achieved at pH 7 in the presence of HCO3- alkalinity. The fastest decolorization was observed for the case pH 2, the first order decolorization rate constant found as k620=0.16min-1, closely followed by the pH 12 case with soda ash (k620=0.12min-1) case. No positive correlation was evident between AOX, whose maximum value (=1.3 mg/L) appeared after 40 min ozonation at pH 7 and ...
The root is the below-ground organ of a plant, and it has evolved multiple signaling pathways that allow adaptation of architecture, growth rate, and direction to an ever-changing environment. Roots grow along the gravitropic vector towards beneficial areas in the soil to provide the plant with proper nutrients to ensure its survival and productivity. In addition, roots have developed escape mechanisms to avoid adverse environments, which include direct illumination. Standard laboratory growth conditions for basic research of plant development and stress adaptation include growing seedlings in Petri dishes on medium with roots exposed to light. Several studies have shown that direct illumination of roots alters their morphology, cellular and biochemical responses, which results in reduced nutrient uptake and adaptability upon additive stress stimuli. In this review, we summarize recent methods that allow the study of shaded roots under controlled laboratory conditions and discuss the observed changes in the results depending on the root illumination status.
A field experiment was conducted to study the nutrients availability of soil and yield of rice (Oryza Sativa L.) as influence by various customized fertilizers at Agronomy Research Farm of ND University of Agriculture and Technology, Faizabad during Kharif, 2014 and 2015. The application of Soil Test Based Recommendation (N-140:P2O5-60: K2O-30: S-30: Zn-5: B-2 kg ha) was found maximum plant height (cm), number of tillers m at different stages, number of grains per panicle, test weight of rice crop which was at par with (Indo Gulf) and (Tata Chemical Limited) and significantly superior over control, RDF and Farmer’s’ practices during both the year. Pooled data of two year grain and straw yield of rice and nutrients availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, zinc and boron in soil were recorded highest in T3 (Soil test based recommendation) treatments which was significantly superior over the control, RDF and Farmers’ practices and statically at par with Vardan (Indo gulf) and Paras (TCL). The highest net return (Rs.32204 and Rs.34968 ha) and B:C (0.74 and 0.84) during 2014 and 2015, respectively were also obtained due to application of soil test based recommendation which was followed by application of Indo GulfCustomized FertilizersVardan and TCLCustomized fertilizersParas.
Objective: To investigate whether the space-occupying effect of an endometrioma, rather than endometriosis itself, affects results in in vitro fertilization (IVF) using women with simple ovarian cysts as the control group. Methods: 85 normoresponder patients with endometriomas of 10–50 mm who underwent IVF treatment directly without initial removal were compared with 83 normoresponder patients with simple ovarian cysts of 10–35 mm detected at the beginning of stimulation and initiated treatment without aspiration. Results: Gonadotropin consumption was higher in the endometrioma group (3,013 vs. 2,451 IU; p = 0.001), although significantly fewer numbers of oocytes were retrieved (13.9 vs. 16.4; p = 0.03). However, oocyte maturation rates were similar. The transferred grade I embryos ratio was evaluated and found to be better in the cyst group (79.7 vs. 70.7%; p = 0.03). Consequently, the implantation rate was found to be significantly higher in the cyst group (28 vs. 19%; p = 0.02), although pregnancy and ongoing pregnancy rates were similar. Conclusion: The presence of an endometriotic cyst during the IVF cycle was demonstrated to be associated with a lower embryo quality and implantation rate, although pregnancy success was unaffected. This adverse effect is suggested to be the result of the disease itself, not the presence of a cystic mass.
The New York City Police Department, as do other large Communications Systems users, requires multiple telephone tie lines to its communication terminals. A public safety agency has to respond immediately to all emergencies involving the public, business, institutions, and other governmental entities. The communication system is the media for information exchange and response. Reliability has to approach 100%. In the case of the New York City Police Department, telephone tie lines were experiencing failures at critical times. The line costs of terminal equipment were escalating. The solution appears to be a multiplex microwave system designed to be fail safe, expandable and automatically shift into a redundant system. The design of this system is discussed in this paper.
Problematic Internet Use (PIU) involves cognitive distortions and dysfunctional behaviors (e.g., compulsive Internet use or using the Internet to alleviate negative emotions) that lead to negative outcomes in various areas of an individual’s life. The Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2) is one of the few theory-driven instruments to measure the type of PIU associated with the unique communicative context available online. The purpose of this study was to expand upon previous empirical evidence of the psychometric properties of the GPIUS) among Italian young adults. The present psychometric evaluation of the Italian version of the GPIUS2 was conducted on a sample of 748 undergraduate students (48.3% males) from 18 to 26 years old (M= 21.84 years, SD = 2.20). With regard to scale dimensionality, the four first-order factors model (i.e. preference for online social interaction, mood regulation, deficient self-regulation, and negative outcomes) was confirmed (fit indices: Satorra-Bentler scaled χ2/df = 3.03; Comparative Fit Index = 0.93; Tucker–Lewis index = 0.92; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.05). Internal-consistency Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.72 to 0.89. Convergent validity is demonstrated with significant correlations between GPIUS2 and Internet Addiction Test score. Validity was also assessed by exploring the relationship between GPIUS2 and several indices of psychosocial well-being that were expected to be related to PIU on the basis of previous studies. The overall results confirm previous evidence that the GPIUS2 is an adequate measure of generalized PIU cognitions, behaviors, and outcomes among young adults. 14.1 Defining Problematic Internet Use The proliferation of Internet technology has led to an increase in problematic Internet use (PIU) in several cultural contexts (e.g., Canbaz, Sunter, Peksen, & Canbaz, 2009; Ghassemzadeh, Shahraray, & Moradi, 2008; Liu, Desai, Krishnan-Sarin, Cavallo, & Potenza, 2011). Even if cross-national variations in prevalence have been reported (Durkee et al., 2012), it seems possible to conclude that maladaptive internet use is widespread among adolescents. In Italy a recent study (Villella et al., 2011) assessing the prevalence of behavioral addictions in an adolescent population found that 1.2% of the participants were addicted to the Internet. More recently, a prevalence of 5.01% was reported (Poli & Agrimi, 2012). © 2016 Silvia Casale, Caterina Primi, Giulia Fioravanti This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License. Brought to you by | Università degli Studi di Firenze Authenticated Download Date | 11/3/16 12:07 PM The update model of Generalized Problematic Internet Use   203 Among the theoretical approaches to PIU, the cognitive-behavioral model (Davis, 2001) has received a great deal of attention. Compared to the Internet Addiction (IA) label, a misleading category in which to group all problems associated with excessive Internet use, the cognitive-behavioral model has the merit of accounting for what people are actually doing online. This perspective, rather than conceptualizing PIU as a behavioral addiction, conceptualizes PIU as a multidimensional syndrome that consists of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms that lead to difficulties in managing one’s offline life. Davis (2001) proposes that PIU can be further classified as specific PIU (SPIU) – the overuse of content-specific functions of the Internet (e.g. gambling, viewing sexual material) – and generalized PIU (GPIU), which occurs when an individual develops problems due to the unique communicative context of the Internet. GPIU is conceptualized as “the real Internet syndrome,” as it would likely not even exist in the absence of the Internet, which acts, in its social role, as a means of communication. In fact, the interpersonal functions that are unique to the Internet have been consistently identified by a number of scholars as being associated with problematic, pathological, or addictive Internet use (Caplan & High, 2010; McKenna & Bargh, 1999; Morahan-Martin & Schumacher, 2000, 2003). In a review of the literature, Morahan-Martin (2007) explains that “there is a growing consensus that the unique social interactions made possible by the Internet play a major role in the development of Internet abuse” (p.335), adding that “people with problematic Internet abuse are drawn to the experience of being online, and prefer virtual rather than face-to-face interpersonal communication” (p.342). By drawing a distinction between GPIU and SPIU, Davis proposes an empirically testable answer to what it actually is that people are addicted to, which was neglected by the Internet addiction perspective. 14.2 The update model of Generalized Problematic Internet Use Since the publication of Davis’ research, Caplan (2002; 2003; 2005; 2007; 2010) has integrated the research on interpersonal communication in face-to-face (FtF) settings with Davis’s model of GPIU by highlighting the role that interpersonal computer mediated communication (CMC) processes play in the relationship between Internet use and psychosocial well-being. In 2010 Caplan proposed an integrated conceptual model of GPIU that combines elements of Davis’ cognitive-behavioral theory, his own works that address a preference for online social interaction (Caplan, 2003; 2005), and the socio-cognitive model of unregulated Internet use (Kim, LaRose & Peng, 2009; LaRose, Lin, & Eastin, 2003). The updated cognitive-behavioral model of PIU includes four core components: preference for online social interaction (POSI), mood regulation, deficient self-regulation, and negative outcomes (Caplan, 2010). POSI is defined as the belief that one is safer, more efficacious, and more confident with online interpersonal interactions than with FtF interactions. According to Caplan, POSI is a cognitive symptom of GPIU that may help explain, at least in part, why Brought to you by | Università degli Studi di Firenze Authenticated Download Date | 11/3/16 12:07 PM 204   Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 certain individuals show other cognitive or behavioral indicators of problematic use, such as going online for mood regulation and having problems regulating their use of the web. Specifically, people with high levels of social anxiety and low levels of perceived social support have been found to be at risk of developing POSI (Caplan, 2007), since the online environment might be seen as more safer and comfortable than FtF interactions. The central role of POSI as a key factor for the development of other GPIU dimensions is one of the distinctive features of the GPIU perspective in comparison to the IA approach. Another cognitive symptom of GPIU is the motivation to use the Internet to alleviate distressing feelings (mood regulation), which has an important role in the development of the behavioral symptoms of both GPIU (Kim et al., 2009; LaRose et al., 2003) and POSI. Indeed, both the POSI and the mood regulation dimensions have been found to be good predictors of the failure to adequately monitor one’s use of the web. The state in which conscious self-control of the web is diminished has been labeled as Deficient Regulation. This construct consists of a compulsive use dimension the inability to control or regulate one’s online behavior and a cognitive preoccupation dimension, which describes an obsessive thought pattern about the online world. According to Caplan, “if cognitive symptoms of GPIU are salient enough, they lead to behavioral symptoms that ultimately result in negative outcomes” (p.1090). Several studies have provided preliminary empirical support for the basic assumptions of this model. Recent studies have produced empirical evidence supporting the claim that compulsive use is a central component of PIU (e.g., Caplan, 2005; Kim et al., 2009; van den Eijnden, Meerkerk, Vermulst, Spijkerman, & Engels, 2008). POSI has been found to be predictive of this compulsive use (Caplan, 2010; Fioravanti, Dèttore, & Casale, 2012) and mood regulation was a significant cognitive predictor of negative outcomes associated with Internet use (Caplan, 2002; Gámez-Guadix, Villa-George, & Calvete, 2012). Caplan and High (2007) found that the association between compulsive Internet use and negative outcomes is more pronounced when cognitive preoccupation is present. Moreover, results from the SEM analysis provided support for the overall conceptual model in several cultural contexts. Gámez-Guadix et al. (2012) found that preference for online social interaction and the use of the Internet for mood regulation increased the probability of reporting deficient self-regulation, which, in turn, was significantly associated with negative life outcomes. 14.3 The Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 Although some attempts to measure PIU have been made, these measures have not received extensive and systematic psychometric testing (Davis, Flett, & Besser, 2002). Recently, some theory-driven instruments have been created (e.g., Demetrovics, Szeredi, & Ròzsa, 2008; Pratarelli & Browne, 2002). Among them, the Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2 (GPIUS2; Caplan, 2010), a revised and updated Brought to you by | Università degli Studi di Firenze Authenticated Download Date | 11/3/16 12:07 PM The Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale 2   205 version of the 15-item Generalized Problematic Internet Use Scale (Caplan, 2002), has been developed in order to formally test the updated model of generalized problematic Internet use. The GPIUS2 addresses four core components: (1) POSI (a sample item is “Online social interaction is more comfortable for me than face-to-face interaction”); (2) Mood Regulation (a sample item is “I have used the Internet to make myself feel better when I was down”); (3) Deficient Self-Regulation, which consists of a compulsive use dimension and a cognitive preoccupatio
Because of welfare concerns and increased labor efficiency, calves are increasingly housed in groups. To reduce variability in live weight within groups, farmers frequently regroup calves according to growth rate. We assessed the consequences of repeated regrouping and relocation on the welfare of 32 male Holstein calves housed in pairs. Animals of half of the pairs (regrouped calves) were placed in a new pen with a new partner once a week for 14 wk. Animals of the other half of the pairs (control calves) stayed in the same pen with the same partner. Behavior was observed for the 3 h following four mixings and for 24 h after all relocations were finished. The functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and of the sympathetic nervous system were assessed. Calves were weighed once a week, their health was assessed daily, and abomasa were inspected when the calves were slaughtered. Calves reacted to the first mixing by interacting with the new partner and increasing their general activity (sniffing the partner in regrouped calves vs controls: 5.5 vs 2.9, P < 0.01; percentage time stepping: 3.2 vs 1.3, P < 0.001). This effect disappeared by the ninth mixing. After all relocations were completed, regrouped calves were more active at the end of the day and less active at night (P < 0.05). Cortisol responses to exogenous ACTH were higher in regrouped calves (integrated response: 6,688 vs 5,508 ng x min/mL, P < 0.01). Basal cortisol levels, ACTH responses to corticotropin-releasing hormone, activities of catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes (tyrosine hydroxylase and phenylethanolamine N-methyl transferase), and the incidence of health problems and growth rates did not differ between the two groups. Regrouped calves had fewer abomasal ulcers. Apart from the increased sensitivity of the adrenal cortex of regrouped calves to ACTH and the modification in the daily rhythm of activity, there was no clear evidence that repeated regrouping and relocation stresses calves. Aggression between calves was rare, and calves seemed to habituate to repeated mixing.
Three new polycyclic macrolactams, cyclamenols B-D (1-3), together with a known macrolactam, cyclamenol A (4), were isolated from the Streptomyces sp. OUCMDZ-4348. Their structures including absolute configurations were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, chemical methods, and ECD calculations. The biosynthetic pathways involving intramolecular Diels-Alder reactions were proposed. Compound 1 exhibited selective inhibition against the gastric carcinoma cell line N87 with an IC50 value of 10.8 μM.
Eva-1 homolog A (EVA1A), also known as transmembrane protein 166 (TMEM166) and regulator of programmed cell death, is an endoplasmic reticulum associated protein, which can play an important role in many diseases, including a variety of cancers, by regulating autophagy/apoptosis. However, the related mechanism, especially the role of EVA1A in cancers, has not been fully understood. In this review, we summarize the recent studies on the role of EVA1A in different types of cancers, including breast cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer, and analyze the relevant mechanisms to provide a theoretical basis for future related research.
ABSTRACT In Moss, Norway, a former cellulose factory is currently being adapted for new uses. The onsite digester, a high-rise steel structure that was used to make cellulose before the factory closed in 2012, is a landmark on the premises. The Directorate for Cultural Heritage has not designated heritage status to the digester, although it constitutes heritage for many who used to work at the factory. The digester now faces an uncertain material future, but that does not preclude it from being remembered in various ways. Some former factory workers suggest that its heritage can be rendered olfactory by reconstructing the putrid smell the digester emitted while in service. This paper argues that ‘authorised’ views of heritage can be challenged by the ways in which working-class heritage is performed and remembered.
This article examines why some state legislators run for Congress and others do not. Our main argument is that there are differences in the expected value of a state legislative seat and the expected benefits of being a member of Congress. One key component of this value is how closely the candidate fits with her party. We find that the probability of seeking congressional office increases among state legislators who are distant from the state party and proximate to the congressional party and decreases among those who are distant from the congressional party and proximate to the state party.
After completing this article, readers should be able to:   1. Describe the points of outcome studies that require careful review.  2. Compare the outlook of parents and clinicians in anticipating outcome.  3. Delineate the philosophical, emotional, and psychological costs of withdrawing life-sustaining therapy.  4. Describe the factors that can affect the prediction of outcome based on an infant’s birthweight.  Since the early days of neonatal intensive care, clinicians have reflected on the ethics of caring for critically ill neonates for whom there is significant morbidity and mortality. Sound ethical reasoning requires accurate assessment of the individual infant and accurate prognostic data on which to base discussions and decisions. Literally hundreds of studies have been published over the years regarding these outcomes. The interesting phenomenon is that the same basic questions continue to be asked about populations of infants who have lower birthweights and younger gestational ages as the specialty has progressed. Commentary from earlier periods questioned aggressive care for infants weighing less than 1,500 g, as did later commentaries about infants who weighed less than 1,000 g, and now we are discussing the same questions for those weighing less than 500 to 600 g. There always has been question and commentary from neonatologists, obstetricians, parents of “preemies,” the media, and the courts about the wisdom of treating these extremely preterm infants.  More recently, partly in response to requests from clinicians, national and regional bodies have developed guidelines for decision making in the delivery room for extremely preterm infants (Table ⇓). Some of these have been strictly consensus-based and others were consensus-based after detailed review of the published evidence. Whether attempting to make clinical decisions for a specific infant, developing guidelines for care, or questioning the moral underpinnings of care for this population, the published outcome studies form the framework. Several recent reviews have addressed …
Aberrant activation of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene caused by mutation, rearrangement or overexpression plays a fundamental role in tumorigenesis in several tumors and represents an important therapeutic target. Currently, only limited data is available on thyroid cancer with respect to the genetic alteration of ALK. Therefore we investigate the ALK overexpression and amplification, and its correlation with various clinicopathological features and molecular biomarkers in a large cohort of 1040 Middle Eastern PTC. In our study, ALK protein expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. ALK gene amplification and rearrangement were analyzed by in situ hybridization (FISH). We also correlated the data with clinicopathological characteristics and other molecular markers. Our data showed that ALK is overexpressed in 136 of the 997 (13.6%) PTC samples. ALK amplification and rearrangement were not observed by FISH. ALK overexpression was significantly associated with surgical margin, but had no effect on the survival of PTC patients. Interestingly, ALK overexpression was found to be significantly correlated with the higher expression of pAKT and PIK3CA in PTC samples, suggesting that ALK overexpression is associated with activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in PTC. In addition, ALK overexpression is also correlated with overexpression of anti-apopototic marker XIAP and BCL-XL and cell cycle regulatory marker SKP2. Altogether, our results suggest that ALK overexpression presents in a small subset of samples and is not associated with survival in PTC. However ALK overexpression is significantly correlated with PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and might provide a potential therapeutic target for PTC patients with ALK overexpression. Citation Format: Rong Bu, Sarita Prabhakaran, Shaham Beg, Zeenath Jehan, Abdul K. Siraj, Maqbool Ahmed, Azhar Hussain, Saif A. Alsobhi, Fouad Al-Dayel, Shahab Uddin, Khawla S. Al-Kuraya. ALK overexpression is associated with activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in PTC. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4323. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4323
Nowadays, the classical Internet is mainly envisioned as the underlying communication infrastructure of the Quantum Internet, aimed at providing services such as signaling and coordination messages. However, the interplay between the classical and the quantum Internet is complex and its understanding is pivotal for an effective design of the Quantum Internet protocol stack. The aim of the article is to shed light on this interplay, by highlighting the fact that such an interplay is indeed bidirectional rather than unidirectional. The Quantum Internet exhibits the potential of supporting and even enhancing classical Internet functionalities.
Due to an improved understanding of past climatological conditions, it has now become possible to study the potential concordance between former climatological models and present-day genetic structure. Genetic variability was assessed in 26 samples from different rivers of Atlantic salmon in Iceland (total of 2,352 individuals), using 15 microsatellite loci. F-statistics revealed significant differences between the majority of the populations that were sampled. Bayesian cluster analyses using both prior information and no prior information on sampling location revealed the presence of two distinguishable genetic pools - namely, the Northern (Group 1) and Southern (Group 2) regions of Iceland. Furthermore, the random permutation of different allele sizes among allelic states revealed a significant mutational component to the genetic differentiation at four microsatellite loci (SsaD144, Ssa171, SSsp2201 and SsaF3), and supported the proposition of a historical origin behind the observed variation. The estimated time of divergence, using two different ABC methods, suggested that the observed genetic pattern originated from between the Last Glacial Maximum to the Younger Dryas, which serves as additional evidence of the relative immaturity of Icelandic fish populations, on account of the re-colonisation of this young environment following the Last Glacial Maximum. Additional analyses suggested the presence of several genetic entities which were likely to originate from the original groups detected.
Recent histological and molecular characterization of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) highlights the heterogeneity of this cancer that may emerge at different sites of the biliary tree and with different macroscopic or morphological features. Furthermore, different stem cell niches have been recently described in the liver and biliary tree, suggesting this as the basis of the heterogeneity of intrahepatic (IH)- and extrahepatic (EH)-CCAs, which are two largely different tumors from both biological and epidemiological points of view. The complexity of the organization of the liver stem cell compartments could underlie the CCA clinical-pathological heterogeneity and the criticisms in classifying primitive liver tumors. These recent advances highlight a possible new classification of CCAs based on cells of origin and this responds to the need of generating homogenous diagnostic, prognostic and, hopefully, therapeutic categories of IH- and EH-CCAs.
ABSTRACT Background: The distribution of pronouns varies cross-linguistically. This distribution has led to conflicting results in studies that investigated pronoun resolution in agrammatic indviduals. In the investigation of pronominal resolution, the linguistic phenomenon of “resumption” is understudied in agrammatism. The construction of pronominal resolution in Akan presents the opportunity to thoroughly examine resumption. Aims: To start, the present study examines the production of (pronominal) resumption in Akan focus constructions (who-questions and focused declaratives). Second, we explore the effect of grammatical tone on the processing of pronominal (resumption) since Akan is a tonal language. Methods & Procedures: First, we tested the ability to distinguish linguistic and non-linguistic tone in Akan agrammatic speakers. Then, we administered an elicitation task to five Akan agrammatic individuals, controlling for the structural variations in the realization of resumption: focused who-questions and declaratives with (i) only a resumptive pronoun, (ii) only a clause determiner, (iii) a resumptive pronoun and a clause determiner co-occurring, and (iv) neither a resumptive pronoun nor a clause determiner. Outcomes & Results: Tone discrimination .both for pitch and for lexical tone was unimpaired. The production task demonstrated that the production of resumptive pronouns and clause determiners was intact. However, the production of declarative sentences in derived word order was impaired; wh-object questions were relatively well-preserved. Conclusions: We argue that the problems with sentence production are highly selective: linguistic tones and resumption are intact but word order is impaired in non-canonical declarative sentences.
The one‐dimensional spin‐s XYZ model in a magnetic field of particular strength has a ferro‐ or antiferromagnetically ordered product ground state. The recursion method is employed to determine T=0 dynamic structure factors for systems with s=1/2, 1, 3/2. The line shapes and peak positions differ significantly from the corresponding spin‐wave results, but their development for increasing values of s suggests a smooth extrapolation to the spin‐wave picture.
As the diffusion area and the wire capacitance worsen the circuit performance in very high speed CMOS design, the results between schematic and layout differ from each other because of missing parasitic components in the schematic. We address a layout based schematic (LBS) method for high speed CMOS cell design. In our method, we introduce different types of MOS transistors and a wire capacitance estimation method, based on layout knowledge. The simulation results at very high speed show that the difference between LBS and real circuit layout is much smaller, less than 3 percent in rise time, compared to the difference in the worst case up to 65 percent in original schematic. The result of LBS is reliable and easy to be optimized during the schematic procedure. It will reduce the design time and cost in high speed circuit design. We also believe that the LBS is more convenient to be translated into the real layout than the original schematic.
The Policy for Peace and Prosperity is a basic idea of the Roh Moo-hyun government comprising an overall policy for unification, foreign relations and security. Its short-term action plan is to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully. The parties to the Six-Party Talks succeeded in getting a clue to its solution by adopting the September 19th agreement. However, they failed in creating a breakthrough for its peaceful resolution largely due to the deep mistrust between the US and North Korea and the lack of a concrete timetable for phased implementation. In order to create a breakthrough to this issue, the other four countries should persuade both the US and North Korea to mutually make a concession. While the South Korean government draws up a new roadmap in collaboration with the US government, the six countries should prepare for a new approach based on the principle of “action for action.”
Expounding the relationship between the regional logistics development and economic growth,the relativity between overall level of logistics development on the new Euro-Asiea Countinental Briage and economic growth is analyzes based on the grey Synthetically Relational Degree.The paper analyzes the level of coordination between the twoaspects byusingthe multi-dimension grey GM(1,N) model and finallypresents some sugggestionsl on the basis of quantitative analysis.
Volatile compounds from seven Salvia species and one interspecific hybrid growing at the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Texas, US. Salvia coccinea, S. farinacea, S. greggii, S. leucantha, S. longispicata x farinacea, S. madrensis, S. roemeriana and S. splendens were investigated for their chemical compositions using a microdistillation technique. Volatiles were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). One hundred and twenty seven compounds were identified representing 94.3-99.7% of the oils. The major components in each of the seven species were as follows: S. coccinea (Z)-3-hexenal (31%), viridiflorol (19%); S. farinacea 1-octen-3-ol (30%) and (Z)-3-hexenal (23%); S. greggii 1,8-cineole (22%), borneol (17%), camphene (11%) and α-pinene (10%); S. leucantha limonene (35%) and α-pinene (17%); S. longispicata x farinacea 1-octen-3-ol (50%) and (Z)-3-hexenal (24%); S. madrensis (Z)-3-hexenal (53%); S. roemeriana limonene (49%) and α-pinene (20%); and S. splendens (Z)-3-hexenal (36%), 2,5-dimethoxy-p-cymene (19%) and linalool (11%). The microdistillation method was fast, practical and a useful technique that enabled the isolation of the volatiles in samples when only limited quantities were available.
Summary Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has rapidly evolved as a standard therapy for heart failure (HF) patients with ventricular conduction delay. Although in early trials, only patients with sinus rhythm and advanced stages of HF have been candidates for CRT, more recent data have expanded the indications to patients with mild-to-moderate HF and atrial fibrillation and patients in need of antibradycardia pacing with reduced left ventricular function. On the other hand, it is now well recognized that patients with a wide QRS (>150 ms) and left bundle branch block morphology benefit most from CRT, whereas in patients with a more narrow QRS complex (<130 ms) CRT may actually be harmful despite the evidence of ventricular dyssynchrony by echocardiography. There is no prospective randomized study showing mortality benefit from a combined CRT defibrillating device over a CRT pacer alone. This is especially important because recent data indicate that older patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy may not benefit from the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator as much as previously thought. Thus, the decision for a CRT pacer versus CRT defibrillating should be tailored to the therapeutic goal (improvement in prognosis versus symptomatic relief), patient age, underlying cardiac disease and comorbidities. This article gives an overview over the current indications for CRT according to published literature and the European guidelines for pacing and HF.
This article draws on findings from a knowledge exchange (KE) project, which involved academics working with local authority social workers around a theme of engaging with involuntary clients. The user engagement agenda is actively promoted in social work but is not straightforward, reflecting a mish-mash of client rights and managerial and consumerist agendas. Engaging with involuntary clients, in particular, those whose involvement with social work is mandated by law, rarely fits into policy agendas and requires a range of conditions and practitioner skills for it to happen effectively. A parallel aim of our project was to explore what was seen to be effective in the KE and knowledge mobilisation (KM) processes when local authorities and university academics work together. Like client engagement, KE is also seen as ‘a good thing’ but in reality it is similarly problematic. In this article, we trace the growth of both client engagement and KE agendas, particularly in relation to social work. We describe our project and discuss its findings. A number of parallel processes might be identified in ‘what works’ with hard to reach social work clients and ‘what works’ in KE/KM. Neither are linear or necessarily rational processes. What does seem to hold both together, however, is the nature of relationships built up between, in the first instance, social workers and those they work with and, in the second, between academics and local authority practitioners. These findings suggest that personal qualities that might be associated with the concept of emotional intelligence play an important part in enabling both social work practice and KE/KM to happen effectively.
Mitigating crosstalk errors, whether classical or quantum mechanical, is critically important for achieving high-fidelity entangling gates in multiqubit circuits. For weakly anharmonic superconducting qubits, unwanted ZZ interactions can be suppressed by combining qubits with opposite anharmonicity. We present experimental measurements and theoretical modeling of two-qubit gate error for gates based on the cross resonance interaction between a capacitively shunted flux qubit and a transmon, and demonstrate the elimination of the ZZ interaction.
President Ford has chided Congress repeatedly the past few months for being unable (or unwilling) to come up with valid energy policy proposals. The Administration already had imposed a $1.00-per-barrel import tariff on oil, but agreed to postpone additional planned tariff increases pending Congressional progress in the energy policy arena. Actually, Congress hasn't been that inactive in energy legislation—the Senate did recently pass the Standby Energy Authorities Act of 1975. This unique peak of legislative creativity, however, looks less and less like valid policy, as soon as one starts to read it and review its provisions. It grants the President certain emergency powers in the event of another oil embargo—but only if Congress likes what is done. To this questionably useful Presidential power is attached other provisions that call for the federal government and all the states to develop energy conservation programs—but without any indication as to how it should be done or how the ...
Citropin 1.1 is an amphipathic alpha-helical cationic peptide that exhibits potent anticancer activity in vitro. Citropin 1.1 was found to be active against 60 cancer cell lines, and this activity was mainly attributed to its ability to bind and lyse membranes of cancer cells. One of the major drawbacks of developing Citropin 1.1 as an anticancer agent is its lack of apparent selectivity toward cancer cells and its ability to cause significant lysis of normal human erythrocytes and mammalian cells at high concentrations. This low selectivity index places severe restraints on the development of Citropin 1.1 as a novel anticancer agent. In this study, we have designed a Citropin 1.1 analog named Citropin A that retained the biological activity of the parent peptide. Citropin A was fused to an anionic fragment in order to neutralize the positive charge carried on the parent peptide rendering it inactive. The resultant hybrid peptide named Citropin-MMP was designed to contain a Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) cleavable consensus sequence that would be cleaved to release the active Citropin A once it encounters highly metastatic MMP producing cancer cells. Citropin-MMP was found to be completely inactive against non-MMP producing cancer cells and normal mammalian cells. However, when Citropin-MMP was administered to MMP producing cells, its antiproliferative activity was regained, and the peptide displayed exclusive activity against MMP producing cancer cell lines. The data of our study indicate that this enzyme-based cleavage strategy could prove to be successful for the development of Citropin-MMP as a novel therapeutic agent for the purpose of inhibiting the proliferation and invasion of highly metastatic invasive cancer cells.
Hippocampal neurons in dissociated cell cultures were exposed to the trivalent cation lanthanum for short periods (15–30 min) and prepared for electron microscopy (EM), to evaluate the stimulatory effects of this cation on synaptic ultrastructure. Not only were characteristic ultrastructural changes of exaggerated synaptic vesicle turnover seen within the presynapses of these cultures—including synaptic vesicle depletion and proliferation of vesicle-recycling structures—but the overall architecture of a large proportion of the synapses in the cultures was dramatically altered, due to large postsynaptic “bulges” or herniations into the presynapses. Moreover, in most cases, these postsynaptic herniations or protrusions produced by lanthanum were seen by EM to distort or break or “perforate” the so-called postsynaptic densities (PSDs) that harbor receptors and recognition molecules essential for synaptic function. These dramatic EM observations lead us to postulate that such PSD breakages or “perforations” could very possibly create essential substrates or “tags” for synaptic growth, simply by creating fragmented free edges around the PSDs, into which new receptors and recognition molecules could be recruited more easily, and thus, they could represent the physical substrate for the important synaptic growth process known as “long-term potentiation” (LTP). All of this was created simply in hippocampal dissociated cell cultures, and simply by pushing synaptic vesicle recycling way beyond its normal limits with the trivalent cation lanthanum, but we argued in this report that such fundamental changes in synaptic architecture—given that they can occur at all—could also occur at the extremes of normal neuronal activity, which are presumed to lead to learning and memory.
This project analyzes the results of searches for genes and proteins in the NCBI databases Gene, RefSeq RNA and RefSeq Protein. Corresponding searches were performed using the search programs Entrez and BLAST, and search recall and precision were calculated. The findings demonstrate the different types of result sets that can be expected from using different search programs and settings. Also, some unexpected results indicate that the default search settings are not optimal for all searches; an important aspect of searching which information professionals should remember and communicate to researchers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Abstract Gomez-Bruton, A, Gabel, L, Nettlefold, L, Macdonald, H, Race, D, and McKay, H. Estimation of peak muscle power from a countermovement vertical jump in children and adolescents. J Strength Cond Res 33(2): 390–398, 2019—Several equations to predict muscle power (MP) from vertical jump height (VJH) have been developed in adults. However, few have been derived in children. We therefore aimed to: (a) evaluate the validity of existing MP estimation equations from a vertical countermovement jump (CMJ) in children and adolescents and (b) develop and validate a new MP estimation equation for use in children and adolescents. We measured peak MP (in watts) and VJH (in centimeters) during a CMJ using a force platform in 249 children and adolescents (9–17 years; 119 boys and 130 girls). We compared actual (force platform) with predicted (12 existing prediction equations) MP using repeated-measures analysis of variance and estimated bias using modified Bland-Altman plots. We developed a new prediction equation using stepwise linear regression, assessed predictive error using leave-one-out and 10-fold cross-validation, and externally validated the equation in an independent sample (n = 100). All existing prediction equations demonstrated some degree of bias, either systematic bias (mean differences ranging 178–1,377 W; 8–64%) or bias at the extremes or interactions with sex. Our new prediction equation estimates MP from VJH and body mass: Power (W) = 54.2 × VJH (cm) + 34.4 × body mass (kg) − 1,520.4. With this new equation, there was no difference between actual and predicted MP (0%) and negligible differences (0.2–0.9%) in R2 and root mean square error between our observed and cross-validated sets. Actual and predicted MP were not different in our external validation (p = 0.12). The new equation demonstrates excellent validity and can be used to predict MP from a CMJ in children and adolescents.
Biomass as an energy source will play a fundamental role in the coming years. The versatility of biomass-based generation systems makes them attractive projects at any scale. At the Technical University of Manabí, large quantities of organic and forest residues are generated, which can be used to generate energy. A survey was applied to determine the level of knowledge of the university community on issues related to the energy use of biomass and solid waste management. The results show that there is a knowledge gap in the community and it will be necessary, if such a system is implemented, to train all those involved in the generation, handling and disposal of solid waste to strengthen the proposal.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in North America, public health and social reform advocates were quick to identify and exploit the nascent modern institution of public schools as opportune spaces in which to advance their progressive projects. In particular, psychoactive substance use (at first primarily alcohol drinking) and sexuality were regarded as two domains of morally-charged social activity in which desired attitudinal and behavioural outcomes could be achieved through school-based education. Since the advent of these early public health or ‘social hygiene’ efforts in schools, political responses and modern Western cultural norms about both drugs and sexuality have undergone significant transformation over the course of the twentieth century. At the same time, research on purported health or social risks of substance use and sexual activity – and their prevention and mitigation among young people – has burgeoned as a field of professional practice and academic inquiry. This article undertakes a brief comparative review of historical and contemporary approaches to school-based sexuality and drug education in North America. In so doing, it also explores how scientific knowledge about the topics of sex and drugs, and the corollary project of school-based ‘prevention’ in these domains, has been shaped by evolving ideological and cultural forces. It concludes that the issues of sexuality and drug use – still steeped in conceptions of moral purity and pollution – are likely to remain strongly contested terrain for school-based education.
This chapter provides an analysis of the processes of negotiating identity in the production of improvised performance in the jazz rhythm section. I show that, for jazz musicians, identity is an important and complex concern that is managed through the frame of their various role functions. This analysis aims to expand upon symbolic interactionist studies of music and to provide a critique of the “discursive” focus on music in social life.
People used refilled-drinking-water for household and food stall because its efficient and low cost. Based on Indonesian Health Ministry regulation, it should not have any coliform bacteria. This study aimed to describe the bacteriological contamination of refilled drinking water using geographical information system (GIS). In this research, it was used an analytic observational method. The samples were from all available (37) depots in Tembalang district, one form each depot took used a sterile bottle. Contamination of bacteria was identified by Most Probable Number (MPN) method lactose broth media, Mac Conkey media, and IMVIC media. The depot samples were then plotted on (GIS). This study showed 95% samples were not feasible to consume since they contamined coliform. All sub-district had one that contaminated by coliform, 75% sub-districts had depots that contaminated Escherichia coli, while 55% sub-districts had depots that contaminated with other bacteria. The internal risk factors of the contamination were the absence of hygiene-sanitation worthy certificate (95%), depots location near to pollution sources (5%), and the misused of UV light. The external risk factor was lack of quality control that was not as the sterilization from office health Semarang city. Policy reinforcement should be done to all of the depots.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease with great variability in disease severity and rate of progression. The need for a reliable, sensitive, and objective biomarker to track disease progression and response to therapy remains a great challenge in IPF clinical trials. Over the past decade, quantitative computed tomography (QCT) has emerged as an area of intensive research to address this need. We have gathered a group of pulmonologists, radiologists and scientists with expertise in this area to define the current status and future promise of this imaging technique in the evaluation and management of IPF. In this Pulmonary Perspective, we review the development and validation of six computer-based QCT methods and offer insight into the optimal use of an imaging-based biomarker as a tool for prognostication, prediction of response to therapy, and potential surrogate endpoint in future therapeutic trials.
Abstract This study examines the possibilities and challenges of committee governance in President Roh Moo-hyun's “Participatory Government” initiative in Korea. Governing by committee or commission gained more prominence in the Roh administration (2003‐07) than in any other administration previously. The analysis in this paper builds on the theory of participatory governance in line with the “new governance” approach. It empirically examines the Presidential Commission on Sustainable Development (PCSD) established in response to the “Agenda 21” initiative. In particular, this study addresses why governing by committee has limitations in representing non-state actors in the national policy-making process. It analyses government reports and statistics as well as survey and interview data from former committee members and public officials. The major findings suggest that, whereas the PCSD improved representation of citizens in the national policy process, the internal decision-making process was limited to a small number of participants that included public officials rather than a more diverse range of committee members.
This study surveys preferred style and fit problems according to stature groups like short, medium, and tall to offer information to upgrade the clothing fit and satisfaction for each stature group. For this purpose, the questionnaire was accomplished, and the respondents were 18-59 year old women divided into 3 stature groups. The 6 questions were: (1) the preferred clothing style for 3 stature groups, (2) the conformity of stature designation on ready-made clothing, (3) frequency of restrictions on clothing design selection because of short or tall stature, (4) the important part to decide a good fit for a jacket, blouse, slacks, and skirt, (5) dissatisfaction with clothing fit and frequency of mending, and (6) mended part for a correct fit. They were analyzed according to 3 stature groups and the differences among 3 stature groups were found on them. For example, short women preferred short jackets; however, tall women preferred a long length. Short women experienced more restrictions on clothing design (or length) selection because a short stature. Hip girth was more important to decide a good fit for tall women versus short or medium women. Armhole and slacks width from crotch to knee were important parts to decide a good fit for short women. The study results should be applied to clothing design (or pattern making) in order to upgrade clothing fit and satisfaction for each stature group.
Background: in the developed world, preterm birth (PTB) is a major problem in modern obstetrics; its prevalence is still rising in many industrialized countries. Early PTB (before 34 weeks) is particularly associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. Aim of the Work: to compare the efficacy of oral nifedipine, intra venous ritodrine and magnesium sulfate as tocolytics in cases with preterm labor and evaluate their effects on the utero placental perfusion in order to choose the safest and most cost-effective drug. Patients and Methods: a prospective study that was conducted in El sayed Galal and El Hussien University hospitals from November 2016 to November 2018. By identifying 150 pregnant women with gestational age from 24-37 weeks gestation with preterm labour pain, intact membranes, singleton pregnancy. Results: a statistically significant difference was found between groups according to fetal umbilical artery PI before and after treatment. Also, significant difference between before and after treatment according to fetal umbilical artery PI in magnesium sulfate group. Also a statistically significant difference between groups according to fetal middle cerebral artery PI before and after treatment. Also, significant difference between before and after treatment according to fetal middle cerebral artery PI in nifedipine and magnesium sulfate group. Conclusion: there was no overall difference between nifedipine, magnesium sulfate and ritodrine, in their efficacy as tocolytic for preterm labor. However, Nifedipine had fewer maternal side effects followed by magnesium sulfate than ritodrine. Irrespective of their tocolytic effects, magnesium sulfate has the most significant effect on Doppler study.
This article aims to fulfil three functions. First, it provides a brief survey of the current state of policy and practice amongst two categories of local economic development institution, Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) and Enterprise Boards. This includes forming some impressions of the impact on Enterprise Boards of the abolition of the GLC and the Metropolitan Councils, and of the provisions of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (Part V). And it includes some assessment of the responses of Urban Development Corporations to the largely critical assessments of them made by the National Audit Office (1988) on Liverpool and LDDC, and the House of Commons Employment Committee (1988) on employment effects. The recent expansion of numbers of UDCs (five “second‐generation” ones set up in 1987, and four “third‐generation” ones established during 1988 and 1989) also allows wider analysis of the form to be carried out. The second aim of the article is to explore the extent and causes of diversity bo...
This article focuses on the most ambitious integration initiatives, negotiations on which in recent years have been the main topic of meetings of heads of state at the highest level and at meetings of intergovernmental organizations. First of all, there are competing trade agreements – RCEP and TPP, as well as global geopolitical projects – the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue created under the auspices of the United States and the Great Eurasian partnership promoted by the Russian Federation. The analysis shows that, in fact, China has taken over the initiative to form a new world order. Currently, Chinese strategic projects are the most ambitious, consistent and attractive in comparison with the proposals of other leading powers. We have to admit that the formats of cooperation on the basis of ASEAN may become a political anachronism in the near future, to which everyone will pay tribute, but key decisions will be made at other venues.
Wind energy is one of the most important types of renewable energy resources in the world. The wind energy is considered friendly to the environment and relatively inexpensive power. These advantages are considered the main reasons to select wind turbines to produce the electricity in the world. An accurate analysis of the wind data is considered the main key to select the optimal location and the suitable wind turbine based on the estimated power and cost. In this research paper, a new program was built and then developed based on MATLAB to analyze deeply the wind energy in the selected locations in Iraq. MATLAB Graphical User Interface (GUI) was used to present the developed program of “WIND ENERGY ANALYSIS”. This software has the ability to analyze the wind speed, processing the missing data and find the correlation coefficients, besides plot the results of this analyis (wind and Rose). Furthermore, the software presented the full details about the parameters of the Weibull distribution based on two different methods (Standard Deviation Method and Energy Pattern Factor) in order to select the optimal wind turbine in the specific site depending on the minimum cost per kWh or maximum capacity factor generated from the wind energy system.
Over the past few decades, cinemas have been using diverse and immersive technologies to enhance the moviegoer’s experience. One of these technologies is a vibro-kinetic motion seat, which provides high fidelity haptic feedback perfectly synchronized with the movie scenes. This article investigates the effect of this technology on product placement memorization. Using electroencephalography to measure implicit memorization and a brand recognition task to measure explicit memorization, we studied the difference between an artistically enhanced high fidelity vibro-kinetic feedback cinema experience and a traditional audiovisual cinematic experience. Results of a within-subject experiment suggest that there is no difference between these two conditions for explicit memorization. However, for implicit memorization, the high fidelity vibro-kinetic experience produces increased frontal amplitude on the P3 component of the event-related potential, whereas the classical audio-visual cinematic experience produces increased parietal amplitude on the P3 component of the event-related potential. This suggests that the high fidelity vibro-kinetic experience has an implicit effect on a spectator’s memorization, which is in line with prior research in that it points to the creation of a stronger associative network leading to more complete memories.
English as a lingua franca now requires the Bangladeshi people to learn this global language with the current demands of the competitive world. What is widely accepted is that a vast majority of Bangladeshi graduates are neither capable to stand out globally as efficient communicators in English nor accomplished enough to meet the challenges of the real world which implies that there are some short comings with the fulfillment of their needs. Hence, the paper investigates the complex world of multi-faced needs of the students at tertiary level, and highlights core consideration for analyzing these needs through a keen eye on the roots of problems. The research combines not only qualitative but also quantitative methods where research paradigm is pragmatic. Finally, the paper shows that need analysis can certainly be invaluable in successful implementation of autonomous learning among students enabling them to take responsibilities of learning in their own hands.
The importance of the right choice of investment projects is very clear in our own country so that if the correct method based on pattern and scientific criteria for assessing specific plans and measures suitable for budgeting and resource allocation and planning had already seen half the work, or stay and become many non-economic plans. Private sector profitability condition as the criterion of governmental authorities saw the necessity of other factors including political considerations and design. Investment banks and commercial evaluation of projects in one hand and plan to be profitable categories on the other hand should develop programs and projects coordinated macro country. In this study, using the experiences of Iranian experts in providing loans to customers, a model was provided to be an expert system. The expert system presented in this study based on quantitative and qualitative factors considered in the evaluation process, experts from the banking loan requests is a private bank. To provide the expert system, the Bank study documents and research in the world and using interviews and questionnaires framework decision proposed expert system evaluation criteria for acceptance or rejection of requests bank customers are offered loans.
Studies were conducted to determine the effect of mechanically induced sustained flow reduction on intestinal hemodynamics and oxygenation in 3- and 35-day-old swine. In vitro gut loops were perfused under controlled-pressure conditions from an oxygenated blood reservoir at age-appropriate perfusion pressures; pressure was rapidly reduced to a level that lowered flow rate to ∼50% of its baseline value, and pressure was then kept at that level for 2 h. In 3-day-old intestine, vascular resistance ( R i) increased by 20% immediately after pressure and flow reduction but then stabilized for 3-4 min; thereafter, flow began to decrease despite maintenance of perfusion pressure, so that R i increased an additional 15% by 30 min after flow reduction. Flow continued to diminish over the next 90 min, though at much slower rate. Intestine from 35-day-old swine demonstrated an immediate increase in R i after pressure and flow reduction, but thereafter R i increased very little. The protocol was repeated within in vitro gut loops perfused under controlled-flow conditions, and within autoperfused, innervated gut loops developed in vivo and similar observations were made in both preparations. In 3-day-old intestine, pretreatment with thel-arginine analog N ω-monomethyl-l-arginine (10-4 M) had no effect on the immediate rise in resistance occurring in the first 1 min but substantially attenuated the subsequent slow, progressive rise noted thereafter. Pretreatment with the angiotensin 1A receptor antagonist losartan (2 × 10-6 M) had no effect on hemodynamic changes during the first 60 min after mechanical perfusion pressure reduction but attenuated the very slight increase in resistance noted during the final 60 min of the protocol. The postnatal intestinal circulation demonstrates progressive vasoconstriction when its flow rate is mechanically reduced in a sustained manner, and this effect is age specific, occurring in 3- but not 35-day-old swine. These changes in gut vascular resistance may be consequent to loss of nitric oxide production and/or local production of angiotensin.
BACKGROUND Few reports have described lumbar foraminal stenosis-induced radiculopathy after treatment by full-endoscopic spine surgery (FESS) combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in patients with vertebral compression fractures. We herein report such a case, including the patient’s treatment process and doctor’s surgical experience. CASE SUMMARY A 79-year-old man presented with symptoms of radiculopathy after sustaining L4 vertebral compression fractures. Imaging and physical examination revealed L4 vertebral compression fractures combined with L3/4 Lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS). The patient’s symptoms were low back pain with pain in the lateral left leg. Although many reports have described radiculopathy induced by osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, the use of FESS combined with PVP has rarely been reported. This case report indicates that the combination of FESS and PVP is a safe and effective approach for the treatment of LFS-induced radiculopathy after vertebral compression fractures. This minimally invasive technique has great potential to replace traditional lumbar fixation and decompression surgery. Thus, we suggest the continued accumulation of similar cases to discuss the wider application of FESS. CONCLUSION For patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) and LFS, PVP and FESS can be used to restore the vertebral height and reduce the pressure around the intervertebral foramen. Additionally, the combination of FESS and PVP can treat the pain or numbness of the low back and lower limbs and allow for recovery in a short time with excellent postoperative effects. In general, FESS is a good treatment for radiculopathy caused by foraminal stenosis after OVCF.
Simple Summary A novel assay system was used to facilitate replicated studies examining the impact of commercial mating disruption dispensers on Plodia interpunctella. Both direct and indirect exposure to passive mating disruption dispensers for as little as 2 h suppressed mating throughout the rest of a 10 h scotophase. This is the first direct evidence that for P. interpunctella, transient exposure to commercial mating disruption dispensers is sufficient to suppress male orientation to females without re-exposure to the mating disruption dispensers. An improved understanding of mechanisms for mating disruption can improve both development of future products and how current products are used. Abstract The Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), is controlled by commercial mating disruption dispensers using passive release to emit high concentrations (relative to females or monitoring lures) of their principal sex pheromone component, (9Z,12E)-tetradecadienyl acetate. Since P. interpunctella is sexually active throughout the scotophase, an assay system was developed to determine the importance of direct interaction of the male with the dispenser, and whether exposure to mating disruption early in the night is sufficient to suppress mating throughout the night. Exposure to mating disruption dispensers in the mating assay chamber for the first two hours of a 10-h scotophase significantly reduced mating when females were introduced four hours later. Mating was also reduced to a lesser degree in a concentration-dependent manner based solely on re-emission of pheromone, and when males were exposed outside the mating assay chamber. These results indicate that the commercial mating disruption dispensers can suppress mating throughout the night based on interaction with the dispenser early in the night. Desensitization resulting from attraction to a high-concentration pheromone source is important to this suppression, but other factors such as re-emission from the environment may also have a role. These observations imply a non-competitive mechanism for P. interpunctella with the product studied, and suggest that effectiveness of the mating disruption dispenser might be augmented by using them in conjunction with another formulation such as an aerosol or micro-encapsulated product.
The possibility of quantifying the total concentration of Ca2+-dependent Mg2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum was investigated by measurement of the Ca2+-dependent steady-state phosphorylation from [gamma-32P]ATP and the Ca2+-dependent 3-O-methylfluorescein phosphatase (3-O-MFPase) activity in crude muscle homogenates. The Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation at 0 degree C (mean +/- S.E.) was 40.0 +/- 2.5 (n = 6) and 6.2 +/- 0.7 (n = 4) nmol/g wet wt. in rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscle, respectively (P less than 0.001). The Ca2+-dependent 3-O-MFPase activity at 37 degrees C was 1424 +/- 238 (n = 6) and 335 +/- 56 (n = 4) nmol/min per g wet wt. in rat EDL and soleus muscle, respectively (P less than 0.01). The molecular activity calculated from these measurements amounted to 35 +/- 5 min-1 (n = 6) and 55 +/- 10 min-1 (n = 4) for EDL and soleus muscle respectively. These values were not different from the molecular activity calculated for purified Ca2+-ATPase (36 min-1). The Ca2+-dependent 32P incorporation in soleus muscle decreased in the order mice greater than rats greater than guinea pigs. In EDL muscles from hypothyroid rats at a 30% reduction of the Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation was observed. The Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation in vastus lateralis muscle from three human subjects amounted to 4.5 +/- 0.8 nmol/g wet wt. It is concluded that measurement of the Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation allows rapid and reproducible quantification of the concentration of Ca2+-dependent Mg2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum. Since only 20-60 mg of tissue is required for the measurements, the method can also be used for biopsies obtained in clinical studies.
CONTEXT Thyroid hormone management in older adults is complicated by comorbidities and polypharmacy.   OBJECTIVE Determine the prevalence of concurrent use of thyroid hormone and medications that can interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism (amiodarone, prednisone, prednisolone, carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, tamoxifen), and patient characteristics associated with this practice.   DESIGN Retrospective cohort study between 2004-2017 (median follow-up, 56 months).   SETTING Veterans Health Administration Corporate Data Warehouse.   PARTICIPANTS 538,137 adults ≥65 years prescribed thyroid hormone therapy during the study period.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Concurrent use of thyroid hormone and medications interfering with thyroid hormone metabolism.   RESULTS Overall, 168,878 (31.4%) patients were on at least one interfering medication while on thyroid hormone during the study period. In multivariable analyses, Black/African-American race [odds ratio (OR) 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-1.28], compared to White), Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.09-1.15, compared to non-Hispanic), female sex (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.08-1.15, compared to male), and presence of comorbidities (e.g., Charlson/Deyo Comorbidity Score ≥2, OR 2.50, 95% CI 2.45-2.54, compared to zero) were more likely to be associated with concurrent use of thyroid hormone and interfering medications. Older age (e.g., ≥85 years, OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.47-0.48, compared to age 65-74 years) was less likely to be associated with this practice.   CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Almost one-third of older adults on thyroid hormone were on medications known to interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism. Our findings highlight the complexity of thyroid hormone management in older adults, especially in women and minorities.
This paper presents a piecewise linear-elliptic (PLE) droop control scheme to improve the dynamic behavior of islanded microgrids. Islanded microgrids are typically vulnerable to voltage and frequency fluctuations, particularly if a combination of high- and low-inertia power generation units are used in a microgrid. The intermittent nature of renewable energy sources can cause sudden power mismatches, and thus, voltage and frequency fluctuations. The proposed PLE droop control scheme can be employed in a battery energy storage system (BESS) to effectively mitigate voltage and frequency fluctuations in an islanded microgrid. Though the PLE shape can be implemented for any droop control scheme, it has been applied for active power-frequency (P-f) and reactive power-voltage (Q-v) droops in this paper. In addition, the dynamic response of a battery-fed smart inverter equipped with the proposed PLE droops has been compared with the results obtained from a linear droop control scheme in an islanded microgrid containing high- and low-inertia power-generation units. In this paper, the results of several case studies are presented to confirm the capability of the PLE droop control in mitigating voltage and frequency fluctuations in islanded microgrids.
Osteochondrosis is a condition involving defective endochondral ossification and retention of cartilage in subchondral bone. The pathophysiology of this condition is poorly characterized, but it has been proposed that the fundamental defect is failure of chondrocyte hypertrophy. The aim of the current study was to characterize phenotypic changes in chondrocytes associated with the initiation of osteochondrosis. Early lesions were induced in an equine model of osteochondrosis by feeding foals a high energy diet for 8 or 15 weeks. Lesions in articular‐epiphyseal growth cartilage were examined histologically and by quantitative PCR analysis of expression of a number of genes representative of pathways that regulate chondrocyte behavior during endochondral ossification. There were more cells present in clusters in the lesions compared to normal articular cartilage. Expression of matrix metalloproteinase‐13, type I collagen, type X collagen, and Runx2 mRNA was significantly greater in the lesions compared to normal cartilage from the same joint. Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, type II collagen, connective tissue growth factor, aggrecan, Sox9, and fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 mRNA was not significantly different in lesions than in control cartilage. These observations suggest that osteochondrosis does not result from failure of chondrocytes to undergo hypertrophy. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27: 452–457, 2009
When comet Hyakutake sped past Earth last March, it offered a revelation about comet makeup that is hard to reconcile with standard explanations of how these objects originated. A paper in this issue (p. 1310) reports that sensitive infrared spectroscopy reveals that Hyakutake is rich in methane—a compound expected in comets but never before seen clearly—and in ethane, which was entirely unexpected. Its presence, say researchers, implies that Hyakutake could not have formed from unaltered interstellar material in the primordial cloud that gave birth to the solar system. Instead, Hyakutake and other comets probably formed later, after ultraviolet radiation from the newborn sun had "processed" the ice grains, driving chemical reactions that yielded ethane.
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has generated awareness of the value of the direct care workforce to provide care in settings serving those most at risk from the disease. However, few studies have gauged the impact of COVID-19 on this workforce and their pandemic-related challenges. The purpose of this study was to examine the challenges and stress experienced by direct care workers (N=1,414) and their perceptions of preparation and quality of employer communication during this health crisis. Nursing home (NH) workers reported separation from family members and understaffing as the top external and work-related challenges. They felt adequately prepared and gave their employers high marks for communicating with them during the pandemic. NH direct care workers were more likely to report increased workload and understaffing as a challenge compared to workers in home and community-based settings. They also experienced a significantly higher number of work-related challenges compared to workers in assisted living.
With family values an issue in the 1992 presidential campaign, values have fully emerged in the national spotlight. However, as many political commentators have noted, appeals to values are not always useful in resolving social and ethical issues. Such appeals often do not help determine how to choose between values when these values conflict. Nor do they clarify whose values to use or who should decide whose values are important in resolving the issue at hand. Looking to values to solve ethical, legal, and social dilemmas within health care may be subject to the same pitfalls as in the political context. However, this does not mean that values have no role in health care. The exercise of identifying underlying values can be useful in clarifying whether a dilemma is based on a conflict of factual information or of values, although at times whether something is a fact or value may
Cloud computing is the most evolving and promising part of today's world easing the computing needs of organizations cost effectively and has covered entire internet based activities. When the client gives request to the cloud, it is handled at the PaaS layer by the Resource Management Module where in tasks are managed and scheduled. At the IaaS layer, the Resource Placement Module allocates the resources to the tasks and manages them in order to provide desired level of services collectively. This resource Management and Placement should be handled effectively, so as to check the overall system performance, keeping in view of the QoS parameters. A framework for a collective action of IaaS and PaaS layer is proposed which is integrated with a new novel nature inspired meta-heuristic technique of social spiders that leads to the profit for both the client and the cloud service provider. In this paper, Resource Management Module of PaaS layer will be focused along with the Resource Placement Module to monitor the overall functioning of the Cloud.
Pulmonary surfactant has been shown by this group to suppress peripheral blood lymphocyte responses to mitogens and alloantigens in a dose dependent manner, though the mechanism of action of the suppressive effect is not clearly understood. To try to clarify this, attempts were made to reverse the effects of preincubation with surfactant, obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage from pigs, on lymphocytes and accessory monocytes obtained from the blood of normal volunteers, by washing and incubating the cells in medium alone for various periods up to 24 hours. Immunosuppression, measured as the reduction in thymidine incorporation in response to the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin, could not be reversed by these methods. The addition of indomethacin (up to 100 micrograms/ml for 72 hours) also had no effect, indicating that the immunosuppression was not related to synthesis of prostaglandins. Incubation with surfactant for as little as two hours before addition of mitogen suppressed in vitro lymphoproliferative responses by half, but surfactant added two hours after mitogen had no observed effect. Preincubation of purified lymphocytes in surfactant, before they were cultured with accessory monocytes and mitogen, caused significant suppression of response, but preincubation of purified monocytes had no suppressive effect. There was no change in the intensity of HLA-DR expression on monocytes. These results support the hypothesis that surfactant exerts its effects on the resting uncommitted lymphocyte rather than on antigen presenting monocytes.
ABSTRACT The true differences between barefoot and shod running are difficult to directly compare because of the concomitant change to a mid/forefoot footfall pattern that typically occurs during barefoot running. The purpose of this study was to compare isolated effects of footwear structure and cushioning on running mechanics in habitual mid/forefoot runners running shod (SHOD), barefoot (BF), and barefoot on a foam surface (BF+FOAM). Ten habitually shod mid/forefoot runners were recruited (male = 8, female = 2). Repeated measures ANOVA (α = 0.05) revealed differences between conditions for only vertical peak active force, contact time, negative and total ankle joint work, and peak dorsiflexion angle. Post hoc tests revealed that BF+FOAM resulted in smaller vertical active peak magnitude and instantaneous vertical loading rate than SHOD. SHOD resulted in lower total ankle joint work than BF and BF+FOAM. BF+FOAM resulted in lower negative ankle joint work than either BF or SHOD. Contact time was shorter with BF than BF+FOAM or SHOD. Peak dorsiflexion angle was smaller in SHOD than BF. No other differences in sagittal joint kinematics, kinetics, or ground reaction forces were observed. These overall similarities in running mechanics between SHOD and BF+FOAM question the effects of footwear structure on habituated mid/forefoot running described previously.
The effects of 63 MeV proton irradiation on 90 nm strained silicon CMOS on insulator is examined for the first time. The devices show no observable degradation in DC performance up to an equivalent total dose of 600 krad(Si). The performance of the strained pFETs is identical to unstrained pFETs and demonstrates the immunity of strain to displacement damage. There is no significant enhancement observed in back channel leakage for the maximum dose. Passive exposure to 2 Mrad(Si) using 4 MeV protons doesn't induce any significant performance degradation
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chrysin (CH) on myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury. Cytokines were reduced by CH in coronary artery occlusion-induced rats and also in H9C2 cells. The ST segment was also restored by CH. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and pathological analysis showed that CH could alleviate myocardial injury. Results in H9C2 cells showed that CH improved heart injury in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) of H9C2 cells. In addition, the expressions of the HMGB1-related inflammation pathway in rats and H9C2 cells were significantly decreased by CH. The present study shows the protective effects of CH on myocardial injury via inflammation.
The first Born approximation is used to calculate the cross section for electron excitation of the ground state of helium to the 2 1P state. Various ground-and excited-state wave functions are employed and the calculations are performed using both the length and velocity formulations of the Born approximation integrals. The most accurate calculations give a first Born cross section which is accurate to better than 2%. The total and differential cross sections are compared with experiment; the agreement is good.
User-session-based testing of web applications gathers user sessions to create and continually update test suites based on real user input in the field. To support this approach during maintenance and beta testing phases, we have built an automated framework for testing web-based software that focuses on scalability and evolving the test suite automatically as the application's operational profile changes. This paper reports on the automation of the replay and oracle components for web applications, which pose issues beyond those in the equivalent testing steps for traditional, stand-alone applications. Concurrency, nondeterminism, dependence on persistent state and previous user sessions, a complex application infrastructure, and a large number of output formats necessitate developing different replay and oracle comparator operators, which have tradeoffs in fault detection effectiveness, precision of analysis, and efficiency. We have designed, implemented, and evaluated a set of automated replay techniques and oracle comparators for user-session-based testing of web applications. This paper describes the issues, algorithms, heuristics, and an experimental case study with user sessions for two web applications. From our results, we conclude that testers performing user-session-based testing should consider their expectations for program coverage and fault detection when choosing a replay and oracle technique.
The taxonomy of the Neotropical “ant‐mantis” Mantillica Westwood, 1889 is revised and the external morphology is re‐described. The genus Mantillica (Thespidae: Oligonicinae: Oligonicini) contains only one currently known species, M. nigricans Westwood, 1889. Mantillica sialidea Westwood, 1889 is transferred to the genus Thrinaconyx Saussure as Thrinaconyx sialidea (Westwood, 1889) comb. n. A description of the female and the male external genitalia of M. nigricans is presented, including some aspects of its ant‐mimicry adaptation. Remarkable characteristics of Mantillica include the short pronotum and notable myrmecomorphic features in nymphs and females. This species likely belongs to a Batesian mimic complex that include the aggressive Neoponera apicalis (Latreille) ant models. The known distribution of Mantillica is restricted to the Brazilian Amazon, which suggests M. nigricans as endemic of this region, probably with additional populations in the Amazonian areas of Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
In the last years, the industrial application of natural surfactants of origin of fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains has increased due to its potential physicochemical properties (foaming, emulsification, solubilization, sweetener, bitterness) and biological activities (hemolytic, antimicrobial, insecticide). These natural alternatives are considered economically and environmentally viable and explored to various purposes including the bioremediation of soils contaminated by oils. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the surfactants properties of the ethyl acetate extracts obtained from the fruits Genipa americana L. (Genipap) and Tamarindus indica L. (Tamarinds) and their applications in oil removal. The physico-chemical analyzes performed were surface tension, emulsification activity using different hydrocarbons and vegetable oils, surface tension stability in different temperatures, pH and addition of salt, and test of dispersion. To evaluate the capacity of this extracts (biosurfactants) on oil removal in engine parts, small-scale tests were conducted using glass blade. The results showed that this ethyl acetate extracts obtained from fruits extract exhibited surfactant properties due to the reduction of the surface tension of water from 72mN/m to 31.57mN/m and 34.71mN/m with the critical micelle concentration of 0.95g/L e 1.9g/L, with the increase values of the emulsification activity ranging from 32% and 100%. The results also showed a considerable stability of these biosurfactants derived from fruit extract submitted to different temperature, pH and salt concentrations as well as their compatibility with chemical surfactants. The biosurfactants obtained from fruit extract of G. americana and T. indica can be considered new perspectives on oil removal from engine parts with future potential to be marketed and replace the application of chemical surfactants.
One of the biggest news stories of 2012, the killing of Trayvon Martin, nearly disappeared from public view, initially receiving only cursory local news coverage. But the story gained attention and controversy over Martin’s death dominated headlines, airwaves, and Twitter for months, thanks to a savvy publicist working on behalf of the victim’s parents and a series of campaigns offline and online. Using the theories of networked gatekeeping and networked framing, we map out the vast media ecosystem using quantitative data about the content generated around the Trayvon Martin story in both offline and online media, as well as measures of engagement with the story, to trace the interrelations among mainstream media, nonprofessional and social media, and their audiences. We consider the attention and link economies among the collected media sources in order to understand who was influential when, finding that broadcast media is still important as an amplifier and gatekeeper, but that it is susceptible to media activists working through participatory or nonprofessional media to co-create the news and influence the framing of major controversies. Our findings have implications for social change organizations that seek to harness advocacy campaigns to news stories, and for scholars studying media ecology and the networked public sphere.
Purpose The objective of our study was to assess chemotherapy treatment with regards to radiographic or clinical response along with survival in patients with large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung. Methods Eleven patients were identified, and the type of chemotherapy, best response, and overall survival were assessed in each patient. Results One patient with stage IB disease underwent surgical lobectomy, relapsed 23.1 months later, and obtained stable disease with paclitaxel and carboplatin with an overall survival of 31.7 months. One with stage IIA disease recurred 57 months following surgical lobectomy and received no response to etoposide and carboplatin with an overall survival of 76 months. Two patients with stage III disease were identified, and one with stage IIIA disease achieved a partial response and overall survival of 7.7 months with etoposide and carboplatin. The other patient with stage IIIB disease experienced stable disease with paclitaxel and carboplatin with an overall survival of 12.8 months. The remaining seven patients had stage IV disease at the time of diagnosis. Four of these patients received etoposide and platinum chemotherapy, with one patient experiencing stable disease and an overall survival of 18 months. One patient had no response to etoposide and platinum, with an overall survival of 0.5 months from the time of diagnosis. The remaining two patients who received etoposide and platinum achieved a partial response and complete response with overall survivals of 10.3 months and 36.4 months, respectively. Three patients wit stage IV disease received paclitaxel and platinum, with one patient experiencing stable disease with an overall survival of 14.1 months. The other two patients who received paclitaxel and platinum achieved no response with overall survivals of 7.2 months and 7.6 months. Conclusions The response of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung to chemotherapy is poor regardless of the treatment strategy when employing classic small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer regimens. Optimal therapy for early-stage disease in this review was resection, but both cases eventually recurred.
Background/Aims: Nasal saline irrigation is a common procedure to relieve nasal symptoms in upper respiratory tract diseases. There is no consensus on the recommended nasal saline delivery devices. The objectives of this study were to evaluate efficacy, satisfaction, adherence, and adverse effects in patients with acute upper respiratory tract diseases using a syringe with a nasal applicator for nasal irrigation. Methods: Patients with acute nasopharyngitis, acute rhinitis, or acute rhinosinusitis were randomly allocated to use either (1) a syringe with a nasal applicator or (2) a syringe alone to irrigate one nostril. After the patients had completed irrigation with the allocated device in one nostril, they were instructed to perform nasal irrigation using the other device in the other nostril. All patients were instructed to use a syringe with a nasal applicator at home. The efficacy, satisfaction scores, adherence, and adverse effects were recorded. Results: Sixty-four patients were enrolled. The mean age of the patients was 33.95 years (18–59 years). The mean duration of symptoms was 4.80 days. None of the enrolled patients regularly performed nasal irrigation. Forty-two had acute nasopharyngitis, 10 had acute rhinitis, and 12 had acute rhinosinusitis. At baseline, the mean overall efficacy score for the syringe with a nasal applicator was 8.17 ± 1.43, and that for the syringe alone was 5.95 ± 2.02 (MD 2.23, p < 0.001, 95% CI 1.75–2.70). At 1 week, the syringe with the nasal applicator had significantly higher scores in 3 of 4 domains, including symptom relief, ease of use, and patients’ willingness to recommend the device to others, compared to baseline (p < 0.05). None of the enrolled patients had epistaxis, retained/dislodged the applicator during irrigation, or experienced an allergic reaction to the applicator after 1 week of nasal irrigation. Conclusion: Use of a syringe with an applicator for nasal irrigation yielded high scores in overall efficacy.
A model-based approach to video analysis requires annotated corpora. Video annotation, however is a very expensive process. Tools that allow users to annotate video shots with scenes, events, and objects should minimize user interaction. These tools should particularly leverage redundancy in content and advances in machine learning and human computer intelligence to reduce the amount of human interaction needed to annotate large corpora. As corpora sizes and the lexicon grows, this is increasingly relevant. Active learning can play a critical role in reducing the amount of supervision. We apply active learning to the simultaneous annotation of multiple binary concepts. The challenge is to minimize the total number of samples to be annotated across all concepts. Preliminary experiments with the simultaneous annotation of two concepts outdoors and indoors using the TRECVID corpus are promising and reduce annotation workload significantly.
Free-hand manipulation in smartphone augmented reality (AR) enables users to directly interact with virtual contents using their hands. However, human hands can ergonomically move in a broader range than a smartphone's field of view (FOV) can capture, requiring users to be aware of the limited usable interaction and viewing regions at all times. We present Portalware, a smartphone-wearable dual-display system that expands the usable interaction region for free-hand manipulation and enables users to receive visual feedback outside the smartphone's view. The wearable is a lightweight, low-cost display that shares the same AR environment in real-time with the smartphone.This setup empowers AR applications such as mid-air drawing and object manipulation by providing a 180-degree horizontal interaction region in front of the user. Other potential applications include wearing the smartphone like a pendant while using Portalware to continue interacting with AR objects. Without having to hold their phone up with their hand, users can benefit from resting their arms as needed. Finally, we discuss usability explorations, potential interactions, and future plans for empirical studies.
Most models are expressed and visualized with UML nowadays and most UML diagrams are based on graphs. Such graphs can get quite large if a project contains more than 600 class files, which is not uncommon. But changes are hard to recognize in a graph with 600 nodes. Therefore, the user has to find a way to build his own mental map based on the original graph. This mental map should give an overview of the original graph size, structure and it should point to changed areas.We present in this paper an approach, which gives the user a smaller graph as a mental map. This smaller graph uses packages as foundations for nodes and displays the package's content as the node icon. This had be done beforehand to visualize the evolution of developer dependencies over time, where the node icon presented the package's developer information as a pie chart. A suitable icon to present a package's class diagram can be a smaller version of the class diagram itself, if the layout respects its predecessors to allow the user an overview of its evolution.
A 78-year-old woman was referred for assessment of a non-productive cough and abnormal findings on chest roentgenogram. Physical examination showed a healthy-looking elderly woman with no abnormal chest findings. A PA chest film showed a 4 cm rounded mass just below the right hilum (Fig 1). A lateral film (Fig 2) identified a prominent mediastinal mass. Review of old films confirmed that this lesion had been present and unchanged for five years. Tomograms and a CAT scan of the thorax outlined a noncalcified mass in the retrocardiac space. At fluoroscopy, this mass was nonpulsatile. The patient declined further investigation. Two years following initial presentation, she experienced a sudden paroxysm of coughing and produced a large amount of mucoid sputum. A subsequent chest x-ray film (Fig 3, lateral view) showed that the lesion had disappeared. The patient remains clinically well with no further roentgenographic changes two years following this episode.
The synthesis of the first family of fully substituted cucurbit[n]uril is discussed, and the structural features of precursor glycolurils are highlighted in their importance to achieving higher homologues. The members of the family, where n = 5-7, have been fully characterized, and increased binding affinities have been identified for dioxane in CyP(6)Q[6] and adamantyl NH(3)(+) in CyP(7)Q[7]. A higher homologue is indicated but not conclusively identified.
The role of the national judiciary in enforcing EC law, and particularly European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings, has been largely neglected by empirical legal and political science research. Existing research has categorised the role of the national judiciary as either shielding national legislation from the ECJ or as serving as a sword to foster integration and to force change on reluctant governments. This article sides with the second assumption and attempts to empirically assess it using the example of the patient mobility jurisprudence by the ECJ, the so-called Kohll/Decker jurisprudence. The three case studies on France, the UK and Germany show that national courts played an important role in overcoming the resistance against this jurisprudence: via a multiplication of national court cases that contradicted domestic legislation they forced the legislator to end judicial uncertainty.
OBJECTIVE To summarize the experience of diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal lipoma.   METHODS The clinical data of 34 patients with gastrointestinal (GI) lipoma from 1993 to 2007 were analyzed retrospectively.   RESULTS GI lipoma produced a variety of symptoms including gastrointestinal bleeding, abdominal pain, anemia, intussusception, and bowel obstruction. The diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS) for GI lipoma was 93.8%. Twelve GI lipomas were resected under endoscopy, the remainder at laparotomy, partial resection, gastrectomy or enterectomy being performed. Twenty-eight cases were followed up from 1 month to 168 months. No recurrence and metastasis were observed except one case dying of gastric liposarcoma.   CONCLUSIONS EUS is an effective method for diagnosing GI lipomas. The treatment of GI lipomas is surgical resection, and endoscopic removal of GI lipomas is safe following the guidance of the present therapeutic strategy.
Abstract Bortolotti argues that we cannot distinguish delusions from other irrational beliefs in virtue of their epistemic features alone. Although her arguments are convincing, her analysis leaves an important question unanswered: What makes delusions pathological? In this paper I set out to answer this question by arguing that the pathological character of delusions arises from an executive dysfunction in a subject’s ability to detect relevance in the environment. I further suggest that this dysfunction derives from an underlying emotional imbalance—one that leads delusional subjects to regard some contextual elements as deeply puzzling or highly significant.
The real-time and accurate prediction of the molten iron silicon content of the blast furnace plays an important role in regulating the temperature of the blast furnace and stabilizing the furnace condition. When the time is large, the accuracy and credibility of the forecast results decrease rapidly, which is not conducive to on-site operators to carry out production operations according to the forecast results. To this end, this paper adds a state variable to each piece of data through the flexible least square parameter estimation method, and selects the training set in a state similar to the test sample. This makes the selection of training data more accurate and reliable. Application examples show that the method proposed in this paper improves the accuracy of silicon content prediction results and has good guiding significance for actual production operations.
To reveal the effects of water diversion from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu on the phytoplankton habitat of the main water transfer channel of the Wangyu River, we investigated the water’s physicochemical parameters and phytoplankton communities during the water diversion and non-diversion periods over the winters between 2014–2016, respectively. During the water diversion periods in the winter of 2014 and 2015, the nutrients and organic pollutant contents of the Wangyu River channel were significantly lower than those during the non-diversion period in 2016. Moreover, the phytoplankton diversities and relative proportions of Bacillariophyta during the diversion periods evidently increased during the water diversion periods in winter. The increase in the water turbidity content, the decrease in the contents of the permanganate index, and the total phosphorus explained only 21.4% of the variations in the phytoplankton communities between the diversion and non-diversion periods in winter, which revealed significant contributions of the allochthonous species from the Yangtze River and tributaries of the Wangyu River to phytoplankton communities in the Wangyu River. The increasing gradient in the contents of nutrients and organic pollutants from the Yangtze River to Lake Taihu indicated the potential allochthonous pollutant inputs along with the Wangyu River. Further controlling the pollutants from the tributaries of the Wangyu River is critical in order to improve the phytoplankton habitats in river channels and Lake Taihu.
This paper will explore in detail the effects of context and group dynamics on the development of a multi-level community-based HIV prevention intervention for crack cocaine users in the San Salvador Metropolitan Area, El Salvador. Community partners included residents from marginal communities, service providers from the historic center of San Salvador and research staff from a non-profit organization. The community contexts from which partners came varied considerably and affected structural group dynamics, i.e. who was identified as community partners, their research and organizational capacity, and their ability to represent their communities, with participants from marginal communities most likely to hold community leadership positions and be residents, and those from the center of San Salvador most likely to work in religious organizations dedicated to HIV prevention or feeding indigent drug users. These differences also affected the intervention priorities of different partners. The context of communities changed over time, particularly levels of violence, and affected group dynamics and the intervention developed. Finally, strategies were needed to elicit input from stakeholders under-represented in the community advisory board, in particular active crack users, in order to check the feasibility of the proposed intervention and revise it as necessary. Because El Salvador is a very different context than that in which most CBPR studies have been conducted, our results reveal important contextual factors and their effects on partnerships not often considered in the literature.
In the last few decades, heat exchanger networks have been widely adopted to recover thermal energy. Recently, mass exchanger networks have gained attention for recovering useful materials. By analogy, another class of exchanger networks, termed work exchanger networks (WEN's), is conceivable for recovering mechanical energy. In the present work, the concept of the WEN is introduced. The WEN consists of a number of work exchangers, each of which serves to exchange mechanical energy between a high-pressure stream and a low-pressure stream. By applying the basic principles of energy balance and thermodynamics laws, the necessary and sufficient conditions are derived to identify feasible stream matching in work exchangers. A comprehensive analysis of stream match mode gives rise to various heuristic rules useful for WEN synthesis. Our focus is on the analysis, rather than the synthesis, of the WEN. This work lays a foundation to the development of a systematic WEN synthesis methodology.
Object: Children 0–3 years old present a completely different neurotraumatic pathology. The growing and the development processes in this age group imply specific anatomical and pathophysiological features of the skull, subarachnoid space, CSF flow, and brain. Most common specific neurotraumatic entities in children 0–3 years old are cephalhematoma, subaponeurotic (subgaleal) hematoma, diastatic skull fracture, grow skull fracture, depressed (‘ping–pong’) skull fracture, and extradural hematoma. Methods: We present our 10 years experience in neuropediatric traumatic brain injuries, between 1999 and 2009, in the First Department of Neurosurgery and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Including criteria were children, 0–3 years old, presenting only traumatic brain injury. We excluded patients with politrauma, who require a different management. Results: We present the incidence of these specific head injuries, clinical and imagistic features, treatment, and outcome. We found 72 children with diastatic skull fracture, 61 cases with depressed (‘ping–pong’) skull fracture, 22 cases with grow skull fracture, 11 children harboring intrusive skull fracture, 58 cephalhematomas, 26 extradural hematomas, and 7 children with severe brain injury and major posttraumatic diffuse ischemia (‘black–brain’). Usually, infants and toddlers present with seizures, pallor, and rapid loss of consciousness. First choice examination, in all children was cerebral CT–scan, and for follow–up, we performed cerebral MRI. We emphasize on the importance of seizure prevention in this age group. Children presenting with extensive diffuse ischemia (‘black–brain’) had a poor outcome, death occurring in all 7 cases. Conclusion: Children 0–3 years old, present with a total distinctive pathology than adults. Children with head injury must be addressed to a pediatric department of neurosurgery and pediatric intensive care unit. Prophylaxis pays the most important role in improving the outcome.
Background and objective The value appreciation of new drugs across countries today features a disruption that is making the historical data that are used for forecasting pharmaceutical expenditure poorly reliable. Forecasting methods rarely addressed uncertainty. The objective of this project was to propose a methodology to perform pharmaceutical expenditure forecasting that integrates expected policy changes and uncertainty (developed for the European Commission as the ‘EU Pharmaceutical expenditure forecast’; see http://ec.europa.eu/health/healthcare/key_documents/index_en.htm). Methods 1) Identification of all pharmaceuticals going off-patent and new branded medicinal products over a 5-year forecasting period in seven European Union (EU) Member States. 2) Development of a model to estimate direct and indirect impacts (based on health policies and clinical experts) on savings of generics and biosimilars. Inputs were originator sales value, patent expiry date, time to launch after marketing authorization, price discount, penetration rate, time to peak sales, and impact on brand price. 3) Development of a model for new drugs, which estimated sales progression in a competitive environment. Clinical expected benefits as well as commercial potential were assessed for each product by clinical experts. Inputs were development phase, marketing authorization dates, orphan condition, market size, and competitors. 4) Separate analysis of the budget impact of products going off-patent and new drugs according to several perspectives, distribution chains, and outcomes. 5) Addressing uncertainty surrounding estimations via deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Results This methodology has proven to be effective by 1) identifying the main parameters impacting the variations in pharmaceutical expenditure forecasting across countries: generics discounts and penetration, brand price after patent loss, reimbursement rate, the penetration of biosimilars and discount price, distribution chains, and the time to reach peak sales for new drugs; 2) estimating the statistical distribution of the budget impact; and 3) testing different pricing and reimbursement policy decisions on health expenditures. Conclusions This methodology was independent of historical data and appeared to be highly flexible and adapted to test robustness and provide probabilistic analysis to support policy decision making.
To provide reference for choosing technological parameters of subsequent powder densification, thermal stability of 3 h-milled 3 wt% graphite/copper nanocrystalline composite powders were investigated with such analytical methods as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), back-scattered electron images and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that diffraction peak of graphite in XRD pattern is absent because of too small graphite particle. No major variation of grain size of Cu with annealing temperature is observed. Accumulation and growth of graphite phase aren’t seen. The microhardness is nearly constant for the annealed powders. Therefore, 3 h-milled 3 wt% graphite/copper nanocrystalline composite powders possess good thermal stability.
Domestic violence is physical, psychological, sexual or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family-type relationship and forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behavior. It is very common: research shows that it affects one in four women in their lifetime. Two women a week are killed by their partners or former partners. All forms of domestic violence - psychological, financial, emotional and physical - come from the abuser's desire for power and control over an intimate partner or other family members. Domestic violence is repetitive and life-threatening, it tends to worsen over time and it destroys the lives of women and children. Domestic violence has long been common in Afghanistan as depicted in Atiq Rahimi’s Patience Stone. The present article discusses the domestic violence against Afghan Women in the novel through the lenses of feminism and new historicism. It is also combined with Rabrindranath Tagore’s conception on woman.
We have begun a project to implement an Electronic (Filmless) Radiology Practice (ERP) at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. This project is integrated with the implementation of a project (Automated Clinical Practice--ACP) to eliminate circulation and archival of the current paper Medical Record. The ERP will result in elimination of screen/film radiography and the transmittal of film throughout the institution by the end of 1996. In conjunction with the ACP, paper and film will not circulate within the clinic by the end of this year.
taining little haematin, show little luminescence; but the older the stain, and the greater the proportion of haematin consequently present, the more marked and clear is the light effect. The method we use is to spray the suitably arranged suspect articles in a dark-room, or, in a house, to arrange for the room or area to be darkened or to wait for night. We have experimented with a very wide variety of substances, and have found the reaction to be specific. There is no reaction with serum, bile, sputum, pus, seminal stains, pleural fluid, earth, faeces, fresh or rotting vegetable material, various paints, oils, metals, wood, wax, shoe-polish, or various other substances. Very slight traces of blood-stains containing haematin, and not detectable to the naked eye, are readily apparent with the luminescence test. Nevertheless, in the present state of knowledge it is not suggested that this test should be used as a final specific test for blood. After the site and extent of the stain have been determined, it is essential to proceed through the complete routine examination. The luminescence test has a special value in this respectthat after its application to detect the site of the blood-stain all of the further necessary tests may be applied to portions of the stain. The spray allowed to fall on the stain is preferably kept minimal in amount, and after marking or photographing the stain it is allowed to dry. The stain is then available for all the usual tests, and we have been unable to detect any difference in the reactions obtainable in stains which have been sprayed with the reagent and allowed to dry and those-which have not been so treated. Nevertheless, as an additional safeguard, and to eliminate all possibility of error, we have in practice invariably adopted the precaution of running a control from a portion of the article which has been sprayed but which shows no evidence of staining.
Egg yolk is the most widely used cryoprotectant in the composition of extenders for cryopreservation of mammalian spermatozoa; yet, efforts have been made to find ways to substitute it due to the possibility of transporting pathogenic microorganisms, the lack of standardization, and the presence of substances that inhibit metabolic exchanges or decrease the motility of sperm. The protective effect of egg yolk was attributed to the presence of low density lipoproteins (LDL) that prevent cholesterol efflux by increasing membrane stability and resistance to low temperatures. (Moussa et al. 2002 Theriogenology 57, 1695–1706) demonstrated that the purification of LDL is possible, thereby allowing its use as a replacement for integral egg yolk in extender. Then, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of substitution of egg yolk by different LDL concentrations during cryopreservation of ram semen. A total of 6 sheep, 3 ejaculates per animal, were collected. After collection, the ejaculates were evaluated and diluted in different extenders: E1) Tris, glucose, 15% egg yolk, and 5% glycerol; E2) Tris, glucose, 5% LDL (Moussa et al. 2002 Theriogenology 57, 1695–1706), and 5% glycerol; E3) Tris, glucose, 10% LDL, and 5% glycerol; and E4) Tris, glucose, 20% LDL, and 5% glycerol. The samples were adjusted to a final concentration of 600 × 106 sptz mL–1 and filled into 0.25-mL straws and frozen in a TK 4000® machine. After thawing, sperm motility and spermatic vigor were evaluated, and the test of thermo-resistance (TTR) was conducted. Functional and structural integrity of the spermatic membrane were evaluated through the hypoosmotic test and the use of fluorescent dyes. The kinetic parameters of sperm were assessed by the computerized system (CASA). The statistical analysis was performed using the statistical program SAS (Statistical Analysis System), and the averages were compared using the Duncan multiple test. No difference (P > 0.05) was found between extenders for progressive motility after thawing. After 3 h of TTR, E1 showed higher values (P < 0.05) than E2, not differing from E4. The percentage of cells reactive to the hypoosmotic test was lower with the use of E2 (P < 0.05) than with other groups. Regarding the fluorescence technique, the average percentage of cells with intact membrane after thawing was higher in samples preserved in the extenders E1, E3, and E4 (P < 0.05) than in E2. Velocity average pathway (VAP), velocity straight line (VSL), and linearity of cryopreserved ram semen were (P < 0.05) significantly higher in E1 than in E2 and E3. The other kinetic parameters were similar in all groups tested. The results indicate that the extenders containing 10 and 20% of LDL are capable of protecting the spermatic cells during cryopreservation. Research supported by the FAPESB.
M. Enserink's News of the Week story “Exotic disease of farm animals tests Europe's responses” (8 February, p. [710][1]) describes how bluetongue, a disease caused by a vector-borne orbivirus, has spread widely in ruminant livestock in Europe since 1999. Unlike Europe, which has only experienced bluetongue disease in the past few years, the United States and the Americas in general have been endemic for several bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes since first reported in the 1950s. The historically prevalent U.S. BTV serotypes, though pathogenic in sheep, have caused little to no disease in U.S. cattle. The vectors of these serotypes have been identified, and their distribution has in the past explained the epidemiology of BTV in the United States ([1][2]).  ![Figure][3]   Bluetongue virus particle.  A computer model shows the crystalline structure of the core particle of BTV.  CREDIT: DESY/PHOTO RESEARCHERS, INC.  Recently, eight new serotypes of BTV and a new serotype of the related orbivirus, epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), have been identified in the United States ([2][4], [3][5]). Some of the virus isolates were from clinically affected sheep and deer, with others being detected through testing of cattle for export. The presence of these new serotypes raises the specter that the epidemiology of these viruses in North America may be changing and could result in more extensive disease in U.S. livestock and wildlife then ever seen previously. This is bad news for the U.S. livestock industries and for our ruminant wildlife.  Our ability to understand the current situation is hindered because there is currently no comprehensive surveillance in the United States for either BTV or EHDV. A comprehensive surveillance system, greater risk assessment, and risk prevention through vaccine development and vector control are all needed. The events in Europe demand that we pay attention before BTV and EHDV have similar repercussions for the United States.  1. 1.[↵][6] 1. W. J. Tabachnick  , Annu. Rev. Entomol. 41, 23 (1996).  [OpenUrl][7][PubMed][8][Web of Science][9]  2. 2.[↵][10] 1. D. J. Johnson, 2. P. P. C. Mertens, 3. S. Maan, 4. E. N. Ostlund  , in Proceedings of the 50th American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) Annual Conference , Reno, NV, 18 to 23 October 2007, p. 118.    3. 3.[↵][11] 1. P. P. C. Mertens 2. et al.  , 13th International Symposium WAVLD Conference Proceedings (2007), p. 55; [www.wavld2007.com/program.php][12].   [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.319.5864.710  [2]: #ref-1  [3]: pending:yes  [4]: #ref-2  [5]: #ref-3  [6]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1. in text"  [7]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DAnnual%2Breview%2Bof%2Bentomology%26rft.stitle%253DAnnu%2BRev%2BEntomol%26rft.issn%253D0066-4170%26rft.aulast%253DTabachnick%26rft.auinit1%253DW.%2BJ.%26rft.volume%253D41%26rft.issue%253D1%26rft.spage%253D23%26rft.epage%253D43%26rft.atitle%253DCulicoides%2Bvariipennis%2Band%2BBluetongue%2BVirus%2BEpidemiology%2Bin%2Bthe%2BUnited%2BStates%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F8546447%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx  [8]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=8546447&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fsci%2F320%2F5878%2F872.1.atom  [9]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=A1996TP40300003&link_type=ISI  [10]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2. in text"  [11]: #xref-ref-3-1 "View reference 3. in text"  [12]: http://www.wavld2007.com/program.php
If Peter Ochs' objections to what Levinas calls "the logic of the same" are to categorizations (binarism) or generalizations (over-generalizations) that do not fit the cases to which they are applied, then he is arguing against a straw man. If, alternatively, he is objecting to binarism or to generalization even when either does fit the cases to which it is applied, he needs to explain why. The quest for unifying principles is laudable, not lamentable. The way to detect categorizations and generalizations that do not fit is by trying to make them fit. Not soul searching but testing is the proper means. And testing is continually conducted by theorists and followers themselves, if also by rivals. One need not depend on critics of binarism or generalizations for tough-mindedness.
Adipocytes are adipose tissues that supply energy to the body through lipids. The two main types of adipocytes comprise white adipocytes (WAT) that store energy, and brown adipocytes (BAT), which generate heat by burning stored fat (thermogenesis). Emerging evidence indicates that dysregulated adipocyte senescence may disrupt metabolic homeostasis, leading to various diseases and aging. Adipocytes undergo senescence via irreversible cell-cycle arrest in response to DNA damage, oxidative stress, telomere dysfunction, or adipocyte over-expansion upon chronic lipid accumulation. The amount of detectable BAT decreases with age. Activation of cell cycle regulators and dysregulation of adipogenesis-regulating factors may constitute a molecular mechanism that accelerates adipocyte senescence. To better understand the regulation of adipocyte senescence, the effects of post-translational modifications (PTMs), is essential for clarifying the activity and stability of these proteins. PTMs are covalent enzymatic protein modifications introduced following protein biosynthesis, such as phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, or glycosylation. Determining the contribution of PTMs to adipocyte senescence may identify new therapeutic targets for the regulation of adipocyte senescence. In this review, we discuss a conceptual case in which PTMs regulate adipocyte senescence and explain the mechanisms underlying protein regulation, which may lead to the development of effective strategies to combat metabolic diseases.
This article reports on the relationship between gender and participation at the 2010 Southwest Florida Model United Nations (SWFLMUN). Three major findings emerge from this research: (1) Even though more females participated in the SWFLMUN than males, males accounted for most of the speeches and played more decisive roles in the formulation of the committee resolutions; (2) male and female delegates employed similar negotiating styles; and (3) surveys administered to delegates suggest that males and females derived about the same amount of satisfaction from the conference but that males, paradoxically, were more likely to report barriers to participation than females. These results leave the impression that gender is a significant, but unremarked factor in shaping participation. These findings are discussed with respect to a normative conception of Model UN (MUN) as a mode of global citizenship. MUN is designed to overcome national ethnocentrism by affirming the existence of multiple perspectives on world issues and by establishing a deliberative process through which these different interests and perspectives can be negotiated. The results of this research, however, suggest that gender stereotypes may alter the kind of political socialization that is both expressed and reproduced through MUN. Substantive inequalities associated with these stereotypes may be infecting formally inclusive public spheres—such as MUN—with the effect of coding politics as a competitive, male domain.
In this work the total least squares algorithm (TLSA) is applied to the determination of the proper and improper poles of spectral domain multilayered Green's functions that are closer to the branch point, and to the determination of the residues at these poles. The introduction of an adequate transformation in the spectral domain permits that the TLSA provides accurate values of the poles and residues, regardless of the proximity of the poles to the branch point. It is shown that the poles and residues supplied by the TLSA can be used to write the far field of the spatial domain Green's functions in terms of closed-form expressions that are reliable in a wide variety of scenarios.
In this essay, I examine the contribution of Steven Van Zandt to the most recent wave of garage rock revival. Van Zandt is a deejay and concert promoter whose radio program, The Underground Garage, mixes multiple generations of rock music in an attempt to cultivate an intergenerational audience. I look at Van Zandt's radio program, speeches, and interviews to identify how he envisions rock and roll and how he unifies multiple generations of rock fans. I argue that Van Zandt employs two basic intergenerational strategies: highlighting lineages among artists and calling for a renewal of his vision of the original spirit of rock music. This combination allows Van Zandt to construct an intergenerational audience and perpetuate the genre of garage rock.
BACKGROUND Original sevoflurane (Sevo A) is made with water, while a generic sevoflurane (Sevocris) is produced with propylene glycol as a stabilizing additive. We investigated whether the original and generic sevoflurane preparations differed in terms of their minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) values and hemodynamic effects. METHODS Sixteen pigs weighing 31.6±1.8 kg were randomly assigned to the Sevo A or Sevocris groups. After anesthesia induction via mask with the appropriate sevoflurane preparation (6% in 100% oxygen), the MAC was determined for each animal. Hemodynamic and oxygenation parameters were measured at 0.5 MAC, 1 MAC and 1.5 MAC. Histopathological analyses of lung parenchyma were performed. RESULTS The MAC in the Sevo A group was 4.4±0.5%, and the MAC in the Sevocris group was 4.1±0.7%. Hemodynamic and metabolic parameters presented significant differences in a dose-dependent pattern as expected, but they did not differ between groups. Cardiac indices and arterial pressures decreased in both groups when the sevoflurane concentration increased from 0.5 to 1 and 1.5 MAC. The oxygen delivery index (DO2I) decreased significantly at 1.5 MAC. CONCLUSION Propylene glycol as an additive for sevoflurane seems to be as safe as a water additive, at least in terms of hemodynamic and pulmonary effects.
The technique of cavity dumping was used to generate 8-nsec (FWHM) laser pulses from an UV preionized discharge-pumped HgBr laser emitting at 502 nm. The pulse width corresponds to the photon round trip transit time of the resonator. Optical output energies of 11.5 mJ/pulse and cavity-dumping efficiencies of 58% were obtained with a KD*P Pockels cell and thin-film multilayer-dielectric polarizer. Short-pulse blue-green laser radiation is useful for bathymetry and other underseas ranging applications.
Chinese Americans experience cancer health disparities throughout the entire cancer continuum. Yet, they remain underrepresented in health research in part due to barriers in recruitment, engagement, and retention. This paper describes the strategies that we devised, by drawing upon our experiences with conducting two culturally sensitive cancer intervention studies, to help researchers improve their recruitment and retention rates of Chinese Americans in health research and address the gap in knowledge on intervention research with this population. The first study assessed the efficacy, adoption, and impact of an intervention, delivered by community health workers, to improve adherence to recommended stomach cancer prevention guidelines for at-risk Chinese Americans. The second study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a culturally adapted version of the Expressive Helping intervention for Chinese American cancer patients and survivors. Our main recruitment strategies revolved around building community relationships, developing culturally sensitive materials, and establishing good first impressions with participants. Our main engagement and retention strategies focused on attending to cultural sensitivity, fostering relationships, and using technology. Harnessing the community's inherent strengths and prioritizing cultural understanding is crucial for culturally sensitive health research with Chinese Americans.
The Angelchik prosthesis is an antireflux device that was popular in the 1980s for treatment of refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We present a patient who developed a gastroesophageal fistula 17 years after Angelchik prosthesis placement. The incidence of late complications continues to grow, and clinicians should consider device malfunction in patients with history of Angelchik placement presenting with abdominal symptoms.
BackgroundNormal Doppler hemodynamics for tricuspid prostheses have not been well characterized in a large group of patients. Therefore, we analyzed comprehensive Doppler echocardiographic examinations of 82 patients with tricuspid prostheses that were normal by clinical and two-dimensional echocardiographic examinations to establish the normal hemodynamics of various types and sizes of tricuspid prostheses. Methods and ResultsThe earliest complete postoperative echocardiographic study from each patient was chosen for analysis. Doppler examinations were analyzed on an off-line station from tapes or Doppler strip charts. Early velocity, atrial velocity, end-diastolic velocity, pressure half-time, and mean gradient were obtained by digitizing tricuspid velocity curves. The incidence of “physiological” tricuspid prosthetic rgurgitation was noted. Ten Doppler cycles were measured for each patient, and maximal, minimal, and average measurements were recorded. The mean values ± SD of early velocity, atrial velocity, end-diastolic velocity, mean gradient, and pressure half-time and incidence of mild prosthetic regurgitation were reported for each type of prosthesis, as were highest Doppler measurements for each valve type. Average pressure half-time was significantly lower for St Jude than for heterograft prostheses (P=.04). There were no significant differences between the valve types for mean gradient, early velocity, or incidence of prosthetic regurgitation. Increasing prosthesis size was associated with lower average pressure half-time for heterograft prostheses (P=.024). Average differences (respiratory- and cycle-length-dependent) between maximal and minimal values for 10 cardiac cycles were established for each prosthesis. ConclusionsThis study establishes normal ranges for Doppler hemodynamics of various tricuspid prostheses and emphasizes the importance of measuring multiple cycles for each tricuspid prosthesis, regardless of cardiac rhythm.
We determined the total C and N stocks in trees and soils after 1 year of fertilization in an experimental orchard with 16-year-old ‘Niitaka’ pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai cv. Niitaka) trees planted at 5.0 m × 3.0 m spacing on a Tatura trellis system. Pear trees were fertilized at the rate of 200 kg N, 130 kg P and 180 kg K ha -1 . At the sampling time (August 2013), trees were uprooted, separated into six fractions [trunk, main branches, lateral branches (including shoots), leaves, fruit, and roots] and analyzed for their total C and N concentrations and dry masses. Soil samples were collected from 0 to 0.6 m in 0.1 m intervals at 0.5 m from the trunk, air-dried, passed through a 2-mm sieve, and analyzed for total C and N concentrations. Undisturbed soil core samples were also taken to determine the bulk density. Dry mass per tree was 5.6 kg for trunk, 12.0 kg for main branches, 15.7 kg for lateral branches, 5.7 kg for leaves, 9.8 kg for fruits, and 10.5 kg for roots. Total amounts of C and N per tree were respectively 2.6 and 0.02 kg for trunk, 5.5 and 0.04 kg for main branches, 7.2 and 0.07 kg for lateral branches, 2.6 and 0.11 kg for leaves, 4.0 and 0.03 kg for fruit, and 4.8 and 0.05 kg for roots. Carbon and N stocks stored in the soil per hectare were 155.7 and 14.0 Mg, respectively, while those contained in pear trees were 17.8 and 0.2 Mg・ha -1 based on a tree density of 667 trees/ha. Overall, C and N stocks per hectare stored in the pear orchard were 173.6 and 14.2 Mg, respectively. Compared with results obtained in 2012, the amounts of C stocks have increased by 17.7 Mg・ha -1 , while those of N stocks remained virtually unchanged (0.66 Mg・ha -1 ). Additional key words: carbon sequestration, fertilizer, IPCC 2006 guidelines, net primary productivity, pear orchard *Corresponding author: hmro@snu.ac.kr † These authors contributed equally to this work. ※ Received 17 November 2014; Revised 10 March 2015; Accepted 1 April 2015. 본 연구는 농촌진흥청 연구사업(과제번호: PJ008986042013)과 한국연구재단의 BK21사업 지원에 의해 수행되었음. C 2015 Korean Society for Horticultural Science 서 언 국가간 기후변화 협의체인 IPCC에서는 2006년 농업분야 의 온실가스 배출권 측정에 관한 새로운 지침을 제시하였다 (IPCC, 2006). 이 지침에서는 작물이 탄소를 얼마나 흡수하는 지 평가하기 위하여 순1차생산량(Net Primary Productivity, NPP)을 측정하도록 제시하고 있는데, NPP는 작물의 연간 생 체중 변화량을 말한다. Lee et al.(2008)은 사과 ‘후지’의 NPP 는 과실을 제외하고 연간 0.44kg C・m -2 이라 하였으며, Kim et al.(2005)은 우리나라 한대낙엽수림의 NPP를 4.8Mg C・ha -1 Kor. J. Hort. Sci. Technol. 33(4), August 2015 592 로 보고하였다. Pyo et al.(2003)은 잣나무 조림지에서의 연 간 CO2 고정량이 42.5Mg CO2・ha -1 라고 하였다. 그러나 IPCC 는 탄소의 변화량을 제시하도록 했던 Tier 2 수준보다, Tier 3 수준에서는 보다 더 정밀한 탄소 변화량을 산출하도록 제 시하고 있다. Tier 3 수준에서는 Tier 2 수준의 산정에 재배 지 관리를 포함한 지역적인 특성과 통계적 방법을 적용한 좀 더 정밀한 측정을 요구하고 있다(IPCC, 2006). Lee et al.(2005)은 광릉 낙엽활엽수림에 축적된 총탄소량 이 258.4Mg C・ha -1 이며, 여기에 토양 30cm 깊이까지 탄소 가 89.3Mg C・ha -1 축적되었다고 보고하였다. 이 결과는 산 림의 탄소 흡수량을 산정할 때, 나무가 저장한 NPP 변화량 뿐만 아니라 토양에 격리된 탄소량의 변화도 함께 측정하는 것이 Tier 3 수준의 탄소 흡수량 평가에 필수적임을 단적으 로 보여주었다. 그러나 산림과는 달리 농경지에서는 비료처 리에 따른 토양 탄소 변화량도 주목해야 한다. Lee et al. (2010)은 장기간의 비료처리가 농경지의 토양 탄소량을 증 가시키는 데 매우 효과적이며, 이는 토양의 질과 작물의 생 산성을 증가시킨다고 하였다. 또한 Lim et al.(2012)은 토양 의 탄소함량은 장기간 시용한 비료의 종류에 따라 달라진다 고 하였다. 하지만 국내의 농업부문에서는 아직까지 농작물 에 저장되는 탄소량과 비료처리에 따른 토양 탄소 흡수와 배출권에 관한 연구가 체계적으로 연구되지 못하고 있다. 국내 과수 재배 면적은 2012년 통계에 의하면, 노지에서 1523.87km 2 , 시설 재배지에서 895.41km 2 로 총 2419.28km 2 면적으로 전체 농경지의 약 14%에 해당한다(KOSIS, 2010). 이는 우리나라 전체 농경지 중에서 논과 밭에 비해 높은 비 율이라고 볼 수 없으나, IPCC 2006 지침에 따른 농작물에 의한 온실가스 격리를 평가할 경우에 과수의 중요성은 더 높게 나타날 것으로 보인다(Lee et al., 2013). 국내 과수 재 배지는 2012년 기준으로 사과 재배지가 307.34km 2 로 가장 넓었으나, 배 재배 면적은 꾸준히 증가하는 경향을 보이고 있는 추세이다(KOSIS, 2010). 배(Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai)는 배나무속(Pyrus)에 속하는 낙 엽성 교목으로, 한국에서는 1906년 일본에서 개량된 남방형 동양배 품종이 도입되어 재배되고 있다(RDA, 2000). 그 중 ‘신고(Niitaka)’배는 일본에서 1927년 육성되었는데, 나무 의 세력이 강하고 크게 자라는 성질로 인해 생산성이 높아 한국에는 1930년대에 도입되어 주로 재배되고 있다(RDA, 2000). 현재 국내에서 재배되는 배는 143.53km 2 면적으로, 그 중 83%인 118.66km 2 에서 ‘신고’배가 재배되고 있다(KOSIS, 2010). 이에 따라, 최근 Lee et al.(2013)은 재배면적의 증가 로 온실가스 흡수 효과가 클 것으로 예상되는 배 과수원에서 Y자 수형의 15년생 ‘신고’ 배를 대상으로 수체와 토양의 탄 소와 질소 저장량(stocks)을 산정하였다(탄소: 155.95Mg・ha -1 , 질소: 13.54Mg・ha -1 ). 따라서 본 연구는 IPCC 2006 지침에 의거하여 국내 배 재배지 내 수체와 토양에 저장되어 있는 탄소와 질소의 양 을 평가하는 연구의 일환으로, 1년 동안의 시비에 따라 배 과수원의 수체 및 토양의 탄소와 질소 저장량 변화를 파악 하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 ‘신고’배 과수원에서의 수체와 토 양이 저장하고 있는 탄소 및 질소 저장량(stocks)을 산정하 였으며, 이를 동일한 지역에서 수행한 전년도의 연구결과 (Lee et al., 2013)와 비교하여 그 차를 구하였다.
A cross sectional study was done in schoolchildren aged 7 to 8 yearsold in two cities in northern Chile: Mejillones (n = 59), near to a petcoke plant and Tocopilla (n= 56) as the reference city. First, morning urinary samples were collected and urinary Ni wasdetermined by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. Socioeconomic and environmental exposureinformation of families was obtained applying a questionnaire to parents. Multiple linearregression was performed to identify other variables that may explain urinary Ni differencesamong the cities.
Introduction Prior evidence suggested Apolipoprotein E (APOE), lipids, and glucose metabolism may act through the same pathways on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods This prospective study used data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Study. We tested the associations of APOE genotype (ε2ε2, ε2ε3, ε2ε4, ε3ε3, ε3ε4, and ε4ε4) and cognitive function using generalized estimating equations (GEE). We examined for possible mediation and effect modification by lipids and glucose level in this association. Results APOE ε2 showed significant direct protective effect and indirect harmful effect through TC on cognitive function. Abnormal lipids or glucose levels were not consistently associated with cognitive dysfunction in our study. We did not detect significant indirect effects through lipids for APOE ε4 or any indirect effects through glucose. Discussion These findings suggested complicated relationships among APOE, lipids, glucose, and cognitive function. Further study can make validations in other populations.
From late nineteen nineties, the higher number of suitable renal transplant candidates has forced the transplant community to re-explore the whole spectrum of deceased donors after brain death (DBD) as well as after cardiac death (DCD); in practice, donors of older age and donors with more chronic diseases or “medical complexities”. This new kidney donor population – finally defined as extended criteria donors (ECD) – currently comprises on average 20 to 25%.    In his seminal paper in 2003 on the introduction of ECD in the US, Metzger et al. covered all aspects of ECD transplantation. Even today, this paper still holds its truth on the issues of informed consent and selection of suitable transplant candidates. Since then, many reports discussed success and failure of ECD transplantation: higher rate of primary non-function, delayed graft function, rejection, higher costs and resources, and shorter longevity.    This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Few studies have documented spatial and temporal variations in ground water quality in areas with high densities of animal farming operations (AFOs), or the long-term effects on surface-water quality. Changes in ground water quality were characterized in an irrigated area with a high density of AFOs in southern Alberta, Canada to evaluate the effect on ground water quality of manure application to fields. Fifty-five piezometers in the oxidized zone were sampled once or twice annually from 1995 to 2001, and temporal changes were analyzed using mixed model analysis. Average NO3- -N increased significantly from 12.5 to 17.4 mg L(-1) and average Cl- increased significantly from 19.4 to 34.4 mg L(-1) in piezometers installed in an unconfined sand aquifer at locations receiving fertilizer and manure. Compared with these manured locations, nitrate and chloride concentrations were significantly lower in shallow aquifer water in areas of pasture or native range, and concentrations did not change significantly with time. Nitrate and chloride concentrations in shallow ground water in fine-textured manured locations did not change significantly. Ground water below about 6 m in till and fine lacustrine sediments contains 18O signatures indicative of recharge under preirrigation or glacially influenced conditions, suggesting this ground water has a low vulnerability to agricultural contamination. Evaluations suggest that shallow ground water discharge will cause NO3- -N and Cl- in the Oldman River to increase by factors of at least 4.3 and 1.3, respectively, with more significant effects in smaller streams and under low-flow conditions.
OBJECTIVES We investigated the associations among health-promoting behaviors, psychological distress, and well-being among community residents. Well-being measurement was examined through health-promoting behaviors and psychological distress.   METHODS From March 1 to October 31, 2016, a total of 383 community residents were assessed in their health-promoting lifestyles (HPLP-II), psychological distress (K10) and wellbeing (SWLS and PWB).   RESULTS Stepwise regression analysis revealed that interpersonal relations, physical activity, and psychological distress accounted for 21% of the variance in life satisfaction (SWLS). Interpersonal relations, nutrition, stress management, spiritual growth and psychological distress accounted for 53% of the variance in psychological well-being (PWB).   CONCLUSIONS Findings may assist mental health professionals in enhancing health-promoting behaviors and reduce the psychological distress of community residents to improve well-being.
Colloidal agglomeration of nanoparticles in shear flow is investigated by solving the fluid-particle and particle-particle interactions in a 2D system. We use an extended finite element method in which the dynamics of the particles is solved in a fully coupled manner with the flow, allowing an accurate description of the fluid-particle interfaces without the need of boundary-fitted meshes or of empirical correlations to account for the hydrodynamic interactions between the particles. Adaptive local mesh refinement using a grid deformation method is incorporated with the fluid-structure interaction algorithm, and the particle-particle interaction at the microscopic level is modeled using the Lennard-Jones potential. Motivated by the process used in fabricating fuel cell catalysts from a colloidal ink, the model is applied to investigate agglomeration of colloidal particles under external shear flow in a sliding bi-periodic Lees-Edwards frame with varying shear rates and particle fraction ratios. Both external shear and particle fraction are found to have a crucial impact on the structure formation of colloidal particles in a suspension. Segregation intensity and graph theory are used to analyze the underlying agglomeration patterns and structures, and three agglomeration regimes are identified.
Aims: To determine the clinical profile and clinical, functional, and radiological outcomes and complications in children who underwent elastic stable intramedullary nailing (ESIN) for unstable fractures of both bones of forearm. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in the Paediatric Orthopaedic Unit of the institution. Children with forearm fractures, who underwent ESIN of both the bones with titanium nails from January 2004 to June 2010, were included in the study. Clinical evaluation for deformity, range of motion at wrist and elbow, Daruwalla’s grading for forearm fractures, and radiological evaluation for bony union, malalignment, and radial bow were done. Paediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) questionnaire was used to assess functional outcome. Results: Twenty-six patients were followed up for a mean of 2.14 years. These included one primary internal fixation for unstable injury in a 15-year old, 10 open fractures, and 15 with malalignment after closed reduction. Age ranged from 5 to 15 years (mean of 11.39). Average time to bony union was 6 weeks. Twelve children had excellent, 12 good, and two fair outcomes according to Daruwalla’s grade. Average PODCI score was 50.78 (standardized range is minimum of −140 to maximum of 53). There were no major complications related to ESIN. Three patients had paraesthesia over superficial radial nerve distribution, three patients had hypertrophied scars, and one patient had superficial wound infection. One child had distal radial physeal arrest following inadvertent physeal injury during implant removal. Conclusion: ESIN is safe and effective for internal fixation of unstable forearm fractures.
Large amounts of fly ash and sewage sludge are produced annually in China. The treatment and disposal of such byproducts have become urgent problems that need to be solved. In order to achieve the possibility of realizing land applications for sewage sludge, fly ash and trimercapto-striazine trisodium salt (TMT) were used as immobilizing agents, and their passivation effects on four kinds of heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were evaluated. The results showed that the resulting sewage sludge met Chinese standard GB/T23486-2009. When the addition was 10–20% fly ash or 0.4–0.6% TMT, the optimum immobilization effect was obtained. The synergistic passivation of 20% fly ash +0.5% TMT was superior to that of either fly ash or TMT alone. The addition of sewage sludge during the ryegrass growth process significantly increased the plant height, the number of tillers, the chlorophyll content, and the biomass of the ryegrass over the brown soil. The adverse effect of the heavy metals on the ryegrass growth could be alleviated by the passivation effect of fly ash and TMT. The immobilization performance of the fly ash was mainly due to the formation of precipitation and the ion exchange, while that of TMT was due to chelate precipitation.
The design, fabrication, and characterization of a compact photonic crystal nanobeam drop filter based on the tunneling effect of the degenerate modes are presented. The degeneracy was achieved by tuning the coupling distance between the nanobeam and input/output waveguides. The tunneling effect of degenerate resonances with different symmetries has been verified experimentally. Channel drop filters with an extinction ratio larger than 10 dB and a quality factor of ∼5000 have been experimentally demonstrated.
The continuous nature of flight-test data acquired in a derivative extraction program suggests that the analog computer can be employed in the data reduction process. Such an approach is feasible if an appropriate regression technique is employed. Using a conventional dynamic model for the aircraft, such a technique is presented herein. Linearization of the model is done for convenience, not necessity. Aerodynamic derivatives acquired in this program agree quite well with expected accuracies, although in some instances they differ considerably from predicted values. These are the cases we seek. The convenience and accuracy of the analog regression technique suggests possible inclusion of this procedure in standard flight-test evaluation programs.
Radiotherapy is a treatment option for the majority of malignancies. However, because melanoma is known to be radioresistant, the use of ionizing radiation as an adjuvant therapy in cutaneous melanoma patients is ineffective. Obesity has now been recognized as a risk factor for melanoma. High adiposity is generally associated with a more pro-oxidative status. Oxidative stress is a major player in radiation therapy and also a common link between obesity and cancer. Several adipocyte-released proteins are known to have a role in controlling cellular growth and pro-survival signaling. For that reason, we investigated the influence of 3T3-L1 mature adipocyte secretome in B16-F10 malignant melanocyte radiosensitivity. We evaluated B16-F10 cell survival and redox homeostasis when exposed to four daily doses of ionizing radiation (2 Gy per day) up to a total of 8 Gy in a medical linear accelerator. B16-F10 melanocytes exhibited slight alterations in survival, catalase activity, nitrative stress and total oxidant concentration after the first 2 Gy irradiation. The motility of the melanocytes was also delayed by ionizing radiation. Subsequent irradiations of the malignant melanocytes led to more prominent reductions in overall survival. Remarkably, 3T3-L1 adipocyte-secreted molecules were able to increase the viability and migration of melanocytes, as well as lessen the pro-oxidant burden induced by both the single and cumulative X-ray doses. In vitro adipocyte-released factors protected B16-F10 malignant melanocytes from both oxidative stress and loss of viability triggered by radiation, enhancing the radioresistant phenotype of these cells with a concomitant activation of the AKT signaling pathway. These results both help to elucidate how obesity influences melanoma radioresistance and support the usage of conventional medical linear accelerators as a valid model for the in vitro radiobiological study of tumor cell lines.
The visual attributes of color are suitable for human perception and computer vision. A Color space is defined as a model for representing the intensity value of color. We propose a color space comparison and analysis between RGB and HSV based images retrieval. We succeed in transferring the image retrieval problem to sequences comparison and subsequently using the color sequences comparison between the color featurs of RGB and HSV to compare and analyze the images of database.
In this paper we will investigate the consequences of applying model selection methods under regularity conditions that are sufficiently general to encompass (i) stochastic models involving non-stationary processes and (ii) situations where the true structure of the process falls outside the class of models under consideration. The properties of selection criteria that use very general measures of model complexity are considered and the results are used to draw attention to the fallacy of traditional beliefs concerning commonly employed model selection criteria.
OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of methylphenidate (MPH) on response interference, as measured by the Stoop Color and Word Test, in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Response interference is a core component of response inhibition that has been shown to be impaired in children with ADHD.   METHODS A clinic-referred sample of school-aged children with a confirmed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) diagnosis of ADHD and good reading skills (n = 31) completed the Stroop Color and Word Test in an acute, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with three single fixed doses of MPH.   RESULTS MPH did not improve response interference on the Stroop Color and Word Test but did significantly improve color naming and word naming abilities.   CONCLUSION Response interference, as measured by the Stroop Color and Word Test, is not improved by MPH in children with ADHD. In addition, findings demonstrate strongly positive MPH effects on the highly effortful process of color naming, which has previously been demonstrated as impaired in children with ADHD. MPH was also shown to have a positive but smaller effect on word naming speed.
Abstract. The accuracy of the angular distance may decrease due to lots of factors, such as the parameters of the stellar camera aren't calibrated on-orbit, or the location accuracy of the star image points is low, and so on, which can cause the low success rates of star identification. A robust directed circularity pattern algorithm is proposed in this paper, which is developed on basis of the matching probability algorithm. The improved algorithm retains the matching probability strategy to identify master star, and constructs a directed circularity pattern with the adjacent stars for unitary matching. The candidate matching group which has the longest chain will be selected as the final result. Simulation experiments indicate that the improved algorithm has high successful identification and reliability etc, compared with the original algorithm. The experiments with real data are used to verify it.
Background Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-mediated myocardial inflammation and apoptosis plays an important role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Dexmedetomidine has been used clinically with sedative, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to determine the effects of dexmedetomidine pretreatment on inflammation, apoptosis, and the expression of ERS signaling during myocardial I/R injury. Methods Rats underwent myocardial ischemia for 30 min and reperfusion for 6 h, and H9c2 cardiomyocytes were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) injury (OGD for 12 h and reoxygenation for 3 h). Dexmedetomidine was administered prior to myocardial ischemia in rats or ODG in cardiomyocytes. In addition, the α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist (yohimbine) or the PERK activator (CCT020312) was given prior to dexmedetomidine treatment. Results Dexmedetomidine pretreatment decreased serum levels of cardiac troponin I, reduced myocardial infarct size, alleviated histological structure damage, and improved left ventricular function following myocardial I/R injury in rats. In addition, dexmedetomidine pretreatment increased cell viability and reduced cytotoxicity following OGD/R injury in cardiomyocytes. Mechanistically, the cardioprotection offered by dexmedetomidine was mediated via the inhibition of inflammation and apoptosis through downregulating the expression of the ERS signaling pathway, including glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), inositol-requiring protein 1 (IRE1), and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). Conversely, the protective effects of dexmedetomidine were diminished by blocking the α2 adrenergic receptors with yohimbine or promoting PERK phosphorylation with CCT020312. Conclusion Dexmedetomidine pretreatment protects the hearts against I/R injury via inhibiting inflammation and apoptosis through downregulation of the ERS signaling pathway. Future clinical studies are needed to confirm the cardioprotective effects of dexmedetomidine in patients at risk of myocardial I/R injury.
This paper reports on a survey of a sample of surface-mount technology (SMT) users in Singapore. The problems and challenges of this sample of SMT practitioners in adopting and adapting to current and emerging technologies are presented. The conclusion drawn is that there are a number of problems which are common to all the users and which have to be overcome; at the same time implementation of the newer technologies cannot be ignored in order to increase Singapore's competitiveness in electronics manufacturing.
Appliances that use more than one cooking mode or have multiple cooking zones or cavities require more controls than their single-mode single-cavity counterparts. The addition of multiple control sets complicates panel appearance and hinders user understanding. A control system is described which can access an unlimited number of functions through a keyboard that uses three dynamically alterable key pads. For ease of use, instructions and prompting are electronically generated and incorporated into the programming sequence.
We present calculations for  Delta excitation in the (K^+,K^+) reaction in nuclei. The background from quasielastic K^+ scattering in the  Delta region is also evaluated and shown to be quite small in some kinematical regions, so as to allow for a clean identification of the  Delta excitation strength. Nuclear effects tied to the  Delta renormalization in the nucleus are considered and the reaction is shown to provide new elements to enrich our knowledge of the  Delta properties in a nuclear medium.
We present combined interferometer and single dish telescope data of NH3 (J, K) = (1,1) and (2,2) emission toward the clustered star forming Ophiuchus B, C, and F Cores at high spatial resolution (∼1200 AU) using the Australia Telescope Compact Array, the Very Large Array, and the Green Bank Telescope. While the large-scale features of the NH3 (1,1) integrated intensity appear similar to 850 μm continuum emission maps of the Cores, on 15″ (1800 AU) scales we find significant discrepancies between the dense gas tracers in Oph B, but good correspondence in Oph C and F. Using the clumpfind structure identifying algorithm, we identify 15 NH3 clumps in Oph B, and three each in Oph C and F. Only five of the Oph B NH3 clumps are coincident within 30″ (3600 AU) of a submillimeter clump. We find vLSR varies little across any of the cores, and additionally varies by only ∼1.5 km s−1 between them. The observed NH3 line widths within the Oph B and F Cores are generally large and often mildly supersonic, while Oph C is characterized by narrow line widths which decrease to nearly thermal values. We find several regions of localized narrow line emission (Δv ≲ 0.4 km s−1), some of which are associated with NH3 clumps. We derive the kinetic temperatures of the gas, and find they are remarkably constant across Oph B and F, with a warmer mean value (TK = 15 K) than typically found in isolated regions and consistent with previous results in clustered regions. Oph C, however, has a mean TK = 12 K, decreasing to a minimum TK = 9.4 K toward the submillimeter continuum peak, similar to previous studies of isolated starless clumps. There is no significant difference in temperature toward protostars embedded in the Cores. NH3 column densities, N(NH3), and abundances, X(NH3), are similar to previous work in other nearby molecular clouds. We find evidence for a decrease in X(NH3) with increasing N(H2) in Oph B2 and C, suggesting the NH3 emission may not be tracing well the densest core gas.
Across the northern rural regions of Iran, gardens and farmlands are being fragmented into smaller and smaller patches by rural roads network with significant edge effects on plant species composition and abundance. In this study the presence of different plant species was recorded in ninety 1×1 m plots and on nine 100 m transect at the edge of terrene rural roads with irrigation canal and without irrigation canal. In this study, thirty seven plant species were identified in the 9 transects surveyed. Twenty six (or 70.3%) of those species were occurred near the irrigation canal (Transect 2 and 3). Rubus hyrcanus Juz that had cover value more than 80% were observed on transect 3 of roadside with irrigation canal because of light availability and high soil moisture. Ulmus carpinifolia Borkh., Quercus castaneifolia C. A. Mey., Pterocarya fraxinifolia (Lam.) Spach., Parrotia persica C.A.M., Zelkova carpinifolia (pall.) Dipp. And Albizia julibrissin (Willd) Benth were the unique species which were found near the irrigation canal especially on transect 2. These species are the final survivors of Hyrcanian forests in rural area which were conserved from the human damages. Plant species richness at the edge of rural road with irrigation canal (37 species) was more than the edge of rural road without irrigation canal (17 species), but the cover value was similar to each other. Punica granatum L. was the more frequent species (more than 80%) on the both side of rural road (transect 2 and 3) without irrigation canal.
Objective. To determine whether sequential assignment of students to the same facility for institutional practice experiences improves their advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) examination scores. Design. Student volunteers were assigned to the same healthcare facility for all institutional introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs) and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Other students completed institutional IPPEs and APPEs at separate healthcare facilities, ranging from 2 to 4 different facilities per student. APPE examination scores of students assigned to the same facility for all institutional learning experiences were compared with those of students assigned to more than 1 institutional practice site. Assessment. Holding grade point average constant, students assigned to the same facility for institutional IPPEs and APPEs scored 3 percentage points higher on the APPE institutional examination compared with students assigned to separate facilities for these experiences. Conclusion. Assigning students to the same facility for both institutional IPPEs and APPEs positively influenced knowledge-based APPE examination performance.
In this paper we present three Swarm Intelligence algorithms which we evaluate on the complex foraging task domain. Each of the algorithms draws inspiration from biologic bee foraging/nest-site selection behavior. The main focus will be on the third algorithm, namely STIGMERGIC LANDMARK FORAGING which is a novel hybrid approach. It combines the high performance of bee-inspired navigation with ant-inspired recruitment. More precisely, navigation is based on Path Integration which results in vectors indicating the distance and direction to a destination. Recruitment only occurs at key locations (i.e., landmarks) inside of the environment. Each landmark contains a collection of vectors with which visiting agents can find their way to a certain goal or to another landmark in an unknown environment. Each vector represents a local segment of a global route. In contrast to ant-inspired recruitment, no attracting or repelling pheromone is used to indicate where to go and how worthwhile a route is in comparison to other routes. Instead, each vector in a landmark has a certain strength indicating how worthwhile it is. In analogy to ant-inspired recruitment, vector strength can be reinforced by visiting agents. Moreover, vector strength decays over time. In the end, this results in optimal routes to destinations. STIGMERGIC LANDMARK FORAGING proves to be very efficient in terms of building and adapting solutions.
HISTORICALLY AND CONCEPTUALLY CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT IS presented as the antithesis of absolute sovereignty and the prophylactic to tyrannical oppression. The paradigm form for absolute sovereignty is rule by one man and, since everything turns on the character of that man, such rule is inherently liable to collapse through incapacity, or to degenerate into tyranny. Tyranny is an ill against which necessarily there can be no protection under conditions of absolute sovereignty. Constitutional government may, therefore, be conceived as an attempt to provide built-in safeguards to prevent, or at least reduce the chances of, absolute sovereignty assuming the corrupt and perverted form of tyranny. Such safeguards inevitably restrict the absolute nature of sovereign rule.
PURPOSE: Genetic eye diseases are among the top ten causes of ocular health burden. Asia accounts for nearly two-thirds of the global burden of genetic eye diseases. A great deal of resources is being invested in genetic research and development of genetic services including gene testing laboratories and genetic counseling in India. These efforts will be meaningful only if the public and clinicians are aware of their existence. This study aimed to understand the level of knowledge about genetic eye diseases and genetic services and attitudes toward genetic testing and gene therapy in four groups of participants (undergraduate medical students, paramedical staff, non-ophthalmologist doctors, and the general public). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey in India. Four hundred questionnaires were analyzed from the four groups of participants. Knowledge score was calculated for the different questions. To bring out the differences across the groups, Chi-square test was done with a post hoc Mann–Whitney U-test and Kruskal–Wallis test. P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS: The level of awareness about genetic eye diseases was better among undergraduate students, doctors, and paramedical staff compared to the general public (P < 0.001). The majority across all three groups had a positive attitude toward genetic testing and gene therapy. However, most of the participants across all groups were not aware of the genetic facilities available in our country. CONCLUSION: This study shows a positive attitude toward genetic medicine. However, there is a need to improve public awareness about genetic eye diseases and facilities available for genetic testing and gene therapy.
In this paper, we chart the historical evolution of the national innovation systems of Ireland and Greece, under the light of contemporaneous economic, technological and institutional developments. We argue that, among other things, the drafting of policy and the consequent shaping of their institutions has been an important delineator. We observe that importing solutions from abroad, with Greece looking to Brussels and Ireland to the USA, was central to their respective experiences. We conclude that effective innovation policy must also take into account of novel, context-specific approaches to governance. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.
In this article, we address the testing problem for additivity in nonparametric regression models. We develop a kernel‐based consistent test of a hypothesis of additivity in nonparametric regression, and establish its asymptotic distribution under a sequence of local alternatives. Compared to other existing kernel‐based tests, the proposed test is shown to effectively ameliorate the influence from estimation bias of the additive component of the nonparametric regression, and hence increase its efficiency. Most importantly, it avoids the tuning difficulties by using estimation‐based optimal criteria, while there is no direct tuning strategy for other existing kernel‐based testing methods. We discuss the usage of the new test and give numerical examples to demonstrate the practical performance of the test. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 39: 632–655; 2011. © 2011 Statistical Society of Canada
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) protein Nup2 plays interphase nuclear transport roles and in Aspergillus nidulans also functions to bridge NPCs at mitotic chromatin for their faithful coinheritance to daughter G1 nuclei. In this study, we further investigate the interphase functions of Nup2 in A. nidulans. Although Nup2 is not required for nuclear import of all nuclear proteins after mitosis, it is required for normal G1 nuclear accumulation of the NPC nuclear basket–associated components Mad2 and Mlp1 as well as the THO complex protein Tho2. Targeting of Mlp1 to nuclei partially rescues the interphase delay seen in nup2 mutants indicating that some of the interphase defects in Nup2-deleted cells are due to Mlp1 mislocalization. Among the inner nuclear membrane proteins, Nup2 affects the localization of Ima1, orthologues of which are involved in nuclear movement. Interestingly, nup2 mutant G1 nuclei also exhibit an abnormally long period of extensive to-and-fro movement immediately after mitosis in a manner dependent on the microtubule cytoskeleton. This indicates that Nup2 is required to limit the transient postmitotic nuclear migration typical of many filamentous fungi. The findings reveal that Nup2 is a multifunctional protein that performs diverse functions during both interphase and mitosis in A. nidulans.
Buah merah plant ( Pandanus conoideus Lam) is an original plant from Papua that take an important role in the fulfillment of food needs of the local people in Jayawijaya mountains-Wamena. This plant is also used as a cooking oil spice and useful as traditional medicine, degenerative drugs, HIV and other drugs and can increase endurance. Red fruit crops have appeared to be high value merchandise and export commodities. Red fruit oil is considered a functional oil because it can be used as a preventive agent for various diseases, such as anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, HIV treatment, etc. Red fruit extract products are widely produced in Papua. The selling price in the market ranges from Rp 150.000 to Rp 200.000 per liter. This extract is often forged by adding other oils; such as corn oil, soybean oil, palm oil, sesame oil, and other vegetable oils to gain higher profits. This activity aims to make the red fruit cooking oil products (MGBM) is economical and generate good profits. Methods of implementation are sampling, MGBM product creation, marketing, evaluation, and reporting. The results obtained are the presence of red fruit products with profits from the sale of 20 bottles get a profit of Rp. 1.400.000.  Keywords : Buah merah (Pandanus conoideus), Edible Oil, Jayawijaya
DNA replication stress has the potential to compromise genomic stability and, therefore, cells have developed elaborate mechanisms to detect and resolve problems that may arise during DNA replication. The presence of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is often associated with DNA replication stress and serves as a signal for both checkpoint and repair responses. In this study, we exploited a CRISPR-Cas9 system to induce regions of ssDNA in the genome. Specifically, single-guide RNAs bearing sequence complementarity to human telomeric repeats, were used to target nuclease-deficient Cas9 (dCas9) to telomeres. Such targeting was associated with the formation of DNA-RNA hybrids, leaving one telomeric DNA strand single-stranded. This ssDNA then recruited DNA repair and checkpoint proteins, such as RPA, ATRIP, BLM and Rad51, at the telomeres. Interestingly, targeting of all these proteins to telomeric ssDNA was observed even in cells that were in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Therefore, this system has the potential to serve as a platform for further investigation of DNA replication stress responses at specific loci in the human genome and in all phases of the cell cycle.
This paper researches centroid integer selection based on dynamic multi-document summarization (DMS) and presentes a dynamic multi-document summarization model, called Centroid Integer Selection Model (CISM). This model has mainly two steps. First, some abstracts were extracted from the document sets based on different first sentence, respectively. Second, the best abstract was selected based on centroid strategy from all the abstracts created in the first step. The best advantage this model showed was that it eliminated the effect caused by falsely selecting based on the first sentence. Some experiments were conducted on the Update Task test data from TAC2008, and results of new model were compared with results from the TAC2008 evaluation.
The effects of epinephrine 1/200,000 as an adjuvant to epidural morphine were investigated in three healthy male volunteers, during 26-h observation sessions. Peak blood concentrations of morphine were 44 ± 12.9 ng/ml after plain morphine and 13.7 ± 6.7 ng/ml after epinephrine-morphine. Cutaneous hypalgesia was more intense, faster in onset, and longer in duration after epinephrine-morphine than after plain morphine, and analgesia to ice-water immersion of extremities lasted longer. Adverse side effects of pruritus, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty of micturition were also more intense after epinephrine-morphine, and respiratory sensitivity to CO2 was depressed more severely between 6 and 16 h. The results indicated that epinephrine 1/200,000 reduces vascular absorption of epidural morphine and intensifies all the manifestations of cord and brainstem uptake.
According to on-site measurements by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations reached 391.3 parts per million (ppm) in 2011, up from 388.56 ppm in 2010 and from 280 ppm in preindustrial times.1 (See Figure 1.) Carbon dioxide accounts for more than 70 percent of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere and—thanks to its very long life span—is the most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.2
In the article, we attempt to provide a systematic description of the animal names in the novel by Longus, the ancient Greek writer of the end of the 2nd century A.D. “Daphnis and Chloe” and identify their role in the writer’s lexical idiosystem. By combining the functional-semantic approach to the analysis of the writer’s lexical idiosystem with the cognitive, the conceptual concepts that are verbalized by lexical dominants and are directly related to the subject matter of the work, were united into the conceptual-thematic group “Animals”. The names of domestic animals, wild animals, insects, animals living in the water and birds were delimited within the conceptual-thematic group “Animals”. The subgroup “Names of Domestic Animals” was found the most abundant (29 names) and the most frequent (397 fixations) in the studied text. It showed the highest number of dominants in comparison with the other groups (ἡ αἴξ, ἡ, ὁ βοῦς, ὁ τράγον, ὁ τράγον, ὁ τράγον, ὁ, ἡ κύων). Domestic animals play very important role in the life of shepherds. Goats and sheep raised Daphnis and Chloe when they were little, brought them closer in their youth, were grieving when the lovers were not together, were rejoicing with them and even attended the main characters’ wedding. Here we come across anthropomorphization of animals in Longus novel. It was revealed that the lexemes denoting animal world are involved in the process of creation of numerous tropes (comparisons, metaphors, epithets, etc.), which is due to the peculiarity of the genre of this work and writer’s idiostyle. The writer’s idiolect is closely connected to the conceptual structure of the fiction text, as it is evidenced by the analysis of the CTG “Animals”. The micro-concepts which we include to this group appear to be the relevant elements of the writer’s conceptual model of the world. The names of micro-concepts actualize their semantics in micro-contexts through semantic connectivity with the other words, revealing their direct and indirect (figurative) meaning, alongside with the aesthetic-philosophical potential of the writer’s outlook in general.
The determination of arsenic and antimony by hydride generation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry is discussed. A comparison is made of different procedures for eliminating redox (HNO3) and transition metal interferences; two pre-reduction agents, three continuous-flow systems and two gas–liquid separators were studied. The pre-reduction agents were KI and thiourea, which were added in a continuos-flow mode either before or after the introduction of tetrahydroborate. The spray chamber served as a gas–liquid separator; alternatively a U-tube separator was used. In the recommended system, 10% m/v thiourea is added to the sample stream before 1.0% m/v tetrahydroborate is introduced, using the spray chamber as a gas–liquid separator. Thiourea eliminated the oxidation interference from HNO3 and also the interference from 50 mg l–1 of Ag+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Fe3+.
Abstract Herein, an octanuclear complex [Mn8(μ4-O)4(phpy)8(MeOH)4]·MeOH·H2O based on 5-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-3-pyrazole (HphpyH) has been successfully synthesized and characterized. The compound can self-assemble to form nanoparticles (NPs) by nanoprecipitation with PEG-5000. [Mn8(μ4-O)4(phpy)8(MeOH)4]·MeOH·H2O NPs have a low IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) of only 44 μg/mL (2.3 μM) on HeLa cells. The results show that [Mn8(μ4-O)4(phpy)8(MeOH)4]·MeOH·H2O NPs are able to inhibit cell proliferation and migration in vitro. Graphical Abstract
Anticardiolipin antibodies, found at elevated serum concentrations in 15% to 20% of individuals with periodontitis, are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, thrombotic conditions, and accelerated atherosclerosis in autoimmune disease such as the antiphospholipid syndrome. Our previous studies demonstrated that antibodies raised in mice against Porphyromonas gingivalis caused fetal loss in a mouse pregnancy model due to anticardiolipin antibodies. Such antibodies are induced via molecular mimicry with the serum protein β2-glycoprotein 1 (β2GP1), the target antigen of anticardiolipin. Furthermore, human anticardiolipin IgG is associated with increased serum markers of vascular inflammation, and IgG purified from periodontitis subjects with elevated anticardiolipin stimulates inflammatory cytokine production by endothelial cells and a trophoblastic cell line. Activation of the trophoblastic cells by anticardiolipin occurs through Toll-like receptor 4. In the present study, we observed that IgG anticardiolipin from periodontitis subjects also causes fetal loss in mice. Displacement of the protective 2-dimensional lattice formed by annexin V on trophoblast surfaces by anticardiolipin, via its interaction with its target antigen β2GP1, leading to fibrin clot formation due to exposure of anionic phospholipids to plasma, is a plausible pathogenic mechanism explaining adverse obstetrical outcomes in antiphospholipid syndrome. Therefore, we assessed such interactions in periodontitis. We observed that anticardiolipin from periodontitis subjects competes for annexin V on an artificial phosphatidylserine monolayer, replicating a key activity of autoantibodies found in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome. In addition, we found that anticardiolipin from periodontitis subjects increases annexin V levels on the BeWo choriocarcinoma cell line, consistent with mobilization of annexin V to the cell surface to facilitate repair following membrane damage. The data indicate that sera and IgG from periodontitis subjects with elevated anticardiolipin levels may influence pregnancy outcomes due to interactions with annexin V.
This is a case report of a 56-year-old male with hypertension who presented with urinary retention and bowel incontinence. CT and MRI of the abdomen and pelvis showed a large complex cystic and solid enhancing mass in the right presacral space. Pathology biopsy result showed malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) with extensive necrosis. The diagnosis of MPNST is extremely difficult due to the lack of (1) conclusive immunohistochemistry or unique chromosomal anomaly, (2) universal distinctive histopathology, and (3) clinical criteria. The clinical, radiologic, and histologic presentation of MPNST is important in its diagnosis. A rare case of MPNST that produced urinary retention and bowel incontinence is presented that may aid clinicians in the diagnosis of this rare clinical entity. Motor weakness, central enhancement, and immunohistochemistry may assist in the diagnosis of MPNST and differentiation between benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor (BPNST) and MPNST.
We study the behavior of an economic platform (e.g., Amazon, Uber Eats, Instacart) under shocks, such as COVID-19 lockdowns, and the effect of different regulation considerations. To this end, we develop a multi-agent simulation environment of a platform economy in a multi-period setting where shocks may occur and disrupt the economy. Buyers and sellers are heterogeneous and modeled as economically-motivated agents, choosing whether or not to pay fees to access the platform. We use deep reinforcement learning to model the fee-setting and matching behavior of the platform, and consider two major types of regulation frameworks: (1) taxation policies and (2) platform fee restrictions. We offer a number of simulated experiments that cover different market settings and shed light on regulatory tradeoffs. Our results show that while many interventions are ineffective with a sophisticated platform actor, we identify a particular kind of regulation—fixing fees to the optimal, no-shock fees while still allowing a platform to choose how to match buyers and sellers—as holding promise for promoting the efficiency and resilience of the economic system.
In the age of the digital society formation in countries of the post-industrial development stage, digital transformations take place in all spheres of public life. Such social institution as education witnesses especially drastic changes. New learning formats are emerging, including Online learning, E-learning, Smart-learning, Smart Education and other distance learning forms. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific and educational community updated a number of issues regarding the identification of works, assessing the level of comprehensibility of the discipline and the independence of completing individual tasks of distance learning students. The present research is intended to complement the range of relevant studies in this area as it is devoted to the methodology of Big Data Analytics and e-proctoring at higher education institutions. The results of this study will help to improve the understanding of the algorithm for the final certification of students. In addition, the subjects of the educational process will be able to improve their skills in solving the problems of conducting final and intermediate certification in the format of distance learning and optimize this process in educational institutions of various levels.
The purpose of our research was to determine the effects of superparamagnetic iron oxide on MR imaging of the portal venous system. Eight piglets were examined in deep anaesthesia and respiratory arrest using a time‐of‐flight magnetic resonance fast low angle shot, two‐dimensional angiography sequence at 1.5T. MR angiograms were acquired precontrast and after intravenous administration of a cumulative dose of 10, 20 and 40 μmol/kg SHU 555A, a superparamagnetic iron oxide contrast agent for MR imaging with a particle size of 60 nm. For each dose, two subsequent sets of scans were obtained and reconstructed by a maximum‐intensity‐projection algorithm. Hepatic parenchymal and portal venous signal intensities were measured, and portal vein contrast calculated for each set of scans. All examinations were visually rated as to portal vein contrast and homogeneity by two blinded observers. Receiver operating characteristics of both observers were analyzed. The contrast agent reduced hepatic parenchymal signal in a dose‐dependent way. After a cumulative dose of 10 μmol iron oxide, hepatic parenchymal signal intensity decreased to 63 ± 6% (average of measurements at 4 and 14 minutes, mean ± standard error of the mean), after 20 μmol to 24 ± 3%, and after 40 μmol to 12 ± 1% of control. Intra‐vascular signal in the left main portal vein branch increased to 117 ± 6%, 127 ± 10%, and 133 ± 9% of control, respectively. The contrast‐to‐noise ratio of the portal vein improved (521 ± 90%, 891 ± 178%, and 995 ± 201% of control in the left portal vein main branch). Intravascular signal intensities increased slightly. The combined effect improved contrast of the portal vein stem and its branches. Receiver operating characteristics analysis documented dose‐dependency of contrast medium effects on portal venous contrast and intravascular homogeneity. Visual rating also indicated a positive effect on portal venous contrast. The superparamagnetic iron oxide agent improved portal venous contrast with surrounding hepatic parenchyma in this normal animal model, and could potentially result in more accurate diagnosis of portal venous pathology.
The regulation of cell cycle activity, differentiation and self-renewal of stem cells are dependent on accurate processing of intrinsic and extrinsic signals. Traditionally, signaling pathway activation has been detected by immunobloting using phospho-specific antibodies. However, detection of signal transduction in rare cells within heterogeneous populations, such as hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSC) has been difficult to achieve. In a recently reported approach to visualize signaling in selected single c-Kit + Sca-1 + Lin − (KSL) bone marrow cells, cells were sorted onto glas slides by flow cytometry and signaling was detected by confocal fluorescence microscopy, a very time consuming method that thus restricts the number of cells that can be analysed simultaneously. Moreover it permits only qualitative, but not quantitative signaling evaluation (Yamazaki et al., EMBO J. 2006). Here, we report a new protocol allowing quantitative measurement of signaling activity in large numbers of defined murine and human hematopoietic cells. The cells are stained with established surface markers and then phospho-specific antibodies are used to detect the levels of active intracellular signaling molecules. Signals are quantified by flow cytometry fluorescence measurement. Importantly, the protocol developed in our laboratory enables preservation of surface marker staining identifying the cells of interest inspite the fixation and permeabilization procedures necessary for intracellular signaling detection. This applies also for antigens previously reported to be particularly vulnerable to standard fixation and permeabilization approaches (e.g. the murine stem cell markers c-Kit and Sca1). Thus, our protocol provides an easy and reliable method for quantifying the activation degree of several intracellular signaling pathways on single cell level in defined hematopoietic (stem) cells within the heterogeous bone marrow (BM) compartment. Using cytokines known to exert a biological effect on HSCs, we have examined the susceptibility of KSL murine BM cells and human BM CD34 + cells to cytokine-induced signaling. We have performed extensive dosage titration and time course analysis for multiple cytokines (SCF, TPO, Flt-3, IL-3, IL-6, Ang-1, SDF-1α, TGF-β, and BMP-4) and signaling pathways (ERK, Akt, p38MAPK, Jak-Stat, TGF-β/BMP-Smad) in murine KSL BM cells. The activation intensity and the duration of signal activity as measured by the expression of corresponding phosphorylated proteins were cytokine specific. The obtained results can be used as a platform to explore signaling alterations in distinct compartments of the hematopoietic system, and may provide mechanistical insights for observed bone marrow defects (e.g impaired ERK signaling pathway has been detected as a possible cause of hematopoietic defects in Caspase-3 mutant murine HSCs, Janzen et al, Cell Stem Cell 2008). Furthermore, we could show that the technique is also applicable to human BM cells and that the human hematopoietic stem cell marker CD34 is also preserved by our fixation and permeabilization protocol. Preliminary results suggest that cytokines induce similar signaling activation in human CD34 + BM cells collected from healthy donors. As observed in mouse KSL BM cells, stimulation of human CD34 + cells with human stem cell factor (hSCF) induced activation of the ERK but not the Akt pathway. Ongoing experiments analyse the stimulatory effects of other cytokines such as thrombopoietin (TPO) and fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt-3) and their corresponding pathways. Moreover, comparative studies are underway analyzing cross-reactivity between mouse and human cytokines, aiming to provide insights into cytokine-induced biases in commonly used xenotransplantation models.
Total external ophthalmoplegia was observed in five patients consequent to the oral or intravenous administration of phenytoin. Coincident with the ophthalmoplegia, the state of consciousness varied from drowsiness to coma and the blood levels of phenytoin ranged from 36 to 55 μg per milliliter. Initially, the eyes were fixed in midposition, and oculocephalic and oculovestibular stimulation failed to evoke either horizontal or vertical eye movements. The return of vestibulo-ocular responsiveness lagged behind the return of consciousness and other reflex activity. The mechanism underlying this ophthalmoplegia may be related to the ability of phenytoin to potentiate inhibitory synapses in the vestibulo-oculomotor pathway which utilize gamma aminobutyric acid, and to increase the discharge rate of Purkinje cells which exert an inhibitory influence on the same structures.
In The Critique of Dialectical Reason (CDR), Sartre presents a the ory of groups which he thinks provides a foundation for authentic political community that is comprised of positive and constructive social relations. If his theory provides this foundation then it must apply to non-group settings, too. The problem is that Sartre does not provide an account for how his theory applies in non-group set tings. I believe that if we apply Michel Foucault's theoretical con structions of power, subjectivity, and freedom to this problem we can begin to provide such an account. If we make explicit underly ing dynamics of power in our social relations, we can actualize Sartre's goal of genuine reciprocity between individuals in non group settings. We can also improve upon Sartre's theory in the group situation itself. In Being and Nothingness (BN), Sartre's pessimistic picture of social relations occurs within the context of the individual's project to be the objective foundation of his own subjectivity, i.e., "God." Yet Sartre argues toward the end of BN that this project may be replaced by a new project in which an ethics of authentic existence requires our search for freedom to always include the freedom of others.1 If so, then the mutual objectification that gives rise to con flict and hostility can be replaced by reciprocal cooperation and con structive social relations.
DRM is a technique for preventing an illegal use of digital contents such as streaming media. ISMA 1.0 is a standard for implementing MPEG-4 streaming media in the Internet, while ISMACryp 1.0 adds cryptographic mechanisms for enabling DRM to the ISMA standard. Since ISMACryp 1.0 satisfies requirements for Internet streaming and copyright protection, it is appropriate for playing DRM-enabled digital contents on the Internet. The digital contents to which ISMACryp 1.0 is applied can be replayed both in the IP set-top box and personal computer. The IP set-top box is a device that is subsidiary to television for various broadcasting services, and is expected as an essential element in a home networking environments. Nowadays, it is a trend to make the IP set-top box as a multi purpose device that is vary similar to personal computer. We could also prospect that the IP set-top box replaces the personal computer as a major client system for streaming services. We design and implement the secure DRM client system for playing ISMACryp-enabled digital contents. Especially, we develop the lightweight SecureDB and SecureDB Daemon for protecting sensitive information such as cryptographic keys. We also apply them to the commercialized embedded Linux IP set-top box for enabling the secure contents distribution system.
Epidemiological studies suggest that glucocorticoid excess in the fetus may contribute to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. However, the impact of maternal glucocorticoid on the cardiovascular system of the offspring has not been much explored in studies involving humans, especially in childhood. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of maternal cortisol concentrations on child arterial elasticity. One hundred and thirty pregnant women followed from 1997 to 2000, and respective children 5–7 years of age followed from 2004 to 2006 were included in the study. Maternal cortisol was determined in saliva by an enzyme immunoassay utilizing the mean concentration of nine samples of saliva. Arterial elasticity was assessed by the large artery elasticity index (LAEI; the capacitive elasticity of large arteries) by recording radial artery pulse wave, utilizing the equipment HDI/PulseWave CR-2000 Cardiovascular Profiling System®. The nutritional status of the children was determined by the body mass index (BMI). Insulin concentration was assessed by chemiluminescence, and insulin resistance by the homeostasis model assessment. Blood glucose, total cholesterol and fractions (LDL-c and HDL-c) and triglyceride concentrations were determined by automated enzymatic methods. The association between maternal cortisol and child arterial elasticity was assessed by multivariate linear regression analysis. There was a statistically significant association between maternal cortisol and LAEI (P = 0.02), controlling for birth weight, age, BMI and HDL-c of the children. This study suggests that exposure to higher glucocorticoid concentrations in the prenatal period is associated to lower arterial elasticity in childhood, an earlier cardiovascular risk marker.
Background: A hypothenar perforator free flap, which is harvested from the palm, is suitable for reconstruction of a finger pulp skin defect, but this flap has rarely been reported, and most of these flaps in previous published reports were designed on the proximal zone of the hypothenar area. In the present report, hypothenar perforator free flaps on the distal zone, namely distal hypothenar perforator free flaps, including two sensate flaps, were used for four cases with pulp defects. Methods: Four distal hypothenar perforator free flaps were used for four patients with skin defects of the finger pulp, including one thumb, two index fingers, and one little finger. The average period from the injury to reconstruction was 30.3 days (range 21 to 47 days). The age of the patients ranged from 49 to 68 years, and the flap size ranged from 18 × 30 to 25 × 45 mm2. Two cutaneous branches of the ulnar palmar digital nerve of the little finger were harvested for the sensate flaps. At final follow-up, sensory restoration of the flap was measured using the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test and the static two-point discrimination test. Results: All donor sites were closed directly, and all flaps survived totally. The average postoperative period was 12 months (range 5 to 15 months). The Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test was all blue (3.61, 3.22, 3.61) for the three flaps followed-up for more than 12 months, including two sensate flaps and one insensate flap. The surgical scars were inconspicuous, and there were no donor site complications. Conclusions: We consider that a distal hypothenar perforator free flap has a high degree of usability for a medium-sized defect such as the whole finger pulp. In the future, whether sensory nerve branches of this flap should be sutured will need to be clarified.
This article deals with the efficiency of rectification columns which is often measured by the value of tray efficiency or single height of packing. The analysis of the factors influencing the efficiency of the rectification process was provided. This article shows that the commonly used Murphree efficiency factor in most cases estimates the efficiency trays and packing of the rectification process with a large error.
Diffusion of innovation policies are aimed at spreading specific new technologies throughout the industrial structure of a country, facilitating its ongoing and incremental adaptation to change. Nevertheless, economic literature on technology policies has focused predominantly on policies of generation, underestimating the effects of policy interventions in the diffusion process. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to identify the policies able to support the diffusion of an innovation by analysing the studies that specifically rely on the topic and to provide a theoretical framework that links the policies to support the dissemination of an innovation to the barriers that hinder the diffusion of a new technology among a community of adopters. The framework gives a comprehensive view of diffusion of innovation policy and provides useful suggestions for policy makers.
This paper presents 13 hypotheses regarding the specific behavioral abilities that emerged at key milestones during the 600-million-year phylogenetic history from early bilaterians to extant humans. The behavioral, intellectual, and cognitive faculties of humans are complex and varied: we have abilities as diverse as map-based navigation, theory of mind, counterfactual learning, episodic memory, and language. But these faculties, which emerge from the complex human brain, are likely to have evolved from simpler prototypes in the simpler brains of our ancestors. Understanding the order in which behavioral abilities evolved can shed light on how and why our brains evolved. To propose these hypotheses, I review the available data from comparative psychology and evolutionary neuroscience.
A novel stochastic system model with multiple Markovian processes for networkedcontrol system (NCS) is developed as a two chains Markovian jump linear system.By using an active sampling method, random time delays are reshaped into shorttime delays which are less than one sampling period such that the structure ofthe augmented discrete-time model becomes straightforward. Based on Lyapunovapproach, sufficient conditions for the stochastic stability of the networkedcontrol system are derived and mode-dependent controller is designed in termsof linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) to overcome the adverse influences of stochastictime delays and packet dropouts encountered in network-based distributedreal-time control. Gridding approach is introduced to guarantee the solvabilityof the LMIs with finite jump modes. A numerical example is given to illustratethe effectiveness of the proposed method.
Zusammenfassung Die vorliegenden Empfehlungen der internationalen Beckwith-Wiedemann-Syndrom (BWS/BWSp)-Konsensus-Gruppe stellen einen Rahmen für die Verbesserung der Diagnostik und der klinischen Begleitung bei Patienten des BWSp dar. Hierbei ist den komplexen genetischen Basismechanismen und den variablen Multisystem-Phänotypen des BWSp dahingehend Rechnung zu tragen, dass ein verantwortlicher klinischer Ansprechpartner die notwendige Koordination der unterschiedlichen Aspekte für den einzelnen Patienten übernimmt. Die vorgeschlagenen diagnostischen und medizinischen Empfehlungen sollen hierbei praktikabel und kosten-effektiv gestaltet sein. Nichtsdestotrotz sind auf dem Hintergrund der sehr unterschiedlichen Gesundheitssysteme und medizinrechtlichen Vorgaben weitere Datenerhebungen wichtig, um tatsächlich auf lange Sicht die besten Strategien, z. B. in der Tumorfrüherkennnung, allgemein gültig empfehlen zu können. Daher müssen die hier gegebenen Konsensus-Empfehlungen im Rahmen prospektiver Studien evaluiert und weiteren zukünftigen Konsensus-Initiativen zur Evidenz-basierten Überprüfung vorgelegt werden.
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A directed rooted tree refers to a directed tree which has one vertex with out-degree 0 and all the other vertices with out-degree 1. ZHANG Fu-ji et al. define a multiplication operation between multiple directed rooted trees (denoted by ) and points out that the multiplication operation of finite directed rooted trees is also a directed rooted tree. In this paper,the authors extend this operation to multiple directed rooted trees and prove the closeness of the (operation) on the set of multiple directed rooted trees. In addition,they prove that the multiplication operation of finite multiple directed rooted trees is a directed rooted trees if and only if these multiple directed rooted trees are all directed rooted trees. Furthermore,they calculate the number of the components as well as the tree-width and tree-height of each of such components.
I T IS ESTIMATED that premenstrual tension accounts for female job absenteeism of from 7 to 9 million days per year, with an annual wage loss of about $3~ billion per year. For centuries, women have stoically accepted premenstrual tension as part of their heritage. The distressing build-up of physical and psychological symptoms that occurs every month just before the menstrual period has been viewed as "woman's lot," as "woman's nature." Women may have received sympathy from the medical profession, but not much more. Only in recent years have the cyclical premenstrual troubles that afHict a goodly portion of the female population been scientifically investigated. A significant percentage of marital quarrels and severe emotional conflicts between women and their children occur during the premenstrual period. Studies of both female juvenile delinquents and adult female criminals suggest that their destructive activity is at a height during
This article has two main objectives. Firstly, to portray the diverse collaborative photography and video experiences in Anthropology. Secondly, to contextualize and share the results of recent research on participatory photography projects promoted by documentary photography collectivities. To this end, I have focused on pioneering works and authors who have tested these methodologies with children and adolescents who are the subject of my fieldwork. This research, which is at a commencing stage, aims to establish synergies with other professionals and therefore establish theories and collaborations in regards to future applied research projects through the use of audiovisual media.
Corn for green mass represents o source for succulent fodder, especially during the dry periods in summer and fall. The research was conducted in order to establish the most productive corn hybrid, the cultivation technique and the optimal fertilization. As biological material we used Fundulea 376 and Fundulea 322 hybrids, sewed in pure culture, mixed with soybean on same rows and on alternative rows (4 corn rows – 4 soybean rows). Bigger productions resulted for Fundulea 322 hybrid, sewed in alternative rows with soybean, fertilized with manure 30 t/ha + complex fertilizer 100 – 200 kg/ha (11,4 – 12,6 t/ha d.s. for Fundulea 322). The highest protein content and the lowest cellulose content was registered when cultivating the mixture on same rows, for both hybrids, fertilized with 30 t/ha + complex fertilizer 200 kg/ha (16,02 % PB and 24,35 % CB for Fundulea 376, respective 16,70 % PB and 23,55 % CB for Fundulea 322). We recommend, for the target area, the Fundulea 322 corn hybrid, sewed in mixture with soybean.
Wireless communication systems, such as wireless sensor networks and RFIDs, are increasingly adopted to transfer potential highly sensitive information. Since the wireless medium has a sharing nature, adversaries have a chance to eavesdrop confidential information from the communication systems. Adding artificial noises caused by friendly jammers emerges as a feasible defensive technique against adversaries. This paper studies the schedule strategies of friendly jammers, which are randomly and redundantly deployed in a circumscribed geographical area and can be unrechargeable or rechargeable, to maximize the lifetime of the jammer networks and prevent the cracking of jamming effect made by the eavesdroppers, under the constraints of geographical area, energy consumption, transmission power, and threshold level. An approximation algorithm as baseline is first proposed using the integer linear programming model. To further reduce the computational complexity, a heuristic algorithm based on the greedy strategy that less consumption leads to longer lifetime is also proposed. Finally, extensive simulation results show that the proposed algorithms are effective and efficient.
OBJECTIVE To assess and document the development of open-set speech recognition in congenitally deaf children implanted with the Nucleus multichannel cochlear prosthesis at < 5 years of age.   STUDY DESIGN The study group consisted of 38 consecutively chosen children in whom the decision to proceed with implantation had already been made.   PATIENTS AND SETTING Congenitally profoundly deaf children were implanted with the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implant at < 5 years of age and followed at NYU Medical Center for a period of 1-5 years.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Open-set speech perception was evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively using the following: the Glendonald Auditory Screening Procedure (GASP) word subset, the GASP sentence subtest, Phonetically Balanced Kindergarten monosyllabic word lists, Common Phrases test, Multisyllabic Lexical Neighborhood test, and Lexical Neighborhood test.   RESULTS Correlation coefficients were calculated between scores at each interval and age at implantation; one-way analyses of variance were performed independently. Results showed that all subjects had significant open-set speech recognition at the time of the last postoperative evaluation. Thirty-seven of the children use oral language as their sole means of communication.   CONCLUSIONS Multichannel cochlear implants provide significant and usable open-set speech perception in congenitally deaf children given implants at < 5 years of age.
The development of ski touring and snow shoeing has led to an increasing human presence in mountains in wintertime. Wintertime is a difficult time for wildlife, due to rough weather conditions that cause animals difficulty to move and higher energy expenditure at a time where food is scarce. Yet, territory managers have very few data concerning the perception of wildlife by visitors. In addition, their impact (extensive travelling, displacement of feeding and resting areas) on wildlife is difficult to quantify. A research program has been led on the Bauges mountain range in order to deal with these issues. As local managers became interested in the impact of winter recreational activities, the Regional Natural Park got involved in the campaign « Respect to Protect » to promote a more respectful visitor behaviour. Thus, a partnership was set up with EDYTEM lab in order to get a better understanding about these visitors, their types of practice and their perceptions.
A portable hand held hidden substance detector has been developed and manufactured. Neutrons from a californium-252 source are emitted through the front face of the Compact Integrated Narcotics Detection Instrument (CINDI) and penetrate dense compartment materials with little change in energy, but are backscattered by hydrogen rich materials such as drugs. These backscattered neutrons can be readily detected. CINDI incorporates a highly sensitive detection scheme which permits the use of weak radioactive sources for safety without compromising detectability. CINDI is able to detect hydrogen-dense materials most effectively directly behind panels made of steel, wood, fiberglass, or even lead-lined materials. This makes it useful for inspecting marine vessels, ship bulkheads, automobiles, structure walls, or small sealed containers. The present CINDI version selectively detects hydrogen rich substances only. The new technique will detect both neutrons and gamma rays simultaneously. The backscatter mechanism of gamma rays and neutrons are sufficiently different that they complement each other and lead to a higher likelihood of identifying the concealed material.
PURPOSE:To evaluate the surgical effects on sagittal maxillary growth in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate(UCLP).METHODS:A total of 30 nonsyndromic UCLP patients with cleft lip repair were included in this study. 15 of them were with mixed dentition and 15 with permanent dentition.Cephalograms were traced and compared with those UCLP patients who underwent repair of cleft lip and palate(15 cases and 18 cases)as well as normal individuals. The data were statistically analyzed with SPSS11.0 software package for ANOVA.RESULTS:The UCLP patients with cleft lip repair in mixed dentition showed reduce anterior-posterior length of the maxilla,while those with repaired cleft lip and palate showed both short and retruded maxilla.In adult UCLP patients with cleft lip repair in permanent dentition,a retruded maxilla was noted,while those with repaired cleft lip and palate showed both short and retruded maxilla. CONCLUSION:Early surgical repair of the cleft lip and/or palate may have negative effects on maxillary growth.
A 67-year-old man underwent surgery under general anaesthesia to obtain a biopsy from a tumour in the left maxillary sinus. Before the procedure a mucosal detumescence containing epinephrine and cocaine was applied onto the nasal mucosa. Shortly after termination of anaesthesia the patient developed tachycardia and an abrupt rise in blood pressure followed by a drop to critical levels. The patient turned pale and clammy but denied chest pain at any time. An ECG showed inferolateral ST-segment elevation, and troponin T was elevated at 0.773 ng/mL. An acute coronary angiography demonstrated normal coronary arteries; however, left ventriculography showed apical ballooning of the left ventricle, and the diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy was made. This was confirmed by a subsequent transthoracic echocardiography. Four days later the patient had complete resolution of the symptoms, and a new echocardiography showed normalisation of the left ventricular systolic function with no signs of apical ballooning.
On November 27, 2007, a local health officer in central Massachusetts contacted the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to report listeriosis in a man aged 87 years. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) performed on the patient's Listeria monocytogenes isolate produced a pattern indistinguishable from that of isolates from three other cases identified in residents of central Massachusetts in June, October, and early November 2007. MDPH, in collaboration with local public health officials, conducted an investigation, which implicated pasteurized, flavored and nonflavored, fluid milk produced by a local dairy (dairy A) as the source of the outbreak. This report summarizes the results of that investigation. In all, five cases were identified, and three deaths occurred. This outbreak illustrates the potential for contamination of fluid milk products after pasteurization and the difficulty in detecting outbreaks of L. monocytogenes infections.
Business process reengineering (BPR) has been discussed over 20 years. Nowadays, social media is widely used by companies in doing business. It plays the role to influence business processes. This thesis aims to answer the question: “How does social media change the major business processes?” The prior research in the disciplines of BPR and social media is reviewed first. Based on the literature, a framework used to illustrate the influence of social media on business processes and degrees is developed. In the framework, four types of communication (firm-to-customer communication, customer-to-firm communication, internal-firm communication, and customer-to-customer communication) are discussed in four main business processes (marketing/sales, services, product, and personnel.) Finnair, because of its activity of using social media, is introduced in detail as an example. The story of Finnair using social media supports the framework. The relationship between BPR and social media is found that is medium.
The complexes-AOCF-Fe(Ⅲ)was prepared by the reaction of Fe3+ with the fiber containing amidoxime groups(AOCF).This fiber was then used for the adsorption of Reactive Yellow K-6G,with the influences of adsorption temperature,time,pH value,and adsorption Kinetics ware studied.The results show that the optimum conditions of the adsorption are as follows:T=40℃,pH=2.0 and t=2h.The saturated capacity of the dye is 593mg/g;the adsorption action is monolayer and the adsorption kinetics accorded with the character of the second order reaction.
Land use change is a  major factor in alterations in natural processes and cycles. Remote sensing has  become an excellent tool to evaluate technological changes in land cover and  land use changes over large areas, such as those occurring in the Valley of San  Luis Potosi (VSLP). Here, such changes have impacted a system which is 95%  dependent on the aquifer. The methodology for the present study is based on the  use of satellite images for the years 1976, 1986, 1995 and 2000. To asses land  use change, a supervised classification process was used with a decision tree  technique and ENVI 4.3 software. The evolution of groundwater levels for the  years 1977, 1986, 1995, 1998 and 2007 was also analyzed, as well as problems of  subsidence and fissuring in the urban area of the valley in 2006. With the  support of remote sensing, it was possible to analyze the dynamic changes in  land use over large areas and highlight their impact on the environment.
We arereporting thephysical location ofparental DNA sequences in28 recombinants produced bycrossing herpes simplex viruses (HSV)1and2.The parental crosses wereoftwokinds. Inthefirst, temperature-sensitive mutants ofHSV-1andHSV-2werecrossed toproduce wild-type recombinants. Inthe second, temperature-sensitive mutants ofHSV-1rendered resistant tophosphonoacetic acid werecrossed withwild-type HSV-2, andrecombinants thatmultiplied atnonpermissive temperature andwereresistant tothedrugwereselected. TheDNAsoftherecombinants weremapped withXbaI, EcoRI, HpaI, HsuI, BglII, and,insomeinstances, KpnIrestriction endonucleases. Theresults wereasfollows. (i)We established thecolinear arrangements ofHSV-1and HSV-2DNAs.(ii) Therewasextensive interchange ofgenomic regions, ranging fromtheexchange ortheentire LofScomponent ofHSVDNA tosubstitutions ofregions within thesamecomponent. Insomerecombinants, thereiterated sequences abandacbracketing theL andScomponents ofHSV DNA were heterotypic. Mostrecombinants grewwellandshowed noobvious defects. (iii) Thenumberofcrossover events ranged fromonetoasmanyassix.Although crossover events occurred throughout theDNA,someclustering ofcrossover events wasobserved. (iv) Analysis ofrecombinants permitted localization of several markers usedinthisstudyandappears tobeauseful technique for marker mapping. (v)Aspreviously reported, HSVDNA consists offour populations, differing inrelative orientation oftheLandScomponents. Allrecombinants could bedisplayed inonearrangement ofLandSsuchthatthenumberof crossover events wasminimized. Thedataareconsistent withthehypothesis that only onearrangement oftheparental DNA participates inthegeneration of recombinants. Inthis paper wereport ontheDNA structure andproperties ofrecombinants produced betweenherpes simplex viruses (humanherpesvirus, HSV)1and2.Pertinent tothedesign andpurpose ofthese studies arethefollowing.
The ecological corridor plays an active role in the city.While as the non-development land,there are no guidelines and regulations on the plan of the corridor plan.With the rapid expansion of cities,the strong demand for land increases the pressure on the environmental load of the ecological corridor,and the contradiction between absolute protection and the utilization in reality is growing.It is an important issue for current planning and management that how to make appropriate use of urban ecological corridor in a scientific and reasonable way.
PURPOSE: To apply vibrations in three-dimensional directions,by possessing a static pressure bearing having spherical static pressure bearing, and a static pressure bearing provided to permit movement in the axial direction. CONSTITUTION: When vibrating a vibration table 2 in direction X, since a static pressure beaing 10 at a static pressure joint part 6 at a horizontal vibator 4 and a vertical vibrator 5 permits movement of each shaft 7 in direction X, when a horizontal vibrator 3 is driven, the vibration table 2 may be vibrated in direction X. When vibrating the vibration table 2 in direction Y, since a static pressure bearing 13 at the static pressure joint 6 at the horizontal vibrator 3 and vertical vibrator 5 permits movement of each shaft 8 in direction Y, when the horizontal vibrator 4 is driven, the vibration table 2 may be vibrated in direction Y. COPYRIGHT: (C)1979,JPO&Japio
Introduction- Jaundice in pregnancy is an important medical disorder, more commonly seen in developing countries than developed ones. It has multi-factorial etiology. All liver diseases occurring during pregnancy can lead to increased maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Objective- To study the maternal and fetal outcome in pregnant patients with jaundice Method- It was a hospital based clinical study. It was a cross sectional study. 170 cases were studied. Patients were followed till delivery to study the maternal, fetal and neonatal outcome. Result- Incidence of jaundice was 0.68% per year. Both maternal and fetal complications are very high with jaundice in pregnancy. Conclusion- Jaundice in pregnancy is a grave combination. It affects both fetal and maternal outcome. The most common cause of jaundice was viral hepatitis. Viral hepatitis due to HEV has grave prognosis. There is a high risk of preterm delivery, fetal distress and IUFD. Early diagnosis and timely management of pregnancy at tertiary care center helps in reducing maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
The self-lift derrick is an important part of the offshore drilling rig modules.In order to produce and test the products,to draw derrick strain,stress values,lifting the bottom reliability and therefore verify whether the actual carrying capacity indicators to achieve design requirements in turn to verify the derrick design and assembly.The Panyu 4-2/5-1 derrick design was optimized on the forms and structures by a professional software SAFI modeling analysis and become more high-quality economic product.
A field experiment was conducted during 1999–2000 to 2001–2002 at Sabour, Bhagalpur, to diversify traditional rice (Oryza sativa L.)-wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend, Firoi & Paol.) cropping system. Among the rice-based-crop sequences tested, rice-potato (Solarium tuberosum L)–onion (Allium cepa L.) gave the highest rice-equivalent yield (26.94 tonnes/ha/year), net returns (Rs 65,573/ha) and production efficiency (81.6 kg/ha/day), followed by rice-potato-sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) having corresponding values of 23.92 tonnes/ha/year, Rs 61,533/ha and 80.6 kg/ha/day. Rice yields after green-manuring or fodder crops were higher than those after gram crops including greengram (Phaseolus radiatus L.). The highest benefit: cost ratio of 1:47 was noted in rice-berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum L.)-maize (Zea mays L.) + cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp.] both grown for fodder Rice-maize + greengram system had the highest land-use efficiency (96.8%). Rice-po-tato-onion required the highest energy inputs (69.90 x 103 MJ/ha), resulting in the lowest energy-use efficiency (2.46), whereas rice-potato-sunflower produced the highest output energy (205.71 x 103 MJ/ha). Green-manuring of Sesbania aculeata during summer improved organic carbon, available N, P2O5 and K2O level of soil.
The synthesis of the title compound ([C28H22ClN2] ClO4) has been synthesized and its structure was determined by X-ray diffraction. The compound belongs to the monoclinic system,space group P21/n with a = 15.113(5), b = 8.616(3), c = 19.556(7)(°A), β = 92.562(7)°, Z = 4, V=2544(2)(°A)3, Mr= 521.38, Dc = 1.361 g/cm3, F(000) = 1080, μ = 0.293 mm-1, the final R = 0.0580and wR = 0.0788 (I ＞ 2σ(I)). The structure was solved by direct methods and refined by full-matrix least-squares techniques. X-ray analysis revealed that there exist four ring planes of 10H-indolium,pyridinium, p-chlorophenyl and indolyl in the molecule, of which the pyridinium ring forms a conjugated system with the p-chlorophenyl plane. According to the molecular structure of the title compound, it is presumed that the synthetic reaction may undergo the processes of C-addition,cyclization and aromatization.
Aim: The aim of the Quality Improvement project, funded by the Health Foundation, was to further evaluate the Congenital Heart Assessment Tool (CHAT) and to implement quality improvements in the tool, creating a second version called CHAT2.    Methods: This poster will present evaluation of CHAT2 (within THF project) by parents and health care professionals (HCP), led by Dr Kerry Gaskin, through a clinical simulation exercise with HCPs at the University of Worcester (20th/22nd June 2017) and a focus group with parents during a workshop at the Little Hearts Matter Open Day (17th March 2018). Participants’ experiences relating to the feasibility, acceptability and usability of the CHAT2 were explored by using the clinical scenarios to role play situations where parents and HCPs would need to use the CHAT2. The clinical scenarios with HCPs were video recorded with and audio recorded with parents. Participants were asked to feedback at the end of the scenarios (verbally and written), evaluating the CHAT2 for ease of use and suggestions for implementation in practice.    Findings: Four themes emerged from the data analysis including: Suggestions for improved documentation; Aspects to consider during preparation and in dialogue with parents; Preparation of health care professionals; Communication    Conclusions: The project team need to focus on the preparation of a toolkit for HCPs so that everyone knows how to use the CHAT2. The toolkit needs structure to indicate how and when CHAT2 should be used before discharge as well as creating a standard discharge pack for centres to use nationally.
AIM:To assess the periodontal conditions of pregnant women and evaluate the effect variables on such periodontal status in Wuhan city.METHODS:A population-based,cross-sectional study was carried out in Hubei Maternal and Child Health Hospital.The samples were consisted of 1 009 pregnant women.Who were chosen randomly by the rule of the admittance.The information related to pregnancy was collected through a questionnaire.Women were given periodontal examination.The result was analyzed with chi-square test and Logistic regression analysis.RESULTS:The result showed that the gingivitis and periodontitis were diagnosed in 74.8% and 37.2% separately of these women.There was statistically significance between pregnant women's socio-demographic condition and their oral health care.By the Logistic regression analysis,we found that the odds ratio(OR)of older than 30 years having periodontitis was 1.6.The pregnant women who haven't got the college education were prone to having gingivitis with OR of 1.4.The OR of middle or low level of income pregnant women having gingivitis were 1.5 and 2.1separately,having periodontitis of 1.1 and 1.7separately.The pregnant women who haven't seen the dentists last one year before pregnancy were prone to having gingivitis and periodontitis with OR 2.3 and 2.1 separately.The OR of pregnant women who had systemic diseases before and during pregnancy having gingivitis and periodontitis were 1.8 and 2.2 separately.The OR of smoking and drinking pregnant women having periodontitis were 3.8 and 1.6 separately.CONCLUSION:The prevalence rate of periodontal disease was increased during the pregnant women with increased age,lower level of education and monthly pay,an absence of oral health care,even having systemic disease.We must pay more attention to these pregnant women's oral health care.
This study aims to: 1) Develop multimedia based interactive teaching materials as a medium of learning in subjects KKPI in SMK Negeri 3 Medan, 2) Determine the feasibility of interactive multimedia based teaching materials as a medium of learning in subjects KKPI in SMK Negeri 3 Medan.  This was a research and development study by using a model research procedures Borg & Gall. The development of interactive multimedia based teaching materials, consists of 4 stages, namely: 1) Needs Analysis, 2) Design Learning, 3) design development, 4) Product Testing and Revision. Determination of the feasibility of interactive multimedia based teaching materials based on test validation and testing experts to students and continued to test effectiveness. How to determine the validation sample with expert technique and a purposive sample for testing samples that the students of class XI KA1 respectively as 36 students using random sampling techniques.  The results of the assessment carried out by experts material consisting of teachers KKPI SMK Negeri 3 Medan and lecturer STMIK Guna Dharma average of 87.23%, which is included in the excellent category. The results of expert evaluation of these materials can be interpreted that the instructional materials in the classroom teaching interactive multimedia CD categorized as very good or worthy. The results of the assessment carried out by media experts on average 83.57%, including the very good category. Like wise, the instructional design expert assessment results, both experts gave an average rating 81.07%, including in the category of very good or worthy. Further assessment of the percentage of students obtained in field trials was 93.45%, also can dintepretasikan that interactive multimedia based teaching materials included in the category of very good or worthy. Test results on the effectiveness of classroom trials succeeded in increasing the value of 62.83 to 85, an increase of 35.29%.  Overall, based on expert assessment of materials, design experts and media experts as well as the test results and test the effectiveness of the student, it can be concluded that the interactive multimedia teaching materials based on the instructional class XI KA 1 SMK Negeri 3 Medan fit for use and more effective in improving outcomes student learning.
Selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides(NO x ) from diesel engine exhausts in presence of water vapour over metaloxide and perovskite |ZSM |5 catalysts using ammonia as a reductant have been studied. Zeolite ZSM |5(Si/Al=20) is a poor catalyst for the reduction of NO x with ammonia in presence of O -2 , but when loaded with metals like Cu, Fe, Cr and Ni, it behaves as active catalysts for NO x  |reduction. Cu/ZSM |5 shows higher activity than other metal/ZSM |5 catalysts, both with and without water vapour. It is observed that NO x  |conversion has dropped in presence of water vapour, while the selectivity to N -2 increase. But Cu/ZSM |5 is an exception, its activity does not drop, but slightly increases. Peroviskites, such as LaFeO -3/ZSM |5, LaCoO -3/ZSM |5 and LaNiO -3/ZSM |5, prepared by coprecipitation and coated on cordierite honeycomb, show high activity for NO x  |reduction and low N -2O formation, indicating high selectivity to N -2. Especially in presence of water vapour, the by |product, N -2O, is hardly formed. This is very advantageous of NO x selective catalytic reduction, for the by |product, N -2O can be formed over many effective catalysts. It is probable, that according to synergetic effect, the two catalysts, Cu/ZSM |5 and LaFeO -3/ZSM |5, may be combined into one efficient catalyst, Cu |LaFeO -3/ZSM |5, which may possess high activity, anti |water property and high selectivity.
Objective To understand the prevalence of Keshan disease(KD) in Sichuan and provide evidence for the prevention and treatment of KD.Method Based on the uniform surveillance program,the residents who were 3-70 years old in 12 counties including Mianning,Xichang and Dazhu were surveyed.The factors potentially related with KD were also surveyed.Results Totally 8 198 residents in 12 surveillance sites were surveyed.Sixty nine cases were detected(0.84%),including 25 chronic cases(0.30%) and 44 latent cases(0.54%).No acute and sub-acute cases were detected.The average selenium level of hair was 0.3067 mg/kg.The rate of the food with selenium level 0.01 mg/kg was 50.8%.Conclusions The detection rate of KD was low in Sichuan in 2009,and the detection rates of selenium in Hair and food were also low.
The present study was developed at the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, with the objective of finding an alternative of practical nature, economic and easy execution that allows soybean conservation during relatively short periods of time. Different treatments given to soybean seeds were evaluated in order to extend its conservation period with high potential of germination. The evaluated treatments considered seeds from three sowing times, two varieties, three storing periods (six, nine and 12 months), two types of containers, two storage conditions (air-conditioning and natu- ral conditions) and the addition or not of a national product destined for grain conservation in general. As main criterion to evaluate the effect of treatments on seed quality after a storing period (six or nine or 12 months), it was determined by speed and seed germinability at 48, 72 and 96 hours and root biomass production at 120 hours. It was possible to establish the high benefit that represents seed storing in controlled- climate chambers. Also, it was appreciated that the hermetically sealed containers were essential in the case that seed was stored under environmental conditions, which is important to take into account for a more effective material preservation. Seeds stored on Dec-January, that is, in summer seeding could be stored for a year; with regard to the rest of the seasons, it can not be possible to get to that storing period under the conditions used.
Objective To investigate the change of surgical treatment and the difference of prognosis in patients with severe acute pancreatitis in the past 30 years. Methods The clinical data of 216 patients with severe acute pancreatitis in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between 1981 and 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The treatment therapy for severe acute pancreatitis was summarized. Results There were no significant differences in sex, age, etiology or the interval from initiation of disease to hospital admission between different periods (1981-1990, 1991-2000 and 2001-2010, all P0.05). The interval from initiation of disease to operation was the shortest during the period of 1981-1990 and longest during the period of 1991-2000 (all P0.05). The frequency of surgery is the highest during the period of 1981-1990 and lowest during the period of 1991-2000 (all P0.05). Continuous venous hemofiltration, minimally invasive puncture and drainage, and early enteral nutrition were more frequently used in the period of 2001-2010 than ever before. As compared with the period of 1981-1990 and 1991-2000, total parenteral nutrition and hospital stay were significantly shortened, and the incidence of organ failure and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and in-hospital mortality were significantly decreased during the period of 2001-2010 (all P0.05). Conclusion The treatment for severe acute pancreatitis has exeperienced the surgical regime, non-surgical regime and multi-disciplinary treatment regime from 1981 to 2010 in China, and the prognosis of patients is significantly improved. It contributes greatly to the improvement of clinical technique and elucidation of mechanism.
Abstract Data on attrition due to mortality or loss tofollow-up (LTFU) from antiretroviral therapy(ART) eligibility to ART initiation of HIV-infected children are scarce. The aim of thisstudy is to describe attrition before ART initia-tion of 247 children who were eligible for ARTin a cohort study in India. Multivariable analy-sis was performed using competing riskregression. The cumulative incidence of attri-tion was 12.6% (95% confidence interval, 8.7-17.3) after five years of follow-up, and the attri-tion rate was higher during the first monthsafter ART eligibility. Older children (>9 years)had a lower mortality risk before ART initiationthan those aged 3 months in care beforeART eligibility were less likely to be LTFU. The12-month risk of AIDS, which was calculatedusing the absolute CD4 cell count and age, wasstrongly associated with mortality. A substan-tial proportion of ART-eligible children died orwere LTFU before the initiation of ART. Thesefindings can be used in HIV programmes todesign actions aimed at reducing the attritionof ART-eligible children in India.
This essay is a study of another characteristic of the Pascal Triangle and the computing skills with the help of MATLAB,which discovered the relationship of the Pascal Triangle,found another characteristic of the Pascal Triangle,concluded the law of this characteristic and proved it true.Some special characteristics on solving Matrix's computing of MATLAB have been given,it is found that it's able to realize the Toss Value of the new characteristic with a very skillful way to run the high efficient computing on the lab of programming computing.It's far easier than it in language C and it can show the Toss Value of the new characteristic directly.
Objective To assess the efficacy of clinical application of the ultrasound screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants.Methods Between April 2005 and February 2006, 720 infants were referred to our department because of suspected hip instability or recognized at-risk factor.All infants had been investigated by ultrasound and clinical examination with Ortolani/Barlow test.Results There were 13 positive clinical hips in the 720 infants(0.9%).One of five infants with family history had abnormal hips.Sixteen infants had sonographic abnormal hips(2.2%).The signifi- cant difference in a angle was noted between below and over 8 weeks age(t=5.438,P0.001).Con- clusions The selected ultrasound screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip in infants is a safe and effective diagnostic method.There are more accurate and less false positive results in screening for over 8-week infants.
This report presents a novel methodology in evaluating performance of the popular on-line multilingual search engine AltaVista. We study some crucial aspects of natural language that usually disrupt translation process and the extend to which it influences retrieval results. Having prepared the test set, we analyze phenomena of an English and French language pair in relation to the strategy of browsing the Web for documents with the features specified in the query. Using Natural Language Processing techniques, we test a Machine Translation system performance in order to improve the translation quality, which in turn has an impact on the results of information retrieval in a language other than the query language.
The article presents the implementation of the results of supporting sectoral entrepreneurship in rural areas as a multifunctional and multi-channel process of formation, attraction, and use of financial resources provided by the rules of the institutional environment of state policy. A methodical approach to the integrated assessment of indicators of the target direction of the involved financial resources of the state and their impact on the development of sectoral entrepreneurship in rural areas is presented. It is proved that the specific criteria that determine the scenarios of consolidation of tax revenues to local rural budgets are minimization of discretion, compensation, and compromise, budget adequacy, complementarities, as well as the sequence of changes in parameters and flexibility of the tax system which allows responding quickly to changes in the institutional environment of state support of sectoral entrepreneurship. Indicators of state support for risk insurance of sectoral entrepreneurship, volumes of accumulated revenues of local budgets in decentralized rural areas of Ukraine are analyzed. A cognitive model is proposed. It determines the hypothetical ability of the multifactorial system of the institutional environment of state policy to influence the level of financial capacity of sectoral enterprises, taking into account the tax burden and targeted use of state financial resources for production, processing, and storage of agricultural products as well as to update the technological process
In the era of knowledge economy, opening to the outside during the technological innovation activities is beneficial to improve knowledge spillovers for enterprises. According to large sample survey, this study aims to analyze the impact mechanism of innovation openness(range, intensity) on knowledge spillover in emerging enterprises, and then focuse on the mediating effect of knowledge absorptive capacity between innovation openness and knowledge spillover. The results show that both of the open range and open intensity have positive effect on knowledge spillovers, and the knowledge absorptive capacity plays a partial mediating role between innovation openness and knowledge spillover.
In the spot welding process, namely process of joining two or more metal plates, there are many factors that must be considered. Welding current, electrical resistance, and the welding time is a major factor in the welding point. These factors may affect the quality of the weld. However, it is possible there are other factors that also affect the quality of the welding, one of which is the welding cycle including the holding time.  This study aims to identify the chemical composition of the metal plate used in welding spot welding and also to observe the influence of currents and holding time physically with macro and micro observations photo area parent metal, HAZ, and weld metal regions. The material used in this study is stainless steel with a thickness of 0.8 mm. The parameters used in this study is the welding current 5 kA, 6 kA, and 7 kA, constant welding time of 0.3 seconds, with a variation of holding time of 1 second, 3 seconds, and 5 seconds.  Test showed that the chemical composition of the material is stainless steel tipe316 included austenite phase. The observation shows that the current macro picture and holding time giving effect to the formation of the weld metal (nugget). The greater the flow and holding time is given, the resulting weld metal increases. On the micro photos observations on the test area of the parent metal, HAZ, and weld metal microstructure did not change, only the grain size and density differences, but these changes are not very significant.
Objective To evaluate the perioperative analgesic effect and safety of intramuscular and oral meloxicam administration on patients underwent spinal surgery.Methods One hundred and eighteen patients underwent spinal surgery, including 37 cases of lumbar interbody fusion,60 of microendoscopic discectomy(MED),14 of tumor resection and 7 of spinal correction,were randomly divided into two groups.For the 58 patients in group A,15 mg meloxicam was administrated intramuscularly once a day from the day before surgery to the 7th day postoperatively,while in group B the 60 patients orally took 15 mg meloxicam once a day for the same period of time as group A.All patients,if needed,unrestrictedly received intravenous analgesic pump,injected or oral opioids after surgery.Data of pain intensity measured by visual analog scale(VAS),frequency of opioids administration and complications were collected on day 1,2,3 and 7 postoperatively,and overall satisfaction was evaluated on the follow-up 1 month after surgery as well.Results The main VAS score in group A was lower than that in group B on the 1st,2nd,3rd and 7th day after surgery(P0.05),while the frequency of opioids administration in group B was higher than that in group A(60%vs 15.5%,P0.05).Seven patients in group B complained nausea or vomiting after surgery,no adverse reactions related to cardiovascular system were observed in both groups.On the follow-up 1 month postoperatively,the incidence of patients with satisfaction for surgery in group A was higher than that in group B(87.5%vs 80.8%,P0.05).Conclusion Perioperative intramuscular meloxicam is an effective method for reducing postoperative pain and opioids consumption in patients undergoing spinal surgery.
Emission factor method was used to estimate the emission of total suspended particulates(TSP),gaseous pollutants such as SO2,NO x,fluoride from the cement industry for Beijing in 2010,an air pollutant emission inventory of cement industry was developed,and spatial and temporal characteristics of the main atmospheric pollutants emission and the contribution of the city's total emission were analyzed. Results showed that NOx pollution of cement industry was much serious,with NO x emissions accounting for 6.72% of the city's total emission. As point source pollution the cement industry has a greater impact on the surrounding air and residents in the local area. ADMS-URBAN model was used to analyze the contribution of concentration of air pollutants,the TSP emission of cement industry contributed 0.100 to 0.169 μg/m3(l h)to ambient air quality,SO 2 emissions contributed 0.028 5 to 0.065 2 μg/m3(l h),NO x emissions contributed to 0.324~0.760 μg/m3(l h),and NO x has greater impact on the air quality.
A new genus, Pseudodicranocentrus , is erected for two species ( circulatus and christianseni ) previously described and placed by the author in the genus Dicranocentrus . The new genus is similar to the latter but differs by the presence of head setae A 1 , Ps, bifurcated prelabral setae, and circularly arranged compound spines on the dental lobe. D. biseriatus n. sp. from Haiti and D. antillensis jamaicensis n. ssp. from Jamaica are described. D. millsi cubensis Mari Mutt 1979 is synonymized to the nominal form. Details are added to the descriptions of the following neotropical Dicranocentrus : antillensis, colombiensis, marias, millsi, nigritus, platensis and schoetti .
ABSTRACT This paper is devoted to an extension of results concerning decompositions of particular almost completely decomposable groups of finite rank studied by Mader and the first author in 1-2 to groups of infinite rank. Thus we obtain asystematic way to consider all decompositions of some fairly large class of torsion-free abelian groups. This will be illustrated discussing all pathological decompositions of Corner's[3] group constructed 40 years ago.
Pipeline construction, as a linear project may result in significant effects on the structure and function of regional ecosystem, however a systematic and effective method to quantitatively evaluate this kind of effects is unavailable until today. In this paper, the Dianshi-Zhumadian branch line of the West-to-East Pipeline Project (WEPP) was chosen as a study area, the landscape pattern change along the pipeline was compared before and after construction based on Landsat TM and ETM+ (2002, 2003) images by using landscape metrics. The results shows that oil pipeline construction activity becomes the direct factor affecting land use changes in the area near the oil pipeline, the construction areas increase by occupying farmland, woodland and grassland, and the influence extent of the construction has an inflection point at the 1500-3000 m buffer zone. The connectivity index (COHESION) is more sensitive to impact of the pipeline construction. Paired T test indicates that no significant difference is found on the landscape indices at patch scale, and the landscape pattern change at 0-300 m buffer zone has a similar trend to the other buffers. At the landscape level, it is difficult to determine whether the construction project have produced effects on the landscape pattern changes alone the project. Based on our study, the method by comparing the significance of the difference between landscape indices both in spatial and temporal scales is useful and effective for quantitative evaluation on the environmental impacts, and it can be used to distinguish the effects of projects from the other sources when the environmental impact assessment is conducted in pipeline project construction. However, it is important to note that the response feature of landscape indices to the impact of pipeline project is different at the patch level and landscape level.
The Chinese materia medica "Nanshasheng" (Radix Adenophorae) specified in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (1995) is the dried root of Adenophora tetraphylla (Thunb.) Fisch. or A. stricta Miq. (Fam. Campanulaceae). Results of an investigation on the botanical origin of the drug showed that the roots of 30 species (subspecies, varieties) of the genus Adenophora are also used in certain districts in China. Thus, it is necessary to study and compare the histological characters of these roots. In this paper, the root structure of 18 species from Sect. Microdiscus are reported, viz. Adenophora brevidiscifera Hong, A. coelestis Diels, A. stricta Miq., A. stricta Miq. var. qinglongshanica P. F. Tu et G. J. Xu, A. stricta Miq. var. nanjingensis P. F. Tu et G. J. Xu, A. stricta Miq. subsp. henanica P. F. Tu et G. J. Xu, A. stricta Miq. subsp. sessilifolia Hong, A. longipedicellata Hong, A. gmelinii (Spreng.) Fisch., A. polyantha Nakai, A. micrantha Hong, A. stenophylla Hemsl., A. potaninii Korsh., A. bockiana Diels, A. wawreana Zahlbr., A. tricuspidata (Fisch. ex Roem. et Schult.) A. DC., A. pereskiifolia (Fisch. ex Roem. et Schult.) G. Don and A. divaricata Franch. et Sav.. According to the presence, arrangement and thickening of cell walls of sclerified cork cell (SCC) in cork tissue and the rate of secondary and anomalous structures, the histological structures of Adenophora roots are classified into types A, B and C. In type A, SCC are arranged in ring shape. Type A can be further classified into subtypes A1 and A2. Only the outer and anticlinal walls of SCC are thickened in subtype A1, and all cell walls of SCC are thickened in subtype A2. In type B, SCC are arranged scatteredly, not in ring shape. In type C, there is no SCC. Type C can be classified into subtypes C1, C2 and C3. In type C1, the secondary structure occupies more than 50% of the root diameter. In type C2, the anomalous structure is more than 50% of the root diameter, and the anomalous vascular bundles are in band form. The anomalous structure occupies more than 50% of the root diameter in subtype C3, and the anomalous vascular bundles are branched.
The ocean thermal history of the 1997-98 El Nino episode is described in detail, with emphasis on developments along the equator and eastern Pacific coastlines. The temporal evolution of the warming and its causes are traced from the western Pacific, past the Galapagos Islands and on to the subpolar gyres off North and South America. Along the equator, the event was characterized by a subsurface warm anomaly that slowly made its way from west to east across the Pacific from mid-1996 until early 1997, whence it triggered the onset of surface anomalies at the eastern terminus of the equatorial waveguide. The thermocline depression off Ecuador intensified from mid-1997 through the end of the year, culminating in a mature phase with maximum sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) around November-December 1997. The event gradually abated thereafter until the beginning of the subsequent cool phase (La Nina) was detected in July 1998. Following their arrivals at the eastern boundary, equatorial Kelvin waves proceeded poleward into both hemispheres as coastal trapped waves, carrying the thermocline depression signal with them along with associated nutrient deficiencies and ecosystem impacts. The poleward propagation of SSTA was more uniform and faster south of the equator, reaching south-central Chile with amplitudes of 2°C or greater. North of the equator the propagation was discontinuous, with decreased anomalies south of 20°N and a revival of SSTA in excess of 2°C, north of there, but with considerably larger time lags than observed off Chile. The possible reasons for these interhemispheric differences are discussed. The magnitude of the event is also discussed in an historical context, with emphasis on comparisons to the El Nino of 1982-83. Each of the two events, in its own way, set records. However, the two events are generally comparable in their magnitudes and the extent of their impacts, while both are top-ranked events for the period after 1950. In the centennial context, however, these events are not unprecedented, considering that they were probably enhanced by strong decadal warming during the 1980s and 1990s. An attempt is made to assess the accuracy of model forecasts of the 1997-98 event. Two recent studies are discussed which generally agree that statistical and dynamical models under-predicted the equatorial warming prior to its onset and failed to capture the strong, early onset at all. Predictions of the late-1997 climax, with shorter lead times, improved once the data showing large mid-1997 anomalies were ingested into the models. However, the revised predictions were not in time to guide the successful atmospheric climate outlook for North America, which was issued in June 1997 on the basis of observed strong anomalies on the equator.
The Antarctic Oscillation Index (AAOI) and the westerly index of Antarctic oscillation (Uaaoi) are defined by using the NCEP data of sea level pressure,temperature and 850-hPa westerly wind from January 1951 to December 2002. Long-term trend,interdecadal jump and cycles of AAOI and Uaaoi as well as the effect on the Antarctic circumpolar wave are discussed. Main conclusions show that the relationship between AAOI and Uaaoi is significant with the correlation coefficient of 0.218,which exceeds 99.9% confidence level. While AAOI and Uaaoi are high,the westerly wind increases,vice versa. Long-term tendency exists in AAOI and Uaaoi with trend rate of 0.01915/10 a and 0.009249/10 a respectively. A distinctive jump point happened in 1972,before and after this year the average AAOI was-3.9691 hPa and 2.9107 hPa respectively,the average AAOI is increased by 6.88 hPa,the average westerly wind was-1.09 m/s and 0.93 m/s respectively. The sea level pressure and temperature along 50°S-60°S in 50 years show clear patterns of dominating eastward propagation with 4.4 years rounding a circle before the jump year and 3.6 years after the jump year in term of the time series by filter of 3-5 years. In the first principal component of EOF,wave number 3 and wave number 2 are dominating before and after the jump year,respectively
Many animals in their natural habitat exhibit collective motion and form complex patterns to tackle environmental difficulties. Several physical and biological factors, such as animal motility, population densities, and chemical cues, play significant roles in this process. However, very little is known about how sensory information interplays with all these factors and controls the dynamics of collective response and pattern formation. Here, we use a model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, to study the direct relation between oxygen sensing, pattern formation, and the emergence of swarming in active worm aggregates. We find that when thousands of animals gather on food, bacteria-mediated decrease in oxygen levels slowed down the animals and triggers motility-induced phase separation. Three coupled factors bacterial accumulation, aerotaxis, and population density act together and control the dynamics of pattern formation. Through several intermediate stages, aggregates converge to a large scale swarming phase and collectively move across the bacterial lawn. Additionally, our theoretical model captures behavioral differences resulting from the genetic variations and oxygen sensitivity. Altogether, our study provides many physical insights and a new platform for investigating the complex relationship between neural sensitivity, collective dynamics, and pattern formation.
Soil-structure interaction can affect the response of buildings with subterranean levels by modifying the characteristics of input motions relative to those in the free-field and through the added system compliance associated with relative foundation/free-field translation and rocking. While procedures are available to account for these effects, they are seldom utilized in engineering practice. Our objective is to examine the importance of these effects on the seismic response of a 54 story building with four subterranean levels. We first generate a “most accurate” (MA) model that accounts for kinematic interaction effects on input motions, depthvariable ground motions along basement walls, compliant structural foundation elements, and soil flexibility and damping associated with translational and rocking foundation deformation modes. With reasonable tuning of superstructure damping, the MA model accurately reproduces the observed response to the 1994 Northridge earthquake. We then remove selected components of the MA model one-by-one to test their impact on building response. Factors found to generally have a modest effect on building response above ground level include compliance of structural foundation elements, kinematic interaction effects (on translation or rocking), and depth-variable ground motions applied to the ends of horizontal soil springs/dashpots. Properly accounting for foundation/soil deformations does not significantly affect vibration periods for this tall building (which is expected), but does impact significantly the distribution of inter-story drifts over the height of the structure. Two approximations commonly used in practice are shown to provide poor results: (1) fixing the structure at ground line with input consisting of free-field translation and (2) modeling subterranean soil layers using a series of horizontal springs which are fixed at their far ends and subjected to free-field ground accelerations.
This article refers to the performance of the Project Tecsocial to the Organization of Social Control: Agroecology Veneciana Association, founded in 2010 and located in the city of Nova Venezia, in the Northern Territory in the state of Espirito Santo. It is proposed to build a tool to facilitate the traceability of organic products, through the development of a map tailored to realities, using both of Spatial Information System (GEOBASES), as references commonly used and socially accepted at each location.
People’s reputation will exert an important influence on people's behavior. For the pioneering entrepreneurs, the influence of reputation is particularly important. But in some state-owned enterprises of our country, there are some entrepreneurs with good reputation, who become the economic criminals when they are close to retiring. This kind of phenomenon is called “the phenomenon of the age of 50”. This paper attempts to analyze this question with the reputation theory, and expects to know and take precautions against this kind of phenomenon from the origin.
In recent years, manifold methods have moved into focus as tools for dimension reduction. Assuming that the high-dimensional data actually lie on or close to a low-dimensional nonlinear manifold, these methods have shown convincing results in several settings. This manifold assumption is often reasonable for functional data, i.e., data representing continuously observed functions, as well. However, the performance of manifold methods recently proposed for tabular or image data has not been systematically assessed in the case of functional data yet. Moreover, it is unclear how to evaluate the quality of learned embeddings that do not yield invertible mappings, since the reconstruction error cannot be used as a performance measure for such representations. In this work, we describe and investigate the specific challenges for nonlinear dimension reduction posed by the functional data setting. The contributions of the paper are three-fold: First of all, we define a theoretical framework which allows to systematically assess specific challenges that arise in the functional data context, transfer several nonlinear dimension reduction methods for tabular and image data to functional data, and show that manifold methods can be used successfully in this setting. Secondly, we subject performance assessment and tuning strategies to a thorough and systematic evaluation based on several different functional data settings and point out some previously undescribed weaknesses and pitfalls which can jeopardize reliable judgment of embedding quality. Thirdly, we propose a nuanced approach to make trustworthy decisions for or against competing nonconforming embeddings more objectively.
Under the e-commerce environment, the design of business process, modeling, optimization, restructuring and coupling gradually become a hot topic, in order to ensure the business process is safe, reliable and efficient, we must strict specification and verification of business processes by using formal methods. First, under the environment of e-commerce, this paper systematically research and analyze how to lead new features of business process into the temporal logic of actions, and then expand the temporal logic of actions (TLA) and get a new logic system PTLA, in order to enrich the business process of formal method theory system. Secondly, discussion on Petri net, then analyze the Petri net how to convert to the TLA, and put forward the further improvement methods, established to describe dynamic and adaptive ability of parallel Petri net model, thus the dynamic, concurrency and flexibility and Cross Organizational e-commerce business process is modeled. Finally, analyze Business Process Execution Language (BPEL) how to extended to TLA, using the expand temporal logic of actions (PTLA) modeling and simulation method and automatic model checking tools, then analyze and verify the business process under the E-commerce environment, it provides theoretical basis and technical support for enterprises to implement Business Process Reengineering (BPR), it also provide new ideas and new methods for the increasingly complex and dynamic business process analytical and verification.
Results of work rates and costs from field trials performed in Portugal over more than five years in olive orchards averaging 150 trees per hectare, was published by Almeida, A. et a/ (2001) and Almeida, A. et a/ (2007). Olives were harvested using two main harvesting systems, both with the same trunk shaker, but in one (System I) olives detached were collected by canvas manually moved and in the other (System II) olives detached were collected with an inverted umbrella. Results showed that the time spent in the displacement between trees is very important for the work rate value. Labour based manual collecting was found to reach the higher working rates, whereas in terms of costs the inverted umbrella scored the best results. More than one decade after the publication of those results, equipment and labour costs are substantial different as well as olive production value. Costs are updated and analyzed the consequences for referred olive mechanical harvesting systems.
Calcium phosphate/calcium sulphate powders were synthesized by wet method. The effects of the initial calcium/phosphorus molar ratio and the pH of the solution on the microstructure and phase composition of the powders were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The results showed that the pH value was the predominant parameter for the particle shape and the final phase composition of the calcined powders.
One of important problems in designing wavelength-division-multiplexing(WDM) switching network is how to provide full connectivity while keeping minimum hardware cost.In this paper,a new crossbar switch is developed by adopting wavelength exchange principle.The proposed crossbar switch,which can perform space switching and wavelength conversion at the same time,is then used as a basic module to construct a strictly nonblocking Clos-type WDM optical permutation network.Compared to other existing counterparts,the proposed network does not need extra wavelength conversion stages,which can lead to small signal attenuation.It can also reduce whole hardware cost,obtain a better balance between the cost of space switching and wavelength conversion,and provide better scalability.
PURPOSE We made a TPD ophthalmic solution by combining tropicamide solution(Mydrin-P: T), phenylephrine hydrochloride(Neosynesin Kowa: P) and diclofenac sodium(Diclod: D), and evaluated its efficiency in mydriasis during cataract surgery compared to T, P, and D.   SUBJECTS AND METHODS Twenty-five eyes(19 patients) were given either TPD solution(10 eyes) or T, P, and D solution(15 eyes), and the treatment was given six times before surgery. Pupil diameters were measured before and after surgery.   RESULT The operation time was 10.0 +/- 5.2(mean +/- standard deviation) minutes in the TPD group, and 9.0 +/- 3.6 minutes in the T, P and D group. The preoperative and postoperative one pupil diameter was 8.65 +/- 0.34 mm and 8.20 +/- 0.35 mm in the TPD group and 8.80 +/- 0.49 mm and 8.37 +/- 0.61 mm in the T, P, and D group, respectively. The rate of miosis was 5.1 +/- 4.2% in the TPD group and 4.8 +/- 5.1% in the T, P, and D group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.   CONCLUSION TPD ophthalmic solution maintains the mydriasis as potent by as T, P and D solution.
s p. 40 Publication “Metabolic Maturation of Auditory Neurones in the Superior Olivary Complex” p. 47 Publication “Depolarization-induced suppression of a glycinergic synapse in the superior olivary complex by endocannabinoids” p. 61 Unpublished manuscript “The role of the endocannabinoid system in the morphological development of neurons in the medial superior olive” p. 74 Unpublished manuscript “Postsynaptic endocannabinoid signalling modulates responses of adult MSO neurones” p. 116
Chronic back disorders (CBD) are a significant public health concern. Profiling Canadians with CBD and the associated biopsychosocial factors at a national population level is important to understand the burden of this condition and how clinicians, health systems, and related policies might address this potentially growing problem. We performed a secondary analysis of the 2009 and 2010 Canadian Community Health Surveys to calculate prevalence and to better understand the differences between people with and without CBD. An estimated 20.2% of the adult Canadian population reports having back problems lasting for 6 months or more. Among people with CBD, there was significantly greater likelihood of living in a more rural or remote location, being Aboriginal, being a former or current smoker, being overweight, having other chronic health conditions, having greater activity limitations, having higher levels of stress, and having lower perceived mental health. People who were single/never married or had an ethnicity other than Caucasian or Aboriginal were less likely to report having CBD. These results contribute to a growing body of research in the area that may assist with strategic prioritization and tailoring of health promotion efforts and health services for people with CBD, particularly among vulnerable groups.
Liberalization of postal market influences the development and quality of postal services. Universal postal service is defined as a continuing provision of quality basic postal services to all citizens throughout the country on affordable prices. Obligation of providing universal postal service demands clear criteria to be identified in order to ensure efficient realization of the service. This paper analyses different criteria and models for financing and providing sustainable universal postal service.
The “handball goalie’s elbow” is a chronic and almost inevitable syndrome affecting a great number of team handball goalkeepers. The aim of this study was to assess information regarding the medical care of high level team handball goalkeepers who present the “handball goalie’s elbow” syndrome, before and following a muscle-strengthening program. Sixteen goalkeepers were randomly divided into two equal groups. The injuries were inflicted by the intense striking of the ball on goalkeepers’ hands when blocking a shot. The players filled in a specific questionnaire relating to previous elbow injuries. The study group followed a muscle-strengthening program for three months. The control group did not follow any specific muscle-strengthening program. After the program was complete, all the athletes filled in the specific questionnaire again. The results displayed that the frequency of complaints was continuous for both groups, even after the musclestrengthening program. Medical diagnosis revealed a variety of symptoms, and all players followed conservative treatment. Both group members presented complications. Relapses occurred when they returned to athletic activities, while the syndrome caused problems in their daily life outside the athletic field.
Daily life is an area of social reality and a sphere of unreflexive experience. It is the subject-matter of current interdisciplinary humanitarian research. Its primary interest focuses on the regular everyday life which represents a subjectivized form of sustainable social life. However, under extreme circumstances, the original nature of national culture is expressed in a concentrated form. The article discusses N.Last`s wartime diary, the novels of M.Dickens, and post-war novels of M.Spark and S.Waters in terms of gender issues under extreme everyday life conditions.
Rough set theory is a relatively new soft computing tool to deal with vagueness and uncertainty,and is regarded as a field of leading edge.Rough set theory is deeply studied in this paper and introduced into the problem of emitter recognition,based on which a new emitter signal recognition model is presented.At the same time,a new method of determining weight coefficients is proposed,which is independent of a priori knowledge.And a new classification rule is also presented in this paper.At last,computer simulation of recognizing the emitter purpose is selected,and compared with classical fuzzy pattern recognition and statistical recognition algorithm through simulation.Experiments results demonstrate the excellent performance of this new recognition method as compared to existing two pattern recognition techniques.
The deflection of injection products influences final shape and dimensional precision. Through the numerical simulation of injection process,and combined with Taguchi experimental method,the relation between processing parameters and the warpage of injection products is studied.The optimal processing parameters are obtained.Based on this,the effects of mold temperature,melt temperature,injection time and holding time on deflection are discussed further.
In turbulent environment, power and success of organizations depend on the intellectual capita; abilities and the main challenges of these organizations are on that how to establishe new generation of intelligent organizations for knowledge edge. The problem this research wants to solve is that how an organization that its main asset is intellectual capital can obtain organizational intelligence. The conceptual model of this research has been designed based on open system mode,l and the knowledge strategies, knowledge communities, adhocracy and intellectual capital have the enabler role for intelligence processes. Statistical population of this research includes the faculty members of the research centers of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. Totally, 278 persons have been selected based on classified sampling. The results showed that adhocracy with %86 of coefficient has the highest effect on structural intelligence processes. Also knowledge strategies and intellectual capitals correspondingly with %67 and %64 of coefficient are in the second and third rankings. Also the results showed that adhocracy with %64, intellectual capital and knowledge strategies with %59 of coefficient correspondingly have the highest effect on human intelligence processes.
This study was aimed to investigate the effect of Student Facilitator and Explaining Strategy in teaching speaking in terms of fluency and grammar at the second grade students of MAS Al Zahrah Bireuen in academic year 2017/2018. The research is an experimental research. The sample of the research was two classes; experimental (xi b ) and control classes (xi c ). Both classes consisted 25 students. The technique of choosing the samples was random sampling. The data were collected through tests and questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using SPSS 23 to find t-test score between two classes and the data from questionnaire to find the students’ responses toward the use Student Facilitator and Explaining Strategy of experimental class. Based on data analysis, the result of t-test of fluency is 2.48 and grammar is 3.84 are higher than t-table (2.01). Than, students had a quite positive responses (80%) toward the use of Student Facilitator and Explaining Strategy in terms of fluency and grammar. Therefore, it could be concluded that Student Facilitator and Explaining Strategy effectively improved students’ achievement in speaking skill in terms of fluency and grammar.
Under the assumption that the stock price obeys the stochastic differential equation driven by fractional Brownian motion and the interest rate satisfies the fractional Vasicek model,using risk hedging technique and fractional Ito formula,we establish the partial differential equations for continuous geometric average Asian call option price.Furthermore,we obtain the general pricing formula of continuous geometric average Asian option.Finally,we get the explicit expression of continuous geometric average Asian call,put option price and the call-put parity.
OBJECTIVES To examine the effects of RUNX3 on cell proliferation and apoptosis and the expression level of Smad4 mRNA in the bladder cancer cell line of T24 by transfection with recombinant plasmid of pIRES-EGFP-RUNX3.   METHODS The recombinant plasmid of pIRES-EGFP-RUNX3 was constructed successfully. Cultured T24 cells were divided into three groups, including control group, empty vector group,and recombinant plasmid group. The cells in empty vector group and recombinant plasmid group were respectively transfected by pIRES-EGFP and pIRES-EGFP-RUNX3 The cells were harvested at 24 h after the transfection, the variation of cell morphology was examined by fluorescence microscopy. The cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. The expression level of RUNX3 and Smad4 mRNA was measured by RT-PCR.   RESULTS Cell death was observed in two transfection groups. At 24 h after transfection,the apoptosis rate was (3.23±0.45)% in control group, (8.98±1.62)% in empty vector group and (43.61±2.69)% in recombinant plasmid group. The expression level of RUNX3 mRNA was 2.79±0.36,detected only in recombinant plasmid group, which was significantly up-regulated compared with the other two groups (P<0.05).   CONCLUSIONS The expression level of Smad4 mRNA was up-regulated by transfection with pIRES-EGFP-RUNX3,which also inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis.The tumor suppressor gene of RUNX3 could regulate the bladder cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis by TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.
Live streaming video games webcasts are a growing industry. Led by tech giant Amazon with its service Twitch.tv, the size of viewership is huge with over 100 million viewers a month. Amazon bought Twitch for $1.1 billion dollars in 2014, and with the influx of money comes more legal scrutiny. It consists of Streamers, those who webcast their gameplay, along with entertaining or informative commentary, and the webcasting platform, which generates revenue from advertising and subscriptions and shares it with the Streamer. Even though the service almost necessarily depends on using a game developer's creative work, Copyright Holders are left out of the equation when it comes time to get paid.By doing so, Twitch leaves their users individually liable for copyright infringement and themselves open to Napster-level infringement litigation and Grokster-style infringement liability. So, what's to be done about it? This note attempts to answer that question.Statutory solutions are unlikely and undesirable. Using the music industry as a model, we can see how statutory licenses would be undesirable for video games. Litigation would be long and painful for all parties involved. The Napster litigation made the music industry villains while the company was destroyed by its obvious liability. With the launch of Google's competing service YouTube Gaming, it becomes even more clear that the best way to allow the industry to grow without incident is for these services to license the copyrights they use. Not only will it give Twitch and its users peace of mind, but the benefits of exclusivity in an increasingly competitive marketplace will act as a control, reining in the incentives required to attract popular Streamers.This note also takes a look at how, more specifically, Streamers may be liable for copyright infringement, how the DMCA Safe Harbor provision does or does not protect Twitch, and how fair use operates in this context.
Abstract    The basic problem is to maximize economic development in a productive job  creation is sustainable. In an effort to place of employment provision as a starting  point in attempting humans Indonesia became the main force of development. In  Indonesia, the rate of population growth is not matched with the equitable  distribution and lack of labor market.  Problem of expansion of employment opportunities is one of the main problems  of today, but basically there is a way to expand employment opportunity, namely  through the development of labor-intensive industries (Labor Intensive) which  absorbs relatively more labor in their production process. Relation to the  economy, small industries, especially industrial of Tapis can improve the  economy, especially developing countries like Indonesia, which has a workforce  that quite a lot.  This study aims to determine the effect of variable units of production and real  wages to labor absorption in the industrial of Tapis in Bandar Lampung period  2004.1 - 2008.4. The analytical method used is ordinary least square, followed by  hypothesis testing and simultaneous partially through t test and f. The results in  the period 2004 - 2008 by Data quarter we concluded that, based on the  calculations and discussion, conclusions that can be given by the authors is that  the results of calculations and statistical tests as a whole (F test) at the level of  confidence of 95 percent, indicating that the value of R ² = 0.763820 which means  that the variable unit of production and real wages have a real impact for 76.3820  percent of industrial labor absorption of Tapis in Bandar Lampung. While the  remaining 23.618 percent is influenced by other factors beyond the model of this  research. Meanwhile, according to t test independent variables that turned out  production units have positive and real wage variables negatively affect the  employment screening industry in Bandar Lampung. In calculating the  independent variable is the elasticity of production units and real wages can be  concluded:  a. Variable elasticity coefficient calculation unit of production equal to  0.023646217 show flexibility towards the development of production units of  labor absorption. This means an increase of one percent of the production units  will result in increased employment of .023646217 per cent, assuming the other  variables fixed (ceteris paribus).  b. Variable coefficients calculation real wage elasticity of - 0.035582521 showed  stagnanasi real wages of labor, meaning that real wages decline by one percent  would reduce employment of - 0.035582521 per cent, assuming other variables  fixed (ceteris paribus) .
The operation and maintenance of a constructed facility takes place after the construction is finished. It is usually the longest phase in the lifecycle of the facility and the one that substantially contributes to its lifecycle cost. To efficiently manage the operation and maintenance of a facility, the staff in charge needs reliable and timely information to support decision making throughout the facility's lifecycle. The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is gradually but steadily changing the way constructed facilities are designed and built. As a result of its use a significant amount of coordinated information is generated during this process and stored in the digital model. However, once the project is completed the owner does not necessarily receive full benefits from the model for future operation and maintenance of the facility. This research explores the information that in the context of educational facilities has value to the owner/operator and that can be delivered at the end of the construction stage through a BIM-enabled digital handover process. It discusses the importance of the Information Delivery Manual and Model and proposes an open standard approach for the creation of a Model View Definition that combines Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) with COBie standards or with Owner defined standards. The research conducted an extensive literature review and an in-depth case study of an academic institution examining in the detail its current practices and needs for the handover of information, operation and maintenance and space management requirements as well as of the future needs of the facilities management department information system generated by the use of BIM technology. The proposed approach is validated in two parts. The first part is conducted through an online survey distributed to academic institutions across the nation and through selected interviews with facilities management staff in the local area. The second part creates a proof of concept by applying the proposed approach to an existing BIM model and then creates the model version for the handover. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisor Guillermo Salazar for all the guidance and patience for the realization of this work, I could not thank you enough. I would also like to express my gratitude to the rest of my committee members, for taking the time to get involved and the wise advices provided. Thanks to Tahar El-Korchi for all the support in particular for the extra push during the last …
PURPOSE: To sufficiently develop catalytic action by a method wherein a fine powder of a photocatalyst is bonded to the surface of the binder layer formed on the surface of a plate member so as to be exposed from the binder layer and the binder layer is melted under heating before solidified under cooling. CONSTITUTION: A glaze layer 2 is applied to the surface of a tile material constituting a wall surface, a floor surface or a ceiling surface and a fine powder 3 of anatase type TiO 2 is sprayed to the surface of the glaze layer 2 in a sol form as a fine powder of a photocatalyst using a sprayer and the glaze layer 2 is melted under heating before cooled to be solidified. Since this TiO 2 sol is sprayed to the surface of the glaze layer 2 so as not to be perfectly embedded in the glaze layer 2, a part of the TiO 2 fine powder 3 enters the glaze layer 2 and the other part thereof is held to an exposed state. As a result, the exposed part of the TiO 2 fine powder can be directly irradiated with ultraviolet rays and adsorbed water reacts with the hole of the photocatalyst to form a hydroxyl free radical OH* which, in turn, reacts with ammonia to deodorize ammonia. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio
Objective:To investigate the status of mental health and its related factors in doctors and nurses of a military hospital, so as to provide scientific basis for psychological consult and therapy.Methods:SCL-90 was used to evaluate 181 doctors and nurses in a military hospital of PLA. Results:(1)The total mean score and the scores of somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and hostility in doctors and nurses were lower than those in national norm(P0.05).(2)The total mean scores, number of positive items, all factorial scores in doctors and nurses were significantly lower than those in military norm(P0.01).(3)No differences in psychological health level of age, sex, educational level and professional title character were found unless the score of depression factor at30 of age was higher than that 29.Conclusion:The psychological health of doctors and nurses in military hospital is well in general,and the main causes of the psychological problem may be severe work stress, intense competition and heavy family responsibility etc.
This paper compares the performance of a Turbo Coded Single Input Multiple Output (SIMO) system with uncoded SIMO system using selective combing, equal gain combing and maximal ratio combining. Turbo Coded system uses Turbo encoder to encode the input information before modulation, whereas uncoded system modulates input information without using turbo encoder.  QPSK or 16 QAM or 64 QAM modulator modulates the information and transmit it from single transmit antenna. Receiving antennas of receiver receive transmitted information and combine using selective combing or equal gain combing or maximal ratio combining. It is observed that the turbo coded system with 2, 4, 6 and 8 receive antennas using selective combining provide 35, 28, 24 and 24 dB coding gain respectively,  turbo coded system with 2, 4, 6 and 8 receive antennas using equal gain combining provide 34, 22, 20 and 19 dB coding gain respectively and  turbo coded system with 2, 4, 6 and 8 receive antennas using maximal ratio combining provide  27, 17, 15 and 13 dB coding gain respectively compared to uncoded system at a BER 10 -6 . It is also observed that turbo coded system using maximal ratio combining provides 20 to 26 dB coding gain at a BER of 10 -6 compared to turbo coded system using equal gain combining. And turbo coded system using maximal ratio combining provides 23 to 26 dB coding gain at a BER of 10 -6 compared to turbo coded system using selective combining.
In this paper, the different evaluation methods of the cushioning properties of foam aluminum are compared and analyzed. The application range of the ideal energy absorption efficiency curve and energy absorption efficiency curve are confirmed and they offer the tools of choosing the material for buffer and designing buffer. Under the condition of static and dynamic loading, the energy absorption properties of four kinds foam aluminum with different density are evaluated, which indicate that foam aluminum is a kind of excellent material of energy absorption.
Object of the present invention is: for by copper - zinc alloy plating on the steel wire obtained by electrical discharge machining electrode wire, the balance of the conductivity and discharge, and improve processing speed; inhibiting coating when stretched electrode line and peeling and chipping. The wire electrical discharge machining electrode is configured to include a wire: steel wire (11) is used as the core wire, the covering wire, comprising a copper - zinc alloy plated layer (12), wherein the average concentration of zinc plating is 60 mass% to 75 mass%, an electrical conductivity of 10% IACS to 20% IACS, and a diameter of 30μm to 200μm.
This paper describes a successful method for reinforcing individual learning habits among Computer Science students. The action research, which was performed during six years, demonstrated that improper learning habits are the main cause for the increase in the dropout rate. The method that was based on individual and unique assignments increased the students' motivation, by transferring the learning process responsibility to the students themselves. This led to improved understanding and reduced the dropout rate. The research was conducted on two courses: Systems Architecture and Computer Organization and Programming, and has obtained similar results. The paper relates to the method and how it was implemented as well as the results obtained.
Article history: Received: April 26, 2017 Received in revised format: September 26, 2017 Accepted: November 15, 2017 Available online: November 16, 2017 To get ready for the hard international competition, firms have to convince themselves of the pressing necessity of optimizing its competitiveness factors. In this perspective, this article proposes a general model of management system of firms through the implementation of tools of Lean Manufacturing. This method establishes an approach to introduce an action plan to improve the performance of a firm. Knowing that the Algerian firms do not escape the constraints of competitiveness, the adopted model is applied to two strategic firms of the Algerian industry and the final result gives a series of measures to improve their competitiveness and their performances, simultaneously. © 2018 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada.
Apartment market has functioned soundly in the aspect of supply due to its quantitative growth. On the other hand diverse problems have been posed during the urbanization process because of profit-first attitude of business. Of these problems, that of exterior color scheme is worth of note because it constitutes a big portion of city environment. Although construction companies should put efforts into developing diverse floor plans, layouts and building exterior color plans in order to build apartment communities which will improve the quality of life for residents and harmonize with cityscape, reality falls short of expectation. The situation calls for diverse researches on the elements that constitute visual images of city and especially those related to apartment building exterior colors which have big impact on the urban image. As a preliminary research for the qualitative improvement in exterior colors of name-brand apartment buildings, this paper will survey current name-brand apartment building colors and analyze their characteristics. The research results of this paper will provide basic materials for the establishment of guidelines for apartment building exterior colors and finally serve for occasions like planning and maintaining apartment exteriors.
A comparative study is conducted on the seismic behaviors of three 1/4 scale RC coupled shear wall models.The span-height-ratio of lintel beam of each set is 1.5.The first model is natural concrete coupled shear wall,the second is coupled shear wall with 100% replacement of recycled aggregate and the third is coupled shear wall with variable concrete along height.Based upon the experimental study,the stiffness and its degradation,load-carrying capacity,hysteretic behavior,ductility,energy dissipation and failure phenomena of each shear wall were analyzed.The calculation formulas of the bearing capacity for RC coupled shear wall were derived.From an experimental analysis,it is proved that compared to the RC coupled common walls,the recycled concrete shear walls show poorer performance and the shear walls with upper part using recycled concrete and lower part using natural concrete have the similar performance of common wall.The capacity models for recycled concrete coupled shear wall were also established.The calculation results of bearing capacity of the specimens agree well with the measured ones.
The Japanese conjectural and hortative particle bee is the main characteristic of Tohoku dialect, and has been rigorously studied by Tamakake Gen at Tohoku University. This thesis presents for the first time in English his semantic categorization of bee, while complementing this with a detailed description of the particle's grammatical properties. The stereotypic bee, as can be seen in the Final Fantasy X International videogame, is also introduced, and argued to co-exist with the dialectal bee as a separate entity from it. Through the assistance of an informant from the Tohoku area's capital, Sendai, the inconsistencies between Tamakake's account and her perception of bee are then pinpointed. These are discussed and explained through the presence of the stereotypic bee in Sendai, and the argument is made that the dialectal bee is about to be consumed by its own stereotypic cousin.
Background: Cells from the bone marrow contribute to ischemic neovascularization, but the identity of these cells remains unclear. The authors identify mesenchymal stem cells as a bone marrow–derived progenitor population that is able to engraft into peripheral tissue in response to ischemia. Methods: A murine model of skin ischemia was used. Bone marrow, blood, and skin were harvested at different time points and subjected to flow cytometric analysis for mesenchymal and hematopoietic markers (n = 3 to 7 per time point). Using a parabiotic model pairing donor green fluorescent protein (GFP)–positive with recipient wild-type mice, progenitor cell engraftment was examined in ischemic tissue by fluorescence microscopy, and engrafted cells were analyzed by flow cytometry for endothelial and mesenchymal markers. In vitro, the ability of both bone marrow– and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells to adopt endothelial characteristics was examined by analyzing (1) the ability of mesenchymal stem cells to take up DiI-acetylated low-density lipoprotein and Alexa Fluor lectin, and (2) phenotypic changes of mesenchymal stem cells co-cultured with GFP-labeled endothelial cells or under hypoxic/vascular endothelial growth factor stimulation. Results: In vivo, the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell population decreased significantly immediately after surgery, with subsequent engraftment of these cells in ischemic tissue. Engrafted cells lacked the panhematopoietic antigen CD45, consistent with a mesenchymal origin. In vitro, bone marrow– and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells took up DiI-acetylated low-density lipoprotein and Alexa Fluor lectin, and expressed endothelial markers under hypoxic conditions. Conclusions: The authors' data suggest that mesenchymal precursor cells can give rise to endothelial progenitors. Consequently, cell-based therapies augmenting the mesenchymal stem cell population could represent powerful alternatives to current therapies for ischemic vascular disease.
OBJECT The aim of this study was to analyze the mechanism and prognostic factors of foot drop caused by lumbar degenerative conditions.   METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the charts of 28 patients with foot drop due to a herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) or lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), scoring between 0 and 3 on manual muscle testing for the tibialis anterior muscles. They analyzed the mechanism of foot drop and whether the duration before the operation, preoperative tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus strength, age, gender, and diabetes mellitus were all found to be prognostic factors for postoperative tibialis anterior recovery. They also investigated whether the diagnosis had any influence on the prognosis.   RESULTS The compression of double roots and a sequestrated fragment were observed, respectively, in 9 and 13 of 16 patients with HNP. Multiple levels including the L4-5 segment were decompressed in 8 of 12 patients with LSS. Analysis did not demonstrate any prognostic factor in surgically treated HNP, but significant associations with prognosis were observed with respect to preoperative tibialis anterior (p = 0.033) and extensor hallucis longus (p = 0.020) strength in patients with LSS. In addition, the postoperative muscle recovery in patients with HNP was significantly superior to that in patients with LSS (p = 0.011).   CONCLUSIONS Double root compression was the most common condition associated with foot drop due to HNP. The diagnosis and preoperative tibialis anterior and extensor hallucis longus strength in LSS were factors that influenced recovery following an operation.
Abstract The yellow-vented flowerpecker (Dicaeum chrysorrheum Temminck & Laugier) is a small bird in the Dicaeidae family. To explore the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Dicaeum, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of D. chrysorrheum using a next generation sequencing platform. The mitogenome of D. chrysorrheum (GenBank accession number, MW629121) has a length of 16,818 bp, with a nucleotide composition of 30.62% A, 23.45% T, 31.34% C, and 14.59% G. The genome is comprised of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. The total length of the protein-coding genes is 11,402 bp, accounting for 67.8% of the total length of the mitochondrial genome. Of the 13 protein-coding genes, 10 have ATG start codons and three genes terminate with incomplete stop codons. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree of 16 bird species placed D. chrysorrheum and D. agile as sister to the other three Dicaeum species (D. concolor, D. eximium and D. cruentatum). This new mitogenome will be useful for further phylogenetic studies of the genus Dicaeum.
The focus of this work is multi-user systems where the combined multi-user signal is passed through a known non-linearity, e.g., a downlink RF power amplifier in satellite communication systems. A successive interference annulment (SIA) multi-user detector for non-linear multi-user systems is proposed and analyzed in terms of the asymptotic behavior of the conditional probability of error at each stage of successive decoding. The design of the SIA detector takes into account the geometry of the overall signal constellation and a particular user's bit is decoded using a single inner product operation. The run-time complexity of the proposed SIA detector is linear in the number of users, though the design complexity is exponential in the number of users. For a linear multi-user system, the SIA detector reduces to a serial interference cancellation (SIC) detector that maximizes the asymptotic conditional multi-user efficiency at each stage of successive decoding. Simulation results indicate that the SIA detector consistently outperforms conventional detection schemes where the non-linearity is ignored.
Objective: To determine the experience in a public institution (Hospital General de México) the relationship of KI67% and chemotherapy regimens about the progression free survival. Design: It is a retrospective study in which a total of 64 patients with a 36-month follow-up were evaluated, evaluating the percentage of KI67 and the chemotherapy regimens, which were AC+TXL vs CBP/TXL+AC. Results: A progression-free survival of 11.9 months was demonstrated in the patients who started with the CBP / TXL-based chemotherapy regimen and sequentially AC versus the 9.7 months achieved with the conventional ACX4 scheme and later add Carboplatin and Paclitaxel, and a Overall in both arms of 10.8 months, the patients who demonstrated the presence of a higher KI67 demonstrated increased progression-free survival compared to those with a low KI67, and with an unexpected surrogate that despite being few patients, those who showed higher levels of Progesterone had a lower survival compared to percentages of 5% or negative. Conclusions: Despite the fact that the first-line scheme for triple negative breast cancer was sequential and that the sample was only 64 patients, it was shown that adding carboplatin in the first line together with Paclitaxel in patients with high KI67 and without or with a minimal percentage of progresterone receptors increases Progression Free Survival.
Conceptual frameworks dominate organizational learning literature with limited empirical assessments. This raises several questions about the validity and applicability of the various conceptual frameworks for how managers can build organizational learning capabilities. As such, lessons from the conceptual frameworks of organizational learning for addressing performance improvement that might have been used by construction contractors have been limited. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of organizational learning by construction contractors. The principles that underlie organizational learning and the factors that promote double-loop learning as a strategy for improving construction contractors’ business processes are presented. The paper has also established the learning orientations and focus of the surveyed construction contractors to determine their organizational learning dimensions as well as the factors that induced their double-loop learning, as rich lessons for organizations in the construction industry.
The prophylactic effect of low dose heparin on postoperative thrombosis in general surgery is well established. Dextran 70 has been shown to reduce the frequency of fatal pulmonary embolism. The effect of these prophylactic methods in-hip surgery is debated. The aim of this study was to compare dextran 70, low dose heparin and no treatment in post-traumatic and elective hip surgery. The groups were separately randomized to either prophylaxis. In patients with hip fracture (75 patients) thrombosis was diagnosed with 125I-fibrinogen test. The same diagnostic method was used after elective hip arthroplasty according to Brunswik (96 patients). In the latter group screening for pulmonary embolism was made one week postoperatively with perfusion scintigraphy (Tc-labelled macroaggregated albumin) and x-ray; the diagnosis being based on the combination of a perfusion defect and normal x-ray. The frequency of thrombosis in patients with hip fracture was 67% in the control group, 67% in the low dose heparin group and 40% in the dextran 70 group. The corresponding frequencies for patients undergoing elective hip surgery were 50, 26 and 55%. Pulmonary embolism was seen in 38, 24 and 24% respectively (one fatal embolism in the control group). From this study it can be concluded that only dextran 70 lowers the frequency of thrombosis after hip fracture. Low dose heparin diminishes the frequency of thrombosis in elective hip surgery whereas the two prophylactic methods are equally effective in prophylaxis of pulmonary embolism.
IntroductionMany of the stories that are most effective in politics are not told. Instead, they are alluded to. A politician might refer to "the Horatio Alger story," assuming that his audience knows that his point is about the importance of pulling oneself up by one's bootstraps. His audience is already familiar with the story: A young man raises himself from humble beginnings by dint of his hard work and virtuous character. Or perhaps the audience is not familiar with the actual story. Perhaps they think that Horatio Alger is a fictional character, or even a real one, rather than the author of a series of rags-to-riches novels. But they know that there is a story and that the story's moral is about self-help.The fact that people often confuse the author Horatio Alger with the protagonist of the stories he wrote reflects the fact that we know many stories by their main characters. Conservatives who fought to cut welfare on the grounds that poor people were taking advantage of government handouts in the 1990s did not refer to the "Welfare Exploitation Story." They referred to "welfare queens." The 2011 Occupy movement did not tell a story about risky investments, collusive bank rating practices, and government austerity; it pitted the "99 percent" against the "1 percent." Over the years, politicians have referred mordantly to "teenage mothers," "anchor babies," "climate-change deniers," "the silent majority," and "K Street lobbyists" (Loseke describes other characters in politics). Sometimes the story's protagonist is us; sometimes it is them, but the line between us and them is clear. We are the silent majority or the 99 percent. We are threatened by teenage mothers, anchor babies, climate-change deniers, K Street lobbyists, and the 1 percent. The line between us may not be one of enmity: Teenage mothers, like "at-risk youth," may be invoked to call for compassion and efforts to help. The politician who styles herself a "maverick" calls up images of a principled loner, willing to defy convention for the sake of principle and resolutely indifferent to "inside the Beltway" political strategists.Why are characters so effective politically? Probably in part because, as they call up multiple stories, of people real and fictional, who are different in many ways but alike in their common heroism, villainy, or-as the example above suggests-political independence. Characters are surely effective also because they are so central to how we read stories. Recent research suggests not only that stories are more persuasive than arguments but also that the key mechanism is one of identification (de Graaf et al.; Hoeken and Fikkers). We adopt the views of the characters with whom we identify, and we identify with characters who are presented sympathetically. Politically, it is characters, rather than the events in which they appear, who win us over.Yet we also have plenty of examples of political actors falling flat when they have tried to style themselves as heroes or martyrs or their opponents as villains or frauds. Think of vice presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen's famous put-down of his counterpart Dan Quayle when the latter likened himself to a beloved former president: "I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy" (Clayman 120).When are political groups and actors able to use characters to advance their cause? Surely, rhetorical skill counts for something, as well as luck. But we should also be able to identify features of the context and the actors in it that give some an advantage in creating compelling characters. We should be able to tell whether anyone can be turned into a hero and when victims elicit a desire to act rather than pity or blame. We should be able to assess just how "sticky" collective memories of particular historical figures are. We should be able to identify the hurdles that are involved in turning a villain into a hero or a hero into a fraud in the public imagination. …
Automated people movers are employed or projected in some cities all over the world. To explore the possibility of new exploitation modes, a cooperative correlation based radar collision avoidance system is used to identify trains, detect their positions and compute the distance between them. A problem with such a sensor is that it uses pseudo random codes and that the codes currently employed (m.l.f.s.r.: maximum length feedback shift registers) are few in number, so only one can be used at a time in any place to avoid interference. This study looks for new codes available in a larger number, that deliver good performances in the radar system. Some families of codes used in CDMA or other mobile telecommunication systems have been tested. For these tests a radar detection parameter is defined.
Objective: Pre-eclampsia is associated with ischemia and increased oxidative stress, which may lead to modification of plasma albumin to ischemia modified albumin (IMA). Methods: IMA levels were estimated in cord blood of 30 newborns born to pre-eclamptic mothers and compared with 30 normal newborns. IMA was estimated colorimetrically and the results were compared statistically. Results: The levels of IMA were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.001) in newborns born to pre-eclamptic mothers (0.835 ± 0.02 ABSU) as compared to those born to normal mothers (0.325 ± 0.01 ABSU). Conclusion: IMA may act as a marker of ischemia and oxidative stress in newborns delivered to pre-eclamptic mothers.
Extreme weather reportedly occurred on 28th November 2017 caused by a cyclone called Cempaka. Categorized as extreme weather since this event triggered an excessive rainfall reaching 246.8 mm in a 24-hour. Consequently, some areas in Yogyakarta Special Region are inundated. This research attempts to model the inundation of excessive rainfall using GIS software, PCRaster. The study area is concentrated in Selopamioro and Sriharjo, where Opak and Oyo rivers meet. Elevation model and rainfall data are used as the principal data to model the inundation. Elevation model is derived from the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)  image, while, the rainfall data of a-24-hour hourly data from the Meteorological Agency is also used as an input. The elevation model works as a flow direction model and the rainfall amount plays as the flowing material. The original states of water of the river are not considered, thus the study merely describes how the certain amount of rainfall adds to the level height of terrain and modeled for 24 hours. The result maps are the area that experience of a-24-hour high intensity of rainfall. The study depicts the additional water level caused by rainfall and the concentration of excessive rainfall in the study area. This information is beneficial in order to alarm a similar future event.
A Burnt Timber Building from within the Fort at Pumsaint. Barry and Helen Burnham write: Between July and September 1989, large-scale excavations were undertaken at Pumsaint by Barry and Helen Burnham on behalf of the Dyfed Archaeological Trust.' The site lay immediately to the west of the A482 through the centre of the village, to the north of the Dolaucothi Arms Hotel. The primary interest of the site lay in the fact that it occupied an area known to include the northern defences, the intervallum road and the associated structures of the two-phase Roman fort first examined by G.D.B. Jones and J.H. Little in the early 1970s.2 The purpose of this note is to report the discovery, in the process of this work, of a remarkable burnt timber structure, part of which was located at the southern end of the site, set in the bottom of a pit some 2 m deep (FIG. 2B). The precise nature of this feature was not fully appreciated at first, since it appeared to be little more than an extensive area of disturbance pre-dating the recognizable eighteenth-century horizons. Trial excavations soon demonstrated that it was in fact a large vertically-sided pit (245) extending at least Io m east-west by 5 m north-south, which had been cut down into the natural gravel through all the preceding Roman levels. Its uppermost filling (157) comprised a brownish-black 'garden soil' containing mostly eighteenth-century finds and a few scraps of earlier pottery, which had progressively accumulated above a thick lens of material (224) apparently derived from the levelled turf-clay defences of the Roman fort.
In this paper, we discuss the concept of a slowdown warning system in automobiles. If a driver on a highway decelerates suddenly or progresses abnormally slowly (thereby posing a hazard to the vehicles behind him), then, with such a system, all the cars behind him are provided information of this, near simultaneously. This advance information gives the drivers additional time to react, in anticipation of an impending slow-down, and this helps to prevent collisions. Furthermore, it is seen that even if only a fraction of the cars in a platoon are equipped with such a system, this can still be sufficient to prevent crashes even in the unequipped cars. This partial equipage also has the ability to considerably weaken the magnitude of the collisions that would otherwise have occurred, if all cars were unequipped.
Lunasia amara Blanco bark belonging to the family Rutaceae. The research aimed to determine the effect of extraction method on yield value and phenolic content of bark extract of Lunasia amara Blanco by UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Sample was extracted by maceration, reflux, and soxhlet using methanol 70%. The extraction by maceration obtained the yield value of methanol extract of 2,352%; the reflux method of 1,611%; and the soxhlet method of 0,960%. Then the chemical content was identified by the addition of FeCl3 reagent and a blackish green color was formed positively indicating phenolic content. Afterward, phenolic identification was conducted by TLC with eluent n-hexane: ethyl acetate (2:8) containing phenolic because the Rf value was the same as the galic acid standard. The results showed that the extraction method producing the highest yield of bark extract of Lunasia amara Blanco was maceration. The phenolic content obtained by maceration was 66,548 mgGAE/g extract with 6.6548% GAE; the reflux was 73.645 mgGAE/g extract with 7.3645% GAE; and the soxhlet was 74.806 mgGAE/g extract with 7.4806% GAE.
Systems and methods are described for a distributed data processing method, including, but not limited to: receiving, by a backend device, source data; partitioning, by the backend device, the source data into a plurality of data threads; sending, by the backend device, at least one of the plurality of data threads to each of a plurality of user devices; and determining, by the backend device, a job outcome for the source data based on a plurality of data thread results, each of the plurality of data thread results is determined by one of the plurality of user devices based on the at least one of the plurality of data threads.
PURPOSE: To provide an outboard engine equipment having a catalyst disposed under a normally highest level of water. CONSTITUTION: The outboard engine equipment 10 comprises a propulsion unit 30. The unit is mounted on a boat 18 to relatively pivotally moving to the boat 18 around a substantially perpendicular steering axis 34. The unit 30 has a driving shaft housing 38 having an exhaust outlet 42 for exhausting exhaust gas under water surface. The unit 30 also has a propeller shaft 46 rotatably supported by the housing 38 and a power head 58 mounted at the housing and drivably connected to the shaft 46. Further, the unit 30 also has an exhaust passage 130 communicating the head with the outlet. The equipment 10 further comprises a catalyst 174 provided in the passage. The catalyst is provided under a normally highest level of water in the passage when the unit 30 is mounted at the ship. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO
Robert GINSBERG: Editorial Foreword. Editor's Preface. Editor's Introduction: Being Human in the Ultimate. I. BEAUTY, SUBLIMITY, FREEDOM, AND INSIGHT. Eugene F. KAELIN: Where the Mystery Is: The Ultimacy of Art. Calvin O. SCHRAG: Ultimacy and the Alterity of the Sublime. John BAILIFF: Horizon of Freedom: The Ultimate in the Philosophy of John M. Anderson. Henry W. JOHNSTONE, JR.: Dialectic and Insight in Encounters with John M. Anderson. II. PERPLEXITY, ACTIVITY, DEATH, AND LIFE. William DESMOND: Perplexity and Ultimacy: Metaphysical Thoughts from the Middle. Eugene T. GENDLIN: Ultimacy and Aristotle: In Essence Activity. Walter BIEMEL: The Finitude of Human Being. Alphonso LINGIS: Extremities. Jeanne HERSCH: About the Sense for Meaning and Its Loss. III. DIALOGUE, FOLLY, AND SCIENCE. Robert GINSBERG: The Dialogue of Human Being. Donald Phillip VERENE: Folly as Philosophical Idea. Joseph J. KOCKELMANS: Unity and Multiplicity in the Sciences According to Hermeneutic Phenomenology. IV. ORIGINS. John M. ANDERSON: Bespeaking the Origin of the Dialogue We Are. Bibliography of Writings by John M. Anderson. Notes on Contributors. Index.
In this paper, on the basis of the working principles of high frequency ground wave radar for retrieval of ocean wave and sea wind elements were used to systematically study the data obtained from contrast validation test in Zhoushan sea area of Zhejiang Province on Oct. 2000, to validate the accuracy of OSMAR2000for wave and wind parameters, and to analyze the possible error caused when using OSMAR2000 to retrieve ocean parameters.
A method and apparatus for providing sterile, charged batteries for use in a sterile field. The method includes the steps of placing at least one battery in a sterilization container, sterilizing the battery within the container, charging the battery while maintaining it in a sterile state within the container, and transferring the sterile, charged battery in a sterile state to the sterile field. The container is adapted to permit the entrance of a sterilant and to prevent the entrance of contaminants. The container may include an integral battery charger adapted to withstand exposure to the environment of a sterilization process. Alternatively, the container may include a connector for releasably electrically connecting the battery housed within the container to a distinct, external battery charger.
Abstract We describe double Hurwitz numbers as intersection numbers on the moduli space of curves ${{ overline{M}}_{g,n}}$ Using a result on the polynomiality of intersection numbers of psi classes with the Double Ramification Cycle, our formula explains the polynomiality in chambers of double Hurwitz numbers and the wall-crossing phenomenon in terms of a variation of correction terms to the $ varphi$ classes. We interpret this as suggestive evidence for polynomiality of the Double Ramification Cycle (which is only known in genera 0 and 1).
RESEARCH BACKGROUNDIndonesia television industry is unique; it is different from global where free-to-air or free TV has better opportunities than pay TV. Advertising is the primary revenue that still growth until today. Nielsen (2016) revealed that advertising spending in 2015 reached IDR 118 trillion, growth 7% from 2014. In the first quarter 2016, advertising spending reached IDR 24.2 trillion, up 33% from the first quarter of 2015 which is only IDR 18.1 Trillion.According to the National Press Data Collection formed by Press Council, there were 394 television stations operate in Indonesia until 2014, consists of more than 300 locals, dozens of nationals, thirties publics, and the others are communities. Unfortunately, as the largest number, local TV only get share 2,6% and 2,5% of revenue in 2009 and 2010 (Nielsen on Rinowati, 2011). This condition makes it hard to produce engaging program content. The primary reason is the limitation of broadcast coverage; therefore, some local TVs expand their broadcasting through satellite and streaming.Digitizing occurs in almost all modern industries, include television. Analog TV step-bystep transform to digital. In Indonesia free-to-air is the primary target is to change to digital TV. In the digital TV system, programs were created, distributed, and played digitally hence it could be wide distributed, national and global. Digital content also could be consumed flexibly using many device types with the quality of video adaptive to the viewer terminal, from low to high and ultra-high resolution. Today, IPTV and Internet TV are the most popular digital television. Availability of IP bandwidth and internet allow programs to be broadcast globally with content quality adaptive to the viewer needs.This research is conducted to assist local TV in increasing their economic value through digital transformation. More focus the objectives of this study are as follows:1. Identify the demand of local TV viewers in this digital era.2. Formulate solutions for local TV to fulfill the needs of their viewer and to increase the economic value through digital transformation.3. Define a new business model for local TV to survive in the digital television ecosystem today and future.LITERATURE REVIEWLocal TelevisionLocal television, or local TV, according to Indonesia Broadcasting Law number 32 of 2002, is a television broadcasting company that established in a region of Indonesia territory with the broadcast coverage area is limited to their origin regions. The limitation is based on the radio channel as a limited resource to transmit program. All Indonesian local TV use free-to-air, or FTA as broadcasting based.Local TV established to bring a local mission and cultural, and supported by local government. Local TV plays an important role to promote the progress and development of regional and national. Indonesia with the vast area has more than 740 ethnic groups, grow the number of TV stations distributed throughout the territory of Indonesia.Association of Indonesia Local TV, or Asosiasi Televisi Lokal Indonesia (ATVLI) is the representation of local TV community in Indonesia. The vision is to realize the spirit of regional autonomy dignified in Indonesia shared media local television. The mission is to make media local television as a support in the service of cultural values, education, social, religious, economic, technological, and democratization in all areas, to disseminate of development in Indonesia. Vision and mission reflect the strategic role of local TV as a medium in the development and deployment of Indonesian culture.The Internet Local TVThe Internet Local TV is a streaming aggregation of local TV to disseminate their contents nationally and globally, so viewers could enjoy local content from everywhere. In this study, useetv.com is an example of streaming aggregation provided by Telkom Indonesia. …
Two years research experiment was conducted during Kharif season of 2014 and 2015 to investigate the, “Effect of methods of tillage, land configuration and sources of nutrients on the performance of direct seeded rice. (Oryza sativa L.)” at Agronomy Farm, College of Agriculture, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri (M.S.). The soil of the experimental plot was medium in available nitrogen, low in available phosphorus and fairly high in available potassium. The field experiment was laid out in split-split plot design comprising 30 treatment combinations replicated thrice. Main plot treatment consisted of three tillage methods, Zero tillage (crop harvest at ground level), Conservation tillage (stubble mulch) and Conventional tillage. The sub plot treatment consisted of Land configuration i.e flat bed and raised bed while, sub-sub plot treatment comprised of five sources of nutrients, Absolute control (no fertilizers), recommended dose of fertilizer (100:50:50 NPK kg ha-1), Konkan Annapoorna Briquettes (56:24:10 NPK Kg ha-1), Konkan Annapoorna Briquettes (56:24:10 NPK Kg ha-1) with soil application of Zinc sulphate @ 25 kg ha-1 and Copper sulphate @ 5 kg ha-1 and Modified Konkan Annapoorna Briquettes(46:20:8:8:1.5N:P:K :Zn:Cu Kg ha-1). In the pooled analysis treatment conventional tillage recorded significantly the highest grain yield than the rest of treatments except conservation tillage which was on par with conventional tillage. Significantly the lowest grain yield was registered under the treatment zero tillage. Treatment flat bed (recorded significantly more grain and straw yield over the treatment raised beds of grain and straw yield in both the years. From the pooled data analysis it was observed that, treatment KAB + soil application of micronutrients recorded significantly the highest grain yield while treatment of absolute controlno fertilizers obtained significantly the lowest grain yield over the rest of sources of nutrients.
This paper argues that construction meaning is a combination of perceptual schema, thinking form and exposition need with syntactic, semantic and pragmatic mechanism in a language. Construction meaning is decided by three interactive factors: perceptual schema and thinking form are the basic factor in the formation of construction meaning, exposition need is the control factor, and the carrier factor is sentence elements and their meanings including the meaning of the nuclear verb, that of the semantic construction and syntactic distribution, and that of pragmatic words or marks. In a word, there are two factors for the formation of construction meaning: external and internal, and their relation should be examined dialectically. Construction meaning can be better understood only if both factors are given equal attention.
The affinity adsorbent was prepared by reacting an epoxy containing polyvinyl polymer with meta aminophenylboronic acid ( m APBA). The adsorbent has a ligand density of 0.92mmol/g wet gel. The optimum pH and the optimum ionic strength for 5 methyluridine(5 MUR) adsorption are 9.0mol/L and 2.0 mol/L NaCl, respectively. The optimal condition for elution is 0.1mol/L HCl. The adsorption isotherm of 5 MUR on the medium was determined, from which the dissociation constant K d of 0.155 mol/L and the maximum adsorption capacity of 78.8mg/g were calculated. The 5 MUR solution containing thymine (THY) is applied to the affinity chromatography column (1.5cm×25cm), resulting in a recovery yield of 56.3%.
The second of the three volumes, this collection of fifty-five essays divided into seven distinct segments, contains the writings of Amiya Dasgupta on economic theory. The collection contains his pioneering work on wages and employment in economies with an unlimited supply of unskilled labour. Dasgupta's motivation came from his observations of the world around him; in particular, events unfolding in the Indian economy in the post-independence era. Readers will have a deeper understanding of the underlying structure of the Indian economy during the post-War years, and the history of development of political economy. The essays are a luminous display of the interaction between economic theory and the empirical sources, and the immediate applicability of that theory. Above all, they are the definitive intellectual testimony of one of India's greatest social thinkers and the founder of modern economics in India. l The volume improves the understanding of the working of less developed economies. It deliberates on the applicability of economic theory as developed in the West, to problems of the less developed ones. The volume has been introduced comprehensively by Partha Dasgupta, the author's son, himself an eminent economist and Frank Ramsey Professor of Economics, University of Cambridge. The biographical sketch, written by the author's daughter and the volume editor, Alaknanda Patel dwells on the rare combination of tradition and reason of a man who questioned and looked for answers on every issue, a unique blend of scholarship and acute practical observation. l Volume I contains two of the author's most important treatises: The Conception of Surplus in Theoretical Economics which is an important determinant of the course of economic forces; and Epochs of Economic Theory which traces the historical development of economic theory and offers several original perspectives on classical political economy. The volume has been introduced by Dilip M. Nachane who provides an overview of economic thought in India in the early twentieth century that was influenced by: a) the nationalist strand; b) the colonial regime; and c) the Gandhian ideal of Swadeshi, village self-sufficiency, and trusteeship. Volume III brings a collection of essays, articles, reviews, and reminiscences written over a span of more than six decades. It bears the stamp of the author's unique views on the development of economic theory and its relevance to economic policy, war and post-war inflation, and international economic relations. It brings out broadly the author's approach to economic policy and planning, general concern for human well-being, and the state of the society. This volume has been introduced by I.G. Patel, eminent economist and former Governor, Reserve Bank of India. He held the post of Director, London School of Economics and Political Science.
During their relationship with a service provider, consumers experience triggers which sensitise them to view their relationship with their service provider more critically. This paper examines the influence of triggers on service quality dimensions in the retail banking context. The sample consists of 385 retail banking customers from Kerala. Five dimensions of service quality which customers perceive as important in the contemporary retail banking scenario were identified as part of a larger study conducted earlier. As part of this study, a scale was developed to measure customers' likelihood of considering switching their bank due to triggers. The results of the study showed that the three types of triggers had different influences on service quality dimensions. The results of the study also showed that higher the trigger, lower the perception of the service quality dimensions.
After looking at the opinion held by historians on the impact the capture of Gibraltar had in england, we have analyzed the periodical primary sources published at the time as the best means to rate the relevance of the event on the english public opinion. And although the press published a large amount of works, it was John Tutchin, author of the Whig periodical, the observator, who best reflected the public controversy of the two political parties over the value of the conquest of this enclave. Tutchin was determined to underrate the victory. As one of the most popular whig writers, he was obliged to attack the ineffectiveness of the Navy and specially the incompetence of Rooke. Whereas observator was the spokesman of the Whig party, Countryman reflected the beliefs of the Tories. 1 Trabajo realizado en el marco del proyecto nacional de investigación “Las campañas peninsulares de la Guerra de Sucesión española a través de la prensa británica del siglo xvIII”, referencia HAR2010-18720 del Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (2011-13). Investigador principal, Pedro Losa Serrano. Y del proyecto de investigación regional “La Guerra de Sucesión española en la opinión pública británica”, referencia PPII10-0056-2667 de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (2010-12). Investigador principal, Pedro Losa Serrano. 153 Estudis. Revista de Historia Moderna, 39, 2013, pp. 153-171. I.S.S.N. 0210-9093 In spite of himself, Tutchin made a profound impact on the english public opinion and government, as eight years later Gibraltar became a conquest that could never be given up by Great britain during the negotiations of the Treaty of Utrecht.
PURPOSE: To make it possible to adjust an isotropy and an anisotropy, which have an arbitrary magnitude of an optical amplification factor, by a method wherein both lasers are respectively a sequential-index induction laser diode provided with a layer having an optical amplification action and those laser diodes are provided on one common layer or are respectively provided on each of layers running parallel to each other or each of layer surfaces running parallel to each other. CONSTITUTION: A sequential-index induction laser diode LD1 is demarcated by an electrode EL1 along with the terminal part W11 on the left side of an optical waveguide W1, which is located under the electrode EL1 and consists of the terminal part R1 on the left side of a rib R and the terminal part Sch1 on the left side of a layer Sch. To this, another sequential-index induction laser diode LD2 is demarcated by the other electrode EL2 along with the terminal part W12 on the right side of a stripe optical waveguide W1, which is located under the electrode EL2 and consists of the terminal part R2 on the right side of the rib R and the terminal part Sch2 on the right side of the layer Sch. It is also possible that the diodes LD1 and LD2 are connected with each other in parallel to each other, but in this case, there is the need to provide two layers, which have an optical amplification action to the diodes, not vertically to each other but in parallel to each other. COPYRIGHT: (C)1990,JPO
Effect of partially replacing fishmeal by soybean meal on growth, digestibility, food utilization of sea perch  %Lateolabrasx japonicus % juveniles was studied in a laboratory. Six test diets contained 43% crude protein with an animal vegetable protein ratio of 1:0-1:1 79 In controls, the animals were fed chopped trash fish Results indicated that growth, digestibility, food utilization were reduced with increase in animal vegetable protein ratio The optimal proportion of fish meal and soybean meal in formulated feed of  %Lateolabrax japonicus % was 1:0 72-1:1 15
This research has as main theme the advertising diffusion of the requirements to access the "JOAQUIN GALLEGOS LARA" bonus. Subsidized by the former Vice-Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador, in Barrio Bastion Popular Bl.2 in the city of Guayaquil. It is divided into three chapters, in which are all the information collected about the advertising broadcast of the requirements to access Joaquin Gallegos Lara.    In chapter one Problem to investigate, we will find on the approach, formulation, systematization, of the research problem in turn determine what are the general and specific  objectives of the investigation and ends with the justification of the problem delimiting the scope that this will have in The research concluding the first chapter with the research hypothesis all this information serves as a basis for the development of the following chapters…..
Gas fields which have small reserves, located in remote areas far from existing pipeline network and infrastructure are considered as a stranded marginal gas fields. Special incentives would be required to commercialize the gas. The Kerendan gas fied, Bangkanai PSC, is regarded as a stranded marginal gas field. it is located in the middle of Kalimantan Island (North Barito Regency - Central Kalimantan), has small reserves, far from existing pipeline network and no adequate access road and infrastructure. The Kerendan gas field was discovered by Unocal in 1982 with the exploration well (Teweh Block). Unocal relinquished the block in 2000, due to lack of a gas market.
It is of great importance to strengthen fostering of scientific research and innovation ability of university students,however,there is a bad trend that the fostering at present pay too much attention to top universities' students,postgraduates and science and engineering students.Therefore,all kinds of universities should attach great importance to training and guiding of scientific research and innovation ability of all students including undergraduates and humanity and social science students,and to make them want to,able to and dare to go in for scientific research and innovation by creating scientific research atmosphere,providing scientific research terrace and deepening education reform.
Study design, materials and methods Twenty-eight patients (17 female, mean age 52 range 24-73) with neurogenic bowel disorder (NBD) were recruited from two specialist centres (19 with spinal cord injury, 2 spina bifida, 4 Multiple Sclerosis and 1 each following spinal surgery, tumour and cauda equina syndrome). All participants were experienced with TAI, used at a frequency of at least 2 times/week. Patients were trained to use NavinaTM Smart, a system of irrigation controlled by an automated balloon inflation and water pump, and followed up for 4 weeks to monitor patient satisfaction, perception and compliance using a Patient Reported Outcome questionnaire. There were two telephone contacts at week 1 and 2. Safety of the NavinaTM Smart system was also assessed by questioning and selfreport.
The philosopher-psychologist Carl Stumpf studied Klangfarbe (timbre) as an integral part of his phenomenology. He combined novel experimental and observation techniques of timbre perception on both vowels and the sound of musical instruments with conceptual and logical work at the interface of physiology, psychology, and philosophy, outlining timbre as a complex impression (Komplexeindruck). This article argues that this approach is informed by an explicitly modern scientific framework that replaced Helmholtz’s earlier spectral model with concepts of distribution and multi-dimensionality, and with spatialization, embodied in formants (main and secondary). This refinement of the conception of timbre yielded insights into the structural laws of phenomena and into mental functions.
Prolyl oligopeptidase, which is involved in memory disorders, is a member of a new family of serine peptidases. In addition to the peptidase domain, the enzyme contains a beta-propeller, which excludes large peptides from the active site. The enzyme is inhibited with thiol reagents, possibly by reacting with Cys-255 located close to the substrate binding site. This assumption was tested with the Cys-255 --> Thr, Cys-255 --> Ala, and Cys-255 --> Ser variants of prolyl oligopeptidase. In contrast to the wild type enzyme, the Cys-255 --> Thr variant was not inhibited with N-ethylmaleimide, indicating that Cys-255, of the 16 free cysteine residues, exclusively accounts for the enzyme inhibition. Unlike the wild type enzyme that showed a doubly bell-shaped pH rate profile, the modified enzyme displayed a single bell-shaped pH dependence with benzyloxycarbonyl-Gly-Pro-naphthylamide. It was the high pH form of the enzyme that virtually disappeared with all three enzyme variants. A substantial reduction was also observed in k(cat)/K(m) for the aminobenzoyl-Ser-Pro-Phe(NO(2))-Ala-OH substrate. The high pK(a) (9.77) of Cys-255 determined by titration with N-ethylmaleimide excluded the possibility that ionization of the thiol group was responsible for generation of the two active enzyme forms. The impaired activity of the enzyme variants could be rationalized in terms of weaker binding, which manifests itself in high K(m) for substrates and high K(i) for inhibitors, like benzyloxycarbonyl-Gly-Pro-OH and aminobenzoyl-Ser-d-Pro-Phe(NO(2))-Ala-OH. It was concluded that, besides selecting substrates by size, the beta-propeller domain containing Cys-255 remarkably contributed to catalysis of the peptidase domain.
In view of increasingly frequent and violent clashes between the media and judicature, to harmonize the relationship between the media and judicature has grown to be an urgent problem in both theory and practice so that a composite force is formed to push forward social justice and fairness. This article proposes, in order to reach a balance between the press freedom value and the judicial independence value, setting down certain limitations on the supervision of judicature by the media and protecting the media supervision through judicature is the only choice to follow.
Using corn starch as raw material,corn porous starch was prepared by enzyme hydrolysis method.Its parameters,such as enzyme concentration,the ratio of enzyme,reaction time,reaction temperature,starch concentration,and pH conditions were investigated.The optimal conditions for preparation of porous corn starch were determined by single factor experiment.The optimal conditions were enzyme concentration 1.2%,enzyme ratio 1∶ 2,the reaction temperature 55 ℃,the reaction time 12 h,the starch concentration 30% and pH 6.0.The oil absorption ratio of porous starch was 82.14%,far higher than the original starch adsorption performance.
1. A method for performing work in the field, comprising the steps of which! contextual information extracted from the main application associated with the project field! sort contextual information for aggregate aspects of relevance! generating at least one search profile for each of a plurality of aspects of relevance! ask for a set of searches using at least one search profile! take one or more items of data fields resulting aggregate searches, and! selectively regulate the work on the field on the basis of one or more elements of the data field. ! 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of! represent one or more items of data fields based on the plurality aspects of relevance in the main application. ! 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of! represent one or more items of data fields, aggregated based on the plurality aspects of relevance in one and the same interface, wherein one or more items of data fields comprise both structured and unstructured sets of results. ! 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of extracting content information is extracted from the current state of the user state in the main application. ! 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of! manipulating one or more elements of the data field associated with the shared data repository. ! 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of! assigned yard
Surgical treatment of glomus jugulare tumors yields high rates of perioperative morbidity and mortality for several reasons, among them neuroendocrine secretory activity, a high degree of vascularization, intracranial extension, duration of surgery and cranial nerve lesion. Secretory activity (e.g. catecholamines and serotonin) should be investigated before surgery and treated appropriately. Carotid arteriography (and ball occlusion) are useful to assess vascularization of the tumor and determine the need to clamp the carotid artery during the procedure. Potential complications such as hemodynamic alterations (bleeding or endocrine response), pulmonary embolism (air or thrombotic), hypothermia, facial nerve lesion, should be monitored for during surgery. After surgery cranial nerve involvement, which can lead to dysphagia and bronchoaspiration, must be looked for; the risk of cerebro-spinal fluid fistula is also high. We report the case of a woman who underwent surgery for a non secreting glomus jugulare tumor with extradural intracranial invasion. The main complications during surgery were bleeding with hemodynamic repercussions, pulmonary embolism, lesions in the VII, VIII and X cranial nerves, and opening of the dura mater (which required insertion of an intradural drain to prevent formation of a fistula). After surgery oral intake was delayed until intestinal function was established and glottic sphincter competence was verified by fiberoptic laryngoscopy. The only complication presenting at this time was cephalea, which disappeared upon removal of the drain on day 4. The patient was released on day 10.
Objectives: We describe atypical and resistant neuropsychiatric clinical manifestations in a young male with posterior cerebellar gliosis. We also attempt to test the mediating role of the cerebellum in the clinical presentation by manipulating the frontal-cerebellar network using MRI-informed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Methods: A case report of a young adult male describing obsessive-compulsive symptoms, probably secondary to an infarct in the cerebellar right crus II, combined with an examination of behavioral and functional connectivity changes following TMS treatment. Results: Obsessions, compulsions, and pathological slowing were observed in the background of a posterior cerebellar infarct, along with impairments in vigilance, working memory, verbal fluency, visuospatial ability, and executive functions, in the absence of any motor coordination difficulties. These symptoms did not respond to escitalopram. MRI-informed intermittent theta-burst stimulation delivered to the pre-supplementary motor area identified based on its connectivity with the cerebellar lesion in the crus II resulted in partial improvement of symptoms with enhanced within and between-network modularity of the cerebellar network connectivity. Conclusion: We illustrate a case of OCD possibly secondary to a posterior cerebellar infarct, supporting the role of the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of OCD. Functional connectivity informed non-invasive neuromodulation demonstrated partial treatment response. A seriation technique showed extended connectivity of the cerebellar lesion regions following the neuromodulatory treatment.
Critical care environments are inherently complex and dynamic. Assessment of workflow in such environments is not trivial. While existing approaches for workflow analysis such as ethnographic observations and interviewing provide contextualized information about the overall workflow, they are limited in their ability to capture the workflow from all perspectives. This paper presents a tool for automated activity recognition that can provide an additional point of view. Using data captured by Radio Identification (RID) tags and Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), key activities in the environment can be modeled and recognized. The proposed method leverages activity recognition systems to provide a snapshot of workflow in critical care environments. The activities representing the workflow can be extracted and replayed using virtual reality environments for further analysis.
Objective To investigate the methods of diagnosis and treatment of pediatric and hebetic adrenocorticotropic hormone(ACTH) secreting pituitary microadenoma.Methods The data of 10 patients with ACTH secreting pituitary microadenoma were retrospectively analysed.ACTH secreting pituitary microadenoma was diagnosed by clinical manifestations, biochemical and imaging findings,and 5 patients underwent bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling(BIPSS). Transsphenoidal surgery was performed on all the patients under microscope,and the tumor specimens were detected by immunohistochemistry.Results Immunohistochemical examination revealed that ACTH was positive in 8 cases and negative in 2 cases.Patients were followed up for 12 to 63 months,7 cases(70%) were cured,one(10%) achieved remission, and the other two(20%) experienced recurrence.Conclusion BIPSS is helpful in the diagnosis and localization of pediatric and hebetic ACTH pituitary microadenoma,and transsphenoidal surgery is the optimal choice of treatment.
The performance of a nitrifying biofilm reactor was studied over a wide range of the influent ammonium-N concentration S o . It was found that the influent concentration of ammonium has a significant effect on the growth behavior of nitrifying biofilm as well as on nitrification kinetics and that a higher S o value resulted in a faster accumulation of nitrifying biofilm. It appears that a nitrifying biofilm reactor can provide a great possibility of implementing the shortened pathway for nitrogen removal by performing a nitrate shunt.
Establishment of exit mechanism for rural land contracting rights is an important content of the rural land system reform in the rapid urabanization process.With the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization,the rural labor force transfer to non-agricultural towns,the farmer groups gradually differentiate,farmers differentiation brings great difference to the farmers' land property right cognition,circulation willings,old-age security need and ect.Establishment of exit mechanism for rural land contracting rights guides part conditional farmers exit orderly from the countryside,which is the inevitable trend to accelerate health development of urbanization.Rural land contracting rights are enjoyed by farmers as rural collective economic organization members,which is not only a simple economic power,but also mainly a social security power.Establishment of exit mechanism for rural land contracting rights shuld focus on establishing diversified exit modes,economic compensation mechanism, social guarantee mechanism and gravity mechanism.The premise of such institutional innovation should be the fully protection of the farmers' freedom of choice and land rights.
The response variability in the primary afferent fibers and in the post-synaptic neurons of- the cuneatus was determined using repetitive mechanical stimulation of the skin in cat. The response variability was larger in the post-synaptic neurons. Of the two studied mechanoreceptor types, the RA (rapidly adapting) units had significantly more variability at the cuneate level than the PC (Pacinian) units, but at the peripheral level no such difference was found. The results suggest that the PC units transmit signals more securely through the cuneatus than the RA units.
The immunoglobulin classes/complement fixation of anti-dsDNA were studied in sera obtained from 17 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with digital ulcers and/or gangrene (Group A); 13 SLE patients with leg ulcer, peripheral neuropathy or livedo (Group B); 24 SLE patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (Group C); and 18 SLE patients with active lupus nephritis (Group D). Antibodies to dsDNA of IgG and IgA classes were commonly present (often in high titers) in Groups A and D. However, complement fixation of anti-dsDNA was more common in Group D than in any of the other 3 groups.
The IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans are considered by several Institutions a point of reference for the prevention of adverse effects (namely cancer) of occupational exposures. The conclusions which lead to the Classification of a substance or an industrial process are the results of a vote within a Working Group of experts and are expressed in terms of "evidence" based on both epidemiological and experimental data or "other relevant data". Several points are discussed which include the methods of identification of the experts, the criteria of evaluation of the available data, the meaning of some definitions and finally the impact of IARC conclusions and Classification on Public Health regulations and secondarily on compensation procedures or trial decisions. Three recent examples regarding the Classification of Free Crystalline Silica, Shift-Work and Vinyl Chloride Monomer, which cannot be accepted as such without some criticism, are reported. In conclusion the Authors appreciate the effort of the IARC to provide a source of information which "may assist national and international authorities in making risk assessments and in formulating decisions concerning any necessary preventive measures". However, they suggest that the IARC "overall evaluation" should not be taken as confidently as if no doubt at all would exist on the final statement and the consequent Classification. Some suggestions as to the solution of the question are also provided.
The influence of various social environments on estrogen excretion, scent marking, and the expression of sociosexual behavior was examined in cotton‐top tamarins (Sanguinus o. oedipus). Behavioral observations and urine collections were conducted on five females while first housed in their natal family group or in the presence of another cycling adult female and then while housed with an unrelated adult male in a separate cage. Behavioral observations only were conducted on males in natal family groups and while housed with an unrelated adult female. Levels of urinary estrone and estradiol for females were measured by specific radioimmunoassays. Females housed in family groups or in the presence of an adult cycling female showed low and noncyclic patterns of estrogen excretion. Removal from these environments resulted in a rapid increase in urinary estrone and estradiol and three of five females demonstrated cyclic patterns of estrone excretion. Rates of anogenital marking in females were elevated after the social change, and sexual interactions, virtually absent in the original environments, were observed in all five females. In males, similar manipulations of the social environment affected the expression of sexual behavior, but not scent marking. The social environment, therefore has a profound impact on fertility and sociosexual behavior in cotton‐top tamarin groups, with implications for callitrichid social structure and behavior.
This study provided a 2-year follow-up, including pretest-posttest and posttest-only quasi experiments, of M. A. Campion and C. L. McClelland's (1991) interdisciplinary evaluation of costs and benefits of a job enlargement intervention. Data were collected on 445 clerical employees and 70 managers in a financial services company. Costs and benefits changed substantially, depending on the type of enlargement. Task enlargement, the focus of the original study, had mostly long-term costs (less satisfaction, efficiency, and customer service and more mental overload and errors). Knowledge enlargement, which emerged since the original study, had mostly benefits (more satisfaction and customer service and less overload and errors). Findings have implications for the enlargement-enrichment distinction and for resolving conflicts between motivational (psychological) versus mechanistic (engineering) models of job design
A novel class of isochroman dopamine analogues, originally reported by Abbott Laboratories, have >100‐fold selectivity for D1‐like over D2‐like receptors. We synthesized a parallel series of chroman compounds and showed that repositioning the oxygen atom in the heterocyclic ring decreases potency and confers D2‐like receptor selectivity to these compounds. In silico modeling supports the hypothesis that the altered pharmacology for the chroman series is due to potential intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the oxygen in the chroman ring and the meta‐hydroxy group of the catechol moiety. This interaction realigns the catechol hydroxy groups and disrupts key interactions between these ligands and critical serine residues in TM5 of the D1‐like receptors. This hypothesis was tested by the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a parallel series of carbocyclic compounds. Our results suggest that if the potential for intramolecular hydrogen bonding is removed, D1‐like receptor potency and selectivity are restored.
Calcific uremic arteriolopathy is a rare condition affecting chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on long-term dialysis. The clinical manifestations include subcutaneous skin necrosis and ulcers secondary to calcification of the subcutaneous blood vessels. The necrotic tissue often becomes a nidus of infection. The prognosis is often poor. We present a case of a renal allograft recipient who developed a subcutaneous necrotic lesion which was subsequently infected by Rhizopus spp. The patient underwent surgical debridement and antifungal therapy. The infection resolved completely. Our case represents agrave underlying condition predisposing a rare and serious posttransplant infection. The outcome was favourable because of early identification and treatment of the infection.
Abstract This study examined (1) the structure of dimensions of retail website quality among 278 US and 347 Korean Internet users and (2) the relationship between attitude toward online shopping and retail website quality. Through the review of the current literature, five dimensions of retail website quality were identified: information quality, trust, ease of use, visual appeal, and business process. Confirmatory factor analyses verified the distinctiveness of the five quality dimensions in both samples. Through the use of regression analyses we also found that in both samples the respondents' perceptions of various dimensions of website quality were significantly influenced by their attitudes toward online shopping as well as by demographic characteristics.
After Hellman and Weichselbaum defined “Oligometastasis” in 1995, several local therapies for lung oligometastases including surgical resection and external body radiation therapy were reported that improved local control (LC) and progression-free survival, overall survival, and quality of life. This suggests that oligometastases is a potentially curable state. Modern advances in radiation therapy such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in which high dose coverage of target lesion without exposure of normal organ is possible, and are widely used to treat solitary or a limited number of primary lung cancer and metastases. Several reports showed that SBRT was a useful treatment method for lung oligometastases, and the LC rate of SBRT was 80–90% in 2 years and less invasive than surgical resection. SBRT is a safe and effective especially for small and peripheral lung metastases. However, if the metastatic lesion is big or centrally located, careful treatment is necessary to prevent radiation pneumonitis. After SBRT, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate local recurrence and pulmonary injury, especially in the early phase. However, it is important to detect local recurrence especially in patients who require further local therapy such as surgical resection and re-irradiation or systemic therapy. The diagnosis can be improved by determining the natural course after SBRT and local recurrence with computed tomography imaging and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, respectively. Moreover, radiation therapy may have both local and systemic effects that are related to the enhancement of immune-response after radiation. Currently, several trials evaluating the benefits of SBRT for oligometastatic breast cancer are underway. However, the adaption of SBRT for lung metastases including other treatment strategies should be carefully discussed by the radiation oncologist and a multi-disciplinary team comprising a breast surgeon, medical oncologist, diagnostic radiologist, and radiation oncologist, among others.
This study discusses police use of surveillance footage to solve crimes in urban locations and in marginalized neighborhoods, and in particular explores how surveillance cameras and the quality of video they produce result in differential displays of crime. Videos of young people being kidnapped in downtown Mexico City reveal that surveillance systems in marginalized areas are of consistently poor definition and clarity, which contrasts sharply with the clear and distinct images produced by video surveillance in financial, commercial, and upscale residential districts. Social inequality is revealed between the high-quality surveillance systems in the middle- and high-income protective bubbles that exclude the ‘dangerous classes’ and the low-quality and poorly functioning surveillance systems that are operational in low-income and ‘dangerous’ areas. The article shows how surveillance cameras function not only as mechanisms to prevent and solve crimes but also as instruments of the government that seek to e...
Background The association between income inequality and health has been analyzed predominantly in developed countries with modest levels of inequality. The study aimed to analyze the association between income inequality and self-reported health (SRH) in the adult population of the 27 Brazilian capitals.   Methods Individuals aged 18 years or older from the National Health survey residing in Brazilian capitals in 2013 were analyzed (n = 27 017). Bayesian multilevel models were applied after controlling for individual factors and area-level socioeconomic characteristics.   Results We found a significant association between income inequality and SRH, even after controlling for individual and contextual factors. The results indicate greater odds of poor SRH among those living in areas with medium (OR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.17-1.47) and high income inequality level (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.24-1.56). Income inequality remained significantly associated with SRH, even after controlling for other contextual socioeconomic characteristics, such as local illiteracy rate, violence and per capita income.   Conclusions The study highlights the importance of the individual and contextual characteristics associated with SRH. Our findings suggest that city-level income inequality can have a detrimental effect on individual health, over and above other contextual socioeconomic characteristics and individual factors.
OBJECTIVE Adolescents with chronic pain often experience symptom disbelief and social rejection by others secondary to "medically unexplained" symptoms. Although chronic pain is common in adolescents, limited research has conceptualized these social experiences as pain-related stigma in this population. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe pain-related stigma among adolescents with chronic pain and their parents using focus group methodology.   METHODS Five adolescent focus groups (N = 18; Age M = 15.33 years, SD = 1.28) and three parent focus groups (N = 9) were conducted. Directed content analysis was used to analyze focus group transcripts. Stigma categories were developed a priori (Felt Stigma, Anticipated Stigma, Internalized Stigma, Concealment, and Controllability) and new categories emerged during analysis. Two coders reached 87.16% agreement for all groups (adolescent group: 90.34%; Parent group: 79.55%) and consensus was achieved for discordant codes.   RESULTS Adolescents and their parents endorsed pain-related stigma across all social domains. Analyses revealed four main categories for both groups (a) Felt Stigma (subcategories: pain dismissal, faking or exaggerating, and mental health stigma), (b) Anticipated Stigma and Concealment, (c) Internalized Stigma, and (d) Sources of Pain-Related Stigma (subcategories: pain invisibility, lack of chronic pain knowledge, lack of understanding, and controllability).   CONCLUSIONS Adolescents with chronic pain experience pain-related stigma from medical providers, school personnel, family members, and peers, which may have negative social and health implications. More research is needed to evaluate the link between pain-related stigma and health outcomes for adolescents with chronic pain. Clinical approaches targeting pain-related stigma are discussed.
Background: Research identifying vulnerability and resilience factors that may affect an individual’s likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is hampered by the dearth of information on those who are resilient and, although exposed to the trauma, remain unaffected by it. Methods: Such a study eventuated in Canberra where the Centre for Mental Health Research is conducting a longitudinal study of over 7000 participants from three age groups. Reinterviewed participants were asked about their level of exposure and reaction to this trauma and their fi re-related PTSD symptoms. Information on a range of sociodemographic, health and personality measures was collected both before and after the trauma. Results: Almost 80% of Wave 2 respondents were exposed to the fi re, while around 2000 reported having experienced fi re-related PTSD symptoms in the week prior to their interview. Structural equation modeling of pre-trauma risk and resilience factors associated with PTSD symptoms was undertaken. When level of exposure and immediate reaction to the fi re were taken into account, pre-trauma resilience measures had the greatest impact on PTSD symptoms. Those with higher levels of resilience were signifi cantly less likely to report PTSD symptoms. Conclusion: These fi ndings indicate that reducing risk of PTSD by increasing individuals’ levels of resilience in the face of specifi c traumas has the potential to be an effective strategy to limit the negative psychological impact of trauma exposure.
Northrop Grumman has designed, developed and demonstrated acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) based hyperspectral imager to cover visible to long wavelength infrared (LWIR) spectral region. We have experimentally demonstrated and report the results of crystal growth, fabrication, design, development and performance for the long wavelength infrared (LWIR) acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF)-based hyperspectral imager based on an efficient crystal thallium arsenic selenide. The results on the growth of 40 mm diameter and 15 cm long crystals, 4.0 cm long AOTF fabrication, and system design and performance are presented. A system concept was developed with high efficiency, resolution, and throughput utilizing this TAS AOTF. The test setup consisted of an LWIR camera (microbolometer), the AOTF, and SF6. The object was placed ~20" in front of the AOTF. The camera was aligned to the first order diffracted beam of the AOTF. The AOTF was tuned to 10.6 um wavelength by applying a 13.9 MHz RF signal on the transducer. The results on the growth of crystals, AOTF fabrication, and systems design and performance are presented.
Chalcogen-doped microstructural silicon irradiated by femtosecond laser has high near-uniform absorption on a broad spectrum, but the factors leading to infrared absorption are complex and remain an open problem. To clarify the origin of infrared absorption besides hyperdoped Chalcogen atoms, microstructural silicon is fabricated by femtosecond laser under vacuum condition. The relationship between infrared absorption and as-formed new phases (amorphous silicon: α-Si and nanocrystal silicon) is established. It indicates that the infrared absorption is caused by defects related to Urbach states from α-Si or nanocrystal Si, and these metastable defects disappeared after a thermal annealing process. From the absorption spectrum of microstructural silicon after etching at different times, it could be figured out that the Urbach states exist in both the surface and subsurface regions of black silicon at a depth of about 2.4 μm.
The paper looks back to time when budgeting was easier and budget outcomes were superior. Although it is impossible to replicate the past exactly, there are certain characteristics of past budgets that might be emulated. The paper focuses on Eisenhower's battles to balance the 1960 budget. The task was not easy and the result had to be bipartisan since Democrats had significant majorities in the House and Senate. But budgeting was less difficult than it is today, because almost all spending was controlled by annual appropriations, and popular, rapidly growing entitlements for the elderly were very much less important. The president's budget was also much more prestigious and influential. Approaches to gaining more control over entitlements are explored as is the more difficult task of restoring the influence of the president's budget.
Despite its broad geographical distribution, Mimon bennettii (Gray, 1838) is a poorly studied species. Five individuals were captured using mist nets in the District of Bugre (25o29’52”S, 49o39’24”W) and four in the District of Sao Luiz do Puruna (25o28’18”S, 49o42’53”W), both in the Municipality of Balsa Nova, State of Parana, Southern Brazil. These areas are located within the domain of the Araucaria Pine Forest, in the region of the Devonian Scarp. In addition to the record of two new points of occurrence of this poorly know species in the State of Parana, this study also reports on data on reproductive biology and use of daily roost by M. bennettii .
Endocytosis of surface proteins through clathrin-coated pits requires an internalization signal in the cytoplasmic domain. Two types of internalization signal have been described: one requiring a tyrosine as the critical residue (tyrosine-based motif), and the other consisting of either two consecutive leucines or an isoleucine and leucine (dileucine motif). Although it seems that these signals are necessary and sufficient for endocytic targeting, the mechanism of recognition is not well understood. To examine this question, tetracycline-repressible cell lines were used to overexpress one of several receptors bearing a tyrosine-based internalization signal. By measuring the rates of endocytosis for either the overexpressed receptor, or that of other endogenous receptors, we were able to show that the endocytosis of identical receptors could be saturated, but a complete lack of competition exists between the transferrin receptor (TfR), the low-density lipoprotein receptor, and the epidermal growth factor receptor. Overexpression of any one of these receptors resulted in its redistribution toward the cell surface, implying that entry into coated pits is limited. During high levels of TfR expression, however, a significant increase in the amount of surface Lamp1, but not low-density lipoprotein receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, or Lamp2, is detected. This suggests that Lamp1 and TfR compete for the same endocytic sites. Together, these results support the idea that there are at least three distinct saturable components involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis.
This article examines the early modern idea of‘the witch as a violent space —both as a perpetrator of violent maleficia and as a victim of violence. It then goes on to look at the extent to which the location of violence in the witch figure has been taken up and used by feminist witches and Wiccans, asking what happens when a polyvalent symbol of violence is used as a central identificatory trope. The fact that the violence of the witch is now largely resisted by Wiccans leads me to question how much this resistance is based on a desire to accommodate greater knowledge of witchcraft historiography and an unwillingness to engage in a false rhetoric centred on the violence of abstraction and exclusion. Through an exploration of the rhetorics of violence surrounding representations of ‘the Witch’, I aim to extend analysis of the witch and witchcraft into the contexts of contemporary Feminist Witchcraft and Wicca.
Anti-social actions of organizationally committed individuals are explained on the basis of the 'ontological function' of organizations. This is the function of providing a sense of identity, or Being, to participants whose identity is in question. The identity that thus develops is threatened by perceived threats to the organization, and anti-social action can result. It is shown how the development of the potentiality for such anti-social action is built into the process of socialization for organizational commitment.
MOTIVATION Predicting residue-residue contacts between interacting proteins is an important problem in bioinformatics. The growing wealth of sequence data can be used to infer these contacts through correlated mutation analysis on multiple sequence alignments of interacting homologs of the proteins of interest. This requires correct identification of pairs of interacting proteins for many species, in order to avoid introducing noise (i.e. non-interacting sequences) in the analysis that will decrease predictive performance.   RESULTS We have designed Ouroboros, a novel algorithm to reduce such noise in intermolecular contact prediction. Our method iterates between weighting proteins according to how likely they are to interact based on the correlated mutations signal, and predicting correlated mutations based on the weighted sequence alignment. We show that this approach accurately discriminates between protein interaction versus non-interaction and simultaneously improves the prediction of intermolecular contact residues compared to a naive application of correlated mutation analysis. This requires no training labels concerning interactions or contacts. Furthermore, the method relaxes the assumption of one-to-one interaction of previous approaches, allowing for the study of many-to-many interactions.   AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Source code and test data are available at www.bif.wur.nl/.   SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the learning and evaluation processes have been moved to an online modality to keep social distance and reduce the spreading of the virus. The strategies implemented for assessment and proctoring in this online remote teaching and assessment emergency are no exception when proctoring test-takers. This problem is addressed from a practical context of study: the English Language Proficiency Tests of a University in southeast Mexico. Considering an iterative user-centered mixed methodology, a set of dashboards was designed, implemented and evaluated to visualize the information generated by test-takers during the administration process. An increase in the Usability of the dashboards is observed in all heuristic categories, with visual design being greater. The use of the mixed methodology and the constant user feedback during the process helped us to reduce development time compared with other works found in the literature. Moreover, it is possible to use the proposed dashboards in other application domains like medicine, or care facilities where user activity monitoring is needed to make informed decisions. categoryHuman-centered computing;Information visualization
Economic activity analysis is the product of the planned economy. With the development of market economy, some shortcomings, for example, the ambiguous content and time delays of evaluation, are exposed. Therefore, its use is restricted. Though researching project management, author found that bringing schedule management, cost management, quality management of project management into economic activity analysis could solve above-mentioned problem. According to the characteristics of power enterprise, authors design evaluation system with specific characteristics of the industry. This system can reflect the economic activity timely, effectively, objectively and targetedly. At the same time, authors use the practical example to verify the effectiveness of the model.
In this paper, we present non-redundant directional transform and shift-invariant transform based on even-stacked cosine-modulated filter banks (ECFBs). M-band dual-tree wavelet transform (MDTWT) recently proposed has rich directional selectivity and near shift-invariance. However, it has two problems. First, it is not critically-sampled transform. Second, it cannot achieve shift-invariance at all decomposition levels. For these problems, we show a solution based on ECFBs. Critically-sampled ECFBs provide non-redundant transform with rich directional selectivity. Furthermore, oversampled ECFBs with oversampling ratio of 2 can assure the shift-invariance at any decomposition levels. Moreover, ECFBs can be designed from only one prototype filter and guarantee linear phase. In this paper, we verify these facts by theoretical analysis and simulations.
The mathematical model described in part I [Urbanowicz (1981). Acta Cryst. A37, 364-368] has been verified by measurements performed on the Bond diffractometer constructed in the author's institute. A computer program has been written allowing the synthesis of the diffraction profile h(ω) for an arbitrary original function f(ω), distribution of tube-focus emissivity is(x), collimator length L2, and for given widths d1, d2 of collimator slits. The calculations have been performed to estimate systematic errors related to the collimation conditions, caused by insufficient accuracy (shift Δs) of the collimator setting in relation to the focus centre and asymmetry function ϕ of the distribution of tube-focus emissivity. A simplified formula is given for fast estimation of the errors caused by overlapping of the Kα1-Kα2 doublet and by the Lp factor.
Electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) provides a “green” route to upgrade oxygenated bio-oil under mild conditions, but is still challenged with the issues of low working current density ( 99% for many chemicals) and high working current density (up to 800 mA cm−2) in the hydrogenation of model bio-oil compounds. More importantly, efficient deoxygenation to alkanes, often thought to be very difficult in conventional ECH, was achieved in the aqueous electrolysis. The dual-catalyst system consists of a suspended noble-metal catalyst and soluble polyoxometalate (POM). The theoretical calculations indicate that the POM functions as a superacid, changing the common hydrogenation route to a carbocation mechanism and resulting in effective electrolytic deoxygenation of oxygenates. Because no current flows through the catalyst, even a non-conductive catalyst can be used, which provides a great opportunity for extension to general applications.
This paper presents a time-frequency approach to detect perinatal hypoxia by characterizing the nonstationary nature of heart rate variability (HRV) signals. Quadratic time-frequency distributions (TFDs) are used to represent the HRV signals. Six features based on the instantaneous frequency (IF) of the lower frequency components of HRV signals are selected to establish a classifier using support vector machine. The classifier is trained and tested using the signals recorded from a neonatal piglet model under a controlled hypoxic condition, which provides reliable annotations on the data. The method shows superior performance in the detection of hypoxic epochs with sensitivity (89.8%), specificity (100%) and total accuracy (94.9%) compared with that based on frequency domain features, indicating that nonstationarity should be taken into account for a more accurate assessment of the newborn status with possible hypoxia when analyzing HRV signals.
This paper provides a “back-of-the-envelope” assessment of the efficiency effects of the reforms of the water sector in Argentina. Private operators are now key players in 15 of Argentina's provinces. While all have adopted incentive based regulatory regimes which require estimates of economic efficiency changes, none have actually issued any estimate yet. This paper provides upper bounds estimates of efficiency gains achieved for four operators. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implication of the results for regulatory accounting and data collection processes by regulators in developing countries relying on incentive based regulatory systems.
We propose a network model of oxygen-pairs to store and conduct protons on the surface of manganese dioxide with a weak covalent bond like protons stored in pressured ice. The atomic distances of oxygen-pairs were estimated between 2.57 and 2.60 angstroms in crystal structures of ramsdellite-type and lambda-type manganese dioxides by using protonated samples and inelastic neutron scattering measurements. Good properties for a hydrogen gas sensor using electrolytes made of manganese dioxides that contain such oxygen-pairs were confirmed experimentally.
Studies of memory reconsolidation of pavlovian memories have typically employed unimodal conditioned stimuli, despite the use of multimodal compound stimuli in other settings. Here we studied sign-tracking behaviour to a compound audiovisual stimulus. First, we observed not unexpectedly that sign-tracking was poorer to the audiovisual compound than to unimodal visual stimuli. Then, we showed that, depending on the parameters of compound stimulus re-exposure at memory reactivation, systemic MK-801 treatment either impaired extinction to improve signtracking at test, or disrupted reconsolidation to impair test behaviour. When memory reactivation consisted of re-exposure to only the auditory component of the compound stimulus, we observed sign-tracking impairments following MK-801 treatment, but only under certain test conditions. This was in contrast to the consistent impairment following reactivation with the full audiovisual compound. Moreover, the parameters of auditory stimulus presentation to enable MK-801-induced impairment at test varied depending on whether the stimulus was presented within or outside the training context. These findings suggest that behaviour under the control of appetitive pavlovian compound stimuli can be modulated by targeting both extinction and reconsolidation, and that it is not necessary to re-expose to the full compound stimulus in order to achieve a degree of modulation of behaviour.
OBJECTIVE The present study was aimed at testing the ability of a rheumatologist without experience in ultrasound (US) who attended an intensive 4-week training programme focused on US assessing bone erosions in the hands and feet in patients with RA.   METHODS Twenty patients diagnosed with RA according to the ACR criteria were included in the study. All US examinations were performed bilaterally by two investigators (with different experience in the field of musculoskeletal US) at the following sites: the dorsal, lateral and volar aspect of the second metacarpal, ulnar and fifth metatarsal head; and the dorsal and volar aspect of the third metacarpal and second proximal heads. Each quadrant was scanning in longitudinal and transverse scans for assessing the qualitative, semiquantitative and quantitative US findings indicative of bone erosions according the OMERACT preliminary definition.   RESULTS Both κ-values and overall agreement percentages of qualitative and semiquantitative assessments showed moderate to excellent agreement between the two investigators. Similar results were obtained for the quantitative assessment with the concordance correlation coefficient value always significant. The only exception was the volar aspects, in particular those of the fifth metatarsal head.   CONCLUSION Our study suggests that after a 4-week dedicated training programme, a rheumatologist without experience in US is able to detect and score bone erosions in the hands and feet of patients with RA.
Abstract: Research on host response to infectious disease often involves pharmacological induction of immunosuppression, frequently through administration of dexamethasone. Reports on the effect of dexamethasone in birds are largely restricted to poultry and pigeons. This study describes changes in white blood cell (WBC) differentials, hemoparasite counts, splenic histology, and splenic CD3 immunoreactivity in House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). Experimental group birds (n=9) were treated with a daily intramuscular injection of 25 µg of dexamethasone for 8 d; a control group (n=9) received daily saline solution. Smears were made with blood collected immediately before the first dose (day 0) and on d 4, 8, and 9, and stained with modified Wright. The WBC differential counts were performed by three blinded observers, parasite counts by two blinded observers, and histology by one blinded observer. Dexamethasone-treated birds experienced relative heterophilia and lymphopenia on d 4 (P=0.008); heterophilia was also present at d 8 (P=0.018). Hemosporidian counts were significantly increased in dexamethasone-treated birds on d 4 and 8 (P=0.048 and P=0.031, respectively). In contrast with control birds, all dexamethasone-treated birds lacked histologically apparent splenic lymphoid follicles (P<0.001). No significant difference was observed in splenic CD3 immunoreactivity between groups. Our results indicate that dexamethasone has an effect on the hematologic profile of House Finches and suggest that it may be a useful method to induce immunosuppression in this species.
The dystrophin‐glycoprotein complex plays an important role in muscle function. One of the components of the complex, a 156‐kDa cell surface glycoprotein (α‐dystroglycan) binds to laminin, thereby connecting the basal lamina and muscle cells. We have examined the progressive appearance of α‐dystroglycan and laminin in muscle cells that differentiate in culture. We find that nondifferentiated cultures of C2C12 myoblasts express low amounts of dystroglycan mRNA and, in contrast, this gene is prominently expressed in differentiated myotubes. Immunofluorescence analysis with a monoclonal antibody against α‐dystroglycan shows its progressive appearance during myoblast differentiation into myotubes. Immunostaining with a monoclonal antibody against laminin shows that it is not present on the surface of undifferentiated myoblasts. Subsequently, laminin becomes apparent on the surface of differentiated myotubes where it codistributes with immunostained α‐dystroglycan identifies a broad band of about 140–160 kDa, resembling α‐dystroglycan from rabbit muscle. The composite results indicate that α‐dystroglycan and laminin appear and become co‐distributed on the surface of cultured C2C12 during the progression of differentiation.
There has been much discussion about the potential cost-containing impact of HMOs upon the local medical care market. Three areas have been identified by various observers as experiencing such beneficial effects: Hawaii, after the development of Kaiser in the late 1950s; Rochester, New York, which experienced rapid HMO growth and declining Blue Cross hospital use in the late 1970s; and Minneapolis/St. Paul, which has been the focus of vigorous HMO competition in the last decade. While comprehensive data on health care expenditures are not available, bits of evidence can be pieced together to develop case studies of each area. Careful review of the available data often identifies internal inconsistencies and contradictions, but in none of the three sites is there a reduction in hospital use that is most plausibly attributed to HMO competition. Instead, the reported reductions are in each case attributable to other factors--including biases in data, long-term trends predating HMOs, indirect effects of other policy changes, and other forms of competition.
In this modern days, E-commerce having a rapid growth and becoming an important activity. E-commerce is widely considered   the   buying   and   selling   of   products   over   the internet. With a broadening product range, E-commerce will have a direct effect on bricks and mortar retail. Now the business is moving into this new services, and it will reduce net demand for future additional retail space. The paper concludes that E-commerce will have significant impacts on Bricks and Mortar Retail.
Small businesses in high-tech industries can be at a disadvantage when it comes to accessing research to compete within their own industries. Using a Design Science Research approach, we develop the concept of a Massive Open Online Network and implement a prototype that aims to support knowledge sharing among formal and informal persons, groups and organisations. We contribute novel knowledge in design principles and prototype that can be applied to support co-creation and innovation. NØKKELORD Massivt åpent nettverk | kunnskapsdeling | dokumentdeling | ny prototype | på nett | samarbeid | innovasjon
As part of the CPEA (Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Atmosphere) project, we have been conducting ground-based optical and radio observations of the ionosphere and thermosphere at Kototabang in Indonesia, Japan, and Australia. First, this paper gives a brief overview of some results, paying special attention to 100-1000 km scale plasma disturbances in the F region ionosphere, i.e., medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) and plasma bubbles. MSTIDs over the equator are observed within and in the south of the F region equatorial anomaly crest and have, on the average, a phase velocity of 300 m s−1 toward the south, a period of 40 min, and a wavelength of 700 km. Plasma bubbles move to the east at ∼ 100 m s−1, have a scale of about 100 km with spacings of 200-250 km, and are embedded within plasma structures with a scale of about 1000 km. Interestingly, giant plasma bubbles can be simultaneously detected at lower midlatitudes in southern and northern hemispheres that are connected by the geomagnetic field line, and are very identical in appearance in the both hemispheres. Then, we present newly-obtained characteristics of equatorial ionospheric scintillations of 1.6 GHz GPS radio waves associated with plasma bubbles. Continuous scintillation observations for two years at Kototabang indicate that the scintillations appear predominantly from sunset to midnight in equinoctial months. Such a seasonal variation is also recognized from a statistical study of bubble occurrences over the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia. To investigate possible dynamical coupling between the ionosphere/thermosphere and troposphere over the equator, we compare the scintillation (bubble) activity and Earth’s brightness temperature variation over the Indian Ocean measured by meteorological satellites. The results indicate that there can exist meaningful correlations between the scintillation occurrence and tropospheric disturbance at 80°-95°E longitudes, i.e. 5°-20° west of Kototabang. Possible processes to seed plasma bubbles are discussed.
Due to the inherently poor thermal conductivity of conventional heat transfer fluids such as water, ethylene glycol, mineral oils and their mixtures, they are substantially compromised in thermal management applications. In this paper, particulate deaggregated and functionalized nanodiamond (“detonation” nanodiamond), fND, is examined as a low concentration additive to traditional heat transfer fluids to enhance their thermal conductivity and hence, heat transfer capability while causing no major disruption in existing pressure drop or loop maintenance. The criticality of sufficient deaggregation and compatible functionalization chemistry of the nanodiamond to successful outcomes will be addressed. The tested fND fluids are prepared so that the functional group is specifically intended to have its terminal chemical bonding couple with the host matrix, resulting in their operational improvement. Because the effective diameter of molecular influence of the attached functional groups in the host matrix can be much greater than the 5 nanometers of the “core” nanodiamond, concentrations in the range of parts-per-million (ppm) of the fND have resulted in experimentally verified double digit improvements of key properties, such as thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient. The thermal conductivity of diamond nanofluids, described here as containing functionalized nanodiamond (fND) in water, was measured using a transient hot-wire method and a 15% increase over water in the thermal conductivity observed at nanodiamond concentrations below 100ppm. No increase of viscosity above that of the base fluid occurred. Practical comparisons of the cooling capability of only water versus the diamond nanofluid were performed at various concentrations of functionalized nanodiamond in water ranging from 50ppm to ∼ 100ppm over variable temperatures and pumping conditions. The nanofluid flowed in the closed-loop system with a conduction cold plate heated via six cartridge heaters with a constant heat flux. Results indicate that the convective heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number of diamond nanofluid are higher than that of DI water at the same conditions, e.g., temperature and flow rate, and these properties increased further with increasing Reynolds number. The nanofluids have been stable for 22 months and no sedimentation is observed. Examples of these fND applications will be presented, such as, evaluation in an extensively instrumented water based cooling loop system, analogous to those used for electronics.
This study was conducted at a bottomland hardwood site with heavy textured soil in Akyazi, Turkey to determine the effect of initial spacing (3.0 x 3.0, 3.0 x 2.0, 2.5 x 1.6 and 2.5 x 1.2 m) and post-planting treatments (untreated check, moving, hoeing, disking, and hoeing plus disking) on early survival and growth of Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl. One-year old bare-root seedlings (70 +/- 5 cm in height) were hand-planted in December 2004. Through three years survival was perfect with a rate of 98% in all treatments. Spacing and the interaction between spacing and post-planting treatment did not significantly affect seedling growth through three years. However height and diameter growth increased overtime and differed significantly among post-planting treatments. The hoeing and hoeing plus disking treatments gave the highest growth, and resulted in about 31% increase in diameter and height increment, and in total diameter and height about 20%. These results suggest that post-planting treatments on bottomland sites with heavy textured soil give promising results.
Abstract Introduction: Currently, the deployment of human–computer interactive technologies to provide personalized care has grown and immensely taken shape in most healthcare settings. With the increasing growth of the internet and technology, personalized health interventions including smartphones, associated apps, and other interventions demonstrate prowess in various health fields, including cardiovascular management. This systematic review thus examines the effectiveness of various human–computer interactions technologies through telehealth (mainly eHealth) towards optimizing the outcomes in cardiovascular treatment. Methods: A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases using key terms was conducted from 2000 to November 2021 to identify suitable studies that explored the use of human–computer interaction technologies to provide a personalized care approach to facilitate bolstered outcomes for cardiovascular patients, including the elderly. The included studies were assessed for quality and risk of bias, and the authors undertook a data extraction task. Results: Ten studies describing the use of a mix of personalized health app (mHealth) interventions were identified and included in the study. Among the included studies, nine of them were randomized trials. All of the studies demonstrated the effectiveness of various personalized health interventions in maximizing the benefits of cardiovascular disease treatment. Conclusions: Personalized health application interventions through precision medicine has great potential to boost cardiovascular disease management outcomes, including rehabilitation. Fundamentally, since each intervention’s focus might differ based on the disease and outcome preference, it is recommended that more research be done to tailor the interventions to specific disease and patient outcome expectations.
Amphiphilic copolymer microspheres of poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine) were prepared by dispersion polymerization in an alcohol/water medium. The synthesis of poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine) microparticles was successfully carried out, and the latexes had a spherical morphology with good monodispersity. The degree of conversion in the early stage of polymerization decreased with increasing 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) monomer content, but the final conversions were similar (>95%). The copolymerization rate decreased with increasing 4VP content, and a broad particle size distribution was observed with 20 wt % 4VP because of the prolonged nucleation time. With the 4VP concentration increasing, the molecular weight of the copolymer microspheres decreased, and the glass-transition temperature of the copolymers increased; this indicated that all the copolymers were random and homogeneous. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Today's DSP processors are so complex, it has become impossible to program them using assembly. To get the maximum performance out of the applications running on such devices very good compilers are needed. This paper analyzes the capabilities of those compilers by optimizing a compute-intensive 3D-image reconstruction algorithm on the TMS320C6701 ('C67) DSP processor from Texas Instruments. Because the 'C67 is a VLIW processor, performance depends on the ability of the compiler to detect parallelism. By rewriting the C source code, we made it clear to the compiler which code was not data dependent, and thus could be executed in parallel. Over all optimizations the average instructions per cycle rose from 0.41 to 2.61 (/spl times/6) and the number of instructions to be executed was divided by 3.6. The net result was a performance increase of 2200%. For every discussed optimization step we state the problem that prevented efficient code generation by the compiler and say how we overcame this problem. We show that for a lot of the steps the performance problem was caused by a lack of provisions to efficiently communicate between the user and compiler. We had to trick the compiler in doing the optimizations we wanted by writing the program the right way. This was a long and tedious process. Therefore, we look at what provisions should be added to improve communication and reduce development time and time to market.
BACKGROUND The combination of rising sea levels and increased likelihood of extreme storm events poses a major flood and erosion threat to our coastlines. As a result, many ecosystems recognized and valued for their important contribution to coastal defence, face increased damage from erosion and flooding. Nevertheless, only recently have we begun to examine how plant species and communities, respond to, and recover from, the many disturbances associated with storm events.   SCOPE We review how the threats posed by a combination of sea level rise and storms affects coastal sub-, inter-, and supra-tidal plant communities. We consider ecophysiological impacts at the level of the individual plant, but also how ecological interactions at community-level, and responses at landscape-scale, inform our understanding of how and why an increasing frequency and intensity of storm damage is vital to effective coastal management. While noting how research is centred on the impact of hurricanes in the US Gulf region, we take a global perspective and consider how ecosystems worldwide (e.g., seagrass, kelp forests, sand dunes, saltmarsh, mangroves) respond to storm damage and contribute to coastal defence.   CONCLUSIONS The threats posed by storms to coastal plant communities are undoubtedly severe, but beyond this obvious conclusion, we highlight four research priority areas. These call for studies focusing on (1) how storm disturbance affects plant reproduction and recruitment; (2) plant response to the multiple-stressors associated with ACC and storm events; (3) the role of ecosystem-level interactions in dictating post-disturbance recovery; and (4) models and long-term monitoring to better predict where and how storms and other climate change-driven phenomenon impact coastal ecosystems and services. In so doing, we argue how plant scientists must work with geomorphologists and environmental agencies to protect the unique biodiversity and pivotal contribution to coastal defence delivered by plant communities.
This article examines the creation of an accurate market projection designed with easy-to-use, cost-effective data analytic techniques. Many of the techniques explored are derived from the subdisciplines of decision support and data warehousing found in the information technology arena. Two significant contributions are presented: a simple mathematical technique that eliminates the need for heuristics, and the simplification of the process to the point where no computer or sophisticated statistical analysis is needed.
Volatile components of Polygonum hydropiper distributed in Guizhou province was extracted by solidphase microextraction and steam distillation,identified by GC-MS technique,in which their relative content was ascertained by area normalization method of each constituent.48compounds were found in the extracts by the method of solid-phase microextraction,compounds β-Caryophyllene(27.02%),Decanol(14.39%) and Dodecanal(12.96%) were the main components.Main compounds β-Bisabolene(19.00%),Driminol(15.25%) and Dodecanal(14.41%) were observed in the 27constituents in the extracts by means of steam distillation.The evident differernce of volatile components of P.hydropipershowed in the two different extraction methods and diversity in various districts compared with the data reported.The volatile components showed antimicrobial activities in vitro.These results provided evidences for using P.hydropiper.
The Carter Administration is credited with significant progress in the scope of its national energy plan, which was passed by the House and taken up by the Senate after only 16 weeks. Years of effort at all levels--Federal to personal--are needed if the country is to develop viable alternatives to oil and natural gas. A shift to capital-intensive energy technologies is projected for the transition period, for which the Administration proposes five strategies: (1) conservation by reducing waste, improving efficiency, and modernizing utility designs; (2) production of domestic oil and gas reserves, with incentive prices for new discoveries; (3) conversion to coal whenever it is environmentally feasible and to light water reactors; (4) development of renewable and inexhaustible energy sources; and (5) the fairness of a comprehensive plan that will preclude tragic choices later. (DCK)
Introduction: in spite of the advance in the current diagnostic and therapeutic methods, the morbidity and mortality caused by reoperations due to postoperative complications continue to be high. Objectives: to characterize reoperated patients according to selected variables and to identify the mortality levels. Methods: an observational and descriptive study of 172 reoperated cases was carried out in the Service of General Surgery from "Saturnino Lora Torres" Clinical Surgical Teaching Provincial Hospital in Santiago de Cuba, during the five year period 20072011. Results: most of the reoperations were carried out during the first week of the postoperative period to patients of the male sex with advanced ages and whose initial
Acknowledgements..Introduction: Australia's original sin..1 The long colonial shadow: Guilt, nationalism and the morality of genocide..2 History and identity: What we lose by denying our past..3 Intervention and redemption: Conquering the rights agenda..4 Not just empty vessels: Moving beyond moral ambivalence..5 Referendum, reconciliation and apology..6 Unsettling ourselves..Epilogue: Beyond white guilt..Bibliography..Notes
We analyze a dataset of retinal images using linear probes: linear regression models trained on some"target"task, using embeddings from a deep convolutional (CNN) model trained on some"source"task as input. We use this method across all possible pairings of 93 tasks in the UK Biobank dataset of retinal images, leading to ~164k different models. We analyze the performance of these linear probes by source and target task and by layer depth. We observe that representations from the middle layers of the network are more generalizable. We find that some target tasks are easily predicted irrespective of the source task, and that some other target tasks are more accurately predicted from correlated source tasks than from embeddings trained on the same task.
New X-ray observations with XMM-Newton show a lack of spectral evidence for large amounts of cooling and condensing gas in the centers of galaxy clusters believed to harbour strong cooling flows. This paper re-explores the cooling flow scenario in the light of the new observations. We explore the diagnostics of the temperature structure of cooling cores with XMM-spectroscopy, tests for intracluster X-ray absorption towards central AGN, the effect of metal abundance inhomogeneities, and the implications of high resolution images in the centers of clusters. We find no evidence of intrinsic absorption in the center of the cooling flows of M 87 and the Perseus cluster. We further consider the effect of cluster rotation in cooling flow regions in the frame of cosmic structure evolution models. Also, the heating of the core regions of clusters by jets from a central AGN is reconsidered. We find that the power of the AGN jets as estimated by their interaction effects with the intracluster medium in several examples is more then sufficient to heat the cooling flows and to reduce the mass deposition rates. We explore in more detail which requirements such a heating model has to fulfill to be consistent with all observations, point out the way such a model could be constructed, and argue that such model building seems to be successful. In summary, it is argued that most observational evidence points towards much lower mass deposition rates than previously inferred in the central region of clusters thought to contain strong cooling flows.
Rats discriminated auditory intensity differences of sinusoids at 3.0 kilohertz in a go/no-go signal detection procedure. Responses to the signal (hits) were reinforced with electrical brain stimulation, and misses produced a brief timeout. On intermixed noise trials, withholding of responses (correct rejections) was reinforced, and false alarms produced the time-out. In two test conditions, the signal was either the louder (100 decibels) or softer (90, 93, 96, or 99 decibels) of the pair of intensities presented within a set of trials. Each animal was first trained with signal value louder or softer, and reversed for the second condition so that the former noise value served as signal. Hits showed shorter latencies than false alarms, regardless of the relative intensity of signal and noise, and the magnitude of differentiation was proportional to signal-noise separation. Both hits and false alarms showed longer latencies as the discrimination became more difficult. Isosensitivity contours derived from the latencies showed close similarity across conditions; in comparison, the yes-no measure of detectability, d', showed greater variability. The similarity of latency differentiation across louder and softer signal conditions supports a detection model in which the observer's judgment is controlled by the distance of sensory effect from criterion on each trial, as opposed to the loudness of the tones per se.
Near-drowning continues to be associated with high mortality and morbidity in both children and adults. With the availability of sophisticated technologies and pediatric intensive care units, victims of near-drowning are now more likely to survive. However this improvement in short-term survival of near-drowning, victims after an acute submersion episode has also resulted in an increase of acute respiratory distress syndrome and persistent hypoxic-ischemic central nervous system injury. Therefore, it is important both to know the acute intensive care unit management of victims of neardrowning and also to understand the progression of the disease. We report a patient who had been near-drowned in :
ObjectiveAssessment of the diagnostic criteria of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) and evaluation of the impact of the introduction of the diagnostic criteria of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) on the international application of diagnostic criteria of RSD. MethodsRandomized controlled trials and clinical investigations, published between January 1980 and June 2000, were evaluated with regard to the applied diagnostic criteria of RSD. ResultsOne hundred seven studies were identified. Thirty-four of these studies were excluded because of inadequate reporting of diagnostic criteria. The 73 included studies were not homogeneous with regard to the diagnostic criteria because they applied many different aspects of sensory and autonomic features. Only 12% of the studies considered the presence of motor features, mostly vaguely described, as mandatory for the diagnosis RSD. Although 10 of the 23 studies published since the introduction of CRPS have applied this term, only 3 used the exact criteria without additions or other modifications. ConclusionDiagnostic criteria sets of RSD focus on many different aspects of sensory and autonomic features that generally are described vaguely. This has not changed since the introduction of the CPRS criteria. These findings question whether the current criteria adequately define RSD.
Burma (Myanmar) has seen some of the longest-running insurgencies in the world, which have had a devastating effect on local populations and the country as a whole. While the Karen National Union (KNU), which has fought successive Burmese governments since 1949, is in a critical phase of its life, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council (KPC) is experiencing life under a ceasefire accord with the Burmese government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Major challenges have occurred since the ceasefire and future developments are uncertain. Like all ceasefire groups in the country, the KPC has come under immense pressure to follow the government's “seven-step road map” to democracy, compete in the 2010 elections, and transform its troops into a border guard force under the control of the Burmese military or face disarmament. This article seeks to provide some insights into a ceasefire group, to analyse the failures and successes of the ceasefire accord, and to outline future challenges to the country.
Urovagina is detrimental to the health and fertility of cows worldwide. Surgery, the only known treatment, is not economically pragmatic to dairy practice, and it has some medical drawbacks. The objective of this study was to determine whether reproductive problems associated with urovagina could be alleviated through more practical and less-invasive treatment options to allow successful conception and term-pregnancy. Cows diagnosed with urovagina (n = 1219) were divided into three treatment groups, each containing an equal number of cows with mild, moderate and severe urovagina. The groups received one of three treatment options: saline (group A, n = 400), streptomycin (group B, n = 400) or ozone (group C, n = 419) flush, regardless of the severity of the urovagina condition within the group. The ozone treatment was found to be the most effective treatment modality, resulting in the shortest period of days open (95, 89 and 79 days in groups A, B and C, respectively; p < 0.05), the fewest number of inseminations until pregnancy (2.38, 1.84 and 1.63 in groups A, B and C, respectively; p < 0.05) and the smallest number of culled cows (20, 23 and 12 in groups A, B and C, respectively; p < 0.05). The ozone flush coupled with intracornual insemination presents an effective treatment option for urovagina that can lead to successful conceptions and pregnancies in dairy cows.
Redundancy in distributed computing systems reduces job completion time. It is widely employed in practice and studied in theory for queuing systems, often in a low-traffic regime where queues remain empty. Motivated by emerging edge systems, this paper initiates a study of using redundancy in blocking systems. Edge nodes often operate in highly unpredictable environments, and replicating job execution improves the job mean execution time. However, directing more resources to some computing jobs will block (and pass to the cloud) the execution of others. We evaluate the system performance using two metrics: job computing time and job blocking probability. We show that the job computing time decreases with increasing replication factor but so does the job blocking probability. Therefore, there is a tradeoff between job computing time and blocking probability. Interestingly, some minimal replication significantly reduces computing time with almost no blocking probability change. This paper proposes the system service rate as a new combined metric to evaluate the tradeoff and a single system's performance indicator.
Meta-analyses (integration of findings by quantitative analyses of results of individual studies) are already widely used in the psychological and educational sciences and in the pooling of clinical trial results. Examples of the application of such techniques to the results of observational epidemiological studies are now proliferating. In this paper meta-analysis of the results of observational epidemiological studies is reviewed. Uncritical adoption of techniques used in pooled analyses of clinical trial results may be inappropriate. Some alternative approaches, including meta-regression techniques, are discussed, and illustrated with reference to examples of meta-analyses of studies of breast cancer risk following oral contraceptive use and of patterns of post-bereavement mortality. Although substantial difficulties beset the use of meta-analysis in epidemiology, many of these problems are also implicit in the execution of traditional, narrative reviews. Foremost among these difficulties are those associated with publication bias and with making due allowance for the quality of the studies being combined. Unlike traditional narrative reviews, meta-analyses require explicit statement of the criteria for the review and hence highlight these difficulties. Nonetheless, careful and critical application of appropriate meta-analytical techniques facilitates quantitative exploration of inhomogeneities in, and (where appropriate) synthesis of study results.
This contract dispute enhances our understanding of agency relationships and fosters greater recognition of the limitations and hazards of historical research using an agency literature framework. The accounting records, related memoranda, and reports submitted also provide insight into the nature and character of early defense contract accounting and relationships between these contractors and the government. Difficulties confronted by the Navy in securing a contractor; contract terms; civilian contractor's project accounting records, related memoranda, and correspondence with naval authorities are reviewed. The post-contract correspondence provides insight into how early 19th century government contractors attempted to resolve disputes with the government.
The metal-complexing properties of intermolecular complexes of poly(acrylic acid) with poly(acrylamide), and poly(acrylic acid) with poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) were studied by means of the liquid-phase polymer based retention (LPR) technique. The metal ion retention ability at pH 5 for 400 μg of Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II), Cr(III), Hg(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) was investigated due to their environmental and analytical interest in the presence of 1.1 M of carboxylic acid units and variable amounts of amide groups. The retention profiles of the intermolecular complexes were compared with those of the correspondent homopolymers and copolymers. The retention capacity of poly(acrylic acid) is 100% for all metal ions except for Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II) whose values were about 90%, while poly(acrylamide) does not retain any of the metal ion studied. The presence of poly(acrylamide) decreases the retention capacity down to 60% for Co(II) and Ni(II) and to 70% for Zn(II). The decrease on the retention values is dependent on the polymer ratio. A smaller effect is observed by the addition of poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) which also decreases the retention capacity down to 80% for Co(II) and Ni(II) for a ratio poly(acrylic acid)/poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) = 1/2. The metal ion binding behavior of the interpolymer complexes is very close to that of the copolymers.
To assess the effectiveness of maternal self-administration of nevirapine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV, we conducted a program to provide maternal and newborn doses of nevirapine to pregnant women in rural Uganda. Women provided blood for HIV testing and were offered voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) during annual community HIV surveys. HIV-positive women who accepted VCT were offered nevirapine tablets and syrup. Blood samples were collected postpartum from women and their babies. Infants were tested for HIV by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and a subsample of maternal and infant blood was assayed for nevirapine. Among the 981 women tested for HIV, 900 (91.7%) accepted VCT, of whom 105 (11.7%) were HIV-positive. Ninety-three women accepted nevirapine, of whom 81 (87.1%) were followed postpartum; 75 (92.6%) reported receipt of the drug, and 69 reported taking the tablets (85.2%). There were 81 liveborn babies (3 sets of twins), and 67 (84.8%) received the syrup. In a subsample of 25 mothers reporting receipt of the drug, nevirapine was detected in 22 (88.0%) and 24 (96.0%) babies tested. PCR of 67 infant blood samples identified 5 HIV-positive (MTCT rate = 7.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3%-16.6%). Mothers can administer nevirapine to themselves and their newborns and can achieve low rates of perinatal HIV infection.
The concept of integral dose has useful applications in radiologic practice. In therapy the ratio of tumor dose to integral dose may be considered as an index of treatment efficacy and, in efforts to reduce patient dosage in diagnostic procedures, integral dose can serve as a practical numerical measure of unwanted exposure. Since the dose distribution is usually variable, both parallel and perpendicular to the axis of an externally applied radiation beam, even approximate computational or experimental determinations of integral dose have been found difficult. The method described here appears to be a simple and practical solution in the case of long uniform cylinders in the approximate shape of the human trunk. Since most of the scattering of x-radiation by a patient is due to unit-density tissues, and since density variations in the body interior have little effect on integral dose, the employment of homogeneous cylinders of unit density would appear to be acceptable. The principle of the method is to s...
Summary The effect of antihistamines on platelet aggregation was studied by examining the platelet rich plasma of subjects taking three representative classes of these drugs, as well as by studying the effect of direct addition of antihistamine to platelet rich plasma. Inhibition of aggregation by in vitro addition was obtained only with drug concentrations much greater than would usually be found in vivo. Platelet aggregation was unimpaired in normal volunteers taking standard doses of antihistamines.
Introduction: Although supracondylar fractures of the humerus are common in children, open fractures of are extremely rare injuries. Gustilo- Anderson Type-III fractures in the upper extremity are primarily associated with considerable bone loss resulting from high energy trauma. In this study, a case of open pediatric supracondylar humerus fracture treated by a joint and defect spanning multiplanar tubular external fixation is presented. Case Report: A boy aged 3 years suffered from a Gustilo-Anderson Type-IIIA supracondylar humerus fractures. There was no neurovascular compromise. Intravenous antibiotic regimen was introduced. A joint and defect spanning multiplanar tubular external fixation was employed within 4 h of the accident. After the operation, the patient was closely followed in the inpatients unit. The external fixator was removed in the 6th week of follow-up, and range of motion exercises was started. With the exception of limited flexion of the elbow in 12th month of follow-up, supination and pronation were full. At the 48th month follow-up, 120° of elbow flexion, full extension, and full forearm rotation were observed. Physical examination showed 15° change in carrying angle to cubitus varus; radiologic examination showed a slight varus angulation of the distal humerus, a decreased Baumann’s angle. The Mayo elbow performance score was 100 points. Conclusion: When taking into account the high remodeling capacity, healing potential, and greater resistance to joint stiffness in fractures of children, joint and external fixators appear as a viable definitive treatment in such cases.
Abstract Vestibular aqueduct is a precise structure embedded in the temporal bone and plays a key role in the physiological function of inner ear by maintaining the endolymphatic circulation and buffering the impact from intracranial pressure. Although the alterations on the morphology or volume of vestibular aqueduct result in variety of diseases, the approaches of evaluating the condition of vestibular aqueduct are still unsatisfing because the pathological sections utilized for the 3D construction model most likely undergoes morphological changes. In this study, the vestibular aqueduct images obtained by CT scanning were processed by finite element method to construct the 3D model. To assess if this numerical model reflects the actual biomechanical properties of vestibular aqueduct, the fluid-solid coupling calculation was applied to simulate the endolymphatic flow in the vestibular aqueduct. By measuring the dynamics of endolymphatic flow, and the pressure and displacement on round membrane under external pressure, we found the numerical 3D model recapitulated the biomechanical characteristics of the real vestibular aqueduct. In summary, our approach of 3D model construction for vestibular aqueduct will provide a powerful method for the research of vestibular aqueduct-related diseases.
Background Population-level survey is an essential standard method used in public health research to quantify sociodemographic events and support public health policy development and intervention designs with evidence. Although all steps in the survey can contribute to the data quality parameters, data collection mechanisms seem the most determinant, as they can avoid mistakes before they happen. The use of electronic devices such as smartphones and tablet computers improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of public health surveys. However, there is lack of systematically analyzed evidence to show the potential impact on data quality and cost reduction of electronic-based data collection tools in interviewer-administered surveys. Objective This systematic review aims to evaluate the impact of interviewer-administered electronic device data collection methods concerning data quality and cost reduction in population-level surveys compared with the traditional paper-based methods. Methods We will conduct a systematic search on Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Global Health, Trip, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Library for studies from 2007 to 2018 to identify relevant studies. The review will include randomized and nonrandomized studies that examine data quality and cost reduction outcomes. Moreover, usability, user experience, and usage parameters from the same study will be summarized. Two independent authors will screen the title and abstract. A third author will mediate in cases of disagreement. If the studies are considered to be combinable with minimal heterogeneity, we will perform a meta-analysis. Results The preliminary search in PubMed and Web of Science showed 1491 and 979 resulting hits of articles, respectively. The review protocol is registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42018092259). We anticipate January 30, 2019, to be the finishing date. Conclusions This systematic review will inform policymakers, investors, researchers, and technologists about the impact of an electronic-based data collection system on data quality, work efficiency, and cost reduction. Trial Registration PROSPERO CRD42018092259; http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID= CRD42018092259 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/10678
This study compares cognitive and emotional responses to 360-degree vs. static (2D) videos in terms of visual attention, brand recognition, engagement of the prefrontal cortex, and emotions. Hypotheses are proposed based on the interactivity literature, cognitive overload, advertising response model and motivation, opportunity, and ability theoretical frameworks, and tested using neurophysiological tools: electroencephalography, eye-tracking, electrodermal activity, and facial coding. The results revealed that gaze view depends on ad content, visual attention paid being lower in 360-degree FMCG ads than in 2D ads. Brand logo recognition is lower in 360-degree ads than in 2D video ads. Overall, 360-degree ads for durable products increase positive emotions, which carries the risk of non-exposure to some of the ad content. In testing four ads for durable goods and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) this research explains the mechanism through which 360-degree video ads outperform standard versions.
Quantitative models in marketing typically focus on the household as the unit of analysis while ignoring the individual family members' behavior and behavioral interactions among household members. However, knowledge of such intra-household behavioral interaction enables marketers to target their communications more effectively. In this paper, the author proposes a modeling framework to capture the intra-household behavioral interaction based on family members' actual consumption behavior over time. The author develops a model to capture multiple agents' simultaneous choice decisions over more than two choice alternatives. This is extremely difficult with other previously developed modeling approaches. We apply the proposed model to a context of family member's television viewing, and simultaneously model whether TV is on, which type of programs is playing and which family member(s) is (are) watching. The proposed model allows us to estimate the individual's intrinsic preference and the extrinsic preference from a joint consumption with other members. These estimates allow us to test several alternative group decision-making heuristics that may operate in those joint consumption occasions and conduct managerially useful counterfactual simulations.
This paper proposes a novel channel estimation method for iterative equalization in MIMO systems. The proposed method incorporates co-channel interference (CCI) cancellation in the channel estimator and the channel estimation is successively performed with respect to each stream. Accuracy of channel estimation holds the key to be successfully converged the iterative equalization and decoding process. Although the channel estimates can be re-estimated by means of LS (Least Square) channel estimation using tentative decisions obtained in the iterative process, its performance is severely limited in a MIMO system because of erroneous decisions and ill-conditioned channel estimation matrix. The proposed method can suppress the above effects by means of CCI cancellation and successive channel estimation. Computer simulation confirms that the proposed channel estimation method can accurately estimate the channel, and the receiver with iterative equalization and the proposed method achieves excellent decoding performance in a MIMO-SM (Spatial Multiplexing) system.
This study, for the Northeast Regional Biomass Program (NRBP) of the Coalition of Northeast Governors (CONEG), evaluates the potential for local, state and regional biomass policies to contribute to an overall energy/biomass strategy for the reduction of greenhouse gas releases in the Northeastern United States. Biomass is a conditionally renewable resource that can play a dual role: by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in meeting our energy needs; and by removing carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it in standing biomass stocks and long-lived products. In this study we examine the contribution of biomass to the energy system in the Northeast and to the region's net releases of carbon dioxide and methane, and project these releases over three decades, given a continuation of current trends and policies. We then compare this Reference Case with three alternative scenarios, assuming successively more aggressive efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through strategic implementation of energy efficiency and biomass resources. Finally, we identify and examine policy options for expanding the role of biomass in the region's energy and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.
Focusing on mental task recognition, a novel Small-World neural network(SWNN) algorithm is proposed for the EEG classification tasks aiming at solving small training sets problem. For making some attempts to discover the agile experimental paradigms, two channel sets having different information-carrying capacities are built to filter the multi-channel EEG data, as two channel-filters. The band-pass filtering preprocessing is performed by IIR Chebyshev I Filter. Common spatial patterns, which can emphasize the greatest distinction among the most outstanding features of different patterns, is used to carry out spatial filtering. Bring in the Small-World neural network, which possesses the complex network structure transformed from the regular network by random rewiring according to the rewiring probability P and the high-dimensional weights adjusting mechanism based on back-propagation. This algorithm was applied to the data set IVa of “BCI Competition iii”, which provides trails for the classes “right hand” and “right foot”, with the classification accuracies of 99.1%∼97.7% by 10-fold cross-validation.
The F(1)F(0)-ATP synthase enzyme is located in the inner mitochondrial membrane, where it forms dimeric complexes. Dimerization of the ATP synthase involves the physical association of the neighboring membrane-embedded F(0)-sectors. In yeast, the F(0)-sector subunits g and e (Su g and Su e, respectively) play a key role in supporting the formation of ATP synthase dimers. In this study we have focused on Su g to gain a better understanding of the function and the molecular organization of this subunit within the ATP synthase complex. Su g proteins contain a GXXXG motif (G is glycine, and X is any amino acid) in their single transmembrane segment. GXXXG can be a dimerization motif that supports helix-helix interactions between neighboring transmembrane segments. We demonstrate here that the GXXXG motif is important for the function and in particular for the stability of Su g within the ATP synthase. Using site-directed mutagenesis and cross-linking approaches, we demonstrate that Su g and Su e interact, and our findings emphasize the importance of the membrane anchor regions of these proteins for their interaction. Su e also contains a conserved GXXXG motif in its membrane anchor. However, data presented here would suggest that an intact GXXXG motif in Su g is not essential for the Su g-Su e interaction. We suggest that the GXXXG motif may not be the sole basis for a Su g-Su e interaction, and possibly these dimerization motifs may enable both Su g and Su e to interact with another mitochondrial protein.
institutions obsolete and threatened the hope for social stability. Steady immigration swelled the ranks and diversity of the urban poor, and headlong industrialization radically changed the ways in which people worked and lived. The growing complexity of social and economic affairs contributed to a widespread belief that a new social and political order must be created. The response of many social critics and scholars, today known broadly as "Progressives," was to forge an approach to social and institutional change rooted in evolutionary philoso phy, enamored with scientific objectivism, and often infused with German ideological statism. Traditional Anglo-American common sense and the rule of common law were increasingly suspect as the new "social sciences" emerged with hopes of rationalizing social control. In the decades that followed, most American institutions were organized or re-organized according to the Progressive prescrip tion. The flow of social responsibility was away from more pri mary, local, and voluntary institutions to those more centralized, professionalized, and tax-supported. This transformation was financed in part by the fledgling philanthropic foundations of Carnegie, Rockefeller, Sage and others who subscribed to some version of the new corporate liberalism. The hierarchical, corpo rate organization of business entities created a work force with middle-class means and proletarian status, and many of the soci ety's major responsibilities were newly assumed by remote national organizations or assigned to some level of government. By mid-century, in the wake of the New Deal, America's institu tions and practices of mutual aid were widely displaced by spe cialized professionals. Those in need of assistance became clients or "cases."
ABSTRACT It has become clear that non-tumor cells in the microenvironment, especially fibroblasts, actively participate in tumor progression. Fibroblasts conditioned by tumor cells become “activated” and, as such, are identified as CAFs (cancer-associated fibroblasts). These CAFs remodel the tumor stroma to make it more favourable for cancer progression. The aim of this work was to verify whether EVs (extracellular vesicles - whose role as mediators of information between tumor and stromal cells is well known) released from human ovarian cancer cells were able to activate fibroblasts. EVs isolated from SKOV3 (more aggressive) and CABA I (less aggressive) cells were administered to fibroblasts. The consequent activation was supported by morphological and molecular changes in treated fibroblasts; XTT assays, zymographies, wound healing tests and invasion assays also highlighted higher proliferation, motility, invasiveness and enzyme expression. The secretome of these “activated” fibroblasts was, in turn, able to modulate the responses (proliferation, motility and invasion) of fibroblasts, and of tumor and endothelial cells. These findings support the idea that ovarian cancer cells can modulate fibroblast behaviour through the release of EVs, activating them to a CAFs-like state; the latter are able, in turn, to stimulate the surrounding cells. EVs from SKOV3 rather than from CABA I seem to be more efficient in some processes.
The number of children swallowing magnetic foreign bodies has been a significantly high for the past decades, increasingly needing endoscopic or surgical interventions.  Case report. In our observation, a 12-year-old girl swallowed magnetic balls from childrens designer 10 days prior to hospital admission. Foreign bodies (5 balls) were found during X-ray examination in the projection of the cecum. Conservative therapy carried out for 4 days had no success, thus colonoscopy was performed to remove foreign bodies. Foreign bodies were fixed to the intestinal wall, and attempts to separate them were unsuccessful. When a medical magnet was placed outside the body in the right iliac region, a chain of magnetic balls detached from the intestinal wall and made it possible to be captured in a trap loop and be removed. The girl avoided a laparotomy with an opening of the colon.  Conclusion. External use of a medical magnet is effective for navigation and assistance during colonoscopic extraction when magnetic foreign bodies are found in the colon.
Abstract The history of two different ways of conceptualising the relationship between man and machines is traced. On the one hand, the machine-as-slave, going back to Aristotle, describes the relation as a purely instrumental one, denying the machine any agency of its own and reducing it to a part or extension of the human subject. On the other hand, the machine-as-servant stresses a horizontal relation instead of a hierarchical subordination, and it distributes agency more evenly between the different actants. Those, in turn, lose their distinctiveness: with the discovery of the category of communication in Butler’s Erewhon, man as well as machines become capable of exchanging information, and with the concept of the ‘margin of indetermination’ introduced by Simondon, machines acquire degrees of freedom hitherto reserved for humans. The role of traps in the history of technology is explored.
This chapter analyses the role of gastronomic tourism in rural development using specific case studies from Hungary. Rural development could be defined as a process of improving and protecting the economic and social wellbeing of rural communities. Theories on rural development emphasize the role of local culture and heritage, such as food, crafts, folklore, visual arts, literary references, historical and prehistorical sites, landscapes and associated flora and fauna (Bessière 1998; Ray 1998, 2006; Marsden 2006; Kivitalo, Kumpulainen, and Soin 2015). Rural tourism can ideally contribute to socio-economic diversification, community development, and the enhancement of image. Food has always been an integral part of tourism, but its significance has increased in recent years, especially in a rural context where it can play an important role in rural tourism and appeals to visitors’ desire for authenticity (Sims 2009). Frisvoll, Forbord, and Blekesaune’s (2016) research makes a connection between local food consumption, rural heritage and a ‘rural idyll’. However, these authors also argue that the significance that local food holds in the context of rural tourism is largely unknown due to a lack of empirical research. Although there have been some exceptions (Ray 1998; Miele and Murdoch 2002), there is considerable scope for exploring these issues further. The main question posed is whether gastronomic tourism is an attractive and diverse enough product to become a primary motivation for visitors, or whether it needs to be part of a broader range of products connected to other forms of rural tourism (e.g., agritourism). The empirical case studies in this chapter examine the role of gastronomy in rural and tourism development in Hungary.
This study examines the influence of  (1) the application effect of  working Capital, labor and Experiense (leght of working)  to together toward income in Wirittasi Village, Kusan Hilir Sub District, Tanah Bumbu District (2) the most dominant factor effecting the income of bagang tancap fishermen in the Villlage Wirittasi, Kusan Hilir Sub District, Tanah Bumbu District.Data collected from 41 shipowners and Bagang in Village Wirittasi, Kusan Hilir Subdistrict, Tanah Bumbu District. Multiple regression analysis with help software  SPSS is version 16.The results showed that jointly the cost factor of care, working capital, labor and experiense (leght of working) an effect on bagang tancap fishermen’s  in Wirittasi Village, Kusan Hilir Subdistrict, Tanah Bumbu District. Variable Labor (X2) is the factor that has the most dominant influence to the income of bagang tancap fishermen in the Village Wirittasi Subdistrict Kusan Hilir Tanah Bumbu District.Keyword:  Working Capital, Labor And Experiense (Leght Of Working), Income Of Fishermen Bagang Tancap
Background: Percutaneous cholecystostomy tube placement has widely been used as an alternative treatment to cholecystectomy, especially in advanced disease or critically ill patients. Reported postprocedural complication rates have varied significantly over the last decade. The goal of this study is to evaluate the safety of percutaneous cholecystostomy tube treatment in critically ill patients. Study Design: We performed a retrospective chart analysis of 96 critically ill patients who underwent cholecystostomy tube placement during an intensive care unit (ICU) stay between 2005 and 2010 in a tertiary care center in central Massachusetts. Complications within 72 hours of cholecystostomy tube placement and any morbidity or mortality relating to presence of cholecystostomy tube were considered. Results: A total of 65 male and 31 female patients with a mean age of 67.4 years underwent percutaneous cholecystostomy tube placement during an ICU stay. Sixty-six patients experienced a total of 121 complications, resulting in an overall complication rate of 69%. Fifty-four of these complications resulted from the actual procedure or the presence of the cholecystostomy tube; the other 67 complications occurred within 72 hours of the cholecystostomy procedure. Ten patients died. Tube dislodgment was the most common complication with a total of 34 episodes. Conclusions: Cholecystostomy tube placement is associated with frequent complications, the most common of which is tube dislodgment. Severe complications may contribute to serious morbidity and death in an ICU population. Complication rates may be underreported in the medical literature. The potential impact of cholecystostomy tube placement in critically ill patients should not be underestimated.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a public health problem. It is estimated that one in four individuals will be affected by this arrhythmia throughout their lives. AF increases the risk of stroke five times, and this event is mainly responsible for the morbidity and mortality of this arrhythmia [1]. Oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists (AVK), such as warfarin and phenprocoumon, have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolic events. More recently, the non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have also proved effective for this same goal. In this paper we will review the most recent evidence on the real benefit of using oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation associated with an additional risk factor for stroke.
This paper presents the analysis of efficiency improvements of home appliances such as Electrical Stove (Injera Mitad), Electrical Showers, Kerosene Stoves, Charcoal Stoves and Small Electrical Stoves for energy conservation. Most of the existing stoves have been manufactured by small facilities without any regard for energy efficiency standard and safety. It suffers from many shortfalls, such as, poor insulation, lack of temperature regulation, bulkiness and overall poor design that encourages wastage of heat. The energy efficiency of the ordinary electric stove is very low since much of the heat energy is lost through the bottom, its sides, on the top part of the oven and also due to the much delay in the existing Injera baking procedure. The overall efficiency of the electrical shower is affected by the reservoir efficiency and the characteristics of the pipe. Kerosene and charcoal stoves have high heat energy loss due to lack of insulation to their external cover. Therefore, the efficiency of those electrical home appliances can be improved by minimizing the losses through their covers and parts. This can be achieved by selecting appropriate low thermal conductivity materials and insulations.
Purpose: A retrospective review of a single institution's 20-year experience of complications and reoperation rates after surgery for primary craniosynostosis correction. Methodology: A retrospective chart review of all patients (n = 376) undergoing primary surgery for craniosynostosis was conducted. The charts were analyzed for diagnosis, sex, syndromic involvement, age at operation, type of fixation, complications, and reoperations. Complications were defined as any event requiring prolonged hospitalization or readmission secondary to the surgical procedure, reoperation, or mortality. Reoperative rates were classified into major (e.g., repeat craniotomy, cranioplasty) or minor (e.g., hardware removal, wound closure). Results: After excluding patients for length of follow-up less than 6 months (n = 23), inadequate verification of all data (n = 21), and prior neurosurgical craniectomy (n = 18), a total of 314 patients were identified. The percentage of patients with complications and reoperations was 39.2% (n = 123). The rates of major reoperation (n = 72), minor reoperation (n = 41), and various complications (n = 10) were 22.9%, 13.1%, and 3.2%, respectively. No mortalities were identified. Conclusions: Differing types of fixation, diagnosis of syndrome, and multiple-suture craniosynostosis were statistically correlated to increased reoperative rates. Age at initial operation and sex were not correlated to increased reoperative rates. Finally, this institution's complication and reoperative rates compare with other published results.
This paper evaluates the implications of Eastern EU enlargement with the use of a computable general equilibrium model. The focus is on accession to the Single Market, with explicit modelling of the removal of border costs and costs of producing to different national standards. The results indicate significant welfare gains for the CEECs (volume of GDP increases by 1.4-2.4%) and modest gains for the EU. The steady state scenarios, which allow for the capital stock adjustment in response to higher return to capital, more than double the static welfare gains.
Introduction  All too commonly, pain and injury constitute integral components of participation in many sports and physical cultures, even those not usually constructed as dangerous or ‘high-risk’. This was highlighted in the news in 2014 by the untimely death of the young Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes, who was struck on the neck by a ball from a pace bowler while batting in a domestic game, and died two days afterward, never regaining consciousness. Gone. Killed playing the game he loved. While such a catastrophic injury is thankfully rare in cricket, nevertheless, pain, injury and bodily disruption are widespread and often normalized within sport and physical cultural domains, where a ‘culture of risk’ can be argued to prevail. Adopting a transdisciplinary approach commensurate with PCS, this chapter explores some of the extant sociological, anthropological, and social-psychological research on active embodiment in relation to injured, pained and disrupted bodies. From the myriad different approaches available in researching this area, here I focus upon the impact of identity disruption and the role of ‘identity work’ in dealing with the injured body in the physical-cultural context of distance running, drawing on data from two automethodological projects. The concept of ‘identity work’ has been utilized within various disciplines, and here is theorized from a symbolic interactionist perspective specifically. This sociological theoretical framework investigates the relational, processual and subjective elements of identity and embodiment, and thus coheres with the PCS enterprise. It offers powerful analytic insights in examining the injured and pained body as experienced within physical cultures, including within the normative structures of those cultures.
ABSTRACT Metal mesh foil bearings (MMFBs) are novel gas foil bearings with lower manufacturing costs and higher inherent material energy dissipation ability than traditional bump-type foil bearings. To improve the design guidelines of MMFBs and predict bearing performance, a compact theoretical model is presented by considering the metal mesh substructure as assembled springs and dry friction joints. The proposed analytical model considers the effects of several factors such as relative density, wire diameter, geometrical size, and radial interference of the metal mesh substructure. The predicted stiffness coefficients, which take the dry friction effect into account, show strong nonlinear characteristics with the increasing displacement and have a significant difference between the loading and unloading process. A series of static load tests are conducted to verify the theoretical model of MMFBs. The hysteresis loops of static load versus bearing deflection with respect to the different relative densities predicted by this model are demonstrated by experimental data. The minimum film thickness, journal eccentricity, and attitude angle with respect to different relative densities, rotational speeds, and applied loads are presented and analyzed. The predicted results of the dynamic force coefficients show that the equivalent viscous damping coefficient and relative density have significant effects on bearing dynamic performance. Furthermore, the influence of radial thickness, wire diameter, and radial interference on bearing static and dynamic performance is discussed.
The study utilizes data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) to test the extent to which retrospectively reported ADHD symptoms are associated with gambling behaviour in young adults. Results from linear probability and logistic regression models using data from 6145 survey respondents indicate that youths who reported symptoms consistent with Hyperactive-Impulsive type ADHD in childhood were significantly more likely than other youths to report clinical characteristics of disordered gambling, large past-year losses and/or multiple forms of gambling as young adults. The Combined type ADHD had no significant relationship to the gambling indicators, while the Inattentive type ADHD symptoms have a significant negative relationship to the gambling indicators. These findings provide preliminary support in a large, nationally representative sample for the relationship of ADHD and gambling and underscore the importance of addressing gambling-related issues in education, prevention and intervention efforts with youths with ADHD and/or problems with impulse control.
The authors made an up‐to‐date review of the literature concerning the management of Zinner’s syndrome and evaluated a young patient with Zinner’s syndrome who had presented with urinary and ejaculatory complaints. Physical examination and transrectal ultra‐sonography showed a 7.0 cm right seminal vesicle cyst. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed the diagnosis of Zinner’s syndrome. Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia was present at the two seminal analyses. Symptomatic improvement was achieved with conservative measures. Actually, the patient is still on a follow‐up programme. The diagnosis is usually established at the age of increased sexual activity. Patients may be asymptomatic or present pain, irritative urinary or ejaculatory symptoms and infertility. MRI has proved to be the best imaging examination. Treatment should be adapted to symptoms, surveillance being the best option in the absence of clinical manifestations. Surgical approach may be adequate when conservative measures prove ineffective. Zinner’s syndrome should be suspected if a male young patient presents with unilateral renal agenesis and pelvic complaints and has a supraprostatic mass on digital rectal examination. The initial approach should be medical, but invasive procedures may be the only way to solve the patient’s complaints. Nowadays, laparoscopic and robotic techniques must replace the open surgical approach.
Emerging distributed applications, such as big data analytics, generate a large number of flows that concurrently transport data across data center networks. To improve their performance, it is required to account for the behavior of such a collection of flows, i.e., coflows, rather than individual ones. State-of-the-art solutions achieve near-optimal completion time by continuously reordering unfinished coflows at the end-host and using network priorities.This paper shows that dynamically changing flow priorities at the end-host, without considering in-flight packets, can cause high degrees of packet reordering, thus imposing pressure on the congestion control and potentially harming network performance in the presence of switches with shallow buffers. We present pCoflow, a new solution that integrates end-host based coflow ordering with in-network scheduling based on packet history. Our evaluation shows that pCoflow improves in coflow completion time upon state-of-the-art solutions by up to 34% for varying loads.
Home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic is accompanied by dramatic changes in lifestyle and dietary behaviors that can significantly influence health. We conducted an online cross-sectional survey to assess COVID-19 pandemic-induced dietary and lifestyle changes and their association with perceived health status and self-reported body weight changes among 1000 Indian adults in early 2021. Positive improvements in dietary habits, e.g., eating more nutritious (85% of participants) and home-cooked food (89%) and an increase in overall nutrition intake (79%), were observed. Sixty-five percent of participants self-reported increased oat consumption to support immunity. There were some negative changes, e.g., more binge eating (69%), eating more in between meals (67%), and increasing meal portion size (72%). Two-thirds of participants reported no change in lifestyles, whereas 21 and 23% reported an increase, and 13 and 10% reported a decrease in physical activity and sleep, respectively. Overall, 64 and 65% of participants reported an improvement in perceived health and an increase in body weight during the COVID-19 period compared to pre-COVID-19, respectively. The top motivations for improving dietary habits included improving physical and mental health and building immunity. In conclusion, the overall perceived health was improved and there was an increase in self-reported body weight in most participants during COVID-19. Diet emerged as the most crucial determinant for these changes.
A wide variety of techniques have been explored to synthesize small diameter tissue engineered blood vessels. Cell sheets rolled around a tubular mandrel to mimic native blood vessel have shown mechanical properties and functional characteristics similar to the native blood vessels, and provide evidence that cells are able to produce their own matrix and remodel into a tissue. However, the entire process takes approximately 3 months. Alternatively, we and others are exploring direct cell seeding and growth on tubular mandrels as a means of forming vascular tissues in a shorter time period. In the present study, v-shaped chambers cast from agarose were used as cell seeding wells. Fibrin microthreads placed in the chamber were used as tubular seeding mandrels. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were seeded for 4 hours, which resulted in uniform attachment onto the microthreads. Cell attachment to the microthreads was confirmed visually by Hoechst nuclear staining. A cell quantification assay showed that 1654 ± 22 cells attached per 1 cm fibrin microthread sample (n = 3). These results indicate that hMSCs adhere rapidly to fibrin microthreads, and will form the basis for future studies aimed at optimizing cell attachment for cellular microvessel generation.
immersion in cold water causes bradycardia.4 These effects may occur during burial in an avalanche of snow. Hypothermia often.occurs in burial in an avalanche. The face is often the only area unprotected by clothing and in direct contact with the snow, which may be important as it is the face that triggers the diving reflex. This is unlike immersion in cold water, when cooling is more uniform. During immersion water may enter the nasopharynx, causing cooling of the brain, or may be inhaled, causing rapid cooling of the heart and brain before circulation stops. Although this would not occur during burial in snow, snow has been found packed in the mouth and nose and may be inhaled, possibly with similar effects (N J MacDonald, personal observations).
The physical and electrical properties of tantalum nitride, tungsten nitride and molybdenum nitride thin films deposited by thermal decomposition of metalorganic precursors TBTDET, BTBTW, and BDBTM have been investigated. The films have an excellent step coverage over high aspect-ratio contact holes as well as low carbon concentration. Strong metal to nitrogen double bonds in the precursors preserved the nitrogen atoms during pyrolysis process. This method subsequently yielded low-resistivity films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) results indicated that the as-deposited films have face centered cubic (fcc) phase polycrystalline structures with excessive nitrogen atoms. Diffusion barrier properties of these films for copper metallization were studied by diode leakage current measurement and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis.
In his Historia persecutionis Africanae provinciae, Victor of Vita mentions Vandalic churchgoers in habitu barbaro. This raises the question whether there is archaeological proof of a specific attire of the North African Vandals. Unfortunately, the evidence does not substantiate the premise. This paper shows that neither finds from burials nor North African mosaics portrayal of hunters, both often quoted as evidence of Vandalic dress, help to identify a unique attire associated with the Vandals’ European roots. The mosaics and the burial finds rather show late antique and mediterranean characteristics. This excludes them as evidence of external features of ethnic Vandalic identity. If Victor’s history of the specific dress is not one of his numerous topoi, the lack of evidence may of course be due to the state of preservation of archaeological finds or the scarcity of contemporary illustrations. However, research should not be restricted to “alien” features. We know that in late antiquity dress indicated ...
The Andalusian city of Cordoba (Spain) has experienced several peaks during its history of more than 2000 years. In the 3rd century AD it became the capital, called Corduba, of the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior Baetica. It played a role of importance again in the Byzantine and Visigoth Empires. In the 8th century it reached its apogee as Qurtuba, the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate. Declining from the beginning of 11th century when the Caliphate collapsed, it did not recover until afte...
A series of 42 cases of colloid carcinoma of the breast (28 pure and 14 also containing infiltrating carcinoma of non-colloid type) is reported. Pure colloid carcinomas occurred in older women, were associated with longer durations of symptoms, and tended to present as larger masses than did either the mixed colloid tumors or a comparison group of infiltrating duct carcinomas. The pure colloid tumors also differed from the other two groups in having low tumor grades, predominantly pushing rather than infiltrating tumor margins, less frequent axillary lymph nodal metastases, and better 5-year survival. The presence of noninfiltrating non-colloid carcinoma in otherwise pure colloid tumors did not change these clinical and pathologic findings to resemble those of the mixed colloid group. The authors feel that although pure colloid carcinomas form a distinct category with an excellent prognosis, there is insufficient evidence that their treamtent should be more conservative than that for other infiltrative mammary carcinomas.
Monitoring system for environmental ECD sensitive substances by means of capillary ECD gas chromatography (ECD-GC) was developed and applied to blue mussels as a model biological indicator. Thirty-three blue mussel taken from Osaka North Port, Osaka Misaki-cho and Hokkaido Funkawan Bay were analyzed. In addition, samples from Funkawan Bay were acclimated in the three different seawaters of Osaka North Port, Chiba and Yokohama and analyzed. Peak heights and retention times of capillary ECD-GC sensitive substances were recorded on the disk of personal computer. After retention times were transferred to retention indices for organochlorine compounds, detected components were quantified by using DDE as a standard. Common components were selected from the detected substances in order to prepare new data-file for pattern analyses. Calculation of similarity factors and cluster analysis were carried out on the patterns and the total concentrations of the common components. From these analyses, the differences and the changes of both quality and quantity of pollutants were clearly observed. The results showed that the developed system would be applicable to a repid monitoring method for environmental pollutants.
Emotional words—as symbols for biologically relevant concepts—are preferentially processed in brain regions including the visual cortex, frontal and parietal regions, and a corticolimbic circuit including the amygdala. Some of the brain structures found in functional magnetic resonance imaging are not readily apparent in electro‐ and magnetoencephalographic (EEG; MEG) measures. By means of a combined EEG/MEG source localization procedure to fully exploit the available information, we sought to reduce these discrepancies and gain a better understanding of spatiotemporal brain dynamics underlying emotional‐word processing. Eighteen participants read high‐arousing positive and negative, and low‐arousing neutral nouns, while EEG and MEG were recorded simultaneously. Combined current‐density reconstructions (L2‐minimum norm least squares) for two early emotion‐sensitive time intervals, the P1 (80–120 ms) and the early posterior negativity (EPN, 200–300 ms), were computed using realistic individual head models with a cortical constraint. The P1 time window uncovered an emotion effect peaking in the left middle temporal gyrus. In the EPN time window, processing of emotional words was associated with enhanced activity encompassing parietal and occipital areas, and posterior limbic structures. We suggest that lexical access, being underway within 100 ms, is speeded and/or favored for emotional words, possibly on the basis of an “emotional tagging” of the word form during acquisition. This gives rise to their differential processing in the EPN time window. The EPN, as an index of natural selective attention, appears to reflect an elaborate interplay of distributed structures, related to cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, and evaluation of emotional stimuli. Hum Brain Mapp 35:875–888, 2014. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abstract Biases against older adults and people with disabilities can lead to discriminatory behaviors. One way to better understand attitudes towards these populations is through the examination of implicit (unconscious) factors. This paper utilizes The Implicit Association Test, a computer-based categorization task designed to assess implicit or unconscious attitudes, to assess the impact of an intergenerational service-learning course created to support the human animal bond between vulnerable pet owners and their companion animals. This study, using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, assessed the impact of college students’ interactions with older pet owners on these students’ implicit attitudes. Pre- and post-assessment of participating students found statistically significant decreased biases towards older people and people with disabilities after completing the course (p=.032). Results from this study suggest that participating in an intergenerational service-learning course centered around the human animal bond can positively affect implicit attitudes towards older adults or people with disabilities.
Urticaria Pigmentosa.-GODFREY BAMBER, M.D. Mrs. D. J., aged 32. The history is that the red spots first appeared six years ago on the outer sides of the arms,2 since then they have gradually extended over other regions. They do not itch. She has taken no drugs which might account for the rash. Present condition.-The arms and legs are thickly covered with lentil-to-peasized spots which vary in colour from deep red to dark brown. Some of the lesions are slightly raised above the surface of the surrounding skin. Vigorous rubbing failed to produce urticaria in the lesions. Histological examination shows, in the middle and upper third of the cutis, a slight perivascular infiltration which in some places is mostly formed by mast cells.
Light, asteroid-mass primordial black holes, with lifetimes in the range between hundreds to several millions times the age of the Universe, are well-motivated candidates for the cosmological dark matter. Using archival COMPTEL data, we improve over current constraints on the allowed parameter space of primordial black holes as dark matter by studying their evaporation to soft gamma rays in nearby astrophysical structures. We point out that a new generation of proposed MeV gamma-ray telescopes will offer the unique opportunity to directly detect Hawking evaporation from observations of nearby dark matter dense regions and to constrain, or discover, the primordial black hole dark matter.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an X-linked recessive disorder, affecting only males and transmitted by females, who have a 50%1 risk of an affected son or a carrier daughter. The incidence has been estimated at between one in 3000 and one in 5000 male births,' but not all the mothers of affected infants are carriers; a substantial proportion of cases will represent new mutations. According to Haldane,2 the mutation rate for a potentially lethal X-linked condition in which the biological fitness (fertility) of affected males is practically zero would be one-third. Estimates based on population studies have produced a similarly high figure.3-5 If, then, one-third of the mothers of affected infants are not carriers the investigation of the carrier state and genetic counselling are vitally important for the families concerned. The first essential step in genetic counselling must always be to verify the diagnosis in the index case. Next, a detailed family tree should be constructed before investigation of the possible carrier is begun. A genetically definite or obligate carrier is a woman with an affected son and an additional affected male relative; all other female relatives are possible carriers. The creatine kinase test is the most reliable for detecting carriers. The serum activity of the enzyme is grossly raised in patients with Duchenne dystrophy, and raised to a mild-tomoderate extent in some but not all female carriers of the gene. Several studies have shown the proportion of genetically obligate carriers with definitely raised creatine kinase activities to be about two-thirds.7-9 Since creatine kinase activity is normal in about a third of definite carriers it clearly does not exclude the carrier state. An accurate estimate of the statistical risk that a woman with a normal creatine kinase activity is a carrier can be made from the actual activity of the creatine kinase, on the basis of the distribution curves in normal controls and in obligate carriers and the application of Bayesian theory, which takes account both of the antecedent family history and of the creatine kinase activity of the person at risk and of other female relatives.'0 Follow-up studies of families counselled in this way have verified the validity of this approach."-'3 The creatine kinase activity can be spuriously high after vigorous exercise and it drops during pregnancy.'4 15 Genetic counselling requires the combined skills of the
In this letter, design guideline for complementary heterostructure tunnel FETs (C-HTFETs) is proposed based on the insight into the tradeoff between n-type and p-type HTFETs optimization. For the first time, the contradiction of source/channel material selection between n-type and p-type HTFETs is addressed, indicating that HTFETs integrated on the same materials system cannot achieve optimized n-type and p-type devices simultaneously. Optimized complementary III-V HTFETs based on two different source/channel materials systems are studied as design examples for further validation of the proposed design guideline, exhibiting both steep sub-threshold swing and improved output behavior in the n-type and p-type HTFETs. The conclusions are helpful to the prospective C-HTFETs design for low-power complementary logic applications.
Online reputation management (ORM), a component of e-marketing, has grown so fast over the past few years and has become increasingly significant to internet users. The permanence of the content generated on the net, mainly on social networks, has become a huge issue to consider.  Because they live in this digital age, digital natives have a major responsibility in the way they create content and handle their reputation online long before beginning their job hunting. To clarify the matter, this paper explains through a review of the literature, the relationship between online reputation and social networks. To examine this issue locally, this study was conducted among college students in Casablanca. It aims to explore basically how they use Facebook and to what extent they are aware of the digital footprints that are kept on the net. A complementary study has been conducted among Moroccan employers to explore how they use social networks to screen candidates’ job applications.
ABSTRACT Chemokine receptors play an important role in coordination of cell trafficking in many biological processes. In this study, a CC chemokine receptor 9 of cobia Rachycentron canadum (RcCCR9) was identified. Analysis of the ORF (1119 bp) of RcCCR9 revealed a predicted protein of 41.87 kDa with typical seven transmembrane domain architecture. RcCCR9 shared several conserved structural features with homologs from mammals and other fish, and had a consistent relationship with phylogenetic trees and sequence identities. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR analysis showed ubiquitous RcCCR9 transcripts in healthy cobia, mainly in immune-related organs, with the highest levels in blood and lower levels in intestines and brain. After challenge with inactivated Vibrio harveyi or viral mimic poly I:C, RcCCR9 expression was up-regulated in head kidney and down-regulated in spleen. Compared with poly I:C, V. harveyi induced a stronger up/down-regulation of CCR9 mRNA levels in the central immune organs. RcCCR9 seems to be strongly involved in host defense against bacterial infection.
Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate whether preapproval safety data for nonhepatotoxic drugs and hepatotoxic drugs can be compared to improve preapproval prediction of postapproval hepatic safety and to assess the legitimacy of applying class warnings. Methods: Drugs within a therapeutic class that included at least one drug that had been withdrawn from the market because of liver toxicity or had a warning of potential liver toxicity issued by major regulatory agencies, and at least one drug free from such regulatory action, were identified and divided into two groups: drugs with and drugs without regulatory action. Preapproval clinical data [including the elevation rates of alanine aminotransferse (ALT) and withdrawal due to liver toxicity, the number of patients with combined elevation of ALT and bilirubin, and liver failure] and nonclinical data (including chemical structures, metabolic pathways, and other significant findings in animal studies) were compared between the two groups. Results: Six drug classes were assessed in this study: thiazolidinediones, cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, fluoroquinolones, catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors, leukotriene receptor inhibitors, and endothelin receptor antagonists. In two classes (COMT inhibitors and endothelin receptor antagonists), drugs with regulatory action had significantly higher rates of ALT elevation of more than threefold and greater numbers of patients with combined elevation of ALT and bilirubin than drugs without regulatory action. Drugs with regulatory action also had chemical structures or metabolic pathways associated with the toxicity. The legitimacy of class warnings was refuted in all six classes of drugs. Conclusion: Preapproval safety data may help predict postapproval hepatic safety and can be used to assess the legitimacy of applying class warnings.
In-network cache architectures, such as Information-centric networks (ICNs), have proven to be an efficient alternative to deal with the growing content consumption on networks. In caching networks, any device can potentially act as a caching node. In practice, real cache networks may employ different caching replacement policies by a node. The reason is that the policies may vary in efficiency according to unbounded context factors, such as cache size, content request pattern, content distribution popularity, and the relative cache location. The lack of suitable policies for all nodes and scenarios undermines the efficient use of available cache resources. Therefore, a new model for choosing caching policies appropriately to cache contexts on-demand and over time becomes necessary. In this direction, we propose a new caching meta-policy strategy capable of learning the most appropriate policy for cache online and dynamically adapting to context variations that leads to changes in which policy is best. The meta-policy decouples the eviction strategy from managing the context information used by the policy, and models the choice of suitable policies as online learning with bandit feedback problem. The meta-policy can support the deployment of a diverse set of self-contained caching policies in different scenarios. Experimental results in single and network of caches have shown the meta-policy effectiveness and adaptability to different content request models in synthetic and trace-driven simulations.
Recent years have seen considerable advances in audio synthesis with deep generative models. However, the state-of-the-art is very difficult to quantify; different studies often use different evaluation methodologies and different metrics when reporting results, making a direct comparison to other systems difficult if not impossible. Furthermore, the perceptual relevance and meaning of the reported metrics in most cases unknown, prohibiting any conclusive insights with respect to practical usability and audio quality. This paper presents a study that investigates state-of-the-art approaches side-by-side with (i) a set of previously proposed objective metrics for audio reconstruction, and with (ii) a listening study. The results indicate that currently used objective metrics are insufficient to describe the perceptual quality of current systems.
This article presents a contest between the rating and the paired comparison voting in judging the perceived dominance of virtual characters, the aim being to select the voting mode that is the most convenient for voters while staying reliable. The comparison consists of an experiment where human subjects vote on a set of virtual characters generated by randomly altering a set of physical attributes. The minimum number of participants has been determined via numerical simulation. The outcome is a sequence of stereotypes ordered along their conveyed amount of submissiveness or dominance. Results show that the two voting modes result in equivalently expressive models of dominance. Further analysis of the voting procedure shows that, despite an initial slower learning phase, after about 30 votes the two modes exhibit the same judging speed. Finally, a subjective questionnaire reports a higher (63.8 percent) preference for the paired comparison mode.
A detailed field and microstructural investigation of mineral fabrics in the late-Caledonian Galway Granite Batholith (∼400 Ma) provides insights into the relationship between emplacement-related deformation and crystallization state. These relationships are used to infer the regional instantaneous strain pattern at the time of intrusion. A Marginal Deformation Zone occurs in the granite along part of its northern sector, where planar fabrics are contact-parallel and dip steeply to the north. Within the Marginal Deformation Zone, the granite has similar patterns of pre- and post-RCMP (Rheologically Critical Melt Percentage) fabrics on either side of the NNE-trending Shannawona Fault Zone, which separates the Western and Central blocks of the batholith. Oblate pre-RCMP fabrics, which intensify towards the contact, are overprinted in a down-temperature continuum of deformation by co-axial post-RCMP fabrics that also become more intense towards the contact. At the southern edge of the Marginal Deformation Zone, deformation ceased before the granite reached its RCMP whereas, close to the contact, deformation ceased at ∼500°C. Within the Central Block, oblate fabrics also developed parallel with internal granite facies boundaries. Throughout the batholith, the fabrics formed by co-axial deformation as a result of lateral expansion operating in successive magma batches at the emplacement level. These intrusion-related fabrics are consistent with other evidence that indicates the Galway Granite was emplaced into a transtensional setting at the end of the Caledonian Orogeny.
Vegetables are important for human health but, day by day it is becoming extremely harmful and unsafe for our health due to the rapid use of high concentrations of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in vegetable production. To meet our vegetable demand by maintaining safety we need to produce vegetables organically on a commercial basis with a higher yield. Clybio is an organic biofertilizer that can improve crop yield, quality, and taste of vegetables. Seed priming is another mechanism of increase the germination rate and regulates growth. In this experiment, seed priming and Clybio were applied to increase crop growth and yield. A significant result was found from treatment 2, by the application of Clybio at 4 ml/L. Treatment 2 performed better in all aspects of growing parameters such as germination percentage, plant height, number of leaves per plant, leaf diameter, chlorophyll percentage, root length, and leaf fresh weight, while the control treatment performed lowest in all perimeters. The highest yield of spinach (14.33 t/ha) obtained from treatment 2, followed by treatment 1 (8.87 t/ha). The result suggests that the application of Clybio at 4 ml/L increases spinach growth and yield significantly.
Nickel was electroplated by using a jet flow device. For the normal Watts bath (containing 240g/l of nickel sulfate, 45g/l of nickel chloride, and 30g/l of boric acid at pH=4), the maximum available current density (im) was found to be 90Amp/dm2 at 45°C or 180Amp/dm2 at 60°C when the electrolyte was supplied at a jet flow rate of 200cm/sec. (average value in nozzle).At higher current densities, deposition of nickel was perfectly restrained.The deposition rate attained to its maximum value (not limiting current value) at Ep (about -1.5V vs SCE), followed by a marked decrease at less noble potentials.The effects of pH, flow rate, and nickel concentration on im were discussed with respect to codeposition rate of hydrogen and the resultant increase of pH in the diffusion layer around the cathode.No remarkable difference in im was observed between the Watts bath and sulfamate bath, both of which were of the same concentration of nickel.
Lectins translate information encoded in glycan chains of cellular glycoconjugates into bioeffects. The topological presentation of contact sites for cognate sugar binding is a crucial factor toward this end. To dissect the significance of such phylogenetically conserved properties, the design and engineering of non-natural variants are attractive approaches. Here, a homodimeric human lectin, i.e. adhesion/growth-regulatory galectin-1, is converted into a tandem-repeat display by introducing the 33-amino-acid linker of another family member (i.e. galectin-8). The yield of variant was reduced by about a third. This protein had ∼10-fold higher activity in hemagglutination. Nearly complete sequence determination by mass-spectrometric in-source decay and fingerprinting excluded the presence of any modifications. When (1)H-(15)N heteronuclear single-quantum coherence data on the (15)N-labeled variant and wild-type protein were compared, changes in chemical shifts, signal intensities and resonance multiplicities revealed reduction of stability of interfacial contacts between the lectin domains and an increase in inter-domain flexibility. When both binding sites in the variant were loaded with ligand, association of the two carbohydrate recognition domains was enhanced, corroborated by gel filtration. Dynamic changes in the spatial presentation of the two lectin domains in the context of a tandem-repeat display can alter counterreceptor targeting relative to the fixed positions found in the proto-type galectin homodimer.
The integration of variable stiffness actuators (VSA) in robotic systems endows them with intrinsic flexibility and therefore robustness to unknown disturbances. However, this characteristic presents a challenge: choosing the best intrinsic stiffness setting guaranteeing the required force ap-plication capability while keeping the system as adaptable to uncertainties as possible. This paper proposes a method to set the optimal stiffness for a multi-finger VSA hand to perform a desired manipulation task. The task is generically represented as a force (with unknown magnitude) applied along a reference direction. According to the force application's direction and the hand's kinematic state, the fingers assume a certain role to split the collective force application. We employ the endpoint stiffness ellipsoid to analyze the required finger stiffness to fulfill the task. We evaluate the optimized stiffness settings in a door opening application with an iterative adaption of the stiffness behavior to handle the unknown force requirement. The results show a successful collective behavior of the fingers, where the stiffness setting considers a task-oriented force-adaptability trade-off and effective use of independent VSA fingers.
We consider the inter-cluster cognitive behavior of two dissimilar interfering clusters, where the first cluster (i.e. primary cluster) consists of a broadcast channel (BC) which has a single sender and two receivers and the second cluster (i.e. cognitive cluster) is a single multiple access channel (MAC) with two senders and one receiver. The MAC is assumed to have cognitive transmitters, who know the message transmitted by the other noncognitive broadcast transmitter, in a non-causal manner. A Gel'fand-Pinsker coding-like technique is used to mitigate inter-cluster interference. First, an achievable rate region for this model is derived based on the Marton with common message region for the general BC and using a result of Slepian-Wolf rate region for the MAC. Then by using the rate region of the second cluster, we obtain the achievable rate region for the two-user MAC with common message and common side information known non-causally at the transmitters and show that the obtained achievable rate region is optimal when common side information is known at the receiver as well.
The different levels of description of fluid media [e.g., magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), Hall-magnetohydrodynamics, bi-fluid,…] are commonly known under the form of Newtonian systems of equations. Nevertheless, this form proves to be ill-suited to derive a fully analytical weak turbulence theory of these media, due to the well-known complexity of the calculations implied. For such studies, therefore, a more appropriate mathematical frame needs to be found and this is shown to be the Hamiltonian formalism, even though it can often appear difficult to handle. The goal of this paper is to look for Hamiltonian formulations for the different levels of the fluid description of a plasma using the variational principle. Starting from the bi-fluid system, it is shown that such a formulation can be obtained by combining the Lagrangians already used for describing: (i) the motion of a charged particle in an electromagnetic field; (ii) the evolution of an electromagnetic field in presence of sources; (iii) the motion of...
The magnetic and dielectric properties of a perovskite manganite Tb0.5Ca0.5MnO3 were investigated. Magnetic measurements showed three characteristic temperatures, originating from charge ordering (∼300 K), antiferromagnetic ordering (∼120 K), and a transition to a glassy state (∼50 K). The coexistence of the charge and antiferromagnetic orderings was confirmed by powder neutron diffraction. AC dielectric measurements showed large dielectric constants larger than ∼1000 at approximately room temperature. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant changed just below the charge-ordering temperature. From the analysis of tan δ, the activation energy for switching the directions of polar regions was calculated to be ∼0.09 eV, which is close to the activation energy of the Mn 3d electron transfer. These results strongly suggest that the dielectric properties of this material are governed by the ordering and transfer of the Mn 3d charges.
Pectins are major components of primary plant cell walls and the seed mucilage of Arabidopsis. Despite progress in the structural elucidation of pectins, only very few enzymes participating in or regulating their synthesis have been identified. A first candidate gene involved in the synthesis of pectinaceous rhamnogalacturonan I is RHM2, a putative plant ortholog to NDP-rhamnose biosynthetic enzymes in bacteria. Expression studies with a promoter β-glucuronidase construct and reverse transcription PCR data show that RHM2 is expressed ubiquitously. Rhm2 T-DNA insertion mutant lines were identified using a reverse genetics approach. Analysis of the rhm2 seeds by various staining methods and chemical analysis of the mucilage revealed a strong reduction of rhamnogalacturonan I in the mucilage and a decrease of its molecular weight. In addition, scanning electron microscopy of the seed surface indicated a distorted testa morphology, illustrating not only a structural but also a developmental role for RGI or rhamnose metabolism in proper testa formation.
of the urban environment’ (concerning the early Renaissance period); ’The difficult adjustment to the laws of perspective’ (taking the story up to the Industrial Revolution and also highlighting the divergence of the English experience from the rectilinear model adopted elsewhere in Europe); ’The industrial city’ (actually a chapter more given over to discussion of Haussmannization than to a consideration of urban form
A computer program was designed to locate regions termed antisense homology boxes (AHB), i.e., 8-15 amino acid regions corresponding to complementary DNA strands. Two AHBs were found in C5a and eight within the C5a receptor. The majority of intermolecular AHBs were found to overlap those found in the intramolecular AHBs. Several AHB peptides were synthesized and tested for their ability to interfere with C5a receptor functions. A peptide fragment of the C5a receptor corresponding to the loop between the fifth and sixth hypothetical transmembrane regions (amino acids 226-245) antisense to C5a and an intramolecular AHB in C5a receptor proved to be an antagonist of C5a when preincubated with C5a at high concentrations (>0.5 microM). However, when U937 cells bearing the C5a receptor were preincubated with this peptide at a much lower concentration (even as little as 40 pmol), the AHB peptide behaved as an agonist. Another AHB peptide corresponding to region 10-27 in the C5a receptor bound to two of its corresponding antisense peptides derived from C5a anaphylatoxin, corresponding to amino acids 37-43 and 61-74. This observation raises the possibility that the C5a receptor may bind C5a with two distinct orientations. Two other AHB peptides derived from C5a, PL12 (amino acids 12-27), and PL61 (amino acids 61-74), were also shown to inhibit activity. Incubation of dibutyryl cyclic AMP-stimulated U937 cells with PL37 (amino acids 37-51) resulted in increased intracellular Ca2+ levels and an anergy to subsequent challenge with C5a. Locating regions with sense-antisense relationships in proteins might help in identification of peptides that can interfere with the function of target proteins.
Discussion and conclusions The C57 mice have a low incidence of spontaneous tumors, but respond uniformly well to carcinogens. Age does not seem to be a prominent factor, though more primitive sarcomas are produced in very young mice (10). Mineral oil and tricaprylin, if critically purified, apparently have little or no specific influence on carcinogenesis when used as a vehicle in a subcutaneous depot. Alpha tocopherol appreciably inhibited the carcinogenic activity of methylcholanthrene in the first experiment, and failed to produce tumors in the controls. In the second experiment, which had a bascially similar plan, though differing in the sex and substrain of mice, dosage of Vit. E, and vehicle used for the carcinogen, inhibition of the carcinogenic activity of methylcholanthrene by alpha tocopherol was confirmed. The significance of these results approximates the 93% level(11, 12).
Activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) was successfully implemented in aqueous media for the first time. A well-controlled polymerization of oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether methacrylate (OEOMA) was conducted with 300 ppm or lower of a copper catalyst and tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine (TPMA) ligand in the presence of an excess of halide salts. Ascorbic acid was continuously fed into the reaction mixture to regenerate the activator complex. The effects of the halide salt concentration, ligand concentration, feeding rate of the reducing agent, and copper concentration were systematically studied to identify conditions that provide both an acceptable rate of polymerization and good control over the polymer properties. The optimized polymerization conditions provided linear first-order kinetics, linear evolution of the molecular weight with conversion, and polymers with narrow molecular weight distributions (Mw/Mn < 1.3) at high monomer conversions (∼70%) ...
Abstract Achalasia in children is uncommon, and its occurrence in siblings has been reported in only two families. The case reports of two brothers, ages two and eight years, with achalasia and pulmonary complications are presented. In both cases, symptoms of an esophageal disorder were vague, but comparison of chest radiographs and barium swallow studies confirmed the diagnosis of achalasia with aspiration. This diagnosis should be considered when recurrent respiratory disease is encountered.
In face-to-face conversation, recipients might use the bodily movements of the speaker (e.g. gestures) to facilitate language processing. It has been suggested that one way through which this facilitation may happen is prediction. However, for this to be possible, gestures would need to precede speech, and it is unclear whether this is true during natural conversation. In a corpus of Dutch conversations, we annotated hand gestures that represent semantic information and occurred during questions, and the word(s) which corresponded most closely to the gesturally depicted meaning. Thus, we tested whether representational gestures temporally precede their lexical affiliates. Further, to see whether preceding gestures may indeed facilitate language processing, we asked whether the gesture-speech asynchrony predicts the response time to the question the gesture is part of. Gestures and their strokes (most meaningful movement component) indeed preceded the corresponding lexical information, thus demonstrating their predictive potential. However, while questions with gestures got faster responses than questions without, there was no evidence that questions with larger gesture-speech asynchronies get faster responses. These results suggest that gestures indeed have the potential to facilitate predictive language processing, but further analyses on larger datasets are needed to test for links between asynchrony and processing advantages.
In this paper, the conception of local k-uniform smoothness (LkUS) is introduced on the base of the concept of fc-uniform smoothness that introduced by Suyalatu and Wu Congxin. It is proved that the local ¿-uniform smoothness and Sullivan's local k-uniform rotundity (LkUR) are the dual notions. X is a LkUS space, then X is a L(k + 1 )US space. However, the converse need not be true. In addition, we also obtain two important results about LkUS space. Throughout this paper, X will denote a real Banach space and X* will denote its conjugate space. Set S(X) = {x : x € X, ||a;|| = 1}, U(X) = { x : x e X , | |x|| < 1} , Sx = {x* : x* <= S(X*), x*(x) = 1} , X 6 S{X). Wu Congxin and Li Yongjin defined the notion of local uniform smoothness in [1], which is the dual notion of local uniform convexity introduced by Lovaglia in [2]. In this paper, we introduce the notion of locally A;-uniformly smooth space (LkUS), which is the extension of notion of locally uniformly smooth space and dual of locally /c-uniformly rotund space that introduced by Sullivan in [3]. In [3], Sullivan defined the A;-uniformly rotund space.By "fixing" one variable he defined the notion of a locally /c-uniformly rotund space, kuniformly rotund space is dual notion of /c-uniformly smooth space that introduced by us in [4]. Corresponding to the A;-uniformly smooth space, by "fixing" one variable we can define the notion of a locally /c-uniformly smooth space. DEFINITION 1 [3]. A Banach space X is said to be a LkUR space if for any e > 0, x € S(X), there is a <5 = S(x,e) > 0 such that for xi,...,xk € S(X), 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification: 46B09.
In 15 healthy subjects we studied body sway reactions to sinusoidal 0.3 Hz binaural bipolar galvanic current up to 2 mA under three conditions. With the head forward and eyes closed, there is only a periodic lateral displacement of the centre of gravity, following the stimulation with a phase lag. In two other conditions, the head turned to the left or to the right without trunk torsion, the direction of sway was modified in such a way that there were mainly anteroposterior movements. It is thought that this experiment shows the modulatory influence of neck afferents on the direction of vestibulospinal motor effects in man.
The internal friction of metal films was investigated by means of the torsion pendulum method. The films were produced by the vacuum deposition on the thin film of sodium chloride over glass substrates. They were removed from the substrates by immersing into water. It was observed that the free decay oscillation curve of bismuth films has a very high damping coefficient and also has such an asymmetrical form that an exponential decay curve is superposed on an ordinary cyclic decay curve symmetrical about the base axis of time. The initial value of the exponential deviation is found to increase and then saturate with increasing holding time of the films in the initially twisted state. Other metal films which include Ag, Al, Au, Cu, 55 Cu-Ni and Sn films have no such a remarkable asymmetry as observed on bismuth films. It is shown that the behaviour of bismuth films which is observed in the present experiments can be described by the solution for the equation corresponding to a standard linear solid attached by a mass. The value of Q-1 of bismuth films was determined as a function of temperature for two frequencies. The activation energy estimated from the peak shift and also from the temperature dependence
This paper introduces and discusses new inputs for a single-phase shunt active power filter (SAPF) using nonlinear load equivalent resistance estimation control strategy. The inputs are an average DC voltage and current of a current source nonlinear load. By using a MATLAB Simulink simulation tool, a model of single-phase AC system connected to the SAPF and nonlinear load is designed and its vital voltage and current variables are simulated. Various simulation results are presented and analysed in order to validate the effectiveness of proposed inputs. As a conclusion, the proposed control strategy with new inputs successfully achieved its objective to mitigate harmonic current and to compensate the reactive power with good performance.
The theory of pulse propagation in an atmosphere coupled to an ocean is applied to the air-sea waves excited by the explosion of the volcano Krakatoa. Numerical results for a realistic atmosphere-ocean system show that the principal air pulse corresponds to the fundamental gravity mode GR_0. A small sea wave is associated with the mode GW_0 with phase velocities close to the √(gh) velocity of the ocean. Free waves with this velocity exist in the atmosphere and transfer energy to the ocean in an efficient manner. These air waves ‘jump’ over land barriers and re-excite the sea waves. An explosion of 100–150 megatons is required to produce the equivalent of the Krakatoa pressure disturbance.
In this paper, we present two modified algorithms with order of convergence five for finding a simple root * x of nonlinear scalar equation ( ) 0 f x  in R . It is free from second derivatives. Both of them require two evaluations of the functions and two evaluations of derivatives at each iteration. Therefore the efficiency index of the presented methods is 1.4953 which is better than that of classical Newton’s method 1.4142. Some numerical results illustrate the effectiveness and performance of the presented methods. Keywords—Nonlinear equations; Newton's method; Order of convergence; Iterative method; Efficiency index
An explanation of medieval practices of meat supply and regulation, using examples drawn from the so-called "Zähringer towns" founded by the Dukes of Zähringen: Bern, Burgdorf, Thun, Murten, Freiburg and Rheinfelden. For the town councils it was important to be able to provide the population with sufficient quantities of good-quality meat at fair prices. After the 14th century the slaughtering of animals had to be carried out in public slaughterhouses. Meat could only be sold publicly, at designated butchers' stalls. Meat and organs were checked on a daily basis by the town's meat inspectors, who verified the names under which products were sold, their price, and hygienic conditions, including the absence of tapeworm larvae. In addition to the publicly-regulated meat trade, town dwellers could also buy meat products at the markets, and could raise their own pigs, sheep and goats to be slaughtered in the back alleys. Permission to raise small livestock at home was a privilege granted by the town council. The sale of meat by non-resident peddlers was officially forbidden, but could not be prevented entirely.
this drug were studied by Wien et ai.   ore Also the drug has been reported to be ,a_ toxic on prolonged administration tna p -veiv niidine which has been found to be a 1 non-toxic drug in the treatment of kala-azar and sleeping sickness. A consignment of phenamidine was received in February 1944, and the immediate results of treatment of the first 16 cases were published by the writer in October (Sen Gupta, 1944). During that year, 30 cases in all were treated with phenamidine. The complete results of this therapeutic trial are presented in this paper. The immediate results of treatment, and also the results of follow up of the cases six months after they had been discharged as clinically cured, are discussed in this paper. All the patients of this group, except two,
This paper presents an efficient method to reduce the circuit scale of cell-based logic block for hierarchical transient analysis of VLSI power ground network. The method built logic block circuit model with considering inductance characteristics of power ground network in low metal layers and statistical distribution of active logic cells. It transformed circuit model into a simple one with only two nodes left by the method of circuit equivalent, and built the logic block macro-model, which could be processed in parallel for the independence relationship between different logic blocks. Substituting the macro-model for detailed circuits in the high level transient analysis, the computation complexity and runtime can be greatly reduced for nodes reduction and parallelism. Experimental results show that the runtime of PNHTA with macro-modeling technique is 2.47 and 118.08 times faster in serial and parallel respectively than PNFTA, and the maximum error is 0.57% compared with HSPICE. On the other hand, cell model with time varying current source is more practical than constant current source with less 62.25% voltage drop.
We present improvements in lightweight transparent JPEG 2000 encryption with lifting parameterized biorthogonal wavelet filters. Security is further enhanced by a combination with the wavelet packet transform. Different methods for the selection of a suitable wavelet packet basis are presented, which also make a certain amount of control in the trade-off between security and computational complexity possible. The combined approach of parameterized filters and wavelet packets is evaluated with regard to compression performance, complexity and security
Abstract This study explored the possible interface between family and peer group systems in early adolescence. Sixth-graders who were identified as group members were interviewed and given questions regarding their attitudes toward the group and group dynamics. Family atmosphere and parent-adolescent relationships were evaluated from the parents' perspective. The results show two different linkages of peer and family processes: On the one hand, family relationships are related to the perception of the peer group as a source of support, especially when individual growth is respected within an atmosphere of acceptance and support in the family. On the other hand, family life characterized by conflict and lack of support for individual development is related to an increased involvement with groups and more conformity to group pressure. Results are discussed in line with theories dealing with the role of the family in adolescent development.
Most detected planet-bearing binaries are in wide orbits, for which a high inclination, iB, between the binary orbital plane and the plane of the planetary disk around the primary is likely to be common. In this paper, we investigate the intermediate stages—from planetesimals to planetary embryos/cores—of planet formation in such highly inclined cases. Our focus is on the effects of gas drag on the planetesimals’ orbital evolution, in particular on the evolution of the planetesimals’ semimajor axis distribution and their mutual relative velocities. We first demonstrate that a non-evolving axisymmetric disk model is a good approximation for studying the effects of gas drag on a planetesimal in the highly inclined case (30° < iB < 150°). We then find that gas drag plays a crucial role, and the results can be generally divided into two categories, i.e., the Kozai-on regime and the Kozai-off regime, depending on the specific value of iB. For both regimes, a robust outcome over a wide range of parameters is that planetesimals migrate/jump inward and pile up, leading to a severely truncated and dense planetesimal disk around the primary. In this compact and dense disk, collision rates are high but relative velocities are low, providing conditions that are favorable for planetesimal growth and potentially allow for the subsequent formation of planets.
Local Charging Behavior on GaN surfaces By Josephus D. Ferguson III A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010. Major Director: Dr. Alison A. Baski, Chair, Department of Physics Gallium nitride is an important III-V semiconductor which is used in many optoelectronic and high-frequency devices. The nature of the GaN surface and its electrical characteristics can impact the performance of such devices. In this study, several GaN surfaces are locally charged using an atomic force microscope, and then subsequently studied by measuring the surface potential with scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM). The charging and discharging behavior of the surface appears to be strongly influenced by surface preparation and the presence of a surface oxide layer. If a substantial oxide layer exists, then both positive and negative charging is possible on n-type and p-type samples. Surface treatments and photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) data confirm the presence and influence of the oxide layer on surface charging behavior. In the case of forward-bias charging, a small change in surface contact potential (0.1 – 0.3 eV) is observed that is primarily due to a small voltage drop across the surface oxide. Reverse-bias charging produces a substantially larger change in surface potential (~1 – 3 eV) that must be explained by a large increase in surface band bending. Temperaturedependent SKPM measurements also indicate that the decay behavior of deposited surface charge in dark involves a thermionic mechanism.
The informations of bird species distribution in different habitats and the structure of their communities are crucial for bird conservation. We tested the differences in composition, richness and abundance of birds in different phytophysiognomies at Bodoquena Mountains, western Brazil, and we demonstrated the variations in richness and abundance of birds between different trophic groups. Sampling was conducted between July 2011 and June 2012 in 200 point counts arranged in the study area. A total of 3350 contacts were obtained belonging to 156 bird species. Woodland savannas, seasonal forests and arboreal savannas had higher bird abundance and richness, while riparian forests, clean pastures and dirty pastures had smaller values of these parameters. The bird community was organized according to local vegetational gradient, with communities of forests, open areas and savannas, although many species occurred in more than one vegetation type. The insectivorous, omnivorous, frugivorous and gramnivorous birds composed most of the community. These data showed how important environmental heterogeneity is to bird communities. Furthermore, the presence of extensive patches of natural habitats, the small distance between these patches and the permeability of pastures, with high arboreal and shrubby cover, are indicated as important factors to maintain the bird diversity.
The promoter regions of class II major histocompatibility complex genes contain two highly conserved sequences, the X and Y boxes, which may be involved in the control of class II gene expression. In this study, we correlate in vivo functional assays for cis-acting regulatory elements in the HLA-DR alpha gene with in vitro binding assays for trans-acting regulatory proteins. Mutagenesis and transient transfection analyses indicated that both the X and Y boxes were important for HLA-DR alpha promoter function in a B lymphoblastoid cell line. Although specific nuclear protein interactions with the X consensus sequence were not apparent, the Y box, which contained an inverted CCAAT sequence, did bind specifically to at least one nuclear protein. This Y box-binding protein was present in nuclear extracts of all cell types examined, including human B and T cells and HeLa cells. The molecular mass of the protein, as determined by photoactivated protein-DNA cross-linking, was approximately 40 to 50 kilodaltons. Mutagenesis of the Y box that decreased protein binding also decreased promoter activity, implying that protein binding to this DNA sequence is important for DR alpha promoter function.
The proportion of the U.S. population with Internet access has risen dramatically from one in five households (18%) in 1997 to nearly four out of five households (78.5%) in 2013. Consequently, the majority of market research and public opinion surveys are now conducted by Internet. Non-probability panels of volunteer respondents who agree to receive invitations to conduct surveys account for the largest share of online research. Despite the major role of non-probability online panels in surveys, we know little about the size and characteristics of their panelists. This paper investigates the potential coverage of Internet panels among American adults. Since online panels frequently partner with other panel organizations in order to generate samples that are larger or more diverse than their own panel, the population who participate in any online panels is more critical to evaluating potential coverage error and bias in this type of survey than the population of individual panels. The size and characteristics of the population of online panelists is estimated from a national dual frame random digit dialing survey conducted in spring 2015. We believe this is the first published estimate of the size of the total population engaged in online panels based upon a national probability survey. The total sample size for the survey was approximately 500, which is adequate to estimate that size of the population. We have also presented the characteristics of the online panelists in the sample since this is the first survey of that population. However, due to the small size of the subsample of online panelists, these findings should be treated as preliminary.
OBJECTIVES Pancreatic cancer (PDAC) with localized stage includes resectable (RPC), borderline resectable (BRPC), or locally advanced unresectable (LAPC). Standard of care for RPC is adjuvant chemotherapy. There are no prospective randomized trials for best treatment of BRPC and LAPC. We evaluate the impact of induction chemotherapy on localized PDAC.   METHODS Charts of PDAC patients treated at Emory University between 2009 and 2016 were reviewed. The primary end point was overall survival (OS).   RESULTS A total of 409 localized PDACs were identified. Resectability was prospectively determined at a multidisciplinary tumor conference. Median age was 67 years (range, 30-92 years), 49% were male, 66% were white, 171 had RPC, 131 had BRPC, and 107 had LAPC. Median OSs for RPC, BRPC, and LAPC were 19.5, 16.1, and 12.7 months, respectively. Type of chemotherapy and age were predictors of OS. Induction chemotherapy was used in 106 with BRPC (81%) and 74 with RPC (56.5%); patients with BRPC who received combination chemotherapy and resection had a median OS of 31.5 compared with 19.5 months in patients with RPC (P = 0.0049). Patients with LAPC had a median OS of 12.7 months.   CONCLUSIONS In patients with BRPC who undergo resection after induction treatment, the OS was significantly better than in patients with RPC. Neoadjuvant treatment should be considered for all localized PDACs.
Cardiac disease after mediastinal radiotherapy can result in progressive valvular thickening and dystrophic calcification with ensuing leaflet restriction and dysfunction. This can ultimately manifest as valvular stenosis and/or regurgitation. We report a case of a 61-year-old woman with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and severe mitral stenosis due to severe dystrophic calcification postmediastinal radiotherapy for lymphoma. She was deemed surgically inoperable due to dense, continuous calcification throughout the leaflets and annuli of both valves, aortomitral continuity, proximal coronary arteries and proximal porcelain aorta. She underwent simultaneous transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter mitral valve replacement with an excellent technical and clinical result at 7-month follow-up. We also describe the central role of multimodality three-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography and multidetector cardiac CT imaging in assessing the severity of valve disease, characterising the nature of cardiac calcification and guiding decisions on surgical operability and transcatheter intervention.
We consider the process of nonstationary enhancement of the photorefractive effect through the application of time-varying (square-wave) electric fields. By examining the full second-order equation governing the photorefractive response, we show that this response is strongly dependent on the frequency of the applied ac field and exhibits a maximum when the period of oscillation is between the photorefractive response time, τP, and the charge-recombination time in the medium, tR. Furthermore, we show that the diffraction efficiency, the gain, and the phase of the response fluctuate in tandem with the oscillating applied field, and we examine the dependence of these fluctuations on the driving frequency. These frequency-dependent phenomena are described both by numerical integration of the charge-transport equations and through an analytic solution thereof. From this analysis we obtain simple expressions for the magnitude of the efficiency, the gain, and the phase fluctuations and the conditions for maximum average diffraction efficiency. In particular, we show that the oscillation period yielding the maximum response behaves as a weighted geometric average of the response and the recombination times of the form T = constant × (τP2tR)1/3. These results are compared with those of earlier analyses of ac-field enhancement and are then verified in a BSO crystal to which ac fields over a range of frequencies are applied.
treatment of other anti-colonial and anti-state movements. In the book’s brief fifth chapter, Grant turns from the motivations of starving prisoners to those of the English, Irish, and Indian officials who were the targets of their protests. Here, he explores in greater detail how governments across the British Empire dealt with the logistical hassle and political embarrassment of hunger striking. Starving prisoners knew that officials were often willing to make concessions to avoid scandal, especially when demands were for modest improvements in prison conditions. Despite officials’ fear that fasting prisoners might damage the legitimacy or international standing of British imperial rule, even successful hunger strikers generally achieved very little; the right to wear one’s own clothes or an early release rarely sparked revolution (pp. 149–150). While Grant highlights interconnections among England, Ireland, and India, especially between English and Irish suffragettes and Irish and Indian nationalists, he does not propose a causal relationship or a chain of transmission of political starvation among movements or colonies. Hunger, he argues, was too polyvalent, both for the starving and those who interpreted their starvation. It could be an act of faith, violence, despair, or solidarity; feminine self-sacrifice or masculine courage. People did it to shame and to entertain, and they did it because they were mentally ill. Last Weapons is an engaging contribution to the histories of punishment, political movements, and anti-colonial activism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Grant admirably captures the complexities of self-starvation for its practitioners. However, the book is quite lean and might have benefited from more attention to the imperial ideology, professional networks and wider legal and penal contexts that made hunger striking politically salient. De Valera reminds us that the world was watching England. What did Britons want the world to see?
Abdel Halim Director, Clinical Biomarkers, DaiichiSankyo Pharma Development, USA T role of biomarkers has been exponentially increasing in guiding decisions in every phase of drug development, from drug discovery into post-marketing studies. Also, biomarkers can predict patients’ response to compound by identifying certain patient populations that are more likely to respond to the drug therapy or to avoid specifi c adverse events. Th is shift toward “personalized medicine is helping the drug industry achieve the goal of cost-eff ective and faster research, especially in poorly served areas such as neurodegenerative disorders and cancer.
The medical personnel has to particularly pay attention to the treatment processes, including medication, attitudes, and interaction, as a lot of violence in emergency medicine shows no absolute relationship with medical profession. However, finding out the sign of violence in emergency medicine in advance to further reduce the occurrence of violence in emergency medicine is a favorable approach. The nurses, doctors, and the public in emergency rooms of Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital are investigated in this study. Total 300 copies of questionnaires are distributed, and 176 valid copies are retrieved, with the retrieval rate 59y. The research results show the top five indicators, among 12 evaluation indicators, appear Judgment Competence, Afterward Disposal, Potential Crisis, Decisive Management, and Command and Dispatch. Some suggestions are proposed in the conclusion in this study, expecting to assist in the worry of violence in emergency medicine in hospitals.
The authors present and validate a method for measuring cognitive age in the Middle Eastern market.  The proposed cognitive age measure appears to show internal consistency, reliability, and correlation with actual chronological age. Specifically, cognitive age is only slightly lower on average than actual chronological age among Middle Eastern consumers, and these differences are much less pronounced than has been found in previous cross-cultural studies. The cognitive age measure also demonstrates predictive validity regarding consumption behavior in the retail coffee industry.  The findings show that as both measures of age increase, buyers are satisfied with a greater percentage of retailers.  Nevertheless, as both forms of age increase, consumers visit fewer coffee shops per year.  Although they tend to make fewer visits, both cognitively and chronologically older consumers spend more money on each retail coffee shop visit.  In addition, total coffee consumption increases with increased cognitive and chronological age, presumably driven by greater consumption in non-retail venues.
The article analyzes the so-called ‘New Nordic Kitchen’ and its award-winning Copenhagen-based restaurant, Noma. Despite the fact that the idea of the New Nordic Kitchen, where only ingredients found naturally in the Nordic territories can be used for cooking, has gained huge popularity among ordinary people and politicians alike, very limited critical research has been done on the phenomenon. This article investigates how the New Nordic Kitchen plays into constructions of race and whiteness. It shows how the New Nordic Kitchen celebrates an ideal of ‘the Nordic’ as ‘pure’, ‘wild’ and isolated from globalization and immigration. Furthermore, it argues that the image of Nordic food, displayed in the New Nordic Kitchen – including the idea of Nordic food as a messenger between a celebrated past and contemporary times – is rather exclusionary towards Nordic racial minorities, e.g. recently arrived immigrants and descendants. The article includes an analysis of Nordic race science from the turn of the twentieth century in order to illustrate how the New Nordic Kitchen draws upon a longer historical tradition of viewing the Nordic, and especially Nordic whiteness, as superior. The historical importance of race science in Denmark is not common knowledge, and very limited research is done in this area. The article therefore also brings new insights to the historical construction of whiteness in the Nordic context. Finally, the article also shows how the New Nordic Kitchen not only draws upon but also continues the colonial power relations between Denmark and former Danish colonies.
Abstract The methodology of single-case experimental designs (SCED) has been expanding its efforts toward rigorous design tactics to address a variety of research questions related to intervention effectiveness. Effect size indicators appropriate to quantify the magnitude and the direction of interventions have been recommended and intensively studied for the major SCED design tactics, such as reversal designs, multiple-baseline designs across participants, and alternating treatment designs. In order to address complex and more sophisticated research questions, two or more different single-case design tactics can be merged (i.e., “combined SCEDs”). The two most common combined SCEDs are (a) a combination of a multiple-baseline design across participants with an embedded ABAB reversal design, and (b) a combination of a multiple-baseline design across participants with an embedded alternating treatment design. While these combined designs have the potential to address complex research questions and demonstrate functional relations, the development and use of proper effect size indicators lag behind and remain unexplored. Therefore, this study probes into the quantitative analysis of combined SCEDs using regression-based effect size estimates and two-level hierarchical linear modeling. This study is the first demonstration of effect size estimation for combined designs.
Background: The use of simple preparatory methods, such as listening to relaxing music, may decrease negative emotions and enhance performance. The purpose of this research was to explore whether certain types of music, as a preparatory task, could enhance motor performance. Method: Fifty-six participants were randomly assigned to a condition before completing a pre and postdexterity test using the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT). Performance was assessed with the PPT and arousal of mood was assessed with the Affect Grid. During the postdexterity test, the participants heard no music or specific music based on their condition. The experimental conditions included listening to an uptempo Mozart sonata to elicit a high arousal, positive valence mood, or a down-tempo version of the same sonata to achieve a low arousal, positive valence mood. Results: ANOVAs showed a significant increase between pre and posttests over time in participant arousal and performance. In addition, there was a significant interaction term between performance and gender, where women improved significantly more than men. Conclusion: The results suggest that the up-tempo and down-tempo Mozart sonatas do not play a significant role in motor performance, yet gender significantly affects performance, regardless of the type of music. Comments The authors report no conflicts of interest to disclose.
As one of few effective perception measures in the micro world, vision provides important feedback about the position of micro-objects; Different from the visual perception at the macro scale, the perception in the micro world is facing its own challenges. For example, multiple micro-objects often sway in the medium or overlap at different depths; The environment is dynamic in the sense that some objects may enter or leave the field of view during the manipulation. This paper reports the development of a deep vision network for micromanipulation, which is able to detect micro-objects and output its real-time position with high accuracy and robustness. In addition, a position correction algorithm is proposed to calculate the position offset through the pre-sequence time series, to further improve the position information generated by the network. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, that is, small tracking errors have been obtained for the detection of micro-objects; Moreover, such detection results are also with high success rate and stability for the micromanipulator.
Abstract Background This study was performed to compare severe clinical outcome between initially asymptomatic and symptomatic infections and to identify risk factors associated with high patient mortality among initially asymptomatic patients. Methods In this retrospective, nationwide cohort study, we included 5621 patients who had been discharged from isolation or died from COVID-19 by 30 April 2020. The mortality rate and admission rate to intensive care unit (ICU) were compared between initially asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. We established a prediction model for patient mortality through risk factor analysis among initially asymptomatic patients. Results The prevalence of initially asymptomatic patients upon admission was 25.8%. The mortality rates were not different between groups (3.3% vs. 4.5%, p = .17). However, initially symptomatic patients were more likely to receive ICU care compared to initially asymptomatic patients (4.1% vs. 1.0%, p < .0001). The age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index score (CCIS) was the most potent predictor for patient mortality in initially asymptomatic patients. Conclusions The mortality risk was not determined by the initial presence of symptom among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The CCIS was the most potent predictors for mortality. The clinicians should predict the risk of death by evaluating age and comorbidities but not the initial presence of symptom. Key messages The mortality rate was not different between initially asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. Symptomatic patients were more likely to admitted to the intensive care unit. Age and comorbidities were the potent risk factors for mortality.
You et al. present an extraordinary case of a refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patient who achieved long‐term complete remission after infection with Influenza A. Using mouse models, the researchers examined the underlying immunological mechanisms and discovered a decrease in leukaemia proliferation and improved survival in Influenza‐A virus‐infected mice. These results indicate the potential therapeutic relevance of Influenza A in the treatment of haematological cancers.
Ambrosio and Soner [1] have shown that level-set methods can be used to characterize classical, and define generalized, evolution by mean curvature of manifolds of arbitrary codimension in Rn. We investigate for what (other) normal velocities, and how, the level-set methods can be used to treat motion of manifolds of arbitrary codimension by the given velocity. Two variants of the level-set approach are studied. One uses the properties of the distance function to describe the motion. In the other one, the moving manifolds are represented as a zero-level set of a solution to a parabolic differential equation. Necessary conditions and sufficient conditions for these approaches to be applicable are given. The motion of curves in Rn, by a velocity that is parallel to the normal vector, is studied in greater detail and the velocities to which the level-set methods apply are partially classified. We also compare the level-set approach with the use of minimal barriers of De Giorgi, and show that for many velocities the two approaches are essentially equivalent. That in turn provides new information on applicability of barriers of De Giorgi.
The study aimed to investigate the correlations among immune, haematological, endocrinological markers and fitness parameters, and assess if the physiological parameters could be a predictor of fitness values. Anthropometric, physical evaluations (countermovement jump—CMJ, 10 m sprint, VO2max, repeated sprint ability—RSA total time and index) and determination of blood (IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A and tumour necrosis factor) and salivary (testosterone and cortisol) samples parameters in 28 young male soccer players (age: 13.0 ± 0.2 years, body mass index (BMI): 19.5 ± 2.2 kg/m2) were analysed. To evaluate the dependence of the variables related to athletic performance, multiple linear regression with backward stepwise elimination was considered. A significant regression equation was found in CMJ (F(5,16) = 9.86, p < 0.001, R2 adjusted = 0.679) and in the RSA index (F(5,16) = 15.39, p < 0.001, R2 adjusted = 0.774) considering only five variables, in a 10 m sprint (F(4,17) = 20.25, p < 0.001, R2 adjusted = 0.786) and in the RSA total time (F(4,17) = 15.31, p < 0.001, R2 adjusted = 0.732) considering only four variables and in VO2max (F(9,12) = 32.09, p < 0.001, R2 adjusted = 0.930) considering nine variables. Our study suggests the use of regression equations to predict the fitness values of youth soccer players by blood and saliva samples, during different phases of the season, short periods of match congestion or recovery from an injury.
Purpose of review The use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) such as erythropoietin and darbepoetin in preterm and term infants has been studied for over 20 years. Recent investigations have explored the potential neuroprotective effects of ESAs. We review the recent clinical trials and experimental animal models that provide evidence in support of using ESA to improve the neurodevelopmental outcomes in term and preterm infants. Recent findings Continued work using animal models have confirmed the neuroprotective properties of ESAs, including promotion of oligodendrocyte development in the face of neuronal injury. Clinical studies in term and preterm infants have reported the neuroprotective effects following ESA administration, and improved neurodevelopmental outcomes have been reported in the studies of preterm infants. Summary ESAs show great promise in preventing and treating brain injury in term and preterm infants.
A complete set of three dimensional multilayered media Green's functions is presented for general electric and magnetic sources. The Green's functions are derived in the mixed potential form, which is identical with the Michalski-Zheng C-formulation. The approach applied in this paper is based on the classical Hertz potential representation. A special emphasis is on the formulation of the dyadic Green's functions GHJ and GEM. In these functions the derivatives due to the curl operator are taken in the spectral domain. This avoids the need of the numerical differentiation. Furthermore, it is found that the Hertzian potentials satisfy several useful duality and reciprocity relations. By these relations the computational efficiency of the Hertz potential approach can be significantly improved and the number of required Sommerfeld integrals can be essentially reduced. We show that all spectral domain Green's functions can be obtained from only two spectral domain Hertzian potentials, which correspond to the TE component of a vertical magnetic dipole and the TM component of a vertical electric dipole. The derived formulas are verified by numerical examples.
Often forgotten among the many aspects of World War II is the alliance between Germany and Japan. Because of the vast geographical separation between these two Axis nations, and because of some of very real philosophical and operational differences, the alliance was fraught with difficulty. But in the vast middle-ground of the Indian Ocean, these "reluctant allies" did come together to conduct naval operations that might well have had disastrous consequences for the Allies but for the intervention of fate and the inevitable friction of war.Captain Krug served in U-boats in that theatre and in the Far East and, with the assistance of scholars of both nations, he has produced a very readable and meticulously researched account of German and Japanese naval interaction. Besides thoroughly covering - for the first time - this neglected topic, the authors provide valuable insight into the faulty mechanism of an alliance between totalitarian powers, characterised by suspicion and a reluctance to freely share information and assets. They also bring to light the difficulties - and ultimate consequences - of dealing with the megalomania and criminal intellect of Adolf Hitler, which resulted in war-crime trials for some of the participants. Proving that not every aspect of the world's greatest war has been covered, this book is a valuable contribution to the ever-expanding lore of the war and will be required reading for those with an interest in naval operations, global strategy, and international diplomacy during the period.
Private hospitals should get better at sharing information with the NHS about consultants’ performance, as well as routinely publishing patient safety and clinical audit data, the Royal College of Surgeons has said.  In a position statement the college calls for changes that it says are required to prevent another case like that of the rogue breast surgeon Ian Paterson, who mutilated patients with unnecessary operations.12  Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said that, although Paterson was a rogue individual, the healthcare sector needed to do …
Polypyrrole (PPy) is an intrinsically conducting polymer that has a wide variety of potential applications on electrical devices, sensors, electrode material, anticorrosion and antistatic coatings. Bacterial cellulose (BC), a natural nano-material with outstanding properties, can be used as a template material. In this study, water-wet BC was firstly used to prepare PPy/BC nanocomposite membrane by combining with PPy. The obtained nanocomposite showed excellent performances such as high conductivity, considerable mechanicl behavior and perfect flexibility. Effects of pyrrole concentration and reaction time on the electrical conductivity of the membrane were investigated. Besides, FT-IR, FE-SEM and mechanical properties were studies. The results revealed that it was possible to develop a novel PPy/BC nanocomposite with potential applications on flexible displays or sensors.
Objective Guidelines exist for care of pediatric sepsis, but no study has assessed the benefit of electronic learning (eLearning) in this topic area. The objective of this multicenter study was to assess knowledge acquisition and retention for pediatric sepsis across multiple health care provider roles, using an adaptive and interactive eLearning module. Methods The study used pretest, posttest, and 90-day delayed test scores to evaluate provider knowledge after an adaptive and interactive eLearning module intervention. The eLearning module contained conditional logic-based assessments that allowed real-time adjustments of the displayed content according to each participant's demonstrated knowledge. Physicians, nurses, and advanced practice providers, primarily emergency department based, at 9 pediatric institutions were included. Changes in test scores were stratified by provider role. Results A total of 574 participants completed the posttest, and 296 (51.6%) of those completed the delayed test. Across all providers, there was an increase in test scores of 15.7% between the pretest and posttest (P < 0.001) with a large effect size as measured by Cramer's V. Across all providers, there was an overall test score increase of 5.2% (P < 0.001) between the pretest and delayed test, with a small effect size. Conclusions An eLearning module improved immediate and delayed pediatric sepsis knowledge in pediatric health care providers across multiple institutions and provider roles. Immediate knowledge gain was meaningful as indicated by effect sizes, although by the time of the delayed test, the effect was smaller. This module fills an important gap in currently available pediatric sepsis education.
Nitrogen (N) fertilization plays a pivotal role in physiomorphological attributes and yield formation of field-grown cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), but little is known of its interaction with irrigation levels. Therefore, this study was conducted with an objective of evaluating the impact of irrigation and nitrogen levels on growth attributes and nitrogen use efficiency of Bt cotton (Gossypium spp.) in the hot arid region. The experiment consisted of a factorial arrangement of three irrigation levels (200, 400, and 600 mm) and four nitrogen rates (0, 75, 150, and 225 kg ha–1) in a split-plot design with three replications. Nitrogen fertilization and irrigation levels influenced cotton growth attributes and yield. The highest leaf area index, dry matter accumulation, crop growth rate, and relative growth rate were achieved at 225 kg N ha–1 and irrigation level 600 mm as compared to other experimental treatments. Similarly, nitrogen uptake and content by seed, lint, and stalk and total nitrogen uptake recorded maximum at 225 kg N ha–1 and irrigation level 600 mm. Interestingly, the treatment of 600 mm of irrigation and 150 kg N ha–1 displayed significant increase in nitrogen use efficiency indices such as agronomic efficiency of nitrogen (AEN) and recovery efficiency of nitrogen (REN), while partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) and internal nitrogen use efficiency (iNUE) were significantly higher with application of 600 mm of irrigation and nitrogen application rate of 75 kg ha–1. Application of 600 mm of irrigation along with 225 kg N ha–1 resulted in significant increase in gross return, net return, and B:C ratio than any other treatment combinations. So, application of 600 mm of irrigation along with 225 kg N ha–1 could be recommended for achieving higher growth and yield, as well as profitability of Bt cotton under hot arid region and similar agroecologies.
Studies of the nitrogen cycle in the ocean generally assume that the distribution of the marine diazotroph, Trichodesmium, is restricted to warm, tropical, and subtropical oligotrophic waters. Here we show evidence that Trichodesmium are widely distributed in the North Atlantic. We report an approximately fivefold increase during the 1980s and 1990s in Trichodesmium presence near the British Isles with respect to the average over the last 50 years. A potential explanation is an increase in the Saharan dust source starting in the 1980s, coupled with changes in North Atlantic winds that opened a pathway for dust transport. Results from a coarse‐resolution model in which winds vary but iron deposition is climatologically fixed suggest frequent nitrogen limitation in the region and reversals of the Portugal current, but it does not simulate the observed changes in Trichodesmium. Our results suggest that Trichodesmium may be capable of growth at temperatures below 20°C and challenge assumptions about their latitudinal distribution. Therefore, we need to reevaluate assumptions about the temperature limitations of Trichodesmium and the dinitrogen (N2) fixation capabilities of extratropical strains, which may have important implications for the global nitrogen budget.
A variety of imaging methods can be used in the diagnosis of atherosclerotic plaques. In the present study, we investigated the morphology and composition of atherosclerotic plaque associated with ischemic cerebral infarction by comparing gemstone spectral computed tomography (GSCT) and traditional multi-slice CT (MSCT). In total, 200 patients were enrolled and divided into the experimental group (n=100), which underwent GSCT, and the control group (n=100), which underwent MSCT. All the cases were followed up to observe disease outcomes in patients with different atherosclerotic plaque types, and adverse events in carotid artery stenosis or cerebral infarction were recorded. Compared with traditional MSCT, sensitivity (93.2%), specificity (84.5%), and accuracy (91.0%) of GSCT were significantly higher. We found a correlation between vulnerable plaque of carotid atherosclerotic plaque and the occurrence of cerebral infarction. These results suggest the advantages of GSCT in analyzing atherosclerotic plaque and predicting the risk of ischemic cerebral infarction.
The interaction between a high-power microwave beam and a collisionless unmagnetized plasma is investigated by taking into account the ponderomotive force and space charge effects. The electromagnetic wave equation coupled with Poisson and momentum transfer equations are solved for obtaining the space charge field and plasma density profiles. It is shown that the increase of microwave energy flux causes steepening of the electron density profiles, sawtooth lines in the curves of space charge field, and modulation of wavelength. In addition, the effect of wave frequency, initial electron density and electron temperature on space charge field, and electron density profiles are studied. It is indicated that the behavior of space charge field is very much influenced by the initial electron density. Furthermore, the result of the research shows that the increase of the electron temperature and microwave frequency cause the decrease of steepening of the electron density profiles.
Na-O2 and K-O2 batteries have attracted extensive attention in recent years. However, the parasitic reactions involving the discharge product of NaO2 or K anode with electrolytes and the severe Na or K dendrites plague their rechargeability and cycle stability. Herein, we report a hybrid Na//K+-containing electrolyte//O2 battery consisting of a Na anode, 1.0 M of potassium triflate in diglyme, and a porous carbon cathode. Upon discharging, KO2 is preferentially produced via oxygen reduction in the cathode with Na+ stripped from the Na anode, and reversely, the KO2 is electrochemically decomposed with Na+ plated back onto the anode. The new reaction pathway can circumvent the parasitic reactions involving instable NaO2 and active K anode, and alternatively, the good stability and conductivity of KO2 and stable Na stripping/plating in the presence of K+ enable the hybrid battery to exhibit an average discharge/charge voltage gap of 0.15 V, high Coulombic efficiency of >96%, and superior cycling stability of 120 cycles. This will pave a new pathway to promote metal-air batteries.
Summary A simple, sensitive, and reproducible high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method has been established for simultaneous analysis of trigonelline and 4-hydroxyisoleucine from fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum-graceum). Chromatography was performed on silica gel GF254 with n-butanol-methanol-acetic acid-water 4:1.5:1:1 (υ/υ) as mobile phase. Densitometric scanning of the plates at 266 nm was used for analysis of trigonelline, and plates were scanned at 395 nm after derivatisation with ninhydrin reagent for analysis of 4-hydroxyisoleucine. The method was validated for specificity, precision (intraday and interday), accuracy, and robustness. Response was a linear function of the concentration of standard solutions in the range 100 to 1000 ng per band and 50 to 500 ng per band, respectively, with correlation coefficients of 0.9992 ± 0.04 and 0.9986 ± 0.06, for trigonelline and 4-hydroxyisoleucine. The accuracy of the method was checked by determination of recovery at three different levels; ave...
Aging is a complex process encompassing both genetic and epigenetic modifications leading to the deterioration of internal systems and health complications. Thus far, pathways highly implicated in aging process seem to converge at some point down the cascades of proteostasis. One of the consequences of an imbalance in proteostasis is the loss of critical cellular protective mechanisms leading to protein misfolding and formation of toxic protein aggregates as one of the key players involved in age-related disorders. Despite its importance, protein aggregation has not received the well merited attention from the research community and as yet, the fundamental mechanisms of aggregation and its complications in aging are not well understood.
The upgrade project of the Hefei Light Source (HLS), named HLS-II, is under way, which includes the reconstruction of its storage ring. The HLS-II storage ring has lower emittance and more straight sections available for insertion devices as compared with the present HLS storage ring. The scan method is applied to the linear lattice optimization for the HLS-II storage ring to get thorough information about the lattice. To reduce the amount of computation, several scans with different grid spacing values are conducted. In addition, the calculation of the chromatic sextupole strength for the achromatic mode is included in the scan, which is useful for nonlinear lattice optimization. To better analyze the obtained solutions in the scan, the lattice properties and the variables of quadrupole strengths are statistically analyzed. The process of selecting solutions is described in detail, including the choice of the working point, the settings for the emittance and optical functions, and the restriction of maximum magnet strength. Two obtained lattices, one for the achromatic mode and the other for the non-achromatic mode, are presented, including their optical functions and optimized dynamic apertures.
Although yes‐associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ‐binding motif (TAZ), nuclear transducers of the Hippo pathway, are mostly silent in adult organs, aberrant activation of YAP/TAZ promotes tumorigenesis and abnormal tissue repair. The extent of involvement of TAZ in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unknown. In our study, increased TAZ nuclear accumulation and expression in the tubulointerstitium was readily evident in 3 models of renal injury including obstructive, aristolochic acid (AA), and diabetic nephropathy, correlating with fibrosis progression. Stable TAZ overexpression in human kidney (HK)‐2 epithelial cells promoted connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), fibronectin, vimentin, and p21 expression, epithelial dedifferentiation, and growth inhibition, in part, via Sma mothers against decapentaplegic homologue (SMAD)‐3‐dependent CTGF induction. CTGF secretion by TAZ‐overexpressing epithelium also triggered proliferative defects in nonengineered HK‐2 cells confirming a nonautonomous role of TAZ (via a paracrine mechanism) in orchestrating kidney epithelial cell‐cell communication. Renal tubular‐specific induction of TGF‐β1 in mice and TGF‐β1 stimulation of HK‐2 cells resulted in TAZ protein up‐regulation. TAZ stable silencing in HK‐2 cells abrogated TGF‐β1–induced expression of target genes without affecting SMAD3 phosphorylation, which is also crucial for fibrotic reprogramming. Thus, TAZ was activated in fibrosis through TGF‐β1–dependent mechanisms and sustained TAZ signaling promotes epithelial maladaptive repair. TAZ is also a novel non‐SMAD downstream effector of renal TGF‐β1 signaling, establishing TAZ as a new antifibrosis target for treatment of CKD.—Anorga, S., Overstreet, J. M., Falke, L. L., Tang, J., Goldschmeding, R. G., Higgins, P. J., Samarakoon, R. Deregulation of Hippo‐TAZ pathway during renal injury confers a fibrotic maladaptive phenotype. FASEB J. 32, 2644–2657 (2018). www.fasebj.org
Objective  To explore the application effect of specialized management of oral cavity center and centralized management of supply room in disinfection and sterilization of oral instruments.      Methods  From November 2015 to November 2017, 220 cases of oral instruments in the disinfection and supply center of the hospital were selected and divided into experimental group and control group according to the random number table method, with 110 cases each.The control group adopted specialized management, while the experimental group adopted centralized supply room management.The equipment cleaning qualified rate, the incidence of management problems, quality score, management effect of the two groups were compared.      Results  The incidence of management problems in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The qualified rate, quality score and management effect of instrument cleaning in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).      Conclusion  The centralized management in the supply room can effectively improve the qualified rate of instrument disinfection and sterilization, improve the quality of nursing work, and achieve remarkable results.      Key words:  Specialized management of oral center; Supply room centralized management; Oral instruments; Sterilization
Inhibition of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) non-structural protein 3 (NS3) serine protease by molecule inhibitors is an attractive strategy for the treatment of hepatitis C. We built four classification models based on a dataset of 413 HCV NS3 protease inhibitors using support vector machine method. The best performing model obtains the best prediction performance for the test set with prediction accuracy, sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP) and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) of 90.76%, 92.21%, 88.10% and 0.799, respectively. The number of rotatable bonds (NRotBond), charge and electronegativity related properties were found to be correlated with the bioactivity of the inhibitors. The ECFP_4 analyses of structural features were performed and it was found that the cyclopropyl with acylsulfonamide group was the unique substructure in the active inhibitors. The method with dataset split by Kohonen's self-organizing map and descriptors selected by SVMAttributeEval presented in this study can be employed in virtual screening for discovering novel inhibitors of HCV NS3 protease.
The biggest challenge faced by Indian IT Industry is not attracting the prospective employee but retaining the talent as high turnover is back to a serious concern. Indian IT Industry is in the eye of an employee turnover storm. Organizations in India must give serious thought to what drives employee commitment. Employee turnover has been a never ending problem faced in Indian organizations due to no fairness compensation, less opportunity in career growth, dissatisfaction with superiors and so on. Hence it becomes very necessary for human resource managers to under- stand the factors that prompt employees to quit an organization .In this regard, this paper examines the factors influencing employee turnover according to statistics and how to control employee turnover in Indian IT industry.
One day, you will discover a new adventure and knowledge by spending more money. But when? Do you think that you need to obtain those all requirements when having much money? Why don't you try to get something simple at first? That's something that will lead you to know more about the world, adventure, some places, history, entertainment, and more? It is your own time to continue reading habit. One of the books you can enjoy now is korea at the turning point innovation based strategies for development here.
Highly irradiated (2–26 MGy) polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was leached in an alkaline solution to investigate the impact of high doses on the leaching process and on the nature of the leaching products. The results show that leaching is controlled by diffusion phenomena as described by Fick's second law. The apparent diffusion coefficient (Da) of plasticized PVC leaching products can be calculated for each sample. Irradiation at high dose causes Da to diminish; this can be attributed to crosslinking and grafting reactions occurring during irradiation. The material microstructure thus becomes less permeable during radiolysis, which slows down the migration of species. Organic products of leaching are plasticizers contained in plasticized PVC or their degradation products. The main organic leaching products are phthalic ions formed by the hydrolysis of phthalic esters in alkaline leaching solution. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Design for cost (DFC) is a method that reduces life cycle cost (LCC) at design stage. From the angle of DFC, family cars' LCC data warehouse was established. It includes 300 thousand plus records about 3500 car models in last 26 months. Car's body structure, exhaust quantity, engine type, size(length, height, width), weight, transmission type, maximum speed, maximum power, maximum twisting moment/ torque, actuating feature, fuel grade, wheelbase, listing year were included in the data warehouse. Gasoline price and car's price were also included. At conceptual design stage, cars' LCC were estimated using case-based reasoning (CBR) method. Using decision tree classification algorithm based on information entropy sort cars' attributes value. Then using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), weights of cars' attributes are obtained. Finally, an example was given. Canberra distance and weights algorithm were used to measure the similarity among those cases. It is meaningful for raising estimation accuracy.
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS) represents a clinical condition caused by compression of the neurovascular structures that cross the thoracic outlet. TOS can be classified in: 1) NTOS (neurogenic TOS), 2) VTOS (venous TOS), 3) ATOS (arterial TOS). Many different causes can determine the Syndrome: Congenital Malformations, Traumas, and Functional Impairments. This manuscript reviews how the congenital malformations play an important role in adult age; however, TOS also affects patients of all ages. Radiological imaging like RX (radiography), MR (Magnetic Resonance) and CT (Computed Tomography) can provide useful information to assess TOS causes and decide a potential surgery.79% of the patientsincluded in the first two stages of NAV staging experienced excellent results with FKT; whereas patients included in the third and fourth stage of NAV staging were subject to surgery.The treatment of acute forms of TOS involves thrombolysis and anticoagulant therapy; surgery is appropriate for true neurogenic TOS, vascular TOS and in some cases when conservative treatment fails.
The treatment of sepsis caused by bacterial infections is still a huge clinical challenge. As sepsis causes high levels of endogenous H2S in vivo, researchers can design nanomedicines to treat sepsis by in situ sulfurization. Here, we designed and synthesized Cu2O-coated non-metallic core-shell selenium nanoparticles. To cure mice sepsis by ROS burst. Our experimental data displayed that the photothermal effect of Se@Cu9S8 produced by the reaction of Se@Cu2O and endogenous H2S is synergistically antibacterial, and Se@Cu2O has the characteristics of low side effects and high biocompatibility. In summary, our research results verified our design, that copper-selenium nanoclusters may be an efficient strategy to cure sepsis by in situ sulfurization of endogenous H2S, triggering ROS eruptions and photothermal therapy.
S[tr]eam is a video art installation that straddles the boundaries between video projection and sculptural object. The project examines the capability of the digital to enhance or confuse the human perceptual experience of the environment. The mind’s capacity for learning, pattern grouping, and reification enable swift perceptual comprehension. At the same time, the increasing pervasiveness of the digital redefines how we perceive and interact with the world around us. Digital media can combine virtual and physical space, presenting new and unique perceptual challenges. The virtual has the potential to extend or reinvent the physical, but it can reorganize and even fracture perception. S[tr]eam integrates organic phenomena with formalist approaches to explore fragmentation and fluidity, and to challenge our notions of logical and natural boundaries. S[tr]eam also explores the tensions and harmonies between the digital projection and the physical sculpture. edrex Fontanilla
Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides have replaced organochlorines in many countries as the most important line of defense against agricultural pests and disease vectors. Although these cholinesterase-inhibiting compounds are less persistent in the environment and have lower mammalian toxicity than their chlorinated predecessors, they still pose risks to nontarget organisms and ecological systems. The unintended impacts of these pesticides have been investigated for decades, but many important details regarding environmental exposure and toxicological response are still poorly understood. In November 2004, a special session convened at the SETAC World Congress in Portland, Oregon, USA, to address some of these gaps in our knowledge. A core objective of applied ecotoxicological research is to generate new scientific information that will allow natural resource managers to make more informed decisions about the risks that pesticides pose to nontarget organisms. From the standpoint of assessing risk, this means a better understanding of exposure as well as a more detailed understanding of toxicological response in different species and at different scales of biological organization. The aim of the special World Congress session was to advance the state-of-the-science on both of these fronts. In the context of exposure, it often can be prohibitively expensive to monitor intensively the environmental concentrations of pesticides across broad spatial and temporal scales. This reality can make it very difficult to estimate exposure conditions for highly mobile animals, such as birds and anadromous fish. Temporal limitations on monitoring also constrain exposure estimates for amphibians and other wildlife that rely on broadly dispersed, ephemeral wetlands for breeding habitat. Thus, an important and ongoing challenge is to estimate pesticide exposure at the landscape scale in the absence of measured environmental concentrations. Here, Mineau and Whiteside (pp 1214–1222) develop a novel approach for birds based on agricultural land-use patterns across the United States. Using estimated pesticide application rates for specific crops, they show how chemical exposure and associated risk of mortality can vary for birds across large geographical areas. In the context of toxicological response, a long-standing challenge has been to measure meaningful biological outcomes in response to environmentally realistic exposures, particularly in the low-dose range [1]. Although cholinesterase inhibition is an established biomarker of exposure, the depression of enzyme activity alone is not particularly informative unless it can be linked to endpoints with clear significance for the survival and lifetime reproductive success of nontarget organisms. These traits ultimately determine the fitness of exposed animals and, by extension, the dynamics of natural populations. A related challenge is the need to develop novel endpoints that
Hooke and Jeeves method is de facto a pattern search technique, which can be employed for getting an optimal solution. In this paper the method, in a modified form, has been applied for the design optimization of a distribution transformer. It is a constrained multi-variable optimization problem. The solution is obtained by choosing an initial point in the world map of the key variables and by making a local search (exploratory in all directions in the hyper surface formed by the variables. After recognizing the pattern, its advantage is taken by moving towards a lower cost point, using an acceleration factor for faster convergence. The step length is adjusted as we proceed to expedite improvement. The method has been applied to two different cost functions: the cost of production and the cost against production plus capitalized running losses. In both the cases, the problem has converged to a solution and the results are both interesting and illuminating.
Recent measurements of the magnetoresistance (MR) of amorphous superconducting thin films in tilted magnetic fields have displayed several surprising experimental details, in particular, a strong dependence of the MR on the field angle at low magnetic fields, which diminishes and then changes sign at large fields. Using a generalized site-bond percolation model, which takes into account both orbital and Zeeman effects of the magnetic field, we show that the resulting MR curves reproduce the main experimental features. Such measurements, accompanied by the corresponding theory, may be crucial in pinpointing the correct theory of the superconductor-insulator transition and of the MR peak in thin disordered films.
Objective: We report a rare case of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) presenting with myelopathy due to the vertebral arteriovenous fistula (AVF), and major intracranial artery occlusions with moyamoya-like vessels. Case Presentation: A 66-year-old woman of NF-1 suffered from neck pain, tetraparesis, and sensory disturbance of gradual onset. Cervical MRI showed a huge flow void, and the spinal cord was strongly compressed by the dilated vessels. Vertebral angiography revealed the AVF at the level of C4/5 fed by the left vertebral artery and drained into the dilated epidural spinal vein between C2 and C5 via the intervertebral veins. In addition, carotid angiography showed the occlusion of the right internal carotid artery and the left anterior cerebral artery associated with moyamoya-like vessels. She underwent endovascular treatment with careful attention to the intraoperative hypotension and the AVF was completely occluded. Her neurological symptoms were cured after the treatment. Conclusion: We experienced a rare case of NF-1 coexisted with the vertebral AVF and moyamoya syndrome. In such a complicated condition, discreet attention for possible cerebral hypoperfusion during the perioperative period should be paid for the successful treatment.
Since its approval in 1997, the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab has had a profound impact on the treatment and outcome of patients with follicular lymphoma. Overall survival for this incurable disease has dramatically improved over the past two decades, 1 and the routine incorporation of rituximab into chemotherapy regimens has demonstrated significant trends toward improved overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone. 2 Rituximab is now appropriately used ubiquitously in the treatment of follicular lymphoma, both as initial therapy and in the setting of relapsed disease. 3 It is therefore remarkable how little was known about the optimal schedule of singleagent therapy with this antibody in the setting of follicular lymphoma; however, numerous strategies have been employed in clinical trials without direct comparison. Fortunately, two recently published articles have largely closed this knowledge gap. The initial studies of single-agent rituximab in follicular lymphoma used a schedule of 375 mg/m 2 administered once per week for 4 weeks, derived empirically, with response rates of approximately 40% and progression-free survival (PFS) of 1 year in the setting of relapsed disease. 4 Given this promising activity, early studies then evaluated the outcomes of single-agent rituximab as initial therapy for low–tumor burden follicular lymphoma. 5,6 Response rates were expectedly better than in the setting of relapsed disease. Enthusiasm for an extended schedule or maintenance rituximab started with a study performed by the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK) in which both previously untreated and relapsed patients with follicular lymphoma were treated with rituximab once per week for 4 weeks. Responding patients were then randomly assigned to either observation or an extended schedule that consisted of an additional dose of rituximab administered once every 2 months for a total of four cycles. 7 At a median follow-up of 9 years, the median event-free survival was 13 months for the standard and 24 months for the maintenance arm, with a trend toward a survival benefit in the maintenance arm. Toxicity was not significantly exacerbated by prolonged rituximab exposure, and, importantly, rituximab re-treatment happened infrequently because of limited drug availability in Europe at that time. Other studies using alternative schedules of single-agent rituximab followed by maintenance have also demonstrated substantial impact on PFS or event-free survival with prolonged rituximab exposure. 8 On the basis of these promising studies, Ardeshna et al 9 conducted a randomized trial of patients with low–tumor burden, advanced-stage follicular lymphoma, and compared 187 patients who were initially approached with observation (watch and wait) with 192 patients who were treated with rituximab once per week for 4 weeks followed by 12 infusions of rituximab given once every other month for 2 years. Not surprisingly, there was a significant difference in the time to start of new treatment between the two arms, with a median follow-up of 46 months: 56% of patients in the watchful waiting group required new treatment compared with 17% of patients in the maintenance rituximab (MR) group. Importantly, only four patients in the observation group received rituximab as a subsequent management approach; the remainder were treated with chemotherapy. There was no difference in 3-year overall survival (94% for the watchful waiting and 97% for the MR group), and there was no significant difference in biopsy-proven histologic transformation rates between the two arms. Patient-reported outcomes in this trial suggested improvement in psychological well-being in the rituximab group, but otherwise, there were no significant differences in symptom burden or physical functioning domains. Interestingly, the original design of this trial included a third arm of single-agent rituximab alone, given once per week for 4 weeks (no maintenance), which was prematurely closed because of poor accrual. Eighty-four patients were enrolled in this arm before closure, and the outcomes in this group were similar to those of the MR group, without statistically significant differences in time to start of new treatment. These authors concluded that “rituximab monotherapy should be considered as an immediate treatment option for patients with asymptomatic, low-tumour-burden follicular lymphoma.” 9(p434 )
This chapter highlights a model of active femininity that places young women outside the domestic sphere. Pusapati explores the support extended to the mid-century campaign for women’s entry into medicine in England by the feminist periodical the English Woman’s Journal (1858–64). The journal’s promotion of a ‘specific and highly ambitious model of the college-educated, professional female physician’ functioned to encourage young women to strive for access to higher education as well as entry to the world of medicine (122). As Pusapati demonstrates, the English Woman’s Journal frequently looked to examples from beyond Britain’s borders to buttress this sense of possibility for female readers, not only in terms of professional achievement but also to reassure readers, male and female, that women could practice medicine without flouting ‘women’s culturally sanctioned domestic and social roles’ (123).
It is well known that the wave variables are robust to time delay of a system from the viewpoint of passivity. During implementation of the wave transformation on the sampled-data system, a unit time delay arises due to causality of the reflection wave. The unit time delay on the reflection wave occasionally becomes a passive element. From the passivity condition of the sampled-data system, the wave impedance can be designed such that the wave transformation using delayed reflection provides the effect of positive damping and thus the stable haptic interface is achieved on the sampled-data system. Various experiments for a 2-linked passive haptic device show that stable haptic interface can be accomplished for the wall-following task by use of the wave transformation using delayed reflection.
Background The purpose of this article is to review the evidence for the efficacy of hatha yoga for depression and possible mechanisms by which yoga may have an impact on depression, and to outline directions for future research. Methods Literature review and synthesis. Results and Conclusions A literature search for clinical trials examining yoga for depression uncovered eight trials: 5 including individuals with clinical depression, and 3 for individuals with elevated depression symptoms. Although results from these trials are encouraging, they should be viewed as very preliminary because the trials, as a group, suffered from substantial methodological limitations. We would argue, however, that there are several reasons to consider constructing careful research on yoga for depression. First, current strategies for treating depression are not sufficient for many individuals, and patients have several concerns about existing treatments. Yoga may be an attractive alternative to or a good way to augment current depression treatment strategies. Second, aspects of yoga—including mindfulness promotion and exercise—are thought to be “active ingredients” of other successful treatments for depression. Third, there are plausible biological, psychological, and behavioral mechanisms by which yoga may have an impact on depression. We provide suggestions for the next steps in the study of yoga as a treatment for depression. (Journal of Psychiatric Practice 2010;16:22–33).
A detailed one-dimensional computer model has been used to identify the device characteristics which determine the undesirable current induced in various AlGaAs photodiode structures by ionizing radiation. The calculations were performed to aid in the design of AlGaAs photodiode structures operating at ¿=.82¿m with optimized radiation insensitivities. Various AlGaAs photodiode structures have been grown and experimentally characterized to test the model. Good agreement between calculated and measured characteristics have been obtained, indicating that the model provides a good description of the factors affecting the radiation sensitivity and the optical response of AlGaAs photodiodes.
It is estimated that as many as 20% of school-aged children have an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hyperactivity is recognized as a common symptom of a variety of childhood disorders. In many instances the symptoms of ADHD signal the onset of severe psychopathology and indicate comorbidity. Because a significant number of children exhibiting symptoms of ADHD are unresponsive to stimulants or have side effects, the use of such drugs is contraindicated. In this article we describe ADHD according to subcategories in an effort to distinguish diverse groups of children with ADHD and to identify those responding best to psychopharmacologic agents other than stimulants. Further understanding of the neurobiology of ADHD is needed to more clearly define and treat this condition.
Three patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in chronic phase received Interferon‐α during pregnancy, starting from the 1st trimester. No maternal complications were reported. The 3 patients delivered normal looking babies apart from one baby who was found to have transient mild thrombocytopenia. Subsequently these children were followed for 30, 12, and 4 months and all had normal growth and development. Am. J. Hematol. 69:115–118, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Given the critical importance of discrete instructional practices in special education, teacher candidates must be prepared to implement them upon entering the classroom. In preservice teacher education programs, field placements and clinical experiences rarely provide enough opportunities for preservice teachers to gain the proficiency needed to provide effective instruction. In this study, a randomized control research design was used to investigate the effects of a mixed-reality simulation experience compared with traditional classroom practice in the implementation of a system of least prompts. Results suggest that mixed-reality simulation with additional coaching supports significantly improved preservice teachers’ implementation of the prompting sequence. Social validity data collected offer insights into the use of mixed-reality simulation in practice with preservice teachers. Limitations and suggestions for future work are discussed.
Abstract. There is an increasing use of bioclimatic models to quantify the climate change response of bryophytes and lichens. The physiological performance of these poikilohydric organisms depends on ambient climatic conditions interacting with light availability. However, bioclimatic models have tended to follow a common practice of selecting temperature/precipitation variables without reference to light as a key functional constraint. In this study a growth chamber simulation was used to reconstruct patterns of temperature-moisture-light for the baseline and 2080s climates, affecting the performance of the lichen Flavoparmelia caperata for a high-latitude (56°N) temperate rainforest study site in Britain. The results demonstrate the importance of increased 2080s warmth and moisture under low winter light (possibly favoring respiration), and increased dormancy during drier and warmer summers (possibly reducing photosynthesis), resulting in negative growth (mass loss) for future climates. This is in direct contrast to the outcome of bioclimatic models applied to the same study site, which project increased environmental suitability based on a warmer and wetter climate (not considering irradiance). The study cautions that predictors for bioclimatic models should be chosen to reflect verified constraints in ecological performance (such as for growth), and especially for poikilohydric organisms this would include the interaction between ambient climate and light availability.
Schottky barrier diodes were made by DC magnetron deposition and by thermal evaporation of Al on both n- and p-type GaAs substrates. Information about the electrical behaviour of these diodes was obtained from I-V, C-V and I-V-T measurements. It was found that for the diodes with a sputter-deposited metal contact a large density of donor-like defects is present in the near-surface region, together with a region of decreasing density deeper into the semiconductor. An out-annealing of these donor-type defects is observed at temperatures lower than 250 degrees C. The interaction between Al and GaAs, leading to the formation of AlxGa1-xAs, may be responsible for the observed changes in barrier heights and doping densities for the diodes annealed at temperatures higher than 250 degrees C.
Background Incisional surgical site infection (iSSI) is a frequent postoperative complication of abdominal surgeries in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). In this study, we investigated the association between thickness of subcutaneous fat (TSF) and iSSI in patients with CD undergoing intestinal resections. Patients and Methods Patients with CD who had undergone abdominal surgery from January 2014 to January 2017 were included in this retrospective study. Patients' TSF and other possible predictors of iSSI, including clinical characteristics, preoperative medications, hematological index, surgery-related data, and postoperative outcomes, were collected. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to examine the potential factors. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of factors. Results The patient cohort comprised 246 patients (167 male (67.9%); mean age 35.7 ± 12.4 years; mean disease duration 69.6 ± 60.8 months). The incidence of iSSI was 24.8% (61/246). TSF was a significant predictor of iSSI (OR 1.079, 95% CIs (1.020, 1.142), P = 0.008), being 13.7 mm in patients with iSSI and 9.9 mm in those without iSSI (P < 0.001). Additionally, C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations (OR 1.059, P = 0.003) were also possible predictors of iSSI, as indicated by both univariate and multivariate analysis. A model of iSSI comprising TSF and CRP concentrations was moderately accurate (AUC 0.827, CIs (0.766, 0.888)). Conclusions Preoperative TSF and CRP independently affect iSSI in patients with CD undergoing intestinal resections.
Analysis of multienvironment trials (METs) of crops for cultivar evaluation and recommendation is an important issue in plant breeding research. Evaluating both stability of performance and high yield is essential in MET analyses. The objective of this investigation was to compare 10 nonparametric stability methods and apply nonparametric tests (which do not require distributional assumptions) for genotype-by-environment (G X E) interaction to 11 lentil (Lens culinaris Medik) genotypes. Nine improved lentil genotypes and two local cultivars were grown in 20 semiarid environments in Iran from 2002 to 2004. Results of nonparametric tests of G X E interaction and a combined ANOVA across environments showed there were both crossover and noncrossover G × E interactions and genotypes varied significantly for yield. In this study, high values of TOP (proportion of environments in which a genotype ranked in the top third) and low values of rank-sum (sum of ranks of mean yield and Shukla's stability variance) were associated with high mean yield, but the other nonparametric methods were not positively correlated with mean yield and instead characterized a static concept of stability. The results of principal component (PC) analysis and correlation analysis of nonparametric stability statistics and yield indicated that only rank-sum and TOP methods would be useful for simultaneously selecting for high yield and stability. These methods recommended FLIP 92-12L as stable and FLIP96-6L as unstable genotypes. A biplot of the first two PCs also revealed that the nonparametric methods grouped as three distinct classes that corresponded to different agronomic and biological concepts of stability.
The roots of two peony species, Paeonia lactiflora Pallas and Paeonia veitchii Lynch are routinely referred to as either chishao (赤芍) or baishao (白芍). This paper reviews the botanical origins and traditional medicinal usage of each species, as well as pharmacological like activity of their constituents. A search of herbal pharmacological encyclopaedia, PubChem and PubMed databases identified their known constituents. The biological data for these constituents were evaluated and classified according to pharmacological‐like activity, with emphasis on compounds of greatest concentration and bioavailability. It was found that P. lactiflora and P. veitchii have some common compounds; however, their phytochemical bioavailability varies. Furthermore, a larger number of compounds have been identified in P. lactiflora. These have greater potential for antiinflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant therapeutic activity compared with P. veitchii. However, evidence indicates both species are similarly indicated for antiviral and glycaemic activity. Major compounds of each are classified as flavonoids, hydrolysable tannins (polyphenols) and monoterpene glycosides. The evidence suggests both species, when administered in entire botanical form, have an excellent safety profile; however, constituent toxicity risk evidence is limited, requiring further investigation. Although experiments show many compounds have biological activity, further investigation of their therapeutic potential is needed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Merrill Schleier ; Skyscraper Cinema: Architecture and Gender in American Film ; Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009, 392 pp., 101 b/w illus. $28.50 (paper), ISBN 9780816642843   In the early twentieth century the high-rise transformed American cities, and the motion picture transformed American culture. By now each phenomenon——building type and cinematic art——is inextricably interwoven into our experience, our mentality. Yet a century ago skyscrapers and movies were still to be marveled at, as both technological innovations and social change agents. Merrill Schleier's Skyscraper Cinema: Architecture and Gender in American Film is an encompassing study of how the two art forms converged in the young decades of the last century and grew up together in its middle years. To be sure, the convergence is more a matter of temporal coincidence than disciplinary intent, and Schleier does not push the connection too hard. "When I refer to skyscraper films, I am not seeking to invent another category, such as the western or musical," she writes. "I consider American skyscraper films those that include tall buildings as one of the main protagonists or necessary components of the narrative rather than mere backdrops or settings" (x). With this as her springboard, Schleier dives deep into five decades of screen history, from the 1910s to …
Research on the relationship between international economic and political relations has produced no consensus on the pacifying effects of trade. Rapid trade growth and enduring tensions characterize post–Cold War Asia’s paradox. This study assesses the political effects of China-centered interdependence based on the China–South Korea case since 1992. Although trade may inhibit conflict in line with liberal expectations, its coercive potential limits its pacifying effects. When disputes arise, asymmetric interdependence generates strategic leverage and vulnerability, and amplifies the identity dimensions of conflict that shape societal preferences. China’s combination of economic pressure and nationalist discourse induces accommodation primarily through coercion. By blending state-led and society-led retaliation, economic and accountability costs are minimized. China–South Korea political interactions have increased in quantity but not quality. The Asian case underscores qualitative changes in political relations (rather than just instances of conflict), the material and nonmaterial repercussions of asymmetric trade, and the regional security implications of China-led interdependence.
Abstract:  Adult‐to‐adult living donor liver transplantation is an alternative to donation from a deceased individual, and can help relieve the shortage of liver donations available for adult patients in Asian countries. When transplant candidates have thrombosis and deterioration of the portal vein, living donor liver transplantation is relatively contraindicated because portal veins in the grafts are short and vein grafts may not be available to reconstruct the portal vein. From June 2003 to May 2007, 82 adult living donor liver transplantations were performed at Chang‐Gung Memorial Hospital. Three patients had portal vein thrombosis and marked fibrosis of the portal vein and cryopreserved vein grafts were used to reconstruct portal flow from the engorged coronary vein to the graft portal vein. All vein grafts are patent and all patients have normal liver function at 21–36 months after transplantation. When cryopreserved vein grafts are available, adult living donor liver transplantation can be successfully performed in patients with marked deterioration of the portal vein. The short distance from the engorged coronary vein to the graft portal vein may decrease the incidence of re‐thrombosis of the venous conduit.
The underwater target radiated noises usually have characteristics of low signal to noise ratio, complex signal components and so on. Therefore the recognition is a difficult task and powerful recognition method must be applied to obtain good results. In this paper, a recognition method for underwater target radiated noise time-frequency image based on convolutional neural network with residual units is proposed. The principles and characteristics of the convolutional residual network are analyzed and three basic convolutional residual units are put forward. Then three convolutional residual network models with very deep structure are established based on basic convolutional residual units and some normal convolution layers. The number of the hidden layers is 50, 100 and 150 respectively and softmax algorithm is used as the top classifier. The wavelet transform is adopted to generate time-frequency images of the underwater target radiated noises with frequency band of 10~200Hz, thus ensuring the accuracy of local structure of the image, then the above three models can be used to recognize the images. The experimental data of two types of targets were processed. The results are as follows. As the number of training time increases, the training loss shows a convergence trend and the recognition accuracy of test data gradually increases to more than 90%. In addition, the top-level output has obvious separability. The final recognition accuracies of the three convolutional residual networks are all over 93% and higher than that of normal convolutional neural network with 5 layers. As the number of layers increases, the recognition accuracy of the convolutional residual network increases to a certain extent, illustrating the increase of layer number can improve the processing effect. The analysis results show that the convolution residual network can extract features with separability through deep structure and achieve effective underwater target recognition.
Temperate lakes are experiencing increases in warming and stratification duration while global‐scale teleconnections potentially exacerbate effects of climate change. We examined interannual surface and deep water temperature change and stratification phenology in a long‐term, weekly data set (1985–2017) from a dimictic lake in New York State, USA. We developed a metric, called mixing action, to capture multiple facets about the stratified period. We found warming in surface waters and cooling in deep water. Surface warming was positively correlated with air temperature. Deep water cooling was positively correlated with spring mixing period length and deep water spring temperature, indicating a lag effect. Mixing action was correlated with global temperature anomaly and spring North Atlantic Oscillation index. With increasing summer stratification strength and length, dimictic lakes like Mohonk may continue shifting toward monomictic mixing regimes with increasing summer hypolimnetic anoxia and changing lake biogeochemistry, productivity, and habitat for aquatic organisms.
Volvariella volvacea is an edible mushroom, highly perishable and has a very short shelf life (1-2 days) at room temperature (RT). This research was conducted to determine the postharvest qualities at different storage temperatures (10, 15oC, and RT) and storage durations (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 days) in perforated polyethylene (PE) films. V. volvacea stored at 15°C showed lower weight loss, no veil opening and retained higher firmness. Thus, the mushrooms were expanded to examine the optimum packaging systems (perforation, PVC film wrap, vacuum and control) applied to V. volvacea for 0-8 d at 15oC. PVC film was shown to maintain higher firmness, lower weight loss, browning degree, and PPO enzyme activity compared to other packaging. Minor damages and ultrastructure tissue shrivelling were seen in PVC film packaging. Overall, V. volvacea was best stored at 15°C in PVC film to retain their quality and extend its shelf life.
The finite‐element method can be used for an approximate solution of axisymmetric exterior‐field problems by truncating the unbounded domain, or by applying various techniques of coupling a finite region of interest with the remaining far region, which is properly modelled. In this paper, we propose the solution of axisymmetric exterior‐field problems by using the standard finite‐element method in a bounded, transformed domain obtained by conformal mapping from the original, unbounded one. The transformed functionals have very simple expressions and the exact transforms of the original boundary conditions are used in the transformed domain. Consequently no approximation is introduced in the proposed method and improvements in the accuracy of the solution are obtained as compared with several other methods in common usage, especially with the truncated mesh technique. A few example problems are solved and the presented method is found to be simple and computationally highly efficient. It is particularly recommended for problems with material inhomogeneities and anisotropies within large regions.
Digital hardware may be used to generate waveforms as well as to process already-existing waveforms. Several digital synthesis techniques are in use today, most of whose advantages lie in their computational efficiency rather than their utility. Only the methods of synthesis known as additive and subtractive, however, are accompanied by a suitable analysis technique, allowing the accurate extraction of parameters from real waveforms for subsequent use in synthesis. With the advent of VLSI, these techniques are becoming economically attractive for analysis and synthesis of sound. An approach to musical signal processing, based on additive synthesis, is presented.
The article focuses on academic presentations created with the help of multimedia programmes. The presentation is regarded as a special form of new academic knowledge representation. An academic presentation is explored as a multimodal phenomenon due to the fact that different channels or modes are activated during its perception. Data perception constitutes a part of the context which in itself is a semiotic event involving various components (an addresser, an addressee, the message itself, the channel of communication and the code). The choice of the code and the channel depends on different factors (type of the audience, the nature of the message, etc). In this way, the information for non-professionals will be most likely presented through visualization with the help of infographics (schemes, figures, charts, etc). Talking about the professional audience the speaker may resort to visualization to a lesser degree or he may not use it at all. His message will be transmitted only with the help of verbal means, which will not prevent the audience from perceiving and understanding new knowledge correctly. The presentation regime of rapid successive slide show may be regarded the heritage of ‘clip thinking’ which is characterized by a non-linear, simultaneous way of information perception. At the present stage of technology development visualization is becoming the most common means of transmitting information in academic discourse, due to peculiarities of data perception by the man of today.
America’s school-age population is experiencing a demographic shift. In 1972, students of color represented 22% of the school-age population; in 2005, minority students accounted for 33% of public school enrollment (Statistics, 2007 Villegas, 2002). This study sought to explore how these changing demographics affected University Town Community Schools, the district’s interventions, and teachers’ perceptions to those interventions. This study also explored teachers’ feelings of efficacy when teaching minority students. Using a qualitative study among third-, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade elementary school teachers, a random sample of 9 teachers from schools comprising a minority population of at least 40% were interviewed. Data analysis involved the use of themes that emerged from the interview data, observations, and quotations from participants. The findings indicated that the district acted on a school-by-school basis, with no specific actions to target any one racial group. Meanwhile, teachers were inconsistent when discussing race, behavior, and learning. Teachers felt comfortable assigning behaviors based on race and culture, but were hesitant to assign learning strengths and weaknesses based on race or culture. Abstract Approved: _________________________________________ Thesis Supervisor _________________________________________ Title and DepartmentApproved: _________________________________________ Thesis Supervisor _________________________________________ Title and Department
Fisheries resources have existed on earth for centuries and their management has depended on the knowledge available to those that were, and are, entrusted with management responsibilities. Formal technical and traditional knowledge have formed the basis for the formulation of fisheries management approaches. In the midst of global fisheries crises, such as fish stock over-exploitation and effects of climate change on fisheries, there has been great interest in fostering sustainable fisheries management as a means to improve the capacity of fishing communities to adapt to the changes. However, the approaches to achieve sustainable fisheries management in Malawi have not adequately involved local people who have acquired traditional knowledge through their direct experience with nature. This article reviewed indigenous knowledge used in fisheries management within the wider context of livelihood systems. The purpose of the review was two pronged: first to document the indigenous knowledge used in fisheries management in order to offer insights of its value to biological scientists and fisheries managers; second, to demonstrate the value of indigenous knowledge as a lens through which biological scientists can look when managing fishery resources. It argues that policies that seek to support sustainable fisheries management need to build on a better understanding of the wide range of knowledge systems acquired by the fisher-folk. The article drew from theories of conservation; information was gathered through literature review and direct consultations with fishing communities in Malawi on indigenous knowledge in fisheries.
1. So much advice, so much lousy writing 2. The new science of writing 3. Choosing words and structuring sentence: the first C: clarity 4. Putting sentences together: the second C: continuity 5. Organizing paragraphs and documents: the third C: coherence 6. Maximizing efficiency: the fourth C: concision 7. Making music with words: the fifth C: cadence Supplement: everything you ever wanted to know about grammar, punctuation, and usage - and never learned.
We analyzed the magnetic field dependence of VSF signal, which second harmonic signal was generated by self-field of planner Hall resistance (PHR) sensor. The VSF signal was proportional to the product of sensitivity of PHR sensor and self-field. The magnetic field dependence of bead signal detected by VSF signal showed maximum value at H = 0. The bead signal detected by using the Self-field sensor operated at H = 0 showed linear behavior up to 1/100 bead concentration. Thus, the Self-field sensor can be applied to the external field free biosensor.
The evolution of metric parameters of 2:1 and 3:2 mullites have been measured between 4 K and 1320 K using neutron and X-ray powder diffraction. Negative thermal expansion was observed at low temperature for the a-cell parameter and consequently for the cell-volume, which is more pronounced for 2:1 mullite than those for 3:2 mullite. Each parameter is simulated using Gruneisen first-order approximation for the zero pressure equation of state at 0 K, where the vibrational energy was calculated using microscopic approach. While the b- and c-cell parameters require only one Debye term, a second Debye spectrum with negative Gruneisen parameter was required to fit the a-cell parameter as well as the cell volume. At 4 K, 300 K and 1320 K the model respectively calculates the volume thermal expansion coefficients of 0.09x10-6 K−1, 9x10-6 K−1 and 17.3x10-6 K−1 for 2:1 mullite, and 0.09x10-6 K−1, 8.7x10-6 K−1 and 17.3x10-6 K−1 for 3:2 mullite. Temperature-dependent Raman spectra and phonon density of states hint for the possible microscopic sources of the cell contraction at low temperature. A simple polynomial approach is presented to calculate the elastic stiffness coefficients of the 3:2 mullite, which are not available from experiments.    This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
As a member of the TRIM protein family, TRIM27 is a RING-mediated E3 ubiquitin ligase that can mark other proteins for degradation. Its ubiquitination targets include PTEN, IκBα and p53, which allows it to regulate many signaling pathways to exert its functions under both physiological and pathological conditions, such as cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. During the past decades, TRIM27 was reported to be involved in many diseases, including cancer, lupus nephritis, ischemia-reperfusion injury and Parkinson’s disease. Although the research interest in TRIM27 is increasing, there are few reviews about the diverse roles of this protein. Here, we systematically review the roles of TRIM27 in cancer and other human diseases. Firstly, we introduce the biological functions of TRIM27. Next, we focus on the roles of TRIM27 in cancer, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. At the same time, we also describe the roles of TRIM27 in other human diseases, such as lupus nephritis, ischemia-reperfusion injury and Parkinson’s disease. Finally, we discuss the future directions of TRIM27 research, especially its potential roles in tumor immunity.
Objective: Ultrasonography has become an integral component of the evaluation of palpable and nonpalpable lesions of the female breast. We assessed the usefulness of high-frequency ultrasonography and three-dimensional ultrasonography for evaluating the benign or malignant status of sonographically reproducible lesions of the breast in patients undergoing biopsy procedures. Methods: We reviewed 300 patients who underwent clinical, sonographic and invasive evaluation of a sonographically reproducible breast lesion over a 15-month period. A total of 164 cases were evaluated with three-dimensional ultrasonography (Kretz Voluson 530 D MT 10-13.5 MHz). The two-dimensional and three-dimensional ultrasound findings were compared with the results of needle biopsy (16-gauge needle with a free-hand technique) or open biopsy. Results: High-frequency ultrasonography (ATL 3000, 12.5 MHz) had an overall sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 70%. For nonpalpable lesions, three-dimensional ultrasonography increased the specificity from 65% to 72%. Needle biopsy had a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 99% with a mean of 1.66 biopsies per lesion. Conclusions: Three-dimensional ultrasonography of the breast provides additional morphologic criteria for differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions, particularly in small and nonpalpable breast lesions. Needle biopsy under ultrasound guidance is a reliable technique to evaluate the histology of focal breast lesions. Three-dimensional ultrasonography permits more precise placement and localization of the biopsy needle.
Thiothixene (Navane), one of the thioxanthene group of antipsychotic drugs, is reported as effective in schizophrenia. Withdrawal symptoms have not been described with members of this group of neuroleptic drugs.A 46-year-old man with a chronic schizoaffective psychosis was treated with thiothixene, 30 mg daily for 57 days. After abrupt withdrawal of the drug he developed a severe acute brain syndrome lasting for 7 days. This was not controlled with a phenothiazine but was rather quickly brought under control with reinstitution of the thiothixene. No evidence of permanent damage was found.
The QCD light-cone sum rules (LCSR) provides an effective way for dealing with the heavy-tolight transition form factors (TFFs), whose non-perturbative dynamics are parameterized into the light-meson’s light-cone distribution amplitudes (LCDAs) with various twist structures. By taking the chiral correlator as the starting point, we calculate the LCSRs for the B → ρ TFFs up to twist-4 accuracy. As for the TFFs at the large recoil region, we observe that the twist-2 transverse DA φ2;ρ provides the dominant contribution, while the contributions from the remaining twist-3 and twist-4 terms are δ-suppressed. Thus, our present improved LCSRs provides a good platform for testing the φ2;ρ behavior. For the purpose, we suggest a convenient WH-model for the ρ-meson leading-twist wavefunction, in which the parameter B 2;ρ ∼ a ⊥ 2 dominantly controls its longitudinal distribution. Typically, its DA φ2;ρ is CZ-like as B ⊥ 2;ρ ≃ −0.20, which changes to be asymptotic-like as B 2;ρ ≃ 0.00. By varying B ⊥ 2;ρ ∈ [−0.20, 0.20], we present a detailed comparison of the LCSR estimation for the B → ρ TFFs with those of pQCD and Lattice QCD predictions. Furthermore, by using the extrapolated TFFs, we estimate the CKM-matrix element |Vub| with the help of two B → ρ semi-leptonic decays. The predicted value for |Vub| increases with the increment of B ⊥ 2;ρ, i.e. we have |Vub| = (2.91 ± 0.19) × 10 −3 for B 2;ρ = −0.20 and |Vub| = (3.11 ± 0.19) × 10 −3 for B 2;ρ = 0.00. If using the BABAR prediction as a criteria, we observe that B ⊥ 2;ρ ∈ [−0.2, 0.10], which indicates that the ρ-meson DA prefers a single-peak behavior rather than a double-humped behavior. The ρ-meson DA can be further constrained by more data available in the near future, and we hope the ρ-meson DA behavior can be determined finally.
The increasing use of cloud and HPC systems put more pressure on the efficient utilization of hardware resources to keep costs low. Many dynamic concurrency throttling (DCT) techniques have successfully used to tune the number of executing threads to better balance a parallel application according to its available scalability. Similarly, boosting frequency strategies have been used to speed up the sequential parts’ execution. Given that, we propose Poseidon, the first transparent and automatic approach that cooperatively exploits both techniques to rebalance OpenMP applications without any preprocessing, with no code transformation, recompilation, or OS modification.
PurposeThe main purpose of the present work is to study the effect of tool pin profiles on mechanical properties of welded plates made with two different aluminium alloy plates.Design/methodology/approachThe welded plates were fabricated with the three different kinds of pin profiled tools such as taper cylindrical, taper threaded cylindrical and stepped cylindrical pin profiles. Tensile properties of welded plates were evaluated using tensile testing machine at room temperature. Microstructures studies were carried out using scanning electron microscope.FindingsTensile properties were improved with the use of taper threaded cylindrical pin tool in friction stir welding process when compared with taper cylindrical and stepped cylindrical pin tools. This is due to refinement of grains and mixing of plasticized material occurred with generation of sufficient heat with the taper threaded pin tool. Through these studies, it was confirmed that friction stir welding can be used to weld Al6061 and Al2014 aluminium alloy plates.Research limitations/implicationsIn the present study, the friction stir welding is performed with constant process parameters such as tool rotational speed of 900 rpm, transverse speed of 24 mm/min and tilt angle of 1°.Practical implicationsAluminium alloys are widely using in automotive and aerospace industries due to holding a high strength to weight property. These aluminium alloy blanks can be developed with friction stir welding method with better properties.Originality/valueVery limited work had been carried out on friction stir welding of aluminium alloys of Al 6061 and Al2014 with different tool pin profiles. Furthermore, this work analyzed with tensile properties of welded plates correlated with weld zone microstructures.
Asians constitute the largest growing minority in the United States. However, inaccurate perceptions and stereotypes continue to mask a full understanding of the state of knowledge regarding their alcohol and other drug abuse. Much of the existing research has continued this trend by categorizing Asians as "others" or persisting in its attempts to explain low incidence rates by investigating metabolic phenomena. More recent community-based studies have shown alarming incidence rates of specific substance abuse among different Asian ethnic groups. Asian heterogeneity and cultural barriers have also contributed to the lack of knowledge regarding substance abuse prevalence rates. Issues related to taboo, denial, and loss of face further mask understanding of the extent of the problem. Institutional barriers and the lack of community infrastructure make treatment efforts difficult in serving a myriad of Asian groups. For most Asians undergoing treatment, cultural factors need to be considered, including the involvement of the family as well as the risk related to its transition under immigration and the following acculturation patterns. An example of a specific treatment program and activity is discussed in relationship to the cultural factors indicated above. Finally, recommendations are specified for future treatment policy, research, and services.
The COLUMBUS S/W integration process has been established as an iterative goal-oriented production process related to an integrated flight-ground S/W system, which has been tailored for the respective actual COLUMBUS project needs, like e.g. system qualification test campaigns. During this continuous improvement process, which has been organized in cycles with well defined phases, a lot of material has been produced and analyzed to determine metrics and statistics related to the COLUBUS S/W development and integration process. The basic process parameters have been identified and have been used to define a simple process model for the COLUMBUS S/W integration, which can be used to support future effort estimations and planning during the COLUMBUS operational phase. In addition the determined metrics and statistics have been used to compile some ideas of "lessons learned" from the COLUMBUS S/W integration phase.
We present a proof of principle for onsite calibration of a radiochromic film (EBT3) using CR-39 as an absolute proton-counting detector and laser-accelerated protons as a calibration source. A special detector assembly composed of aluminum range filters, an EBT3 film, and a CR-39 detector is used to expose the EBT3 film with protons in an energy range of 3.65 MeV-5.85 MeV. In our design, the proton beam is divided into small beamlets and their projection images are taken on the EBT3 film and the CR-39 detector by maintaining a certain distance between the two detectors. Owing to the geometrical factor of the configuration and scattering inside the EBT3, the areal number density of protons was kept below the saturation level of the CR-39 detector. We also present a method to relate the number of protons detected on the CR-39 in a narrow energy range to protons with a broad energy spectrum that contribute to the dose deposited in the EBT3 film. The energy spectrum of protons emitted along the target normal direction is simultaneously measured using another CR-39 detector installed in a Thomson parabola spectrometer. The calibration curves for the EBT3 film were obtained in the optical density range of 0.01-0.25 for low dose values of 0.1 Gy-3.0 Gy. Our results are in good agreement with the calibrations of the EBT3 film that are traditionally carried out using conventional accelerators. The method presented here can be further extended for onsite calibration of radiochromic films of other types and for a higher range of dose values.
Although alerts or ringers have been used in wireless phones and pagers since their inception, design of these systems in the past has been limited to estimation of the Helmholtz resonance of the acoustic system followed by trial and error modification until the desired alert level is achieved. With the advent of reasonably fast Vibro‐Acoustic Boundary Element and Finite Element solvers, a much more accurate and inclusive method of alert system design is possible. BEM and FEM alert models can take into account the baffling effects of the phone or pager case, losses due to surface absorption and transmission loss, geometrical characteristics of the system’s ports and cavities, and the frequency dependent vibration characteristics of the transducer. These simulation capabilities, combined with Doppler laser vibrometer based alert characterization, provide for an improved alert design cycle. This paper will discuss some of the new alert characterization and simulation techniques used in the Motorola PCS Rese...
BACKGROUND Atopic eczema (AE) is a chronic, itchy, inflammatory skin condition that affects the quality of life of children and their families. The role of specialist clothing in the management of AE is poorly understood.   OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of silk garments for the management of AE in children with moderate to severe disease.   DESIGN Parallel-group, observer-blind, randomised controlled trial of 6 months' duration, followed by a 2-month observational period. A nested qualitative study evaluated the beliefs of trial participants, health-care professionals and health-care commissioners about the use of silk garments for AE.   SETTING Secondary care and the community in five UK centres.   PARTICIPANTS Children aged 1-15 years with moderate or severe AE.   INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomised (1 : 1 using online randomisation) to standard care or standard care plus 100% silk garments made from antimicrobially protected knitted sericin-free silk [DermaSilkTM (AlPreTec Srl, San Donà di Piave, Italy) or DreamSkinTM (DreamSkin Health Ltd, Hatfield, UK)]. Three sets of garments were supplied per participant, to be worn for up to 6 months (day and night). At 6 months the standard care group received the garments to use for the remaining 2-month observational period.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary outcome - AE severity using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) assessed at 2, 4 and 6 months, by nurses blinded to treatment allocation. EASI scores were log-transformed for analysis. Secondary outcomes - patient-reported eczema symptoms (Patient Oriented Eczema Measure); global assessment of severity (Investigator Global Assessment); quality of life of the child (Atopic Dermatitis Quality of Life, Child Health Utility - 9 Dimensions), family (Dermatitis Family Impact Questionnaire) and main carer (EuroQoL-5 Dimensions-3 Levels); use of standard eczema treatments (e.g. emollients, topical corticosteroids); and cost-effectiveness. The acceptability and durability of the clothing, and adherence to wearing the garments, were assessed by parental/carer self-report. Safety outcomes - number of skin infections and hospitalisations for AE.   RESULTS A total of 300 children were randomised (26 November 2013 to 5 May 2015): 42% female, 79% white, mean age 5 years. The primary analysis included 282 out of 300 (94%) children (n = 141 in each group). Garments were worn for at least 50% of the time by 82% of participants. Geometric mean EASI scores at baseline, 2, 4 and 6 months were 8.4, 6.6, 6.0, 5.4 for standard care and 9.2, 6.4, 5.8, 5.4 for silk clothing, respectively. There was no evidence of difference between the groups in EASI score averaged over all follow-up visits adjusted for baseline EASI score, age and centre (ratio of geometric means 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.85 to 1.07; p = 0.43). This confidence interval is equivalent to a difference of -1.5 to 0.5 in the original EASI scale units. Skin infections occurred in 39 out of 141 (28%) and 36 out of 142 (25%) participants for standard care and silk clothing groups, respectively. The incremental cost per QALY of silk garments for children with moderate to severe eczema was £56,811 from a NHS perspective in the base case. Sensitivity analyses supported the finding that silk garments do not appear to be cost-effective within currently accepted thresholds.   LIMITATIONS Knowledge of treatment allocation may have affected behaviour and outcome reporting for some of the patient-reported outcomes.   CONCLUSIONS The addition of silk garments to standard AE care is unlikely to improve AE severity, or to be cost-effective compared with standard care alone, for children with moderate or severe AE. This trial adds to the evidence base to guide clinical decision-making.   FUTURE WORK Non-pharmacological interventions for the management of AE remain a research priority among patients.   TRIAL REGISTRATION Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN77261365.   FUNDING This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 21, No. 16. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
Abstract Compounds with a spinel-type structure include mineral species with the general formula AB2φ4, where φ can be O2-, S2-, or Se2-. Space group symmetry is Fd3̄m, even if lower symmetries are reported owing to the off-center displacement of metal ions. In oxide spinels (φ = O2-), A and B cations can be divalent and trivalent (“2-3 spinels”) or, more rarely, tetravalent and divalent (“4-2 spinels”). From a chemical point of view, oxide spinels belong to the chemical classes of oxides, germanates, and silicates. Up to now, 24 mineral species have been approved: ahrensite, brunogeierite, chromite, cochromite, coulsonite, cuprospinel, filipstadite, franklinite, gahnite, galaxite, hercynite, jacobsite, magnesiochromite, magnesiocoulsonite, magnesioferrite, magnetite, manganochromite, qandilite, ringwoodite, spinel, trevorite, ülvospinel, vuorelainenite, and zincochromite. Sulfospinels (φ = S2-) and selenospinels (φ = Se2-) are isostructural with oxide spinels. Twenty-one different mineral species have been approved so far; of them, three are selenospinels (bornhardtite, trüstedtite, and tyrrellite), whereas 18 are sulfospinels: cadmoindite, carrollite, cuproiridsite, cuprokalininite, cuprorhodsite, daubréelite, ferrorhodsite, fletcherite, florensovite, greigite, indite, kalininite, linnaeite, malanite, polydymite, siegenite, violarite, and xingzhongite. The known mineral species with spinel-type structure are briefly reviewed, indicating for each of them the type locality, the origin of the name, and a few more miscellaneous data. This review aims at giving the state-of-the-art about the currently valid mineral species, considering the outstanding importance that these compounds cover in a wide range of scientific disciplines.
Crystals of [(R)-1-cyanoethyl] bis(dimethylglyoximato)(diphenylmethyl-phosphine)cobalt(III), [Co(C3H4N)(C4H7N2O2)2(C13H13P)], on exposure to X-rays undergo crystalline-state racemization with a negligibly small change of the cell dimensions. At the initial stage the two crystallographically independent molecules are related by pseudo inversion symmetry in the A2 cell. On X-ray irradiation to the crystal, the pseudo inversion center becomes a true crystallographic one and the space group becomes A2/a. Both the chiral cyanoethyl groups are converted to the disordered racemates. The rate of the racemization was measured by the intensity variation of the reflections that should disappear after the racemization. The rate constants at 293 and 343 K are calculated to be 4.81 and 5.07 × 10−6 s−1, respectively, assuming first-order kinetics. The cavities for the two cyanoethyl groups in the initial structure have the largest volumes known in this and related crystals. The positive correlation between the reaction rate and the volume of the cavity for the reactive group holds good for the present crystal.
He had no professional license, but was named one of the three best architects of 1957 along with Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. He drove a red Ferrari with the license plate VROOM. His succession of wives brought him clients and influenced his designs. He relied on a staff of talented assistants to realize his ideas. If ever there was a product of Hollywood, it was architect Craig Ellwood (1922-1992). A fiction of his own making--even his name was an invention--Ellwood fashioned a career through charm, ambition, and a connoisseurs eye. By the 1950s Ellwood had a thriving practice that infused the Germanic rationalism of Mies van der Rohe with an informal breeziness that was all Southern California. A series of dramatic, open, and elegant houses made him a media star, and interest in him and his work has only increased in recent years. California Modern: The Architecture of Craig Ellwood is the first compre-hensive monograph on this prolific, influential, and complex character. Copiously illustrated with contemporary images--including many striking black and white photographs by Julius Shulman--plans, drawings, and specially commissioned new photography, California Modern traces Ellwoods fascinating personal history, provides a critical evaluation of his work, and establishes his importance as a pivotal shaper of the California style.
Abstract. Turbulent mixing is a vital component of vertical particulate transport, but ocean global circulation models (OGCMs) generally have low resolution representations of near-surface mixing. Furthermore, turbulence data is often not provided in reanalysis products. We present 1D parametrizations of wind-driven turbulent mixing in the ocean surface mixed layer, which are designed to be easily included in 3D Lagrangian model experiments. Stochastic transport is computed by Markov-0 or Markov-1 models, and we discuss the advantages/disadvantages of two vertical profiles for the vertical diffusion coefficient Kz. All vertical diffusion profiles and stochastic transport models lead to stable concentration profiles for buoyant particles, which for particles with rise velocities of 0.03 and 0.003 m s−1 agree relatively well with concentration profiles from field measurements of microplastics. Markov-0 models provide good model performance for integration timesteps of Δt ≈ 30 seconds, and can be readily applied in studying the behaviour of buoyant particulates in the ocean. Markov-1 models do not consistently improve model performance relative to Markov-0 models, and require an additional parameter that is poorly constrained.
Arguments from scale physics, augmented by numerical and analytical investigations, are used to consider the probability and the detectability of superoscillations in generic functions. The detectability is defined as the fraction of the total power in the field that is local at regions of superoscillations. It is found that the probability for a superoscillation of a particular scale follows a quadratic power-law decay curve above the scale of the bounded support of the spectrum. The detectability is found to be even more severely suppressed, following a four-order power-law decay curve above the scale of the spectrum.
Introduction The adequate management of thoracic trauma requires a systematic approach including pain control, respiratory therapy, and mobility achieved by surgical fixation. Failure to achieve pain control prolongs hospital stay. There are several options for achieving analgesia including epidural catheters, intravenous narcotics, intercostal, paravertebral or interpleural blocks, oral opioids, or simply a combination of the aforementioned interventions. In this study, we aim to compare the efficacy of thoracic epidural analgesia with systemic analgesia in patients with polytrauma. Methods This prospective study was conducted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of District Headquarters Hospital in Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan. Patients of age ≥18 years with skeletal trauma - rib fractures, limb fractures, and pelvic fractures - were included in the study. Group A patients were given epidural - bupivacaine and tramadol. Group B patients were given systemic analgesia with intravenous opioids. The severity of pain was assessed on the visual analogue scale (VAS) at time 0, 24 hours, and 48 hours. Data was entered and analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22.0. Results At 24 hours and 48 hours interval, group A showed a lower mean VAS score than group B (p = 0.74; p = 0.03). Group A required lesser mean doses of additional short-acting analgesics than group B (4.87 ± 1.06 vs. 6.77 ± 1.44; p < 0.0001). In Group A, 94% were discharged and the mortality rate was 6%; in group B, 86% were discharged and the mortality rate was 14% (p = 0.21). Conclusion Epidural analgesia provides better pain relief and requires fewer short-acting supplementing analgesics as compared to systemic analgesia in patients with multi-trauma.
Enterobactericeae producing extended spectrum b-lactamases (ESBL) are likely to express carbapenemases OXA-48 which have hydrolytic activity on carbapenems. The aim of this work was to evaluate prevalence of blaOXA-48 for Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates producing ESBL. This work was conducted at the French Reference Center for Antibiotic Resistance with strains from Senegalese Hospital. Standard antibiogram was performed in accordance to CA-SFM/EUCAST 2016 and presence of ESBL was confirmed by synergistic image. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to detect systematically blaOXA-1, blaTEM-1, blaCTX-M-1, blaCTX-M-9 and blaOXA-48 gene in case of decrease sensitivity to carbapenem. PCR products were extracted, purified, sequenced and whole-genome sequence (WGS) were used for the analyses. Plasmids extraction was performed by Kado and Liu method. Five isolates harbored a decreased susceptibility to carbapenems. They were positive for blaOXA-48 gene and also expressed blaCTX-M-15. Analysis of the five plasmids by WGS identified a single IncL/M type plasmid of 63 kb and other genes for aminoglycosides and quinolones resistance. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae represent new threat to public health. Decrease in carbapenem susceptibility should be an alert for rapid detection of carbapenemases and to prevent their spread. Phenotypic or molecular methods should be available in many laboratories to take appropriate preventive and therapeutic measures.      Key words: Klebsiella pneumoniae, extended spectrum b-lactamases (ESBL), carbapenemase, blaOXA-48, Senegal.
ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify co-expressed differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in quiescence and senescence of osteosarcoma (OS) U2OS cells and investigate their biological functions. GSE94805 from Gene Expression Omnibus database was extracted, involving 12 samples of OS U2OS cells (4 quiescence, 4 senescence, and 4 control samples). After analysis of DEGs by limma package, VENN analysis was performed to identify co-expressed DEGs in quiescence and senescent. The Cytoscape software was used to construct an interactive network of co-expressed DEGs. Finally, box-plot was drawn for the co-expressed DEGs in sub-network. Besides, the relation literatures were selected in GenCLiP database for the co-expressed DEGs. Seven hundred and forty-three DEGs (255 up-regulated genes, 488 down-regulated genes) were obtained in quiescence and 2135 DEGs (1189 up-regulated genes, 946 down-regulated genes) in senescence. Through VENN analysis, 448 DEGs (131 up-regulated genes, 317 down-regulated genes) were co-expressed in quiescent and senescence. In the co-expressed DEGs network, 896 nodes (448 nodes in quiescent, 448 nodes in senescent) were obtained. Finally, 16 co-expressed DEGs were obtained in the sub-network analysis, in which Aurora kinase A (AURKA) and polo-like kinase (PLK4) had been reported in OS. AURKA and PLK4 might be the key genes in quiescence and senescence of OS U2OS cells.
Dr Merk et al. in the paper Glycogen storage disease type II (Pompe disease) – influence of enzyme replacement therapy in adults [1], have tested the efficacy of treatment for the adult form of a storage disease. The results over a short time period are encouraging and certainly their patients experienced some subjective and objective benefits. What is important about this study is the question raised by the authors.....cost versus benefit. Fabry disease is an example of adult enzyme replacement [2] that has been used for many years, it appears that it is effective and patients experience relief of pain and improvement in heart function, but it is not a cure. Enzyme therapy for chronic metabolic disease will continue to expand, and the use in adults will be a critical question. What is the determinant for using enzyme replacement, in the past it has been age....infants are treated because of the long-term potential, but what determines the use in adults. Cost alone cannot be used in deciding therapy, but it is critical that we have studies of outcomes to verify the use of new genetic therapies. The research by Merk et al. should be the standard for the use of enzyme replacement in adults; careful measures of benefit, which may not be completely objective. Quality of life must be part of the data, although hard to quantify, it is important not to just measure physical improvements. This study points out that treatment research must include the human factor.
Computer Science, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark Phone: +45 4677 3077, email: mhz@ruc.dk Passwords are a widely used mechanism for user authentication and thus critical to the security of many systems. To provide effective security, passwords should be known to the password holder but remain unknown to everybody else. While personal information and real words are relatively easy for a user to remember they make weak passwords from a security point of view because they are vulnerable to informed guessing and dictionary attacks. Strong passwords (e.g., b5j#Kv!8N) are less vulnerable to attack but at the same time more difficult to remember. However, the sheer number of passwords people must have to accomplish their day-to-day activities exceeds most humans’ capacity for remembering meaningless strings of characters [1]. Most users handle the ensuing conflict between security and ease of use by choosing passwords that are easy to remember, writing down their passwords, using the same password for multiple systems, or in other ways giving ease of use priority over security. Minimal-feedback hints are introduced to support users in remembering their passwords and thereby enable them to choose stronger passwords. Whereas most password mechanisms leave it entirely to users to be able to remember their passwords, minimal-feedback hints aid users’ memory by providing them with a couple of the password characters when prompted for their password, see Figure 1. Minimal-feedback hints were first suggested by Lu and Twidale [3] with the thinking that “a few carefully revealed hints will jog an authorized user’s memory, but will be of insufficient help to an unauthorized user who does not know the password in the first place”.
Large vocabulary continuous speech recognition is always a difficult task, and it is particularly so for low-resource languages. The scenario we focus on here is having only 1 hour of acoustic training data in the “target” language. This paper presents work on a data borrowing strategy combined with the recently proposed Subspace Gaussian Mixture Model (SGMM). We developed data borrowing strategies based on two approaches: one based on minimizing K-L Divergence, and one that also takes into account state occupation counts. We demonstrate improvements versus the baseline SGMM setup, which itself is better than a conventional HMM-GMM system. The SGMMs are more robustly estimated by borrowing data from the non-target language at the acousticstate level. Although we tested the approach for SGMMs, we expect the general idea of borrowing data from a non-target language to be applicable for conventional GMMs as well. Index Terms: speech recognition, low-resource language, subspace gaussian mixture model
BACKGROUND Knowledge of glycemic status may affect the dietary intake for subjects with diabetes and prediabetes.   OBJECTIVE To determine whether the trends of macronutrient intake and dietary quality differ by the diagnosis of glycemic status among U.S. adults with diabetes and prediabetes.   DESIGN The data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2016 were analyzed. Diagnosed cases were established by self-report, and undiagnosed cases were defined by laboratory criteria (hemoglobin A1c ≥ 5.7%, FPG ≥ 100 mg/dL, or 2-hour OGTT ≥ 140 mg/dL). Difference-in-differences model was used to compare the temporal trends between the two groups.   RESULTS There were 7,502 diagnosed and 12,974 undiagnosed cases with elevated glycemic status included in the study. During 1999-2016, the intake of low-quality carbohydrates was lower, while that from high-quality carbohydrates, animal protein, plant protein, unsaturated fat, and the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) score was higher among the diagnosed cases than the undiagnosed cases (P < 0.001 for all). However, in the trend analyses from 1999 to 2016, the increase intake of high-quality carbohydrates was smaller among the diagnosed cases than the undiagnosed cases (difference: -1.16%; 95% CI: -1.82%, -0.50%; P = 0.001). Moreover, the decrease in low-quality carbohydrate intake was smaller and the increase in saturated fat intake was larger among the diagnosed cases than the undiagnosed cases (low-quality carbohydrate: difference: 0.79%; 95% CI: 0.01%, 1.57%; P = 0.05; saturated fat: difference: 0.44%; 95% CI: 0.08%, 0.79%; P = 0.02). A significant difference of temporal trends in the HEI-2015 score among the diagnosed and undiagnosed cases was also observed (difference: -2.56; 95% CI: -3.71, -1.41; P < 0.001).   CONCLUSIONS Although the dietary habits among adults with diagnosed diabetes and prediabetes were better than among the undiagnosed cases, these advantages have been diminishing during the past two decades.
In this paper, we propose Mobility-incorporated Dynamic and Adaptive Provisioning mechanism (MDAP) which is path-level distributed admission control and resource management schemes for IP based Diffserv core network. Its goal is to guarantee predefined QoS metric regardless of user mobility maintaining high resource utilization. MDAP acts dynamically and adaptively as traffic situation and mobility patterns, in which especially utilizes global mobility behavior tendency of access domains. To guarantee QoS on the move, not only the mobility behavior tendency of the current access domain but also adjacent access domains' are closely coupled with MDAP¿s admission decision. And also MDAP dynamically manages resources based on the level of path utilization and in-out traffic rate of that path. By doing so, we can keep overall utilization high and QoS Degradation Probability (QDP) low at the same time.
The great majority of breast carcinomas arising in postmenopausal women are estrogen dependent or positive for estrogen receptor (ER) in carcinoma cells despite markedly low plasma or circulating estrogen concentrations. In these patients, biologically active estrogens are locally produced from circulating inactive steroids including adrenal androgens in an intracrine mechanism in the breast cancer tissues and confer estrogenic activities on carcinoma cells. A series of enzymes are involved in this intra‐tumoral or in situ production of estrogens in breast carcinoma tissues but aromatase, a member of the cytochrome P450 family, is a key enzyme of estrogen production through conversion from circulating adrenal androgens in estrogen‐dependent postmenopausal breast cancer. It then becomes important to identify the sites of this estrogen production. There has been, however, controversy regarding intra‐tumoral localization of aromatase in breast carcinoma, especially whether intra‐tumoral production of estrogens through aromatase occurs in carcinoma or stromal cells. The enzyme was demonstrated to be expressed in both carcinoma and stromal cells in breast carcinoma tissues on immunohistochemistry with a well‐characterized mAb 677 and combined laser capture microdissection/qualitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction. Intra‐tumoral aromatase in both of these cell types was subsequently demonstrated to be induced by carcinoma–stromal interactions associated with carcinoma invasion in breast tissue. The signals through various nuclear receptors, especially estrogen‐related receptor‐α in carcinoma cells and liver receptor homologue‐1 in adipocytes adjacent to carcinoma invasion, in conjunction with various cytokines and/or growth factors, play pivotal roles in this induction of intra‐tumoral aromatase. This increased aromatase subsequently results in increased in situ estrogen concentrations of breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors are currently established as the gold standard for the treatment for ER‐positive breast carcinoma but resistance to the therapy still remains to be solved by other modes of suppression of intra‐tumoral estrogen production.
The St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan region has a history of poor air quality. Although some studies have examined the surface and atmospheric conditions associated with federal ozone exceedances across St. Louis, little research has been done on the air mass types associated with ozone exceedances in this region. The research is a first step in that direction. Days with ozone exceedances from 2001 to 2010 were classified according to the accompanying air mass type that dominated the region on each of those days. This study found that over 70 percent of ozone exceedances occurred on days with maritime tropical air masses, and over 20 percent occurred on days with dry tropical masses. Exceedances also occurred with dry moderate air masses in the region. It is hoped that recognizing air masses associated with ozone exceedances will allow us to better alert the residents of these dangerous events.
In-!eld assessment of forage nutritive value could help producers manage forage harvest- ing or grazing based on potential feed value to ruminants. The objective of this research was to evaluate the relationship of forage nutri- tive value to canopy characteristics of mixed cool-season grass forage to identify potential indicators of forage nutritive value that can be assessed in real time. The research was con- ducted at Columbus, OH, from April to October 2009 and 2010 in a mixed cool-season grass forage stand. Growth periods were initiated in April, May, June, July, and August and allowed to continue unharvested for the remainder of the growing season, with weekly sampling for nutritive value and morphological composition. The proportions of dead material and lamina, age (days of growth), and herbage mass had the highest correlations with forage neutral detergent !ber digestibility (NDFD) and were higher than the correlations of the canopy char- acteristics with neutral detergent !ber (NDF). A linear model was !t to predict NDFD (g kg �1 ) from herbage mass (kg dry matter (DM) ha �1 ), in which NDFD = (�0.05 " herbage mass) + 746 (root mean square error = 44.1, r 2 = 0.81, P < 0.001). The relationship between herbage mass and NDFD was consistent over the growing sea- son and across both years. R.L.G. Nave, R.M. Sulc, and D.J. Barker, Dep. of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State Univ., 2021 Co/ey Rd., Columbus, OH
This paper combines the analysis of the R&D cooperation with the strategic trade policy theory. By introducing endogenous formation of research joint venture, we investigate when the research joint venture works as a tool of strategic trade policy, and provide its welfare implications. If R&D cooperation by forming a research joint venture is made only in the home country and not in the foreign country, the home country benefits but foreign country hurts in terms of national welfare. This is a robust result in the sense that it hoThis paper combines the analysis of the R&D cooperation with the strategic trade policy theory. By introducing endogenous formation of research joint venture, we investigate when the research joint venture works as a tool of strategic trade policy, and provide its welfare implications. If R&D cooperation by forming a research joint venture is made only in the home country and not in the foreign country, the home country benefits but foreign country hurts in terms of national welfare. This is a robust result in the sense that it holds regardless of market structure. We also find that given a research joint venture is formed in each country (i.e., two research joint ventures in the world), both the home and the foreign countries may hurt depending on market structure, which implies a 'prisoner's dilemma' result.
Network monitoring is an integral part of any network management system. In order to ensure end-to-end service quality stated in service level agreements (SLAs), managers of a service provider network need to gather quality-of-service (QoS) measurements from multiple nodes in the network. For a large network with over thousands of flows with end-to-end SLAs, the information exchanged between network nodes and a central network management system (NMS) could be substantial. We propose a mechanism called aggregation and refinement based monitoring (ARM) to reduce the amount of information exchange. ARM is a generic mechanism that can be configured to run with different objectives, including threshold-based, rank-based and percentile-based. The mechanism enables the NMS to collect data from network nodes using a dynamic QoS data aggregation/refinement technique, and to process these information differently depending on its measurement objective. Our simulation results show that for these various objectives, the selective refinement process is able to validate SLAs quickly, is an order of magnitude more efficient than a simple polling scheme, and performs well across a wide range of traffic loads.
Background: In chronic respiratory diseases, it is difficult to evaluate daily exercise tolerance, physical activity and profile of oxygenation. While those evaluations are important to maintain their QOLs, those studies have not been fully performed except COPD. Aims & Methods: To investigate a predictor of daily activity and near respiratory failure in outpatient routine practice, we evaluated 4-meter gait speed (4MGS), 6MWD and pulmonary function testing in our outpatient clinic, and 24-hour pulse oximetry monitoring, daytime step counts and duration of physical activity by using electronic accelerometer in community-living 24 patients with stable chronic respiratory diseases (interstitial pneumonia 17 patients, COPD 4, CPFE 3, respectively) not receiving supplemental oxygen. We analyzed the relationship among the values. Results: The mean PaO 2 at rest was 81.9 Torr ranged from 63.3 to 95.4 Torr. The daily step counts and duration of activity time were strongly correlated with %FEV 1 (p=0.001), and the step counts were correlated with 4MGS, 6MWD (p=0.034, p=0.039, respectively). The mean %diurnal time with SpO 2 2 Conclusion: %FEV 1 , 4MGS and 6MWD were useful to detect daily activity level. This study also suggested that patients with near chronic respiratory failure reduce their daily physical activity to avoid the oxygen de-saturation without awareness. We need to predict their daily activity by testing 4MGS and 6MWD with measuring SpO 2 ,even if SpO 2 >90% at rest and on ambulatory pulse oximetry monitoring in their daily life.
We present evidence that DNA polymerase delta of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, an enzyme that is essential for viability and chromosomal replication, is also required for base excision repair of exogenous DNA methylation damage. The large catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase delta is encoded by the CDC2(POL3) gene. We find that the mutant allele cdc2-2 confers sensitivity to killing by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) but allows wild-type levels of UV survival. MMS survival of haploid cdc2-2 strains is lower than wild type at the permissive growth temperature of 20 degrees C. Survival is further decreased relative to wild type by treatment with MMS at 36 degrees C, a nonpermissive temperature for growth of mutant cells. A second DNA polymerase delta allele, cdc2-1, also confers a temperature-sensitive defect in MMS survival while allowing nearly wild-type levels of UV survival. These observations provide an in vivo genetic demonstration that a specific eukaryotic DNA polymerase is required for survival of exogenous methylation damage. MMS sensitivity of a cdc2-2 mutant at 20 degrees C is complemented by expression of mammalian DNA polymerase beta, an enzyme that fills single-strand gaps in duplex DNA in vitro and whose only known catalytic activity is polymerization of deoxyribonucleotides. We conclude, therefore, that the MMS survival deficit in cdc2-2 cells is caused by failure of mutant DNA polymerase delta to fill single-strand gaps arising in base excision repair of methylation damage. We discuss our results in light of current concepts of the physiologic roles of DNA polymerases delta and epsilon in DNA replication and repair.
BACKGROUND Normal physiologic birth has been shown to result in optimal maternal-infant outcomes, but the concept of physiologic birth is continually evolving. Midwives play an important role in advocating for normal physiologic birth; however, their perceptions of what this approach entails have not been systematically appraised.   OBJECTIVE In this qualitative review, we aimed to examine midwives' perceived meanings of "normal physiologic birth" and to describe their experiences facilitating such births.   METHODS Five electronic databases were searched, and 26 qualitative papers were included, representing a total of 433 midwives from different backgrounds (i.e., independent, home-based, community-based, and hospital-based). Eligible papers were assessed for quality, and then data were coded and synthesized thematically.   RESULTS Four highly connected themes were generated: (1) the midwife: fundamental beliefs; (2) the woman: empowerment and advocacy; (3) the environment: ambience and culture; and (4) the team: need for institutional support and recognition. The fundamental beliefs of midwives, such as their perceived role and definition of normal physiologic birth and their self-confidence, influence practice styles and contribute to personal and professional development. Midwives often advocate for a person-centered approach that encouraged women's and other birthing person's autonomy and involvement in shared decision-making. The midwife-client relationship is also central. Most importantly, a conducive birthing environment and an inclusive workplace culture that encourages interprofessional support, collaboration, and recognizes midwifery practices were identified as crucial in providing optimal conditions for the facilitation of physiologic birth.   CONCLUSIONS This review provides healthcare policymakers and institutions fresh impetus to evaluate and revise as needed current workplace policies to be more inclusive and supportive of midwifery practices and physiologic birth.
The failure assessment diagram approach, an elastic-plastic fracture mechanics procedure based on the J-integral concept, was used in the evaluation of pressure-temperature (P-T) limits for the beltline region of the vessel of a pressurized water reactor. The main objective of this paper is to illustrate the application of an alternate fracture mechanics method for the evaluation of pressure-temperature limits, as allowed by Title 10, Code of Federal Regulation Part 50 (10 CFR 50), Appendix G. The evaluation of P-T limits for the beltline region of a pressurized water reactor vessel was based on the following assumptions: ASME Pressure Vessel and Piping Code, Section III, Appendix G reference flaw End-of-life fluence level in the beltline region Longitudinal flaw in the beltline weld J-resistance material toughness curves obtained from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Heavy Section Steel Technology (HSST) program Other material properties obtained from the Babcock and Wilcox Integrated Reactor Vessel Material Surveillance Program The maximum allowable pressure levels were calculated at 33 time points along the given bulk coolant temperature history representing the normal operation of a pressurized water reactor. The results of the calculations showed that adequate margins of safety on operating pressure for the critical weld in themore » beltline of the pressurized water reactor vessel are assured.« less
Microwave technology has come a long way from the sixties when the first microwave ovens were developed. This first generation of microwave ovens uses only microwaves to heat the substrate and with an efficiency of around 63% in converting electrical energy to microwaves, this means 37% of the electric energy is lost as heat. The first improvement to this system “second generation” is using hybrid heating with both microwaves and hot air. The hot air in this case is simply the air used to cool the magnetron and transformers that is blown into the microwave cavity. The 37% of lost energy can thus be reused. The first role of the hot air current is to remove moisture from the cavity to avoid condensation on the (cold) cavity walls. The second role is to insulate the hot product from the cold environment and prevent energy loss. The third role is increasing evaporation speed; this decreases drying time and can also keep the drying temperature low through evaporative cooling. Low drying temperatures are favored in many processes especially with food as it delivers a superior dry product.The “third generation” utilizes an additional heat exchange to further increase the system’s efficiency. The hot (wet) exhaust air is not fully saturated yet so it can be used to preheat the substrate before it enters the microwave cavity. A good example is thawing and preheating frozen starting material. If water cooled magnetrons are used, the hot air is replaced by hot water instead for the heat exchange. Microwave processes are generally much faster resulting in smaller machines and reduced operational area. When designing a microwave process all these factors need to be taken into account to result in the cheapest and most robust process. As heat exchange generally takes a long time, it should only be done to a degree that it does not slow down the microwave process.
Hyperlipidemia and the atherosclerotic conditions that result from it are well recognized as major contributors to coronary heart disease (CHD). Fortunately, several large-scale clinical trials have shown that there are effective treatments that can substantially lower atherogenic lipid levels and thereby reduce the risk of CHD mortality and morbidity. However, duplication of these dramatic trial results can be negatively affected in "real life" clinical practice by an important issue: compliance. No medications will work if patients do not take them. Unfortunately, patients who need lipid-lowering therapy are likely to need it long-term, perhaps for a lifetime. Yet, many do not adhere to the prescribed medication regimen. This article reviews some major studies of compliance for lipid-lowering drugs. The reasons why patients do not take them as prescribed vary: poor education, lack of understanding, cost, provider indifference, and others. Achieving compliance requires a multifaceted approach. It can be enhanced by encouraging patients to talk openly about their medication habits and by convincing them of the long-term benefits of reaching and maintaining target low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Although more studies focusing on compliance specifically regarding CHD are needed, the current literature does provide some guidance. Arch Fam Med. 2000;9:1169-1175
In the last decades, our knowledge of ziphiid evolution has increased dramatically. However, their periotic morphology is still poorly known. A fossil ziphiid (TTM-1) including the periotic, bulla, isolated polydont teeth and vertebrae from the Chepotsunai Formation (latest Miocene) of Tomamae Town, Hokkaido, Japan, is identified as a member of a clade with crown ziphiids of Bianucci et al. (2016) by having three periotic synapomorphies; a posteriorly wide posterior process, transversely thick anterior process, and laterally elongated lateral process. The specimen adds morphological information of the periotic. Among the Ziphiidae from the stem to crown, the periotic morphologies were changed to having a more robust anterior process, wider anterior bullar facet and posterior process. The crown Ziphiidae shares a feature; enlarged medial tubercle on the anterior process. Among the crown Ziphiidae, TTM-1 does not have a swollen medial tubercle not like Tasmacetus, Nazcacetus and others. This new morphological information might represent useful future phylogenetic comparisons. Yoshihiro Tanaka. Osaka Museum of Natural History, Nagai Park 1-23, Higashi-Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, 5460034, Japan. tanaka@mus-nh.city.osaka.jp Hokkaido University Museum, Kita 10, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810 Japan, Numata Fossil Museum, 2-7-49, Minami 1, Numata town, Hokkaido 078-2225 Japan Mahito Watanabe. AIST, Geological Survey of Japan, Research Institute for Geology and Geoinformation, Central 7, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8567 Japan. mht.watanabe@aist.go.jp Masaichi Kimura. Hokkaido University of Education, Numata Fossil Museum, 2-7-49, Minami 1, Numata town, Hokkaido 078-2225 Japan. mkimura1313@yahoo.co.jp
The functionalization of material surfaces with biologically active molecules is crucial for enabling technologies in life sciences, biotechnology, and medicine. However, achieving biocompatibility and bioorthogonality with current synthetic methods remains a challenge. We report herein a novel surface functionalization method that proceeds chemoselectively and without a free transition metal catalyst. In this method, a coating is first formed via the tyrosinase-catalyzed putative polymerization of a tetrazine-containing catecholamine (DOPA-Tet). One or more types of molecule of interest containing trans-cyclooctene are then grafted onto the coating via tetrazine ligation. The entire process proceeds under physiological conditions and is suitable for grafting bioactive molecules with diverse functions and structural complexities. Utilizing this method, we functionalized material surfaces with enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, glucose oxidase, horseradish peroxidase), a cyclic peptide (cyclo[Arg-Gly-Asp-D-Phe-Lys], or c(RGDfK)), and an antibiotic (vancomycin). Colorimetric assays confirmed the maintenance of the biocatalytic activities of the grafted enzymes on the surface. We established the mammalian cytocompatibility of the functionalized materials with fibroblasts. Surface functionalization with c(RGDfK) showed improved fibroblast cell adhesion and cytoskeletal organization. Microbiological studies with Staphylococcus aureus indicated that surfaces coated using DOPA-Tet inhibit the formation of biofilms. Vancomycin-grafted surfaces additionally display significant inhibition of planktonic S. aureus growth.
Far from celebrity media spotlight, ordinary individuals, many older and less advantaged, suffer the disabling pain of Parkinson's Disease (PD), an illness whose progressive symptoms often mimic old age and cause mobility impairment, communication barriers, and social isolation. At the heart of ""With Shaking Hands"" is the account of elder Americans in rural Iowa who have been diagnosed with PD. With a focus on the impact of chronic illness on an aging population, Samantha Solimeo combines clear and accessible prose with qualitative and quantitative research to demonstrate how PD accelerates, mediates, and obscures patterns of aging. She explores how ideas of what to expect in older age influence and direct interpretations of one's body. This sensitive and groundbreaking work unites theories of disease with modern conceptions of the body in biological and social terms. PD, like other chronic disorders, presents a special case of embodiment which challenges our thinking about how such diseases should be researched and how they are experienced.
In this paper we wish to study hadronic wave functions using an instanton model for the QCD vacuum. The wave functions are defined in terms of gauge-invariant Bethe-Salpeter amplitudes which we have determined numerically using a Monte Carlo simulation of the instanton ensemble. We find that the pion and the proton, as well as the [rho] meson and the [Delta], have very similar wave functions but observe a sizable splitting between mesons or baryons with different spin. We compare our results with data obtained in lattice gauge simulations.
In this paper, a new configuration of Crank-Rocker (CR) model has been proposed by duplicating its mechanism. The method has been implemented to overcome vibration problem on a single-piston Crank-Rocker engine caused by system unbalance. The new method suggests combining conventional method of adding counterweights to reduce shaking forces and eliminating the inertial moments on system by implementing the new layout. A dynamic study of the new model is presented, then the objective function is derived and implemented to perform the optimization process. Related design variables and system constraints are introduced to determine attached counterweights optimized characteristics. For results validation, the simulation, dynamic analysis, and optimization process were conducted using ADAMS VIEW® software. The output results were presented and discussed to verify the validity of the suggested method. It was noticed that the method was very effective and has managed to reduce the total shaking forces by about 91%, shaking moment by about 66%; and the driving torque by 27%.
Thick-billed murre (Uria lomyia) hunting by Inuit of West Greenland was surveyed during the winter and spring of 1988/89. Kill toll levels and age structure of the kill were determined for districts between Upernavik (73 degrees N) and Nanortalik (60 degrees N). Based on counts of the numbers of birds available for purchase at markets and on information from processing companies, an estimated 100,000 murres were killed for commercial trading purposes in 1988/89. Non-commercial hunting is harder to assess, but estimates based on the number of licences issued and the mean number of murres killed per day by non-commercial hunters indicate that between 190,000 and 293,000 murres are killed per annum. Thus the total kill toll is estimated to be between 283,000 and 386,000 murres annually. In Central West and Southwest Greenland the peak hunting period was November and December, but hunting continued to 15 March or until ice conditions prevented sailing. Age distribution of the kill was determined by classifying 6278 murres as "first-year" or "older" by the development of the cranium. In Southwest Greenland the proportion of older birds in the kill was always below 9%, whereas in Central West Greenland (Nuuk) the value increased from 27.5% in October to 75.8% old birds in March. About 90% of the murres killed in spring near major breeding colonies in Upernavik were adult breeding birds, and hunting near the breeding grounds is considered the major cause for population reductions. Murres shot in winter are mostly birds from colonies outside Greenland, but though it has yet to be proved, the immense kill of murres during the winter hunt probably affects the populations involved.Key words: thick-billed murre, Uria lomvia, Greenland, Inuit, hunting, seabirds, population structure, resource management, hunting legislation
Abstract The morphology of blends of polypropylene (PP), poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) and barium sulphate (BaSO4) filler was studied as a function of filler particle size and amount and type of maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (PP-g-MAH) in the polypropylene matrix. The methods employed were scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) in the solid state and a theoretical model using a core shell model structure. The study showed the possibility of controlling the phase in which the filler is occluded as a function of the chemical character of the PP matrix and the filler particle size. The morphology and dynamical mechanical properties vary in a systematic way, related to the location of the filler in the blends. Theoretical calculations supported the experimental observations.
The General Practitioner (GP) is the “gate-keeper” in patients' treatment and management. Herein, the use of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) could represent an effective support for GPs. Software capable of managing EMRs are available and they can be functional in adopting treatment guidelines by means of computerized prompts and reminders systems. These tools can be also programmed to include clinical algorithms with which to measure the quality of care to make possible the identification of clinical issues, and to take actions for addressing them. Given that similar tools were not available in Italy, we developed MilleGPG, an interactive tool aimed to evaluate, and subsequently improve the quality of care among patients with comorbidities.
A simple procedure for fabrication of gold films with nanorod arrays is described. The method is based on thermal evaporation of gold onto a porous alumina (PA) membrane used as a template. The gold films were obtained after removing the template and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry. The prepared gold films are composed of arrays of sharp (<20 nm at apex) rod-shaped gold nanostructures. These structures closely follow the organization and distribution of pores of the PA template. The length of the gold nanostructures is estimated to range from 300 nm to more than 1000 nm. It was found that their length is influenced by the size of the pores in the PA and the temperature of the PA during gold evaporation. Spectrophotometric characterization shows that the prepared gold films exhibit a surface plasmon resonance absorption peak located between 525 and 540 nm.
Explicit energy-transport equations for the spinorial carrier transport in ferromagnetic semiconductors are calculated from a general spin energy-transport system that was derived by Ben Abdallah and El Hajj from a spinorial Boltzmann equation. The novelty of our approach are the simplifying assumptions leading to explicit models which extend both spin drift-diffusion and semiclassical energy-transport equations. The explicit models allow us to examine the interplay between the spin and charge degrees of freedom. In particular, the monotonicity of the entropy (or free energy) and gradient estimates are shown for these models and the existence of weak solutions to a time-discrete version of one of the models is proved, using novel truncation arguments. Numerical experiments in one-dimensional multilayer structures using a finite-volume discretization illustrate the effect of the temperature and the polarization parameter.
Forum Commentary What’s the flux? Unraveling how CO 2 fluxes from trees reflect underlying physiological processes Tree stems and branches emit carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) at rates that per unit area can rival emissions from leaves or the soil surface and summed over a forest stand can comprise 14–30% of the total CO 2 efflux (Chambers et al., 2004; Ryan et al., 2009). Stem CO 2 fluxes have predictable patterns of variation with growth rate, stand age, and elevation (Chambers et al., 2004; Ryan et al., 2009; Robertson et al., 2010). Over the past decade observations of diel covariation of CO 2 efflux with sapflux rates measured in tree stems have led to the conclusion that internal transport of CO 2 within the stem strongly influences the measured CO 2 efflux at the surface (Teskey et al., 2008). In this issue of New Phytologist, Bloemen et al. (pp. 555–565) report on a tracer experiment that demonstrates not only upward transport of 13 CO 2 added to the transpiration stream, and emission of this label along the stem, but also fixation of a significant fraction of the added CO 2 in canopy branches, petioles and, to a minor extent, leaves. The study of Bloemen et al. adds to the growing literature that demonstrates the utility of isotope labeling studies to understand allocation and carbon (C) cycling in trees (Powers & Marshall, 2011; Epron et al., 2012). ‘Dynamic approaches for measuring continuous diurnal CO 2 fluxes and transport in the transpiration stream need to be more widely applied.’ Processes influencing stem CO 2 efflux A number of factors can influence the efflux of CO 2 measured by a flux chamber covering a segment of tree stem (Fig. 1). The cambium is the site of formation of new tissue, that is, of growth, while maintenance respiration produces CO 2 in all living tissues. The C being respired may derive from recent photosynthetic products transported in the phloem (e.g. Powers & Marshall, 2011) and from storage reserves. The pathways for respiration may vary with time or tree species: recently 18 O/ 16 O measurements in oxygen (O 2 ) provided the first evidence for the alternative oxidase pathway contributing to respiration in some tree stems (Angert et al., 2012a). CO 2 may also be locally fixed by photosynthetic tissues found under the bark before it is lost to the atmosphere. O 2013 The Authors New Phytologist O 2013 New Phytologist Trust Low rates of diffusion, especially across the cambium, can cause high CO 2 concentrations in stems, and internal O 2 concentrations can drop to very low levels (Spicer & Holbrook, 2005; Teskey et al., 2008). CO 2 is highly soluble, and will dissolve in (or exsolve from) stem water, depending on local saturation conditions, which in turn are controlled by factors such as temperature and pH. Uptake of CO 2 directly from the soil atmosphere, once thought potentially important, has largely been shown to be minor (see summary in Bloemen et al.). Hence the source of CO 2 emitted to the atmosphere from the bark surface can reflect a combination of local growth and maintenance respiration, other local processes producing CO 2 (including potentially decomposition in heartwood) or CO 2 from respiration in other tissues (e.g. roots) that has been transported into the volume beneath a chamber in solution. However, there can also be net export in the xylem water stream, as indicated by the fate of the tracer added by Bloemen et al. The measured chamber flux at any given time is thus the complex result of transport in, transport out and respiration minus photosynthesis in local tissues. Use of a dark chamber will exclude local photosynthesis. Observations of a relationship between sapflux and CO 2 efflux provide a clue as to whether CO 2 is net imported or exported from the volume of stem under a chamber attached to the stem surface (see Fig. 1, modified from Teskey et al., 2008). Other evidence for net CO 2 transport away from the region of efflux measurement comes from lower-than-expected efflux rates compared with what is expected given the construction costs of wood (Ryan et al., 2009), and potentially from higher efflux rates in canopy branches (Teskey et al., 2008). Changes in local temperature and/or pH can change respiration rates and also cause changes in CO 2 solubility (Kunert & Mercado Ca´rdenas, 2012). Stem anatomy, including bark thickness and tree hydraulics, likely influences the importance of the mechanisms and can help explain observations such as changes in CO 2 efflux with stand age or tree size, or differences between similar trees growing in different environments (Ryan et al., 2009). Bloemen et al. report results from labeling Populus deltoides, the eastern cottonwood tree, which has very high transpiration rates and generally is found in riparian zones. As noted by Ubierna et al. (2009) most studies that have reported relationships between sapflux and CO 2 efflux have been made in tree species with high sapflux rates and small conducting area. By contrast, the large conifer trees investigated by Ubierna et al. (2009), with lower overall sapflux, did not demon- strate such relationships, and even crown removal did not change the rates of CO 2 efflux from stems they studied. What do these results mean for interpretation of other ecosystem CO 2 efflux measurements? A major conclusion of Bloemen et al. is that the transport of the tracer from the tree base to the canopy indicates that root respiration New Phytologist (2013) 197: 353–355 353 www.newphytologist.com
A purely experimental analysis is presented in this paper to study the performance characteristics of a six-phase synchronous alternator coupled to a hydro turbine for stand-alone energy generation. It is depicted that the alternator is well suited to supply two independent three phase loads. Performance of the machine was observed with resistive load (i) on single winding set and (ii) on both the winding sets for constant field excitation, for constant frequency, and for constant voltage operation. Experimental results were recorded considering independent loading of two three phase stator winding sets with equal and unequal balanced resistive loads. A Fluke 43 Power Quality Analyzer was used for the measurement and recording of different waveforms.
High‐resolution photoemission spectroscopy and thermal desorption were used to study the coverage dependence of the K 3p3/2,1/2 core levels of K overlayers on Ru(001). Three doublets were observed to evolve sequentially and to shift to higher binding energy with increasing coverage of potassium. The doublets were assigned to photoemission from the interface (first layer), ‘‘bulk’’ (second layer), and surface (third layer). Spin–orbit splitting was observed for the first time in the condensed potassium phase by photoemission. The results are discussed in terms of the equivalent core approximation using a Born–Haber cycle. In the thermal desorption data three coverage regimes can be distinguished: a first layer desorbing with first‐order kinetics and a strongly decreasing heat of adsorption (EA =2.80–0.87 eV); a second layer with zero‐order desorption kinetics and EA =0.78 eV; a third layer and multilayers with the same kinetic order but with EA increasing from 0.78 to 0.93 eV, which is close to the heat of...
The purpose of this study was to determine the benefits of infrastructure development in Lakatan village, Galang sub district Tolitoli district, which is sourced from village funds from 2017-2019. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach to the type of data reduction research. This research was conducted to look at the benefits of infrastructure development in terms of economic, education, health and sosial cultural benefits for village in Lakatan. Data obtained from interviews, observations and documentation. The data is analyzed means of preparation and processing of data and drawing conclusions. The results of this study show : the benefits of infrastructure development are very beneficial to improve the economy of rural communities.
Trapped particles are manipulated by exposing them, in addition to the confining field configuration, for a short period of time to suitable electromagnetic fields (e.g. a burst of rf-radiation). Such time dependent perturbations change the amplitudes of the modified cyclotron, magnetron and axial motions. In this note we employ the canonical formalism of classical mechanics to discuss in which way the change of the amplitudes is determined by the multipolar character of the perturbing field and by the shape of its time dependence.
Fifty-four cases of minute esophageal cancer (1 cm or less in the greatest dimension) were collected and analyzed. Of these 67% were mucosal cancer and 28% were submucosal cancer. Prognosis was anticipated to be good as there was only one case of lymph node metastasis and three of vascular invasion. A lesion of 1 cm can be regarded as curable regardless of its depth of invasion. The endoscopic approach with use of a dye staining technique is useful for detection of or screening for minute esophageal cancer.
Background:  Lafutidine, (±)‐2‐(furfurylsulfinyl)‐N‐[4‐[4‐(piperidinomethyl)‐2‐pyridyl]oxy‐(Z)‐2 butenyl]acetamide, is a newly synthesized histamine H2 receptor antagonist and possesses a cytoprotective efficacy, which comprises mucin biosynthesis and stimulation of gastric blood flow mediated through capsaicin‐sensitive sensory neurons and endogenous calcitonin gene‐related peptide (CGRP). In the present study, an effect of lafutidine on hepatic blood flow was investigated in rats that received an intracisternal injection of a subthreshold dose of thyrotropin‐releasing hormone (TRH) analog, RX 77368.
In recent years, the application of microRNAs (miRNAs) or anti‐microRNAs (anti‐miRNAs) that can induce expression of the runt‐related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), a master regulator of osteogenesis, has been investigated as a promising alternative bone tissue engineering strategy. In this review, biomaterial scaffold‐based applications that have been used to deliver cells expressing miRNAs or anti‐miRNAs that induce expression of RUNX2 for bone tissue engineering are discussed. An overview of the components of the scaffold‐based therapies including the miRNAs/anti‐miRNAs, cell types, gene delivery vectors, and scaffolds that have been applied are provided. To date, there have been nine miRNAs/anti‐miRNAs (i.e., miRNA‐26a, anti‐miRNA‐31, anti‐miRNA‐34a, miRNA‐135, anti‐miRNA‐138, anti‐miRNA‐146a, miRNA‐148b, anti‐miRNA‐221, and anti‐miRNA‐335) that have been incorporated into scaffold‐based bone tissue engineering applications and investigated in an in vivo bone critical‐sized defect model. For all of the biomaterial scaffold‐based miRNA therapies that have been developed thus far, cells that are transfected or transduced with the miRNA/anti‐miRNA are loaded into the scaffolds and implanted at the site of interest instead of locally delivering the miRNA/anti‐miRNAs directly from the scaffolds. Thus, future work may focus on developing biomaterial scaffolds to deliver miRNAs or anti‐miRNAs into cells in vivo.
Light and electron microscopical investigations revealed that the lymphoid structure of the chicken Harderian gland is organized in different histological frameworks. In the head the surface epithelium of the central canal can be classified as a lymphoepithelial tissue which covers the dense lymphoid substance. It consists of small and medium‐sized lymphocytes, dendritic‐like cells, and occasional macrophages. High endothelial venules are associated with intense lymphocyte migration and homing that gives circumstantial evidence for a T‐dependent region, as found in a secondary lymphoid organ. The B‐dependent germinal centers are also common structural units of the head region's lymphoid substance. The body of the gland is loaded with plasma cells of different maturation stages. They immigrate into the epithelium of the central canal and produce IgM and IgA. Only a few scattered IgG producing plasma cells can be found in the gland of Harder. This plasmocytic region accounts for the immunosurveillance on the conjunctiva and in the upper respiratory tract through antibody production against bacterial or parasitic infections. In both the head and body regions of the gland, anti‐B‐L (anti‐Ia) antibody recognized scattered elongated cells which might represent dendritic cells. The immunological relationship between the two histologically different parts of the Harderian gland is unknown, but we speculate that the dense lymphoid tissue with high endothelial venule receives the blood‐borne, immunologically mature, but uncommitted B cells. By the influence of local antigen stimulus, these B cells transform to plasma cells which gradually appear in the body of the gland. The lymphoid structures of the head and the body fulfill the function of secondary and tertiary lymphoid organs, respectively. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Recent studies suggest that a subset of cancer cells with the ability for self-renewal and differentiation into different cell lineages is responsible for tumor progression, metastasis and resistance therapy. These cells, designated as tumor-initiating cells, tumor-propagating cells or cancer stem cells, are of great interest for cancer prognostication and therapeutics. Numerous cell surface and intracellular markers exhibiting cancer stem cell characteristics have been identified in breast cancer, presenting a promise to use them as biomarkers. However, there is a great need for the improvement of experimental methods to detect them in clinical samples, and validate their utility as predictors of the disease outcome, propensity for metastasis and response to treatment. In this article, we present an overview of the current status of breast cancer stem cells, with a focus on biomarkers. We also discuss the technical challenges on the road to defining breast cancer stem cells as biomarkers.
Photochemical inhomogeneity in the reduction process of the optical activity related to Ge oxygen deficient point defects in silica, characterized by an absorption band centered at 5.15 v eV and two emission bands centered at 3.2 v eV and 4.3 v eV, have been investigated. We have made a comparative study of the stationary and time dependent photoluminescence under excitation in the UV (5 v eV) and in the vacuum-UV (7.4 v eV) ranges in natural silica samples with native and with n -irradiation bleached optical activity. Our measurements evidence that the same spectral features are observed in the native and in the irradiated samples, but for an intensity reduction in the irradiated ones. Moreover, the time decay of the photoluminescence at 4.3 v eV is the same independently from the irradiation of the sample. On the basis of these results it is suggested that the inhomogeneous distribution of defects is not changed by the irradiation.
The purpose of this paper is to study identification and estimation of causal effects in experiments with multiple sources of noncompliance. This research design arises in many applications in education when access to oversubscribed programs is partially determined by randomization. Eligible households decide whether or not to comply with the intended treatment. The paper treats program participation as the outcome of a decision process with five latent household types. We show that the parameters of the underlying model of program participation are identified. Our proofs of identification are constructive and can be used to design a GMM estimator for all parameters of interest. We apply our new methods to study the effectiveness of magnet programs in a large urban school district. Our findings show that magnet programs help the district to attract and retain students from households that are at risk of leaving the district. These households have higher incomes, are more educated, and have children that score higher on standardized tests than households that stay in district regardless of the outcome of the lottery.
Since the industrial revolution, the relationship between human and nature has not improved in line with technological and social innovations. In this paper, Dujiangyan irrigation area in the Chengdu Plain is selected as study subject. Historical comparative method is adopted to study the evolvement rule of ecological wisdom of human settlements. The results indicate that natural processes played a crucial role in determining human settlements in Dujiangyan irrigation area. Relationship between human and nature in these four phases reflects the transition from submission to nature through respect for nature, reconstruction of nature, and finally to the conquest of nature, respectively in the pre-construction period, original construction period, development period and modern period. The wisdom of the harmonious coexistence between social and natural systems has been revealed from the five aspects of the holistic view of Dao-Sheng-Wan-Wu (everything from the Tao), the practice view of Dao-Fa-Zi-Ran (following nature’s lead), the social view of sharing benefits across, the ethical view of Tao controls technology, and the good governance view of spontaneous order. Lastly, this paper points out several principles of landscape and urban planning in the presence of deep urban sustainability challenges: Coevolution of natural and social systems would help promote sustainability of human settlements; nature-guided human settlement practice can maintain various healthy life-support systems; maintain or reconstruct healthy natural process through planning practice; modular units should be constructed through integrating environmental management units with planned unit development; selfgovernance organizations could be fostered likely based on modular units; and finally but not lastly, some technology application should be subject to restriction of environmental ethics. 关键词: 世界文化遗产区;人类聚居;生态智慧;协同进化;都江堰灌区
ABSTRACT Titanium dioxide (TiO2) treatment coupled with ultraviolet irradiation was selected as a corrosion mitigation technique for Type 304 stainless steel (SS) in high-temperature pure water with the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Type 304 SS specimens were pre-oxidized in oxygenated pure water at 288 °C and then coated with TiO2 nanoparticles by hydrothermal deposition. Electrochemical polarization analyses were conducted to investigate the corrosion behavior of both TiO2-treated and pre-oxidized specimens in 288 °C pure water with 300 ppb H2O2. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was then imposed upon the TiO2-treated specimens to examine if there was any distinct photoelectric effect on the corrosion behavior of the treated samples. It was found that the electrochemical corrosion potentials of the TiO2 treated specimens under UV irradiation were 10–20 mV lower than those without UV. In addition, the corrosion current densities of the treated specimens were also lower in the presence of UV radiation. Without UV radiation, however, no significant differences were observed between the TiO2 treated and untreated specimens. These results indicate that the TiO2 treatment in combination with UV radiation would reduce the corrosion rate of Type 304 SS in H2O2-rich, high-temperature pure water.
Demand side management (DSM) is a scheduling of demand side resources (DSRs) activities such that the desired load shape change can be obtained for better electric power services. These sources are scheduled and optimized for obtaining various objectives as minimization of the cost or maximization of benefits for customers, utilities and environment with the best quality services of electric energy. The purpose of this paper is to provide basic information for the development of algorithms for optimal scheduling for the home energy management (HEM), building energy management (BEM) and distribution system energy management (DSEM) for the objectives.
In order to remove haze from images, we propose an improved method for fusing a visible and a near-infrared (NIR) image of the same scene. MR images are inherently haze-free. The NIR information allows dehazing without building and analyzing a model of haze image. We suggest a multi-resolution fusion using edge-preserving filter, bilateral filter, to reduce artifacts and computational time compared to the existing methods. Experimental results validate our approach.
Abstract 1. Occasional reference is made in textbooks to triaxial spheroids (in which the equatorial section is itself not circular, as in spheroids of revolution, but elliptical), but the usual approach to projections of spheroids (and ellipsoids, if considered at all) appears to be analytical, in the sense of providing complicated algebraic corrections to formulae for the corresponding projections of the sphere, rather than geometrical.
Abstract 1. The heat of solution of a high polymer depends on the nature of the solvent as well as on the nature of the polymer. 2. The value and sign of the heat of solution of a polymer are related to the structure of the polymer and its mechanical behavior. For polymers which have relatively flexible chains, the heats of solution are negative ; for polymers which have relatively rigid chains, the heats of solution are positive. 3. The value and sign of the heat of solution indicate to a certain degree the change of the barrier potential of the polymer chain in any given solvent.
SINCE BLOIS' ORIGINAL publication1 on the magnetic properties of oriented evaporated thin permalloy films, much work has been carried out1‾7 in view of the potential application of such films in digital switching and storage. Mostly restricted to the nonmagneto-strictive composition of nickel-iron alloys (permalloy 80-20), these films are generally prepared by vacuum deposition onto a heated substrate. A uniaxial direction of easy magnetization may be induced, and, if the film thickness is sufficiently small, it behaves as a single domain,6 and may be switched by rotation from one remanent state to the other.
Experiment E950 at AGS, BNL has provided data with high statistics for the left-right asymmetry of proton-carbon elastic scattering in the Coulomb-nuclear interference region of momentum transfer. It allows to access information about spin properties of the Pomeron and has practical implications for polarimetry at high energies. Relying on Regge factorization the results for the parameter r_5, ratio of spin-flip to non-flip amplitudes, is compared with the same parameter measured earlier in pion-proton elastic and charge exchange scattering. While data for Im r_5 agree (within large systematic errors), there might be a problem for Re r_5. The  pi N data indicate at a rather small contribution of the f-Reggeon to the spin-flip part of the iso-scalar amplitude which is dominated by the Pomeron. This conclusion is supported by direct analysis of data for elastic and charge exchange pp and pn scattering which also indicate at a vanishing real part of the hadronic spin-flip amplitude at energies 20 GeV and higher. This is a good news for polarimetry, since the E950 results enhanced by forthcoming new measurements at AGS can be safely used for polarimetry at RHIC at higher energies.
Abstract After about 27 years of extensive preparatory work and formal and informal deliberations, the United Nations General Assembly adopted on May 21, 1997, by a large majority, the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. The adoption of the Convention was hailed as a major breakthrough and as an historical moment in the evolution of international water law. However, ten years after its adoption, the Convention has not yet entered into force. This article reviews the history, basic features and status of the Convention, analyzes the reasons for the reluctance of states to become parties to it, and examines its role and prospects.
With the diversity of wireless network accesses, new opportunities are offered to leverage network overload by wisely distributing traffic over the less congested networks. Following this observation, a number of studies have addressed the issue of the optimal interface selection to maximize the network performance. In order to address this problem, we propose, in this paper, a general model describing the interface selection process in heterogeneous network environments. The model is, then, used to derive a scalable controller, which can assist in steering dynamically the traffic to the most appropriate network access while blocking the residual traffic in a way to avoid the network congestion. In contrast with existing mechanisms, which generally rely on heuristic approaches, the proposed mechanism allows to compute network access probabilities based on linear optimal control theory. It also presents the advantage of a seamless integration with the Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF). Simulation results sort out that the proposed scheme prevents the network congestion and demonstrates the effectiveness of the controller design, which can maximize the network resources' allocation by converging the network workload to the targeted network occupancy.
1School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland 2Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Dublien, Ireland 3School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom 4Science and Solutions for a Changing Planet DTP, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom 5Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom 6Department of Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 7School of Applied Sciences, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, United Kingdom 8Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal 9School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland 10German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 11Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany 12Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Belfast, United Kingdom 13Institute of Global Food Security, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom 14Department of Biology, IVAGRO, University of Cádiz, Puerto Real, Spain 15Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands 16Departamento de Conservación de Suelos y Agua, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CEBAS-CSIC), Murcia, Spain
Mutagens detected with Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 98 in the presence of liver S9 mix were extracted from potato slices, but not pure potato starch, after frying in oil. No mutagenic activity was detected using strain TA 100, in the presence or absence of S9 mix with either fried potato slices or potato starch. Mutagenic activity was detected at frying temperatures of 140 degrees C and above. The mutagenic activity was limited to the outer portion of the fried potato slices and increased with frying time and temperature. Mutagenic activity ratios for extraction with both (NH4)2SO4/NH4OH and Na2SO4/NaOH were similar.
The ever increasing diffusion of mobile communications will lead to massive mobile access to the Internet. The paper focuses on the wireless application protocol (WAP) for providing mobile information services, as envisaged by the personalized access to local information and services for tourists (PALIO) project within the fifth research framework of the European Commission. In particular, we consider a global system for mobile communications (GSM) network where WAP traffic is transported by the short message service (SMS) on specific GSM signaling channels. We develop suitable traffic models for both the WAP downlink traffic and the signaling traffic. An analytical approach is described that allows evaluation of the mean transmission delay of a WAP page. Finally, a downlink traffic scheduling policy is proposed in order to reduce the delay variance so that users experience a more regular traffic behavior (service usability requirement). The theoretical derivations for the GSM-SMS scenario are general and can also be tailored for other mobile communication systems. The study allows dimensioning of both the service and the downlink signaling traffic capacity in order to fulfill quality-of-service requirements for users.
A new and facile method to prepare large‐area silver‐coated silicon nanowire arrays for surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)‐based sensing is introduced. High‐quality silicon nanowire arrays are prepared by a chemical etching method and used as a template for the generation of SERS‐active silver‐coated silicon nanowire arrays. The morphologies of the silicon nanowire arrays and the type of silver‐plating solution are two key factors determining the magnitude of SERS signal enhancement and the sensitivity of detection; they are investigated in detail for the purpose of optimization. The optimized silver‐coated silicon nanowire arrays exhibit great potential for ultrasensitive molecular sensing in terms of high SERS signal enhancement ability, good stability, and reproducibility. Their further applications in rapidly detecting molecules relating to human health and safety are discussed. A 10 s data acquisition time is capable of achieving a limit of detection of approximately 4 × 10−6 M calcium dipicolinate (CaDPA), a biomarker for anthrax. This value is 1/15 the infectious dose of spores (6 × 10−5 M required), revealing that the optimized silver‐coated silicon nanowire arrays as SERS‐based ultrasensitive sensors are extremely suitable for detecting Bacillus anthracis spores.
In LTE, a new X2-interface is defined to facilitate direct communication between neighboring eNBs. Since LTE is an all-IP network, the X2-interface traffic currently needs to be routed and transponded in L3 at the edge router by IP addressing. As mobile data increases, it is a promising trend to backhaul mobile services based on PON. In this paper, an effective approach for eNB inter-communication over TWDM-PON is proposed. By associating the IP address of eNB and the MAC address of ONU, the “inter-eNB communication in L3" can be mapped into "inter-ONU communication in L2" and transponded via the protocol of PON at the OLT. Thus, fast and cost-effective eNB inter-communication can be realized based on TWDM-PON within one wavelength channel and between different wavelength channels. The increasing data traffic pressure to the core network can also be alleviated.
The use of polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) as an injectable filler for breast augmentation has fallen out of popularity since its first use in the 1980s but has produced an increasing patient population presenting with complications related to PAAG injections. Polyacrylamide hydrogel use was popularized most notably in China, Russia, and Iran. However, given immigration trends and medical tourism, PAAG-related complications have become increasingly more common in North America. These complications can be difficult to treat, often necessitating complex surgery that includes gel removal, debridement procedures, and often breast reconstruction. Approaches to surgical treatment and subsequent breast reconstruction are not universally defined primarily because of the limited knowledge about this group of patients. This article presents the option of autologous free flap reconstruction for a patient with extensive muscular involvement and aims to summarize complications and risks associated with PAAG through case report and a review of the literature.
A technique is presented for the analysis of technical publications by comparison—with special regard to factors influenced by intended audience and professional category of author (i.e., scientist-engineer or writer). Writing style and use of graphics are important considerations; “readability” may be assessed. The technique is illustrated with an analysis of two articles on the same subject from different publications. Although the technique is intended chiefly as a teaching tool, some of the principles involved may be useful to others interested in judging the character of publications in a field, perhaps to help select the most suitable outlet for an article or to aid in designing a paper for a specific publication.
Preface The Gameboard From the Khmer Empire to Four Warring Factions Opening Game Proxy War Cambodia Vietnam China The Superpowers ASEAN Other Aligned Countries The Nonaligned Movement and the United Nations International Conference on Cambodia Middle Game Proxy Peace Cambodia Vietnam China The Superpowers ASEAN Other Aligned Countries The Nonaligned Movement and the United Nations Paris Conference on Cambodia End Game Deproxification Cambodia Vietnam China The Superpowers ASEAN Other Aligned Countries The Nonaligned Movement and the United Nations Tokyo Peace Conference and After Beyond Chessgames The "Asian Way" to World Pluralism Appendices Index
The paper describes a KhS-400 hop dryer configuration that calls for operating conditions to be aligned for autumn conditions due to a lower moisture-absorbing capacity of ambient air, thus making consumer-oriented characteristics unstable. It seems relevant to design a continuous-flow hop dryer to provide endogenous convection drying of freshly harvested hops that reduces operating costs and maintains consumer-oriented characteristics. The innovative idea is that the hop dryer incorporates resonators with concave surfaces and ceramic perforated convex bases, and oscillators operating at close frequencies: 915 MHz, 2375 MHz, 2450 MHz. The scientific goal is to develop continuous-flow methods and equipment with microwave generators and reasonably-configured unconventional resonators for drying hops, providing electromagnetic safety with no shield. The configuration comprises concave paraboloid and concave hyperboloid resonators sequentially fitted to form a drying chamber. The shared bases of the joined resonators are dielectric convex perforated disks rigidly fixed. A conveyor belt runs along the drying chamber. A duct is attached at one side of the base to the junction of the hyperboloid resonator with the paraboloid resonator. An air outlet is attached at the other side of the base to the junction of the hyperboloid resonator with another paraboloid resonator. Generators are located along the perimeter of both paraboloid resonators and along the perimeter of a small-diameter circle of the hyperboloid resonator with an offset of 120 °. The vertices of both paraboloid resonators are truncated and have slots wide enough for letting the conveyor belt pass carrying the raw material.
Ascorbic acid content is an important factor in spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) quality. In this study, we investigated the effects of the amount of solar radiation and temperature on the ascorbic acid content of spinach. Experiments were carried out under rain shelters on four sowing dates. Spinach plants were harvested when they reached marketable size, and ascorbic acid contents were measured. The ascorbic acid content of spinach on a fresh-weight basis increased or decreased within each day and also changed with similar tendency to the integrated amount of solar radiation on the day before harvesting. This result suggests that the ascorbic acid content on a fresh-weight basis is strongly affected by the total amount of solar radiation received by the plants one day before harvesting. Diurnal changes in the ascorbic acid content on a fresh-weight basis were largely affected by the ascorbic acid content on a dry-weight basis and partly affected by the water content of the plants.
Aluminum induced texturing (AIT) is one of the most promising texturing methods, which can be applied on glass substrates for solar cell applications. Combination of different dimensional structures exhibits the opportunity to achieve enhanced light trapping schemes. Here in this study, float glass and macro textured sandy and prism glasses went through Aluminum induced texturing (AIT) process in order to enhance light management. Surface morphologies were investigated by FE‐SEM and optical measurements in terms of transmittance and haze were conducted. Micro or nano sized craters were formed on each type of glass surface successfully by using acidic and basic etching solutions. It was shown for every type of glass that AIT process enhances haze values remarkably. Moreover, it was demonstrated that basic solution is superior to acidic solution in terms of optical properties. In this work, random macro‐scale surface texture and imprinted inverted pyramid‐like pattern were used to combine AIT textures to attain high haze values. Superior haze was achieved from macro‐nano combined texture surface having more scattered light from prism glass substrate with a maximum haze value of 90 %.
The human brain is a complex network of interlinked regions. Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of a number of highly connected and highly central neocortical hub regions, regions that play a key role in global information integration between different parts of the network. The potential functional importance of these “brain hubs” is underscored by recent studies showing that disturbances of their structural and functional connectivity profile are linked to neuropathology. This study aims to map out both the subcortical and neocortical hubs of the brain and examine their mutual relationship, particularly their structural linkages. Here, we demonstrate that brain hubs form a so-called “rich club,” characterized by a tendency for high-degree nodes to be more densely connected among themselves than nodes of a lower degree, providing important information on the higher-level topology of the brain network. Whole-brain structural networks of 21 subjects were reconstructed using diffusion tensor imaging data. Examining the connectivity profile of these networks revealed a group of 12 strongly interconnected bihemispheric hub regions, comprising the precuneus, superior frontal and superior parietal cortex, as well as the subcortical hippocampus, putamen, and thalamus. Importantly, these hub regions were found to be more densely interconnected than would be expected based solely on their degree, together forming a rich club. We discuss the potential functional implications of the rich-club organization of the human connectome, particularly in light of its role in information integration and in conferring robustness to its structural core.
It is a key for the successes of data mining projects in practical situations to evaluate the obtained so many patterns as valuable knowledge effectively. In order to provide an effective support, we have been developing a rule evaluation support method based on the learning models of objective rule evaluation indices. In this paper, we report two improvements of this method and their evaluations. One is improved the learning algorithm selection in the proposed method by introducing a constructive meta-learning scheme. The other is improved the sorting efficiency of objective rule evaluation indices by combining them.
Steroid hormones induce cascades of gene activation and repression with transformative effects on cell fate . Steroid transduction plays a major role in the development and physiology of nearly all metazoan species, and in the progression of the most common forms of cancer. Despite the paramount importance of steroids in developmental and translational biology, a complete map of transcriptional response has not been developed for any hormone . In the case of 20-hydroxyecdysone (ecdysone) in Drosophila melanogaster, these trajectories range from apoptosis to immortalization. We mapped the ecdysone transduction network in a cohort of 41 cell lines, the largest such atlas yet assembled. We found that the early transcriptional response mirrors the distinctiveness of physiological origins: genes respond in restricted patterns, conditional on the expression levels of dozens of transcription factors. Only a small cohort of genes is constitutively modulated independent of initial cell state. Ecdysone-responsive genes tend to organize into directional same-stranded units, with consecutive genes induced from the same strand. Here, we identify half of the ecdysone receptor heterodimer as the primary rate-limiting step in the response, and find that initial receptor isoform levels modulate the activated cohort of target transcription factors. This atlas of steroid response reveals organizing principles of gene regulation by a model type II nuclear receptor and lays the foundation for comprehensive and predictive understanding of the ecdysone transduction network in the fruit fly.
The Rat Genome Database (RGD, http://rgd.mcw.edu) has been developing tools and resources to aid researchers in integration of genomic and phenomic data derived from rat research for the past 10 years. Following the development of the Phenotypes and Models Portal, a tool was created to integrate phenotype data sets from multiple sources. The new PhenoMiner tool delivers an interactive tool to query phenotype data by strain, phenotype, measurement method and experimental conditions.
The aqueous leaf extract of rinbacin was tested for toxic effects on prepubertal rat kidneys following chronic administration. Two doses of rinbacin extract (26.25 g/l and 52.50 g/l) were administered in the rats' drinking water for 13 weeks, and various toxicologic indices tested. Histological study of the kidneys was also carried out at the expiration of the test period. Rinbacin at both dose sizes significantly (p<0.05) increased the absolute and relative kidney weights. Also the serum HCO3- level was significantly (p<0.05) increased, while the serum K+ level was decreased significantly at both dose levels. Only the high dose significantly (p<0.05) increased the serum urea level of the rats. Histological study showed that rinbacin at both dose sizes caused renal pathologic changes, which included necrosis and cellular infiltration of glomeruli and epithelia of the tubules. The effects were less marked in the low dose than the high dose group. Chronic administration of rinbacin extract induces nephrotoxicity in young rats.
The Sun occasionally goes through Maunder-like extended grand minima when its magnetic activity drops considerably from the normal activity level for several decades. Many possible theories have been proposed to explain the origin of these minima. However, how the Sun managed to recover from such inactive phases every time is even more enigmatic. The Babcock–Leighton type dynamos, which are successful in explaining many features of the solar cycle remarkably well, are not expected to operate during grand minima due to the lack of a sufficient number of sunspots. In this Letter, we explore the question of how the Sun could recover from grand minima through the Babcock–Leighton dynamo. In our three-dimensional dynamo model, grand minima are produced spontaneously as a result of random variations in the tilt angle of emerging active regions. We find that the Babcock–Leighton process can still operate during grand minima with only a minimal number of sunspots, and that the model can emerge from such phases without the need for an additional generation mechanism for the poloidal field. The essential ingredient in our model is a downward magnetic pumping, which inhibits the diffusion of the magnetic flux across the solar surface.
The developmental stage‐specific regulation of V(D)J recombination, a gene rearrangement process of antigen receptor gene segments, is tightly controlled in cells. Here we screened proteins uniquely or differentially expressed among three developmentally distinguishable B cells (pro‐B, pre‐B and mature B cells) using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Chromatin assembly factor 1 was uniquely expressed in pro‐B cells. Purine nucleotide phosphorylase, LCK, E2A and many other unidentified proteins were dominantly present in the nucleus at the early stage of B cell development where the V(D)J recombination process occurs. Also, few proteins including guanidine nucleotide binding proteins were exclusively expressed in pre‐B cell. Such findings can provide some information to help understand the developmental regulation of gene rearrangement occurring during B cell development.
Rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mikiss) possess two genes encoding putative leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-containing proteins similar to human TLR5. Molecular cloning of these two LRR proteins suggested the presence of a TLR5-like membrane form (rtTLR5M) and a soluble form (rtTLR5S). Here we elucidated the primary structures and the unique combinational functions of these fish versions of TLR5. The LRR regions of rtTLR5S and rtTLR5M exhibited 81% homology and relatively high (35.6 and 33.7%) homology to the extracellular domains of human TLR5 (huTLR5). Thus, two distinct genes encode the TLR5 orthologs in fish, one of which has a consensus intracellular domain (TIR). In order to test their functions, we constructed fusion proteins with the LRR region of rtTLR5S (S-chimera) or that of rtTLR5M and the TIR of huTLR5 (M-chimera). The S- and M-chimeras expressed in HeLa or CHO cells signaled the presence of Vibrio anguillarum flagellin, resulting in NF-κB activation. rtTLR5M was ubiquitously expressed, whereas rtTLR5S was predominantly expressed in the liver. In the hepatoma cell lines of the rainbow trout RTH-149, stimulation of rtTLR5M with V. anguillarum or its flagellin allowed the up-regulation of rtTLR5S. Flagellin-mediated NF-κB activation was more significant in the presence of or simultaneous expression of rtTLR5S. Therefore, a two-step flagellin response occurred for host defense against bacterial infection in fish: (a) flagellin first induced basal activation of NF-κB via membrane TLR5, facilitating the production of soluble TLR5 and minimal acute phase proteins, and (b) the inducible soluble TLR5 amplifies membrane TLR5-mediated cellular responses in a positive feedback fashion.
Assembly of bacterial ring-shaped hexameric replicative helicases on single-stranded (ss) DNA requires specialized loading factors. However, mechanisms implemented by these factors during opening and closing of the helicase, which enable and restrict access to an internal chamber, are not known. Here, we investigate these mechanisms in the Escherichia coli DnaB helicase•bacteriophage λ helicase loader (λP) complex. We show that five copies of λP bind at DnaB subunit interfaces and reconfigure the helicase into an open spiral conformation that is intermediate to previously observed closed ring and closed spiral forms; reconfiguration also produces openings large enough to admit ssDNA into the inner chamber. The helicase is also observed in a restrained inactive configuration that poises it to close on activating signal, and transition to the translocation state. Our findings provide insights into helicase opening, delivery to the origin and ssDNA entry, and closing in preparation for translocation.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Little has been published about the effectiveness of training postgraduate physiotherapy coursework students in research methods and evidence-based practice (EBP) theory. Graduate qualities in most universities include lifelong learning. Inclusion of EBP in post-graduate coursework students' training is one way for students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to implement current best evidence in their clinical practice after graduation, thereby facilitating lifelong learning. This paper reports on change in confidence and anxiety in knowledge of statistical terminology and concepts related to research design and EBP in eight consecutive years of post-graduate physiotherapy students at one Australian university.   METHODS Pre-survey/post-survey instruments were administered to students in an intensive 3-week post-graduate course, which taught health research methods, biostatistics and EBP. This course was embedded into a post-graduate physiotherapy programme from 2007 to 2014. The organization and delivery of the course was based on best pedagogical evidence for effectively teaching adult physiotherapists. The course was first delivered each year in the programme, and no other course was delivered concurrently.   RESULTS There were significant improvements in confidence, significantly decreased anxiety and improvements in knowledge of statistical terminology and concepts related to research design and EBP, at course completion. Age, gender and country of origin were not confounders on learning outcomes, although there was a (non-significant) trend that years of practice negatively impacted on learning outcomes (p = 0.09). There was a greater improvement in confidence in statistical terminology than in concepts related to research design and EBP.   CONCLUSION An intensive teaching programme in health research methods and biostatistics and EBP, based on best practice adult physiotherapy learning principles, is effective immediately post-course, in decreasing anxiety and increasing confidence in the terminology used in research methods and EBP. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nycterilampus Montrouzier, 1860, from Oceania, is removed from junior synonymy with Tetrigus Candeze, 1857, and is redescribed and revalidated. The genus includes two species, N. lifuanus Montrouzier, 1860, and N. velutinus Fleutiaux, 1891 both from New Caledonia. A comparative study of the morphological characters of males and females, including the reproductive organs of the Nycterilampus species and Tetrigus parallelus Candeze, 1857 (type-species) is presented. A key to Nycterilampus species and their separation from Tetrigus parallelus is given.
A well-exposed middle Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician clastic sequence, herein  referred to as the Denison Subgroup, unconformably overlies Middle Cambrian rocks on  the Denison Range and is conformably overlain by Ordovician limestone. Four formations  are recognized. The basal Singing Creek Formation (720 m) consists of interbedded  siltstone, quartzwacke turbidites, siliceous fine conglomerate, and slump sheets, and  contains an abundant Franconian trilobite-brachiopod fauna. It grades upwards into  the Great Dome Sandstone (510 m), a shallow marine-deltaic-fluvial sequence of crossbedded  quartz sandstone, siltstone and fine conglomerate, with a sparse fauna of  probable Late Cambrian age. Above this the Reeds Conglomerate (1560 m) comprises  largely non-marine pink siliceous conglomerate and cross-bedded sandstone, probably  deposited on alluvial fans. This grades into the marine Squirrel Creek Formation,  comprising a lower sandstone member (150 m) with worm burrows and gastropods, a siltstone-  limestone member (150 m) with an abundant Early Ordovician shelly fauna, and an  upper sandstone member (300 m).  The Denison Subgroup is approximately equivalent to the pre-limestone part of the  Junee Group in the 'original area of Lewis, and to the Owen Conglomerate of western  Tasmania.
The present disclosure discloses a radio frequency switching circuit including an antenna terminal, a transmitter terminal, a receiver terminal, a first switching module, a second switching module, a first switching component, and a second switching component. The first switching module is connected between the antenna terminal and the transmitter terminal. The second switching module is connected between the antenna terminal and the receiver terminal. The first and second switching modules include several transistors respectively, and each of the transistors includes a gate terminal, a drain terminal, a source terminal, and a bulk. The first switching component has a first anode terminal connecting with the gate terminal, and a first cathode terminal connecting with the drain terminal. The second switching component has a second anode terminal connecting with the gate terminal, and a second cathode terminal connecting with the source terminal.
1. Introduction 1.1 Changing Census Plans The evolving plans for the next decennial census in the U.S., Census 2000, have been widely reported in the press and remain a focus of political debate. Last year, Thompson and Fay (1998) reviewed the milestones in the development of the decennial program at the Joint Statistical Meetings, particularly with respect to statistical sampling and estimation, which was to have been one of the cornerstones of the plans. While the 1970 census provided a precedent for inclusion of sampling and estimation in producing the population count (Wright 1999), Census 2000 was to have been the first in the U.S. designed with the goal of achieving an optimal combination of counting, assignment, and estimation in order to obtain population totals. The 1980 and 1990 censuses primarily employed a mail strategy in which households in most parts of the country were mailed or delivered census forms. The majority of households responded by mail, but nonresponding households were followed up by personal visit to complete the enumeration. In some cases, interviewers had to obtain information about nonrespondents from neighbors or other sources, although precise figures on such proxy response are unavailable. Both demographic analysis (Robinson, Ahmed, Das Gupta, and Woodrow 1993) and coverage studies using sample surveys have documented a persistent undercount of some groups, including Blacks. In both 1980 and 1990, the issue of a potential adjustment to the census counts to compensate for differential undercoverage became a matter of both debate and litigation. Results from coverage evaluations could not be produced until months after the release of the apportionment counts used to allocate the number of representatives among the states. No official numbers were adjusted in 1980. In 1990, Secretary of Commerce Mosbacher decided in July, 1991, against the Census Bureau recommendation for adjustment. The only official figures incorporating an adjustment for undercount in the 1990 census are postcensal population estimates at the state and national level used as controls for some demographic surveys, such as the Current Population Survey (CPS), the monthly labor force survey in the U.S. In particular, the official postcensal population estimates, published and
The article summarizes the results of research on the professional stress among Engineering College teachers (N = 300) in and around the Chennai city. Both the external and internal causes of teacher’s stress (stressors) were analyzed. Investigation of external causes of stress was carried out by means of Questionnaire of Teacher Stress (by C. Kyriacou). This measure contains the fifty sources of teacher’s stress. To define the internal sources of stress The Life Style Scale (by R. M. Kern) was applied. The information will be given about the self-evaluation of teacher stress, causes of teacher stress, evaluation of differences between the teachers with different lifestyles and developmental model of teacher stress. The opportunities of Engineering College psychologist in the prevention and coping with the professional stress at Engineering College are derived from the research data and partially reflected in the visual model of teacher’s professional stress.
words. But the cost of the Canadian system was farm-debt, while the advantage of Argentine farming was its flexibility. Each system had its own rationale but in the long run, Canada's was better designed to foster economic growth and political stability. The final section of this chapter will be sure to draw fire, especially the claim that 'Canada's agricultural mechanization lagged behind Argentina's' (•o8). The final section is the best, covering the political and social movements that spread across the grasslands. It is the most horoughly researched and the most interesting. The deepening democratic nature of Prairie society contrasts with the violence and upheaval in the Pampas. Solberg rejects the thesis that Prairie farmers were hard done by. The book is based almost wholly on secondary sources for the Canadian side but this is understandable given the richness of Prairie historical writing. The question to be posed is: Does the comparative study shed light on each country's history which might otherwise be underappreciated? The answer is,
Nodal is a ligand of the TGF-beta superfamily. It has the function of determining the left-right axis and inducing the endoderm and mesoderm. Nodal signals can also act as morphogens. Although it has been detected for 20 years, the relationships between different species within Nodal are still unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the evolution of the TGF-beta gene with the main focus on Nodal. That is: (1) to determine the relationships within the Nodal family; (2) to examine whether Nodal is duplicated or not during evolution. To achieve this, whether Nodal is monophyletic or not and the relationship of Nodal with other ligands in the TGF-beta superfamily will be examined first. The phylogenetic trees to examine the relationships among the ligands are built under software PhyML with the Maximum Likelihood method. As a result, Nodal is monophyletic, but its neighbour ligand or ligand group is nonetheless uncertain. This study demonstrates that the fish sequences are all in the group in which the bird Nodal is located. Duplication of Nodal has occurred when vertebrates evolved from Urochordata. In addition, deletions have occurred in birds and mammals.
The flow around a cylinder in planar harmonic reversing flow at Keulegan-Carpenter numbers in the drag/inertia flow regime is investigated. The far flow and near flow velocity fields are simultaneously measured with a three-component LDV system and mapped using phase averaged velocity techniques. Correlations between the far field and near wake streamwise velocities are made to determine the linear/nonlinear system characteristics which link the near wake streamwise velocity to the far flow kinematics. The results may provide a corrective model for use in flow-structure interaction force prediction schemes which take into account the effect of the reversing near flow.
Protein and amino acid composition of the mantle of juvenile O ctopus vulgaris (Cuvier, 1797) during fasting for 27 days were determined. Average protein content of octopus mantle was of 711.19 ± 46.80 g kg−1 DW, and it decreased with increasing fasting days. The non-essential amino acids content was higher (486.18 ± 11.08 g kg−1 protein) than essential amino acids (425.82 ± 9.15 g kg−1 protein) at the start of the experiment (unstarved animals). The results suggest that the amino acid profile of the mantle where the most abundant amino acids are Arg, His, Lys, Gly, Leu and Pro could indicate a prolonged fasting condition (>20 days) or poor nutrition of O . vulgaris. This study supports the idea of using mantle for metabolic needs of starved O . vulgaris suggesting that the degradation pathway of amino acids to pyruvate and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates was favoured contrary to the degradation pathway of ketogenic amino acids. Special considerations should be taken concerning Thr, Ile, Ser, Ala, Asx (Asp, Asn), Glx (Glu, Gln) (because of their fast intake) and Lys and His (due to their stable contents) during a prolonged period of fasting.
The reason of the collision in kinematics is analyzed,and the obstacle_avoidance problem fundamentality is resolved. Filtered the obstacle in obstacle avoidance area by the angle of the relative speed and the robot’s heading direction,so as to avoid unnecessary obstacle avoidance action and increase the opportunity of approaching the target.This method’s usability and effectiveness have been proved in practice.
Names and objects in heterogeneous computer networks.- Trends in computer system structure and architecture.- Aspects of the communication within a multisuppliers computer network.- Communication and synchronization tools in a distributed environment.- Multiprogrammed memory management for random-sized programs.- Integrity, concurrency, and recovery in databases.- An architecture for high-level language database extensions.- Data structures and graph grammars.- Selecting an optimal set of secondary indices.- A model for data structures.- Fast access sequential structures.- Database systems analysis and design.- Formal techniques and sizeable programs.- Constructive methods of program design.- Team organisation in integrated on-line computer projects.- A case study of structured programming with correctness proofs.- Program optimization using invariants.- The GEM COBOL monitor system.
The invention relates to a technique for producing spongy iron and nickel iron by microwave high-temperature continuous reduction, which comprises the following steps: evenly mixing ore powder, carbonaceous reducing agent, water and additive, and pressing into material balls; sending the mixture material balls into a preheating section of a double-layer sealed microwave device to carry out preheating, sending into a heating chamber of the double-layer sealed microwave device, and quickly heating to 800-1650 DEG C to form spongy iron or nickel iron alloy; and sending the material subjected to reduction into a cooling section of the double-layer sealed microwave device to carry out cooling so as to obtain nickel iron alloy powder mainly composed of spongy iron, and pressing into a block to obtain the nickel iron product. The invention solves the problem of thermorunaway due to selective heating caused by microwave thermorunaway; the invention solves the problem that microwave high-temperature corrosive gas generated in the microwave production process can damage the microwave source; and the invention shortens the reduction time by more than 50%, lowers the sintering temperature, greatly lowers the energy consumption, and implements maximization of profit of the enterprise.
Objective:To analyze the value of an improved MSCT scanning protocol for preoperative localization and diagnosis of insulinoma.Methods:90 patients with hypoglycemia received 64-slice CT scan in pancreatic region.After CT scan,81 patients received operation within one week.45 of them were randomly chosen to have a routine scanning protocol (Group R),while the other 45 patients received an improved scanning protocol (Group I).Preoperative tumor localization capability of these two scanning protocols was analyzed.Results:In Group R (M:F=16:29,averagely 40.2 years old),34 cases were pathologically diagnosed insulinoma,among which 16 cases were pre-operatively found by MSCT.Inter-doctor diagnostic coherence was 0.57 (kappa).Tumor size was (18.6±6.5)mm on CT image;Tumor-to-pancreas CT attenuation difference in arterial phase was (52.5±26.2)HU.Accuracy,sensitivity and specificity were 50% (20/40),47.1% (16/34) and 66.7% (4/6) respectively.In Group I (M:F=18:27,averagely 47.3 years old),36 cases were pathologically diagnosed insulinoma,among which 34 cases were pre-operatively found by MSCT.Inter-doctor diagnostic coherence was 0.77 (kappa).In MSCT images,tumor size was (12.6±4.6)mm,there was significant difference (P0.01) between the two groups;Tumor-to-pancreas CT attenuation difference in arterial phase was (74.5±28.2)HU,which was significantly higher (P0.05) than that of Group R.Accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of improved MSCT scanning protocol were 95.1% (39/41),94.4% (34/36),100% (5/5) respectively.Conclusion:Rational MSCT scanning protocol can help localizing insulinomas more accurately.
The connection of large wind farms to the electrical network is a challenge for transmission system operators and for wind farm developers. Main intention of the grid connection is that the wind farm and the electrical network operate in a safe and reliable manner during steady state as well as during fault conditions. This paper, describes how active-stall, fixed-speed wind farms affect grid voltages and how faults in the connected transmission system impacts on these wind farms. Additionally, the effect of FACTS (STATCOM and SVC) on fixed-speed wind farm performance is investigated.
In the first section of this article, we recall Keel's well-known presentation of $Pic( overline{ mathfrak{M}}_{0,n})$ using irreducible boundary divisors of $ overline{ mathfrak{M}}_{0,n}$ as generators, and describe a basis for $Pic( overline{ mathfrak{M}}_{0,n})$ recently discovered by Keel and Gibney. In the second section, we present a theorem which gives an explicit and very simple expression for every boundary divisor in terms of this basis, thereby yielding a new presentation with a minimal set of relations.
ResumenEn trabajos anteriores se demostraron las ventajas del control de moscas en galpones de gallinas ponedoras, aplicando el “Metodo Llovera”. El mismo consiste en colocar gallinas de descarte en el piso, sin alimentacion propia, en una cantidad correspondiente al 10% de los animales del galpon.1 De esta forma se logra disminuir la cantidad de moscas, y aumentar la produccion de huevos mejorando la calidad y la rentabilidad. Un ambiente sin moscas es mucho menos estresante, lo cual influye favorablemente sobre el metabolismo de las aves, mejorando la produccion. Sin embargo con este metodo tambien podria originarse una situacion etologica especial, dada la convivencia entre gallinas en jaula (J) y gallinas sueltas en el piso (P), que tambien podria influir en el mejoramiento de los parametros productivos.AbstractAn environment with no flies and the presence of free hens could originate a special ecologic situation with influences on the improvement of productive and behavioral parameters. To analyze this hypothesis it was decided to observe, to register and to evaluate behavioral patterns that could suffer variations in the group of animals kept under Llovera´s method (hens on floor being 10% of the caged ones) compared with  control animals kept in cages as in the Traditional Method (no hens on floor). A 15 minute individual observation of 24 randomly selected hens was made in a hen house where 2,000 red-colored laying hens were caged before (as control group C) and after (as Llovera group J) delivering discarded hens on floor. The behaviour register was made on designated lists for the purpose. The ethogram of the animals of both groups was made by means of an ad-libitum sampling to identify behavioral patterns expressed in the conditions of the study and a focal sample to evaluate the presentation frequency of each conduct. The test of Shapiro-Wilks was used with the results obtained to verify the normality of the differences. From these results Student´s Test was used on paired samples with normal distribution, and Wilcoxon and Sign Tests for the others. This preliminary report includes results corresponding to spring season.The behavioral patterns studied in groups C and J correspond to: kinetc behavior (to extend a wing or a leg), exploratory (to scrape on floor, to look around, to peck the cage), alimentary (to eat, to drink, to regurgitate), antipredatory (to vocalize, to suddenly be quiet), agonistic (to peck on neighbor caged hen), grooming (cleaning of feathers with the beak, scratching with the leg), eliminatory (excreta evacuation), rest (to lie down with the head on the body, to flex a leg ). The Test of Shapiro-Wilks showed that “to extend a leg”, “to scrape” and “cleaning of feathers” have normal distribution. From these results t Test is used on paired samples, under the hypothesis that the mean of such differences among the observations made before regarding to those made after is higher than 0 (zero). Significative differences are not observed at 5% being the resultant means lesser or equal to 0 (zero). Other variables were analyzed using the Test of Wilcoxon for paired samples because of the lack of normality. The variables were: “to drink”, “to be quiet”, “pecking”, “to evacuate” and “to look”, with significative differences at 5% existing a lesser presentation in the Group “J” regarding the “C”. The presence of free hens on floor and the consequent decrease in the number of flies were the only differences in production conditions between the Groups “C” and “J”. So, the modificatios in the behavior of each group should be attributed to those conditions. The higher frequency of some of the studied patterns before placing hens on floor would show that the presence of them modifies the behavior of caged hens. However, it is necessary to complete the analysis of the corresponding data of the other seasons of the year to conclude on the influence of these changes on the animals´ welfare. Received: Dec.2008 | Accepted: Apr.2009
In its modern history—less than 200 years old—the continent of Antarctica and its surrounding  oceans have been discovered, explored, exploited (the marine resources) and subjected to a  broad‐ranging legal regime aimed at regulating and managing uses of the region and its  resources. Some law came after the fact (e.g. the conservation of seals 53) and some preempted  a rush on resources (e.g. the fishing convention54 and the minerals convention55). But  the principal legal instrument that spawned all the others, and contained the ideological basis  for today’s management approaches, was the Antarctic Treaty of 1959.
The purpose of this study was to ..determine the nature and extent of changes in supervisor conf ere-rreê behavior which could be ^attributed to the effect of practicfe following a graduate course in Instructional Supervision. In this study half of the supervisors were able.to practice their supervisory, skills following their training in Instructional Supervision while the remaining supervisors in the sample were not able to practice their supervisory
biotite PA from identical samples yielding ages 332.1 ± 5.6 Ma and 332.4 ± 3.2 Ma (Kohut and Frank unpublished data). These data, indicate cooling rate of 16 °C/Ma and suggest that during the Hercynian collisional orogeny exhumation of these rocks occurred not only by erosion, but was driven mainly by tectonic processes. These data show that penetrative foliation of these rocks is Hercynian in age even if the allochthonous position within nappe structure developed during Alpine orogeny. The Cretaceous tectonics in this area is linked only with development of narrow brittle shear zones within gneissic complex not exceeding lower greenschist facies conditions.
The thesis is about how geographic information system (GIS) applied to a discipline of transportation, and GIS-support software. It is developed based on research conducted at PT Indonesia Natama that is a company engaged in the transportation field where one of its products is delivery service or domestic cargo throughout Indonesia. It viewed that the manual process done by the employees of PT Indonesia Natama has several weaknesses in the efficiency and effectiveness of service time in the processing of related data. Using ArcMap as map-maker software, which then maps are integrated into the next design using Visual Basic in conjunction with the tables contained in the database, we have a geographical application which its feature is processed in such a way as to meet the needs of users. The developed geographic application supports enough here several important activities in providing services to customers. The purpose of the application is to provide computerized facilities in a geographic understanding and processing the structured data in a database, it would facilitate the process of the previous work using manual processes
A blind video watermarking scheme for providing safety, authenticity, and copyright protection is proposed in this paper, which is robust to MPEG-4 SVC and multimedia transcoding. In proposed method, embedding and detecting of watermark is performed based on base layer with considering spatial SVC. To be robust from temporal SVC, our method embeds repeatedly a permutated character with ordering number per one frame. Also for robustness from multimedia transcoding and FGS, the method is embedded watermark in low middle frequency of each frame adaptively based on DCT in ROI. Through experimental results, invisibility of the watermark is confirmed and robustness of the watermark against the spatial SVC, temporal SVC, FGS and video transcoding between MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 SVC is also verified.
R-URBAN is an action-research project which is building on the findings from the EU ‘Life+ ’ programme which extends over four years until 2013. It proposes a series of temporary and permanent urban interventions to promote ecological, social, economic and cultural regeneration and well-being at the scale of the building, neighbourhood, city and region. It aims to break down barriers and provide closed loops between traditionally rural and urban activities through habitat, work, transportation and agriculture, taking account of global as well as local impacts. The work is catalysed by AAA (atelier d'architecture autogeree), a small multidisciplinary design practice, working with a variety of community agents for change. The practice includes architects, economists, sociologists, ecologists and planners. R-URBAN is focused on three particular sites in the North West suburb of Paris known as Colombes: AGROCITE, RECYCLAB, and ECOHAB are all within walking distance of each other in a densely mixed community of about 84, 000 inhabitants. The aim is for each of these three interventions to mutually support each other with a series of developed closed and open loops that will form a resilient mini-urban ecosystem for the neighbourhood. The first of these projects, Agrocite, is well under way with two thriving community allotments, one of which also houses an experimental micro-farm with pedagogical and cultural activities related to the growing cycle. Temporary new buildings are being erected on the micro-farm site in Rue Jules Michelet which will have renewable energy and water saving features as well as being constructed from re-used and recycled materials. The micro-farm has approximately 20 allotments, sitting alongside an experimental agricultural growing area, which are maintained by 30 local residents. The second project, Recyclab, will be situated in the Boulevard Acheres, and will form a centre for the collection and redistribution of reusable and recyclable resources. It will develop transformational processes which will re-purpose local resources in an ecological way and feed these back into the local and city-region economy to help it become more resilient. The site is in a quiet side street, with a requirement that a single lane of traffic be allowed to pass down the street. This leaves a wide pavement area on each side of the street for transformational processes and buildings to be developed. A key feature of the site is the large number of trees with mature canopies.
Abstract:  This work focuses on the mechanism of acute antibody‐mediated rejection leading to graft loss and the mechanisms of accommodation permitting graft survival in ABO‐incompatible kidney transplantation. As previously noted, accommodation occurs only with (i) post‐transplant suppression of glycosyltransferase, a product of ABO histo‐blood group genes in the graft and (ii) prevention of antigen‐antibody reactions and delayed hyperacute rejection due to reduced antigenicity of enzyme‐regulated histo‐blood group antigens. This article discusses the mechanism of ABO histo‐blood group glycosyltransferase suppression. Accommodation is always established in successful ABO‐incompatible organ grafts and ABO‐minor mismatch bone marrow transplantation. In the former, accommodation develops even though ABO histo‐blood types of the recipient and the donor are incompatible. In the latter, infusion of donor‐derived bone marrow causes the recipient's blood to be eventually replaced by blood of the donor's type. However, the recipient's organs retain their original tissue type. In successful bone marrow engraftment, accommodation is established regardless of ABO‐incompatibility. In organ transplantation the recipient's ABO histo‐blood type regulates the graft's ABO histo‐blood type, while in bone marrow transplantation the new ABO histo‐blood type from the donor suppresses and regulates the ABO histo‐blood type in recipient organs. In other words, bone marrow‐derived histo‐blood type regulates the histo‐blood type of the organs.
FIELD: communication systems. SUBSTANCE: method includes forming paging channel message combined with Walsh series with length not less than 2m, which is then sent at data transfer speed below 480 bits per second. By transmitting message of paging channel at low data transfer speed and integration of gathered energy message can penetrate into buildings and other structures or environments with high level of fading. EFFECT: higher efficiency. 4 cl, 6 dwg
Because of the concern for herpes simplex virus infection in the neonate, the presence of neonatal vesiculobullous lesions is a critical finding. However, there are other etiologies for these lesions. A case of a neonate with a vesicular rash and meningoencephalitis which was initially thought due to herpes is presented. The infant was ultimately determined to have incontinentia pigmenti and a concomitant coxsackievirus B2 infection.
High purity nanoporous silica was fabricated using Shirasu volcanic ash as a starting material. The starting materials were placed into a platinum crucible and were melted at 1400°C. A mother glass was formed by quenching the melt in pure water. Leaching was performed by immersing the mother glass into an HCl solution. Nonsilica phases formed by phase separation in the mother glass were leached out with acid solution. The obtained porous silica was more than 99% pure and had pore size smaller than 2 nm. In order to control the pore size, post heat treatment was performed. The pore size could be controlled from 3.1 to 21.7 nm by changing the post treatment temperature.
The objective of this study was to investigate specific interpersonal communication motives that college students use to flirt through texting versus face to face (FtF). Four hundred college students (101 men, 299 women) were surveyed and reported using various communication motives to flirt using texting with a potential romantic partner. College students reported specific motives for flirting. Women reported flirting through text and FtF for pleasure motives significantly more than men, whereas men reported flirting for control and relaxation. In addition, men were more likely to flirt FtF for escape compared with women. Findings suggest that individuals are likely to flirt for pleasure if they are in a committed romantic relationship compared with those not in a committed relationship.
Significance Breast cancer remains a leading cause for cancer-related mortality worldwide. All breast cancers, including the more difficult-to-treat, higher-grade, and triple-negative subtypes of breast cancer, exhibit strong genetic heterogeneity, which hampers treatment and fuels relapse. Our study advances the development of successful treatment approaches by unravelling the mechanistic basis of one form of heterogeneity arising from mutualism between high- and low-Myc–expressing clones in breast cancer. We use this mechanistic understanding to build an executable in silico model of oncogenic Myc/Ras/p53/Wnt signal cross talk for each Myc-expressing clone, separately and together, and then use this model to identify potential therapeutic vulnerabilities, which we then verify experimentally. Cells with higher levels of Myc proliferate more rapidly and supercompetitively eliminate neighboring cells. Nonetheless, tumor cells in aggressive breast cancers typically exhibit significant and stable heterogeneity in their Myc levels, which correlates with refractoriness to therapy and poor prognosis. This suggests that Myc heterogeneity confers some selective advantage on breast tumor growth and progression. To investigate this, we created a traceable MMTV-Wnt1–driven in vivo chimeric mammary tumor model comprising an admixture of low-Myc– and reversibly switchable high-Myc–expressing clones. We show that such tumors exhibit interclonal mutualism wherein cells with high-Myc expression facilitate tumor growth by promoting protumorigenic stroma yet concomitantly suppress Wnt expression, which renders them dependent for survival on paracrine Wnt provided by low-Myc–expressing clones. To identify any therapeutic vulnerabilities arising from such interdependency, we modeled Myc/Ras/p53/Wnt signaling cross talk as an executable network for low-Myc, for high-Myc clones, and for the 2 together. This executable mechanistic model replicated the observed interdependence of high-Myc and low-Myc clones and predicted a pharmacological vulnerability to coinhibition of COX2 and MEK. This was confirmed experimentally. Our study illustrates the power of executable models in elucidating mechanisms driving tumor heterogeneity and offers an innovative strategy for identifying combination therapies tailored to the oligoclonal landscape of heterogenous tumors.
The low-frequency noise of triple-gate fin field-effect transistors (finFETs) fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates, with HfO2 or HfSiON gate stacks has been studied. In most cases, 1/fγ noise has been observed with γ<1 for low frequencies f. It is shown that this type of noise can be ascribed to number fluctuations and scales with the effective device area. Based on a simple tunneling model, the noise spectral density has been converted to an oxide trap density profile, exhibiting a decay in Not for larger distances from the Si–SiO2 interface. This stands in contrast with planar bulk devices with a similar high-k gate stack and seems to be typical for the fin processing used, irrespective of further process details, like the use of selective epitaxial growth, strained SOI or strain-inducing cap layers.
Objective To investigate the influence of KCNQ1OT1 on HK-2 apoptosis and inflammation in ARI and its molecular mechanism. Methods Normal cultivated HK-2 cells were used as negative control (NC) group. Three different concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used to treat the cells (5 μg/mL, 10 μg/mL, and 20 μg/mL). The groups included si-KCN1OT1+ LPS, si-NC + LPS, miR-30a-5p + LPS, pcDNA-NLRP3+si-KCNQ1OT1 + LPS group, miR-NC + LPS group, and pcDNA + si-KCNQ1OT1 + LPS group. CCK-8 and flow cytometry are used to measure cell viability and apoptosis, while RT-qPCR and Western blotting are used to detect KCNQ1OT1, miR-30a-5p, and NLRP3 mRNA. ELISA was used to detect the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β in HK-2 cells. The targeting relationship among KCNQ1OT1, miR-30a-5p, and NLRP3 was verified. Results After the intervention of LPS, the viability of HK-2 cells was decreased, while the apoptosis rates were increased. The mRNA and protein expressions of NLRP3 and KCNQ1OT1 were increased, while the mRNA and protein levels of miR-30a-5p were decreased (P < 0.05). The expressions of Bax and Cleaved-caspase-3 were downregulated after silencing KCNQ1OT1 and overexpressed miR-30a-5p. In addition, the viability of HK-2 cells was improved, and the apoptosis was reduced by inhibiting KCNQ1OT1 and overexpressed miR-30a-5p. Thus, KCNQ1OT1 modulated NLRP3 via targeting miR-30a-5p. Overexpression of NLRP3 reverses KCNQ1OT1 inhibition of LPS-induced apoptosis, activity, and inflammation in HK-2 cells. Conclusions Through modulating the miR-30a-5p/NLRP3 axis, inhibition of KCNQ1OT1 may reduce HK-2 apoptosis and inflammation in LPS-induced ARI.
In high frequency transit services, irregularity is unavoidable due to the stochastic context in which bus services are operated. As a result, the measurement of the regularity and the identification of possible irregularity sources provide an opportunity to maintain scheduled headways. As far as the authors know, the irregularity was typically investigated from data on scheduled and actual arrival (or departure) times at bus stops. However, information has been seldom inferred on arrival and departure headways between two consecutive bus stops. Since it is difficult to maintain the planned timetable with short headways, this paper proposes an offline framework to measure the regularity over all bus stops and time periods and disclose the most common irregularity sources from collected Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) data. Easy-to-read control dashboards show the viability of this framework on a real bus route-direction with about 124,500 AVL data records. Therefore, transit managers would benefit from using this framework to make accurate regularity analysis and possible service revisions.
We report Monte Carlo simulations of electronic noise in heavily doped nanometric GaAs Schottky-barrier diodes (SBDs) recently proposed as promising devices for THz applications. We consider a SBD operating in series with a parallel output resonant circuit when a high-frequency large-signal voltage is applied to the whole system. Significant modifications of the noise spectrum with respect to the diode subjected to a constant applied voltage are found to occur in the THz-region. To interpret such behaviour, we have developed a simple analytical approach based on the static I–V and C–V relations as well as on the series resistance of the SBD.
Virtual care holds promise for offering services to Veterans Affairs (VA) patients who have barriers to accessing care. In 2016, the VA began issuing video-enabled tablets to Veterans with geographic, clinical, and/or social barriers to in-person care. To complement a national evaluation of system-level implementation and effectiveness of these tablets, we sought to understand whether the VA-issued tablets generated money and/or time savings for patients. We distributed a survey to 2,120 Veterans who received tablets and administered a follow-up survey 3-6 months later. The final analysis included 594 and 399 patients who responded to questions about money and time savings, respectively. We used poststratification survey weighting methods to address potential selection and nonresponse bias. In multinomial logistic regressions and logistic regressions, we examined patient characteristics associated with reported money and time savings. A majority of survey respondents reported that the tablets saved them money (89%) and time (71%). Respondents were more likely to report monetary savings if they lived at a greater distance from the VA, if they experienced travel barriers, and if they did not have a mental health condition. Respondents were more likely to report time savings if they were <45 or ≥65 years of age, employed, and reported more overall technology experience. Findings may inform policy decisions regarding patient targeting and training as VA aims to expand its use of video telehealth technology.
The new system which consists of the thiol derivative of dipyrromethene–Cu(II) complex created on the surface of a gold electrode was applied for the first time for oriented immobilization of selected His-tagged domains of a receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE). Cyclic voltammetry (CV), Osteryoung square-wave voltammetry (OSWV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used for characterization of the redox active sensing layer. The biosensor proposed was applied for determination of Aβ16–23′ peptide. In its presence, a decrease of the maximum Cu(II) redox current was observed. These values correlated linearly with the Aβ16–23′ concentration in the range 0.001–1.000 µM. The presence of diluted human plasma has no influence on the sensor responses.
The growth status and rate of a mixed-longitudinal sample (N = 19) of female volleyball players 9–13 years of age were compared to reference data for the general population. The athletes were measured at the beginning and end of the school year. Growth rates in stature and weight adjusted to 6-month intervals were calculated. The results indicate mean statures that are above U.S. reference medians and mean weights that are near the medians (i.e., tall girls with average body weights). Estimated half-year growth rates in stature and weight from 10.0–13.0 years closely match the respective medians of the Fels longitudinal study. The data thus suggest that the larger body size of young volleyball players is not a function of accelerated growth rate during these early adolescent ages and, thus, not due to earlier maturation; body size is likely genotypic and probably reflects selection at relatively young ages for the size demands of the sport.
Neoplastic invasion of the inferior vena cava due to renal tumors (especially Wilms' tumor) is uncommon in children. The tumor thrombus, according to the aggressiveness of the original neoplasm, can extend in diverse ways, obliterate the vascular lumen completely, and even reach the right atrium. The luminal thrombus might be accompanied by the involvement of the caval wall, which requires wide vascular resection. The purpose of this paper is to present our experience with 7 children, aged 18 months and 6 years, affected by caval invasion due to Wilms' tumor. Furthermore, the diagnostic techniques and the surgical treatment in simple caval thrombosis and in associated invasion of the caval wall are described.
The manganese (Mn) efficiencies, i.e. tolerances to Mn deficiency, of wheat, barley, triticale and rye seedlings, were compared, with emphasis on genotypic variation within wheat. Plants were grown in small pots containing a Mn-deficient calcareous sand, with and without Mn addition, over a 4-week period at 15¦C.Barley proved to be the most Mn-efficient cereal, having the highest dry matter production, Mn uptake and utilization efficiency. The high rate of Mn uptake for barley was strongly associated with greater lateral root development. The severe Mn deficiency of this soil precluded any significant Mn uptake by the other cereals. Differences in growth between wheat cultivars without added Mn were associated with differences in the Mn content of sown seeds.The results obtained from the screening of wheat-barley addition lines suggested that Mn-efficiency characters could be transferred from barley to wheat, since relative growth at Mn 0 was significantly greater for some of the addition lines than for wheat.
During inflammatory conditions in the central nervous system (CNS), immune cells immigrate into the CNS and can be detected in the CNS parenchyma and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The most comprehensively investigated model for CNS inflammation is experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), which is considered the prototype model for the human disease multiple sclerosis (MS). In EAE autoagressive CD4+, T cells gain access to the CNS and initiate the molecular and cellular events leading to edema, inflammation, and demyelination in the CNS. The endothelial blood‐brain barrier (BBB) has been considered the obvious place of entry for the circulating immune cells into the CNS. A role of the choroid plexus in the pathogenesis of EAE or MS, i.e., as an alternative entry site for circulating lymphocytes directly into the CSF, has not been seriously considered before. However, during EAE, we observed massive ultrastructural changes within the choroid plexus, which are different from changes observed during hypoxia. Using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we observed expression of VCAM‐1 and ICAM‐1 in the choroid plexus and demonstrated their upregulation and also de novo expression of MAdCAM‐1 during EAE. Ultrastructural studies revealed polar localization of ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1, and MAdCAM‐1 on the apical surface of choroid plexus epithelial cells and their complete absence on the fenestrated endothelial cells within the choroid plexus parenchyme. Furthermore, ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1, and MAdCAM‐1 expressed in choroid plexus epithelium mediated binding of lymphocytes via their known ligands. In vitro, choroid plexus epithelial cells can be induced to express ICAM‐1, VCAM‐1, MAdCAM‐1, and, additionally, MHC class I and II molecules on their surface. Taken together, our observations imply a previously unappreciated function of the choroid plexus in the immunosurveillance of the CNS. Microsc. Res. Tech. 52:112–129, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Burnout is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion associated with internal and external stressors. Drivers of burnout include the expectation that we as physicians place our patients first, ahead of our own self‐care; that seeking help is a sign of weakness in the culture of medicine; practice inefficiencies, including those imposed by electronic medical records; and a lack of personal resilience suffered by many physicians. The costs of burnout are high, including a decrement in the quality of care, increased turnover, and physician suicide. Changes in the culture of medicine and practice efficiency will rely on excellent leadership. On the other hand, we are individually responsible for our personal resilience. We can enhance our resilience with a variety of tools, including meditation and mindfulness practice. Fortunately, these practices are becoming more mainstream and readily available to us. This article will briefly review the problem of burnout, including drivers and costs, and then focus on meditation and mindfulness practices that we may embrace in order to become more resilient.
The tryptophan metabolite kynurenine maintains the undifferentiated state of human embryonic stem cells. Kynurenine metabolism in embryonic stem cells Kynurenine, a tryptophan metabolite generated by the enzyme IDO1, is a ligand for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Yamamoto et al. found that IDO1, kynurenine, and the AhR were required for self-renewal and for AhR-mediated expression of self-renewal genes in undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Kynurenine synthesis was required for maintenance of the undifferentiated state in ESCs, and the degradation of kynurenine was required for ESCs to undergo ectodermal differentiation. In addition to identifying kynurenine metabolism as an important factor in ESC maintenance and ectodermal differentiation, these findings show that the secretion of kynurenine and the kynurenine catabolite 2-AAA are biomarkers for undifferentiated stem cells and nascent ectoderm, respectively. Kynurenine, which is generated from tryptophan by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), binds to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Here, we report that kynurenine was produced by undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and by induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In undifferentiated hESCs, kynurenine stimulated the AhR to promote the expression of self-renewal genes. The kynurenine-AhR complex also stimulated the expression of IDO1 and AHR, activating a positive feedback loop. Inhibition of IDO1 activity reduced the proliferation of undifferentiated ESCs but did not stimulate their differentiation. Substantial amounts of free kynurenine were present in the culture medium, providing a paracrine signal for maintenance of the undifferentiated state. Kynurenine was not present in the medium of differentiated ESCs or iPSCs. When ESCs were induced to undergo ectodermal differentiation, the abundance of kynurenine in the medium was reduced through activation of the main kynurenine catabolic pathway mediated by kynurenine aminotransferase 2 (KAT2, also known as AADAT), resulting in the secretion of 2-aminoadipic acid (2-AAA) into the culture medium. Inhibition of KAT2 activity blocked ectodermal differentiation. Thus, kynurenine metabolism plays an important role in the maintenance of the undifferentiated state and in ectodermal differentiation. Furthermore, kynurenine in the culture medium is a biomarker for the undifferentiated state, whereas the presence of 2-AAA in the culture medium is a biomarker of ESCs and iPSCs that have committed to differentiate along the ectoderm lineage.
We report on five patients who were treated by stent-assisted coil embolization to preserve the patency of the parent artery. Three patients presented with subarachnoid haemorrhage and two with ischemic symptoms. Four patients were treated with stenting and then followed by coil embolization of the aneurysmal dilatation, and the remaining patient with stenting alone because the aneurysmal dilatation was too small to insert coils. Complete obliteration of the aneurysm was achieved in three patients, but in one patient an aneurysmal rupture occurred during the insertion of the first coil and a parent artery occlusion was therefore performed. In the one patient treated with stenting alone, a small aneurysmal dilatation remained patent, but complete obliteration was confirmed by the follow-up angiography. Subsequent subarachnoid haemorrhage was not observed in any of the patients. Four of them achieved a good recovery, but one patient suffered severe disability due to the aneurysmal rupture during the procedure. Parent artery occlusion remains the treatment of choice. Stent-assisted coil embolization has a higher risk of rupture than does the parent artery occlusion during the procedure. Furthermore, recanalization or subsequent subarachnoid haemorrhage is more likely to occur in a stent-assisted coil embolization after the procedure. However, this procedure, which can maintain the patency of the parent artery, will become an alternative for patients who are at a high risk of developing ischemic symptoms in parent artery occlusions.
This paper provides an overview of a model for capturing properties of client-server-based query computation setups. This model can be used to formally analyze different combinations of client and server capabilities, and compare them in terms of various fine-grain complexity measures. While the motivations and the focus of the presented work are related to querying the Semantic Web, the main concepts of the model are general enough to be applied in other contexts as well.
This study presents a method for effectively applying formal concept analysis (FCA) to performance data for a practice-based Office E-learning system. Efforts to improve the content structure and design of an E-learning system typically involve the analysis of historical data; the problem is that the analyst generally selects the target of the analysis arbitrarily. We examined whether FCA can be used as a trigger for analysts to select the appropriate content. Specifically, we compare the implication relation between correct/incorrect questions captured by the implications of FCA and the overall trend obtained from statistical analysis methods.
Western grape rootworm, Bromius obscurus (Linnaeus) is a well‐known pest of grape vines in Europe and North America. We found that all the Korean specimens that have long been known as B. obscurus turned out to be Aoria rufotestacea Faimaire, showing with only about 83% sequence similarity in COI barcodes. The small puncture patterned specimens of A. rufotestacea were initially confused with A. scutellaris Pic, but confirmed to be A. rufotestacea with genitalic characteristics as well as 100% matched COI barcode sequence. Here we describe and compare the morphologically confusing species, B. obscurus and A. rufotestacea, with description of scutellaris‐like wing variation, in detail with adult images and COI sequences.
Objective: Preeclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) are associated with elevated concentrations of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and polymorphonuclear (PMN) elastase, which indicate maternal neutrophil activation. The aim of the study was to measure maternal MPO and PMN elastase plasma concentrations in second trimester pregnancies with pathological uterine perfusion that are a high risk group for preeclampsia and IUGR, and compare them to normal controls. Methods: The study includes 25 pregnancies with normal and 25 pregnancies with pathological uterine perfusion. In both groups, doppler‐sonographic measurement of uterine perfusion was performed in the twenty‐first week of gestation. Maternal plasma concentrations of MPO and PMN elastase were measured using a specific ELISA for both enzymes. Results: The plasma MPO concentration of pregnant women with normal perfusion did not differ significantly from that of the group with pathological perfusion (27.4 ± 3.3 vs. 23.7 ± 2.0 ng/mL). Likewise, the plasma PMN elastase‐concentration also did not show a significant difference between the groups (5.7 ± 0.5 ng/mL normal vs. 8.0 ± 1.0 ng/mL pathological). Patients with pathological perfusion that later developed preeclampsia or IUGR (9/25) showed unchanged MPO and PMN elastase values in the second trimenon compared to those with pathological perfusion and normal outcome. Conclusions: Pathological uterine perfusion in the second trimester was not associated with maternal neutrophil activation. The measurement of the MPO and PMN elastase concentration suggested that neutrophil activation in preeclampsia or IUGR is a secondary effect of the disease rather than a primary pathophysiological factor.
We present a field case study to introduce an autocorrelation approach for near-surface bedrock mapping using urban ambient noise. The autocorrelogram of each long recording approximates the impulse response of a zero-offset seismic experiment. Through the case study, we demonstrate that the proposed method can fine tune the autocorrelograms to achieve super-resolution both laterally and vertically. Compared with engineering boreholes, the estimation error of bedrock depth from ambient noise is within 3 m. Calibrated with two or more boreholes, we can estimate a realistic average P-wave velocity of the soil layer based on the travel time picks on the autocorrelograms. Compared with conventional crosscorrelation-based ambient noise approach, the proposed method does not require simultaneous acquisition, involves less computational efforts, and extracts bedrock information from reflected Pwaves.
In this paper, the modified direct method employing beam transformation technique is proposed in order to efficiently calculate hydroelastic responses of floating structure. Since the proposed method expresses the displacements of three-dimensional structure with those of transformed beam which leads to small number of equations of motion, the method is numerically efficient compared to the conventional direct method. To verify the efficiency of the proposed method, a 500 m-long floating structure under wave loads is considered in numerical example. Displacements, bending moments, torsion moments and shear forces are calculated and computing time is examined. The results are also compared with those of the conventional direct method.
The present paper deals with the problem of investigating free convection concerning body flow of axial symmetry and showing the activity of gravitation and magnetic forces. The application of boundary layer approximation for solving the problem of thermomagnetic convection near horizontal cylinder has been discussed. Basing upon the solution of Stokes flow of magnetic sphere the analysis of mass transfer in magnetic suspension has been carried out to show the origin of thermophoresis under non-isothermal conditions. The direction of particle transfer depends on mutual orientation of the magnetic field and temperature gradient. Basing upon the experimental results of magnetophoresis in colloid solution of magnetite it was suggested to solve the problem of mass transfer for consideration of the kinetics of particle sedimentation on the walls. Magnetic field is known to influence transfer processes in biological suspensions. Magnetephoresis of lymphocytes in physiological solution has been displayed.
B11 EXPLORATION EVALUATION OF A BLOCK IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA OFFSHORE WESTERN ALGERIA 1 J.E. ILIFFE R. HUMPHREYS B.W. JONES H. NADA and J.K. WILLIAMS The offshore margin of Western Algeria was evaluated for its hydrocarbon potential as part of a licence round. Offshore data consisted of three wells archaic seismic and DSDP drilling data. Additional data from the onshore Cheliff Basin was also used. A regional “bottoms-up” approach to the evaluation was employed with the available data starting with the fundamental tectonic setting and ages of the key events. Regional GDE’s were developed and source rock reservoir and seal
This review presents new insights into the regulation of the isoprenoid pathway in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in particular the short-term transcriptional response to two inhibitors, lovastatin and zaragozic acid (ZA). Whereas lovastatin blocks whole isoprenoid pathway, ZA only blocks the sterol branch. Consequently, their effects on the cellular level of farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) are different. Lovastatin decreases the FPP level, whereas ZA, by inhibiting the main FPP-consuming enzyme, increases FPP availability in the cell. We discuss the role of genes whose expression is affected by both inhibitors and consider possible association of these genes with the regulation of the isoprenoid pathway.
We have derived the formula to calculate the open-circuit voltage in a pn-junction solar cell from carrier densities by considering the driving force of charge separation without using the equation for current. The excess amount of chemical potential of charge carriers is proposed as the origin of the driving force of charge separation, and the voltage formula is derived from the gradient of excess chemical potential. The calculated voltage is shown to agree with the result of a rigorous device simulation for symmetrical pn-homojunction devices with band gaps of 0.6–1.8 eV and majority-carrier densities of 1015–1019 cm-3. The developed formula is, therefore, valid for the pn-homojunction devices, indicating that the driving force of charge separation stems from the excess chemical potential.
The Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) is one of combinatorial optimization problems which devote some facilities to some locations. The aim of this problem is assignment of each facility to a location which minimizes total cost. Because the QAP is NP-hard, so it couldn’t be solved by exact methods. In recent years, meta-heuristic algorithms are used in solving NP-hard optimization problems increasingly. In this article Water Cycle Optimization Algorithms (WCO) is used to solve QAP. The implementation of proposed algorithms on standard test functions and also its result comparison with other meta-heuristics algorithms express algorithm`s desirable quality and its prominence to other meta-heuristics algorithms.
with small glands (that is, patients who are more likely to be rendered hypothyroid by thyroidectomy); (iii) hyperthyroidism in patients in younger age groups who refuse surgery or who have contratndtcattons (medical and social); (iv) severe thyrotoxicosis; (v) hyperthyroidism during pregnancyit is preferable to prepare the patients with these drugs and perform thyroidectomy in the first two trimesters, but medical treatment alone should be used during the last trimester. This form of therapy is not suitable for use in unreliable patients or those who have recurrent hyperthyroidism after previous use of antithyroid drugs. A daily dose of carbimazole (30 mg.) , propylthiouracil (300 mg.) or methyl thiouracil (300 mg.) is usually used, and to obtain optimal results the medication must be taken every eight hours. Toxic reactions may occur with any of these drugs. When a reaction occurs with one drug another antithyroid drug can be used. Treatment must continue, in most cases, for at least a year. Permanent remission occurs in about 45% of cases.
The present study was designed to investigate the function of the activator of G protein‐signaling 3 (AGS3/Gpsm1) in cellular signaling. AGS3 acts in vitro as a guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor by binding Gαi in the GDP‐bound state and has been implicated in drug‐seeking or relapse behavior in rats dependent on cocaine, ethanol, or heroin. HEK293 cells expressing adenylyl cyclase type 2 (AC2) and the D2L dopamine receptor were utilized to study the effects of AGS3 expression on G protein signaling following acute or persistent activation of the D2L receptor. AGS3 produced no discernable changes in Gβγ‐dependent stimulation of AC2 upon acute D2L receptor activation. Similar studies revealed analogous results when acute D2L‐stimulated ERK1/2 activation was examined in the presence or absence of AGS3. Subsequent experiments revealed that AGS3 lacked effects on long‐term D2L receptor desensitization. In contrast, the expression of AGS3 completely blocked D2L receptor‐mediated heterologous sensitization. These findings suggest that desensitization and heterologous sensitization depend on distinct mechanisms and that AGS3 may play a role in regulation of D2L receptor‐mediated heterologous sensitization. Our results are consistent with the work of Bohn and colleagues, who showed that tolerance and dependence involve distinct signaling pathways. This work was supported by grant MH060397 to VJW.
A new record from the heart of the Moroccan Middle Atlas cedar forests spans the last 18 000 years and provides valuable insight into our understanding of the natural vegetation and environmental changes. The approach is based on the study of pollen content, geochemical elements and grain size analysis. The pollen data indicate that the vegetation was dominated by herbaceous plants until 9000 BP. Such open landscape allowed greater soil erosion and an input of chemical elements from the watershed. After 9000 BP, tree cover, mainly oak, increased slightly and was accompanied by a higher taxonomic diversity. However, several steppe elements remain well represented in the area until 5000 BP, which suggests that the climate was rather dry during the first part of the Holocene. After 6000 BP, the climate became more favourable to expansion of the forest ecosystems, including Cedrus atlantica, thereby reducing erosion. A strong reduction of the tree pollen percentages is recorded after 2000 BP, which may be related to increasing human activities during the Roman period. These forest changes are concomitant with an increase of lead and copper concentrations in the record, probably related to Roman metalworking activities.
We discuss theoretical frameworks for non-equilibrium self-assembly and illustrate these for the archetypical molecular self-assembly system. It is found that model predictions compare favourably to experimental results on an out-of-equilibrium gelating system. Extensions of the model to more interesting behaviour such as bi-stability due to non-linear and autocatalytic formation kinetics are discussed.
Chalcogenide (ChG) glasses have been identified as promising materials for applications in nonlinear photonics due to their exceptionally high nonlinear refractive index; nearly three orders of magnitude beyond that of silica glass. A ChG fiber or waveguide that is tapered down into a microwire provides strong light confinement and enhanced nonlinear optical effect, it allows engineerable chromatic dispersion and thereby an easy access to nonlinear parametric processes such as four-wave mixing (FWM). In well-controlled conditions of chromatic dispersion ChG microwires may lead to strong parametric gain that is far-detuned with respect to the pump wavelength, by tens of THz [1,2], In theory, chromatic dispersion in a waveguide is precisely adjusted from a good control of waveguide geometry. In practice however, the amount of precision required in waveguide geometry as well as errors on the evaluation of refractive indices prevent the fabrication of wavelength converters with a predetermined wavelength offset. To illustrate this, fig. 1(a) shows the theoretical spectrum of a far-detuned ChG wavelength converter. A change in the core diameter by 5 mn results in a ∼ 40 mn wavelength shift of the parametric sidebands. As an element of solution inspired from past reports, it has been shown with supercontinuum generation that experimental parameters could be finely tuned using an in situ monitoring technique [3], In this work, we demonstrate that wavelength conversion of a ChG microwire is precisely attained by in situ tracking of the microwire output during the tapering process, enabling the fabrication of wavelength converters that are precisely far-detuned by at least 34.3 THz.
Carbon nanospheres (CNSs) have attracted great interest in energy conversion and storage technologies due to their excellent chemical and thermal stability, high electrical conductivity and controllable size structure characteristics. In order to further improve the energy storage properties, many efforts have been made to design suitable nanocarbon spherical materials to improve electrochemical performance. In this overview, we summarize the recent research progress on CNSs, mainly focusing on the synthesis methods and their application as high-performance electrode materials in rechargeable batteries. As for the synthesis methods, hard template methods, soft template methods, the extension of the Stöber method, hydrothermal carbonization, aerosol-assisted synthesis are described in detail. In addition, the use of CNSs as electrodes in energy storage devices (mainly concentrated on lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)), sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) are also discussed in detail in this article. Finally, some perspectives on the future research and development of CNSs are provided.
Introduction: The aim of the present study is to describe a case report of lower molars substitution with 2  different dental implants. One with a DAE surface and one with a type 1 collagen coated surface.  Case presentation: In the present study, a 54-year-old man presented the absence of the first and second  molars both on the left and on the right mandible. After clinical and radiographic evaluation, implant therapy  was chosen to substitute the missing teeth. On the right mandible, a DAE surface implant was placed while  on the left mandible, a bovine Type 1 collagen of dermal origin (custom made medical device) surface  implant was placed. A radiographic 6 years follow up was performed.  Discussion: The Type 1 collagen coated surface dental implant did not show any marginal bone loss after  6 years, moreover, it showed a bone gain after 3 months from its placement and kept it for 6 years while the  traditional surface implant showed an immediate marginal bone loss.
Because urban areas show a different climate when compared to their surroundings and alter local  radiation and energy balances they are an important topic in climatology. Urban areas are also highly  heterogeneous areas when compared to rural ones, little research with satellite data has been  conducted until now. It is the goal of this thesis to model and illustrate, with the use of remotely  sensed data, urban alterations of the radiation and energy flux densities in the spatial domain. Besides  very detailed field measurements of the structure and dynamics of the urban boundary layer with a  large in situ data network from the Basel Urban Boundary Layer Experiment (BUBBLE), remote  sensing data were analyzed and validated from several satellites. The BUBBLE experiment was a joint  European research project under the umbrella of COST (Cooperation Europeenne dans la domaine de  la recherche Scientifique et Technique, COST 715: Meteorology applied to urban pollution problems).  For this purpose data from AVHRR, MODIS, ASTER, LANDSAT ETM+ and Quickbird were  acquired and processed. After each step of the modelling the results from the remotely sensed data  were compared and validated with the in situ data.  The first step was the validation of the thermal infrared (TIR) satellite data and an accuracy  assessment of six different Split-Window algorithms for the AVHRR. The results for the different  sensors showed an average accuracy of less than ±5 % even in urban environments for the different  sensors.  Afterwards the net all-wave radiation (Q*) was modelled with shortwave inputs derived from the  Short Wave Irradiance Model (SWIM). The modelled broadband albedo was also derived from  satellite data. The results of Q* showed a good mean absolute difference (MAD) of 26 Wm-2 over  rural and urban surfaces. The spatial distribution of Q* also agreed fully with the in situ results  showing a lower Q* for the urban areas than for the countryside. For a very high resolution modelling  of Q* in the city an experimental approach with thermal imagery from a helicopter overflight together  with data from Quickbird was used and showed the extent to which Q* in a city is influenced by the  albedo of the vegetation.  From the available Q* the storage (or ground) heat flux ΔQS was modelled using three different  models: the complete aspect ratio model (CAR), the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)  and the Objective Hysteresis Model (OHM). The most useful results were achieved with the OHM,  which was applied and validated with satellite data over an urban surface for the first time. The MAD  was 17 Wm-2 with an RMSE of also of 17 Wm-2.  After the successful modelling of the ground heat flux density, the latent QE and sensible QH heat flux  densities were modelled with a combined Bowen-Ratio /NDVI approach resulting in a MAD of 28  Wm-2 and 18 Wm-2 respectively.  All the results of this thesis provided quite accurate representations of the distribution of the radiation  and heat flux densities, as well as of the differences between rural and urban surfaces; therefore, the  model was applied and validated using datasets acquired from 2003 for the same research area,  showing similar results as for the BUBBLE campaign. This shows the possible transferability of the  model to other times and dates.  With the model described in this thesis the radiation and energy flux densities can be modelled  accurately in the spatial domain over urban (and rural) surfaces and used both for further urban  climatology studies and for urban planning.
Based on the fact that beam-type modes play the main role in determining the sound radiation from an underwater thin slender (length-to-radius ratio ) elastic cylindrical shell, an equivalent-beam method is proposed for calculating the low-frequency radiated sound power of underwater thin slender unstiffened and stiffened cylindrical shells. The natural bending frequencies of the cylindrical shell are calculated by analytical and numerical methods and used to solve equivalent Young’s modulus of the equivalent beam. This approach simplifies the vibration problem of the three-dimensional cylindrical shell into that of a two-dimensional beam, which can be used to simplify the calculation process of radiated sound power. Added mass is used to approximate the fluid-structure coupling, further simplifying the calculation process. Calculation examples of underwater simply supported unstiffened and stiffened cylindrical shells verify the proposed method by comparison with analytical and numerical results. Finally, the effects of the size and spacing of the stiffeners on the sound radiation characteristics of underwater free-free stiffened cylindrical shells are discussed. The proposed method can be extended to the rapid calculation of the sound radiation characteristics of underwater slender complex cylindrical shells in the low-frequency range.
The paper firstly discusses the derivation of interference fringes and FFT method that is a conventional method for measuring fringes with equal spacing. And then, a new method for measuring the interference line fringes is presented. On the basis of Hough transform and digital image processing technology, this method accomplishes fringes image preprocessing (i.e., fringes skeletonizing) and fringes spacing measurement. It has been shown, with both theoretical analysis and experimental measurements, that this method is a universal method for fringes measurement and has more remarkable advantage than the FFT method because of the application of the former not being limited by some regulations such as equidistant fringes and sampling length, and so on. In addition, it also holds a good noise rejection capability and great reliability.
The aim of this study was to test the efficiency of QuickStix™ kit use for identification of Phakopsora pachyrhizi spores, which are the causal agents of Asian soybean rust, collected by "SIGA" spores collector. This kit is capable of detecting the presence of Phakopsora pachyrhizi in the early stages of leaf infection by determining the presence or absence of pathogen in the sample. It captures propagules of fungi present in the air that are identified or quantified by scanning blades in ordinary optical microscope. Different numbers of spores were tested with 4, 8 and 12 drops of extraction solution. For positive results, intensity of the test line and time for its occurrence were evaluated. The kit was able to detect small amounts of spores and the proportion of positive results was directly proportional to the number of spores and inversely proportional to the amount of drops. The proper portion of drops of extraction solution was four, as it showed more positive results for all classes of numbers of spores. No difference was found between the time to occurrence of positive results for the different treatments. The intensity of the test line was higher for classes with larger numbers of spores.
Systems for Knowledge Discovery in Databases and Machine Learning predict situations, group and recognize patterns, among other tasks. Although these applications are concerned in generate fast, reliable and easy to interpret information, extensive databases used for such applications make difficult achieving accuracy with a low computational cost. To solve this problem, the databases can be reduced aiming to decrease the processing time and facilitating its storage, as well as, to save only sufficient and relevant information for the knowledge extraction. In this context, methods to reduce and filter databases have been proposed, especially the Instance Selection Methods that selects a subset of examples from the original training data. The subset should maintain all the information of the original set, so that it can be used to generate classification models with the same accuracy as models generated by using the original set. In the last decades, several approaches have been suggested and studied in order to select instances, among them the Evolutionary Algorithms. Although the instance selection methods aim to optimize two goals conflicting with each other, accuracy and reduce computational cost, only an algorithm for multi-objective optimization has been applied to this problem. Therefore, the aim of this study is to perform instance selection based on widely known Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms, such as NSGAII and SPEA-II, and to evaluate the classification performance over different domains datasets. The results, compared to others available in the correlative literature, demonstrate that NSGA-II and SPEA-II algorithms can be applied in instance selection for classification problems, because many superfluous instances are removed from the training set, reducing runtime in the classification stages, without significant changes in accuracy
Crossbred steers were grazed in the spring and early summer on endophyte-infected (Neotyphodium coenophialum), Kentucky-31 tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) pastures to evaluate effects and interactions of feeding pelleted soybean hulls (PSBH) and steroid hormone implants (SHI) on steer performance, serum prolactin, and hair coat ratings (HCR). Steers were stratified by BW for assignment to six 3.0-ha toxic tall fescue pastures. With or without daily PSBH feeding, treatments were assigned randomly to pastures as the main plot treatment in a split-plot design. Pelleted soybean hulls were group-fed to provide 2.3 kg(steer·d(-1)) (as fed). With or without SHI (200 mg of progesterone and 20 mg of estradiol) treatments were randomly assigned as the subplot treatment to 2 steer subgroups within each pasture. Sixty-four steers were grazed for 77 d in 2007, and 60 steers were grazed for 86 d in 2008. Pasture forage mass declined linearly over time, but the rate of decline was greater (P = 0.001) in 2007 than in 2008. Pasture forage mass was never below 2,300 kg of DM/ha in either year. Average daily gain for steers on the combined PSBH and SHI treatments was greater (P < 0.01) than for those on the PSBH-only, SHI-only, and control (no SHI, no PSBH) treatments. Average daily gain for the PSBH-only steers was greater (P < 0.01) than for SHI-only and control steers and tended (P = 0.063) to be greater for SHI-only than for control steers. Steroid implants did not affect (P = 0.826) serum prolactin concentrations; however, prolactin concentrations in PSBH steers, with or without SHI, were increased (P = 0.01) 2-fold over SHI-only and control steers. Feeding PSBH and SHI treatments both reduced (P < 0.05) the percentage of steers with rough HCR, and a greater percentage of steers fed PSBH tended (P < 0.076) to have sleek hair coats. An economic analysis was conducted, which determined that costs of additional ADG with PSBH feeding were below breakeven costs over a wide range of PSBH costs and cattle prices. Breakeven costs for PSBH-only treatment for a range of cattle prices of $1.80 to $2.40/kg of BW were less than $120/t, whereas with PSBH feeding combined with SHI the breakeven cost was less than $240/t. Results indicate that steers grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue can be fed PSBH and implanted with steroid hormones to cost effectively increase ADG and that feeding PSBH can increase serum prolactin concentrations and induce some shedding of rough hair coats.
A young girl presented with recurrent episodes of muscle weakness culminating in a severe attack of generalized muscle weakness. In the muscle mitochondria from the patient there was an abnormal pattern of intermediates of beta-oxidation with an accumulation of 3-hydroxyacyl- and 2-enoyl-CoA and carnitine esters, and 3-oxoacylcarnitines. There was low activity of long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase in mitochondria from all tissues. The activity of long-chain 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase was low in muscle mitochondria and 3-oxoacyl-CoA thiolase activity measured with 3-oxohexadecanoyl-CoA as substrate was low in fibroblast, muscle, and cardiac mitochondria but only partial deficiency was present when the activity was measured with 3-oxooctanoyl-CoA. The activity of the long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase and long-chain 3-oxoacyl-CoA thiolase in fibroblasts from the patient's parents was intermediate between those of controls and the patient. The patient has a combined defect of the long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, long-chain 3-oxoacyl-CoA thiolase, and long-chain 2-enoyl-CoA hydratase which appears to be inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. This suggests there is a multifunctional enzyme catalyzing these activities in human mitochondria and that this enzyme is deficient in our patient.
The purpose of the article is to define corruption, determine its specific features and work out the methods of counteracting this negative phenomenon. Methods of combating corruption offences in the sphere of public authorities are an urgent topic for both Russian and foreign researchers. The authors analyze a number of normative legal acts that contain definitions of corruption and list its key features. They discuss effective methods of combating corruption in the work of public authority bodies. They also examine dominant views of foreign legal scholars on the typical manifestations of corruption. The authors present two methods of counteracting this negative phenomenon: prosecution of guilty persons; building a system of prevention measures that will reduce the frequency of corruption offences. The novelty of this research consists in showing the importance of improving the measures of prevention, strengthening the incentives and ensuring the optimization of restrictions to improve discipline, law and © А . В . М ал ьк о, Р . С . М ар ку ни н, 2 01 8 Article info
Basic characteristics of the process of visualisation of transparent objects using the phase-contrast method with a photothermal Zernike cell are analysed and evaluated. It is shown that, in spite of nonlocality of the process, visualisation is accomplished with the resolution close to the diffraction limit. The results of the visualisation process analysis in the scheme with a photothermal sell are compared with those obtained in a similar scheme with a Zernike cell based on the local Kerr nonlinearity.
SUMMARY: Influenza and related viruses were studied by a new method in which virus is adsorbed on the membranes of laked fowl red cells for examination in the electron microscope. The numbers of virus particles adsorbed per unit area of red-cell membrane were estimated from direct counts in micrographs of palladium-shadowed and unshadowed specimens. There was a definite saturation level of adsorption for each strain of virus, the value varying also according to the particular batch of cells and their age after storage at 0°. For subsaturation conditions the number of particles adsorbed was proportional to the concentration of virus and the concentration of cells, and a function both of time of contact and temperature. The relationships were complicated by the fact that elution began before adsorption was complete. The comparative data for the size and variation of these viruses were obtained from micrographs of preparations directly adsorbed from infective allantoic fluid and thus not subjected to harsh methods of purification. The mean sizes (mμ) found for the dried virus were: influenza A virus, 90±11.5; influenza B virus, 103±8; fowl-plague virus, 101±16; Newcastle-disease virus, 193±28; and mumps virus, 179±28. The occurrence of long forms associated with influenza B virus was confirmed and filamentous structures were demonstrated for the first time in preparations of a strain of fowl-plague virus.
Using wavelength filtered two dimensional (2-D) optical imaging, the temporal and spatial evolution of selected excited species in a pulsed magnetron discharge has been studied. A titanium target was sputtered at a pulse frequency of 100 kHz, in an argon atmosphere, at an operating pressure of 0.27 Pa. The radial information of the emissivity was determined using the Abel inversion technique. The results show strong excitation of the observed species above the racetrack in the on-time, and the possible development of an ion–acoustic wave, initiated after the off–on transition. The on–off transition is accompanied by a burst of light from the plasma bulk consistent with the transient plasma potential reaching about +200 V. During this phase, we argue that there is a release of secondary electrons from the grounded substrate and walls due to ion bombardment, as well as an increased confinement of energetic plasma electrons. The characteristic decay times of the selected transitions at 750.4, 751.5, 810.4 and 811.5 nm (ArI), present within the bandpass width of our filters, is briefly discussed in terms of the production of fast electrons in the system.
We previously reported the basic performance of a prototype small cadmium telluride (CdTe) γ-camera (SSGC) intended for use in radioguided surgeries. In this study, we sought to confirm the favorable previous results and to extend the preliminary findings to examine the efficacy of the SSGC in an animal study and a clinical setting for sentinel lymph node biopsy. Methods: The prototype SSGC (1,024 pixels; field of view, 44.8 × 44.8 mm), equipped with a parallel-hole collimator, was used in both animal and clinical studies. 99mTc-phytate (18.5 MBq) was injected into the tongues and legs of 6 rabbits. In the clinical study, 74 MBq of 99mTc-phytate was injected into peritumoral regions in 8 patients with oral cancer. The detection of hot nodes by the SSGC was compared with that by a conventional scintillation γ-camera (CGC). Results: The SSGC detected 29 hot nodes in images of 6 rabbits after injection. The number of hot nodes was the same as the number seen in CGC studies, but the CGC required a longer acquisition time to produce comparable images. There were no differences between the SSGC and the CGC in terms of activity ratios and hot node-to-background ratios. The biodistribution of 99mTc-phytate in removed tissues was evaluated by contact radiography, and radioactivity was assayed with a γ-well counter. The mean ± SD radioactivity in specimens was 0.15% ± 0.15%, with a range of 0.01%–0.62%. In the clinical study, the SSGC detected 30 hot nodes with a 5- to 60-s acquisition time at 4 h after injection. The SSGC documented all hot nodes depicted by the CGC at 4 h after injection. Conclusion: The SSGC showed significant potential for the detection of sentinel lymph nodes in lymphoscintigraphy. The results of the studies suggested that the SSGC facilitates the exploration of hot nodes in sentinel lymph node biopsy.
Abstract Chitosan (CS) is one of the most functional natural biopolymer widely used in the pharmaceutical field due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. These privileges lead to its application in the synthesis of nanoparticles for the drug during the last two decades. This article gives rise to a general review of the different chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) preparation techniques: Ionic gelation, emulsion cross-linking, spray-drying, emulsion-droplet coalescence method, nanoprecipitation, reverse micellar method, desolvation method, modified ionic gelation with radial polymerisation and emulsion solvent diffusion, from the point of view of the methodological and mechanistic aspects involved. The physicochemical behaviour of CSNPs including drug loading, drug release, particles size, zeta potential and stability are briefly discussed. This review also directs to bring an outline of the major applications of CSNPs in drug delivery according to drug and route of administration. Finally, derivatives of CSNPs and CS nano-complexes are also discussed.
Musculoskeletal Disorder among 52,261 Chinese Restaurant Cooks Cohort: Result from the National Health Insurance Data: Huei‐Sheng Shiue, et al. Graduate Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan—To investigate the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and the particular MSDs to which Chinese restaurant cooks are most at risk in Taiwan, National Health Insurance Data from1998 to 2002 were used to identify MSDs for study populations, including 52,261 certified cooks and 209,044 references matched for age and sex. The annual incidence of MSDs was around 25% and 20% for cooks and references, respectively, and the cook‐to‐reference risk ratios ranged from 1.29 to 1.35 (p<0.001). The most frequently affected body part was the low back, but the epicondyle was at higher risk (OR>2) than other sites for the cooks. Cooks are at higher risk of having MSDs complaints and MSDs related to the elbow show the highest risk.
Transactional memory represents an attractive conceptual model for programming concurrent applications. Unfortunately, high transaction abort rates can cause significant performance degradation. Conventional transactional memory realizations not only pessimistically abort transactions on every read-write conflict but also because of false sharing, cache evictions, TLB misses, page faults and interrupts. Consequently, the use of transactions needs to be restricted to a very small number of operations to achieve predictable performance, thereby, limiting its benefit to programming simplification. In this paper, we investigate snapshot isolation transactional memory in which transactions operate on memory snapshots that always guarantee consistent reads. By exploiting snapshots, an established database model of transactions, transactions can ignore read-write conflicts and only need to abort on write-write conflicts. Our implementation utilizes a memory controller that supports multiversion memory, to efficiently support snapshotting in hardware.We show that snapshot isolation can reduce the number of aborts in some cases by three orders of magnitude and improve performance by up to 20x.
This article summarizes the history of the regulation of caffeine, a key component of caffeine-containing energy drinks and other caffeine-containing energy products, in the United States. Caffeine as an ingredient in food has been regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1958, when the Food Additives Amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was enacted. It is listed as a substance that is generally recognized as safe by experts for its intended use in cola-type beverages at levels not to exceed 200 parts per million. Here, the history of FDA evaluations of the safe use of, as well as consumer exposure to, caffeine in food in the United States is outlined. Finally, the FDA's current concerns about caffeine and caffeine-containing energy products are reported, along with the current activities to address those concerns.
Background Given the similarities in clinical manifestations of cystic-solid pituitary adenomas (CS-PAs) and craniopharyngiomas (CPs), this study aims to establish and validate a nomogram based on preoperative imaging features and blood indices to differentiate between CS-PAs and CPs. Methods A departmental database was searched to identify patients who had undergone tumor resection between January 2012 and December 2020, and those diagnosed with CS-PAs or CPs by histopathology were included. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features as well as blood indices were retrieved and analyzed. Radiological features were extracted from the tumor on contrast-enhanced T1 (CE-T1) weighted and T2 weighted sequences. The two independent samples t-test and principal component analysis (PCA) were used for feature selection, data dimension reduction, and radiomics signature building. Next, the radiomics signature was put in five classification models for exploring the best classifier with superior identification performance. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was then used to establish a radiomic-clinical model containing radiomics and hematological features, and the model was presented as a nomogram. The performance of the radiomics-clinical model was assessed by calibration curve, clinical effectiveness as well as internal validation. Results A total of 272 patients were included in this study: 201 with CS-PAs and 71 with CPs. These patients were randomized into training set (n=182) and test set (n=90). The radiomics signature, which consisted of 18 features after dimensionality reduction, showed superior discrimination performance in 5 different classification models. The area under the curve (AUC) values of the training set and the test set obtained by the radiomics signature are 0.92 and 0.88 in the logistic regression model, 0.90 and 0.85 in the Ridge classifier, 0.88 and 0.82 in the stochastic gradient descent (SGD) classifier, 0.78 and 0.85 in the linear support vector classification (Linear SVC), 0.93 and 0.86 in the multilayers perceptron (MLP) classifier, respectively. The predictive factors of the nomogram included radiomic signature, age, WBC count, and FIB. The nomogram showed good discrimination performance (with an AUC of 0.93 in the training set and 0.90 in the test set) and good calibration. Moreover, decision curve analysis (DCA) demonstrated satisfactory clinical effectiveness of the proposed radiomic-clinical nomogram. Conclusions A personalized nomogram containing radiomics signature and blood indices was proposed in this study. This nomogram is simple yet effective in differentiating between CS-PAs and CPs and thus can be used in routine clinical practice.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to: first, report on a pilot; second, provide a further opportunity for a wider audience to be aware of the work carried out by the Age Action Alliance, Isolation and Loneliness Working Group to identify vulnerable people in the community. Third, to highlight the successful aspects of the project which could be used by other organisations seeking to reduce the effects of isolation and loneliness in the community. Links to the full report and the more detailed findings can be found at: www.ageactionalliance Design/methodology/approach – The main proposal was to test the most effective approach to identifying those at risk of loneliness, using pharmacists in two well-known “high street” pharmacies, through the use of a simple questionnaire that could be handed out to a target 100 customers at each pharmacy or health care team over a six-week period. Findings – A simple questionnaire proves to be successful and gets a good rate of return. The right partners are essentia...
The simulation of stationary plasma thruster plume is important for spacecraft design due to possible interaction plume with spacecraft surface. Such simulations are successfully performed using the particle‐in‐cell technique for describing the motion of charged particles, namely the propellant ions. In conventional plume models the electrons are treated using various fluid approaches. In this work, we suggest an alternative approach, where the electron kinetics is considered ‘ab initio’, using the particle‐in‐cell—Monte Carlo collision method. To avoid the large computational expenses due to small time steps, the relaxation of simulated plume plasma is split into the fast relaxation of the electrons distribution function and the slow one of the ions. The model is self‐consistent but hybrid, since the simultaneous electron and ion motion is not really modeled. The obtained electron temperature profile is in good agreement with experiment.
Distributed Denial of Service attacks are becoming a serious issue for the developers and the users of the Internet. In recent times, the attackers are targeting the online applications and web services. Detecting such application level attacks are much challenging because the attack traffic mimics the legitimate behaviour. A more sophisticated mechanism is required to detect and mitigate such attacks. In this paper, a novel method for detecting application layer Distributed Denial of Service attack is proposed. Initially, web user behaviour on different perspectives is analyzed using the system log and key dimensions that are highly responsive to attacks are identified using Principal Component Analysis. The extracted key features are analyzed to fix up the appropriate thresholds for differentiating legitimate and illegitimate access. Each incoming session is examined and if found suspicious, the detection mechanism is invoked. The detection mechanism includes a score assignment mechanism which assigns the threat score based on the history and statistical analysis of the current characteristics. The sessions having acceptable score are then scheduled to get service from the server. Remaining sessions are considered malicious and dropped. The real data sets are taken for the simulation and the results are exhibited to show the efficiency of the proposed detection method. The results show that the proposed technique performs effective detection of constant flooding and repeated shot attacks with low false positives and low false negatives.
Hybrid composites prepared by the incorporation of two or more different types of fibres into a single polymer matrix deserve much attention. This method of hybridisation of composites offers a profitable procedure for the fabrication of products while the resulting materials are noted for their high specific strength, modulus and thermal stability. The influence of the relative composition of short sisal/glass fibres, their length and distribution on the tensile properties of short sisal/glass intimately mixed polyethylene composites (SGRP) was examined. Different compositions of sisal and glass such as 70/30, 50/50 and 30/70 have been prepared with varying fibre lengths in the range of 1–10 mm. Emphasis has also been given to the variation of fibre–matrix adhesion with several fibre chemical modifications. Chemical surface modifications such as alkali, acetic anhydride, stearic acid, permanganate, maleic anhydride, silane and peroxides given to the fibres and matrix were found to be successful in improving the interfacial adhesion and compatibility between the fibre and matrix. The nature and extent of chemical modifications were analysed by infrared spectroscopy while improvement in fibre–matrix adhesion was checked by studying the fractography of composite samples using a scanning electron microscope. Assessment of water retention values has been found to be a successful tool to characterize the surface of the stearic acid modified fibres. It was found that the extent of improvement in tensile properties of SGRP varied with respect to the nature of chemical modifications between fibre and matrix. Improved mechanical anchoring and physical and chemical bonding between fibre and polyethylene matrix are supposed to be the reasons for superior tensile strength and Young's modulus in treated composites. Several secondary reasons such as high degree of fibre dispersion and reduced hydrophilicity in chemically modified fibres also are believed to play a role. Among the various chemical modifications, the best tensile strength and modulus was exhibited by the SGRP with benzoyl peroxide treated fibres. This is attributed to the peroxide-initiated grafting of polyethylene on to the fibres. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
German structure. The German verb particles which I have alluded to, and which differ from English particles, could provide a fruitful area of investigation. For the specialist in language acquisition, then, this monograph does not provide the insights one would hope for in a study of German. From the non-specialist's point of view, it is too detailed and reads too much like a thesis. It remains, though, an excellent source of data which should contribute to the kinds of in-depth cross-linguistic studies we need.
Positive psychological states are linked to superior cardiac outcomes, possibly mediated through increased participation in health behaviors. Trained study staff conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews in the hospital and 3 months later for 34 patients diagnosed with an acute coronary syndrome. These interviews focused on positive psychological states, cardiac health behaviors, and their connection; the interviews were transcribed and independently coded using directed content analysis. Both optimism and positive affect were associated with completion of physical activity and healthy eating in a bidirectional manner. In contrast, gratitude, while common, was infrequently linked to completion of health behaviors.
Artificial auroral lights are optical emissions induced by high-power radiowaves in a manner similar to the creation of natural auroral lights due to precipitation of superthermal electrons. Here the Earth's atmosphere itself plays the role of a plasma laboratory. A high-power radio-transmitter creates superthermal electrons in situ due to radiowave interactions with the ionospheric plasma. Low-altitude (85–125 km) artificial aurora is a relatively rare phenomenon observed for the first time about 10 years ago. Analysis of available observations shows that its intensity and structure, as well as the very possibility of its generation at these altitudes, depend largely on the presence and features of so-called sporadic ionization, best known for its effect on navigation and communication. Thus, all other parameters unchanged, a 20 times increase in the height-extent of sporadic ionization clouds could under certain circumstances result in a 27-fold increase in the intensity of the low-altitude artificial aurora. Understanding the morphology and typical features of sporadic ionization clouds for a given location would allow proper planning of experimental campaigns and noticeably extend our knowledge of the atmosphere and its use for human needs. Equally important is that low-altitude artificial auroras give information about the horizontal structure and dynamics of E-region sporadic ionization, the airglow-source region, the energy of superthermal electrons and perhaps the local atmospheric temperature and water vapor content at 80–90 km.
The LeishmaniaATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter PGPA is involved in metal resistance (arsenicals and antimony), although the exact mechanism by which PGPA confers resistance to antimony, the first line drug againstLeishmania, is unknown. The results of co-transfection experiments, transport assays, and the use of inhibitors suggest that PGPA recognizes metals conjugated to glutathione or trypanothione, a glutathione-spermidine conjugate present in Leishmania. The HA epitope tag of the influenza hemagglutinin as well as the green fluorescent protein were fused at the COOH terminus of PGPA. Immunofluorescence, confocal, and electron microscopy studies of the fully functional tagged molecules clearly indicated that PGPA is localized in membranes that are close to the flagellar pocket, the site of endocytosis and exocytosis in this parasite. Subcellular fractionation of Leishmania tarentolae PGPAHA transfectants was performed to further characterize this ABC transporter. The basal PGPA ATPase activity was determined to be 115 nmol/mg/min. Transport experiments using radioactive arsenite-glutathione conjugates clearly showed that PGPA recognizes and actively transports thiol-metal conjugates. Overall, the results are consistent with PGPA being an intracellular ABC transporter that confers arsenite and antimonite resistance by sequestration of the metal-thiol conjugates.
OBJECTIVE To assess the correlation of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels to severity of disease on liver biopsy in patients of chronic hepatitis C.   STUDY DESIGN Descriptive study.   PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Gastroenterology at Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, from January 2006 to February 2007.   METHODOLOGY One hundred and seven diagnosed non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis C adult patients were included. Serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels were determined. Knodell histopathological Index was determined on liver biopsy. The correlation and regression value between serum alanine aminotransferase levels and liver histology and serum aspartate aminotransferase and liver histology in chronic hepatitis C patients was determined using Pearson correlation analysis.   RESULTS Patients of chronic hepatitis C had raised serum alanine aminotransferase and levels with the mean baseline level of 93 International units per litre (IU/L) with a range of 13-383 IU/L. Serum aspartate aminotransferase levels were also elevated with mean baseline level of 59.65 IU/L ranging from 18-370 IU/L. On liver biopsy based on Knodell histopathological Index, 47.7% of patients had mild, 39.9% had moderate and 13.1% had severe disease. There was significant association between serum alanine aminotransferase levels severity of the disease on liver biopsy (p < 0.03) with weak positive correlation between the two (r = 0.217). There was also significant association between serum aspartate aminotransferase levels and severity of the disease on liver biopsy (p < 0.001) with weak positive correlation between the two (r = 0.32).   CONCLUSION The serum alanine aminotransferase and serum aspartate aminotransferase levels do not indicate the severity of the disease on liver biopsy in chronic hepatitis C patients.
Abstract Summary: Extravasation of irrigation fluid during arthroscopy is a well-known complication. We report a case of accumulation of fluid into the calf during open wedge high tibial osteotomy combined with simultaneous arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The main cause for fluid extravasation was the drilling of the tibial tunnel, which allowed the fluid to cross the osteotomy gap and invade the flexor compartments. Although an elevation of the intracompartmental pressure was measured, there was no clinical evidence of compartment syndrome. A subcutaneous release of the flexor compartment of the leg was performed. The patient suffered no further sequelae. High tibial osteotomy combined with simultaneous arthroscopic ACL reconstruction has to be performed carefully, and potential complications must be detected immediately to prevent compartment syndrome. Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol 15, No 8 (November), 1999: pp 864–866
The article is based on the results of research conducted in 2015–2017. The main conclusion is that in Russia eservices is becoming more and more successfully integrated into the traditional arch of actions used by citizens in their interaction with authorities. This is a result of the government pursuing its own goal—to achieve a target figure set by the Decree of the President of Russia, No. 601. The requirements of the decree led to the restructuring of the initial definition of an e-service, on the one hand, and a vigorous application of marketing approach to eservices promotion – on the other. However, this success is limited to an urban middle class. Keywords—e-government; e-services; citizens; state offer; citizen adoption; arch of action.
Characteristics of laminar lifted flames in coflow-jet of propane with helium-diluted coflowing air have been studied experimentally and numerically. Two distinct self-excitations existed: a buoyancy-driven self-excitation and a self-excitation with capsized flame near flame extinction. In particular, the flame dynamics for the latter flame were related to buoyancy effects caused by the difference in the densities between the fuel and coflow streams. To identify the mechanism of capsized flame, Mie-scattering technique, OH radical and numerical simulation of cold and reacting flow were performed.
A novel 3D hierarchical flowerlike vanadium sesquioxide (V(2)O(3)) nano/microarchitecture consisting of numerous nanoflakes is prepared via a solvothermal approach followed by an appropriate heating treatment. The as-obtained nanostructured V(2)O(3) flower is characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (or/and high-resolution TEM, HRTEM), and it is found that the V(2)O(3) flower is constructed by single-crystalline nanoflakes. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the surface of the flowerlike V(2)O(3) material is composed of nanostructured pores, which derive from the adsorption/desorption of nitrogen, and that the pore-size distribution depends on the unique three-dimensional interconnection between nanoflakes and on their intrinsic properties. The electrochemical behavior of the V(2)O(3) flower for lithium-ion insertion/extraction in non-aqueous solution as well as the faradaic capacitance for pesudocapacitors in a neutral aqueous solution are also investigated. A reversible discharge capacity as high as 325 mA h g(-1) is obtained at a current density of 0.02 A g(-1) from a LiClO(4)/EC:DEC electrolyte solution (i.e. LiClO(4) in ethyl carbonate and diethyl carbonate). When used as the cathode material of pesudocapacitors in Li(2)SO(4), the flowerlike oxide displayed a very high initial capacitance of 218 F g(-1) at a current density of 0.05 A g(-1). We believe that the good performance of the flowerlike V(2)O(3) electrode is most probably due to its unique 3D hierarchical nano/microarchitecture, which shows that the electrochemical properties of a cathodic material do not only depend on the oxidation state of that material but also-to a large extent-on its crystalline structure and morphology. The aforementioned properties suggest that the present V(2)O(3) flower materials may have a great potential to be employed as electrode materials in rechargeable lithium batteries and pesudocapacitors.
This study aimed at investigating the effect of vacuum drying temperature on drying kinetics, drying rates, effective moisture diffusivity and quality parameters of litchi fruits. Peeled litchi quarters were dried at 50–70 °C at an absolute pressure of 8 kPa. Results show that the vacuum drying occurred in the falling rate period. Drying rates increased with drying temperature. The Page model provided the best fit to the drying kinetics. Effective moisture diffusivity ranged between 1.997 × 10−9 and 5.012 × 10−9 m2/s. The temperature dependence of the effective moisture diffusivity was well described by an Arrhenius-type equation. The activation energy for moisture diffusion was 41.81 kJ/mol. Drying temperature did not significantly affect product sensory acceptance, density, shrinkage and rehydration. The products dried at 50 and 70 °C presented slightly superior texture and flavor, while the product dried at 60 °C presented significantly higher lightness and lower water activity.        Practical Applications    This work provides valuable information on the vacuum drying of litchi fruits, which are appreciated in many countries due to their pleasant sensory characteristics. Vacuum drying is not a costly drying method. At the same time, vacuum drying produces dried foods of relatively good quality. This study could be used as a reference by small and medium scale food processors interested in producing dried litchi of good quality with relatively low investment in equipment. The understanding of the influence of drying temperature on quality parameters is useful for deciding which temperature is more appropriate depending on the desired quality aspects, while the calculation of engineering parameters is important for designing the drying process.
Traffic Work is Police Work MY first point may seem elementary, but it is fundamental. The traffic work that we perform is police work; it is not some new and extraneous task added to the policeman's burden. One often hears talk about the police being" withdrawn from their legitimate duties" in order to deal with traffic. What, then, are their" legitimate duties ? " The late Lord Brampton summarized the objects of the police in a very familiar paragraph: "The primary object of an efficient police is the prevention of crime: the next that of detection and punishment of offenders if crime is committed. To these ends all the efforts of police must be directed. The protection of life and property, the preservation of public tranquillity, and the absence of crime, will alone prove whether those efforts have been successful, and whether the objects for which the police were appointed have been attained." The protection of life is put in the forefront. In 1933 there were in England and Wales 139 murders and nearly 6,Soosuddendeaths on the road. It may of course be contended that the former were crimes and the latter were not. But the "first characteristic of crime is the danger to the community as a whole which the conduct of the offender is felt to involve." 1 Offences against the person, which are essentially crimes,
This research aimed to find out the effectiveness of cooperative learning model with ethnomathematics nuances to improve local culture love and problem solving skill. This experimental research took population from VIII graders of SMP N 1 Gemawang, Temanggung in academic year 2018/2019. The sample was taken by random cluster sampling. The sample consisted of VIII D students as experimental group and VIII A as control group. The technique of collecting data consisted of observation, test, documentation, and questionnaire. The data was analyzed by z-test, independent t-test, and paired sample test. The findings showed that 28 students of experimental group reached the passing grade with average 77.5 while 28 students of control group reached the passing grade with average score 67.5. The hypothesis test showed that students taught by cooperative learning with ethnomathematics nuances classically reached the passing grade. The average obtained by experimental group was higher than the control group. Improvement of local culture love and problem solving skill of experimental group was better than control group.
Two general assessments of black economic progress prevail in the United States today. Prominent economic studies emphasize a converging trend in the earnings of blacks and of whites. Among these studies, Richard Freeman's description of a "virtual collapse in traditional discriminatory patterns in the labor market" makes the point most sharply. James Smith and Finis Welch, although more cautious, reach a similar conclusion." The assessment of more popular writers is, paradoxically, more complex. It holds that there is a growing split within the black community, with some blacks making significant gains while other blacks are becoming progressively worse off. Some writers view the split in terms of labor supply. They interpret the data as reflecting a growing black middle class
The BABAR detector at SLAC was designed to study CP-violation in B-meson decays from electron-positron collisions in the PEP-II electron-positron storage rings. Background radiation in the High Energy Ring (HER) and Low Energy Ring (LER) of PEP-II has the potential to damage the sensitive equipment in the BABAR detector. As a result, the beams in the HER and LER can be aborted to prevent such damage. In the span of a few microseconds, the HER and LER currents drop from, for example, 1450 micro Amps and 2300 micro Amps, respectively, to zero. At this time the voltage in the Drift Chamber is rapidly ramped down from a potential of 1930 V to a safe potential of 800 V, thus we would expect the currents in the Drift Chamber to quickly go to zero once the beams are aborted. However, we observe an average 15 second delay in the measured time it takes for all current in the Drift Chamber to fall below 1 micro Amp. This delay has been hypothesized as an instrumentation issue and not as a physical phenomenon. The specific sources of this error are still not completely known, but analysis suggests that it results from the interplaymore » of the CAEN High Voltage supplies and the EPICS system and/or limitations within those systems.« less
1 - Although wetland ecosystems are able to sustain high degree of biological diversity and provide social and economic value, they are also the most impacted and degraded of all ecological systems. 2 - Natural and human-based alterations are particularly evident in small aquatic ecosystems, where the recovery time can be greatly reduced because of the geological and geomorphological characteristics of the sites. 3 - Although seldom used in lentic environment, benthic communities may represent a suitable tool to measure the recovery effects in aquatic ecosystems, due to several characteristics that make them useful as bioindicator. 4 - Here we study the response of benthic communities to the recovery of the Tarquinia Salterns after their abandon and consequent habitat degradation. The increased deposition of organic and inorganic sediments entailed shallow ponds and laminar circulation, causing eutrophication. The ecological restoration of the site allowed reinstating the water depth and flow and returned environmental parameters (mainly dissolved oxygen) to their typical values. 5 - We measured several characteristics of species assemblage in three different sites of the Tarquinia Salterns, covering a period of ten years spanning from pre-recovery to post-recovery phases. 6 - Our results are twofold: i) they show the feasibility of monitoring wetland restoration activities by investigating the pattern of species assemblage in benthic ecological communities and, ii) show the importance of regional and local processes in the composition and response of benthic communities to perturbations.
Although renal replacement therapy has contributed to the survival of chronic kidney failure (CKF) patients, mortality remains a major concern. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with mortality in a prospective cohort of CKF patients. Sociodemographic, clinical, nutritional, lifestyle and quality of life data were collected from 712 patients. The instruments used were the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Global Subjective Assessment (GSA) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) questionnaires. A total of 444 patients died during the study. After five years of follow-up, factors such as not being married (hazard ratio - HR = 1.289, 95%CI: 1.001; 1.660), a low frequency of leisure activities (HR = 1.321; 95%CI: 1.010; 1.727) and not being transplanted (HR = 7.246; 95%CI: 3.359; 15.630) remained independently associated with the risk of mortality. At the end of the follow-up period, factors such as not being married (HR = 1.337, 95%CI: 1.019; 1.756), not being transplanted (HR = 7.341, 95%CI: 3.829; 14.075) and having a worse nutritional status (HR = 1.363, 95%CI: 1.002; 1.853) remained independently associated with an increased risk of mortality, whereas a high schooling level (10 to 12 years, HR = 0.578, 95%CI: 0.344; 0.972; and over 12 years, HR = 0.561, 95%CI: 0.329; 0.956) and a better SF-36 physical functioning score (HR = 0.992, 95%CI: 0.987; 0.998) were protective factors associated with survival. The survival of patients with CKF is associated with factors not restricted to the clinical spectrum. The following factors were associated with high mortality: not being married, low schooling level, a limited social routine, a longer time on dialysis, worse nutritional status, and worse physical functioning.
Integral ecology is an increasingly important term in Catholic social teaching. This paper brings this term in relation to business drawing upon the integral relationship between human and natural ecology. Pope Francis and his two predecessors believe that the current ecological conversation can increase our sensitivity to our impact on the natural environment as well as help us to rediscover the moral and spiritual consciousness of human  nature and development that has been weakened and disordered in the wider culture. An integral ecology can enlarge our notion of the good, especially the good in business. Without the cultural and environmental insights from an integral ecology that has the capacity to provide deep moral and spiritual roots, business will always be prone to see itself within its own autonomous and utilitarian sphere failing to connect to the natural and human realities in which it is embedded.
The widely-used cellular system, such as LTE, has a large potential to serve vehicle-related connectivity which is one of the potential IoT market in the near future. However, the connection-oriented nature of LTE Random Access procedure remains the challenge. The RA procedure in LTE is prone to be overloaded with simultaneous access request from large number of mobile users. This overload condition is likely to happen due to synchronized location reporting for road traffic monitoring in Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). This work studies the performance of RA procedure under overload condition in term of probability of successful report delivery and average report delivery delay. Subsequently, two proposals are made to increase the performance: report time spreading and truncated binary exponential decrease backoff mechanism. The two proposals are evaluated and compared with the existing configuration of LTE RA procedure. Our simulation results show that both proposals can increase the probability of successful report delivery and obtain fairly low average report delivery delay, which is necessary for accurate location reporting and road traffic monitoring system.
The manufacture of segmented active primary mirrors poses difficult fabrication problems for the component off-axis aspheric mirrors. An effort was conducted to develop and demonstrate the necessary fabrication technology to rapidly manufacture the segments of 10-m-class active mirrors. On this project, a 4-m, pie-shaped, 1.7-cm-thick, off-axis parabolic facesheet was fabricated. The key steps of this operation were shaping the segment (prior to all surfacing steps), generating the back and front surfaces using numerically controlled machining, and computer-controlled optical surfacing (CCOS) for vacuum grinding and polishing the front surface. The CCOS polishing rapidly brought the facesheet to within 0.035 μm rms of the proper parabolic surface and produced a superior surface finish with only 8-A roughness and no visible scratches.
Background: Indonesia through its government National Health Insurance System has launched a non-communicable and chronic disease management program named Indonesian Chronic Disease Management Program (PROLANIS), with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension as the main focus. However, study that evaluates the clinical impact of PROLANIS in patients with T2DM is still scarce to this date. This study aims to evaluate the metabolic control and renal function of PROLANIS participants with T2DM every six month within the first 18-months of implementation. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study conducted at Wates sub-district, East Java using secondary data from PROLANIS group report from April 2018 to October 2019. The study population was T2DM patients who voluntarily joined the PROLANIS group in April 2018. The six-month-evaluation included metabolic parameters [body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, hemoglobin A1C, total cholesterol, high-density lipid, low-density lipid, and triglyceride (TG)] and renal parameters [blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine serum, and urinary microalbumin]. Paired t-test and wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for the analysis, and the P-value was adjusted using Bonferroni correction. A P-value < .0015 was considered statistically significant, while a P-value between .0015 and .003 was considered as marginally significant. Results: A total of 30 participants were included in the analysis. Following the PROLANIS implementation, the only parameter of metabolic control that showed significant improvement was TG serum level (P < .001). Despite the worsening status of other metabolic parameters, the changes were not statistically significant except for BMI that was marginally significant (P = .002). From renal function, only BUN serum level was significantly deteriorated (P < .001), while the others did not significantly change. Conclusion: PROLANIS implementation in our study population seems to be ineffective. Future study with more primary healthcare centers needs to be done to scrutinize the clinical impact of this program nationwide.
Abstract Arion intermedius Normand and Arion hortensis Férussac are invasive mollusks in North America, having been previously reported in thirteen and seven U.S. States, respectively. We report here the first records of both species in Kentucky. Because slug species within the genus Arion Férussac show high degrees of intra-specific variation, identifications were confirmed using both morphological and molecular (partial COI gene sequences) methods. These new records are of concern because invasive slugs are major pests in agriculture, horticulture and floriculture, causing considerable damage to wheat, alfalfa, corn, soybean and tobacco that are amongst the most economically important crops in Kentucky. This study also highlights the important need for additional gastropod surveys throughout the U.S.A.
We present composition check codes for noisy storage and transmission channels with unknown gain and/or offset. In the proposed composition check code, like in systematic error correcting codes, the encoding of the main data into a constant composition code is completely avoided. To the main data, a coded label is appended that carries information regarding the composition vector of the main data. Slepian’s optimal detection technique of codewords that are taken from a constant composition code is applied for detection. A first Slepian detector detects the label and subsequently restores the composition vector of the main data. The composition vector, in turn, is used by a second Slepian detector to optimally detect the main data. We compute the redundancy and error performance of the new method, and results of computer simulations are presented.
Elderly individuals with chronic diseases (CDs) have a much higher risk of mental disorders, especially depression. This study aimed to identify the multidomain social determinants of occurrence and degree of depressive symptoms for the Chinese elderly with CDs. Data of 3438 elderly individuals (aged over 60 years) with CDs were drawn from the fourth wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study implemented in 2018. Logistic regression was used to describe associations with the occurrence of depressive symptoms within and across multidomain social determinants (demographic, economic, neighborhood, environmental, and social and cultural). The Shapley value decomposition method was used to measure the relative importance of variables of the five domains. A quantile regression model was used to test how the effects of social factors vary across different points of depression score distributions. Approximately 40.1% of Chinese elderly individuals with CDs reported depressive symptoms. Respondents who were female, had a low income, experienced a disability, lived in rural areas, and were not engaged in work had a higher probability of suffering from depressive symptoms. Conversely, increased age, being covered by social security and being well-educated had a protective effect. Data also showed that the effects of these associated factors varied across different points of depression score distributions. The fact that socially disadvantaged people are more vulnerable to severe depressive symptoms implies that psychological health services and intervention strategies should target this population.
In the 21st century data, itself are information, product, and goods. The pandemic situation has given new eyes to the old invention to effectively bridge the gap between history, happenings, and technology as well as past and future. Health is requisite and every one of us would have placed our footstep one way or the another in the healthcare sector. The demand for healthcare professionals is also increasing in our country with an increasing population. To address the health need of society, this paper attempts to exhibit the studies captured on these two broad areas in the healthcare sector with a systematic literature review of bibliometric analysis.  This paper will bring out the technological invention, its implications in the 21st century, relevance in the covid 19 pandemic situation, research, and facts explored in this area. Humans are the inventor and users of technology: the good we use the great will be the outcome: It all depends. (*The paper was presented at the 2nd Conference on Business Data Analytics: Innovation in emerging trends in management data analytics. Apeejay School of Management, Dwarka, Delhi, India. November 2021)
Zirconium modified mesoporous materials were successfully synthesized by different methods including direct synthesis and post synthesis (grafting and impregnating). Meanwhile, the corresponding catalysts were prepared. A series of techniques, including small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and pyridine adsorption Fourier-transform infrared (Py-IR), were used to characterize the properties of supports and catalysts. The results of SASX and TEM characterization proved that all the modified materials retained the well-ordered mesoporous structure from the FDU-12 material. N2 adsorption–desorption results showed that the Zr-FDU-12 material obtained by direct synthesis (Zr-in-F) possessed higher specific surface area (709 m2 g−1), pore volume (0.65 cm3 g−1) and larger pore size (18.7 nm) than the Zr-FDU-12 materials obtained by the post synthesis. According to the characterization result of UV-Vis, Zr-in-F exhibited better dispersion of Zr species than materials obtained by the post synthesis. It was found that the incorporation of Zr species not only increased acidities but also enhanced the sulfidities of the Mo species. All the catalysts were evaluated for their activities in the hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene, and the NiMo/Zr-in-F catalyst exhibited the best catalytic performance (97.3%), attributed to its higher specific surface area, larger pore size, higher sulfidity, and more acidic sites.
A human annotator can provide hints to a machine learner by highlighting contextual "rationales" for each of his or her annotations (Zaidan et al., 2007). How can one exploit this side information to better learn the desired parameters θ? We present a generative model of how a given annotator, knowing the true θ, stochastically chooses rationales. Thus, observing the rationales helps us infer the true θ. We collect substring rationales for a sentiment classification task (Pang and Lee, 2004) and use them to obtain significant accuracy improvements for each annotator. Our new generative approach exploits the rationales more effectively than our previous "masking SVM" approach. It is also more principled, and could be adapted to help learn other kinds of probabilistic classifiers for quite different tasks.
A deuterium-deuterium (DD) neutron generator–based neutron activation analysis (NAA) system has been developed to quantify metals, including manganese (Mn), in bone in vivo. A DD neutron generator with a flux of up to 3*109 neutrons s−1 was set up in our lab for this purpose. Optimized settings, including moderator, reflector, and shielding material and thickness, were selected based on Monte Carlo (MC) simulations conducted in our previous work. Hand phantoms doped with different Mn concentrations were irradiated using the optimized DD neutron generator irradiation system. The Mn characteristic γ-rays were collected by an HPGe detector system with 100% relative efficiency. The calibration line of the Mn/calcium (Ca) count ratio versus bone Mn concentration was obtained (R2 = 0.99) using the hand phantoms. The detection limit (DL) was calculated to be about 1.05 μg g−1 dry bone (ppm) with an equivalent dose of 85.4 mSv to the hand. The DL can be reduced to 0.74 ppm by using two 100% HPGe detectors. The whole body effective dose delivered to the irradiated subject was calculated to be about 17 μSv. Given the average normal bone Mn concentration of 1 ppm in the general population, this system is promising for in vivo bone Mn quantification in humans.
Historians have long recognized the prominent role women played in vending food and fuel on the streets of early modern towns, but huckstering was a profitable part-time trade that attracted men as well as women. Indeed, there were probably more male than female hucksters operating in Southampton and other towns. While many scholars have been skeptical of the commercial opportunities open to street traders, hucksters, far from being under the thumb of exploitive suppliers, were sharp and independent, and adept at using their status as wholesale buyers to obtain goods at discount and sell them for profit. As an analysis of the presentments of Southampton’s court leet shows, not only was huckstering a difficult commerce to constrain, but town authorities were loath to deny wives and widows one of the few trades they could practice in order to support themselves and their families.
electric current can determinate a fatal outcome – electrocution – which is a relatively unique death. the aim of our 10-year retrospective study is to characterize the trend of deaths by electrocution occurred within the Lisbon Area. Database of the Forensic Pathology Department, between 1999 and 2008, was scanned for fatal electrocution, and several medico-legal variables were analysed. of the 25 victims, only one was female, 60% were between 18 and 34 years-old and 64% had professions related to construction and electricity industries. Death occurred on place in 76%, the passage of current was direct in 76%, related to low voltage in 52%, and in 68% was the result of a labour accident. electrical burns were found in 84% and thermal burns in about 50%. signs of passage of electric current were identified in about 50%. ethanol and cocaine were present in 2 separated cases. Death was caused directly by the passage of electric current in 84%, of which 24% were associated with blunt force trauma or thermal burns. Results are quite similar to those of other studies, and underscore the importance of a better understanding of the phenomenon in order to prevent this kind of fatal incidents. keywords: Fatal electrocution; electric burns; labour accidents; forensic pathology.
A surface acoustic intensity meter is described for measuring acoustic intensity at a vibrating surface using a fiber optic lever as a displacement transducer and a condenser microphone to measure surface pressure. Digital signal processing using a two‐channel FFT analyzer allows the calculation of surface intensity as a function of frequency. The technique has been tested in an anechoic chamber on a point monopole and a steel plate clamped at the edges. Calculated sound power levels are compared with results obtained by traditional techniques.
The recent progress of multilayers makes it possible to construct variety of optical systems used in the wavelength region 30-0.01nm. Especially a depth-graded multilayer, so called supermirror, has a great advantage to get high reflectivity in the wide energy band for hard x-rays. The design, fabrication and characterization of supermirror are going on to apply for synchrotron radiation beamline optics, x-ray telescope and x-ray microscope. At present reflectivity of Pt/C supermirror is obtained to be 20-30% in 27-40keV region at the incidence angle of 0.3deg..
A quantitative test of optokinetic nystagmus was proposed. Horizontal nystagmus was examined by a large rotating cylinder with vertical stripes. Nystagmus responding to the cylinder rotation with an acceleration of 2°/sec2 for 90 seconds was recorded with an electro-nystagmograph. On the records, the number of beats, average eye-speed, and average amplitude per each 10 seconds were calculated. This method was suitable for testing the nature of optokinetic nystagmus which indicates the ability of the eyes to adapt to objects moving through the visual field. Moreover, in order to save trouble in hand-scoring of each parameter of nystagmus, computer processing of electronystagmographic data was introduced. The results were printed numerically on the teletypewriter, and displayed graphically on a cathode ray tube and X-Y recorder. By displaying measured values on the form already printed with the normal ranges, the evaluation of the results was performed readily and objectively.
Black homophobia has been cited as a contributing factor in slowing mobilization against AIDS in the African-American community, as an obstacle to black lesbians and gay men in coming to terms with their sexuality, and as a challenge to the legitimacy of the gay rights movement. Yet evidence that blacks are more homophobic than whites is quite limited. This article uses responses from almost seven thousand blacks and forty-three thousand whites in 31 surveys conducted since 1973 to give more definitive answers on black-white attitudinal differences and their demographic roots. Despite their greater disapproval of homosexuality, blacks' opinions on sodomy laws, gay civil liberties, and employment discrimination are quite similar to whites' opinions, and African Americans are more likely to support laws prohibiting antigay discrimination. Once religious and educational differences are controlled, blacks remain more disapproving of homosexuality but are moderately more supportive of gay civil liberties and markedly more opposed to antigay employment discrimination than are whites. Yet religion, education, gender, and age all have weaker impacts on black than on white attitudes, suggesting that black and white attitudes have different roots
A general notion of a congruence system is introduced for π-institutions. Congruence systems in this sense are collections of equivalence relations on the sets of sentences of the π-institution that are preserved both by signature morphisms and by fixed collections of natural transformations from finite tuples of sentences to sentences. Based on this notion of a congruence system, the notion of a Tarski congruence system, generalizing the notion of a Tarski congruence from sentential logics, is considered. Logical and bilogical morphisms are introduced for π-institutions, also generalizing similar concepts from the theory of sentential logics, and their relationship with the familiar translations and interpretations of institutions is discussed. Finally, the interplay between these logical maps and the formation of logical quotients of π-institutions and the way they transform the Tarski congruence systems is investigated.
Faces are not simply blank canvases upon which facial expressions write their emotional messages. In fact, facial appearance and facial movement are both important social signalling systems in their own right. We here provide multiple lines of evidence for the notion that the social signals derived from facial appearance on the one hand and facial movement on the other interact in a complex manner, sometimes reinforcing and sometimes contradicting one another. Faces provide information on who a person is. Sex, age, ethnicity, personality and other characteristics that can define a person and the social group the person belongs to can all be derived from the face alone. The present article argues that faces interact with the perception of emotion expressions because this information informs a decoder's expectations regarding an expresser's probable emotional reactions. Facial appearance also interacts more directly with the interpretation of facial movement because some of the features that are used to derive personality or sex information are also features that closely resemble certain emotional expressions, thereby enhancing or diluting the perceived strength of particular expressions.
Cell aggregates composed of mycobiont and photobiont derived from three lichen species, Arthothelium awasthii, Heterodermia podocarpa and Parmotrema tinctorum, were grown in Lilly-Barnett (LB) and Modified Bold's Basal (MBB) media for one year under laboratory conditions. Results are presented on growth rate, production of barbatic acid, zeorin and lecanoric acid, and the antioxidant potential of extracts prepared with different solvents and of the partially purified substances. The growth rate of the cell aggregates of the three species was found to be more or less similar in the LB and MBB media. The production of lichen substances by the three species was found to vary in both media. The dried, soluble extract yield found from the solvents was in the order of n-hexane > chloroform > ethyl acetate > acetone > methanol > DMSO. The antioxidant activities showed by barbatic acid, zeorin and lecanoric acid was highest at a concentration of 50 μg / mL.
Congenital dorsal dermal sinuses (CDDS) are posterior, midline, congenital malformations of the spine. They are a form of occult spinal dysraphism characterized by thin, epithelium-lined channels that open on the skin posteriorly as a variety of cutaneous lesions. We describe four cases in which the CDDS tract was detected antenatally in 3 cases with 2D and 3D ultrasound and its presence was suspected in one case of lumbar spinal dysraphism. All cases were evaluated postnatally with MRI, while postnatal CT was performed in selected cases to evaluate the severity and extent of the spinal dysraphism. Discussion on antenatal ultrasound diagnosis, the value of 3D ultrasound for assessing both the sinus tract and bony spinal dysraphism are discussed and correlated with antenatal MRI and postnatal imaging.
The article describes how to apply radon-containing rectal suppositories in patients with chronic prostatitis (CP). Intrarectal insertion of the suppositories is performed in the patients lying in the left lateral or knee-elbow position daily for the first 8 days in a dose 18.5 kBk, for the following 2-4 days in a daily dose 37 kBk 2-3 times a day. So, the course of the treatment takes 10-12 days. Such treatment of CP patients eradicated or alleviated prostatic inflammation and improved sexual function, was effective in 80% patients, prolonged remission to 12-16 months.
Earlier work using Rushton turbines and down-(MFD) and up-(MFU) pumping, 45°-pitched blade turbines at relatively low concentrations of solids of different size and density in vessels up to 1.8 m diameter enabled correlations to be developed for predicting the minimum speed for solid suspension, NJSg. Further work has been conducted with these impellers and with two modern impellers, a Scaba 6SRGT, a typical hollow-blade radial flow impeller, and a typical up-pumping, axial flow, wide-blade hydrofoil, the Lightnin’ A315, in a vessel of 0.45 m diameter with solids up to 40% by weight. The earlier correlations were validated for the new higher concentration conditions. In all cases, increases in solids concentration increased NJSg and the specific energy dissipation rate required to suspend solids, (ɛT)JSg On the other hand, the large increase (up to two orders of magnitude) in mixing time found at solids concentration >∼15% by weight in two phase systems at NJSg as compared with the case without solids, is essentially eliminated in the three-phase case. At low gassing rates, QGv (vvm), down-pumping impellers achieve suspension and relatively good vertical solids distribution at the lowest (ɛT)jsg-However, with increased QGv UP to 3 vvm, NJSg and (ɛT)JSg increase rapidly, solids maldistribution develops, the flow pattern is very unstable and gross torque fluctuations occur. For the 6SRGT, the operation is very stable and although NjSg and (ɛT)JSg are both high they are insensitive to QGv This high value of (ɛT)JSg may not be a disadvantage if high rates of gas–liquid mass transfer are required. For both the 6MFU and especially the A315(U), the flow pattern, NJSg and (ɛT)JSg are again all very insensitive to QGv and a good vertical solids distribution is maintained. For the A315(U) at high QGv values, (ɛT)JSg is the least amongst the impellers tested, so that wide-blade, up-pumping axial flow hydrofoils are considered to be the optimum impeller when just physical suspension is required or solid–liquid reactions are rate limiting.
Highly photoluminescent carbon dots have been prepared in a one step procedure by hydrothermal treatment of formaldehyde at 180 °C. They show green fluorescence under UV light exposure and emission spectra are centered at 440 nm. Fluorescence lifetimes comprise between 0.7 and 2.70 ns, when the synthesis process lasted for 1-7 days. TEM images of nanoparticles showed a homogeneous size/shape distribution. When the thermal treatment process was carried out for a long time (30 days) formation of aggregates occurred. Carbon dots were further analyzed using (1)H and (13)C-NMR, Raman and FTIR spectroscopy techniques and XPS. Cell imaging of nanoparticles was carried out by using mouse MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts as a model. The nanoparticles were selectively localized in the cytoplasm without further functionalization and could be realized by cellular phagocytosis, so that the fluorescence of these can be used for live cell imaging in vitro.
The vast majority of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) in the local universe exhibit levels of activity much lower than those expected from gas supplying rates onto the galactic nuclei, and only a small fraction of silent SMBHs can turn into active galactic nuclei. Revisiting observational data of very nearby SMBHs whose gravitational spheres of influence are spatially reached by the Chandra X-ray satellite, we find that the level of BH activity drastically increases from the quiescent phase when the inflow rate outside of the BH influence radius is higher than 0.1% of the Eddington accretion rate. We also show that the relation between the nuclear luminosity and gas accretion rate from the BH influence radius measured from X-ray observations is well described by the universal state transition of accreting SMBHs, as predicted by recent hydrodynamical simulations with radiative cooling and BH feedback. After the state transition, young massive stars should form naturally in the nucleus, as observed in the case of the nearest SMBH, Sagittarius A*, which is currently quiescent but was recently active.
Numerous studies suggest that flourishing leads to advantageous personal outcomes. We, however, argue that flourishing does not provide any moral guidance necessary to trigger socio-moral outcomes. The critical qualifier, we argue, is in the degree to which morality is central to an individual’s identity. Accordingly, across four studies, we tested the moderating role of moral centrality in the relation between flourishing and (im)moral social outcomes. Our findings generally support the association between flourishing and moral outcomes is significant for individuals with high levels of moral centrality, flourishing is not significantly associated with moral outcomes in individuals with low moral centrality. Thus, scholars may need to reinterpret previous studies that suggest a positive link between individuals’ flourishing and their worldly interactions.
Gross alpha activity in surface tailings and surface soils from one inactive uranium mill site has been shown to be an accurate estimator of /sup 226/Ra activity. An exponential regression, /sup 226/Ra = 387(e/sup 0.00166..cap alpha../ - 1), where /sup 226/Ra activity is in picoCuries per gram and gross alpha activity is in counts per minute per sample, gave a good fit for samples ranging in gross alpha activity from 3 to 1082 cpm/sample. A linear regression, /sup 226/Ra = 1.05 ..cap alpha.. + 1.78, has been calculated, which shows gross alpha activity to be an excellent estimator of /sup 226/Ra activity in soils contaminated with tailings. The percentage of gross alpha activity attributable to /sup 226/Ra activity has been calculated to be 7.2, 17.6, 18.3, and 17.0 for uncontaminated soils, contaminated soils, tailings, and the total set of samples, respectively.
BACKGROUND It has been proposed that the primary determinants of body weight at 1 y of age are genetic background, as represented by parental obesity, and low total energy expenditure.   OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the relative contributions of genetic background and energy intake and expenditure as determinants of body weight at 1 y of age.   DESIGN Forty infants of obese and 38 infants of lean mothers, half boys and half girls, were assessed at 3 mo of age for 10 risk factors for obesity: sex, risk group (obese or nonobese mothers), maternal and paternal body mass index, body weight, feeding mode (breast, bottle, or both), 3-d energy intake, nutritive sucking behavior during a test meal, total energy expenditure, sleeping energy expenditure, and interactions among them.   RESULTS The only difference between risk groups at baseline was that the high-risk group sucked more vigorously during the test meal. Four measures accounted for 62% of the variability in weight at 12 mo: 3-mo weight (41%, P = 0.0001), nutritive sucking behavior (9%, P = 0.0002), 3-d food intake (8%, P = 0.0002), and male sex (3%, P = 0.05). Food intake and sucking behavior at 3 mo accounted for similar amounts of variability in weight-for-length, body fat, fat-free mass, and skinfold thickness at 12 mo. Contrary to expectations, neither total nor sleeping energy expenditure at 3 mo nor maternal obesity contributed to measures of body size at 12 mo.   CONCLUSIONS Energy intake contributes significantly to measures of body weight and composition at 1 y of age; parental obesity and energy expenditure do not.
The concept of anomalous self-experience, also termed Self-Disorder, has attracted both clinical and research interest, as empirical studies suggest such experiences specifically aggregate in and are a core feature of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A comprehensive neurophenomenological understanding of Self-Disorder may improve diagnostic and therapeutic practice. This systematic review aims to evaluate anatomical, physiological, and neurocognitive correlates of Self-Disorder (SD), considered a core feature of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSDs), towards developing a neurophenomenological understanding. A search of the PubMed database retrieved 285 articles, which were evaluated for inclusion using PRISMA guidelines. Non-experimental studies, studies with no validated measure of Self-Disorder, or those with no physiological variable were excluded. In total, 21 articles were included in the review. Findings may be interpreted in the context of triple-network theory and support a core dysfunction of signal integration within two anatomical components of the Salience Network (SN), the anterior insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, which may mediate connectivity across both the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Fronto-Parietal Network (FPN). We propose a theoretical Triple-Network Model of Self-Disorder characterized by increased connectivity between the Salience Network (SN) and the DMN, increased connectivity between the SN and FPN, decreased connectivity between the DMN and FPN, and increased connectivity within both the DMN and FPN. We go on to describe translational opportunities for clinical practice and provide suggestions for future research.
This chapter describes the properties of inorganic nanomaterials and the most common methods used to prepare them. The peculiar characteristics of materials when their dimensions are reduced to the nanoscale are briefly introduced. Top‐down and bottom‐up preparation methods are critically reviewed, with a special focus on those strategies that are most frequently used in the preparation of nanostructures for the conservation of cultural heritage.
As an alternative to conventional FIR filters, IIR filter architecture based on orthonormal Laguerre functions is proposed for applications in narrow-band filtering. A Laguerre IIR filter design methodology is presented via a frequency transformation in the digital domain. The Laguerre filter can then be efficiently designed using a min-max criterion via a modified Parks-McClellan (1972) FIR filter design algorithm. The proposed Laguerre IIR filter architecture is easy to implement because it needs only a small number of components and therefore well suited for VLSI circuits. The impact of the selection of filter pole on the filter stability and phase linearity is discussed in the paper. The robustness issue of the narrow-band Laguerre IIR filter is also addressed.
The concurrent use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and NMR spectroscopy should enable one to link the structural information from the former to chemical information obtained with the latter. In this instance, the self-assembly of type I collagen into segmental long spacing (SLS) collagen crystallites is examined, and the first concrete evidence for the incorporation of the nucleotide ATP into these crystallites is presented. The type I collagen monomer contains no phosphorus, unlike the triphosphate group of the ATP, thus making 31 P NMR spectroscopy a highly specific probe for the location and interaction of ATP. The changes in the 31 P NMR spectral attributes upon self-assembly of SLS collagen crystallites under various conditions are interpreted with relation to the crystallite morphology observed with AFM. The formation of crystallites is found to correlate with decreased mobility of all three 31 P nuclei of ATP, as evinced by appreciable line broadening in the solution-state spectra. This is attributable to ATP incorporation into the crystallite structure. Analysis of the resonance frequencies for each of the 31 P nuclei of ATP indicates that the R- and A-phosphates have decreased electron density relative to the ‚-phosphate upon incorporation, implying direct charge-charge binding, with binding probabilities greater for the R- and A-phosphate groups than for the ‚-phosphate group. Three possible scaffolding roles of the ATP are proposed with respect to the structure of the SLS collagen crystallite based upon the evidence presented.
OBJECTIVE To determine concentrations of tritiated polysulfated glycosaminoglycans (3H-PSGAG) in serum, urine, and the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) of rabbits after IM administration and molecular weight of 3H-PSGAG recovered from the SDFT.   ANIMALS Twenty-five 12-week-old New Zealand White rabbits.   PROCEDURE Rabbits were given a single dose of 3H-PSGAG (1.1 mg/kg [70 mCi of specific activity/kg] of body weight) IM. At each of 5 sample times (2, 24, 48, 96, and 192 hours), 5 rabbits were randomly selected and sedated, and blood and urine samples were collected. Rabbits were then euthanatized, and the SDFT were immediately harvested from the hind limbs. Scintillation spectrometry was used to detect concentration of 3H-PSGAG in fluid and tissue samples. Gel-filtration chromatography was used to determine molecular weight of recovered 3H-PSGAG.   RESULTS Mean concentrations of 3H-PSGAG in SDFT, serum, and urine were greatest 2 hours after administration. Tritiated PSGAG could be detected in all samples collected 192 hours after administration. Gel-filtration chromatography confirmed that 3H-PSGAG detected in SDFT samples was high molecular weight PSGAG.   CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicate that PSGAG is distributed to the SDFT, serum, and urine after IM administration in rabbits. Further study is needed to determine whether the same is true in horses and to determine what effect, if any, PSGAG has on inflammation of the SDFT.
ABSTRACT Aim: This study assessed the prognostic value of pre-operative 2-[18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) volumetric parameters, including metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG), in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Methods: A total of 166 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and subsequent cytoreductive surgery were retrospectively enrolled. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), MTV, and TLG on 18F-FDG PET/CT were measured for all patients. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of SUVmax, MTV, TLG, and clinicopathological factors for disease progression-free survival. Results: Disease progressed in 78 (47%) of the 166 patients, and the 2-year disease progression-free survival rate was 55.0%. Univariate analysis showed that tumor stage, histopathological type, presence of regional lymph node metastasis, residual tumor after cytoreductive surgery, pre-operative serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level, SUVmax, MTV, and TLG were significant prognostic factors (p 100.0). Conclusions: Along with tumor stage, TLG is an independent prognostic factor for disease progression after cytoreductive surgery in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. By combining tumor stage and TLG, one can further stratify the risk of disease progression for patients undergoing cytoreductive surgery. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Despite the attention paid by economic and labour historians to mid-Victorian trade unionism, the development, organization and objectives of the employers' counter-organizations have been neglected. Research on this subject has tended to concentrate on the post-1880 period and has to a great extent overlooked the origins of the employers' offensive tactics. The two major lines of attack which were to be adopted by employers in the 'eighties were already taking shape in the mid century. Employers' industrial organizations had been formed to counter unionism, while employers' pressure groups attempted to resist what employers described as “grand-motherly” governmental interference. The aim of this article will be to conduct a preliminary investigation of the origins and strategy of employers' organizations, and to evaluate their impact in the industrial and legal fields.
Existing literature on organizational commitment and training suggest that there is a positive relationship between the two variables. However, most of the studies, are conducted in the domain of affective commitment. This study is designed to test the effect of single HR practice training and development on two dimensions of commitment (affective and normative) simultaneously in the mediation of perceived organizational support. The study adopted quantitative approach and data, were collected from nursing staff of public sector hospitals of Southern Punjab through questionnaire. The results indicated that positive relationship of training and development and both dimensions affective and normative commitment are mediated by perceived organizational support. This study proved that even with a single HR practice namely, training and development organizations, can gain the both form of commitment. The study has several implications for hospital management, if they want to provide the quality patient care then they first need to make their nursing staff committed to hospital.
The flood loads that are covered in Chapter 5 of ASCE 7-10 have not changed in any substantive way since ASCE 7-05. The same flood forces are discussed with formulas exactly as they were in ASCE 7-05. The issue for the designer using the flood standard is in trying to understand the unknowns inherent in the formulas so they can make good decisions about how to apply the formulas to real problems. The paper will describe the issues that designers must consider for each of the flood forces delineated in ASCE 7-10 and where continued work needs to be done to improve the understanding we have about the magnitudes of flood loads. The paper will also offer guidance on the magnitude of the load factors used in strength and allowable stress design situations.
Objective Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We aimed to assess population-based rates, trends and outcomes of patients with DKA. Design and methods This is a nationwide cohort study using hospital discharge claims data from 2010 to 2018 in Switzerland. Incidence rates and in-hospital outcomes of DKA were analyzed throughout lifetime for children (0-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), and adults (20-29, 30-59, and 60-90 years). Analyses were stratified for type of diabetes mellitus and sex. Results In total, 5,544 hospitalizations with DKA were identified, of whom 3,847 were seen in patients with type 1 diabetes and 1,697 in type 2 diabetes. Incidence rates of DKA among patients with type 1 diabetes were highest during adolescence with 17.67 (girls) and 13.87 (boys) events per 100,000 person-years (incidence rate difference [IRD]: -3.80 [95% CI, -5.59 to -2.02]) and decreased with age in both sexes thereafter. Incidence rates of DKA in patients with type 2 diabetes were low up to an age of 40 years and rose to 5.26 (females) and 6.82 (males) per 100,000 person-years in adults aged 60-90 years. Diabetic ketoacidosis was associated with relevant health-care burden independent of age, sex, or type of diabetes. The population-based incidence rate of DKA increased over time from 7.22 per 100,000 person-years in 2010 to 9.49 per 100,000 person-years in 2018. Conclusions In type 1 diabetes highest incidence rates of DKA hospitalizations were observed among adolescent females. In comparison, in patients with type 2 diabetes the risk for DKA steadily increased with age with higher rates in adult males. Over the 9 year study period, incidence rates of DKA were increasing irrespective of type of diabetes. DKA was associated with a high burden of disease reflected by high rates of intensive care unit admission, prolonged hospital stay and high mortality rates, especially in elderly.
The major fungal pathogen of humans, Candida albicans, mounts robust responses to oxidative stress that are critical for its virulence. These responses counteract the reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are generated by host immune cells in an attempt to kill the invading fungus. Knowledge of the dynamical processes that instigate C. albicans oxidative stress responses is required for a proper understanding of fungus-host interactions. Therefore, we have adopted an interdisciplinary approach to explore the dynamical responses of C. albicans to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Our deterministic mathematical model integrates two major oxidative stress signalling pathways (Cap1 and Hog1 pathways) with the three major antioxidant systems (catalase, glutathione and thioredoxin systems) and the pentose phosphate pathway, which provides reducing equivalents required for oxidative stress adaptation. The model encapsulates existing knowledge of these systems with new genomic, proteomic, transcriptomic, molecular and cellular datasets. Our integrative approach predicts the existence of alternative states for the key regulators Cap1 and Hog1, thereby suggesting novel regulatory behaviours during oxidative stress. The model reproduces both existing and new experimental observations under a variety of scenarios. Time- and dose-dependent predictions of the oxidative stress responses for both wild type and mutant cells have highlighted the different temporal contributions of the various antioxidant systems during oxidative stress adaptation, indicating that catalase plays a critical role immediately following stress imposition. This is the first model to encapsulate the dynamics of the transcriptional response alongside the redox kinetics of the major antioxidant systems during H2O2 stress in C. albicans.
Abstract The micro‐increments in otoliths from a series of golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) larvae of up to 15 days known age (n = 124, total length (TL) 4.14 to 10.0 mm) were examined and counted to establish the age at formation of the first increment, and periodicity of formation of subsequent increments. The regression of true age on increment count (true age = 3.54 +1.36 × increment count) was significant (r2 = 0.78, P < 0.001) and the slope of the overall regression (1.36 day–1) was not significantly different to 1 (t = 0.09, P = 0.05). First increment formation occurred from day 3 in some larvae, and was completed by day 13 in all larvae. A median estimate for age at first‐increment deposition was 6.0 days, when 50% of the daily sample (n = 10 fish) had at least one increment. However, solving the regression for age when increment number equaled 1.0 provided an estimate of mean age at first‐increment deposition of 4.9 days. Our study validated daily growth increment deposition for golden perch larvae over the first 15 days of development and cautions that age at first‐increment formation varied within a single cohort of larvae by 10 days (i.e., youngest larvae 3 days, oldest larvae 13 days old).
This paper is concerned with an algorithm for analyzing reflected and diffracted fields from a polyhedron type of target above a plane-ground. First, the numerical method for computing electromagnetic field is introduced. In the electric field computation, we use the conventional Fresnel reflection coefficient for reflection and the Fresnel function for diffraction which can precisely solve the diffracted field. Then an algorithm for searching rays between a transmitter and a receiver via a target is proposed. In that method, all the diffracted rays in LOS region from both transmitter and receiver are included when the electric field intensities are calculated. And reflected fields are also included in that solution in case they exist at the surface of a target. Finally, some numerical examples are shown.
The toxic effects of known analgesics in pains and stress management are major health concern globally. This study therefore investigated the phytochemical and analgesic property of commonly used medicinal plant in southwestern Nigeria for pain management. Clerodendrum volubile (CVL) was screened for phytochemical constituents following standard procedure. Forty two Wistar Albino Mice (WAM) of both sexes (35-40 g, n=6) were grouped into seven. Thirty minutes prior to intraperitoneal injection with 2 ml of 0.1% acetic acid, animals in groups I- III received plant extracts (1 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg respectively), IV- VI were treated with paracetamol (acetaminophen), aspirin and indomethacin while VII received saline water. Thirty minutes observation period was adhered to. Time related analgesic effect was also investigated. The results showed that the extract contained alkaloids, tannins, saponins, phenols, anthraquinones, and flavonoids. Analgesic assay revealed methanol leaf extract of CVL demonstrated a dose dependent activity on the acetic acid-induced writhing. Writhing counts significantly reduced in mice administered with 1-100 mg/kg CVL (85.17±3.72, 57.17 ± 4.07 and 40.00 ± 2.08) compared to paracetamol, aspirin, indomethacin (76.50±7.64, 45.67± 2.73, 33.50 ± 4.23) and saline water (207.83±9.95). Percentage inhibition of abdominal constriction was dose dependent in methanol leaf extract of CVL (87.00±0.03%) relative to control (0.00%). These findings support the previously reported analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of extracts of other species related to the study plant. Keywords: Clerodendrum volubile , medicinal plants, musculoskeletal disorder, phytochemical. metals
Abstract Introduction: Despite media and public expectation of efficacy, no study to date has investigated the cognitive and mood effects of omega 3 supplementation in healthy children. Subjects and methods: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel groups pilot study assessed the cognitive and mood effects of either 400 mg or 1000 mg of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in 90 healthy children aged 10–12 years. Cognitive performance and mood was assessed prior to, and 8 weeks following, commencement of treatment. Results: There was a significant treatment effect on one cognitive measure (speed of word recognition), with the lower dose speeding, and the higher dose slowing, performance. Overall, the pattern of results strongly suggests that this effect was due to chance fluctuations in performance and that the treatments had no consistent or interpretable effect on performance. Conclusions: The results here do not suggest that supplementation with these doses of DHA for 8 weeks has any beneficial effect on brain function in cognitively intact children.
Summary Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe X-linked postnatal neurodevelopmental disorder. The syndrome is caused primarily by mutations in the methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) gene on Xq28. Most individuals with RTT are female, and female RTT is normally heterozygous for mutations in MeCP2. Patients with RTT display a normal period of development prior to the onset of symptoms, at which point they undergo a period of regression. Currently, no effective medication is available for this disorder, although animal studies have suggested that RTT symptoms are potentially reversible. For females with RTT, the severity of symptoms and progression of the disease varies a great deal, despite its homogenous genetic origin. These differences could be attributed to differences in the mutation points of MeCP2 and the skew caused by X-chromosome inactivation. Thus, the increased expression in the normal MeCP2 gene could decrease the severity of the disease. Based on findings from studies on animals indicating that fluoxetine (an antidepressant) and cocaine (a psychostimulant) can increase MeCP2 expression in the brain, it is suggested that early intervention with antidepressants or psychostimulants could increase the normal MeCP2 expression in females with RTT, who are normally heterozygous. This therapeutic hypothesis could be tested in an RTT animal model. Following the identification of the antidepressants or psychostimulants with the greatest influence on MeCP2 expression, a combination of early detection of the disorder with early intervention may result in improved therapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, a trial investigating the effects of antidepressants or psychostimulants on MeCP2 expression in lymphocyte culture from patients with RTT is suggested for clinical therapeutic prediction.
Critics of the Harlem Renaissance often pair Nella Larsen with Jessie Fauset, but Nella Larsen and Rudolph Fisher make a better literary pair than do Fauset and Larsen. Like Claude McKay and Wallace Thurman, both Larsen and Fisher believed that sexual desire is a primary force in human nature but one shaped by the ubiquitous presence of modernity. One manifestation of modernity, of course, is popular culture - cabarets, film, and pulp fiction. And as modernists, Larsen and Fisher saw that popular culture was a source of modernism, especially American modernism. For instance, as murder mysteries, Larsen's Passing (1929) and Fisher's The Conjure Man Dies (1932) are indebted to a modernist conception that a lowbrow literary genre like a detective novel might reveal, in Raymond Chandler's famous phrase, a “hidden truth.” In Quicksand (1928), Larsen makes use of another aspect of popular culture (both cinematic and literary), the sensational story of the “tragic mulatta,” but her allusion to Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926) reinterprets that story as an examination of love in a post World War I universe. Finally, in Fisher's The Conjure Man Dies , the clue to the murderer's identity lies not in rational analysis (which presupposes Newtonian order) but in a comic blues song about sexual desire heard daily on Harlem's streets. Echoing Plato's Symposium , all three novels treat sexual desire as the engine in the human machine that can either destroy the self or create the possibility for transcendence, either personal or communal.
The van der Waals dispersion coefficients of a set of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ranging in size from the single-cycle benzene to circumovalene (C(66)H(20)), are calculated with a real-time propagation approach to time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). In the nonretarded regime, the Casimir-Polder integral is employed to obtain C(6), once the dynamic polarizabilities have been computed at imaginary frequencies with TDDFT. On the other hand, the numerical coefficient that characterizes the fully retarded regime is obtained from the static polarizabilities. This ab initio strategy has favorable scaling with the size of the system--as demonstrated by the size of the reported molecules--and can be easily extended to obtain higher order van der Waals coefficients.
Background:  Inguinal hernia repairs consume an important part of health care resources because of the high incidence of the problem. It is estimated that 20 millions of inguinal hernia repairs are performed globally every year. Every recurrence after a primary repair will add an extra cost to health care economics. Moreover, secondary or tertiary operations after previous repairs carry higher risk of re-recurrence and specific complications like testicular atrophy. Therefore, every surgeon should know and perform a current repair method successfully in his/her daily practice. The aim was to compare the efficacy of prolene hernia system with that of lichtenstein mesh repair in terms of early and late complications, operating time, time of return to work, chronic pain and recurrence . Methods: 200 patients reporting and found eligible for the study were selected. They were divided into two groups. One group of 100 patients underwent the prolene hernia system type of surgery. Other group of 100 patients was operated by using Lichtenstein mesh repair. VAS score was used to assess the pain among the patients post operatively. All patients of both the groups were followed for a period of 10 years from August 2006 yearly to assess the occurrence of complications and recurrence among them. Results:  It was found that mean duration of surgery was lesser in PHS group of 25 minutes compared to 35 minutes in other group. On comparison of post-operative pain assessed by VAS score, it was found that the PHS group patients experienced only mild pain compared to mild to moderate pain in other group patients. Patient compliance was excellent in the PHS group compared to the other group. Patients in the PHS group were able to return to their work within 15 days compared to 30 days in other group. Conclusions:  Reports of this device (PHS) are encouraging, operating time is shorter and there is quick recovery. PHS provides all advantages of a tension - free repair, provides a stable anterior repair with added benefits of a posterior as well as plug repair. The high risk group of patient may be a good target as superior primary repair.
We investigate the possibility to acquire information of nuclear generalized parton distribution (GPD) H by studying the deeply virtual Compton scattering (DVCS) of several nuclear targets at the HERMES group (Hadron–Electron Ring Accelerator Measurement of Spin). Two different models are used and developed to demonstrate the leading asymmetry amplitude ALUsinO for coherent-enriched and incoherent-enriched parts with both statistical and systematic uncertainties estimated. It is found that a clear enhancement of ratio of nuclear asymmetry ALUA,sino to free proton asymmetry ALUH,sino in the coherent-enriched region is expected by both models, and a decrease of the ratio in incoherent-enriched region; both give the information about nuclear modifications. It is also possible to distinguish between those two models even under the limited statistics.
A new method which enables carbon-carbon bond formation at the α'-position of silylenol ethers by using catalytic amounts of pyridinium triflate is reported. This chemistry successfully produces, structurally challenging, highly substituted indole-containing silylenol ethers in excellent yields with complete regiocontrol, presumably through silyloxyallyl cation intermediates. Despite the use of Brønsted acid, the silylenol ether moiety does not undergo protodesilylation, thus underscoring the very mild reaction conditions.
WITHIN THE PAST FEW YEARS, the author has taken part in the planning of libraries for two new campuses; one for the Uni­ versity of Illinois at Chicago, and one for the Board of Control for Higher Educa­ tion at Boca Raton, Florida. The latter has been named Florida Atlantic Uni­ versity. There is one important difference between the two. The library at the new campus in Chicago has been developed over a period of sixteen years. The library at Florida Atlantic University has been started this year. The same is true of the faculty for the two institutions, although on the Chicago campus there will be a great expansion of the faculty in the near future. How does a new l~brary differ from one that has grown over a period of years? First, the library staff differs. Starting with a clean slate, it is possibl,to set up an adequate salary scale, one which is not tied to an old outlook. Librarians can now command good salaries. In a new situa­ tion, it is possible to establish this fact and set up a corresponding salary scale. At Florida Atlantic University, the beginning
According to Frege, criteria of identity have an important role to play in the explanation of reference. This chapter develops a version of this Fregean idea in detail. A language community is described whose speakers behave precisely as if they were referring to abstract letter types. The speakers should, it is argued, be interpreted as making and achieving such reference. This semantic interpretation is permissible because this sort of reference should be accepted in the metalanguage as well. The most distinctive aspect of the account is its emphasis on the idea that the abstract objects in question are “metaphysically lightweight” or thin.
The aim of this article is to give a detailed survey, as much as possible exhaustive, of the available studies regarding the intriguing problem of orientational ordering of small solutes in nematic mesophases. It is the intention of the authors that the interested reader should be able to gather quite complete information about the approach to the matter and its historical evolution to date. Finally, exactly 50 years after the seminal paper of Saupe and Englert, where the phenomenon was observed for the first time (A. Saupe and G. Englert, Phys. Rev. Lett., 1963, 11, 462), this is also intended as a tribute to all the outstanding scientists who have devoted (and still devote, every day) their intelligence and capacities to trying to understand and explain this important and fascinating topic.      Keywords:    liquid crystal NMR;  orientational order;  rigid probe solutes in nematics;  solute order parameters;  intermolecular interactions
spring 2007 may have paid the highest price; unmanageable from boyhood and eventually disgraced by alcoholism and debt, his relationship with his parents was never satisfactorily resolved. Colquhoun considers him paxton’s greatest personal failure (204). This biography reveals for the first time the interaction of ambition, willpower, intelligence, and good fortune in paxton’s multifaceted enterprises. Colquhoun has incorporated intimate stresses with public rewards and has produced a wellrounded sense not only of a man anchored in his immediate milieu, but of the narrative arc of an amazing life. Margaret Flanders Darby Colgate University
A theory for thermal conduction in polyatomic gases has been developed. The approach is similar to that of Hirschfelder in 1957 for chemically reacting gases, but it also takes into consideration the delayed exchange of energy between translational and internal degrees of freedom. The result obtained is identical with the one given by Saxena et al. in 1964, except for a numerical factor 2/3 which now appears in the term representing correction to the contribution of internal modes.
Members of community mental health teams for the elderly (CMHTE), officers in local authority social services residential homes for the elderly (Part III homes) and GPs in Leicestershire were sent questionnaires regarding contact and the relationship between CMHTE and Part III homes. There was general agreement between the three groups on the role of CMHTE members in the homes and the benefits of regular liaison involvement of a team member in a home. There was a high level of agreement for open access to CMHTE from Part III home officers by all three groups surveyed.
Objective: understanding how the elderly women perform self-care to keep sexuality in old age. Method: a descriptive exploratory study of a qualitative approach conducted at the Basic Health Unit (BHU) of Candelaria / RN with 20 elderly women, between August and September 2012, from semi-structured interview that, after reading, were analyzed by Thematic Analysis. The assent to the study was with Protocol 347/11 of the Research Ethics Committee, CAAE 0375.0.051.000-11. Results: sexuality in the context of femininity permeates various cultural and social issues, which are directly related to self-care of it. Conclusion: it is considered that self-care is basic at all stages of the life cycle, but during aging, often ends up being forgotten. It is noteworthy that actions that promote self-care in the elderly are essential to keep her sexuality active, contributing to their biopsychosocial welfare. Descriptors: Self-care; Geriatric Nursing; Elderly; Sexuality. RESUMO Objetivo: compreender como a idosa realiza o seu autocuidado a fim de manter a sexualidade durante a velhice. Método: estudo descritivo exploratório com abordagem qualitativa realizado na Unidade Básica de Saúde (UBS) de Candelária/RN com 20 idosas, no período de agosto e setembro de 2012, a partir de entrevista semiestruturada que, após leitura, foram analisadas pela Análise Temática. O parecer favorável ao estudo foi com o Protocolo no 347/11 do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa, CAAE n 0375.0.051.000-11. Resultados: a sexualidade no âmbito da feminilidade perpassa várias questões culturais e sociais, as quais estão diretamente relacionadas com o autocuidado da mesma. Conclusão: considera-se que o autocuidado é fundamental em todas as etapas do ciclo vital, porém, durante o envelhecimento, geralmente, acaba sendo esquecido. Vale salientar que ações que promovam o autocuidado nos idosos são imprescindíveis para manter sua sexualidade ativa, contribuindo para o seu bem-estar biopsicossocial. Descritores: Autocuidado; Enfermagem Geriátrica; Idoso; Sexualidade. RESUMEN Objetivo: entender cómo las señoras mayores realizan su auto-cuidado para mantener la sexualidad en la vejez. Método: un estudio descriptivo exploratorio con enfoque cualitativo realizado en la Unidad Básica de Salud (UBS) de la Candelaria / RN con 20 mujeres de edad avanzada, entre agosto y septiembre de 2012, de una entrevista semi-estructurada que después de leer, fueron analizadas por Análisis Temático. El asentimiento al estudio fue con el Protocolo 347/11 de la Comité de Ética en la Investigación, CAAE 0375.0.051.000-11. Resultados: la sexualidad en el contexto de la feminidad impregna diversas cuestiones culturales y sociales que están directamente relacionadas con el auto-cuidado de la misma. Conclusión: se considera que el auto-cuidado es fundamental en todas las etapas del ciclo de vida, pero, durante el envejecimiento, a menudo acaba siendo olvidado. Es de destacar que las acciones que promuevan el autocuidado en los ancianos son esenciales para mantener su sexualidad activa, lo que contribuye a su bienestar biopsicosocial. Descriptores: Cuidados Personales; Enfermería Geriátrica; Ancianos; Sexualidad. Nurse, Resident of the Multidisciplinary Residency Program of Internalization of Health Care, Federal University of Pernambuco / UFPE, Garanhuns (PE), Brazil. Email: dharah.puck@hotmail.com; Nurse, Professor, Nursing Course of Estacio / Fatern, Master’s Student of Nursing, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte / UFRN, Natal (RN), Brazil. Email: vivisimonato@yahoo.com.br; Nurse, Professor, Graduate and Postgraduate Nursing Course, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte / PPGENF / UFRN. Natal (RN), Brazil. Email: rejmillions@hotmail.com; Nurse, Master Teacher at the Potiguar University / UnP, Natal (RN), Brazil. Email: macielbetania@hotmail.com ORIGINAL ARTICLE Ferreira DPC, Aguiar VS, Meneses RMV et al. Old age and sexuality: conceptions about... English/Portuguese J Nurs UFPE on line., Recife, 9(10):9500-6, Oct., 2015 9501 ISSN: 1981-8963 DOI: 10.5205/reuol.7944-69460-1-SM.0910201511 The human aging process is a challenge in this global society, being inherent in all living beings, occurring differently in each individual over its life. With the advancement of medicine and technology, thus improving the quality of life and curing diseases, increased life expectancy begins to be effective at the global reality, confirming for the change of the population profile. This process was observed in developed countries, it shall be seen in developing countries, like Brazil. In the last century the Brazilian average lifetime was of 33 years old and in 2012 rose to 74,6. Old age is not a decline, but a continuation of life with its characteristics and peculiarities. Thus, the elderly goes through some changes of anatomical and physiological aspect, psychological, physical and social, that may influence sexual interest in the exercise of femininity and body image may be related, for example, the appearance of gray hair and wrinkles. Sexuality is still associated with youth, despite changes in the profile of the world's population. Many consider the elderly as asexual because of myths, taboos and prejudices in society about this subject. Thus, this type of design obstructs health promotion work of the multidisciplinary team, as well as inhibit self-care. Therefore, sexuality can be described as a form of expression of the person on its gender, being a woman or man, through each specific through the floor, gestures, ornaments, speech, etc. Not being restricted only the sexual act. In addition, the elderly have the right to exercise their sexuality, which is not restricted to sexual interaction, when selfcare is a healthy and safe way that encourages the rescue of self-esteem of the elderly. Moreover, the preservation of the old self-esteem is still an obstacle, since in contemporary society, cultural values oriented youth tend to depreciate the same in terms of their fitness and sexual attraction. It is believed that health education through multidisciplinary teams for the elderly is one of the ways that can contribute to the understanding that there promoting their health, favoring autonomy over their body. It is thought that aging may prove to be a positive experience, but it is necessary to invest in care, prevention and control of diseases typical of this age. So, caring is effected in the daily lives of every individual from self-care, contributing to the maintenance of dignity, and fostering its development. Moreover, the concept, activities, therapeutic requirements and requirements are intrinsic to human beings. The presence of self-care during old age favors the increase in life expectancy, and will even beyond, promotion of biopsychosocial well-being of that individual, improving its quality of life by encouraging the maintenance of its sexuality, as well as guidance and aid from workers and family members to ensure the achievement of these in order to promote mental capacity, cognitive and functional to the elderly. In this context, the question is: “The elderly's experience enables them to exert their sexuality effectively?”. To answer this question, it was elaborated the general objective of the study: to understand how the elderly performs self-care in order to keep their sexuality in old age. This study is a guiding principle of the need to deepen this theme, because of the importance to the scientific community and society. The contribution to the emergence of new research will facilitate improving the perception of health professionals in relation to health promotion and disease prevention, focusing on the elderly population, highlighting the aspects related to self-care associated with their sexuality, thus providing a significant improvement in the quality of life of individuals as they age. Article compiled from the research project entitled << Elderly Sexuality: A nurse reflection >>, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte/UFRN, Natal (RN), Brazil, 2012. It is a descriptive exploratory study of a qualitative nature, conducted with 20 elderly participants of relaxation groups and physical activity in the Basic Health Unit (BHU) of Candelaria, located in the southern region of the city of Natal / RN, between August and September 2012. We chose this unit due to the same hold regular activities with the elderly population of the catchment area and the locality of BHU, by conducting therapeutic groups with focus on physical activities and prose. Inclusion criteria were persons over 60 years of age; members of groups: yoga, gymnastics, dance or prose, the latter being only for women, BHU of Candelaria; and to sign the Informed Consent (IC). Since the exclusion criteria were based on males. METHOD INTRODUCTION Ferreira DPC, Aguiar VS, Meneses RMV et al. Old age and sexuality: conceptions about... English/Portuguese J Nurs UFPE on line., Recife, 9(10):9500-6, Oct., 2015 9502 ISSN: 1981-8963 DOI: 10.5205/reuol.7944-69460-1-SM.0910201511 The proposed study was initiated after approval from the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) under CAAE 0375.0.051.00011, receiving assent to the Protocol 347/11, as recommended by Resolution 466/2012 of the National Health Council, and the health service authorization, in compliance with ethical principles. In order to preserve the identity of study participants, they were identified with names of gems, because of its beauty and strength. It was used a script to generate individual interview with questions related to the maintenance of sexuality through self-care. In the first contact the authors of the study explained the purpose of this and their goals. After the old affirmative response to participate in the study, they signed the informed consent. At another time interviews were conducted. To analyzing the data collected, there was the reading of the interviews, the testimonies of the el
Introduction: Cicatricial canthal webs present a complex reconstructive challenge for the eyelid surgeon. A combination of vertical skin deficiency, cutaneous and subcutaneous scar, and altered anatomy and blood supply can make surgical correction difficult and unpredictable. Patients typically are seen after blepharoplasty surgery or trauma with both cosmetic and functional (visual-field obstruction in lateral gaze) deficits. This is often a significant frustration to both the patient and the surgeon. A combination of a Y-to-V advancement flap, adjacent tissue rearrangement with Z-plasties centered on the arms of the Y (five-flap technique), and scar excision, when necessary, can be a useful procedure for revision of these webs. Methods: The charts of patients who underwent cicatricial canthal web revision in the solo private practice of the author over a 5-year period (2006–2010) were retrospectively reviewed. Each patient had a history of previous eyelid surgery or trauma that led to the development of the web. No patient had previous surgery to address the web. Each patient's presenting complaints were aesthetic, functional, or both, and each was previously told to avoid revision, as surgery to correct the web would make the condition worse. Patient's pre- and postrevision digital photographs, and patient and physician assessments, were reviewed to evaluate the results of surgery. Postoperative injections of subcutaneous steroid (Kenalog) and/or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) were given as a treatment adjunct to modulate wound healing and prevent scarring when deemed appropriate. Results: Eight patients were included in the study. Seven (88%) patients are women, and 1 (12%) patient is a man. The mean patient age is 46 years (range, 18–56 years), and the mean follow-up is 17 months (range, 9–30 months). Seven (88%) of the patients had lateral canthal webs after surgery, and 1 (12%) patient had a medial canthal web after a motor vehicle accident. Every patient voiced aesthetic concerns with the web, and 4 (57%) of the 7 patients with lateral canthal webs reported a visual deficit related to the defect. Six (75%) patients received 3 separate injections of Kenalog postoperatively, and 2 (25%) patients received the same number of injections composed primarily of 5-FU admixed with steroid. Each patient was satisfied with the aesthetic and functional result of surgery. Conclusion: Cicatricial canthal webs are an uncommonly reported finding that has received little attention in the literature. The condition has both aesthetic and functional implications, can be very bothersome and frustrating to patients, and can be intimidating to the treating surgeon. Although surgical revision carries risks of flap necrosis, scar, and worsened appearance, it can also significantly improve appearance and function. If the patient is realistic, understands the limitation of surgery, and will be happy with a moderate improvement, surgery should be strongly considered. The author found that revision of cicatricial canthal webs with the technique described in this article yields excellent results, given the limitations of the presenting problem.
Membrane-derived microvesicles (MVs) shed by cells are being investigated for their role in intercellular communication and as potential biomarkers of disease, but facile and sensitive methods for their analysis do not exist. Here we demonstrate new principles for analysis of MVs that use micrometer-sized droplets of liquid crystals (LCs) to amplify MVs that are selectively captured via antibody-mediated interactions. The influence of the MVs on the micrometer-sized LC droplets is shown to be readily quantified via use of flow cytometry. The methodology was developed using MVs shed by epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells that contain epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as an important and representative example of MVs containing signaling proteins that play a central role in cancer. The LC droplets were found to be sensitive to 10(6) MVs containing EGFR (relative to controls using isotype control antibody) and to possess a dynamic range of response across several orders of magnitude. Because the 100 nm-sized MVs captured via EGFR generate an optical response in the micrometer-sized LC droplets that can be readily detected by flow cytometry in light scattering mode, the approach possesses significant advantages over direct detection of MVs by flow cytometry. The LC droplets are also substantially more sensitive than techniques such as immunoblotting because the lipid-component of the MVs serves to amplify the antibody-mediated capture of the target proteins in the MVs. Other merits of the approach are defined and discussed in the paper.
Modern theories of authoritarianism have stressed the importance of threat to the expression of authoritarian attitudes and intolerance. Arguably, authoritarian tendencies may have increased during COVID-19 pandemic, a major threat to life and security. One issue arising when comparing mean scores is that of measurement invariance. Meaningful comparisons are only possible, if latent constructs are similar between groups and/or across time. This prerequisite is rarely ever tested in research on authoritarianism. In this study, we aim to analyze the short scale for authoritarianism KSA-3 by investigating its measurement invariance on two levels (three first-order and one second-order factors) and latent mean changes using two German representative samples (N = 4,905). Specifically, we look at differences before and during the pandemic (2017 vs. 2020). While measurement invariance holds across both levels in all conditions, we find a decrease in latent means in 2020, contrary to expectations and established theories. Moreover, latent means differ with regard to gender, education, and east–west Germany. We conclude that analyses of latent means and measurement invariance instead of mean comparisons with composites should become the standard. Future studies should focus on threat as a moderator between authoritarianism and intolerance, and on possible interactions with context variables.
DISCUSSION Early acute cases appear to respond adequately to penicillin, ampicillin or suphonamides alone. But patients suffering from chronic sinusitis have proved most responsive to the combined therapy of Bisolvon and either an antibiotic or a short-acting sulphonamide. In 13 cases out of 15 so treated, I have observed a marked thinning of the mucus and complete resolution of the sinusitis. A much larger number of patients will need to be studied before an accurate assessment of the rate of response
Traditional Graph Neural Network (GNN), as a graph representation learning method, is constrained by label information. However, Graph Contrastive Learning (GCL) methods, which tackle the label problem effectively, mainly focus on the feature information of the global graph or small subgraph structure (e.g., the first-order neighborhood). In the paper, we propose a Local Structure-aware Graph Contrastive representation Learning method (LS-GCL) to model the structural information of nodes from multiple views. Specifically, we construct the semantic subgraphs that are not limited to the first-order neighbors. For the local view, the semantic subgraph of each target node is input into a shared GNN encoder to obtain the target node embeddings at the subgraph-level. Then, we use a pooling function to generate the subgraph-level graph embeddings. For the global view, considering the original graph preserves indispensable semantic information of nodes, we leverage the shared GNN encoder to learn the target node embeddings at the global graph-level. The proposed LS-GCL model is optimized to maximize the common information among similar instances at three various perspectives through a multi-level contrastive loss function. Experimental results on five datasets illustrate that our method outperforms state-of-the-art graph representation learning approaches for both node classification and link prediction tasks.
Abundances of chemical elements in the interstellar and circumgalactic media of high-redshift galaxies offer important constraints on the nucleosynthesis by early generations of stars. Damped Lyα absorbers (DLAs) in spectra of high-redshift background quasars are excellent sites for obtaining robust measurements of element abundances in distant galaxies. Past studies of DLAs at redshifts z > 4 have measured abundances of ≲0.01 solar. Here we report the discovery of a DLA at z = 4.7372 with an exceptionally high degree of chemical enrichment. We estimate the H i column density in this absorber to be log (N H I/cm−2) = 20.48 ± 0.15. Our analysis shows unusually high abundances of carbon and oxygen ([C/H] = 0.88 ± 0.17, [O/H] = 0.71 ± 0.16). Such a high level of enrichment a mere 1.2 Gyr after the Big Bang is surprising because of insufficient time for the required amount of star formation. To our knowledge, this is the first supersolar absorber found at z > 4.5. We find the abundances of Si and Mg to be [Si/H] = −0.56−0.35+0.40 and [Mg/H] = 0.59−0.50+0.27 , confirming the metal-rich nature of this absorber. By contrast, Fe shows a much lower abundance ([Fe/H] = −1.53−0.15+0.15 ). We discuss implications of our results for galactic chemical evolution models. The metallicity of this absorber is higher than that of any other known DLA and is >2 orders of magnitude above predictions of chemical evolution models and the N H I-weighted mean metallicity from previous studies at z > 4.5. The relative abundances (e.g., [O/Fe] = 2.29 ± 0.05, [C/Fe] = 2.46 ± 0.08) are also highly unusual compared to predictions for enrichment by early stars.
Building automation systems are used to meet the increasing requirements for energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings. In such systems, BACnet has established itself as the standard communication protocol for communication between devices from different manufacturers. In order to ensure conformity with the BACnet standard, the devices are certified for conformity. In practice, however, the implementation depth described in the standard profiles is not sufficient for operating a system. As a result, many users demand an extended implementation depth of the BACnet protocol. In most cases, an AMEV certificate is sought, which extends the BACnet objects and their properties in comparison to the standard certification. Despite the BACnet standard certification and the fulfilment of the AMEV test certificate, problems often occur during the operation of building automation systems. These problems can be attributed to the fact that neither the functionality nor the performance of automation stations are determined. In addition, special user requirements are not checked before commissioning a building automation system. For this reason, a model was developed with the help of which a pre-commissioning of the automation station is possible in order to automatically check it for errors and special user requirements before commissioning. Initial tests of automation stations revealed that some user requirements were not met.
Two previously unclassified helium optical emission continua, seen in arc and other discharges, are found to result from a transition between excited states of He{sub 2}{sup +}. {ital Ab} {ital initio} potential curves are calculated for the states involved, and semiempirical spontaneous emission spectra are obtained that fit experimental data. The corresponding cross section for stimulated emission suggests the possibility of a laser with a tuning range of 2500 to 10000 A peaking at {similar to}6000 A. A broadband emission at {similar to}6050 A may be evidence of laser gain.
This study was carried out to identify unknown Alternaria species or less known as plant pathogenic anamorphic fungi from Benghazi District. Plant materials with fungal signs and symptoms were collected and examined to identify causal agents. Five species—A. brassicae (on Eruca sativa), A. longipes (on Nicotiana glauca), A. tenuissima (on Ficus carica), A. triticicola (on Hordeum vulgare L.) and Alternaria state of Pleospora infectoria (on Avena sativa)—were reported as plant pathogenic and new to Libyan mycobiota.
Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is an increasingly important issue for the piping in industries especially petrochemical and chemical plants due to its unexpected catastrophic disaster. Therefore, attention towards the maintenance and prediction of CUI occurrence, particularly in the corrosion rates, has grown in recent years. In this study, a literature review in determining the corrosion rates by using various prediction models and method of the corrosion occurrence between the external surface piping and its insulation was carried out. The results, prediction models and methods available were presented for future research references. However, most of the prediction methods available are based on each local industrial data only which might be different based on the plant location, environment, temperature and many other factors which may contribute to the difference and reliability of the model developed. Thus, it is more reliable if those models or method supported by laboratory testing or simulation which includes the factors promoting CUI such as environment temperature, insulation types, operating temperatures, and other factors.
People who were practicing Marketing exercise’s and Academicians thinks that “4 Ps” marketing framework – product, price, place and promotion adds less value to their interest or business where ongoing relationship is critical. In a process of finding a way to overcome these marketers has evolved a concept of Relationship Marketing which talks about understanding customer segments, delivering ongoing quality service, and achieving high customer satisfaction. Relationship marketing was about “putting the customer in the middle of the business circle,” in the words of Dick Lee, principal of St. Paul-based Hi-Yield Marketing. Customer Relationship management is the strongest and the most efficient method of maintaining and creating customers. The challenges for marketers doesn’t stops here, as market matured from national to international to global, customer retention and acquisition become more crucial and challenging for them. Multiple options broaden the path for consumer to get access over many products and services, creating a high probability of defection. Now they have new challenge to face that is “Defection”. They are trying hard to understand what they are supposed to do so as to increase customer retention and decrease customer defection. This paper tries to understand the mediating effect of sources on customer defection (Objective knowledge versus Subjective Knowledge) and its important act on consumers repurchase behavior. Effect of Mediating Factors on Customer Defection with Special Reference to Banking Industry in India
The general solution of the wave equation for axially symmetric polarized (ASP) beams consists of two independent solutions: an azimuthally polarized beam and a beam with longitudinal and radial field components. The maximum of the longitudinal field is at the beam axis where the transverse component is equal to zero. While the longitudinal component is maximum in the waist it does not contribute to beam divergence here, and therefore the wavefront of ASP-beams is flat in the focal plane. The ASP-beams are free from polarization aberrations, which are inherent for linearly polarized beams passing through a lens with large annular apertures, and these beams are prospective for experiments on obtaining `diffraction-free' beams. The formulae and their electromagnetic field analysis in the case of sharp focusing of ASP-beams in the Debye approximation are presented.
Abstract The purpose of our study was to identify distinct types of anglers with different preferences for fishing opportunities, focusing on anglers in New York State. The sample of anglers who responded to a large statewide survey was randomly assigned to two subsamples (N 1 = 1,769 and N 2 = 1,784) to allow for cross validation of the cluster analysis used to determine angler types. Using a scale that measured basic fishing preferences such as desire for catch, skill development, and fish consumption, we identified seven types of anglers. These types were further described and validated by means of a more specific fishing-preferences scale measuring variables such as the type of water, tackle, fishing methods, and sites preferred. Angler types ranged from the largest groups, namely, skilled, coldwater, fish consumers (24%) and low-skilled, warmwater, fish consumers (17%), to the smallest group, namely, skilled, coldwater, stream anglers (6%). In general, we found that anglers were fishing in the areas ...
The aim of the study was comparing the chemical composition of the essential oils from five varieties of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia L.), and its biological activity against two pathogenic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the comparison we included the following varieties: ‘Munstead’, ‘Munstead Strain’, ‘Lavender Lady’, ‘Ellegance Purple’ and ‘Blue River’. Selected varieties of lavender (L. angustifolia) are characterised by exactly the same main compounds with only variations in the percentage of content. The primary components of the essential oils were: linalool (23.9–15.8%), linalyl anthranilate (12.3–1.6%), 1-terpinen-4-ol (9.7–5.5%), p-menth-1-en-8-ol (7.9–4.0%) and linalool oxide (4.7–1.1%). From the essential oils that were tested, the ‘Blue River’ and ‘Munstead’ varieties have the greatest antibacterial activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa.
Background: A Galeazzi fracture is defined as a fracture of the radius associated with dislocation of the distal radio-ulnar joint (DRUJ). The conventional surgical technique of nailing does not give enough stability and open reduction, internal fixation with the plate is associated with numerous complications. The stacked nailing for the management of these injuries provides adequate stability, maintains the relationship of the DRUJ and promotes uneventful union by closed technique. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the results of simple, user-friendly, low cost elastic stacked nailing for the management of Galeazzi fracture dislocation. Materials and Methods: We treated 22 young adults with fresh Galeazzi fracture-dislocation of the forearm, from January 2004 to January 2008, by percutaneous fixation of fracture by stacked elastic nailing at our institute. There were 19 males and three females and the age group ranged from 20-56 years (average 35 years). Surgery was performed within 48 to 72 hours under the guidance of image intensifier. Medullary cavity was filled with two elastic titanium nails having unequal lengths and diameter. One nail acts as a reduction nail and the other acts as a stabilizing nail. The results were evaluated using Mikic criteria based on union, alignment, relationship of the DRUJ, and movements at the inferior radio ulnar joint, elbow and wrist. Results: In six cases, following radiological union, nails in the radius were extracted between six to nine months after operation because of discomfort complained by the patient at site of insertion. After one year follow-up, 18 patients had excellent, four had fair results. Conclusion: Closed reduction and internal fixation of Galeazzi fracture by two elastic rods re-establishes the normal relationship of the fractured fragments and the DRUJ without repair of the ligaments. The stability is achieved by the flexibility and elasticity of the nails, crowding of the medullary canal and anchorage they gain in the radial diaphysis. Elastic nailing can produce excellent clinical results for Galeazzi fracture-dislocation. It has the advantages of technical simplicity, minimal cost, user-friendly instrumentation, and a short learning curve.
The commonly used clinical diagnostic criteria for NMO still requires the presence of clinical episodes of both optic neuritis and myelitis. We believe this criteria has disadvantages for making early diagnosis in patients who fail to meet the criteria yet have the same disease process. Therefore we propose a simple new criteria which requires one of the following two: (1) centrally located, fully contiguous long spinal cord lesion (LCL) extending three or more spinal segments length or long segmental spinal cord atrophy and (2) presence of specific antibody to aquaporin-4 (AQP4). We also propose a new naming "autoimmune astrocytopathy" for such patients, since the autoimmune destructive process against astrocytes is the characteristic common underlying mechanism, the majority of patients show the clinical brain symptoms, and anti-AQP4 antibodies are frequently, but not exclusively, associated. The reanalysis of Japanese interferon β-1b clinical trial data failed to show efficacy in patients meeting the diagnostic criteria for multiple sclerosis and showed MRI evidence of LCL. Although there is no evidence-based guideline for NMO, expert opinions generally agree with the treatment strategy. My treatment algorithm is shown in the table. At acute exacerbation, high-dose steroid infusion is the choice. If two cycles of infusion treatment fails to show recovery, plasma-exchange treatment should be initiated quickly. Medium dose oral steroids are started immediately after the end of high dose steroid infusion therapy. In moderate to severe activity cases additional usage of one of the immunosuppressants, Mizoribine, Tacrolimus, or Azathiopurine is quite useful, and the immunosuppressive effects on NMO are higher in this order, but the safety is higher at the opposite order. Therefore, selection of one of immunosuppressants should be made on individual basis and slow achievement of the immunosuppressive effects should be kept in mind especially in case of Azathiopurine. If any of these immunosuppressants are not successful in inducing stable state, then Mitoxantrone or Tituximab is the choice. The monthly infusion of former drug usually stablizes the disease activity quite quickly, but treatment duration is limited due to it's cardiotoxicity. Rituximab is also quite powerful in stabilizing the activity, but there still exist some non-or poor responder to this medicine, and insurance coverage is not expected for MS or NMO in Japan. Cyclophosphamide infusion is also an alternative choice for very difficult cases. Physicians working on NMO treatment in Japan are very much hoping the initiation of well controlled clinical trials in order to treat our patients with more scientific strategy based on evidences.
A modification of the particle filter algorithm that allows using it also in cases with incorrect measurements has been presented in the paper. The use of anti‐zero bias does not require a large computational effort (a single additional operation for each measurement value), and simultaneously does not deteriorate results for the case of good measurements (if the bias value is not too large). It has been shown that the bias which provides the best estimation quality depends on the particles number. The obtained results have been compared with unscented Kalman filter method with bad measurement data identification. As an object, power system has been used, with main task set as estimation of the state of this system. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pretreatment technologies have been developed to increase the bioconversion rate for  both starch and cellulosic-based biomass. This study investigated the effect of decortication as a  pretreatment method on ethanol production from sorghum as well as its impact on distiller’s dry  grains with solubles (DDGS) quality. Eight sorghum hybrids with 0, 10, and 20% of their outer layer  removed were used as raw materials for ethanol production. The decorticated samples were  fermented to ethanol by using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Removal of germ and fiber prior to  fermentation allowed for a higher starch loading for ethanol fermentation and resulted in increased  ethanol production. The ethanol yields increased as the percentage of decortication increased. The  decortication process resulted in DDGS with higher protein content and lower fiber content, which  may improve the feed quality.
Introduction Bladder cancer risk is suggested to vary between occupational categories. We assessed the occupational variation in incidence of bladder cancer and relationship with chemical solvent exposures in the Nordic countries. Methods The study is based on Nordic Occupational Cancer Study (NOCCA). Data consist of 14.9 million individuals of age 30 to 64 years from the Nordic countries who participated in one or more population censuses since 1960 and were followed up for 45 years. During the follow-up 148,669 cases of bladder cancer were detected. Standardised incidence ratio with 95% of confidence interval (CI) was used to describe the variation in bladder cancer risk in comparison to the national average. Quantitative estimates of solvents exposure for 113,343 bladder cancer cases and 566,715 population controls were assigned using Nordic job exposure matrix. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI: for each solvent was estimated using conditional logistic regression. Results Highest statistically significant risks were observed among tobacco workers (SIR 1.57, 95% CI: 1.24–1.96), chimney sweeps (1.48, 1.21–1.80), waiters (1.43, 1.33–1.53), hairdressers, seamen, printers, plumbers. Significant decreased risks were observed among farmers (0.70, 0.68–0.71) and forestry workers (0.74, 0.70–0.78). Significantly increasing trends in SIR over the years were observed among drivers and launderers. The occupational risk associated with the chemical solvent at highest exposure levels (>90th percentile of the exposed persons) were aliphatic and alicyclic hydrocarbon solvent (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.00–1.23), benzene (1.16, 1.04–1.31), toluene (1.20, 1.00–1.38) and trichloroethylene (1.23, 1.12–1.40). Conclusion Occupation is evidently associated with bladder cancer risk. Part of that variation appears to be attributable to solvent exposures.
This study was carried out to evaluate the resistance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.), fed on organic selenium (OS)supplemented diet to water-born cadmium (Cd) toxicity. Fish (14.8±1.3 g) were randomly distributed at a density of 10 fish in 100-L aquarium. Fish in three treatments were fed a diet (30% crude protein) containing 0.5 g OS/kg diet (T1 - T3), while three other treatments (T4 - T6) were fed a basic diet without OS. During the feeding trial, fish in all groups were then exposed to 0.0, 1.116, or 2.232 mg Cd 2+ /L for 6 weeks. The fish performance and all the biochemical aspects were affected significantly by both Cd concentration, Se supplementation, and their interaction. OS supplementation enhanced fish growth, survival, and feed utilization, meanwhile the exposure to Cd reduced them (T1 vs T4, T2 vs T5, and T3 vs T6). All fish body constituents except moisture content were significantly affected by OS supplementation, Cd level, and their interaction. Crude protein and total lipids in fish body decreased, while ash content and Cd residue increased significantly with increasing Cd levels. OS reduced significantly Cd residues in fish body. Moreover, OS supplementation reduced creatinine, uric acid, AST, and ALT to below those of Cd-exposed treatments. Serum lipids increased, while protein decreased only in Cd-exposed groups (T5 and T6). Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity increased significantly with increasing Cd level and it was higher in T1 vs T4, T2 vs T5, and T3 vs T6. It could be concluded that OS supplementation may reduce the harmful effect of waterborn Cd in fish, which in turn improves the growth, survival, and feed efficiency.
Planar clusters of coupled plasmonic nanoparticles support nanoscale electromagnetic "hot spots" and coherent effects, such as Fano resonances, with unique near and far field signatures, currently of prime interest for sensing applications. Here we show that plasmonic cluster properties can be substantially modified by the addition of individual, discrete dielectric nanoparticles at specific locations on the cluster, introducing new plasmon modes, or transmuting existing plasmon modes to new ones, in the resulting metallodielectric nanocomplex. Depositing a single carbon nanoparticle in the junction between a pair of adjacent nanodisks induces a metal-dielectric-metal quadrupolar plasmon mode. In a ten-membered cluster, placement of several carbon nanoparticles in junctions between multiple adjacent nanoparticles introduces a collective magnetic plasmon mode into the Fano dip, giving rise to an additional subradiant mode in the metallodielectric nanocluster response. These examples illustrate that adding dielectric nanoparticles to metallic nanoclusters expands the number and types of plasmon modes supported by these new mixed-media nanoscale assemblies.
Artificial intelligence (AI), a rousing advancement disrupting a wide spectrum of applications with remarkable betterment, has continued to gain momentum over the past decades. Within breast imaging, AI, especially machine learning and deep learning, honed with unlimited cross-data/case referencing, has found great utility encompassing four facets: screening and detection, diagnosis, disease monitoring, and data management as a whole. Over the years, breast cancer has been the apex of the cancer cumulative risk ranking for women across the six continents, existing in variegated forms and offering a complicated context in medical decisions. Realizing the ever-increasing demand for quality healthcare, contemporary AI has been envisioned to make great strides in clinical data management and perception, with the capability to detect indeterminate significance, predict prognostication, and correlate available data into a meaningful clinical endpoint. Here, the authors captured the review works over the past decades, focusing on AI in breast imaging, and systematized the included works into one usable document, which is termed an umbrella review. The present study aims to provide a panoramic view of how AI is poised to enhance breast imaging procedures. Evidence-based scientometric analysis was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline, resulting in 71 included review works. This study aims to synthesize, collate, and correlate the included review works, thereby identifying the patterns, trends, quality, and types of the included works, captured by the structured search strategy. The present study is intended to serve as a “one-stop center” synthesis and provide a holistic bird’s eye view to readers, ranging from newcomers to existing researchers and relevant stakeholders, on the topic of interest.
SUMMARY    In a long-term ley-fertility experiment, on old arable land, the treatments include various 3 1/2-year leys and an arable four-course rotation—barley, fodder-beet, barley, undersown with a 1-year ley. The yields of winter wheat following most of the 3 1/2-year leys are higher than after the arable rotation. To determine whether this is partly due to disease, the wheat was examined in 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1961 for soil-borne diseases, mainly eyespot (Cercosporella herpotrichoides) and take-all (Ophioboltis graminis).        Very little take-all occurred. The amount of eyespot was negligible in 1957. In the other years, examination of the wheat suggested that the amount of eyespot in the soil was low during 1-year leys and hayed 3 1/2-year leys, and during grazed 3 1/2-year leys not receiving nitrogen fertilizer, but possibly not during grazed 3 1/2-year leys receiving heavy dressings of nitrogen. The 1-year leys were probably as good as the 3 1/2-year leys at controlling eyespot. The main factor affecting the level of eyespot in the wheat appeared to be the level of mineral nitrogen in the soil under the wheat. In wheat not receiving nitrogen fertilizer, between 4 and 24% of the culms bore eyespot. When the wheat received 78 lb. N per acre after the 1-year ley of the arable rotation, up to 49% of the culms bore eyespot; and when the wheat received 52 lb. N per acre after heavily-manured grazed leys (the residues of which contained much mineralizable nitrogen), up to 60% of the culms bore eyespot. Nevertheless, the increases in mineral nitrogen increased the yields of wheat.        Although the wheat yields were probably not depressed by eyespot, the large amount of eyespot associated with some treatments, notably where both the 3 1/2-year grazed leys and the subsequent wheat received nitrogen fertilizer, was potentially important to the survival of the disease.
The NPVREP is a national programme funded by the government of Botswana, through the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Affairs with the overall goal of providing photovoltaic energy to rural households and institutions at affordable financial terms. The programme is implemented by Rural Industries Promotions Company, Botswana, through its operational arm, Rural Industries Innovation Centre (RIIC). At inception of the programme, systems were either undersized, or over utilised as clients did not reveal their usage needs in an attempt to reduce costs. This resulted in battery failures and other system breakdowns. The NPVREP categorised systems in order to alleviate the problem of under sizing and/or over utilization of systems. Categorised systems are pre-sized and users have to determine a category into which their needs fall. Statistical analysis at 5 % level of confidence show that the actual sizings of module array and battery bank are significantly different from the categorised system sizes for both the module array and the battery bank.  (Botswana Journal of Technology: 2003 12(2): 45-50)
T he work of art here to be published was found in the excavations of 1938 at Elmswell, about two miles west of Driffield in the East Riding of Yorkshire (6-in. O.S. Yorks. E.R. CLXISE.). These excavations, following on those carried out by our Fellow Mr. A. L. Congreve from 1935 to 1937; have shown the site to be that of a native settlement of the Parisi, occupied—probably continuously—at least from Flavian times until the end of the Roman period, and again in pagan Saxon times. Of the pre-Roman Iron Age nothing has yet come to light beyond two British coins, one of the Iceni ( c. A.D. 25) and one possibly of Cunobelin, but the site is separated by little more than the line of the Driffield—Malton railway from the Eastburn area where, in building operations in 1938, as many as seventy-five Iron Age graves were discovered even in the relatively small plots of ground excavated. These contained the remains of flexed inhumation-burials, each originally covered by a small barrow, exactly as in the well-known Danes' Graves and Arras cemeteries; and the date within the three centuries directly preceding the Roman Conquest was confirmed by several finds of grave-goods, notably an iron sword of La Tene type, bronze ornaments, an ‘involuted’ brooch, and several vessels of pottery. Further, in another part of the same site, Parisian pottery of Roman age was found, the earliest of which agrees exactly with the earliest from Elmswell. There can in fact be little doubt that this whole area was an important centre of settlement in the east Yorkshire equivalent of La Tene times, where ‘the Iron Age B’ culture of the Parisi passed directly into the romanization that was introduced at the Flavian conquest of the early seventies A.D.
Imaging biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that are able to detect molecular changes in vivo and transgenic animal models mimicking AD pathologies are essential for the evaluation of new therapeutic strategies. Positron-emission tomography (PET) using either 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) or amyloid-tracers is a well-established, non-invasive tool in the clinical diagnostics of AD assessing two major pathological hallmarks. 18F-FDG-PET is able to detect early changes in cerebral glucose metabolism and amyloid-PET shows cerebral amyloid load. However, the suitability of 18F-FDG- and amyloid-PET in the widely used 5XFAD mouse model of AD is unclear as only a few studies on the use of PET biomarkers are available showing some conflicting results. The aim of this study was the evaluation of 18F-FDG-PET and amyloid-PET in 5XFAD mice in comparison to neurological deficits and neuropathological changes. Seven- and 12-month-old male 5XFAD mice showed a significant reduction in brain glucose metabolism in 18F-FDG-PET and amyloid-PET with 18F-Florbetaben demonstrated an increased cerebral amyloid deposition (n = 4–6 per group). Deficits in spatial reference memory were detected in 12-month-old 5XFAD mice in the Morris Water Maze (n = 10–12 per group). Furthermore, an increased plaque load and gliosis could be proven immunohistochemically in 5XFAD mice (n = 4–6 per group). PET biomarkers 18F-FDG and 18F-Florbetaben detected cerebral hypometabolism and increased plaque load even before the onset of severe memory deficits. Therefore, the 5XFAD mouse model of AD is well-suited for in vivo monitoring of AD pathologies and longitudinal testing of new therapeutic approaches.
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Malang is one of the largest sugarcane plantations in Java in the colonial ruler. Several factors that support this success was soil fertility, supply of water, and infrastructure. Although this area has two kinds of topography namely lowland and hills but the colonial still able to manage these regions as one of the best sugarcane producers. The challenge is to be solved by developing the two different irrigation namely irrigation systems romeijn and syphon. These systems that supports Malang as one of the center of sugarcane in Java. In recent days, this infrastructure still can be witnessed, but unfortunately it is not many people are aware of the existence and function syphon that extends above the Metro river, Kepanjen. Therefore, this article try to discuss about the history of syphon metro Kepanjen and its function. Then, offer an outdoor learning scheme by using the site for the students Department of History. This was undertaken with the aim disseminate history of syphon to the community so that they have sense of belonging to preserve this site and took a very important lesson to the existence of the site. Keywords— Syphon, Malang, outdoor learning
When using an automotive collision avoidance radar or a communication system with other automobiles or with communication points on the roadsides, electromagnetic (EM) wave reflection from the road surface and from fences beside the road may cause disturbance in the communication. Therefore, the road and any fences along the road must have large EM wave absorption effects. If the complex relative permittivity epsivr(epsivr) and the value of the complex relative permeability mur(mur) of a large flat plate can be measured by the free space method, it would be easy to develop roads and fences that have large electromagnetic wave absorption.This paper presents: a) measurement theory of epsivr and mur by using large flat plate, b) plane wave method using dielectric lenses, c) measurement technique of a epsivr and mur,and d) the results agreed with the ones obtained by an S parameter coaxial line method.
This piece of research completes the line of work on the thermal evolution of the Mediterranean region initiated in the National Plan on Climate Change. The study was undertaken to analyse the active regional thermal series over the 1950–1996 period, rigorously treated by the SNHT (Standard Normal Homogeneity Test) method. This research concluded that the evolution of the mean annual temperatures recorded in the major historical network of Spanish Mediterranean observatories exhibits a significant warming trend. However, analysis of the non-climatic processes, such as the urban effect and weather station relocations, allowed us to conclude (in a study published in 2004) that the assumption of temperature stability in the Spanish Mediterranean should therefore not be rejected. Conclusions that were partially verified in 2016, in particular of the true the urban effect, about the period (1950-2013). The results obtained showed that this magnitude could account for between 70 and 80% of the recorded warming trend in Western Mediterranean cities. In this context, twenty years after the end of the Plan Nacional del Clima, it would be wise to revisit, in 2019, the validity of the conclusions that the regional climate offered. This piece of research aims to assess the true magnitude of the climate warming recorded in the Spanish Mediterranean region. The evaluation is based on the records of 23 observatories belonging to the Spanish regional network of the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), with complete series covering the 1950–2018 period, processed by the SNHT. The verification is further based on three new analyses. The first involves the analysis of the thermal evolution (1906-1925 and 1991-2018) at the observatory on the Columbretes Islands (28 miles off the coast of Castellón). The island climate series entails in-depth revision of the conclusions and trends set out in our previous studies. The second piece of research involves the magnitude of the Urban Heat Island (UHI, 2001–2018) using temperature records from seven weather stations located in the CastellónAlmassora urban area. The third piece of research was based on the analysis of a trend value that has stabilized since 2010, simultaneously to the decline of the population and the descent of total energy consumption. Therefore, this piece of work verifies the importance of the UHI and establishes the magnitude of the real t regional warming. The study suggests that the real value of climate warming in the Spanish Mediterranean region may be estimated at between 1oC and 1.1oC in the period from 1950 to 2018.
The genetics of the immune response in the mouse were studied by using the antigenically simple, stable, naturally occurring protein ferredoxin (Fd) from Clostridium pasteurianum. The immune status of mice primed and boosted with Fd was assessed by using two parameters of immunity: T cell proliferation and serum antibody production with the ELISA method. In both assay systems, the response has been shown to be H-2 linked: k, b, and s haplotypes respond to Fd, and H-2d mice are nonresponders. It is apparent that different immunoregulatory events modulate the response in the responder strains; these factors become evident in the recombinant analysis of the response and to date an immunoregulatory gene(s) has been mapped to at least the K/I-A subregions. F1 analysis demonstrated a gene dose-dependent response of the strains studied.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a rare, chronic autoimmune disease with symptoms of ﬂuctuating muscular weakness and fatigability. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to estimate the prevalence and incidence of MG in Germany, and to understand the burden of disease and treatment patterns, based on anonymized German claims data. Two patient samples were identiﬁed: (1) incident MG patients with newly onset disease between 2015 and 2019, and (2) prevalent MG patients in 2019. In total, 775 incident MG patients with a mean age of 66.9 years; and 1,247 prevalent MG patients with a mean age of 68.6 years were included. The prevalence for Germany was estimated to be 39.3/10 0,0 0 0 on 31/12/2019; the incidence in 2019 was 4.6 cases/10 0,0 0 0 persons. The 12-month mortality was 5.7. For 31.5% of the incident patients, no MG treatment was observed in the ﬁrst year after the index date. Of all incident patients, 29.9% experienced an exacerbation, and 6.7% a myasthenic crisis during the observation. Our study indicates that a substantial proportion of MG patients remains untreated. Many MG patients still experience exacerbations / MG crises. MG seems to be associated with an excess mortality in comparison to the general non-MG population.
The research presented in this part of the paper involved a detailed experimental study of the flow through transonic turbine blading with trailing edge coolant ejection. The tests were carried out on (nearly) flat plate models representing the region of uncovered turning downstream of the throat. The investigation focused on the aerodynamic aspects associated with trailing edge ejection in steady two-dimensional flow over a range of exit Mach numbers, coolant pressure ratios and temperature ratios.The experiments showed that the simple existence of the coolant cavity leads to a substantial change of the flow field in the near wake. Consequently, the slotted unblown base was found to have considerably less loss than the solid one. The effect of coolant ejection is shown to cause a substantial increase in base pressure and reduction in overall loss. The surface static pressure distribution and boundary layers were affected by the coolant in two ways: directly from downstream, via the base pressure, and indirectly through a changed trailing edge shock system. However, the coolant stagnation temperature ratio was found to have no discernible effect on the base pressure and loss.Copyright © 1997 by ASME
The glutamate excitotoxicity, mediated through N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), plays an important role in cerebral ischemia injury. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) can be activated by multiple stimuli that may happen during stroke. The present study evaluated the effect of TRPV4 activation on NMDA-activated current (INMDA) and that of blocking TRPV4 on brain injury after focal cerebral ischemia in mice. We herein report that activation of TRPV4 by 4α-PDD and hypotonic stimulation increased INMDA in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, which was sensitive to TRPV4 antagonist HC-067047 and NMDAR antagonist AP-5, indicating that TRPV4 activation potentiates NMDAR response. In addition, the increase in INMDA by hypotonicity was sensitive to the antagonist of NMDAR NR2B subunit, but not of NR2A subunit. Furthermore, antagonists of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) significantly attenuated hypotonicity-induced increase in INMDA, while antagonists of protein kinase C or casein kinase II had no such effect, indicating that phosphorylation of NR2B subunit by CaMKII is responsible for TRPV4-potentiated NMDAR response. Finally, we found that intracerebroventricular injection of HC-067047 after 60-min middle cerebral artery occlusion reduced the cerebral infarction with at least a 12-h efficacious time-window. These findings indicate that activation of TRPV4 increases NMDAR function, which may facilitate glutamate excitotoxicity. Closing TRPV4 may exert potent neuroprotection against cerebral ischemia injury through many mechanisms at least including the prevention of NMDAR-mediated glutamate excitotoxity.
Aquaplaning is one of the most crucial problems for road safety and the relevance of the effects is deeply related to the maintenance of pavement surface texture. In particular the paper shows the effectiveness of the pavement rehabilitation technique for the improving of the exposure of surface aggregate. Actually the aquaplaning risk is mostly investigated and predicted through conceptual models. These models are time independent and they cannot consider the time transitory of the heavy brief rainstorm. A physically based approach has been tentatively tested. This approach is very promising in the case of regular domains. Obviously it is not completely reliable when the integrating domain is irregular. The most critical zone of the road surface, that is the spiral transition, has been considered. The hydraulic conductivity of open graded pavements has been also dynamically considered. The outcomes quantitatively show that the maintenance of the standards of macro texture and open graded pavement is crucially related to road safety improving and aquaplaning risk reduction.
Shirasu, a pyroclastic flow deposit, is used as aluminosilicate in producing geopolymer. Ground granulated blast furnace slag is used as an admixture for development of higher initial strength of Shirasu geopolymer. Sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solution are used as alkaline activators. Mortars are atmospheric cured or oven dry heat cured for 24 hours. Compressive strength and sulfuric acid immersion tests are carried out. Based on the experimental study, it was observed that the initial and long term strength development of Slag-Shirasu geopolymer improved and acid resistance increased.
For many decades, imaging radars were mainly experienced in remote sensing through satellite and airborne SAR. With the continuous improvements in integrated silicon technologies, early adoption of imaging radars to serve the personnel security screening market in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum became feasible. Later, the race to establish robust and affordable mmWave imaging solutions for the automotive and industrial applications has also begun. This development is, however, still challenging the semiconductor community, because of the high complexity and the sophisticated requirements needed for imaging radars. In many aspects, such requirements differ significantly from conventional communication systems, which has been and yet dominating the semiconductor industry. In this paper, a general overview on the key aspects of the trending imaging radars and their possible impact on modern silicon are discussed.
Abstract Arguing that the equation for the gonihedric string should have a generalized Dirac form, we found a new equation which corresponds to a symmetric solution of the Majorana commutation relations and has a non-Jacobian form. The corresponding generalized gamma-matrices are anticommuting and guarantee unitarity at all orders of v / c . The previous solution was in a Jacobian form and admits unitarity at zero order. Explicit formulas for the mass spectrum lead to nonzero string tension M 2 j ≥ M 2 ( j +1) 2 . The equation does not admit tachyonic solutions, but still has unwanted ghost solutions. We discuss also new dual transformation of the Dirac equation and of the proposed generalizations.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of information asymmetry of retailer's greening cost on the performance of both the manufacturer and the retailer. The study considers a dual-channel supply chain comprising of a manufacturer and a retailer committed to green operations. The authors have employed sequential game theoretic model to derive the closed form expressions corresponding to the two cases under consideration, that is: (1) complete information and (2) asymmetric information. They have found that the sharing of greening cost information by the retailer can make both the manufacturer and the retailer better off in terms of profit. They have also found that the greening cost information sharing is all the more important when the greening cost efficiency is weak. The study helps retail managers to make a decision on whether to conceal or reveal the greening cost information with the upstream manufacturer.
Objective: To examine the effect of artificial fiber complexes (AFC) on growth and RBC membrane fluidity in comparison with three single fibers. Methods: 48 healthy, female Wistar rats (50-80 g) were randomly divided into 6 groups based on body weight. All five kinds of DF (cellulose, pectin, sodium alginate, cellulose pectin complex, cellulose sodium alginate complex) were given at a level of 10% in a lipid rich diet. The control group was fed lipid rich diet alone without DF. After 8 weeks, the effect on growth and development, lipid peroxidation, RBC membrane fluidity were studied. Results: 1.All DF groups did not affect the growth and development of the rats. 2.The fecal weight and its fat content in all DF groups were significantly higher than that in control group, especially for AFC group.3. All kinds of DF could increase serum SOD and GSH Px activities and reduce MDA content (except cellulose and sodium alginate group). RBC membrane fluidity was significantly increased in DF groups, and AFC groups were the most effective. Conclusion: All these kinds of DF have the effect of increasing RBC membrane fluidity, and AFC is the best.
The following is a position paper in favor of a global political revolution. The central demands of this revolution are the creation and maintenance of supranational institutions aimed at the protection of the global commons; the overcoming of coordination problems of a global scale; allowing individuals, nations, and other groups to operate in the international and transnational spheres with sufficient institutional assurances; and providing forums for the regulation, enforcement, and adjudication of international and transnational norms, standards, practices, and agreements.PrefaceThis project is inspired by the idea that we are all members of a global political community. This political community currently consists of roughly 7.3 billion persons [as well as a substantial and important number of other living organisms]. The physical bounds of this community spans roughly 196,937,400 square miles of spherical surface area [139,668,500 water, 57,268,900 land], the matter immediately above and beneath this surface, the layer of gasses surrounding this mass, and some reasonable amount of area surrounding that layer of gasses, to include the natural satellite orbiting approximately 238,900 miles away. The people of this political community currently organize themselves in to just under two hundred nations; a rapidly growing number of international and transnational organizations; and a multitude more states, cities, provinces, regions, landau, townships, et cetera. Individuals within this political community also join together to form an unknown, but presumably substantial, number of other sorts of groups, societies, leagues, and corporations related to their interests, preferences, desires, and beliefs. Current research suggests the persons of Earth make use of between 3,000 and 7,000 written or spoken languages, practice roughly 4,500 religions en mass, and commit themselves to a substantial but unknown number more practices, customs, and traditions. At present, human beings are the only creatures known to organize themselves in to such a complex social structure and/or be capable of rationality, autonomy, and self-consciousness. However, this project does not presuppose that other similarly situated beings could not evolve, be created, or be discovered.Part of what it is to be human is to categorize and classify. However, the classifications that divide human beings according to culture, location, and language have led to an unjustifiable amount of death, division, and destruction. As a species we have consistently underappreciated our place in time and space. This has breed what I perceive to be the greatest political plague known to human beings, nationalism. Although these classifications are in large part a result of our individual and collective social and political histories, the time has come in our social evolution to transcend these classifications and work towards supporting our collective interests. As such, I believe the pivotal political project of the 21st century for the human beings of Earth is to establish, monitor, and maintain the institutions necessary for a functioning and justice-conducive global political order. Such a system requires the creation of a new layer of governance intended to protect global interests. I believe there are good normative and descriptive reasons in favor of supporting a global constitutional democracy with a written founding document and active political institutions. In what follows I will make a case for a global constitutional political order of this sort.
N-alkane concentrations in the cuticular wax of seven temperate grass species were assayed by gas chromatography.One-way ANOVA was used to examine the effect of sampling time on the concentrations of individual N-alkanes in the same species.The results showed that the effect of growth stage on the N-alkane concentrations of the forage species tested was significant.The concentrations of C_(29) or C_(31) in the forage species studied all exceeded 50 μg/g DM,indicating they could be used to estimate the intake of grazing animals.The results of principal component and one-way ANOVA indicated that it should be possible to use alkane techniques to estimate dietary composition of grazing animals in the grasslands of the north temperate zone of China. At all sampling times there were significant differences(P0.05)in terms of the alkane patterns,between the grass species except for those between Elymus sibiricum and Elymus dahuricus or Leymus chinensis when sampled in September 2004.
Humane spirit is that a kind of general mankind shows loving care for oneself,is the cultural development and value direction of social progress,it is a person's soul,and the contemporary university student's indispensable basic quality too,the disappearance of humane spirit will cause the lopsided development of university students.So,should train and bring up high-quality talents that university students become having both ability and political integrity,science and humane spirit and regard as equally important, must strengthen humane quality-oriented education,namely draw the humane nourishment in traditional culture,pay attention to the humanities,realizing the merger of education of science and humane education.
Logistics center plays an important part in the whole logistics system,while the site selection of logistics center gives full scope to the function of center operation.By the use of quality function deployment method,the abutting joint between the customers' demands of logistics center and the technical characteristics has been realized effectively.Based on the construction of quality function development model,it is essential to find out crucial technical characteristics in the site selection of logistics center in order to help enterprises make effective decisions and realize the maximum utilization of limited resources.
Abstract Drawing on fieldwork in three Andean regions of Peru, this article analyses the capacity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to reduce mining-related violence in rural communities in developing countries. Within Peru, to some extent CSR has stabilised short-term relationships between mining corporations and nearby communities, although tensions remain high in others. While effects are varied and locally-contingent, the findings support a theoretical understanding of CSR as deeply embedded in legitimising the violence of capitalism, including the slow violence from degrading local environments.
The article is devoted to the issues of the national liberation movement, namely the Ukrainian aspect in the Polish uprising of 1863-1864, which is important in the light of the present-day events in Ukraine. The researcher analyses activities of Ukrainian revolutionaries, and various viewpoints of the Russian scientists relating the Polish events. It is noted that the Polish uprising had a serious influence on the internal political policy of the government referring the Southwest regions in the Russian Empire, and created conditions for further isolation of Ukrainian people from Russia.
Existence of Cities always depends on the region for the resources-land, food, water, energy or maybe cheap labor. The resource base is vital for the survival of the cities. With increasing urban sprawl there is a great impact on the future of cities and their sustenance. The primary intent of the study is to demonstrate an Urban Design approach towards a sustainable compact urban model in new growth potential areas (case of Cyberabad, Hyderabad, India) as a means to counteract city’s faceless sprawl and environmental degradation by generating compact high density, low energy, mixed-use living and integrating it with the existing city fabric reducing the ecological footprint for future generations. As the selected site offers good natural features, ecologically sensitive areas of the site i.e. Steep slope areas, catchment channels and climatically unsuitable areas from the open space system of the development. The sustainable compact city design approach balances the environmental loads and the growth of city saving resources, conserving energy and enhancing the quality of life.
Background:Manynon-neoplasticdisorderscancausea significant deficit of femoral bone stock. In some cases, this deficit is so significant that the standard reconstruction procedures and prostheses cannot be used. In these patients, total femoral prostheses are required to restore limb function. Methods:Weretrospectivelystudied6patientswithtotal femoral prostheses, with 3.8 years average follow-up. Results:One patient died 45 days after surgery, another isstillinfectedandtheremaining4hadasatisfactoryoutcome. Conclusions:Evenifthenumberofevaluatedpatientsis low, this analysis has revealed some important aspects about the surgical technique and indications of this procedure.
Based on TM and ETM imagines, and employing GIS technique and empirical Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, this paper studied the dynamics of soil erosion at the upper reaches of Minjiang River during three typical periods, with the main affecting factors analyzed. The results showed that the soil erosion area was increased by 1.28%, 1.84 % and 1.70% in 1986, 1995 and 2000, respectively. The average erosion modulus was increased from 832.64 t x km(-2) x yr(-1) in 1986 to 1048.74 t x km(-2) yr(-2) in 1995 and reached 1362.11 t x km(-2) yr(-1) in 2000, and soil loss was mainly of slight and light erosion, companying with a small quantity of middling erosion. The area of soil erosion was small, and the degree was light. There was a significant correlation between slope and soil loss, which mainly happened in the regions with a slope larger than 25 degrees, and accounted for 93.65%, 93.81% and 92.71% of the total erosion in 1986, 1995 and 2000, respectively. As for the altitude, middling, semi-high and high mountains and dry valley were liable to soil erosion, which accounted for 98.21%, 97.63% and 99.27% of the total erosion in 1986, 1995 and 2000, respectively. Different vegetation had a significant effect on soil erosion, and shrub and newly restored forest were the main erosion area. Excessive depasture not only resulted in the degradation of pasture, but also led to slight soil erosion. Land use type and soil type also contributed to soil loss, among which, dry-cinnamon soil and calcic gray-cinnamon soil were the most dangerous ones needing more protection. Soil loss was also linearly increased with increasing population and households, which suggested that the increase of population and households was the driving factor for soil loss increase in this area.
Ende furnace coal ash was pretreated in different types of acid,and monomer of dye decolorization tests were carried out.The effect of acid amount,stirring time,Ende furnace coal ash amount and temperature on decolorization rate was investigated.The results indicated that nitric acid had good decolorization effect,and the optimum conditions for treating 100 mL printing and dyeing wastewater were as follows:0.5 g Ende furnace coal ash,normal atmospheric temperature,stirring time 40 min.
Accounting on RD expenses directly affects enterprise management performance and financial status.On the basis of analyzing the expenditure and capitalization of RD and their different influences,this paper put forward trial suggestions on RD expenses,in order to embody the thoughts of new accounting standards to the maximum extent.According to the related regulations of partial capitalizing in new accounting standards,analyzed the influence of RD expenses in new accounting standards on RD investment from 4 aspects,in order to promote the development of enterprise RD better.
A cooperative analytical project has optimized a horizontal ground coil heat pump system for the Pittsburgh climate. This is the first step in the exploration of several advanced designs including various ground coil devices and advanced heat pump components. The project made use of new and existing design tools to simulate system performance and determine first cost. The system life cycle cost was minimized while constraining the system to meet the design day cooling load using a function minimizing program. Among the system parameters considered were: air-to-refrigerant frontal area, air-to-refrigerant fin pitch, air-to-refrigerant air flowrate, compressor displacement, liquid-to-refrigerant coil length, liquid-to-refrigerant coil diameter, ground coil fluid flowrate, ground coil length, and ground coil depth.
Many of the options available to decision makers, such as college majors and romantic partners, can become unavailable if sufficient effort is not invested in them (taking classes, sending flowers). The question asked in this work is whether a threat of disappearance changes the way people value such options. In four experiments using "door games," we demonstrate that options that threaten to disappear cause decision makers to invest more effort and money in keeping these options open, even when the options themselves seem to be of little interest. This general tendency is shown to be resilient to information about the outcomes, to increased experience, and to the saliency of the cost. The last experiment provides initial evidence that the mechanism underlying the tendency to keep doors open is a type of aversion to loss rather than a desire for flexibility.
Marshall MacLuhan made famous the par ado x "the medium is the message". In the discourses ofPope John Paul II, it is possible to discover a tendency towards the equating of the enunciation and that which is enunciated. In any event, the enunciation - that is, the axis which links the emitter and the receiver ofthe message - remains predominant. This can be seen in the Pope' s first encyclical, in which the use of the first person introduces and concludes the document. ; Every contribution tends to transform itself into proclamation. The act of proclamation is based on competency in the "fundamental" and on the reference to the pontifical mission. This reference can even lead him to speak in the name of ail "believers". In this way, the discourse tends to become performative : it may call into existence the international scientific community, or it may interpellate those chargea with responsibility even beyond the immediated assembly . . .
Angiogenesis is a crucial process in the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) are multifunctional cytokines that potently stimulate angiogenesis during tumor neovascularization. VEGF is secreted by MM cells. It induces proliferation of MM cells and stimulates IL-6 expression by microvascular endothelial cells and bone marrow stroma cells, suggesting both autocrine and paracrine functions for VEGF in MM. HGF and the HGF receptor, c-Met, are expressed simultaneously in MM cell lines and in freshly isolated MM cells, suggesting a possible role for HGF in MM cell proliferation. This review focuses on the clinical significance of serum levels of VEGF and HGF in MM.
We investigated predation of juvenile penaeids, in particular the grooved tiger prawn Penaeus semisulcatus and the brown tiger prawn P. esculentus, by sampling prawns and their potential fish predators on 2 intertidal seagrass beds in the Embley River, Queensland, Australia. Despite large differences in above-ground biomass of seagrass, these beds are both critical nursery areas for postlarval [ =3 mm CL) tiger prawns. Thirty-seven species of fish were found to eat juvenile penaeids, but 76% of P. semisulcatus and 43% of P. esculentus (numbers) were found in the stomachs of 1 species of fish (Scomberoides commersonianus). Predation levels at the 2 seagrass beds did not appear to be related to the amount of seagrass present; rather the numbers of Penaeus semisulcatus eaten by fish increased with the numbers of P. semisulcatus on the seagrass beds. Compared to the size distributions of tiger prawns resident on the seagrass, postlarval and small juvenile tiger prawns were under-represented in the stomach contents of fish and only 17 of the 287 P. semisulcatus found in fish stomachs were <=4 mm CL. Although we were unable to quantify the component of natural mortality attributable to predation by fish, we have identified the major fish predators of juvenile tiger prawns and provide evidence suggesting that fish are not significant predators of postlarval and small juvenile tiger prawns.
The phylum Actinobacteria is one of the most ubiquitously present bacterial lineages on Earth. In the present study, we try to explore the diversity of cultivable rare Actinobacteria in Sigangli Cave, Yunnan, China by utilizing a combination of different sample pretreatments and under different culture conditions. Pretreating the samples under different conditions of heat, setting the isolation condition at different pHs, and supplementation of media with different calcium salts were found to be effective for isolation of diverse rare Actinobacteria. During our study, a total of 204 isolates affiliated to 30 genera of phylum Actinobacteria were cultured. Besides the dominant Streptomyces, rare Actinobacteria of the genera Actinocorallia, Actinomadura, Agromyces, Alloactinosynnema, Amycolatopsis, Beutenbergia, Cellulosimicrobium, Gordonia, Isoptericola, Jiangella, Knoellia, Kocuria, Krasilnikoviella, Kribbella, Microbacterium, Micromonospora, Mumia, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Nocardioides, Nocardiopsis, Nonomuraea, Oerskovia, Pseudokineococcus, Pseudonocardia, Rhodococcus, Saccharothrix, Streptosporangium, and Tsukamurella were isolated from these cave samples.
OBJECTIVE To explore the genetic basis for a patient featuring multiple carboxylase deficiency (MCD).   METHODS PCR and Sanger sequencing were used to detect variant in the coding region of BT and HLCS genes in the patient. Suspected variants were verified in her parents and 80 unrelated healthy controls by a PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.   RESULTS The patient was found to carry compound heterozygous variants of the HLCS gene, namely c.286delG (p.Val96Leufs*162) and c.1648G>A (p.Val550Met). The c.286delG (p.Val96Leufs*162) was verified to be novel variant based on the result of PCR-RFLP analysis. No variant was found in the coding regions of BT gene in the patient.   CONCLUSION The compound c.286delG (p.Val96Leufs*162) and c.1648G>A (p.Val550Met) variants probably underlie the MCD disorder in this patient. Above results have enriched the variant spectrum of MCA.
Dendroscope 3 is a new program for working with rooted phylogenetic trees and networks. It provides a number of methods for drawing and comparing rooted phylogenetic networks, and for computing them from rooted trees. The program can be used interactively or in command-line mode. The program is written in Java, use of the software is free, and installers for all 3 major operating systems can be downloaded from www.dendroscope.org. [Phylogenetic trees; phylogenetic networks; software.].
The generation of frame synchronization waveforms with desired autocorrelation properties is addressed for OFDM systems that use pilot tones for frame synchronization. A genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to search for good subcarrier locations for frame synchronization pilots. The performance of the generated synchronization waveforms is evaluated by a simulated OFDM system and it is demonstrated that the generated waveforms achieve the desired frame synchronization performance. It is shown that the GA converges to a good solution much faster than a random search when the GA parameters are properly chosen. The best side peak level suppression for a given number of carriers is also investigated.
The optimum scheme for geometric phase measurement in EAST Tokamak is proposed in this paper. The theoretical values of geometric phase for the probe beams of EAST Polarimeter-Interferometer (POINT) system are calculated by path integration in parameter space. Meanwhile, the influences of some controllable parameters on geometric phase are evaluated. The feasibility and challenge of distinguishing geometric effect in the POINT signal are also assessed in detail.
Recently we have developed an assay method for peroxidase-catalyzed coupling of iodotyronine residues of thyroglobulin, which is applicable to human diseased thyroid tissues. In the present study, the assay method as well as usual peroxidase assay methods were applied to thyroids of three patients (No. 1: familial goiter with impaired thyroglobulin synthesis, No. 2: mild chronic thyroiditis, No. 3: dyshormonogenetic goiter) who showed organification of iodine with high TSH levels and low thyroid hormone levels in sera. In general, these patients showed relatively high activities measured by guaiacol oxidation assay, iodide oxidation and coupling assay compared with those of control thyroids. Iodothyronine content in thyroglobulin was very low except thyroxine in No. 2. These results indicate that factors other than peroxidase may be responsible for the cause of the hypothyroid state. The coupling assay method used here is therefore useful for the detection of the 'coupling defect' in patients in a hypothyroid state.
We further develop a new approach to shape metamorphosis using bounded blending operations in space-time. The key steps of the metamorphosis algorithm are: dimension increase by converting two input kD shapes into half-cylinders in (k+1)D space-time, applying bounded blending union with added material to the half-cylinders, and making cross-sections for getting intermediate shapes under the transformation. This approach is extended here in two directions. First, the problem of "jump" in animation or the rapid transition between shapes in the given interval is solved using "smoothed" versions of half-cylinders which undergo bounded blending. Second, the approach is extended to 3D initial and final shapes with the bounded blending union operation applied to the corresponding "smoothed" 4D space-time half-cylinders.
Objectives: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) may affect multiple systems, but few prenatal symptoms appear during pregnancy. With development of high-throughput DNA sequencing technology, two TSC genes have been proposed as an independent diagnostic standard. This study aimed to determine prenatal tubercular sclerosis diagnosis and counselling for high-risk groups of TSC using high-throughput DNA sequencing combined with fetal heart echocardiography (FE). Methods: FE was performed in 28 pregnant women with a family history of TSC or suspected familial tuberous sclerosis. Amniotic fluid and peripheral blood samples were collected from pregnant women or their family members. Fetuses and family members were further analysed for potential TSC1 and TSC2 mutations by next-generation DNA sequencing. Results: 28 families were selected. Twenty-seven families had members and/or probands with TSC gene abnormalities, of which five were family genetic mutations and 22 were caused by de novo mutations. For prenatal diagnosis, TSC gene abnormalities were detected in five of 28 fetal amniotic fluid samples. Among these samples, three had multiple cardiac rhabdomyoma (CR) by FE and the remaining samples were negative by FE. One special family, the proband was clinically diagnosed with TSC, but no target genes was identified in the whole family. Conclusions: For high-risk TSC population, target gene detection combined with FE for prenatal diagnosis of TSC is feasible. Counselling, prognosis and perinatal management are facilitated based on genetic analysis and FE.
It is customary to suggest that the asymmetry in the transmission of oil price shocks to real output is well established. Much of the empirical work cited as being in support of asymmetry, however, has not directly tested the hypothesis of an asymmetric transmission of oil price innovations. Moreover, many of the papers quantifying these asymmetric responses are based on censored oil price VAR models that have recently been shown to be invalid. Other studies are based on dynamic correlations in the data and do not distinguish between cause and effect. Recently, several new methods of testing and quantifying asymmetric responses of U.S. real economic activity to positive and negative oil price innovations have been developed. We put this literature into perspective, contrast it with more traditional approaches, highlight directions for further research, and reconcile some seemingly conflicting results reported in the literature.
Glyceroglycolipids, abundant in cyanobacteria’s photosynthetic membranes, present bioactivities and pharmacological activities, and can be widely used in the pharmaceutical industry. Environmental factors could alter the contents and compositions of cyanobacteria glyceroglycolipids, but the regulation mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, the glyceroglycolipids contents and the transcriptome in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 were analyzed under phosphate starvation. Under phosphate starvation, the decrease of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG) and increases of digalactosyl diacylglycerol (DGDG) and sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG) led to a decrease in the MGDG/DGDG ratio, from 4:1 to 5:3, after 12 days of cultivation. However, UDP–sulfoquinovose synthase gene sqdB, and the SQDG synthase gene sqdX, were down-regulated, and the decreased MGDG/DGDG ratio was later increased back to 2:1 after 15 days of cultivation, suggesting the regulation of glyceroglycolipids on day 12 was based on the MGDG/DGDG ratio maintaining glyceroglycolipid homeostasis. There are 12 differentially expressed transcriptional regulators that could be potential candidates related to glyceroglycolipid regulation, according to the transcriptome analysis. The transcriptome analysis also suggested post-transcriptional or post-translational regulations in glyceroglycolipid synthesis. This study provides further insights into glyceroglycolipid metabolism, as well as the scientific basis for glyceroglycolipid synthesis optimization and cyanobacteria glyceroglycolipids utilization via metabolic engineering.
Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a pharmacogenetic clinical syndrome that manifests as a hypermetabolic crisis when a susceptible individual is exposed to an anesthetic triggering agent. Clinical signs include unexplained elevation of end-tidal carbon dioxide, muscle rigidity, acidosis, tachycardia, tachypnea, hyperthermia, and evidence of rhabdomyolysis. This process is a result of an abnormally increased release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which is often caused by an inherited mutation in the gene for the ryanodine receptor (RYR1) that resides in the membrane of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The gold standard for determination of MH susceptibility is the caffeine-halothane contracture test. However, it is invasive, requiring skeletal muscle biopsy and is not widely available. Researchers have begun to map mutations within the ryanodine receptor gene (chromosome 19q13.1) responsible for conferring MH susceptibility. Ryanodine receptor mutations are found in at least 25% of known MH susceptible individuals in North America. Mutation analysis has recently become available in the United States and is expected to play an integral role in the diagnosis of MH susceptibility in the future.
The ancient world saw the rise and fall of many cultures, with accompanying cultural exchanges and reciprocal influences. It seems that such reciprocal influences and exchanges extended to the law as well, and affected legal evolution. Old legal institutions were preserved for future generations but were influenced by newer cultures. This concept is not new, but Barta has revived it. He has embarked on a publication comprising four volumes, of which volumes 1, 2 (pt1/2) and 3 (pt 1) have appeared. The author has set out to prove that the influence of Greek law on Roman law was greater than has been acknowledged up until now, that Greek law was likewise influenced by the Old Orient, and that Roman law also influenced later legal systems. The one concern of this article is to show that Barta's theory is invalid. The other concern is to criticise Barta's approach. He does not cite the extensive literature on which he relies, but quotes it. He fills page after page with texts by other authors but does not discuss nor analyse their content. Thus the reader is provided with a wide range of legal literature of the past, but not with any critical analysis of it. Newer writing is often neglected. Barta himself has interesting ideas, but it is difficult to detect them, hidden as they are amongst the cited literature. This approach is followed in all volumes but is scientifically unacceptable and merits the strongest criticism.
The influence of energy and angular spread and electron and photon contamination on the water/air stopping-power ratios for 'realistic' electron beams of 10 MeV has been investigated using the Monte Carlo method. Differences smaller than 0.5% have been found in the sW,air value at the depth of maximum absorbed dose compared with sW,air(E0,z) determined according to most dosimetry protocols. The use of broad independent energy and angular distributions to sample the initial state of electrons for Monte Carlo simulations has been analysed. Uncertainties in sSAW,air values, evaluated with a Monte Carlo iterative technique, are approximately 0.5% at dmax. The combination of uncertainties in sSAW,air due to the calculation procedure and to the 'sW,air(E0,z) method' yields an estimated total uncertainty of approximately 1% for the sW,air at dmax in clinical electron beams with energies around 10 MeV, which is smaller than values quoted recently.
Translating phrases including noun phrases, verb phrases, and preposition phrases has been identified as a key subtask of machine translation. Various techniques have been used to translate source language phrases into target language phrases including rule-based and machine-learning techniques. These phrase-level machine translation techniques have considerably increased the quality of the machine translation. However, human translation is considered as the perfect language translation so far. In view of this, we propose a novel approach to machine translation that is inspired by phrase-based and multi-agent approaches. The approach is stimulated by the fact that how humans translate a sentence with psycholinguistic parsing. The approach has been tested with a multi-agent system named EnSiMaS that translates an English sentence into Sinhala. The EnSiMaS has been implemented through the MaSMT framework. This paper presents how English phrases are translated to Sinhala through the multi-agent approach. Each English phrase in the input sentence is assigned as an agent. According to the availability of the Sinhala words, phrase agents are capable of generating multiple Sinhala phrases with support of the Sinhala morphological and semantic system. These agents consider the structure of the phrase, semantic features of the words, and thematic roles of the existing phrase to generate the Sinhala translation. Further, phrase agents are capable of classifying each generated Sinhala phrase according to its context and usage. Communicating with other related agents, phrase agents identify the most suitable Sinhala phrase form generated Sinhala phrases. The system has been tested with the different types of phrases and the successful results were obtained.
EDITOR—The General Medical Council has now produced clear ethical guidelines with respect to getting informed consent from patients undergoing any medical procedure, including screening tests. 1 2 This would include cervical screening.  The guidelines are quite specific in stating that a doctor or other party should explain the purpose of screening; the likelihood of positive and negative findings, including false negative and false positive results; uncertainties and risks of screening; important medical, social, or financial consequences …
In this article, a new type of CO2-triggered switchable wormlike micelles based on N,N-dimethyl oleoaminde-propylamine (DOAPA) and sodium p-toluene sulfonate (SPTS) mixed in a molar ratio of 1:1 is studied. With inlet of CO2, DOAPA molecules are protonated to form quaternary ammonium. The electrostatic attraction between quaternary ammonium and SPTS results in assembled structures and formation of a viscoelastic wormlike fluid. These results are proved by rheological methods in this study. Upon the release of CO2, the quaternary ammonium is deprotonated back to tertiary amines, the assemble structures are split, and water-like fluid is obtained. Such a reversible transition of viscosity between high and low can be repeated several times with or without CO2. This transition of the micromolecular structure is proved by 1H NMR and conductivity. As well, the process of viscosity reduction can be controlled by the flow rate of N2 addition.
Extra-financial information is becoming increasingly commonplace and standardized in France, in particular under the influence of financial authorities such as the AMF (Financial Markets Authority). This development has fueled the stakeholder dialogue. Stakeholders’ expectations constitute but one of many elements which shape the image of a company. Internet is also seen as playing an increasingly important role in communicating the «responsible» image of companies. The potential of reputational risk, in particular on the financial markets, is forcing companies to reconsider and correct their ‘good’ corporate governance practices. Thanks to emerging soft law, consideration for environmental concerns has become instrumental in helping companies focus upon corporate governance concerns that might otherwise have remained at the periphery of their interests and priorities In France, the Grenelle II Act has, to a certain extent, shifted responsibility for ecological damage caused by subsidiaries, to parent companies. This is a good example of connecting hard to soft law. Under pressure of shareholder activism, companies now understand that they have a vested interest in adapting their management methods and production systems to societal and environmental standards if they wish to continue to attract investments. This illustrates that Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) does indeed impact corporate issues and can be used as a tool for correcting the behaviour of officers, notably via the emergence of reputational risk considerations (good or bad, spearhead or Achille’s heel of corporate governance).
Objective: To determine how many points can be annexed in a green building by a combination of the two processes and test the viability of combining daylight and rainwater harvesting in a pipe. Method/Analysis: An experiment was carried out using a 4m (width) x 6m(height) x 12m(depth) model at a scale of 1:25. Three light pipes of different transparency were used. The first pipe has a fully transparent surface, allowing most of the light to penetrate. The second pipe has a translucent surface. Light that penetrate through it would be partial, with the translucent surface acting like a layer of diffuser to diffuse the light. The third pipe is a combination of transparent and translucent surface. Water will act as the transporting medium for light and at the same time as a barrier for heat to enter. Although water does have certain amount of thermal mass, the heat stored in water can be minimized by circulating the water throughout the system. Findings: Up to 13 points could be earned in non-residential new construction (NRNC), while up to 15 points in Residential New Construction (RNC). Application/Improvement: The novelty of this study proposes the use of a tube for daylighting and rainwater harvesting simultaneously in a space through an experimental process at a small scale. This result could be further developed to an industrial scale for commercial purposes.
Ammonia adsorption on the nonpolar surface has been studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Ammonia adsorbs on the surface molecularly at room temperature. Adsorption induces the shift of the O 2p dangling bond state to the higher binding energy side. This implies the formation of the hydrogen bond between the surface O atoms and the H atoms of NH3. Annealing the ammonia-covered surface induces the partially decomposed NHx (x=1,2) species. All adsorbates are removed at the surface temperature of 625–650 K. When the surface is precovered with K, no adsorbed ammonia is observed. Not only a site blocking effect but also a nonlocal effect for poisoning is proposed.
Review of preretirement and retirement literature suggests that attention is placed on similarities of rural and urban persons in their retirement needs and concerns. The existing literature shows a lack of data on perceptions of future retirement needs and retirement actions implemented by rural middle-aged persons (45-64 years old). This study, conducted in three rural counties, had as its purpose to identify the following: (a) issues important in retirement for rural middle-aged persons; (b) preparation plans being made by rural middle-aged persons; (c) rural middle-aged persons perceptions of future needs regarding certain aspects of retirement; and (d) relationship of issues, plans, and perceptions to selected demographic variables. A number of relationships were found between issues identified as Important to Me and items labeled Actions I Have Taken. Study conclusions have implications for those concerned with preretirement education.
Pheochromocytomas are rare adrenal neoplasms characterized by excess secretion of catecholamines. We describe the case of a 65-year-old man, known for hypertension, with no family history of hereditary pheochromocytoma syndromes. He reported a two-year history of flushing, systolic blood pressure surges to 200 mmHg, headaches, tremors, and syncope. His initial workup revealed elevated 24h urine catecholamines and metanephrines. An adrenal MRI in March 2017 showed a large 7.6 cm heterogeneous right adrenal lesion. Given orthostatic hypotension, his final preoperative dose was limited to a low dose of terazosin and metoprolol. In the operating room, shortly after intubation and Foley insertion, his blood pressure rose to 350 mmHg. Surgery was cancelled and he was admitted to the intensive care unit, where intravenous phentolamine, nitroprusside, and nicardipine were started. His systolic blood pressure would oscillate between 60 mmHg and 350 mmHg at 2-3 minutes' intervals. After 3 days, he was weaned off intravenous medications. His oral medications were uptitrated to high doses of phenoxybenzamine, metoprolol, and nifedipine. Three weeks later, he underwent successful open right adrenalectomy. This case outlines the importance of preoperative preparation of pheochromocytomas and raises the question if phenoxybenzamine is the alpha-blocker of choice for larger tumours with significant hormonal secretion.
The lignocellulosic raw materials used for cellulose production contain other interesting components such lignin. In this work, an approach for the valorisation of side-streams from cellulose extraction and purification processes was carried out. The working procedure began with a sulfur-free pulping process for the separation of lignin. It consisted in an organosolv process using ethanol-water (70:30 v/v) as white liquor during 90 min at 180 oC and a solid to liquid ratio of 1:15. After the separation of the solid fraction from the black liquor, two total chlorine free bleaching stages were effectuated to obtain high purity cellulose for further nanocellulose production. The bleaching stages consisted in a double oxygen treatment with sodium hydroxide (1.5 % by weight). Finally, lignin from the black liquor as well as from the spent bleaching liquors was isolated by selective precipitation in order to be valorised as a source of phenolic compounds. The comparison between the obtained lignins from the different stages in term of extraction yield and physico-chemical properties was carried. Higher yields in lignin extraction were achieved from agave bagasse than from leaves (around 90 % for bagasse and more than 70 % for leaves). As it was expected, the lignin extraction yields were reduced in each stage. The purity of the lignins referred to the acid insoluble and soluble lignin, was also lower after the bleaching stages, but a level of purity higher than 75 % remained in every sample. The molecular weight distribution of all the samples and the functional chemical groups were evaluated by means of gel permeation chromatography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, demonstrating the potential of the valorisation of lignin as a part of an integrated biorefinery process.
This article investigates psychologists' reactions to a hypothetical case involving an HIV-positive client who is involved in a monogamous relationship and whose behavior places his partner at risk. Results indicate that respondents attribute more responsibility to the client to protect his partner when the relationship is heterosexual rather than homosexual. Respondents attribute greater responsibility to the client's partner for self-protection when the relationship is a short-term, homosexual relationship. Regardless of relationship type, a majority of respondents feel an ethical responsibility to protect the partner and seem willing to break confidentiality to do so if necessary. There is not, however, clear agreement about this course of action. Alternative strategies for assisting client disclosure are discussed.
Tonsils are important lymphoid organs in which B cells and T cells complete their maturation and identify cells that are infected by pathogens. However, the functions of T cells in human tonsils remain unclear, especially the characteristics of polyfunctional CD4+ T helper cells. In this study, we used multi-color flow cytometry to analyze the expression or co-expression of effector cytokines in CD4+ T cells from tonsillar tissues. We have demonstrated that tonsillar CD4+ T cell can express various Th effector cytokines after short-term polyclonal stimulation, and that cytokine-producing CD4+ T cells were CD45RO+ T cells. In addition, we analyzed the co-expression of two or more kinds of cytokines at the level of a single cell. The results showed that tonsillar CD4+ T cells exhibited polyfunctionality by co-expressing two to five kinds of cytokines in the same time. These data furnished a basic theory for further understanding the differentiation of polyfunctional Th cells in human tonsils and their functions in resisting invasive microorganisms.
In the provocatively titled Indoctrination U., David Horowitz argues that radical members of college faculties have “intruded a political agenda into the academic curriculum,” engaging in propaganda rather than scholarship and indoctrinating students rather than teaching them (Horowitz 2007, xi). Although allegations of liberal bias in academia are nothing new, the issue has gained increased attention as the result of efforts by Horowitz and the Center for the Study of the Popular Culture (CSPC) to promote the Academic Bill of Rights for American colleges and universities.
Objective: To review the physiology and pathophysiology of benign prostatic hyperplasia, as well as current medical strategies for the management of the disease. Data Sources: A MEDLINE search (1992–September 2004) was conducted using benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), α-receptor antagonists, and 5 α-reductase inhibitors as MeSH search terms to identify clinical trials and review articles. Study Selection/Data Extraction: Primary literature and tertiary review articles evaluating the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapeutic options in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia were retrieved and included. Data Synthesis: Pharmacotherapeutic management of symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia has become the hallmark of therapy. Therapeutic agents evaluated include α-adrenergic antagonists (prazosin, terazosin, doxazosin, alfuzosin, tamsulosin) and 5-α-reductase inhibitors (finasteride, dutasteride). α-Adrenergic antagonists are more popular for therapy of BPH. This group of drugs is generally the first line of therapy, with growing popularity of tamsulosin and alfuzosin due to their decreased incidence of adverse effects. Conclusions: Understanding the pathophysiology of the disease can play an integral part in the selection of a pharmacotherapeutic agent. Patients who require pharmacologic intervention can benefit greatly by the number of agents available.
Objective To review the antimicrobial activity, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, and tolerability of ceftibuten, a new expanded-spectrum oral cephalosporin. Data Sources Literature was identified by a MEDLINE search (January 1983–June 1996) of the medical literature, review of English-language literature and bibliographies of these articles, and data on file. Study Selection Clinical efficacy data were selected from all published and unpublished trials and abstracts that mentioned ceftibuten. Additional information concerning in vitro susceptibility, safety, chemistry, and pharmacokinetic profile of ceftibuten also was reviewed. Data Synthesis Ceftibuten, an oral expanded-spectrum cephalosporin, has a broad spectrum of activity against many gram-negative and selected gram-positive organisms, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Haemophilus influenzae. Ceftibuten is stable to hydrolysis by many common p-lactamases. Ceftibuten is rapidly and almost completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is primarily eliminated renally as unchanged drug. The elimination half-life of ceftibuten is slightly longer than 2 hours. Efficacy has been demonstrated in a number of clinical trials in adults and children with upper and lower respiratory tract infections (e.g., acute otitis media, pharyngitis, sinusitis, bronchitis) and urinary tract infections. The adverse effect profile is equal to that of comparator agents. Conclusions Ceftibuten is an alternative to other antimicrobial agents with convenient once-daily dosing in the treatment of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. Similar to other oral expanded-spectrum cephalosporins, ceftibuten has antimicrobial activity against common pathogens of the respiratory tract and is stable in the presence of many β-lactamases. The clinical choice of an oral expanded-spectrum cephalosporin will be based on patient acceptance, frequency of administration, and cost.
Background/aim Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has significant benefits in the treatment of critically ill children.The objective of this study is to describe the treatment indications, methods, demographics, and outcome of the patients who received CRRT in our pediatric intensive care unit and neonatal care unit, and, according to these results, we also aimto make improvements in our unit-based interventions. Materials and methods In this single-centered study, we retrospectively evaluated medical charts of the patients admitted to our intensive care units and received CRRT between February 2010 and November 2015. Results Fifty of 60 patients were included in this study. Newborns made up 28% (n = 14) of the patients. The mean body weight was 18.4 kg (2.3-98 kg). CRRT indications were fluid overload (30%), acute kidney injury (40%), metabolic disease (24%), electrolyte impairment (4%), and drug intoxication (2%). The most common method of CRRT was continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) (72%). The mean duration of CRRT was 135 hours (1-864) and totally 143 filters, polyarylethersulfon (n = 23.46%) and polyacrylonitrile (n = 27.54%) were used. Overall survival was 42%. The survival rate of newborns was significantly higher (P = 0.046). Conclusion CRRT is a lifesaving method that can be applied to critically ill children with acute kidney injury and fluid overload at any age and weight by experienced teams.
Seven of these, one male and six females, were aged between nine and 30 years, and seven, all females, were aged between 31 and 45 years. Sixteen, 10 males and six females were between 46 and 72 years of age. The average weight of the sufferers was 12 stone, the actual weights ranging from 4 stone 8 lb. to 17 stone 12 lb. These patients were then brought in to Thursday Island Hospital, in groups, to undergo a glucose tolerance test, and, if necessary, treatment was carried out to stabilize them. As a result of the glucose tolerance tests it was determined that of the 30 cases of glycosuria so far tested, five were examples of mild diabetes mellitus while the other 25 were examples of moderately severe diabetes mellitus. Treatment consisted of a semi-restricted diet (for reasons mentioned below), "Tolbutamide" given orally, and "Lente" insulin for those patients who remained unstabilized. Thus six patients were treated by diet alone, 15 were taking "Tolbutamide" and nine required insulin. The diet employed was one which restricted the intake of carbohydrates only. We had to consider the usual and available foodstuffs which make up the normal diet of the island people; this diet consisted essentially of sea-foods (fish, turtle and dugong); root vegetables (taru, kasava, yam and sweet potato), rice, oatmeal and flour, and a small supply of fresh fruit (bananas, papaw and coconut) -as can be seen, largely carbohydrate. A causative factor was sought for the diabetes, and it is almost certain that the hereditary factor is the main one concerned. It is well-nigh impossible to check this thoroughly, owing to the promiscuity of the people, and the consequent lack of family continuity. However, in the majority of cases, it was possible to go back at least one generation, and in a few cases, two generations, and the hereditary factor is definitely apparent. It is again impossible to check the amount of inbreeding. As far as can be ascertained, the racial strain is predominately Melanesian and Polynesian, with probably some adulteration with the mixed strains from New Guinea.
Both telomere length and alcohol consumption have an important impact on biological age and carcinogenesis. Researchers have conducted many efforts to study the relationship between alcohol consumption and telomere length yet reached no consensus. In this paper, a meta-analysis is performed and relevant investigation results from previous literature are integrated. Twenty-one works of literature published between 2000 and 2016, which comprise 27 analyses with a total samples' size of 35,891, meet our screening conditions. Whether the relationship between alcohol consumption and telomere length is significant, this issue varies with study type (cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional) and study population (Europe, Asia, American, or Australia). It is deduced by combined evidence that alcohol consumption is associated with telomere length (with Fisher's combined p-value = 3.52E-8 and Liptak's weighted p-value = 8.24E-3). In the future, the consistent standardised quantifications of alcohol consumption and telomere length will avail further aggregation of the evidence from various studies.
T H O S E of us w h o h a v e s o grea t ly en joyed Prof. D e a n e s l y ' s The Pre-Conquest Church in England will find th i s s u p p l e m e n t a r y v o l u m e 1 equa l ly fasc ina t ing . T h e s a m e e r u d i t i o n a n d t h e s a m e apprec ia t ive a n d en thus ias t i c a p p r o a c h will be f o u n d he re i n t h e de ta i l ed w o r k i n g o u t of p o i n t s cove r ing t h e s a m e p e r i o d b u t s u m ­ m a r i s e d in , o r p u r p o s e l y o m i t t e d f rom, t h e fo rmer b o o k . I n t h e first few c h a p t e r s Mis s D e a n e s l y dea l s w i t h t h e beg inn ings of Chr i s t i an i ty in E n g l a n d a n d s h o w s h o w t h e C h r i s t i a n w a y o f life was s u p e r i m p o s e d o n different cu l tu res a n d h o w i t w a s ' c o n ­ d i t i o n e d ' b y t h o s e cu l tu res w i t h o u t loss o f t h e f u n d a m e n t a l s o r o f t h e c o m m o n un i ty of t he fa i th . She passes o n t o a genera l su rvey of t h e e x t a n t archaeological ev idence b e a r i n g o n t h e c h a n g e f r o m p a g a n i s m t o Chr i s t i an i ty , of Br i t ton ic a n d ear ly Cel t ic C h r i s t i a n i t y , a n d of t h e w o r k of t he ea r ly W e l s h sa in t s . T w o in te res t ing ped ig rees give u s t h e roya l ances t ry o f Sa in t s D u b r i t i u s , I l l tud , C y n g a r a n d D a v i d . T h e r e fol lows a g r o u p of c h a p t e r s in wh ich l ea rn ing , l i t e r a t u r e , a r t , a r ch i t ec tu re , l i turgy a n d p a s t o r a l w o r k a r e d i scussed m a i n l y f r o m t h e p o i n t of view o f t h e revival wh ich , b e g i n n i n g i n A l f r ed ' s re ign , r e a c h e d i ts c l imax d u r i n g t h e la te r yea r s o f t h e t e n t h c e n t u r y a n d t h e first q u a r t e r of t h e e leventh . H a p p y c i t a t i ons f r o m t h e homi l i s t s , desc r ip t ions of m a n u s c r i p t s a n d o f the i r i l l u m i n a t i o n s , deta i ls of c h u r c h bu i ld ings — all serve t o i l lus t ra te n o t o n l y o f genera l cu l tu ra l c o n d i t i o n s b u t a l so o f t h e specia l d e b t o w e d b y
Background: Middle cerebral artery (MCA) is the larger terminal branch of the internal carotid artery. It travels through the Sylvian fissure on the insula. Objective: MCA supplies a large area of distribution than the other two cerebral arteries. Though it is so, there are very few articles in the literature describing MCA. Aim of the present work is to study the MCA regarding its origin, course, termination, branching pattern, morphometry and symmetry. Materials and Methods: 340 MCAs from 170 formalin preserved brains were dissected. Morphology, morphometry and symmetry of MCAs, were studied in detail and well photographed. The data collected in the study was analyzed. Results: Accessory MCA was found in seven specimens (2.05%). Duplicated MCA was seen in three specimens (0.88%). Aneurysm was found in three specimens (0.88%). MCA with bifurcated, trifurcated, quadrifurcated and single trunk termination was seen in 220 (64.70%), 42 (12.35%), 8 (2.35%), and in 70 (20.58%) specimens respectively. Bifurcated pattern as upper prominent trunk (type A), lower prominent trunk (type B) and both equal prominent trunks (type C) were seen in 63 (28.63%), 129 (58.63%), and 28 (12.72%) specimens respectively. Asymmetry was seen in 102 specimens (60%). Mean length and diameter of the MCA was 25.5-27.8 mm and 3 mm respectively. Conclusion: Awareness of these anatomical variations in branching patterns is important in neurovascular procedures. As very few Anatomical studies on MCA are there in the literature, this type of research work should be done by a number of scientists from a different region of the world in large scale.
Limited information is available regarding the use of cyclosporin A (CsA) for the treatment of feline dermatoses. The aim of this retrospective study was therefore to describe the efficacy of CsA for the therapy of eosinophilic granuloma (EG), eosinophilic plaque, indolent ulcer, linear granulomas, idiopathic pruritus and stomatitis. A computer search for feline dermatological cases treated with CsA between 1999 and 2004 was performed. Based on history, clinical signs and laboratory diagnostic tests, it was then possible to divide cases into three groups and to select 23 cats. Seven cats had one or more of the following conditions: EG, eosinophilic plaque, indolent ulcer and/or linear granuloma (group A); eight cats had idiopathic pruritus (group B) and eight cats had plasmacytic stomatitis (group C). Doses ranged from 5.8 to 13.3 mg kg(-1) oral CsA. All cats were monitored, with complete serum blood analysis and physical examination, monthly for a minimum of 6 months. Response to therapy was scored (severity of lesions and pruritus) with a 0-10 visual analogue scale at each visit (day 0, day, 30, day 60, day 90). All cats in groups A and B were cured and were maintained on alternate day therapy. In group C, 4/8 patients went into remission, while remaining cats have a fair to good improvement. Routine haematological and biochemical examination failed to reveal abnormalities related to CsA administration.
The purpose if this research is to develop a blueprint that can be used to build Information System Architecture that can integrate business and information technology with the aim of increasing the effectiveness and business efficiency of the company. The method used is TOGAF-ADM so that it is more flexible in verifying various types of modelling techniques used in designing information systems. The results of this study in the form of preliminary data collection from the TOGAF framework stage which in the future can be used for information system development that can be used at PT. Corocot Digital Creative.
The trimethylamine N‐oxide (TMAO) anaerobic respiratory system of Escherichia coli comprises a periplasmic terminal TMAO reductase (TorA) and a pentahaem c‐type cytochrome (TorC), which is involved in electron transfer to TorA. The structural proteins are encoded by the torCAD operon whose expression is induced in the presence of TMAO through the TorS/TorR two‐component system. By using a genomic library cloned into a multicopy plasmid, we identified TorC as a possible negative regulator of the tor operon. Interestingly, in trans overexpression of torC not only decreased the activity of a torA′–′lacZ fusion, but also dramatically reduced the amount of mature TorC cytochrome. This led us to propose that, after translocation, TorC apocytochrome downregulates the tor operon unless it is properly matured. In agreement with this hypothesis, we have shown that mini‐Tn10 insertions within genes involved in the c‐type cytochrome maturation pathway or haem biosynthesis decreased tor operon expression. Dithiothreitol (DTT), which reduces disulphide bonds and thus prevents the first step in c‐type cytochrome formation, also strongly decreases the tor promoter activity. The DTT effect is TorC dependent, as it is abolished when torC is disrupted. In contrast, overexpression of the c‐type cytochrome maturation (ccm ) genes relieved the tor operon of the negative control and allowed the bacteria to produce a higher amount of TorC holocytochrome. Therefore, the TorC negative autoregulation probably means that maturation of the c‐type cytochrome is a limiting step for Tor system biogenesis. Genetic experiments have provided evidence that TorC control is mediated by the TorS/TorR two‐component system and different from the tor anaerobic control. In our working model, TMAO and apoTorC bind to the periplasmic side of TorS, but TMAO activates TorS autophosphorylation, whereas apoTorC inhibits the TorS kinase activity.
Most diarrhoeal episodes acquired during tropical exposure subside spontaneously within a few days. ' A few continue for a longer period2 3; what therefore constitutes chronicity (or persistence)?4 An arbitrary span of btwo weeks seems a valuable 'cut off' point.5 Prolongation of an acute infection (for example, Salmonella spp or amoebic colitis), progression to a malabsorption state (see below), irritable bowel syndrome, and drug (usually antibiotic) associated disease (for example, Clostridium difficile infection) are all relevant.5 A careful case history often provides a valuable clue(s) to the anatomical location of the important enteric lesion(s): watery or fatty stools usually reflect small intestinal disease, and bloody ones (sometimes accompanied by mucus or pus, or both) colorectal involvement. While postinfective malabsorption ('tropical sprue')6 was formerly a classic (and common) entity, it has been superceded in prevalence by HIV enteropathy (Table 1). Here the length of history is likely to be Btwo to three months. This review does not deal specifically with causes of chronic diarrhoeal disease in the indigenous populations of tropical and subtropical countries; these include ileocaecal tuberculosis (a mass is often palpable in the right iliac fossa), Mediterranean and Burkitt's lymphomas, Kala-azar, chronic calcific pancreatitis, chronic liver disease, severe protein malnutrition, and pellagra (common in maize eating communities).237 These entities are very unusual in British travellers, although the first must be clearly borne in mind in those from the minor ethnic groups especially those from southern Asia. HIV enteropathy (often coexistant with tuberculosis) is an important cause of chronic diarrhoea in African visitors to the United Kingdom. The importance of gastric hypoacidity in the aetiology and pathogenesis of chronic diarrhoea has almost certainly been underestimated in the past; it is also important in HIV infected subjects.8
Background Nonvascularized bone grafting represents a practical method of mandibular reconstruction. However, the destructive effects of radiotherapy on native bone preclude the use of nonvascularized bone grafts in head and neck cancer patients. Adipose-derived stem cells have been shown to enhance bone healing and regeneration in numerous experimental models. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of adipose-derived stem cells on nonvascularized bone graft incorporation in a murine model of irradiated mandibular reconstruction. Methods Thirty isogenic rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: nonvascularized bone graft (control), radiation with nonvascularized bone graft (XRT), and radiation with nonvascularized bone graft and adipose-derived stem cells (ASC). Excluding the control group, all rats received a human-equivalent dose of radiation. All groups underwent mandibular reconstruction of a critical-sized defect with a nonvascularized bone graft from the contralateral hemimandible. After a 60-day recovery period, graft incorporation and bone mineralization were compared between groups. Results Compared with the control group, the XRT group demonstrated significantly decreased graft incorporation (P = 0.011), bone mineral density (P = 0.005), and bone volume fraction (P = 0.001). Compared with the XRT group, the ASC group achieved a significantly increased graft incorporation (P = 0.006), bone mineral density (P = 0.005), and bone volume fraction (P = 0.013). No significant differences were identified between the control and ASC groups. Conclusions Adipose-derived stem cells enhance nonvascularized bone graft incorporation in the setting of human-equivalent radiation.
Background The extra cellular domain of vascular endothelial-cadherin (sVE) increases in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through TNF induction. Objectives The aim of our study was to investigate the clinical value of sVE and anti-vascular endothelial-cadherin antibody (AAVE) in RA treated with etanercept or adalimumab combined with methotrexate, in terms of disease activity, prediction of structural prognosis and response to treatment. Methods This was an 18-month prospective multicenter study in which patients had active RA, refractory to conventional Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug (DMARD) requiring TNF antagonist. Fluctuations of sVE rates and AAVE titers were measured respectively by dot blot and ELISA at different time points over the follow-up period. Their relationship with parameters reflecting articular or systemic disease activity, progression of structural damage defined by ultrasonography (US) erosions, and response or remission to treatment based on EULAR criteria was analyzed. Results Forty-eight patients received TNF blocking agents, i.e, etanercept (n=18) and adalimumab (n=30). Variation of sVE rates significantly correlated with that of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at weeks 6, 12, 26 and 52 (r=0.4869, p=0.0008; r=0.3909, p=0.0087; r=0.3148, p=0.0450 and r=0.5477, p=0.0014 respectively). There was a significant decrease in sVE levels in the group with a decrease in CRP levels compared to the group with unmodified CRP (initial CRP ≤10 mg/l or initial CRP>10 mg/l with a variation of less than 50%). AAVE titers correlated with Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) (r=0.381, p=0.0128), CRP (r=-0.3361, p=0.0317), number of swollen joints (r=0.3102, p=0.0456) and total power doppler score (r=0.3841, p=0.0132). At baseline, AAVE was correlated with rheumatoid factors and a to lesser degree anti-CCP (respectively r=0.5801, p<0.0001 and r=0.3021, p=0.0518). Kinetics of sVE levels as well as AAVE titers were not associated with progression of US erosive score neither with the response to methotrexate/adalimumab or etanercept combination. Conclusions sVE seems to be a biomarker associated with systemic RA activity under anti-TNF. AAVE are related to autoantibodies usually associated to RA and had stable titers under TNF blocking agents. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Atopic disorders such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis are associated with skewing of immune responses towards a TH2 phenotype, resulting in eosinophilic inflammation. TH2 cytokines promote eosinophil growth, migration and activation, mast cell differentiation, and IgE production, and are candidate mediators of pathologic abnormalities in asthma and other atopic diseases. There has been a significant increase in the prevalence of allergic disorders over the past several decades. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that reduced early-life exposure to strong TH1 stimuli in industrialized counties has skewed the TH1/TH2 balance towards TH2 responses. Improved hygiene, vaccination, and use of antibiotics may contribute to this imbalance. In the last half of the twentieth century we have seen the use of multiple agents to treat atopic disorders, ranging from antihistamines, steroids and leukotriene modifiers to anti-IgE antibodies. All these agents can block symptoms but do not significantly modify the course of the disease. Recent attempts to restore TH1/TH2 balance by blocking TH2 cytokines or inducing TH1 cytokines, have not only failed to alter the outcome of atopic diseases but, in some cases, have caused significant adverse effects. An alternate method of suppressing TH2 responses takes advantage of the innate immune response to bacterial DNA. Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing sequence motifs centered on unmethylated CG dinucleotides (CpG ODN) resemble bacterial DNA, and like bacterial DNA are immunostimulatory; we and others have shown that CpG ODN can suppress TH2-mediated atopic inflammation without requiring the induction of TH1-type cytokines. These agents may represent a novel therapeutic approach toward restoring immune tolerance in atopic individuals.
The results of experiments designed to evaluate the performance of the equipotentials backprojection method under conditions modeling those of proposed applications of electrical impedance tomography are reported. Small spherical targets were placed inside a saline-filled tank with dimensions similar to a human torso. Data were acquired with a computer-based instrument that applies current to pairs of electrodes located on two horizontal planes and records potential differences between electrodes of a third plane. The relative contrast produced by nonconducting spheres in a uniform saline background was measured on the reconstructed images and used to determine system sensitivity to target volume and to the radial and vertical positions of single spheres. Results show that for radial positions within a critical radius sensitivity is always maximum when the sphere's center is on the recording plane and decreases gradually when the target is moved outside this plane. Localization of simple targets in 3-D, with data acquired from multiple recording planes, appears feasible. The results provide guidelines for the interpretation of images with complex 3-D conductivity distributions.<<ETX>>
Abstract This paper presents a simulation of a simple control scheme for a three-phase shunt passive filter to remove harmonics and saving energy compensation of the nonlinear loads. Harmonics is a phenomenon that occurs in the industry due to the nonlinear electrical load. If the voltage and current harmonics injected into wire electrical installation of the industry, there will be a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). Voltage and current harmonics appearing will be a serious problem if the amount exceeds the limits of the standards set by the standards (IEEE 519-1992) International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). So from the results of studies using ETAP software, THD obtained before using the filter of 33% and after use filters THD 13%, and be saving electrical current of 16 Amperes before using the filter 523 Ampere and after using the filter to 507 Amperes, average a saving of 3%.
Background The discovery of novel derivative of berberine (BBR) having higher anti-tumor activity in vivo is of clinical importance. In this profile, 13-[CH2CO-Cys-(Bzl)-OBzl]-berberine (13-Cys-BBR) was prepared for related assays. Purpose The object of preparation and evaluation is to show the advantages of 13-Cys-BBR over BBR in both in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor actions, furthermore to correlate the proliferation of cancer cells with ROS formation and anti-apoptosis protein (XIAP) expression inside cancer cells. Methods Transwell chamber was used to simulate the intestinal and cell wall for bioavailability evaluation; MTT assay was used to evaluate the in vitro anti-proliferation activity; fluorescein isothiocyanate content was used to represent ROS level in HCT-8 cells; Western blot assay was used to quantify the expression of XIAP, caspase-3, and poly ADP-ribose polymerase in HCT-8 cells; and S180 mouse model was used to evaluate the in vivo anti-tumor activity. Results In vitro the IC50 values (~15–40 μM) of 13-Cys-BBR against the proliferation of eight cancer cell lines were significantly lower than those of BBR (~25–140 μM); the content of ROS formed inside HCT-8 cells treated by 13-Cys-BBR was ~3.44-folds higher than that inside HCT-8 cells treated by BBR; the expression of XIAP in HCT-8 cells treated by 13-Cys-BBR was ~1.21-folds lower than that in HCT-8 cells treated by BBR; the tumor weight of S180 mice orally treated by 2 μmol/kg/day of 13-Cys-BBR (~1.5 g) was significantly lower than that of S180 mice orally treated by 2 μmol/kg/day of BBR (~2.5 g); and the active pocket of XIAP was more suitable for 13-Cys-BBR than for BBR. Conclusion The anti-tumor action correlates with ROS and apoptosis protein, which suggests 13-Cys-BBR is a promising candidate for preclinical study.
The field of chemical and biological sensing is increasingly dependent on the availability of new functional materials that enhance the ability of the system to respond to chemical interactions. Organometallic bioconjugates derived from amino acids, peptides, proteins, peptide nucleic acids, and dendrimers have had a profound effect in this area and have endowed modern sensory systems with a superior performance. Owing to their fairly high stability, solubility in various solvents, and excellent redox properties, ferrocene and ferrocenyl conjugates have emerged as one of the most important classes of materials that enable direct observation of molecular interactions and as electron mediators. The low potential, reversible redox behavior of the ferrocene/ferrocenium couple is a unique property that finds widespread application in the design of sensory platforms. Currently, there is significant drive to exploit new organometallic systems, in which the presence of ferrocene acting as a redox center is critical and allows the design of highly sensitive electrochemical sensors for the sensing and recognition of a vast array of analytes.
Aggressive nutrition support is recommended following severe burn injury. Initially, such injury results in a prolonged and persistent hypermetabolic response mediated by a 10- to 20-fold elevation in plasma catecholamines, cortisol, and inflammatory mediators. This response leads to twice-normal metabolic rates, whole-body catabolism, muscle wasting, and severe cachexia. Thus, it is relevant to review the literature on nutrition in burns to adjust/update treatment. Failure to meet the increased substrate requirements may result in impaired wound healing, multiorgan dysfunction, increased susceptibility to infection, and death. Therefore, aggressive nutrition support is essential to ensure adequate burn care, attenuate the hypermetabolic response, optimize wound healing, minimize devastating catabolism, and reduce morbidity and mortality. Here, the authors provide nutrition recommendations gained from prospective trials, retrospective analyses, and expert opinions based on the authors' practices in Galveston, Texas, and Vienna, Austria.
Real-time object tracking is a critical task in many computer vision applications. Achieving rapid and robust tracking while handling changes in object pose and size, varying illumination and partial occlusion, is a challenging task given the limited amount of computational resources. In this paper we propose a real-time object tracker in l1 framework addressing these issues. In the proposed approach, dictionaries containing templates of overlapping object fragments are created. The candidate fragments are sparsely represented in the dictionary fragment space by solving the l1 regularized least squares problem. The non zero coefficients indicate the relative motion between the target and candidate fragments along with a fidelity measure. The final object motion is obtained by fusing the reliable motion information. The dictionary is updated based on the object likelihood map. The proposed tracking algorithm is tested on various challenging videos and found to outperform earlier approach.
family set out for Italy in 1904, one suspects, are sucked out of his imagination’s thumb. A native of Åbo, between 1900 and 1915 he lived in Tammerfors (Tampere), having followed his quasi-sisters, Lydia and Anna Rosengren, thither (the Rosengrens were bank employees). When Anna was fired, innocently involved in the bank director’s enormous embezzlements, the trio returned to Åbo. Celibate, Axel felt some faint attraction to the Rosengrens’ friend, Emma Gisiko; she died in 1909, and he wrote to Sibelius that she was “a great soul in a little body.” His true love, though, was Sibelius, through thick and thin. Fabian Dahlström’s introduction (9–56) tells, one guesses, all there is to know about Carpelan, taking him seriously yet letting him stand forth in his solemn silliness. (Before the Helsingfors orchestra set out for Paris, he gave Kajanus a set of instructions concerning the players’ dress, deportment, and language. The personnel was largely German, but they must avoid that tongue as much as possible—“Absolutely forbidden!”) Dahlström’s end-notes (445–521) are exhaustive and everywhere necessary; he has also (522) added a key to the letters’ numerous abbreviations and, still more important, a vocabulary (523–5) for the letters’ Finland-Swedishisms and Finnish, French, German, Italian, and Latin tags. For a short time, as Sibelius was getting ready for his Yale doctorate, both correspondents showed off their Latin abilities: they never stopped being schoolboys, prone to affectionate outpourings and snits. In his diary for April 22, 1919, Sibelius said goodbye: “Oh, that Axel is not alive. He thought of me to the very end.” George C. Schoolfield Yale University
Radical collective behavior change is required to develop sustainable forms of urban life. This demands redesign of everyday environments. However, the ways in which our material world shape our behaviors are still understudied and underappreciated. Not much is known about how collective behaviors are facilitated through infrastructural or material interventions. Here, we draw upon 15 years of experience at RAAAF, an Amsterdam-based collective for visual art and architecture, to introduce ten practical lessons for developing strategic design interventions for affordance-based behavior change in urban environments. Affordances are the possibilities for action provided by the environment. Strategic design interventions aim to set collective social change in motion by developing sustainable affordances and dismantling unsustainable behavioral constraints. Strategic design interventions seek to inspire policies and public imagination. Whereas scientific studies aim to describe reality as it is, RAAAF’s material interventions help imagine how the shared urban environment could be in the future.
We address constraint-coupled optimization for a system composed of multiple cooperative agents communicating over a time-varying network. We propose a distributed proximal minimization algorithm that is guaranteed to converge to an optimal solution of the optimization problem, under suitable convexity and connectivity assumptions. The performance of the introduced algorithm is shown on a numerical example of a charging scheduling problem for a fleet of plug-in electric vehicles.
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to study the existence of periodic solutions and the topological structure of the solution set of first-order differential equations involving the distributional Henstock–Kurzweil integral. The distributional Henstock–Kurzweil integral is a general integral, which includes the Lebesgue and Henstock–Kurzweil integrals. The main results extend some previously known results in the literature.
We study in this paper the geometric evolution of a set $E$, with a velocity given by a “curvature” of $ partial E$ which is nonlocal and singular at the origin, in the sense that it behaves like a power of the classical curvature. This curvature is the first variation of an energy which is proportional to the volume of the set of points at a given distance to $ partial E$, and which was proposed in a recent work of Barchiesi et al. [Multiscale Model. Simul., 8 (2010), pp. 1715--1741] as a variant of the standard perimeter penalization for the denoising of nonsmooth curves. To deal with the degeneracies of our problem, we first give an abstract existence and uniqueness result for viscosity solutions of nonlocal degenerate Hamiltonians, satisfying a suitable continuity assumption with respect to Kuratowski convergence of the level sets. This abstract setting applies to an approximated variant of our flow. Then, by the method of minimizing movements, we also build a weak solution of our curvature flow. We i...
The objective of this study is to investigate the utility of the GNSS-R based stare processing technique in combination with machine learning for ocean surface wind speed retrieval. Using a simulated data set produced with real CYGNSS satellite geometries, we train a multi-hidden layer neural network with six feature sets derived from the delay-Doppler map (DDM) observable. We compare stare processing performance to the baseline best-performance result from our previous work in [1], measuring performance with root mean squared error (RMSE). We find that in the noise-free case, stare processing performs similarly to the baseline. When thermal and speckle noise are added to the simulated DDMs, stare processing significantly outperforms the baseline result. Stare processing improves our ability to accurately predict ocean wind speed with machine learning.
This paper involves giving a better solution in optimizing Support Vector Machine in classifying sentiments towards a product brand. Sentiment analysis rose to solve the problem of classifying sentiments and classifying as to positive or negative feedback towards a certain product brands. Using the Support Vector Machine learning algorithm, this study aims to improve the algorithm's accuracy through choice of kernel and proper tuning of SVM hyper-parameters as core factors in contributing to SVM accuracy, having a huge amount of training sets in order to widen the hyper plane of vectors and strong support vectors. The sentiments are gathered using the Twitter API and are pre-processed to filter unnecessary words. To be able to use the given tool, the pre-processed sentiments are converted to SVM format. By the given default parameters of the SVM tool used, with radial basis function as kernel type. The SVM type used is C-SVC, a multi-class classification. A training set is produced and is used as the training model for test sets and as of the initial results. The model produced an accuracy of 63.54% using SVM with the said default parameters and used 3768 tweets for training set.
On critical examination of the results given in our paper entitled “Common fixed point theorems in modified intuitionistic fuzzy metric spaces,” we notice one crucial error. We need to carry out the following correction. Example 22 given in the paper is wrong as follows. None of themaps in A, B, S, and T is continuous.Therefore, all conditions of Theorem 20 are not satisfied. Hence, Example 22 in the paper is replaced by the below example.
Optically-induced changes in membrane capacitance may regulate neuronal activity without requiring genetic modifications. Previously, they mainly relied on sudden temperature jumps due to light absorption by membrane-associated nanomaterials or water. Yet, nanomaterial targeting or the required high infrared light intensities obstruct broad applicability. Now, we propose a very versatile approach: photolipids (azobenzene-containing diacylglycerols) mediate light-triggered cellular de- or hyperpolarization. As planar bilayer experiments show, the respective currents emerge from millisecond-timescale changes in bilayer capacitance. UV light changes photolipid conformation, which awards embedding plasma membranes with increased capacitance and evokes depolarizing currents. They open voltage-gated sodium channels in cells, generating action potentials. Blue light reduces the area per photolipid, decreasing membrane capacitance and eliciting hyperpolarization. If present, mechanosensitive channels respond to the increased mechanical membrane tension, generating large depolarizing currents that elicit action potentials. Membrane self-insertion of administered photolipids and focused illumination allows cell excitation with high spatiotemporal control. Highlights Rapid photolipid photoisomerization generates optocapacitive currents in planar lipid bilayers and HEK293 cells. These currents originate from photo-induced changes in membrane capacitance UV light-triggered membrane depolarization opens NaV1.3, evoking action potentials. Blue light-induced mechanosensitive channel opening gives rise to depolarizing currents, which may evoke NaV1.3-mediated action potentials.
The paper is devoted to the coverage of the category of administrative procedure for the provision of public services for state registration of real rights to immovable property. The categories «stage», «administrative procedure for the provision of public services» and «stages of the administrative procedure for the provision of public services» are compared. A description of the stages of the procedure for providing public services for state registration of real property rights is given. It is emphasized that the administrative procedure for state registration of real property rights has consisted of the following stages: 1) submission of applications and documents to it includes actions such as acceptance and verification of documents submitted for state registration of rights and encumbrances; application registration, etc.; 2) consideration of the case or investigation of all circumstances related to the provision of public service; 3) making a decision on the provision of public service for state registration of real rights to immovable property; 4) making entries in the state register of rights to provide public services for state registration of real rights to immovable property; 5) issuance of documents for the provision of public services for state registration of real rights to immovable property. Attention is drawn to the fact that the main tasks of the stage of acceptance and verification of documents for public services submitted for state registration of rights and their encumbrances stage are: verification of documents on payment of administrative fees for public services and extraction from the State Register of Rights; acceptance of applications and documents required for state registration of rights; registration of the application in the database on registration of applications and inquiries; verification of documents for compliance with general requirements.
Polariton effects in the optical spectra of thin semiconductor samples are analyzed within a microscopic theory based on a direct solution of the Schrodinger equation for the exciton motion in a finite sample. Various numerical schemes for the solution of the Schrodinger equation are discussed. Results are compared with the Pekar model augmented by phenomenologically introduced dead-layers at the surfaces. While the dead-layer is an unknown input parameter for macroscopic models based on additional boundary conditions, the microscopic theory can be used to determine the dead-layer thickness. Results are presented for various material systems. Furthermore the non-local excitonic susceptibility calculated within the microscopic theory in the frequency domain is presented.
Introduction: Sample stability is necessary for the maintenance of the quality for the final results obtained at different storage time intervals during CBC analysis. In our present study, we have evaluated the stability of various CBC parameters of blood samples stored in k2-EDTA (BD) vials at 4°C (extended storage time: 10 days). Materials and methods: Blood sample (2.5 ml) was drawn directly in K2-EDTA vials. Measurements were done by using MEK-9100 hematology analyzer at regular intervals over an extended period up to 246 h (10 days). Significant differences were analyzed by Paired student’s t-test. Mean percent differences of the all intervals were compared with baseline means. Results: Among CBC parameters, WBC count was stable for up to 126 h, RBC and HGB levels were statistically stable for up to 186 h and 90 h. No significant changes were observed in NE, LY, MO, EO and BA for up to 42 h, 42 h, 66 h, 66 h, and 6 h respectively. PLT counts were stable for 6 h. Furthermore, results of HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, RDW-CV, RDW-S, PCT and MPV were statistically stable for up to 54 h, 42 h, 18 h, 30 h, 42 h, 30 h, 6 h and 6 h respectively. Conclusion: Estimation of RBC, WBC and HGB were qualitatively reliable ~186 h, 126 h and 90 h respectively. However, most parameters of CBC were unchanged ~48 h except for the PLT (6 h). To avoid changes in few parameters, such as MPV, basophiles, it is best to store the sample at 4°C if any delay is anticipated.
We report on fife female patients with solid pseudopapillary tumors of the pancreas. The tumors are extremely rare in children. They occur mainly in adolescent and young adult females. The tumors are neoplasms of low malignancy with infrequent metastases, for instance, in the liver or the peritoneum. Although the tumors had reached a large diameter, all of them underwent complete tumor resection. After that the patients have a very good prognosis. Thus, so it is important to distinguish solid-pseudopapillary tumors from other tumors of the pancreas.
E2F is a sequence-specific DNA-binding factor which binds to sites that occur in pairs upstream of the adenovirus E1A and E2 early transcriptional start sites. Substantial quantities of E2F activity were found in uninfected-cell extracts, and there was a modest increase in E2F activity during an adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) infection. In uninfected cells, E2F was found to exist in multiple forms that could be separated chromatographically. Extracts prepared at 24 h after Ad5 infection contained a new form of E2F. This infection-specific form may have been a modified version of one of the forms present in uninfected cells. The infection-specific E2F was shown to bind cooperatively to a pair of E2F sites found upstream of the Ad2 early region 2 mRNA cap site. This binding was sensitive to the spacing between the sites and their relative orientation. In contrast, E2F binding in uninfected-cell extracts was unaffected by changes in orientation and spacing, consistent with very low cooperativity or independent binding.
Biometric identification using infrared vein pattern images has more distinctive features, intensity, and plagiarism issues than comparable methods. The vein pattern is authenticated by the fact that it is in a person, and cannot be seen under normal light. Internally it is immune to environmental effects and invisible under normal light, making it difficult for users to access without knowledge. A vein pattern identification using Gabor features has been implemented in this research. Specific biometric processing steps, including pre-processing, segmentation, edge detection, feature extraction, and classification of the vein patterns and current algorithms were studied. In this study, Gabor features and the SVM classification for effective recognition of vein patterns were used with 96.74 percent accuracy.
The fatty acid compositions of 39 brands of cookies and bakery products were analyzed with special attention to the their trans-fatty acid content. The average contents (percent w/w of the total fatty acids detected) for the different nutritional fractions were as follows: saturated fatty acids (SFA), 49.43% (SD = 17.04); monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), 32.87% (SD = 10.94); polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), 12.48% (SD = 11.29); and trans-fatty acids (TFA), 5.20% (SD = 9.30), the mean fat content being 22.7% (SD = 7.4). C18:1t was the predominant trans isomer found in all of the analyzed samples (mean = 4.04, SD = 8.46). Factor analysis performed on the fatty acid profile allowed a meaningful classification of the samples according to the main source of fat employed in their elaboration. Four factors that explained 75% of the total variance were retained. According to the results obtained, the fat used to elaborate the samples was mainly composed of vegetable and animal fat, and only in a few samples were partially hydrogenated vegetable oils used as the main source of fat.
Oenothera has long enjoyed biological fame for its unconventional cytogenetic behavior.2 In recent years these cytogenetic peculiarities have been effectively utilized in determining phylogenetic relationships in the North American section of the subgenus Euoenothera (Cleland, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1949). The present paper is a report of similar phylogenetic studies on races of Euoenothera from Central America and Mexico. These races, like the California forms, lack cytogenetic specialization. Although similar to the California races phenotypically, they differ sufficiently to be assigned to a distinct species by Munz (1949). The question therefore arises as to whether this group is to be considered closer to the ancestral line of the North American euoenotheras or whether the California group is more primitive. A cytogenetic analysis of the races from Mexico and Guatemala should throw light upon this problem. The material from Guatemala was studied for another reason also. It has hitherto been difficult to obtain crosses between the North American euoenotheras and the South American forms. It was hoped that races from Central America might cross readily with both North and South 'American races and hence serve as bridging forms, which would make it possible to bring all of the euoenotheras into
Finite mixture models (FMM) is a pattern recognition method, in which parameters are determined from complete data using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm. This paper presents an algorithm for determining parameters of the finite mixture models using data having missing values. Compared with a developed EM algorithm that is proposed earlier the proposed algorithm has proved good performance when the features containing missing values are at least moderately correlated with some of the complete features in the input data set.
Taking a cue from the re-use of love themes as praise motives enacted by Ovid in his exile elegies, this paper illustrates the reception of such imagery in late antique Latin poetry. Touchstones for this enquiry are mainly the verse panegyrics by Claudian and the elegiac short poems by Venantius Fortunatus, considered as two different realisations of a common langue of praise in two different cultural and socio-historical milieus. More specifically, the aim of this paper is to show the increasing intermingling of languages of love, praise, and friendship (meant as the complex set of social relationships involved by the Latin amicitia ): eventually, this highly stylised language survived until the early Middle Ages in the form of Christian spiritual friendship and ennobling love. Furthermore, when dealing with women patrons, this set of images results in intended literary overlaps, the most remarkable outcomes being perhaps recognisable in Fortunatus’ elegies to St. Radegund.
This investigation aimed to study mean performance, genotypic variances, types of gene action and heritability for earliness, yield and components in four bread wheat crosses using six populations i.e. (P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1 and BC2) under different thermal conditions. Wheat crosses populations were sown on 19th November and 3rd January at the Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt in a randomized complete block design in 2017/2018 season. Scaling test provide evidence of non-allelic interaction in controlling all studied characters in the four crosses on both sowing dates except No. of spiklets/spike in the 3rd and 4th crosses and grain yield/plant in the 2nd and 3rd crosses on normal sowing date, indicated the presence of epistasis and the digenic model proved to be satisfactory in explaining the inheritance of the previous characters in the corresponding crosses. Narrow-sense heritability estimates recorded high values (>50%) for days to heading in the 1st and 2nd crosses on normal sowing date and the 3rd cross on both sowing dates; days to maturity in the 1st and 4th  on normal sowing date and the 3rd cross on both sowing dates, No. of tillers/plant in the 3rd cross on both sowing dates and the 2nd and 4th crosses on normal sowing date; No. of spiklets/spike in all crosses on both sowing dates except the 1st and 2nd crosses on normal sowing date; No. of grains/spike in the 2nd cross on both sowing dates, the 4th cross on normal sowing and the 1st cross on late sowing date; weight of grains/spike in the 2nd cross on both sowing dates and the 3rd on normal sowing date, 1st and 4th crosses on late sowing date and grain yield/plant in the 1st  cross on both sowing dates and the 3rd and 4th crosses on late sowing date.
The testability of the Kochen-Specker theorem is a subject of ongoing controversy. A central issue is that experimental implementations relying on sequential measurements cannot achieve perfect compatibility between the measurements and that therefore the notion of noncontextuality is not well defined. We demonstrate by an explicit model that such compatibility violations may yield a violation of noncontextuality inequalities, even if we assume that the incompatibilities merely originate from context-independent noise. We show, however, that this problem can be circumvented by combining the ideas behind Leggett-Garg inequalities with those of the Kochen-Specker theorem.
Structural evolution of pentacene thin films on Ag(110) crystal, during molecular deposition and during a subsequent change of substrate temperature, was investigated in situ by a molecular beam epitaxy low-energy electron diffraction technique. The pentacene molecules exhibit high mobility on the Ag(110) surface at room temperature and the adsorbate shows a structural evolution from disorder in the submonolayer to an ordered structure when it reaches one monolayer. Heating the substrate to 145 degreesC results in no further structural transition. The ordered monolayer structure on Ag(110) has two domains mirrored at the crystal axis of the silver substrate. Molecular mechanics calculations indicate that the pentacene molecules lie flat on the Ag(110) surface, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. The calculation also gives the favorable position; i.e., the orientation of pentacene on the Ag(110).
ABSTRACT The quantitative predictive abilities of derivative spectral analysis by using the zero-crossing point method were compared with the results obtained by the use of multivariate calibration methods. Mixtures of two pesticides, diuron and chlorpyrifos, were resolved by application of derivative spectrophotometry. Partial least squares (PLS-1 and PLS-2) and principal component regression (PCR), full spectrum calibration methods, were also applied, with previous optimization of the calibration matrix, using the absorption spectra and the first-derivative spectra. Both approaches were satisfactorily applied to the simultaneous determination of diuron and chlorpyrifos in synthetic mixtures. However, significant advantages were found in the determination of these pesticides in groundwater samples, previous solid-phase extraction with C18 cartridges, by application of different chemometric approaches when the calibration matrix was performed using the first derivative of the absorption spectra.
Three pedigrees informative for the segregation of genetic variants of the binding protein for the fourth component of complement (C4BP) and C3b/C4b receptor (C3bR) have been identified. There were 10 informative meioses with no recombinants, indicating a close linkage between the loci encoding C4BP and C3bR, C4BP and C3bR [maximum lod (logarithm of odds of linkage) score: 2.4 at recombinant fraction = 0.0]. In addition, in the four unrelated individuals who were doubly heterozygous (C4BP*1, C4BP*2, C3bR*A, C3bR*B), the infrequent allele C4BP*2 segregated together with the uncommon allele C3bR*B, supporting the hypothesis of linkage between C4BP and C3bR and suggesting that linkage disequilibrium exists between these particular alleles. We conclude that the loci encoding C3bR and C4BP, two functionally related molecules, are linked.
In this introductory essay, we begin by discussing the attraction and limits of the ‘wave’ metaphor in feminist history and politics, before moving into a wider discussion of feminist subjectivity and agency. We then summarize the key issues, themes and objects/sites for contemporary feminists, before ending with some reflections on the changing character of feminist strategy. We argue that while the wave metaphor has been popular among feminists in many parts of Europe, it does not travel easily across national and regional borders, and should best be understood as a way of framing feminist practice, rather than referring to discreet cohorts of feminists. We can also discern a broader trend whereby preoccupations around the precise character of the feminist subject have given way to more diverse conceptions of feminist subjectivity in which the role of historically excluded constituencies within feminism – queers, lesibian, gay, bisexual and trans* women, black and minority ethnic women and indeed men – are, in some contexts, more visible. This is reflected in the practices of contemporary feminisms, in which the dominant approach is what we might call, following Bice Maiguashca, a ‘principled pragmatism’, characterized by a steadfast opposition to gender inequality alongside a degree of fluidity and flexibility in terms of the strategies and tactics used.
Abstract The memory of the therapeutic praxis of Jesus Christ, narrated and celebrated in the heart of communities of believers, configures the personal and collective identity and recreates it in each social-historical situation. This memory has the power of questioning discourses and practices that move away from the message of life in fullness that they involve; it invites change and encourages ways of life in harmony with the path of a great community of memory which in its diversity, has sought to walk in the steps of the Resurrected. The healing encounters are therefore a manifestation of the love and mercy of God and they aim to make men and women open themselves up to this reality and allow themselves to be transformed by it, putting it at the centre of their lives and with the possibility of transforming all dimensions of life. Then, communities and every person become mediators of healing and salvation. In this article I aim to reflect the most significant dimensions of the therapeutic praxis of Christ in order to illuminate mission and transformative spirituality as healing and reconciliation (mercy, proximity, living touch, compassionate gaze, listening, dialogue and liberating word, forgiveness). The summons to heal and reconcile gradually intertwines with a way and style of life and a way of committing to history by welcoming the Spirit of God that acts and reveals itself therein. ********** The call and sending of Christians of all times to 'take charge' of human vulnerability in the way of Jesus Christ remains a challenge today. The invitation to make true the banquet of the kingdom necessarily entails facing, receiving and healing the pain and the suffering of humanity, the misfortunes and imbalances of personal and collective existence. It also involves a commitment to enable disunited minds and purposes to come together in agreement once again (reconciliation) and to end all kinds of lies, enmity and conflict. The mission to heal and reconcile is an incentive, then, for God's tender mercy, lived in fullness in Jesus Christ, to be extended to all Christians, reaching every woman and every man. It is an invitation to follow, i.e., an invitation to God's Trinitarian love to be incarnated in every believer; it is an offering for Christ's free life-giving love to be embodied as broken bread and shed blood on behalf of the whole humanity and, especially, in favour of the disinherited and marginalized people of the entire universe; a call for the breath of the Holy Spirit to illuminate the shadows, strengthen in weakness and restore communion in one love. This summons of continuing, completing and communicating the mysteries of Christ in the specific histories of people generates a way of being and living that makes God's compassionate tenderness transparent and mediates for others the gift of health and reconciliation, that is, God's salvation in Christ through the Holy Spirit. This mission calls to develop a healing and reconciling spirituality that affects all existence and is expressed in the way of living, doing and suffering history according to the Spirit of God that lives in us. (1) We are therefore talking about following in Christ's footsteps, thanks to the action of the Holy Spirit, in the concrete history we are creating according to the will of our Father, which is none other than the kingdom. In the changing conditions of reality, God's readiness to heal the wounds of humanity and restore broken relationships, starting with the victims, leads to living a liberating and saving experience of God which, taking root inside, manifests itself in new forms of humanity. We are invited to live the experience of discipleship and to grow in the life of the Holy Spirit in the chiaroscuro of existence, and more specifically, in communion with the pain and wounds of humanity. The bleeding realities, the hurting faces, the victims and the excluded constitute an opportunity and grace to experience the God of compassionate affection. …
While determining tannin and lignin levels using the procedure recommended by Standard Methods,1 several problems were encountered with the tannin-lignin reagent. Successive preparations of this reagent resulted in batches having different sensitivities toward tannin and lignin. The batches also varied in color from a very light green to a dark blue. The reagent blank varied directly with the intensity of the reagent color. When the tannin-lignin test was run with the tannin-lignin reagent, a precipitate would begin forming approximately 20 min after the addition of the carbonate re-
ABSTRACT The opening and closing of spaces have been extensively documented at an ethnographic level in the Andes. In an archaeological context, though I have numerous examples, there are not many examples that testify to the abandonment of a particular enclosure or settlement. However, with research and fieldwork undertaken in Juella, Quebrada de Humahuaca, Jujuy Province, I have made a significant archaeological discovery – that of Enclosure 94 (R94), which includes a door closure, the interment of a foetus in the occupation floor, and the intentional burial of some goods. I consider this activity as part of an occupation that is restricted to the Late Intermediate Period (ad 1250–1450), that the material found and analyzed here is related to ritual and ceremonial activity of the closure and also the symbolic ‘death’ of this space. Based on radiocarbon dates obtained from this particular enclosure and its relationship to the overall site, I believe that this deposition is not only associated with the abandonment of the structure, but it is closely linked to the site at a time of the Inca conquest of the region.
In this paper we present a novel approach for lane detection and segmentation using generative models. Traditionally discriminative models have been employed to classify pixels semantically on a road. We model the probability distribution of lanes and road symbols by training a generative adversarial network. Based on the learned probability distribution, context aware lanes and road signs are generated for a given image which are further quantized for nearest class label. Proposed method has been tested on BDDIOOK and Baidu’s ApolloScape datasets and performs better than state of the art and exhibits robustness to adverse conditions by generating lanes in faded out and occluded scenarios.
Frequency offset (FO) is an inherent feature of wireless communications. It results from differences in the operating frequency of different radio oscillators. Failure to compensate for the FO may lead to a decoding failure, particularly in OFDM systems. IEEE 802.11a/g systems use a globally known preamble to deal with this issue. In this paper, we demonstrate how an adversary can exploit the structure and publicity of 802.11a's frame preamble to launch a low-power reactive jamming attack against the FO estimation mechanism. In this attack, the adversary will need to quickly detect a PHY frame and subsequently distort the FO estimation mechanism, irrespective of the channel conditions. By employing a fast frame detection technique, and optimizing the energy and structure of the jamming signal, we show the feasibility of such an attack. Furthermore, we propose some mitigation techniques and evaluate one of them through simulations and USRP testbed experimentation.
We report the effect of growth conditions on the incorporation of background impurities and optical properties of undoped Als.3Gas.tAs grown by gas source molecular beam epitaxy using trimethylamine alane. The minimum background carbon concentration was 7x1016 cm-3. The 77 K photoluminescence spectrum was dominated by excitonic band-edge emission, which was not observable in AlGaAs grown using triethylaluminum. The n-type doping of Al*Gat_*Ar (x=0-0.27) using disilane was studied. The net carrier concentration of nAlGaAs was reproducibly controlled between 5x10173x1018 cm-3 by varying the disilane flow rate from 1 to 8 sccm.
The feeding behaviour of four species of garter snakes (Thamnophis butleri, T melanogaster, T. radix, and T sirtalis) was observed in an attempt to determine differences across species and among age groups with respect to capturing, handling and swallowing large and small fish. Although belonging to the same genus, the four species differ widely in habitat and prey preferences (T. butieri being recognized as an earthworm specialist, T melanogaster as an aquatic specialist, and the other two species as generalists). Overall, feeding patterns were quite similar across species following a general sequence of capturing fish, maneuvering the jaws to either the head or tail of the fish (the head being "chosen" more often), and swallowing it. Head-first ingestion was related to prey size: the larger the fish the greater the probability the snake would ingest it head first. When this behaviour was analysed more closely, species and age differences emerged. Adults were more efficient at capturing and ingesting fish head-first and took less time to handle and swallow their prey than did juveniles. This difference was not as marked in the two specialist species as in the two generalist species. Considering differences within species and age classes with respect to their handling behaviour of either a large or a small fish, T melanogaster handled both sizes of prey in a time period that was not significantly different, T. butleri took significantly more time to handle a large fish whereas T radix and T. sirtalis took considerably more time to handle a large fish as newborns but not as adults. These results support field observations that T. melanogaster is an aquatic specialist, T. butleri, an earthworm specialist, and the other two species, generalists. In spite of the similarities between the two generalist species, similarities were also found between T. butleri and T. radix which are believed to the taxonomically related.
This report described results of an application of two kinds of compost charcoals on the growing media of mahoni seedlings(Swietenia rnacropbylla King)for 5-month duration. Objective of this study is to learn such applicationon the characteristics of seedlings growth.The two kinds of compost charcoals were : the one derived from tusam litters (Al) ; and the other from a mixture of litters and mahoni seeds (A.2). Results revealed that the application of compost charcoal (A1 and A2) each at 30% dosage could increase height of mahoni seedlings as much as 17.67 - 25.02 cm, which Is approximately 3 times greater than the control. The compost application also increased girth of mahoni seedling up to twice that of the controls.The application of compost charcoal at 40% dosage of either (Al) or (A2), however, showed a smaller increase in height and girth increament compared with the 30% dosage. Cummulatively,the application of compost charcoal could increase the seedling biomass by more than 400%.
We present theoretical studies for the third-order elastic constants ${C}_{ijk}$ in zinc-blende nitrides AlN, GaN, and InN. Our predictions for these compounds are based on detailed ab initio calculations of strain-energy and strain-stress relations in the framework of the density functional theory. To judge the computational accuracy, we compare the ab initio calculated results for ${C}_{ijk}$ with experimental data available for Si and GaAs. We also underline the relation of the third-order elastic constants to other quantities characterizing anharmonic behavior of materials, such as pressure derivatives of the second-order elastic constants ${c}_{ij}^{ ensuremath{'}}$ and the mode Gr "uneisen constants for long-wavelength acoustic modes $ ensuremath{ gamma}( mathbf{q}, mathbf{j})$.
AbstractThe phototoxic effects of ultraviolet (UV)-visible irriadiation in the presence of chlorpromazine (CPZ) on the endothelial cells of rabbit cornea in vitro were investigated. For comparison, three types of controls were employed: (1) cornea not irradiated but incubated in the dark in the absence of CPZ (control A), (2) cornea not irradiated but incubated in the dark in the presence of CPZ (control B), (3) cornea irradiated in the absence of CPZ (control C). For identifying the cytotoxic damage we used two criteria: (1) 51Cr release from labeled corneal endothelial cells and (2) changes in cellular morphology as seen with specular, light, and scanning electron microscopy. Our results demonstrated that the corneal endothelial cells were damaged when they were irradiated in the presence of CPZ (5 μg/ml); cellular damage was not observed in the control corneas. It may therefore be concluded that this effect is due to a definite phototoxic mechanism. The cellular damage in the experimental cornea was ma...
This report assesses the ability of intrinsic two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging to characterize features associated with the motility and invasive potential of epithelial tumor cells engineered in tissues. Distinct patterns of organization are found both within the cells and the matrix that depend on the adhesive properties of the cells as well as factors attributed to adjacent fibroblasts. TPEF images are analyzed using automated algorithms that reveal unique features in subcellular organization and cell spacing that correlate with the invasive potential. We expect that such features have significant diagnostic potential for basic in vitro studies that aim to improve our understanding of cancer development or response to treatments, and, ultimately can be applied in prognostic evaluation.
White matter (WM) lesion identification and segmentation has proved of clinical importance for diagnosis, treatment and neurological outcomes. Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have demonstrated their success for large lesion load segmentation, but are not sensitive to small deep WM and sub-cortical lesion segmentation. We propose to use multi-scale and supervised fully convolutional networks (FCN) to segment small WM lesions in 22 anemic patients. The multiple scales enable us to identify the small lesions while reducing many false alarms, and the multi-supervised scheme allows a better management of the unbalanced data. Compared to a single FCN (Dice score ∼ 0.31), the performance on the testing dataset of our proposed networks achieved a Dice score of 0.78.
While being active in state-building operations, the European Union (EU) appears to be increasingly aware of the challenge that organized crime poses for political stability in "fragile states" located along its borders and beyond. Justice and Home Affairs has become one of the fastest-growing domains of EU action, and it has acquired an important external dimension, along with other policy ambits traditionally regarded as domestic—such as immigration, organized crime and terrorism. This article offers a brief overview of the evolution of the EU institutional framework concerned with addressing transnational organized crime. It then delves into EU foreign policy through the exploration of the EU missions to Kosovo and Guinea-Bissau, seeking to illuminate the existence of counter crime strategies. The article offers a preliminary assessment of how the post-Lisbon EU defence and foreign policy is conceptually and operationally equipped to meet the challenge posed by transnational organized crime.
OBJECTIVE Adoption of effective treatments for recurrent binge-eating disorders depends on the balance of costs and benefits. Using data from a recent randomized controlled trial, we conducted an incremental cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of a cognitive-behavioral therapy guided self-help intervention (CBT-GSH) to treat recurrent binge eating compared to treatment as usual (TAU).   METHOD Participants were 123 adult members of an HMO (mean age = 37.2 years, 91.9% female, 96.7% non-Hispanic White) who met criteria for eating disorders involving binge eating as measured by the Eating Disorder Examination (C. G. Fairburn & Z. Cooper, 1993). Participants were randomized either to treatment as usual (TAU) or to TAU plus CBT-GSH. The clinical outcomes were binge-free days and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs); total societal cost was estimated using costs to patients and the health plan and related costs.   RESULTS Compared to those receiving TAU only, those who received TAU plus CBT-GSH experienced 25.2 more binge-free days and had lower total societal costs of $427 over 12 months following the intervention (incremental CEA ratio of -$20.23 per binge-free day or -$26,847 per QALY). Lower costs in the TAU plus CBT-GSH group were due to reduced use of TAU services in that group, resulting in lower net costs for the TAU plus CBT group despite the additional cost of CBT-GSH.   CONCLUSIONS Findings support CBT-GSH dissemination for recurrent binge-eating treatment.
The proposed works consists in the research on the electric power consumption in a Brazilian municipality and effective financial economy and demand the power grid with the installation of solar water heating. The field research was conducted with the survey method with questionnaires applied in a sample of 360 households. As a result it was confirmed that 55,28 % of interviewed households has electric power consumption between 151-200 kWh; all of them have electric shower with an average use time 1 hour/day, the use between 18:00 and 21:00 pm, peak time in Brazil. Therefore, the use of solar thermal energy represents a savings of 12,000 kW / ano for the city and reduce demand electricity grid. Research has proven that low-cost solar water heater is viable to be installed.
A method was developed for identifying and determining benzo(a)pyrene in a filtered retort water sample from an in situ oil shale process by employing liquid-liquid extraction, dry-column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography and fluorescence spectrometry. The accuracy and precision of the method were good, and the limit of detection was approximately 0.08 ppB. Irreproducible results were obtained with unfiltered retort water samples. Programmed multiple development was used to a limited extent in the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from a shale oil sample. However, results indicated that this separation technique should be investigated further in the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Benzo(a)pyrene was determined in several shale oil samples by methods developed previously. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were characterized in several shale oil samples using open-column, dry-column and thin-layer chromatography as separation steps. Visible fluorescence from the separated components on chromatoplates was measured directly to obtain fluorescence profiles of the components on the chromatoplates. Several comparisons were made among the shale oil samples as to the relative amounts of 6-, 5-, 4- and 3-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The theoretical and practical analytical aspects of the room temperature phosphorescence of nitrogen heterocycles were investigated. Intense room temperature phosphorescence was obtained from several nitrogen heterocyclesmore » when these compounds were absorbed on silica gel. Theoretical explanations were given for the intense phosphorescence. Benzo(f)quinoline and phenanthridine were separated from a shale oil sample by open-column and high performance liquid chromatography, and then identified by room temperature phosphorescence.« less
The consumer price index in the United States follows a non-trend stationary stochastic process that describes the index as drifting randomly upward without bound. Monetarists have long pointed to similar properties in the time series of monetary aggregates as the source of this incipient inflation. Their solution to this problem is close adherence by the central bank to targets for a monetary or reserve aggregate that correspond to slow and steady monetary growth, with any periods of excessive monetary growth subsequently offset. This would produce monetary series that are trend stationary. If the demand for money is reasonably stable, price series would also become trend stationary, and for properly chosen targets, the price level would be bounded with a mean inflation rate of zero.'
In recent years ringworm of the scalp has assumed a position of considerable importance in the United States. It was formerly unnecessary for most physicians to be familiar with the problem because of the rarity of the epidemic form in this country, but recently epidemics have spread the disease widely throughout the nation. Some forms of ringworm of the scalp spread rapidly, are capable of causing epidemics and are resistant to topical therapy. Because of the increasing number of cases of this type the problem has become one of public health, and protection of the community is as important as treatment of the individual. In 1822 Wilkinson 1 recorded an epidemic in England. Cases have since been reported throughout the world, but the greatest incidence of the disease has been in France and in England. In 1843 David Gruby 2 described the causative organism of epidemic ringworm and named it
SummaryTrunk strangulation was performed under artificial shading (80% shade) and unshaded conditions from mid-July to harvest time to determine whether strangulation treatment could overcome the negative effect of heavy shading on fruit development and quality in six year old ‘Tosa Buntan’ pummelo (Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck) budded on trifoliate orange. Strangulation of the trunk with steel wire of 1.6 mm diameter was applied to the depth of the wire’s diameter. The wire rings were removed two months later. Chlorophyll content of 80% shade leaves decreased after exposure to full sun and increased after reimposing shading; the shaded first flush leaves retained more chlorophyll than unshaded ones. Specific leaf weight of the first flush leaves, shoot growth of second flush and fruit size significantly decreased in strangled trees with 80% shade. However, either trunk strangulation with full sun or trunk strangulation with shade hastened the degreening of the fruit rind and increased the sugar and citric ...
Building on existing literature on university legal education for energy and climate change law, this article presents a novel course on the law of energy transition, financed by the European Union. The article delves into the emergence of the idea for the project, the development of the proposal for the course to the European Commission, and the first offering of the course ‘EU-US Comparative Climate Change and Energy Transition Law', which ran from February to April 2019. The article is framed around the emerging trends towards internationalisation and digitalisation of legal education, which are essential features of the TUCCCEL programme.
Yeast reduction of the keto-proline (5) affords the hydroxyproline derivative (6)(diastereoisomeric excess > 99%cis; enantiomeric excess, e.e., 80%); subsequent hydrolysis and crystallisation gives (+)-cis-(2R,3S)-3-hydroxyproline (7)(93% e.e.) which has been homologated to the bicyclic lactones (10) and (11), precursors of (–)-retronecine, (+)-platynecine, (–)-croalbinecine and related pyrrolizidines.
Our world is filled with optical fibers carrying information across the room or around the world at rates of up to 25.6 terabits per second. This astounding capacity is the result of about 40 years of development. An integral part of this was the accompanying measurements for characterizing optical fiber and its supporting components. Here we describe some of the optical fiber metrology measurement lessons learned from the telecommunications industry, with the goal of identifying applications for aerospace. We limit our discussion to single-mode fiber issues.
A three-dimensional Euler aerodynamic method (TEAM) is used to simulate the interaction of free vortices with lifting surfaces. The free vortices considered here arise from flow separation along sharp leading edges of slender swept wings at moderate-to-high angles of attack and shed in the wake behind lifting wings. Computed results for a 74 deg delta wing, a 75/62 deg double-delta wing body, and a canard-wing-body configuration are correlated with experimental data to evaluate TEAM's capabilities
documentation, it is also made very clear that energy challenges are not a new development in Japan, instead having been a consistent feature of Japan’s energy policy over the past decades. In addition, the inclusion of interviews conducted with energy experts in 2013 provides valuable insights and context to the analysis. The book will be of interest to scholars, students and practitioners focusing on Japan, energy, specifically energy policy and security, as well as IR.
The growth of the point to point and the point to multipoint radio markets has produced a demand for high power, low distortion and cost effective amplifier at quasi-millimeter-wave. This paper describes a GaAs-based monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) amplifier having watt-level power performance, excellent third order intermodulation distortion (IMD3) characteristic at 38 GHz-band for various communication system applications. We have developed GaAs-based double-doped heterojunction FETs (HJFET) for quasi-millimeter-wave MMIC amplifier, using highly-uniform 0.2 /spl mu/m WSi-gate process on 5-inch GaAs wafer.
In selecting among the many statements that were made in the ‘War of Words’, it is important to choose only those that contained practical proposals for administrative reform and redirection of Government policy. Only then can we assess the extent to which they were in tune with or diverged from the plans being developed within the Board of Education. These were the ones that, because of their focused nature, draftspersons in the Board of Education might conceivably have felt constrained to take into account, and either to incorporate in, or exclude from, their own designs. In this way it is possible to be precise about what scientists wanted in 1914–17, and to estimate their degree of realism and the likely scope of their influence. The Fellows of the Royal Society and the Chemical and Engineering societies must, Sir William Ramsay (FRS, chemist) urged in October 1914, be co-ordinated. They need, he said, to ‘work together at what for us is the supreme problem of all – how to conquer the Germans?’. The British Science Guild was to be included and the Royal Society was to ‘set the example’. Committees should be created; experts from other societies were to be added. In March 1915 Ramsay prepared a ‘Draft Scheme for a Chemical Council of State’. It was to comprise twenty-four members, one-third technical chemists, one-third scientific investigators and one-third analytical and consulting chemists. It was to collect information on all aspects of the industry; to bring universities into contact with manufacturers; and to advise Government. Members were to be paid a small retainer. Agents were to be employed to visit factories and colleges. Eight members were to retire each year. The proposed Council was ‘to resemble to some extent a Royal Commission’. It would be appointed for ten years in the first instance. It would report annually to the Crown, but would not be attached to any Government department, although it would be associated with several. Non-political, it would be appointed by and directly responsible to the Crown. The president of the Royal Society would initially nominate two technical chemists and two scientific chemists. They, chaired by him, would choose twenty others.
BACKGROUND Vitamin and mineral supplement products are widely consumed by older adults. This study describes supplement product use in a multiethnic rural population, relates supplement usage to dietary nutrient intake, and determines predictors of supplement usage.   METHODS Data are from a population-based sample of 130 community-dwelling adults aged 70 years and older in two rural North Carolina counties. The sample was 34% African American, 36% European American, and 30% Native American. Interviewer-administered semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires were used to obtain data on usual diet and supplement use. In-home interviews allowed verification of supplement composition. Intakes from diet and supplement products were examined for vitamins A, E, B6, C, folate, iron, zinc, and calcium.   RESULTS Of those who participated in the study, 47% reported using one or more supplement products. African Americans were significantly less likely to take supplements than Native Americans or European Americans. Based on dietary intakes, 65% of the participants were deficient (<2/3 recommended dietary allowance [RDA]) for at least one nutrient. The use of supplement products for the eight nutrients investigated was not related to dietary nutrient deficiency. For all nutrients investigated, except iron and calcium, a greater proportion of those without dietary deficiency took a supplement product than those with deficiency. Using logistic regression, ethnicity (European American and Native American), and gender (women) were significant predictors of supplement use.   CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that although both dietary deficiencies of vitamins and minerals and supplement use are relatively high in this population, there is no association between supplement use and deficient dietary intakes for the eight nutrients examined. Health care providers should be aware that nutritional counseling and guidance on appropriate supplement usage is needed in this population.
Because of Panama's stricter sanitary status, a specialised protocol was developed with the Department of Agriculture in the Dominican Republic to legalize the exchange of biological materials (oocytes/embryos). This protocol allows the team of specialised technicians, currently working in Born® Animal Biotechnology's Panamanian facility, to operate using the same in vitro bovine embryo production system (IVP, In vitro Brasil®) to service Dominican producers. Because the donors are not located at a specific centre with controlled sanitary management, a special protocol was developed in which blood tests were done to certify that the entirety of the herd at each client's farm was free of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, DBVD, leptospirosis, leucosis, brucellosis, and tuberculosis. As timing during IVP is an essential variable that can have detrimental effects on the final results, precautions were taken to ensure that the oocytes arrived at the Panamanian laboratory facility within 24 h of aspiration. A portable incubator was used to transport oocytes and embryos during the import and export portions of the procedure. A comparison of pregnancy rates based on oocyte source and recipient transfers from September 2012 until May 2013 was analysed with ?2 (Table 1). The number of embryos produced in Panama was significantly higher than in the Dominican Republic, which was likely due to the larger number of donors and oocytes from the Panama herd. However, pregnancy rate was higher in the Dominican Republic likely because of the health status of the Dominican recipients, which were free of the diseases mentioned above. Recipients were the same type and breed and under similar management conditions in both countries. The disease status aspect will be examined with greater numbers of animals in the future. The data suggest that the present IVP and recipient management protocols could serve as a model for other Central American and Caribbean countries under similar management systems. Table 1.In vitro embryo production and pregnancy rates of Bos indicus embryos transferred in Panama or the Dominican Republic (September 2012 through May 2013)
When the dc voltage is applied to the test cell with dielectric liquid the evolution of the conduction current as a function of time is observed. If the polarity of the applied voltage is reversed the peak in the current waveform appears. The review of investigations of the reversal currents in dielectric liquids has been published. The present paper is the continuation of the work and is devoted to investigation of the peak phenomena of reversal currents in benzene, carbon tetrachloride and silicone oil.
Significance Reports suggest that at least 25% of women suffering from reproductive disorders are due to hypothalamic dysfunction. Pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) regimens are used for infertile women. Thus, elucidation of the GnRH/gonadotropin pulse generator is warranted to improve therapeutic approaches for these disorders. Normal pulsatile gonadotropin release and folliculogenesis were rescued by transfecting the kisspeptin gene (Kiss1) into the hypothalamic neurokinin B (NKB) neurons in global Kiss1 knockout infertile female rats but not by transfecting outside the NKB neurons. Our results demonstrate that kisspeptin/NKB/dynorphin A (KNDy) neurons serve as the GnRH pulse generator, and >20% KNDy neurons are enough to maintain GnRH/gonadotropin pulses and folliculogenesis in female rats. The findings provide a potential therapeutic aspect for hypothalamic reproductive disorders. The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse is fundamental for mammalian reproduction: GnRH pulse regimens are needed as therapies for infertile women as continuous GnRH treatment paradoxically inhibits gonadotropin release. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the hypothalamic arcuate KNDy neurons expressing kisspeptin (encoded by Kiss1), neurokinin B (encoded by Tac3), and dynorphin A serve as a GnRH pulse generator; however, no direct evidence is currently available. Here, we show that rescuing >20% KNDy neurons by transfecting Kiss1 inside arcuate Tac3 neurons, but not outside of these neurons, recovered folliculogenesis and luteinizing hormone (LH) pulses, an indicator of GnRH pulses, in female global Kiss1 knockout (KO) rats and that >90% conditional arcuate Kiss1 KO in newly generated Kiss1-floxed rats completely suppressed LH pulses. These results first provide direct evidence that KNDy neurons are the GnRH pulse generator, and at least 20% of KNDy neurons are sufficient to maintain folliculogenesis via generating GnRH/gonadotropin pulses.
Introduction Increasing evidence suggests obesity has its origins prior to birth. There is clear correlation between maternal obesity, high birthweight and offspring risk of obesity in later life. It is also clear that women who are obese during pregnancy are at greater risk of adverse outcomes, including gestational diabetes and stillbirth. The mechanism(s) by which obesity causes these problems is unknown, although hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance are strongly implicated. We present a protocol for a study to test the hypothesis that metformin will improve insulin sensitivity in obese pregnant women, thereby reducing the incidence of high birthweight babies and other pregnancy complications. Methods and analysis The Efficacy of Metformin in Pregnant Obese Women, a Randomised controlled (EMPOWaR) trial is a double-masked randomised placebo-controlled trial to determine whether metformin given to obese (body mass index >30 kg/m2) pregnant women from 16 weeks’ gestation until delivery reduces the incidence of high birthweight babies. A secondary aim is to test the mechanism(s) of any effect. Obese women with a singleton pregnancy and normal glucose tolerance will be recruited prior to 16 weeks’ gestation and prescribed study medication, metformin or placebo, to be taken until delivery. Further study visits will occur at 28 and 36 weeks’ gestation for glucose tolerance testing and to record anthropometric measurements. Birth weight and other measurements will be recorded at time of delivery. Anthropometry of mother and baby will be performed at 3 months postdelivery. As of January 2014, 449 women had been randomised across the UK. Ethics and dissemination The study will be conducted in accordance with the principles of Good Clinical Practice. A favourable ethical opinion was obtained from Scotland A Research Ethics Committee, reference number 10/MRE00/12. Results will be disseminated at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number ISRCTN51279843.
Molecular functions of proteins are often fulfilled by global conformational changes that couple with local events such as the binding of ligand molecules. High molecular complexity of proteins has, however, been an obstacle to obtain an atomistic view of the global conformational transitions, imposing a limitation on the mechanistic understanding of the functional processes. In this study, we developed a new method of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation called the linear response path following (LRPF) to simulate a protein's global conformational changes upon ligand binding. The method introduces a biasing force based on a linear response theory, which determines a local reaction coordinate in the configuration space that represents linear coupling between local events of ligand binding and global conformational changes and thus provides one with fully atomistic models undergoing large conformational changes without knowledge of a target structure. The overall transition process involving nonlinear conformational changes is simulated through iterative cycles consisting of a biased MD simulation with an updated linear response force and a following unbiased MD simulation for relaxation. We applied the method to the simulation of global conformational changes of the yeast calmodulin N-terminal domain and successfully searched out the end conformation. The atomistically detailed trajectories revealed a sequence of molecular events that properly lead to the global conformational changes and identified key steps of local-global coupling that induce the conformational transitions. The LRPF method provides one with a powerful means to model conformational changes of proteins such as motors and transporters where local-global coupling plays a pivotal role in their functional processes.
Heat exchangers, condensers plays a vital role in any kind of power cycle like modified Rankin cycle, these components involves transfer of both sensible and latent heat and have great influence over the power plant performance. The condenser employed in MTPS involves transfer of latent heat into steam. Yet it as to induce a phase change in thereby forming water. Increase in the effectiveness of condenser resulted in the increase of vacuum in the condenser. Thereby work done by steam is increased and coal saving (per ton of steam production) is achieved. This condensation process results in the formation of sludge’s (temporary) and (permanent). Along the inner periphery of the condenser tubes. These permanent scales have decreased thermal conductivity and inhibit the heat transfer rate. The more the thickness of the scale the less the heat is removed from the steam. This scale formation limits the life of the condenser tubes with maximum performance. In this project the thickness of the scale formed in the condenser tubes is calculated theoretically and the performance is analysed before and after scale formation in the condenser. Different materials which involve less scale formation, different ways of reducing scales and various scale removing methods are suggested.
Abstract The current study compared the effect of hydroxychloride trace minerals (HTM) with the effect of inorganic trace minerals (ITM) on growth performance and carcass quality in grower-finisher pigs. The results of 6 studies conducted throughout Europe were combined into one meta-analysis. All included studies were performed using pigs from about 19 kg of body weight until slaughter. In all studies, 2 different mineral sources were compared, HTM and sulfates as ITM. Zn from either HTM or ITM was added at a level of 80 ppm to the diet, and Cu was added at a level of 15 ppm from the same source as Zn. In most studies, an additional treatment was included in which 20 ppm Zn was used from either source in combination with 15 ppm Cu from the same source. Diets were fed in 3 phases according to local commercial standards. The body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain:feed ratio were measured at the end of each phase. At the end of each study, the carcass yield, back fat thickness, and lean meat percentage were measured at commercial slaughterhouses. The meta-analysis was conducted using a MIXED model in SAS taking into account the within-study and between-study variation. The comparison was done only between HTM and ITM added at the same Zn level. No statistical differences were observed for growth performance or carcass characteristics between the mineral sources in pigs fed 20 ppm Zn. When 80 ppm Zn was used, a significant improvement in lean meat percentage was observed in pigs fed HTM compared with pigs fed ITM. In the overall study period, there was a tendency towards an increased gain:feed ratio in pigs fed 80 ppm Zn from HTM. In the last feeding phase, before slaughter gain:feed ratio and average daily gain were both significantly improved by 3.9%. In conclusion, HTM addition improved growth performance and lean meat percentage in grower-finisher pigs.
Short-circuit faults are the most commonly occurred transient events in a distribution system. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze fault transients to detect and localize. Detection and localization of faults in a distribution power system are very difficult due to the complex structure of the system. This paper presents an efficient time-frequency based detection and localization algorithm for distribution system faults. The proposed algorithm suggests a feature extraction from the transient signal using Stationary Wavelet Transform and machine-learning using Artificial Neural Network to detect and localize fault transients. The result obtained in this study proves the reliability of the proposed algorithm by achieving better accuracy in fault detection and localization.
High temperature SPM based wet selective processing for multi-step NiPt silicide process on nanoscale CMOS structure with dual gate dense layout has been studied. The high temperature SPM process is found to have better etching selectivity between NiPt/TiN and nickel rich silicide (Ni2Si/Ni3Si2) and results in better sheet resistance (Rs) and uniformity compare to HCL based process. The high temperature SPM process window is effective for Pt and induces very low material loss. Thus, it is a better selective etching process for multi-step silicide process that can scale with the CMOS technology toward 22nm node.
BACKGROUND In developing countries, 6% of deaths are due to cancer but cancer prevention is not practiced. Humans can prevent themselves from a number of workplace and environmental carcinogens.   OBJECTIVES To assess exposure to carcinogens, risky behaviours and associated preventive methods.   METHODS A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on carcinogen exposure in the workplace and environment through trained field staff from volunteers after gaining informed consent. Data was analysed using SPSS.   RESULTS Participants were exposed to recognized carcinogens and environmental hazards. Thirty-five (83.3%) [95% CI: 72.0- 94.6] participants knew the carcinogen names they were exposed to. Common hygienic practices such as taking a bath and washing work dresses at the workplace, use of detergents to wash hands, and no smoking or eating at the workplace were poor. Twenty-nine (69.0%) [95% CI: 47.0 - 75.0] participants could smell the carcinogenic chemicals they use. Thirty (71.4%) [95% CI: 65.0 - 77.0] participants had been instructed in the use of protective equipment against carcinogens. Participants used preventive devices like hand gloves, laboratory coats, boots, face masks, goggles, ear plugs and respirators.   CONCLUSIONS Exposure to carcinogens is common necessitating case-control and cohort studies in this locality on cancer prevalence and incidence.
Inflammatory reaction is very important for formation of the neomembrane of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). The present study evaluated medical treatment with the platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist, etizolam, for the resolution of CSDH, and the factors indicating surgery or conservative therapy. Alternate patients were assigned to the etizolam group or control group without medical treatment. Patients in the etizolam group received 3.0 mg etizolam per day for 14 days. A total of 53 patients were followed up for at least 6 months. Univariate analysis of differences in demographic characteristics, clinical findings, and initial computed tomography (CT) findings, and multiple logistic regression analysis of the relationship between etizolam treatment and requirement for surgery using age, sex, low density of hematoma on CT, and paresis as confounders were performed. Etizolam treatment (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.156, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.024-0.999, p = 0.049) was negatively correlated with requirement for surgery. Low density of hematoma (adjusted OR 0.125, 95% CI 0.019-0.846, p = 0.033) was found to be an independent negative predictor, and paresis as an initial symptom (adjusted OR 6.35, 95% CI 1.04-38.7, p = 0.045) was an independent positive predictor of requirement for surgery. Etizolam administration can promote the resolution of CSDH, especially at the stage of hygroma appearing as low density on CT. Surgery is recommended if the patient presents with paresis.
This study aims to describe the implementation of inquiry learning strategies to improve learning motivation and science process skills of students in grade IV of Ginggong Singgalang 24 Elementary School. This study is a class action research which is a study developed jointly for researchers and decisions maker about variables that are manipulated and can be used to make improvements. Repairs are carried out with two cycles, namely cycle 1 and cycle 2. Data from research results can be grouped into two, namely quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data, namely numerical data, are qualitative data in the form of descriptive. As the subjects in this study were teachers and fourth grade students of SDN 24 Ganting Singgalang District X Koto Tanah Datar District, amounting to 30 people consisting of 13 male students and 17 female students. The results showed that the average value of students in cycle 1 was 72 experiencing an increase in cycle 2, namely 87. The percentage of students' mastery learning in the first cycle was 62% of students obtaining complete grades, while in the second cycle 93% of students obtained completing grades. Thus, there was an increase of as much as 31%. Student learning motivation with the implementation of inquiry learning strategies in class IV of Ginggong Singgalang 24 Elementary School was stated with more than 50% of students who agreed, 57% stated Strongly Agree and 33% agreed. Meanwhile, 7% said that they were Doubtful and 3% stated that they did not agree.
This paper presents a 2-axis gesture sensor interface that consumes 462 nW powered by a 0.8 V supply. The system consists of two proximity sensor (PS) interfaces that provide digital data outputs. A single PS interface consists of a capacitively controlled ring oscillator (CCRO) whose frequency is sensitive to the capacitance between two copper plates in a coplanar deployment and additional capacitive load introduced by the presence of a hand. The CCRO in each interface is followed by a modified cascaded integrator comb (CIC) filter that performs the frequency-to-digital conversion, filtering and downsampling. When a total of three sensor plates are arranged in parallel, the middle one acting as a shared ground plate, the location of a user's hand can be obtained in two dimensions. Measurement results show that hand sweep gestures at 6-cm distance from the sensing plates can be detected by a lightweight algorithm.
dure is accompanied by the progressive decrease of aggregation response in the same subjects. In patient 3, with normal aggrega­ tion pattern, a progressive increase of platelet aggregation was noted followed by an ischemic attack. The new platelet popula­ tion obtained after thrombophoresis, constituted by larger and younger platelets, may have improved platelet aggregation in patient 1 and 2 as the mixture of normal and aspirin treated platelets demonstrated (5). In view of these findings it's hard to attribute platelet abnormalities of the two patients to a production defect (1). A more likely explanation is to admit that platelets become abnormal in the circulating blood (4). The close relation between platelet count, Btg platelet amount and aggregation response observed after thrombopheresis seems to confirm this hypothesis.
This paper mainly designs a device for improving setting load of hydraulic support. The device could enhance the pressure of bottom cavity of the stand column in hydraulic support, decrease the late bearing time of stand column of hydraulic support, shore the roof of coal face effectively, prevent the roof fall caused by separate the roof of wall rock untimely from the layer, and ensure the safety production in the coal facing, with the circumstance that the structure of liquid valve bank of hydraulic support isn't changed and that it has no influence on the normal working of liquid-inlet and rising support. The device using the techniques of hydraumatic and machinery, of which the structure is simple, safe and reliable, is convenient for the work at the underground coal mine. Through the simulated analysis for hydraulic circuit of hydraulic support and the field test, the hydraulic system of hydraulic support is stability with no larger vibration and has a better effect on pressurizing, after using the device. So, the automatic pressure control device to setting load has good popularization and application value.
T HE GOAL of the emancipation of art from the constraints and the burden of demonstrating a moral truth or of bearing a moral message is stated in the novels of early modernism and is found in the discussion of the literary theory and practice of the modernist movement. This goal is often evidenced in the novelist's choice of subject matter, by his concern with the formal aspects of the work, or in his attitude to the appropriateness of moral claims in art.
Carbon xerogels in the form of microspheres and monoliths were obtained from the sol-gel polymerization of resorcinol and formaldehyde in the presence of potassium carbonate as catalyst, using water as solvent and two different molar dilution ratios. The objectives of this study were as follows: to investigate the effect of the dilution ratio, polymerization reaction time, and temperature on the rheological properties of the sols used to prepare the carbon xerogel microspheres and monoliths; and to determine the influence of their preparation methods and shapes on their surface characteristics and electrochemical double-layer (EDL) capacitance. An increase in the molar dilution ratio produced a decrease in the apparent activation energy of the sol-gel transition. Carbon xerogel microspheres were steam-activated at different burnoff percentages. The morphology, surface area, porosity, and surface chemistry of samples were determined. The main difference between the carbon xerogel microspheres and monoliths was that the latter are largely mesoporous. Better electrochemical behavior was shown by carbon xerogels in monolith than in microsphere form, but higher gravimetric and volumetric capacitances were found in activated carbon xerogel microspheres than in carbon xerogel monoliths.
Heavy-quark jets are important in many of today's collider studies and searches, yet predictions for them are subject to much larger uncertainties than for light jets. This is because of strong enhancements in higher orders from large logarithms, ln(pt/mQ). We propose a new definition of heavy-quark jets, which is free of final-state logarithms to all orders and such that all initial-state collinear logarithms can be resummed into the heavy-quark parton distributions. Heavy-jet spectra can then be calculated in the massless approximation, which is simpler than a massive calculation and reduces the theoretical uncertainties by a factor of three. This provides the first ever accurate predictions for inclusive b- and c-jets, and the latter have significant discriminatory power for the intrinsic charm content of the proton. The techniques introduced here could be used to obtain heavy-flavour jet results from existing massless next-to-leading order calculations for a wide range of processes. We also discuss the experimental applicability of our flavoured jet definition.
Despite the great success of Microwave Assisted Organic Synthesis (MAOS) there is still a lack of knowledge about the interaction of the electromagnetic radiation with matter. In consequence, it has been very difficult to rationalize the effect of microwave irradiation in chemistry, to determine the existence of microwave effects (thermal and non-thermal) and to develop predictive models on the characteristics required for a reaction to be improved under microwaves. This has been a handicap to develop new chemistry under microwave irradiation and the origin of many controversies. This personal account collects some new findings in this field and our work on the use of computational chemistry to develop predictive models and to determine parameters related to thermal and non-thermal effects, with clear advantages over experimental methods where separation of these effect is almost impossible.
Rice yield estimation is an important aspect in the agriculture research field. For the rice yield estimation, rice density is one of its useful factors. In this paper, we propose a new method to automatically detect the rice density from the rice transplanting stage to rice jointing stage. It devotes to detect rice planting density by image low-level features of the rice image sequences taken in the fields. Moreover, a rice jointing stage automatic detection method is proposed so as to terminate the rice density detection algorithm. The validities of the proposed rice density detection method and the rice jointing stage automatic detection method are proved in the experiment.
INTRODUCTION: To determine the incidence of uterine leiomyosarcoma in patients undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) and total robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomies for benign uterine leiomyomas. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 2,248 patients referred to a gynecologic oncology practice who underwent hysterectomies for symptomatic leiomyomas between 1995 and 2014. The patient's ages, admitting diagnosis, operative, and pathologic findings were analyzed. The incidence of leiomyosarcomas, endometrial stromal sarcomas, and mixed mesodermal tumors were calculated. All myomectomies and all known sarcomas preoperatively were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Nearly half of the 2,248 patients underwent a laparoscopic and robotic hysterectomy (51%). A total of four (0.17%) patients with presumed benign disease were found to have a uterine leiomyosarcomas. The TAH group had a high rate—0.26% (3/1,136) compared with only 0.08% (1/1,112) in the total robotic and laparoscopic hysterectomy group. Eighty percent were postmenopausal women with an average age of 60 years. One (0.04%) patient in the TAH group was found to have endometrial stromal sarcoma. CONCLUSION: The incidence of all leiomyosarcomas in patients undergoing surgery for uterine leiomyomas is extremely rare (0.17%), more so in minimally invasive surgery (1/1,112) with more than 80% of patients being postmenopausal. Based on our study, the probability of morcellating an unknown sarcoma in a premenopausal woman not accounting for other high-risk factors would be 1 in 2,500–5,000. Based on the low incidence of leiomyosarcomas in our study, which is similar to others, banning morcellation would lead to increased morbidity and mortality as a result of laparotomy.
Horses worldwide suffer from equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), an organ-specific, immune-mediated disease with painful, remitting-relapsing inflammatory attacks alternating with periods of quiescence, which ultimately leads to blindness. In course of disease, both eyes can eventually be affected and since blind horses pose a threat to themselves and their surroundings, these animals have to be killed. Therefore, this disease is highly relevant for veterinary medicine. Additionally, ERU shows strong clinical and pathological resemblance to autoimmune uveitis in man. The exact cause for the onset of ERU is unclear to date. T cells are believed to be the main effector cells in this disease, as they overcome the blood retinal barrier to invade the eye, an organ physiologically devoid of peripheral immune cells. These cells cause severe intraocular inflammation, especially in their primary target, the retina. With every inflammatory episode, retinal degeneration increases until eyesight is completely lost. In ERU, T cells show an activated phenotype, with enhanced deformability and migration ability, which is reflected in the composition of their proteome and downstream interaction pathways even in quiescent stage of disease. Besides the dysregulation of adaptive immune cells, emerging evidence suggests that cells of the innate immune system may also directly contribute to ERU pathogenesis. As investigations in both the target organ and the periphery have rapidly evolved in recent years, giving new insights on pathogenesis-associated processes on cellular and molecular level, this review summarizes latest developments in ERU research.
A miniaturized patch antenna is designed operating in the UHF band inspired by the metamaterial technology. By embedding the I-type metamaterial structures in the air substrate, one patch antenna with patch size of 60mm×60mm can resonate at 804MHz in a numerical study. The electrical patch size is only 0.16λ×0.16λ. The simulated impedance bandwidth is from 791 to 817MHz (3.2%). The peak antenna gain and efficiency is 4.24dBi and 97.4% respectively. These performances are acceptably high for such a compact antenna.
Background & aims Limited understanding of the role for specific macrophage subsets in the pathogenesis of cholestatic liver injury is a barrier to advancing medical therapy. Macrophages have previously been implicated in both the mal-adaptive and protective responses in obstructive cholestasis. Recently two macrophage subsets were identified in non-diseased human liver; however, no studies to date fully define the heterogeneous macrophage subsets during the pathogenesis of cholestasis. Here, we aim to further characterize the transcriptional profile of macrophages in pediatric cholestatic liver disease. Methods We isolated live hepatic immune cells from patients with biliary atresia (BA), Alagille syndrome (ALGS), and non-cholestatic pediatric liver by fluorescence activated cell sorting. Through single-cell RNA sequencing analysis and immunofluorescence, we characterized cholestatic macrophages. We next compared the transcriptional profile of pediatric cholestatic and non-cholestatic macrophage populations to previously published data on normal adult hepatic macrophages. Results We identified 3 distinct macrophage populations across cholestatic liver samples and annotated them as lipid-associated macrophages, monocyte-like macrophages, and adaptive macrophages based on their transcriptional profile. Immunofluorescence of liver tissue using markers for each subset confirmed their presence across BA (n = 6) and ALGS (n = 6) patients. Cholestatic macrophages demonstrated reduced expression of immune regulatory genes as compared to normal hepatic macrophages and were distinct from macrophage populations defined in either healthy adult or pediatric non-cholestatic liver. Conclusions We are the first to perform single-cell RNA sequencing on human pediatric cholestatic liver and identified three macrophage subsets with distinct transcriptional signatures from healthy liver macrophages. Further analyses will identify similarities and differences in these macrophage sub-populations across etiologies of cholestatic liver disease. Taken together, these findings may allow for future development of targeted therapeutic strategies to reprogram macrophages to an immune regulatory phenotype and reduce cholestatic liver injury.
The purpose of this study was to analyse online newspaper articles on students with intellectual disabilities (IDs) in order to identify related social phenomena to derive implications for inclusive education. Such study has traditionally practised through content analysis and/or discourse analysis manually, which is prone to subjective interpretation. Thus, this study implemented automated analysis to objectively select and interpret a big data. A total of 8,890 online newspaper articles that were published from 1990 to April 2019 were collected through automated parsing. The entire period and decade-phase based keyword and keyword network analysis were practised in order to determine how the social perceptions and related issues had changed over time. The results indicated that there was a rapid growth in scope of articles on students with IDs over the past 30 years. The attention of media gradually expanded from special education to improving quality of lives of students with IDs and their families. Moreover, online newspaper articles seemed to focus on social controversies and incidents such as sexual assaults that are related to students with IDs. Based on the results, ways to support inclusive education as well as social inclusion of students with IDs were discussed.
Pregnancy is not a disease. But more fundamentally, neither is human fertility. They are normal physiologic processes of the sexually mature person. By classifying pregnancy and fertility as disease states, certain entities are able to position contraception as “the cure.” Currently, these same organizations want to include oral contraceptive counseling and medications in the new national health-care plan under a preventive care mandate. But it is the physician's role to counsel patients on preventive care measures. We understand that these evidenced-based screenings help to change risky behaviors and catch disease in its earliest stages, thereby reducing patients' overall morbidity and mortality. However, we believe that patients incur substantial health risks when choosing oral contraceptives (OCPs). This paper reviews the major risks of OCPs. The authors presume that the prevailing widespread acceptance and promotion of OCPs indicates general agreement within the medical community that OCPs are good for the patient (or at least not significantly harmful). Therefore, this paper concentrates on the studies which show increased harm and risk to the patient choosing to use OCPs. We have concentrated our efforts on three major areas: increased rates of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and human papillomavirus (HPV) or cervical cancer. If fertility and pregnancy are not disease states, and are, in fact, normal conditions associated with healthy individuals, OCPs fail the most important test of preventive medicine: they increase risk of disease instead of decreasing it. Patients should not be misled or confused into believing that what they are taking is “good for them” and is of the same beneficial effect as other preventive measures.
Molecules with an appropriate balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic character may be spread as monolayers on the water surface. Under appropriate conditions these monolayers may be built up onto a substrate as Langmuir-Blodgett (IB) films. This paper reviews the types of molecule that are known to give good LB film formation, with especial reference' to potential applications in molecular electronics.
Modulation technology is very important in the field of communication. A good modulation technology not only can save spectrum resources but also can provide a good channel performance. This paper is based on TCM+8PSK modulation demodulation principle of waveform research and analysis, which aims at analysis and design of the key technologies of 8PSK optimization algorithm and implementation, and the performance of the model simulation at the same time. The simulation results show that the TCM+8PSK modulation and demodulation techniques are used to obtain high gain in 225-512MHzUHF frequency band. At the same time, it has good performance in anti-multipath equalization, and the optimization algorithm has good performance in high speed digital transmission and antiinterference.
Purpose          The purpose of this paper is to compare data from national social care statistics on the living situations of people with learning disabilities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.          Design/methodology/approach          National social care statistics (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) reporting the living situations of adults with learning disabilities (residential and nursing care, living with family, other forms of accommodation) were accessed, with data extracted on trends over time and rate of service use.          Findings          There were substantial differences in the statistics collected across the UK. Overall, there were higher reported rates of adults with learning disabilities in residential/nursing accommodation in England than Scotland or Wales, but much lower reported rates of adults living in other forms of unsupported and supported accommodation and much lower reported rates of adults living with their families. In all three countries, trends over time suggest that reductions in residential care towards more independent living options may be stalling. In Northern Ireland reductions in currently extensive residential and nursing care services are continuing, unlike other parts of the UK.          Social implications          Despite similar policy ambitions across the four parts of the UK, statistics on the living situations of adults with learning disabilities report substantial differences.          Originality/value          This paper is a first attempt to compare national social care statistics concerning the living situations of adults with learning disabilities across the UK. With increasing divergence of health and social service systems, further comparative analyses of services for people with learning disabilities are needed.
Background There is recent evidence that the modified early warning scoring systems (MEWS) in the emergency department (ED) can identify patients at risk of deterioration. However, concerns remain that they are not sensitive enough to use as a risk assessment tool. Objective To assess use of MEWS in UK EDs. Methods A postal survey was undertaken of 254 adult EDs within the UK. Questionnaires were sent to the clinical lead at each department about their use of early warning scoring systems. Results Responses were received from 145 departments giving a response rate of 57%. 87% of respondents are currently using early warning scores (EWS). Of those, 80% are using MEWS. In 71% high EWS results in senior ED review, however in 25% it does not. Less than half of departments use high MEWS to trigger critical care input. 93% of respondents support using EWS in the ED. Conclusion Despite the lack of strong evidence, the majority of UK EDs are using EWS in some form. MEWS is the most commonly used but departments vary on their use of EWS for senior ED and/or critical care review. Over 90% of respondents in this survey support EWS in the ED.
Climate change is pushing species outside of their evolved tolerances. Plant populations must acclimate, adapt, or migrate to avoid extinction. However, because plants associate with diverse microbial communities that shape their phenotypes, shifts in microbial associations may provide an alternative source of climate tolerance. Here, we show that tree seedlings inoculated with microbial communities sourced from drier, warmer, or colder sites displayed higher survival when faced with drought, heat, or cold stress, respectively. Microbially mediated drought tolerance was associated with increased diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, whereas cold tolerance was associated with lower fungal richness, likely reflecting a reduced burden of nonadapted fungal taxa. Understanding microbially mediated climate tolerance may enhance our ability to predict and manage the adaptability of forest ecosystems to changing climates. Description Editor’s summary As sessile organisms, plants have limited ability to move in response to climate change. However, the microbial communities that help plants access soil nutrients may also increase their tolerance to climate stress. Using field and laboratory experiments, Allsup et al. showed that soil microbe communities sourced from colder or drier sites increased the survival of inoculated tree seedlings exposed to cold winters or drought, respectively (see the Perspective by Afkhami). These findings suggest greater potential resilience for trees and highlight the importance of species interactions in determining their response to climate change. —Bianca Lopez Microbial communities sourced from more extreme climates can help tree seedlings tolerate cold and drought.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis CRPMt, encoded by Rv3676 (crp), is a CRP‐like transcription factor that binds with the serC–Rv0885 intergenic region. In the present study, we evaluated CRPMt's regulation of serC and Rv0885 in M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG, using site‐specific mutagenesis, promoter fusions and reverse‐transcriptase PCR (RT‐PCR). The CRPMt binding site was required for full expression of serC and Rv0885, and expression of both genes was reduced in M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG crp mutants. These data show that CRPMt binding directly activates both serC and Rv0885 expression. M. tuberculosis serC restored the ability of an Escherichia coli serC mutant to grow in serine‐dropout medium, demonstrating that M. tuberculosis serC encodes a phosphoserine aminotransferase. Serine supplementation, or overexpression of serC, accelerated the growth of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG crp mutants in mycomedium, but not within macrophages. These results establish a role for CRPMt in the regulation of amino acid biosynthesis, and show that reduced serine production contributes to the slow‐growth phenotype of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis BCG crp mutants in vitro. Restoration of serine biosynthesis by serC expression will facilitate identification of additional CRPMt‐regulated factors required by M. tuberculosis during macrophage and host infection.
When in 1883 James Bain became the first chief librarian of the Toronto Public Library he was a fervent subscriber to the growing international enthusiasm for the integration of public libraries, art galleries and museums under one roof. It was said that these institutions belonged to all citizens and not just to an elite, and that they shared cultural aims that could be accomplished if their inter-dependency were recognized. While various obstacles – not the least was funding – prevented Bain from achieving this ideal in Toronto, under his leadership the Toronto Public Library became a major player in the art life of the city as a venue for exhibitions by individual artists and artists’ societies, and by acquiring thousands of works of art through donation and purchase. In the early 1900s all over Ontario, art lovers encouraged their fellow citizens to take advantage of art exhibitions and purchase opportunities in the public libraries, and to become involved in the creation and growth of library art collections.
Direct numerical simulations of high-speed mixing layers are used to characterize the effects of compressibility on the basis of local streamline topology and vortical structure. Temporal simulations of the mixing layers are performed using a finite volume gas-kinetic scheme for convective Mach numbers ranging from $M_{c}=0.2$ to $M_{c}=1.2$ . The focus of the study is on the transient development and the main objectives are to (i) investigate and characterize the turbulence suppression mechanism conditioned upon local streamline topology; and (ii) examine changes in the vortex vector field – distribution, magnitude and orientation – as a function of Mach number. We first reaffirm that kinetic energy suppression with increasing Mach number is due to a decrease in pressure–strain redistribution. Then, we examine the suppression mechanism conditioned upon topology and vortex structure. Conditional statistics indicate that (i) at a given Mach number, shear-dominated topologies generally exhibit more effective pressure–strain redistribution than vortical topologies; and (ii) for a given topology, the level of pressure–strain correlation mostly decreases with increasing Mach number. At each topology, with increasing Mach number, there is a corresponding decrease in turbulent shear stress and production leading to reduced kinetic energy. Further, as $M_{c}$ increases, the proportion of vortex-dominated regions in the flow increases, leading to further reduction in the turbulent kinetic energy of the flow. Then, the orientation of vortical structures and direction of fluid rotation are examined using the vortex vector approach of Tian et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 849, 2018, pp. 312–339). At higher $M_{c}$ , the vortex vectors tend to be more aligned in the streamwise direction in contrast to low $M_{c}$ wherein larger angles with streamwise direction are preferred. The connection between vortex orientation and kinetic energy production is also investigated. The findings lead to improved insight into turbulence suppression dynamics in high Mach number turbulent flows.
Background and Aims: Myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) is associated with high postoperative mortality. We sought to examine the intraoperative variables associated with MINS among high-risk patients undergoing abdominal surgery at a South Indian Centre. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent abdominal surgery, aged >45 years with one of five factors: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, previous coronary artery disease (CAD), stroke, or peripheral vascular disease or all patients >65 years of age was undertaken. Forty-six patients with raised troponin Group P (Trop I > 0.03 ng/d) were compared with 125 troponin-negative patients Group N (Trop I < 0.012 ng/dL) as well as 51 with intermediate levels Group I (Trop I > 0.012 and < 0.03 ng/dL). We evaluated the association of pre and intraoperative factors on MINS using logistic regression to identify the explanatory variables. Results: Demographics were similar among the three groups. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in group P (P = 0.005).The use of vasopressors (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.2–5.5), female gender, (OR 2.3; 95%CI 1.1–4.7), associated CAD (OR 2.8;95% CI 1.1–7.4), and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) transfusion (OR 12.1;95% CI 1.3–11.7) were associated with MINS in regression analysis between group P versus group N. Female gender (OR2.3; 95% CI 1.2–4.5), postoperative mechanical ventilation (OR 3.5; 95% CI 1.2–10.4), and perioperative hypothermia (OR 4.5; 95% CI 1.3–14.9) were significant between Group P and Group I with Group N. Conclusions: Female patients with CAD undergoing abdominal surgery, needing vasopressors and transfusion of plasma are at high risk for MINS with higher hospital mortality and merit vigilant monitoring postoperatively.
Tetrahedral amorphous diamond-like carbon (DLC) has enjoyed a long tenure in the technology evolution of magnetic recording in rotating hard disk drives, where it serves dual functions as a barrier to corrosion of the ferrous recording elements and an interface for tribological wear resistance [1]. Incremental advances in areal storage density continue to rely in great part to decreasing the spacing between the recording head and media, both of which use some form of DLC which in turn can consume as much as 40% of the total spacing budget allowed by design. Thus, commensurate downward scaling of these overcoats is a critical technology enabler. With that scaling, the efficacy of the films to meet their core functional requirements as diffusion barriers and tribological wear protection becomes challenged as the overcoat thickness approaches the scale of the surface topography [2]. In this work, we discuss the application of conductive atomic force microscopy [3] (CAFM) for the characterization of DLC films in the 10-60 Å thickness regime and new insights gained into the robustness of films to meet functional requirements as scaling progresses into the sub-20Å regime. A conventional filtered cathodic arc (FCA) process [4
We performed trochanteric osteotmy with anterior transtrochanteric slide in seven cases; four cases of revision arthroplasty, two cases of Sugioka's transtrochanteric rotational osteotmy and one case of Sugioka's transtrochanteric valgus osteotmy. Alth ough one case showed nonunion after operation, none of the cases demonstrated proximal migration of the trochanteric fragment.This osteotomy method is performed without release of the attachment of the vastus lateralis; therefore, compared with standard osteotmy, it decreases the incidence of proximal migration of the trochanteric fragment which causes abductor muscle weakness.
This paper presents a simple mathematical expression to model the effect of statistical dopant fluctuations on threshold voltage (Vth) of junction field-effect transistors (JFETs). The random discrete doping (RDD) in the active device area is used to derive an analytical model to compute the standard deviation, σVth,RDD of the Vth-distribution for any arbitrary channel doping profiles. The model shows that the Vth-variability in JFETs depends on the active device area, channel doping concentration, and the depth of the channel depletion region of the gate/channel pn-junction. The model is applied to compute σVth,RDD for symmetric and asymmetric source/drain double-gate n-channel JFETs. The simulation results show that the model can be used for predicting Vth-variability in JFETs.
The dynamics of the quasi-optical two-dimensional Josephson junction arrays for oscillators is investigated. Numerical time-domain simulations of small-scale parallel arrays were performed. It is found that the DC biasing circuit determines the states of these arrays. It is also found that other states exist in which parts of the array operate in phase. The authors investigate the sensitivity of in-phase states to variations in junction critical currents and to nonvanishing fluctuations. It is found that the DC self-field effects do not provide a stable phase-locking mechanism and that RF interactions are necessary for locking the array in phase.<<ETX>>
Objective To determine the impact of dedicated subspecialized radiologists in multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussions on the management of lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract malignancies. Materials and Methods We retrospectively analyzed the data of 244 patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 61.7 ± 11.9 years) referred to MDT discussions 249 times (i.e., 249 cases, as five patients were discussed twice for different issues) for lower GI tract malignancy including colorectal cancer, small bowel cancer, GI stromal tumor, and GI neuroendocrine tumor between April 2018 and June 2021 in a prospective database. Before the MDT discussions, dedicated GI radiologists reviewed all imaging studies again besides routine clinical reading. The referring clinician’s initial diagnosis, initial treatment plan, change in radiologic interpretation compared with the initial radiology report, and the MDT’s consensus recommendations for treatment were collected and compared. Factors associated with changes in treatment plans and the implementation of MDT decisions were analyzed. Results Of the 249 cases, radiologic interpretation was changed in 73 cases (29.3%) after a review by dedicated GI radiologists, with 78.1% (57/73) resulting in changes in the treatment plan. The treatment plan was changed in 92 cases (36.9%), and the rate of change in the treatment plan was significantly higher in cases with changes in radiologic interpretation than in those without (78.1% [57/73] vs. 19.9% [35/176], p < 0.001). Follow-up records of patients showed that 91.2% (227/249) of MDT recommendations for treatment were implemented. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the nonsurgical approach (vs. surgical approach) decided through MDT discussion was a significant factor for patients being managed differently than the MDT recommendations (Odds ratio, 4.48; p = 0.017). Conclusion MDT discussion involving additional review of radiology examinations by dedicated GI radiologists resulted in a change in the treatment plan in 36.9% of cases. Changes in treatment plans were significantly associated with changes in radiologic interpretation.
Stimulatory effect of immunomodulators on cellular proliferation was studied on the experimental model of regenerating rat liver. Thymus factor (TFX), isoprinosine and, to a lesser degree, levamisole, were observed to accelerate and enhance a compensative hypertrophy of the remaining lobes of liver. This phenomenon concerns mainly parenchymatous liver cells but also nonparenchymal system. A suggestion was put forward that a therapeutic effect of thymus factor in viral hepatitis cases is exerted not only through its immunotropic component but also through its capability to stimulate cell renewal. The above indicated the possibility of utilization in such cases of other immunomodulators, mainly of isoprinosine.
90 patients of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo admitted by our hospital in the period of January 2012 to June 2013 and the same amount of healthy people participated in the investment of the treatment effect of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo via canalith repositioning method. The life quality of these patients before and after the treatment was analyzed. The analysis was performed through Chinese health survey scale and English version of vertigo disorder scale. The dimension of the patient before treatment was lower than that of the counterpart while the chinesization English version vertigo disorder scale is higher. The differences between the two groups have statistical significance since the P0.05. after three months of treatment, there is no significant difference between the two groups via the two method. The results suggest that the canalith repositioning method is effective to promote the patients' life quality and the two scale can be used to evaluate the life qualify of patients.
The main factors leaded to the direction-finding error of the revolving platform were analyzed based on the application of the electronic compass to the portable azimuth servo revolving platform.The compass inclination error compensation method,the environment error compensation and the magnetic declination error compensation method have been investigated in this paper.The inclination experiment,the 24-position environment error calibration compensation experiment and the magnetic declination error compensation experiment in 170 cities of China have been carried out combined with the actual application example.The results showed that the error compensation method proposed in this paper had the features of simplicity,effectiveness and feasibility,and the north-direction accuracy could be corrected to within 1°range,thus was particularly suitable for the applications to those cases of the special requirements for the azimuth accuracy such as the vehicles and the unpiloted plane etc.,and those cases of the strict requirements for the external dimensions of the systems.
This report explains the methodology and results surrounding a recently completed study of a major grocery trucking firm’s travel patterns. The research group used Global Positioning System (GPS) logging devices to trace the temporal and spatial movements of grocery trucks throughout the study period in the spring and summer of 2012. At the end of this survey, the research team successfully recorded 108 logs that represented a full truck-days’ worth of GPS data. GPS data collection is passive and only requires participants to ensure that the GPS devices have sufficient battery power and satellite visibility. In this study, the research team did not require the participant’s truck drivers to do anything. Even without driver logs or written surveys, the GPS devices collected a great deal of information that the research team used to make behavioral inferences. Logistical decisions and behavior gleaned from this collected GPS data included destination choice, route choice, time-of-day choice, and trip length. The variables reflecting these behaviors, as well as those of speed and time management, are denoted to illustrate the practicality of modeling freight travel via this methodology. The information presented here has been collected through the cooperation of a major Illinois based grocery chain with their headquarters and distribution center located in the Chicago region. The research team used the digital log files extracted from GPS tracking devices and the driver logs filled out during distribution tours as part of the analysis. The research team cleaned, processed, analyzed, and summarized this data.
Musculoskeletal injuries in the elderly are a major challenge, and this rapidly growing segment of the population sustains a disproportionate number of fractures. As in other orthopaedic populations, the goal is to restore or improve upon the preinjury level of function. Improved methods have increased the number of musculoskeletal conditions and injuries that are managed surgically. Similarly, advances in medical and anesthetic management techniques have enabled many elderly patients to successfully undergo orthopaedic surgical procedures that may have been contraindicated in the past because of associated medical problems. The effect of this has been to substantially improve the “quality” of life for many patients and the “quantity” of life for some. However, complete consideration of other patient issues is absolutely critical for proper management decisions in the elderly population. A fracture superimposed on the combination of preexisting physical infirmities and systemic medical problems often makes it difficult to maintain independent living status. Immobilization of an extremity or dependence, even tempo-
The necessity of implementing the scientific development outlook on hydraulic and hydropower work and how to adhere to the scientific development outlook on practical work are stated.The obtained achievements of Ganzhou Municipal Hydraulic and Electric Power Surveying and Designing Research Institute in service water conservancy,reform and development,innovation idea and talent team construction for 50 years are introduced in this paper.
Objective:To establish an HPLC fingerprint of Aurantii Fructus Praeparatus dispensing granules and provide experimental evidence for its quality criteria.Method: Take methanol extract of Aurantii Fructus Praeparatus dispensing granules as sample by ultrasonic processing,HPLC analysis was carried out on Hypersil C18(1.6 mm×200 mm,5 μm) chromatographic column with mobile phase of methanol(A)-0.1% glacial acetic acid(B),gradient elution with a flow at 1.0 mL · min-1,an ultraviolet detection wavelength at 320 nm and column temperature at 30 ℃.Result: Eight common peaks and three characteristic peaks were identified in chromatograms from ten batches of samples.The similarity is above 0.9 in different batches of samples with the peak of naringin as reference.Conclusion: The method is accurate,credible with good repeatability;it can provide reference evidence for quality control of Aurantii Fructus Praeparatus dispensing granules.
Objective To investigate the feasibility of amygdalin being used as an LC-ESI MS internal standard for serum multiple constituents quantitation.Methods Serum samples spiked with amygdalin were mixed with trichloroacetic acid(TCA) for protein precipitation,separated by the gradient mobile phase of acetonitrile-water containing formic acid on Waters Acquity HSS T3 column,and detected in both the positive and negative mode after electrospray ionization(ESI).Results In both the positive and negative mode,good linear correlation was shown between the peak area and concentrationin serum amygdalin.When serum paeoniflorin and ferulic acid were determined in both the positive and negative mode with amygdalin as the internal standard(IS),good linear correlation was shown between the peak area ratio(test compound to IS) and the concentration of the test compound.Conclusion Amygdalin can be used as the LC-ESI MS internal standard for serum multiple constituents quantitation after drug administration.
IntroductionThis research is essentially about the significance of Salafi Jihad ideology in the rise of Boko Haram. The key question is thus if Salafi Jihad ideology really does matter to account for the rise of Boko Haram. This research claims that the rise of Boko Haram is deep-rooted in Nigeria's historical experiences, narratives, critical events and ideologies. These experiences are reflected in Boko Harams' beliefs and vision similar to the one that guided the inception of Fulani Jihad in 1804. The research also acknowledges the fact that Boko Haram emerged in the absence of protective factors including, strong government institutions to promote political cohesion to discourage ethnic alignment, and social developmental mechanisms to promote robust economic development. Therefore, to answer the research question, and support the claim, the study critically examines historical narratives, experiences and critical events including the rise of the Fulani Jihad and the British colonisation. The study further discusses the conception and resurgence of Salafi Jihad ideology. The research then documents and analyses the rise of Boko Haram, threats the group poses to national security, geopolitical implications, and lastly outlines comprehensive counterterrorism measure.BackgroundBarna (2014, 5-23) notes that Mohammed Yusufu a malam (Islamic scholar) founded Boko Haram. He led a left wing of radical youth scholars in the 1990s that protested against Nigerian government corruption. Barna further explains that protests against the Nigerian government gave root to Yusufu's intention of creating an Islamic State that would be fair and just according to his interpretation of the Islamic law. Adesoji (2010, 100) agrees with Barna. He adds that the name Boko Haram is a combination of Hausa word Boko which means "book" and the Arabic word haram which translates to something forbidden, ungodly or sinful. Precisely, Boko Haram translates to "the book is forbidden", or the symbolic "Western Education is sinful". Aghedo (2014, 237) agrees with both Barna and Adesoji. He further adds that the meaning of Boko Haram had been consistent with Yusufu's position until after his death. However, the acting leader of Boko Haram mallam Sanni Umaru rectified its translation as "Western Civilisation is forbidden", which to a certain degree means the same thing.Mauro (2014, 1-9) translates Boko Haram's official name Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad as "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teaching and Jihad". He argues that this meaning reflects a selective use of the Islamic verse which states "anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors" Mauro (2014, 1-9). Aghedo (2014, 235) also adds that Boko Haram existed as a peaceful movement since 1995 under different names including Yobe Taliban, Yusufiyyah and Ahlusunna wal'jama'ah hijra, Sahaba.He further explains that following the arrest and killing of the founding leader Mohammed Yusufu in 2009 by the Nigerian government forces, the new leader Abubakar Shekau declared Jihad on the Nigerian government. It was then that Boko Haram began to internalise a set of ideologies and grievances, filtered in a coherent, meaningful way to appeal to the larger audience. The group also started promoting its aspiration of reviving an Islamic state in the borders where the Sokoto Caliphate existed (including parts of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and northern Nigeria).Zenn (2014, 20-23) discusses Boko Haram's carnage since its rise. Zenn notes that in 2010 alone, the group murdered more than 4,000 Christians including government officials, Muslim leaders, and civilians in north-eastern Nigeria. In 2011, the group carried out 136 attacks killing 559 people and in 2012 killed about a thousand people. He further notes that Yusufu absorbed Al Qaeda's Salafi Jihad ideology, a Saudi Arabian medieval version of Salafism (Salafi Jihad), and the new leader Shekau operationalised Yusufu's thinking into Jihad insurgency. …
Dusun Klumprit II is a dusun that located in Wukirharjo, Prambanan, District Sleman, Province of Yogyakarta. Dusun Klumprit II is a prosperous dusun with the majority of livelihoods are in agricultural and livestock. In this dusun there are also several home industries such as timber home industry. The residents of Dusun Klumprit II are dominated by old adult populations. The majority of the residents of Dusun Klumprit II have a livestock, but unfortunately there were no further management for the livestock waste. Mostly the house of the residents in Dusun Klumprit II also equipped with sanitary room (bathroom) with a waste bin. However, for the treatment of kitchen waste (liquid and solid or organic waste) has not done well. The lack of public understanding about the management the waste make the residents only handle it in simply way. Because of the lack of public understanding about the management of waste, it is needed to hold the livestock waste treatment counseling program into manure (organic) and organic pesticides of kitchen waste. The benefit from this program is there are knowledge about the products that can be made from the waste of kitchen and livestock became fertilizers and organic pesticides that also can be used directly by the residents that have agricultural land. The results that achieved by this program are the residentsâ€™ insight and understanding became better.
Aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva is a rare cardiac disease. It is usually an asymptomatic anomaly, however when it ruptures, symptoms appear and patient’s condition deteriorates rapidly. We describe a case of a 24-year female with a ruptured aneurysm of the non-coronary sinus of Valsalva. The aneurysm ruptured in the right atrium causing severe hemodynamic complications. The diagnosis was made by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.
The antimony-based chalcogenide Sb2Se3 is a rapidly emerging material for photonic phase change applications owing to its ultra-low optical losses at telecommunication wavelengths in both crystalline and amorphous phases. Here, we investigate the dynamical response of these materials from nanoseconds to milliseconds under optical pumping conditions. We apply bichromatic pump-probe transient reflectance spectroscopy which is a widely used method to study the optical performance of optical phase change materials during phase transitions induced by direct pulsed optical switching. Amorphous regions of several hundreds of nanometers in diameter are induced by pulsed excitation of the material using a wavelength of 488 nm above the absorption edge, while the transient reflectance is probed using a continuous wave 980 nm laser, well below the absorption edge of the material. We find vitrification dynamics in the nanosecond range and observe crystallization on millisecond time scales. These results show a large five-orders of magnitude difference in time scales between crystallization and vitrification dynamics in this material. The insights provided in this work are fundamental for the optimisation of the material family and its employment in photonic applications.
The invention provides a visual map establishment method, a computing device, a computer storage medium and an intelligent vehicle. The method includes the following steps that: binocular images taken by a binocular camera mounted on a vehicle body are continuously acquired, and one of the binocular images is designated as a processing object image; a ground position in the processing object image is manually or automatically processed based on the binocular images, so that a grayscale processing object image only containing information on the ground is obtained; the grayscale processing object image is converted into a top-view image; and a plurality of top-view images are spliced into a visual map. According to the method of the present invention, based on the binocular images, the ground position of each frame of image is determined according to depth information, and the top-view images are solved independently, and therefore, the high-quality visual map can be obtained.
Abstract: Myzus persicae belonging to Aphididae, Hemiptera, is an important migratory pest in tobacco field. As nymph and adult, it sucks the juice, breeds the mildew stains disease, spreads tobacco virus diseases and causes huge losses to the yield and quality. The distribution pattern and dynamics of winged and wingless aphids in the field were investigated from the transplanting of tobacco to the harvesting stage of mid-place tobacco leaves in Enshi, Hubei. The semivariable function characteristics were analyzed by geostatistical method, and the field migration pattern were simulated. The results showed that the population dynamics of winged aphids in Enshi were of bimodal curve, with two peaks at 3 weeks after transplanting and 2 weeks after multi-topping of tobacco leaves, and there were five-step process such as random, aggregation, random, aggregation and random. The population dynamics of wingless peach aphids were of single-peak curve, getting its peak before multi-topping, and had random, aggregation, random three-step process. Human factors and the hosts had considerable effects on the population density. Spatial distribution simulation-interpolation-figure could clearly reflect the dynamics of tobacco aphids. Combined with the Pearson correlation analysis, we found that the population density was low and highly concentrated as winged type in the immigration period, which was the key period for the management of peach aphids.
The purpose of this study was to characterize pathogenic Escherichia coli strains collected from piglets with postweaning diarrhea in a large-scale pig farm in Anhui province. 15 Escherichia. coli strains isolated from weaned pigs were analysed for their phenotypic or geno-typic properties. O-serogroups of 11 strains were determined while 4 strains were not serogroupable. All isolates of serogroup O131 were he-molytic on blood agar plates. PCR analysis showed that 11 of the isolates harboured the genes for heat-stable enterotoxins I and II , shiga toxin 2e and 4 not-serogroupable strains possessed the genes for heat-stable enterotoxins 1. 0131 strains express F18 fimbriae and not-sero-groupable strains possessed F6 and F18. The drug sensitivity test were performed in 15 E. coli strains to select sensitive drugs. The result of drug sensitivity showed that most of isolated pathogenic bacteria strains were sensitive to Amikacin, Furazolidone and Neomycin, but had the resistance to the routinely used drug. The local isolated strains were used to make inactivated vaccine to immune the piglets and good results were obtained.
Objective:To assess the efficacy and biochemical evidence of vitamin A(VA)administered intravenously for neonatal pneumonia.Methods:This was a clinical trial in which 30 cases were randomized into intravenously administered group with 330 IU/kg i.v.the VA(Vitalipid)mixed with liposomal(Intralipid)(15 cases)daily over 3 days(L-VA)and orally administered group with VA 1,800 IU(15 cases,control group)every other day.Serum VA and retinol binding protein(RBP)concentration were measured by high performance liquid chromatography and enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay on the second day of hospitalization and 6 or 7 days after,respectively.Results:Fourteen cases(7 cases in both the L-VA group and oral VA group)completed the study and were evaluated.Serum VA and RBP values were low on second day and increased significantly in both the L-VA and oral VA groups on the 6th or 7th day.There was a significant increase in the levels of VA(L-VA group:0.62±0.21 to 0.97±0.21 μmol/L,t = 4.805,P = 0.003;oral VA group:0.65±0.16 to 1.00±0.34 μmol/L,t = 3.274,P = 0.017)and RBP(L-VA group:23.51±11.73 to 38.59±14.82 mg/L,t = 4.356,P = 0.005;oral VA group:31.73±14.56 to 52.20±16.15 mg/L,t = 3.869,P = 0.008)in both groups as compared with the baseline.On the 6th or 7th day of the treatment when the average levels of serum VA(0.97±0.21 and 1.00±0.34 μmol/L,t = 0.172,P = 0.869)and RBP(38.59±14.82 and 52.20±16.15 mg/L,t = 1.577,P = 0.166)were compared,there was no statistically significant difference between the groups.Clinical outcomes did not differ significantly among the groups.Conclusions:These findings suggest that receiving VA in intravenous lipids in neonatal pneumonia may be more efficacious and compliant in the adjunctive treatment of neonatal pneumonia.
Previous research has demonstrated that the truncated Negative Binomial distribution can be used successfully to model accident frequency data. Recent work, however, on accident data from Melbourne, apparently refutes this, and suggests that the log series distribution should be used instead. The Melbourne data are re-analyzed in this paper, and it is shown that the Negative Binomial does in fact fit better than the log series distribution. For measuring the lack of fit between model and data, an alternative statistic is proposed which is easily interpretable in terms of the typical calculations which might be done once a usable model has been found. Language: en
Abstract : A limited laboratory study was made to compare the general appearance and accuracy of aluminum castings made from a standard pattern using three different investments. Three castings were made with each investment. Gray investment was used because recent studies and clinical experience have shown satisfactory results can be obtained with this material. Another hydrocal- bonded investment (investic) was used because this material may be desirable when aluminum is cast onto metal mold inserts. A phosphate-bonded investment (multivest) was used following the rapid jelling shell investment procedure because of the speed with which a casting can be obtained. Good castings of similar appearance were obtained with each investing material. The two hydrocal-bonded investments produced castings of similar accuracy when measured with a surface meter. Repeated measurements of one casting demonstrated that the fit of an aluminum denture base can be destroyed by careless polishing. An aluminum alloy was used to construct prosthetic appliances for clinical patients. These included a partial denture and a speech aid appliance which had wrought wire clasps, surgical splints, and a complete denture with an aluminum occlusal surface. The initial evaluation of these appliances is discussed and the other clinical observations are reported.
This study aims to approach the legal culture of Goryeo society through penal administration. In Goryeo dynasty, Wonjeong or the policies based upon the Heaven-Man Correlation Theory were put into operation in the process of the criminal trial and the execution of punishment. Those were matters of common in the Confucian cultural area. But a study of cases in Goryeo dynasty is important in order to uncover the sources and aspects of the legal culture in its society. A idea that judging only by criminal effect don't be desirable was widely supoorted. It was believed that the law should be carried out in consideration of the will of Heaven and the heart of a people, so that many kinds of Wonjeong were practiced. One was practiced considering the ethical viewpoint, another extenuating circumstances, a third considering the regional characteristics and customs. Wonjeong was also practiced by king's charity relief, which could obstructed the impartial application of the law, so was requested prudence The Heaven-Man Correlation Theory was applied to penal administration from early Goryeo dynasty. Many natural calamities appeared through astronomical and terrestrial phenomena were interpreted to be caused by penal administrative mistake or unrelief. Kings and officials tried to practice rules suggested by Lichi Yueling to obey the will of Heaven. Especially Tang Yueling had been used since around 1018. but Lichi Yueling was accepted again before 1111.
I. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF PERSONALITY. 1. Introduction to Personality. 2. The Tools of Understanding. II. CONCEPTIONS OF PERSONALITY. 3. Psychoanalytic Theory: The Freudian Revolution and Revisions. 4. Psychoanalytic Theory, Research, Assessment, and Summary Evaluation. 5. Biological Theories: Genetics and Evolution. 6. Biological Theories: Evaluation and Application. 7. Phenomenology and Social Cognition: The Self and Personal Constructs. 8. Phenomenology and Social Cognition: Research, Assessment, and Summary. 9. The Behavioral Tradition. 10. Behaviorism: Therapy, Assessment, and Summary Evaluation. 11. Social Learning Theory. 12. Social Learning Research, Assessment, and Summary Evaluation. 13. Descriptive Theories and the Dispositional Perspective. 14. Traits: Research, Assessment, and Summary Evaluation. III. TOPICS AND ISSUES IN PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY. 15. Perspectives and Intellect. 16. Personality and Anxiety. 17. Personality, Occupations, and the Workplace. 18. Personality and Gender Differences.
Semantic concept detection is an important open problem in concept-based image understanding. In this paper, we develop a method inspired by social network analysis to solve the semantic concept detection problem. The novel idea proposed is the detection and utilization of concept co-occurrence patterns as contextual clues for improving individual concept detection. We detect the patterns as hierarchical communities by graph modularity optimization in a network with nodes and edges representing individual concepts and co-occurrence relationships. We evaluate the effect of detected co-occurrence patterns in the application scenario of automatic image annotation. Experimental results on SUN'09 and OSR datasets demonstrate our approach achieves significant improvements over popular baselines.
A novel signal conditioning circuit that operates on a floating wiper resistive displacement sensor and provides a digital output proportional to the displacement of the wiper is presented here. Floating wiper resistive displacement sensors possess long operational life due to reduced wear and tear as the wiper does not rub against the resistive element. However, the air gap between the floating wiper and the resistance introduces a coupling capacitance whose value varies as the wiper moves, making it difficult to obtain an output proportional to the displacement of the wiper. The successive approximation logic-based method presented here, operates on a floating wiper resistive displacement sensor and provides a digital output that is linear to the displacement of the wiper. More importantly the output is independent of the value of coupling capacitance. The efficacy of the scheme has been established through simulation studies, the results of which are also presented here.
1957 Cancer is the paradigm for late-onset diseases known to occur through a combination of genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure. Molecular toxicologists have developed a broad spectrum of methods to detect carcinogenic agents, including assays of biological function in vivo. Traditional firstline cancer chemotherapy is based on genotoxicity; that is, agents that kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Mutagenesis and genotoxicity are the most clearly established mechanisms of carcinogenesis, so, in many cases, genotoxicity assays are “validated” by analyzing patients undergoing chemotherapy. Such analyses often reveal a great range of response, which we suggest may be of clinical import. Since these drugs are delivered directly to the bloodstream there should be little difference in uptake or distribution between treated individuals. Variability in response might therefore be due to differences in elimination of the genotoxic agents or differences in repairing DNA damage. Chemotherapy dose is limited by its effects on normal cell-types, particularly the hematopoietic progenitor cells of the bone marrow. We have developed a fast, simple and inexpensive method of detecting and quantifying bone marrow somatic mutation. The GPA assay evaluates allele loss phenotypes in circulating erythrocytes that arise through somatic mutation in the bone marrow. We have applied this assay to 24 breast cancer patients undergoing five types of genotoxic chemotherapy. We find great (20-200 fold) variation in induced mutation between these patients, fully half of whom showed low to no response to their firstline chemotherapy. This variability in response might be due to differences in metabolism of the genotoxic agents or differences in repairing DNA damage. We are investigating whether our quantitative measure of bone marrow response is associated with clinical parameters of acute toxicity, treatment efficacy and secondary carcinogenesis. Preliminary data suggest that, in its present form, the GPA assay responds too slowly to identify the effects of individual chemotherapeutic cycles, and therefore to identify cycles associated with such acute toxicity. We, and others, have previously shown that persistent levels of induced mutation reflects effects on the bone marrow stem cells, and that such effects are associated with secondary carcinogenesis. We now present preliminary evidence that induced bone marrow mutation is predictive of clinical efficacy, offering the possibility of individually adjusting dose and drug during treatment for optimal effect.
In order to adapt to the social needs to highly qualified talenteds of existing knowledge and ability,teaching reform of physical chemistry experiment is an important problem to improve the quality of experimental teaching and train students' ability of experiment.In this paper,content and structure of experiment teaching,teaching process management and test evaluation system were explored,agood effect of teaching is obtained.
Charitable bequests are a major source of income for charities but surprisingly little is known about them. The aim of this paper is to propose a multi-stage framework for analysing the bequest decision and to examine the evidence for Great Britain provided by new data on estates. The novelty of the framework is that it distinguishes between the different steps that lead to a charitable bequest. Our new data for Britain have the advantage of covering the whole population, in contrast to much of the US literature based on the small fraction of the population covered by estate tax returns. We focus on the relationship with wealth at death, on the form of the bequest, and on the different causes to which people bequeath.
Purpose: The present study was conducted to compare the centration of RGP lens on cornea when lens was fitted based on keratometric astigmatisms measured by keratometer and the lens centration when fitted by corneal topography. Methods: Thirty eight eyes of 19 male and female in their twenties were applied RGP lens with 9.9 mm of diameter by the keratometric astigmatisms classified by the measurement with a keratometer. Then, lens centrations were estimated using high speed camera and compared with the lens centration when fitted by total keratometric astigmatism using corneal topography. The relationship of the steepest location of cornea and lens centration was further compared. Results: With the rule astigmatism, lens centration was not changed even with the difference in central and total keratometric astigmatisms. When the relationship of the steepest part of cornea measured by corneal topography and lens centration was analyzed, the lens centration in vertical direction was exactly correlated with the steepest part of cornea in 52.3% of subjects. In the case of non-correlation, the steepest part of cornea was mostly upper part of cornea, however, lens centration was located on lower part of cornea. The lens centration in horizontal direction was exactly correlated with the steepest region of cornea in 65.6% of subjects. In non-correlated case, the difference in cornea curvatures between the steepest and the flattest parts was smaller than 0.05 mm in 76.9% of subjects. Conclusions: From these results, we conclude that corneal topographic patterns may more contribute the centration of RGP lens on cornea than the difference in central and total keratometric astigmatisms.
Declarative meta-programming is vital, since it is the most promising means by which programs can be made to reason about other programs. A metaprogram is a program that takes another program, called the object program, as data. A declarative programming language is a programming language based on a logic that has a model theory. A meta-program operates on a representation of an object program. In a non-ground representation, object-level variables are represented by metavariables; in a ground representation, object-level variables are represented by ground terms. The non-ground representation is insu ciently expressive for most meta-programming tasks. The ground representation is adequately expressive, but meta-programs are complex and laborious to write, and the overhead of interpretation is excessive. Godel is a declarative programming language based on rst-order logic. It has types and modules, improves on the expressiveness and declarative semantics of Prolog, and provides extensive support for meta-programming in the ground representation. This thesis contributes to the design of Godel's meta-programming facilities, and investigates the techniques required to make declarative metaprogramming practical. The representation of Godel object programs as ground terms is described. Library modules and abstract types eliminate much of the labour and complexity of meta-programming. An analysis of the sources of interpretation overhead is conducted, and an idiom for the construction of potentially e cient interpreters is developed. Carefully designed interpreters are improved signi cantly by a basic partial evaluator, but not all interpreter designs are susceptible. Experiments suggest that specialised interpreters can be improved still further by speci c low-level mechanisms. SLDQE-resolution, a novel computational model for the compilation of programs containing universally quanti ed implication formulas, is also presented. The problem of providing a language for declarative meta-programming that is both adequately expressive and e ciently executable is not completely solved, but this work demonstrates that the possibilities of a simple ground representation deserve to be taken seriously.
This article addresses common modes of coating failure on concrete and suggests steps that can be taken to avoid the same failure in the future. Varyious types of hole failures, crack failures in the coating, disbondment failures, intercoat peeling, overlayment of existing coating failures, and other surface defects are discussed. Suggested strategies for avoiding future concrete coating failure include updating coating specifications, stricter enforcement of these specifications, and better enforcement of scheduled maintenance.
This research was aimed at performing a clinical functional analysis during the second bite lifting, in order to define mandibular border positions and possible differences by sex and/or age. Out of a total of 9680 examined children from the region of Medimurje, Croatia, 103 were found to be eugnathic, with dentition in occlusion during the phase of the second bite lifting. All the eugnathic patients belonged to the class I by Angle, without any caries, fillings or extracted teeth. They were divided into three predefined groups for the sake of comparison. The obtained values of mandibular border positions in eugnathic subjects during the second bite-lifting phase vary with age and with the number of present permanent teeth in occlusion. Generally, all the values are higher in girls than in boys, which speaks in favour of the assumption that mandibular border positions are determined by sex, hormonal activity, growth and intercuspidation. Also, girls show a higher TMJ flexibility as well as a higher mandibular mobility. The knowledge of these facts will contribute to a more precise treatment in child prosthetics and pedodontics.
Based on sound card digital signal processor technology and virtual instrument technology,this paper presents a low cheap solution of sound card based virtual oscilloscope,with its advantages of friendly interface,strong expansibility,wide dynamic range and steady performance.By programming sound card in LabVIEW,a virtual oscilloscope system is designed,the system can acquire signals in the frequency range designed for sound card accurately,and has the function of measurement and spectral analysis.
The ageing of the population is one of the most important demographic challenges facing by the ArgentineState and the region; that coupled with other social changes structural determined a strong growth of theinstitutionalization of older persons. Despite the fact that Argentina has signed human rights which enjoy evenconstitutional rank and hierarchy than laws, local regulations in the province of Cordoba do not guarantee adequateprotection to the human rights of those living in long-stay residences. In that sense, the ratification by the ArgentineState of the InterAmerican Convention on the Protection of the Human Rights of Older People, and theirincorporation within the current regulatory system, obligates expressly to the State to adopt affirmative action and tomake any needed adjustments to the exercise and enforcement of such rights, since a new paradigm.
Background: Radiation thyroiditis is a known complication of radioactive  iodine therapy (RAI) resulting in mild exacerbation of thyrotoxic symptoms.  However, thyroid storm following RAI is rare.  Case Reports:  Case 1: A 33-year-old lady with long standing Grave’s thyrotoxicosis was  given 15mCi of radioiodine 1-131 and developed worsening palpitation,  sweating, tremor, fever, vomiting and diarrhea two days after treatment.  At presentation, she had tremor and severe diaphoresis with heart rate  of 141bpm and temperature of 39.8oC. She had small diffuse goiter and  her weight was 54kg with BMI of 21.4kg/m2. There was no arrhythmia  or heart failure and other systems examination was unremarkable. Her  thyroid function test showed TSH <0.01uIU/ml, FT4 65.43pmol/l and  FT3 28.09pmol/l. Her Burch-Wartofsky score was 70. She was treated  as thyroid storm and as her blood culture was positive for E.coli she was  given intravenous Ceftriaxone 1g OD. She made full recovery following  treatment with lugol’s iodine, prophylthiouracil, propranolol, hydrocortisone  and adequate hydration.  Case 2: A 16-year-old girl with persistent thyrotoxicosis since 2010  presented five days after given 15mCi of RAI as her family noted that  she progressively became irritable, restless and insomniac. These were  associated with vomiting and diarrhea. At presentation, GCS was 12/15  with heart rate 110bpm and temperature 37oC. There was no palpable  goiter and her weight was 55kg with BMI of 21.5kg/m2.There was no  meningism or focal neurological deficit and other system examination was  unremarkable. Her thyroid function test showed TSH <0.01uIU/ml, FT4  >77.22pmol/l and FT3 >46.08pmol/l. Her Burch-Wartofsky score was  55. Full neurological recovery occurred after 72 hours of treatment with  hydration, lugol’s iodine, methimazole, propranolol and dexamethasone.  Discussion: For the first case, the thyroid storm could be precipitated by  the E.Coli infection. Her previous medical record showed history of lowgrade  squamous intraepithelial lesion of the cervix, which usually precedes  cytoplasmic intraepithelial neoplasia of the cervix. No plausible cause was  found for the second case.  Other possible causes that may contribute to the occurrence of the storm  in these cases was usage of high doses of iodine 131 in relatively low BMI  patients with small or no goiter. As the patients were given radioiodine within  two consecutive days, the quality and integrity of the radioiodine substance  maybe a factor contributing to this phenomenon.  Comment: Although rare, thyroid storm can be precipitated by RAI and it  is mostly severe and can be fatal.
The invention relates to the production technology of crops, namely, the high-yield cultivation method of a capsicum. The existing cultivation of the capsicum adopts the method of transplant at one time during the seedling stage, which is limited in effect. But the invention transplants capsicum plants for two times during the growing period of the capsicum, namely, the period from seeding to harvesting, especially during the seedling stage. The beneficial effects of the invention are as follows: compared with the capsicum transplanted at one time, the growing period of the capsicum is further prolonged by 15 to 20 days, effective accumulated temperature is increased by 300 to 400 DEG C the capsicum plants have more flowers and fruits; the time for blossoming and bearing fruits are relatively prolonged; the fruit swelling stage and fruit maturity stage are also prolonged; each index, such as the maturing rate, capsicum forming rate, product quality and yield of the capsicum is obviously improved.
This paper is the result of a study started originally on the genus Cercopeus Schonherr. However, to establish the proper relationship of the related genera it became necessary to review all the genera and species in the tribe. The author hopes that this review will enable other workers to determine their material in this group which heretofore has been rather neglected. The author feels that further study should be made in Western United States for more members of this tribe.
Host plants of two parasitic Cassytha species in the Ryukyu Archipelago, namely the pantropic Cassytha filiformis and the Ryukyu endemic C. pergracilis, were investigated in the present study. Twenty-six vascular species of pteridophytes and spermatophytes were recognized as host plants of C. filiformis. On the other hand, two monocotyledonous species Aristida takeoi (Poaceae) and Rhynchospora rubra (Cyperaceae), specifically occurring in a certain special envi- ronment in the Ryukyus, were recognized as host plants of C. pergracilis. Rhynchospora rubra is reported for the first time as a host plant of C. pergracilis. The present study implies that rarity of the Zwischenmoor vegetation in the Ryukyus and high habitat specificity of the two host species could be the cause of the narrow-distribution range of C. pergracilis.
Soil moisture sensor use in crop production systems has the potential to give inference on plant water status for the purpose of irrigation scheduling and site-drought characterization. These processed measurements could serve as the framework on which to compile trial results across locations, thereby more accurately defining varietal yield response to drought. Still, the ability to characterize drought within a given field or initiate irrigations from these data hinge upon the ability of the instrument to characterize soil moisture at the sampled point and extrapolate that information across the landscape and time. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to: (1) test the response of the Watermark 200SS (Irrometer Company, Inc., Riverside, CA) and Decagon 10HS (Decagon Devices, Inc., Pullman, WA) to changes in water content of three dissimilar soils representing common soils in row-crop production under variable environmental conditions; (2) develop a soil moisture-based index to quantify drought stress in dryland cotton cultivar trials; and (3) determine if a limited number of soil moisture sensors deployed into a dryland cultivar trial could accurately characterize the VWC at a given point within the field and if this measurement could be extrapolated out to the field scale from the very small sphere of influence characterizing the utilized soil moisture sensors. During the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons soil moisture sensors were deployed into over 14 cotton cultivar trials across the U.S. Cotton Belt and into a water-input controlled container study. Tested sensors’ inability to accurately predict container VWC emphasized the relatively small quantity of soil on which these sensors rely and the variability in soil moisture within a very limited volume. Results from the drought-index studies suggested both the Accumulated Soil Moisture Stress Index (ASMSI) and the relative reduction in evapotranspiration (1-(ETc adj/ETc)) appear to have potential in characterizing the amount of stress experienced within dryland cultivar trials. Analysis of spatial and temporal stability suggested trends between sensors were consistent, but absolute node readings varied. Optimism concerning the potential of these measurements/approaches for increasing water use efficiency is coupled with a call for more arbitrary, universal methods of measurement analysis.
In spite of there is relationship between fuzzy logic principles and a probability principles in calculate values for computations. There are some distinct from values different probability distributions a values of a membership f unctions .This led to finding a variation in these computations. Some continuous distributions and continuous membership functions has several command properties .In this paper we choose an exponential distribution and find a corresponding calculation in f uzzy logic through membership functions.
This research was an empirical study on trading day at Indonesia Stock Exchange. This research entitled “Analysis of The Day of The Week Effect on Stock Return and Stock Market Volatility at Indonesia Stock Exchange 2014-2016 Period”. The purpose of this research is to analyze about the effect of the trading day on stock return and stock market volatility in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The sample used in this research is daily closing price data ofstocks LQ45 index over 2014 to 2016. The analysis showed that the daily closing stock price data LQ 45 index there is an element heteroskedasticity. Therefore, the analysis method used is GARCH (Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity) model, because the model can cover heteroscedasticity. The results showed that the effect of trade on stock returns and stock volatility on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2014-2016 which found negative stock returns on Monday (Monday Effect) and the greatest return that occurred on Wednesday. Volatility of stock return is highest on Monday and lowest on Thursday. Keywords: the day of the week effect, return, volatility, GARCH.
The invention discloses an electric vehicle energy efficiency evaluation and supervision system and an electric vehicle energy efficiency evaluation and supervision method thereof for an intelligent power grid, which belong to the field of power system automation. The system mainly comprises an energy efficiency database, a smart meter, a background evaluation and supervision control system, an identification device and a bidirectional intelligent control device. The method comprises the following steps of: setting a unique energy efficiency identity (ID) card for each user, recording the energy efficiency parameter information of the user and storing the information in the system; and every time the user is to finish a payment by card by the system, performing identification and calculating the electricity buying price and electricity selling price of the user according to the stored energy efficiency parameter information, and after the user finishes the payment by card, calculating money to be deducted and the money to be returned by using the system, updating the information in the ID card and storing the updated information in the system. By the system and the method, the optimal electricity utilization mode of the intelligent power grid can be realized.
False sharing is an insidious problem for multi-threaded programs running on multicore processors, where it can silently degrade performance and scalability. Debugging false sharing problems is notoriously difficult. Previous approaches aimed at identifying false sharing are not only prohibitively slow (degrading performance by 200X), but also cannot distinguish false sharing from true sharing, cannot cope with dynamically allocated objects, generate numerous false positives, and fail to pinpoint the sources of false sharing. This paper presents Sheriff, a software-only system that both withstands and identifies false sharing in C/C++ applications. As a false sharing resistant runtime system, Sheriff replaces the standard pthreads library and eliminates false sharing, dramatically improving performance in the face of catastrophic false sharing (in one case, by almost 10X versus pthreads). As a false sharing detection tool, Sheriff precisely identifies the sources of false sharing with no false positives and low overhead. A case study with the Phoenix and PARSEC benchmark suites shows that Sheriff can quickly identify false sharing and guide programmers to remove it.
We propose an information extraction system that is designed for mobile devices with low hardware resources. The proposed system extracts temporal instances (dates and times) and named instances (locations and topics) from Korean short messages in an appointment management domain. To efficiently extract temporal instances with limited numbers of surface forms, the proposed system uses wellrefined finite state automata. To effectively extract various surface forms of named instances with low hardware resources, the proposed system uses a modified HMM based on syllable n-grams. In the experiment on instance boundary labeling, the proposed system showed better performances than traditional classifiers.
Although the hourly intramuscular insulin regimen has been used in the management of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in Ethiopia for over 7 years, continuous intravenous (IV) insulin infusion has never been previously used. In Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Abeba, in 198788, we used the ordinary IV plastic bag and tubings alone to concurrently infuse the low-dose insulin and hydration solution in the management of 15 episodes of DKA in 13 patients, 5 males and 8 females. Initial blood glucose was over 400 mg/dl and urine ketones 4+ in all, and the level of consciousness ranged from drowsy to coma. Initially, 5 to 10 units of crystalline zinc insulin (CZI) was given IV directly to all but 2 patients. Then CZI was added to the normal saline IV bag and the dose of insulin was adjusted according to fluid requirements while at the same time maintaining the insulin rate at 5 to 10 units/hour until the blood glucose dropped to 250 mg/dl or lower. At this point the IV fluid was changed to 5% dextrose and the insulin infusion was reduced to 2 to 4 units/hour. The mean insulin requirement until the dextrose infusion was initiated was 33.2 +/- 7.3 units, IV fluid requirement was 3.5 +/- 0.8 litres and mean duration of treatment 4.4 +/- 1.6 hours. There was one death which was not due to insulin resistance, while all other patients fully recovered. The study demonstrates that insulin infusion using the ordinary IV plastic bag and tubings is safe, simple, and convenient in the management of DKA and hence should be used whenever indicated and feasible.
Most of the portable systems, such as cellular c ommunication devices, and laptop computers operate from a limited power supply. Devices like cell phones have long idle times and operate in standby mode when n ot in use. Consequently, the extension of battery- based opera tion time is a significant design goal which can be made possible by controlling the leakage current flowing through the CMOS gate. Leakage Current loss is a major concern in nanometer and deep submicron technologies. In this paper we use different techniques to reduce leakage power. Based on the surveyed techniques a designer is able to select appropriate leakage current reduction te chnique.
The paper is devoted to problems at the intersection of formal group theory, the theory of Hirzebruch genera, and the theory of elliptic functions. The elliptic function of level N determines the elliptic genus of levelN as a Hirzebruch genus. It is known that the elliptic function of level N is a specialization of the Krichever function that determines the Krichever genus. The Krichever function is the exponential of the universal Buchstaber formal group. In this work we find the rings of coefficients of specializations of universal Buchstaber formal groups that correspond to the elliptic genus of level N for N = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
In order to obtain steady-going view zones without crosstalk for eye tracking autostereoscpoic displays using dynamic parallax barrier,an autostereoscpoic display screen with RGBW square subpixel arrangement and tilted parallax barrier is proposed.The operation principle and the calculation equations of the display screen are given.The autostereoscpoic display screens based on the proposed and conventional structures are designed and their luminance distributions along the horizontal direction at the optimal view distance are calculated.The results show that the view zones without crosstalk for the proposed autostereoscpoic display screen are obtained at the optimal view distance.
Objective: To explore NLST criteria among COPD patients and to develop a COPD-tailored score that improves it9s predictive capability for LC risk. Methods: We analyzed the databases from the Pamplona-IELCAP LC screening study (P-IELCAP) and the Pittsburgh Lung Screening Study (PLuSS). Only patients with spirometricaly proven COPD were included. NLST criteria were applied to both populations. By logistic regression we determined which factors were independently associated with LC, and then developed a COPD screening score (COPDss). Results: Forty-eight percent of COPD patients in P-IELCAP and 30% in PluSS did not meet NLST criteria (Table 1, panel A), resulting in the exclusion of 33% and 22% of lung cancers in each cohort, respectively (panel B). Factors associated with lung cancer risk are shown in Table 2. Variables finally included in the calculation of the COPDss are shown in Table 3. Figure 1 shows the ROC for NLST criteria and for COPDss in each COPD cohort (panels 2 & 3), and in both combined (panel 1). Conclusions: In patients with COPD undergoing screening, NLST criteria results in the exclusion of a large proportion of patients with LC. The COPDss improves the prediction of lung cancer risk among COPD patients.
Governments are encouraging operators to build ‘ahead of demand’ rather than relying upon market forces. This is in part a nation building exercise; to ensure that the country stays ahead or at least remain competitive with developments overseas. Governments also wish to stimulate new markets. This stimulation usually takes the form of a combination of public private partnership (PPP), cash subsidy and regulatory holiday, or a combination of all three.
Seven years ago, ICN had a vision: To establish a common language about nursing practice to describe nursing care that could be compared across borders, populations, settings and time. Today part of this vision has become a reality: the Alpha Version and a database for an International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP), described on the following pages, for which ICN is eliciting feedback, critique and recommendations from nurses in all settings everywhere. Below, a historical review.
The state of existence for modern people is alienation in all aspects,which leads to modern crisis.Ted Hughes' poems expose the consequences of alienation,try to find the cultural root of alienation and finally realize the aesthetic utopia of transcending alienation.Ted Hughes' nature poems shoulder moral responsibility which the poet promised to adhere to from beginning to end whether they expose violence without restraint or display the enchantment and tranquility of nature to the fullest.His poems record the poet's hard quest for transcending alienation in order to tide over the existential dilemma facing modern men.
Effects of combined inspiratory muscle and cycle ergometer training on exercise per- formance in patients with COPD. Th. Wanke, D. Formanek, H. Lahrmann, H. Brath, M. Wild, Ch. Wagner, H. Zwick. ERS Journals Ltd 1994. ABSTRACT: Cycle ergometer training plays an important role in the rehabili- tation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the usefulness of specific inspiratory muscle training as part of pulmonary rehabili- tation remains uncertain. To determine whether inspiratory muscle training could intensify the known beneficial effects of cycle ergometer training on exercise performance in these patients, we compared the effect of an 8 week inspiratory muscle training com- bined with cycle ergometer training with that of an 8 week cycle ergometer train- ing alone on inspiratory muscle performance and general exercise capacity. Patients were randomly assigned to the two training groups; 21 patients received additional inspiratory muscle training (Group 1) and 21 did not (Group 2). Maxi- mal sniff assessed oesophageal and transdiaphragmatic pressures served as parameters for global inspiratory muscle strength and diaphragmatic strength, respectively. The duration for which the patient could breathe against a constant inspiratory pressure load was used as an index of inspiratory muscle endurance. Exercise capacity was determined by an incremental symptom-limited cycle ergo- meter test. After the training period, inspiratory muscle performance improved signifi- cantly in the patients with inspiratory muscle training, but not in those without. Both training regimens increased maximal power output and oxygen uptake, but this improvement was significantly greater in the patients with inspiratory muscle training than in those without. We conclude that inspiratory muscle training in addition to cycle ergometer train- ing, can intensify the beneficial effects of cycle ergometer training on exercise per- formance in COPD patients.
We suggest that interviewers become dangerous by the simple act of listening. In dangerous listening, there is a looking-glass effect through which the listener deflects the new or repressing self and reveals the old. The heart of danger is the interviewee's self reflected back from the interviewer's relationship to the past self. The data are drawn from two sets of intensive interviews, one with female mental patients-to-expatients in the 1950s in California (see Warren, 1987), and one with ex-Vietnam veterans on a trauma ward at a Veterans' administration hospital (see Karner, 1994). In listening, the narrator and the interviewer become participants in witnessing a violation of a social or personal norm. After such an accounting, the listener is seen as the symbolic repository for the narrator's troubled past, constituting a threat of judgment or exposure. These dangers of listening are not only those special biomedical and social dangers involved in the rhetoric of human subjects regulations, they are dangers of an everyday life world in which selves change, and change again. Human subjects legislation over the past ten years has framed social science research, like the biomedical, as potentially dangerous. What
ABSTRACT          Mubarok, Faiz. 2015. A Pragmatics Analysis Of Speech Act In Interrogative Utterances of Surah    Al Mulk .Graduating Paper English Education Department of State Institute for Islamic Studies    (IAIN) Salatiga.    Counselor: Dr. H. Sa‟adi, M.Ag        Keywords:pragmatics, speech act analysis surah al-Mulk    This study is made to analyze the speech act analysis in surah al-Mulk. The research problems of the study are the types of istifham, the speech act analysis, and the intention of interrogative utterances in surah al-Mulk. The study is expected to be beneficial to the world of literature. In addition, the researcher hopes the result of the study will give additional information to the reader and can contribute to the development of literary study particularly among students who are interested in the literary study. It is literary research that focuses on interrogative utterances in surah al-Mulk. The uses analysis method. In addition, the results of the study are some interpreting of each part of ayah. The interrogative utterances in surah al-Mulk are message and threatering from Allah to all human about Him Dominion, and istifham from Allah that uses in dominant each ayah is the direct sentences.
Omega-3 fatty acids, like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), mainly containing in fish oil, are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. Early studies in Greenland Eskimos stimulated interest in evaluating the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cardiovascular diseases. Subsequent studies showed a significant decrease in triglyceride levels in patients receiving high dose of fish oil containing EPA and DHA. These studies have also shown a dose-response effect which persists as long as supplementation continues. Later trials have demonstrated a correlation between omega-3 fatty acids consumption and a reduction in cardiac death rates and in the incidence of cardiac symptoms. This benefit may be mediated through favorable changes in lipid profiles, anti-arrhythmic effects, alteration of eicosanoid production, and down-regulation of thrombotic, decrease of abnormal platelet aggregation and vascular inflammatory process.
The role of the bacteriophage Mu-encoded A and B proteins is to direct the transposition of Mu DNA. These are the first active DNA transposition proteins to have been purified and their mechanism of action at the biochemical level is under intensive study. Structural studies on these proteins, however, have lagged behind their biochemical characterization. We report here near- and far-u.v. c.d. spectra for these proteins and their secondary structural features derived from these data. The Mu A protein appears to be composed of primarily beta-sheet (40%) with 24% alpha-helix, 9% beta-turn and 27% random coil. In contrast, the Mu B protein contains 55% alpha-helix with only 13% beta-sheet and 3+ beta-turn and 29% random coil. The near-u.v. c.d. spectrum of the A protein was not unusual; however, the profile of the B protein suggested either buried or restricted chromophores within the protein or short-range interactions between aromatic residues.
The commercialization of research findings need experiment,production and marketization. The paper studies transformation of Sci-tech Achievements Value-added Knowledge from the perspective of knowledge management,and explains the building of the simulation model of transformation of Sci-tech Achievements value-added knowledge system. It aims to observe how the value-added factors influence the degree of the knowledge in different stages.
Based on attitude formation process analysis,a realization process theoretical model of individual low-carbon consumption was constructed.Empirical studies were carried out to discuss the reasons for the differences between attitude and actual behaviors,to find the way to realize low-carbon economy.The results indicate,environmental cognition have positive influences on social consciousness consumption behavior,and negative influences on individual consciousness consumption behavior.Enhancing environmental cognition is the most effective way to promote low-carbon economy.Cognition of low-carbon consumption significance,low-carbon consumption preference to others,low-carbon consumption behavioral tendency can promote social consciousness consumption behavior,so they are beneficial for low-carbon economy.Low-carbon consumption preference have negative impacts on individual consciousness consumption behavior,so it needs to be guided.The current social consumption culture pressure have negative impacts on the relationship between attitude processes,behavioral tendency and actual behavior,so healthy social consumption culture should be cultivated.Supporting measures of the government and society to low-carbon consumption economy realization are also proposed.
The Mexican Conquest is one of the most significant events in world history. However, for centuries, the dominant narrative has been a Eurocentric portrayal that presumes Hernan Cortes and other conquistadors to be heroic, noble, and competent to maneuver through Mexico with little to no opposition. Additionally, it silences Indigenous voices of the 1519 Spanish Conquest and omits the acknowledgment of Indigenous contributions to Spanish success. Matthew Restall’s Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest pushes against the dominant Eurocentric narrative of the Conquest. In particular, Restall brings an Indigenous woman, Malintzin, the interpreter of Hernan Cortes, to the forefront. With support from translated Nahuatl texts and pictographs and sixteenth-century Spanish sources, Malintzin’s voice becomes visible. Two core Indigenous sources that molded Restall’s arguments are the Florentine Codex, a Mexica source created a generation post-Conquest, and the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, representing an Indigenous ally perspective. Through these sources, Malintzin emerges as a central figure with a multi-skill set of quick language acquisition, the ability to navigate high-risk scenarios, interpreting with cultural mediation and sensitivity, plus the utilization of different linguistic registers. Her skills allowed her to make a conscious decision to become Cortes’ interpreter and proved to be indispensable when it comes to Spanish-Indigenous communication during the Conquest.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single session of exercise and quiet rest on the blood pressure and state anxiety response of physically challenged college students (n = 10) enrolled in an adaptive physical education class. Each student had some degree of injury or disability (none requiring the use of a wheelchair) which made exercising inconvenient with regard to maintaining an optimal level of frequency, intensity, and duration of activity. All subjects participated in two treatment conditions in a counter-balanced design: (1) exercise (on a bicycle ergometer or treadmill) to self-imposed maximum, and (2) quiet rest in a soundproof chamber. Blood pressure and state anxiety (STAI 1) were assessed prior to and immediately following both conditions. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the data. There was a non-significant 7.4 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure immediately following exercise, and a 9.6 mmHg, decrease following rest. A significant decrease in state anxiety was observed following exercise and rest. It is concluded that individuals who are physically challenged can experience reductions in anxiety after a session of vigorous exercise.
This present thesis, which studies the photographic portrait of Rineke Dijkstra, Dutch artist born in 1959, supports the hypothesis and explains the presence and the meaning of humanism in this photographic approach. The in-depth analysis of the Beach portraits series, created during the last decade of the twentieth century, is the base on which the arguments are elaborated. This thesis seeks answers through the analysis of the portraits and its relations with time, culture and social reality of a historical episode. The study of Rineke Dijkstra’s portraits and of her work’s discussions reveals a humanism which seems to insist on human fragility. By valuing what is deeply human in the portrait, the artist’s work distinguishes itself from the formal and conceptual approaches of the contemporary portrait which tend to a denial of the subjectivity. The perceptive experience of the viewer facing the Beach portraits series seems to reveal that the portrait returns the image of the viewer’s humanity.
In this short article, I want consider some of the ways theatrical artists, activists and advocates in Australia are tackling the paradoxical relationship between sustainability and austerity discourses, and, as a result, some changes this may be starting to produce in disabled people’s aesthetic prerogatives. For the last 30 years, artists, activists and scholars in Australia and beyond have avoided casting disability in terms of trauma, crisis, catastrophe and disaster. Accounts of the way disability theatre challenges stereotypes , as well as analysis of disability signifiers in screen, stage, and social performance , have expressed concern about deploying disability as a metaphor for disaster, or defining disabled people as monstrous, tragic, stoic, or inspirational, the way the medical model of disability traditionally defines us. Instead, modern disabled artists and the scholars who analyse them have advocated for work that deploys live art, performance art, and performative intervention in public space to challenge stereotypes, oppressive institutional systems, and other factors the social model of disability sees as the cause of disability oppression .In the last few years, though, there has been an increase in work that does associate disability with trauma, tragedy and disaster, in what seems to be a response to austerity, accountability and economic sustainability agendas that call for cuts to disability services spending to make our societies more sustainable going forward.
We have initiated the kineplasty to Sauerbruch in our clinic again. 5 patients are operated up to now. This 5 patients have one middle long and three short forearm stumps respectively one middle long upper-arm stump. One patient had a shoulder exarticulation on the contralateral side. In the first case we performed a forearm channel and in the four other cases a biceps channel. All channels have a good stroke, so the patients can have an active and cosmetic very good prosthesis with very good functional results. We ask for presentation of patients with indication to kineplasty to Sauerbruch.
Ever since the invention of EEG have constant attempts been made to give meaning to the oscillating signal recorded. This has resulted in the ability to detect a wide range of different psychological and physiological phenomenon. The goal of this thesis is to be able to recognize different emotions in EEG by the use of a computer and artificial intelligence. Emotions are an especially interesting phenomenon because of the huge impact they have on humans on the daily basis. They constantly guides and modulates our rationality, and is thus in some sense an important part of the definition of human rationality, which again plays an important role in how we behave intelligently and especially how we behave intelligently when interacting with other humans. Machines that interact with humans do however not base their decisions on a rationality that incorporates live human emotions. The effect of this mismatch in rationality between humans and machines results in unwanted behaviour from the machines, and is something most have experienced. The system we propose in this thesis could be used to allow machines to incorporate an interpretation of human emotions in their principles of rationality, in the form of a recognized two-dimensional model of emotions, which could result in a more intelligent interaction with humans. We further restricted our system to the hardware limitations of the commercially available Emotiv EPOC EEG headset, in order to get an indication of the commercial value and general implications of our method. Both unsuccessful and successful systems with similar goals have previously been described in the literature. These systems typically rely on computationally expensive feature extractions, which make them less attractive when a relatively quick response is needed. Moreover, the act of choosing what methods to use in order to extract features entails a degree of subjectivity from the creator, which becomes clear by looking at the share variety of completely different methods used in the different systems. Our system effectively minimizes both of these issues by presenting the signal as it is, expressed in the frequency domain, to an artificial neural network trained by a neuroevolutionary method called HyperNEAT, with promising results. This highlights the importance of using a method that is truly in line with nature of the problem.
Wuthering Heights,a literary classic,has long been favored for nearly 200 years,as the stories of love and hatred between Catherine and Heathercliff mirror "what the original looks like".Employing the "displacement" of Medea mythological prototype,Emily Bronte shaped Heathercliff to demonstrate twisted human nature in an abnormal society,calling for reader's "racial memory" and triggering the "collective unconsciousness" hidden under the innermost soul.It is such kind of horror and Heathercliff's ruthless revenge that shocked readers' mind and won their sympathy,which endows the book with durable popularity.
The central retinal artery (CRA) is a branch of the ophthalmic artery, which is the first branch of the internal carotid artery. The CRA supplies blood to the surface of the optic disc. From here it divides into two main branches (superior and inferior); these then further divide into temporal and nasal branches, which supply blood to the four quadrants of the retina. The outer retina is supplied by the choriocapillaries of the choroid that branches off the ciliary artery. Both the CRA and the ciliary artery must be functioning to maintain retinal function, as both CRA and ciliary artery originate from the OA. One important variation is the presence of a cilioretinal artery. This artery, thought to be present in 1530% of people, supplies the macular retina to a varying degree and may help preserve some vision after CRAO. The cilioretinal artery is seen ophthalmoscopically as a single vessel emerging from the edge of the optic disc, most commonly towards the macula.
The present study was conducted in 57 clinical cases of yoke gall that were used for classification and evaluation of 8 different treatments. The yoke galls were classified as 6 major types viz., acute, sub acute, chronic fibrosed, chronic suppurative (abscess), chronic ulcerative and mixed (miscellaneous). In group I, diclofenac sodium injection and topical application of khand malam No. 1 (7.5% lime juice, 25% turmeric powder, petroleum jelly and pure ghee base) was done. In group II, dicofenac sodium injection and topical application of khand malam No. 1 and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was done. In group III, only topical application of DMSO was given. In group IV, intravenous dimethyl sulfoxide 1 g/kg b.wt as 10% solution was given. In group V, dexamethasone injection was given directly into the swelling, and in group VI, herbal treatment using Triumfetta rotundifolia and Dregia volubilis was done. In group VII, surgical drainage of acute yoke gall by stab incision was carried out and in group VIII, surgical excision was done in nine bullocks with chronic yoke gall. Routine anti-inflammatory agents such as diclofenac sodium or topical ointments were not totally effective for acute yoke gall and they were least effective for sub acute and chronic yoke gall. Intravenous injection of dimethyl sulfoxide or local injection of dexamethasone provided complete improvement in large, acute yoke galls. Surgical drainage by stab incision was better for the treatment of large and extensive acute yoke gall than medical treatment alone; and surgical excision was the best and 100% effective for chronic fibrosed, chronic ulcerative and chronic supparative types of yoke galls.
Background: The changes of soft tissues and connective buffer that able to decrease elasticity and flexibility of muscles can cause low back pain in the third trimester of pregnancy. Dissemination percentage of pregnancy low back pain at first trimester (16.7%), second trimester (31.3%), and third trimester (53%). It can cause long term back pain and increase the trend of back pain in post-partum and chronic back pain that can be more difficult to be cured, if the back pain is not handled well immediately. Management of low back pain can be done both by pharmacologically and non- pharmacologically. Aims: The present study aimed to compare the efficacy between transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and Kinesio taping to the decreasing of low back pain on third trimester pregnant women in Public Health District Juwiring Klaten, Indonesia. Methods: This research is a quasi-experimental research with non-equivalent design and pretest and posttest control group design. There were 18 postpartum, selected by purposive sampling method, and divided into 2 groups equally – intellect TENS and Kinesio taping “Spol Kinematics Tex” group. The therapy was done for 6 times (twice a week). The pain was measured by NRS scale. Data was then analyzed by Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney test to find the mean differences. Result: This research highlight that effectiveness of interact TENS to decrease low back pain on third trimester pregnant women then the application of Kinesio taping therapy (p value = 0,007) Conclusion: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation is more efficient to reduce low back pain scale in third-trimester of pregnancy compared to Kinesio taping. This present study suggests a promotion of ergonomics in the form of counseling and poster display to the public, especially pregnant women to reduce low back pain patient. Further research with a larger number of subjects with pure experiment is necessary to avoid the subjectivity factor measurements using a pain scale plasma levels of endorphins.
The Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) approach requires skills and expertise not traditionally found among many DOT and consultant project team members. Context Sensitive Solutions training is a critical component of any effort to mainstream CSS in the work force. CSS training will be most effective, however, as part of an overall effort to integrate the philosophy and mindset of CSS throughout an organization. As DOTs gain experience with mainstreaming CSS and with deploying CSS training programs, DOT CSS training managers are evolving their training to include CSS Awareness courses, revise basic CSS courses and incorporate specialized CSS skills courses. This paper has been developed as a tool for DOTs to use when considering implementing or modifying a CSS training program. In addition to providing a summary of the training experiences of 16 state DOTs that includes items such as the focus of the course, cost, attendees and source of funding, it examines many lessons learned by DOTs and details five primary lessons: (1) The importance of designing training strategically within an overall CSS organizational integration effort; (2) The importance of sustaining the training effort including providing continuity in the management of the effort; (3) Lessons about the evolving menu of CSS training courses; (4) The value of including a full range of participants and perspectives from within DOT as well as outside the agency in training; and (5) The need for follow up evaluation with participants to understand the effectiveness of current training and provide input to future curriculum offerings.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of nucleoside antiviral therapy for hepatitis B virus-associated cirrhosis. METHODS: 50 patients with liver cirrhosis treated in hospital from January 2009 to January 2011 were assigned to receive routine therapy( control group); another 100 patients with hepatitis B virusassociated cirrhosis( observation group) treated in our hospital from January 2011 to January 2013 were assigned to receive lamivudine( subgroup A),adefovir( subgroup B) or entecavir( subgroup C). Four groups were observed and compared before and after treatment with regard to liver function [alanine aminotransferase( ALT), aspartate aminotransferase( AST),total bilirubin( TBIL),albumin( ALB) ],prothrombin time activity( PTA),liver fibrosis[hyaluronic acid( HA),laminin( LN),Ⅲ procollagen( PC-Ⅲ),Ⅳ collagen( Ⅳ-C) ],HBV-DNA negative rate and HBe Ag seroconversion rate. RESULTS: After treatment,the liver function and liver fibrosis in all of the four groups improved significantly,much as in three subgroups( group A,B and C),showing statistically significant differences between the observation group( three subgroups) and the control group( P 0. 05),yet the differences among the three subgroups were not statistically significant( P 0. 05); HBV-DNA negative rate and HBe Ag seroconversion rates in three subgroups were significantly higher than in the control group after treatment and the differences were statistically significant( P 0. 05),yet the differences were not statistically significant among threesubgroups( P 0. 05). The cost-effectiveness analysis on the three subgroups showed that subgroup C took the lead in C / E value( 2538. 0),showing statistically significant differences as compared with the other two subgroups( P 0. 05). The three subgroups in the observation group presented with only mild adverse drug reactions such as myalgia and mild fatigue. CONCLUSION: Nucleoside antiviral therapy is safe and effective for patients with hepatitis B virusassociated cirrhosis in that which can effectively improve patients' liver function and prevent liver fibrosis; entecavir can be used as the preferred choice economically,and which is worthy of popularization in clinical application.
The present invention at least a means for providing a communication according to two predetermined protocol (DECC2, DECC3) and communicate the initial frame-start the communication mode to the profile matches one or the other of the protocol in accordance with the (SOF1, SOF2) received at the relates to an automatic switching means for non-contact integrated circuit (IC1) comprising means for transmitting / receiving data by the inductive coupling, it characterized in that it comprises (FIC, SOFD1, SOFD2) a. The present invention is applied to an integrated circuit suitable for manufacturing especially ISO / IEC 15693 and ISO / IEC 14443-B standard.
Objective To research the cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression and its effect in the esophagus cancer. Methods 34 cases of esophagus cancer specimens were examined the expression of COX-2 by immunohistochemical method and Western blotting method. Results The significant positive rates of COX-2 expression in esophagus cancer was 71%,but the significant positive expression in the adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma is not significant difference.Statistics test showed that the age,gender,tissue differentiation,clinical stage(TNM) and node metastasis did not affect the COX-2 significant expression in esophagus cancer. Conclusion The COX-2 protein significant positive expression may be closely associated with the occurrence,form and development of the esophagus cancer.
Social Networking Sites are booming as never before. Apart from the numerous new opportunities that are provided, also hazards such as messages containing sexual harrasment or racist attacks have to be taken into account. Since manually monitoring and analysing all messages seperately is unattainable, solutions using automated methods are sought. This study applies machine learning techniques to perform automated offensive language detection. Offensive language can be defined as “expressing extreme subjectivity“ and this study mainly focuses on two categories ’sexual’ and ’racist’. A corpus, originating from the Dutch distribution of the social network Netlog, is used and contains over seven million blog messages. We note that only a very small amount (approximately 0.85%) of these blog messages can be defined as messages that contain abusive language. Initially, the intention is to implement two supervised learning methods Naive Bayes and Support Vector Machine. These methods base the classification of a message on previous experiences, derived from a labeled training set. To build such training set offensive messages should be efficiently extracted out of the corpus. In order to achieve this, an information retrieval system, expanded with a query expansion technique, is applied. A query containing offensive terms delivers offensive messages, however a more efficient approach is considered by enhancing the query using Rocchio query expansion. This study shows that using query expansion can effectively increase the amount of relevant messages retrieved. These supervised classifiers are trained on the labeled set and afterwards their performance is tested on an independant validation set. The Naive Bayes classifier does not perform well on the validation set and is therefore disregarded in the further analysis. Our Support Vector Machine implementation achieves results of approximately 69% precision and 62% recall. However, these results are obtained by ignoring very small messages, since SVM has difficulties classifying messages that do not contain much information. To tackle the issues SVM suffers from a more reliable, but less dynamic method is designed, based on word lists. This method, that is named a semantic classifier, obtains
The joint manifestations of parasitic diseases are rare. They may be due to the presence of a parasite within one or severed joints, to involvement of a neighbouring joint, or distant involvement due to an immuno-allergic mechanism. The latter category constitutes what one may call parasitic rheumatism. The latter is characterised by arthropathies of inflammatory type with raised sedimentation rate, marked but inconstant hypereosinophilia, and total inefficacy of antirheumatic treatments. The diagnosis of parasitic rheumatism depends on these criteria, on the diagnosis of the parasitic disease in question, above all filariasis but also other parasitic diseases, and above all the great efficacy of specific anti-parasitic treatments.
The most common form of visual representation of a building is through a plan of the ground floor, used for both truncated archaeological remains and for full height multi storey buildings. The plan form, so beloved by archaeologists, should however be considered a shorthand for standing buildings, a ‘map’ for orientation and a very abbreviated view of the layout. We also interpret them for activities within the building and the effectiveness of this can be variable, particularly when we are trying to read a more experiential history from the evidence. These traditional techniques are not produced objectively, but are the results of constant decision making so what do we project onto these plans from our own lives about the people who lived in these buildings? And what are we missing with them? The need for more detailed recording has been discussed in the past, but perhaps we should revisit this argument in the light of the vastly increased 3d recording and representation opportunities with modern technology. We can now produce full height elevations as easily as plans and for timber frame buildings these are invaluable. But are we simply producing elevations to be used like plans for form and function arguments? Can we use the ability to record increased detail and the new forms of data in more imaginative ways with a greater awareness of the ‘lived experience’ of occupants of historic buildings? Among other examples, I will look at Chawton House in Hampshire where a student survey project has highlighted the historic problem of creating plans of a difficult building.
3. Pneumonia (lower respiratory tract infection) An infection of the lungs is often due to an extension of infection from the upper respiratory tract (#1) or a failure of the mechanisms which are designed to protect the lungs. It is much more serious and causes more severe signs than does an upper respiratory infection. Shipping fever is one form of lower respiratory tract disease and derives its name from the usual occurrence of the disease shortly after shipment of the cattle.
This article assesses the economic, legal and environmental conditions that Thai rubber farmers face and evaluates actions they can take to increase incomes.Statistical analyses determine relationships between prices of oil, natural and synthetic rubber. Pearson correlation tests found a strong positive relationship (r = 0.887) between the price of Brent crude and Thai ribbed smoked sheets, and a moderate positive relationship between price changes in Brent and synthetic rubber (r = 0.648). Regression analysis showed Brent oil price is a good predictor of natural rubber price. Moderate to strong positive relationships were also found between natural rubber price and the gross domestic products of Japan, China and the United States. Criminal antitrust behaviour in the rubber industries appeared to interfere with normal pricing in rubber markets. No significant bivariate correlation was found between rainfall in Thailand and natural rubber price, production or export, although fl ooding and other environmental issues clearly affected rubber farms. A survey of options showed that Thai rubber farmers can best improve their livelihoods through the collective purchase and use of new technologies and by integrating into downstream supplychain industries. At the very least, farmers are urged to abandon monocrop methods and supplement their incomes with fruit, fi sh, livestock or pigs.
Breast cancer represents the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women worldwide. Various therapeutics are currently used in order to halt the progression of breast tumor, even though certain side effects may limit the beneficial effects. In recent years, many efforts have been addressed to the usefulness of natural compounds as anticancer agents due to their low toxicity. Resveratrol, a stilbene found in grapes, berries, peanuts and soybeans, has raised a notable interest for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties. Here, we report the design, the synthesis and the characterization of the anticancer activity of a small series of imino N-aryl-substituted compounds that are analogues of resveratrol. In particular, the most active compound, named 3, exhibited anti-tumor activity in diverse types of breast cancer cells through the inhibition of the human topoisomerase II and the induction of apoptotic cell death. Therefore, the abovementioned compound maybe considered as a promising agent in more comprehensive treatments of breast cancer.
INTRODUCTION Cardiogenic shock is associated with significant mortality, particularly when caused by myocardial infarction. Intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) is the primary hemodynamic adjunct in patients with cardiogenic shock; however, evidence suggests that IABP may not improve mortality in this population.   METHODS We conducted an electronic search of the Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane trial registry databases. Two reviewers independently screened citations and identified eligible trials. The same reviewers abstracted data independently. We pooled the data using a fixed effect model and reported dichotomous outcomes as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subsequently, we used the GRADE approach to judge the quality of evidence.   RESULTS We included 4 randomized trials with 735 patients. The use of IABP did not reduce the risk of death in patients with cardiogenic shock secondary to cardiac ischemia when compared with usual care (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.79-1.13; P = 0.52; I² = 0%; moderate confidence). The use of IABP was not associated with an increased risk of stroke (RR, 0.77; 95% CI 0.22-2.69; P = 0.68; I² = 48%; very low confidence), limb ischemia (RR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.59-2.59; P = 0.58; I² = 0%; low confidence), or major bleeding (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.34-1.72; P = 0.52; I² = 0%; low confidence).   CONCLUSIONS The use of IABP in patients with cardiogenic shock complicating myocardial ischemia does not reduce mortality (moderate confidence) and is not associated with a higher risk of complications (very low to low confidence). The results should be interpreted with caution owing to limitations such as imprecision, risk of bias, and clinical heterogeneity.
OBJECTIVES To compare in vivo burn morphologic features and healing responses of Pascal 20- and 100-millisecond panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) burns in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.   DESIGN Prospective randomized controlled trial with 24 eyes assigned to either 20- or 100-millisecond Pascal PRP. Fundus autofluorescence and Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) were performed 1 hour and 2 and 4 weeks after treatment. Main outcome measures included burn morphologic features on FD-OCT and greatest linear diameter (GLD) of laser burns as evaluated in 6 standard Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study photographic fields using autofluorescence.   RESULTS The contemporaneous increase in autofluorescence is observed with increasing pulse duration. Differences in mean GLD between 100- and 20-millisecond burns were 63 mum at 1 hour and 198 mum at 4 weeks (P < .001 for both). At 4 weeks, all burns corresponded to defects at the junction of inner and outer segments of photoreceptors (JI/OSP) and apical retinal pigment epithelium. After 4 weeks, the GLD of 20-millisecond burns reduced significantly by 35% (P < .001), with no change in 100-millisecond burns.   CONCLUSIONS All burns initially appear as equivalent square-edged, columnar foci of hyperreflectivity in the outer retina. Pascal 20-millisecond burns progressively reduce in size, and this suggests a novel healing response localized to the JI/OSP and apical retinal pigment epithelium. The higher-fluence 100-millisecond burns develop larger defects due to thermal blooming and collateral damage.
Due to record errors, transmission interruptions, etc., low-quality process data, including outliers and missing data, commonly exist in real industrial processes, challenging the accurate modeling and reliable monitoring of the operating statuses. In this study, a novel variational Bayesian Student's-t mixture model (VBSMM) with a closed-form missing value imputation method is proposed to develop a robust process monitoring scheme for low-quality data. First, a new paradigm for the variational inference of Student's-t mixture model is proposed to develop a robust VBSMM model, which optimizes the variational posteriors in an extended feasible region. Second, conditioned on the complete and partially missing data information, a closed-form missing value imputation method is derived to address the challenges of outliers and multimodality in accurate data recovery. Then, a robust online monitoring scheme that can maintain its fault detection performance in the presence of poor data quality is developed, where a novel monitoring statistic called the expected variational distance (EVD) is first proposed to quantify the changes in operating conditions and can be easily extended to other variational mixture models. Case studies on a numerical simulation and a real-world three-phase flow facility illustrate the superiority of the proposed method in missing value imputation and fault detection of low-quality data.
We present a study of nanopattern formation on polycrystalline Ni surfaces upon low energy Ar ion bombardment. At low angles of ion incidence an isotropic, rough morphology develops on the surface while at grazing incidence a ripple structure parallel to the ion beam direction is formed (so-called perpendicular mode ripples). To explain this behavior we propose a model which is based on a combination of (a) surface roughening due to sputter yield variation between different crystalline grains and (b) anisotropic nonlinearity resulting from the oblique angle bombardment. By computer simulations we show that the combination of these two phenomena excellently reproduces the experimental behavior, in particular the dependence of the surface morphology on the ion incidence angle. Importantly, the formation of ripples at grazing incidence does not involve any linear instability, in strong contrast to the present model of the ripple formation process.
A pot experiment was carried out at the agronomy farm Eastern University, Chenkalady, Batticaloa, to study the impact of locally available organic manures on the nutrient and water holding capacity of sandy regosol. Three organic sources integrated with different rates of recommended chemical fertilizer and were evaluated with sole recommended chemical fertilizer. Twelve treatments including integrated organic manures with chemical fertilizers at different rates, sole organic manure treatment, sole chemical fertilizer treatment at recommended level and at half the recommended level and no fertilizer control. Completely Randomized Design with 3 replicates was used as layout. Soil analysis for available soil nitrogen content, moisture retention, cation exchange capacity and organic matter content were carried out at planting (red onion), just before top dressing and at the time of harvest. Integration of organic manure with chemical fertilizer favorably influenced nitrogen availability in soil. Among the organic manures poultry manure had the greatest influence on soil available nitrogen : content. Organic manures increased the soil moisture retention capacity, with tank silt (Organic deposit in dry mud) ranking first. Soil cation exchange capacity was favorably influenced by organic manure application. Cation exchange capacity was higher in tank silt treatment than other organic sources. Cation exchange capacily was increased from planting stage to just before top dressing and decreased at harvest stage. The soil organic matter content also followed a similar trend. AGRIEAST 2009 (8) p.30-38
Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled smart grids can achieve more reliable and high-frequency data collection and transmission compared with existing grids. However, this frequent data processing may consume a lot of bandwidth, and even put the user’s privacy at risk. Although many privacy-preserving data aggregation schemes have been proposed to solve the problem, they still suffer from some security weaknesses or performance deficiency, such as lack of satisfactory data confidentiality and resistance to malicious data mining attack. To address these issues, we propose a novel privacy-preserving data aggregation scheme (called PDAM) for IoT-enabled smart grids, which can support efficient data source authentication and integrity checking, secure dynamic user join and exit. Unlike existing schemes, the PDAM is resilient to the malicious data mining attack launched by internal or external attackers and can achieve perfect data confidentiality against not only a malicious aggregator but also a curious control center for an authorized user. The detailed security and performance analysis show that our proposed PDAM can satisfy several well-known security properties and desirable efficiency for a smart grid system. Moreover, the comparative studies and experiments demonstrate that the PDAM is superior to other recently proposed works in terms of both security and performance.
It is necessary to locate the precise timing of switching into non-damping mode when the ship comes across zigzag maneuver, which helps avoid overshoot errors and maintain accuracy of ship’s attitudes. In this paper, we propose a novel method to make the right decision on the damping/non-damping switch timing selection. Ship’s in-motion data, collected by the gyrocompass system in advance, will first be pre-processed using wavelet denoising procedure and then treat as support vector machine (SVM) training in-put. Once the model is established, strapdown fiber optic gyrocompass (FOGC) can be equipped with the ability of self-judgment on when to cut off the alignment closed loops to become invulnerable and when to let it back online to remain stable by means of SVM classification schemes for switch timing recognition. Results show our method has better performance in the time of ships maneuver compared to the whole course damping network solution. Furthermore, transverse comparisons indicate our Wavelet-SVM method has better performance than BP neural network and traditional threshold method during maneuvering navigation process.
A novel methodology (electrostatic self-assembly and covalent fixation) has been proposed for designing various nonlinear polymer topologies, including monocyclic and polycyclic polymers, cyclic macromonomers and cyclic telechelics (kyklo-telechelics), a-ring-with-a-branch topology polymers and polymeric topological isomers, as well as branched model polymers, such as star polymers and polymacromonomers. Thus, new telechelic polymer precursors having a moderately strained cyclic onium salt group as single or multiple end groups and carrying multifunctional carboxylates as the counterions were prepared through an ion-exchange reaction. A variety of electrostatic self-assemblies of these polymer precursors, formed particularly in dilute organic solution, was then subjected to heat in order to convert the ionic interactions into covalent linkages by ring-opening reaction, and to produce topologically unique, nonlinear polymer architectures in high efficiency.
Two tasks are included in the second year of this project. One task continues the collection of high quality data sets for the testing of radiation codes within climate models. The other task involves the development of accurate spectral instruments for the measurement of shortwave radiation. A third task was completed in the second half of the first year of the project and will be briefly summarized.
The plasma level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) is elevated in patients with acute coronary syndromes and has prognostic value. Thrombin is a potent mitogen for vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and plays an important role in the progression of atherosclerosis. We examined the mechanism of thrombin-induced IL-6 expression in VSMCs. Thrombin induced IL-6 mRNA and protein expression in a dose-dependent manner. Pharmacological inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) suppressed the thrombin-induced IL-6 expression. Deletion and mutation analysis of the promoter region of the IL-6 gene by using luciferase as a reporter showed that the DNA segment between −228 and −150 bp containing the cAMP response element (CRE) site played a critical role. Thrombin also induced phosphorylation of CRE binding protein (CREB) in an ERK- and a p38 MAPK-dependent manner. Overexpression of the dominant-negative form of CREB inhibited thrombin-induced IL-6 mRNA expression. These results suggest that the CRE site and CREB play an important role in thrombin-induced IL-6 gene expression in VSMCs. Transactivation of EGF-R and activation of ERK and p38 MAPK are involved in this process. CREB may be a novel transcription factor that regulates thrombin-induced gene expression.
This paper introduces a novel type of heat transfer finite element that can be used to model the three-dimensional thermal response of structural beams and columns subjected to elevated temperatures associated with fire. The element is a three-node heat transfer element that uses a fiber discretization to account for both transverse and longitudinal temperature variations in a structural member. This fiber heat transfer element is purposely formulated to be compatible with any fiber beam-column finite element in a sequentially coupled thermal-mechanical analysis of a structural frame subjected to fire. The element is implemented in ABAQUS using a user-defined element subroutine. To demonstrate the capabilities of the fiber heat transfer element, analyses are performed on members with various types of thermal boundary conditions. Results indicate that the fiber heat transfer element offers excellent accuracy with minimal computational expense, making the fiber heat transfer element a valuable tool for modeling the behavior of frame structures in fire.
One of the control mechanisms at the disposal of shareholders is based on the reputation of corporate executives. A good personal reputation tends to discourage opportunistic behaviors and reduce limited rationality costs. In light of agency theory and transaction cost economics theory, the reputation of corporate executives is believed to not only reduce such costs but to benefit the reputation of the firm, potentially improving corporate performance. In this study we investigated the effect of the reputation of the chief executive officer (CEO) on corporate performance in 46 Latin American public firms traded on the New York stock market as of 31 December 2013. The findings were submitted to descriptive analysis, testing of differences between means, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression. Among our findings, i) media visibility had a favorable effect on CEO reputation, ii) on the average, CEO reputation was better in firms from Brazil than in firms from other Latin American countries, and iii) the reputation of the CEO had a significant and positive impact on corporate performance. Our results confirm the importance of choosing a CEO with a good reputation to head the firms of the sample.
This paper presents a robust rotation, scaling and translation (RST) invariant image watermarking method based on locally detected features. First, the feature points are detected in the original image by using the Harris corner detection. Then, the Delaunay tessellation is created on these feature points. Watermark data are embedded and detected in each of the Delaunay triangles. The Harris corner detection is the key point in this scheme. Traditionally, the global threshold is used for the Harris corner detection. As a result, the points are concentrated on areas with rich texture information and the contrast change within the image. In this way, the locations of points are seriously affected by attacks, such as, geometrical attacks. It makes the watermark detection difficult or even impossible. In order to generate more robust feature points, we use a local threshold feature detection method, in which local thresholds are used for different parts of the target image. The feature points are almost uniformly distributed on the image. The experimental results show that this method makes feature points very robust after geometrical attacks, JPEG compression and noise addition.
Multiple studies report poor survival rates in postpartum women with breast cancer[1, 2]. A recent study from our group has specifically shown that incidence of recurrence and death from breast cancer is increased approximately 3-fold in postpartum patients compared to nulliparous patients[3]. We define postpartum breast cancers as those diagnosed within 5 years of birth and as a highly metastatic subset of young women’s breast cancer[4]. We have recently shown increased incidence of lymph node involvement in patients diagnosed less than 2 years postpartum and have utilized tissues from our clinical cohort to show increased lymphatic vessel density in stage II postpartum patient samples compared to nulliparous. Using xenograft and isograft murine models we have modeled postpartum breast cancer to show that postpartum tumors are larger[5], exhibit increased lymphatic vessel density, and more frequently spread to mouse lymph node and lung tissues[5] compared to tumors in nulliparous mice. In order to determine whether postpartum tumor cells specifically promote lymphangiogenesis, we utilized postpartum tumor cells ex vivo to show that lymphatic structure formation is promoted via increased postpartum tumor cell secretion of PGE2, which acts on the EP2 receptor on lymphatic endothelial cells. We have also performed expression analyses on postpartum tumor cells isolated from our xenograft model to reveal increased expression of COX-2, VEGF-C, and Semaphorin 7a; all three of these molecules have reported, and possibly interrelated, roles in promotion of lymphangiogenesis[6, 7]. Importantly, both in vivo inhibition and knockdown of COX-2 decrease postpartum tumor associated lymphangiogenesis in pre-clinical models. These results, along with our results indicating that COX-2 inhibition during the postpartum period decreases metastasis in our pre-clinical models, have led us to propose that COX-2 dependent promotion of lymphangiogenesis may facilitate, in part, metastasis of postpartum tumors. 1. Stensheim, H., et al., Cause-specific survival for women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or lactation: a registry-based cohort study. J Clin Oncol, 2009. 27(1): p. 45-51. 2. Johansson, A.L., et al., Increased Mortality in Women with Breast Cancer Detected during Pregnancy and Different Periods Postpartum. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 2011. 20(9): p. 1865-72. 3. Callihan, E.B., et al., Postpartum diagnosis demonstrates a high risk for metastasis and merits an expanded definition of pregnancy-associated breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat, 2013. 138(2): p. 549-59. 4. Lyons, T.R., P.J. Schedin, and V.F. Borges, Pregnancy and breast cancer: when they collide. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia, 2009. 14(2): p. 87-98. 5. Lyons, T.R., et al., Postpartum mammary gland involution drives progression of ductal carcinoma in situ through collagen and COX-2. Nat Med, 2011. 17(9): p. 1109-15. 6. Timoshenko, A.V., et al., COX-2-mediated stimulation of the lymphangiogenic factor VEGF-C in human breast cancer. Br J Cancer, 2006. 94(8): p. 1154-63. 7. Bender, R.J. and F. Mac Gabhann, Expression of VEGF and semaphorin genes define subgroups of triple negative breast cancer. PLoS One, 2013. 8(5): p. e61788. Citation Format: Traci R Lyons, Sarah A Black, Bernard W Futscher, Virginia F Borges, Pepper J Schedin. Promotion of lymphangiogenesis by postpartum breast tumor cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-07-11.
OBJECTIVE This study addresses the hypothesis that a profibrotic pattern of cytokines is produced in the lungs of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and causes fibrosis.   METHODS Using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction technique, interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) messenger RNA (mRNA) were measured in unseparated CD8+ and CD4+ bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells from SSc patients and healthy controls. To confirm the results, CD8+ T cells were cloned from BAL fluids, and the pattern of cytokine mRNA made by these cells was determined. Serial pulmonary function tests were done.   RESULTS BAL cells from healthy controls made IFNgamma mRNA, with no or little IL-4 or IL-5 mRNA. In contrast, BAL cells from the majority of SSc patients made IL-4 and/or IL-5 mRNA, with or without approximately equal amounts of IFNgamma mRNA. This pattern of cytokines was made by CD8+ T cells, which were increased in the lungs of these SSc patients. Patients whose BAL cells made this type 2 pattern of cytokine mRNA had a significant decline in forced vital capacity over time after the BAL, whereas patients whose BAL cells made IFNgamma mRNA alone did not. Both wild-type and an alternative splice variant of IL-4 mRNA were increased in BAL cells from SSc patients. Both forms of IL-4 stimulated alpha2(I) collagen mRNA in human dermal and lung fibroblasts.   CONCLUSION The type 2 pattern of cytokine mRNA produced by BAL cells from SSc patients differs from unopposed IFNgamma production found in healthy BAL cells. This production of type 2 cytokine mRNA by CD8+ T cells is associated with a significant decline in lung function over time, which suggests a pathologic role for these T cells in interstitial fibrosis in SSc.
ABSTRACT This article assesses the role, influence and core aspects of the EU High Representatives’ (HR/VPs) “political leadership” in the context of their efforts to advance the institutionalisation of the EEAS and its crisis management structures in the post-Lisbon era. By combining analytical lenses from the literature on “European political leadership”, foreign policy analysis (FPA) and political psychology with insights from a wide range of semi-structured interviews and primary sources, the article analyses how the leadership approaches of Catherine Ashton and Federica Mogherini were influenced by core aspects, such as institutional setting, situational factors and “personal qualities”. By examining how both HR/VPs and their chosen advisors sought to shape the EU’s EEAS and crisis management institutions, scholars can gain important insights about how “personal qualities” and prior foreign policy experience can influence the HR/VPs strategic choices and their impact within and across the EEAS. Finally, the article considers the differing effects between “maverick” and “orthodox” leadership and approaches and concludes that whilst outside perspectives can bring fresh ideas and institutional innovations, they will fail to be of lasting significance and permanence if not accompanied by sufficient support from the dominant foreign and security policy conventions.
To solve the problem in the temperature drift data processing of photoelectric products based on temperature modeling compensation method, a new temperature drift data processing method is proposed. This method can analyze the data in different frequency with the wavelet theory, and then process the data and reject the temperature influence. The degradation data is taken as a research example, then the method is described minutely and the simulation method is used to verify its effectiveness. The research indicates the proposed method in this paper is useful to the photoelectric products' temperature drift data process, and is helpful to improve its reliability evaluation accuracy.
Abstract The flow of two immiscible liquids in a tube was investigated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This work is a first step towards investigating the influence of a variable gravitational field on the interface between the upper and lower phase of immiscible solvents as used in counter‐current chromatography (CCC). Initially the tube was positioned horizontally with the heavier fluid (lower phase) at the bottom and the lighter fluid (upper phase) on the top. Then the tube was suddenly tilted to a fixed inclination angle α. The flow field was initially exposed to a standard 1g gravity field (case 1). Subsequently, runs for a 2g and 10g gravity vector were performed (cases 2 and 3, respectively). Predictions for case 1 compared favorably with experimental results, although it was noted that there was a slight time slippage. The numerical results for the cases 2 and 3 showed that the higher the gravitational force the sooner distinct waves occur at the interface and the more disturbed the interface becomes in time. The interface surface area becomes minimal more quickly in the high gravity case due to the fluids moving more quickly to their respective ends, hence reducing the time when mass transfer between the phases is possible. However, mass transfer is still likely to have been enhanced due to the better mixing as a result of the highly disturbed interface. These encouraging results indicate that CFD could become a powerful tool in understanding the complex nature of the fluid dynamics in coil planet centrifuges and countercurrent chromatography.
Peak electricity demand in South Africa will exceed the available operational generation capacity in 2007. The state utility, Eskom, is addressing this challenge, inter alia, with the implementation of a national Demand-side Management (DSM) initia-tive. Studies in South Africa have shown that 20%of the total municipal energy is utilised in commer-cial buildings. Telecommunication companies own and operate a large portfolio of diverse buildings within the municipal boundaries. Energy Services Company (ESCO) analyses on these buildings showed huge savings as well as load reduction opportunities. ESCOs however face major prob-lems in evaluating DSM projects on telecommuni-cation facilities. To address these problems a new ESCO procedure for telecommunications facilities was developed and successfully implemented. It was proven that the new ESCO procedure is suc-cessful in solving the unique problems in perform-ing ESCO analyses for telecommunications facili-ties.
ABSTRACT Active efflux of antimicrobial substances is likely to be an important bacterial defense against inhibitory host factors inherent to different body sites. Two well-characterized multidrug resistance efflux systems (MtrCDE and FarAB-MtrE) exist in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterial pathogen of the human genital mucosae. In vitro studies suggest that the MtrCDE and FarAB-MtrE efflux systems protect the gonococcus from hydrophobic antimicrobial substances that are likely to be present on mucosal surfaces. Here we report that a functional MtrCDE efflux system, but not a functional FarAB-MtrE system, enhances experimental gonococcal genital tract infection in female mice. Specifically, the recovery of mtrD and mtrE mutants, but not a farB mutant, from mice inoculated with mutant or wild-type gonococci was reduced compared with that of the wild-type strain. Competitive-infection experiments confirmed the survival disadvantage of MtrCDE-deficient gonococci. This report is the first direct evidence that a multidrug resistance efflux system enhances survival of a bacterial pathogen in the genital tract. Additionally, experiments using ovariectomized mice showed that MtrCDE-deficient gonococci were more rapidly cleared from mice that were capable of secreting gonadal hormones. MtrCDE-deficient gonococci were more sensitive to nonphysiological concentrations of progesterone in vitro than were wild-type or FarAB-MtrE-deficient gonococci. These results suggest that progesterone may play an inhibitory role in vivo. However, hormonally regulated factors rather than progesterone itself may be responsible for the more rapid clearance of mtr-deficient gonococci from intact mice.
Animals with a high rate of innovative and associative-based behavior usually have large brains. New Caledonian (NC) crows stand out due to their tool manufacture, their generalized problem-solving abilities and an extremely high degree of encephalization. It is generally assumed that this increased brain size is due to the ability to process, associate and memorize diverse stimuli, thereby enhancing the propensity to invent new and complex behaviors in adaptive ways. However, this premise lacks firm empirical support since encephalization could also result from an increase of only perceptual and/or motor areas. Here, we compared the brain structures of NC crows with those of carrion crows, jays and sparrows. The brains of NC crows were characterized by a relatively large mesopallium, striatopallidal complex, septum and tegmentum. These structures mostly deal with association and motor-learning. This supports the hypothesis that the evolution of innovative or complex behavior requires a brain composition that increases the ability to associate and memorize diverse stimuli in order to execute complex motor output. Since apes show a similar correlation of cerebral growth and cognitive abilities, the evolution of advanced cognitive skills appears to have evolved independently in birds and mammals but with a similar neural orchestration.
Endowment and foundation fund managers may be tempted by other tasks, but they need to concentrate on setting investment objectives, establishing policy, and formulating a plan for achieving the objectives. The plan should carefully address investment philosophy, asset allocation, and the organization needed to carry out the plan. In the face of numerous problems and challenges, fund managers must carefully weigh the advice they receive and follow a path of continually reinforcing the policy. This presentation comes from the Managing Endowment and Foundation Funds conference held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on March 25-26, 1996.
Objective  To investigate the significances of karyotyping analysis on umbilical cord vein blood lymphocytes in the diagnosis of abnormal karyotypes in middle to late period of pregnant fetus.      Methods  A volume (0.5~1 ml) of umbilical cord vein blood was extracted from pregnant women in third trimester pregnancy with prenatal detection indications, and collected in sterilized anticoagulant tube. Lymphocytes were cultured and collected for karyotyping analysis after fixed and dropped on slides. Data were analyzed statistically.      Results  Lymphocytes were cultured successfully in 1 211 cases out of total 1 213 cases collected. Totally 142 abnormal karyotypes were found, which includes 81 cases (detection rate 6.68 %) of non-heteromorphic abnormal chromosomes and 61 cases (detection rate 5.03%) of heteromorphic chromosomes. Among these abnormal karyotypes, 50 cases (accounting for 35.21% in total abnormal cases) of aneuploidy include 4 cases of chimerical karyotype. Structural abnormalities were found in 31 cases (accounting for 21.83% in total abnormal cases) samples including 11 cases of translocations, 17 cases of inversion and 3 cases of deletion.      Conclusions  Based on our findings, karyotyping analysis on umbilical cord vein blood lymphocytes could be an effective method for detect abnormal karyotypes in middle to late period of pregnant fetus and played an important role in prenatal diagnosis.      Key words:  Fetal blood/CY; Karyotyping; Chromosome aberrations; Congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases and abnormalities/GE; Prenatal diagnosis; Lymphocytes
This chapter discusses similarities of and differences between the epistemological premises of ANT and “German Media Theory”. The applicability of ANT for media investigations and the compatibility of ANT concepts in Media Studies have been discussed intensively for several years now. The profound similarities as well as the critical differences in the study of the material conditions of human culture have also stimulated current reconsiderations and reformulations in “Cultural Media Studies,” as German Media Theory is most commonly called in Germany. The following article gives a brief overview on most recently published approaches to cultural techniques and intersections of media and techno-philosophy that are increasingly being translated into English and therefore also internationally accessible, alongside with the discussion concerning their compatibility with ANT.
Nitric oxide synthase activity can be assayed by a variety of methods. The simplest method to assay activity is the conversion of radiolabeled L‐arginine to L‐citrulline. The assay described in this unit is sensitive, simple to perform, is relatively robust, and can be performed with intact monolayer or suspension cells, or with cell or tissue extracts. The product is easily separated from the reaction by cation‐exchange chromatography.
When Henry Kissinger issued his call for the writing of a new Atlantic Charter on 23 April 1973, he presumably had more in mind than sharply illuminating the realities of the current state of Atlantic relations. But, by calling for action for which his proposed partners in western Europe were not prepared, that was an evident first accomplishment of his action. In the ensuing months, the reality of differing perspectives, differing interests, and differing priorities has been thrown into bolder relief by fallout from the Middle East war, varying national reactions to Arab oil diplomacy, and Kissinger's own follow-up speech to the Pilgrim Society in London in December of 1973. After twentyfive years of NATO and substantial growth in the degree of economic interdependence among the countries of western Europe and North America, the idea of Atlantic community can scarcely be said to be strong and flourishing today. The past few months have confirmed that most of the countries of western Europe feel no obligation to support the positions and the activities of the United States in other parts of the world, even those as close as the Middle East. The United States ought to have become reconciled to this through its long Vietnam ordeal. Yet, Americans appear to have taken for granted a positive response to their position on the Middle East war and to have been hurt, or at least annoyed, when it was not forthcoming. Far from offering support, some of the countries of western Europe doubted the wisdom of the United States response
The River-Merchant's Wife by Ezra Pound is a translation of the first of Li Po's Two Letters /rom Chang-kan Tang Dynasty. "Traveling to Chang-kan" is one of the best known poems that Li Po wrote at that time. The Tang Dynasty ( 618-970) is the most prosperous dynasty in the entire Chinese history, which Chinese people called "The Golden Age". During the reign of Emperor Tang Xua-zong, who occupied the throne from 712 to 756, China achieved powerful economic and political strength. During that period, Chinese literature, and specifically Chinese poetry, reached the peak of its centuries long development. Included in the multiple groups of poetry was the group which might be called the "pastoral " or "landscape" poets, who enjoyed celebrating the beauty of China's land. Li Po was regarded as one of them. Li Po (Li Bai, 701-762) is arguable one of the greatest Chinese poets of premodern times. It is generally agreed that he and Tu Fu raised poetry in the Shi form (roughly equivalent to the western "Ode") to its highest level of power and expressiveness. Maybe this follows "the Chinese prejudice": the older, the better. But scholars agree that later poets may approach but never surpass Li Po and Tu Fu. Several centuries passed before the true worth of Tu Fu's work 83
The classical theory of electrodynamics is built upon Maxwell’s equations and the concepts of electromagnetic field, force, energy and momentum, which are intimately tied together by Poynting’s theorem and the Lorentz force law. Whereas Maxwell’s macroscopic equations relate the electric and magnetic fields to their material sources (i.e., charge, current, polarization and magnetization), Poynting’s theorem governs the flow of electromagnetic energy and its exchange between fields and material media, while the Lorentz law regulates the back-and-forth transfer of momentum between the media and the fields. The close association of momentum with energy thus demands that the Poynting theorem and the Lorentz law remain consistent with each other, while, at the same time, ensuring compliance with the conservation laws of energy, linear momentum, and angular momentum. This paper shows how a consistent application of the aforementioned laws of electrodynamics to moving permanent dipoles (both electric and magnetic) brings into play the rest-mass of the dipoles. The rest mass must vary in response to external electromagnetic fields if the overall energy of the system is to be conserved. The physical basis for the inferred variations of the rest-mass appears to be an interference between the internal fields of the dipoles and the externally applied fields. We use two different formulations of the classical theory in which energy and momentum relate differently to the fields, yet we find identical behavior for the restmass in both formulations.
To determine the role of the hormone prolactin and its receptor on the differentiation, growth, and metabolic activity of cells of bone marrow origin, prolactin receptor expression was assessed in bone marrow stromal cells. Using reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction, BMS2 cells, a bone marrow stromal cell line, were shown to express prolactin receptors following adipocyte differentiation, using three different adipocyte-differentiation protocols. Primary bone marrow stromal cells also show a dose-dependent increase in prolactin receptor expression following treatment with adipogenic agonists. That prolactin receptor expression is inducible upon adipocyte differentiation was confirmed using a preadipocyte cell line 3T3 - L1. Further, prolactin receptor parallels lipoprotein lipase gene expression in 3T3-L1 cells. These results suggest that prolactin and its receptor may play a role in differentiation and/or metabolism of pre-adipocytes and adipocytes.
Cowden syndrome (CS) is an autosomal dominant hereditary cancer syndrome causing increased risk for breast, thyroid, renal, uterine, and other cancers as well as benign neoplasias and neurodevelopmental concerns. Timely diagnosis of affected patients is key, as early recognition allows for high‐risk screening and other preventative measures prior to a patient enduring multiple cancer diagnoses. This review will highlight the cardinal features of CS and management recommendations for affected patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2015 111:125–130. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In this study, we proposed a novel bandstop filter using a square loop resonator. Dual-mode microstrip bandstop filters are designed and realized by employing two degenerate modes of a dual-mode microstrip square loop resonators. Microstrip loop resonators have been used extensively for bandpass filter applications. Dual-mode microstrip resonator is capacitively coupled to a straight microstrip line. Two types of the perturbation are used to excite the two degenerate modes of the dual-mode microstrip square loop resonator. The effect of these perturbation elements on filter characteristics is also investigated to realize the desired filter responses.
The effect of ion irradiation on magnetic domain wall motion (DWM) in a perpendicularly magnetized Co/Ni multilayered film was investigated. The DWM in the Co/Ni multilayered film was sometimes inhibited owing to damage in Co/Ni induced by ion irradiation from Ar/NH3/CO plasma during the etching of the upper layer of a Co/Pt multilayered film depending on the etched depth over Co/Ni. When the DWM was disturbed, modifications of crystallinity were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) near the etched surface region of Co/Ni. Also, the segregation of Pt which was knocked on from the upper layer of Co/Pt, was observed by energy dispersive X-ray line-scan analysis by TEM (TEM–EDX). In contrast to that, the sample which had fine DWM property showed clear lattice image of Co/Ni. A Monte Carlo simulation of Ar+ ion irradiation predicted an atom-displacement range of about 3.5 nm depth from the etching surface when the ion acceleration voltage was 900 V. It was deep enough to degrade the area near the top region of the Co/Ni multilayered magnetic thin film. Eliminating these physical modifications during the etching process would be the key to the fabrication of reliable nonvolatile devices using domain wall motion.
The issues of simulation studies driving dynamics of wheeled forestry machine-tractor units on the surface with obstacles are considered. The method of simulation modeling in CAD SolidWorks and CAE SolidWorks Motion is used. A simplified 3d-model of the MTZ-82.1 agricultural wheeled tractor was created, preserving all the main geometric and mass-inertia parameters of the moving elements. The tractor model was equipped with front and rear mounted modular forest tillage implements in the transport position. The research was performed on a virtual track with four different types of obstacles similar to those found in forest conditions. In a computer experiment, three different schemes of units were studied and the following parameters were obtained: wheel lift height, lateral displacement of the center of gravity, and linear speed fluctuations. Analysis of the results showed that the 0+1 scheme (rear-mounted single-row harrow) was the most stable. The heaviest scheme 1+2 (front-mounted drum chopper and rear-mounted two-row harrow) also had satisfactory stability. The least stable was a tractor equipped according to the 0+2 scheme (rear-mounted two-row harrow). The virtual experiment allowed us to study the dynamic stability of various forestry units in the transport position and establish the most stable configurations.
In recent years, bedridden patients have remarkably increased in number in association with increased longevity. Although hypoalimentation, increased infectivity, and reduced bone salts have been some of the special conditions reported in association with the bedridden state (1–3), there have been few studies on the effects of reduced activities of daily living (ADL) on cardiac function. The present study investigated the left ventricular function of bedridden patients in three age groups in comparison with healthy individuals.
Risk assessment is an inevitable step in implementation of a cyber-defense strategy. An important part of this assessment is to reason about the impact of possible attacks. In this paper, we study the problem of estimating the impact of cyber-attacks in stochastic linear networked control systems. For the stealthiness constraint, we adopt the Kullback–Leibler divergence between attacked and nonattacked residual sequences. Two impact metrics are considered: the probability that some of the critical states leave a safety region and the expected value of the infinity norm of the critical states. For the first metric, we prove that the optimal value of the impact estimation problem can be calculated by solving a set of convex problems. For the second, we derive efficiency to calculate lower and upper bounds. Finally, we show compatibility of our framework with a number of attack strategies proposed in the literature and demonstrate how it can be used for risk assessment in an example.
Common contemporary assessments of nonviolence often describe it as primarily a rule against violence or as primarily a strategy. For instance, the rule-based assessment is often found in Catholic social teaching and faces important limits. In this article, I first describe the trajectory of Catholic social teaching on nonviolence. Second, I analyze Jesus as a model of nonviolent peacemaking with assistance from scholarship by Glen Stassen and John Donahue. Third, I draw on William Spohn’s work on virtue and scripture to argue that Christian practices of nonviolent peacemaking are most adequately assessed through a virtue-based ethic, and that nonviolent peacemaking itself is a central virtue. Fourth, I develop a set of core practices and explain some initial implications of integrating this virtue into Catholic social teaching and U.S. policy.
The development of ties between the center and the regions came to light after Indonesia underwent reformation in 1998. A new paradigm in the management of local government in Indonesia has emerged as a result of the passing of Law No. 22 of 1999. One effect of the passage of Law No. 22 of 1999 was the enlargement of the region to create a number of new autonomous regions. The pattern of creating new autonomous areas based on the will of the people causes certain regional expansions to be successful while others result in conflicts due to the interests of local elites (bottom-up). Therefore, the creation of new autonomous zones and the birth of a new paradigm require a new formulation. As a result, the creation of new autonomous regions requires a new formulation, and Law No. 23 of 2014’s regional structuring idea represents the development of a new paradigm. How to formulate the development of a new autonomous region through concurrent regional expansion is the study’s formulation of the problem. According to the study’s findings, regional growth is required in order to meet the needs of the envisioned increase in the number of Provinces, Regencies, and Cities.
The Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Chartography (SCIAMACHY) is an instrument which measures backscattered, reflected and transmitted light from the earth's atmosphere and surface. SCIAMACHY has eight spectral channels which observe simultaneously the spectral region between 240 and 1700 nm and selected windows between 1940 and 2400 nm. Each spectral channel contains a grating and linear diode array detector. SCIAMACHY observes the atmosphere in nadir, limb, and solar and lunar occultation viewing geometries.
The antioxidant potency of various extracts of Andrographis stenophylla leaf was evaluated in vitro using ferric thiocyanate method. Reductive ability and free radical scavenging activity of the extracts were also investigated. Amounts of phenolic compounds in each of the extracts were determined using Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and compared to observe the correlation between antioxidant activities and total phenolic content. Methanol extract exhibited maximum antioxidant activity and was found to contain 2% of total phenolic compounds. Methanol extract was subjected to column chromatographic separation over silica gel G using ethyl acetate: formic acid: acetic acid: water. Fractions thus obtained were screened for their antioxidant activity. Among the eleven fractions screened, fraction C was more active than the standard butylated hydroxyanisole. Fraction C on further fractionation with n-butanol: acetic acid: water afforded two flavanoids namely acacetine and isosakuranetine. Fraction A was also shown to possess good antioxidant activity which was developed using TLC and indicated the presence of a terpenoid, Andrographolide. The structures of the isolated compounds were confirmed by UV, IR, MS, 1H and 13C NMR spectral data. This is the first report wherein Andrographolide, Acacetine and Isosakuranetine are isolated from Andrographis stenophylla leaf.
We present an efficient method for two-dimensional (2D) inversions for the solar rotation rate using the Subtractive Optimally Localized Averages (SOLA) method and a modification of the 1R1 @ 1R1 technique proposed by Sekii. The SOLA method is based on explicit construction of averaging kernels similar to the Backus-Gilbert method. The versatility and reliability of the SOLA method in reproducing a target form for the averaging kernel, in combination with the idea of the 1R1 @ 1R1 decomposition, results in a computationally very efficient inversion algorithm. This is particularly important for full 2D inversions of helioseismic data in which the number of modes runs into at least tens of thousands.
This paper focuses on the stability analysis of nonlinear time-delay systems on time scales, which are of generality as they can include not only the traditional continuous and discrete ones, but also some other cases, such as systems on general uniform or non-uniform time domains. One existing classical method for analyzing stability of such systems is the Razumikhin-type theorem with requiring the time derivative of relating Lyapunov function to be non-positive for uniform stability and negative for uniform asymptotic or exponential stability, which are difficult to be satisfied. To relax these restrictions, by introducing the time-scale type uniformly stable function and uniformly asymptotically stable function, this paper presents several less conservative stability criteria, in which the time-scale time derivative of Lyapunov function can be positive or non-negative. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the theoretic results, a numerical example about non-continuous and non-discrete time-delay systems is given.
A new protein with a chain weight of approximately 220,000 was isolated from 0.6 M KI extracts of I-Z-I brushes of rabbit and chicken skeletal muscles, using (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and three column chromatographic procedures in succession. It was only possible to separate the high molecular weight protein from actin and alpha-actinin in the presence of 6 M urea or 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The purified protein migrated as a single band on SDS gel electrophoresis. The amino acid composition of the 220,000 dalton protein was distinct from any known proteins found in myofibrils, e.g., alpha-actinin and actin binding protein (ABP; filamin). An indirect immunofluorescence technique revealed that the new protein was exclusively located in the Z lines of myofibrils of chicken breast muscle. There is, however, a possibility that the 220,000 dalton protein is identical with synemin recently isolated from chicken gizzard (Granger, B.L. and Lazarides, E. (1980) Cell 22, 727).
Cohesion is an important element in writing as it relates to linking ideas and connecting sentences and passages. Cohesion can influence the overall comprehension of a passage and can guide and assist readers as they encounter more difficult texts. The current study explored the development in the use of cohesive devices in L2 writing, with a particular focus on givenness and connectives, by using the Tool for the Automated Analysis of Cohesion (TAACO) as L2 learners write three response essays in a 16-week semester. Forty-two students, either minoring or majoring in English language and literature who were enrolled in an integrated-skills practical English course, participated in the study. Statistically significant difference were shown in elements of givenness and connectives; however the changes seemed to show fluctuation for givenness and consistent changes in the use of connectives. Based on the findings, implications for teaching L2 writing are discussed.
Our objective is the development of robust methods for assessment of evidence for linkage of loci affecting a complex trait to a marker linkage group, using data on extended pedigrees. Using Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods, it is possible to sample realizations from the distribution of gene identity by descent (ibd) patterns on a pedigree, conditional on observed data YM at multiple marker loci. Measures of gene ibdW which capture joint genome sharing in extended pedigrees often have unknown and highly skewed distributions, particularly when conditioned on marker data. MCMC provides a direct estimate of the distribution of such measures. Let W be the ibd measure from data YM, and W* the ibd measure from pseudo-data Y*M simulated with the same data availability and genetic marker model as the true data YM, but in the absence of linkage. Then measures of the difference in distributions of W and W* provide evidence for linkage. This approach extracts more information from the data YM than either comparison to the pedigree prior distribution of W or use of statistics that are expectations of W given the data YM. A small example is presented.
The article presents the aims of the new tax ordinance as well as the instruments to be used for the purpose of executing it. The following new regulations put forward in the project should be considered as rules protecting the taxpayer within the framework of their relationship with the tax service and alleviating excessive formalism of tax procedures; among others: general principles of tax law, consensual forms of settling tax matters (tax agreements, mediation, consultation of tax consequences of transactions, collaboration agreement), normative catalogue of rights and obligations of the taxpayer, regulations protecting the taxpayer if they follow the information provided by tax authorities and well-established practice, limited statute of limitation regarding tax liability, prohibition of passing judgement to the detriment of the taxpayer during the first instance proceedings, measures for countering protracted proceedings, the right to correct the tax return prior to termination of tax proceedings, waiving the right to appeal against a decision in favour of filing a complaint to the court, remission of tax, official information on significant changes in the provisions of tax law, longer deadlines to appeal or complain, and better arrangement of rules for making a non-final decision immediately enforceable. An increase in revenue from taxation is to be achieved through, among other things: introduction of an effective model of tax proceedings (including summary procedure, representative proceedings, elimination of proceedings concerning trivial amounts of tax), creation of an effective mode of delivery of tax letters, popularization of electronic means of communication, ordering to cooperate in meeting the obligations imposed by tax authorities, reinforcing the role of the tax return, expanding the range of possibilities for other entities to pay the tax, decisions determining part of tax, perfecting the provisions of law regulating the clause countering tax avoidance, taking into consideration the specificity of local tax authorities, simplification of procedures concerned with determination and repayment of overpayment, establishment of rules for meeting joint liability, better arrangement of the rules for imposing and determining penalties, and modification of the rules for issuing interpretations of the provisions of tax law.
Analysis of the dynamic modes of the single-track vehicle has been hampered by the general lack of facilities for gathering force and moment data on motorcycle tires under dynamic test conditions. The facility described was designed and constructed by UMTRI under the sponsorship of the HONDA Research and Development Company in order to alleviate this problem. Unlike conventional tire dynamometers, this new facility allows for testing under dynamic conditions and provides for non-zero path curvature. These particular capabilities hold promise for advancement in the state-of-the-art understanding of the dynamic operating modes of the single-track, pneumatic-tired vehicle. The facility is unique in its physical design in that it employs a small, light tire-mounting head which is controlled by a mechanically simple system of servo-controlled hydraulic cylinders. This mechanical simplicity is achieved, however, at the cost of a complex electronic control system involving substantial on-line digital calculation.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine reference interval intraocular pressure (IOP) values in 8 different species of companion birds. One hundred and nineteen companion birds (238 eyes) from a captive colony were examined: 21 pigeons (Columba livia; 18%), 17 African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus; 14%), 22 common mynahs (Acridotheres tristis; 18%), 24 cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus; 20%), 12 zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata; 10%), 9 budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus; 8%), 6 domestic canaries (Serinus canaria domestica; 5%), and 8 ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri; 7%). Intraocular pressure was measured by rebound tonometry (TonoVet) avoiding induced, undesired pressure on the head, neck, or eyes. Mean IOP values varied by species. Mean (± SD) IOP values determined for each species were pigeon (5.42 ± 2.06 mm Hg), African grey parrot (4.93 ± 1.91 mm Hg), common mynah (6.22 ± 2.04 mm Hg), cockatiel (5.08 ± 1.76 mm Hg), zebra finch (5.90 ± 2.11 mm Hg), budgerigar (5.88 ± 2.31mm Hg), canary (5.83 ± 1.60 mm Hg), and ring-necked parakeet (6.25 ± 1.75 mm Hg). No statistically significant differences were found in IOP values between right and left eyes for the species studied (P > .22), with the exception of the ring-necked parakeet (P = .001). The results of this study provide representative IOP values measured using rebound tonometry in 8 different species of companion birds.
YOUNG tem that forms the foundation for efficient oral coordination for speech (Alexander, 1983., 1987; Lass et al., 1982; Lencione, CHILDREN WITH 1966; Morris, 1982; Mueller, 1975; MYsak, 1968; Netsell, 1980; Perlstein and CEREBRAL PALSY Shere, 1946; Phelps et a,., 1958; Westlake and Rutherford, 1961). As more has been Rona Alexander, Ph.D. learned about the development of oralmotor functioning, it has become evident that although some differences exist between the intricate oral-motor coordination used in feeding and speech tasks, there is a developmental relationship that cannot be overlooked. The use of the oral mechanism in a coordinated manner evolves as the normal infant attempts movements that result in the successful consumption of food and liquid and in the production of sound and speech. The infant with cerebral palsy (CP) also attempts to use the oral mechanism for feeding, sound play, and speech activities, even though the neuromotor involvement results in abnormal oral musculature activity and abnormal oral movements. In cases of CP, therefore, oral-motor treatment is implemented in order to provide a base from which more normal oral musculature activity can be stimulated, resulting in the use of more normal oral movements during feeding, sound play, and speech activities.
Chimeric exchanges and mutations were produced in the Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) to match (in the majority of cases) corresponding sequences of the Na(+),K(+)-ATPase. The effects of these mutations on the concentration dependence of the specific Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibition by thapsigargin (TG) and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) were then determined. Extensive chimeric mutations on the large cytosolic loop, on the S4 stalk segment, and on the M3 transmembrane segments produced little or no modification of the Ca(2+)-ATPase sensitivity to either inhibitor. On the other hand, the presence of a six amino acid Na(+), K(+)-ATPase sequence within the S3 stalk segment of the Ca(2+)-ATPase raised 60-fold the apparent K(i) for TG and 250-fold the apparent K(i) for CPA. More limited mutations within the same S3 segment, however, affected differently the concentration dependence of the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibition by TG or CPA. Specifically, single mutation of Phe256 to Val increased 20-fold the apparent K(i) for TG, while having very little effect on the apparent K(i) for CPA. These findings indicate significant overlap of the TG and CPA binding domains within the S3 stalk segment of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, where the contribution of each protein residue is dependent on the structures of the two inhibitors. Saturating concentrations of either or both TG and CPA produce an identical reduction of the affinity of the ATPase for ATP, suggesting that only one inhibitor can bind at any time due to significant overlap of their binding domains. It is suggested that perturbations produced by binding of either inhibitor within the stalk segment interfere with the long-range functional linkage between ATP utilization in the ATPase cytosolic region and Ca(2+) binding in the membrane-bound region.
When intense sound is presented during light muscle contraction, inhibition of the corticospinal tract is observed. During action preparation, this effect is reversed, with sound resulting in excitation of the corticospinal tract. We investigated how the combined maintenance of a muscle contraction during preparation for a ballistic action impacts the magnitude of the facilitation of motor output by a loud acoustic stimulus (LAS) – a phenomenon known as the StartReact effect. Participants executed ballistic wrist flexion movements and a LAS was presented simultaneously with the imperative signal in a subset of trials. We examined whether the force level or muscle used to maintain a contraction during preparation for the ballistic response impacted reaction time and/or the force of movements triggered by the LAS. These contractions were sustained either ipsilaterally or contralaterally to the ballistic response. The magnitude of facilitation by the LAS was greatest when low force flexion contractions were maintained in the limb contralateral to the ballistic response during preparation. There was little change in facilitation when contractions recruited the contralateral extensor muscle, or when they were sustained in the same limb that executed the ballistic response. We conclude that a larger network of neurons which may be engaged by a contralateral sustained contraction prior to initiation may be recruited by the LAS, further contributing to the motor output of the response. These findings may be particularly applicable in stroke rehabilitation where engagement of the contralesional side may increase the benefits of a LAS to the functional recovery of movement.
RESEARCH ARTICLE The Dynamics of One Way Coupling in a System of Nonlinear Mathieu Equations Alexander Bernstein, Richard Rand and Robert Meller Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA Dept. of Mathematics and Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA Cornell Lab for Accelerator-based Sciences and Education, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
Over the last several years, the U.S. economy has experienced a significant recession brought on by the collapse of the residential real estate market. During this downturn, the number of real estate foreclosures has risen drastically. Recent studies have empirically demonstrated a reduction in real estate values due to neighboring foreclosures, termed the foreclosure contagion effect. The foreclosure contagion effect impacts healthy neighboring properties that surround the foreclosed property as a function of both time and distance. We mathematically specify a precise equation that identifies the foreclosure contagion threshold, that is, the boundary that separates surviving markets from those that crash. Using a new technique to our field known as Latin Hypercube Sampling, we presents the results of a large scale sensitivity analysis to find that beyond the foreclosure discount and disposition time variables, the percentage of adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) and the foreclosure distance discount weight are the two secondary most contributing causes to a market collapse.
Dry detention ponds are commonly implemented to mitigate the impacts of urban runoff on receiving water bodies. They currently rely on static control through a fixed limitation of their maximum outflow rate. This study investigated the performance of several enhanced management strategies for a dry detention pond located at the outlet of a small urban catchment near Québec City, Canada. Among the enhanced scenarios studied are some previously developed real-time control (RTC) strategies, and new operating rules relying on a daily manual adjustment of the outlet gate. Both types of control make use of rainfall forecasts originating from the initial or downscaled Canadian global ensemble prediction system. Different ways of using the forecasts' ensemble spread were considered to take action. The pond performances were investigated considering three different volumetric capacities (including the existing volume). The RTC scenarios are very promising. The value of taking rainfall forecasts into account to prevent pond overflowing is demonstrated. Strategies involving only manual adjustments on a daily basis do not seem helpful.
Health information technology is ubiquitous. Its pervasive presence has caused a major shift in how patients and providers communicate. Health IT includes a broad range of digital media platforms that the healthcare field has adopted in the past couple of decades to deliver services. In the beginning, patients were consumers of online information. For example, in the mid-1990s, information repositories such asWebMD provided a convenient source for health information to consumers: It was accessible outside office hours and in the privacy of the home to anyone with an Internet connection. Other similar sites added their services, and a few years later, Google as a search engine helped consumers connect to a wide range of ‘pull-technology’ informational sources. This was the beginning of the democratization of health information! In contrast to only a few decades ago, health knowledge now became accessible to the public with a few simple clicks. In the late 1990s, a mere few years after, platforms that allow patients to extend beyond consuming online health information began to emerge. Patients could now create content. Web logs or ‘blogs’ appeared, and Wikipedia enable medical laity to collaborate on shared health information resources. Social media came next, and again revolutionized the distribution and consumption of health information. The flow of information was no longer unidirectional; Health IT was able to engage and could be widely shared. From the mid-2000s, text-based messaging, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms made it possible to distribute vast amounts of health information rapidly and widely. In contrast to the earlier ‘pull-technology’ where patients had to actively search for health information, any such information could now be ‘pushed’ to them. Health IT can aid patient education on a small scale— between a provider and his/her patients. It can also do so on a larger scale. One example is how health IT can help disseminate a campaign about bicycle helmets and sunscreen if used as a community outreach tool. Another more recent example is how Wikipedia was used as a mode of crisis communication about the Ebola epidemic. In addition, social media can be used to create online communities or virtual support groups for patients with similar disease conditions. Patient-centered care is defined as care that respects patient autonomy and incorporates their values and choices, as nicely articulated by The Picker Institute. In a 2001 report entitled ‘Crossing the Quality Chasm’, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) included patient-centered care as one of six domains of quality care. The democratization of health information through the last two decades of health IT has helped promote this concept and practice. As a result, armed with an increasing level of health knowledge, patients have played a more active role in the healthcare setting. Electronic health records (EHRs) promise to facilitate the achievement of the Triple Aim: better care for individuals and better health for different populations at lower costs. In addition to being a platform for documenting health records by and communicating clinical information between health providers, current EHR systems can function as ‘patient portals’ where patients can view their own medical records – including physician notes and labs results – request prescriptions and referrals, and communicate with their providers electronically. This unprecedented access arms patients with further sense of control and engagement. Patient empowerment is an almost inevitable result of the fast evolution of health IT. Although patient empowerment parallels consumer empowerment, which started in the 1990s, health IT has really accelerated its pace. With a wide variety of health IT resources, including smarter home
CoMo alloys as copper diffusion barriers were investigated in this work. The thermal stability was studied after annealing, which was measured by FPP, XRD, SEM and AES. According to the electrical test, we carried out a new p-cap structure to measure. The breakdown electrical field and C-V properties were measured at 150°C. Both the thermal test and electrical results show CoMo is a potential diffusion barrier.
A versatile measurement system has been designed and commissioned at CERN, which is based on a wire sensor in different modes of operation: the classical single-stretched wire mode, the oscillating wire mode employing frequencies well below the first natural resonance, as well as the vibrating wire mode where the wire is excited in the first or higher-order resonance conditions. In this paper, the main technical challenges and constraints of the wire methods are presented, together with the applications to locate the magnetic axis of a string of magnets on a common girder and to the measurement of multipole errors. Sources of uncertainty, stemming from the wire motion unsuitability, are discussed, different wire motion transducers are compared, and the effect of background fields and environmental effects is studied.
GaN-based power transistors are rapidly developing as a contender for application in next generation high efficiency power electronics. They are either lateral devices like HEMTs or vertical devices of the form of the Current Aperture Vertical Electron Transistor (CAVET) [1, 2]. A CAVET (Fig.1) is a vertical device with source and gate on top and a current aperture that allows current to flow vertically down from the source to the drain. It has a current blocking layer (CBL) to block current flowing vertically through any other path but the aperture. The process flow for fabricating a CAVET is illustrated in figure 2. One way to achieve the current blocking layer is by implanting the layer with [Mg]-ion. However the difficulty in using a Mg-implanted barrier layer was the unintentional diffusion of the Mg into the overlying channel region (see Fig.3). This caused a significant threshold voltage shift in devices and in many cases the electrons in the channel were trapped or completely depleted by diffusing Mg acceptors. In this paper we report on successfully addressing this critical problem by using MBE to re-grow the channel containing the 2DEG on top of the n drift region that is grown by MOCVD resulting in devices free of dispersion (80µs pulse width) and Ron less than 2.5 mΩ-cm2. Here the advantages of MBE, that of a low growth temperature and hence suppressed Mg diffusion, is combined with the advantages of MOCVD, that of a high growth rate of high purity material necessary for the thick drift region to support high voltage required in power electronics.
Research suggests that paraprofessional therapists usually produce effects that are greater than effects for control conditions and comparable to those for professional therapist treatment Other nonprofessional psychological treatments, such as self-administered materials and self-help groups, have also demonstrated positive effects Because of the promise of these nonprofessional treatments, their potential for low-cost service delivery, and the important theoretical questions that studies comparing them can answer, psychotherapy outcome research should shift away from comparisons of different professional therapies and instead compare nonprofessional therapies with professional therapy
A simple optical model has been used to describe the influence of light trapping on the performance of photocathodes. The model is based on the assumption that light trapping occurs as a result of total internal reflection in the faceplate-photocathode structure. The analysis based on the model predicts that successive light photocathode interactions are related through a geometric progression, and the ratios of light intensities and photoelectric yields associated with successive light photocathode interactions are equal to the common ratio of the progression. Experiments on S-1, S-11, and S-20 type photocathodes tend to confirm three predictions based on the analysis: that the logarithm of the photocurrent for a specific interaction is a linear function of the number denoting the interaction; that successive photocurrents and light intensities have the same ratio denoted K, and that the ratio of the total photocurrent to that of the first interaction approaches 1/1-K.
Two contrast sensitivity charts (Vistech and Pelli-Robson) have become available to the eye care practitioner. Their value as clinical tools for the assessment of visual function may be enhanced because of either an insensitivity to the effects of optical focus or a hypersensitivity to defocus. We compared the sensitivity to defocus of these charts to the traditional Snellen chart by examining the effect of up to ±5.00 D of spherical and astigmatic defocus on performance with each chart. In order to simulate the two types of clinical examination scenarios, tests were performed both with and without mydriatic/cycloplegic agents. The PelliRobson contrast sensitivity chart was very resistant to the effects of all types of optical defocus. As predicted, the high spatial frequencies on the Vistech chart were sensitive to defocus. However, although contrast sensitivities for the low frequencies were affected less, optical defocus produced significant decreases in low frequency Vistech contrast sensitivity. In addition, the Vistech chart was very insensitive to axis 180 blurring lenses. There was no indication that either contrast sensitivity chart was more sensitive to defocus than the standard Snellen chart.
The establishment of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines in 1998 served to set the pace for understanding the molecular biology behind the two hallmark features of stem cells: self renewal and pluripotency. The excitement was generated in the hope that understanding the molecular biology of hESCs would provide a good model for studying early human development, disease and drug discovery and also hold the promise for providing a cure for degenerative human diseases. In spite of the large number of studies, the molecular basis of pluripotency has remained a matter of intrigue ever since the embryonic stem cells (ESCs) were first identified. A considerable percentage of these studies have been transcriptome-based. Interestingly, significant differences are seen not only between mouse and human ESC transcriptomes but also amongst the hESC studies. Nevertheless, a key set of pluripotency genes seem to be common, reinforcing the utility of transcriptome-based approaches in identifying the molecular basis of pluripotency in hESCs.
Summary Both texts presented here are previously unpublished material from Roland Barthes. By from the translator, who functions as a scriptor, means that the authenticity of these fragments is relative to what is usually understood by authorship. As verbatim excerpts of Barthes’ live teaching their ambiguous status would have pleased the author of Roland Barthes par Roland Barthes. These texts illustrate the Barthesian pedagogic rhetoric as well as throw a disturbing light on his conception of ecriture in its rapport with academic writing. To a large extent these fragments offer an insight into what is often denied to university lecturers: the pleasure of playing games with institutional discourse.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has always functioned in a worldwide context, but accelerating globalisation has changed dramatically the context in which WHO works, offering both opportunities and challenges for health and its distribution. But globalisation has also hastened the spread of infectious diseases. WHO's work and functions are defined by its constitution and can be categorised as global, national, and intranational. Global functions exceed the reach of individual nations and include standard-setting, global initiatives, professional management, financial resource transfer, and scientific research capacity. Global health functions can also be understood as actions to promote public health goods for the benefit of all. These goods include global advocacy for health, bio-ethical and human rights instruments, disease surveillance, and application of standards. Examples range from WHO's promotion of ethics and human rights through international legal instruments to WHO leadership in developing the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This article argues that these areas of work and others urgently need strengthening, and WHO must reassert its role in integrating, coordinating, and advancing the worldwide agenda on health.
Purpose Stem cell therapy is a potential approach for the replacement of degenerated retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells essential for vision. For therapeutical use, the differentiation of RPE cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) should be performed in a culture environment fulfilling clinical quality requirements. For example the use of xeno‐products should be avoided as this bears the danger of interspecies transfer of viruses and incorporation of immunogenic molecules.
Preterm infants have a high incidence of post hemorrhagic or post infectious hydrocephalus often associated with ventricular or arachnoic cysts which carry a high risk of entrapment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In these cases fenestration and opening of windows within the separating membranes are neurosurgical options. In occlusive hydrocephalus caused by aquaeductal stenosis 3rd ventriculostomy is the primary choice of the operative procedures. Although Nd:YAG and diode lasers have already been used in neuroendoscopic procedures, neurosurgeons avoid the use of high energy lasers in proximity to vital structures because of potential side effects. We have used a recently developed diode pumped solid state (DPSS) laser emitting light at a wavelength of 2.0 micron (Revolix TM LISA laser products, Katlenburg, Germany), which can be delivered through silica fibres towards endoscopic targets. From July 2002 until May 2005 22 endoscopic procedures in 20 consecutive patients (age 3 months to 12 years old) were performed. Most children suffered from complex post hemorrhagic and post infectious hydrocephalus, in whom ventriculoperitoneal shunt devices failed to restore a CSF equilibrium due to entrapment of CSF pathways by the cysts. We used two different endoscopes, a 6 mm Neuroendoscope (Braun Aesculap, Melsungen, Germany) and a 4 mm miniature Neuroscope (Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany). The endoscopes were connected to a standard camera and TV monitor, the laser energy was introduced through a 365 micron core diameter bare ended silica fibre (PercuFib, LISA laser products, Katlenburg, Germany) through the endoscope's working channel. The continuous wave laser was operated at power levels from 5 to 15 Watt in continuous and chopped mode. The frequency of the laser in chopped mode was varied between 5 and 20 Hz. All patients tolerated the procedure well. No immediate or long term side effects were noted. In 3 patients with cystic compression of the 4th ventricle, insertion of a shunt device could be avoided. All 3rd ventriculostomies were sufficient for therapy of hydrocephalus, postoperatively MRI scans showed a bright flow void signal. The authors conclude that the use of the new Revolix laser enables safe and effective procedures in neuroendoscopy.
The relationship between the physical properties of solid food and the masticatory parameters is clarified. Eight solid foods of varying physical properties were chosen. Electromyography of the jaw-closing muscles and mandibular kinematics in eleven young subjects were recorded. The masticatory parameters were derived from the recorded data for the entire mastication process, for the first bite, and in the early, middle, and late stages of mastication. After calculating values relative to the mean value for each subject, nine parameters representing each group were chosen through a cluster analysis. Three principal components were extracted, each of them related to the masticatory time and cycle, minimum jaw opening at the early stage of mastication, and masticatory force. The principal component scores for each food were different, except for one combination in which the physical properties under large and extra-large deformations were similar, despite different breaking properties or small deformation properties. The masticatory parameters did not correlate with the physical properties of food measured for small deformation.
Wallace Craig’s “Appetites and Aversions as Constituents of Instincts,” one of the seminal articles in animal behavior, comparative psychology, and ethology, appeared 100 years ago this year. The influence of this classic article is continuing and perhaps even expanding. Here we review the major ideas Craig offered in the article, provide a brief sketch of his scientific career and historical context, and examine the impact of the article on ethological and instinct theory. We also review some current applications of his work in diverse areas and discuss why it is cited more now than in earlier decades, especially in articles on causal mechanisms.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) or the analogue of the adrenocorticotropin4-10 fragment (FACTH) on changes in the estrous cycle of rats caused by long-term administration of morphine. It has been found that the intranasal administration of DSIP or FACTH for 14 days did not lead to significant changes in the estrous cycle in mature female inbred rats. The introduction of morphine at a dose of 60 mg/kg for 60 days was accompanied by a statistically significant change in the duration and structure of the estrous cycle in experimental animals: a decrease in the duration of the estrus period to 1,50 ± 0,17 days and an increase in interintegration to 8,30 ± 0,80 days, as well as the total duration of the estrous cycle up to 9,60 ± 0,65 days. In turn, the use of DSIP and FACTH for 14 days after the administration of morphine at a dose of 60 mg/kg for 60 days led to the normalization of the structure and duration of the estrous cycle in mature female inbred rats.
A 79-year-old female patient had severe AR after a Comprehensive Aortic Root and VAlve Repair (CARVAR) operation presenting with worsening dyspnea (Supplementary Video 1). CARVAR operation is a valve sparing surgical technique for aortic diseases, consisting of annular and sinotubular junction (STJ) reduction with leaflet correction.2) For reduction and correction of aortic structures, specially designed outer strip ring is used in CARVAR procedure. However, this novel technique which had been criticized for safety issues comparing with the conventional valve replacement surgery was banned in South Korea since 2013.3) Due to high surgical risk (Society of Thoracic Surgeon's predicted risk of mortality score 14.756%) and frailty of the patient (clinical frailty scale of 6), heart team decided to proceed with the TAVR procedure. In preprocedural device selection, the perimeter of the annulus was 71.9 mm and the perimeter driven diameter was 22.9 mm in multi-slice computed tomography (CT) images. The diameter of STJ with outer ring was measured as 27 mm. We thought that 2 possible anchoring points were annulus and STJ with outer ring. Therefore, a 26 or 29 mm transcatheter heart valve seemed to be possible according to the conventional annular valve sizing because perimeter or diameter was on the gray zone. Considering TAVI for AR with no calcification at annulus, larger one would be better. In addition, considering the possibility that the upper part of the transcatheter heart valve is anchored to the 27 mm-sized CARVAR ring located in the STJ instead of annulus, a transcatheter heart valve of 29 or 31 mm is considered to be appropriate. Finally, we chose a 29 mm EvolutTM R valve instead of a larger sized transcatheter heart valve due to possible risk of device deformation by outer strip ring. Despite the absence of any calcification at the annulus and leaflets (Figure 1), a 29 mm CoreValve® EvolutTM R valve (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) was successfully implanted at a slightly lower location than the usual position utilizing an outer ring used in CARVAR surgery as the landing zone (Figure 2, Supplementary Videos 2 and 3). Upper part between outflow and waist of 29 mm EvolutTM R valve was seated at the outer strip ring.
Possible effects of GRF on somatostatin neurons and of somatostatin on GRF neurons were examined by measuring the effects of localised intracerebral injections of these peptides on growth hormone (GH) secretion. Serial GH concentrations were measured in plasma in unanaesthetized male rats chronically prepared with venous and intracerebral cannulae, before and after treatment with bilateral intracerebral injections of somatostatin or GRF in the preoptic anterior hypothalamic area (PO/AHA) and medial basal hypothalamus. Injections of 0.1 and 1 nmol of GRF in medial basal hypothalamus or 10 nmol somatostatin in the PO/AHA, respectively, had stimulatory or inhibitory effects on GH, which were assumed to be due to diffusion of the peptide from the injection site to the median eminence and pituitary gland. Injection of lower doses of somatostatin around GRF neurons in the medial basal hypothalamus were without significant effect on secretion of GH, but 0.1 nmol somatostatin in the PO/AHA resulted in an increase in GH concentrations from 128 +/- 61 to 524 +/- 103 ng/ml, p less than 0.02. Injections of GRF in lower doses amongst somatostatin neurons in the PO/AH or amongst GRF neurons in the medial basal hypothalamus were both without effect on GH secretion. We conclude that somatostatin may stimulate GH secretion by an effect on or close to somatostatin neurons in the PO/AHA. Somatostatin, though present in terminals on GRF neurons, is without effect at this site in our model. Furthermore, we have been unable to demonstrate any significant intrahypothalamic effect of GRF on GH regulation.
Botrytis cinerea, causal agent of gray mold, is one of the most important pathogens affecting raspberry in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and worldwide. Fungicides are currently applied to control the disease starting from 5 to 10% bloom and continuing on a calendar basis throughout the season rather than according to inoculum level or infection risk primarily because the disease cycle on red raspberry is poorly understood. Botrytis cinerea was isolated from raspberry flowers and fruit sampled at seven developmental stages during each of 2015 and 2016 in a northwestern Washington raspberry field untreated with fungicides. Incidence of colonization of flowers was low (15% of total sampled flowers), but increased as fruit developed, and peaked in mature fruit (67% of total sampled fruit). In the early stages of flower development, B. cinerea recovery was greatest from the carpel (80% of carpels colonized) compared with other floral organs. As fruit matured, additional floral parts were colonized by B. cinerea, possibly facilitating secondary internal or external infections of mature fruit. Average weekly minimum air temperature, average weekly night air temperature, cumulative rain, average weekly leaf wetness percentage, and duration of leaf wetness >90% were significantly positively correlated with B. cinerea colonization of raspberry in NW Washington during two seasons of this study. Our data does not support the hypothesis that the bloom period is the critical window for B. cinerea colonization of red raspberry and suggest that later colonization of developing fruit may be more important for gray mold development on raspberry. The outcomes of this research provide useful information for improvement of gray mold disease management strategies for red raspberry in NW Washington and elsewhere.
We have observed the paramagnetic resonance spectra of a head group spin-labeled phosphatidylethanolamine (L-alpha-dipalmitoylphosphatidyl-N-ethanolamine) as a function of temperature and cholesterol concentration in binary mixtures of cholesterol and dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine. These spectra bear on two interrelated topics involving mixtures of phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol: (1) lipid phase equilibria and the lateral ordering and diffusion of lipid molecules and (2) model membrane immunochemistry using spin-label lipid haptens.
Abstract The genus Corymbia is closely related to the genus Eucalyptus, and like Eucalyptus contains tree species that are important for sub-tropical forestry. Corymbia’s close relationship with Eucalyptus suggests genetic studies in Corymbia should benefit from transfer of genetic information from its more intensively studied relatives. Here we report a genetic map for Corymbia spp. based on microsatellite markers identified de novo in Corymbia sp or transferred from Eucalyptus. A framework consensus map was generated from an outbred F2 population (n = 90) created by crossing two unrelated Corymbia torelliana × C. citriodora subsp. variegata F1 trees. The map had a total length of 367 cM (Kosambi) and was composed of 46 microsatellite markers distributed across 13 linkage groups (LOD 3). A high proportion of Eucalyptus microsatellites (90%) transferred to Corymbia. Comparative analysis between the Corymbia map and a published Eucalyptus map identified eight homeologous linkage groups in Corymbia with 13 markers mapping on one or both maps. Further comparative analysis was limited by low power to detect linkage due to low genome coverage in Corymbia, however, there was no convincing evidence for chromosomal structural differences because instances of non-synteny were associated with large distances on the Eucalyptus map. Segregation distortion was primarily restricted to a single linkage group and due to a deficit of hybrid genotypes, suggesting that hybrid inviability was one factor shaping the genetic composition of the F2 population in this inter-subgeneric hybrid. The conservation of microsatellite loci and synteny between Corymbia and Eucalyptus suggests there will be substantial value in exchanging information between the two groups.
A new approach for fabricating high frequency (> 20 MHz) linear array transducers, based on laser micromachining, has been developed. The capabilities of this approach will be presented using a 30 MHz 64-element, 74-micron pitch and 8- micron kerf design. Each fabricated array has been integrated onto a flex circuit for ease of handling and the flex has been integrated onto a custom circuit board for ease of testing. Examples of measured characteristics of arbitrary array elements are as follows: Electrical impedance, measured in air, of about 120 Ohms with -20 degrees of phase. All transducer elements were acoustically tested using a +/- 30V single cycle drive pulse and a 40µm needle hydrophone. The average center frequency was found to be 28.1 +/- 0.7 MHz with a 1-way bandwidth of 83 +/- 1.2 %. The average peak-to-peak pressure measured at an axial distance of 10 mm from a transducer element was 590 +/- 24 kPa. The combined acoustic and electrical cross talk for nearest neighbours, averaged across the bandwidth of the device was determined to be -40 dB. Simulations of the array characteristics based on finite element analysis performed with PZFlex show good agreement with experimental results. Synthesized images based on the measured performance of the array elements for a given fabricated transducer will also be presented.
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. BACKGROUND Lymph node metastasis is a critical prognostic indicator for mortality in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). OBJECTIVE To identify and characterize key risk factors for SCC lymph node metastasis. METHODS This was a multi-institutional, case–control study of 65 cutaneous SCCs with known lymph node metastasis matched with 195 cutaneous SCCs without lymph node metastasis (3:1 matching). The cases and controls were matched by anatomic location, age, and sex. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were generated to determine the association between specific risk factors and lymph node metastasis in a multivariate analysis. RESULTS Recurrent tumors (p < .001), perineural invasion (p < .001), lymphovascular invasion (p = .002), size of 2 cm or greater (p = .008), and hypothyroidism (p = .03) were significantly more common in the lymph node metastasis cohort. Recurrence (OR 6.3, 95% CI 2.6–15.3), perineural invasion (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.7–11.8), and hypothyroidism (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.04–7.0) remained significant on performing a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION Lymph node metastasis in SCC is associated with recurrence, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, size of 2 cm or greater, and hypothyroidism. Clinical consideration of these findings within the context of current staging systems may help improve patient outcomes.
The advantages and disadvantages of color coding in information displays are summarized, based on the available experimental data. The necessity of analyzing the observers task in making decisions about the application of color to displays is stressed. Nevertheless, it is shown that if certain conditions are met as to luminance, subtense and chromaticity of the light signals, all normal observers and a majority of color-deficient observers can make the necessary identifications to aid performance. Recommendations are made for the effective use of color in complex information displays.
This chapter evaluated resveratrol supplementation on laboratory animals, cats, pigs, horses, dogs, cattle and birds. Resveratrol (3, 5, 4′-trihydroxystilbene) is a stilbenoid, a derivate of stilbene. It is found in some plants such as red grape, grape products, cocoa, peanuts, raspberries, mulberries, strawberry and Japanese knotweed roots. The most important dietary source of resveratrol is red wine, and it is often assumed to be an important factor in the French Paradox, a term used to describe the observation that the French population has a very low incidence of cardiovascular disease, despite a diet high in saturated fats. Research has shown some therapeutic effects of resveratrol ranging from antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antiatherogenic, antiaging, anti- platelet aggregation, anticancer, antidiabetic, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activi -ties. In laboratory animals, benefits of resveratrol comprise antitumor effects while in cats it has shown to improve hepatic function. In pigs, the antibiotic and antiviral effects of resveratrol have been illustrated. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties of resveratrol in horses and cattle were also reviewed. The supplement was shown to be useful as an antibiotic and an aid in improving alertness in dogs. Resveratrol also showed to increase growth performance in birds. It is therefore concluded that use of resveratrol is a potent aid in improving animal production and health.
Video streaming over wireless links is a challenging issue due to the stringent quality-of-service requirement of video traffic and the contention nature of wireless media with limited channel resources. Various wireless Media Access Control (MAC) protocols have been proposed, and most of them follow either the contention-based or contention-free approach. In this paper, we propose to stream video traffic over both contention-based and contention-free MAC protocols, exampled by WiMedia UWB Prioritized Contention Access (PCA) and Distributed Reservation Protocol (DRP), and then evaluate the performance of such an approach with extensive simulation. The novelty of our approach is to use both PCA and DRP for every single video stream by reserving well below the peak data rate and handling traffic burst through reduced contention. The simulation results further reveal the tradeoff between hard and soft DRP with single or dual buffer on the performance of video streaming.
In the current study we questioned the impact of uniform color in boxing, taekwondo and wrestling. On 18 photos showing two athletes competing, the hue of each uniform was modified to blue, green or red. For each photo, six color conditions were generated (blue-red, blue-green, green-red and vice versa). In three experiments these 108 photos were randomly presented. Participants (N = 210) had to select the athlete that seemed to be more aggressive, fairer or more likely to win the fight. Results revealed that athletes wearing red in boxing and wrestling were judged more aggressive and more likely to win than athletes wearing blue or green uniforms. In addition, athletes wearing green were judged fairer in boxing and wrestling than athletes wearing red. In taekwondo we did not find any significant impact of uniform color. Results suggest that uniform color in combat sports carries specific meanings that affect others' judgments.
This paper discusses a supply noise sensitivity problem of the gated ring oscillator (GRO) based time-to-digital converter (TDC) in all-digital phase-locked loops (ADPLLs) and presents a power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) enhancing method. A replica supply noise monitoring circuit is designed to track supply noise and enable feed-forward error cancellation for high PSRR TDC design. A prototype ADPLL with the proposed self-monitored TDC is implemented in 65 nm CMOS to evaluate the supply noise sensitivity of the TDC in the frequency domain. Intermodulation spur generation problem due to noise coupling is also addressed and demonstrated in hardware. The experimental results show that the proposed method effectively suppresses supply noise induced spurs at the output of the ADPLL, achieving the PSRR of 27 dB and 38 dB with 1 MHz supply noise and 5 MHz intermodulation noise respectively.
Wilson's disease (WD) is an inherited autosomal recessive disorder characterized by copper accumulation and toxicity, affecting mainly the liver and brain. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is the definitive therapy for patients with WD. Acute fulminant hepatic failure and decompensated cirrhosis are well-established indications for OLT. Patients with severe neurologic impairment can also be benefited by OLT. Here, we present a patient who underwent OLT for isolated neurological WD.
To prevent emergency situations during the flood period, a set of measures to monitor the dam status of the Sherubay-Nurinsk reservoir was carried out. The investigation included a total station survey of the cross-section contour at 100 meters along the characteristic points of the dam. The method of georadar scanning was also used. According to the data obtained, the dam stability was calculated in the software Slider 7.0. The selection of sites for static and filtration stability calcula-tions was carried out on the basis of the available geodetic survey of the actual state of the reservoir dam. Analysis of the results of the calculation of the stability of the dam slopes showed that the structure is in a stable state, as the resulting safety factors vary from 1.874 to 2.729, which is much higher than the standard level, which is equal to the value of 1.26 for the II class of construction.
Purpose: We compared the metabolic profiles and the association between LDH-A expression and lactate production in two isogenic murine breast cancer cell lines and tumors (67NR and 4T1). These cell lines were derived from a single mammary tumor and have different growth and metabolic phenotypes. Experimental Design: LDH-A expression, lactate concentration, glucose utilization, and oxygen consumption were measured in cells, and the potential relationship between tumor lactate levels [measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI)] and tumor glucose utilization [measured by [18F]2-deoxy-2-fluoro-d-glucose positron emission tomography ([18F]FDG-PET)] was assessed in orthotopic breast tumors derived from these cell lines. Results: We show a substantial difference in LDH-A expression between 67NR and 4T1 cells under normoxia and hypoxia. We also show that small orthotopic 4T1 tumors generate 10-fold more lactate than corresponding 67NR tumors. The high lactate levels in small primary 4T1 tumors are associated with intense pimonidazole staining (a hypoxia indicator). Less-intense hypoxia staining was observed in the larger 67NR tumors and is consistent with the gradual increase and plateau of lactate concentration in enlarging 67NR tumors. Conclusions: Lactate-MRSI has a greater dynamic range than [18F]FDG-PET and may be a more sensitive measure with which to evaluate the aggressive and metastatic potential of primary breast tumors. Clin Cancer Res; 17(19); 6250–61. ©2011 AACR.
It is likely that chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is more prevalent than currently recognised. Imaging studies are fundamental to decision making with respect to operability. All patients with suspected CTEPH should be referred to an experienced surgical centre. Currently, there is no risk scoring stratification system to guide operability assessment and it is predominantly based on surgical experience. The aim of pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is the removal of obstructive material to immediately reduce pulmonary vascular resistance. PEA affords the best chance of cure, but is difficult to perfect. Recognition and clearance of distal segmental and subsegmental disease is the main problem. The basic surgical techniques include: median sternotomy incision, cardiopulmonary bypass, arteriotomy incisions within pericardium, and a true endarterectomy with meticulous full distal dissection. Deep hypothermic circulatory arrest is recommended as the best means of reducing blood flow in the pulmonary artery to allow a clear field for dissection. In the recent PEACOG (PEA and COGnition) trial there was no evidence of cognitive impairment post-PEA. Reperfusion pulmonary oedema and residual pulmonary hypertension are unique post-operative complications post-PEA and are associated with increased mortality. However, in-hospital mortality is now <5% in experienced centres.
A series of six homoleptic bis-cyclometalated ruthenium complexes, Ru(N^N^C)2, is reported where N^N^C is a 6-(2,4-difluoro-3-R3-phenyl)-4-R2-4'-R1-2,2'-bipyridine with R3 = -H or -CF3 and R2 and R1 = -COOEt or -CF3. An effective synthesis of the ligands and the complexes is described. The UV-visible absorption studies demonstrate that these complexes are panchromatic dyes absorbing up to 900 nm. Importantly, the onset of absorption depends only on the substitution on the metalated phenyl, whereas the intensity of absorption throughout the spectra is a function of substituents on both the phenyl and the bipyridine moieties. The same trend is observed in electrochemistry as the redox gap depends only on the substitution on the metalated phenyl, whereas the oxidation and reduction potentials are a function of substituents on both the phenyl and the bipyridine moieties. Preliminary tests as sensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells demonstrate that the number of anchoring groups on the dye has a major influence on the device efficiency.
GPS data sets of several vehicles on the road are obtained via wireless network, from which specific sections of data are picked up by filtering algorithm. Then, a variety of fusion algorithms are applied to the several sets of specific sections of data to remove the error data, to guarantee the veracity of the fused result. On the basis of valid data, traffic conditions of this section can be acquired through the smart identification algorithm, which will provide the real-time traffic information. The method presented in this paper is simple and reliable. With good performance on the experimental data, it opens a new door for information collection of urban road.
Abstract Sevoflurane is one of the most widely used anesthetics with recent concerns rising about its pediatric application. The synaptic toxicity and mechanisms underlying its long‐term cognition impairment remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the expression and roles of homeodomain interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2), a stress activating kinase involved in neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity, and its downstream c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK)/c‐Jun signaling in the long‐term toxicity of neonatal Sevoflurane exposure. Our data showed that neonatal Sevoflurane exposure results in impairment of memory, enhancement of anxiety, less number of excitatory synapses and lower levels of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus of adult rats without significant changes of hippocampal neuron numbers. Up‐regulation of HIPK2 and JNK/c‐Jun was observed in hippocampal granular neurons shortly after Sevoflurane exposure and persisted to adult. 5‐((6‐Oxo‐5‐(6‐(piperazin‐1‐yl)pyridin‐3‐yl)‐1,6‐dihydropyridin‐3‐yl)methylene)thiazolidine‐2,4‐dione trifluoroacetate, antagonist of HIPK2, could significantly rescue the cognition impairment, decrease in long‐term potentiation, reduction in spine density and activation of JNK/c‐Jun induced by Sevoflurane. JNK antagonist SP600125 partially restored synapse development and cognitive function without affecting the expression of HIPK2. These data, in together, revealed a novel role of HIPK2‐JNK/c‐Jun signaling in the long‐term synaptic toxicity and cognition impairment of neonatal Sevoflurane exposure, indicating HIPK2‐JNK/c‐Jun cascade as a potential target for reducing the synaptic toxicity of Sevoflurane. Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14757.
City ecosystem is foundation of city development, To preserve city ecosystem health has respect to cities' sustainable developmen. This thesis constructs an city ecosystem health estimation model based on extension-matter-element theory. And by using this model, this thesis makes an estimation of Shijiazhuang city ecosystem health, in order to provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the cities' sustainable developmen.
Real-time embedded systems are becoming more complex to include multiple functionalities. Sharing a computing platform is a natural and effective solution to reducing the cost of those systems. However, the sharing can cause serious problems in mixed-criticality systems where applications have different levels of criticality. Certifying the mixed-criticality systems requires efficient scheduling algorithms and schedulability tests different from the ones used in single criticality systems. In this paper, we propose the first dynamic scheduling algorithm called CBEDF for certifiable mixed-criticality systems on a uniprocessor platform. We show that CBEDF dominates previously proposed algorithms OCBP. In addition, we propose a sufficient schedulability test for CBEDF. We demonstrate that the schedulability test of CBEDF out-performs that of the previously proposed algorithms by performing simulations using randomly generated instances of jobs.
Improved quantification of plant root systems is essential for determining the functional efficiencies of plant roots. The objective of this study was to evaluate the video image analysis procedure of quantifying roots of different species and compare it with more traditional measurements. Three methods were used to quantify roots of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) from a greenhouse experiment: (i) root length by video image analysis, (ii) root length by the line-intercept method, and (iii) dry root weight. Estimates of root length by image analysis and line-intercept methods were comparable for alfalfa and were positively correlated with root weight. In contrast, the correlation between image analysis and line-intercept estimates of ryegrass root length was poor (r² = 0.090), and no significant relationship was found between ryegrass root length and root weight. Difficulty in the quantification of ryegrass roots was related to the large numbers of very fine roots, which resulted in extremely large root lengths and excessive error. Root data of ryegrass (and species with similar root morphology) obtained by the line-intercept method may provide only relative values to be compared among these species. The image analysis method of root measurement is bound to improve root data with increased magnification and resolution of the video images when the root density in the image (cm cm⁻²) is sufficiently low. Support was provided by the Mich. Agric. Exp. Stn.
A variety of consumer products containing silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) are currently marketed. However, their safety for humans and for the environment has not yet been established and no standard method to assess their toxicity is currently available. The objective of this work was to develop an effective method to test Ag NP toxicity and to evaluate the effects of ion release and Ag NP size on a vertebrate model. To this aim, the zebrafish animal model was exposed to a solution of commercial nanosilver. While the exposure of embryos still surrounded by the chorion did not allow a definite estimation of the toxic effects exerted by the compound, the exposure for 48 h of 3‐day‐old zebrafish hatched embryos afforded a reliable evaluation of the effects of Ag NPs. The effects of the exposure were detected especially at molecular level; in fact, some selected genes expressed differentially after the exposure. The Ag NP toxic performance was due to the combined effect of Ag+ ion release and Ag NP size. However, the effect of NP size was particularly detectable at the lowest concentration of nanosilver tested (0.01 mg l–1) and depended on the solubilization media. The results obtained indicate that in vivo toxicity studies of nanosilver should be performed with ad hoc methods (in this case using hatched embryos) that might be different depending on the type of nanosilver. Moreover, the addition of this compound to commercial products should take into consideration the Ag NP solubilization media. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We analyzed nine X-ray-bright Virgo early-type galaxies observed by both ASCA and ROSAT. Through spatially resolved spectroscopy, we determined the radial temperature profiles and abundances of Mg, Si, and Fe for six galaxies. The temperature profiles are consistent with isothermal temperatures outside of cooler regions at the galaxies' centers. We present new evidence for iron abundance gradients in NGC 4472 and NGC 4649 and confirm the previous results on NGC 4636. Mg and Si abundance gradients on average are flatter than those of iron and correspond to an underabundance of α-process elements at high Fe values, while at low iron the element ratios favor enrichment by Type II supernovae (SNe). We explain the observed trend using the metallicity dependence of SN Ia metal production and present constraints on the available theoretical modeling for low-metallicity inhibition of SNe Ia. Our results imply a cutoff metallicity in the range 0.07-0.3 solar and require a lower limit of 0.3 solar on the Fe contribution of SN Ia. We estimate an SN Ia rate at the centers of the brightest galaxies in our sample of ~0.08 h SNU (supernova units). The rates inferred from optical searches should be corrected for the presence of "faint" SN Ia events, since these release limited metals and therefore do not contribute significantly to the measured metallicity in the X-ray gas. With this correction the present-epoch SN Ia rate in early-type galaxies is 0.10 ± 0.06 h SNU and is therefore comparable with the X-ray estimates. A simple comparison shows that the X-ray abundances we derive are still discrepant from optically determined values. We attribute this difference to the low spatial resolution of our X-ray measurements, radial gradients in the abundances, and the importance of hydrodynamical effects, particularly the inflow of cooling gas, on the measured X-ray abundances.
We evaluated the effect of erythromycin therapy on pulmonary function tests and the airway inflammatory response of patients with DPB. The number of neutrophils in BALF obtained from DPB patients was significantly higher than that of healthy volunteers. Treatment with erythromycin (600 mg/day for 12.9 γδ+9.5 months (mean γδ+s.d.)) significantly reduced the total number of cells and neutrophils in the airway, and significantly improved pulmonary function tests. The levels of IL‐1β and IL‐8 were significantly higher in DPB compared with healthy volunteers (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, respectively). IL‐1 Ra in patients is considered to have a weak inhibitory activity for IL‐1β, with approximately five‐fold concentration of IL‐1β compared with that in healthy volunteers (approx. nine‐fold concentration of IL‐1β). Erythromycin therapy significantly reduced these cytokines to levels comparable to those of healthy volunteers, and produced a trend toward reduction in the level of IL‐1Ra in BALF. The level of IL‐1β correlated significantly with the concentration of neutrophils in BALF (r= 0.72, P < 0.01), as well as with the level of IL‐1Ra (r= 0.688, P < 0.05) and IL‐8 (r= 0.653, P < 0.05). A nearly significant or significant correlation was observed between the concentration of neutrophils and levels of IL‐1Ra or IL‐8 in BALF (r= 0.526, P= 0.053 or r= 0.776, P < 0.01, respectively). There was also a significant relationship between FEV, and the concentration of neutrophils in BALF (r= 0.524, P < 0.05). Our results suggest that the relative amounts of IL‐1β and IL‐1Ra or IL‐8 may contribute, at least in part, to the neutrophil‐mediated chronic airway inflammation in patients with chronic airway disease, and long‐term erythromycin therapy may down‐regulate the vigorous cycle between the cytokine network and neutrophil accumulation, with resultant reduction of neutrophil‐mediated inflammatory response.
The oil was extracted from the aerial roots of ficus elastica through soxhlet extractor by using n-hexane for five hours. The yellow coloured oil with sweet fragrance in 1.61% yield was obtained. Physicochemical properties were studied by standard reported procedures while fatty acid profile was measured by gas chromatograph coupled with flame ionized detector. Esterification of the oil was carried out with methanol by using boron triflouride as catalyst. Results revealed that free fatty acid value, 4.27; saponification number, 49.9 mg KOH/g; and acid number, 8.50 were respectively. The GC-FID study showed the isobutyric, 6.4%; butyric, 3.3%; isovalenic, 25.5%; valenic, 6.9%; caprylic, 29.2%; capruic, 5.2%; capric, 20.3% and lauric acid, 2.9%, respectively. The oil mainly contains low molecular weight fatty acids which are well suitable for application in soap, detergents and cosmetic industries.
BACKGROUND bariatric surgery is widely employed nowadays. Nutritional complications following malabsorptive bariatric surgery are common.   OBJECTIVES to compare protein malnutrition incidence, the amount of protein intake and the influence of various risk factors in patients undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD).   METHODS retrospective study comparing the development of hypoalbuminemia in 92 patients undergoing BPD and 121 RYGB, before surgery and 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after it. Protein intake was estimated by serum prealbumin. The influence of prior body mass index (BMI), age and sex was analyzed.   RESULTS hypoprealbuminemia was found in around 40% of patients 3 months after both procedures, decreasing to about 10% after 2 years of surgery. Hypoalbuminemia incidence was close to 20% in the first post-surgery year in BPD, persisting in 10-15% of cases thereafter. After RYGB, hypoalbuminemia incidence was lower (5-9% in all postoperative follow-up measurements). During the first year after surgery, hypoalbuminemia was more frequent after BPD than after RYGB (at the 3rd month (OR:3.9; p=0.006; 95%CI:1.5-10.4), 6th (OR:5.0; p=0.002; 95% CI:1.8-13.8), and at the 12th month (OR:4.4;p=0.007;95%;CI:1.5-12.8)), but not after the first year. A higher preoperative BMI favored it (OR: 1.03; p=0.046; 95% CI:1-1.06), as well as greater age during the first 6 months.   CONCLUSION Patients with BPD had a higher risk for hypoproteinemia than those undergoing RYGB, especially during the first year post-surgery. Higher preoperative BMI, and age (in the short-term period) could have a significant inverse relation to hypoproteinemia.
PREMISE OF THE STUDY: American bipolar plant distributions characterize taxa at various taxonomic ranks but are most common in the bryophytes at infraspecific and infrageneric levels. A previous study on the bipolar disjunction in the dung moss genus Tetraplodon found that direct long-distance dispersal from North to South in the Miocene–Pleistocene accounted for the origin of the Southern American endemic Tetraplodon fuegianus, congruent with other molecular studies on bipolar bryophytes. The previous study, however, remained inconclusive regarding a specific northern hemisphere source region for the transequatorial dispersal event that gave rise to T. fuegianus.    METHODS: To estimate spatial genetic structure and phylogeographic relationships within the bipolar lineage of Tetraplodon, which includes T. fuegianus, we analyzed thousands of restriction-site-associated DNA (RADseq) loci and single nucleotide polymorphisms using Bayesian individual assignment and maximum likelihood and coalescent model based phylogenetic approaches.    KEY RESULTS: Northwestern North America is the most likely source of the recent ancestor to T. fuegianus.    CONCLUSIONS: Tetraplodon fuegianus, which marks the southernmost populations in the bipolar lineage of Tetraplodon, arose following a single long-distance dispersal event involving a T. mnioides lineage that is now rare in the northern hemisphere and potentially restricted to the Pacific Northwest of North America. Furthermore, gene flow between sympatric lineages of Tetraplodon mnioides in the northern hemisphere is limited, possibly due to high rates of selfing or reproductive isolation.
Energy consumption and performance metrics have become critical issues for scheduling parallel task-based applications in high-performance computing systems such as cloud datacenters. The duplication and clustering strategy, as well as Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling (DVFS) technique, have separately been concentrated on reducing energy consumption and optimizing performance parameters such as throughput and makespan. In this paper, a dual-phase algorithm called EATSDCD which is an energy efficient time aware has been proposed. The algorithm uses the combination of duplication and clustering strategies to schedule the precedence-constrained task graph on datacenter processors through DVFS. The first phase focuses on a smart combination of duplication and clustering strategy to reduce makespan and energy consumed by processors in an effort to execute Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) while satisfying the throughput constraint. The main idea behind EATSDCD intended to minimize energy consumption in the second phase. After determining the critical path and specifying a set of dependent tasks in non-critical paths, the slack time for each task in non-critical paths was distributed among all dependent tasks in that path. Then, the frequency of DVFS-enabled processors is scaled down to execute non-critical tasks as well as idle and communication phases, without extending the execution time of tasks. Finally, a testbed is developed and different parameters are tested on the randomly generated DAG to evaluate and illustrate the effectiveness of EATSDCD. It was also compared against duplication and clustering-based algorithms and DVFS-based algorithms. In terms of energy consumption and makespan, the results show that our proposed algorithm can save up to 8.3% and 20% energy compared against Power Aware List-based Scheduling (PALS) and Power Aware Task Clustering (PATC) algorithms, respectively. Furthermore, there is 16% improvement over Parallel Pipeline Latency Optimization (PaPilo) algorithm with Encur = 1.2Enmin(G). In comparison with Reliability Aware Scheduling with Duplication (RASD) algorithm, the execution time has been reduced in heterogeneous environments.
Depression and anxiety disorders are common among cardiovascular disease (CVD) populations, leading several cardiology societies to recommend routine screening to streamline psychological interventions. However, it remains poorly understood whether routine screening in CVD populations identifies the broader groups of disorders that cluster together within individuals, known as anxious-misery and fear. This study examines the screening utility of four anxiety and depression questionnaires to identify the two internalizing disorder clusters; anxious-misery and fear. Patients with a recent hospital admission for CVD (n = 85, 69.4% males) underwent a structured clinical interview with the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview. The participants also completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, Overall Anxiety Severity Impairment Scale (OASIS), and the stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS). The PHQ-9 and the GAD-7 yielded appropriate screening properties to detect three different iterations of the anxious-misery cluster (sensitivity >80.95% and specificity >82.81%). The GAD-7 was the only instrument to display favorable screening properties to detect a fear cluster omitting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; sensitivity 81.25%, specificity 76.81%). These findings indicate that the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 could be implemented to reliably screen for anxious-misery disorders among CVD in-patients, however, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) to detect fear disorders were contingent on the placement of PTSD and OCD within clusters. The findings are discussed in relation to routine screening guidelines in CVD populations and contemporary understandings of the internalizing disorders.
Eleven patients were examined thermographically during spontaneous cluster headaches and 22 during attacks induced by nitroglycerin or alcohol. In cluster headache, heat loss increased from the affected orbital region, and in some patients, this spread above and below the eye, down the nose, and to the affected temple. Inhalation of 100% oxygen reduced or abolished cluster pain in 22 of 25 instances, and asymmetry of heat loss then disappeared. Since the unilateral increase in blood flow usually followed the onset of pain in affected areas, the vascular changes of cluster headache are probably secondary phenomena, initiated by a vasodilator pathway, with the trigeminal nerve as the afferent and the greater superficial petrosal nerve as the efferent limb.
Interpersonal services play substantial roles in the social communities with its service ranging from the provision of health care, financial service, accommodation, and entertainment. In these areas, the quality of service delivery depends on service providers' knowledge comprised of information and skills acquired through experiences or educations. To maintain, equalise, and improve the quality of interpersonal service, knowledge sharing and mutual learning among providers are essential. However, several valuable knowledge is embedded in the service providers' minds through experience that neither captured nor documented. Managing this tacit knowledge is a pivotal part of knowledge sharing to equalise the service providers' knowledge. This research aims to support knowledge sharing among providers in interpersonal services by proposing a knowledge sharing method comprising two steps. The first step observes the interaction among service providers in an interpersonal service. The accumulated provider's knowledge during service provision is then visualised through a knowledge sharing framework. A case study in a nursing service case using an animal treatment robot presents an application of the proposed method. In this case study, the proposed method supports knowledge sharing among the service providers by schematising their knowledge. The application of this method facilitates the equalisation of the service quality among service providers in the interpersonal services.
Dystrophin is a muscle subsarcolemmal protein rethe reporter gene pCMVlacZ (a cytomegalovirus promoter driving the expression of Escherichia coli bquired to anchor membrane proteins (DAGs).5 The complete lack of dystrophin in humans causes galactosidase) and pY3 (a plasmid conferring resistance to the toxic hygromycin B).1 The transfected Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD) and partial deficiency Becker’s muscular dystrophy (BMD). No G-8 mouse myoblast cells2 were grown in Dulbecco therapy, so far, is available in dystrophinopathies; modified Eagle medium (DMEM) supplemented however, gene replacement is appealing as a potenwith 4.5 g/L glucose, 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), tial therapy. Since myoblasts injected into patient’s 10% horse serum (HS), and 100 eg/mL hygromycin muscles are capable of expressing dystrophin, in the B (Boehringer Mannheim). Resistant cell colonies present work we analyze the myoblast-mediated gene were collected after 7 days of selection and distribtransfer through intra-aortic injection in mdx mice. uted in aliquots, each containing 2 3 105 cells in 100 This approach has the potential of a widespread diseL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), then they tribution of the gene transfer through the blood were ready for injection. Three C57B6L mice and stream, in muscle lacking dystrophin. The cell migra5 dystrophic mutant mdx mice were injected with tion in the muscle and the possible diffusion in differbupivacaine (BVC) on the left tibialis anterior (TA) ent tissues has been studied by genetic and technemuscle 24 h prior to the transplant. They were immutium-99m (Tc-99m) cell labeling. nosuppressed with daily IV injections of 10 mg/kg of cyclosporin A. The mice were anesthetized with an
More than a decade after the discovery of p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC) as a surrogate for human papilloma virus (HPV)-driven head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), p16-IHC has become a routinely evaluated biomarker to stratify oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) into a molecularly distinct subtype with favorable clinical prognosis. Clinical trials of treatment de-escalation frequently use combinations of biomarkers (p16-IHC, HPV-RNA in situ hybridization, and amplification of HPV-DNA by PCR) to further improve molecular stratification. Implementation of these methods into clinical routine may be limited in the case of RNA by the low RNA quality of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks (FFPE) or in the case of DNA by cross contamination with HPV-DNA and false PCR amplification errors. Advanced technological developments such as investigation of tumor mutational landscape (NGS), liquid-biopsies (LBx and cell-free cfDNA), and other blood-based HPV immunity surrogates (antibodies in serum) may provide novel venues to further improve diagnostic uncertainties. Moreover, the value of HPV/p16-IHC outside the oropharynx in HNSCC patients needs to be clarified. With regards to therapy, postoperative (adjuvant) or definitive (primary) radiochemotherapy constitutes cornerstones for curative treatment of HNSCC. Side effects of chemotherapy such as bone-marrow suppression could lead to radiotherapy interruption and may compromise the therapy outcome. Therefore, reduction of chemotherapy or its replacement with targeted anticancer agents holds the promise to further optimize the toxicity profile of systemic treatment. Modern radiotherapy gradually adapts the dose. Higher doses are administered to the visible tumor bulk and positive lymph nodes, while a lower dose is prescribed to locoregional volumes empirically suspected to be invaded by tumor cells. Further attempts for radiotherapy de-escalation may improve acute toxicities, for example, the rates for dysphagia and feeding tube requirement, or ameliorate late toxicities like tissue scars (fibrosis) or dry mouth. The main objective of current de-intensification trials is therefore to reduce acute and/or late treatment-associated toxicity while preserving the favorable clinical outcomes. Deep molecular characterization of HPV-driven HNSCC and radiotherapy interactions with the tumor immune microenvironment may be instructive for the development of next-generation de-escalation strategies.
Cloud Physics It has been observed that atmospheric aerosols can strengthen updrafts in deep convective clouds such as those that form in thunderstorms. Past work has linked such invigoration with the latent heat released by water condensation or freezing in chains of processes that depend on aerosol concentrations. Abbott and Cronin suggest a third possibility in which updrafts intensify because high aerosol concentrations increase environmental humidity by mixing more condensed water into the surrounding air, which in turn favors stronger updrafts.  Science , this issue p. [83][1]   [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abc5181
Photolysis of 2,6-dimethyl-4-pyrone (1) in trifluoroethanol gave, in addition to the previously observed dimer 2, three volatile primary photoproducts 3, 4, and 5. Continued irradiation led to the disappearance of the three volatile products with formation of 6. This secondary photo-product was shown to arise from 3 and 4 while 5 was converted to non-volatile products.        The formation of 3, 4, and 5 can be viewed as arising from an oxybicyclohexenyl zwitterion formed by electrocyclic ring closure of 1. This zwitterion can thus be trapped by solvent to yield 3 and 4 or rearrange to 5 via and epoxycyclopentenone intermediate. The conversion of 3 and 4 to 6 is explained in terms of a Norrish type II process.
Noise has been a major limitation to partial discharge (PD) measurement. It is crucial to suppress noise prior to any PD data analysis. Recent research shows that the discrete wavelet transform, wavelet packet transform and stationary wavelet transform techniques have all achieved good effect in noise rejection in PD measurement. This paper compares the effectiveness and computing time required of the three types of wavelet transform methods when applied to simulated PD data in presence of white noise and sinusoidal interference
Premium cocoa beans are important for fine chocolate manufacturing. However, cocoa beans may suffer from improper management practices that reduce their final quality. The objective of this study was to establish a non-invasive and high throughput grading system for cocoa bean (whole seeds) using hyperspectral imaging technique, in combination with advanced machine learning methods. Six hundred cocoa beans were collected and scanned using a HySpex Classic SWIR camera covering the spectral range from 970 to 2500 nm, with a spatial resolution of 250 μm, and a spectral sampling of 5.45 nm. Each bean was then graded using cut test methodology, the internationally recognized standard procedure in the market for cocoa trade. A maximum entropy multiclass classification model was built based on the hyperspectral cube and results from the cut test. Cocoa beans were identified into different classes: good beans, under-fermented beans, slaty beans, and other low-quality beans. For the most critical classes (good, under-fermented and slaty), a classification accuracy close to 80% was achieved without having to cut the beans open. The classification model can also distinguish other defects such as germination, over-fermentation, mold, and white beans. The proposed hyperspectral solution can significantly increase the onsite evaluation capabilities for large number of samples, potentially applicable to full batches of cocoa beans. The analysis of all beans in a batch can provide a more reliable assessment of the overall quality, compared to the results traditionally obtained from cut tests using small sample sets from batches of several tons.
The Global Positioning System provides 3-D position that can be used for aircraft precision approach worldwide. Autopilots can be designed to optimally use differential GPS while minimizing risk to user safety. A failure probability model of GPS uncertainty is constructed to evaluate aircraft controllers by simulation. Simulated annealing then searches for the gains that minimize accident risk, demonstrating that simulation-based optimization can make real-world controllers more robust.
Statistical analyses of the magnetopause (MP) motion observed by THEMIS suggested that the MP oscillates preferably at some prominent (sometimes called "magic") frequencies, which were found to stand out also in ground-based and ionospheric measurements of geomagnetic ultra-low frequency pulsations. In this paper we present an extension to these statistical analyses of the observed MP oscillations examining their dependence on the prevalent interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), solar wind (SW) flow speed and cone angle conditions as well as their local time of occurrence. Our results show enhanced oscillation activity at these frequencies in the noon local time sector during periods of northward IMF, slow or moderate SW speed and low SW cone angle. This combination of conditions supports an interpretation in terms of standing Alfvenic Kruskal-Schwarzschild surface modes on the MP.
OBJECTIVE To present a comprehensive overview of the female adolescent population focused on physical development and reproductive healthcare.   METHODS A summary of available literature using our own experience with the treatment of patients with eating disorders.   CONCLUSION Approximately 0.5% of adolescents suffer from eating disorders (EDs) in the Czech Republic. EDs have the highest incidence during adolescence, it is a period when growth spurt, bone mineralization and reproductive organ development occur. EDs have a significant negative effect on development and can irreversibly lead to its impairment.
It is shown that the open‐circuit voltage of CdS/CdTe heterojunction solar cells is a maximum when the carrier densities in the CdS and CdTe are approximately equal, because of the effects of a level lying 0.45 eV below the conduction band in CdTe on the junction transport. Cells investigated include those prepared by vacuum evaporation of CdS on thin‐film CdTe, deposited by hot‐wall vacuum evaporation on graphite substrates and on single‐crystal p‐CdTe:P substrates, and on single‐crystal p‐CdTe:P substrates. The existence of a level in the CdTe lying 0.45 eV below the conduction band is identified by measurements of the extrinsic photoresponse of CdS/CdTe junctions, and a model using this level defining junction transport is consistent with the dark and light current versus voltage relationships observed. This model involves two recombination paths: (1) depletion‐layer recombination in the CdTe through the 0.45‐eV level, which dominates when the electron density in the CdS in much larger than the hole de...
OBJECTIVE To explore the clinical features and prognosis of the patients with synchronous double primary malignancy of esophagus and cardia.   METHODS The clinical data of patients with synchronous primary esophageal and cardiac carcinomas undergoing surgery at our hospital between April 1988 and April 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. All data were analyzed by the SPSS 15.0 software. The overall survival rates (OS) were calculated and compared with the Kaplan-Meier method and the Log-rank test. The prognostic factors were identified by Cox's hazard regression model.   RESULTS Among all 47 cases, esophageal carcinoma was missed preoperatively in 1 patients and cardiac carcinoma in 12. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates (OS) of the whole group were 81.5%, 49.1% and 34.3% respectively. And the median survival time was 33 months. The univariate analysis of prognostic factors showed that radical resection, N stage of esophageal carcinoma (2009), N stage of cardiac carcinoma (2009) and TNM stage of cardiac carcinoma (both 2002 and 2009) might influence the long-term survival. However, according to the multivariate analysis, only radical resection and N stage of cardiac carcinoma (2009) were independent prognostic factors.   CONCLUSION With preoperative combined examination of esophagography and esophagoscopy and thorough intraoperative detection, the clinicians may reduce the rate of missed diagnosis for synchronous double primary esophageal and cardiac carcinomas. Radical resection of primary lesions and thorough dissection of locoregional lymph nodes may improve the patient survival.
This study arouses from my personal interest to understand more about the attachment styles processes of the teenage girls and the predisposition to develop an eating disorder. Eating disorders in adolescence are being widely noted in the albanian society. Individuals affected more often by eating disorders are women, mostly girls in late adolescence and early adulthood age. The purpose of this study was to focus on exploring the relationship between the tendency to develop an eating disorder and attachment style of teenage girls 15-18 years old. In this study participated 287 teenage girls. They completed two measure instruments: Multidimensional eating disorder Inventory-Garner, Olmstead - Polivy (1983) which measured respectively eating disorders symptoms and Batholomew’s Attachment Style Inventory (1991) which measured the attachment styles of the teenage girls. The hypothesis of the current study was that there was a significant link between unhealthy attachment styles (unsecure, avoidant, disorganized) and the tendecy to develop an eating disorder at teenage girls 15-18 years old. The result in the end of th study was that there is a statistically important relationship between the tendency to develop an eating disorder and unhealthy attachment styles (unsecure, avoidant, disorganized). The study showed that the correlation between unhealthy attachment styles and tendency to develop an eating disorder was significant. Teenage girls with unhealthy attachment styles showed more symptoms of eating disorders, they were in border to develop an eating disorders or they already had one.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic compound widely used in types of consumer goods and medical tools. It has been shown that BPA acts as an endocrine disruptor chemical casuing negative impact on reproductive functions. The present study used an in vitro approach to assess estrogenic transcriptional activity of BPA as a rapid and sensitive method. The cultured pieces of hepatic tissue of goldfish (Carassius auratus) were exposed to 1, 5, 25 μg/L BPA and 1 µg/L E2 for comparison over 24 h. Compared to control, the mRNA transcript of erβ-I showed a significant increase in the hepatic tissues exposed to all doses of BPA and E2. The mRNA transcript of erβ-II was signifincantly increased in hepatic tissues exposed to 1 and 5 μg/L BPA and E2. The mRNA transcripts of vtg in the hepatic tissues treated with 5 μg/L BPA and E2 were also increased, significantly. Finally, cyp1a mRNA transcript showed a significant increase in the hepatic tissues exposed to 5 and 25 μg/L BPA and E2. These results show an estrogenic activity of BPA similar to E2, and suggest that in vitro approach can be used as an alternative to in vivo test to detect estrogenic effects of BPA.
In a (t, n) group-oriented cryptosystem collaboration of at least t participants is required to perform a designated cryptographic operation. This type of cryptographic operation is very important to support an ad-hoc type network, such as the one that is built using Bluetooth or ad-hoc wireless LAN, since the existence of a combiner is not required to decrypt an encrypted message. In the earlier paper, it was shown that a group-oriented encryption scheme, as proposed by Saeednia and Ghodosi, can be subjected to a conspiracy attack in which two participants collude to decrypt an encrypted message. Recently, it was shown that the modified scheme is subjected to a conspiracy attack of at least three group members with probability 0.608. In this paper, we show a stronger result that shows any conspiracy of at least three group members can collude and decrypt an encrypted message.
This paper presents the results of the analysis of the taphonomic processes that acted on the archaeofaunal materials from the site Martinez 3, located in the depressed sector of Ambato Valley, Catamarca, Argentina. This is an outdoor mound site that has a prolonged occupation in time ranging from Formative to Aguada times. Thus, the aim of this research was to inquire about the taphonomic processes and agents that acted over the bone remains from a diachronic perspective, comparing both occupations. The studies carried out enable to recognize that, even though the site has long occupation in time, similar taphonomic and processes (natural and cultural) acted over time and did not vary greatly in intensity. Moreover, among them, the main generator and transformer agent of these assemblages were the people.
A procedure has been developed to measure the band centres and bandwidths for imaging spectrometers using data acquired by the sensor in flight. This is done for each across-track pixel, thus allowing the measurement of the instrument's slit curvature or spectral "smile." The procedure uses spectral features present in the at-sensor radiance that are common to all pixels in the scene. These are principally atmospheric absorption lines. The band-centre and bandwidth determinations are made by correlating the sensor-measured radiance with a modelled radiance, the latter calculated using MODTRAN 4.2. Measurements have been made for a number of instruments, including the Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), shortwave infrared full spectrum imager (SFSI), Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (casi), compact high-resolution imaging spectrometer (CHRIS), and Hyperion. The measurements on AVIRIS data were performed as a test of the procedure; since AVIRIS is a whisk-broom scanner, it is expected to be free of spectral smile. SFSI and casi are airborne pushbroom instruments, and CHRIS and Hyperion are satellite pushbroom sensors all exhibiting, to varying degrees, spectral smile. Measurements of Hyperion were made using three different datasets to check for temporal variations.
Abstract. A quantitative assessment is presented for the impact of the maximum depth of a temperature-depth profile on the estimate of the climatic transient and the resultant ground surface temperature (GST) reconstruction used in borehole paleoclimatology. The depth of the profile is important because the downwelling climatic signal must be separated from the quasi-steady state thermal regime established by the energy in the Earth's interior. This component of the signal is estimated as a linear increase in temperature with depth from the lower section of a borehole temperature profile, which is assumed to be unperturbed by recent changes in climate at the surface. The validity of this assumption is dependent on both the subsurface thermophysical properties and the character of the downwelling climatic signal. Such uncertainties can significantly impact the determination of the quasi-steady state thermal regime, and consequently the magnitude of the temperature anomaly interpreted as a climatic signal. The quantitative effects and uncertainties that arise from the analysis of temperature-depth profiles of different depths are presented. Results demonstrate that widely different GST histories can be derived from a single temperature profile truncated at different depths. Borehole temperature measurements approaching 500–600 m depths are shown to provide the most robust GST reconstructions spanning 500 to 1000 yr BP. It is further shown that the bias introduced by a temperature profile of depths shallower than 500–600 m remains even if the time span of the reconstruction target is shortened.
Dental Record is documents related to medical and dental history, clinical examination findings, diagnosis, prognosis and performed treatment steps [1]. It prevents confusion resulting from treatment performed by deferent operators [2]. Images, photographs, study cast and x ray findings should be included in the dental records [3]. Written consent of the patient is an integral part of any record [4]. The dental record is important because it may be used in a court of law to establish the diagnostic information that was obtained and the treatment that was rendered to the patient. Detailed records should be kept regarding the treatment procedures, including any difficulties encountered, subsequent actions taken, and the final outcome of the treatment. According to Health and Social Care Act, up to 2004 [5] only two reports mentioned the quality of record keeping. So, the present study was performed as a trail the quality of dental records of Riyadh Colleges of Dental and Pharmacy (RCsDP).
When I was asked to contribute to this issue, I will admit there was a moment of reluctance. In past times, I feared not being enough or mirroring the expectations others have for an Aboriginal person. Nowadays, it is less about others and more about me; will I find value in this or is it just another tokenistic attempt to be seen as inclusive. This piece requires me to share my own personal experiences and I am conscious this can provoke emotions for me, but also for my fellow Aboriginal trainees. This article reflects my own lived experiences and does not represent my Indigenous colleagues’ individual journeys. I would like to acknowledge my brothers and sisters, their mob, their voice, their hard work, and recognise their experiences as holding immense value in the future of emergency medicine. To maintain my own integrity, I will not hide or lessen my experience in order to protect the feelings of others. Racism and bias is etched in Aboriginal history and I am not in the business of pretending cultural competency modules alone preclude it from being present in our EDs. We must be open, honest and willing to learn from each other in order to move forward as a community we all can belong to. I will not be using referenced works to validate my experience. Traditionally, Aboriginal people have had their stories discounted because they are not preserved by methods valid in Western culture. If this makes you question the legitimacy of this piece, I urge you to return to the beginning and start again. My cultural bloodlines come from Murrawarri, Ngemba and Wiradjuri country and is more complex than simply a stamp on a piece of paper. My experience as an Aboriginal woman is interwoven with a long, strong and proud connection to family, community and culture. I live, work and breathe proudly on Wiradjuri country as an Advanced Trainee, servicing a large rural and remote population in Western NSW. When talking about racism in the ED, I hope the majority of people and departments have absolutely no tolerance for any racially motivated statements or behaviour. What is often neglected and what I more commonly see are the subtle undertones of unconscious bias most people do not even recognise. I am cautious in my approach as advocacy is often perceived as hostile and confrontational, rather than one that can provide a valuable insight into the interface of Aboriginal patients and the healthcare system. When standing at the journey board discussing patients, I hear the change in tone as we speak about the Aboriginal woman who has presented again with the same nonhealing diabetic foot wound. I hear the comments and the backhanded remarks blaming her choices as being the sole reason she is in this position. It is the lack of appreciation for this woman’s lived experience and the failed attempt to understand her untold story and appreciate how environmental factors beyond her control may have contributed to the current situation. If we acknowledged her story, we would recognise the discharge plan written is unrealistic and in fact setting the patient up to failure. Standing, listening and watching the conversations unfold demonstrate the unintentional assumptions staff make, because repeatedly I need to highlight oversights and explain why we need to adapt to the situation at hand. As an Aboriginal doctor, I have a sense of duty to protect and advocate for my mob, something I am unapologetic for. I am often left feeling the contention between colleagues as I interrogate comments or decisions to ensure Aboriginal patients are benefiting from our clinical judgements. My most feared patient is the young Aboriginal man who presents with abdominal pain. He is completely misunderstood, and his severe pain interpreted as aggression, his hesitancy to give a comprehensive history at triage further supporting the initial assumption that he is probably drug seeking. He is offered paracetamol and sat in the waiting room with a perforated bowel continuing to deteriorate. When we profile our patients as being aggressive, we create prejudicial undertones that negatively influence our ability to remain objective. When we get it wrong, we are often quick to place the blame on the patient, because observations outside the flags alone are not enough when he is well enough to go outside for a cigarette. These assumptions about patients cloud clinical decisions and delay early recognition of deterioration. We routinely throw around superficial comments like ‘Aboriginal people are high risk’ but fail to understand what high risk Correspondence: Dr Khyarne R Biles, Emergency Department, Dubbo Base Hospital, Myall Street, Dubbo, NSW 2830, Australia. Email: khyarne.biles@health.nsw.gov.au
Raisen District lies in the central part of Madhya Pradesh. The District is situated between the latitude 22 47' and 23 33' north and the longitude 7721' and 78 49' east. The total area of the District is 8,395 Sq. Km., which contains the 1.93 % of the State's area. Bareli has a tropical climate. When compared with winter, the summers have much more rainfall. The major crops grown in the district are rice, wheat or tomato and gram. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Aw. The average annual temperature is 25.5 °C in Raisen. In a year, the average rainfall is 1159 mm. The mean of production of paddy in the district was 845.32 thousand tonnes with high variability mainly due to high acreage variability followed by lower to moderate productivity. The production variability was as high as 70.66% in Bareli tehsil and it is least but still high in (21.41 q ha.-1), which was highest in Bareli tehsil (44.62 q ha-1). https://en.climatedata.org/location/174059/The district has total population of 13,31,597 with total number of 2,78,895 household. The Literacy rate of the district is 72.98 per cent. (Ann., 2011) http://www.census2011.co.in/questions/313/di strict-literacy/literacy-rate-of-raisen-district2011.html).
OBJECTIVES. Motivation for the study: multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease that requires management by different disciplines. Data on Latin American patients is scarce, therefore, the usually used theoretical references are from other population groups. Main findings: sociodemographic (male), clinical (concomitant neurological diseases) and radiological (active lesions in magnetic resonance imaging) factors were found to be associated with disease progression. Implications: taking the above into account when approaching patients in daily clinical practice, it is possible to identify when their condition has greater possibilities of progression and thus eventually prevent complications. To determine the sociodemographic, clinical and radiological factors associated with time to disability progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).   MATERIALS AND METHODS. Cross-sectional descriptive study with an analytical component, based on clinical records of patients at the Neurological Institute of Colombia, between 2013 and 2021. Progression to disability in MS patients was defined as the time to an increase of at least 0.5 points in the EDSS (Expanded Disability Status Scale) score, sustained for at least six months. A Cox regression model was used to estimate the survival function and Hazard Ratios (HR) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).   RESULTS. We included 216 patients, of whom 25% progressed to disability, median survival was 78 months (95% CI: 70-83), active lesions (HR = 1.94; 95% CI: 1.10-3.44), cerebellar complications (HR = 2.03; 95% CI: 0. 99-4.16), being male (HR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.32-4.73), and having neurological diseases (HR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.03-4.61) were associated as risk factors. While relapsing remitting MS (HR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.31-1.26) and age at diagnosis less than 40 years (HR = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.53-1.76) were associated as protective factors.   CONCLUSIONS. Progression is affected by many factors, and there is no single independent factor.
1.    The hydrosilylation of alkyl phenyl ketones and cyclohexanone with phenyldhnethylsilane, catalyzed by hydrorhodiumcarboranes, gives a mixture of the silyl and vinyl silyl ethers, whose ratio depends on the nature of the solvent and on the structure of the ketone and hydrorhodiumcarborane.          2.    The addition of triethylamine when catalysis is by hydrorhodiumcarboranes leads to an increase in the amount of the corresponding vinyl silyl ether.
This study examines the role that information technology plays in supporting relationships between customers and suppliers in the financial service industry. It traces the interrelationships among the different sectors of this industry – brokerage houses, retail banks, institutional banks, mutual funds, insurance underwriters, and others – and identifies roles that information technology and electronic service delivery can play in creating and supporting inter‐organizational integration across sector boundaries. It further identifies the opportunities for and threats to these relationships caused, in large part, by the continuing evolution of information technology. This study will help managers in the financial services to analyze the opportunities and assess the risks of building tighter relationships with their customers and suppliers through electronic commerce.
To test the hypothesis of reduced chiasma frequency causing nondisjunction during meiosis, we examined 34 Down syndrome patients and their parents. Chromosomal polymorphisms and RFLP markers were used to trace the parental origin as well as the frequency of recombination of chromosomes 21. In all but one case, the parental origin and the meiotic stage of nondisjunction could be established by either technique. In 11 cases recombination could be deduced to have taken place during meiosis in the parent who contributed the extra chromosome 21. Because of the underestimation which is inherent in the methods used, these results do not seem to support the chiasma theory.
Insertion of nitrate reductase into the Escherichia coli cytoplasmic membrane was examined by following the fate of pulse-labeled enzyme in both the membrane and cytoplasm during various times after the addition of an unlabeled chase. The polypeptide composition of this labeled enzyme was determined by autoradiography of immunoprecipitated material after separation on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The data presented here indicate that immediately after appropriate insertion of the enzyme into the membrane, a post-translational event occurs which converts the cytoplasmically synthesized form of subunit B (B') to the form found in the completely assembled enzyme (B). B' is distinguished from B by its more rapid electrophoretic mobility. B' was found in the cytoplasm of all strains tested, in the membrane of strains with defects in enzyme insertion (hemA and chlE), and as a transient component in the membrane of wild-type cells.
What is European criminology about? Through topic modelling, we investigate the content of 11,724 presentations held at the annual conferences of the European Society of Criminology, the largest and most influential professional association in Europe for those who are actively engaged in research, teaching, and/or practice in criminology, from 2001 to 2019. We extract 50 topics, and identify top contributing institutions and countries based on first author institutional affiliation. In addition, we determine the most and least influential topics in European criminology. We further explore how the prominence of topics has evolved over time and identify five topics that are increasingly being addressed and three topics that have gradually lost interest, hot and cold topics respectively. The results are discussed in light of previous research on European criminology and current debates on its epistemology.
Soil liquefaction has caused serious damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake. Grouting method for cementitious materials is proposed for the soil stabilization. New grouting agent which consist of ultra fine Ca(OH)₂(CH) and ultra fine spherical SiO₂ is proposed. This paper describes the influence of β-NS and P-34 on the dispersion and the reaction of CH and SiO₂ slurries The yield stress and viscosity of CH slurry were decreased by addition of superplasticizers. Then, the value of zeta potential of CH particles was increased by addition of β-NS. It is considered that β-NS molecules absorbed on the particles gave negative charge and the particles were dispersed by electrostatic repulsion effect. However, the value of zeta potential of CH particles was decreased by addition of P-34. The particles were dispersed by steric hindrance effect of absorbed polymers in the case of P-34. On the other hand, the zeta potential of SiO₂ particles was －16.73mV（pH＝4.39). It is thought that SiO₂ particles are dispersed by electrostatic repulsion without superplasticizers. Liquidity was deteriorated after mixing slurries. It is considered that the deterioration was caused by adsorption of Ca²⁺ on SiO₂ surface and preparation of C-S-H. It was required to add 10mass％ of β-NS or 4～5mass％ of P-34 for mixed slurry showing high liquidity. It was possible to control the reaction rate by change of additive rate of superplasticizers. Then, β-NS showed moer resistivity against segregation than P-34.既設構造物直下の液状化対策として微粒子球状シリカ（SiO₂スラリーと微粒子水酸化カルシウム（CH）スラリーからなる注入材を用いた地盤注入工法が検討されている。本研究ではナフタレンスルホン酸系分散剤（β-NS）とポリカルボン酸系分散剤（P-34）を用いてCHとSiO₂スラリーの分散の安定性や反応性について検討した。CHスラリーはβ-NSを4mass％、P-34を1mass％添加することで分散が安定した。一方SiO₂スラリーは分散剤無添加でも分散が安定していた。両者の混合系では高流動性を得るのにβ-NSでCHに対して10mass％、P-34で4～5mass％が必要であった。また分散剤の添加率により反応制御が可能であり、またナフタレン系分散剤の方が分離抵抗性が高いことを明らかにした。
Frankenstein’s creature is twice-made; firstly, Frankenstein is an organic being without any real biological parentage, and literary being through his own reading, which makes him aware of his intellectual and emotional affinities with humans. The trap closes around Frankenstein’s creature, imprisoning him in the values he assimilates through reading, which inform him of the full scope of his monstrous identity. Nonetheless, it is important to underline that Mary Shelley never made the creature’s readings insignificant, insubstantial or incomprehensible. On the contrary, they could be said to be ideologically, mythologically and symbolically edifying. Frankenstein is thus first and foremost the story of a monster who reads, and since it takes him a while to acquire language, learn to read and express himself orally, he only gradually begins to understand human nature. Mirroring his patchwork of a body, put together piecemeal, the monster begins to understand the world, an awareness that leaves him prey to the gravest doubts.
Objective—To provide the basis for collecting rugby union injury data using a rigorously validated injury report form. Methods—Seven stages were used to assess face, content, and criterion validity of the rugby union injury report form. A 22 member panel plus four sporting bodies assessed the form for face validity, and an expert panel assessed it for content and criterion validity. Panel members were consulted until consensus was reached. A yardstick developed by an expert panel using the Delphi technique was used to assess the reliability of the form. An independent panel of 10 viewed a series of five videotaped injuries, three times over a five week period to assess inter-rater and intrarater reliability. The form was then trialed by 40 people in situ during four games. Results—The rugby union injury report form for games and training was developed, and the face, content, and criterion validity successfully assessed. A seven step protocol to create a yardstick was also developed to assist in the validation process. Both inter-rater and intrarater reliability results indicated a 98% agreement. The 40 trialists who completed forms in situ during four games were found to have an inter-rater reliability agreement of 98% for nine injuries. Conclusions—A measurement instrument for injury data collection in rugby union was successfully developed and validated, providing researchers with a basis for future studies in this area. A procedure to develop future injury data collection instruments in other sports was also developed.
From The Division of Cardiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Submitted September 24, 1999; accepted February 21, 2000. Reprint requests: J. David Talley, MD, Division of Cardiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham, mail slot 532, Little Rock, AR 72205. Am Heart J 2000;140:6-9. Copyright © 2000 by Mosby, Inc. 0002-8703/2000/$12.00 + 0 4/4/106912 doi:10.1067/mhj.2000.106912 aggressive lipid lowering vs 21% for patients who underwent angioplasty and usual care). The sample size in the study was planned with 85% power, with the significance level of 5% for the detection of a difference between the 2 treatment groups for the anticipated ischemic event rates. The lower event rates and the concern about the safety of patients not undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as the initial treatment led to a change in the significance level for the final analysis of the incidence of ischemic events from 5% to 4.5%. Thus the 36% relative reduction in event was not statistically significant (P = .048) after adjustment for interim analysis.
HgCl2-induced polypeptides synthesized by Escherichia coli minicells containing recombinant or natural HgR plasmids were labeled with [35S]methionine and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All plasmids examined encoded two heavily labeled, HgCl2-inducible polypeptides of 69,000 and 12,000 daltons. Most plasmids also encoded two additional HgCl2-inducible proteins in the 14,000- to 17,000-dalton range. Antiserum prepared against a purified mercuric ion reductase reacts with the 69,000-dalton polypeptide and a minor 66,000-dalton protein seen in several different HgR minicells. Recombinant plasmids constructed from portions of mer DNA from the IncFII plasmid NR1 were also analyzed in the minicell system. Five HgCl2-inducible polypeptides (69,000, 66,000, 15,100, 14,000, and 12,000 daltons) were synthesized in minicells carrying pRR130, a recombinant derivative containing the EcoRI-H and EcoRI-I restriction fragments of NR1. The EcoRI-H fragment of NR1 encodes the three small mer proteins of 15,100, 14,000, and 12,000 daltons and the amino-terminal 40,000 daltons of the mercuric ion reductase monomer.
Studying the Nanomaterial Environmental Impact NEI is a critical task in nano-health and safety. However, there is a lack of visual analytic tools that can efficiently query and present large-scale bibliography metadata, NEI characterisations and nanomaterial toxicity. This paper presents the user-centred design and implementation efforts of developing the Information Visualisation InfoVis module for NEI studies. We first describe a user-centred design approach to task analysis, visual representation selection and iterative validation and improvement. We then show how existing techniques, such as graph simplification, enriched visualisation algorithms and interactive features, can be usefully combined to aid users in gaining insights. We implement our techniques as a Drupal module, and demonstrate the utility of InfoVis through scenarios of constructing co-authorship network, nanomaterial terms co-occurrence network, NanoParticle Ontology tree and nanomaterial toxicity plot. Our design is supportive for analysts and researchers to identify concepts and relationships in NEI studies.
Introduction: There is a growing consensus in the literature that inflammation may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The blood neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio is a simple, inexpensive and reliable marker of inflammation. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between first episode psychosis (FEP) and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and to investigate if there is a relation between NLR and severity of disease. Methods: In this retrospective study we analyzed 58 FEP patients’ medical records from January 2011 to June 2014 who had been treated at our hospital. Hematologic parameters, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores and demographic data of the patients were obtained from the medical records of 58 FEP patients. Hematologic parameters and NLR values of 58 patients with FEP compared to values of 37 healthy control group. Correlation between NLR and BPRS scores were calculated. Results: Mean NLR was significantly higher in patients compared to control group (2.22 ± 1.25 vs. 1.63 ± 0.38, p = 0.041). Neutrophil count was not different between patients and healthy control (4.03 ± 0.70 vs. 4.20 ± 1.48, p = 0.525), but lymphocyte count was significantly lower in patients (2.56 ± 0.55 vs. 2.19 ± 0.77, p = 0.013).  In the FEP patients, NLR was not significantly correlate with severity of disease (BPRS score) (n = 58; r = 0.060, p = 0.655). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that NLR levels are increased in physically healthy antipsychotic- naive first episode psychosis patients compared to physically and mentally healthy individuals.
Cross-sector collaborative organizations are increasingly viewed as an effective means of addressing multifaceted health and social challenges. Given their dependence on volunteers to develop and implement strategy, members’ perceptions of future strategic priorities is a critical concern for leaders and sponsors of these organizations. Research set in more hierarchical, single-sector organizations acknowledges the important relationship between structure and strategy; however, relatively little research has explored these relationships in the context of collaborative organizations. We examined these relationships using multiple rounds of an Internet survey. All three dimensions of social structure (locus of decision making, formalization, and integration) had independent associations with participant’ perceptions of different strategic priorities, suggesting there is more than one approach to influencing the perceived priorities of the alliance. However, some dimensions of the social structure changed more than other dimensions over time, highlighting differential opportunities for influencing strategic priorities.
The issues of the micro-agglomeration organization of the oldest rural settlements of the 18 century in the Irkutsk region, the villages of UstKuda, Urik and Khomutovo, are considered in this paper on the basis of the recreational development, and development of the existing historical and cultural landscapes. The main idea of the research (carried out at the Department of Architecture and Urban Development of Irkutsk National Research Technical University under the guidance of the author), in which the town planning potential of the site was identified and the project proposal followed, as presented in the illustrative part of the article, was transformation of the main axis of the inter-village highway on the Greenway principle: creation of the “Green corridor”, saturated with the objects of the tourist cluster (monuments of architecture and natural attractions, panoramic views, etc.), pedestrian alleys, bike paths and other sports and recreational facilities. This will significantly improve the recreational, cultural and, as a result, investment attractiveness of this territory, both for the local population, and for domestic and foreign tourists. The research has been carried out in the framework of the discipline “Historical and cultural landscapes, their preservation and development”, studied at the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning with the students of the urban planning specialty (magistracy). The subject of the research was the territory of historical settlements along the Kuda River in the Irkutsk district. The purpose of this study was the use of the historical and cultural potential of the territory for the development of recreation. Representativeness of the Kuda River landscapes and their historical saturation with the associative features, the availability of the material artefacts historical and cultural heritage sites all these factors allowed considering this territory, including historical settlements, as an object in the framework of the tourist cluster. As a result of the research and design studies, one of the vectors, so-called “greenway”, has been proposed for the development of historical and cultural heritage of the territory. Greenway as an outlined element of the urban landscapes appeared in the last quarter of the 20 century. The principle of organization of spatial environment by the type of greenways was widely used in the USA, where similar structures were created, for example, in the urban Corresponding author: palchnb2009@ya.ru © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). MATEC Web of Conferences 212, 04004 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201821204004 ICRE 2018
Medical image classification is a key technique of Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems. Traditional methods rely mainly on the shape, color, and/or texture features as well as their combinations, most of which are problem-specific and have shown to be complementary in medical images, which leads to a system that lacks the ability to make representations of high-level problem domain concepts and that has poor model generalization ability. Recent deep learning methods provide an effective way to construct an end-to-end model that can compute final classification labels with the raw pixels of medical images. However, due to the high resolution of the medical images and the small dataset size, deep learning models suffer from high computational costs and limitations in the model layers and channels. To solve these problems, in this paper, we propose a deep learning model that integrates Coding Network with Multilayer Perceptron (CNMP), which combines high-level features that are extracted from a deep convolutional neural network and some selected traditional features. The construction of the proposed model includes the following steps. First, we train a deep convolutional neural network as a coding network in a supervised manner, and the result is that it can code the raw pixels of medical images into feature vectors that represent high-level concepts for classification. Second, we extract a set of selected traditional features based on background knowledge of medical images. Finally, we design an efficient model that is based on neural networks to fuse the different feature groups obtained in the first and second step. We evaluate the proposed approach on two benchmark medical image datasets: HIS2828 and ISIC2017. We achieve an overall classification accuracy of 90.1% and 90.2%, respectively, which are higher than the current successful methods.
Three tetrapheynlethylene derivatives (N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)aminophenyl-substituted tetraphenylethylene; TPE-4DPA) with different methoxy positions (pp-, pm-, and po-) have been synthesized and characterized. The methoxy groups can control the oxidation potential of the materials, and the electronic properties of the derivatives were affected by the position of the methoxy substituents. These compounds were synthesized in a facile and cost-effective way, and were applied as hole-transport materials in perovskite solar cells. The corresponding cell performances were compared with respect to their structure modifications, and it was found that the derivative with m-OMe substituents showed the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.4 %, with a Jsc value of 20.04 mA cm-2 , a Voc value of 1.07 V, and a fill factor (FF) value of 0.72, which is higher than the p-OMe and o-OMe substituents. Moreover, the PCE of pm-TPE-4DPA is comparable with that of the state-of-the-art 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N'-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene under identical conditions.
The use of the 16O(α, α)16O elastic scattering resonance reaction for the study of low concentration of oxygen such as found in interfaces in silicon technology is described. We have investigated the depth resolution and the limit of the sensitivity that can be obtained with this method. The method has been applied to the study of Al2O3-Cr "sandwich". film structures and to Au and amorphous Ge contacts to silicon.
During the last years many government organizations have adopted Open Government Data policies to make their data publicly available. Although governments are having success on publishing their data, the availability of the datasets is not enough to people to make use of it due to lack of technical expertise such as programming skills and knowledge on data management. In this scenario, Visualization Techniques can be applied to Open Government Data in order to help to solve this problem. In this sense, we analyzed previously published papers related to Open Government Data Visualization in order to provide an overview about how visualization techniques are being applied to Open Government Data and which are the most common challenges when dealing with it. A systematic mapping study was conducted to survey the papers that were published in this area. The study found 775 papers and, after applying all inclusion and exclusion criteria, 32 papers were selected. Among other results, we found that datasets related to transportation are the main ones being used and Map is the most used visualization technique. Finally, we report that data quality is the main challenge being reported by studies that applied visualization techniques to Open Government Data.
F.H. Talbot, Foreword. The World of Fishes: K.F. Liem, Introducing Fishes. S.H. Weitzman, Classifying Fishes. L. Grande, Fishes Through the Ages. J.R. Paxton, Habitats and Adaptations. J.K. Parrish, Fish Behavior. P.C. Almada-Villela, Endangered Species. Kinds of Fishes: I.C. Potter, Jawless Fishes. J. Stevens and P.R. Last, Sharks, Rays, And Chimaeras. M.N. Bruton, Lungfishes and Coelacanth. E.O. Wiley, Bichirs and Their Allies. P.H. Greenwood, Bonytongues and Their Allies. J.E. Mccosker, Eels and Their Allies. G. Nelson, Sardines and Their Allies. K.E. Banister, Carps and Their Allies. S.H. Weitzman and R.P. Vari, Characins and Their Allies. C.J. Ferraris, Jr., Catfishes and Knifefishes. R.M. Mcdowall, Salmons and Their Allies. W.L. Fink, Dragonfishes and Their Allies. R.K. Johnson and W.N. Eschmeyer, Lizardfishes and Their Allies. P.A. Hulley, Lanternfishes. D.M. Cohen, Troutperches and Their Allies. D.M. Cohen, Codfishes and Their Allies. J.G. Nielsen, Cuskeels and Their Allies. J.B. Hutchins, Toadfishes. E. Bertelsen, Anglerfishes. J.C. Briggs, Clingfishes. B.B. Collette and N.V. Parin, Flyingfishes and Their Allies. L.R. Parenti, Killifishes and Ricefishes. G.R. Allen, Silversides and Their Allies. J.E. Olney, Oarfishes and Their Allies. J.R. Paxton, Squirrelfishes and Their Allies. C. Karrer and H.-C. John, Dories and Their Allies. J. Wilder Orr and T.W. Pietsch, Pipefishes and Their Allies. K.F. Liem, Swampeels. W.N. Eschmeyer, Scorpionfishes and Their Allies. G.D. Johnson and A.C. Gill, Perches and Their Allies. J.E. Randall, Groupers, Seabasses, And Their Allies. P.H. Greenwood, Cichlids. G.R. Allen, Damselfishes. J.H. Choat and D.R. Bellwood, Wrasses and Parrotfishes. V.G. Springer, Blennies. D.F. Hoese, Gobies. F. Chapleau and K. Amaoka, Flatfishes. K. Matsuura and J.C. Tyler, Triggerfishes and Their Allies. Index. Acknowledgments.
Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) orthopedic treatment is a worldwide problem in recent years.With the growing rod technique clinical application and development of innovative,it has opened up a new way of orthotics for scoliosis.This paper reviews the development process of growing rods in treatment of early onset scoliosis.    Key words:  Early-onset scoliosis;  Growing rod;  Orthopedic procedures ;  Therapentic uses ;  Review
Superconducting qubits are electronic circuits comprising lithographically defined Josephson tunnel junctions, inductors, capacitors, and interconnects. When cooled to dilution refrigerator temperatures, these circuits behave as quantum mechanical “artificial atoms,” exhibiting quantized states of electronic charge, magnetic flux, or junction phase depending on the design parameters of the constituent circuit elements. Their potential for lithographic scalability, compatibility with microwave control, and operability at nanosecond time scales place superconducting qubits among the leading modalities being considered for quantum information science and technology applications. Over the past decade, the quantum coherence of superconducting qubits has increased more than five orders of magnitude, due primarily to improvements in their design, fabrication, and, importantly, their constituent materials and interfaces. In this article, we review superconducting qubits, articulate the important role of materials research in their development, and provide a prospectus for the future as these devices transition from scientific curiosity to the threshold of technical reality.
Social media and their uses are in an almost constant flux, and the need for comparative approaches — across platforms and time points — appears as urgent. The study at hand presents a dual comparative approach looking into political communication as undertaken on social media. Presenting data from Twitter and Instagram use during the 2013 and 2017 Norwegian elections, the study traces developmental tendencies and suggests terminology with which to assess the ways that these activities are undertaken on the studied platforms. Results indicate that while Twitter and Instagram activity was rather differently fashioned in terms of structure and attention in 2013, these activities had grown more similar — focused on political elites rather than a broader range of users — in 2017. As such, the study argues for a normalized view of online political participation, wherein professionalized political actors appear to increasingly orchestrate the studied activities.
Migration is a dominant political issue across much of the world. The number of migrants has increased globally by 69% since 1990, and the total is now around 258 million.1 Around a quarter are refugees, fleeing from wars, persecution, famines and other disasters.2 The rest have mainly left their homes in search of better employment prospects. Most migration therefore involves movement from poorer to richer countries. While migrants make a largely positive contribution to wealthier countries,3 anxieties about rising immigration have been a significant factor in the rise of populist right-wing governments. These anxieties contributed to the election of Donald Trump and the decision of the UK to leave the European Union (EU).  This worldwide picture provides a helpful background for understanding the emigration of doctors. Medically qualified migrants are a relatively small group but an important one. Their opportunities for study or career advancement abroad are better than most other professions because their skills are transferable and valued. At the same time, they are still likely to be caught up in the political, administrative and cultural complications that other migrants face. For some, their move is only temporary, usually for higher specialist training. For others, relocation will at some stage become permanent, as they assimilate to their new environment, gain advancement or start families. This drain of medical talent is then a considerable economic loss to the countries that originally trained them,4 as well as depleting local health services, and depriving these of some of the brightest members of each generation.5   Most developed countries are highly dependent on their immigrant medical workforce. An estimated third of doctors in the USA are foreign born,6 while a third of all registered doctors in the UK were trained abroad.7 …
This article discusses and gives clinical examples of crises that occur among and affect adult siblings in later life. They may be related to normative changes or they may be conflicts that have an impact on the well-being of the current family. Both are viewed as unique opportunities for resolution and reconciliation that can lead to a more realistic view of the past, and they may break an unfortunate cycle affecting future generations. Therapists are urged to be aware of and utilize these forces so that healing can take place.
ABSTRACT As classical therapy method of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not effective enough, HCC immunotherapy is a hot spot for research in recent years. Although in recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors are focused in cancer therapy, vaccines and adoptive cell therapy (ACT), as traditional immunotherapy methods for HCC are still promising. We found that δ-Catenin might be a new tumor-associated antigen for HCC, for it could be upregulated as a stress associated protein under hypoxia and irradiation treatment. δ-Catenin peptide vaccines could inhibit the growth of subcutaneous hepatocellular tumors in vivo. According to our work, δ-Catenin peptide vaccines could stimulate the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and enhance the infiltration of CD8+ T cells into tumors. Moreover, δ-Catenin peptide vaccines could enhance the secretion of IFN-γ and the killing of tumor cells by T cells. Mechanistically, δ-Catenin peptide vaccines, presented by antigen-presenting cells to T cells, could enhance the activation of T cells via MAPK/ERK signaling and the transcriptional factors Eomes and T-bet. Our research results indicate new potential peptide vaccines, which can be applied in clinical HCC therapy.
ABSTRACT Poate, T.G.; Masselink, G; Austin, M.; Dickson, M.E., and Kench, P., 2016. Observations of Wave Transformation on Macro-Tidal Rocky Platforms. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 602–606. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Correctly predicting the transformation of ocean waves across rocky platforms has direct implications for cliff stability modelling, coastal defences and long-term coastal evolution. Wave transformation across rocky intertidal platforms is dependent on the morphological characteristics of the platform, including platform width, slope and roughness, and forcing characteristics, including wave and tide conditions. In this paper we present early observations from four field studies providing detailed measurements of wave processes across contrasting rocky platform sites with wave conditions between Hs = 0.5 m and Hs = 1.9 m, water depths between h = 0.5 m and h = 6.8 m and variable platform morphology. Results show that the relative wave height in the surf zone H/h is generally larger than in previous studies (H/h is c. 0.6, instead of 0.3–0.5) and wave dissipation greater for sites with considerable roughness.
Background Recipients of haematopoietic stem cells are at high risk of developing invasive fungal disease (IFD) which is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in these immunocompromised patients. Fluconazole and voriconazole are recommended as the first-line agents for IFD in the department of Haematology at the National Centre for Bone Marrow Transplants, Tunisia. These two drugs are metabolised by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes; they can also be inhibitors of these enzymes. Therefore, they are source of many drug interactions with drugs metabolised by these enzymes. Purpose To analyse the drug interactions in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients receiving azole antifungal drugs (voriconazole and fluconazole) and investigate the impact of such interactions. Materials and methods A retrospective study was performed on 1067 daily drug prescriptions of 38 patients (61% men and 39% women) treated with hematopoietic stem cells who were hospitalised during 2012 in the haematology and transplants service Results The average number of drugs per prescription was 5 drugs, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 17. The average number of interactions was 2 per prescription, ranging from 2 to 18 interactions. 60% of prescriptions collected contained an azole antifungal, with a slight predominance of voriconazole (34% vs. 26% for fluconazole). 74% of prescriptions containing an antifungal azole had at least one interaction with this antifungal drug. In one patient, an association was noted contraindicated. This interaction involved the co-prescription of voriconazole and rifampicin (an enzyme inducer responsible for the decrease in the concentration of voriconazole in the blood of more than 95%). Also a non-recommended interaction was observed in another patient between voriconazole and sirolimus. The majority of interactions were classed as precautions for use (3rd level of risk): Voriconazole: ciclosporin, nicardipine and sodium alginate Fluconazole: ciclosporin, acenocoumarol and sodium alginate We assessed the effects of azole antifungals administration on the concentration of calcineurin inhibitors, namely ciclosporin, in the recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants and revealed a notably wide inter-individual variability in the magnitude of the drug interaction. Azoles, by their enzymatic inhibition of CYP3A4, increase plasma concentrations of ciclosporin and thus the risk of nephrotoxicity. Conclusions Understanding the mechanisms of drug interactions allows clinicians to avoid certain interactions and to develop a possible strategy to minimise iatrogenic events. This is facilitated by the establishment of a computerised system in the service to prevent iatrogenic drug interactions and ensure patient safety. References Hadjibabaie M, Badri S, Ataei S, Moslehi AH, Karimzadeh I, Ghavamzadeh A (2013) Potential drug-drug interactions at a referral hematology-oncology ward in Iran: a cross-sectional study. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. Jun;71(6):1619-27. Guastaldi RB, Reis AM, Figueras A, Secoli SR (2011) Prevalence of potential drug–drug interactions in bone marrow transplant patients. Int J Clin Pharm 33:1002–1009 Nivoix Y, Ubeaud-Sequier G, Engel P, Levêque D, Herbrecht R (2009) Drug-drug interactions of triazole antifungal agents in multimorbid patients and implications for patient care. Curr Drug Metab 10:395–409 Leather HL (2004) Drug interactions in the hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipient: what every transplanter needs to know. Bone Marrow Transplant 33:137–152 Mori T, Aisa Y, Kato J, Nakamura Y, Ikeda Y, Okamoto S (2009) Drug interaction between voriconazole and calcineurin inhibitors in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Bone Marrow Transplant 44:371–374 No conflict of interest.
Two monolithic organic materials exhibiting high photorefractive (PR) performances at a wavelength of 1064 nm were prepared and characterized. It was found that thiophene-based molecule T6 demonstrated better PR properties than benzene based molecule B6. A net optical gain of 139.1cm−1 at a low applied field of 43.7V∕μm and a diffraction efficiency of 45.6% at 35.3V∕μm were observed for materials made from T6. Net optical gain at 1300 nm was also observed for T6. The differences in PR behavior between two materials with similar structures were explained based on dipole moment and photoconductivity differences.
ABSTRACT Photomechanical effects are observed in single crystals of a thiazole-based diarylethene. Crystalline state photochromism has been characterized by absorption microspectroscopy. Clear single crystals turn colored under ultra-violet irradiation. When the energy absorbed by crystals reaches about ten microjoules, they jump. When we prevent crystals from jumping, parallel, equidistant cracks appear due to elastic energy dissipation. These phenomena are associated with a phototransformation ratio of only a few percent.
Autogenous canine jugular veins were stored in 15% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in liquid nitrogen vapor for one to 28 days and then implanted in the carotid artery as autografts. The patency rate at one year was 62.5–87.5%. The patency rate of fresh jugular vein autografts placed in the carotid artery for one year was 75%. Similar autografts stored in liquid nitrogen vapor for one to 28 days without the cryopreservative DMSO exhibited a zero to 12.5% patency rate at one year. Scanning electron microscope studies revealed preservation of the endothelium in DMSO protected veins and a damaged or sloughed endothelium in veins frozen without DMSO cryopreservation.
Recent high-level synthesis and accelerator-related architecture papers show a great disparity in workload selection. To improve standardization within the accelerator research community, we present MachSuite, a collection of 19 benchmarks for evaluating high-level synthesis tools and accelerator-centric architectures. MachSuite spans a broad application space, captures a variety of different program behaviors, and provides implementations tailored towards the needs of accelerator designers and researchers, including support for high-level synthesis. We illustrate these aspects by characterizing each benchmark along five different dimensions, highlighting trends and salient features.
ABSTRACT Changes in gelatinization and retrogradation properties of two rice cultivars, Bengal and Kaybonnet, during rough rice storage were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The storage variables included two storage moisture contents (12 and 14%), three storage temperatures (4, 21, and 38°C), and four storage durations (0, 3, 9, and 16 weeks). Rough rice cultivar, storage temperature, moisture content, and duration affected (P < 0.05) the enthalpies and temperatures of gelatinization and retrogradation of rice flour. Bengal had a higher gelatinization enthalpy (P < 0.005) but lower gelatinization temperatures (P < 0.0001) than the long-grain Kaybonnet. Rice stored at 38°C exhibited higher gelatinization enthalpy and temperatures (P < 0.05) than those stored at 4 or 21°C. Storage duration affected the gelatinization and retrogradation properties through a higher order, rather than a linear, relationship.
We determine how an individual can use life insurance to meet a bequest goal. We assume that the individual's consumption is met by an income, such as a pension, life annuity, or Social Security. Then, we consider the wealth that the individual wants to devote towards heirs (separate from any wealth related to the afore-mentioned income) and find the optimal strategy for buying life insurance to maximize the probability of reaching a given bequest goal. We consider life insurance purchased by a single premium, with and without cash value available. We also consider irreversible and reversible life insurance purchased by a continuously paid premium; one can view the latter as (instantaneous) term life insurance.
This study analyses the impact of economic growth and income inequality on poverty in Brazil in the years from 1981 to 2013. A dynamic panel model was used, estimated by the twostep generalized method-of-moments system developed by Blundell-Bond (1998), in order to analyse three scenarios: the first corresponds to the entire period covered by this study (i.e. 1981-2013); the second encompasses the years from 1981 to 1994 (the period leading up to the Real Plan); and the third is the period from 1995 to 2013 (the years following the implementation of the Real Plan). The results indicate that economic growth policies that promote an increase in income in conjunction with a reduction in income disparities are more effective in combating poverty in Brazil than those that focus only on raising mean income levels. The findings also point to the existence of a pro-poor form of growth in the period following the Real Plan.
Purpose To describe and compare patient‐perceived barriers and motivators and decision‐making conflict between groups of hospitalized patients, those who received vaccines and those who did not. Data Sources Data collection included extracting data from databases and mailing two surveys to 436 discharged patients. One hundred eight patients participated in the study. Conclusions Top motivators for obtaining a flu vaccine included previous vaccination (93%) and provider recommendation (62%). Top barriers included fear of side effects the vaccine (35%) and fear of contracting the flu (30%). Motivators, barriers, and patient decisional conflict differed depending upon the patient's vaccination status. Implications for Practice Given the potential negative consequences of contracting the flu, prevention is the best strategy. Prevention contingent upon motivating patients to obtain an annual flu vaccine. Recommending flu vaccinations, offering vaccinations in convenient locations free of charge, discussing perceived barriers with patients may increase vaccinations among high‐risk patients. Helping to clarify the advantages and disadvantages from the patient's perspective may decrease decisional conflict and increase vaccination rates.
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To improve the science principle of input-output evaluation in medical research institutions, this study uses literature research and expert interviews to make a comparison between domestic and foreign evaluation criterion. There are several problems about input-output evaluation in medical research institutions in China, such as less flexibility and targeted methods, inappropriate models, inadequate indicators and quantitative metrics. Seveal combinations of elements should be considered for input-output evaluation in medical research institutions, which is parallels and distinctions, qualitative and quantitative methods, quality and quantity, process and results, focus and full, and also emphasis on the application of information technology.      Key words:  Research institutions; Input-output; Evaluation,
Oxidative stress is a major contributor to muscle aging and loss of muscle tissue. Jakyakgamcho-tang (JGT) has been used in traditional Eastern medicine to treat muscle pain. Here, we compared the total phenolic and flavonoid contents in 30% ethanol and water extracts of JGT and tested the preventive effects against oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide)-induced cell death in murine C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. The total phenolic content and total flavonoid content in 30% ethanol extracts of JGT were higher than those of water extracts of JGT. Ethanol extracts of JGT (JGT-E) had stronger antioxidant activities of 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging activity (DPPH) than water extracts of JGT (JGT-W). JGT-E contained 19–53% (1.8 to 4.9-fold) more active compounds (i.e., albiflorin, liquiritin, pentagalloylglucose, isoliquiritin apioside, isoliquiritin, liquiritigenin, and glycyrrhizin) than JGT-W. The ethanol extracts of JGT inhibited hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death and intracellular reactive oxygen species generation more effectively than the water extract of JGT in a dose-dependent manner. For the first time, these results suggest that ethanol extract of JGT is relatively more efficacious at protecting against oxidative stress-induced muscle cell death.
In limited degree, of course, industry and warfare have been connected from the earliest times. Weapons are what make human muscles formidable; and from the dawn of civilization it took specialized craftsmen to make weapons out of metal In the course of time the amount of metal used by warriors tended to increase; and the size of armies may also have grown greater—though with such ups and downs that no very definite growth pattern here emerges before the wars of the French Revolution.
A 64-year-old man, a chronic alcoholic, was admitted with fall, confusion and multiple skin lesions. He was cachectic with bilateral intention tremor, dysdiadochokinesia and ataxia. Cutaneous examination showed angular stomatitis, glossitis, pressure ulcer with necrotic eschar on the right buttock (figure 1A), erythematous, weeping, pus-filled scrotal lesions (figure 2A) and oedematous, tender palms and soles (figure 3A).    Figure 1  (A) Pressure ulcer on the buttock with necrotic eschar. (B) Healing stage.      Figure 2  (A) Erythematous, …
The purpose of this cross-national study is twofold. First, it introduces income distribution and sociopolitical instability as arguments in the savings function. Second, it presents some empirical evidence in relation to their quantitative effects on savings. It is shown that sociopolitical instability has profound effects on the savings ratio. It is also shown that the bulk of savings is produced by the middle income class. As a result a redistribution of income at the expense of the upper income class yields a constant or an increased savings ratio developing on whether such a redistribution includes the lower income class or not.
ABSTRACT. The diagnostic standard for airway burn in inhalation trauma is bronchoscopy. Determining the severity of a burn of the respiratory tract within first 24 hours is difficult due to the multiple foci of fixed soot, therefore, this procedure is possible only after its removal. Optimization of the standard method of sanitation bronchoscopy in case of airway burn by removing soot with endoscopic forceps and brushes significantly increase the efficacy of primary endoscopic diagnosis, which amounts to 74.9%. The most common mistakes in diagnosing the severity of mucosal damage are associated with a burn of the 1st degree.
Research on new types of broadband logarithmically periodic antenna structures is reported. The antennas have pattern and impedance characteristics which are essentially independent of frequency over theoretically unlimited bandwidths. Bandwidths of ten to one are readily achieved in practice. Structures are described which provide linearly polarized omnidirectional, bidirectional and unidirectional patterns as well as circularly polarized bidirectional and unidirectional patterns.
Abstract Objective: To review the evidence for “the Mellanby effect”, that is, whether the response to a given blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is more marked when BAC is rising than at the same concentration when BAC is falling. Methods: We systematically searched the databases EMBASE, Medline, and Scopus up to and including December 2016 using text words “tolerance”, “ascending”, “descending” or “Mellanby” with Medline term “exp *alcohol/” or “exp *drinking behavior/” or equivalent. Articles were identified for further examination by title or abstract; full text articles were retained for analysis if they dealt with acute (within dose) alcohol tolerance in human subjects and provided quantitative data on both the ascending and descending parts of the BAC–time curve. Reference lists of identified works were scanned for other potentially relevant material. We extracted and analyzed data on the subjective and objective assessment of alcohol effects. Results: We identified and screened 386 unique articles, of which 127 full-text articles were assessed; one provided no qualitative results, 62 involved no human study, 25 did not consider acute tolerance within dose, and 13 failed to provide data on both ascending and descending BAC. We extracted data from the 26 remaining articles. The studies were highly heterogeneous. Most were small, examining a total of 770 subjects, of whom 564 received alcohol and were analyzed in groups of median size 10 (range 5–38), sometimes subdivided on the basis of drinking or family history. Subjects were often young white men. Doses of alcohol and rates of administration differed. Performance was assessed by at least 26 different methods, some of which measured many variables. We examined only results of studies which compared results for a given alcohol concentration (C) measured on the ascending limb (Cup) and the descending limb (Cdown) of the BAC-time curve, whether in paired or parallel-group studies. When subjects were given alcohol in more than one session, we considered results from the first session only. Rating at Cdown was better than at Cup for some measures, as expected if the Mellanby effect were operating. For example, subjects rated themselves less intoxicated on the descending limb than at the same concentration on the ascending limb in 12/13 trials including 229 subjects that gave statistically significant results. In 9 trials with a total of 139 subjects, mean difference could be calculated; weighted for study size, it was 29% [range 24–74%]. Willingness to drive was significantly greater in 4 of 6 studies including a total of 105 subjects; weighted mean difference increased by 207% [range 79–300%]. By contrast, measure of driving ability in three groups of a total of 200 trials in 57 subjects showed worse performance by a weighted mean of 96% [range 3–566%]. In three trials that tested inhibitory control (cued go or no-go response times), weighted mean performance was 30% [range 14–65%] worse on the descending limb. Conclusions: The “Mellanby effect” has been demonstrated for subjective intoxication and willingness to drive, both of which are more affected at a stated ethanol concentration when BAC is rising than at the same concentration when BAC is falling. By contrast, objective measures of skills necessary for safe driving, such as response to inhibitory cues and skills measured on driving simulators, were generally worse on the descending part of the BAC-time curve for the same BAC.
Income approach is a proven scientific and applicable appraisal approach of three basic appraisal approaches in business and financial valuations. However, there are some problems in the theory and practice of income approach, especially in models development and estimation of several important factors. This paper discusses discount and cap rates in their definition, characters, test with expected future income at zero growth, and some conclusions.
This paper investigates the problem of vision and inertial data fusion. A sensor assembling that is constituted by one monocular camera, three orthogonal accelerometers, and three orthogonal gyroscopes is considered. The first paper contribution is the analytical derivation of all the observable modes, i.e., all the physical quantities that can be determined by only using the information in the sensor data that are acquired during a short time interval. Specifically, the observable modes are the speed and attitude (roll and pitch angles), the absolute scale, and the biases that affect the inertial measurements. This holds even in the case when the camera only observes a single point feature. The analytical derivation of the aforementioned observable modes is based on a nonstandard observability analysis, which fully accounts for the system nonlinearities. The second contribution is the analytical derivation of closed-form solutions, which analytically express all the aforementioned observable modes in terms of the visual and inertial measurements that are collected during a very short time interval. This allows the introduction of a very simple and powerful new method that is able to simultaneously estimate all the observable modes with no need for any initialization or a priori knowledge. Both the observability analysis and the derivation of the closed-form solutions are carried out in several different contexts, including the case of biased and unbiased inertial measurements, the case of a single and multiple features, and in the presence and absence of gravity. In addition, in all these contexts, the minimum number of camera images that are necessary for the observability is derived. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated via extensive Monte Carlo simulations and real experiments.
Abstract:  Flt‐3 ligand (FL) is a growth factor (GF) which might have clinical use as a mobilizer of stem and progenitor cells into peripheral blood (PB) in autologous transplantations of various malignant haematological diseases, unless FL stimulates the growth of malignant cells in these diseases. The present study evaluated the effects of FL on the proliferation of granulocyte‐macrophage (GM) progenitor cells collected from PB of 24 patients with chronic myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) by using a methylcellulose assay in serum‐free culture conditions. It was shown that FL as a single factor had no stimulatory effect on GM colony formation either in the whole MPD group or in the MPD subgroups, which comprised 9 patients with essential thrombocythaemia, 7 with polycythaemia vera and 8 with chronic myelogenous leukaemia. No increase in GM colony formation was observed, either, when FL was used in combination with other GFs, such as mast cell growth factor (MGF), granulocyte‐colony stimulating factor (G‐CSF), GM‐CSF or interleukin‐3 (IL‐3). GM‐CSF and IL‐3 were the only single GFs which significantly increased GM colony formation in the whole MPD group. As a conclusion, FL does not seem to induce GM colony formation of MPDs alone or in combination with G‐CSF in in vitro colony assays.
The regulation of gastrointestinal motility encompasses several overlapping mechanisms including highly regulated and coordinated neurohormonal circuits. Various feedback mechanisms or “brakes” have been proposed. While duodenal, jejunal, and ileal brakes are well described, a putative distal colonic brake is less well defined. Despite the high prevalence of colonic motility disorders, there is little knowledge of colonic motility owing to difficulties with organ access and technical difficulties in recording detailed motor patterns along its entire length. The motility of the colon is not under voluntary control. A wide range of motor patterns is seen, with long intervals of intestinal quiescence between them. In addition, the use of traditional manometric catheters to record contractile activity of the colon has been limited by the low number of widely spaced sensors, which has resulted in the misinterpretation of colonic motor patterns. The recent advent of high‐resolution (HR) manometry is revolutionising the understanding of gastrointestinal motor patterns. It has now been observed that the most common motor patterns in the colon are repetitive two to six cycles per minute (cpm) propagating events in the distal colon. These motor patterns are prominent soon after a meal, originate most frequently in the rectosigmoid region, and travel in the retrograde direction. The distal prominence and the origin of these motor patterns raise the possibility of them serving as a braking mechanism, or the “rectosigmoid brake,” to limit rectal filling. This review aims to describe what is known about the “rectosigmoid brake,” including its physiological and clinical significance and potential therapeutic applications.
Abstract. We apply cosmogenic-nuclide burial dating using the 36Cl-in-K-feldspar/10Be-in-quartz pair in fluvially transported granitoid clasts to determine the age of alluvial sediment displaced by the Mission Creek strand of the San Andreas Fault in southern California. Because the half-lives of 36Cl and 10Be are more different than those of the commonly used 26Al/10Be pair, 36Cl/10Be burial dating should be applicable to sediments in the range ca. 0.2–0.5 Ma that are too young to be accurately dated with the 26Al/10Be pair, and should theoretically be more precise for middle and late Pleistocene sediments in general. However, using the 36Cl/10Be pair is more complex because the 36Cl/10Be production ratio varies with the chemical composition of each sample. We use 36Cl/10Be measurements in samples of granodiorite exposed at the surface at present to validate calculations of the 36Cl/10Be production ratio in this lithology, and then apply this information to determine the burial age of alluvial clasts of the same lithology. This particular field area presents the additional obstacle to burial dating (which is not specific to the 36Cl/10Be pair, but would apply to any) that most buried alluvial clasts are derived from extremely rapidly eroding parts of the San Bernardino Mountains and have correspondingly extremely low nuclide concentrations, the majority of which most likely derives from nucleogenic (for 36Cl) and post-burial production. Although this precludes accurate burial dating of many clasts, data from surface and subsurface samples with higher nuclide concentrations, originating from lower-erosion-rate source areas, show that upper Cabezon Formation alluvium is 260 ka. This is consistent with stratigraphic age constraints as well as independent estimates of long-term fault slip rates, and highlights the potential usefulness of the 36Cl/10Be pair for dating upper and middle Pleistocene clastic sediments.
The nonvolatile fractions of cold-pressed peel oils of Key and Persian lime as well as grapefruit were separated by high-speed countercurrent chromatography (HS-CCC). In addition to the isolation of the main coumarins, psoralens and polymethoxyflavones, a number of minor constituents were enriched and successfully characterized by GC-MS and HPLC-UV. 5,7,8-Trimethoxycoumarin and the cyclical acetals of oxypeucedanin hydrate with citral were determined as new nonvolatile trace constituents of lime oils and confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. The citral oxypeucedaninyl acetals were found particularly in Key lime oil type A, which as a result of the juice-oil contact, is exposed to acidic conditions during industrial processing. Some of the confirmed minor constituents, such as pabulenol, isooxypeucedanin, and oxypeucedanin methanolate in lime as well as auraptenol in grapefruit, may have been generated by hydrolysis-sensitive precursors during CCC separation or their respective industrial processing techniques.
With the increasing volume of E-commerce transactions in China, trust issue in E-commerce is increasingly prominent, which has been one major bottleneck of the sound development of E-commerce in China. This thesis aims to analyze the reasons for the lack of trust in E-commerce by starting with C2C E-commerce platform, and to analyze the main factors influencing the trust conduct of transaction bodies and put forward suggestions for improving credit system through the use of the static game theory.
Abstract Background/Objective: To examine and compare demographics and functional outcomes for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) clinical syndromes, including central cord (CCS), Brown-Sequard (BSS), anterior cord (ACS), posterior cord (PCS), cauda equina (CES), and conus medullaris (CMS). Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Tertiary care, level 1 trauma center inpatient rehabilitation unit. Participants: Eight hundred thirty-nine consecutive admissions with acute SCIs. Main Outcomes Measures: Functional independence measure (FIM), FIM subgroups (motor, self-care, sphincter control), length of stay (LOS), and discharge disposition. Results: One hundred seventy-five patients (20.9%) were diagnosed with SCI clinical syndromes. CCS was the most common (44.0%), followed by CES (25.1%) and BSS (17.1%). Significant differences (P < 0.01) were found between groups with regard to age, race, etiology, total admission FIM, motor admission FIM, self-care admission and discharge FIM, and LOS. Statistical analysis between tetraplegic BSS and CCS revealed significant differences (P < 0.01) with respect to age (39.7 vs 53.2 years) and a trend toward significance (P < 0.05) with regard to self-care admission and discharge FIM. No significant differences (P < 0.01) were found when comparing CMS to CES. Conclusions: SCI clinical syndromes represent a significant proportion of admissions to acute SCI rehabilitation, with CCS presenting most commonly and representing the oldest age group with the lowest admission functional level of all SCI clinical syndromes. Patients with cervical BSS seem to achieve higher functional improvement by discharge compared with patients with CCS. Patients with CMS and CES exhibit similar functional outcomes. Patients with ACS and PCS show functional gains with inpatient rehabilitation, with patients with ACS displaying the longest LOS of the SCI clinical syndromes. These findings have important implications for the overall management and outcome of patients with SCI.
To calculate the electrostatic field of electron gun was used software ANSYS. ANSYS is based on FEM. Model of electron gun is complicated enough, so we used submodeling. Test precision of calculated electrostatic field potential values was used simple immersion lens. The computed values by FEM using submodeling were in comparison with values computed in analytical way. They were very close, when the finite element size of submodel was four times smaller than the element size of coarse model. Ill.10, bibl. 4. (in Lithuanian; summaries in Lithuanian, English, Russian).
Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely investigated for use in lithium batteries, supercapacitors, dye-sensitized solar cells, actuators and as a reaction media due to their outstanding properties that include negligible vapor pressure, excellent thermal and electrochemical stability, good dissolution properties with many organic and inorganic compounds, and low flammability. Improved IL performance for these and other applications can be achieved by tuning the combination of cations and anions to obtain the desired thermodynamic, solvating and transport properties, as well as safety characteristics.
The design, synthesis, and cell permeability of 19 hydrophilic macrocyclic peptides is presented. By systematically analyzing the impact of three different approaches (alkylated amino acids, asparagines, and d-amino acids) on the permeability of polar peptides, a well-defined strategy for optimizing cell permeability is provided. These three new methods can be used individually or in combination to effectively convert polar peptides into cell permeable molecules, and the results can be applied to the rapidly expanding peptide therapeutic industry.
Learning low dimensional representations requires an expressive technique capable of capturing the different features for nodes, the relationship between nodes in the network and thus their similarities. However, many existing embedding techniques focus only on capturing the structural patterns in the network by randomly sampling the nodes in the neighborhood of the target node. To deal with this issue, we propose DSNCR, a node representation framework which uses the non-linear node attributes as well as their neighbourhood structural information to capture nodes similarities. This approach computes a semi-supervised regression analysis on the node attributes to guide a flexible probability walk procedure, such that different neighbourhoods are explored to capture rich network attributes and structures in a learned embedding. We verify the effectiveness of our model on link prediction and node classification tasks using real-life benchmark datasets, for which our technique performs better than existing embedding methods.
The lack of annotated data is a big issue for building reliable NLP systems for most of the world’s languages. But this problem can be alleviated by automatic data generation. In this paper, we present a new data augmentation method for artificially creating new dependency-annotated sentences. The main idea is to swap subtrees between annotated sentences while enforcing strong constraints on those trees to ensure maximal grammaticality of the new sentences. We also propose a method to perform low-resource experiments using resource-rich languages by mimicking low-resource languages by sampling sentences under a low-resource distribution. In a series of experiments, we show that our newly proposed data augmentation method outperforms previous proposals using the same basic inputs.
This research develops the phenomena of chaos and its stabilizing control in following a circular trajectory by considering a time-delay of pneumatic signals in a 2-link pneumatic manipulator. In general, it becomes difficult for such a manipulator to follow a desired trajectory, because chaos phenomena is often caused in manipulators with time-delay of pneumatic signals transmitted through long air tubes. In order to solve this kind of problem, the chaotic behavior is examined by recording the Lyapunov exponent, and a new stabilizing method with neural networks (NN) is proposed. Through simulations and experiments, the phenomena of chaos and the control of stabilization are verified, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is shown.
ABSTRACT The aim of the paper is to define a set of smartness and sustainability indicators applicable to European cities and to assess their outcome in an ex ante perspective with regard to the implementation of Europe 2020 strategy. Following the DPSIR (Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impact, Response) model, we select a bundle of indicators for three relevant sustainability domains (environmental, social and cultural), which are proper to the smart city definition. Then we define groups of homogeneous cities for each domain by using a two-step cluster analysis. Results show the existence of heterogeneous groups of cities that are likely to become smart in the cultural domain, side by side with groups of more developed urban areas that have acquired a substantial advantage in the environmental and social dimensions.
Little effort has been made to understand white-collar crime victims, and little is known about the factors that influence reporting behavior among these victims. In this paper we use the concept of social support to explain responses to fraud, one form of white-collar crime. Results show that social support in the form of information from others influences whether fraud victims report their victimizations. Fraud victims' responses parallel those of street crime victims in that both types of victims respond according to the direction of social support they receive from family and friends.
Walls and ceilings are often designed to suppress undesirable echoes. For that purpose, walls and ceilings are given absorptive surfaces which absorb sound energy or uneven surfaces which provide wave diffusion. While it is not difficult to predict the degree of echo suppression effects in the case of absorptive surfaces, it is generally difficult to do that in the case of uneven surfaces. In addition, if the surfaces have periodicity, unintended effects called coloration can distort tonal characteristics of the sound field. Thus, many acoustic designers would hesitate to employ this kind of periodic‐type diffusers. However, there are some cases where it is necessary to suppress echoes without any energy loss. Periodic‐type diffusers have the advantages of easy estimation of diffusion properties, simple method of design, and ready availability. In this study, a subjective experiment with simulated stimuli was carried out to clarify the echo suppression effect of the periodic‐type diffusers from the viewpo...
This article studies the impact of decentralization on the shadow economy. We argue that decentralization may decrease the size of the shadow economy mainly through two transmission channels: (1) decentralization enhancing public sector efficiency (efficiency effect), and (2) decentralization reducing the distance between bureaucrats and economic agents, which increases the probability of detection of shadow economic activities (deterrence effect). Using various measures of fiscal, political and government employment decentralization in a cross-section of countries, we find the deterrence effect to be of more importance. The deterrence effect is stronger, the lower the degree of institutional quality. We find no robust evidence of the efficiency effect.
Terminal epoxides display a group specific near infrared absorption at 4532 cm−1. This combination tone is reasonably free of interferences and can be employed to measure oxirane ring concentrations for epoxy coating resin systems during synthesis and crosslinking. With the use of low signal-to-noise FTIR supported by computer data manipulation, chloroform solutions of five commercially available resins were analyzed for epoxide equivalent weight and correlated with results obtained by perchloric acid titrations. The near infrared technique displays linearity for epoxy concentrations of 3.6–20.7 meq/L. Similar results were obtained via a serial concentration study, indicating that the technique is not strongly affected by matrix effects.
Preoperative assessment and risk stratification is an integral part of anesthetic care which is one of the various duties of an anesthesiologist. Laboratory investigation is an important element in the process of preoperative assessment and risk stratification. Unfortunately, despite of having negative recommendations for routine preoperative testing for more than a decade, it still remains a tradition in health care delivery for surgical patients[1,2]. The health care cost is becoming an increasing burden for every nation, especially for developing and underdeveloped countries. Studies conducted on cost savings have shown that 63% of the total cost of the tests was due to unnecessary tests[3,4]. Preoperative testing is estimated to cost US$ 18 billion annually in United Sates alone[5]. Efforts have been made by different health care societies and authorities to guide the preoperative testing before elective surgeries. American Society of Anaesthesiologists and the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on preoperative testing are notable among them[1,6]. Unfortunately, the tradition of ordering routine preoperative tests is very much prevalent in clinical practice. Many of the tests ordered are actually unnecessary or unindicated, thus a good amount of cost saving is possible by avoiding such wrong traditional practice of routine testing[3,7-9]. In preoperative risk assessment, the history and physical examination are the strongest predictors of perioperative complications. Ancillary tests should be indicated on an individual basis if the history and physical examination indicate towards some underlying disease[10]. However, studies show that the practice has not changed to ‘individualized / patients char-
In the paper, we formulate a new energy function followed by the use of graph cuts to refine the disparity map which takes segment as node. Firstly, the robust disparity plane fitting is modeled and the method of Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is used to solve least square. In order to ensure reliable pixel sets for the segment, we filter out outliers through three main rules, namely; cross-checking, judging reliable area and measuring the distance between previous disparity to the computed disparity plane. Secondly, we apply improve hierarchical clustering algorithm to merge neighbor. Finally, the final disparity map is obtained. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach is effective in improving the state of the art.
Tolling system is a complex information and communication system that provides toll charging on highway sections. Traffic Management and Supervision System – TMSS enables the communication integration of all the elements of the system, data collection and data processing and generation of the set of reports, based on which it is possible to monitor the operation of the system both in on-line as well as in off-line regime and to control the realization of all the functions in the system. TMSS is developed on the modern technological platform which includes the Business Intelligence technology – BI and the Data Warehousing technology – DWH. The main goal of this paper is to show the usage and effects of the Business Intelligence technology in the TMSS development and exploitation.
In(8), Dontchev introduced and investigated a new notion of continuity called contra-continuity. Recently, Jafari and Noiri ((12), (13), (14)) introduced new generalization of contra-continuity called contra- super-continuity, contra--continuity and contra-pre-continuity.It is the objective of this paper to introduce and study a new class of contra-continuous functions via I. Introduction Jafari and Noiri introduced and investigated the notions of contra-pre-continuity (14), contra-- continuity (13) and contra-super-continuity (12) as a continuation of research done by Dontchev (8), and Dontchev and Noiri (10) on the interesting notions of contra- continuity and contra-semi-continuity, respectively. Caldas and jafari (7) introduced the notion of contra--continuous functions in topologiced spaces. The aim of this paper is to introduce and investigate a new class of functions called contra-D-continuous functions.
A novel peptide mapping approach has been used to map sites of charge modification to major structural domains of regulatory subunit (R) of type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase from S49 mouse lymphoma cells. Proteolytic fragments of crude, radiolabeled R were purified by cAMP affinity chromatography and displayed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. [35S]methionine-labeled peptides containing sites of mutation or phosphorylation exhibited charge heterogeneity attributable to the modification. Phosphate-containing fragments were also labeled with [32P]orthophosphate to confirm their phosphorylation. Major fragments from [35S]methionine-labeled S49 cell R corresponded in size to carboxyterminal cAMP-binding fragments reported from proteolysis of purified type I Rs from various mammalian species; additional fragments were also visualized. End-specific markers in Rs from some mutant S49 sublines confirmed that cAMP-binding fragments extended to the carboxyterminus of R. Aminoterminal endpoints of fragments could be deduced, therefore, from peptide molecular weights. Clustering of proteolytic cleavage sites within the "hinge-region" separating aminoterminal and carboxyterminal domains of R permitted high resolution mapping in this region: the endogenous phosphate and a "phenotypically-silent" electrophoretic marker mutation fell within a 2.5-kdalton interval at its aminoterminal end. On the other hand, Ka mutations that increase the apparent constant for activation of kinase by cAMP mapped within the large cAMP-binding region of R. A map of charge density distribution within the hinge-region of R was constructed to facilitate structural comparisons between Rs from S49 cells and from other mammalian sources.
Background Treatment of Chiari malformation can include suboccipital decompression with resection of one cerebellar tonsil. Its effects on ocular motor and cerebellar function have not yet been systematically examined. Objective To investigate whether decompression, including resection of one cerebellar tonsil, leads to ocular motor, vestibular, or cerebellar deficits. Patients and methods Ten patients with Chiari malformation type 1 were systematically examined before and after (1 week and 3 months) suboccipital decompression with unilateral tonsillectomy. The work-up included a neurological and neuro-ophthalmological examination, vestibular function, posturography, and subjective scales. Cerebellar function was evaluated by ataxia rating scales. Results Decompression led to a major subjective improvement 3 months after surgery, especially regarding headache (5/5 patients), hyp-/dysesthesia (5/5 patients), ataxia of the upper limbs (4/5 patients), and paresis of the triceps and interosseal muscles (2/2 patients). Ocular motor disturbances before decompression were detected in 50% of the patients. These symptoms improved after surgery, but five patients had new persisting mild ocular motor deficits 3 months after decompression with unilateral tonsillectomy (i.e., smooth pursuit deficits, horizontally gaze-evoked nystagmus, rebound, and downbeat nystagmus) without any subjective complaints. Impaired vestibular (horizontal canal, saccular, and utricular) function improved in five of seven patients with impaired function before surgery. Posturographic measurements after surgery did not change significantly. Conclusion Decompression, including resection of one cerebellar tonsil, leads to an effective relief of patients’ preoperative complaints. It is a safe procedure when performed with the help of intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring, although mild ocular motor dysfunctions were seen in half of the patients, which were fortunately asymptomatic.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate antitumor activity of Gracilaria edulis in Swiss albino mice with Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC).   METHODS Tumors were induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of EAC cells. Ethanol extract of Gracilaria edulis (EEGE) was administered to the experimental animals in different doses after 24 h of tumor inoculation. The antitumor effect of the EEGE was evaluated by assessing in vitro cytotoxicity, survival time, biochemical parameters and hepatic enzyme levels.   RESULTS EEGE increased the life span of EAC-bearing mice compared with that of the model control mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). EEGE treatment also converted the changes of biochemical parameters and hepatic enzyme levels in the EAC-bearing mice (P<0.05 or P<0.01). EEGE induced inhibition of tumor formation in EAC-bearing mice compared with that of the model control group (P<0.05 or P<0.01).   CONCLUSION The present study scientifically proved the antitumor activity of marine algae G. edulis and the effect can be correlated with doses.
We propose a grid based technique to mine the KDD Cup '99 data. We propose a novel idea of using mixed clustering technique called clustering in quest (CLIQUE) (R. Agrawal et al., 1998) in experiments with KDD Cup '99 data to detect attacks efficiently. Novelty lies in the fact that CLIQUE was never used on network traffic data. The results produced by CLIQUE when evaluated on synthetic data sets improved as the dimensionality of the data increased. Based on these results we assumed that CLIQUE can handle large database of high dimensional network traffic data efficiently. CLIQUE clustering technique is a combination of grid-based clustering and density-based clustering (R. Agrawal et al., 1998).
A single pulse from a TEA CO(2) laser is used to heat 1:7:14 mixtures of SF(6):CH(4):O(2) to temperatures near 1000 K. A short- or long-duration pulse (one-half the energy deposited in 0.25 or 0.82 microsec, respectively) from a second TEA CO(2) laser is used to ignite the mixture. At comparable values of absorbed energy from the second laser, ignition-delay times for the long-duration secondary pulse are approximately twice those for the short-duration pulse. Ignition of the hot mixture requires about 10% less absorbed energy with the short-duration pulse than with the long-duration pulse. These results indicate the short-duration pulse is more effective in producing a high population density of reactive species that initiate the reactions necessary for ignition.
Türkderm-Deri Hastalıkları ve Frengi Arşivi Dergisi, Galenos Yayınevi tarafından basılmıştır. Turkderm-Archives of the Turkish Dermatology and Venerology, published by Galenos Publishing. A 20-year-old male was admitted to our department with the complaint of pustular psoriasis. Initial conventional therapies including cyclosporin and methotrexate were discontinued due to the onset of hypertension and elevated liver enzymes. Consequently, infliximab therapy was started after one month of prophylaxis for latent tuberculosis infection. Here, we report a case of disseminated tuberculosis and heart failure associated with infliximab therapy. After the cessation of infliximab and starting therapy for both heart failure and tuberculosis, the patient improved significantly. Tuberculosis reactivation and heart failure are known side effects associated with biologic agents, but, as far as we know, there are no published reports of both condition in the same patient in the literature. (Turkderm 2014; 48: Suppl 2: 121-4)
Preconditioning of a synthetic graft with autologous cells is considered the best option to obtain functional vascular grafts. These cells are preferably isolated from an easy accessible patient‐autologous source, such as bone marrow or blood. We investigated if bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated, cultured and instructed to gain a vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype.
Gaza Strip faces large and accumulating shortfall between the built and needed houses due to a high natural population growth, very high population density, difficult political and economic conditions and a suffocating siege imposed, with a high unemployment rate. This has caused an increase in the ongoing gap between housing demands and supply. The most prominent public housing projects in Gaza Strip implemented during the time period from 1994 to 2017 have been introduced. The aim of this research is to improve the contribution of the public housing projects in alleviating of housing crisis in Gaza Strip. Literature review and questionnaire survey were used. 80 copies of the questionnaire were distributed randomly to experts working in the housing field in Gaza Strip. 73 copies of the questionnaire were received with response rate of 91.25%. The most important result is that the public housing projects and public housing policies have a low rate in contribution to alleviating the housing crisis in Gaza Strip. There is lack of comprehensive, realistic and appropriate public housing policies. In addition to not reviewing and updating the public housing standards which have led to mistakes in the way of choosing the target group of public housing projects. The main obstacles facing the government in solving the housing crisis are lack of housing policies, shortage of economic resources of the government and citizens, shortage of the construction materials, high population density and high population growth rate.
With the rapid development of urban rail transit, huge metro systems have been built, which is the best choice for people due to the efficiency, safety and punctuality. Therefore, the quality of service (QoS) of metro systems has attracted the attention of operators especially when unexpected event happens. In the paper, based on the graph theory, a resiliency assessment method is proposed to quantitatively measure the performance of a metro network. We represent the metro network with an undirected graph where the metro stations are described using the nodes while tracks are demonstrated with the edges. The performance evaluation of a metro network is implemented through the resiliency assessment of one node, where weighted degrees and the weighted sum of reasonable routes to the other nodes in the network. The resiliency of a node can be obtained by the performance degradation of the original network with the corresponding node being removed. Shanghai Metro is taken as the example to perform the proposed approach which is verified through the numerical results in the paper.
Qualitative Comparison Analysis (QCA) is an innovative analytical technique that bridges the gap between qualitative and quantitative approaches to research. Grounded in set theory, it allows the analyst to make causal about the structure of relationships between variables and outcomes. This is achieved through the identification of multiple configuration of causal conditions leading to an outcome of interest. QCA has typically been viewed as a small and medium-N approach although it is increasingly being applied to large-N datasets. This chapter describes the variants and rudiments of the QCA technique. These are illustrated with reference to a tutorial example and a real-world application that considers alternative configurations of causal conditions associated with clinician involvement in resource management in Irish hopitals.
subjects with intraocular hypertension (Ren et al. 2011) is the second involving essentially the same methods (Ren et al. 2010). When the previous study was published, several ethical problems were enumerated in a letter to the editor of Ophthalmology (Grzybowski et al. 2011). Similar concerns are present in this paper. The entire discussion of the ethical issue will not be repeated, but it seems that readers of Acta Ophthalmologica should be made aware of the issues raised. These concerns are summarized here. As Ren et al. point out, a great deal of literature has shown little or no foundation for the idea that low cerebrospinal fluid pressure is related to optic neuropathy. In 2008, Louis R. Pasquale wrote: ‘Yet it is probably not feasible or ethical to subject neurologically asymptomatic patients to lumbar puncture to advance scientific knowledge regarding glaucoma. In addition, there is no way clinically to measure the pressure gradient across the laminar cribrosa in a noninvasive manner’, what is still true (Pasquale 2008). Therefore, it seems unreasonable and probably unjustified to expose subjects with intraocular hypertension to the risks associated with LP in light of the ethical requirement that potential benefits outweigh the risks borne by the subjects. The non-invasive tests, including neuroradiology or ⁄ and animal models of intracranial hypotension, were not used, although it was postulated (Pasquale 2008). One of the many weaknesses of the authors’ informed consent process is that they did not mention disclosure to the patient of the risks associated with LP, nor was there any mention of the presence or absence of complications related to the LP in the Results Section. While the authors mention an ethical review process, their description lacks sufficient detail to satisfy concerns that adequate attention was paid to protecting patients during their recruitment as research subjects. Avoiding the so-called therapeutic misconception is an important concern, especially when a study involves an invasive procedure (Ren et al. 2011). This aspect of the consent process should be scrupulously observed and clearly documented in a study’s publication, yet the authors failed to provide such documentation. There is much concern about ethical issues in the design and conduct of clinical trials in developing countries (Annas 2009). It was shown in many studies that patients in developing countries can easily be exploited. It was also pointed out that studies in developing countries are more easily carried out because of less stringent controls and restrictions. This should not be a justification for conducting studies in developing countries (Annas 2009). Finally, it is well known that in China, human and civil rights have been notoriously violated. In addition, Chinese citizens seem to have a lesser sense of their political rights, making them more vulnerable to exploitation in research with questionable ethical standards. It is problematic if such a study would be approved in North America, Australia or Europe. Given the different ethical standards, data derived from such studies will be difficult to verify and compare against studies with more rigorous standards. We should be alert to the possibility of unjustified use of invasive procedures in human subjects research, as I believe occurred in this case, and should remain sensitive to questions of the adequacy of the informed consent process.
The aim of this study was to investigate the heat stability of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen, a tumor‐associated serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin), in tumor tissue extract by electrophoretic methods. After heat treatment at 70°C for 2 h, the tumor tissue extract showed a single main protein band of 45 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) which reacted with a monoclonal antibody specific for SCC antigen. The heat‐stable SCC antigen was separated by two‐dimensional electrophoresis (2‐DE) into four spots with pI 6.4–5.9 and Mr 44 500–45 000 of SCC antigen‐1. Furthermore, the SCC antigen‐1 still showed its inhibitory activity against a cysteine proteinase, papain, by gelatin zymography. These results suggest that heat treatment of protein sample at 70°C for 2 h may be a useful method for a partial purification of SCC antigen‐1 which can inhibit lysosomal cysteine proteinases such as cathepsin L, S, and K.
Purpose There is a lack of research on nutritional status and poor prognosis in patients with metabolic syndrome and heart failure. This study evaluated the relationship between nutritional status as defined by the PNI and adverse outcomes in patients with metabolic syndrome and heart failure. Methods A total of 1048 heart failure patients with metabolic syndrome admitted to the Heart Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from January 2015 to December 2019 were consecutively. PNI was used to assess their nutritional status. Results A total of 51.0% of the patients were in the nonmalnutrition group (PNI≥45), 27.9% were in the mild malnutrition group (40≤PNI<45), and 21.1% of patients were in the malnutrition group (PNI<40). At 36 months of follow-up, after adjusting for other confounding factors, malnutrition (PNI<40) was independently associated with all-cause death (HR: 1.787, 95% CI: 1.451–2.201, P<0.001) and cardiovascular death (HR: 1.837, 95% CI: 1.467–2.301, P<0.001). PNI showed additional prognostic predictive value when included in the established risk factor model, both for all-cause death (AUC: 0.620, 95% CI: 0.579–0.661, P<0.001) and cardiovascular death (AUC: 0.596, 95% CI: 0.555–0.636, P<0.001). Conclusion In patients with metabolic syndrome and heart failure, malnutrition assessed by PNI is an independent predictor for all-cause death and cardiovascular death, and PNI is negatively correlated with the occurrence of adverse outcomes.
An examination is made of the robustness of correspondence-based approaches to structure from motion. It is proven in an algorithm-independent way, that small absolute errors in image displacements cause absolute errors in rotational motion parameters significant enough to lead to large relative errors in the determination of environmental depth. Even if the exact motion parameters are known a priori small errors in image displacements still lead to large errors in depth for environmental points whose distance from the camera is greater than a few multiples of the total translation in depth of the camera. In order to clarify the many robustness issues that are raised, a depth determination algorithm is developed and applied to dynamic image sequences of natural outdoor scenes.<<ETX>>
This article demonstrates examples of realized projects in the field of environmental graphic design developed by Irina Koryagina in collaboration with leading international design agencies, architects, and institutions.These projects, built in various locations across the United States, are open to public, and reveal how graphic design can enrich and open new opportunities for the design of public spaces, exhibitions, and signage.
This paper deals with the problems involved in the concept of knowledge in the sphere of law. Traditionally, the idea of knowledge has equated knowledge with finding given objects of information. This is the natural and understandable foundation of metaphysical or philosophical realism. Cognition and cognitive interest are directed outside the sentences by which they are described. This is the point of departure of legal positivism as well. However, it is not possible to see valid law as totally independent of language and concepts. This makes the idea of legal facts as institutional facts vague. From a practical viewpoint, the sentences of judges and legal scholars, when they present valid law, justify rather than describe. Their crucial function is interpretation. Hence, the objectivity of these sentences cannot be based on the presumed existence of separate objects either. Instead, it has to be based on the principles of acceptable reasoning. Moreover, the author claims that this kind of approach, united with the utilization of human rights and substantial legal principles, leads one to acknowledge objective values.
In this Open Space piece, my aim is to meditate on the current moment, to draw connections between relationality and black feminist theory and to harness the strategies and tools they might offer;a praxis for living and being in the world as well as changing it In particular, I will use my project, an intersectional examination of parental leave in the UK, as a lens through which to discover what intellectual and methodological possibilities a relational approach might offer, especially as I carry out research in a post-COVID-19 world, a world in which black lives appear to matter © Policy Press 2021
K thermocouple which acts as energy converters is widely used in the process of industrial control and data acquisition. It can achieve the conversion between temperature signals and output voltages. The static characteristics of calibration should be carried out and analyzed based on the nonlinear relations between sensor's input and output. According to the principle of least squares fit, the system adopts a straight-line approach to linear. This paper introduces a polynomial fitting design scheme which can achieve dynamic connection of the electromotive force and temperature variation. This design makes use of n-polynomial approximation to nonlinear curve, whose coefficients are determined by the least squares polynomial equation, and conveys the corresponding algorithm value to the function of polynomial fit. his electronic document is a “live” template. The various components of your paper [title, text, heads, etc.] are already defined on the style sheet, as illustrated by the portions given in this document.
A structural region of the hepatitis C virus genome was molecularly cloned. A protein expressed in vitro by transcription followed by translation was precipitated immunologically by sera from patients with chronic hepatitis or hepatocellular carcinoma that were positive for antibody against the non‐structural protein, C100, of hepatitis C virus, but not by sera from healthy persons. Thus, this structural protein should be useful for detection of infection with this virus.
ABSTRACT An overview of the history, politics, and marketing of the 1970s lesbian-feminist music movement. This article addresses the specific audience created by and receptive to the women's music “sound” and message, and examines some of the backlash and critique concerning the meaning and application of a separatist message. Artists' responses to questions of women-only space and coalition building are included in the analysis of concert and recording politics.
The initiation and maintenance of substantial behaviour change is required to reduce the spread of HIV infection among the intravenous drug-using population. In order to ascertain the efficacy of interventions aimed at reducing HIV-related risk-taking behaviour among this population, valid and reliable (yet preferably short) instruments for measuring such behaviour are required. The HIV risk-taking behaviour scale (HRBS) is a brief 11-item interviewer-administered scale which examines the behaviour of intravenous drug users in relation to both injecting and sexual behaviour. This paper describes the construction of the scale, in addition to data evaluating its reliability and validity. Initial analyses indicate that the scale has satisfactory psychometric properties.
Plasma treatment offers several applications in material science. In this research, the potential of plasma treatment is explored on the hydration of hydrophilic CNT-enriched cement and hydrophilic fly ash. The evolution of the hydration heat and the compressive strength show that a hydrophilic surface slightly accelerates the early-age hydration kinetics, while the long-term properties remain unchanged.
We examined US parent and youth perceptions of how life events, both positive and negative, associated with COVID-19 resulted in changes in family and youth functioning. Families (n = 105, 80% white, 48% male, and 87% mothers) completed surveys during the pandemic (May to July 2020) and 3 years prior (for youth ages M = 10.6, SD = 1.17 and M = 13.6, SD = 1.19). Declines in youth, though not parent, report of open family communication, parental support, and family satisfaction were found. Declines were associated with various domains of pandemic-related stress in parent report, though positive life events served as buffers. Pre-pandemic family functioning also predicted pandemic stress. Spillover effects in turn impacted youth functioning. The current findings shed light on how experiences of the pandemic are linked with family functioning and have implications for how to support families during this time.
The advent and success of foundation models such as GPT has sparked growing interest in their application to single-cell biology. Models like Geneformer and scGPT have emerged with the promise of serving as versatile tools for this specialized field. However, the efficacy of these models, particularly in zero-shot settings where models are not fine-tuned but used without any further training, remains an open question, especially as practical constraints require useful models to function in settings that preclude fine-tuning (e.g., discovery settings where labels are not fully known). This paper presents a rigorous evaluation of the zero-shot performance of these proposed single-cell foundation models. We assess their utility in tasks such as cell type clustering and batch effect correction, and evaluate the generality of their pretraining objectives. Our results indicate that both Geneformer and scGPT exhibit limited reliability in zero-shot settings and often underperform compared to simpler methods. These findings serve as a cautionary note for the deployment of proposed single-cell foundation models and highlight the need for more focused research to realize their potential.2
The poor performance of black children on IQ tests and in school has been hypothesized to arise from (a) genetic racial differences or (6) cultural/ environmental disadvantages. To separate genetic fac- tors from rearing conditions, 130 black/interracial chil- dren adopted by advantaged white families were studied. The socially classified black adoptees, whose natural parents were educationally average, scored above the IQ and the school achievement mean of the white popu- lation. Biological children of the adoptive parents scored even higher. Genetic and environmental de- terminants of differences among the black/interracial adoptees were largely confounded. The high IQ scores of the socially classified black adoptees indicate malle- ability for IQ under rearing conditions that are relevant to the tests and the schools. It is well known that black children reared by their own families achieve IQ scores that average about a standard deviation (IS points) below whites (Jensen, 1973; Loehlin, Lindzey, & Spuhler, 197S). This finding is at the heart of a continuing contro- versy in the educational arena. Recent studies (Cleary, Humphreys, Kendrick, & Wesman, 1975) confirm the hypothesis that low IQ scores predict poor school performance, regardless of race. Thus, more black children than white children fail to achieve academically and to earn the credentials required by higher occupational status, with its
Autologous tissue transplantation has become a standard procedure in orthopaedic surgery. Tissue engineering may help minimizing donor side morbidity by transplantation of synthetic cell embedded constructs. While methods of 2-dimensional cell culture are standardized, techniques of 3-dimensional cell culture are mostly experimental. All established matrix substances have specific advantages in vitro or in vivo, none fulfilling all conditions of an "ideal" synthetic cell matrix. We focussed on the well established matrix substances fibrin and alginate. Fibrin is a product of haemostasis and fully biocompatible and resorbable, that are great advantages for an use in vivo. In contrast it conducts a dedifferentiation of embedded cells to fibrocyte-like phenotypes in vitro, so it may only be used as a carrier for transplantation but not as a matrix for cell proliferation. Alginate is a linear polysaccharide, forming a gel when getting in contact to calcium ions. It can serve as a synthetic cell matrix for 3-dimensional cultivation in vitro, as embedded cells don't dedifferentiate and synthesise tissue specific matrix. A great disadvantage of alginate is its bioincompatibility, at least in up to now available purity, leading to inflammation and consecutive fibrosis in vivo. We combined the advantages of alginate in vitro with those of fibrin in vivo by using a fibrin-alginate mixed matrix. It was synthesised by adding alginate to fibrinogen both in aqueous solution, then dissolving a cell pellet and letting this construct polymerize in a calcium and thrombin solution. Afterwards the alginate component could be washed out of the constructs in a sodium citrate and EDTA solution. We compared the fibrin-alginate constructs with porous fibrin constructs synthesized out of fibrin-alginate constructs by removing the alginate component. Cell proliferation, vitality, differentiation and cartilage specific matrix synthesis were quantified using cell counting and characterisation by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), histological and immunohistochemical (IH) methods. Our results show, that a fibrin-alginate matrix preserves the cell differentiation of chondroblasts over an observing period of 30 days, allowing a 4.7 fold increase of cell number at a viability index of 95 °/o. IH revealed the synthesis of a cartilage specific matrix positive for collagen II and proteoglycans. TEM confirmed these results showing chondroblast specific cell phenotypes and the extracellular presence of collagen fibrils. In contrast a fibrin matrix lead to a dedifferentiation of the embedded chondroblasts to fibrocyte phenotype forms, having higher proliferation rates than the chondroblasts, leading to a decrease of cartilage specific cell ratio with time. These morphological results corresponded with the IH and TEM findings that showed only few clusters of cartilage specific matrix synthesising chondroblasts. We conclude that chondroblasts can be cultured in a fibrinalginate mixed matrix keeping their differentiation and allowing them to synthesise a cartilage specific matrix. The alginate component can be removed without compromising the embedded cells before transplantation, leading to biocompatible and resorbable constructs. Dr. med. Georg Matziolis Korrespondenzanschrift: Dr.med. Georg Matziolis Klinik für Orthopädie der Charite Schumannstr. 20-21 10117 Berlin Telefon 030 450515057 Fax: 030 450515911 Email: Georg.Matziolis@ Charite.de Assistenzarzt in der Klinik für Orthopädie der Charite, Berlin 1999 Erhalt der Approbation 2001 Promotion über die Rolle von Endothelin beim Reperfusionsschaden der Leber seit 2002 Wissenschaftlicher Schwerpunkt: Tissue Engineering von Knochen und Knorpel Literatur [1] Balgude A. P., Yu X., Szymanski Α., Bellamkonda R.: (2001) Agarose gel stiffness determines rate of DRG neurite extension in 3D cultures. Biomaterials 2 2 : 1 0 7 7 1 0 8 4 [2] Bellamkonda R., Ranieri J . P., Bouche N., Aebischer P.: (1995) Hydrogel-based three-dimensional matrix for neural cells. J.Biomed.Mater.Res. 2 9 : 6 6 3 6 7 1 [3] Bhalla R. K„ Murphy J., Jones Τ. M„ Roland N. J . : (2002) Foreign body reaction to calcium alginate fibre mimicking recurrent tumour of the submandibular salivary gland. Br.J.Oral Maxillofac.Surg. 4 0 : 1 7 2 1 7 4 [4] De Vos P., De Haan Β. J. , Wolters G. Η., Strubbe J . H„ Van Schilfgaarde R.: (1997) Improved biocompatibility but limited graft survival after purification of alginate for microencapsulation of pancreatic islets. Diabetologia 4 0 : 2 6 2 2 7 0 2 φ IBIOmaterialien 4 (1), 2003 ORIGINAL "ARBEITEN Georg Matziolis: Fibrin Alginat als Matrix im Tissue Engineering [5] Hauselmann H. J. , Aydelotte Μ. B., Schumacher B. L , Kuettner K. E„ Gitelis S. H„ Thonar E. J . : (1992) Synthesis and turnover o f proteoglycans by human and bovine adult articular chondrocytes cultured in alginate beads. Matrix 1 2 : 1 1 6 1 2 9 [6] Hauselmann H. J . , Fernandes R. J . , Mok S. S., Schmid T. M„ Block J . Α., Aydelotte M. B„ Kuettner K. E„ Thonar E. J . : (1994) Phenotypic stability o f bovine articular chondrocytes after long-term culture in alginate beads. J.Cell Sei. 107 ( Pt
A series of experiments was carried out in which the potency of the selective α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole proprionate (AMPA)-receptor antagonist 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo(F)quinoxaline (NBQX) (10-100 mg/kg) on locomotor activity was investigated, in mice. NBQX reduced all forms of activity studied, but its potency to do so varied according to the conditions of the experiment. The smallest dose of NBQX significantly reducing spontaneous or cocaineinduced activity was 100 mg/kg. Mice that had been repeatedly treated with 16 mg/kg cocaine once per week, for 7 weeks, showed a sensitized locomotor response to a challenge dose of cocaine (16 mg/kg). NBQX reversed the sensitized response at 30 and 100 mg/kg. The pattern of results obtained leaves open the role that AMPA-receptors may have in the expression of behavioural sensitization. In two further experiments, mice were trained to self-administer cocaine (30 µg per reinforcer) via intravenous catheters, using an operant lever pressing technique. When the amount of cocaine per reinforcer was doubled (to 60 µg) or halved (to 15 µg) the mice adapted lever pressing rates to maintain some constancy of self-dosing (but not at 7.5 µg per reinforcer) and when saline was substituted for cocaine, response rates increased considerably (extinction bursting). NBQX (10 and 30 mg/kg) reduced the self-administration of 30 µg reinforcers of cocaine, but only during the first 30 min of the test session. There was no evidence that NBQX specifically antagonized the reinforcing effect of cocaine, as responding was similarly reduced on both the reinforced and the non-reinforced lever, nor did the response to NBQX mimic behaviour seen following changes in the concentration of the reinforcer. The results of the locomotor experiments and the self-administration experiments are discussed together, in terms of current hypotheses about glutamatergic mechanisms involved in motivation for drug.
Aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with a small aortic annulus is a challenging issue. The importance of prosthesis–patient mismatch (PPM) post aortic valve replacement (AVR) is controversial but has to be avoided. Many studies support the fact that PPM has a negative impact on short and long term survival. In order to avoid PPM, aortic root enlargement may be performed. Alternatively and keeping in mind that often some comorbidities are present in old patients with small aortic root, the Perceval S suturelles valve implantation could be a perfect solution. The Perceval sutureless bioprosthesis provides reasonable hemodynamic performance avoiding the PPM and providing the maximum of aortic orifice area. We would like to see in the near future the role of the aortic root enlargement techniques in the era of surgical implantation of the sutureless valve (SAVR) and the transcatheter valve implantation (TAVI).
A 43-year-old female with a 27-year history of obsessive-compulsive disorder and major depression had previously been treated with psychotherapy, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications. Because these treatments were minimally effective and because the frequency and duration of her depressive episodes continued to increase, the patient was scheduled to undergo a series of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) procedures. The patient received four ECT treatments during one month. Stimulating current was delivered to the right frontotemporal region of the head. Electroencephalographic seizures occurred during each of the ECT procedures. After the patient recovered from anesthesia, she complained of headaches, muscle pain, amnesia, and, after the fourth ECT, she reported a ringing sound in her right ear. Audiometric testing the day after the fourth ECT revealed a slight increase in threshold for 8000 Hz tones in her right ear. It is likely that current delivered during the fourth ECT treatment triggered the perception of tinnitus for this patient. The unique organization of this patient's central nervous and auditory systems combined with her particular pharmacological history might have predisposed her to developing tinnitus.
The biological family of whales consists of about 80 species of varying size. Commercial whaling traditionally focused on the big whale species, the blue whale being the largest living mammal on earth. Whales have been caught for their fat, their meat, their bones, and their baleen or teeth. Since ancient times whaling has been conducted in catcher boats starting from the coast (coastal whaling), with the catch being processed in land stations. In addition, indigenous people have always been whaling for their own usage (aboriginal whaling). The first signs of the over-exploitation of whale stocks were confined to specific regions. The situation worsened, however, in the middle of the nineteenth century, when modern whaling on the high seas (pelagic whaling) became possible. Whaling was now conducted by ‘expeditions’, consisting of a floating factory for processing whales that was supplied by several accompanying catcher boats. This enabled whalers to exploit the vast baleen whale resources in Antarctic waters to produce edible whale oil, the main product of whaling in the twentieth century. In contrast, the oil produced from sperm whales is non-edible and used for several other purposes. Whale meat is a traditional source of food in Japan. There have always been two partially competing motives that have driven the regulation of whaling. On the one hand, the economic goal of sustaining the whaling industry and avoiding the oversupply of whale products has been pursued. On the other, from an environmental point of view, whales should be protected to sustain the species. The regulation of whaling thus, in a way, provides an early example of an attempt to achieve ‘sustainable development’. Since the beginning of the international regulation of whaling, the definition of the problem has changed in line with a shift in the weight of the above mentioned motives for whale protection. Immediately after the Second World War the regulation of whaling was aimed mainly at limiting competition among companies in the whaling grounds and thus to protect whales for later catching. In contrast, by the 1980s and 1990s the main problem was perceived to be the threat to the survival of these species. An increasingly influential undercurrent in the debate even argues for the total protection of whales, irrespective of their abundance, especially for ethical reasons. At the same time, scientific knowledge of the size of whale populations, their reproductive processes, their sustainable yield, and a reliable procedure for determining sustainable catch limits has advanced decisively. To be sure, major uncertainties still exist, but they have been vastly reduced with respect to a number of whale stocks. Because major populations of big whales are found outside the waters under national jurisdiction, there is a demand for international co-operation. Since single governments have no exclusive authority over whale resources, unilateral regulation will hardly be effective. At the same time, unrestricted whaling will easily go beyond the threshold of sustainable use because self-restriction does not pay off, in the sense that the competitors will profit instead. It has furthermore been shown that, even without competition, it is economically profitable to catch rather than save whales because of their comparatively low reproduction rates.
On the paper is considered new versions on the paleogeographic envoiroment and types of pliocene basins within South Caspian trough. Authors in the base of complex sedimentology investigations with using some data seismic exploration and seismostratigraphic reconstruction are considered paleogeographic envoiroment of Pliocene deposits and determinated two types Pliocene baisins - early Pliocene closed graben-trench type and late Pliocene - open epicontinental type basin.
Nociceptive signals interact with various regions of the brain, including those involved in physical sensation, reward, cognition, and emotion. Emerging evidence points to a role of nociception in the modulation of the mesolimbic reward system. The mechanism by which nociception affects dopamine (DA) signaling and reward is unclear. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) and the lateral habenula (LHb) receive somatosensory inputs and are structurally connected with the mesolimbic DA system. Here we show that the LH-LHb pathway is necessary for nociceptive modulation of this system. Our extracellular single-unit recordings and head-mounted microendoscopic calcium imaging revealed that nociceptive stimulation by tail-pinch excited LHb and LH neurons, which was inhibited by chemical lesion of the LH. Tail-pinch decreased extracellular DA release in the nucleus accumbens ventrolateral shell, which was blocked by disruption of the LH. Furthermore, tail-pinch attenuated cocaine-induced locomotor activity, 50-kHz ultrasonic vocalizations and reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior, which was inhibited by chemogenetic silencing of the LH-LHb pathway. Our findings suggest that nociceptive stimulation recruits the LH-LHb pathway to inhibit mesolimbic DA system and drug reinstatement.
Viruses have been for long polemic biological particles which stand in the twilight of being living entities or not. As their genome is reduced, they rely on the metabolic machinery of their host in order to replicate and be able to continue with their infection process. The understanding of their metabolic requirements is thus of paramount importance in order to develop tailored drugs to control their population, without affecting the normal functioning of their host. New advancements in high throughput technologies, especially metabolomics are allowing researchers to uncover the metabolic mechanisms of viral replication. In this short review, we present the latest discoveries that have been made in the field and an overview of the intrinsic relationship between metabolism and innate immunity as an important part of the immune system.
The results of ab initio global optimizations of the structures of Si{sub n}H, n=4-10, atomic clusters using a parallel genetic algorithm are presented. Driving the global search with the parallel implementation of the genetic algorithm are presented and using the density functional theory as implemented in the Carr-Parinello molecular dynamics code to calculate atomic cluster energies and perform the local optimization of their structures, we have been able to demonstrate that it is possible to perform global optimizations of the structure of atomic clusters using ab initio methods. The results show that this approach is able to find many structures that were not previously reported in the literature. Moreover, in most cases the new structures have considerable lower energies than those previously known. The results clearly demonstrate that these calculations are now possible and in spite of their larger computational demands provide more reliable results.
Objective: To investigate the association between long-term fasting blood glucose (FPG) variability and all-cause mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A total of 7 174 type 2 diabetic patients included in National Basic Public Health Service Program in Changshu of Jiangsu Province were recruited as participants. Long-term glucose variability was assessed using standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), average real variability (ARV), and variability independent of the mean (VIM) across FPG measurements at the more than three visits. Death information were mainly obtained from the death registry system in Jiangsu. Then Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the associations of four variability indicators and all-cause mortality's hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95%CIs. Results: Among 55 058.50 person-years of the follow-up, the mean follow-up time was 7.67 years, and 898 deaths occurred during the follow-up period. After adjustment, compared with T1 group, the Cox regression model showed that HRs of T3 group in SD, CV, ARV and VIM were 1.24 (95%CI: 1.03-1.49), 1.20 (95%CI: 1.01-1.43), 1.28 (95%CI: 1.07-1.55) and 1.20 (95%CI:1.01-1.41), respectively. HRs of per 1 SD higher SD, CV, ARV and VIM were 1.13 (95%CI: 1.06-1.21), 1.08 (95%CI: 1.01-1.15), 1.05 (95%CI: 1.00-1.12) and 1.09 (95%CI: 1.02-1.16) for all-cause mortality, respectively. In the stratified analysis, age, gender, hypoglycemic agent and insulin uses had no effect on the above associations (all P for interaction >0.05). Conclusion: Long-term FPG glycemic variability was positively associated with the risk of all-cause mortality in type 2 diabetes patients.
The p34(SEI-1) oncoprotein is involved in a transcriptional regulation, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, development and many other important cellular functions. Our present study suggests that p34(SEI-1) can promote metastasis by enhancing migration and invasion of cancer cells. Consistently, p34(SEI-1) expression was found to be increased as the tumor invasiveness progressed in human breast tissues. p34(SEI-1) may promote cancer metastasis by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In this process, p34(SEI-1) activates two different serine/threonine kinases, AKT or ILK, depending on the expression status of HER2/neu oncogene. In HER2/neu suppressed cancer cells, p34(SEI-1) promoted metastasis mainly by activating AKT via phosphorylation of the 473 serine residue. In HER2/neu expressing cancer cells, p34(SEI-1) overexpression downregulates HER2/neu expression, leading to the activation of another crucial serine/threonine kinase ILK due to phosphorylation of the 178 threonine residue instead of AKT. These results suggest that p34(SEI-1) affects cancer metastasis by regulating two different signaling pathways depending on the HER2/neu expression level, in which AKT and ILK modulation can be stimulated by p34(SEI-1) overexpression.
Here we describe a patient who presented with a history of congenital diaphragmatic hernia, inguinal hernia, and recurrent umbilical hernia. She also has joint laxity, hypotonia, and dysmorphic features. A unifying diagnosis was not identified based on her clinical phenotype. As part of her evaluation through the Undiagnosed Diseases Network, trio whole-exome sequencing was performed. Pathogenic variants in FBN1 and TRPS1 were identified as causing two distinct autosomal dominant conditions, each with de novo inheritance. Fibrillin 1 (FBN1) mutations are associated with Marfan syndrome and a spectrum of similar phenotypes. TRPS1 mutations are associated with trichorhinophalangeal syndrome types I and III. Features of both conditions are evident in the patient reported here. Discrepant features of the conditions (e.g., stature) and the young age of the patient may have made a clinical diagnosis more difficult in the absence of exome-wide genetic testing.
Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric disorder with a very high mortality rate. If the eating disorder reaches life threatening severity, for example through a body mass index lower than 13 kg/m 2 , the possibility of compulsory treatment has to be considered. However, civil commitment of patients and forced feeding against their will may reduce self confidence and self esteem. This impedes the important goal of motivating patients to undergo psychotherapy. Furthermore, compulsory treatment is regarded as a contravention of the patient's physical inviolability as enshrined in the German Constitution. Up to now only a few studies about the use of guardianship legislation for anorexia nervosa have been published. The present paper reviews psychiatric literature and significant judgements of German courts on this topic. It finishes by examining clinical issues on forced feeding and possible consequences for psychotherapy.
Eastern Tianshan belt between the Junggar Basin and Tarim Basin, about 150 km south of Hami City, Xinjiang, NW China. Regional E-W-trending crust-cutting deep faults act as major boundaries of the Late Paleozoic geological unites in the Eastern Tianshan (Mao et al., 2005). The Heijianshan deposit lies between the Yamansu Fault and the Aqikuduke Fault, belonging to the AqishanYamansu volcanic belt, which hosts many high-grade iron ore deposits, such as Yamansu, Kumutag, Bailingshan, and Hongyuntan (Hou et al., 2014). The strata of the Heijianshan mine is mainly composed by the Upper Carboniferous Matoutan Formation, consisting of tuff in the lower part overlain by basalt. Orebodies are commonly hosted by tuff and brecciated tuff. Four alteration and mineralization stages at Heijianshan, including epidote alteration, magnetite stage, polymetallic sulfide stage and late veins, have been recognized largely based on the megascopic and microscopic textural relationships and mineral assemblages (Fig. 1). Stage I—Epidote alteration: Fine-grained epidote was widely distributed to replace surrounding rocks and cut by veins of magnetite and actinolite. Coarse-grained and euhedral epidote locally is intergrown with calcite. Stage II—Magnetite stage: Magnetite has different forms of texture, such as granular, brecciated, and massive; nonetheless, magnetite is closely associated with amphibole. Fine-grained magnetite and associated amphibole commonly replaced country rock and previous epidote, clinozoisite, and calcite. Locally, quartz, Kfeldspar, and titanite closely coexist with magnetite and amphibole. A hematite sub-stage, now mainly replaced by magnetite (i.e., “mushketovite”), may occur before the main magnetite mineralization. Stage III—Polymetallic sulfide stage: The main minerals in stage III are quartz, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and chlorite, with minor pyrrhotite and electrum. Magnetite was commonly replaced or cut by Stage-III pyrite and chalcopyrite. Pyrite, locally coexisting with pyrrhotite, was also fractured by chalcopyrite with electrum in veinlets. Chalcopyrite was closely associated with chlorite. Stage IV—Late veins: Late-stage hydrothermal veins are abundant in the Heijianshan deposit, but their mutual age relationship are not very clear. The veins of epidote and calcite are widely distributed to cut wall rock and other mineral assemblages; whereas the veins of quartz, hematite, clinozoisite, chlorite, and albite are only locally distributed. Specularite veins occur locally and postdate magnetite and pyrite. Supergene alteration: The supergene alteration is very common at Heijianshan, which had been recognized as an oxidizing deposit (Zhang et al.,2012). Hematite and limonite after magnetite; digenite, bornite, and malachite replacing chalcopyrite have been commonly observed. Other supergene Cu minerals, such as atacamite and chrysocolla also locally occurred. Based on the preliminary paragenesis study, we conclude that the Heijianshan Fe-Cu deposit was formed by hydrothermal metasomatism and the Cu mineralization may be separate from previous magnetite stage.
The use of physical tests to profile physical capabilities, and provide training direction to athletes is common practice. Likewise, in professional team sports, notational analysis codes the key contributions of each player during competition. Limited studies have however investigated relationships between physical capabilities and key performance indicators (KPIs) of rugby union match-play. Elite professional players, categorised as forwards (n = 15) or backs (n = 14), from an international rugby union squad (n = 29) undertook assessments of isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), bilateral and unilateral countermovement jumps (CMJ) and drop jumps (DJ; from 40 and 20 cm, respectively), and assessment of acceleration (10 m), a 5 m weighted sled drive, and a Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IRTL1). Game statistics of the same players from 92 matches (~23 matches per player) during the 2014–15 season were analysed for effort and performance-based metrics. For forwards, Yo-Yo IRTL1 correlated significantly with; number of tackles made (r = 0.717), first three players at a ruck in both attack (r = 0.568) and defence (r = 0.581), number of effective rucks (r = 0.630), total possessions (r = 0.522), passes made (r = 0.651), percentage of carries over the gainline (r = 0.610), effective ruck success (r = 0.600), tackle success (r = 0.540), and the number of turnovers made (r = 0.518). Drop jump performance in forwards was associated with; the number of clean breaks (r = 0.558), dominant collisions (r = 0.589), and offloads (r = 0.594). For backs, the sled-drive test correlated with; number of carries (r = -0.751), first three players at an attacking ruck (r = -0.613), effective attacking rucks (r = -0.584), number of dominant collisions (r = -0.792) and offloads (r = -0.814). Likewise, for backs, IMTP peak force was related to; the number of possessions (r = 0.793), passes made (r = 0.792), effective attacking ruck percentage (r = 0.628), and the number of offloads (r = 0.621) whilst relative peak force correlated with; the percentage of carries over the gainline (r = 0.533), percent tackle success (r = 0.603) and effective attacking ruck percentage (r = 0.584). Regression analyses highlighted that only a small number of variables (i.e., carries, tackles, attacking and defensive first three at ruck) returned practically achievable changes (<20%) in physical qualities. In spite of this, and while leaving scope identification of further physical and/or performance predictors, greater strength, power and intermittent running performance were positively related to match-derived KPIs during competition. This may provide a basis for better integrating the strategies used by physical and technical performance-focused coaching staff to improve key performance indicators, and thus match performance, of rugby union players.
The Humanized Childbirth movement is characterized by the intellectual, technical, and professional union of several areas that focus on the quality of care received by pregnant women, babies, and family members during the process of childbirth. In the last four decades, specific knowledge about the birth process has undergone several updates, mainly concerning less interventionist assistance. However, in many contexts, labor is still seen as pathological or non-physiological and culminates in questionable interventions in the female body. This profound distortion in childbirth care is determined by multiple historical, structural, and cyclical factors that directly affect the way society in general and the health area, in particular, face the female sex. Thus, it is imperative to critically discuss childbirth care with contextualization of gender, cultural, structural, and scientific issues (Evidence-Based Medicine) to guarantee the protection of the person about violations of sexual and reproductive rights. The approach of this literature review focused on the multiple meanings of the humanization process of childbirth care, with the concern of being transdisciplinary.
Among the dozen known magnetar candidates, there are no binary objects. Given that the fraction of binary neutron stars is estimated to be about 3-10 per cent, it is reasonable to address the question of solitarity of magnetars, to estimate theoretically the fraction of binary objects among them, and to identify the most probable companions. We present population synthesis calculations of massive binary systems. In this study, we adopt the hypothesis that magnetic field of a magnetar is generated at the protoneutron star stage due to a dynamo mechanism, so rapid rotation of the core of a progenitor star is essential. Our goal is to estimate the number of neutron stars originated from progenitors with enhanced rotation. In our calculations, the fraction of neutron stars originating from such progenitors is about 8-9 per cent. This should be considered as an upper limit to the fraction of magnetars, as some of the progenitors can lose momentum. Most of these objects are isolated due to coalescences of components prior to neutron star formation, or due to system disruption after the second supernova explosion. The fraction of such neutron stars in surviving binaries is about 1 per cent or lower. Their most numerous companions are black holes.
1. OBJECTIVE--To evaluate the status of clinical development of zidovudine and new drugs for the treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections. 2. METHOD--A critical review of the clinical trial reports and assessment of the design and methodology of the therapeutic trials. Evaluation of the drugs being tested and of the specific difficulties in testing drugs in AIDS. 3. CONCLUSIONS--Drugs are being tested in a unique climate of public opinion characterised by (1) fast track criteria for regulatory approval (2) parallel track (compassionate release) of new drugs before adequate determination of safety and efficacy (3) resistance to the use of placebos in controlled trials.
Objectives The aim of this retrospective, multicenter study (MITO RT-01) was to define activity and safety of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) in a very large, real life dataset of metastatic/persistent/recurrent ovarian cancer (MPR-OC) patients. Clinical and SBRT parameters have been analyzed in order to identify predictors of outcome. Methods The endpoints of the study were the rate of complete response (CR) to SBRT, and the 24-month actuarial local control (LC) rate on “per lesion” basis. The secondary end-points were acute and late toxicities, and the 24-month actuarial late toxicity free survival. Toxicity was evaluated by RTOG/EORTC and CTC-AE scales, according to center policy. Logistic and Cox regression were used for the uni- and multivariate analysis of factors predicting clinical CR and actuarial outcomes. Results CR, PR and SD were observed in 291 (65.2%), 106 (23.8%), and 33 (7.4%) lesions. Patient age <60 years, PTV <18 cm3, lymph node disease, and BEDα/β10 >70 Gy were associated with higher chance of CR in the multivariate analysis. With a median follow-up of 22 months (range: 3–120), the 24-month actuarial LC rate was 81.9%. Achievement of CR and total dose >25 Gy were associated with better LC rate in the multivariate analysis. Mild toxicity was experienced in 54 (20.7%) patients. The 24- month late toxicity free survival rate was 95.1%. Conclusions This study confirms the activity and safety of SBRT in MPR-OC patients and identifies clinical and treatment parameters able to predict CR and LC rate.
The present paper sets out to investigate the public health sector of the city of Londrina. We analyzed statistically the number of calls in different medical specialties and the main causes of mortality in the city. Thus, our general aim is to present the current situation of health services in Londrina: our diagnosis is based on statistical data and field work. Therefore, there will be a brief contextualization of Londrina in order to examine in greater detail how this city has become a regional center for providing public and private health services, we will focus on describing the public health network. The methodology has three levels of analysis: the first consists of an analysis of the different contextual aspects of the area under investigation. The second, a description and an analysis of the situation of Londrina health services, and the third included the description and the analysis of the process of health service use. Results indicate that there was an advance in the health sector in Londrina which comes along with the health policies adopted by the three spheres of government. However, these policies are still far from being the most suitable because there is still a lack of human and financial resources to satisfy the demand presented by the city.
Is there a relationship between low level radioactive radiation and environmental degradation? Specifically, do routine emissions from nuclear installations contribute to damaging trees and forests? Two relatively unknown German scientists raised this question four years ago. It has since been widely discussed, in private and in public; yet it remains unanswered. The West German government and its ancillary science and research institutions have done everything possible to quell debate on the topic. The way the issue has been swept under the carpet throws some light on freedom of information about environmental matters in the Federal Republic today.
The semi-arid region of Brazil has great potential for storing water in alluvial areas, and may give support to small-scale family farming. There is a need to establish a methodology for mapping these areas with the objective of future studies to implement underground dams and suitable management of the soils that occur on alluvial terraces. In this way, the aim of this study was to apply Landsat-Thematic Mapper images together with collateral data such as the drainage network, map of soil classes and elevation data to assist in the classification of alluvial terraces. The study area was Pajeu River basin located in the 'Caatinga' ecosystem of the Pernambuco state. Topographic assessment of the alluvial areas was done by using SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) data. It was found that the single use of orbital data brings incongruous classification, but with the inclusion of collateral data it was possible to obtain better results in classification. The drainage network was also important in masking the spurious classification. The analysis of the topography of the classified areas was inadequate using SRTM data.
In this paper the structure of the ring F 3 [ u, v ] (cid:14) < u 3 , v 2 , uv > where u 3 = 0 , v 2 = 0 and uv = vu = 0 is described. The distance function on the ring R = F 3 + v F 3 + u F 3 + u 2 F 3 which is isomorphic to the ring is deﬁned. This means that linear codes over the ring R can be written. Then it’s shown that the Gray images of cyclic codes over the ring R are quasi-cyclic codes of index 2 over the ring F 3 + v F 3 . Then another Gray map from the ring F 3 + v F 3 to F 3 is described. Thus the relation between the cyclic codes over the ring R = F 3 + v F 3 + u F 3 + u 2 F 3 and quasi-cyclic codes over ﬁeld F 3 is established.
OBJECTIVE Depression is common in patients with type 2 diabetes and adversely affects quality of life and diabetes outcomes. We assessed whether light therapy, an antidepressant, improves mood and insulin sensitivity in patients with depression and type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial included 83 patients with depression and type 2 diabetes. The intervention comprised 4 weeks of light therapy (10,000 lux) or placebo light therapy daily at home. Primary outcomes included depressive symptoms (Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology [IDS]) and insulin sensitivity (M-value derived from the results of a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp). Secondary outcomes were related psychological and glucometabolic measures. RESULTS Intention-to-treat analysis showed that light therapy was not superior to placebo in reducing depressive symptoms (−3.9 IDS points [95% CI −9.0 to 1.2]; P = 0.248) and had no effect on insulin sensitivity (0.15 mg/kg*min [95% CI −0.41 to 0.70]; P = 0.608). Analyses incorporating only those participants who accurately adhered to the light therapy protocol (n = 51) provided similar results, but did suggest positive effects of light therapy on depression response rates (≥50% reduction in IDS points) (26% more response; P = 0.031). Prespecified analysis showed effect moderation by baseline insulin sensitivity (P = 0.009) and use of glucose-lowering medication (P = 0.023). Light therapy did not affect depressive symptoms in participants with higher insulin sensitivity or those who use only oral glucose-lowering medication or none at all, but it did produce a relevant effect in participants with lower insulin sensitivity (−12.9 IDS points [95% CI −21.6 to −4.2]; P = 0.017) and a trend toward effectiveness in those using insulin (−12.2 IDS points [95% CI −21.3 to −3.1]; P = 0.094). Light therapy was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS Although this trial is essentially inconclusive, secondary analyses indicate that light therapy might be a promising treatment for depression among a subgroup of highly insulin-resistant individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Abstract: Efforts aimed at urban poverty reduction and service delivery improvement  depend critically on slum dwellers’ collective agency. Adding to a long history  of community participation approaches, there is a now growing incidence  of so-called ‘partnerships’ between municipal agencies, non-governmental  organizations (NGOs) and slum organizations. Such approaches require a  fair representation of a majority of the poor by local community-based organizations  (CBOs), the potential and interest of both poor men and women to  organize pro-actively in collective action, and a CBO leadership that works  for the common good. This article puts some key assumptions underlying  grassroots-based strategies under scrutiny. That relations amongst the urban  poor are unequal and that they are divided in terms of income, gender and  ethnicity has been well documented, but there has been less attention for  the fact that the poor, facing conditions of scarcity and competition, rely on  vertical relations of patronage and brokerage which may hinder or prevent  horizontal mobilization. Rather than being vehicles of empowerment and  change, CBOs and their leadership often block progress, controlling or capturing  benefits aimed at the poor and misusing them for private (political)  interests. Presenting evidence from community-based projects in the slums  of three large Indian cities, the article argues that municipal agencies, donors  and NGOs cannot easily escape the logic of patronage and often themselves  become part of a system of vertical dependency relations.
Abstract—Near Surface Mounting(NSM) is one of the retrofitting methods which is widely used for the strengthening of structural members. Strengthening using NSM reinforcement improves the ultimate load bearing capacity of the member. This study mainly focuses on the numerical investigation on the shear behaviour of near surface mounted reinforced concrete beam under various parameters. The study investigates the ultimate capacity of the beam with longitudinal hole and beam without longitudinal hole. The hole size adopted for the study are 50mm, 65mm,75mm and 85mm. The study concentrates the strengthening of RC deep having longitudinal hole at a position 120mm from the bottom to the centre of the hole. Both horizontal as well as inclined alignment of the NSM bar were adopted. The ultimate shear capacity of the beam with and without hole by strengthening using NSM bar in both horizontal and inclined orientations are examined under two-point loading. The capacity of the beam was maximum in the case of beam with longitudinal hole strengthened with inclined NSM.
An electron linac has been configured as the X-ray source in a laboratory version of a formation-density tool. The interface between the "tool" section, containing the source and the detectors, and the radiation-scattering "formation" is planar. The electrons have energies of 1.5, 2.3, or 3.0 MeV and are focused onto a tungsten-rich target. The target charge per linac pulse is measured. The X-ray beam is collimated to enter the scattering material at a 45/spl deg/ angle. NaI detectors, in line with the source and at 10, 15, 20, and 25 inch spacings, produce signals proportional to the total energy deposited during the linac pulse. The radiation incident onto the detectors is filtered to effectively remove the influence of the scattering material's photoelectric cross-section. Measurements have quantified the expected increase in a detector's signal with beam energy, as well as the accompanying decrease in density sensitivity. Source-energy stability requirements are an outcome of the study. Tool standoff from the formation, simulated with Plexiglas sheets, also has been investigated. >
BACKGROUND Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of myocardial infarction, particularly among women. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection survivors may not know what physical activity is safe and effective, and there may be a psychosocial burden of living with a SCAD diagnosis.   OBJECTIVES This review aimed to determine the evidence regarding physical activity, cardiovascular risk factors, or associated factors, and the psychosocial impact of SCAD for SCAD survivors after hospital discharge.   DESIGN A systematic review was completed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.   DATA SOURCES We searched Medline, Embase, CinAHL, PsychInfo, and Google Scholar until November 2021.   ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR STUDY SELECTION Outcomes of interest were physical activity participation levels, cardiovascular risk factors and associated risk factors, and psychosocial recovery from SCAD. We included any study (qualitative or quantitative) that reported data pertinent to understanding the impact of SCAD on physical activity and psychosocial aspects of recovery. We also included papers that reported cardiovascular risk or associated risk factors where studies reported outcomes of SCAD survivors. We excluded papers that only provided information on in-hospital management. Any reports that were non-empirical were excluded.   RESULTS The review included 28 studies. These used a range of methods. None were randomized controlled trials. There were 4167 SCAD participants although some were sourced from the same SCAD registries, so they may not be unique. They were mainly female (n = 3897, 93.5%, range = 57.7-100%), with mean age 48.0 ± 9.8 years at index event. Participants mostly came from the USA, Canada, or The Netherlands. We found very limited evidence for cardiorespiratory fitness improvements following cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Existing CR was not tailored to SCAD specific needs and SCAD survivors lacked guidance about appropriate physical activity. Some participants had high levels of psychosocial distress. Spontaneous coronary artery dissection survivors highlighted the need for tailored support that included family members. Many SCAD survivors have traditional risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, and overweight/obesity. Chest pain following SCAD is common.   CONCLUSION There is an urgent need to develop physical and psychological recovery programmes for SCAD survivors and test effectiveness via randomized controlled trials. Psychosocial support is particularly required, given the high burden of psychosocial issues.   DATA REGISTRATION Prospero CRD42021254798.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s identity, culture, rights and obligations are part of Australia’s land and seascapes (Smyth and Sutherland, 1996). Given the primacy of land issues for indigenous people, the concept of conservation needs to go beyond biodiversity. Cultural conservation needs to occur to assist indigenous landowners to continue caring for the physical well being of their country, and achieving this is the fundamental intent of this plan of management.    Declaration of the 98,129 km2 Ngaanyatjarra Lands Indigenous Protected Area is the result of five years careful consideration and discussion by Ngaanyatjarra Traditional Owners. Ngaanyatjarra Council through its Land Management Unit facilitated this process.    Declaration of the greater area is made under IUCN Category 6: Managed Resource Protected Area. Within this area a system of management zones are identified, some of which will be managed under different IUCN categories to balance land use and protect fragile areas. Specifically, these are Cultural Areas managed as IUCN Category 3: Natural Monument, and Nature Conservation Areas managed as IUCN Category 4: Habitat / Species Management Areas.    Neither the developmental process nor Indigenous Protected Area declaration could have occurred without Natural Heritage Trust financial assistance, or the support of staff from both Environment Australia and the Western Australian Department of Conservation.    Declaration of this, the largest protected area in Australia, is an explicit act of self determination by the Ngaanyatjarra people that demonstrates to an international audience that conservation values exist on their Lands as a consequence of indigenous land management, and that today’s Traditional Owners continue to maintain the Law and their association with their country.    Through the Ngaanyatjarra Lands Indigenous Protected Area we, Yarnangu, the Traditional Owners of this country, invite all Australians to be a part of the Ngaanyatjarra journey.
This text reflects on some of the meanings denoted by forest music in the Xokleng universe, focusing in particular on the dimensions of ‘culture,’ politics and mythic time. With this aim in mind, the text briefly describes some of the native conceptions of both this music and the rituals during which it is performed. The progressive transformation enabled by the mythic episode of leaving the forest and the contemporary appropriations of its indexes (appropriations which the group’s ethics and aesthetics hold to be adequate) form the empirical basis for the way in which this music is perceived by the indigenous people concerned.
Abstract The contents and foundations of intergenerational justice have only recently become the focus of controversial debates in political philosophy. My main purpose in this essay is to outline the idea of an intergenerational libertarianism and contrast it with a skeptical rejection of the moral rights of future persons by contractarians on the one hand and egalitarian conceptions of intergenerational justice by utilitarians on the other. As far as its contents are concerned, the idea contains three main principles: future persons have a moral right to satisfy their basic needs, they have a moral right to develop and exercise their capacity of political and personal autonomy, and they have a moral right to be compensated for harmful actions by their predecessors. And as far as its foundations are concerned, these principles can be justified by a contractualist procedure: considerations of sufficiency, of liberty and of reciprocity cannot reasonably be rejected by either members of future generations or by members of the present one.
We have witnessed that the Internet is now a prime vehicle for business, community, and personal interactions. The notion of identity is the important component of this vehicle. Identity management has been recently considered to be a viable solution for simplifying user management across enterprise applications. The network identity of each user is the global set of personal credentials and preferences constituting the various accounts. The prevalence of business alliances or coalitions necessitates the further evolution of identity management, named federated identity management (FIM). The main motivation of FIM is to facilitate the federation of identities among business partners emphasizing on ease of user management. In this paper, we investigate privacy issues in FIM, especially focusing on Liberty Alliance approach. We attempt to identify practical business scenarios that help us understand privacy issues in FIM. Also, we propose systematic mechanisms to specify privacy preferences in FIM.
AIMS This meta-analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of fully closed-loop automated insulin delivery (AID) in patients with type 2 diabetes.   MATERIALS AND METHODS We systemically searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing fully AID versus conventional insulin therapy. The outcomes were pooled as Hedges' g and risk ratio (RR) in the random effects model with 95% confidence interval (CI). Our primary outcome was the proportion of time in the target glucose range. Key secondary outcomes included the proportion of time in hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia.   RESULTS We included seven RCTs, compromising 390 patients. Our analysis showed that the fully closed-loop AID increased the proportion of time spent within the target glucose range compared to the control group by additional 18 minutes per 24 hours (Hedges' g= 1.22%, 95% CI [0.84%, 1.6%], P <0.01), additional five minutes overnight (Hedges' g= 0.99%, 95% CI [0.65%, 1.33%], P <0.01), and additional 13 minutes during the daytime period (Hedges' g= 1.36%, 95% CI [1.1%, 1.61%], P <0.01). Compared to the control group, the overall time in hyperglycaemia was shortened by 15 minutes per 24 hours (Hedges' g= -1.04%, 95% CI [-1.43%, -0.64%], P <0.01). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of overall, overnight, and daytime periods spent in hypoglycaemia.   CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis suggested that fully closed-loop AID may improve glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Further research is required to establish the feasibility of implementing these systems in clinical practice.
A case of diencephalic syndrome of emaciation in a 21 month old girl is reported. The enormous size of the tumor of the hypothalamus revealed by pneumoencephalography and pantopaque ventriculography was in contrast to striking lack of neurologic deficits and absence of intracranial hypertension. The literature is briefly surveyed with special reference to the significance of air encephalography in the diagnosis of this rare and interesting syndrome.
Plato's epistemology precisely seems that a prospective analysis of human knowledge and virtue. The dialectic of Meno often has made up several attempts to arrive at rather intellectual and ambiguous complexes. It worked on the following critical issues over the dialogue. Mainly, the methodology of recollection and forms, immortality of the soul, concepts of real and reason have crucially discussed there. In particular, the above theoretical approaches have fundamentally based on virtue and knowledge. Otherwise, a few technical terminologies have been utilized continuously in the Meno like, 'epistêmê,' 'doxa.' The Meno's Paradoxa could stimulate subjective morphemes tremendously. Meno's epistemology's succinct scope is that the contrasted conversation is constructed by between metaphysical matters and facts of the knowledge, belief, or real opinion and other inevitable, formative elements during the acquisition of sensual perception.
Introduction: Intramedullar locking nails have been widely preferred in femoral shaft fractures, however, design of the nails causes some problems. If the length of the nail and the distance of the distal locking screws to the fracture site are not considered, negative side effects may be observed. In order to understand the side effect of the distance between fracture gap and the distal locking pin, effect of the nail length were aimed to investigate in this study. Material and Method: Two conventional intramedullary nails with different lengths were compared. One nail was 301 mm and the other nail was 251 mm in length. The nails were inserted into the 1/3 proximal fractured femur with the support of computer-aided design software. Comparative Static analyses were performed on the three-dimensional models. Results: Different equivalent (von-Mises) stress results were observed on the fracture sites of the two models which were 2.02 GPa and 31.93 MPa respectively. Consequently, the stress on the fracture surface decreases as the distance between the distal locking site and the fracture site, decreases. Conclusion: Clinically, the shorter nail must be preferred to decrease the stress on the fracture site. Meanwhile, the other factors like diameter, angle of the fixation pin, and material properties should be considered while choosing nails.
V/STOL aircraft rely on their propulsion systems to provide lift and attitude control moments during hover and low-speed flight. For lift-fan powered V/STOL aircraft, two unconventional propulsion system types have been proposed. The first type uses fans connected by hot gas ducting, and the second type uses fans connected by cross shafting. This paper presents results of an analytical study which identifies the basic steady-state and dynamic characteristics for each type of system. For the gas-coupled system, the control concepts analyzed were variable-area fan turbines and throttling valves in the ducting. For the shaft-coupled system, the control concepts analyzed were variable-pitch fans and variable fan inlet guide vanes. All of these concepts are shown to be capable of meeting V/STOL aircraft control moment and transient response requirements when appropriate propulsion controls are used. Each type of system has unique problem areas which require an integrated approach to aircraft/propulsion control design.
Background: Hypertension has become a significant problem in many developing countries undergoing epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable chronic diseases. Previous studies covering up to 1999 reported a prevalence of ll.3% in the adult population of Bangladesh. Methods: We have searched National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Library and PubMed@ Resources Guide for published Hypertension prevalence studies between 2004 and 2014. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hypertension among the adult Bangladeshi population. We have considered population-based studies that had a clear definition of hypertension, and were conducted in adults (>18 years). We have marked seventeen articles, of which only six articles fulfill the selection criteria were included for the current analysis. Then the prevalence of hypertension and their 95% CIs for the individual studies were calculated by using the data presented. Finally a pooled estimate was obtained from six studies. Results: The pooled estimate for the prevalence of hypertension in 2972 adults was 20.88% (18.75% - 22.87%) which almost double than the previous estimated value. Conclusion: The meta-analysis clearly demonstrates the high burden of hypertension among the adult population of rural Bangladesh and underscores the importance of instituting screening for asymptomatic individuals with potentially harmful hypertensive disorder, especially in primary health-care settings to combat the growing epidemic of Noncommunicable Diseases. Large scale studies can be done including all the high risk population to represent the actual scenario of hypertension in Bangladeshi adult population. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/cardio.v7i2.22251 Cardiovasc. j. 2015; 7(2): 104-107
Abstract Making optimal safety investment decisions are important for improving worker’s safety level and reducing accident frequency. To study the complex relationship between safety investment and miners’ behavior-based safety, we proposed the index system of the influential factors on miners’ unsafe behaviors and utilized system dynamics (SD) method to construct the analysis model. Based on the empirical research on a mining company in Hunan, miners’ behavior-based safety level under different investment conditions were simulated, then 12 kinds of schemes’ simulation were obtained. Finally, the optimal scheme was achieved. The scheme is: Safety cost per ton of coal is 3.8 dollars, investment proportion is: Organizational management (0.44), safety climate (0.16), working environment (0.08), technological equipment (0.32). This scheme reached the target value of 90 in the 28th month, which was 9 months shorter than that of the original one. The optimized results show that increasing the behavior-based safety investment and adjusting the proportion appropriately, can improve miners’ behavior-based safety level effectively.
In the chapter were presented enterprise producing iron goods. Results of the BOST survey were introduced. The research was connected with the first Toyota management principle. It was made analysis of respondent’s characteristics among the employees of enterprise. Structure of rates for factors describing the first Toyota management principle and significance sequences deciding on the development of enterprise was presented.
Silk sericin has garnered the attention of researchers as a promising biomaterial because of its good biocompatibility and high water retention. However, despite its useful properties, the poor storage stability of sericin has restricted its extensive use in biorelated applications. This study extracted sericin from silkworm cocoon, dried and stored it as a solid, and then dissolved it in hot water conditions to improve the storage stability of sericin for its use. The dissolution behavior of the extracted sericin solids was examined in conjunction with the structural characteristics and properties of dissolved sericin. Consequently, the results of solution viscosity, gel strength, crystallinity index, and thermal decomposition temperature indicated that the molecular weight (MW) of the dissolved sericin remained constant until a dissolution time of 5 min, following which deterioration was observed. The optimum condition of dissolution of the extracted sericin solid was 5 min at 90 °C. Conclusively, the extracted sericin could be stored in a dry state and dissolved to prepare redissolved sericin aqueous solution with the same MW as extracted sericin, thereby improving the storage stability of the sericin aqueous solution.
The aim – to compare the anthropometric parameters and body tissue compartments of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction depending on weight loss ≥ 6 % of total body weight within the previous 6 months. Materials and methods. 77 stable patients with chronic heart failure 25–75 years old, NYHA class II–IV, with left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35 % were screened. The criterion for the patients group distribution was the weight loss in the last 6 months ≥ 6 % according to the European guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of CHF. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Patients were included in a clinical compensation phase. Results and discussion. Weight loss ≥ 6 % within the previous 6 months was observed in 34 (44.2 %) patients. Patients with weight loss ≥ 6 % had a significantly smaller fat tissue mass (p=0.002) and lean tissues mass (p=0.039), which was confirmed by comparing the normalized indicators of these tissue arrays relative to growth. The limb muscle mass (p=0.006) and the limb muscle mass index (p=0.002) were significantly less in this group of patients. The number of lost kilograms over the past 6 months correlated inversely with the muscle mass index of limbs (r=–0.411, p=0.001), body weight (r=–0.381, p=0.001), muscle mass of limbs (r=–0.360, p=0.001), hip circumference (r=–0.352, p=0.002), body surface area (r=–0.345, p=0.009), waist circumference (r=–0.334, p=0.003), body mass index (r=–0.330, p=0.004), shoulder arm circumference (r=–0.280, p=0.015), lean tissue mass (r=–0.277, p=0.015), skin-fat fold thickness under the scapula (r=–0.273, p=0.018), fat mass tissue (r=–0.269, p=0.018), the circumference of tense arm (r=–0.262, p=0.023), the ratio of fat tissue to height (r=–0.253, p=0.026), the fat tissue index (r=–0.233, p=0.042), and correlated positively with the percentage of bone tissues (r=0.250, p=0.028). Conclusions. Weight loss ≥ 6 % over the past 6 months in patients with CHF and reduced ventricular ejection fraction was observed in 34 (44.2 %) patients. Patients with CHF and weight loss ≥ 6 % were significantly older, had a higher NYHA class, lower body weight, body mass index, shoulder circumference of a tense and relaxed arm, waist and hip circumferences, thickness skin and fat folds over the biceps, triceps and under the scapula. Patients with a body weight loss of ≥ 6 % over the past 6 months had a significantly lower percentage of fat tissue, fat mass and lean tissue mass, indexes of fat mass and muscular tissue of limbs. Patients in groups did not differ in terms of mineral bone mass.
Six-degree-of-freedom trajectory optimization of a reentry vehicle is performed using a two-timescale collocation methodology. This class of six-degree-of-freedom trajectory problems is characterized by two distinct timescales in their governing equations, in which a subset of the states have high-frequency dynamics (the rotational equations of motion), whereas the remaining states (the translational equations of motion) vary comparatively slowly. With conventional collocation methods, the six-degree-of-freedom problem becomes extraordinarily large and the problem becomes difficult to solve. Using the two-timescale collocation architecture, the problem size is reduced significantly. The converged solution shows a realistic landing profile and captures the appropriate high-frequency rotational dynamics. A large reduction in the overall problem size (by 55%) is attained with the two-timescale architecture as compared to the conventional single-timescale collocation method. Consequently, optimum six-degree-of-freedom trajectories can now be found efficiently using collocation, which was not previously possible for a system with two distinct timescales in the governing states.
An NHS trust chief executive has blasted “government foolishness” over refusals of visa applications that threaten to leave hospitals in northwest England short of nearly 100 doctors this summer.  Andrew Foster, head of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, said that unless visa restrictions were lifted they would cause “big holes” in health services immediately. Denying “tier 2” visas to doctors from outside the European Economic Area could also herald “massive longstanding” problems for the NHS because the scheme itself would lose credibility and deter other overseas doctors from applying to work in the UK.  Foster has helped to coordinate a bid to bring around 100 doctors from outside the EEA to work in …
Full‐waveform inversion (FWI) includes both migration and tomography modes. The migration mode acts like a nonlinear least squares migration to map model interfaces with reflections, while the tomography mode behaves as tomography to build a background velocity model. The migration mode is the main response of inverting reflections, while the tomography mode exists in response to inverting both the reflections and refractions. To emphasize one of the two modes in FWI, especially for inverting reflections, the separation of the two modes in the gradient of FWI is required. Here we present a new method to achieve this separation with an angle‐dependent filtering technique in the plane wave domain. We first transform the source and residual wavefields into the plane wave domain with the Fourier transform and then decompose them into the migration and tomography components using the opening angles between the transformed source and residual plane waves. The opening angles close to 180° contribute to the tomography component, while the others correspond to the migration component. We find that this approach is very effective and robust even when the medium is relatively complicated with strong lateral heterogeneities, highly dipping reflectors, and strong anisotropy. This is well demonstrated by theoretical analysis and numerical tests with a synthetic data set and a field data set.
Biosimilar monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are making their way onto the drug market. Because these are complex molecules in terms of structure and function, assessing similarity between originator and biosimilar mAb is challenging. This review discusses the hallmarks of similarity testing between originator products and mAb biosimilars in terms of product quality attributes, non-clinical and clinical studies, with a focus on immunogenicity. Sparse data on immunogenicity of biosimilar mAb products is given.
Social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) are today a regular form of communication used widely by individuals and organizations. More recently, social media are also used by political parties to communicate with voters. As a result, political parties engage in a new kind of conversation with voters, transforming campaigning into something more dynamic compared to what it was in the past. This engagement however varies by society. In some cases political parties simply send messages to voters while in others communication is more active. The current study provides evidence on the extent to which political parties and candidates adopted and used social media tools as part of their campaign in the 2013 presidential elections in Cyprus. Interviews with social media officers of five political parties were conducted with the aim of uncovering the frequency and type of social medial usage in the elections. Results reveal that social media were primarily used for one-way communication rather than being a means of discussion and interaction between politicians and voters. Most candidates used social media merely for dissemination of news, images, political messages, and upcoming events. However, all parties recognized that the role of social media in presidential elections could be enhanced to allow more interaction between candidates and voters.
In this paper, we introduce a method for the analysis of the periodic steady-state in nonlinear circuits, performing well even in cases, where the harmonic balance (HE) is unsuited. A series expansion of the state variables with a self-adaptive function base is essential. This results in approximations with few parameters and therefore in a small computational effort. Examples validate the method with these features: Only a fraction of necessary unknown quantities compared to HE, effective application to circuit optimization, and the analysis of autonomous systems.
The band-gap energy and band-gap bowing parameter of the wurtzite AlGaN alloys are investigated numerically with the CASTEP simulation program. The simulation results suggest that the unstrained band-gap bowing parameter of the wurtzite AlGaN alloys is b = 0.353 ±0.024 eV. The simulation results also show that the width of the AlxGa1-xN top valence band at the Γ point decreases when the aluminum composition increases and has a value of 7.331 eV for the GaN (x=0) and 6.132 eV for the AlN (x=1).
While there have been reports on changes in the renin-angiotensin system and angiotensin II (AT) receptors in diabetes, there is no agreement on the nature of these changes. This study has characterised specific AT receptors in the heart, kidney, liver and adrenal glands of the streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rat using radioligand binding studies with the radioligand 125I-[Sar1, Ile8]-angiotensin II. Left ventricular AT receptor density increased by 135% 4 weeks after treatment and by 206% 12 weeks after treatment; in the liver, AT receptor density increased by 476% (4 weeks) and 263% (12 weeks) and in the adrenal gland by 236% (4 weeks) and 109% (12 weeks). In contrast, renal AT receptor density decreased by 49% (4 weeks) and 36% (12 weeks). Competition-displacement assays with losartan, an AT1-selective ligand, showed that the proportion of AT receptor subtypes remained unchanged. STZ treatment decreased plasma angiotensinogen by 72% (4 weeks) and 67% (12 weeks) and increased plasma renin concentration after 12 weeks; plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations remained unchanged. Treatment with human insulin (5 U/day) attenuated changes in plasma angiotensinogen and AT receptor density except in the left ventricle. We conclude that there are major changes in AT receptors in the STZ-diabetic rat that are tissue-specific and time-dependent. Plasma angiotensinogen and renin secretion change in directions that result in the maintenance of plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration.
Objective: To assess and compare the consequences for outcome in terms of the dimensions of activity and participation for two groups: group A, which received early formalized rehabilitation, and group B, which received late or no formalized rehabilitation. Research design: A cross-sectional study. Procedure: Twenty-six patients (A: n = 14 and B: n = 12) with severe brain damage were included. The participants were assessed a mean of 26.6 months (SD 7.1, median 25, range 14–41) after the incident using the structured form for the Swedish Neuro database, the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS), the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Results: The study reveals a better outcome for group A. No patient remained in a vegetative state in group A as compared with three in group B. In group A, 50% were independent as compared with 17% in group B. The frequency of return to work was 43% in group A, but no patient in group B had returned to work.
Abstract Fractional-derivative models (FDMs) are promising tools for characterizing non-Fickian transport in natural geological media. Hydrologic applications of FDMs, however, have been limited in the last two decades, due to the lack of feasible models and solvers to quantify multi-dimensional anomalous diffusion for pollutants in bounded aquifers. This study develops and applies FDM tools to capture vector fractional dispersion for both conservative and reactive pollutants in fractional Brownian motion (fBm) random fields with bounded domains. A d-dimensional anisotropic fBm field for hydraulic conductivity (K) is first generated numerically. A particle-tracking based, fully Lagrangian solver is then developed to approximate particle dynamics in the fBm K fields under various boundary conditions, where the governing equation is the vector FDM subordination to regional flow. Numerical experiments show that the Lagrangian solver can combine nonlocal anomalous transport and local aquifer properties to quantify pollutant transport in bounded aquifers. Application analyses further reveal that the K correlation can significantly enhance the spreading of conservative pollutant particles, and increase the reaction rate by enhancing the mobility and mixing of reactant particles undergoing bimolecular reactions. Extension of the Lagrangian solver is also discussed, including modeling transient flow, generalizing boundary conditions, and capturing complex chemical reactions. This study therefore provides the hydrologic community an efficient Lagrangian solver to model reactive anomalous transport in bounded anisotropic aquifers with any dimension, size, and boundary conditions.
Surface acoustic wave filters have not, for a number of reasons, become widely used in mobile radio equipment to date. A brief resume of the historical development of receiver architecture is presented and the design of two receiver systems is described in which the properties of surface acoustic wave filters are used to best advantage: a double conversion superheterodyne portable radio telephone receiver and a synchrodyne paging receiver. The use of surface acoustic wave filters in these receiver systems is seen to offer advantages with regard to size and power consumption.
The outsourcing consists of a leaseback to the specialised providers in one part of the business. It is a phase detected in the 80’s in Spain, which has also been extended in the environment of the regional public televisions. This paper shows a comparative study between the management structures of different regional public televisions, which have been chosen as an external production model, and the public operators, that have maintained a conventional television model.
Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lysophospholipid mediator which is generated by the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin and released predominantely by activated platelets but also by other cells upon activation. In normal blood plasma it is found in nanomolar to micromolar concentrations. By qualitative and quantitative (TaqMan) RT-PCR, mRNA expression of the S1P receptor S1P1 was detected in CLL cell lines (EHEB, MEC-1) and in all samples of primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells, analyzed after isolation with a CD19 antibody and magnetic cell sorting. mRNA expression of other S1P receptors was less consistently found. When primary CLL cells were cultured in serum-free medium (RPMI 1640 supplemented with fatty acid-free BSA), viability decreased starting from 3 days of culture and was completely lost after 1–2 weeks depending on the individual sample. However, when the cultures were supplemented with S1P (1 nM - 5 μM) the number of viable cells was increased up to 8-fold in a time- and dose-dependent manner as measured using the WST-1 reagent. Moreover, S1P induced a rapid (maximum at 1 min) phosphorylation of the p44/42 Erk/MAP kinase in CLL cell lines and even more prominent in primary CLL cells. The time- and dose dependent phosphorylation was blocked by pretreatment (24h) of the cells with FTY720 (10–100 nM), a compound that binds predominantly to S1P1 and induces loss of cell surface expression by receptor internalization. FTY720 also abrogated the prolonged survival of CLL cells in cultures supplemented with S1P, demonstrating that both the Erk/MAP kinase phosphorylation and the consecutive increased survival were mediated by the S1P1 receptor. Activation of MAP kinase was also inhibited by pertussis toxin, which selectively blocks Gi proteins, the only class of G proteins known to be coupled to S1P1. Phosphorylation of Akt was not observed in CLL cell lines and primary CLL cells after stimulation with S1P. B-CLL cell lines showed a pronounced chemotactic response to S1P at low concentrations. In primary CLL cells however, S1P did neither induce phosphorylation of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) nor chemotaxis. We conclude that S1P, constitutively present in the blood, prolongs survival of CLL cells involving the Erk/MAP kinase pathway. Since compounds that induce S1P1 receptor internalization like FTY720 are already used as immunosuppressants in humans, our results suggest inclusion of these drugs also in the treatment of B-CLL, where they may potentiate the effect of conventional antiproliferative therapy.
An interfacial study between metallurgical coke and synthetic slags representing typical slag chemistry of bosh regions of an operating blast furnace was conducted at 1500°C using a horizontal laboratory furnace. The wetting characteristics of coke with slag was studied by measuring dynamic contact angle of sessile droplet of slag on coke substrate, while reaction kinetics of interface was monitored by measuring the amount of CO and CO2 gases with the help of infrared analyzer. The interface chemistry was also examined by SEM/EDS/EPMA. The study demonstrated that coke wettability was strongly dependent both on the slag composition as well as coke chemistry such that low basicity (CaO/SiO2) of slag, that is high amounts of oxides of silicon enhanced the wetting propensity of slag. The study further showed that the wettability of coke with slag was found to improve with increased extent of gasification, and was attributed to higher ash content of partially gasified cokes. The CO/CO2 measurements of off gases from the reacting chamber were used to demonstrate that slag wettability with coke was primarily controlled by the kinetics of reduction of metal oxides at the slag/coke interface particularly that of silica. The study demonstrates that in addition to slag composition, coke properties could also influence the liquid permeability of lower zone of the blast furnace, and hence needs attention while optimizing the bosh slag composition for high productivity blast furnace operation.
The resemblance between the discoveries that DNA is the basis of heredity and that prions are infectious proteins is remarkable. Though four decades separated these two discoveries, the biochemical methodologies and scientific philosophies that were employed are surprisingly similar. In both cases, bioassays available at the time that the projects were initiated proved to be inadequate to support purification studies. Improved bioassays allowed the transforming principle (TP) to be purified from pneumococci and prions from scrapie-infected hamster brains. Publications describing TP as composed of DNA prompted some scientists to contend that undetected proteins must contaminate TP enriched fractions. The simplicity of DNA was thought to prevent it from encoding genetic information. By the time prions were discovered, the genomes of all infectious pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites had been shown to be comprised of nucleic acids and so an antithetical refrain became widely echoed: DNA or RNA molecules must be hiding among the proteins of prions. Finding the unexpected and being asked to demonstrate unequivocally the absence of a possible contaminant represent uncanny parallels between the discoveries that DNA encodes the genotype and that prions are infectious proteins.
Background Breastfeeding is a fundamental component of health care, and health professionals need to be adequately prepared. As part of the system, health care professionals have the ability to influence the establishment and maintenance of breastfeeding. The global literature regarding the curricular approach or established best practices for health professional education in lactation is inconclusive and lacking in rigor. Research aim To explore the literature for the educational resources, methods, and curriculum used in the education of undergraduate health students related to lactation. Methods A scoping review examining the curricular programs of health professional students in lactation was undertaken exploring and summarizing evidence from peer reviewed and grey literature. A scoping review with a five-stage review process was followed. The database search between 1982–2018 generated 625 results, 79 full-text articles were reviewed, and 29 articles published in English met the inclusion criteria. Results In general, educational resources, methods, curricular approaches, and foundational topics were based on best practice standards. Some authors incorporated a variety of learning methods and provided experiential learning, with evidence of translation of knowledge into clinical practice. In the studies examined, researchers reported that students had improved their: knowledge and attitudes (59%); breastfeeding support skills (45%); and confidence (10%). However, even in programs that focused on developing students’ breastfeeding support skills, authors reported a lack of change in students’ confidence. Conclusions Although only English articles met the inclusion criteria, this review was unique in its search of multidisciplinary, multilingual, and international studies. Consistency in teaching across disciplines is key and not evident in the studies reviewed.
The main challenge of Western Balkans countries since in this period of transition has been the unemployment issue. In different time tables the unemployment rate has been 35% but if we see the unemployment rate among youth, its level at times has even been almost twice as higher that the overall unemployment rate. In this paper we will focus on youth unemployment and the challenges they face towards being employed after they finish their education. For this purpose it will be used the data from the School-to-work Transition Survey (SWTS) administered by the International Labor Organization for Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro which was conducted during 2014. The results will show which factors influence most in being unemployed. The main aim of this paper is to analyze the transition of youth from the education process to labor market and their employment. The results deriving from this paper will shad light to the problems that youth in Western Balkan faces.
Researchers are increasingly expected to deliver “socially robust knowledge” that is not only scientifically reliable but also takes into account demands from societal actors. This article focuses on an empirical example where these additional criteria are explicitly organized into research settings. We investigate how the multiple “accountabilities” are managed in such “responsive research settings.” This article provides an empirical account of such an organizational format: the Dutch Academic Collaborative Centres for Public Health. We present a cross-case analysis of four collaborative research projects conducted within this context. We build on (and extend) Miller’s notion of “hybrid management.” The article shows that the extended concept of hybrid management is useful to study the different accountabilities encountered in such settings. We analyze how the collaboration developed and which conflicts or dilemmas arose. We then focus on the different hybrid management strategies used in the collaboration. The empirical material shows how the different aspects of hybrid management feature in various configurations in the four projects. We highlight that hybrid management strategies may be used by different groups or at different moments, may reinforce or contradict each other, and may be more or less effective at different points in time.
Lipid analysis performed by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) is a relatively simple, cost-effective method of analyzing a broad range of lipids. The function of lipids (e.g., in host-pathogen interactions or host entry) has been reported to play a crucial role in cellular processes. Here, we show a method to determine lipid composition, with a focus on the cholesterol level of primary blood-derived neutrophils, by HPTLC in comparison to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The aim was to investigate the role of lipid/cholesterol alterations in the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NET release is known as a host defense mechanism to prevent pathogens from spreading within the host. Therefore, blood-derived human neutrophils were treated with methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) to induce lipid alterations in the cells. Using HPTLC and HPLC, we have shown that MβCD treatment of the cells leads to lipid alterations associated with a significant reduction in the cholesterol content of the cell. At the same time, MβCD treatment of the neutrophils led to the formation of NETs, as shown by immunofluorescence microscopy. In summary, here we present a detailed method to study lipid alterations in neutrophils and the formation of NETs.
The purpose of this research is to find out and see the normative-theological perspective on the use of the hijab in Islam and see the perspective of parents responding to emerging issues related to the use of headscarves in early childhood. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative research, using a case study approach. This research focuses intensively on one particular object which is studied as a case. After the data is collected then the data is processed and analyzed again through data triangulation. The results of this study show that the hijab is an identity that is mandatory for every Muslim woman. The shortcut given to the problem of modernity above, is feared as a step to gain the freedom to shift the existing shari'a barriers. To address this, it is necessary to strengthen Muslim families to return to kaffah Islamic teachings to maintain the purity of Islam which is sourced from the Koran and Sunnah. There are several steps that must be taken to familiarize children with using the hijab by way of, first, by setting an example. Second, by providing an example. Third, by giving/doing habituation. Fourth, by providing repetition. Fifth, by providing training, and sixth, by motivating children to be more enthusiastic.
Power system planning and expansion start with forecasting the anticipated future load requirement. Load forecasting is essential for the engineering perspective and a financial perspective. It effectively plays a vital role in the conventional monopolistic operation and electrical utility planning to enhance power system operation, security, stability, minimization of operation cost, and zero emissions. Two Well-developed cases are discussed here to quantify the benefits of additional models, observation, resolution, data type, and how data are necessary for the perception and evolution of the electrical load forecasting in Jordan. Actual load data for more than a year is obtained from the leading electricity company in Jordan. These cases are based on total daily demand and hourly daily demand. This work’s main aim is for easy and accurate computation of week ahead electrical system load forecasting based on Jordan’s current load measurements. The uncertainties in forecasting have the potential to waste money and resources. This research proposes an optimized multi-layered feed-forward neural network using the recent Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO). The problem of power forecasting is formulated as a minimization problem. The experimental results are compared with popular optimization methods and show that the proposed method provides very competitive forecasting results.
Iodide is an important regulator of thyroid activity. Its excess elicits the Wolff-Chaikoff effect, characterized by an acute suppression of thyroid hormone synthesis, which has been ascribed to serum TSH reduction or TGF-beta increase and production of iodolipids in the thyroid. These alterations take hours/days to occur, contrasting with the promptness of Wolff-Chaikoff effect. We investigated whether acute iodide administration could trigger events that precede those changes, such as reduction of sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) mRNA abundance and adenylation, and if perchlorate treatment could counteract them. Rats subjected or not to methylmercaptoimidazole treatment (0.03%) received NaI (2,000 microg/0.5 ml saline) or saline intraperitoneally and were killed 30 min up to 24 h later. Another set of animals was treated with iodide and perchlorate, in equimolar doses. NIS mRNA content was evaluated by Northern blotting and real-time PCR, and NIS mRNA poly(A) tail length by rapid amplification of cDNA ends-poly(A) test (RACE-PAT). We observed that NIS mRNA abundance and poly(A) tail length were significantly reduced in all periods of iodide treatment. Perchlorate reversed these effects, indicating that iodide was the agent that triggered the modifications observed. Since the poly(A) tail length of mRNAs is directly associated with their stability and translation efficiency, we can assume that the rapid decay of NIS mRNA abundance observed was due to a reduction of its stability, a condition in which its translation could be impaired. Our data show for the first time that iodide regulates NIS mRNA expression at posttranscriptional level, providing a new mechanism by which iodide exerts its autoregulatory effect on thyroid.
To engage successfully with China it is important to analyze perceptions of the world that have developed in that country in the post-war decades. These ideas, deeply rooted in the millennial history of the Celestial Empire, remain an infinite source of Chinese civilization’s strength in the face of external challenges. According to the authors, Chinese visions of the world order, globalization and further global developments are, in general, reasonable and constructive. The trade war initiated by the U.S. administration in 2018 is a kind of recognition of the validity of these Chinese perceptions.
Repurposing the macrolide antibiotic azithromycin has recently been suggested as a promising neuroprotective strategy for the acute treatment of ischemic stroke. Here, we aim at further characterizing the immunomodulatory properties of intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of this drug and, more importantly, at assessing whether neuroprotection can also be achieved by the more clinically relevant intravenous (i.v.) route of administration in a mouse model of focal cerebral ischemia induced by transient (30-min) middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). A single i.p. injection of azithromycin (150 mg/kg) upon reperfusion prevented ischemia-induced spleen contraction and increased the number of MAC-1-immunopositive microglia/macrophages in the ischemic hemisphere 48 h after the insult. This was paralleled by an elevation of alternatively activated phenotypes (i.e., Ym1-immunopositive M2-polarized cells) and by a reduced expression of the pro-inflammatory marker myeloperoxidase. More importantly, i.v. administration of azithromycin upon reperfusion reduced MCAo-induced infarct volume and cerebral edema to an extent comparable to that obtained via the i.p. route. Although the i.p. route is often used for research purposes, it is impractical in the clinical setting; however, i.v. administration can easily be used in ischemic stroke patients who usually have i.v. access already established on hospital admission. The neuroprotective efficacy of the clinically relevant i.v. administration of azithromycin, together with its beneficial immunomodulatory properties reported in mice subjected to transient MCAo, suggests that this macrolide antibiotic can be effectively repurposed for the acute treatment of ischemic stroke. To this end, further work is needed to validate the efficacy of azithromycin in the clinical setting.
We systematically evaluated the performance and reliability of several widely used, commercially available actin-filament probes in a highly motile breast adenocarcinoma cell line to optimize the visualization of F-actin-rich dynamic lamellipodia. We evaluated four Phalloidin-fluorophores, two anti-actin antibodies, and three live-cell actin probes in five fixation conditions across three imaging platforms as a basis for the design of optimized protocols. Of the fluorescent phalloidin-dye conjugates tested, Alexa Fluor-488 Phalloidin ranked best in overall labeling of the actin cytoskeleton and maintenance of the fluorescence signal over time. Use of actin monoclonal antibodies revealed significant limitations under a variety of fixation-permeabilization conditions. Evaluation of commonly used live-cell probes provides evidence for actin filament bias, with TagRFP-Lifeact excluded from lamellipodia, but not mEGFP-Lifeact or F-tractin-EGFP.
IN RECENT YEARS, social workers, social scientists, and others have loosed a torrent of words calling for a concerted attack on our most pressing social problems. They demand that these problems be analyzed, they raise dire warnings, and they plead for wisdom and courage. Certainly, sound analysis of social problems is essential. Without it, social policy and social action may be based on shaky grounds or may be entirely misdirected. Without hypotheses that make sense, without a conceptual framework, a lot of busy action that looks as if it must be accomplishing something is no more than wasted energy. Problem identification and analysis, theory-building, and the development of basic concepts are the indispensable underpinnings of social action. The trouble is, however, that those who are analyzing social problems can often agree that a problem exists and that it is critical but cannot agree on the definition of the problem and what to do about it. Some of their theorizing is good, some is not so good, and some is downright wrong. Even more disturbing is the fact that not enough analysts and theorists are helping the community at large to translate theories into policy and action. With a few outstanding exceptions, social scientists are not helping the politicians, the service professions, and interested citizens interpret the theories in terms of new and better policies, new institutional arrangements, or new types of action. The words addressed to this end are a trickle rather than a torrent. An equally frustrating problem is trying to get a policy or a plan of action accepted, even if one has a good idea about what should be done. One of the arts indispensable to those who want to initiate action is the ~bility to balance all the conflicting interests m such a way that enough people will support it. The social actionist must be skilled in every step of the process. He must know ~ow to reco~e a good theoretical explanation for a SOCIal phenomenon; how to stimulate and nurture analysis and creativity in his oW? s~tting-agency, neighborhood, state, uruversity, and so on; how to promote the establishment of a framework of institutional relationships that will encourage thought and action to flower. Added to these frustrations is the reality that many of the social and economic conditions of today's world-the conditions that are producing the problems with which social work must deal-are beyond the reach of the individual, the local community, the state, and sometimes even the nation. We must face the fact that we do not yet have the knowledge or the means to change some of the most pervasive and influential forces that dominate our life. It is easy to be discouraged by the immensity of all these difficulties. But there is something in our heritage that denies us the privilege of giving up the effort to find solutions, to discover better ways of dealing with the problems of our society. In spite of the obstacles we face, we are seriously searching for light and we are ready to invest our energies in a renewed assault on society's ills.
We fabricated silver nanorod arrays producing enhanced fluorescence and evaluated the photophysical behaviors of single probes immobilized on nanorods. The observation of bright emission indicated that a highly enhanced field was created near the nanorod. A considerable enhancement in fluorescence of up to a factor of two orders of magnitude was observed as compared to the emission on the controlled substrate.
Sports facilities are defined as quasi-public goods and most are supported by public administration, because sports affect education, improve health, develop the sports industry, and reinvigorate local economies. However, public facilities need to be evaluated from the viewpoint of social benefits and management expenses.The purpose of this paper is to clarify the evaluation of public sports facilities by residents. We carried out a residents' consciousness survey of Gifu Memorial Center where many large scale sports events are managed. We analyzed the survey results using factor analysis and covariance structural analysis The results of our analyses are summarized as follows. First, the factor analysis identified three effects; direct effects, indirect effects and existence effects. The direct effects are evaluated by the sports events, facilities and management. The indirect effects are evaluated by sports promotion and local revitalization. The existence effects are evaluated by park features and emergency gathering area.Second, the values of the latent variables that can be inferred from measurements of the observable variables provide corroborative evidence of the relationship between the evaluation of the facilities and expectations through the covariance structural analysis of residents' consciousness. In particular the residents feel satisfaction for the facilities and expect sports and education in community service promotional events.Third, the evaluation of the Gifu Memorial Center by residents fluctuated according to a difference in the residents' preference for sports and their health consciousness. Residents that have a preference for and actually participate in sports set a high valuation on sports facilities, but residents that have no interest in sports are indifferent about the facilities. Furthermore, the neighborhood residents highly evaluate existence effects and local revitalization.JEL Classification: R11, H75, I18
Wikipedia.org is an online encyclopedia which can be edited by anyone. This feature makes the article in Wikipedia rapidly increased in size and can be fixed subsequently, but also makes it prone to vandalism in the forms of invalid information, deletion, ads, or meaningless content. This paper propose a framework for detecting vandalism on English Wikipedia using machine learning technique by training Cascaded Random Forest (CRF) classifier on PAN Wikipedia Vandalism Corpus 2010 (PAN-WVC-10) English dataset that has been resampled using Local Neighbourhood Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (LNSMOTE). These two techniques then compared with Random Forest (RF) for classifier and Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique (SMOTE) for resampling. The result of classifiers that has been tested on PAN Wikipedia Vandalism Corpus 2011 (PAN-WVC-11) English dataset showed that dataset resampled using LNSMOTE increase the true-positive rate (TPR) better than SMOTE in both classifiers. CRF on SMOTE with 200 stages and 1 tree gave the better result among others with TPR value 0.9904. From training computation time, CRF 1.6 times faster than RF in resampled dataset.
SUMMARY The primary goal of this review is to provide a compilation of the complex architectural features of staphylococcal cell walls and of some of their unusual morphogenetic traits including the utilization of murosomes and two different mechanisms of cell separation. Knowledge of these electron microscopic findings may serve as a prerequisite for a better understanding of the sophisticated events which lead to penicillin-induced death. For more than 50 years there have been controversial disputes about the mechanisms by which penicillin kills bacteria. Many hypotheses have tried to explain this fatal event biochemically and mainly via bacteriolysis. However, indications that penicillin-induced death of staphylococci results from overall biochemical defects or from a fatal attack of bacterial cell walls by bacteriolytic murein hydrolases were not been found. Rather, penicillin, claimed to trigger the activity of murein hydrolases, impaired autolytic wall enzymes of staphylococci. Electron microscopic investigations have meanwhile shown that penicillin-mediated induction of seemingly minute cross wall mistakes is the very reason for this killing. Such “morphogenetic death” taking place at predictable cross wall sites and at a predictable time is based on the initiation of normal cell separations in those staphylococci in which the completion of cross walls had been prevented by local penicillin-mediated impairment of the distribution of newly synthesized peptidoglycan; this death occurs because the high internal pressure of the protoplast abruptly kills such cells via ejection of some cytoplasm during attempted cell separation. An analogous fatal onset of cell partition is considered to take place without involvement of a detectable quantity of autolytic wall enzymes (“mechanical cell separation”). The most prominent feature of penicillin, the disintegration of bacterial cells via bacteriolysis, is shown to represent only a postmortem process resulting from shrinkage of dead cells and perturbation of the cytoplasmic membrane. Several schematic drawings have been included in this review to facilitate an understanding of the complex morphogenetic events.
Nitrite is a very effective inducer of nitrate reductase. Nitrate induces the enzyme in darkness only upon addition of suitable sources of reducing equivalent which permit the formation of nitrite; nitrite itself brings about induction of the enzyme in darkness without supplementation of exogenous reducing cofactors. Inhibition of constitutive nitrate reductase by tungstate prevents induction of the enzyme by nitrate but not by nitrite. Since nitrate induces the enzyme only under conditions allowing production of nitrite while the induction capacity of nitrite is free of this constraint, nitrate reductase be considered a product-inducible rather than a substrate-inducible enzyme. The ability of nitrate to induce nitrate reductase in higher plants has been widely accepted [l]. Nitrate alone, however, is not always sufficient to induce the enzyme in higher plants. Light [2] and C02 [3] are also necessary, suggesting that photosynthesis furnishes some essential component of the induction process triggered by nitrate. We have previously shown [4] that induction of nitrate reductase may be obtained by spraying suitable amounts of plant hormones on the leaves of tobacco plants in the dark. It has been shown also that adding certain respiratory substrates to nitrate in etiolated barley leaves allows induction of the enzyme in the dark [5]. Nitrate, therefore, promotes induction of nitrate reductase only under conditions which permit formation of nitrite. The reduction of nitrate requires photosynthesis of a carbon compound which yields, upon oxidation, the electrons necessary for the reduction. We have suggested [6] that glycolate is the photosynthetic compound required for nitrate reduction because the enzyme system which oxidizes glycolate and the enzyme-reducing nitrate are located in microbodies. Glycolate dehydrogenase activity has been detected in plants actively reducing nitrate [7]. Nitrate reduction takes place in the dark when the leaves are supplemented with suitable respiratory substrates [5] such as glucose, phosphoglyceric acid or glycolate ; this exogeneous supply substitutes photosynthesis as a source of energy-yielding substrates for the reduction of nitrate and the generation of nitrite. Since reduction of nitrate to nitrite takes place in both cases (photosynthesis or supplementation of
Abstract Ghrelin is upregulated under negative energy balance conditions, including starvation and hypoglycemia, while it is downregulated under situations of positive energy balance, such as feeding, hyperglycemia and obesity. The aims of this study were to assess potential ghrelin interactions with glucose levels in appetite control and to identify potential mechanisms involving orexigenic and anorexigenic ghrelin mediated signals by using a specific anti-ghrelin antibody. Our results confirm that peripheral ghrelin is an important signal in meal initiation and food intake stimulation. C-fos positive neurons in the PVN increased after insulin or 2-deoxyglucose administration. Moreover, we also demonstrate that peripheral ghrelin blockade with a specific anti-ghrelin antibody reduces, in part, the orexigenic signal induced by insulin and 2-DG administration. Furthermore, when we blocked peripheral ghrelin, c-fos positive CRF neurons and CART expression increased in the PVN, both under hypoglycemia or cytoglycopenia conditions, suggesting a neuronal activation (anorexigenic signalling) in this hypothalamic region. In summary, our findings imply that peripheral ghrelin plays an important role in regulatory “glucostatic” feeding mechanisms due to its role as a “hunger” signal affecting the PVN area, which may contribute to energy homeostasis through both orexigenic/anorexigenic pathways.
The chronic proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) botnet malware activities coupled with an unprecedented rise in security vulnerabilities convene a new world of opportunities for perpetrators and unveil a new set of hurdles in deriving relevant IoT malware intelligence. Such shortfall within the IoT paradigm exacerbates the capabilities for largely identifying the prevailing IoT malware threats, the origin of the IoT attacks, as well as, the security deficit associated with the IoT paradigm. Previous work has vastly studied IoT malware activities in the wild but has not profiled at a large scale malicious activities to collect in near real-time central IoT artifacts much-needed to understand and eventually elevate the security posture of the IoT ecosystem. To this end, we propose in this work a near real-time collection scheme to collect and analyze at large IoT malware artifacts essential for understanding the prevalent cyber security risks. We leverage in this work a large network telescope comprising of 16.7 million IPs as one extensive honeypot to examine evidence of malicious IoT probes in the wild. Subsequently, we employ a deception technique to respond to these probes and eventually establish bogus connections to collect IoT malware artifacts. In only 120 hours of near real-time measurements, our proposed scheme collected 80,569,070 interactions originating from 30,190 malware-infected IoT devices. Accordingly, we derive pivotal IoT malware intelligence which includes system commands, file-less attacks evidence, payload URLs, Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) binaries, log-in credentials, malicious LDAP servers, and unique insights on the abuse of the recent Log4shell security vulnerability in distributing IoT malware binaries.
Objective Whether there is an association or a cause-and-effect relationship between epistaxis and hypertension is a subject of longstanding controversy. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the association between epistaxis and hypertension and to verify whether hypertension is an independent risk factor of epistaxis. Data Sources A comprehensive search was performed using the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. Review Methods The review was performed according to the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. Results We screened 2768 unique studies and selected 10 for this meta-analysis. Overall, the risk of epistaxis was significantly increased for patients with hypertension (odds ratio, 1.532 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.181-1.986]; number needed to treat, 14.9 [95% CI, 12.3-19.0]). Results of the Q test and I2 statistics suggested considerable heterogeneity ( P χ 2 = 0.038, I2 = 49.3%). The sensitivity analysis was performed by excluding 1 study at a time, and it revealed no change in statistical significance. Conclusion Although this meta-analysis had some limitations, our study demonstrated that hypertension was significantly associated with the risk of epistaxis. However, since this association does not support a causal relationship between hypertension and epistaxis, further clinical trials with large patient populations will be required to determine the impact of hypertension on epistaxis.
Most so-called “beneficial bacteria” in gut microbiota are Gram-positive, and TLR6 recognizes the peptidoglycan (PGN) present in their cell walls. We hypothesized that a high TLR6 expression status predicts a more favorable prognosis after esophagectomy. We used an ESCC tissue microarray (TMA) to examine TLR6 expression status in ESCC patients and to determine whether TLR6 expression status correlates with prognosis after curative esophagectomy. We also examined whether PGN influences the cell proliferation activity of ESCC lines. Clinical ESCC samples from 177 patients tested for the expression of TLR6 were categorized as 3+ (n = 17), 2+ (n = 48), 1+ (n = 68), or 0 (n = 44). High TLR6 expression (3+ and 2+) correlated with significantly more favorable 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) after esophagectomy than a lower TLR6 expression (1+ and 0). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that TLR6 expression status is an independent prognostic factor that affects 5-year OS. PGN significantly inhibited the cell proliferation activity of ESCC lines. This is the first study to show that high TLR6 expression status predicts a more favorable prognosis in locally advanced thoracic ESCC patients after curative esophagectomy. PGN released from “beneficial bacteria” seems to have potential to inhibit the cell proliferation activity of ESCC.
This study is motivated by the development of ultra-quiet advent aircraft that use jet noise shielding by the airframe. Current methods to predict shielding from aircraft surfaces rely on formulae developed for diffraction of sound from point sources. However, the jet noise source is distributed, directional, and with finite spatial coherence. Development of reliable predictive tools for jet noise shielding therefore requires a different approach. In this study we use the Boundary Element Method to assess progressively more complex interactions between sources and shields. For validation, we start with the classic problem of a plane wave interacting with a sphere. Shielding of a point source by a rectangular plate is compared with empirical formulae as well as experimental data. Finally, we examine the interaction of a wavepacket – simulating the jet noise source – with a rectangular plate. The wavepacket model appears to capture important elements of jet noise diffraction as measured in experiments.
The body mass index (BMI) is an arbitrary criterion used by third party fundholders in some countries for rationing the public funding of reduction mammaplasty and abdominoplasty surgery. Many patients have commented that the weight of their excess breast tissue or abdominal pannus contributes to an overestimation of their body mass index. This study seeks to establish the truth of this by ascertaining whether the difference between pre- and postoperative body mass indices of patients undergoing reduction mammaplasty or abdominoplasty is significant. Case notes of 30 sequential reduction mammaplasty patients and 16 abdominoplasty patients were analyzed to ascertain their preoperative weight, height, calculated BMI, and the mass of the breast reduction or abdominal resection specimen as measured in theater. This information was used to retrospectively calculate the difference the weight of the specimen would have made to their BMI. Overall, the difference between pre- and postoperative BMI is not statistically significant (reduction mammaplasty P = 0.22; abdominoplasty P = 0.62, 2-tailed t test). However, the largest contribution breast reduction and abdominoplasty resection specimens made to the BMI in our series was 1 and 2.4, respectively. We suggest that it may be appropriate to consider a minority of patients for surgery if their BMI is within 1.0 (for breast reduction) or 2 (for abdominoplasty) of any set target BMI, and highlight the specific patient subpopulations to which this is most applicable. An estimate of resection weight preoperatively may allow a “corrected” BMI to be used for determining eligibility for surgery.
Dock1 (also known as Dock180) is a prototypical member of a new family of atypical Rho GTPase activators. Genetic studies in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans have demonstrated that Dock1 orthologues in these organisms have a crucial role in activating Rac GTPase signaling. We generated mutant alleles of the closely related Dock1 and Dock5 genes to study their function in mammals. We report that while Dock5 is dispensable for normal mouse embryogenesis, Dock1 has an essential role in embryonic development. A dramatic reduction of all skeletal muscle tissues is observed in Dock1-null embryos. Mechanistically, this embryonic defect is attributed to a strong deficiency in myoblast fusion, which is detectable both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we have uncovered a contribution of Dock5 toward myofiber development. These studies identify Dock1 and Dock5 as critical regulators of the fusion step during primary myogenesis in mammals and demonstrate that a specific component of the myoblast fusion machinery identified in Drosophila plays an evolutionarily conserved role in higher vertebrates.
All trans retinoic acid (ATRA) plays an important role in many cellular processes and is a potent promising substance for cancer therapy. The self-renewal is a prominent feature of cancer stem cells that is tightly controlled by a number of specific genes, and is also mediated by the cell signaling pathways. The Notch signal pathway has been shown to be one of the few major molecular signaling pathways of cancer stem cells, which regulates self-renewal and survival of cancer stem cells. In this study, we showed that ATRA reduced the expression of important genes involved in self-renewal of cells including Sox2, KLF4, DMNT1 and MYC as well as TBGUT markers such as CD24, MUC1 and CD90. Furthermore, we indicate that the ATRA-induced expression of self-renewal genes and cancer stem cell markers of gastric cancer stem cells can be mediated by the regulation of the Notch signaling pathway.
This report discusses the progress on the measurement of the direct CP violation parameter {var epsilon}{prime}/{var epsilon} and the rare KL decay. The progress has been as follows: (A) results from the complete E731 data set which was collected in the 1987/88 fixed target run; preparations for and the taking of the data for (B) E773 (CPT symmetry test) and (C) E799 (rare decay study); and finally (D) R D for a new detector to further study {var epsilon}{prime}/{var epsilon} and rate decays.
This paper studies the effects of exchange rate interventions using daily and intraday data for Chile, from 1998 to 2003. Its main contribution is the recognition of the role played by transparency and public announcements in the success of the intervention policy, through the existence of an expectations mechanism which directly impacts the exchange rate. Three foreign exchange policy instruments are distinguished -spot, dollar denominated papers (BCD´s) and announcements- and treated as independent interventions. Time series estimations are used to capture the effect of the traditionally studied spot interventions, as well as the effects associated to the announcement channel that we propose as potentially relevant. Results show that the impact of individual interventions (spot and BCD) are extremely small and, in most cases, non-significant. Also, the importance of the hypothesized announcement mechanism is confirmed. The impact of Central Bank actions on the exchange rate´s level and trend seem to be channeled through the public announcements made by the monetary authority. The market adjusts its expectations to the information revealed through them, with the exchange rate responding accordingly. These effects occur on longer time spans than the ones suggested by the traditional literature. The negligible effect of individual interventions is also found, for the year 2001, with the use of intraday data.
Abstract Demographic changes are transforming Germany's working environment. A shrinking and aging workforce is having to cope with rising market requirements for skilled labour. As the risk of occupational disability rises with age, lawmakers have introduced a number of legislative changes to sustain workers' ability to work as long as possible. Another important step in this direction was the introduction of a training program to become a Certified Disability Management Professional (CDMP), based on the Canadian model and driven by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV). International scientific research has long recognised the importance of professional counselling and support for successful vocational rehabilitation of sick and disabled people. In Germany, however, there has been a lack of studies investigating which competencies disability managers need for their work or whether their training is adequate. The present study fills this gap. 217 disability managers and other vocational rehabilitation professionals were asked about their tasks and the competencies required for their work. Two important areas of responsibility were identified: work with the client, on the one hand, and organisational and managerial tasks on the other. This represents a lower degree of specialisation than that found in related American or Australian studies. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.
Purpose of review Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is a new, emerging technique that has been performed in elderly and higher-risk patients suffering severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis. Recent findings Initial clinical results are promising. Important technological progress, i.e. the development of two stent-based aortic valve xenografts (the CoreValve prosthesis with a nitinol frame and the Edwards Sapien prosthesis with a steel stent), has allowed these achievements. Both prostheses can be crimped to small diameters, allowing for implantation by either a transfemoral or a transapical approach. Recently, CE mark approval has been obtained for both prostheses for transfemoral implantation. This will likely lead to an increased number of implantations. Current clinical studies are of prospective design with observational character. No prospectively randomized clinical trials have been reported so far; however, one randomized trial is under way. Summary Transcatheter aortic valve implantation has become a clinical reality and will be performed more frequently in the future. Patient selection is critical and current indications include only higher-risk patients suffering severe aortic stenosis. When selecting the optimal therapy for individual patients, the advantages and disadvantages of this novel approach must be carefully weighed against the excellent results achieved with conventional surgery.
The mechanism by which dementia occurs in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is not known. We assessed changes in hippocampal dendritic spines of APP/PS1 transgenic mice that accumulate amyloid beta throughout the brain. Three-dimensional analysis of 21,507 dendritic spines in the dentate gyrus, a region crucial for learning and memory, revealed a substantial decrease in the frequency of large spines in plaque-free regions of APP/PS1 mice. Plaque-related dendrites also show striking alterations in spine density and morphology. However, plaques occupy only 3.9% of the molecular layer volume. Because large spines are considered to be the physical traces of long-term memory, widespread decrease in the frequency of large spines likely contributes to the cognitive impairments observed in this AD model.
Wetlands are naturally patchy habitat types that in fragmented landscapes are usually immersed inside a sea of anthropogenic habitat matrix. Decrease in patch size area and increase of patch isolation are two important components of wetland fragmentation. We investigated the effects of fragment area on bird species richness at four-level assemblages in a highly fragmented Mediterranean wetland system of Central Italy. Our results indicate that fragment area influenced differently the species richness for distinct assemblages in wetland fragments. Area was significantly correlated to total species richness, vagrant, breeding and Phragmites -related breeding species (PBS). A comparison of the various regression equations showed that the log-log relationship was the best-fitted model and the amount of variation ( R 2 of log-log regression line) was much higher for PBS and breeders than for vagrants. This pattern confirmed that when including vagrants in studies based on the equilibrium theory of island bioge...
Introduction A global variation in the pharmacy support personnel training programmes has been observed. The objective of this scoping review is to map out global evidence available on the pharmacy support personnel training programme characteristics, and interface between knowledge, practice and regulatory requirements. Methods and analysis The scoping review will be undertaken by two independent reviewers. Peer-reviewed journal articles of any study design and grey literature will be included with no publication time limit. All literature published in English focusing on pharmacy support personnel training programmes, entry-level certification requirements, ongoing professional development and apprenticeship will be included. We will search MEDLINE (EBSCOhost), PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, (EBSCOhost) and Dissertation and Thesis (ProQuest), ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis Global and Google Scholar, and reference list of all included studies. We will also search grey literature from websites of international professional regulatory bodies and associations. All studies that meet the inclusion criteria will be imported into a reference management package (EndNote V.20) that facilitates study selection, screening and de-duplication. Data will be extracted by two independent reviewers using a jointly developed and piloted data charting form. Data items will include skills, knowledge, competencies, admission criteria, content, duration, qualification options, accreditation status, delivery models and approaches. Data extracted from the included studies will be collated, and quantitative results presented using descriptive statistics such as percentages, tables, charts and flow diagrams as appropriate. A narrative account of findings from the literature will be presented following qualitative content analysis of the extracted information using NVivo V.12. Quality appraisal of included studies will not be assessed as the purpose of the scoping review is to give a descriptive global overview of the pharmacy support personnel training programmes, and evidence will also be sourced from grey literature. Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval is needed for this study as it does not include animals or human participants. The study findings will be disseminated electronically and in print with presentations done at relevant platforms, that is, in peer-reviewed journals, in print and in conferences. Registration Open Science Framework (ofs.i0/r2cdn; registration DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F95MH; internet archive link: https://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-f95mh-v1; registration type: OSF-Standard Pre-Data Collection Registration).
To sell a novel as socially relevant, the book cover, prefaces, and other paratext can help convey why readers should care and how the story should be read. But relevance can expire as society moves on. Reprints of groundbreaking classics that no longer engage contemporary concerns adapt their paratext to reach new readers, often by emphasizing the book’s historical and/or literary position. This article examines paratextual strategies across time and space for three Scandinavian novels with exceptional influence. Enlightenment-promoting Niels Klim’s Underground Travels (1741) was the region’s first novel; Hunger (1890) is praised by many as the world’s first modernist novel; and The Man on the Balcony (1967) became the progenitor of Nordic Noir. Early paratext used anonymity, false veracity, or documentary elements to sell relevance. But with commercial success, and temporal and geographical distance, paratext became increasingly author focused and self-referential, at times all but ignoring the author’s intent for the story.
Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a leading cause of mortality after heart transplantation. Noninvasive imaging techniques used in CAV evaluation have important limitations. In a cross‐sectional study, we investigated perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to determine an optimal myocardial perfusion reserve index (MPR) cutoff for detecting CAV using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. We evaluated CMR performance using sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratio analysis. We included 29 patients (mean 5 ± 4 years after transplant) scheduled for coronary angiography with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) who completed CMR. CAV was defined as maximal intimal thickness (MIT) >0.5 mm by IVUS of the left anterior descending artery. CAV was evident in 19 patients (70%) on IVUS (mean MIT 0.82 ± 0.42 mm). MPR was significantly lower in patients with MIT ≥0.50 mm (1.35 ± 0.23 vs. 1.71 ± 0.45, p = 0.013). There was moderate inverse correlation between MPR and MIT (r = −0.36, p = 0.075). The optimal MPR cutoff ≤1.68 for predicting CAV showed sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 63%, a negative predictive value of 100%, a positive predictive value of 86% and a positive likelihood ratio of 2.7. An MPR ≤1.68 has high negative predictive value, suggesting its potential as a test to rule out CAV.
To the Editor: —The experimental and clinical investigations of the action of ephedrine, reported by us separately in a number of recent publications, were carried out with ephedrine sulphate or hydrochloride, made in the laboratory of pharmacology of Peking Union Medical College according to the method described by one of us (Chen, K. K.: A Pharmacognostic and Chemical Study of Ma Huang [Ephedra Vulgaris Var. Helvetica], J. Am. Pharm. A . 14 :191 [March] 1925). We have recently had some experience with a preparation of so-called ephedrine hydrochloride, which was sold by a druggist in Philadelphia who obtained it from an English drug house, the source and method of preparation being unknown. This sample of the drug was not effective clinically in the control of asthma in a patient who had been completely relieved by the Peking product (Miller). Experimentally it was capable of relaxing the bronchial spasm produced in pithed
An extremist, political will to truth has been driven by pernicious falsifications in recent election campaigns in the United States and worldwide. The fake, post-truth logic of this nationalistic zeal slanders and defrauds the empirical research of art, and its pedagogical potential for thinking otherwise, by its retrograde purpose of making traditional understandings and foundational methodologies great again. In this article, the nostalgic resolve for epistemological predeterminations is positioned alongside Nietzsche’s concept of the will-to-truth, and Deleuze’s cinematic regime, powers of the false, to argue that artists and teachers create empirical truths by encountering the contingent events and circumstances of living in the world—not to be confused with baseless, petty lies or merely reproducing past representations. Within this adjacent positioning, art’s pedagogy of the false, and its destabilization of real world ascetic actualizations, will be conceptualized according to the experimentalism of Nietzsche’s eternal recurrence and Deleuze’s regimes of cinematic narration.
Objective. To determine whether contrast ultrasonography can affect the sinusoidal cells and platelets of the liver by using ultrastructural analysis in vivo. Methods. Fifteen Wistar rats were placed into the following 5 groups of 3 rats each: 3 control groups comprising a sham operation group, a contrast agent injection‐alone group, and an ultrasound exposure‐alone group; and 2 contrast agent injection with ultrasound exposure groups, split according to excision time. After a dose of an echo contrast agent (100 mg/kg of body weight) was administered through the femoral vein, the rats that received injections were subjected to ultrasound for the first minute, no ultrasound for the next 4 minutes, and then ultrasound sweep scanning for 10 seconds. The rats were perfused via the heart with cold physiologic saline containing 2% paraformaldehyde and 2.5% glutaraldehyde solution buffered with 0.1‐mol/L phosphate. The livers of the rats in 4 of the groups were excised immediately. The livers of the rats in 1 of the 2 contrast agent with ultrasound exposure groups were excised by the same procedure 5 hours after they received the injections. All specimens were studied with light and electron microscopy. Results. Platelet aggregation and injury to endothelial cells were more severe in the contrast agent injection and ultrasound exposure groups than in the other groups. Conclusions. Contrast ultrasonography can cause platelet aggregation and endothelial cell damage in the rat hepatic sinusoid.
Three objectives underpin this article. Firstly to bring some clarification to the idea of "sect", quite far from the generally accepted meaning. The reasons which can explain why both the medias and political actors maintain a negative a priori towards this phenomenon constitute the second point. The third objective is to see what are the reasons which attract some of our contemporaries towards these sects and "new religious movements" which are so heavily criticized.
Phthalates (PAEs) are widely used in daily products but can cause a variety of adverse effects in humans. Few studies have been carried out on human internal exposure levels of PAEs on a large-scale, especially in developing countries. In the present study, 1161 urine samples collected from residents of 26 provincial capitals in China were analyzed for nine phthalate metabolites (mPAEs). The chemicals were widely detected, and the median specific gravity adjusted urinary concentration of Σ9mPAEs was 278 μg/L. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP) were the main parent PAEs that the residents were exposed to. Demographic characteristics, such as age and educational level, were significantly associated with PAE exposure. Children and the elderly had higher mPAE levels. Subjects with lower educational levels were more frequently exposed to DnBP and DEHP. However, mono-ethyl phthalate showed the opposite trend, i.e., higher concentrations in subjects aged 18-59 years and with higher educational levels. Geographic differences were detected at the national scale. Residents in northeastern and western China had higher levels of mPAEs than those in central China, most likely because of different industrial usage of the chemicals and different living habits and living conditions of the residents. Health risk assessment showed that hazard indices of PAEs ranged from 0.07 to 9.34, with 20.0% of the subjects being concern for potential non-carcinogenic risk as assessed by Monte Carlo simulation. DEHP and DnBP were the primary contributors, representing 96.7% of total risk. This first large-scale study on PAE human internal exposure in China provides useful information on residents' health in a developing country, which could be used for chemical management and health protection.
Total laryngectomy or laryngopharyngectomy remains the procedure of choice for advanced-stage (UICC T3 and T4) laryngeal carcinoma around the world despite advances in conservative laryngeal surgery and radiotherapy. However, it has profound effects on respiration and deglutition, in addition to the most disabling effect-the loss of verbal communication. Successful voice restoration can be attained with any of three speech options, namely esophageal speech, electrolarynx, and tracheoesophageal (TO) speech using an artificial valve. Although, no single method is considered the best for every patient, the tracheoesophageal puncture has become the preferred method in the past decade. Several types of voice prostheses have been produced since the first prosthesis was introduced in 1980 by Blom and Singer. However, eventually all prostheses are confronted by the same problem, i.e., the development of a biofilm, leading to deterioration and ultimately to dysfunction of the prostheses, necessitating replacement. This article attempts to sum up the historical background as well as the current state of surgical voice rehabilitation following laryngectomy; we review the recent major advances as well as the future prospects. Data was collected by conducting a computer-aided search of the MEDLINE and PubMed databases, supplemented by hand searches of key journals. Over 50 articles published in the last three decades on the topic have been reviewed, out of which about 20 were found to be of relevance for this article.
and informal carbon markets. Key reasons for the marginalization of agriculture include the high transaction costs associated with smallholder agriculture and the high level of uncertainty surrounding carbon sequestration and emission reductions in agriculture. Transaction costs depend largely on the costs of monitoring, reporting, and verifying changes in the above- or below ground- carbon pool and emissions, and on the cost of aggregating and organizing farmers. Uncertainties in mitigation include the amount of carbon that can be sequestered by agricultural soils, the reduction in net emissions for all GHG obtainable from the agricultural sector, and the length of time that carbon can be stored in the soil. This chapter reviews these challenges and highlights some of the areas that need further research and exploration.
Larval recruitment is essential for sustaining coral communities and a fundamental tool in some interventions for reef restoration. To improve larval supply and post‐settlement survival in sexually assisted coral restoration efforts, an integrated in situ collector system, the larval cradle, was designed to collect spawned gametes then culture the resulting larvae until settled on artificial substrates. The final design of the larval cradle was cylindrical, a nylon mesh structure with a volume of 9 m3, suspended in the sea and extending vertically toward the seabed. We found three key design features that improved the efficiency of the apparatus: (1) an open area of sea surface and mesh size of less than 100 μm produced high fertilization and optimal survival (>90%), (2) a special skirt‐shaped net (3 m in diameter) with a connection hose for attaching the cradle to collect bundles from many adult colonies over a wide area and at various depths, and (3) adding short square tube pieces, called square hollow sections, as a substrate for enhancing larval settlement and survival, to a larval cradle at 4 days after spawning was optimal for uniform settlement. This system allowed not only the collection of several million eggs, but also subsequent production of several thousand settled juvenile corals, without land facilities. Our design achieved several hundred times higher survival for early life stages of Acropora tenuis compared to nature.
BACKGROUND Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by a triad of motor, cognitive and psychological symptoms, leading to a gradual breakdown of communication skills. Few studies have investigated how people affected by HD and their professional caregivers, for example, medical doctors, physiotherapists and nurses, experience the patients' gradual loss of speech and language.   AIMS To examine communication-related experiences of patients and professional caregivers. Experiences with speech therapy and the use of augmentative and alternative communication aids (AAC) were also investigated.   METHODS & PROCEDURES Seven individuals with HD and seven professional caregivers were interviewed individually, using a semi-structured interview guide. Transcripts were analysed using a conventional content analysis, and the results presented in three main categories.   OUTCOMES & RESULTS Most individuals with HD were aware of having communication difficulties, struggling with understanding others as well as being understood. This was confirmed by professional caregivers, who also raised ethical issues encountered when patients struggled with communication. Both groups talked about external factors (such as noise or crowded social settings) as disrupting communication, and shared recommendations on how people in general, and speech and language therapists (SLTs) in particular, could optimize communication. Very few patients had received information about communication aids, and none was using AACs. Professional caregivers underlined the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations, including SLTs, in order to optimize care.   CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Findings shed a light on everyday communication challenges faced by people with HD and their professional caregivers, and the lack of implementation of communication aids in this group. The dramatic impact of HD on patients' communication skills underscores the need to include SLTs in the follow-up of this patient group, ideally from the early stages of the disease, while the patient is still capable of voicing his/her own wishes and thoughts. Future research that explores how to optimize communication and implement the use of AACs for individuals with HD is needed. What this paper adds What is already known on this subject Although the ability to communicate gradually deteriorates in individuals affected by Huntington's disease (HD), there is little knowledge about how affected individuals experience the loss of speech and language skills. Interdisciplinary care is recognised as essential for this patient group. However, professional caregivers' thoughts and experiences of communicating with their patients have not been fully explored. Recent years have seen a rapid growth of available communication supporting technologies that could potentially be helpful for individuals with HD, but limited attention has been given to this subject. What this paper adds to existing knowledge What do we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before the results highlight that patients are aware of problems with speech and language even in early phases of the disease, and include patients' personal outlook on problems with communication. Professional caregivers raised ethical issues encountered when patients struggled with communication. Both groups described specific strategies that could facilitate communication. There was a significant lack of experience and knowledge about augmentative and alternative communication aids (AACs). What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Clinical implications of this study. The introduction of communication aids in the follow-up of patients with HD needs to be discussed with the patients in the early phases of the disease, and implemented while the individual still has the capacity to learn and take advantage of alternative communication support. Results underline the importance of including speech and language therapists (SLTs) into multidisciplinary care of patients with HD. SLTs should be available also for professional caregivers who need advice on how to facilitate conversations and social interactions, in order to optimise care of patients with HD.
Abstract Objectives: (a) To assess the impact of HIV status (HIV negative, HIV positive, AIDS) on the outcome of patients admitted to intensive care units for diseases unrelated to HIV; (b) to decide whether a positive test result for HIV should be a criterion for excluding patients from intensive care for diseases unrelated to HIV. Design: A prospective double blind study of all admissions over six months. HIV status was determined in all patients by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence assay, western blotting, and flow cytometry. The ethics committee considered the clinical implications of the study important enough to waive patients' right to informed consent. Staff and patients were blinded to HIV results. On discharge patients could be advised of their HIV status if they wished. Setting: A 16 bed surgical intensive care unit. Subjects: All 267 men and 135 women admitted to the unit during the study period. Interventions: None. Main outcome measures: APACHE II score (acute physiological, age, and chronic health evaluation), organ failure, septic shock, durations of intensive care unit and hospital stay, and intensive care unit and hospital mortality. Results: No patient had AIDS. 52 patients were tested positive for HIV and 350 patients were tested negative. The two groups were similar in sex distribution but differed significantly in age, incidence of organ failure (37 (71%) v 171 (49%) patients), and incidence of septic shock (20 (38%) v 54 (15%)). After adjustment for age there were no differences in intensive care unit or hospital mortality or in the durations of stay in the intensive care unit or hospital. Conclusions: Morbidity was higher in HIV positive patients but there was no difference in mortality. In this patient population a positive HIV test result should not be a criterion for excluding a patient from intensive care. Key messages HIV positive patients admitted to intensive care for diseases unrelated to their HIV status have a similar mortality and duration of stay when compared with HIV seronegative patients The incidence of septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction is higher in HIV seropositive patients and needs further investigation HIV status cannot be used to deny critically ill patients admission to intensive care The HIV and AIDS epidemic raises unique ethical considerations that must be carefully addressed during clinical studies
A portable unmanned Mie-scattering Scheimpflug lidar system has been designed and implemented for atmospheric remote sensing. The Scheimpflug lidar system employs a continuous-wave high-power 808 nm laser diode as the light source and the emitted laser beam is collimated by an F6 lens with a 100 mm aperture. Atmospheric backscattering light is collected by a F5 lens with a 150 mm aperture and then detected by a 45° tilted image sensor. The separation between the transmitting and the receiving optics is about 756 mm to satisfy the Scheimpflug principle. Unmanned outdoor atmospheric measurements were performed in an urban area to investigate system performance. Localized emissions can be identified by performing horizontal scanning measurements over the urban atmosphere for 107° approximately every 17 min. The temporal variation of the vertical aerosol structure in the boundary layer has also been studied through zenith scanning measurements. The promising result shows great potential of the present portable lidar system for unmanned atmospheric pollution monitoring in urban areas.
170 Background: Actual and perceived loss of vaginal capacity can be a source of distress among female cancer survivors. The objective of this study was to assess perceived (PC) versus measured (MC) functional vaginal capacity in patients presenting with sexual function concerns.   METHODS This was a cross-sectional registry-based study of women seen at the Program in Integrative Sexual Medicine for Women and Girls with Cancer (PRISM) Clinic. During the visit, patients were presented with graduated vaginal dilators and asked to select the largest dilator they perceived could be inserted without pain (PC) and the dilator representing their desired functional capacity (DC) (for patients with a male partner, this was the size closest to the partner's erect penis). Two models of dilators were offered. Dilators were numbered 1-24 in order of increasing volume. If the patient could accommodate the dilator chosen as PC without pain, she was examined with dilators of gradually increasing size until the patient reported discomfort. The largest dilator tolerated without pain was MC. Differences between PC and MC, and between DC and MC were calculated. The association between penetrative sexual activity in the prior 4 weeks and accuracy of PC was assessed using the Mann-Whitney U test.   RESULTS Mean patient age was 46 years (range 21-80, N=69). Most patients had breast (43%) or a gynecologic cancer (16%); 29% had benign disease. Nearly half reported two or more sexual concerns; painful intercourse (81%), vaginal complaints (21%), and loss of libido (19%) were most common. Median PC was 50cm3 (IQR 35-65cm3), median MC was 81cm3 (IQR 60-90cm3), and median DC was 90cm3 (IQR 81-132cm3). PC equaled MC in 22%. PC was less than MC in 75% and less than DC in 81% of patients. Of patients with PC less than DC, 41% had MC equal to or larger than DC. PC was closer to MC in patients reporting penetrative sexual activity in the prior 4 weeks (p=0.02).   CONCLUSIONS In this single-site study, many cancer survivors seeking care for sexual concerns underestimate their functional vaginal capacity. Further study is needed to determine whether correcting patient perception of capacity lessens distress and improves function.
A broadband wide-scanning planar phased array is studied in this letter. An accurate equivalent circuit model is used and studied to provide more insights into the working principle of the proposed antenna element. Surface wave suppression is achieved by introducing an air gap, which also improves the active voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) in H-plane as a wide-angle matching layer. The infinite array cell in simulation achieves nearly 65.2% bandwidth (6.3–12.4 GHz) with active VSWR < 2 when scanning up to 60° in all azimuth planes. A prototype array is fabricated to verify this design and the experimental result achieves nearly 68.5% bandwidth (6–12.26 GHz) under a criterion of VSWR < 2 at broadside and VSWR < 3 at 60° scan in E- and H-plane. Scanning patterns are measured and show good agreements with simulated results.
The alkali preparation of the root and fresh leaf juice of Moringa oleifera possessed significant dose –depen-dent anti-ulcer activity in experimentally induced acute gastric ulcers with aspirin, the anti-ulcer effect of the alkali preparation of the root seems to be more pronounced than that of the fresh leaf juice. Te anti-ulcer activity of the alkali preparation of the root could be due to its content of alkaloids or its anticholinergic and antihistaminic activities, or a combination of these factors.
The effective propagation of pixel labels through the spatial and temporal domains is vital to many computer vision and multimedia problems, yet little attention have been paid to the temporal/video domain propagation in the past. Previous video label propagation algorithms largely avoided the use of dense optical flow estimation due to their computational costs and inaccuracies, and relied heavily on complex (and slower) appearance models. We show in this paper the limitations of pure motion and appearance based propagation methods alone, especially the fact that their performances vary on different type of videos. We propose a probabilistic framework that estimates the reliability of the sources and automatically adjusts the weights between them. Our experiments show that the “dragging effect” of pure optical-flow-based methods are effectively avoided, while the problems of pure appearance-based methods such the large intra-class variance is also effectively handled.
Wireless access networks based in millimetre wavelength technologies are mainly impaired by rain. To evaluate the rain effects over a communication system, it is essential to know the temporal and spatial evolution of rainfall rate. For this reason, it is necessary to develop an experimental network which provides the adequate data to study, prevent and compensate the rain fade. In this paper, an experimental rain gauge network is presented. This network comprises weather stations capable of measuring rainfall rate, temperature and humidity. The paper first describes the experimental network for automatic data acquisition as a system based in a distributed process. The design of the experimental network is explained in detail and finally the interest in millimetre wavelength applications is pointed out.
Derx (see Donk, 1972). Both possess single-spored basidia and, with L. simplicibasidium, may form the basis for a new genus in the Auriculariaceae. Laeticorticium odontoides Ryv. (Ryvarden, 1978) is not typical of Laeticor? ticium because it does not possess probasidial vesicles (this was noted in the original description) or basidia that are formed percurrently. The tropical distri? bution should be considered secondary to the nature of the basidium, which is the primary taxonomic criterion of the group of fungi under consideration here. Basidiospore shape and size and the presence of rudimentary probasidia (also seen in Dendrocorticium roseocarneum (Schw.) Lars. et Gilbn.) point to a position in Dendrocorticium.
With the passage of welfare reform, support for low-income parents to not only obtain but also maintain work has become imperative. The role of child care subsidies in supporting parents’ job tenure has received little attention in the literature. This article examines the association between receiving a child care subsidy and experiencing a child care—related work disruption using two samples and both cross-sectional and longitudinal regression models. Child care—related work disruptions are found to be less likely among subsidy recipients across samples and methods. Program implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Purpose – The purpose of this work is to analytically examine the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Falkner‐Skan flow.Design/methodology/approach – The series solution is obtained using the Adomian decomposition method (ADM) coupled with Pade approximants.Findings – Comparison of the present solutions is made with the results obtained by other applied methods and excellent agreement is noted.Originality/value – In this work, the MHD Falkner‐Skan flow is examined analytically. The series solution is obtained using the ADM coupled with Pade approximants. Comparison of the present solutions is made with the results obtained by other applied methods and excellent agreement is noted.
The present study examined awareness of deficits among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). A total of 74 pairs of persons with MS and their significant others participated. Awareness of cognitive deficit was measured by discrepancy scores between patient reports of their cognitive abilities and objective test results. Awareness of functional deficit was measured by the discrepancy between the patient and significant other reports of the functional abilities of the patient. Results suggest that about one third of MS patients have diminished awareness of their cognitive and/or functional deficits. Unawareness of deficit was more common among patients with secondary-progressive MS than among those with relapse-remitting MS. Executive dysfunction was strongly associated with unawareness of cognitive deficits but not unawareness of functional deficits. Unawareness of cognitive deficits and unawareness of functional deficits appear to be tapping different aspects of unawareness of deficit.
An automatic planning method of light source and camera placement for an active photometric stereo system is presented. Since photometric stereo systems normally use multiple light sources fixed to the environment, they cannot avoid shadows caused by surrounding objects. Using a movable light source and adapting its placement actively to the task environment eliminates shadows. Candidate positions for light source placement are obtained based on a three-dimensional model of the environment and image processing of a virtual sphere around the target objects. Possible combinations are evaluated using the combined criteria of reliability and detectability of the measurement. Experimental results obtained using a light source affixed to a manipulator demonstrate the usefulness of the method. To improve the detectability of the active photometric stereo system, an extension has been made by using a movable camera in place of a fixed camera.<<ETX>>
In this study, we investigate the dependence of superconducting transition temperature (Tc) on sheet resistance (Rsq) for two series of NbN films with different homogeneities which were prepared on either MgO substrates (NbN/MgO) or MgO substrate covered with a 1nm thick AlN layer (NbN/AlN/MgO). The Rsq-dependent Tc (Tc(Rsq)) behavior of the homogeneous NbN/MgO films could be explained with Finkel’stein’s formula, which is based on localization theory using reasonable fitting parameters. On the other hand, the Tc(Rsq) values of the NbN/AlN/MgO films were larger than that of the NbN/MgO films in the region R sq ≥ R sq * ≈ 300~400 &OHgr; . ?> To understand the origin of this deviation from the theory for homogeneous systems, we assumed that the NbN/AlN/MgO films have the potential to form an inhomogeneous percolation structure. To confirm this assumption, the temperature (T) dependence of the upper critical magnetic field ( H c2 ( T ) ) ?> near Tc was analyzed using the form H c2 ( T ) ∝ ( 1 − T / T c ) 2 / ( 2 + θ ) , ?> which is based on classical percolation theory. From the θ ?> dependence of Rsq ( θ ?> (Rsq)) of both series, it was found that the θ ?> (Rsq) of the NbN/AlN/MgO films deviates in the region R sq ≥ R sq * * ≈ 150~200 &OHgr; ?> from θ = 0 ?> in a homogeneous NbN/MgO films. By introducing an effective sheet resistance R sq eff . < R sq ?> to account for the inhomogeneous structure of the NbN/AlN/MgO films, we were able to qualitatively explain the differences between the Tc(Rsq) behaviors of the two series.
Blue 403 nm laser light is generated by frequency doubling the radiation of an AlGaAs diode laser oscillator amplifier system in critically phase matched LiB3O5 (LBO) and β-BaB2O4 (BBO) crystals. The laser system emits 400 mW of single frequency 806 nm radiation in an almost diffraction limited beam. For optimum doubling efficiency the laser radiation is enhanced by a resonant external ring cavity. The nonlinear crystal is placed at a resonator internal focus. Using a 16-mm-long LBO crystal a diode laser power of 387 mW generated 98 mW of second harmonic radiation, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 25%. The same power was obtained in a 12- mm-long BBO crystal with a laser power of 417 mW. The measured conversion efficiencies are in good agreement with the values calculated for critically phase matched conversion in these nonlinear materials.
We evaluate the suitability of an enhanced detrended fluctuation analysis for studying fetal heart rate series involving imperfect quality of information. Our results indicate that to explore persistent long-range correlations, or fractality, the collection requirements of the data can be relaxed by allowing the possibility of using averaged fetal heart rate series. In addition, it also appears feasible to employ, without producing major alterations in the long-range scaling behaviour, fragmented fetal heart rate series involving up to 50% of random missing values, or up to 50 min of consecutive missing samples in recordings of ≈8 h length. These are crucial advantages to overcome the often variable quality of fetal data. Consequently, these findings may open the possibility of obtaining information concerning the development of neural processes from fetal heart rate series, despite their non-stationary and fragmented nature.
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites containing carbon nanotube (CNT) with the loading ratios from 0.5wt% to 2 wt% were prepared using melt-compounding process. Surfaces of the CNT particles were treated with sulfuric acid/nitric acid to purify CNT and to achieve compatible surface characteristics between TPU matrix and CNT. Mechanical, thermal, flame retardant, melt flow, and morphological properties of TPU/CNT composites were investigated. Addition of CNT to TPU matrix causes in a prominent increase in tensile strength, percentage of elongation at break, and tensile modulus values of TPU. The mechanical properties are improved for lower modified CNT loadings. CNT inclusions also improve the thermal stability of pristine TPU. Addition of CNT into TPU matrix causes increase in melting and decomposition temperatures of TPU and decrease in glass transition temperature. The flammability parameters of TPU also shift to higher values after CNT loadings to matrix. Modified CNT additions at higher concentrations exhibit better fire performance. Additions of modified CNT and pristine CNT show different trends in the case of melt flow rate values. Modified CNTs disperse more homogeneously relative to pristine ones into TPU matrix which is due to improvement in interfacial interactions between CNT and TPU.
Cloud Computing is a hot topic of research for the researchers these days. With the rapid growth of Internet technology cloud computing have become main source of computing for small as well big IT companies. In the cloud computing milieu the cloud data centers and the users of the cloud-computing are globally situated, therefore it is a big challenge for cloud data centers to efficiently handle the requests which are coming from millions of users and service them in an efficient manner. Load balancing in this environment means equal distribution of workload across all the nodes. Load balancing provides a way of achieving the proper utilization of resources and better user satisfaction. Hence, use of an appropriate load balancing algorithm is necessary for selecting the virtual machines or servers. This paper focuses on the load balancing algorithm which distributes the incoming jobs among VMs optimally in cloud data centers. The proposed algorithm in this paper has been implemented using CloudAnalyst simulator and the performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with the three algorithms which are preexists on the basis of response time. The experiment carried out in the paper shows that the proposed algorithm performs better than the existing algorithms.
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells manifesting striking cytopathogenic changes in culture were investigated to determine the causative agent. Electron microscopic analyses revealed viral particles of about 40 nm in diameter, displaying typical calicivirus morphology. To date, this virus, designated isolate 2117, exclusively replicates in CHO cells, achieving only moderate titres. After cloning, the coding region of 7928 nucleotides, the 3' non-coding region and the poly(A) tail were sequenced. The genome consists of three open reading frames (ORFs), with the first and second ORF having the same reading frame. The overall genomic organization as well as the nucleotide sequence of isolate 2117 is most similar to that of a recently described canine calicivirus, but also shows significant similarity to the sequences of mink calicivirus and other caliciviruses within the genus Vesivirus: In Western blots, using antibodies against the viral protease, a stable, unprocessed 3CD protein of 68 kDa was identified in homogenates of 2117-infected CHO cells. Furthermore, antibodies raised against ORF 3 reacted with the respective protein in 2117-virions, demonstrating that this predicted 9 kDa protein is a minor structural component of the virion. In addition, an RT-PCR assay was established to detect 2117 viral RNA in biological products such as foetal bovine serum, which will aid the discovery of the origin and host of the virus.
All actual AC locomotives have an onboard line transformer to reduce line voltages to levels suitable to power electronic devices and to guarantee galvanic insulation to the on board equipment. Unfortunately, such a transformer is heavy, expensive and represents one of main reasons why traction vehicles often exceed the targets for weight and dimensions. Two innovative conversion systems have been studied, which permit the use of transformers of greatly reduced size. Suitable control and modulation techniques have been also developed, and some simulation results are presented. In addition, a further analysis has been carried out to allow a fair comparison between one of the two innovative loco electrical drive systems and a conventional one, taking into account their reliability performances. Some important achievements are shown and the complete set of the results is presented and discussed.
Historical data on yields, input and output prices of three vegetable crops in Hawaii are analyzed. Appropriate theoretical probability distributions are fitted to these data to capture their randomness for profit simulation. Stochastic dominance analysis is then performed using the simulated profit data to rank the profitability of the three crops. Under the assumption that the producer is risk averse, growing lettuce appears to be more preferable to head cabbage, and head cabbage more preferable to mustard cabbage.
Many tasks in information retrieval can be structured as classification, that is as the sorting of documents or parts of documents into groups. These tasks include retrieval (e.g. ranking of Web pages by an Internet search engine), routing or filtering (e.g. directing electronic mail to the appropriate folder or recipient), and categorization (e.g. assigning Computing Reviews categories to abstracts of articles). Some natural language processing tasks, such as tagging and word sense disambiguation, can also be formulated as classification.
Recovery‐oriented software is built with the perspective that hardware or software failures and operation mistakes are facts to be coped with, as they are problems that cannot be fully solved while developing real complex applications. Consequently, any software will always have a non‐zero chance of failure. Some of these failures may be caused by defects that may be removed or encapsulated. From the point of view of removing or encapsulating defects, a failure is considered to be trivial, when (i) the required effort to identify and eliminate or encapsulate the causing defect is small, (ii) the risk of making mistakes in these steps is also small and (iii) the consequences of the failure are tolerable. It is highly important to design systems in such a way that most (ideally all) of the failures are trivial. Such systems are called ‘debuggable systems’. In this study, we present the results of systematic applying techniques that focus on creating debuggable software for real embedded applications. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC  Introduction: Cabazitaxel (C) is a novel taxane active in preclinical models of both chemotherapy-sensitive and -resistant human tumors. Cabazitaxel is active in patients with advanced prostate cancer who have progressed following docetaxel (D) treatment. We compared the antitumor activity of cabazitaxel with that of docetaxel (both provided by Sanofi) against in vitro and in vivo models of pediatric cancers.  Methods: Both agents were evaluated against the 23 cell lines of the PPTP in vitro panel using 96 hour exposure at concentrations from 0.01 nM to 0.1 μM. They were tested against the PPTP solid tumor xenografts (SCID mice) using a dose of 7.5 or 10.0 mg/kg administered by the IV route every 4 days X 3.  Results: In vitro the median relative IC50 (rIC50) for cabazitaxel was 0.47 nM and for docetaxel was 0.88 nM. Cabazitaxel and docetaxel rIC50 and Ymin% values were significantly correlated with each other. Cabazitaxel rIC50 values were significantly correlated with cell line ABCB1 expression, but showed a weaker relationship compared to that for docetaxel. In vivo, there was a trend for greater weight loss and greater toxicity for cabazitaxel-treated versus docetaxel-treated animals. A direct comparison of the EFS distributions for cabazitaxel and docetaxel showed that 5 xenografts had significantly longer EFS for cabazitaxel compared to docetaxel, while docetaxel was more effective for no models for this measure. 5 of 10 xenografts showed maintained complete responses (MCRs) to cabazitaxel, with MCRs observed across multiple histologies. Only 1 of 10 docetaxel-treated models showed an MCR. In vivo results are summarized in the Table using standard PPTP objective response criteria.    | Tumor | Histology | C Response | D Response | P-value for EFS (C vs D) | |:-------- | ---------------- | ---------- | ---------- | ------------------------ | | KT-10 | Wilms | MCR | PD2 | <0.001 | | SK-NEP-1 | Ewing sarcoma | MCR | MCR | 0.211 | | CHLA258 | Ewing sarcoma | MCR | PR | 0.033 | | Rh30R | Rhabdomyosarcoma | SD | PD2 | <0.001 | | Rh18 | Rhabdomyosarcoma | PD2 | PD1 | 0.147 | | Rh36 | Rhabdomyosarcoma | MCR | PD2 | 0.033 | | NB-1691 | Neuroblastoma | PD2 | PD1 | <0.001 | | OS-1 | Osteosarcoma | SD | PD2 | 1.000 | | OS-17 | Osteosarcoma | SD | CR | 0.195 | | OS-33 | Osteosarcoma | MCR | CR | 0.552 |    Conclusions: Cabazitaxel was more potent in vitro than docetaxel against the PPTP cell lines and showed greater in vivo activity than docetaxel, although with somewhat greater toxicity. (Supported by award NO1-CM-42216 from the NCI).  Citation Format: Peter J. Houghton, Min Kang, C Patrick Reynolds, Richard B. Lock, Hernan Carol, Richard Gorlick, E Anders Kolb, John M. Maris, Stephen T. Keir, Catherine A. Billups, Raushan T. Kurmasheva, Malcolm Anders Smith. Pediatric Preclinical Testing Program (PPTP) stage 1 evaluation of the antimicrotubule agents cabazitaxel and docetaxel. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2754. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2754
This paper proposes two novel power control strategies to improve the angle stability of generators using a Back-to-Back (BTB) system-based voltage source converter (VSC). The proposed power control strategies have two communication systems: a bus angle monitoring system and a special protection system (SPS), respectively. The first power control strategy can emulate the behaviour of the ac transmission to improve the angle stability while supporting the ac voltage at the primary level of the control structure. The second power control scheme uses an SPS signal to contribute stability to the power system under severe contingencies involving the other generators. The results for the proposed control scheme were validated using the PSS/E software package with a sub-module written in the Python language, and the simple assistant power control with two communication systems is shown to improve the angle stability. In conclusion, BTB VSCs can contribute their power control strategies to ac grid in addition to offering several existing advantages, which makes them applicable for use in the commensurate protection of large ac grid.
The future of TMN in ITU-T will be heavily influenced by new telecom technologies, such as IP, and associated management needs. To meet this challenge, SG 4 has adopted two approaches. Current focus of ITU-T SG4 is common working methods for specifying protocol-neutral TMN requirements and information/models and identification of key management technologies to meet future needs. ITU-T SG4 has successfully set up the CORBA framework. The core is re-using the CORBA Common Object Services. ITU-T defines a set of CORBA interfaces for the CORBA generic information model. These interfaces are translated manually from a set of M.3100 GDMO managed object classes following the TMN CORBA framework and guidelines. Although TMN CORBA framework has finished, it still raises new issues, such as implementation conformance and complexity of additional services. It is remarkable that China has made great progress on CORBA-based network management standardization. ITU-T adopts some correlative technologies. SG4 agreed to define the Integrated Management of Hybrid Circuit Switched and Packet/IP Networks. SG4 also make progress in tML, Qos, ETS.
Background: The hypothesis that intravenous L-arginine infusion improves the vasodilatory response to ischemia in the resistance vessels of human lower limbs in relatively young coronary heart disease patients taking vasodilating drugs was tested. Methods: Twenty patients with onset of symptoms of coronary artery disease before age 50, operated for aortocoronary bypass and taking vasodilating drugs, were compared with 20 control subjects of comparable age and gender; neither group included heavy smokers (>10 cigarettes/day). Blood flow in the lower limbs was measured noninvasively with strain-gauge plethysmography, both at rest and during a reactive hyperemia test. Intravenous infusion of L-arginine was performed in nine coronary heart disease patients and in nine control subjects. Results: Resting blood flow to the lower limbs was 2.3 mI,/minIlO0 mL in control subjects vs 3.4 mL/minIlO0 mL in patients (difference not statistically significant). Peak blood flow measured after a 3-minute arterial occlusion was 24.0 mL/min/lO0 mL in control subjects vs 20.3 mL/min/lO0 mL in coronary heart disease patients (P<0.05). Peripheral minimal vascular resistances were 4.28 and 5.46 peripheral resistances units (p.r.u.) in control subjects and patients, respectively (P<0.05). Intravenous infusion of L-arginine was followed by increased resting blood flow in cases and controls (P=0.009), with a parallel reduction in peripheral resting vascular resistances (P=0.009). Coronary heart disease patients showed increased peak blood flow (P=0.04) and reduced minimal vascular resistances (P=0.02), whereas no statistically significant changes in these parameters were detectable in control subjects. Intravenous glucose infusion, leading to increased serum insulin concentration, did not modify any hemodynamic parameter. Conclusions: Hemodynamic responses in the skeletal muscle are impaired during a reactive hyperemia test in relatively young coronary heart disease patients taking vasodilating drugs. Intravenous L-arginine infusion corrects the impaired vasodilatory response of the lower limbs to an acute increase in flow following a cuff thigh occlusion.
Plasma proteins play a fundamental role in living organisms. They participate in the transport of endogenous and exogenous substances, especially drugs. 5-alkyl-12(H)-quino[3,4-b][1,4]benzothiazinium salts, have been synthesized as potential anticancer substances used for cancer treatment. Most anticancer substances generate a toxic effect on the human body. In order to check the toxicity and therapeutic dosage of these chemicals, the study of ligand binding to plasma proteins is very relevant. The present work presents the first comparative analysis of the binding of one of the 5-alkyl-12(H)-quino[3,4-b][1,4]benzothiazinium derivatives (Salt1) with human serum albumin (HSA), α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and human gamma globulin (HGG), assessed using fluorescence, UV-Vis and CD spectroscopy. In order to mimic in vivo ligand–protein binding, control normal serum (CNS) was used. Based on the obtained data, the Salt1 binding sites in the tertiary structure of all plasma proteins and control normal serum were identified. Both the association constants (Ka) and the number of binding site classes (n) were calculated using the Klotz method. The strongest complex formed was Salt1–AGPcomplex (Ka = 7.35·104 and 7.86·104 mol·L−1 at excitation wavelengths λex of 275 and 295 nm, respectively). Lower values were obtained for Salt1–HSAcomplex (Ka = 2.45·104 and 2.71·104 mol·L−1) and Salt1–HGGcomplex (Ka = 1.41·104 and 1.33·104 mol·L−1) at excitation wavelengths λex of 275 and 295 nm, respectively, which is a positive phenomenon and contributes to the prolonged action of the drug. Salt1 probably binds to the HSA molecule in Sudlow sites I and II; for the remaining plasma proteins studied, only one binding site was observed. Moreover, using circular dichroism (CD), fluorescence and UV-Vis spectroscopy, no effect on the secondary and tertiary structures of proteins in the absence or presence of Salt1 has been demonstrated. Despite the fact that the conducted studies are basic, from the scientific point of view they are novel and encourage further in vitro and in vivo investigations. As a next part of the study (Part 2), the second new synthetized quinobenzothiazine derivative (Salt2) will be analyzed and published.
In April 1958, Mr. Yasuaki Okada and I went to Torishima, the only known present-day breeding place of Steller's Albatross. A description of the island and of all the birds seen there as well as on the trip down and back (as far as Hachijojima) is given.In closing I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Hajime Fuchimoto, Chief of the Detached Island Section of Chuo Kishodai, without whose kind help we would never have been able to take the trip to Torishima. Also I would like to thank the numerous people at Chuo Kishodai, on the ship, and at the weather station who helped us and made the trip very pleasurable as well as successful.
The changes in milk fat globules and fat globule surface proteins during concentration of whole milk using a pilot-scale multiple-effect evaporator were examined. The effects of heat treatment of milk at 95 °C for 20 s, prior to evaporation, on fat globule size and the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) proteins were also determined. In both non-preheated and preheated whole milk, the size of milk fat globules decreased while the amount of total surface proteins at the fat globules increased as the milk passed through each effect of the evaporator. In non-preheated samples, the amount of caseins at the surface of fat globules increased markedly during evaporation with a relatively small increase in whey proteins. In preheated samples, both caseins and whey proteins were observed at the surface of fat globules and the amounts of these proteins increased during subsequent steps of evaporation. The major original MFGM proteins, xanthine oxidase, butyrophilin, PAS 6 and PAS 7, did not change during evaporation, however, PAS 6 and PAS 7 decreased during preheating. These results indicate that the proteins from the skim milk were adsorbed onto the fat globule surface when the milk fat globules were disrupted during evaporation.
The problem of detecting and removing redundant constraints is fundamental in optimization. Finding the redundancies helps in understanding the underlying problem and can greatly improve the running time of subsequent computations. Intuitively, we are provided with a problem described by a set of constraints, but only some of them are needed to describe any of its solutions. The constraints that are not needed for this description are redundant. More specifically, we consider the setting of linear programs (LPs) in d variables, given by a linear function that has to be maximized subject to a system of n inequalities. The region satisfying all the inequalities defines a convex polyhedron in Rd, the feasible region of the LP. An inequality of this system is called redundant, if after removing it the LP still has the same feasible region, otherwise it is called nonredundant. The currently fastest method to detect all redundancies is the one by Clarkson: it solves n linear programs, but each of them has at most s inequalities, where s is the number of nonredundant inequalities. Additionally the algorithm executes s ray shootings. This algorithm is very e cient in the case where the number of nonredundant inequalities is small. Firstly, we modify Clarkson’s algorithm in a way that it does not rely on geometrical notions such as ray shooting. We show that knowing only the signs of all the dictionaries, — which is combinatorial information — su ces to detect all redundancies. A dictionary can be thought of as a matrix, which gives an encoding of the relative positions of the inequalities to each other. Although our algorithm is slower than Clarkson’s redundancy removal algorithm, it is still output sensitive, meaning that the running time depends on the number of nonredundant inequalities. Moreover it uses the minimum information needed to detect all redundancies; for an exact implementation, only signs need to be evaluated correctly. Furthermore our algorithm is naturally extendable to the setting of oriented matroids. In the case where all the inequalities are in general position, our running time essentially matches the time of the Clarkson method.
Objective: To identify key characteristics associated with a CQC positive and negative safety rating across London NHS organisations. Design: Advanced data analytics and linear discriminant analysis. Data sources: Linked CQC data with patient safety variables sources from 10 publicly available datasets. Methods: Iterative cycles of data extraction, insight generation, and analysis refinement were done and involved regular meetings between the NHS London Patient Safety Leadership Forum and analytic team to optimise academic robustness alongside with translational impact. Ten datasets were selected based on data availability, usability, and relevance and included data from April 2018 to December 2019. Data pre-processing was conducted in R. Missing values were imputed using the median value while empty variables were removed. London NHS organisations were categorised based on their safety rating into two groups: those rated as "inadequate" or "requires improvement" (RI) and those rated as "Good" or "outstanding" (Good). Variable filtering reduced the number of variables from 1104 to 207. The top ten variables with the largest effect sizes associated with Good and RI organisations were selected for inspection. A Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was trained using the 207 variables. Effect sizes and confidence intervals for each variable were calculated. Dunn's and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to identify significant differences between RI and Good organisations. Results: Ten variables for Good and RI NHS organisations were identified. Key variables for Good organisations included: Organisation response to address own concerns (answered by nurse/midwife) (Good organisation = 0.691, RI organisation = 0.618, P<.001); fair career progression (answered by medical/dental staff) (Good organisation = 0.905, RI organisation = 0.843, P<.001); existence of annual work appraisal (answered by medical/dental staff)) (Good organisation = 0.922, RI organisation = 0.873, P<.001); organisation's response to patients' concerns (Good organisation = 0.791, RI organisation = 0.717, P<.001); harassment, bullying or abuse from staff (answered by AHPHSSP) (Good organisation = 0.527, RI organisation = 0.454, P<.001); adequate materials supplies and equipment (answered by "Other" staff) (Good organisation = 0.663, RI organisation = 0.544, P<.001); organisation response to address own concerns (answered by medical/dental staff) (Good organisation = 0.634, RI organisation = 0.537, P<.001); staff engagement (answered by medical/dental staff) (Good organisation = 0.468, RI organisation = 0.376, P<.001); provision of clear feedback (answered by "other" staff) (Good organisation = 0.719, RI organisation = 0.650, P<.001); and collection of patient feedback (answered by wider healthcare team) (Good organisation = 0.888, RI organisation = 0.804, P<.001). Conclusions: Our study shows that healthcare providers that received positive safety inspections from regulators have significantly different characteristics in terms of staff perceptions of safety than those providers rated as inadequate or requiring improvement. Particularly, organisations rated as good or outstanding are associated with higher levels of organisational safety, staff engagement and capacities to collect and listen to patient experience feedback. This work exemplifies how a partnership between applied healthcare and academic research organisations can be used to address practical considerations in patient safety, resulting in a translational piece of work.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating influence of direct online shopping experience in an e‐commerce context.Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual framework links attitudinal constructs such as price attractiveness, merchandise quality, service quality, time/effort costs, risk and enjoyment to future online purchase intentions. Purchasers and inquirers of a car insurance comparison website were approached by personalized email to participate in an online questionnaire. Multi‐group structural equation analysis was used to test for group differences in the structural weights.Findings – Compared to the purchasers, the inquirers were more concerned with the perceived enjoyment, risk and price attractiveness offered by the website, while caring less about time/effort savings. Inquirers were negatively influenced by the price attractiveness of their chosen insurance, which indicates that they were less likely to use the website for future transactions if they were satisfied wi...
Doppler ultrasonography sound-spectrum analysis (SSA) was used to evaluate blood flow in the transplanted kidney and its renal artery. Seven patients with posttransplant hypertension and a bruit over the transplanted kidney were screened for renal artery stenosis (RAS). In five patients, RAS was diagnosed by SSA, and in two it was not. These findings were confirmed by subsequent angiography in all patients. Three patients studied after surgical correction of their RAS had improvement in their SSA patterns. Fourteen hypertensive patients with a cause other than RAS were evaluated by SSA. None of them had SSA findings suggestive of RAS. Doppler ultrasonography with SSA is an effective, noninvasive technique of monitoring transplant renal blood flow, especially in the screening of hypertensive transplant recipients for transplant RAS.
Objective: Few systematic studies have examined the contexts in which social-class variables will predict engagement in health-relevant behaviours. The current research examined whether the impact of social-class on health behaviours depends upon how social-class is assessed and the category of health behaviour under consideration. Method: Our sample was drawn from the Health Information National Trends Survey in 2012 (N = 3959). Participants reported their income and education as well as their engagement in a variety of prevention and detection behaviours. Results: Consistent with our hypothesised framework, we found that income predicted engagement in a variety of detection behaviours above and beyond education, whereas education predicted engagement in a variety of prevention behaviours above and beyond income. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that income and education operate on health behaviours via different pathways and have implications for public health policy and intervention.
Purpose – The aim of the current study is to develop an understanding of the decisional process that leads a company, at a given point in time, to choose the subsequent supply chain management (SCM) initiative to be implemented.Design/methodology/approach – This research adopts the descriptive case study research design, as defined by Yin and McCutcheon and Meredith. Four supply networks, whose central firms are leading pharmaceutical companies, have been investigated.Findings – At a given time when deciding the SCM initiative(s) to be implemented, external fit and the state of supply network configuration and integration are both important, but for different reasons. In particular, lack of external fit triggers the implementation of SCM initiatives. Sequences of SCM initiatives are the result of a series of successive decisional situations, where the external fit and state of supply network configuration and integration vary each time a new SCM initiative is implemented.Research limitations/implications ...
The X-Pay Co K absorption edge structures of octahedrally coordinated [Co(CN)6]3- and [Co(NO2)6]3-, and tetrahedrally coordinated [Co(NCS)4]2- are accurately measured with a high-resolution two-crystal spectrometer. These three complex ions each have peculiarly low energy absorption in the main absorption edges contrary to Mitchell-Beeman's idea based on Pauling's hybridization theory. The molecular orbital theory provides a qualitative interpretation suitable for these low energy absorptions. In [Co(CN)6]3- and [Co(NO2)6]3- low energy absorption may be principally attributed to the transition of the Co Is electron into the 4t1u antibonding orbital constructed mainly from the antibonding π* orbitals of ligands. In [Co(NCS)4]2- it may be ascribed to Co 1s–2a1 transition.
Evidence shows divergent perceptions of the wolf in different parts of the world. The populations of Asia, the Near East and the indigenous peoples of North America see the wolf positively, as an ideal hunter, warrior and survivor in the wilderness, although shepherds and animal-herders in these regions seem to have an ambivalent attitude towards the animal. Among many of the peoples mentioned above, there appears to be a desire to emulate the wolf, and magical powers have been attributed to the animal and to his body parts. On the other hand, the wolf is feared as a ravenous beast by the populations of Europe and by European immigrants to America.
Although Historical and Geographic Institutes are of great value to Brazilian historiography, only limited attempts have been made in the area of educational historiography to draw on these journals as primary sources of information about the History of Education. This article analyzes the manner the Revista do Instituto  Historico e Geografico de Sao Paulo has contributed towards the History of Education in Brazil, by analyzing a selection of articles published between 1923 and 1996 by Helio Viotti, SerafimLeite, Affonso de Carvalho, Ernesto Penteado and Ernesto de Sousa Campos. These articles are of fundamental importance for the historiography of Brazilian education because they enable us to understand the literary elite´s opinions (represented by scholars who published articles in the Journal)on Brazilian education of the period.
Introduction: Alterations of vitamins and minerals have been seen in patients with the human immune virus (HIV) in numerous studies. This study aimed to evaluate serum levels of vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, iron, and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) in HIV-infected patients compared with controls in western Iran. Material and methods: Ninety-eight HIV-infected prisoners and 98 healthy controls were selected for the study in 2016. Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) was checked in all HIV-infected patients. Age, sex, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, iron, and TIBC were checked for each person in both groups. Results: The mean age (range) of the HIV-infected and the healthy control groups was 40.11 years (21-68 years) and 45.59 (18-85 years), respectively. Vitamin D, calcium, iron and TIBC levels were significantly different in the two groups. There was a significant correlation between calcium and iron levels and the CD4 count. Conclusions: There were significant differences in vitamin D, calcium, iron, and TIBC levels in the HIV-infected patients compared to the healthy controls. Therefore, the results show the correlation between these levels and the incidence of HIV. In addition, the significant difference between calcium and iron levels with the CD4 counts can enhance the correlation.
The integrin β1 cytoplasmic domain (tail) serves as a scaffold for numerous intracellular proteins. The mechanisms by which the tail coordinates these proteins to facilitate extracellular matrix assembly and cell spreading are not clear. This study demonstrates that the β1 cytoplasmic domain can regulate cell spreading on fibronectin and fibronectin matrix assembly through Akt- and talin-dependent mechanisms, respectively. To identify these mechanisms, we characterized GD25 cells expressing the β1 integrin cytoplasmic domain mutants W775A and R760A. Although cell spreading appears normal in R760A mutant-integrin cells compared with wild type, it is inhibited in W775A mutant cells. In contrast, both mutant cell lines show defective fibronectin matrix assembly. Inhibition of cell spreading, but not matrix assembly, in the W775A mutant cells is due to a specific defect in Akt-1 activation. In addition, we find that both W775A and R760A mutant integrins have reduced surface expression of the 9EG7 epitope that correlates with reduced recruitment of talin to β1 integrin cytoplasmic complexes. Down-regulation of talin with small interfering RNA or expression of green fluorescent protein-talin head domain inhibits matrix assembly in β1 wild-type cells, mimicking the defect seen with the W775A and R760A mutant cells. These results demonstrate distinct mechanisms by which integrins regulate cell spreading and matrix assembly through the β1 integrin cytoplasmic tail.
Questions about methodology are questions of disciplinary identity. It is thus not surprising that they provoke such heated debates. The state of methodological debates is indicative of the condition of a discipline. If those debates advance to the centre of attention within any specific field of scholarly practice, it typically indicates a moment of crisis or – less dramatically – a push for change. In other times of relative stability, questions of methodology tend to stay on the margins of the field. Scholarly practice goes about its routine business along well-established lines. It uses the tools of a discipline without further ado.
This study investigated the link between the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern and attainment of success in an academic setting. First semester college freshman were administered 3 sets of questionnaires during the course of the fall semester that were designed to assess academic activities, outside responsibilities, and importance of academic success. Indices of actual academic performance were obtained from university records. The hypotheses that Type A students (1) would be involved in more activities, (2) place greater importance on academic success, and (3) actually achieve higher performance levels than Type B students, were confirmed. In addition, the results found that compared to Type B, the Type A students perceived more parental pressure, came from higher SES families, and were more clear as to what was expected of them. Implications for further research are discussed.
Summary The mountain pine beetle (MPB), the most serious pest of lodgepole pine in mountainous western Canada, spread northeastward into lodgepole · jack pine hybrids in the boreal forest of Alberta in 2006. The MPB vectors three species of blue-stain fungi, which contribute to the success of the beetles. These fungi were isolated from MPB larvae and galleries in several lodgepole · jack pine stands in the Grande Prairie region of northwestern Alberta in autumn 2006 and winter and spring 2007. Fungi were recovered from more than 95% of gallery systems. The three fungi were similarly prevalent but Ophiostoma montium was the most frequently isolated fungus at each sampling point, isolated from 72% to 90% of gallery systems compared with 63% to 78% for Grosmannia clavigera, and 61% to 86% for Leptographium longiclavatum. Ophiostoma montium and G. clavigera were isolated from more larvae than gallery samples, with the opposite true for L. longiclavatum. Most gallery systems contained multiple fungi with three fungi per gallery system being more common in autumn and winter and two fungi more common in the spring. The combination of G. clavigera and L. longiclavatum was less common among gallery systems with two fungi than either of the pairwise combinations containing O. montium. Fungal prevalence was the same above and below snow level. The prevalence of the three fungi did not differ significantly among stands sampled in the spring but stands with more G. clavigera tended to have less L. longiclavatum. The winter of 2006‐2007 was colder than average throughout Alberta with temperatures below )30� C in November, January and February, and all three fungi were present after the cold winter while most larvae had died, suggesting that overwintering mortality of the fungi will not limit persistence and spread of MPB in the boreal forest.
The extent to which spatial constraints influence rates and pathways in catalysis depends on the structure of intermediates, transition states, and active sites involved. We aim to answer, as we seek insights into catalytic mechanisms and site requirements, persistent questions about the potential for controlling rates and selectivities by rational design of spatial constraints around active sites within inorganic structures useful as catalysts. This Account addresses these matters for the specific case of reactions on zeolites that contain Brønsted acid sites encapsulated within subnanometer channels. We compare and contrast here the effects of local zeolite structure on the dynamics of the carbonylation of surface methyl groups and of the isotopic exchange of CD4 with surface OH groups on zeolites. Methyl and hydroxyl groups are the smallest monovalent cations relevant in catalysis by zeolites. Their small size, taken together with their inability to desorb except via reactions with other species, allowed us to discriminate between stabilization of cationic transition states and stabilization of adsorbed reactants and products by spatial constraints. We show that apparent effects of proton density and of zeolite channel structure on dimethyl ether carbonylation turnover rates reflect instead the remarkable specificity of eight-membered ring zeolite channels in accelerating kinetically relevant steps that form *COCH3 species via CO insertion into methyl groups. This specificity reflects the selective stabilization of cationic transition states via interactions with framework oxygen anions. These findings for carbonylation catalysts contrast sharply the weak effects of channel structure on the rate of exchange of CD4 with OH groups. This latter reaction involves concerted symmetric transition states with much lower charge than that required for CH3 carbonylation. Our Account extends the scope of shape selectivity concepts beyond those reflecting size exclusion and preferential adsorption. Our ability to discriminate among various effects of spatial constraints depends critically on dissecting chemical conversions into elementary steps of kinetic relevance and on eliminating secondary reactions and accounting for the concomitant effects of zeolite structure on the stability of adsorbed reactants and intermediates.
The conventional drug delivery systems provide an immediate release of the drug in which the release of the drug cannot be managed and the effective concentration at the target site cannot be sustained for a longer time. This form of dosage pattern can lead to plasma concentration fluctuation. Osmotic systems are the most effective strategy-based drug delivery control system. They work on the osmotic pressure principle to control the drug's delivery. The release of the drug is largely independent of the GIT's physiological factors. Such processes use osmosis as the main driving force for the release of drugs. For the osmotic drug delivery system, adequate water solubility of the drug is necessary. Osmotic drug delivery systems are composed of a drug core that is osmotically active and surrounded by a semi-permeable membrane. Numerous formulation factors such as osmotic pressure of the core component(s), solubility and size of the delivery orifice, and the nature of semi-permeable membrane influence drug(s) release from osmotic systems. This review offers a brief description of components, ideal drug characteristics, types of osmotically regulated pump and its mechanism, advantages, disadvantages.
Purpose – While executive compensation has attracted quite a lot of media interest in the UK over the past decade, it is worth emphasising that the debate in the UK has had far less “heat” than that in the USA; this seems to be explained by the UK avoiding, for a number of reasons, the excesses of executive compensation seen in the USA and also excessive, high profile corporate failures (e.g. Enron). The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of executive compensation with respect to the UK. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a general review of the academic and business literatures. Findings – The paper emphasises the need to keep the broader context in mind when reviewing issues of executive compensation, and offers a framework of analysis which is broader than that used in the existing literature. It summarises the stylised facts which have emerged from the extensive academic literature and then offers brief summaries of the recent trends in UK executive compensation and the ABI guidelines issued at the end of 2005, respectively. Originality/value – The paper discusses the challenges facing executive compensation in the UK.
It should be noted that the conjunction of (1) and (2) is logically equivalent to the conjunction of (T). (2'), and (3). The undesirable consequences of adding to a theory even "idle" definitions of theoretical terms (i.e., definitions made by using observable terms) consist in making any theory of the kind investigated by the author equivalent (on the basis of these definitions) with the set of its observable theorems, as well as in making a consistent further development of such theories impossible in many cases. The addition of new criteria of applicability for a theoretical term to a theory can in fact lead to inconsistency in consequence of the definitions adopted, since a definitional formula which is "idle" in a theory Xi may not be "idle" in a richer theory 2"». The chief shortcoming of the paper seems to consist in the use of the terms "analytic" and "synthetic" without their having been defined; and its chief merit, in stressing what I should like to call incomplete semantical characterization of theoretical terms by elementary ones in empirical theories — a feature which allows for the enrichment of such theories by new criteria of applicability for theoretical terms without changing the denotations of these terms. It is a matter of regret that at the time of writing the author apparently was not acquainted with Catnap's XXV 71(2) where the problem of breaking down the postulates of an empirical theory into analytic and synthetic components is treated in a more general way. MARIA KOKOSZYNSKA
This paper presents an improved controller for parallel connected single-phase UPS inverters in distributed generation application areas. The proposed control strategy needs only locally measurable feedback signals with communicationless between each inverter. It also shows how the improved adaptive droop method can be easily adapted to account for the operation of parallel inverters, providing good performance under the variation and disturbance of loads. And it uses adaptive integral loop gain to provide the motivation for sharing the current distortion components induced by nonlinear loads, as well as improve power sharing accuracy of inverters. Two DSP-based single-phase paralleling inverters are designed and implemented. Simulation and experimental results are all reported, confirming the validity of the proposed control technique.
The molecular core of the vertebrate circadian clock is a set of clock genes, whose products interact to control circadian changes in physiology. These clock genes are expressed in all tissues known to possess an endogenous self‐sustaining clock, and many are also found in peripheral tissues. In the present study, the expression patterns of two clock genes, cBmal1 and cMOP4, were examined in the chicken, a useful model for analysis of the avian circadian system. In two tissues which contain endogenous clocks – the pineal gland and retina – circadian fluctuations of both cBmal1 and cMOP4 mRNAs were observed to be synchronous; highest levels occurred at Zeitgeber time 12. Expression of these genes is also rhythmic in several peripheral tissues; however, the phases of these rhythms differ from those in the pineal gland and retina: in the liver the peaks of cMOP4 and cBmal1 mRNAs are delayed 4–8 h and in the heart they are advanced by 4 h, relative to those in the pineal gland and retina. These results provide the first temporal characterization of cBmal1 and cMOP4 mRNAs in avian tissues: their presence in avian peripheral tissues indicates they may influence temporal features of daily rhythms in biochemical, physiological, and behavioral functions at these sites.
Cs22In6(SiO4)4 was synthesized by the reaction of appropriate starting materials at 673 K, followed by slow cooling to room temperature, in arc-welded tantalum ampoules. According to single-crystal X-ray analysis, the compound crystallizes in a new structure type (P21/n(no. 14), a = 14.3533(4), b = 16.1712(4), c = 25.0135(7) A, β = 94.368(1), Z = 4), consisting of [In6]6– clusters with the shape of a distorted octahedron or more appropriately described as a condensate of three face sharing tetrahedra. The cluster is the first example of a “hypoelectronic” isolated [In6]6– indium cluster. The oxosilicate indide can be regarded as a “double salt“, Cs6In6 on one hand and the oxosilicate Cs4SiO4 ( × 4) on the other, which form the quaternary structure by inhomogeneous intergrowth of partial structures. The electronic structure of Cs22In6(SiO4)4 was examined by DFT calculations and compared to the one of Rb2In3, which exhibits linked In6 polyhedra. According to the DOS the title compound is a semiconductor with a band gap of 0.5 eV, which is in agreement with its observed insulating character. [In6]6– is an “isolated” cluster bearing inert electron pairs at each vertex. In contrast, [In6]4– in Rb2In3 only exhibits inert pairs at the apical atoms. The four basal atoms are linked to neighboring clusters by covalent bonds forming a 2D network. These bonding scenarios are supported by the analysis of the projected density of states, the electron localization function and the partitioning of the electron density according to Bader.
BACKGROUND Numerous clinical trials have reported conflicting results regarding the benefit of digoxin in treating heart failure (HF) patients. This study was conducted with the aim to demonstrate the impact of added digoxin to beta-blocker and beta-blocker alone on all-cause mortality and rehospitalization among these patients. METHODS We investigated the data of 1998 patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of decompensated HF in the prospective Persian Heart Failure Patients Registry in Iran. The outcomes of interest were time until death and time until first rehospitalization. Multivariate cox regression was used to compare the impact of beta-blocker plus digoxin and beta-blocker alone on 2.5-year survival and 90-day rehospitalization. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 69.18 ± 13.26 years, and 38.1% of patients were women. The incidence rate of all-cause mortality in the total sample was 0.18 and 0.22 in patients on beta-blocker plus digoxin and beta-blocker alone, respectively [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.92-1.7]. The adjusted risk of all-cause mortality was significantly higher in women discharged with beta-blocker plus digoxin than beta-blocker groups [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.27-4.19]. Rates of 90-day first rehospitalization were 0.10 and 0.12 in the beta-blocker plus digoxin and beta-blocker alone groups, respectively (IRR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.53-1.35). After adjustment for covariates, beta-blocker plus digoxin therapy had no significant effect on increasing the risk of 90-day first rehospitalization in the total cohort (HR = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.48-1.23), in men (HR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.40-1.35), and women (HR = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.36-1.65). CONCLUSION In patients hospitalized with decompensated HF, digoxin administration at discharge was associated with increased 30-month mortality risk in women.
The papers here examine the global circulation of both ideologies and practices that underlie the notion of "childhood," as well as the circulation or migration of children themselves. We ask what are the implications of the global circulation of constructions and practices of children and childhood, and how does the state involve itself in these processes? Specifically, the papers look at children and childhood in light of what Bock, Gaskins, and Lancy (2008:4) term "disruptive experiences." Collectively, the papers examine the experiences of Romanian street children in Paris (Terrio), trafficked children in the U.S. (Uehling), the unborn and the recently born children of African asylum seekers in Ireland (Shandy), and the children of Mexican migrants on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border (Boehm). In these settings children have roles as individual actors, but this agency is tempered by the notion that adult oversight of these youth is frequently a function of the state or a negotiated reality between parents and the state. The articles, social commentary and book reviews therefore provide fodder for recent debates within anthropology that emphasize the role of children as independent actors by highlighting the tension between "structure and agency," and problematizing these terms and their interaction in important ways.
MDM&C had formed its own Women’s Initiative, in recognition of the fact that women in the legal profession are faced with issues and challenges that are in many ways different from those facing their male peers. As part of its effort to promote the development of women within the Firm and the profession, MDM&C has formed the Initiative to provide an opportunity for women to develop and build on their unique strengths.
Composiltion and Mode of Action 'Hirudoid' is a water soluble cream containing organo-heparinoid produced from bovine organs and differs from other synthetic heparinoids as it is the sulphuric acid ester of a mucopolysaccharide possessing heparin-like activity. The active ingredients of Hirudoid consist of uronic acid and animo sugars in a low molecular form, which allows a rapid cutaneous penetration, as shown by Holzknecht ct al. (1954). It acts by local inhibition of blood coagulation, promotes fibrinolysis, hence further formation of trombi is prevented, and it is claimed that proteolysis and hyaluronidase activity is neutralized by 'competitive inhibition', thus inflammation due to external causes, or bacterial infection is restricted. Work by Schede! (1952) has shown that the clotting time is prolonged for up to 12 hours following Hirudoid application. Prothrombin estimations an' not ncrt-ssa rv during its use. It has also been shown by Avinger (1960); Klapp (1952) and Blocmertz (1955) that intercellular ion exchange and cellular metabolism is increased. Hence increased resorption of oedema and blood, plus regeneration of tissue is hastened.
We have shown the difficulty in producing a reliable model of vasospasm secondary to recurrent subarachnoid hemorrhage from carotid puncture in a squirrel monkey. In this animal, mild systemic hypertension had little or no effect on the clinical status after hemorrhage. The consistent production of a saccular aneurysm on the intracranial arteries was an unexpected result of the arterial puncture and the interruption of the internal elastic membrane. At this time, there is insufficient knowledge regarding the entire subject of vasospasm for correlation with human vessel reaction to injury.
Objectives— To assess quality and variability in measurements of the infrarenal aortic diameter by ultrasound, and to recommend quality control measures to improve consistency in measurements of the infrarenal aortic diameter (IAD) in a long running screening programme. Setting— An aneurysm screening programme in Huntingdon. Methods— Quality of the ultrasound image was subjectively assessed by each ultrasonographer. Quality of the measurements was assessed by analysing the frequency of measurements that were outside the normal variability of the estimated true diameter. The interobserver variability was measured by analysing repeated measurements of the IAD in the same patient by two ultrasonographers, using the same scanner. The variability between different scanners was measured by analysing repeat measurements of the IAD in the same patient by the same ultrasonographer, using two scanners. The intraobserver variability was estimated by analysing all patients with three consecutive measurements of the IAD, carried out by the same ultrasonographer. Results— Although the subjective assessment of the quality of the ultrasound image of the aorta varied, there were no statistically significant differences in the likelihood of obtaining measurements outside the limits of agreement between the ultrasonographers. The interobserver, intraobserver, and between scanner variability of ultrasound measurements of the IAD were all around 6 mm. Conclusion— The variability in ultrasound measurements of aortic diameters is acceptable for clinical decision making, and the interobserver variability is very similar to the long term intraobserver variability. Quality control measures are suggested to maintain long term consistency of ultrasound measurements of the IAD.
OBJECTIVES Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is the reference rewarming technique of accidental deep hypothermic cardiac arrest (DHCA). This study was designed to examine the impact of different rewarming blood flow rates and temperature setting of ECLS on cardiopulmonary lesions after DHCA in a porcine model of accidental hypothermia.   METHODS Twenty-four pigs were cannulated for ECLS, cooled until DHCA occurred, and subjected to 30 minutes of cardiac arrest. During the rewarming phase, we compared a low blood flow rate of 1.5 L/min versus a high flow rate of 3.0 L/min as well as two-temperature-setting rewarming strategies: a temperature during ECLS adjusted to 5°C above the central core temperature versus 38°C maintained throughout the rewarming phase. Cardiac output, hemodynamics and pulmonary function parameters were evaluated. Biologic markers of ischemia-reperfusion injuries were analyzed at baseline and at the end of the experiment.   RESULTS DHCA occurred at 21.2 ± 2°C. There was a trend for better cardiac output in groups with high blood flow (p = 0.053), with no interaction between ECLS flow and temperature (p = 0.63), a trend toward lower pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR; p = 0.075) and a significant decrease in arterial PVR in groups with high blood flow (p = 0.013) with no interaction (p = 0.47 and p = 0.60 for PVR and arterial PVR, respectively). Serum interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), and neuron-specific enolase were significantly increased between baseline and endpoint. The increase in the serum RAGE concentration was higher in the 38°C rewarming temperature groups compared to 5°C above adjusted temperature. There were no other significant differences in biomarkers.   CONCLUSIONS We developed a porcine model of DHCA treated by ECLS. Our data suggest that cardiac output tended to improve with a high-flow-rate rewarming strategy while a high-temperature delta between core temperature and ECLS increased the RAGE markers of lung injury.
Non-rainfall moisture (fog, dew, and water vapor; NRM) is an important driver of plant litter decomposition in grasslands, where it can contribute significantly to terrestrial carbon cycling. However, we still do not know whether microbial decomposers respond differently to NRM and rain, nor whether this response affects litter decomposition rates. To determine how local moisture regimes influence decomposer communities and their function, we examined fungal communities on standing grass litter at an NRM-dominated site and a rain-dominated site 75 km apart in the hyper-arid Namib Desert using a reciprocal transplant design. Dominant taxa at both sites consisted of both extremophilic and cosmopolitan species. Fungal communities differed between the two moisture regimes with environment having a considerably stronger effect on community composition than did stage of decomposition. Community composition was influenced by the availability of air-derived spores at each site and by specialization of fungi to their home environment; specifically, fungi from the cooler, moister NRM Site performed worse (measured as fungal biomass and litter mass loss) when moved to the warmer, drier rain-dominated site while Rain Site fungi performed equally well in both environments. Our results contribute to growing literature demonstrating that as climate change alters the frequency, magnitude and type of moisture events in arid ecosystems, litter decomposition rates may be altered and constrained by the composition of existing decomposer communities.
BACKGROUND: The emerging challenges in the healthcare system require a vision for the future of respiratory care to ensure a successful transition to practice for new graduate respiratory therapists (RT). The nursing profession has recognized the need to acknowledge the successes and failures of graduates' transition to practice so that these programs can be continuously improved. The challenge is in identifying aspects of the transition to practice that may improve job satisfaction, retention, professional development, and patient care for RTs. This research aimed to explore the perceptions of new graduate RTs' experiences during their first year of practice and identify barriers and facilitators to a successful transition to practice. METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study surveyed new graduate RTs who transitioned to practice from May 2019 to December 2021 at a New England academic medical center respiratory care department. RESULTS: Twenty-eight new graduate RTs responses were included in the study. The majority of the respondents experienced a successful transition to practice; however, they faced many barriers. New graduate RTs reported that their orientation did not provide enough experience and exposure to gain confidence in critical skills and procedures. They also experienced stress due to COVID-19 and interpersonal relationships, felt overwhelmed by their workload, and were subject to negative workplace behavior. CONCLUSIONS: New graduate RTs experienced many barriers to their transition to practice. Respiratory care leadership should identify barriers faced by new graduate RTs during their transition to practice. A nurse residency model may provide a framework for RT transition-to-practice programs. Improving transition-to-practice programs for new graduate RTs and surveying their experiences may lead to an increase in job satisfaction, retention, and improved patient care.
Hemoglobin (Hb) and iron are prooxidants in nature and sources of free radicals in the biological system of all Hb phenotypes. Recent evidence linked abnormal hemoglobin S and C (HbSC) in sickle cell disease (SCD) to various complications in multiple oxidative processes. However, similar studies in relation to abnormal Hb traits are sparse. Besides, reports on activities of antioxidant enzymes and iron status in SCDs are still contradictory. This study assessed the interplay between lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense capacity in various Hb variants. We enrolled 193 participants with different Hb phenotypes. They were consecutive patients with sickle cell anemia (HbSS, n = 32) and hemoglobin SC (HbSC) disease (n = 28) regularly followed up in a steady state. Other participants were subjects with abnormal Hb traits (HbAS, n = 50; HbAC, n = 33) and normal controls (HbAA, n = 50). The hematocrit (Hct) level, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, iron status, and biochemical parameters including malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzymes were investigated simultaneously. The MDA and SOD levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in Hb variants in order of HbSS>HbSC>HbAC>HbAS when compared with controls. Conversely, GPx and TAS levels showed significant reductions (P < 0.05). Similarly, Hct, Hb, and iron concentrations showed significant reductions (P < 0.05) sequentially following HbAC > HbAS > HbSC > HbSS compared with controls. The results suggest that both SCDs and the carriers were relatively more vulnerable to systemic oxidative stress against normal phenotype, and may be owing to ineffective antioxidant mechanisms needed for keeping spontaneous generations of free radicals in control without necessarily iron‐mediated.
This paper is an investigation about an Electromagnetic Compatibility test called Radiated Immunity. The goal of such test is to check if a device under test, e.g. electronic equipment, is sufficiently immune to electromagnetic noise coming from both intentional and non-intentional sources. Depending on the interference source, the field waveform might be complex, given the modern modulation and multiple access techniques. Radiated Immunity standards, however, cover only a few simple modulation schemes and test severity levels that might differ from the real field intensities. In this work, the impact of such differences in the 210–216 MHz frequency range is studied, with the use of the statistical technique Friedman Test. Experimental and computational results indicate that this difference is not negligible.
To better characterize the views of young people with chronic illness about transitioning from pediatric to adult healthcare, researchers in the U.K. developed a list of 39 statements about transition. They then recruited 41 patients aged 14 to 22 years with chronic conditions (representing 9 different specialties) to rate agreement with each statement. Using factor analysis, the researchers identified four distinct groups:
Sideways fall has been identified as the most critical situation leading to hip fracture in the elderly. The stiffness and damping property of the body joints are necessary for constructing effective biomechanical models to study fall dynamics. However, very little has been known about the joint behaviour when the body is in fall. We developed a subject specific inverse-dynamics approach to estimate the joint stiffness and damping property. The anthropometric parameters required for constructing the inverse-dynamics model was extracted from the subject's whole body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) image. The motion data of the body in sideways fall were obtained by protected fall tests using the same subject. The joints were represented by the Kelvin-Voigt model with undetermined stiffness and damping parameters, which were then determined by solving the inverse problems. For validation purpose, the obtained joint stiffness and damping parameters were substituted back into the dynamics equations and the forward problems were solved. The predicted fall kinematic variables were compared with those measured from the fall tests. Good agreements were observed, indicating that the proposed approach is reliable and reasonably accurate.
Electrochemical interfaces invariably generate unipolar electromotive force because of the unidirectional nature of electrochemical double layers. Herein we show an unprecedented generation of a time varying bipolar electric field between identical half-cell electrodes induced by tailored interfacial migration of magnetic particles. The periodic oscillation of a bipolar electric field is monotonically correlated with velocity-dependent torque, opening new electrochemical pathways targeting velocity monitoring systems.
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is recognized to be associated with a number of comorbid conditions. Based on these associations, PH is classified into 5 groups, considering common pathophysiologic drivers of disease, histopathologic features, clinical manifestations and course, and response to PH therapy. However, in some of these associated conditions, these characteristics are less well-understood. These include, among others, conditions commonly encountered in clinical practice such as sarcoidosis, sickle cell disease, myeloproliferative disorders, and chronic kidney disease/end stage renal disease. PH in these contexts presents a significant challenge to clinicians with respect to disease management. The most recent updated clinical classification schemata from the 6th World Symposium on PH classifies such entities in Group 5, highlighting the often unclear and/or multifactorial nature of PH. An in-depth review of the state of the science of Group 5 PH with respect to epidemiology, pathogenesis, and management is provided. Where applicable, future directions with respect to research needed to enhance understanding of the clinical course of these entities is also discussed.
The well-known Routh Array settles the problem of stability of systems of differential equations with rral coefficients. The Extended Routh Array (ERA) is the complex counterpart of the Routh Array and it settles the stability of these systems when the coefficients are complex. Since its construction, the ERA remained more of a theoretical achievement, than a practical tool to test the stability of linear systems. Some attempts were made to overcome the complexity of the ERA. The Modified Extended Routh Array (MERA) was then introduced and it reduced the burden of computations, but still it involved lots of divisions and many operations with complex numbers. In the present work, we use the interlacing property to propose an equivalent criterion to both ERA and MERA, we call the Generalized Routh Array (GRA). The new array has advantages over both ERA and MERA in the sense that neither division algorithm, nor operations of complex numbers are involved. An example is given to illustrate the feasibility of the new test.
The congruence between self reported drug use and urinalysis data among 89 consecutive opioid dependents at their first contact in an outpatient clinic was examined. For this purpose self reports of drug use within preceding 72 hr, laboratory analysis of urine samples by thin layer chromatography (TLC) were carried out for various drugs. The same samples were also confirmed by gas liquid chromatography (GLC). Many subjects reported concomitant poly-drug use. The base rate was found to be low for other drugs besides heroin. The conclusion could be dra wn more con vincingly as regard heroin use. Inaccuracy in self-report of drug use has been observed using GLC as a gold standard. The subjects are likely to be more accurate when they report abstinence than when reporting drug use. These results also suggest that clinicians should be cautious while prescribing agonist/partial agonists especially based on only self-report for long term maintenance program, as many patients may not be really physiolologically dependent.
In this paper a scheme of intra-cell spatial resource reuse is proposed for a peer-to-peer (P2P) enabled TDD-CDMA system to increase the system capacity via only software update. On account of the new interference scenario in our scheme, a more accurate model of signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is deduced and analyzed instead of using the conventional equation. As demonstrated by our system-level simulations, the capacity is significantly improved by reusing the same radio resource among different P2P transmitters within a single cellular cell in the spatial domain. Furthermore, we employ critical values of SINR target observed from simulation results to indicate whether the P2P-enabled system is resource-restricted or interference-restricted for a certain application scenario. By means of a hexagon-padding plan, the relation between co-channel reuse distance and single-hop distance is also pointed out to help to apply our scheme to a real implementation. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We conducted a longitudinal study to clarify the changes in the sense of coherence (SOC); that is, the ability to cope with stress successfully, of 166 Japanese junior high school students and their mothers before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we analyzed changes in SOC at three time points for all students and divided them into two groups: Group 1 included students with SOC scores that increased or maintained before and after the onset of the pandemic and Group 2 included students with decreased SOC scores after the onset of the pandemic. Second, we conducted a comparative analysis between the two groups. Overall, results indicated that student's SOC scores increased. Additionally, interpersonal stress scores were lower after the onset of the pandemic than before. There were almost no differences in family relationships, financial conditions, or personality tendencies between the two groups. However, Group 2 did not regain their sense of belonging to school. In this group, the frequency of stress experiences in club activities after the onset of the pandemic, troubles with the opposite gender, and inability to catch up with the contents of the subject lecture were high. The accumulation of small stressors may have hindered the maintenance of a sense of school affiliation. Mothers of students in Group 2 either were full-time employees at baseline or had started a new job after the onset of the pandemic. Their children may have been affected by the household's damaged financial budget and changes in mother's working styles. As COVID-19 reduced the number of days students went to school, students' SOC could have reduced had they not felt a sense of presence or belonging due to the lack of participation in club activities, school events, etc. Teachers and mothers should communicate carefully with their students and children, respectively, to develop a sense of belonging.
INFECTIONS ACQUIRED in hospitals and care homes can complicate illnesses, cause distress to patients and their families and have serious economic consequences. NHS Plus, which provides an occupational health service to staff in the NHS and the independent sector, reports that 15 per cent of hospitalacquired infections are preventable. It is not surprising then that infection control management and training has a high profile in the healthcare sector. The educational services group Protocol brings together training materials, students and assessors to enable healthcare staff to acquire quickly and efficiently the necessary knowledge and skills to minimise infections.
Background In humans, measurement of serum thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration is commonly used as a first‐line discriminatory test of thyroid function. Recent reports indicate that canine TSH (cTSH) assays can be used to measure feline TSH and results can help diagnose or exclude hyperthyroidism. Objectives To investigate the usefulness of cTSH measurements as a diagnostic test for cats with hyperthyroidism. Animals Nine hundred and seventeen cats with untreated hyperthyroidism, 32 euthyroid cats suspected of having hyperthyroidism, and 131 clinically normal cats. Methods Prospective study. Cats referred to the Animal Endocrine Clinic for suspected hyperthyroidism were evaluated with serum T4, T3, free T4 (fT 4), and TSH concentrations. Thyroid scintigraphy was used as the gold standard to confirm or exclude hyperthyroidism. Results Median serum TSH concentration in the hyperthyroid cats (<0.03 ng/mL) was significantly (P < .001) lower than concentrations in clinically normal cats (0.05 ng/mL) or euthyroid cats with suspected thyroid disease (0.06 ng/mL). Only 18 (2.0%) hyperthyroid cats had measurable TSH concentrations (≥0.03 ng/mL), whereas 114 (69.9%) of the 163 euthyroid cats had detectable concentrations. Combining serum TSH with T4 or fT 4 concentrations lowered the test sensitivity of TSH from 98.0 to 97.0%, but markedly increased overall test specificity (from 69.9 to 98.8%). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Serum TSH concentrations are suppressed in 98% of hyperthyroid cats, but concentrations are measurable in a few cats with mild‐to‐moderate hyperthyroidism. Measurement of serum TSH represents a highly sensitive but poorly specific test for diagnosis of hyperthyroidism and is best measured in combination with T4 and fT 4.
We herein report a rare concurrent case of ulcerative colitis (UC) in a pregnant woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which was well managed by biologics. When a 32-year-old woman with seropositive RA became pregnant, she began experiencing hematochezia; colonoscopy revealed diffuse inflammation with multiple ulcers. Based on clinical examinations and pathological assessments, she was diagnosed with severe UC. Although prednisolone had no curative effect and infliximab caused an infusion reaction, golimumab successfully induced remission with normal delivery. This case report describes the successful treatment of a pregnant woman with UC and RA through biologics administration.
Systems of interest in physics are usually composed by a very large number of interacting particles. At equilibrium, these systems are described by stationary states of the many-body Hamiltonian (at zero temperature, by the ground state). The reaction to perturbations, for example to a change of the external fields, is governed by the time-dependent many-body Schroedinger equation. Since it is typically very difficult to extract useful information from the Schroedinger equation, one of the main goals of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics is the derivation of effective evolution equations which can be used to predict the macroscopic behavior of the system. In these notes, we are going to consider systems of interacting bosons in the so called Gross-Pitaevskii regime, and we are going to show how coherent states and Bogoliubov transformations can be used to approximate the many body dynamics.
This paper proposes an alternative spoke type interior permanent magnet machine (STIPMM) design to minimize the pulsating torque and decrease the use of permanent magnet materials. The proposed rotor design consists of a number of rotor lamination stacks with notches made on the surface and packed in the axial direction. Within each stack, the width of the permanent magnets (PMs) and the span of the notches are different from those in the other lamination stacks. By varying the magnet width and the span of the notches in each lamination stack, the pulsating torque of the machine can be minimized while reducing the amount of PM materials used. A differential evolution (DE) algorithm was used to solve this minimization problem by evaluating a large number of design candidates. Finite element analysis was employed when calculating the cost function of the optimization. The rated performance of the optimum design is benchmarked against a base-line STIPMM in which the rotor was modified based on the 2007 Camry motor model. The results show improvement in the pulsating torque and the PM material utilization of the proposed model.
Proteoglycan macromolecules play key roles in several physiological processes (e.g., adhesion, proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and apoptosis), all of which are important for placentation and healthy pregnancy. However, their precise roles in human reproduction have not been clarified. To fill this gap, herein, we provide an overview of the proteoglycans’ expression and role in the placenta, in trophoblast development, and in pregnancy complications (pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction), highlighting one of the most important members of this family, syndecan-1 (SDC1). Microarray data analysis showed that of 34 placentally expressed proteoglycans, SDC1 production is markedly the highest in the placenta and that SDC1 is the most upregulated gene during trophoblast differentiation into the syncytiotrophoblast. Furthermore, placental transcriptomic data identified dysregulated proteoglycan genes in pre-eclampsia and in fetal growth restriction, including SDC1, which is supported by the lower concentration of syndecan-1 in maternal blood in these syndromes. Overall, our clinical and in vitro studies, data analyses, and literature search pointed out that proteoglycans, as important components of the placenta, may regulate various stages of placental development and participate in the maintenance of a healthy pregnancy. Moreover, syndecan-1 may serve as a useful marker of syncytialization and a prognostic marker of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Further studies are warranted to explore the role of proteoglycans in healthy and complicated pregnancies, which may help in diagnostic or therapeutic developments.
The magnetization property is one of the key issues when considering the accelerator-magnet applications of Bi-2212 wires. In this work, first, the critical current densities of several types of Bi-2212 round wires were measured by the transport current method at various temperatures. Then, the magnetization of the wires was measured at various temperatures and applied field amplitudes using the SQUID magnetometer. Hysteresis loops were plotted, and the time decay of the magnetization was studied. It was observed that magnetization had various values, but the hysteresis curves and time decays of all samples had the same tendency. The equivalent filament diameter can be determined from the measured magnetization and the measured critical current density. The equivalent filament diameters are several times larger as compared with the actual filament size.
These days we are often told that there is a crisis in physics. No fewer than 28 physics departments in the UK have closed within the past 14 years, probably due to a continuous decrease over the last two decades in the number of school pupils studying physics to the age of 18. Although there are signs that numbers are stabilizing, there is still widespread concern that we are facing a "downward spiral" in which fewer physics graduates leads to fewer good physics teachers to inspire the next generation, and so on. To ensure the health of the subject, we need not just good schoolteachers but also high-quality university physics departments staffed by able and enthusiastic lecturers and researchers.
Research on the regional difference characteristics and driving mechanisms of high-quality developmental evaluations of the construction industry under the constraint of carbon emissions has important practical significance for guiding the efficient development of the construction industry, alleviating the contradiction between economic and social development and resource conservation, low-carbon requirements in the process of rapid urbanization, and realizing regional coordinated development. Taking carbon emissions as unexpected output into the evaluation system of high-quality development of construction industry, this paper studies the spatial–temporal differentiation characteristics, dynamic trend evolution and its driving factors of high-quality development of China’s construction industry from 2006 to 2021 by using the SE-SBM model of unexpected output, GML index analysis and grey correlation model. The research results show that: (1) from 2006 to 2021, the high-quality development of the construction industry generally fluctuated in a sinusoidal function pattern, and the high-quality development level of the construction industry in China was improved as a whole. It is manifested in the coexistence of regional imbalance and spatial correlation. High-efficiency provinces are concentrated in the eastern coastal areas, forming an obvious cluster effect; however, the radiation-driving effect is weak. (2) The regional difference in technological scale change is the largest, which is the main reason for the difference in regional total factor production growth rate; the contribution of technological progress to the difference in total factor growth rate is also relatively large. Generally speaking, technological factors are the key to reducing the difference of total factor growth rate between regions. (3) Urbanization level, carbon emission constraints, government regulation, scientific and technological R & D investment and industrial structure upgrading are the main driving factors that affect the spatiotemporal differentiation and evolution of high-quality development of the construction industry.
Modifications to the Cambridge Scanning Electron microscope enable the viewing of untreated insulating materials directly with no evidence of charging. Beam damage under the conditions employed were quite small, even uncoated polythene could be viewed at magnifications of 20–2000 at 30 keV for long periods of time with little evidence of continuing changes in surface structure. Detailed descriptions of the modifications used are given. Studies on biological material were not satisfactory and work is in progress to confirm that the claims of Robinson (1975a) can be demonstrated in this type of instrument.
The role of shared genetic risk in the etiology of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the mechanisms of these effects is unknown. In this study, we generated T1D association data of 15k samples imputed into the HRC reference panel which we compared to T2D association data of 159k samples imputed into 1000 Genomes. The effects of genetic variants on T1D and T2D risk at known loci and genome-wide were positively correlated, which we replicated using data from the UK Biobank and clinically-defined diabetes in the WTCCC. Increased risk of T1D and T2D was correlated with higher fasting insulin and fasting glucose level and decreased birth weight, among T1D- and T2D-specifc correlations, and T1D and T2D associated variants were enriched in regulatory elements for pancreatic, insulin resistance (adipose, CD19+ B cell), and developmental (CD184+ endoderm) cell types. We fine-mapped causal variants at known T1D and T2D loci and found evidence for co-localization at five signals, four of which had same direction of effect, including CENPW and GLIS3. Shared risk variants at GLIS3 and other signals were associated with measures of islet function, while CENPW was associated with early growth, and we identified shared risk variants at GLIS3 in islet accessible chromatin with allelic effects on islet regulatory activity. Our findings support shared genetic risk involving variants affecting islet function as well as insulin resistance, growth and development in the etiology of T1D and T2D.
In India about 6.7 million abortions takes place every year of which 4 million are induced and 2 millions are spontaneous. WHO estimates that unsafe abortion kills about 70,000 women annually, many more suffer serious injuries and permanent disability. In spite of legalization of medical termination of pregnancy in India, the incidence of illegal abortion is at time more common than legal abortion. Unsafe abortion is major cause of mortality among women in India accounting for 12% of all maternal death. One way of reducing mortality and morbidity associated with unsafe abortion is early decision by women for termination of pregnancy by use of combination of mifepristone and misoprostol for termination of pregnancy up to 9 weeks. So the present study aims to study the efficacy of mifepristone and misoprostol  for medical termination of pregnancy up to 9 weeks of pregnancy. This is a prospective randomized study undertaken in 100 patients seeking MTP, in the reproductive age group with a history of less than or equal to 9 weeks gestation, attending Obstretic and Gynace OPD of Sir Takhsinhji Hospital attached to Govt. Medical College, Bhavnagar from March 2018 to August 2019. They were administered 200 mg of mifepristone followed by oral misoprostol 400 ug after 48 hours and another 400ug misoprostol after 24 hours. Results show Overall success rate of 92% abortion failure rate of 8% were achieved. This treatment regimen was more effective in earlier gestational age group.  Keywords: Abortion, MTP, Mifepristone ,  Misoprostol
Based on the reaction of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) with nitric oxide (NO), a novel detection method of NO has been developed. The method uses second-order derivative spectrometry in an anaerobic phosphate buffer solution. The effects of pH and HRP concentration on the determination of NO in HRP system were investigated, and the conditions for the measurements were optimized. Some possible coexisting substances, such as nitrite, nitrate and hydrogen peroxide, were tested. The linear regression equation of standard curve was found to be h = 8.89 × 10^2 c _no - 1.56 × 10^–3 with the relevant coefficient of 0.9966 ( n = 5) in the NO concentration range of 0.085 – 1.3 µM. The relative standard deviations were less than 3%. Based on the standard deviation of 5 blank measurements and a signal-to-noise ratio of 3, the detection limit for NO was 0.032 µM. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of NO levels in serum samples.
The inflammatory airway disease cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by airway obstruction due to mucus hypersecretion, airway plugging, and bronchoconstriction. The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel is dysfunctional in CF, leading to defects in epithelial transport. Although CF pathogenesis is still disputed, activation of alternative Cl− channels is assumed to improve lung function in CF. Two suitable non-CFTR Cl− channels are present in the airway epithelium, the Ca2+ activated channel TMEM16A and SLC26A9. Activation of these channels is thought to be feasible to improve hydration of the airway mucus and to increase mucociliary clearance. Interestingly, both channels are upregulated during inflammatory lung disease. They are assumed to support fluid secretion, necessary to hydrate excess mucus and to maintain mucus clearance. During inflammation, however, TMEM16A is upregulated particularly in mucus producing cells, with only little expression in ciliated cells. Recently it was shown that knockout of TMEM16A in ciliated cells strongly compromises Cl− conductance and attenuated mucus secretion, but does not lead to a CF-like lung disease and airway plugging. Along this line, activation of TMEM16A by denufosol, a stable purinergic ligand, failed to demonstrate any benefit to CF patients in earlier studies. It rather induced adverse effects such as cough. A number of studies suggest that TMEM16A is essential for mucus secretion and possibly also for mucus production. Evidence is now provided for a crucial role of TMEM16A in fusion of mucus-filled granules with the apical plasma membrane and cellular exocytosis. This is probably due to local Ca2+ signals facilitated by TMEM16A. Taken together, TMEM16A supports fluid secretion by ciliated airway epithelial cells, but also maintains excessive mucus secretion during inflammatory airway disease. Because TMEM16A also supports airway smooth muscle contraction, inhibition rather than activation of TMEM16A might be the appropriate treatment for CF lung disease, asthma and COPD. As a number of FDA-approved and well-tolerated drugs have been shown to inhibit TMEM16A, evaluation in clinical trials appears timely.
Creep behavior of the composite based on aluminium matrix reinforced by 4 vol. % A14C3 has been studied at temperatures from 623 and 723 Κ by small punch testing with a constant force. The time dependence of the central deflection was registered and the minimum deflection rate was determined. The dependence of this quantity on applied force can be described by power function with relatively high value of power. The dependence can be rationalized by an analysis in terms of threshold concept. Analytical procedure was given for comparing threshold force in small punch experiments and threshold stress in conventional creep testing.
Road congestion is a common problem all over the world. In many developed countries, automated congestion detection techniques have been deployed, that are used in road travel assisting applications. But these techniques are mostly inapplicable in many developing regions due to high cost and their assumptions of orderly traffic. Efforts in developing regions have been few. In this paper, we present RoadSoundSense, an acoustic sensing based technique, for near real time congestion monitoring on chaotic roads, at a moderate cost. We present the detailed design of an acoustic sensing hardware prototype, which has to be deployed by the side of the road to be monitored. This unit samples and processes road noise to compute various metrics like amount of vehicular honks and vehicle speed distribution, with speeds calculated from honks using differential Doppler shift. The metrics are sent to a remote server over GPRS every alternate minute. Based on the metric values, the server can decide the traffic condition on the road. Data from deployment of this prototype in six different Mumbai roads, validated against manually observed ground truth, shows feasibility of per minute congestion monitoring from a remote server. K-means clustering gives on average 90% accuracy to group unlabeled data on a new road into two clusters of congested and free-flow. Deployment data from one road for six days shows the temporal variation in traffic state for that road. Though we test our technique in Mumbai, we believe that most of our claims and experimental results can be extended to city roads of other developing regions as well.
Our primary goal was to determine whether detection of Rhizopogon internal transcribed spacer (ITS) groups is affected by the pine species used in seedling bioassays. Our secondary goal was to investigate composition of Rhizopogon spore banks in the Eastern Sierra Nevada of California, a previously unsampled region. We used seedlings of Pinus contorta, Pinus jeffreyi, Pinus lambertiana, and Pinus muricata as bioassay plants and identified the Rhizopogon retrieved by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis. We found that each of the pine species retrieved all of the abundant Rhizopogon ITS groups, but there were significant differences among pines in the richness of Rhizopogon ITS groups recovered. Pinus muricata recovered all ITS groups found in this study and was significantly better than P. lambertiana. Rhizopogon communities from the five sampled sites contained six to eight ITS groups per site, with two unique sequence groups and a higher abundance of the Rhizopogon ellenae and Rhizopogon arctostaphyli groups than at previously sampled sites. These results show high cross-receptivity between Rhizopogon and pine species, and regional patterns in spore bank composition.
BackgroundThe increase in intraocular pressure in the human eye that is associated with the use of intravenous succinylcholine has long been ascribed to contraction of the extraocular muscles leading to compression of the globe. This created concern that such contraction would extrude global contents in the patient with an open globe, and led clinicians to avoid the use of succinylcholine in these patients. MethodsThe authors studied 15 patients undergoing elective enucleation, and compared the intraocular pressure change after the administration of succinylcholine in the diseased eye after all the extraocular muscles had been detached to that of the normal eye that had the extraocular muscles attached. ResultsThe authors found no difference in baseline intraocular pressure (mmHg) between eyes (15.1 vs. 16.1) or at peak intraocular pressure (25.2 vs. 24.7), but did observe a significant difference in pressure in both eyes when baseline was compared with peak pressure. ConclusionsThe authors concluded that extraocular muscle contraction does not contribute to the increase in intraocular pressure after succinylcholine.
Immune checkpoint therapy has revolutionized the treatment of patients with cancer. Checkpoint receptors and their ligands play an important role in T cell activation and exhaustion and are currently the focus in understanding the antitumoral immune responses. In patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) limited data have been published that comprehensively describe the expression of checkpoint receptors on different T cell subsets.  We performed multicolor flow cytometry on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PB, PBMCs) from patients with newly diagnosed AML (n=20) and PBMCs from age matched healthy donors (HDs; n=12), focusing on differentiation, the clinically actionable exhaustion receptor T cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT), the two ectoenzymes ectonucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-1 (CD39) and ecto-5′-nucleotidase (CD73). Our studies included also analysis of interleukin-7 receptor-α (CD127) and the intracellular expression of the transcription factor T cell factor 1 (TCF-1). Both markers are known to be expressed in long living memory CD8+ T cells and harboring the ability for self-renewal. The thymocyte selection-associated high mobility group box protein (TOX) was also analyzed, since this molecule has recently been described as regulator of CD8+ T cell exhaustion.  Comparison of PB from patients with newly diagnosed AML vs. HDs revealed that the frequency of CD8+, CD4con (CD4+CD127+CD25-) and CD4reg (CD4+CD127-CD25+) T cells was similar among both groups. However, the frequency of CD8+ EMRA T cells (CCR7- CD45RO- CD8+ CD3+) was increased in PB from patients with AML compared to PB from HDs (39,05 ± 4,38 vs. 14,29 ± 3,83; p<0,05).  TIGIT, CD39 and CD73 emerged as checkpoints of interest on CD8+ T cells. The frequency of TIGIT+ CD8+ T cells and CD39+ CD8+ T cells in PBs from patients with newly diagnosed AML was increased compared with that in HDs (42,60 ± 4,67 vs. 20,36 ± 3,68; p=0,00 and 6,54 ± 2,05 vs. 1,31 ± 0,32; p=0,05). Whereas reduced frequency of CD73+ CD8+ T cells occurred in PB from patients with AML vs. HD (41,35 ± 4,75 vs. 66,18 ± 7,28; p=0,01). Analysis between TIGIT and CD73 expression showed inverse correlation between both targets in AML (r=-0,53; p=0,01). The frequency of the TIGIT+ CD73- CD8+ T cell population was increased in AML (36,85 ± 5,17, vs. 16,23 ± 5,09 ;p=0,01). This increased frequency of TIGIT+ CD73- cells in AML was related to EM (CCR7- CD45RO+ CD8+ CD3+)T cells (42,89 ± 4,78 vs. 25,27 ± 3,39; p=0,01) and EMRA CD8+ T cells (56,01 ± 5,68 vs. 36,54 ± 4,85; p=0,03). Moreover, CD39 was aberrantly expressed on this population: we observed an increased frequency of CD39+ TIGIT+ CD73- CD8+ T cells in PB from patients with newly diagnosed AML compared to PB from HDs (13,47 ± 4,03 vs. 3,03 ± 1,21; p=0,02).  Next we focused on CD127 and TCF-1 which are involved in creating long living antigen independent memory CD8+ T cells and ability to self-renewal while producing differentiated effector cells. Comparing expression of CD127 and TCF-1 on CD39+ TIGIT+ CD73- CD8+ T cells showed a significantly decreased frequency of CD127 (17,73 ± 2,16, vs. 30,72 ± 7,12; p=0,04) and TCF-1 (14,67 ± 2,90 vs. 39,74 ± 9,32; p=0,03) in PB from patients with newly diagnosed AML compared to HDs. Expression of TIGIT and TCF-1 inversely correlated in AML (r =-0,87; p<0,05).  To further evaluate the exhaustion status of TIGIT+ CD73- CD8+ T cells we examined the expression of TOX, recently described as one of the key regulators governing CD8+ T cell exhaustion, the frequency of TOX+ cells was increased in AML (50,57 ± 8,21 vs. 22,14 ± 4,86; p=0,01). Analysis of co-expression showed that the TOX+ CD39+ TIGIT+ CD73- CD8+ population was significantly increased in PB from patients with newly diagnosed AML compared to their counterparts in PB from HDs (21,81 ± 3,14 vs. 3,84 ± 1,10; p=0,04).  In summary, we could show that in PB from patients with newly diagnosed AML an aberrant cell population of CD39+ TIGIT+ CD73- CD8+ T cells is prevalent in contrast to the PB from HDs. In this cell population we observed elevated expression of TOX which has recently described as one of the key regulators governing CD8+ T cell exhaustion. In contrast downregulation of CD127 and TCF-1 was found in these cells. These data might contribute to CD8+ T cell exhaustion in AML and support further functional analysis to investigate the relevance of combinatorial inhibition of TIGIT and CD39.      Brauneck: Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: support for meeting attendance; Novartis: Other: support for meeting attendance; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Other: support for meeting attendance. Bokemeyer:Merck KGaA: Honoraria; Janssen-Cilag: Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding; Bayer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Taiho Pharmaceutical: Research Funding; Pfizer: Other; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Research Funding; Millenium: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Nektar: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Rafael Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Springworks Therapeutics: Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel accomodations; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Other: travel accomodations, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; Merck Sharp & Dohme: Consultancy, Honoraria; Lilly/ImClone: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck Serono: Consultancy, Other: travel accomodations; Bayer Schering Pharma: Consultancy; GSO: Consultancy; AOK Health Insurance: Consultancy; Abbvie: Research Funding; ADC Therapeutics: Research Funding; Agile Therapeutics: Research Funding; Alexion Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; Apellis Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Astellas: Research Funding; BerGenBio: Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines: Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Daiichi Sankyo: Research Funding; Eisai: Research Funding; Gilead Sciences: Research Funding; Glycotope GmbH: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; IO Biotech: Research Funding; Isofol Medical: Research Funding. Fiedler:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: support for meeting attendance, Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; ARIAD/Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Morphosys: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Other: support for meeting attendance; Gilead: Other: support for meeting attendance; Daiichi Sankyo: Other: support for meeting attendance.
Experiments and theoretical calculations have been performed to determine the conditions necessary to obtain moisture levelling in the drying of beech squares from the green state using radio-frequency heating. The problems investigated include the scatter in final moisture contents owing to anisotropy of the dielectric properties of the wood, inverse moisture content distribution owing to incorrect control of the air temperature, and levelling of the input moisture distribution.
Summary    Twenty-seven cases of actinomycosis, involving the head and neck region, that have been observed in this district during the past twenty years have been tabulated. Available literature up to the end of 1934 has been reviewed.        “Actinomyces” is not a type designation, but a genus concept which includes a large number of types and varieties with highly varied morphological and biological characteristics.        There are both pathogenic and non-pathogenic aerobic, microaerophilic and anaerobic actinomyces.        The morphology varies considerably even in the same type.        The clinical picture of actinomycosis involving the head and neck and also autopsy revelations are not characteristic.        More cases will be diagnosed correctly if the surgeon or clinician is “actinomycosis conscious”.        The medico-legal aspect of the disease is referred to in the appendix.
Alzheimer's disease combined with cerebrovascular disease (AD with CVD) is associated with progressive decline, with CVD impacting AD onset and severity of progression. Subjects with confirmed diagnosis of AD with CVD were treated with galantamine during a six-month, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (N = 285). Responder analyses were performed for cognitive, behavioural and functional outcome measures. Galantamine treatment resulted in significantly greater cognitive and functional improvements compared with placebo at six months, and a significantly higher percentage of treatment responders. The proportion of responders demonstrating improved or maintained cognition on the 11-item AD assessment scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog/11) was 60.5% for galantamine versus 46.0% for placebo (P = 0.013). The proportion of patients responding by at least four-points on the ADAS-cog/11 was significantly greater for the galantamine group compared with placebo (33.6% versus 17.2%; P = 0.003). Seventy-five percent of galantamine-treated subjects improved or remained stable as assessed by CIBIC-plus compared with 53.6% on placebo (P = 0.0006). Significantly higher responder rates were observed with galantamine for behaviour (64.9% versus 56.6%; P = 0.024), and numerically favourable responder rates were seen with galantamine for activities of daily living. Treatment-emergent adverse events were generally related with the gastrointestinal system (nausea 20% versus 10%; vomiting 12% versus 5%; galantamine and placebo groups, respectively). Three deaths occurred during double-blind treatment: 2 of 188 subjects receiving galantamine, and 1 of 97 subjects receiving placebo. These findings are consistent with a broad range of cognitive, functional and behavioural benefits with galantamine across the spectrum of AD and AD with CVD.
BACKGROUND Helicobacter pylori infection, the commonest chronic bacterial infection in humans, causes chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and possibly gastric carcinoma and lymphoma. Recently, investigators have focused on its role in the development of extra-gastrointestinal diseases with oral manifestations. H. pylori infection can be diagnosed by various methods. Of late, H. pylori IgG antibodies have been detected in saliva using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, local validation of serological test is needed before implementing a test in different populations.   AIMS To detect anti H. pylori specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in saliva of adult patients with gastrointestinal symptoms by ELISA, to diagnose H. pylori infection in such patients by histopathology, and to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the immunoassay as compared to histopathologic diagnosis.   METHODS The study included 40 adult patients with gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of peptic ulcer disease. Saliva samples were analyzed for anti H. pylori IgG using EIAgen H. pylori IgG kit. Histopathologic diagnosis using gastric biopsy samples was the gold standard.   RESULTS The sensitivity and specificity of the test were 79.31% and 63.64%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 85.19% and 53.85%, respectively. The accuracy of EIAgen H. pylori IgG kit for salivary detection of anti H. pylori IgG antibodies was found to be 75%.   CONCLUSION EIAgen H. pylori IgG assay is a noninvasive, moderately accurate, and sensitive method for the detection of H. pylori infection in saliva. Salivary anti H. pylori IgG test prior to endoscopy is a useful screening test for seroepidemiological studies.
Discussions are an important part of medical education research papers, but there is little guidance on how to write up the discussion section. A good discussion section should relate closely to the results; it should include a balanced review of the strengths and weaknesses of the study; it should be realistic in evaluating the applicability of the results; and it should mention the feasibility of widespread adoption of the intervention. This paper describes a review of the discussion sections of research papers published in Medical Education. The review led to further discussion. Common errors in writing discussion sections include: minimising the weaknesses of a study or exaggerating its strengths; closing down debate too early or opening up new arguments at too late a stage; and getting carried away by the potential of technology or getting very carried away by the potential of technology. Some discussions can be too long, but restricted word counts keep abstracts mercifully short.
The characterstics of absorption and accumulation of inorganic germanium in Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer were examined. In 4-year-old P. ginseng, the germanium content of the field soil increased with increased amounts and frequencies of inorganic germanium application, while chemical components of the soil, such as available phosphate and exchangeable calcium, potassium, and magnesium, decreased with the increased inorganic germanium application. In the 4-year-old P. ginseng, the germanium content was highest in the rhizome and increased in the order of stem, leaf, lateral root, and main root, suggesting that inorganic germanium was absorbed from the root and translocated to the stem and leaf via the rhizome. As for changes in ginsenosides in 4-year-old P. ginseng rhizomes, the contents of ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Re, and Rf decreased as the germanium content in soil increased. Ginsenosides Rb₁, Rb₂, Rc, Re, and Rf in the main root also decreased with increasing germanium content in the main root. The results suggest that inorganic germanium treatment may increase organic germanium in harvested P. ginseng, thus enhancing the medicinal effi cacy of ginseng products.
Determining tool steels properties, especially deformation and flow behavior in the semi-solid zone, is an essential parameter for thixoforming process. The main objective of this work is an analysis microstructure and flow behavior determining of AISI D2 tool steel in the combined uniaxial constant load compression and electrical resistance heating in the semi-solid state. The as-received material used for experiments, were in the hot rolled-annealed condition. The globular solid particles suspended in liquid phase, were obtained by the joule heating of samples. The experiments were carried out for 0.2 to 0.3 liquid phase fraction under 160N uniaxial constant load in the specimens with 10 mm height and the same Diameter value. Microstructural evaluation before and after heating has also been presented. Structural and elemental analysis was performed with the help of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The microhardness test has been carried out on the solid particles of quenched samples. The hardness values were changed from 317HV0.1 to 463HV0.1 by increasing the liquid phase. Finally, a new approach based on plastic instability and power law equation was used for flow behavior detection. The results showed that combination joule heating and plastic instability approach is compatible for flow behavior detection of AISI D2 steels in the semi-solid state.
High-affinity phosphate transporters mediate uptake of inorganic phosphate (P(i) ) from soil solution under low P(i) conditions. The electrophysiological properties of any plant high-affinity P(i) transporter have not been described yet. Here, we report the detailed characterization of electrophysiological properties of the barley P(i) transporter, HvPHT1;1 in Xenopus laevis oocytes. A very low K(m) value (1.9 µm) for phosphate transport was observed in HvPHT1;1, which falls within the concentration range observed for barley roots. Inward currents at negative membrane potentials were identified as nH+ :P(i)⁻ (n > 1) co-transport based on simultaneous P(i) radiotracer uptake, oocyte voltage clamping and pH dependence. HvPHT1;1 showed preferential selectivity for P(i) and arsenate, but no transport of the other oxyanions SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻. In addition, HvPHT1;1 locates to the plasma membrane when expressed in onion (Allium cepa L.) epidermal cells, and is highly expressed in root segments with dense hairs. The electrophysiological properties, plasma membrane localization and cell-specific expression pattern of HvPHT1;1 support its role in the uptake of P(i) under low P(i) conditions.
Background: The i-gel, a new supraglottic airway device, has been touted to have acceptable airway seal pressure and better ventilatory parameters than Proseal laryngeal mask airway (PLMA) in adults. We propose to test this hypothesis objectively, by comparing fibreoptic grading of positioning of the above airways in adult patients. Methods: Ninety two adult patients undergoing minor surgeries were randomly assigned to either the PLMA or the i-gel group for airway management. Fibreoptic bronchoscope was inserted through airway tube and glottis view was graded according to established scoring system. Other parameters noted include effective airway time, failed insertions, oropharyngeal leak pressure, ease of gastric tube insertion, airway morbidity. The incidence of sore throat, dysphonia, dysphagia was assessed after 24 hours. Results: There was no statistical difference between both groups with respect to effective airway time, success rates at first attempt of insertion, ease of gastric tube insertion, airway trauma during insertion and postoperative airway morbidity. Proseal laryngeal mask airway was placed better than i-gel as confirmed by fibreoptic scoring of glottic view. Oropharyngeal leak pressure was better with PLMA group than i-gel. Conclusion: We conclude that PLMA was placed better than i-gel as confirmed by better fibreoptic scores and had higher oropharyngeal leak pressure.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: Persons with dementia need much care, but what care is used and how the burden of financing is divided between persons with dementia, caregivers, and public programs may differ between countries. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare how health care use and out-of-pocket (OOP) spending associated with dementia differ between the United States and Europe, with and without controlling for background characteristics. Research Design: We use prospectively collected survey data from the United States-based Health and Retirement Study (n=48,877) and the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (n=98,971) including all adults over the age of 70 years. Dementia status is imputed using a validated algorithm. After first reporting the observed differences in care use, we analyze how care use is associated with dementia using multivariate regressions, controlling for other health conditions and background characteristics. Results: Persons with dementia in the United States use 50% less formal home care per year than persons living with dementia in Europe [mean (SD)=236.8 h (1047.4) vs. 463.3 h (1371.2)], but use more nursing home care [75.1 d (131.4) vs. 45.5 d (119.4)). Dementia is associated with higher OOP spending in the United States than Europe [4406 USD (95% confidence interval, 3914–4899) vs. 246 USD (73–418)—2017 price levels]. Conclusions: Health care use and OOP spending differ between Europe and the United States. The far greater reliance on nursing home care in the United States likely causes much higher expenditures for people with dementia and insurance programs alike.
Brigatinib and brigatinib-analog are potent and selective ALK inhibitors with the similar structure. A simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for simultaneous determination of brigatinib and brigatinib-analog in rat plasma and brain homogenate was developed and validated. Chromatographic separation was carried out on an ODS column with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water as the mobile phase with gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. Detections were performed using a TSQ Quantum Ultra mass spectrometric detector with electrospray ionization (ESI) interface, which was operated in the positive ion mode. A simple protein precipitation preparation process was used. The lower limits of quantification (LLOQs) were 1.0 ng/mL and 0.5 ng/mL for analytes in rat plasma and brain homogenate, respectively. The intrabatch and interbatch precision and accuracy of brigatinib and brigatinib-analog were well within the acceptable limits of variation. The simple and sensitive LC-MS/MS method was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic and brain distribution studies following a single oral administration of brigatinib and brigatinib-analog to rats. The above studies would lay a good foundation for the further applications of brigatinib and brigatinib-analog.
General medical journals seek newsworthiness but face obstacles because of their usually slow publication schedules and because of contents that readers find either obscure or contradictory to long held beliefs. In addition, since medical news has become "big news," general medical journals find themselves in competition with both the lay press and the medical giveaways. One effect of the escalating public interest in medical news is that general medical journals that are reliable and have maintained their newsworthiness are increasingly cited. These journals thus eventually transmit research findings to the public as well as to the health-care professions. To help prevent exaggeration and misinterpretation by the lay press and by the public, general medical journals must evaluate submissions in a broader than traditional context. Nevertheless, newsworthiness is an appropiate goal for such journals.
In this study, lignin-based carbon nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning, followed by carbonization at four different temperatures (800, 1000, 1200, and 1400 °C). The surface and bulk elemental compositions were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. In addition, the structure of the prepared carbon nanofibers was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, focused ion beam microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that all carbon nanofibers, irrespective of the carbonization temperature, had homogeneous structures. They were dense and no phase separation was observed. Moreover, the nanofibers carbonized at 800 °C or 1000 °C predominately contained amorphous carbon and some non-carbon elements. When the carbonization was performed at a higher temperature (1200 °C or 1400 °C), non-carbon elements were effectively removed and nanocrystalline graphite was formed, indicating that high temperature carbonization facilitated the formation of ordered carbon structures.
Facile synthesis of cost-effective carbon-supported Co single atoms (Co-SAs) exhibits huge potential applications in energy storage and conversion devices. We here report the implantation of Co-SAs into hollow carbon spheres (Co-SAs-HCS) via a facile wet-chemistry strategy followed by controlled pyrolysis. Electron-rich histidine acted as a Lewis base effectively immobilizing Co2+ (Lewis acid) via the electrostatic effect and hydrogen bonds, thus achieving the scalable synthesis of Co-SAs-HCS. We constructed a series of histidine-Co2+ structure models to elucidate the formation of histidine-Co2+ complexes by analyzing their binding energy. X-ray absorption fine-structure results verify that central Co atoms with four N coordination atoms possess a non-planar Co-N4 structure. Electrochemical results indicate that the as-prepared Co-SAs-HCS catalyst shows a low potential difference (0.809 V) between the oxygen evolution reaction potential at 10 mA cm-2 and the oxygen reduction reaction half-wave potential, outperforming the commercial Pt/C catalysts (0.996 V). Moreover, an assembled Zn-air battery based on Co-SAs-HCS exhibits an unexpected long-term durability. We have demonstrated that non-planar Co-N4-1-O2 sites are the source for highly efficient adsorption and dissociation of O2 molecules and then reduction of the free energy of desorption of the intermediates by density functional theory. Our findings provide a new design insight into the exploration of advanced electrocatalysts, which will be applied in the design of green energy devices in the future.
Existing models of intracontinental deformation have focused on plate-like rigid body motion v. viscous-flow-like distributed deformation. To elucidate how plate convergence is accommodated by intracontinental strike-slip faulting and block rotation within a fold–thrust belt, we examine the Cenozoic structural framework of the central Qilian Shan of northeastern Tibet, where the NW-striking, right-slip Elashan and Riyueshan faults terminate at the WNW-striking, left-slip Haiyuan and Kunlun faults. Field- and satellite-based observations of discrete right-slip fault segments, releasing bends, horsetail termination splays and off-fault normal faulting suggest that the right-slip faults accommodate block rotation and distributed west–east crustal stretching between the Haiyuan and Kunlun faults. Luminescence dating of offset terrace risers along the Riyueshan fault yields a Quaternary slip rate of c. 1.1 mm a−1, which is similar to previous estimates. By integrating our results with regional deformation constraints, we propose that the pattern of Cenozoic deformation in northeastern Tibet is compatible with west–east crustal stretching/lateral displacement, non-rigid off-fault deformation and broad clockwise rotation and bookshelf faulting, which together accommodate NE–SW India–Asia convergence. In this model, the faults represent strain localization that approximates continuum deformation during regional clockwise lithospheric flow against the rigid Eurasian continent. Supplementary material: Luminescence dating procedures and protocols is available at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/CR9MN Thematic collection: This article is part of the Fold-and-thrust belts and associated basins collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/fold-and-thrust-belts
Perforation peritonitis is the most common surgical emergency in India. Despite advances in surgical techniques, antimicrobial therapy and intensive care support, management of peritonitis continues to be highly demanding, difficult and complex. The spectrum of etiology of perforation continues to be different from that of western countries and there is paucity of data from India regarding its etiology, prognostic indicators, morbidity and mortality patterns. Mortality of secondary peritonitis was as high as 90% in the early 20 century and is still 30-50% despite advances in antibiotics, surgical technique, radiographic imaging, and resuscitation therapy. Evaluating patients who have hollow viscus perforation remains one of the most challenging and resource-intensive aspects of acute surgical care. Missed diagnosis and late intervention are frequent causes of increased morbidity and mortality, especially in patients who survive the initial phase of insult. Hence successful treatment requires a thorough understanding of anatomy, microbiology, ABSTRACT
The perception of people who care about the environment by young Poles The article presents the results of a study concerning the perception of people protecting the natural environment by students of the universities in Warsaw. According to the study, people protecting the environment are associated with positive characteristics and motivation. The study shows also how popular the negative associations with activity of ecological organizations are.
T rHE novel method by which Lysistrata proposes to end the war between the Athenians and the Spartans gives Aphrodite ample opportunity to exercise her spell. The beginning of the comedy, which seems to exclude her from impending developments, is in reality the anacrusis of an erotic theme. Lysistrata complains that the women whom she has summoned to the acropolis for a mysterious meeting in the early morning do not come so promptly as they would have to a shrine of Dionysus or Pan, to that (of Aphrodite) at Cape Kolias or of Genetyllis.1 Vexation, however, does not prevent her from naming the four shrines in their logical sequence. Aphrodite's is mentioned immediately after Pan's in keeping with their close association. They shared an altar at Olympia.2 In the Hellenistic period, when sculptors represented Aphrodite with greater license than their predecessors had done, there was set up at Delos an erotic group of the pair.3 In the comedy the sequence Dionysus, Pan, Aphrodite, and Genetyllis simply recognizes the natural sequence of wine, passion, and offspring. Besides frequent affirmations in the name of Aphrodite, there are implied references to the goddess and her cult which are equally indicative of her significant role in the play. In verse 177 Lysistrata announces that the elder women have been ordered to seize the acropolis, and she then invites her followers to take an oath that they will desert their husbands until the latter make peace with the Spartans. The circumstances of the oath are these: a shield is placed "on its back,"4 on the ground apparently, and into it the women are, in the words of Aeschy-
Leaf water content (LWC) of crops is a suitable parameter for evaluation of plant water status and arbuscular mycorrhizal effect on the host plant under drought stress. Remote sensing technology provides an effective avenue to estimate LWC in crops. However, few LWC retrieval models have been developed specifically for the arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculated crops. In this study, soybean with inoculation and non-inoculation treatments were planted under the severe drought, moderate drought and normal irrigation levels. The LWC changes under different treatments at the 30th, 45th and 64th day after the inoculation were investigated, and the spectral response characteristics of inoculated and non-inoculated soybean leaves under the three drought stresses were analyzed. Five types of spectral variables/indices including: raw spectral reflectance (R), continuum-removed spectral reflectance (RC), difference vegetation index (DVI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and ratio vegetation index (RVI) were applied to determine the best estimator of LWC. The results indicate that LWC decreased as the aggravating of drought stress levels. However, LWC in inoculated leaves was higher than that in the counterparts under the same drought stress level, and the values of raw reflectance measured at inoculated leaves were lower than the non-inoculated leaves, especially around 1900 nm and 1410 nm. These water spectral features were more evident in the corresponding continuum-removed spectral reflectance. The newly proposed DVIC(2280, 1900) index, derived from the continuum-removed spectral reflectance at 2280 nm and the raw spectral reflectance at 1900 nm in DVI type of index, was the most robust for soybean LWC assessment, with R2 value of 0.72 (p < 0.01) and root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) of 2.12% and 1.75%, respectively. This study provides a means to monitor the mycorrhizal effect on drought-induced crops indirectly and non-destructively.  Keywords: leaf water content, remote sensing, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, drought, crops  DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20191206.4950    Citation: Kong W P, Huang W J, Zhou X F, Mortimer H, Ma L L, Tang L L, et al. Estimating leaf water content at the leaf scale in soybean inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from in situ spectral measurements. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2019; 12(6): 149–155.
The only feasible strategy to minimize pollution from offshore installations is to control the chemicals used. Chemicals are normally only used in response to observed operational problems. They are used in a large number of application areas, and an extensive list of application areas exists. Only a small fraction of chemicals used will eventually reach the marine environment, mainly depending on the water solubility of the chemicals. Since the chemicals discharged are diluted in large quantities of water before and immediately after discharge, the acute toxic effects are considered as not very severe. However, chronic ecotoxicological effects and long-term problems may arise due to accumulation within the marine food chain. Unfortunately, very little information is available on environmental effects of offshore chemicals. However, the harmonizing work which has started within the EEC, requires that new environmental regulations include ecotoxicological data in the classification of chemicals. This important information can be a valuable tool so that operating companies can select alternative chemicals suitable to their operational needs.  There is, however, still a need to continue research to develop a suitable methodology to determine possible long-term environmental effects of low solubility chemicals. This paper introduces a research project initiated by Conoco Norway Inc. late 1989.
Background Respiratory distress in newborns, which may lead to risks of morbidity and death, is one of the reasons for a referral to the more advanced health facilities. Respiratory distress analysis in small for gestational age (SGA) infants remains controversial. SGA infants are a big problem for and burden the low-medium income countries. Frequentness of SGA infants varies, depending on birth weight curve used. Objective To identify the risks, complications, death induced by respiratory distress in SGA infants prior to hospital discharge. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted on live- born infants at Sardjito Hospital. Singleton and gestational age 26–42 weeks were the inclusion criteria. The exclusion criteria included major congenital anomaly, chromosomal abnormalities, out-born infants admitted >24 h, discharge against medical advice, and incomplete data. The samples were categorized into appropriate gestational age (AGA) and SGA by a local newborn curve. The samples were also classified as full-term (FT)-AGA, preterm (PT)-AGA, FT-SGA, and PT-SGA. Odds ratio (OR) was based on entire respiratory distress. Complications of respiratory distress analyzed were length of hospital stay, administration of oxygen, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), and ventilator. Reverse Kaplan-Meier and Cumulative Mortality Incidence (CMI) were used to analyze respiratory distress-induced mortality. Stata 13 was used to analyze the data. Results There were 12,490 infants eligible for the study, consisting of 9,396 FT-AGA infants, 2,003 PT-AGA infants, 771 FT-SGA infants, and 320 PT-SGA infants. Nine hundred and thirty-two infants developed respiratory distress. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed highest risk of respiratory distress in PT-SGA infants with OR 5.84 (4.28–7.99). The highest respiratory distress complications were found in PT- SGA with significant difference on length of hospital stay and IRR 2.62 (2.09–3.27). In addition, the highest use of mechanical ventilator was found in PT-SGA with significant difference. CPAP use was the highest in PT-AGA infants. There was no significant difference in oxygen administration among the groups. Respiratory distress-induced mortality analysis found the highest CMI in PT-SGA infants. Conclusion PT-SGA had the highest risk of respiratory distress with complications of length of hospital stay, and ventilator use. Mortality analysis discovered the highest CMI in PT-SGA infants. We should therefore be alert when dealing with PT-SGA infants.
The paradigm of Open Source Software (OSS) has revolutionized the way in which the software is used, marketed and distributed. Due to its strategic importance, in recent years, public administrations have defined plans for the promotion and strengthening of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based on the use of OSS. These strategies have been recognized benefits and a wide social repercussion, given that the open and collaborative paradigm of the OSS phenomenon allows the use and diffusion of ICTs at all social levels. However, it limits the exploitation of the benefits of adopting OSS in the public, private industry and in the Ecuadorian society in general, due to shortcomings in the identification, assessment and risk management, in addition to good practices and adoption, the motive this project is to make a systematic literature review of the OSS adoption, based on Kitchenham and Charters methodological guide; this guide consists in a technique based on empirical research, which requires following a protocol to collect the literature on existing research, related to the free software adoption by organizations, for obtaining relevant references of success, failure, risk, benefits and barriers factors of adoption, in order to determinate the current situation of the OSS use in Ecuador.
In this paper, we will present the concept, fabrication methods, and simulation results of a novel type of Graded Transmissivity Optic based on a space variant Guided Mode Resonance Filter (GMRF). This GMRF comprised of a single dielectric layer deposited on a transparent substrate. The layer is PECVD grown Silicon Nitrirde with a subwavelength grating (SWG) partially etched through it. The unetched portion of the layer is termed the waveguiding region. When light is incident upon the GMRF at the resonant wavelength, the SWG couples light into a waveguide mode. However, due to the SWG on the waveguide, this mode is leaky and re-couples the light back towards the source. The resonance of the GMRF is a function of the optical properties of the materials used; the thickness of the dielectric layers; and the period and fill-fraction of the SWG. The resonance will change across the device by slowly varying the thickness of the waveguiding layer. Previous work has varied the resonance across the structure by varying the fill fraction of the grating. The methods involved in the previous work made that process usable for only a very narrow range of wavelengths, however this new method will be scalable to a larger wavelength range. The waveguiding layer will be sculpted using Additive Lithography and ICP etching. Afterwards the SWG will be patterned into the Silicon Nitride Layer.
Abstract. Winter warming and sea-ice retreat observed in the Arctic in the last decades may be related to changes of large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern, which may impact the transport of black carbon (BC) to the Arctic and its deposition on the sea ice, with possible feedbacks on the regional and global climate forcing. In this study we developed and applied a statistical algorithm, based on the maximum likelihood estimate approach, to determine how the changes of three large-scale weather patterns associated with increasing temperatures in winter and sea-ice retreat in the Arctic impact the transport of BC to the Arctic and its deposition. We found that two atmospheric patterns together determine a decreasing winter deposition trend of BC between 1980 and 2015 in the eastern Arctic while they increase BC deposition in the western Arctic. The increasing BC trend is mainly due to a pattern characterized by a high-pressure anomaly near Scandinavia favouring the transport in the lower troposphere of BC from Europe and North Atlantic directly into to the Arctic. Another pattern with a high-pressure anomaly over the Arctic and low-pressure anomaly over the North Atlantic Ocean has a smaller impact on BC deposition but determines an increasing BC atmospheric load over the entire Arctic Ocean with increasing BC concentrations in the upper troposphere. The results show that changes in atmospheric circulation due to polar atmospheric warming and reduced winter sea ice significantly impacted BC transport and deposition. The anthropogenic emission reductions applied in the last decades were, therefore, crucial to counterbalance the most likely trend of increasing BC pollution in the Arctic.
Background Cervical cancer is the most common reproductive health cancer in Malawi. In most cases, women report to health facilities when the disease is in its advanced stage. In this study, we investigate service providers’ perceptions about barriers for women to access cervical cancer screening and early treatment services in Malawi. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 district coordinators and 40 service providers of cervical cancer screening and early treatment services in 13 districts in Malawi. The study was conducted in 2012. The district coordinators helped the research team identify the health facilities which were providing cervical cancer screening and early treatment services. Results Almost all informants reported that cervical cancer was a major public health problem in their districts and that prevention efforts for this disease were being implemented. They were aware of the test and treat approach using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA). They, however, said that the delivery of cervical cancer screening and early treatment services was compromised because of factors such as gross shortage of staff, lack of equipment and supplies, the lack of supportive supervision, and the use of male service providers. Informants added that the lack of awareness about the disease among community members, long distances to health facilities, the lack of involvement of husbands, and prevailing misperceptions about the disease (eg, that it is caused by the exposure to the VIA process) affect the uptake of these services. Conclusion While progress has been made in the provision of cervical cancer screening and early treatment services in Malawi, a number of factors affect service delivery and uptake. There is a need to continue creating awareness among community members including husbands and also addressing identified barriers such as shortage of staff and supplies in order to improve uptake of services.
and well-developed among all the magical organizations known in the Western world’’ (p. 450). Though he hearkened back to Egyptian and Tantric rituals, in Christian Kremmerzian circles sexual magic was allowed only between married couples. For Julius Evola and his disciples in the UR, sexuality was inextricably bound up with a profoundly religious drive. While he taught the techniques of sexual magic, he also fought against the ‘‘banalization of sexuality through its commercialization in the popular media, pornography, and the like’’ (p. 462). Evola’s Russian-born acolyte, Maria de Naglowska, believed that the spirit of evil must be redeemed, ‘‘not by fighting him, but by purifying and reconciling him through rites and sexuality’’ (p. 471). In the concluding essay, Jeffrey Kripal pays tribute to the Esalen Institute, which encouraged scholarly research into the long history of ‘‘hidden intercourse,’’ especially as it migrated from the East to the West. For the founders of Esalen, there was a distinctly literary inflection: ‘‘It was sex as literature. It was sexuality as textuality’’ (p. 481). While the practice of mixed nude bathing and contemplative massage led to a dilettantish image of Esalen, Kripal argues that the Western transmitters of Tantric knowledge should be taken seriously by the historian. The influence of Heinrich Zimmer and Joseph Campbell on teaching the philosophies of India helped to create a ‘‘modern and American democratic mysticism,’’ one that seeks to ‘‘locate divinization in the here and now and in the individual, not in some distant sacred past or through yet another system of hierarchical system of mediation, authority, and deferral’’ (pp. 490–91). While studying under visiting Eastern gurus, some Esalenites developed a special brand of ‘‘California optimysticism.’’ Kripal’s cheerful concluding essay brings a surprising and fitting conclusion to a long historical survey that began with the diatribes of Christian priests against heretical practitioners of ‘‘hidden intercourse.’’ Though some of the descriptions of spermatophagy and other sexual practices are not for the squeamish, this collection provides a stimulating, enlightening, and often entertaining discussion of ‘‘things we do not talk about.’’
In modern physiology, very simplified perceptions of such an essential system for the body as the respiratory system have taken root. The system analysis showed that at a physical load of more than 50 W, the tissue respiratory subsystem is activated, providing a volume blood flow rate adequate to the amount of oxygen consumed, and in the external respiratory subsystem the regulation on oxygen voltage in arterial blood is activated, and the regulation on carbon dioxide voltage is deactivated. The role of respiratory frequency in increasing the rate of diffusion through the alveolar capillary membrane is shown.  For physiologists, medical professionals and trainers.
The article examines the practice of medical charity as a virtuous activity in the field of medical care. The main attention is paid to non-profit organizations that, in accordance with the legislation, have the status of non-governmental organizations or non-governmental organizations. An overview of the main activities of NGOs with an emphasis on participation in the organization and financing of medical research is presented.
OBJECTIVE To develop a method for elucidating " chromatography-efficacy" relation of the extract of Zanthoxylum nitidum on the gastric cancer cells.   METHOD After obtaining the tumor inhibition rate and fingerprint peak data through MTT and HPLC, "chromatography-efficacy" relation was established by an appropriate statistical method.   RESULT The gastric cancer "chromatography-efficacy" relation of Z. nitidum was established by step-back technique.   CONCLUSION The "chromatography-efficacy" relation has statistically significant and practical significance, so it has reference value in some way.
Despite major changes in US Graduate Medical Education, from Core Competencies (2002) to the Next Accreditation System (2012), few studies have evaluated the role of the Residency Coordinator in program accreditation. This role may be especially challenging in child neurology, which involves separate, accredited child and adult neurology residencies. The present study of Child Neurology Program Coordinators evaluated workforce factors and first-year implementation of new training requirements. The response rate was 65% (48/74). Concerning workforce features included high turnover, unpaid overtime, inconsistent job titles, limited career paths, inadequate training, and nonacademic supervision. Programs’ average implementation of 14 new accreditation items averaged 7.5 (standard deviation 2.5). This survey demonstrated that greater Next Accreditation System implementation is linked to increased coordinator experience, supervision within Graduate Medical Education, and greater administrative support for the coordinator role. Changes in these areas could improve future compliance of US child neurology programs with Graduate Medical Education accreditation requirements.
Background Based on WHO reports, smoking is an epidemic in developing countries. One of important issues about this behavior is its distribution pattern in family members. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate if cigarette smoking had a tendency to cluster or aggregate in the families and what the determinants were. Methods Using a multi-stage random cluster sampling approach, a household survey was conducted in Kish Island in 2009. We used the Alternating Logistic Regressions algorithm to model to show the familial aggregation. Results The odds ratio for the aggregation of cigarette smoking between family members was 1.63 (1.29-2.06) which increased to 1.96 (1.50-2.55) after adjustment for demographic factors. There was no significant correlation between siblings' cigarette smoking nor was between spouses but the pairwise odds ratio for parents offspring was significant. In other words, cigarette smoking in at least one of the parents increased the odds of being a smoker in offspring significantly. Conclusion The study showed that the smoking behavior aggregated in families significantly. The inter-parent offspring aggregation was the main component of the familial aggregation. Higher education and age-gender interaction were determinants of smoking in the families. The programs for prevention and cessation of this behavior in the community might be more successful if they were designed in a family-based rather than an individual-based approach.
Colonic microbiota digest resistant starches producing short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The main SCFAs produced are acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Both excitatory and inhibitory effects of SCFAs on motility have been reported. We hypothesized that the effect of SCFAs on colonic motility varies with chain length and aimed to determine the effects of SCFAs on propagating and non‐propagating contractions of guinea pig proximal and distal colon.
We have found two orientational order parameters and their major roles in the phase transition of lead ytterbium tantalate (PYT). The zenithal order parameter was found to be associated with the phase transition from paraelectric to antiferroelectric phase and thus the magnitude of the dielectric constant. The azimuthal order parameter plays a main role in the diffuse phase transition between the antiferroelectric and the unknown phase. Our hard-mode spectroscopic analysis shows the unknown phase cannot be ferroelectric but antiferroelectric.
A new control system of minuteness wire twister machine is introduced in this article, which realizes the visual control taking the touch screen as the core and making AC servo motor and stepping motor as the drive components. The key technique is to automatically control and compensate the position errors between the angular displacement of principal axis and ball screws displacement. The control system solves the problem of yawp existing in the equipment, and the touch screen can actualize man-machine conversation and various control parameters are clear at a glance.
Part 1 Building a Background for Public Policy Analysis Ch 2 What is the state? Ch3 The Market System at Work Ch 4 Issues in Public Economies Ch 5 Intervention and Market Failure Ch 6 Decision making: Who influences Whom Ch 7 Interest Groups and Theory of Market Segmentation Part 2 Contemporary Issues in Policy Analysis Ch 8 Competition Ch 9 Privatisation and the Economics of Interest groups Ch 10 Community Service Obligations: A strategy to avoid collective failure Ch 11 Accountability and the Democratic Process
Abstract To maintain a competitive advantage, the strategy of the creation and maintenance of brand loyalty plays a vital role. The main aim of this study is to examine the theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal relationships among different factors i.e., brand personality, image, experience, satisfaction, trust and commitment that have direct and indirect effects in the creation of brand loyalty. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using Partial Least Squares (PLS) method was applied to test the relationships in this study. The findings indicate that brand personality, brand image and brand experience are key sources of brand satisfaction.
We have proposed a photonic waveform generation scheme based on a dual-polarization Mach-Zehnder modulator (DPol-MZM). In this scheme, a dual-frequency optical signal generated by RF optical carrier suppression modulation via a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) is divided into two beams; one is further modulated by the RF signal via a DPol-MZM to generate ±1st and ±3rd-order sidebands, and the other is further modulated by the RF signal via a second MZM to generate ±2nd-order sidebands. After two modulated optical signals are detected by a balanced photodiode, the second, fourth, and sixth-order harmonics without cross-beating terms are generated in the differential photocurrent. Since the harmonic amplitudes can be controlled independently by the optical power of the two optical beams and the DC biases of the DPol-MZM, the waveforms can be tuned conveniently. Based on the simulation, frequency-doubled triangular, rectangular, and sawtooth waveforms with a full-duty cycle at a repetition rate of 20 GHz are successfully generated with their harmonic amplitude ratio in the electric spectrum close to the ideal amplitude ratio, and the symmetry of the triangular waveform from 20% to 80% is tuned.
Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a highly effective treatment modality for many hematologic malignancies, a major treatment-associated toxicity is the induction of a prolonged state of T cell immunodeficiency in the transplant recipient, which in turn contributes to critical clinical outcomes such as infectious complications, and the risk of relapse. Targeted deep sequencing of the T cell receptor beta-chain (TCRβ) has emerged as a promising technology for enabling the qualitative and quantitative monitoring of T cell recovery following transplant with unprecedented resolution. Major challenges remain, however, in the establishment of informative analysis tools for characterization of global TCRβ repertoire dynamics. In the current work, we developed and applied a novel analysis approach as a mean to gain detailed biological insight into T cell reconstitution following allo-HSCT.  To this end, we isolated naive and memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 14 patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia who underwent allo-HSCT following reduced-intensity doses of fludarabine and busulfan. From these T cell subpopulations, genomic DNA was extracted at post-transplant day 30 (d30) and later time points informative for thymic-independent (4 month post-transplant; d120) and thymic-dependent (1 year post-transplant; d365) T cell immune recovery. Subsequently, a template library for sequencing on an Illumina GA2 system was generated through PCR amplification of the TCRβ CDR3 region using an established panel of 45 Vβ- and 13 Jβ-specific primers. We obtained a median of 394,872 (range 0-26,426,784) productive reads across our 168 samples. As a comparison group, we further studied repertoire data from naive and memory CD4+ and CD8+ T cells collected from 9 healthy adult volunteers.  To characterize how transplant perturbs the TCR repertoire, we first compared VDJ usage between the transplanted patients and the healthy controls. For each of the post-transplant and control samples, we tallied the number of clones from all sequenced compartments (CD4+ and CD8+, naive and memory) that used each of the several thousand possible VDJ combinations. We performed pairwise comparisons of the resulting VDJ distributions for all 253 sample pairs at days 30, 120 and 365 by calculating the R 2 and, separately, X2 statistics. Permutation analysis demonstrated that control samples were more similar to each other than either post-transplant day 30, 120 or 365 samples ( P =2.5-5.0x10-5, 2.5-5.0x10-5 and ≤2.5x10-5 by X2; 2.5-5.0x10-5, 5.5-5.7x10-4 and 1.0-1.2x10-4 by R 2, respectively). Of note, whereas control samples demonstrated a similar VDJ usage, such similarity was not observed among post-transplant samples at day 30, 120 or 365 ( P =0.65, 0.53, and 0.60 by X2; P =0.014, 0.38, and 0.43 by R 2, respectively). These results demonstrate that VDJ usage in transplant recipients remains more heterogeneous than in healthy controls throughout the entire first year of reconstitution.  To understand whether this heterogeneity reflects equilibrium or dynamic changes of the TCR repertoire, we visualized the time course of reconstitution using principal component analysis of VDJ usage. We observed marked dynamism, in which most transplant recipients both experienced a greater degree of change than was represented by the controls, and explored regions of VDJ usage very different from that of controls. Preliminarily, we observed that several transplant recipients became more similar to controls over time, while others did not. Our results demonstrate that post-transplant T cell reconstitution follows both personal and highly dynamic trajectories across a range of clinical courses, and suggest that TCR sequencing in larger sample sizes is a promising avenue for future study. Ongoing analyses focus on investigating the correlates of this dynamism among the 14 transplant recipients through subgroup analysis based on their clinical course and sequence-level analysis. The results obtained through these novel computational and systems methods will be integrated with other experimental measures of immune reconstitution including immunophenotyping and TCR excision circle (TREC) analysis.  Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
In this study, the effects of temperature and strain rate on the deformation behavior of aluminium 1100 and aluminium 2024 are investigated. Specimens are tested at different temperatures and strain rates under the effect of torsional loading. The data are evaluated using critical radius and effective length concepts. For both materials, as a result of the interaction between strain hardening and thermal softening mechanisms, flow curves pass through a peak value after which aluminium alloy tends to fracture while aluminium 1100 approaches to a steady state deformation. The strain rate sensitivity of materials obtained from torsion testing increases with temperature. The length of aluminium specimens subjected to free-end hot torsion is observed to change with both temperature and strain rate.
In proliferating normal and tumor cells, the telomere length (TL) is maintained by high telomerase activity (TA). In the absence of TA the TL maintenance involves a mechanism of alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). The aim of this study was to investigate the level of TA, the mTert expression and TL in cultured normal and transformed by γ- and γ,n-irradiation mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from mouse bone marrow, in sarcomas that developed after the transplantation of these cells into syngeneic mice, and in fibrosarcoma cell lines obtained from these tumors to find out the role of AT or ALT in maintaining TL in these cells. During prolonged cultivation of normal and transformed under the influence of γ- (1 Gy and 6 Gy) and γ,n-irradiation (0.05 Gy, 0.5 Gy, and 2 Gy) MSCs from mouse bone marrow, a decrease in TA was detected in irradiated cells. Even deeper decrease in TA was found in sarcomas developed after administration of transformed MSCs to syngeneic mice and in fibrosarcoma cell lines isolated from these tumors in which TA was either absent or was found to be at a very low level. TL in three of the four lines obtained was halved compared to the initial MSCs. With absent or low TA and reduced TL, the cells of all the obtained fibrosarcoma lines successfully proliferated without signs of a change in survival. The mechanism of telomere maintainance in fibrosarcoma cell lines in the absence of TA needs further investigation and it can be assumed that it is associated with the use of the ALT. The detected decrease or absence of TA in transformed under the action of irradiation MSCs with the preservation or even an increase in the telomerase gene expression may be associated with the formation of inactive splicing variants, and requires further study. The obtained lines of transformed MSCs and fibrosarcomas with TA and without the activity of this enzyme can be a useful model for studying the efficacy of TA and ALT inhibitors in vitro and in vivo.
According to the most literature data, the skin is usually observed as a simple structure with equivalent electrical model, which includes general properties of epidermis, basal membrane and dermis. In this paper, we analyzed the skin structure as a more complex system. Particularly we analyzed epidermis based on layers approach and its water organization in lipids ordered in sub-layers. Using opto-magnetic spectroscopy method, which is very sensitive to paramagnetic/diamagnetic properties of the tissue, we found out that nanowater structure ordering in lipids of epidermal layers play very important role in skin properties. We use bioimpedance as complementary and compatible method to opto-magnetic spectroscopy in skin characterization. In our investigation we found out the di erence of the skin properties of the people who are drinking two di erent type of water (Z and N). We observed the signi cant di erence in middle part of stratum granulosum, where water-lipid sub-layers exists. These results indicate importance of water nanolayers presence in epidermis and type of drinking water re ecting on human skin properties.
The effect of splenectomy on wound healing has been studied in standard laparotomy wounds in rats. Significant differences in wound histology, fibroblastic labelling indices, bursting pressure, and IgM levels were found between chronically asplenic rats and controls. Autotransplantation of the spleen conferred some increase to wound strength. Acute asplenic rats have not demonstrated the same changes. It is concluded that the spleen influences wound healing probably through a fibroblastic stimulating mechanism.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a positive stranded alphavirus, causes epidemic febrile infections characterised by severe and prolonged arthralgia. The present work is focused on the analysis of the chikungunya genome for identification of potential drug target with Kerala 2008 strain as the basis. Multiple sequence alignment with s-27 African strain as the prototype and 14 other chikungunya isolates the capsid protein was found as a potential target, which was highly conserved in all the strains and it also plays an important role in the budding and maturation of new virion particles. A three-dimensional model of the target protein was generated by homology modelling and the lead compounds that competitively inhibit the serine endopeptidase activity were selected. With the generated model, an induced fit docking study was carried out using AUTODOCK4. The docking studies indicated that conserved residues were involved in binding with some of the selected inhibitors. So among the selected inhibitors leupeptin was the effective inhibitor based on the toxicity and docking studies using ADMETox online tool.
Spatial modulation is an efficient transmission scheme for RF-chain limited MIMO systems. In this paper, we design a beam-switching based spatial modulation for mmWave MIMO uplink systems. At user side, a power iteration based algorithm is proposed to generate spatial symbols under the constant modulus constraint. With the generated spatial codebook, the optimal transmission mode is determined. At base station side, a round-robin path selection algorithm is proposed to select paths that are separated in angle of arrival. Inter-user interference is then suppressed by constraining the power of the received spatial symbols over selected paths only. Finally, ordered successive interference cancelation is applied to further reduce interference among users. Numerical results show that the proposed beam-switching based spatial modulation is superior to transmission over the strongest propagation path and is able to yield a satisfactory error performance in mmWave MIMO uplink.
Insulator DNAs and promoter competition regulate enhancer-promoter interactions within complex genetic loci. A transgenic embryo assay was used to obtain evidence that the Drosophila eve promoter possesses an insulator activity that can be uncoupled from the core elements that mediate competition. The eve promoter contains an optimal TATA element and a GAGA sequence. The analysis of various chimeric promoters provides evidence that TATA is essential for promoter competition, whereas GAGA mediates enhancer blocking. The Trithorax-like (Trl) protein interacts with GAGA, and mutations in trl attenuate eve promoter insulator activity. We suggest that Trl-GAGA increases the stability of enhancer-promoter interactions by creating an open chromatin configuration at the core promoter.
Abstract:Industrial parks play important roles in boosting local economies. However, their productivity remains unclear. This study employs the Malmquist productivity indexes (MPIs) to assess the performance of 14 economic development zones (EDZs) and seven high-tech development zones (HTDZs) in Beijing for the 2006–2014 period. The overall MPI increased for both the EDZs and the HTDZs. The Malmquist decomposition highlights the technological changes as the main source of productivity improvement. Further, many EDZs and HTDZs have shown progress in catching up. Decision-makers should consider the scale effects when evaluating inputs like investment and land, and the results will enable better management of industrial parks.
Vibration from blasting operations exert negative effects on the comfort of nearby buildings (structures) resulting in the dissatisfaction of and even complaints from nearby residents. This problem impacts both blasting activities and social stability. Therefore, establishing a method for reasonably evaluating blasting vibration (BV) comfort and a standard can significantly reduce the complaints and civil disputes caused by construction activities involving blasting. This paper systematically reviewed the factors influencing BV comfort as well as the current evaluation indexes and criteria, and analyzed the mechanism of BV comfort. Starting with the three elements of BV, this paper developed a human body linear-elastic vibration model, according to which the effect of BV on the human body is regarded as an energy transmission and conversion process. Consequently, a comfort evaluation index, the human body absorbed blasting vibration energy (ABVE) index, was proposed. ABVE was used to determine the magnitude of human body ABVE in various bands, so as to quantitatively analyze the magnitude and frequency composition of ABVE. After a thorough investigation of the differences among BV energies produced by different blasting sources in terms of frequency composition, it was found that the main frequency bands of surface BV waves were closer to the natural frequency of vibration of the human body and thus exerted the greatest discomfort to humans.
Negotiating and signing the Panama Canal Treaties with Omar Torrijos, between 1977 and 1980, President Carter developed a short of political and communication strategies designed for the purpose, where both home front and foreign were main subjects in ratifying an issue that his Administration won with a very narrow margin in U.S. Senate. The essay traces a historical view of the process that shows the complexity of leadership and “new Democratic image” achievements and faults in dealing with an era of foreign interdependence.
The article provides a comparison of the main valuation techniques for a regulated parameter of printability of the offset paper by current standards GOST 24356 and ISO 3783: 2006. The results of development and implementation of a complex test scale for management and control the quality of printed production are represented. The estimation scale is introduced. It includes normalized parameters of print optical density, print uniformity, picking out speed, the value of dot gain, print contrast with the added criteria of minimizing microtexts, a paper slip, resolution threshold and effusing ability of paper surface. The results of analysis allow directionally form surface properties of the substrate to facilitate achieving the required quality of the printed image parameters, i. e. optical density of a print at a predetermined level not less than 1.3, the print uniformity with minimal deviation of dot gain about the order of 10 per cents.
Measuring blood flow speed in the optical diffusive regime in humans has been a long standing challenge for photoacoustic tomography. In this work, we proposed a cuffing‐based method to quantify blood flow speed in humans with a handheld photoacoustic probe. By cuffing and releasing the blood vessel, we can measure the blood flow speed downstream. In phantom experiments, we demonstrated that the minimum and maximum measurable flow speeds were 0.035 mm/s and 42 mm/s, respectively. In human experiments, flow speeds were measured in three different blood vessels: a radial artery in the right forearm, a radial artery in the index finger of the right hand, and a radial vein in the right forearm. Taking advantage of the handheld probe, our method can potentially be used to monitor blood flow speed in the clinic and at the bedside.
Phosphorylase b kinase was extensively purified from rat liver. It was located in a form which could be activated 20--30-fold by a preincubation with adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and ATP-Mg. This activation was time-dependent, and was paralleled by a simultaneous incorporation of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP into two polypeptides which comigrated in sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis with the alpha and beta subunits of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase b kinase. The liver enzyme was eluted from Sepharose 4B and Bio-Gel A-50m columns at the same place as muscle phosphorylase b kinase, which is indicative of a molecular weight of 1.3 x 10(6). After activation, the most purified liver preparation had a specific activity about 10-fold less than the homogeneous muscle enzyme at pH 8.2. The inactive enzyme form had a pronounced pH optimum around pH 6.0, whereas the activated form was mostly active above neutral pH. The activation of the enzyme reduced the Km for its substrate phosphorylase b severalfold. Liver phosphorylase b kinase was shown to be partially dependent on Ca2+ ions for its activity: addition of 0.5 mM [ethylenebis-(oxoethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid (EGTA) to the phosphorylase b kinase assay increased the Km for phosphorylase b about twofold for both the inactive and the activated form of liver phosphorylase b kinase, but affected the V of the inactive species only.
PURPOSE To evaluate clinical outcome of patients with testicular diffuse large-cell lymphoma treated with conventional-dose systemic chemotherapy.   PATIENTS AND METHODS This study is a retrospective analysis of adult patients with testicular diffuse large-cell lymphoma who were treated with a doxorubicin-based chemotherapy regimen at our institution, the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan. Twenty-nine assessable patients, with a median age of 61 years, were identified. Sixteen patients had limited stage (Ann Arbor stage I/II) disease, whereas 13 patients had a testicular mass and distant organ involvement (Ann Arbor stage IV). Patients were retrospectively classified according to the International Prognostic Index.   RESULTS After a median follow-up of 82 months, 22 patients presented disease progression and 22 patients had died. Actuarial median time to treatment failure and overall survival were 44 and 41 months for patients with limited stage and 9 and 16 months for patients with advanced stage, respectively. Eight patients failed initial treatment, and 14 patients relapsed from clinical remission after a median disease-free time of 17 months (range, 6 to 98 months). Median survival time after progression of lymphoma was 5 months (range, 0 to 22 months). In nine (41%) of the 22 failing patients, the initial site of relapse was either the CNS or the contralateral testis; the remaining patients experienced relapse in multiple extranodal sites.   CONCLUSION Poor prognosis of patients with diffuse large-cell lymphoma calls for more effective treatment strategies, such as high-dose chemotherapy programs for younger patients or specifically designed chemotherapy regimens for patients not suitable for high-dose treatment, with the purpose to provide control of both systemic disease and disease of the CNS and contralateral testis. The potential benefit of contralateral testicular irradiation has to be taken into account in the treatment planning.
The growing demand for portable and wearable electronics has led to an increased interest in flexible electrodes. The 3D flexible electrode structure is the key to realising the wide application of diversified flexible electronic devices. However, most of the existing flexible electrode manufacturing methods is restricted to fabricating 1D and 2D electrode structures, and it is difficult to simultaneously complete the preparation of the substrate-electrode double-flexible structure in one device. Here, we propose a dual-mode 3D printing system that can realise the one-step integrated manufacturing of flexible 3D electronic devices with nanofiber membrane substrates and liquid metal electrodes. Nanofiber membranes and liquid metal materials have a double flexible structure that increases the compliance performance of the electrode. As a proof of concept, we demonstrated the application of 3D flexible electrodes in electrostatically driven microfluidic valves. The 8 kV driving voltage can make the displacement of the movable membrane more than 40 μm, and realise the on–off control of the microvalve. This technology has the advantages of low cost and integration, demonstrating the promising potential of such printed 3D electrodes to enable 3D flexible electrode devices to be used in microfluidics, software robots and wearable electronic devices.
Much of the recent scholarly literature on globalization and social welfare focuses on the threats that are allegedly posed to national social protection systems by footloose capital in search of lowcost labour. However, it is argued here that capital is less concerned about the costs imposed by generous social protection, more by the advantages offered by generous human capital investment. Thus, far from mobile capital driving national policies of social protection by the threat of exit, national policies on human investment may drive capital mobility by inducing entry. The paper investigates alternative national policies of this sort, their institutional preconditions and their implications for the distribution of welfare. It concludes that the current drive for human investment must be placed at the centre of comparative welfare analysis, not least in order to expose the fragility of the assumptions that policy makers are making, in seeing such investment as the road to welfare and opportunity for all.
The feasibility of creating new enzyme activities from enzymes of known function has precedence in view of protein evolution based on the concepts of molecular recruitment and exon shuffling. The enzymes encoded by the Escherichia coli genes purU and purN, N10-formyltetrahydrofolate hydrolase and glycinamide ribonucleotide (GAR) transformylase, respectively, catalyze similiar yet distinct reactions. N10-formyltetrahydrofolate hydrolase uses water to cleave N10-formyltetrahydrofolate into tetrahydrofolate and formate, whereas GAR transformylase catalyses the transfer of formyl from N10-formyltetrahydrofolate to GAR to yield formyl-GAR and tetrahydrofolate. The two enzymes show significant homology (approximately 60%) in the carboxyl-terminal region which, from the GAR transformylase crystal structure and labeling studies, is known to be the site of N10-formyltetrahydrofolate binding. Hybrid proteins were created by joining varying length segments of the N-terminal region of the PurN gene (GAR binding region) and the C-terminal (N10-formyltetrahydrofolate binding) region of PurU. Active PurN/PurU hybrids were then selected for by their ability to complement an auxotrophic E. coli strain. Hybrids able to complement the auxotrophs were purified to homogeneity and assayed for activity. The specific activity of two hybrid proteins was within 100- to 1000-fold of the native purN GAR transformylase validating the approach of constructing an enzyme active site from functional parts of others.
In this work we used the Gaussian plume model to calculate the actual  maximum ground level concentration (MGLC) of air pollutant and its downwind  location by using different systems of dispersion parameters and for different  stack heights. An approximate formula for the prediction of downwind position  that produces the MGLC of a pollutant based on the Gaussian formula was derived  for different diffusion parameters. The derived formula was used to calculate  the approximate MGLC. The actual and estimated values are presented in tables.  The comparison between the actual and estimated values was investigated through  the calculation of the relative errors. The values of the relative errors  between the actual and estimated MGLC lie in the range from: 0 to 70.2 and 0 to  1.6 for Pasquill Gifford system and Klug system respectively. The errors  between the actual and estimated location of the MGLC lies in the range from:  0.2 to 227 and 0.7 to 9.4 for Pasquill Gifford system and Klug system  respectively.
Hormonal growth promoters (e.g., growth hormone [GH], beta-adrenergic agonists, steroids), which improve growth rate and/or lean:fat ratios in the carcass, have received considerable adverse publicity and are either banned or have no licence for their use in the EC. This has led to the development of a number of techniques, involving the use of antibodies, aimed at regulating metabolic processes involved in determining growth and body composition. A different approach to the problem of excess fat deposition involves the use of antibodies directed against the plasma membranes of adipocytes in order to elicit their destruction and thereby limit the capacity for fat storage. This technique has been demonstrated in rats, sheep and pigs in both passive and active immunisation techniques. This promising approach is, however, limited by the lack of a commercially suitable vaccine. The identification of individual membrane proteins that are antigenic has been achieved and this affords the prospect of producing recombinant DNA-derived vaccines. Whether these new approaches will be perceived as acceptable to the general public remains a serious concern and a potential limitation to their development as many would-be sponsors withdraw their support for research in these areas.
Studies of the processes underlying question answering in surveys suggest that the choice of (layout for) response categories can have a significant effect on respondent answers. In recent years, the use of pictures, such as emojis or stars, is often used in online communication. It is unclear if pictorial answer categories can replace traditional verbal formats as measurement instruments in surveys. In this article we investigate different versions of a Likert-scale to see if they generate similar results and user experiences. Data comes from the non-probability based Flitspanel in the Netherlands. The hearts and stars designs received lower average scores compared to the other formats. Smileys produced average answer scores in line with traditional radio buttons. Respondents evaluated the smiley design most positively. Grid designs were evaluated more negatively. People wanting to compare survey outcomes should be aware of these effects and only compare results when similar response formats are used.
Many steel core-rods containing one of elements, cobalt, molybdenum, copper, nickel, tungsten, vanadium, silicon, titanium, aluminium, carbon, manganese or chromium, were made, on whichh a flux consisting of 70% CaF2 and 30% Ca(OH)2 was coated. Using these electrodes single V butt joints of mild steel were made, and soundness of the welded joint was examined by the X-ray and microscopic methods, and apparent specific gravity of the deposited metal was measured by the immersion method. By these experiments the following results were obtained. As the content of deoxidizer, such as vanadium, manganese, silicon, titanium, aluminium or carbon increases in the core-rod of coated electrode, quantity of blow holes in the deposited metal decreases, but the quantity of non-metallic inclusions in it increases except in the case of carbon. In the case of coated electrades containing chromium or a large quantity of manganese in the core rod, many holes opening at the surface of bead appeared. It is inferred that if a core-rod containing two or more deoxidizing elements properly selected is used the sound deposited metal containing less or no retained deoxidation product will be obtained.
Recent research on generative adversarial nets (GAN) for language identification (LID) has shown promising results. In this paper, we further exploit the latent abilities of GAN networks to firstly combine them with deep neural network (DNN)-based i-vector approaches and then to improve the LID model using conditional generative adversarial net (cGAN) classification. First, phoneme dependent deep bottleneck features (DBF) combined with output posteriors of a pre-trained DNN for automatic speech recognition (ASR) are used to extract i-vectors in the normal way. These i-vectors are then classified using cGAN, and we show an effective method within the cGAN to optimize parameters by combining both language identification and verification signals as supervision. Results show firstly that cGAN methods can significantly outperform DBF DNN i-vector methods where 49-dimensional i-vectors are used, but not where 600-dimensional vectors are used. Secondly, training a cGAN discriminator network for direct classification has further benefit for low dimensional i-vectors as well as short utterances with high dimensional i-vectors. However, incorporating a dedicated discriminator network output layer for classification and optimizing both classification and verification loss brings benefits in all test cases.
Euclide is a new Constraint-Based Testing tool for verifying safety-critical C programs. By using a mixture of symbolic and numerical analyses (namely static single assignment form, constraint propagation, integer linear relaxation and search-based test data generation), it addresses three distinct applications in a single framework: structural test data generation, counter-example generation and partial program proving. This paper presents the main capabilities of the tool and relates an experience we had when verifying safety properties for a well-known critical C component of the TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System). Thanks to Euclide, we found an unrevealed counter-example to a given anti-collision property.
While the International Energy Conservation Code 2012 (IECC 2012) has been adopted at a national level, only two cold climate states have adopted it as their new home energy code. Understanding the resistance to adoption is important in assisting more states accept the code and engage deep energy strategies nationwide. This three-part assessment by the NorthernSTAR Building America Partnership was focused on foundation insulation R-values for cold climates and the design, construction, and performance implications. In Part 1 a literature review and attendance at stakeholder meetings held in Minnesota were used to assess general stakeholder interest and concerns regarding proposed code changes. Part 2 includes drawings of robust foundation insulation systems that were presented at one Minnesota stakeholder meeting to address critical issues and concerns for adopting best practice strategies. In Part 3 a sampling of builders participated in a telephone interview to gain baseline knowledge on insulation systems used to meet the current energy code and how the same builders propose to meet the new proposed code.
We report the case of a 69-year-old man with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) that was complicated by fatal respiratory failure. Bilateral pulmonary infiltrates were demonstrated by chest roentgenograms and worsened with an increase in the leukocyte count. Postmortem examination confirmed the presence of leukemic monocyte infiltration of the pulmonary interstitial spaces. In CMML with marked monocytosis, respiratory failure may be one of the important causes of death in addition to infection and bleeding.
A random postal survey of 1528 anaesthetists in the UK was performed to assess their use of carbon dioxide in anaesthesia and opinion on its safety. Of 1100 replies (72% response rate), 60.9% used it daily and 77.1% would object to its exclusion from future anaesthetic machines. There was no consistent age‐related trend with regard to its use or opinion on its removal. 62.9% of anaesthetists did not regard its presence on the anaesthetic machine as hazardous, but 81.8% agreed that a limit to the maximum flow of carbon dioxide delivered to one litre/minute would improve safety.
As existing technology used by criminal rapidly changes and growing, digital forensics is also growing and important fields of research for current intelligence, law enforcement and military organizations today. As huge information is stored in digital form, the need and ability to analyze and process this information for relevant evidence has grown in complexity. During criminal activities crime committed use digital devices, forensic examiners have to adopt practical frameworks and methods to recover data for analysis which can comprise as evidence. Data Preparation/ Generation, Data warehousing and Data Mining, are the three essential features involved in the investigation process. The purpose of data mining technique is to find the valuable relationships between data items. This paper proposes an approach for preparation, generation, storing and analyzing of data, retrieved from digital devices which pose as evidence in forensic analysis. Attribute classification model has been presented to categorized user files. The data mining tools has been used to identify user ownership and validating the reliability of the pre-processed data. This work proposes a practical framework for digital forensics on hard drives.
We present methods for maximum likelihood reconstruction of parametric dynamic images directly from observed positron emission tomography data, avoiding reconstruction of intermediate time frames. We show how to use an Expectation Maximization algorithm in this framework and derive a new optimality condition iteration algorithm. We also extend our approach to the reconstruction directly from a coincidence list (Clist) in continuous time. A Clist is a list of coincidence events (pairs of simultaneously detected photons) that are serially stored in the order of their registration. Reconstruction from a Clist is more accurate and computationally efficient as compared to the use of intermediate projection frames.
A nadir-pointing Nd:YAG laser, operating at the fundamental wavelength and the first and second harmonic wavelengths, is assumed to be in a low earth orbit ~400 km above the surface of the earth. The laser output is characterized by a pulse repetition frequency of 10 Hz, a pulse width of 0.1 μs, a divergence angle of 1.5 mrad and a variable power level. The intensity of radiation is computed as a function of altitude and laser output power using multiple scattering methods applied to an inhomogeneous planetary atmosphere. The atmospheric gas composition and concentration, turbulence, and particle concentration are treated as functions of altitude. Various         C  n  2        profiles are used to compute the effects of turbulence over the vertical propagation path from the top of the atmosphere to ground level.
Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological, immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics of low grade oncocytic tumors (LOT) of the kidney with CK7+/CD117- staining pattern for enhancing the understanding of renal LOT. Methods: The clinical data, histological morphology and immunophenotypes of seven renal LOT cases diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2017 to April 2021 were analyzed. The patients were followed up. Among the seven patients, five underwent high-throughput DNA targeted sequencing, and their molecular characteristics were analyzed. Results: The patients' age ranged 59-82 years, with an average of 70 years. There were 2 males and 5 females. The boundary of the tumor was clear. The tumor cells had homogeneous eosinophilic cytoplasm and round or oval nuclei, with a perinuclear halo. Small basophilic nucleoli were conspicuous (WHO/International Society of Urological Pathology grade 2). In the hypercellular areas, the tumor cells were mainly arranged in dense solid or nest. In the stroma, there were dilated veins, thick-walled arterioles and thick collagen fiber bundles that divided the cells into pseudonodules. In the sparsely cellular area, the tumor cells were arranged in the so-called "tissue culture" fashion. In addition, the stroma contained fresh hemorrhagic foci and lymphoid aggregates. High-throughput sequencing of 5 cases revealed that one case harbored mTOR gene missense mutation and another case harbored TSC1 frameshift mutation. Conclusions: LOT of the kidney is an indolent tumor with an overall good prognosis. Pathologists should not misdiagnose it as renal oncocytoma and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.
Growing populations of emerging adults are demographically diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and immigration history in the United States and many attend community colleges. Yet, we still do not fully understand the developmental experiences of emerging adults in community colleges which mostly serve low-income, ethnically diverse immigrant-origin commuter populations. This descriptive mixed-method study examined the ways in which (N = 645) 18- to 25-year-old students at three community college campuses in the Northeast United States perceive adulthood and identify criteria for adulthood. Participants responded to measures of subjective sense of adulthood and responsibilities for family, community, and work, as well as provided an open-ended response to criteria for adulthood. Subjective sense of adulthood significantly increased with age. Participants listed responsibilities for themselves and others, independence, and role transitions as the three most important criteria characteristic of adulthood. Findings revealed that as community college students emerge into adulthood, they engage in multiple social responsibilities as they navigate community college. Furthermore, engaging with community responsibilities was associated with higher levels of subjective sense of adulthood. These data point to the possible existence of a sixth pillar of emerging adulthood, caring for others. Community colleges need to take into account the various social responsibilities present in students’ lives, not only as a competing responsibility on the road to degree attainment but as a resource to be drawn upon. We must find ways for these youth to contribute to both the institutional and economic structures that they find themselves embedded within.
We investigate the phenomenon of anonymous quantum nonlocality, which refers to the existence of multipartite quantum correlations that are not local in the sense of being Bell-inequality-violating but where the nonlocality is--due to its biseparability with respect to all bipartitions--seemingly nowhere to be found. Such correlations can be produced by the nonlocal collaboration involving definite subset(s) of parties but to an outsider, the identity of these nonlocally correlated parties is completely anonymous. For all n≥3, we present an example of an n-partite quantum correlation exhibiting anonymous nonlocality derived from the n-partite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state. An explicit biseparable decomposition of these correlations is provided for any partitioning of the n parties into two groups. Two applications of these anonymous Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger correlations in the device-independent setting are discussed: multipartite secret sharing between any two groups of parties and bipartite quantum key distribution that is robust against nearly arbitrary leakage of information.
This paper empirically investigated the impact of financial intermediation of economic growth in Nigeria. Quarterly time series data generated from the World Bank Development indicator and the Nigerian Bureau of Statistic for the periods 1994Q1 to 2018q4 were used for the analysis, and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression technique was adopted for the estimation of the hypotheses. Per-capita GDP was used as a measure of economic growth, while bank deposit, bank credit and bank reserves are measures of financial intermediation. Further investigation also show that bank deposit is positively and significantly related to GDPpc , suggesting that increase in bank deposit brings about 0.244193 increases in economic growth. We further observed that bank credit impacted positively on economic growth. Though, the impact was found to be insignificant. Hence, we also found bank reserve to assert significant and positive impacted on economic growth. From the findings, we suggest for good policy reforms that may promote the efficiency and the development of bank which serve as a critical factor for economic growth in Nigeria.
For realizing a table-top x-ray laser or a compact short wavelength x-ray laser, improvement of the pumping efficiency is one of the most important points. Thermal conduction into inside of the target should suppress rising up of electron temperature of a laser-produced plasma. Then, the plasma produced on a very thin membrane target gets rid of this energy loss, and the efficiency of the high temperature plasma production will be increased. Moreover, density of the plasma from a membrane decreases very rapidly because of the small amount of target limited by the membrane thickness. These features of membrane plasma are suitable in recombination x- ray laser. To confirm the advantages of this pumping scheme, we produced the plasma on a thin membrane and the heating and expansion was evaluated. Experimentally observed spectral lines of H-like and He-like Si ions show effective heating and ionization of the plasma for a membrane target. Electron density evaluations and plasma expansion velocity measurements confirm rapid plasma expansion from the membrane target. Theoretical hydrodynamic simulation also showed the effective heating and ionization of the plasma from the membrane target.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the key supply chain performance measurement system (SCPMS) implementation variables, on which the top management should focus, so as to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of supply chain (SC).Design/methodology/approach – In this paper, an interpretive structural modeling (ISM)‐based approach has been employed to model the SCPMS implementation variables. These variables have been categorized under “enablers” and “results.” The enablers are the variables that help boost the SCPMS implementation variables, while results variables are the outcome of good SCPMS implementation.Findings – The paper highlights the variables associated with implementation of SCPMS. A key finding of this modeling is that awareness about performance measurement system (PMS) in SC is a very significant enabler. For better results, top management should focus on improving the high‐driving power enablers such as awareness of PMS in SC, commitment by the top management, consist...
The Hellmann-Feynman theorem is extended to account for degenerate states. Given a point λ=λ 0 in parameter space where the energy E(λ 0 ) is n-fold degenerate, it is shown that the corresponding n forces (slopes) are obtained by diagonalizing the derivative of the Hamiltonian,-∂H(λ)/∂λ | λ = λ 0 , in the subspace of degenerate eigenstates. Such a rotation within the subspace of degenerate eigenfunctions is easy and simple to apply in practical calculations and should be performed separately for each independent direction in parameter space for which the forces are to be calculated.
The brain corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) system triggers a variety of neuroendocrine and behavioural responses to stress. Whether maternal behaviour and emotionality in lactation are modulated by CRF has rarely been investigated. In the present study, we measured CRF mRNA expression within the parvocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus in virgin and lactating Wistar rats bred for high (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety‐related behaviour or non‐selected for anxiety (NAB). Further, we intracerebroventricularly infused synthetic CRF or the CRF receptor (CRF‐R) antagonist D‐Phe to manipulate CRF‐R1/2 non‐specifically in lactating HAB, LAB, and NAB dams, and monitored maternal care, maternal motivation, maternal aggression, and anxiety. The CRF mRNA expression in the parvocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus was higher in HAB vs. LAB rats independent of reproductive status. The lactation‐specific decrease of CRF mRNA was confirmed in LAB and NAB dams but was absent in HAB dams. Intracerebroventricular CRF decreased maternal care under basal conditions in the home cage in all breeding lines and reduced attack behaviour in HAB and LAB dams during maternal defence. In contrast, D‐Phe rescued maternal care after exposure to maternal defence in the home cage without influencing maternal aggression. Furthermore, D‐Phe decreased and CRF tended to increase anxiety in HAB/NAB and LAB dams, respectively, suggesting an anxiogenic effect of CRF in lactating females. In conclusion, low CRF‐R activation during lactation is an essential prerequisite for the adequate occurrence of maternal behaviour.
The objective of this work was to analyze the effect of grain moisture and crop yield spatial distribution on grain losses and quality during bean uprooting, collecting, threshing and separating process on a retirement-threshing machine. The work was performed in a 35 ha area under a central pivot irrigation system. Grain moisture on the uprooting and collecting process, the crop yield, the machine work speed, the grain losses during uprooting, collecting, threshing and separating process and the material-other-than-grain were measured. Grain losses and product quality displayed high variation over the area, showing the need for a specific regulation of the retirement-threshing machine on each case during the harvest, in function of the grain moisture and crop yield
Recruitment efforts for clinical trials within the African American community, especially those targeting older African American adults, has traditionally been difficult. Ford et al. (2013) found that minority group members welcomed the opportunity to participate in intervention research. The African American participants in their focus groups revealed that barriers to recruitment included costs, lack of diversity on the recruitment team, and general mistrust of medical research. In this editorial, we would like to describe our experience in recruitment to expand on the last concern: mistrust.    The research study for which we were recruiting involved no cost and included a diverse research team. The intervention was nonmedical; members of the team provided oral hygiene to the participants, who had a diagnosis of dementia and were identified by the staff as resistant to mouth care. We even provided all mouth care supplies. To improve our ability to recruit minority participants, we targeted nursing homes in the area that had significant (≥40%) minority representation. The first author was born and raised in the area and is also an African American woman. In her words, “When I walked into the facility I felt welcomed up until I said the word, ‘research.’ At which point, the suspicion began.” When we discussed this reaction, Ms. Jones observed that the suspicion regarding the term research was age-dependent. That is, African American participants and family members older than 50 were unlikely to participate or provide consent. These individuals, as opposed to those younger than 50, exhibited more caution when considering the trial, were less likely to respond or return calls after initial conversations, and were more outspoken about past research misdeeds within the Black community. Given that there were no costs and the research team was diverse, mistrust seemed to be the underlying factor. Both of us were initially puzzled by the difference between the two groups. We quickly realized that the age-dependent mistrust in our study may have also been exacerbated by Birmingham’s history of discrimination. At the time of our recruitment, the 50-year anniversary of civil rights demonstrations was being memorialized. To those who lived through the harsh treatment of the 1960s and may have had loved ones directly affected by the Tuskegee Syphilis experiment (Brandt, 1978), our research team was a vivid reminder of unethical decisions. We often heard, “I don’t want to be a guinea pig.”                After realizing that the older adults who needed to give consent had a great deal of initial mistrust and suspicion about the research process itself, Ms. Jones initiated a more open conversation and gently asked questions when they were experiencing hesitation. This change of approach led the consent process to become more of a dialogue where Ms. Jones gave people a chance to share what specifically was making them uncomfortable about participating. Although memories of Tuskegee seemed to form the underlying tone, the wording in the consent forms proved to be pivotal in whether individuals gave consent. For example, a resident’s wife decided to withdraw consent from participation in the trial. Although the wife had originally signed the consent form, she later consulted with other family members and showed them the document. Ms. Jones learned about the family’s suspicion that our research team would use the resident’s medical information for more than just the mouth care study. Providing reassurance to the family that our team would only document what was necessary was not enough. This was not the only case where language in the consent form sparked questions and feedback from the participants; several times subsequent refusal was based on the wording of the consent form.    Colloquial expressions also provided insight. For example, we had been using the term dementia when discussing study eligibility. During a conversation, one of the potential participants stated, “Yeah, I’ve had the ‘forgets’ for years.” The “forgets”? That was a new one for both of us. Ms. Jones immediately began using the term forgets interchangeably with dementia, and the response to study participation improved.    Although we aimed to make the consent form as easy as possible to understand, many older individuals found the document intimidating. We were required by our Institutional Review Board (IRB) and by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act to include specific verbiage. For example, we were required to include a mandatory paragraph indemnifying the University if any harm occurred that would require medical treatment. This wording was translated to potential participants and family members as: “If anything happens to my mother, then the University will not pay for it.” This perception overshadowed the positive benefits of the study and the low risk of injury inherent in the design. Ms. Jones tried to counteract fears by explaining that the study did not involve medical procedures, experimental medications, or experimental devices. Her explanations, however, were not enough to dissipate their fears. We will have to discuss the need for mandatory language in future consent forms with the IRB, especially for studies with a high benefit/low risk ratio.    We learned much from this experience. First, the word research triggered immediate negativity. The word study was better received by the individuals providing consent. By incorporating colloquial expressions, such as the “forgets,” we also improved our communication with potential participants and their family members. Another way we reduced mistrust was to allot more time to the consenting process. There is a fine line between following up and pressuring. For example, many family members would respond to the initial contact by saying, “Let me keep the information and call me next week.” Ms. Jones would follow up as initially requested. She limited follow-up contacts to two attempts, spaced 3 days apart, to avoid the appearance of badgering. Additionally, Ms. Jones remained on-site in the nursing homes (especially during visiting times) to interact with the residents, staff, and family on a daily basis. Ensuring a presence at the facility made us appear as less of an “outsider,” and that we were genuinely concerned and not just there to gather data.    We, as researchers, have a responsibility to continuously modify our approaches to recruitment and share successful strategies. These strategies have to go beyond the superficial practice of merely having a minority recruiter. “Looking the part” is insufficient. The take-home message is that we learned that we needed to be sensitive to and aware of a community’s terminology; to respond to their level of understanding of the research process; and to address perceived stigmas associated with research participation. Recruitment of minority participants involves continuous cultural awareness and responsiveness to feedback from participants. Otherwise, we perpetuate the cycle of minority groups equating research participation with “being a guinea pig.”
It is a professional responsibility of school nurses to be engaged with their elected officials and the legislative process. Legislative contact can be an intimidating process, but nurses and the public in general can be prepared through their elected official’s website and professional association resources. Background information and voting history from legislative sessions along with current bills can guide the conversation leading to a productive encounter for all participants.
Today, distribution systems are presently transforming from a demand-driven to an active asset-driven activity, portrayed by expanding measures of decentralized generation units and an increasing participation of end users in demand response programs. The role of residential buildings will change to an active player in the power grid, either by integrating distributed energy resources onsite and even by an active orchestration of local demand. This article presents an effective approach for the modeling and optimization of a multiunit residential or multiple dwelling units building, integrating a local shared renewable power generation, energy storage system, and electric vehicles. We aim to support the decision-making in the context of energy consumption for a multiunit building through developing a model predictive control able to effectively control the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in each apartment of the building in order to reduce the electric bill of the building and improve the matching performance between the local generation and consumption. The problem is solved for a multiunit apartments building in the Montreal area. The results show the efficiency of proposed method.
Background— Evolving management of coronary artery disease, heart failure, and the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators impacts the characteristics of patients with recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT). We investigated the substrate, procedure, and outcome evolution of all patients referred for VT ablation during the past 8 years. Methods and Results— From 1999 to 2006, 493 consecutive patients (358 male, 57±16 years) underwent 623 VT ablations: 131 had no structural heart disease (SHD), 213 had ischemic cardiomyopathies (ICMP), and 149 had nonischemic cardiomyopathies (NICMP). Although the main substrate is ICMP, the proportion of NICMP has increased from 27% to 35% (P=0.06) from 1999–2002 to the 2003–2006. The procedure abolished or modified inducible VTs in ≥75% of patients in all groups, but abolition of all monomorphic VTs was achieved in 125 (83%) patients without SHD, 180 (65%) with ICMP, and 99 (51%) with NICMP (P<0.0001). During a mean follow-up of 3.3±2.4 years, no deaths occurred in patients without SHD, but 75 patients (35%) with ICMP and 26 patients (17%) with NICMP died after a median of 13 months. Multivariate Cox regression analysis found that age, ejection fraction, and need for preprocedural mechanical hemodynamic support predicted mortality. Conclusions— The substrate causing VT in patients requiring ablation is evolving and determines the long-term outcome. In the setting of a normal heart, VT ablation is associated with a low risk of subsequent mortality, with no deaths occurring during a mean follow-up of >3 years. In contrast, in patients with SHD and recurrent VT, VT ablation can be helpful to suppress drug refractory VT, but long-term mortality remains significant.
Mode charts have been extracted for dielectric resonators in cylindrical and rectangular cavities and conductor-loaded planar cavities using the rectangular coordinate FDTD algorithm. A modal extraction procedure is applied to obtain the time-domain samples, and the matrix-pencil method is applied to these samples to obtain the resonant frequency values. The transverse symmetry planes of the modes have also been exploited in order to control the modes the resonator will support, as well as to reduce memory and computation requirements. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 21: 405–411, 1999.
NUMBERS TRACES THE MARCH OF ISRAEL in the wilderness on its way from Egyptian bondage to Canaan's promised land. The book is filled with lists of numbers, tribal leaders, sacrifices, itineraries, laws, and cultic instructions along with its core narratives. Origen observed that Christians in his day tended to read these sec­ tions and then "constantly spit them out as heavy and burdensome food." In a long series of sermons on Numbers, Origen sought to resuscitate it as a biblical book filled with food for the soul. Baruch Levine, biblical scholar and ordained rabbi, seeks to do the same in his sec­ ond of two volumes on Numbers for the Anchor Bible series. Levine writes that his work on Numbers has been guided by this line from the Morning Benedictions of the Jewish prayer service: Ό Lord, our God! Please make the words of your Torah sweet in our mouths" (p. xvi).
Drawing on the practice-turn in constructivism and in international relations (IR) theory more generally, we argue that a particular approach to managing stability and change is inherent in, and indeed characteristic of, legality and the rule of law in international as in domestic law. Our "interactional law" framework places particular emphasis on what we call the "practice of legality". This concept is central to understanding how law can both enable and constrain state actions, and why international law is a distinctive language of justification and contestation. In turn, the focus on stability and change is helpful because it directly confronts some of the persistent doubts and assumptions about international law, in particular in relation to international politics. Our work is animated by the intuition that the dominant views in IR and international law scholarship underestimate international law's capacity to mediate stability and change, in part because they focus on the surface of law (treaties, statutes and so on) and external factors (interests, enforcement). They neglect the deeper structure of what makes norms "law", and the distinctive practices that account for both its relative stability and its capacity for change.
Everybody in this group will be aware of the fact that business history is neither of American nor of recent vintage. The first full-fledged company history was published in 1825 to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the Lauchhammer Iron Works in Saxony; and Professor Herman Freudenberger has recently been able to trace the beginnings of company history to the eighteenth century. His research will be published this spring. As early as the 1900's, Professor Richard Ehrenberg of the University of Rostock was the first to see that what we call business history could be developed into an academic discipline, and his book on the enterprises of the Siemens Brothers marks the beginning of company history satisfying the most rigid modern scientific standards. In fact, Ehrenberg's work had an influence on the thinking of Professor N. S. B. Gras.
The Alexa Prize program has empowered numerous university students to explore, experiment, and showcase their talents in building conversational agents through challenges like the SocialBot Grand Challenge and the TaskBot Challenge. As conversational agents increasingly appear in multimodal and embodied contexts, it is important to explore the affordances of conversational interaction augmented with computer vision and physical embodiment. This paper describes the SimBot Challenge, a new challenge in which university teams compete to build robot assistants that complete tasks in a simulated physical environment. This paper provides an overview of the SimBot Challenge, which included both online and offline challenge phases. We describe the infrastructure and support provided to the teams including Alexa Arena, the simulated environment, and the ML toolkit provided to teams to accelerate their building of vision and language models. We summarize the approaches the participating teams took to overcome research challenges and extract key lessons learned. Finally, we provide analysis of the performance of the competing SimBots during the competition.
ABSTRACT Effects of Beauveria bassiana on non-target arthropods were assessed following field application on rangeland and alfalfa agroecosystems in Canada. Densities and prevalence of B. bassiana within non-target arthropods were measured by two methods, surface sanitation of non-target cadavers followed by homogenisation and plating on selective medium, or incubation in a high humidity environment. From rangeland, numbers of B. bassiana colony-forming units (cfu) in spiders, and carabid and tenebrionid beetles were low (≤2.0 × 103 cfu/ individual) and none of the 2500 arthropods incubated in high humidity were colonised. In alfalfa, increases in numbers of B. bassiana cfu in homogenised specimens were observed only in the first four days in coccinellid beetles (Coccinellidae) while high cfu numbers persisted in some harvestmen (Phalangidae). Laboratory assays with coccinellids indicated that recovered B. bassiana emanated from ingested conidia within the alimentary tracts rather than from hyphal bodies within hemocoels. A relatively low prevalence of non-target arthropods from which B. bassiana was isolated in rangeland and alfalfa coupled with the decrease in numbers of internal cfu as a function of time indicated that the fungus imparted a minor and short-lived impact on non-target arthropods. Although B. bassiana did not affect leafcutting bee larvae, prepupae or adult emergence following overwintering diapause, a small number of foraging bees were infected under field conditions. Measuring internal fungal populations on selective medium or incubation of cadavers in a high humidity environment were found to be convenient and efficient methods for safety assessment to non-target arthropods of a mycopesticide applied under field conditions.
Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are among the most common cardiac rhythm disturbances encountered in clinical practice. Patients presenting with frequent ventricular ectopy or sustained ventricular tachycardia represent a challenging and worrisome clinical scenario for many practitioners because of concerning symptoms, frequent associated acute hemodynamic compromise, and the adverse prognostic implications inherent to these cases. While an underlying structural or functional cardiac abnormality, metabolic derangement, or medication toxicity is often readily apparent, many patients have no obvious underlying condition, despite a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. Such patients are diagnosed as having an idiopathic VA, which is a label with specific implications regarding arrhythmia origin, prognosis, and potential for pharmacologic and invasive management. Further, a subset of patients with otherwise benign idiopathic ventricular ectopy can present with polymorphic ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, adding a layer of complexity to a clinical syndrome previously felt to have a benign clinical course. Thus, this review seeks to highlight the most common types of idiopathic VAs with a focus on their prognostic implications, underlying electrophysiologic mechanisms, unique electrocardiographic signatures, and considerations for invasive electrophysiologic study and catheter ablation. We further address some of the data regarding idiopathic ventricular fibrillation with respect to the heterogeneous nature of this diagnosis.
The variable phase approach to scattering theory has been applied to ionic potentials for Mg++, Al+++ and Ca++ in order to construct non local energy dependent pseudopotentials for these materials. These pseudopotentials as well as ones calculated previously for Li+, Na+ and K+, have been compared with other pseudopotentials by calculating phase shifts and by estimating some KKRZ band structure matrix elements. It is concluded that, for metals which do not contain d or f bands near the Fermi surface, energy independent, non local model potentials are a good approximation; Ca being an example where such an approximation introduces gross errors.
A list of the subterranean fauna of the river basin and cave waters of the southern Harz Mountains and Kyffhauser Mountains is given.        Both the chemistry of the subterranean waters and the food chain relationships of the subterranean fauna are considered. The biota of the caves is compared to other subterranean fresh water biotopes, and the geographic distribution of the observed species is noted.
Sandbars along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park, USA, are an important recreational resource used as campsites by over 25,000 river runners and hikers annually. The number and size of campsites decreased following the completion of Glen Canyon Dam in 1963 due to reductions of sediment that replenish sandbars and increases in vegetation cover caused by flow regulation. Campsite area continues to decrease despite the use of controlled floods to rebuild sandbars. We quantify the relative magnitude of factors that contribute to changes in campsite size, such as fluvial deposition and erosion, gullying, and vegetation expansion with analysis of four‐band aerial imagery and digital elevation models. Campsite area declined by 37% between 2002 and 2016 (an average of 161 m2 per site at long‐term monitoring sites). Two drivers contributed to campsite area change: (a) short‐term gains and losses associated with controlled floods and flood‐deposit erosion and (b) long‐term one‐directional loss of campsite area caused by vegetation encroachment. There was more erosion and slope change at sites in critical reaches—sections of river where campsites are infrequent or in high demand—than in noncritical reaches. Vegetation continues to expand at campsites under flow regulation, particularly in noncritical reaches. Although controlled floods have contributed to short‐term increases in sandbar size, long‐term increases in campsite area have not occurred because of sandbar erosion between controlled floods and vegetation expansion. Manual vegetation removal may need to be considered in future management strategies.
Abstract This study examines the role of forest operations strategies in sector development for Norway’s fjord region. The paper starts with an examination of forest owner attitudes and perceptions in relation to their harvesting behaviour, use of contractor harvesting and road net extension. The influence of forest owner decisions, contractor mechanisation and road net extension standards on operational efficiency is examined in a simple deterministic model of the regional wood chain. Average wood procurement costs are calculated for increasing sector capacity. Direct and indirect harvesting costs are also followed throughout this development.
In a recent essay on nasal polyps, Lederer1has called attention to the fact that nasal polyps have been discussed in medical history since earliest times, but that their ubiquity "serves only to remind us how little progress has been made toward the solution of a vexing local manifestation of a constitutional disease." The striking appearance of nasal polyps has attracted many authors, yet attempts at classification have been uncertain; what Semenov2calls their "time-honored terminology" is limited to terms like adenofibroma edematoides or myxoid fibroma, which have only morphological meaning. It seems unlikely that a morphological approach will solve the riddle of nasal polyps. The literature betrays a growing impatience with purely descriptive efforts. General agreement exists that the impairment of homeostasis which causes nasal polyps is marked and prolonged edema of a vulnerable mucous membrane. Lederer quotes Taillens,3who distinguishes three possible types of edema:
The model parameters in optimal asset allocation problems are often assumed to be deterministic. This is not a realistic assumption since most parameters are not known exactly and therefore have to be estimated. We consider investment opportunities which are modeled as local geometric Brownian motions whose drift terms may be stochastic and not necessarily measurable. The drift terms of the risky assets are assumed to be affine functions of some arbitrary factors. These factors themselves may be stochastic processes. They are modeled to have a mean-reverting behavior. We consider two types of factors, namely observable and unobservable ones. The closed-form solution of the general problem is derived. The investor is assumed to have either constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) or constant absolute risk aversion (CARA). The optimal asset allocation under partial information is derived by transforming the problem into a full-information problem, where the solution is well known. The analytical result is empirically tested in a real-world application. In our case, we consider the optimal management of a balanced fund mandate. The unobservable risk factors are estimated with a Kalman filter. We compare the results of the partial-information strategy with the corresponding full-information strategy. We find that using a partial-information approach yields much better results in terms of Sharpe ratios than the full-information approach.
Since the 1990s, Taiwan has promoted the upgrading of industrial structure, and the financial crisis has brought about major economic shocks. After Taiwan became a WTO member in 2002, the total trade volume increased significantly under the trade liberalization economic system. The trade sector has become the main source of Taiwan's economic growth. As energy consumption expands with economic growth, the instability of international energy prices has become an important factor hindering Taiwan's future economic development. Taiwan’s energy demand is over 99% dependent on imports, making Taiwan’s economic growth and energy consumption really closely related. This study has found that the source of growth has transformed from domestic final demand effect and exports effect to technical coefficients effect and self-sufficiency Coefficients effect. The financial crisis has increased the “self-sufficiency” coefficient effect and the technical coefficient effect, and all other industries except the “agricultural sector” have shown significant growth. On the other hand, the source of energy consumption has changed after the financial crisis. This also confirms that Taiwan's economic growth is closely related to energy consumption, indicating that energy shortage has indeed had an important impact on Taiwan's economic development.
The study was conducted to examine physical properties of goat meat to evaluate the relationship between goat meat in different age groups, group A ( 11 m). In the first step physicochemical characteristics of goat meat in respect of pH, Water Holding Capacity (WHC), Cooking Loss (CL) and Drip Loss (DL) were determined. A total of 21 goat meat samples were collected equally from three age groups each containing 7 samples. The mean pH value of goat meat of group A, B, and C (6.28, 6.30 and 6.34% respectively) mean WHC (61.77, 63.36 and 63.36% respectively) were not significantly different (p>0.05) from each other. WHC of goat meat group B (63.36±028%) and group C (63.36±0.21%) were very similar and significantly (p 11 m of age : 33.40±1.13 and 4.06±0.14%, respectively). The result concludes the meat of goat slaughtered in advanced age may have an extensive advantage to reduce qualitative and quantitative losses of end products and by products with relation to export.
Local Coupled Extreme Learning Machine (LCELM) is a recently-proposed variant of ELM, which assigns an address for each hidden-layer node and activates the hidden-layer node when its activated degree is less than a given threshold. In this paper, an improved version of LCELM is proposed by developing a new way to initialize the address for each hidden-layer node and calculating the activated degree of hidden-layer node with Gaussian kernel. The experimental comparison with ELM and LCELM demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of improve LCELM which obtains the higher testing accuracy without significantly increasing the training time of ELM.
The pressure on academics to publish is incessant and intensifying. Instruments abound for judging the putative quality of research: the Research Excellence Framework in the UK, the Standard Evaluation Protocol in The Netherlands, the Excellence in Research for Australia, the work of the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education in France, the Triennial Research Assessment in Italy, and so on. It becomes de rigueur for each country to have its own devices for measuring and supposedly improving the quality of research, rewarding the pick of the crop and punishing the slackers. The momentum of the push for evaluating the quality of research, and the potentially dire consequences for institutions and individuals, is both worldwide and apparently unstoppable. Research assessment exercises and frameworks, of whatever hue and by whatever title, are simply too juicy for policy makers and governments to resist. The push for publication at all costs is not only worldwide, but journal editors can predict the timing of research assessment exercises in the plethora of papers received in the run-up to the timing of such exercises. Not only does the press for publication become heavier for institutions to “pass”muster, but authors must publish in highly cited and high-impact journals if they are to have their contracts renewed or their applications for promotion taken seriously. If it’s not a “world-class” paper or journal – whatever that means – then you may as well pack up and go home. Fitness for purpose, even though it is routinely bandied about in quality assurance circles, seems to be superseded by the impact and frequency of citations: a popularity vote in an age of populism. Cynics might argue that the impetus to publish is a delicious instance of the Red Queen Effect – running faster and working ever harder just to stay in the same place – or evidence of the intensification thesis (e.g., Hargreaves, 1992). Others argue that assessment instruments for judging research and publication are instances of organizational control theories which, as Rebora and Turri (2013) aver, “focus on the link between the characteristics of assessment systems and the behaviours that they trigger” (p. 1658). Protagonists of the movement to measure everything might argue that research and publication assessment exercises enable the cream to rise to the top and to be seen as such: the “best”, or maybe the tastiest, research papers stand out from the relative dross. Like it or not, journal editors are caught up in this mêlée of papers, agendas, debates, and policies. Becker (1967) reminded researchers to consider carefully the question “whose side are we on”; this can apply to editors as well. Here, the answer is very clear: Editors are on the side of ensuring that their journal publishes high-quality, rigorously conducted research with the potential to make a positive difference and a positive contribution to the field. In this, they rely on blind external peer review to assist them in making judgements. In carrying out their work, editors and reviewers consider several questions, for example:
multi-media teaching is the trend for improving teaching approach, yet what is currently prevalent in university education is its low interaction and inefficient knowledge absorption level. According to the characteristics of multimedia teaching, this paper discussed application of informational teaching resources in university music teaching and explored ways to improve the quality of music teaching. This paper took chorus conduction in university music course as experiment subject, through analysis of teaching resources based on Android system and its design principle, analysis of teaching machine based on android system covered various aspects which included teaching process, resources interface, interactive approaches, and effect assessment. The paper used methods like interview, statistics and comparing the efficiency difference before and after its application. Through the research, we found that optimized android teaching system can improve students’ scores and overall quality level, which provides ideas and data backup applications of modern teaching resources in university music course.
General systems of environmental liability Lugano Convention In 1993, at Lugano, the Council of Europe passed the Convention on Civil Liability for Damage Resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment. The Lugano Convention, which also covers risks with respect to gene technology, has been open to accession since 21 June 1993, though it has not yet entered into force. So far, only nine states (Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Netherlands) have signed the Convention, but no state has yet ratified it. The Lugano Convention provides for strict liability for damage caused by activities dangerous to the environment, including activities conducted by public authorities. It covers the environmental risks of dangerous substances, genetically modified organisms, dangerous micro-organisms and waste. ‘Dangerous substances’ are defined according to various EC Directives cited in Annex I to the Convention. With regard to waste, the Convention covers installations or sites for the incineration, treatment, handling or recycling of waste (further specified in its Annex II) and sites for the permanent deposit of waste. Liability is imposed on the operator of the activity, who is defined as the person exercising control over a dangerous activity (Article 2 § 5). A ‘person’ under the Convention means any individual or partnership or body governed by private or public law, whether corporate or not, including a state or any of its constituent subdivisions (Article 2 § 6). The operator is allowed to escape liability under various defences (Article 8), including contributory negligence (Article 9).
Objective: Puberty is associated with marked changes in body weight and hormonal profile related to pubertal stage such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). These changes are also associated with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and may impact bone. Thus our study aimed to study bone metabolism and possible etiology of osteopenia in Egyptian adolescent AN girls. Method: Twenty five adolescent girls were studied compared to 30 healthy age - and pubertal stage- matched controls. All participants were subjected to clinical evaluation, neuropsychiatric assessment, auxological measurements, bone age assessment, bone density and body composition assessment; and measurement of serum growth hormone (GH), IGF-1, ionized calcium, phosphorus, 25 hydroxy vitamin D [25-(OH)D] and serum osteocalcin (OC). Results: Lean body mass and Bone Mineral Density (BMD) were significantly reduced in AN patients compared with controls even when controlled for height. Serum GH was elevated significantly in patients (P=0.02). Serum IGF-1 level was reduced significantly in AN (P=0.0001). Serum ionized calcium, vitamin D and OC levels were significantly lower in patients (P=0.03, 0.04 and 0.02 respectively). IGF-1 was strongly positively correlated with OC in patients (r=0.865; P=0.001). In stepwise regression analysis, IGF-1 caused 73% (r2=0.75; P=0.001) of variation in OC levels in AN. Discussion: This study describes low bone formation in AN compared with age - and pubertal stage-matched adolescents. Serum levels of IGF-1 are highly correlated with bone formation and thus, IGF-1 measurement can be used as a marker for bone osteoblastic activity in AN.
We compile in this article the target article authors’ thoughtful responses to the commentaries. Their responses identify some common threads across the rich contents of the commentary pieces, interlink the observation and theoretical propositions in the commentaries with broader streams of research, present new perspectives inspired by the commentary contributors, and pose provocative questions to further ignite research efforts on the normative analysis of culture.
Motivation Short-read sequencing enables assessment of genetic and biochemical traits of individual genomic regions, such as the location of genetic variation, protein binding, and chemical modifications. Every region in a genome assembly has a property called mappability which measures the extent to which it can be uniquely mapped by sequence reads. In regions of lower mappability, estimates of genomic and epigenomic characteristics from sequencing assays are less reliable. At best, sequencing assays will produce misleadingly low numbers of reads in these regions. At worst, these regions have increased susceptibility to spurious mapping from reads from other regions of the genome with sequencing errors or unexpected genetic variation. Bisulfite sequencing approaches used to identify DNA methylation exacerbate these problems by introducing large numbers of reads that map to multiple regions. While many tools consider mappability during the read mapping process, subsequent analysis often loses this information. Both to correct assumptions of uniformity in downstream analysis, and to identify regions where the analysis is less reliable, it is necessary to know the mappability of both ordinary and bisulfite-converted genomes. Results We introduce the Umap software for identifying uniquely mappable regions of any genome. Its Bismap extension identifies mappability of the bisulfite-converted genome. With a read length of 24 bp, 18.7% of the unmodified genome and 33.5% of the bisulfite-converted genome is not uniquely mappable. This complicates interpretation of functional genomics experiments using short-read sequencing, especially in regulatory regions. For example, 81% of human CpG islands overlap with regions that are not uniquely mappable. Similarly, in some ENCODE ChIP-seq datasets, up to 50% of peaks overlap with regions that are not uniquely mappable. We also explored differentially methylated regions from a case-control study and identified regions that were not uniquely mappable. In the widely used 450K methylation array, 4,230 probes are not uniquely mappable. Genome mappability is higher with longer sequencing reads, but most publicly available ChIP-seq and reduced representation bisulfite sequencing datasets have shorter reads. Therefore, uneven and low mappability remains a concern in a majority of existing data. Availability A Umap and Bismap track hub for human genome assemblies GRCh37/hg19 and GRCh38/hg38, and mouse assemblies GRCm37/mm9 and GRCm38/mm10 is available at http://bismap.hoffmanlab.org for use with the UCSC and Ensembl genome browsers. We have deposited in Zenodo the current version of our software (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.800648) and the mappability data used in this project (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.800645). In addition, the software (https://bitbucket.org/hoffmanlab/umap) is freely available under the GNU General Public License, version 3 (GPLv3). Contact michael.hoffman@utoronto.ca
ABSTRACT We show that quinolone resistance in Helicobacter pylori has reached an alarming level in Germany. Our data suggest that the use of quinolones requires prior antimicrobial susceptibility testing, especially for isolates from patients who have already undergone previous unsuccessful eradication treatments, and also underline the further need for surveillance studies to monitor antibiotic resistance in H. pylori.
A recognitiion method and system for associating a pattern, such as a printed character with an acoustic signal, such as speech. A multilevel power sequence is generated from the acoustic signal, and the sequence is segmented into phonemes. The multilevel power sequence is converted into a binary level sequence to reduce noise. The binary power sequence is accumulated to give a series whose elements are partial sums of the sequence as a function of time. The accumulated sequence is differentiated to give a series whose elements are the derivatives of the accumulated sequence as a function of time. The differentiated sequence is then associated with a pattern, such as a printed character.
Today, it would be impossible to study any settlement without a thorough investigation of its surrounding environment. All human groups influence their environment, both locally and on a wider scale. Domestication of plants and animal is one of the most important examples of human interference.  The focal feature of the human environment is the site and the factors influencing the selection of a location that is dependent on features like proximity to water, strategic position and orientation and can be easily identified. This paper, is based on the results of the authors surveys ( 2002 and 2006 ) in the Bampur Valley and aims to discuss relationships between humans and the environment in the Valley which has not been systematically evaluated. The paper will focus on both present villages and ancient settlements around the Damin and Bampur Rivers.  The above two different areas, which are located in the Bampur Valley, will also be compared with each other in order to examine interactions between people and environment since the above two areas differ environmentally and affected the people’s livelihood differently.
It has been shown that medical students have a higher rate of depressive symptoms than the general population and age- and sex-matched peers. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among the medical students of a large school following a traditional curriculum and its relation to personal background variables. A descriptive–analytic, cross-sectional study was conducted in a medical school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The medical students of King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were screened for depressive symptoms using the 21-item Beck Depression Inventory. A high prevalence of depressive symptoms (48.2%) was found, it was either mild (21%), moderate (17%), or severe (11%). The presence and severity of depressive symptoms had a statistically significant association with early academic years (p < 0.000) and female gender (p < 0.002). The high prevalence of depressive symptoms is an alarming sign and calls for remedial action, particularly for the junior and female students.
The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) is an interoperable European train control and command system, with the objective of providing cross-border interoperability of trains while increasing safety, efficiency and reducing costs. ERTMS consists of two basic components: the European Train Control System (ETCS), an automatic train protection system providing in-cab train control; and GSM-R, a radio system for providing voice and data communications between the track and the train. Interoperability has been a key driver for ERTMS; through the creation of harmonized and transparent rules for railway operators and supply industry, ERTMS has seen significant worldwide adoption. GNSS is amongst the “game-changing” functions detailed in a report from the European Union Agency for Railways in 2015 on the longer-term perspective for the evolution of ERTMS. To ensure that an enhanced ERTMS with GNSS is interoperable and protects existing investments, the supply industry has been working on the realization of a virtual balise concept. Balises are physical transponders placed on the track providing absolute location reference to the train’s on-board system, allow a train to locate itself within a movement authority, and transmits static data to the train’s on-board system. The virtual balise concept is where a physical balise is replaced by a virtual analogue, resulting in a reduction of physical elements on the track, thus in principle saving costs. GNSS is perceived as a strong technological candidate to be introduced in Railway Safety of Life (SoL) applications, in particular for virtual balises. This paper presents results from the recently concluded RAILSAFE project, an activity initiated by ESA with the objective of assessing different GNSS-based technologies and augmentations in terms of their ability to mitigate system-level threats, and their potential performances. The paper is divided in three main sections: • First, a short description of the virtual balise concept is provided, the relevant use cases for GNSS are identified and the respective PNT requirements are summarized. • Second, the potential GNSS technologies that could be introduced for balise virtualization are identified, a safety performance assessment is provided and a theoretical performance analysis is conducted by running service volume simulations. • Third, the main conclusions and recommendations are summarised.
Abstract Making assessments regarding postural control and balance is very important for injury prevention in soccer. However, there has been no study that has associated postural control variables with branch-specific technical properties in a game. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationships between variables designating postural control levels and technical performance variables in different (1:1, 2:2 and 3:3) small-sided games (SSGs). Sixteen trained male amateur soccer players volunteered to take part in the study (age 17.2 ± 1.02 years, body height 176.25 ± 0.07 m, body mass 67.67 ± 13.27 kg). Following familiarization sessions, postural control was evaluated using one-leg and both-leg quiet-stance positions by measuring postural sway with a Tekscan HR Mat™ in anterior–posterior and medial–lateral directions. Later, 1:1, 2:2 and 3:3 SSGs were performed at two-day intervals and the technical variables specified for each game were analyzed. A Spearman’s rank-order correlation analysis demonstrated the relationship between postural control and soccer-specific technical variables in 1:1 (r-values ranging from 0.582 to 0.776), 2:2 (rvalues ranging from 0.511 to 0.740) and 3:3 (r-values ranging from 0.502 to 0.834) SSGs. In addition, a Wilcoxon signed rank test revealed differences between SSGs in terms of several variables. The results of the study showed that higher postural control levels are among the important variables that affect success in the performance of technical skills under rival pressure and suddenly changing conditions. Therefore, it is recommended that in addition to its use for injury prevention purposes, balance training should be conducted to improve branch-specific technical skills and to increase the levels of their successful performance in a game.
Appropriate conservation management of old-forest species depends on the causes of their oldforest affinity, which, however, are insufficiently known. Calicioid fungi are often considered old-forest dependent because of their special requirements for microhabitat, microclimate, and stand continuity for at least two tree generations. We demonstrate that, for several methodological or interpretational problems, published studies do not provide unequivocal evidence for such mechanisms and even for old-forest dependency of calicioids in general. We then analyse a large Estonian dataset (ca. 2300 records of 32 species) representing various management types and site types to answer whether old forests have more calicioid species, and any specific species, than could be expected for the substratum availability observed. Although old growth had more species and records than mature managed stands or cutover sites, those substratum types that occurred at roughly similar abundances also hosted comparable numbers of species in different management types. The characteristic substrata adding extra species to old growth were snags and root-plates of treefall mounds; wood surfaces in general comprised more than half of all calicioid records. Although substratum abundance did not fully explain the species-richness contrast between old growth and mature stands, additional evidence suggested that the unexplained variance is rather due to small-scale habitat characteristics than stand-scale continuity or microclimate. Finally, we review the evidence for old-forest affinity of calicioid species and distinguish a set of threatened species. We conclude that the availability of specific substrata is the main limiting factor for calicioid fungi in forests, and its quantitative and stochastic nature explains the large random and region-specific variation in the published lists of ‘old-forest species’.
Achievement of high gear ratios in gear modules, applied in servos of constrained-size robotic devices, is a challenging task, which requires dedicated transmission types. This paper presents an analysis of calculation methodologies of compact mechanical gears with high gear ratios, their designs and features. An operating principle of 3K planetary gearboxes is described. A calculation methodology for 3K type planetary gearboxes is presented with high gear ratios, implemented in one stage using non-standard gear modules of input and output links, what allows to reduce gear size, retaining the high gear ratio. A case for 3K gearbox calculation is given using the proposed methodology, as well width selection for toothed rims, via simulation models of strength tests in CAD for one of the calculated gear variants with gear ratio of 160. The proposed methodology can be used planetary gear design with high gear ratios and low stage number with potential applications in healthcare, robotics and other domains, where the mass and size characteristics of mechanical gears are of primary concern.
The concept of social responsibility has moved a long way over the past decades. The purpose of this article on corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept to the present scenario. It is considered how to corporate social responsibility concept expanded from it focuses on a few organization to be more far reaching inclusive and eventually global in scope. In addition to it briefly considers what organizational activities and changes have taken place to accommodate these initiatives to the point at which it has become fully institutionalized today. It becomes apparent that today, well into the first decades of the 2000s. In the present investigation CSR was constructed in beginning of the 1950s which marks the modern era of CSR. In the 2000s CSR continues to serve as core construct.There are many instances where corporations have played a dominant role in addressing issues of education, health, environment and livelihoods through their corporate social responsibility interventions across the country. Private business enterprises like, TATA, Birla and Reliance have been practicing the CSR for decades, long before CSR emerged as a norm to develop a culture of social welfare and environmental sustainability among the leading economic giants of the country.
The clover mite, Bryobia practiosa Koch, is a taxonomic uncertainty. The phenological behavior patterns and morphological differences between mites from different habitats have been used in the past as taxonomic characters. Variation in hatching phenomena appears to be environmentally induced and contributes largely to the phenological behavior patterns. Nutritional factors also may contribute to the phenological phenomena. Transfer experiments indicate clover mites from one type of habitat can become established on another under certain conditions, and that transferred clover mites assume characteristics associated with mites normally occurring on the new host.
We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a dual-issue SIMD-like extension of the PowerPC 440 floating-point unit (FPU) core. This extended FPU is targeted at both IBM's massively parallel BlueGene/L machine as well as more pervasive embedded platforms. It has several novel features, such as a computational crossbar and cross-load/store instructions, which enhance the performance of numerical codes. We further discuss the hardware-software co-design that was essential to fully realize the performance benefits of the FPU when constrained by the memory bandwidth limitations and high penalties for misaligned data access imposed by the memory hierarchy on a BlueGene/L node. We describe several novel compiler and algorithmic techniques to take advantage of this architecture. Using both hand-optimized and compiled code for key linear algebraic kernels, we validate the architectural design choices, evaluate the success of the compiler, and quantify the effectiveness of the novel algorithm design techniques. Preliminary performance data shows that the algorithm-compiler-hardware combination delivers a significant fraction of peak floating-point performance for compute-bound kernels such as matrix multiplication, and delivers a significant fraction of peak memory bandwidth for memory-bound kernels such as daxpy, while being largely insensitive to data alignment.
Ceramic materials hardness is usually determined by Vickers microindentation, which requires rigorous sample preparation and highly demanding analysis of traces turning this method difficult to use in industrial applications. This research is focused to correlate Vickers Hardness to drilling resistance by a hard-tipped drill-bit on alumina, alumina-zirconia-silica (AZS) and alumina-chromite refractories bricks. Alumina and AZS bricks were manufactured by electromelting process leading to obtain highly densified microstructures, while alumina-chromite bricks were manufactured by pressing and sintering which conducts to lower densification and particles cohesion within the bricks microstructure. Alumina and AZS refractories measured hardness is 1506.00 ± 99.71 HV1,5N (15.10 ± 0.90 GPa) and 1028.00 ± 95.49HV2,7N (10.30 ± 0.90 GPa) respectively, which is in contrast with the low measured hardness on alumina-chromite bricks of 54.00 ± 2.00 HV50N (0.54 ± 0.02 GPa) despite of the high hardness of alumina and chromite used as feedstock maybe due to a low cohesion between the particles. Drilling resistance results showed a well-fitted behavior regarding the measured Vickers hardness then the drilling resistance test is useful to predict the hardness of highly densified as well as of friable ceramic materials.
Melanomas commonly undergo a phenotype switch, from a proliferative to an invasive state. Melanoma plasticity exhibited as phenotype switching contributes to immunotherapy resistance, however the mechanisms are not completely understood and thus therapeutically unexploited. Here, using a transgenic melanoma mouse model, we demonstrated a critical role of the MNK1/2-eIF4E axis in melanoma plasticity and resistance to immunotherapy. We showed that phospho-eIF4E deficient murine melanomas express high levels of melanocytic antigens, with similar results verified in patient melanomas. Mechanistically, we identified that phospho-eIF4E controls the translation of NGFR, a critical effector of phenotype switching. In patients with melanoma, the expression of MKNK1, the kinase for eIF4E, positively correlated with markers of immune exhaustion. Genetic ablation of phospho-eIF4E reprogrammed the immunosuppressive microenvironment, exemplified by lowered production of inflammatory factors and increased CD8+ T cell infiltrates. Blocking phospho-eIF4E, using MNK1/2 inhibitors, offers a new strategy to inhibit melanoma plasticity and improve the survival response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.
Objective Interleukin (IL)-1 inhibitors are largely employed in patients with Still’s disease; in cases with refractory arthritis, IL-6 inhibitors have shown to be effective on articular inflammatory involvement. The aim of the present study is to assess any difference in the effectiveness of the IL-1β antagonist canakinumab prescribed as first-line biologic agent between the systemic and the chronic-articular Still’s disease. Methods Data were drawn from the retrospective phase of the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) international registry dedicated to Still’s disease. Patients with Still’s disease classified according to internationally accepted criteria (Yamaguchi criteria and/or Fautrel criteria) and treated with canakinumab as first-line biologic agent were enrolled. Results A total of 26 patients (17 females, 9 males; 18 patients developing Still’s disease after the age of 16 years) were enrolled; 16 (61.5%) patients suffered from the systemic pattern of the disease; 10 (38.5%) patients suffered from the chronic-articular type. No differences were observed between the systemic and the chronic-articular Still’s disease in the frequency of complete response, of flares after the start of canakinumab (p = 0.701) and in the persistence in therapy (p = 0.62). No statistical differences were observed between the two groups after 3 months, 12 months and at the last assessment in the decrease of: the systemic activity score (p = 0.06, p = 0.17, p = 0.17, respectively); the disease activity score on 28 joints (p = 0.54, p = 0.77, p = 0.98, respectively); the glucocorticoid dosage (p = 0.15, p = 0.50, and p = 0.50, respectively); the use of concomitant disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (p = 0.10, p = 1.00, and p = 1.00, respectively). No statistically significant differences were observed in the decrease of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p = 0.34), C reactive protein (p = 0.48), and serum ferritin levels (p = 0.34) after the start of canakinumab. Conclusion Canakinumab used for Still’s disease has been effective in controlling both clinical and laboratory manifestations disregarding the type of disease course when used as first-line biotechnological agent. These excellent results might have been further enhanced by the early start of IL-1 inhibition.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the California Instructional School Garden Program (CISGP) grants. A total of 1,992 surveys were sent and 749 grantee schools completed the survey for a 37.6% response rate. The development of a new garden, sustained use of an existing garden, or expansion of an existing garden was less than expected (p=.01). Fewer schools than expected reported using the garden for instruction (p<.001) and to teach academic subjects (p<.003). Almost two‐thirds of schools (63.5%) reported they were able to utilize all of their grant funds. Other schools (5.3%) did not have all of all their funds distributed to them, while some schools (3.2%) did not have any of their funds distributed to them. Less than 40% of schools reported they were able to accomplish all of their garden goals with the funds. Approximately 26% reported the funds they received were not sufficient to reach their gardening goals. Over one‐third of schools reported that the state budget crisis negatively affected their school garden. In summary, the difference between predicted and actual utilization of the CISGP grants may be due to a combination of the state budget shortfall and insufficient amount of the grant awards. Funding for this project was paid for, in part, by the California Department of Food and Agriculture Specialty Crops Grant NOFA #07‐0135 and the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation.
Abstract To establish a suitable method for measuring the degree of proteolysis in blue cheese (as a measure of ripening), the Hull procedure and the Vakalaris-Price method were compared. In recovery experiments using three different spectrophotometers and known amounts of tyrosine and tryptophan, discrepancies between the three spectrophotometers in their absorbance readings at 290nm were wide. To eliminate discrepancies that could have been caused by differing sensitivities of instruments, we used a wavelength of 285nm instead of 290nm. Seven loaves of domestic blue cheese were examined. High tyrosine contents were obtained in five of seven blue cheese samples with the Vakalaris-Price method as compared with Hull procedure. Extracts from blue cheese contained interfering compounds that absorbed at the ultraviolet-wavelength used with the Vakalaris-Price procedure.
We describe a new symmetric product ciphering algorithm that operates iteratively on an arbitrary square block of plaintext with the only constraint that the blocklength has to be an integral power of 2. Permutations are induced by the highly unstable nonlinear dynamics of chaotic Kolmogorov flows, while substitutions are implemented using add-with-carry or subtract-with-borrow generators. The encryption performance is excellent in hardware and software which is based on the fact that only additions, subtractions and bit-shifts, but no time-consuming operations like multiplication or exponentiation are necessary for implementing the cipher.
We propose a new genetic algorithm to solve complex stochastic programming problems, in which possible combinations of parameters are provided as scenarios. The algorithm finds a solution efficiently using a statistical selection mechanism in addition to a sampling approach. In the algorithm, to reduce the computational demand, individuals are evaluated based on mean fitness in some scenarios sampled at random. Furthermore, to limit the probability that good individuals are excluded from the population by sampling error, selection in the algorithm is carried out based on statistical theory (i.e., Welch's test). Our approach significantly reduces computing time required to find high quality solutions for stochastic facility location problems.
Most association rule mining algorithms make use of discretization algorithms for handling continuous attributes. Discretization is a process of transforming a continuous attribute value into a finite number of intervals and assigning each interval to a discrete numerical value. However, by means of methods of discretization, it is difficult to get highest attribute interdependency and at the same time to get lowest number of intervals. In this paper we present an association rule mining algorithm that is suited for continuous valued attributes commonly found in scientific and statistical databases. We propose a method using a new graph-based evolutionary algorithm named "genetic network programming (GNP)" that can deal with continues values directly, that is, without using any discretization method as a preprocessing step. GNP represents its individuals using graph structures and evolve them in order to find a solution; this feature contributes to creating quite compact programs and implicitly memorizing past action sequences. In the proposed method using GNP, the significance of the extracted association rule is measured by the use of the chi-squared test and only important association rules are stored in a pool all together through generations. Results of experiments conducted on a real life database suggest that the proposed method provides an effective technique for handling continuous attributes.
In a significant 1925 essay, “Western Education in Moslem Lands”, Paul Monroe addressed the emerging cultural and political forces faced by American educators in the Middle East. Monroe was widely recognised at the time as editor of the Cyclopedia of Education and director of the International Institute of Teachers College, Columbia University. During the period between the wars, he made the Middle East a major focus of practical activity as adviser to the Near East Relief and surveyor of educational conditions (1930), director of an advisory commission to King Faisal of Iraq (1932), and president of Robert College in Istanbul (1933–1935). This article analyses the themes presented in Monroe's essay and explores how those ideas evolved when implemented in educational projects in the region. Pointing to an older missionary relationship between Western education and the semi‐colonial relatively powerless Middle East, Monroe argued that conditions were changing and proposed a redefinition of the American educator's role. In his work in Iraq and Turkey and the Near East, Monroe developed a conception that American education could provide a resource to the Middle East which the nations themselves could evaluate and draw upon as needed, and he learned the difficulties in putting such ideas into practice.
Using SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics), the motion of a lobe pump under load was simulated in order to p2redict the level of shear stress experienced by a protein solution. By varying the gap size between the lobes and pump housing, variations in pump efficiency and shear stress were determined. The simulations indicated that pump shear was dependent on gap size, with shear stress levels (0–40 Pa) correlating with those estimated in previous albumin‐pumping studies. As gap size increased, the number of fluid particles experiencing low shear (<10 Pa) increased, whereas those experiencing high shear (>20 Pa) showed a decreasing trend. The pump efficiency, however, decreased with gap size, requiring more lobe revolutions to pass a unit volume. Taken together, these observations indicate that lobe pumps operated with increased gaps between the rotors and the housing result in larger number of particles within the fluid experiencing shear stresses. Moreover, the simulations indicate that it is best to use larger lobe pumps operated at high efficiency to transfer protein‐containing solutions.
In construction field, a time completion and an adherence to budget are two factors that mainly influence the successful of the projects. The adherence to the budget can be achieved when the estimated budget is closed to the actual cost. For the owners, cost estimation is necessary as a guidance in determining the amount of investment. Therefore, it is very important to know the estimation of the project cost by using the limited data before the detailed plans and specifications of the project are identified. However, in the case of bridge substructure preliminary cost estimation, there is a lack information about material quantity estimation models due to the difficulties of soil characteristic and hydrological conditions. Hence, this research aims to develop the estimation of material quantity models of the abutment and caisson of bridge, with the Presetressed Concrete I-Girder (PCI Girder) superstructure located in Sleman district, Yogyakarta province, Indonesia. The database used for developing model was obtained by conducting sub-structure structural analysis of 15 abutments and 45 caissons. The bridges have a various span length, abutment height, and caisson depth. Material quantity estimation models were analysed by the multiple regression analysis methods. The span length and the abutment height are determined as independent variables to predict the concrete volume, the reinforcing steel weight, the caisson concrete volume, the cyclops concrete volume and the caisson reinforcing steel weight. This research proposed 11 equation models to estimate the concrete volume and reinforcing steel weight of abutment and caisson.
FeCo/Al2O3 nanoparticles thermal sprayed on a steel plate with different Co concentration from 0 to 20% by means of a thermal spraying process, Fe60−xCox(Al2O3)40 powder alloy was synthesized using planetary ball mill for different Co concentration at 20 h of milling. The aims of this work are to study the effect of Co concentration and milling time on the magnetic, structural behavior and mechanical properties of the FeCo/Al2O3 coating. Appearance of FeCo magnetic Solid solution phase after 20 h of milling, the crystallite sizes reduced from 18nm to 7nm and lattice strains increased from 0.36 to 0.56%, this variation are caused by the diffusion of Co atoms in iron lattice. For the coating, various phase of magnetic domains observed on surface by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), apparition the new phases, Al2FeO4 at 0%, CoAl2O4 at 5%, CoFe2O4 at 10% and CoFe at 20%. Saturation magnetization is max at 20 wt% of Ni and coercivity is min at 10 wt% of Co. Microhardeness and Young module were characterized by Nanoidentation techniques that shows an improvement in mechanical properties
Surface structures of ice crystals are discussed on the basis of experiments and molecular dynamics simulation. Experimental results showed that anisotropic surface melting can occur on the {0001}- and {1010}- faces of an ice crystal at temperatures just below the bulk melting point. Molecular dynamics simulations of ice surfaces were also carried out in order to examine the dynamic properties of surface melting. Anisotropic temperature dependence on the thickness of the quasiliquid layer (qll), which was consistent with the experimental results, was confirmed between both the {0001}- and {1010}-faces. Self-diffusion coefficients, which were estimated from the translational movements of water molecules in the quasiliquid layer, indicate that the dynamic properties of the quasiliquid layer change significantly with changes in the depth from the qll surface. Finally, growth forms of ice crystals are discussed in connection with anisotropic surface melting.
In this paper, we discuss the spectral property of radiation of an electron moving in a biperiod harmonic undulator field with a phase between the primary undulator field and the harmonic field component. We derive the expression for the photons per second per mrad2 per 0.1% BW of the radiation. A small signal gain analysis also is discussed highlighting this feature of the radiation. A bi-period index parameter, i.e., Λ is introduced in the calculation. According to the value of the index parameter, the scheme can operate as one period or bi-period undulator. It is shown that when Λ = π, the device operates at the fundamental and the third harmonic. However, when Λ = π/2, it is possible to eliminate the third harmonic.
PURPOSE To evaluate psychometric properties of the Japanese version of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and BPH Impact Index (BII).   METHODS The translated IPSS and BII questionnaires were administered to 103 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 23 asymptomatic men. In 82 patients the questionnaires were repeated 2 weeks later to examine reproducibility. Further 2 weeks later 21 out of 82 patients responded to the questionnaires asking symptoms during the last week rather than during the last month. To evaluated responsiveness the questionnaires were repeated after treatment in 22 patients. Internal consistency, construct validity and criterion validity were examined by proper statistic methods.   RESULTS Reproducibility was good to excellent with weighted kappa more than 0.62 for all items. It was not significantly affected by age, symptom severity, institution type, or whether the patients were asked symptoms during the last week or during the last month. Internal consistency was also good with Cronbach's alpha more than 0.83. Principle component analysis identified 2 components in IPSS and a single component in BII, with all the items contributing to the first component. Most items had significant correlation with external criteria including maximum flow rate, residual urine volume or prostate volume. The scores of patients were clearly larger than asymptomatic men and obviously reduced after receiving therapies.   CONCLUSION Japanese translations of IPSS and BII were shown to be reliable, valid and one-dimensional instruments in the Japanese patients. They would be equivalent to the original English questionnaires.
During the five years that I served on the IEEE Board of Directors, I was constantly reminded of how closely issues of concern to the IEEE reflect the concerns of the world. Consider, as an example, a current issue, which will be voted upon by the IEEE membership as a proposed constitutional amendment at the next election: Should technical activities have equal representation to regional activities on the IEEE Board? Immediately, one sees shades of the Great Compromise controversy of pre-Civil War days.
Tyrosinase has been measured in homogenates of foreskins from newborn babies. The tyrosine hydroxylation reaction is dependent upon 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine as a cosubstrate, and the Km for tyrosine is 0.15 mM, similar to the value observed for other mammalian tyrosinases. The mean enzyme activity for black babies (n = 169) is about two and one-fourth times that for white babies (n = 82). For white babies there is a significant correlation between age at circumcision and tyrosinase activity. For black babies this correlation becomes significant when four individuals with extremely high tyrosinase activities are omitted from the series.
CLINICAL COURSE AND MICROSCOPIC FINDINGS The histopathological study of a thigh papule showed thickening of the collagen bundles in the reticular dermis. This finding suggested that an orcein stain reveals an increase of thickened and interlacing elastic fibers resulting in the compartmentalization of the collagen in the reticular dermis. A Von Kossa stain was negative for any deposits. Ophthalmologic examination, electrocardiography, and chest radiography did not disclose any abnormality. A radiograph of the carpal and metacarpal bones showed no evidence of osteopoikilosis. The patient is stable, without symptoms, and does not receive pharmacological treatment.
Abstract The objective of this present work is to optimize and prepare silver nanoparticles(AgNPs) in Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) microemulsion (ME) for oral use and to investigate its antibacterial and anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. In vitro drug release study confirmed that faster release of drug at the tumor cells compared to the blood circulation. It also showed a potential antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria. The optimized AgNPs loaded ME confirmed significant cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cancer cell line with IC50 16.72 ± 0.014 μg/mL and significant reduction in solid Ehrlich tumor growth in compared to the control, placebo and pure drug. Graphical Abstract
Electronic payment for using road infrastructure is an area that is gaining importance in the realm of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). While preparing such an electronic fee collection system, the level of enforcement needed must be determined. This is not a trivial task, because it is affected by many technical and monetary factors. At the same time, it cannot be expected that all decision makers are deeply involved in this field and are able to make an optimal decision depending on the recommendations of external experts. In order to decrease the possibility of manipulating this decision process by lobbyists and to save the money used for external consultants, a decision support system is needed. This paper describes a fuzzy expert system for determining the optimal level of enforcement -FESOLE. It bridges a missing part in the research concerning ITS. The author focuses mainly on the major technical features of this model. A fuzzy expert system is used to approach this problem. It can extract and exploit the knowledge of human experts and convert it to a robust computational model. Suitability of this methodology for a given task is also demonstrated.
Background We sought to determine the prognostic value of prothrombin time-international normalized ratio to albumin ratio (PTAR) in patients with hepatitis B virus-associated decompensated cirrhosis (HBV-DeCi). Methods The study enrolled 166 HBV-DeCi patients. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify predictors associated with mortality. Results Among the 166 HBV-DeCi patients, 27 (16.3%) had died by 30 days after admission. PTAR was markedly increased in nonsurvivors compared with survivors, and had a significant positive correlation with disease severity. Multivariate analysis identified PTAR as an effective independent predictor for mortality in HBV-DeCi patients. Conclusions High PTAR was associated with poor outcomes and can act as a novel prognostic predictor for mortality in HBV-DeCi patients.
A new method for rapid, automatic radiometric measurement of antibiotic effects on bacterial growth was developed and compared with a conventional broth dilutior technique. The radiometric method measures the amount of radioactive CO2 generated by the bacterial metabolism of 14C-glucose in the presence of antibiotics. Antibiotic effect on bacterial growth was standardized by measuring the evolution of 14CO2 3 hr after inoculation. This measurement was found to be quantitatively related to increasing concentration of antibiotic provided the organism was susceptible to the antibiotic tested. In 50 of 179 experiments (28%), each testing one organism against serial concentrations of an antibiotic, the concentration of antibiotic producing a 50% reduction of 14CO2 within 3 hr after inoculation in comparison with a control culture was the same as the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) determined by the broth dilution technique. In 129 experiments (72%), the antibiotic concentrations inhibiting 14CO2 release to 50% of the control level were less than the MIC values. Results of the radiometric method were related to those of the broth dilution method by constant factors characteristic of the organism and antibiotic tested. Our results indicate that the radiometric method provides a reproducible, quantitative, rapid, and sensitive measurement of the inhibitory effects of antibiotics on bacterial growth. The constant relationship between the results of the radiometric and conventional technique should facilitate the adaptation of the automated method to clinical testing of antibiotic susceptibility.
1. Prothallia of Osmunda claytoniana and Matteuccia nodulosa have been grown on soil for over three and one-half and four years respectively, under cultural conditions that prevented the production of sporophytes. When an occasional sporophyte appeared, it was amputated in such a manner as not to injure the gametophyte. 2. Prothallia thus grown branched both dichotomously and by the production of lateral shoots or proliferations. Proliferations, large and small, develop from the margins, from both surfaces of the midrib, and from the older proximal tissue, as well as from the growing point or apical sinus. 3. In older prothallia archegonia may be developed from both upper and lower surfaces. In such prothallia antheridia are borne chiefly on small marginal proliferations, or on small granular protuberances on older parts. 4. In some cases small protuberances are produced along the midrib upon the upper side. Such protuberances bear many archegonia. 5. The cell walls in older parts of the midrib are relatively thick, and are marked by numerous pits varying in size 6. An endophytic fungus is present in certain circumscribed areas of older midribs of Osmunda claytoniana. The fungus has a tubular, branched, multinucleated mycelium The hyphae may pass from cell to cell through the large pits in the cell walls No fungal spores were observed 7 A spinelike process developed from near the growing point in a few prothallia of Matteuccia nodulosa. These dried up as the prothallia grew older. 8. Apogamous sporophytes did not develop in any case. 9. If sporophytes are not produced, the continuation shoots of the prothallia seem to be able to continue growth indefinitely.
We present a study on the characterization and modeling of direct tunneling gate leakage current in both N- and P-type MOSFETs with ultrathin silicon nitride (Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/) gate dielectric formed by the jet-vapor deposition (JVD) technique. The tunneling mechanisms in the N- and PMOSFETs were clarified. The electron and hole tunneling masses and barrier potentials for the different tunneling mechanisms mere extracted from measured data using a new semi-empirical model. This model was used to project the scaling limits of the JVD Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ gate dielectric based on the supply voltages for the various technology nodes and the maximum tolerable direct tunneling gate current for high-performance and low-power applications.
Background and Purpose— After the 2005 National Coverage Determination to reimburse carotid artery stenting (CAS) for Medicare beneficiaries, the number of CAS procedures increased and carotid endarterectomy (CEA) decreased. We evaluated trends in surgeons’ past-year CEA case-volume and 30-day mortality after CEA, and their association before and after the National Coverage Determination. Methods— In a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing CEA (2001–2008) and CAS (2005–2008) using Medicare data, we described yearly trends of CEA and CAS rates, patient characteristics, and 30-day mortality after CEA. We used logistic regression adjusting for patient- and surgeon-level factors to assess the effect of surgeon case volume on 30-day mortality after CEA. Results— We identified 454 717 CEA and 27 943 CAS patients. Patients undergoing CEA in recent years were older and had more comorbidities than earlier years. CEA rates per 10 000 beneficiaries declined from 18.1 in 2002 to 12.7 in 2008, whereas median surgeon past-year case-volume declined from 27 to 21. The CAS rates peaked at 2.3 per 10 000 beneficiaries in 2006 but declined to 1.8 in 2008, resulting in declining overall revascularization procedure rates during 2005 to 2008. Thirty day post-CEA mortality was 1.40% (95% confidence interval, 1.34–1.47) in 2001 to 2002 and 1.17% (1.10–1.24) in 2007 to 2008. Surgeon’s past-year case-volume of <10 was associated with higher 30-day mortality consistently during 2001 to 2008. Conclusions— The rate of CEA procedures decreased substantially during 2001 to 2008, as did surgeon past-year case-volume. The postprocedural mortality in Medicare beneficiaries was high compared with trial patients but somewhat improved over time. Those operated by lower past-year case-volume surgeons had increased mortality.
Recent in vivo studies suggest that adherent leukocytes bind RBCs and contribute to the microvascular pathology that characterizes sickle cell disease (SCD). A parallel‐plate flow assay was used: to investigate the capture of RBCs by adherent neutrophils, monocytes, and T‐lymphocytes; to examine whether RBC capture is elevated in patients with SCD; and to determine whether hydroxyurea (HU) therapy affects these interactions. Four measures of cell–cell adhesion were used: adhesion of leukocytes to TNF‐α‐treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), percent of adherent leukocytes that captured RBCs, number of RBCs captured per interacting leukocyte, and duration of RBC capture. Leukocyte subpopulations from sickle patients were more adherent to activated ECs and captured more RBCs per interacting leukocyte than the corresponding subpopulations from healthy controls. While HU did not affect leukocyte adhesion to activated ECs, it reduced the proportion of adherent leukocytes that captured RBCs, as well as the number of RBCs captured per neutrophil. T‐lymphocytes demonstrated elevated adhesion in all measures, and may be the leukocyte subpopulation whose behavior is most altered in SCD. Our findings suggest that neutrophils, monocytes, and T‐lymphocytes could all be involved in adhesive interactions with autologous RBCs in patients with SCD. Am. J. Hematol., 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
With a new measuring system, the attenuation range of the national RF standard attenuation measuring equipment at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany, has been extended to 60 db in the waveguide bands R 220 and R 320. Most of the system is automated to shorten the calibration and measurement time. The total uncertainty of measurement is estimated to be 0.0027 dB per 10 dB attenuation. >
We propose a new pre-trained architecture for economics/finance domain adaptation of language models in this paper. Pre-trained language models have become commonplace in a wide range of language processing applications. Because they learn from generic documents such as Wikipedia, many pre-trained language models are not fully adapted to the domain. As a result, there are two approaches: one is to develop a domain-specific pre-trained language model, and the other is to adapt the model learned on general documents to the domain through further pre-training with domain texts. However, no definitive better method has been discovered, and each project is working on it in different ways. As a result, this study focuses on the Japanese language’s economics/financial domains and investigates how pre-trained language models can be better adapted to domain-specific tasks.
Hyman, Michael P., and Reiquam, C. W.: Monitoring the course of chronic granulocytic leukemia with vitamin B 12-binding proteins. Am J Clin Pathol 63: 796-803, 1975. Vitamin B 12-binding protein levels (UBBC) have been used in the diagnosis of chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL), but little data on the course of these patients and the fluctuation of their UBBC are available. Serial UBBC were determined for 12 patients with CGL over various periods of time. Some patients remained in relapse aapse. Throughout, the B 12-binding protein levels were a faithful monitor of each patient's course. The beta/alpha ratio, indicating the relative amount of the binding protein fractions probably reflects the clinical status of the patient in a way that is not presently utilizable. Measurement of B 12-binding proteins during the course of chronic granulocytic leukemia may prove helpful in the long-term care of these patients. (Key words: Vitamin B 12-binding proteins; Chronic granulocytic leukemia.)
Abstract The effect of continuous illumination and a daily light dark cycle on the free feeding weights of pigeons was determined. Small unsystematic fluctuations occurred within each day during continuous illumination while substantial gains occurred immediately before the dark cycle. The daily accentuation in weight gain did not occur when a daily period without food was substituted for the period of darkness.
Significance Synaptic connectivity provides the foundation for our present understanding of neuronal network function, but static connectivity cannot explain learning and memory. We propose a computational role for the diversity of cortical neuronal types and their associated cell-type–specific neuromodulators in improving the efficiency of synaptic weight adjustments for task learning in neuronal networks. Brains learn tasks via experience-driven differential adjustment of their myriad individual synaptic connections, but the mechanisms that target appropriate adjustment to particular connections remain deeply enigmatic. While Hebbian synaptic plasticity, synaptic eligibility traces, and top-down feedback signals surely contribute to solving this synaptic credit-assignment problem, alone, they appear to be insufficient. Inspired by new genetic perspectives on neuronal signaling architectures, here, we present a normative theory for synaptic learning, where we predict that neurons communicate their contribution to the learning outcome to nearby neurons via cell-type–specific local neuromodulation. Computational tests suggest that neuron-type diversity and neuron-type–specific local neuromodulation may be critical pieces of the biological credit-assignment puzzle. They also suggest algorithms for improved artificial neural network learning efficiency.
Abstract In 2017, Public Health England South East Health Protection Team (HPT) were involved in the management of an outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis (the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis) in a pack of working foxhounds. This paper summarises the actions taken by the team in managing the public health aspects of the outbreak, and lessons learned to improve the management of future potential outbreaks. A literature search was conducted to identify relevant publications on M. bovis. Clinical notes from the Public Health England (PHE) health protection database were reviewed and key points extracted. Animal and public health stakeholders involved in the management of the situation provided further evidence through unstructured interviews and personal communications. The PHE South East team initially provided ‘inform and advise’ letters to human contacts whilst awaiting laboratory confirmation to identify the infectious agent. Once M. bovis had been confirmed in the hounds, an in-depth risk assessment was conducted, and contacts were stratified in to risk pools. Eleven out of 20 exposed persons with the greatest risk of exposure were recommended to attend TB screening and one tested positive, but had no evidence of active TB infection. The number of human contacts working with foxhound packs can be large and varied. HPTs should undertake a comprehensive risk assessment of all potential routes of exposure, involve all other relevant stakeholders from an early stage and undertake regular risk assessments. Current guidance should be revised to account for the unique risks to human health posed by exposure to infected working dogs.
The experimental work on the ventricular electrocardiogram by Rothberger and Lewis and their co-workers, Wilson and Herrmann,1Smith,2and others, indicates that the principal divisions of the electrocardiogram, namely, the QRS complex and the T wave, may not be commonly or equally affected under abnormal conditions, and that this is because the QRS represents the excitation and the T wave the retreat of the process by virtue of which the contraction occurs. The practical value of the unequal response for differential diagnosis suggested an investigation of the curve of the ventricle from this angle and the report which follows is concerned with the nature of the disturbances required to affect the component portions of the ventricular electrocardiogram; in other words, the relation of the changes in the QRS (an in this connection also the associated question regarding arborization block was involved), the T wave and the RT period, to the
We discuss and compare two approaches for model reduction of large-scale unstable systems on parallel computers. The first method proceeds by computing the additive decomposition of the transfer function via a block diagonalization, followed by a reduction of the stable part of the system using techniques based on state-space truncation. The second method employs a representation of the controllability and observability Gramians of an unstable systems in terms of the Gramians of the stabilized system where the particular stabilization is obtained via the solution of dual algebraic Bernoulli equations. Based on these Gramians, balanced truncation is then applied in the usual manner. All core computational steps in these methods can be efficiently solved on parallel computers by means of diverse variants of the Newton iteration for the sign function. Numerical experiments on a cluster of Intel Xeon processors show the numerical and parallel performances of these methods.
Manometric methods, also called respirometers, have been used for decades to measure the main parameters defining the organic pollution of wastewaters, such as BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) or CoDb (biodegradable chemical oxygen demand). In fact, BoD (or CoDb) are not compounds but properties of wastewater. For known compounds, the theoretical CoDb can be calculated. For example, with an aerobic system and tertiary compounds (C, o, H):
Fibrosis is a significant global health problem associated with many inflammatory and degenerative diseases affecting multiple organs, individually or simultaneously. Fibrosis develops when extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling becomes excessive or uncontrolled and is associated with nearly all forms of heart disease. Cardiac fibroblasts and myofibroblasts are the main effectors of ECM deposition and scar formation. The heart is a complex multicellular organ, where the various resident cell types communicate between themselves and with cells of the blood and immune systems. Exosomes, which are small extracellular vesicles, (EVs), contribute to cell-to-cell communication and their pathophysiological relevance and therapeutic potential is emerging. Here, we will critically review the role of endogenous exosomes as possible fibrosis mediators and discuss the possibility of using stem cell-derived and/or engineered exosomes as anti-fibrotic agents.
Telomerase is a key regulator in cell metabolism, tissue renewal, and organismal lifespan. Here we develop a simple strategy to modulate cellular telomerase activity, and further control cell fate based on Mg2+ - and Zn2+ -activated DNAzymes in living cells. Through modulation of telomerase activity, we can regulate cell behavior, including cell migration, cell differentiation, cell senescence, and cell cycle. Our work provides a new way to modulate telomerase activity in living cells by using DNAzymes.
ABSTRACT We present a paleomagnetic and rock magnetic record from a 465.2 m long drill core recovered at DSDP Site 277 in the Southwest Pacific. Our study sought to construct a magnetostratigraphy and thus enable further paleoenvironmental work on this sedimentary succession. Magnetic remanence measurements revealed a stable magnetisation in the upper 34.8 m and lower 58.7 m of the core. However, between 34.8 and 397.5 m sediments are very weakly magnetised, do not carry a stable magnetisation, and rock magnetic analyses revealed a lack of remanence carrying minerals in this interval. We suggest that during the period spanning Paleocene to Oligocene sufficiently high organic matter (reagents) accumulation resulted in complete reduction and dissolution of ferri/ferromagnetic grains.
VARIOUS CAUSES of false-positive biological pregnancy tests have been reported. 1-3 Recently a latex agglutination inhibition test has been developed. This test detects, immunologically, human chorionic gonadotrophin in urine. Urine from a pregnant female contains chorionic gonadotrophins shortly after implantation and reaches a high peak approximately 1 mo after the first missed menstrual period. If a urine specimen containing chorionic gonadotrophins is incubated with a solution containing human chorionic gonadotrophin antibodies, the gonadotrophins are neutralized. If this solution is then incubated with an antigen containing latex particles coated with human chorionic gonadotrophin, agglutination does not occur following centrifugation. The supernate will thus remain turbid and indicate a positive test. If, on the other hand, there is an absence of gonadotrophin in the urine, no neutralization occurs and subsequent incubation with the antigen produces agglutination leaving a clear supernate following centrifugation. It has been reported that 200 to 300 international units
Purpose: To investigate the dosimetric impacts of OAR contour errors in prostate VMAT planning with a sensitivity analysis method. Methods: Ten randomly selected prostate VMAT patients were used to simulate OAR contour error in rectum and bladder. For each OAR 12 even spaced contour control points were selected in every three slices. For each simulation, only one of the control points was simulated to move inwards or outwards by up to 6 voxels and coordinates of adjacent voxels to that moving control point were moved accordingly with a 3D-spline smooth function. An in-house software was used to predict OARs dosimetric endpoints based on geometric relationship between PTV and OAR. In this study, the V75, V70, V65, V60 of rectum and V80, V75, V70, V65 of bladder with and without perturbed contours were calculated and compared. Results: The percentage of OAR dose volume difference around the reference OAR contours were plotted as iso-error lines overlaid on CT images. The significant difference was shown in OAR contours adjacent to the PTV where high dose gradient exists. When one of the 12 points adjacent to the PTV moved up to 6 voxels, maximum errors of 1.99%, 2.46%, 2.89%, and 3.19% were found in V75, V70, V65, and V60 of the rectum, and 1.59%, 1.67%, 1.87%, and 1.90% were found in V80, V75, V70, and V65 of the bladder, respectively. Conclusion: We can quantify the dosimetric impact of OAR contouring error by evaluating the percentage of OAR dose volume changes in prostate VMAT planning. For the adaptive radiation therapy, the iso-error lines can provide the planner a guideline that which portion of contour needed to be checked carefully because dosimetric sensitivity of contour errors are different for different part of contours.
Emergency and Trauma Department (ETD) is an important element for a hospital. It provides medical service, which operates 24 hours a day in most hospitals. However overcrowding is not exclusion for ETD. Overflowing occurs due to affordable services provided by public hospitals, since it is funded by the government. It is reported that a patient attending ETD must be treated within 90 minutes, in accordance to achieve the Key Performance Indicator (KPI). However, due to overcrowd situations, most patients have to wait longer than the KPI standard. In this paper, patient's average waiting time is analyzed. Using Chi-Square Test of Goodness, patient's inter arrival per hour is also investigated. As conclusion, Monday until Wednesday was identified as the days that exceed the KPI standard while Chi-Square Test of Goodness showed that the patient's inter arrival is independent and random.
Fetal skin denudation is probably a rare phenomenon because the occurrence of bullae in the blister· formation skin disorders is a postnatal event. It has been suggested that the large skin defects observed in aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) might be the result of in utero peeling of skin secondary to fetal movements.1 Moreover, the finding of high levels of alpha-fetoprotein in amniotic fluid with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) further suggests the occurrence of in utero blistering and denudation of skin. 2 We report two cases with blister-formation skin disorders, namely ACC and bullous ichthyosiform erythroderma (epidermolytic hyperkeratosis), where a distinctive sonographic sign representing in utero skin denudation was observed. The association of high maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein and this sonographic sign should raise the possibility of skin denudation disorders, especially when a previous positive family history is present.
The purpose of this research are: 1) Knowing the exhaust gas emission test result from Honda Brio Satya with variation of fuel 2) Knowing the type of fuel that produces the lowest exhaust gas emission value. This research is using experimental method. This research was conducted in the automotive workshop of SMKN Udanawu Blitar Regency. Test media is a Honda Brio Satya type E 2017. The emission test used QROTEC QRO 402 gas analyzer. The results show that: 1) There is influence of fuel type to vehicle exhaust emissions, both at idle and intermediate rotation; 2) The average of CO gas emissions at idle rotation with fuel of each premium, pertalite and pertamax are 0.026%, 0.023% and 0.003%. The average of HC gas emission at idle rotation in each fuel type are 87 ppm, 86.3 ppm and 30 ppm. Thus, pertamax fuel produces the lowest level of exhaust emissions. The third fuel type still meets the threshold of motor vehicle emissions threshold in accordance with PERMEN LH No. 5 of 2010 so it is worthy to be used as an environmentally friendly learning media.
Numerous signaling pathways have been implicated in the elimination of cells in cell competition. Here we explore the relative contributions of two of them, the recently discovered CCSM and the conserved JNK stress pathway, using a series of genetic interactions tests. We demonstrate that the expression of the TNF Eiger (Egr), and the TNFR adaptor protein Traf4, are specifically up-regulated in the wild-type “loser” cell population during Myc-mediated cell competition. We find that the absence of Egr or its receptor Grindelwald (grnd) robustly prevents elimination of the loser cells in genetic cell competition assays. In contrast, although canonical JNK signaling is activated downstream of these adaptors, loss of either of the JNK effectors Tak1/JNKK or Hemipterous/JNK is not sufficient to prevent loser cell elimination in the competitive context. Our results instead suggest that Egr/Grnd influences the Rel activator Dredd in carrying out the cells’ competitive death and elimination. Our experiments thus provide evidence that although Egr/Grnd signaling activates two parallel pathways in Myc cell competition, only the CCSM is sufficient to remove the wild-type loser cells from the tissue.
The microtubule (MT)-depolymerizing activity of MCAK/Kif2C can be quantified by expressing the motor in cultured cells and measuring tubulin fluorescence levels after enough hours have passed to allow tubulin autoregulation to proceed. This method allows us to score the impact of point mutations within the motor domain. We found that, despite their distinctly different activities, many mutations that impact transport kinesins also impair MCAK/Kif2C’s depolymerizing activity. We improved our workflow using CellProfiler to significantly speed up the imaging and analysis of transfected cells. This allowed us to rapidly interrogate a number of MCAK/Kif2C motor domain mutations documented in the cancer database cBioPortal. We found that a large proportion of these mutations adversely impact the motor. Using green fluorescent protein–FKBP-MCAK CRISPR cells we found that one deleterious hot-spot mutation increased chromosome instability in a wild-type (WT) background, suggesting that such mutants have the potential to promote tumor karyotype evolution. We also found that increasing WT MCAK/Kif2C protein levels over that of endogenous MCAK/Kif2C similarly increased chromosome instability. Thus, endogenous MCAK/Kif2C activity in normal cells is tuned to a mean level to achieve maximal suppression of chromosome instability.
A binuclear copper‐salicylate complex, [Cu(Sal)2(NCMe)]2 (Sal=salicylate), was found to be an active catalyst for the oxidation of N,N‐dimethylanilines by O2, affording the corresponding N‐methyl‐N‐phenylformamides as major products. The reactions were carried out with a O2 balloon and the S/C (substrate/catalyst ratio) of the model reaction could be up to 1×105, providing a practical and highly efficient catalytic protocol for accessing N‐methyl‐N‐phenylformamides.
The article presents the results of a comparative study of using osteoinductive and osteoconductive material for bone osteoplastic grafting used to perform operations in the treatment of 60 patients with generalized periodontitis with diabetes mellitus type 2. It was found that by using different types of materials osteoplastic bone growth occurs differently. It was found that in preserved walls of bone pockets a mixture of osteoinductive material «Bio-Oss», combined with osteoconductive material osteoplastic «BondBone» prepared in platelet-rich plasma using collagen membranes «Bio-Gide» is enough and appropriate to use. This technique allowed achieving full recovery of bone in 86.2% of patients bone defects with. It was found that by using natural osteoplastic material «Bio-Oss» with extensive periodontal regeneration of alveolar bone defects in patients with generalized periodontitis associated with diabetes mellitus type 2 it is necessary to use membranes of polylactic acid to prevent migration of particles of osteoplastic material in the wound.
In this article I examine my involvement in influencing Israeli social policy in order to recognize cultural diversity among immigrants by changing the basic assumptions towards immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Initially, a unanimous approach, which saw all immigrants as "Russians" or "Soviets," was used. This was modified to a culturally oriented policy that recognizes different ethno-cultural groups within this broad category. These experiences can tell something about the dilemmas of multicultural policy in Israel, as well as the dilemmas of an anthropologist who wants to influence this policy.
This paper presents the computer aided design and experimental investigation of electrically tuned bandpass microwave filter. The bandpass filter design is based on two regular shunt resonators with the conductive input/output port switching. The bandpass control is implemented by means of varactors which are loaded at the open end of the resonators and operate within the voltage range 1.5–12V. The following exper-
It has been widely accepted that the cigarette smoking habit is linked to major chronic health risks including atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, and lung cancer.' Among those chronic diseases, coronary heart disease is responsible for the majority of deaths in most industrialized societies. Several experimental studies have shown that a number of components in cigarette smoke might be involved in the progression of coronary heart disease. Among those components, nicotine has been reported to stimulate catecolamine secretion into the plasma causing changes in vascular tonus2 and cardi~dynamics.~ Carbon monoxide has also been proposed as an active constituent of gas-phase cigarette smoke that could be involved in atherogenesis by causing hypoxia and vascular injury? Epidemiological studies have also revealed that the cigarette smoking habit is associated with a change in plasma lipoprotein and fatty acid level^.^ However, despite considerable investigation, very little has been understood concerning the molecular mechanisms by which cigarette smoking could accelerate atherogenesis leading to the development of coronary heart disease. Atherogenesis has been recognized to be a consequence of multiple serial events? Among those events, the appearance of foam cells filled with lipid droplets in the subendothelial space has been recognized as a characteristic feature of the fatty streak, the early stage of the atherosclerotic l e ~ i o n . ~ Recent intensive studies have revealed that these foam cells are macrophages enriched with cholesteryl ester?.' In the body, the majority of cholesterol is synthesized in the liver and transported in the circulation by low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the plasma level of which has been known to be closely linked to the risk of atherosclerotic disorders. Studies in vitro have shown that macrophages are converted into foam cells by taking up oxidatively modified LDL efficiently by the scavenger receptor. There has been an
Rosacea is a painful acne-like skin disorder, characterized by dilated blood vessels causing persistent redness (or erythema), that affects people over the age of 30. Yamasaki et al. provide evidence that the antimicrobial cathelicidin peptides, which are chemotactic, angiogenic, and bactericidal and are important for innate immune responses in the skin, are implicated in the pathogenesis of rosacea. Skin biopsies of patients with rosacea and normal controls were compared, and the rosacea samples had elevated cathelicidin based on immunostaining and analysis of cathelicidin mRNA. In addition, the processed and active form was more abundant in the rosacea samples. Processing involves cleavage of the proprotein near the C terminus, which in human skin is done by the kallikrein family protease stratum corneum tryptic enzyme (SCTE). Rosacea samples had elevated abundance of SCTE compared with normal skin samples, and protease activity was also elevated based on in situ zymography. To ascertain whether the elevated active cathelicidin peptides could contribute to the rosacea symptoms, the most abundant peptides, LL-37 and FA-29, from the rosacea samples were added to cultured human keratinocytes or injected subcutaneously into mice. These rosacea-enriched peptides stimulated interleukin-8 production from the keratinocytes and caused erythema, vascular dilation, neutrophil infiltration, thrombosis, and hemorrhage in the injected skin. Cathelicidin peptides from normal skin did not have these effects on cultured keratinocytes or mouse skin. Injection of SCTE caused similar symptoms. In mice deficient for the gene Camp, which encodes cathelicidin, inflammation was substantially diminished after application of a contact skin irritant or physical abrasion. In mice deficient for the gene encoding the protease inhibitor SPINK5, which inhibits SCTE, the cathelicidin peptide profile was similar to that seen in rosacea. Bevins and Liu discuss the clinical implications of these findings. K. Yamasaki, A. Di Nardo, A. Bardan, M. Murakami, T. Ohtake, A. Coda, R. A. Dorschner, C. Bonnart, P. Descargues, A. Hovnanian, V. B. Morhenn, R. L. Gallo, Increased serine protease activity and cathelicidin promotes skin inflammation in rosacea. Nat. Med. 13, 975-980 (2007). [PubMed] C. L. Bevins, F.-T. Liu, Rosacea: Skin innate immunity gone awry? Nat. Med. 13, 904-906 (2007). [PubMed]
Summary form only given. Chemical bonding, phase transitions, and surface processes occur on timescales comparable to the natural oscillation periods of atoms and molecules, in the range of femtoseconds (1 fs =10-15 s) to picoseconds (1 ps = 10-12 s). Advances in the generation of ultrashort laser pulses in the past two decades have made it possible to directly observe these fundamental processes. These advances have taken us from the picosecond timescale a generation ago, to the femtosecond timescale in the past decade, and recently into the attosecond (1 as = 10-18 s) regime. Materials science, interdisciplinary by nature, has benefited from these advances because recent studies, ranging from probing atomistic processes in model materials, to real-time diffraction of lattices and to ultrafast laser processing of materials are furthering our understanding of time-dependent processes in materials. In this tutorial presentation, I will review recent work involving the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses with materials. I will discuss the fundamental processes involved and a number of applications, classifying the work into two parts: the interaction with transparent materials (bulk femtosecond micromachining) and interaction with absorbing materials (femtosecond surface structuring and hyperdoping).
In surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), two complementary SERS enhancement mechanisms are known: electromagnetic enhancement (EME) and chemical enhancement (CE). Herein, we demonstrated, by exciting SERS with a well-suited laser wavelength near the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of gold nanorods (AuNRs), that the CE contribution to the SERS signal can be selectively tuned and quantified through its correlation with chemical interface damping (CID), one of the LSPR decay processes in AuNRs. We further elucidated probe electrophilicity of a series of para-substituted aromatic thiophenols through a strong gold–sulfur interaction that plays an important role in hot-electron charge transfer from AuNRs to adsorbates, effectively increasing the CE. Therefore, our findings reveal that strong CID must significantly increase the CE for SERS to allow tuning of the CE under resonant conditions.
The CT features of 12 patients with bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP) were reviewed and correlated with clinical history, histologic specimens, and chest radiography. From our series, a spectrum of CT findings of parenchymal lung involvement in BOOP emerged. Focal nodular or mass-like opacities were found in 42% (5 of 12). Areas of consolidation resembling pneumonia were seen in 33% (4 of 12). Peripheral subpleural reticular opacities were identified in 25% (3 of 12). Patchy ground glass infiltrates were seen in 8% (1 of 12). One patient demonstrated a mixed pattern consisting of nodular opacities and areas of pneumonic consolidation. In 4 of the 5 cases demonstrating the nodular form of BOOP either a feeding vessel or bronchus sign could be identified. This feature consisted of a pulmonary vessel leading to a nodular opacity or an air bronchogram entering into a nodular opacity. Correlation of the CT findings of BOOP with histologic specimens showed nodular opacities and areas of consolidation to be associated with classic pathologic features of BOOP including bronchiolar plugs of granulation tissue and surrounding organizing pneumonia. Cases demonstrating peripheral subpleural reticular opacities showed, in addition to pathologic evidence of BOOP, other features such as interstitial disease and fibrosis. From the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences (L. M. Bouchardy, J. E. Kuhlman, and S. S. Siegelman), the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (W. C. Ball, Jr.), and the Department of Pathology (R. H. Hruban and F. B. Askin), Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. J. E. Kuhlman at Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, U.S.A.
Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a hallmark of cancer, leading to aneuploid cells. To study the role that CIN plays in tumor evolution, several mouse models have been engineered over the last 2 decades. These models have unequivocally shown that systemic high-grade CIN is embryonic lethal. We and others have previously shown that embryonic lethality can be circumvented by provoking CIN in a tissue-specific fashion. In this study, we provoke systemic high-grade CIN in adult mice as an alternative to circumvent embryonic lethality. For this, we disrupt the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) by alleviating Mad2 or truncating Mps1, both essential genes for SAC functioning, with or without p53 inactivation. We find that disruption of the SAC leads to rapid villous atrophy, atypia and apoptosis of the epithelia of the jejunum and ileum, substantial weight loss, and death within 2–3 weeks after the start of the CIN insult. Despite this severe intestinal phenotype, most other tissues are unaffected, except for minor abnormalities in spleen, presumably due to the lower proliferation rate in these tissues. We conclude that high-grade CIN in vivo in adult mice is most toxic to the high cell turnover intestinal epithelia.
Modulation transfer function (MTF) is applied to the high frequency modulation fusion in this paper. Firstly, MTFs are calculated using the edge method, and 2-dimension MTF-filters are properly designed. Secondly, MTF-filters are used for degrading original high resolusion images. High frequency modulation fusion parameters are then obtained under the minimum mean square error criterion. The results show that fusion images derived from the improved high frequency modulation based on MTF method have spatial resolution close to non-degraded pan images. Compared with fusion methods of weighted high-pass filtering (w-HPF), MTF general image fusion framework (MTF-GIF), the improved method performs well in terms of preservation of spectral information and spatial resolution.
vaginal ROOF. The patient, who menstruated last about 24th September last, was seized with sudden pain in the abdomen, collapse, and the other symptoms of rupture of tubal gestation. When seen two days later by Dr Brewis her condition was very critical. Complete rest was recommended. She gradually improved, but the abdominal swelling continued. In February, the fifth month of pregnancy, the vaginal vault was opened and the foetus removed. A large quantity of liquor ainnii rushed out. The
Despite the growing interest in biorenewable energy at society, policy, and industry level, many people still know very little about alternatives to fossil fuels, particularly biofuels. This perspective assesses and discusses the needs of citizens and future consumers for more information on biofuels. Using empirical data collected from a sample (n = 260) of fuel consumers in Flanders, Belgium, this perspective first demonstrates that information insufficiency (the gap between consumers' need for information and their perceived knowledge) is a good predictor of information‐seeking behavior, specifically in the case of biofuels. Secondly, it shows that women, older, and less educated people report higher levels of information insufficiency. This means that they have a higher a priori interest in receiving more information about biofuels, in comparison to men, younger, and more highly educated population groups, for whom greater efforts may be required to ensure that communications reach them effectively. Additionally, information insufficiency (and thus also biofuel information‐seeking behavior) increases in line with a stronger belief that biofuels are environmentally friendly, and with weaker beliefs that biofuels will have a positive impact on the local economy and can decrease foreign energy dependency. Furthermore, outcome relevant involvement (i.e. the perceived importance of the impact of biofuels on one's own life) increases information insufficiency, whereas impression relevant involvement (i.e. the importance of perceived approval by peers) and value relevant involvement (i.e. the role of personal values) are not significant. Based on these insights, and considering the wider societal context of biofuels and the limitations of the empirical data, conclusions are drawn with respect to who is (and who is not) open to receiving information about biofuels, as well as about the specific themes and benefits such information campaigns should highlight to stand the greatest chance of success in the marketplace. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
The objective present study was to investigate the presence of low back pain in caregivers of a nursing home, related with the labored activities executed by these workers. 16 subjects were investigated, 15 female and one male, with 40,8 age average all being caregivers as their profession. It consisted of three phases, where the first concerns the analysis of the collective work, assessed in a perspective of caregivers, Second, a postural assessment to verify the retractions in such workers and the third stage was used Diagram of Corllet to identify the presence of signs and symptoms in caregivers. The study demonstrated that organizational and biomechanical factors are responsible for the high level of physical fatigue and presence of pain in 93,75% of the caregivers in some region of the body. 50% referred pain in the lumbar region. The results of the postural evaluation confirmed that the caregivers had alterations in the postural alignment, presenting retractions of the anterior and posterior chain. The suggestions are to minimize the risk factors of this productive process and the symptoms and signals presented from these workers by adoption ergonomic measures and the realization of a physical program with stretching and muscular strengthening of the muscles of the anterior and posterior body chain based on the method of Reorganization Postural Sensoperceptive.
A finite‐element model of a complete clarinet is proposed in order to simulate the acoustical dynamics of the instrument. Following the work of Pinard and Laine on isolated reeds [unpublished reports of the Ecole Polytechnique], modal analysis of clarinet reeds performed with holographic interferometry has been compared with modal synthesis derived from the FEM. In this linear model, the reed is considered alone first, then coupled to the mouthpiece, and finally to the mouthpiece and the barrel. The good agreement between the two approaches makes the mixed solid‐acoustical FEM usable in a numerical simulation of the whole clarinet. The rest of the pipe is modeled by lumped mechanical elements whose parameters are fitted with measurements of the acoustical input impedance. Eigenmodes of the complete system—reed, mouthpiece, barrel, pipe—are computed and damping is subsequently attributed to each mode. The evolution of the system subject to nonlinear boundary conditions—incoming airflow, one‐sided contact o...
Background and Objectives When monotherapy is inadequate for blood pressure control, the next step is either to continue monotherapy in increased doses or to add another antihypertensive agent. However, direct comparison of double-dose monotherapy versus combination therapy has rarely been done. The objective of this study is to compare 10 mg of amlodipine with an amlodipine/valsartan 5/160 mg combination in patients whose blood pressure control is inadequate with amlodipine 5 mg. Subjects and Methods This study was conducted as a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Men and women aged 20-80 who were diagnosed as having hypertension, who had been on amlodipine 5 mg monotherapy for at least 4 weeks, and whose daytime mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥135 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥85 mmHg on 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) were randomized to amlodipine (A) 10 mg or amlodipine/valsartan (AV) 5/160 mg group. Follow-up 24-hour ABPM was done at 8 weeks after randomization. Results Baseline clinical characteristics did not differ between the 2 groups. Ambulatory blood pressure reduction was significantly greater in the AV group compared with the A group (daytime mean SBP change: -14±11 vs. -9±9 mmHg, p<0.001, 24-hour mean SBP change: -13±10 vs. -8±8 mmHg, p<0.0001). Drug-related adverse events also did not differ significantly (A:AV, 6.5 vs. 4.5 %, p=0.56). Conclusion Amlodipine/valsartan 5/160 mg combination was more efficacious than amlodipine 10 mg in hypertensive patients in whom monotherapy of amlodipine 5 mg had failed.
Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to analyze the components of variable concentration (chromophores) from near IR spectroscopy measurement. Up until now, this method was only used in some special cases when the singular vectors of the measurement data matrix clearly resemble the component spectra or some simple combinations (e.g. sum or difference) of the spectra. In this paper, we find and derive a generally applicable theoretical relationship between the singular vectors and the component spectra. With this relationship, PCA becomes a powerful tool to detect how many and also which chromophores contribute to the observed attenuation changes measured by NIRS. Based on this relationship, a method is proposed to estimate the components of variable concentration from the data matrix by means of a principal component analysis and canonical correlation analysis (CCA). This method, which detects the chromophores of variable concentrations by analyzing numerically the canonical correlations, is more accurate and more generally applicable. Some results of the ananlysis are given.
Fiber intake improves gut health and prevents non-communicable diseases. The current study investigates the substitution of carrageenan in white bread and evaluates its effect on the physiochemical and structural characteristics of bread. The 100% wheat flour was used as control and the test sample contained 4% carrageenan. The physio-chemical analysis showed that carrageenan-substitution improved the hydration properties of the flour (WHC—1.33 g/g; SC—3.50 ml/g). Carrageen substituted bread had reduced the loaf volume. The fiber content in carrageenan-substituted bread was noticeably higher (9.4 g%) than control (3.5 g%). Crude lipid (4.6 g%) and protein (7.0 g%) content improved with carrageenan-substitution. The mineral contents (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, and Zn) were increased in carrageenan-breads. The texture profile analysis showed a decreased hardness (H1—92.3 N, H2—62.5 N) and improved springiness (5.3 mm) in carrageenan-bread.
Washing machines, as common household appliances, consume a lot of domestic water. The working process of the traditional washing machine mainly includes washing, rinsing and dehydration. The rinsing water has low pollution level, but the consumption is large, accounting for more than 70% of the total water consumption, and the water resource utilization rate is low. Aiming at this problem, combined with water purification technology, a new carrier structure was designed by using 3D modeling software and the optical path design of the structure was optimized by COMSOL software. A ceramic wastewater based on photocatalytic reaction was fabricated by ceramic 3D printing technology. Processing device. Combining photocatalysis with ceramic 3D printing technology, design a photocatalytic reactor to improve water treatment efficiency, safe and no secondary pollution. Through the standard cloth washing water treatment experiment, it is determined that the pollution component in the laundry wastewater treated by the reactor is reduced, and the purification effect is obvious.
The unprecedented and sustained growth in mobile computing on a global scale offers strong incentives for research in mobile data management technologies that facilitate access to any data, in real time and from anywhere. This growth motivates MDM, the International Conference on Mobile Data Management, which is now in its 11th year. This flagship conference in the mobile data management area provides an important forum for researchers and practitioners to discuss issues related to mobile data management as well as mobile applications and services. In particular, MDM has become an important platform for the dissemination and exchange of research related to diverse aspects of mobile data management such as dynamic replication and caching; in-network query processing in wireless sensor networks; privacy, security, trust, and reputation; indexing and query processing for geo-positioned data; and the study of the effects of mobility and unreliable communications on services and systems. This year’s MDM takes place in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. A conference such as MDM relies on substantial volunteer efforts by a large number of individuals. As the General Chairs, we would like to express our gratitude to all those who have contributed to making the conference possible. This year, the team of conference officers that is in large measure responsible for making the conference a success consists of scientists from the two local universities, University of Missouri–Kansas City and Missouri University of Science and Technology, together with colleagues from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Japan, and USA. First and foremost, we want to acknowledge the efforts of the three program committee chairs, Takahiro Hara, Vijay Kumar, and Demetris Zeinalipour, who have worked very hard to manage the review process, but have also provided important feedback on a multitude of other related and important issues. In particular, Vijay Kumar, the chair among the three who is local, has willingly assumed an extended responsibility and has spent hours on end coping with aspects such as website management, sponsorships, and local organization. We thank the industry track chairs, Gary Gaddis, Ali Hurson, and Tamer Nadeem; the tutorial chairs, Evi Pitoura and Peter Scheuermann; the demo chairs, Oleg Gusak and Mohamed Sharaf; and the panel chairs, Bharat Bhargava and Nalini Venkatasubramanian. They have all managed important aspects of the main conference program. Le Gruenwald and Sunil Prabhakar have managed the associated workshop program, and Cory Beard and Sriram Chellappan have been in charge of the Ph.D. Forum. These are valuable elements of the conference. We are also thankful to Debopam Acharya and Rui Zhang who have handled publicity, to Yugyung Lee and Dan Lin who have handled the conference proceedings, and to Praveen Rao who has assumed the treasurer role and has been in charge of the local arrangements also. We welcome you to MDM, hoping that the many elements of the conference will serve as inspiration for your continued research, and that you will connect with old colleagues and find new collaborators while enjoying the special character and hospitality of Kansas City.
The decisions of the Court of First Instance (CFI) of the European Union, in September 2005, in the cases involving Messrs. Kadi and Yusuf highlight,1 if nothing else, one of the more profound governance dilemmas. Should human rights be respected even at the (possible) expense of effective governance? Or should effectiveness of governance be preferred, even at the (possible) expense of the protection of individual human rights? Messrs. Yusuf and Kadi, as is well known, somehow found themselves on a sanctions list adopted by the Security Council,2 and transposed into EU law: they
A II-VI/Si tandem cell concept is proposed here to potentially reach greater than 30% energy conversion efficiency under one-sun condition. The required MgCdTe alloy with a bandgap of ~ 1.7 eV has been successfully grown on InSb (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy with excellent structural and optical qualities, confirmed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction, and temperature-dependent steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence.
The movement to promote improved levels of participation from groups under-represented in higher education which occurred between 1980 and 1990 neglected disabled people. The position has been addressed by the national higher education funding councils since 1992 and progress has been made. Therefore, it was surprising to find that, whilst certain social groups were highlighted, nothing was said about disabled people in the terms of reference of Sir Ron Dearing's National Committee of Inquiry. This paper describes attempts made to inform and influence the Committee. Next, it considers the Report itself. First, the recommendations for future policy which are directed specifically towards disabled people are discussed; secondly, the potential implications for disabled people of the general recommendations are explored; and thirdly, the supplementary report on students with disabilities is reviewed. The conclusion provides a brief overview of developments since the Report's publication.
To the Editor I was impressed at reading the results of Mulders et al ,1 who provided evidence that first-degree relatives of patients with premature coronary artery disease had increased arterial stiffness (measured by pulse-wave velocity) in the absence of coronary artery disease. The authors also found a relation between arterial stiffness and coronary artery calcification.  As a physician, I wonder about ways to prevent the development of coronary artery disease in these individuals who seem to have this disposition. I found it interesting that patients with …
Results of 2D simulation of a KrF laser are presented. In the model, inhomogeneities of distributions of the electric field and plasma particle concentration are considered. It is demonstrated, that the laser energy depends not only on the value of the total pump power, but also from its spatial distribution. The shape of the electrodes is a major determinant of the spatial distribution of pumping power in the active medium. For electrodes with small radii of curvature, the pumping power in the center of the discharge may be too high. This leads to the suppression of radiation in the center of the discharge and the limitation of the laser energy.
When compared to other tissues, the recovery process in cardiac muscle is unique, as has been demonstrated in the records of monophasic action potentials described earlier in this monograph. Reference was made to a figure from the book by Brooks et al.’ to show that even in cardiac tissues the form of the action potential differs. For example, compared to ventricular muscle, a plateau during recovery is lower and longer in Purkinje fibers for comparable rates and is absent in atrial muscle. Both Cole and Weidmann, in the section of this monograph dealing with cellular events, described a few monophasic records of nerve that looked like a foreshortened version of the cardiac-action potential. I t appears that the answers to many questions relating to the restitution of excitability in any tissue have been and will be found with the least experimental difficulty in cardiac muscle. Whether these will be applicable to all excitable tissues is problematical. One of the principal objectives of this section on cardiac recovery is to reemphasize the physiological differences in the time course of repolarization as compared to depolarization, ascribable probably in large part to mechanical contraction of the heart soon after the beginning of excitation. As early as 1921, Wilson and Herrmanne recognized that the form and direction of the deflection resulting from the “decline of excitation” were determined by at least two different factors, the form of the preceding QRS and such local factors as cooling. Although a t the time they concluded from experimental stimulation of each ventricle in dogs that the duration of the excited state was approximately uniform in all parts of the ventricular muscle, there was one conflicting experiment in which the left ventricle remained intermittently refractory longer than a simultaneously stimulated point on the right ventricle. The significance of the finding was minimized at the time, but was later found to have considerable importance in the elaboration of the concept of the ventricular gradient first mentioned by Wilson el ~ 1 . ~ in 1931 and further elaborated by these investigators4 in 1934. Although the gradient was also spoken of as the “electrical axis of QRST,” Hayley’s5 recent interesting vector analysis would indicate that the gradient is not an existent electromotive force, but rather a directional derivative of the duration of the excited state a t any point in the ventricular muscle dependent upon the spatial orientation of that point. The gradient as a measure of differences in both the rate and duration of repolarizatior. was touched upon by Hecht and Schaefer earlier in these pages. Although the ventricular gradient should be a valuable clinical measurement, the time-consuming task of determining it has limited its use. Briller’s6
The effects of 7 anti-neoplastic agents on the recovery of 5 aerobic gram-positive cocci, gram-negative rods and yeasts were studied in 2 different automated blood culture systems using an experimental model. In the absence of anti-neoplastic agents, the growth of gram-positive cocci was detected significantly earlier in standard than in FAN aerobic bottles. In the presence of 100 microM doxorubicin, however, the growth of gram-positive cocci was totally inhibited in standard culture conditions, while in FAN bottles the agent has no inhibitory effect. Etoposide at a concentration of 100 micromol/l also significantly delayed the growth of cocci in standard conditions. Neither the culture bottles nor the anti-neoplastic agents tested had any effect on the growth of gram-negative rods and yeasts. The results suggest that the anti-neoplastic agents present in blood might disturb the growth of gram-positive cocci in blood culture. This should be considered when validating blood culture systems and evaluating blood cultures of chemotherapy-receiving febrile patients.
High-energy evolution equations, such as the Balitsky-Fadin-Kuraev-Lipatov (BFKL), Balitsky-Kovchegov (BK) or Jalilian-Marian char21{}Iancu char21{}McLerran char21{}Weigert char21{}Leonidov char21{}Kovner equations, aim at resumming the high-energy (next-to-)leading logarithms appearing in QCD perturbative series. However, the standard derivations of these equations are performed in a strict high-energy limit, whereas such equations are then applied to scattering processes at large but finite energies. For this reason, there is typically a slight mismatch between the leading logs resummed by these evolution equations without finite-energy corrections and the leading logs actually present in the perturbative expansion of any observable. That mismatch is one of the sources of large corrections at next-to-leading-order and next-to-leading-logarithmic accuracy. In the case of the BFKL equation in momentum space, this problem is solved by including a kinematical constraint in the kernel, which is the most important finite-energy correction. In this paper, such an improvement of kinematics is performed in mixed space (transverse positions and ${k}^{+}$) and with a factorization scheme in the light-cone momentum ${k}^{+}$ (in a frame in which the projectile is right-moving and the target left-moving). This is the usual choice of variables and factorization scheme for the the BK equation. A kinematically improved version of the BK equation is provided, consistent at finite energies. The results presented here are also a necessary step towards having the high-energy limit of QCD (including gluon saturation) quantitatively under control beyond strict leading-logarithmic accuracy.
Effecting and controlling ferromagnetic-like properties in semiconductors has proven to be a complex problem, especially when approaching room temperature. Here, we demonstrate the important role of defects in the magnetic properties of semiconductors by reporting the structures and properties of the iron chalcogenides (BaF)2Fe2–xQ3 (Q = S, Se), which exhibit anomalous magnetic properties that are correlated with defects in the Fe-sublattice. The compounds form in both long-range ordered and disordered polytypes of a new structure typified by the alternate stacking of fluorite (BaF)22+ and (Fe2–xQ3)2– layers. The latter layers exhibit an ordered array of strong Fe–Fe dimers in edge-sharing tetrahedra. Given the strong Fe–Fe interaction, it is expected that the Fe–Fe dimer is antiferromagnetically coupled, yet crystals exhibit a weak ferromagnetic moment that orders at relatively high temperature: below 280–315 K and 240–275 K for the sulfide and selenide analogues, respectively. This transition temperatur...
OBJECT The goal of this study was to construct a model of normal changes in intracranial volume occurring throughout childhood from age 7 days to 15 years.   METHODS Using the technique of segmentation on magnetic resonance images obtained in healthy children, intracranial volume was measured and plotted against age.   CONCLUSIONS Intracranial volume in the first few months of life is on average 900 cm3 in males and 600 cm3 in females. By the age of 15 years, it increases up to 1500 cm3 in males and 1300 cm3 in females, increased by factors of 1.6 and 2.1, respectively. By the time the child reaches 2 years of age, intracranial volume has reached 77% (1150 cm3 in males and 1000 cm3 in females) and, by 5 years, 90% (1350 cm3 in males and 1200 cm3 in females) of the volume observed at age 15 years. The change in intracranial volume that occurs with age is not linear, but there seems to be a segmental pattern. Three main periods can be distinguished, each lasting approximately 5 years (0-5, 5-10, and 10-15 years), during which the growth of intracranial volume is linear. Throughout childhood, males have higher intracranial volumes than females, with a similar growth pattern.
A dynamic model successfully predicted the effluent concentrations of both volatile and non-volatile priority pollutants from a large industrial wastewater treatment plant. A steady-state model, which was formulated with the identical rate equations and variable influent data, was inadequate for dynamic predictions. The dynamic model is the first developed for predicting the fate of priority pollutants in the PACT® process
Electrical noise significantly limits the detectivity of infrared photodiode detectors. In this paper, we investigated the dark current and noise spectra for long-wave-infrared InAs/GaSb type-II superlattice (T2SL) detectors to study the origin of noise under various work conditions. The temperature-dependent I-V characteristics reveal a turning point near 90 K, below which the dominant dark current mechanism changes from Shockley-Hall-Read generation current and diffusion current to shunt current and trap-assisted tunneling (TAT) current. The contribution of shunt and tunneling process to the total 1/f noise are analyzed by fitting the noise power spectral density at 77 K for detectors. It is found that the TAT current dominates the 1/f noise at the reverse bias stronger than -0.1 V, while shunt current exhibits a larger contribution at the reverse bias less than -0.1 V with the shunt noise coefficient αshunt of 5×10-8. Furthermore, the leakage routes related to the shunt process and their temperature dependence are illustrated by two-dimensional photocurrent mapping.
Reliability of gold stud bump bonding must be questioned once process parameters are tweaked and dimensions shrunk to minimize costs for high volume MEMS assembly. 3D mock-up stacks representing a 0.5 x 1.0 mm MEMS die and its read-out integrated circuit were built using thermosonic and thermocompression chip-to-wafer bonding (TSB and TCB) with parameters targeting an optimized throughput. Electrical test circuits, daisy chains and Kelvin structures, were included in the design. Mechanical and electrical characterization was performed on samples directly after bonding and after environmental stressing in the form of thermal cycling and high temperature storage. Bond strength in the range of 40-60 MPa was measured after bonding. No degradation was observed after thermal cycling and an increased strength was measured after high temperature storage. Tilt in the range of 2.2 - 6.6 μm measured using white light interferometry was concluded to be a root cause of a limited yield for TSB. Fractography after shear testing, visual inspection of cross sections and electrical testing supported the hypothesis. On the other hand, tilt was measured to be in the range of 0.3 - 1.3 μm for TCB and this was concluded to be acceptable based on the same inspections and also based on stability of electrical properties measured in situ during environmental stressing. Tilt can be reduced by engineering of bond heads.
Aim: The study aims to identify new therapeutic targets from cancer exosomes, which may spread drug resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Background: EGFR TKIs have exhibited extraordinary clinical efficacy in advanced lung cancer. However, their usefulness is compromised by drug resistance mediated by various mechanisms, including the emergence of a secondary EGFR T790M mutation. Exosomes are small membrane vesicles derived from the cellular phenomenon of membrane blebbing under both normal and pathological conditions. They mediate intercellular cross-talk by transferring receptors, antigens and cytokines from donor to recipient cells. It has been reported that EGFR TKI resistance mutation exists before drug exposure. Selective pressure from EGFR TKI therapy may thus cause the expansion of the latent resistant subclones, resulting in the emergence of a resistant phenotype in the entire tumor population. We hypothesize that exosomes may mediate the transfer of the secondary EGFR mutant or other mediators from the resistant subclones to neighboring sensitive cells. Method: The possible exosome-mediated transfer of secondary EGFR mutant (or other protein mediators) from EGFR T790M-bearing NSCLC (H1975) cells to a sensitive NSCLC cell line (HCC827) was evaluated. Exosomes were isolated from H1975 cells-conditioned medium by the standard differential centrifugation method. The secretion of protein mediators into exosomes by resistant H1975 cells was studied by protein array. The EGFR kinase activity of the exosomes was evaluated by biochemical assay. The uptake of fluorescence-labeled exosome from the resistant cells by the sensitive cells was visualized by fluorescence microscopy. The activation of the EGFR signaling pathway in the recipient sensitive cells after incubation with exosomes derived from the resistant cells was examined by Western blot analysis. Result: Exosomes were successfully isolated from H1975-conditioned medium and confirmed by the expression of exosomal markers CD63 and HSP70. Compared with exosomes derived from sensitive HCC827 cells, exosomes secreted from H1975 cells were enriched with apoptosis-regulating proteins including Src. H1975-derived exosomes increased the viability of HCC827 cells in the presence of gefitinib and inhibited the apoptosis induced by gefitinib. Western blot analysis showed that the exosomes can block the reduction of BCL-2 and full-length PARP, while abolishing the increase of BAX and cleaved PARP induced by gefitinib in HCC827 cells. Conclusion: H9175-derived exosomes may be involved in the spreading of drug resistance to EGFR TKIs by regulating cell apoptosis. New treatment strategies may be designed to target and inhibit this exosome-mediated transfer of mediators implicated in the acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs. Citation Format: Kenneth KW To, Christy WS Tong, Mia MX Wu. Cancer exosomes as a new mediator to spread drug resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1969.
This study explores the basic elements of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) financial statements for agricultural entities. These basic elements for each type of business entity have specific characteristics in terms of its economic activity. The agricultural entity, as the object of this research, is the rice farmer group. This research uses the qualitative method. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and literature studies. Data analysis uses an interactive analysis model with data reduction stages, data display, and concluding the exploration of MSMEs financial reporting's basic elements. The results show that these basic elements include forming elements of financial statements component, concept elements underlying the financial statements, and process elements for generating financial statements. The forming elements consist of the existing conditions of MSMEs and agricultural activity. Agricultural activities include rice plant, rice harvest, and rice postharvest activities, and their financial transactions. The concept elements are basic assumptions for preparing financial reports that cover the entity unity, going concern concept, and accrual basis, and the concept of biological assets and their accounting treatment. The process elements include the MSMEs accounting system. The accounting system consists of the accounting cycle, forms, accounting records, and the component of financial statements.
The field of catalysis by small organic molecule descendant of vitamin B1 called N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) has significantly progressed since its discovery in 1943 and the renaissance in 2004. One important impetus behind the remarkable range of reactions – particularly enantioselective C–C bond formations – is the introduction of the N-mesityl (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) group on the triazolium core of the NHCs by Bode and co-workers in 2005. The catalytically generated intermediates derived from this type of catalysts are highly reactive and allow access to acyl anion, homoenolate, or ester-enolate equivalents, whose reactivities have been well-demonstrated by our group and many others for the past decade. In this Dissertation, we introduce another reactive intermediate called α,β-unsaturated acyl azolium derived from N-mesityl triazolium salts and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. In comparison to the nucleophilic acyl anion, homoenolate, or enolate equivalents, α,β-unsaturated acyl azolium serves the role of an electrophile and acts as a versatile acylating agent. The first part of this Dissertation describes the novel chemistry of α,β-unsaturated acyl triazolium species, especially in the context of asymmetric Claisen annulation reactions. The second portion addresses the mechanistic inquiries regarding the unsaturated acyl triazolium species (its characterization and its kinetic profile under catalytically relevant conditions) and the explanation for the requirement and effect of the N-mesityl group in NHC catalysis. We hope that our studies provide a roadmap for catalyst design or selection and new reaction discovery based on fundamental understanding of the mechanistic course of NHC reaction.
The purpose of the paper is to provide a detailed overview of the methods of indexing and categorizing data generated to solve problems in a complex and multifaceted field of knowledge related to the application of nanotechnology. Analysis of the capabilities and restrictions of various categorization methods are applied to the issues of the subject field, starting with simple classification schemes and up to high level ontologies. The content of integrating methods and approaches developed in many natural sciences is considered: life science, chemistry, material science, etc. The main restriction of the currently applicable ontologies and vocabularies has been identified — a primary focus on the tasks of bio- and medical informatics. It is shown that the way to overcome them includes the adoption of a new system for describing nanomaterials proposed in the CODATA-VAMAS international project. The overview shows how the extreme broadness and continuous evolution of the subject field are reflected in the means of data categorization. It is shown that the most developed of them can serve as a basis for building a knowledge base. The prospective tasks of nanoinformatics are stated required to be solved to cover fundamentally unlimited classes of materials, their properties and fields of application.
The Alouette 2 electrostatic probe measurements of electron density and electron temperature during 1966-1967 show several interesting features in the nighttime 2, 000-3, 000km altitude region. There are seasonal differences in the latitudinal variation of the electron parameters, with Ne forming nocturnal peaks at ±40°geomagnetic latitude during solstices; the summer peak value exceeds the winter peak by almost 50%. The relationship between Ne and Te for these altitudes appears to be rather dependent on latitude, and also exhibits seasonal differences. The Te peak at mid-latitudes forms at a location about 5°lower in geomagnetic latitude than the Ne plasmatrough minimum, and coincides with the lower latitude cliff of the trough.The ionic mass in the 2, 500km region is estimated from the observed values of Ne and Te; the values obtained identify with the light ions H+ and He+ between 0 and 40°geomagnetic latitude and a heavy ion species at higher latitudes. The effect of magnetic activity is to decrease Ne and to increase Te at latitudes within ±50°. The plasmatrough in Ne and the corresponding Te peak show a clear equatorward movement during geomagnetic disturbance.
Lifestyle migration, such as the temporary or permanent movement of European citizens to coastal areas in Southern Europe, widely responds to the freedom of movement that EU citizenship provides to all its members. Although this migration can be evaluated as an individual and rather apolitical expression of a politically intended mobility within the European Union, it may seriously alter political life within destinations. The following article presents a case study about the political mobilization of lifestyle migrants living on the Spanish Mediterranean coast. It is based on empirical research and explores narrative interviews with members of a transnationally active political pressure group that campaigns against misapplications of local and regional land use policies. The central aim of the text consists of evaluating how central actors draw on European identity within conflict negotiations that traverse diverse scales including the European level. Referring to this, the article engages with key issues in contemporary sociological debates addressed in this monograph, namely the question of how sociologists approach the study of the political in general and how imaginations of Europe and European identity are strategically appropriated within political debates.
Afterglow jets are Rayleigh–Taylor unstable and therefore turbulent during the early part of their deceleration. There are also several processes which actively cool the jet. In this Letter, we demonstrate that if cooling significantly increases the compressibility of the flow, the turbulence collides with the forward shock, destabilizing and corrugating it. In this case, the forward shock is turbulent enough to produce the magnetic fields responsible for synchrotron emission via small-scale turbulent dynamo. We calculate light curves assuming the magnetic field is in energy equipartition with the turbulent kinetic energy and discover that dynamic magnetic fields are well approximated by a constant magnetic-to-thermal energy ratio of 1%, though there is a sizeable delay in the time of peak flux as the magnetic field turns on only after the turbulence has activated. The reverse shock is found to be significantly more magnetized than the forward shock, with a magnetic-to-thermal energy ratio of the order of 10%. This work motivates future Rayleigh–Taylor calculations using more physical cooling models.
This paper presents the real-time implementation of an approach for monitoring the heart using a single accelerometer. The implementation described is based on an algorithmic approach that has been shown to successfully remove motion artifacts from accelerometer based heart signal measurements. A driving factor in this project is the need for low-cost heart rate monitoring as part of a personal monitoring system for use world-wide. The digital signal processor (DSP) chosen for the implementation was Texas Instruments (TI) TMS320C5505 DSP in order to reduce the power requirement of the specific implementation thereby conserving battery life. The TMS320C5505 CPU can operate on 1.05V and the chip architecture has been highly optimized for energy efficiency.
Electron probe microanalyser measurements of trace elements with high accuracy are challenging. Accurate Al measurements in olivine are required to calibrate SIMS implant reference materials for measurement of Al in the solar wind. We adopt a combined EPMA/SIMS approach that is useful for producing SIMS reference materials as well as for EPMA at the ~ 100 µg g−1 level. Even for mounts not polished with alumina photoelectron spectroscopy shows high levels of Al surface contamination. In order to minimise electron beam current density, a rastered 50 × 100 µm electron beam was adequate and minimised sensitivity to small Al‐rich contaminants. Reproducible analyses of eleven SIMS‐cleaned spots on San Carlos olivine agreed at 69.3 ± 1.0 µg g−1. The known Al mass fraction was used to calibrate an Al implant into San Carlos. Accurate measurements of Al were made for olivines in the pallasites: Imilac, Eagle Station and Springwater. Our focus was on Al in olivine, but our technique could be refined to give accurate electron probe measurements for other contamination‐sensitive trace elements. For solar wind, it is projected that the Al/Mg abundance ratio can be determined to 6%, a factor of 2 more precise than the solar spectroscopic ratio.
In this study, we developed a prototype system for electrical equipment layout design. In order to acquire the appropriate layout design plans, we utilized the case-based reasoning (CBR) approach. Our prototype system consists of 6 executive modules: (1) Problem analysis module, (2) Case retrieval module, (3) Draft layout design module, (4) Design plan evaluation module, (5) Data operation module, (6) Database that includes past layout designs. We applied the fuzzy theory to evaluate layout design plans in the design plan evaluation module. This paper describes the basic structure and functions of the developed prototype system and some application results.<<ETX>>
Cell‐associated β2‐microglobulin (β2m) has been studied by quantitative techniques in lymphocytes and erythrocytes of guinea pig, rabbit, rat and man. β2m was solubilized by sonication followed by treatment with acid, deoxycholate or thiocyanate, and then determined by radioimmunoassay. The average number of β2m molecules per lymphocyte, estimated after acidification, varied between 0.89 × 105 and 7.1 × 105. Rat erythrocytes contained 3.0 × 103 molecules per cell, whereas no β2m was detected in red blood cells from the three other species. A relatively large part of β2m in the mammalian lymphocytes and in rat erythrocytes was present on the cell surface according to a radioimmunoassay procedure using anti‐β2m antisera that had been absorbed with the blood cells analyzed.
This Paper aims to emphasize the application of the field trip method, especially in improving the ability to write poems “Senja Di Pelabuhan Kecil” by Chairil Anwar which is used as a medium for literary learning conducted in the classroom. Writing skills are one of the language skills gained from the practice and practice process to produce creative writing that is needed in accordance with personal learning styles or learning in a natural way. The use of the right method can improve student’s ability in writing so that the method of teaching teachers must use creative learning techniques that vary. The teacher must be able to make various solutions in writing learning, one of which is the use of the field trip method used by students to have a learning experience that is an integral part of the school curriculum. Field trips as teaching ang learning methods can be used by students to visit certain places so can improve learning to write poetry by bringing learning objects closer to facilitate students in pouring ideas into writing. Keywords—Writing skills, Field Trips, Poetry Senja di Pelabuhan
The women are the most vulnerable to HIV group, as a consequence of their biological particularities and stereotypes existing in society, being the most stigmatised, closed, dependent on their male partner. Their part in the prophylactic programmes of Sevastopol is only 13% (according to the Syrex project data). Thanks to the UNODC financial support and with the social centre for drug consumers of “Youth centre for women’s initiatives” as the base, a centre named “Woman to Woman” was opened. The centre worked one day a week as a “social supermarket”. A comfortable and attractive meeting place for female clients was the project’s key element. On that day, the services could be used only by women, and the services list was extended with special services for the women that were selected according to the results of a focus group. The additional services were informational classes with a psychologist, lawyer, social worker, individual consultations with a therapist, infectious disease specialist, gynaecologist, etc., an opportunity to participate in the Creative studio, manicure and haircut, a self-aid group, food and hygienic kits for women and children. The services were provided by female specialists only, including the use of the “Equal to Equal” method. At the meetings, information regarding to the women’s health and rights was brought to the clients so that they were able to feel more confident and based their choices on better informed decisions. From May to October of 2012, more than 300 female drug consumers were involved in the project’s services. Among them, a volunteer group (9 women) was prepared for the future prophylactic work with women. The project’s activity demonstrated its actuality and the need for it to be continued. During the project implementation the participation of female drug consumers reached 32%.
The purpose of this research was to establish multiple schedules which would have the characteristics of stability of over-all rates from session to session, yet show definite signs of poor stimulus control; and also to analyze experimentally the effects of chronic doses of chlorpromazine on these behavioral base lines. There is reason to believe that an unstable discrimination may be particularly sensitive to the effects of drugs. For example, Dews (1955) has shown that stable discriminations, controlled by simple stimuli showing high discriminability, are relatively unaffected by pentobarbital, methamphetamine, and scopolamine in several doses. However, a slightly less stable discrimination, controlled by complex stimuli of low discriminability, was grossly disrupted by pentobarbital and methamphetamine, but not scopolamine. Thus, the effect of drugs on behavior controlled by discriminative stimuli appears to be a function of the degree of stimulus control. Further, the degree of stimulus control can be manipulated by varying the discriminability of the stimuli. Several considerations dictated that chlorpromazine be used in the present experiments. Dews (1958a) demonstrated that chlorpromazine and promazine had similar effects on mixed-schedule performance. At low dose levels, both drugs led to an increase in response output. This increase was a result of the subjects' responding for extended periods at the fixed-ratio rate after the schedule had changed to fixed interval. This effect was interpreted as a loss of stimulus control. Dews (1958b) has also suggested that chlorpromazine and other drugs may affect stimulus control when the behavior is controlled by external stimuli, i.e., multiple schedules. Because the major interest of the present experiments was the effects of the drug on discriminative control, specific dose-response functions were ignored. Instead, an effort was made to investigate the effects of chronic administrations of chlorpromazine. In order to maximize chronicity with a single drug administration each day, spansules (sustained release capsules) were used. The use of spansules further confuses the issue of specific dose levels. This was not considered critical, however, since relative dose levels were sufficient to demonstrate effects on stimulus control over some (admittedly indeterminate) dose range.
In this study, we sought to determine whether asthma has a metabolic profile and whether this profile is related to disease severity. We characterised the serum from 22 healthy individuals and 54 asthmatics (12 mild, 20 moderate, 22 severe) using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics. Selected metabolites were confirmed by targeted mass spectrometry assays of eicosanoids, sphingolipids and free fatty acids. We conclusively identified 66 metabolites; 15 were significantly altered with asthma (p≤0.05). Levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, cortisone, cortisol, prolylhydroxyproline, pipecolate and N-palmitoyltaurine correlated significantly (p<0.05) with inhaled corticosteroid dose, and were further shifted in individuals treated with oral corticosteroids. Oleoylethanolamide increased with asthma severity independently of steroid treatment (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed two patterns: 1) a mean difference between controls and patients with mild asthma (p=0.025), and 2) a mean difference between patients with severe asthma and all other groups (p=1.7×10−4). Metabolic shifts in mild asthma, relative to controls, were associated with exogenous metabolites (e.g. dietary lipids), while those in moderate and severe asthma (e.g. oleoylethanolamide, sphingosine-1-phosphate, N-palmitoyltaurine) were postulated to be involved in activating the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) receptor, driving TRPV1-dependent pathogenesis in asthma. Our findings suggest that asthma is characterised by a modest systemic metabolic shift in a disease severity-dependent manner, and that steroid treatment significantly affects metabolism. Mild asthma is metabolically distinct from both moderate and severe asthma, and steroid treatment affects metabolism http://ow.ly/EHo7306DwmN
ProPOSEL is a prosody and PoS English lexicon, purpose-built to integrate and leverage domain knowledge from several well-established lexical resources for machine learning and NLP applications. The lexicon of 104049 separate entries is in accessible text file format, is human and machine-readable, and is intended for open source distribution with the Natural Language ToolKit. It is therefore supported by Python software tools which transform ProPOSEL into a Python dictionary or associative array of linguistic concepts mapped to compound lookup keys. Users can also conduct searches on a subset of the lexicon and access entries by word class, phonetic transcription, syllable count and lexical stress pattern. ProPOSEL caters for a range of different cognitive aspects of the lexicon©.
On a basis of a method for muscle cross‐sectional area estimation from cortical bone area that was previously developed (Slizewski et al. Anat Rec 2013; 296:1695–1707), we reconstructed muscle cross‐sectional area at 65% of radius length for a sample of Neolithic human remains from the Linear Pottery Culture (ca. 5,700–4,900 years BC). Muscle cross‐sectional area estimations for the Neolithic sample were compared to in vivo measurements from a recent human sample. Results demonstrate that the Neolithic individuals had larger muscle cross‐sectional area relative to radius length than the contemporary humans and that their forearms were more muscular and robust. We also found significant differences in relative muscle cross‐sectional area between Neolithic and recent children that indicate different levels of physical stress and isometric activities. Our results fit into the framework of studies previously published about the sample and the Linear Pottery Culture. Therefore, the new approach was successfully applied to an archaeological sample for the first time here. Results of our pilot study indicate that muscle cross‐sectional area estimation could in the future supplement other anthropological methods currently in use for the analysis of postcranial remains. Anat Rec, 297:1103–1114, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The complexity of controlling is analyzed when the phase difference of voltage and current at the access point of STATCOM is in arbitrary angle β which is not in the ideal state of 90o for the coordinated control of detailed model of the salient -pole generators and STATCOM that is one of the core devices of the FACTS. The characteristics of single machine infinite-bus system including STATCOM are analyzed by establishing the nonlinear system model with algebraic constraint equations of one salient-pole generator and STATCOM and the detail control method of the excitation and STATCOM devices is designed by adopting geometric feedback linearization theory combined with classical linear quadratic optimal control. The method of design in this study expands the applied range of geometric linearization theory used in differential-algebraic systems and makes the coordinated control of excitation and STATCOM more feasible for practical engineering applications, which makes up for the insignificancy of the coordinated control research of salient-pole generator excitation and STATCOM.
We study the agreement supertree approach for combining rooted phylogenetic trees when the input trees do not fully agree on the relative positions of the taxa. We consider two ways to deal with such conflict. The first is to contract a set of edges in the input trees so that the resulting trees have an agreement supertree. We show that this problem is NP-complete and give a fixed-parameter tractable (FPT) algorithm for the problem parameterized by the number of input trees and the number of edges contracted. The second approach is to remove a set of taxa from the input trees so that the resulting trees have an agreement supertree. Guillemot and Berry (2010) gave an FPT algorithm for this problem when the input trees are all binary. We give an FPT algorithm for the more general case where the input trees are allowed to have arbitrary degree.
As the electronic industry is making its progress to miniaturize high performance, smaller and lower-priced IC packages, 3D packaging technologies are presently used to achieve these goals. Although 3D packaging technologies are vastly studied and applied to perform better performance, low power consumption and smaller packaging size of IC packages, thermo-mechanical problems occur as well due to the 3D stacking feature. Because chips are vertically stacking in 3D packages, higher thermal resistances are resulted and their corresponding induced thermal stresses and heat dissipations are becoming major reliability concerns. In order to realize thermal stresses distributions in stacked IC packages with spacer structures, the three dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) modeling has been employed. For the purpose of studying effects of geometry and material properties of stacked IC package with spacer structure, several comparisons of variations of geometry and materials are discussed in this paper. Through these comparisons, effects of material properties of spacer structures in stacked IC packages and those resulted in stresses distributions of copper TSV (through-silicon-vias), dies and spacers can be presented. Moreover, effects of geometry of die and copper TSV size, die stacking number, TSV distributions as well as TSV/bump pitch and spacer/bump thickness are also illustrated. These results will be helpful design guidelines to engineers if optimization designs for stress solutions in stacking IC package with spacer structure are needed.
The physical mechanism that governs the incipience and development of leading edge cavitation on hydrofoils is still not fully understood. It involves several parameters such as the pressure level, the nuclei content, the surface roughness and the boundary layer with strong interaction between each other. In the present study we have carried out an experimental investigation to analyze the role of these parameters on the vaporization process. The case study is the water flow over a 2D NACA0009 hydrofoil placed in the test section of the EPFL high speed cavitation tunnel. Wall pressure measurements as well as high speed visualization are carried out for a large variation of hydrodynamic conditions and surface roughness. First the analysis of nucleation effect led us to distinguish between homogeneous nucleation, characterized by free micro bubbles within the liquid stream, and the surface nucleation, which consist of micro sized volume of gas trapped between the liquid and solid surface. The later, which results from a lack of wettability, depends on the surface roughness as well as the physical and chemical properties of the solid (hydrophobic or hydrophilic surfaces).Experimental evidence of the existence of such nucleation is clearly made in both still and flowing liquids. Our experiments have revealed that surface nucleation plays a major role in the cavitation onset and development over lifting hydrofoils. A novel mathematical model is proposed to predict the growth of a single nucleus from a surface roughness element with respect to surrounding pressure and surface tension in still liquid. For moderate Reynolds numbers and low incidence angles, we have demonstrated that the liquid may withstand negative pressure, with absolute values as -1 bar, without vaporization. We have also investigated a particular development of periodic bubble cavitation. We have demonstrated that such bubbles originate from surface nucleation and described the physical process of growth and advection of single surface nucleus. The generation frequency of such bubbles was found to vary substantially from one nucleation site to another. Indeed, besides the pressure level, the size of non wetted volume in the hydrofoil surface is a dominant parameter in the vaporization rate. As the traveling bubbles evolve on the hydrofoil surface, they interact strongly with the boundary layer and outer flow. According to pressure signals, we have shown that while the bubbles grow, they remain slightly above the hydrofoil surface and a moving 3D boundary separation is evidenced in their back. We have also shown that as the pressure level is reduced below a threshold value, which is different from one nucleation site to another, the periodic bubble cavitation turns into attached spot cavitation in a continuous way. The role of the boundary layer state in the cavitation onset and development has been also investigated. We believe that for smooth surfaces (i.e. low Reynolds number based on roughness height), the onset of attached cavitation requires a laminar separation of the boundary layer as already stated by several authors. Nevertheless, this condition is no more required when surface nucleation occurs. In this case, the cavity is continuously fed with vapor generated at its detachment. Finally, the cavitation occurrence on a single indentation on the hydrofoil surface has been investigated. We have demonstrated the significant role of sheer stress on the vaporization process and questioned the pressure based criterion for cavitation incipience. We have shown that for flowing liquids, the criterion based on the maximum tensile stress is more appropriate.
Background: Improvement of the quality of life in perimenopausal women has recently become an important global health issue. Extensive research reports provide evidence of Tai Chi for the quality of life, but no systematic review has individually investigated Tai Chi as a main intervention on the quality of life in perimenopausal women. Objective: To assess clinical evidence of Tai Chi for the quality of life in perimenopausal women. Methods: Studies related to the effect of Tai Chi on the quality of life in perimenopausal women in the databases of China and abroad were searched. RevMan version 5.2 software was used, and the Medical Outcomes Study 36‐item short form health survey (SF‐36) and bone mineral density (BMD) were selected as evaluation indices. Results: Five trials were included. The results of this study showed that Tai Chi had a significant effect on bodily pain, general health, vitality, mental health of SF‐36, and the spine dimension of BMD, as supported by the following data: bodily pain (Standard Mean Difference [SMD] = –3.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] [–6.62, –0.64]; p = .02); general health (SMD = −5.08; 95% CI [−7.60, –2.56]; p < .0001); vitality (SMD = −5.67; 95% CI [–8.54, –2.81], p = .0001); mental health (SMD = −2.51; 95% CI [–4.82, –0.20], p = .03); and spine dimension of BMD (SMD = −0.06; 95% CI [–0.10, –0.01]; p = .01). However, Tai Chi had no effect on physical function, emotional health, social function, role–physical of SF‐36, and the hip dimension of BMD, as supported by the following data: physical function (SMD = –1.79; 95% CI [–5.15, 1.57]; p = .30); emotional health (SMD = −2.90; 95% CI [–7.23, 1.43], p = .19]; social function (SMD = −2.23, 95% CI [–5.08, 0.61], p = .12; role–physical (SMD = − 1.18; 95% CI [–4.84, 2.47], p = .53; and hip dimension of BMD (SMD = −0.01; 95% CI [–0.03, 0.01]; p = .31). Linking Evidence to Action: This systematic review found significant evidence for Tai Chi improving bodily pain, general health, vitality, mental health of SF–36, and the spine dimension of BMD in patients with perimenopausal syndrome. Findings suggest that Tai Chi might be recommended as effective and safe adjuvant treatment for patients with perimenopausal syndrome. More high‐quality randomized controlled trials are urgently needed to confirm these results.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Precis: Pegasus outperformed 5 of the 6 ophthalmologists in terms of diagnostic performance, and there was no statistically significant difference between the deep learning system and the “best case” consensus between the ophthalmologists. The agreement between Pegasus and gold standard was 0.715, whereas the highest ophthalmologist agreement with the gold standard was 0.613. Furthermore, the high sensitivity of Pegasus makes it a valuable tool for screening patients with glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a deep learning system for the identification of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Materials and Methods: Six ophthalmologists and the deep learning system, Pegasus, graded 110 color fundus photographs in this retrospective single-center study. Patient images were randomly sampled from the Singapore Malay Eye Study. Ophthalmologists and Pegasus were compared with each other and to the original clinical diagnosis given by the Singapore Malay Eye Study, which was defined as the gold standard. Pegasus’ performance was compared with the “best case” consensus scenario, which was the combination of ophthalmologists whose consensus opinion most closely matched the gold standard. The performance of the ophthalmologists and Pegasus, at the binary classification of nonglaucoma versus glaucoma from fundus photographs, was assessed in terms of sensitivity, specificity and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), and the intraobserver and interobserver agreements were determined. Results: Pegasus achieved an AUROC of 92.6% compared with ophthalmologist AUROCs that ranged from 69.6% to 84.9% and the “best case” consensus scenario AUROC of 89.1%. Pegasus had a sensitivity of 83.7% and a specificity of 88.2%, whereas the ophthalmologists’ sensitivity ranged from 61.3% to 81.6% and specificity ranged from 80.0% to 94.1%. The agreement between Pegasus and gold standard was 0.715, whereas the highest ophthalmologist agreement with the gold standard was 0.613. Intraobserver agreement ranged from 0.62 to 0.97 for ophthalmologists and was perfect (1.00) for Pegasus. The deep learning system took ∼10% of the time of the ophthalmologists in determining classification. Conclusions: Pegasus outperformed 5 of the 6 ophthalmologists in terms of diagnostic performance, and there was no statistically significant difference between the deep learning system and the “best case” consensus between the ophthalmologists. The high sensitivity of Pegasus makes it a valuable tool for screening patients with glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Future work will extend this study to a larger sample of patients.
first I will give a brief description of the Arabic language teaching situation in the United States, the universities, the textbooks used and methods involved; in the second I will place the methods described in the context of my own experiments in language teaching and of attempts to solve particular problems associated with language learning at the university level. Institutions of higher learning at which Arabic is taught in the United States will now be divided into four categories, although I hasten to point out that there is nothing official about such a subdivision; it is merely an attempt at clarification: 1. There are now very few universities in which Arabic is taught exclusively within departments devoted to comparative Semitic studies, thus emphasizing reading and writing skills only for the purposes of philology, lexicography, palaeography and other kindred disciplines. Yale is perhaps the only surviving such university. 2. The largest number of universities teach Arabic within departments called Departments of Middle/Near East(ern) Languages (and Literatures), or, occasionally, Oriental Studies (as at my own universityl). In the majority of such cases the department will either be itself, or else have attached to it, a Centre funded by the United States Government under the National Defense and Education Act (NDEA), Title VI (and, to a lesser extent, Title IV). These centres are intended to foster the study of the Middle East in the modern period in all disciplines. In this connection some points of explanation are necessary. From the very beginning the criteria set up by the United States Government have been quite generous; it has been possible for students doing postgraduate degrees in the languages of the Ancient Near East, for example, to support themselves through Title VI, provided that they took a modern Near Eastern language as well. Secondly, the original criteria for the implementation of this Act, which led to the proliferation of centres in the 1960s, have recently been revised, and some centres have disappeared. Others have expanded, or have amalgamated with similar centres close by. In the present context it is sufficient to note that the Arabic programmes at universities with such centres still usually conform with the goals of the NDEA, whether or not they are still financed by it. 3. Other Arabic programmes are to be found in departments which need not necessarily have anything to do with the Middle East. These will tend to be low-budget programmes to meet a local need for one or two languages of the Middle East and will usually have a small staff (one or two teachers). For example, the Arabic programme at Ohio State University is in the Department of Romance Languages, while at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton it was till recently in the Department of Classics. In the latter case increased demand has led to the formation of a separate department for the Semitic Languages, a common model of expansion in such cases.
Key message: One QTL for resistance against Leptosphaeria maculans growth in leaves of young plants in controlled environments overlapped with one QTL detected in adult plants in field experiments. The fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans initially infects leaves of oilseed rape (Brassica napus) in autumn in Europe and then grows systemically from leaf lesions along the leaf petiole to the stem, where it causes damaging phoma stem canker (blackleg) in summer before harvest. Due to the difficulties of investigating resistance to L. maculans growth in leaves and petioles under field conditions, identification of quantitative resistance typically relies on end of season stem canker assessment on adult plants. To investigate whether quantitative resistance can be detected in young plants, we first selected nine representative DH (doubled haploid) lines from an oilseed rape DY (‘Darmor-bzh’ × ‘Yudal’) mapping population segregating for quantitative resistance against L. maculans for controlled environment experiment (CE). We observed a significant correlation between distance grown by L. maculans along the leaf petiole towards the stem (r = 0.91) in CE experiments and the severity of phoma stem canker in field experiments. To further investigate quantitative trait loci (QTL) related to resistance against growth of L. maculans in leaves of young plants in CE experiments, we selected 190 DH lines and compared the QTL detected in CE experiments with QTL related to stem canker severity in stems of adult plants in field experiments. Five QTL for resistance to L. maculans growth along the leaf petiole were detected; collectively they explained 35% of the variance. Two of these were also detected in leaf lesion area assessments and each explained 10–12% of the variance. One QTL on A02 co-localized with a QTL detected in stems of adult plants in field experiments. This suggests that resistance to the growth of L. maculans from leaves along the petioles towards the stems contributes to the quantitative resistance assessed in stems of adult plants in field experiments at the end of the growing season.
The effect of plyometric exercise on bone biomarkers has been studied in pediatric and young adult populations in order to better understand how exercise influences bone homeostasis. However, there are no such data in postmenopausal women, a group characterized by an uncoupling of the bone resorption-formation cycle. This study examined the serum concentrations of sclerostin, dickkopf-1 (DKK1), c-terminal crosslinking telopeptides of type I collagen (CTXI), and procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (PINP) at rest and following a single bout of plyometric exercise in 20 premenopausal (23.1 ± 2.3 years) and 20 postmenopausal women (57.9 ± 4.3 years). The exercise consisted of 128 jumps, organized into 5 circuit stations. Blood samples were obtained prior to and 5 min, 1 h, and 24 h postexercise. At rest, postmenopausal women had significantly higher sclerostin and CTXI, but lower DKK1 than premenopausal women. Sclerostin increased 5 min postexercise only in the premenopausal group. DKK1 decreased 24 h postexercise in the premenopausal women while it decreased 1 h postexercise in the postmenopausal women. In both groups, CTXI did not change across time and PINP decreased 5 min and 1 h postexercise (p < 0.05). The PINP/CTXI ratio decreased 5 min and 1 h postexercise then significantly increased 24 h postexercise only in premenopausal women. These results indicate that although plyometric exercise is effective in eliciting osteoanabolic effects in younger women; such an effect is not evident in postmenopausal women.
Regional economic performance is positively linked to entrepreneurship capital because it creates new direction for public policy that focuses on instruments to enhance entrepreneurship capital. However, studies related to Entrepreneurship and Innovation had somewhat established a disadvantage position for knowledge-intensive enterprises located in rural area. The EU Smart Specialization approach supports the promotion of innovation activities in regions and embraces the concept of open innovation, not just investment in R&D but a system approach that exploits complementarities, promises high potential, are new and aimed at experimenting and discovering technological and market opportunities that can provide learning spill overs to other economy. This paper present a case study of an Estonian production company for Maritime function wear. This example reveals that despite the fact that the company’s headquarters is located in Western Estonia countryside (peripheral part of Europe and rural part of the country) an enterprise can gain the position of an international market leader based on inter-regional operations. The discussed model highlights how high – tech enterprises can benefit from different smart specialization strategies in different regions by implementing organizational innovation strategies. The underlying business concept and its related success factors, exhibits strong affinities with the concept of smart production and logistics in relationship with fractal enterprises, paved way for a sustainable development and demonstrated that even in rural areas high – tech entrepreneurship can be successfully implemented.
The cDNA coding for the cytolytic toxins sticholysin I and sticholysin II from the sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus has been isolated, cloned in pUC18, and sequenced. A 6His-tagged version of sticholysin II has been overproduced in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity in milligram amounts. Conformational and functional analyses of recombinant sticholysin II do not reveal any significant difference when compared to the natural cytolysin.
Within the Seven Countries Study two Japanese cohorts of men aged 40-59 were enrolled, one from the farming village of Tanushimaru (n = 508) and the other from the fishing village of Ushibuka (n = 502), both located in Kyushu. Cardiovascular risk factors were measured at entry and 10 years later in the survivors. The 25-year death rate for all causes was 30% higher in Ushibuka than in Tanushimaru (p < 0.001) and higher also from specific causes except for violence. Baseline differences in the levels of age, blood pressure, serum cholesterol, smoking habits, body mass index and heart rate explained only 19% of the difference in all-cause mortality between the two towns. Multivariate models from data of the pooled cohorts showed that age was a significant predictor of coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer, all other causes and all-cause mortality. Cigarette smoking predicted coronary heart disease, cancer and all-cause mortality. Systolic blood pressure predicted coronary heart disease, stroke and all-cause mortality. Serum cholesterol, body mass index and heart rate predicted none of these five causes of death. Changes in systolic blood pressure during the first 10 years of follow-up were directly related to deaths between 10 and 25 years of follow-up, significantly improving the predictive power of the multivariate model. Changes in the other risk factors did not contribute, however, to improved prediction.
The aim of this study was to study the relationship of EGFR DNA methylation with the severity of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We enrolled 54 patients with NSCLC between March 2013 and June 2014 from Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in our hospital. The methylation levels in the promoter region of the EGFR gene in cancerous and pericarcinomatous tissue were tested by pyrosequencing. EGFR mRNA expression levels were detected by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. The SPSS software was used for data analysis. We found that EGFR gene methylation levels showed no significant differences among patients of different gender, age, or smoking status. EGFR DNA methylation levels significantly increased (P < 0.05) following NSCLC malignancy upgrading, and showed negative correlation with mRNA expression (P = 0.041). DNA methylation levels of cancerous tissues were significantly higher compared to the corresponding pericarcinomatous tissues (P < 0.05) at stages I, II, and IIIA. The methylation levels at loci 3, 6, 9 among the detected CpG islands were higher in the cancer tissues at each stage (P < 0.05). In summary, our results suggest that the DNA methylation levels of EGFR can be used as an important indicator for the stage of cancer tissue malignancy.
Cellulose nanopaper (CNP) has been considered as a promising material with great application potential in diverse fields. However, the hydrophilic nature of CNP significantly limits its practical application. In order to improve its water resistance, we demonstrate a facile approach to functionalize CNP by impregnating it with chitosan (CS), followed by in situ polymerization of polypyrrole (PPy). The results indicate that the obtained CNP/CS/PPy shows excellent water resistance with the wet tensile strength of up to 80 MPa, which is more than 10 times higher than that of the pure CNP. Intriguingly, new features (e.g., electrical conductivity, antibacterial activity, and so forth) are achieved at the same time. The functionalized CNP/CS/PPy shows a high conductivity of 6.5 S cm-1, which can be used for electromagnetic interference shielding applications with a high shielding performance of around 18 dB. In addition, the CNP/CS/PPy exhibits good antibacterial activity toward Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with the bacterial reductions of 99.28 and 95.59%, respectively. Thus, this work provides a simple and versatile approach to functionalize CNP for achieving multifunctional properties.
The study involved the analysis of emotion-associated language in the United King-dom’s Conservative and Labour party general election manifestos between 2000 to 2019. While previous research have shown a general correlation between ideological positioning and overlap of public policies, there are still conﬂicting results in matters of sentiments in such manifestos. Using new data, we present how valence level can be swayed by a party’s status in government with incumbent parties presenting a higher frequency in positive emotion-associated words while negative emotion-associated words are more prevalent in opposition parties. We also demonstrate that parties with ideological similitude use positive language prominently further adding to the literature on the relationship between sentiments and party status.
Diagnosis of terminal disease, clinical information, the indication for diagnostic or therapeutic measures and care at the end of life are all features of the care of cancer patients in which clinical and ethical issues are intimately related. In Spain, the Law of Patient Autonomy (41/2002) represents a substantial change in the physician-patient relationship, which is adjusted to the ethical principles currently in force. Knowledge of the articles relevant to palliative care is essential to appropriate decision making. Several lines of thought from the world of ethics describe methods to analyze the problems that can arise in clinical practice, and the incorporation of any one of these methods into daily clinical practice would improve the ethical quality of clinical decisions.
The present study describes the changes in lipid profile as well as fatty acid fluxes during seed development in Jatropha curcas L. Endosperm from 34, 37, and 40 days after anthesis (DAA), incubated with [(14)C]acetate, showed significant synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) at seed maturation. The fatty acid methyl ester profile showed PC from 34 DAA was rich in palmitic acid (16:0), whereas PC from 37 and 40 DAA was rich in oleic acid (18:1n-9). Molecular species analysis of diacylglycerol (DAG) indicated DAG (16:0/18:2n-6) was in abundance at 34 DAA, whereas DAG (18:1n-9/18:2n-6) was significantly high at 40 DAA. Triacylglycerol (TAG) analysis revealed TAG (16:0/18:2n-6/16:0) was abundant at 34 DAA, whereas TAG (18:1n-9/18:2n-6/18:1n-9) formed the majority at 40 DAA. Expression of two types of diacylglycerol acyltransferases varied with seed maturation. These data demonstrate stage-specific distinct pools of PC and DAG synthesis during storage TAG accumulation in Jatropha seed.
The resistance of 35 inbred lines and their 70 hybrids with two testers to stalk rot is described and the results of natural and artificial stalk infection are compared. A mixture of Fusarium spp. spores was used for artificial infections. The disease was scored for two years. Inbreds and hybrids differed significantly in resistance and infection types in both years. Generally, disease scores of hybrids were lower than of inbreds. No close association was found between lines and their testcross hybrids (r = –0.06 to 0.29) and between hybrids with the two testers (r = –0.04 to 0.38). The correlation coefficients of disease scores after natural and artificial infection were in inbreds and in hybrids highly significant (r = 0.45–0.87). The results suggest, that Fusarium stalk rot resistance should be tested in both inbreds and hybrids. We recommend for maize breeding, that tests with artificial infection should be followed by tests under natural infection.
Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have been found to outperform conventional programming approaches in several applications such as computer vision and natural language processing. Efficient hardware architectures for deploying DNNs on edge devices have been actively studied. Emerging memory technologies with their better scalability, non-volatility, and good read performance are ideal candidates for DNNs which are trained once and deployed over many devices. Emerging memories have also been used in DNNs accelerators for efficient computations of dot-product. However, due to immature manufacturing and limited cell endurance, emerging resistive memories often result in reliability issues like stuck-at faults, which reduce the chip yield and pose a challenge to the accuracy of DNNs. Depending on the state, stuck-at faults may or may not cause error. Fault-tolerance of DNNs can be enhanced by reducing the impact of errors resulting from the stuck-at faults. In this work, we introduce simple and light-weight Intra-block Address remapping and weight encoding techniques to improve the fault-tolerance for DNNs. The proposed schemes effectively work at the network deployment time while preserving the network organization and the original values of the parameters. Experimental results on state-of-the-art DNN models indicate that, with a small storage overhead of just 0.98%, the proposed techniques achieve up to 300× stuck-at faults tolerance capability on Cifar10 dataset and 125× on Imagenet datatset, compared to the baseline DNNs without any fault-tolerance method. By integrating with the existing schemes, the proposed schemes can further enhance the fault resilience of DNNs.
Occurrence of two different, synchronous, and ipsilateral renal tumors is rare. We present a case of two synchronous tumors of kidney comprising of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (CRCC). Grossly, two separate tumor nodules were identified with unremarkable intervening area. Microscopic examination from both tumor nodules revealed two different epithelial malignancies. It is prognostically significant as prognosis in such cases is determined by the more aggressive of the two tumors. In this case, CCRCC is more aggressive with a 5-year survival rate of 50-60 % as compared to CRCC with a 5-year survival rate of 80-90.
The N-terminal extracellular domain of the cadherins, calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules, has been shown by X-ray crystallography to be involved in two types of interaction: lateral strand dimers and adhesive dimers. Here we describe the first human mutation in a cadherin present in desmosome cell junctions that removes a portion of this highly conserved first extracellular domain. The mutation, in the DSG1 gene coding for a desmoglein (Dsg1), results in the deletion of the first and much of the second beta-strand of the first cadherin repeat and part of the first Ca2+-binding site, and would be expected to compromise strand dimer formation. It causes a dominantly inherited skin disease, striate palmoplantar keratoderma (SPPK), mapping to chromosome 18q12.1, in which affected individuals have marked hyperkeratotic bands on the palms and soles. In a three generation Dutch family with SPPK, we have found a G-->A transition in the 3" splice acceptor site of intron 2 of the DSG1 gene which segregated with the disease phenotype. This causes aberrant splicing of exon 2 to exon 4, which are in-frame, with the consequent removal of exon 3 encoding part of the prosequence, the mature protein cleavage site and part of the first extracellular domain. This mutation emphasizes the importance of this part of the molecule for cadherin function, and of the Dsg1 protein and hence desmosomes in epidermal function.
A Structural Equations Modeling analysis of multiple groups often involves specification of cross-group parameter equality constraints. In this paper, we present a technique for estimating the differences and equalities in parameters between groups using L1-penalized estimation (also known as the Lasso). We present the general model formulation and provide an algorithm for estimating the parameters across a range of penalization levels and a procedure for determining the amount of penalization. We also provide two case studies, one with a model including only observed variables, and one with a model with latent variables. Further, we conduct a simulation study to investigate some properties of the method.
Introduction On the 15th of March 2007, the exhibition ‘A Vision for Brussels: Imagining the Capital of Europe’, curated by Pier Vittorio Aureli and Joachim Declerck from the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, opened its doors at the Brussels BOZAR, in the honourable presence of the city’s architecture and urbanism beau monde, and with nobody less than Jose Manuel Barroso, Guy Verhofstadt and Charles Picque to deliver the opening speeches. The exhibition leafl et announces ‘a concrete plan for Brussels as a proper European capital, a European project for the city that connects the different social, spatial and cultural layers of the city in order to provide Europe with a concrete face’. Completing a vision with a concrete project seems indeed a logical outcome of a research project carried out, since 2004, by an international architecture team comprising of sixteen members. But is that really so?
AbstractThis paper responds to recent publications which play down the role of Bishop Alexander of Alexandria in securing the adoption of the term homoousion at the Nicene Council of 325. It argues that, while the term is not employed in any surviving work from his hand, there is some reason to believe that he sanctioned the use of it by his colleagues. There is no doubt that before the Council he had already declared the Son to be “from the Father’s essence”, and it is all but certain that when this phrase was challenged, together with the homoousion at Nicaea, it was he who produced a conciliatory exegesis of both innovations, relying on the theology that had already been expounded in his letters Philostorgius’ story that he and Hosius of Cordoba had concerted a plan to introduce the homoousion is not implausible, and it should not be assumed that the author of an anonymous life of Constantine, which corroborates this narrative, is merely paraphrasing Philostorgius. Their testimony is consistent with that of Ambrose of Milan, who can be shown to have been acquainted both with documents and with witnesses of the proceedings at the Council.
Lactoferrin (Lf) expression has been immunohistochemically investigated in 117 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded liver bioptic samples obtained from an equal number of patients affected by chronic hepatitis (HCV = 76; HBV = 17; HBV + HDV = 14; cryptogenetic = 10); in addition, 10 autoptic specimens of normal liver were studied as control. The Lf immunoreactivity was evaluated by an intensity-distribution (ID) score. The Lf immunoexpression was observed in 88 out of 117 (75%) cases of chronic hepatitis; interestingly, all liver specimens from HBV hepatitis showed a constant Lf reactivity with the highest ID-score, whereas the evidence of Lf was encountered in 54/76 (71.1%) HCV as well as in 11/14 (78.6%) HDV chronic hepatitis, thus documenting a variable degree of Lf immunostaining in relation to different viruses. Moreover, in 6/10 (60%) cases of cryptogenetic hepatitis Lf immunoexpression was documented, whereas all normal liver controls were unreactive. In HCV specimens, the Lf nuclear immunoreactivity appeared to increase with the progression of the disease, with a greater expression in genotype 1. In contrast, no relationship among Lf ID-scores and different stages or grades of HBV, HDV or cryptogenetic hepatitis was encountered. This fact may suggest a role for Lf as an unspecific defensive agent in chronic inflammatory liver diseases, similarly to that elsewhere reported in other inflammatory tissue injuries.
Four patients who presented with, neurological symptoms, eosinophilia, and latent cardiac lesions are described, with two autopsy studies. They were believed to have Loffler's eosinophilic endocarditis, or disseminated eosinophilic collagen disease.  Problems concerning the nature and nomenclature of the disorder, its relationship to Loffler's pneumonia and various cardiomyopathies, and its aetiology are discussed.  The frequency with which the disease produces bilateral hemisphere damage, and in particular a perplexing form of ataxia and impaired vision due to parieto-occipital lesions (Balint's syndrome) is indicated.
This article is about Alberto Byington Jr. and the company created by his father before he began his career as a film producer in the 1930s. The activities of Byington & Cia in electricity generation, electrical engineering and electrical equipment imports preceded the company's investment in cultural industry. Its actions in the radio and phonographic industry anticipated its actions in Brazilian cinema after the coming of sound films. From manufacturing sound film projectors, Byington & Co. began to invest in film production, revealing an articulated business strategy.
Different approaches have been developed to relate the concept of space to other social phenomena. Some of these approaches are critically examined in an effort to find a theoretical framework for interpreting a wide range of events in which sites, specific pieces of space, were of crucial significance. It is argued that there is a condensation of values in special sites, and that transactions that constitute the totality of social life may be spatially mapped with sites expressing relatively durable social structure. The process of social interaction may be expressed empirically through disputes over sites and symbolically in the configuration of sites.
Nanocomputing and related-enabling technologies hold the promise of higher performance and lower power consumption, as well as increased communication capabilities and functionality. In addition to the impact on today computerized systems, nanocomputing is an essential lever to foster the emerging cyberphysical system paradigm. However, the dependability and security of these unprecedentedly small devices, of their deployment, and of their interconnection remain uncertain. The main sources of concern are: • Nanometer devices are expected to be highly sensitive to process variations. The guard-bands used today for avoiding the impact of such variations will not represent a feasible solution in the future. As a consequence, timing errors and their higher frequency of occurrence have to be addressed. • New and intricate failure modes, specific to new materials, are expected to raise serious challenges to the design and test engineers. • Environment induced errors, such as single event upsets (SEU), are likely to occur more frequently than in the case of more conventional semiconductor devices. • Design of hardware architectures encompassing resilience techniques are needed to achieve the development of highly reliable energy efficient systems. • The increased complexity of the systems based on nanotechnology will require improved computer aided design (CAD) tools, as well as better validation techniques. • The security of nanocomputing systems may be threatened by malicious attacks targeting new vulnerable areas in the hardware.
Blastomyces dermatitidis is the dimorphic fungal agent of blastomycosis, a disease that primarily affects humans and dogs. The clinical appearance of this mycosis is well characterized, but there is still little known about its environmental niche, having been isolated from nature only 21 times. We have developed a PCR-based assay to detect B. dermatitidis from soil samples using primers specific to a portion of the promoter region of the BAD1 virulence gene. An internal standard control, pTJV2, was constructed to validate the results from soil samples. Amplification of this control indicated adequate removal of ambient soil inhibitors. The PCR detection limits for the control plasmid and B. dermatitidis genomic DNA were 0.1 and 500 femtograms, respectively. No PCR cross-reactivity was observed against bacteria, actinomycetes, and 13 other fungi that were genetically related or found in the same geographic areas. In spiked soil samples, this method was sensitive to 304 copies of pTJV2 DNA and 8,450 live B. dermatitidis yeast cells. Three of eight natural soil samples from a dog kennel near Lexington, KY in which dogs suffered from blastomycosis were positive using the described method, demonstrating its utility in detecting B. dermatitidis in its natural surroundings.
Trazodone possesses minimal anticholinergic properties and, therefore, is generally regarded as having less cardiotoxic potential than other antidepressants. This report describes a young woman who developed significant QT prolongation and delayed atrioventricular nodal conduction after acute trazodone overdose. The case adds to the existing literature because it has a number of strengths, namely that confounding drugs and alcohol were lacking, trazodone exposure was confirmed by drug assay, and early presentation to hospital gave a valuable opportunity to study the time-course of the cardiac effects. This case reminds us to consider the possibility of cardiotoxic effects after trazodone overdose, even in young patients with no established cardiovascular disease.
type="main" xml:id="jage12073-abs-0001"> Intra-annual (within crop year) price volatility and inter-annual (between crop years) price volatility are measured for wheat, maize, rice, barley, oats and rye. A set of explanatory variables is used in a pooled regression to explain variations in these price volatilities. With low cereal stocks, supply (yield) shocks (defined here as volatilities, as for the price volatilities) mostly influence inter-annual volatility while other influential factors are the crude oil price and exchange rate. Cereal demand and interest rate shocks combined with low stocks affect intra-annual volatility, while other explanatory factors include exchange rate and crude oil price shocks. The derivatives market activity appears to have no significant effect on either intra- or inter-annual volatility. In contrast, large cereal stocks and a well-functioning international cereal market reduce the effects of shocks in the explanatory variables on both intra- and inter-annual volatilities.
Previously we developed MagSNiPer, an SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) genotyping method. In the present paper we show development of an automated system for MagSNiPer, namely MagSNiPer Station, and its application for quantitative discrimination of Dehalococcoides species, which perform anaerobic dechlorination of chloroethenes. MagSNiPer Station is equipped with a thermal cycler, a tip stand, a microtitre‐plate automated stacker, an eight‐channel tip dispenser, a magnetic separation unit for Magtration technology, and a chemiluminescence detector. It can automatically perform all processes required for SNP genotyping by MagSNiPer. A primer was designed for discriminating single nucleotide difference between 16 S rRNA genes of Dehalococcoides ethenogenes and Dehalococcoides BAV1. Chemiluminescence intensities for the 16 S rRNA genes obtained by MagSNiPer were proportional to their quantity. MagSNiPer analysis of 16 S rRNA genes amplified on the DNA purified from groundwater gave a ratio of these two 16 S rRNA genes similar to that obtained by cloning and sequencing. MagSNiPer is much easier, more rapid and more cost‐effective than conventional sequencing. Compared with denaturing gradient‐gel electrophoresis, MagSNiPer has the advantage of being quantitative. Therefore, by applying MagSNiPer at several sites where single base differences exist among Dehalococcoides species, it is possible to analyse Dehalococcoides consortia with ease, yielding useful information on anaerobic bioremediation of chloroethenes.
The authors have investigated how to certify the trustworthiness of application systems built to satisfy stringent security requirements and have undertaken the certification analysis of two command and control systems targeted at the B3 class of the DoD Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria (TCSEC). Based on these experiences, the authors have gained many insights into the certification and procurement of trusted application systems. Certifying a trusted application system in a contractual environment presents both technical and programmatic challenges. The procurement policy must to some extent take into account the certification approach. This paper documents some of the lessons learned during the authors' investigations.<<ETX>>
OBJECTIVE We quantitatively analyzed the potential usefulness of perfusion-weighted (PW) MR imaging of the upper abdomen performed with a single-shot gradient-recalled echo echoplanar (GRE EP) sequence.   SUBJECTS AND METHODS PW imaging of the upper abdomen with a GRE EP sequence was performed in 61 patients who had suspected liver or pancreatic disease. PW imaging was started at the time of administration of 0.1 mmol/kg of gadopentetate dimeglumine, and images were obtained every 2 sec for 88 sec. Time-intensity curves for the liver, pancreas, spleen, and kidney, and for subgroups of patients with various pathologic conditions, were constructed for quantitative analysis.   RESULTS The signal-intensity changes seen throughout the PW imaging process differed for each abdominal organ and pathologic condition. In the spleen, pancreas, and renal cortex, a transient signal-intensity decrease was seen in the perfusion phase (42%, 39%, and 78%, respectively). In the liver and renal medulla, the maximum signal-intensity decrease occurred in the later phase rather than in the perfusion phase. Signal-intensity recovery in the spleen and pancreas occurred soon after the maximum signal-intensity decrease, whereas such recovery was delayed in the liver and renal cortex. In cirrhotic livers, the signal-intensity change seen throughout the examination was minimal.   CONCLUSION Unlike conventional MR imaging, PW imaging with a GRE EP sequence can provide detailed hemodynamic information about upper abdomen organs and about disorders of these organs because of its excellent temporal resolution and susceptibility to contrast enhancement.
During the coagulation two prothrombin fragments are formed differing in molecular size and electrophoretic mobility but containing a common piece of the prothrombin molecule. The concentration of the smaller fragment is much lower than that of the larger fragment, but it is increased when the coagulation is accelerated by addition of tissue extract. On incubation in the presence of the blood cells, part of the bigger fragment is converted to a new similar component with a higher electrophoretic mobility.
BACKGROUND Disturbances of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism may be associated with the distribution of abdominal adiposity. However, little is known about the alteration of abdominal adiposity and its association with the serum lipid profile in haemodialysis patients.   METHODS We evaluated the distribution of abdominal adiposity by using computed tomography and examined its relationship with the serum lipid profile in 92 non-diabetic haemodialysis patients and 80 control subjects with normal renal function. Since the mean body mass index (BMI) and total body fat mass were significantly lower in the haemodialysis patients than in the control subjects, the subcutaneous abdominal fat area and the visceral fat area were standardized by body mass index and compared between the haemodialysis patients and the control subjects.   RESULTS Mean subcutaneous fat area/body mass index (SFA/BMI) was significantly lower, and mean visceral fat area/body mass index (VFA/BMI) was significantly higher in the haemodialysis patients (SFA/BMI, 2.40+/-0.12; VFA/BMI, 2.28+/-0.15) than in the control subjects (SFA/BMI, 3.75+/-0.21, P<0.01; VFA/BMI, 1.65+/-0.15, P<0.01). Consequently, visceral fat area/ subcutaneous fat area ratio was significantly higher in the haemodialysis patients (1.05+/-0.07) than in the control subjects (0.46+/-0.04, P<0.01). A scattered plot of visceral fat area relative to BMI revealed that visceral fat area was higher in the haemodialysis patients than in the control subjects at any BMI level. A simple regression analysis showed that BMI, total body fat mass, subcutaneous fat area and visceral fat area were all associated with serum triglycerides and the atherogenic index, (total cholesterol-HDL cholesterol)/HDL cholesterol. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis indicated that the visceral fat area was the best predictor for either the atherogenic index or triglycerides among these fat components.   CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that haemodialysis patients exhibited a visceral fat accumulation irrespective of BMI, and this shift of abdominal adiposity might be associated with disturbance of the serum lipid profile in non-diabetic haemodialysis patients.
Based on the current status of the project construction safety, establishing The Safety Risk Early Warning System is necessary. Then, the modules and workflow of the safety risk early warning system are introduced. After selecting security risk factor indexes, this paper established an early warning index system, and provided a way to evaluate project construction safety risk using Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation. On the basis of evaluation results, the degree of safety is selected as comprehensive early warning indicator, which could alert and conduct related departments adopting measures to reduce the safety risk of project construction.
The aim of the study was to assess financial liquidity management in basic local government units of Eastern Poland. Aspects that were mostly considered include the awareness of the importance of financial liquidity among the chief accountants of the surveyed units, the occurrence of possible problems with the timely payment of liabilities and liquidity management instruments used. The research covered 210 local government units (100 rural municipalities, 100 urban-rural municipalities and 10 cities with district rights) from five voivodeships located in the Eastern Poland macroregion. The research methods that have been used include analysis of the subject literature and the method of the diagnostic survey using a questionnaire. The survey was conducted among chief accountants of the budget of selected local government units of the Eastern Poland macroregion. Based on the conducted surveys, it was found that the majority of managers of local government units noticed the importance of financial liquidity and in recent years did not notice problems with the timely payment of liabilities. Approximately 30% of respondents admitted to problems with financial liquidity. The main reason for the occurrence of disturbances in the timely payment of liabilities was achieving lower income and revenue than planned, as well as improper management. When analyzing applied liquidity management instruments, it was found that these were most often multi-annual financial forecasts and detailed schedules of income and expenses.
ABSTRACT Vpr and selected mutants were used in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae two-hybrid screen to identify cellular interactors. We found Vpr interacted with 14-3-3 proteins, a family regulating a multitude of proteins in the cell. Vpr mutant R80A, which is inactive in cell cycle arrest, did not interact with 14-3-3. 14-3-3 proteins regulate the G2/M transition by inactivating Cdc25C phosphatase via binding to the phosphorylated serine residue at position 216 of Cdc25C. 14-3-3 overexpression in human cells synergized with Vpr in the arrest of cell cycle. Vpr did not arrest efficiently cells not expressing 14-3-3σ. This indicated that a full complement of 14-3-3 proteins is necessary for optimal Vpr function on the cell cycle. Mutational analysis showed that the C-terminal portion of Vpr, known to harbor its cell cycle-arresting activity, bound directly to the C-terminal part of 14-3-3, outside of its phosphopeptide-binding pocket. Vpr expression shifted localization of the mutant Cdc25C S216A to the cytoplasm, indicating that Vpr promotes the association of 14-3-3 and Cdc25C, independently of the presence of serine 216. Immunoprecipitations of cell extracts indicated the presence of triple complexes (Vpr/14-3-3/Cdc25C). These results indicate that Vpr promotes cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase by facilitating association of 14-3-3 and Cdc25C independently of the latter's phosphorylation status.
Fifteen male New Zealand rabbits were used in this study, with the aim of storing their platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for 30 days at 4-6 °C to investigate its conservation and viability during this period. Thirty samples of PRP were prepared and sorted into three equal groups (G1, G2, and G3), and every three days a sample was taken out for evaluationof the number of platelets, mean platelet volume (MPV), pH of the plasma, aggregation post addition of calcium thromboplastin, and for the presence of bacterial and fungal contamination. Results suggested that, for the number of platelets, there was no linear relationship over time. However, when comparing the number of platelets pre-storage to that post-storage, a statistical difference was observed. The hemogram MPV variables, pre and post-storage, also did not relate with time however, there was a statistical difference between the MPV of hemogram and MPV pre-storage, and between MPV pre-storage and MPV post-storage. From the pH evaluation, no influence of time on the variables was found, but statistical differences were found in the samples after storage between 30 and 6 days, 30 and 24 days, and 30 and 27 days. Platelet aggregation occurred within twenty seconds in all samples, independent of storage time. There was no growth of bacteria or yeast in any sample; however, mold growth occurred in the samples stored for 21 days from G1 and G3. It can be concluded that the PRP of rabbits can be stored in 4-6 °C refrigeration for up to18 days and still maintain the number of platelets, with no significant pH alteration or bacterial or fungal contamination.
In this paper, a new method for designing grounding grids by means of evolutionary computation techniques is proposed. The aim being pursued is to minimize the cost of the grounding system while meeting the safety restrictions required by the standard regulations. The utilization of evolutionary computation (in particular, genetic algorithms and evolution strategies) allows us to build unequally spaced networks that, as is well-known, produce a more uniform surface potential distribution than equally spaced networks.
Temozolomide (TMZ)‐based chemotherapy is a standard strategy for glioma, while chemoresistance remains a major therapeutic challenge. Recent evidence highlights the crucial regulatory roles of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNA) in tumor biology. However, the roles and regulatory mechanisms of lncRNA cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2), in glioma tumorigenesis and chemoresistance are poorly understood. In this study, CASC2 expression was down‐regulated in glioma tissues and cell lines, and was related to a clinicopathologic features and shorter survival time. Exogenous CACS2 alone was sufficient to inhibit glioma cells’ proliferation and amplified TMZ‐induced repression of cell proliferation, while CACS2 knockdown could reverse this process. CACS2 overexpression could sensitize TMZ‐resistant glioma cells to TMZ, while CACS2 knockdown exerted the opposite function. Moreover, CASC2 could inhibit the miR‐181a expression by direct targeting in TMZ‐resistant glioma cells. CASC2 up‐regulated PTEN protein and down‐regulated p‐AKT protein through regulating miR‐181a, and the effect of CASC2 on PTEN and p‐AKT could be partially restored by miR‐181a. With TMZ‐resistant glioma tissues, miR‐181a was up‐regulated while PTEN was down‐regulated. Taken together, these observations suggest CASC2 up‐regulates PTEN through direct inhibiting miR‐181a and plays an important role in glioma sensitivity to TMZ and may serve as a potential target for cancer diagnosis and treatment. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1889–1899, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
INTRODUCTION The treatment of aortic valve stenosis (AS) is seeing renewed interest mainly due to the availability of transcatheter therapies. However, the number of epidemiological studies of this disease in Singapore is limited. We aimed to describe the aetiology and clinical presentation of AS in Singapore, as well as patients' attitudes toward it. Our findings may facilitate the future planning and utilisation of resources to better manage these patients.   METHODS 249 consecutive patients who underwent transthoracic echocardiography (from April 1999 to April 2008) and diagnosed with severe AS were assessed. Demographic and clinical data were collected, and patients' decisions on surgery were determined.   RESULTS The mean patient age was 71 (range 23-98) years. 50.2% of patients were male. The commonest presenting symptom was dyspnoea, and 40 (16.0%) patients had coexistent atrial fibrillation. The aetiology of AS was degenerative in 216 (86.7%), rheumatic in 11 (4.4%) and related to a bicuspid valve in 22 (8.9%) patients. The average peak velocity across the aortic valve was 4.2 ± 0.8 m/s and the mean aortic valve area was 0.76 ± 0.13 cm2. The overall mean logistic EuroSCORE was 10.7 ± 12.3. 105 (42.2%) patients who were offered surgery refused. 87 (35%) deaths were seen during the follow-up period (mean duration 14.5 months), which also saw 68 (27%) patients undergo surgery and 86 (34%) patients hospitalised for heart failure.   CONCLUSION Degenerative AS was the commonest aetiology in this contemporary cohort of patients. Despite the known benefits of surgery, the refusal rate for surgery remained high.
Background and Aims Pollen tubes are rapidly growing, photosynthetically inactive cells that need high rates of energy to support growth. Energy can derive from internal and external storage sources. The lack of carbon sources can cause various problems during pollen tube growth, which in turn could affect the reproduction of plants.   Methods We analysed the effects of energy deficiency on the development of Nicotiana tabacum pollen tubes by replacing sucrose with glycerol in the growth medium. We focused on cell growth and related processes, such as metabolite composition and cell wall synthesis.   Key Results We found that the lack of sucrose affects pollen germination and pollen tube length during a specific growth period. Both sugar metabolism and ATP concentration were affected by sucrose shortage when pollen tubes were grown in glycerol-based media; this was related to decreases in the concentrations of glucose, fructose and UDP-glucose. The intracellular pH and ROS levels also showed a different distribution in pollen tubes grown in sucrose-depleted media. Changes were also observed at the cell wall level, particularly in the content and distribution of two enzymes related to cell wall synthesis (sucrose synthase and callose synthase). Furthermore, both callose and newly secreted cell wall material (mainly pectins) showed an altered distribution corresponding to the lack of oscillatory growth in pollen tubes. Growth in glycerol-based media also temporarily affected the movement of generative cells and, in parallel, the deposition of callose plugs.   Conclusion Pollen tubes represent an ideal model system for studying metabolic pathways during the growth of plant cells. In our study, we found evidence that glycerol, a less energetic source for cell growth than sucrose, causes critical changes in cell wall deposition. The evidence that different aspects of pollen tube growth are affected is an indication that pollen tubes adapt to metabolic stress.
A short axis echocardiographic cut of the heart from the subcostal approach was used to study the atrioventricular junction in 47 infants and children with congenital heart disease and 20 with normal hearts. Examination of the diastolic openings of both atrioventricular valves was able to establish normal developments of the valves and annuli even when this was found in cases of complex congenital heart disease. In 30 patients with atrioventricular septal defects the technique distinguished between a partial defect (when the two atrioventricular valves were linked transseptally) and a complete defect (when there was only one atrioventricular valve). A range of atrioventricular attachments was seen in these patients. Short axis echocardiography from the subcostal approach reliably identifies different forms of atrioventricular septal defects by defining the anatomy of the atrioventricular valves during maximal diastolic expansion.
BACKGROUND Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a life-threatening illness usually caused by infection with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157). We evaluated the age-specific rate of HUS and death among persons with STEC O157 infection and the risk factors associated with developing HUS.   METHODS STEC O157 infections and HUS cases were reported from 8 sites participating in the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network during 2000-2006. For each case of STEC O157 infection and HUS, demographic and clinical outcomes were reported. The proportion of STEC O157 infections resulting in HUS was determined.   RESULTS A total of 3464 STEC O157 infections were ascertained; 218 persons (6.3%) developed HUS. The highest proportion of HUS cases (15.3%) occurred among children aged <5 years. Death occurred in 0.6% of all patients with STEC O157 infection and in 4.6% of those with HUS. With or without HUS, persons aged 60 years had the highest rate of death due to STEC O157 infection. Twelve (3.1%) of 390 persons aged 60 years died, including 5 (33.3%) of 15 persons with HUS and 7 (1.9%) of 375 without. Among children aged <5 years, death occurred in 4 (3.0%) of those with HUS and 2 (0.3%) of those without.   CONCLUSIONS Young children and females had an increased risk of HUS after STEC O157 infection. With or without HUS, elderly persons had the highest proportion of deaths associated with STEC O157 infection. These data support recommendations for aggressive supportive care of young children and the elderly early during illness due to STEC O157.
Anthropogenic activities have resulted in the intensified use of water resources. For example, open pit bitumen extraction by Canada’s oil sands operations uses an estimated volume of three barrels of water for every barrel of oil produced. The waste tailings–oil sands process water (OSPW)–are stored in holding ponds, and present an environmental concern as they are comprised of residual hydrocarbons and metals. Following the hypothesis that endogenous OSPW microbial communities have an enhanced tolerance to heavy metals, we tested the capacity of planktonic and biofilm populations from OSPW to withstand metal ion challenges, using Cupriavidus metallidurans, a known metal-resistant organism, for comparison. The toxicity of the metals toward biofilm and planktonic bacterial populations was determined by measuring the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentrations (MBICs) and planktonic minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using the MBEC ™ assay. We observed that the OSPW community and C. metallidurans had similar tolerances to 22 different metals. While thiophillic elements (Te, Ag, Cd, Ni) were found to be most toxic, the OSPW consortia demonstrated higher tolerance to metals reported in tailings ponds (Al, Fe, Mo, Pb). Metal toxicity correlated with a number of physicochemical characteristics of the metals. Parameters reflecting metal-ligand affinities showed fewer and weaker correlations for the community compared to C. metallidurans, suggesting that the OSPW consortia may have developed tolerance mechanisms toward metals present in their environment.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the results of single-day doxycycline therapy for Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF). This is a prospective cohort study of cases with confirmed MSF treated with the single-day doxycycline regimen in a teaching hospital from 1990 to 2015. ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to evaluate the results of single-day doxycycline therapy for Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF). This is a prospective cohort study of cases with confirmed MSF treated with the single-day doxycycline regimen in a teaching hospital from 1990 to 2015. Patients received two oral doses of 200 mg of doxycycline for 1 day. The outcomes evaluated were the time interval between the start of treatment and apyrexia, the time interval between the start of treatment and disappearance of other symptoms, and the adverse reactions to treatment and death. The study included 158 subjects, 18 of whom (11.4%) had a severe form of MSF and 31 (19.6%) were >65 years. The interval between onset of symptoms and start of treatment was 4.31 ± 1.54 days. All patients recovered uneventfully. Fever disappeared 2.55 ± 1.14 days after the start of treatment. The remaining symptoms (headache, arthromyalgia) disappeared 3.63 ± 1.35 days after the start of treatment. Only one patient had a delay in reaching apyrexia (8 days). The fever disappeared somewhat later in severe cases (median, 3 days; interquartile range [IQR], 2 to 4 days) than in nonsevere cases (median, 2 days; IQR, 2 to 3 days). Likewise, the remaining symptoms disappeared later in severe cases (median, 5 days; IQR, 4 to 6 days) than in nonsevere cases (median, 3 days; IQR, 3 to 4 days). The outcome was similar in both elderly and nonelderly patients. Eight patients had mild adverse effects possibly related to treatment. The results of the study confirm that single-day doxycycline therapy is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for MSF, including elderly patients and severe cases.
In this paper, we present an improved wheelset motion model with two degrees of freedom and study the dynamic behaviors of the system including the symmetry, the existence and uniqueness of the solution, continuous dependence on initial conditions, and Hopf bifurcation. The dynamic characteristics of the wheelset motion system under a nonholonomic constraint are investigated. These results generalize and improve some known results about the wheelset motion system. Meanwhile, based on multiple equilibrium analysis, calculation of Lyapunov exponents and Poincaré section, the chaotic behaviors of the wheelset system are discussed, which indicates that there are more complex dynamic behaviors in the railway wheelset system with higher order terms of Taylor series of trigonometric functions. This paper has also realized the chaos control and bifurcation control for the wheelset motion system by adaptive feedback control method and linear feedback control. The results show that the chaotic wheelset system and bifurcation wheelset system are all well controlled, whether by controlling the yaw angle and the lateral displacement or only by controlling the yaw angle. Numerical simulations are carried out to further verify theoretical analyses.
CUK Converter pronounced as chook converter is basically DC-DC converter. CUK converter delivers voltage at the output which is either less than or greater than respective voltage at the input as per the requirement of the load. Construction of this converter is such that its BOOST converter followed by BUK converter. CUK converter can be used for regulating voltage in case of hybrid wind and solar power system. Voltageinput to the converter depend upon the intensity of sun radiation as well as the speed of the wind. As per the requirement of the load it adjusts the output voltage by acting as a BUK or BOOST converter
The overall secretion of hepatic lipid as VLDL may be regulated by (i) changing the number of particles secreted as a result of altering apolipoprotein B output and (ii) changing the degree of lipidation of the particles with triacylglycerol so that their diameters vary over a threefold range. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the pathway of triacylglycerol incorporation into VLDL. Less is understood about the processes that commit apolipoprotein B either to secretion or to presecretory degradation, although both regulated translocation and an early lipidation step of the nascent particle with cholesterol or cholesterol ester have been implicated.
Let $A$ be a finite-dimensional algebra with two simple modules. It is shown that if the derived category of $A$ admits a stratification with simple factors being the base field $k$, then $A$ is derived equivalent to a quasi-hereditary algebra. As a consequence, if further $k$ is algebraically closed and $A$ has finite global dimension, then $A$ is either derived simple or derived equivalent to a quasi-hereditary algebra
Recent advances in uncertainty visualization research have focused not only on design features to support decision making, but also on challenges of evaluating the effectiveness of uncertainty visualizations, such as the degree to which individuals’ baseline task comprehension may alter their performance on experimental tasks regardless of a visualization’s effectiveness. Building on recent work, we investigated the effect of training comprehension on performance across varying representations of uncertainty and varying degrees of visualization interactivity using a simulated course of action selection task. Additionally, we explored how extended cognition theory can be applied to visualization evaluations by incorporating interface features that afford externalization of knowledge within the task environment. Our findings suggest that regardless of how uncertainty is represented, training comprehension leads to superior transfer, reduced workload, more accurate metacognitive judgments, and higher cognitive efficiency. Our findings also suggest that external cognition during decision making leads to improved accuracy and cognitive efficiency. The present study contributes to research on the design and evaluation of uncertainty visualizations. In addition, this study extends previous work by demonstrating how extended cognition theory can inform the design of human-machine interfaces to support decision making.
This paper describes the experimental activities performed to study the possibility of adopting augmented reality technology in field maintenance of large telecommunication networks. First, the presented work is framed into the larger scope of operations support and the proposed approach that combines agents, workflows and augmented reality is motivated. Then, the reference application scenario is detailed to highlight its peculiarities and intrinsic challenges. Finally, performed experiments on specific network equipments are described, and a draft assessment on the applicability of the proposed approach is outlined.
Purpose: To report two cases of COVID-19 under treatment with a corticosteroid; in one case rhino-orbitocerebral mucormycosis and in another one rhino-orbital mucormycosis developed. Case presentation: A 40-year old woman and a 54-year old man with severe COVID-19 underwent corticosteroid therapy for immune-related lung injuries. The first case presented with a bilateral visual loss and complete ophthalmoplegia of the right eye. The second case presented with vision loss, proptosis, orbital inflammation, and complete ophthalmoplegia on the left side. Histopathologic, nasal endoscopic examinations, and radiologic findings confirmed mucormycosis in both patients. The patients denied orbital exenteration and were managed with systemic amphotericin B and daily endoscopic sinus debridement and irrigation with diluted amphotericin B. Because of the intracranial space involvement, the first case died. The second case was successfully managed surgically and medically. Conclusion: Rhino-orbital/cerebral mucormycosis may be developed in COVID-19 patients under treatment with corticosteroid, and requires prompt diagnosis and management.
This article identifies the emergence of the institution-based view as a third leading perspective in strategic management (the first two being the industry-based and resource-based views). We (a) review the roots of the institution-based view, (b) articulate its two core propositions, and (c) outline how this view contributes to the four fundamental questions in strategy. Overall, we suggest that the institution-based view represents the third leg of a strategy tripod, overcomes the long-standing criticisms of the industry-based and resource-based views' lack of attention to contexts, and contributes significant new insights as part of the broader intellectual movement centered on new institutionalism.
Performance management (PM) is critical for supporting end-to-end QoS (Quality of Service) across long term evolution (LTE) network elements over heterogeneous networks. In order to effectively deliver QoS traffic from different applications, LTE can be delivered through implementation of logical Class of Service (CoS)/QoS controls in a variety of methods and with variety services. While LTE network domains (e.g., Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), Backhaul transport network, and Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network) can have different QoS implementations that work within a given domain, these differences can cause problems when domains intersect. Therefore, the design strategy must specifically and logically fit to allow multiple offers on limited network resources. This paper presents a high level PM system architecture for monitoring and troubleshooting harmonization of CoS/QoS based on 802.1p/DSCP (Diffserv Code Point)/EXP (EXPerimental bits) mappings that optimize end-to-end network performances over multiple LTE network elements.
ABSTRACT Three different rice production systems in the Chugoku district of southwestern Japan were compared to characterize differences in the arthropod community structures and insect pest regulatory mechanisms. In older traditionally organic rice paddy fields, Nilaparvata lugens was uncommon and was controlled by the sedentary nematode parasite, Agamermis unka. In contrast, in intensively farmed rice paddies, N. lugens was very abundant and A. unka was absent. There were no differences between the intensive paddies and younger traditional paddies. In addition, differences of abundance in spider and collembola populations were not clear in these paddies. In lower-input organic farming systems with no-tillage and winter legume mulch, Sogatella furcifera was much less abundant, and the most important predators, sedentary lycosids, were much more abundant than in the traditionally managed paddy. Densities of N. lugens were similar, but A. unka was not present in the lower-input organic systems. These seden...
Decomposition by extrema is put into the context of linear vision systems and scale-space. One dimensional discrete M- and N-sieves neither introduce new edges as the scale increases nor create new extrema. They share this property with diffusion based filters. Furthermore M- and N-sieve algorithms are extremely fast with order complexity n. Used to decompose an image, the resulting granularity is appropriate for pattern recognition.<<ETX>>
With the development of substation technology, the data collected by automation systems increasingly distributed and discrete. The electric power system has a large number of applications running in a specific time sequence, failure analysis also depends on the sequence of events record. And time synchronization is the link of these discrete data, therefore, time synchronization technology is a key technology to ensure that intelligence substation automation system running stably. However, some recent failures indicate the current reliability of time synchronization architecture cannot meet the demand. An online monitoring system for time synchronization status of intelligent substation equipment is urgently needed. This paper analyzes the existing application's comprehensive needs of time synchronization online monitoring system, then presents six basic monitoring methods, at last, by evaluating their advantages and disadvantages, obtained a preferred object, and proposed reverse network measurement algorithm, achieved the online monitoring function without new equipment and cabling, finally to verify the effectiveness of the method through the experiment. The result provides important support to strengthen the management of time synchronization application work for state grid corp.
Thirty‐two patients with histologically proved metastatic malignant melanoma of the brain were evaluated. Intracranial surgery was performed in 19 and was considered not indicated in 13 patients. Following intracranial surgery, satisfactory improvement in neurologic deficits was observed in 14 (74%) patients. The median survival after occurrence of brain metastases was 5–6 months (1 – 15 months) for the surgical group; and for the nonsurgical group, patients with multiple brain metastases and multiple visceral involvement did not survive beyond a median of 1 month (range 0.5–6 months). Intratumor hemorrhage with substantial intracerebral hematoma was present in 7 (41%) out of 17 craniotomies. The overall incidence of intratumor hemorrhage found at autopsy was 59% for the entire series. Among ail the cases with intratumor hemorrhage, only 2 patients who received chemotherapy after craniotomy developed thrombocytopenia with fatal intracranial hemorrhage. The latter cause‐and‐effect correlation could not be assessed in the other patients.
Case studies of the acoustical reuse of three historic buildings all included on the National Register of Historic Places will be presented. Case study 1 is a university library space that was reused as a small performance hall and meeting room. Acoustical interventions in the renovation were extremely limited. Innovative diffusing panels were custom designed and fabricated to fit within existing wood panel dimensions on the walls of the performance area. Sound absorbing materials that had to match the color and dimensions of existing materials were also strategically added to the space. Case study 2 is the conversion of a medium sized church to a performance hall. Impulse response measurements showed sound focusing difficulties in the existing building that had to be reduced through the strategic insertion of sound diffusing systems. Case study 3 was the conversion of old university buildings into state of the art classrooms and faculty offices. The integration of modern air‐conditioning systems as well ...
The subject of this article is the relationship between France and Bengal. It concentrates on the specific characteristics that distinguish the French connection with Bengal from that of other French territories in India. It briefly traces the history of the French presence in Chandernagore, before focusing on the early twentieth century and the important role that Chandernagore played in the Indian independence movement. It examines the practical effects on this struggle of the presence of the French in this part of India. Beyond these, it questions the extent of French influence on the political theory and practice of the Bengali revolutionaries. It ends more broadly by assessing the French legacy in Bengal today.
A unique material combination of a non-piezoelectric semiconductor adjacent to an insulating piezoelectric can create the equivalent of a piezoelectric semiconductor and hence give rise to an equivalent acousto-electric effect. The acoustoelectric interaction occurs when fringing electric fields, created by an acoustic surface wave on the piezoelectric, interact with carriers near the surface of the semiconductor creating a traveling space-charge wave. Under certain conditions an imposed drift field can cause the space charge waves to grow and lead to amplification. Practical amplifying devices have resulted from this unique effect and material combination, and are receiving increased attention in solid-state research groups.
Polymer gels can be used as tissue equivalent dosimeters, and polymer gel dosimetry can be employed without perturbation of the radiation field. In this study, polymer gel dosimetry was used for small circular irradiation fields 10-30 mm in diameter using a radiation planning system. The irradiated gels were compared with planned data for a 50% dose width of 6 Gy dose maximum, and for the dose difference between gels and planned data over an 80% dose maximum area. The present study investigated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) conditions based on an optimal dose-R2 calibration curve. The average difference between the full width half maximum of the 50% dose width between gels and planned data was 11%. The average dose difference over 80% of the dose was 5.6%. Optimal dose-R2 calibration curves were acquired using images with echo times of 30 and 60 ms. For cases of larger thicknesses and an increasing number of averages, the coefficients of variance of the curves were smaller than under other conditions. Compared to other traditional dosimetric tools, polymer gels have the advantage of providing three-dimensional dosimetric data. An arbitrary profile from the gel's data can be compared with the profile of the planned data. In the future, new gel dosimeters will be needed that demonstrate improved dose evaluation under 1 Gy and stability in high dose areas.
Both theoretical and experimental studies were performed here to investigate the lesion formation induced by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) operating in continuous scanning mode along a spiral pathway. The Khokhlov-Zabolotskaya-Kuznetsov equation and bio-heat equation were combined in the current model to predict HIFU-induced temperature distribution and lesion formation. The shape of lesion and treatment efficiency were assessed for a given scanning speed at two different grid spacing (3 mm and 4 mm) in both the gel phantom and ex vivo studies. The results show that uniform lesions can be generated by the homogenization of thermal diffusion along the spiral scanning pathway. The complete coverage of the entire treated volume can be achieved as long as the spacing grid of the spiral pathway is smaller than a critical value that right matches the maximum thermal diffusion dimension, and the treatment efficiency can be optimized by selecting an appropriate scanning speed. This study can provide gu...
Calcium-activated Cl−secretion is an important modulator of regulated ion transport in murine airway epithelium and is mediated by an unidentified Ca2+-stimulated Cl− channel. We have transfected immortalized murine tracheal epithelial cells with the cDNA encoding the permeabilizing P2X7 purinoreceptor (P2X7-R) to selectively permeabilize the basolateral membrane and thereby isolate the apical membrane Ca2+-activated Cl− current. In P2X7-R-permeabilized cells, we have demonstrated that UTP stimulates a Cl− current across the apical membrane of CF and normal murine tracheal epithelial cells. The magnitude of the UTP-stimulated current was significantly greater in CF than in normal cells. Ion substitution studies demonstrated that the current exhibited a permselectivity sequence of Cl− > I− > Br− > gluconate−. We have also determined a rank order of potency for putative Cl−channel blockers: niflumic acid ≥ 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid > 4,4′-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonate > glybenclamide ≫ diphenlyamine-2-carboxylate, tamoxifen, andp-tetra-sulfonato-tetra-methoxy-calix[4]arene. Complete characterization of this current and the corresponding single channel properties could lead to the development of a new therapy to correct the defective airway surface liquid in cystic fibrosis patients.
Rating hearing protector performance for hearing conservation purposes can be most accurately accomplished when not only laboratory, but also field performance data are taken into consideration. Although standardized laboratory test data have been commonly available since the 1950's (ANSI Z24.22‐1957; ANSI S3.19‐1974), it is only since the mid 1970's that significant work has been conducted in the area of field performance evaluation of hearing protectors. Currently, a number of field techniques are available, including: real‐ear attenuation at threshold and/or mid‐line lateralization tests using actual noise exposed employees as subjects, either at their workplaces or at special test clinics; dosimetry studies via miniature microphones; and temporary threshold shift evaluations of hearing protection users in noisy industries. These real world methods will be reviewed and contrasted to the laboratory techniques, and key points illustrated with representative data.
Abstract This is an invited review/commentary by the first and last authors of a paper that was the most cited in FEMS Microbiology Letters for 1996, presently showing in excess of 150 citations at Web of Science, and over 200 at Google Scholar. It was the first paper in which diffuse reflectance absorbance FT-IR spectroscopy was used with a supervised learning method in the form of artificial neural networks, and showed that this combination could succeed in discriminating a series of closely related, clinically relevant, Gram-positive bacterial strains.
OBJECTIVES To investigate thyroid peroxidase gene (TPO) mutations in a Chinese siblings with congenital goitrous hypothyroidism (CGH).   SUBJECTS AND METHODS The proband, his sister, and their parents were enrolled. All subjects underwent clinical examination and laboratory tests. Mutation screening of the TPO gene was performed by sequencing fragments amplified from extracted genomic DNA.   RESULTS The siblings were diagnosed as CGH with neurodevelopmental deficits. Two compound heterozygous inactivating mutations were found in the two patients: a frameshift mutation between positions 2268 and 2269 (c.2268-2269 insT) and a missense mutation at c.2089 G>A (p.G667S) of the TPO gene. Their parents, with normal thyroid hormone levels, were heterozygous for mutations c.2268-2269 insT and c.2089 G>A, respectively. The polymorphisms of c.1207 G>T, c.1283 G>C, and c.2088 C>T were detected in the family.   CONCLUSIONS CGH of the Chinese siblings was due to the TPO gene mutations (c.2268-2269 insT and c.2089 G>A).
With six coal miners trapped in the Crandall Canyon Mine in east central Utah since 6 August, seismologists analyzing the estimated 3.9 magnitude event have indicated that it most likely was caused by an underground cavity collapse rather than by a tectonic earthquake.    “Most of the seismic wave energy is consistent with an underground collapse; however, the cause of the mine collapse is still unknown,” according to an analysis of the event by Douglas Dreger, assistant professor of geophysics with the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory (BSL) at the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues at BSL and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (http://seismo.berkeley.edu/-peggy/Utah20070806.htm).
This paper focused at communication systems when train moved. The communication propagation was influenced by building environment. The communication condition that used uplink direction. Mobile station was placed inside the train where moved with 500 km/hour velocity. The analysis was used consists of Doppler effect, atmospheric, and building environment. The variation communication frequency was used consists of 2.6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 10 GHz. Diffraction mechanism caused building was used single knife edge method. The result was showed SNR value from the communication frequency variation, distance comparison between LOS and NLOS, alteration adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), and coverage area percentage. Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) was used for AMC consists of QPSK, 16 QAM, and 64 QAM. Decreases of SNR value can be occured when communication distance for NLOS condition farther then LOS condition. That distance became increases because was obstructed with high building. Changeable of AMC value was caused propagation condition. The coverage area percentage when communication frequency that was used consists of 2.6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 10 GHz was obtained 88.4%, 88.4%, and 81.7%.
CPM waveforms which are utilized in both MIL-STD-188-181B (181B) and high performance waveform SATCOM operation undergo appreciable distortion due to the effects of the bandlimiting and hard-limiting satellite transponder. In this application, the traditional LMS equalizer can remove some of the intersymbol interference, but at the higher symbol rates, the modem performance is still far off from the same bit error rate achieved in an environment which only contains additive white Gaussian noise. Observation of the SATCOM channel has shown that the CPM waveform is predictable, distorted in phase during symbol transitions. Large phase transitions incur a larger, proportional amount of distortion when compared to smaller phase transitions. A characterization of the phase error as a function of all the possible clockwise and counterclockwise adjacent phase transitions for the CPM phase constellation illuminates this proportion property of the distortion caused by the intersymbol interference. Once this error is characterized for all the symbols, it can be removed via complex multiplication. This method has been shown to outperform the traditional LMS equalizer in this application especially when considering the noise enhancement inherent in the LMS equalizer implementation. This paper documents the simulation comparison of the LMS equalizer and the new non-linear equalizer approach along with actual radio bit error rate curves.
A novel active-RC biquad is presented which can be reconfigured as a polyphase filter for a low IF wireless receiver architecture, and as a lowpass filter for a zero IF wireless receiver architecture. A second order lowpass-polyphase reconfigurable filter is implemented to illustrate the technique. A 1.8 V fully differential operational amplifier in 0.18 /spl mu/ CMOS technology is used as the active element.
Smoking remains one of the leading risk factors contributing to the global burden of disease. Sub-optimal implementation of evidence-based tobacco control and smoking cessation practice is a major challenge despite a substantial evidence base for interventions to increase smoking cessation globally. We aim to develop an Evidence and Gap Map (EGM) to collate the existing evidence and identify the gap in research on interventions to increase smoking cessation worldwide. A conceptual framework was developed followed by the formulation of a search strategy with key search terms and search period (1970 – date of search). The search will be conducted in relevant bibliographic databases (e.g. MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS), systematic reviews databases (e.g. Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs systematic reviews, EPPI-Reviewer) and impact evaluation databases (e.g. 3ie Impact Evaluation repository and Cochrane tobacco addiction group specialized register) with support from a research librarian. Subsequently, two coders will screen and retrieve systematic reviews and individual impact evaluation studies. The adapted SURE (Supporting the Use of Research Evidence) checklist will be used to evaluate the quality of the included systematic reviews. A narrative synthesis from the systematic review findings and line listing of the impact evaluations will form the basis of this EGM. The EGM report will be presented in an interactive visual format. The proposed EGM will organise the pieces of evidence generated in systematic reviews and impact evaluations on smoking cessation interventions and identify the current research gaps, if any. The findings will inform evidence-based practice and future research.
This paper reports our ongoing investigation of a new paradigm to realize high performance DSP architectures suitable for embedded ASICs. The reasons for the significant gap between achievable MAC bandwidth and that delivered by current embedded DSP architectures are analyzed in detail. A processing engine composed of a general purpose DSP core closely coupled with an application-specific version of Renaissance-our previously developed vector co-processor with a residue arithmetic datapath-is proposed as a solution to close this gap. In the first step, code transformations are applied to firmware to expose the vector-like nature of DSP computation. Then, Renaissance's instruction set, datapath and control are personalized for vector primitives thus exposed. The most important advantages of this approach are that it is highly amenable to automation, it captures most of the compute intensive routines (>70%) quite well and makes the Renaissance reusable across applications. This paradigm has resulted in throughput gains ranging from 33% to over 200% when firmware for actual communications and speech coding applications was recoded. In Ren-AC, a Renaissance version optimized for a modem bank application, the system-wide increase in MAC throughput was higher than 50%.
This paper empirically analyzes the interviewer-interviewee interaction during semi-structured employment interviews. It searches to identify the manner in which selection decisions are influenced by interviewers’ first impressions and factors that account for the relationships between first impressions and selection decisions. Data collected from interviews conducted in a major public Midwestern university are part of the selection information for the admission in a graduate program. The multi-level analysis of the data reveals that first impressions have a significant effect on selection decisions, but do not significantly influence interviewers’ behaviors during employment interviews. Data analysis also indicates that interviewers’ need for cognition and interviewers’ accountability moderate the relationship between first impression and selection decision, albeit in opposite directions. Our results indicate that need for cognition strengthens and accountability weakens the relationship between first im...
We present a Green's function formalism to investigate the topological properties of weakly interacting one-dimensional topological insulators, including the bulk-edge correspondence and the quantum criticality near topological phase transitions, and using interacting Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model as an example. From the many-body spectral function, we find that closing of the bulk gap remains a defining feature even if the topological phase transition is driven by interactions. The existence of edge state in the presence of interactions can be captured by means of a T-matrix formalism combined with Dyson's equation, and the bulk-edge correspondence is shown to be satisfied even in the presence of interactions. The critical exponent of the edge state decay length is shown to be affiliated with the same universality class as the noninteracting limit.
This study was designed to test whether hive entrances reduced with polyvinyl chloride pipe reduce the ingress of Aethina tumida Murray into Apis mellifera L. colonies and whether screen-mesh bottom boards alleviate side effects associated with restricted entrances. Forty-eight colonies distributed equally between two locations each received one of six experimental treatments: 1) conventional solid bottom board and open entrance, 2) ventilated bottom board and open entrance, 3) conventional bottom and 1.9-cm-i.d. pipe entrance, 4) conventional bottom and 3.8-cm pipe entrance, 5) screen bottom and 1.9-cm pipe entrance, and 6) screen bottom and 3.8-cm pipe entrance. Results were inconsistent between apiaries. In apiary 1, colonies with 3.8-cm pipe entrances had fewer A. tuzmida than colonies with open entrances, but this benefit was not apparent in apiary 2. Pipe entrances tended to reduce colony and brood production in both apiaries, and these losses were only partly mitigated with the addition of screened bottom boards. Pipe entrances had no measurable liability concerning colony thermoregulation. There were significantly fewer frames of adult A. mellifera in colonies with 3.8- or 1.9-cm pipe entrances compared with open entrances but more in colonies with screens. There were more frames of pollen in colonies with open or 3.8-cm pipe entrances than 1.9-cm entrances. We conclude that the efficacy of reduced hive entrances in reducing ingress of A. tumida remains uncertain due to observed differences between apiaries. Furthermore, there were side effects associated with restricted entrances that could be only partly mitigated with screened bottom boards.
ABS,RACr. The first zoea of Actaeodes hirsut issimus ( Riippe ll. 1830) is described . figured and compared with that of A. tomentosus (H . Milne Edwards. 1834). Three cha racte rs appear to separate the first stage zoea s of these two species; the size of the second lateral spine on the tel­ son . the spinulation of the rostral spine and the morphology of the ante nna l exopod. In all other aspects of appendage setation the two zoea s are identical. The car ap ace spines . antennal morphology and the telson armature o f th ese two actaeine zoeas are compared with others from the subfamily Actaeinae and from the xanthid zoeal groups.
The crystal structure of Bi6Sr8-xCa3+xO22 has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This phase is the same as Bi9Sr11Ca5Oy that was previously studied by several authors as a secondary phase in the Bi−Sr−Ca−Cu−O system and coexists in thermodynamic equilibrium with the superconductors Bi2Sr2CuO6 and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c, with cell parameters a = 11.037(3) A, b = 5.971(2) A, c = 19.703(7) A, β = 101.46(3)°, Z = 2. The structure was solved by direct methods and full-matrix least-squares refinement. It is built up by perovskite-related blocks of composition [Sr8-xBi2Ca3+xO16] that intergrow with double rows [Bi4O6] running along b. The perovskite blocks are formed by groups of five octahedra that are shifted from each other 3/2√2ap along [110]p (ap being the parameter of the cubic perovskite subcell) in a zigzag configuration and are aligned with this direction parallel to the one forming an angle of 25° with the c axis. In turn, the perovskite blo...
Division of Infectious Disease, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center; Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195; Department of Microbiology, Russian University of Peoples’ Friendship, Moscow, Russia; Department of Microbiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195; Division of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington 98195; and University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136
The texture is the orientation distribution function of the crystallites of a polycrystalline sample. Being a continuous function of three variables, it requires a large number of values for its complete description. The texture can be expressed in terms of a series expansion. It then requires a large number of coefficients for its complete description. When all functional values or all coefficients are determined from experimental measurements we speak of complete texture analysis. The most important methods for complete texture analysis are individual orientation measurements of a large number of crystals and pole figure measurement followed by pole figure inversion. If only a limited number of values of the texture function or a few of its coefficients are being determined we speak of "partial texture analysis". The most important methods of partial texture analysis are the fixed angle texture analyzer and the measurement of the anisotropy of physical properties such as Young’s modulus magnetic properties, thermal expansion and others.
A MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) control method of PV (Photovoltaic) generation system is proposed based on the shortcoming of the existing MPPT algorithms. The method applies CVT (Constant Voltage Tracking) algorithm to adjust the working point of PV array near the MPP (Maximum Power Point) for fast tracking when working point is far from MPP, and uses adapting duty cycle perturb method to optimize the steady state characteristic of MPP for effectively eliminate the output power oscillation under the setting precision. Its model is established and simulated with Matlab/Simulink.The CVT, duty cycle method and proposed methods are simulated respectively and simulation results show that, the proposed method tracks the MPP exactly and quickly and improves the energy conversion efficiency of PV generation system by eliminate the output power oscillation around MPP. Its fast response speed improves the static and dynamic performance of photovoltaic power system.
We evaluated the use of peptone-yeast extract (PY) medium, different strains of Hartmannella vermiformis, and gentamicin in a coculture system to improve the discrimination of virulent and avirulent strains of Legionella pneumophila. H. vermiformis ATCC 50256 was unique among four strains of H. vermiformis, in that it multiplied equally well in Medium 1034 and PY medium (Medium 1034 without fetal calf serum, folic acid, hemin, and yeast nucleic acid and with a 50% reduction of peptone). However, both a virulent strain of L. pneumophila and its avirulent derivative strain multiplied in cocultures when PY medium was used. The multiplication of this avirulent strain was greatly reduced by incorporating gentamicin (1 (mu)g/ml) into the cocultivation system. Five virulent-avirulent sets of L. pneumophila strains were then tested for multiplication in cocultures with H. vermiformis ATCC 50256 and the gentamicin-containing PY medium. Only the virulent strains multiplied. The modified cocultivation system can discriminate between virulent and avirulent strains of L. pneumophila.
The organic hybrids of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/hindered phenol (AO-80) were prepared through melt blending, which was followed by hot and cold pressing procedure. The microstructure and dynamic mechanical properties of the hybrids were systematically investigated through SEM, DSC, XRD, FTIR, DMA and a tensile tester. The experimental results indicated that AO-80 was completely dissolved in the matrix. The glass transition of the soft segments of TPU was found to shift to higher temperature with the amount of AO-80 increasing, whereas the glass transition of the hard segments exhibited nearly no evident change, indicating that AO-80 was selectively located in the soft region of TPU and the formation of the strong intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonding) between AO-80 and the soft region of TPU. With the increase of AO-80 in the hybrids, the tanδ peak gradually shifted to higher temperatures and the maximal tanδ value increased from 0.4 to 1.6. Meanwhile, the glass transition temperature ranges broadened and the TA value increased greatly with the more content of AO-80. Because of the decrease of the hard segments amount in the hybrids, the tensile stress of these hybrids decreased, but still maintained at a high level. The hybrids were expected to have potential applications as high performance damping materials combined with good mechanical properties. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
In this study, the round trip efficiency of a multistage adiabatic compressed air energy storage (A-CAES) system was optimized by differential evolution (DE) algorithm, and decision variables were the pressure ratio of each compressor/expander. The variation of the pressure ratio of each compressor/expander leads to different inlet air temperatures of the heat exchanger. Thus, this optimization method provides more heat energy recovery from compression to increase the inlet air temperature of expanders. Results indicate that the optimization method is effective for the pressure ratio allocation, improving the system efficiency by ∼1% and exergy efficiency of the heat storage process by 5.3% to the maximum compared with an equal pressure ratio distribution A-CAES system. Besides, a uniformity factor of temperature difference (UFTD) of multistage heat exchangers is proposed to analyze the temperature uniformity of the multistage heat exchangers, which indicates that decreasing the UFTD contributes to an increased uniformity of the temperature field and an improvement in heat transfer efficiency. The study is extended onto optimal off-design system configuration and the recommendations are proposed, which provides a guidance for A-CAES system design.
The article demonstrates a clinical case of a disease that occurs mainly in older age groups — ankylosing spinal hyperostosis (AHP) or Forestier disease. The rarity and lack of knowledge of AHP and the associated lack of alertness in relation to this disease makes its diagnostic a difficult task. The disease is more common in older people, which requires differential diagnosis with degenerative changes of the vertebrae. AHP is a low-symptom disease. Clinical symptoms are determined not so much by hyperostosis of the ligaments and tendons by themselves, but by the development of reactive inflammation of these structures during the process of ossification, overloading of still moving segments of the spine adjacent to ankylosed vertebrae. Of particular importance for this disease is the defeat of the anterior longitudinal ligament, the continuity of its ossification for at least four vertebrae (in contrast to trauma, tumors). Important is absence or low severity of ankylosis of the arched joints, sacroiliitis, characteristic of ankylosing spondylitis. The absence or weak severity of degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs detected in osteochondrosis matters. The presence of laboratory and clinical signs of inflammation, damage to other organs and systems is not typical to this pathology. At present time we have no treatment standards for AHP, which also makes the choice of patient management tactics complicated.The insufficient amount of information about this disease makes wider coverage of the pathology necessary in order to improve diagnostic skills, prescribing timely and complete treatment.
Metaverse, a cutting-edge technology offering immersive and engaging educational experiences, is revolutionizing learning by enabling real-world users to interact and collaborate with others in a virtual space. South Korea is one of leading countries in this field, with extensive research and application at various levels of education and across disciplines. Beyond enhancing teaching and learning, the metaverse also supports non-academic educational experiences. In Malaysia, various educational technology been employed in response to limitation of conducting face-to-face class during Covid-19 era. However, metaverse remains underutilized and under-discussed within the Malaysian school educational context. Consequently, this study aims to inform potential metaverse usage for Malaysia school education by specifically investigates the application of metaverse technology in South Korea education and reviewing existing research of metaverse education in Malaysia. As a result, we propose potential utilization and challenges of metaverse in Malaysia's school educational environment. The findings of this article are expected to pave the way for more promising metaverse research within the Malaysian education system.
This chapter illustrates the contention that one can see in the relations between the Church and Jews in eighteenth-century Poland-Lithuania an aspect of the beginnings of what Karin Friedrich, in her book, called the transition from a constitutional and political concept of the nation to an ethnic and linguistic one. Yet, in the lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth there were hundreds of thousands of Jews who frequently did not appear to be suffering on the scale that the teachings of the Church required. In the eighteenth century, however, Jews and Christians were deeply entangled. If we are correct in insisting that the thrust of the activities of the Church regarding Jews was to exclude them from Polish national identity as it was crystallising, then presumably Jews responded in kind, widening in their own minds the distance between them and their Christian countrymen. Keywords: Christian poles; identity formation; Karin Friedrich; Lithuanian Jews; Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth
Cormac McCarthy’s 1968 novel, Outer Dark, is arguably his only text that contains a true female protagonist. Rinthy Holme is a significant character in her own right, in part because almost half the storyline is dedicated to her, but also because she seems to generate what scholars have referred to as a sense of forcefulness or meaningfulness that is sometimes at odds with otherwise more problematic elements of her characterization. By focusing on a small excerpt of Outer Dark, I argue that Rinthy feels meaningful because of the affective resonances that the text that describes her seems to emanate, rather than solely as a result of any diegetic aspect of her characterization. I draw on Brian Massumi’s account of affect to illuminate the apparent disconnect between the content of the text about Rinthy and its actual physical effects on readers, as well as the textual operations that might cause these effects. I also investigate, however, whether Rinthy’s affective power is truly able to combat other more problematic elements of her characterization, such as her apparently essentialized maternal instinct and empathy. I conclude by arguing that although the excerpt analyzed demonstrates a powerful instance of McCarthy’s interest in the centrality of the material in the process of meaning-making, and also perhaps suggests that McCarthy gestures towards the ways in which women might engage in the world as independent, embodied agents, McCarthy ultimately cannot escape an essentialized male/female binary.
In traditional wireless sensor networks, information transmission usually uses data encryption methods to prevent information from being stolen illegally. However, once the encryption methods are leaked, eavesdropping nodes can easily obtain information. LT codes are rateless codes; if it is attacked by random channel noise, the decoding process will change and the decoding overhead will also randomly change. When it is used for physical layer communication of wireless sensor networks, it ensures that the destination node recovers all the information without adding the key, while the eavesdropping node can only obtain part of the information to achieve wireless information security transmission. To reduce the intercept efficiency of eavesdropping nodes, a physical layer security (PLS) method of LT codes with double encoding matrix reorder (DEMR-LT codes) is proposed. This method performs two consecutive LT code concatenated encoding on the source symbol, and part of the encoding matrix is reordered according to the degree value of each column from large to small, which reduces the probability of eavesdropping nodes recovering the source information. Experimental results show that compared with other LT code PLS schemes, DEMR-LT codes only increase the decoding overhead by a small amount. However, it can effectively reduce the intercept efficiency of eavesdropping nodes and improve information transmission security.
The radio‐frequency spectrum of the first four (υ = 0–3) vibrational states of the a 3Π metastable state of 12C16O has been measured in molecular beam electric resonance from 0 to 500 MHz. Lambda doubling transitions have been observed in J = 2–7 of Ω = 2, and in J = 1 and 2 of Ω = 1 at zero electric and magnetic field and as a function of electric field. An exhaustive reanalysis of a 3Π optical data is presented, in which the spin–orbit, rotational, spin–spin dipole–dipole, and potential‐energy parameters have been accurately determined. Together with parameters determined from the rf spectrum, the resulting set of fine structure parameters predicts the complete lambda doubling spectrum to better than 1 in 104 for J = 0–50, υ = 0–3. The predicted frequencies below 5 GHz are tabulated for possible radio‐astronomical measurement of a 3Π CO. The Stark effect allows the a 3Π dipole moment to be determined to an absolute accuracy of 2 in 104, and the small dependence upon spin–orbit, vibrational, and rotation...
Adaptive Optics (AO) Systems can operate fast automatic control of laser beam jitters for several applications of basic research as well as for the improvement of industrial and medical devices. We here present our theoretical and experimental research showing the opportunity of suppressing laser beam geometrical fluctuations of higher order Hermite Gauss modes in interferometric Gravitational Waves (GW) antennas. This in turn allows to significantly reduce the noise that originates from the coupling of the laser source oscillations with the interferometer asymmetries and introduces the concrete possibility of overcoming the sensitivity limit of the GW antennas actually set at 10-23 1 Hz value. We have carried out the feasibility study of a novel AO System which performs effective laser jitters suppression in the 200 Hz bandwidth. It extracts the wavefront error signals in terms of Hermite Gauss (HG) coefficients and performs the wavefront correction using the Zernike polynomials. An experimental Prototype of the AO System has been implemented and tested in our laboratory at the University of Salerno and the results we have achieved fully confirm effectiveness and robustness of the control upon first and second order laser beam geometrical fluctuations, in good accordance with GW antennas requirements. Above all, we have measured 60 dB reduction of astigmatism and defocus modes at low frequency below 1 Hz and 20 dB reduction in the 200 Hz bandwidth.
Real-time technologies using noncontact laser range sensors (LRS) have recently been introduced to improve statistical process control (SPC) programs in automated lumber mills by greatly increasing the volume of data available for SPC. However, present SPC procedures based on sampling theory developed for manual data collection do not fully utilize data from these systems. A new system of control charts is introduced here that simultaneously monitors multiple lumber surfaces and specifically targets three common sawing defects (taper, snipe/flare, and snake). Nontraditional control charts are suggested based on the decomposition of LRS measurements into trend, waviness, and roughness. The proposed charts can be used to monitor the slope parameter of a multiple linear regression model and the peak-to-peak waviness of observations from each board. Applying these methods should lead to process improvements in sawmills by better detecting common sawing problems and identifying the causes.
Melioidosis is an often fatal infectious disease with a protean clinical spectrum, caused by the environmental bacterial pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei. Although the disease has been reported from some African countries in the past, the present epidemiology of melioidosis in Africa is almost entirely unknown. Therefore, the common view that melioidosis is rare in Africa is not evidence-based. A recent study concludes that large parts of Africa are environmentally suitable for B. pseudomallei. Twenty-four African countries and three countries in the Middle East were predicted to be endemic, but no cases of melioidosis have been reported yet. In this study, we summarize the present fragmentary knowledge on human and animal melioidosis and environmental B. pseudomallei in Africa and the Middle East. We propose that systematic serological studies in man and animals together with environmental investigations on potential B. pseudomallei habitats are needed to identify risk areas for melioidosis. This information can subsequently be used to target raising clinical awareness and the implementation of simple laboratory algorithms for the isolation of B. pseudomallei from clinical specimens. B. pseudomallei was most likely transferred from Asia to the Americas via Africa, which is shown by phylogenetic analyses. More data on the virulence and genomic characteristics of African B. pseudomallei isolates will contribute to a better understanding of the global evolution of the pathogen and will also help to assess potential differences in disease prevalence and outcome.
Salt (NaCl) tolerance of 3 eucalypt species (Eucalyptus alba Reinw. ex Bl., E. camaldulensis Dehnh and E. microtheca f.v. Muell.) was studied: three-month-old seedlings grown in a greenhouse were watered by a saline solution (up to 700 mM) for 1 month. Mineral, water and sugar contents were highly affected by the saline stress. Sodium, K and Ca were accumulated in the leaves. No significant differences were found between E. camaldulensis and E. microtheca, the tolerant species, in water and mineral contents. Sugar contents were greater in E. microtheca. In E. microtheca Na was highly accumulated in roots [up to 910 μmol (g fresh weight)−1], less in stems [up to 580 μmol (g fresh weight)-1] and leaves [up to 410 μmol (g fresh weight)−r]. Chloride was also accumulated, its content was greater than the total content of Na and K, especially in the salt-tolerant provenance. Potassium and Ca contents were variously affected by the saline stress whereas soluble protein, amino acid and sugar contents were increased. Just after the saline stress, plants showed a large increase in the Na content of the leaf while the decrease in the K content of the stem and leaf continued. Plants were killed by the stress, probably because of too high accumulation of Na in leaves or roots according to the provenance. Osmoregulation and especially the participation of Na are discussed.
The space—time diaries for more than 1500 respondents in Halifax, Canada are used to generate census-like data for spatial units at six different times during the day. A space—time factorial ecology reveals distinctive diurnal patterns in the city's social geography. Aside from illustrating temporal variations in traditional factors, such as status and family orientation, additional factors relating to activity patterns and their social settings are identified.
e14548 Background: IMRT has clear dosimetric advantages in the sparing of normal tissues when compared to the more conventional 3DCRT technique for the treatment of esophageal cancer, but there is currently no clinical outcomes evidence to support the use of IMRT. We hypothesized that the theoretical advantages of IMRT should translate to clinical outcomes benefits compared to 3DCRT. Methods: We analyzed a cohort of 676 patients (3DCRT=413, IMRT=263) treated with chemoradiation with or without surgery between 1998-2008. To correct for potential bias inherent in observational studies, we employed inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPW) methods based on propensity scores. Treatment probabilities (propensity scores) were estimated using logistic regression. Results: IMRT patients were less likely to receive induction chemotherapy and had poorer performance status. A fitted multivariate IPW-adjusted Cox model showed that overall survival was significantly associated with age, KPS, having surgery, tumo...
Construction of digital power plant is the key measures to achieve high efficiency,energy conservation,emission reduction and improvement of competition power of power generation enterprises.Aiming at construction of digital power plant,the paper expounds background,significance and hierarchical structure model of digital power plant;it introduces key technologies: status quo and research of decentralized control technology,field bus control technology and plant-level monitoring information system,management information system and power plant simulation system.It finally points out that digital power plant is the orientation of future development of electric power enterprises.
Every country is currently preparing themselves for the fourth industrial revolution, the environment where innovation is the key concept for survival. Most of the countries have developed framework for their e-government development. Unfortunately, most of these frameworks do not contain adequate details on what are the activities required if big data will be used as a backbone of all services. This research focuses on proposing a conceptual framework for development of e-government in Thailand. The proposed framework explicitly contains all important activities to be completed if big data will serve as the core component of all services for their citizens.
Developing schemes for efficient and broad-band frequency conversion of quantum signals is an ongoing challenge in the field of modern quantum information. Especially the coherent conversion between microwave and optical signals is an important milestone towards long-distance quantum communication. In this work, we propose a two-stage conversion protocol, employing a resonant interaction between magnetic and mechanical excitations as a mediator between microwave and optical photons. Based on estimates for the coupling strengths under optimized conditions for yttrium iron garnet, we predict close to unity conversion efficiency without the requirement of matching cooperativities. We predict a conversion bandwidth in the regions of largest efficiency on the order of magnitude of the coupling strengths which can be further increased at the expense of reduced conversion efficiency.
This paper examines the twin German institutions of the Kur (spa), and the ‘lay’ licensed healing practitioner or Heilpraktiker. Through an ethnography of a Heilpraktiker and his Ayurvedic spa in a small catholic village in Germany, where patients arrive in person or as body parts by post, it examines the poly-therapeutics of the practitioner, who seems to combine in his being a dizzy array of diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities. It argues that the while the Ayurvedic spa can be seen as a kind of variation of the traditional German Kur, the Heilpraktiker's poly-therapy has to draw upon the special nature of the practice of medicine in Germany, symbolised in part by the very figure of the Heilpraktiker. It attempts to show that the practitioner's panoply of therapies is partly a symptom of an epistemic impasse at the heart of biomedicine, leading patients on an itinerant quest toward different therapeutic locales, such as the Kur, or to different therapeutic possibilities, such as the ones offered by the Heilpraktiker. But while the Kur and the Heilpraktiker would be either fringe or alternative in the Anglo-American world, in Germany the Kur is part of orthodox medicine, and the Heilpraktiker is a legal entity; and the two together re-draw and make fuzzy what elsewhere seem to be clearly drawn boundaries between medicine and the spa, between pleasure and therapy, and medicine and alternative medicine.
SIR,-Local experience may be of some relevance to the correspondence about bacterial contamination of home nebulisers (30 October, p 812; 14 November, p 1281). Atomiser units of five "cool mist tents" on a paediatric ward were contaminated with an oxidase positive, Gram negative organism producing yellow colonies on the blood agar after 48 hours' incubation. Decontamination of the machines with an autoclave with a pasteurisation cycle was soon followed by recontamination by the organism, which was identified as Pseudomonas paucimobilis. Staff had been instructed to use only sterile water when filling the atomiser reservoirs and to store the machines in a dry state. Questioning revealed the practice of "washing out" the units with tap water before dry storage. Bacterial examination of the ward taps revealed heavy colonisation by P paucimobilis. The persistence of contamination despite prolonged dry storage was explained by laboratory studies in which dried smears made from thick suspensions of P paucimobilis showed viability for up to 50 days at room temperature. During the period of study there were no clinical isolates of P paucimobilis from patients, though evidence of pathogenic potential exists.2 3 This experience prompts me to caution against advising patients to use unboiled tap water when "washing" nebulisers and to note that although desirable, dry storage of such equipment is not always an infallible means of preventing contamination. B A S DALE
Abstract Objective To identify factors associated with the presence and severity of food insecurity among a sample of Honduran caregivers of young children. Design Cross-sectional study in which the dependent variable, household food insecurity, was measured using a fourteen-item questionnaire developed and validated in a population of similar cultural context. A predictive modelling strategy used backwards elimination in logistic regression and multinomial logit regression models to compute odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals for food insecurity. Setting Rural Honduras in the department of Intibucá, between March and April 2009. Subjects Two-hundred and ninety-eight Honduran caregivers of children aged 6–18 months. Results Ninety-three per cent of households were classified as having some degree of food insecurity (mild, moderate or severe). After controlling for caregiver age and marital status, compared with caregivers with more than primary-school education, those with less than primary-school education had 3·47 (95 % CI 1·34, 8·99) times the odds of severe food insecurity and 2·29 (95 % CI 1·00, 5·25) times the odds of moderate food insecurity. Our results also found that child anthropometric status was not associated with the presence or severity of food insecurity. Conclusions These results show that among the sociodemographic factors assessed, food insecurity in rural Honduras is associated with maternal education. Understanding key factors associated with food insecurity that are unique to Honduras can inform the design of interventions to effectively mitigate the negative impact of food insecurity on children.
A specific and sensitive "sandwich"-type enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for quantifying human apo A-IV. Using apo A-IV immunosorbent columns, we isolated monospecific anti-apo A-IV antibodies for coating the ELISA plates and for preparing peroxidase-antibody conjugate. The assay can detect as little as 0.20 ng of apo A-IV, with mean intra- and interassay CVs of 3.6% and 8.2%, respectively. The apoA-IV concentrations in normolipemic and hyperlipemic plasma were unaffected by either delipidation or treatment with detergents or urea. To validate the ELISA assay we compared it with an immunoelectrophoretic technique. ApoA-IV concentrations in plasma from normo- and dyslipemic subjects compared well by the two assays (r = 0.89). The mean apo A-IV concentration, measured by ELISA in plasma from 50 normolipemic subjects, was 143 (SD 52) mg/L; values for dyslipemic subjects were not significantly different. We also used this new assay to monitor apo A-IV profiles of normolipemic and hypertriglyceridemic plasma after chromatographic fractionation.
Undernutrition during critical or sensitive prenatal periods may ‘program’ the fetus for increased chronic disease and mortality in later life. Using birth cohorts that were or were not exposed to severe food shortage in Utah in the mid-19th century, this study examines how in utero exposure to undernutrition is associated with mortality after age 50. The Utah Population Database is used to identify 1392 prenatally exposed individuals and 29,022 individuals from subsequent, unexposed birth cohorts. Gompertz hazards with parametric frailty show that males born between April and June of the famine period (and hence exposed during critical periods in utero during the winter months) have higher mortality risks compared with post-famine cohorts. Alternative Cox non-proportional hazard models suggest that females born during the same period have higher initial mortality risks (starting at age 50) that decline over time creating a mortality crossover with unexposed women at approximately age 70, a result not found for men. An ancillary sibling analysis that uses shared frailty survival models to compare individuals with prenatal exposure to undernutrition to their younger (post-famine) same-sex siblings finds no significant differences in adult mortality for males but the pattern for females support the findings from the previous analysis. Although findings are sensitive to model choice, this study presents evidence that is consistent with an association between undernutrition in utero and adult mortality, shows that effects may be sensitive to the duration and gestational period of exposure, and illustrates the differential exposure effects between genders.
Abstract.   Birds that nest along reservoir or river shorelines may face fluctuating water levels that threaten nest survival. On Lake Sakakawea of the upper Missouri River, 37 and 70% of Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) nests found in 2007 and 2008, respectively, were initiated at elevations inundated prior to projected hatch date. We describe eight events at seven nests in which adult Piping Plovers appeared to have moved active nests threatened by rising water or gathered eggs apparently displaced by rising water on Lake Sakakawea and the Garrison reach of the upper Missouri River. Additionally, we describe one nest that was moved after the habitat at the nest site had been disturbed by domestic cattle. Our observations and evidence indicate that adult Piping Plovers are capable of moving eggs and establishing nests at new sites during incubation. Furthermore, our results suggest that Piping Plovers evaluate their reproductive investment under potential threat of nest loss and may be capable of acting prospectively (moving nests prior to inundation) and reactively (regathering eggs after inundation) to avoid nest failure.
In the last few years, SDN and NFV have been introduced with the potential to change the ossified Internet paradigm, with the final goal of creating a more agile and flexible network, at the same time reducing both CAPEX and OPEX costs. For this reason, a lot of research efforts have been devoted to optimize the implementation of these technologies, also inheriting experience from data center management. However, orchestration and management of SDN/NFV nodes present new challenges with respect to data center management, mainly due to the telecommunications context where NFV resides. With this in mind, the target of this paper is to define a management model for NFV customers and service providers, a green policy of the customer premises equipment (CPE) nodes, and an analytical model to support their design. The model is then applied to a case study to demonstrate how it can be used to optimize system performance and choose the most important parameters characterizing the design of a CPE node.
The Hopf algebra structure of the ring of symmetric functions is used to prove a new identity for the internal product, i.e., the operation corresponding to the tensor product of symmetric group representations. From this identity, or by similar techniques which can also involve the λ-ring structure, we derive easy proofs of most known results about this operation. Some of these results are generalized.
Reduced niobates, MLixCa2Nb3O10 (M = Rb, K and Na) and KNaxCa2Nb3O10 were synthesized by intercalation reaction with n-butyllithium or sodium azide. Ruddlesden-Popper type structure of sodium intercalation compound, KNaCa2Nb3O10, differ from that of the parent compound and lithium intercalation compound, KLiCa2Nb3O10. The magnetic susceptibility measurements showed that the sodium intercalation compound became superconductor with transition temperatures below 3.5 K. New lithium intercalation compound Na0.1Li0.8Ca2.45Nb3O10, for an ion exchange compound, Na0.1Ca2.45Nb3O10, with KCa2Nb3O10 type structure show the diamagnetic signals below 5 K.
BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate predictors of change in pure-tone hearing thresholds in older adults.   METHODS Data were drawn from a pooled sample from the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project (N = 4,221, mean age = 73.6, range: 50-103 years). Pure-tone hearing thresholds were tested for frequencies between 0.5 and 8 kHz, on up to four occasions over a period of 11 years. Linear mixed models tested for predictors of change in hearing.   RESULTS Hearing loss for high-range frequencies preceded decline in low-range frequencies. Men had higher baseline hearing thresholds, but women experienced faster rates of decline in hearing for mid- to high-range frequencies. The estimated rate of change for a 75-year-old adult was 0.91 decibel hearing level (dB HL) per year for pure-tone thresholds averaged over frequencies ranging between 0.5 and 4 kHz in the better ear. Baseline age (β = 0.03, p < .01), hypertension (β = 0.15, p < .01), and probable cognitive impairment (β = 0.40, p = .01) were independent predictors of annual rate of change in hearing thresholds. Incidence of probable cognitive impairment was also associated with higher hearing thresholds. Other known correlates for prevalence of hearing impairment, including low education, noise damage, diabetes, and history of stroke were independently associated with baseline levels of hearing but were not predictive of change in hearing thresholds.   CONCLUSIONS Faster rates of decline in hearing are predicted by probable cognitive impairment and hypertension.
Resistance to systemic therapy is a major problem in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) that can be explained by initial tumor heterogeneity as well as by evolutionary changes during therapy and tumor progression. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) detected in a liquid biopsy can be sampled and characterized repeatedly during therapy in order to monitor treatment response and disease progression. Our aim was to investigate how CTC derived gene expression of treatment predictive markers (ESR1/HER2) and other cancer associated markers changed in patient blood samples during six months of first-line systemic treatment for MBC. CTCs from 36 patients were enriched using CellSearch (Janssen Diagnostics) and AdnaTest (QIAGEN) before gene expression analysis was performed with a customized gene panel (TATAA Biocenter). Our results show that antibodies against HER2 and EGFR were valuable to isolate CTCs unidentified by CellSearch and possibly lacking EpCAM expression. Evaluation of patients with clinically different breast cancer subgroups demonstrated that gene expression of treatment predictive markers changed over time. This change was especially prominent for HER2 expression. In conclusion, we found that changed gene expression during first-line systemic therapy for MBC could be a possible explanation for treatment resistance. Characterization of CTCs at several time-points during therapy could be informative for treatment selection.
This article concerns the attitudes of local community members in Iran toward the tourists with whom they interact. Reference is made to prevailing conditions within Iran generally and particularly in the tourism industry. The results of a questionnaire survey conducted in two settlements that are popular with tourists are presented. Participants responded to a series of attitude statements about tourists and the researchers tested the effects of various sociodemographic characteristics, including professed degree of religious devotion. The findings suggest favorable views about visitors and tourism development overall, although different groupings expressed preferences for particular tourist types. Implications of the results for academics, industry practitioners, and policymakers are also discussed.
Testing for simultaneous vicariance across comparative phylogeographic data sets is a notoriously difficult problem hindered by mutational variance, the coalescent variance, and variability across pairs of sister taxa in parameters that affect genetic divergence. We simulate vicariance to characterize the behaviour of several commonly used summary statistics across a range of divergence times, and to characterize this behaviour in comparative phylogeographic datasets having multiple taxon‐pairs. We found Tajima's D to be relatively uncorrelated with other summary statistics across divergence times, and using simple hypothesis testing of simultaneous vicariance given variable population sizes, we counter‐intuitively found that the variance across taxon pairs in Nei and Li's net nucleotide divergence (πnet), a common measure of population divergence, is often inferior to using the variance in Tajima's D across taxon pairs as a test statistic to distinguish ancient simultaneous vicariance from variable vicariance histories. The opposite and more intuitive pattern is found for testing more recent simultaneous vicariance, and overall we found that depending on the timing of vicariance, one of these two test statistics can achieve high statistical power for rejecting simultaneous vicariance, given a reasonable number of intron loci (> 5 loci, 400 bp) and a range of conditions. These results suggest that components of these two composite summary statistics should be used in future simulation‐based methods which can simultaneously use a pool of summary statistics to test comparative the phylogeographic hypotheses we consider here.
The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program is one of the most important initiatives in translational medical funding. The quantitative evaluation of the efficiency and performance of the CTSA program has a significant referential meaning for the decision making of global translational medical funding. Using science mapping and scientometric analytic tools, this study quantitatively analyzed the scientific articles funded by the CTSA program. The results of the study showed that the quantitative productivities of the CTSA program had a stable increase since 2008. In addition, the emerging trends of the research funded by the CTSA program covered clinical and basic medical research fields. The academic benefits from the CTSA program were assisting its members to build a robust academic home for the Clinical and Translational Science and to attract other financial support. This study provided a quantitative evaluation of the CTSA program based on science mapping and scientometric analysis. Further research is required to compare and optimize other quantitative methods and to integrate various research results.
A paradigm shift occurs when we encounter anomalies that cannot be explained by an existing paradigm, and the change of Linguistic paradigm shift is accompanied by the change of belief system related with it. Structuralism and Generativism can be lumped into one paradigm, based on that both of them have been sustained by the assumption that language and mind have machine-like structures and systems of interconnected separated modules. The paradigm of established modern morphological theory is characterized by MACHINE metaphor, and assumes that every word has the structure of fixed Immediate Constituents and that every morphological categories have clear boundaries. This paper argues that we need to replace the MACHINE paradigm with a new one that emphasizes continuos links between language, cognition, and body. According to Kuhn, there are anomalies for all paradigms that are brushed away as acceptable levels of error, or simply ignored and not dealt with. This paper will focus on some fundamental anomalies in the morphological descriptions of School Grammar that have been ignored or not dealt with in the MACHINE paradigm of School Grammar, but can be detected from the view of Cognitive Linguistics, and illustrate how the alternative models of a new paradigm can be used to solve these old problems.
Halotag which is an artificially developed HaloalkaneDehalogenase can form ester bonds with a chloro-alkane functionalized surface was used with thiol chemistry to achieve this goal. For the covalent attachment of proteins to surface, the procedure of using a Halotag is becoming popular. As an example we can look at the successful use of fusion proteins and terminal Halotag to label live cells and purify proteins with increased purity and high yield. Another example is the use of Halotag in single molecule force spectroscopy to immobilize poly Filamin to beads through DNA spacers and poly 127 polyprotein to mica surfaces [2].
In order to test how emotions affect individual neutral facial expressions and the reliability of humans to read these expressions, we photographed faces of 25 women wearing clothes in which they felt attractive, unattractive, or comfortable while expressing an emotionally neutral face. Men found the faces of women in attractive clothes the most attractive, whereas the faces of women in comfortable and unattractive clothes were ranked as intermediate and least attractive, respectively, even though the clothes were not visible in the photographs. Our results demonstrate that despite very subtle effects, the emotional state of women is perceived by men and that the two sexes are concordant on the signal sent and received. We show a close connection between exterior attributes, confidence, and how a person is perceived by others.
The formation of an unknown superstructure with a 2a × 2a (where a is the lattice constant of the normal phase of 1T-TiSe2) long period in multilayer 1T-TiSe2 with a thickness of approximately 200 nm is induced at 296 K by electron beam irradiation during transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Since this superstructure remains unchanged even at 673 K, its formation mechanism cannot be explained by the known charge density wave phase transition of 1T-TiSe2. Electron energy loss and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy indicate that the formation of the superstructure also cannot be attributed to chemical reaction with the ambient atmosphere. Based on scanning TEM, the superstructure is considered to be formed by the periodic distortion of the Ti atomic position in multilayer 1T-TiSe2 due to the electron beam irradiation.
The Great Valley basin of California (USA) is an archetypal forearc basin, yet the timing, structural style, and location of basin development remain controversial. Eighteen of 20 detrital zircon samples (3711 new U-Pb ages) from basal strata of the Great Valley forearc basin contain Cretaceous grains, with nine samples yielding statistically robust Cretaceous maximum depositional ages (MDAs), two with MDAs that overlap the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary, suggesting earliest Cretaceous deposition, and nine with Jurassic MDAs consistent with latest Jurassic deposition. In addition, the pre-Mesozoic age populations of our samples are consistent with central North America sources and do not require a southern provenance. We interpret that diachronous initiation of sedimentation reflects the growth of isolated depocenters, consistent with an extensional model for the early stages of forearc basin development.
Llama derived single domain antibodies (sdAb), the recombinantly expressed variable heavy domains from the unique heavy-chain only antibodies of camelids, were isolated from a library derived from llamas immunized with a commercial abrin toxoid preparation. Abrin is a potent toxin similar to ricin in structure, sequence and mechanism of action. The selected sdAb were evaluated for their ability to bind to commercial abrin as well as abrax (a recombinant abrin A-chain), purified abrin fractions, Abrus agglutinin (a protein related to abrin but with lower toxicity), ricin, and unrelated proteins. Isolated sdAb were also evaluated for their ability to refold after heat denaturation and ability to be used in sandwich assays as both capture and reporter elements. The best binders were specific for the Abrus agglutinin, showing minimal binding to purified abrin fractions or unrelated proteins. These binders had sub nM affinities and regained most of their secondary structure after heating to 95 °C. They functioned well in sandwich assays. Through gel analysis and the behavior of anti-abrin monoclonal antibodies, we determined that the commercial toxoid preparation used for the original immunizations contained a high percentage of Abrus agglutinin, explaining the selection of Abrus agglutinin binders. Used in conjunction with anti-abrin monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, these reagents can fill a role to discriminate between the highly toxic abrin and the related, but much less toxic, Abrus agglutinin and distinguish between different crude preparations.
Persistent crude petroleum-water emulsions are produced in the recovery and extraction of heavier oils, for example, in the hot water processing of surface mined oil sands and during in-situ methods such as steam- or water-flooding. Over the past few years, much attention has been directed to the oil agglomeration method as a means of recovering and upgrading fine coal in water suspensions. The work reported here concerns the use of crude petroleum from produced emulsions in the coal agglomeration process. Two problems are adddressed in this way. Not only is oil recovered and emulsions broken in the case of the produced emulsions, but the coal is also benificiated through the rejection of water and inorganic impurities because of the selectivity of the agglomeration technique. Laboratory-scale experiments are reported using three different samples of produced emulsion from western Canada and a fine coal from waste tailings of a coal preparation plant. Results of the experiments are considered from the poi...
Background Instructional priority misalignment—the difference between how much time teachers would ideally spend on certain subjects/skills compared with how much time teachers actually spend on certain subjects/skills—is a novel measure addressing aspects of teacher autonomy that could have implications for job satisfaction. This misalignment may be particularly salient for kindergarten teachers, who have experienced recent shifts in instructional priorities as standards-based academic learning has been increasingly integrated into the classrooms of our youngest students. Thus, misalignment in teachers’ instructional priorities regarding Common Core academic topics (math, English) and socio-emotional learning skills may be especially important for kindergarten teachers’ job satisfaction. Research Questions (a) To what extent do teachers experience misalignment between their ideal and actualized instructional priorities in Common Core and socio-emotional domains? (b) Is misalignment in Common Core and socio-emotional domains related to teacher job satisfaction? (c) Which perceptions of the teaching profession contribute to job satisfaction for kindergarten teachers who report high misalignment but high job satisfaction? (d) How do their responses compare with the responses of teachers who report high misalignment but low job satisfaction? Setting and Participants A total of 911 kindergarten teachers (99% female, 83% Caucasian) from the state of Arizona participated in the study. At the time of data collection, Arizona had adapted the Common Core standards for math and literacy but had not implemented socio-emotional standards for kindergarten. Research Design Participants completed a survey in which they reported on their ideal and actual instructional priorities, their job satisfaction, and why they felt satisfied or unsatisfied with the profession. Data Collection and Analysis We used mixed methodology with concurrent data collection but sequential data analysis to answer our research questions. Findings/Results In the quantitative phase (Phase 1), we found that teachers experienced significant misalignment between their ideal and actual instructional priorities regarding socio-emotional development priorities, but not regarding Common Core academics. Additionally, a logistic regression demonstrated that for both domains of instruction, misalignment negatively predicted job satisfaction. Qualitatively, highly misaligned teachers who reported higher job satisfaction levels more often described psychological well-being, positive student characteristics, and the ability to tend to the needs of their family and friends as reasons for their job satisfaction than highly misaligned teachers with lower job satisfaction. Conclusions The present study has implications for teacher training, recruitment, and professional development aimed at supporting job satisfaction in kindergarten teachers.
The PSIG procedure is a new approach to Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI), which is implemented in the in-house PSI chain of the Geomatics Division of the CTTC. The PSIG procedure has been successfully tested over urban, rural and vegetated areas using X-band SAR data. This paper briefly describes the main steps of the procedure, mainly focusing on the two key processing steps of the approach. The first one is a selection of Persistent Scatterers (PS) consisting in a candidate Cousin PS (CPS) selection based on a phase similitude criteria that allows a correct phase unwrapping and a phase unwrapping consistency check. The second key element is a 2+1D phase unwrapping algorithm, which consists in a 2D phase unwrapping followed by a 1D phase unwrapping that allows the detection and correction of unwrapping errors. The results of the CPS selection and the 2+1D phase unwrapping obtained using a stack of 28 TerraSAR-X StripMap images over the metropolitan area of Barcelona are shown.
One of the biggest disadvantages of large scale wireless sensor networks lies on the complexity of logistics involving selective replacement of sensors that have ran out of energy. Fortunately, efficient power management schemes provide some relief as they are designed to extend network's lifetime and thus reduce the need of external intervention. In this paper, three centralized and one distributed efficient coverage algorithms are proposed to obtain an improved monitoring quality over time. Simulation results evidence a moderate yet encouraging performance of the distributed scheme and an excellent behavior of the centralized ones
Electrical trauma in the US is the fifth leading cause of death on the job [2]; during 1992–1998, data show 2,268 fatal electrical injuries [13]. In the same period, 32,309 non-fatal lost time electrical injuries were recorded by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics [9]. The complexity in patients’ clinical presentation reflects the fundamental nature of electrical injury events: these are typically high speed, multi hazard incidents [10– 12]. The clinical spectrum of electrical injury ranges from the absence of any external physical signs to severe multiple trauma requiring extensive surgical care [4,8]. Peripheral nerve disorders as described by Wilbourn [16] can complicate rehabilitation, in addition to traumatic sequella. Research suggests electrical trauma survival can be associated with significant functional impairment. In their landmark retrospective study of employees of a national electrical energy company, Gourbiere et al. reviewed the electrical trauma survival experience during 1970–1989 for a workforce between 100,000–120,000. Electrical burns affected 2080 workers. Of these, 515 patients or 25% were noted to have post-injury complications, including: 63% burn related, with amputations in 5%; 18% neuropsychiatric; 12% sensory; 5% orthopedic; and 1% cardiovascular. Sense organ disorders included vision related changes due to conjunctivitis, keratitis, and cataracts; auditory sequella, with conductive or sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo; and anosmia. In 59 of the 515 patients, disability was considered serious, with impairment rating from 31–100% [7]. Return to work success of electrical trauma patients is variable, as suggested in the report by Pliskin et al. [14]. In this series study, all patients had peripheral electrical contacts, with no evidence on history or examination of direct mechanical electrical contact with the head. (Facial injuries from electrical arc flash burns were not a basis for excluding a patient for this series study. However, two patients were excluded: one patient was excluded based on his report of repeated stray voltage exposure which could not be verified. A second patient was excluded because of a high suspicion of malingering.) A total 45 males and 8 females were included in the final analysis. These individuals had a mean age of 38.5 years (+ 11.0; 22 to 70) and a mean educational level of 13.1 years (+1.9; 8–18). Twentyone of the 53 patients were injured by voltage sources less than 1000 V (39.6%) and 27 patients sustained voltage exposures greater than 1000 V (50.9%). Fortyfour patients were hospitalized for observation or to receive initial treatment for their injuries (83.0%), while 9 patients were released after initial evaluation. Twenty patients underwent surgery for their injuries (37.7%), 32 patients received either non-surgical treatment or no treatment, and the treatment history for 1 patient was unknown. Sixteen of the 53 patients sustained a loss of consciousness as a result of their electrical accident (30.2%) and 4 patients experienced cardiac arrest (7.5%). Twenty of the 53 patients were employed as electricians or line operators at the time of injury.
To facilitate the processing of data pertaining to defects and faults in the power grid regulation system, as well as knowledge graph-based support to help regulators in their decision-making, a knowledge graph construction method employing a fuzzy matching algorithm has been devised, the outcomes are presented in the form of a visual knowledge graph. Initially, a fuzzy matching algorithm is devised to to match the defect with the defect-fault database. Subsequently, the Neo4j database is utilized to construct a knowledge graph that provides guidance on fault locations. Lastly, by conducting a case analysis of the data extracted from a specific region's distribution network, experimental results demonstrate the method's capability to accurately match target data. Moreover, the visual knowledge graph constructed has proven effective in enhancing regulators' decision-making efficiency.
This article introduces the creation of a new research center focused on the study of information and religion. The Center, located at Kent State University, provides a new opportunity for scholars in the field of library and information science to collaborate with researchers in other disciplines in the exploration of many potential intersections of information and religion. The Center founders have already begun to present and publish in this area. Planned symposia and an annual conference add to the exposure of interested parties to ongoing studies in this field.
Abstract An Electricity Distribution Management System (EDMS) faces one major challenge, to increase the speed of carrying out all types of switching operations on the network interactively and on a number of circuits simultaneously by one or more control engineers. Depending on the size of the circuit, some switching operations may take several minutes, which is totally unacceptable. This paper presents an investigation into how response time can be increased through the development of optimal Electricity network traversing techniques and through the development of appropriate data structures. This paper presents a comparison of the efficiency of these techniques and data structures and identifies the most efficient of these techniques based on experimentation on real data of significant size. We believe that this analysis and the results may benefit some companies involved in the struggle for such optimisation and efficiency.
MRP4 is unique among the C family of ATP-binding cassette transporters for its role in translocating prostanoids, an important group of signaling molecules derived from unsaturated fatty acids. Using a reconstituted system, we report that a pair of prostaglandins (PGs) and the sulfonated-sterol DHEA-S preferentially enhance the ATPase activity of MRP4 over other previously proposed physiological substrates such as cyclic nucleotides or leukotrienes. We determined the cryo-EM structures of nanodisc embedded bovine MRP4 in (i) a nucleotide- and substrate-free state, (ii) in complex with PGE1, (iii) PGE2, and (iv) DHEA-S, and (v) a catalytically dead mutant E1202Q bound to ATP-Mg2+. The substrate-bound structures suggest unique features of the MRP4 binding site that distinguish its specificity for prostanoids from that of the related leukotriene transporter MRP1. The ATP-bound structure is in an outward-occluded conformation, revealing a novel state in the proposed alternate-access mechanism of MRP transport. Our study provides insights into the endogenous function of this versatile efflux transporter.
The author paid attention to the medieval part of Bielsko-Biala City, which for decades had been practically neglected and abandoned. The constantly growing problems of technical, economic and social degradation of this area were analysed. In the mid-1990s attempts were made to regenerate the city historic core and to restore its proper position and rank, which it should occupy in the minds of locals and tourists. Presenter in the paper are infrastructural, social and economic changes, which took place within this area as a result of the revitalisation process. The objectives of this process have been highlighted, as well as the renovation of buildings. Social problems affecting the residents have been indicated and completed projects improving their situation have also been discussed. The changes of the service function occurring thanks to the process of revitalisation have been described. The growth of the number of service units showed a positive effect of the regeneration, improving the economic situation of the discussed area. The pace of changes is intense. Every year the number of economic entities increases and most of them are located in the buildings and quarters subjected to renovation. Nevertheless, part of this activity is observed out of Bielsko’s Old Town, being replaced by the catering and entertainment services.
The concept of presence has generated much discussion over the past few years. There is a consensus that presence exists and that it can be experienced as a reaction to environmental stimuli. However, less has been written on the psychological mechanisms of engaging in presence. We argue that presence is closely linked to empathy and that strong empathic tendencies will lead to high levels of experienced presence. In this study we investigate the relationship between presence, empathy, and gender. A 2×2 experimental design was administered to participants who interacted with a flight simulator. Our results indicate that men and women engage in presence in different ways. Men appear to engage in presence via the interaction afforded by the virtual environment, whereas women appear to engage in presence via watching the environment. Both men and women appear to use empathic ability as a means of engaging in presence. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
The RNA polymerase of Methanococcus vannielii, in binary complex with two stable RNA operons, protects from exonuclease digestion the region from 32 bp upstream (-32) to 18 bp downstream (+18) of the transcription start site. Contained within this binding region, centered at -25, is an AT-rich sequence which is highly conserved upstream of 26 other archaebacterial tRNA and rRNA genes. We therefore propose the sequence TTTATAATA as a common element of promoters for stable RNA genes in archaebacteria. Both the similarity in sequence and the location of this conserved octanucleotide suggest homology to the eukaryotic TATA box preceding protein encoding genes transcribed by RNA polymerase B.
Bacterial species for metabolizing dye molecules were isolated from textile wastewater. The best microbial species for such an application was selected amongst the isolated bacterial populations by conducting methylene blue (MB) batch degradation studies with the bacterial strains. The most suitable bacterial species was Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Process parameters were optimized using Full Factorial Design (FFD) and under the optimum conditions (pH of 5, temperature of 35 °C, 150 ppm, and time of 8 h). Response Surface Methodology (RSM) modeling technique was applied to model the process and their performance and predictive capabilities of the response (removal efficiency) was also examined. When tested with 20 ppm dye using batch reactors, the maximum COD and color removal efficiencies, were found to be 88% and 98%, respectively. Our results showed that Staphylococcus aureus had a high decolorization capacity. UV-Visible and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis confirmed the biodegradation of MB. Using phytotoxicity and mutagenicity endpoints, toxicological studies of MB before and after biodegradation were studied. Toxicity assay signaled that biodegradation led to the detoxiﬁcation of MB dye.
The characteristics of V-defects in quaternary AlInGaN epilayers and their correlation with fluctuations of the In distribution are investigated. The geometric size of the V-defects is found to depend on the In composition of the alloy. The V-defects are nucleated within the AlInGaN layer and associated with threading dislocations. Line scan cathodoluminescence (CL) shows a redshift of the emission peak and an increase of the half width of the CL spectra as the electron beam approaches the apex of the V-defect. The total redshift decreases with decreasing In mole fraction in the alloy samples. Although the strain reduction may partially contribute to the CL redshift, indium segregation is suggested to be responsible for the V-defect formation and has a main influence on the respective optical properties. (C) 2004 American Institute Of Physics.
This study investigated the impact of encouraging e-mails on self-efficacy, adherence, and step-count in a 10-week walking program. Using a 3 × 3 mixed design, participants randomly received task-involving/caring (n = 37), ego-involving (n = 35), or neutral (n = 34) e-mails and completed pre-/mid-/post surveys. Exercise self-efficacy increased over time, regardless of e-mail content. More of the task/care group adhered (63%) than ego (41%) or neutral groups (50%). The task/care group members who adhered reported significantly more daily-steps than ego or neutral groups. Results suggest that the theoretical framework used to guide encouragement in walking programs may impact participants’ adherence and steps.
Screening of effective food-processing cellulase for digestion of cell walls of coffee beans was carried out, and the cellulase from Trichoderma sp. was selected. The digestion of the cell walls of green and roasted coffee beans was carried out by sequential procedures of alkali boiling (0.1 M Na2CO3 buffer, pH 10, and 0.1 M NaOH), cellulase digestion, autoclaving with 0.1 M NaOH, and cellulase redigestion. The total digestion yields were >95 and >96%, respectively. The cell walls became thin, and the final residues of the cell walls were easily broken into small pieces. The neutral sugar analysis of the digestion or the extract and the residues and the microscopy observations with staining with toluidine blue O, Yariv reagent, and calcofluor for the residue in each step were investigated. Four structures, the galactomannan-cellulose (center part), the membrane of the arabinogalactan protein, the cellulose-rich galactomannan layer, and the arabinogalactan protein-rich layers (outer part), were found in the cell walls.
Smart tourism is a supporting system of an individual tourism in the terms of a comprehensive and integrated information and technology service. An educational tourist destination such as a museum is expected to present an informative and interactive atmosphere. Vredeburg Fort Museum as one of the tourist destinations in Yogyakarta begins to lose its visitors. The lack of interest of public towards the museum and the assumption that the museum is an ancient, less well maintained, and boring place become main obstacles in attracting tourists. This research aims to find the important factors becoming the preferences of tourists to visit the Vredeburg Museum in Yogyakarta. The research method used is the Principal Component Analysis. The analysis shows there are four main factors with eigenvalue more than 1, i.e. the first factor of 8,623, the second factor of 1,920, the third factor of 1,175, and the fourth factor of 1.082. Those four factors are the result of the grouping of 20 preference determinant variables.
We hypothesized that a functional APOL1-miR193a axis (inverse relationship) preserves, but disruption alters the podocyte molecular phenotype through the modulation of autophagy flux. Podocytes-expressing APOL1G0 (G0-podocytes) showed down-regulation but podocytes-expressing APOL1G1 (G1-podocytes) and APOL1G2 (G2-podocytes) displayed enhanced miR193a expression. G0-, G1-, and G2-podocytes showed enhanced expression of light chain (LC) 3-II and beclin-1, but a disparate expression of P62 (low in wild-type but high in risk alleles). G0-podocytes showed enhanced, however, G1 and G2 podocytes displayed decreased phosphorylation of Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase (ULK) 1 and class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3KC3). Podocytes-overexpressing miR193a (miR193a-podocytes), G1, and G2 showed decreased transcription of PIK3R3 (PI3KC3's regulatory unit). Since 3-Methyladenine (3-MA) enhanced miR193a expression but inhibited PIK3R3 transcription, it appears that 3-MA inhibits autophagy and induces podocyte de-differentiation via miR193a generation. miR193a-, G1-, and G2-podocytes also showed decreased phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) that could repress lysosome reformation. G1- and G2-podocytes showed an enhanced expression of run domain beclin-1-interacting and cysteine-rich domain containing protein (Rubicon), however, its silencing prevented their de-differentiation. Docking, protein-protein interaction, and immunoprecipitation studies with anti-autophagy related gene (ATG) 14L, anti-UV radiation resistance-associated gene (UVRAG), or Rubicon antibodies suggested the formation of ATG14L complex I and UVRAG complex II in G0- podocytes and the formation of Rubicon complex III in G1- and G2-podocytes. These findings suggest that the APOL1 risk alleles favor podocyte de-differentiation through blockade of multiple autophagy pathways.
An excellent review of the osseous form of Gaucher's disease may be found in the article by Ludwig Pick. 1 We are reporting this case of Gaucher's disease because of the extensive osseous changes and the unusual hematologic findings. REPORT OF CASE Sidney F., a Polish Jew, 26 years of age, was admitted for the last time to the Montefiore Hospital on Nov. 28, 1934. His parents and four brothers and sisters were living and well. History. —In 1921 he was incapacitated by intermittent pain, swelling and at times redness, commencing in the knee joints and soon involving the hips, shoulders, elbows and ankles. There was no fever. The arthritic pains were believed to be rheumatic. In 1922 a diagnostic puncture of the enlarged spleen showed the patient to be suffering from Gaucher's disease. During the next four years the articular pains recurred frequently and with increasing severity. Progressive enlargement
Abstract The lessons learned from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are numerous. Low dose radiotherapy (LDRT) was used in the pre-antibiotic era as treatment for bacterially/virally associated pneumonia. Motivated in part by these historic clinical and radiobiological data, LDRT for treatment of COVID-19-associated pneumonia was proposed in early 2020. Although there is a large body of epidemiological and experimental data pointing to effects such as cancer at low doses, there is some evidence of beneficial health effects at low doses. It has been hypothesized that low dose radiation could be combined with immune checkpoint therapy to treat cancer. We shall review here some of these old radiobiological and epidemiological data, as well as the newer data on low dose radiation and stimulated immune response and other relevant emerging data. The paper includes a summary of several oral presentations given in a Symposium on “Low dose RT for COVID and other inflammatory diseases” as part of the 67th Annual Meeting of the Radiation Research Society, held virtually 3-6 October 2021.
A 7-MONTH-OLD BOY with malnutrition and chronic diarrhea came to the emergency department with dehydration and metabolic acidosis. His medical history revealed that he had diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal distension for 11⁄2 months. His stool was defined as foul-smelling, greasy, and bulky. He was born from nonconsanguineous parents following an uneventfulpregnancy.Hehadbeenbreastfeduntilhewas3months old, at which time he began receiving formula, rice, and biscuits. Atphysical examination,hisweightwas5800g( 3rd percentile), his height was 68 cm ( 75th percentile), and his head circumference was 42 cm( 10th percentile). He was dehydrated and his abdomen was severely distended but there was no organomegaly. Results of laboratory investigations were compatible with metabolic acidosis and mild hypokalemia. A complete blood cell count showed hemoglobin to be 11.4 g/dL; hematocrit, 35.3%; mean corpuscular volume, 71.9 fL; white blood cell count, 9.2 10/μL (9.2 10/L); and platelets, 220 10/μL (220 10/L). A peripheral blood smear revealed 36% granulocytes,52%lymphocytes,10%monocytes,2%bands, andgeneralizedacanthocytosiswasnoticed, involvingmore than 80% of erythrocytes (Figure). From the Department of Pediatrics, Fatih University Medical School, Emek Ankara, Turkey. SPECIAL FEATURE
SummaryAdvances in the development of subunit vaccines and in the production of foreign proteins in plants together offer the prospect of stable and inexpensive vaccine delivery systems. Various bacterial and viral proteins stably produced in plants have been shown to elicit immune responses in feeding trials. We have extended this approach by using Zea mays as the plant production system. Corn has several advantages as a vaccine delivery vehicle, most notably established technologies to generate transgenic plants, to optimize traits through breeding and to process the seed into a palatable form. Here we report on the production in corn seed of the GM1 receptor binding (B) subunit of the heat-labile toxin (Lt) from enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli. Versions of the Lt-B gene were synthesized to give optimum codon usage for corn and to target the protein to either the cell surface or the cytoplasm. These synthetic genes were fused to a strong promoter and transformed into corn. Lt-B was highly expressed in corn seed at up to 1.8% of the total soluble protein and this was further increased approximately five-fold through plant breeding. As in E. coli. Lt-B produced in corn forms a functional pentamer that can bind to the GM1 receptor. Furthermore, Lt-B pentamer stored in corn seed is much more resistant to heat than is the pure protein, allowing the transgenic corn to be readily processed into an edible form. This work demonstrates the potential of using products derived from transgenic corn seed as delivery vehicles for subunit vaccines.
An optical inhibitory neural network with lateral interconnections between units is demonstrated. Separate device responses, inversely proportional and sigmoid, are utilized for inhibitory and excitatory units, respectively. Preliminary experimental results for an edge enhancement illustrate the versatility of the network. The inverted semilinear transfer function for a microchannel spatial light modulator combined with a polarizer produces the inhibitory signal optically without performing optical signal subtraction.
This paper describes a Test Program Set (TPS) Interface Device development process which will improve signal performance, lower cost, and enhance maintainability. Hardware is designed as modular components and can be tested prior to incorporation into an interface device. Automated software tools ensure accurate Unit Under Test (UUT) data entry and optimize the use of modular hardware. Once established, this development process produces quick turnaround pre-tested interface devices with high electrical and mechanical integrity.
Abstract. Face is one of the most important communicative tools in humans’ social interactions. As a person can recognize the other’s feeling from his facial expression without saying a word. Facial expression recognition is a subject that has been aimed to develop the previous results by providing solutions through implementing and investigating the results of available algorithms in this paper. The use of averaging filter in facial expression recognition from the fixed images is a common method, however it has more errors. The other method is to use Gabor wavelets with a range of Frequencies and angles in spatial domain oriented to the input images. Although this method is highly accurate, it has time complexity and high memory usage due to the large-scale computations. In this article by segmenting the input image components into 5 parts and conflating the averaging filter with Gabor wavelets which has been derived for each segment with effective angles. In addition to the increase of previous methods’ computational speed, its accuracy has been also increased. Furthermore, designing the graphical face with the name of Robofis in Webots simulation environment indicates an imitation of those facial expressions which had been recognized by the implemented methods.
In this study, degradation of naphthalene and anthracene in water using ultraviolet (UV) light in the presence of polypropylene microfibers (PPM) modified with TiO2 was investigated using fluorescence analysis. KrCl (λrad  = 222 nm) and XeCl (λrad  = 308 nm) excilamps were used in a photoreactor. Phototransformation was studied for compounds in the presence of PPMs modified with TiO2 particles. The results indicated that the toxicants concentration was reduced by two orders of magnitude in the presence of PPMs. This reduction was due to effective adsorption of naphthalene and anthracene from water onto the surface of the PPMs. Exposure to the toxicant-water-PPM system to UV light led to the formation of fluorescent photoproducts.
The investigation of mechanical properties of silicon carbide (SiC) powders reinforced with aluminum alloy composites are recorded in this paper. SiC powders of approximately 35µm size were added in an aluminum alloy matrix to manufacture the samples of ratios 1, 2, 3 and 4 by weight % using the stir casting technique. The specimens were fabricated and several tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties such as tensile strength, hardness and impact strength and then the values are compared with the base alloy. It has been observed from the results that the hardness, impact energy and tensile strength increases with the increase in % of SiC particles until 2% and drops on further increase in the SiC particles.
The paper describes new techniques to increase flexibility for document-oriented software using appropriate database structures, templates and/or XML files. This approach gives an opportunity to the developer to add an arbitrary document by request, each time when this is needed. The described principle makes the adding of a new document easier, avoiding to modify the structure of the database or deploy a new executable when a new form and a corresponding new document is needed in the system. An easy-to-use procedure is completely defined based on two case studies. Expected results are discussed.
Abstract The clinical presentation of AL amyloidosis is highly variable. In this series, we describe five cases of AL amyloidosis with vertebral compression fractures as initial presentation. All five patients had evidence of bone marrow replacement on magnetic resonance imaging and bone marrow biopsies demonstrating diffuse interstitial amyloid deposition. Hepatomegaly and elevated liver enzymes, consistent with liver involvement with amyloidosis, were also seen in each case. All five patients responded well to anti-plasma cell chemotherapy, with normalization of serum free light chain levels, reduction in alkaline phosphatase and improvement in pain and functional status. Although rare, AL amyloidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of selected patients with spontaneous vertebral compression fractures. Moreover, there seems to be an association of vertebral compression fractures with liver involvement in AL amyloidosis.
PD-1/PD-L1 play key roles in tumor immune escape and the formation of the tumor microenvironment, and are closely related to the generation and development of tumors. Blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway can reshape the tumor microenvironment or block the formation of the tumor microenvironment and enhance endogenous antitumor immune response. Clinical trials show that the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors has significant advantages. The review briefly describes these basic principles of the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway and action mechanism in the treatment of NSCLC. A summary of global PD-1/PD-L1 clinical trials and five PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors approved by FDA, EMA and NMPA for advanced NSCLC were analyzed.
The International Committee for Museology chose the topic for its 37th symposium, held in Paris from 5 to 9 June 2014, with the idea of opening new directions for thought about the future of museology. Focusing on new trends in museology recognizes that, during the past decades, the world of museums has undergone substantial change. Not only are there are many more museums throughout the world, but they also have radically changed in several ways: the methods of communication (the relation to...
The current study aimed to assess the degree of effectiveness of administrative creativity in Ramtha district schools from the perspective of male and female teachers. The study followed the descriptive survey method; and the population consisted of all male and female teachers of Ramtha schools (2100). The study sample consisted of (420) male and female teachers, selected by the random stratified method. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a questionnaire consisting of (33) items was used. The results of the study showed that the overall assessment of the degree of effectiveness of administrative creativity in the schools of the Ramtha district from the perspective of the male and female teachers was within average with a mean of (2.99). There were also statistical differences due to the gender variable in favor of females, and the years of experience variable in favor of (5-9) years and (10 years and above). The study recommended the need to conduct continuous training courses and workshops to develop the practices and effectiveness of administrative creativity for school principals.
Silicide formation on polysilicon from deposited titanium films and effects of subsequent thermal annealing at different temperatures (C-C) have been investigated by grazing-angle XRD, AFM, ESCA and sheet resistance measurements. The results indicated formation of a high-resistivity isomorphic phase (C49), polymorphic phases (C49 and C54) and low-resistivity isomorphic C54 films at low, medium and high annealing temperatures from C to C. The complete conversion from C49 to isomorphic C54 phase occurs at about C. The influence of phase formations and polymorphic transformation on the surface morphology is studied by estimating the r.m.s. surface roughness using AFM. Samples annealed at C have the highest surface roughness of 15.47 nm owing to agglomeration of C54 grains in films. XPS studies showed the formation of a thin layer of on the surface of .
The literature on the treatment of painful varicocoele is limited, likely because of the short period since it was recognized as a clinical entity and the limitations posed by the subjectivity of pain. Our aim was to systematically analyse the results of percutaneous embolization as the chosen treatment for this condition. We conducted a retrospective study of patients undergoing percutaneous embolization as primary treatment for painful varicocoele from January 2007 to November 2013. Radiologic and ultrasonographic successes were evaluated according to the existence or absence of venous reflux on venography after embolization and on Echo Doppler control at 3–6 months. Clinical success was assessed by Visual Analog Scale pain questionnaires before surgery and at 3–6 months; in addition, at the time of the study, telephone interviews were conducted to update the clinical situation and development. A total of 154 patients received operations. The median pain before surgery, at 3–6 months and at the time of interview was 7, 1 and 0 points respectively (p < 0.001). The ultrasonographic success rate at 3–6 months was 68.6%. With a median follow‐up of 39 months, the success and relapse/clinical persistence rates were 86.9 and 13.1% respectively. By studying the degree of agreement between clinical success and ultrasonographic success, a kappa index = 0.443 was obtained. Patients with success recounted greater pre‐operative pain scores than those who relapsed or persisted (7.5 vs. 5.0; p = 0.004). In patients with painful varicocoele, the ultrasonographic recurrence of venous reflux does not imply the recurrence of pain; hence, the proper assessment of success in these patients should include a systematic assessment of their pain and grade of reflux. Percutaneous retrograde embolization as a primary treatment for painful varicocoele is a clinically effective option with a high success rate that can be maintained in the long term, especially in patients with high pre‐operative pain.
The demand for high-performance and cost-effective energy storage solutions for mobile electronic devices and electric vehicles has been a driving force for technological advancements. Among the various options available, transitional metal oxides (TMOs) have emerged as a promising candidates due to their exceptional energy storage capabilities and affordability. In particular, TMO nanoporous arrays fabricated by electrochemical anodization technique demonstrate unrivaled advantages including large specific surface area, short ion transport paths, hollow structures that reduce bulk expansion of materials, and so on, which have garnered significant research attention in recent decades. However, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews that discuss the progress of anodized TMO nanoporous arrays and their applications in energy storage. Therefore, this review aims to provide a systematic detailed overview of recent advancements in understanding the ion storage mechanisms and behavior of self-organized anodic TMO nanoporous arrays in various energy storage devices, including alkali metal ion batteries, Mg/Al-ion batteries, Li/Na metal batteries, and supercapacitors. This review also explores modification strategies, redox mechanisms, and outlines future prospects for TMO nanoporous arrays in energy storage.
In this note we exhibit a counterexample to the following conjecture of Garey, Graham and Johnson: If $L =  { a_1 ,  cdots ,a_n  }$ is an ordered list of items with sizes $s(a_i )(0 < s(a_i ) leqq 1)$ let FF$(L)$ be the number of bins of size 1 required by the “first-fit” algorithm to pack L. Let $R( alpha ) =  lim  sup _{N  to  infty } [ (1/N) max  { { text{F F}}(L)| L ,{ text{can be packed into}} , N , { text{bins of size}} ,  alpha  } ]$. Let $ omega (  alpha ) =  max  {  sum _{i = 1}^k 1 / ( P_i - 1) | 2 leqq P_1  leqq P_2  leqq  cdots ;  sum _{i = 1}^k 1/ P_i =  alpha$ the $P_i $ are integers at least 2 of which $  ne 2  }$. Then $R( alpha ) =  omega ( alpha )$.
His 'black dog' - that was how Winston Churchill referred to his own depression. Today, individuals with feelings of sadness and irritability are encouraged to 'talk to your doctor'. These have become buzz words in the aggressive promotion of wonder-drug cures since 1997, when the Food and Drug Administration changed its guidelines for the marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals. ""Black Dogs and Blue Words"" analyzes the rhetoric surrounding depression. Kimberly K. Emmons maintains that the techniques and language of depression marketing strategies - vague words such as 'worry', 'irritability', and 'loss of interest' - target women and young girls and encourage self-diagnosis and self-medication. Further, depression narratives and other texts encode a series of gendered messages about health and illness. As depression and other forms of mental illness move from the medical-professional sphere into that of the consumer-public, the boundary at which distress becomes disease grows ever more encompassing, the need for remediation and treatment increasingly warranted. ""Black dogs and Blue Words"" demonstrates the need for rhetorical reading strategies as one response to these expanding and gendered illness definitions.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was used to increase broadband adoption and utilization across the United States as part of the economic recovery after the 2008 recession. Part of this act implemented a program called the Broadband Telecommunication Opportunities Program (BTOP), which focused on expanding effective broadband utilization in underserved communities through the development of library-based public computing centers and other educational outreach. This paper reports the results of two waves of surveys of 400 participants each, spanning 18 months, which were conducted in urban communities in Michigan served by libraries participating in a $6M BTOP grant project to upgrade their public Internet resources. The surveys tracked perceptions of broadband services and their utilization in public libraries, residences, and other community locations. One of the major questions going into this project was whether or not urban poor residents were adopting and utilizing broadband through either a private connection or a public connection. If the former, then results would indicate a similar trend among urban poor as seen in the rest of the world. That is, home adoption of fixed landline broadband connections will be lower in our sample than in more wealthy areas, but mobile adoption of broadband devices and services would be increasing. The second question, with libraries across the U.S. losing funding and reducing hours, would be whether the implementation of programs and new computing centers from the ARRA BTOP increase broadband adoption and utilization leading to economic recovery in these urban poor communities?Over three-fifths of those surveyed as the project drew to a close were aware of the public computing center initiative at their local library, although only about one tenth were active participants. Among those using library computers at the time of the final survey, about a fourth indicated that they had noticed an improvement in library computing facilities. The above findings suggest that, while library access, public computing centers, and broadband awareness increases adoption of broadband at the home and mobile level. Thus, in order to increase broadband use among urban poor, other considerations may need to be adopted in addition to increased outreach and awareness projects about library broadband use.
Abstract: The influence of surface mulching on soil aggregation and associated carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) varies by mulching materials and crop types. The 6 yr effect of straw mulching (SM), plastic film mulching (PM), and no mulching (CK) on soil aggregation and associated C and N concentrations at 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers were studied under dryland winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and spring corn (Zea mays L.) in the Loess Plateau of China. Regardless of crop types, aggregate proportion was greater in macroaggregates (2.00–10.00 mm), but lower in microaggregates (<0.50 mm) with mulching than without in both soil layers. The mean weight diameter of aggregates was greater with SM and PM than CK. Compared with CK and PM, SM increased soil organic C (SOC) and total N (STN) concentrations in both macroaggregates and bulk soil at 0–20 cm. Aggregate proportion and soil C and N concentrations at both depths were more pronounced in winter wheat than spring corn. The recovery rates of bulk soil SOC and STN in aggregates varied from 94% to 107%. Straw and plastic film mulching enhanced soil aggregation compared with no mulching. Straw mulching was more effective in increasing SOC and STN concentrations at the surface layer in dryland winter wheat and spring corn.
CXCL5 is a proangiogenic CXC-type chemokine that is an inflammatory mediator and a powerful attractant for granulocytic immune cells. Unlike many other chemokines, CXCL5 is secreted by both immune (neutrophil, monocyte, and macrophage) and nonimmune (epithelial, endothelial, and fibroblastic) cell types. The current study was intended to determine which of these cell types express CXCL5 in normal and malignant human prostatic tissues, whether expression levels correlated with malignancy and whether CXCL5 stimulated biologic effects consistent with a benign or malignant prostate epithelial phenotype. The results of these studies show that CXCL5 protein expression levels are concordant with prostate tumor progression, are highly associated with inflammatory infiltrate, and are frequently detected in the lumens of both benign and malignant prostate glands. Exogenous administration of CXCL5 stimulates cellular proliferation and gene transcription in both nontransformed and transformed prostate epithelial cells and induces highly aggressive prostate cancer cells to invade through synthetic basement membrane in vitro. These findings suggest that the inflammatory mediator, CXCL5, may play multiple roles in the etiology of both benign and malignant proliferative diseases in the prostate.
TQM is described as a collective, interlinked system of quality practices that is associated with organizational performance and customer satisfaction [1-3]. Some authors have argued that TQM has little to do with the actual improvement of performance and some view TQM as a fad. Total quality management (TQM) principles and techniques are now a well-accepted part of almost every manager's “tool kit” [4]. According to Choi and Eboch, TQM is a pathway to organizational performance and customer satisfaction. There are four areas of management practices within the TQM system to assess: management of process quality, human resources management, strategic quality planning, and information and analysis. An integrated TQM can be viewed as a composite of the following seven constructs i.e. top management commitment; quality measurement and benchmarking; process management; product design; employee training and empowerment; supplier quality management and customer involvement and satisfaction. TQM is a proven systematic approach to the improvements of the organization’s overall business process, including quality of products and services [5]. The transformation to a TQM organization depends on the extent to which firms successfully implement certain quality management practices. TQM practices include top management support; customer relationship, supplier relationship, workforce management, quality information, product/ service design, and process management [6]. CSFs are those which are critical to success of any organization in the sense that, if objectives associated with the factors are not achieved, the organization will fail perhaps catastrophically. CSFs represent the essential ingredients without which a project stands little chance of success [7]. Critical success factor are: the role of management leadership and quality policy, supplier management, process management, customer focus, training, employee relations, product=service design, quality data, role of quality department, human resource management and development, design and conformance, cross functional quality teams, bench marking and information and analysis [8]. Improving the quality of products and services is fundamental to a firm’s business success. In an attempt to improve quality, firms have pursued many continuous improvement programs, most notably total quality management and more recently, Six Sigma. According to Coronado and Antony Six Sigma is defined as a business improvement strategy used to improved business profitability, drive out waste’ to reduce cost of poor quality and to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of all the operations, so as to meet or even exceed the customers’ needs and expectations. Six Sigma principles and methods involve six sigma role structure, Six Sigma structured improvement procedure, and Six Sigma focus on metrics. The definitions of both quality and TQM have been debated for many years by quality management researchers and a number of definitions have emerged [9]. Many firms have found that adding a sixsigma program to their current business gives them all, or almost all, of the elements of a TQM program. However, there is still no universal agreement on these definitions. Quality management consists of a set of components: critical factors, tools, techniques and practices. TQM is rather than a mere set of factors, a network of interdependent components, a management system consisting of critical factors, techniques and tools. TQM is much more than a number of critical factors; it also includes other components, such as tools and techniques for quality improvement [10]. Many firms are focusing on TQM as a means of improving profits, market share and competitiveness.
Angiosarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm with a very poor prognosis that originates from the vascular endothelium and accounts for only 1%-2% of all sarcomatous malignancies. It is most commonly present in the deep soft tissues. Still, a wide range of primary sites, including the adrenals, thyroid, skin, and bone, are encountered. Here, we report a 52-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension who presented with chest pain. Her chest images showed bilateral pneumothoraces with diffuse cystic lung disease. She underwent bilateral video-assisted thoracoscopy with a tissue biopsy, which was consistent with epithelioid angiosarcoma.
In times of decreasing public funding, cultural institutions such as museums increasingly develop new stakeholder management practices to build a different or more diversified support base. Recently, membership programs have especially been gaining popularity. In this paper, we adopt a relationship value approach to study the poorly understood behaviors of members that can benefit museums beyond membership fees. In particular, we focus on the extent to which membership level and the perceived prestige of the museum drive value co-creation through prestige leveraging. We study this by using a sample of 430 members and non-members of the Hermitage Museum in Amsterdam. We find that membership level is positively related with cross-buying behavior at the museum store and restaurant, and recommending the museum. In addition, these value creating behaviors are mediated by members leveraging the museum ’ s prestige in their social environment. In contrast, we find a negative relationship between membership level and recruiting new members into the program, which could be explained by status dilution effects.
Urban water management is increasingly important given the need to maintain water resources that comply with global and local standards of quantity and quality. The effective management of water resources requires the optimization of financial resources without forsaking social requirements. A number of mathematical models have been developed for this task; such models account for all components of the Urban Water Cycle (UWC) and their interactions. The wide range of models entails the need to understand their differences in an effort to identify their applicability, so academic, state, and private sectors can employ them for environmental, economic, and social ends. This article presents a description of the UWC and relevant components, a literature review of different models developed between 1990 and 2015, and an analysis of several case studies (applications). It was found that most applications are focused on new supply sources, mainly rainwater. In brief, this article provides an overview of each model’s use (primarily within academia) and potential use as a decision-making tool.
In this paper, a study of two-photon and two-gluon decays in the context of p-wave heavy quarkonia is presented. Within the covariant light-front framework, the annihilation rates of scalar and tensor quarkonium states are derived. In the absence of free parameters in this case, the results for the charmonium decay widths are consistent with the experimental data. However, in comparison to other theoretical calculations, there are large discrepancies in our results regarding bottomonia.
Background and objectives: this study assessed variations in the blood parameters of patients with hematological disorders infected with HCV throughout a 12-week interferon-free treatment regimen. Materials and methods: We followed a total of 344 patients suffering from chronic hepatitis C, infected with the 1b genotype and concomitant hematological disorders, who benefited from the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in our clinic. Seven of the most routinely checked blood parameters were analyzed, namely, hemoglobin, leucocyte count, neutrophils, erythrocyte count, platelet count, ALT, and total bilirubin level. In total, 129 patients received a treatment scheme comprising ombitasvir, paritaprevir, ritonavir, and dasabuvir, while the 215 other patients received a sofosbuvir and ledipasvir regimen. Results: Patients enrolled in the study showed remarkably increased ALT levels in the first four weeks of DAA treatment, normalizing to levels below 40 U/L by the end of regimen. There were no other blood parameters that worsened throughout the 12-week regimen to levels below our laboratory’s normal range. After 12 weeks of DAA therapy, 309 patients (90%) achieved SVR. Conclusions: Our findings are consistent in evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of direct-acting antivirals for 1b genotype HCV infected patients with associated hematological malignancies under remission, and other hematological disturbances, that were previously unsuccessfully treated with a pegylated interferon regimen. Thus, paving a pathway for government-funded programs being implemented in this direction.
Under the action of the illuminating electron beam in an electron microscope, dislocations in Al-Mg alloys start to move during examination. It was found that screw dislocations move and change easily their moving direction producing many double cross-slip traces, and that slip and cross-slip first occur on those {111} planes lying close to the position at 45°with the foil surface. The cross-slip direction or the Burgers vector of the screw dislocation is the α/2 making an angle of 60-80° with the foilnormal. These observations are in good agreement with the fact that the stress is assumed to be tangential to the foil surface during bending caused by heating.The moving dislocation may through its stress field induce the movement of other dislocations lying close to its path, and on the other hand, may itself be stopped or forced to change its moving direction by the repulsive force of other dislocations.
A vector coloring of a graph is an assignment of a vector to each vertex where the presence or absence of an edge between two vertices dictates the value of the inner product of the corresponding vectors. In this paper, we obtain results on orthogonal vector coloring, where adjacent vertices must be assigned orthogonal vectors. We introduce two vector analogues of list coloring along with their chromatic numbers and characterize all graphs that have (vector) chromatic number two in each case.
On a routine prenatal ultrasound at 19 weeks gestation by the last menstrual period, a male fetus was noted to have large dysplastic kidneys. Subsequent ultrasounds at 23 and 25 weeks also identified oligohydramnios and intrauterine growth retardation. No other structural anomalies were noted. Maternal history was negative for hypertension, other illnesses, and exposures to teratogens. The couple is healthy and nonconsanguineous. The family history is negative for renal diseases, birth defects, and recurrent pregnancy loss. The baby was born at 38 5/7-week gestational age with a birth weight of 2179 g length of 43 cm, and a head circumference of 34.5 cm. He had a large anterior fontanel and dysmorphic features (Fig. 1a) in addition to a shawl scrotum (Fig. 1b). His conjugated bilirubin was high on day 1 of life. He was also noted to have a significant coarctation of the aorta that required urgent surgical correction. After surgery, the patient developed significant cholestasis and significant failure to thrive. At 7 weeks he had not regained birth weight. His condition improved. At 4-month follow-up his weight was 4100g, length was 50 cm, and the head circumference was 41.5 cm. His head control was not optimal. However, he smiled at 3 months, was able to put his thumbs into his mouth, and made a variety of sounds. The sleeping pattern was normal. No active issues with voiding and bowel movements were observed. The color of the urine and stool has been normal. The sclera was of normal color as well. Investigations Postnatal cranial ultrasound did not reveal structural anomalies. Abdominal ultrasound confirmed prenatal findings of large dysplastic kidneys. The liver and gall bladder were normal on ultrasound at birth. An echocardiogram revealed a small patent ductus arteriosus and a coarctation of the aorta. The following biochemical investigations were done and yielded normal results: 7-dehydrocholesterol, very long chain fatty acids, a-1-antitrypsin, and iron levels. His conjugated bilirubin was 13 mmol/l on day 1 of life (normal 0–5 mmol/l), the levels trended up peaking at 140 mmol/l at 7 weeks of age,
The rate constants of polymerization and cyclization and the equilibrium constants of polymerization are calculated from kinetic data of the anionic oligomerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by methyl α-lithioisobutyrate in THF at 25°C, and of the “disproportionation” of living oligomers. The numeric method reported earlier was improved. The rate constants of cyclization decrease with chain-length, due to increasing steric hindrance. The rate constants of polymerization depend on the concentration of active centres, due to the formation of associates. Rate and equilibrium constants of polymerization decrease with chain-length. This is discussed in terms of intramolecular coordination of the counterion with ester groups of the chain.
In this paper, a study and analysis of a distance measure method based on single vision with the aid of a laser pen is proposed. In the method, a camera and a laser pen are used as measurement device. By comparing the lightness of the pixels, the laser point projected on the object is found out in the image. Then an orthogonal triangle using the distance between laser point and CCD center as one edge is set up. And Pythagorean Theorem is applied to calculate the distance between camera and measured object. Experiments in different lightness are carried out and encouraging results are obtained which prove that the device has nice measuring performance in appropriate lightness.
A 65-year-old male presented with the chief complaint of diminution of vision , redness and mass in right eye for 1 month who was then evaluated and investigated to know the cause. On examination and investigation diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of ocular surface was made which had metastasized to anterior chamber. Early diagnosis of SCC and commence of treatment is necessary to prevent its metastasis. Moreover, patient’s compliance also plays a major factor to halt the progression. Delhi J Ophthalmol 2020;31;78-79; Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.7869/djo.597
As our fast-paced complex world advances through this century, coping with the huge challenges of today and facing even bigger ones in the future, there is an increasing concern about the need to provide for massive amounts of clean efficient and affordable power, addressing a difficult equation between security of supply, energy equity and environmental sustainability.In a more than ever electricity-driven energy-intense global world, full of huge environmental, socio-political and economic issues, every country, irrespectively of size, location, current political system or starting point, has ambitions to prosper and grow. In this context, some nations ambition to build strong large and modern power infrastructures almost from scratch while others face the imperative requirement to replace their “end of life” ageing and technically obsolete energy generation facilities. This reality, couple with the goals to combat climate change and improve national energy security and diversity, has brought nuclear power back as a top priority of the energy policy agenda.Nuclear new build seems today a very much reinvigorated option. But developing any large and complex multi-billion infrastructure is never an easy task, and even less it is for nuclear. Designing, promoting, licensing and building new nuclear power stations is without any doubt even more complex, controversial and risky option than any other large energy project. In the complex world we live in today, where a myriad of socio-political, legal, regulatory and financial considerations overshadow the intrinsic technical and engineering complexities a new nuclear power station has on its own, nothing should be taken for granted. If there is not a meticulously designed plan behind, ready to address the numerous types and levels of issues needed to be solved on these projects, from conception to final delivery, the chances nuclear new build projects will attract the right attention and finance at the right time would shrink.This paper tries to help in the task of definitely making nuclear new build a more robust and credible option to bet on and invest in. It presents a comprehensive model to evaluate, plan and manage a successful delivery for any new nuclear power project. It offers a practical, multidisciplinary and structured framework, which may be used by developers and key decision-makers in their attempt to identify, assess, prioritize, plan and manage in an integrative way all the main issues and topics around new build. Addressing the multiple dimensions and layers of complexity of these project/s with a more comprehensive, integrative and holistic eye, should be of significant assistance at the different stages of the process, from conceptualization to development and materialization, improving their value-propositions and ultimately the prospects of becoming a real success.The paper addresses and tries to give answer to the following questions:May the different goals and contexts in which nuclear new build can take place significantly influence or modify the way a project should be conceived, organised and executed? How might different set of tools apply?What does success mean? How can it be measured? Is it possible, sensible and useful to pursue an integrative and broadly-acceptable definition of Project’s success? should project’s success concept only refer to execution-related parameters such us time, cost and performance or be stretched by addressing all key stakeholders’ concerns within a whole asset life-cycle perspective? What are the critical factors and enabling conditions necessary for a nuclear new build project to thrive through the different development stages? How to identify, assess and address the main risk and blockers of the Project?How to develop an integrated project management and decision-making framework which helps to move the project forward in a well-orchestrated, smooth and steady manner? Which are the main milestones in this journey? Who are the main actors and how should they best interact and work together?Which are the main levers to improve the project’s prospects and make it more appealing for both the investment community and the general public? How to manage the journey from scepticism, hesitation and denial to approval, embrace and enthusiasm about the idea of new nuclear?How lessons coming from the past or more recent building experiences can be incorporated in the delivery of a new nuclear power stations?
To evaluate time and cohort changes in preventive practice of dental students in Mongolia, a questionnaire was distributed to all clinical-year students in 2000 (n = 79) and in 2002 (n = 73) of the Dental School of the Mongolian National Medical University (MNMU). The questionnaire eliciting information on students' preventive care-related practice and knowledge, oral self-care (OSC) behaviour, and self-perceived competency, was administered to the students. Further, cross-sectional (between cohorts) comparisons to study changes over time and longitudinal (within-cohort) comparisons to reveal changes resulting from professional dental education were carried out. Statistical evaluations included chi-square test and linear regression model. Preventive practice of the students in 2002 tended to be better than that of their counterparts in the same study-year in 2000. Preventive practice among the fifth-year students improved significantly compared to that in their third year, except for counselling on nutrition. Survey-year, study-year, and knowledge of and self-reported competency in preventive care explained 38% of the variation in reported preventive practice. Besides the positive changes revealed, preventive practice among the students could still be improved. Regarding these tasks, professional education should provide meaningful learning experience on modern caries-preventive methods and dental community should support practice of preventive dentistry. A special programme could help to motivate the students to improve their own OSC.
We propose a method to design double smooth freeform surfaces applied in beam shaping with a ray mapping method in the paper. We couple the calculation of ray mapping and the construction of freeform surfaces to approach the surface normal field integrability condition based on the symplectic flow mapping scheme. In this paper, the incident beam wavefront is not limited to be planar or spherical. Several challenging design examples are presented that include transforming a circular Gaussian beam to an unconventional beam with variously shaped contour, and transforming an elliptic beam to a convergent beam with complex irradiance distribution in non-paraxial regime. The results show the high efficiency and feasibility of the proposed method in designing freeform optics for beam shaping applications.
The relationship between serum autoantibodies and vascular events was investigated in 140 patients with essential hypertension during a five-year period. The influence of time upon incidence of autoantibodies was assessed in 55 normotensive controls of roughly the same distribution of age and sex. Thirty-four patients experienced a vascular event, which was fatal in 10 cases (7.1%). Eight of these 10 patients had autoantibodies in serum before the events, and the presence of autoantibodies at entry to the study tripled the five-year relative risk for vascular events. Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and smooth muscle antibodies (SMA) especially contributed to this increased risk. The vascular events were followed by a significantly increased occurrence of ANA. In the control subjects no events occurred and no significant increases in the presence of autoantibodies were found during the five years. ANA and SMA positive sera showed no significant complement fixing properties, and the autoantibodies studied seemed to be secondary to tissue damage. Despite this, they seemed to reflect an ongoing injury of the vascular bed.
Objectives: To investigate whether clinical practice guidelines in different countries take ethnic differences between patients into consideration and to assess the scientific foundation of such ethnic specific recommendations. Design: Analysis of the primary care sections of clinical practice guidelines. Setting: Primary care practice guidelines for type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and asthma developed in the USA, Canada, the UK, and the Netherlands. Main outcome measures: Enumeration of the ethnic specific information and recommendations in the guidelines, and the scientific basis and strength of this evidence. Results: Different guidelines do address ethnic differences between patients, but to a varying extent. The USA guidelines contained the most ethnic specific statements and the Dutch guidelines the least. Most ethnic specific statements were backed by scientific evidence, usually arising from descriptive studies or narrative reviews. Conclusion: The attention given to ethnic differences between patients in clinical guidelines varies between countries. Guideline developers should be aware of the potential problems of ignoring differences in ethnicity.
Little is known regarding the functional effects of common autoimmune susceptibility variants on human immune cells. The SNP CT60 (rs3087243; A/G) located in the 3′ UTR of the CTLA4 gene has been associated with autoimmune diseases. We examined a cohort of healthy individuals stratified by genotypes at CTLA4 to gain insight into the functional effects of allelic variation on T cell signaling. Using phospho-site-specific mAbs, we tested the hypothesis that the CT60 genotype at CTLA4 is associated with altered T cell antigen receptor (TCR) signaling in naive and/or memory T cells. By normalizing for the extent of the initial TCR signaling event at CD3ζ, we observed that the relative responsiveness to TCR stimulation as assessed by phosphorylation levels of downstream signaling molecules was altered in naive (CD4+CD45RAhigh) and memory (CD4+CD45RAlow) T cells obtained from individuals with the disease-susceptibility allele at CTLA4. Thus, allelic variation associated with autoimmune disease can alter the signaling threshold of CD4+ T cells. These experiments provide a rational approach for the dissection of T cell-susceptibility genes in autoimmune diseases.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures that manifest in a variety of ways, including emotional or behavioral disturbances, convulsive movements, and loss of awareness. The problem of prediction of epileptic seizures is hard and most algorithms do not perform better than a random predictor [20]. An important reason why studies so far have been less than successful is that electroencephalogram (EEG) is not recorded at the granularity of the seizure generation process. Our collaborators at the Columbia University Medical School (CUMC) have been involved in a clinical trial which entails implanting a Micro-Electrode Array directly into the neocortex of epilepsy patients undergoing surgery to remove the portion of the brain from where seizures originate. The 96-contact grid allows researchers to record at 30 KHz/channel which is a very high resolution data collection procedure compared to known state-of-the-art techniques and yields both local field and action potential data (.5 TB per patient per day). This large volume of data poses challenges for knowledge discovery and mining.  In this paper, we describe the steps required for processing the EEG signal and extraction of features; we present a parallel design for scaling up processing on multi-core machines and an in-house cluster. Initial benchmarking results indicate that approximately 6-cores of a machine (processing speed of 2.7 GHz, 32 GB RAM, moderate workload) is sufficient to process a 5 minute chunk of data from 96 channels in approximately 12 mins. Encouraged by these results, we discuss design of other machine learning algorithms for learning from the data.
Blended learning as a combination of traditional and on line learning has aroused educators’ great attention, but its definition, the theoretical foundation, the concrete application need to be studied further. This paper aims to make teachers and students have a better understanding about blended learning, analyzing the definition, the theory, teaching practice, influences on the teacher-student relationship and the most barriers in blended learning by the method of questionnaire and interview. Although the result shows some obstacles that need to be overcomed by teachers and students, blended learning will be accepted as an effective approach to maximum the classroom efficiency in the digital world. Keywords—Blended learning; Constructivism; Assessment; New teacher-student relationship; Challenge
The differential diagnosis of non-coeliac enteropathies (NCEs) is challenging and includes a wide range of aetiologies. Drug-induced NCEs are relatively common and characterized by duodenal villous atrophy, which resolves upon suspension of the offending drug. Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), targeting molecules involved in the activation of cytotoxic T cells by targeting, for example, PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA4, are increasingly used for many types of cancers. Adverse events occurring in the gastrointestinal tract have been described, predominantly in the form of immune-mediated colitis mimicking inflammatory bowel disease. Small bowel involvement whilst on ICI therapy is also possible, though less well described. Herein, we describe two cases of enteropathy with villous atrophy and negative coeliac serology due to ICIs: a 65-year-old man affected by stage IV pulmonary adenocarcinoma under treatment with pembrolizumab and an 18-year-old woman affected by stage IV auricular melanoma who was treated with nivolumab. We also provide a review of the current literature describing small bowel involvement during therapy with ICIs, alone or in combination, for different types of solid tumours. Implications for clinical practice include considering the possibility of small bowel involvement in oncological patients treated with ICIs and the inclusion of ICIs amongst the iatrogenic causes of NCE with villous atrophy. Enteropathies due to ICIs may also represent a pathogenetic model for the understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to villous atrophy in NCE.
Processing construction waste into aggregate and reusing it in asphalt pavement is beneficial in terms of environmental protection and resource utilization. However, recycled aggregate (RA) possesses some property defects. Therefore, RA usually needs to be strengthened by modification technologies prior to use. In order to promote the convenient and low-cost utilization of construction waste, a new method of preparing construction waste into powder and using recycled powder (RP) as asphalt filler is proposed in this research. The property defects of RA and the applicability of RP used as filler were first analyzed based on their material characteristics. Then, asphalt concrete with RP was designed according to the Superpave method, and the engineering performance of the asphalt mixture was further investigated. According to the results, we recommend the use of acidic RP in combination with other highly alkaline fillers, such as Portland cement (PC), with a suitable blending ratio of RP to PC of 1:1. Preparing asphalt concrete with filler composed of RP and PC can achieve satisfactory engineering performance.
Background/purpose – The use of social media has become commonplace among adolescents. However, excessive use of social media causes addiction in some cases. In this context, it is considered important to investigate the factors related to social media addiction. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among childhood experiences, happiness, and social media addiction in adolescents. Materials/methods – In the study, correlations between childhood experiences, happiness, and social media addiction among adolescents were tested with the structural equation model. The research involved 314 adolescents, and the Social Media Disorder Scale (SMDS), The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short Form (OHQ-SF), and the Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ) were used as data collection tools. SPSS 21 and AMOS programs were used for data analysis. Results – The results of the path analysis indicated that negative childhood experiences negatively and directly affect happiness, whilst happiness negatively and directly affects social media addictions, negative childhood experiences positively and indirectly affect social media addictions, negative childhood experiences negatively affects happiness, and unhappiness positively affects social media addiction. Conclusion – The current study's results have shown that negative perceived childhood experiences can negatively affect individuals emotionally and behaviorally during adolescence.
Development of quantum simulators is a major step towards the universal quantum computer. Quantum simulators are quantum systems that can perform specific quantum computations, or software packages that can reproduce most of the aspects of a general universal quantum computer on a general purpose classical computer. Development of quantum simulators using digital circuits, such as FPGAs is very diﬃcult, mainly because the unit of quantum information, the qubit, has an infinite number of states, whereas the classical bit has only two. On the other hand, analog circuits comprising R, L and C elements have no internal state variables that can be used to reproduce and store qubit states. Here we take the first step towards the development of a new quantum simulator using memristors. The qubit state is mapped to a 3D space spanned by the memristances of three identical memristors. The qubit state evolution is reproduced by the input voltages applied to the memr-istors. We define the correspondence between the general qubit state rotation, i.e. the one-qubit quantum gates, and memristor input voltage variations and reproduce the rotations imposed by the action of quantum gates in the 3D memristance space. Our results show that, at least in principle, qubits and one-qubit quantum gates can be simulated by memristors.
A new type of electro-magnet has been constructed having a 1 cm. annular air gap of diameter 80 cm., and a radial width of effective field of 5 cm. Fields up to 18,000 gauss are obtained which are constant over the working space to 1 part in 1000. The magnet is used for the investigation of α-ray spectra by bending the tracks into semi-circles and using the focusing property of a magnetic field to separate the different groups. Groups of α-particles having an energy difference of 5000 electron volts can be separated and their relative energies measured. The power required for excitation of the magnet is about 300 watts for most α-ray groups, so that a battery can be used for supplying the current and great constancy of field obtained.
We describe an assembly of numerical tools to model the output data of the Planck satellite. These start with the generation of a CMB sky in a chosen cosmology, add in various foreground sources, convolve the sky signal with arbitrary, even non-symmetric and polarised beam patterns, derive the time ordered data streams measured by the detectors depending on the chosen satellite-scanning strategy, and include noise signals for the individual detectors and electronic systems. The simulation products are needed to develop, verify, optimise, and characterise the accuracy and performance of all data processing and scientific analysis steps of the Planck mission, including data handling, data integrity checking, calibration, map making, physical component separation, and power spectrum estimation. In addition, the simulations allow detailed studies of the impact of many stochastic and systematic effects on the scientific results. The efficient implementation of the simulation allows the build-up of extended statistics of signal variances and co-variances.  Although being developed specifically for the Planck mission, it is expected that the employed framework as well as most of the simulation tools will be of use for other experiments and CMB-related science in general.
An expression for the binary collision contribution to the first order memory function of the transverse current correlation function has been obtained using the cluster expansion technique for particles of a fluid interacting via a continuous potential. The resulting expression involves the static pair correlation function and the time dependence of position, momentum, and acceleration of a particle. In the long wavelength limit our expression determines the time development of the autocorrelation function of transverse stress. These time-dependent functions have been evaluated numerically for the Lennard-Jones potential for some thermodynamic states and results have been compared with molecular dynamics data. It has also been found that for a hard sphere interaction our expression for the shear viscosity reduces to the Enskog result.
Contact through protoplasmic extensions from the protoplasts was infrequently observed and cell–cell contact involving large surface areas was not observed when adult Periplaneta americana hemocytes were incubated with Entomophaga aulicae protoplasts in in vitro culture for up to 30 min. Such contact did not appear to alter the subsequent morphology of either the protoplast or the hemocyte. Coagulocyte, plasmatocyte, and granulocyte aggregates along with individual coagulocytes and granulocytes produced a melaninlike material upon incubation with protoplasts. Incubation of the hemocytes in the presence of protoplasts did not alter the affinity of hemocytes for Sephadex beads. The results of this study indicate that there was no detectable cell-mediated immune reaction of cockroach hemocytes to E. aulicae protoplasts. The role of the melaninlike material is unknown.
Applying a nonlinear disturbance observer to a two-wheeled cane for walking assistance is proposed in this paper. The hardware design and controller for the two-wheeled cane are also presented. The two-wheeled cane is designed to help users, especially the elderly walk and balance. The design of the two-wheeled cane is based on an inverted pendulum model, and to validate the performance of system multiple simulation and experimental tests were performed with the designed hardware model. The nonlinear disturbance observer presented good results, which were the same as the force sensor measurement signals. The experimental results show that the two-wheeled cane based on the nonlinear disturbance observer is useful to help elderly persons maintain their balance.
Devastating wildfires in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas in 2016 and 2017 resulted in significant social, economic, and environmental losses, with the agricultural sector among those severely affected. Several satellite-based indices were evaluated as potential monitoring tools for post-wildfire ecological recovery and management of grasslands. All indices evaluated provided useful information and indicated rapid vegetation recovery from wildfire. The Leaf Water Stress Index (LSWI) and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) showed a distinct response to the wildfire events, and differentiated between burned and unburned areas throughout the post-wildfire growing seasons better than the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetative Index (EVI). In particular, the LSWI may provide a useful tool for mapping the footprint of wildfire, with potential utility for organizations that provide post-fire recovery resources. The GPP, which estimates the biomass productivity of vegetation, can provide information to livestock operators to guide the re-stocking of cattle in the aftermath of wildfire. In sum, satellite-based proxies can provide timely information both to characterize a wildfire’s footprint and to guide post-fire grazing management in a manner that balances short term needs for forage with long-term productivity and ecological function.
The distribution of the substitutional Au atoms have a considerable impact on electronic structures and optical properties of the Au-supersaturated silicon. At a larger atomic distance (nearly-homogeneous distribution) and an appropriate concentration of Au, an isolated partially filled intermediate-band (IB) is formed in the bandgap and an especially strong sub-bandgap absorption is observed. The combination of Au atoms can break IB and reduce the sub-bandgap absorption of the material. The Au-supersaturated silicon becomes an potential IB material under appropriate preparing and thermal annealing conditions.
Thermal behavior of parietalectomized, sham-parietalectomized or intact lizards (Anolis carolinensis) was recorded in a test chamber containing moving photothermal gradients. Following parietalectomy, animals chose significantly higher temperatures than sham-parietalectomized or intact control animals, which chose lower and statistically identical temperatures. When pre-surgical and post-surgical means are compared within groups, the eccritic temperature was 2.10 degrees C higher following parietalectomy, 0.72 degrees C higher following sham-parietalectomy, and 0.31 degrees C higher in intact controls during the post-operative measurements. The effects of parietalectomy indicate that the parietalpineal complex may be involved in behavioral thermoregulation by precisely regulating exposure to heat sources (e.g. sunlight).
Background: SIRT4 is among the few characterized individual sirtuin groups of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent enzymes base in the mitochondria that facilitate several significant processes at the cellular level including stress response, metabolism and longevity. SIRT4 can suppress and inhibits the growth, proliferation and transformation of tumor cells such as colorectal and gastric tumors by suppressing glutamine anaplerosis, but there is no research that reveal the role and function SIRT4 plays in the development of prostate tumor. Methods: Overexpression of SIRT4 in prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP was determined using RT-qPCR and Western blotting analyses. CCK-8 and transwell analysis were utilized to establish SIRT4 overexpression effects on cell proliferation and cell invasion respectively. Results: This study first established SIRT4 overexpression in prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP, functional experiment such as CCK-8 assay reveals that, overexpression of SIRT4 suppressed cell proliferation. In addition, transwell assay reveals that, SIRT4 overexpression inhibits cell invasion. Conclusions: This research findings reveals that, SIRT4 function to suppress prostate cancer cells by impeding the proliferation and invasion of LNCaP cells. SIRT4 may serve as a new treatment target for prostate tumor.
This paper is a review of the course of research during the past decade into the history of indigenous metal working in sub-Saharan Africa. It comprises three sections: a summary of the chronology of early metallurgy and the spread of metal working; a description of African metal working in terms of mining, smelting and smithing, with particular emphasis on recent interpretations of the iron-smelting technology; and a conclusion summarizing the main developments and some lines of future enquiry. A glossary of technical terms used in this paper is appended.
Regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies have made remarkable progress in remodeling, replacing, and regenerating damaged cardiovascular tissues. The design of three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with appropriate biochemical and mechanical characteristics is critical for engineering tissue-engineered replacements. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a dynamic scaffolding structure characterized by tissue-specific biochemical, biophysical, and mechanical properties that modulates cellular behavior and activates highly regulated signaling pathways. In light of technological advancements, biomaterial-based scaffolds have been developed that better mimic physiological ECM properties, provide signaling cues that modulate cellular behavior, and form functional tissues and organs. In this review, we summarize the in vitro, pre-clinical, and clinical research models that have been employed in the design of ECM-based biomaterials for cardiovascular regenerative medicine. We highlight the research advancements in the incorporation of ECM components into biomaterial-based scaffolds, the engineering of increasingly complex structures using biofabrication and spatial patterning techniques, the regulation of ECMs on vascular differentiation and function, and the translation of ECM-based scaffolds for vascular graft applications. Finally, we discuss the challenges, future perspectives, and directions in the design of next-generation ECM-based biomaterials for cardiovascular tissue engineering and clinical translation.
Abstract Quantitative solid‐state 13C‐NMR was used to investigate the chemical reactions in blends of poly(4‐vinyl phenol) (PVPh) with diglycidylether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA) at high temperatures. The PVPh/DGEBA blends (in absence of cure agents or catalysts) upon heating developed a cross‐linked structure. However, the reacted product was hardened/cross‐linked and not amenable to solution‐NMR characterization. In order to gain more insight into the mechanisms proving the chemical reactions between the epoxide of DGEBA and phenol of PVPh, studies were performed using compounds containing an epoxide group to model the DGEBA monomer and compounds containing an phenol group to model the actual PVPh polymer. The 1H‐ and 13C‐solution‐NMR spectroscopy characterizations demonstrated that chemical reactions between the model compounds. The results showed that the opening of the epoxy ring occurred, transforming the original epoxide ring to a phenyl–ether carbon linkage. The use of the model compounds clearly revealed a mechanism where the phenol group of PVPh reacted with the epoxide of DGEBA leading to a gelled/cross‐linked structure.
Abstract Fossil travertine and subaqueous speleothems in presently dry caves suggest periods of enhanced ground-water recharge during the Quaternary Period in semiarid northeastern Brazil. Travertine deposits and water-table speleothems were dated by the 230Th/234U technique, yielding new evidence for the timing of past periods of increased rainfall. The travertine was deposited in two distinct phases, extensive in situ deposits during marine isotope stage 2 and fragmentary, indurated deposits dating to ca. 400,000 yr B.P. (possibly marine isotope stage 10 or 12). Dating of water-table speleothems showed that the regional water table was 13±1 m above the present level at the last glacial maximum. A second site yielded ages suggesting a still higher water table during marine isotope stage 6. These new data demonstrate that northeastern Brazil did not follow the general pattern of a dry last glacial maximum, as suggested by other continental records in Amazonia and southeastern Brazil, and as depicted in recent General Circulation Model (GCM) simulations. Our results thus indicate that significant variability in regional rainfall patterns occurred in the area during glaciations and caution against overgeneralization of paleoclimate patterns.
Abstract. Disocactus salvadorensis Cerén, Menjívar & S. Arias is described and illustrated. This new Cactaceae species grows in the northwestern department of Santa Ana, in El Salvador. It is a member of subgenus Disocactus and is distinguished by its tubular and pendulous flowers with yellow or pink, less often white, tepals that are erect but recurved in the distal one third, and by its stamens in two distant whorls. Within Disocactus Lindl. subg. Disocactus, this new species is morphologically most similar to D. eichlamii (Weing.) Britton & Rose and D. quezaltecus (Standl. & Steyerm.) Kimnach. Distribution and ecological information about the new species are provided.
An in vitro dissolution procedure for phenytoin (5,5-diphenylhydantoin) products, which utilizes a UV method of analysis, is compared with an HPLC method. The UV method is subject to interference due to inactive materials and decomposition products. One of the inactive materials was identified as the synthetic precursor, benzophenone. The decomposed and degraded capsule contained brown material probably due to alkaline hydrolysis of lactose in the capsule. Both benzophenone and the brown material had significant UV absorption in the phenytoin region. Consequently, a simple, specific, and sensitive HPLC method for dissolution testing of phenytoin has been developed. Comparison of the results of the UV and HPLC methods indicates that the UV method may result in up to 51% higher dissolution values, depending on the presence of inactive ingredients and the purity of the product.
In this paper the weak scatter scintillation theory is reformulated to show explicitly the ramifications of an arbitrarily large ionospheric outer scale. The measured temporal phase spectrum, for example, is effectively truncated at a fixed frequency corresponding to the detrend time or the length of the data interval over which it is measured (whichever is smaller). As a consequence, the rms phase exhibits a complicated dependence on the relative irregularity drift velocity and the propagation geometry. This effect has not been included in previous analyses. By comparison, intensity scintillation data are intrinsically high-pass filtered by the diffraction process. By taking advantage of this fact a simple closed form expression for the S4 intensity scintillation index has been derived. The theory is applied to representative data sets from the Wideband satellite. The interpretation of the ionospheric parameters deduced from the analysis is also discussed.
We report a study using retrospective analysis to understand American and Chinese participants' feelings and reactions on a moment-by-moment basis during an interaction. Participants talked about a fictional crime story together and then individually watched and reflected on an audio-video recording of the interaction. A grounded theory analysis of participants' reflections suggested five key themes: fluency, nonverbal behavioral cues, time pressure, conversational dominance, and attributions for team performance.
A novel planar and conformal antenna with dual U slot are proposed at 2.41GHz and 2.45GHz respectively. The antenna is designed on RT Duroid 5880 substrate of permittivity 2.2 and thickness of 0.787mm with microstrip inset feed. The proposed planar antenna also has bandwidth of 24.9MHz and has maximum gain of 4.2dB. The planar antenna is transformed to conformal cylindrical of 25mm, 45mm and 60mm radii. The gain values are decreased from 5.9dB to 2.81dB but the bandwidth values varies from 23MHz to 22.1MHz by changing the radius of curvature from 60mm to 25mm. The planar and conformal antenna on different radii has a single band at 2.41GHz and 2.45GHz respectively which is suitable for Wi-Fi application.
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of acute cholestatic jaundice in a patient who was receiving oral ciprofloxacin. CASE SUMMARY: An 84-year-old woman residing in a long-term care facility developed acute cholestatic jaundice while being treated with ciprofloxacin for a urinary tract infection. On day 6 of ciprofloxacin therapy, she was noted to have an erythematous, pruritic rash over her chest and abdomen. At this point ciprofloxacin treatment was discontinued, as an allergy was suspected. Three days later she was noted to have jaundiced sclera and skin, and liver function test results were markedly elevated. The plasma cholesterol concentration was increased substantially; there was no decrease in plasma albumin concentration or increase in prothrombin time. The patient was treated with intravenous fluids. Within the next month, the liver function test results decreased to near normal and the patient was asymptomatic. Follow-up liver test results three months later were normal. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, there are only a few other case reports in the literature of a possible ciprofloxacin-induced liver injury. Enoxacin, a fluorinated quinolone antibiotic similar to ciprofloxacin, was reported to cause cholestatic liver injury in one patient. The exact mechanism by which fluoroquinolones may cause liver injury is unknown. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that this is only the second reported case of acute cholestatic jaundice resulting from ciprofloxacin therapy. Although this reaction seems to occur rarely, it is prudent to be alert for the signs and symptoms of cholestasis when administering ciprofloxacin.
Identifying binding targets of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) can greatly facilitate our understanding of their functional mechanisms. Most computational methods employ machine learning to train classifiers on either RBP-specific targets or pooled RBP-RNA interactions. The former strategy is more powerful, but it only applies to a few RBPs with a large number of known targets; conversely, the latter strategy sacrifices prediction accuracy for a wider application, since specific interaction features are inevitably obscured through pooling heterogeneous datasets. Here, we present beRBP, a dual approach to predict human RBP-RNA interaction given PWM of a RBP and one RNA sequence. Based on Random Forests, beRBP not only builds a specific model for each RBP with a decent number of known targets, but also develops a general model for RBPs with limited or null known targets. The specific and general models both compared well with existing methods on three benchmark datasets. Notably, the general model achieved a better performance than existing methods on most novel RBPs. Overall, as a composite solution overarching the RBP-specific and RBP-General strategies, beRBP is a promising tool for human RBP binding estimation with good prediction accuracy and a broad application scope.
Distributional analyses and event-related brain potential were used to show that effects of irrelevant spatial stimulus-response correspondence consist of 2 qualitatively different automatic components that can be distinguished on the basis of their dependencies on relative response speed and on computational requirements of the primary task. One component reflects priming of the spatially corresponding response by an abrupt stimulus onset that does not depend on the nature of the primary task. This unconditional component exhibits a biphasic pattern, with initial facilitation later turning into inhibition, analogous to that found for spatial cuing in visual detection tasks. The 2nd component reflects automatic generalization of task-defined transformations of relevant stimulus information to spatial codes; this conditional component does not depend on relative response speed. Possible connectionist implementations of the conditional mechanism are discussed.
Observations of plasma at altitudes of 2-3 R/sub E/ with the High Altitude Plasma Instrument (HAPI) on DE-1 indicate two distinct types of counterstreaming electron events. The type 1 event is characterized by two Maxwellian distribution functions, an isotropic high-temperature component and a field-aligned low temperature component. The type 2 event is distinguished by beams parallel and antiparallel to the magnetic field direction. The observations suggest two distinct mechanisms for accelerating counterstreaming electrons. Type 1 events appear to involve wave-particle interactions while type 2 events imply direct acceleration by oppositely-directed electric fields pointing toward the satellite along magnetic field lines.
Elemental compositions of each of 100 to 500 different constituents (i.e., every peak in a mass-to-charge ratio range, 50 < m/z < 300) of lighter fluid, kerosene, turpatine, gasoline, diesel fuel, and two brands of mineral spirits (and their weathered analogs) make possible direct identification of each accelerant in a experimental fire, based on electron ionization 6.0 Tesla Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (EI FT-ICR) ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry. Septum injection of as little as 500 nL of accelerant into an all-glass heated inlet system yields definitive elemental compositions (molecular formulas) based on accurate (< +/-1 ppm average error) mass measurement alone. Extraction and EI FT-ICR mass analysis of fire debris from a controlled burn of a couch with simple (lighter fluid) and complex (turpatine) ignitable liquid yielded dozens of elemental compositions serving as a unique "fingerprint" for each petroleum product, despite the presence of up to 249 additional extracted matrix and pyrolysis components. Forty-five of 56 lighter fluid constituents and 126 of 133 turpatine constituents (not counting 13C-containing species) were identified in the debris from a fire staged for each respective accelerant.
Abstract : Accelerated use of electronic systems and equipment in the Army has generated an increasing requirement for means of selecting personnel who can successfully complete electronics training courses and satisfactorily perform in highly critical electronics positions. The present publication summarizes research accomplished in several integrated studies which culminated in development of an experimental electronics selection battery of 15 tests. The component experimental measures--three information, five reasoning ability, six noncognitive ability, one personality background--were evaluated in conjunction with the operational Army Classification Battery (ACB) for effectiveness in differentiating between potential for electronics (high complexity) MOS and electrical (low complexity) MOS. Three measures, two which were derived from a single instrument--the Personal Inventory for Electronics-emerged as the most promising predictors of success in Electronics MOS. The third measure, RME, was composed of radio, mathematics, and electronics information items from several of the tests. These measures will be included in comprehensive studies of experimental and operational predictors as part of the total classification battery and aptitude area system. (Author)
The subject of this paper is the design and performance analysis of a double-polarization transmission line (TL) device for radiated EMC tests, the CrossTEM (X-TEM) cell. The X-TEM cell is a multiwire TL device which has been specifically designed in order to optimize the test-region dimensions while ensuring double-polarization performance and suitable cross-polarization level. Cross-polarization performance is requested by the last modifications of emerging standards. Theoretical and experimental results are shown illustrating the performance of the new device. The selective-absorbing material positioning (SAMP) procedure to suppress resonances is described. The improvements experimentally achieved for both field uniformity and cross polarization are shown.
The mouse immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) enhancer represents a cis essential control element that confers lymphoid‐specific expression. Based on in vivo and in vitro competition experiments, as well as on in vivo dimethylsulfate (DMS) protection experiments, it has been inferred that cellular factors interact in trans with IgH enhancer sequences. In addition, transcription is stimulated in vitro by up to one order of magnitude in the presence of IgH enhancer sequences on an appropriate template. Thus, at least some of these factors have to be present in nuclear extracts. To examine the factors interacting with this lymphoid‐specific enhancer in more detail we compared the binding pattern of nuclear factors present in B‐cell, T‐cell and HeLa cell extracts. We demonstrate here, using the DNase I and DMS protection methods, the specific interaction of three different nuclear factors with the central PstI‐‐EcoRI fragment of the IgH enhancer. This fragment has previously been suggested to retain the major enhancing activity. Surprisingly, no or only minor differences were discovered when the footprints obtained with B‐cell extracts were compared with those obtained with HeLa cell and T‐cell extracts. Intriguingly, two factors binding specifically to different sequences of the IgH enhancer are shared by polyoma as well as Moloney sarcoma virus (MSV) and lymphotropic papova virus (LPV) enhancer, respectively. All three of these enhancer elements exhibit altered cell type specificities. This indicates the utilization of similar or identical factors for transcriptional enhancement in different cell types. A cassette model consisting of different factor binding sites will be discussed.
A recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) using genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed to control the mover of a linear induction motor (LIM) servo drive for periodic motion in this paper. First, the dynamic model of an indirect field-oriented LIM servo drive is derived. Then, an on-line training RFNN with backpropagation algorithm is introduced as the tracking controller. Moreover, to guarantee the global convergence of tracking error, analytical methods based on a discrete-type Lyapunov function are proposed to determine the varied learning rates of the RFNN. In addition, a real-time GA is developed to search the optimal weights between the membership layer and the rule layer of RFNN on-line. The theoretical analyses for the proposed RFNN using GA controller are described in detail. Finally, experimental results show that the proposed controller provides high-performance dynamic characteristics and is robust with regard to plant parameter variations and external load disturbance
Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA  Introduction: In the rapidly proliferating gastrointestinal epithelium, long-lived tissue stem cells, characterized by multipotentiality and self-renewing ability, remain the most likely cellular origin for cancer. Previous studies have suggested actively cycling Lgr5+ stem cells are one cellular origin for intestinal adenomas. However, it has also recently been suggested that non-Lgr5+ cells may also contribute to the cellular origin of colorectal cancer. Doublecortin-like kinase 1 (Dclk1) protein is a gastrointestinal tuft cell marker that has been proposed to identify quiescent stem cells and cancer stem cells that sustain tumor growth. The role of Dclk1+ tuft cells within the gastrointestinal epithelium and their potential to function as cancer-initiating cells, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we used Dclk1(BAC)-CreERT;ROSA26rLacZ mice crossed to APCff mice to examine whether Dclk1+ cells contribute to colonic tumor formation.  Methods: To recapitulate the endogenous expression pattern of Dclk1, we used a BAC strategy and generated a transgenic mouse with a Tamoxifen inducible Cre under the control of the Dclk1 promoter (Dclk1-BAC-Cre-ERT). Dclk1-CreERT mice were crossed to both ROSA26rLacZ and APCff mice and treated with tamoxifen (6 mg p.o.). Dclk1+ lineage tracing was assessed by X-gal staining. To examine the contribution of the Dclk1+ cells to colonic tumorigenesis, we treated Dclk1(BAC)-CreERT;ROSA26rLacZ; APCff mice with DSS (3% in drinking water) to induce colitis. Mice were sacrificed 3-4 months after DSS weeks to assess for tumor formation and X-gal staining performed to stain for the Dclk1+ cell lineage.  Results: Dclk1-BAC-CreERT genetic lineage tracing demonstrated that a subpopulation of Dclk1+ cells is extremely long-lived and shows rare stem cell abilities. Moreover, genetic ablation reveals a pivotal role for Dclk1+ tuft cells in the response to intestinal and colonic injury. Surprisingly, conditional loss of APC in Dclk1+ cells is not sufficient to drive colonic carcinogenesis, whereas induction of DSS colitis in Dclk1-CreERT; APCflox/flox mice leads to the development of poorly differentiated colonic adenocarcinoma. Importantly, colonic tumor formation occurs even when the onset of colitis is delayed for up to 3 months after APC loss in Dclk1+ cells.  Conclusions. Thus, our data define a novel intestinal Dclk1+ tuft cell population that is long-lived, quiescent and important for intestinal homeostasis and regeneration. Long-lived Dclk1+ cells maintain quiescence even following oncogenic mutation, but are activated by tissue injury and can serve as a potent cellular origin of colon cancer.  Citation Format: Samuel Asfaha, Christoph Benedikt Westphalen, Yoku Hayakawa, Yoshihiro Takemoto, Dana J. Lukin, Wanda Setlik, Helen Remotti, Ashlesha Muley, Xiaowei Chen, Randal May, Courtney W. Houchen, James G. Fox, Michael D. Gershon, Michael Quante, Timothy Wang. Long-lived Dclk1+ cells serve as colon cancer initiating cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4092. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4092
Presented in this design is an assistive robotic arm. The assistive robotic arm contains the following subunits: a base, upper arm, lower arm, wrist, and gripping device. The arm is controlled by a microcontroller. The base houses one motor and the microcontroller. Other features of this device include detachable grippers and utensils along with an external keypad from which the client controls the device. When the device is fully extended, the client's new radius of extension is twenty-five inches. The following design, contained in this report, is a senior design project from the University of Connecticut sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The design assists a young, fifth grade boy with quadriplegic, athetoid cerebral palsy to function more independently in his integrated classroom setting. The goal of this design is to provide a child with only gross motor skills a way to eat autonomously and also provide a grip mechanism that would resemble the human hand. The device also closely resembles the movements of the human arm by providing a full range of motion about the x, y, and z axes and throughout the three primary planes of motion.
This is a very readable little book which contains a great deal of useful information about virus diseases in general, and sufficient detail to whet the appetite. particularly of the physician who wishes to take an interest in this subject. Some of the material and advice is written from the standpoint of conditions and practice in the United States of America. so that there may be slight divergencies of opinion on methods. Suitable warning on laboratory infections is given to beginners who wish to dabble with viruses in the laboratory, but there is a slightly optimistic tone concerning simplicity of the work which might lead to confusion for those who are not constantly self-critical. F. 0. MACCAL[ILUM.
ABSTRACT The purpose was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Insomnia Catastrophizing Scale (ICS) including factorial validity and internal consistency as well as discriminative and convergent validity. Associations with sleep parameters and daytime impairment are also examined. Drawn from a randomly selected sample of the general population, 1615 participants completed a survey on insomnia-related nighttime and daytime symptoms, health outcomes and psychological processes, including the ICS. A one-factor solution was supported for both the nighttime catastrophizing (11 items) and daytime catastrophizing (6 items) subscales. Both subscales displayed high internal consistencies (α > 0.90) and accounted for 59.1–70.1% of the variance. The insomnia disorder group had significantly higher scores than participants without insomnia on the two subscales and on the individual items. Cutoffs were established for both subscales with acceptable sensitivity and specificity. Both subscales displayed adequate convergent validity with measures indexing worry, cognitive pre-sleep arousal and anxiety. The two subscales were also significantly associated with nighttime and daytime insomnia symptoms. The ICS is a reliable and valid scale for the assessment of insomnia-related catastrophizing. Future research is needed to examine the test-retest reliability and treatment sensitivity of the ICS.
ABSTRACT The transcriptional regulatory network (TRN) of the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 regulates its response to environmental stimuli, including interactions with hosts and neighboring bacteria. Despite the importance of transcriptional regulation during these agriculturally significant interactions, a comprehensive understanding of the TRN of P. syringae is yet to be achieved. Here, we collected and decomposed a compendium of public RNA-seq data from P. syringae to obtain 45 independently modulated gene sets (iModulons) that quantitatively describe the TRN and its activity state across diverse conditions. Through iModulon analysis, we (i) untangle the complex interspecies interactions between P. syringae and other terrestrial bacteria in cocultures, (ii) expand the current understanding of the Arabidopsis thaliana-P. syringae interaction, and (iii) elucidate the AlgU-dependent regulation of flagellar gene expression. The modularized TRN yields a unique understanding of interaction-specific transcriptional regulation in P. syringae. IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 is a model plant pathogen that infects tomatoes and Arabidopsis thaliana. The current understanding of global transcriptional regulation in the pathogen is limited. Here, we applied iModulon analysis to a compendium of RNA-seq data to unravel its transcriptional regulatory network. We characterize each co-regulated gene set, revealing the activity of major regulators across diverse conditions. We provide new insights on the transcriptional dynamics in interactions with the plant immune system and with other bacterial species, such as AlgU-dependent regulation of flagellar genes during plant infection and downregulation of siderophore production in the presence of a siderophore cheater. This study demonstrates the novel application of iModulons in studying temporal dynamics during host-pathogen and microbe-microbe interactions, and reveals specific insights of interest. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 is a model plant pathogen that infects tomatoes and Arabidopsis thaliana. The current understanding of global transcriptional regulation in the pathogen is limited. Here, we applied iModulon analysis to a compendium of RNA-seq data to unravel its transcriptional regulatory network. We characterize each co-regulated gene set, revealing the activity of major regulators across diverse conditions. We provide new insights on the transcriptional dynamics in interactions with the plant immune system and with other bacterial species, such as AlgU-dependent regulation of flagellar genes during plant infection and downregulation of siderophore production in the presence of a siderophore cheater. This study demonstrates the novel application of iModulons in studying temporal dynamics during host-pathogen and microbe-microbe interactions, and reveals specific insights of interest.
In this retrospective, consecutive series of 128 elderly patients (over 65 years of age) with histologically proven Grade 4 astrocytomas, 88 patients underwent stereotactic biopsy and 40 patients underwent stereotactic volumetric resection of the mass lesion defined by contrast enhancement on computed tomography. There were no significant differences in age (average age in the biopsy group, 71.6 yr; resection group, 70.15 yr) or Karnofsky Performance Scores (biopsy group, 84.33; resection group, 83.88) between the two groups. Four of the biopsy patients and one of the resection patients died within 30 days of surgery. The overall mean survival was 126 days; 108 days (15.4 wk) in the patients who had biopsies and 189 days (27 wk) in the patients who had resections. Radiation therapy was completed in 62 of the patients who had biopsies (mean survival, 118 d or 16.9 wk) and 34 of the patients undergoing resection (mean survival, 210 d or 30 wk) (log rank P = 0.0215; Smirnov P = 0.006). Although some prolongation of survival is noted after resection (more than after a biopsy) in selected patients over 65 years of age, that benefit is modest.
The generalized optical interference model for interfacial contributions to vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopic signals from organic thin film systems is extended to include a description of optical interferences contained in the thin film bulk response. This is based on electric quadrupolar interactions with the input fields and includes a discussion on possible contribution from the electric quadrupolar polarization. VSFG data from the first of this two part report are analyzed and include effects from higher order responses, for both bulk and higher order interfacial terms. The results indicate that although it is capable of capturing many of the data features, the electric dipole treatment is likely not a complete description of the VSFG intensity data from this system. An analysis based on the signs of the resulting response amplitudes is used to deduce the relative magnitude of the electric dipole and higher order interfacial terms. It is found that the buried interface is closer to satisfying the electric dipole approximation, consistent with smaller field gradients due to closer index matching between the organic thin film and substrate relative to air. The procedure outlined in this work allows for the difficult task of deducing a physical picture of average molecular orientation at the buried interface of a multilayer organic thin film system while including higher order effects.
Abstract Iron is an essential element that participates in several metabolic activities of cells; however, excess iron is a major cause of iron-induced oxidative stress and several human diseases. Natural flavonoids, as rutin, are well-known antioxidants and could be efficient protective agents. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the protective influence of rutin supplementation to improve rat antioxidant systems against IOL-induced hepatic oxidative stress. Sixty male albino rats were randomly divided to three equal groups. The first group, the control, the second group, iron overload group, the third group was used as iron overload+rutin group. Rats received six doses of ferric hydroxide polymaltose (100 mg kg(-1) b.wt.) as one dose every two days, by intraperitoneal injections (IP) and administrated rutin (50 mg kg(-1) b.wt.) as one daily oral dose until the sacrificed day. Blood samples for serum separation and liver tissue specimens were collected three times, after three, four and five weeks from the onset of the experiment. Serum iron profiles total iron, Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC), Unsaturated Iron Binding Capacity (UIBC), transferrin (Tf) and Transferrin Saturation% (TS%)}, ferritin, albumin, total Protein, total cholesterol, triacylglycerols levels and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities were determined. Moreover, total iron in the liver, L-malondialdehyde (L-MDA), glutathione (GSH), Nitric Oxide (NO) and Total Nucleic Acid (TNA) levels and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were also determined. The obtained results revealed that, iron overload (IOL) resulted in significant increase in serum iron, TIBC, Tf, TS% and ferritin levels and AST and ALT activities and also increased liver iron, L-MDA and NO levels. Meanwhile, it decreased serum UIBC, total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, albumin, total protein and liver GSH, TNA levels and Gpx, CAT and SOD activities when compared with the control group. Rutin administration to iron-overloaded rats resulted in significant decrease in serum total iron, TIBC, Tf, TS%, ferritin levels and AST and ALT activities and liver total iron, L-MDA and NO levels with significant increases in serum UIBC, albumin, total protein and total cholesterol levels and in liver GSH, CAT and SOD activities compared with the IOL group. This study provides in vivo evidence that rutin administration can improve the antioxidant defense systems against IOL-induced hepatic oxidative stress in rats. This protective effect in liver of iron-loaded rats may be due to both antioxidant and metal chelation activities.
A review of recent experimental and theoretical results concerning laser diode self-mixing velocimetry is presented, showing that this technique can be deployed to measure velocity and vibration of solid targets with an extremely simple optical setup. This technique reduces optical alignment problems and achieves results comparable to those obtained by the conventional laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) approach. It is demonstrated that the self-mixing signal can be processed to recover the target velocity and vibration by applying the same analysis method used for LDV. An optimal signal processing method is then proposed to recover the target velocity with good accuracy, also in the presence of relevant speckle disturbance. Application to the measurement of sub-micron vibrations is also demonstrated, using a self-mixing vibrometer instrument capable of 5-nm accuracy. As an example, the characterization of response and hysteresis of piezoceramic transducers (PZTs) is carried out. These results illustrate the effectiveness of the self-mixing technique in the field of laser velocimetry, opening the way to new applications where compactness and low cost of the measuring apparatus are essential.
Electrophoretic patterns of polypeptides of milk fat globule differed quantitatively depending on extent of washing during membrane preparation. This was due to selective loss of loosely associated, extrinsic membrane proteins. Major polypeptides with apparent molecular weights of 155,000 and 43,500 and membrane glycoproteins were released selectively during preparation of milk fat globule membranes. Evidence suggested that xanthine oxidase was a constituent of the selectively removed polypeptide fraction of apparent molecular weight 155,000. A major class of polypeptide with an apparent molecular weight of 62,500 was not extracted from milk fat globule membrane by treatment with dilute salts, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, or by nonionic and ionic detergent solutions. Milk fat globule membranes were separated into seven subfractions on isopycnic centrifugation in sucrose density gradients. Specific activities of the enzymes 5'-nucleotidase, xanthine oxidase, acid and alkaline phosphatases were similar or identical in all fractions. Electrophoretic analysis showed these seven subfractions had similar polypeptide profiles. Both phospholipid and total lipid content of subfractions were correlated inversely with fraction density. The results show that milk fat globule membrane is nearly homogenous in content of intrinsic membrane proteins and certain membrane-bound enzyme activities but is markedly heterogeneous with respect to buoyant density and lipid content.
Background: Dengue fever is a very common viral infection with potential serious complications and is one of the WHO challenges to limit its spread especially in view of lacking specific treatment or approved vaccine. We noticed over long time frequent cases of dengue fever with some characteristic laboratory findings particularly leukopenia, thrombocytopenia and elevated liver enzymes. These findings sometimes give concerns about safety of the patients so admission and sometimes isolation that could be unnecessary for some patients. Objectives: To present our data about variable clinical presentations and laboratory changes associated with dengue fever infection in adults and complications encountered in our institute in Saudi Arabia. So that we can give recommendations about the diagnosis, management and protection. Methods: We included all dengue fever positive cases starting September 2007 till end of December 2014. The data gathered through tracking the records of patients requested for Dengue fever serology in the main laboratory of the International Medical Centre (IMC). Data for analysis: Age, gender, characteristic laboratory changes, clinical manifestations and complications. Results: Dengue fever is a self-limiting viral infection in the majority of cases. Incidence of dengue infection in males: females is 2:1. Dengue fever manifestations in order of frequency: Fever, body aches, gastro intestinal symptoms, headache, and skin rash and chest symptoms. Incidence of complications in our study was 5.5%.
To cope with the vast variety of applications of the free pathfinding problem, a generalized but still practical approach was developed. A preliminary implementation for the special case of a planar two-link manipulator with four degrees of freedom is reported. Conceptually, two functions lead to a general free path finding algorithm: the pseudodistance function (PD(C)) which describes a relationship between the robot and its environment for any configuration (C); and the function PDL(t), which describes the variation of PD along a hyperline in configuration space. By properly capturing the concepts of adaptive discretization of configuration space, the approximate description of free space, a stepwise path improvement, a heuristic driven goal search, and of geometrical coherency, the algorithm can be practically implemented.<<ETX>>
Background: Current MRI criteria can help predict a second attack after a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). Given the known association between corpus callosum lesions (CC) and multiple sclerosis (MS), such lesions on MRI could provide additional predictive information. This study assessed whether the presence of CC lesion on MRI could, next to the modified Barkhof criteria, further enhance prediction of conversion from CIS to MS. Methods: Follow-up study of 158 patients with CIS who underwent MRI after CIS was performed. MRI were scored for the Barkhof criteria and CC lesion. Patients were classified as having MS according to Poser criteria. Cox regression models were used for the time to conversion from CIS to MS. Results: The Barkhof criteria and CC lesion were strongly associated with conversion to MS with hazard ratios (HR), respectively, of 2.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5–4.3) and 2.7 (95% CI 1.6–4.5). The HRs of CC lesion adjusted for the Barkhof criteria and the Barkhof criteria adjusted for CC lesion were similar (HRs 1.8, not significant). The combined prediction of the Barkhof criteria and CC lesion was 3.3 (95% CI 1.9–5.7). Patients not fulfilling the Barkhof criteria had a fourfold increased risk of MS (HR 3.8, 95% CI 1.5–9.3) when they had a lesion in the CC. Conclusions: Corpus callosum (CC) lesion and the Barkhof criteria both predicted conversion to multiple sclerosis (MS). When both variables were combined, the association was stronger. The assessment of CC lesion may be a useful additional tool for predicting conversion to MS in patients with clinically isolated syndrome.
This paper explores depictions of queerness and resistance in Samuel Delany’s Tales of Neveryon . The paper particularly focuses on the characters of Gorgik the Liberator, an antislavery crusader and BDSM enthusiast, who is never actually seen liberating a slave in the book and Raven, a woman warrior from a matriarchal land. While Gorgik wears a slave’s collar as a symbol of both his commitment to liberation and his queer sexuality, Raven’s twin-bladed sword represents her commitment to violent resistance of misogyny and, in a reversal of the usual phallic symbolism of the sword, symbolizes a vagina.
Garbage collection is traditionally not used in real-time systems due to the unpredictable temporal behavior of current implementations of a garbage collector. However, without garbage collection the programming model is very different from standard Java. It is the opinion of the authors that garbage collection algorithms can be adapted to meet even the requirements for hard real-time systems.One important property of a real-time garbage collector is to identify only the real roots on the root scan. Misinterpreting primitive values as false root pointers can result in an unpredictable worst case memory consumption. In this paper we propose a method to add information on the stack layout to the runtime data structure in order to find the roots exactly. Furthermore, interpreting this information during the collection process is implemented to be worst-case execution time analyzable.
Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that perform several vital cellular functions. Requisite for these functions are mitochondrial fusion and fission. Despite the increasing importance of mitochondrial dynamics in a range of cellular processes, there exist limited methods for robust quantification of mitochondrial fission and fusion. Currently, the most widely used method to measure mitochondrial fusion is the polyethylene glycol (PEG) fusion assay. While this assay can provide useful information regarding fusion activity, the reliance on manual selection of rare fusion events is time consuming and may introduce selection bias. By utilizing the image‐capture features and colocalization analysis of imaging flow cytometry in combination with the PEG fusion assay, we are able to develop a high‐throughput method to detect and quantify mitochondrial fusion activity. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
We consider the famous Hamiltonian cycle problem (HCP) embedded in a Markov decision process (MDP). More specifically, we consider the HCP as an optimisation problem over the space of occupation measures induced by the MDP's stationary policies. In recent years, this approach to the HCP has led to a number of alternative formulations and algorithmic approaches. In this paper, we focus on a specific embedding, because of the work of Feinberg. We present a “branch-and-fix” type algorithm that solves the HCP. At each branch of the algorithm, only a linear program needs to be solved and the dimensions of the successive linear programs are shrinking rather than expanding. Because the nodes of the branch-and-fix tree correspond to specially structured 1-randomised policies, we characterise the latter. This characterisation indicates that the total number of such policies is significantly smaller than the subset of all 1-randomised policies. Finally, we present some numerical results.
Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is a genetic disorder which can be complicated by haemolytic, vasoocclusive and thrombotic processes. Antithrombin III (ATIII) is a naturally occurring anticoagulant with anti inflammatory properties. The objective of this study was to determine the level of ATIII in individuals with SCA and to assess its role in vaso-occlusive crisis. This was an observational cross sectional study in which 60 adult HbSS (34 in steady state and 26 in vaso-occlusive crisis) subjects and 60 apparently healthy adults matched for sex and age served as controls. Haemoglobin (Hb) electrophoresis of subjects and controls was determined using Hb electrophoresis. Nine and a half (9.5) milliliters of blood, divided into two aliquots of 4.5mls (in 0.5mls of tri sodium citrate for coagulation studies) and 5mls (in EDTA containing bottle for full blood count) was obtained. Quantitative assessment of antithrombin III by chromogenic assay with Factor Xa was carried out using Diachrom ATIII test kit. Prothrombin time(PT), activated partial thromboplastin time(APTT), haematocrit, total white blood cells (WBC) and platelets count were assessed using standard protocol. SPSS (version 13 for windows) was used for data analysis. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. The subjects were made up of 33(55%) males and 27(45%) females, with a mean age of 22.52(5.21) years whilst the controls consisted of 34(56.7%) males and 26(43.3%) females with a mean age of 22.85 (4.20). HbS subjects had a significantly lower ATIII levels compared with controls (p=0.009). Levels of ATIII that was found in SCA patients in steady state and in vaso-occlusive crisis did not differ significantly (p=0.468). Haematocrit was significantly lower in HbS than controls (p=0.000), whereas total WBC count (p=0.000), absolute platelet count (p=0.003), and Prothrombin time (0.008) were significantly higher in the HbS subjects. ATIII levels did not differ significantly between steady state and vasoocclusive crisis, suggesting that ATIII does not play an active role in pathogenesis of vasoocclusive crisis.
In the early days of transfusion medicine-long before that name was applied to the discipline-concern about the sterility of blood collected for transfusion was a major issue. Imperfect sterilization of the reusable collection sets and glass bottles caused some severe transfusionassociated accidents. Reports of those remembered by one of us (CFH) from his younger days were never published, however. A great step toward safer transfusion was taken when sets of integrally connected plastic containers, produced and sterilized industrially, replaced the old equipment. Today’s requirements for high-quality disposables for blood collection, component preparation, and storage are rigorous. We more or less assume that, if contamination occurs, it is probably not caused by any general faults in the manufacture of the plastic containers but by transfer of bacteria from the donor’s blood or skin or via leaks from the environment into single, defective containers. The sets of blood bags are usually delivered in a closed package. Currently, there seems in most countries to be no formal requirement as to the sterile exterior of the bags. Blood bankers have probably reasoned that this does not matter, because the bags will be contaminated during handling in the blood bank and in the wards. As is shown in the article by Heltberg et al.’ in this issue of TRANSFUSION, massive bacterial contamination on the outside of the blood packs within the package can lead to very serious complications. In connection with their comments on this topic, we will extend the information with some unpublished data from Sweden. In early June 1991, transfusion complications with high fever as the dominant symptom occurred in three patients in Denmark.’ Serratia marcescens was isolated both from the blood of the patients and from the blood units used, as well as from other blood components prepared from the same blood donations. All containers were produced by one manufacturer, Terumo, and belonged to the same lot, made in a plant in Belgium. Later, S. marcescens was isolated in that factory. All strains belonged to the same ribotype. S. marcescens was cultured from 11 (0.73%) of 1515 specimens from randomly tested blood donations. The present manufacturing procedure for blood collection sets, as described to the Medical Products Agency (MPA), the Swedish equivalent to the US Food and Drug Administration, is as follows. After heat sterilization, the sets are cooled with deionized, clean, but not sterile water and packed in a plastic tray without further heatsterilization. A periodic problem of the occurrence of mold growth in the package was corrected by ventilation with nitrogen and the introduction in the package of devices that absorb water and oxygen.2 This treatment can be expected to effectively counteract the growth of aerobic microorganisms. S. marcescens is a facultative anaerobic species, however, and thus should be able to grow in spite of the measures. Products from the Belgian plant were introduced in Sweden during 1990. Previously, all of this manufacturer’s bags were made in Japan. At the same time as those events in Denmark, two patients in different hospitals in western Sweden (one had received platelet concentrates, and the other multiple units of red cells) showed similar symptoms, including S. marcescens septicemia. The S. marcescens strain isolated from the blood of one of the patients was later found to be of the same ribotype as was found in the Danish patients, and the plastic bags used were from the same Belgian plant, though from different lots as the bags used in Denmark. For that reason, the MPA, when informed of the Danish cases, did not withdraw the implicated bags from use in Sweden. However, when information was received 2 days later on a patient in Sweden who had died of S. marcescem septicemia, all bags from that manufacturer were ordered withdrawn and all components made in those containers were quarantined. Beginning in late June 1991, large numbers of bacterial cultures from components, performed in two Swedish hospitals, found 4 (1.5%) of 260 and 1 (0.3%) of 307 units of red cells suspended in saline-adenine-glucosemannitol showing S. marcescens growth. (However, in one of these hospitals, 9 of 18 selected pilot tubes from transfused or discarded red cell units contained S. marcescens.) At the hospital in eastern Sweden that had the fatal case of S. marcexem contamination, 51 red cell units suspended in saIine-adenine-glucose-mannitol were culture negative. On the basis of these findings and further information obtained at inspection of the Belgian plant, the MPA decided that bags produced there during 1990 and bags made in Japan by that manufacturer could be used for blood collection and component production. Then in early August, after a finding of S. marcescens in the blood of a myeloid leukemia patient who had 5 days earlier received a transfusion of platelet concentrates prepared in bags made in 1990 by the implicated manufacturer, the MPA ruled that all such blood components be quarantined. After multiple bacterial cultures of blood containers were all negative, the quarantine was removed 11 days later, and it was concluded that the patient’s septicemia most likely originated from a mouth
Background Adiponectin and its receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2), known as adiponectin system, have some proven roles in the fat and glucose metabolisms. Several studies have shown that adiponectin can be considered as a candidate in linking metabolism to testicular function. In this regard, we evaluated the correlation between sperm mRNA abundance of adiponectin and its receptors, with sperm motility indices in the present study. Materials and Methods In this completely randomized design study, semen samples from 6 adult rams were fractionated on a two layer discontinuous percoll gradient into high and low motile sperm cells, then quantitative parameters of sperm motility were determined by computer-assisted sperm analyzer (CASA). The mRNA abundance levels of Adiponectin, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 were measured quantitatively using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in the high and low motile groups. Results Firstly, we showed that adiponectin and its receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) were transcriptionally expressed in the ram sperm cells. Using Pfaff based method qRT- PCR, these levels of transcription were significantly higher in the high motile rather than low motile samples. This increase was 3.5, 3.6 and 2.5 fold change rate for Adiponectin, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, respectively. Some of sperm motility indices [curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight-line velocity (VSL), average path velocity (VAP), linearity (LIN), wobble (WOB) and straightness (STR)] were also significantly correlated with Adiponectin and AdipoR1 relative expression. The correlation of AdipoR2 was also significant with the mentioned parameters, although this correlation was not comparable with adiponectin and AdipoR1. Conclusion This study revealed the novel association of adiponectin system with sperm motility. The results of our study suggested that adiponectin is one of the possible factors which can be evaluated and studied in male infertility disorders.
Catchphrase predicated look for in content prosperous multidimensional datasets encourages various novel applications and executes. In this paper, we consider objects that are marked with catchphrases and are embedded in a vector space. For these datasets, we ponder request that demand the most impervious aggregations of centers slaking a given course of action of watchwords. We propose a novel strategy called ProMiSH (Projection and Multi Scale Hashing) that uses self-confident projection and hash-predicated list structures, and achieves high flexibility and speedup. We present a right and an estimated variation of the count. Our exploratory results on sound and produced datasets show that ProMiSH has up to 60 times of speedup over front line treepredicated frameworks.
Purpose – The study aims to explore the innovative characteristics of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the link between their innovation and business performance in the emerging Dubai market in the United Arab Emirates. Design/methodology/approach – Using data from 200 SMEs, the study utilizes a structured survey that was developed from a methodical literature review. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to evaluate the findings. Findings – The findings described the innovative characteristics of SMEs and suggested that there is a significant positive link between innovation and business performance. Research limitations/implications – The study offers SMEs with innovative behaviors a better perspective of their business and market environments. However, the study is limited to SMEs operating in the Dubai marketplace. Future research could also look at other markets and use qualitative research methods. Originality/value – The study provides important insights that could gui...
The factors that vary the aroma of Tuber magnatum fruiting bodies are poorly understood. The study determined the headspace aroma composition, sensory aroma profiles, maturity, and bacterial communities from T. magnatum originating from Italy, Croatia, Hungary, and Serbia, and tested if truffle aroma is dependent on provenance and if fruiting body volatiles are explained by maturity and/or bacterial communities. Headspace volatile profiles were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (GC-MS-O) and aroma of fruiting body extracts were sensorially assessed. Fruiting body maturity were estimated through spore melanisation. Bacterial community was determined using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Main odour active compounds were present in all truffles but varied in concentration. Aroma of truffle extracts were sensorially discriminated by sites. However, volatile profiles of individual fruiting bodies varied more within sites than across geographic area, while maturity level did not play a role. Bacterial communities varied highly and was partially explained by provenance. A few rare bacterial operational taxonomical units associated with select few non-odour active volatile compounds. Specificities of the aroma of T. magnatum truffles are more likely linked to individual properties than provenance. Some constituents of bacteria may provide biomarkers of provenance and be linked to non-odour active volatiles.
Sialadenitis is infection of the salivary glands. This is a relatively common disease. Sialadenitis can be acute, subacute, or chronic in nature and can be of bacterial or viral origin. Bacterial infections may reach the salivary gland tissue mostly via the ductal system, whereas viral infections invade the salivary glands via the bloodstream. The incidence of bacterial sialadenitis is in direct relation to factors such as old age, nutritional and health status, trauma, anatomic abnormalities, and use of drugs that decrease the salivary flow. There are several etiological predisposing local and systemic generalized factors that play an important role in the development and course of sialadenitis (Table 9.1). ACUTE BACTERIAL SIALADENITIS Acute bacterial sialadenitis is also known as suppurative sialadenitis and mainly affects the parotid and submandibular glands. Sialadenitis of the intraoral and sublingual glands is very rare. This may be due to the fact that the serous saliva produced by the parotid gland has less bacteriostatic activity or may result from a secretory disorder that changes the amount and chemical composition of saliva, including most of the protein, mucins, and electrolytes. Primary acute bacterial parotitis (ABP) has been reported mainly in elderly patients suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, Sjogren's disease, poor oral hygiene, ductal obstructions due to sialolithiasis, tumor or foreign bodies, chronic tonsillitis, dental infection, neoplasm of the oral cavity, liver cirrhosis, or diabetes mellitus.
As well-known, depending on density and effective mean principal stress levels, sandy soils behave in a different way under undrained shearing. For instance, loose sand usually exhibits a contractive behavior with strain-softening. Instead, dense sand typically shows a dilative response with strain-hardening. Generation of excess pore water pressure is also greatly affected, being positive during contractive state and negative during dilative state. In view of this complex behavior, to predict in a consistent way the sand shearing response over a wide range of initial void ratios and effective mean principal stress levels without the need to change the soil model parameters is not an easy task. In this paper, by using an extended general hyperbolic equation (GHE) combined with an empirical density-dependent stress-dilatancy relation, a newly developed model for describing monotonic undrained torsional shear behavior of sands using a single set of soil parameters is presented. Its validity is demonstrated for the case of Toyoura sand specimens consolidated at various levels of void ratio and effective mean principal stress.
Although many nitroaromatic compounds have been in nature for only a few decades, bacteria have already evolved the ability to metabolize them. Both horizontal transfer of genes and mutagenesis induced under stressful conditions might facilitate evolution of new catabolic pathways. Nitrotoluene degradation pathways are supposedly derived from an ancestral naphthalene degradation pathway. The 2‐nitrotoluene degradation genes in Acidovorax sp. strain JS42 are controlled by the transcriptional activator NtdR, which differs from NagR, the activator of the naphthalene degradation operon in Ralstonia sp. strain U2, by only five amino acids. Both regulators respond to salicylate, an intermediate of naphthalene degradation, but NtdR also recognizes a wide range of nitroaromatic compounds. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Ju et al. present results of site‐directed mutagenesis of NtdR and NagR and show how the nitrotoluene‐responsive regulator NtdR can be generated from a NagR‐like ancestor by only a few mutations. The reconstructed hypothetical pathway for the evolution of NtdR from NagR demonstrates stepwise broadening of the effector range of the evolving protein without loss of the original activity. These results provide strong evidence for the idea that promiscuity of proteins is an important step in the evolution of new functions.
Humans are able to use knowledge of previous events to estimate the probability of future actions. Consequently, an unexpected event will elicit a prediction error as the prepared action has to be replaced by an unprepared option in a process known as “action reprogramming” (AR). Here we show that people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have a dopamine-sensitive deficit in AR that is proportional to the size of the prediction error. Participants performed a probabilistic reaction time (RT) task in the context of either a predictable or unpredictable environment. For an overall predictable sequence, PD patients, on and off dopamine medication, and healthy controls showed similar improvements in RT. However, in the context of a generally predictable sequence, PD patients off medication were impaired in reacting to unexpected events that elicit large prediction errors and require AR. Critically, this deficit in AR was modulated by the prediction error associated with the upcoming event. The prolongation of RT was not observed during an overall unpredictable sequence, in which relatively unexpected events evoke little prediction error and the requirement for AR should be minimal, given the context. The data are compatible with recent theoretical accounts suggesting that levels of dopamine encode the reliability, i.e., precision, of sensory information. In this scheme, PD patients off medication have low dopamine levels and may therefore be less confident about incoming sensory information and more reliant on top-down predictions. Consequently, when these internal predictions are incorrect, PD patients take longer to respond appropriately to unexpected sensory information.
Presently, business venture is very important, both for entrepreneurs and for public and private institutions. The creation of businesses becomes an important research theme. The objective of this study is to determine the differences there are between ways of creating microenterprises. The work was developed in the community of Santa Barbara Almoloya with 73 micro entrepreneurs. The necessary information was obtained through a questionnaire and four groups have been established which differentiate between them, both in financial, social and human capitals, and in motivations. It is concluded that the objectives and the financial capital are the essential elements for the creation of microenterprises, although the latter loses its importance if people have a high level of social capital. The implications of this work serve for those interested in the promotion of business venture in the rural environment, such as microfinance institutions (MFI), governments and researchers, as well as future entrepreneurs.
The Decree of a state of emergency affects not only the executive and legislative branches but also the judiciary. The Covid-19 Pandemic in various countries has both direct and indirect effects on the judiciary, especially in the performance of its duties and functions. This article is to found out the answer of two research question first, how court administration in the United States and Indonesia responds to the Covid-19 pandemic emergency and second, how is its reflection in on optimizing access to justice for court administration even under in the state of emergencies to the pandemic Covid -19. This study uses the comparative method by a study on legal material and practice of judicial emergency in other countries to take the best material and approach to provides advice that needs to be avoided in Indonesian Judiciary. This article has a novelty that legal material in the Judiciary act and procedural law books so limiting delegation to set supplementary regulations for each court and creating potential uniformity for emergency policy in the judiciary.
The application of transition-metal oxides (TMOs) in electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation still is hindered by their sluggish reaction kinetics and weak stabilization. In this work, a vanadium–nickel oxynitride (VNiON) layer is designed and synthesized on the corresponding oxide nanosheets to solve the above crucial issues. The first-principles kinetics analyses theoretically prove that the delocalized electron environment of VNiON enhanced π backdonation, which is conducive to nitrogen absorption and activation. Experimentally, both the ammonia production rate (∼6.78 μg h−1 cmcat.−2) and faradaic efficiency (∼5.57%) of VNiON are enhanced by 2-fold relative to those of its corresponding oxide under neutral conditions. Meanwhile, the stability of oxide is enormously improved by introducing a VNiON layer. The mechanism of improving the nitrogen fixation performance of oxides is investigated. This work provides a novel strategy of constructing oxides with advantageous structures for extensive electrochemical applications.
Writing this article for a special issue of Knowledge honoring Howie Davis has been a bittersweet experience Sweet because of how much I learn each time I read Howie's work. Bitter because of the fact that he is no longer here to contribute to the many endeavors of which he was apart He was a strong supporter of this journal from the time it was first conceived of. Howie Davis was very important to me from the time that I finished graduate school. He was committed and enthusiastic about the work I was doing in knowledge utilization and mental health policy. He influenced the questions I asked and he helped in shaping the analysis of the data that were analyzed. Howie was also a good friend; we had many stimulating discussions about the work we were doing. I have enjoyed grappling with his ideas .
In order to actualize the fine pitch of wiring in FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit), the insulation degradation due to the migration becomes the problem, which cannot be ignored. Because of difference in its structure and wiring from the former printed circuit board, the analysis of migration behavior in FPC becomes important for evaluating the reliability of an electronic component based on FPC. In this research, in order to grasp the migration behavior of FPC, the paragraphed 30 mum pitch tooth profile wiring specimen was designated as the test material. Then, reliability test for evaluating the migration behavior was conducted. As a result of THB (hot high moisture bias) test, the migration occurred progressively. Various investigations were conducted for explaining about the mechanism of ionic migration. Also in this paper, the adhesive strength between the polyimide film and Cu wiring pattern and that between the polyimide film and the under-filling material was measured in order to investigate the influence of surface state of polyimide film upon the migration behavior.
The larval nephridia of the brackish‐water polychaete Nereis diversicolor are described for the first time, and have been studied to determine if their times of development and structural characteristics are consistent with a role in the osmotic regulation of the larva. As shown in serial paraffin sections and by interference‐contrast optics, the nephridia of the three‐setiger larva consist of a single pair of very large metanephridia, arising in the 3rd larval setiger, but with their elongated terminal ducts and coiled ciliated tubules pushed forward into the 2nd setiger; their open metanephrostomes and anterior anchoring filaments lie dorsal to the 2nd set of setae. In contrast, the definitive or juvenile metanephridia, arising in the 4th and subsequently formed setigerous segments, have short terminal ducts and coiled ciliated tubules confined to the segments on which their external nephropores open; their nephrostomes are ventrally located and open into the rear of the next anterior segment. These findings are in contrast to the claims of Edouard Meyer (1887), who described two pairs of closed protonephridia in the 2nd and 3rd larval setigers of Perinereis cultrifera. Although it is not excluded that the single larval pair of metanephridia of N. diversicolor may arise as protonephridia, Meyer's claim of two pairs of larval protonephridia was an observational error. The larval nephridia of the marine Platynereis dumerilii resemble in form, but are considerably smaller than, those of N. diversicolor. It is concluded that the hypertrophied pair of larval metanephridia of N. diversicolor is an evolutionary adaptation to existence in habitats of low and unpredictably varying salinity. Their development occurs irrespective of the prevailing salinity; hence, it must be genetically determined.
This paper presents an experimental study of the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of a single phase high heat flux microchannel cooling system with spiraling radial inflow. The heat sink provides enhanced heat transfer with a simple inlet and outlet design while providing uniform flow distribution. The system is heated from one conducting wall made of copper and uses water as a working fluid. The microchannel has a 1 cm radius and a 300 μm gap height. Experimental results show, on average, a 76% larger pressure drop compared to an analytic model for laminar flow in a parallel disk system with spiral radial inflow. The mean heat transfer coefficients measured are up to four times the heat transfer coefficient for unidirectional laminar fully developed flow between parallel plates with the same gap height. Flow visualization studies indicate the presence of secondary flows and the onset of turbulence at higher flow rates. Combined with the thermally developing nature of the flow, these characteristics lead to enhanced heat transfer coefficients relative to the laminar parallel plate values. Another beneficial feature of this device, for high heat flux cooling applications, is that the thermal gradients on the surface are small. The average variation in surface temperature is 18% of the total bulk fluid temperature gain across the device. The system showed promising cooling characteristics for electronics and concentrated photovoltaics applications with a heat flux of 113 W/cm2 at a surface temperature of 77 °C and a ratio of pumping power to heat rate of 0.03%.
The primary habitat of the Escherichia coli species is the gut of warm‐blooded vertebrates. The E. coli species is structured into four main phylogenetic groups A, B1, B2, and D. We estimated the relative proportions of these phylogroups in the feces of 137 wild and domesticated animals with various diets living in the Ile de France (Paris) region by real‐time PCR. We distinguished three main clusters characterized by a particular abundance of two or more phylogroups within the E. coli animal commensal populations, which we called “enterocolitypes” by analogy with the enterotypes defined in the human gut microbiota at the genus level. These enterocolitypes were characterized by a dominant (>50%) B2, B1, or A phylogroup and were associated with different host species, diets, and habitats: wild and herbivorous species (wild rabbits and deer), domesticated herbivorous species (domesticated rabbits, horses, sheep, and cows), and omnivorous species (boar, pigs, and chickens), respectively. By analyzing retrospectively the data obtained using the same approach from 98 healthy humans living in Ile de France (Smati et al. 2013, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 79, 5005–5012), we identified a specific human enterocolitype characterized by the dominant and/or exclusive (>90%) presence of phylogroup B2. We then compared B2 strains isolated from animals and humans, and revealed that human and animal strains differ regarding O‐type and B2 subgroup. Moreover, two genes, sfa/foc and clbQ, were associated with the exclusive character of strains, observed only in humans. In conclusion, a complex network of interactions exists at several levels (genus and intra‐species) within the intestinal microbiota.
We evaluated the potential of maize pollen concentrations in lake sediment profiles to serve as indicators of the extent of prehistoric agriculture in neotropical lake basins using records from a network of five sediment cores recovered from Laguna Zoncho, Costa Rica. The watershed of this small (0.75 ha) lake in the Diquís archaeological region has a c. 3000 year history of prehistoric agriculture and subsequent forest recovery, as documented through previous studies of pollen, charcoal, diatoms, and phosphorus fractions in a single core recovered from the center of the lake. In our new network of cores, we compared maize pollen concentrations with two independent proxies for the scale of agriculture in the same cores: abundance of organic matter (OM), which is an indicator of soil erosion, and bulk sediment stable carbon isotope ratios of organic matter (δ13COM), which reflect the proportion of forested and cleared land within the watershed. In none of the five cores did maize pollen concentrations correspond with either OM or δ13COM, suggesting that sedimentary maize pollen concentrations are not sensitive to the scale of maize agriculture in small neotropical watersheds. We found maize pollen in relatively high concentrations in two of the four cores taken near the lakeshore, but the others contained little or no maize pollen. The core from the center of the lake consistently recorded maize pollen, a finding that we attribute to sediment-focusing processes.
Direct-fed microbials (DFM) could serve as a potential alternative to the feeding of antibiotics in poultry production. In this study, the effects of providing a DFM were compared with the feeding of salinomycin on intestinal histomorphometrics, and microarchitecture was examined. Broiler chicks (n=18 per treatment; trials 1 and 2) were fed a standard starter diet (control), control+PrimaLac (DFM; 0.3% wt/wt), and control+salinomycin (SAL; 50 ppm) from hatch to 21d. The birds were euthanized on d 21, and the ileal, jejunal, cecal, and colon tissues were dissected. Samples were examined by light microscopy (jejunum and ileum; trial 1) and scanning electron microscopy (ileum, cecum, and colon; trial 2). Feeding of the DFM increased intestinal muscle thickness (P<0.05) up to 33% compared with the control treatment. The DFM group also had increased villus height and perimeter (P=0.009 and 0.003, respectively) in jejunum. Segmented filamentous-like bacteria were less numerous in DFM-treated chicks than in the control chicks. Very few segmented filamentous-like bacteria were found near other microbes in the ileum. The DFM chicks had a larger number of bacteria positioned over or near goblet cells and in intervilli spaces. Bacteria in the colon were observed to be attached primarily around and within the crypts. Mucous thickness was less, and the density of bacteria embedded in the mucous blanket appeared to be lower in DFM-treated animals than in the control in all intestinal segments. The birds fed SAL had fewer bacteria and enterocytes in the ileum than in the control-and DFM-treated birds, and they had thicker and fewer microvilli. Because gastrointestinal track colonization by the DFM organisms can prevent the attachment of pathogens to the epithelium, spatial relationships, in this study, demonstrate the functionality of DFM and probiotics in preventing disease. It also supports previous observations that the feeding of salinomycin may alter intestinal function.
OBJECTIVE Mouse models of sepsis-induced myocardial injury by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was established in order to provide a reliable method for the research of pathogenesis of sepsis-induced myocardial injury.   METHODS According to the method of random number table, a total of 150 male C57BL/6 mice were divided into five groups: NC group, sham group, and LPS 10, 12, 15 mg/kg groups, with 30 in each group. Septic myocardial injury was induced by intraperitoneal injection LPS in mice; sham group was injected with equal 0.9% saline; while there was no treatment in mice of NC group. Fifteen of the 30 mice in each group were used to observe the general status of mice before and after LPS or saline injection. Twenty-four hours after LPS or saline injection, the left ventricular function was assessed by echocardiography, serum level of cardiac troponin (cTnI) was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), and the cardiac histomorphology and ultrastructure were observed; the other 15 mice were used to monitor the 7-day mortality after LPS or saline injection.   RESULTS The mice challenged to LPS displayed symptoms of sepsis, such as depression, ruffled fur, and diarrhea. Compared with NC group, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular fraction shortening (LVFS) were significantly decreased at 24 hours after LPS administration in LPS 10, 12, 15 mg/kg groups [LVEF: 0.459±0.044, 0.432±0.034, 0.348±0.064 vs. 0.588±0.019, LVFS: (22.36±2.60)%, (20.78±1.91)%, (16.27±3.31)% vs. (30.55±1.30)%, all P < 0.01], and cTnI levels were significantly increased (ng/L: 270.40±43.50, 281.14±41.79, 298.39±42.05 vs. 192.59±16.90, all P < 0.01). Myocardium injury was observed in three LPS groups, myocardial fibrosis, interstitial edema, erythrocyte leakage and infiltrating inflammatory cells were observed under light-microscope; ultrastructural changes disorderly arranged in cardiac muscle fibers, mitochondrial swelling and even partly missing mitochondria cristae were found under transmission electron microscope (TEM), and the higher of the dose, the more sever of the damage. There was no significant difference between sham group and NC group. The 7-day mortality in LPS 10, 12, 15 mg/kg groups were 33.3%, 53.3% and 86.7%, respectively, while no death in the NC group and sham group.   CONCLUSIONS For establishing the mouse model of sepsis-induced myocardial injury, intraperitoneal injection with 12 mg/kg LPS is a preferable choice in our research.
With increasing depth, there will always be situations where stress, strength and structure combine to store energy in unstable ways around mining work areas. Some mining induced seismicity is unavoidable. The job of the planning team is to balance the compromises between production demands and rock mechanics driven sequencing principles so that all essential constraints—safety, economy and recovery—are met. Achieving a sufficient and defendable balance requires quantitative tools: tools that can differentiate various courses of action, as well as assess the underlying risks for each method. It is not good enough to simply rank possible scenarios or reduce the forecast performance to a single economic value, without actually determining if the bottom line risk is below acceptable levels.  In this paper, a numerical modelling technique for simulating seismic effects of mining is described. The approach estimates the energy released throughout the mine at each stope extraction step, and has been validated for its intended purpose using data from Xstrata’s Nickel Rim South (NRS) Mine.
ABSTRACT The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prohibited the discharge of “free oil” in offshore drilling discharges and proposed new procedures to detect such oil. A statistically designed series of experiments was performed to evaluate three proposed sheen test procedures: EPA's Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, and cup protocols. Seventy-four independent observers conducted over 6,360 sheen tests. The experiments evaluated the effects of freshwater and saltwater test media, two lighting types, two mud types, and two oil types (diesel and mineral) at five concentrations (including a blank). The cup and Gulf tests had relatively high false positive rates. The Alaska procedure had a lower false positive rate, but did not detect oil concentrations of 5% reliably under some test conditions. As a result, none of the three procedures used can be considered satsifactory for National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit compliance.
The present paper is part of a comprehensive study regarding the influence of the serial repitching of Saccharomyces pastorianus TUM 34/70 on the composition of the barley, buckwheat and quinoa fermentation medium. In particular, it focuses on the uptake dynamics of amino acids during 11 successive fermentations. Samples were taken every 20 h after pitching, analysed for the particular amino acid content and statistically evaluated. The term ‘completion time’ (t95), here defined as the percentage attenuation time necessary for ~95% of the total assimilation, has been introduced. In addition, ‘the serial repitching factor’ is used for the first time to support the visual evaluation of the influence of serial repitching. Amino acids that were essentially affected by serial repitching were glutamine, arginine, alanine and tryptophan in barley, aspartate, glutamate and tryptophan in buckwheat, and all in the quinoa wort fermentation. As opposed to buckwheat and quinoa, in barley the amino acids behaved more or less independently from each other, which for buckwheat and quinoa indicates a more general systemic change in the yeast. From the amino acids point of view, buckwheat can be fully regarded as a suitable gluten-free substitute for barley beer since the amino acid assimilation was very consistent and hardly influenced by the serial repitching, especially regarding the final amino acid assimilation. In the case of quinoa, the assimilation of all amino acids became significantly affected after the sixth fermentation and quinoa is probably unsuitable for the production of beer-like beverages. Results suggest no substitutional potential of quinoa for barley beer, but if a nutrient-rich beverage of choice from quinoa malt is intended to be prepared, it seems that the serial repitching is limited to six fermentations at most. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling
Ari Hidayanto, Heru Winarno  in this paper explain that The high number of traffic accidents is currently a factor in the driver's error in driving (human error). One of the accidents that often occur include car accidents. Of the several incidents that have occurred, the average accident occurred because of the driver's lack of concentration in driving his car. This resulted in the driver not being able to control the speed of the vehicle immediately when there was a sudden object in front, moreover this happened when the vehicle drove at high speed. To avoid this, when driving, it really needs a vehicle security system that also greatly affects the driver's safety. With the development of existing science and technology allows humans to make security systems in motorized vehicles. Accidents due to driver negligence can be overcome by making the braking system automatic then the vehicle speed will slow down and carry out mechanical braking (disc brake) automatically based on the minimum distance of the car with the barrier even though the driver does not pull the brake lever. Realizing this, an autobrake system (automatic braking) was designed based on the distance of the car with the barrier using the HC-SR04 ultrasonic distance sensor. When between a sensor and a barrier at a distance of <= 70 cm, the central lock actuator will go forward and press the disc brake lever. System notifications will be displayed via 20X4 LCD, LED and Buzzer. The system work will be controlled by Arduino Mega 2560. Keywords: Autobrake, Disc Brake, Ultrasonic sensor HC-SR04, Central Lock,  LCD 20x4, Arduino Mega 2560 References Agus Setya Abadi, Delta. 2008. Sensor Ultrasonic Sebagai Alat Navigasi Robot Pemadam Api. Tugas Akhir PSD III Teknik Elektro (tidak diterbitkan). Semarang: Universitas Diponegoro. Bishop, Owen. 2004. Dasar-Dasar Elekrtonika . Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga. Cahyo Saputro, Adi. 2014. Central Door Lock . Diunduh dari http://otomotifmaju.blogspot.com/2014/08/sentral-door-lock.html, pada 17 Juni 2015 pukul 21.46 WIB. Chan, Yefri. 2010. Teori Dasar Rem . Buku Panduan Teknik Mesin (tidak diterbitkan). Jakarta Timur: Universitas Darma Persada. Putu Giovani. I. 2014. Merancang Driver Motor DC. Diunduh dari http://www.geyosoft.com/2014/merancang-driver-motor-dc, pada 17 Juni 2015 pukul 08.00 WIB. Prayogo, Rudito. 2012. Pengaturan PWM dengan PLC . Tugas Mata Kuliah Teknik Otomasi (tidak diterbitkan). Malang: Universitas Brawijaya. Roghib, Rokhman, dan M. Qomarruzzaman. 2014. Introduction Arduino Training Kit . Yogyakarta: House Of Technology. Sandi. 2014. Acccumulator Atau Aki . Diunduh dari http://www.sandielektronik.com/2014/03/accumulator-atau-aki.html, pada 30 Mei 2015 pukul 16.15 WIB. Setyadi, Ary. 2010. Bahasa Indonesia Dalam Karya Ilmiah . Semarang: Fakultas Ilmu Budaya Undip. Sulistyowati, Riny. 2012. Perancangan Prototype System Kontrol Dan Monitoring Pembatas Daya Listrik Berbasis Mikrokontroler . Tugas Akhir Teknik Elektro (tidak diterbitkan). Surabaya: Institut Adhi Tama Surabaya. Tooley, Mike. 2003. Rangkainan Elektronik Prinsip dan Aplikasi Edisi Kedua . Jakarta: Penerbit Erlangga.
Summary The importance, characteristics, positive and negative impacts, and future role of weeds as an integral part of the natural and agroecosystems are evaluated and discussed. Interference between plants in nature and the importance of differentiating between competition and allelopathy are interpreted. Allelopathy as one component of weed/crop interference, allelochemicals from weed species and their possible mechanism of action are listed and discussed. Weed species with inhibitory action against cultivated crops, other weed species, and plant pathogens, as well as self-inhibitory (autopathic) species are reviewed. Stimulatory or inhibitory allelopathic effects of different crop plants, trapping and catching species, and the potential of allelopathic weeds in inhibiting or stimulating certain parasitic weed species are discussed and evaluated. Allelopathy as a mechanism and future strategy for agricultural pest control and farm management and the potential use and development of some allelochemicals...
Curtiss and Bird recently developed a kinetic theory for undiluted polymers, modeling the fluid as a collection of interacting Kramers freely jointed bead–rod chains. The theory yielded a constitutive equation in which the stress tensor is given as the sum of two integrals over the strain history. Here, the constitutive equation is used to calculate the steady‐state shear flow rheological properties (shear‐rate dependent viscosity and normal‐stress functions) and also unsteady‐state shear flow responses (shear and normal stress growth at the inception of shear flow, shear and normal stress relaxation after the cessation of shear flow, and the stress response in small‐amplitude oscillatory motion). The rheological functions for an earlier slip‐link network theory by Doi and Edwards are also obtained.
This study evaluates the risk for CO2 leakage from a storage site using a risk assessment criterion, the safety index, which considers the contributions of residual gas, solubility, ionic, and mineral trapping mechanisms. We present a case of CO2 storage in a deep saline aquifer in Yutengping (YTP) sandstone, Tiehchanshan (TCS) field, Taiwan. The numerical method was used to estimate the amount of different CO2 phases sequestered by the various trapping mechanisms. The CO2 injection rate was 1 million tons per year for 20 years. The total simulation time was 1000 years. In the case of down-dip well injection, the safety index was 0.77 at the storage time of 1000 years and much higher than the safety index of 0.45 for the up-dip well. More mobile supercritical CO2 had to be sealed using a caprock in the up-dip well injection case. Injecting CO2 using a down-dip well is a better engineering strategy because the safety index is higher. Article history: Received 3 March 2012 Accepted 20 August 2015
A consistent feature of chronic leg and pressure ulcers is chronic inflammation associated with an elevated infiltration of neutrophils. Neutrophils and their proteases have been implicated in mediating the tissue damage associated with a variety of chronic inflammatory diseases. This review discusses our current understanding of the proteolytic enzymes found in chronic wounds and attempts to relate this information to the abundant presence of neutrophils. In addition, the implications that the proteolytic environment may have for current and future treatment strategies of chronic nonhealing wounds are discussed.
Background and Objectives Surgery is an effective treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy, which modifies the brain's structure and networks to regulate seizure activity. Our objective was to examine the relationship between brain structure and function to determine the extent to which this relationship affects the success of the surgery in controlling seizures. We hypothesized that a stronger association between brain structure and function would lead to improved seizure control after surgery. Methods We constructed functional and structural brain networks in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy by using presurgery functional data from intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings, presurgery and postsurgery structural data from T1-weighted MRI, and presurgery diffusion-weighted MRI. We quantified the relationship (coupling) between structural and functional connectivity by using the Spearman rank correlation and analyzed this structure-function coupling at 2 spatial scales: (1) global iEEG network level and (2) individual iEEG electrode contacts using virtual surgeries. We retrospectively predicted postoperative seizure freedom by incorporating the structure-function connectivity coupling metrics and routine clinical variables into a cross-validated predictive model. Results We conducted a retrospective analysis on data from 39 patients who met our inclusion criteria. Brain areas implanted with iEEG electrodes had stronger structure-function coupling in seizure-free patients compared with those with seizure recurrence (p = 0.002, d = 0.76, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.78 [95% CI 0.62–0.93]). Virtual surgeries on brain areas that resulted in stronger structure-function coupling of the remaining network were associated with seizure-free outcomes (p = 0.007, d = 0.96, AUC = 0.73 [95% CI 0.58–0.89]). The combination of global and local structure-function coupling measures accurately predicted seizure outcomes with a cross-validated AUC of 0.81 (95% CI 0.67–0.94). These measures were complementary to other clinical variables and, when included for prediction, resulted in a cross-validated AUC of 0.91 (95% CI 0.82–1.0), accuracy of 92%, sensitivity of 93%, and specificity of 91%. Discussion Our study showed that the strength of structure-function connectivity coupling may play a crucial role in determining the success of epilepsy surgery. By quantitatively incorporating structure-function coupling measures and standard-of-care clinical variables into presurgical evaluations, we may be able to better localize epileptogenic tissue and select patients for epilepsy surgery. Classification of Evidence This is a Class IV retrospective case series showing that structure-function mapping may help determine the outcome from surgical resection for treatment-resistant focal epilepsy.
BACKGROUND AIDS is still a major cause of death. To combat this disease, researchers are developing a vaccine. Although blacks account for most new infections in the United States, they account for a low percent of experimental vaccine recipients. This study, conducted in a mid-sized U.S. city where vaccine trials are held, seeks to learn why.   METHODS We conducted 11 in-depth ethnographic interviews. Two groups were targeted: blacks who had not participated in HIV vaccine trials and blacks who had.   RESULTS Overall, three major causes of nonparticipation were identified: misinformation, fear/mistrust and stigma. Factors that favored participation included having close friends with HIV and being homosexual.   CONCLUSIONS HIV is considered by many blacks to be a gay, white disease. Steps to increase participation must include efforts to destigmatize the condition and disseminate accurate information. Efforts to address historical causes of mistrust through "education" alone are insufficient. Trust needs to be earned through long-term relationships with black communities.
On the basis of the diffraction data in Zachariasen and Buckley's paper,the authors have  re-examined their structure model.It is pointed out that the structure can be more generally  represented by a statistical unit cell with the symmetry of C_6h~1.And the statistical unit cell  is derived from unit cell(A)and unit cell(B)by superposition(Fig.2).The authors agree  with Zachariasen and Buckley that the twinning hypothesis may well not be correct.It seems  more probable that the unit cells(A)do not segregate from(B)into a twin half of a  crystal,but from steric consideration(Fig.3)and density data,unit cell(A)and(B)do have  to congregate separately into domains with an edge length of 10~3—10~4 (?)(Fig.4).It is  not unlikely that domains of that kind are mosaic blocks(Fig.5).
With the Internet technology development, Web applications have become the mainstream of the needs of network applications, ASP.NET development in the Web page is to introduce a control technology, full support for object-oriented programming design concept provides a powerful Web application development model, but for beginners, easy to overlook a few important properties of the operation may make the page not the correct result.
In an Andean natural Colombian forest, leaf litter production of Quercus humboldtii, was evaluated. It is located in the small town of Bruselas (Paths El Pensil, Miraflores and Kennedy) in the town of Pitalito-Huila, in which a phenological monitoring for one year (from February 2013 to January 2014) was conducted in order to quantify the leaf litter production. Forty-four collecting leaf litter of 1 m were placed one meter above the ground below the canopy of 11 trees of the specie. Its diameters and heights were measured. Each tree was georeferenced and coded to facilitate its location. Samples were collected weekly and taken to the laboratory to be dried and separated into fractions (leaves, branches, mature fruit, immature fruit, female flowers, male flowers and unidentifiable) and after that, they were weighed by fractions. The production was related to the average monthly rainfall from three weather stations (Palestina, Montecristo and Tabor), which records were consulted in the IDEAM (Instituto de Hidrologia, Meterologia y de Estudios Ambientales). Total leaf litter production was 11 ton ha year, where 70% were leaves, 17% logs, 7% other, 4% immature fruit, 1% mature fruit, 1% male flowers and 0% female flowers, where leaves fraction had the greatest representation and female flowers the lowest. The results showed that there is a relationship between climatic factors and production; there is an answer in the production that relates to precipitation, which can be evident one or two months after the event. Finally, the results showed that the natural forest of the studied area is in a good state of development, this means the forest is in a vegetative development (growth), which explains the high value of total production of leaves.
Many net rainfall models have been developed, but they are often complex, data demanding and usable only for a specific vegetation type. The focus of this study was to develop and validate two simple equations (a two- and a three-coefficient equation) for nearly full canopies of oil palm, rubber and pine trees. Throughfall and stemflow data from seven past studies were used to determine the best-fit coefficients for the two equations. The three-coefficient equation was Pn = Pg x exp [- {0.3443 – (Pg / (58.9748 + Pg)} x 0.1639)] and the two-coefficient equation was Pn = 0.7724 x Pg – 0.5845 (R2 = 0.91), where Pn and Pg are the net and gross rainfall, respectively. To validate these two equations, field data collections were started. Thirteen rain gauges fit with data loggers were used for rainfall measurement. Three sampled trees were selected randomly for stemflow measurement and one rain gauge was installed at a nearby open area. Two error indices were used as a goodness-of-fit measure for equation accuracy: index of agreement and normalised mean absolute error. The results showed that the two- and three-equation equations performed nearly equally well. They predicted the net rainfall with an error of between 12 to 23% (ranked as "Fair" to "Good" in terms of overall equation accuracy) and with an index of agreement of more than 90%. The results showed that these two equations can be used fairly accurately to estimate throughfall and net rainfall, and, to a lesser degree, stemflow. Estimation errors occurred most probably because canopy and rainfall characteristics were not taken into account in the two equations.
Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer in New Zealand with higher incidence in Māori and Pacific Island populations. It remains an incurable disease but the rapidly changing treatment landscape has led to improved outcome. In response to recent changes in funding of anti-myeloma therapy in New Zealand, the New Zealand Myeloma Interest Group has reviewed the latest literature and updated the treatment pathway of transplant-eligible patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
In recent years, exchanges have frequently taken place among people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. However, the effect of Cross-Strait social contact on future Mainland policy is a topic seldom examined by researchers in Taiwan, and it thus deserves further exploration. This study tries to find out the relationships between social contact, political attitudes, perceptions of Mainland China and responses to Mainland policy. This study collected 366 valid samples from 25 counties in Taiwan. A random sampling method was applied in order to collect data with the help of a 'computer assisted telephone interviewing' (CATI) system. Through hierarchical regression, this study verifies those research hypotheses that we explored. The statistical results confirm the positive relationship between social contacts and the Taiwan people's support for the mainland policy. Furthermore, this study also confirms the economic interdependence between Taiwan and Mainland China. The supports for mutual establishment of banks across the Strait are higher among the citizens of Kinmen than among Taiwan.
A mother took her daughter to the Hammond Diagnostic Clinic in Louisiana on March 12 1982 because she suspected a pregnancy. Both the nurses and the physician examined her but no one gave her a pelvic examination. A laboratory technician said the urine pregnancy test was negative. The physician concluded that she was not pregnant and prescribed new oral contraceptives. Yet she was pregnant with a nonviable fetus. She delivered a premature infant with a congenital birth defect (Cornelia DeLange Syndrome) on May 1 1982 at Lallie Kemp Charity Hospital. The mother sued the physicians their medical corporation and the diagnostic clinic for medical malpractice. The 21st District Court did not find anyone culpable based on the physicians exception of no cause of action. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal reversed the lower courts decision because partial exceptions of no cause of action were not admissible. In fact the appeals Court contended that since the patient received no prenatal care was using OCs early in the pregnancy and an ultrasound could have detected the defects the standard of care should have been to tell the patient she was pregnant and of the risk of having a defective child. Then she would have had the option of terminating the pregnancy which she said she would have done if she knew the risk. The cause of action included a wrongful birth on behalf of the patient a wrongful life on behalf of the deformed infant a malpractice claim on behalf of the patient and her deceased infant and a malpractice claim on behalf of the deceased infant for the prenatal injuries. The Appeals Court referred to Pitre v. Opelousas General Hospital to support its decision. In conclusion the health workers owed both the patient and her child a proper diagnosis.
The Markov model is a method widely used in the qualitative prediction of water quality.This paper introduced the concept of Grade Characteristic Value(GCV)from the fuzzy-set theory into the Markov model,and proposed a projective-distance-based method(M2)to enable Markov model to quantitatively predict water quality.With this method,data series of BOD5,ammonia nitrogen,and dissolved oxygen from 1992 to 2004 were used to deduce water quality in 2005 at two sections traversing the Yellow River mainstream(Tongguan and Sanmenxia).The errors are all within 1.5%—5.6% except the BOD5 at Tongguan(23.3%).Compared with a conventional method(M1)also based on GCV,M2 can produce results with higher precision.Prediction from 2005 to 2019 showed that water quality at both sections tends to improve.
The Rheological property of self - prepared PET synthesized with medium - purity terephthalic acid was studied with capillary rheometer. The result showed that the PET melt synthesized with MTA was non - Newtonian pseudoplastic fluid,which is characterized by the following aspects: its cutting force is turning thinner,its cutting viscosity is lower than conventional PET, its non - Newtonian index is higher than conventional PET, and temperature sensitivity of the melt apparent viscosity of the melt is also stronger than that of conventional PET.
The disposal of treasury stocks which were held by the target corporation has been occasionally used to defend hostile takeover because the target can increase the friendly shareholders by choosing the purchaser of the treasury stocks and reduce the interest of the corporate bidder at the same time. The effect of the disposal is similar to the stock issuance in order to defend hostile takeover. In Republic of Korea, issuing new stocks to a third party while excluding existing shareholders is prohibited unless the target company can establish that it has a business purpose to justify the new issuance. In most cases, the issuances of the stocks during the takeover battle have been enjoined or struck down by court because they could not show they had qualifying business purpose. However, there is no restriction of the disposal of treasury stocks on the sale to a third party. That is, the company can dispose of the treasury stocks to whomever it wants without the limitation of the business purpose. Regarding the similarity between the disposal and stock issuance, they might argue that the procedure and the limitation of the stock issuance should be applied to the disposal of treasury stocks, because the disposal could encroach the proportional right of the existing shareholders of the target corporation. The rule of the stock issuance is, however, inapplicable to the disposal of treasury stocks even if the disposal of treasury stocks has much in common with the stock issuance in that the disposal can influence the right of the existing shareholders. First, the statute regarding the disposal of treasury stocks is not supposed to regulate the procedure of the disposal except the timing of the disposal. The aim of the statute is quite different from that of the stock issuance. Second, the disposal is not deemed to be capital transaction like the stock issuance because the capital stock will not be changed by the disposal. It is only a transaction affecting the net asset of the company like ordinary transaction recognizing revenues and expenses. On the other hand, the capital stock account will be directly influenced by the stock issuance. Therefore, the disposal of treasury stocks is not consistent with the comprehensive devices such as the protection of the existing shareholders which plays the important role in the capital transaction like the stock issuance. Third, there are other applicable remedies for existing shareholders if the disposal is done by the breach of director's duty. Therefore, even if we do not borrow the rule of the stock issuance to deal with the problems that would be caused by the disposal of treasury stocks, the result would not be irrational to the existing shareholders of the target. Though the disposal of treasury stock is not deemed illegal per se, the general requirement for defensive tactics against hostile takeover should be considered if the disposal plan is adopted as a defensive measure of the target corporation. Therefore, judicial scrutiny on defensive action will determine whether the disposal of treasury stock is admitted or not. In general, the target board have the power to oppose a takeover bid if the board fulfilled the fiduciary duty in maximizing the interest of the target corporation and its shareholders. The criteria to decide whether the board fulfilled its duty are the nature and the scheme of the bid, the effect on the target company and its shareholders and the nature of the defense. Generally, the disposal of the treasury stocks would be considered an excessive measure because it tends to thwart the takeover bid totally. However, if there are additional conditions such as coercive bidding or destructive scheme of the takeover, the disposal would not be considered violation of the fiduciary duty.
Abstract : Today's world is filled with uncertainty. It is a world in which the traditional lines of the battlefield no longer exist. The current strategic environment is best described as volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCU). The future strategic environment will likely be a place in which contingencies involving the United States will be asymmetrical. As the current world superpower, the United States will continue to find itself involved in world conflicts (whether it chooses to or not), therefore, strategists must be properly armed. The odds are high that the opposition we encounter will not challenge us directly with large-scale conventional warfare. Instead, the opposition will most likely challenge us indirectly, and that will require an indirect approach on our part. Theories are tools that strategists can use to study and understand the current and future strategic environment. Sun Tzu's theories provide military planners and strategists with a nonprescriptive approach to achieving success in modern warfare, and they demand careful examination before a nation's military is sent to war. This Strategic Research Project argues that several of the precepts of warfare addressed in Sun Tzu's The Art of War remain relevant today, and they will continue to remain relevant well beyond the 21st century. This paper will focus primarily on his theories surrounding the importance of strategy, intelligence, deception, strategic leadership, and most importantly, achieving victory. The paper will attempt to show how some of these insights have become common language in our doctrine and will provide numerous examples of operations in which commanders and strategists have successfully applied them to achieve victory. The paper will show that Sun Tzu's precepts have influenced military doctrine and strategic decision making through an examination of historic and more recent contingency operations.
Stirring up the perception interest of the student is the key of the classroom teaching,and the teachers should develop the predominant function of themselves well,using some methods such as: teaching aids,scenario teaching and imitating fulfillment,rewarding the excellent and punishing the lazy to develop the students' interest resources,bringing happiness in studying and improving teaching quality continuous.
Study in relatives of patients with cardiomyopathy Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and a percentage of cases of dilated cardiomyopathy are hereditary diseases, with an uncertain prognosis, very serious at times. It is therefore very important the early detection of the disease in familiars because, sometimes, preventive and therapeutic measures could be implemented. Familiar study has traditionally been a clinical evaluation, ECG and imaging techniques (echocardiography and more recently: cardio-resonance). Today, with the development of cardiovascular genetics is possible to perform genetic tests in relatives of the patients with a pathogenic mutation identified. Palabras Clave: - Enfermedad hereditaria - Screening clinico - Estudio genetico - Mutacion patogena
Cloud base height as an important cloud macrophysical parameter,plays an important role in energy exchanges between the cloud-layer and the surface.Traditional measurements of cloud base height are mainly based on conventional data,and retrieval of cloud base height with satellite data by taking a passive remote sensing approach has not been adopted in China.Firstly,the retrieval principle,method and feasibility of cloud base height with MODIS visible infrared data are described,and the truth value on the basis of airplane measurements in northwestern China,compared with MODIS water clouds base height data.The preliminary results show that MODIS CBH retrieval algorithm is feasible to water clouds and between MODIS CBH retrieval results and the measurements from 3 airplane flights show that the mean error is about 249.4 meters.
By very low-power MSP430 single-chipped microprocessor and CC2420 radio frequency chip,the CC2431 chip is used for node positioning.Hardware circuit design of processor module,data acquisition module,and wireless communication module were introduced.The physiological data acquisition program,transplants Z-Stack protocol stack,positions were carried through the experiments.The design achieves the demands of system positioning.Experiments prove that the system has good stability and security.It has very high practical value and promoting function in telemedical monitoring field in the future.
The Havasupai Indians are a small (~600 members), Yuman-speaking population that resides on a reservation in the Grand Canyon region of northern Arizona. Due to their location and cultural practices, they are subjected to extreme geographic and reproductive isolation. Additionally, an influenza epidemic at the turn of the century decreased the reproducing population to 43 females and 42 males. These observations suggest that the Havasupai should contain less genetic diversity than other Native American populations. They are also disproportionately affected by disease, having the third largest incidence of Non Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) In the world. An extensive analysis of maternal and paternal variation of the Havasupai was undertaken. Maternal variation was assayed by sequencing the non-coding control region (CR) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), whereas paternal variation was examined using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and short tandem repeats (STRs) located on the non-recombining portion of the Y-chromosome (NRY). Due to the availability of familial pedigrees dating back to the mid-1800s and spanning eight generations, precise mutation rates were determined for maternal and paternal lineages. The Havasupai thus offer a unique opportunity to explore genetic variation in a small, homogenous Native American population for which extensive genealogical Information Is readily available. Examination of mtDNA sequences from the complete 1127 bp CR of 43 Havasupai individuals along with SNP and STR data from the Y-chromosome of 48 male
Acute midsubstance Achilles tendon ruptures, which are increasingly common among athletes, can result in significant functional limitations and decreased quality of life when not managed appropriately. The various surgical techniques for treating Achilles ruptures include open repair with Krackow locking sutures, percutaneous repair, and limited-incision repair with suture-passing jigs. Less invasive techniques have been developed to optimize the functional benefits of surgery while reducing delayed wound healing, infection, and other postoperative complications. An important albeit subjective aspect of Achilles tendon repair is suture knot tying and tensioning around the rupture site. Recently, a limited-incision knotless Achilles tendon repair technique (Achilles Midsubstance SpeedBridge; Arthrex) was developed to minimize soft-tissue dissection, restore musculotendinous length, and directly fix tendon to bone to allow for early mobilization and more rapid functional recovery. The indications, contraindications, details, pearls, and pitfalls of this surgical technique are discussed in this article.
In the literature (1) and in commercial advertising, one can often find material descriptions of chromatographic retention that use the terms hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and aqueous normal phase (ANP) in such a manner that they can be construed to be identical. However, in reality, there should be (and there is) a real difference between these two modes of retention and the types of columns that achieve them. A more precise definition of ANP and HILIC is proposed here that will enable chromatographers to distinguish between the two mechanisms and select columns suitable for particular applications.
Introduction: Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) is widely used for the statistical analysis of brain activity with fMRI. However, if the general linear model employs a fixed form of a canonical HRF, the ignorance of experimental and individual variance can lead to inaccurate detection of the real activation area. A variety of data-driven methods, which combine independent component analysis (ICA) with statistical analysis of fMRI dataset, were suggested to overcome the problem, such as the `HYBICA’ approach [1] and the unified `SPM-ICA’ method [2]. However, recent study demonstrates that representation of the brain fMRI using sparse components is more promising rather than independent components [3]. Also, the real brain fMRI signal may be regarded as a combination of small set of dynamic components, where each of them has different signal patterns and sparsely distributed in each voxel. Hence, we employ the K-SVD [4], a powerful sparse dictionary learning algorithm, to decompose the neural signal into dictionary atoms with specific local responses. Using the trained sparse dictionary as a design matrix in SPM, we extract which signal components contribute to the neural activation. We show the proposed method adapts the individual variation and extract the activation better than conventional methods. Theory: The general linear model (GLM) model explains the response variable in terms of a linear combination of the explanatory variables plus a residual error term as: , (1) where denotes the each observations 1, ... , , a set of sparsely distributed explanatory variables are denoted by , and at 1, ... , are unknown parameters corresponding to each explanatory variables . We assume that the measurement is a linear combination of small set of dynamic signals that have distinct synchronous temporal patterns, which are originated from activated visual, auditory, motor area and etc, due to the complex brain connectivity. In this model, each voxel has sparse contribution from the signals which are localized in a small set of region. In our model, we assume are unknown. To extract the unknown explanatory variables d , we employed K-SVD algorithm [4], which is a powerful iterative algorithm for training sparse dictionaries. Here, given a set of training signals , we search the best possible dictionary for the sparse representation of the measurement Y as: , , , , (2) where is a fixed and predetermined number of nonzero entries and denotes the i-th column of X. The K-SVD algorithm applies two steps per each iteration. In sparse coding stage, we find the best coefficient matrix X for a given dictionary D as: , , , (3) which can be solved using orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) and etc. Then, in the dictionary updating stage, we change the columns of D sequentially for given x N . We denote as the residual for all the N examples when the contribution from the k-th atom is eliminated. Then we select the error columns that correspond to , where is defined as an | | matrix with ones on the ( , -th entries, and zeros elsewhere, where is defined as: |1 , 0 . Then, Eq. (2) is rewritten as minimizing . For this, we take singular value decomposition of , and determine and using the best rank-1 approximation. This is repeated until convergence. Finally, the resultant trained dictionary atom is used to the design matrix in GLM model. Experiments: The proposed method was applied to a right finger tapping task with block paradigm to evaluate the performance. A 15 sec task period alternated with a 72 sec resting period was repeated 4 times for each subject followed by an additional 30 sec of rest. The total recording time was 480 sec. A total of 3 healthy righthanded subjects were examined (mean age=25 2). A 3.0T fMRI system (ISOL, Republic of Korea) was used to measure the BOLD response. During every experiments, the EPI sequence was used with TR/TE=3000/35 ms, flip angle=80°, 35 slices, 4 mm slice thinkness. Data analysis: The data were spatially realigned to correct the changes in signal intensity over time which can arise from within-subject head motion. Spatial registration and normalization were applied. We only extracted the voxels corresponding to the brain region from the 3-dimensional BOLD response measured with fMRI. Then the data was down-sampled at spatial direction to decrease the computation time in K-SVD learning. We used a discrete cosine transform basis set with cutoff frequency of 1/128 Hz to eliminate unknown global trends, and temporal smoothing using 1.5 sec full-with at half maximum of the Gaussian smoothing kernel. Then, we employed K-SVD to the pre-processed fMRI finger tapping data. The number of dictionary elements was 50 for subject 1 and subject 2, and 53 for subject 3. Maximum coefficients to be used in OMP coefficient calculations was set to 5, and 15 iterations were performed for each data. According to the algorithm, the dictionary matrix D was trained and entered to the design matrix. The general linear model is then applied to statistically analyze the measured BOLD signal. The restricted maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters and inference with F-statistics are then conducted using the SPM package. Results: We have shown the activation map using trained dictionary by K-SVD. For three subjects, the activation maps with 0.05 tightly localized on the left primary motor cortex (see Fig 1.(a)). The proposed method adapts the individual variation as can be seen in the estimated dictionary in Fig 1.(b). Conclusions: In this paper, we proposed the sparse dictionary learning for SPM, which decomposes the activation signals into sparse signal atoms. The employment of K-SVD in GLM constructs the data-driven model for the brain fMRI analysis. The data-driven design matrix containing the time course of the trained dictionary is individually adaptive and extracts the activation better than conventional methods. References: [1] M.J.McKeown, NeuroImage, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 24-35, 2000, [2] D.Hu et al., Neuroimage, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 746-755, 2005, [3] I. Daubechies et al., PNAS, vol. 106, no. 26, pp. 10415, 2009, [4] M.Aharon et al. IEEE Tr. Sig. Pro., vol. 54, no. 11, pp. 4311, 2006 Figure 1. (a) Activation maps of three subjects’ fMRI data using design matrices constructed using trained dictionaries by K-SVD shown in (b). Red line corresponds to the canonical HRF convolved with experimental paradigm, and the blue line corresponds to the individual HRF extracted using KSVD
This article aims to familiarize readers with the critical aspect of mass tourism rarely discussed in the public space in our country. The author also describes and analyzes alternative and responsible forms of tourism as the result of contestation of the commercial and neocolonialdimension of mass tourism. It presents reflections on the question of whether the idea contained in non-commercial tourism is a new cultural paradigm or whether it is part of a pluralistic all-consuming consumer society. At the end of the article, the author presents suggestions regarding the reasons of a relatively low level of interest in responsible and alternative tourism in Polish society.
Two pilot-aided channel estimation methods in orthogonal frequeney division multiplexed(OFDM) systems,i.e.,the maximum likelihood estimator(MLE) and the Bayesian minimum mean square error estimator(MMSEE),are analyzed in detail in this paper.We focus on the performance in the error estimation of the two schemes.Theoretical analysis and computer simulations show that,at high SNR of practice interest,MMSEE and MLE have nearly equal error performances in channel estimation,provided that the number of pilots is sufficiently greater than the channel impulse response(CIR)length.Otherwise,the MMSEE is superior.In any case,MMSEE is more complex to implement.
Ameloblastoma is a benign but locally aggressive epithelial odontogenic neoplasm. It represents 1% of all tumours of the jaw bone. In 80% of cases, it is localized in the mandibular molar and ascending ramus area, mostly associated with an unerupted tooth. It occurs over a wide range of ages and with equal frequency in men and women. It can be treated by enucleation, bone curettage or wide resection. The rate of local recurrence is high when it is treated inadequately. In this article, we are discussing various treatment modalitites protocols for ameloblastoma.
The aroma compounds of mulberry wine were extracted by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction(HS-SPME),and the extracting conditions were optimized.The aroma components were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS).The optimal solid phase micro extraction conditions were: the concentration of NaCl 0.2 g/mL,extraction temperature 40 ℃,extraction time 30min,and equilibrium time 30min.There were about 54 aroma compounds detected by GC-MS,including 19 ester compounds,17 alcohols,4 acids and others 14,and were accounted of the total number for 49.68%,19.65%,6.52% and 24.15%.
The vocal fry register has previously been detected in the voices of young women. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent to which vocal fry is present among young female Canadian English speakers and to investigate the attitudes people have towards speakers who exhibit vocal fry. To investigate the presence of vocal fry, we collected data from 21 female participants in an interview setting. The majority of participants exhibited vocal fry in their regular speech patterns, and this feature was more pronounced at the end of a phrase. Vocal fry is quite common at the end of a phrase or sentence; however, its use as a social marker has not been thoroughly studied. To investigate attitudes towards speakers with vocal fry, we collected data using an online questionnaire. Overall, we found the 56 male and female participants to hold negative attitudes towards speakers with vocal fry and positive attitudes towards speakers without vocal fry. Findings from this study will contribute to the growing literature on this vocal register.
Pollution of water bodies resulting from untreated discharge of sewage is a source of concern; particularly in developing economies. Research efforts in the handling of municipal sewage in developing countries have involved the use of water hyacinth (Eichornia Crassipes) to purify sewage for possible re-use of the effluent water for domestic purposes. In this paper the effect of the growth of water hyacinth on selected sewage quality parameters is therefore examined. Weekly observations of the influent and effluent parameters were carried out for a period of 24 weeks. The water hyacinth plant covered the entire pond area of 370m 2 in 11 weeks. The observed parameters were progressively reduced to acceptable levels over the observation period. With the water hyacinth based domestic sewage system, the removal efficiencies of colour, turbidity, Biochemical Oxygen Demands, Total Dissolved Solids, Nitrate, Phosphate and E-coli were 100%, 92.95%, 83.98%, 88.98%, 75.98%, 87.06% and 99.65% respectively. It is noted that the energy required to process the sewage through this system is only 13% of the energy required to treat the same amount of sewage through a conventional sewage system; therefore, the use of water hyacinth plant on domestic sewage pond is a viable and cheaper alternative method of domestic sewage treatment. Keywords: Pollutant remediation, Water hyacinth, domestic sewage, influent and effluent qualities
This paper deals with the recent history of port investment planning in Britain; its aim is to describe and to evaluate. Attention is focused on the mechanisms of investment appraisal, rather than on arguments as to whether or not individual decisions are "correct", or on arguments about how much port capacity it is desirable to have. It will be argued that economic analysis has played only a modest role; accordingly attention is paid to the institutional and political setting, as well as to economic principles. The story begins with the establishment of the Rochdale Committee in 1961, and it is taken up to 1969. A postscript summarizes developments to March 1971.
ABSTRACT  Muhammad Yuniyanto, 2006, STUDY PERFORMANCE OF OPTODE Zn(II)  AND Cr(III) IONS WITHOUT PLASTICISER FROM  AMINOPROPYLTRIMETHOXYSILANE AND OCTYLTRIETHOXYSILANE  WITH CHROMOIONOPHORE 4-(2-PIRIDILAZO)RESORCINOL. Thesis.  Department of Chemistry. Mathematics and Science Faculty. Sebelas Maret  University  The synthesis of new optode from APTS-OTES matrix was successfully  made by adding chromoionophore PAR (4-(2-piridilazo)resorcinol). The APTS-  OTES matrix, a compiler optode materials, was synthesised from OTES  (octyltriethoxysilane) and APTS (aminopropyltrimethoxysilane) with sol-gel  method using base-catalyzed NH4OH 0,05 M.  APTS-OTES matrix has a good thermal resistance since there was not  any change in polimeric structure at 206,320  C and glass transition (Tg) at  315,530  C. The SEM photo shows that there not any cracking on surface APTS-  OTES matrix. Physically, matrix was showed to be transparent and from  spectrophotometer Uv-Vis shows not any absorbtion at visible region, therefore it  was useful to become matrix for optode.  Optode was made by dipping the APTS-OTES matrix to PAR solution  10-4  M. PAR is good as chromoionophore, because it has e: 3,27x104  L.mol  -1  .cm-1  .  The adding of PAR could shifted λmaks of APTS-OTES matrix 303,00 nm became  405,80 nm. The result studied PAR-metals complex in aqueous with 1:1  stoichiometry with metal ions showed that complex Zn(II)-PAR had a good optic  properties, because complex Δλ Zn(II)-PAR is higher than complex Cr(III)-PAR.  Optode was applicated for optic sensor of Zn(II) and Cr(III) ions. The  result of extraction constant (Keks) optode to ion Zn(II) is 0,40 and ion Cr(III) is  0,21. Optode also could be regenerated by using HCl 1M .
DNA chip technology is a great development of biotechnology in the 21 century. It is a high-new technology and a reciprocal chiasmatic science between life science and physics, chemistry, micro-electronics, computer science and so on. This technology has many outstanding traits, such as parallelity, diversification, micromation, automatization. The technology has been applied to many fields of biomedicine, especially drug research. By this technology, the bio-effects of drugs would be related with the changes of genes which then will be helpful to further studies on drug.
Paenibacillus sp., isolated from sediment in the southern part of Lake Biwa, Shiga, Japan, was used for the acid fermentation of garbage. The fermentation characteristics of Paenibacillus sp. were discussed by comparing with those of themophilic bacteria and mesophilic bacteria and as a result high ability of VFAs fermentation by Paenibacillus sp. was exhibited. The suitable pH for Paenibacillus sp. was in the range from 5 to 5.5 for both acid fermentation and growth. In this pH range, the value of carbohydrate degradation rate constant was 5.7 (h·gATP)-1, and the rate of VFAs production per carbohydrate unit was as high as approximately 0.9mg C-VFAs·(mg C-glucose-base)-1. The degradation of proteins to NH4+-N was not observed. Soluble carbohydrates at a concentration of 39,000mg glucose·l-1 in garbage was degraded to produce VFAs of approximately 15,000mg C-VFAs·l-1 at less than 1 day of HRT in continuous operation. It was confirmed by SEM observation that Paenibacillus sp. is maintain as the dominant species during continuous operation. From these results, Paenibacillus sp. may be used for the acid fermentation of garbage for the effective production of VFAs with low production of NH4+-N.
CONTEXT Athletes with a history of sport concussion (SC) have an increased risk of musculoskeletal injury (MSK); however, the underlying mechanisms have yet to be determined. The purpose of our study was to evaluate kinesiophobia in college athletes with or without a time-loss MSK within 180 days of unrestricted return to play following a SC.   DESIGN This was a retrospective cohort study within a sports medicine facility.   METHODS Participants were eligible if they were diagnosed with a SC, completed the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), and completed an unrestricted return to play. Fifty-six college athletes (40 men and 16 women) with an average age of 19.5 (1.25) years, height of 183.5 (10.45) cm, and mass of 94.72 (24.65) kg, were included in the study. MSK participants were matched to non-MSK participants 1:1. Demographic and TSK outcome scores were compared using independent t tests. The proportion of participants in each group who scored above the clinical threshold (TSK ≥ 37) was compared using a chi-square analysis. Alpha was set at α = .05.   RESULTS The MSK group (31.2 [6.30]) reported similar TSK scores to the matched group (28.9 [3.34]; t54 = 1.70, P = .10, d = 0.45 [-0.08 to 0.97]). A greater proportion of athletes who were diagnosed with an MSK-reported scores above the cutoff (χ2[1] = 6.49, P = .01).   CONCLUSIONS Athletes diagnosed with SC had similar kinesiophobia values regardless of MSK status. However, a higher proportion of athletes with a time-loss MSK injury reported a TSK score greater than the clinical cutoff. Our results suggest that factors such as kinesiophobia should be considered following a SC.
The reason why genetic algorithm available exhibi ts limitations when it is applied to job-shop scheduling problem (JSSP) is analyz ed. In this paper, a new particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied to so lve the problems in the JSSP. During the running, the mutation probability for the current best particle is determined by two factors: the variance of the popu lation's fitness and the current optimal solution. The ability of particle swar m optimization algorithm(PSO) to break away from the local optimum is greatly im proved by the mutation. The results of the example verify its better performance compared with the conventional algorithms.
The development of equipment manufacturing industry in Hebei province can bring about the upgrading of product structure and industry,which has great significance in the industrial system and fast development in economy.To the existing problems,this paper thinks that various policies should be understood well,more investments should be made,opening up should be expanded and innovation should be strengthened.
Maori warrior in centre, wearing dogskin cloak, ammunition pouches and holding club, addressing a group of seated Maori men and women. A Maori woman in a white blouse and blue skirt, holding a rifle is standing to his right. The seated Maori are clad in flax cloaks and a red blanket in one case and are holding axes, tomahawks and guns. The meeting is taking place in a clearing in dense native bush, with tree-ferns, nikau, flax, ferns and cabbage trees. In the background is a hill topped by the palisades of a pa. The central warrior's expression and gestures and the expressions of the listeners suggest that he is urging them successfully to fight.  Exhibited at Waikato Art Museum and the Alexander Turnbull Library, 1978-79. Exhibited in 'Wide-Eyed: Early Images of New Zealand' exhibition of works by settler artists, held at the National Library of New Zealand Gallery, 18 July - 9 November 1997.  Title of work comes from a letter written by the artist to his wife Emilia, in June 1864, while staying at Ngahinapouri on the Waipa River. See G.F. von Tempsky, artist and adventurer by Rose Young (Martinborough, 1981) cat no 86, pp 114, 207, 268-9 and 327.  Inscriptions: Verso - [former backing board, now removed but contents copied- notes about photography, exhibition, thymol treatment and alternative title] Maori warrior addressing a group by G.F. Von Tempsky Maori War Period [paint]ing lent by F.V.Kettle.  Quantity: 1 watercolour(s).  Physical Description: Pencil & watercolour 177 x 254 mm  Provenance: By descent from the artist to his grandson F von Tempsky Kettle; on loan to Hawkes Bay Art Gallery, 1960s-80s?; sold Dunbar Sloane auction 7 Nov 1990 (lot 30) to John Lawford, Auckland for $20,000
Cyclosporin A treatment is unimaginable without continuous and periodical monitoring of the blood cyclosporin concentration. One of the best methods for measuring is the radioimmunoassay, because this method makes possible the monitoring of a large number of samples with good sensitivity. The method is suitable for measuring either only the cyclosporin A concentration (specific monoclonal antibody) or the cyclosporin A and its metabolites (nonspecific monoclonal antibody). The use of 125I labelled tracer has several advantages such as increased sensitivity, fast sample counting and so fast measuring of the concentrations.
Structure, resistivity, Meissner effect, magnetization and specific-heat measurements were conducted on Ba/sub 2/GdCu/sub 3/O/sub 7-//sub y/ with different oxygen contents. The results indicate that the local symmetry breaking due to twinning or disorder of oxygen vacancies may give rise to a frustration of the collinear spin structure. The critical behavior of the specific heat is logarithmic but with different amplitudes above and below the transition temperature, implying that the magnetic transition is driven by quasi-three-dimensional magnetic interactions.
Abnormal accumulation of proteins in filamentous cytoplasmic inclusions is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer disease (AD) and Pick disease (PD). Musashi-1 (Msi-1), an RNA-binding protein associated with neural progenitor cells, has been shown by others to increase the accumulation of tau isoforms in intracellular inclusions in frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17. We investigated the expression of Msi-1 in the hippocampus of AD, PD, and aged normal control subjects using immunohistochemistry. Comparison of immediately adjacent serial sections stained using the modified Bielschowsky method and immunostained for Msi-1 showed that Msi-1 was present in 83 ± 6% of neurofibrillary tangle bearing neurons in AD and 94 ± 14% of Pick bodies in PD specimens. Aged control hippocampus demonstrated virtually no Msi-1 immunostaining. The presence of Msi-1 in a significant percentage of neurons containing cytoplasmic inclusions in 2 different neurodegenerative diseases suggests that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of these lesions.
The Pm promoter of the benzoate meta-cleavage pathway is transcribed with Eσ32 or Eσ38 according to the growth phase, with an identical transcriptional start site. To investigate sequence determinants in the interaction between either of the two RNA polymerases and Pm, all possible single mutants between positions -7 and -18 were generated, and the activity in the exponential and stationary phases of the resulting mutant promoters was compared. The results precisely delimited a -10 element between positions -7 and -12 (TAGGCT), which defined a promoter sharing nucleotides with both σ38 and σ32 consensus. The first two and the last positions of this hexamer were crucial for recognition by both polymerases. Position -10 was the only one specifically recognized by Eσ38, whereas positions -8, -9, and the C-track between positions -14 and -17 were important for specific Eσ32 recognition. Western blots showed that σ32 was only detectable in the exponential phase, and σ38 appeared in the early stationary phase. In the rpoH mutant KY1429, σ38 was already present in the exponential growth phase both free and bound to the RNA polymerase core, in good correlation with the transcription levels found. Pm seems to be optimized for recognition by σ32 as an initial response to the addition of effector to the medium and allows binding of the adaptable σ38-dependent RNA polymerase in the stationary phase. XylS is always required for Pm transcription. Therefore, the mechanism that controls Pm expression involves specific nucleotide sequences, the abundance of free and core-bound σ32 and σ38 factors during growth, and the presence of the regulator activated by an effector.
On May 29, 1996, travelers visiting Istanbul witnessed a rather peculiar celebration. A group of burly men dressed in Ottoman military clothing, some wearing false moustaches, were dragging a decorated sailboat along the asphalt road toward the central Taksim Square. Although it was no easy task to drag the sailboat uphill under the hot sun and the curious gaze of tourists on this summer day, the laboring men nevertheless displayed a solemn attitude of resolve and austerity, as if to remind the observing public of the grave significance of the historical event they were commemorating.
Abstract Objective Conflicting results existed about the role of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who received curative hepatectomy. The aim of this study is to identify the predictive capacity of PNI for survival after hepatectomy. Methods Preoperative PNI, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), tumor feature and clinical information of 187 patients with HCC from Sir Run Run Shaw hospital were evaluated. We also conducted a meta-analysis of seven cohort studies. Results Our study showed that HCC patients with a low PNI of <45 had a poor recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate (hazard ratio [HR] 1.762, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.066–2.911, p = 0.027, respectively). The 5-year OS and RFS rates of the high PNI (≥45) vs low PNI (<45) were 76.7% vs 50.1% (p = 0.001) and 47.0% vs 28.9% (p = 0.001), respectively. In HCC TNM I patients (n = 144), a low PNI remained an independent prognostic factor of OS and RFS (HR 2.305, 95% CI 1.008–5.268, p = 0.048; HR 2.122, 95% CI 1.149–3.920, p = 0.016). The 5-year OS and RFS rates of the high PNI vs low PNI were 81.3% vs 62.4% (p = 0.041) and 53.4% vs 45.6% (p = 0.013), respectively. In the pooled analysis, the data showed that a low PNI was significantly associated with poor OS and RFS (HR 2.27, 95% CI 1.03–4.07, p < 0.001 and HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.45–1.94, p < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions The preoperative PNI was an independent prognostic factor for OS and RFS rates in HCC patients who received hepatectomy.
ED FROM Kumakech E, Cantor-Graae E, Maling S, et al. Peer-group support intervention improves the psychosocial well-being of AIDS orphans: cluster randomized trial. Soc Sci Med 2009;68:1038–43. Correspondence to: Edward Kumakech, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, PO Box 1410, Mbarara, Uganda; kumakeche@yahoo.com Source of funding: No information provided. C O M M EN TA R Y T his is a timely paper of real value, using a strong randomised controlled trial design, sampling and outcome measurements in a research challenging environment. It shows improvements in depression, anxiety and anger for AIDS-orphaned children after a 10 week, school based peer support programme. Rigorously tested interventions for AIDSorphaned children are exceptionally rare, and take place in the context of a policy and programming field which is in need of effective interventions. Worldwide, 20 million children are orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Large scale studies demonstrating the negative psychological impacts of the epidemic on orphans have only emerged in recent years. Governments, NGOs, FBOs and clinicians have initiated many interventions for orphans or OVC (orphans and vulnerable children—a wider grouping which recognises potential stigma induced by AIDS-orphan focused programming) but there remains a serious dearth of evidence based programmes with tested outcomes. Any intervention for AIDS-orphaned children must be scaleable, affordable and able to be conducted by lay people. Concerns regarding this excellent intervention are its reliance on a professional counsellor (very rare in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa), professional supervision of teacher–facilitators and medical assessments of children. These suggest that this randomised controlled trial be viewed as an efficacy trial, and that future research explores intervention effectiveness with non-professionals and with lower cost implications. Recommended next steps are to trial this in a scaled version, and in alternative settings, in order to reach non-school attending children. This is an important, valuable and impressive paper. Lucie Cluver, PhD Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Oxford University, Oxford, UK Competing interests: None. 1. 2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic. Geneva: UNAIDS, 2008. Available from: http://www.unaids.org/ en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/ 2008_Global_report.asp (accessed 7 September 2009). 2. Atwine B, Cantor-Graae E, Bajunirwe F. Psychological distress among AIDS orphans in rural Uganda. Soc Sci Med 2005;61:555–64. 3. Cluver L, Gardner F, Operario D. Psychological distress amongst AIDS-orphaned children in urban South Africa. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2007;48:755–63. 4. Nyamukapa C, Gregson S, Lopman B, et al. HIVassociated orphanhood and children’s psychosocial distress: theoretical framework tested with data from Zimbabwe. Am J Public Health 2008;98:133–41. Therapeutics 120 EBMH November 2009 Vol 12 No 4
Abstract: To identify the potential environmental pollution and health hazards of airborne particles, it is necessary to determine their physical and chemical properties and characteristics. In this chapter, we discuss the standard sampling and characterization techniques together with some of the issues and implementations associated with the measurement of ultrafine and nano-airborne particle properties. Recommendations are made for the sampling of airborne particles and the best approach to characterize their properties is addressed. A case study on nanorealease is also provided.
In the present study, the inhibitory effect of transmembrane Tim-3 on hepatocellular carcinoma Hepa1-6 cells and the potential application of Tim-3 on immune system of Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice loaded with Hepa1-6 hepatocellular carcinoma was investigated. The animal model was established via inoculation of Hepa1-6 hepatocarcinoma cells at the hind thigh of ICR mice. Recombinant vector plasmids were transfected at the same site for gene therapy by injection to observe the inhibitory effect of Tim-3 on tumor growth. A panel of genes from tumor tissues at various time intervals was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the proliferation and cytotoxicity of splenocytes after Tim-3 transfection. Synergistic effects of Tim-3 with tumor abnormal protein-1 (TAP1) was also studied. It was revealed that the growth of tumor was significantly suppressed after the transfection of Tim-3. In the presence of Tim-3, the proliferation of splenocytes and cytolysis in the early phase of tumor development was significantly enhanced, and this antitumor effect was further improved by the synergistic effect of Tim-3 with TAP1. Therefore, the membrane-type Tim-3 may behave as an effective immunoregulator to enhance antitumor immune responses. Furthermore the present findings suggest that antitumor immunity was improved by the combined effect of Tim-3 and TAP1.
Abstract Background: Inverted nasal papilloma is a benign tumour with variable biological behaviour. It is a unique neoplasm and is often difficult to manage, being characterised by a tendency to recur following excision, an association with malignancy and an ability to destroy bone. Radiological diagnosis has traditionally been based on computed tomography, but it is often impossible to differentiate between polyps with entrapped debris and inverted nasal papilloma. Magnetic resonance imaging, especially T2-weighted images, is perhaps a better tool in differentiating inverted nasal papilloma from other nasal lesions, and has recently been advocated as the imaging modality of choice. Aims: To review the evidence on the ideal imaging modality for pre-operative planning of surgery for patients with histologically proven inverted nasal papilloma. Materials and methods: A systematic review of studies was undertaken, focusing on radiological assessment of inverted nasal papilloma (primary and recurrent). All English language articles were potentially included in the review. However, we excluded single case reports, case series, pictorial essays, ‘teaching’ reviews and reviews of inverted nasal papilloma not focusing on pre-operative imaging. Results: Sixteen studies were identified based on our search strategy. Only 10 fulfilled our criteria. Computed tomography scanning was the standard imaging modality of choice for assessing sinus involvement of inverted papilloma and for planning the extent of surgery. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were able to distinguish tumour (intermediate signal) from inflammatory tissues (bright signal), but not post-operative scarring from recurrent tumour. No studies were found which compared the specificity and sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in the accurate pre-operative identification of the extent of inverted papilloma. Conclusions: There is currently not enough evidence to suggest one sole modality as providing optimum imaging for inverted nasal papilloma. Computed tomography remains the imaging modality of first choice for inverted nasal papilloma, despite certain disadvantages. Magnetic resonance imaging is able to distinguish tumour from inflammation and is advocated as a better tool for recurrent tumour, but bone destruction of sinus walls is less easy to recognise, compared with computed tomography. Evaluation of sinus tumours usually involves both imaging modalities, and inverted nasal papilloma should be included within this pathological group. The cohort of patients is usually small, so cost-effectiveness should not generally be an issue when considering whether to use computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or both. A well structured, prospective study is needed to evaluate the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging versus computed tomography for pre-operative planning of histologically proven inverted nasal papilloma.
Abstract: Follow-up contacts increase response rates to mail surveys substantially. However, for individuals who do not wish to participate such repeated contacts are intrusive, creating an ethical concern. An alternative follow-up procedure was developed that allows contacted individuals to choose not to participate by returning a “Reasons for Not Responding” (RNR) form. This study was designed to compare the RNR method with a traditional follow-up procedure, the Total Design method (TDM). Specifically, a two (follow-up method) by two (early versus late return) between-subjects design was used to examine satisfaction with and quality of responses to a survey mailed to 300 randomly selected households. The results showed that respondents in the RNR conditions were more satisfied with the research than respondents in the TDM conditions, particularly after repeated contacts. Further, although response quality was equivalent for the two methods in the early returns, it was lower in the TDM group, but not in the RNR group, after repeated contacts. These results suggest that mail survey researchers should seriously consider using the RNR method, especially because (a) the overall response rate to the two methods was very similar, (b) the nonrespondents frequently indicated on their RNR forms that they had made an informed decision not to participate, and (c) the RNR form allows researchers to collect information on the demographic characteristics of nonrespondents.
The objective was to evaluate the effects of porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection and dietary soy isoflavone supplementation on carcass cutability and meat quality of commercial pigs. Barrows (21 d of age) were randomly allotted to experimental treatments that were maintained throughout the study: non-infected pigs received an isoflavone-devoid control diet (CON, n = 22), and infected pigs received either the control diet (PRRSV-CON, n = 20) or that supplemented with total ISF in excess of 1,500 mg/kg (PRRSV-ISF, n = 25). Pigs were penned by treatment, with 6 pigs within a pen. Following a 7-day adaptation, weanling pigs were inoculated once intranasally with either a sham-control (PBS) or live PRRSV (1×105 TCID50/mL, strain NADC20). Pigs were maintained on experimental diets for 166 d after inoculation and then slaughtered (192 or 194 d of age; approximately 120 kg BW). At 1 d post-mortem, left sides were separated between the 10th and 11th rib for determination of loin eye area (LEA), backfat thickness (BF), and loin quality (ultimate pH, instrumental color, drip loss, visual color, marbling, and firmness). Loin chops were aged 14 d post-mortem prior to Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) determination. Belly width, length, thickness, and flop distance were determined. Data were analyzed as a one-way ANOVA with pig as the experimental unit. Carcass yield, LEA, BF, and estimated lean percentage did not differ (P > 0.26) among treatments. Loins from CON pigs had increased ultimate pH (P = 0.01), reduced L* scores (P = 0.005) coupled with darker visual color scores (P = 0.004), were firmer (P < 0.0001), and exhibited reduced drip loss (P = 0.01) compared with PRRSV-CON and PRRSV-ISF pigs. However, WBSF did not differ (P = 0.51) among treatments after 14 d of aging. Bellies from CON pigs were more firm compared with bellies from PRRSV-CON and ISF pigs (P < 0.01). These data suggest PRRSV infection did not alter carcass characteristics but may have marginally reduced loin and belly quality. Supplementation with dietary soy isoflavones did nothing to mitigate the detrimental effects of PRRSV infection.
There is little published information concerning microbial diversity in the horse gut. However, microbial instability can influence gut lumen pH and lactate accumulation, both of which have been implicated in the occurrence of laminitis and colic. In this study three substrates, hay (H), oats (O) and a 50:50 hay:oats (DM basis) mixture (HO) were used to evaluate in vitro microbial fermentative activity in four sections of the equine gut.
The phase velocities, electromechanical coupling coefficients, conductivity sensitivities, insert losses, and minimum detectable masses of Rayleigh and Lamb waves sensors based on silicon carbide (SiC) substrates are theoretically studied. The results are compared with the performances of the sensors based on conventional silicon substrates. It is found that the sensors using SiC substrates have higher electromechanical coupling coefficients and conductivity sensitivities than the conventional silicon-based sensors in virtue of piezoelectricity of the SiC. Moreover, higher phase velocities in SiC substrates can reduce the insert losses and minimum detectable masses of the sensors. In this case, in the detection of the gas with the tiny mass as the hydrogen, in which the conductivity sensitivity is more important than the mass sensitivity, the sensor based on the SiC substrate has a higher sensitivity and exhibits the potential to detect the gas with the concentration below the ppm level. According to the ...
High-performance flexible InGaZnO-based Schottky diodes are fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyimide (PI) substrates at room temperature without any thermal treatment. The diode performance improves significantly by either oxygen plasma or UV-ozone treatment on Pd anode. X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy indicates that both treatments lead to Pd surface oxidation. The oxygen plasma treatment results in more complete oxidation, and thus ensures better oxygen stoichiometry at the Schottky interface and a higher anode work function. This leads to high performance with on/off ratios of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$7.3  times 10^{6}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2.6  times 10^{4}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, barrier heights of 0.79 and 0.76 eV, and ideality factors of 1.22 and 1.19 on PET and PI, respectively. Interestingly, these flexible diodes show improved performance after storing in ambient air for two years, and fittings on the reverse currents indicate an improved barrier uniformity. The flexible diode on PET after a two-year storage achieves a high on/off ratio of 2 10<sup>7</sup>, a large barrier height of 0.80 eV, a close to unity ideality factor of 1.09, a high breakdown voltage of −7.5 V, and robust performance upon outward or inward bending, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest performance in reported flexible diodes to date.
Electromyography (EMG) has been frequently proposed as the driving signal for controlling powered exoskeletons. Lot of effort has been spent to design accurate algorithms for muscular torque estimation, while very few studies attempted to understand to what extent an accurate torque estimate is indeed necessary to provide effective movement assistance through powered exoskeletons. In this study, we focus on the latter aspect by using a simple and “low-accuracy” torque estimate, an EMG-proportional control, to provide assistance through an elbow exoskeleton. Preliminary results show that subjects adapt almost instantaneously to the assistance provided by the exoskeleton and can reduce their effort while keeping full control of the movement.
The escalation of violence related to the war on drugs set in motion by the Mexican government and the State failure in controlling such violence, leading society to discredit its institutions, comprise the background for an analysis by the author of the repercussions of that reality on Mexican literary production, emphasizing the emergence of what could be said to be a new literary genre: narco-literature.
Preformed crowns for restoration of primary teeth are used in various treatments and are essential for restoring the crowns of primary molars. However, there are concerns that mechanical, chemical, and thermal stimulation may cause release of components of such crowns. We examined systemic accumulation of heavy metals associated with preformed crowns (3M Stainless Steel Primary Molar Crowns) used in primary tooth restoration. The participants were 37 children who had visited the Pediatric Dental Clinic of Tsurumi University Dental Hospital. They were divided into two groups: 22 participants without a history of being fitted with a preformed crown for primary tooth restoration (controls), and 15 participants with preformed crowns for primary tooth restoration. Analysis of hair samples showed a significant difference in the level of the trace element Cr - an important component of the preformed crowns - between children with and without preformed crowns, but no significant differences in Fe or Ni levels. Levels of the trace elements Ni, Cr, and Fe were within allowable ranges, indicating that these minerals were not likely to be harmful.
Purpose          The purpose of this paper is to compare the cost and time performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Osun State, Nigeria.          Design/methodology/approach          Purposive sampling technique was adopted to select four universities (two public and two private) used for the study. Archival data on 40 completed construction projects (ten from each university) was used in the study. Data were analysed with percentile and t-test.          Findings          The study showed that only 35 per cent of the construction projects in public and 10 per cent of those in private universities were completed at the estimated cost. There were no construction projects completed within the planned time in public universities, but 20 per cent were completed within the planned time in private universities. The t-test showed there is no significant difference in performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Nigeria. The study concluded that time performance of public and private universities in Nigeria was still below acceptable international best practices.          Research limitations/implications          The findings of this study are limited to universities’ construction projects and may be of little application to other construction projects outside university settings.          Practical implications          It is recommended that construction stakeholders be more proactive in ensuring that significant improvement is achieved in cost and time performance of construction projects both in public and private universities; the clients need to be more detailed in their briefs and requirements, the designers (architects and engineers) need to be more precise and avoid varying their designs, the quantity surveyors should use their professional competency in cost engineering adequately and the contractor should avoid spurious claims that result in increase in construction cost and time so that performance of construction projects can be improved.          Originality/value          The study is an attempt to compare cost and time performance of construction projects in public and private universities in Osun State, Nigeria.
for the invading specific element of the disease. The obvious indi ation then is to aid the natural processes of repair by reducing the thoracic cavity, thereby relieving them of the work of strenuous, prolonged, and often inefficient cicatricial traction. In so far, then, as the inflammatory element in phthisis is concerned, rest and relaxation of the inflamed tissues seem indicated and essential to the healing process. Comparative rest of the lung may be secured by keeping the patient at absolute rest day and night, but this system has obvious disadvantages, while it fails to fulfil the local indications of rest with relaxation. The English school aims at developing the latent resources of the lung so as to compensate for the loss of respiratory surface, while placing the patient under conditions inimical to the extension of the specific element of the disease and promoting general nutrition. In extreme cases where this object has been attained, one finds an immense development of the base of the lung with extensive cavitation towards the apex. The cavitation is a constant source of danger, while the hypertrophy does not necessarily secure proportionately increased aeiration of blood, because the latter depends on range of movement as well as on effective respiratory area. With permanently increased circumference of the lower thorax there must necessarily be decreased range of movement. Such cases suggest howmuch better it would have been if the compensatory hypertrophy had extended inwards instead of outwards so as to have invaded and occupied the excavated region. Two clinical considerations lend weight to the argument in favour of strapping the chest in phthisis, namely, (i) The fact that pleuritic effusion frequently leads to amelioration of the lung affection in phthisis; (2) The fact that during pregnancy the course of phthisis is often temporarily arrested. Both these phenomena produce similar effects on the lung as that produced by strapping. The above considerations led ine to the practice of strapping the chest wall as part of the treatment in phthisis, especially applicable in cases of unilateral disease of the apex. The method I adopt is to apply the anterior end of the strapping over the lower sternum and direct the patient to breathe out while I draw the strapping round the lower thorax and fix it over the vertebral column. I use either strips of strapping or a suitably sized (04 inches by 5 inches) piece of chamois leather spread with plaster, an appliance which adapts itself well to the chest wall without giving rise to discomfort. The appliance should be kept on till all signs of disease have disappeared and healing is complete. I direct the patient to take a moderate amount of regular exercise and to practise deep breathing. The exercise and deep breathing tend to bring into play all portions of lung not habitually active, while the strapping directs healthy lung to encroach on the diseased region. The immediate effects of strapping, so far as my experience goes, are decrease of cough and expectoration, followed by cessation of night sweats, gradual fall of temperature, and improvement of general symptoms. The effect on the physical signs is to show a dislocation upwards of the seat of lesion, with gradually decreasing evidences of disease, an encroachment of abdominal organs towards the thoracic cavity, and an absence of falling in of the upper chest wall. The advantages of strapping may be briefly summarised as follows: i. In early phthisis (catarrhal stage) to give comparative rest and relaxation to affected lung tissue. 2. In the stage of consolidation, to secure the same results, thereby limiting the risk of extension and to promote elimination of the disease products by improving the circulation in and about the diseased area and to facilitate expectoration. 3. In the stage of cavitation, to promote closing of cavities by directing healthy lung to encroach on the diseased area instead of relying on natural processes of cicatrisation. 4. Diminished tendency to hiemorrhage by reduced tension on vessels and cicatricial traction on vessel walls. 5. The ultimate object is to obtain a smaller thoracic cavity filled with healthy lung instead of an enlarged thoracic cavity partly filled with diseased lung. CASE i.-Female, aged 21. History of tuberculous peritonitis. When she came under observation there was marked hectic, extensive breaking down in right infrascapular region, troublesome cough and copious expectoration. When strapped the cough was diminished at once and the temperature gradually fell to subnormal and remained there. The physical signs moved upwards and decreased in area till they finally disappeared. The thorax was strapped for two winter seasons and patient sent home with strapping on. This spring-five years after original strapping-patient is reported to me as well. CASE II.-Officer in artillery. Patient had repeated haemoptysis, extensive breaking down in infrascapular region, cough and free expectoration. Was seen in consultation with leading London authority and bad prognosis expressed. Had been refused readmission to the service on one or two occasions by board of medical examiners. The last I heard of this patient was that he had rejoined his regiment. CASE III.-Student, aged Ig. Had been seen by family practitioner and by consulting physician. There was catarrh of left apex, and bacilli were found in abundance. Strapped for one season, after which his family doctor saw him in consultation with me, and could detect no disease. I advised colonial life instead of Cambridge; however, he was considered well enough to return to Cambridge, and broke down again. CASE iv.-Female, aged 22. Infrascapular consolidation; cough, expectoration, and night sweats. Strapping was followed by relief of these symptoms. Two nionths later: Symptoms have all disappeared, and tlhe signs indicate a greatly decreased area of disease. I wish it to be understood that I do not propose this method as a cure for phthisis, but as an essential element in the treatment of that disease directed ,against the inflammatory lesion, an element which will greatly enhance the value of specific and climatic treatment, and without which those methods will be powerless to restore an extensively damaged lung to a condition of mechanical integrity. The latter essential is now Jiabitually left to natural conservative processes which are inadequate to fulfil it when the lesion is extensive, and only does so with difficulty when it is limited.
Nonlinear vibration of a carbon chain in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is investigated by both Euler beam model and molecular dynamics (MD) method. Forced vibration of the carbon chain based on the Euler beam model is studied and the response-frequency curve of the carbon chain shows clear nonlinearity of the hardening type. In particular, the Euler beam model together with the law of energy equipartition is further utilized to study thermal vibrations of the carbon chain. Our results show that the fundamental frequency of the carbon chain increases with increasing temperature. For a given temperature, the amplitude of the carbon chain considering the nonlinear vdW force is smaller than that of the linear situation. All results from the present Euler model are in reasonable agreement with those of our MD simulations. The present results suggest that the carbon chain-CNTs system can be adapted to the nano resonators tuned by temperature.
Cholesterol transport is an essential process in all multicellular organisms. In this study we applied two recently developed approaches to investigate the distribution and molecular mechanisms of cholesterol transport in Caenorhabditis elegans. The distribution of cholesterol in living worms was studied by imaging its fluorescent analog, dehydroergosterol, which we applied to the animals by feeding. Dehydroergosterol accumulates primarily in the pharynx, nerve ring, excretory gland cell, and gut of L1-L3 larvae. Later, the bulk of dehydroergosterol accumulates in oocytes and spermatozoa. Males display exceptionally strong labeling of spermatids, which suggests a possible role for cholesterol in sperm development. In a complementary approach, we used a photoactivatable cholesterol analog to identify cholesterol-binding proteins in C. elegans. Three major and several minor proteins were found specifically cross-linked to photocholesterol after UV irradiation. The major proteins were identified as vitellogenins. rme-2 mutants, which lack the vitellogenin receptor, fail to accumulate dehydroergosterol in oocytes and embryos and instead accumulate dehydroergosterol in the body cavity along with vitellogenin. Thus, uptake of cholesterol by C. elegans oocytes occurs via an endocytotic pathway involving yolk proteins. The pathway is a likely evolutionary ancestor of mammalian cholesterol transport.
An experiment was conducted to estimate the body composition and nutritional requirements of macrominerals for the weight gain of ½ Boer and ½ mixedbreed kid goats, in the phase of growth on pasture in the semi-arid region. The experiment was developed at ‘Nupearido’ farm, in Patos, Paraiba State. Twenty-four kids were used, with average initial body weight of 15 kg, distributed into four treatments with increasing levels of concentrate supplementation (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% of body weight). The animals, maintained under semi-confinement system, received feeding supplementation in individual stalls when they were gathered daily. When one of the animals of each group reached 30kg of body weight, all other animals in the group were slaughtered after a 16-hour fast. Body composition varied from 15.36 to 17.17 g of Ca; 8.16 to 8.24 g of P; 1.00 to 1.42 g of Na, and  1.23 g of K per kg of empty body weight. The net requirements of Ca, P and Na varied, respectively, from 13.96 to 15.61 mg, 6.55 to 6.62 mg and 1.16 to 1.65 mg, and is of 0.98 mg of K by gram of weight gain for animals between 15 and 30 kg of body weight.
Human neurocysticercosis (NC) is a parasitic disease caused by Taenia solium when its larvae lodge in the central nervous system. NC prevalence estimates are obscured by the variable and often asymptomatic clinical picture. While infection depends on exposure, severity is possibly related with various host factors (immunity, genes and gender). This epidemiological study of cranial CT scans in an endemic rural community found that 9.1% of apparently healthy subjects had calcified lesions and were completely asymptomatic. Silent NC cases did not correlate with the exposure factors tested but showed family aggregation and higher rates of positive serology. Thus, NC prevalence may be higher than currently considered and host-related factors appear to be involved in infection and pathogenesis.
The apricot species is characterized by a gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI) system. While GSI is one of the most efficient mechanisms to prevent self-fertilization and increase genetic variability, it represents a limiting factor for fruit production in the orchards. Compatibility among apricot cultivars was usually assessed by either field pollination experiments or by histochemical evaluation of in vitro pollen tube growth. In apricots, self-compatibility is controlled by two unlinked loci, S and M, and associated to transposable element insertion within the coding sequence of SFB and ParM-7 genes, respectively. Self-compatibility has become a primary breeding goal in apricot breeding programmes, stimulating the development of a rapid and cost-effective marker assisted selection (MAS) approach to accelerate screening of self-compatible genotypes. In this work, we demonstrated the feasibility of a novel High Resolution Melting Analysis (HRMA) approach for the massive screening of self-compatible and self-incompatible genotypes for both S and M loci. The different genotypes were unambiguously recognized by HRMA, showing clearly distinguishable melting profiles. The assay was developed and tested in a panel of accessions and breeding selections with known self-compatibility reaction, demonstrating the potential usefulness of this approach to optimize and accelerate apricot breeding programmes.
In this article, a video-based analysis for facial skin appearance with an automatic face tracking technique is proposed. The change of skin appearance under various illuminations is observed by illuminating the face from various light source positions, and the changes in facial appearance are recorded as a video stream during this measurement. The recorded video stream is then analyzed to obtain the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) at each position of the facial skin. Automatic face tracking is necessary to compensate the facial movement in order to obtain an accurate BRDF measurement at each position. Since conventional face tracking techniques cannot be used for a face illuminated from various light source positions, a new face tracking technique that is robust to the various face shadings has been developed. Experimental studies show the effectiveness of both the proposed video-based analysis technique and the automatic face tracking technique. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 33, 477–484, 2008
Ultra-large scale integrated circuits (ULSIs) have been continually scaled down according to Moore’s law. This can improve their power consumption and operation frequency but not the RC delay of their interconnections; to this end, super low dielectric constant films are required. We propose a novel method to fabricate porous SiO2 films with a super low dielectric constant by F2 laser deposition. In this method, a quartz target is evaporated by F2 laser ablation in vacuum-chamber-controlled Ar partial pressure. The evaporated SiO2 molecules are agglomerated in the vacuum, and the size of the SiO2 nanoparticles are controlled by the Ar partial pressure. Porous SiO2 films are formed on a Si-receiving substrate, which is placed in front of the quartz target. The pulse duration of the F2 laser was approximately 20 ns, and the repetition rate of laser shots was 100 Hz. The base pressure of the vacuum chamber was 5 × 10−3 Pa. Then, Ar gas was introduced into the vacuum chamber through a mass flow controller to control the Ar partial pressure. The dominant size of the SiO2 nanoparticles decreased from 1.5–2.0 nm to 1.0–1.5 nm with the Ar partial pressure decreasing from 20 Pa to 4.5 Pa. In addition, the relative dielectric constant k of the porous SiO2 film formed at an Ar partial pressure of 4.5 Pa was 2.8, which is lower than that of thermal SiO2 (k = 4.0). In addition, the leakage current of the nanoporous SiO2 film was almost equal to that of the thermal SiO2 film. From these results, we conclude that nanoporous SiO2 films with a super low dielectric constant can be formed by F2 laser deposition.
OBJECTIVE--To examine the effect on total prescribing costs and prescribing costs for respiratory drugs for practices with at least one general practitioner with a special interest in asthma. DESIGN--Postal questionnaire survey. SETTING--General practitioners in England and Wales. SUBJECTS--269 members of the General Practitioners in Asthma Group, of whom 103 agreed to participate. MAIN MEASURES--Individual practitioners' and their practices' PACT prescribing costs from the winter quarters of 1989-90 compared with average costs for their family health services authority (FHSA) and a notional national average of all FHSAs combined. RESULTS--The response rate was 57%; the average total prescribing costs for the practices of the 59 respondents were significantly lower than those of their respective FHSAs (mean difference 505 pounds per 1000 patients per quarter (95% confidence interval -934.0 to -76.2, p = 0.022) and lower than the national average. The average prescribing costs for respiratory drugs for the practices were significantly greater than those for their FHSA (195 pounds per 1000 patients per quarter (84.4 to 306.0, p = 0.001) and the national average. Both types of costs varied widely. CONCLUSION--An interest in asthma care in general practice is associated with higher average prescribing costs for respiratory drugs but no increase in overall prescribing costs compared with those for respective FHSAs and national averages. IMPLICATIONS--FHSAs and their medical advisors should not examine high prescribing costs for individual doctors or one therapeutic category but in the context of practice total costs.
We look to unlock the verbal code of President Putin and NATO Secretary-General Rasmussen during the Ukrainian crisis. On 18 March 2014, referring to the medieval history of Russia, Putin expressed a vision that invites to explore the role of ancestral mental images as an instance of people with a direct knowledge of spiritual truth. Looking for spiritual truth is often at the edge of words, forcing the speaker to resort to poetic language to convey an inspired message beyond common understanding. Using a fragment of Martindale’s creativity model, we look for indicators of insight (regressive thought, metaphors, dual-coding of images and emotions) in Putin’s and NATO’s speeches over a short take of recent history, December 2013–September 2014. Among obvious results, the annexing of Crimea to the Russian Federation (18 March 2014) sparked new words in both Putin’s and NATO’s speeches. The May 9 ‘Great Victory Day’ also affected Putin’s speeches. After May 9, a visible discontinuity marks the speeches of both Putin and NATO, but in opposite directions. Higher scores of metaphoric thought in Putin contrasts with lower scores in NATO. Finally, the threat index increases moderately in both cases, yet bears no strong relation to the ups or downs of visionary metaphoric thought in either Putin or NATO. The two corpuses contain the words ‘value’ and ‘border’ in plenty, pushing linguistic detection scholars to explore new frontiers.
Ankara in the Ottoman Period, as many other cities in the Ottoman Empire, was a settlement where the Muslim population, as well as non-Muslim; Armenians, Greeks and Jews coexisted. Particularly, from 16th to the early 20th century, a large part of Ankara’s Jewish community lived together with the Muslim population in the Jewish Quarter, now known as Istiklal Quarter. Jewish Quarter is an important cultural heritage site, with its street pattern and elements, traditional houses, religious monuments as the synagogue, mosques and masjids, those reflecting the social, cultural and physical characteristics of the period. Today, although the Jewish Quarter completely lost its Jewish population and has many social and physical problems, it still sustains its original physical structure and the integrity of historical tissue to a considerable extent. This article aims to present the general historical and tissue characteristics of the Jewish Quarter along with the architectural features of traditional houses. Within the scope of this article, the original social and physical properties of the quarter, the development process and interventions in time are discussed. Finally, the current social structure, tissue character and condition of the Jewish Quarter along with problems of the traditional residential architecture are discussed.
The growth of Listeria monocytogenes in food stored in the cold has often been implicated in outbreaks of listeriosis. Many subtyping schemes have suggested that epidemic-associated strains belong to a unique genetic group. It has not yet been possible, however, to identify molecular or bacteriologic markers unique to epidemic-associated strains. Recently we cloned three genes of L. monocytogenes, ltrA, ltrB, and ltrC, which are essential for growth at low temperatures (4 degrees C). The use of a 1.2-kb PstI fragment derived from ltrB as a probe in Southern blots of HindIII-digested DNA revealed three hybridization patterns: the first (a 5.0-kb band) was observed in strains of serotypes 4b, 1/2b, and 3b; the second (a 3.1-kb band) was seen in strains of serotypes 1/2a, 3a, 1/2c, and 3c; and the third (a 9.5-kb band) was characteristic of epidemic-associated serotype 4b strains. These and other data suggest that probes derived from this gene region that is essential for growth at low temperatures can be useful molecular tools for the subtyping of strains implicated in food-borne listeriosis.
Since Cannon first formulated the concept of homeostasis 60 years ago, attention has been focused on the corrective responses initiated after the steady state of the organism is perturbed. In this lecture it is argued that the concept of homeostasis should be extended to include the precisely timed mechanisms of the circadian (and circannual) timing system which enables organisms to predict when environmental challenges are most likely to occur. A mature understanding of homeostasis should encompass both "reactive" responses to changes in physiological variables which have already occurred and the "predictive" responses initiated in anticipation of predictably timed challenges. Such predictive responses have particular value because they enable physiological mechanisms to be utilized immediately, even if they involve a delay of several hours, by activating them at a suitable time in advance of a probable challenge. However, conflicts may often occur between predictions and reality. Examples from sleep-wake behavior, thermoregulation, blood volume homeostasis, and the regulation of potassium balance show that predictive responses often compromise the effectiveness of reactive homeostatic mechanisms even to the point of risking the survival of the organism. It must be concluded that the day-night cycle of the natural environment has played a fundamental role in shaping the evolutionary development of homeostatic mechanisms because of the dominating predictability of diurnal changes in illumination, temperature, food availability, and predator activity.
A study was conducted to evaluate the performances against wear and corrosion of Cr2N thin films. The thin film was synthesized onto steel substrates SHKH15, using mechanochemical method. The experimental work was achieved using ball-on-disc configuration in dry conditions against Al2O3 balls. The corrosion resistance was determined by potentiometric method. The main conclusions are: corrosion testing in 4 % solution of nitric acid (HNO3) solution indicated that Cr2N is improved anticorrosion performance when compared to the steel substrate SHKH15; the Cr2N coating presents the better tribological properties. Tribological tests against, that Cr2N coating presents the lowest coefficient of friction relatively to the steel substrate SHKH15.
Water-soluble cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared using L-cystine as a capping agent. The reaction was carried out under basic conditions (at pH=11) and refluxed at 100oC for 1 h. In this work, different tellurium (Te) concentrations in the solution of L-cystine functionalized CdTe NPs were prepared at low temperature of 100oC and discussion of its effect was done in detail. The CdTe NPs were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-vis and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Structural parameters estimated by XRD revealed cubic phase of CdTe at lower Te concentrations and hexagonal phase of Te emerging at higher Te concentration. XRD results showed that the NPs consisted of small CdTe nanocrystallites, 3.1-4.5 nm in size. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the surface morphology of the samples and was found that it varied with different Te concentration in the aqueous solution. They consisted of spherical, rod-like and blade-like type of morphologies. The absorption thresholds of the CdTe NPs were red shifted when Te concentration was increased, due to the quantum confinement effects displayed by nanocrystalline CdTe NPs. Optical band gap energy estimated showed a decrease with an increase in the amounts of Te present while the band emissions observed in the PL spectra of CdTe NPs red shifted from 536-559 nm upon an increase in Te ratio. The PL full width at half maximum increased from 49-60 nm with increase in Cd:Te from 1:0.1 to 1:1 displaying narrow size distribution of the NPs. Highest PL intensity was realized for a 1:0.4 Cd:Te molar ratio which is an indication of improved crystallinity.
This study is a retrospective review of 43 adult patients with idiopathic or congenital scoliosis who had spinal fusion from T11 or above to the sacrum. This study was prompted by the frustrations of the treating surgeons in attempting long fusions from the thoracic spine to the sacrum. Of 25 patients treated with a single-stage posterior fusion only 28% had a good result with a single procedure. Failures were due to pseudarthrosis, decompensation, or loss of lumbar lordosis. Ten patients treated with posterior fusion and subsequent 6-month augmentation had a 70% success rate. Eight patients treated with anterior followed by posterior fusion had a 75% success rate. The ideal answer to this clinical problem has not yet been found.
Knowledge of consumers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) is critical for marketing managers when designing optimal pricing policies. The large-scale applicability, reliability, and validity of Vickrey auctions as an incentive-compatible method for eliciting WTP in a real-world setting were tested empirically. The results of 6,548 sealed bids in 28 auctions of costly durables on a popular auction Web site show that regular on-line shoppers have little problem understanding and applying the Vickrey auction bidding strategy. As a result, Vickrey auctions can easily produce a reliable and valid distribution of WTP based on several thousand consumers. A comparison of Vickrey auctions with the more commonly used English or eBay auctions shows, both conceptually and empirically, that the latter formats do not fully reflect the complete range of potential customers' WTP and, therefore, lead to systematic overestimation of price-demand functions. In contrast, WTP information elicited through Vickrey auctions is undistorted by strategic behavior such as bid-sniping and incorporates the full range of WTP information, suggesting that it is better suited for estimating realistic price-demand functions for market research purposes.
The prognostic significance of primary cutaneous melanoma tumor mitotic rate (TMR) has been of worldwide clinical interest for decades. Building on initial observations in 1953 by Allen and Spitz that melanoma prognosis “varies significantly with the abundance or dearth of mitotic figures,” Dr. Vincent McGovern, an international authority on the histopathology of melanoma, was among the first to suggest and robustly explore whether dermal TMR of a primary cutaneous melanoma might have prognostic significance. In 1979, McGovern and colleagues from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, The University of Sydney, and the Melanoma Clinic (Sydney Hospital), demonstrated that among 694 patients with clinically localized melanoma, grade of mitotic activity varied with tumor thickness. Tumor thickness appeared to be the most important prognostic factor, and definite association of survival and mitotic activity was inconsistently associated with survival because high mitotic activity (i.e., grade III, defined as ≥1 mitosis per high power field [HPF]) was generally associated with thick lesions and poor prognosis, and absent or low mitotic activity (grade I [no mitoses] or grade II [<1/HPF], respectively) were generally associated with thin melanomas and a good prognosis. These foundational efforts were revisited in a larger cohort of 1317 patients treated at the Sydney Melanoma Unit (SMU). In this study, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 6th edition melanoma staging system stage (tumor thickness and ulceration) was the most important independent predictor of survival, whereas primary tumor location, age, and TMR (assessed as number of mitoses/5 HPF) were also associated with survival, albeit to a lesser extent. In 2003, in a larger cohort of 3661 SMU patients, Azzola et al. demonstrated that TMR was a significant independent prognostic factor by Cox regression analyses, second only to tumor thickness as the most powerful predictor of survival when TMR was grouped as 0, 1–4, 5–10, and ≥11 mitoses/mm. Importantly, TMR was expressed as mitoses/mm using the still currently recommended dermal “hot spot” method, as was recommended per the 1982 revision of the 1972 Sydney classification of melanoma in which “the mitotic count is begun in the field with the greatest number of mitoses and determined by counting in successive fields”. In 2009, the AJCC Melanoma Staging Committee introduced mitotic rate as a T category criterion for patients with clinically negative regional nodes and a primary melanoma with a tumor thickness ≤1 mm (i.e., T1) as a component of the 7th edition AJCC melanoma staging system. Notably, TMR was introduced as a dichotomous variable (<1 mitosis/mm vs. ≥1 mitosis/mm) solely within the T1 subcategory when it was shown to be more predictive of melanoma‐specific survival (MSS) than Clark level of invasion by multivariate analysis. Patients whose T1 primary was ulcerated and/ or had a TMR ≥1/mm using the dermal hot spot approach were categorized as T1b; those without ulceration and with <1 mitosis/ mm were T1a. This approach embraced the concept of mitogenicity. Nonetheless, some challenged this schema related to issues of reproducibility in assessing TMR in thin melanoma or anecdotal reports that its use could lead to extraordinary efforts in search of a single mitosis that might impact clinical care. Bolstering the above‐referenced single institution observations, TMR (categorized as 0, >0–<1, 1–<2, 2–<5, 5–<10, 10–<20, and ≥20 mitoses/mm) was noted to be an independent predictor of MSS (second to tumor thickness) among 13,296 patients with localized primary melanoma in the 2008 AJCC multi‐institutional melanoma staging database. Moreover, Cox multivariate analysis of prognostic factors among 2313 patients with stage III melanoma using the same database demonstrated that primary TMR (categorized as <1, 1–19.99, or ≥20 mitoses/mm because TMR was available only as a categorical rather than continuous variable in some data sets) was the second most powerful predictor of survival, after number of tumor‐involved regional nodes, among patients with nodal micrometastases (>90% of which were detected by sentinel lymph node [SLN] biopsy); TMR did not predict survival for patients with nodal macrometastasis. In analyses that informed revisions to the AJCC 8th edition melanoma staging system, TMR was further explored as a dichotomous variable for patients with T1 melanoma. Multiple published studies supported that survival in T1 melanoma was related to tumor thickness, with a possible clinically important “breakpoint” in the region of 0.7–0.8 mm; embracing the recommendation that thickness be rounded to the nearest 0.1 mm, patients with 0.8– 1.0 mm tumor thickness were noted to have worse MSS than those with a melanoma <0.8 mm. Indeed, in multivariable analysis performed using this tumor thickness strata, primary tumor ulceration, and TMR as a dichotomous variable, tumor thickness and ulceration were stronger predictors of MSS than TMR (that was no longer significant in this T1‐focused analysis). Primarily for this reason, TMR was removed from the AJCC 8th edition as a T1 subcategory criterion. Importantly, based on analyses by the AJCC and others demonstrating the importance of TMR when explored across its dynamic range, the melanoma expert panel strongly recommended that primary TMR be assessed and collected for all primary invasive
The Childrens Cancer Study Group evaluated daily oral 13-cis-retinoic acid to determine its therapeutic efficacy in 28 children with advanced neuroblastoma refractory to conventional therapy. Cheilitis and fissured lips were the most common side effects; however, fewer than 50% of the patients experienced any toxicity. Two of twenty-two evaluable children demonstrated positive response to therapy. In one case, a child received the drug for 11 months. Seventeen patients demonstrated progressive disease within 28 days of the start of treatment. Three other patients with stable disease, or removed from study at day 28, were considered nonresponsive. Our data demonstrate that, when given as a single daily oral dose of 100 mg/m2, 13-cis-retinoic acid does not have significant activity in children with advanced neuroblastoma.
Summary The relationships of the phlaeothripine tribe Apelaunothripini is discussed. Four genera and thirteen species are recorded from the Philippines, including the following two new genera and nine new species: Apelaunothrips cephalicus sp. nov., A. fasciatus sp. nov., A. flavicornis sp. nov., A. marginalis sp. nov., A. philippinensis sp. nov., A. rostratus sp. nov., A. simpliceps sp. nov., Lizalothrips luzonensis gen. and sp. nov., Paradexiothrips bispinosus gen. and sp. nov. Keys are provided to the four genera included in the Apelaunothripini, and to the ten Apelaunothrips species from the Philippines.
We describe an active contour framework with accurate shape and size constraints on the vessel cross-sectional planes to produce the vessel segmentation. It starts with a multiscale vessel axis tracing in a 3D computed tomography (CT) data, followed by vessel boundary delineation on the cross-sectional planes derived from the extracted axis. The vessel boundary surface is deformed under constrained movements on the cross sections and is voxelized to produce the final vascular segmentation. The novelty of this paper lies in the accurate contour point detection of thin vessels based on the CT scanning model, in the efficient implementation of missing contour points in the problematic regions and in the active contour model with accurate shape and size constraints. The main advantage of our framework is that it avoids disconnected and incomplete segmentation of the vessels in the problematic regions that contain touching vessels (vessels in close proximity to each other), diseased portions (pathologic structure attached to a vessel), and thin vessels. It is particularly suitable for accurate segmentation of thin and low contrast vessels. Our method is evaluated and demonstrated on CT data sets from our partner site, and its results are compared with three related methods. Our method is also tested on two publicly available databases and its results are compared with the recently published method. The applicability of the proposed method to some challenging clinical problems, the segmentation of the vessels in the problematic regions, is demonstrated with good results on both quantitative and qualitative experimentations; our segmentation algorithm can delineate vessel boundaries that have level of variability similar to those obtained manually.
New kinds of cast and wrought (C & W) Ni-Co base superalloys (TMW alloys) have been developed based on the innovative concept of combining two kinds of γ-γ′ two-phase alloys, Ni-base and Co-base alloys, for the applications of turbine disks and high-pressure compressor blades. The results based on testing 20 kg ingots indicate that TMW alloys show excellent high temperature strength and formability, may provide 50°C temperature advantage in 630 MPa/100 h creep performance over C & W alloy U720Li. In this paper, we report our new results on the full-scale pancakes manufactured through the C & W process for real components. The results indicate that TMW alloys had good process-ability in the ingot making and forging into disk pancakes. Pancake disks with fine grain size of about 10 μm were successfully obtained for TMW alloys. TMW alloys provide 58°C to 76°C temperature advantages in 0.2% creep strain life under the 630 MPa condition, over alloy U720Li.
The proposed activated state of cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cAMP) is modelled by two nucleoside cyclic 3 ′,5 ′ Pv-TBP compounds 3 and 4. The reason for the design of compound 3, in which a probe fragment (OCH2CH2OCH3 group) is linked to phosphorus, was reflected in a conformational transmission effect, which occurs when the probe is located in the axis of a Pv-TBP. This means that the six-membered 3′5′-dioxaphosphorinane ring predominantly remains in a diequatorial (e,e) orientation. In the absence of conformational transmission, as in compound 4, the 3′,5′-dioxaphosphorinane ring favors an equatorial-axial (e,a) orientation. From this we conclude that the occurrence of conformational transmission can stabilize the (e,e) orientation of the 3′,5′-ring. This can be of relevance to the activation of protein kinase by cAMP. In order to obtain more structural information from 3 and 4, we performed MNDO calculations on the models 8–10. These calculations revealed that the (e,e) orientation of the 3′,5′-ring is destabilized by 3–4 kcal/mol compared to the (e,a) orientation. For the (e,a) geometry, the 3′,5′-ring adopts a twist conformation, whereas the (e,e) orientated 3′,5′-ring shows a half-chair geometry.
The Warfarin–Aspirin Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) Trial, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and reported by Chimowitz et al.1 in this issue of the Journal, was a careful comparison of these two therapies in patients with cerebrovascular events attributed to intracranial atherosclerosis. The WASID Trial, in concert with other, smaller studies,2,3 clearly shows that symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis is a marker of extremely aggressive vascular disease. Ischemic stroke, brain hemorrhage, or death from vascular causes other than stroke occurred within two years in approximately 22 percent of the patients, whether they were treated with high-dose . . .
The Myeloid Growth Factors guidelines in this month’s issue are in some ways a paradigm for successful guidelines—guidelines that support clinical decision-making. The algorithm comes down to the level of actual administration, with specific thresholds for beginning, dosages, and stopping. This granularity is possible, of course, because of the extraordinary number of trials meticulously designed to answer specific drug-related questions. For example, Frankfurt and Tallman’s article on using these agents in leukemia describes trials that have investigated not only the efficacy of these stimulating factors but also their potential deleterious effects. I’m reassured to learn from Lyman and Kleiner of the consistency found across 3 well-known guidelines for these agents. A major recommendation in all 3 guidelines is that growth factors be initiated for primary prophylaxis if the expected rate of febrile neutropenia is 20%. This new threshold varies considerably from the initial American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines in 1994, which used a 40% threshold. The new mark is based on results from several randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses that confirm the efficacy of these agents in significantly diminishing the incidence of febrile neutropenia at this level. In what will likely become a major issue for guidelines developers in the future, economic considerations emerged in these discussions. Although NCCN and ASCO state that decisions were based on proven clinical benefit, both groups acknowledge the potentially large economic impact that using these agents may have—both their capacity to save in-hospital expenses and the financial burden they could impose if large numbers of patients are treated with them. This is especially concerning when only a minority of patients may actually benefit. One of the major goals of clinical practice guidelines is improving the quality of care. In formulating goals of quality care, the Institute of Medicine proposed that quality be based not only on effectiveness but also on the efficiency of care. Many professional groups, such as the National Quality Forum and the Ambulatory Quality Alliance, now focus considerable resources on developing a framework for how these economic issues will be defined and integrated into value-based systems of health care. The concept is not new, and our hospitals have been operating under a Diagnostic Related Groups (DRG) system that is designed to promote efficiency. Efficiency relates to the provision of optimal quality care with the optimal use of resources. ASCO guidelines recognize this in the statement that if alternative chemotherapy regimens are available that produce the same result without the need for growth factors, they should be used. That we now face a tremendous explosion of healthcare costs from new agents that significantly improve patient care or outcomes but carry costs that must be borne by the entire system is well-publicized. How to meld this societal perspective into guidelines will undoubtedly become a serious challenge to tomorrow’s panels. Bringing the dimension of cost into guidelines—an action not only appropriate but also necessary—will require new research and methodologies. The science of costeffectiveness, at least as it translates to the clinician, is still abstruse and fraught with multiple interpretations. We need newly trained oncology minds who understand not only the intricacies of the cell cycle but also the arcana of indirect costs. The bottom line, however, is that in the end we will have better guidelines, ones in which clinical decision-making includes the full range of factors that affect our daily lives. By Rodger J. Winn, MD
Background: Sleep disordered breathing and pulmonary hypertension are both highly prevalent in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Since (SDB) has been shown to increase pulmonary pressures, we hypothesized that initiation of positive airway pressure (PAP) may reduce pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) in compliant patients.  Methods: A total of 125 consecutive CHF patients admitted for decompensation were screened. Of these patients, 18 met inclusion criteria for the study which included a PASP ≥ 36 and polysomnogram-proven SDB. A repeat echocardiogram performed at mean 8 weeks post intervention was reviewed to compare PASP.  Results: There was no statistically significant difference in mean age, BMI, AHI, baseline PASP, and ejection fraction between the PAP-compliant group and PAP non-compliant group. A statistically significant mean reduction in PASP of 13.8 ± 7.0 mmHg (range: -25, -1) was observed in CHF patients with SDB who were compliant with PAP therapy, versus a mean increase of 0.9 ± 8.7 mmHg (range: -8, 15) in heart failure patients with SDB who were noncompliant with PAP therapy.  Conclusions: The findings suggest that PAP therapy is associated with improvement in pulmonary hypertension with congestive heart failure and sleep disordered breathing.
645 desire to keep young people from leaving after college and revive the towns’ once-vibrant Main Streets. Chapter six turns to the regulation of uranium mills. Regulation has devolved from the federal to the state level in recent decades, leaving the underfunded Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to monitor and regulate uranium operations. In practice, they rely heavily on corporate self-monitoring. Malin finds many of the regulators are ambivalent about their efficacy but see few other options. Locals who support the mill, however, have little doubt that new regulations will be effective. In the conclusion, Malin makes an impassioned argument for a turn to decentralized, “soft path” energy solutions rather than continuing the nuclear renaissance. She highlights a recently constructed community solar power installation in the area as evidence that this shift is feasible. The Price of Nuclear Power powerfully documents how isolation and poverty drive residents to support uranium milling despite its health risks. The voices of all sides of the complex debate ring out from Malin’s surveys and interviews. But historians of technology may be frustrated to find little analysis of technology in the book. The processes of uranium milling— which are the heart of the debate—remain a black box. This was a missed opportunity because belief that new uranium milling technologies will pollute less is central to arguments in favor of a new mill. Yet without detailed analysis of how milling technology changed over time, it is hard to assess such claims.
We study multi-shot intensity-and-phase measurements of unstable trains of ultrashort pulses using spectral-phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction (SPIDER), second harmonic generation (SHG) frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG), polarization gate (PG) FROG, and cross-correlation FROG (XFROG). An analytical calculation suggests that SPIDER cannot indicate instability in pulse trains well. Simulations confirm this and demonstrate that SPIDER only measures the coherent artifact. Further, the presence of instability cannot be distinguised from benign misalignment effects in SPIDER. FROG methods suggest instability by exhibiting clear disagreement between measured and retrieved traces.
ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the capability of hospital records in the Hospital Information System (SIH) to add valuable and complementary information to the Mortality Information System (SIM) in studies on maternal mortality. We calculated and compared the maternal mortality ratio from the SIH and SIM databases, by age group and region, to highlight differences between groups and assess the coverage of maternal deaths using SIH compared with SIM. Methods: Obstetric hospitalizations were defined based on three sources (codes ICD-10 in diagnoses; procedures; billing information). Hospital and SIM mortality ratios were calculated by dividing maternal deaths in hospitals affiliated to the Unified Brazilian Health System (SUS) per live births (SINASC) in the same hospitals. Results: In 2019, we identified 2,497,957 obstetric admissions, 0.04% (946) with in-hospital mortality as outcome. The presence of three criteria identified 98% of obstetric hospitalizations and 83% of obstetric hospitalizations with death as outcome. The comparison of mortality ratios between SIH (45.5 MMR; 95%CI 42.7 – 48.5) and SIM (49.7 MMR; 95%CI 46.7 – 52.8) was not statistically significant (p-value: 0.053). Conclusion: The analysis of SIH was able to provide additional information for the monitoring and surveillance of maternal health in Brazil. Although there are differences between the mortality rates, the SIH, as a complementary information system to the SIM, may be valid in studies on maternal mortality and morbidity.
Sustainable, carbon-free methods of large-scale hydrogen production are urgently needed to support industrial processes while decreasing carbon dioxide emissions. The realities of product development timelines dictate that existing commercial technologies such as low-temperature electrolysis will have to serve the majority of this need for at least the next 20 years. At the same time, even a cursory understanding of device design principles and real-world constraints can help to inform basic research. Accelerating the impact from fundamental material discoveries in related technologies therefore requires improved collaboration between academic, government, and industry sectors. Renewable hydrogen is a key component to global decarbonization and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. A common misconception is that the need for greener sources of hydrogen is dependent on whether fuel cell vehicles significantly penetrate the automotive market. However, hydrogen is a critical feedstock for many industrial processes, with an annual demand of 65 million metric tons globally. The large majority of this hydrogen is made via steam methane reforming, which represents the major carbon dioxide contribution for industrial processes such as ammonia production. Sustainable manufacturing of hydrocarbons also requires a sustainable source of hydrogen. Deep decarbonization and meeting 80% reduction targets for carbon dioxide emissions thus requires carbon-free sources of hydrogen. Based on the technology readiness levels, the reality is that existing commercial technologies will dominate the market for the next 20 years and beyond. To accelerate the impact of fundamental work in long-term technologies, improved collaboration between researchers across academic, government, and industry sectors is essential, to inform basic research as well as to leverage technology breakthroughs in the near term.
OBJECTIVES To access medical specialists by health specialists working in the regional health field, the possibility of utilizing the voice approach for dissociative identity disorder (DID) patients as a health assessment for medical access (HAMA) was investigated. The first step is to investigate whether the plural personae in a single DID patient can be discriminated by voice analysis.   METHODS Voices of DID patients including these with different personae were extracted from YouTube and were analysed using the software PRAAT with basic frequency, oral factors, chin factors and tongue factors. In addition, RAKUGO story teller voices made artificially and dramatically were analysed in the same manner. Quantitive and qualitative analysis method were carried out and nested logistic regression and a nested generalized linear model was developed.   RESULTS The voice from different personae in one DID patient could be visually and easily distinquished using basic frequency curve, cluster analysis and factor analysis. In the canonical analysis, only Roy's maximum root was <0.01. In the nested generalized linear model, the model using a standard deviation (SD) indicator fit best and some other possibilities are shown here.   CONCLUSIONS In DID patients, the short transition time among plural personae could guide to the risky situation such as suicide. So if the voice approach can show the time threshold of changes between the different personae, it would be useful as an Access Assessment in the form of a simple HAMA.
LiFePO4/Carbon composite was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and subsequent annealing in N2. From microstructure observation, fine particle size and homogeneous mixing with carbon in the composite were confirmed. A cell using the composite as cathode showed high-rate charge/discharge properties. The specific capacity of the composite at 1 A/g current density was 5 times of magnitude larger than that of mixture of LiFePO4 and carbon powders.
The literature on monetary policy games establishes that policy makers' attempts to boost employment above the 'natural' rate are futile and result in an inflationary bias when wage setters have rational expectations and the policy maker cannot precommit. This implies that a variation of the policy maker's degree of inflation aversion does not have a systematic effect on the employment level. This paper shows that this last neutrality result hinges crucially on the assumption that wage setters are atomistic. In the presence of non-atomistic agents, who set nominal wages and have monopolistic power, the policy maker's inflation aversion may have a systematic effect on equilibrium employment even if agents have rational expectations and complete information. The model is used to re-assess the welfare implications of monetary policy delegation to a 'conservative' central bank.
Bardeen and Brattain, following a suggestion by Gibney on Nov. 17th, 1947, successfully negated the influence of surface states on Nov 21st and, on Dec 16th, achieved transistor action – point-contact semiconductor amplification (of minority-carriers) in polycrystalline Ge. Bardeen and Brattain's Magic Month was followed by Shockley's Magic Month, which culminated with Shockley's minority-carrier injection (Jan 23rd 1948) over the electrostatic barrier at the source / base interface, into the base where the minority-carriers were transported across the base en route to being accumulated at the collector in the polycrystalline Ge sample. Indeed, although all the principals involved were looking to develop a majority-carrier device, their minds were amply prepared to absorb the lessons they learned with the minority-carriers and the resulting new solid-state electronics era was initiated.
The article contains sections titled:    1. Introduction  2. Advanced Structural Ceramics in Engineering – An Overview  3. General Mechanical Properties  3.1. Failure of Brittle Materials — Flaws  3.2. The Small Strain to Failure  3.3. Effects of Microstructure on Strength  3.4. Effects of Temperature on Strength  3.5. Wear Resistance and Hardness  4. Individual Ceramic Materials  4.1. Alumina  4.2. Zirconia  4.3. Silicon Carbide  4.4. Silicon Nitride  4.5. Boron Carbide  4.6. Ceramic–Ceramic Composites  4.7. Other Ceramic Materials  5. Manufacturing and Testing Methods  6. Uses
The detection and quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in particular carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), is presently one of the main goals of remote sensing of atmospheric gasses on a global scale, for the strong impact these molecules have on climate change. Of particular urgency is the quantification of emissions from anthropogenic sources, a high-priority task addressed by the ESA Copernicus mission CO2M, which will provide global coverage detection of CO2 and CH4. The observation of CO2M, capable of quantifying emissions from the major sources, can be complemented by other observation systems addressing the smaller, and more numerous, sources. In this domain, static interferometers can offer several advantages. This paper reports on the main results of two activities completed within the ESA Future Missions activities in the Earth Observation Program, for the development of small instruments based on static interferometer designs, for the detection of CO2. The two studies, named Carbon-HIGS and Carbon-CGI, investigated two instruments operating in the SWIR and NIR bands, with a targeted precision of 2 ppm and an accuracy of 1 ppm for CO2 atmospheric concentration, covering a relatively small swath of 50 km at a spatial sampling better than 300 m. We summarize the general detection principles, the result of the design activities, and the estimated instrument performances. Both concepts are suitable candidates to work in conjunction with the Copernicus mission offering a zoom-mode observation, for quantification of medium-sized GHG sources and improved localization and understanding of anthropogenic emissions. Additional presentation content can be accessed on the supplemental content page.
The high amount of steel bar reinforcement in beam-column joints causes congestion problem. Here, king cross steel profile, as an alternative to shear reinforcement in the joint of reinforced concrete beam-column, is proposed. This is achieved by simplifying the assembly of king cross steel profile implants at beam-column joints as a shear reinforcement, which could be expected to replace the transversal reinforcement and enhance the joint shear strength. Two sets of interior beam-column joint subassemblies with stirrup reinforcement (SJ) and with king cross steel profile reinforcement (KCJ) as the shear reinforcement in the joint were studied. The experimental result concluded that the average peak load of SJ specimen was higher than that of KCJ. However, KCJ had good performance and contributed to the shear strength of the joint. The performance and contribution of KCJ can be seen from the load carrying capacity above 6.7% in the positive direction and below 24.91% in the negative direction compared with SJ. The pattern of the crack occurred showed a severe failure in the joint panel of KCJ. In this study, the width of the web was twice that of the flange, but in future studies, the width should be enlarged until it sufficiently fills the entire joint section and the width of the web is about six times of the flange. This web enlargement and flange reduction were performed by considering the area of a cross-section of the king cross profile and the requirement of shear capacity of the joint installed. It was done to increase the shear strength of the interior beam-column joint subassemblies with KCJ.
The aim of this research was to determine the accuracy and reliability of early diagnosis of pregnancy in cows using PGF2α analogue. Namely in the case of corpus luteum (CL) presence, the release of luteal oxytocin is induced by intravenous administration of a non luteolytic dose of PGF2α. The research was performed in 30 lactating cows, 18-22 days after insemination, and three hours prior to evening milking. A teat cannula is placed in the left fore-teat. When the cisternal milk flow ceased, Dinoprost (256 μg Dinolytic) was injected in the v. jugularis. If CL was present, the alveolar milk flow (559.4±83.7 mL) started 189±18 s later and early pregnancy could be presumed. If CL was no longer functional, the milk flow did not start again and the cow was considered not pregnant. Seventeen out of 30 cows were confirmed pregnant 35 days after insemination by ultrasound and 13 were found not pregnant. The accuracy of positive results is 100% and is identical to that obtained by ELISA of milk progesterone used as a reference method. The accuracy of negative results was lower (46.1% vs. 84.6%) (p<0.05), because seven out of 13 non pregnant cows has responded to the milk ejection test. In spite of this disadvantage, the test approved as being inexpensive, rapid, and easy to interpret and is therefore very applicable, especially under field conditions. It can be applied i.e. 20 days after insemination. Progesterone rapid test from milk or by milk ejection test can be used with similar accuracy.
E-government can make the Government more transparent in the public eyes and make the interactions between agencies and the public more convenient, and ideally, increase the public trust by facilitating public participation, leading the so-called e-democracy. Then, this hypothesis raises the question as to whether (and to what extent), e-government can accompany e-democracy, and in the case of Vietnam, the efforts to promote e-government are associated with the democratic performance of their political system? The intent of this paper is to provide answers to the questions of what constitutes the barriers to the development of e-democracy in the case of Vietnam. In doing so, I will first concentrate on research to answer the question about how the legal framework of e-government has been built, how citizens might connect with government via the Internet, to obtain information, to give comments, to elect or vote anything related to public issues.
The capacity of a high speed camera in taking high speed images has been evaluated using CMOS image sensors. There are 2 types of image sensors, namely, CCD and CMOS sensors. CMOS sensor consumes less power than CCD sensor and can take images more rapidly. High speed camera with built-in CMOS sensor is widely used in vehicle crash tests and airbag controls, golf training aids, and in bullet direction measurement in the military. The High Speed Camera System made in this study has the following components: CMOS image sensor that can take about 500 frames per second at a resolution of 1280*1024; FPGA and DDR2 memory that control the image sensor and save images; Camera Link Module that transmits saved data to PC; and RS-422 communication function that enables control of the camera from a PC.
The N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors comprises a family of highly homologous subunits which assemble into oligomeric protein complexes. Alterations in subunit composition are developmentally regulated, leading to functionally distinct receptor populations. Here, the contribution of the subunit NR2B to NMDA receptor complex formation was analysed in neonatal rat brain, employing polyclonal antibodies raised against NR2B‐specific synthetic peptides. By hydrodynamic size fractionation of the solubilized receptor protein and chemical cross‐linking, NR2B antigen was found to be associated with several protein species of up to 690 kDa molecular weight. These observations show NR2B to be part of a multimeric receptor complex. Fractionation of cortex homogenates from E18 rat embryos on sucrose density gradients revealed NR2B polypeptide to be highly enriched in axonal growth cones. A similar distribution was found by fluorescence microscopy of immature hippocampal neurons, showing a preferential accumulation of NR2B antigen in axonal growth cones and varicosities. In mature cells, NR2B antigen displayed a punctated distribution pattern with redistribution to somato‐dendritic spheres. The association of NR2B with axonal growth cones and processes of immature neurons suggests a role of NMDA receptors in the regulation of neurite outgrowth and migration.
It was found that the weakly fluorescent trans-2(4′-N,N-dimethylaminostyryl)-  pyridinium betaine dyestuff (1) becomes efficiently fluorescent in very viscous media.  The fluorescence quantum yield (φF) for dyestuff (1) approaches unity in ethanol–ether  (1 : 1) glass at 98 K. Moreover, the fluorescence wave-length is blue shifted (1874 cm−1)  when the temperature is lowered to 98 K. The results are rationalized as being due to  solvent viscosity dependent rate constant for a radiationless internal conversion process,  involving rotation of the different parts of the molecule, a free rotor effect. The rate  of internal rotation was estimated to be 3.4 × 1011 s−1. The results suggest that this  molecule can be used as a fluorescent probe to study microscopic structural changes in  surrounding media occurring on the picosecond time scale.
The article deals with Russian traditions of studies of foreign countries which have become an intellectual pillar for Russian economic expertise. The modern application of experience of Soviet scientific schools in international studies is shown, especially in the fields of world development forecasts, analysis of Russian foreign economic relations and research of economic policy abroad. The article is based on open sources with publications, reports and presentations about expert and analytical activities of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) and other institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, VNIKI-Institute, MGIMO-University and some other centers. It is explained that results of international studies have become a necessary element for consulting of governmental bodies and businessmen in the epoch of globalization.
Abstract We develop and evaluate a large-scale dynamic vegetation model, TEM-LPJ, which considers interactions among water, light and nitrogen in simulating ecosystem function and structure. We parameterized the model for three plant functional types (PFTs): a temperate deciduous forest, a temperate coniferous forest, and a temperate C3 grassland. Model parameters were determined using data from forest stands at the Harvard Forest in Massachusetts. Applications of the model reasonably simulated stand development over 120 yr for Populus tremuloides in Wisconsin and for Pinus elliottii in Florida. Our evaluation of tree-grass interactions simulated by the model indicated that competition for light led to dominance by the deciduous forest PFT in moist regions of eastern United States and that water competition led to dominance by the grass PFT in dry regions of the central United States. Along a moisture transect at 41.5° N in the eastern United States, simulations by TEM-LPJ reproduced the composition of potential temperate deciduous forest, temperate savanna, and C3 grassland located along the transect. Abbreviations: DGVM = Dynamic global vegetation models; LPJ = Lund-Potsdam-Jena; TEM = Terrestrial Ecosystem Model; VEMAP = Vegetation Ecosystem Modeling and Analysis Project; WBM = Water Balance Model.
Marketing activities (marketing) which is the activity of distributing goods and services ranging from producers to the hands of consumers. In this case there are some fundamental questions that encompass marketing activities (marketing); ranging from what is marketed, who is marketing, to how goods and services are marketed through the activities of marketing functions such as purchase, sales, transportation, and so forth. The problem that arises then is, most of the producers/the company with the marketers (marketers) who do not consider the moral and ethical aspects of marketing the products they offer, the most important for them is how to make the products they offer acceptable and successful and control the market share. Especially if the marketer is pressed by the target company that must be achieved and the bonus will be obtained, then to achieve the target, not infrequently a marketer doing various ways, to the point of crashing the signs and ethics that have been established in religion. This study aims to analyze how the ethical aspect in the concept and practice in marketing (marketing) sharia by the company / producer of goods and services. The research method used in this research is descriptive qualitative analysis, using linguistic or language approach that is describe the concept and structure of marketing language as it is. From this study it can be concluded that the majority of scholars allow the concepts and practices in sharia marketing , seen from the process of creation, the process of bidding, as well as the process of change of value ( value ) in sharia marketing there should be no things that conflict with the principles that exist in sharia. As long as it can be guaranteed, and deviation of principles in sharia does not occur in any transaction inside marketing, it can be allowed in syarak. As well as in the ethical aspect has also fulfilled the spiritual elements that are spiritual based, the divinity is sourced from the teachings of revelation as known by Islamic shari'ah (al-Qur'an and as-Sunnah).
This chapter explores the role of intranet technology as an enabling technology for supporting the knowledge worker, knowledge work and various forms of knowledge management. The Earl-Hopwood model is utilized to map the intranet enabled knowledge management practices to the work patterns of the knowledge worker. This mapping process yields a greater understanding of the likely impacts of IS developments on the activities of knowledge workers. The research consisted of longitudinal case studies conducted in two Irish public sector hospitals. A wide diversity of knowledge management utilization patterns was found to exist in both organizations with, training, the presence of critical information and ease of use positively influencing the use of the Intranet as a knowledge management tool. Inhibiting factors identified include lack of recognition of the intranet as a knowledge management system, the absence of a knowledge management champion and the lack of strategic intent. Cumulatively, these factors resulted in suboptimal knowledge management usage patterns.
ht © 2020 American Colle Sources of funding: Dr Kelaher a are employed by the Austr Department of Health; Prof Cheng are members of Au government advisory comm those involved with COVIDEthical considerations: None to Conflicts of Interest – None dec Clinical significance: COVID-19 shut downs. As cases decrea preparing to reopen but the a treatment or vaccine mean ‘‘business as usual’’ is unl provides guidance to industr to support a safe return to COVID-19 environment. Copyright 2020 American C tional and Environmental Me DOI: 10.1097/JOM.00000000000
Editorial – RAEREST 2018 This volume is a collection of the papers presented at the second Global Colloquium on Recent Advancements and Effectual Researches in Engineering, Science and Technology (RAEREST – 2018), which was organized and hosted at St. Joseph’s College of Engineering & Technology, Palai, Kerala during April 20th and 21st, 2018. St. Joseph’s College of Engineering & Technology, Palai (SJCET) is owned and managed by the diocese of Palai, and was the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream the diocese of providing facilities for higher education with international stature. SJCET’s objective is to develop itself into a college with a distinct identity and character, where knowledge and training are imparted for life-long learnability along with developing moral, professional and ethical values in engineers of the future. The campus is well equipped so as to create an environment fully conducive to realize the objectives. Discipline, hard work, positive thinking, commitment to excellence and abiding faith in the Almighty are the guiding principles that propel this institution towards its vision of emerging as a Centre of Excellence in technical education in the country. SJCET meets almost all national and international benchmarks stipulated for a world class engineering institution by undertaking consultancy works, promoting several in-house projects, conducting exhibitions for public, expert talks and conferences.
The study explored the impacts of patterns of language use (PLU) and socio-economic status (SES) on Casper, a constructed-response situational judgment test (SJT). 10,266 applicants from two U.S. medical schools were grouped into self-reported balanced bilinguals, unbalanced bilinguals, English monolinguals, and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. A multicomponent SES composite was used to assess the degree of socioeconomic disadvantage (DSD). Results from a hierarchical regression analysis showed that after accounting for demographic variables, both PLU and DED were significant factors on applicants’ Casper performance. Bilingualism was associated with better Casper performance compared to English monolinguals and ESL students. No significant effect of speaking English as a native language was found on applicants’ Casper performance. English monolinguals and ESL students performed equivalently on Casper. Finally, high DSD was associated with better Casper performance than low DSD, and the impact of DSD on Casper held the same across all four language groups. These findings provide evidence that socio-cultural factors, such as PLU and DSD have important impacts on SJT performance. Further research is needed to understand the role of differences in language construction across socio-cultural factors on constructed-response SJT performance.
Abstract An attempt has been made at a long-term prediction of intense internal waves in the tropical region of the Atlantic (Amazon polygon) using echo sounder measurements of sound scattering layer oscillations during the period from 25 April to 12 May 1989. The repetition rate (i.e., the ratio of number of events, when wave heights were greater than some fixed one, to record duration) and the intermittence coefficient (i.e., the ratio of the duration of oscillations larger than 5 m, to the record duration) have been calculated. The repetition rate was used to determine the predicted wave height, that is, the heights that can be surpassed only once. The prediction quality was estimated by analyzing a few waves with very large height observed during the experiment. The empirical formulas have been theoretically interpreted within the framework of the Poisson statistics. It allowed one to predict internal waves for various water regions.
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is a common sleep disorder, affecting over 4% of the general population, and is associated with metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, independent of obesity and traditional risk factors. OSAS has been recently connected to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common chronic liver disease in the world, which can be found in 30% of the general adult population. Several studies suggest that the chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) of OSAS patients may per se trigger liver injury, inflammation, and fibrogenesis, promoting NAFLD development and the progression from steatosis to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. In NAFLD patients, liver disease may be caused by hypoxia both indirectly by promoting inflammation and insulin resistance and directly by enhancing proinflammatory cytokine production and metabolic dysregulation in liver cells. In this review, we focus on molecular mechanisms linking OSAS to NAFLD, including hypoxia inducible factor (HIF), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), YKL-40, unfolded protein response, and hypoxic adipose tissue inflammation, which all could provide novel potential therapeutic approaches for the management of NAFLD patients with OSAS.
OBJECTIVE Peritonsillar abscess (PTA) is a common problem in otorhinolaryngology. The pathogenesis, supporting factors and optimal therapy are matter of numerous investigations. We studied retrospectively smoking habits, preoperative coagulation screening and the applied therapy of PTA.   MATERIAL AND METHODS Data from 460 patients who underwent treatment for PTA between 2000 and 2009 at Dessau Medical Center were retrospectively analysed.   RESULTS The highest incidence of PTA was found in young men, the prevalence of nicotine consumption was clearly increased in relation to the general population. The therapy of first choice was abscess tonsillectomy. Even with preoperative pathological coagulation-parameters no increased risk of secondary bleeding was shown.   CONCLUSIONS The part of smokers of patients with PTA is increased in comparison to the correspondent population of same age. A routine preoperative coagulation screening has a low benefit relating to the prediction of the risk of secondary bleeding. Abscess tonsillectomy is a safe method and has proved itself in clinical daily routine.
The Eureka coreholes were drilled on the northern slope of the Gulf of Mexico between 1965 and 1968 by a consortium of domestic oil companies with Shell Oil Company as the operator. Governmental regulations at the time restricted drilling to water depths in excess of 650' (-215m) and sediment penetration to less than 1000' (300+m); nevertheless the Eureka coreholes have come to serve as the first (and still primary) source of continuously cored stratigraphic sections on the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico. Surprisingly, despite their value as a prime source of information on the biostratigraphy of this region, only a few studies have been published in the intervening three decades (see Aubry, this volume).
ABSTRACT This paper explores the digitalisation of teaching and learning understood as external processes, influenced by government and international trends and as internal processes within the institutions, in Denmark and Norway. These are countries with similarities regarding digitalisation and educational systems. In the internal processes, there was some use of digital technology in teaching and learning when initiated from administration including IT-staff, in collaboration with academic leaders. There was little or only limited reported use of technology for teaching and learning, when the processes were initiated by administration together with enthusiasts among faculty staff, who did not have leadership roles or influence on change. There was more reported use of technology in teaching and learning in Denmark than Norway. The paper discusses possible explanations for these findings and thus illuminates how processes of digitalisation are influenced by broader governance arrangements, institutional maturity and academic and administration staffs.
fragile portosystemic collaterals to form.These may occur at a recanalized umbilical vein or in the pelvis. Usually tiny retroperitoneal vessels covering the ascending and descending colon may enlarge and form collaterals, making mobilization of the colon quite difficult if not done carefully. Surgical patients may be on numerous medications that have implications for hemorrhagic complications. In addition to that old standby aspirin, a host of
Received: 6 June 2019 Accepted: 25 September 2019 Buildings extraction is an important task for various applications such as update of geodata, management of industrial and natural risks, management of urban and territorial projects, etc. This paper presents a new method for extraction of buildings from different types of imagery. Our methodology is based on three steps: The first one is the use of image contextual information; it concerns the definition of a building like as homogeneous building elements which form a set of linear segments; these segments give a polygon characterized by a surface and a perimeter. The second one is the integration of an optimization process for the extraction of buildings; it is used to formulate the buildings extraction problem as a problem of optimization of an objective function, and the use of mathematical morphology to obtain the final results. The last step is to improve the reliability of the obtained results by the use of registration principle and the surface and the perimeter calculations; they permit quality and quantitative evaluations. The experimental results acquired are generally competitive compared to some existing methods.
The oxidation of 2-deoxyribose in DNA has emerged as a critical determinant of the cellular toxicity of oxidative damage to DNA, with oxidation of each carbon producing a unique spectrum of electrophilic products. We have developed and validated an isotope-dilution gas chromatography-coupled mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the rigorous quantification of two major 2-deoxyribose oxidation products: the 2-deoxyribonolactone abasic site of 1'-oxidation and the nucleoside 5'-aldehyde of 5'-oxidation chemistry. The method entails elimination of these products as 5-methylene-2(5H)-furanone (5MF) and furfural, respectively, followed by derivatization with pentafluorophenylhydrazine (PFPH), addition of isotopically labeled PFPH derivatives as internal standards, extraction of the derivatives, and quantification by GC-MS analysis. The precision and accuracy of the method were validated with oligodeoxynucleotides containing the 2-deoxyribonolactone and nucleoside 5'-aldehyde lesions. Further, the well-defined 2-deoxyribose oxidation chemistry of the enediyne antibiotics, neocarzinostatin and calicheamicin gamma(1)(I), was exploited in control studies, with neocarzinostatin producing 10 2-deoxyribonolactone and 300 nucleoside 5'-aldehyde per 10(6) nt per microM in accord with its established minor 1'- and major 5'-oxidation chemistry. Calicheamicin unexpectedly caused 1'-oxidation at a low level of 10 2-deoxyribonolactone per 10(6) nt per microM in addition to the expected predominance of 5'-oxidation at 560 nucleoside 5'-aldehyde per 10(6) nt per microM. The two hydroxyl radical-mediated DNA oxidants, gamma-radiation and Fe(2+)-EDTA, produced nucleoside 5'-aldehyde at a frequency of 57 per 10(6) nt per Gy (G-value 74 nmol/J) and 3.5 per 10(6) nt per microM, respectively, which amounted to 40% and 35%, respectively, of total 2-deoxyribose oxidation as measured by a plasmid nicking assay. However, gamma-radiation and Fe(2+)-EDTA produced different proportions of 2-deoxyribonolactone at 7% and 24% of total 2-deoxyribose oxidation, respectively, with frequencies of 10 lesions per 10(6) nt per Gy (G-value, 13 nmol/J) and 2.4 lesions per 10(6) nt per microM. Studies in TK6 human lymphoblastoid cells, in which the analytical data were corrected for losses sustained during DNA isolation, revealed background levels of 2-deoxyribonolactone and nucleoside 5'-aldehyde of 9.7 and 73 lesions per 10(6) nt, respectively. Gamma-irradiation of the cells caused increases of 0.045 and 0.22 lesions per 10(6) nt per Gy, respectively, which represents a approximately 250-fold quenching effect of the cellular environment similar to that observed in previous studies. The proportions of the various 2-deoxyribose oxidation products generated by gamma-radiation are similar for purified DNA and cells. These results are consistent with solvent exposure as a major determinant of hydroxyl radical reactivity with 2-deoxyribose in DNA, but the large differences between gamma-radiation and Fe(2+)-EDTA suggest that factors other than hydroxyl radical reactivity govern DNA oxidation chemistry.
Abstract The rising use of surface-modified engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) will result in their increased presence in aquatic environments; hence, a better understanding of their environmental fate is needed. In this study, silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) capped with organic acids of varying alkyl-chain length were used as model functionalized ENPs. Particle deposition kinetics were evaluated using sand-packed columns and a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). In general, an increase in solution ionic strength resulted in increased particle deposition in both columns and the QCM-D. However, the overall trends in Si-NC deposition with regard to alkyl-chain length differed in the two experimental systems, revealing how the system geometry can play a key role in defining the contribution of different particle retention mechanisms. To interpret these differences in the Si-NC deposition behavior, multiple characterization techniques were used: dynamic light scattering, nanoparticle t...
We employ transformation optics to optimize the generic nonlinear wave interaction of second-harmonic generation from a pair of touching metallic wires. We demonstrate a 10 orders of magnitude increase in the second-harmonic scattering cross-section by increasing the background permittivity and a 5 orders of magnitude increase in efficiency with respect to a single wire. These results have clear implications for the design of nanostructured metallic frequency-conversion devices. Finally, we exploit our analytic solution of a non-trivial nanophotonic geometry as a platform for performing a critical comparison of the strengths, weaknesses and validity of other prevailing theoretical approaches previously employed for nonlinear wave interactions at the nanoscale.
The nineteenth century was an era of perceptual certitude. Scientists collected and cataloged, explorers mapped and charted, artists rendered what they observed. The empirical approach to perception was grounded in the ideas that God had created an orderly and rational world and that the senses connected people to the intrinsic meanings of the things they contacted and observed. But by the 1890s, uncertainty about the reality of what people perceived was beginning to transform American popular culture. Among other things, the acceptance of perception as relative transformed attitudes to erotic displays and provided a foundation for the modernization of sexual attitudes. Anna Held was a prominent performer whose sexual play excited and challenged Progressive Era audiences. The public's response to her sexuality reveals the depth of the doubt that the questioning of Victorian certitude created. The progressive impulse, which sought to reaffirm certainty with regard to sexual identities and behaviors, can be seen as a reaction to the doubts that cultural modernists embraced and Anna Held's public enjoyed.
Abstract This paper focuses on the South Atlantic Oceanic World, and the pivotal place of the Island of St. Helena within that world, as both a context and a conceptual tool for thinking about race-making and race-mixing in South Africa. Drawing on various historical ‘snapshots’ from documentary and archival sources on St. Helena, as well as from exploratory fieldwork in South Africa, St. Helena, an Atlantic World of flux and fluidity, is invoked as a contrast to an Apartheid world that insists upon fixity. These contrasting worlds are the context for thinking about the racial identifications made by St. Helenian immigrants, and their descendants in South Africa. Following Robert Young the paper is interested in ‘counter-active’ constructions of race, which means that the context of race-mixing that this paper invokes is simultaneously a context for race-making.
Left ventricular apical pseudoaneurysm following myocardial infarction is a rare entity and often fatal due to rupture of free wall, thus warranting an urgent surgery. Although transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) plays a significant role in the diagnosis of pseudoaneurysm, transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) remains an indispensable tool during perioperative period. In this report, we are describing a case of left ventricular apical pseudoaneurysm planned for an urgent surgery.
In this paper, a chemical plant by taking benzene contaminated groundwater treatment project as the main research content, the pollution of groundwater extraction after transport to the air blowing off processing equipment on the ground through 11 groundwater extraction wells, groundwater benzene concentration after treatment is lower than 0.5 mg/ L, reached a comprehensive discharge standard of water pollutants in Beijing city "(DB11/307-2013)" in the provisions of the "water pollutant discharge into the public sewage treatment system limits", after discharge. The operation of this restoration project has accumulated experience in the practice of groundwater rehabilitation engineering in China.
Summary The aim of the study was monitoring prevalence of corn smut and European corn borer on maize plants with „stay-green” genotype. Four cultivars bred by Syngenta Seeds were analyzed: NK Cooler, Delitop, NK Gazelle and NK Ravello. A significant influence of thermal and humidity conditions during maize vegetation seasons on infestation of the examined agrophages was demonstrated. However, no significant differences were noted in susceptibility of the examined hybrids to infestation rate with Ustilago maydis and prevalence of Ostrinia nubilalis . A tendency was observed towards higher occurrence of European corn borer on cultivar NK Gazelle, and higher frequency of plants infested with U. maydis on cultivar NK Ravello, when compared to the mean value of the years.
Aim. The aim of this study was to develop an algorithm for identifying various types of jejunum and ileum tumour lesions based on video capsule endoscopy (VCE), which can be used by physicians in the process of decision making. Materials and methods. In the study, we analysed data on the examination and treatment of 65 patients (35 men and 30 women aged 18–80 years (mean age 46 ± 28 years)), who underwent VCE in the City Clinical Hospital No. 31 and in the Clinica K+31 during the period October 2008 — April 2017. The indications for VCE were a search for a reason of gastrointestinal bleeding, the anaemia of unknown etiology and suspected tumour of the small intestine. According to the VCE results, 181 cases of various changes in the jejunum and ileum were revealed. Each tumour object had been histologically verified before our study. Capsule endoscopy was performed using equipment produced by Olympus (Japan), MicroCam Intromedic (Korea), PillCam Given Imaging (Israel), OMOM Chongqing Jinshan Science & Technology (China). Results. Following expert interviews, 30 signs and their gradations were identified for assessing the type of lesion in the jejunum and ileum using video capsule endoscopy images. Among them, 8 were found to be statistically significant (affecting the division of objects into groups): patient gender, gut wall/lumen deformation, path of intestinal folds, polypoid changes, vascular pattern, mucosal regularity, mucosal lobulation and colour. Using a Bayesian heterogeneous diagnostic procedure and the calculation of diagnostic factors, a three-level algorithm has been developed for the differential diagnosis of jejunum and ileum lesions. Conclusions. The application of the proposed algorithm in clinical practice will not only allow the presence or absence of the jejunum or ileum tumour lesion to be verified, but also the type of this lesion to be determined with an accuracy of more than 86%. The developed diagnostic algorithm can support decision making by the clinician within the task of differentiating jejunum or ileum tumour lesions into three main types: benign epithelial tumours, benign non-epithelial tumours and malignant tumours. Differential diagnosis of the type of jejunum or ileum tumour lesion using the proposed diagnostic algorithm facilitates not only the development of a treatment tactic for managing such patients (dynamic observation, conservative therapy, operative treatment), but also the determination of terms (emergency, urgent, planned) and methods (endometrial luminal, laparoscopic, laparotomic) of surgical treatment.
In a number of reported instances, implosions utilizing fuel mixtures have resulted in anomalously low fusion yields below those predicted by radiation-hydrodynamics simulations. Inter-species ion diffusion has been suggested as a possible cause of the observed yield degradation in fuel mixture implosions. An experimental platform utilizing hydro-equivalent deuterium–tritium (DT), deuterium–tritium–hydrogen (DTH), and deuterium-tritium-helium3 (DT3He) capsule implosions was developed to determine whether the inter-species ion diffusion theory may describe the resulting fuel mixture implosion behavior. The implosion experiments were performed at the Omega laser facility. X-ray images and shell areal density diagnostics results show that the hydro-equivalent three capsules (DT, DTH, and DT3He) have similar compression behavior. However, nuclear yield deviation was observed from the scaling determined using a fusion yield formula. In the DT3He mixture, a reduced yield of a factor of 0.65 ± 0.13 was observed, which is similar to a yield reduction observed in D3He mixture by Rygg et al. (i.e., Rygg effect). In contrast, in the DTH mixture, a factor of 1.17 ± 0.15 yield increase was observed, which we named the inverse Rygg effect. The yield increase observed in the DTH mixture is consistent with the inter-species ion diffusion theory where lighter H diffuses away from the core and concentrated DT in the core produces higher yield. An inter-species ion diffusion model, the Zimmerman–Paquette–Kagan–Zhdanov model, implemented in a Lagrangian radiation-hydrodynamics fluid code, was also used to analyze the present data, without the need to assume hydrodynamic equivalence of the capsules, but it does not completely explain the DTH or DT3He capsules although its effects are in the correct direction. Simulation-based Bayesian inference was used in the latter analysis to quantify the uncertainty in the numerical simulations. The simulation-based analysis resulted in an inferred Rygg-effect yield decrease factor of 0.91 ± 0.02 for the DT3He mixture, and an inferred inverse-Rygg yield increase factor of 1.21 ± 0.04 for the DTH mixture, based on simulations ignoring ion diffusion.
A SYNTHETIC NICKEL COMPLEX can catalyze the electrochemical combination of protons to produce hydrogen at rates more than 10 times faster than the fastest hydrogen-producing enzymes can, according to a study published in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.1205864). The investigation highlights the role of molecular features that endow low-cost catalysts with record-setting kinetic properties. Catalysts that use electrical energy to mediate production of fuels such as hydrogen—and those that facilitate the reverse reaction, oxidation—are widely expected to play a central role in future energy platforms. Such catalysts may be incorporated into future water-splitting systems for solar energy conversion to mediate the step in which two protons taken from water are joined to form a hydrogen molecule. Platinum readily catalyzes hydrogen production and/or oxidation. Yet the metal’s high cost and relative scarcity have motivated researchers to study hydrogenase enzymes, which do both jobs via complexes based on iron a...
Six methods of equating The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) test scores were evaluated in terms of scale stability. True score item response theory (IRT) equating based on "Fixed b's" scaling, the current TOEFL operational scaling and equating procedure, was found to produce the least discrepant results when compared to two IRT models (b parame ter estimated, a and c parameters fixed; all three pa rameters reestimated), and to three conventional equat ing methods (Tucker, Levine, and equipercentile). The results for Fixed b 's scaling were limited by an inade quately fit item; but if such items can be identified prior to calibration, or if pretested data are observed to produce reliable estimates of total group data, then true score IRT equating based on scaling by fixing the b parameters of a set of pretested items may be a very acceptable option.
209 A . A . N . D E S O U Z A , N . S . S I L V A , A . V . M Ü L L E R , A . S . P O L O , T . J . B R O C K S O M , K . T . D E O L I V E I R A * ( U N I V E R S I D A D E F E D E R A L D E S Ã O C A R L O S , S Ã O P A U L O , A N D U N I V E R S I D A D E F E D E R A L D O A B C , S Ã O P A U L O , B R A Z I L ) Porphyrins as Photoredox Catalysts in Csp2–H Arylations: Batch and Continuous Flow Approaches J. Org. Chem. 2018, 83, 15077–15086.
Vigilance level assessment is of prime importance to avoid life-threatening human error. Critical working environments such as air traffic control, driving, or military surveillance require the operator to be alert the whole time. The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a very common modality that can be used in assessing vigilance. Unfortunately, EEG signals are prone to artifacts due to eye movement, muscle contraction, and electrical noise. Mitigating these artifacts is important for an accurate vigilance level assessment. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is an effective method and has been extensively used in the suppression of EEG artifacts. However, in vigilance assessment applications, it was found to suffer from leakage of the cerebral activity into artifacts. In this work, we show that the wavelet ICA (wICA) method provides an alternative for artifact reduction, leading to improved vigilance level assessment results. We conducted an experiment in nine human subjects to induce two vigilance states, alert and vigilance decrement, while performing a Stroop Color–Word Test for approximately 45 min. We then compared the performance of the ICA and wICA preprocessing methods using five classifiers. Our classification results showed that in terms of features extraction, the wICA method outperformed the existing ICA method. In the delta, theta, and alpha bands, we obtained a mean classification accuracy of 84.66% using the ICA method, whereas the mean accuracy using the wICA methodwas 96.9%. However, no significant improvement was observed in the beta band. In addition, we compared the topographical map to show the changes in power spectral density across the brain regions for the two vigilance states. The proposed method showed that the frontal and central regions were most sensitive to vigilance decrement. However, in this application, the proposed wICA shows a marginal improvement compared to the Fast-ICA.
Plasmodium knowlesi, a simian malaria parasite, has been in the limelight since a large focus of human P. knowlesi infection was reported from Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) in 2004. Although this infection is transmitted across Southeast Asia, the largest number of cases has been reported from Malaysia. The increasing number of knowlesi malaria cases has been attributed to the use of molecular tools for detection, but environmental changes including deforestation likely play a major role by increasing human exposure to vector mosquitoes, which coexist with the macaque host. In addition, with the reduction in human malaria transmission in Southeast Asia, it is possible that human populations are at a greater risk of P. knowlesi infection due to diminishing cross-species immunity. Furthermore, the possibility of increasing exposure of humans to other simian Plasmodium parasites such as Plasmodium cynomolgi and Plasmodium inui should not be ignored. We here review the current status of these parasites in humans, macaques, and mosquitoes to support necessary reorientation of malaria control and elimination in the affected areas.
According to the data from Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) in 2018, it is estimated that 10 million new dementia patients will be added worldwide, and the global dementia population is estimated to be 50 million. Due to a decline in the birth rate and the development and great progress of medical technology, the proportion of elderly people has risen annually in Taiwan. In fact, Taiwan has become one of the fastest-growing aged countries in the world. Consequently, problems related to aging societies will emerge. Dementia is one of most prevailing aging-related diseases, with a great influence on daily life and a great economic burden. Dementia is not a single disease, but a combination of symptoms. There is currently no medicine that can cure dementia. Finding preventive measures for dementia has become a public concern. Older people should actively increase brain-protective factors and reduce risk factors in their lives to reduce the risk of dementia and even prevent the occurrence of dementia. Studies have shown that engaging in mental or creative activities that stimulate brain function has a relative risk reduction of nearly 50%. Elderly people should develop the habit of life-long learning to strengthen effective neural bonds between brain cells and preserve brain cognitive functions. Playing chess is one of the suggested activities. This paper aimed to develop a Chinese robotic chess system for the elderly. It mainly uses a camera to capture the contour of the Chinese chessman, recognizes the character and location of the chessman, and then transmits this information to the robotic arm, which will grab and place the chessman in the appropriate position on the chessboard. The camera image is transmitted to MATLAB for image recognition. The character of the chessman is recognized by convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Forward and inverse kinematics are used to manipulate the robotic arm. Even if the chessmen are arbitrarily placed, the experiment showed that their coordinates can be found through the camera as long as they are located within the working scope of the camera and the robotic arm. For black chessmen, no matter how many degrees they are rotated, they can be recognized correctly, while the red ones can be recognized 100% of the time within 90° of rotation and 98.7% with more than a 90° rotation.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Over the last two years, several urologists at our institution began performing prostate biopsies via a transperineal approach (TP-Bx). While the primary advantage of TP-Bx over traditional transrectal prostate biopsy (TR-Bx) is the reduced risk of infectious complications, a second purported benefit of TP-Bx is improved sampling of the anterior prostate. The objective of this study was to determine if this second benefit of TP-Bx has resulted in a significant increase in the rate of cancer upgrading among men on active surveillance (AS) for low risk prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: Our institutional registry of men on AS for low risk PCa was queried to identify patients who underwent a surveillance biopsy during the last two years. Patients were dichotomized by the type of prostate biopsy performed (TP-Bx vs. TR-Bx). The use of either biopsy method was based on a combination of surgeon and patient preference. The baseline characteristics and rates of cancer upgrading were compared between groups. RESULTS: Between October 2017 to October 2019, 523 men with low risk PCa underwent a surveillance prostate biopsy with or without MRI targeting (n[389 with TP-Bx and n[134 with TR-Bx). With the exception of patient age and PSA density, the baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. Additionally, the use of MRI targeting at the time of biopsy was similar for the two methods of prostate biopsy (41% with TP-Bx and 39% with TR-Bx; p [ 0.8). While the two groups were found to have similar rates of cancer upgrading to Grade Group (GG) 2 PCa (21.6% with TP-Bx and 17.2% with TR-Bx; p [ 0.16), a significantly higher proportion of upgrading to >GG3 PCa was observed with TP-Bx (8.2% vs. 3.9%; p [ 0.04). Among men in the TP-Bx group who upgraded to >GG3, 46% had >GG3 cancer detected in the anterior prostate. In contrast, only 7% of men in the TR-Bx group had >GG3 cancer in this region of the gland (p [ 0.03). After adjusting for age at biopsy and PSA density, TP-Bx was associated with upgrading to >GG3, albeit without meeting the conventional threshold for statistical significance (OR[ 2.09, 95% CI: 0.97 e 4.41; p [ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis we show that among men on AS for low risk PCa, TP-Bx is associated with a higher likelihood of upgrading to >GG3 PCa. This is likely due to greater sampling of the anterior prostate, an area of the gland which has previously been shown to give rise to more aggressive PCa clones.
Hernandez et al. recently reported on several large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in kidney transplantation(1). In particular, they investigated the effect of either donor SNPs, recipient SNPs, or combined donor-recipient SNPs on graft survival and acute rejection. Despite impressive patient numbers, no SNP signal emerged. The authors concluded that 'both phenotype heterogeneity and sample size may have contributed'. We sought to understand the lack of genetic association with graft rejection, considering our recent findings(2). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
According to J.C.Rei1, Psychiatry is a new kind of medical treatment in which the doctor uses his own psyche as the therapeutic agent Also. psychiatry is an attcmpt by the rational mind lo undcrsund irmtionali~y. If the doctor has to use his own psyche, it is reasonable to feel that he has to undcrsland what is psychc and nlso whcn his insmmcnt is his own psyche, he has to shape W. psyche in a proper way. To nry that the psychiatrist's psyche is the same as his patient. if he is understanding his psyche i.e. his individual psyche, he will be understanding the collective consciousness and hence himself and the rest of the society and the world (to be discussed later) He has to h o w his psyche which means thc nature of mind. This has not been sumciently emphasised except to an extent in psycho-analysis where the trainee analyst will have to undergo psycho-analysis himself under a trained Analyst.
Fuel injection parameters play an important role in diesel engine performance for obtaining proper combustion. The performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine depend on many parameters. The important parameters which influence the performance and emission of diesel engine are fuel injection pressure, fuel nozzle holes and its size. An experimental study was performed on a light duty direct injection diesel engine at 200 bar, 220 bar and 240 bar injection pressure to study its effect on performance and emission. The injection pressure was changed by adjusting the fuel injector spring tension. Future emission legislation will require substantial reductions of NO x and Smoke emissions from diesel engines. The combustion and formation in a diesel engine is governed mainly by spray formation and mixing. Important parameters governing these are droplet size, distribution concentration and injection velocity. Smaller orifices are believed to give smaller droplet size, even with reduce injection pressure, which leads to better fuel atomization, faster evaporation and better mixing. The performance and emission characteristics were presented graphically to conclude that they were found better with 5 hole nozzle of O = 0.2 mm at the fuel injection pressure 220 bar for the light duty engine. Keywords: Diesel engines, performance, fuel injection parameters, BSFC, NOx emission.
Lattice-dependent scaled temperature and field variables are shown to produce a generalization of the law of corresponding states. This generalization equates the appropriately scaled free energy of a system on different lattices in the critical region. The theory is tested by making use of the results of series analysis-in particular the critical amplitudes-for the Ising, XY and Heisenberg models, as well as the exact results known for the spherical model. The theory is found to be consistent with all the available data. The scaled field variable appears to be model independent, depending only on the underlying lattice, while the scaled temperature variable is found to be model dependent. It is shown that lattice-lattice scaling is a weaker form of scaling than that which includes the homogeneity hypothesis. It is therefore possible for lattice-lattice scaling to hold for those systems for which the homogeneity arguments does not apply.
Video transmission over the multi-path fading wireless channel has to overcome the inherent vulnerability of compressed video to the channel errors. To effectively prevent the corruption of video stream and its propagation in spatial and temporal domain, proactive error controls are widely being deployed. Among possible candidates, turbo code is known to exhibit superior error correction performance over fading channel. Ordinary turbo codes, however, are not suitable to support the variable-size segment of the video stream. A version of turbo code, byte-aligned variable-length turbo code, is thus proposed and applied for the robust video transmission system. Protection performance of the proposed turbo code is evaluated by applying it to GOB-based variable-size ITU-T H.263+ video packets, where the protection level is controlled based on the joint source-channel criteria. The resulting performance comparison with the conventional RCPC code clearly demonstrates the possibility of the proposed approach for the time-varying correlated Rayleigh-fading channel.
Background. Acute suppurative thyroiditis in children is rare and is often related to a pyriform sinus fistula or thyroglossal duct remnant, especially when it is recurrent. Methods. From January, 1985, through December, 2000, 15 children with acute suppurative thyroiditis were treated. Their clinical, laboratory and radiologic findings were reviewed and analyzed. Results. There were 8 girls and 7 boys, with a mean age at diagnosis of 6.1 ± 2.9 years (range, 1.5 to 9.8). A thyroid mass was present on the left in 13 and on the right in 2 (P < 0.05). Fever, neck pain and swelling were the most common symptoms and signs. Seven patients (46.7%) had recurrent disease. Needle aspiration for Gram stain and bacterial cultures were done, and pathogenic organisms were identified on culture in 8 patients but were found only on Gram stain in 2 patients. In one-half of the patients with positive cultures, mixed pathogens were found. The most common organisms isolated were streptococcal species (50%). Barium esophagography was performed in all patients, and 5 (33.3%) had a pyriform sinus fistula on the left. Only 1 of the recurrent patients had a fistula. Thyroid scans were performed in 13 patients, of whom 12 (92.3%) had decreased radioactive uptake. Thyroid function tests were normal in all 15. Conclusions. Acute suppurative thyroiditis is usually caused by oropharyngeal flora, resulting in mixed pathogens on culture. Broad spectrum antibiotics should be given once cultures have been obtained. Imaging studies might be helpful in the diagnosis of acute suppurative thyroiditis.
Several mechanisms of pharmacokinetic, metabolic, and regulatory nature have been elucidated to take part or act in concert in the phenomenon of multidrug resistance (MDR). MDR is characterized by cross‐resistance of cells against chemotherapeutic agents, which are used for treatment of e.g., cancer, bacterial infections, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. One group of proteins that combines all three stated aspects—the metabolism and distribution of drugs as well as their own regulation—is adenosine triphosphate‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters. These efflux pumps use the energy of adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis for drug translocation from the membrane and the cytosol to the extracellular space, often with cotransport of a cosubstrate. Multidrug resistance‐associated protein 1 (MRP1, ABCC1) had been discovered as one major key player in cancer‐related MDR. The xenobiotic substrates include anthracyclines, vinca alkaloids, podophyllotoxins, as well as glutathione (GSH)‐adducts of certain cytostatics. Contrary to other transport proteins involved in cancer‐related MDR the activity of MRP1 is related to the GSH content of cells. A modern strategy to overcome MRP1‐associated MDR is besides its inhibition the activation of GSH efflux, enforcing cell death due to cellular stress. In addition, it has recently been found that MRP1 contributes to the β‐amyloid protein clearance in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Collectively, transport activation of MRP1 is of therapeutic value, and furthermore helps to elucidate the transport protein function and the mechanisms behind it. This review is meant to summarize the known concepts of MRP1 activation, which might contribute to a further understanding of MRP1 in particular and ABC transporters in general.
Liberals often view religion chiefly as "a problem" for democratic discourse in modern pluralistic societies and propose an allegedly neutral solution in the form of philosophical distinctions between "the right" and "the good" or populist invocations of a "right to choose." Drawing on cultural theory and ethnographic research among activists in the Oregon debates over the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, I demonstrate that liberal "neutrality" harbors its own cultural bias, flattens the complexity of public debates, and undermines liberalism's own commitments to equality. I conclude that the praiseworthy liberal goal of impartiality in policy decisions would best be met not by the inaccessible norm of neutrality but by a norm of inclusivity, which intentionally solicits multiple cultural perspectives.
Do essays on a 2,400-year-old historical narrative have any place in a journal devoted to the study of military ethics? And does an author who is usually credited with being the ‘father of political realism’ belong within the confines of normative debate? By dedicating an issue of the Journal of Military Ethics to Thucydides, it is clear that we answer those questions in the affirmative. Indeed, few works on war have such relevance for military ethics as Thucydides’ account of that brutal contest known as the Peloponnesian War. This does not mean, however, that we can simply lift ready-made lessons from this venerable Athenian historian and apply them to warfare as it exists today. Any such attempt would side-step the enormous differences in culture and historical circumstance that divide Thucydides’ time from our own. But, inversely, if we were to believe that there is little or nothing about Greek society in 400 BCE that is of relevance to current war-fighting and its attendant moral challenges, our vision would be hopelessly short-sighted as well. Thucydides remains a vital presence because he was able to articulate so forcefully central topics in international relations and normative theory that are still very much with us today: the risks inherent in being a lone superpower; the dynamics at work when military power becomes an end unto itself; the peculiarity of debates that reduce deep normative dilemmas to calculations of self-interest; and, not least, the contrast between civil and interstate wars, and the deep moral tragedy that is especially attendant upon the former. It is from the topic of civil war that this special issue springs. The Centre for the Study of Civil War at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO) has since its inception in 2003 facilitated research, workshops, and conferences on issues related to violent conflict in a world where more than 90% of ongoing armed conflicts are civil wars. One group within the Centre, under the leadership of Professor Jon Elster, has for the last five years studied the ‘microfoundations of civil war’ the individual decisions that lead to the initiation, continuance, or cessation of civil war. In February 2005, Elster hosted a workshop at Columbia University (New York) on the most famous historical work to raise just these issues, namely, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. In the main, it is the papers presented at the Columbia workshop that comprise this journal issue. They encompass historical reflections on the dilemmas raised by Thucydides, their significance for current research on the causes of armed conflict, and their relevance for the teaching of military ethics.
We understand the desire of Professors Wong and VanPatten ("The Evidence is IN: Drills are OUT," FLA, 2003, 36 [3], 403-23) to share with teachers of the less commonly taught languages the ideas and philosophies they have developed for the more commonly taught ones. With all due respect, we must point out that the application of their experiences was, quite simply, fraught with errors bound to occur when specialists in one foreign language attempt to generalize their experiences to other languages in which they do not have adequate background for making appropriate and accurate comparisons.2 There has been considerable empirical research on long-term successful acquisition of Russian, especially in intensive and study-abroad programs. Despite this abundance of information, Wong and VanPatten referred to only one study-one whose general applicability is highly questionable because it had such a small number of subjects (22 Russian students). Furthermore, they extrapolated from that study conclusions that were not examined in the study and used them in a way that even the study's authors stated would be inappropriate and likely inaccurate. In this essay, we will discuss Wong and VanPatten's claims about learning Russian (i.e., it is just like learning any other language, except that it takes longer) and the questionable place of drill in the study of Russian. There is a large body of evidence that refutes both these claims. We will then turn to the broader question of the place of drill in foreign language study more generally. Setting the Record Straight About Russian Wong and VanPatten argued: One of the objections we sometimes hear from colleagues in language teaching is that Russian is "more difficult" or that Japanese is not Indo-European and thus learning these languages requires special or different instructional approaches than learning Spanish or French or even English as a second language. It is true that Russian involves a different alphabet and has little Latinate basis on which to rely for teaching and learning in a classroom. It has a complex morphological system for verbs and nouns when compared to English, Spanish and French. Japanese, too, has a different writing system, no cognates with English, a complicated system of honorifics, and so on. Similar arguments can be made for Amerindian languages like Quechua and Inuit. Nonetheless, learners do acquire these languages without instruction, as is evidenced by the diaries and record of Marco Polo and missionaries who came to the new world and by the multilingualism that must have existed ever since the first time two different cultures came into contact . . . Imagine if a scientist suggested that the laws of physics developed on Earth are not applicable to the Moon, Mars, or another galaxy.? . . . Our point here is not that instruction cannot help the learning of Russian, Japanese, or any other language. It is that the role of drills cannot change depending on language. Drills are no more necessary for Russian than they are for Spanish or English. What is plausible, of course, is that learners might need extra help in getting linguistic data from the input. This is precisely the aim of PI as described and discussed in the previous section as well as all the other work on focus on form (Doughty & Williams, 1998). In one study, Kempe and MacWhinney (1998) showed that learners of Russian could acquire case marking without explicit instruction or drills. This was not the point of their study, but we cite it here as an example of research on one of the "more difficult" languages, to illustrate that drills are not necessary: Learners can learn Russian from input just like anyone else. They just may need to have it more structured and may need more time. There are many points here with which we take issue. Wong and VanPatten made several serious errors in arguing their case, including (1) mistakes about the level of difficulty of Russian, (2) misunderstanding where the difficulties lie in learning and teaching Russian, (3) the erroneous concept that "laws" of linguistics (or even physics) are fully known, immutable, and universally applicable, and (4) asserting that the universality of laws of physics provides a good analogy for laws of language learning. …
The vagus nerve (VN) is the longest nerve of the organism that innervates major organs such as the heart, lungs and gastro-intestinal tract and is a major component of the autonomic nervous system at the interface of the central nervous system and the body. The VN has anti-inflammatory properties both through its afferent fibers, activating the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis, and its efferent fibers activating the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. Targeting these anti-inflammatory pathways is of interest for various inflammatory conditions. Bioelectronic medicine through VN stimulation (VNS) appears as an interesting tool to release inflammatory conditions. VNS is approved for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy and has potential therapeutic applications in chronic inflammatory disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases and others. Preclinical data and pilot clinical studies argue for such an effect. However, larger randomized double-blinded control study and a long-lasting follow-up of the patients to confirm these promising results are awaiting. In addition, the optimal neurostimulation parameters to better treat common conditions and diseases that involve immune regulation need to be determined.
Prince Boris Golicyn's unpublished Letters and the problem of French-written Russian correspondence. The article focuses on a Russian correspondence written entirely in French and aims at defining its place in the cultural context of its time. For Boris Vladimirovich Golicyn (1769-1813), French is both the language of intimacy and a literary language, instrumental in providing the author with formulas and cliches, useful for the expression of this intimacy. By appearing as almost a Frenchman in his letters, Boris Golicyn embodies the intercultural situation of Russia at the end of the 18th century. This does not mean, however, that French-speaking Russian noblemen ceased to be Russian. They mastered both cultures, freely moving from one to the other, which allowed them to be critical towards one or the other when needed, and to play with both cultures' peculiarities.
This paper deals with partial current harmonics compensation by means of shunt active filter. A novel observer-based scheme is proposed to estimate load harmonics. This task is performed in d-q reference frame where active and reactive current components are enlightened. Positive and negative sequences are distinguished for selective compensation. Predictive action can be generated using the proposed observer to improve current tracking performances. Experimental results are presented to show the effectiveness of this technique.
Improvement of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) via active optical sensors has gained attention in recent decades, with the focus of optimizing nitrogen (N) input while simultaneously sustaining crop yields. To the authors’ knowledge, a comprehensive review of the literature on how optical sensors have impacted winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) NUE and grain yield has not yet been performed. This work reviewed and documented the extent to which the use of optical sensors has impacted winter wheat NUE and yield. Two N management approaches were evaluated; optical sensor and conventional methods. The study included 26 peer-reviewed articles with data on NUE and grain yield. In articles without NUE values but in which grain N was included, the difference method was employed to compute NUE based on grain N uptake. Using optical sensors resulted in an average NUE of 42% (±2.8% standard error). This approach improved NUE by approximately 10.4% (±2.3%) when compared to the conventional method. Grain yield was similar for both approaches of N management. Optical sensors could save as much as 53 (±16) kg N ha−1. This gain alone may not be adequate for increased adoption, and further refinement of the optical sensor robustness, possibly by including weather variables alongside sound agronomic management practices, may be necessary.
Simple Summary Varroa destructor is one of the most prevalent honey bee (Apis mellifera) pathogens worldwide. Nowadays, the main method to control this parasite involves the application of different acaricidal treatments, among which the pyrethroid tau-fluvalinate is one of the most widely used. However, the intensive and repetitive application of these chemicals generates a selective pressure that, when maintained over time, contributes to the emergence of resistant mites in the honey bee colonies. Here we analysed the presence of residual tau-fluvalinate and the patterns of genetic resistance to this acaricide in Varroa mites collected from tau-fluvalinate untreated honey bee colonies. Our results show the widespread and persistent pyrethroid contamination of beeswax and beebread in the hives, along with an excess of pyrethroid-resistant genotypes and an overall increase in the frequency of the pyrethroid-resistant allele in the mite population over time. Persistent contamination of the hives likely compromises the efficacy of tau-fluvalinate treatments and, therefore, may have serious long-term consequences for the control of varroosis. Abstract Varroa destructor is considered one of the most devastating parasites of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a major problem for the beekeeping industry. Currently, the main method to control Varroa mites is the application of drugs that contain different acaricides as active ingredients. The pyrethroid tau-fluvalinate is one of the acaricides most widely used in beekeeping due to its efficacy and low toxicity to bees. However, the intensive and repetitive application of this compound produces a selective pressure that, when maintained over time, contributes to the emergence of resistant mites in the honey bee colonies, compromising the acaricidal treatments efficacy. Here we studied the presence of tau-fluvalinate residues in hives and the evolution of genetic resistance to this acaricide in Varroa mites from honey bee colonies that received no pyrethroid treatment in the previous four years. Our data revealed the widespread and persistent tau-fluvalinate contamination of beeswax and beebread in hives, an overall increase of the pyrethroid resistance allele frequency and a generalized excess of resistant mites relative to Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium expectations. These results suggest that tau-fluvalinate contamination in the hives may seriously compromise the efficacy of pyrethroid-based mite control methods.
Effective utilization of excitation energy in nanoemitters requires control of exciton flow at the nanoscale. This can be readily achieved by exploiting near‐field nonradiative energy transfer mechanisms such as dipole‐dipole coupling (i.e., Förster resonance energy transfer) and simultaneous two‐way electron transfer via exchange interaction (i.e., Dexter energy transfer). In this feature article, we review nonradiative energy transfer processes between emerging nanoemitters and exciton scavengers. To this end, we highlight the potential of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, organic semiconductors, and two‐dimensional materials as efficient exciton scavengers for light harvesting and generation in optoelectronic applications. We present and discuss unprecedented exciton transfer in nanoemitter–nanostructured semiconductor composites enabled by strong light–matter interactions. We elucidate remarkably strong nonradiative energy transfer in self‐assembling atomically flat colloidal nanoplatelets. In addition, we underscore the promise of organic semiconductor–nanocrystal hybrids for spin‐triplet exciton harvesting via Dexter energy transfer. These efficient exciton transferring hybrids will empower desired optoelectronic properties such as long‐range exciton diffusion, ultrafast multiexciton harvesting, and efficient photon upconversion, leading to the development of excitonic optoelectronic devices such as exciton‐driven light‐emitting diodes, lasers, and photodetectors.
Modern scientific literature analysis on the Vitaceae Juss. Family biodiversity study showed that this issue is relevant today and is being studied by many scientists in our country more intensively than before, although not so deeply. For example, there is some information on indigenous varieties and grapes wild plants from Crimea, Dagestan, Don and other regions. Unfortunately, there is almost no scientific information on the Kuban wild forms and autochthons. This article contains a part or, one might say, a new large research work beginning on the Kuban grapes wild plants study, studied on the Krasnodar Territory, namely in the Red Forest state nature reserve. At the same time, their ecological and geographic growing conditions were studied with a phytocenoses detailed description. Found isolated populations of grapes, hypothetically could be Vitis vinifera ssp. Silvestris Gmel. or its variants var. Tipica Negr. (wild forest grapes). Wild-growing grapes samples genotypic was carried out for 7 microsatellite loci. The samples genetic similarity analysis according to the microsatellite analysis data revealed the close and most distant genotypes among the wild forms studied sample.
A high-performance W-band monolithic two-stage LNA (low-noise amplifier) based on pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs HEMT (high electron mobility transistor) device has been developed. This amplifier has a measured small signal gain of 13.3 dB at 94 GHz and 17 dB at 89 GHz. The noise figure is 5.5 dB from 91 to 95 GHz. This is the best reported performance of a W-band monolithic LNA. The measured results of this MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit) LNA rival those of some reported hybrid LNAs. A rigorous analysis procedure was incorporated in the design, including accurate active device modeling and full-wave EM analysis of passive structures. The first-pass success of this LNA chip design indicates the importance of a rigorous analysis/design methodology in the millimeter-wave monolithic IC development.<<ETX>>
A four-pole high temperature superconducting (HTS) filter was designed and fabricated to investigate the influence of gold (Au) thin film on the HTS filter performance, including the bandwidth, insertion loss and return loss. Due to the resistance of the Au, dissipative loss is an important issue. Simulation showed that the insertion loss was reduced with the Au film being gradually thinner. The experimental results of 0.2 dB insertion loss, -22 dB return loss were achieved and the bandwidth met the design need when the gold film was thinner than 90 nm. Furthermore, a thin Au layer is in favor of the stability for HTS material as well as for the HTS filter.
Thailand was the first Asian country to be affected by the AIDS epidemic in the late 1980s. It is one of the most hard-hit countries in the region and nearly one million people have been infected so far (World Bank, 2000). The epidemic first developed among intravenous drug users, and then among sex workers and their clients (Weniger et al., 1991). As the epidemic matured, heterosexual transmission became the major route of infection in the general population and the first cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission were reported in 1991 (World Bank, 2000). However, considerable efforts have been invested by the government to curtail the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Royal Thai Government responded quickly and implemented a multi-sector AIDS programme in 1987. These efforts appear to have been successful in reducing not only the incidence of HIV in the general population but also the prevalence of other sexually transmitted diseases (Nelson et al., 1996; Hanenbert et al., 1994). The overall infection rate in pregnant women is now about 1.2% nationwide (Ministry of Public Health, 2004).Nevertheless, the number of AIDS cases will continue to increase for a number of years, reflecting earlier infection trends, while scaling up of antiretroviral treatment access will reduce the number of AIDS deaths. Although recent studies have shed light upon the epidemic's demographic, economic, public health and social impacts, the strategies adopted by the affected families and communities are still unknown (see Surasiengsunk et al., 1998; Knodel et al., 2001; VanLandingham et al., 2002; Knodel, Imem, 2002; Kespichayawattana, VanLandingham, 2003).HIV infection is closely linked to sexuality and reproductive health. It is a sexually transmitted infection, thus affecting both partners in a couple, and it is transmitted to their children, whose future is thereby placed in jeopardy. Although individual risk behaviours have been extensively studied in Thailand (Sittitrai et al., 1992; Nelson et al., 1993; Nagachinta, 1997; Beyrer et al., 1997) we still have very little knowledge of the circumstances or combination of circumstances which increase the risk of HIV infection (or protect against it) in an individual's life course.Almost all Thai women benefit during pregnancy from antenatal care which includes voluntary HIV counselling and testing. HIV screening is remarkably well-accepted, with a take-up rate of over 95% among pregnant women (Amornwichet, 2002; Koetsawang, 1999). Couple counselling and testing is also encouraged. In the event of a positive test result, the future mother receives free antiretroviral treatment to protect her child from infection via the national programme for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (Kanshana S, 2002). These young mothers are generally aware of their HIV status and they represent the closest available sample to the general population of reproductive age.To study the circumstances which increase the risk of HIV infection, we thought it would be useful to explore the notion of "vulnerability", defined less in terms of epidemiological or risk factors than in relation to sociocultural, psychological and economic aspects. To identify vulnerable situations, we adopted a life event history perspective (Courgeau, Lelievre, 1992; Manton et al., 1992; Courgeau, Lelievre, 1996), through which individual life histories are considered as a continuum of events of different kinds relating to family, housing, occupation, health, etc., and affecting the dependent variable, i.e. vulnerability to HIV.In this short paper we assess the feasibility of a specific survey technique and sampling plan designed to serve these objectives, through a pilot survey conducted in Thailand in 2001(1).Different innovations were tested in the pilot survey: the collection of health histories combined with migration, family and occupational histories, the testing of case-control sampling more familiar to epidemiologists than demographers, and also the systematic interviewing of both partners within couples. …
Opiates, alcohol, and barbiturates are widely abused drug classes, These drugs are known to possess behavior-stimulating and reinforcing properties in animals-’ Indeed opiates, alcohol, and barbiturates produce a complex behavioral syndrome characterized by motor stimulation and depression depending on the animal species, the dose, and the time of observation after administration.e’ Brain dopamine has been related both to the reinforcing*-” and the motor ~timulating’~-” properties of opiates, alcohol, and barbiturates. This evidence, however, is essentially indirect since it is based on the interaction of opiates, alcohol, and barbiturates with drugs interfering with DA tran~rnission’~~’~ or on indirect indices of DA function like DA metabolism and synthesis,” recording of dopaminergic neuronal firing a~tivity,2’-~’ or measurement of DA release in vitro or in anesthetized animals?”6 We have recently introduced the technique of brain dialysis in awake, freely moving rats as a means to correlate behavioral activity to changes in release and metabolism of brain DA.*’*** Using this method we have studied the effect of opiates, alcohol, and barbiturates on the release and metabolism of DA in two terminal dopaminergic areas, the nucleus accumbens and the striatum and its relation to behavior. We report that low doses of opiates, alcohol, and barbiturates stimulate DA release specifically in the nucleus accumbens and this effect is related to the behavioral stimulating effects of these drugs both on a time and on a dose basis. The results suggest that specific activation of dopaminergic transmission in the limbic system is a common mechanism for the stimulant and reinforcing properties of drugs of abuse.
In recent decades, significant progress has been achieved in understanding the mechanisms of disturbance and restoration of consciousness in patients after severe brain damage resulting in prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDOC). MicroRNAs (miRs) may be potential candidates as possible biomarkers for the classification of disease subtypes, and prognosis in patients with pDOC. The aim of the study was to analyze miRs expression levels (hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-93-5p, hsa-miR-191-5p, mmu-miR-499-5p, hsa-let-7b-5p) by a real-time polymerase chain reaction in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with pDOC and to identify a potential biomarker for dividing patients into groups according to disease severity. We analyzed the levels of investigated miRs in pDOC patients, divided by etiology, CRSI, and the total group compared with controls. Our results showed that dividing patients with pDOC into groups according to the etiology of the disease resulted in the most significant differences in the levels of miR-93, -21, and -191 in CSF and plasma samples between groups of patients. Among the analyzed miRs, we did not find a marker that would help to distinguish VS/UWS patient groups from MCS. Examining of miRs as possible prognostic markers in patients with pDOC, the starting point seems to be the cause that led to the development of the disease.
Longitudinal susceptibility of the spin-1/2 low-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnet in a magnetic field, is studied by the Green's function method within the random phase approximation. The static and dynamic longitudinal susceptibilities are calculated in the low- and high-field regions. Power laws for the position and height of the static susceptibility maximum are shown not to support the predictions of Landau theory.
Two PWR units at Guangdong Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station (GNPS) in China have been putting into commercial operation in succession since early 1994. The other two units now are under construction face. To monitor and assess the environment impact caused by radioactive effluents released during the normal operation of the plant, GNPS has developed an Environmental Radiation Monitoring Program (ERMP) based on the related China environment protection regulations currently in force, and also taken into account the experience feedback from French nuclear power stations, Furthermore it was approved by the National Environment Protection Administration (NEPA) before being implemented. This article gives a brief introduction on the program carried out in GNPS.
Before shares of a company are sold to the general public on a security exchange for the first time, regulatory publication requirements force U.S. firms to file an initial public offering prospectus. While accounting information in IPO filings are closely studied by investors and analysts, research must also examine the textual content of these filings. Thus, we measure the proportion of uncertain language. As a result, this paper provides empirical evidence that soft content is not only a major driver of first-day stock market returns, but also persists in the market up 10 days of trading. However, a much stronger impact on stock market prices comes from the pre-IPO news tone. Interestingly, the more uncertainty words appear in pre-IPO news, the higher the following first-day stock market return. It seems that investors mainly focus on the chances of a company rather than on the risks.
Objective The aim of this study is to investigate whether a combination of the Korean version of the mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE) and the Korean dementia screening questionnaire (KDSQ) is better than the use of test alone when differentiating patients with dementia from those without dementia in Korea. Methods The subjects (patients without dementia, 1120; patients with dementia, 908) were recruited from the Clinical Research Center for Dementia of South Korea. K-MMSE and KDSQ were used. Diagnosis of dementia was made according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition. The weighted sum rule derived from logistic regression analysis was used for the combination of K-MMSE and KDSQ. Results On comparing the Area Under the Curve for each test using the method of Hanley and McNeil, the weighted sum was significantly greater than KDSQ or K-MMSE, and K-MMSE was significantly greater than KDSQ. Conclusion This study shows that when differentiating patients with dementia from those without dementia in Korea, a combination of K-MMSE and KDSQ achieved using the weighted sum method is better than either test performed alone. Further epidemiological studies in community-based settings are required before our results can be generalized to nonclinical samples.
Oxygen electrocatalysis is vital for advanced energy technologies, but inordinate challenges remain due to the lack of highly active earth-abundant catalysts. Herein, by nanostructuring and defect engineering, we enhance the catalytic properties of naturally occurring, but normally inactive ore hematite (Ht) by converting it to hematene (Hm) with oxygen vacancies (Ov-Hm), which becomes an efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst, being even superior to the state-of-the-art catalyst IrO2/C, with a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at a lower overpotential of 250 mV. First-principles calculations reveal that the reduced dimensionality and defects on the Hm surface locally modify the charge around the adsorption sites, which results in a reduction of the potential barrier in the OER process. Our experimental and theoretical insights suggest a promising route to the development of a highly active electrocatalyst from the naturally occurring and abundant material for OER applications.
Pavlovian conditioning is a very simple and universal form of learning that has the benefit of a long and rich tradition of experimental work and quantitative theorization. With the development of interdisciplinary efforts, behavioral data and quantitative theories of conditioning have become progressively more important not just for experimental psychologists but also for broader audiences such as neurobiologists, computational neuroscientists and artificial intelligence workers. In order to provide interdisciplinary users with an overview of the state of affairs of theoretically oriented research in this field, this chapter reviews a few key mechanisms that are currently deemed necessary for explaining several critical phenomena of Pavlovian conditioning. The chapter is divided into several sections; each referring to a particular theoretical mechanism and to the type of phenomena that it has been designed to account. The progression of the sections reveals phenomena and mechanisms of increasing complexity, which is an indication of the theoretical sophistication that has been reached in this domain. Since there is not a single theory containing all mechanisms, they are described separately from their originating theories, emphasizing thus the fact that they might be used in almost any theoretical implementation.
This study compared mean of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (EAChE) and plasma cholinesterase (PChE) activity levels, and levels of psychological distress due to organophosphate (OP) exposure between rainy and dry seasons among farmworkers. This was a longitudinal study conducted in rainy and dry seasons on 30 farmworkers at a village in Brebes Regency, Indonesia. These EAChE and PChE levels were measured from 10μL fingerprick blood samples using the Test-mate ChE field kit. Meanwhile, psychological distress levels were measured by a 10-item questionnaire developed by Kessler et al. (2002). Mean EAChE activity levels in rainy season (29.45 ± 3.68 U/g Hb) were higher than in dry season (26.33 ± 3.69 U/g Hb) (p<0.05). In contrast, mean PChE activity levels in dry season (1.62 ± 0.50 U/mL) were slightly higher than in rainy season (1.61 ± 0.39 U/mL). Most of the farmworkers felt some symptoms of psychological distress both in rainy and dry season measurements. In addition, majority of them were categorized suffering from mental disorders in both measurements. However, the difference of EAChE and PChE activity levels between rainy and dry seasons could be related to the time elapsed since last exposure. A proportion of the research participants suffered from mental disorders in the dry season was higher than that of in the rainy season. The difference of psychological distress levels between both seasons might be related to other external factors like high temperature, high humidity, or economic factors and not to the last OP application.
Subspace clustering aims to cluster unlabeled data that lies in a union of low-dimensional linear subspaces. Deep subspace clustering approaches based on auto-encoders have become very popular to learn the linear representation coefficients from data. However, the training of current deep methods converges slowly, which is extremely expensive. We propose a novel Residual Encoder-Decoder network for deep Subspace Clustering (RED-SC) with skip-layer connections to accelerate the convergence, using a new strategy to generate the linear coefficients by learning the linearity of data in multiple latent spaces. Experiments show the superiority of RED-SC in training efficiency and clustering accuracy.
This work presents a new method for estimation of Jc as a bulk characteristic of YBCO blocks. The experimental magnetic interaction force between a SmCo permanent magnet and a YBCO block was compared to finite element method (FEM) simulations results, allowing us to search a best fitting value to the critical current of the superconducting sample. As FEM simulations were based on Bean model , the critical current density was taken as an unknown parameter. This is a non destructive estimation method. since there is no need of breaking even a little piece of the sample for analysis.
We report on the drying process of sessile droplets of aqueous poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) solutions studied by contact angle analysis. Liquid samples were prepared with the same initial concentration of four different molecular weights, Mw, of PEO. Droplets with initial volumes of between 1 and 5 μL were left to evaporate while temperature, pressure, and relative humidity were kept constant. Residues were formed with either a disklike puddle or a distinctive tall conical pillar shape. The latter occurred following a four-stage deposition process: pinned drying, during which the contact line is stationary; pseudodewetting, where the receding contact line is induced by precipitation; bootstrap building, during which the liquid droplet is lifted on freshly precipitated solid; and late drying. Contact angle analysis allowed us to monitor all stages during drying and consider transitions between stages for different molecular weights. We illustrate the mechanisms taking place during the crucial stages of pinning and depinning, revealing the effect of adhesion and contact line friction for high molecular weights and its influence on the final morphology of the dried PEO solute. To this end, we performed PEO solution droplet evaporation on PEO and PTFE films demonstrating the importance of interfacial interaction phenomena. We show that the formation of disklike puddles for high molecular weights on glass is associated with continuous droplet contact line pinning. This results from the strong adhesion due to the interdigitation of the loops and tails of a polymer layer (adsorbed on glass during evaporation) with the polymer gel network inside the droplet that forms as water evaporates.
Plastids comprise a complex set of organelles in plants that can undergo distinctive patterns of differentiation and redifferentiation during their lifespan. Plastids localized to the epidermis and vascular parenchyma are distinctive in size, structural features and functions. These plastids are termed ‘sensory’ plastids, and data show their proteome to be distinct from chloroplast, with specialized stress-associated features. The distinctive sensory plastid proteome derives from spatio-temporal regulation of nuclear genes encoding plastid-targeted proteins. Perturbation caused by depletion of the sensory plastid-specific protein MSH1conditioned local, programmed changes in gene networks controlling chromatin, stressrelated phytohormone and circadian clock behavior, and producing a global, systemic stress response in the plant. A similar systemic stress response resulted from over-expression of a second sensory plastid protein, PPD3. We posit that the sensory plastid participates in sensing of plant environmental stress, integrating this sensory function with epigenetic and gene expression circuitry to condition heritable stress memory.
Monitoring wellbeing and stress is one of the problems covered by ambient intelligence, as stress is a significant cause of human illnesses directly affecting our emotional state. The primary aim was to propose a deliberation architecture for an ambient intelligence healthcare application. The architecture provides a plan for comforting stressed seniors suffering from negative emotions in an assisted living home and executes the plan considering the environment's dynamic nature. Literature was reviewed to identify the convergence between deliberation and ambient intelligence and the latter's latest healthcare trends. A deliberation function was designed to achieve context-aware dynamic human-robot interaction, perception, planning capabilities, reactivity, and context-awareness with regard to the environment. A number of experimental case studies in a simulated assisted living home scenario were conducted to demonstrate the approach's behavior and validity. The proposed methods were validated to show classification accuracy. The validation showed that the deliberation function has effectively achieved its deliberative objectives.
In 1945, the émigré psychoanalyst René Spitz published a landmark article in which he suggested that babies cared for in institutions commonly suffered from 'hospitalism' and failed to thrive. According to Spitz this was the case because such babies were deprived of 'maternal care, maternal stimulation, and maternal love.' Historical interest in separation research and the development of the concept of maternal deprivation has tended to focus on the 1940s and 50s. The term 'hospitalism', however, was coined at the end of the nineteenth century and by 1945 the question of whether or not babies could be cared for in institutions had already been debated for a number of decades by an international community of paediatricians and developmental psychologists, later joined by psychoanalysts. Criss-crossing national boundaries and exploring debates over the nature, causes, and prevention of 'hospitalism', this article elucidates the changing understandings of the impact on babies of living in institutions.
The survival value of leg autotomy during attacks by scorpions (Vaejovis waueri Gertsch and Soleglad, 1972 (Scorpiones: Vaejovidae)) was assessed in three successive instars of the wolf spider Gladicosa pulchra (Keyserling, 1877) (Araneae: Lycosidae). During the first three instars after hatching, spiders were subjected to predatory encounters with adult scorpions. Spider survival due to leg autotomy decreased and the tendency of scorpions to use the sting to subdue the spiders increased with increasing size of wolf spider instars. As spider instar size increased, more scorpion attacks were directed at the cephalothorax and abdomen, resulting in decreased opportunity for larger spiders to utilize leg autotomy as an escape tactic. The decrease in survival and change in scorpion predatory tactics with increasing instar size reflect an increase in the relative body size of the spiders. Therefore, the survival value of an antipredator mechanism may vary with the degree of opportunity to use the mechanism.
Malignant gliomas, including the most common subtype, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), are among the most devastating of neoplasms. Their aggressive infiltration in the CNS typically produces progressive and profound disability--ultimately leading to death in nearly all cases. Improvement in outcome has been elusive despite decades of intensive clinical and laboratory research. Surgery and radiotherapy, the traditional cornerstones of therapy, provide palliative benefit, while the value of chemotherapy has been marginal and controversial. Limited delivery and tumor heterogeneity are two fundamental factors that have critically hindered therapeutic progress. A novel chemoradiotherapy approach, consisting of temozolomide administered concurrently during radiotherapy followed by adjuvant systemic temozolomide, has recently demonstrated a meaningful, albeit modest, improvement in overall survival for newly diagnosed GBM patients. As cell-signaling alterations linked to the development and progression of gliomas are being increasingly elucidated, targeted therapies have rapidly entered preclinical and clinical evaluation. Responses to therapies that function via DNA damage have been associated with specific mediators of resistance that may also be subject to targeted therapies. Other approaches include novel locoregional delivery techniques to overcome barriers of delivery. The simultaneous development of multiple advanced therapies based on specific tumor biology may finally offer glioma patients improved survival.
Coronavirus‐19 (COVID‐19) is a disease caused by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, the seventh coronavirus identified as causing disease in humans. The SARS‐CoV‐2 virus has multiple potential pathophysiologic interconnections with endocrine systems, potentially causing disturbances in glucose metabolism, hypothalamic and pituitary function, adrenal function and mineral metabolism. A growing body of data is revealing both the effects of underlying endocrine disorders on COVID‐19 disease outcome and the effects of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus on endocrine systems. However, comprehensive assessment of the relationship to endocrine disorders in children has been lacking.
Background Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) are a group of rare autoinflammatory diseases caused by dominantly inherited mutations, or de novo gain-of function mutations within CIAS1/NLRP3 gene. Q703K is a variant of CIAS1/NLRP3 gene with unknown pathogenic significance, being also present with an allele frequency of 5% in Caucasian healthy population. It is still unclear whether Q703K has to be considered a low penetrance mutation or a functional polymorphism, whereas it is detected in patients with clinical manifestations suggestive for CAPS. Methods We describe the cases of two siblings who presented with clinical manifestations suggestive for a periodic auto-inflammatory disorder and brilliantly responded to anti-IL1 treatment with anakinra. Molecular analysis of the CIAS1/NLRP3 gene in the two cases and in their first-degree relatives was performed, and a genotype/phenotype correlation of the carriers of Q703K allele was assessed. Detailed information regarding family history and the genealogical tree was also collected Results A 30-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman siblings came to our attention complaining of periodic clinical manifestations lasting since their infancy and young adult age, respectively. The male patient had been experienced recurrent episodes of high-grade fever (T. max 41°C) associated with morning headache, urticarial rash, and conjunctivitis, lasting from 3-5 days through >7 days. The female patient had been suffered from asthenia and chronic musculoskeletal pain since the age of 21, first diagnosed as fibromyalgia. The symptoms were accompanied by episodic low-grade fever (T. max 37.5°, lasting few days); laboratory tests showed persistent increase of acute phase reactants (APR). Serum amyloid A (SAA) levels were found high in both patients (157 mg/L and 54.7 mg/L, respectively, n.v. <6.4). Anti-IL-1 treatment with anakinra quickly controlled the constitutional symptoms and allowed to achieve a significant decrease of the APR in both cases. The molecular analysis of the CIAS1/NLRP3 gene detected heterozygosity for Q703K variant in exon 3 in both patients. The assessment of the genealogical tree and their family history revealed episodes of conjunctivitis and arthralgia in their mother since her young adult age, without any correlation with cold exposure nor fever. The molecular analysis showed in her case homozygosity for Q703K variant. The family history also revealed that their maternal aunt had been suffered from urticarial rash episodes after cold exposure without fever, since the age of 52. Conclusions The phenotypic expression observed in carriers of Q703K variant suggests that other genetic and environmental factors, currently unknown, might contribute to the atypical mild clinical autoinflammatory manifestations observed in such cases. However, the remarkable response to IL-1 blockade in our cases confirms the pivotal role of IL-1 in determining the clinical features. Further larger series are needed in order to investigate whether Q703K variant alone might be responsible for milder “CAPS-like” phenotype. Disclosure of Interest None declared
We provide combinatorial formulas for the multidegree and K-polynomial of an (arbitrarily oriented) type A quiver locus embedded inside of its representation space. These formulas are generalizations of three of Knutson-Miller-Shimozono's formulas from the equioriented setting:  - The ratio formulas express each K-polynomial as a ratio of specialized double Grothendieck polynomials, and each multidegree as a ratio of specialized double Schubert polynomials.  - The pipe formulas express each K-polynomial as an alternating sum over pipe dreams that fit inside of a particular shape, and each multidegree as a positive sum over reduced pipe dreams that fit inside of that same shape.  - The component formulas express each K-polynomial as an alternating sum of products of Grothendieck polynomials, and each multidegree as a positive sum of products of Schubert polynomials. The summands are indexed by lacing diagrams associated to the type A quiver locus. The K-polynomial component formula was first conjectured by Buch-Rim '{a}nyi, and the multidegree component formula was first proved by Buch-Rim '{a}nyi.
We introduce band ODs to model the semantics of attributes that are monotonically related with small variations without there being an intrinsic violation of semantics. To make band ODs relevant to real-world applications, we make them less strict to hold approximately with some exceptions. Since formulating integrity constraints manually is cumbersome, we study the problem of automatic approximate band OD discovery. We devise an algorithm that determines the optimal solution in polynomial time. We perform a thorough experimental evaluation of our techniques over real-world and synthetic datasets.
We propose a subwavelength imaging system without a lens or a mirror but with an array of metallic nanorods. The near-field components of dipole sources were plasmonically transferred through the rod array to reproduce the source distribution in the other side. We calculated the field distribution at the different planes of imaging process using the finite-difference time-domain algorithm and found that the spatial resolution was 40 nm given by the rod size and spacing. A typical configuration is a hexagonal arrangement of silver rods of 50 nm height and 20 nm diameter. We also show that the image formation highly depends on the coherence and the polarization of the source distribution and the source-array distance.
BACKGROUND [corrected] History and physical diagnosis skills (HPDS) are required curriculum in medical schools (MS) with pediatric HPDS (PHPDS) necessitating instruction in addition to adult HPDS. Perceived deficiencies in these skills on the pediatric clerkship prompted investigation of when and how other MS taught PHPDS. The concern of whether medical students are adequately taught PHPDS needed to be addressed.   METHODS With the use of the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics listserv, pediatric clerkship directors from 129 US, 15 Canadian, and 2 Puerto Rican MS were contacted via e-mail to complete an anonymous online questionnaire, focused on MS demographics, PHPDS timing, teaching methods, and barriers.   RESULTS Seventy-two (49%) of 146 MS responded to the survey; 18.1% of MS responders did not offer PHPDS in the first 2 years. Methodologies used to educate students included didactic lectures, physician shadowing, hands-on with patients, pairing with preceptor, instructional video, and examination of newborns. Each teaching method had < 3 hours dedicated to medical students during their first 2 years at a majority of the MS. Of the responders, 85.1% concurred that medical students should be exposed to PHPDS before starting the clerkship. Barriers to providing PHPDS included MS time allotment, preceptor availability, and total number of students to accommodate.   CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated striking variability among MS in how and when medical students were taught PHPDS. Clarification of the role of PHPDS instruction in preclinical years and standardized effective approaches to PHPDS instruction are both needed so that MS curriculum optimizes physician training.
Light emission characteristics of ultraviolet (UV) BGaN/AlN quantum well (QW) structures were investigated using the multiband effective-mass theory and non-Markovian model. The BGaN/AlN QW structures show a much larger light intensity than the conventional AlGaN/AlN QW structures. This is mainly due to the fact that the internal field is significantly reduced by increasing boron contents. The spontaneous emission peak shows a maximum at the critical value (x= 0.04) and begins to decrease when the boron content is further increased. Hence, we expect that BGaN/AlN QW structures with small boron contents can be used as a TE-polarized light source with a high efficiency in UV region.
Change is nothing new and indeed has been our only constant, but change today is faster and more complex than it has ever been before (Manion 1994). Bushy (1992) agrees that the past decade has been a time for rapid global changes, with Muller (1992) citing the rapid increase in technology as the root cause. Muller (1992) believes that nurses need to develop a new mindset which is more in tune with the realities of the 1990s, acknowledging that we are and will be living in a constantly changing world, and Zukowski (1995) suggests that regardless of whether or not we accept change, we must learn to manage it. Although change creates uncertainty and discomfort, Poggenpoel (1992) emphasizes that it often leads to real innovation, providing abundant opportunities for creating a better way forward. This paper explores the subject of change management, looking first at the reasons behind the current climate of change in the healthcare system, then outlining change theory in relation to nursing, before discussing the role of the nurse as a change agent.
Fentanyl is one of the most common opioid analgesics administered to patients undergoing surgery or for chronic pain management. While the side effects of chronic fentanyl abuse are recognized (e.g., addiction, tolerance, impairment of cognitive functions, and inhibit nociception, arousal, and respiration), it remains poorly understood what and how changes in brain activity from chronic fentanyl use influences the respective behavioral outcome. Here, we examined the functional and molecular changes to cortical neural network activity following sub-chronic exposure to two fentanyl concentrations, a low (0.01 μM) and high (10 μM) dose. Primary rat co-cultures, containing cortical neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells, were seeded in wells on either a 6-well multi-electrode array (MEA, for electrophysiology) or a 96-well tissue culture plate (for serial endpoint bulk RNA sequencing analysis). Once networks matured (at 28 days in vitro), co-cultures were treated with 0.01 or 10 μM of fentanyl for 4 days and monitored daily. Only high dose exposure to fentanyl resulted in a decline in features of spiking and bursting activity as early as 30 min post-exposure and sustained for 4 days in cultures. Transcriptomic analysis of the complex cultures after 4 days of fentanyl exposure revealed that both the low and high dose induced gene expression changes involved in synaptic transmission, inflammation, and organization of the extracellular matrix. Collectively, the findings of this in vitro study suggest that while neuroadaptive changes to neural network activity at a systems level was detected only at the high dose of fentanyl, transcriptomic changes were also detected at the low dose conditions, suggesting that fentanyl rapidly elicits changes in plasticity.
Nowadays, semi-supervised learning has achieved greatly in computer aided cardiac segmentation, which utilized unlabeled data to cut annotation cost and improve the network performance. However, most existing methods neglect the contour constrain of cardiac which often lead to inaccurate segmentation result, particularly around boundaries. In this paper, we proposed a novel self-ensembling approach for cardiac segmentation to leverage unlabeled data and contour information of labeled data. To achieve this, we develop an elliptical contour descriptor to describe the segmentation contour in several sets of parameters. Furthermore, a contour-aware loss is designed to minimize the difference be-tween target and prediction. To leverage the annotated data, we then introduce a self-ensembling method named teacher-student network which requires the prediction of teacher and student branches being consistent under random perturbation or transformation of input images. We integrate our contour-aware method into this framework and let it gradually learn the contour information from coarse to fine. Experiments on the 2017 MICCAI Automated Cardiac Diagnosis Challenge (ACDC) and Left Atrial Segmentation Challenge 2013 (LASC’13) datasets show that our approach improves the cardiac segmentation performance and outperforms existing semi-supervised segmentation approaches.
Several candidate plant molluscicides have been identified for possible incorporation into self-help control programmes against schistosomiasis, but their full potential has yet to be realised. This has been, in the most part, due to the absence of standardized assessment and toxicity protocols, and subsequently the inability to register crude plant products in their country of origin or internationally. In an attempt to solve this dilemma, a series of protocols has been designed which will provide a useful standardized guideline for investigations into plant molluscicides, as well as precipitate moves towards the establishment of internationally accepted guidelines for the assessment of various categories of plant biopesticides. Ultimately, being able to register a crude plant extract will permit health organizations such as the World Health Organization to promote the use of such material, especially in self-help control programmes, thereby improving the health standards of rural communities.
From a functional perspective, game ability in sport games can be understood as an all-encompassing type of competence for problem solving, which becomes visible in the functional fulfillment of sensory motor standards and tactical-technical skills required for game situations. The focus for gaining competence in problem-solving is the confrontation with holistic game situations as well as reflecting on these situations.
Integrative review of scientific literature study to identify and analyze the production of knowledge about clinical advances in security needs of patients during the intraoperative period of bariatric surgery. It was based on 12 selected studies in electronic databases, with descriptors previously defined. Except for two studies, the specific content of this production was composed of the general context of perioperative care. The studies highlight the possible state of the art of nursing activities on these needs, which are well established, including recommendations by several guidelines. However, they are fundamentally based on the science of traditional clinical practice through the development of rational judgments issued by experts. It concludes for the relevance of primary studies to evaluate the impact and resolution of the identified resources to answer those needs, as well as improving or generating other innovative features and identification of new needs.
To the Editor. —Drug utilization review assures cost-effective use of medications in hospitals. We present an example of drug utilization review that began with the identification of an "index case" of a costly therapeutic decision. Subsequent investigation lead to the identification of a prescribing outbreak as well as its probable source. Report of a Case. —A 32-year-old man had been on a camping trip and noted an insect bite at the top margin of his sock. The next day he noted redness and swelling at the site of the bite. The third day he was febrile and the redness began to spread. On the fourth day, red streaks extended 15 cm above the site of injury. He felt ill and came to the emergency department. His examination demonstrated a temperature of 39.4°C, sickly appearance, and a tender cellulitis of his lower leg. Blood pressure was normal and he did not
Between the two world wars Belgrade saw a surge in housing construction, including many rental apartment buildings, so-called 'luxury city palaces'. In addition to richly decorated street facades in the style of academism, eclecticism and Art Deco, architects paid much attention to the design of entrances and entrance halls. The entrance frequently was the main element of the facade even in buildings in a moderate modernist style. Since this aspect of architectural design is scantily documented, this paper seeks to identify its main trends in the 1920s and 1930s and to establish a typology of entrances and entrance halls of residential buildings. It also outlines the parameters and social circumstances that played a role in giving special attention to this element of residential buildings, and examines whether Belgrade architects pursued a sort of total design inspired by European models.
Michael P. Dube, James H. Stein, Judith A. Aberg, Carl J. Fichtenbaum, John G. Gerber, Karen T. Tashima, W. Keith Henry, Judith S. Currier, Dennis Sprecher, and Marshall J. Glesby, for the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group Cardiovascular Subcommittee Indiana University, Indianapolis; University of Wisconsin, Madison; Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri; University of Cincinnati and Cleveland Clinic, Ohio; University of Colorado, Denver; Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island; University of Minnesota, St. Paul; University of California at Los Angeles; and Cornell University, New York, New York
Abstract REPORTS to the present time have demonstrated some fairly consistent performance differences between cage and floor management systems. Caged birds handled according to commonly recommended levels of nutrition and management can be expected to lay fewer eggs of slightly more weight, attain larger adult body size, have more blood spots, utilize more feed to produce a unit of eggs and have less mortality than their counterparts on the floor. In a recent 7 year summary for the California Random Sample Egg Laying Test, Johnson (1964) demonstrated a 27 hen housed egg advantage for floor birds over their pen mates in cages. Caged birds had 1.3% higher mortality, and laid eggs containing 2.7% more blood spots and with larger weight by 0.2 ounce per dozen. Lowry et al. (1956), in an experiment that extended over four years, found that the survivor egg number for floor birds was 15 eggs superior to…
The role of leader or leadership in management has occupied the attention of both theorists and practitioners alike. Of late, its role has also been considered significant in ethical issues given the exposure of various ethical scandals. Research on ethical leadership, despite its importance, is limited. Part of the problem may lie in the difficulties associated with studying ethical leadership in a field setting. This study, therefore, uses an experimental design to explore the impact of ethical leadership on subordinates' outcomes (behaviours and perceptions). This concept of ethical leadership is juxtaposed with exchange-based relationship between the leader and the member (leader-member-exchange or LMX). LMX focuses on one-to-one exchange-based relationship between a leader and a subordinate. However, ethical leadership based on Brown et.al's (2005) work is conceptualized as the leader's ethical-moral behaviour in general. This study explores the relative impact of ethical leader behaviour and LMX on subordinate outcomes which are distinguished in terms of ethics-related (leaders honesty, willingness to report problems, affective trust, and cognitive trust) and work-related (leaders effectiveness, satisfaction with the leader, and extra effort) outcomes. The study makes several contributions to the existing leadership literature. To begin with, and to the best of our knowledge, no research has explored the relative impact of one-on-one relationship with the leader (LMX) and ethical leaders' behaviour on subordinate outcomes. Second, subordinate outcomes have been conceptualized as belonging to either of the two categories — pragmatic⁄generic jobrelated behaviours (outcomes), (e.g., extra effort of the subordinate, effectiveness of the subordinate, and satisfaction with the leader) or idealistic ethics-related outcomes like (leader's honesty, willingness to report problems, affective trust, idealized behaviour, and idealized attribute). It is argued that theoretically, though LMX is a strong determinant of pragmatic job-related behaviour (outcomes), ethical leadership is more likely to predict idealistic ethicsrelated outcomes. The hypotheses are tested through an experimental study. The overall design of the experiment was a 2 (Ethical Leadership: Ethical, Unethical) X 2 (LMX: Low; High) between-participants factorial, employing four versions of scenarios. All the dependent variables were measured through standard scales and they showed high reliability coefficients. ANOVA tests indicated that not only ethics-related behaviours but work-related behaviours of the subordinates too were predicted by ethical leader behaviour which shows the functional significance of ethical leader behaviour. The results are discussed for their theoretical and practical implications while mentioning the limitations of the study.
Arabic is a morphologically rich language. This morphological complexity results in a high out-of-vocabulary rate. That is why a lookup table for pronunciation modeling is not efficient for large vocabulary tasks. In previous research, graphemic modeling was proposed by approximating pronunciation modeling to be graphemes rather than actual phonemes. In this research, we have proposed a hybrid acoustic and pronunciation modeling approach for Arabic large vocabulary speech recognition tasks. The proposed approach benefits from both phonemic and graphemic modeling techniques, where two acoustic models are fused together. The hybrid approach also benefits from both vocalized and non-vocalized Arabic resources, which is useful because the amount of non-vocalized resources is always higher than vocalized ones. Two speech recognition baseline systems were built: phonemic and graphemic. The two baseline acoustic models were combined after two independent trainings to create a hybrid model. Pronunciation modeling...
A new type of corneal dystrophy with various oculocutaneous symptoms and other signs is described. Snowflake dystrophy is characterized by hundreds of small, round, oval or cork-screw-like white opacities in the endothelium and Descemet's membrane. The length of the opacities is 5-20 mu and they form an even layer throughout the posterior membrane. 44% of the patients above the age of 70 years had also pseudoexfoliation of the lens capsule. Corneal endothelial pigmentation advance with the age but are not even in elderly patients necessarily present. A wide range of cutaneous disturbances of melanin metabolism was noted in 4/5 of the cases: intradermal nevi, lentigines, nevus spilus, melasma, vitiligo, early alopecia and early graying of the hair. Photosensitivity reactions like solar urticaria were noted in 5 cases. The skin was often wrinkled, dry and inelastic. Conjunctival wrinkling and Bitot's spots, ovarial cysts, frequently recurrent tonsillitis and several cholecystectomies suggest a generalized involvement of mucous membranes in this syndrome. Degenerative joint disease was constated in 2/5 of cases. The genetic analysis of 59 persons revealed an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. The prevalence of the gene was high in the province of Satakunta in western Finland.
The temperature dependencies of the rate coefficients, alpha(e), for electron-ion dissociative recombination (DR) of N2H+/N2D+ and HCO+/DCO+ ions with electrons have been measured over the range 100-500 K. Also, optical emissions have been detected at approximately 100 K from the N2(B3(pi)g) electronically excited products of N2H+/N2D+ recombination. The measurements were carried out using the classic FALP technique combined with an optical monochromator. For N2H+, there was no variation of alpha(e) with temperature above 200 K, with an average value of alpha(e)(N2H+) = 2.8 x 10(-7) cm3 s(-1). The temperature variation for T approximately 100-300 K observed for alpha(e)(HCO+) is similar to that of N2H+ ions for T approximately 300-500 K. The smaller rate coefficient measured for DCO+ and N2D+ ions shows the influence of an isotope effect. The substantial enhancement of the vibrational level, upsilon' = 6, from the N2B state for N2H+ recombination over N2D+ recombination is consistent with previous result at 300 K and implies the influence of a tunneling mechanism of DR.
This thesis is motivated by the goals of understanding in depth which information security value aspects are relevant in real-world business environments and contributing a value-prioritised information security investment decision model suitable for practitioners in the field. Pursuing this goal, we apply a mixed method research approach that combines the analysis of the relevant literature, expert interviews, practitioner survey data and structural equation modelling and multicriteria decision analysis. In the first step, we address the identified terminology gap to clarify the meaning of ‘cyber security’ by analysing authoritative definition sources in the literature and presenting an improved definition distinct from that of ‘information security’. We then investigate the influence of repeated information security breaches on an organisation’s stock market value to benchmark the wider economic impact of such events. We find abnormal returns following a breach event as well as weak statistical significance on abnormal returns for later breach events, confirming that data breaches have a negative impact on organisations. To understand how security practitioners view this topic, we conduct and analyse semi-structured interviews following a grounded theory approach. Our research identifies 15 principles aligned with a conceptual information security investment framework. The key components of this framework such as the business environment, drivers (threat landscape, legal and regulatory) and challenges (cost of security, uncertainty) are found to be a crucial part of value-prioritised information security investment decisions. We verify these findings through a structural model consisting of five latent variables representing key areas in value-focused information security investment decisions. The model shows that security capabilities have the largest direct effect on the value organisations gain from information security investment. In addition, the value outcome is strongly influenced by organisation-specific constructs such as the threat landscape and regulatory requirements, which must therefore be considered when creating security capabilities. By addressing one of the key uncertainty issues, we use a probabilistic topic modelling approach to identify latent security threat prediction topics from a large pool of security predictions publicised in the media. We further verify the prediction outcomes through a survey instrument. The results confirm the feasibility of forecasting notable threat developments in this context, implying that practitioners can use this approach to reduce uncertainty and improve security investment decisions. In the last part of the thesis, we present a multicriteria decision model that combines our results on value-prioritised information security investments in an organisational context. Based on predefined criteria and preferences and by utilising stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis as the adopted methodology, our model can deal with substantial uncertainty while offering ease of use for practitioners.
We study the existence and concentration of bound states to N-dimensional nonlinear Schrodinger equation " 2 4u"C V.x/u" D K.x/ f.u"/, where N 3, " > 0 is sufficiently small, and the function f.s/ is nonnegative and asymptotically linear at infinity. More concretely, when f.s/ O.s/ as s! C1, the potential function V.x/ lies in C 1 .R N / with V.x/ 0 and V.x/6 0, and K.x/ 0 is permitted to be unbounded under some other necessary restrictions, we can show that a positive H 1 .R N /-solution u".x/ exists and concentrates around the local maximum point of the corresponding ground energy function.
In this paper, we introduce NDNFlow: an open-source software implementation of a Named Data Networking based forwarding scheme in OpenFlow-controlled Software-Defined Networks (SDNs). By setting up an application-specific communication channel and controller layer parallel to the application agnostic OpenFlow protocol, we obtain a mechanism to deploy specific optimizations into a network without requiring a full network upgrade or OpenFlow protocol change. Our open-source software implementation consists of both an NDN-specific controller module and an NDN client plug-in. NDNFlow allows OpenFlow networks with NDN capabilities to exploit the benefits of NDN, by enabling the use of intermediate caches, identifying flows of content and eventually performing traffic engineering based on these principles.
Requirements and applications for three different scenarios in material science of microelectronics are discussed. Dimension scaling continous at the same pace (More Moore) by changing to immersion lithography and later to extreme ultraviolet lithography. The functionality of system on chip solutions will be increased by heterogeneous technologies combined with a microelectronics core ( More than Moore). Material science and physical understanding of new device principles started well in advance to judge difficulties and options. The strong links to economy are illustrated by a simple model of exponential growth.
Sexual Orientation at Work: Contemporary Issues and Perspectives brings together contemporary international research on sexual orientation and draws out its implications for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and heterosexual employees and managers. It provides new empirical and theoretical insights into sexual orientation employment discrimination and equality work in countries such as South Africa, Turkey, Australia, Austria, Canada, US and the UK.    This book is novel in its focus on how sexual orientation intersects with other aspects of difference such as age, class, ethnicity and disability. It adopts new theoretical perspectives (e.g. queer theory) to analyze the rise of new ‘gay-friendly’ organizations, and examines important methodological issues in collecting socio-economic data about sexual minorities.    Providing an accessible account of key issues and perspectives on sexual orientation in the workplace, Sexual Orientation at Work caters to a wide range of readers across business, feminist, and LGBT/Queer Studies fields.
A cross-sectional study is undertaken to determine the prevalence of male intrameatal and distal urethral warts, using meatoscopy. A group of 169 patients presenting for anogenital warts and a group of 74 unselected patients attending the Department for a variety of reasons during the study period, were examined. Twenty-one patients (13.5%) out of 155 patients with anogenital or related warts had external warts at the meatus. Of these 21 cases, 12 (57.1%) had further extension of their warts into the distal urethra. Fifteen other cases of intrameatal and distal urethral warts were detected in the absence of external warts at the meatus. Twenty-three cases out of 107 males with genital warts (21.5%) were found to have intrameatal or distal urethral warts, thus reflecting the common occurrence of these lesions. A highly significant association between the presence of intrameatal/distal urethral warts and the presence of male genital warts was found (P=0.003). One hundred and fifty-three repeat meatoscopic examinations were carried out, 6 weeks after their first examination. Three new cases of intrameatal/distal urethral warts were found. Intrameatal and distal urethral warts occurred from a depth of 5 mm to 25 mm. One hundred and eighty-three female partners of the study patients were examined. An association between the presence of intrameatal/distal urethral warts and female anogenital warts was found (P=0.028). No corroborating association between the presence of male and female anogenital warts was found (P=0.47). This observation may have a bearing on disease transmission and control. The detection of intrameatal/distal urethral warts will be important in achieving successful treatment of male anogenital warts.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is increasingly used for surveillance and detection of species of interest in aquatic and soil samples. A significant risk associated with eDNA methods is potential false‐positive results due to laboratory contamination. To minimize and quantify this risk, we designed and validated a set of synthetic oligonucleotides for use as species‐specific positive PCR controls for several high‐profile aquatic invasive species. The controls consist of species‐specific sequences for the species of interest, with the addition of a synthetic insert containing recognition sites for several restriction enzymes. Following PCR, the presence of the synthetic insert can be detected using gel electrophoresis, restriction enzyme digests or DNA sequencing. For quantitative PCR (qPCR), false positives in environmental samples can also be detected using a fluorescent probe designed to detect the synthetic insert. The generation of synthetic controls is a cost‐effective, reproducible method that increases the power and reliability of eDNA testing by eliminating misinterpretation of false‐positive results from laboratory contamination.
Purpose of reviewMultipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are rare cells resident in bone marrow and other organs capable of differentiating into mesodermal lineage tissues. MSCs possess immunomodulatory properties and have extensive capacity for ex-vivo expansion. Early clinical studies demonstrated safety and feasibility of infusing autologous MSCs and suggested a role in enhancing engraftment after hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). Subsequent pilot studies using allogeneic MSCs showed safety but presented contradictory results regarding efficacy in treating graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Recent findingsLarger, phase II allogeneic MSC infusion studies, including cells obtained from haploidentical and third-party donors, showed efficacy in GVHD treatment; however, recent randomized, placebo-controlled studies failed to corroborate these results. New investigations include MSC infusions in umbilical cord blood transplantation, MSC therapy for tissue regeneration/repair, harvest and use of MSCs from adipose tissue and cell-tracking/imaging studies using radionuclides, gene and fluorescent dye-labeled MSCs. SummaryMSCs remain the subject of intense investigation in HCT because of their differentiation potential and immunomodulatory properties. Whereas infusions of autologous, allogeneic and third-party donor MSCs are well tolerated, further research is needed to clarify the optimal methods for harvesting and expansion, optimal timing of administration and efficacy in the setting of HCT.
Digital advertising is performed in multiple ways, for e.g., contextual, display-based and search-based advertising. Across these avenues, the primary goal of the advertiser is to maximize the return on investment. To realize this, the advertiser often aims to target the advertisements towards a targeted set of audience as this set has a high likelihood to respond positively towards the advertisements. One such form of tailored and personalized, targeted advertising is known as look-alike modeling, where the advertiser provides a set of seed users and expects the machine learning model to identify a new set of users such that the newly identified set is similar to the seed-set with respect to the online purchasing activity. Existing look-alike modeling techniques (i.e., similarity-based and regression-based) suffer from serious limitations due to the implicit constraints induced during modeling. In addition, the high-dimensional and sparse nature of the advertising data increases the complexity. To overcome these limitations, in this paper, we propose a novel Adversarial Factorization Autoencoder that can efficiently learn a binary mapping from sparse, high-dimensional data to a binary address space through the use of an adversarial training procedure. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach on a dataset obtained from a real-world setting and also systematically compare the performance of our proposed approach with existing look-alike modeling baselines.
1. The mono-oxygenase activity that forms epoxides has been studied in rat liver microsomes using as substrates carbamazepine and cyclobenzaprine, tricyclic drugs which form stable epoxides in vivo and in vitro.2. A simple gas chromatographic method has been used to determine the amount of epoxide formed and the linearity of the enzymic reaction with time and protein concentration has been demonstrated.3. Pre-treatment with carbamazepine increases the rate of formation of carbamazepine epoxide in rat liver microsomal preparations.4. The effect of SKF 525-A on the formation of these epoxides has also been studied.
Abstract Objective To assess whether screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms in men reduces mortality. Design Population based randomised controlled trial of ultrasound screening, with intention to treat analysis of age standardised mortality. Setting Community based screening programme in Western Australia. Participants 41 000 men aged 65-83 years randomised to intervention and control groups. Intervention Invitation to ultrasound screening. Main outcome measure Deaths from abdominal aortic aneurysm in the five years after the start of screening. Results The corrected response to invitation to screening was 70%. The crude prevalence was 7.2% for aortic diameter ≥ 30 mm and 0.5% for diameter ≥ 55 mm. Twice as many men in the intervention group than in the control group underwent elective surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm (107 v 54, P = 0.002, χ2 test). Between scheduled screening and the end of follow up 18 men in the intervention group and 25 in the control group died from abdominal aortic aneurysm, yielding a mortality ratio of 0.61 (95% confidence interval 0.33 to 1.11). Any benefit was almost entirely in men aged between 65 and 75 years, where the ratio was reduced to 0.19 (0.04 to 0.89). Conclusions At a whole population level screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms was not effective in men aged 65-83 years and did not reduce overall death rates. The success of screening depends on choice of target age group and the exclusion of ineligible men. It is also important to assess the current rate of elective surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm as in some communities this may already approach a level that reduces the potential benefit of population based screening.
In our first clinical study with a full 3D Ultrasound Computer Tomography (USCT) system patient data was acquired in eight minutes for one breast. In this paper the patient movement during the acquisition was analyzed quantitatively and as far as possible corrected in the resulting images. The movement was tracked in ten successive reflectivity reconstructions of full breast volumes acquired during 10 s intervals at different aperture positions, which were separated by 41 s intervals. The mean distance between initial and final position was 2.2 mm (standard deviation (STD) ± 0.9 mm, max. 4.1 mm, min. 0.8 mm) and the average sum of all moved distances was 4.9 mm (STD ± 1.9 mm, max. 8.8 mm, min. 2.7 mm). The tracked movement was corrected by summing successive images, which were transformed according to the detected movement. The contrast of these images increased and additional image content became visible.
The present paper is dedicated to the quantitative determination of oxygen-containing impurities in the LiF–NaF–KF eutectic using electrochemical (cyclic and square-wave voltammetry) and reduction melting methods. The LiF–NaF–KF melt was analyzed before and after purifying electrolysis. The amount of oxygen-containing impurities removed from the salt during purification was determined. It was found that after electrolysis, the concentration of oxygen-containing impurities decreased by 7 times. The results obtained via electrochemical techniques and reduction melting were well-correlated, which made it possible to evaluate the quality of the LiF–NaF–KF F melt. To verify the analysis conditions, mechanical mixtures of LiF–NaF–KF containing Li2O were analyzed using the reduction melting method. The oxygen concentration in the mixtures varied from 0.672 to 2.554 wt. %. Based on the analysis results, the dependence approximated by the straight line was obtained. These data may be used to draw calibration curves and to further develop the procedure of oxygen analysis of fluoride melts.
According to three key indicators (gross regional product, the value of fixed assets and the number of people employed in the economy) for a total of 37 administrative districts of the Republic of Dagestan for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. models of linear and power types with lagged variables are constructed and their parameters and statistical characteristics are analyzed. Mathematical and computer models have been developed, with the help of which, using the built-in functions of MS Office, all the necessary calculations are automatically performed: parameters and statistical characteristics for each model; models include a set of tables with initial, intermediate and analytical data, calculation formulas embedded in table cells. The analysis of all the created components of the mathematical and computer models has been carried out.
In recognition of the fact that elder abuse is a global problem that doctors underrecognize and underreport, a simulation training session for undergraduate medical students was developed. The primary objective of this qualitative study was to examine barriers to and drivers of medical students making a diagnosis of elder abuse in simulated practice, with the goal of refining teaching methods and informing future teaching sessions for other clinical teachers. Third‐year medical students (Newcastle University, United Kingdom) undertook a simulation scenario with a high‐fidelity mannequin representing an elder abuse victim. After the simulation scenario, students underwent a semistructured debriefing. A tripartite approach to data collection was employed that included audio recordings of the simulation, data sheets capturing students' thoughts during the scenario, and postscenario debriefing. A different researcher analyzed each data set in isolation before discussions were held to triangulate findings from the data sets. Forty‐six students undertook the scenario; none declined to participate. A number of barriers to students diagnosing elder abuse were identified. Students held a low index of suspicion for elder abuse and were overly optimistic regarding the etiology of the individual's injuries. Students lacked the confidence to raise concerns about possible elder abuse, believing that certainty was required before doing so. There was widespread confusion about nomenclature. These findings provide clinical teachers with important topic areas to address in future teaching sessions. Simulation, as a method to teach about elder abuse in a reproducible and immersive fashion, is recommended to clinical teachers.
Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability. Prior studies have documented racial disparities in the clinical management of OA. The objective of this study was to assess the racial variations in the economic burden of osteoarthritis within the Medicaid population.Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study using the MarketScan Multi-site Medicaid database (2012-2019). Newly diagnosed, adult, knee and/or hip OA patients were identified and followed for 24 months. Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected at baseline; outcomes, including OA treatments and healthcare resource use (HCRU) and expenditures, were assessed during the 24-month follow-up. We compared baseline patient characteristics, use of OA treatments, and HCRU and costs in OA patients by race (White vs. Black; White vs. Other) and evaluated racial differences in healthcare costs, while controlling for underlying differences. The multivariable models controlled for age, sex, population density, health plan type, presence of non-knee/hip OA, cardiovascular disease, low back pain, musculoskeletal pain, presence of moderate to severe OA, and any pre-diagnosis costs.Results: The cohort was 56.7% White, 39.9% Black and 3.4% of Other race (American Indian/Alaska native, Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, two or more races and other). Most patients (93.8%) had pharmacologic treatment for OA. Inpatient admission during the 24-month follow-up period was lowest among Black patients (25.8%, p<.001 White vs. Black). In multivariable-adjusted models, mean all-cause expenditures were significantly higher in Black patients ($25,974) compared to White patients ($22,913, p<.001). There were no significant differences between White patients and patients of Other race ($22,352).Conclusions: The higher expenditures among Black patients were despite a lower rate of inpatient admission in Black patients and comparable length and number of hospitalizations in Black and White patients, suggesting that other unmeasured factors may be driving the increased costs among Black OA patients.
OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify interventions to address workplace violence in the emergency department based on direct evidence from experiences of patient assault.   METHODS We performed de novo coding and thematic analysis of datasets from two geographically distinct institutions and five different sites that contained interviews with 80 health workers.   RESULTS We identified concepts that corresponded to the micro (workers and patients), meso (organizations and clinical units), and macro (society at large, worldviews, and values) levels of the healthcare system. Within each level, potential interventions fell into the prevention, response, and recovery phases of emergency preparedness.   CONCLUSION Efforts to address workplace violence should consider interconnected influences from individual workers, organizations, and society at large. Comprehensive approaches at multiple phases of preparedness are needed to have sustained impact on safety.
TM/Landsat 5 images (April and May 2009) from Capao Bonito (SP) region where Eucalyptus urophilla, Eucalyptus grandis and a hybrid of both species have been planted were utilized in the spectral characterization of some stands that presented structural differences explained mainly by age. These images have been converted to physical values such as surface reflectance factors and from these values principal components images were generated. The dispersion of PC1 and PC2 on a bi-dimensional space has been evaluated to identify tendencies of pixels positioning. Results have shown that for young eucalyptus canopies (up to 3 years old) the positioning is well defined, occupying the lower part of the dispersion clouds and far from the graph origin (zero). This result indicates more participation of the lower portions of the canopies, which presents lower values of reflectance in the near infrared (bare soil or dry branches) and high reflectance in the visible region. The older canopies presented higher influence of photosynthetic active leaves rather than the shadowed and lower portions of the canopies. The spectral characterization of eucalyptus canopies at the two temporal set of data was consistent.
Using an energy scale based on an electrical "zero" and the ($ ensuremath{ gamma}, n$) thresholds of ${ mathrm{F}}^{19}$, ${ mathrm{N}}^{14}$, and ${ mathrm{C}}^{12}$, five ($ ensuremath{ gamma}, n$) thresholds were measured: ${ mathrm{Ag}}^{109}$, 9.14 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.05 Mev; ${ mathrm{Ag}}^{107}$ to 24-min ${ mathrm{Ag}}^{106}$, 9.43 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.05; ${ mathrm{Cu}}^{65}$, 9.89 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.11; ${ mathrm{Cu}}^{63}$, 10.80 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.04; and ${ mathrm{In}}^{115}$ to 49-day ${ mathrm{In}}^{114m}$, 9.22 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.10. Breaks, interpreted to be levels in the initial nucleus, were found at 10.47 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.02 Mev in ${ mathrm{F}}^{19}$ and 16.17 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.05 Mev in ${ mathrm{O}}^{16}$. The observed ${ mathrm{O}}^{16}( ensuremath{ gamma}, n){ mathrm{O}}^{15}$ threshold was in poor agreement with the known $Q$ value. Two half-lives were measured: ${ mathrm{F}}^{18}$, 1.83 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.02 hours and ${ mathrm{In}}^{114m}$, 49 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}1 days.
Modular Multi-level converters are the most discussed topic in the field of HVDC for AC to DC conversions. In this paper it is shown that modular multi-level converters with series connected H-bridges have the capability to convert 3-phase AC to single phase AC. Additionally M2C with full bridge modules has many degrees of freedoms in terms of frequency and voltage levels. In addition, it does not need any passive component for the AC to AC conversion like in case of resonant converters. The output single phase AC can have a wide range of frequency, independent of the 3-phase grid frequency. This ability of M2C makes it suitable for varieties of application. For example in railway electrification, the conversion from single phase AC to 3 phase AC to run the three phase motors attached to the wheels. It can be used in solid state grid application for the high frequency isolation without using isolated DC/DC converters. The control challenges of this type of the Modular Multilevel Converter are presented in this paper.
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Two types of film thickness standards have been developed, manufactured and investigated - for X-ray reflectometry (XRR), X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRR), electron probe microanalysis (EMPA) on the one hand, and ellipsometry on the other. Metrological characterisation of both specific kinds of material measures and investigation results achieved are reported. The standards for XRR, XRF, EMPA consist of quarts substrate coated with Pt resp. a C-Ni-C-layer-system with a nominal metal layers thickness of 10 nm alternatively 50 nm. An established process for manufacture of X-ray mirrors was used for coating. XRR proved to be the dominant investigation method. Apart from film thickness characteristics like film thickness variances, interdiffusion between substrate and film have been analysed. In conclusion it can be estimated that the expanded measurement uncertainty of the film thickness for XRR applications is less than 0.5 nm. The standards for calibration of ellipsometer used for film thickness determination consist of an Si-substrate and an SiO2-film. They are provided with an additional topographic structure making a topographic film thickness determination (approximately) possible. The nominal values of film thicknesses are between 6 nm and 900 nm. Film thickness determinations were effected by XRR, Scanning Force Microscopy in combination with Transmission Electron Microscopy as well as various ellipsometrical techniques. The consistency of results found by different measurement techniques is discussed.
Resonance Raman (RR) spectra of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) reported by five independent research groups have been classified as two types: sGC(1) and sGC(2). Here we demonstrate that the RR spectra of sGC isolated from bovine lung contain only sGC(2) while both species are observed in the spectra of the CO-bound form (CO-sGC). The relative populations of the two forms were altered from an initial composition in which the CO-sGC(2) form predominated, with the Fe-CO (nu(Fe)(-)(CO)) and C-O stretching modes (nu(CO)) at 472 and 1985 cm(-)(1), respectively, to a composition dominated by the CO-sGC(1) form with nu(Fe)(-)(CO) and nu(CO) at 488 and 1969 cm(-)(1), respectively, following the addition of a xenobiotic, YC-1. Further addition of a substrate, GTP, completed the change. GDP and cGMP had a significantly weaker effect, while a substrate analogue, GTP-gamma-S, had an effect similar to that of GTP. In contrast, ATP had a reverse effect, and suppressed the effects of YC-1 and GTP. In the presence of both YC-1 and GTP, vinyl vibrations of heme were significantly influenced. New CO isotope-sensitive bands were observed at 521, 488, 363, and 227 cm(-)(1). The 521 cm(-)(1) band was assigned to the five-coordinate (5c) species from the model compound studies using ferrous iron protoporphyrin IX in CTAB micelles. Distinct from the 472 cm(-)(1) species, both the 488 and 521 cm(-)(1) species were apparently un-photodissociable when an ordinary Raman spinning cell was used, indicating rapid recombination of photodissociated CO. On the basis of these findings, binding of YC-1 to the heme pocket is proposed.
OBJECTIVE To review the social-cognitive theories that have predominated in research on determinants of healthbehaviors.   METHODS Based on a literaturesearch,the theorieswere compared and critically analyzed.   RESULTS Although the theories are somewhat successful in predicting health behaviors, the social-cognitive perspective is restricted to a unidirectional, nondynamic view of behavioral change and neglects the fact that individuals may differ with respect to the life goals they pursue.   CONCLUSION Health behavior research should adopt a more integrative approach, including insights from stage and goal theories. The health behavior goal model is described as an example of such an approach.
Contact angle hysteresis (CAH) is one of the significant physical phenomena in electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD). In this work, a theoretical model is proposed to characterize electrowetting evolution on substrates with CAH, and the relationship among apparent contact angle, potential, and some other parameters is quantified. And this theory is also validated experimentally. The results indicate that our theory and equation based on energy balance succeed in describing the electrowetting response of potential with significant contact angle hysteresis. The CAH in EWOD, ranging from 0° to about 20° in electrowetting cycle, increases with the increase of voltage and climbs up to about 20° when voltage is increased to about 38 V, and then decreases to zero with the further increase of voltage.
Kinetic processes that affect the formation and ordering of the Ag-induced c 2 2 alloy at the Mo 100 surface have been investigated with low-energy electron microscopy and diffraction. A kinetic limitation to alloy formation, which is believed to be associated with the exchange of Ag for Mo surface atoms, is observed during Ag deposition below about 750 K. The controlling activation barrier is determined to be Eex =0.50±0.17 eV. These investigations also reveal that disorder is built into the alloy during the formation process to a degree that is determined by nucleation kinetics, which are governed by diffusion, and a diffusion barrier of Edif =0.25±0.03 eV is determined. This low diffusion barrier is attributed to the formation and motion of an intermediate Ag-Mo-vacancy complex prior to exchange. Evidence of desorption is also observed above 950 K with a characteristic desorption energy of Edes=2.81±0.34 eV.
Chemical analyses of 81 samples of coal from the Illinois Basin suggested the occurrences, in many instances, of a separate zinc sulfide phase. Field investigations proved this, and a number of sphalerite samples were collected for study from coals in northeastern, southeastern, and northwestern Illinois. The highest concentration of sphalerite in Illinois coals is in northwestern Illinois where sphalerite is present in all three of the coals mined. The sphalerite is generally cadmium rich; ratios of zinc to cadmium in the sphalerite samples extracted from coals range from 48/1 to 358/1. The Zn/Cd for sphalerite samples from Illinois and Kentucky that were collected from strata other than coal range from 29/1 to 1,050/1.Sphalerite occurs in coal principally as fillings in cleats (vertical fractures). Pyrite, quartz, kaolinite, and calcite are associated with the sphalerite. The paragenetic sequence began with a sulfide stage, continued with a silicate stage, and concluded with a carbonate stage. The sphalerite is epigenetic and was deposited slowly under conditions near equilibrium. The cleats provided channels in the coal along which the mineralizing solutions could move, and the coal in turn provided a suitable substrate for the bacterial reduction of sulfate to sulfide and/or a source of reduced sulfur.The sphalerite is readily removed from the coal by washing (separation by specific gravity techniques) and can be recovered. A zinc content as high as 5,350 ppm and cadmium content as high as 65 ppm, both on a whole coal basis, were observed. The economic recovery of these elements should be considered, especially when coal conversion processes are being planned.
Whether the fractal images can be applied to design, depends on the degree satisfaction of users for images. In images, colors are the main visual factors of affecting emotion; it is used as the determinant in fractal images evaluation. The evaluation of color design is nonstatistical; it is easy to bring evaluating deviation because of personal bias. Using artificial neural network, the color psychological effect is simulated, constructs the evaluation index system in affective features for fractal images and gives evaluation model in some fields, achieves a good result.
Seismic data from the North Sea, oftentimes contain poor S/N values. Sources of noise range from random bursts to coherent patterns observed throughout the dataset. In particular, coherent noise in the North Sea is produced by geologic features including a hard water bottom, chalk, out of plane faults, and in the dataset to be shown, scattering of the seismic signal due to dewatering of the Hordaland shale.
Abuse of old people is an uncomfortable concept for health professionals. The phenomenon raises important questions about how we care for the older members of society and demands scrutiny of many moral precepts, such as respect for autonomy, beneficence and non-maleficence. In common with the mistreatment of any group of individuals, elder abuse is not new, but until recently it has not been widely recognized, reflecting professional unfamiliarity with this difficult and challenging problem.
In this paper, image deblurring and denoising are presented. The used images were blurred either with Gaussian or motion blur and corrupted either by Gaussian noise or by salt & pepper noise. In our algorithm, the modified fixed-phase iterative algorithm (MFPIA) is used to reduce the blur. Then a discrete wavelet transform is used to divide the image into two parts. The first part represents the approximation coefficients. While the second part represents the detail coefficients, that a noise is removed by using the BayesShrink wavelet thresholding method.
In this paper, we discuss the realization of reduced peak power transmission for OFDM systems. Since the signals have large amplitude fluctuations in conventional OFDM systems, signals amplified by a non-linear amplifier are greatly distorted, resulting in severe performance degradation. In order to avoid this large amplitude fluctuation, we propose a scheme for reducing the non-linear distortion by using the set of the signal point series which shows low peak-to-mean-envelope-power-ratio (PMEPR) value. In this system, one symbol is transmitted with multicarriers and the received signal is detected with maximum likelihood sequence (MLS) detection.
The effect of storage temperature on methidathion degradation in orange and peach juices was studied. The insecticide was aseptically added to packed orange and peach juices, which were stored at 40, 15, and 0 degrees C. Samples were taken at regular intervals and examined for residues of methidathion. Residues were determined with a simple gas chromatographic method; recoveries of methidathion from orange and peach juices ranged from 88.1 to 110% for both juices, and the limits of determination were 0.004 and 0.003 mg/kg, respectively. The experimental data were used to evaluate rate constants, half-lives, and times required to reach legal maximum residue limits, and activation energies for the decomposition of methidathion in orange and peach juices. Storage of fruit juices in refrigerated rooms greatly extended the half-life of methidathion beyond that of methidathion in samples stored at higher temperatures. Half-life values for methidathion in orange and peach juices, respectively, were 4.1 and 3.8 days for storage at 40 degrees C, 115 and 113 days for storage at 15 degrees C, and 330 and 385 days for storage at 0 degrees C. Activation energies for methidathion degradation in orange and peach juices were 22.6 and 21.7 kcal/mol, respectively.
A test has been devised to check the validity of conventional distorted-wave impulse approximation (DWIA) treatment of knockout reactions. The conventional DWIA formalism separates the three-body final state Schroedinger equation for a knockout reaction into two two-body Schroedinger equations by assuming an asymptotic constant value for the three-body coupling term commonly known as the kinematic coupling approximation (KCA). In the test case, which consists of an extreme asymmetric situation where one of the distorting optical potentials is assumed to vanish, the three-body final state Schroedinger equation can be solved exactly as a product of two two-body solutions using one particular set of relative coordinates. Large influence of the three-body coupling term is seen in the comparison of the exact and KCA results for ({alpha},2{alpha}) and ({ital p},{ital p}{alpha}) knockout reactions when the distorting optical potentials are weakly absorbing.
Intangible assets like IP constitute a large share of the value of firms, and the US economy generally. Accurate information on the intellectual property (IP) holdings and transactions of publicly-traded firms facilitates price discovery in the market and reduces transaction costs. While public understanding of the innovation economy has been expanded by a large stream of empirical research using patent data, and more recently trademark information this research is only as good as the accuracy and completeness of the data it builds upon. In contrast with information about patents and trademarks, good information about IP licensing is much less publicly available. Although IP royalties provide large in-bound trade flows to the United States, remarkably little is known about the economic realities of IP transactions. But not only are licensing royalties economically impactful, but building a better understanding of how markets for technology operate in a modern, innovation economy is important for the transparency of markets, and to the public and policy-makers. Open data on innovation is currently siloed, fragmented, and unfederated across a number of repositories (some electronic and others physical) including the Administrative Office of the Courts, Secretary of State Offices, Copyright Office, IRS, USPTO, SEC, FDA, NSF, SBA and others, raising search and discovery costs and undermining the goals of open data. Data on “comparables” tend to be thin in the industry, a situation that may offer a sub-optimal market environment for startup firms: these young entities often rely on selling intangibles, but have low bargaining power, and limited resources to invest in search and price discovery. Disclosures of material licenses and intellectual property information to the SEC addresses a number of existing gaps, with the potential to play an expanded role. In fact, IP license information is not widely available to the public through any other federal agency, even in cases where the IP was federally funded. Thus the IP license information available through the SEC is an invaluable resource to the public. One major limitation with the existing SEC licensing information, however, is that it is often difficult to find and manipulate. An impediment arises since the data are not tagged or designed to be easily combined with other information sources. One of us, for example, has sought to determine which firms have SEC-registered patent licenses over a period of time for the purpose of establishing a public database of licenses obtained through FOIA requests. However, there is no straightforward way for the public to search for this information, in the SEC record or otherwise. The overall thrust of our comments is to commend the SEC on the valuable disclosures its requirements encourage and to recommend preserving and augmenting, rather than diminishing them, in order to 1) produce more useful data and 2) reduce the costs of discovering and using existing data disclosed to the SEC. In many cases, an SEC requirement will not require reporting entities to create new information (e.g., when disclosing patents or licenses) but it will greatly reduce the costs to third parties of searching for this information.
Phase-sensitive properties of light play a crucial role in a variety of quantum optical phenomena, which have been mostly discussed in the framework of photoelectric detection theory. However, modern detection schemes, such as arrays of on-off detectors, are not based on photoelectric counting. We demonstrate that the theory of homodyning with such click counting detectors can be established by using a proper detection model. For practical applications, a variety of typically occurring imperfections are rigorously analyzed and directly observable nonclassicality criteria are studied. Fundamental examples demonstrate the general functionality of our technique. Thus, our approach of homodyne detection with on-off detector systems is able to bridge the gap between imperfect detection and the phase resolution demands for modern applications of quantum light.
The anticipated conditions in advanced turbines for Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plants with Carbon Capture (CC) are discussed to provide researchers with accurate boundary conditions to conduct targeted research and development activities. Information was collected through reviews of existing IGCC plant conditions, system studies, permitting requirements, and industry feedback. Anticipated bulk gas phase characteristics are provided, including temperatures, pressures, mass flow rates, and compositions. Particulate loadings and sizing information are also presented; however, compositional information is limited.© 2013 ASME
Purpose: Clonal evolution of cancer may be regulated by determinants of stemness, specifically self-renewal, and current therapies have not considered how genetic perturbations or properties of stemness affect such functional processes. Glioblastoma-initiating cells (GICs), identified by expression of the cell surface marker CD133, are shown to be chemoradioresistant. In the current study, we sought to elucidate the functional role of CD133 in self-renewal and identify compounds that can specifically target this CD133+ treatment-refractory population. Experimental Design: Using gain/loss-of-function studies for CD133 we assessed the in vitro self-renewal and in vivo tumor formation capabilities of patient-derived glioblastoma cells. We generated a CD133 signature combined with an in silico screen to find compounds that target GICs. Self-renewal and proliferation assays on CD133-sorted samples were performed to identify the preferential action of hit compounds. In vivo efficacy of the lead compound pyrvinium was assessed in intracranial GIC xenografts and survival studies. Lastly, microarray analysis was performed on pyrvinium-treated GICs to discover core signaling events involved. Results: We discovered pyrvinium, a small-molecule inhibitor of GIC self-renewal in vitro and in vivo, in part through inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and other essential stem cell regulatory pathways. We provide a therapeutically tractable strategy to target self-renewing, chemoradioresistant, and functionally important CD133+ stem cells that drive glioblastoma relapse and mortality. Conclusions: Our study provides an integrated approach for the eradication of clonal populations responsible for cancer progression, and may apply to other aggressive and heterogeneous cancers. Clin Cancer Res; 21(23); 5324–37. ©2015 AACR.
Abnormal bearer session release (i.e. bearer session drop) in cellular telecommunication networks may seriously impact the quality of experience of mobile users. The latest mobile technologies enable high granularity real-time reporting of all conditions of individual sessions, which gives rise to use data analytics methods to process and monetize this data for network optimization. One such example for analytics is Machine Learning (ML) to predict session drops well before the end of session. In this paper a novel ML method is presented that is able to predict session drops with higher accuracy than using traditional models. The method is applied and tested on live LTE data offline. The high accuracy predictor can be part of a SON function in order to eliminate the session drops or mitigate their effects.
UNLABELLED Peptides derived from the human transferrin receptor stimulate endosomal acidification via a Gi-type protein.   BACKGROUND Acidification of the endosomal compartment is a prerequisite for intracellular processing of endocytosed complexes. Endosomal acidification is accomplished by an H+-ATPase, in parallel with a Cl- conductance. Previous studies from our laboratory have demonstrated that endosomal acidification is modulated by a pertussis toxin-sensitive mechanism, suggesting that endosomal acidification could be regulated through a self-contained signal transduction pathway. This study was designed to test this hypothesis using the transferrin receptor as a model.   METHODS Synthetic peptides corresponding to a region of the cytosolic domain of the transferrin receptor and containing a KPKR sequence were used to stimulate endosomal acidification in a G-protein-dependent manner.   RESULTS Peptides activated the Gi, as evidenced by stimulation of the rate of GTPgammaS binding. A transferrin receptor peptide that lacked the KPKR sequence did not stimulate endosomal acidification and failed to promote GTPgammaS binding to Gi proteins.   CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that regulation of endosomal acidification can be achieved, in part, through a Gi-mediated signal transduction pathway. These findings suggest that regulation of endosomal acidification through such a pathway may facilitate intracellular processing of the transferrin receptor.
Mushroom structures are widely applied for not only composite right/left‐handed (CRLH) dispersion of guided waves but also electromagnetic band gap (EBG) characteristic of surface waves. This chapter introduces a metamaterial‐mushroom antenna array in LTCC for broadband and high‐gain operation at millimeter wave (mmW) bands. The unique working principle of the CRLH‐mushroom antenna is illustrated to realize broad bandwidth with low profile. The EBG characteristic of surface waves is utilized to achieve low mutual couplings between the CRLH‐mushroom antenna elements in a large‐scale array. The exemplified 60 GHz LTCC metamaterial‐mushroom antenna array demonstrates the merits of low profile, broad bandwidth, high gain, high efficiency, low cross‐polarization levels, and distinctive self‐decoupling capability.
B y 1700, the two European nations generally regarded as having the most advanced capitalist culture, England and the Netherlands, had moved further away than any country in Europe from subjecting their citizens to overtly forced labor. Slave ships brought the occasional slave back to England and advertisements offering slaves for sale were seen in Liverpool and Bristol newspapers. It is nevertheless inconceivable that London, Liverpool, Nantes, or Amsterdam could have received complete cargoes of Africans on slave ships to be sold in public markets, as Lisbon and Cadiz did throughout the eighteenth century. Yet these northern European cities were in countries with the harshest and most closed systems of exploiting enslaved non-Europeans in the Americas. Further, England and the Netherlands came to dominate Europe's relations with the rest of the world: the Dutch specializing in Asia, and the English in the Americas. The contrast between Europe's social institutions and values at home and their counterparts in European-controlled overseas territories became acute in the seventeenth century and forms the focus of the present work. The major issues are simply stated. First, why would Europeans revive slavery at the time of Columbian contact, when the institution had disappeared from large parts of Europe, and then, three centuries later, begin to suppress it? Second, why would that slavery be located almost exclusively in the Americas? Third, why would the slaves in this system be exclusively of non-European descent?
This case study investigates the evolution of an arterial commercial strip along a previously residential street in a medium-sized American city. The hypothesis that gasoline stations and other automobile-oriented businesses first colonized the street on a block by block basis is supported. However, equally meaningful relationships between commercial land uses and shifts to multiple - family, absentee-owned housing are also examined as are the relationships between the street's changing social makeup and commercial reorientation. A five stage model of strip development is proposed.
In this study, the proteomic, morphometric, and photosynthetic pigment data of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) accessions were combined together to show their impact on genetic variation in order to establish a relationship between protein patterns and phenotypic behavior of the plant. Seeds of 18 collected purslane accessions were cultivated based on a completely randomized design with three replicates. Before the flowering stage, the data on morphology, photosynthetic pigment content, and seed proteins were obtained. The results showed a significant difference among purslane accessions in terms of the most studied agronomic characteristics and the content of photosynthetic pigments and proteins. The cluster analysis of the 18 purslane accessions based on agronomic data, and photosynthetic pigment content, and protein pattern data produced three main clusters. Moreover, the seed protein analysis revealed that the two polymorphic protein bands of size 40 kDa (protein “a”) and 30 kDa (protein “b”) effectively diversified the agronomic, photosynthetic pigment, and phylogenetic relationships among the purslane accessions. Interestingly, protein “a” was produced in plants growing in low altitude areas and played a suppressive role for TDW, while protein “b” was produced in plants growing in high altitude areas and functioned as an activator agent for this trait. Overall, the outcomes of the present study indicated the presence of high genetic variability (77.6%) among the purslane accessions. These findings suggest that these proteins should be sequenced for further proteomic analyses and can be used for hybridization to generate useful recombinants in segregating generations and improve breeding varieties of P. oleracea.
Diarylethene photochromic switches use light to drive structural changes through reversible electrocyclization reactions. High efficiency in dynamic photoswitching is a prerequisite for applications, as is thermal stability and the selective addressability of both isomers ring-opened and -closed diarylethenes. These properties can be optimized readily through rational variation in molecular structure. The efficiency with regard to switching as a function of structural variation is much less understood, with the exception of geometric requirements placed on the reacting atoms. Ultimately, increasing the quantum efficiency of photochemical switching in diarylethenes requires a detailed understanding of the excited-state potential energy surface(s) and the mechanisms involved in switching. Through studies of the temperature dependence, photoswitching and theoretical studies demonstrate the occurrence or absence of thermal activation barriers in three constitutional isomers that bear distinct π-conjugated systems. We found that a decrease in the thermal barriers correlates with an increase in switching efficiency. The origin of the barriers is assigned to the decrease in π-conjugation that is concomitant with the progress of the photoreaction. Furthermore, we show that balanced molecular design can minimize the change in the extent of π-conjugation during switching and lead to optimal bidirectional switching efficiencies. Our findings hold implications for future structural design of diarylethene photochromic switches.
Thermodynamic parameters of configurons - elementary excitations resulting from broken bonds in amorphous materials - are found from viscosity-temperature relationships. Glass-liquid transition phenomena and most popular models are described along with the configuron model of glass transition. The symmetry breaking, which occurs as a change of Hausdorff dimension of bonds, is examined at glass-liquid transition. Thermal history effects in the glass-liquid transition are interpreted in terms of configuron relaxation.
Oleaster trees exhibiting proliferation symptoms, were observed in gardens of Qazvin, East Azerbaijan and Isfahan provinces, Iran. Since the symptoms were suggestive of phytoplasma presence, samples were tested by PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene sequences using phytoplasma universal primers P1/P7 in direct PCR, and R16F2n/R16R2 in nested PCR assays. This resulted in the amplification of a DNA fragment of the expected size (1, 250 bp) in all the symptomatic plants. The nested PCR products were sequenced and BLAST analysis comparison showed the highest identity (99%) with phytoplasma strains enclosed in the 16SrII group, phylogenetic analysis confirmed that oleaster proliferation phytoplasma is a ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia’-related strain. This is the first report of a 16SrII group phytoplasma in oleaster in Iran.
The bacterial cell wall is primarily composed of a mesh of glycan strands cross-linked by peptide bridges and is essential for safeguarding the cell. The structure of the cell wall has to be stiff enough to bear the high turgor pressure and sufficiently tough to ensure protection against failure. Here we explore the role of various design features of the cell in enhancing the toughness of the cell wall. We explain how the glycan strand length distribution, the degree of cross-linking and the placement of the cross-links on the glycan strands can act in tandem to ensure that the cell wall offers sufficient resistance to propagation of cracks. Further, we suggest a possible mechanism by which peptide bond hydrolysis, via judicious cleaving of peptide cross-links, can act to mitigate this risk of failure. We also study the reinforcing effect of MreB cytoskeleton, which can offer a degree of safety to the cell wall. However, we show that the cross-linked structure of the cell wall is its primary line of defense against mechanical failure.
This paper considers the problem of multiple disjoint sources localization using time difference of arrivals (TDOA) and frequency difference of arrival (FDOA) with sensor position and velocity errors. By exploiting the observation that the multiple disjoint sources exhibit the same sensor location errors, the influence of sensor location errors can be greatly alleviated. The CTLS technique, as a natural extension of LS when noise occurs in all coefficients and the noise components of the coefficients are algebraically related, is more appropriate for the above problem, and a localization algorithm based on constrained total least-squares (CTLS) for estimating the positions and velocities of multiple disjoint moving sources with sensor location errors is proposed. Simulation results show that the proposed estimator achieves remarkably better performance than the two-step weighted least squares (WLS) approach, which makes the Crame r-Rao lower bound (CRLB) at a sufficiently high noise level before the threshold effect occurs.  Index Terms—first term, second term, third term, fourth term, fifth term, sixth term
In ecumenical circles, John 17:11b, 21–23 has been understood as Jesus’ prayer for church unity, be it confessional or structural. This article questioned such readings and conclusions from historical, literary and sosio-cultural viewpoints. The Fourth Gospel’s language is identified as ’antilanguage’ typical of an ’antisociety’, like that of the Hermetic, Mandean and Qumran sects. Such a society is a separate entity within society at large, but opposes it. Read as a text of an antisociety, John 17:11b, 21–23 legitimises the unity of the separatist Johannine community, which could have comprised several such communities. This community opposed the Judean religion, Gnosticism, the followers of John the Baptist and three major groups in early Christianity. As text from the canon, this Johannine text legitimates tolerance of diversity rather than the confessional or structural unity of the church.
Three-dimensional photonic-crystal grains were found in the scales of the longhorn beetle Prosopocera lactator (Cerambycidae). The local geometric structure can be described as a face-centered-cubic array of spheres, connected by short rods, reminiscent of the "ball-and-stick" models used by solid-state chemists to visualize atomic structures. Based on scanning electron microscopy, x-ray nanotomography, optical measurements, photonic band-structure calculations, and computer simulations of the reflectance, the desaturated greenish coloration is shown to arise from the observed photonic polycrystalline structure. X-ray nanotomography is revealed as a very promising tool for photonic-crystal morphology studies.
The production of species of oxygen free radicals is a normal consequence of aerobic metabolism, and is also associated with activated macrophages and polymorphonuclear leucocytes. The presence of abnormally high concentrations of such radicals is associated with chronic inflammatory conditions, particularly neoplasia, where radical-generating cells are continuously activated. Sites of chronic inflammation can be environments of low pH probably resulting from lactic acid production. This decrease in pH causes the release of potentially dangerous metal ions, in particular Fe(ll) and Cu(l), from proteins such as caeruloplasmin and transfenin I I I. These transition metal ions are implicated in areas of biological damage due to their involvement in Fenton reaction with H?@leading to the generation of reactive hydroxyl radicals 121 and autocatalytic peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acid residues of membrane lipids 131. Heparins are strongly acidic glycosaminoglycan components of mast-cell granules, from which they are released during inflammatory reactions to tissue damage: the structurally related heparan sulphates are components of pericellular matrices. Several observations suggest a possible role for such molecules in protecting tissue from radical damage 141. Heparin enhances the activity in vivo of superoxide dismutase and, in addition to a role in releasing endothelium-bound superoxide dismutase, heparin itself may have some superoxide dismutase activity in vifro 151. Cultured endothelial cells were protected by heparin from damage by oxygen radicals generated by a xanthine / xanthine oxidase system 161. I t has been suggested that such glycosaminoglycans possess structural features which might allow them to act as free-radical sinks 171. Heparins and heparan sulphates possess a variety of anionic groups which allow the molecules to interact with a range of biologically relevant microand macrocations. Such interactions are complex and not explicable in terms of simple electrostatic theory. I t is probable that they lead to changes in the biological potentials of both partners in the interaction. Copper and iron cations are among those that bind strongly to heparins. Despite considerable experimental work and debate on the mechanisms by which certain other metal cations interact with heparins. and discussion of the biological roles of these interactions. little is known about the processes of iron-cation-heparin interaction. In this transaction. we demonstrate the antioxidant activity of heparin over a range of pH values and compare this activity to that of the acute-phase protein caeruloplasmin, by measurement of the formation of u.v.-absorbing conjligated dienes. an early stage of lipid peroxidation. y-linolenic acid (octadeca-6,9,I2-trienoic acid), polyoxyethylene ether o1 I y-dodecyl-o-hydroxypoly(0xyethane1 ,2-diyl)l, heparin (from porcine intestinal mucosa: lot no. 29F 0314) and caeruloplasmin (lot no. 19F 9457) were obtained from Sigma Chemical Co., Poole, Dorset, IJ.K. Degrees of hydration of the average dimer of heparin used in the calculation of the molecular mass of the hydrated average disaccharide repeat unit was discussed in an earlier communication 181. Ferrous ammonium sulphate (Specpure grade) was from Johnson Matthey, Royston, Herts., U.K. Other materials were Analar grade reagents from BDH, Poole. Dorset, U.K. The method was essentiallv that of Knight and Voorhees 191. The antioxidant ( in water; heparin i t I mm~l.dm--~: caeruloplasmin at 0.26 pmol.dm 3 ) and polyoxyethylene ether ( i n water: I%w/v) were mixed at 37OC in a spectrophotometer cell and allowed to equilibrate for 10 min before addition of y-linolenic acid (in 95%, v/v, ethanol; 0.3 mmol.dm-3) and incubated for a further 5 min. Ferrous ammonium sulphate (in de-oxygenated water; 25 ymol.dm 3 ) was then added, and the change in absorbance measured at 233 nm. A control was included which involved replacing the antioxidant with water. De-ionised and distilled water was used to make up the reagents, which had the noted concentrations in a final reaction volume of 3 cm-3. The pH was varied using dilute hydrochloric acid and dilute sodium hydroxide. Table 1. Antioxidant activity ot hepann and caeruloplasmn
White rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (SS) is one of the most devastating plant diseases of sunflower. Controlling this pathogen by available tools hardly result in acceptable control. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of plant resistance inducers, BTH (benzothiadiazole in Bion 50 WG) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on disease development of white rot in three sunflower genotypes. Defence responses were characterized by measuring the disease severity and identifying cellular/ histological reactions (e.g. autofluorescence) of host plants upon infection. Depending on the host genotype, a single application of inducers reduced disease symptoms. Histological examination of host responses revealed that BTH and/or AMF pre-treatments significantly impeded the development of pathogenic hyphae in Iregi szürke csíkos and P63LE13 sunflower plants and it was associated with intensive autofluorescence of cells. Both localized and systemic induction of resistance was observed. Importantly, the frequency of mycorrhization of hybrid P63LE13 and PR64H41 was significantly increased upon BTH treatment, so it had a positive effect on the formation of plant-mycorrhiza interactions in sunflower. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the additive effect of BTH on mycorrhization and the positive effect of these inducers against SS in sunflower.
Prior to full electric conversion, internal combustion engines will still maintain a paramount position in heavy goods and earth-moving vehicles. The most promising, cleaner alternative to fossil fuels is biodiesel. While it does not require alterations in the engine design, hence no major overhaul of existing infrastructure, biodiesel is more sustainable and clean-burning than petro-diesel. Extensive research has been reported on the effect of biodiesel blends, on the operational characteristics of compression ignition (CI) engines as well as the emissions behaviour of such engines. The performance characteristics of CI engines under transient operational conditions with Biodiesel blends has had limited attention so far from researchers. In the present work, transient performance characteristics of a CI engine has been evaluated for various biodiesel blends and its effects on performance behaviour have been quantified. In addition, emission footprints of CI engines under various transient operational conditions have also been enumerated.
Lithium–sulfur batteries are regarded as promising candidates for energy storage devices owing to their high theoretical energy density. However, severe self-discharge due to the dissolution and shuttle effect of polysulfides hinders the practical application of Li–S batteries. In this work, we present a strategy to entrap sulfur in a mesoporous FePO4/carbon nanocomposite that relies on a chemical process, in which FePO4 bonds with sulfur to form S–O chemical bonds for high performance Li–S batteries. The prepared S/FePO4/C nanocomposite exhibits excellent cycling performance. It delivers an initial discharge capacity of 953.8 mA h g−1 and a discharge capacity of 550.8 mA h g−1 can be reserved after successive cycling for 500 cycles with a capacity decay rate of 0.05% per cycle at 0.5C. Also, the S/FePO4/C electrode exhibits extremely low self-discharge behavior. The cell voltage is stabilized at a high value of approximately 2.9 V after 7 days' rest with S/FePO4/C as the cathode. Even after 30 days' rest, the potential is still maintained at about 2.7 V, demonstrating an extremely low rate of self-discharge. In addition, both the areal capacity and the volumetric capacity of the S/FePO4/C electrode are superior to those of the S/carbon electrode, indicating its promising application in practical Li–S batteries.
Optimizing water distribution systems is an essential part of water resources allocation planning. It leads to challenging combinatorial optimization problems, for which meta-heuristics have been applied, notably genetic algorithms and ant colony optimization. The present paper introduces the application of the physarum algorithm, a recent biologically inspired algorithm, utilized hitherto for path finding problems in networks. Direct comparison is presented to ant colony optimization applied to a typical water supply system.
The International Council for Standardization in Hematology (ICSH) is a not‐for‐profit organization aimed at improving global quality and harmonization of analytical methods, and achieving reliable and reproducible results in diagnostic hematology. ICSH co‐ordinates Working Groups of experts to examine laboratory methods and instruments for hematological analyses, and co‐operates with different international organizations which have similar scientific goals. Among seven ongoing approved projects, three ICSH projects have been selected and will be presented in the ICSH session at the XXVIIth ISLH International Symposium on Technological Innovations in Laboratory Hematology in The Hague, on May 2014. The project on ‘Guideline for flow cytometric evaluation of patients with suspected acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)’ covers different aspects of the application of immunophenotyping by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) in the diagnosis of AML and MDS including integration into multimodal diagnostic workflow, quality control, antibody selection, interpretation of findings, reporting, and personnel. Data from the pilot study of the project for ‘International Standardization of Hematology Reporting Units’ suggest that there is a wide variation in reporting units for the routine blood cell count and highlights the areas of nomenclature and units of measurement where standardization is necessary and feasible, such as units for cell counts, white cell differentials, and hemoglobin concentration. The project on ‘Standardization of HbA2 measurement and its implications for clinical practice’ starts from the observation that different instruments give different results for hemoglobin A2; it is aimed at producing recommendations as to how instrument manufacturers and laboratories should assess their equipment before using it to analyze patient samples. These projects are examples of how the ICSH represents a great opportunity for scientists involved in hematology laboratory to participate in a process of expert collaboration and discussion all around the world.
Eye tracking is more accurate and less intrusive method to detect the affective state than other current physiological sensing methods. This paper aims to investigate the degree to which this affective state is automatically recognised from eye tracking signals, namely pupillary responses. We tracked fourteen players while they interacted with a virtual gaming environment, designed to elicit different affective states corresponding to the arousal and valence dimensions of Russell's circumplex model. Pupillary response features with luminosity compensation is used for automatic affect recognition. Moreover, pupillary response features based on the Hilbert transform are proposed to improve the recognition performance. The results demonstrated that the recognition of a player's affective state on both dimensions were successful with pupillary response features and using the Hilbert transform improve the recognition performance up to 76.0% and 61.4% on arousal and valence, respectively. This highlights the potential of affect-aware gaming interfaces based on pupillary responses sensing.
Abstract. Cherty limestones, marls and radiolarites are widespread in the Hallstatt Mélange of the Northern Calcareous Alps. The mélange was formed during the Neotethyan orogeny in a series of deep-water basins that progressively developed in front of the advancing nappe front. The low thermal overprint of these rocks favors the good preservation of radiolarians (polycystines) that have been used for dating and reconstructing the Jurassic tectonostratigraphy of the area. This paper describes rich Middle—Late Jurassic radiolarian faunas from four localities in the Hallstatt Mélange near Bad Mitterndorf in Austria. Two different successions, both spanning from the Bathonian to the Oxfordian, are dated. In the first succession, the radiolarites are intercalated between or occur as matrix in mass-flow deposits originating from the accretionary wedge. The second succession is nearly 100m thick but is devoid of mass-flow deposits and documents a continuous radiolarite deposition in greater distance from the nappe stack. Both successions are ascribed to the Sandlingalm Basin, which evolved on a relatively distal continental margin during early stages of the orogeny. The highly diverse and well-preserved radiolarian assemblages have been used for a detailed taxonomic study. Two new families are described: Minocapsidae n. fam. and Xitomitridae n. fam.; six new genera are described Doliocapsa n. gen., Crococapsa n. gen., Parvimitrella n. gen., Xitomitra n. gen., Campanomitra n. gen., and Mizukidella n. gen. In addition, one new replacement name, Takemuraella (pro Triversus), is introduced, the diagnoses of 6 genera are emended, and two new species are described: Hemicryptocapsa nonaginta n. sp. and Mizukidella mokaensis n. sp.
Dibutyryl cyclic AMP, and alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor stimulators are all able to elicit inotropic effects. alpha- and beta-Adrenoceptor stimulation are known to change each myocardial contraction-relaxation cycle differently. In order to elucidate the myocardial function of cyclic AMP the effects of dibutyryl cyclic AMP on the contraction-relaxation cycle of isolated rat heart papillary muscle were examined and compared to the effects of alpha-and beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, respectively. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (in the presence of propranolol) increased developed tension (Tmax) by 18%, rate of tension rise (T'max) by 46%, rate of tension fall (T'min) by 62% and onset-rate of relaxation (T"min) by 136%. These changes in the contraction-relaxation cycle were strikingly similar to those produced by isoprenaline (beta-adrenoceptor stimulation). The response to dibutyryl cyclic AMP, however, developed much more slowly than did the response to isoprenaline. The latter effect was associated with cyclic AMP elevation in a way indicating a trigger function for cyclic AMP. The alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation (by phenylephrine combined with propranolol), however, increased measures both for contraction and for relaxation by about the same degree, and the effects occurred without changes of cyclic AMP contents. Phenylephrine alone (combined alpha-and beta-adrenoceptor stimulation) elicited a substantial cyclic AMP elevation but gave mechanical effects only slightly different from the pure alpha-adrenergic response. Thus cyclic AMP effects did not seem to be fully expressed in this case. As a whole, the results indicate that the effects of both dibutyryl cyclic AMP and of isoprenaline are mediated by the cyclic AMP-system while alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation involves other mechanisms.
Recent evidence shows that the ‘home bias puzzle’ in international trade may be associated with the mere presence of national borders (McCallum (1995)). In this Paper we provide a theoretical framework to explain why borders may matter so much for trade. Our argument is that even between perfectly integrated and similar countries the legal system differs, so that legal costs are higher when business is done abroad. Using a matching model of trade, we show that the home bias is associated with both less searching foreign sellers in the home market and a lower probability of cross-border matches being accepted. In industries characterized by high turnover legal costs may reduce trade because reducing the mass of searching foreign sellers and increasing at the same time that of searching domestic sellers.
Objectives Low-dose opioids are used for the palliation of pain, breathlessness and cough in advanced chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. The authors wanted to determine any potential barriers or facilitators to opioid administration in patients with CHF by assessing their knowledge, concerns and attitudes to morphine therapy. Methods Semistructured interviews were held with a purposive sample of 10 men with symptoms of CHF. Data were analysed using a constant comparative approach until thematic saturation. Results Four key areas emerged: medication use; symptoms; prior morphine experience; and attitudes, concerns and anxieties regarding morphine use. Despite polypharmacy, participants said that morphine would be acceptable if it was monitored by a trusted healthcare professional. Many patients had experienced morphine before, often in life-threatening situations such as myocardial infarction, when it had helped greatly. Opioids were not strongly associated exclusively with death and dying (in contrast to patient reports in the cancer literature). Conclusions Although some concerns about morphine were expressed, these did not appear to override a willingness to consider its use if recommended by a trusted clinician. However, some participants perceived that their doctor was concerned about its use, holding it as a last reserve. Morphine appears to be an acceptable breathlessness treatment option to these people with CHF. Prescribers may need education and reassurance if these medicines are to be used to their full potential and views may be different in other communities.
Burkholderia sp. strain BC1, a soil bacterium, isolated from a naphthalene balls manufacturing waste disposal site, is capable of utilizing 2-hydroxy-1-naphthoic acid (2H1NA) and naphthalene individually as the sole source of carbon and energy. To deduce the pathway for degradation of 2H1NA, metabolites isolated from resting cell culture were identified by a combination of chromatographic and spectrometric analyses. Characterization of metabolic intermediates, oxygen uptake studies and enzyme activities revealed that strain BC1 degrades 2H1NA via 2-naphthol, 1,2,6-trihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene and gentisic acid. In addition, naphthalene was found to be degraded via 1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydronaphthalene, salicylic acid and gentisic acid, with the putative involvement of the classical nag pathway. Unlike most other Gram-negative bacteria, metabolism of salicylic acid in strain BC1 involves a dual pathway, via gentisic acid and catechol, with the latter being metabolized by catechol 1,2-dioxygenase. Involvement of a non-oxidative decarboxylase in the enzymic transformation of 2H1NA to 2-naphthol indicates an alternative catabolic pathway for the bacterial degradation of hydroxynaphthoic acid. Furthermore, the biochemical observations on the metabolism of structurally similar compounds, naphthalene and 2-naphthol, by similar but different sets of enzymes in strain BC1 were validated by real-time PCR analyses.
Much clinical and ethnographic evidence suggests that humans, like many other organisms, are selected to avoid close inbreeding because of the fitness costs of inbreeding depression. The proximate mechanism of human inbreeding avoidance seems to be precultural, and to involve the interaction of genetic predispositions and environmental conditions. As first suggested by E. Westermarck, and supported by evidence from Israeli kibbutzim, Chinese sim-pua marriage, and much convergent ethnographic and clinical evidence, humans negatively imprint on intimate associates during a critical period of early childhood (between ages 2 and 6). There is also much evidence that, like other social animals, humans do not seek to maximize outbreeding, but rather to maintain an optimal balance between outbreeding and inbreeding. Close inbreeding reduces fitness through inbreeding depression, but some inbreeding brings the benefits of nepotism. For simple, stateless, horticultural societies, the optimal balance seems to be achieved by a combination of precultural inbreeding avoidance of relatives with an r 2= .25 and cultural rules of preferential marriage with kin with r «£ .125. Adjustment of the coefficient of inbreeding to other ecological settings seems to be largely cultural. An interactive model of "culture in nature" is presented, in which culture is seen as coevolving with genes to produce the maximization of individual inclusive fitness.
Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have shown broad application prospects in the field of photovoltaic devices due to their unique quantum confinement and edge effects. Here, we prepared GQDs by a photon-Fenton reaction as reported in our previous work, which has great advantage in the preparation scale. The photoelectric properties of the inverted hybrid solar cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT):(6,6)-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methylester (PCBM):GQDs and P3HT:GQDs with different contents of GQDs as the active layers are demonstrated, as well as their morphology and structure by atomic force microscopy images. Then, the different roles of GQDs played in the ternary (P3HT:PCBM:GQDs) and binary (P3HT:GQDs) hybrid solar cells are studied systematically. The results indicate that the GQDs provide an efficient excition separation interface and charge transport channel for the improvement of hybrid solar cells. The preliminary exploration and elaboration of the role of GQDs in hybrid solar cells will be beneficial to understand the interfacial procedure and improve device performance in the future.
One-to-one supervision has been widely acknowledged in the social work literature as the gold-standard approach in field education. However, the sustainability of this approach has been challenged in recent decades amidst the managerial mandates permeating both education and health/human service sectors. Universities and placement organisations have experimented with alternative supervision approaches in response to these contextual pressures, although the research on these alternatives is limited at this point. In an attempt to contribute to the emerging research base, this article reports on a three-year trial of a multi-modal supervision approach involving the systematic application of individual and collective supervision modes within each student placement. The study explored the supervision experiences of 128 Master of Social Work students participating in the multi-modal supervision trial across five health networks in Melbourne, Australia. The study adopted a mixed-methods research design involving surveys followed by interviews. The findings suggest that, although one-to-one supervision is integral, students value the combination of one-to-one and collective supervision, provided that supervision content is student-centred; and that inter-personal trust and mutual engagement imbue the supervisory process. Ultimately, the study points to the importance of both content and relationships in the supervisory process, irrespective of the supervision mode employed.
The equilibrium climate response to the total effects (direct, indirect and semi-direct effects) of aerosols arising from anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions on the South Asian summer monsoon system is studied using a coupled atmosphere-slab ocean model. Our results suggest that anthropogenic and biomass burning aerosols generally induce a reduction in mean summer monsoon precipitation over most parts of the Indian subcontinent, strongest along the western coastline of the Indian peninsula and eastern Nepal region, but modest increases also occur over the north western part of the subcontinent. While most of the noted reduction in precipitation is triggered by increased emissions of aerosols from anthropogenic activities, modest increases in the north west are mostly associated with decreases in local emissions of aerosols from forest fire and grass fire sources. Anthropogenic aerosols from outside Asia also contribute to the overall reduction in precipitation but the dominant contribution comes from aerosol sources within Asia. Local emissions play a more important role in the total rainfall response to anthropogenic aerosol sources during the early monsoon period, whereas both local as well as remote emissions of aerosols play almost equally important roles during the later part of the monsoon period. While precipitation responses aremore » primarily driven by local aerosol forcing, regional surface temperature changes over the region are strongly influenced by anthropogenic aerosols from sources further away (non-local changes). Changes in local anthropogenic organic and black carbon emissions by as much as a factor of two (preserving their ratio) produce the same basic signatures in the model's summer monsoon temperature and precipitation responses.« less
For three different sizes of graphene nanosheets, we computed the Density of states when these nanosheets are progressively doped with an increasing percentage of S i atoms. The pure graphene nanosheets are semi conducting or not depending on their size. The pure silicene nanosheets are conducting with a conduction due to π (pi) electrons. The S i doped graphene nanosheets are also semi conducting or not depending on their size: for small sizes, there are semi conducting and they become conducting for larger sizes and larger percentages of S idoping. We computed also the total electronic energy which is linked to the mechanical stability of all our nanosheets. This mechanical stability decreases regularly as a function of the S i percentage of doping , but for the pure silicene nanosheets, the mechanical stability decreases more abruptly.
Much of Cracking India’s scholarship focuses on how the text provides a representation of gendered trauma during Partition. These analyses, however, overlook the reader’s role, which minimizes literary works to analyzable objects rather than interactive opportunities. Following the work of postcolonial trauma scholars such as Steph Craps, Abigail Ward, and Jay Rajiva, I argue that postcolonial trauma narratives are crucial spaces of testimony in which the ongoing traumatic effects of colonialism intersect with reader engagement. Using Dori Laub’s trauma interview model, I examine how Bapsi Sidhwa uses the narrative techniques of perspective, time, and presence in Cracking India to implicate the reader as a witness in gendered postcolonial trauma affecting women. In pairing the examination of how narrative technique engages the reader as a witness with current scholarship on gender in Sidhwa’s novel, I show how such consideration of the reader speaks to how gendered violence contributes to postcolonial identity formation over time.
Accurate acquisition of asynchronous motor rotor flux plays a significant part in the high-performance motor speed regulation system. For that reason, this paper gives the advantages and disadvantages of various methods for motor rotor flux observation based on the studying of them, also application guides are given. Finally, a combination model based on the voltage model of rotor flux observer and the current model of rotor flux observer is given, and simulation analysis based on the combination model is carried out by Matlab/Simulink to verify the effectiveness of it.
Acinetobacter baumannii is an ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) opportunistic pathogen, with poorly defined natural habitats/reservoirs outside the clinical setting. A. baumannii arose from the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-A. baumannii complex as the result of a population bottleneck, followed by a recent population expansion from a few clinically relevant clones endowed with an arsenal of resistance and virulence genes. Still, the identification of virulence traits and the evolutionary paths leading to a pathogenic lifestyle has remained elusive, and thus, the study of nonclinical (“environmental”) A. baumannii isolates is necessary. We conducted here comparative genomic and virulence studies on A. baumannii NCMBI8209 isolated in 1943 from the microbiota responsible for the decomposition of guayule, and therefore well differentiated both temporally and epidemiologically from the multidrug-resistant strains that are predominant nowadays. Our work provides insights on the adaptive strategies used by A. baumannii to escape from host defenses and may help the adoption of measures aimed to limit its further dissemination. ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii represents nowadays an important nosocomial pathogen of poorly defined reservoirs outside the clinical setting. Here, we conducted whole-genome sequencing analysis of the Acinetobacter sp. NCIMB8209 collection strain, isolated in 1943 from the aerobic degradation (retting) of desert guayule shrubs. Strain NCIMB8209 contained a 3.75-Mb chromosome and a plasmid of 134 kb. Phylogenetic analysis based on core genes indicated NCIMB8209 affiliation to A. baumannii, a result supported by the identification of a chromosomal blaOXA-51-like gene. Seven genomic islands lacking antimicrobial resistance determinants, 5 regions encompassing phage-related genes, and notably, 93 insertion sequences (IS) were found in this genome. NCIMB8209 harbors most genes linked to persistence and virulence described in contemporary A. baumannii clinical strains, but many of the genes encoding components of surface structures are interrupted by IS. Moreover, defense genetic islands against biological aggressors such as type 6 secretion systems or CRISPR-cas are absent from this genome. These findings correlate with a low capacity of NCIMB8209 to form biofilm and pellicle, low motility on semisolid medium, and low virulence toward Galleria mellonella and Caenorhabditis elegans. Searching for catabolic genes and concomitant metabolic assays revealed the ability of NCIMB8209 to grow on a wide range of substances produced by plants, including aromatic acids and defense compounds against external aggressors. All the above features strongly suggest that NCIMB8209 has evolved specific adaptive features to a particular environmental niche. Moreover, they also revealed that the remarkable genetic plasticity identified in contemporary A. baumannii clinical strains represents an intrinsic characteristic of the species. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baumannii is an ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) opportunistic pathogen, with poorly defined natural habitats/reservoirs outside the clinical setting. A. baumannii arose from the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-A. baumannii complex as the result of a population bottleneck, followed by a recent population expansion from a few clinically relevant clones endowed with an arsenal of resistance and virulence genes. Still, the identification of virulence traits and the evolutionary paths leading to a pathogenic lifestyle has remained elusive, and thus, the study of nonclinical (“environmental”) A. baumannii isolates is necessary. We conducted here comparative genomic and virulence studies on A. baumannii NCMBI8209 isolated in 1943 from the microbiota responsible for the decomposition of guayule, and therefore well differentiated both temporally and epidemiologically from the multidrug-resistant strains that are predominant nowadays. Our work provides insights on the adaptive strategies used by A. baumannii to escape from host defenses and may help the adoption of measures aimed to limit its further dissemination.
The ‘dehesas’ are savannah-like semi-arid grasslands typical of western Spain, which are subject to strong inter-annual variations in biomass production. Over a 20-year period, from 1986 to 2005, above-ground biomass and the nutritional quality of these grasslands in the province of Salamanca (western Spain) were evaluated to determine the relationships between interannual variations in grassland parameters and climate variables (precipitation and temperature). Herbage samples were collected from several sites, along a topographic gradient that differentiated two types of herbaceous communities on the upper and lower part of the slope. Nutritional quality was assessed on the basis of protein, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, lignin and digestibility. On both the upper and lower zones, total biomass and biomass of grasses were correlated with annual precipitation calculated from the previous October to the current June. Biomass of legumes and forbs, on the upper zones, was correlated with spring precipitation. Step-wise multiple regression analysis provided different models for grasses, legumes, forbs, and total biomass for the upper and lower zones. Protein concentration was negatively correlated with annual precipitation in both zones of the slope. The number of days in spring with precipitation (≥1 mm or ≥10 mm) was a good predictor of the lignin content and digestibility in both zones of the slope, and of the acid detergent fibre content on the upper zones and the neutral detergent fibre content on the lower zones.
In a solar thermal power generation system, image processing of the reflected light spot of a heliostat is a very important part of the system, which greatly affects the thermal conversion efficiency of the heliostat, and the calculation of the center point of the reflected light spot is a crucial part. To ensure the accuracy and efficiency of center positioning in the calculation of heliostat reflected light spot center points, this study suggests a technique that combines the Steger method and the grayscale center of gravity method. Through building a test site, collecting light spot data, and conducting experimental verification, the results show that under strong light conditions, the approach suggested in this article is more accurate in determining the center point than the established gray center of gravity method. and the calculation speed is also faster, providing a reference for subsequent research on the calculation of the center point of the heliostat reflection light spot.
Trajectory prediction of road users in real-world scenarios is challenging because their movement patterns are stochastic and complex. Previous pedestrian-oriented works have been successful in modelling the complex interactions among pedestrians, but fail in predicting trajectories when other types of road users are involved (e.g., cars, cyclists, etc.), because they ignore user types. Although a few recent works construct densely connected graphs with user label information, they suffer from superfluous spatial interactions and temporal dependencies. To address these issues, we propose Multiclass-SGCN, a sparse graph convolution network based approach for multi-class trajectory prediction that takes into consideration velocity and agent label information and uses a novel interaction mask to adaptively decide the spatial and temporal connections of agents based on their interaction scores. The proposed approach significantly outperformed state-of-the-art approaches on the Stanford Drone Dataset, providing more realistic and plausible trajectory predictions.
Mass extinctions of marine invertebrates have been attributed to genetic depauperation in specialized lineages. Tridacna maxima is a plausible modern analog of the lineages that were commonly associated with mass extinctions; it is restricted to a relatively stable biogeographic province, lives in shallow water, is highly specialized, and is associated with reef communities. Our studies show, however, that it is highly polymorphic and heterozygotic, and thus fails to support the depauperate gene-pool hypothesis of mass extinction.
Micro-cantilevers have rapidly developed in to a new sensor technology because of their features like small size, fast response and high sensitivity. Conventional methods for fabricating microcantilevers are centred either etching in glass and silicon or using lithography. The major problem is that the traditional method to fabricate microcantilevers are not only expensive but also time consuming. It needs infrastructure and well monitored clean room environment which demands large initial investment. This paper describes an economical method of sequential micro-milling and micro-moulding process. In this method replica of micro-cantilever beam is made on a Brass substrate using micromilling method and then micro-cantilever is produced by using PDMS as moulding material followed by micro-moulding process.
Nurturing students who cherish commitment to democratic values remains to be one of fundamental desires on the perpetuation of democracy in Kenya since independence. In pursuit for this desire, the categorisation of public secondary schools have remained to be a cardinal instrument toward realisation of this democratic goal. This study was designed to explore the potential of various categories of public secondary schools in influencing students’ commitment to democratic values in Kiambu County, Kenya. In so doing the study sort to find whether there were significant differences in commitment to democratic values between students attending; National schools, Extra-County schools, County schools and Sub-County schools. The study was carried out among public secondary schools in Kiambu County, Kenya. A total of 384 students were involved drawn from target population of 28,213 Form IV students using stratified proportionate random sampling procedure. The study results revealed that, there were statistical significant differences in commitments to democratic values among students attending; National schools, Extra-County schools, County schools and Sub-County schools at F (3, 339) = 16.73, p =0.001, p < 0.05 with Tukey’s test indicating National schools were significantly different from other three categories of public secondary schools (which did not have significant difference among them).Multiple regression on categorisation of schools yielded a significant regression equation (F (4, 338) = 12.790 p<0.001) with R2 of 0.131.Thus, confirming that, there were variations in influence of different categories of public secondary schools on students’ commitment to democratic values.
Various equations for the determinations of total chlorophyll and individual amounts of chlorophylls a and b in extracts from plant tissues exist (see Holden, 1976) and some of them (e.g. Arnon, 1949) are widely used. Additional modifications to the equations have also been developed so as to permit an estimate of total carotenoids to be made from the spectrum of the same mixture in diethyl ether (Ziegler & Egle, 1965; Gaudillire, 1974). During the course of studies that involved the use of various solvents we noted large discrepancies (>40%) between estimations made using the different published equations for particular solvents, all of which were known to contain the same amount of pigments. Taking advantage of a t.1.c. method (Lichtenthaler 8t Pfister, 1978) that permits a distinct separation of the two chlorophylls and also the major carotenoids using light petroleum (b.p. 40-6O0C)/dioxane/propan-2-ol (7 :3 : 1, by vol.) as developing solvent, fresh samples of chlorophyll a and b uncontaminated with each other were readily available for re-evaluation of the published specific absorption coefficients. Those values published by Smith & Benitez (1955), using diethyl ether, were found to be still the most acceptable, and relative specific absorption coefficients to these values were established (Table 1) for various other solvents. The red peak maxima of the chlorophylls were shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing polarity of the solvents; in our case diethyl ether, acetone, 80% (v/v) acetone, 96% (v/v) ethanol and methanol. The red absorption peaks of the chlorophylls were also broadened in the same sequence and the values for the specific absorption coefficients decreased. At the same time suitable values for total carotenoids at 470nm were also determined. On the basis of these coefficients the following equations were derived to determine the individual levels of both chlorophyll a (C,) and chlorophyll b (C,) and the total amounts of carotenoids (Cx+c) and chlorophylls (C,+ C,) [in pg.(ml of plant extract)-'] the measured absorbance values (A) at different wavelengths:
The proposed paper compares tied-arch bridge alternatives and cable-stayed bridge alternatives based on needed load-bearing construction material amounts in the superstructure. The comparisons are prepared between four tied arch bridge solutions and four cable-stayed bridge solutions of the same span lengths. The sum of the span lengths is 300 m. The rise of arch as well as the height of pylon and cable arrangements follow optimal dimensions. The theoretic optimum rise of tied-arch for minimum material amount is higher than traditionally used for aesthetic reason. The optimum rise for minimum material amount parabolic arch is shown in the paper. The mathematical solution uses axial force index method presented in the paper. For the tied-arches the span-rise-ration of 3 is used. The hangers of the tied-arches are vertical-The tied-arches are calculated by numeric iteration method in order to get moment-less arch. The arches are designed as constant stress arch. The area and the weight of the cross section follow the compression force in the arch. In addition the self-weight of the suspender cables are included in the calculation. The influence of traffic loads are calculated by using a separate FEM program. It is concluded that tied-arch is a competitive alternative to cable-stayed bridge especially when asymmetric bridge spans are considered.
A lattice L is said to be regularly embedded in a complete lattice K if there exists an isomorphic mapping of L into K which preserves all least upper and greatest lower bounds that exist in L. With the MacNeille completion by cuts every lattice can be regularly embedded in a complete lattice. And if the lattice is a Boolean algebra, then its completion by cuts is also a Boolean algebra. In general, however, this embedding does not preserve lattice structure; there are examples of distributive lattices whose completions by cuts are not even modular. On the other hand every lattice L can be embedded in the complete lattice of its ideals which satisfies every identity that holds in L. This embedding preserves greatest lower bounds but does not preserve infinite least upper bounds. Recently A. Horn has asked whether or not any distributive lattice can be regularly embedded in some complete distributive lattice. Here this question is answered in the negative. We show with an example that there exists a distributive lattice which cannot be regularly embedded in a complete modular lattice. What appears to be most important in the example is the lack of certain continuity laws. If we impose such a law on a lattice, then a structure preserving regular embedding is possible. Following [2] let us define a subset A of a lattice L to be a complete ideal if for every element aEL and every subset SCA for which US exists in L we have
SUMMARY: Protein synthesis and phosphorylation were studied in Metarhizium anisopliae. Calmodulin (CaM) and CaM-target proteins were found in conidia and germlings of M. anisopliae. Conidial uptake of [35S]methionine and [32P]orthophosphate and their incorporation into protein was massively reduced by known antagonists of CaM, depletion of intracellular Ca2+ by ionophoresis or antagonism of Ca2+ with La3+, agents which prevented nuclear division and germination. Inhibitors of C-kinase (H-7) and cyclic-nucleotide-dependent kinase (H-8) selectively repressed phosphorylation of a 27 kDa protein but did not affect the profile of protein synthesis nor change germination frequency and mode of growth. By contrast, inhibitor and ionophoresis studies on mycelia showed that extracellular secretion of proteins but not protein synthesis was Ca2+-dependent. Protein phosphorylation in mycelia was also Ca2+-dependent/ CaM-independent. CaM antagonists stimulated phosphorylation of 17 and 33 kDa polypeptides. Most proteins in mycelia were phosphorylated at serine and threonine residues. However, immunoblotting with anti-phosphotyrosine serum revealed prominent bands at 34.5 and 38 kDa. The 38 kDa protein was detectable on isolated plasma membranes. Our results suggest that M. anisopliae possesses stimulus transduction pathways similar to those known in plant and animal systems.
ABSTRACT The diffusion characteristics of high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes with respect to hydrocarbons are investigated at temperatures of 22±1°C and 6±1°C. Results are reported for an aqueous solution of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX). The partitioning coefficient obtained from sorption/immersion test is shown to be effectively the same as that from desorption test. Both conventional untreated (HDPE) and fluorinated (f-HDPE) geomembranes are examined and it is shown that a fluorinated layer on the surface of an HDPE geomembrane increases its resistance to the permeation of BTEX penetrants by about a factor of 2.4 at 22°C and 1.8 at 6°C. An Arrhenius relationship is developed that could be used for estimating hydrocarbon permeation at different temperatures between 6°C and 22°C for both the HDPE and f-HDPE geomembranes examined.
There are growing concerns about the possible hazards of electromagnetic waves emitted by mobile phones on human health. One of the biggest concerns is their possible association with increased risk of cancer and their possible effects on cellular DNA. Electromagnetic waves can inflict their results through both thermal and non-thermal effects. There are many animal studies that show that electromagnetic waves have a wide range of damaging effects on the male reproductive system and sperm parameters. However, similar studies are quite limited in humans, and the results of animal studies should be interpreted with caution when considering their application to humans. Large controlled studies are required before confirming such possible effects on male fertility.
A reliable requirement model for resource of multimedia collaboration called “RMCS_HNE” was proposed for situation-aware middleware such as home network environment. RMCS_HNE model was used to detect and recover the resource errors for smart multimedia collaboration system among actions in distributed home network environment. An example of situation-aware applications is a smart home network system. A smart home network system for distributed multimedia holds the promise of greatly improving all forms of collecting remote data to show. The model for smart home network system aims at guaranteeing it through application fault tolerance.
The connection between the rotation matrix in hexagonal lattice coordinates and an angle-axis quadruple is given. The multiplication law of quadruples is derived. It corresponds to multiplying two matrices and gives the effect of two successive rotations. The relation is given between two quadruples that describe the same relative orientation of two lattices owing to their hexagonal symmetry; a unique standard description of the relative orientation is proposed. The restrictions satisfied by rotations generating coincidence site lattices (CSL's) are derived for any value of the axial ratio ρ = c/a. It is shown that the law for cubic lattices, where the multiplicity Σ of the CSL is equal to the lowest common denominator of the elements of the rotation matrix, does not always hold for hexagonal lattices. A generalization of this law to lattices of arbitrary symmetry is given and another, quicker, method of determining Σ for hexagonal lattices is derived. Finally, convenient algorithms are described for determining bases of the CSL and the DSC lattice.
Background/Aim Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common forms of liver cancer that is modulated by the immune system. Programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) has emerged as a novel therapeutic target in various cancers. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an immunosuppressive enzyme that is associated with poor prognoses in various cancer types. The aim of this study was to investigate the PD-L1 expression, and clinicopathological features of non-HCV and non-HBV-associated HCC patients, including IDO expression. Patients and Methods In this study, immunohistochemical analysis was performed to analyze the expression of PD-L1 and IDO. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded HCC tumor tissues (n=50) were obtained from the pathology department, at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) in Lahore, Pakistan between 2005 and 2022. All the patients were HBV and HCV negative. Furthermore, it was a rare group of patients with no previous history of any viral hepatitis. In addition, for categorical and continuous variables chi-square or Fisher exact test and Mann–Whitney U-test was performed. Results Of 50 tissue specimens, PD-L1+ was observed in 21 [high: 12 (24%), low: 9 (18%)] and PD-L1- was observed in 29 HCC patients. IDO+ was observed in all 50 specimens [high: 42 (84%), low: 8 (16%)]. Additionally, both PD-L1 and IDO had high expression in 11 (22%) patients. While both PD-L1 and IDO had low expression in 2 (4%) patients. Furthermore, in IDO+/PD-L1- group, 20 (69%) out of 29 patients died while in the IDO+/PD-L1+ group, 9 (43%) out of 21 patients died. Conclusion Evaluation of IDO and PD-L1 expression may add therapeutic advantage in non-HCV and non-HBV-associated HCC patients that overexpress IDO. Further validation in a larger cohort is warranted.
The Mouse Factory contains a set of web-based, active learning laboratories for teaching statistical quality control and design of experiments. The sixth laboratory in the Mouse Factory Learning suite is gauge reproducibility and repeatability (R&R). Learning materials from the Mouse Factory foster higher-order cognitive skills utilizing an active learning approach. The current pedagogy in today’s classrooms is often based upon lectures and homework problems from textbooks. This approach typically focuses on the knowledge and application domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The current pedagogy removes students from applying higher order cognitive skills. Students will conduct gage repeatability and reproducibility studies using gage blocks constructed from a high-resolution rapid prototyping machine. Students use commonly found measuring instruments including a steel rule, dial caliper, digital caliper, micrometer and digital micrometer. The cubes were constructed with varying amounts of variability in the height, width and depth dimensions facilitating different outcomes. Assessment of student performance and perceptions (behavior and attitudes) from a small-scale (initial) pilot study will be measured, evaluated and discussed.
EGFR mutation status is considered as an important predictor of therapeutic responsiveness in non-small-cell lung carcinoma patients. Recent evidence suggests that antioxidant gene polymorphisms are potential predictors of lung cancer risk. Thus, stratification of EGFR mutation-related phenotypes by antioxidant gene polymorphism status can be an effective approach in terms of improving the prognosis of lung cancer patients. The present study was designed to evaluate the distribution frequency of antioxidant gene polymorphisms in lung adenocarcinoma, as well as its association with hotspot EGFR mutations. The study findings revealed that a statistically significant association exists between EGFR L858R mutation and AG + GG genotypes of SOD rs4880 polymorphism. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis data revealed that compared to AA genotype of SOD rs4880, AG + GG genotypes were significantly associated with advanced cancer stage and distant metastasis. Taken together, these findings can be utilized clinically to predict cancer aggressiveness, metastatic, potential and therapeutic responsiveness of lung cancer patients.
Abstract This paper examines the implied standard deviation (ISD) estimated from transactons data on options, using the Black-Scholes pricing model. It was found that the distribution of the ISD is symmetric, though not normal. Also, the ISD based on the last daily observation deviates significantly from the daily average ISD. It is suggested that the daily average is a more reliable estimate of the standard deviation.
Objective To compare the effects of atypical antipsyehoties treatment on PS0 sensory gating in first-episode schizophrenics. Methods The P50 auditory evoked potential was recorded by using conditioning-testing stimulus paradigm and stimulus train paradigm in 36 normal controls and 53 first-episode schizophrenics be-fore and after treatment,and compare the difference of P50 sensory gating after treatment. Results Before treat-ment, compared with control group, the atypical groups both had statistic difference of T-P50 amplitude ((1.01±0.88)μV, (0.68±0.64)μV, (0.58±0.47)μV), P50 suppression ((0.61±0.27), (0.54±0.22, (0. 59± 0.19)) in conditioning-testing stimulus paradigm and P50 amplitude,P50 suppression evoked by high frequency stimuli in stimulus train paradigm(P 0.05). After treat-ment,compared with control group, there was no statistic difference in olanzapine and elozapine groups of T-P50 amplitude and P50 suppression in conditioning-testing stimulus paradigm, but the difference in risperidone and que-tiapine groups still obviously(P 0.05). Compared within atypical groups, the difference of P50 amplitude and P50 suppression were both obviously(P<0.05). Conclusion Each a-typical antipsychotic has different effect on P50 sensory gating;and the conditioning-testing stimulus paradigm and stimulus train paradigm P50 sensory gating may reflect different central neuron mechanism.    Key words:  Atypical antipsyehotie;  First-episode schizophrenics;  P50 sensory gating
Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) has been considered promising for fish farming in Mekong region. Tambaqui has a high output production in continental fish farming just after shrimp, catfish and tilapia. The industrial production of tambaquis for export markets is expected to increase, requiring the diversification of processed products from this fish. It’s normally sold in retail fresh or frozen, whole, or gutted. Therefore present study was conducted to identify the effect of salt soaking time, salt concentration, dry temperature and stability of the dried tambaqui filler with prerservation time. Results of present study revealed that best quality of the dried tambaqui fillet could be obtained when dried tambaqui fillet treated with 1.0% salt for 1.5 hours and drying at 60 o C to 28% moisture content. This application could preserve the dried tambaqui fillet for 9 months in PA bag without any deterioration.
Objective: To describe granuloma annulare (GA) skin lesion development in patients during anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. Methods: 199 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 127 suffering from spondyloarthropathies treated with anti-TNF antagonists were analysed to identify skin lesions suggesting GA. Results: Nine cases of GA during anti-TNF therapy (123 treated with infliximab, 57 with adalimumab and 17 with etanercept) for rheumatoid arthritis were identified. Two have been treated with infliximab, six with adalimumab and one with etanercept, and here the development of GA was 4.5%. No patient with spondyloarthropathies developed such skin lesions. All patients developed the generalised form of GA. None had or developed diseases, or conditions known to be associated with GA. In seven patients the skin eruptions developed during the first year of anti-TNF treatment, while they developed in two patients during the second year. Two patients had to stop anti-TNF therapy due to the extent of skin lesions. All patients responded well to the local corticosteroid therapy. Conclusions: Our series strongly supports a link between TNF inhibition and the development of GA in some patients. When dealing with patients on these agents physicians should be aware of possible adverse events and the potential development of such complications.
Federated learning ensures the privacy of fault diagnosis by maintaining a decentralized and local training data approach, eliminating the need to share confidential information with a central server. However, the performance of trained models tends to significantly deteriorate when applied to completely unseen domains. To address this challenge, this paper introduces a novel method called federated domain generalization with a global robust model aggregation strategy. Our proposed method can collaboratively train a model with outstanding generalization ability and robustness to unseen target domains in a data-protecting way. Specifically, a maximum mean discrepancy is introduced in the central server to reduce the discrepancy of features from different source clients. Meanwhile, classification loss across source domains is designed as the weights for local model aggregation in the central server. Finally, experimental results under two different bearing fault datasets show that our method obtains higher classification accuracy than other compared methods, which demonstrates that the proposed method has better generalization ability and is promising in real industrial applications.
MicroRNAs (miRNA/miRs) have been associated with the initiation and progression of non‑small‑cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hence, a comprehensive understanding of the association between dysregulated miRNAs and NSCLC may contribute to the identification of novel therapeutic methods for patients with NSCLC. MiRNA‑433 (miR‑433) has been reported to be dysregulated in numerous types of human cancers; however, its expression pattern, biological roles and associated mechanisms in NSCLC require further investigation. The present study aimed to detect miR‑433 expression and determine its roles and underlying molecular mechanisms in NSCLC. In the present study, reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed that miR‑433 was significantly downregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. This decreased miR‑433 expression was strongly associated with the tumor node metastasis stage and lymph node metastasis of patients with NSCLC. Cell Counting kit‑8 and cell invasion assays revealed that the resumption of miR‑433 expression decreased the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells. Bioinformatics analysis predicted E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) as a potential target of miR‑433. Luciferase reporter assay, RT‑qPCR and western blot analysis further demonstrated that E2F3 was a direct target of miR‑433 in NSCLC. E2F3 downregulation induced by small interfering RNA exhibited inhibitory effects similar to those of miR‑433 overexpression in NSCLC cells, and the restored E2F3 expression counteracted the suppressive effects on NSCLC cells induced by miR‑433 overexpression. Therefore, miR‑433 may inhibit the progression of NSCLC, at least in part, by targeting E2F3. The present study indicated that miR‑433 may be investigated as an innovative candidate target for the therapy of patients with this fatal disease.
ABSTRACT The influence of four seasons per year on semen characteristics and levels of testosterone and cortisol in Nelore and Simental bulls was studied. Five Nelore and five Simental bulls extensively managed, at 48-72 months old were evaluated for sexual soundness using physical and morphological characteristics of semen and serum levels of testosterone and cortisol. In Simental bulls there was decreased motility and vigor of semen (P<0.05) during winter. There was a correlation (P<0.01) between testosterone x motility (0.69) and testosterone x vigor (0.57) in the Simental breed and cortisol x motility (0.68) and cortisol x vigor (0.65) in Nelore the breed. The effect of seasons during the year changed the semen quality with increased sperm motility and vigor in spring-summer in Simental bulls. The cortisol level decreased in autumn in Nelore bulls. Keywords: bull, testosterone, cortisol, semen, seasonality INTRODUCAO  A baixa eficiencia reprodutiva em touros pode ser causada por mudancas climaticas que afetam a gametogenese (Vale Filho, 2001). A queda na qualidade do semen pode ocorrer em razao do
Decision-making on mega-projects is beset by a multitude of problems. Cost overruns and disappointing achievements are already well documented. Some of these pitfalls appear in the initial stages of the decision-making: the absence of an appropriate problem analysis, the lack of alternatives, ambiguities about scope, no programme of functional requirements, flawed process architecture and the dissemination of contested information. But all sorts of uncertainties arise in the long periods between the initiative and the start of operations. Very often, unforeseen developments are triggered by political discontinuity and market dynamics. This paper helps to address this situation by providing an overview of the impact of market dynamics and political discontinuity (which are sometimes interrelated) on decision-making on mega-projects. We analyse these impacts and attempt to determine ways in which project managers could deal with them. The identification and allocation of risks among public and private players is a crucial variable. The paper aims to contribute to theories of decision-making on mega-projects and puts forward practical recommendations for the relevant parties.
In many calculations of attributable risk (AR), there are a number of parameters (excess risks, exposure rates, and so on) that are not known accurately, and one should take into account the variability in these parameters in determining a range of ‘plausible values’ of the attributable number (AN) of incidences due to the exposure. This is often done through simple tabulation of extreme combinations of the factors, but this can give a spurious picture of the real dimensions of the attributable risk. In this paper we describe graphical displays leading to more accurate evaluations of the AN range using multiple box plots, and a multiple regression approach to deciding on the most sensitive parameters for display in this way. The methods are illustrated by giving calculations of the ANs for lung cancer and for heart disease attributed to exposure to active and passive smoking. These expand analyses previously given by the United States EPA, the Australian NH&MRC and the United States OSHA.© 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Owing to the unique advantages, hierarchical TiO 2 nanostructures have several advantages in solar fuel production. In this work, a single step approach has been demonstrated to control both crystal phase and morphology of TiO 2 with 3D urchin-like structure via a surfactant-free solvothermal route. The growth principle of 3D hierarchical structure with phase-engineered band-alignment, role of mixed solvent ratio H 2 O:HCl and reaction parameters are finely tuned and investigated systematically. An optimum percentage of anatase (41%) to rutile (59%) in the mixed phase TiO 2 (AR-2) shows an excellent photocatalytic H 2 generation activity of 5753 μmol g -1 after 5 h of irradiation with an apparent quantum yield of 20.9% at 366 nm and 4.5% at 420 nm. The superior performance of AR-2, attributed to efficient separation of charge carriers through phase-junction as apparent from the transient photocurrent ( i-t ) response and photoluminescence (PL) study. The 3D urchin-like pure rutile TiO 2 (R-1) composed of nanorods shows enhanced photocatalytic activity than pure anatase (A-1) and pure rutile TiO 2 nanoparticles, underlying the role of morphology. The best performing mixed phase 3D TiO 2 shows excellent durability up to 25 h and is further demonstrated to produce 3522 μmol g -1 of H 2 under natural sunlight highlighting its potential for long-term viable application.
Electromagnetic wave generation and resulting cross-field diffusion of plasma are considered at a tangential discontinuity, which characterizes the magnetopause for northward interplanetary magnetic field. Two-dimensional hybrid (particle ions, massless fluid electrons) simulations, in which the tangential discontinuity is generated self-consistently via a stream-stream interaction, are used to show that wave growth occurs when the ambient magnetic field is predominantly perpendicular to the direction of the density gradient. Low-frequency (≪ ion gyrofrequency) waves, with amplitudes δB/B≤0.2 and anticorrelated density fluctuations δn/n≤0.6, are generated at the discontinuity, resulting in cross-field diffusion that is comparable to the Bohm rate. Both the fluctuation level and the lack of ion heating in the calculations are consistent with observations at the magnetopause. The magnitude of the diffusion is considered in the presence of numerical effects and in the context of the inferred diffusion rate at the magnetopause. The relation of the low-frequency waves and their consequences to faster growing, short-wavelength waves due to the lower hybrid drift instability is also addressed. The overall conclusion of this initial study is that diffusion due to low frequency waves is not likely to be a major effect at the magnetopause.
DURING flight tests at Goodyear Aircraft Corporation it was necessary to ascertain the exact location of the airplane with respect to its plotted course. For this purpose a camera was so mounted in the airplane that it was stabilized with respect to earth co-ordinates in three axes while the airplane was undergoing turns and random maneuvers. Two types of servo (stabilization systems) were considered, a motor-and-gear drive system, and a rate gyro system. The motor-and-gear system proved the more suitable. A torque source drive system is presently being investigated. A prototype has been built, and testing has begun.
Belt conveyors are widely used in bulk material conveying. The rail conveyor is a new type of conveyors, which combines the advantages of belt conveyor and railroad transportation, and is more energy-saving and efficient than belt conveyors. To ensure the stable operation of the rail conveyor, inspection of the sections along its route is required. It is difficult to apply the inspection robot of belt conveyors to the rail conveyor due to the novel structure and extra inspection targets. In this paper, we propose an inspection robot for the rail conveyor. The robot is designed based on support carriages on the rail conveyor, which uses the conveyor rail as its own running rail, uses the conveyor running power as its own moving power, and carries detection devices for the track and the belt to realize the inspection along the rail conveyor. Since the proposed inspection robot is larger and heavier than support carriages, it may affect the normal operation of the conveyor when installed. In this paper, a reliability analysis method for the inspection robot is proposed, including the carry side, return side and the turnaround wheel. The inspection robot is fully adapted to the working conditions and inspection requirements of the rail conveyor, and the proposed reliability analysis method can guide the optimal design of the inspection robot.
This study aimed at studying the effect of the quality and thickness of PEDOT:PSS buffer layer that used in organic solar cells, on the performance of the cell. The effect of diluting the PEDOT:PSS dispersion with methanol on the morphology and thickness of the thin layer was studied using SEM and AFM. The results showed the dilution with 1:2. The effect of the buffer layer thickness on the performance of the solar cells based on P3HT:PCBM was studied using AFM and I-V measurements. It was found that a layer of thickness 40 nm is optimum for the best performance.
Hollow conduits of natural or synthetic origins have shown acceptable regeneration results in short nerve gap repair; however, results are still not comparable with the current gold standard technique “autografts”. Hollow conduits do not provide a successful regeneration outcome when it comes to critical nerve gap repair. Enriching the lumen of conduits with different extracellular materials and cells could provide a better biomimicry of the natural nerve regenerating environment and is expected to ameliorate the conduit performance. In this study, we evaluated nerve regeneration in vivo using hollow chitosan conduits or conduits enriched with fibrin-collagen hydrogels alone or with the further addition of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a 15 mm rat sciatic nerve transection model. Unexpected changes in the hydrogel consistency and structural stability in vivo led to a failure of nerve regeneration after 15 weeks. Nevertheless, the molecular assessment in the early regeneration phase (7, 14, and 28 days) has shown an upregulation of useful regenerative genes in hydrogel enriched conduits compared with the hollow ones. Hydrogels composed of fibrin-collagen were able to upregulate the expression of soluble NRG1, a growth factor that plays an important role in Schwann cell transdifferentiation. The further enrichment with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells has led to the upregulation of other important genes such as ErbB2, VEGF-A, BDNF, c-Jun, and ATF3.
We designed to screen pathogenic genes related to the occurrence and development of oral buccal mucosa cancer by whole genome microarray and analyze the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. The golden hamster model of buccal mucosa cancer was established by induction with DMBA. cRNAs labeled with Cy3 were synthesized and hybridized with Agilent Whole Rat Genome Arrays containing 41,000 genes/ESTs. A Venn diagram analysis was performed to screen the continuously abnormally expressed genes. Our results show 5,255 significantly differentially expressed genes in golden hamster pouch mucosa during the progression of normal buccal mucosa to squamous cell carcinoma, of which 2,896 genes were up-regulated and 2,359 genes were down-regulated. Twenty-two genes were significantly differentially expressed at all stages of buccal mucosa carcinogenesis. Metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450 and the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway were closely related to each stage of buccal mucosa carcinogenesis. The expression changes of Eaf2, an up-regulated gene, and Ecg2, a down-regulated gene, determined by RT-PCR were consistent with the microarray. In conclusion, expression changes of various genes were involved in different stages of buccal mucosa carcinogenesis. The continuously abnormally expressed genes (Pthlh, Cyp2b13, Serpinb3, Cyp4b1, Ecg2, Btc, Krt10, Eaf2 and Trim2) at all stages of buccal mucosa carcinogenesis are important candidate genes for dynamic observation of the occurrence, development and prognosis of cancer. Searching for various effective inhibitors of xenobiotic metabolism by cytochrome P450 and the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway may suggest a therapy for the treatment and chemoprevention of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
The portrayal of alcohol on British television was examined in a systematic sample of 50 programmes broadcast in 1988. Nearly three-quarters of the programmes contained visual or verbal references to alcohol. On average, there was a reference to alcohol in every six and a half minutes of programming. Alcohol was most prominently featured in fictional programmes, particularly in one soap opera, Eastenders. A third of the programmes showed specific brands of alcohol. It is estimated that the portrayal of alcohol in Britain's most popular programmes is worth pounds 487 million of free promotion to the alcohol industry per annum. Nevertheless, in comparison with an earlier study, carried out in 1986, there appeared to be fewer alcohol images. A number of recommendations are made for further action and monitoring of alcohol portrayal.
Low-dose edoxaban and enoxaparin sodium have been the subject of a retrospective comparison implemented with the propensity score technique in order to mitigate the effects of the differences in the basal clinical features of two cohorts and minimize the risk of bias. Subsequently, using a Cox proportional-hazards model, the association of each type of therapy with the risk of the composite of all-cause death, stroke/transient ischemic attack, hospitalizations and major bleeding events was assessed. For this analysis, a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Therapy with enoxaparin and liver cirrhosis as causing thrombocytopenia were associated with increased risk of the composite endpoint (enoxaparin: hazard ratio (HR): 3.31; 95% CI: 1.54 to 7.13; p = 0.0023; liver cirrhosis, HR: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.002 to 1.089; p = 0.0410). Conversely, edoxaban therapy was significantly associated with decreased risk of the composite endpoint (HR: 0.071; 95% CI: 0.013 to 0.373; p = 0.0019). Based on this retrospective analysis, edoxaban at low doses would appear as an effective and safe pharmacological tool for the prophylaxis of cardioembolic events in patients with AF and thrombocytopenia.
The overlay integration of low-power femtocells over macrocells in a heterogeneous network (HetNet) plays an important role in dealing with the increasing demand of spectral efficiency, coverage and higher data rates, at a nominal cost to network operators. However, the downlink (DL) transmission power of an inadequately deployed femtocell causes inter-cell interference (ICI), which leads to severe degradation and sometimes link failure for nearby macrocell users. In this paper, we propose an adaptive network sensing (ANS) technique for downlink power control to obviate the ICI. The simulation results have shown that the ANS power control technique successfully decreases the cell-edge macro user’s interference and enhances the throughput performance of macro users, while also optimizing the coverage and capacity of the femtocell. When compared with the Femto User Equipment (FUE)-assisted and Macro User Equipment (MUE)-assisted power control technique, the proposed technique offers a good tradeoff in reducing interference to macro users, while maintaining the quality of service (QoS) requirement of the femtocell users.
When the brushless doubly-fed induction generator (BDFIG) connects to the power grid, the reactive power capacity of the BDFIG is an essential issue, especially when the grid voltage drops. In this paper, the active power and reactive power of the BDFIG are derived, the power region based on the power winding current and voltage, the control winding current and the rotor speed is analyzed, the capacity of absorbing the reactive power is constrained by the power winding stator current, while the output reactive power capacity of the BDFIG is dominated by the CW stator current. Furthermore, the gird-connected control method is developed, and the expected power is achieved. The simulation results verify the correctness of the control method and the reactive power tracking performance of the BDFIG.
Decisions about patterns for grouping students, assigning staff members, and housing pupils and programs are central to the operation of school systems. In the October 1964 REVIEW, studies bearing upon these topics were discussed in separate chapters by Anderson and by Conrad and Griffith. Their inclusion in this single chapter reflects, in part, the judgment that the amount of recent research done in any one of them is insufficient to require its independent treatment. More significantly, this clustering testifies to the growing tendency to recognize the interrelatedness of student grouping, staff utilization, and school facilities for purposes of educational planning and research. The concept which provides the unifying theme for this chapter is that of allocative strategies in which pupils, staff members, materials, and facilities are considered resources which can be organized in various mixes to produce educational experiences. Literature reviewed herein includes (a) sources which report current patterns in the allocation of such resources and (b) studies which comment upon outcomes associated with particular allocative patterns.
The purpose of this paper is to fully observe the differences in the structure of the audiences attending permanent museum collections and to point to museums’ present day tasks. While the introductory part examines the problematic concerning museum audiences and the varieties of museum programs, the main portion of the paper presents the results of an analysis of the numbers and the structure of museum visitors in two periods set half a century apart: 1951–1961 and 2001– 2011, with a control group: a more complete analysis of 2013’s visitors. The analysis of attendance during the fifties and the beginning of the 21st century was conducted on the basis of existing physical materials from the museum’s internal archive, while the control analysis of 2013 attendance was conducted by a search of an electronic database. The research pointed to significant differences in the structure of the visitor body in different periods, whether they were concerning the company arriving (individuals or organized groups), or their residence (in or out of town). In the 1950s, town residents were the dominating visitors. They were frequenting the museum of their own accord, in their leisure time, as per their own wishes and needs, led by the desire to have a cultural experience and an informal self-education. Half a century later, with a broad spectrum of new media offering pastimes that were unavailable before, the audience was dominated by organized groups arriving from out of town; predominantly students on excursions. These differences indicate that there was a big shift in the function of permanent museum collections in the last fifty years. Their role as permanent educators of local population has significantly diminished, but their role as a leading tourist attraction has inflated nonetheless.
A new class of approximations for the bit error rate (BER), the symbol error rate (SER), and the outage of wireless digital communication systems impaired by fading and noise is derived. As compared to conventional high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) approximations [1], these new approximations are better by an order of magnitude in the high SNR regime and retain their accuracy for a wider range of SNRs. They require the first two terms of the Taylor expansion of the channel probability density function (PDF). The resulting approximations for two diversity combiners, multiple-antenna eigenmode transmission and several important modulation schemes are developed.
Summary The geology of Middle East is summarized under the subheadings: Precambrian basement, epicontinental sediments, geosynclinal and shelf deposits, Tertiary volcanics and Quaternary cover. The main tectonic episodes including epeirogenic movements, rifting and the Tertiary orogeny, are reviewed. The imposition of hydrometeorolocal and climatic conditions upon the regional geology provides the setting for the hydrogeological discussion. Five factors which influence infiltration to aquifers under conditions of low precipitation and high potential evaportranspiration are discussed. The predominance of fossil groundwater is the most striking hydrogeological phenomenon occurring on a regional scale in the Middle East. Its mode of formation during the pluvials is outlined and the isotopic evidence is reviewed. The main physical and chemical characteristics of fossil ground-waters are described. It is conservatively estimated that some 65 000 km3 of good- to medium-quality groundwater are stored in the great artesian basins of the Near East. These fossil ground-waters are a non-renewable natural resource. Current annual abstraction is, as yet, a small percentage of the total reserves but economic factors rather than the volume of reserves will determine the ultimate extent of their exploitation. The renewable groundwater resources of the Middle East tend, by comparison, to be of local rather than regional significance. Some originate outside the Middle East, coming in as surface flows in the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates and infiltrating into the sediments in and adjacent to the flood plains. Other renewable resources accumulate within the region where high precipitation and mountainous relief are associated. Such areas include the Djebel Akhdar of Cyrenacia, the Tertiary fold mountains from the Taurus through the Zagros to the Oman ranges, and the volcanic and basement highlands of Yemen, Asir and Ethiopa. Locally, in areas of lower precipitation, lenses of recent fresh groundwater float on regional more saline groundwater. In some areas subsurface flows towards and through wadi systems are also of importance.
The purpose of this retrospective study was to verify preoperative local parameters of periapical lesions evaluated on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans as a potential prognostic factor in endodontic microsurgery (EMS). Among 89 cases, local factors (dimensions of lesion, bone destruction pattern, presence/absence of cortical bone destruction, height of buccal bone plate, apical extend of root canal filling, presence/absence of communication with anatomical cavities, type of lesion restriction) were measured on preoperative CBCT images before EMS. At least one year after surgery, the outcome of EMS was classified as a success or a failure. Ten cases (11.24%) were classified as a failure and 79 as a success (88.76%). Symptomatic lesions (OR = 0.088 (95% CI 0.011–0.731); p = 0.024), apicomarginal lesions (OR = 0.092 (0.021–0.402); p = 0.001) and an association with molar teeth (OR = 0.153 (0.032–0.732); p = 0.019) were found as negative predictive factors in the univariate analysis, whereas large apicocoronal dimension (OR = 0.664 (0.477–0.926); p = 0.016), apicomarginal lesions (OR = 0.058 (0.006–0.55); p = 0.013), and an association with molar teeth (OR = 0.047 (0.003–0.869); p = 0.04) were identified as negative predictive factors in the multivariate analysis model. Symptomatic lesions, apicomarginal lesions, lesions associated with molar teeth and large apicocoronal dimensions are significantly associated with the failure of EMS.
We explored the relationship between self-reported attachment styles and levels of anxiety symptoms and depression in a sample of 12-year-old children. Participants completed a simplified version of Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) single-item measure of attachment style and self-report measures of anxiety and depression. Results showed that 20.9% of the children classified themselves as insecurely (i.e., avoidantly or ambivalently) attached. Furthermore, it was found that insecurely attached children had elevated levels of anxiety symptoms and depression compared to securely attached children.
Brachytherapy devices and software are designed to last for a certain period of time. Due to a number of considerations, such as material factors, wear-and-tear, backwards compatibility, and others, they all reach a date when they are no longer supported by the manufacturer. Most of these products have a limited duration for their use, and the information is provided to the user at time of purchase. Because of issues or concerns determined by the manufacturer, certain products are retired sooner than the anticipated date, and the user is immediately notified. In these situations, the institution is facing some difficult choices: remove these products from the clinic or perform tests and continue their usage. Both of these choices come with a financial burden: replacing the product or assuming a potential medicolegal liability. This session will provide attendees with the knowledge and tools to make better decisions when facing these issues. Learning Objectives: 1.  Understand the meaning of “end-of-life or “life expectancy” for brachytherapy devices and software 2.  Review items (devices and software) affected by “end-of-life” restrictions 3.  Learn how to effectively formulate “end-of-life” policies at your institution 4.  Learn about possible implications of “end-of-life” policy 5.  Review other possible approaches to “end-of-life” issue
To control the extent of deacidification in wine making, we screened Kluyveromyces strains by their activity to kill the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Among Kluyveromyces IFO strains tested, K. waltii IFO 1666T was shown to have the desired activity. The killer spectrum of this strain was different from those of the other known killer yeasts. The activity was found in the culture medium and was lost by protease treatment. The activity was associated with the precipitate obtained by an increase of ammonium sulfate concentration. The toxin was larger than 10,000 daltons as judged by ultrafiltration.
This research is a case study that aims to find out whether there is empirical evidence of Indonesia capital market reaction to one of the domestic political events, namely Demonstration 4 November 2016 by using Trading Activity Volume and Abnormal Return. The population in this research are stocks that are included in LQ45 Index in Indonesia Stock Exchange, and the data used in this research is secondary data consist of daily stock price, daily stock trading volume, and daily stock price index during the previous 30 days, one day on Time, and 30 days after the event. The statistical tool used to test the hypothesis is the t-test and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The result of calculation of variance analysis shows that there is a significant difference between Stock Trading Activity Volume at the time before, during and after demo 4 November 2016. Trading Stock Activity Volume increased but not significant from process before demo November 4th to process demo November 4th, but at the demo of November 4th to the condition after the demo of November 4th has increased significantly. ANOVA test results show that there is a significant difference between Abnormal Return Shares at the time before, during and after the demo of November 4th. That Abnormal Return Shares decreased significantly from the process before the demo November 4th to process demo 4 November 4th and Abnormal Return Shares When the demo of November 4th to the condition after the demo of November 4th also experienced a significant decrease.
The synthesis of two 1.5-diaryltetramic acids, aryl analogues of tenuazonic acid, is described. The reactivity of position 4 of these tetramic acids towards primary and secondary amines, and o-methylation led to the synthesis of 4-substituted-delta3-pyrroline-2-one. Further, reactivity of position 3 has been indicated by the formation of 3-arylidenepyrrolidine-2.4-diones and by diazo-coupling. The structures assigned to the new compounds are substantiated by IR and NMR data.
OBJECTIVE In this study, we used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) delivered via smart- phones to determine how the daily experiences (comfort in neighborhood, ability to manage child's asthma, positive/negative affect) of 59 caregivers (90% African-American/black) living in an urban setting are associated with asthma symptoms in children ages 7-12 years (M = 9.56 years).   METHODS Caregivers and their children with asthma completed a baseline research ses- sion, followed by 14 days of EMA surveys completed on smartphones. EMA enables researchers to examine within-person processes while preserving the ecological validity of the data and re- ducing retrospective recall bias.   RESULTS On days when caregivers reported more child asthma symptoms, they also reported feeling less comfortable in their neighborhoods and less able to control their child's asthma at home. Baseline reports of caregiver quality of life were also associ- ated with child asthma symptoms.   CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight the need for researchers and clinicians to recognize that both asthma (ie, ability to control asthma) and non-asthma related factors (ie, factors related to neighborhoods) may be associated with caregivers' perceptions of their children's asthma symptoms. Perceptions of child symptoms have important consequences for daily asthma care, including decisions related to healthcare utilization.
PURPOSE To describe a case of PFO retention, migration into the anterior chamber, and the subsequent formation of iris nodules following the repair of a giant retinal tear.   METHODS Patient data was collected via manual chart review. All patient information was deidentified.   RESULTS Slit lamp photos demonstrate nodules on the iris surface and retained PFO in the anterior chamber. Ultrasound biomicroscopy shows multifocal hyperreflective signals on the iris surface, corresponding to the retained PFO within the iris.   CONCLUSION Retention and migration of PFO to the anterior chamber following retinal detachment repair can lead to formation of nodules on the surface of the iris.
There are several crystalline materials that transmit electromagnetic radiation in the visible and IR portion of the spectrum. At this time, single-crystal sapphire, aluminum oxynitride (ALON), and spinel show promise for applications, including advanced electromagnetic windows and transparent armor. These applications require materials with high strength, hardness, and the ability to withstand high temperatures. Because of lower processing temperatures and shorter processing times, it is reasonable to assume that spinel should ultimately be less costly to produce than ALON or sapphire. Despite many attempts to commercialize spinel, it is not available today as an optical materials due to difficulties in reliably obtaining the desired transparently. To help develop a commercial source for transparent spinel, the US Army Research Laboratory and Ceramic Composites Inc. of Annapolis have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement on the 'Development and Dual-Use Assessment of Transparent Spinel'. The advent of commercially available, highly pure spinel powders should lead to improvements in processing spinel to transparency. This investigation compares the advantages and limitations of hot-pressing, microwave sintering, and rate- controlled sintering and compares the limited property data available from each of these fabrication techniques.
AIM We describe our experience of developing a modified vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) dressing for open abdomens.   BACKGROUND We see a high volume of trauma in our department. Massive delays in presentation of patients with acute abdomen are common. Closure at initial laparotomy is not possible in many cases, either because the patient has or will develop abdominal compartment syndrome, or because several re-look laparotomies will be required. A significant proportion of our patients who have undergone laparotomy therefore spend some of their stay in hospital with an open abdomen. The management of these patients is particularly labour intensive for nursing staff. The Opsite sandwich or Bogota bag invariably leaks, and sometimes needs changing daily. If a patient also has a temporary ileostomy, application can be difficult. The commercial VAC dressing is an improvement on the Opsite sandwich, but is prohibitively expensive. Financial constraints and the volume of abdominal trauma and sepsis we see mean that commercial VAC dressings for laparostomy are not affordable in our setting.   METHODS/RESULTS We describe our adapted VAC dressing. It is inexpensive and easy to apply, has made a big difference in the nursing of patients with an open abdomen, and has enabled us to increase the rate of delayed primary closure (i.e., we have reduced the rate of ventral hernia).   CONCLUSION The modified VAC dressing is now our department's method of choice for temporary abdominal closure.
Dicranopteris linearis (Gleicheniaceae), a native fern common throughout the Old World tropics and Polynesia, forms dense thickets > 3m deep over large areas of open‐canopy, oligotrophic, wet Hawaiian rainforests. Our objectives were to identify leaf‐ and whole plant‐level traits that are key to its success and to determine its community‐and ecosystem‐level consequences in primary successional sites. Along an elevational gradient from 90 to 1660m, mean maximum net assimilation rates of Dicranopteris ranged from 2.9 to 5.0 μmol m−2 s−1, compared with 3.6–9.5 μmol m−1 s−1 in the codominant tree Metrosideros polymorpha. Gas‐exchange characteristics did not explain Dicranopteris' success, nor its trends in production. However, indeterminate, clonal growth form, shallow rhizomes, marcescent leaves with low decomposability, and a mat‐forming capacity enabled Dicranopteris to colonize sites and to maintain dominance via high effective leaf area, despte its low biomass. Phosphorus use efficiency, which reached 24 kg g−1, was exceptionally high, allowing colonization of phosphorus‐poor sites. Dicranopteris contributed up to 74% of above‐ground net primary productivity in a site where it contained only 14% of live biomass. It accounted for up to 57% and 47% of total nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by plants, respectively, where it contained only 24% and 30% of plant nitrogen and phosphorus. Dicranopteris leaves are short‐lived and slow to decompose; thus, fixed carbon is transferred quickly to soil detrital pools where it contributes to aggrading soil organic matter pools and may exacerbate oligotrophic conditions, thereby strongly influencing soil genesis and ecosystem development. The fern therefore influences forest‐floor light regimes and directs later community development. An exclusion experiment demonstrated that Dicranopteris competed with Metrosideros, but lack of revegetation in 40% of the exclusion area after 39 months showed that Dicranopteris also colonized microenvironments unavailable to its endemic codominants. Dicranopteris may play an important role in resisting invasions of exotic species into Hawaiian rainforests.
Photoacoustic Tomography (PAT) systems based on Fabry-Perot (FP) sensors provide high-resolution images limited by the system’s sensitivity. The sensitivity is limited by the optical Q-factor of the FP cavity (i.e., the optical confinement of the interrogation laser beam in the FP cavity). In existing systems, a focused Gaussian beam is used to interrogate the sensor. While providing a small acoustic element required for high-resolution imaging, this interrogation beam naturally diverges inside the FP cavity, leading to the current sensitivity limit. To break this limit, a new approach of interrogating the FP sensor using a Bessel beam is investigated. The Noise Equivalent Pressure (NEP) and both axial and lateral PAT resolutions using Bessel beam interrogation were quantified. Bessel beam interrogation provided lower NEP, similar axial resolution, but lower lateral resolution. Thus, Bessel beam might be an alternative interrogation scheme for deep PAT imaging as high sensitivity is needed and the lateral resolution is limited by the aperture of the PAT system.
Brahma is one of Emerson’s famous lyric poems, in which Emerson, assuming the role of Brahma, expresses his idea that human beings can perfect themselves morally and spiritually only through the realization of the Brahman. This article is a tentative study of the poem in terms of its artistic form and its connotation from the perspective of Transcendentalism. Keywords— Emerson, Brahma, Transcendentalism.
Deinococcus radiodurans strain R1 utilizes multiple antioxidants including a unique carotenoid, deinoxanthin, to fight again oxidative stress. Most of the enzymes involved in the deinoxanthin biosynthetic pathway have been identified. However, the enzyme catalysing the synthesis of geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), which is a precursor of carotenoid biosynthesis, has yet to be identified. Two putative isoprenyl diphosphate synthases (IPPS) homologues (DR1395 and DR932) were screened out by analysis of conserved amino acid regions, and their biochemical functions were investigated. Gene mutation, gene expression in Escherichia coli and analysis of carotenoid products were used to investigate the functions of these candidates. The results suggested that DR1395 encodes the protein for GGPP synthesis. Site‐directed mutant analysis indicated that the amino acid composition of and around the first aspartate‐rich motif is vital for GGPP synthase function.
Using the experimental value of the KL-KS mass difference, the authors derive constraints on charged-Higgs-boson couplings in gauge theories of the weak and electromagnetic interactions. These bounds severely restrict the possible magnitude of charged-Higgs-boson effects in K and D meson decays. The results are based on the observation that charged-Higgs-boson-exchange contributions to K0-K0 mixing are of order 1/MH^2 whereas the corresponding W-boson contribution is only of order mc^2/MW^4.
We estimate the welfare associated with the Medicare HMO program, now known as Medicare+Choice (M+C). We find that the creation of the M+C program resulted in approximately $15.6 billion in consumer surplus and $52 billion in profits from 1993 to 2000 (in 2000 dollars). This program most likely generated significant net social welfare. However, we find that consumer surplus is geographically unevenly distributed. Prescription drug coverage accounts for approximately 45% of the estimated consumer surplus for 2000. Consumer surplus increases in the number of plans in a county, and most of the increase in welfare is due to increased premium competition.
The formation of a diasporic community within a host society may be signalled through community members’ creative contributions in the realm of cultural production. The ways in which diasporic audiences engage with diasporic cultural texts potentially offers social and cultural trajectories of their understandings of themselves as they negotiate their new environment. This article examines these trajectories, focusing on the ways New Zealand audiences of Asian descent engage with Asian diasporic films. It addresses three key questions: How do audiences’ referential reflections on diasporic films intersect with and contribute to their diasporic journeys and perceptions of themselves in New Zealand society? What kinds of values and beliefs do diasporic audiences feel are important to affirm and negotiate, both within representations of diasporic communities and in their New Zealand-based lives? And what roles do diasporic films play in this ongoing negotiation process?
East Japan Railway Company, commonly referred to as JR East, has developed a new Shinkansen Automatic Train Control (ATC) that utilizes digital communication and control. Officially named "DS-ATC," this system controls train speed mainly relying on the on-board equipment, allowing a reduction in rail-side devices. The present ATC used on the Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen has become outdated and needs to be replaced in several years, so its renewal plan is being drafted. JR East is planning to replace the system with the DS-ATC discussed here. Since it is difficult to replace the entire line at one time, it is necessary to divide the construction area and replace the entire line gradually. Therefore, there are places where DS-ATC and present ATC overlap, and in these places the ATC system change during high-speed service. This paper describes the mechanism of this mode change.
Abstract: A new light was shed on the utility of neural grafts when it was recognized that donor tissues and cells offer more than a source of immature progenitors potentially capable of cell replacement: First, they have the inherent capacity to produce multiple trophic and tropic factors promoting cell survival and tissue plasticity often characteristic of the immature central nervous system (CNS). Second, by their interaction with the host microenvironment via cell/cell and cell/ECM interactions, these grafts are capable of re‐establishing homeostasis, which can be, for example, reflected in rescue and protection of host elements from harmful influences. This second capacity of donor cells relies, in part, also on a “dormant” but still present regenerative capacity of mature or even aged CNS and on the possibility of its mobilization in the damaged nervous system by neural grafts. For this to occur efficiently after transplantation, a bi‐directional dialogue between donor and host cells must gradually be established, in which both “partners” transmit signals /cell/cell contact, molecular messengers), “listen to” and “understand” each other and are able to react by modifying their own plasticity‐ and development‐related programs. Thus, for the best possible recovery of functionality in the injured adult and aged nervous system, neurotransplantation must always try to find optimal conditions for all three of the mentioned qualities of neural grafts, especially for the protection and/or reactivation of neural circuitry embedded in non‐neurogenic CNS areas. Once fully understood, this newly recognized aspect of neurotransplantation (and topic of this review) might, someday, even allow the recovery of systems that would otherwise be doomed, such as cognition‐ and experience‐related circuitry.
A judgemental analysis has been executed of the job of entrepreneur in terms of the required behavioural, or 'human', attributes and in terms of the relevance of 'situational' attributes for entrepreneurial success. Ratings were given by 235 consultants and starting entrepreneurs from five European counties. By means of generalizability analysis it was investigated whether ratings generalized across countries: Nationality barely had an influence on the ratings. Next, it was questioned whether the type of judge, i.e. consultants or starting entrepreneurs, made a difference. No difference was found for the situational attributes. However, the behavioural attributes as a whole were judged to be more important by starters than by consultants. In general, it was not so much the type or nationality of the judge, as individual differences between judges that had an effect on the ratings. Overall, consensus was higher among consultants than among starting entrepreneurs, and higher on the importance of the situational than of the behavioural attributes. The three situational attributes judged as most important were: Number of Clients, Type of Product, and Competition. The three most important behavioural attributes were judged to be Market Orientedness, Perseverance, and Independence (consultants), and Perseverence, Independence, and Financial Control (starters).
For young urban families who may not own a car, taxicabs are a common mode of transportation. We surveyed the frequency of taxicab use involving children younger than age 4 years in a Baltimore, Md, clinic population and studied pediatric occupant safety issues, including taxicab child restraint law exemptions, taxicab occupant morbidity/mortality data, and taxicab child restraint device availability. In our inner-city clinic, 84 (78%) of 108 families reported that they did not own a car and 64 (76%) of those without cars rode with their small children in taxicabs at least monthly (n = 28), weekly (n = 27), or daily (n = 9), all without child restraints. Thirty-five of 50 states (70%) plus Washington, DC, exempt taxicabs from child restraint laws. Only 11 (27%) of 41 states with safety belt laws exempt taxicabs. There were 106 reported taxicab occupant fatalities from 1986 to 1990 in the United States, including 11 children and adolescents. National and state data on motor vehicle occupant morbidity do not separately examine taxicabs. Individual taxicab fleets we contacted would not release injury data. Of 50 urban taxicab fleets in four states (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), only three (6%) offered child restraint devices by advance telephone request. There was no difference in availability based on state taxicab exemptions from child restraint laws. We conclude that taxicab use involving young children is common in this inner-city population. Data on taxicab occupant injuries are needed. Child restraint law exemptions for taxicabs should be eliminated. Education about, and enforcement of, child restraint laws for taxicabs is needed. Recent local legislation linking child restraint device availability to taxicab licensure should be encouraged.
The important issue of finding a relationship between a macroscopic damage variable and the process of damage accumulation within a material is addressed in this article. Monotonic and cyclic deformation behavior has been studied in a randomly distributed glass reinforced polyester matrix composite. The composite material is called sheet molding compound, abbreviated as SMC, with a short glass fiber weight of 30%. The damage evolution in this planar isotropic material is studied by continuously monitor ing axial, lateral, and specimen thickness strain components on the specimen. Based on these measurements, the damage volumetric strain was calculated that increased continu ously with cycles in load-controlled experiments. However, in the strain-controlled experi ments, where tensile stresses decayed rapidly with cycles, the corresponding damage volumetric strain reached a saturation level. Microscopic observations revealed that cracks grew along the matrix/fiber interfaces as well as the matrix/filler interfaces. Many of these cracks are normal to the specimen thickness direction. This observation is consistent with the increasing specimen thickness strain measured in the experiments.
Performance trends varying with different geometrical parameters for on-chip spiral inductors: (a) with fixed inner-dimension, (b) with outer-dimension, and (c) variation in both inner- and outer- dimensions are extensively investigated in this paper. The relationships for the inductance, Q-factor and self-resonance frequency (SRF) with various geometrical parameters, such as track width, track spacing, and turn numbers are examined on an extensive experiment basis. These performance trends can be a good guideline for practical inductor designs in RFICs.
Thermal-neutron doses can be simply and inexpensively measured over many orders of magnitude of integrated flux by a count of induced-fission-damage tracks in a solid with uranium impurities. Examples are given of the use of a single ordinary glass to measure neutron flux from 3 × 1014 to 4 × 1018nvt and of the use of glass to measure the spatial variation of neutron flux. Other materials, either glassy or crystalline, allow a wide range of fluxes to be measured.
Aims. By reevaluating a 13-month stretch of Ulysses SWICS H pickup ion measurements near 5 AU close to the ecliptic right after the previous solar minimum, this paper presents a determination of the neutral interstellar H density at the solar wind termination shock and implications for the density and ionization degree of hydrogen in the local interstellar cloud. Methods. The density of neutral interstellar hydrogen at the termination shock was determined from the local pickup ion production rate as obtained close to the cut-off in the distribution function at aphelion of Ulysses. As shown in an analytical treatment for the upwind axis and through kinetic modeling of the pickup ion production rate at the observer location, with variations in the ionization rate, radiation pressure, and the modeling of the particle behavior, this analysis turns out to be very robust against uncertainties in these parameters and the modeling. Results. Analysis using current heliospheric parameters yields the H density at the termination shock equal to 0.087 ± 0.022 cm −3 , including observational and modeling uncertainties.
Abstract:Beckett's "musicalization" of language should be considered an aesthetic program in its own right. By exploring the playwright's vision of music as an ideal "other" in relation to which new literary and theatrical criteria may be invented, I propose that Endgame (1957) and Krapp's Last Tape (1958) constitute a turning point in Beckett's lifelong quest for a literature of the "unword." Drawing from musical modalities of expression, both plays carry the project of destruction of language and extinction of narrative apparatus to a new level. Music is essentially brought about by the paring down of words, the precise timing of pauses or silences, and the shaping of sounds into an elaborate musical patterning of themes and variations. Throughout the essay I show how this process of musicalization stems from a methodic destruction of the Aristotelian definition of tragic drama in The Poetics.
Zirconia (ZrO2) coating formed by plasma spray method is widely used industrially as a thermal barrier coating (TBC). Presently, there are some problems such as spallation and cracks inside the coating. As one solution given by the development of new spaying processing, the gas tunnel type plasma spraying is one of excellent method to enhance the TBC performances. The zirconia-alumina (ZrO2-Al2O3) composite coating formed by this method has a high hardness layer at the surface side of the coating, which shows the graded functionality of hardness, and is superior as a TBC. In this paper, the performance of such high hardness ZrO2-Al2O3 composite coating was investigated and the merit as TBC was clarified. The Vickers hardness of the high hardness layer near the coating surface increased by the thermal process of high energy plasma, which corresponded to the result that the coating became denser. Also, the effect of alumina mixing was discussed about the microstructure of this composite coating. The combination of high hardness of Al2O3 with the low thermal conductivity of ZrO2 resulted to the development of high performance TBC. The transverse thermal conductivity of such ZrO2-Al2O3 composite coatings was proved to be much smaller than that in the longitudinal direction.
Cripto-1 (CR-1), a recently discovered protein of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, was found to interact with a high affinity, saturable binding site(s) on HC-11 mouse mammary epithelial cells and on several different human breast cancer cell lines. This receptor exhibits specificity for CR-1, since other EGF-related peptides including EGF, transforming growth factor α, heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor, amphiregulin, epiregulin, betacellulin, or heregulin β1 that bind to either the EGF receptor or to other type 1 receptor tyrosine kinases such as erb B-3 or erb B-4 fail to compete for binding. Conversely, CR-1 was found not to directly bind to or to activate the tyrosine kinases associated with the EGFR, erb B-2, erb B-3, or erb B-4 either alone or in various pairwise combinations which have been ectopically expressed in Ba/F3 mouse pro-B lymphocyte cells. However, exogenous CR-1 could induce an increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of 185- and 120-kDa proteins and a rapid (within 3-5 min) increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of the SH2-containing adaptor proteins p66, p52, and p46 Shc in mouse mammary HC-11 epithelial cells and in human MDA-MB-453 and SKBr-3 breast cancer cells. CR-1 was also found to promote an increase in the association of the adaptor Grb2-guanine nucleotide exchange factor-mouse son of sevenless (mSOS) signaling complex with tyrosine-phosphorylated Shc in HC-11 cells. Finally, CR-1 was able to increase p42erk-2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity in HC-11 cells within 5-10 min of treatment. These data demonstrate that CR-1 can function through a receptor which activates intracellular components in the ras/raf/MEK/MAPK pathway.
a day's Computer system become essential and it is most commonly used in every field of life. The computer saves time and use to solve complex and extensive problem quickly in an efficient way. For this purpose, software programs are develop to facilitate the works for administrator, offices, banks etc. so Quality is the most important factor as it mostly defines CUSTOMER SATISFACTION which directly related to success of the project, so there are many approaches (methodologies) have been developed for this purpose occasionally. The main study of this paper is to propose a new methodology for the development of the software which focuses on the quality improvement of all kind of product. This study will also discuss the features and limitation of the traditional methodologies like water-fall, iterative, spiral, RUP and Agile and show how the new innovative methodology is better than previous one.
A multiinstitutional study was conducted to evaluate the technique, dose-selection parameters, and results of gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery in the management of trigeminal neuralgia. Fifty patients at five centers underwent radio-surgery performed with a single 4-mm isocenter targeted at the nerve root entry zone. Thirty-two patients had undergone prior surgery, and the mean number of procedures that had been performed was 2.8 (range 1-7). The target dose of the radiosurgery used in the current study varied from 60 to 90 Gy. The median follow-up period after radiosurgery was 18 months (range 11-36 months). Twenty-nine patients (58%) responded with excellent control (pain free), 18 (36%) obtained good control (50%-90% relief), and three (6%) experienced treatment failure. The median time to pain relief was 1 month (range 1 day-6.7 months). Responses remained consistent for up to 3 years postradiosurgery in all cases except three (6%) in which the patients had pain recurrence at 5, 7, and 10 months. At 2 years, 54% of patients were pain free and 88% had 50% to 100% relief. A maximum radiosurgical dose of 70 Gy or greater was associated with a significantly greater chance of complete pain relief (72% vs. 9%, p = 0.0003). Three patients (6%) developed increased facial paresthesia after radiosurgery, which resolved totally in one case and improved in another. No patient developed other deficits or deafferentation pain. The proximal trigeminal nerve and root entry zone, which is well defined on magnetic resonance imaging, is an appropriate anatomical target for radiosurgery. Radiosurgery using the gamma unit is an additional effective surgical approach for the management of medically or surgically refractory trigeminal neuralgia. A longer-term follow-up review is warranted.
In a recent review by Geer and Shen (1), using the PubMed database and the references cited in these reports, men were reported to have more lean mass and women to have higher adiposity. Men were also found to have more visceral and hepatic adipose tissue, whereas women had more peripheral or subcutaneous adipose tissue. The researchers concluded that these differences, as well as differences in sex hormones and adipokines, may contribute to a more insulin-sensitive environment in women than in men. When they normalized to kilograms of lean body mass, men and women had similar resting energy expenditure, but physical energy expenditure was more closely related to percent body fat in men than in women. Greater amounts of visceral and hepatic adipose tissue, in conjunction with the …
To be a moral agent is to bear its own responsibility which others cannot take for it. We hold that such irreplaceability consists in its having an inner world to which others cannot have direct access. The purpose of this paper is to propose, as a means of gaining support for our thesis, an experiment --- a psychological one in which to assess to what degree we can attribute moral responsibility to a robot. Furthermore, we explore the possibility of a society where humans and robots coexist.
The aim of this study was to present an acoustic analysis of Brazilian Portuguese (BP) stressed oral vowels produced by children aged 10 and 11 years old, regarding F1, F2 and relative duration. In order to avoid physiological differences between male and female, data were normalized using Lobanov method. Two analyses were performed. First, normalized data of the seven oral vowels were analyzed as a function of gender. Results showed significant differences for the low vowel regarding to gender, being more centralized for male subjects. Second, due to the sample size, normalized data of the vowels [e, a, o] were analyzed as a function of stress and place of articulation. Significant differences were found regarding to stress and place of articulation for both groups, male and female.
There is an urgent need for new antimalarial drugs with novel mechanisms of action to deliver effective control and eradication programs. Parasite resistance to all existing antimalarial classes, including the artemisinins, has been reported during their clinical use. A failure to generate new antimalarials with novel mechanisms of action that circumvent the current resistance challenges will contribute to a resurgence in the disease which would represent a global health emergency. Here we present a unique generation of quinolone lead antimalarials with a dual mechanism of action against two respiratory enzymes, NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Plasmodium falciparum NDH2) and cytochrome bc1. Inhibitor specificity for the two enzymes can be controlled subtly by manipulation of the privileged quinolone core at the 2 or 3 position. Inhibitors display potent (nanomolar) activity against both parasite enzymes and against multidrug-resistant P. falciparum parasites as evidenced by rapid and selective depolarization of the parasite mitochondrial membrane potential, leading to a disruption of pyrimidine metabolism and parasite death. Several analogs also display activity against liver-stage parasites (Plasmodium cynomolgi) as well as transmission-blocking properties. Lead optimized molecules also display potent oral antimalarial activity in the Plasmodium berghei mouse malaria model associated with favorable pharmacokinetic features that are aligned with a single-dose treatment. The ease and low cost of synthesis of these inhibitors fulfill the target product profile for the generation of a potent, safe, and inexpensive drug with the potential for eventual clinical deployment in the control and eradication of falciparum malaria.
To study the mechanism of 2-pentylpyridine formation in model systems, 2,4-decadienal was reacted with five amino acids (glycine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamic acid, and glutamine) at 180 °C for 1 h (pH 7.5). In addition to 2-pentylpyridine, 3-pentylpyridine was also tentatively identified from the thermal reactions. The relative yields of alkylpyridine formation from the reactions were asparagine > glutamine > aspartic acid > glutamic acid > glycine. When amide-15N-labeled glutamine and asparagine were heated with 2,4-decadienal, the relative contribution of amide nitrogens to the formation of alkylpyridine was determined. Approximately half of nitrogen atoms in 2-pentylpyridine formed were contributed by the amide nitrogens of asparagine, whereas almost all of them came from the amide nitrogens in glutamine. The results above may indicate that both free ammonia and α-amino groups bound in amino acids can contribute to the formation of alkylpyridines, but free ammonia does so more effectively. Keyw...
High range water reducing agents (superplasticizers), in general, adsorb the surface of cement particles and disperse the particles by means of electric force. Recently, there has been a development of a new type of high range water reducing agents which have characteristically long chains of polyethylene oxides (EO) as branches. When the new molecules adsorb on the particles, it is considered that long EO chains are expanded in the water/cement mixture and that each particle disperse due to their steric repulsion instead of electric. So, it can bring good workability to the concrete mix and retain fluidity for a longer period without retarding on the setting. Therefore, it can be applied to various concrete, such as high and ultra high strength concrete.
Extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) through highly conductive ZnO films with sub-wavelength hole arrays is investigated in the long-wavelength infrared regime. EOT is facilitated by the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and can be tuned utilizing the physical structure size such as period. Pulse laser deposited Ga-doped ZnO has been shown to have fluctuations in optical and electrical parameters based on fabrication techniques, providing a complimentary tuning means. The sub-wavelength 2D hole arrays are fabricated in the Ga-doped ZnO films via standard lithography and etching processes. Optical reflection measurements completed with a microscope coupled FTIR system contain absorption resonances that are in agreement with analytical theories for excitation of SPPs on 2D structures. EOT through Ga-doped ZnO is numerically demonstrated at wavelengths where SPPs are excited. This highly conductive ZnO EOT structure may prove useful in novel integrated components such as tunable biosensors or surface plasmon coupling mechanisms.
At present, there are many various microwave structures for which their nonlinear models for CAD are necessary. However, in the recent PSpice family programs, only a class of five types of MESFET model is available. In the paper, a method is suggested for modeling miscellaneous RF semiconductor devices by exclusive neural networks or by corrective neural networks working attached to a modified analytic model. An accuracy of the proposed modification of the analytic model is assessed by extracting model parameters of the AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pHEMT. An accuracy of procedures with neural networks is generally assessed by extracting their parameters in static and dynamic domains. An approximation of the AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pHEMT output characteristics is carried out by means of both exclusive and corrective artificial neural networks. A systematic sequence of analyses is also performed for examining an optimal structure of the artificial neural network from the point of view its structure and complexity. The tests have been performed on both five- and four-layer artificial neural networks that serve for modeling a P-channel JFET and for the AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs pHEMT.
Resistance to contaminants is an important yet unmeasured factor in sediment toxicity tests. The rate at which mercury resistance develops and its genetic persistence in the oligochaete worm Tubifex tubifex were studied under laboratory conditions. Worms were raised for four generations under two different sediment treatments, one reference clean sediment, the other contaminated with mercury. Worms raised in mercury‐contaminated sediment developed mercury tolerance that persisted even when the worms were raised for three subsequent generations in clean sediment. Mercury tolerance was determined by comparative water‐only toxicity tests with mercury as the only stressor. Control worms had a mean lethal concentration (LC50) of 0.18 mg/L−1. Worms exposed to high levels of mercury in sediment had high mercury tolerance with a mean LC50 of 1.40 mg/L−1. When mercury‐tolerant and control mercury‐intolerant worms were crossed, their descendants also demonstrated mercury tolerance during lethal toxicity tests. The LC50 for worm descendants resulting from this cross was 1.39 mg/L−1. Adaptation to mercury exposures occurred rapidly in this group of worms and appears to be due to both phenotypic and genotypic mechanisms. Development of contaminant resistance and adaptation may be common phenomena in aquatic benthic invertebrates, which should be considered during the design and interpretation of toxicity tests.
Servants of the public are themselves masters of themselves. The striking paradox of consequence of corruption has placed a high degree of proof on public officers who retain the level of fairness that match with the degree of the onus. The issue of corruption is not restricted to the dark hallways of government offices but officers who are under duty to enhance the society have rendered in tatters the entire sacrosanct mainstay of common good. This paper attempts to explore the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act 2004. For the writer, the procedural form and provisions of the Act has inalienably invited constitutional problems. The case of Nwankwo v Nwankwo  that has set a limit of locus in action under the Act was reviewed. The paper identifies widespread discrimination in the enforcement of code of conduct for public officers in Nigeria. As part of recommendations the paper advises that the basic text of strong discipline in public service is the extent to which officials are being trained and tried for uncomplimentary relationship between the code and the judiciary. So the restriction of access to the tribunal at the detriment of individual with a cognizable interest is fatal to a regime committed to instilling discipline in public service.           Key words: Code of Conduct, constitutional issues, right and problems.
Here we demonstrate a method to tune a ferroelectric imprint, which is stable in time, based on the coupling between the non-switchable polarization of ZnO and switchable polarization of PbZrxTi(1−x)O3. SrRuO3/PbZrxTi(1−x)O3/ZnO/SrRuO3 heterostructures were grown with different ZnO thicknesses. It is shown that the coercive voltages and ferroelectric imprint vary linearly with the thickness of ZnO. It is also demonstrated that the ferroelectric imprint remains stable with electric field cycling and electric field stress assisted aging
Infectious mononucleosis is usually a benign disease and is rarely fatal.The possibility of such serious complications as ruptured spleen and neurologic manifestations does not justify precautionary prolonged bed rest.The hepatitis which is an almost universal aspect of mononucleosis does not threaten either the patient's future health or his longevity.Corticosteroid therapy may be lifesaving in the occasional severe cases of infectious mononucleosis.
ABSTRACT Purpose: We sought to assess whether ultrasound (US) measurements of carotid flow time (CFTc) and carotid blood flow (CBF) predict fluid responsiveness in patients with suspected sepsis. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of hypotensive (systolic blood pressure < 90) patients “at risk” for sepsis receiving intravenous fluids (IVF) in the emergency department. US measurements of CFTc and CBF were performed at time zero and upon completion of IVF. All US measurements were repeated after a passive leg raise (PLR) maneuver. Fluid responsiveness was defined as normalization of blood pressure without persistent hypotension or need for vasopressors. Results: A convenience sample of 69 patients was enrolled. The mean age was 65; 49% were female. Fluid responders comprised 52% of the cohort. CFTc values increased significantly with both PLR (P = 0.047) and IVF administration (P = 0.003), but CBF values did not (P = 0.924 and P = 0.064 respectively). Neither absolute CFTc or CBF measures, nor changes in these values with PLR or IVF bolus, predicted fluid responsiveness, mortality, or the need for intensive care unit admission. Conclusion: In patients with suspected sepsis, a fluid challenge resulted in a significant change in CFTc, but not CBF. Neither absolute measurement nor delta measurements with fluid challenge predicted clinical outcomes.
Histamine influences many cell types involved in the regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses including antigen-presenting cells (APCs), Natural Killer (NK) cells, epithelial cells, T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes. These cells express histamine receptors (HRs) and also secrete histamine, which can selectively recruit the major effector cells into tissue sites and affect their maturation, activation, polarization and effector functions leading to tolerogenic or pro-inflammatory responses. Histamine and its four receptors represent a complex system of immunoregulation with distinct effects of receptor subtypes and their differential expression, which changes according to the stage of cell differentiation as well as micro-environmental influences. In this review, we discuss histamine receptor expression and differential activation of cells within both the innate and adaptive immune response and the signal transduction mechanisms which influence their activity.
We thank Drs Romanens and Miserez for their interest in our study.1 We completely agree with their conclusion that our study cannot be used to argue against the predictive ability of coronary artery calcification (CAC) scores regarding cardiovascular events. The predictive ability of CAC has been demonstrated in numerous studies (please see References 14 and 23 in our article for further reading), and it should be viewed independent of the progression of CAC over 12 months under the effects of lipid-lowering therapy with different intensity.  The statistical power calculations underlying our …
Water electrolysis is a promising technology for enabling the storage of surplus electricity produced by intermittent renewable power sources in the form of hydrogen. At the core of this technology is the electrolyte, and whether this is acidic or alkaline affects the reaction mechanisms, gas purities and is of significant importance for the stability and activity of the electrocatalysts. This article presents a simple but precise physical model to describe the voltage-current characteristic, heat balance, gas crossover and cell efficiency of water electrolyzers. State-of-the-art water electrolysis cells with acidic and alkaline electrolyte are experimentally characterized in order to parameterize the model. A rigorous comparison shows that alkaline water electrolyzers with Ni-based catalysts but thinner separators than those typically used is expected be more efficient than acidic water electrolysis with Ir and Pt based catalysts. This performance difference was attributed mainly to a similar conductivity but approximately 38-fold higher diffusivities of hydrogen and oxygen in the acidic polymer electrolyte membrane (Nafion) than those in the alkaline separator (Zirfon filled with a 30 wt} KOH solution). With reference to the detailed analysis of the cell characteristics, perspectives for the improvement of the efficiency of water electrolyzers are discussed.
One of the appropriate methods used to model count data response and its corresponding predictors is Poisson regression. Poisson regression strictly assumes that the mean and variance of response variables should be equal (equidispersion). Nonetheless, some cases of the count data unsatisfied this assumption because variance can be larger than mean (over-dispersion). If overdispersion is violated, causing the underestimate standard error. Furthermore, this will lead to incorrect conclusions in the statistical test. Thus, a suitable method for modelling this kind of data needs to develop. One alternative model to outcome the overdispersion issue in bivariate response variable is the Bivariate Poisson Inverse Gaussian Regression (BPIGR) model. The BPIGR model can produce a global model for all locations. On the other hand, each location and time have different geographic conditions, social, cultural, and economical so that Geographically and Temporally Bivariate Poisson Inverse Gaussian Regression (GTWBPIGR)) is needed. The weighting function spatial-temporal in GTWBPIGR generates a different local model for each period. GTWBPIGR model solves the overdispersion case and generates global models for each period and location. The parameter estimation of the GTWBPIGR model uses the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method, followed by Newton Raphson iteration. Meanwhile, the test statistics on the hypothesis testing is simultaneously testing of the GTWBPIGR model is obtained with the Maximum Likelihood Ratio Test (MLRT) approach, using n large samples of the statistical test is chi-square distribution. Moreover, the test statistics for partially testing used the Z-test statistic.
Sprinkler irrigation is promoted due to its remarkable advantages in water conservation, but the high energy consumption limits its development in a situation of energy scarcity. In order to determine the energy consumption of a fixed spray-plate sprinkler (FSPS), its discharge and initial trajectory velocity were investigated using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses. A nozzle diameter of 4.76 mm was used under windless conditions. Overall, good agreement between simulation results and experimental values was obtained. On the premise that the simulation method produced high accuracy, a series of simulations was performed with different nozzle diameters. The water distribution pattern, stream trajectory velocity and kinetic energy dissipation were analyzed. The results show that the jet produced at the nozzle is split by grooves after it hits the plate, with separation occurring earlier with decreasing nozzle diameter. The area of the flow cross-section of the outlet is mainly influenced by nozzle diameter rather than working pressure. The initial trajectory velocity of the grooves increases logarithmically with increasing working pressure. A high working pressure may not cause large kinetic energy dissipation. The dissipation rate of the FSPS ranged from 28.01–50.97%, i.e., a large kinetic energy rate was observed. To reduce this energy dissipation and improve water use efficiency, the structure of the FSPS should be optimized in further research.
After more than 50 years of self-regulation of the US auditing profession, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) as a quasi-governmental entity with statutory authority to inspect accounting firms that audit public clients. The frequency of this inspection is annual or triennial, based upon the number of public clients the firm audits. We examine the effects of these two levels of inspection frequency on financial reporting quality and audit fees for clients of small and midsize public accounting firms. Our findings provide evidence of significantly higher audit quality and audit fees for clients of annually inspected firms relative to clients of triennially inspected firms. These findings are robust to auditor-client alignment analyses, propensity score matching, time-series analyses, examination of firms that have changed from triennial to annual inspection, and particular examination of firms with inspection deficiencies. Overall, our study suggests that the two-tier frequency system of PCAOB inspection may have also resulted in two-tier audit quality and audit fee systems for small and midsize public accounting firms, with more frequent inspection leading to more rigorous and informed auditor decisions. We discuss the implications of our results for the Board and the profession at large.
In non-literate societies the performance of rituals provided a means of reinforcing traditional beliefs, social stability and transmitting successful patterns of behaviour necessary for the survival-or welfare of the group. It functioned as an awareness and information centre for those who lived without the benefits of the Caxton or Gutenburg inventions. This was the function of theatre in most societies until the intervention of technology and major socio-economic shifts which resulted in the development of the information and entertainment media.
Physical exercise is considered to exert a positive neurophysiological effect that helps to maintain normal brain activity in the elderly. Expectations that it could help to fight Alzheimer's disease (AD) were recently raised. This study analyzed the effects of different patterns of physical exercise on the 3xTg-AD mouse. Male and female 3xTg-AD mice at an early pathological stage (4-month-old) have had free access to a running wheel for 1 month, whereas mice at a moderate pathological stage(7-month-old) have had access either during 1 or 6 months. The non-transgenic mouse strain was used as a control. Parallel animal groups were housed in conventional conditions. Cognitive loss and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD)-like behaviors were present in the 3xTg-AD mice along with alteration in synaptic function and ong-term potentiation impairment in vivo. Brain tissue showed AD-pathology and oxidative-related changes. Disturbances were more severe at the older age tested. Oxidative stress was higher in males but other changes were similar or higher in females. Exercise treatment ameliorated cognitive deterioration and BPSD-like behaviors such as anxiety and the startle response. Synaptic changes were partially protected by exercise. Oxidative stress was reduced. The best neuroprotection was generally obtained after 6 months of exercise in 7-month-old 3xTg-AD mice. Improved sensorimotor function and brain tissue antioxidant defence were induced in both 3xTg-AD and NonTg mice. Therefore, the benefits of aerobic physical exercise on synapse, redox homeostasis, and general brain function demonstrated in the 3xTg-AD mouse further support the value of this healthy life-style against neurodegeneration.
Background and Aims: Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott. (Sophora japonica) is a medicinal plant applied for various diseases, in the traditional medicine field. The evaluation of methanol extract of S. japonicum root derived from the Pharma Grade plant drug, was performed in terms of various in vitro biological activities. Methods: The LC-MS analysis was used for the chemical characterization of the methanol extract. The anti-cancer activity was evaluated in colon (HT-9), brain (U-87), and prostate (PC-3) cancer cells by Cell Titer Glo viability assay (Promega) and western blot analysis of PARP (Poly ADP-ribose polymerase) cleavage. Results: The relative amounts of matrine and oxymatrine in the extract were found as 0.49±0.006 mg/mL and 0.27±0.016 mg/ mL, respectively. The S. japonicum extract showed 53.17±0.97 mg of gallic acid (GA)/g corresponding to the total phenolic amounts, resulting in relatively moderate antioxidant activity (1.94±0.23 and 2.79±0.15 mg/mL) on the in vitro2,2’-azino-bis(3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS•) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) assays. Treatment with 10 mg/mL S. japonica root extract for 24h resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability. The cell viability of U-87, HT-29, and PC-3 cancer cell lines was determined as 35±2.21%, 14±2.11%, and 46±5.67%, respectively. The extract showed 5.104, 5.012 and 0.555 mg/mL IC50 values for HT-29, U-87, and PC-3 cell lines, respectively. Particularly, the IC50 value of PC-3 cancer cell line was significantly lower than the healthy human fibroblast cells. In further, the apoptosis in S. japonicum root extract treated PC-3 cells was detected through flow cytometry analysis of Annexin V positive cells and western blot analysis of PARP cleavage. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the methanol extract in determined doses induces the apoptosis of the PC-3 cancer cells, without any significant cytotoxic effect on healthy human fibroblast cells. In addition, the LCMS analysis showed the presence of matrine and oxymatrine, which are known for their anticancer activity. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first preliminary results indicating the possible use of S. japonicum root extract. Thus, the methanol extract can be further studied for its therapeutic potential of primarily prostate and other cancer types.
A modified mathematical model based on the concept of generative centers is proposed to describe organogenesis in young leaf primordia of Murraya paniculata. Measurements of specific parameters on leaf primordia at different stages of development support the basic assumptions of the model. These assumptions are exponential elongation and widening of primordia in the organogenetic phase and rhythmic production of lateral elements at a fixed distance from the apex of the developing primordium. In general, the model provides good estimates for growth parameters such as elemental growth rates. It also provides a relatively accurate description of the shape of the primordium during the organogenesis of lateral elements or leaflet primordia. Key words: leaf development, mathematical model, organogenesis, compound leaf, Murraya paniculata.
Vine decline is limiting muskmelon production in many growing areas. Monosporascus cannonballus Pollack and Uecker and Acremonium cucurbitacearum Alfaro-Garcia, W. Gams, and J. Garcia-Jimenez are the main causal agents of this disease in Spain. The wild accession Pat81 (Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis Jeffrey) has shown to be highly resistant in naturally infested fields and after artificial inoculations. In three greenhouse experiments conducted over two seasons, the root structure of Pat81 was examined and compared to the highly susceptible commercial cultivar Amarillo Canario (AC). Pat81 produced a more vigorous, branched, and longer root system, conferring to this accession a higher capacity for the uptake of water and nutrients, even after inoculation using naturally infested soil. To determine the plasticity of the root systems, the effect of five different soil substrates on root growth was assayed. The root morphology was highly influenced by the soil substrate. Differences between genotypes appeared at 10 weeks after transplanting using sand as soil substrate. An organic substrate made up of well-decomposed peat and sand minimized the genotype × substrate interactions, and facilitated root analysis. This substrate allowed bringing the sampling date forward to flowering (at 7 weeks after transplanting). The maximum root length, the number and size of lateral roots (diameter 0.5-1 mm) and branching order, consistently differed between the two genotypes in most of the assayed substrates. These easily measurable root traits can be used as selection criteria in healthy soils to breed a larger root system more tolerant to stress. In addition, in inoculated soils the greater root absorbent area and the reduced lesion intensity of Pat81 could have applications to increase vine decline resistance of cultivated melons. By using segregant populations derived from the cross AC x Pat81, we are trying to modify the root structure of muskmelon in order to offer a genetic alternative to the expensive strategy of grafting muskmelon varieties onto rootstocks resistant to soil stresses.
Formal role responsibilities of thefamily planning outreach worker include a number of nebulous terms such as "help," "aid," and "assist." Though some duties included in these responsibilities are highly specific (e.g. taking blood pressure), the nature of the organizational task (convincing clients to accept and usefamily planning methods) and the locale in which much of the work is performed (outside the boundaries of the organization) makes the role highly amenable to the peculiarities of the worker's personality. Interviews with ten outreach workers in two family planning clinics revealed five informal adaptations of the role used by varying numbers of the workers - social distance mediator, communitysupplierand bargainer, political and socialdebater, confidant andfriend, and comic. r was a hot and muggy Monday after
Using a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm, response times to a previously ignored item occurring after a target were measured. Using this procedure, it was possible to plot the time course of inhibition following target selection. Results showed that post-target distractors produce negative priming for at least 270 ms after target presentation. It is suggested that stimuli presented immediately after a target may be inhibited in order to prevent temporal binding errors. The results are discussed in relation to two selective attention paradigms: negative priming and the attentional blink.
Expository texts are the primary sources of learning in and out of school. Knowing the structure of expository texts may make it easy for a student to understand how the text he is listening to or reading is organized and to keep that text in his memory. It may be stated that the most important instruments that may help students become familiar with the structures of expository texts are the reading and listening texts in their Turkish course books. Importance should be given to each of the expository text structures in the Turkish course books, and teaching should not be carried out by focusing only on one type of text structure. The main goal of this study was to determine to what extent expository text types and knowledge about their structures were included in those course books. In this study, basic qualitative research which is one of the qualitative research methods was used. In determining the materials to be examined, the criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposive sampling methods, was used and six Turkish course books used in the 2019-2020 academic year were thus included in the study. The data were collected through document analysis, which is one of the data collection methods in qualitative research and analyzed through descriptive analysis. The results showed that in all course books expository texts were included much less compared with narrative texts. In addition, it was determined that descriptive expository texts were the most frequent type and that the number of process, cause and effect, problem-solving and comparison and contrast texts very few in number. It was also observed that, in terms of expository text variety, the 6th grade Turkish course book published by the Ministry of National Education included the largest number of text types and examples.
To investigate the role of uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase in the pathogenesis of the sporadic form of porphyria cutanea tarda, we measured this enzyme in liver, erythrocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts, and also measured coproporphyrinogen oxidase and the total iron concentration in liver. The mean uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity was lower in liver from seven male patients (9.0 pmol of coproporphyrin per minute per milligram of protein) than in 12 controls, including seven with alcoholic liver disease (22.3 pmol per minute per milligram; P less than 0.05). Coproporphyrinogen oxidase activities were the same in each group. Liver iron concentrations were lower during remission, but uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activities were not related to clinical activity for uroporphyrin excretion. Erythrocyte and fibroblast enzyme activities were the same as in normal subjects. A hepatic uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase defect is a prerequisite for the development of porphyria cutanea tarda, but other factors, which probably do not alter uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase activity, determine the clinical onset. In sporadic porphyria cutaneous tarda, the enzyme defect appears to be restricted to the liver.
Plants based pest control agents have long been touted as alternatives to synthetic chemicals for integrated pest management. Such phytochemicals reputedly pose little threat to the environment or to human health. Bioactivity of plant-based compounds is well documented in literature and is a subject of increasing importance. An antifeedant approach for insect control has been extensively studied, at least at laboratory level, though only a handful of plant-based compounds are currently used in agriculture. The known active plant-based antifeedants belong to groups like chromenes, polyacetylenes, saponins, quassinoids, cucurbitacins, cyclopropanoid acids, phenolics, alkaloids, various types of terpenes and their derivatives etc., and each insect species may process these allomones in a thoroughly idiosyncratic way, so that the same compound may have very different fates and consequences in different species of insects, thus pointing to different mechanisms involved in antifeedant action. It can also be visualized that insect feeding deterrents may be perceived either by stimulation of specialized deterrent receptors or by distortion of the normal function of neurons, which perceive phagostimulating compounds. Some plant antifeedants influence the feeding activity through a combination of these two principal modes of action. Only a few highly active antifeedants have been looked into from a commercial point of view, which makes it impossible to systemize or to predict any molecular motifs in feeding inhibition. Structure activity relationship studies also do not point to any generalization. “Mix and Match” systems may help in developing a cocktail of feeding inhibitors that can be used in developing a customized formulation against a specific category of pests. Application of such products will be broad and will not be limited to targeted pests and to plant parts. Decreased deterrence resulting from habituation has been suggested that could pose different implications for pest management than does decreased deterrence resulting from increased tolerance to toxic substances. Genetically modified plants, which could produce the active antifeedant substances in amounts high enough to protect the plants from further herbivorous damage, could be a possibility in the future.
The increasing of longevity rates contributed to elderly and in line with the increased of medical needs especially on health care and monitoring systems area. To facilitate continuous monitoring and to address the need of healthcare which are non-invasive, affordable, easy-to-use, and non-invasive healthcare solutions are becoming increasingly important. Smartphone is a perfect device to detect human fall because it has various sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, and many more), already been accepted by most of the people, and can reduce the electronic waste by giving a smartphone a second chance to become a health care and monitoring system. The research proposed a low power consumption human fall detection by using three features: Signal Vector Magnitude (with modification), Alim, and Tilt Angle Change as a solution to overcome two problems (health care and environment) by using the device that already been existed to reduce the electronic waste. Our proposed solution was able to reach 0.97 of accuracy result and work on the smartphone (low power device) for green computing.
Over the past 50 years the concept of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has developed from the notion of a specific form of brain dysfunction to that of a heterogeneous set of related behaviours. The great advances in genetics, neuroimaging and neuropsychiatry have made it one of the best understood forms of complex mental disturbance--but much remains to be done to translate understanding into practice. More effective treatment may come from identifying and treating more specific components of disorder and by a focus on identifying the factors determining course in the longer term so that they, as well as the core features of disorder, can become targets for intervention.
PURPOSE The use of medication is an important aspect within the experience of schizophrenia.   DESIGN AND METHODS Interviews with 14 people with schizophrenia were analyzed using van Kaam's psychophenomenological method, and findings revealed two opposing and important attitudes toward medication.   FINDINGS Adopting an attitude of choosing to use prescribed medication means autonomously self-managing medication and taking prescribed medication means feeling challenged and being under external pressure through being told or forced by others and therefore having no personal connection to the details or purpose of medication.   PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Nurses need to actively work in partnership to support consumers to take an active stance toward choosing to use medication rather than ensuring consumers take medication.
This study aims to reconstruct sea level change and paleogeomorphology since the middle Holocene by diatom analysis and 14C-dating from the sedimentary facies of three trenches on alluvial plain of Taehwa River, Taehwa-dong, Ulsan-si, South Korea. The Taewha-dong area was a narrow bay located between Bangeojin and eatuary of Taehwa River was a narrow bay which has been detached from the open sea during middle Holocene. Taewa-dong area at bay area was developed into alluvial plain by the sediments had been come from the Taewa river basin. The sea level change during the middle Holocene effected on the development of Taewha-dong alluvial plain and its information is included in the sediment facies.
Voice plays a major role in speech & also in communication. Communication skills are important to almost everybody as our society has become service-oriented. Occupational voice health is becoming more important as more people rely on their voices for their work. ‘Vocal professionals’ constitute an ever increasing segment of the population who depend on their voice for a daily living [1]. According to Stemple, Glaze and Gerdman [2], vocal professionals by the very nature of their occupations are at a greater risk of developing voice problems and laryngeal pathologies than general population. The demand on an individual’s vocal system depends on the kind of occupation one is engaged in. Vocal professionals, especially those in the speaking profession require certain qualities in their speech to be successful in their profession such as good pitch range, rhythm, melody, fluency, phrasing, emphasis, modulation & good expiratory air to sustain speech.
Besides the intrinsic semiconducting direct band gap in monolayer MoS2 (ML-MoS2), piezoelectricity arises in it due to the broken inversion symmetry. This underscores the need to unveil the simultaneous response of piezoelectric and semiconducting properties to different modes of strain. The present study explores a synergic coupling between these two properties in adaptive nanopiezotronic devices, using density functional theory. Out of the different strain types studied, shear strain and uniaxial tensile strain applied along the zigzag direction are found to be most effectual in fortifying the piezoelectric properties in ML-MoS2. Shear strain is found to raise both the piezoelectric stress (e11) and strain (d11) coefficients by 3 orders of magnitude, while uniaxial tensile strain increases the same by 2 orders of magnitude for an applied mechanical strain of 5%. The effect is found to be even stronger upon reaching the elastic limit, which is found to lie within 5–10% strain for different strain modes s...
Due to the diversity of fundamental situation among provinces in China, there are visibly regional differences in economic development level, resource endowments, and technological development level. For this reason, the energy diversification shows a big diversity on development model. This paper, based on 1991-2013 energy consumption structure data of 30 provinces and cities, applying cluster analysis method of panel data, classify the changing energy structure pattern among target provinces and cities, finally summarizes ten typical types of energy diversification patterns. Keywords—energy structure; energy diversification pattern; cluster analysis
It is proved that the works by Maxim Gorky are inseparable from the socio-historical reality of the early XX-th century. Maxim Gorky is a writer, whose work has evolved throughout his career. One of the values in the works by Maxim Gorky is the image of the hero - the hermit, presented in the "Tales of 1922-1924". The semantic space of the hermit hero image exists at the intersection of the semantic fields “social status”, “nature”, “hero image”, “love” and “service to people”.
The main aim of this article is to compare two approaches to decreasing the overall weight of components by using additive manufacturing from AlSi10Mg alloy. This optimization is advantageous as it lessens both the production time of parts (components) and overall costs, in key industries such as aviation. The first method used to reduce the weight of a structure is the implementation of lattice structures, which replace filled parts with selected structures of different shapes, while maintaining key properties of the original structure. The other method to decrease weight is the topological optimization of prepared samples. In this article, these two options have been compared. The specially designed sample was first optimized topologically. Subsequently, it was lightened using selected structures (Octet truss and Rhombic dodecahedron) in SW Magics with different lattice parameters. These samples were then printed using DMLS technology from AlSi10Mg on the ConceptLaser M2 Cusing system. The material used was analysed by SEM, and a particle size distribution was also performed. Furthermore, a three-point bending test was performed on the bodies produced in this way. The results of this test were analysed and evaluated in terms of load (bending force), depending on the type of sample and the volume/weight saved.
We discuss inequalities between the values of  emph{homotopical and cohomological Poincar 'e polynomials} of the self-products of rationally elliptic spaces. For rationally elliptic quasi-projective varieties, we prove inequalities between the values of generating functions for the ranks of the graded pieces of the weight and Hodge filtrations of the canonical mixed Hodge structures on homotopy and cohomology groups. Several examples of such mixed Hodge polynomials and related inequalities for rationally elliptic quasi-projective algebraic varieties are presented. One of the consequences is that the homotopical (resp. cohomological) mixed Hodge polynomial of a rationally elliptic toric manifold is a sum (resp. a product) of polynomials of projective spaces. We introduce an invariant called  emph{stabilization threshold} $ frak{pp} (X; varepsilon)$ for a simply connected rationally elliptic space $X$ and a positive real number $ varepsilon$, and we show that the Hilali conjecture implies that $ frak{pp} (X;1)  le 3$.
Cancer is a global public health concern that is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of tumor cells. It is regarded as the subsequent cause of death after cardiovascular disease. The most common types of cancer include breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate. The risk factors attributed to the development of common types of cancer are tobacco smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, dietary factors, ultraviolet radiation (UV), and lack of physical activities. Two major cellular apoptotic pathways targeted in cancer therapies are intrinsic and extrinsic. These two pathways are regulated by different types of proteins, the multidomain pro-apoptotic proteins (Bak, Bax, and Bok), BH3-only pro-apoptotic proteins (Bid, Bim, Bad, Noxa, and Puma), and the anti-apoptotic proteins (Mcl-1, Bfl-1, Bcl-XL, Bcl-2, Bcl-w, and Bcl-B). Other significant molecules/factors that are known to execute cellular apoptotic pathways include bioactive compounds, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Proteolytic caspases are known to play a vital role in the initiation of apoptotic activities in cancerous cells. Based on their functions, they are categorized into initiators and executioners. Nanotechnology has produced novel outcomes in modern medicine. The green synthesis of nanoparticles has demonstrated prospective improvements in cancer therapies in combination with the existing therapies including photodynamic therapy. This review aims at highlighting the association between pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic proteins, and their significance in cancer therapy.
In Sia, Le Rêve du Python (Sia: The Dream of the Python), director Dani Kouyaté crafts a gripping story of an emperor out of touch with his kingdom who relies on an inner circle of yes men who convince him that it is time for another sacrifice of a virgin in order to maintain his rule. A madman (Kerfa) forewarns him of his imminent demise. Rather than relying on cinematography, Kouyaté uses an exquisite wardrobe, brilliant acting and a drama-like storytelling style. For Kouyaté, cinematography almost seems an afterthought. The focus is on the storytelling. He is a master storyteller in the ancient tradition of the “griot” – the keeper of the community’s myths and legends and the praise singer for those in power. He captures a time and place, the beauty, dignity of a people and, in the process, he crafts a timeless story about the human condition that is as pertinent today as it was in the seventh century. You feel as if you’re looking at an idyllic Afrika that is a bridge between the traditional ways and modernity. Based on a seventh-century legend, and set, filmed and produced in Burkina Faso, Sia speaks to the condition of design across Afrika, as well as to this continent’s politics. Cinema in Afrika remains (for the most part) an underdeveloped medium except in a few countries in West Afrika notably Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and, of course, Nigeria where there is the Nollywood phenomenon which churns out over 300 films a year. There is also Saki Mafundikwa is the founder/director of the Zimbabwe Institute of Vigital Arts, a Graphic Design and New Media college he founded in Harare, Zimbabwe. He is a designer, design educator and author of “Afrikan Alphabets – The Story of Writing in Afrika.” sakimaf@hotmail.com
Can criticism be critical? In a society dominated by privatization, alienated and divided labor, hyper-subjectivity going hand in hand with mechanist objectivity, and/or possessive individualism (the proliferation of possible labels is itself yet another symptom of the malady), the power of critical analysis is constrained by the absence of a community through which criticism may evolve. Both potentially critical academic traditions and political movements fall prey to the general privatization of society which admits to the public discussion only those interests which can be expressed within the market metaphors of possessive individualism, and accordingly each competing “critical orientation” has its own interests to protect by remaining uncritical of its own basis and by cultivating a misreading of and hostility towards critical work coming from other perspectives.
Genetic background for SHR (SHRSR) and SHRSP and WKY lines were screened by using biochemical genetic markers and class I major histocompatibility complex (RT1) typing. There were many kinds of SHR (SHRSR), SHRSP and WKY inbred lines. The genetic variabilities within SHR (SHRSR) or SHRSP strains were small, but those within WKY strains were not so small. When SHR lines were compared with WKY lines, the allele distribution in SHR lines was different from that in WKY lines at 3-13 loci. Three genetic markers, the Es-3b, Es-4a and PT1k, were identified as specific markers of SHR (SHRSR) and SHRSP. WKY/Izm, WKY/Hos, and WKY/Jim also carried the PT1k as well as SHR lines, but WKY/N and WKY/NCrj had the RT1l haplotype.
389 Background: The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed rapid implementation of virtual care (VC), resulting in new opportunities to integrate technology and a need to evaluate patient and provider experiences. To inform sustainment beyond COVID-19, we evaluated perceptions of VC at a comprehensive cancer centre in Toronto, Canada. Methods: Physicians who provided VC during the pandemic, and patients with a valid email address on file and at least one visit with centre in the preceding 12 months were eligible to participate. Survey invitations were disseminated between May and July 2021 via email using a modified Dillman approach. The survey examined the implementation outcomes of acceptability, adoption, and appropriateness. Unadjusted associations between patient demographic variables and preference for in-person visits were evaluated using univariate logistic regression models. Results: 41% (100/246) of physicians and 15% (2,343/15,169) of patients completed the survey. The majority of patients were Caucasian (77%), college or university educated (78%), had solid malignancies (73%), and were in the follow-up phase (47%); 50% were male. The median age was 66 (IQR: 58-74). A greater proportion of patients expressed satisfaction with VC than providers (81% and 53%). Conversely, a greater proportion of providers felt that care delivered virtually was worse than care delivered in-person (45% vs 26%). Interestingly, many patients (69%) and physicians (40%) reported feeling they could maintain a good relationship through VC while at the same time reporting concerns that VC would detract from the human interaction they value as part of care (patients: 60%; providers: 82%). Patients expressed relatively equal preference for phone vs video visits (40% vs 31%), but indicated concerns about wait times for VC visits. The majority of physicians (37%) estimated that 10-29% of their practice would remain virtual post-COVID, however physicians expressed concerns with increased workload (72%), decreased efficiency (40%), and increased worry about missing relevant clinical information (61%). The majority of patients and physicians reported that VC was not appropriate for first consultations and discussions of prognosis, and most appropriate for long-term follow-up. Being born outside of Canada, primary language other than English, lower income, lower functional health literacy, and greater physical mobility were associated with preferring in-person over VC visits. Conclusions: Patients and physicians were satisfied with VC but expressed concerns with the impacts on care quality and experience and highlighted the need for guidelines on appropriate use. Providers expressed greater concerns with VC than patients. More research is needed to formally evaluate the impact of VC on quality performance and clinical outcomes as well as investigate the patient, disease and system factors that are associated with effective virtual cancer care.
We investigated how the light-evoked input and output signals of salamander retinal ganglion cells adapt to changes in temporal contrast, i.e., changes in the depth of the temporal fluctuations in the light intensity about the mean. Increasing the temporal contrast sped the kinetics and reduced the sensitivity of both the light-evoked input currents measured at the ganglion cell soma and the output spike trains of the cell. The decline in sensitivity of the input currents after an increase in contrast had two distinct kinetic components with fast (<2 sec) and slow (>10 sec) time constants. The recovery of sensitivity after a decrease in contrast was dominated by a single component with an intermediate (4–18 sec) time constant. Contrast adaptation differed for on and offcells, with both the kinetics and amplitude of the light-evoked currents of off cells adapting more strongly than those ofon cells. Contrast adaptation in the input currents of a ganglion cell, however, was unable to account for the extent of adaptation in the output spike trains of the cell, indicating that mechanisms intrinsic to the ganglion cell contributed. Indeed, when fluctuating currents were injected into a ganglion cell, the sensitivity of spike generation decreased with increased current variance. Pharmacological experiments indicated that adaptation of spike generation to the current variance was attributable to properties of tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na+ channels.
The proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), i.e., drones, in communication systems has recently attracted both industry and academia. This is mainly due to their flexible capabilities and features, which can support a wide range of communication applications. More specifically, drones can offer better coverage, better capacity, and a many-fold quality-of-service enhancement. Accordingly, recent communication technologies have been integrated with drones to support the unprecedented communication requirements of beyond fifth-generation (B5G) and 6G networks. Upon these bases, this paper sought to investigate the potential capabilities of multi-antenna drones in an uplink transmission cognitive radio (CR) indoor environment. With such an integrated system, a set of multiple-antenna drones communicates with a CR BS through the opportunistic utilization of the available channels without affecting the primary user’s activities. In particular, this paper proposes an adaptive power channel assignment (APCA) protocol that aims to minimize the per-drone transmit power under a set of relevant CR-related and quality-of-service constraints. The constraints include the minimum rate requirements, the probability of success, per-antenna power, the minimum SNR, and relevant CR-related constraints. Furthermore, this paper attempts to mathematically prove that the formulated optimization problem is convex, thus, the optimal solution can be attained. Accordingly, the conventional convex algorithms are adopted to solve the problem and obtain the solution. The proposed APCA protocol is capable of selecting the channel that requires the minimum power. To investigate the performance of the proposed APCA protocol, we compare its performance against that of the conventional equal-power allocation. Simulation results reveal that the proposed APCA protocol significantly improves system performance in terms of the overall transmit power.
Synthesis of methyl tert-butyl ether (abbreviated as MTBE) from methanol (MeOH) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) in the liquid phase was studied by using Amberlyst 15 in the H+ form as an acid catalyst. Experiments were carried out in a stirred batch reactor at different temperatures (313, 318, and 323 K) under atmospheric pressure.    It was found that catalyst sizes and rotation speeds had no significant effects on reaction rates. Mechanism studies showed that three reactions took place simultaneously. It was also found that dehydration of TBA could not be neglected. The experimental concentration profiles with time could be simulated well by simple kinetics. Finally, rate constants could be expressed by Arrhenius equations. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Abstract Background Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is nowadays discussed whether it remains the gold standard of treatment. In the last decade, there has been a tremendous increase in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) due to the growing expertise and excellent results of the catheter-based approach. We, therefore, retrospectively compared the rapid deployment valve (RDV), the Edwards Intuity valve (IEV), with the Edwards Sapien 3 (S3V) with regard to post-procedural hemodynamics. Methods A total of 246 patients treated with TAVI or SAVR between February 2009 and November 2015 were included. One-hundred twenty-five patients were analyzed in the SAVR group and compared with 121 patients undergoing TAVI. Transvalvular pressure gradients (PGs) and the incidence and extent of aortic regurgitation (AR) were compared post-procedurally by echocardiography for each valve size. In vitro hemodynamics were analyzed by placing both valves into an aortic silicone phantom connected to a pulsatile flow pump and measured using phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (4D flow MRI). Results Post-procedurally, mean transvalvular PGs for the 23 mm valves were 9 (7;11.5) versus 13 (9;18) (p < 0.001), whereas maximum PGs were 16.5 (14;22) versus 25.5 mm Hg (17.5;34) (p < 0.001) in IEV and S3V patients, respectively. The 21 mm IEV showed significantly lower transvalvular PGs compared with the 23 mm S3V: mean PGs: 11 (8;13) versus 13 (9;18) (p < 0.05); maximum PG: 19.5 (13;24) versus 25.5 (18;34) mm Hg (p < 0.05). Analysis revealed significantly lower post-procedural transvalvular PGs for larger valves sizes. With respect to AR, the incidence of AR was significantly lower in IEV group (p < 0.05). In vitro velocities and turbulent kinetic energy values showed similar results between both valves. Conclusion Implanted RDVs presented a lower incidence of paravalvular regurgitation and were associated with significantly lower post-procedural transvalvular PGs, especially for small valve sizes. Our data might support the application of rapid deployment aortic valves in patients with small aortic annulus in the TAVI era.
Extrusion through mathematically contoured die plays a critical role in improvement of surface integrity of extruded product. There is gradual deformation which results in the uniform microstructure. In the present investigation non-dimensional extrusion pressure and optimum die length for cosine die profile has been obtained by three dimensional upper bound method using dual stream function method for different reductions. The theoretical modeling has been validated with experiments. The experimental results are found to be compatible with the theory.
This paper presents the phase noise allocation for the digital satellite broadcasting system adopting the QPSK coherent demodulation scheme. The phase noise requirement for the local oscillator of the Korean digital DBS system is 23.7 dB (0.2 dB impairment). To meet this requirement, the local oscillator SNR of the receiver terminal should be 24.12 dB, and 34.12 dB for the transmitter terminal. These phase noise characteristics are applicable to the design of the digital satellite broadcasting system as requirements of the system phase noise.
Ve~ razlag definira upravljanje znanja 8 knowledge management 8 kot zajemanje, organiziranje in shranjevanje znanja z razli~nimi metodami, iz razli~nih virov in njegovo spreminjanje v trajno vrednoto. Upravljanje znanja je eno od najpomembnej{ih na~el, ki jih morajo podjetja raziskati in uporabiti, da si lahko pridobijo konkuren~no prednost, kar velja tudi za arhitekturo in gradbeni{tvo. Za podro~je gradbeni{tva obstajajo razli~ni projekti upravljanja znanja. Eden takih je e-COGNOS. Njegovo bistvo so upravljanje znanja na podro~ju gradbeni{tva in medsebojna odvisnost dokumentov ter zdru`ljivost med projekti in med posameznimi podjetji. V Urbanisti~nem in{titutu Slovenije uporabljamo zelo grobe metode upravljanja znanja in morda jih tako sploh {e ne moremo imenovati. To so bolj ali manj podatkovne usluge ali upravljanje dokumentov. Upamo pa, da nam bo z novo programsko tehnologijo, kot je Microsoftov SharePoint, uspelo bolj kakovostno izpopolniti stare metode in uporabiti nakopi~eno znanje. Many definitions define Knowledge Management as capturing, organizing and storing knowledge by different methods from various sources and transforming it into enduring value. The knowledge management is one of the most important principles that companies must explore and use to gain the competitive advantage, even in buildings and construction industry. There are various projects of knowledge management for the BC industry. One such project is e-COGNOS. Its key issues are knowledge management in the construction domain and documents interdependencies and consistency across projects and between enterprises. At the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia we are using very crude methods of knowledge management or we even can not call it a knowledge management. It is more or less information services or document management. With new technologies like Microsoft SharePoint services, we are hoping that we will be able to advance these old methods and use accumulated knowledge in a more sophisticated way. Upravljanje znanja Gradbeni{tvo Servisi SharePoint
Small molecule organic solar cells (SMOSCs) are at the forefront of organic solar cell research and have power conversion efficiencies that match the leading polymer:fullerene organic solar cells (>10%). However, the operating physics of SMOSCs is less understood than that of their polymer:fullerene counterparts. A stronger emphasis on understanding the working mechanisms of SMOSCs is thus required. This feature article aims to highlight methods for understanding a significant loss process in SMOSCs ‐ charge carrier recombination ‐ by using photo‐induced transient optoelectronic techniques. These techniques make it is possible to probe the charge carrier density and lifetime in devices under working conditions. Employing these techniques alongside detailed morphological studies allows relationships between interfacial recombination processes, molecular packing and film nanomorphology to be obtained and can subsequently lead to more efficent devices being produced.
Supervision and training groups have advantages over dyadic supervision and training that include factors to promote group learning and interaction within a sociocultural context. This article focuses on the gender aspects of group supervision and training. It provides a review of feminist theoretical developments and presents their application to group supervision and training in the form of eight guidelines that are illustrated by clinical examples.
Background:Hepatic resection is the most effective treatment for many malignant and benign conditions affecting the liver and biliary tree. Despite improvements, major partial hepatectomy can be associated with considerable blood loss and transfusion requirements. Transfusion of allogeneic blood products, although potentially life-saving, is associated with many potential complications. The primary aim of this study was to determine if acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH), an established blood conservation technique, reduces the requirement for allogeneic red cell transfusions in patients undergoing major hepatic resection. Methods:One hundred thirty patients undergoing major hepatic resection (≥3 segments) were prospectively randomized to undergo either ANH or standard anesthetic management (STD). In the ANH group, intraoperative blood collection was performed to a target hemoglobin of 8.0 g/dL. Low central venous pressure anesthetic technique was used intraoperatively for both groups. A standardized transfusion protocol was applied to all patients intraoperatively and throughout the hospital stay. Results:From April 2004 to March 2007, 63 patients were randomized to ANH and 67 to STD. Demographics, diagnoses, liver function, extent of resection, intraoperative blood loss, operative time, incidence and grade of complications, and length of hospital stay were similar between the 2 groups. ANH reduced the overall allogeneic red cell transfusion rate by 50% compared with STD [12.7% (n = 8) vs. 25.4% (n = 17), respectively; P = 0.067. ANH patients were less often transfused intraoperatively (n = 1, 1.6%) compared with the STD group (n = 7, 10.4%) (P = 0.036), had higher postoperative hemoglobin levels (P = 0.01), and tended to require fewer red cell units overall (28 vs. 47 units). In patients with intraoperative blood loss ≥800 mL, ANH reduced not only the allogeneic red cell transfusion rate (18.2% vs. 42.4%, P = 0.045) but also the proportion of patients requiring fresh frozen plasma (21.1% vs. 48.3%, P = 0.025). Conclusion:For patients undergoing major liver resection, ANH is safe, effectively reduces the need for allogeneic transfusions, and should be considered for routine use. Given the modest transfusion rate in the STD arm, future efforts should attempt to target ANH use to patients most likely to benefit.
According to the characters of relatively weak cultural foundation though the overall quality relatively high of independent college students, the “Automatic Control Theory” teaching reform ideas and methods are proposed combining with long-term teaching experience and the application of network and information technology. The curriculum reform includes many aspects such as teaching content, teaching mode, and practice areas, assessment models and so on. From many years teaching practice process, it can be seen that students' learning effectiveness and engineering practice abilities are improved greatly by using these teaching reforms.
Understanding the current global crisis as a systemic crisis requires recognition, willingness and will to think and create possibilities for a just action, in conformity with the ecological paradigm, in favor of the change of this reality. Among the several actions in progress, education for the sustainability waves with real and concrete perspectives. This research is part of the investigation of this education, in the line "Religion, Politics and Education", and had as objective to analyze the Course Eco design in sustainability, of Gaia Education Program, under the perspective of the sustainability and the spirituality. It also sought to identify if spirituality is present in the course and what its typology would be. The Program was created in 2005, by the Network of Global Ecovillage Educators for a Sustainable Earth, becoming a standard complement by the UN for the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005 2014". Based on the Pedagogy of Experiential Learning, the Gaia Education Program aims to provide technical tools that enable its students to learn different sustainable practices, based on community experiences and the relationships they establish with the environment, whether rural or urban. The methodology of the research was the bibliographic nature of primary and secondary sources, through course materials and reference works in the area of education, sustainability and spirituality, in the context of the Sciences of religion, theology and environmental and social sciences. After the research, it was verified the articulation between education, sustainability and spirituality, as well as that this present spirituality is sui generis, revealing spiritual practices and dialogue as a reference for the development of education for sustainability in an integral way. Keywords: Ecology. Ecological paradigm. Education. Sustainability, Spirituality. Eco Design Course of the Gaia Education Program. Science of Religion.
The detection of anomalies in printed circuit boards (PCBs) is an important challenge in the electronics manufacturing industry. Traditional anomaly detection methods often struggle to handle imbalanced datasets, which are common in real-world PCB production. In recent years, machine learning (ML) algorithms have emerged as a promising solution to this problem. This study investigates the use of ML algorithms for anomaly detection in PCBs, with a particular focus on addressing the issue of imbalanced data. We propose a data-level technique to balance the dataset and improve the performance of the ML algorithm. Our results show that our approach outperforms traditional methods in terms of precision, recall, and F1 score. Overall, this study demonstrates the potential of ML in addressing the challenge of anomaly detection in PCBs and highlights the importance of considering imbalanced data in such applications.
The US Department of Energy`s (DOE`s) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) supports efforts to reduce energy use and associated expenses in the federal sector. One such effort, the New Technology Demonstration Program (NTDP), seeks to evaluate new energy-saving US technologies and secure their more timely adoption by the US government. Through a partnership with a federal site, the utility serving the site, a manufacturer of an energy-related technology, and other organizations associated with these interests, DOE can evaluate a new technology. The results of the program give federal agency decision makers more hands-on information with which to validate a decision to utilize a new technology in their facilities. This is the second volume of a two-volume report that describes the effects of radiation control coatings installed on federal buildings at Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida by ThermShield International. ORNL`s Buildings Technology Center (BTC) was assigned the responsibility for gathering, analyzing, and reporting on the data to describe the effects of the coatings. The first volume described the monitoring plan and its implementation, the results of pre-coating monitoring, the coating installation, results from fresh coatings compared to pre-coating results, and a plan to decommission the monitoring equipment. This secondmore » volume updates and completes the presentation of data to compare performance of fresh coatings with weathered coatings.« less
Adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a catastrophic illness characterized by hypoxernia usually refractory to increasing concentrations of inspired oxygen administration. It is often accompanied by radiographic evidence of diffuse interstitial and alveolar infiltration. Athough the chest radiograph may be relatively clear in spite of severe and refractory-, hypoxemia, radiographic changes denoting increased lung water usually become obvious within 24 hours. The diagnosis is made by excluding pulmonary edema due to cardiogenic hydrostatic forces and other chronic or acute primary lung diseases, such as interstitial, bacterial, fungal, or viral pneumonias. Regardless of the specific etiology, the primary mechanism causing ARDS is a sudden increase in capillary endothelial and perhaps alveolar epithelial permeability, allowing rapid and massive accumulation of protein-rich fluid into the interstitial and alveolar space of the lung. I shall limit this discussion to only three clinical areas of importance that relate to the management of this syndrome: first, the clinical factors operative in the genesis and natural history of ARDS; second, the methods available for diagnosis and assessment of its severity; and third, the conventional approaches to therapy with recommendations as to alternate methods to improve the otherwise dismal prognosis.
Rice stripe virus (RSV) is one of the most devastating viral pathogens in rice and can also cause the general chlorosis symptom in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The chloroplast changes associated with chlorosis symptom suggest that RSV interrupts normal chloroplast functions. Although the change of proteins of the whole cell or inside the chloroplast in response to RSV infection have been revealed by proteomics, the mechanisms resulted in chloroplast-related symptoms and the crucial factors remain to be elucidated. RSV infection caused the malformation of chloroplast structure and a global reduction of chloroplast membrane protein complexes in N. benthamiana plants. Here, both the protoplast proteome and the chloroplast proteome were acquired simultaneously upon RSV infection, and the proteins in each fraction were analyzed. In the protoplasts, 1128 proteins were identified, among which 494 proteins presented significant changes during RSV; meanwhile, 659 proteins were identified from the chloroplasts, and 279 of these chloroplast proteins presented significant change. According to the label-free LC–MS/MS data, 66 nucleus-encoded chloroplast-related proteins (ChRPs), which only reduced in chloroplast but not in the whole protoplast, were identified, indicating that these nuclear-encoded ChRPswere not transported to chloroplasts during RSV infection. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis confirmed that RSV infection changed the biological process of protein targeting to chloroplast, where 3 crucial ChRPs (K4CSN4, K4CR23, and K4BXN9) were involved in the regulation of protein targeting into chloroplast. In addition to these 3 proteins, 41 among the 63 candidate proteins were characterized to have chloroplast transit peptides. These results indicated that RSV infection changed the biological process of protein targeting into chloroplast and the location of ChRPs through crucial protein factors, which illuminated a new layer of RSV–host interaction that might contribute to the symptom development.
Shishijimicin A is a scarce marine natural product with highly potent cytotoxicities, making it a potential payload or a lead compound for designed antibody-drug conjugates. Herein, we describe an improved total synthesis of shishijimicin A and the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a series of analogues. Equipped with appropriate functionalities for linker attachment, a number of these analogues exhibited extremely potent cytotoxicities for the intended purposes. The synthetic strategies and tactics developed and employed in these studies included improved preparation of previously known and new sulfenylating reagents such as PhthNSSMe and related compounds.
See Article by Shah et al   The initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF) require triggers and a vulnerable atrial substrate. AF often progresses from paroxysmal and trigger-driven arrhythmias to persistent and more substrate-dependent arrhythmias. After the seminal work by Haissaguerre et al1 who demonstrated that ectopic beats from the pulmonary vein (PV) often trigger AF, catheter ablation of AF has focused on electrical isolation of the PV. PV isolation (PVI) has demonstrated a 60% to 80% success rate of maintaining sinus rhythm in patients with paroxysmal AF.2 Even in nonparoxysmal AF patients, PVI alone conveys a 40% to 50% rate of success.2,3 The current 2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement describes permanent electrical isolation of the PVs as a cornerstone of AF ablation.2  Despite the advancement of ablation technology such as contact force sensing and cryoballoon technology, PV electrical reconnection is frequently observed. Jiang et al4 studied the incidence of PV reconnection in 32 patients free from AF recurrence at 12 months postradiofrequency ablation: PV reconnection was observed in 29 patients (90.6%). Recently, Nery et al5 analyzed the relationship between PV reconnection and freedom from AF in their meta-analysis including studies using radiofrequency ablation, cryoballoon ablation, and laser balloon ablation. Among patients with and without AF recurrence, 86% and 59% had at least 1 PV reconnection, respectively. The average follow-up periods of the studies included in this meta-analysis were 8±10 months. Durable PVI is associated with a lower risk of AF recurrence; however, the association was modest. Analyses of studies that included exclusively patients with paroxysmal AF in this meta-analysis showed that the association was not statistically significant. Miyazaki et al6 reported that PV reconnection was detected in 65% of patients after second-generation cryoballoon ablation at a median of 6 months …
This paper deals with the speed and position estimation for synchronous reluctance motors (SyRMs) and interior permanent-magnet synchronous motors (IPMs). A unified design and analysis framework for a class of back electromotive force-based observers is developed and the links between apparently different estimation methods are brought out. State observers equipped with a speed-adaptation law are shown to be mathematically equivalent to voltage-model-based flux observers equipped with a position-tracking loop. The error signal driving the adaptation law or the tracking loop is presented in a generalized form. Using the framework, a stabilizing gain design is reviewed and detailed design guidelines are given. Selected observer designs are experimentally evaluated using a 6.7-kW SyRM drive and a 2.2-kW IPM drive.
There is an increasing tendency in sensor networks (and related networked embedded systems) to push more complexity and 'intelligence' into end-nodes. This in turn leads to a growing need to support isolation between the software modules in a node. In conventional systems, isolation is achieved using standard memory management hardware; but this is not a cost-effective or energy-efficient solution for small, cheap embedded nodes. We therefore propose a software-based solution that promises isolation in a significantly lighter-weight manner than existing software-based mechanisms. This is achieved by frontloading effort into offline compilation phases and leaving only a small amount of work to be done at load time and run time.
A study was carried out of the quality and completeness of articles on adverse drug reactions: 5737 articles from 80 countries published between 1972 and 1979 were studied. Only 61% of the articles included information on the number of patients treated and the number with adverse drug reactions, yet these are essential for calculating the incidence of adverse reactions. In only 55% could the incidence of a particular adverse reaction be calculated. Great importance is placed on articles on adverse reactions, particularly those that report on many patients. Authors and editors should ensure that articles include the following information: drug regimens, numbers of patients treated, numbers of patients developing adverse reactions, and nature and incidence of adverse reactions.
Summary Botanical exploration in Ireland before 1800 was conducted mainly by individuals, e.g. Richard Heaton (c. 1640), William Sherard(c. 1692), CalebThrelkeld(c. 1726). There was one attempt in the mid-1700s by the Physico-Historical Society to organize a concerted programme of botanical investigation. This paper concentrates on three separate recorders of the Irish flora and their extant manuscripts, Don Philip O'Sullivan Beare (c. 1625), John Rutty (c. 1740) and Patrick Browne (c. 1780). A manuscript account of the Irish flora survives from the first quarter of the seventeenth century. Philip O'Sullivan Beare wrote Zoiloinastix about 1623, as a response to the disparaging writings of such authors as Giraldus Cambrensis. O'Sullivan Beare clearly had first-hand knowledge of some gardens and forests, and seems to have been well-versed in botany. The Physico-Historical Society of Ireland promoted natural history exploration. Dr John Rutty was the person who apparently co-ordinated the programme. Isaac Bu...
WILLIAM FREDERIC CHAMBERS came of a good Northumberland family, not related to the Edinburgh stock, but containing members with distinguished careers, especially in India. His first cousin Sir Robert Grant (1779-1838) k .c .h ., was Governor of Bombay, his uncle Sir Robert Chambers (1737-1803) was Vinerian professor of laws at Oxford (1766) before he went to India in 1774 as second judge in the recently established supreme court of judicature in Bengal, and declined a peerage (1799). Sir Charles Harcourt Chambers (d. 1828), the younger brother of William Frederic, was in 1823 appointed a judge of the supreme court of Bombay; Lord Glenelg (1778-1866, Sir Charles Grant, politician) was his first cousin. In a later generation, Thomas King Chambers (1818-89), a nephew of William Frederic, was, with Sir James Alderson (1794-1882) and Francis Sibson (1814-76), appointed physician to St. Mary’s hospital, Paddington, when it opened in 1851. Like some other early members of that hospital staff, such as S. A. Lane (1802-92), the first senior surgeon, his nephew J. R. Lane (1825-9 O' a^so a surgeon, W. B. Cheadle (1836-1910), physician, and J. F. Payne (1840-1910), demonstrator of morbid anatomy before he went in 1871 as assistant physician to St. Thomas’s hospital. he came from the medical schools connected with St. George’s hospital. Thomas King represented the University of Oxford on the General Medical Council from 1882 to 1889; he wrote some small works, mainly on disorders of digestion, and himself was an example of multiple aneurysms, first of the left then of the right popliteal and finally of both carotid arteries (Osler).
Based on the previous research on the design method and numerical simulation of an over/under turbine based combined cycle(TBCC) exhaust system, which was consisted of a turbojet exhaust nozzle and ramjet exhaust nozzle, the experimental study was further conducted to evaluate the performance of TBCC exhaust nozzle. The main objectives of the study were as followings: (1) To identify any interactions between the two exhaust jet streams dur ing the mode transition phase and its effect on the whole flowfield structure; (2) To determine and v erify the aerodynamic performance of the over/under TBCC exhaust nozzle; (3) To validate the simula tion ability of the CFD Software according to the experiment condition. Test was conducted using a 9 percent scale model representing a single module of a TBCC exhaust nozzle. The static pressure taps and Schlieren apparatus were employed to obtain the wall pressure distributions and fl owfield structures. Steady-state tests were performed with the ramjet nozzle cowl at six different positio ns, at which the turbine flowpath were half closed and fully opened respectively. To fully understand the flow of the TBCC exhaust system during the mode transition, methods of computational fluid dynamics were applied to simulate the aerodynamics within the turbine flowpath and ramjet flowpath under the same test conditions. Results indicated that the flow structure was complicated because the two exh aust jet streams interacted with each other during the exhaust system mode transition. The exhau st system thrust ratio varied from 0.9288 to 0.9657 during the exhaust system mode transit ion. From the comparison of experimental data and simulation results, it was shown that the simulat ions compared well with the test data, CFD method was proved an affective way to evaluate the aerodynamic perf ormance of the TBCC exhaust system during the exhaust system mode transition.
The development of high-speed rail (HSR) networks is leading to a very complex situation in terms of network configuration and the variety of services. This new panorama presents very different feasible connections between city-pairs, multiplying the possibilities of travelling. This paper evaluates the characteristics of all city-pairs served by HSR in Spain through a clustering analysis, with the goal of deriving an HSR city-pair link typology. This assessment offers a new perspective on the HSR network as a multi-role system encompassing eight types of links with very different characteristics. Identifying these types of HSR links will be a useful transport-planning tool for emerging HSR networks to anticipate the different kinds of links they will encompass and for future HSR cities to foresee the possibility of benefiting from one or another type of link and adapting their policies and strategies according to their potential services.
Focuses on the dynamical collapse of large-span spatial structure, this paper uses giant magnetostrictive material as the main component to design a kind of new GMM actuator, which could used in active vibration control of large-span spatial structure. The genetic algorithm has been used to optimize the position of actuators in large-span spatial structure, and the optimization of the results has been analyzed by numerical simulation. The research shows that the GMM actuator has fine actuator effectiv.
Ozone has been used to pretreat agricultural byproducts with the aim of increasing nutritive value for ruminants. However, not all treatments with ozone result in enhanced digestibility, suggesting reaction products from ozone treatment of plants might inhibit rumen microbial activity. Coastal Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.) (CBG) and Kentucky-31 tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) (K-31) were treated with ozone and the water-soluble products determined. The following acids were identified: caproic, levulinic, p-hydroxybenzoic, vinillic, azelaic, and malonic. In addition, vanillin and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde were also identified. Ozone treatment of the cell walls of CBG produced mainly p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, azelaic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, and vanillin. Ozone treatment of K-31 cell walls produced levulinic acid in addition to those products found from CBG cell walls. The production of vanillin and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, which have been shown to be especially toxic to rumen microorganisms, offers an explanation for the negative affects of ozone treatment on forage.
The book by Brintnall contains much detail to be sure, but the bulk of it is neutral with regard to the central argument of the book: the appearance of social classes and class consciousness in an Indian community due to the emergence of Protestant individualism and capitalistic spirit. Certainly there is no other issue more central to the book, for it is the analytical framework within which Brintnall interprets the data. That I remain unconvinced of the validity of the analysis is because the evidence is largely neutral.
The effect of fenofibrate (a clofibrate derivative) on fibrinogen concentration, blood viscosity and myocardial microcirculation was examined in 35 patients with coronary heart disease (n = 27) or hypertension (n = 8). After eight weeks' administration of 250 mg fenofibrate daily cholesterol and triglycerides levels decreased significantly, as did the fibrinogen concentration, from a mean of 300.7 +/- 75.1 mg/dl to 252.3 +/- 61.2 mg/dl (P less than 0.01). Plasma viscosity and erythrocyte aggregation were also significantly lowered (from 1.43 +/- 0.09 to 1.37 +/- 0.07 mPas and 15.0 +/- 3.1 to 13.5 +/- 2.2, respectively; P less than 0.01). In eight of twelve subjects selected from the whole group thallium myocardial scintigraphy demonstrated, after eight weeks of treatment with fenofibrate, a global (in two) or regional (in six) increase in blood flow. Reduction of fibrinogen concentration may in coronary heart disease achieve an improvement in myocardial microcirculation with decreased myocardial ischaemia.
We exposed rats to a heavy, but sublethal, dose of X-radiation that was calculated as the maximum that left them alive. Immediately after irradiation the rats lost body and thymus weight. The number of thymocytes decreased and the structure of the thymus was destroyed. The thymus weights then increased rapidly for a few days from day 7 followed by a slower increase. Immunohistochemically, the recovery of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-positive cells in the thymus was slower than that of MHC class I-positive cells. Recovery of MHC Class II-positive and ED1-positive cells in the thymus was slow, especially in the medulla. Thymus structure appeared similar to normal control animals on day 14, although the number of MHC class II- and ED1-positive cells in the medulla was lower than that of controls even 21 days after radiation exposure. The delay in recovery of MHC class II-positive stromal cells might affect the regeneration of thymocyte subpopulations after irradiation.
We demonstrate that the 50% hole-doped bilayer manganite LaSr 2 Mn 2 O 7 exhibits CE-type charge- and spin-ordered states below T N, CO A =210 K and below T N CE ∼145 K, respectively. However, the volume fraction of the CE-type ordering is relatively small, and the system is dominated by the A-type spin ordering. The coexistence of the two types of ordering is essential to understand the transport properties, and it can be viewed as an effective phase separation between the metallic d ( x 2 - y 2 ) orbital ordering and the charge-localized d (3 x 2 - r 2 )/ d (3 y 2 - r 2 ) orbital ordering.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall glycolipid, lipoarabinomannan, can inhibit CD4+ T cell activation by downregulating the phosphorylation of key proximal TCR signaling molecules: Lck, CD3ζ, ZAP70, and LAT. Inhibition of proximal TCR signaling can result in T cell anergy, in which T cells are inactivated following an Ag encounter, yet remain viable and hyporesponsive. We tested whether mannose-capped lipoarabinomannan (LAM)-induced inhibition of CD4+ T cell activation resulted in CD4+ T cell anergy. The presence of LAM during primary stimulation of P25 TCR-transgenic murine CD4+ T cells with M. tuberculosis Ag85B peptide resulted in decreased proliferation and IL-2 production. P25 TCR-transgenic CD4+ T cells primed in the presence of LAM also exhibited decreased response upon restimulation with Ag85B. The T cell anergic state persisted after the removal of LAM. Hyporesponsiveness to restimulation was not due to apoptosis, generation of Foxp3-positive regulatory T cells, or inhibitory cytokines. Acquisition of the anergic phenotype correlated with upregulation of gene related to anergy in lymphocytes (GRAIL) protein in CD4+ T cells. Inhibition of human CD4+ T cell activation by LAM also was associated with increased GRAIL expression. Small interfering RNA–mediated knockdown of GRAIL before LAM treatment abrogated LAM-induced hyporesponsiveness. In addition, exogenous IL-2 reversed defective proliferation by downregulating GRAIL expression. These results demonstrate that LAM upregulates GRAIL to induce anergy in Ag-reactive CD4+ T cells. Induction of CD4+ T cell anergy by LAM may represent one mechanism by which M. tuberculosis evades T cell recognition.
Current knowledge of the modulation of maternal-fetal transfer of metabolites is reviewed and new data on the actual placental transport of D-glucose, L-alanine and glycerol in the rat are presented. Twenty-one day pregnant rats were infused with the 14C-labelled substrates throughout the left uterine artery. Radioactivity appearing in fetuses was corrected by the specific dilution of the tracer at maternal arterial plasma and the uterine artery blood flow to estimate placental transfer. This parameter appeared to be 127 mumol X kg-1 fetal b.w. X min-1 for D-glucose, 23 for L-alanine, and 1 for glycerol--values which are much higher than those described for larger species. There is a parallelism between the magnitude of transfer to fetus and arterial concentration in mother for each studied metabolite and actually variations in their plasmatic levels affect this transport process. This is clearly seen in the case of glucose where placental transfer is reduced during fasting hypoglycemia and greatly increased in diabetes. Placental transfer of L-alanine and blood flow to the placenta were reduced in both 48-hour starved and streptozotocin-induced diabetic late pregnant rats. Results show the main role of maternal nutrient concentration as a modulator of their transfer to fetus, the deleterious effect of reductions of uterine blood flow on placental transport of amino acids as well as the small placental transfer of glycerol as compared to either glucose or alanine.
This study examined the clonality of B- and T-cells by PCR in 83 patients with Philadelphia-negative myeloproliferative disorders (Ph-MPD), to investigate its clinical and morphological correlates. Clonal lymphocytic populations were found in 23% of patients (T: n = 20, B: n = 3), with no frequency differences between ET, CIMF and PV. At the presentation, patients with clonal bands were older (58.1±13.8 vs 47.5±14.6, p = 0.0039), but did not differ in other clinical parameters. After the median follow-up of 21 months they were less likely to be asymptomatic (11.8% vs 41.1%, p = 0.029). The T-cell clonality was the strongest predictor of the symptomatic last follow-up by discriminant function analysis, surpassing the patient's age. This surprising negative prognostic impact of lymphocyte clonality in Ph-MPD may result from this phenomenon to be a better measure of the ‘hematopoietic biologic age’ than the metrical age itself.
Contemporary aerospace systems are becoming complex to as they deliver complex functionalities. In the complex systems the software is also becoming complex and the hardware size is shrinking by usage of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA's), and Programmable Logic Device (PLD's). IP core play a critical role in today's hardware and the certification of these is a challenge. For Aerospace, the IP core is to be complaint to theDO-254 standard. This paper provides the approach, design, and implementation of Aerospace Compliant Test Bench to verify the aerospace IP Cores. The efficacy of the Test Bench is demonstrated with A429 IP core as a case study.
Domestic violence may be less representative of a unique form of violent behavior and more indicative of an overall tendency toward violence. This article explores this issue with two years of police data from a Mid-South city. Findings revealed that domestic violence histories were more likely in any type of homicide case, and that there were both similarities and differences in predicting general and domestic violence homicide cases. Further implications of these findings within the context of law enforcement strategies and responses to domestic violence are discussed.
A systematic visual interpretation of pre‐ and post‐earthquake Landsat‐7 ETM+ imagery of the 14 November, Ms 8.1 Kokoxili earthquake has revealed significant post‐earthquake lineaments in the region south of the Kunlun fault, which we interpret as co‐seismic surface ruptures related to the event. This previously unreported surface rupturing is located in two broad swathes ∼20 and ∼60 km south of the main Kunlun fault. Pre‐existing lineaments and subtle tectonic geomorphologic features associated with these ruptures suggest that earthquake‐triggered displacement occurred along pre‐existing faults.
In the present paper the authors have introduced a new symmetric key cryptographic method called Bit Level Encryption Standard(BLES) which is based on bit exchanging or bit reshuffling method. The authors have introduced a completely new bit level encryption method. Nath et. al has already developed bit manipulation method called NJJSAA where the authors mainly used bit level right shift, bit level XOR operation. In the present paper the authors have used bit level exchange using random key generator and also byte level exchange using random key generator. The bit exchange was made using different block sizes such as 16 bits, 64 bits, 256 bits and 1024 bits long. To make the system hard the authors have changed the randomization matrix each time when data is extracted from plain text file and whenever the size of the block is changed. After finishing bit level exchange for the entire file the authors used the byte exchange method. The authors have also introduced a special bit manipulation method so the encryption algorithm will work even for all characters with ASCII Code 0 or all characters with ASCII Code 255. The standard encryption algorithm will fail to encrypt a file where all characters are ASCII ‘0’ or all characters with ASCII ‘255’ but the present method will be able to encrypt a file where all characters are ASCII ‘0’ or all characters are ASCII ‘255’. The present method will be effective for encrypting short message, password, confidential key etc. The spectral analysis in the result sections shows that the present method is free from known plain text attack, differential attack or any type brute force attack. General Terms encryption, bit exchange, byte exchange
Probabilistic methods are emerging for operating electrical networks, driven by the integration of renewable generation. We present an algorithm that models a stochastic process as a Markov process using a multivariate Gaussian Mixture Model, as well as a model selection technique to search for the adequate Markov order and number of components. The main motivation is to sample future trajectories of these processes from their last available observations (i.e. measurements). An accurate model that can generate these synthetic trajectories is critical for applications such as security analysis or decision making based on lookahead models. The proposed approach is evaluated in a lookahead security analysis framework, i.e. by estimating the probability of future system states to respect operational constraints. The evaluation is performed using a 33-bus distribution test system, for power consumption and wind speed processes. Empirical results show that the GMM approach slightly outperforms an ARMA approach.
Background Microbial dysbiosis and microbiome-induced inflammation have emerged as important factors in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tumorigenesis during the last two decades. However, the “rare biosphere” of the oral microbiome, including fungi, has been sparsely investigated. This study aimed to characterize the salivary mycobiome in a prospective Sudanese cohort of OSCC patients and to explore patterns of diversities associated with overall survival (OS). Materials and Methods Unstimulated saliva samples (n = 72) were collected from patients diagnosed with OSCC (n = 59) and from non-OSCC control volunteers (n = 13). DNA was extracted using a combined enzymatic–mechanical extraction protocol. The salivary mycobiome was assessed using a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based methodology by amplifying the ITS2 region. The impact of the abundance of different fungal genera on the survival of OSCC patients was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression survival analyses (SPPS). Results Sixteen genera were identified exclusively in the saliva of OSCC patients. Candida, Malassezia, Saccharomyces, Aspergillus, and Cyberlindnera were the most relatively abundant fungal genera in both groups and showed higher abundance in OSCC patients. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed higher salivary carriage of the Candida genus significantly associated with poor OS of OSCC patients (Breslow test: p = 0.043). In contrast, the higher salivary carriage of Malassezia showed a significant association with favorable OS in OSCC patients (Breslow test: p = 0.039). The Cox proportional hazards multiple regression model was applied to adjust the salivary carriage of both Candida and Malassezia according to age (p = 0.029) and identified the genus Malassezia as an independent predictor of OS (hazard ratio = 0.383, 95% CI = 0.16–0.93, p = 0.03). Conclusion The fungal compositional patterns in saliva from OSCC patients were different from those of individuals without OSCC. The fungal genus Malassezia was identified as a putative prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for OSCC.
During the period 1966 to 1976, a large number of retained patients of uterine prolapse and urinary fistula became a problem around the maternal and child health aspects not to be ignored. All traditional Chinese and Western medical practitioners under difficult condition had been trying their best to continue to carry out the treatment. For uterine prolapse, Chinese medicine therapy included decoction therapy, acupuncture therapy, comprehensive therapy, para-uterine injection of traditional Chinese medicine preparations; whereas Western medicine treatment included hysterophore and surgery. Guangxi and other places treated urinary fistula in an organized scale, and summed up the treatment experience continuously.
Design and successful implementation of a fully integrated CMOS fluorescence biochip for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)/ribonucleic acid (RNA) testing in molecular diagnostics (MDx) is presented. The biochip includes a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$32  times 32$ </tex-math></inline-formula> array of continuous wave fluorescence detection biosensing elements. Each biosensing element is capable of having unique DNA probe sequences, wavelength-selective multi-dielectric emission filter (OD of 3.6), resistive heater for thermal cycling, and a high performance and programmable photodetector. The dimension of each biosensor is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$100 , , mu  text {m} times 100 , , mu  text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> with a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$50  , , mu  text {m} times 50 , , mu  text{m} , , text{N}_{ mathrm {well}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ text{P}_{ mathrm {sub}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> photodiode acting as the optical transducer, and a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ mathrm { Sigma  ! Delta }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> modulator-based photocurrent sensor. The measured photodetector performance shows ~116 dB detection dynamic range (10 fA–10 nA) over the 25 °C–100 °C temperature range, while being ~1 dB away from the fundamental shot-noise limit. To empirically demonstrate the compatibility of this biochip with MDx applications, we have successfully utilized the array and its thermal cycling capability to adopt a 7-plex panel for detection of six human upper respiratory viruses.
This article discusses aspects of the new thinking founded on a risk-based ISO 9001:2015. It is noted that risk-based thinking is an effective tool for creating, auditing and improving quality management systems. Shows several practical examples of the implementation of the risk management process for the phase “Plan” PDCA-cycle, proposed a new model of the ISM, which contains all the basic entity for performance audits (criteria, object, audit observation) and allows to generate the level of security assessment. Additionally an approach is presented to determine the characteristics of technological devices for the healthcare industry.
This paper describes first steps towards a Superman-like X-ray vision where a brain-computer interface (BCI) device and a gaze-tracker are used to allow the user controlling the augmented reality (AR) visualization. A BCI device is integrated into two medical AR systems. To assess the potential of this technology first feedback from medical doctors is gathered. While in this pilot study not the full range of available signals but only electromyographic signals are used, the medical doctors provided very positive feedback on the use of BCI for medical AR.
It is now well understood that with US Department of Defense (DoD) budgets shrinking and the Services and Agencies demanding new systems which can be fielded more quickly, cost and schedule are being emphasized more and more. At the same time, the US has ever growing needs for advanced capabilities to support evolving Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance objectives. In response to this market demand for ever more cost-effective, faster to market, single-channel, athermal optical systems, we have developed new metal polishing technologies which allow for short-lead, low-cost metal substrates to replace more costly, longer-lead material options. In parallel, the commercial marketplace is being driven continually to release better, faster and cheaper electronics. Growth according to Moore's law, enabled by advancements in photolithography, has produced denser memory, higher resolution displays and faster processors. While the quality of these products continues to increase, their price is falling. This seeming paradox is driven by industry advancements in manufacturing technology. The next steps on this curve can be realized via polishing technology which allows low-cost metal substrates to replace costly Silicon based optics for use in ultra-short wavelength systems.
Modern systems engineering projects have moved from the development of new virgin, standalone products, to the upgrade and adaptation of existing systems to new capabilities. Enterprise systems are in a state of flux as new capabilities and improvements are implemented over time. They are characterized by complex technology acquisition and supply chains, variable, overlapping timescales, and numerous asset management and maintenance processes all whilst dealing with the pressures of minimal system downtime, maintaining operability and safety, and providing a reliable service. The organisations within the enterprise delivering these capabilities will evolve over time in order to meet these challenges. Whilst enterprise architectures are commonly used to manage the complexity and plan/design the strategic, operational and technical views in detail, attention to the holistic, organisational aspects is oft considered to a lesser degree. This paper demonstrates how Model-Based Systems Engineering principles can be used to manage the complexity of the introduction of new capabilities from an integrated organisational standpoint.
The smart grid paradigm and the development of smart meters have led to the availability of large volumes of data. This data is expected to assist in power system planning/operation and the transition from passive to active electricity users. With recent advances in machine learning, this data can be used to learn system dynamics. This study explores two model-free reinforcement learning (RL) techniques - policy iteration (PI) and fitted Q-iteration (FQI) for scheduling the operation of flexibility providers - battery and heat pump in a residential microgrid. The proposed algorithms are data-driven and can be easily generalised to fit the control of any flexibility provider without requiring expert knowledge to build a detailed model of the flexibility provider and/or microgrid. The algorithms are tested in multi-agent collaborative and single-agent stochastic microgrid settings - with the uncertainty due to lack of knowledge on future electricity consumption patterns and photovoltaic production. Simulation results show that PI outperforms FQI with a 7.2% increase in photovoltaic self-consumption in the multi-agent setting and a 3.7% increase in the single-agent setting. Both RL algorithms perform better than a rule-based controller, and compete with a model-based optimal controller, and are thus, a valuable alternative to model- and rule-based controllers.
In this present work, study of mechanical and optical properties of PP/HDPE/EVA/PLA (80/20/5/4) blend reinforced with nano alumina (Al2O3) particles is investigated. In the production process co-rotating twin screw extruder are utilized. Reinforced films are produced with 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 phr Al2O3 contents .The screw speed of the extruder is maintained at 150 rpm. After post extrusion, cast films are prepared. Mechanical performance analysis are done in order to examine the change in tensile strength, burst strength, tear strength and kinetic coefficient of friction of the polymeric films. Optical properties are performed for obtaining the data of haze and transmittance. The morphology is studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). These results are related to the Al2O3 dispersion, to the type of the different composite formulations with PP/HDPE/EVA/PLA polymer matrix. It has been found that at 0.5 Phr loading of Al2O3 in PP/HDPE/EVA/PLA (80/20/5/4) blend has shown the highest burst and tear strength. On the other hand, the tensile strength shows decreasing order on Al2O3 loading 0.5 to 2 phr. Optical properties such as maximum value of transmittance and haze are also observed as loading of 0.5 Phr of Al2O3 in PP/HDPE/EVA/PLA (80/20/5/4) blend. KeywordsNanocomposite; Mechanical properties; Optical properties; Film extrusion; Melt blending; nano alumina; morphological study.
The eruptive cycles of dwarf novae (DN) are thought to be due to a thermal-viscous instability in the accretion disk surrounding the white dwarf (WD). This model has long been known to imply a stress to pressure ratio  alpha ~0.1 in outburst compared to  alpha ~ 0.01 in quiescence. Such an enhancement in $ alpha$ has recently been observed in simulations of turbulent transport driven by the magneto-rotational instability (MRI) when convection is present, without requiring a net magnetic flux. We independently recover this result by carrying out PLUTO MHD simulations of vertically stratified, radiative, shearing boxes with the thermodynamics and opacities appropriate to DN. The results are robust against the choice of vertical boundary conditions. The thermal equilibrium solutions found by the simulations trace the well-known S-curve in the density-temperature plane. We confirm that the high values of  alpha ~ 0.1 occur near the tip of the hot branch of the S-curve, where convection is active. However, we also present thermally-stable simulations at lower temperatures that have standard values of  alpha ~ 0.03 despite the presence of vigorous convection. We find no simple relationship between  alpha and the strength of the convection, as measured by the ratio of convective to radiative flux. The cold branch is only very weakly ionized so, in the second part of this work, we studied the impact of non-ideal MHD effects on transport. We include resistivity in the simulations and find that the MRI-driven transport is quenched ( alpha ~ 0) below the critical density at which the magnetic Reynolds number R_m  leq 10^4. This is problematic as X-ray emission observed in quiescent systems requires ongoing accretion onto the WD. We verify that these X-rays cannot self-sustain MRI-driven turbulence by photo-ionizing the disk and discuss possible solutions to the issue of accretion in quiescence.
Ric c1, an allergenic protein from castor oil plants (Ricinus communis), is an insect α-amylase inhibitor that has become an occupational allergen. Ric c1 can cross-react with allergens from wheat, soybean, peanut, shrimp, fish, gluten, house dust, tobacco and air fungus, thereby amplifying the concern and risks caused by castor oil plants (COP) allergens. Two continuous IgE-binding epitopes were identified in Ric c1, both containing glutamic acid residues involved in IgE-binding and allergic challenges. We produced recombinant Ric c1 (rRic c1) in Escherichia coli, using primers from foliar castor oil plant DNA, and a mutant (Glu-Leu) recombinant protein (mrRic c1) in the same system using synthetic genes. rRic c1 preserved both allergenic and α-amylase inhibitory properties, and mrRic c1 drastically reduced allergenic properties. These results can help to establish meaningful relationships between structure, defence and allergenicity, important steps for producing engineered plants and developing new approaches for immunotherapy.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess demographic characteristics of women prescribed beta‐blocker (&bgr;‐blocker) medication and compare to those not using &bgr;‐blocker medication, and to determine if there are differences in depression and fatigue among women who used &bgr;‐blockers compared to nonusers 6–12 months after myocardial infarction (MI). Data sources: This was a descriptive cross‐sectional study of 84 women (61 using &bgr;‐blockers and 23 not using &bgr;‐blockers) aged 65 and older who were 6–12 months post‐MI. Women had their height and weight measured and completed a Demographic Health Form, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (RPFS). Conclusions: While most of the women were taking &bgr;‐blockers after MI (74%), significantly fewer Black women were taking &bgr;‐blockers (χ2= 5.086, p= 0.032). Most of the &bgr;‐blocker users were overweight or obese. There were no significant differences in age, t(82) = 0.7, p= 0.486; body mass index, t(82) = 0.76, p= 0.445; income, χ2(df = 2) = 3.219, p= 0.075; mean depression, t(82) = 1.648, p= 0.103; or fatigue scores, t(82) = 0.993, p= 0.324, between &bgr;‐blocker users and nonusers. More of those not taking &bgr;‐blockers reported fatigue with significantly higher fatigue in the affective meaning dimension of the RPFS, t(82) = 2.272, p= 0.03. Implications for practice: &bgr;‐Blocker medication continues to be underutilized in older women. Because no difference was noted in fatigue and depression in the two groups, these may mean that these side effects are not barriers in prescribing this medication post‐MI. Nurse practitioners are in pivotal positions to monitor the ongoing physiological and psychological sequelae post‐MI and implement interventions to improve their outcomes.
Monomeric thiol surfactants, [C(n)H(2n+1)N(CH(3))(2)CH(2)CH(2)SH]Br, were produced by the cleavage of gemini surfactant containing a disulfide bond in the spacer chain, [C(n)H(2n+1)N(CH(3))(2)CH(2)CH(2)SSCH(2)CH(2)N(CH(3))(2)C(n)H(2n+1)]2Br. The disulfide bond was completely reduced by the addition of four times moles of dithiothreitol in water at room temperature. The critical micelle concentrations of monomeric surfactants were significantly increased in comparison with original gemini surfactants. The monomeric thiol surfactants were stable in the presence of dithiothreitol, whereas they returned gradually to their original gemini surfactants within several days due to air oxidation in water without dithiothreitol. The micelle formation induced by the disulfide linkage formation was suggested by the fluorescence intensity ratio of pyrene. The time course of decrease in thiol concentration associated with the recovery of gemini surfactants was confirmed by the absorption spectra utilizing the reactions with 4,4'-dithiopyridine.
A 62 year old man developed an inferior wall myocardial infarction during ambulatory ST segment monitoring. Before the onset of persistent ST segment elevation he had taken several glyceryl trinitrate tablets, which was followed by bradycardia and symptoms of hypotension. Whether a paradoxical reaction to glyceryl trinitrate may have triggered the development of myocardial infarction in this case is uncertain.
Acne is the commonest inflammatory dermatosis seen worldwide. Atrophic acne scarring is a frequent complication, which can arise from acne of any severity. Micro (mi)RNAs are noncoding RNA molecules of 19–25 nucleotides that function as post‐transcriptomic mediators of gene expression. They have demonstrated differential expression in various pathologies, such as eczema and psoriasis, allowing for a unique miRNA ‘signature’ profile to be established for different disease states.
Abstract Recent evidence-based developments in the neurobiology of art therapy are considered in this editorial in light of the field's unique, collaborative position in the dialogue between art and neuroscience. Brain imaging studies using advanced technology reveal information about how a person is processing stimuli that cannot otherwise be observed or self-reported. This research, thus, supports the premise that art therapy is particularly valuable for rebalancing brain functions that have been compromised by trauma, attachment disruption, and other losses of emotional connection for which human beings have always turned to art to regain.
In this paper, we present an estimator that improves the well-calibrated coherent risk measure: expected shortfall by restructuring its functional form to incorporate dynamic weights on extreme conditional quantiles used in its definition. Adjusted Extreme Quantile Autoregression will is used in estimating intermediary location measures. Consistency and coherence of the estimator are also proved. The resulting estimator was found to be less conservative compared to the expected shortfall.
MHC class I molecules exit the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by an unknown mechanism. Although a selective export mechanism has been proposed for the anterograde transport of class I, a motif responsible for export has never been identified. Although classical class I molecules lacking their cytoplasmic tail are expressed on the cell surface, we found that HLA-F was entirely dependent on its cytoplasmic tail for export from the ER. Two known export motifs were recognizable in HLA-F. A C-terminal valine residue functioned in ER export and interacted with coat complex (COP)II, while an RxR motif also played an important role in anterograde transport and bound to 14-3-3 proteins. This divergent trafficking of HLA-F implicates an alternative function for HLA-F, independent of loading with peptides in the ER.
The study is devoted to the problem of transforming the formed spatial system within the boundaries of the planning element. As a result of the analysis of the study area, the author identifies a number of basic problems of planning and development of an urbanized space, the elimination of which is possible when using the methods of renovating the housing stock. The author examines the compliance of the existing regulatory framework of the proposed method with modern requirements for the implementation of life, identifies the key aspects of changing the content of urban planning documentation of an element of the planning structure in the direction of the integrated development of the territory, and also describes the mechanism for implementing a systemic approach in the formation of a renovated spatial system.
Individual volcanoes of continental monogenetic volcanic fields are generally presumed to erupt single magma batches during brief eruptions. Nevertheless, in two unrelated volcanic fields (the Waipiata volcanic field, New Zealand, and the Miocene–Pliocene volcanic field in western Hungary), we have identified pronounced and systematic compositional differences among products of individual volcanoes. We infer that this indicates a two-stage process of magma supply for these volcanoes. Each volcano records: (1) intrusion of a basanitic parent magma to lower- to mid-crustal levels and its subsequent fractionation to form a tephritic residual melt; (2) subsequent transection of this reservoir by a second batch of basanitic melt, with tephrite rising to the surface at the head of the propagating basanite dyke. Eruption at the surface then yields initial tephrite, typically erupted as pyroclasts, followed by eruption and shallow intrusion of basanite from deeper in the dyke. By analogy with similar tephrite–basanite eruptions along rift zones of intraplate ocean-island volcanoes, we infer that fractionation to tephrite would have required decades to centuries. We conclude that the two studied continental monogenetic volcanic fields demonstrate a consistent history of early magmatic injections that fail to reach the surface, followed by capture and partial eruption of their evolved residues in the course of separate and significantly later injections of basanite that extend to the surface and erupt. This systematic behaviour probably reflects the difficulty of bringing small volumes of dense, primitive magma to the surface from mantle source regions. Ascent through continental crust is aided by the presence in the dyke head of buoyant tephrite captured during transection of the earlier-emplaced melt bodies.
The first total synthesis of the mitotic spindle poison nostodione A is described. The inherent oxidative sensitivity of indoles is utilized for a late introduction of a second carbonyl to the cyclopent[b]indole-2-one system. The tricyclic system is prepared from indole-3-acetic acid and O-silylated 4-ethynylphenol, using a stereoselective intramolecular reductive Heck cyclization as the key transformation.
The water budgets for some aquaculture systems in three states viz. Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal were determined in the present study. The average evaporation and seepage loss from the aquaculture ponds throughout the year in Cuttack, Kendrapara, Jajpur, and Puri districts of Orissa were 164 ± 8.3 and 73 ± 16.5 cm, respectively; 152 ± 10 and 90 ± 16 cm, respectively, in South and North 24 Parganas, West Bengal; and 182 ± 12 and 110 ± 10 cm, respectively, in Krishna and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. Evaporation and seepage were significantly ( P < 0.05) differed among the fish ponds of the three states. Annual rainfall, run-off, and well water addition to the ponds were 178 ± 40, 14.5 ± 3.4, and 156 ± 48 cm, respectively, in Orissa; 166 ± 14, 9 ± 2, and 173 ± 27 cm, respectively, in West Bengal; 120 ± 12, 8 ± 1, and 304 ± 26 cm, respectively, in Andhra Pradesh. Annual rainfall, run-off, and well water addition to the ponds differed significantly ( P < 0.05) in the three states. The consumptive water use was 3.34 ± 0.47, 3.35 ± 0.36, and 2.67 ± 0.23 m3/kg, respectively, in Orissa, West Bengal, and Andhra Pradesh. Significantly ( P < 0.05) greater amount of consumptive water use was determined for the fish ponds of West Bengal and Orissa compared to Andhra Pradesh.
This paper attempted to establish a relationship between the morphology, microstructure and mechanical properties of a laser lap welded joint (WJ) of 780 duplex-phase (DP) steel under different welding parameters. The experimental results showed that the microstructure of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of all the WJs were tempered martensite and equiaxed ferrite. The microstructure at the fusion zone (FZ) in all the WJs was dominated by lath martensite and ferrite, and the grain size of the FZ was larger than that in the base materials (BMs). The mechanical properties of the welded joints were tested by a universal testing machine, and the changing law of lap tensile resistance with the laser-welding parameters was analyzed. The results show that there was a linear relationship between the width of the weld and the tensile-shear forces of the weld, and the penetration of the weld had no obvious effect on the tensile-shear forces of the weld. A binary linear-regression equation was established to reveal the degree of influence of welding speed and laser power on the mechanical properties of WJs. It was found that the laser power had a greater influence on the mechanical properties of WJs than the welding speed.
Conclusions. Finding human herpesvirus (HHV)-7 and dual HHV-6A and -6B DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of two facial palsy (FP) patients is intriguing but does not allow etiologic conclusions as such. HHV-6 or -7 DNA was revealed in 10% of the CSF samples tested from 70 immunocompetent adolescents and adults; a highly unusual result. How these findings are associated with the diseases they accompany remains to be defined. Objective. To determine whether herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 and -2, varicella-zoster virus (VZV), HHV-6A, -6B, and -7, Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA could be found in CSF of FP patients or controls. Subjects and methods. In all, 33 peripheral FP patients (26 idiopathic, 5 with herpesvirus infection, 1 puerperal, 1 Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome) (34 CSF samples) and 36 controls (16 nonidiopathic FP, 7 hearing loss, 6 vertigo, 5 headache, 2 other) previously tested for HSV-1, VZV, and HHV-6 DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were tested with highly sensitive multiplex-PCR and an oligonucleotide microarray method. Results. One FP patient had HHV-7 DNA and another had HHV-6A and -6B DNA simultaneously. In the control group, one HHV-7, one HHV-6A, and three HHV-6B DNA-positive specimens were found.
Despite decades of studies which have seen the nuclear charge distribution being measured with increasing precision, the neutron distribution remains elusive. The difference between the neutron and proton distributions is often expressed as the difference of their root mean square radii: the neutron skin thickness. Recently, the A2 collaboration at MaMi has measured the skin thickness in lead through coherent pion photoproduction [1] with a very high precision. However, they do not include theoretical uncertainties, which can be significant for this process. A new reaction code in the distorted wave impulse approximation (DWIA) is developed to help the (ongoing) analysis of the recent measurement by the A2 collaboration at MaMi of the coherent pion photoproduction cross section on 116,120,124Sn isotopes [2] and to properly quantify the theoretical uncertainties.
The magnetoresistance of a 2D electron gas was investigated in non-planar GaAs quantum wells with different degrees of non-planarity. We observed the anisotropic positive magnetoresistance of the 2D electron gas, and found it to depend on both the current direction and orientation of the in-plane magnetic field. We claim that this magnetoresistance could be explained by classical scattering of 2D electrons moving in a non-uniform effective magnetic field, originating from the non-planar character of quantum wells.
Hematoma of the rectus sheath is a rare complication of asthma. We describe a case of rectus sheath hematoma caused by severe coughing during an exacerbation of asthma. This 65-year-old male patient had been a victim of asthma for more than 8 years. He suffered an acute attack of asthma and was treated at a local hospital five days before this admission. Two days later, a sudden onset of severe cough followed by abdominal pain occurred. The physical examination found an ecchymosis measuring 10x12 cm in size at the periumbilical area of the abdomen. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a well-defined soft tissue mass with contrast media enhancement in the left rectus sheath, consistent with rectus sheath hematoma. The aspirate from an ultrasound-guided diagnostic tapping also showed the blood clot. The patient received bronchodilators, corticosteroids, antitussive agents, and local heat packing for this abdominal wall lesion. The clinical condition of the patient improved gradually and he was discharged 2 weeks after admission. Failure to suspect the presence of a rectus sheath hematoma as a cause of acute abdominal pain may result in unnecessary invasive diagnostic studies or laparotomy.
The viscous oil and poor vertical sweep make these reservoirs possible targets for IOR with polymers. This study shows that polymer incremental recoveries can be high, well within the range of potential economic viability. The incremental recovery mechanism is not the usual improved Buckley-Leverett sweep efficiency resulting from correction of an adverse displacement ratio. A novel recovery mechanism is identified in which the polymer increases the ratio of viscous to gravity forces, reducing the water slumping. This leads to improved vertical sweep, recovering oil from regions of high oil saturation at the top of the reservoir. They simulated polymer flooding including temperature effects. Comparison of waterflood simulations including temperature effects with conventional isothermal simulations shows that, counter to normal expectations, isothermal simulations can underpredict recovery by >10%.
The unicellular alga Nannochloropsis sp. (Eustigmatophyta) is a rich source of lipids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as eicosapentaenoic acid) and carotenoids (violaxanthin), which makes it valuable for human consumption, aquaculture and biofuel production. Mass production of Nannochloropsis sp. can be easily achieved in high-rate algal ponds (HRAP), in flat panel photobio- reactors (FPP) or in tubular photobioreactors. While easy to operate, these systems are prone to un- favorable growth conditions, which affect productivity. In the present study, we cultivated Nan- nochloropsis sp. in 2 outdoor production systems and monitored photosynthetic activity. Unfavorable conditions (stressors), such as high temperature and high pH in combination with high irradiance, were induced in FPP, causing a substantial reduction in the photosynthetic rate. The measurements of Nannochloropsis sp. photosynthetic activity using several chlorophyll fluorescence techniques as well as oxygen production measurements showed that this species is able to withstand high irradi- ance levels. Although some photodamage due to high irradiance was found, the cultures rapidly recovered. Nannochloropsis sp. coped well with high pH conditions under physiological tempera- tures. However, a temperature rise above 32°C was detrimental, with repair processes being unable to keep up with the rate of damage. The cultures in the FPP were more prone to damage by extreme temperatures than those in the HRAP due to the high surface:volume ratio, which complicated tem- perature regulation within the physiological range.
This study examined the process by which convicted sexual offenders move out of denial and the factors which influence their decision to admit. Twenty-four convicted sexual offenders were interviewed in focus groups and a further 36 convicted sexual offenders who had previously been in denial of their offences underwent a semi-structured interview which explored their reasoning for reducing defensiveness and leaving denial. The results of content analysis supported the “adaptational” model of denial and identified three groups of factors which appear to influence denial: motivational/insight; threats to self-esteem; and fear of negative, extrinsic consequences. An integrated theoretical model of denial is proposed and implications for future research and the development of a theory-based treatment programme for deniers are proposed.
The voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) is an emerging technology that promises economic and performance advantages by reducing hardware and enabling object oriented voice applications. Technology and products alone will not automatically bring these advantages to the military. A system architecture approach is needed. Our approach translates user driven requirements into products that are secure, interoperable, and easy to use. Using the DoD's C4ISR Architecture Framework, Version 2.0, we define operational, system, and technical views for secure network voice. From these views, we explore some enabling technologies and applications to make network voice an information appliance for Joint Vision 2010.
tal in 1978 for evaluation of a seizure disorder. A contrast-enhanced computerized tomography (CT) scan revealed a left-sided posterior temporal arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Cerebral angiography results confirmed the presence of a 3 3.5–cm left temporal AVM with both superficial and deep drainage (Fig. 1). Because of the lesion’s location within eloquent cortex, the decision was made to follow the lesion conservatively. In March 1999, the patient fell into an exposed manhole, hitting his occiput on an adjacent car bumper. He immediately experienced
Malaysian Law stipulates the public society should be involved in development planning to assure thorough and comprehensive planning is made to fulfill the needs and aspirations of the society coming from multiracial and ethnicities. However, their knowledge about public participation in development planning is still in question. The participation is in fact a great opportunity for the society to play a part in shaping and influencing the objective and direction of future developments. Public participation is required in every stages of development planning such as Local Plan to ensure effectiveness of the planning system. Therefore it is crucial for the information concerning the publicity and public participation to reach targetted group through accessible broadcasting method that matched with present-day. This paper reviews their knowledge towards public participation programs. This quantitative study also discovers respondents' views on the method of information broadcasting through social media. The result shows their knowledge about public participation in planning process is considerately very low. Additionally, the study discovers that social media is highly influential among respondents where it should be used to increase public participation in development planning.
Immunization of Balb/c and C57B1/6 mice with the pertussis toxin (Ptx), purified from the culture supernatant of Bordetella pertussis (the whooping cough bacillus) resulted in different immune reactions in these genetically different strains of mice. Antibody responses to Ptx were detected only in Balb/c, whereas both Balb/c and C57B1/6 produced anti-Ptx antibodies when immunized with detoxified Ptx. Also, delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions differ strongly according to the use of Ptx or detoxified Ptx as eliciting antigen.
Monoamine transporters, the molecular targets for drugs of abuse and antidepressants, clear norepinephrine, dopamine, or serotonin from the synaptic cleft. Neurotransmitters, amphetamines, and neurotoxins bind before being transported, whereas cocaine and antidepressants bind to block transport. Although binding is crucial to transport, few assays separate binding from transport, nor do they provide adequate temporal or spatial resolution to describe real-time kinetics or localize sites of active uptake. Here, we report a new method that distinguishes substrate binding from substrate transport using single-cell, space-resolved, real-time fluorescence microscopy. For these studies we use a fluorescent analogue of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, a neurotoxic metabolite and known substrate of monoamine transporters, to assess binding and transport with 50-ms, sub-micron resolution. We show that ASP+(4-(4-(dimethylamino)styrl)-N-methylpyridinium) has micromolar potency for the human norepinephrine transporter, that ASP+ accumulation is Na+-, Cl−-, cocaine-, and desipramine-sensitive and temperature-dependent, and that ASP+ competes with norepinephrine uptake. Using this method we demonstrate that norepinephrine transporters are efficient buffers for substrate, with binding rates exceeding transport rates by 100-fold. Furthermore, substrates bind deep within the transporter, isolated from both the bath and the lipid bilayer. Although transport per sedepends on Na+ and Cl−, binding is independent of Na+ and actually increases in low Cl−. We further demonstrate that ASP+ interacts with transporters not only in transfected cells but in cultured neurons. ASP+is also a substrate for dopamine and serotonin transporters and therefore represents a powerful new technique for studying the biophysical properties of monoamine transporters, an approach also amenable to high throughput assays for drug discovery.
Amid controversies surrounding aid effectiveness, an increasing number of empirical studies find support for the idea that aid can spur growth and that the aid-growth relationship is nonlinear. Lensink and White propose a model to illustrate the possible existence of what has been labeled an "aid Laffer curve." This short paper highlights the model`s weaknesses and suggests that the model does not fulfill the purpose of illustrating the possible existence of negative returns to aid.
Liquid crystalline Ni(II) and Cu(II) complexes of tetradentate ligands, enaminoketones and 3-oxa; 3-thia- and 3-selena-butyramides were synthesized and examined. The compounds show very low C 1 symmetry resulting from the chiral donor atoms — oxygen, sulphur and selenium — incorporated in the butyric amide moiety. This chirality can be observed in NMR studies. The complexes exhibit enantiotropic as well as monotropic calamitic SmA and N phases.
A method based on a two-level system interacting with a bath is outlined to describe the interface between two immisable polymers in a melt. This method is built upon the analogy existing between the configurations of a flexible chain and possible paths of a quantum-mechanical particle. In the limit of zero coupling to the bath (coherent regime), we refind the results of the Helfand-Tagami theory giving the size and the energy of the interface. As the coupling to the bath increases, the incoherent contribution dominates the interfacial properties. A polymer blend in a confined geometry illustrates also this method
The first photocatalysis operated by the visible-light induced metal-to-metal charge transfer (MMCT) has been demonstrated for the Ti(IV)/Ce(III) bimetallic assemblies synthesized on the pore of mesoporous silica. The Ce LIII-edge XANES measurements combined with 18O-isotopic labeling as well as photoelectrochemical experiments proved the ability of Ti(IV)/Ce(III) assemblies to drive the site-specific photocatalytic reaction under visible-light irradiation. Photocatalytic experiments using the oxidative decomposition of 2-propanol showed that the quantum efficiency for Ti(IV)/Ce(III) bimetallic photocatalysts was remarkably higher than that for the one of the most active visible-light sensitive photocatalysts, nitrogen-doped TiO2. It was also found that the grafting of Ce(III) ions onto nanocrystalline TiO2 particles led to the appearance of intense MMCT band in the visible-light regions, thus verifying it as the generally applicable strategy to obtain visible-light photocatalysts. To date, the grafting o...
We derive a set of analytical solutions for the transport of adsorbing solutes in an immiscible, incompressible two-phase system. This work extends recent results for the analytical description for the movement of inert tracers due to capillary and viscous forces and dispersion to the case of adsorbing solutes. We thereby obtain the first known analytical expression for the description of the effect of adsorption, dispersion, capillary forces and viscous forces on solute movement in two-phase flow. For the purely advective transport, we combine a known exact solution for the description of flow with the method of characteristics for the advective transport equations to obtain solutions that describe both co- and spontaneous counter-current imbibition and advective transport in one dimension. We show that for both cases, the solute front can be located graphically by a modified Welge tangent. For the dispersion, we derive approximate analytical solutions by the method of singular perturbation expansion. The solutions reveal that the amount of spreading depends on the flow regime and that adsorption diminishes the spreading behavior of the solute. We give some illustrative examples and compare the analytical solutions with numerical results.
Tax practitioners play a pivotal role in the Australian taxation system. Not only do they act as intermediaries between the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and the majority of taxpayers, especially business taxpayers, but they also influence the ethical climate and level of compliance with taxation laws. This article discusses this role by reference to data derived from an empirical study of tax practitioners and tax officials from around Australia. The study sheds light on the nature of the compliance problem and the factors which affect the administration of Australian taxation law generally.
Early in the 18th Dynasty, the Egyptian kings conquered their southern neighbors, the C-Group, Pan Grave, and Kerman populations of Nubia. After the conquest, there were significant changes in the material culture of the region, as evidenced by new Egyptian-style mortuary practices and the presence of Egyptian pottery in burials. This “Egyptianization” of the local population has been discussed by many scholars; however, discussions are generally focused on the burials of the Nubian elites who were integrated into the Egyptian administrative structure and who built elaborate Egyptian-style tombs. While many non-elite cemeteries were excavated in Lower Nubia during the UNESCO salvage campaign in the 1960s, only one, Fadrus, received any robust analytical treatment. Other cemeteries, while published, are rarely discussed in the literature. However, given the cultural variation present in Lower Nubia prior to the conquest, it should be expected that other cemeteries might have acculturated to different extents, or even resisted adopting Egyptian culture entirely. ,This dissertation makes use of recent methodological developments in the field of mortuary studies and new theoretical frameworks of cultural change to perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis of several cemeteries in the Princedom of Tekhet, a region excavated by the Sudanese Joint Expedition to Lower Nubia and the Oriental Institute Nubian Expedition. In order to better describe the nature of the material, this analysis adopts a cultural entanglement framework, which aims to archaeologically identify and highlight the creative potential of liminal spaces. As a model, it considers objects not only by their culture of origin, but also how they are used and how visual motifs and manufacturing processes can be “entangled” in colonial situations. Ultimately, the application of this framework aims to present a more nuanced picture of the changes in Lower Nubia during the 18th Dynasty.,The first part of this study involves reevaluating the dates of the tombs within the two concessions through the creation of an updated ceramic typology. The application of this typology demonstrates in many instances that the original dates assigned by the excavators were incorrect, and thus significantly alters our understanding of the socioeconomic changes brought about by the Egyptian occupation, particularly the time frame in which these took place. It seems evident that certain Nubian populations began burying their dead in Egyptianized fashion in the early 18th dynasty, not long after the conquest. The greatest number of Egyptianized burials date to the mid-18th dynasty, while evidence for late 18th dynasty burials are rare, suggesting that most of the Egyptianized cemeteries were no longer in use by that time. Changes to the economic and administrative system in the region were likely key players in these changes.,The second part of this study consists of a statistical analysis of the OINE and SJE tombs, following three main lines of investigation – changes in socioeconomic status over time, the effects of age and gender on burial treatment, and a search for evidence of cultural entanglement in the burial record. The analysis shows that there was significantly more variation, both intra- and inter-cemetery, than has previously been thought – different populations and individuals adopted aspects of Egyptian culture in varying ways. The continued existence of traditional Nubian-style burials alongside more Egyptianized cemeteries further emphasizes the fact that the Egyptianization of Lower Nubia involved a complex, culturally entangled web of individuals and groups, drawing on customs from different cultures as needed.
Motivated by symmetric Cauchy matrices, we define symmetric Cauchy tensors and their generating vectors in this paper. Hilbert tensors are symmetric Cauchy tensors. An even order symmetric Cauchy tensor is positive semi-definite if and only if its generating vector is positive. An even order symmetric Cauchy tensor is positive definite if and only if its generating vector has positive and mutually distinct entries. This extends Fiedler's result for symmetric Cauchy matrices to symmetric Cauchy tensors. Then, it is proven that the positive semi-definiteness character of an even order symmetric Cauchy tensor can be equivalently checked by the monotone increasing property of a homogeneous polynomial related to the Cauchy tensor. The homogeneous polynomial is strictly monotone increasing in the nonnegative orthant of the Euclidean space when the even order symmetric Cauchy tensor is positive definite. Furthermore, we prove that the Hadamard product of two positive semi-definite (positive definite respectively) symmetric Cauchy tensors is a positive semi-definite (positive definite respectively) tensor, which can be generalized to the Hadamard product of finitely many positive semi-definite (positive definite respectively) symmetric Cauchy tensors. At last, bounds of the largest H-eigenvalue of a positive semi-definite symmetric Cauchy tensor are given and several spectral properties on Z-eigenvalues of odd order symmetric Cauchy tensors are shown. Further questions on Cauchy tensors are raised.
Evidence from animal studies suggests that substances that lower surface tension are present in the middle ear cleft, where they may facilitate opening of the eustachian tube. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not surface-tension-lowering substances are present in middle ear effusions. Aspirates from children and adults with secretory otitis media—both serous otitis media and mucoid otitis media—were analyzed by means of two-dimensional thin-layer chromatography. Phospholipids, the major components of pulmonary surfactant, were present in appreciable quantities in all aspirates. Differences in total phosphate content and phospholipid composition were found when effusions from adults and children were compared.
Exposure to ubiquitous endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is a major public health concern. We analyzed the physiological impact of the EDC, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), and found that its metabolite, mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), had significant adverse effects on myeloid hematopoiesis at environmentally relevant concentrations. An analysis of the underlying mechanism revealed that MEHP promotes increases in reactive oxygen species (ROS) by reducing the activity of superoxide dismutase in all lineages, possibly via its actions at the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. This leads to a metabolic shift away from glycolysis toward the pentose phosphate pathway and ultimately results in the death of hematopoietic cells that rely on glycolysis for energy production. By contrast, cells that utilize fatty acid oxidation for energy production are not susceptible to this outcome due to their capacity to uncouple ATP production. These responses were also detected in non-hematopoietic cells exposed to alternate inducers of ROS.
On the basis of clarifying the nature of the environmental compensation, this paper is to discuss the subject of the environmental compensation, including the funds providers, and compensation object. The environmental compensation must be a process that matter and energy transfers from the economic system to the environmental system reciprocally and compensatorily, through the funds providers provide funds, intermediaries take the specific measure for environmental restoration. It will be emphasized that the compensation object should be the environment.
BACKGROUND There are no reports describing patients' perception of having a stroke and then dramatically recovering.   SUMMARY OF REPORT We interviewed 24 patients randomized at our center to intravenous tissue plasminogen activator or placebo in an ongoing multicenter blinded prospective study. These patients demonstrated at least 50% improvement or an absolute improvement of 5 points on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale during the first 24 hours after treatment, with 7 patients returning completely to normal. Twelve of 24 of the strokes involved the right middle cerebral artery, 2 of 24 the right posterior cerebral artery, 8 of 24 the left middle cerebral artery, and 2 of 24 the basilar artery territory. CT scans at 24 hours or 1 week showed infarction in 19 of 24. Most patients (19 of 24) could clearly recall the exact circumstances involving the onset of their stroke, but only 12 of 24 were aware of the magnitude of their neurological deficit (7 of 14 right hemisphere and 4 of 8 left hemisphere patients). Only 6 of 24 were aware of their improvement when it occurred (3 of 14 right hemisphere and 2 of 8 left hemisphere patients). Five of 24 remembered positive phenomena such as warmth or tingling during their recovery, and only 2 patients demonstrated euphoria. Most patients seemed peculiarly unaware or blasé about their deficit and improvement.   CONCLUSIONS Most patients with acute stroke are not aware of the severity of their problem, and recovering patients do not remember important events during the next 24 hours. This occurs with either right or left hemisphere lesions and may have a significant impact on early stroke recognition.
To the Editor:— A case of diastematomyelia is presented because of its rarity and confusion with poliomyelitis. Diastematomyelia is a congenital anomaly in which the distal part of the spinal cord is divided into two parts.1An early diagnosis leads to correction by surgery. A 23-year-old white female, prima gravida was admitted to the Toledo Hospital in early labor. She was known to have had polio in childhood, and in 1952 she had had reconstructive surgery of the left leg. Because of a history of poliomyelitis, general anesthesia was selected. After the delivery of a living infant, she died with embolism of the pulmonary arterial tree. At autopsy the body was seen to be that of a well-developed, well-nourished female. The left lower extremity showed marked deformity and surgical scars. The spinal cord showed reduplication at the fourth lumbar vertebra (Figure). There was a bony spur arising from the
There are various vendors of FFT libraries, but there is no software available for it automatic benchmarking on all available devices. In this article an application that allows easy measure the performance and precision of various FFT libraries on the available GPUs and CPUs is presented. This application has been used to find out the fastest FFT library for NVIDIA GTX TESLA and NVIDIA GTX TITAN. The obtained results shown that the best implementation is provided by cuFFT library developed by NVIDIA.
Sixty-six febrile episodes associated with leukopenia were observed in 56 patients with solid tumors, WBC less than 1.5 X 10(9)/l and temperature greater than or equal to 38.5 degrees C. Stratification to antibiotic treatment regimen was made with regard to prior cis-dichlorodiamineplatinum (cis-platinum) treatment or not. Patients who had received no cis-platinum were randomized between carbenicillin 10 g every 8 h plus gentamicin 80 mg every 8 h or latamoxef 2 g every 8 h (group I). Patients having received cis-platinum were treated with carbenicillin 10 g every 8 h plus mecillinam 800 mg every 8 h or latamoxef 2 g every 8 h (group II). The first dose of latamoxef was preceded by 10 mg of vitamin K i.v. In group I, clinical response was observed in 10 of 19 febrile episodes (52.6%) treated with carbenicillin plus gentamicin and in 10 of 14 (71.4%) treated with latamoxef (p greater than 0.05). In group II, 6 of 14 febrile episodes treated with carbenicillin plus mecillinam responded (42.9%) while 11 of 19 (57.9%) responded to latamoxef (p greater than 0.05). No bleeding due to antibiotic treatment was observed. No statistical difference between standard antibiotic therapy and latamoxef was seen in this subset of patients.
In most steroid-secreting cells smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum is prominent. This organelle is a site of major enzymes involved in steroid biosynthesis. In fetal guinea pig adrenal cortical cells the development of tubular smooth-surfaced reticulum precedes all other apparent morphological changes at the cellular level, serving as the earliest indicator of structural differentiation. Its appearance coincides with the earliest evidence of steroid production by the adrenals (Ortiz et al., 1966). Further development and differentiation of this organelle in inner cortical cells gives rise to complex paracrystalline arrays. Subsequent segregation of cells containing these arrays to the deeper cortical regions, the deep zona fasiculata and zona reticularis, heralds the histological zonation of the cortex into three definitive regions. In the outer cortical cells of the developing zona glomerulosa, cisternal reticulum becomes prominent and in late fetal life large areas of the cisternal membranes become smooth-surfaced. Combined with information from bioassay experiments of Price and coworkers (Ortiz et al., 1966) the early appearance of the smooth reticulum supports the thesis that the adrenal is capable of steroid biosynthesis early in fetal development, before zonation of the cortex occurs.    As the endoplasmic reticulum develops, polyribosomes become widely spaced on its surface. They may be involved in the synthesis and maintenance of the expanding smooth-surfaced reticulum and its associated steroidogenic enzymes, analogous to the development of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and associated enzymes in rat hepatocytes (Dallner et al., 1966a,b).    The gradual confinement of cells containing paracrystalline arrays of smooth reticulum to the deep cortical zones implies functional significance for this compartmentalized form of endoplasmic reticulum.
Cellular aging is associated with dysfunction of numerous tissues affecting multiple organ systems. A striking example of this is related to age-related bone loss, or osteoporosis, increasing fracture incidence. Interestingly, the two compartments of bone, cortical and cancellous or trabecular, rely on different mechanisms for development and maintenance during 'normal' aging. At a cellular level, the aging process disturbs a multitude of intracellular pathways. In particular, alterations in cellular metabolic functions thereby impacting cellular bioenergetics have been implicated in multiple tissues. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize how metabolic processes were altered in bone forming osteoblasts in aged mice compared to young mice. Metabolic flux analyses demonstrated both stromal cells and mature, matrix secreting osteoblasts from aged mice exhibited mitochondrial dysfunction. This was also accompanied by a lack of adaptability or metabolic flexibility to utilize exogenous substrates compared to osteoblasts cultured from young mice. Additionally, lipid droplets accumulated in both early stromal cells and mature osteoblasts from aged mice, which was further depicted as increased lipid content within the bone cortex of aged mice. Global transcriptomic analysis of the bone further supported these metabolic data as enhanced oxidative stress genes were up-regulated in aged mice, while osteoblast-related genes were down-regulated when compared to the young mice. Collectively, these data suggest that aging results in altered osteoblast metabolic handling of both exogenous and endogenous substrates which could contribute to age-related osteoporosis.
NO2 adsorbed on MgO(100) supported by Ag or Pt is explored by density functional theory calculations. NO2 is weakly adsorbed on MgO(100), with a bond involving minor oxide to adsorbate charge transfer. However, if MgO is supported, then the adsorption energy is considerably enhanced and NO2 is adsorbed as a nitrite (N). Analysis reveals that the NO2 excess charge originates from the oxide side of the oxide/metal interface and that the electron abstraction increases the oxide/metal adhesion. The proposed mechanism is general and should apply for oxidizing surface species.
The hstologic diagnosis of carcinoma of the parathyroid is difficult to make, and invasion of contiguous structures or metastasis must be present before the diagnosis can be stablished. The serum calcium level is usualy high, and the tumor is palpable in approximately one half of the patients. A case of parathyroid carcinoma is presented in which the patient had a high serum calcium level, a palpable tumor with invasion of the thyroid gland, and metastasis to a local lymph node. Treatment consists of en bloc resection of the tumor and, if possible, the metastasis. Usually an ipsilateral neck dissection is indicated.
AnnotaIntroduction. To prevent climate-dependent diseases, it is important to identify relationships in the system “Climate and weather - human vital activity”, which is especially important in present conditions of significant climate change. The purpose of the work is to probate the methodology of forecasting the adverse impact of extremely hot weather on human health in the South of the Russian Far East. Material and Methods. Analysis of the synoptic situations was made on the basis of meteorological data for one observation time to the 34 weather stations in the South of the Russian Far East for 2000-2012. Data on the general mortality rate (the entire population and separately for the age group of 65 years and older) in Khabarovsk for 2000-2012. To determine the characteristics of synoptic situations and their possible impact on the human body analysis of air masses and mortality was carried out. Results. The “mortality window” for the hot period of the year is revealed: it is shown that marine and continental tropical air masses are the most unfavorable for human health. It is shown that in the summer mortality in Khabarovsk increases by 12% when in the area of action of extremely hot and humid tropical marine air masses, by 11% - in the continental tropical air masses. Conclusion. The model of mortality forecast depending on weather conditions can be the basis for the development of the system for preventing the impact of extremely high temperatures on human health.ciya
There remains some controversy and confusion regarding arthroscopic surgery of the knee in the elderly population, particularly for patients with osteoarthritis. A retrospective review was undertaken of 105 knees in patients 60 years or older who had arthroscopy during a 4-year period. The surgical outcomes were evaluated using a postoperative knee scoring system at a mean followup period of 11.7 months. Good and excellent results were obtained in 65% of knees. The most significant predictors of good outcome were preoperative mechanical symptoms, such as those resulting from loose bodies or flap tears of the meniscus, and only mild articular degeneration seen at arthroscopy. A review of the literature reflects similar success rates. Although the results are equivocal by orthopaedic standards, in selected patients arthroscopic surgery can offer significant relief of acute symptoms and defer more extensive surgical procedures with minimal risk.
This review summarizes the findings obtained over the past 70 years on the fundamental mechanisms underlying generalized spike‐wave (SW) discharges associated with absence seizures. Thalamus and cerebral cortex are the brain areas that have attracted most of the attention from both clinical and experimental researchers. However, these studies have often favored either one or the other structure in playing a major role, thus leading to conflicting interpretations. Beginning with Jasper and Penfield’s topistic view of absence seizures as the result of abnormal functions in the so‐called centrencephalon, we witness the naissance of a broader concept that considered both thalamus and cortex as equal players in the process of SW discharge generation. Furthermore, we discuss how recent studies have identified fine changes in cortical and thalamic excitability that may account for the expression of absence seizures in naturally occurring genetic rodent models and knockout mice. The end of this fascinating tale is presumably far from being written. However, I can confidently conclude that in the unfolding of this “novel,” we have discovered several molecular, cellular, and pharmacologic mechanisms that govern forebrain excitability, and thus consciousness, during the awake state and sleep.
Konradova, V., L. Vajner, J. Uhlik, J. Zocova: Changes in the Tracheal Epithelium during 24 Hours after Inhalation of Mineral Water. Acta Vet. Brno 2001, 70: 167-172. Inhalation of aerosol of mineral water is frequently used in therapy of various respiratory disorders. Ultrastructure of the airway epithelium in rabbits and character of glycoconjugates produced by secretory cells were studied immediately and 24 h after 10-min inhalation of this aerosol. Goblet cells were overstimulated and the mechanism of mucus evacuation was accelerated. The exhausted goblet cells mostly took part in further secretory cycles, but the number of degenerated secretory elements gradually increased in the course of 24 h. Cells not entirely filled with secretory granules prevailed in the epithelium. Massive differentiation of goblet cells and development of intraepithelial mucous glands were noticed. Compared with controls, significant (α = 0.01) decrease in the acid sulphated glycoconjugates in the secretion of the goblet cells was accompanied by an increase of the acid sialylated ones immediately after inhalation. Twenty-four hours post exposure, significant (α = 0.05) decrease in total sialylated glycoconjugates was ascertained. The ciliated cells revealed only mild pathological alteration. Significant (α = 0.01) decrease in number of kinocilia/µm2 was accompanied by an increase in percentage of altered cilia. During 24 h post exposure, signs of ciliary border regeneration were noticed. Morphological signs of impaired self-cleaning ability of the airway epithelium were encountered during the whole experiment. Single 10-min inhalation of mineral water aerosol caused changes in the ultrastructure of the airway epithelium and influenced the chemical composition of the goblet cells’ secretion. These changes did not disappear completely during 24 h post exposure. Airways, ultrastructure, regeneration, lectin histochemistry, glycoconjugates, rabbit In our previous study, we demonstrated that 10-min inhalation of saline affected the ultrastructure of the airway epithelium (Konradova et al. in press). We therefore decided to study also the effect of aerosol of mineral water, frequently used in therapy of various respiratory disorders, and to follow the process of regeneration of this epithelium in the course of 24 h.
Objectives: Recent studies have shown that the spiral computed tomography (CT) scan is a sensitive imaging modality for predicting neoplastic invasion of thyroid cartilage. The objectives of our study were: to assess the accuracy of pre-operative spiral CT in predicting thyroid cartilage involvement in patients with carcinoma of the larynx; and to elucidate the factors that would accurately indicate cartilage involvement. Material and methods: Medical records, including spiral CT scans and pathological reports, were reviewed for 27 patients who had undergone laryngectomy in two major hospitals in south Wales. A consultant radiologist with special interest in cross-sectional imaging re-evaluated the scans to assess neoplastic involvement of the thyroid cartilage, based on definite, objective criteria. These criteria included: soft tissue asymmetry; loss of medullary space; spiky or irregular surface; distortion of cartilage framework; and abnormal soft tissue on both sides of the cartilage. The radiological findings were then correlated with the histopathological evidence of cartilage invasion by the tumour. Results: Out of the 27 cases, 15 had evidence of histological invasion of thyroid cartilage. The most specific criterion to predict thyroid cartilage involvement was the presence of tumour on both sides of the cartilage (specificity of 91 per cent, sensitivity of 66 per cent). Combining two criteria increased both the sensitivity and the specificity to 86 and 91 per cent, respectively.
Received: 29 November 2020 Accepted: 23 March 2021 Point cloud-based Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have gained increasing attention as an insightful solution in the study field of geometric deep learning. Point set aware DNNs have proven capable of dealing with the unstructured data type and successful in 3D data applications such as 3D object classification, segmentation and recognition. On the other hand, two major challenges remain understudied when it comes to the use of point cloudbased DNNs for 3D facial expression (FE) recognition. The first challenge is the lack of large labelled 3D facial data. The second is how to obtain a point-based discriminative representation of 3D faces. To address the first issue, we suggest to enlarge the used dataset by generating synthetic 3D FEs. For the second one, we propose to apply a level-curve based sampling strategy in order to exploit crucial geometric information. The conducted experiments show promising results reaching 97.23% on the enlarged BU-3DFE dataset.
The main goal of this paper is to define a simple but effective method for approximating solutions of multi-order fractional differential equations relying on Caputo fractional derivative and under supplementary conditions. Our basis functions are based on some original generalization of the Bessel polynomials, which satisfy many properties shared by the classical orthogonal polynomials as given by Hermit, Laguerre, and Jacobi. The main advantages of our polynomials are two-fold: All the coefficients are positive and any collocation matrix of Bessel polynomials at positive points is strictly totally positive. By expanding the unknowns in a (truncated) series of basis functions at the collocation points, the solution of governing differential equation can be easily converted into the solution of a system of algebraic equations, thus reducing the computational complexities considerably. Several practical test problems also with some symmetries are given to show the validity and utility of the proposed technique. Comparisons with available exact solutions as well as with several alternative algorithms are also carried out. The main feature of our approach is the good performance both in terms of accuracy and simplicity for obtaining an approximation to the solution of differential equations of fractional order.
Although object manipulation is an important issue in VR, most applications fail to provide the natural interface of a dextrous hand that interacts with the objects in a physics-based realism. The paper presents a hybrid control approach that uses both kinematics and dynamics methods at different stages of picking to generate physically-accurate hand interactions in real time. This approach can simulate the natural picking interactions in various hand applications, including 3D mechanical design, assembly, surgical simulation, and telerobotics.
For some systems, a general-purpose FPGA solution tends to be large and slow. A reconfigurable solution is smaller and faster but has a delay associated with the reconfiguration. In this paper, embedded MUXes are used to achieve the performance of reconfiguration without the time penalty. For a CRC circuit an area reduction of 93% compared to a general-purpose solution and a reduction of 17-34% compared to similar software compiled systems is achieved.
Background NF-κB/p65 has been reported to be involved in regulation of chondrogenic differentiation. However, its function in relation to key chondrogenic factor Sox9 and onset of chondrogenesis during endochondral ossification is poorly understood. We hypothesized that the early onset of chondrogenic differentiation is initiated by transient NF-κB/p65 signaling. Methodology/Principal Findings The role of NF-κB/p65 in early chondrogenesis was investigated in different in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo endochondral models: ATDC5 cells, hBMSCs, chicken periosteal explants and growth plates of 6 weeks old mice. NF-κB/p65 activation was manipulated using pharmacological inhibitors, RNAi and activating agents. Gene expression and protein expression analysis, and (immuno)histochemical stainings were employed to determine the role of NF-κB/p65 in the chondrogenic phase of endochondral development. Our data show that chondrogenic differentiation is facilitated by early transient activation of NF-κB/p65. NF-κB/p65-mediated signaling determines early expression of Sox9 and facilitates the subsequent chondrogenic differentiation programming by signaling through key chondrogenic pathways. Conclusions/Significance The presented data demonstrate that NF-κB/p65 signaling, as well as its intensity and timing, represents one of the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of the chondrogenic developmental program of chondroprogenitor cells during endochondral ossification. Importantly, these results provide novel possibilities to improve the success of cartilage and bone regenerative techniques.
A 29-year-old man presented to the emergency department (ED) with a rash across his chest and abdomen. The rash began 2 hours before his arrival and was initially pruritic, but subsequently became painful. The patient also complained of acute onset of aching pain in both hips and his left arm. He denied associated chest pain or dyspnea, and had no paresthesias or disequilibrium. Routine laboratory studies and chest radiograph were normal. Earlier in the day, the patient had completed a dive to 235 feet in depth in Lake Mead, Nevada, but reported a very controlled ascent with appropriate decompression stops. Two days earlier, he had completed a dive to 315 feet in Lake Mead without any problems.
Since hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine implementation, HBV infection has significantly decreased. However, adult renal transplant recipients show a higher rate of seroreversion compared to the general population, leading to HBV infection risk. Data are limited in pediatric renal transplant recipients. Retrospective data were collected to determine the seroprotection and durability of HBV vaccination in pediatric renal transplant patients from 2004 to 2014. One hundred subjects were categorized based on pre‐ and post‐transplant hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb). Pretransplant, 85 recipients (85%) had a positive HBsAb compared to 15 (15%) with negative HBsAb. In univariable analyses, other than age (P < .05) no significant differences existed pretransplant by demographics, pretransplantation dialysis, or number of vaccinations. Of the 85 pretransplantation responders, 53 (62%) remained HBsAb positive post‐transplantation, 28 (32%) seroreverted, and 4 developed indeterminate titers. All seroreversions occurred within 5 years post‐transplant. Receipt of a living donor organ had higher risk of reversion (P = .005). No significant differences were found in demographics, pretransplantation dialysis, vaccination number, or acute rejection. Despite vaccination, 15% of pediatric renal transplant candidates were seronegative, and an additional 32% lost seroprotection within 5 years post‐transplantation leaving nearly half of transplant recipients at risk for HBV infection.
OBJECTIVES To present evidence to support a higher priority for injury prevention in initiatives, research, and budget allocations.   METHODS Recent data (2000) for deaths from injury, infectious disease, heart disease, and cancer from 11 countries in the Region of the Americas were analyzed. Analyses focused on: first, Potentially Productive Years of Life Lost (PPYLL, discounted) from deaths occurring from 0-64 years of age; second, Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) from 1-64 years; and third, Years Lived with Disability (YLD). The burdens of injury and infectious disease were compared to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) budget allocations for these areas.   RESULTS There is a clear-cut disparity between funds allocated and the magnitude of injury burden as compared to the burden of infectious disease.   CONCLUSIONS In making decisions on budgetary allocations, the Member States of PAHO must consider the potential impact of injury research and control on the health of their populations.
To determine the storage site of platelet fibrinogen and of platelet factor 4 (PF4) in human platelets by immunoelectron microscopic techniques, washed human platelets were briefly exposed to Karnovsky's fixative and embedded in water-soluble Durcupan. Thin sections of platelets were exposed to Fab fragments of rabbit anti-human fibrinogen or of goat anti-human PF4, followed by a peroxidase conjugate of Fab fragments of antibodies to rabbit immunoglobulin (Ig) G or to goat IgG. The technique enabled preservation of the antigenic determinants of the platelet proteins, accessibility of Fab fragments to the platelet proteins, and maintenance of the ultrastructural integrity of the platelets. Using this approach, it was directly demonstrated that platelet fibrinogen and PF4 are stored in the alpha-granules of human platelets.
Background Addiction to pornography in the virtual world can seriously affect the mental, psychological, social, and family health of individuals and easy access to the Internet and cyberspace has intensified addiction to virtual pornography. Knowledge of the status of phenomena requires an accurate and scientific measurement tool with appropriate validity and reliability, so this study was conducted with the aim to study the Youth Pornography Addiction Screening Tool (YPAST). Methods This study was carried out using the descriptive-exploratory method. The statistical population of the study included all students aged 18 to 30 years studying in the universities of Hamadan, Iran, in the academic year 2020-2021. Using stratified random sampling method, 480 individuals were selected from Bu-Ali Sina University, Islamic Azad University, and Payame Noor University of Hamadan Province. To collect data, the YPAST was utilized. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with Varimax rotation, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to analyze the data. Findings The YPAST consists of the 3 components of lack of control over pornographic behavior, regret after pornography use, and pornography for sexual arousal. These 3 factors together explained 61.16% of the total variance of pornography addiction in cyberspace, with the first, second, and third factors explaining 22.98%, 21.79%, and 16.39% of the variance, respectively. The CFA results showed that the scale items were of appropriate factor loads and higher than 0.40 on each factor, and the study measurement model in the first and second order factor analysis was of an acceptable fit. Therefore, the YPAST had an appropriate and acceptable structural validity among young people. The total validity coefficient of the YPAST was 0.88 and that of the first, second, and third factors were 0.94, 0.93 and 0.88, respectively. The YPAST has 3 factors. Conclusion The YPAST can be a powerful and accurate tool for measuring youth pornography addiction and it can be used with confidence in various situations to measure youth virtual pornography addiction. In addition, it seems that the scale items have a proper coherence and fluency, which, as a unified and integrated set of different aspects, can measure virtual pornography addiction among young people with high accuracy.
3-Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3-phosphoglycerate:NAD oxidoreductase, EC. 1.1.1.95) was purified from Bacillus subtilis by conventional methods. The final preparation was homogeneous by electrophoretic analysis and had a sedimentation constant of 6.3 S. On the basis of gel filtration data the enzyme had a molecular weight of about 166000. The plot of velocity versus phosphoglycerate concentration was biphasic while similar plots for hydroxypyruvate phosphate and NADH were the conventional hyperbolic type. The enzyme was specifically inhibited by serine. The inhibition was time dependent, requiring several minutes incubation before a constant level of inhibition was achieved. Serine inhibition was of the "mixed type" with respect to 3-phosphoglycerate and Hill plots of these data had slopes that approached 2. Desensitization of the enzyme to serine inhibition was achieved by incubation in the absence of dithiothreitol. The desensitized enzyme was different from the native enzyme in fluoresence properties, sedimentation characteristics and in the absence of the biphasic phosphoglycerate saturation curve. Evidence was obtained for the participation of sulphydryl groups in the changes in protein structure responsible for serine inhibition as well as the dehydrogenase activity of the enzyme.
The purpose of this study was to examine the structural relationship of influential variables for the utilization of r-learning in class by kindergarten teachers and the paths of the variables in an attempt to accelerate the utilization of r-learning among kindergarten teachers and provide some information on the vitalization of r-learning in early childhood education. The subjects in this study were 107 kindergarten teachers, on whom a survey was conducted. The collected data were analyzed by a statistical package AMOS 21.0. The findings of the study were as follows: First, image and fun affected perceived usefulness, and the self-efficacy of the teachers exerted an influence on perceived ease of use. Second, perceived usefulness had a significant impact on attitude toward r-learning utilization. Third, attitude toward r-learning utilization exercised an influence on both activities and evaluation that belonged to utilization in class.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different forage:concentrate (FC) ratios in dairy ewe diets supplemented with sunflower oil (SO) on animal performance and milk fatty acid (FA) profile, particularly focusing on trans C18:1 FA and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Sixty lactating Assaf ewes were randomly assigned to 6 treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement: 3 FC ratios (30:70, 50:50, and 70:30) and 2 levels of SO addition (0 and 20 g/kg of dry matter). Both the diet FC ratio and SO supplementation affected milk yield, but differences between treatments were small. Although the proportion of concentrate induced limited changes in milk FA profile, dietary SO significantly decreased saturated FA and enhanced total CLA. Furthermore, the incorporation of SO in ewe diets decreased the atherogenicity index value by about 25% and doubled the contents of potentially healthy FA such as trans-11 C18:1 and cis-9,trans-11 CLA. However, the inclusion of SO in a high-concentrate diet (30:70) could switch linoleic acid biohydrogenation pathways, resulting in a significant increase in trans-10 C18:1, trans-9,cis-11 C18:2, and trans-10,cis-12 C18:2 milk fat percentages.
Single-cell DNA sequencing (scDNA-seq) enables high-resolution profiling of genetic diversity among single cells and is especially useful for deciphering the intra-tumor heterogeneity and evolutionary history of tumor. Specific technical issues such as allele dropout, false-positive errors, and doublets make scDNA-seq data incomplete and error-prone, giving rise to a severe challenge of accurately inferring clonal architecture of tumor. To effectively address these issues, we introduce a new computational method called SCClone for reasoning subclones from single nucleotide variation (SNV) data of single cells. Specifically, SCClone leverages a probability mixture model for binary data to cluster single cells into distinct subclones. To accurately decipher underlying clonal composition, a novel model selection scheme based on inter-cluster variance is employed to find the optimal number of subclones. Extensive evaluations on various simulated datasets suggest SCClone has strong robustness against different technical noises in scDNA-seq data and achieves better performance than the state-of-the-art methods in reasoning clonal composition. Further evaluations of SCClone on three real scDNA-seq datasets show that it can effectively find the underlying subclones from severely disturbed data. The SCClone software is freely available at https://github.com/qasimyu/scclone.
Head pose estimation has been an integral problem in the study of face recognition systems and human-computer interfaces, as part of biometric applications. A fine estimate of the head pose angle is necessary and useful for several face analysis applications. To determine the head pose, face images with varying pose angles can be considered to be lying on a smooth low-dimensional manifold in high-dimensional image feature space. However, when there are face images of multiple individuals with varying pose angles, manifold learning techniques often do not give accurate results. In this work, we propose a framework for a supervised form of manifold learning called Biased Manifold Embedding to obtain improved performance in head pose angle estimation. This framework goes beyond pose estimation, and can be applied to all regression applications. This framework, although formulated for a regression scenario, unifies other supervised approaches to manifold learning that have been proposed so far. Detailed studies of the proposed method are carried out on the FacePix database, which contains 181 face images each of 30 individuals with pose angle variations at a granularity of . Since biometric applications in the real world may not contain this level of granularity in training data, an analysis of the methodology is performed on sparsely sampled data to validate its effectiveness. We obtained up to average pose angle estimation error in the results from our experiments, which matched the best results obtained for head pose estimation using related approaches.
Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different implant morphologies and immediate provisionalization options on the change of implant stability. Methods 94 Patients were randomized to receive implants from Straumann® BL/Straumann® BLT/Astra OsseoSpeed® TX, meanwhile having the same opportunity to receive healing abutment or immediate provisionalization. Implant stability quotient (ISQ) and marginal bone loss (MBL) were recorded at following timepoints. Parametric statistic was used for data analysis. Results Data showed that ISQ and MBL values of conical/straight/straight with micro-thread neck implants had no significant difference. Discussion Immediate provisionalization options could move the dip point of ISQ values ahead or delayed around one week, which were also relevant to implant systems. MBL values were proved to be unaffected by both two factors mentioned above.
QUESTION: We ask whether 11‐year mowing patterns and presence of fencing influence plant community diversity and functional assemblage in urban vacant lots. LOCATION: This study took place in 34 vacant lots on the south and west sides of Chicago, IL, USA. Urban vacant lots are an excellent study system in which to investigate the effects of management in cities: they are ubiquitous in many cities and they experience a range of management, particularly mowing and fencing. METHODS: We used municipal data to classify infrequent and intensive mowing regimes and assessed presence or absence of fencing in situ. In our sites, these management strategies are independent. We used individual permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) models to assess the effects of these management strategies on plant community composition. We then assessed species richness of plants with various traits using six individual two‐way ANOVA models with interaction terms. Our predictor variables included management strategies (mowing intensity and fencing) and three plant traits (growth form [graminoid, forb, or woody], life duration (annual, biennial, or perennial), and biogeographic origin [native or introduced]). RESULTS: We found 120 plant species in the vacant lots. Most of these species were perennial, introduced forbs. We found no discernable effects of mowing intensity on plant community composition or richness of plants in the three functional groups. However, when we compared the species found along fences to those in lot interiors, we found significantly different plant communities. Fence line communities had significantly more native and woody species than lot interiors. CONCLUSIONS: Plant communities differ at very fine spatial scales within an individual vacant lot, and this pattern is related to the presence of fences. Overall, vacant lots support diverse plant communities which can differentially contribute to wildlife habitat depending on management strategy.
Verifying software correctness has always been an important and complicated task. Recently, formal proofs of critical properties of algorithms and even implementations are becoming practical. Currently, the most powerful automated proof search tools use first-order logic while popular interactive proof assistants use higher-order logic.  We present our work-in-progress set of tools that aim to eventually provide a usable first-order logic computer-assisted proof environment.
PURPOSE In vitro investigations with arabinosylguanine (ara-G) demonstrated potent cytotoxicity to T-lymphoblastoid cell lines. The goals of the present study were to evaluate GW506U78, a prodrug of ara-G, against human hematologic malignancies and to determine its pharmacokinetics in plasma and cells.   PATIENTS AND METHODS During a phase I multicenter trial of GW506U78, 26 patients were treated at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC). Daily doses between 20 and 60 mg/kg were administered for 5 days. Parallel plasma and cellular pharmacokinetic studies were conducted.   RESULTS Complete (n=5) or partial remission (n=5) was achieved in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), T-lymphoid blast crisis, T-lymphoma, and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) (n=13). In contrast, patients with B-ALL, B-lymphoma, acute myelogenous leukemia (AMI), or T-CLL did not respond. Peak plasma concentrations of GW506U78 and ara-G were dose-dependent. The elimination of GW506U78 (half-life [t1/2]=17 minutes) was faster than the elimination of ara-G (t1/2=3.7 hours). Median peak concentrations of ara-GTP were 23, 42, 85, and 93 micromol/L at 20, 30, 40, and 60 mg/kg, respectively. T-lymphoblasts accumulated significantly (P=.0008) higher peak arabinsylguanosine triphosphate (ara-GTP) (median, 140 micromol/L; n=7) compared with other diagnoses (median, 50 micromol/L; n=9) and normal mononuclear cells (n=3). The ara-GTP elimination was slow in all diagnoses (median, > 24 hours). Responders accumulated significantly (P=.0005) higher levels of ara-GTP (median, 157 micromol/L) compared with patients who failed to respond (median, 44 micromol/L).   CONCLUSION GW506U78 is an effective prodrug and a potent agent for hematologic malignancies with major efficacy in T-cell diseases. The pharmacokinetics of ara-GTP in leukemia cells are strongly correlated with clinical responses to GW506U78.
STUDY QUESTION Is pre-ovulatory endometrial thickness (EMT) in women with unexplained subfertility undergoing IUI with ovarian stimulation (OS) associated with pregnancy chances?   SUMMARY ANSWER We found no evidence for an association between EMT and pregnancy chances.   WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY It has been suggested that OS with clomiphene citrate (CC) results in a lower EMT than with gonadotrophins or aromatase inhibitors, but the clinical consequences in terms of pregnancy are unclear.   STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing CC, gonadotrophins or aromatase inhibitors in an IUI program reporting on EMT and pregnancy rates in women with unexplained subfertility.   PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the non-MEDLINE subset of PubMed from inception to 28th June 2016 and cross-checked references of relevant articles. Outcome measures were clinical pregnancy rate and mean pre-ovulatory EMT. We calculated mean differences (MD) with 95% CIs with a fixed effect model, and in case of heterogeneity with an I2 > 50% a random effect model. We performed a meta-regression analysis to determine if stimulating drugs interacted with the estimated effect of EMT.   MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Our search retrieved 1563 articles of which 23 were included, totaling 3846 women. There were 17 RCTs and 6 cohort studies. The average study quality was low and there was considerable to substantial statistical heterogeneity. Seven studies provided data on EMT in relation to pregnancy. There was no evidence of a difference in EMT between women who conceived and women that did not conceive (1525 women, MDrandom: 0.51 mm, 95% CI: -0.05 to 1.07). Women treated with CC had a significantly thinner EMT than women treated with gonadotrophins (two studies, MD: -0.33, 95% CI: -0.64 to -0.01). There was no evidence of a difference in EMT when comparing CC with letrozole (five studies, MDrandom: -0.84, 95% CI: -1.97 to 0.28). The combination of CC plus gonadotrophins resulted in a slightly thinner endometrium than letrozole (nine studies, MDrandom: -0.79, 95% CI: -1.37 to -0.20). Letrozole resulted in a thinner EMT than gonadotrophins (two studies, MDrandom: -1.31, 95% CI: -2.08 to -0.53).   LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The overall quality of the included studies was low to moderate. We found considerable to substantial heterogeneity in the comparisons, hampering firm conclusions.   WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS We found no evidence for an association between EMT and pregnancy rates during IUI -OS. As a consequence, canceling IUI cycles because of a thin endometrial lining may negatively affect clinical care. Although we found some evidence for very small differences in EMT when comparing various drugs, we cannot make inferences on their effect on pregnancy chances since these differences may be coincidental.   STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) None.   REGISTRATION NUMBER N/A.
In the psychological science field, there is substantial interest in quantifying individual differences in self-regulatory capacity because of its transdiagnostic relevance to various forms of psychopathology. Trait disinhibition and impulsiveness are popular conceptualizations of dispositions reflecting self-regulation of behavioral and emotional responding. In the literature, these constructs are often treated interchangeably because of their shared focus on general disconstraint and a lack of direct comparisons between measures of each. The current work used structural modeling to examine conceptual and empirical differences between 2 popular operationalizations of these traits in 2 samples (Ns = 400, 308), and employed regression and dominance analyses to compare their predictive relations with criterion measures of externalizing problems and negative affectivity (NA). Impulsigenic traits were related both to externalizing problems and NA, whereas trait disinhibition was selectively associated with externalizing. In a dominance analysis, trait disinhibition exhibited complete dominance over all impulsigenic traits in predicting externalizing problems. Conversely, multiple impulsigenic traits evidenced complete dominance over trait disinhibition in prediction of NA. The current work provides evidence that (a) disinhibition and impulsigenic traits are not interchangeable, (b) disinhibition specifically indexes propensity for externalizing problems, and (c) impulsigenic traits reflect a blend of externalizing and NA that appears relevant to diverse forms of psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Introduction: Novel therapies have improved the median overall survival (OS) for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). In an unselected population of NDMM patients, the estimated rates of 5-year OS were 77%, 53%, and 19% for revised international staging system (R-ISS) Stage I, II, and III, respectively (Kastritis, 2017). However, the improvements have not been uniform, and prognosis varies considerably based on several baseline characteristics. Because of this clinical heterogeneity it is helpful to have a clear idea of risk factors involved in OS of patients with NDMM. Connect MM is the first and largest US-based, multicenter, prospective observational registry of patients with NDMM. Using data from the Connect MM registry, an unselected patient population reflective of the heterogeneity seen in routine clinical practice, we developed a prognostic tool to identify factors predictive of 3- and 5-year OS. Methods: The Connect MM registry is designed to describe baseline characteristics, patterns of care, and outcomes for NDMM in clinical practice. Patients were enrolled in Cohort 1 (n = 1493) between Sept 2009 and Dec 2011. Enrollment for Cohort 2 (n = 1518) began Dec 2012 and was completed April 2016. Data cut-off was July 7, 2016. Multivariate analyses of patient- and disease-related characteristics were conducted using Cohort 1 data to identify key predictors of OS. A series of univariate Cox regression models were used to identify variables significantly associated with 3-year and 5-year OS in patients ≤75 years and >75 years, as 75 years was determined to be the most discriminating age cut point, using Connect MM data, in identifying independent factors significantly associated with 3-year and 5-year OS. Prediction matrices for OS were constructed from the Cox model. Models were evaluated using the concordance (C)-index, a goodness of fitness measure. Internal validation of the logistic model in predicting the probability of survival was performed on data from Cohort 1. External validation of the model was performed on data from Cohort 2 and the Celgene-sponsored randomized phase III NDMM trials, MM-015 (N = 459) and FIRST (N = 1623). Results: Characteristics associated with late survival identified by multivariate analyses (P Conclusions: This is the first assessment of long-term survival using data from the Connect MM patient registry. Our study highlighted factors known to impact OS, including, mobility, del(17p) and ISS stage. We have developed a model that allows for robust prediction of long-term survival in patients with NDMM based on a variety of baseline characteristics. For clinicians, identifying patients with an increased likelihood of longer survival may be a useful tool to identify patient specific risk factors to better inform treatment decisions. Disclosures Terebelo: Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Pharmacyclics: Speakers Bureau. Abonour: Celgene: Other: Steering committee, Research Funding; Takeda: Other: Steering committee, Research Funding; Prothena: Research Funding. Gasparetto: Janssen, BMS, Celgene, Takeda: Honoraria; Janssen, BMS, Celgene: Other: Travel, accommodations, or other expenses paid or reimbursed; Celgene: Research Funding; Janssen, BMS, Celgene: Consultancy. Toomey: Celgene: Consultancy; Myriad Genetics: Speakers Bureau; Dava Oncology: Other: Travel. Durie: Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Hardin: Celgene: Consultancy. Jagannath: Celgene: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; Bristol-Meyers Squibb: Consultancy; Medicom: Speakers Bureau; MMRF: Speakers Bureau. Wagner: EveryFit: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy. Narang: Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau. Srinivasan: Celgene: Employment. Yue: Celgene: Employment. Zafar: Celgene: Employment. Kitali: Celgene: Employment. Agarwal: Celgene Corporation: Employment. Rifkin: Amgen: Consultancy; Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; EMD Serono: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; McKesson: Other: Stock.
We demonstrate the generation of arbitrary amplitude, phase, and polarization controlled pulses in the mid-infrared (MIR) tunable around 3.5 microm. Two temporally separated sets of individually phase and amplitude shaped pulse profiles in the near-infrared are transferred into the MIR via two independent optical parametric amplification processes in two perpendicularly oriented nonlinear crystals in a common-path geometry. The resulting two shaped MIR light fields of orthogonal polarizations are temporally recombined interferometrically in a birefringent material.
As part of a larger suite of efforts underway to examine and strengthen the link between TMDLs and water quality restoration, EPA conducted an evaluation of non-point and stormwater source TMDLs. The Clean Water Act provides little regulatory authority over non-point sources of pollution, yet this type of pollution is ubiquitous and reductions in non-point source pollution are necessary for achieving water quality goals. This evaluation looked at whether various characteristics of data availability, funding resources, guidance materials, stakeholder involvement, scale of TMDLs, and implementation planning positively influence development of effective TMDLs. The methodology included a survey of TMDL program staff, a broader survey of staff from programs that implement TMDLs, and interviews with stakeholders in seven case study TMDLs. This expansive look at the TMDL development process yielded an array of recommendations including: improving data needed for setting specific non-point source allocations, brokering other federal funds, improving communications with stakeholders, developing watershed TMDLs, encouraging detailed TMDLs that can be used for implementation planning, and conducting outreach to agricultural and local government organizations. The conclusions from this evaluation can improve how EPA and states focus their resources to encourage implementation of non-point and stormwater source TMDLs.
We describe assays for homovanillic acid, hydroxymethylmandelic acid and dopamine that have proven practical and reliable during 3 years of routine use. Homovanillic and hydroxymethylmandelic acids were measured as trimethyl silyl derivatives by capillary gas chromatography. Dilution of samples prior to extraction was found to be necessary to achieve consistent recoveries of these acidic metabolites. Dopamine was assayed by high pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection using an optimized method of catecholamine isolation that involved both ion exchange and alumina extraction. Untimed urine samples were collected from 140 hospitalized children. Age related reference data for the excretion of all three metabolites are reported. We suggest certain precautions that should be observed when using untimed samples and relating the results to creatinine excretion.
The aim of this work is to identify internal factors that affect the liquidity of commercial banks in Serbia. Research results in the observed period from 2008 to 2013 using regression analysis indicate that the liquidity of banks is positively correlated with capital adequacy ratios and interest income to total assets ratio, while negative and statistically significant relationship exists between the indicators of liquidity and the size of the bank (measured by bank assets), expense ratios compared to interest income and return on equity ratios. This research represents the first step in achieving optimization model of liquidity, because many financial institutions, although profitable, are faced with the problem of maintaining liquidity. Research question that arises is the following: Which of the observed indicators affect the liquidity of commercial banks in Serbia the most? The survey used unconsolidated balances of 23 commercial banks in the period from 2008 to 2013. In particular, using ordinary least squares technique, author takes two different measures of liquidity risk into consideration. After obtaining an answer to the main question of this work regarding the key indicators of impact on the liquidity of the banking sector in Serbia, one can define the strategies and model for improvement of the operation of banks in financial markets. The results highlight that size, capitalization and profitability of banks can have an impact on liquidity risk management.
We report a case of mild, clinically asymptomatic, immune thrombocytopenia after allogenic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) caused by the presence of a recipient-origin Br(a) antibody that recognized the donor platelets. Although the antibody titer decreased, it remained detectable more than 3 years after BMT. Chimerism studies were performed combining cytogenetics, blood cell phenotype studies, and genomic amplification of hypervariable sequences. Cytogenetic studies and molecular analysis of peripheral blood cells, purified B- and T-lymphocyte subpopulations, and bone marrow colonies showed the hematopoiesis to be of donor origin, but absorption-elution experiments with peripheral RBCs showed a small amount of recipient RBCs. The CML chimeric transcript was also detected by means of polymerase chain reaction on samples collected until day +867 post-BMT. This case shows that recipient-origin platelet alloantibodies can cause thrombocytopenia after BMT and that the persistence of small numbers of recipient cells (even leukemic) is not necessarily associated with hematologic relapse.
The Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) is characterized by the specificity of the development of its interconnected critical infrastructures’ objects (ICI) - power generation and transmission systems, social infrastructure facilities, transportation (land, air, water) and communication systems, by the exceptional importance of their stable operation. The spatial isolation of the ICI objects predetermines, practically for each municipality, formation of its specific configuration, defining the range of needed capacities, corresponding set of ICI objects, etc. The main functional of Arctic ICI objects is to provide and sustain life support. Authors developed a model that permits high resolution description of ICI operation on the local level. The accuracy of the model is enough, especially for describing electrical and water supply grids and nets. Its substantial advantage is the generality of its mathematical description of the ICI of different physical nature and its capacity to account for the randomness of ICI parameters. The model permits simulation of the ICI behavior on the local level when exposed to ordinary, everyday conditions and in emergency situations (i.e., during an industrial disaster, Natural catastrophe or a terrorist attack). Several specific problems were solved using this approach for the AZRF region.
In order to calculate the dynamic responses of damaged cracked slab track subjected to moving vehicular loads, a finite element model was established to represent the rail and the ballastless bed. The rail was modeled as linear viscoelastic discretely supported beam, while the ballastless bed was treated as linear viscoelastic continuously supported beam, and its damaged crack was simulated as the deterioration of the bending stiffness. Vehicle-track coupling dynamics theory and Hamilton principle were applied. A vertical dynamic coupling model of high-speed train and ballastless track was established, its dynamics equations were set up, and the track dynamics responses with the semi-cosine irregularity were calculated. Also, the effects of vehicle velocity and ballastless bed cracked location on the track dynamics responses were analyzed. The simulation results showed that ballastless bed with a crack had a little effect on the rail dynamic responses but remarkable on the ballastless bed, and damaged ballastless bed dynamic responses get increased obviously with the vehicle velocity rising. Results also showed that the dynamic bending stress of the ballastless bed and the stress of the subgrade top face are larger when the crack located in the middle of ballastless bed.
In this paper, we study the evolution of the vortex filament equation, with X(s, 0) being a regular planar polygon. Using algebraic techniques, supported by full numerical simulations, we give strong evidence that X(s, t) is also a polygon at any rational time; moreover, it can be fully characterized, up to a rigid movement, by a generalized quadratic Gauß sum. We also study the fractal behaviour of X(0, t), relating it with the so-called Riemann's non-differentiable function, that was proved by Jaffard to be a multifractal.
Insect cuticle is a fiber-reinforced composite material that consists of polysaccharide chitin fibers and a protein matrix. The molecular interactions between insect cuticle proteins and chitin that govern the assembly and evolution of cuticles are still not well understood. Herein, we report that Ostrinia furnacalis cuticular protein hypothetical-1 (OfCPH-1), a newly discovered and most abundant cuticular protein from Asian corn borer O. furnacalis, can form coacervates in the presence of chitosan. The OfCPH-1-chitosan coacervate microdroplets are initially liquid-like but become gel-like with increasing time or salt concentration. The liquid-to-gel transition is driven by hydrogen-bonding interactions, during which an induced β-sheet structure of OfCPH-1 is observed. Given the abundance of OfCPH-1 in the cuticle of O. furnacalis, this liquid-liquid phase separation process and its aging behavior could play critical roles in the formation of the cuticle.
The phenomenal growth of the distribution network even to the remote areas is leading the system to a stressed state. Also in the face of possible power system component failures diminishing reliability has become a serious concern for the future. New methodology termed wide area protection (WAP) systems employing advanced information technology has been proposed in recent years. The development of substation monitoring systems (SMS) which is an integral part of WAP, with enriched features has become one of the potential areas of research. The proposed scheme condition monitoring of insulators is gaining importance in recent years since a cracked insulator causes disruption of power incurring heavy loss to the power system utilities. The proposed approach is envisioned to condition monitoring of insulators using video surveillance (VS) in contrast to the conventional manual on-site detection. It employs discrete orthogonal s-transform (DOST) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to obtain the condition of the insulators.
We used the surface force balance technique to investigate the influence of free polymer chains on the equilibrium and dynamic properties of dense polymer brushes, focusing on their extension and swelling under oscillatory shear flow. In particular, we extend earlier results on shear of brushes (Nature 1991, 352, 413) both to additional molecular weights of the brush and especially, for the first time, to the effect of the added free polymer. We present experimental studies on how the equilibrium properties of these polymer brushes are influenced by the presence of free, chemically identical polymer chains well above the overlap concentration, c ≈ 40−50 c*. We observe a strong influence of the free chains on the behavior of the brushes when high shear rates are applied, even when the brushes are well away from contact, indicating a clear coupling between the brush and the free polymer. The onset of shear-induced swelling in our experiments correlates reasonably well with the relaxation properties of the o...
To put this book into perspective, I would like to congratulate the author for his brilliant book-length study involving painstaking research. Furthermore, this book is different from other writings. The author is a former senior military officer who has operational experience and has been exposed to the policy environment in his own way through his appointment as a Military Adviser and later an Officer on Special Duty in the National Security Council Secretariat, New Delhi.
With the common application of total mesorectal excision (TME) technique,the proportion of sphincterpreserving surgery for the mid-low rectal carcinoma is significantly increased.Anastomotic leakage after sphincter-preserving surgery is the most severe complication of rectal surgery,and it is the main reason which will lead to other complications and death.Many researches on the early diagnosis,prevention and treatment of anastomotic leakage are conducted by surgeons at home and abroad,and a further understanding of this complication is deeply realized.    Key words:  Rectal neoplasms;  Complications ; Anastomotic leakage
One of the objectives of Yasheng Huang's book Selling China: Foreign Direct Investment in the Reform Era is ‘to gain a better understanding of the operations of the Chinese economy in the 1990s as well as its FDI patterns’ (p. 69). We have no disagreement with Huang's general argument that for much of the 1990s domestic Chinese firms were less competitive than they would have been if the Chinese government had not favoured state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Similarly, while acknowledging the positive impact of FDI on China's development, Huang has real concern with FDI's disproportionately large role in the economy. He further feels that ‘some of China's FDI patterns may reflect institutional inefficiencies and weaknesses’ (p. 67). Again, we have no real disagreement that this was the case in the 1990s.
Scientific advancements in multiple disciplines of engineering can be applied to a variety of industries, including defense, aerospace, and medicine. In the modern healthcare industry, for instance, biomedical engineers working with a multidisciplinary team can provide solutions to physicians to aid in disease diagnosis. In a situation such as flu pandemic it may be desirable to do rapid screening for fever detection. In an academic setting, fever screening can help in separating normal healthy students from those with suspected fever. This is the motivation to design and develop an easy-to-use low cost temperature measurement device. The objective of this multidisciplinary project is to design a low-cost, scalable, rapid, and effective device for fever screening that can be applied to a wide variety of situations, such as, classrooms or laboratories during a wide-spread flu pandemic. The project is also aimed at ensuring that the student learning leads to many of the standard outcomes. The proposed design is divided into four sections: Measurement, Control, Communication, and Monitoring. The sensor selected for the Measurement implementation is a medical grade version of the Melexis MLX90614 series of smart infrared temperature sensors. Two Texas Instruments MSP430 microprocessors are selected to implement Control and Monitoring. Communication is implemented using an 868 MHz wireless network. For laboratory testing of the proposed fever screening system, the temperature sensor is mounted on a gantry at the entrance to a lab or lecture hall and the students walk through the gantry sequentially. When a high temperature suggesting fever is measured, an alarm will sound alerting the person controlling the entrance to divert the suspected student to go to infirmary for further testing. The temperature measurement is also done with a mobile temperature scanner to screen students in line at various entrances to the lab or lecture hall. Preliminary testing has validated the feasibility of the proposed fever screening system in the mobile sensory mode. The educational aspects of this multidisciplinary project based on experimentation and lab-oriented studies are demonstrated, and the learning outcomes are promising. In conclusion, this undergraduate laboratory-developed system, applied to multidisciplinary fields shows the feasibility of fever screening in a small to medium scale subject cluster and supports the lab teaching pedagogical approach for multidisciplinary laboriented studies. Introduction Numerous exciting scientific and technological advancements occur in multiple disciplines of engineering that find application in a variety of industries, including defense, aerospace, and medicine. For example, advancements in sensor technology, wireless hardware design, wireless networks, low power and low-cost microcontrollers can lead to an innovative application to solve a medical problem: how can the spread of a flu virus be prevented in a simple, fast, economical, and efficient manner? This task needs to be carried out with minimal impact at a venue such as a classroom or a lab to insure the goal of screening students for a high temperature related to flu symptoms. This paper explores at the undergraduate level an innovative multi-disciplinary solution for a prototype of a low cost and scalable non-contact fever screening system.
The accuracy of image to patient registration is a critical issue in the intraoperative use of frameless stereotaxic instruments for surgical guidance. This study was performed to assess the accuracy of image to head phantom registration using several standard registration techniques and a clinical frameless stereotaxic instrument. Two types of radioopaque fiducial markers were fixed to a plastic head phantom, and a computed tomography scan of the phantom was performed in the routine fashion. Image to phantom registration was carried out using fiducial markers, fiducial markers plus surface fit, anatomic landmarks, and anatomic landmarks plus surface fit. After each registration, linear inaccuracy measurements were performed for each of 32 markers. Each registration was performed 10 times, and the overall mean error measurements and anterior and posterior error were computed and compared. The overall mean error was smallest for the fiducial registration alone (2.07 mm). The magnitude of error increased significantly for posterior locations for all other registration techniques, but it was not significantly increased for the fiducial registration method. For this hardware configuration, registration with surface-applied fiducial markers is measurably more accurate than registration with surface anatomic landmarks. The addition of surface points to the fiducial registration does not increase the registration accuracy but, in fact, increases the degree of error.
We compared various machine learning (ML) methods, such as the K-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), and decision tree and deep learning (DL) methods, like the recurrent neural network, convolutional neural network, long short-term memory (LSTM), and gated recurrent unit (GRU), to determine the ones with the highest precision. These algorithms learn from data and are subject to different imprecisions and uncertainties. The uncertainty arises from the bad reading of data and/or inaccurate sensor acquisition. We studied how these methods may be combined in a fusion classifier to improve their performance. The Dempster–Shafer method, which uses the formalism of belief functions characterized by asymmetry to model nonprecise and uncertain data, is used for classifier fusion. Diagnosis in the medical field is an important step for the early detection of diseases. In this study, the fusion classifiers were used to diagnose diabetes with the required accuracy. The results demonstrated that the fusion classifiers outperformed the individual classifiers as well as those obtained in the literature. The combined LSTM and GRU fusion classifiers achieved the highest accuracy rate of 98%.
This work aims to contribute to a rethinking of the computer simulation used in the high education in Engineering. In order to design a set of simulation laboratory activities, a pedagogical proposal is presented on basis of Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory and Belhot's Learning Cycle. The chosen content to be taught is the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) technique that is adapted and implemented in RoboMind software. The pedagogical approach presented in this paper can act as a reference point for debates in Engineering Education area, considering the use of the Kolb's theory as a model for development of teaching‐learning process and computer simulations as a didactic tool. Finally, some recommendations are offered in order to help future works, as well as to consolidate the implementation of this pedagogical proposal in real case studies. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ. 24:79–88, 2016; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21674
Starting from the premise that private feelings cannot be contained or eliminated from public deliberation or action, this text embarks on an inquiry into the influence of honour on behaviour in 19th-century France. It considers how French society was goverend by a strict code of honour and that males in particular were vunerable to acute feelings of shame, while any other feelings referred to as "sentiment" were considered the special domain of women. Examining the realms of both marriage and the public sphere, the author uncovers the feelings of shame and self-esteem, fear and desire, that entered in an unperceived yet fundamental way into the sense of self that many elite men and women worked out in the course of their lives.
In this study, a trial was conducted to use whole cell microalgae Porphyridium sp and Porphyridium aerugineum as an alternative material for preventing Vibriosis. This study used three treatments with three replications each. Treatment A was Control without microalgae administration, Treatment B was given Porphyridium aerugineum and treatment C was given Porphyridium sp. The microalgae were given in Zoea1, Mysis1, PL 2, PL 6, and PL 10 phases with the density of microalgae at the time of stocking was 105 - 106 cells/mL. Larval rearing was carried out for 19 days until Post Larva 12. The parameters observed were the density of microalgae in the rearing container and the density of Vibrio bacteria. Sampling for microalgae density observations was carried out every day from the zoea phase 2 to PL 10. Sampling of bacterial density was carried out at every phase change along with observing water quality parameters. At the end of the fry rearing period (PL 12), a challenge test was performed using V. parahaemolyticus bacteria with a density of 107 CFU/mL. Shrimp survival during the challenge test was observed every day until the fifth day. In addition, the density of Vibrio bacteria was also observed. The results showed that the administration of P. aerugineum could suppress the population of Vibrio bacteria and the ratio of Vibrio bacteria to common bacteria was better than the control. On the other hand, the highest survival rate for shrimp was treated with Porphyridium sp. After the challenge test, the best survival results were also obtained in the treatment with Porphyridium sp.
We report a study of the ultraviolet (UV) irradiation effects on the wet chemical etching of unintentionally doped n-type gallium nitride (GaN) layers grown on sapphire substrates. When illuminated with a 253.7 nm mercury line source, etching of GaN is found to take place in aqueous phosphorus acid (H3PO4) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) solutions of pH values ranging from −1 to 2 and 11 to 15, respectively. Formation of gallium oxide is observed on GaN when illuminated in dilute H3PO4 and KOH solutions. These results are attributed to a two-step reaction process upon which the UV irradiation is shown to enhance the oxidative dissolution of GaN.
ABSTRACT Knowledge of necrophagous insects’ developmental data is necessary for the forensic entomologist to estimate a reliable minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). Among the most represented necrophagous species, Lucilia sericata (Diptera, Calliphoridae) is particularly interesting. It is regularly identified in samples, with a predominance in summer, and is commonly used by analysts of our entomology department (Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale) to estimate the PMImin with the accumulated degree days (ADD) method. This method requires the mathematical lower thermal threshold to be known. This value dictates the quality of the applied ADD method but cannot be considered as fixed, especially when insect development occurs at temperatures close to the biological threshold. In such conditions, it is necessary to study the influence of such temperatures on development rate, as well as the consequences of estimating the period of first oviposition on cadavers, when using the ADD method. Seven replicate rearings were conducted at six different temperatures: 30 °C, 24 °C, 18 °C, 15 °C, 12 °C and 10 °C. Time of development and time of emergence were recorded. The effect of low temperature on the development cycle and the reliability of the ADD method under this entire temperature spectrum were studied using different linear regression models. Calculated durations of total insect time development and experimental rearing duration were then compared. A global linear model cannot be used on the whole temperature spectrum experienced by L. sericata without resulting in an overestimation at some temperatures. We found a combination of two linear regression models to be suitable for the estimation of the total development time, depending on the temperature experienced by L. sericata. This approach allowed us to obtain a variation lower than 2% at 12 °C and 10 °C between the calculated duration and experimental duration of development. In comparison, the results obtained with a global model show a variation higher than 3% at 12 °C and 10% at 10 °C.
On treatment of bis(2-pyridinecarbonitrile)copper(II) chloride with various amines in methanol, the alkoxylation of the nitrile group in the complex took place; in some cases, the alkoxylation and the ligand substitution of the complex occurred at the same time. The reaction products were classified into three types depending on the amines used; two of the types consisted of new complexes. The complexes of CuCl2(MeOpy)(Amine) (MeOpy: O-methylpyridine-2-carboximidate), were obtained on the addition of ammonia, methylamine, dimethylamine, ethylamine, benzylamine, or piperidine to a methanol solution of bis(2-pyridinecarbonitrile)copper(II) chloride. On the other hand, the addition of trimethylamine, diethylamine, or triethylamine afforded the complex of CuCl2(MeOpy)2. These types of complexes were not obtained by the use of aniline or pyridine; but the previously known complex, CuCl2(MeOpy), was obatined in this case. It has been assumed that the formation of the three types of complexes is essentially the ...
Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have been proven to act as highly active catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Recently, single-phase ternary NiCoP electrocatalysts have been shown through experiments to display remarkable catalytic activity for the HER during water splitting. But, the inherent mechanism is not well understood. Herein, the HER activity of NiCoP with low-Miller-index facets, including (111), (100), (001)-NiP-t, and (001)-CoP-t, was systematically investigated using periodic density functional theory (DFT). The calculated Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption (ΔGH) values reveal that all calculated facets have good catalytic activity for the HER. The (111) facet with the lowest surface energy in a vacuum has optimal ΔGH values close-to-zero for a range of hydrogen coverage. Ab initio thermodynamic analysis of hydrogen coverage was conducted to obtain the stabilities of surfaces, which follow the trend: (111) > (001)-CoP-t > (100) > (001)-NiP-t at 1 atm H2 and 298 K. We hope that this work can shed new light on further understanding the HER in relation to NiCoP and can give guidance for the design and synthesis of transition bimetal phosphide-based catalysts.
A mechanistic, biogeochemical succession model, FIRE-BGC, was used to investigate the role of fire on long-term landscape dynamics in northern Rocky Mountain coniferous forests of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA. FIRE-BGC is an individual-tree model-created by merging the gap-phase process-based model FIRESUM with the mechanistic ecosystem biogeochemical model FOREST-BGC-that has mixed spatial and temporal resolution in its simulation architecture. Ecological processes that act at a landscape level, such as fire and seed dispersal, are simulated annually from stand and topographic information. Stand-level processes, such as tree establishment, growth and mortality, organic matter accumulation and decomposition, and undergrowth plant dynamics are simulated both daily and annually. Tree growth is mechanistically modeled based on the ecosystem process approach of FOREST-BGC where carbon is fixed daily by forest canopy photosynthesis at the stand level. Carbon allocated to the tree stem at the end of the year generates the corresponding diameter and height growth. The model also explicitly simulates fire behavior and effects on landscape characteristics. We simulated the effects of fire on ecosystem characteristics of net primary productivity, evapotranspiration, standing crop biomass, nitrogen cycling and leaf area index over 200 years for the 50,000-ha McDonald Drainage in Glacier National Park. Results show increases in net primary productivity and available nitrogen when fires are included in the simulation. Standing crop biomass and evapotranspiration decrease under a fire regime. Shade-intolerant species dominate the landscape when fires are excluded. Model tree increment predictions compared well with field data.
The effects of prostaglandin analogues (PGE1, E2, D2, I2) on superoxide (O-2) production by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) stimulated by the supernatant of a B. gingivalis 381 sonicate (BGsup) were studied in vitro by a cytochrome C reduction method. O-2 production by the PMN was enhanced distinctly by the BG-sup and this increased O-2 production was nullified by the addition of PGE1, E2, or D2 at a concentration of 0.02ug/ml. However, PGI2, even at a concentration of 2ug/ml, could not bring down the O-2 production. The amount of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) of PMN treated with these PG were measured; and the results indicated all of these PG caused on elevation of the cAMP level. The effect of dibutyryl cAMP, an analogue of cAMP, on O-2 production was also examined, and almost the same results were obtained as with the PG. These results suggest that the reduction in B.gingivalis-induced O-2 production by PMN that occurred by addition of PG was due to the increase in intracellular cAMP; that is, cAMP appears to suppress the O-2 production augmented by the BG-sup.
The polar desert biome of the Canadian high Arctic Archipelago is currently experiencing some of the greatest mean annual air temperature increases on the planet, threatening the stability of ecosystems residing above temperature‐sensitive permafrost. Ice wedges are the most widespread form of ground ice, occurring in up to 25% of the world's terrestrial near‐surface, and their melting (thermokarst) may catalyse a suite of biotic and ecological changes, facilitating major ecosystem shifts. These unknown ecosystem shifts raise serious questions as to how permafrost stability, vegetation diversity and edaphic conditions will change with a warming high Arctic. Ecosystem and thermokarst processes tend to be examined independently, limiting our understanding of a coupled system whereby the effect of climate change on one will affect the outcome of the other. Using in‐depth, comprehensive field observations and a space‐for‐time approach, we investigate the highly structured landscape that has emerged due to the thermokarst‐induced partitioning of microhabitats. We examine differences in vegetation diversity, community composition and soil conditions on the Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. We hypothesize that (i) greater ice wedge subsidence results in increased vegetation cover due to elevated soil moisture, thereby decreasing the seasonal depth of thaw and restricting groundwater outflow; (ii) thermokarst processes result in altered vegetation richness, turnover and dispersion, with greater microhabitat diversity at the landscape scale; and (iii) shifts in hydrology and plant community structure alter soil chemistry. We found that the disturbance caused by melting ice wedges catalysed a suite of environmental and biotic effects: topographical changes, a new hydrological balance, significant species richness and turnover changes, and distinct soil chemistries. Thermokarst areas favour a subset of species unique from the polar desert and are characterized by greater species turnover (β‐diversity) across the landscape. Synthesis. Our findings suggest that projected increases of thermokarst in the polar desert will lead to the increased partitioning of microhabitats, creating a more heterogeneous high arctic landscape through diverging vegetation communities and edaphic conditions, resulting in a wetland‐like biome in the high Arctic that could replace much of the ice‐rich polar desert.
guardians of the public morality, Ringenbach describes, both feared and loathed die sometimes bowed but always unwashed tramp. Cut loose from the fabric of subordination and deference the massive number of tramps created by the business cycles of the late nineteenth century seemed to upper class reformers to be a threat (usually grossly exaggerated) to the stability of the social order. Tramps and Reformers focuses on the attempts of upper class New York City reformers to come to grips with the problems of recurring mass unemployment and transient labor. The thesis, which is sometimes only loosely, connected with the very interesting anecdotal evidence presented, is that there was an enormous change in attitude on the part of the reformers between 1873 and 1915. In those years it is argued that the reformers came to see that unemployment was a product of economic conditions rather than character defects. In tracing this development, Ringenbach describes the various panaceas that failed to effect the desired character transformation; loan societies, employment bureaus, labor exchanges and back to the land efforts. Having seen one panacea after another fail, the reformers increasingly turned to the nascent efforts of "social science" to gather information on who the tramps were and the reason for their unemployment. Finally, the reformers reluctantly came to see that unemployment was often involuntary and not the product of a disturbed personality. Ringenbach's book might have been more useful if, like the early social scientists, he did a little counting himself and gave the reader some idea of who belonged to and supported the various charity agencies involved in redeeming and controlling the tramps. What segment of "society" did the reformers come from? Were they disproportionately represented by people from any particular business interests? This lack of specificity makes it difficult to discern whether the reformers' motivations were primarily cultural and religious or economic. Similarly the book lacks even a rough statistical charting of unemployment, wages and prices, information which would have been very useful in placing his arguments in context. Despite its flaws, Tramps and Reformers is a very valuable monograph. Ringenbach utilizes a wide array from primary sources including the charity reports, a large number of popular magazine articles on tramps, and the early efforts of social scientists. The anecdotal and textural richness of sources which Ringenbach has organized makes Tramps and Reformers an invaluable book for students of labor, economic, and social welfare history.
This paper proposes high frequency (HF) modelling method of EMI filters for a 100 kW hybrid Si-SiC matrix converter used in aerospace application. The developed HF models are useful to make an accurate prediction of the effectiveness of the filters according to the standard for Airborne equipment and to improve the design in terms of size and lightness. Indeed lightness and compactness are important design constraints for aerospace systems but at the same time, the filter layout influences the values of the parasitic components. The method used to develop the HF models is based only on experimental measurements and it can be applied to different structures of filters without the knowledge of dimensions and electrical parameters of the single sections of the filter. In particular HF model of a differential mode input EMI filter and of a common mode and differential mode output EMI filter for matrix converters are developed in the frequency range 150 kHz-30 MHz. The circuit models are implemented in Matlab and Saber and are validated by comparing measured and simulated results.
Country stores were universal in Upper Canada, and they are a necessary component of every living history site. Yet systematic explorations of the actual work of such stores in nineteenth-century North America, based on direct primary evidence, are uncommon; and powerful (and often conflicting) stereotypes of them persist, in living history settings and in the historical literature. This article goes beyond such standard images by using evidence from seven country stores. The starting point is that no one bought all his or her goods at a single store; besides local stores, rural families had access to retailers in towns and well-located villages. Competition demonstrates that retail success was not automatic; it involved relationships, decisions and strategies. Merchants did not need to write these down, however. Hence, the argument of the article must sometimes be indirect. What is clear is that selecting and knowing a wide variety of goods, pricing them, hiring and working with clerks, attending to and working with customers, managing credit and securing and making payments, handling goods taken in payment, and integrating non-retail elements (a crucial component of many Upper Canadian rural businesses) all involved judgement, strategy, daily decision-making and hard work.
High-performance metal/polymer/metal hybrid sandwich composites are attractive materials for lightweight constructions in automotive, aerospace and naval engineering world-wide. Due to the excellent combination of mechanical, thermal and elastic properties and, as a result of high forming potential, they can be used in areas of high vibration, where high damping properties of the polymer are demanded and at the same time high strength and stiffness are given by the metal. Disadvantages can be given in case of mechanical or thermal joining of these polymer-based sandwiches because of the elastic behaviour as well as low melting temperature of the polymer. Local metal plate insertions in the soft core at the place of joining can be a solution for such kind of problems. But forming behaviour of sandwich materials with and without local inlays differs strongly. Sandwich composites of that type were produced by roll-bonding. Their quality and their position were controlled by Lockin thermography. The forming behaviour of sandwiches with different geometry, size, type and the position of the inlays was tested by deep drawing and bending and analysed with the help of digital photogrammetry and compared to experimentally obtained mechanical properties. As a result, the local inlays, as well as their geometry, size and type strongly influence the forming limit conditions. The differences in flow behaviour of non-reinforced and reinforced sandwich regions after deep drawing and bending will be presented, as well as the influence of the position of the inlays.
SUMMARY: A significant extension in the variety of gene-markers available in Saccharomyces has been achieved by exploiting resistance and sensitivity to a variety of poisons. Although resistance to many poisons was obviously heritable, gene-control could not be demonstrated, presumably because other genes modified the phenotypes. Gene-control of resistance and sensitivity for both nicotine and caffeine was demonstrated by tetrad analysis and by the observation of regular Mendelian segregation of the characters among the progeny of closely related hybrids.
We explore the effects of rotation on convective carbon, oxygen, and silicon shell burning during the late stages of evolution in a 20 M⊙ star. Using the Modules for Experiments in Stellar Astrophysics we construct one-dimensional (1D) stellar models both with no rotation and with an initial rigid rotation of 50% of critical. At different points during the evolution, we map the 1D models into 2D and follow the multidimensional evolution using the FLASH compressible hydrodynamics code for many convective turnover times until a quasi-steady state is reached. We characterize the strength and scale of convective motions via decomposition of the momentum density into vector spherical harmonics. We find that rotation influences the total power in solenoidal modes, with a slightly larger impact for carbon and oxygen shell burning than for silicon shell burning. Including rotation in 1D stellar evolution models alters the structure of the star in a manner that has a significant impact on the character of multidimensional convection. Adding modest amounts of rotation to a stellar model that ignores rotation during the evolutionary stage, however, has little impact on the character of the resulting convection. Since the spatial scale and strength of convection present at the point of core collapse directly influence the supernova mechanism, our results suggest that rotation could play an important role in setting the stage for massive stellar explosions.
The increased volumes of online learning content have produced two problems: how to help students to find the most appropriate resources and how to engage them in using these resources. Personalized and social learning have been suggested as potential ways to address these problems. Our work presented in this paper combines the ideas of personalized and social learning in the context of educational hypermedia. We introduce Progressor, an innovative Web-based tool based on the concepts of social navigation and open student modeling that helps students to find the most relevant resources in a large collection of parameterized self-assessment questions on Java programming. We have evaluated Progressor in a semester-long classroom study, the results of which are presented in this paper. The study confirmed the impact of personalized social navigation support provided by the system in the target context. The interface encouraged students to explore more topics attempting more questions and achieving higher success rates in answering them. A deeper analysis of the social navigation support mechanism revealed that the top students successfully led the way to discovering most relevant resources by creating clear pathways for weaker students.
Track-based non-volatile memories, such as Domain Wall Memory (DWM) and Skyrmion, are promising candidates to be used as CPU caches due to their ultra-high density and low-static power. However, the access latency and energy of these devices are highly affected by the number of shift operation performed. Existing track-based NVM cache designs place logically-adjacent blocks close to each other, resulting in extra shift operations performed to access the data. This paper makes the observation that the block access pattern in cache is typically repetitive with a stride of N. Such pattern motivates us to propose a new cache block placement for track-based NVMs, aiming at reducing the number of shift operations throughout program execution.
Abstract Nationwide, the increased interest in teacher quality has been “the” topic of debate for educational policymakers, leading to a research focus on teacher certification. With the proliferation of alternative routes to teacher licensure, there is growing controversy surrounding the manner in which teachers are trained to obtain the level of quality required by state mandates and No Child Left Behind (NCLB) guidelines. A continuing debate addresses an essential question: Which teacher preparation programs best prepare future educators for the challenges of instructing students in their core subject classes—those grounded in the conceptual framework of traditional college teacher preparation and/or those guided by the premises of alternative teacher preparation programs? In response, an alternative-route-to-teacher-licensure program, a particular Transition to Teaching partnership, was reviewed. A descriptive portrayal, this report unfolds in five sections: First, scholarship that has previously addressed and assessed teacher preparation work through alternative routes to teacher licensure in K-12 settings; second, a description of the Newport News Public Schools and Old Dominion University partnership; third, the case study method; fourth, programmatic features that depict a competency-driven program for newly hired teachers on an alternative route to teacher licensure; and last, assertions that predict both the viability and sustainability of alternate routes to teacher licensure nurtured within urban school-university partnerships.
The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of phospholipid molecular species within Prevotella corporis of oral origin. Phospholipids of fresh clinical isolates were extracted and analysed by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) in negative-ion mode. The major monocarboxylate anion peaks, with putative identification, observed for Prevotella corporis were m/z 241, C(15:0); 255, C(16:0); 269, C(17:1); 277, C(18:3); 279, C(18:2); 281, C(18:1). In the high mass region, major anion peaks putatively identified as individual phospholipid (PL) molecular species of Prevotella corporis were of m/z 677, PG(29:1); 691, PG(30:1); 705, PG(31:1); 706, first isotope peak of PG(31:1); and 707, PG(31:0). Related species have a different distribution of PL analogues. Separation of extracted lipid families by TLC confirmed that phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) are the major polar lipids (PLs) in Prevotella corporis. Thus Prevotella corporis has a unique combination of phospholipid analogues of chemosystematic significance.
Street marketing as an unconventional marketing approach hasrapidly evolved over the last three decades. We describe how "streetmarketing" has transformed during this period - from "sandwich men"to samples distribution during the 80s to the creation of "events" in the street today. Then, we suggest how "street marketing" will evolve going forward (following the trend of "Service Dominant Logic"). Specifically, we posit that the street will not merely be a medium of communication, but could become essential "material" of "street marketing". We provide examples of how we expect this transformation.
Hearing loss from the overuse of portable listening devices (PLDs), such as MP3 players or iPods, is of great concern in the popular media. This review aims to discuss the current state of scientific knowledge about music-induced hearing loss from PLD use. This report evaluates the literature on the risk to hearing from PLD use, the individual and psychological factors that influence PLD usage, and strategies for reducing exposure to music through PLDs. Specific interventions are reviewed, and several recommendations for designing interventions and for individual intervention in clinical practice are presented. Clinical recommendations suggested include the “80–90 rule” and the use of isolator-style earphones to reduce background noise.
Geomagnetic navigation is a new navigation technology and has very important significance for the national defence. Spatial geomagnetic database is a precondition for implementing geomagnetic navigation. Potential field continuation is an effective method for designing geomagnetic database. The integral-iteration method is a kind of stable downward continuation methods for potential fields. This paper focuses on convergence analysis of the integral iteration method, and proves that the method converges mathematically. This paper also analyses the robust performance of the integral iteration method, and concludes that when observational data contain noise, the noise may be accumulated during iteration. A new wave-number domain downward continuation method is presented according to the idea of the regulation method and incremental Wiener filter method. Model test shows that the new method is stable, robust and has a short computation time.
Spatial and temporal variation among African Middle Stone Age (MSA) archeological assemblages provide essential cultural and behavioral data for understanding the origin, evolution, diversification, and dispersal of Homo sapiens—and, possibly, interactions with other hominin taxa. However, incorporating archeological data into a robust framework suited to replicable, quantitative analyses that can be integrated with observations drawn from studies of the human genome, hominin morphology, and paleoenvironmental contexts requires the development of a unified comparative approach and shared units of analysis. The CoMSAfrica workshop presented here, has the ambition to build bridges between researchers and research regions in Africa on these paramount topics.
Expertise in a certain stimulus domain enhances perceptual capabilities. In the present article, the authors investigate whether expertise improves perceptual processing to an extent that allows complex visual stimuli to bias behavior unconsciously. Expert chess players judged whether a target chess configuration entailed a checking configuration. These displays were preceded by masked prime configurations that either represented a checking or a nonchecking configuration. Chess experts, but not novice chess players, revealed a subliminal response priming effect, that is, faster responding when prime and target displays were congruent (both checking or both nonchecking) rather than incongruent. Priming generalized to displays that were not used as targets, ruling out simple repetition priming effects. Thus, chess experts were able to judge unconsciously presented chess configurations as checking or nonchecking. A 2nd experiment demonstrated that experts' priming does not occur for simpler but uncommon chess configurations. The authors conclude that long-term practice prompts the acquisition of visual memories of chess configurations with integrated form-location conjunctions. These perceptual chunks enable complex visual processing outside of conscious awareness.
To study the parameters of minimum energy consumption and optimal performance of the system under specific load, the refrigeration mainframe of the cold water system is analyzed and selected, the performance model of the main engine and the pumps are built according to the actual situation. The load limitation of the constant frequency compressor is analyzed, the load ratio can be adjusted in a larger range by frequency conversion compressor, the adaptive weight particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the solution, and the comparison with the traditional constant flow scheme is made. The maximum energy saving is 11.25%, which shows the advantage of the intelligent algorithm.
BACKGROUND Tinea capitis, a fungal infection of the scalp, is of increasing public health importance, and Trichophyton tonsurans has become the primary causative agent in North America.   OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of dermatophyte-positive scalp cultures among elementary schoolchildren in Cleveland, Ohio, describe predisposing factors, and measure the antifungal susceptibility of isolates collected.   OBSERVATIONS A total of 937 children from 8 Cleveland elementary schools were cultured for the presence of dermatophytes; 122 children (13%), all of whom were African American, had dermatophyte-positive cultures of the scalp. Sixty percent of cases were asymptomatic, indicating a carrier state. Race, scaling, and the use of anti-dandruff shampoo were associated with increased likelihood of infection. T tonsurans was the only organism isolated (except 1 Microsporum canis isolate). All isolates were susceptible to fluconazole, griseofulvin, itraconazole, and terbinafine.   CONCLUSIONS T tonsurans was the predominant dermatophyte isolated. Further multicenter studies are needed to confirm the predominance of dermatophyte-positive scalp cultures among African American children and to determine modifiable and preventable risk factors.
In the content-based image retrieval systems such images what are similar to a given image can be retrieved, that consist some features or of the whole image, either of the homogeneous connected regions of the image. If the creation of the applied feature vectors is made by the homogeneous connected regions, then there is a great significance of the determination process of the objects. In this paper a segmentation algorithm is presented which uses automated parameter detemination, and a color histogram based similiraty measure is defined between images comprised color regions generated on the above-mentioned way. The test results prove the applied procedures are suitable for a the solution of the formulated task.
Synthesis of the poliovirus polypeptide 3AB in bacterial cells results in an increase in membrane permeability. The alterations observed resemble those elicited by bacteriophage lytic proteins, which are presumed to cause pore formation in biological membranes. This property has been exploited in the development of an in vivo screening system that allows morphological differentiation of Escherichia coli clones expressing either wild-type 3AB or variant 3AB proteins lacking the ability to permeabilize bacteria. Expression of the wild-type 3AB gene in the presence of a chromogenic beta-galactosidase substrate causes E. coli clones to stain dark blue. In contrast, bacterial mutants that synthesize 3AB proteins with alterations in the hydrophobic domain lack pore-forming activity and stain to a light blue colour, allowing differentiation from wild-type clones. This phenotypic property correlates with the rate of entry of the beta-galactosidase substrate into the bacteria. The method developed here was used to screen more than 8000 E. coli clones after random PCR mutagenesis of the poliovirus 3AB gene. Our results show the existence of three different domains involved in the permeabilizing activity of 3AB protein. Twenty individual amino acid substitutions were identified in clones that showed the mutant phenotype and such bacteria displayed different reduced levels of permeability towards ONPG, hygromycin B, lysozyme and uridine. The procedure reported here may be of general interest to understand structure-function relationships in other eukaryotic proteins known to form pores.
This paper investigates how societal goals of heritage conservation and energy efficiency are handled in the management of Swedish multi-residential buildings. Interviews were made with larger owners of multi-residential stocks, and their perspectives are compared to officials at the City Planning Offices in two Swedish municipalities: Göteborg and Gotland. The questions posed are: How is heritage prioritised in relation to increased energy efficiency, climate impact and other objectives such as cost-efficiency? How important are their internal policies in comparison with external policies imposed by society? The companies express that they are proud of the heritage of their building stock, but they have not integrated heritage values in their management plans and strategies. Social issues such as safety and well-being are included, but not heritage. A consequence of this lack of systematic consideration of heritage is that measures for increased energy efficiency may conflict with conservation needs. In order for heritage values to be taken more seriously in relation to energy efficiency they would need to be integrated into such plans. The benefit from integrating heritage values in sustainable housing management is a question that should be further studied. The paper refers to SDGs 3, 11 and 13.
This paper deals with the system design of the USV1, the first Space experimental vehicle funded by the Italian National Aerospace Research Program (PRORA). The Unmanned Space Vehicle 1 (USV1) is a multi-mission, re-usable vehicle under development in CIRA, the Italian Aerospace Research Centre. The first USV1 mission is scheduled for the end of 2005 and is aimed at experimenting the transonic flight of a re-entry vehicle. In addition, being a multi-mission flying laboratory, USV1 will perform three flights, each one of them simulating the final portion of a typical re-entry trajectory. USV1 is basically composed by a Flying Test Bed (FTB1) and a Carrier based on a stratospheric balloon. The FTB1 is a slender, not-propelled, winged vehicle able to perform experiments on Structure and Aeroelasticity behaviour identification, Autonomous Guidance Navigation and Control, and Thermo-Aerodynamics. During the missions the balloon will carry the FTB1 up to the desired altitude (25 Km for the first mission) and then, after having established a cruise horizontal trajectory, will release it from the gondola. At this moment FTB1 will start its proper flight following the designed trajectory. In the frame of a step by step approach the FTB1 will reach during each subsequent mission an increasing number of Mach, starting from Mach 1 during the first mission up to Mach 2 during the fourth flight. At the maximum velocity it will perform the experiments and by means of a pull up manoeuvre it will decelerate in order to enter in the safe parachute opening regime. The final recovery will be performed from the sea. After a brief description of the missions the paper will present the system architecture and the adopted solution able to match the mission and experiment requirements for all the foreseen missions. At the time of the conference the FTB1 shall be performing the integration and test phase and all the subsystem shall be delivered to CIRA.
Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) seriously affects efficiency of animal production with impacts on public health as well. Effective programmes of prevention and eradication of M. bovis infection therefore are urgently needed. Intracellular pathogen resistance gene 1 (Ipr1) is well known to mediate innate immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), but there are no reports as to whether Ipr1 can enhance the phagocytic ability of macrophage against M. bovis. In this investigation, RAW 264.7 macrophage was transduced with lentiviral vector carrying Ipr1 (named Lenti‐Ipr1); transgenic cells were identified by RT‐PCR and western blotting. Transgenic positive cells (R‐Ipr1) were then infected with an M. bovis virulent strain, with non‐transduced cells used as control. When cell proliferation, viability and apoptosis of the two groups were investigated, it was found that infected RAW 264.7 died by necrosis whereas R‐Ipr1 underwent apoptosis. Furthermore, the numbers of intracellular bacteria in R‐Ipr1 were lower than those in control cells (P < 0.05). To identify the role of Ipr1, we measured the genes of Casp3, Mcl‐1 and NOS2A which associated with macrophage activation and apoptosis by real‐time quantitative PCR. The results demonstrated that Ipr1 gene expression can enhance anti‐M. bovis infection of macrophage. This establishes a basis for the future production of Ipr1‐transgenic cattle to strengthen the tuberculosis resistance.
An ultrafine grain surface layer with average crystallite size of 28 nm was produced on annealed mild steel through a wire brushing process. The effects of grain size reduction on the inhibition performance of sodium phosphate were investigated using polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The crystal grain size of wire brushed surface was analyzed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The electrochemical tests were conducted in artificial sea water (ASW) in the presence and absence of 250 mg/lit sodium phosphate (SP). The wire brushed surface indicated considerable deformed plastic flows and high surface roughness. Due to the accumulated strains, a deformed layer with thickness of 20±5 μm was produced and the crystal grain size of severe deformed zone was about 28 nm. Wire brushed surface increased uniform corrosion rate of mild steel due to enhanced surface roughness and preferential sites to adsorption of corrosive ions. However, the wire brushed surface showed a positive effect on inhibition performance of sodium phosphate. The electrochemical results revealed that average inhibition efficiency increased from 65 to about 80 percent in ASW solution containing 1.5 mM Na3PO4 for coarse grained samples in comparison to that of ultra-fined grain samples respectively .The wire brushing process encouraged passivity on the surface in SP-containing solution due to a high density of nucleation sites which increased the adsorption of phosphate ions leading to a high fraction of passive layers and low corrosion rates.
Human embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitors (NP) present an important tool for understanding human development and disease. Optimal utilization of NP cells, however, requires an enhanced ability to monitor these cells in vitro and in vivo. Here we report production of the first genetically modified self-renewing human embryonic stem cell-derived NP cells that express fluorescent proteins under constitutive as well as lineage-specific promoters, enabling tracking and monitoring of cell fate. Nucleofection, transfection, and lentiviral transduction were compared for optimal gene delivery to NP cells. Transduction was most efficient in terms of transgene expression (37%), cell viability (39%), and long-term reporter expression (>3 months). Further, the constitutive gene promoters, cytomegalovirus, elongation factor 1alpha, and ubiquitin-C, exhibited comparable silencing (20-30%) in NP cells over a 2-month period, suggesting their suitability for long-term reporter expression studies. Transduced NP cells maintained their progenitor state and differentiation potential, as demonstrated by expression of endogenous NP markers and neuronal markers after differentiation. We also detected reporter expression in astrocytes generated from NP cells transduced with an astrocyte-specific gene promoter, glial fibrillary acidic protein, demonstrating the usefulness of this approach. The genetically manipulated NP cells described here offer great potential for live cell-tracking experiments, and a similar approach can as well be used for expression of proteins other than reporters.
Data centre plays a vital role in enterprise service provisioning. However, its total cost of ownership is high due to various factors such as underutilization of servers, administrative overhead coupled with increase in energy requirements and floor space. In spite of high investment on data centres, there is a dearth for application availability, scalability and optimal performance in provisioning enterprise services. This article investigates the main problems associated with data centre and attempts to appraise the influencing and risk factors using DEMATEL method. Further, it attempts to propose a practical solution using virtualization technique as a case study for a specific higher education institute.
The use of new technologies for intervention in developmental dyslexia is steadily growing. In order to better understand the needs, the expectations, and the attitudes of Italian expert health professionals concerning such technologies, a national survey was conducted applying the Delphi methodology. Ad-hoc questionnaires were sent out to a group of eighteen experts over three successive rounds, and anonymously collected responses were aggregated and shared with the group after each round, aiming to reach a consensus on the proposed response. The goal was to define a series of statements that could form the basis for international “good practices” in the use of technologies for intervention to support dyslexia in children and adolescents. In the first round, the experts’ general opinions were collected with both multiple choice and open questions, and in the second round consensus was assessed on a series of statements based on the first replies. The cut-off of 75% consensus on each statement was reached after three rounds. Fifteen experts completed all the rounds of the process, and a final version of the statements regarding good practice in the use of technologies for dyslexia could be defined.
Cultural policy and arts management studies as a field of public inquiry is relatively old and has generated much literature worldwide. It has gained strong currency as an educational and research concept for the humanities and social sciences. To date, research journals and academic courses in the field have proliferated especially at tertiary education level for the benefit of scholars, government officials, arts managers, policy makers, and so forth. South Africa is lagging behind in this regard in that many of the country's higher education institutions (HEIs) do not offer training in cultural policy and arts management. This is symptomatic of poor crafting and positioning of arts education within the broader education system in South Africa. This article discusses the importance of broadening the scope of arts education in South Africa to include cultural policy and arts management studies, as well as related subjects, and placing them at the centre of academic inquiry, from school to tertiary education level, so as to bring about or create conditions of good cultural governance across the broad institutional spectrum.
In previous works we justified the necessity of developing the mathematical model for error calculations due to relativistic effects in GNSS measurements based on a metric tensor. In this paper we conduct calculation of the metric tensor components for a few configurations of the “Center of the Galaxy– Sun – Earth – Satellite” system to investigate mutual impact of relativistic effects, as well as comparative analysis with other existing mathematical models.
The development of resistance to drugs used in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancers is becoming an increasing global health burden. Both therapeutic areas have had large quantities of money and man hours invested into tackling these problems in recent years, attracting attention and research from academia, industry, charities and governmental institutions with financial support being provided through both public and private organizations.
Rare mutations in the gene encoding for tau (MAPT, microtubule-associated protein tau) cause frontotemporal dementia-spectrum (FTD-s) disorders, including FTD, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal syndrome, and a common extended haplotype spanning across the MAPT locus is associated with increased risk of PSP and Parkinson's disease. We identified a rare tau variant (p.A152T) in a patient with a clinical diagnosis of PSP and assessed its frequency in multiple independent series of patients with neurodegenerative conditions and controls, in a total of 15 369 subjects. Tau p.A152T significantly increases the risk for both FTD-s (n = 2139, OR = 3.0, CI: 1.6-5.6, P = 0.0005) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n = 3345, OR = 2.3, CI: 1.3-4.2, P = 0.004) compared with 9047 controls. Functionally, p.A152T (i) decreases the binding of tau to microtubules and therefore promotes microtubule assembly less efficiently; and (ii) reduces the tendency to form abnormal fibers. However, there is a pronounced increase in the formation of tau oligomers. Importantly, these findings suggest that other regions of the tau protein may be crucial in regulating normal function, as the p.A152 residue is distal to the domains considered responsible for microtubule interactions or aggregation. These data provide both the first genetic evidence and functional studies supporting the role of MAPT p.A152T as a rare risk factor for both FTD-s and AD and the concept that rare variants can increase the risk for relatively common, complex neurodegenerative diseases, but since no clear significance threshold for rare genetic variation has been established, some caution is warranted until the findings are further replicated.
The IEEE 802.15.7 standard defines specifications for short-range optical wireless communication (OWC) using visible light. The standard specifies color shift keying (CSK) as the preferred modulation scheme for indoor OWC while simultaneously providing illumination. In light of illumination requirements, human eye's optical perception introduces unique non-linearities in the CSK signaling chain. It is shown that these non-linearities introduce performance penalties of more than 15 dB, 10 dB, and 5 dB for M = 4, 8, and 16 CSK respectively. A new metric called luminous- signal to-noise ratio (LSNR) is also introduced to fairly compare performance of any two OWC signaling schemes operating at a user defined illumination intensity level and is used to compare performance of M-ary CSK implemented with different colored sources. Within the same context, and at a target bit error rate of ≤ 10^-3, simulation results indicate that clipping negative receiver output signal does not have an impact on M-ary CSK performance.
ABSTRACT A method of taking into account the changes in water content along the length of marine sediment cores analyzed by gamma ray attenuation is presented. Using previously established formulas, it is possible to choose calibration coefficients that will result in an error of less than 17 kg/m3 for the bulk density of most marine sediments while eliminating the task of estimating the water content of the sediment. Errors in bulk density due to errors in estimates of the chemical composition and grain density of the sediment are discussed.
Because of its large electromechanical coupling coefficient, LiNbO3 is attractive as a substrate for surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) devices. However, the fabrication of interdigital transducers with metal line widths of a few hundred nanometres or less on LiNbO3 using electron-beam lithography is difficult as the material is not conductive. We propose an alternative method to produce high-frequency SAW transducers on the insulating substrate as well as on a conductive substrate. We demonstrate that SAW delay lines that operate in the GHz range can be fabricated using nanoimprint lithography.
Ustilaginoidea virens is an economically important fungus causing a devastating grain disease, rice false smut. An insertional mutagenesis screen was used to explore biological mechanisms underlying infection process of U. virens. T184, a new mutant was identified, with abnormal conidial morphology and deficient virulence. Analysis of the T-DNA inserted gene UvPal1 in the mutant confirmed it as a putative homologue of a cellular morphogenetic protein in yeast, Pal1, whose function has not been well characterized. Deletion of UvPal1 affected hyphal growth, cell morphology, stress adaptation and virulence. UvPal1 could interact with the endocytic proteins, UvEde1 and UvSla2, but was not required for receptor-mediated endocytosis. A yeast two-hybrid analysis was further carried out to screen the UvPal1-interacting proteins, resulting in the identification of 16 putative interacting proteins. Interestingly, UvPal1 interacted with a septin protein, UvCdc11 in vivo and in vitro, and also affected subcellular localization of UvCdc11 protein. Deletion of the four core septins impaired the growth, morphogenesis, stress response, and virulence. Collectively, effects on cell morphology, oxidative stress response and virulence are similar to those of UvPal1, suggesting that UvPal1 physically interacts with UvCdc11 to mediate the septin complex to maintain the cellular morphology and virulence of U. virens. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The ‘trapped rainbow’ mechanism of graded gratings has been demonstrated only as a type of groove reflection. In this study, we investigate the physical mechanism of the ‘trapped rainbow’ and demonstrate that a small step increase (~1/50λ) in the depth of a single obstructed groove can terminate the propagation of surface terahertz (THz) waves and reflect them back. A single obstructed groove can easily manipulate the properties of THz waves by changing the depth or the refractive index of the groove because the cutoff frequency is highly sensitive to the property of the groove. In addition, waves transmitted and reflected by a single groove can be controlled periodically over a period of a 1/2  −  λ increase in depth owing to the interference of surface spoof plasmonics and Fabry–Perot resonance. This is an easy means of controlling surface THz waves and fabricating more compact integrated optical devices such as THz branch waveguides, band pass filters, reflectors, and splitters.
The influence of the direction of sound propagation along vertical atmospheric paths on the characteristics of received acoustic signal is discussed. The process of propagation of monochromatic acoustic radiation from the source to the receiver was simulated by the Monte Carlo method taking into account acoustic radiation absorption, excess turbulent attenuation, and refraction for different models of the atmosphere depending on the sound frequency and propagation path length. Calculations were performed for radiation frequency changing in the range 1000-4000 Hz. Here we present results of statistical simulations for a frequency of 2000 Hz. The data of statistical simulations demonstrated that practically in all cases, the intensity of radiation propagating upward exceeded the intensity of radiation propagating downward. For the intensity of single scattering, the difference was in the range 5-35 %, and for multiple scattering, it changed in the range 5-100 %. The results obtained are in good agreement with the data of a tethered balloon experiment.
Objective To explore at the molecular level the phenotype of a patient suffering an autoinflammatory syndrome which was diagnosed as familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome type 2 (FCAS-2). To explore the functions of Nlrp12 in inflammation using mouse models. Methods Whole exome sequencing and Nlrp12 targeted resequencing were performed on DNA isolated from the patient and her family members. In vivo and ex vivo models of inflammation (urate crystals-dependent acute joint inflammation and urate crystals-induced peritonitis) were analysed in Nlrp12-deficient and Nlrp12-competent mice. Results A rare missense NLRP12 variant (c.857C>T, p.P286L) was identified in the patient and her healthy relatives. Nlrp12-deficient mice exhibit reduced systemic inflammation and neutrophilic infiltration. Conclusion Nlrp12 mediates proinflammatory functions in mice. In humans, the identification of Nlrp12 variants must be cautiously interpreted depending on clinical and paraclinical data to diagnose FCAS-2.
Sonic hedgehog subtype medulloblastoma is featured with overactivation of hedgehog pathway and can be targeted by SMO‐specific inhibitors. However, the resistance is frequently developed leading to treatment failure of SMO inhibitors. W535L mutation of SMO (SMOW535L) is thought to be an oncogenic driver for Sonic hedgehog subtype MB and confer resistance to SMO inhibitors. The regulation network of SMOW535L remains to be explored in comparison with wild‐type SMO (SMOWT).
187 Background: Parenchymal brain metastases' (PBM's) are rare in prostate cancer (PCa), but the introduction of novel therapies that prolong life for metastatic disease has raised the possibility that the distribution of disease may be changing as patients live longer. In an effort to establish the clinical characteristics and outcomes of PBM as a comparator for future studies, we reviewed all cases at our institution over a 13 year period. Methods: Patients (pts) diagnosed with PBM at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center between 2000 and 2010 were retrospectively identified by billing codes for prostate cancer, brain metastases, and no additional primary cancers. Additional cases since 2010 were manually collected prospectively. Direct extension of osseous skull metastases or leptomeningeal disease were not considered PBM. Demographic, clinical, and pathologic characteristics were recorded. Results: 5,474 pts with metastatic PCa and no other primary malignancy were identified of whom 21 had PBM. An ad...
The current state of agricultural production space is the outcome of centuries of human activity, as conditioned by socio-economic, legal, and political factors. The characteristic features of the spatial layout of land, which has been shaped in this historical process in the rural areas of southern and south-eastern Poland, are farms divided into a large number of parcels, lack of access to parcels, irregular shapes of parcels, and their scattering in space. Rural areas in Poland are in need of profound structural changes related to agricultural production, the size of agricultural holdings, the distribution of farmland in agricultural holdings, as well as the demographic, spatial and institutional structure of those areas. Spatial and economic studies of rural areas often use the method of grouping individual villages by shared features into larger typological classes. Such a division is possible because rural areas are characterised by both diversity and similarity. Identification of areas with the largest possible similarity of features facilitates analysis and allows one to capture the spatial diversity of an area. The paper presents the degree of land fragmentation in 30 villages of the commune of Biłgoraj located in the Lublin Voivodeship in eastern Poland. The research area covered 15,635.60 ha of farmland divided administratively into 36,620 land parcels (cadastral plots). Fragmentation was measured using the synthetic index of fragmentation of land parcels. The index was used to identify villages, which were similar in terms of the number and area of parcels in the parcel-area groups adopted in this study. The types of villages identified in the study vary in terms of the degree of fragmentation, which may be used as one of the criteria for determining the order, in which the villages should be subjected to land consolidation and exchange.
Drawing on the experiences of real schools and real teachers in two districts of West Bengal, this article examines how teachers perceive and articulate their own professional challenges, responsibilities and freedoms; voice their demands and difficulties under which they work; and conceptualise quality teaching. The article argues that primary school teachers in West Bengal have been valorised as political activists and union leaders, but overshadowed as a professional cadre, and that the diminished professional role of teachers has undermined their agency and ability to practise critical pedagogy for educating the subaltern classes. The article concludes that teacher unions and networks have to extend their roles beyond protecting teachers’ rights to also work on enabling ‘ordinary’ teachers to internalise the twin ethos of professionalism and social justice activism.
The separation of hydrogen in a thermochemical water decomposition process (UT-3 process) is discussed from the point of view of exergy analysis. In this process, hydrogen is produced by hydrolysis of CaBr and FeBr 2 , which are contained in reactors connected in series, and is separated from H 2 O and HBr at the outlet of the FeBr 2 hydrolysis reactor at 220-560 °C. Hydrogen concentration is anticipated to be of the order of 5 mol %. On the basis of the permeation properties of H 2 O- and H 2 -selective membranes developed in the preceding study, exergy losses for the hydrogen separation are calculated for plausible cases. The total exergy loss is smallest for a two-stage separation system: Steam is separated from a H 2 -H 2 O-HBr mixture using a H 2 O-selective membrane with a minimum loss of pressure and is recycled to the CaBr 2 hydrolysis reactor. The permeate is recompressed to the feed side of the second stage, and hydrogen is then recovered using a H 2 -selective membrane.
espanolTomando como ejemplo las peliculas de Iciar Bollain, Isabel Coixet y Tania Hermida, se analizan diferentes esteticas transnacionales del cine contemporaneo en el contexto del desarrollo de las culturas cinematograficas. Los resultados se comparan con las criticas sobre las peliculas para hacer un balance entre el deseo de identificacion a nivel nacional y los retos del cine arte que se dirige a diferentes culturas e intenta cambiar los habitos de percepcion. Considering the films of Iciar Bollain, Isabel Coixet and Tania Hermida, diffe-rent approaches to transnational aesthetics in contemporary cinema are shown and related to their context of developing cinema cultures. The results are compared with film critiques by evaluating their notions of identity and national cinema. The final discussion is about the aims of arthouse cinema in different cultures and its tendency to change the habits of perception. DeutschConsidering the films of Iciar Bollain, Isabel Coixet and Tania Hermida, diffe-rent approaches to transnational aesthetics in contemporary cinema are shown and related to their context of developing cinema cultures. The results are compared with film critiques by evaluating their notions of identity and national cinema. The final discussion is about the aims of arthouse cinema in different cultures and its tendency to change the habits of perception.
The aim of the study is to determine how much interest the accounting academicians have in the history of their field. To analyze this interest we reviewed the academic research of the accounting academicians in Turkey on accounting history. The study explores publishing patterns in Turkish accounting academicians in academic journals and the thesis submitted in Turkish Universities on accounting history. In the study we analyzed and reported the recent development of the accounting history research in Turkey in the period 2000 to 2013. In the study we implemented a content analysis for academic articles. Firstly a comprehensive literature review has been done to find the accounting history articles published by the Turkish academicians in the last decade. We found 74 accounting history articles published in national and international academic journals by the Turkish academicians. The analysis of the articles examined the patterns of authorship, the most published authors, institutional affiliations of authors, author gender, the most published journals, subject areas, and period covered by the articles. In the second part of the study is a content analysis for the master and doctoral thesis on accounting history in Turkish Universities is provided. We searched the theses in the thesis database of The Council of Higher Education of Turkey. We limited the research on accounting history thesis, and we found only 11 theses on accounting history. The analysis of the theses examined the authorship, institutions thesis submitted, advisor of the thesis, subject areas, and period covered by the theses. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4p323
Starfruit is one type of fruit that is widely cultivated in Indonesia, with Depok City occupying the first position in producing star fruit in West Java Province. However, there is a significant difference in price at the farm level and the consumer level which raises the question of how star fruit is marketed in Depok City. The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of the marketing flow, the marketing function of each marketing agency, the cost of marketing, the farmer's share, and the marketing margin as well as to determine the marketing efficiency of each institution involved in the marketing of star fruit in Pancoran Mas District, Depok City. The method used in this research includes qualitative methods in the form of descriptive analysis for analysis of marketing flow patterns and functions of marketing, and quantitative is useful as an analysis of costs, marketing margins, and marketing efficiency of each marketing channel. Determination of the sample was done purposively with 30 farmers as respondents who were scattered in Rangkap Jaya and Rangkap Jaya Baru Villages, Pancoran Mas District, Depok City. The results of this study indicate; there are five marketing channels. channel I: Farmers - Consumers, channel II: Farmers - Retailers (fruit shops) - Consumers, channel III: Farmers - Brokers - Wholesalers - Retailers (traditional markets) - Consumers, channel IV: Farmers - Brokers - Wholesalers - Supplier - Retailer (self-service) - Consumers, and line V: Farmers - Suppliers - Retailers (self-service) - Consumers. Each marketing agency performs a different marketing function. The marketing costs and marketing margins that have the highest prices are carried out by channel IV with prices of Rp 1,811 and Rp 17,400. Marketing flow I am considered the most efficient when viewed from the farmer's share and marketing margin. The recommended marketing channels for this research are channels II and III if you have a farmer's share of 84% and 51%. It is recommended that farmers implement a mixed marketing strategy by combining the marketing channels used to increase farmer's share and reduce marketing margins.
In this paper, we identify the constraints under which the generally ill-posed problem of simultaneous recovery of surface shape and its photometric invariants can be rendered tractable. We examine the cases where a single or more images are acquired using different lighting directions with known illuminant power. Given these conditions, we state the constraints upon which the recovery of the surface geometry and its photometric parameters can be estimated. With these constraints, we then show how the recovery process may be formulated as an optimisation algorithm which aims to fit the reflectance models under study to the image reflectance. The approach presented here is general and can be applied to a family of reflectance models that are based on the Fresnel reflection theory. Thus, we provide a theoretical and computational background for recovering shape, material index of refraction and microscopic roughness from multi-spectral images.
The influence of laser irradiation spacing on the shape of the so-called “saw-tooth” domains is  reported. Dynamic behavior under an external field, applied in the rolling direction, is investigated  using a suitable imaging package developed for magneto-optical Kerr effect studies. Results relative to  irradiated and non-irradiated commercial Hi–B specimens are confronted and the incidence on core  losses is discussed.
We propose a non-iterative robust numerical method for the non-intrusive uncertainty quantification of multivariate stochastic problems with reasonably compressible polynomial representations. The approximation is robust to data outliers or noisy evaluations which do not fall under the regularity assumption of a stochastic truncation error but pertains to a more complete error model, capable of handling interpretations of physical/computational model (or measurement) errors. The method relies on the cross-validation of a pseudospectral projection of the response on generalized Polynomial Chaos approximation bases; this allows an initial model selection and assessment yielding a preconditioned response. We then apply a `1−penalized regression to the preconditioned response variable. Nonlinear test cases have shown this approximation to be more effective in reducing the effect of scattered data outliers than standard compressed sensing techniques and of comparable efficiency to iterated robust regression techniques.
Present studies on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) have expanded substantially in contents of society and culture. Collectivism may affect One"s Self-Control and self -enhancement. This Paper compared the common points and differences between concepts and dimensions of OCB in the west countries and China, reviewed previous research results and explained how the collectivism cultural effect on OCB in China which as a typical collective cultural country.
Dr. Jiao is a Professor in the Padnos College of Engineering and Computing at Grand Valley State University. Her areas of interest include semiconductor device fabrication and characterization, nano-materials, nano-devices, ﬁber optics, and nanotechnology education. Her research activities involve inor-ganic/organic solar cells, organic light emitting diodes, and MEMs/NEMs for sensor applications. Abstract This paper presents the development of solar energy curriculum in the School of Engineering at Grand Valley State University. The aim of this curriculum is to provide students with fundamental theory and practical hands-on experiences. Three learning modules were developed that can be incorporated in the courses in the electrical engineering program. Two courses, one at sophomore level and one at senior level, have been identified for this purpose. A full course on photovoltaic systems was developed for the electrical engineering graduate program. The solar energy curriculum is supplemented by the SolaRescue program and Alternative Energy Club.
The objective of the present study was to determine the leading clinical and pathogenetic factors determining the clinical course of the pyoinflammatory ENT diseases in the patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and to develop the algorithm for the rational therapy of these conditions. A total of 145 patients presenting with pyoinflammatory ENT diseases and concomitant diabetes mellitus were available for the examination that included the microbiological and biochemical studies, determination of the total lipid spectrum, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level, and glycemic profile. Also, the body mass index of the patients was estimated along with the type and severity of obesity. Moreover, the character of antibacterial and hypoglycemic therapy was evaluated. The mathematical analysis of the data obtained revealed the clinical and biochemical parameters determining the clinical picture of the pyoinflammatory ENT diseases in the patients with diabetes mellitus. These were localization of the pyogenic process in the larynx, abdominal obesity, fasting hyperglycemia in excess of 8.3 mmol/l, and dyslipidemia accompanied by the reduction in the amount of high density lipoproteins to below 40 mg/100 ml and the increase of low density lipoproteins to above 155 mg/100 ml. The results of the study were used to develop the differentialalgorithm for the combined treatment of pyoinflammatory ENT diseases in the patients with diabetes mellitus based on the proposed original scale for the prediction of pyogenic complications.
This study was conducted to determine phytotoxicity of domestic rice varieties and characteristic of sensitive gene involved in herbicide reaction of 4-HPPD (4-hydroxy phenylpyruvate dioxygenase) inhibiting herbicides. The five rice varieties were grown for 2 to 3 leaf stage on seedling trays and then transplanted into plastic pot: 4-Japonica type (Sangjubyeo, Sambaekbyeo, Sanduljinmi and Kumyoung) varieties and 1-Indica type variety (IR8). We trialled standard (14 g a.i. 10 a −1 ) and double fold (28 g a.i. 10 a −1 ) dose of benzobicyclon treatment at 10 days after transplanting in order to investigate phytoxicity. The Japonica-type Sangjubyeo showed no rice injury but Indica-type IR8 show 4-5 (standard) and 5-6 (double fold) phytoxicity levels. In spite of Japonica-type, Sanduljinmi and kumyoung showed 3-4 and 4-5 levels. Target resistant gene, Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase inhibitor sensitive gene No.1 (HIS1) have been isolated from five domestic rice cultivars (Sangjubyeo, Sambaekbyeo, Sanduljinmi, Kumyoung and IR8). Results of the sequence through PCR, all five tested rice cultivars had HIS1 gene regardless to rice cultivars. And the difference between rice varieties from sequence of HIS1 were identified some variation in genes.
Amphiphilic, RAFT-capped, (acrylic acid)x(styrene)y diblock copolymers (x ≅ 10, y = 10, 5, 0) were synthesized and used as stabilizers in emulsion polymerization. Above the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of the diblocks and under appropriate reaction conditions micelles of the more hydrophobic diblocks were sufficiently nonlabile to be nucleated and act as seed particles for latex particle formation. The key parameters which allow control over the system are diblock hydrophobicity and initiator concentration. A homogeneous nucleation mechanism is most likely to operate below the cmc of the diblocks.
Click here to li schedule a free l consultation l i Providing usable and interpretable data is the ultimate goal of data processing and analysis. If you have data that needs to be organized, cleaned up, transformed, or otherwise modified, we can work closely with you to improve your data. Data processing may involve various processes, including: Validation ensuring that supplied data is clean, correct and useful Sorting arranging items in some sequence and/or in different sets Summarization reducing detail data to its main points Aggregation combining multiple pieces of data Analysis the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data Reporting list detail or summary data or computed information Classification separates data into various categories Data analysis will involve more specialized methods and highly specialized algorithms and statistical calculations to create new data and meaning from existing data. The Data Processing and Analysis Service consists of expert consultation with you to: 1. Understand your data and your expectation of that data, 2. Use the appropriate tools (off-the-shelf or custom-built), develop a workflow for processing and/or analyzing your data, 3. Deliver processed data and/or analyzed data in a format suitable for further use and interpretation.
Sir, I would like to thank Professor Eccles and his colleagues for their comments regarding our article. Although we did not quite conclude, as they seem to have understood, that there is no basis for objective assessment of the nasal airway in clinical practice, we do question the added value of using objective rhinometry tests in the routine work-up of patients presenting with the complaint of a blocked nose and also its value in quantifying surgical results. We agree that objective measurements are (part of) the scientific foundation of medicine and also that such a foundation is sounder than one based on opinion. We do not agree however, with the opinion that objective measures of the nasal airway should be the foundation of any nasal assessment before deciding on surgery. This however, does not automatically mean, as Eccles suggests, that the alternative is to undertake surgery on the basis of subjective scores alone. A diagnosis is made on a thorough history (preferably including validated questionnaires and visual analogue scores) and nasal examination, where appropriate followed by additional investigations such as allergy tests and computed tomography (CT) scanning. If after gathering all this information, one still feels uncertain about the course of action to take, the addition of objective rhinometry instruments, of which the correlation with the subjective complaint is at best questionable, will not help one to make the decision most likely to result in a satisfied patient. Herein lies a considerable difference with the examples given of pulmonary function tests and audiometry, for which history and physical examination alone can only take one to a certain point, beyond which the additional information obtainable through objective testing is needed to decide on the appropriate clinical course of action. As to the article of Broms it does seem we missed it in our PubMed search, while the special edition of Facial Plastic Surgery was not listed in PubMed. Having included those studies however, would not have eliminated the findings of the studies that found no correlation. Concerning Eccles’ final sentence, the continued use and study of objective rhinometry tools may well be important for the development of rhinology as a speciality, but at this point they can hardly be considered to be vital for individual patients in clinical practice, where the aim is to treat the complaints and not the ‘objective’ outcomes, whose correlation with those complaints on the basis our review may be questionable.
Soap operas recently have begun to receive scholarly attention commensurate with their importance. Despite the ascendancy in the number of shows produced to attract a younger audience, reasons for exposure remain unclear, especially for student viewing. This investigation used two alternative procedures to elicit motives. It identified 16 categories, reported their prevalence in two data sets, and considered the degree of convergence in findings of the two procedures. The diversity of motives and the resultant implications for subgroup analyses also were discussed.
We present a metallic/dielectric multi-wedge model to investigate the coupled edge plasmon modes (CEPMs), where all wedges have a common edge and the wave propagates along the edge direction. A general theoretical method valid to many practical structures is presented. The analytical dispersion relations of CEPMs in these structures are obtained and the CEPM properties are discussed with numerical results and the dispersion relations. For all structures mentioned in this paper, we find that the structures containing an even number of metallic wedges have four CEPMs and those with an odd-number of metallic wedges have two CEPMs. Further, the periodic structures containing any odd number of periods and any even number of periods possess their common CEPMs, respectively.
Biochemical and regulatory interactions central to biological networks are expected to cause extensive genetic interactions or epistasis affecting the heritability of complex traits and the distribution of genotypes in populations. However, the inference of epistasis from the observed phenotype–genotype correlation is impeded by statistical difficulties, while the theoretical understanding of the effects of epistasis remains limited, in turn limiting our ability to interpret data. Of particular interest is the biologically relevant situation of numerous interacting genetic loci with small individual contributions to fitness. Here, we present a computational model of selection dynamics involving many epistatic loci in a recombining population. We demonstrate that a large number of polymorphic interacting loci can, despite frequent recombination, exhibit cooperative behavior that locks alleles into favorable genotypes leading to a population consisting of a set of competing clones. When the recombination rate exceeds a certain critical value that depends on the strength of epistasis, this “genotype selection” regime disappears in an abrupt transition, giving way to “allele selection”—the regime where different loci are only weakly correlated as expected in sexually reproducing populations. We show that large populations attain highest fitness at a recombination rate just below critical. Clustering of interacting sets of genes on a chromosome leads to the emergence of an intermediate regime, where blocks of cooperating alleles lock into genetic modules. These haplotype blocks disappear in a second transition to pure allele selection. Our results demonstrate that the collective effect of many weak epistatic interactions can have dramatic effects on the population structure.
A field experiment was conducted at the Agricultural farm of Visva-Bharati University, Birbhum, West Bengal during Pre-kharif (Summar) season of 2012, to study the effect of foliar spray of seaweed extracts (prepared from Kappaphycus alvarezii & Gracilaria crassa) on the growth and productivity of black gram. The foliar spray was applied thrice at different concentrations (0, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 15.0% v/v) of seaweed extracts. Foliar applications of seaweed extracts significantly enhanced the growth and yield attributes. The highest grain yield was recorded with applications of 15% Kappaphykus + recommended dose of fertilizer which at par wth 15% Gracilaria extracts + RDF resulting in an enhanced by 51 and 44% grain yield, respectively compared to the water applied plots. The highest straw yield was also achieved with the application of 15% seaweed extracts. The nutrient uptake (N, P and K) which influenced due to the application was also with seaweed extract.
Parameters selection of support vector machine (SVM) is a key problem in the application of SVM, which has influence on generalization performance of SVM. The commonly used method, grid search (GS), is time-consuming especially for very large dataset. By using coarse grid search and pattern search (PS) to select kernel parameters and penalty factor, a fast method of parameters selection of SVM based on hybrid optimization strategy is proposed in this paper. The proposed method adequately combines the advantages of GS and PS. The experiment results demonstrate that this proposed method can not only improve accuracy and generalization performance of SVM, but also save much more time.
As the next-generation Internet paradigm, Web 3.0 encapsulates the expectations of immersive and interactive experiences in a decentralized manner. Metaverse, a virtual world interacting with the physical world, is becoming one of the most potential applications to push forward with Web 3.0. In the Metaverse, users expect to tailor immersive and interactive experiences by customizing real-time Metaverse services (e.g., augmented/virtual reality and digital twin) in the three-dimensional virtual world. Nevertheless, there are still no unified solutions for the Metaverse services in terms of orchestration and management. Therefore, continuous and seamless upgrading of network systems is essential yet challenging to support Metaverse services. In this article, to provide scalable solutions for tailoring Metaverse services, we propose a new concept, named Metaverse-as-a-Service (MaaS), where users only need to purchase the MaaS models that are needed (e.g., computing, communications, and data resources) to achieve their required Metaverse services. Furthermore, to unify the orchestration and management of MaaS models, we propose a novel architecture, called Slicing4Meta, to customize Metaverse services by integrating MaaS models and the associated multi-dimensional resources. Additionally, we propose the classification for typical Metaverse services based on the quality of experience (QoE) requirements and illustrate how to fulfill the QoE requirements under the Slicing4Meta architecture. We then illustrate a virtual travel study case, in which we examine the relationship between the QoE and the multi-dimensional resources by quantitatively modeling the QoE of Metaverse users. Finally, we discuss some open challenges of Slicing4Meta and propose potential solutions to address the challenges.
Purpose: To determine if there was a shift from using ionizing to non-ionizing imaging exams at Loma Linda University Medical Center in pediatric patients since the implementation of the Image Gently Campaign in 2008. Materials and Methods: The number of CT, radiograph, US, MRI, and total number of imaging exams performed in pediatric patients were determined for each year between 2003 and 2013. A retrospective search was performed for years 2007, 2008, and 2013 on pediatric emergency department patients with suspected appendicitis. The imaging algorithm of these patients was investigated by determining whether the patient received an US or a CT exam first, and what imaging exams were ordered in total for the patient work-up. Results: When comparing the mean prior to the Image Gently Campaign (2003-2007) to data from 2013, there has been a 33% decrease in the number of CT exams, a 19% decrease in the number of radiograph exams, a 13% increase in the number of US exams, and a 19% increase in the number of MRI exams. In 2007, 37.5% received an US and 62.5% received a CT as the initial exam for suspected appendicitis. In 2013, 85.4% received an US and 14.6% received a CT as the initial imaging evaluation for suspected appendicitis. Conclusions: Since the Imaging Gently Campaign, there has been a shift away from the use of ionizing imaging exams in pediatric patients in favor of non-ionizing imaging alternatives such as US and MRI.
The Dongting Lake distributes water and sediment of the Yangtze River through the three outlets. Influencing factors of the diversion capacity are complicated. In order to evaluate the influences of the operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) on the diversion of the three outlets, this paper investigates systematically the variation process of the runoff at the three outlets based on substantially raw data and principles of variable control. By using comparative analysis and the calculation method of runoff reduction, the change magnitude of the runoff at the three outlets in different periods were quantified and the contribution rates of different influencing factors were estimated. Results show that (1) Inflow difference from the Yangtze River is the primary factor causing the runoff reduction of the three outlets. After the operation of TGR, the Yangtze River was in dry years. Therefore, over 60% of runoff reduction can be attributed to the variation of natural inflow discharge. (2) As the flow is retained by TGR, the runoff of the three outlets further reduced. From 2003-2008, the contribution rates of natural flow, sediment trapping and reservoir regulation to the runoff reduction at the three outlets were 76.19%, 13.49%, 10.32%, while their counterparts after optimal operation of TGR became 66.05%, 14.20% and 19.75% respectively. (3) Reservoir operation after the flood season showed the most significant impact on runoff of the three outlets, resulting in an increase in the number of shut-off days of the three-distributary channels from September to October, especially at Shadaoguan and Kangjiagang.
Genetic risk may predispose individuals to compromised anger regulation, potentially through modulation of brain responses to emotionally evocative stimuli. Emphatically expressed, the emotional word No can prohibit behavior through conditioning. In a recent functional magnetic resonance imaging study, the authors showed that healthy males attribute negative valence to No while showing a lateral orbitofrontal response that correlated with their self-reported anger control. Here, the authors examined the influence of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene (low vs. high transcription variants) on brain response to No and in relationship to trait anger reactivity and control. The orbitofrontal response did not differ as a function of the genotype. Instead, carriers of the low-MAOA genotype had reduced left middle frontal gyrus activation to No compared with the high variant. Furthermore, only for carriers of the up low-MAOA genotype, left amygdala and posterior thalamic activation to No increased with anger reactivity. Thus, vulnerability to aggression in carriers of the low-MAOA genotype is supported by decreased middle frontal response to No and the unique amygdala/thalamus association pattern in this group with anger reactivity but not anger control.
We appreciate Dr. Hudgel’s detailed critique of our article. We wholeheartedly agree with the importance of helping patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) meet optimal weight targets—our paper was never intended to discourage weight management, nor did we suggest that CPAP be used as a sole treatment for OSA. Rather, our analyses suggest the need for better health promotion programs for patients with OSA given the association of OSA with a poorer diet. In considering Dr. Hudgel’s comments, it is important to note that our paper did not address obesity as an outcome, or CPAP as an intervention. Rather, we addressed the inter-relationships among OSA, sleep quality, and diet—the latter a health behavior that associates with health outcomes even after considering the effects of body weight.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Arterial spin-labeling-derived CBF values may be affected by arterial transit time artefacts. Thus, our aim was to assess to what extent arterial spin-labeling–derived CBF and cerebrovascular reserve capacity values in major vascular regions are overestimated due to the arterial transit time artifacts in patients with Moyamoya disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight patients with Moyamoya disease were included before or after revascularization surgery. CBF maps were acquired using a 3D pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling sequence, before and 5, 15, and 25 minutes after an IV acetazolamide injection and were registered to each patient’s 3D-T1-weighted images. Vascular regions were defined by spatial normalization to a Montreal Neurological Institute–based vascular regional template. The arterial transit time artifacts were defined as voxels with high signal intensity corresponding to the right tail of the histogram for a given vascular region, with the cutoff selected by visual inspection. Arterial transit time artifact maps were created and applied as masks to exclude arterial transit time artifacts on CBF maps, to create corrected CBF maps. The cerebrovascular reserve capacity was calculated as CBF after acetazolamide injection relative to CBF at baseline for corrected and uncorrected CBF values, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 16 examinations were analyzed. Arterial transit time artifacts were present mostly in the MCA, whereas the posterior cerebral artery was generally unaffected. The largest differences between corrected and uncorrected CBF and cerebrovascular reserve capacity values, reported as patient group average ratio and percentage point difference, respectively, were 0.978 (95% CI, 0.968–0.988) and 1.8 percentage points (95% CI, 0.3–3.2 percentage points). Both were found in the left MCA, 15 and 5 minutes post-acetazolamide injection, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Arterial transit time artifacts have negligible overestimation effects on calculated vascular region-based CBF and cerebrovascular reserve capacity values derived from single-delay 3D pseudocontinuous arterial spin-labeling.
The evolution of computer animation in the last six years has been spectacular. Several outstanding computer-generated films have been produced and have received international awards. Owing to the evolution of graphics hardware, the quality of rendering now allows the simulation of subtle lighting effects or textures. But, also new computer animation techniques appeared as important alternatives to the traditional keyframe methods. The bibliography aims to be the most complete to date. It shows that computer animation is no longer a collection of tricks just for showing special effects. It has become a mature and distinct area with its own techniques and methods
Research into the effects of oil contamination in estuaries and coastal waters has been the fundamental aim of OPRU since its inception in 1967. The development of the Unit's research programme has taken place in response to the needs of government and industry. In recent years it includes moves into the international field and away from solely oil and marine projects. The accumulated research and educational experience has wide applications in future environmental monitoring, management and protection.
In this paper, MWNTs (multi-walled carbon nanotubes) were modified by the mixture acid of H2SO4 and HNO3, the PI (polyimide)/MWNTs nano-hybrid films were prepared by means of ultrasonic vibration and in-situ polymerization. The surface morphology was characterized by SEM, the chemical structure was characterized by FT-IR. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus increased at first and then decreased with the increase of MWNTs content. The dielectric constant was tested at a frequency of 1 kHz. The dielectric constant had no obvious variation when MWNTs content was less than 2.9 wt%, as the MWNTs content exceeded 5.36 wt%, the dielectric constant increased rapidly. In general, the dielectric loss of PI/MWNTs nano-hybrid films was higher than the dielectric loss of pure polyimide films. The dielectric loss increased slowly in low frequency region but rapidly in high frequency region. All the test results were attributed to the dispersion degree of MWNTs doping and the combination degree between PI matrix and modified MWNTs in PI/MWNTs nano-hybrid films.
A system is proposed to allow the phase and amplitude of a signal to be accurately set and regulated over process and power supply variations. It uses a variable gain amplifier (VGA) in conjunction with the phase shifter to compensate for the variable losses of the phase shifter and simultaneously provide a means of adjusting the amplitude of the signal. The system has been fabricated in a 0.18 ¿m CMOS process, and operates at 1.9 GHz. The phase can be set with 5 bits of control over a 240° range and the amplitude can be varied over a 20 dB range. The feedback loops reduce the variation in |S 21| across the phase control range from 12.1 to 0.4 dB. For a changing power supply voltage the feedback loops reduce the maximum phase deviation from 28° to 7° , and across different test chips the maximum standard deviation over the phase control range is reduced from 12° to 3°.
In recent years, the adequacy of the ‘gift’ model of research participation has been increasingly questioned. This study used focus groups to explore how potential and actual participants of biobanks in the UK and Germany negotiate the relationship between concerns over privacy protection, reciprocity and benefit sharing. In Germany, 15 focus groups (n = 151) were conducted: 11 general public groups (n = 116) and 4 with former cohort study participants including the KORA and the Popgen cohort study (n = 35). In the UK, 9 focus groups (n = 61) were conducted: 4 general public groups (n = 33) and 5 with UK Biobank and European Huntington’s Disease (Euro-HD) Registry biorepository participants (n = 28). Forms of reciprocity were found to partially mitigate potential and actual biobank participants’ concerns over personal privacy risks and future unintended consequences of biobank in both Germany and the UK. Specifically, notions of individual reciprocity were at the forefront in the context of personal disadvantages to participation, while communal reciprocity was prominent when potential and actual participants were discussing the uncertainty of the long-term nature of biobanking. The research indicates that reciprocity can be viewed as a mode to deal with individuals’ concerns about participating in a biobank, both by acting as a return ‘favor’ or ‘gift,’ and through establishing an ongoing relationship between participants, researchers and society. It is suggested that future biobanking projects will need to flexibly combine individual and communal forms of reciprocity if they are to recruit and maintain sufficient numbers of participants.
We extended the quadruple scaling method of the Kustaanheimo-Stiefel (K-S) regularization by adding three independent components of the four-dimensional fictitious angular momentum tensor to the quasi-conserved quantities to be monitored during the numerical integration. By using a linear transformation in the four-dimensional fictitious space to make the newly introduced components and the full harmonic energies approximately consistent, we adjust the four amplitudes and the three phase differences for the four-dimensional harmonic oscillator associated with the K-S regularization at every integration step. The determination of transformation parameters is unique, simple, and universal. The new method is superior to the quadruple scaling method in the sense that the errors in all unperturbed orbital elements except the mean longitude at epoch are reduced to the machine epsilon level independently of the precision of the numerical integration. For perturbed orbits, the errors increase more slowly than the quadruple scaling method. Although the number of variables to be integrated is increased to 16 per celestial body, the new method provides the best performance among the manifold correction methods we developed for K-S-regularized orbital motions.
ABSTRACT This article analyzes the impact of popular feminism on girlhood culture via tween celebrities’ red carpet fashion. Trends on the red carpet have taken a markedly mature turn for tween girls, namely via the popularity of the pantsuit, demonstrating a shift away from the hyperfeminine aesthetics attributed to postfeminist girl culture. I argue that this is indicative of a new iteration of feminism for girls that I term “instructional feminism,” which deconstructs and reconstructs new boundaries between childhood and adulthood through popular feminist rhetoric. Through an analysis of two case studies, I demonstrate that instructional feminism encourages girls to learn the values of and embody adult womanhood, especially via professionalism, in the present. Additionally, my case studies demonstrate the necessity of taking an intersectional approach, as young Black stars must counter narratives that negate their status as innocent children and therefore always at risk. Thus, embodying adult professionalism produces differing effects for the Black tween star.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Annotated Catalogue of Chopin's First Editions. By Christophe Grabowski and John Rink. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. [lxxxiv, 909 p. ISBN 9780521817176. $225.] Tables, bibliography, appendices. Over the last dozen years, Christophe Grabowski and John Rink have collected, arranged, annotated, and synthesized over four thousand separate copies of more than fifteen hundred unique impressions of "first editions released during Chopin's lifetime, posthumous first editions published between 1850 and 1878, [and] successive reprints of these editions until their eventual disappearance from the market" (p. ix). The result is the Annotated Catalogue of Chopin's First Editions, a true labor of love that runs more than nine hundred oversized pages and offers the most complete picture of Frederic Chopin in the robust marketplace of the long nineteenth century. More importantly, its fulsome historical overviews, overall clear presentation, ambitiously exhaustive scope, and rigorous yet flexible methodology make it an ideal blueprint for those seeking to better assess an element of nineteenth-century life that-for better or worse-affected almost every notable musician: the world of music publishing. Chopin is an ideal lens through which to view this world, since he was one of the most commercially sensitive composers of his generation. As Jeffrey Kallberg first explained nearly thirty years ago ("Chopin in the Marketplace: Aspects of the Inter - national Music Publishing Industry in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century," Notes 39, no. 3 [March 1983]: 535-69, Notes 39, no. 4 [June 1983]: 795-824), the almost nonexistent state of copyright in Chopin's day forced composers to devise creative ways of getting the most compensation out of each composition. In Chopin's case, this meant sending multiple copies of a composition to different European publishers- usually in London, Paris, and Vienna-for publication or archival deposit on the same day, in the hope that first publishing rights could be asserted simultaneously, thus discouraging piracy. Yet Chopin rarely sent the same reading of a composition to all of his publishers, resulting in multiple first editions that were all authorized but rarely identical. Grabowski and Rink argue that "[w]ithout thorough analysis of these sources as well as the nineteenth-century practices that gave rise to them, Chopin's output cannot be understood in its historical context nor its content accurately reproduced in any modern edition. The very identity of the Chopin work is at stake" (p. xxi). Each entry in the "Annotated Catalogue" (pp. 1-583) illustrates the snowball effect that then took place: Chopin's first editions begot new imprints, a small selection of which suffered various degrees of alteration. The three Nocturnes op. 9 are a case in point. Grabowski and Rink identify thirty-eight different impressions of either the set or a part thereof. The first French edition was published by Maurice Schlesinger in 1833, who published it two more times with changes only to the pagination. Schlesinger's successor, Brandus, republished the piece four more times, although his second printing-the fifth printing overall of the work in France- introduced three different readings in the music of the first and second nocturnes. Also in 1833, Friedrich Kistner, based in Leipzig, began issuing opus 9, and-in what Grabowski and Rink describe as a "highly complex" (p. 58) situation-would eventually publish three engravings of op. 9, nos. 1 and 3 and five engravings of op. 9, no. 2. To be sure, some of these engravings introduced errors, which were often later corrected, but some contain readings that may come from Chopin himself. Kistner's title pages obscure this complex transmission of opus 9 by routinely reprinting the same title page. Such detailed analysis of the source situation means that basic information about each composition- such as incipit, date(s) of composition, references in correspondence, early reviews, etc. …
This study develops a model to help improve the success rates of e-Government projects. In recent years, several e-Government studies have identified many challenges of e-Government initiatives and the critical success factors of such initiatives. Regular audit reviews of project performance provide cost-effective minimization of risks by providing information to management and by helping to take corrective actions in order to ensure a successful project outcome. Despite the potential contributions of audits and risk management to minimize project failure, e-Government and public administration research pay little attention to risk-based project implementation and the specific methods needed to mitigate project challenges. Based on the assumption that project risks are inherent in all phases of the project lifecycle in various dimensions and levels of significance, and that for public sector projects, these risks manifest in four broad categories-stakeholder, institutional, technical and project management risks-the model developed in this research uses a risk-based audit approach to project implementation to provide a comprehensive and methodic tool to systematically improve the success rates of project implementation.
This paper investigates the current status of slotting allowances in the retail industry in China and the countermeasures of suppliers. The results of surveys of “Company R,” a major food retailer, and “Company C,” a food company, show that slotting allowances are often at a flexible rate. These slotting allowances allow retailers to cover their costs and help retailers to find better suppliers. However, the slotting allowances are relatively high for most suppliers such that some even find it difficult to make a profit. Therefore, “Company C” adopts its own pricing strategy and sales strategy to adapt to the retail market in China.
Objectives: To study the basic clinical pattern of urinary stone disease in our setting. Study design: Descriptive study. Setting: Department of surgery of Nawabshah Medical College Nawabshah over a period of 4 years between August 2003 to August 2007. Subjects: A total of 257 urolith patients with different stone burden enrolled in the study. Methodology: Structured and standardized history and clinical investigations collected in all of urolith patients. The diagnosis of stone disease was based on history, physical examination followed by KUB x-ray, ultrasonography and IVU .All patients subjected to open stone surgery. The data were analyzed prospectively with outcome measures of gender, stone location, clinical presentation and operative procedures. Results: Out of 257 patients 181 (70.42%) were male and 76 (29.56%) female with male to female ratio of 2.3:1.The age ranged from 1 year to 80 with the mean of 25.8 years. The peak incidence of upper urinary tract stones was in 20-30 years while lower urinary tract stones in both sexes were under 10 years (Table 1). Anatomical distribution of stone showed 116 (45.16%) renal, 21 (8.17%) ureteric, 108 (42%) bladder and 12 (4.66%) urethral calculi (Table 2). The commonest clinical presentation was that of pain in 67.31% of patients associated with haematuria in 26.7% of cases. Clinical urinary tract infection (UTI) was in 15% and 8.9% of patients had spontaneous stone passage (lithuria). The symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) including retention of urine were in 7% of cases. Calculus anuria was in 1.9% of cases and 8.1% patients had asymptomatic stones. Bilithiasis (chole-nephrolithiasis) was in 5% of cases (Table 3). Open stone surgery included 84 (32.68%) simple pylolithotomies, 15 (5.83%) extended pylolithotomies, 6 (2.33%) pylolithotomy and pyloplasty, 5 (1.94%) nephrolithotomy, 6 (2.33%) nephrectomies, 21 (8.17%) uretrolithotomy, Cystolithotomy was 113 (43.96%) cystolithotomy, 2 (0.77%) urethrolithotomy and meatotomy in 5 (1.94%) of patients. Conclusion: Urolithiasis is increasing problem with high frequency of bladder stones and male predominance in our part of Sindh province. Open surgery is still needed to treat the patients where modern and minimally invasive therapeutic modalities are out of reach and non-availability in public sector. Establishment of modern stone clinics in rural setup is the need of today’s medical practice. Keywords: Urinary calculi, Clinical profile, Open stone surgery.
Sites of synaptic transmission between receptor cells and afferent nerves in electroreceptors of elasmobranchs are distinguished by a dense presynaptic ribbon surrounded by synaptic vesicles. Digestion by pronase or protease of thin sections of Epon embedded tissue selectively removes the presynaptic ribbon without affecting other synaptic structures. Presynaptic ribbons are composed in part of protein which differs significantly from other components of the synaptic complex.
The title compound, C15H15NO2, adopts the enol–imine tautomeric form. The dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 48.1 (1)°. Intramolecular O—H⋯N and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds generate S(6) and S(5) ring motifs, respectively. In the crystal, molecules are linked into centrosymmetric R 2 2(10) dimers via pairs of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and the dimers may interact through very weak by π–π interactions [centroid–centroid distance = 4.150 (1) Å]. The ethyl group is disordered over two orientations, with occupancies of 0.587 (11) and 0.413 (11).
This research aims to determine the analysis results of QoS parameters that affect performance of roaming features of WDS (Wireless Distribution System) on VoD Service, by doing 3 (three) attempts and positioning VoD Client in cell area and overlapp cell area randomly while rotating the specified VoD Client until the duration is up, then randomly displaced the position according to the stages of experimental method, so it can be concluded that overlapp cell area affects the delay condition with a duration of 2153.29 milliseconds and the percentage of packet loss is 0.001150465 %, when “unclear all browsing and regristration data” is carried out, but while “clear all browsing and regristration data” is carried out, the duration of delay increases up to 132010.5 milliseconds, so that it presents poor quality of service and generally not acceptable based on the requirements of the recommendations of ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union Telecommunications Sector) G.114.
Background of the study: The web portal is a tool that has been adopted by universities to manage data and information of students and faculty. The portal is an information system as it is driven by information. Purpose: The study proposes a model of students’ satisfaction with Web portal for the integration of Information System Success Model ISSM and Davis’ Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Method: The methodology adopted for this study is the critical review of literature that borders on the constructs and/or variables embedded in ISSM and TAM. Findings: The study theorizes that information quality, service quality and system quality and perceived usefulness individually determine students’ satisfaction of a Web portal. The study also predicts that all of these variables compositely determine the students’ satisfaction of university Web. Conclusion : The study established that the “mandatory use” of Web portal does not primarily translate to students’ satisfaction with the portal. This is because whether users are satisfied or not, the onus is still on them to come back to use the portal.
In recent years, the prevalence of invasive Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) infections has increased gradually throughout the world, including Japan. Here, we report the case of an abdominal aortic graft infection caused by stG485.0, ST29 SDSE in an elderly patient with diabetes. An 86-year-old man who had undergone an abdominal aortic aneurysm (not infected) repair with a bifurcated graft 10 years ago was referred to our hospital after being suspected of having abdominal aortic graft infection through computed tomography. He underwent surgery, and the pus developed between the aneurysm and the graft was drained. Although blood cultures were negative, the surgical specimen culture was positive for β-hemolytic group G streptococci, which was subsequently identified as SDSE using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing. Genetic relationships deduced from emm and multilocus sequence typing revealed the isolate to be type stG485.0 and ST29, respectively. Although aortic aneurysm graft infection has a poor prognosis, we successfully rescued the patient through prompt surgery and identification of the causative organism. This case indicates that in the vascular surgery field, attention must be paid towards possible SDSE infection.
INTRODUCTION the purpose of this study was to assess the vitamin A (VA) nutritional status of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and its correlation with the severity of the disease, taking into consideration zinc concentration and oxidative stress.   METHODS the patients were preoperative inpatients awaiting myocardial revascularization surgery. The serum concentrations of retinol, β-carotene, zinc, malondialdehyde (MDA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were quantified. CAD severity was assessed by cineangiography, observing the parameters of severity, extent and occlusion. An echocardiogram was performed to assess the ejection fraction.   RESULTS ninety individuals were studied (64.5 ± 9.6 years). Zinc did not correlate with retinol (r = -0.009/p = 0.40), β-carotene (r = -0.06/p = 0.73) or MDA (r = 0.03/p = 0.70), but zinc deficiency was more frequent amongst the patients with high MDA (quartiles 50 and 75). CRP was found to be associated with retinol (x2 = 3.95/p = 0.04). The individuals with retinol deficiency had more severe CAD, and β-carotene diminished as the extent score rose, although this was not statistically significant (p = 0.12). The degree of severity was associated to extent (x2 = 67.9)/(p < 0.001), occlusion (x2 = 34.5/p < 0.001) and CRP (x2 = 5.9/p = 0.05), while extent was associated with MDA (x2 = 42.1)/(p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between the ejection fraction and β-carotene (r = 0.42/p = 0.02).   CONCLUSION findings from this study indicate that chronic inflammation resulting from atherosclerosis is related to disease severity and consequent influence on nutritional status of VA.
Differences in technical concepts for direct disposal of spent fuel and for disposal of high-level waste (HLW) from reprocessing are discussed. The preferred emplacement sites for spent-fuel elements are drifts instead of boreholes, which are used for vitrified HLW The nuclide inventories of uranium and plutonium are considerably higher with direct disposal. The impact of these conceptual differences on the long-term safety ofa repository in a salt formation is investigated. The deterministically calculated radiation exposures for direct disposal and for disposal of reprocessed waste are both within the limits of the German licensing criterion. Furthermore, the differences in the radiation exposures are low, so from this point of view, neither concept is preferable. This result is surprising because the higher inventories of uranium and plutonium in the concept of direct disposal have a negligible influence on radiation exposure. It is shown that the layout temperature ofa repository is a parameter influencing long-term safety, where higher layout temperatures are favorable.
Education is the primary agent of transformation towards peace, national unity and sustainable development since it increases people’s capacities to transform their visions into reality. The current shift in science and technology curricula objectives reflecting on self centred learning is a radical departure from the traditional emphasis on sustainable development product approach. This new trend requires that both the school community and education stakeholder should be actively involved in the pursuit of science and technology of education through adequate and meaningful hands-on-activities during every classroom instruction in science and technology. The 21st century Nigeria is witnessing rapidly changing developments in information, science and technology in all walks of life. To cope with these developments, we have to adopt and pave way scientific and technological experiments that will foster peace, national unity and sustainable development. In line with this context, the paper advocates the implementation of the Science and Technology of Education to ensure the optimum attainment for peace, national unity and sustainable development in Nigeria. In a bid to actualize this, the paper x-rayed the concept of science and technology education, the concept of peace, national unity and sustainable development, the state of Science and Technology in the 21st century Nigeria, the importance of science and technology education to peace, national unity and sustainable development, issues affecting Science and Technology Education in the 21st century Nigeria and the way to foster peace, national unity and sustainable development in Nigeria through science and technology of education. Article visualizations:
Using the renormalization-group method, numerical results, and analytical arguments, we obtain the universal metric properties of one-dimensional iterated maps which exhibit period doublings. Such maps can be classified according to their behaviors around the extremum. For maps with the extremum (at x=0) of the symmetric form f(x)Ix I'b(x), with z&1, where the function b(x) modifies Ix I* by less than any power of Ix I, the quantitative universal properties of the perioddoubling approach to chaos is described for asymptotically large n, by 5„=(A,„—A,„-i)/(A,„+i—A,„) =5[1+e(n)vina] and a„=—d„/d„+i —a[1+e(n)nina], where ~,„ is the value of the parameter at the nth period-doubling bifurcation, d„ is the typical distance from the extremum at the nth bifurcation point, and e(n)=[Blnb(x)/BlnIx I] „, where terms of order n are neglected. Here ix f-a 5, a, ~, and ~ are all functions of z only; they obey the relations ulna/dz=vlna and d ln5/dz =~ inn, where a and 5 are the Feigenbaum constants. In particular, for f(x)=IxI'Iln(x )I' IlnIln(x )I I», where z&1, then d„=a "n"~(inn)"». and A,„—A,„=5 "n~(inn)' . , where A,„is the critical value of the parameter beyond which is chaos. For z=2, a=2..50291, 5=4.66920, sc= —0.44453, and v=0. 36954. For the sake of completeness, an analysis of maps with asymmetric extrema is also presented. In this case, u and 5 are functions of z as well as the size of the asymmetry.
Robots have been proposed to reduce the costs of the provision of healthcare in rural settings, but as yet little research has tested this. This study investigated the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a robot measuring routine vital signs in a family medicine clinic in a rural setting. The length of patient consultations was compared before (N = 85 patients) and after a robot was deployed in the clinic (N = 48 patients). A Cafero touchscreen robot took the patient's vital signs prior to the consultation and transferred the results to the medical professional's computer. Time-savings were calculated in New Zealand dollar terms and compared to the costs of the robot and its maintenance. Results showed that consultation lengths were cut by 18% on average (3 minutes and 13 seconds). If 20% of the clinics' annual consultations were augmented with the robot this translates to a total annual savings of NZ$19075. The annual cost of the robot was calculated to be NZ$9400 overs 5 years. Present value calculations of Benefit Cost result in a Benefit Cost ratio of 2.3. These results support the cost-effectiveness of the robot in a rural medical clinic. Further research is needed to improve the services provided by the robot and test it in a larger trial.
Automated access control entails automatically detecting incoming vehicles in real-time and allowing access only to authorized vehicles. Access control systems typically adopt one or more sensors such as inductive loops, light array sensors, wireless magnetometers in detecting vehicles at access points. This paper 1 provides a detailed account on a real-time video analytics system named the “ Virtual Inductive Loop ” (VIL), that we developed as an alternative cost-efficient solution for access control. The VIL system poses precision and recall rates over 98%, performs on par with current systems in latency towards detecting event onset and further adds a suite of additional capabilities to access control systems such as vehicle classification, tailgate detection and unusual event detection. The system was tested in live conditions in different site at a Naval Facility in the United States over a two year period. The project was funded by the Office of Naval Research (#N000l4-l7-C-7030).
Reliability studies have established the long life capability of AlGaAs laser diodes (15-25 years) and have identified many failure mechanisms. One failure mechanism in improperly facet-passivated devices is the formation of nonradiative regions behind the facet. To study the dynamics of this process, devices with intentionally uncoated facets were tested. The study indicated that the nonradiative regions behind the facets are probably due to an oxide growth on the facets. The nonradiative regions occurred relatively early in the test and then saturated. The effect on optical power was an initially rapid, but saturable decrease that correlated with nonradiative region growth. The observed saturation time of the nonradiative regions was inversely related to the square of the initial optical power. The authors emphasize the importance of correctly passivating and protecting the facet with coatings to prevent oxidation and the formation of nonradiative regions.<<ETX>>
Latin America generates a low proportion of the references quoted in Medline, the most popular health‐related literature search database in the world. This paper explores references from and about Colombia in Medline during the period 1987–1996. Topics addressed, patterns of authorship and research locations are established. The number of Latin American journals indexed in Medline has been progressively reduced during this 10‐year period, with Colombian journals completely excluded since 1991. During this 10‐year period, the total output of Colombian research institutions in foreign journals consisted of 531 articles, 41% (219) of which come from the four leading universities. These figures are substantially lower than those from other countries of the region such as Venezuela or Chile. Despite some governmental efforts, Colombia continues to have a low scientific output and has yet to attract the interest of foreign researchers. Alternatives for development of Latin American research and publications are offered.
Between 1980 and 1992, the Pioneer 10, Voyager 2, and Pioneer Venus Orbiter (PVO) spacecraft were in locations that made them were well-suited to search for radial trends and longitudinal asymmetries in solar wind parameters. Pioneer 10 and Voyager 2 travelled between the heliocentric distances of 21–54 AU and 6–36 AU respectively. Pioneer 10 was headed downstream with respect to the local interstellar medium (LISM) while Voyager 2 was headed upstream. Meanwhile, PVO was at 0.72 AU. We use data from these three spacecraft and Pioneer 11 to search for and set upper limits on possible asymmetries in solar wind velocity and temperature and on possible deceleration of the solar wind as a result of its interaction with the LISM.
Various pharmacological activities of Clitoria ternatea (CT) have been reported in literatures such as anti‐oxidant and anti‐diabetic properties. The accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in body tissue leads to several degenerations, atherosclerosis and diabetic complications. The objective of this study was to determine the inhibitory effect of CT extract on AGEs formation In Vitro using bovine serum albumin (BSA)‐fructose assay. The aqueous extract of CT was incubated with BSA and fructose at 37 □ for 14 days. The Amadori product (fructosamine) and amyloid cross β structure were determined by nitroblue‐tetrazolium and thioflavin T assay. The results showed that the fluorescent intensity of BSA incubated with fructose increased by 3.6 folds compared to BSA alone, indicating an evidently formation of AGEs. The CT extract (0.25–1.0 mg/ml) significantly inhibited formation of AGEs in a concentration‐dependent manner by approximately 24.11 ± 0.3% −55.97 ± 2.93 %. In addition, CT markedly reduced levels of fructosamine and amyloid cross β‐structure formation. Our results suggest that CT extract may exert anti‐glycation effect that could be offered as a compound for further study as a new natural product for prevention of AGE‐mediated diabetic complications.
In this paper a control design of a non-holonomic mobile robot with a differential drive is presented based on a new behavior-based fuzzy control method. Automatic control of a mobile robot depends on complex signal processing mechanisms. It is based on behavioral architecture which can deal with uncertainties in unknown environments and has the ability to accommodate different behaviors. Basic behaviors are controlled by specific fuzzy logic controllers. The proposed approach qualifies for driving a robot to reach a target while avoiding obstacles in the dynamic environment. Simulation and experiments are performed to verify the correctness and feasibility of the proposed method. The experiment results demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of this predictive fuzzy control on the trajectory tracking of a mobile robot.
The distribution of variability was studied at various geographical scales in the tropical freshwater snail Melanoides tuberculata, in order to analyse the role of factors shaping this distribution, including the mating system and population dynamics. This parthenogenetic polyploid species reproduces mainly asexually, with males occurring at low frequency. About 800 individuals (38 sites) were sampled from Africa and the Middle East, where the species originated, and from recently colonized habitats in South and Central America, and especially the island of Martinique. We first described variation of general aspects and ornamentation of the shells. This analysis confirms the existence of discrete morphs. Second, individuals were studied at three microsatellite loci, showing that each morph is a genetic clone with some minor variation compatible with models of microsatellite evolution. The genetic analysis also showed much more variation within than between clones. However, two populations from Africa exhibited a large amount of variability, and a mixture of sexual and asexual reproduction might explain these genetic patterns. The worldwide distribution of variability is, therefore, compatible with the African origin of the species, and the introduction of a few clones in other parts of the world. These results also suggest that the distribution of variability in Martinique is influenced by flooding events, and that two morphs from Martinique can be interpreted as hybrids between two pre‐existing morphs, based on morphological, genetic and geographical arguments.
The direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) has been paid attention for mobile devices power supply. We proposed the Bellow-type DMFC that was expected stability of the fuel supply and its cost reduction. However, the bellows type DMFC has the problem that the output power of the cell outside area is about four times smaller than that of the cell inside area. In the previous report, the dependence of the air flow rate, the cell output power on the air supply rate when two or more cells were connected has been examined by the simulation. In addition, the air flow path has been analyzed. In this paper, a new half-cell simulation model was developed for bellows-type DMFCs and it was used to investigate the dependence of the power generation characteristics of bellows-type DMFC on the air supply.
SUMMARY Selection index theory was used to model the effects of methane (CH4) production in the breeding objective on genetic responses in Scottish Blackface sheep in hill production systems in the UK. A range of economic values (EVs) were assumed for CH4 production calculated from possible carbon prices (£/t CO2 equivalent (CO2-e)). The implicit price of carbon required for maintenance of CH4 levels or to reduce CH4 production by 0·1 kg/head/yr in a hill flock was calculated. The predicted genetic changes in CH4 production from current selection programmes that have an implicit methane EV of zero were calculated. Correlations between production traits and CH4 production were sampled from assumed normal distributions, as these correlations are currently unknown. Methane emissions are likely to increase at a rate of c. 3 kg CO2-e/ewe/yr as a result of using current industry selection indices in hill sheep farming systems in the UK. Breeding objectives for more productive hill sheep include reducing lamb losses and rearing more, heavier lambs. By placing a cost on carbon emissions to halt the genetic increase in methane, heavy penalties will be incurred by farmers in terms of reduced productivity. This amounts to £6/ewe/yr or a 5% discounted loss of £2851 per 100 ewe flock over a 10-year selection horizon. If the correlations between production traits and CH4 are positive (as expected) then an implicit carbon price of c. £272/t CO2-e is required for no genetic increase in CH4 production if methane is not measured and c. £50/t CO2-e if methane could be measured. Achievement of government targets for the whole economy of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) over a 30-year period would require carbon prices (/t CO2-e) of £1396 (indirect selection) or £296 (direct selection) for the sheep industry to achieve a 20% reduction entirely via a genetic change of c. –0·1 kg methane/head/yr. These carbon prices are placed in the context of possible government policies. A combination of genetic and non-genetic measures will probably be required for cost-effective reduction in methane production to meet government targets.
This article and this issue of the AIChE Journal, is a tribute to Professor Roger Sargent who, as pioneer and intellectual leader of process systems engineering, has had a profound impact on the discipline of chemical engineering. Spanning more than five decades, his work has provided a strong mathematical foundation to process systems engineering through the development of sophisticated mathematical and computational tools for the simulation, design, control, operation and optimization of chemical processes. In this article we first give a brief overview of his career that included several leadership positions and the establishment of the Centre for Process Systems Engineering (CPSE) at Imperial College London. We next review his research contributions in the areas of process modeling, differential algebraic systems, process dynamics and control, nonlinear optimization and optimal control, design under uncertainty, and process scheduling. We highlight the tremendous impact that he has had through his students, students' students, and his entire academic family tree, which at present contains over 2000 names, probably one of the largest among the academic leaders of chemical engineering. Finally, we provide a brief overview of him as a modest and charming individual with a wonderful sense of humor. He is without doubt a true intellectual giant who has helped to expand the scope of chemical engineering by providing a strong systems component to it, and by establishing strong multidisciplinary links with other fields. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2951–2958, 2016
In this work, a method for placing anchor nodes for lateration based wireless 3D indoor locating systems is presented. It combines genetic optimization with radio impulse propagation simulation using a physical ray-tracer. It is shown that the proposed method's results decrease the locating error for a variety of real environments with increasing complexity in comparison to an organic equidistant anchor node setup with a similar amount of nodes.
Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) have become a major issue in improving prescribing practices and reducing the risk of adverse drug events in older people. However, very few studies have compared exposition to PIMs controlling for differences in demographic and health between nursing home residents (NHRs) and community‐dwelling older adults (CDOAs). This study aimed to assess the prescribing pattern of PIMs between NHRs and CDOAs.
Almgren, P.-E., Andersson, A. L. & Kullberg, G. Differences in verbally expressed cognition following left and right ventrolateral thalamotomy. Scand. J. Psychol., 1969, 10, 243–249.—Patients with Parkinson's disease, subjected to ventrolateral thalamotomy, 44 on the left side and 23 on the right, were tested pre- and postoperatively with the Color-Word Test (CWT), a memory test of word pairs (WPT), and Raven's Progressive Matrices Test (PMT). As to performance change from pre- to postoperative testing, there were significant differences between the two groups of operatees on the CWT (p =0.000001, at best) and the WPT(p = 0.01), implying a less effective postoperative performance in the group with left-sided thalamic lesion. Such a lesion seems to impair the continuous suppression of previously relevant information in connection with selection of the appropriate verbal response.
Two‐element plasma ions generated from porous (Ho2O3) and solid (PbMg) targets were studied depending on the target density ρ and on the fraction of light (Mg) component of the target, using a mass‐spectrometer. Oxygen ions with maximal charge is observed for small values of ρ, while the heavy component of the target Ho has maximal charge for larger values of ρ. The influence of ρ to the energy spectra and intensity of plasma ions is also investigated. In the case of solid (PbMg) target the increase of the fraction of Mg leads to the widening of the energy spectra of Pb ions by more than a factor of two, while the intensity of Pb ions of all charge states does not depend on the Mg fraction. These effects are explained by the friction existing between light and heavy ions during their expansion away from the target.
Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC  RATIONALE: Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation have not appreciably improved lung cancer patient survival rates over the past 20 years. Preclinical anti-tumor efficacy testing models could be improved by being rapid, reliable and capable of demonstrating tumor responses to dosing (concentration/timing) and drug interactions, while accounting for inter-patient variation. High-throughput, 3D in vitro systems hold promise as such therapeutic models, but linking these models to clinical responses in patients has been a dilemma.  METHODS: We developed a lung tissue cryopreservation/banking method that optimizes cell viability and maintains tissue architecture after thawing. This method involves the expansion-perfusion of fresh patient lung tissue samples with non-toxic cryoprotectant solutions, followed by controlled-rate freezing of samples.  RESULTS: We used this method to cryopreserve lung tissues from multiple patients. Although inter-patient variability in lung tissue compliance was anticipated, a wide range of expansion volumes can be tolerated without architectural damage. In contrast, tissue integrity was more sensitive to variations in expansion-perfusion rates (as gauged by lymphatic expansion/tearing). Cryosubstitution demonstrated that crystal formation varies with cryoprotectant cocktail and region within the lung, but can be virtually eliminated under certain conditions. From thawed lung tissues, we have 1) isolated and expanded viable lung cell types; 2) isolated decellularized extracellular components; and, 3) reconstituted intact lung tissue with fluorescent-tagged lung tumor cells. We performed patient surgeries/preservations individually, thawing, processing and analysis of lung tissue from multiple patients was performed simultaneously.  CONCLUSION: Cancer cell drug responses are being compared in lung tissues ex vivo versus on standard monolayer culture using advanced proteo-/lipidomic mapping techniques (including MALDI MS and DIGE). Comparing multiple patient-specific lung tissues simultaneously should afford patient population stratification based on molecular profiles and achieve more rapid methods for determining personalized clinical treatment regiments.  Citation Format: Demetri D. Spyropoulos, Chadrick E. Denlinger, Ellen C. Riemer, Danforth A. Newton, E. Ellen Jones, Richard R. Drake, John E. Baatz. Cryopreserved, viable and architecturally intact lung tissue from patients as a model to study drug therapies. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3848. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3848
Application of gibberellin at different staged of growth induced female or sterile spikelets in the tassel. Treatments at early reproductive stages were most effective in producing tassels with many female spikelets. Sterile tassels were produced in latter treatments. The female spikelets induced by gibberellin had an upper female floret and a lower aborted floret. The upper female floret had a pistil and three rudimentary stamens. This structure was the same as a female spikelet of the ear. From these observations and the fact that both the stamens and the pistil differentiate in the florets of the tassel, it is concluded that gibberellin induces female spikelets through the promotion of the pistl development and inhibition of the stamen.
MPEG-4 is an ISO/IEC standard developed by MPEG and promises to be a revolutionary force in the multimedia market. MPEG-4 allows multimedia authors to create interactive multimedia content that can be streamed at variable bit rates over high and low bandwidth connections. The standard has the potential to bring interactive multimedia to a larger audience, for instance providing interactive television or streaming video to a cell phone. Any multimedia technology will only be successful if it is accessible to content authors and users. In order for MPEG-4 to reach its full potential, it will require authoring tools and content players that satisfy the needs of its users. Currently there is a limited number MPEG-4 authoring utilities available to users. MPEG-4 as a standard is still developing and a limited amount of research has been done on these software applications. The greater part of the research effort on MPEG-4 is focused on completing and extending the standard itself.This paper provides a brief overview of the MPEG-4 standard and discusses the requirements and design of a novel 2-D MPEG-4 authoring tool that complies with the Complete 2-D Scene Graph Profile. Thereafter the paper discusses the implementation of this multimedia authoring tool, which will satisfy the requirements for authoring MPEG-4 multimedia content.
Students' acquisition of Discourse specific literacies associated with the field of English Studies depends on the extent to which English departments view the role of language studies discipline in their intellectual pursuit. The article is not arguing for English departments to introduce language teaching in an instrumentalist approach, a pedagogy which is '... all but terminally consigne[s] English to the level of a technical language stripped of expressive and aesthetic characteristics and denuded of any critical or self-conscious dimension' (Said 1994, 369). Instead, by means of empirical, qualitative data, the article argues for 'a pedagogy for an "enriched" English [which] will clearly need to attend to the complex manner in which structure, content and function interrelate in the production of effective, literate English' (Wallace 2003, 93). It shows that the acquisition of 'literate English' by students in English departments will be possible if language studies and literary studies get integrated in pedagogic practice. The article draws from Narrative-style interviews and Systemic Functional Linguistics theory as the research instrument and theoretical framing for data collection and analysis, respectively.
In this paper, we addressed the issue of a stochastic optimal bidding problem for a system with microgrids (MGs). The optimal bidding problem is formulated as a two-stage stochastic programming process, which aims to minimize the system operation cost and to expand energy interactions among local MGs that are geographically close. Uncertainties come from both energy supply and demand sides (e.g., wind, solar, and load demand) are considered in the stochastic model and random parameters to represent those uncertainties are captured by using the Monte Carlo method. To enable an optimal electricity trading between local MGs, we presented two bidding schemes: (i) Cournot equilibrium based Dynamic Backtrack Energy Trading (DBET), and (ii) double auction based Dual Decomposition Auction (DDA). Experimental results on an IEEE-33 bus based system with MGs were presented to show the effectiveness of our proposed schemes. Experimental results show that our proposed bidding schemes can reduce the operation cost of the system, while the DDA scheme achieves better performance in terms of system social welfare than the DBET scheme.
The behavior of the electron impact‐ionization coefficient αn in In0.53Ga0.47As is measured with unprecedented sensitivity down to very low electric fields. The data are derived from measurements of the multiplication coefficient M−1 in suitably designed heterojunction bipolar transistors. Previously available data are extended by two orders of magnitude in the low field domain, down to αn≊1 cm−1. The experimental behavior of αn at fields below 200 kV/cm is in agreement with the theoretical prediction of a weak field dependence of αn at low electric fields.
A two-channel reaction model is proposed for reactions in the liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed (LSCFB). With the two-channel flow model, the kinetics of benzene alkylation with dodecene over zeolite HY catalyst, and the deactivation kinetics of the catalyst, the effects of the various operating parameters on the radial distributions of the reactant concentration and the catalyst activity and on the reaction conversion in the liquid-solid riser reactor are investigated. The effect of temperature is also studied. The two-channel model is shown to provide a practical way to predict the effects of the various operating conditions on the performance of the LSCFB reactor and to be helpful for the design of the LSCFB reactors.
Abstract The main objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of cement kiln flue dust as a substitute for potassium sulfate fertilizer. Chemical and X‐ray diffraction analyses revealed that the flue dust contained about 20.7% K of which 9.1% was present as aphthitalite (K3Na(SO4)2) , 4.4% as sylvite (KCl) and the remaining 7.2% as arcanite (K2SO4) . Accordingly, about 80% of the potassium in the dust was present as sulfates, though it contained 30% total sulfate and 15% Ca. The effects of flue dust were compared to some or all of the following fertilizers: KCl, K2SO4 and a synthetic fertilizer, on 11 soils ranging in texture from sand to clay in three greenhouse experiments. The synthetic fertilizer was made from K2SO4 and CaSO4.2H2O which were applied at the same rate of K and Ca as contained in the flue dust. The experimental results show that flue dust is as effective a K source as any of the fertilizers tested as it increased potato, barley and alfalfa yields and tissue and soil K concentra...
In the new dimension of public diplomacy, the core of international communication texts is a cross-cultural dialogue between domestic communicators and overseas receivers. With Bakhtin’s theory as a guideline and dialogism in texts as a breakthrough, this thesis analyzes the monologues and monophony in Chinese international communication texts, explores the linguistic approaches producing dialogism and presents a strategy on building the dialogism in international communication texts.
The use of physical restraints in the nursing care of older persons is a controversial intervention. Consumer groups and regulatory bodies have issued statements and guidelines that call into question the use of restraints in all but the most extreme situations. This article reviews the changing perspectives on restraint use, including the growing body of research that documents the untoward effects of physical restraints. Alternatives to restraint use are discussed in relation to three broad areas: changing entrenched attitudes and beliefs, conducting thorough and frequent patient assessments, and planning interventions that anticipate events and behaviors and avoid problems that may lead to restraint use.
This article examines the rationale for the application of a new research tool, scientific visualization, to the study of organizations. Based upon a general theory of visualization, the ability to simultaneously display both variables and organizational entities should allow for easier and more widespread analysis of organizational research issues. Applications and future directions for both research and praxis are discussed.
Neuroblastoma is the most frequent extra-cranial solid tumor in children with still high mortality in stage M. Here we studied the tubulin-inhibitor MG-2477 as a possible therapeutic agent for neuroblastoma therapy and uncovered that MG-2477 induces death in neuroblastoma cells independent of PKB-activation status and stage. MG-2477 triggers within 30 minutes extensive autophagosome-formation that finally leads to cell death associated with mitotic catastrophe. Autophagy is critical for MG-2477-induced death and is regulated by the BH3-only protein PMAIP1/NOXA which sequesters the anti-apoptotic BCL2-protein BCLXL and thereby displaces and activates the autophagy-regulator BECN1/beclin1. Knockdown of NOXA or overexpression of its pro-survival binding partners MCL1 and BCLXL counteracts MG-2477-induced cell death. MG-2477 also rapidly induces the repression of the anti-apoptotic protein Survivin, which promotes autophagy and cell death. We further observed the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that triggers autophagy induction suggesting a change of the PI3 kinase-III/BECN1 complex and activates the transcription factor FOXO3, which contributes to final cell death induction. The combined data suggest that MG-2477 induces a sequential process of ROS-accumulation, autophagy and FOXO3-activation that leads to cell death in neuroblastoma cells.
Midway between the equator and the South Pole, so far out in the Pacific that the international dateline was kinked to give them the same calendar as New Zealand, the islands are the first land to greet each new dawn. Thanks to KING (1989), the story of the Moriori, of the Chatham Islands, has been told to all those who were confused about the nature and origin of these much misunderstood and much maligned people-Polynesians whose canoes were wrecked there probably some time in the 12th century. KING has told them the truth about the slaughtering of the Moriori by the Maori which started in 1835. Those who were not killed and eaten, had to suffer other pains: Men were separated from women, parents from children; marriage or sexual contact with their own people was forbidden, as was the use of their language. Being approximately 2,000 in 1800, by 1870 the Moriori population had been reduced to 100. The last of the full-blooded Moriori died on March 24, 1933. The Moriori had their distinct language (DEIGHTON, 1898; WILLIAMS, 1919). Characteristic features of the phonology were vowel assimilation (e.g., wihine < Proto-Polynesian [PPN] *fafine 'woman') and affrication (e.g., tchimitchi < PPN *tamaiti 'child'). Also the Moriori lexicon had its peculiarities; cf., e.g., komanga 'adze', rongomoana 'whale',... hiwa 'paddle'. The regular Moriori reflex of PPN *fohe (< Proto-Oceanic *ponse < Proto-Austronesian *besay) would be hoe (as in Maori). Even taking into consideration such peculiar changes as assimilation, dissimilation, metathesis, or unorganic consonant (allattested in Moriori), it seems difficult to explain how fohe could have become hiwa:fohe > hoe > hoa > howa > hiwal (Cf. in Mangarevan ο he < * hoel< *fohe.) Another possibility would be to posit a semantic change. One might think of hiwa (<ProtoEastern Polynesian [PEP] * siwa) 'black' (not reflected in Moriori where the word for 'black' is pango < PEP *pango). But there does not seem to be any point of resemblance-if not incorporating HiwalHiva ('dark islands' [i.e., of volcanic origin]?) that is found in a number of Polynesian traditions dealing with special places of origin: „The paddle that brought us here from Hiwa . . ." ([hoe] Hiwa  cf., mutatis mutandis, Hamburger [steak]).
Increment of industrial development and energy demands for transportation and electricity have increased diesel-fuel uses to fulfil global energy needs. Carbon emission as impact of high fossil diesel use which pollutes the air gradually increases green house gases (GHG) and increases the intensity of acid rains. Furthermore, scarcity of fossil-fuels resources has caused high price of diesel-fuel which in turn to have increased the prices of all commodities. Nostoc muscorum is filamentous Cyanobacteria species which lives both terrestrial and freshwater aquatic environment. This strain has good ability in producing high biomass and potential in producing lipid. In where, Nostoc muscorum has potential as biodiesel feedstock alternative of food-plants sources. This study was conducting to evaluate the potential of Nostoc muscorum cultured in BG-II medium as biodiesel feedstock source. Evaluation of the nutrient requirement of Nostoc muscorum cultured in BG-II medium was done through assimilation of nitrate (NaNO 3 )-phosphate (K 2 HPO 4 ). Biomass production as growth parameter was measured by weighing the dried biomass for 14 days of culture. Daily lipid production was evaluated by lipid extraction using Soxhlet method. The result showed that Nostoc muscorum cultured in BG-II medium required 644.6795 mg/L of NO 3 - and 25.1566 mg/L of HPO 4 - with the highest biomass production 0.21 grams/300 mL. Furthermore, Nostoc muscorum as multicellular Cyanobacteria could grow well in BG-II medium at SGR 0.0964 μ/day. Lipid production of Nostoc muscorum during cultivation in BG-II for 14 days decreased day by day. The highest lipid production was reached up in day 4 th of culture that was 9.53 mg/g. Based on this study, Nostoc muscorum has good potential as biodiesel feedstock through producing high biomass in BG-II medium. Keywords : Nostoc muscorum , Synechococcus elongatus , Tofu wastewater, Lipid content, Cell disruption, Biodiesel.
A method of describing terrain by a fixed grid polynomial is described. The method employs a Chebyshev polynomial with a least squares criterion of fit. The least squares fit is carried out on an iterative basis to a prescribed degree of fit, either of a root mean square residual, or of a standard deviation of the fitted surface, or of a percentage of the total sum of squares of the residuals. The fitting data overlap along the common boundaries of the grids. Interpolation at any new point is carried out patchwise. An application of the method in highway engineering is described.
IN A STABLE SOCIETY one would expect political socialization to be an education in traditionalism. In a society where the political temperature is low one would expect to find the young being effectively de-politicized, learning to accept and endorse the status quo, to assimilate the orientations to politics of their elders, and in particular to share with them certain consequential perceptions of what are and are not the salient issues of politics. So it is in Britain. The majority leave school at 15 ignorant of the workings of the political system and content to be so. The minority who stay on are carefully inducted into received constitutional orthodoxies and a view of their social environment that wholly inhibits critical thinking-a naive pragmatism that assumes that British institutions 'work' and because they work are as satisfactory as they could reasonably be. Of the 61 million people between 15 and 24 in England and Wales 85 per cent are in full-time jobs at the age of 17, 56 per cent at 15; 26 per cent are married; 90 per cent find politics a bore. They have no generalized empathy for public affairs. They are aware of certain issues but not powerfully involved in them. 'Politics? Well I've read all the posters that come to the house and you get these voting games and that's about all.' Sixty per cent believe it will make little or no difference to their lives which party is in power. (Rose, 1964; P. Abrams, 1963; Almond and Verba, 1963; M. Abrams, 1962; Odhams, 1961.) What is striking about British youth in the past decade is the growth of a 'youth culture' that has imposed a socially marginal and distinctively non-adult identity on the young in return for new economic and recreational opportunities. Hitherto this sort of artificial insulation of the young from adult roles was confined to schools and universities. If attitudes of acceptance and indifference now distinguish the politics of British youth these are perhaps the price of the more general extension
Vascular resections involving the superior mesenteric and portal veins (SMV-PV), celiac axis (CA), superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and hepatic artery (HA) have multiplied in recent years, raising the resection rate for pancreatic cancer (PDAC) and the related morbidity and mortality rates. While resection is generally accepted for resectable SMV-PV, the usefulness of associated arterial resection in borderline resectable (BRPC) and locally-advanced PDAC (LAPC) is much debated. Careful selection of splenic vein reconstruction is very important to prevent left-sided portal hypertension (LSPH). During distal pancreatectomy (DP), CA and common HA resection is largely accepted, while there is debate on the value of SMA and proper HA resection and reconstruction. Their resection is useless according to several reviews and meta-analyses, and some international societies, although some high-volume centers have reported good results. Short- and long-term reconstructed vessel patency varies with the type of reconstruction, the material used, and the surgeon’s experience. Laparoscopic and robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy and DP are generally accepted if done by surgeons performing at least 10 such procedures annually. The usefulness of associated vascular resection remains highly controversial. Surgeons need to complete numerous minimally-invasive procedures to overcome the learning curve, and prevent an increase in complications and surgical mortality. Higher resectability rates and satisfactory long-term results have been reported after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for BRPC and LAPC requiring vascular resection. It is essential to select the most appropriate NAT for a given patient and to assess PDAC resectability preoperatively.
Fast frequency modulation of an FIR laser by means of an external variable reactance is presented. In particular, the use of the varactor effect in a micrometer-size Schottky-barrier diode and of the electron density modulation in a cold plasma is considered. Experiments carried out on an optically pumped HCOOH line at 403.7 GHz are described and the results are compared with the theory developed. Peak-to-peak frequency deviation ¿fpp of about 15 kHz and Q-limited bandwidth have been obtained with the varactor effect, whereas the plasma modulator yielded ¿fpp of 6 kHz and a 20-kHz bandwidth.
In the development of bifacial dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the exploration of cost-beneficial transparent counter electrodes is a permanent target. Herein, we put forward a simple one-step strategy to load PW11Co polyoxometalates on graphene-like Co0.85Se (abbreviated as PW11Co-n/Co0.85Se, where n represents the concentration of PW11Co) by in situ synthesis on conductive glass substrates. Powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy techniques prove that PW11Co nanoparticles have been dispersedly deposited on Co0.85Se. The obtained PW11Co/Co0.85Se composite counter electrode (CE) material maintains excellent transparency and efficient electrocatalytic triiodide reduction performance. As a consequence, the optimized front and back efficiencies of DSSCs based on the transparent PW11Co-0.5/Co0.85Se CE could reach 7.56% and 5.82%, respectively, which are higher than those of the Pt CE (5.89% and 4.47%) and pure Co0.85Se CE (6.45% and 5.33%). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that polyoxometalates have been used in bifacial DSSCs. Mechanism research shows that polyoxometalates as electron aggregates can improve the charge transfer ability of selenide to the I−/I3− redox pair as well as accelerate the reduction of I3−. The present work not only offers a valuable way to design composites for electrocatalytic triiodide reduction, but also expands the application fields of polyoxometalates toward bifacial photoelectronic devices.
Incidence of EBL (blood lead > or =10 microg/dL) for children aged < or = 1.3 years in Washington, DC increased more than 4 times comparing 2001-2003 when lead in water was high versus 2000 when lead in water was low. The incidence of EBL was highly correlated (R2 = 0.81) to 90th percentile lead in water lead levels (WLLs) from 2000 to 2007 for children aged < or = 1.3 years. The risk of exposure to high water lead levels varied markedly in different neighborhoods of the city. For children aged < or =30 months there were not strong correlations between WLLs and EBL, when analyzed for the city as a whole. However, the incidence of EBL increased 2.4 times in high-risk neighborhoods, increased 1.12 times in moderate-risk neighborhoods, and decreased in low-risk neighborhoods comparing 2003 to 2000. The incidence of EBL for children aged < or =30 months also deviated from national trends in a manner that was highly correlated with 90th percentile lead in water levels from 2000 to 2007 (R2 = 0.83) in the high-risk neighborhoods. These effects are consistent with predictions based on biokinetic models and prior research.
In NASA’s recent Mars DRA 5.0 study, mission, payload and transportation system options and requirements for a human Mars mission in the 2031-2033 timeframe were examined. The nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) was selected as the preferred in-space propulsion option because of its high thrust, high specific impulse (Isp), and high TRL demonstrated in extensive ground tests during the Rover/NERVA programs. With a factor of 2 increase in Isp over LOX/LH2 chemical rockets, the NTR-based Mars transportation system requires less initial mass in low Earth orbit (IMLEO) and has increased tolerance to payload mass growth and architecture changes, features important for reducing the heavy lift launch count, overall mission cost and risk. DRA 5.0 featured a long surface stay “split mission” using separate cargo and crewed Mars transfer vehicles (MTVs). All vehicles utilized a common “core” propulsion module with three 25 klbf “composite fuel” NERVA-derived engines (Tex ~2700 K, pch ~1000 psia, e ~300:1, Isp ~900 s, engine thrust-to-weight ratio ~3.43) to perform all primary mission maneuvers. The total engine burn time and restart requirement for the crewed MTV out to Mars and back was ~75 minutes with 3 restarts. Engine size, fuel options, and performance requirements identified in DRA 5.0 are discussed in this paper and compared to technology capabilities demonstrated in Rover/NERVA, its supporting programs and today’s cryogenic chemical engines. To ensure a flight qualified NTR is available when needed, a technology recovery and demonstration effort with appropriate and sustained funding must begin immediately. Technology development needs, options being considered for affordable ground testing and key NTR development schedule activities are presented and discussed.
Liquid iron at 1600°C, containing 0.088 wt% S and 0.070 wt% O, was desulphurized by a lime–saturated calcium ferrite slag at a rate significantly greater than that calculated on the assumption that diffusion of sulphur in the liquid iron was rate controlling. It is postulated that the transfer of sulphur across the slag–metal interface caused local variations in the interfacial energy, which induced Marangoni stirring in both the metal and slag phases.
Sustainability in business and ESG in finance has entered the mainstream and has generated thousands of research articles that analyze its correlation with financial performance. We surveyed 1,141 primary peer-reviewed papers and 27 meta-reviews (based on ~1,400 underlying studies) published between 2015 and 2020. We reviewed three types of studies: corporate, investor, and thematic (e.g., climate change). An ordinal choice regression model showed that the type of study explains the inconsistent conclusions in prior reviews regarding whether it “pays to be good.” Our data demonstrates that higher ESG is associated with better financial performance in corporate-focused studies (58% ± 7 of studies were positive). Investor-focused studies find that ESG investing is comparable or preferable to conventional investing in 86% ± 6 of studies (with one in three studies indicating superior performance). Thematic studies were rarely represented in top finance journals, but capture aspects missed by other sustainability research. We found evidence that positive results dominate for recent climate change studies (N=59): 87% and 94% of investor- and corporate-focused studies, respectively, showed neutral/mixed to positive interpretations regarding financial performance. We also employed a Bayesian random effects model to summarize 15 recent, quantitative meta-analyses (covering studies between 1976 and 2018), which estimated a partial correlation coefficient between ESG and financial performance of 0.05 to 0.13. We conclude with six propositions. Some are practical: ESG integration as a strategy appears to perform better than screening or divestment. Others are timely: ESG investing can provide benefits during a social or economic crisis.
Early technology valuation has been a critical element in the process of technology commercialization. Current methods have been overly theoretical in methodology, and an aggregated view is yet to be witnessed. In this research, a series of field interviews and existing literature provided guidance for us to develop a technology valuation framework that comprehensively integrated quantitative and qualitative techniques for the valuation of early stage technologies. A heuristic method is also developed to implement necessary computational methods. Due to the page limit for conference submission, the computational method is not included here and it is available upon request.
AIMS To investigate the relation between psychological functioning of subjects with Down syndrome, and their levels of urine peptide and serum antibodies to food proteins.   METHODS 55 children with Down syndrome in a cross-sectional study. Psychological functioning was measured by the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition, McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and Fagan's computer based test of novelty preference.   RESULTS The participants, and their siblings, were found to have significantly increased total urine peptide levels. There were no significant correlations between peptide levels and psychological functioning. Significantly increased levels of IgG activity to gliadin and gluten, and IgA activity to gliadin, gluten and casein were found. There were significant negative correlations (Spearman r = -0.13 to -0.51) between psychological functioning, and IgG and IgA activity to gliadin and gluten.   CONCLUSIONS A significant relation between antibodies to gluten and psychological functioning was documented. The mechanism and potential causal link are still unknown.
Sir, With reference to the interesting case report by Rani et al.,[1] vitamin D dependent rickets type 1 (VDDR‐I) has been increasingly reported in the Indian subcontinent.[2] Apart from the suggestive clinical picture of rickets, hypotonia, muscle weakness, growth failure, and hypocalcemic seizures in early infancy, certain characteristic laboratory features of increased serum concentrations of parathyroid hormone, and low or undetectable serum concentrations of 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) 2D) despite normal or increased concentrations of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25‐OHD) in addition to genetic mutational studies, must be sought to confirm the diagnosis of VDDR‐I.[3‐4] I realize that such confirmation was not feasible in the studied patient by Rani et al.[1] in the view of financial constraints and lack of availability. It is wellknown that nutritional rickets is a major public health problem in many parts of the world, particularly developing countries. Even in the Indian context, it has been reported to be present in the majority of children in spite of the wide availability of sunlight.[5] I presume that Rani et al.,[1] through their case report, sent a sound message to pediatricians in developing countries with limited financial resources to consider therapeutic trial of 1 α calciferol in children with rickets who fail to respond Letters to the Editor
Background: Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy may be unnecessary from an oncologic perspective; therefore, the debate persists about the value of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy in women with early-stage unilateral breast cancer. Given finite health care resources, this study aims to evaluate the cost of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy and breast reconstruction. Methods: Women with unilateral breast cancer undergoing either unilateral mastectomy or unilateral mastectomy with contralateral prophylactic mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction were selected from the Truven MarketScan databases between 2009 and 2013. Demographic and treatment data were recorded, and over an 18-month follow-up period, the treatment cost was tallied. A log-transformed linear model was used to compare cost between the groups. Results: A total of 2343 women were identified who met our inclusion criteria, with 1295 undergoing unilateral mastectomy and 1048 undergoing contralateral prophylactic mastectomy. Complication rates within 18 months were similar for women undergoing unilateral mastectomy and contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (39 percent versus 42 percent; p = 0.17). Management with unilateral mastectomy with reconstruction required an adjusted cumulative mean cost of $33,557. Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy with reconstruction was an additional $11,872 in expenditure (p < 0.001). The cost of initial procedures (mean difference, $6467) and secondary procedures (mean difference, $2455) were the greatest contributors to cost. Conclusions: In women with unilateral breast cancer, contralateral prophylactic mastectomy with reconstruction is more costly. The increased monetary cost of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy may be offset by improved quality of life. However, this financial reality is an important consideration when ongoing efforts toward reimbursement reform may not pay for contralateral prophylactic mastectomy if outcomes data are not presented to justify this procedure.
Most software CQAs (e.g. Stack Overflow) mainly rely on users to assign tags for posted questions. This leads to many redundant, inconsistent and inaccurate tags that are detrimental to the communities. Therefore tag quality becomes a critical challenge to deal with. In this work, we propose STR, a deep learning based approach that automatically recommends tags through learning the semantics of both tags and questions in such software CQAs. First, word embedding is employed to convert text information to high-dimension vectors for better representing questions and tags. Second, a Multi-tasking-like Convolutional Neural Network, the core modules of STR, is designed to capture short and long semantics. Third, the learned semantic vectors are fed into a gradient descent based algorithm for classification. Finally, we evaluate STR on three datasets collected from popular software CQAs, and experimental results show that STR outperforms state-of-the-art approaches in terms of Precision@k, Recall@k and F1-Measure@k.
The study was carried out on 40 male Wistar rats after daily intraperitoneal injection of donator of nitric oxide (NO) molecules sodium nitroprusside in a dose of 1.5 mg/kg in 1 day 1 (n = 6); 2 days (n = 6); 6 days (n = 6); 12 days (n = 6); 30 days (n = 6). It is established that an excessive NO intake leads to morphological changes in the pancreas: vasodilation with stasis of blood cells after 1 and 2 days, focal necrosis, destruction of acinar tissue, ductal dilatation with worsening outflow of pancreatic secretion after 6 days; fatty degeneration, segmental apoptosis in 12 days; compensated microcirculatory changes in the body, the formation of fibrous tissue in periductal and perivasal areas with penetration in the interlobular space in 30 days. In the blood serum we detected impaired exocrine pancreatic function: increased activity of pancreatic enzymes — α-amylase and trypsin up to 6 days, and in 30 days — they significantly reduced; increasing the levels of biochemical markers of fibrosis (protein-bound hydroxyproline and hexosamine); failure of endocrine function — increase of glucose level, that is, changes typical for chronic experimental pancreatitis.
Laboratory Procedures: 1: Establishing and Maintaining an IVF Laboratory 2: Gamete Collection, Preparation and Selection 3: Micromanipulation 4: Culture, Selection and Transfer of the Human Embryo 5: Cryopreservation 6: Diagnosis of Genetic Disease in Preimplantation Embryos 7: Implantation Clinical Techniques: 9: Quality Management Systems 10: Patient Investigation and the Use of Drugs 11: Stimulation Protocols 12: Technical Procedures and Outcomes 13: Special Medical Conditions 14: Complications of Treatment 15: Egg Donation and Surrogate Motherhood 16: Future Directions and Clinical Applications 17: The Support Team 18: Ethics and Legislation.
Generalized Lorenz-Mie theory (GLMT) for a multilayered sphere is used to simulate holograms produced by evaporating spherical droplets with refractive index gradient in the surrounding air/vapor mixture. Simulated holograms provide a physical interpretation of experimental holograms produced by evaporating Diethyl Ether droplets with diameter in the order of 50 μm and recorded in a digital in-line holography configuration with a divergent beam. Refractive index gradients in the surrounding medium lead to a modification of the center part of the droplet holograms, where the first fringe is unusually bright. GLMT simulations reproduce this modification well, assuming an exponential decay of the refractive index from the droplet surface to infinity. The diverging beam effect is also considered. In both evaporating and nonevaporating cases, an equivalence is found between Gaussian beam and plane wave illuminations, simply based on a magnification ratio to be applied to the droplets' parameters.
A very large percentage of all aircraft-related transactions in Turkey are regulated by the Financial Leasing Law and relevant ancillary legislation. However, neither the legislation nor the institutions involved are fully equipped to accommodate market players at the level of internationally acknowledged standards. This article seeks to pinpoint some of the issues hindering efficient and uniform practice in the market such as the inadequacy of the regulatory framework, incompatibility of the institutions and procedural loopholes that have mostly been neglected until recently. Also covered are the practical resolutions addressing these issues.
The chemical mechanisms involved in the decomposition of boron trichloride and the concomitant incorporation of elemental boron into Si(111) were elucidated. The reaction between BCl3 and Si(111) is quit complex due to the presence of Si, B, and Cl in a number of chemically distinct environments simultaneously. Annealing the sample to 570 °C effectively desorbs all molecularly adsorbed BCl3. Additional anneals to 710 and 870 °C largely reduce the BCl2 and BCl3 moeities to form the subsurface‐boron reconstructed surface.
There is an important addition to the range of standardized tests available for evaluation of attentional capacity. The Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch; Manly, Robertson, Anderson, & Nimmo-Smith, 1999) is both a childand examiner-friendly test instrument that deserves the undivided attention of child neuropsychologists and others who assess children with possible attentional disorder. The identi®cation of the neurocognitive concomitants of the behavioral disorder of Attention De®cit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly relevant investigative area in child neuropsychology. Many children referred for evaluation are either suspected or diagnosed as having ADHD as a primary disorder, or there is concern about secondary attentional de®cit. Implicit in these referrals, is a request for detail about neurocognitive strengths and weaknesses and any contributory comorbid disorder. As a result, psychology has seen an explosion of behavior-rating scales, self-report inventories, checklists, parent and teacher questionnaires, and computerized continuous performance tests, along with research studies employing sophisticated statistical methods to divine which of the many standardized psychological and neuropsychological instruments are most useful in such an evaluation. This broadening of objective methods to supplement subjective observations is occurring as the behavioral features associated with ADHD are receiving intensive lay as well as professional attention. Unfortunately, no de®nitive speci®c evaluation protocol has been proven most effective or endorsed for ADHD diagnosis. The validity of currently used objective instruments has been questioned, particularly if used singly. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Statement did not ultimately endorse one speci®c objective technique as con®rmatory of an ADHD diagnosis, ®nding an independent diagnostic test does not exist (`̀ Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention De®cit Hyperactivity Disorder,'' 1998). While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ± Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) is relied on for diagnosis guidelines, it, speci®es no objective means as diagnostic. More recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics published `̀ Clinical Practice Guideline: Diagnosis and evaluation of the child with attentionde®cit/hyperactivity disorder'' (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000), a set of guidelines for the diagnosis, evaluation and management of 6±12-year-old children with ADHD intended for primary care clinicians. This statement requires that the diagnosis meets DSM-IV criteria, and that assessment includes evidence obtained directly from parents or caregivers about the core ADHD symptoms in various settings, along with onset age, symptom duration, and degree of functional impairment. A related publication of `̀ Clinical Practice Guideline: Treatment of the schoolaged child with attention-de®cit/hyperactivity disorder'' (American Academy of Pediatrics,
US Statement of Purpose Youth exposure to community violence is associated with adverse outcomes, yet not all exposed youth respond adversely. Dimensions of exposure may relate to response; evidence suggests that having a relationship with the victim and perpetrator of community violence is connected to worse outcomes, yet is limited by cross-sectional designs and sparse attention to the perpetrator of violence. This study examined the relationship proximity to the victim and perpetrator of violence and adolescent outcomes in a high-risk sample. Sex differences in these relations are also explored. Methods We used the LONGSCAN dataset, a 5-site, pooled sample of children. Our sample was limited to youth ages 12 and 14 who reported some lifetime violence exposure (n=720). This sample was approximately half male, predominantly low-income, and of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Six items assessed witnessed violence, including details about the victim and perpetrator. The Child Behaviour Checklist assessed internalising and externalising symptoms. Regression analyses determined whether relationship proximity to the perpetrator and victim of community violence differentiated youth outcomes and whether sex moderated these associations. Results Witnessed violence perpetrated by a stranger was associated with lower social competency, but only among females. Witnessed parental victimisation predicted higher externalising and internalising problems among both males and females. Conclusions That witnessed community violence against a parent negatively impacted both males and females underscores the traumatic nature of seeing a parent harmed. In contrast, the female-specific relation between witnessed violence perpetrated by a stranger and social competency may reflect that males are desensitised to witnessing violence by strangers given their higher rates of involvement in violence. Contributions to Prevention Science Together, our results suggest that understanding relationships with victims and perpetrators of community violence is an important to understanding response. Future research should further elucidate sex differences in youths’ responses to witnessed violence.
Abstract.   Scientists readily suggest that research and development is not complete until findings and conclusions are reported in the peer-reviewed literature. The authors suggest that industry-specific relevant research and development is actually not complete until the key outputs are extended to primary stakeholder groups. In the case of ‘Making Better Fertiliser Decisions for Cropping Systems in Australia’ (BFDC), this meant training key members of the grains and fertiliser industries, where nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur recommendations are derived from soil tests and provided to farmers. The BFDC project applied a two-part cascading approach to extension and training to reach the grains and fertiliser industries. The train-the-trainer program (Level 1) was undertaken and targeted at influential and experience persons such as technical leaders and those who influenced crop-nutrition decision support systems (DSS) within interested organisations. Level 2 activities targeted individuals within organisations who had direct discussion with farmers about soil testing, and their training was facilitated by a Level 1 trained colleague. Development of extension plans, training course structure, and training resources was conducted in parallel with the development of the BFDC National Database and BFDC Interrogator from the commencement of the project. In so doing, it was agreed that controlled access to the information should be established to maintain a consistent standard of use and to provide a platform for gathering feedback to guide future developments (e.g. of the BFDC Interrogator or prioritising future experimental investment). The BFDC extension approach targeted 100 individuals from the Level 1 audience and 30 individuals from the Level 2 audience through seven train-the-trainer level workshops conducted across Australia. As a result of reaching this audience, it was expected that the cumulative effect of the cascading extension strategy and input of BFDC Interrogator critical nutrient concentrations in commercial soil analysis interpretation software would indirectly and directly influence the crop nutrient management decisions of up to 5000 Australian grain farmers in the year after the commencement of training activities. Exit survey results, conducted as part of the BFDC train-the-trainer workshops, were aggregated across all Level 1 workshops. These survey results showed that the most significant benefit of the training was the usefulness of the BFDC Interrogator training manual and the additional teaching aids supplied. The importance and significance to the industry of the collation of data through BFDC was also highlighted as a benefit. Reflecting industry knowledge gaps (e.g. crop × nutrient × geographic region interactions), the lowest ranking survey results focused on the ability of the BFDC National Database to provide usable critical soil test criteria for several situations. Yet despite this reported shortcoming, participants recognised the significance of the structure, tools, skills, and knowledge gained through the training workshop and the importance of the established critical levels. While face-to-face training enables robust discussion, the ‘time-poor’ nature of roles for agricultural professionals appeared to limit the uptake of training opportunities. Therefore, training materials are being developed into an online course focused particularly on university requirements and the development of agricultural professionals.
Dear Editor: I read with interest the recent publication by McCarthy et al, ‘‘Anatomic Posterolateral Knee Reconstructions Require a Popliteofibular Ligament Reconstruction Through a Tibial Tunnel.’’ This work is a continuation of intense study over the past decade in this area by Dr LaPrade, the senior author. There is no question of the enormous impact of his study in this area and its contribution to the understanding of the anatomy, biomechanics, and surgical solutions to the clinical problem of posterolateral knee instability. Many of the concepts and techniques I have learned from his work have been applied in my clinical practice with improved surgical outcomes. However, I must take strong issue with the use of the phrase ‘‘require reconstruction of the popliteofibular ligament through a tibial tunnel’’ in the title and the conclusions of this study as to how a tibial tunnel is required in the reconstruction. If one reads the methods and results carefully, the conclusion that a tibial tunnel is ‘‘required’’ is clearly overstated. First, it should be noted that in the study by McCarthy et al, they did not make any attempt to position a graft along the same course of the popliteofibular ligament (PFL) for 1 of the study groups. The group 2 technique featured 2 separate grafts limbs: 1 to reconstruct the lateral collateral ligament (LCL) through the fibular head with the graft brought out the posterior aspect of the fibula and then brought anteriorly and sutured on itself, and 1 separately for the popliteus tendon through a tibial tunnel. There is no graft tissue positioned or oriented as a PFL reconstruction. In fact, I would argue that the study compared a technique that featured 1 technique that attempted to recreate the PFL with 1 that did not. Yet in the methods section, it is stated that the group 2 technique was a modified technique reconstructing the PFL ‘‘where the PFL portion of the anatomic posterolateral knee reconstruction was not passed through the tibial tunnel (group 2) (Figure 3).’’ Again, one could argue that there was no PFL reproduction in group 2. One could also argue that the reproduction of the popliteus tendon portion of the reconstruction through a tibial tunnel is not anatomic and that using a graft for the PFL also through a tibial bone tunnel is not anatomic. The popliteus muscle and tendon is obviously a myotendinous structure that is attached at the knee in 1 location, the lateral femoral condyle, and not at the posterolateral tibia. Further the PFL comes off the popliteus tendon as it inserts into the fibular styloid posteriorly and there is no attachment to the posterolateral tibia. This may explain the concern some authors have about overconstraint of the knee with the LaPrade method. Second, closer scrutiny of their data is important, summarized in Table 1. Specifically, there was no difference between the 2 study groups for control of external rotation. In fact, group 2 (no PFL arm) curiously had less displacement with external rotation of 0 , 20 , 30 ,and 60 but apparently did not reach statistical significance. With regard to varus rotation, there was statistically more displacement between group 2 and the intact state; however, varus stress in the intact group 2 knees was less than group 1 knees at the start point, suggesting cadaveric variability, reproducibility, and other problems with cadaveric laboratory testing. The absolute amount of varus displacment comparing group 1 and 2 reconstructions was the same. As surgeons, we are constantly exploring techniques that will solve clinical problems in a thorough but easier manner that reduces cost, surgical time, and surgical complexity, and avoids complications without sacrificing the goals and results of the surgery. To this end, we have a described a modification of the fibular-based techniques for posterolateral corner reconstruction that is a combination of the Larsen and LaPrade methods. In this technique, dual femoral tunnels are created to match the femoral insertions of the LCL and popliteus tendons. An important critical feature is the creation of the fibular tunnel in an oblique manner from anterolateral to posteromedial after exposing the distal attachment of the LCL on the fibula. This orients a free graft closely to the normal anatomic pathway of the LCL, over the posterior aspect of the fibular styloid, replicating the pathway of the PFL ligament and then, as it traverses thru the popliteal hiatus, is oriented along the existing remnant of the popliteus tendon to its femoral tunnel. We recently reported in the same journal extremely good outcomes with excellent control of varus rotation and external rotation in a clinical series that featured stress radiography with independent reviewers. Further, the ability to control external rotation and varus rotation has been supported by the biomechanical work of Nau et al in 2005 and a very recent computerized navigational study by Feeley et al. Clinically, I would totally support that the PFL needs to be re-created, but even the authors’ own data are not overwhelming, comparing a technique that attempts to recreate the PFL with 1 that does not. My point is that the very strong conclusion that a tibial tunnel is required to do this is not supported by the method in which they performed the study (no study group with graft oriented along the course of the native PFL and without a tibial tunnel). More importantly, their own results reported do not permit such a strong conclusion.
This article outlines findings from a study in South Africa and Kenya that explored social entrepreneurs’ use of fabrication laboratories (fab labs), and in particular fab lab 3D printing services, in order to advance their social innovations and enterprises. Based on interviews with representatives of fab lab initiatives and social enterprises, the study found strong linkages between social entrepreneurship and fab labs, and between social entrepreneurs and the use of 3D printing technology. However, it was also found that social entrepreneurs tend not to rely primarily on fab labs for access to 3D printers, preferring to buy and build their own printer units—a practice made cost-effective through the selection of low-cost, open source models. In respect of the computer-aided design (CAD) software used to design the files for 3D printing, it was found that social entrepreneurs prefer the stability and user-friendliness of proprietary CAD software, despite the cost implications. At the same time, it was found that social entrepreneurs frequently use free and open source CAD files available online, and that they seek, in turn, to share their designs on a free and open source basis.
IT is apparent that the X-ray, in its present state of development, cannot reach much farther in the direction of curative value for malignancy. Whatever improvement in results have accrued during the past ten years, cannot be attributed to any improvement in either X-ray apparatus or equipment, but, rather, to improved technic, combined with a better physical and biological knowledge pertaining to the factors involved. We wish to make it apparent that only regional massive malignancy, with or without metastasis, is under consideration in this discussion. A number of leading surgeons feel that the X-rays have added nothing of value, either in a curative or inhibitory sense, to the surgical treatment of certain cancerous conditions, such as of the breast and uterus. Others again have no hesitancy in affirming their belief in the value of the X-ray as an adjuvant to surgery. We have to recall, of course, the stubborn fact that surgery has been the strongest arm of medical science since its inception, and ha...
Engineering Change Management (ECM) is an essential constituent of any product development project, these project are highly dynamic process of knowledge generation and reuse for products, projects, processes and resources within a enterprise. Currently, ECM is fully document-, and at least partially paper-based, and needs to be transformed to a fully model-based standard workflow. Changes, uncertainty and hidden processes should be seen as regular events. For the agile process, a rapid and flexible handling of task items is necessary. Due to the unpredictable character and short time of singular task items, we have developed a new approach to collect all changes to a superordinate, master change note as a standard, common object in the product structure, and to and update this master change note as often as necessary. This change note is assigned to a product during its entire lifecycle. It collects changes in the product and related processes and equipment. We present a new approach in order to facilitate a full object-oriented support of all activities related to the change process. On each update, singular task items can be re-prioritized within this master change note according to the current needs.
Cardiac excitation spread at a microscopic (<200 /spl mu/m) size scale can be seen as a propagating signal in a discrete electrical network with stochastically distributed electrical discontinuities at the sites of cell to cell connections. In order to test the hypothesis if this discontinuous spatio-temporal process can also be detected as discontinuous distribution of extracellular potentials the authors developed high-resolution sensor arrays in thin-film technique (180 /spl mu/m to 20 /spl mu/m interelectrode spacing) as well as array amplifiers and data acquisition systems. The time course of signals from bipolar recordings (gradients) and from quadrupolar recordings (field magnitude) was compared for different interelectrode distances. All signals were be taken from a set of 25 signals obtained simultaneously by one array recording. The measurements showed that from 280 /spl mu/m down to the smallest possible interelectrode distance of 20 /spl mu/m the measured the gradient of the local potential increased by a factor of two. This local field parameter varied substantially within an area of 200/spl times/200 /spl mu/m/sup 2/.
In this work criteria are established for various types of universal series in the Faber-Schauder system of functions. By means of these criteria the maximal speed of decrease is established for coefficients of universal series in this system, and existence is proved for continuous functions with guaranteed (and best possible) smoothness in terms of moduli of continuity whose basis expansions in the Faber-Schauder system are universal in some sense or other. Convergence almost everywhere as well as convergence in integral "metrics" is considered.Bibliography: 11 titles.
ABSTRACT Pear decline (PD) is an important disease of Pyrus communis fruiting cultivars in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. PD is caused by a phloem-limited phytoplasma that, in California, is transmitted from diseased to healthy trees by pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola. The percentage of phytoplasma-infected pear psylla has never been assessed in the United States in field-collected insects. Pear psylla were collected monthly from PD-infected trees from three orchards in northern California. Individual psylla were tested for the presence of PD phytoplasma, using both a quantitative DNA hybridization and PD phytoplasma-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. The percentage of infected psylla ranged from 0 to 45% depending on the orchard, the month and year collected, and the method of detection. The PD phytoplasma was detected in both the winterform and summerform pear psylla. Significantly more infected psylla were detected with PCR than with DNA hybridization analysis in two of the three orchards. The number of PD phytoplasma per pear psylla was estimated to range from 1 x 10(6) to 8.2 x 10(7). The percentage of PD-infected pear psylla found in the three northern California pear orchards suggests that both winterform and summerform pear psylla could be important in the transmission of PD.
We prove an uncertainty relation for energy and arrival time, where the arrival of a particle at a detector is modeled by an absorbing term added to the Hamiltonian. In this well-known scheme the probability for the particle’s arrival at the counter is identified with the loss of normalization for an initial wave packet. Under the sole assumption that the absorbing term vanishes on the initial wavefunction, we show that and , where 〈T〉 denotes the mean arrival time and p is the probability for the particle to be eventually absorbed. Nearly minimal uncertainty can be achieved in a two-level system, and we propose a trapped ion experiment to realize this situation.
The paper is devoted to describing how boehmite, magnesium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide nanoparticles in the form of nanoplates with a size of 20–200 nm having cytotoxic properties to tumor cells were synthesized. It is shown that calcium hydroxide has the highest cytotoxicity, while boehmite has the lowest one. The characterization of the synthesized nanostructures demonstrated that the major antitumor factors probably are the acid-base surface properties. It is established that calcium hydroxide raises the pH of the cell culture medium up to 12.8, magnesium hydroxide—up to 10.8, boehmite—up to 8.6. At the same time, synthesized nanoplates are less toxic to the normal cell lines. The approach presented can be used for synthesis of materials that are able to change tumor cells microenvironment acidity in the defined range for anticancer therapy, and also potentiating standard chemotherapy drugs effect due to extracellular acidosis decreasing.
The paper describes the author's approach to the statistical analysis of structure of interregional trade flows and interregional commodity markets. The analysis of functioning of modern interregional markets on base of the three categories of goods and services is carried out. Role of improving market statistics and information support as the main factors of development of interregional markets is discussed. Main methodical and organizational problems of statistical analysis of their trade flows are determined. The scheme of analysis of interregional trade flows is demonstrated. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n18p327
Abstract This work deals with the investigation on the friction and wear behaviour of as cast hypereutectic Al–Si alloy reinforced with copper coated short carbon fibres both before and after heat treatment. The composites are fabricated using liquid metallurgy route. Friction and wear tests were conducted using a pin on disc machine under dry conditions. The loads (contact pressure) and sliding velocities have been varied from 10 to 50 N (contact pressure of 0˙12–0˙60 MPa) and 0˙3 to 1˙2 m s–1 respectively. Results reveal that coefficient of friction and wear rate of the composite are lower than that of the matrix alloy in both heat treated and unheat treated conditions. The coefficient of friction of the matrix alloy and its composite decreased with increased load up to 30 N and increased beyond this load. The wear rates of both the matrix alloy and its composite increased with the increasing load. However, at all the loads and sliding velocities studied, the developed composite exhibited a lower coefficient of friction and wear rates when compared with the matrix alloy. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis of the worn surfaces of Al–Si–2 wt-%Cf have revealed greater proportions of iron pick up from the counter steel disc when compared with the matrix alloy.
Exposure to contaminated water during aquatic recreational activities can lead to gastrointestinal diseases. In order to decrease the exposure risk, the fecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli is routinely monitored, which is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly. To assist the stakeholders in the daily management of bathing sites, models have been developed to predict the microbiological quality. However, model performances are highly dependent on the quality of the input data which are usually scarce. In our study, we proposed a conceptual framework for optimizing the selection of the most adapted model, and to enrich the training dataset. This frameword was successfully applied to the prediction of Escherichia coli concentrations in the Marne River (Paris Area, France). We compared the performance of six machine learning (ML)-based models: K-nearest neighbors, Decision Tree, Support Vector Machines, Bagging, Random Forest, and Adaptive boosting. Based on several statistical metrics, the Random Forest model presented the best accuracy compared to the other models. However, 53.2 ± 3.5% of the predicted E. coli densities were inaccurately estimated according to the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Four parameters (temperature, conductivity, 24 h cumulative rainfall of the previous day the sampling, and the river flow) were identified as key variables to be monitored for optimization of the ML model. The set of values to be optimized will feed an alert system for monitoring the microbiological quality of the water through combined strategy of in situ manual sampling and the deployment of a network of sensors. Based on these results, we propose a guideline for ML model selection and sampling optimization.
Drs. Jellinger, Lebovitz, and Davidson (1) take issue with three features of the consensus algorithm (2). First, they protest that the “therapeutic target A1C of 7%” will miss the opportunity to reduce complications, including microvascular and cardiovascular disease, as much as lower A1C targets that are “achievable safely”. Second, they suggest that the consensus algorithm ignores the importance of achieving postprandial glucose control, and third, that the algorithm ignores the “heterogeneity of the pathogenesis of phenotypic type 2 diabetes.” They further note a “philosophical problem” in our “rejection of newer, well-proven treatments because they lack multiyear clinical trials.” The American College of Endocrinology/American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (ACE/AACE) response is disappointing in the failure to read the algorithm carefully and in its reliance on observational and epidemiologic data and analyses rather than on the clinical trial data that are universally …
A semianalytic two-dimensional model is used to analyze the interplay between the different forces acting on density-driven ﬂow in high-latitude channels. In particular, the balance between wind stress, viscous forces, baroclinicity, and sea surface slope adjustments under speciﬁed ﬂux conditions is examined. Weak winds are found not to change ﬂow patterns appreciably, with minimal ( < 7%) adjustments to horizontal velocity maxima. In low-viscosity regimes, strong winds change the ﬂow signiﬁcantly, especially at the surface, by either strengthening the dual-jet pattern, established without wind, by a factor of 2–3 or initiating return ﬂow at the surface. A nonzero ﬂux does not result in the addition of a uniform velocity throughout the channel cross section, but modiﬁes both along-channel and cross-channel velocities to become more symmetric, dominated by a down-channel jet centered in the domain and counter-clockwise lateral ﬂow. We also consider formulations of the model that allow adjustments of the net ﬂux in response to the wind. Flow patterns change, beyond uniform intensiﬁcation or weakening, only for strong winds and high Ekman number. Comparisons of the model results to observational data collected in Nares Strait in the Canadian Archipelago in the summer of 2007 show rough agreement, but the model misses the upstream surface jet on the east side of the strait and propagates bathymetric effects too strongly in the vertical for this moderately high eddy viscosity. Nonetheless, the broad strokes of the observed high-latitude ﬂow are reproduced.
This book provides the first comprehensive introduction to the newly-emerging science of mobile phone behavior. It presents the unexpected complexity of human mobile phone behavior through four basic aspects of mobile phone usage (users, technologies, activities, and effects), and then explores four major domains of such behavior (medicine, business, education, and everyday life). Chapters open with thoughts on mobile phone usage and behavior from interviews with cell phone users, then present a series of scientific studies, synthesized knowledge, and real-life cases, concluding with complex but highly readable analyses of each aspect of mobile phone behavior. Readers should achieve two intellectual goals: gaining a usable knowledge of the complexity of mobile phone behaviour, and developing the skills to analyze the complexity of mobile phone usage - and further technological behaviors.
Two limit behaviours of a simple model of aerosol are considered. The only force acting on aerosol particles is a friction due to the flow of gas. It is first proved that in the limit of an infinite friction coefficient, the particles are simply advected by the gas. Then we consider very dilute sprays of aerosol, i.e. with distribution functions which are monokinetic (Dirac mass in velocity). This approach leads to a macroscopic system with a free-boundary problem.
SUMMARY The diffuse irradiance of slopes relative to the diffuse irradiance of a horizontal surface is calculated by integrating the mean radiance distributions of cloudless skies in Britain for a wide range of solar elevations, azimuths and slope angles. There is reasonable agreement with measurements reported from a number of stations; discrepancies are probably due to errors in measurements and to the influence of aerosol on the radiance distributions. A simple model of the diffuse irradiance of slopes, which takes account of circumsolar radiation, is proposed, and agrees well with integrated values of irradiance.
Three cases of tuberculosis (TB), paradigmatic of the current situation are presented. The world TB situation is described, according to the latest figures from WHO: There is a reduction in Europe and the American regions and an increase more marked in South East Asia, followed closely by the Western Pacific and the African regions. The global increase in cases was 21%. Future perspectives are drawn and the WHO strategies, made public in 1994, are outlined.
Many goal-directed actions that require rapid visuomotor planning and perceptual decision-making are affected in older adults, causing difficulties in execution of many functional activities of daily living. Visuomotor planning and perceptual decision-making are mediated by the dorsal and ventral visual streams, respectively, but it is unclear how age-induced changes in sensory processing in these streams contribute to declines in goal-directed actions. Previously, we have shown that in healthy adults task demands affect the integration of sensory information between the two streams and more motorically demanding tasks induce earlier decisions and more decision errors. Here, we asked the question if older adults would exhibit larger declines in interactions between the two streams during demanding motor tasks. Older adults (n=15) and young controls (n=26) performed a simple reaching task and a more demanding interception task towards virtual objects. In some blocks of trials, participants also had to select an appropriate movement based on the shape of the object. Our results showed that older adults made a similar number of initial decision errors during both the reaching and interception tasks but corrected fewer of those errors during movement. During the more demanding interception decision task, older adults made more decision- and execution-related errors than young adults, which were related to early initiation of their movements. Together, these results suggest that older adults have a reduced ability to integrate new perceptual information to guide online action, which may reflect impaired ventral-dorsal stream interactions. Highlights Older adults showed reduced performance in a visuomotor decision-making task Initial decision errors were similar between young and older adults Older adults were less likely to correct initial decision errors More demanding movements were associated with earlier and less accurate decisions
Richter syndrome (RS) represents the clinico-pathologic transformation of indolent lymphomas to an aggressive lymphoma, most commonly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Majority of the patients have a previous diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and the median time to transformation is 2-4 years. De novo RS is extremely uncommon. RS frequently arises in the lymph nodes or bone marrow and rarely presents with extra nodal involvement, common sites being the gastrointestinal tract, eye, central nervous system, lung and kidney. Involvement of testis by RS is extremely rare and we came across only one such reported case in the literature. We are reporting this case as our patient presented with de novo RS at an extremely uncommon extra nodal site, testis.
Kosovo, one of the countries in the Balkan Peninsula, has a long tradition in sheep farming, and sheep breeds share triple purpose breed characteristics: milk, meat and wool. Bardhoka sheep, also with triple productive profile, is an important sheep breed because of its economic value with its milk production. In this study, 24 mandibles of adult Bardhoka sheep (12 male and 12 female) aged between 2 and 5 were used. The sheep were acquired from slaughterhouse around Kosovo, and the mandibles were selected without any deformities from healthy sheep. After cleaning the mandibles, a total of 12 morphometric measurements were taken from each sample using digital calliper. The difference between female and male was statistically significant (p < .05) for measurement 11 (height of mandible level of alveolar edge of 3rd molar tooth). The mean value of measurement 11 in male individuals was 42.26 ± 3.96, and it had a higher value than in female individuals (39.37 ± 2.57). In the literature, knowledge related to mandible morphometry of Bardhoka sheep was insufficient. The aim of this study was to determine mean values from osteometric measurements of Bardhoka sheep mandible and obtain references with the values acquired.
Compared to conventional X-ray therapy, proton beam therapy (PBT) has more clinical and physical advantages such as irradiation dose reduction to normal tissues for pediatric medulloblastoma. However, PBT is expensive. We aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of PBT for pediatric medulloblastoma with that of conventional X-ray therapy, while focusing on radiation-induced secondary cancers, which are rare, serious and negatively affect a patient's quality of life (QOL). Based on a systematic review, a decision tree model was used for the cost-effectiveness analysis. This analysis was performed from the perspective of health care payers; the cost was estimated from medical fees. The target population was pediatric patients with medulloblastoma below 14 years old. The time horizon was set at 7.7 years after medulloblastoma treatment. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which was defined as the ratio of the difference in cost and lifetime attributable risk (LAR) between conventional X-ray therapy and PBT. The discount rate was set at 2% annually. Sensitivity analyses were performed to model uncertainty. Cost and LAR in conventional X-ray therapy and PBT were Japanese yen (JPY) 1 067 608 and JPY 2436061 and 42% and 7%, respectively. The ICER was JPY 3856398/LAR. In conclusion, PBT is more cost-effective than conventional X-ray therapy in reducing the risk of radiation-induced secondary cancers in pediatric medulloblastoma. Thus, our constructed ICER using LAR is one of the valid indicators for cost-effectiveness analysis in radiation-induced secondary cancer.
Experiments are conducted on the high cycle fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V in air at room temperature. Fatigue strengths are determined at various stress ratios for specimens prepared by hard turning plus polishing and residual stress relieved in vacuum after polishing. For various stress ratios and stress amplitudes investigated, the relaxation of residual stresses is measured during the interrupted fatigue test. The relationship of residual stresses relaxation with the cycles and the effects of residual stress as long as stress ratios on fatigue strength are analyzed. Results indicate that the improvement of residual compressive stress on fatigue strength decreases and vanishes finally with the increase of stress ratio. Compared to fatigue crack originating from surface for annealed specimens, the fatigue crack initiation sites are located in the interior of the specimen due to the effect of residual stress at lower stress ratios. At R=-1.0, the residual stresses are relaxed after several cycles and then maintained stable. The improvement of fatigue strength is attributed to surface crack closure induced by compressive residual stress. For R=-0.6-0.1, in contrast, the relaxation of residual stress is insignificant and fatigue failure is dominated mainly by the internal defect and local stress concentration.
The objective of this work was to determine the behavioral differences among laying hens reared at different densities and group sizes, in an enriched environment. Isa Brown laying hens with ages from 30 to 32-week-old, in small-sized and deformed pens, were used. Hens were raised during 28 days in bays with shavings bedding, perch and nest. Two group sizes were evaluated (6 and 12 fowls) and at two rearing densities (774 and 1,440 cm² by fowl) in a factorial arrangement with three replicates. In fifteen-minute video footages, it was recorded the frequency and the expression period for the following behavior were recorded: feather scratching, sand bath, wing beating, drinking water, pecking, head scratching, earth scratching, eating, perching, leg stretching, pursuing, sitting, and nest visiting. The treatments and the interaction between them had significant effects. The six-hen group increased the frequency of behavior types that indicate fowl frustration, regardless of density. The group size is the most important factor for hen well-being.
The combination of two-dimensional crystals through the formation of van der Waals bilayers, trilayers, and heterostructures has been considered a promising route to design new materials due to the possibility of tuning their properties through the control of the number of layers, alloying pressure, strain, and other tuning mechanisms. Here, we report a density functional theory study on the interlayer phonon coupling and electronic structure of the trilayer h-BN/SnTe/h-BN, and the effects of pressure on the encapsulation of this trilayer system. Our findings demonstrated the establishment of a type I junction in the system, with a trivial bandgap of 0.55 eV, which is 10 % lower than the free-standing SnTe one. The almost inert h-BN capping layers allow a topological phase transition at a pressure of 13.5 GPa, in which the system evolves from a trivial insulator to a topological insulator. In addition, with further increase of the pressure up to 35 GPa, the non-trivial energy bandgap increases up to 0.30 eV. This behavior is especially relevant to allow experimental access to topological properties of materials, since large non-trivial energy bandgaps are required.
This paper concerns a current problem of multifaceted evaluation of investment projects. Information that contains the actual value of the initiated investment is often the basis for making decisions regarding its further implementation, especially when significant changes occur in the project’s environment. The process of project evaluation should therefore include all factors that may affect its value. However, there is a research gap regarding the insufficient development of methods of commercial real estate investment evaluation that integrate quantitative (financial) approaches and qualitative factors that influence the value of project, and also refer to the achievements in the scope of project management. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the integrated method of investment project evaluation based on the common valuation method (an income approach), supplemented by the results of the implementation of the Real Options Method (ROM) and complemented by the project sustainability factor. Case studies were carried out to prove that an exit option (resignation) can support the ongoing evaluation of the investment. Individual in-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted to examine the sustainability impact on its value. Three case studies involving commercial properties have verified the possibility of applying the proposed integrated method. The following findings were discovered as a result: nowadays, in the turbulent project environment, the common investment project valuation methods need to be extended to support the managerial decision regarding their further implementation and the securing of their flexibility. Also, sustainability has been recognized as a factor that increases the project value, which should be taken into account during the evaluation process. A comparative analysis indicates that the accuracy of the proposed new method delivers a more precise determination of the investment value than the common valuation methods.
The metal-insulator transition in the orthorhombic perovskites PrNiO3 and NdNiO3 is accompanied by the sudden 3D magnetic ordering of the Ni ions (μNi ≈ 0.9 μB). The magnetic ground state, described by a commensurate κ = (1/2, 0, 1/2) spin density wave, is unprecedented in a perovskite structure. The coexistence of F and AF interactions suggests the existence of an orbital superlattice. This results from the breakdown of the degeneracy of the NiIII (t2g6 eg1) state due to electronic correlations. The gap is probably of charge-transfer type rather than originated by the exchange interactions.
The search for manifolds of nonnegative curvature is one of the classical problems in Riemannian geometry. While general obstructions are scarce, there are relatively few general classes of examples and construction methods. Hence, it is unclear how large one should expect the class of closed manifolds admitting a nonnegatively curved metric to be. For a survey of known examples, see e.g. [Z]. Apart from taking products, there are only two general methods to construct new nonnegatively curved metrics out of given spaces. One is the use of Riemannian submersions which non-decrease curvature by O’Neill’s formula. The other is the glueing of two manifolds (which we call halves) along their common boundary. Typically, the boundary of each half is assumed to be totally geodesic or, slightly more restrictive, a collar metric. This in turn implies by the Soul theorem ([CG]) that each half is the total space of a disk bundle over a totally geodesic closed submanifold. In addition, the glueing map of the two boundaries must be an isometry. While many examples can be constructed by such a glueing, its application is still limited. On the one hand, there is not too much known on the question which disk bundles over a nonnegatively curved compact manifold admit collar metrics of nonnegative curvature, and on the other hand, even if such metrics exist, the metric on the boundary is not arbitrary. Thus, glueing together two such disk bundles to a nonnegatively curved closed manifold is possible in special situations only. For instance, if the disk bundle is homogeneous, then there always exist invariant nonnegatively curved collar metrics. However, the metric on the boundary of such a collar metric is restricted due to the existence of certain parallel Killing fields by a result of Perelman ([P]). In this article, we will give a survey of known examples and describe some recent results which illustrate the difficulty in finding metrics on disk bundles which are suitable for this glueing construction.
Although Kazakhstan is a fossil fuel rich country, policymakers desire to develop a green and sustainable economy and to contribute to the global energy transition. To understand the overall situation in green technology development in the industrial sector, we conducted the first countrywide study in Kazakhstan. In this paper, we present the results of the large survey on the use of “green technologies” by industrial companies in every region of the country. We aggregate the 380 reported cases of the use of green technologies by sectors like energy production, waste management, and others. We found the largest number of cases accumulated in the waste management sector, and the smallest in green building construction. Our work shows that only 266 out of 877 (~30%) industrial organizations in Kazakhstan utilize some form of green technology. Based on detailed analysis of 141 organizations, the Karagandy, East Kazakhstan, Aktobe, and Atyrau regions reported the largest number of applications of green technologies among the 17 administrative-territorial units of Kazakhstan. We also discuss barriers to the diffusion of clean technologies. We believe that this work will be of interest to politicians, environmentalists, and practitioners who are concerned about the impacts of global warming.
CD4+ T helper cells (TH) are central orchestrators of an efficient immune response. However, within the tumor microenvironment (TME), it is unknown what type of CD4+ TH cells or CD4 helper-derived signals are essential to generate robust CD8+ CTL and TRM anti-tumor immune responses, which are positively associated with patient prognosis. To determine the nature of CD4+ T cells that provide ‘help9 for generating robust anti-tumor CD8+ CTL responses, we profiled the transcriptomes of patient-matched CD4+ and CD8+ T cells present in the TME of treatment-naive patients with lung cancer and analyzed them jointly using a novel approach, integrated weighted gene correlation network analysis. We found that the follicular helper T cell (TFH) program in CD4+ T cells was strongly associated with proliferation and tissue-residency in CD8+ CTLs. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis demonstrated the presence of tumor-infiltrating TFH-like cells, a subset of which lacked CXCR5 expression but displayed superior functional properties such as provision of CD8+ ‘help9, cytotoxicity and proliferation. Because these anti-tumor functions were not previously ascribed to TFH cells which are known to support B cell responses, we validated our findings using independent in vitro and in vivo approaches. Multi-parametric immunohistochemistry showed co-localization of TFH cells with CD8+ TRM cells within tumors, the density of which was positively correlated with that of TFH cells. Adoptive transfer or induction of TFH cells in mouse tumor models resulted in augmented CD8+ CTL responses and impairment of tumor growth, indicating an important role of TFH-like CD4+ T cells in anti-tumor immunity. Furthermore, tumor-infiltrating TFH-like cells expressed PD-1 and were enriched in tumors following checkpoint blockade, suggesting that they may respond to anti-PD-1 therapy in addition to CD8+ CTLs. Our findings provide insights into the molecular identity and functional status of CD4+ T cells within tumors that mount robust CTL responses and uncover potential targets for tumor immunotherapy. Citation Format: Anusha Preethi Ganesan. CD4+ follicular helper-like T cells are key players in anti-tumor immunity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-352.
This is the first publication describing scale-bearing Chrysophyceae from India by means of electron microscopy. Twenty seven such taxa are described from samples for ponds, rivers and thermal springs. Twenty of these are Mallomonas spp.: M. akrokomos, M. bronchartiana, M. caudata, M. ceylanica, M. costata, M. crassisquanta, M. cyathellata var. cyathellata, M. cyathellata var. chilensis, M. cyathellata var. kenyana, M. guttata, M. heterospina, M. mangofera f. mangofera, M. mangofera f. foveata, M. mangoferea I. reticulata, M. matvienkoae I. matvienkoae, M. mat-vienkoae var. grandis, M. morrisonensis, M. peronoides, M. portae-ferreae, and M. tasmanica. Three are Synura taxa: S. curtispina, S. petersenii f. petersenii, and S. petersenii I. kufferathii. Two are Spiniferomonas species: S. coronacircumspina and S. enigmata. Paraphysomonas and Chrysosphaerella were each represented by one species: P. vestita and C. longispina. The water bodies from which these samples were taken were mostly eutrophic and nutrient rich. The majority of the taxa were obtained during the summer months when water temperatures were high. This contradicts the widely held belief that silica-scaled chrysophytes are mainly found in cold oligotrophic and mesotrophic waters. Mallomonas portae-ferreae and one unidentified species of Mallomonas were recorded also from thermal springs having water temperatures up to 50°C.
Forensic accounting is used to reconstruct the data on emissions, redemptions, and bills outstanding for colonial New Jersey paper money. These components are further separated into the amounts initially legislated, and the amounts actually executed. These data are substantial improvements over what currently exists in the literature. They also provide a more complete and nuanced accounting of colonial New Jersey’s paper money regime than what has been done previously for any British North American colony. Enough detail of the forensic accounting exercise is given for scholars to reproduce the data series from the original sources.
The stereoscopic 3D display that uses binocular disparity techniques is widely used as an effective three dimensional display, but there are various problems with stereoscopic 3D images. One of the major problems in stereoscopic 3D display is the mismatch of distance between the accommodation and convergence of human eyes. Experiments were conducted to understand how the stereoscopic 3D images influence human visual functions. The measurement of eye movements showed that cooperative movements of binocular eyes were frequently broken while viewing 3D images in which disparities were large. The measurement of accommodation response time showed that the far-to-near response time was longer after looking at 3D images than it was before viewing. The increases in far-to-near response time increased with the degree of binocular disparity. The results of these measurements showed that within the some limited range of disparity the influence of stereoscopic 3D images may not be significant for human eyes.
An analog implementation of a deep machine-learning system for efficient feature extraction is presented in this work. It features online unsupervised trainability and non-volatile floating-gate analog storage. It utilizes a massively parallel reconfigurable current-mode analog architecture to realize efficient computation, and leverages algorithm-level feedback to provide robustness to circuit imperfections in analog signal processing. A 3-layer, 7-node analog deep machine-learning engine was fabricated in a 0.13 μm standard CMOS process, occupying 0.36 mm 2 active area. At a processing speed of 8300 input vectors per second, it consumes 11.4 μW from the 3 V supply, achieving 1×10 12 operation per second per Watt of peak energy efficiency. Measurement demonstrates real-time cluster analysis, and feature extraction for pattern recognition with 8-fold dimension reduction with an accuracy comparable to the floating-point software simulation baseline.
Introduction Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease in Egypt, leading to hepatic fibrosis, liver cirrhosis (LC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Liver fibrosis is characterized by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM). Newly-recognized pathogenic mechanisms point to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of hepatocytes to matrix synthesizing (myo-) fibroblasts. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1), bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-7, and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) are biomarkers reflecting the EMT process. YKL-40 is a glycoprotein member of ECM and plays a role in cancer cell proliferation. The purpose of this study was to determine the serum biomarkers of EMT and its impact on the fibrogenic process and tumorigenesis in HCV-genotype 4 patients. Methods In this case-control study that was conducted in 2013–2014, 97 HCV-infected patients were subjected to clinical examination, laboratory investigations, and liver biopsy. According to the histopathologic examination, they were classified to F0 (14 cases), F1 (17 cases), F2 (15 cases), F3 (18 cases), F4 (22 cases), and HCC (11 cases). Fifteen age- and gender-matched subjects were included as normal controls. Serum levels of TGF-β1, BMP-7, CTGF, YKL-40 were assessed, and the TGF-β1/BMP-7 ratios were calculated. The data were analyzed by plotting the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient, and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (Spearman’s rho). Results Serum levels of TGF-β1, BMP-7, CTGF, and YKL-40 were significantly increased in all patient groups compared to controls (p < 0.001). LC exhibited the highest CTGF level and YKL-40 was highest in HCC. The TGF-β1/ BMP-7 ratios reflected the progression of EMT from CHC to LC, however, there was no significant difference between LC and HCC. TGF-β1/ BMP-7 ratio is considered to reflect positive correlation with CTGF in LC group (r = 0.629; p < 0.03) and YKL-40 in HCC group (r = 0.504; p < 0.04). Conclusion Increased TGF-β1/BMP-7 ratio and CTGF levels reflect the rate of EMT and provide information about fibrogenic activity. Also, this ratio, in association with YKL-40, can be used to predict malignant transformation in HCV-genotype 4 Egyptian patients.
Purpose:Considering the little evidence around acellular dermal graft application in secondary lip reshaping, this study is aimed to quantitatively examine the effect of acellular dermal graft in combination with Z-plasty technique in secondary defects of cleft lip. Methods:In this clinical investigation, patients with secondary unilateral cleft lip deformity were selected. Standard photographs were prepared for each patient. Subsequent to scar revision, submucosal tunneling and Z-plasty, implantable human acellular dermal graft was placed and fixed in submucosal pocket. Quantitative parameters included angle of symmetry , dimension of symmetry (DS), defect height (DH), parallel lines, and lip thickness were measured presurgically and 1 year after treatment. Pre and post-operative pictures were compared and the changes were documented according to the criteria. P value less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Results:Eighteen patients were included in this study. The difference of “DS” between normal side and cleft side was 3.1 ± 1.5 mm presurgically and 1.1 ± 1.8 mm postsurgically. The change was significant (P value < 0.05). The difference between pretreatment and posttreatment measures of “DS”, “DH”, and “Lip Thickness” were 2.75 ± 4.55, 3.43 ± 4.82, and 2.66 ± 3.04 mm, respectively. The results were significant (P value<0.05). Conclusions:Based on the results, acellular dermal graft in combination with Z-plasty was able to improve lip deformity in patients with secondary defects of cleft lip. Further studies are recommended regarding the application of this technique in patients with bilateral cleft lip and severe “DH.”
An ab initiopseudopotential study of the monovacancy properties in bcc tungsten is presented. The formation and migration enthalpies are calculated for relaxed configurations using supercells containing up to 54 atomic sites, both in the electronic ground state and at finite electron temperature. The electronic contribution to the formation entropy --- usually neglected in point defect calculations --- is shown to be positive and equal to ${1.74k}_{B}$ at melting temperature. This large value is related to peaks in the electronic density of states just below the Fermi level due to states localized around the vacancy. The calculated values of the migration and formation enthalpies are found to be in excellent agreement with experiments at low temperatures, and their significant quadratic temperature dependence --- due to electronic excitations --- is shown to explain part of the experimentally observed temperature dependence of the migration enthalpy and self-diffusion activation energy. The tracer self-diffusion coefficient is calculated within the rate theory: the Arrhenius slope is in excellent agreement with experiments, and so are the absolute values provided that the electronic entropies are taken into account.
A new approximate method is developed for the calculation of the adiabatic potential energy surface for a molecule outside a metal surface. It is computationally fast enough to be useful in simulations of the dynamics of adsorbing and desorbing molecules. The method is characterized by the fact that the functional form of the total energy expression is derived from density functional theory, that each of the terms entering can be given a precise physical interpretation, and that most of the parameters entering can be calculated, within the local density approximation. The method is explicitly derived for H2 outside metal surfaces and the applicability is illustrated for H2 adsorbing on various Cu and Ni surfaces. Although very approximate, the calculated potentials seem to include a number of features observed experimentally: Ni is more active in dissociating H2 than Cu, and open surfaces are more active than close‐packed ones. Moreover, the method is simple enough that one can contemplate studying variat...
The intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to the pathophysiology of heart failure by the generation of angiotensin II at local sites within the kidneys. Angiotensin II may directly influence renal hemodynamics, glomerular contractility, and tubular sodium reabsorption, thereby promoting sodium and fluid retention in this syndrome. In the present study, we examined components of the circulating RAS as well as the intrarenal expressions of renin and angiotensinogen mRNA in rats with stable compensated heart failure (HF) 12 wk after experimental myocardial infarction. Renal angiotensinogen mRNA level in vehicle-treated HF rats increased 47%, as compared with sham control rats (P = 0.001). The increase in angiotensinogen mRNA levels was more pronounced in animals with medium (46%, P < 0.05) and large (66%, P < 0.05) infarcts than in those with small infarcts (31%, P = NS). There were no differences in liver angiotensinogen mRNA, circulating angiotensinogen, angiotensin II, plasma renin concentration (PRC), kidney renin content (KRC), and renal renin mRNA level between sham and HFv. In addition, in a separate group of rats with heart failure, we demonstrated that renal angiotensin II concentration increased twofold (P < 0.05) as compared with that of age-matched sham operated controls. A parallel group of heart failure rats (HFe, n = 11) was treated with enalapril (25 mg/kg per d) in drinking water for 6 wk before these measurements. Blood pressure decreased significantly during treatment (91 vs. 103 mm Hg, P < 0.05). Enalapril treatment in HF rats increased renin mRNA level (2.5-fold, P < 0.005), KRC (5.6-fold, P = 0.005), and PRC (15.5-fold, P < 0.005). The increase in renal angiotensinogen mRNA level observed in HFv rats was markedly attenuated in enalapril treated HF rats (P < 0.001), suggesting a positive feedback of angiotensin II on renal angiotensinogen synthesis. These findings demonstrate an activation of intrarenal RAS, but no changes in the circulating counterpart in this model of experimental heart failure, and they support the concept that the intrinsic renal RAS may contribute to the pathophysiology in this syndrome.
Two cases are reported in which complete transposition of the great vessels was associated with an unusual form of subpulmonic obstruction. In each case, redundant tricuspid valvular tissue protruded through a ventricular septal defect into the left ventricular outflow tract, producing severe obstruction to the outflow of blood from the left ventricle.The clinical course suggested the presence of left ventricular outflow obstruction. Both patients demonstrated progressive clinical deterioration characterized by increasing cyanosis, respiratory distress, and decrease in intensity of the cardiac murmur. Serial laboratory determinations revealed increasing hemoglobin and decreasing systemic oxygen saturation. The clinical deterioration was relieved only temporarily by atrial balloon septostomy.The angiographic findings appear to be specific for this type of subpulmonic obstruction. In each case, a large asymmetric filling defect was demonstrated at the anterior border of the left ventricular outflow tract below the pulmonic valve.When the clinical and laboratory findings suggest pulmonary or subpulmonary obstruction, careful evaluation of the outflow tract is indicated. If diagnosed clinically, redundant tricuspid tissue could perhaps be resected during a definitive operation, thus relieving the outflow obstruction.
We aimed to assess the prognostic value of postprocedural creatine kinase myocardial band (CK‐MB) and cardiac troponin (cTn) in patients with non‐ST‐segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Background: Whether postprocedural CK‐MB or cTn is a better biomarker to stratify the risk after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains unknown. Methods: This study included 2,077 patients with NSTEMI undergoing early PCI. Peak postprocedural values of CK‐MB and high‐sensitivity cTn T (hs‐cTnT) were analyzed. The primary outcome was 3‐year mortality. Results: The median values of peak postprocedural CK‐MB and hs‐cTnT were 18.3 U L−1 and 0.140 µg L−1, respectively. Overall, 211 patients died during follow‐up. There were 129 deaths in patients with CK‐MB >the median value and 82 deaths in those with CK‐MB ≤the median value (Kaplan–Meier estimates of 3‐year mortality, 18.9% and 14.0%, respectively; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–2.01; P < 0.001). There were 134 deaths in patients with hs‐cTnT >the median value and 77 deaths in patients with hs‐cTnT ≤the median value (Kaplan–Meier estimates of 3‐year mortality, 19.9% and 13.2%, respectively; HR = 1.90 [1.44–2.52]; P < 0.001). After adjustment, peak postprocedural CK‐MB (adjusted HR = 1.05 [1.02–1.07], P < 0.001 for each 24 U L−1 increment) and hs‐cTnT (adjusted HR = 1.12 [1.01–1.25], P = 0.037 for each unit higher log hs‐cTnT) remained independently associated with the risk of 3‐year mortality. The C‐statistic(s) of the model with CK‐MB and hs‐cTnT were 0.789 [0.757–0.817] and 0.793 [0.762–0.821], respectively (P = 0.585). Conclusion: In patients with NSTEMI undergoing early PCI, peak postprocedural CK‐MB and hs‐cTnT are independently associated with the risk of 3‐year mortality. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ABSTRACT An optical urea biosensor was developed by immobilizing an urease enzyme layer on a thin ammonium-selective polymer membrane. The ammonium optical membrane utilized dichlorofluorescein octadecyl ester (DCFOE) as anionic chromophore and nonactin as neutral ionophore. The urease layer was coated on the top of the ammonium layer by gelatin entrapment combined with glutaradehyde cross-linking. Hydrolysis of urea catalyzed by urease produced ammonium ion, which was extracted into the-polymer film to form complexes with nonactin. A proton was released which resulted in a color change of the optical membrane due to charge neutrality principle. The biosensor
The following considers lift and drag measurements of 13 production golf ball models propelled through still air in a laboratory setting. The balls travelled at speeds ranging from 18 m/s to 91 m/s and spin ranging from 1500 rpm to 4500 rpm. Speed sensors measured the speed and location of the balls at three locations from which the coefficient of lift and drag were found. The sensors were sufficiently close (3.81 m to 5.08 m) so that the lift and drag effects were nearly constant. Lift and drag were observed to depend on speed, spin rate, and ball model. The difference in the drag coefficient between the ball models were relatively large (>0.1) at low speed (Re 105). The lift coefficient had a non-linear dependence on spin (fit with a 2nd order polynomial). A trajectory of each ball model was found from the measured lift and drag response. Carry distance varied by 18 m over the models considered here and was not strongly correlated with ball cost.
Photoaging is a kind of chronic inflammatory injury induced by long-term ultraviolet radiation exposure. Ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B both can cause skin damage followed by photoaging, but the pathogenesis is still unclear. Human keratinocytes are the most important cells in the epidermis, and also are target cells sensitive to ultraviolet rays. Recent researches have shown that keratinocytes play an important role in the occurrence and development of photoaging. Among related theories, the free radical theory of aging is the most popular, and researches on anti-aging mechanisms, related medicines and plants are usually based on this theory.      Key words:  Light; Ultraviolet rays; Cell aging; Keratinocytes; Matrix metalloproteinases; Apoptosis
Background Investigating adolescents and young adults may provide a unique opportunity to understand developmental aspects of the neurobiology of depression. During adolescence, a considerable physiologic reorganization of both grey and white matter of the brain takes place, and it has been suggested that differences in grey-matter volumes during adolescence may reflect different maturational processes.   Methods We investigated grey-matter volumes in a comparatively large sample (n = 103) of adolescents and young adults (aged 12 to 27 years), 60 of them with a diagnosis of current depression.   Results Replicating previous studies, we found a clear wholebrain effect of age: the older the participants, the lower their global grey-matter volumes, particularly in the paracingulate and prefrontal cortices. Contrasting depressed and healthy youth in a whole-brain approach, we found greater grey-matter volumes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of those with depression. Furthermore, a region-of-interest analysis indicated lower grey-matter volumes in the hippocampus in participants with depression compared with healthy controls.   Limitations The present study was limited because of a skewed sex distribution, its cross-sectional design and the fact that some participants were taking an antidepressant.   Conclusion During adolescence, restructuring of the brain is characterized by marked decreases in prefrontal grey-matter volumes, interpreted as a correlate of brain maturation. Findings of greater volumes in the prefrontal cortex, particularly in younger adolescents with depression, may suggest that these participants were more prone to delayed brain maturation or increased neuroplasticity. This finding may represent a risk factor for depression or constitute an effect of developing depression.
Author: 1) Spinelli ML., 2) Ornaghi S., 1) Schoeberlein A., 2) Bordey A., 3) Barnea E., 4) Paidas M., 1) Surbek D., 1,4) Mueller M. Clinic: 1) Obstetrics and Gynecology, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, 2) Departments of Neurosurgery, and Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA, 3) Society for the Investigation of Early Pregnancy (SIEP) and BioIncept, LLC, New York, USA, 4) Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
Adhesion between glass beads and polymer films was investigated using the centrifugal separation method at various relative humidities. The adhesive force depended on the type of polymer, and it was found that there was a close correlation between the adhesive force and teh amount of water sorbed by the polymer film. This finding suggests that the polymer surface becomes softened by hte sorbed water; consequently, the contact area between a particle and the polymer film increases. The surface treatment of glass beads with trimethylchlorosilane reduced the adhesive property of the particle in every system.
Abstract I am grateful indeed for this opportunity to appear before an audience made up of people who are so obviously concerned about the quality of the environment in which we live. Most of the really crucial environmental decisions that we are going to have to make are really beyond individuals and statesmen, they are going to be decisions by society. So without doubt, the first step towards environmental sanity depends on concerned, involved and informed public. Legislation and procedures can only go a certain distance alone.
Category: Lesser Toes Introduction/Purpose: Hammertoe deformities are a result of imbalance between static and dynamic stabilizers of the lesser toes. Flexor-to-extensor tendon transfer and PIP joint arthrodesis/arthroplasty are the gold standards of treatment. Tendon transfers are associated with stiffness, edema and recurrence. PIP arthrodesis/arthroplasty sacrifices the PIP joint producing loss of both motion and toe grip. Phalangeal sustraction osteotomies have been proposed for correcting these deformities by theoretically relaxing the surrounding soft tissue structures and correcting the hammertoe deformity at the PIP joint. We present the results of a new joint sparing procedure consisting on a Diaphyseal Proximal Phalangeal Shortening Osteotomy (DPPSO) with resection of a 3-4 mm cilindrical bone section. Methods: Retrospective study. Review of medical records of patients who underwent phalangeal shortening osteotomy for hammer toe correction from 2010 to 2016 by the senior author (L.S.). Patients with previous surgery on the toe were excluded of the study as well as patients with incomplete radiological follow-up. Demographic and comorbidities data were noted as well as postoperative complications and secondary procedures. We performed a radiographic analysis of preoperative and postoperative x-rays-Union was defined as the existence of brigding of at least 3 cortices on the osteotomy site. Preoperatively and 6 months follow up x-rays were additionally analyzed to obtain the following measurements (Figure 1): Frontal anatomic angle (medial) FAAm Lateral anatomic angle (plantar) LAAp Frontal proximal interphalangeal angle (medial) mFPIA Lateral interphalangeal angle (plantar) pLIPP Statistical analysis: t-test for paired samples to compare preoperative and postoperative angles. Results: Forty-five toes (31 patients) were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 59,5 years and the mean follow-up was 27.9 months (range:12-52). Concomitant procedures were performed on 29 patients, most commonly Hallux Valgus correction. All patients evolved with radiographic union at an average 11,2 weeks. Two patients presented with delayed healing (15 and 19 weeks). Complications were present on 4 toes corresponding to Superficial infection (3 patients) and a symptomatic floating toe (1 patient). There were not recurrences in this group. Radiographic measurements showed no significant differences between the preoperative and postoperative mFFA (p:0,43), pLAA (p:0,239) and mFIA (p:0,239). In the other hand, the Plantar lateral interphalangeal angle (pLIA) that corresponds with the hammertoe deformity, was significantly corrected (p<0,05). Conclusion: DPPSO is a safe and reproducible procedure with a low rate of complications. This procedure has a corrective effect on the PIP joint on the sagittal plane, reducing significantly the plantar lateral interphalangeal angle and consequently the hammertoe deformity. There was no significant effect on the PIP joint on the coronal plane and neither on the anatomical axis of the proximal phalanx in the frontal and lateral planes, therefore not producing secondary deformities of the toe.The location of the osteotomy improves bone contact and anatomical alignment of the toe while obtaining a significant correction power of the deformity.
The representation of subgrid-scale surface heterogeneities in numerical weather and climate models has been a challenging problem for more than a decade. The Evaporation at Grid and Pixel Scale (EVA-GRIPS) project adds to the numerous studies on vegetation-atmosphere interaction processes through a comprehensive field campaign and through simulation studies with land surface schemes and mesoscale models. The mixture of surface types in the test area in eastern Germany is typical for larger parts of northern Central Europe. The spatial scale considered corresponds to the grid scale of a regional atmospheric weather prediction or climate model and to the pixel scale of satellite images. Area-averaged fluxes derived from point measurements, scintillometer measurements, and a helicopter-borne turbulence probe were widely consistent with respect to the sensible heat flux. The latent heat flux from the scintillometer measurements is systematically higher than the eddy covariance data. Fluxes derived from numerical simulations proved the so-called mosaic approach to be an appropriate parameterization for subgrid heterogeneity.
Megahistory has not had much appeal to medieval historians, especially in recent years. Most of us are rather tightly bound to a limited body of source material, and we have been able to concentrate on topics of limited scope, expecting to become familiar with all the literature on this subject and to produce an answer to our questions or an interpretation of our problems that takes into account all the relevant evidence. In the process I think that many of us have lost sight of the larger world or even just the world of the Western Roman Empire. The purpose of this paper is to take another look at that period of transition between the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages and to reemphasize the importance of the role played by the Germanic kingdoms I refer specifically to the period from about A.D. 500 to 800. In a sense, this is to raise once again the old Romanist-Germanist controversy, a controversy that has tended in recent years to be resolved largely in favor of the influence exerted by Rome. To a certain extent this has resulted from a backlash against the extreme position claimed by the Germanists of the nineteenth century, who saw the origin of all free and democratic institutions as coming out of the forests of Germany. But without looking at the early Germans through such rose-colored glasses, I think a good case can be made for reemphasizing how much early-medieval society owed to the Germans. My method of approaching this problem is to look at the Germanic kingdoms collectively, to point out practices and institutions imilar in all of them that became a fundamental part of early-medieval civilization. And none of you will be surprised when I state that most of my evidence will be drawn from the Germanic law codes. There has been a certain amount of resistance to the use of the Germanic codes as evidence for anything more extensive than the Germanic people themselves, since the Germanic immigrants into the western empire constituted such a small proportion of the population of the kingdoms they eventually established. But I have worked with these materials for many years and have become convinced that the Germanic codes can, if used with care, serve as a source for the social history of the early Middle Ages. I have been
We assessed changes in density, distribution, and microhabitat of age-0 rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Silver Creek, a partially spring-fed stream, by periodic snorkeling in August 1987 through January 1988. We examined trout stomach contents and invertebrate drift samples in diel collections in August, September, October, and January to test if the period of feeding shifted from daytime to nighttime, concurrent with a transition to day concealment. In late September, fish aggregated briefly during the day and then began to conceal themselves in macrophyte beds, undercut banks, and submerged sedges and grasses along streambanks as temperature dropped below 8 °C in early October. Fish emerged from concealment at night, and numbers of trout visible were greatest 30–60 min after sunset and about 30 min before sunrise. Periods of peak feeding changed from afternoon and evening in August and September, when fish were day active, to mainly at night in October after the initiation of day concealment. Tro...
The number of adult CBTs is increasing. However, delayed engraftment and immune reconstitution remain important issues in CBT frequently resulting in significant resource utilization. To evaluate the relative cost of adult CBT, waiver of consent was obtained from the IRB, and we compared costs of all adult CBTs (n=25) performed at our center since February 2006 (when our current CBT protocols opened) to cohorts of adult unrelated (URD) (n=88) transplants performed during the same period. Twelve patients, median age 30 (range 20–42), underwent myeloablative CBT following conditioning with 120 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CY), 75 mg/m2 fludarabine (FLU), and 13.2 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) and were compared to 51 consecutive URD( n=27 matched URD (MURD) and n=24 mismatched (MMURD)) patients, median age 44 (range 20–67), undergoing transplant on our center’s standard myeloablative treatment plan with either CY/TBI or busulfan (BU)/CY conditioning. Thirteen patients, median age 55 (range 24–68), underwent CBT following reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) with 200mg/m2 FLU, 50mg/kg CY, 2 Gy TBI, +/− 90 mg/kg anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and were compared to 37 URD (n=20 matched URD (MURD) and n=17 mismatched (MMURD)) patients, median age 56 (range 22−75) undergoing non-myeloablative RIC with 90 mg/m2 FLU/2 Gy TBI (an outpatient regimen). Ten additional patients undergoing tandem autologous/non-myeloablative URD transplant for multiple myeloma and 4 additional patients undergoing non-myeloablative URD transplant for primary graft failure were excluded. Administrative cost data were obtained for the following functional areas: inpatient bed, laboratory, pharmacy (outpatient prescriptions and home infusions excluded), outpatient clinic, radiology, radiation oncology, infusion, endoscopy, surgery, and other. Only charge data was available for the supplies functional area (which includes blood bank services), and these data were included in the analysis as charges rather than costs. Costs were totaled from arrival date on the center’s transplant service to date of discharge to primary providers or date of death. Thirteen patients were found to have relapsed disease upon arrival on the transplant service and underwent induction chemotherapy prior to transplant; these costs were excluded. Costs of cord blood units and unrelated donor products were excluded. Results are presented in Table 1. Results include cost breakdown by all functional areas with median CBT cost greater than $10,000. Myeloablative CBT was more expensive than myeloablative MURD transplant (p=0.003) and trended toward more expensive than MMURD transplant (p=0.097). RIC CBT was more expensive than both MURD and MMURD non-myeloablative RIC transplant (p=0.0002 and 0.024 respectively). Cost comparisons were performed using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. The increased costs of CBT reflect the increased supportive care required by CBT patients; CBT patients required more inpatient days (except versus MMURD myeloablative transplants), required more laboratory testing, required more costly in-hospital and outpatient clinic drug administration, and needed more frequent transfusions. Strategies to decrease time to engraftment, to enhance immune reconstitution, and to further decrease the intensity of RIC regimens may result in significant CBT cost reductions. Table 1: CBT vs URD transplant: Cost comparison
BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic disease spreading all over the world and has aroused global concerns. The increasing mortality has revealed its severity. It is important to distinguish severe patients and provide appropriate treatment and care to prevent damages. Diabetes is reported to be a common comorbidity in COVID-19 patients and associated with higher mortality. We attempted to clarify the relationship between diabetes and COVID-19 patients’ severity. AIM To determine the role of type 2 diabetes in COVID-19 patients. METHODS To study the relationship between diabetes and COVID-19, we retrospectively collected 61 patients’ data from a tertiary medical center in Wuhan. All the patients were diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and admitted to the center from February 13 to March 1, 2020. Patients’ age, sex, laboratory tests, chest computed tomography findings, capillary blood glucose (BG), and treatments were collected and analyzed. Fisher exact test was used for categorical data. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to explore the relationship between clinical characteristics and patients’ severity. RESULTS In the 61 patients, the comorbidity of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases were 24.6% (15 out of 61), 37.7% (23 out of 61), and 11.5% (7 out of 61), respectively. The diabetic group was related to more invasive treatments (P = 0.02) and severe status (P = 0.003). In univariate logistic regression, histories of diabetes (OR = 7.13, P = 0.003), hypertension (OR = 3.41, P = 0.039), and hepatic dysfunction (OR = 7.69, P = 0.002) were predictors of patients’ severity while heart disease (OR = 4.21, P = 0.083) and large lung involvement (OR = 2.70, P = 0.093) also slightly exacerbated patients’ conditions. In the multivariate analysis, diabetes (OR = 6.29, P = 0.016) and hepatic dysfunction (OR = 5.88, P = 0.018) were risk factors for severe patients. Diabetic patients showed elevated BG in 61.7% of preprandial tests and 33.3% of postprandial tests, revealing the limited control of glycemia in COVID-19 patients. CONCLUSION A history of type 2 diabetes is correlated with invasive treatments and severe status. Suboptimal glycemic control and hepatic dysfunction have negative effects on severity status and may lead to the exacerbation of COVID-19 patients.
In this demo paper we present how to use the QuARS tool to extract variability information from requirements documents. The main functionality of QuARS is to detect ambiguity in Natural Language (NL) requirement documents. Ambiguity in requirements may be due to intentional or unintentional indication of possible variability; an ambiguity detecting tool can hence be useful to analysts and clients to figure the potential of a requirements document to describe a family of different products.
After the long debates on the safety of pertussis whole cell vaccines had finally been settled1 (they had been accused of causing severe brain damage in a subset of vaccinated infants and young children), new trouble recently arose with reports on the perceived side effects of immunisation.2-4   It was not enough that for almost two decades hundreds of thousands of children had to suffer unnecessarily from whooping cough and its complications after scares among lay persons and professionals fuelled by case reports and reports in the media on serious post immunisation illnesses. This led to under or non-use of the vaccine in many European countries, primarily Germany, …
The pandemic caused by the spread of SARS-CoV-2 has led to considerable interest in its evolutionary origin and genome structure. Here, we analyzed mutation patterns in 34 human SARS-CoV-2 isolates and a closely related RaTG13 isolated from Rhinolophus affinis (a horseshoe bat). We also evaluated the CpG dinucleotide contents in SARS-CoV-2 and other human and animal coronavirus genomes. Out of 1136 single nucleotide variations (~4% divergence) between human SARS-CoV-2 and bat RaTG13, 682 (60%) can be attributed to C>U and U>C substitutions, far exceeding other types of substitutions. An accumulation of C>U mutations was also observed in SARS-CoV2 variants that arose within the human population. Globally, the C>U substitutions increased the frequency of codons for hydrophobic amino acids in SARS-CoV-2 peptides, while U>C substitutions decreased it. In contrast to most other coronaviruses, both SARS-CoV-2 and RaTG13 exhibited CpG depletion in their genomes. The data suggest that C-to-U conversion mediated by C deamination played a significant role in the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. We hypothesize that the high frequency C>U transitions reflect virus adaptation processes in their hosts, and that SARS-CoV-2 could have been evolving for a relatively long period in humans following the transfer from animals before spreading worldwide.
The extent of human exposure to persistent anthropogenic environmental contaminants is a complex function of the amount of chemical emitted, its physico-chemical properties and reactivity, the nature of the environment, and the characteristics of the pathways for human exposure, such as inhalation, intake of food and water and dermal contact. For some chemicals, the location of emissions relative to areas of high population density or intense food production may also be an important factor. The relative importance of these variables is explored using the regionally segmented BETR North America contaminant fate model and data for food production patterns and population density for North America. The model is applied to four contaminants emitted to air: benzene, carbon tetrachloride, benzo[a]pyrene and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo dioxin. The total continental intake fraction (iF), relating exposure quantity to emission quantity, is employed as a metric for assessing population exposure to environmental contaminants. The results show that the use of continentally averaged parameters for population density and food production provides an accurate estimate of the median of iF calculated for emissions in individual regions, however iF can range from this median by up to 3 orders of magnitude, especially for chemicals transferred to humans through the food pathway. The location of population relative to food production and emissions of chemicals are important variables that should be considered in assessing the public health implications of chemical emissions.
A dialectical theory of development is concerned with short-term situational changes, e.g., in the dialogue between mother and child, and long-term developmental changes, e.g., in the career development of husband and wife. A dialectical theory deem-phasizes equilibrium or balance at which development is at rest; it emphasizes continuing changes brought about by inner and outer contradictions. These conflicts create asynchronies within or between any two of four dimensions of development; inner-biological, individual-psychological, cultural-sociological, outer-physical. Development aims at synchronizing progressions along different dimensions. Such an interpretation is closely comparable to orchestral arrangements (from classical music to jazz) rather than to physical theories of balances on which social psychologists and even cognitive developmental psychologists continue to rely.
Abstract Heat resistant chocolate (HRC) which can retain the desired texture and mouthfeel in tropical and subtropical climatic conditions has become a major research area in the chocolate industry. Liking of the chocolate products keeps on changing with the geographical conditions of the world due to the availability of ingredients from local resources and consumer’s taste preferences. The geographical changes also bring about the change in climatic conditions and as such no chocolates have been formulated to withstand the hot tropical or sub-tropical temperature conditions. Textural issues and various storage related problems faced due to meltability of chocolate in different countries has opened up a broad research field of sustainable HRC manufacturing. Over the years, there are broadly three different approaches (fat modification, sugar structure modification and innovative process approach) to develop the HRC and all these scientific approaches have given different scientific insights about improving the heat resistance characteristics and textural stability of chocolate. There is a lack or coordinated fundamental and applied research related to cocoa butter polymorphism, and thermal-textural issues during product development/storage. This review paper is an attempt to describe the different scientific approaches for developing HRC and how they affect the physical/sensory chocolate attributes.
Supported by grants from Telethon-Italy, grant no. E.546 to A.C., from TelethonItaly, grant no. E.526 and E.C. contracts BMH4-CT96-0338 and BMH4-CT961134 to M.D’U. and by grants from AIRC (Italian Association for Cancer Research) and Telethon-Italy, grant no. E.672 to M.R. The authors gratefully acknowledge Mrs. M. Terracciano and Mrs. A. Torino for excellent technical assistance and the Sequencing Unit Core of Area di Ricerca di Napoli, CNR where the sequencing was performed. M.D’E. and M.S. contributed equally to this work.
In recent years, freedom in design of composite microstructure has been improved because of the development of the manufacturing technology of various cross-sectional carbon fibers. Therefore, numerous candidates of composite microstructure must be considered for microscopic optimization of composite. To this end, this study develops mesh-free microscale simulation tool consisting of two kinds of computational techniques; homogenization method and extended finite element method (XFEM). For the evaluation of an effect of microstructure on the macroscopic mechanical and fracture properties, homogenization method was introduced. Additionally, the composite microstructure (i.e., fiber / matrix interface) is able to be modeled independently of the mesh by the XFEM. The proposed tool makes it possible to conduct comprehensive numerical investigation into various composite microstructures without remeshing.
Caesarean section is the most common surgical procedure in obstetrics, and its application is rising in the entire world. The aim of the present study was to compare the outcomes of traditional and Misgav-Ladach techniques in caesarean section. This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 186 cases of primary elective and emergency C-Section over 37 weeks of gestation in Imam Reza Hospital in 2010. The pregnant women were randomized into two groups: 1.traditional 2. Misgav-Ladach. Both groups were similar in terms of age and BMI. The major outcomes were studied duration of surgery, such as fetal extrusion time, blood loss during surgery, need for blood transfusion and analgesics, duration of bowel function restoration, persistent fever after surgery, use of antibiotics, endometritis and wound complications. Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test was used to evaluation of the normality of quantitative data. Variables with normal distribution were analyzed by using parametric test (independent t-test) and Variables with non-normal distribution were analyzed by using non-parametric (Man withny - U test). Chi-square and Fisher's test were used to determine the relationship between qualitative variables. The Misgav-Ladach group had significantly smaller duration of surgery, fetal extrusion time, antibiotics use, and length of hos- pital stay after surgery compared to the traditional group. This study showed that Misgav-Ladach technique can be used as a substitute for traditional methods in cases of elective or emergency C-Section.
Introduction: Transplant is the replacement with therapeutic purposes, of organs, tissues or cellular material for others, from a donor who is usually a human, alive or dead. In recent years, transplant organs have been developed by the advances that have occurred with immunosuppressive drugs and medical-surgical technology. Due to the frequency of transplants that are performed today, it is common to find these patients in dental clinics. Objectives: To review the literature on oral manifestations in transplant patients and general dental management and according to transplant organs (heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas and bone marrow). Material and Methods: For the literature review, we carried out a search in Pubmed / Medline database using limits and keywords according to the controlled vocabulary “Medical Subject Headings” (MeSH). We obtained a total of 30 articles (eight literature reviews, three randomized clinical trials, one cohort study, three case-control studies, eight clinical case series and seven cross-sectional studies). Results and discussion: We describe the most common oral manifestations in transplant patients (viral, bacterial and fungal infections, gingival enlargement secondary to drug therapy and higher risk in the development of oral malignancy) and the special dental management that should be carried out on these patients, generally and specifically according to the type of transplant.
BACKGROUND C-reactive protein (CRP) point-of-care testing (POCT) can be a valuable tool for decision making in primary care. Very few studies have illustrated the utilization of CRP POCT.   OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review on the use of CRP POCT in primary care settings and to examine its feasibility and acceptability in an outpatient primary care setting.   METHODS The search was conducted via PubMed. Final articles in the systematic review met inclusion and exclusion criteria. For the feasibility and acceptability analysis, a convenience sample of 20 adult subjects was enrolled and CRP POCT was conducted.   RESULTS Antibiotic prescription was the most predominant outcome assessed, and antibiotic prescription reduction was the most common finding of CRP POCT effectiveness testing.   CONCLUSION CRP POCT can be used to detect inflammation and can reduce antibiotic prescription in primary care. It is a satisfactory procedure that should be available in the primary care setting.
In order to solve the impact of the uneven settlement of the building on the construction process and safety evaluation of the building, this paper takes the building settlement as the monitoring object, and uses the non-equidistant GM (1, 1) model to construct the model, and applies it to the construction of a building. Settlement analysis. In addition, the prediction accuracy of the model is tested for the posterior error ratio and small probability error to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the model application.
An application of self-organizing neural-network maps is presented for real-time execution monitoring and diagnosing of robotic assembly. The self-organizing maps not only have the ability to spontaneously react to changes in dynamic assembly processes, but also to offer simplicity and feasibility for organizing diverse assembly interactions between tools, parts, robot, and sensory data. A number of different types of multidimensional maps are described for various combinations of assembly interactions.<<ETX>>
In this study, one hundred patients under 65 years of age, who were diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) between June 2008 to December 2015 were evaluated retrospectively. Diagnosis of the patients were based on WHO 2008 acute leukemia diagnosis criteria. One hundred AML patients were anlayzed on the basis of gender, , hemoglobin levels <10 and ≥ 10 g/dL and ECOG performans status < 2 and ≥ 2, blast count in bone marrow (BM) <%30 and ≥%30, auer body presence, cytogenetics, CD56, CD19, CD2, CD7, Tdt expression, morphological types and treatment response. 52% was male and mean age at diagnosis was 49 ± 11.4 (18-62) years. Response to induction therapy; complete response was 53%, non-response was 16% and death during the induction phase was 31%. At the end of the study analyses, 35% of patients was in remission and 65% was dead. A multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed gender (p= 0.038, HR= 0.568, 95% CI: 0.332-0.97), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels (p< 0.0001, HR= 1.00, 95% CI: 1.000-1.001), fibrinogen levels (p=0.003, HR=1.002, 95% CI: 1.001-1.004 ), BM fibrosis (p< 0.0001, HR= 4.098, 95% CI: 2.287-7.345), cytogenetic risk classification (p= 0.056, HR= 1.486, 95% CI: 0.990-2.231), fungal infection (p= 0.002, HR= 0.348, 95% CI: 0.179-0.677) as prognostic factors. Aberrant expression of CD2, CD7, CD19 and CD56 on AML cells were not a poor prognostic factor in this study. Gender, LDH levels, fibrinogen levels, cytogenetic risk classification, presence of fibrosis in BM and fungal infection was found to be independent risk factors on mortality in AML patients.
Retrospective review of patients' charts and other records was used to collect data on diagnoses, psychosocial characteristics, and subsequent suicide attempts of 45 patients who made contingent suicide threats, defined as threatened suicide or exaggerated suicidality reported to increase the likelihood of hospital admission, and 92 suicidal patients who did not make such threats. Patients who made contingent suicide threats were more likely to be substance dependent, antisocial, homeless, unmarried, and in legal difficulty. Subsequent suicide attempts were uncommon in both groups. The authors suggest that hospitalization should not be used as a substitute for social services, substance abuse treatment, and legal assistance for patients who make contingent suicide threats.
Some novel phenomena, which cannot be well explained by the traditional Bragg scattering theory, have been observed through the electromagnetic (EM) scattering from a water surface composed of two sinusoidal waves. According to the traditional Bragg scattering theory, the scattering intensity from water surface is only proportional to the spectral density of the Bragg resonant waves. However, the scattering field numerically simulated by the method of moment (MoM) method reveals that the resonant scattering field would also be affected by the amplitude of the non-resonant wave. In some special cases, despite the existence of the Bragg resonant waves, the Bragg resonant scattering field disappears when the amplitude of the non-resonant water wave is equal to some specific values. From the numerical results, another noticeable phenomenon is found that the Doppler spectrum of the scattering field is distorted seriously due to the frequency leakage. When the water surface with finite length is illuminated by a plane EM wave, not only the resonance spectral peaks corresponding to the phase velocity of the water wave but also other harmonic peaks appear on the spectrum curve. However, if a Gaussian beam is used instead of the plane EM wave, the harmonic peaks can be effectively suppressed. To better understand the phenomena, the theoretical model of the scattering field from the simple water surface is derived in the framework of the first-order small slope approximation method. And the empirical formulas for selecting the Gaussian beam width and water surface length are also proposed.
Our study was designed to examine whether the pain reliever acetaminophen impacts the normal ebb-and-flow of off-task attentional states, such as captured by the phenomenon of mind wandering. In a placebo-controlled between-groups design, participants performed a sustained attention to response task while event-related potentials (ERPs) to target events were recorded. Participants were queried at random intervals for their attentional reports – either “on-task” or “off-task.” The frequency of these reports and the ERPs generated by the preceding target events were assessed. Behaviorally, the frequency of off-task attentional reports was comparable between groups. Electrophysiologically, two findings emerged: first, the amplitude of the P300 ERP component elicited by target events was significantly attenuated during off-task vs. on-task attentional states in both the acetaminophen and placebo groups. Second, the amplitude of the LPP ERP component elicited by target events showed a significant decrease during off-task attentional states that was specific to the acetaminophen group. Taken together, our findings support the conclusion that acetaminophen doesn’t impact our relative propensity to drift into off-task attentional states, but it does affect the depth of neurocognitive disengagement during off-task attentional states, and in particular, at the level of post-categorization stimulus evaluations indexed by the LPP.
An iterative approach is proposed in this paper to stabilize a collection of linear systems with limited communication. Each linear system is viewed as a user on an idealized shared network which grants access only to a few users at a time. Sufficient conditions on the existence of network allocation sequences that preserve the stability of the collection are developed. The main idea of the iterative approach is that the controllers are designed to make full use of the old information to stabilize the entire collection when the network channel is not available for some of the system members. Simulated examples are presented to illustrate the proposed approach.
1. Changes in membrane potential and conductance were measured in on‐centre and off‐centre ganglion cells during the responses to illumination of different portions of the receptive field. 2. In on‐centre ganglion cells the sustained depolarizing response to steady illumination of the receptive field centre was associated with a net increase in conductance. In the presence of centre illumination, stimulation of the surround with an annulus of light caused a hyperpolarization and a net decrease in conductance, and the reversal potential of the light‐evoked response was shifted in a negative direction. In the absence of centre illumination the same annular stimulus caused a hyperpolarization and a net increase in conductance. 3. In off‐centre ganglion cells the sustained hyperpolarizing response to centre illumination was associated with a net increase in conductance. In the presence of centre illumination, stimulation of the surround with an annulus caused a depolarization and a net decrease in conductance, and the reversal potential of the light‐evoked response was shifted in a positive direction. In the absence of centre illumination the same annulus caused a depolarization and a net increase in conductance. 4. The results indicate that illumination of the receptive field surround can affect both the excitatory and inhibitory sustained inputs to a given ganglion cell in a 'push‐pull' manner, by decreasing the synaptic input that was increased by centre illumination and increasing the synaptic input of opposite sign. The relative effect of a given surround illumination on these two inputs, and hence the sign and magnitude of the net conductance change, varied with the amount of centre illumination.
Aims and background We designed the present study to observe CD44s and CD44v6 expressions in colorectal cancer and evaluate their clinical value. Methods CD44s and CD44v6 expression in colorectal cancer tissues were examined by an immunohistochemical test. Survival analysis was performed with the Kaplan-Meier method, and the differences between the CD44-positive and -negative groups were evaluated with the logrank test. Results The positive rates of CD44s and CD44v6 were 66.7% and 63.2%, respectively. There were significant associations between CD44s positive expression and Dukes’ stage or tumor differentiation. There were significant associations between CD44v6 positive expression and tumor differentiation, Dukes’ stage and lymph node metastasis. There was a significant difference in the 5-year survival rates between CD44v6-positive and CD44v6-negative groups (52.78% and 80.95%, respectively), but not between CD44s-positive and CD44s-negative groups (55.26% and 78.95%, respectively). Multivariate analysis indicated that CD44v6 positive expression predicts a poor prognosis. Conclusions CD44s and CD44v6 play important roles in the infiltration and metastasis of colorectal cancer. CD44v6 positive expression can be a predictor for a poor prognosis.
Malaria, one of the most widespread and deadly infectious diseases continues to kill over 1 million people every year. This scenario is getting even worse as P. falciparum develops resistance to existing drugs. Thus, there is an imperative need for novel and more effective antimalarials. Farnesyltransferase (PFT) appears to be a promising therapeutic target to development of antimalarial drugs and many analogs of PFT inhibitors have proved active against P. falciparum. In order to shed some light on the structure-activity relationships of 192 tetrahydroquinoline and ethylenediamine derivatives that are active against P.falciparum, exploratory analysis as well as classical and hologram QSAR strategies were employed. No global QSAR could be developed for the whole dataset, instead local QSAR models were developed for 118 compounds (classical QSAR r2=0.78, q2=0.75, r2 pred= 0.77 with 2 PCs; HQSAR r2=0.82, q2=0.72, r2 pred= 0.79 with 3 PCs) and 74 compounds (r2=0.79, q2=0.74, r2 pred= 0.57 with 2PCs; r2=0.86, q2=0.77, r2 pred= 0.75 with 4 PCs) using partial least square (PLS) regression. Furthermore, the careful and integrated analysis of contribution maps and regression vector suggest that these inhibitors might have dissimilar requirements to their biological activity.
Background: A common procedure for the diagnosis of hyperbilirubinemia is the total investigation of total serum bilirubin (TSB); however, this procedure is invasive for neonates. For two decades, transcutaneous bilirubin (TCB) was used as a non-invasive and painless method to assess bilirubin. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the accuracy of TCB versus TSB before and after phototherapy. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study included 85 neonates. Neonates were selected by convenience sampling methods. Neonates had a normal birth weight and physiological jaundice; having no need for blood transfusions. Data were collected using a BiliChek device (APEL, Japan). The researcher, before phototherapy and simultaneously by checking the TSB, pressed the BiliChek three consecutive times in the middle of the neonate’s forehead and then, recorded the results. The correlation between TCB and TSB were determined before and after phototherapy. Pearson, t-test, and ROC were used by SPSS v.18 for analysis data. Results: There was a strong correlation between the TCB and the TSB in neonates weighing 3001 to 4000g before phototherapy (r = 0.74, P < 0.001). Although, there was a low correlation between the TCB and the TSB in these neonates after phototherapy (r = 0.40, P > 0.05), the cut-off value of bilirubin was 6 8 mg/dL. The sensitivity was (100%) and specificity was 90% for bilirubin at the levels of 6.7 mg/dL. Conclusions: TCB procedure can be a reliable alternative to the TSB, especially in the initiation of phototherapy with bilirubin levels of 6 8 mg/dL. However, it is not a device with a high accuracy after phototherapy.
Whole-body scans with 99Tcm-Sn polyphosphate were performed on four patients suffering from hyperparathyroidism. Two of the patients were investigated twice, at intervals of five and eight months. A variety of unusual but symmetrical images were obtained, not always confined to the skeleton. It is suggested that in conditions of renal failure the radiopharmaceutical may be avidly accumulated on first passage by calcifying areas in the soft tissues. Deteriorating blood supply to the bones reduces uptake of 99Tcm in the the skeleton.
Nutritive deprivation, suckling deprivation, gastronintestinal fill, and milk availability contribute to the control of sucking (as measured by jaw-muscle electromyograph) and ingestion of milk (provided via a tongue cannula) in 11-13-day-old rat pups. Depriving pups of the opportunity to suckle reliably increases subsequent sucking and milk intake. Intraoral delivery of milk also increases sucking, regardless of whether or not pups are suckling-deprived. Gastrointestinal preloads have no effect on sucking if pups are not receiving milk, but reliably block the increase in sucking which accompanies milk delivery. Finally, milk delivered to the pup's mouth prior to a suckling opportunity can either enhance or attenuate subsequent sucking depending on whether pups are allowed to consume milk while suckling. In all cases, a particular mode of sucking ("rhythmic" sucking) is most affected by experimental manipulation, and appears to be an important component of the pup's ingestive behavior.
THE LABORATORY PROCEDURE DESCRIBED IS AS FOLLOWS: AN UNDISTURBED SPECIMEN IS PLACED IN A TRIAXIAL CELL AND RECONSOLIDATED TO A VERTICAL STRESS EQUAL TO THE IN- SITU VERTICAL EFFECTIVE STRESS AND A HORIZONTAL STRESS OF APPROXIMATELY 0.35-0.4 TIMES THE VERTICLE, I.E., A VALUE LOWER THAN THAT LIKELY TO EXIST IN-SITU, BUT SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO PREVENT FAILURE OF THE SPECIMEN. THE LATTER IS SUBJECTED TO A SERIES OF RELATIVELY SMALL INCREMENTS OF HORIZONTAL STRESS. THE VERTICAL STRESS REMAINING UNCHANGED. THE VOLUME CHANGE RESULTING FROM THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE SPECIMEN UNDER EACH INCREMENT IS MEASURED. A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF INCREMENTS SHOULD BE USED SO THAT STRESS CONDITIONS AFTER THE FINAL INCREMENT ARE AT LEAST HYDROSTATIC. AFTER THE TEST A PLOT IS MADE OF MOISTURE CONTENT (OR VOLUME CHANGE) VERSUS HORIZONTAL EFFECTIVE STRESS ON THE SAMPLE. RESULTS ARE PRESENTED OF TESTS ON KAOLIN AND CLAY SAMPLES. /TRRL/
The optimality of the one-bug-look-ahead (OLA) software release policy proposed in Morali, N. and Soyer, R. (2003) for a non- Kalman filter type of software reliability growth model (SRGM) is disproved in Jiang, X., et al., (2007). The remaining question - what is the optimal policy - is answered in this paper. It turns out that the optimal policy has a control-limit structure similar to OLA, but is not as impatient. A key step in the research is the identification of a Markov structure implied in the Bayesian updating mechanism which in turn reduces the optimal stopping formulation to an easily solvable Markov decision problem. A numerical example based on the NTDS data is included for illustration.
Objective  To analyze the digital radiography(DR), CT, and MRI manifestations and clinical and pathologic features of skeleton Rosai-Dorfman disease(RDD) to improve the understanding of the disease.      Methods  Two cases of skeleton RDD were analyzed retrospectively with a review of the literature on skeletal RDD.      Results  Two patients were examined before operation. One case had multiple lesions of long and flat bones on DR film, characterized by intramedullary and lytic lesion without periosteal reaction and cortical destruction or soft tissue involvement. Several lesions showed heterogeneous density. The other case had a singly lytic lesion of the cranial bone on CT image, characterized by a clear boundary and homogeneous density. T1WI and T2WI showed moderate signals, with a high signal on diffusion-weighted imaging and significantly enhanced on Gd-DTPA T1WI. The adjacent scalp and the meninges were also affected.      Conclusions  Radiologically, most lesions are lytic and centrally located in the medullary cavity, infrequent with sclerotic borders or periosteal reaction. Cortical disruption or soft-tissue proliferation is rarely observed in the long bone, with a slight predilection in the cranial bone. The radiological features of skeletal RDD are not pathognomonic, so it must be differentiated with other diseases.      Key words:  Rosai-Dorfman disease; Skeleton; Digital radiography; Tomography, X-ray computed; Magnetic resonance imaging
Immunocytochemical localization of glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-PO) in the stomach was studied in rats under the following experimental conditions; 1) normal untreated 2) histamine-administration 3) atropine-administration in order to clarify the role of GSH-PO. In normal untreated group, GSH-PO was mainly observed in the central part of the gland. At higher magnification, GSH-PO was diffusely distributed in the pyramidal or oval-shaped cytoplasm. Intracellular localization of GSH-PO was predominantly observed in the cytoplasm of the
Infection is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in end-stage renal disease patients. Unintentional pathogens are introduced into an immunocompromised host during hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis by means of the access (arteriovenous fistula, arteriovenous graft, central venous catheter, or peritoneal dialysis catheter). Gram positive organisms are most common with Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococcus predominating. Preventive measures are mandatory and the key to decreasing infection rates.
International civil aviation strives to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) is an alternative for such purpose. However, for an alternative fuel to be considered SAF, some conditions must be met, and production must be certified for sustainability. This paper presents an assessment of the necessary conditions for the sustainable production of these biofuels in Brazil. It is based on a geospatial publicly available database (SAFmaps) that was built with the aim of providing information to stakeholders who would be interested in the production of SAF. The geographic scope corresponds to an area that is about half of the country. The case studies reported in this paper are related to four crop-based feedstocks (eucalyptus, soybean, sugarcane, and corn), which could be used for SAF production, according to three certified routes (FT, HEFA, and ATJ) (Fischer–Tropsch, Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids and Alcohol to Jet); in total, six potential production sites were assessed. For each crop, the detailed assessment is based on estimates of suitability for biomass production, yields, and costs. The assumptions made allowed us to explicitly analyse the risk of deforestation (production could only occur with displacement of pastures) and the necessary preservation of sensitive biomes and of legally protected areas, in addition to observing the restrictive conditions imposed by CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation). To reduce GHG emissions, transporting biomass over long distances was assumed to be only by rail or pipeline. In addition, we address alternatives to minimise the risks associated with induced land-use change (iLUC) and to reduce impacts on the landscape. The results show that the production of SAF through the ATJ route, using ethanol produced from sugarcane and corn, requires less land. Economic assessment was outside the scope of this paper.
Outcome for pediatric patients with recurrent sarcomas remains poor. Therefore, understanding mechanisms that lead to drug resistance and ways to overcome drug resistance therapeutically are essential. Recent reports have suggested a role for the Hedgehog signaling pathway and its downstream mediator GLI1 in acquisition of a multidrug resistance phenotype in esophageal adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma, and myeloid leukemia. Since GLI1 is expressed in the majority of RMS and EWS cases, we hypothesized that GLI1 up-regulation occurs as cells become drug resistant in vitro and in vivo. We established vincristine (VCR) resistant RMS cell lines (Embryonal RMS: RD, Ruch-2; Alveolar RMS: Rh30, Rh41) by serial exposure to increasing concentrations of VCR. Drug-resistance was defined as an IC50 of ≥30 fold of the baseline that was established using parental cells. In addition, we obtained EWS cell lines, representing untreated cases (CHLA-9 and TC-32) and cases following recurrence (CHLA-258 and TC-71). We used an 86-gene cancer drug resistance PCR array (Qiagen), to characterize gene expression differences between the parental vs. VCR-resistant RMS cells lines and between the untreated and recurrent EWS cell lines. GLI1 expression was significantly increased (p≤0.05) in VCR-resistant alveolar RMS cell lines (Rh30 [2.3 fold], and Rh41 [10.3 fold]) compared with parental cells. Expression of 2 additional genes (MDR1 [13,307 fold in Rh30 and 1,755 fold in Rh41 cells] and MVP [2.4 fold in Rh30 and 8.8 fold in Rh41]) was also significantly up-regulated in these cells. Gel mobility shifts showed interaction of GLI1 with the MVP promoter, and cotransfection assays showed that GLI1 up-regulates reporter gene expression through the MVP promoter. GLI1 expression was significantly up-regulated in Ruch-2 embryonal RMS cells (2 fold). We also showed higher GLI1 expression in recurrent EWS cell lines (TC-71 [3.4 fold] and CHLA-258 [4.8 fold]) compared with untreated CHLA-9 cells. Expression of 1 additional gene (androgen receptor [11.1 fold in CHLA-258 cells and 274.6 fold in TC-71 cells]) was also significantly up-regulated in CHLA-258 and TC-71 cells. Treatment of VCR-resistant UKF Rhb-1 RMS cells with VCR together with either GANT61 or Cpd#33 (GLI1 inhibitors) significantly decreased cell viability by MTT assay at doses that did not reduce cell viability individually. Our results suggest that GLI1 up-regulation contributes to development of drug-resistance in RMS and EWS and that GLI1-inhibitors may reduce multidrug resistance. Citation Format: Joon Won Yoon, Iris Smith, Sumeed Manzoor, Marilyn Lamm, Philip Iannaccone, David Walterhouse. Up-regulation of GLI1 expression in drug resistant rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and Ewing sarcoma (EWS) cell lines [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3178.
ABSTRACT This review points out the dangers of taking Jonathan Israel's volumes on the Enlightenment as a new framework for Enlightenment studies. Despite Israel's claim in Enlightenment contested to have historicized our understanding of the Enlightenment, his modus operandi is fundamentally unhistorical, and the result is a presentist interpretation with an oversimplified classification of thinkers into ‘radical’ and ‘moderate’ camps. The review suggests more effective ways to make a truly historicized Enlightenment present for us now, especially by devoting more attention to the literary and rhetorical properties of Enlightenment texts.
ABSTRACT This article presents a tool and discusses the rationale for the authors’ development of a tool designed to assess the alignment of culturally responsive schooling principles within schools serving predominantly U.S. Indigenous students. Schools that serve a majority of Indigenous students are generally located on or bordering Native Nations that are federally recognized as being sovereign Nations with a government-to-government relationship to the federal government, so the more generic diversity, equity, and inclusion tools that currently exist are insufficient for the unique contexts of schools in Indian Country. Thus, we offer a tool that can be used to identify and strengthen the integration of culturally responsive principles specifically for, with, and in Indigenous-serving schools.
We report results on the analysis of eleven new Milky Way open cluster candidates, recently discovered from the detection of stellar overdensities in the Vector Point diagram, by employing extreme deconvolution Gaussian mixture models. We treated these objects as real open clusters and derived their fundamental properties with their associated intrinsic dispersions by exploring the parameter space through the minimization of likelihood functions on generated synthetic colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). The intrinsic dispersions of the resulting ages turned out to be much larger than those usually obtained for open clusters. Indeed, they resemble those of ages and metallicities of composite star ﬁeld populations. We also traced their stellar number density proﬁles and mass functions, derived their total masses, Jacobi and tidal radii, which helped us as criteria while assessing their physical nature as real open clusters. Because the eleven candidates show a clear gathering of stars in the proper motion plane and some hint for similar distances, we concluded that they are possibly sparse groups of stars.
Aging is associated with hypertension and electrolyte disturbances. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of aging upon secretion and renal actions of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). Rats were anesthetized and received tracheal, jugular vein, carotid artery, and bilateral uretheral catheterization. One set of young (2-3 mo) rats (Group 2, n = 9) and one set of old (18-21 mo) rats (Group 4, n = 7) received bilateral atrial appendectomies. Control young (Group 1, n = 8) and old (Group 3, n = 8) rats received a sham appendectomy. All rats were infused (iv) with 6% albumin in Krebs buffer, sufficient to increase blood volume by 15%. Finally, each rat was injected with ANP (1 microgram/kg). Sodium excretion rate (U(Na+)V) in response to volume expansion was significantly decreased in all groups compared to Group 1 (young control, p < .05). All groups demonstrated a striking increase in U(Na+)V with the ANP injection, but the response was greatest in young control rats when factored by body weight (p < .05). There were no significant differences in MAP between the groups, suggesting that the differences in U(Na+)V observed were not the result of hemodynamic factors. Isolated perfused atria from young (n = 9) and old (n = 8) rats were subjected to stretch and endothelin stimulation (50 nM). Atria from young rats showed a dramatic increase in ANP secretion in response to atrial stretch and a further marked increase in secretion in response to endothelin, whereas both of these responses were markedly attenuated in old rats (p < .05). These results suggested that the secretion and renal effects of ANP are impaired in aging. Changes in secretion and actions of ANP in aging could contribute to the development of hypertension or heart failure.
Abstract The low-charge dioctahedral 2:1 phyllosilicates are an important group of clay minerals that have a low degree of cation substitution and very weak interlayer interatomic interactions which are difficult to reproduce with quantum mechanical calculations. In order to study the crystallographic properties of these compounds with density functional theory (DFT) quantum mechanical methods, an optimization of norm-conserving pseudopotentials of Al, Si, O, H and Na atoms has been carried out, and an optimization of the cutoff radii of the basis sets has been accomplished. Crystallographic properties and vibrational stretching frequencies of the OH groups, ν(OH), have been calculated, being consistent with previous computational and experimental results. All frequencies can be related to the different molecular environment of the OH groups. The effect of octahedral Fe3+ substitution on the ν(OH) frequency is reproduced. Several configurations of cation substitutions and interlayer cation (IC) positions are studied in low-charge dioctahedral 2:1 phyllosilicates, such as Al4(Si7-xAlx)O20(OH)4Nax, with x = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75, indicating that the IVAl3+ is highly dispersed and the IC tends to be in the substituted ditrigonal hole. For the Al4(Si7Al)O20(OH)4Na composition, the trans-vacant form is more stable than the cis-vacant one.
Mediation strategies are deployed when people use translation, interpreting, lingua francas, intercomprehension, language learning, or any combination of these to communicate in situations where there is more than one language in play. Such choices can be seen as enacting trade-offs between the goals of mobility (across geolinguistic borders) and inclusion (primarily into labor markets and government services). Mediation strategies are nevertheless selected in accordance with complex sets of criteria by which they are evaluated and compared in each particular situation. Case studies suggest that, if seen as performative language policy, the strategies tend to give more priority to social inclusion than to language diversity. They might thus constitute a challenge to some approaches to official language policy.
Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown promising anti-tumor activity in multiple malignances including breast cancer. However, the responses can vary. This meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of adding ICIs to neoadjuvant chemotherapy against triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and assess correlation of PD-L1 tumor status with responses. Methods Eligible studies were retrieved from the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated ICI-containing versus ICI-free neoadjuvant therapy were included in this study. Meta-analyses were performed using Review Manager Version 5.2 software. Results This study included four RCTs containing 1795 patients with early TNBC. Compared with ICI-free neoadjuvant therapy, ICI-containing neoadjuvant therapy significantly increased the pathological complete response (pCR) rates in TNBC (odds ratio [OR] = 2.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37–3.35, P < 0.001). In subgroup analysis, the addition of ICI to neoadjuvant chemotherapy was significantly associated with increased pCR rate in both PD-L1-positive TNBC (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.33–2.41, P < 0.001) and PD-L1-negative TNBC (OR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.14–2.99, P = 0.01). Patients with TNBC receiving ICI-containing neoadjuvant therapy had a better event-free survival (hazard ratio = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.48–0.89, P = 0.007) than those who receiving ICI-free neoadjuvant therapy. A significantly higher risk of adverse events including adrenal insufficiency, increased aspartate aminotransferase, dry skin, hepatitis, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, infusion related reaction, pyrexia, and stomatitis was associated with ICI-containing neoadjuvant therapy. Conclusion ICI-containing neoadjuvant therapy significantly increased the pCR rate in TNBC patients, independently of PD-L1 status. The addition of ICI to neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be considered an option for TNBC patients.
Both light intensity and spectral quality are known to affect plant growth and development. However, studies dealing with the effect of these light parameters on root and shoot development of ornamental cuttings are limited. The aim of this investigation was to test the effects of light intensity and spectral quality on the root and shoot development of Calibrachoa 'MiniFamous Neo Royal Blue' cuttings. Five spectral treatments at two irradiation levels (40 and 80 µmol m-2 s-1) were used: red (660 nm), blue (440 nm), white (400-700 nm) as well as a mixture of all these spectra and a high pressure sodium lamp (HPS) as control. Experiments were conducted in climate controlled growth chambers to exclude natural sunlight. For each treatment, shoot and root length was determined and their respective dry weight measured. In addition, leaf area was determined. Calibrachoa propagated under blue LEDs had greater shoot elongation and leaf area compared to other lighting treatments. The total root length of the blue and mix LED treatments were similar, while the highest results were achieved under the white LED treatment at 80 µmol m-2 s-1. Root dry weight was the highest under HPS lamps and mix LED treatments. The HPS treatment had a higher dry weight and a higher root length than all treatments. The results support both spectral quality and intensity influence shoot and root development of Calibrachoa cuttings. However, the best cutting quality in terms of visual appearance was obtained in treatments with white LEDs and a mixture of all available wavelengths. In further studies an optimized light recipe could be developed for production in multilayer systems.
www.ccnonline.org CriticalCareNurse Vol 38, No. 3, JUNE 2018 13 I recently had to say a difficult goodbye to a longstanding, dear and trusted friend who my immediate family members and I have known for nearly 4 decades. During that time, this man tended to our health care needs ranging from the negligible or annoying to lifethreatening and terminal; ordered and interpreted innumerable screening and diagnostic test results; wrote referrals to necessary specialists; investigated the history and course of each health problem; provided treatments, therapies, and starting doses of medications; offered explanations that helped us understand and participate effectively in our care; asked and answered hundreds of questions; allayed our concerns whenever possible; communicated both encouraging and crushing prognoses with compassion and concern; ran from his office to help transfer my husband into a wheelchair when his health was acutely failing; and made time in his filled schedule to examine and treat any of us when we needed his care. His letter to patients announcing his imminent retirement was filled with expressions of gratitude to those he served for 45 years. At his retirement party, as hundreds of his appreciative patients shared our sadness at his departure from our lives, we were not surprised to learn that many of us remained in his care at great financial cost, as he did not participate in their health insurance network, and that others drove long distances to remain his patients despite moving from the area. Although he is now my retired primary care provider, I will always remember him with deep appreciation as our family doctor, the embodiment of a competent, compassionate, patientand family-centered health care provider. His successor, a woman I met with briefly, seems to be an extremely personable, experienced and capable physician, though she is not him, so it will take many years before she could possibly rise to the same beloved status. We all wish her, and ourselves, well. So why am I relating this story about my primary care provider passing the torch from a male physician trusted for decades to a relatively unknown female physician? To be quite honest, I had never given any thought to the sex of my health care providers until recently, when I noted findings from a study that suggested that women make better physicians than men. Given my personal circumstances and curiosity, that seemed worthy of investigating further. I will share a brief background on the issue, provide a synopsis of the study and its findings, and offer some reflections on that assertion.
The electrical conductivities of solutions of salts (KCl, NaCl, KBr, NaBr, NaI, KI, and LiBr) in glycerol have been measured at three concentrations (approximately 0.01, 0.1, and 0.3 M) at 25 °C and at other temperatures from (3.37 to 42.24) °C in the case of KCl and NaCl. Values of the molar conductivity at infinite dilution were obtained by extrapolation using the conductance equation of Onsager. Using previously measured transference numbers for KCl and NaCl in glycerol, values of limiting Walden products for the individual alkali-metal and halide ions in glycerol have been derived and compared with those in aqueous and other alcohol solutions. The values for glycerol were the largest so far measured. The limiting ion conductivities, λ∞, obtained from experimental data were compared with those calculated applying the Boyd−Zwanzig theory. A modified Walden rule, Λ∞ηp = constant, is suggested as applicable in glycerol, the exponent p being less than unity and having a value down to 0.9. Finally, the temp...
Ferricyanide, [Fe III (CN) 6 ] 3- , is an anthropogenic and potentially toxic contaminant in soil. Its adsorption on goethite has been previously studied, but not evaluated with a surface complexation model (SCM) considering the effects of pH and ionic strength. Therefore, we carried out batch experiments with ferricyanide and goethite suspensions with different ferricyanide concentrations (0.075 mM and 0.15 mM), ionic strengths (0.01 and 0.1 M), and pH (ranging from 4 to 7.4). Adsorption data were then interpreted with the 1-pK Stern and the charge distribution model assuming monodentate inner-sphere ferricyanide surface complexes on goethite (Ig K = 10.6), which are known from infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, we applied the SCM to ferricyanide adsorption in previous studies on ferricyanide adsorption in the presence of sulfate and on the solubility of Fe-cyanide complexes in a suspension of a loess loam. The SCM correctly reflected ferricyanide adsorption in the batch experiments as well as the effects of pH and ionic strength. The SCM also described ferricyanide adsorption in the presence of sulfate, because the ferricyanide adsorption measured and that modeled were significantly correlated (R 2 = 0.80). Furthermore, we applied the SCM to a study on the solubility of Fe-cyanide complexes in soil under varying redox conditions so that ferricyanide adsorption on goethite and precipitation of Fe-cyanide complexes were considered. The actual ferricyanide concentrations were rather reflected when applying the SCM compared to those modeled in an approach in which exclusively precipitation was taken into account. We conclude that ferricyanide adsorption on goethite should be included into geochemical modeling approaches on the mobility of Fe-cyanide complexes in subsoils.
ABSTRACT New technology by ICA for chemical generation of carbon dioxide (CO2) was evaluated in olfactometer and large outdoor cage tests against laboratory-reared Aedes aegypti for potential use in mosquito surveillance programs. The proprietary CO2 generation system consists of a poly-Tyvek® sachet containing 2 solid ingredients. Activated sachets immediately react to generate and release predictable levels of CO2 over time. In noncompetitive olfactometer studies, a freshly activated sachet attracted an average ± SE of 96.6 ± 0.9% of the available mosquitoes compared with 20.2 ± 6.5% for 5 ml/min CO2 released from a compressed gas cylinder. In competitive tests, the sachet attracted 92.4 ± 1.2% compared with 0.9 ± 0.5% for the compressed gas. In the olfactometer, aged sachets attracted >90% of the available mosquitoes up to 8 h and ca. 27% 1 wk after activation. In the large outdoor cages, traps baited with activated sachets captured 2.2–5.4 times as many mosquitoes as unbaited traps, depending on time of testing after activation.
It is well known that the Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) capacitor device can be a match circuit or a noise filter in RF circuit and be a loading device in digital circuit. The MIM capacitor devices are becoming most popular structures that have been massively used in system circuit designs to perform capacitors in IC and PCB processes. Because the characteristics of system will be changed and electrical performances will be impaired if large deformations or stresses are resulted in MIM capacitor device, the concerns of reliability for MIM capacitor devices are important issues. The critical stresses in MIM capacitor device may induce the phenomenon of interface delamination. For the purpose of realizing the stress distributions in MIM capacitor device, the finite element analysis (FEA) is adopted. The highly accelerated stress testing (HAST) of reliability test is also employed. The reliability test results show that the delamination occurs along the Si3N4 layer. Through FEA simulation results, the maximum stress is found to take place at the layer of Si3N4 or its corresponding interfaces. These stress concentration areas are critical places to be fractured, which are well agreed with the results of reliability test. Moreover, to have better geometric parameters in MIM capacitor device to reduce the critical stresses, the designs of experiments (DOE) analysis is also used. This study is expected to be useful design guidelines to prevent the delamination in MIM capacitor device.
The hypervolume contribution is an important concept in hypervolume-based evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithms. It describes the loss of the hypervolume when a solution is removed from the current population. Since its calculation is #P-hard in the number of objectives, its approximation is necessary for many-objective optimization problems. Recently, an R2-based hypervolume contribution approximation method was proposed. This method relies on a set of direction vectors for the approximation. However, the influence of different direction vector generation methods on the approximation quality has not been studied yet. This paper aims to investigate this issue. Five direction vector generation methods are investigated, including Das and Dennis's method (DAS), unit normal vector method (UNV), JAS method, maximally sparse selection method with DAS (MSS-D), and maximally sparse selection method with UNV (MSS-U). Experimental results suggest that the approximation quality strongly depends on the direction vector generation method. The JAS and UNV methods show the best performance whereas the DAS method shows the worst performance. The reasons behind the results are also analyzed.
This article reviews the reasons for a status report on social history, including an apparent pause in the "cultural turn" and an imminent shift in scholarly leadership. It reviews the current state of some of the classical issues in social history, such as the relationship to political history, periodization and the role in teaching and public presentation. Continued expansion of the topical range of social history includes growing collaboration with focused social science inquiry, in areas like crime or drinking, as the excitement of the field persists. Sociohistorical work in various areas of the world provides a springboard for new comparative and regional analysis, one of the clear challenges for the future.
Purpose: More than 3.5 million Syrians came to Turkey seeking refuge and over 470,000 Syrian infants were born since the start of the civil war in 2011. Our aim is to compare the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) between Syrian refugees and Turkish citizens. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study was conducted in Gaziantep University, Faculty of Medicine and Gaziantep Children's Hospital in Turkey. We included the data of patients who were screened for ROP between July 2015 and June 2017. Results: The above-mentioned data of 906 Turkish infants and 199 Syrian infants were included in this study. Mean gestational ages (GAs) were (32.9 ± 2.7) and (32.1 ± 2.8) weeks as well as mean birth weights (BWs) were (1937.5 ± 582.9) and (1696.8 ± 485.5) g, in Turkish and Syrian infants, respectively. GA and BW were significantly lower in Syrian infants while time spent in neonatal intensive care unit was significantly higher. The zone of ROP was lower in the Syrian infants in the first examination and for the most advanced ROP (P = 0.001). Any stage ROP was present in 392 (43.3%) and 81 (40.7%) patients in Turkish and Syrian population, respectively (P = 0.490). The number of patients who required treatment for ROP were 95 (10.5%) and 20 (10.1%) in Turkish and Syrian groups, respectively (P = 0.882). Conclusion: Our findings showed that refugee infants had lower BW and GA than native population but the incidence of ROP did not differ between them. Psychosocial stress is an important risk factor for women at reproductive age as it increases the incidence of prematurity. Additional care and psychological support must be given to refugees during perinatal period to decrease the risk of premature birth.
A study protocol is described by means of which useful and pertinent information on possible alterations of pharmacokinetic parameters due to pregnancy can be investigated. Whenever any drug is prescribed to a pregnant woman for medical reasons, pharmacokinetic data for that drug can be obtained by determination of drug levels in urine, plasma or serum, or other possible tissues. The same data should later be obtained for an identical dose of the same drug given to the same woman after pregnancy. By comparing pharmacokinetic parameters in the same woman during pregnancy and after when she serves as her own nonpregnant control clinically and statistically significant differences may be discovered with a comparatively small patient material. As in each case the drug that is studied is prescribed for medical reasons, this protocol involves no undue risks for the pregnant woman or the fetus.
Multicell cooperative processing (MCP) has been recognised as an efficient technique for increasing spectral efficiency of future cellular systems. However the provided benefits come at the cost of increased overhead and computational complexity; Mobile Stations (MSs) need to feed back to their assigned Base Station (BS) their local channel state information (CSI) which in turn needs to be transmitted to the Control Unit that coordinates the cooperating BSs. Furthermore user data needs to be routed to and from all cooperating BSs on the downlink and uplink respectively. Therefore in order for the overhead to be affordable, it is admitted that cooperating BSs shall be organised in clusters of a limited size. Nevertheless, it is still crucial that CSI feedback and inter-base information exchange be reduced. In this paper linear precoding is considered with the target of overhead minimisation of the downlink. A novel technique is proposed which allows MSs not to feed back the channel coefficients related to the cluster BSs that provide weak channel quality. This is shown to provide a good trade-off between performance and overhead.
Background Although endovascular interventions for peripheral artery disease (PAD) have become increasingly common, they are associated with a significant rate of restenosis. An improved understanding of the risk factors for restenosis is needed to guide the management of patients with PAD. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 101 patients with PAD, to determine the association between clinical predictors, novel imaging measures of vascular function of the femoral artery [intima-media thickness, diameter, and intima-media cross-sectional area, change in diameter (delta diameter), average expansion and average contraction], and risk of reintervention. Univariable and multivariable associations between clinical and imaging measures and the need for reintervention were assessed using logistic regression. The predictive accuracy of the selected regression model and added predictive value of imaging measures were assessed using the area under the Receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The added predictive value of ultrasound was assessed by comparing AUC of the selected model with clinical parameters alone with that of the same model with additional ultrasound parameters. Results Of the 101 patients with PAD, 20 underwent recent multiple reinterventions. Vessel diameter was statistically significantly smaller in the group who underwent multiple reinterventions, p = 0.0170. Univariate logistic regression revealed that smoking status, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and chronic renal insufficiency were clinical parameters that met the statistical cut point of p ≤ 0.20. In the multivariable model, chronic renal insufficiency status (odds ratio (OR) = 8.27, 1.17–58.25), hypertension (OR = 0.145, 0.020–1.062), and femoral artery diameter (OR = 0.375, 0.136–1.031) remained important predictors for reintervention. The AUC for the clinical multivariable logistic regression model was 0.7481 while that for the model additionally including the ultrasound parameters was 0.8325 (p = 0.044). Conclusions Including ultrasound parameters in the risk prediction model for restenosis improved the ability to predict restenosis in this group of patients with known PAD. Further study is needed to define its utility in preoperative assessment and risk stratification before revascularization.
Heterooligomers that undergo ligand‐promoted conformational changes are ubiquitous in nature and involved in many essential processes. Conformational switching often leads to positive cooperativity in ligand binding that is reflected in a Hill coefficient with a value greater than one. The subunits comprising heterooligomers can differ, however, in their affinity for the ligand. Such so‐called site heterogeneity results in apparent negative cooperativity that is reflected by a Hill coefficient with a value less than one. Consequently, positive cooperativity due to the ligand‐promoted allosteric switch can be masked, in cases of such heterooligomers, by apparent negative cooperativity owing to site heterogeneity. Here, we derived expressions for the Hill coefficient, in the case of a heterodimer, in which the contributions from the ligand‐promoted allosteric switch and site heterogeneity are separated. Using these equations and simulations for higher order oligomers, we show under which conditions site heterogeneity can significantly mask the extent of observed positive cooperativity.
In general, distribution board, panel board and motor control center can be installed over a wide area such as residence of group, building, schools, factories, ports, airports, water service and sewerage, substation and heavy industries that are used to supply converts the voltages extra high voltage into optimal voltage. There are electrical accidents due to rise of contact temperature, loose contact between busbar, deterioration of the contact resistance, over temperature of the busbars. In this paper, we designed and implemented the busbar joint and temperature measurement system, which can measure the joint resistance of busbar and loose connection between busbar using potentiometer and non-contact infrared sensor. The experimental results show that tightening the bolt and nut is fully engaged, resistance was decreased and maximum error range was 0.1mm. Also, the experimental result showed that the temperature at the contact area is increased from 27.3°C to 69.3°Cby the contact resistance. 키워드 : 부스바, 배전반, 분전반, 전동기제어반, 체결상태 모니터링 Key word : Busbar, distribution board, panel board, motor control center, busbar joint monitoring Received 08 November 2016, Revised 11 November 2016, Accepted 23 December 2016 * Corresponding Author Young-Dong Lee(E-mail:ydlee@cs.ac.kr, Tel:+82-55-250-1312) Department of Computer Software Engineering, Changshin University, Changwon 51352, Korea Open Access http://doi.org/10.6109/jkiice.2017.21.2.379 print ISSN: 2234-4772 online ISSN: 2288-4165 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License(http://creativecommons.org/li-censes/ by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright C The Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering. Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering 한국정보통신학회논문지(J. Korea Inst. Inf. Commun. Eng.) Vol. 21, No. 2 : 379~385 Feb. 2017
Description Imaging a peculiar Fermi surface Running a current through a superconductor can cause the superconducting gap to close on a section of the Fermi surface. However, observing this segmented Fermi surface directly is tricky. To do so, Zhu et al. worked with a thin film of the topological insulator bismuth telluride placed on top of superconducting niobium diselenide. A small applied magnetic field caused a screening current, which in turn led to a segmented Fermi surface in the topological insulator layer. Using a scanning tunneling microscope, the researchers were able to map out this Fermi surface. —JS A segmented Fermi surface in a proximitized topological insulator is revealed through quasiparticle interference. A sufficiently large supercurrent can close the energy gap in a superconductor and create gapless quasiparticles through the Doppler shift of quasiparticle energy caused by finite Cooper pair momentum. In this gapless superconducting state, zero-energy quasiparticles reside on a segment of the normal-state Fermi surface, whereas the remaining Fermi surface is still gapped. We use quasiparticle interference to image the field-controlled Fermi surface of bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) thin films under proximity effect from the superconductor niobium diselenide (NbSe2). A small applied in-plane magnetic field induces a screening supercurrent, which leads to finite-momentum pairing on the topological surface states of Bi2Te3. We identify distinct interference patterns that indicate a gapless superconducting state with a segmented Fermi surface. Our results reveal the strong impact of finite Cooper pair momentum on the quasiparticle spectrum.
Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) was used to observe the reversible formation of chiral molecular aggregates at the air-water interface. The aggregates were formed by the chiral bridged binaphthol derivative 1( + ) under lateral compression in a Langmuir trough. The S polarized output SHG intensity was measured as a function of the input polarization angle of the fundamental beam during several compression cycles of the molecular film. The chirality of the supramolecular aggregates was established from the non vanishing SHG intensities collected for the p and s input polarization angles. It is demonstrated that the formation of the chiral domains with compression is a reversible process.
Large reversible variations in carrier concentration, Hall mobility, and carrier lifetime have been produced in indium arsenide by heat treatment. For material cut from the parent ingot, carrier lifetimes measured by the photoelectromagnetic‐photoconductive ratio method increase by a factor of over 20 as a result of slow cooling from 850°C. Heat treatment at temperatures of 450°C and above increases the carrier concentration of n‐type material and decreases the carrier concentration of p‐type material. Such variations are reversed by heat treatment at temperatures below 350°C. In this way, changes in the carrier concentration of over 1017 cm−3 have been produced, and InAs has been converted from p to n type. Various heat treatment mechanisms are examined. It is shown that the experimental results are consistent with the model proposed by Kurtz and Kulin involving the segregation and dispersion of donor impurities to and from dislocations.
51 1.はじめに 定期的に運動を実施することによって,生活習慣病 の罹患率や死亡率の低下に良い影響を及ぼすことは一 般常識といっても過言ではないほどに周知されてい る.しかし,文部科学省の体力・運動能力調査は,小 学生から高校生にかけて,運動実施の有無は二極化の 状況にあるとし,運動不足状態にある層の増加を報告 している.一方,大学生の年齢層での身体活動量が, 最も低下することの報告がある.同様に,金沢工業 大学新入生を対象とした過去10年間の体力変化を見る と,男子の筋機能(握力,背筋力,瞬発力)が,低下 傾向にあることが明らかである.数値にすると,2003 年時から2012年までに,握力及び背筋力で5kg程度, 垂直跳びで5cm程度の低下が認められる.また,体格 の年次変化について有意ではないが,男女ともに体脂 肪率は正の回帰関係が認められる.この筋力の低下と 体脂肪率の上昇傾向は,今後,有意な増加が認められ る可能性を示唆しており,学生の肥満度が上昇傾向に あると予測できる. また,継続した運動の実施には,このような身体的 な健康への影響のみならず,大学生のメンタルヘルス の悪化,コミュニケーションスキルの低下などの 改善にも影響を及ぼすことが期待されている.実際に 継続的な運動を実施することで,不安低減,抗うつ, ストレス解消,自己概念,自尊感情,社会性などの改 善や向上が明らかになったという報告がある. 特に大学1年生は,保護者の管理下にあった高校在 学中までとは異なり,日常生活や健康・体力の状態に ついて自身での管理が必要となる.生活環境が大きく 変化した時期に,健康管理の方法を理解し,スキルを 身に付け,運動を含めた生活習慣を獲得することは, 以後の身体的・精神的健康維持のみならず,技術者と しての学修意欲,チャレンジ精神や精神的・身体的耐 性の獲得つながる.これは,技術者としてのキャリア 形成にとっては必須の要件であると考える. 金沢工業大学では,能動的な技術者を育成するため に,全ての新入生に授業を通して健康教育を実践して いる.しかし,学生は,授業を行った時期には,一時的 に運動時間を確保するが,将来にわたり習慣化される ことは難しい状況がみてとれる.一方,行動科学に基 づく体育授業プログラム,心理的要因からの授業プ ログラムでの報告でも,一時的に授業の刺激によっ て動機づけられ,運動時間を確保するとされているが, 2013 年1月 25 日受付 ※1金沢工業大学 運動習慣獲得におけるポートフォリオの効果
Statistical models are often extended to explore the aggregate impact of policy reforms. After discussing these techniques and the incorporation of prediction uncertainty, this article examines the effects of registration reform in an analytic framework that explicitly considers the two stages that defined electoral participation throughout the 20th century in the United States—registration and then voting. Using selection bias techniques, the effects of counterfactual registration reform conditions are explored on the aggregate level of participation and the nature of representation in the electoral process. These offer a richer baseline of the impact of policy changes than previous work by directly exploring the expected level of dropoff in going to the polls by new registrants. Results indicate that the dropoff between registration and voting would be expected to increase as more individuals become registered. In addition, while turnout due to reforms among projected “new registrants” shows potentially larger biases than those among existing registrants, because of the different bases of registration the changes would still lead to a modest reduction in the disparity between actual group sizes and their role in elections.
Cells from an established line of normal rat hepatocytes (IAR 20) were irradiated with 3 Gy gamma-radiation from a cobalt source to generate transformed clones. Cells from four transformed colonies were compared with the parent cell line by flow cytometry following staining with ortho-phthalaldehyde and propidium iodide to quantitate protein thiols and DNA respectively. Transformed cells exhibited an increased variability in cellular protein thiols which was most evident in G1 and S phase. The altered pattern of macromolecular thiol distribution implies early changes in redox state and/or modification of the amounts or types of sulphur-containing proteins in transformed cells.
Applicability of French mitigation concept to Japanese coastal zone has been evaluated. Themain concept is the method that reservation area for marine habitat would be created neardevelopment area. It could be apply to Japan because of low risk and high certainty for maintainingthe performance of the coastal environments. On the other hand, it is easy to apply the enhancementmethods to the ecosystem of the specific site, which are from development area within the sphere.It was considered that in the case of application to Japanese coastal zone of the concept, usingthe both methods is more effective. It would be necessary to establish the foundation systemsto use for the habitat enhancement of reservation area.
Abstract Kazanskyite, Ba⃞TiNbNa3Ti(Si2O7)2O2(OH)2(H2O)4, is a Group-III TS-block mineral from the Kirovskii mine, Mount Kukisvumchorr, Khibiny alkaline massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. The mineral occurs as flexible and commonly bent flakes 2-15 μm thick and up to 330 μm across. It is colourless to pale tan, with a white streak and a vitreous lustre. The mineral formed in a pegmatite as a result of hydrothermal activity. Associated minerals are natrolite, barytolamprophyllite, nechelyustovite, hydroxylapatite, belovite-(La), belovite-(Ce), gaidonnayite, nenadkevichite, epididymite, apophyllite-(KF) and sphalerite. Kazanskyite has perfect cleavage on {001}, splintery fracture and a Mohs hardness of 3. Its calculated density is 2.930 g cm-3. Kazanskyite is biaxial positive with α = 1.695, β = 1.703, γ = 1.733 (λ = 590 nm), 2Vmeas = 64.8(7)°, 2Vcalc = 55.4°, with no discernible dispersion. It is not pleochroic. Kazanskyite is triclinic, space group P1̅, a = 5.4260(9), b = 7.135(1), c = 25.514(4) Å, α = 90.172(4), β = 90.916(4), γ = 89.964(3)°, V = 977.61(3) Å3. The strongest lines in the X-ray powder-diffraction pattern [d(Å)(I)(hkl)] are: 2.813(100)(124̅,12̅2̅̅), 2.149(82)(222̅,22̅0,207,220,22̅2), 3.938(70)(11̅3,112), 4.288(44)(111̅,11̅0,110,11̅1), 2.128(44)(223̅,22̅1,13̅4,221,13̅4,221,22̅3), 3.127(39)(11̅6,115), 3.690(36)(11̅4), 2.895(33)(12̅3,121) and 2.955(32)(12̅0,120,12̅2). Chemical analysis by electron microprobe gave Nb2O59.70, TiO219.41, SiO228.21, Al2O30.13, FeO 0.28, MnO 4.65, BaO 12.50, SrO 3.41, CaO 0.89, K2O 1.12, Na2O 9.15, H2O 9.87, F 1.29, O = F -0.54, sum 100.07 wt.%; H2O was determined from structure refinement. The empirical formula is (Na2.55Mn0.31Ca0.11Fe2+0.03)Σ3(Ba0.70Sr0.28K0.21Ca0.03)Σ1.22(Ti2.09Nb0.63Mn0.26Al0.02)Σ3Si4.05O21.42H9.45F0.59, calculated on 22 (O + F) a.p.f.u., Z = 2. The structural formula of the form AP2MH2MO4(Si2O7)2XO4XPMXPA(H2O)n is (Ba0.56Sr0.22K0.15Ca0.03⃞0.04)Σ1(⃞0.74Ba0.14Sr0.06K0.06)Σ1(Ti0.98Al0.0 2)Σ1(Nb0.63Ti0.37)Σ1(Na2.55Mn0.31Ca0.11Fe2+0.03)Σ3(Ti0.74Mn0.26)Σ1(Si2O7)2O2(OH1.41F0.59)Σ2(H2O)(⃞0.74H2O0.26)Σ1(H2O)2.74. Simplified and ideal formulae are as follows: Ba(⃞,Ba)Ti(Nb,Ti)(Na,Mn)3(Ti,Mn)(Si2O7)2O2(OH,F)2(H2O)4 and Ba⃞TiNbNa3Ti(Si2O7)2O2(OH)2(H2O)4. The Raman spectrum of the mineral contains the following bands: 3462 cm-1 (broad) and 3545 and 3628 cm-1(sharp). The crystal structure was solved by direct methods and refined to an R1 index of 8.09%. The crystal structure of kazanskyite is a combination of a TS (titanium silicate) block and an I (intermediate) block. The TS block consists of HOH sheets (H is heteropolyhedral and O is octahedral). The TS block exhibits linkage and stereochemistry typical for Group-III (Ti = 3 a.p.f.u.) Ti-disilicate minerals. The TS block has two different H sheets where (Si2O7) groups link to [5]-coordinated Ti and [6]-coordinated Nb polyhedra, respectively. There are two peripheral sites, AP(1,2), occupied mainly by Ba (less Sr and K) at 96% and 26%. There are two I blocks: the I1 block is a layer of Ba atoms; the I2 block consists of H2O groups and AP(2) atoms. The TS and I blocks are topologically identical to those in the nechelyustovite structure. The mineral is named in honour of Professor Vadim Ivanovich Kazansky, a prominent Russian ore geologist and an expert in Precambrian metallogeny.
Psychological factors alone may not fully explain some cases of apparently purely psychogenic acute situational impotence. Chronic impotence is often due to a combination of aetiological factors. Erectile selectivity is not a reliable means of diagnosing purely psychogenic impotence. Nocturnal penile tumescence monitoring is not absolutely reliable in making a distinction between organic and psychogenic impotence. The either/or concept of impotence being organic or psychogenic should be abandoned as serious errors can be made by adhering to it.
It is an undeniable fact that storytelling makes a remarkable contribution to the domains of child development at an early age since it is stated that storytelling is the original form of teaching. Firstly, the contributions and effects of storytelling techniques to the cultural, cognitive, linguistic, socio-emotional and psychological domains of children between three and eight years old are reviewed. Secondly, a story-based model is proposed for preschool teachers to apply effectively in the frame of before-implementing, while-implementing and post-implementing phases in mother tongue acquisition. Lastly, some suggestions are made for preschool teachers to implement the model to foster linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional domains of preschool children effectively in the classroom.
We present the first catalog of 67 strong galaxy-galaxy lens candidates discovered in the 1.64 deg2 Hubble Space Telescope COSMOS survey. Twenty of these systems display multiple images or strongly curved large arcs. Our initial search is performed by visual inspection of the data and is restricted, for practical considerations, to massive early-type lens galaxies with arcs found at radii smaller than ~5″. Simple mass models are constructed for the best lens candidates, and our results are compared to the strong lensing catalogs of the SLACS survey and the CASTLES database. These new strong galaxy-galaxy lensing systems constitute a valuable sample to study the mass distribution of early-type galaxies and their associated dark matter halos. We further expect this sample to play an important role in the testing of software algorithms designed to automatically search for strong gravitational lenses. From our analysis a robust lower limit is derived for the expected occurrence of strong galaxy-galaxy systems in current and future space-based wide-field imaging surveys. We expect that such surveys should uncover a large number of strong lensing systems (more than 10 systems per square degree), which will allow for a detailed statistical analysis of galaxy properties and will likely lead to constraints on models of gravitational structure formation and cosmology.
PURPOSE To investigate the biomechanics of the anterior human corneal stroma using atomic force microscopy (AFM).   METHODS AFM measurements were performed in liquid on the anterior stroma of human corneas, after gently removing the epithelium, using an atomic force microscope in the force spectroscopy mode. Rectangular silicon cantilevers with tip radius of 10 nm and spring elastic constants of 25- and 33-N/m were used. Each specimen was subjected to increasing loads up to a maximum of 2.7 μN with scan speeds ranging between 3- and 95-μm/s. The anterior stromal hysteresis during the extension-retraction cycle was quantified as a function of the application load and scan rate. The elastic modulus of the anterior stroma was determined by fitting force curve data to the Sneddon model.   RESULTS The anterior stroma exhibited significant viscoelasticity at micrometric level: asymmetry in the curve loading-unloading response with considerable hysteresis dependent both on the application load and scan rate (P < 0.01). The mean elastic modulus ranged between 1.14 and 2.63 MPa and was constant over the range of indentation depths between 1.0 and 2.7 μm in the stroma.   CONCLUSIONS At microscale level, the mechanical response of the most anterior stroma is complex and nonlinear. The microstructure (fibers' packing, number of cross-links, water content) and the combination of elastic (collagen fibers) and viscous (matrix) components of the tissue influence the type of viscoelastic response. Efforts in modeling the biomechanics of human corneal tissue at micrometric level are needed.
Flat-section en face preparations of corneal buttons obtained from penetrating keratoplasty may be used for a panoramic pathological examination of the endothelial layer and of the reactive cellular events occurring in other layers. These provide a valuable supplement to the more conventional cross (sagittal) sections. To demonstrate the principles and practical value of this two-plane sectioning method, we present histological examples of several pathological conditions of the cornea.
This article describes the jockeying of the Federal Highway Administration, defense technology companies, and Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems America (IVHS America) for positions in the developing IVHS market. The author states that three funding scenarios are possible: 1) a laissez faire approach would have private suppliers compete head-to-head in the marketplace, 2) a government coordination and facilitation approach would mean major interests would gather and outline national or international standards, and 3) a government sponsorship approach. The benefits and drawbacks of each approach are discussed as well as the likelihood of such options being exercised. The IVHS market will establish new winners and losers in the transportation field and financing at this stage is a definite unknown.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE It is not yet known which end points are the most suitable for evaluation of the effects of acute stroke intervention. The European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study (ECASS) I study used 2 primary end points. The study was powered to detect a 15% improvement of the median of each primary end point. The study failed to show this effect and was negative in the intention-to-treat analysis. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) study used 4 dichotomized end points and applied a global end-point analysis. This study was positive and led to FDA approval of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke. This study was undertaken to answer the question of whether a different statistical design may have shown a positive results of the ECASS I trial.   METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of the ECASS I intention-to-treat data set (615 randomized and treated patients, rtPA treatment versus placebo) and post hoc application of the NINDS trial statistical methodology (global end-point analysis). The scores of the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), Barthel Index (BI), and the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) were dichotomized according to the criteria used in the NINDS trial. Favorable outcome was defined as a score of 0 or 1 on mRS, a score of 95 or 100 on BI, and a score of 0 or 1 on NIHSS.   RESULTS The number of patients reaching favorable outcome were higher in all 3 end points in the rtPA-treated group. The effect sizes were 8% for mRS, 6% for BI, and 14% for NIHSS, respectively. The differences are statistically significant for the mRS (P=0.044; odds ratio [OR], 1. 4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0 to 2.0) and the NIHSS (P=0.001; OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4 to 2.8), while for the BI significance was missed (P=0.102; OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.9 to 1.8). The global end-point statistics, however, shows a significant increase (P=0.008; OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.0) of favorable outcome in the rtPA-treated patient group.   CONCLUSIONS Using the global end-point analysis, ECASS is positive in the intention-to-treat analysis. This may indicate that the time window for thrombolysis may be as long as 6 hours. Looking at the 3 dichotomized end points, the effect sizes for 2 end points, mRS and BI, are smaller in the ECASS 6-hour intention-to-treat population compared with the NINDS trial, whereas the effect size for the NIHSS is larger. While in the NINDS trial all 3 end points reveal statistically significant results, in ECASS only 2 of the 3 corresponding end points, mRS and NIHSS, were statistically significant. This finding underlines an important difference of a global end-point approach: it may show a positive overall result although one of the end points is not positive.
That mistranslated or missing information might add to rather than diminish a novel's effect is an insight common to modern stylists as different as, say, Marcel Proust and Salman Rushdie. Indeed, Henry James built his late work on the foundation of absent narrative and envisioned his task as the evocation of insufficient representation: he hoped to convey to his readers the sense of "ever so many more of the shining silver fish afloat in the deep sea of one's endeavour than the net of widest casting could pretend to gather in."' For James, the floating world was the condition to which fiction
In the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, Upper Jurassic Smackover inner ramp, shallow-water thrombolite buildups developed on paleotopographic features in the eastern part of the Mississippi Interior Salt basin and in the Manila and Conecuh subbasins. These thrombolites attained a thickness of 58 m (190 ft) and were present in an area of as much as 6.2 km2 (2.4 mi2). Although these buildups have been exploration targets for some 30 yr, new field discoveries continue to be made in this region. Thrombolites were best developed on a hard substrate during a rise in sea level under initial zero to low background sedimentation rates in low-energy and eurytopic paleoenvironments. Extensive microbial growth occurred in response to available accommodation space. The demise of the thrombolites corresponded to changes in the paleoenvironmental conditions associated with an overall regression of the sea. The keys to drilling successful wildcat wells in the thrombolite reservoir play are to (1) use three-dimensional seismic reflection technology to find paleohighs and to determine whether potential thrombolite reservoir facies occur on the crest and/or flanks of these features and are above the oil-water contact; (2) use the characteristics of thrombolite bioherms and reefs as observed in outcrop to develop a three-dimensional geologic model to reconstruct the growth of thrombolite buildups on paleohighs for improved targeting of the preferred dendroidal and chaotic thrombolite reservoir facies; and (3) use the evaporative pumping mechanism instead of the seepage reflux or mixing zone models as a means for assessing potential dolomitization of the thrombolite boundstone.
Abstract The relationship between specific growth rate and fish size (weight) was influenced by temperature and genotype in two strains of rainbow trout Oncorhyncus mykiss (formerly Salmo gairdneri) and their hybrid. Heterogeneity among the regression slopes for strains (genotype) as well as interaction with temperature invalidated the use of analysis of covariance to adjust for initial fish size differences. Regression slopes ranged from –0.74 ± 0.21 (SE) to –0.01 ± 0.16 among fish families reared at 7°C and from –0.41 ± 0.03 to –0.24 ± 0.09 among fish families reared at 15°C. The use of a particular slope value as a universal constant to compare specific growth rates offish is questionable.
Manipulating the strain effect of Ag without any foreign metals to boost its intrinsic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity is intriguing, but it remains a challenge. Herein, we developed a class of Ag-based electrocatalysts with tunable strain structures for efficient ORR via ligand-assisted competitive decomposition of Ag-organic complexes (AgOCs). Benefiting from the superior coordination capability, 4,4'-bipyridine as a ligand triggered a stronger competition with NaBH4 for Ag ions during reduction-induced decomposition of AgOCs in comparison with the counterparts of the pyrazine ligand and the NO3- anion, which moderately modulated the compressive strain structure to upshift the d-band center of the catalyst and increase the electron density of Ag. Accordingly, the O2 adsorption was obviously improved, and the stronger repulsion effect between the Ag sites and the 4e ORR product, i.e., the electron-rich OH-, was generated to promote the desorption of OH- via the Ag-OH bond cleavage, which enabled more Ag sites to be regenerated after ORR. Both of these led to an enhancement to the intrinsic ORR activity of the Ag-based catalyst. This competitive decomposition of metal-organic complex strategy would provide a facile method to design other catalysts with the well-tuned strain structures for energy conversion and heterocatalysis.
Neuquensaurus, from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina and one of the first dinosaurs described from Patagonia, is one of the most derived sauropod dinosaurs, and its proportions and size place it among the smallest sauropods ever known. In this context, Neuquensaurus is central to understanding late stages of sauropod evolution. This contribution offers a full description of the appendicular skeleton of Neuquensaurus. The anatomical analysis reveals that the appendicular skeleton of Neuquensaurus exhibits unique characteristics only shared with closely related saltasaurine titanosaurs; for example, the laterally directed preacetabular lobe of the ilium, the prominent fibular lateral tuberosity, and the presence of an intermuscular line on the femoral shaft, which is proposed here as a synapomorphy of Saltasaurinae. Neuquensaurus also displays many reversals to primitive character states, such as the presence of a prominent olecranon process of the ulna, a trochanteric shelf, a lesser trochanter and an ischial tuberosity. Additional characters that allow its evaluation in a phylogenetic context are here provided. Among them are the extremely deflected femoral shaft, the elliptical femoral cross-section, and the anterolaterally oriented cnemial crest.
We recently showed that interleukin (IL)-2-stimulated CD56+ cells derived from the liver exert vigorous cytotoxicity against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by their binding to the tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand expressed on natural killer cells and the corresponding death receptors, and exhibit inhibitory effects on hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication by production of a high level of interferon-&ggr;. These findings prompted us to develop a technique to increase the number of such innate components of cellular immunity from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) so that, they can be easily applied for immunotherapy clinically. We expanded CD3−CD56+ and CD3+CD56+ cells ex vivo from PBMCs of human volunteers by using media containing IL-2 and anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. Among the various culture media used, autoserum supplemented X-VIVO 15 most efficiently supported PBMCs expansion and maintained the viability of the expanded cells (approximately 60-fold expansion after 28-d culture). Cultivation of PBMCs in this medium resulted in the highest proportion of CD3−CD56+ cells among the propagated lymphocytes (approximately 40% after 28-d culture). An experiment using genomic HCV replicon-containing hepatic cells showed that the CD3−CD56+ cell-enriched expansion strongly inhibited HCV replication when compared with freshly isolated PBMCs. The additional anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody pulse stimulation induced anti-HCV activity even in the CD3+CD56+ cells among the propagated PBMCs. Further, cytotoxic assay showed that the expansion of CD3−CD56+ and CD3+CD56+ cells resulted in vigorous cytotoxicity against HCC. In conclusion, CD56+ cells obtained from the PBMCs show anti-HCV activity in addition to anti-HCC activity.
The Journal of Molecular Oncology Research (JMOR) is an international, rapid peer reviewed journal that encourages and supports good quality and genuine original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and technology reports, perspectives on all disciplines and therapeutic areas within the specialty [1].  The journal aims to research on wide spectrum of findings related to therapeutic advances in cancer treatment, molecular phenotypes, tumor diagnosis, cancer genetics, epigenetics, genomic instability, tumor immunology, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. The main aim for publication is to establish a novel opinion of molecular significance in diagnosis, prognosis, and prevention strategies for cancer patients.
The interaction of clathrin with cytoskeletal proteins was studied cytochemically by immunofluorescent staining and biochemically by the binding of actin to clathrin on the surfaces of polystyrene particles. Using a cytoskeletal-disrupting agent, the linear arrangement of clathrin lattices along actin fibers was altered. As a result of cell retraction, the fluorescent dots of clathrin redistributed, conforming to the new cellular shape. Cytoplasmic areas, largely devoid of fluorescent dots, were observed at the cell's periphery. In vitro, the native clathrin complex (clathrin plus clathrin-associated proteins (CAPs)) bound up to 1 mol of actin, but when the clathrin polypeptide was separated from accompanying proteins it bound up to 2 mol of actin from solution. It appears that clathrin's molecular lattices have an affinity for arrays of actin microfilaments, following them closely, and that clathrin lattices display lateral mobility during cytoplasmic reorganization.
Unplanned readmissions to ICU contribute to high health care costs and poor patient outcomes. 6-7% of all ICU cases see a readmission within 72 hours. Machine learning models on electronic health record data can help identify these cases, providing more information about short and long-term risks to clinicians at the time of ICU discharge. While time-toevent techniques have been used in clinical care, models that identify risks over time using higher-dimensional, non-linear machine learning models need to be developed to present changes in risk with non-linear techniques. This work identifies risks of ICU readmissions at 24 hours, 72 hours, 7 days, 30 days, and bounceback readmissions in the same hospital admission with an AUROC for 72 hours of 0.76 and for bounceback of 0.84.
Background and objective The birth of a preterm infant can be an overwhelming experience of guilt, fear and helplessness for parents. Provision of interventions to support and engage parents in the care of their infant may improve outcomes for both the parents and the infant. The objective of this systematic review is to identify and map out effective interventions for communication with, supporting and providing information for parents of preterm infants. Design Systematic searches were conducted in the electronic databases Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, the Cochrane library, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Midwives Information and Resource Service, Health Management Information Consortium, and Health Management and Information Service. Hand-searching of reference lists and journals was conducted. Studies were included if they provided parent-reported outcomes of interventions relating to information, communication and/or support for parents of preterm infants prior to the birth, during care at the neonatal intensive care unit and after going home with their preterm infant. Titles and abstracts were read for relevance, and papers judged to meet inclusion criteria were included. Papers were data-extracted, their quality was assessed, and a narrative summary was conducted in line with the York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines. Studies reviewed Of the 72 papers identified, 19 papers were randomised controlled trials, 16 were cohort or quasi-experimental studies, and 37 were non-intervention studies. Results Interventions for supporting, communicating with, and providing information to parents that have had a premature infant are reported. Parents report feeling supported through individualised developmental and behavioural care programmes, through being taught behavioural assessment scales, and through breastfeeding, kangaroo-care and baby-massage programmes. Parents also felt supported through organised support groups and through provision of an environment where parents can meet and support each other. Parental stress may be reduced through individual developmental care programmes, psychotherapy, interventions that teach emotional coping skills and active problem-solving, and journal writing. Evidence reports the importance of preparing parents for the neonatal unit through the neonatal tour, and the importance of good communication throughout the infant admission phase and after discharge home. Providing individual web-based information about the infant, recording doctor–patient consultations and provision of an information binder may also improve communication with parents. The importance of thorough discharge planning throughout the infant's admission phase and the importance of home-support programmes are also reported. Conclusion The paper reports evidence of interventions that help support, communicate with and inform parents who have had a premature infant throughout the admission phase of the infant, discharge and return home. The level of evidence reported is mixed, and this should be taken into account when developing policy. A summary of interventions from the available evidence is reported.
The major pathogenic bacterium of catheter-related bloodstream infection is gram-positive bacteria.The occurrence of catheter-related bloodstream infection is related with exogenous factors and endogenous factors.It is suggested that catheter-related bloodstream infection should be diagnosed without removing the catheter.It is shown that the catheter should be removed and the patient should use antibiotics as soon as possible if catheter-related bloodstream infection occurred.Buliding a detection system,using antimicrobial dressings and antimicrobial central catheters,and improving patient's nutritional status can decrease the morbidity of catheter-related bloodstream infection.The authors summarize the epidemiology,diagnosis,treatment and prevention strategies of catheter-related bloodstream infection.    Key words:  Catheter;  Bloodsrtream infection ;  Diagnosis ;  Prevention
The nitrogen-to-ammonia conversion is one of the most important and challenging processes in chemistry. We have employed spin-polarized density functional theory to propose Fe-doped monolayer phosphorene (Fe–P) as a new catalyst for the N2 reduction reaction at room temperature. Our results show that single-atom Fe is the active site, cooperating with P to activate the inert N–N triple bond and reduce N2 to NH3via three reliable pathways. Our findings provide a new avenue for single atom catalytic nitrogen fixation under ambient conditions.
Abstract The Precambrian geological history of Peninsular India covers nearly 3.0 Ga. The Peninsula is an assembly of five different cratonic nuclei known as the Aravalli–Bundelkhand, Eastern Dharwar, Western Dharwar, Bastar and Singhbhum cratons along with the Southern Granulite Province. Final amalgamation of these elements occurred either by the end of the Archaean (2.5 Ga) or by the end of the Palaeoproterozoic (c. 1.6 Ga). Each of these nuclei contains one or more sedimentary basins (or metasedimentary basins) of Proterozoic age. This chapter provides an overview of each of the cratons and a brief description of the Precambrian sedimentary basins in India that form the focus of the remainder of this book. In our view, it appears that basin formation and subsequent closure can be grossly constrained to three separate intervals that also broadly correspond to the assembly and disaggregation of the supercontinents Columbia, Rodinia and Gondwana. The oldest Purana-I basins developed during the 2.5–1.6 Ga interval, Purana-II basins formed during the 1.6–1.0 Ga interval and the Purana-III basins formed during the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian interval.
Starting from Boolean algebras of languages closed under quotients and using duality theoretic insights, we derive the notion of Boolean spaces with internal monoids as recognisers for arbitrary formal languages of finite words over finite alphabets. This leads to a setting that is well-suited for applying existing tools from Stone duality as applied in semantics. The main focus of the paper is the development of topo-algebraic constructions pertinent to the treatment of languages given by logic formulas. In particular, using the standard semantic view of quantification as projection, we derive a notion of Sch "utzenberger product for Boolean spaces with internal monoids. This makes heavy use of the Vietoris construction, and its dual functor, which is central to the coalgebraic treatment of classical modal logic. We show that the unary Sch "utzenberger product for spaces, when applied to a recogniser for the language associated to a formula with a free first-order variable, yields a recogniser for the language of all models of the corresponding existentially quantified formula. Further, we generalise global and local versions of the theorems of Sch "utzenberger and Reutenauer characterising the languages recognised by the binary Sch "utzenberger product. Finally, we provide an equational characterisation of Boolean algebras obtained by local Sch "utzenberger product with the one element space based on an Egli-Milner type condition on generalised factorisations of ultrafilters on words.
Existing studies on keyword search over relational databases usually find Steiner trees composed of connected database tuples as answers. They on-the-fly identify Steiner trees by discovering rich structural relationships between database tuples, and neglect the fact that such structural relationships can be precomputed and indexed. Recently, tuple units are proposed to improve search efficiency by indexing structural relationships, and existing methods identify a single tuple unit to answer keyword queries. However, in many cases, multiple tuple units should be integrated to answer a keyword query. Thus, these methods will involve false negatives. To address this problem, in this paper, we study how to integrate multiple related tuple units to effectively answer keyword queries. To achieve a high performance, we devise two novel indexes, single-keyword-based structure-aware index and keyword-pair-based structure-aware index, and incorporate structural relationships between different tuple units into the indexes. We use the indexes to efficiently identify the answers of integrated tuple units. We develop new ranking techniques and algorithms to progressively find the top-k answers. We have implemented our method in real database systems, and the experimental results show that our approach achieves high search efficiency and result quality, and outperforms state-of-the-art methods significantly.
1 Intravenous administration of prostaglandin F2α results in a dose‐dependent increase in pulmonary arterial pressure, decrease in systemic arterial pressure and a delayed bradycardia. Pulmonary vasoconstriction was observed at doses as low as 0.1 and 0.3 μg/kg. The systemic depressor and heart rate lowering effects were observed at 1 μg/kg doses and above. 2 A moderate bradycardia was still observed after atropine blockade but was abolished following bilateral vagotomy. Neither of these procedures affected the pulmonary vascular response. 3 Injections of submaximal doses of prostaglandin F2α (1–4 μg/kg) produced a greater and longer lasting bradycardia when injected into the left atrium than was observed following intravenous administration. In addition the latency of onset was much shorter following left atrial injection. These doses resulted in no change in heart rate and a minimal hypotension when injected into the brachiocephalic artery or into the aortic arch. 4 Small doses of prostaglandin F2α administered at the level of the origin of the coronary arteries produced marked decreases in heart rate and blood pressure whereas no change occurred following injection of the same amount into the ascending aorta at more distal sites. 5 These results suggest that prostaglandin F2α produces bradycardia and hypotension in the cat by activating ‘receptors’ located in the left heart or by acting on structures perfused by means of the coronary arteries.
An investigation into influence of obstructions on premixed flame propagation has been carried out in a semi-open tube. It is found that there exists flame acceleration and rising overpressure along the path of flame due to obstacles. According to the magnitude of flame speeds, the propagation of flame in the tube can be classified into three regimes: the quenching, the choking and the detonation regimes. In premixed flames near the flammability limits, the flame is observed first to accelerate and then to quench itself after propagating past a certain number of obstacles. In the choking regime, the maximum flame speeds are somewhat below the combustion product sound speeds, and insensitive to the blockage ratio. In the more sensitive mixtures, the transition to detonation (DDT) occurs when the equivalence ratio increases. The transition is not observed for the less sensitive mixtures. The dependence of overpressure on blockage ratio is not monotonous. Furthermore, a numerical study of flame acceleration and overpressure with the unsteady compressible flow model is performed, and the agreement between the simulation and measurements is good.
Mutation of the K-ras gene is an early event in the development of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and, therefore, RNA interference (RNAi) directed toward mutant K-ras could represent a novel therapy. In this study, we examine the phenotypic and molecular consequences of exposure of pancreatic tumor cells to mutant-specific K-ras small interfering RNA. Specific reduction of activated K-ras via RNAi in Panc-1 and MiaPaca-2 cells resulted in cellular changes consistent with a reduced capacity to form malignant tumors. These changes occur through distinct mechanisms but likely reflect an addiction of each cell line to oncogene stimulation. Both cell lines show reduced proliferation after K-ras RNAi, but only MiaPaca-2 cells showed increased apoptosis. Both cell lines showed reduced migration after K-ras knockdown, but changes in integrin levels were not consistent between the cell lines. Both cell lines showed alteration of the level of GLUT-1, a metabolism-associated gene that is downstream of c-myc, with Panc-1 cells demonstrating decreased GLUT-1 levels, whereas MiaPaca-2 cells showed increased levels of expression after K-ras knockdown. Furthermore, after K-ras RNAi, there was a reduction in angiogenic potential of both Panc-1 and MiaPaca-2 cells. Panc-1 cells increased the level of expression of thrombospondin-1, an endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis, whereas MiaPaca-2 cells decreased the production of vascular endothelial growth factor, a primary stimulant of angiogenesis in pancreatic tumors. We have found that silencing mutant K-ras through RNAi results in alteration of tumor cell behavior in vitro and suggests that targeting mutant K-ras specifically might be effective against pancreatic cancer in vivo.
Cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential (bulk) electrolysis have been employed to investigate the electrochemical reduction of 4,4′-(2,2,2-trichloroethane-1,1-diyl)bis(methoxybenzene), commonly known as the pesticide methoxychlor, at glassy carbon and silver cathodes in dimethylformamide (DMF) containing 0.050 M tetra-n-butylammonium tetrafluoroborate (TBABF4). Reduction of methoxychlor at both glassy carbon and silver shows four voltammetric peaks, the first three of which are associated with cleavage of carbon–chlorine bonds; the fourth peak is assigned to reduction of 4,4′-(ethene-1,1-diyl)bis(methoxybenzene). Bulk electrolyses of methoxychlor at reticulated vitreous carbon and silver mesh cathodes at potentials corresponding to each of the first three voltammetric peaks were conducted; coulometric n values and product distributions (determined by means of GC and GC–MS techniques) depend on potential. In particular, two completely dechlorinated products, namely 4,4′-(ethane-1,1-diyl)bis(methoxybenzene) and 4,4′(ethene-1,1-diyl)bis(methoxybenzene) have been identified and quantitated. A mechanistic scheme is proposed to account for the formation of the various products. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by ECS. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (CC BY, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse of the work in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. [DOI: 10.1149/2.0921605jes] All rights reserved.
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection constitutes a major medical complication of pregnancy and is associated with adverse feto-maternal outcomes. However, the relationship between maternal serum selenium levels and pregnancy outcomes has been inconsistent. Objective: This study aimed to determine the relationship between maternal serum selenium status and pregnancy outcome in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in a tertiary health facility. Methodology: A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out among HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women at a tertiary health-care facility in Owerri. Participants were recruited from the labor ward and interviewed using a structured questionnaire. One hundred and ten HIV-positive pregnant women were compared with an equal number of HIV-negative pregnant women. They were matched for age, parity and gestational age. Selenium level was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Maternal packed cell volume (PCV) was also assessed at recruitment. At delivery, the birth weight was measured using a standard weighing scale and documented. Cases of preterm births, perinatal deaths, major congenital abnormalities, and neonatal admission were noted and also documented. Statistical analysis was performed using means and standard deviation. Chi-square test, Student's t-test, logistic regression, and Pearson correlation were also employed. Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. Results: HIV-positive pregnant women had significantly lower mean serum selenium concentration compared with HIV-negative pregnant women (64.3 ± 19.6 μg/L vs. 100.1 ± 30.9 μg/L; P < 0.001). There was a statistically significant association between serum selenium concentration and birth weight among both HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women (P < 0.001). Similarly, a statistically significant association was seen between serum selenium and maternal PCV in HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women (P = 0.024 and P < 0.001, respectively). However, there was no association found between serum selenium and other pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: HIV-positive pregnant women had a lower mean serum selenium level compared to HIV-negative pregnant women. There was a significant association between low maternal serum selenium level and maternal anemia, as well as low birth weight, especially in HIV-positive pregnant women.
Ethylene is a gaseous plant hormone involved in defense, adaptations to environmental stress and fruit ripening. Its relevance to the latter makes its detection highly useful for physiologists interested in the onset of ripening. Produced as a sharp peak during the respiratory burst, ethylene is biologically active at tens of nl L-1 . Reliable quantification at such concentrations generally requires specialized instrumentation. Here we present a rapid, high-sensitivity method for detecting ethylene in attached fruit using a conventional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system and in situ headspace collection chambers. We apply this method to melon (Cucumis melo L.), a unique species consisting of climacteric and non-climacteric varieties, with a high variation in the climacteric phenotype among climacteric types. Using a population of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from highly climacteric ('Védrantais', cantalupensis type) and non-climacteric ('Piel de Sapo', inodorus type) parental lines, we observed a significant variation for the intensity, onset and duration of the ethylene burst during fruit ripening. Our method does not require concentration, sampling times over 1 h or fruit harvest. We achieved a limit of detection of 0.41 ± 0.04 nl L-1 and a limit of quantification of 1.37 ± 0.13 nl L-1 with an analysis time per sample of 2.6 min. Validation of the analytical method indicated that linearity (>98%), precision (coefficient of variation ≤2%) and sensitivity compared favorably with dedicated optical sensors. This study adds to evidence of the characteristic climacteric ethylene burst as a complex trait whose intensity in our RIL population lies along a continuum in addition to two extremes.
Multiple-Edge Anomalous Diffraction (MEAD) has been applied to various quaternary sulfosalts belonging to the adamantine compound family in order to validate the distribution of copper, zinc and iron cations in the structure. Semiconductors from this group of materials are promising candidates for photovoltaic applications. Their properties strongly depend on point defects, in particular related to cation order-disorder. However, Cu+, Zn2+ and Fe2+ have very similar scattering factors and are all but indistinguishable in usual X-ray diffraction experiments. Anomalous diffraction utilizes the dependency of the atomic scattering factors f' and f'' of the energy of the radiation, especially close to the element-specific absorption edges. In the MEAD technique, individual Bragg peaks are tracked over an absorption edge. The intensity changes depending on the structure factor can be highly characteristic for Miller indices selected for a specific structural problem, but require very exact measurements. Beamline KMC-2 at synchrotron BESSY II, Berlin, has been recently upgraded for this technique. Anomalous X-ray powder diffraction and XAFS compliment the data. Application of this technique confirmed established cation distribution in Cu2ZnSnSe4 (CZTSe) and Cu2FeSnS4 (CFTS). In contrast to the literature, cation distribution in Cu2ZnSiSe4 (CZSiSe) is shown to adopt a highly ordered wurtz-kesterite structure type.
Surgical site occurrences (SSOs) are common in patients undergoing operative procedures, especially in the form of surgical site infections (SSIs). Multiple studies show that obesity, tobacco use, prolonged surgical time, and diabetes mellitus are the major risk factors for SSIs. SSIs increase healthcare costs and often result in morbidity. Many surgeons are currently using closed-incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) to counter SSIs. This method makes it easier for them to manage closed and surgical incisions. This technique has already been applied in the plastic surgery field. This study discusses how the use of ciNPT is helping surgeons to reduce complications related to SSOs. The technique has been reported to minimize the rate of reoperations, readmissions, and other wound-related complications. Using ciNPT with novel dressing has proved to be a significantly effective clinical intervention method in managing clean and closed wounds. The novel dressing protects the incision from external contamination and minimizes lateral tension.
The epiphytic bacterial communities colonising roots and leaves have been described for many plant species. In contrast, microbiologists have rarely considered flowers of naturally growing plants. We identified bacteria isolated from the surface of petals and leaves of two plant species, Saponaria officinalis (Caryophyllaceae) and Lotus corniculatus (Fabaceae). The bacterial diversity was much lower on petals than on leaves of the same plants. Moreover, the bacterial communities differed strongly in composition: while Pseudomonadaceae and Microbacteriaceae were the most abundant families on leaves, Enterobacteriaceae dominated the floral communities. We hypothesise that antibacterial floral volatiles trigger the low diversity on petals, which is supported by agar diffusion assays using substances emitted by flowers and leaves of S. officinalis. These results suggest that bacteria should be included in the interpretation of floral traits, and possible effects of bacteria on pollination are proposed and discussed.
A mixture with the mole ratio of Mg2+/Si4+=3 : 2 was prepared by the simultaneous hydrolysis of magnesium and silicon alkoxides. The phases and thermal properties of the mixture were studied by means of differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. The results obtained are summarized as follows:1) 2 MgO-SiO2 and MgO·SiO2 were formed at 770°C and 865°C, respectively.2) For the three modifications of MgO·SiO2, it is presumed that orthoenstatite and clinoenstatite are the low temperature phases, on the other hand, protoenstatite is the high temperature phase.3) It was considered that the formation of 2 MgO·SiO2 and MgO-SiO2 was followed by the mechanism described by Ball and Taylor for surpentine (3 MgO·2 SiO2·2 H2O).4) The rate of formation of 2 MgO-SiO2 was determined. Reaction isotherms were best described by the first-order plots. The nucleation process maybe the rate-determing step. The values of the activation energies are about 82 kcal/mol and 27 kcal/mol for initial and final stages, respectively.
Previous studies have shown the importance of the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) on the control of fluid‐electrolyte balance and cardiovascular regulation. Blockade of LPBN serotonergic receptors increases arterial pressure and sodium intake induced by different stimuli. The activation of GABAA receptors by bilateral injections of muscimol into the LPBN strongly stimulates 1.8% NaCl intake in satiated and normovolemic rats. In the present study we investigated the effects of bilateral injections of muscimol into the LPBN alone or combined with intravenous injection of prazosin (α1 adrenergic receptor antagonist) on mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in unanesthetized normotensive rats. Male Holtzman rats (baseline MAP: 115±2 mmHg; baseline HR: 368±15 bpm; n=5–7) with bilateral stainless steel guide‐cannulas implanted into the LPBN were used. Muscimol (0.5 nmol/0.2 μl) injected bilaterally into LPBN increased MAP (18±3 vs. sal. 3±2 mmHg) for at least 2 h, with no changes on HR (8±10 vs. sal. −21±17 bpm). Intravenous administration of prazosin (1 mg/kg of body weight) reduced MAP (−22±2 mmHg), increased HR (102±14 bpm) and abolished the pressor response to muscimol into the LPBN (−2±2 mmHg). The results suggest that muscimol into the LPBN induces pressor responses increasing sympathetic activity.
Silane treatment has been applied to the preparation of nylon 6/nano-SiO2 composites through in situ polymerization. The influence of such treatment on the reactivity of silica, polymerization of nylon 6, and the mechanical properties of the achieved composites has been studied. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) of silicas isolated from the composites have shown that the conversion of surface silanol groups to amino and epoxy groups did not cause a significant change in the reactivity of silica and that the percentage of silica surface grafting was around 15% for all treated and untreated silicas. End group analysis has shown that the presence of silica (pretreated or not) in the composite system resulted in the decrease of the average molecular weight of the polymer matrix. However, dynamic mechanical analysis and mechanical tests revealed that treating silica with silane improved the strength and toughness of the composite materials, while untreated silica improved their strength at the expense of toughness. This can be attributed to the existence of the flexible interlayer introduced by silane treatment. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 827–834, 2002; DOI 10.1002/app.10349
Digital data, from texts to files and mobile applications, has become a pervasive component of our society. With seemingly unlimited storage in the cloud at their disposal, how do people approach data preservation, deciding what to keep and discard? We interviewed 23 participants with diverse backgrounds, asking them about their perceived digital data: what "stuff" they kept through the years, why, how they used it, and what they considered important. In an iterative analysis process, we uncovered a spectrum of tendencies that drive preservation strategies, with two extremes: hoarding (where participants accumulated large amounts of data, even if considered of little value) and minimalism (where they kept as little as possible, regularly cleaning their data). We contrast and compare the two extremes of the spectrum, characterize their nuanced nature, and discuss how our categorization compares to previously reported behaviors such as filing and piling, email cleaners and keepers. We conclude with broad implications for shaping technology.
Despite vast worldwide experience in the use of 131I for treating Graves' disease (GD), no consensus of opinion exists concerning the optimal method of dose calculation. In one of the most popular equations, the administered (131)I dose is directly proportional to the estimated thyroid gland volume and inversely proportional to the measured 24-hour radioiodine uptake. In this study, we compared the efficiency of different tissue-absorbed doses to induce euthyroidism or hypothyroidism within 1 year after radioiodine therapy in GD patients. The study was carried out in 134 GD patients (age, 53 +/- 14 year; range, 16-82 year; thyroid volume, 28 +/- 18 mL; range, 6-95 mL; average 24-hour thyroid uptake, 72%) treated with (131)I therapy. The average radioiodine activity administered to patients was 518 +/- 226 MBq (range, 111-1110). The corresponding average thyroid absorbed dose, calculated by a modified Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) equation was 376 +/- 258 Gy (range, 99-1683). One year after treatment, 58 patients (43%) were hypothyroid, 57 patients (43%) were euthyroid, and 19 patients (14%) remained hyperthyroid. The patients were divided into 3 groups: 150 Gy (n = 32), 300 Gy (n = 58) and >300 Gy (n = 44). No significant difference in the rate of recurrent hyperthyroidism was found among the 3 groups (150 Gy: 15%; 300 Gy: 14%; and > or =300 Gy: 14%; chi-square test, p = 0.72). Whereas, the rate of hypothyroidism in the 3 groups was significantly correlated with the dose (150 Gy: 30%; 300 Gy: 46%; >300 Gy: 71%; chi-square test, p = 0.0003). The results obtained in this study show no correlation between dose and outcome of radioiodine therapy (in terms of persistent hyperthyroidism) for thyroid absorbed doses > or =150 Gy, while confirming the relation between the thyroid absorbed dose and the incidence of hypothyroidism in GD patients.
In natural environments our auditory system is exposed to multiple and diverse signals of fluctuating amplitudes. Therefore, to detect, localize, and single out individual sounds the auditory system has to process and filter spectral and temporal information from both ears. It is known that the overall sound pressure level affects sensory signal transduction and therefore the temporal response pattern of auditory neurons. We hypothesize that the mammalian binaural system utilizes a dynamic mechanism to adjust the temporal filters in neuronal circuits to different overall sound pressure levels. Previous studies proposed an inhibitory mechanism generated by the reciprocally coupled dorsal nuclei of the lateral lemniscus (DNLL) as a temporal neuronal-network filter that suppresses rapid binaural fluctuations. Here we investigated the consequence of different sound levels on this filter during binaural processing. Our in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology in Mongolian gerbils shows that the integration of ascending excitation and contralateral inhibition defines the temporal properties of this inhibitory filter. The time course of this filter depends on the synaptic drive, which is modulated by the overall sound pressure level and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) signaling. In psychophysical experiments we tested the temporal perception of humans and show that detection and localization of two subsequent tones changes with the sound pressure level consistent with our physiological results. Together our data support the hypothesis that mammals dynamically adjust their time window for sound detection and localization within the binaural system in a sound level dependent manner.
Richard Lerner's new book, Final Solutions: Biology, Prejudice, and Genocide, is a powerful and troubling treatise. It weaves together several topical strands into a direct, clear, and compelling argument. The chief strength of the book lies in its focus on a single aspect of Nazi ideology (biological determinism), the role played in the maintenance of that ideology by medical and biological scientists, and Lerner's warnings about those he views as the contemporary successors of these scientists. Unlike Lerner's other contributions to the scholarly literature, this book is less a psychological treatise than it is a polemical history of some behavioral sciences in the twentieth century, Lerner's argument is provocative, clearly reasoned, and demands consideration by social scientists, humanists, and those who would avoid both the repetition of the past and our ignorance of its costs and lessons.
Abstract Eleven new baddeleyite U–Pb crystallisation ages and associated whole-rock geochemistry on NE–NNE-trending tholeiitic dykes cutting across the north-eastern corner of the Archaean Kaapvaal Craton, the overlying Transvaal basin and the Bushveld and Phalaborwa igneous complexes collectively define a 1875–1835 Ma Black Hills Dyke Swarm (BHDS). Dyke ages do not discriminate between dyke trends or geographic location, but subdivide the BHDS into an older set of four more primitive dykes (MgO = 9.4–6.8 wt.%) and a younger set of seven dykes with more differentiated compositions (MgO = 5.6–4.2 wt.%). Despite being emplaced over a c. 40 Myr period, major element compositions are remarkably consistent with a single inversely modelled bulk fractionating assemblage of 57.5% plagioclase, 29.5% augite and 13.0% olivine. This fractionating assemblage requires an additional assimilation of bulk continental crust (at a low r-value of 0.2) for reversed modelling of parental rare earth elements. Even though this crustal assimilation indicates that primary magmas could potentially have been derived from a spinel-bearing ambient primordial and asthenospheric mantle source, anomalously low Nb and high Pb values for the more primitive older dykes may also have been inherited from a sub-continental lithospheric mantle source. The ages for the BHDS bridge a gap between c. 1889 and 1867 Ma mafic sills and c. 1830 Ma rhyodacitic pyroclasts, interbedded in the top of a ~3 km-thick Sibasa basalt sequence, which combine into a continuous c. 1.89–1.83 Ga igneous province. Similar geochemical signatures are consistent with all sills, volcanic rocks and BHDS feeders collectively belonging to a very voluminous and coherent igneous province, which arguably formed behind active Magondi and Okwa-Kheis arcs, along the western margin of the proto-Kalahari Craton.
Some results obtained from our quantitative analysis of artificial neural networks are presented. Although the results are from only a few neural models, they actually mirror the common advantages and limitations of the well-known neural networks. It can be seen that the common limitations of neural networks are: the learning complexity is generally high; and the quality of the performance of the networks cannot be guaranteed after learning. It is observed that the drawbacks of such networks stem from the lack of usage of prior knowledge and their uncontrollable learning processes. From the analysis, some approaches of using prior knowledge and optimization techniques for controlling the learning process are proposed. The characteristics of new approaches are discussed. Experimental results are given to show the efficiency of the proposed methods. The results show that prior knowledge can be used not only in architecture design but also in the learning process of neural networks so that their learning capacity and network performance can be improved greatly. Although much has been done in neural network research, little is known so far about their global properties, especially, quantitative properties. Therefore, the research also shows that quantitative analysis is of great value to the understanding and improvement of different neural network models.
Emergency physicians (EP) are uniquely suited to provide care in crises as a result of their broad training, ability to work quickly and effectively in high-pressure, austere settings, and their inherent flexibility. While emergency medicine training is helpful to support the needs of crisis-affected and displaced populations, it is not in itself sufficient. In this article we review what an EP should carefully consider prior to deployment.
We study plasmonic resonances in electrostatically gated graphene nanoribbons on silicon dioxide substrates. Absorption spectra are measured in the mid-far-infrared and reveal multiple peaks, with width-dependent resonant frequencies. We calculate the dielectric function within the random phase approximation and show that the observed spectra can be explained by surface-plasmon–phonon–polariton modes, which arise from coupling of the graphene plasmon to three surface optical phonon modes in silicon dioxide.
We consider the nonlinear wave equation $$i  partial_{t}u =  sqrt{- Delta + m^{2}}  ; u - (|{x}|^{-1}  ast |{u}|^{2})u  ; ; ; { rm on} ; ; { tt R}^{3}$$ modeling the dynamics of (pseudorelativistic) boson stars. For spherically symmetric initial data, u0(x) ∈ C  c∞ (ℝ3), with negative energy, we prove blowup of u(t, x) in the H1/2‐norm within a finite time. Physically this phenomenon describes the onset of “gravitational collapse” of a boson star. We also study blowup in external, spherically symmetric potentials, and we consider more general Hartree‐type nonlinearities. As an application, we exhibit instability of ground state solitary waves at rest if m = 0. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
INTRODUCTION Although several prognostic scores have been reported to correlate with the prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patients, there are limited tools to predict the prognosis of PBC with compensated cirrhosis. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic performance of the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score in PBC patients with compensated cirrhosis.   METHODS We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study of 219 patients with compensated PBC cirrhosis to evaluate the prognostic performance of the ALBI using Cox regression model, receiver operating characteristic curve, and Kaplan-Meier method.   RESULTS During follow-up, a total of 19 subjects (8.7%) met the primary endpoint of liver-related death or transplantation (LT). Patients who died/underwent LT have higher ALBI score (-1.06 vs. -2.06, P <0.001) at baseline than those who survived. ALBI score (HR: 15.011, 95% CI: 5.045-44.665, P < 0.001) was associated with an increase in liver-related mortality or LT. ALBI score had the best discriminative capacity to predict the 5-year liver-related mortality [AUC: 0.871, 95% CI (0.820, 0.913)] compared with other prognostic scores. The ROC curve showed that the best cut-of value of ALBI score was -1.47, with 90.0% sensitivity and 76.6% specificity. And the probability of transplant-free survival decreased with increasing ALBI grade (log-rank P=0.003). The five-year transplant-free survival rates of patients in grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 were 100.0%, 96.4%, and 89.4%, respectively.   CONCLUSION ALBI score is a simple and effective predictive factor estimating the clinical outcome of patients with compensated PBC cirrhosis and provides better prognostic performance compared with other prognostic scores.
Investigators have long since realized the importance of the guinea pig as an experimental animal. A criterion of normality in the blood picture of this animal is a necessity to establish a standard for comparative research. Many studies of the differential count of guinea pig blood have been attempted, but, the variations have been so great that a generalization concerning the average count has been impossible. The cause of these divergences may have been due to the breed of the animal, to the physical condition of the animal, to the morphological criteria used for classification, or to the fact that the experimental series were too small. It is our belief, for reasons to be brought out later, that the animals in certain cases were by no means normal, in other cases the morphological criteria were at fault, and in a particular thesis conclusions were drawn from an experimental series consisting of two animals. The experiments under investigation suggest that the variability, in percentage cell counts, in a series of over one hundred counts, on 40 guinea pigs, is not as great as the differences in the total cell counts given by various investigators. The greatest differences in these observations occur in lymphocyte and neutrophile distributions, as is shown in the following tabulation of results: We have calculated statistically the normal distribution of cell types. Our data indicate that the lymphocyte count is between 70 to 80 per cent, the neutrophile between 12 to 18 per cent, and the ecsinophile count between 1 to 2 per cent. We have also calculated the occurrence of Kurloff bodies in the mononuclears and find them to occur in approximately 1.5 per cent of the total cell count, while that type of cell which contains them averages between 5 to 7 per cent of the total cell count.
PURPOSE Restructuring of extracellular matrix at actively extending blood vessel tips involves secretion of plasminogen activator (PA). Findings in earlier studies conducted in the authors' laboratory have suggested that angiostatic steroids suppress the PA activity essential for the invasive aspect of angiogenesis by increasing synthesis of plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1. This experiment was designed to test the effect of administration of exogenous PAI-1 on retinal neovascularization (NV) in an animal model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).   METHODS At birth, Sprague-Dawley rats were placed into incubators and exposed to an atmosphere alternating between 50% and 10% O(2) every 24 hours. After 14 days, the animals were removed to room air, at which time each received a single intravitreal injection of 5 microL of buffer vehicle or one of five doses of PAI-1, ranging from 3.0 microg/mL to 2.0 mg/mL. Animals were killed 6 days later, and retinal NV was assessed using adenosine diphosphatase (ADPase) histochemical staining.   RESULTS Retinal neovascularization decreased with increasing PAI-1 dosage. The most effective dose tested (2.0 mg/mL) caused a 52% reduction in retinal NV relative to vehicle (P < 0.005). Normal vasculogenesis, as determined by measuring retinal vascular area, was unaffected.   CONCLUSIONS PAI-1 inhibits pathologic angiogenesis without adversely affecting normal vasculogenesis, an attractive feature for ROP therapies. Moreover, PAI's relationship to matrix metalloproteinases, which are also implicated in angiogenesis, suggests that the proteolytic aspect of the process may provide additional downstream therapeutic targets.
A method is described for characterizing the acoustical properties of flute head joints by measurement of the quantities Fn = fn/(2n−1), where fn is the frequency of the nth impedance maximum of the head joint as viewed from the end of a short cylindrical tube simulating a part of the flute body and with the embouchure hole completely unobscured. The tube length is chosen to make f1≊170 Hz. It is shown that the pattern of this ’’resonance signature’’ curve Fn in the frequency range fn up to 5 kHz is sensitive to the precise geometry of the head joint so that it may serve as a convenient correlate for playing behavior, even though its shape is only indirectly related to conditions in a blown flute. A simple and inexpensive apparatus for determining this resonance signature is described.
It remains a real challenge to control the selectivity of the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (eCO2R) reaction to valuable chemicals and fuels. Most of the electrocatalysts are made of non‐renewable metal resources, which hampers their large‐scale implementation. Here, we report the preparation of bimetallic copper‐lead (CuPb) electrocatalysts from industrial metallurgical waste. The metal ions were extracted from the metallurgical waste through simple chemical treatment with ammonium chloride, and CuxPby electrocatalysts with tunable compositions were fabricated through electrodeposition at varying cathodic potentials. X‐ray spectroscopy techniques showed that the pristine electrocatalysts consist of Cu0, Cu1+ and Pb2+ domains, and no evidence for alloy formation was found. We found a volcano‐shape relationship between eCO2R selectivity toward two electron products, such as CO, and the elemental ratio of Cu and Pb. A maximum Faradaic efficiency towards CO was found for Cu9.00Pb1.00, which was four times higher than that of pure Cu, under the same electrocatalytic conditions. In situ Raman spectroscopy revealed that the optimal amount of Pb effectively improved the reducibility of the pristine Cu1+ and Pb2+ domains to metallic Cu and Pb, which boosted the selectivity towards CO by synergistic effects. This work provides a framework of thinking to design and tune the selectivity of bimetallic electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction through valorization of metallurgical waste.
Allergy Service, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. Immunoallergy Laboratory, Immunology Department, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Fundación Jiménez Díaz, 28040 Madrid, Spain. CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain. Research Unit, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain.
Carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) has caused trouble in therapeutic antibiotic selection. Carbapenemase screening procedure in laboratories is usually based on inacurate semi-automatic system. Confirmation and classification of carbapenemases according to Ambler can be done with combination of phenotypic methods, i.e., Modified Hodge Test (MHT), Sodium Mercaptoacetic Acid (SMA), and 3-Aminophenylboronic Acid (PBA). This study aimed to compare profiles of carbapenemase-producing E. coli which were confirmed and classified phenotypically with the genotypic profiles. E. coli isolates from urine specimens which were potential as carbapenemase-producers according to semi-automatic system BD Phoenix were phenotypically tested with MHT, SMA, and PBA. Isolates were grouped as carbapenemase-producers and non carbapenemase-producers. Phenotypic carbapenemase-producer isolates were classified based on Ambler criteria. All isolates were then tested with Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for the presence of OXA-48, IMP1, IMP2, GES, VIM, NDM, KPC genes. Out of 30 isolates, 6 isolates (20.0%) were MHT positive, and 25 isolates (83.3%) were SMA positive, which indicated that most isolates produced were carbapenemase Ambler B. PCR confirmed 12 isolates (40.0%) had VIM gene which were classified as carbapenemase Ambler B. Phenotypic confirmatory test had 100% sensitivity and 22.2% specificity. Classification with phenotypic confirmatory test had 91.7% match with PCR. Phenotypic confirmatory test detected more carbapenemase than PCR. This low specificity may be caused by inappropriate use of diagnostic gold standard. PCR should not be used for routine carbapenemase confirmation because of vast diversity of carbapenemases. Phenotypic confirmatory test can classify carbapenemase according to Ambler classification.
We evaluated the toxicity of oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) against larvae of the tiger mosquito Aedes (Stegomya) albopictus (Skuse, 1895) (Diptera: Culicidae) and non-target aquatic vertebrates, the fish Gambusia affinis (Baird and Girard, 1853) and the tapole of the frog Pelophylax perezi (Lopez-Seodane, 1885). The water-mixture of OLE was effective as a larvicide and lethal to both mosquitofish and tadpoles in the short-term. The water-mixture left in the open air over a week had no effect on larvae. Pure OLE released on the water surface killed larvae at very low concentrations irrespectively of the volume of water medium. OLE seems a useful compound to be used against tiger mosquito larvae especially in mosquito breeding sites isolated from native ecosystems.
Random graph null models have found widespread application in diverse research communities analyzing network datasets, including social, information, and economic networks, as well as food webs, protein-protein interactions, and neuronal networks. The most popular family of random graph null models, called configuration models, are defined as uniform distributions over a space of graphs with a fixed degree sequence. Commonly, properties of an empirical network are compared to properties of an ensemble of graphs from a configuration model in order to quantify whether empirical network properties are meaningful or whether they are instead a common consequence of the particular degree sequence. In this work we study the subtle but important decisions underlying the specification of a configuration model, and investigate the role these choices play in graph sampling procedures and a suite of applications. We place particular emphasis on the importance of specifying the appropriate graph labeling (stub-labeled or vertex-labeled) under which to consider a null model, a choice that closely connects the study of random graphs to the study of random contingency tables. We show that the choice of graph labeling is inconsequential for studies of simple graphs, but can have a significant impact on analyses of multigraphs or graphs with self-loops. The importance of these choices is demonstrated through a series of three vignettes, analyzing network datasets under many different configuration models and observing substantial differences in study conclusions under different models. We argue that in each case, only one of the possible configuration models is appropriate. While our work focuses on undirected static networks, it aims to guide the study of directed networks, dynamic networks, and all other network contexts that are suitably studied through the lens of random graph null models.
The management of college students as a way to promote the quality of teaching in colleges and universities to promote teaching reform has always been the focus of the work of colleges and universities in China.In the actual management of college students, student management has shown the survival of the main state of decline, and this student lost the survival of the main reason is because the student's personal subject generated by the presupposition of the purpose of restrictions and uniform management model limits.On the current practice of most of the students in our country, there are still some disciplines, organizational space programming and other issues, and ultimately led to the loss of student subjects.This paper analyzes the causes of the loss of students 'development in the reform of college students' management, and puts forward some concrete suggestions on the path of college student management reform.
A report on strong and fast blue photoluminescence (PL) from silicon nanocrystals (Si-ncs) suspended in toluene solution is presented. They were fabricated through nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of the silicon target in toluene. Transmission electron microscopy observations confirm that the Si-ncs are well dispersed and the most of them are smaller than 2 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectra indicate that the surface of the Si-ncs is passivated by some groups from toluene. The detailed study of PL spectra and PL excitation spectra reveals that the photoexcited carriers not only are present in the quantum confined Si-ncs cores but also occur at the Si-ncs surface, and the resonant electron transfer from the surface bonding states to the conduction band of quantum confined Si-ncs can efficiently occur. Time-resolved PL spectrum exhibits a triple-exponential PL decay with lifetimes of 0.73, 3.8 and 13.5 ns, and implies that the optical recombinations and the resonant electron transfer are both very rapid and of the order of nanoseconds.
Generation and breeding of humanized C19MC transgenic mice A 160kb BAC clone (BAC RP111055O17) that contained the entire human C19MC locus, including 54 kb of sequence upstream of the first miRNA gene, was purchased from CHORI BACPAC (Oakland, CA, USA). BAC DNA was prepared by using the PhasePrep BACDNA kit (SigmaAldrich), followed by spot dialysis against microinjection buffer (5 mM Tris– HCl, pH 7.4; 0.2 mM EDTA, 100 mM NaCl, 30 mM spermine, and 70 mM spermidine). Supercoiled BACDNA was microinjected into 1cellstage B6SJLF1 embryos by using standard procedures. Transgenic lines were maintained as hemizygotes by breeding with WT C57BL/6 mice and were genotyped by using standard PCR (set 1: forward: GCTCT CTG ATG GGT TAG AGT GCC TTTAAGA, reverse: GGTGA GAC GGA GAT TTA CTC TTG TTGTCC; set 2: forward: CCAAA GTG TTG TGA TTA CAA GCGTGAGC, reverse: GTGAC AGA GCC AGA TCC TGT CTC AAAATAAG). The following four groups of nonpregnant mice were used for analysis at 8– 12 wk: (1) WT males, (2) C19MC transgenic males, (3) WT females, and (4) C19MC transgenic females. Timed breeding was carried out to obtain pregnant dams by using crossings between either WT females with C19MC transgenic males or C19MC transgenic females with WT males. In each of the two breeding schemes, pregnant dams were expected to carry 50% WT and 50% C19MC transgenic pups. All pregnant mice were delivered transabdominally by embryonic day (E)17.5 (E17.5; or, where indicated, at E11.5, E14.5).
eminence is afforded by the University of Chicago in this century, discussed in this volume by Edward Shils. It is an assumption of this volume that the urban university is the historical archetype and that the 'campus* style of university, encapsulating the tradition of anti-urbanism, is a major deviation. While this is generally true, this volume is silent on the fact that the earliest extant commentary on the nature of the university, contained in the Stele Partidas (1256-63), the legislative code of Alfonso x of Castile, advances the idea of the 'campus' university as the desirable norm, presumably with the Spanish situation in mind. The Spanish universities are not, however, represented in this volume; nor, surprisingly, are Oxford and Cambridge included. The essays in this collection are of good quality with the notable exception of the contribution by J. K. Hyde on the Italian universities in the medieval period. Making every allowance for the fact of the author's untimely death, which prevented him from adding a final polish and notes, it is nevertheless a flawed essay, containing many dubious statements and far too speculative to be of much historical value. In sum, this is a stimulating volume which poses important questions, and ought to be read by every vice-chancellor who is concerned with the state of relations between his university and its host city.
Increasing demand for cereals produced from limited natural resources stimulated the Green Revolution in grain crops like wheat and rice. But the gap between potential and actual production continues. Concerns about sustainability, and the social and technical shortcomings of the Green Revolution, have triggered a number of alternative crop production strategies. One, in particular, the so-called System of Rice Intensification (SRI), is attracting attention by governments, civil society organizations and farmers in Asia and elsewhere.
Microcavity based on macroporous silicon infiltrated with liquid crystals is described theoretically using the proposed model. We use construction of electrical contacts, which allows apply electrical field perpendicularly to the pore axis. Various cases of the pore size and different pre-orientation of liquid crystal molecules are considered. Reflection spectra for two orthogonal polarizations of the incident light are calculated. We also study electrical tunability of the microcavity resonance wavelength
We investigated how transmission of hunger- and satiety-promoting neuropeptides, NPY and αMSH, is integrated at the level of intracellular signaling to control feeding. Receptors for these peptides use the second messenger cAMP, but the messenger’s spatiotemporal dynamics and role in energy balance are controversial. We show that AgRP axon stimulation in the paraventricular hypothalamus evokes probabilistic and spatially restricted NPY release that triggers stochastic cAMP decrements in downstream MC4R-expressing neurons (PVHMC4R). Meanwhile, POMC axon stimulation triggers stochastic, αMSH-dependent cAMP increments. NPY and αMSH competitively control cAMP, as reflected by hunger-state-dependent differences in the amplitude and persistence of cAMP transients evoked by each peptide. During feeding bouts, elevated αMSH release and suppressed NPY release cooperatively sustain elevated cAMP in PVHMC4R neurons, thereby potentiating feeding-related excitatory inputs and promoting satiation across minutes. Our findings highlight how state-dependent integration of opposing, quantal peptidergic events by a common biochemical target calibrates energy intake.
The scientific literature contains an historic record of the changing ways in which we describe the world. Shifts in understanding of scientific concepts are reflected in the introduction of new terms and the changing usage and context of existing ones. We conducted an ontology-based temporal data mining analysis of biodiversity literature from the 1700s to 2000s to quantitatively measure how the context of usage for vertebrate anatomical concepts has changed over time. The corpus of literature was divided into nine non-overlapping time periods with comparable amounts of data and context vectors of anatomical concepts were compared to measure the magnitude of concept drift both between adjacent time periods and cumulatively relative to the initial state. Surprisingly, we found that while anatomical concept drift between adjacent time periods was substantial (55% to 68%), it was of the same magnitude as cumulative concept drift across multiple time periods. Such a process, bound by an overall mean drift, fits the expectations of a mean-reverting process.
We report main features of spectral compression of parabolic pulses in nonlinear optical fibers. It is shown that the variational analysis correctly describes evolution of pulse parameters during spectral compression. The model of cascade amplifier system employing spectral compression is developed to achieve superior spectral densities. The proposed configuration is promising as optical pulse preamplifier for operation in the high-energy pulse laser systems.
The Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Cargiver Health (REACH) project was designed to test promising interventions for enhancing family caregiving for persons with dementia. The purpose of this article is to describe the research design, interventions, and outcome measures used in REACH and to characterize the sample recruited for the study. Nine interventions and 2 control conditions were implemented at 6 sites; 1,222 dyads were randomly assigned to an intervention or a control condition. The caregiver sample was 18.6% male with an average age of 62.3 years (56% Caucasian, 24% Black, and 19% Hispanic). Caregivers reported high levels of depressive symptoms and moderate burden. Care recipients were older, with a mean age of 79, and were moderately to severely impaired with mean Mini-Mental State Exam scores of 13/30.
We describe a case of childhood multiple sclerosis with vertigo as a presenting finding. A review of 14 casts at The Children's Hospital of Denver disclosed that vertigo was a presenting symptom in four of these. This ratio closely approximates the adult incidence. With the application of objective vestibular testing, this rate is probably much higher. Pediatricians should bear in mind childhood multiple sclerosis when faced with unexplained vertigo in a child.
ABSTRACT Working memory (WM) is one of the most studied cognitive constructs in psychology, because of its relevance to human performance, including language processing. When measuring verbal WM for sentences, the reading span task is the most widely used WM measure for this purpose. However, comparable sentence-level updating tasks are missing. Hence, we sought to develop a WM updating task, which we termed the selective updating of sentences (SUS) task, which taps the ability to constantly update sentences. In two experiments with Finnish-speaking young adults, we examined the internal consistency and concurrent validity of the SUS task. It exhibited adequate internal consistency and correlated positively with well-established working memory measures. Moreover, the SUS task also showed positive correlations with verbal episodic memory tasks employing sentences and paragraphs. These results indicate that the SUS task is a promising new task for psycholinguistic studies addressing verbal WM updating.
Abstract A general formulation for the six-dimensional lattice of the decagonal phase has been utilized for systematically deducing its geometrical consequences on the three-dimensional structures obtained by taking a section of the hyperlattice. Indexing of diffraction patterns has been accomplished on this basis. A zone axis rule and an interplanar spacing formula have been derived. Structures have been proposed for the decagonal phases with different reciprocal space periodicities and having P105/mcm symmetry.
A family therapy training program has been conducted for staff of mental health agencies located throughout Pennsylvania. This paper is a report on the content and results of the four-year-old training program. Three hundred practitioners have been trained in family therapy. The program has also led to the development of a core group of 64 family therapy trainers. There has been an associated delivery of more family-oriented mental health services throughout the Commonwealth.
The present study evaluated the effect of combining inhibitors (17-AAG) of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and autophagy (3-MA) on apoptosis using an incomplete thermal ablation animal model. A total of 28 orthotopic mice with hepatocellular carcinoma were randomly divided into 4 groups to receive different drug interventions. Following palliative laser ablation, changes in autophagy, apoptosis and Akt/mTOR expression levels were assessed in tumors. Compared with the controls, the 17-AAG-treated mice exhibited significantly decreased expression levels of phosphorylated (p)-Akt and p-mTOR with enhanced autophagy and apoptosis; no marked increases in the expression levels of p-Akt and p-mTOR were observed in the 3-MA-treated mice, with no significant changes in autophagy; however, apoptosis was enhanced. No significant decreases in p-Akt and p-mTOR or any increase in autophagy were observed in the mice receiving a combination of 17-AAG and 3-MA, but they did exhibit a marked increase in apoptosis. Compared with 17-AAG alone, the combination of 17-AAG and 3-MA resulted in a marked increase in apoptosis without enhanced autophagy. In the incomplete ablation model, the effects of autophagy and apoptosis are antagonistic. The combined use of 17-AAG and 3-MA can significantly promote apoptosis and is worthy of further study.
We compared two electroretinography (ERG) electrodes in dogs using ERG standards of the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV). Ten healthy Yorkshire terrier dogs (mean age, 2.80 ± 1.42 years; 6 females) weighing 5.20 ± 1.56 kg were evaluated using an ERG system for veterinary use. Dark- and light-adapted ERG responses were recorded using an ERG-Jet electrode and a fiber electrode prototype. The examinations were performed during 2 visits, 3 weeks apart. Both electrodes (ERG-Jet or fiber prototype) were used on each animal and the first eye to be recorded (OD × OS) was selected randomly. Three weeks later the examination was repeated on the same animal switching the type of electrode to be used that day and the first eye to be examined. The magnitude and waveform quality obtained with the two electrode types were similar for all ERG responses. ERG amplitudes and implicit times obtained from dogs using the fiber electrode prototype were comparable to those obtained with the ERG-Jet electrode for rod, maximal rod-cone summed, cone, and 30-Hz flicker responses. The fiber electrode prototype is a low-cost device, available as an alternative instrument for clinical veterinary ERG recording for retinal function assessment.
After 5 years of development, the European College of Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ECVCP) was formally recognized and approved on July 4, 2007 by the European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS), the European regulatory body that oversees specialization in veterinary medicine and which has approved 23 colleges. The objectives, committees, basis for membership, constitution, bylaws, information brochure and certifying examination of the ECVCP have remained unchanged during this time except as directed by EBVS. The ECVCP declared full functionality based on the following criteria: 1) a critical mass of 65 members: 15 original diplomates approved by the EBVS to establish the ECVCP, 37 de facto diplomates, 7 diplomates certified by examination, and 5 elected honorary members; 2) the development and certification of training programs, laboratories, and qualified supervisors for residents; currently there are 18 resident training programs in Europe; 3) administration of 3 annual board-certifying examinations thus far, with an overall pass rate of 70%; 4) European consensus criteria for assessing the continuing education of specialists every 5 years; 5) organization of 8 annual scientific congresses and a joint journal (with the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology) for communication of scientific research and information; the College also maintains a website, a joint listserv, and a newsletter; 6) collaboration in training and continuing education with relevant colleges in medicine and pathology; 7) development and strict adherence to a constitution and bylaws compliant with the EBVS; and 8) demonstration of compelling rationale, supporting data, and the support of members and other colleges for independence as a specialty college. Formal EBVS recognition of ECVCP as the regulatory body for the science and practice of veterinary clinical pathology in Europe will facilitate growth and development of the discipline and compliance of academic, commercial diagnostic, and industry laboratories in veterinary clinical pathology. Future needs are in developing sponsorship for resident positions, increasing employment opportunities, increasing compliance with laboratory, training, and continuing education standards, and advancing relevant science and technology.
In recent years anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) bullying has been a pervasive discussion in popular and scholarly discourse. While such a discussion has documented the negative impact of bullying on the physical, psychological, social, and emotional lives of young people, it has not had a critical and sustained analysis of the ways that race, ethnicity, class, and other identities complicate discussions of how bullying and bias-motivated violence affects a diversity of queer youth. In this article, Eric Darnell Pritchard begins with a framework that assumes that the intersections of LGBTQ identities with race, ethnicity, and class offer unexplored critical possibilities within current discussions of bullying. He argues that in order to be more creative and effective in responding to the epidemic of bullying, we must expose and deeply engage the limits in the ways identity and safety are taken up in bullying discourse, which have resulted in flattened and less effective antibull...
Analysis of records of Veterans Administration General Medical and Surgical patients with anxiety or depressive reactions, half of whom had committed suicide, and the rest of whom were matched nonsuicidal controls, showed that suicides and nonsuicides were significantly differentiated on each of 23 feeling and behavior items. Also most of the cases could be categorized in patterns, called (a) Object-Loss, suicides with severe interpersonal conflicts; (b) Involutional, suicides with insult to their psychological integrity; (c) Medical, controls with physical problems; (d) Egoistic, both suicides and controls with few ties to society; or (e) Preegoistic (tentatively identified), younger controls who were possibly in an earlier stage of the Egoistic syndrome. An important measure against suicide is evidence that members of the hospital staff are interested in, and concerned about, the patient.
The electrostatic energy component of classical force fields often includes some of the polarization energy component implicitly through the choice of atomic charges. In this and the subsequent articles we describe progress toward separating and accurately calculating both electrostatic and polarization energies. In the present contribution the distributed point charge representation of electrostatics is retained. Charges derived from several quantum chemical models including electron correlation at various levels are compared. We found that ignoring electron correlation in deriving charges for our force field can result in an error of several kcal mol-1 in free energy difference simulations, and that this error can be comparable to the effect of ignoring polarization. We conclude that the accurate treatment of polarization in force fields also requires an accurate treatment of electron correlation. The work is based on the relatively new MPFIT charge fitting procedure (Ferenczy, G. G. J. Comput. Chem. 19...
The tectonic nature of southern China has changed again and again in the Phanerozoic. In the Caledonian cycle, there existed three tectonic units-the Yangtze paraplatform, Indosinian-South China Sea paraplatforrn and Caledonian South China fold belt, of which the last unit is not a collisional orogenic belt but a scissor-shaped aulacogen- type geosyncline opening towards Yunnan and Vietnam. In the Indosinian cycle, South China belonged to the Tethyan tectonic domain, and no abyssal oceanic basin existed there. Since the Late Triassic, especially in the Yanshanian orogenic stage, it became a component part of the peri-Pacific continental-margin activation belt of eastern Asia. No Alpine-type orogenic belt occurs in the interior of the continent of southern China.
The stopping power and the range of ${ mathrm{He}}^{++}$ ions with energies between about 1 and 9 MeV have been measured for the oxides of nuclear interest U${ mathrm{O}}_{2}$, and (U, Pu)${ mathrm{O}}_{2}$, and Th${ mathrm{O}}_{2}$, using a new and versatile method. The experimental technique consisted in evaporating oxide layers onto a source emitting $ ensuremath{ alpha}$ particles of five different energies, and then determining $ frac{ mathrm{dE}}{ mathrm{dx}}$ by $ ensuremath{ alpha}$ spectroscopy. These multienergy sources could conveniently be obtained by exposing a metal foil to the recoil atoms of ${ mathrm{Th}}^{228}$, the radioactive decay chain of which contains five daughter nuclides with different $ ensuremath{ alpha}$ energies. In addition, the $ ensuremath{ alpha}$ spectra of thick homogeneous samples were also evaluated and yieldd confirmatory results. The data are compared to theoretical calculations. and their application in self-diffusion studies is discussed.
The aim of the article is to develop theoretical and methodological approaches to composing the “road map” to promote a new medicine product (МР) to the market. The methodological basis of the research is the statements of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, analytical companies of the pharmaceutical market, scientific publications and reports. During the research we used the following methods, namely: marketing, system-based and analytical, modeling, logical analysis and generalization, structural grouping, “road mapping”. Results and discussion. The article indicates that “road maps” are one of the most effective tools for solving problems to enhance innovative potential and for improving the process of making strategic decisions to promote a new MP to the market, which are successfully applied by a number of foreign high-tech companies. We have developed the model of the “road map” for promoting a new MP to the pharmaceutical market, as well as detailed implementation of its stages. Conclusions. The model of the “road map” was developed to promote a new MP to the market, the implementation of which will ensure pharmaceutical enterprises to effectively market the product, by taking strategic decisions on defining the communicative and economic efficiency of the promotion process. We have proposed the methods of risk modeling while implementing the “road map” model for promoting MP to the market.
DNA microarray datasets have extensive number of genes however just a little number of qualities are required to distinguish a specific kind of disease. There are some issues in microarray data, the curse of dimensionality and the number of irrelevant features present which can be overcome by features extraction and dimensionality reduction technique. So gene selection assumes a vital part in expelling unessential elements which enhances exactness. Accurate prediction of disease is a key to examine patients for prognosis and treatment. One key method for gene expression analysis is clustering. Cluster analysis is preferred for the comprehension of expression level of multiple genes simultaneously through a microarray data. In this thesis I have discussed about feature extraction procedures including I-Γrelief, Principal component analysis (PCA). Microarray datasets have the issue of dimensionality. Principal component analysis procedure can be very effective used to decrease dimensions. After feature selection clustering is performed, Distinctive sorts of clustering algorithms like k-means, hierarchical, k-mediods and DBSCAN are applied on datasets GSE2226 and GSE18229 and the results of different clustering algorithms have been discussed.
Biological medicines have improved patients’ outcomes, but their high costs may limit access. Biosimilars, alternatives that have demonstrated high similarity in terms of quality, safety, and efficacy to an already licensed originator biological product, could increase competition and decrease prices. Given the expanding number of biosimilars, patients may switch from originator to biosimilar or among biosimilars. Randomized trials and observational studies conducted with multiple biosimilars over many disease areas confirmed the safety and efficacy of switching from originator to biosimilar. This study summarizes evidence on switching between biosimilars for which there are concerns to provide future guidance. A systematic search (MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library) for studies on anti-TNF agents, assessing clinical efficacy and safety of biosimilar-to-biosimilar switch in chronic inflammatory diseases, was performed. We retrieved 320 records and included 19 clinical studies. One study with historical control compared switching between biosimilars to maintenance of the same biosimilar. Ten were controlled cohort studies comparing switching between two biosimilars vs. switching from originator to a biosimilar or vs. multiple switches. Eight were single-arm cohort studies, where participants switched from one biosimilar to another, and the outcomes were compared before and after the switch. Overall, these studies did not highlight significant concerns in switching between biosimilars. Therefore, switching studies seem difficult to perform and unnecessary with the body of evidence suggesting no real problems in practice coupled with stringent regulatory requirements. Monitoring the use of biosimilars in clinical practice could support clinical decision-making, rational use of biological medicines, and help to further realize possible savings.
I. Introduction The response of intact membranes to mechanical and thermal loads, particularly for gossamer applications, has been well studied. One of the central features of membrane structural response is the development of wrinkles. Wrinkles are a smooth elastic undulation of the membrane surface under compressive stress. The occurrence of wrinkles in a membrane structure at some time during its service life is practically unavoidable. Wrinkles modify both the membrane stress state and surface topology, and failure to account for such modifications in the design, analysis, and implementation stages can be a serious omission. The wrinkling of membrane structures has itself been well-studied and has important ramifications for gossamer spacecraft 1 . Recently, the problem of membrane creasing has come to the forefront. Large membranes will need to be packaged, likely with folding, in order to be stowed for launch followed by in-space deployment. The folding introduces creases, which are sharp inelastic discontinuities of the membrane surface. Like wrinkles, creases also modify the membrane stress state and surface topology, but in addition add an element of bending to the otherwise dominate membrane response. Membrane creasing has been less well studied but interest is growing 2-9 . In contrast, the structural response of damaged membranes has essentially been heretofore ignored. For a gossamer spacecraft m embrane, the three main instigators of damage are atomic oxygen, solar radiation, and micrometorites. Atomic oxygen (AO), when present, can lead to changes in optical and thermal properties of polymer membranes, as well as thickness thinning 10 . Solar radiation effects are similar to AO but also include degradation of the mechanical properties of polymer membranes 11 . Micrometeorite impact can result in holes and tears 12 in the membrane. Although much effort has gone into making polymers that are AO and radiation resistant, the synergistic effect of combined damage mechanisms can thwart even the most innovative of techniques 12 . The present paper examines the structural response of thin sheets in the presence of damage. (In what follows, we use the term sheet to denote a thin membrane with small but finite bending stiffness.) Damage is represented as either a straight cut or a
Many medical and surgical emergencies are complicated by derangement of water and electrolyte balance, the successful management of which depends upon the rapid assessment of essential clinical and laboratory data, and the prompt institution of a certain pre-arranged routine of treatment. An attempt is made in this review to illustrate the application of physiological principles to specific clinical problems. The major part (35 1.) of the water content of the body is an integral part of the cell structure, the remainder (15 1.) is extracellular fluid comprising intersitial fluid and plasma. The composition of the fluid in the two compartments is different. Potassium and phosphate are the main cation and anion respectively of the cells, while sodium and chloride preponderate in the extracellular fluid. The difference in ionic composition between the two compartments is well maintained in health, the distribution of water between the cells and the fluid bathing them being regulated by the osmotic pressure of solutes. An increased concentration of substances on one side of the membrane will draw water from the other. The extracellular fluid acts as a buffer between the cells and the external environment with which it is in constant contact through the lungs, skin, gut and kidney. It suffers greater proportional changes in volume than the cellular fluid. The concentration of solutes in body fluids is regulated by receptors in the hypothalamus sensitive to certain changes in the osmotic pressure of the plasma. The reabsorption of water by the renal tubules is then controlled by the production of the antidiuretic hormone of the posterior pituitary.' The mechanism whereby the volume of body fluids, particularly the extracellular fluid, is regulated, is not known. A mechanism analogous to that controlling osmotic ptessure has been postulated,2 whereby a receptor sensitive to changes in blood volume or flow stimulates the production of a hormone, possibly of the adrenal cortex, which, by adjusting the amount of salt reabsorbed, will regulate blood volume and indirectly extracellular fluid volume. Disturbances of water and electrolyte balance will be considered under two headings: (a) Water and salt balance; (b) potassium balance.
Protein integration into and translocation across biological membranes are vital events for organismal survival and are fundamentally conserved among many organisms. Membrane protein integrase (MPIase) is a glycolipid that drives membrane protein integration into the cytoplasmic membrane in Escherichia coli. MPIase also stimulates protein translocation across the membrane, but how its expression is regulated is incompletely understood. In this study, we found that the expression level of MPIase significantly increases in the cold (<25 °C), whereas that of the SecYEG translocon does not. Using previously created gene-knockout E. coli strains, we also found that either the cdsA or ynbB gene, both encoding rate-limiting enzymes for MPIase biosynthesis, is responsible for the increase in the MPIase expression. Furthermore, using pulse-chase experiments and protein integration assays, we demonstrated that the increase in MPIase levels is important for efficient protein translocation, but not for protein integration. We conclude that MPIase expression is required to stimulate protein translocation in cold conditions and is controlled by cdsA and ynbB gene expression.
E-Mail: shobhanjali11@gmail.com, sopna_acharya@pimrindore.ac.in 1 PhD Scholar, DAVV University, Indore, India 2 Assistant Professor, Prestige Institute of Management & Research, Indore, India Abstract-In this modern era, environmental sustainability is entice attention among corporate executive, to adopt green initiatives, to balance significant relationships between economic development resources, the environment, and ecology. GHRM facilitates HRM strategies such as to strengthen proactive green methods, green competencies, green teams, green behavior, green creativity, and green effect to attain environmental sustainability. The objective of this study is to study green strategies, sustainable and nature friendly practices of some corporate for building their executives green and commitment for reasonable use of assets within organizations maintain equilibrium, and whereby Green HRM can play a pivotal role in business to foster environment associated affairs on the basis of available literature on green HR. This study suggests some GHRM initiatives for going green and building the system green as a whole.
Aims and Methods Diversity-disturbance research has focused on community diver sity, but disturbance frequency could impact diversity within species as well, with important consequences for community diversity and ecosystem function. We examined patterns of genetic diver sity of a dominant grass species, Andropogon gerardii, in native North American tallgrass prairie sites located in eastern Kansas that have been subjected to a gradient of fire frequency treatments (burned every 1, 2, 4 or 20 years) since the 1970s. In addition, we were able to assess the relationships between genetic diversity of A. gerardii, species diversity and productivity across this range of fire frequencies. Important Findings We found no significant relationships between genetic diversity of A. gerardii at the local scale (1 m 2 plot level) and disturbance frequency (burned 2 to 32 times over a 38-year period). However, at the site level (i.e. across all plots sampled within a site, ~100 m 2 ) there were differences in genotype richness and composition, as well as genomic dissimilarity among individuals of A. gerardii. Genotype richness was greatest for the site burned at an inter mediate (4-year) frequency and lowest for the infrequently (20year) burned site. In addition, genotypes found in the frequently burned sites were more similar from each other than expected by random chance than those found in the infrequently burned sites. Genotype composition of A. gerardii was not significantly different between the frequently burned sites (annual vs. 2 year) but did differ between frequently burned and infrequently burned sites (1 and 2 year vs. 4 and 20 year, etc.). Together, these results suggest site-level ecological sorting of genotypes in intact prairie across a broad gradient of disturbance frequencies, likely driven by alterations in environmental conditions. Frequent fire promotes the abundance of dominant grass species, reduces plant community diversity and impacts ecosystem processes such as productivity. Our study suggests that genetic diversity within dominant grass species also may be affected by disturbance frequency, which could have important implications for how species are able to respond to disturbance.
The inability of the coal mill control structure to monitor and control pulverized coal ﬂow causes operational and environmental problems. The research was done to design the new control structure for coal mill in coal firing system to achieve an improvement on control system performance compared to the existing control structure. Cascade control, blend station, and feedback control was used to control the ﬂow of coal, the ﬂow of primary air, and temperature of the pulverized coal. The result of the evaluation shows that the new control structure capable of fulfilling all the control objectives applied to it. Implementation of the new control structure capable to make the step response of the coal mill to have an average settling time at 161.75 seconds with 0% overshoot. The new control structure also capable to make the pulverized coal fineness at the range of 70% to 75% and moisture content at the range of 2.18% to 2.28%. The result of the evaluation makes the control performance of the new control structure is better than the previous coal mill control structure.
AIMS Several experimental studies have demonstrated protection against cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury achieved by pre-treatment with exogenous sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). We tested the hypothesis that pharmacological S1P receptor agonists improve recovery of function when applied with reperfusion.   METHODS AND RESULTS Isolated rat cardiomyocytes were stimulated with exogenous S1P, the selective S1P1 receptor agonist SEW2871, or the S1P1/3 receptor agonist FTY720. Western blot analysis was performed to analyse downstream signalling pathways. Ischaemia-reperfusion studies were conducted in rat cardiomyocytes, isolated Langendorff-perfused rat hearts, and in human myocardial muscle strip preparations to evaluate the effect of S1P receptor agonists on cell death and recovery of mechanical function. All S1P receptor agonists were able to activate Akt. This was associated with transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor. In isolated cardiomyocytes, selective stimulation of the S1P1 receptor by SEW2871 induced protection against cell death when administered either before or after ischaemia-reperfusion. In isolated rat hearts, treatment with FTY720 during reperfusion attenuated the rise in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and improved the recovery of left ventricular developed pressure without limiting infarct size. However, selective S1P1 receptor stimulation did not improve functional recovery but rather increased LVEDP. Additional experiments employing a human myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion model also demonstrated improved functional recovery induced by FTY720 treatment during reperfusion.   CONCLUSION Pharmacological S1P receptor agonists have distinct effects on ischaemia-reperfusion injury. Their efficacy when applied during reperfusion makes them potential candidates for pharmaceutical postconditioning therapy after cardiac ischaemia.
Gastrointestinal tuberculosis is commonly seen in the form of tuberculous peritonitis or involvement of the abdominal lymph nodes.  Isolated gallbladder tuberculosis is very rare worldwide, with only 50 cases reported in the literature till 2003. We report a case of a 65 years old male patient who presented with clinical features of chronic calculous cholecystitis. Radiological investigations showed a necrotic mass within fundus with thickened wall of gallbladder along with a calculus suggesting possibility of carcinoma of gallbladder. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was done and histopathological examination revealed tuberculosis of gallbladder.  This case highlights the need to be aware of such unusual presentation of tuberculous in endemic areas and in patients with chronic GIT symptoms. DOI: 10.21276/apalm.1607
This paper presents the study of nested rings crushed laterally between rigid platens at 2 different velocities. In this investigation two different types of nested ring configurations are analysed: (A) In-Plane; where three rings of varying diameter are placed within each other and their axes are parallel. (B) Out of-Plane; where the rings have a 90 degree orientation. Material used was cold finished, drawn over mandrel (DIN 2393 ST 37-2) and is referred throughout the paper as mild steel. The Cowper-Symonds relation was used to predict the dynamic yield stress of the rings and this was included in the FE material model. The results obtained from experiments were compared to that of finite element method using the software package Ansys. Discussion is made on the post – collapse behaviour of these systems. It was found that the Out of-Plane ring system exhibited a more desirable force-deflection response due to its 90 degree orientation.
Objective Serum uric acid (SUA) has been associated with cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and carotid artery stenosis. However, data on the relationship between SUA level and proximal extracranial artery stenosis (PEAS) are limited. Therefore, this study investigates the association between SUA levels and the risk of PEAS in asymptomatic Chinese population. Setting This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Jidong Community Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei, China between July 2013 and August 2014. Participants The study examined 3325 asymptomatic participants (40–60 years) to evaluate the risk of PEAS. Results For the participants stratified into quartiles based on gender-specific SUA levels, the prevalence of PEAS increased from Q1 to Q4 from 12.3% to 29.8% in the vertebral artery (VA), and from 2.8% to 5.8% in the common carotid artery. The proportion of PEAS relative to the detected number of arterial stenosis was lower in Q1 than in Q2–Q4. The multivariable ORs and 95% CI of PEAS in the second through fourth compared with the lowest quartiles for arterial stenosis were 1.278 (0.980 to 1.665), 1.117 (0.851 to 1.468) and 1.375 (1.033 to 1.830) (ptrend=0.0399); and for VA stenosis, 1.285 (0.966 to 1.709), 1.085 (0.808 to 1.457) and 1.439 (1.061 to 1.952) (ptrend=0.0235). Conclusion Elevated SUA concentration is significantly associated with PEAS in an asymptomatic middle-aged Chinese population, and vertebral arteries appeared to be the most vulnerable vessels.
Wireless Power Transmission technology via microwave (Microwave Power Transmission ; MPT) was advanced from 1960's and many researchers which had a dream to realize the Space Solar Power Satellite/Station (SPS). In Japan, many kinds of the SPS were proposed and designed in recent ten years. We will show the newest Japanese SPS and its characteristics. We also show some results of the recent Japanese MPT experiments, Ubiquitous Power Source, MPT for moving rover, Wireless charging system of electrical vehicle.
Objective To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of proximal femoral nail anti-rotation (PFNA) combined with curettage and bone graft through Watson-Jones approach in the treatment of proximal femur benign tumors and tumor like lesions.   Methods The clinical data of 38 patients with benign tumors and tumor like lesions in the proximal femur who were treated through the Watson-Jones approach with PFNA combined with curettage and bone graft between January 2008 and January 2015 were retrospective analysed. There were 24 males and 14 females with an average age of 28 years (range, 15-57 years). Pathological types included 20 cases of fibrous dysplasia, 7 cases of bone cyst, 5 cases of aneurysmal bone cyst, 3 cases of giant cell tumor of bone, 2 cases of enchondroma, and 1 case of non-ossifying fibroma. Before operation, hip pain occurred in 19 patients, pathological fracture occurred in 12 patients, limb shortening and coxa varus deformity was found in 4 patients, and 3 patients received surgery for the local recurrence. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and full-weight bearing time after operation were recorded. Patients were followed up to observe union of bone graft and the position of internal fixator on X-ray films and CT images. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate the level of pain. The Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS93) score was used to evaluate lower limb function. Harris hip score was used to evaluate hip joint function.   Results The operation time was 130-280 minutes (mean, 182 minutes) and the intraoperative blood loss was 300-1 500 mL (mean, 764 mL). After operation, 3 cases of fat liquefaction of incision healed successfully by carefully dressing, and the rest incisions healed by first intention. All patients started partially weight-bearing exercise at 2-4 weeks after operation. The total weight-bearing time was 3-6 months (mean, 4.2 months). All the patients were followed up 24-108 months (median, 60 months). Imaging examination showed that the bone graft fused and the fusion time was 8-18 months (mean, 11.4 months). During the follow-up period, there was no complication such as pathological fracture, femoral head ischemic necrosis, hip joint dislocation, internal fixation loosening and fracture, and no tumor recurrence or distant metastasis occurred. At last follow-up, the VAS score, MSTS93 score, and Harris score were significantly improved when compared with preoperative ones ( P<0.05).   Conclusion The treatment of proximal femoral benign lesions by PFNA combined with curettage and bone graft through the Watson-Jones approach is safe and effective, with advantages of better mechanical stability, less residual tumor, and less postoperative complications.
Event-related potentials may be applied to directly measure information-processing deficits associated with the problem of insomnia. This study is a systematic investigation of cortical hyperarousal during the sleep-onset period in participants with sleep-onset insomnia complaints. Thirteen poor sleepers and twelve good sleepers (GS) were administered an oddball task while awake in the morning and evening and during repeated sleep-onset attempts. Participants signaled detection of a higher pitch target tone as they fell asleep. P2 amplitude was significantly smaller for poor sleepers compared to GS, following standard stimuli at all fronto-central sites, in the pre-sleep waking period at sleep onset. Groups did not differ for N1, N350, or P300 in wake, Stage 1, or Stage 2. The smaller P2 indicates that poor sleepers failed to inhibit the irrelevant standard stimuli. This hyper-attentiveness may explain chronic problems with sleep initiation and could be the target of behavioral and pharmaceutical treatment strategies.
Received: 15 January 2020 Accepted: 24 April 2020 Abstract. This study aims to assess the impact of interest rate change on stocks returns and volatility of Islamic and Conventional stock market indices during global financial crisis for the period from 04 January, 2005 to 30 December, 2015.The stock indices of China (SSE), India (BSE) and Pakistan (PSE) as conventional, and Malaysia (DJIM), Indonesia (JKII) and Dow Jones World Islamic Index (DJWI) (Benchmark) as Islamic markets are employed into consideration, respectively. The volatility and conditional correlation are examined through GARCH (1, 1) and Multivariate-DCC GARCH, respectively. The results indicate that Islamic stock indices had low interest rate exposure and less stocks volatility than that of conventional stock indices during the global financial crisis period. This research has important implication for investors that they may consider Islamic stock markets as a safe haven during financial crises.
In this paper, we claim that worker rights (including collective bargaining rights, employment protection, and income security) promote productivity growth. We argue that cooperative labor-management relations encourage workers to make positive contributions to technical and organizational innovations that raise labor productivity, and that an industrial relations system that secures strong worker rights fosters cooperative labor-management relations. These arguments are supported by an empirical analysis of long-run productivity growth in 15 advanced capitalist countries. We first develop an index of worker rights and show its positive effect on several indicators of labor-management cooperation. We then develop an index combining measures of worker rights and labor-management cooperation and show its positive effect on the rate of growth of labor productivity.
Background Mobile health (mHealth) has an emerging role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. This study evaluated possible inequities in mHealth access in older adults. Methods and Results mHealth access was assessed from 2019 to 2020 in MESA (Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) telephone surveys of 2796 participants aged 62 to 102 years. A multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for general health status assessed associations of mHealth access measures with relevant demographic, socioeconomic, and cognitive characteristics. There were lower odds of all access measures with older age (odds ratios [ORs], 0.37–0.59 per 10 years) and annual income <$50 000 (versus ≥$50 000 ORs, 0.55–0.62), and higher odds with higher Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument Score (ORs, 1.22–1.29 per 5 points). Men (versus women) had higher odds of internet access (OR, 1.32 [95% CI,1.05–1.66]) and computing device ownership (OR, 1.31 [95% CI, 1.05–1.63]) but lower fitness tracker ownership odds (OR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.49–0.89]). For internet access and computing device ownership, we saw lower odds for Hispanic participants (versus White participants OR, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.44–0.85]; OR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.50–0.95]) and less than a high school education (versus bachelor's degree or higher OR, 0.27 [95% CI, 0.18–0.40]; OR, 0.32 [95% CI, 0.28–0.62]). For internet access, lower odds were seen for Black participants (versus White participants OR, 0.64 [95% CI, 0.47–0.86]) and other health insurance (versus health maintenance organization/private OR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.47–0.74]). Chinese participants (versus White participants) had lower internet access odds (OR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.44–0.91]) but higher computing device ownership odds (OR, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.28–2.77]). Conclusions Among older‐age adults, mHealth access varied by major demographic, socioeconomic, and cognitive characteristics, suggesting a digital divide. Novel mHealth interventions should consider individual access barriers. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/; Unique identifier: NCT00005487.
Introduction: Microneedling is a technique aiming at stimulating the production of collagen as well as serving as drug delivery. Copaiba oil has healing and anti-inflammatory effects that have already been demonstrated in several animal models. Objective: To evaluate the effect of copaiba oil associated with microneedling on the skin of rats. Methods: Thirty rats were distributed in six groups of five animals each, subsequently undergoing: isolated microneedling, microneedling associated to mineral oil, and microneedling associated with copaiba oil. Biopsies were carried out in all animals at 14 and 30 days after the procedure.The parameters evaluated were: presence of collagen, fibroblasts and vessels, according to the following ratings: absence (0), mild (1), moderated (2) or intense (3). Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the production of collagen at 14 days (p = 0.0091) and 30 days (p = 0.0357); and fibroblasts at 30 days (p = 0.0357). the group that used microneedling and copaiba oil, presented, after 30 days, a greater production of collagen and fibroblasts. Conclusions: Copaiba oil associated with microneedling was capable of stimulating a greater production of collagen and fibroblasts in the skin of rats.
P21-activated kinases (PAKs) are serine/threonine protein kinases that are subdivided into two groups on the basis of their domain architecture: group-I (PAK1–3) and group-II (PAK4–6). PAKs are considered as attractive drug targets that play vital role in cell proliferation, survival, motility, angiogenesis and cytoskeletal dynamics. In current study, molecular dynamics simulation-based comparative residual contributions and differential transitions were monitored in both active and inactive states of human PAK homologs for therapeutic intervention. Due to their involvement in cancer, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders, it is inevitable to develop novel therapeutic strategies that specifically target PAKs on the basis of their activity pattern. In order to isolate novel inhibitors that are able to bind at the active sites of PAK1 and PAK4, high throughput structure-based virtual screening was performed. Multiple lead compounds were proposed on the basis of their binding potential and targeting region either phosphorylated (active) or unphosphorylated PAK isoform (inactive). Thus, ATP-competitive inhibitors may prove ideal therapeutic choice against PAK family members. The detailed conformational readjustements occurring in the PAKs upon phosphorylation-dephosphorylation events may serve as starting point for devising novel drug molecules that are able to target on activity basis. Overall, the observations of current study may add valuable contribution in the inventory of novel inhibitors that may serve as attractive lead compounds for targeting PAK family members on the basis of activity-based conformational changes.
When Allan V. Cox was presented AGU's John Adam Fleming Medal in 1969, John Verhoogen described Cox's work as “characterized by painstaking care, proper attention to and use of statistics, and great insight.” Those same thoughts were echoed on February 3, 1987, during the memorial service for Cox, who died in a bicycling accident on January 27. The Stanford Memorial Church was crowded with colleagues, students, and friends.    The Fleming Medal was presented to Cox in recognition of his studies on the fluctuation of the geomagnetic field. These studies helped to confirm theories of continental drift and seafloor spreading. The medal is awarded annually by AGU for original research and technical leadership in geomagnetism, atmospheric electricity, aeronomy, and related sciences. In addition to the Fleming Medal, Cox received the Antarctic Service Medal in 1970, the Vetlesen Prize in 1971, and the Arthur L. Day Prize of the National Academy of Sciences in 1984. He was a Fellow of AGU and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
The need to improve air quality in California has become increasingly important in determining transport policy. Under Federal legislation in the United States, area‐based authorities which do not meet particular air quality standards are required to devise an implementation plan to do so. In California, the State Clean Air Act necessitates even more vigorous programmes to reduce air pollution. This requires strong controls on industrial sources of air pollution and a significant influence over transport modes and characteristics. California is perhaps the most extreme example of a car‐dominated society. Resultant congestion and air quality problems are now recognized as damaging the physical, social and economic health of the State. Planners and policy makers have become seriously concerned about the future. This paper considers the problems of California, with an emphasis on southern California. It reviews the legislation, the transport initiatives and the very significant effects these are having on ai...
This article summarizes a 2000 study of school garden programs and their variation and the impact of such variation on 427 third-grade students' sense of responsibility and attitudes toward science and the environment. A teacher questionnaire was developed to gain insight into how teachers use school gardens with their students and in their curriculum. The information gathered from 28 third-grade teachers was used to develop a classification framework or typology of garden types that served as the independent variable of analysis. Data on school garden program variation was simplified into a typology based on intensity, measured by the number of garden-related activities students participated in prior to and while in the garden (high, medium, and low), and the form of school gardens (flower, vegetable, or combination flower/vegetable), resulting in nine garden types. Analysis of covariance tests were used to determine if there were significant differences in the nine types of school gardens. Significant differences were found in the school garden types and students' attitudes toward science and attitudes toward the usefulness of science study. Although there were no significant differences in school garden types and students' responsibility scores and environmental attitudes, scores for each of these elements were very high (indicating a sense of responsibility and a positive environmental attitude) with little variation.
A pupil's academic, technical and social capacity will set the limits to their success or failure. Therefore, educational outcomes and well-being for young people across emerging and developed economies and the crucial role of education and leaders of education has never been more important. Schools are under pressure to think more clearly about their place in children's lives, their relationship with civic institutions and their contribution to community. The pressure translates into a requirement for high quality learning in classrooms and more besides. The processes inside schools, the organisation of school systems and the relationship between communities and educators are critical elements in a complex mix that must balance correctly if it is to benefit school children properly. Using the term "high leverage leadership" to describe leadership that is associated with higher outcomes than would normally be found in similar contexts, this timely book: - Provides an overview of the development of educational leadership research - demonstrates how successful educational leaders apply contextual, social and professional expertise to the three distinctive leadership tasks of navigation, management and partnership - offers an insight into the complexity of the educational leadership and practices of teachers who, against the odds, produce high outcomes for young people - validates the idea that a renovation of educational leadership is necessary to maximise educational outcomes. High Leverage Leadership will be an indispensible text for school leaders, public sector officers, post-graduate students and researchers in leadership, policy, school improvement and educational change.
Mechanical stress and genetic factors play important roles in the occurrence of thoracic ossification of ligament flavum (TOLF), which can occur at one, two, or multiple levels of the spine. It is unclear whether single- and multiple-level TOLF differ in terms of osteogenic differentiation potency and osteogenesis-related gene expression under cyclic mechanical stress. This was addressed in the present study using patients with non-TOLF and single- and multiple-level TOLF (n=8 per group). Primary ligament cells were cultured and osteogenesis was induced by application of cyclic mechanical stress. Osteogenic differentiation was assessed by evaluating alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and the mRNA and protein expression of osteogenesis-related genes, including ALP, bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), Runt-related transcription factor-2 (Runx-2), osterix, osteopontin (OPN) and osteocalcin. The application of cyclic mechanical stress resulted in higher ALP activity in the multiple-level than in the single-level TOLF group, whereas no changes were observed in the non-TOLF group. The ALP, BMP2, OPN and osterix mRNA levels were higher in the multiple-level as compared to the single-level TOLF group, and the levels of all osteogenesis-related genes, apart from Runx2, were higher in the multiple-level as compared to the non-TOLF group. The osterix and ALP protein levels were higher in the multiple-level TOLF group than in the other 2 groups, and were increased with the longer duration of stress. These results highlight the differences in osteogenic differentiation potency between single- and multiple-level TOLF that may be related to the different pathogenesis and genetic background.
The genes coding for aspartate carbamoyltransferase (ATCase) in the extremely thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius have been cloned by complementation of a pyrBI deletion mutant of Escherichia coli. Sequencing revealed the existence of an enterobacterial-like pyrBI operon encoding a catalytic chain of 299 amino acids (34 kDa) and a regulatory chain of 170 amino acids (17.9 kDa). The deduced amino acid sequences of the pyrB and pyrI genes showed 27.6-50% identity with archaeal and enterobacterial ATCases. The recombinant S. acidocaldarius ATCase was purified to homogeneity, allowing the first detailed studies of an ATCase isolated from a thermophilic organism. The recombinant enzyme displayed the same properties as the ATCase synthesized in the native host. It is highly thermostable and exhibits Michaelian saturation kinetics for carbamoylphosphate (CP) and positive homotropic cooperative interactions for the binding of L-aspartate. Moreover, it is activated by nucleoside triphosphates whereas the catalytic subunits alone are inhibited. The holoenzyme purified from recombinant E. coli cells or present in crude extract of the native host have an Mr of 340 000 as estimated by gel filtration, suggesting that it has a quaternary structure similar to that of E. coli ATCase. Only monomers could be found in extracts of recombinant E. coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells expressing the pyrB gene alone. In the presence of CP these monomers assembled into trimers. The stability of S. acidocaldarius ATCase and the allosteric properties of the enzyme are discussed in function of a modeling study.
Theoretical studies of CO adsorption on a two-layer Ag(100) film and on a two-layer Ag film on a MgO(100) support are reported. Ab initio calculations are carried at the configuration interaction level of theory using embedding methods to treat the metal-adsorbate region and the extended ionic solid. The metal overlayer is considered in two different structures: where Ag-Ag distances are equal to the value in the bulk solid, and for a slightly expanded lattice in which the Ag-Ag distances are equal to the O-O distance on the MgO(100) surface. The calculated adsorption energy of Ag(100) on MgO(100) is 0.58 eV per Ag interfacial atom; the Ag-O distance is 2.28 A. A small transfer of electrons from MgO to Ag occurs on deposition of the silver overlayer. CO adsorption at an atop Ag site is found to be the most stable for adsorption on the two-layer Ag film and also for adsorption on Ag deposited on the oxide; CO adsorption energies range from 0.12 to 0.19 eV. The CO adsorption energy is reduced for the Ag/MgO system compared to adsorption on the unsupported metal film thereby providing evidence for a direct electronic effect of the oxide support at the metal overlayer surface. Expansion of the Ag-Ag distance in the two-layer system also reduces the adsorption energy.
Introduction Gastrostomy insertion is widely accepted as the best means of providing medium and long term enteral nutrition. There is limited data on outcomes in patients referred for gastrostomy insertion that are either refused or do not survive until PEG insertion. Scoring systems such as the Levine score have been created to try and predict survival rates over 1 year for patients admitted acutely. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients in whom gastrostomy insertion was not felt to be appropriate on clinical grounds and the Levine score and the Sheffield gastrostomy score (SGS) applied. Methods All patients referred for gastrostomy insertion in our institute are reviewed by the gastrostomy nurse specialist and prospectively included in a database. Demographics, referral indication, biochemical profile and outcome data are also included in the database. Gastrostomy referrals from October 2003 to September 2010 were analysed and actual mortality rate was compared to the expected mortality rate predicted by the SGS and Levine score. Results 304 patients were included in the study (median age 77 years, 175 males) all of whom were referred for consideration of gastrostomy insertion but were ultimately not inserted. The 3 top reasons for non-placement were patient too ill (29.3%), oral intake restarted (18.1%) and patient died (13.5%). Overall mortality at 30 days and 1 year was 122/304 (40.1%) and 226/304 (74.3%) respectively. The highest 30 day mortality was seen in patients with cognitive impairment 12/17 (70.6%) and followed by dysphagic stroke 53/105 (50.5%). The main predictors of 30 day mortality were age >60 (OR 7.2, 3.3 – 15.8, p Conclusion The Sheffield gastrostomy score is more accurate at predicting 1 year mortality in patients deferred for gastrostomy insertion than the Levine score. This may suggest that the Sheffield PEG score could be used in the pre-assessment of patients who are being referred for PEG as a means of estimating/predicting mortality for those involved in the decision making process.
Bjerkandera adusta (Willd.) P. Karst. and Inonotus rickii (Pat.) D.A. Reid. are important xylophagous fungi affecting street trees in Buenos Aires City, Argentina. The objective of this paper is to describe the decay patterns produced by these species in London plane wood (Platanus acerifolia (Ait.) Willd.), which is one of the most abundant tree species in the city, through light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A better knowledge of the decay patterns of these fungi at early stages would provide useful information for optimizing tree management programs. Microscopic observations showed that B. adusta, having caused an important loss of dry weight, showed more extensive degradation of wood after three months than I. rickii, affecting mainly fiber walls with potential consequences in tree strength and stiffness. Inonotus rickii, on the other hand, selectively affected vessel walls and middle lamellae between fibers. Rays remained virtually unaltered in all decayed wood.
The aim of this review is to assess the objective and subjective diagnosis, as well as symptomatic topical treatment of dry mouth conditions with a clear focus on textural perspective. We critically examine both the current practices as well as outline emerging possibilities in dry mouth diagnosis and treatment, including a patent scan for saliva substitutes. For diagnosis, salivary flow rates and patient-completed questionnaires have proven to be useful tools in clinical practice. To date, objective measurements of changes in mechanical properties of saliva via rheological, adsorption and tribological measurements and biochemical properties of saliva such as assessing protein, mucins (MUC5B) are seldom incorporated into clinical diagnostics; these robust diagnostic tools have been largely restricted to application in non-clinical settings. As for symptomatic treatments of dry mouth, four key agents including lubricating, thickening, adhesive and moisturizing agents have been identified covering the overall landscape of commercial saliva substitutes. Although thickening agents such as modified celluloses, polysaccharide gum, polyethylene glycol (PEG) etc. are most commonly employed saliva substitutes, they offer short-lived relief from dry mouth and generally do not provide boundary lubrication properties of real human saliva. Innovative technologies such as self-assembly, emulsion, liposomes, microgels are emerging as novel saliva substitutes that hold promise for alternative approaches for efficient moistening and lubrication of the oral mucosa. Their adoption into clinical practice will be dependent on their efficacies, duration of relief, ease of application by the practitioners and patient compliance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The discovery of high temperature superconductivity sparked renewed interest in its application to power transmission and distribution systems. There are several technical bottlenecks that need to be overcome prior to the widespread use of superconductivity in power systems. There are also several key cross-cutting technologies that impact many different applications, such as efficient refrigeration systems, materials developments, and in several cases power electronics.
YouTube Live is one of the most popular services on the Internet, enabling easy streaming of a live video with the acceptable video quality. Thus, understanding user perception of this service is of the utmost importance for network operators. As in other video streaming services, YouTube Live traffic is affected by delays and interruptions due to unfavorable network conditions, which translate into unacceptable initial reproduction times, image freezes, or abrupt changes in image quality. Detecting these events is key to ensure an adequate quality of experience (QoE). Unfortunately, data encryption makes it very difficult for operators to monitor the QoE from packet-level data collected in network interfaces. In this paper, an analytical model to estimate the QoE for encrypted YouTube Live service from packet-level data collected in the interfaces of a wireless network is presented. The inputs to the model are TCP/IP metrics, from which four service key performance indicators (S-KPIs) are estimated: initial video play start time, video interruption duration, video interruption frequency, and image quality. The model is developed with an experimental platform consisting of a live streaming server, a terminal agent, a radio access network (e.g., Wi-Fi access point), a network-level emulator, a probe software, and a man-in-the-middle proxy. Model assessment is carried out by comparing the S-KPI estimates with measurements from the terminal agent under different network conditions introduced by the network emulator.
Abstract Objectives: To estimate longitudinal trends in prevalence and incidence rates of adult ADHD 2006–2009. Research design and methods: Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) electronic medical records were analyzed to assess prevalence and incidence rates for adult ADHD. Trends over time were estimated and compared using three case definitions (ADHD diagnosis only [DX], ADHD DX and ≥2 FDA-approved ADHD prescriptions [DX + RX], and ADHD DX and ≥1 behavioral therapy visit [DX + BT]). Main outcome measures: Prevalence and incidence rates of adult ADHD. Results: Prevalence ranged from 151 (DX + RX) to 312 (DX) cases per 100,000 members in 2006, increasing to 239 (DX + RX) and 415 (DX) cases in 2009. Prevalence based on DX + BT declined from 185 in 2006 to 94 cases per 100,000 in 2009. In 2006, incidence ranged from 15 (DX + BT) to 68 (DX) cases per 100,000 person-years. Incidence rates remained stable throughout the study period. Stratified analyses based on DX + RX revealed only slight variations by gender, but sharp differences by age, with younger adults demonstrating a higher prevalence overall as well as dramatic increases over the study period. Prevalence was highest among Caucasians, increasing substantially across all race groups over time. Limitations: A limitation of this study is that incidence rates may not be representative of new cases if diagnoses existed prior to enrollment in KPSC. Similarly, prevalence rates may be affected if patients sought care outside of the health plan. Conclusions: Adult ADHD prevalence in this managed care organization appears low, but showed increasing prevalence and incidence rates over time.
During the 1980s, a debate opened up about the meaning of the concept of ‘free movement of persons’ enshrined in the Treaty of Rome 1957. Some Member States felt that this should apply to EU citizens only, which would involve keeping internal border checks in order to distinguish between citizens of the EU and non-EU nationals. Others argued in favour of free movement for everyone, which would mean an end to internal border checks altogether. The Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985 in the village of Schengen, on the borders of Luxembourg, France and Germany. Having decided to implement the intention expressed in that agreement of bringing about the abolition of checks at their common borders on the free movement of persons and facilitating the transport and movement of goods, it could be argued that the Schengen acquis has made it easier for human traffickers to break down internal EU borders in the true spirit of the agreement; after all Schengen’s main purpose was to remove all controls at internal land, sea and airport frontiers. Today there are about 3–4.5 million people living in the EU without any legal papers, with an estimated 400,000 people a year being trafficked into Member States. This means that particularly women and children sans papiers are without legally protected human rights. It is questionable whether international law enforcement agencies, such as Europol, Interpol or the FBI, are truly collaborating in the field of human trafficking, since their different intelligence systems do not really talk to each other yet, exacerbated by Europol’s insistence on eleven language multi-lingualism. Ultimately, trafficking of humans only adds to the funding of global terrorism. Besides being a human rights issue, trafficking in humans is a public health concern due to the widespread infection of HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases; it is a transnational organized crime and socio-economic issue. For this reason it is important that all law enforcement agencies, particularly in Europe, ought to make cooperation in this field its priority. Though a variety of measures have been taken in order to maintain internal security, it is becoming increasingly obvious that organized criminal gangs from largely Eastern Europe, Russia and the Ukraine are well versant in the coordination of visas and illegal passports in order to bypass border controls between Member States. Passengers travelling between the eight Schengen countries are not subjected to stringent passport or identity checks, and when using air travel, leave from domestic rather than international airport terminals (apart from the UK and Ireland). This has resulted in some atrocious human trafficking casualties: in 1998, 90 Romanian illegal immigrants were rescued from a sealed truck in Italy, suffering from asphyxiation. In the same year, dozens of Sri Lankans died after a driver left them locked-up in a container lorry at the Austro-Hungarian border and in 1999, 173 people were reported drowned in the Adriatic Sea, attempting to cross from Albania to Italy.
Objective. To assess the impact of occupational exposure to noise, as well as its relationship with other factors that can induce hearing loss. Material and methods. In January and February 1997, we conducted sonometry and dosimetry tests in a cement factory, as well as audiometric test in 85 cement workers, to identify sources of noise and evaluate the effect to noise exposure and other factors, of the prevalence of occupational hearing loss. Statistical analysis was conducted using measures of central tendency, bivariate analysis and polynominal regression models. Results. High noise levels were found in the crushing, crude milling, and cement milling sites. The highest individual dose corresponded to the packer job post. Fifty-five per cent of the study population presented some degree of hearing loss due to noise exposure. The cement processing area with the highest percentage of damaged workers was calcination. Conclusions. Our results show that noise is a serious risk factor in particular sites of cement factories, and also that an elevated number of hearing loss cases are due to occupational noise exposure in this industry; Our findings underscore the need for designing and implementing hearing protection programs, to assure the health and safety of cement workers.
ABSTRACT We say that a class 𝒫 of right modules over a fixed ring R is an epic class if it is closed under homomorphic images. For an arbitrary epic class 𝒫, we define a 𝒫-dimension of modules that measures how far modules are from the modules in the class 𝒫. For an epic class 𝒫 consisting of indecomposable modules, first we characterize rings whose modules have 𝒫-dimension. In fact, we show that every right R-module has 𝒫-dimension if and only if R is a semisimple Artinan ring. Then we study fully Hopfian modules with 𝒫-dimension. In particular, we show that a commutative ring R with 𝒫-dimension (resp. finite 𝒫-dimension) is either local or Noetherian (resp. Artinian). Finally, we show that Matm(R) is a right Köthe ring for some m if and only if every (left) right module is a direct sum of modules of 𝒫-dimension at most n for some n, if and only if R is a pure semisimple ring.
The objective of this study was to develop a rapid, calf-side test to determine serum IgG concentration using caprylic acid (CA) fractionation followed by refractometry of the IgG-rich supernatant and compare the accuracy of this method with results obtained using refractometry of whole serum. Serum samples (n = 200) were obtained from 1 d old calves, frozen and shipped to the laboratory. Samples were allowed to sit at room temperature to thaw. Fractionation with CA was conducted by adding 1 ml of serum to a tube containing CA and 0.5, 1 or 1.5 mL 0.06 M acetic acid. The tube was shaken and allowed to react for 1 min and centrifuged for 0, 10 or 20 min. Refractive index of the fractionated supernatant (nDf) was determined using a digital refractometer. Whole, non-fractionated, serum was analyzed for IgG by radial immunodiffusion (RID) and refractive index (nDw) . The nDf and nDw were compared to serum IgG concentration. Mean serum IgG concentration was 19.0 mg/ml (SD = 9.7) with a range of 3.5 to 47.0 mg/ml. Serum nDw was positively correlated with IgG concentration (r = 0.86, n = 185). Fractionated samples treated with 1 ml 0.6 M AcO and 60 µl CA and not centrifuged prior to analysis resulted in a strong relationship between nDf and IgG (r = 0.80, n = 45). These results suggest that refractometry of whole calf serum provides a strong estimate of IgG concentration that can be used to determine if adequate passive transfer has occurred in 1 d old calves.
The effects of concentration and dose volume on the nasal bioavailability and biological response to desmopressin [DDAVP; 1-(3-mercaptoproprionic acid)-8-D-arginine vasopressin] were investigated in humans. A nasal formulation of 300 micrograms of desmopressin was administered using a premetered spray device in doses of either 1 x 50-, 2 x 50-, or 1 x 100- microL actuations to both nostrils. Intravenous administration of 0.2 micrograms/kg was also given as a reference for bioavailability calculations. Plasma levels of desmopressin were measured by radioimmunoassay. The biological response was determined by measuring circulating levels of Factor VIII (F VIII), the antihemophilia factor. Peak plasma levels of desmopressin were greatest after the 2 x 50-microL dose, followed by the 1 x 50- and 1 x 100-microL doses. The bioavailability of desmopressin from the 2 x 50-microL dose was 20%, which was significantly greater than the 11% after the 1 x 50-microL (p less than 0.01) and 9% after the 1 x 100-microL (p less than 0.001) doses. The biological response was clearly enhanced after the 2 x 50-microL dose compared with the 1 x 50- and 1 x 100-microL doses. The interindividual response in F VIII levels to nasal desmopressin ranged from 20 (CV) to 30%, which compared favorably with the 36% variation after intravenous administration. This study confirms the premetered spray device as the preferred intranasal drug delivery system, and shows that by optimizing concentration, volume, and technique of administration, a significant enhancement can be obtained in bioavailability and clinical efficacy.
Non-adherence to good manufacturing practice alongside improper handling during dispensing, packaging and inadequate post-marketing surveillance of pharmaceutical products accounts to product’s deterioration reduced therapeutic effect and adversely affects patient’s safety especially the paediatrics. This study evaluates the microbiological quality of various brands of paediatric cough syrups marketed and used within Port Harcourt metropolis. Twenty cough syrup brands were experimented on in duplicate, coded as USS and UNS (used and unused respectively). They were subjected to organoleptic assessment, pH, viscosity, total aerobic viable count, as well as resistance- susceptibility test of isolates using standard conventional techniques. Results showed viscosity value of 0.22 - 9.09 Pascal seconds (Pa.s), pH values of 3.13 - 8.34 across the UNS and USS categories respectively. While 80% of the UNS cough syrup samples were free from potential microbial threat, 20% fraction and all USS cough syrup (100%) samples were contaminated with objectionable microorganisms and non-compliant with USP permissible limit. The potentially pathogenic isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia, demonstrating varied resistance pattern to exposed antibiotic categories. Microbial contamination might have been caused by poor quality control and improper handling of the products during use. This calls for more stringent measures during product manufacturing and handling to ensure patient’s safety and forestall possible transference of resistance strain.
We investigate the influence of cosmological constant $ mathrm{ ensuremath{ Lambda}}$ on gravitational lensing. By the method of an elliptic integral, we give out the solution to the null geodesic equation in the Reissner char21{}Nordstrom char21{}de Sitter spacetime. The deflection angle of light is obtained by studying the intrinsic geometry of the spatial equatorial plane in the Reissner char21{}Nordstrom char21{}de Sitter spacetime. By applying the expansion of elliptic integrals, we find the deflection angle in the weak field limit and in the strong field limit, respectively. We find the angular position and magnification of images and discuss its behavior under changed $ mathrm{ ensuremath{ Lambda}}$. At last, we give out the higher-order term in the strong field limit.
Modulation type is one of the most important characteristics used in signal recognition. An algorithm to realize signal modulation identification is proposed in this paper. We applied wavelet transformation and STFT to the signal, and then used manifold learning method to reduce the high dimension and extracted the recognition feature. The proper threshold value was set as the classifier to achieve the purpose of recognizing 4 kinds of signals (MASK, MFSK, MPSK,QAM) in Gauss white noise environment. The algorithm requires priori signal information no other than signal-to-noise rate. Simulation result indicates the algorithm achieves good performance.
In this work, we address the problem of service pricing competition in Internet-of-Vehicle (IoV) networks where multiple service providers compete with each other to offer vehicular services to users. We first introduce IoV networks and then develop an economic model for the competitive pricing problem among service providers through using the Bertrand game model. With the Bertrand game, we find the offered prices for providers at the Nash equilibrium. Then, we analyze the impact of parameters on the offered prices. Furthermore, due to the inefficiency of the Nash equilibrium to the profits of service providers, we propose using a repeated game model with the aim to establish a cooperation among providers such that their profits can be improved. The simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed repeated game model as well as conditions to maintain the cooperation among providers.
The Z-disk or Z-line is located at the lateral borders of sarcomere, the fundamental unit of striated muscle. They provide mechanical stability and can boost contractility of cardiac myocytes. In this paper, we propose to generate a 3D model of Z-disks within single adult cardiac cells from an automated segmentation of a large serial-block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) dataset. The proposed fully automated segmentation scheme is comprised of three main modules including “pre-processing”, “segmentation” and “refinement”. We represent a simple, yet effective model to perform segmentation and refinement steps. Contrast stretching, and Gaussian kernels are used to pre-process the dataset, and well-known “Sobel operators” are used in the segmentation module. We have validated our model by comparing segmentation results with ground-truth annotated Z-disks in terms of pixel-wise accuracy. The results show that our model correctly detects Z-disks with 90.56% accuracy. Finally, the underlying network of Z-disks are rendered in 3D using ImageJ and IMARIS.
The relative abundances of elements in galaxies can provide valuable information on the stellar and chemical evolution of a galaxy. While nebulae can provide abundances for a variety of light elements, stars are the only way to directly determine the abundances of iron-group and s-process and r-process elements in a galaxy. The new 8m and 10m class telescopes and high-efficiency spectrographs now make high-quality spectral observations of bright supergiants possible in dwarf galaxies in the Local Group. We have been concentrating on elemental abundances in the metal-poor dwarf irregular galaxies, NGC 6822, WLM, Sextants A, and GR8. Comparing abundance ratios to those predicted from their star formation histories, determined from color-magnitude diagrams, and comparing those ratios between these galaxies can give us new insights into the evolution of these dwarf irregular galaxies. Iron-group abundances also allow us to examine the metallicities of the stars in these galaxies directly, which affects their inferred mass loss rates and predicted stellar evolution properties.
A set $S$ of natural numbers is a Sidon set if all the sums $s_1+s_2$ with $s_1$, $s_2 in S$ and $s_1 leq s_2$ are distinct. Let constants $ alpha>0$ and $0< delta<1$ be fixed, and let $p_m= min {1, alpha m^{-1+ delta} }$ for all positive integers $m$. Generate a random set $R subset { mathbb N}$ by adding $m$ to $R$ with probability $p_m$, independently for each $m$. We investigate how dense a Sidon set $S$ contained in $R$ can be. Our results show that the answer is qualitatively very different in at least three ranges of $ delta$. We prove quite accurate results for the range $0< delta leq2/3$, but only obtain partial results for the range $2/3< delta leq1$.
The arrayed waveguide grating structure can be used as an important component in high-speed CMOS optical interconnects in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. However, the performance of such device is found to be extremely sensitive to the fabrication-related errors in defining the critical features. In the absence of an appropriate analytical model, one needs to rely on numerical computation to analyze the device characteristics and fabrication tolerances. Because compact design of such a device structure has foot-print ∼mm2 and the smallest features can be as small as ∼500  nm×220  nm (waveguide cross section), it demands a huge computational budget to optimize the design parameters. A semi-analytical model using Gaussian beam approximation of guided mode profiles has been developed to analyze the output spectrum of arrayed waveguide grating and to estimate the phase errors due to waveguide inhomogeneities. This model has been validated with existing numerical methods and published experimental results. It has been observed that a probabilistic waveguide width variations of ΔW∼5  nm can cause a cross-talk degradation of about 40 dB (25 dB) for a device (operating at λ∼1550  nm) fabricated on SOI substrate with 220 nm (2 μm) device layer thickness.
Flemish composer of the Italian Renaissance. Hailed as “the new Pythagoras” by his student Gioseffo Zarlino, Willaert developed a reputation as one of the most celebrated European musicians of the 16th century. Through his post as choir master at the basilica of St. Mark's in Venice, Willaert founded the Venetian school, known for the antiphonal and polychoral style of its sacred music, and for decisively shaping the stylistic shift from the Renaissance to the Baroque.      Keywords:    Willaert, Adrian (c.1490–1562);  flemish composer of the Italian renaissance;  hailed as “the new pythagoras” by gioseffo zarlino
Thirty-six patients with Parkinson's disease and medically refractory tremor underwent stereotactic ventrolateralis thalamotomy at the Mayo Clinic between 1984 and 1989. All patients had been or were being treated with carbidopa/levodopa but with unsatisfactory tremor control. Modern stereotactic techniques, including microelectrode recording, were used to treat 36 patients, of whom 31 (86%) had complete abolition of tremor and three patients (5%) had significant improvement. Tremor recurred in two patients within 3 months of surgery; however, the remaining patients suffered no recurrence of tremor during follow-up periods ranging from 14 to 68 months (mean 33 months). Persistent complications (arm dyspraxia, dysarthria, dysphasia, or abulia) were noted in five patients but were a source of disability in only two. It is concluded that thalamotomy in carefully selected patients is a beneficial operation for the control of medically refractory parkinsonian resting tremor.
PURPOSE Deterioration of respiratory muscle function in patients with neuromuscular disorders is primarily responsible for the high morbidity and mortality associated with these diseases.   METHODS The potential benefit of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on preservation of respiratory muscle strength and respiratory load perception (RLP) was examined in 21 children (mean age: 12.2 +/- 1.8 yr [SD], 16 male) with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy or spinal muscular atrophy type III, and in 20 age-, weight-, and sex-matched controls. Subjects were randomly allocated to undergo incremental RMT with resistive inspiratory and expiratory loads for a period of 6 months (trained group, TR) or to perform similar exercises with no load (NT). Maximal static inspiratory (Pi(max)) and expiratory (Pe(max)) pressures and RLP (modified Borg visual analog scale 0-10) were assessed on two separate occasions before beginning of the training protocol, monthly throughout RMT duration, and every 3-6 months upon cessation of RMT for 1 yr.   RESULTS In controls, no significant changes in maximal static pressures or load perception occurred during RMT or thereafter. Training in neuromuscular disorder (NMD) patients was associated with improvements in Pi(max) (mean delta max: +19.8 +/- 3.8 cmH2O in TR vs +4.2 +/- 3.6 cmH2O in NT; P < 0.02) and in Pe(max) (mean delta max: +27.1 +/- 4.9 cmH2O in TR vs -1.8 +/- 3.4 cmH2O in NT; P < 0.004). Similarly, RLP significantly decreased during the RMT period in TR (mean delta: 1.9 +/- 0.3; P < 0.01) but did not change in NT (-0.2 +/- 0.2). In addition, with cessation of RMT, static pressures returned to pretraining values in TR within approximately 3 months. However, RLP was still improved after 12 months.   CONCLUSIONS We conclude that in children with NMD, although RMT-induced increases in expiratory muscle strength are rapidly reversible, long-lasting improvements in RLP occur and could be associated with decreased respiratory symptoms.
ABSTRACT Enteric gram-negative bacilli cause a severe, often life-threatening pneumonia. An improved understanding of the pathogenesis of this infection may lead to improved treatment. Nearly all of the responsible gram-negative bacilli possess capsular polysaccharides and/or an O-specific antigen as part of their lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We hypothesized that these surface polysaccharides may modulate the pulmonary host response. To investigate this, a rat pneumonitis model was used, and pulmonary neutrophil influx, a critical aspect of host defense, was measured. To assess for the effect of the capsule and O-specific antigen on this host response, three proven, isogenic derivatives that are deficient in capsular polysaccharide alone (CP9.137), the O-specific antigen moiety of the LPS alone (CP921), and both the capsular polysaccharide and O-specific antigen (CP923), as well as their wild-type parent (CP9), were used as challenge strains at various intratracheal challenge inocula (CI). Total lung myeloperoxidase (MPO), a surrogate marker for neutrophils, was measured for 15 h post-bacterial challenge. To determine the effect of capsule and the O-specific antigen on the measured MPO levels, a mathematical model was developed and used to describe the MPO levels as a function of time for each CI of each of the four strains. The results from this analysis demonstrated that in the absence of the K54 capsule, 80.7 times the CI is necessary to achieve the same maximum MPO level relative to K54 positive strains (P < 0.0001). In contrast, a diametric effect was observed in the absence of the O-specific antigen, where 0.13 times the CI was necessary to achieve the same maximum MPO level relative to O4-positive strains (P = 0.0032). No interactive effect was observed between the capsule and the O-specific antigen. These findings demonstrate that these surface polysaccharides modulate pulmonary neutrophil influx and suggest that the K54 capsular polysaccharide is a proinflammatory mediator and that the O4-specific antigen attenuates the proinflammatory response. If these speculations are substantiated, an understanding of how the capsule and the O-specific antigen modulate host response could have significant therapeutic implications. The potential use of biologic modulators directed against the host response, as well as approaches based on inactivating bacterial components (e.g., surface polysaccharides) in attempts to modify sepsis syndromes, could be developed.
In 2002 the District Six Museum approached Magnet Theatre about the possibility of collaborating to produce a site-specific piece of work that would memorialise District Six through performance. Magnet Theatre had worked consistently for almost twenty years with questions of story-telling, historiography and political restitution, and seemed to fit well with a museum framed by community memory and community advancement.
lIgAim:l/Ig To examine the effectiveness of a new protocol for investigating women with lower abdominal pain, uterine tenderness and intact membranes,  but who were not in labour or pyrexial and did not have symphysis pubis diastasia in identifying the cause of the symptom complex.  lbrglIgSetting:l/Ig Indigent  South African urban population.  lbrglIgMethod:l/Ig An audit of women presenting with lower abdominal pain, uterine tenderness and intact membranes but  who were not in labour or pyrexial was performed. A mid-stream urine culture, wet vaginal smear, amniocentesis for amniotic fluid glucose, gram  stain and culture and where possible, histology of the placenta was performed. Amniotic fluid infection was diagnosed on a positive gram stain  (white blood cells or bacteria) of amniotic fluid and an amniotic fluid glucose less than 0.77mmol/l. Urinary tract infection was diagnosed if there  were more than 100 000 organisms were cultured; bacterial vaginosis diagnosed on the presence of a positive whiff test and clue cells on  microscopy of a wet preparation.  lbrglIgResults:l/Ig Twenty-four patients were included in this protocol audit over a 3-month period. Eleven of the 19 urine  samples that were sent for culture had a positive growth (58%). Bacterial vaginosis was diagnosed in 11 out of 15 smears performed (73%).  Amniotic fluid infection was diagnosed in 8 of the 24 patients (33%). Three patients had both an amniotic fluid infection and a urinary tract  infection.  lbrglIgConclusion:l/Ig Full investigation of women with lower abdominal pain and uterine tenderness, including invasive testing, revealed a  high proportion of severe disease that can cause the death of the fetus/neonate. The protocol was effective in identifying the causes of the  symptom complex.
Patents provide monopoly rights to patent owners to manufacture, sell, and import the product resulting in overpricing of the patented products. Without patents, the inventors and innovators can neither be adequately compensated for their costs of research nor be encouraged or motivated for further research to develop new and improved products. Patent protection is therefore accepted as a necessary evil despite its conflict with the competitions laws and human rights law (in case of pharmaceutical patents). This work analyzes arguments of both opponents and proponents of compulsory licensing which is a legitimate safeguard provided under TRIPS to check misuse of monopoly right and to deal with situations of public health crisis especially in the third world.
ABSTRACT Diabetes distress and stigma have been associated with worse patient outcomes in developed countries. However, diabetes stigma has not been studied in low and middle-income countries where clinical practices differ, diabetes awareness is lower, and families face different challenges for supporting children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). This study assessed the relationship between parental depression and diabetes stigma with a child’s glycemic control in a clinic-based survey in Nagpur, India. The association between self-reported T1D stigma, depressive symptoms, and child’s measured glycemic control (HbA1C) was assessed with data from 165 of the parents of school-aged (aged 5+) children receiving clinical T1D care at an urban nonprofit organization that provides free clinical care to children with Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) in India. Parents with moderate/severe depressive symptoms who experience stigma associated with their child’s diabetes had children with significantly worse glycemic control than parents with no/mild depressive symptoms who experience the same amount of stigma. Higher reports of stigma were associated with an average of 0.65 points higher HbA1C (β = 0.65, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.18, 1.13) for parents with moderate/severe than parents with mild/no depressive symptoms. Indian parents with depressive symptoms who face social stigma associated with their child’s diabetes have children with worse T1D outcomes.
High resolution 19F NMR spectroscopy has been successfully applied to the analysis of drug metabolites in whole rat urine from a ‘cassette’ dose study of 6 fluorinated test compounds dosed at 10 mg kg–1 per compound. A total of 21 compound-related molecules were rapidly detected in the 0–8 h urine samples. The metabolic fate of the compounds after cassette administration appeared to be the same as when the compounds were dosed individually. 19F NMR may thus enable metabolism to be estimated for several compounds simultaneously, with minimal sample preparation, and without interference from endogenous molecules in the biofluid. This analytical approach may therefore be of value at the drug discovery stage in the development of ‘high throughput’ in vivo metabolic screens.
The patent number, date of issuance by the U.S. Patent Office, and classification are   shown on the first line. The filing date is that of the first application (although some   patents may derive from earlier applications with earlier claim dates). Any opinions   expressed are those of the reviewers and do not reflect the opinions of the organizations   with which they are associated, the Optical Society of America, or this journal. Printed   copies of these patents may be ordered from the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, DC   20231: telephone (703) 557-3158, URL http://patents.uspto.gov. Inquiries   about patents should be addressed to the Patents Office, not to this journal or to   OSA.
Prom incoherent scatter radar observations and space-borne particle detector data, it appears that energetic proton precipitation can sometimes, for some locations, be a major source of ionization in the auroral ionosphere and contribute significantly to the electrical conductances. Here we propose a simple parameterization for the Pedersen and Hall conductances produced by proton precipitation. The derivation is based on a proton transport code for computing the electron production rate and on an effective recombination coefficient for deducing the electron density. The atmospheric neutral densities and temperatures and the geomagnetic-field strength are obtained from standard models. The incident protons are assumed to have a Maxwellian distribution in energy with a mean energy 〈E〉 in the 2–40 keV range and an energy flux Q0. The parameterized Pedersen and Hall conductances are functions of 〈E〉 and Q0, as well as of the geomagnetic-field strength. The dependence on these quantities is compared with those obtained for electron precipitation and for solar EUV radiation. To add the contribution of proton precipitation to the total conductances for electrodynamic studies in auroral regions, the conductances produced by electron and proton precipitations can be combined by applying a root-sum-square approximation.
Supply chain management (SCM) includes several complex processes, each process being equally important for the maintenance of an efficient supply chain. Supply chains are complex systems where partner actions and coordination affect the performance of the system as a whole. Increasing competitiveness and the need for rapid customer responses require the use of effective management techniques. Traditionally, heuristic or mathematical programming techniques have been used in SCM. Individual item analysis is a common optimization method in supply chains. This ignores the fact that there are dynamic interactions between different entities and that the optimization must be done as a whole. Stochastic models and AI AI have seen limited application in Supply Chain Management (SCM). In order to exploit the potential benefits of stochastic IA for supply chain management, we present in this paper our contribution as a combination of CEW and stochastic approaches to help solve practical problems in forecasting. of stock.
HIV-1 Gag protein assembles into 100- to 120-nm diameter particles in mammalian cells. Recombinant HIV-1 Gag protein assembles in a fully defined system in vitro into particles that are only 25–30 nm in diameter and that differ significantly in other respects from authentic particles. However, particles with the size and other properties of authentic virions were obtained in vitro by addition of inositol phosphates or phosphatidylinsitol phosphates to the assembly system. Thus, the interactions between HIV-1 Gag protein molecules are altered by binding of inositol derivatives; this binding is apparently essential for normal HIV-1 particle assembly. This requirement is not seen in a deleted Gag protein lacking residues 16–99 within the matrix domain.
In an attempt to increase the insecticidal effect of the delta-endotoxin crystal protein CryIC on the relatively Cry-insensitive larvae of Spodoptera littoralis, a combination of CryIC and endochitinase was used. CryIC comprising the first 756 amino acids from Bacillus thuringiensis K26-21 and endochitinase ChiAII encoded by Serratia marcescens were separately produced in Escherichia coli carrying the genes in overexpression vectors. The endochitinase on its own, even at very low concentrations (0.1 microgram/ml), perforated the larval midgut peritrophic membrane. When applied together with low concentrations of CryIC, a synergistic toxic effect was obtained. In the absence of chitinase, about 20 micrograms of CryIC per ml was required to obtain maximal reduction in larval weight, while only 3.0 micrograms of CryIC per ml caused a similar toxic effect in the presence of endochitinase. Thus, a combination of the Cry protein and an endochitinase could result in effective insect control in transgenic systems in which the Cry protein is not expressed in a crystalline form.
Plants still an important source of omega oils that help to healthy for human and animals. Fresh leaves, stem, flower and fruits samples from Conocarpus erectus family Combretaceae has been analyzed using (GLC) Gas and liquid chromatography. The results indicated high levels of Omega oils which related to growth of nerve cells in brain. PH of fresh leaves determined and alkaloids with 8.2 which could help patients of diabetic type II
A current theory in environmental science states that dissolved anxiolytics (oxazepam) from wastewater effluents can reduce anti-predator behavior in fish with potentially negative impacts on prey fish populations. Here, we hypothesize that European perch (Perca fluviatilis) populations being exposed to oxazepam in situ show reduced anti-predator behavior, which has previously been observed for exposed isolated fish in laboratory studies. We tested our hypothesis by exposing a whole-lake ecosystem, containing both perch (prey) and northern pike (Esox lucius; predator), to oxazepam while tracking fish behavior before and after exposure in the exposed lake as well as in an unexposed nearby lake (control). Oxazepam concentrations in the exposed lake ranged between 11 and 24 μg L–1, which is >200 times higher than concentrations reported for European rivers. In contrast to our hypothesis, we did not observe an oxazepam-induced reduction in anti-predator behavior, inferred from perch swimming activity, distance to predators, distance to conspecifics, home-range size, and habitat use. In fact, exposure to oxazepam instead stimulated anti-predator behavior (decreased activity, decreased distance to conspecifics, and increased littoral habitat use) when using behavior in the control lake as a reference. Shoal dynamics and temperature changes may have masked modest reductions in anti-predator behavior due to oxazepam. Although we cannot fully resolve the mechanism(s) behind our observations, our results indicate that the effects of oxazepam on perch behavior in a familiar natural ecosystem are negligible in comparison to the effects of other environmental conditions.
Cognitive decline appears as a core feature of dementia, of which the most prevalent form, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects more than 45 million people worldwide. There is no cure, and therapeutic options remain limited. A number of modifiable lifestyle factors have been identified that contribute to cognitive decline in dementia. Sedentary lifestyle has emerged as a major modifier and accordingly, boosting mental and physical activity may represent a method to prevent decline in dementia. Beneficial effects of increased physical activity on cognition have been reported in healthy adults, showing potential to harness exercise and cognitive stimulation as a therapy in dementia. ‘Brain training’ (cognitive stimulation) has also been investigated as an intervention protecting against cognitive decline with normal aging. Consequently, the utility of exercise regimes and/or cognitive stimulation to improve cognition in dementia in clinical populations has been a major area of study. However, these therapies are in their infancy and efficacy is unclear. Investigations utilising animal models, where dose and timing of treatment can be tightly controlled, have provided many mechanistic insights. Genetically engineered mouse models are powerful tools to investigate mechanisms underlying cognitive decline, and also how environmental manipulations can alter both cognitive outcomes and pathology. A myriad of effects following physical activity and housing in enriched environments have been reported in transgenic mice expressing Alzheimer’s disease-associated mutations. In this review, we comprehensively evaluate all studies applying environmental enrichment and/or increased physical exercise to transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. It is unclear whether interventions must be applied before first onset of cognitive deficits to be effective. In order to determine the importance of timing of interventions, we specifically scrutinised studies exposing transgenic mice to exercise and environmental enrichment before and after first report of cognitive impairment. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these preclinical studies and suggest approaches for enhancing rigor and using mechanistic insights to inform future therapeutic interventions.
The Coulomb interaction between oppositely charged polyelectrolytes leads to spontaneous formation of interpolymer complexes. Such complexes are of high practical relevance, but also interesting objects of fundamental research. The level of aggregation depends on the nature of the components as well as on the medium and external conditions of the polyelectrolyte complex formation. An appropriate combination of methods provides detailed information on the stoichiometry and structure of such systems. Especially, light scattering techniques proved to be a powerful tool in studying the structure and behavior of the complexes in solution. Selected examples will demonstrate the efficiency of such investigations.
In trust negotiation and other distributed proving systems, networked entities cooperate to form proofs that are justi?ed by collections of certi?ed attributes. These attributes may be obtained through interactions with any number of external entities and are collected and validated over an extended period of time. Though these collections of credentials in some ways resemble partial system snapshots,these systems currently lack the notion of a consistent global state in which the satisfaction of authorization policies should be checked. In this paper, we argue that unlike the notions of consistency studied in other areas of distributed computing, the level of consistency required during policy evaluation is predicated solely upon the security requirements of the policy evaluator. As such,there is little incentive for entities to participate in complicated consistency preservation schemes like those used in distributed computing,distributed databases, and distributed shared memory. We go on to show that the most intuitive notion of consistency fails to provide basic safety guarantees under certain circumstances and then propose several more refined notions of consistency which provide stronger safety guarantees. We provide algorithms that allow each of these re ?ned notions of consistency to be attained in practice with minimal overheads.
An agent synthesized from amorphous silica and hydrated lime (CSH-lime) was investigated for its ability to simultaneously remove the colour, phosphorus and disinfection from the effluents from wastewater treatment plants on swine farms. CSH-lime removed the colour and phosphate from the effluents, with the colour-removal effects especially high at pH 12, and phosphorous removal was more effective in strongly alkaline conditions (pH>10). Colour decreased from 432±111 (mean±SD ) to 107±41 colour units and -P was reduced from 45±39 mg/L to undetectable levels at the CSH-lime dose of 2.0% w/v. Moreover, CSH-lime reduced the total organic carbon from 99.0 to 37.9 mg/L at the dose of 2.0% w/v and was effective at inactivating total heterotrophic and coliform bacteria. However, CSH-lime did not remove nitrogen compounds such as nitrite, nitrate and ammonium. Colour was also removed from dye solutions by CSH-lime, at the same dose.
Online dating is a prime application area for recommender systems, as users face an abundance of choice, must act on limited information, and are participating in a competitive matching market. This article reports on the successful deployment of a people-to-people recommender system on a large commercial online dating site. The deployment was the result of thorough evaluation and an online trial of a number of methods, including profile-based, collaborative filtering and hybrid algorithms. Results taken a few months after deployment show that the recommender system delivered its projected benefits.
The last decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century have been marked with a large number and fast spreading of religious sects, which have turned into a worldwide pandemic. Crisis of the value system and the disorientation of society pose a fertile ground for the emergence of sects and ever so easy recruitment of the young into these sects, which offer help and solution to the young, often manipulating them for their personal benefi ts. Sect members are the young aged 12–20 who are subjected to different psychological methods and “brainwashing” in order to embrace a new value system, contrary to the religious norms and social system in general. Most often in the background of these sects is procuring members to prostitution, drug use, pedophilia, crime and alike. Some sects force the young to commit suicide so they would sacrifi ce themselves for the Satan. All this points to a serious social problem which is unfortunately still perceived as “a myth” and “a taboo” in our society. For this reason the aim of this paper is to indicate some traits and features of sects, along with parents and teachers, as well as behavior change in order to timely identify the young who have joined up a sect and raise awareness of people about the need for the prevention of this phenomenon in the family and schools.
The task of 3D gesture recognition for controlling equipments is highly challenging due to the propagation of 3D smart TV recently. In this paper, the AdaBoost algorithm is applied to 3D gesture recognition by using Kinect sensor. By tracking time interval trajectory of hand, wrist and arm by Kinect, AdaBoost algorithm is used to train and classify 3D gesture. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can successfully extract trained gestures from continuous hand, wrist and arm motion in real time.
In this work, nanocomposite filament-based sensors made from polystyrene-block-polybutadiene-block-polystyrene (SBS) and graphene-based electrically conductive thermoplastic polyurethane (C-TPU) have been fabricated using a small extrusion process. Because of the high flexibility of the polymer matrix selected and the processing method employed, it is possible to reach elongations above 150% with an adjustable length and diameter making them good candidates for applications where flexible and adaptable sensors are needed. The electrical response of the filaments is measured at different elongations exhibiting good reproducibility and linearity. Strain gauge factors up to 26 were obtained showing up higher sensitivity than commercial metallic strain gauges. This kind of sensors can be applied in many fields including wearable electronics and structural health monitoring.
We develop a simple model of the effect of public transaction reporting on trade execution costs and test it using a sample of institutional trades in corporate bonds, before and after initiation of the TRACE reporting system. Trade execution costs fell approximately 50% for bonds eligible for TRACE transaction reporting, and 20% for bonds not eligible for TRACE reporting, suggesting the presence of a “liquidity externality.” The key results are robust to changes in variables, such as interest rate volatility and trading activity that might also affect execution costs. Market shares and the cost advantage to large dealers decreased post-TRACE. These results indicate that market design can have first-order effects, even for sophisticated institutional customers.
Several physicists, among them Hawking, Page, Coule, and Carroll, have argued against the probabilistic intuitions underlying fine-tuning arguments in cosmology and instead propose that the canonical measure on the phase space of Friedman-Robertson-Walker space-times should be used to evaluate fine-tuning. They claim that flat space-times in this set are actually typical on this natural measure and that therefore the flatness problem is illusory. I argue that they misinterpret typicality in this phase space and, moreover, that no conclusion can be drawn at all about the flatness problem by using the canonical measure alone.
Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is sometimes the causative agent of invasive diseases, and it has been suggested that there may be differences in virulence among NTHi strains. Whilst studying clinical isolates of NTHi in a rat model of acute otitis media, intra‐ and interstrain differences in virulence were observed. Two strains with suddenly reduced capacity to cause middle ear infections and one highly virulent strain with dose requirements comparable only to encapsulated H. influenzae strains were further investigated, together with 15 other H. influenzae strains. The strains were characterized by analyzing the lipopolysaccharide, the outer membrane proteins, the hemagglutinating ability, and the polymerase chain reaction products after amplification of a gene sequence associated with encapsulation. The pathogenic capacity was assessed in two different in vivo models. It was found that the two strains with reduced pathogenic capacity could regain their virulence after animal passage. The LPS analysis and the results from the chicken embryo model suggested that the observed change in virulence might be associated with the lipopolysaccharide. For the non‐animal‐passaged strain 3655 there were indications that an undefined factor(s) contributed to its relatively potent virulence. As all three strains lacked genes necessary for encapsulation, in no case could any part of the increased virulence be attributed to the expression of small amounts of capsule.
Ferroelectric phase diagrams and the temperature dependence of polarization, dielectric properties of the three pseudo-spin in ferroelectric or ferro-antiferroelectric system described by a transverse Ising models are investigated on the basis of the effective-field theory with the differential operator technique. The effects of the transverse field and the coupling strength between the nearest-neighboring pseudo-spin on the physical properties are discussed in detail.
Physical therapy is routinely delivered to patients after discharge from the hospital following knee arthroplasty (KA). Posthospitalization physical therapy is thought to be beneficial, particularly for those patients most at risk for poor outcome, the subgroup with persistent function-limiting pain despite an apparently successful surgery. Research teams have undertaken 3 large-scale multicenter Phase III randomized clinical trials designed specifically for patients at risk for poor outcome following KA. All 3 trials screened for poor outcome risk using different methods and investigated different physical therapist interventions delivered in different ways. Despite the variety of types of physical therapy and mode of delivery, all trials found no effects of the enhanced treatment as compared with usual care. In all cases, usual care required a lower dosage of physical therapy as compared with the enhanced interventions. This Perspective compares and contrasts the 3 trials, speculates on factors that may explain the no-effect findings, and proposes areas for future study designed to benefit the poor outcome phenotype.
Archaeologists make inferences about past human behaviour based on patterned material residues in various depositional contexts, including existing landsurfaces. These deposits are generated by processes that may obscure patterns at some observational scales while highlighting others, and interpretive differences can arise from a lack of explicit models of deposit formation. Here, an exploratory agent-based model based on the concept of the palimpsest is used to examine the effects of episodic sediment transport on the visibility and preservation of surface archaeological deposits in a fluvial context. Outcomes from the model indicate that the compound influences of preservation and visibility are capable of transforming a static radiocarbon record into one of increasing intensity towards the present, while simultaneously displaying periodic chronological gaps – features that have been used in our Australian study area to argue for demographic change driven by social or environmental factors. To differentiate between interpretations, expectations derived from the model are assessed against a second proxy from the same study area: Optically Stimulated Luminescence dates from hearth stones in surface contexts. Results indicate that patterns in the chronometric proxies from the study area are more consistent with episodic geomorphic change than explanations invoking changes in the local organization of human activity.
Abstract Soboliphyme baturini, a stomach-dwelling nematode of American martens (Martes americana), reaches high levels of infection; however, its effects on the nutritional condition of the host are unknown. To understand the effects of this parasite on American martens, we collected S. baturini and measured abdominal fat deposits from 155 marten carcasses on Prince of Wales Island, southeastern Alaska, in the winter 2006–2007. We analyzed how the dried mass of abdominal fat varied as a function of S. baturini intensity. Parasite intensity and nutritional condition were not correlated; these results suggest that American martens were able to withstand even very high levels of S. baturini infection (up to 178 parasites per host).
Many practising engineers seem to have the impression that the recent developments in bifurcations and chaos in power electronic circuits are mere exercises in mathematics, and have little relevance to actual practice. This paper is an attempt to break that myth. We show that much of the emergent new knowledge give a better understanding of the stability of power electronic circuits, which are valuable in producing reliable and effective converter designs.
Elite sport results in electrocardiogram changes. Some are minor, others are likely to cause sudden death. The authors intended to describe the electrocardiogram features of top athletes at rest in Bobo-Dioulasso. This descriptive transversal study was carried out from August 2015 to February 2016 in the cardiology department of CHU Sanou Souro in Bobo-Dioulasso. The study sampled top athletes aged 17 to 35 with at least eight hours’ training per week for more than six months regardless of the type of discipline. Two hundred top-level athletes from 4 sport disciplines were included. The median age of athletes was 24 years (IIQ: 21 -27). The median duration in high level sport was 6 years (IIQ: 4 - 8) and the median length of weekly training sessions was 10 hours (IIQ: 10 - 10). Only 4% of the athletes had already conducted an Electrocardiogram (ECG). ECG abnormalities were reported in 90.5% of cases and sinus bradycardia was the most common abnormality reported in 72.5% of cases. Left ventricular and left atrial hypertrophy were reported in 44% and 34.5% of cases respectively. Early repolarization syndrome was registered in 47% of cases. Practicing top-level sport activity can result in electrical changes with athletes. These changes need to be identified by practitioners so that the can differentiate them from heart diseases.
Moisture desorption isotherms of squids were determined by the method of saturated salt, at temperatures of 30 C, 40 C and 50 C in the range of air relative humidity from 11.10% to 80.27%. The initial moisture contents were in the range of 83.5% - 84% wet basis. The final moisture content was considered as the equilibrium moisture content. Twelve different mathematical equations are brought into comparison to determine the effects of temperature and relative humidity on equilibrium moisture content of squids. The criteria, including correlation coefficient, root mean square error and chi-squared distribution, are examined in this study to select the appropriate equations. The analysis results show that modified Halsey is the most appropriate equation to predict the equilibrium moisture content of squids. Modified Oswin, modified Chung-Pfost and modified Henderson equations are also efficient, respectively, while Smith and Caurie equations are not consistent with the experimental results
We present EclipseMR, a novel MapReduce framework prototype that efficiently utilizes a large distributed memory in cluster environments. EclipseMR consists of double-layered consistent hash rings - a decentralized DHT-based file system and an in-memory key-value store that employs consistent hashing. The in-memory key-value store in EclipseMR is designed not only to cache local data but also remote data as well so that globally popular data can be distributed across cluster serversand found by consistent hashing.In order to leverage large distributed memories and increase the cache hit ratio, we propose a locality-aware fair (LAF) job scheduler that works as the load balancer for the distributed in-memorycaches. Based on hash keys, the LAF job scheduler predicts which servers have reusable data, and assigns tasks to the servers so that they can be reused. The LAF job scheduler makes its best efforts to strike a balance between data locality and load balance, which often conflict with each other. We evaluate EclipseMR by quantifying the performance effect of each component using several representative MapReduce applications and show EclipseMR is faster than Hadoop andSpark by a large margin for various applications.
Although make or buy decisions are still studied as choices between alternative options, hybrid organizational forms, resulting from make and buy decisions, are quite widespread. Such settings may derive from outsourcing processes which, due to various constraints, can remain uncompleted. From the perspective of a single decision-maker, a partial outsourcing may be due to organizational resistances, especially from the entities that should be outsourced. In many circumstances, however, even though these resistances seem to constrain the outsourcing choices, they can allow appropriate organizational solutions, as in the case of outsourcing control, which can take advantage from make and buy decisions. The paper examines how a partial outsourcing process impacts on the configuration of outsourcing control and its effectiveness. After a critical review of various theoretical perspectives, the actor-network view is proposed as the most appropriate approach to study the phenomenon. A single case study is then carried out to show how the viewpoints of various organizational units allow the assessment of a hybrid organization where internal units allows an effective outsourcing control.
Prediction of bacterial growth, survival or reduction in food matrices is needed for microbiological risk assessment. The survival of Salmonella Typhimurium on surfaces of raw shrimps at low temperature was studied, in the presence of sodium metabisulfite which is often used to prevent melanosis. The growth and/or reduction rates were quantified using DMFit software with Baranyi model and or linear model. The result showed that without sodium metabisulfite (control), when the initial level was high (10 5 CFU/ml), S. Typhimurium grew with a lag phase of 51.99±7.46 h and a growth rate of 0.01±0.002 log CFU.ml -1 .h -1 on raw shrimps during storage at 8±2°C. When 1.5% (w/w) sodium metabisulfite, a maximum level that often used to prevent melanosis, was added under the same condition, the number of S. Typhimurium was reduced for 5 log CFU/ml after 5 days, with a reduction rate of -0.03±0.001 log CFU.ml -1 .h -1 . This study indicated that Baranyi model can be used to predict the growth of S. Typhimurium on raw shrimp at low temperature, when sodium metabisulfite is absent. However, when sodium metabisulfite is present, at least 0.4% as found in this study, the reduction of S. Typhimurium can be predicted using a simple linear model.
The author examines recent proposals of the U.K. government concerning the franchising of passenger rail services. These are shown to create local monopolies. Subsidy minimization, which is proposed by the government, is shown to be a perverse method of pursuing environmental aspects of rail policy. Chadwick-Demsetz franchising is examined as an alternative franchising scheme. Copyright 1993 by Scottish Economic Society.
Very small larval size, high mortality rate of crab larvae, the absence of an accurate crab larva counter at affordable price, the density of larvae that are not known accurately, the ratio of feed that not in accordance with the number of larvae to damage water quality and cannibalism, water quality can not be adjusted to the density of distribution, and economically unprofitable both in terms of feed efficiency and buying and selling transactions. By knowing the number of crab larvae accurately the survival rate of crab larvae increases and is economically beneficial. In this study larvae counters were designed and developed. This tool uses digital imagery to detect and count the crab larvae zoea-1 phase. The accuracy of crab larva counter is 89,8%.
Significant changes have taken place in higher education systems since B. Clark has proposed a system for classification of higher education institutions by status hierarchy. This paper studies the trends related mainly to the globalization of the educational system and the development of information technologies. The paper focuses on the mass integration processes of higher education institutions; the types and forms of these processes are considered and classified. A status hierarchy of higher education institutions is proposed, which takes place in the modern educational system. It is concluded that under the influence of globalization, a change takes place in systems of higher education and status hierarchy of higher education institutions; however, the integration processes offer significant opportunities for all universities (or their majority) to take their place in the market of higher education services.
The effects of interfacial tension (IFT) on displacement behavior have been investigated through flow visualization experiments in porous media formed by thin layers of sintered glass beads. Fluid densities and viscosities were matched to avoid viscous and gravitational instabilities. Displacements were carried out with aqueous/oleic liquid pairs, which gave IFT's of 17.0, 1.2, 0.029, and 0.002 dynes/cm (17.0, 1.2, 0.029, and 0.002 mN/m). Results show how IFT, wettability, and model heterogeneity interact to determine the shape and stability of the displacement front.
Aiming at the problem that the leakage of single-layer key encryption may lead to the theft of image information, we propose an image encryption algorithm based on multi-bit superposition and optical chaos. The generated optical chaotic sequence is used to encrypt the encrypted image together with the user input key. In the scrambling stage, the 3D-cat map is used to encrypt the bit plane, and the multi-bit superposition method is used to encrypt the key space between the bit planes again by using the sub-block internal and external encryption methods. In the diffusion stage, the Logistic-tent map is used to diffuse the scrambling image to generate the ciphertext image, and the optical chaotic waveform is used as the carrier to mask the ciphertext image information in the transmission process. At the recipient, the ciphertext image information is obtained through the synchronized optical chaotic waveform, and the image is decrypted by using the synchronized optical chaotic sequence and the key transmitted through the secure channel. If only one of the two cannot decrypt the image, the security of image transmission is improved. The simulation results show that the correlation of adjacent pixels of the image encrypted by the algorithm is close to zero, the gray histogram is evenly distributed, the pixel change rate, the normalized average change intensity and the block average change intensity are close to the ideal value, and the sensitivity of the plaintext is further enhanced, which can effectively resist statistical attacks, differential attacks and exhaustive attacks.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the presence of geogenic contaminants in groundwater from shallow aquifers of the crystalline basement complex rocks of Ibadan south-western, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 30 drinking water samples, (six samples each from the five major lithologic formations of the study area) were collected from hand dug wells during the rainy season. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to determine concentrations of arsenic, iron and fluoride in drinking water samples and also concentrations of other chemical parameters that could affect the concentrations of the geogenic contaminants including pH, Ca, Mg, Na and SO42−. Descriptive statistics, multiple correlation and analysis of variance were used to examine the relationship between the geogenic contaminants and concentration of other chemical parameters while inverse distance weighting was used to produce risk maps. Findings – The results showed Arsenic concentration exceeding the WHO recom...
The idea of civil or public participation is not new. In England, it was institutionalized as part of the changes experienced in the planning process from “Skeffington” report, by the end of the 1960’s. The immediate background was the 1968 Planning Law, which was a milestone in Great Britain in the development of a framework of planning with a high degree of civil participation. However, the stimulus came from the central government, as it was necessary that local governments were organized to exercise their planning functions.
Hydro-economic river basin models (HERBM) based on mathematical programming are conventionally formulated as explicit 'aggregate optimization' problems with a single, aggregate objective function. Often unintended, this format implicitly assumes that decisions on water allocation are made via central planning or functioning markets such as to maximize social welfare. In the absence of perfect water markets, however, individually optimal decisions by water users will differ from the social optimum. Classical aggregate HERBMs cannot simulate that situation and thus might be unable to describe existing institutions governing access to water and might produce biased results for alternative ones. We propose a new solution format for HERBMs, based on the format of the mixed complementarity problem (MCP), where modified shadow price relations express spatial externalities resulting from asymmetric access to water use. This new problem format, as opposed to commonly used linear (LP) or non-linear programming (NLP) approaches, enables the simultaneous simulation of numerous 'independent optimization' decisions by multiple water users while maintaining physical interdependences based on water use and flow in the river basin. We show that the alternative problem format allows the formulation HERBMs that yield more realistic results when comparing different water management institutions.
Foreword vii Chapter 1 Introduction: A Physical Chemists s Toolbox 1 Chapter 2 Particles, Forces, and Mathematical Methods 5 Chapter 3 Quantum Mechanics 121 Chapter 4 Thermodynamics 244 Chapter 5 Statistical Mechanics 284 Chapter 6 Kinetics, Equilibria, and Electrochemistry 335 Chapter 7 Symmetry 387 Chapter 8 Solid-State Physics 443 Chapter 9 Electrical Circuits, Amplifiers, and Computers 503 Chapter 10 Sources, Sensors, and Detection Methods 571 Chapter 11 Instruments 647 Chapter 12 From Crystals to Molecules 781 Appendix 823 Index 903
speaks of arya varna and dasya varna, "color of the skin" may be part of the denotation; but here too it is clear that the darker skin of the people is viewed symbolically to express their character to outsiders. It is for these reasons that I believe that the author's opinion (page 12, last paragraph, etc.) should be highly modified; more significant results would have followed an earnest study of truly ecclesiastical organizations in India and their relations to the state organization. I understand that the author has not consulted the Arthasastra of Kautilya for information about the organization of the state in ancient India, about which he is almost entirely silent.
Introduction Studies indicate connections between childhood conditions and health in old ages. Early conditions of life may be related to individual factors of development. Thus, rural areas can harbour states of child development different from those in the urban ambience. Objective To evaluate the impact of rural origin on mortality of elders living in a urban region. Methods Data are from SABE: a longitudinal survey in São Paulo—2000/2006. The explanatory variable “origin”, was obtained from the question: “Have you lived in the countryside for more than 5 years before the age 15?” Control variables are sex, age, education, income; having had malaria, pneumonia or typhoid fever before the age of 15. Outcome was “death”: people alive in 2000 (n=2143) and confirmed dead before or during the second round in 2006 (n=649). Results Rao-Scott tests showed differences according to the origin of the elders for all variables except age and typhoid fever. A Poisson regression was applied to evaluate the associations between “origin” and “death” in the presence of all other variables, controlling for time of exposure. Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR) for rural origin was 1.54 (p=0.03). That is, having lived in the countryside before the age of 15 increased the death rate by 54%. Sex, age and income were also significant, with IRR of 1.79; 3.57 and 1.69. Conclusions These results demonstrate that inequities such as rural-urban inequality, even occurring in the young ages, can perpetuate differences through a person's life, including an increased chance of dying when older.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract The introduction of nivolumab has changed the landscape of relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r cHL) treatment. Despite its clinical importance, this therapy may remain inaccessible for a significant number of patients worldwide, especially in low-income countries, due to its high cost. The results of pharmacokinetic analysis and clinical observations suggest the potential efficacy of low dose nivolumab in r/r cHL patients. The aim of this trial was to assess the efficacy and safety of nivolumab at a fixed dose of 40 mg in patients with r/r cHL. The study included 30 patients with r/r cHL, treated with 40 mg nivolumab every 2 weeks. The median dose of nivolumab per kilogram bodyweight was 0.59 mg/kg (0.4–1 mg/kg). Median follow up was 19.2 months (range 12.7–25.4). The objective response rate was 70%, with 13 (43.3%) patients achieving a complete response. Median PFS was 18.4 months (95% CI, 11.3 to 18.5 months) with 18-month PFS of 53.6% (95% CI, 32%–71%). At the time of analysis, 96.7% of patients were alive with a median OS not reached. Severe (grade 3–5) adverse events were observed in 4 patients (13.3%). Nivolumab in a fixed dose of 40 mg was efficient in patients with r/r cHL, independent from dose per kg bodyweight. The results of this study are in good agreement with previously reported data and create a rationale for further studies aimed to define the optimal dosing regimen of nivolumab for the treatment of r/r cHL. Registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03343665)
In a previous article,1 we reported on the interaction of cellulose with NH3/NH4SCN by using solid state CP / MAS 13C-NMR, wide-angle X-ray and other techniques. It appears that during an imposed temperature cycling sequence, specific cellulosic inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonds are broken as polymorphic conversion and, ultimately, dissolution occurs. Cellulose is converted from the polymorph I to II to III and, finally, to amorphous. We speculate that these changes proceed via transformation of the polymorph conformations of CH2OH from trans-gauche, “tg,” to gauche-trans, “gt,” to gauche-gauche, “gg.” Remarkably, the temperature cycling effectively and rapidly effects these changes, seemingly, by invoking at two different temperatures (22°C and −78°C), a subtle but powerful temperature-related interplay of enthalpic and entropic forces. At the higher of the cycling temperature limits, entropy and van der Waals forces dominate, causing NH3 to partition in favor of the liquid phase. At the lower of the temperature cycling limits, enthalpy dominates and the situation is reversed favoring NH3 partition toward the cellulose, resulting in breakage of inter- and intracellulosic H-bonds by the interpenetrating ammonia to form new H-bonds between cellulose and ammonia, leading ultimately to conformational changes and, ultimately, even dissolution. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
In the past decade, increasing attention has been paid to natural, ecologically clean materials, so-called “green polymers”. One of the most promising materials is poly-3oxybutyrate (POB), which can be synthesised by different microorganisms. This polymer is one of the poly-3oxyalkanoates, has high biocompatibility with the human body, and is capable of biodecomposition and selfdegradation. However, the use of POB in pure form as packaging material in the food and pharmaceutical industries is inexpedient on account of its high cost and brittleness. At present, in order to produce a less expensive material with prescribed physicomechanical characteristics, POB is mixed with polymers of different classes: cellulose, polyethylene (PE), and oligoethers (ref. 1). In the present work, a new material – a blend of POB and SKEP ethylene–propylene copolymer – has been produced and investigated.
Despite the recent advances in textile antennas, in complete systems such as a rectenna, the efficiency of fully textile solutions has been over 46% lower than hybrid textile/rigid implementations. This article presents a fully textile rectenna for ultralow-power sub-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ mu  text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/cm<sup>2</sup> applications. A dual-polarized omnidirectional low-profile textile antenna is presented. The rectenna is based on a compact inductively matched rectifier. The textile-based rectifier occupies 0.22 cm<sup>2</sup> and achieves a state-of-the-art power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 41.8% at −20 dBm, at 820 MHz, despite its lossy substrate. A triple-band rectifier is then designed and fabricated to show the scalability of the matching approach. The rectifier is characterized using a new figure of merit “average PCE” over a time period while charging a capacitor. Time-varying S-parameters are used to quantify the impact of the capacitor’s charge on the impedance matching. The rectifier directly charges a 1.32 mF capacitor up to 1 V in 0.41 and 4.5 s from 10 and 0 dBm, respectively. Wireless testing of the proposed rectenna demonstrates over 50% and 40% (PCE) below <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1~ mu  text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/cm<sup>2</sup> in space and on-body, respectively. The rectenna efficiently receives power from mismatched polarization and with a 360° half-power beamwidth.
The equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of the pituitary luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) receptors and the maximum binding capacity (Bmax) per milligram of membrane protein were greater in laying hens than in nonlaying hens. A single i.m. injection of progesterone, estradiol-17 beta, or 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone into nonlaying hens caused an increase in Kd and Bmax values. During an ovulatory cycle of the laying hen, Kd and Bmax values decreased from 16 to 14 h and 8 to 6 h before ovulation. A decrease in the Bmax value was also found 24 to 21 h before ovulation. A single i.v. injection of chicken LHRH-I caused a decrease in the Kd and Bmax values within 2 min after the injection. The results suggest that the hen pituitary LHRH receptor bindings are affected by ovarian steroid hormones and that their changes during the ovulatory cycle may relate to the release of a gonadotropin from the pituitary.
Redundant or low quality sampling sequences are used in existing network embedding methods based on random walk. A network embedding method based on extractive summary is proposed to generate high-quality node embedding. A selective gate network is used by the role of the node in the overall sequence. A decoder based on extractive abstract is designed by prediction and sampled condition of the node. Firstly, by using the control characteristics of the selective gate network, the hidden state vectors containing the attribute information are filtered. The environment vectors that can effectively represent the key information of nodes are acquired. It achieves the extraction of important information of the node. Furthermore, the environment vector is decoded by the extractive-abstract-based decoder. The redundant nodes in the original sampling sequence are removed, which further improves the classification accuracy. With the datasets of Cora, Citeseer and Wiki, the proposed method is applied to network node classification, and outperforms several mainstream baseline methods.
Suppression of strong, spatially correlated background interference is a challenge associated with electroencephalography (EEG) source localization problems. The most common way of dealing with such interference is through the use of a prewhitening transformation based on an estimate of the covariance of the interference plus noise. This approach is based on strong assumptions regarding temporal stationarity of the data, which do not commonly hold in EEG applications. In addition, prewhitening cannot typically be implemented directly due to ill conditioning of the covariance matrix, and ad hoc regularization is often necessary. Using both simulation examples and experiments involving real EEG data with auditory evoked responses, we demonstrate that a straightforward interference projection method is significantly more robust than prewhitening for EEG source localization.
We rigorously apply the sum rules to the sum-over-states expression to calculate the fundamental limits of the dispersion of the two-photon absorption cross section. A comparison of the theory with the data suggests that the truncated sum rules in the three-level model give a reasonable fundamental limit. Furthermore, we posit that the two-photon absorption cross section near the limit must have only three dominant states, so by default, the three-level model is appropriate. This ansatz is supported by a rigorous analytical calculation that the resonant term gets smaller as more states are added. We also find that the contributions of the nonexplicitly resonant terms cannot be neglected when analyzing real molecules with many excited states, even near resonance. However, puzzling as it may be, extrapolating an off-resonant result to resonance using only the resonant term of the three-level model is shown to be consistent with the exact result. In addition, the off-resonant approximation is shown to scale logarithmically when compared with the full three-level model. This scaling can be used to simplify the analysis of measurements. We find that existing molecules are still far from the fundamental limit; so, there is room for improvement. But, reaching the fundamental limit would require precise control of the energy-level spacing, independently of the transition dipole moments-a task that does not appear possible using today's synthetic approaches. So, we present alternative methods that can still lead to substantial improvements which only require the control of the transition moment to the first excited state. While it is best to normalize measured two-photon absorption cross sections to the fundamental limits when comparing molecules, we show that simply dividing by the square of the number of electrons per molecule yields a good metric for comparison.
Definition.?The granulosa-cell tumour is a solid or partly cystic, smooth, encapsuled epithelium-like growth of uniform cell type, with more or less folliculoid, solid alveolar, trabecular, or diffuse cell pattern. It is characteristically (Estrogenic and is very rarely truly malignant. Description.?This tumour, often described as rare, arises in the ovary at any age, involves more or less the whole ovary and, as its name implies, resembles in its architecture the tissue of the mature or immature Graafian follicle. Various
We conduct a controlled laboratory experiment in which subjects dynamically choose to allocate their portfolio between (i) a safe asset, (ii) a risky asset and (iii) a skewed asset with negative expected value (a “bet”), in an environment where they can sometimes choose to acquire some information about the performance of their peers. We find three distinct groups of individuals: 16% of subjects never buy the bet, 29% of subjects learn not to buy the bet and 55% subjects persist purchasing the bet throughout the experiment. Among the latter group, purchases are most frequent when subjects are rich and when it is their last opportunity. Our subjects are also interested in the wealth of others, especially relative to theirs. Indeed, a subject with low, medium and high wealth has a preference for finding out what is the minimum, average and maximum wealth in the session, respectively. We also find that subjects buy more bets when they are richer and (unexpectedly) learn that their peers outperform them.
Vertical displacement, critical Euler buckling load and vibration behavior of a cracked beam are considered in this research. The crack inside the beam is placed in different positions and results compared for each crack position. On first Eigenvalue of free vibration results, there is a border that first Eigenvalue of free vibration does not change if center of crack is located on that border, and after that border, the first Eigenvalue of free vibration is increased that is a counterexample relation of critical Euler buckling load and first Eigenvalue of free vibration.
Open access: www.balimedicaljournal.org and ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/b j Concentrations of endothelin-1 associated with aging of prehypertension patients in Denpasar and Badung districts, Bali, Indonesia Luh Gede Sri Yenny1* Introduction: Hypertension is a major health problem in the world. Prehypertension increases the risk of developing hypertension. Aging often accompanied with an elevation of blood pressure. Endothelin-1 is a potent vascular vasoconstrictor which its concentration is related to various cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. However, it is still unclear whether aging is related to endothelin-1 activation. Therefore, this study aims to determine the correlation between age and serum endothelin-1 concentration in patients with prehypertension. Methods: This is a community-based and cross-sectional study which was conducted in Denpasar and Badung regencies, BaliIndonesia. A total of 75 prehypertension patients were involved in the study. Results: Spearman Correlation analysis demonstrated that age was strongly correlated with endhotelin-1 levels in the patients with prehypertension, R = 0.290 (p = 0.012). Age was also positively correlated with systolic blood pressure R = 0.235 (p = 0.042). In contrast, there was no correlation between age with diastolic blood pressure, R = 0.037 (p = 0.750). Conclusion: In conclusion, endothelin-1 concentration were correlated with the age of patients with prehypertension.
Since 1984, the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has compiled upper neck loads for the belt and air bag restrained 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy. Over 5 years, in frontal crash tests, NCAP collected upper neck data for 118 passenger cars and 78 light trucks and vans. This paper examines this data and attempts to assess the potential for neck injury based on injury criteria included in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208 (the optional sled test). This paper also examines the extent of serious neck injury in actual crashes as reported in the National Automotive Sampling System. Results suggest that serious neck injuries do occur at higher speeds for crashes involving occupants restrained by belts in passenger cars. Results also suggest that neck tension and extension can reach levels in the NCAP frontal crash tests that are higher than those allowed in FMVSS No. 208. Neck tension and extension are generally higher in light trucks and vans than in passenger cars. When neck responses are examined as a function of the Head Injury Criterion for driver and passenger dummies, no correlation is found.
The dynamics of land use and land cover in watersheds of the Brazilian semi-arid region is not only influenced by human action, but also by the climatic seasonality of the region. Knowledge of the relationship between surveys of land use and land cover using geotechnology and the climatic seasonality of semi-arid regions is necessary. The aim of this study was to map and classify land use and cover in the watershed of the Orós reservoir (WSOR) with the help of geotechnology, and to identify the influence exerted by the climate on variations in the area of each class. The survey of land use and cover was carried out by means of the MAXVER method of classification of images from 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2013 from the LANDSAT 5 and LANDSAT 8 satellites. The areas of each class displayed dynamics influenced not only by human action but also by such factors as climate, topography and plant physiology. Years with high rainfall favoured classes such as thin scrub and dense scrub, with the opposite being seen in years considered as dry, when there was a considerable increase in areas of the anthropogenic class. Changes in the areas are caused by alterations in the deciduous vegetation; with leaf-fall during the dry season, these areas come to have the spectral response of areas with similar characteristics to the anthropogenic class. More-elevated regions favoured the presence of the dense-scrub class due to the microclimate and to the greater difficulty such areas present to human action.
Possible catalytic activity of different metals in hydrothermal reduction of CO2 into formic acid with Zn was investigated under low temperatures. Among the several catalysts (Cu, Fe and Sn) were used, Cu shows the best catalytic activity for the formic acid production. The formic acid yield is as high as 61% under hydrothermal condition. XRD analysis was also carried out to investigate the possible role of reactants.
The goal of perception is to infer the most plausible source of sensory stimulation. Unisensory perception of temporal order, however, appears to require no inference, because the order of events can be uniquely determined from the order in which sensory signals arrive. Here, we demonstrate a novel perceptual illusion that casts doubt on this intuition: In three experiments (N = 607), the experienced event timings were determined by causality in real time. Adult participants viewed a simple three-item sequence, ACB, which is typically remembered as ABC in line with principles of causality. When asked to indicate the time at which events B and C occurred, participants’ points of subjective simultaneity shifted so that the assumed cause B appeared earlier and the assumed effect C later, despite participants’ full attention and repeated viewings. This first demonstration of causality reversing perceived temporal order cannot be explained by postperceptual distortion, lapsed attention, or saccades.
The Phantom, conceived as a newspaper comic strip in 1936, is the forerunner of the comic-book superhero genre which today underpins vast, multi-billion dollar franchises that span publishing, audio-visual entertainment and licensed merchandise. Yet despite the character’s American provenance, The Phantom has enjoyed consistently greater popularity amongst international audiences, most notably in Australia, India and Sweden. The paradox of The Phantom, whereby its relative commercial failure in the US was offset by its phenomenal success in these culturally distinct foreign markets, forms the basis for a fascinating case-study that can provide fresh insights into the production, dissemination and consumption of popular media. Charting the publication of The Phantom comic book across international markets since the mid-1930s creates an opportunity for delving into the largely unexplored pre-history of modern media licensing industries. Examining the complex, intersecting political, economic and temporal factors that have influenced The Phantom’s popularity in Australia, India and Sweden provides a nuanced study of the complex cultural flow of a specific media property, and raises questions about the dominance of textual methodologies in non-denunciatory examinations of popular media. Surveying attitudes towards The Phantom amongst Australian, Indian and Swedish audiences brings a greater international dimension to the study of comic fandom that enriches the existing body of audience reception literature, which, to date, has been confined to a largely Anglo-American focus. By intertwining critical political economy with media history, coupled with the use of audience studies and textual analysis, the cultural history of The Phantom comic book in Australia, India and Sweden adopts theoretical frameworks and methodologies rarely brought to bear in the study of comic books, to bring a richer, multi-perspectival approach to the burgeoning field of comics studies.
Let W be a complex reflection group, acting on a complex vector space H. Kato has recently introduced the notion of a "Kostka system," which is a certain collection of finite-dimensional W-equivariant modules for the symmetric algebra on H. In this paper, we show that Kostka systems can be used to construct "exotic" t-structures on the derived category of finite-dimensional modules, and we prove a derived-equivalence result for these t-structures.
Five new conjugated copolymers of 9,9‘-dioctylfluorene and dibenzo[a,c]phenazine were synthesized by Suzuki copolymerization and were used to achieve efficient blue electroluminescence (EL) from intramolecular charge-transfer excited states. The copolymers had moderate molecular weights (Mw = 31 250−71 120, Mw/Mn = 2.06−3.48) and enhanced glass-transition temperature of 68−130 °C. Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) between the fluorene and dibenzo[a,c]phenazine moieties dominated the ground and excited-state electronic structures of the copolymers, as evidenced by the new low-energy absorption band and the strong positive solvatochromism in photoluminescence (PL). The copolymers emitted blue light in dilute toluene solutions with PL quantum yields of 43−80% as the composition was varied from 2 to 20 mol % dibenzo[a,c]phenazine. Blue EL from ICT excited states of the copolymers was achieved in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with luminances of 1260−4600 cd/m2 and external quantum efficiencies of 0.47−2.89% ...
The necessity for a compulsive attitude toward preoperative assessment of lung cancer is to be emphasized, since rational treatment and prognosis depend largely on the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. In the preoperative setting, the techniques used should be sequential, logical, and help to identify patients suitable for treatment with curative intent. With regard to the primary tumor (T status), the accuracy of CT or MRI to predict the need for extended resections is limited. Similarly, all noninvasive methods to determine the nodal status (N) are valuable, but mediastinoscopy has a greater sensitivity and specificity than either CT or MRI. The role of routine organ screening for the detection of distant occult metastasis in the asymptomatic patient is still controversial. Ultimately, the prognosis of the resected patient with lung cancer is based on complete intraoperative staging, which can be done by either systematic node sampling or complete lymphadenectomy. At present, neither of these techniques has been shown to improve the quality of staging or survival.
This article presents a clinical case of colon disease surgical treatment in a 34-year old patient with generalized myasthenia. Perioperative management peculiarities in these patients are clarified. Different approaches to anaesthesia choice were discussed on a case study. The importance of of tactics individualization, rational drugs selection, including neuromuscular block reversal agents as well as intraoperative neuromuscular transmission monitoring.
A method for inspecting the integrity of the insulation of a wire or cable, comprising the steps of: passing a current through said wire or cable; applying to said wire or cable a fluid having electrolytic properties and a type that does not cause substantial degradation of the polymer insulation elastomer around said wires or cables, and use a system of thermal imaging to detect and display the intensity of heat emanating from said wire or cable.
Synthetic evaluation on aerodynamic characteristics for aerospace vehicle is a key content of testing and verification in complete process and whole system.According to the principle of administrative levels analysis,the vehicle aerodynamic characteristics can be evaluated synthetically.Employing the experts investigation method,the expert's individual opinion can be gotten on the evaluation factors,the weights of evaluation factors as well as the grade and step of the evaluation results.By adopting the synthetic evaluation method,the qualitative conclusions and the quantitative results of the synthetic evaluation for aerospace vehicle on aerodynamic characteristics are obtained.
The high-frequency asymptotics of then acoustic noise spectrum is considered for the case of spherically symmetric waves propagating in an unbounded inviscid liquid. Using the Kirkwood and Bethe hypothesis regarding kinetic enthalpy, the Euler equations, the equation of state in the Tait's form and following linearization allow the kinetic enthalpy and reduced pressure to be obtained. The Fourier transform yields the spectral density of acoustic energy which proves to be inversely proportional to the square frequency and decreases approximately by 6 decibels per octave with increase of a frequency.
Immunomodulator is a substance that increases or suppresses the immune response through the certain mechanism. The marine sponge Xestospongia sp. has immunomodulatory activity by increasing phagocytic activity. In addition, the phagocytic activity is affected by CD4+ and CD14 cells levels. Thus, this study aims to investigate the effect of Xestopongia sp. extract toward CD4+ and CD14 cells level in model rat. Animals were divided into 4 groups (n=5) and treated for 7 days, as follow: Group I (Ethanolic extract of Xestospongia sp. dose of 300 mg/KgBW); Group II (Ethanolic extract of Xestospongia sp. dose of 400 mg/KgBW); Group III (Phylantus niruri extract); and Group IV (0.5% Na CMC). On day 8, animals were intraperitoneally infected to Staphylococcus aureus and the blood was collected by cardiac puncture and assayed with ELISA kit CD4 (elabscience®) and ELISA kit CD14 (elabscience®). Ethanolic extract of Xestospongia sp. provided high levels of both CD4+ and CD14 cells (group II) compared to baseline (group IV) (p<0.05). Group I provided similar activity to group III (p>0.05) and group II provided significant activity with higher levels of CD4+ and CD14 cells compared to group III (p<0.05). In conclusion, both doses of Xestospongia sp. extract showed immunomodulatory activity by increasing CD4+ and CD14 cells levels, yet dose of 400 mg/KgBw provides the higher immunomodulatory activity.
This article discusses both the methodological and theoretical principles involved in comparative evaluation. The term comparative evaluation refers to research in which an evaluation and the findings of the evaluation process are set in a comparative framework. The principles on which the comparative evaluation process should be based, however, are not always clear. This article analyses the content of these principles and begins with a discussion of the purpose and function of comparative evaluation. This is followed by an analysis of four different principles common to the method of comparative evaluation: selection of the evaluation object; the level of comparison; conceptual comprehension; and the analysis of the findings of an evaluation. When these principles are applied to the comparative evaluation study, the study most likely produces comparable and reliable information for organizational development work.
Highly pathogenic and potentially pandemic H5N1 avian influenza A viruses have become endemic and are now residing in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. H5N1 viruses have been shown to cross the species barrier and infect both dogs and cats. Domestic cats and dogs in Thailand, which were naturally infected with H5N1, exhibited severe pulmonary edema and peumonia in lung tissue as well as in other tissue dysfunctions. In order to understand the structure and quantity of influenza A receptor sialyl sugar chains in cats and dogs, especially in lung tissue, glycosylation profiles of N-glycans were determined from lung tissues of dogs and cats susceptible to H5N1 in Thailand by using multi- dimensional HPLC mapping combined with mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated different N-linked glycans com- position ratios between dogs and cats. There were a total of 30 kinds of N-linked glycans from cat lungs, which were comprised of 11 neutral, 13 mono-, 3 di-, and 3 tri-sialyl sugar chains, and 29 kinds from dog lungs, which were com- prised of 16 neutral, 11 mono- and 2 di-sialyl sugar chains. Cat lungs exhibited both 5-N-acetylneuraminic acid and 5-N- glycolylneuraminic acid sialic acid (Sia� 2-3Gal and Sia� 2-6Gal), but dog lungs contained only 5-N-acetylneuraminic (Sia� 2-3Gal and Sia� 2-6Gal) molecular species. The composition ratios of molar percentage of Sia� 2-3Gal for domestic cat and dog lungs were 21.5 and 9.9, respectively, while the composition ratios of Sia� 2-6Gal were 47.1 and 59.2, respec- tively. These results may indicate that domestic cats are more susceptible than dogs to H5N1 influenza virus infection and also cats and dogs play an important role as "mixing vessels" for the virus re-assortment.
In this paper, a time-domain magnetorelaxometry biosensing scheme is presented using giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensors to measure the fast relaxation response of superparamagnetic magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in a pulsed magnetic field. The system consists of an 8 × 10 GMR sensor array, a Helmholtz coil, an electromagnet driver, and an integrator-based analog front-end needed to capture the fast relaxation dynamics of MNPs. A custom designed electromagnet driver and Helmholtz coil improve the switch-off speed to >5 Oe/μs, limiting the dead zone time to <10 μs, and thus enables the system to monitor fast relaxation processes of 30 nm MNPs. A magnetic correlated double sampling technique is proposed to reduce sensor-to-sensor variation by 99.98% while also reducing temperature drift, circuit offset, and nonlinearity below the noise level. An optimum integration time is calculated and experimentally verified to maximize the SNR. Experiments with dried MNPs have shown successful relaxation detection, and immunoassay experiments have demonstrated their binding kinetics.
In this paper, a telemedicine system for managing diabetic patients with better care is presented. The system is an end to end solution which relies on the integration of front end (patient unit) and backend web server. A key feature of the system developed is the very low cost automated approach. The front-end of the system is capable of reading glucose measurements from any glucose meter and sending them automatically via existing networks to the back-end server. The back-end is designed and developed using n-tier web client architecture based on model-view-controller design pattern using open source technology, a cost effective solution. The back-end helps the health-care provider with data analysis; data visualization and decision support, and allows them to send feedback and therapeutic advice to patients from anywhere using a browser enabled device. This system will be evaluated during the trials which will be conducted in collaboration with a local hospital in phased manner.
Abstract Tanqua anomala (von Linstow, 1904) is redescribed from specimens collected from the intestine of the semi-aquatic snake Acrochordus javanicus Hornstedt, 1787 from south Sumatra. The morphological features given in the redescription allow the confirmation of T. anomala as a valid species, and distinguish it from other members of the genus. Tanqua ophidis Johnston & Mawson, 1948 is re-examined and placed in synonymy with T. anomala.
The automotive industry is making a transition to LEDs as the primary lighting source for many applications. The adoption of LEDs for forward lighting is met with hurdles like proper heat dissipation and high initial cost. In this project the problem of heat dissipation has been addressed and its effect on the headlight performance was also studied. A simple 7” round driving beam headlight was modelled with a heat sink for this project. In order to dissipate the heat effectively two methods were adopted: 1. Insertion of a heat pipe in heatsink and 2. Modification of LED pitch. So a total of four models — 1)headlight without heat pipe, 2)headlight with heat pipe, 3)headlight with modified LED pitch and without heat pipe and 4)headlight with modified LED pitch and heat pipe; were thermally analysed in a CFD thermal simulation software tool-6SigmaET. The critical temperatures obtained from the thermal simulation were used to determine the luminous flux of each LED. Then using the luminous flux values of the LEDs the illuminance test, required for type approval of headlight as per AIS 010(Part 1), was simulated in TracePro software for the four headlight models. The variation in the illuminance value due to the different junction temperatures of the LED was studied using the above simulation. Finally, the reliability of each model of LED headlight was calculated using the Arrhenius equation and military handbook for electronic equipment-MIL HDBK-217F.
A random flight on a plane with non-isotropic displacements at the moments of direction changes is considered. In the case of exponentially distributed flight lengths a Gaussian limit theorem is proved for the position of a particle in the scheme of series when jump lengths and non-isotropic displacements tend to zero. If the flight lengths have a folded Cauchy distribution the limiting distribution of the particle position is a convolution of the circular bivariate Cauchy distribution with a Gaussian law.
The objective of this study was to develop and manufacture a stable parenteral formulation for Phase I clinical trials of VNP40101M (1,2-Bis(methylsulfonyl)-1-(2-chloroethyl)-2-[(2-methylamino)carbonyl] hydrazine), a novel antitumor agent. The solubility and stability of the drug was determined. Solubility studies suggested that VNP40101M exhibited poor aqueous solubility but showed appreciable solubility in nonaqueous solvents. The aqueous solubility of the drug could not be increased by adjusting the pH. At a pH above 7, basecatalyzed decomposition of VNP40101M occurred. The low octanol-water partition coefficient of 0.75 suggested poor solubility in lipophilic solvents. Based on these preformation observations, a parenteral formulation containing 10 mg/mL of VNP40101M was prepared in a solvent system consisting of 30% ethyl alcohol and 70% polyethylene glycol-300 (PEG-300). To minimize base-catalyzed hydrolytic degradation. citric acid at 0.6% concentration was included to acidify the formulation. Rubber closures, filter membranes, and liquid transfer tubing were selected on the basis of compatibility studies and absence of loss of drug the of adsorption of these components. The formulation was subjected to accelerated stability studies and dilution studies with large volume parenteral (LVP) solutions, normal saline, and 5% dextrose injection (D5W). The results of the dilution study indicated that the formulation could be diluted in these solutions up to 2 mg/mL for 8 hours without drug precipitation and degradation. Accelerated stability studies suggested that the product should be kept at 2°C to 8°C for long-term storage. The developed formulation was successfully scaled up and manufactured for use in clinical trials.
Indonesia’s abundant marine resources attract not only Indonesian fishermen but also nationals from other countries who fish in maritime zones under Indonesia’s national jurisdiction. When these national and foreign fishermen undertake unauthorized fishing operations in Indonesian waters, they are guilty of illegal fishing under Indonesian law. The Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Susi Pudiastuti revealed national data on the illegal operations of foreign vessels and stated that on some days, “over 70 vessels of 50 to 70 gross tons entered Indonesian waters”.1 According to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (mmaf) Indonesia suffers annual losses amounting to around Rp. 101 trillion (us$ 8.8 million) due to illegal fishing activities including not only losses of tax revenue for the State and income for local fishermen but also the abuse of fuel subsidies.2 Illegal fishermen use fuel allocated for authorized Indonesian fishermen and subsidized by the Indonesian Government.3 In order to avoid paying taxes on harvests, illegal fishermen will use counterfeit licenses. These fishermen also employ destructive fishing gears leading to the decline of catch for local fishermen.4
The paper presents the computation results of the cutting transport in directional wells. Two samples of oil-based muds were prepared. The rheological parameters, incorporated in the computation model, were measured. The geometry of the real well was used for the computation. Three well slopes equal to 15, 45, 75 degrees were studied. The sludge velocity profiles in the annular channels were obtained. The average volumetric value of the particle slip velocity was obtained (the difference between the drilling fluid velocity and the sludge velocity).
The degree of inward motion at mid-ejection was examined for seven segments on the silhouettes of left ventriculograms taken in the 30° RAO projection in patients with normal coronary arteries. The pattern of wall motion described in these patients was used to distinguish abnormalities in mid-systolic wall motion. One or more abnormally contracting segments were found at mid-ejection in 27 of 42 patients with obstructive coronary artery disease and normal end-systolic wall motion. Of the 57 segments found in these patients, 41 or 72% corresponded to sites of significant coronary artery obstruction. Seven patients had electrocardiographic evidence of prior infarction. Following coronary graft surgery in eight patients improved motion was found in association with graft patency in seven previously delayed segments and two new areas of delayed wall motion associated with nonpatent grafts and electrocardiographic changes of infarction appeared. We postulate that some of the myocardial fibers in late contracting segments have been injured or infarcted and are able to contract effectively only during the latter half of ejection when ventricular wall tension is reduced.
We aimed to investigate whether a treat-and-extend regimen of intravitreal brolucizumab (6.0 mg/0.05 mL) is effective for eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) refractory to aflibercept for 12 months. Sixty eyes from 56 patients receiving brolucizumab for exudative AMD refractory to aflibercept were included. Patients received a mean of 30.1 aflibercept administrations for a mean 67.9-month follow-up. All patients exhibited exudation on optical coherence tomography (OCT) despite regular 4–8 weeks of aflibercept administration. Visit 1 was scheduled at the same interval from the last aflibercept injection to the baseline. The treatment interval was extended or shortened by 1–2 weeks depending on the presence or absence of exudation on OCT. After switching to brolucizumab, the follow-up interval significantly extended at 12 months (before switching: 7.6 ± 3.8 weeks vs. at 12 months: 12.1 ± 6.2 weeks, p = 1.3 × 10−7). Forty-three percent of the eyes achieved a dry macula at 12 months after switching. However, the best-corrected visual acuity did not improve at any visit. Morphologically, the central retinal thickness and subfoveal choroidal thickness significantly decreased from baseline at 12 months (p = 3.6 × 10−3 and 1.0 × 10−3, respectively). Switching to brolucizumab can be considered to extend the treatment interval in eyes with exudative AMD refractory to aflibercept.
Pollen viability is crucial for wheat breeding programs. The unique potential of the protoplasm of live cells to turn brown due to the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) through rapid photoreduction of Ag+, was exploited for testing wheat pollen viability. Ag+-viability test medium (consisting of 0.5 mM AgNO3 and 300 mM KNO3) incubated with wheat pollen turned brown within 2 min under intense light (~600 μmol photon flux density m-2s-1), but not in dark. The brown medium displayed AgNPs-specific surface plasmon resonance band in its absorption spectrum. Light microscopic studies showed the presence of uniformly stained brown protoplasm in viable pollen incubated with Ag+-viability medium in the presence of light. Investigations with transmission electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray established the presence of distinct 5–35 nm NPs composed of Ag. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that AgNPs were crystalline and biphasic composed of Ag0 and Ag2O. Conversely, non-viable pollen and heat-killed pollen did not turn brown on incubation with Ag+-medium in light. We believe that the viable wheat pollen turn brown rapidly by bio-transforming Ag+ to AgNPs through photoreduction. Our findings furnish a novel simplest and rapid method for testing wheat pollen viability.
The multilinear polytope MPG of a hypergraph G = (V,E) is the convex hull of the set of binary points z ∈ {0, 1} satisfying the collection of multilinear equations ze = ∏ v∈e zv for all e ∈ E. We introduce the running intersection inequalities, a new class of facet-defining inequalities for the multilinear polytope. Accordingly, we define a new polyhedral relaxation of MPG referred to as the running intersection relaxation and identify conditions under which this relaxation is tight. Namely, we show that for kite-free β-acyclic hypergraphs, a class that lies between γ-acyclic and β-acyclic hypergraphs, the running intersection relaxation is equal to MPG and it admits an extended formulation of polynomial size.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammation of the large intestine. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of two polymorphisms in STAT3 with the risk of UC development in the Chinese Han population. This is a hospital-based case-control study involving 56 UC patients and 274 controls. Genotyping was performed using the polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) method. Statistical analyses were conducted using logistic regression and genotype risk score. Overall, there was a significant difference between patients and controls in the genotype distribution of rs2293152 (P = 0.044). The risk for UC associated with the rs2293152-G mutant allele was increased (odds ratio = 2.76; 95% confidence interval = 1.06- 7.24) under the dominant model. However, we failed to find any obvious differences in the rs4796793 genotype or allele distributions between the UC patients and controls, and did not detect any significant association of the rs4796793 polymorphism with UC across different genetic models of inheritance. Our study implies that the STAT3 rs2293152 polymorphism may be associated with the occurrence of UC and might be used as a predictive factor for UC in the Chinese Han population.
Chaotic eigenstates of quantum systems are known to localize on either side of a classical partial transport barrier if the flux connecting the two sides is quantum mechanically not resolved due to Heisenberg's uncertainty. Surprisingly, in open systems with escape chaotic resonance states can localize even if the flux is quantum mechanically resolved. We explain this using the concept of conditionally invariant measures from classical dynamical systems by introducing a new quantum mechanically relevant class of such fractal measures. We numerically find quantum-to-classical correspondence for localization transitions depending on the openness of the system and on the decay rate of resonance states.
The paper takes gas/solid two-phase flow cross-correlation measurement system as the research object, adopts the method of computer simulation to research the measuring mechanism of cross-correlation velocity. By using Monte-Carlo method, the gas/solid two-phase flow model is established; and it is used to study the multiple factors affecting the system measurement performance such as sensor geometry, the distance of two sensors along the pipeline axis, the particle size and velocity, solidification flow pattern, non-solidification flow pattern, etc.
Light microscopy, morphometry, and cytokinetic techniques were used to examine the dynamics of plutonium-induced pulmonary proliferative lesions and neoplasms in rats at several intervals to 450 days after inhalation exposure to aerosols of 239PuO2. Maximal increases in alveolar and bronchiolar epithelial cell labeling were seen at 30 days; decreasing subsequently, the levels remained elevated above control indices. Focal proliferative epithelial lesions developed in the lung by 180 days and before the onset of pulmonary neoplasms. Pulmonary neoplasms, predominantly adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, were initially observed at 308 days. The proliferative lesions progressed through a succession of morphological changes leading to the development of neoplasms. The volume density (fraction) and epithelial surface area of foci of alveolar epithelial hyperplasia increased progressively between 180 and 450 days after exposure, in contrast to the other proliferative lesions. We conclude that plutonium-induced pulmonary neoplasms develop through a succession of focal proliferative lesions that represent developmental preneoplastic lesions. Progressive increases in volume and epithelial surface area of the alveolar epithelial hyperplasias suggest that they may be more at risk for neoplastic transformation than the other histological types of proliferative foci.
This article presents a model for training counselors to confront empathetically and presents a confrontation training scale that includes the inadequate responses of acquiescing and scolding and the progressively more effective responses of recognizing ineffective behavior, realizing its negative consequences, and committing to change. The authors contend that counselors who confront tend to become more empathic but also more able to help others and themselves face their problems responsibly.
Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity/mortality in the western world. Atherosclerotic plaques are the main culprit of myocardial infarction and stroke. Magnetic resonance imaging is an emerging clinical tool for the detection and characterization of atherosclerotic plaques. Target-specific molecular MR contrast agents allow the characterization of plaques on a molecular and cellular level. This chapter starts with an overview of the biological changes leading to atherosclerosis. The basic principles of molecular MR are discussed and different MR sequences are introduced. This chapter concludes with a discussion of clinically-feasible aortic, carotid and coronary MR imaging techniques.
Abstract Objective We aimed to assess dietary profiles of adults from the NutriNet-Santé cohort according to different levels of organic food consumption using detailed self-reported data on organic food intakes. Design Food intakes were obtained using an organic food frequency questionnaire (Org-FFQ). The participants were ranked into five groups (quintiles, Q) according to the proportion of organic foods in their diet. To determine diet quality, two scores were computed reflecting adherence to food-based recommendations (mPNNS-GS) and the probability of adequate nutrient intake (PANDiet). Relationships between levels of organic food consumption and dietary characteristics were assessed using multivariable-adjusted ANCOVA models. Setting The NutriNet-Santé Study. Subjects French adults from the NutriNet-Santé Study (n 28 245). Results Intakes of foods of plant origin increased along with the contribution of organic foods to the diet while a reverse trend was identified for dairy products, cookies and soda (P-trend<0·0001). The diet quality scores increased from Q1 (mPNNS-GS, 7·89 (se 0·02); PANDiet: 63·04 (se 0·11)) to Q5 (mPNNS-GS, 8·78 (se 0·02); PANDiet, 69·37 (se 0·10)). Overall, high organic food consumers exhibited better diet quality, although intermediate organic food consumers showed better adherence to specific nutritional recommendations related to animal products. Conclusions The study provides new insights into the understanding of organic food consumption as a part of a healthy diet and sheds some light on the dietary profiles of different categories of organic food consumers. These results underline strong dietary behaviour correlates associated with organic food consumption that should be controlled for in future aetiological studies on organic foods and health.
Background A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected districts of Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia over a period of November 2019 and September 2020 to estimate seroprevalence and associated risk factors and assess knowledge and practices of smallholder farmers about bovine brucellosis. Two districts and four kebeles from each district were purposively selected, and individual animals were sampled using a simple random sampling technique. A total of 384 sera samples were collected, and concurrently, 236 dairy cattle owners were interviewed. The samples were tested for antibodies against Brucella using both Rose Bengal Plate test and Complement Fixation test following OIE standard protocol. Risk factors associated with bovine brucellosis were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Results The survey result has shown that 95% and 97% of the small holder farmers did not know the cause and symptoms of bovine brucellosis, respectively, and the majority have engaged in risky practices. Eight (2.08%) of the collected serum samples were positive with screening test (RBT) and only six (1.5%) were positive with confirmatory test (CFT). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between herd sizes and the disease. The seropositivity of the disease is higher in small-sized herds followed by medium-sized herds. Conclusion The seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis was found to be at a low percentage with confirmatory tests even if there was a presence of associated risk factors for the disease in the study area. Again, the results suggest that smallholder farmers have poor knowledge and risky practices, which expose them to the disease. Awareness creation about the disease is of paramount importance even if the prevalence was low in this serological study. The implementation of a test and slaughter program before the disease becomes widespread, along with the testing of new stock before introduction to the farms is recommended.
This paper proposes an on-line mediation services (OMS) mechanism to alleviate the consequences of asymmetric information for traders in C2C markets. In an adverse-selection setting, the mechanism facilitates on-line transactions by (1) inducing traders to negotiate efficiently in the presence of ex post discrepancy, and (2) enabling sellers with higher probability of selling a high-quality product to signal their superiority and enjoy a price premium. The mechanism can also be implemented as a profitable business model.
The influence of the spontaneous recombination mechanism and the temperature- and wavelength-dependent material gain on the performance of 1.3-μm InGaAsP traveling-wave semiconductor laser amplifiers is analyzed. Measurements of signal gain are presented. Frequency detuning and optical bandwidth characteristics are discussed. By considering the trade-off between optical bandwidth and resonant signal gain, guidelines for the requirements to the facet reflectivity are given.
The representation of objects in images as tree structures is of great interest to vision, as they can represent articulated objects such as people as well as other structured objects like arteries in human bodies, roads, circuit board patterns, etc. Tree structures are often related to the symmetry axis representation of shapes, which captures their local symmetries. Algorithms have been introduced to detect (i) open contours in images in quadratic time (ii) closed contours in images in cubic time, and (iii) tree structures from contours in quadratic time. The algorithms are based on dynamic programming and single source shortest path algorithms. However, in this paper, we show that the problem of finding tree structures in images in a principled manner is a much harder problem. We argue that the optimization problem of finding tree structures in images is essentially equivalent to a variant of the Steiner tree problem, which is NP-hard. Nevertheless, an approximate polynomial-time algorithm for this problem exists: we apply a fast implementation of the Goemans-Williamson approximate algorithm to the problem of finding a tree representation after an image is transformed by a local symmetry mapping. Examples of extracting tree structures from images illustrate the idea and applicability of the approximate method
The objective of this study was to investigate the behaviors of proteins at the water/methylene chloride interface to better understand denaturing effects of emulsification upon proteins. Ribonuclease A (RNase) and human serum albumin (HSA) were used as model proteins throughout this study. Their behaviors at the interface were studied in terms of protein recovery after emulsification, interfacial protein aggregation, and dynamic interfacial tension. This study demonstrated that protein instability during emulsification was traced to consequences of the adsorption and conformational rearrangements of proteins at the water/methylene chloride interface. Compared to HSA, RNase was much more vulnerable to the interface-induced aggregation reactions that led to formation of water-insoluble aggregates upon emulsification. Even though HSA was almost completely recovered from the emulsified aqueous phase, the protein underwent dimerization and oligomerization reactions to some extent. The results also demonstrated that the extent of interfacial RNase aggregation was affected by its aqueous concentration and the presence of HSA. Interestingly, RNase stability during emulsification was almost achieved by dissolving an adequate quantity of HSA in the RNase solution. HSA seemed to compete for the interface site and to effectively keep RNase out the interface, minimizing the likelihood of the interface-induced RNase aggregation. These results indicated that competitive adsorption modes of proteins could be used to stabilize a protein of interest against the denaturing effects of emulsification.
Objective  To compare the efficacy, safety, and thyroid function of thyroid adenoma treated with axillary approach, breast approach, and traditional open surgery.      Methods  The clinical data of 118 patients with unilateral thyroid adenoma treated surgically in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 32 patients were treated with axillary approach( group A), 37 patients were treated with breast approach(group B), and 49 patients were treated with traditional open surgery(group C). Statistical software SPSS22.0 was used to analysis, the clinical efficacy and incidence of complications were analyzed using χ2 test, the F-test was used to compare the surgical related indicators and thyroid function indexes among the groups, data were expressed by (±s); P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.      Results  The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, drainage volume, hospitalization time, and cosmetic score in group A were better than those in group B and group C (all P 0.05).      Conclusions  Axillary approach, breast approach, and traditional open surgery are safe and effective surgical methods. The cosmetic effect of axillary approach is best, and it can be selected first.      Key words:  Thyroid neoplasms; Thyroidectomy; Safety; Comparative effectiveness research
The ability of mammalian cells to adhere and to migrate is an essential prerequisite to form higher organisms. Early migratory events include substrate sensing, adhesion formation, actin bundle assembly and force generation. Latest research revealed that filopodia are important not only for sensing the substrate but for all of the aforementioned highly regulated processes. However, the exact regulatory mechanisms are still barely understood. Here, we deomonstrate that filopodia of human keratinocytes exhibit distinct cycles of repetitive elongation and persistence. A single filopodium thereby is able to initiate the formation of several stable adhesions. Every single filopodial cycle is characterized by an elongation phase, followed by a stabilization time and in many cases a persistence phase. The whole process is strongly connected to the velocity of the lamellipodial leading edge, characterized by a similar phase behavior with a slight time shift compared to filopodia and a different velocity. Most importantly, re-growth of existing filopodia is induced at a sharply defined distance between the filopodial tip and the lamellipodial leading edge. On the molecular level this re-growth is preceded by a strong filopodial reduction of the actin bundling protein fascin. This reduction is achieved by a switch to actin polymerization without fascin incorporation at the filopodial tip and therefore subsequent out-transport of the cross-linker by actin retrograde flow.
Three new 1-D zigzag coordination polymers {[M2(pdtc)(bpy)2(H2O)3] · 4H2O} n [M = Zn (1), Ni (2), Co (3)] (H4pdtc = pyridine-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid, bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine) have been synthesized by the reactions of H4pdtc and corresponding metal salts in the presence of bpy at room temperature and characterized by elemental analyses, IR, TGA, fluorescence, and X-ray diffraction. The main structural feature of 1–3 is the presence of octahedrally coordinated M1(II) and M2(II) centers sequentially bridged by pdtc ligands; bpy acts as a blocking ligand to avoid further polymerization. These coordination modes lead to 1-D double-chain structures. The 2-D or 3-D supramolecular structures of 1–3 are built up by π ··· π and hydrogen-bond interactions. Two (H2O)3 clusters are observed in 1–3. The zinc complex shows strong fluorescent emission at 325 nm.
In view of the dependence of power generation at photovoltaic solar power plants on the level of intensity of solar radiation and cloud cover, their operation creates a number of problems in the power system. This article describes the problems of operation of such power plants of non-guaranteed capacity during their parallel operation as a part of the Unified Energy System of Ukraine. One of the measures of stabilizing the operation of power plants of non-guaranteed capacity is the use of systems of electric energy storage. The article describes the conditions of electrical connection, which ensure the possibility of combined operation of a system of electric energy storage and a photovoltaic solar power plant. The article presents the developed mathematical model of the combined operation of a photovoltaic solar power plant (PSPP) and a system of electric energy storage. We consider the daily mode of recharging from a PSPP and discharging batteries into the power system in order to preserve the excess of generated electricity at the PSPP, which earlier was lost due to the restriction on inverters caused by the overload with photovoltaic power. The model enables one to identify the key parameters of batteries – power and capacity, taking into account the physical and technical features of the operation of battery storage as to the conversion efficiency, the number of working cycles and the depth of possible discharge depending on the structure of PSPP equipment and solar radiation intensity. Using the developed model, we determined the values of power, charging and discharging capacities of a lithium-ion system for storing electrical energy, when it works together with a 10 MWAC photovoltaic solar power plant at different overload factors. The article presents some results of technical and economic assessment of the combined operation of a PSPP and a lithium-ion system for storing electrical energy. The results showed an increase in the power and capacity of a storage device with increase in the overload factor of PSPP, which leads to the growth of cost of electrical energy at their combined work. At the same time, the amounts and quality of electricity supplied increase. Keywords: mathematical model, photovoltaic solar power plant, system of electric energy storage, cost of electricity, power system
Transnational migration is disrupting definitions of cultural identity as its processes of cross-border mobility unsettle associations between people and place. Relationships, as one element of everyday cultural practice that circumscribes identity and belonging, are also affected by this mobility. Using data from qualitative research with Australian transnational professionals working in Asia, this paper elaborates on the interaction between identity and relationship formation. The findings indicate that participants’ attempts to develop professional and social relationships in a new cultural context lead to a re-evaluation of identity and the development of mobile subjectivity to manage difference and re-find points of comfort defined by shared meanings. The analysis is placed within broader reflections on the processes of migration and the dynamics of cultural change that are taking place within transnational global flows, supporting arguments that processes of deterritorialisation do not necessarily equate with declining allegiance to a national identity.
Chinese word usage errors often occur in non-native Chinese learners' writing. It is very helpful for non-native Chinese learners to detect them automatically when learning writing. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, which takes advantages of different auxiliary tasks, such as POS-tagging prediction and word log frequency prediction, to help the task of Chinese word usage error detection. With the help of these auxiliary tasks, we achieve the state-of-the-art results on the performances on the HSK corpus data, without any other extra data.
Abstract Background: Vitamin D3 ointment and corticosteroid ointment are both used for the treatment of palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP). However, to date there is no systematic study of the efficacy of combination therapy for the treatment of PPP. Objective: We compared the efficacy of a topical combination therapy with vitamin D3 and a topical corticosteroid with that of topical corticosteroid alone in the treatment of PPP. Method: We evaluated left-right comparison study of the efficacy of a combination therapy consisting of maxacalcitol ointment and betamethasone butyrate propionate ointment (BBP), and monotherapy with BBP alone in 27 patients with PPP for 8 weeks. Results: The improvement in the symptom (erythema, pustules/vesicles, hyperkeratosis/scales) scores was high for the combination therapy. In particular, the improvement rate for pustules/vesicles at week 8 after the combination therapy was significantly higher than for the monotherapy (p < 0.05). Conclusion: This combination regimen demonstrated that not only topical corticosteroids, but also topical vitamin D3 ointment, is useful for the treatment of PPP.
Intraprotein electron transfer (ET) in flavoproteins is important for understanding the correlation of their redox, configuration, and reactivity at the active site. Here, we used oxidized flavodoxin as a model system and report our complete characterization of a photoinduced redox cycle from the initial charge separation in 135-340 fs to subsequent charge recombination in 0.95-1.6 ps and to the final cooling relaxation of the product(s) in 2.5-4.3 ps. With 11 mutations at the active site, we observed that these ultrafast ET dynamics, much faster than active-site relaxation, mainly depend on the reduction potentials of the electron donors with minor changes caused by mutations, reflecting a highly localized ET reaction between the stacked donor and acceptor at a van der Waals distance and leading to a gas-phase type of bimolecular ET reaction confined in the active-site nanospace. Significantly, these ultrafast ET reactions ensure our direct observation of vibrationally excited reaction product(s), suggesting that the back ET barrier is effectively reduced because of the decrease in the total free energy in the Marcus inverted region, leading to the accelerated charge recombination. Such vibrationally coupled charge recombination should be a general feature of flavoproteins with similar configurations and interactions between the cofactor flavin and neighboring aromatic residues.
With social workers’ long tradition of involvement in probation, juvenile court, and the prison system, correctional institutions are a central institutional context in which social work practice occurs. Analyzing the experiences of young women residing in a correctional facility for youth, this study applies Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory as a framework for understanding the role institutional contexts play in adolescents’ narrative identity construction. Multiple open-ended interviews were conducted with seven young women who had participated in a specialized treatment program during their residence at a correctional training school in the Midwest area of the United States; the specialized treatment program concerned the young women’s sexually abusive behaviors towards others. The process of collaborative meaning- and identity-making occurring between residents and staff at the institution can best be framed using Vygotsky’s concepts of guided learning and the development of inner speech. Penuel and Wertsch’s sociocultural theory of identity formation, which brings together the work of Vygotsky on social learning and Erikson on identity development, is used as a theoretical tool for framing the role that institution staff play in shaping the young women’s identities.
This research was conducted on May, 2020 with the aim of analyzing, testing and knowing the the influence of principal’s academic supervision, the organizational climate, and teacher’s work motivation, on the teacher’s performance in the Al Hamidiyah Islamic Education Foundation, Depok. The sampling technique used was a questionnaire, in which the entire population numbered 192 people with a sampling technique used is a proportionate stritified random sampling technique of 130 people. The data analysis method used is path analysis with a simple linear correlation approach. The quantitinive research data collection uses a research instrument with a Likert scale while the validity test of the instrument uses the Pearson Product Moment correlation coefficient formula and the reliability test of the research instrument uses the Cronbach Alpha formula. To test the analysis requirements we used the Kolomogorov-Smirnov normality test and the Levena homogeneity test. The results of data analysis with a simple linear regression stinistical test using the SPSS application show that 1) There is a positive direct the influence of Principal’s academic supervision on teacher’s work motivation so that if the Principal’s academic supervision rises by 0.947 it will be followed by an increase in teacher's work motivation by 5,921, 2) There is positive direct the influence of the organizational climate on teacher’s work motivation so that if the organizational climate rises by 0.975 it will be followed by an increase in teacher’s work motivation by 3,777, 3) There is a positive direct positive the influence on Principal's academic supervision on teacher’s performance so thin if the Principal's academic supervision rises by 0.825 it will followed by an increase in teacher’s performance by 1,668, 4) There is a positive direct the influence on the organizational climate on teacher’s performance so that if the organizational climate rises by 0.865 it will be followed by an increase in teacher’s performance by 14,911, 5) There is a positive direct the influence on teacher’s work motivation to teacher’s performance so that if the teacher's work motivation increases by 0.887 it will be followed by an increase in teacher’s performance by 12,444, 6) There is a positive direct the influence of Principal's academic supervision on the organizational climate so that if the Principal's academic supervision rises by 0.913 it will be followed by an increase in organizational climate as large as 9,269. It is recommended to the Al Hamidiyah Islamic Foundation Depok to improve teacher’s performance through enhancing the Principal's academic supervision, creating a conducive the organizational climate and fostering teacher’s work motivation.
Background: In thalassemia patients erythrocyte turnover rate increases due to chronic hemolysis and ineffective erythropoiesis leading to increase in uric acid production. Hyperuricosuria is one of the marker of proximal tubular dysfunction. Splenectomy can increase the risk of hyperuricemia by increasing erythrocyte turnover rate in Transfusion Dependent Thalassemia (TDT). Deferasirox enhances uric acid excretion from renal tubules leading to low serum uric acid levels. Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2018-March 2020 which included 60 adult TDT patients (≥18 years) attending Adult Thalassemia Day Care Centre at tertiary care hospital. Serum uric acid (mg/dl), 24 hour urinary uric acid (mg/dl), serum ferritin (ng/ml) were done. Results: Hyperuricemia was present in 20%, hypouricemia in 3.33%. Hyperuricosuria was present in 80%. Mean SUA levels were higher in males than females which was statistically significant (5.77±1.66 vs 4.64±1.44, p=0.007). There was statistically significant positive correlation between serum uric acid and serum creatinine(p = 0.0036) and age (p=0.0129). Hyperuricemia was more in subjects with intact spleen but was not statistically significant(p=0.104). Hyperuricemia had negative association with deferasirox therapy [1 (3.03%) vs 11 (40.74%), p=0.0004] compared with normouricemia subjects. Conclusion: Uric acid abnormalities were seen in 23.3% of patients. Hyperuricemia was present in one fourth of the patients and significant risk factors were increasing age, male gender, rising serum creatinine. Deferasirox therapy was negatively associated with hyperuricemia. Tubular dysfunction is relatively common in TDT as more than three fourth patients had hyperuricosuria. Regular monitoring of serum uric acid and urinary uric acid is recommended.
Abstract : A study of the flow and fracture characteristics of beryllium has been undertaken at the Franklin Institute Research Laboratories. The objective is to study the means for producing an alloy or form of the purified metal having useful ductility in an engineering sense. The materials being studied are 12-pass SR beryllium single crystals and the alloys Be-5.24Ni and Be-4.3Cu. The structure of these materials has been characterized by transmission microscopy techniques. An unexpected nickel-rich grain-boundary precipitate was noticed and determined to be Be21Ni5 by microprobe analysis. Lattice parameter determinations made using the Kossel technique indicated C equals 3.5911A plus or minus 0.0001A. These materials are being tested by c-axis microstrain compression testing. The 12-pass SR single-crystal material was tested at room temperature, 220 C (428 F), and 333 C (631 F); BE-4.37Cu at 364 C (687 F); and Be-5.24Ni at room temperature, 177 C (351 F), and 354 C (669 F). The interesting result from these tests was that the high-purity material showed considerable microstrain plasticity at 333 C.
Environmental database information for this report was collected in the lower reaches of the Ashida River, which flows through the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. The database information was based on the following factors: the habitat of the study area, including microscale landforms, position markers that indicate continuity with the riverbank, and land covering. The relationships between these factors were clarified through the use of overlaying. The study area was divided into 3392 land grids (10m×10m)(except open water). The various attributes of each grid resulted in a total of 36 different combination type. The most common combination type, designated Type A, was characterized by high riverbeds on microscale landforms, continuation of position, and the presence of a grassy land covering. Most visitors to this area were observed in the high riverbed region.
Manufacturing uncertainties always lead to significant variability in compressor performance. In this work, the tip clearance uncertainties inherent in a transonic axial compressor are quantified to determine their effect on performance. The validated tip clearance losses model in conjunction with the 3D reynolds averaged navier-stokes (RANS) solver are utilized to simulate these uncertainties and quantify their effect on the adiabatic efficiency, total pressure ratio and choked mass flow. The sensitivity analysis method is employed to figure out which parameters play the most significant roles in determining the overall performance of compressor. To propagate these uncertainty factors, the non-intrusive polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) algorithm is used in this paper and the probability distributions of compressor performance are successfully predicted. A robust design optimization has been carried out based on the combination of the genetic algorithm (GA) and the uncertainty quantification (UQ) method, leading to a robust compressor rotor design for which the overall performance is relatively insensitive to variability in tip clearance without reducing the sources of the manufacturing noise. The optimization results show that the mean value of the adiabatic rotor efficiency is improved by 1.4 points with the overall variation of that reduced by 64.1%, while the total pressure ratio is slightly improved when compared to the prototype.
The onset of e-marketplace, virtual communities and social networking has appreciated the influential capability of online consumer reviews (OCR) and therefore necessitate conglomeration of the body of knowledge. This article attempts to conceptually cluster academic literature in both management and technical domain. The study follows a framework which broadly clusters management research under two heads: OCR Assessment and OCR Implication (business implication). Parallel technical literature has been reviewed to reconcile methodologies adopted in the analysis of text content on the web, majorly reviews. Text mining through automated tools, algorithmic contribution (dominant majorly in technical stream literature) and manual assessment (derived from the stream of content analysis) has been studied in this review article. Literature survey of both the domains is analyzed to propose possible area for further research. Usage of text analysis methods along with statistical and data mining techniques to analyze review text and utilize the knowledge creation for solving managerial issues can possibly constitute further work.
i. Introdu ction .......................................................................................... 169 ii. D iscu ssion ........................................................................................... 17 0 A. Why Do We Care? Wetlands Functions and Values ....................... 170 B. Introduction to the Clean Water Act Section 404 Wetlands R egulatory Fram ew ork .................................................................. 173 C. Areas and Activities Currently Subject to Section 404 Jurisdiction 175 iii. Conclusion: What Steps Can We Take to Protect Wetlands? ...... ...... 190
Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus of domestic cats that causes a spectrum of diseases remarkably similar to AIDS in HIV-infected humans. As part of this spectrum, both HIV-1 and FIV induce neurologic disorders. Because astrocytes are essential in maintaining the homeostasis of the central nervous system, we analyzed FIV for the ability to infect feline astrocytes. Through immunocytochemistry and reverse transcriptase activity, it was demonstrated that two molecular clones of FIV (FIV-34TF10 and FIV-PPR) produce a chronic low level productive infection of feline astrocyte cultures. To investigate the consequences of this infection, selected astrocyte functions were examined. Infection with FIV-34TF10 significantly decreased the ability of astrocytes to scavenge extracellular glutamate (with a peak inhibition of 74%). The effects of the infection did not appear to be a result of toxicity but rather were more selective in nature because the glucose uptake function of the infected astrocyte cultures was not altered. Our data demonstrate that FIV productively infected, at a low level, feline astrocyte cultures, and as a consequence of this infection, an important astroglial function was altered. These findings suggest that a chronic low grade infection of astrocytes may impair the ability of these cells to maintain homeostasis of the central nervous system that, in turn, may contribute to a neurodegenerative disease process that is often associated with lentivirus infections.
Different organs of Mesembryanthemum crystallinum exhibit differing levels of CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism), identifiable by quantification of nocturnal malate accumulation. Shoots and also basal parts of young leaves were observed to accumulate high concentrations of malate. It was typically found in mature leaves and especially prominent in plants subjected to salt stress. Small amount of nocturnal malate accumulation was found in roots of M. crystallinum plants following age-dependent or salinity-triggered CAM. This is an indication that malate can be also stored in non-photosynthetic tissue. Measurements of catalase activity did not produce evidence of the correlation between activity of this enzyme and the level of malate accumulation in different organs of M. crystallinum although catalase activity also appeared to be dependent on the photoperiod. In all material collected at dusk catalase activity was greater than it was observed in the organs harvested at dawn.
Below 1 K, the specific heat C p of glasses depends approximately linearly on temperature T, in contrast with the cubic dependence observed in crystals, and which is well understood in terms of the Debye theory. That linear contribution has been ascribed to the existence of two-level systems as postulated by the tunnelling model. Therefore, a least-squares linear fit C p = C 1 T +C 3 T 3 has been traditionally used to determine the specific-heat coefficients, although systematically providing calorimetric cubic coefficients exceeding the elastic coefficients obtained from sound-velocity measurements, that is C 3 > C Debye. Nevertheless, C p still deviates from the expected CDebye (T) ∝ T 3 dependence above 1 K, presenting a broad maximum in C p / T 3 which originates from the so-called boson peak, a maximum in the vibrational density of states g(ν)/ν2 at frequencies ν ≈ 1 THz. In this work, it is shown that the apparent contradiction between calorimetric and elastic Debye temperatures long observed in glasses is due to the neglect of the low-energy tail of the boson peak (which contributes as C p ∝ T 5, following the soft-potential model). If one hence makes a quadratic fit C p = C 1 T + C 3 T 3 + C 5 T 5 in the physically meaningful temperature range, an agreement C 3 ≈ CDebye is found within experimental error for several studied glasses.
Churg-Strauss syndrome is an allergic granulomatous angitis and the organ most commonly involved in this condition is the lung. However, this syndrome also affects the skin, cardiovascular system, kidney, peripheral nervous system and gastrointestinal system. Cardiac involvement is a rare complication but can lead to rapid-onset heart failure as the result of specific cardiomyopathy. Pericardial effusion may also occur. Acalculous cholecystitis is also a rare complication of Churg-Strauss syndrome. Here, we present a case of a patient with Churg-Strauss syndrome and severe heart failure scheduled for cholecystectomy due to acalculous cholecystitis. The patient had mild asthma symptoms, peripheral neuritis in both legs, and severe heart failure. During the preoperative period, steroids, beta2 agonists, diuretics, and antihypertensive drugs were administered. During anesthesia we attempted to prevent compromising the patient's cardiac and pulmonary functions. The surgery was completed successfully, and the patient was discharged without any complications.
Prochlorococcus are the smallest and most abundant photosynthetic organisms on Earth, contributing up to 50% of the chlorophyll in the oligotrophic oceans. Despite being important in regulating the carbon cycle in today’s ocean, the ecological significance of Prochlorococcus in Earth’s history remains elusive. Our new robustly calibrated molecular clock reveals that Prochlorococcus emerged in the deep photic zone of the Tonian oceans. The classical antenna for light harvesting in Cyanobacteria, the phycobilisome, was replaced in Prochlorococcus by the chlorophyllLbased lightLharvesting complex enabling more efficient use of blue light that penetrated to deeper water. Importantly, Prochlorococcus colonization of deep water enhanced access to phosphate, which was rich in upwelled seawater, but likely scarce in the Tonian surface ocean, promoting expansion of Prochlorococcus and associated photosynthetic oxygen production. Colonization of deeper waters would also have improved access to ammonium, leading to the neutral loss of nitrate utilization genes. Our research thus documents the conspicuous emergence of new photosynthetic bacterial lineages in the run-up to the Neoproterozoic oxygenation event, implying an additional layer of eco-evolutionary complexity during this pivotal interval in Earth’s history. Significance Despite being important in today’s oceans, the ecological significance of Prochlorococcus in the past remains elusive. By ‘borrowing’ fossils from photosynthetic eukaryotes and leveraging the sequential Bayesian dating approach, we have developed a new pipeline for dating the evolution of Prochlorococcus, which systematically quantifies the uncertainties in using different fossil calibrations, molecular datasets, species tree topologies and molecular clock models. Our analyses pin-pointed the origin of Prochlorococcus to the phosphorous-limited Tonian oceans. The changes in the photosynthetic apparatus in early Prochlorococcus enabled them to colonize the phosphorus-rich deep photic niches, which would have led to increased primary productivity and oxygen release, likely contributing to the Neoproterozoic Oxygenation Event.
Medical and Ethical Foundations. Four Ethical Concerns. Transplantation and Foundational Biomedical Ethical Values. Beginning and End of Biological Life. Medical and Historical Perspectives. Medical Concerns of Procurement. History of Transplantation and Future Trends. Reproductive and Neurological Transplantation. Reproduction and Transplantation. Brain Tissue Grafting. Psychiatric and Philosophical Perspectives on Self-Identity. Psychological Perspectives on the Process of Organ Transplantation. Sexual Performance Before and After Transplantation. Body and Self-Identity. Religious Perspectives. Introduction to Religious Perspectives. Jewish Perspectives. Christian Perspectives. Legal and Other Perspectives. Legal Aspects of Procurement. Legal Aspects of Allocation. A Word from the Other Players. Conclusion. Reaping the Bene' ts. Index.
emphasise the popular religious practices of Chicanas/os : one draws on a Works Progress Administration project in northern New Mexico in the midto late 1930s, the other is a contemporary glimpse at the range of expressions of Catholicism lived by Chicanas/os and Latinas/os. Examining these chapters together demonstrates the persistence of practices that are centred in the community and the home, rather than in the church. These practices serve to affirm Mexican ethnic identity in a Church that has at times sought to eliminate nationalistic religious expression. The irony, of course, is that Latinas/os are the fastest growing Catholic population in the United States. Three chapters feature the work of priests. Garcı́a considers the written legacy of Fray Angélico Chavez whose oppositional history, he argues, asserted an hispano voice in resistance to the rising ‘American’ historical narrative of the mid-twentieth century in northern NewMexico. In chapter vi, Garcı́a introduces three Chicano priests (whom he calls community priests), who worked with local communities during the Chicana/o Movement, embracing Catholic social doctrine in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, California, and San Antonio, Texas. Later, Garcı́a tells the story of the Sanctuary Movement in Los Angeles in the 1980s through the life and work of Fr Luis Olivares. The political need to protect those fleeing war-torn El Salvador led to a pan-Latino identity within many Chicana/o Catholic communities. Other case studies consider the work of laymen in south Texas in the first half of the twentieth century, the mid-century work of the National Catholic Welfare Conference to address the growing Mexican American population, and Católicos por la Raza, which pushed the archdiocese of Los Angeles to address the needs of Chicana/o Catholics during the Chicana/o Movement. This is a personal project for Garcı́a, who is himself a Chicano Catholic. He works to bring the Catholic Church into Chicana/o history and to bring the Chicana/o story into US Catholic history. These are both laudable goals, and he is to some degree successful with both. Garcı́a combats the legacy of the Chicana/o Movement as nonor anti-Catholic, but also reinforces classic Chicano studies narratives of masculinity and geography – that Chicanas/os are all men and are limited to the southwest – even more specifically in this text to south Texas, southern California and northern New Mexico. With the exception of a section in the final chapter on popular piety, the overwhelming emphasis is on the writing and leadership of Chicana/o Catholics, to the exclusion of women who have sustained Chicana/o Catholicism for decades. Overall, though, this book brings much needed revision to the discourses of US Catholic history and Chicano history.
BACKGROUND & AIMS Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), a nucleotide analogue and potent inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase, showed superior efficacy to adefovir dipivoxil in treatment of chronic hepatitis B through 48 weeks. We evaluated long-term efficacy and safety of TDF monotherapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B who were positive or negative for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg(+) or HBeAg(-)).   METHODS After 48 weeks of double-blind comparison of TDF to adefovir dipivoxil, patients who underwent liver biopsy were eligible to continue the study on open-label TDF for 7 additional years; data presented were collected up to 3 years (week 144) from 85% of participants. Primary efficacy end points at week 144 included levels of HBV DNA and alanine aminotransferase, development of resistance mutations, and presence of HBeAg or hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).   RESULTS At week 144, 87% of HBeAg(-) and 72% of HBeAg(+) patients treated with TDF had levels of HBV DNA <400 copies/mL. Among patients who had previously received adefovir dipivoxil and then received TDF, 88% of the HBeAg(-) and 71% of the HBeAg(+) patients had levels of HBV DNA <400 copies/mL; overall, 81% and 74%, respectively, maintained normalized levels of alanine aminotransferase and 34% had lost HBeAg. Amino acid substitutions in HBV DNA polymerase that are associated with resistance to tenofovir were not detected in any patient. Cumulatively, 8% of HBeAg(+) patients lost HBsAg. TDF maintained a favorable safety profile for up to 3 years.   CONCLUSIONS TDF was safe and effective in the long-term management of HBeAg(+) and HBeAg(-) patients with chronic hepatitis B.
The effects of exogenous fibrolytic enzymes, α-bromoethanesulfonate (BES) and monensin on fermentation and digestibility of grass hay were examined using two rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC) devices, each equipped with eight 820-mL fermenters with a liquid dilution rate of 0.73 d−1. Grass hay (10 g d−1) was fed either untreated or pre-treated with 0.2 g each of cellulase and xylanase, and in combination with no chemical or daily dosing of 20.5 µmol monensin, 20.5 µmol BES or 41 µmol BES. Pretreatment of hay with the fibrolytic enzymes increased (P < 0.05) organic matter (OM), cellulose and hemicellulose digestibilities by 9, 15, and 20%, respectively, and increased (P < 0.05) methane production per gram digestible OM by 43%. With the enzyme treatment, both β-endoglucanase and xylanase activities were enhanced (P < 0.05). Application of the enzymes promoted (P < 0.05) the growth of methanogenic bacteria, with no effect on total bacterial or cellulolytic bacterial populations. α-Bromoethanesulfonate did...
The executive in implementing the wishes of parliament is often faced with a problem of allocation. How to distribute limited resources and exercise the discretion afforded to the executive in such a way that this is both procedurally and substantively fair? The answer lies in the formulation of a policy. Through clear and transparent procedures citizens would be treated equally, therefore delivering administrative justice. Different countries, however, seem to prioritize different conceptions of fairness and equality. While in English administrative law the focus is placed on the need for a scrutiny of the individual circumstances of a claimant to avoid fettering discretion in Dutch administrative law the stress is placed on the claimant to prove he should be treated differently to the standard case envisaged in a policy document. The question becomes whether on closer inspection these theoretical differences in approach reveal differences in practical application. This paper will try to answer some of these questions based on a comparative reading of law and jurisprudence from both countries.
The postwar U.S. business cycle is characterized by positive comovement of employment and output across sectors. It has been argued that multi-sector growth models are inconsistent with this observation when changes in relative productivities are the main source of fluctuations. We suggest that the input-output structure of an economy, in particular the pervasive use of intermediate inputs, can induce positive comovement in sectoral employment and output following changes in relative productivities. We calibrate a model of the U.S. economy for the durable and nondurable goods producing sectors, and show that sectoral employment and output move together if intermediate inputs are used in production. The model is also consistent with the observation that the relative price of nondurable goods is procyclical.
Four patients with infertility caused by a prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma underwent transsphenoidal pituitary adenectomy. Preoperatively, in three patients prolactin level was elevated and gonadotropin levels were depressed. In one patient, prolactin level was elevated, and gonadotropin levels were normal, although no rise in gonadotropin levels was noted after clomiphene citrate therapy. In another patient growth hormone level was elevated. Pituitary function was otherwise normal in all patients. The patients underwent transsphenoidal pituitary adenectomy and postoperatively the first three showed normal prolactin and growth hormone levels. The fourth has not yet been reevaluated. Spontaneous pregnancy occurred in all four patients without manipulation shortly after surgery. We suggest that transsphenoidal pituitary adenectomy is a successful and low-risk approach to infertility secondary to prolactin-secreting pituitary adenomata.
This paper begins with an exploration of the history of the international Education for All (EFA) programme and its tendency to overlook some marginalised groups of children, in particular those seen as having ‘special educational needs’ or impairments and disabilities. The exclusion from ‘mainstream’ education programmes of the estimated, though unreliable, figures of 90 or 98% of children in Southern countries has, until relatively recently, been largely unchallenged. The explanation lies in the still prevalent view that some children are ‘ineducable’ and that overcrowded and under‐resourced schools would not be able to cope. Consequently, a largely parallel, international debate has developed about ‘inclusive education’, within which many conflicting positions exist. We suggest that there is an unhelpful and wasteful polarisation between EFA and inclusive education. Although inclusive education is defined by some writers in terms of overcoming barriers to learning and development for all children, in the context of Southern countries it tends to fill the gap left by EFA and so focuses almost exclusively on disabled children. This paper challenges some of the rhetoric, but also highlights the opportunities created by the current international interest in, and apparent commitment to, delivering quality education for all children. The paper concludes by offering a re‐conceptualisation of the relationship between EFA and inclusive education, argues for greater collaboration and synergy between these currently parallel initiatives, and suggests ways in which practitioners and policy makers can develop more sustainable, and context‐appropriate, policies and practices.
Utilizing a technique describe earlier by Wall et al., prefatigued aluminum single crystals oriented for single slip, were cyclically deformed in the HVEM operating at 1.5 Mev by deforming in mutually perpendicular {open_quotes}X and Y{close_quotes} directions. Deforming in X and Y avoids foil buckling and allows for shear reversal (fatigue). Initial observations are reported here and will aid in the understanding of the micro-mechanisms of cyclic deformation.
A procedure was developed for the conjugation of vimentin with biotin. Biotinylated vimentin was then microinjected into BHK-21 cells and the fate of the labeled protein was determined at various times postinjection by indirect immunofluorescence. Microinjected vimentin could be traced through a specific sequence of morphological changes ultimately resulting in the formation of a filamentous network. The injected protein was first detected in spots dispersed throughout the cytoplasm. Subsequently, these spots appeared to cluster near the nucleus where they merged into a diffuse "cap." This cap coincided with a concentration of endogenous intermediate filaments and eventually gave rise to a filamentous network that was coincident with the endogenous intermediate filament network as determined by double-label immunofluorescence. The results indicate that the incorporation of exogenous vimentin into a filamentous network is initiated in a perinuclear region and progresses in a polarized fashion toward the cell surface.
The non-judicious use of herbicides has led to a widespread evolution of herbicide resistance in various weed species including Palmer amaranth, one of the most aggressive and troublesome weeds in the United States. Early detection of herbicide resistance in weed populations may help growers devise alternative management strategies before resistance spreads throughout the field. In this study, Raman spectroscopy was utilized as a rapid, non-destructive diagnostic tool to distinguish between three different glyphosate-resistant and four -susceptible Palmer amaranth populations. The glyphosate-resistant populations used in this study were 11-, 32-, and 36-fold more resistant compared to the susceptible standard. The 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) gene copy number for these resistant populations ranged from 86 to 116. We found that Raman spectroscopy could be used to differentiate herbicide-treated and non-treated susceptible populations based on changes in the intensity of vibrational bands at 1156, 1186, and 1525 cm–1 that originate from carotenoids. The partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model indicated that within 1 day of glyphosate treatment (D1), the average accuracy of detecting herbicide-treated and non-treated susceptible populations was 90 and 73.3%, respectively. We also found that glyphosate-resistant and -susceptible populations of Palmer amaranth can be easily detected with an accuracy of 84.7 and 71.9%, respectively, as early as D1. There were relative differences in the concentration of carotenoids in plants with different resistance levels, but these changes were not significant. The results of the study illustrate the utility of Raman spectra for evaluation of herbicide resistance and stress response in plants under field conditions.
Over the past few decades, biomedical scientists and surgeons have given substantial attention to bioactive glasses as promising, long-lasting biomaterials that can make chemical connections with the neighboring hard and soft tissues. Several studies have examined the cellular and molecular responses to bioactive glasses to determine if they are suitable biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this regard, different ions and additives have been used recently to induce specific characteristics for selective cellular and molecular responses. This Review briefly describes foreign-body response mechanisms and the role of adsorbed proteins as the key players in starting interactions between cells and biomaterials. It then explains the physicochemical properties of the most common bioactive glasses, which have a significant impact on their cellular and molecular responses. It is expected that, with the development of novel strategies, the physiochemical properties of bioactive glasses can be engineered to precisely control proteins' adsorption and cellular functions after implantation.
Phase-conjugate degenerate four-wave mixing (PCDFWM), as a sub-Doppler spectroscopy technique, can be employed to selectively analyze Li isotopes. It is necessary to explore the optimal incident powers in order to measure the Li isotope ratio accurately. In this case, the power condition of PCDFWM signal is first investigated using samples with various concentrations. The results indicate that the power characteristic is intimately related to the sample concentration, and the optimal incident power conditions for different sample concentrations are different. Under their own optimized power conditions, we measured the Li7/Li6 isotope ratio in Li standard solutions of 500, 300, and 200 ng/ml. The corresponding results are, respectively, 11.571±0.003, 11.552±0.003, and 11.582±0.004, which are in good agreement with the value calculated by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The information obtained from this study suggests that PCDFWM can be used to measure isotope ratios accurately in samples with different concentrations under suitable power conditions.
Highly pleiotropic and constitutively active protein kinase CK2 is a key target in cancer therapy, but only one small‐molecule inhibitor has reached clinical trials—CX‐4945. In this study, we present the indeno[1,2‐b]indole derivative 5‐isopropyl‐4‐methoxy‐7‐methyl‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydroindeno[1,2‐b]indole‐9,10‐dione (5a‐2) that decreased the intracellular CK2 activity in A431, A549, and LNCaP tumor cell lines analogous to CX‐4945 (> 75% inhibition at 20 µm) and similarly blocked CK2‐specific Akt phosphorylation in LNCaP cells. Cellular uptake analysis demonstrated higher intracellular concentrations of 5a‐2 (408.3 nm) compared with CX‐4945 (119.3 nm). This finding clarifies the comparable effects of both compounds on the intracellular CK2 activity despite their different inhibitory potency in vitro [IC50 = 25 nm (5a‐2) and 3.7 nm (CX‐4945)]. Examination of the effects of both CK2 inhibitors on cancer cells using live‐cell imaging revealed notable differences. Whereas CX‐4945 showed a stronger pro‐apoptotic effect on tumor cells, 5a‐2 was more effective in inhibiting tumor cell migration. Our results showed that 49% of intracellular CX‐4945 was localized in the nuclear fraction, whereas 71% of 5a‐2 was detectable in the cytoplasm. The different subcellular distribution, and thus the site of CK2 inhibition, provides a possible explanation for the different cellular effects. Our study indicates that investigating CK2 inhibition‐mediated cellular effects in relation to the subcellular sites of CK2 inhibition may help to improve our understanding of the preferential roles of CK2 within different cancer cell compartments.
121 In the article by Gerhard Zugmaier, Antibodies in hematology by the example of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Der Internist 10 (2019) 1032–1035 [1], the application of antibodies in hematology was described by using the example of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Antibodies have become an essential element of treatment for patients with hematological tumors. This concept was developed more than 100 years ago in a different context [2]. The German physician Paul Ehrlich (1854-1915) said, that for the defense against bacteria “antibodies” were be responsible [2,4]. In the antibodies Ehrlich saw therapeutic compounds, that like “magic bullets” would find their target and only destroy this target without affecting the organism. Paul Ehrlich became inspired by a scene in the German opera “Der Freischütz” (“The marksman”) by the composer Carl Maria von Weber [3]. In this opera a certain kind of bullets, “free bullets”, which were magic bullets, played a major role, because they always found their target. In 1878 Paul Ehrlich became resident and later attending physician at the Charité in Berlin. There, he worked closely together with Robert Koch, Emil von Behring, and Shibasaburo Kitasato. The chairman of the department, the famous internist Theodor von Frerichs, gave Paul Ehrlich enough space to conduct his experiments. Starting from 1882 Ehrlich investigated the acid resistance of the tuberculosis mycobacterium just discovered by Robert Koch and developed a method of dyeing the mycobacterium, thereby being able to detect it in the organism. Koch and Frerichs were important supporters of Ehrlich [4]. In 1890, Ehrlich was appointed by Koch to a position at the newly founded Institute for infectious Disease, the Robert Koch Institute. Ehrlich’s groundbreaking research in immunology started at that time. Later, in 1899, Ehrlich was appointed as Chairman of the newly found Institute for Experimental Therapy in Frankfurt, the Georg Speyer Haus, in which until this day important research has been conducted. There he continued his groundbreaking research in Immunology and Cancer Research. In 1908, Paul Ehrlich received the Nobel prize for Medicine [4]. Ehrlich’s great ability for abstract concepts enabled the creation of terms such as ‘receptor’ [2]. In this context he also developed the concept of “magic bullets”, which are drugs that move straight to their target. Targeted compounds attack pathogens that express the target and leave tissue alone that does not express the target [2]. It turned out later that the concept of magic bullets was not confined to bacterial infections and could be extrapolated from infectious disease to malignant tumors. Surface antigens on tumor cells could serve as target of these magic bullets.
Proof of the Theorem. Let Ω be a family of closed subsets of X with the countable intersection property, and let Ω∗ be the family of countable intersections of members of Ω. Then Ω∗ is a family of closed subsets ofX satisfying the countable intersection property. It follows that {g(F ) : F ∈ Ω∗} is a family of closed subsets of Y satisfying the countable intersection property. Since Y is Lindelöf, there is a v ∈ Y with v ∈ ∩Ω∗g(F ). It follows that the collection of intersections of elements of Ω with g(v) is a family of closed subsets of g(v) satisfying the countable intersection property. Thus, there is a z ∈ g(v) such that z ∈ F for each F ∈ Ω. The proof is complete.
OBJECTIVE There are tens of millions of problem gamblers in the world, many of whom either do not seek treatment or fail to commit to it. Dropout rates are high, and not enough is known about factors predicting treatment adherence. We focus on an online cognitive behavioral therapy program for severe problem gambling to determine the likelihood of treatment discontinuation at three different treatment phases: pretreatment, before halfway, and before the end of the program.   METHOD Participants were Finnish adults (N = 1,139, 670 males, Mage = 34.5) registered in the program between 2019 and 2021. Using logistic regression and five-fold cross-validated naïve Bayes classification, we predicted discontinuation with demographic-, psychometric-, and other gambling-related variables, including the quality of one's social relations, time spent on the waiting list, and experienced readiness to behavioral change.   RESULTS The models had acceptable predictive ability (area under the curve [AUC] values from .69 to .745; cross-validated balanced classification accuracy = 63.2%). In logistic regressions, treatment discontinuation was prominently associated with younger age (p = .008), lower education (p < .001), not being ready to change gambling behavior (p < .001), problem gambling severity (p < .0001), longer time spent on the treatment waiting list (p < .0001), and fewer close social relationships (p < .001).   CONCLUSIONS We found significant new real-world evidence on factors statistically predicting treatment discontinuation, which is crucial when existing programs are modified to better serve those in need. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
The essays collected here grew out of the presentations in the third annual American Studies Workshop held in Zagreb on October 3, 2015, entitled “Quarter of a Century after the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Perspectives and Directions in Croatian and Regional American Studies.” Therefore, all but the last text in this collection engage with the complex and wide problematic of postsocialism by taking into account its American(ist) aspects. The last text is an exception: starting from this volume, we will also offer a slot in WPAS for the pre-doctoral work of our younger colleagues. We would like to express our gratitude to the contributors who joined in the debate, as well as to all the participants in the event.
In this paper, we examine the relationship between the portfolio size and allocation to risky assets that characterises self managed superannuation funds (SMSFs). In particular, we investigate whether the allocation to risky assets is higher for higher valued SMSFs. At this early stage of SMSF research the gathering of facts about these economic entities is necessary to guide policy makers and regulators. This study contributes to this small but growing body of factual knowledge regarding the microstructure of SMSFs in Australia. The results show that the percentage of the portfolios’ investable funds allocated to risky assets has no clearly defined relationship with portfolio size. A high net worth SMSF will, on average, have a greater absolute dollar amount invested in risky assets but the portfolio weightings may be such that a high valued fund has a lower percentage of its portfolio invested in risky assets than a much smaller fund. There is not a strong tendency for higher net worth SMSFs to bear greater risk through increasing allocations to risky assets but there is, nevertheless, a tendency for higher net worth SMSFs to have higher allocations to risky assets. Keywords : Self Managed Superannuation, Net Worth, Risk JEL Classifications : G11, G23, G28
ABSTRACT In southwestern Oregon and northern California, Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) savannas and Darlingtonia fens are part of a mosaic of serpentine soil-related plant communities separated by distinct ecotones. I characterized and quantified the biological and physical aspects of these transition zones. Changes in vegetation were distinguished across communities and across three sites, each a different time since fire, and water discontinuities appeared important for preserving these uniquely-adapted systems, while vegetation undergoes postfire succession from fen to shrub to savanna after approximately 100 years since fire. While many factors play a role in determining the composition and location of community boundaries, the role of water appears to be the most critical factor determining the structure and species composition of the fen and shrub communities in southwestern Oregon.
ABSTRACT Cookery the Australian Way (CAW), a key culinary textbook, was evaluated to determine whether recipes reflected the prevailing dietary guidelines, specifically to limit saturated fat, added salt, and sugar. Seven-hundred recipes from Editions 3 to 8 were analysed using FoodWorks® 7. Saturated fat, total sugars, and sodium/100 g and per serve was compared using SPSS® (Version 22). A 43% reduction in sodium/100 g in soups and a 50% reduction in sodium/100 g for meats and poultry domain was observed in the 31 years from Editions 3 to 8. A 38% reduction in saturated fat/100 g was observed in the meats and poultry domain across the same time period. Dessert recipes showed a smaller but significant reduction in saturated fat/serve and mixed results for sugar. These observations suggest some modification to reflect dietary guidelines occurred. Cookery texts used in education should incorporate nutrition and reflect dietary guidelines. This series is a positive example for other publishers.
About the Authors Delia D. Aguilar is Associate Professor of Women’s Studies and Comparative American Cultures at Washington State University and Bowling Green State University. She is the author of Filipino Housewives Speak, The Feminist Challenge, and Toward a Nationalist Feminism, all published in the Philippines. She has written numerous articles on Filipino women, feminist theory, and women and development that have appeared in Feminist Review, Women’s Studies International Forum, Race & Class, and Monthly Review, among others. She now teaches women’s studies courses at the University of Connecticut.
A play has various elements, many of which a skillful playwright can manipulate, the one constant element though in any written text or performance, is space. The analysis of space in drama is complex and revolves around what is visible to the audience and what is not. At the same time, space takes many forms whether architectural, metaphorical, virtual, psychological, geographical or theatrical. This paper analyses through Henri Lefebvre’s theory of space the use and production of space in three plays: Brian Friel’s Translations (1980); Michel Tremblay’s Solemn Mass for a Full Moon in Summer (2009) and Emma Donoghue’s Room (2017). These representative texts by key playwrights use and produce the notions of space in varied ways to critique social, racial and psychological concerns.
In the past few years, the rapidly developing technology in the field of information technology is "big data". Clustering is one of the key tasks in a wide range of areas dealing with large amounts of data. This survey introduces various clustering methods used for effective big data clustering. Therefore, this review paper reviewed 15 research papers, which proposed various methods for effective big data clustering, such as k-means clustering, k-means variant clustering, fuzzy c-means clustering, possibility c-means clustering, collaborative filtering and optimization based clustering. In addition, detailed analysis is carried out by referring to the implementation tools used, the data sets used and the big data clustering framework adopted. Then, an effective solution must be developed to go beyond the existing technology to the special management of big data. Finally, the research problems and gaps of various big data clustering technologies are proposed to enable researchers to start with better big data clustering.
Mouse trisomy 15 ⟷ 2n aggregation chimeras have been produced and analyzed at 19 days of gestation. We have found that these chimeras are viable and in most instances normal in external appearance, unlike trisomy (Ts)-15 embryos which are severely growthretarded and die midway through gestation. Trisomic cells were found in all tissues of fetal chimeras, with proportions not significantly different from those of the controls in kidney, heart, liver, and brain, but significantly reduced in thymus and spleen. Ts-15 cells do not, therefore, exhibit a proliferative advantage during fetal development of tissues susceptible to Ts-15-related lymphoid malignancies. However, the presence of Ts-15 cells in the placenta may be associated with placental overgrowth. One fetus containing a monosomy 3 cell population was also observed, the first term fetal chimera with monosomic cells that has been detected.
Alternative medicine was a common form of medical practice in the 19th century. Yet, by the mid-20th century, homeopathic and eclectic medical schools became nearly nonexistent. Many historians point to Abraham Flexner’s report Medical Education in the United States and Canada Bulletin Number Four, commonly referred to as the Flexner Report, as a key reason for the decline of homeopathic and eclectic medical schools. In his report, Flexner blatantly criticizes sectarian medical philosophy and discredits nearly all homeopathic and eclectic medical school. Although numerous historians have investigated how the Flexner report initiated governmental reforms of medical education which thereby contributed to the dissolution of numerous homeopathic and eclectic medical schools, the impact of the Flexner Report on the public perception of alternative medicine has been largely neglected.              This study examines newspaper articles published during that period and the records of alternative medical schools to provide insight into how the Flexner Report impacted public perception of alternative medicine and thus contributed to the decline in homeopathic and eclectic medical schools. This study reveals that the media widely portrayed Flexner, and thus the information in his report, as a reliable and unbiased source despite Flexner’s strongly influenced educational philosophy and his close cooperation with the AMA which favoured allopathic medical schools. As financial records of homeopathic and eclectic medical schools reveal, the public’s acceptance of Flexner’s perspective led to a decline in public funding and enrolment at these institutions, thereby leading to the closure of numerous homeopathic and eclectic medical schools. However, since many of these institutions were suffering financially prior to 1910, the impact of the Flexner Report should not be over-stressed. Therefore, taking into consideration the historical context, the Flexner Report played a key role in hastening the pre-existing decline in homeopathic and eclectic medical schools.
The northern Flinders Ranges and eastern Willouran Ranges, South Australia, expose Neoproterozoic salt diapirs, salt sheets, and associated growth strata that provide a natural laboratory for testing and refining models of allochthonous salt initiation and emplacement. The diapiric Callanna Group (∼850–800 Ma) comprises a lithologically diverse assemblage of brecciated rocks that were originally interbedded with evaporites that are now absent. Using stereonet analysis to derive three-dimensional information from two-dimensional outcrops of stratal geometries flanking salt diapirs and beneath salt sheets, we evaluate 10 examples of the transition from steep diapirs to salt sheets, 3 of ramp-to-flat geometries, and 2 of flat-to-ramp transitions.  Stratal geometries adjacent to feeder diapirs range from a minibasin-scale megaflap to halokinetic drape folds to high-angle truncations and appear to have no relationship to subsequent allochthonous salt development. In all cases, the transition from steep diapirs to salt sheets is abrupt and involved piston-like breakthrough of thin roof strata, which permitted salt to flow laterally. We suggest two models to explain the transition from steep diapirs to subhorizontal salt: (1) salt-top breakout, where salt rise occurs inboard of the salt flank, thereby preserving part of the roof strata beneath the sheet; and (2) salt-edge breakout, where rise occurs at the edge of the diapir with no roof preservation.  Lateral emplacement of salt sheets is dependent on the interplay between the rate of salt supply to the front of the sheet and the sediment-accumulation rate. When the ratio of salt-supply rate to sediment-accumulation rate is high to moderate, thrust advance produces base-salt flats and truncation ramps, respectively. Halokinetic folds are absent because the thrust emerges at the base of the sea-floor scarp and mass-transport complexes are rare as a result of relatively low scarp relief. If the ratio is low, pinned inflation leads to drape folding of the top salt and cover into a fold ramp, with occasional slumping of the sheet and its roof and further breakout on thrust or reverse faults.  In the shallow-water depositional environments of South Australia, lateral emplacement of salt sheets occurred through some combination of thrust advance, extrusive advance, and open-toed advance, with no evidence for subsalt thrust imbricates, shear zones, or continuous rubble zones. In deep-water environments, such as the northern Gulf of Mexico, thrust imbricates and rubble zones, which represent slumped carapace, are more common. The presence of slumped carapace is caused primarily by higher topographic relief related to thicker hemipelagic roofs, a lack of dissolution, and gravity-driven transport of overburden strata to the toes of large canopies.
Vaknin et al. (1) observed vasodilatory effects of endotracheal adrenaline in hypertensive dogs. As recently stated in a response to a letter from this group, we are convinced that these effects are not clinically relevant (2). Undoubtedly, -mediated effects depend on adrenaline plasma levels and not on the route adrenaline is administered. Patients with cardiac arrest have very high spontaneous adrenaline plasma levels (3). Therefore, it is extremely unlikely that adrenaline administration during cardiac arrest causes any vasodilatory effects that could occur at low adrenaline plasma levels under spontaneous circulation. Vaknin et al. (1) speculated that -blockers abolished vasodilatory effects in the patients of our study (1,4). Twenty of 34 patients were not on -blockers. Why did all dogs have blood pressure decreases for at least 10 min (1) compared with a few seconds in only 4 of 34 patients (4) when more than twice the airway adrenaline dose was given to the animals? Unlike -adrenergic effects, the variable effectiveness of airway adrenaline (4) could indeed be deleterious during cardiac arrest. This encourages us to also consider the more reliable intraosseous route in adults and vasopressors that are absorbed more reliably from the lungs (5).
Bombesin and the bombesin‐like peptides including neuromedin B (NMB) and gastrin‐releasing peptide (GRP) are important neuromodulators in the brain. We studied their effects on GABAergic transmission and epileptiform activity in the entorhinal cortex (EC). Bath application of bombesin concentration‐dependently increased both the frequency and amplitude of sIPSCs recorded from the principal neurons in the EC. Application of NMB and GRP exerted the same effects as bombesin. Bombesin had no effects on mIPSCs recorded in the presence of TTX but slightly depressed the evoked IPSCs. Omission of extracellular Ca2+ or inclusion of voltage‐gated Ca2+ channel blockers, Cd2+ and Ni2+, blocked bombesin‐induced increases in sIPSCs suggesting that bombesin increases GABA release via facilitating extracellular Ca2+ influx. Bombesin induced membrane depolarization and slightly increased the input resistance of GABAergic interneurons recorded from layer III of the EC. The action potential firing frequency of the interneurons was also increased by bombesin. Bombesin‐mediated depolarization of interneurons was unlikely to be mediated by the opening of a cationic conductance but due to the inhibition of inward rectifier K+ channels. Bath application of bombesin, NMB and GRP depressed the frequency of the epileptiform activity elicited by deprivation of Mg2+ from the extracellular solution suggesting that bombesin and the bombesin‐like peptides have antiepileptic effects in the brain. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Abstract The Fascist newspaper Il Tevere was founded by Mussolini in December 1924 and directed by Telesio Interlandi from the first to the last issue (it ceased publication with the fall of il Duce on 25 July 1943). It was an object of controversy between those who maintained that it was subsidized by Hitler and those who argued instead that it was the unofficial organ of the Italian dictator, just as Il Popolo d'Italia was his official organ. In this article we examine the issue using Italian and German sources, both published and unpublished, with the result that we join the majority of scholars in favor of the second hypothesis.
Gene expression profiling has proven useful for identification of gene sets predicting response and/or prognosis in various hematological malignancies. So far expression profiling studies in CML predicting response to imatinib therapy suffered from major flaws, as previous retrospective studies relied on various technical platforms using rather small patient populations. Here, we present the interim results of an expression profiling study performed within a prospective multicenter CML trial of the Central European Leukemia Study Group(CELSG) comparing standard (SD) with high-dose (HD) imatinib as second line treatment for chronic phase CML. Blood samples from at total of 102 CML patients with early or late chronic phase disease were collected prior to and six weeks after treatment with either 400 mg/day for 12 months or 800 mg/day for 6 months followed by 6 months of 400 mg imatinib therapy. Whole blood samples preserved by PAX gene technology were further processed and evaluated centrally at the expression profiling core facility at Innsbruck Medical University. For expression profiling samples were subjected to hemoglobin mRNA reduction before target preparation for hybridization to Affymetrix hGU133 Plus 2 genechips detecting ∼47000 transcripts thereby allowing a whole genome profiling approach. For response prediction we used both the linear discriminatory analysis (LDA) and a random Forest (RF) decision tree algorithm provided in Bioconductor software packages for the open source statistical language “R”. A 100- or 10-fold crossvalidation was performed using a robust leave-10-out setting for LDA and RF respectively. The planned interim analysis of clinical data from 76 evaluable patients undergoing 12 months of therapy with daily doses of 400 mg or 800 mg imatinib revealed 50 (66%) patients with and 26 (34%) patients without a major cytogenetic response (
We present an autopsied case of a senile Japanese woman with sporadic frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) presenting as frontotemporal dementia. Disease onset was at the age of 70 and presented as a behaviour disorder, particularly involving wasteful habits. The patient had repeated incidents of making expensive purchases and then had difficulty making payments. Following these symptoms, she showed other changes of character such as lethargy and apathy. She gradually showed signs of parkinsonism including rigidity and bradykinesia, and in the terminal stage, an akinetic mutism state with quadriplegia in flexion was observed. Head magnetic resonance imaging revealed severe frontotemporal lobe atrophy with severe lateral ventricular dilatation and frontal white matter degeneration. At autopsy, the brain weighed 930 g and the frontotemporal cerebral cortex showed neuron loss with gliosis, tissue rarefaction and spongiform change, particularly in the superficial layers. Pathologic degeneration was more severe in the anterior portion of the frontal lobe with extensive white matter degeneration. Immunostaining for phosphorylated TAR‐DNA binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) revealed numerous neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions and extensive short dystrophic neuritis, particularly in the frontotemporal cortex. Many TDP‐43‐positive cytoplasmic inclusions were also observed in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The patient was pathologically diagnosed with FTLD with TDP‐43‐positive inclusions (FTLD‐TDP) without motor neuron disease. The immunohistochemical findings corresponded to type A of the FTLD‐TDP pathology classification system.
In this paper, the deformation effect in the gas separation process of the hollow fiber membrane module is considered. A technique of gas permeability measurement in a commercial gas separation hollow fiber membrane module is provided. It is determined that permeability and selectivity are nonlinearly dependent on the pressure of the feed stream, this is justified by competing factors. The results of this work will allow introducing the membrane modules into hybrid gas separation units, in particular, into the drying unit of compressed gas.
Warzone participation is associated with increased risk of stress‐related psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Prior research suggests that the mental health of spouses of warzone veterans (WZVs) is linked to that of their partners. Additionally, PTSD among WZVs has been associated with marital dysfunction. Less is known about the effects of depression among WZVs on partner mental health and family relationships. We sought in this study to examine associations between WZV PTSD and depression and partner mental health and relationship outcomes.
A new method is reported to grow polycrystalline germanium (Ge) on silicon (Si) at low temperatures by direct current magnetron sputtering. The method is based on first sputtering a nanometre scale thickness Si layer on a Si substrate, followed by sputtering a Ge layer of the desired thickness. Using this approach, polycrystalline Ge has been deposited on Si substrate at 300°C, the lowest reported process temperature for polycrystalline Ge on Si by sputter coating. Characterisation by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy showed polycrystalline Ge in the presence of a Si interfacial layer. In the absence of the interfacial Si layer, amorphous Ge was obtained under the same process conditions. These observations indicate that depositing a Si interfacial layer helps in improving the Ge film quality in low-temperature deposition conditions. The approach developed here makes it possible to achieve post-CMOS integration in applications that have low thermal budget, such as flexible electronics based on Si/Ge devices. The increased process flexibility offered by this method is also expected to enable new applications.
Control of organ shape and size by cell proliferationandcell expansion is a fundamental process in plant development. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that set the shape and size of determinate organs in plants. We have previously demonstrated that the Arabidopsis gene DA1 controls the final size of organs by restricting cell proliferation. Through an activation tagging screen for modifiers of da1-1, we have identified a semi-dominant mutant (yuan1-1D) with altered leaf shape and size. The yuan1-1D mutation results in reduced plant height, short and round leaves and short petioles due to defects in cell elongation. YUAN1 encodes a PHD zinc finger domain-containing protein. The GFP-YUAN1 fusion protein is localized to the nucleus. Overexpression of YUAN1 leads to round leaves and short petioles. Genetic analyses show that YUAN1 acts independently of DA1, ROTUNDIFOLIA 3 (ROT3) and ROTUNDIFOLIA4 (ROT4) to influence leaf shape and size. Collectively, our findings show that Arabidopsis YUAN1, a PHD zinc finger domain-containing protein, controls organ shape and size by restricting cell elongation, and give insight into how plants control their organ shape and size.
Terrestrial vegetation plays an important role in the water, energy and carbon cycles at the land surface. Leaf Area Index (LAI), a measure of canopy structure, is an important biophysical parameter in ecosystem models which represent these cycles. However, field observations of LAI are rarely available at the resolution and coverage required for regional- or global-scale ecosystem modelling. Poor LAI estimates will introduce greater uncertainty into models, potentially compromising the accuracy of energy balance partitioning and related fluxes such as evapotranspiration. The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) uses surface reflectance observations to provide 8-day composites of remotely- sensed LAI estimates at a nominal spatial resolution of 1-km. However, even though various sources of estimation error exist, such as sub-pixel heterogeneity and approximations in retrieval algorithms, error estimates are not provided with the remotely-sensed LAI products. Previous validation studies in the USA and Australia have yielded contradictory results, with one demonstrating a positive bias in the MODIS LAI product, and the other a negative bias. In this paper, the latest MODIS LAI estimates (MYD15A2) are compared to Australian field observations across the Murrumbidgee Catchment in New South Wales. The ground observations were collected during three field campaigns: the National Airborne Field Experiment in November 2006 (NAFE'06), the Australian Airborne Cal/val Experiments for SMOS (AACES) in January/February and September 2010 and the Soil Moisture Active Passive Experiments (SMAPEx) in July and December 2011. Using these data, we conduct a characterization of the error properties of the MODIS LAI product using ground observations over varying land surface conditions and seasons. The results show that an assumption of Gaussian LAI errors for this region is reasonable. We also show that MODIS overestimates LAI for lightly vegetated regions (LAI ~0.6). This result suggests that the contradictory results from previous validation studies may be associated with the different ranges of LAI observed in the studies. Overall, the bias in MODIS LAI is approximately -0.35 and the standard deviation of the error is 0.82. Observed LAI error properties from this study are expected to improve model predictions of the land-surface energy balance in ensemble model prediction studies underway for the Murrumbidgee Catchment.
Learning and reconstruction-based methods are the two main approaches to the solve single image super resolution (SISR) problem. In this paper, to exploit the advantages of both learning based and reconstruction based approaches, we propose a new SISR framework by combining them, which can effectively utilize their benefits. The external directional dictionaries (EDD) are learned from external high quality images. Additionally, we embeded the nonlocal means (NLM) filter and an isotropic total variation (TV) scheme in the reconstruction based method. We suggest a new supervised clustering scheme via curvelet based direction extraction method (CCDE) to learn the external directional dictionaries from candidate patches with sharp edges. Each input patch is coded by all the EDD. Each of the reconstructed patches under different EDD is applied with a weighted penalty to characterize the given input patch. To disclose new details, the local smoothness and nonlocal self-similarity priors are added on the recovered patch by TV scheme and NLM filter. Extensive experimental results validate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method comparing with the state-of- the-art algorithms in SISR methods. Our proposed schemes can retrieve more fine structures and obtain superior results than the competing methods with the scaling factors of 2 and 3.
Superconducting study present the properties of small weight percent of magnetic nanoparticles Dy2O3 from x = 0.0 to 0.10 added in Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+δ (Dy2O3)x. It is found, the form size of magnetic nanoparticles Dy2O3 is spherical, nano Dy2O3 particles will enter easily into the Bi, Pb-2223 superconductor. From here it is early to conclude the inducing of Dy atoms into the Bi, Pb-2223 crystal structure because Bi-based superconductors are known for their strong anistropic properties and extremely short coherence length (ξ) as long there are significant change in it microstructure, lattice parameter and the normal state conductivity of the system. The characterization on critical temperature (Tc) and transport critical current density (Jc) of magnetic nanoparticles Dy2O3 added to enhance the optimum amount levels added. The maximum Tc achieved Tc-(R=0) 109 K (for x = 0.4) as samples respectively compared to the pure samples. This results will discussed directly to the basis properties changes in Bi, Pb-2223 with addition of magnetic nanoparticles of Dy2O3.
The health inequalities highlighted in the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s ‘State of Child Health in the UK’ report and the ‘Health equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 years on’ have come as no surprise to those of us working in communities and on the National Health Service front line. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the economic risks associated with Brexit will only widen these inequities. If we are serious about solving our ‘wicked’ public health problems then we need to understand our population by looking beyond the biomedical model of health to take account of the dynamic complexity of the wider social, economic and environmental determinants that shape our children’s health. The Born in Bradford (BiB) longitudinal birth cohort study was established in 2007 to investigate the impact of genetic, metabolic, clinical, nutritional, sociodemographic and environmental factors on the physical and mental health of our children. The original recruitment of 13 818 children from birth has been expanded in subsequent cohort followups to over 20 000 children. Bradford is one of the poorest cities in the UK, but it is rich in its ethnic, religious and cultural diversity. It is a city with some of the highest levels of child poverty and illhealth and some of the lowest levels of educational achievement and healthy life expectancy in the UK. What distinguishes BiB from other birth cohorts is its focus on change and community empowerment. BiB was designed from the start not just to describe problems, but to provide useful evidence to policy makers and practitioners and ways of partnership working to develop solutions. Research is embedded within routine clinical practice, local government, schools and communities to promote the translation of evidence into practice from conception through childhood, and into adulthood. It is a ‘peoplepowered’ research programme working closely with communities to set research priorities to ensure that our outputs are relevant to realworld issues. So why is BiB important for child health and what lessons have we learnt that are applicable to other cities? Here are our top 10 reflections. 1. Building a unified platform for multidisciplinary child health research. The collegial nature of BiB has allowed researchers from diverse backgrounds including epidemiology, public health, education, psychology, sociology, genomics, health services research, data science and economics to work together on health problems within diverse communities. It has been a fertile ground, sparking novel ideas, hypotheses and approaches. 2. Encompassing the whole of the life course from birth to adulthood including parents and families. This recognises the importance of early life exposures to later adult physical and mental health, and highlights this critical period for upstream prevention. 3. Appreciating the importance of strong community engagement. From the very start BiB’s goal was coproduction with parents, children and young people. Children are at the heart of the study and their increasing involvement is central to ensuring that BiB remains their research study. This provides a virtuous circle—the more interesting and relevant we can make the research the greater the ownership and participation in future studies. For example, our community priority setting shapes our research projects, our young people design our schools research programmes and our young citizen scientists have helped develop the Bradford Clean Air Zone and its evaluation. 4. Harnessing the power of connected health and education data to improve health. BiB collects a huge amount of research data from biosamples to detailed computerised assessments. However the most valuable and informative data have come from the most mundane—our everyday clinical, social, environmental and educational data sets. By working with city partners we have been able to improve the quality of routinely collected data to enable more sophisticated analyses of health, education and social trajectories to inform service provision. 5. Linking biosamples with population health. BiB has a built a biobank with over 300 000 biological samples providing gene microarray and sequencing (n=19 689), epigenetics (n=7340), metabolomics (n=19 369) and proteomics (n=500) data. This biobank is available to national and international research groups and enables us to bring together bioscientists, clinical researchers and population health experts to work on cuttingedge research challenges. 6. Recognising the importance of wider determinants of health and the ecosystem. This includes the contribution of the types of homes people live in, the design of roads and high streets, the availability and quality of parks and green spaces and of recreational opportunities, the types of shops and businesses people are exposed to, pollution levels and opportunities to mix with others. For children living in deprived areas, a whole raft of environmental, economic and social factors create a vicious circle leading to illhealth. If we are to develop a more holistic approach to health then we need to understand and address these wider influences. 7. Redressing the imbalance of medical research that values the urgent over the important. This means acknowledging the importance of research in cancer, heart disease and diabetes but looking for potential markers and interventions in early life to develop preventative strategies. From its inception, BiB research has attempted to restore the balance of investment and has been a catalyst for over £100 m of funding in child health research and interventions embedded within our city, including £49 m for Better Start Bradford, £16 m for the Bradford Opportunity Area, £10 m for the Sport England JU:MP (Join Us: Move, Play) programme and £40 m for the Bradford Clean Air Zone. 8. Understanding the importance of place and diversity. Place is important in shaping research to meet local needs, and for providing a sense of identity for participants and placebased cohorts have a distinct advantage over national cohort studies. Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK
Shape memory alloys (SMA) are a class of materials proposed to be used as actuator elements in smart structures. They undergo a reversible martensitic phase transformation during thermal cycling. In this work, 55-nitinol (55% nickel-45% titanium shape memory alloy) was investigated to determine the effect of training conditions, bias stress and extended thermal cycling on the transformational behavior. Thin wires (0.19 mm diameter) were trained using a previously developed methodology to exhibit two-way shape memory (TWSM). The wires were placed in a cryogenically cooled apparatus and heated by electrical resistance while the wire deformation was measured. Several different training schedules were used by varying the amount of prestrain and number of training cycles. The recovery strain and transformation temperatures were measured throughout extended thermal cycling (up to 10000 cycles). A bias stress was also used to enhance the amount of retention of prestrain in the wires. In all cases, stabilization of TWSM behavior occurred within 2000 thermal cycles.
Objective: To investigate whether α-lipoic acid (ALA) regulates autophagy in the pathogenesis of colitis through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. Methods: Balb/c mouse colitis model was induced with 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS). Male Balb/c mice (22-25 g) were divided into four groups: control group, ALA group, colitis group, and ALA treatment group, with 10 mice in each group. ALA was administered at a dose of 80 mg/kg once a day for 7 days. The colon weight index, the disease activity index (DAI) and the histologic degeneration score (HDS) of colon tissue in each group were calculated. The autophagy gene Beclin-1 mRNA level was detected by RT-PCR. The levels of mTOR, phosphorylated mTOR (p-mTOR), and Beclin-1 proteins were detected by Western blot. Results: Compared with the control group, there was no statistically significant difference in colon weight index in the ALA group[(9.21±0.57)vs(8.91±0.91)g/kg, P>0.05], but increased in the colitis group [(12.65±1.33)g/kg, P<0.05] and decreased in the ALA treatment group [(10.04±1.02)g/kg, P<0.05]; there were no significant differences in DAI or HDS in the ALA group, but significantly increased in the colitis group, and decreased in the ALA treatment group (all P<0.05). The Beclin-1 mRNA and protein levels showed no significant differences between the control and the ALA groups (1.00±0.12 vs 1.05±0.05, 1.00±0.11 vs 1.00±0.06). However, the expression of Beclin-1 was significantly decreased in the colitis group compared to the control group (0.51±0.07 vs 1.00±0.12, 0.52±0.07 vs 1.00±0.11, both P<0.05), but significantly increased in the ALA treatment group compared to the colitis group (1.75±0.09 vs 0.51±0.07, 1.82±0.14 vs 0.52±0.07, both P<0.05). The mTOR total protein levels were not significantly different among the four groups, but the p-mTOR level was significantly higher in the colitis group than in the control group (3.07±0.20 vs 1.00±0.07), and reduced in the ALA treatment group than in the colitis group (1.49±0.11 vs 3.07±0.20) (all P<0.05). Conclusion: ALA may improve the TNBS-induced colitis in mice by inhibiting the phosphorylation of mTOR to promote autophagy.
Among the essays collected into book form in 1953 under the title Altes und Neues: Kleine Prosa ausfiinfJahrzehnten' was "Sechzehn Jahre," Thomas Mann's preface to the American edition of Joseph and His Brothers.2 Mann wrote an introduction to this collection, in which he commented: "Der Band hier hat seine Geschichte" (Altes und Neues, 9). The pieces included in this collection were ones largely forgotten or put aside; friends, however, kept encouraging Mann to republish them, and so he did. He selected some recent essays and some from earlier times; among the latter is the essay on Frederick the Great, "Friedrich und die groBe Koalition." Mann decided to reissue this essay only "nach langerm Zdgern," for it originates from the First World War, a time which Mann now saw as his "konservativ-nationalistische[n] und 'militaristische[n]' Stimmungsperiode," a time which in retrospect became one of "politischer Torheit" (Altes und Neues, 12). "Sechzehn Jahre: Vorrede zur amerikanischen Gesamtausgabe von 'Joseph und seine Brdder' in einem Band" had first appeared in the March 1948 edition of Neue Schweizer Rundschau.3 That same year, as the title indicates, Knopf published it as the preface to Joseph and his Brothers, translated by Mann's long-standing English translator and friend, Helen Tracy Lowe-Porter. Mann welcomed this edition of the novels under one cover "so daB man sagen kann, hier und jetzt erst, nach Jahren eines 'zerissenen' Daseins, erscheine die Geschichte in ihrer eigentlichen Gestalt" (Rundschau, 644). The Knopf version is an exact translation of the Neue Schweizer
The formation of ferric minerals on the anoxic early Earth is usually explained with the action of microorganisms or UV light in acidic conditions. Results show that amorphous and crystalline ferric oxides and silicates can form in the absence of oxygen, microorganisms and UV light, when rocks, located in the upper crust of the Earth until ca 1 km depth, contain ferrous silicates which interact with water called high subcritical, at 300-350 °C and 10-25 MPa. This conclusion is established following the analyses of Eh-pH diagrams for the Fe-H2O system and solubility diagrams for quartz and amorphous silica. It is shown that water below the critical point and not above can lead to the formation of ferric iron in geological terrains on Earth and extraterrestrial objects where anoxic alkaline high subcritical water reacts with rocks containing ferrous silicates.
The environmentally friendly vegetable oil-based waterborne polyurethane–organoclay nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized from castor oil polyols, isophorone diisocyanate and dimethylolpropionic acid. WAXD and TEM results showed that the addition of C30B containing a hydroxyl group led to the nearly exfoliated structures in WPUs. The thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite films have been carefully investigated by FT-IR, DMTA, DSC, TGA, and tensile tests. As the C30B loading-level increased from 0 to 2%, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the nanocomposites increased 16.7 to 27.9 MPa and from 22.3 to 134.8 MPa, respectively. The enhanced mechanical and thermal performance was primarily attributed to the formation of the strong interfacial interactions between filler and matrix. Morphological changes induced by the addition of clays were analyzed using rheological studies. This work produced new nanocomposites derived from castor oil polyols with a high-biomass content, and its high performance could contribute to a sustainable chemical industry.
OBJECTIVES To examine selected clinical characteristics for cohorts of similar adolescents over 4 survey periods from 1999-2006, to examine changes in rates of adolescents who exceed cutoff points for individual components of metabolic syndrome (MetS), to describe sex differences in individual components of MetS, to describe changes in MetS prevalence from 1999-2006 using 4 common MetS definitions, and to describe sex differences in MetS prevalence from 1999-2006.   DESIGN Cross-sectional, US representational National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999-2006.   SETTING Mobile examination centers conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.   PARTICIPANTS For 1999-2000, 613 adolescents (aged 12-19 years); for 2001-2002, 892 adolescents; for 2003-2004, 857 adolescents; and for 2005-2006, 814 adolescents. Exclusions were pregnancy, taking insulin or diabetic pills, and incomplete measurements.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Fasting plasma glucose level, triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures.   RESULTS Increases in fasting plasma glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and decreases in diastolic blood pressure were observed. Rates of adolescents exceeding cutoff points for fasting plasma glucose levels have increased. Compared with girls, adolescent boys had higher rates exceeding cutoff points for fasting plasma glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Adolescent girls had higher rates exceeding cutoff points for waist circumference. The prevalence of MetS among adolescents has not changed. No sex differences in MetS prevalence were observed.   CONCLUSIONS Some criteria for MetS have remained stable (triglyceride level and systolic blood pressure) and one has improved for boys (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level), but waist circumference has increased in girls and the rate of an elevated fasting plasma glucose level has nearly doubled for both boys and girls. Adolescent MetS prevalence has remained stable from 1999-2006.
To compare the characteristics and outcome data of the students from a single institution with two tracks ,case-basod discussion and learning(CBDL) and traditional teaching method in clinical teaching for otorhinolaryngology. We used the CBDL in 2000, and the students were randomly divided into two groups. 15 students were trained with CBDL, and the other 15 students were trained with traditional teaching method. The average score of the students in theory test had no difference. The results showed that the students of CBDL team were better on clinical skill test. By studied this learning methods, we demonstrated that CBDL may have positive effect in clinical teaching for otorhinolaryngology. The teaching effect was enhanced through the combination of teaching with clinical practice and the learning skills and the ability in problem solving and analyzing were improved.    Key words:  Case-basod discussion and learning;  Teaching method;  Otorhinolaryngology
Deficiency of both Qi and Yin Syndrome (DQYS) is one of the common syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), mainly characterized by tiredness, emaciation, anorexia, fidget, palpitation and rapid pulse, and so forth. Currently, there is no available animal model which can reflect the clinical features of this syndrome. In the present paper, we observed the time-course changes of whole behavior, body weight, food intake, locomotive activity and electrocardiogram in mice exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia for 6 weeks, and measured bleeding time at last according to the clinical features of DQYS and one key pathological factor. The results showed that the mice exposed to intermittent hypoxia for certain time presented lackluster hair, dull looking hair, resistance, attacking, body weight loss, food intake decline, locomotive activity decrease, heart rate quickening and T wave elevating, which were similar to the major clinical features of DQYS. Meanwhile, bleeding time shortening was also found, which was consistent with the clinical fact that DQYS often accompanied with blood stasis. The possible explanation was also outlined according to the available literature. Such findings suggested chronic intermittent hypoxia could induce similar symptoms and signs in mice accorded with the clinical features of DQYS, which provided a suitable animal model for evaluation of drugs for the treatment of this syndrome and further exploration of pathological process or correlation of the syndrome and related diseases.
Abstract Objective: To determine number, species of Candida and Candida resistance to antifungal therapy according to the metabolic control state and the associated salivary changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2). Materials and methods: Samples of non-stimulated saliva were collected from 52 patients with DM2. Salivary pH was measured and cultured on Sabouraud glucose agar and the values of CFU/ml were calculated. The species were presumptively identified using CHROMagar Candida® plates, and identification was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). C. albicans isolates were cultured on SGA tetracycline agar with nystatin and fluconazole diffusion disks to measure susceptibility. Results: Sixty six percent of the yeasts isolated were Candida albicans, followed by C. glabrata (20.7%). In patients with decompensated DM2, there was an inverse association between HbA1c value and salivary pH. At higher levels of salivary acidification, a greater diversity and quantity of yeasts of the genus Candida were observed. With nystatin, higher inhibition was observed at lower pH. Conclusions: The antifungal therapies could be more effective if it consider, qualitative salivary characteristics as pH, that could determine the susceptibility of species of Candida to at least to nystatin, which is the most used antifungal for treatment to oral candidiasis in patients with DM2.
To evaluate the role of bosutinib in elderly patients aged >65 years with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a real‐life cohort of 101 chronic‐phase CML patients followed up in 23 Italian centers and treated with bosutinib in second or a subsequent line was retrospectively evaluated. Starting dose of bosutinib was 500 mg/day in 25 patients (24.8%), 400 mg/day in 7 patients (6.9%), 300 mg/day in 33 patients (32.7%), 200 mg/day in 34 patients (33.6%), and 100 mg/day in 2 patients (2.0%). Grade 3/4 hematological toxicity occurred in 7/101 patients (6.9%) and grade 3/4 extra‐hematological toxicity in 19/101 patients (18.8%). Permanent bosutinib discontinuation due to toxicity was needed in 12 patients (11.9%). Among the 96 patients evaluable for response, 74 (77.0%) achieved a complete cytogenetic response (CCyR), while 64 of these 74 patients in CCyR (66.6% of all 96 evaluable patients) also achieved a molecular response (MR) (major MR [MR 3.0] in 21 [21.8%], deep MR [MR 4.0/4.5] in 43 [44.8%]). The 3‐year event‐free survival and overall survival of the whole patients' cohort from bosutinib start were 60.9% (CI 95% 49.3–72.5) and 86.4% (CI 95% 77.2–95.6), respectively. Our real‐life data show that bosutinib is effective, with a favorable safety profile, also in elderly patients with important comorbidities and resistance and/or intolerance to previous tyrosine‐kinase inhibitor treatments. As a consequence, it could play a significant role in current clinical practice for frail patients.
Great Bahama Bank (GBB) is the principal location of the formation and accumulation of ooids (concentrically coated, sand-size carbonate grains) in the world today, and as such has been the focus of studies on all aspects of ooids for more than half a century. Our view from a close look at this vast body of literature coupled with our continuing interests stresses that biological mechanisms (microbially mediated organomineralization) are very important in the formation of ooids, whereas the controlling factor for the distribution and size of ooid sand bodies is the physical energy. Mapping and coring studies of the modern ooid sand bodies on GBB provide insight into the rock record from different perspectives. An important consequence of the dual influence of ooid formation and distribution is that the geochemical signature of ooids is not in equilibrium with the seawater in which ooids form; therefore, extracting the paleophysical energy record from oolitic deposits is potentially more accurate than doing so for the paleochemical record.
Today, we often think of conservatives as opposed to environmental regulation. Yet it has not always been so. Conservative icons like William F. Buckley and Barry Goldwater took vigorous public stands in favor of environmental protection. Ronald Reagan championed protection of wilderness when he was governor of California and oversaw the creation of the state’s pollution control agency. He shifted to an anti-regulatory stance in the early years of his presidency, but then shifted again to a more moderate position. Few people know that he personally championed the international ozone agreement and signed a law to require planning for possible climate change. Even today, there are important conservative voices advocating environmental initiatives such as a carbon tax.This Article recovers the forgotten history of conservative environmentalism. It argues that conservative environmentalism faded largely because of external political forces, such as the influence of the fossil fuel industry. These forces may be abating, opening the door for a more vigorous debate about environmental policy within the conservative movement and in the broader public arena.
Experiments show that a CNT can withstand large bending curvature reversibly. As the deflection is severe for large varying forces, the elementary elastic theory cannot be applied. Again, the classical (or local) continuum elastic theory is questionable at very small length scale (less than 100 nm) because the material microstructure, such as lattice spacing between individual atoms, become important. For studying mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of small length, the classical theory can be modified by using nonlocal continuum models proposed by Eringen. In the present work, static analysis of CNT is presented using a nonlinear relation between the bending curvature and the beam deflection and the nonlocal continuum mechanics models. It is shown that there is an upper bound on the load on a cantilevered CNT.
Kitäb Siwän al-Hikma,, attributed to Abu Sulaymän al-Mantiql al-Sijistäm (d. ca. 377/987—988), posed, and still poses, a number of Problems for the Student of Islamic philosophy.) The main reason for this is that the book did not come down to us in its original recension, but rather in two abridgements :) the so-called Mukhtasar Siwän al-Hikma of «Ümar b. Sahlän al-Säwi (d. ca. 540/1145, see Brockelniann, GAL, Suppl. I, p. 830) and the so-called Muntakhab Siwän al-Hikma by an anonymous editor who, aecording to Franz Rosenthal, lived between the second half of the sixth/twelfth Century and the first half of the seventh/thirteenth Century.) The Mukhtasar is still in manuscript form) but the Muntakhab has been recently published by <Abd al-Bahmän Badawi, though under the title "Siwän al-Hikma.") Both the Mukhtasar Siwän al-Hikma and the Muntakhab Siwän al-Hikma ought not to be confused with the Tatimmat Siwän
The assessment of development practices in Free Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) projects can contribute to the improvement of the development process by identifying poor practices and providing a list of necessary practices. Available assessment methods (e.g., Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)) do not address sufficiently FLOSS-specific aspects (e.g., geographically distributed development, importance of the contributions, reputation of the project, etc.). We present a FLOSS-focused, CMMI-like assessment/improvement model: the QualiPSo Open Source Maturity Model (OMM). OMM focuses on the development process. This makes it different from existing assessment models that are focused on the assessment of the product. We have assessed six FLOSS projects using OMM. Three projects were started and led by a software company, and three are developed by three different FLOSS communities. We identified poorly addressed development activities as the number of commit/bug reports, the external contributions, and the risk management. The results showed that FLOSS projects led by companies adopt standard project management approaches as product planning, design definition, and testing, that are less often addressed by community led FLOSS projects. The OMM is valuable for both the FLOSS community, by identifying critical development activities necessary to be improved, and for potential users that can better decide which product to adopt.
The relationship between religion and personality has often been debated in psychology with some theorists advocating the inclusion of religion in models of personality and others advocating that religion is a separate entity from personality. Other research also debates whether religion impacts positively or negatively on personality. Thus the relationship between perceptions of religious orientation and personality styles utilising the Allport-Ross Religious Orientation Scale (1967) and the Millon Index of Personality Styles (1994) was investigated in a sample of 158 psychology students at the University of the Witwatersrand. Results indicated significant differences in the personality styles of intrinsically and extrinsically religiously oriented students. Significant differences were also found between religiously affiliated individuals and individuals with no religious affiliation in terms of personality and religious orientation. The implications of these results for the field of personality psychology are discussed with particular emphasis on the role of religion within personality psychology.
Supply chains are complex networks that receive assiduous attention in the literature. Like any complex network, a supply chain is subject to a wide variety of risks that can result in significant economic losses and negative impacts in terms of image and prestige for companies. In circumstances of aggressive competition among companies, effective management of supply chain risks (SCRs) is crucial, and is currently a very active field of research. Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) has been recently extended to SCR identification and prioritization, aiming at reducing potential losses caused by lack of risk control. This article has a twofold objective. First, SCR assessment is investigated, and a comprehensive list of specific risks related to the automotive industry is compiled to extend the set of most commonly considered risks. Second, an alternative way of calculating the Risk Priority Number (RPN) is proposed within the FMECA framework by means of an integrated Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) approach. We give a new calculation procedure by making use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to derive factors weights, and then the fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) to evaluate the new factor of “dependence” among the risks. The developed joint analysis constitutes a risk analysis support tool for criticality in systems engineering. The approach also deals with uncertainty and vagueness associated with input data through the use of fuzzy numbers. The results obtained from a relevant case study in the automotive industry showcase the effectiveness of this approach, which brings important value to those companies: When planning interventions of prevention/mitigation, primary importance should be given to (1) supply chain disruptions due to natural disasters; (2) manufacturing facilities, human resources, policies and breakdown processes; and (3) inefficient transport.
Since 2004, CPD25 (www.cpd25.ac.uk), the Staff Development and Training Organisation, working in association with the M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries, has organised seminars, visits and other activities open to its membership and well beyond. The idea for its third conference came at a time when there was much debate on Web2.0 how far should and how could the new technologies be exploited and harnessed to create ‘Library 2.0’? A number of national and international events emerged. These concentrated mostly on strategic issues or on exposition of the technologies, their potential and broad significance. CPD25 saw the need for a coherent view of their growing application across library and information services, taking into account social and educational drivers as well as technological ones. The resulting programme aimed at library and information staff at different levels and in a variety of roles drew together practical examples of the use of new tools to address information needs at different stages in the student career. Emphasis was placed on changing patterns in higher education, the ways in which technology can help engage with students and their preferred ways of working, and implications for the future. The programme below first addresses the broader scene, including widening participation in HE, student lifestyle and technology as a fashion accessory, possible developments and the kinds of changes libraries are making. What the specialised papers have in common is responsiveness to student behaviour they examine how library and information services can work across the increasingly blurred boundaries of academic and social life to help students find good quality information, keep up to date, and share resources. Examples include induction devised in collaboration with student bodies and delivered by podcast, and the integration of a wide range of social and personalised learning software into academic programmes and information literacy teaching, exploiting
In this paper, the problem of Palmprint Recognition Across Different Devices (PRADD) is investigated, which has not been well studied so far. Since there is no publicly available PRADD image database, we created a non-contact PRADD image database containing 12,000 grayscale captured from 100 subjects using three devices, i.e., one digital camera and two smart-phones. Due to the non-contact image acquisition used, rotation and scale changes between different images captured from a same palm are inevitable. We propose a robust method to calculate the palm width, which can be effectively used for scale normalization of palmprints. On this PRADD image database, we evaluate the recognition performance of three different methods, i.e., subspace learning method, correlation method, and orientation coding based method, respectively. Experiments results show that orientation coding based methods achieved promising recognition performance for PRADD.
In this paper, time domain performance of active voltage level management based on co-ordinated control of substation voltage is studied. A control algorithm that controls the set point of the automatic voltage control (AVC) relay at the substation is proposed and its operation in an example network is tested using PSCAD simulations. The study network is a real distribution network located in south-west Finland which will experience voltage rise problems if a planned wind park is constructed.
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is characterized by the degeneration of cerebral microvascular smooth muscle cells (MV-SMC) and the replacement of normal vessel wall components by &bgr;-amyloid (A&bgr;) protein. Little is known regarding the mechanisms of SMC degeneration in CAA. The effects of anoxia on the metabolism of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) were studied to investigate the MV-SMC response to anoxic stress and its possible role in the pathogenesis of CAA. MV-SMC exposed to chronic anoxia (24-48 hours) showed a decrease in expression of the 2 putative &agr;-secretase enzymes, mature TACE (TNF&agr;-converting enzyme) and ADAM10 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease). A concomitant decrease in the &agr;-secretase cleavage products sAPP&agr; and C83 was observed. Investigation of mRNA expression showed an increase in TACE and a sharp decrease in ADAM10 at 24 hours. Exposing MV-SMC to hypoxia (1% O2) revealed a different pattern of expression with no significant change in TACE protein, but an increase in TACE mRNA occurring at a later time point (48 hours). There was no change in ADAM10 mRNA expression, but a reduction in mature ADAM10 with a parallel increase in immature ADAM10 protein. These results demonstrate a requirement for oxygen in the regulation of the &agr;-secretase pathway during APP metabolism.
Alcoholysis and reduction shows that cathedulin E3, C54H60N2O23, is made up of a euonyminol core (3)(octaacetate), together with four acetates, a hydroxyisobutyrate, and evoninate (1) and cathate residues. The latter, a novel residue, is shown to be (4). By study of 1H and 13C n.m.r. data for the intact alkaloid and its hydrogenolysis and partial methanolysis produces, E3 is formulated as (12). Cathedulin E4, converted into E3 by acetylation, is (13). Corresponding to both alkaloids is a minor series in which one acetate is replaced by a benzoate residue.Cathedulin E6, C57H62N2O22, formulated as (17), is also based on a euonyminol core but gives, on methanolysis, dimethyl evoninate, methyl benzoate, methyl nicotinate, and trimethyl gallate; a 2-acetoxyisobutyrate and a further acetate residue are also present. Alkaloid E6 bears to E5 (16) the same relationship as does E4 to E3. The minor alkaloid cathedulin K12, C54H62N2O23, has the structure (18), similar to E3 but with the cathate span reductively cleaved : this suggests a biosynthetic connection.
The Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) instrument will be the first radiometer using aperture synthesis techniques for Earth observation. It will be boarded in the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission of the European Space Agency and launched in 2005. The configuration under study in the MIRAS Demonstrator Pilot Project is a Y‐shaped array with 27 dual‐polarization L band antennas in each arm, spaced 0.89 wavelengths. In addition to these 81 antennas there are 3 additional ones between the arms for phase restoration and redundancy purposes and an extra one at the center of the Y array that is connected to a noise injection radiometer. The digitized in‐phase and quadrature outputs of each receiver are multiplexed in groups of four and optically transmitted to the hub where the complex cross correlations are computed. In this configuration there are 85 antennas‐receiving channels and 21 multiplexers. The objectives of this paper are twofold: (1) the study of the performance degradation of Y‐shaped aperture synthesis interferometric radiometers in case of single or multiple subsystem failures and (2) a reliability analysis at subsystem level.
ABSTRACT This study used Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory to examine Generation Z investors’ socially responsible investment perceptions, utilizing data collected from Taiwan and the United States. Generation Z is the most global and socially empowered generation in history, and whether social responsibility appeals to Generation Z warrants investigation. Of 412 questionnaires collected in the United States, 380 were usable, and of 475 collected in Taiwan, 439 were usable. This study exained four variables, namely nationality, gender, work experience, and share ownership; these variables affected how the participants in this study understood and accepted the concept of socially responsible investment. These results provide interesting insight into Generation Z’s pro-social attitudes, Perceived consumer effectiveness and trust. This paper suggests implications for cross-cultural study theory and practice, as well as future research directions.
Background: Current treatment options for persistent scaphoid nonunion are limited to salvage procedures such as proximal row carpectomy (PRC) or 4-corner fusion (4CF). Several small studies have demonstrated that distal scaphoid excision may provide a simpler alternative with faster recovery. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of distal scaphoid excision as a treatment option for symptomatic scaphoid nonunion. Methods: The MEDLINE and PubMed databases were searched for the use of distal scaphoid excision in scaphoid nonunions. Studies included reported on either the functional or patient-centered outcomes following distal scaphoid excision for symptomatic scaphoid nonunion. Results: Six articles described the outcomes of 70 patients with an average of 11.7 patients per study. Functional outcomes including flexion-extension arc, radial-ulnar deviation, and grip strength improved by an average of 98.95%, 58.96%, and 131.08%, respectively. Patient-derived outcomes included the Modified Mayo Wrist Score, which improved by 92.6%, and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand, which improved by 137.17%. An average of 68.75% of patients experience complete relief of pain with 20.83% of patients experiencing pain with strenuous activity. The average postoperative visual analog scale (0-10) was 0.71. On average, 93.33% of patients returned to work with an average time of return being 6.89 weeks. Complete satisfaction was reported by 87.80% of patients. Complications included progression into 4CF or PRC and newly developed midcarpal arthritis. Conclusions: Given favorable outcomes, our analysis suggests that distal scaphoid excision may be a favorable, low-risk treatment for scaphoid nonunion without eliminating more extensive options such as 4CF and wrist arthrodesis.
Recently, the incidence of civilian aircraft crashes has increased. These disasters lead to many casualties. Around the world, safetyis apriority in regulating air transport. But flight safety is closely related to pilotfatigue. In this regard, the pilot load standards must be clearly verified. The aim of the article is to analyze the possibility of increasing the sanitary norms of the flight load and at the same timereducing the annual leave for the crew members of civil aviation personnel inRussia. The methods used are both empirical (analysis andsynthesis, induction and deduction, systematization), and theoretical. Each airline must develop an effective risk management system based on thosedeveloped abroad. This system should include control over the rest of the pilots, ensure uninterrupted vacation for at least three weeks, take into account the qualityof the inter-shift rest of the pilots, fly in unusual situations.
Contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers the opportunity to quantitatively assess physiologic properties of tissue, such as perfusion, blood volume, and capillary permeability. Use of such quantitation potentially allows tissues to be characterized in terms of pathophysiology and to be monitored over time, during the course of therapeutic intervention. The degree to which such quantitation is applicable relies heavily on simplified model descriptions of the tissue space and assumptions relating the signal intensity observed to the contrast agent concentration. This article presents a perspective on the use of quantitative contrast‐enhanced MRI, analysis of the accuracy of derived physiologic parameters, and recommendations for pulse sequence choice.
A simple model of collisionless plasma kinetic theory (Knight, 1973) has been used to predict the relationship between the upward parallel current and the parallel potential drop. The DE 1/DE 2 pair offers a unique opportunity to test this relationship because the DE 1 spacecraft can measure the high altitude plasma parameters without contamination from auroral heating. The field-aligned current density from Knight's formula is almost linear in the ratio of j{sub {parallel}}/e{Phi}{sub {parallel}} for values of e{Phi}{sub {parallel}}/kT between 1 and 10. The authors find, using measured values of J{sub {parallel}} (mapped to the surface) and {Phi}{sub {parallel}} (inferred from measurements either at high altitudes or low altitudes), the ratio of J{sub {parallel}}/e{Phi}{sub {parallel}} varies considerably but with a mean value about 0.5{approximately}2.2 {times} 10{sup {minus}9} mho/m{sup 2}. Using either the full Knight's formula or the linear simplification. they can predict the parallel potential drop (given the high-altitude density, temperature, current, and magnetic mirror factor) to test against the measured potential drop, or they can predict the current given the potential drop and the high-altitude plasma parameters. The agreement is generally quite good and the linear simplification is reasonable; however, the Knight current, since it does not include upwardmore » ionospheric electrons, is not valid in the downward return current region. They also show that suprathermal electron bursts are observed in the diffuse aurora at the same invariant latitudes, both at high and at low altitudes. Thus they suggest that these bursts are more properly described as a spatial rather than temporal phenomenon.« less
Amorphous and crystalline content in sputtered B{sub 4}C and SiC thin films has been analyzed by synchrotron grazing incidence x-ray scattering (GIXS). GIXS provided quantitative information on the average structure while TEM was used to find inhomogeneities such as small volume fraction phases. GIXS results were compared to simulations to determine average particle size or bond length for crystalline or amorphous phases respectively. In this work, the authors compared results from films deposited with, and without, an RF bias applied to the substrate during deposition. Results indicated that SiC can be described as strained polycrystalline material with particle size of approximately 13 {angstrom} for biased samples and 9 {angstrom} for unbiased samples. Boron carbide deposited without bias was completely crystalline with a particle size of approximately 30 {angstrom}, while the data suggested that B{sub 4}C deposited with bias is amorphous. The scattering from the biased materials was fourier transformed to yield radial distribution functions (RDF). This provided nearest neighbor distances, and it was demonstrated that the technique can be used to determine full three-dimensional strain tensors in amorphous thin films.
Abstract T.K. Menas [4, pp. 225–234] introduced a combinatorial property Χ(μ) of a measure μ on a supercompact cardinal κ and proved that measures with this property also have the partition property. We prove here that Menas' property is not equivalent to the partition property. We also show that if a is the least cardinal greater than κ such that Pκα bears a measure without the partition property, then α is inaccessible and -indescribable.
CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) conjugated to biomolecules that quench their fluorescence, particularly dopamine, have particular spectral properties that allow determination of the number of conjugates per particle, namely, photoenhancement and photobleaching. In this work, we quantify these properties on a single-particle and ensemble basis in order to evaluate their usefulness as a tool for indicating QD uptake, breakdown, and processing in living cells. This creates a general framework for the use of fluorescence quenching and intermittency to better understand nanoparticle-cell interactions.
Occupational exposure to 4,4'-methylenediphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) was measured during moulding of rigid polyurethane foam. The aim of the study was to find out whether an MDI-derived urinary amine metabolite could be detected in the urine of workers exposed to apparently low levels of MDI. Airborne MDI was sampled on 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-piperazine (2MP)-impregnated glass fibre filters and determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using ultraviolet (UV) and electrochemical (EC) detection. The limit of detection of MDI was 3 ng ml-1 for a 20 microliters injection. The precision of sample preparation, expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), was 1.3% with UV detection and 2.1% with EC detection at a concentration of 70 ng MDI ml-1 (n = 6). The 2MP-MDI derivative was stable at +4 degrees C up to eight weeks. The accuracy of the method was validated in an international quality control programme. Workers (n = 57) from three different factories participated in the study. Urinary 4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA) metabolite was determined after acid hydrolysis as heptafluorobutyric anhydride derivatives by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using chemical ionisation and monitoring negative ions. The limit of detection in urine was 0.2 nmol l-1. The precision of six analyses for a urine sample spiked to a concentration of 1 nmol l-1 was 29% (RSD). The MDI concentrations were below the limit of detection in most (64%) of the air samples collected in the worker's breathing zone. Still, detectable amounts of MDA were found in 97% of the urine samples. Monitoring of urinary MDA appears to be an appropriate method of assessing MDI exposure in work environments with low or undetectable MDI concentrations in the workplace air.
Introduction This study was aimed at evaluating effect of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and maternal characteristics on pregnancy outcome. GDM has several risk factors including; advanced maternal age, ethnic background, obesity and family history of diabetes mellitus. These pregnancy complications are associated with fetal morbidity and mortality and may lead to macrosomia and shoulder dystocia. Others are stillbirth, miscarriages, preterm and small for gestational age babies. Methods This was a retrospective case-case control study which compared maternal characteristics and pregnancy outcome among pregnant women with and without GDM. Diagnosis of GDM was done in accordance with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) criteria. Weight and height were determined and Body mass index (BMI) calculated. Pregnancy outcome was determined at the end of pregnancy and information on maternal characteristics obtained using questionnaire and patient folders. Results Those who developed GDM were significantly older (OR= 1.772; 95% CI =1.432-2.192; P<0.0001) and had higher BMI (OR=1.637; 95% CI=1.004-1.289; P=0.044) than those who did not. A significant number of those who developed GDM also had stillbirths OR= 5.188; 95% CI=1.093-24.613; p=0.038) and cesarean deliveries (OR=14.362; 95% CI=3.661-56.335; p= 0.001). Conclusion Women who develop GDM are more likely to deliver stillborn or macrosmic babies and may require surgical intervention in order to have normal deliveries.
As 3D display devices are becoming more popular, automatic editing methods such as inpainting for stereoscopic images have grown increasingly important. We propose an inpainting method for stereoscopic images by minimizing an energy function. We expand the conventional image inpainting method by adding a constraint condition that the corresponding pixel has the same intensity, thus enabling the proposed method to deliver more natural result. The proposed method can also be applied if there is an object with different visibility between the right and left input images by using the depth value of the other for depth map inpainting. Experimental results demonstrated the efficiency of our method. キーワード:3D 画像修復, ステレオ画像, 視差マップ,インペインティング
We propose a class of multidimensional Item Response Theory models for polytomously-scored items with ordinal response categories. This class extends an existing class of multidimensional models for dichotomously-scored items in which the latent abilities are represented by a random vector assumed to have a discrete distribution, with support points corresponding to different latent classes in the population. In the proposed approach, we allow for different parameterizations for the conditional distribution of the response variables given the latent traits, which depend on the type of link function and the constraints imposed on the item parameters. Moreover, we suggest a strategy for model selection that is based on a series of steps consisting of selecting specific features, such as the dimension of the model (number of latent traits), the number of latent classes, and the specific parameterization. In order to illustrate the proposed approach, we analyze a dataset from a study on anxiety and depression on a sample of oncological patients.
Two patients with oculomotor palsy caused by midbrain infarction are reported. In the first, pupillary reaction was affected and in the second this reaction was spared. Because the lesions in the anterior part of the tegmentum were in the upper midbrain in the first patient and in the lower midbrain in the second, it is suggested that the pupillary components of the oculomotor nerve are located in the upper midbrain.
In 2-mo-old Lewis rats immunized with bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) precomplexed to guinea pig myelin basic protein (BP), the clinical and histologic manifestations of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) were diminished compared with BP-treated controls. Similarly, in animals immunized with BP and challenged with BP-LPS at the same time or as long as 5 days after, the immunization with BP also inhibited the disease. That this capacity to reduce the incidence of BP-induced EAE is a unique property of LPS was suggested by the fact that other negatively charged molecules, such as DNA, RNA, and dextran sulphate, were not effective in inhibiting the clinical signs of EAE. After recovery from EAE induced by BP, some animals develop a recurrence of the disease if challenged with BP at appropriate intervals. However, after recovery from mild EAE induced by BP-LPS and after challenges with EAE-initiating BP antigens, secondary EAE was inhibited significantly.
We present optimal parallel solutions to reporting paths between pairs of nodes in an n-node tree. Our algorithms are deterministic and designed to run on an exclusive read exclusive write parallel random-access machine (EREW PRAM). In particular, we provide a, simple optimal parallel algorithm for pre-processing the input tree such that the path queries can be answered efficiently. Our algorithm for preprocessing runs in O(log n) time using O(n/log n) processors. Using the preprocessing, we can report paths between k node pairs in O(log n + log k) time using O(k + (n + S)/log n) processors on an EREW PRAM, where S is the size of the output. In particular, we can report the path between a single pair of distinct nodes in O(log n) time using O(L/log n) processors, where L denotes the length of the path.
Background: Short-term medical trips (STMTs) from high-resource countries frequently provide care in low and middle-income countries. Little existing literature objectively tracks the long-term outcomes of these interventions on the receiving populations over time to assess potential benefits and to ensure no harm is being done. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to objectively analyze the outcomes of a biannual STMT to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2), and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk over a five-year period (2015–2019). Methods: Data from 1655 patients was extracted from the electronic medical record. In patients who received treatment and had more than one visit, a linear mixed model was used to analyze effects on systolic blood pressure (SBP) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) values over time. In patients with high CVD risk based on a non-laboratory-based assessment, provider compliance with prescribing an aspirin and statin was calculated and tracked over time. Results: In patients with HTN who received treatment, average SBP was 148.83 mmHg (SD = 23.96) at initial visit and demonstrated no change over time (Estimate: 0.68 mmHg/year increase, p = 0.46). HbA1C data was insufficient for analysis. Treatment for patients with high CVD risk with an aspirin and statin improved from 41.46% in 2015 to 70.51% in 2019. Conclusion: SBP in patients with HTN treated by this STMT demonstrated no significant change over time. Possible contributing factors included patient education, access and adherence to medications, and documentation of data. Provider compliance with appropriate prescribing was high for patients with HTN and DM2 and improved over time for patients with high CVD risk, serving as an indirect measure for potential long-term benefits on these populations. All STMTs should objectively track outcomes of their interventions to assess risks and benefits to the communities being served.
Second-generation whole chick embryo cultures were compared with second-generation limb bud, somite, and kidney cultures of various ages in their ability to support Rous Sarcoma virus infection. Limb bud cells yielded the highest proportion of infected cells and kidney cells the lowest 48 hours after infection in vitro. Cultures prepared from 9-day embryos were more susceptible to infection than those from younger or older embryos. When tissues from 9-day embryos were used for the in vitro assay of three strains of Rous Sarcoma virus, limb bud cells yielded slightly higher focus counts in each case than whole embryo, approximately 0.5 log higher than somite and approximately 2.0 logs higher than kidney cells. Limb bud cultures also showed less tendency to clump and foci were more easily counted than in cultures from the other tissues.
AI-based systems are software systems with functionalities enabled by at least one AI component (e.g., for image-, speech-recognition, and autonomous driving). AI-based systems are becoming pervasive in society due to advances in AI. However, there is limited synthesized knowledge on Software Engineering (SE) approaches for building, operating, and maintaining AI-based systems. To collect and analyze state-of-the-art knowledge about SE for AI-based systems, we conducted a systematic mapping study. We considered 248 studies published between January 2010 and March 2020. SE for AI-based systems is an emerging research area, where more than 2/3 of the studies have been published since 2018. The most studied properties of AI-based systems are dependability and safety. We identified multiple SE approaches for AI-based systems, which we classified according to the SWEBOK areas. Studies related to software testing and software quality are very prevalent, while areas like software maintenance seem neglected. Data-related issues are the most recurrent challenges. Our results are valuable for: researchers, to quickly understand the state-of-the-art and learn which topics need more research; practitioners, to learn about the approaches and challenges that SE entails for AI-based systems; and, educators, to bridge the gap among SE and AI in their curricula.
To the Editor: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is the causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia–lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-I–associated myelopathy–tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM–TSP), a neurologic disorder. The virus is transmitted through sexual contact, breast-feeding, and blood transfusion. We describe a patient with both ATL and HAM–TSP, which developed during a complete remission of acute myelogenous leukemia. A 70-year-old heterosexual man, who had been born and lived in an area of Japan where HTLV-I was not endemic, was admitted to our hospital in June 1985. Acute myelogenous leukemia was diagnosed, and he received numerous blood transfusions for two years . . .
This paper aims at assessing the effects on the Jordanian economy of the Association Agreement (AA) between Jordan and the European Union (EU). Particular emphasis is placed on the effects on consumer welfare. The EU-Jordan AA was signed in 1997 and entered into force in May 2002. It eliminates progressively tariffs on most industrial goods imported by Jordan from the EU. Custom duties on agricultural goods and processed agricultural products are gradually and only partially eliminated. Trade liberalisation is expected to bring about a positive impact on consumer welfare through lower prices of investment and consumption goods. On the other hand, it reduces government revenue due to foregone tariff revenue. Therefore counteracting fiscal measures are required in order to offset the loss in government revenue. In order to capture intertemporal effects brought about by trade liberalisation on the Jordanian economy, a multisectoral dynamic CGE model is specified and calibrated. Simulation results show that the implementation of the AA raises consumer welfare in Jordan and has positive effects on all macroeconomic variables in the long-run, but it reduces consumption in the short-run.
In 1989, North Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspectors cited two poultry processing plants in northeastern North Carolina for serious repetitive motion problems. In 1990, investigators from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health confirmed significant upper extremity musculoskeletal symptoms and disorders among workers. We now report on analyses of baseline data collected from a cohort of women employed in one of these plants. The plant, which is the largest employer of women in the area, is located in a sparsely populated area with a black majority where nearly one-third of the population lives below the poverty level. Conditions we report suggest failure of existing health and safety systems, both regulatory and consultative, to prevent morbidity among vulnerable women in this industry, as well as social and economic conditions that influence availability of work and use of benefits to which they are entitled.
Objective To study the mechanism of Liangruntongluo Recipe (Chinese medicines with functions of cooling, nourishing and dredging collaterals) and its modified formula in improving gastrointestinal function of diabete smellitus (DM) rats. Methods Male Wistar rats were used. Streptozotocin (STZ) was injected to rats to produce diabetic rat models. No Hypoglycemic drugs were administered to these rats to reduce blood glucose. After 18 weeks, warm water, Liangruntongino Recipe, Chinese medicines with function of nourishing, Chinese medicines with functions of cooling, and Cisapride were administered to the model rats. Detect the contents of plasma motilin (MOT), cholecystokinin (CCK), and somatostatin (SS) after 6 weeks. Results By affecting the secretion of gut hormone and having wide range of target, Liangrantongluo Recipe could regulate the disorder of gut hormone. The function of Liangruntongluo Recipe was better than its modified formula and cisapride.Conclusion Liangruntongluo Recipe can improve gastrointestinal dysfunction of DM rats.    Key words:  Liangruntongluo Recipe;  Diabetic gastrointestinal dysfunction;  Motilin (MOT): Cholecystokinin(CCK);  Somatostatin (SS)
ABSTRACT Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), which generally exhibit an M2-like phenotype, play a critical role in tumor development. Triptolide exerts a unique bioactive spectrum of anticancer activities. The aim of this study was to determine whether triptolide has any effect on the activation of TAMs and the production of tumor-promoting mediators. ICR-1 mice with azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced colon tumors and BALB/c mice co-inoculated with 4T1 cells and M2-polarized RAW264.7 cells were used to examine whether the inhibitory effect of triptolide on tumor progression was mediated by the targeting of TAMs. Real-time PCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence staining, and flow cytometry assays were performed to determine the expression of cell surface markers and cytokine production. The results showed that triptolide inhibited macrophage differentiation toward the M2 phenotype and abolished M2 macrophage-mediated tumor progression. Furthermore, triptolide inhibited the expression of M2 markers, such as CD206, Arginase 1, and CD204, and inhibited the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Thus our study indicated that triptolide selectively inhibited the functions of M2-polarized macrophages and TAMs, and this inhibitory effect of triptolide on TAM viability, differentiation, and cytokine production might elucidate the major mechanisms underlying its antitumor activity. Our findings provide important information for the potential clinical application of triptolide in cancer therapy.
This book review will discuss “Science communication. An introduction”, edited by Frans van Dam, Liesbeth de Bakker, Anne Dijkstra, and Eric Jensen (2020), the first book in the PCST book series. The review will give an overview, a summary, and a criticism of this textbook, which is intended to be used in educational programs in science communication. As will be outlined, the book puts specific emphasis on linking theory, research, and practice, as well as including more perspectives from developing country contexts, and thus provides a valuable contribution to the dynamic field of science communication. Abstract
This paper proposed a search strategy based on Quantum Genetic Clonal Mining Algorithm(QGCMA) for Web search.The user query was used to mathematically define a mean quantity of Web pages,and evolved a population of Web pages for maximizing the affinity by clonal,mutation and crossover operator.The analysis and experimental results show that the proposed method is superior to standard genetic algorithm in Web search.
We examine the formation process of friendship networks of Mainland Chinese undergraduates in Hong Kong. The data comes from a 2011 survey of Mainland undergraduates at a university in Hong Kong and from in-depth interviews with students. We found a strong in-group pattern in the friendship networks of these students. More than 60% do not have good local friends. On a campus where nearly 90% of the students are locals, on average, only 18% of the good friends named by Mainland students are locals. We find that cultural differences—such as the language barrier, differences in values and ideologies, and differences in academic orientation and future plan—discourage formation of intergroup friendship. But intergroup contacts, as indicated by participation in local organizations, have positive effects on intergroup friendship formation. Both contact opportunities and their timing (i.e., when they become available) are important. During their first year, Mainland students have many more opportunities to interact with other Mainlanders than with local students. This may also be an important factor accounting for the strong in-group pattern in Mainland students’ friendship networks.
Blood coagulation in tissue healing not only prevents blood loss, but also forms a natural scaffold for tissue repair and regeneration. As blood clot formation is the initial and foremost phase upon bone injury, and the quality of blood clot (hematoma) orchestrates the following inflammatory and cellular processes as well as the subsequent callus formation and bone remodeling process. Inspired by the natural healing hematoma, tissue‐engineered biomimic scaffold/hydrogels and blood prefabrication strategies attract significant interests in developing functional bone substitutes. The alteration of the fracture hematoma ca significantly accelerate or impair the overall bone healing process. This review summarizes the impact of biomaterials on blood coagulation and provides evidence on fibrin network structure, growth factors, and biomolecules that contribute to bone healing within the hematoma. The aim is to provide insights into the development of novel implant and bone biomaterials for enhanced osteogenesis. Advances in the understanding of biomaterial characteristics (e.g., morphology, chemistry, wettability, and protein adsorption) and their effect on hematoma properties are highlighted. Emphasizing the importance of the initial healing phase of the hematoma endows the design of advanced biomaterials with the desired regulatory properties for optimal coagulation and hematoma properties, thereby facilitating enhanced osteogenesis and ideal therapeutic effects.
In many ways the study of political groups from a theoretical point of view can be said not to have progressed much beyond the conceptions of Arthur F. Bentley. There have been countless studies of political groups, to be sure, but it seems most have been little more than the collection and presentation of ad hoc facts obtained from the testing of ad hoc hypotheses, the concepts of “group” and of “group behavior” having been little altered in the process. Much of the difficulty no doubt stems from Bentley's strict empiricism and the interpretation given his position by most social scientists who have aspired to translate him. When Bentley said that we know nothing of ideas and feelings but only of activity, he was merely reminding the social scientist to remain close to the operations of the phenomena he was studying. Activity, or behavior, can be worked with and studied directly, but it is questionable whether or not the same can be said of ideas and feelings. Scientific progress, Bentley would say, can be made only if one deals with what is visible and replicable. Critics as well as followers of Bentley, however, have interpreted him to mean that such matters as subjectivity are outside the pale of science, since subjectivity is presumed to be private, idiosyncratic, and nonreplicable.
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) and renewable energy sources are complementary technologies from the power system viewpoint, where renewable energy sources behave as flexibility sinks and create business opportunities for BESS as flexibility sources. Various stakeholders can use BESS to balance, stabilize and flatten demand/generation patterns. These applications depend on the stakeholder role, flexibility service needed from the battery, market opportunities and obstacles, as well as regulatory aspects encouraging or hindering integration of storage technologies. While developed countries are quickly removing barriers and increasing the integration share of BESS, this is seldom the case in developing countries. The paper identifies multiple case opportunities for different power system stakeholders in Croatia, models potential BESS applications using real-world case studies, analyzes feasibility of these investments, and discusses financial returns and barriers to overcome.
This article presents a general statistical mechanical approach to describe self-folding together with the hybridization between a pair of finite length DNA or RNA molecules. The model takes into account the entire ensemble of single- and double-stranded species in solution and their mole fractions at different temperatures. The folding and hybridization models deal with matched pairs, mismatches, symmetric and asymmetric interior loops, bulges, and single-base stacking that might exist at duplex ends or at the ends of helices. All possible conformations of the single- and double-stranded species are explored. Only intermolecular basepairs are considered in duplexes at this stage.In particular we focus on the role of stacking between neighboring nucleotide residues of single unfolded strands as an important source of enthalpy change on helix formation which has not been modeled computationally thus far. Changes in the states of the single strands with temperature are shown to lead to a larger heat effect at higher temperature. An important consequence of this is that predictions of enthalpies, which are based on databases of nearest-neighbor energy parameters determined for molecules or duplexes with lower melting temperatures compared with the melting temperatures of the oligos for which they are used as a predictive tool, will be underestimated.
The thermal reactions of amino acids have been investigated for pure organic synthesis, materials preparation in industry, and prebiotic chemistry. N-t-Butyloxycarbonyl aspartic acid (Boc-Asp) releases 2-butene and carbon dioxide upon heating without solvents. The resulting mixture of the free molten aspartic acid was dehydrated to give peptide bonds. This study describes the thermal reactions of N-t-butyloxycarbonyl peptides (Boc-Gly-L-Asp, Boc-L-Ala-L-Asp, Boc-L-Val-L-Asp, and Boc-Gly-Gly-L-Asp) having an aspartic residue at the carboxyl terminus. The peptides were deprotected upon heating at a constant temperature between 110 and 170°C for 1 to 24 h to afford polypeptides in which the average molecular weight reached 7800.
Most traditional medical diagnosis systems are founded on huge quantity of training data. However, on the occasion that very little volume of data is available, the traditional diagnosis systems derive defects such as larger error. Focused on the solution to this problem, a medical diagnosis system based on least square support vector machines (LS-SVM) is presented. Promoted training algorithm is introduced and applied on the lung cancer diagnosis system based on chest CT image. Diagnosis parameters acquisition is achieved with image processing methods, involving binarization, object selection and perimeter extraction technique in vision domain and single-level discrete 2-D wavelet transform technique in wavelet domain. Result of system training and recognition show that when limited quantity of training data are available, the system is capable of recognizing the situation and location of lung cancer. Further, the system displays superior ability of globalization to traditional systems.
Background: Upper oesophageal stenosis is a well-recognised complication in the treatment of head and neck malignancies that can result in significant morbidity. Simple strictures can be managed by anterograde dilatation. Combined approach dilatation can overcome more complex and even complete stenosis. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively gathered data for four patients who have had combined approach dilatation to overcome complete oesophageal stenosis. Outcomes determined using standardised swallowing outcome measurement tools. Results: A functional oesophageal lumen was restored in four patients with complete oesophageal stenosis, with a demonstrable improvement in validated swallowing outcome measures. Conclusions: Combined approach oesophageal dilatation can be safely and effectively utilised to overcome complete stenosis of the upper oesophagus secondary to radiotherapy/chemo-radiotherapy. Extending the indications for this procedure to post-surgical strictures is not advisable due to increased risk of serious complication.
In recent years odds ratios have become widely used in medical reports—almost certainly some will appear in today's BMJ . There are three reasons for this. Firstly, they provide an estimate (with confidence interval) for the relationship between two binary (“yes or no”) variables. Secondly, they enable us to examine the effects of other variables on that relationship, using logistic regression. Thirdly, they have a special and very convenient interpretation in case-control studies (dealt with in a future note).  The odds are a way of representing probability, especially familiar for betting. For example, the odds that a single throw of a die will produce a six are 1 to 5, or 1/5. The odds is the ratio of the probability that the event of interest occurs to the probability that it does not. This is often estimated by the ratio of the number of times that the event of interest occurs to …
The design, development, and assessment of web-based multimedia learning resources are important aspects of engineering education. The Media Design and Assessment Laboratory at the University of Missouri-Rolla was established to facilitate the interaction between web designers and content providers. It was created under the auspices of the Instructional Software Development Center. This paper will discuss design philosophy in terms of the identification of fundamental concepts, development steps, and assessment implementation within the context of ongoing projects. These projects include modules for an optics curriculum, tutorials for an interdisciplinary course, and interactive software for a basic engineering course.
Avatime is one of 14 Central-Togo languages (formerly known as "Togo Remnant Languages") spoken in the Volta Region of Ghana and contiguous areas of Togo. The most striking typological feature of these languages compared to their closest Kwa relatives is the fact that they have active noun class systems. The present paper is a description of Avatime phonology, with emphasis on certain features which have been poorly described and/or are of general linguistic interest. Within the consonant system, Avatime has bilabial fricatives and a full series of labiovelar obstruents, including fricatives. Consonants with following glides are considered to be segment sequences rather than consonants with secondary articulations. The vowel system has nine vowels with [ATR] harmony. Continguous vowels undergo a variety of coalescence processes, which differ depending on morphological context and the specific vowels involved. Modem Avatime requires an analysis with four contrasting level tones. However, many instances of two of these tones (the highest level and the lower mid level) are derived through still active processes. One feature of the tone system not previously described is the presence of glottal stop following a syllable bearing non-low tone when that syllable falls at a phonological phrase boundary.
that was self-conscious, set off from the rest of the metropolis by common physical environs and shared historical experiences" (p. 240). Ebner has confronted most of the questions that would interest economic historians and those of other social sciences. He seldom strays from the basic resources of the historian. This book could be a source of numerous research projects and a comprehensive resource for pursuing them. Ebner has included both an excellent bibliography and comprehensive notes. On balance, this handsome book is perhaps too scholarly for the popular audience for whom it was produced. While Ebner earnestly desires to bridge the gap between the academy and the "Common Reader," many such readers will find the bridge to be of the presumed treacherous suspension variety, but the effort to traverse it will be rewarded. The most surprising part of this book is that it ends in 1914. The introduction to the final part ends with the thought that the automobile transformed the urban landscape. Ebner's story is almost entirely of the age before the automobile made the North Shore more accessible. In that sense, 1914 marks an ending; the eight villages are recognizable to current residents. It can be argued, however, that the North Shore as a self-conscious network was only beginning to develop by 1914, and that the "creation" in the title should be taken literally. One hopes Ebner is already at work on the "maturing" of Chicago's North Shore.
In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism for enriching the feature vector, for the task of sarcasm detection, with cognitive features extracted from eye-movement patterns of human readers. Sarcasm detection has been a challenging research problem, and its importance for NLP applications such as review summarization, dialog systems and sentiment analysis is well recognized. Sarcasm can often be traced to incongruity that becomes apparent as the full sentence unfolds. This presence of incongruity- implicit or explicit- affects the way readers eyes move through the text. We observe the difference in the behaviour of the eye, while reading sarcastic and non sarcastic sentences. Motivated by this observation, we augment traditional linguistic and stylistic features for sarcasm detection with the cognitive features obtained from readers eye movement data. We perform statistical classification using the enhanced feature set so obtained. The augmented cognitive features improve sarcasm detection by 3.7% (in terms of Fscore), over the performance of the best reported system.
Considerable evidence has been brought forward in recent years to show that thymus growing in intraperitoneally implanted diffusion chambers will partially restore immunological competence to mice thymectomized at birth (Osoba and Miller, '63); Levey, Trainen and Law, '63; Law, Trainen, Levey and Barth, '64; Law, Dunn, Trainen, and Levey, '64; Osoba, ('65). Since it was suggested that the thymus cells secrete a factor that mediates the restoration, it was of interest to examine the thymic cells that grew or survived in the diffusion chamber. Whole thymuses from new-born mice were grown in thymectomized or intact, syngeneic or allogeneic hosts of various ages. Whole-mount preparations were made of the thymus tissue after it had grown for from 9--86 days. Thymic lymphocytes, granulocytes, macrophages and fibroblasts migrated rapidly from the explant, the latter forming a sheet that covered the entire chamber. Viable lymphocytes were present in chambers removed from the host after 86 days. The striking feature of the cultures was the differentiation of the epithelium into sheets, clusters, and cords of cells reminiscent of glandular epithelium. Whorls of cells resembling Hassall's bodies were occasionally seen. These epithelial cells were distinguished by the presence of large lipid-filled vacuoles and neutral mucopolysaccharide in the cytoplasm. It is suggested that the epithelial cells were engaged in secretory activity.
Wavelet functions have been successfully used in many problems as the activation function of feedforward neural networks [ZB92], [STK92], [PK93]. In this paper, a family of polynomial wavelets generated from powers of sigmoids is described which provides a robust way for designing neural network architectures. It is shown, through experimentation, that function members of this family can present a very good adaptation capability which make them attractive for applications of function approximation. In the experiments carried out, it is observed that only a small number of daughter wavelets is usually necessary to provide good approximation characteristics.
OBJECTIVES Hypotheses regarding mood dysregulation in bipolar disorder (BD) have centered on limbic overactivity with relative prefrontal underactivity during mood episodes. Therefore, we hypothesized that adolescents with bipolar depression successfully treated with lamotrigine would show decreases in amygdalar activation, and increases in prefrontal activation.   METHODS Eight adolescents with BD underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at baseline and after eight weeks of lamotrigine treatment. Blocks of negatively and neutrally valenced emotional pictures were presented during scanning, and subjects were asked to rate how each picture made them feel. Activation in bilateral amygdalae and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) for negative minus neutral pictures was correlated with Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS) scores.   RESULTS Mean (SD) CDRS scores decreased significantly, from 53.0 (10.6) at baseline to 26.3 (5.3) at Week 8. This clinical improvement was correlated with decreased right amygdalar activation (r = 0.91, p = 0.002). At Week 8, but not baseline, CDRS score was positively correlated with bilateral amygdalar activation (r = 0.85, p = 0.007). DLPFC activation was not correlated with change in CDRS score.   CONCLUSIONS These preliminary results indicate that adolescents with BD treated with lamotrigine demonstrated less amygdalar activation when viewing negative stimuli as depressive symptoms improved. Larger controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.
This paper describes the design and implementation of an interface card (IC) with analogue input and digital output, designed for use with small size PLCs, which do not support interface features. The absence of generic I/O interface modules due to the differences in PLCs design and software, validates the importance of such work. The IC costs about one third of an analogue I/O dedicated proprietary module. The IC was utilized in a closed loop temperature control system. The results of the work are satisfactory.
To successfully colonize, some pathogenic bacteria hijack the host ubiquitin system. Legionella OTU-like-DUBs (Lot-DUBs) are novel bacterial deubiquitinases found in effector proteins of L. pneumophila. LotA is a member of Lot-DUBs and has two OTU domains (OTU1 and OTU2). ABSTRACT Pathogenic bacteria have acquired a vast array of eukaryotic-protein-like proteins via intimate interaction with host cells. Bacterial effector proteins that function as ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases (DUBs) are remarkable examples of such molecular mimicry. LotA, a Legionella pneumophila effector, belongs to the ovarian tumor (OTU) superfamily, which regulates diverse ubiquitin signals by their DUB activities. LotA harbors two OTU domains that have distinct reactivities; the first one is responsible for the cleavage of the K6-linked ubiquitin chain, and the second one shows an uncommon preference for long chains of ubiquitin. Here, we report the crystal structure of a middle domain of LotA (LotAM), which contains the second OTU domain. LotAM consists of two distinct subdomains, a catalytic domain having high structural similarity with human OTU DUBs and an extended helical lobe (EHL) domain, which is characteristically conserved only in Legionella OTU DUBs. The docking simulation of LotAM with ubiquitin suggested that hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions between the EHL of LotAM and the C-terminal region of ubiquitin are crucial for the binding of ubiquitin to LotAM. The structure-based mutagenesis demonstrated that the acidic residue in the characteristic short helical segment termed the “helical arm” is essential for the enzymatic activity of LotAM. The EHL domain of the three Legionella OTU DUBs, LotA, LotB, and LotC, share the “helical arm” structure, suggesting that the EHL domain defines the Lot-OTUs as a unique class of DUBs. IMPORTANCE To successfully colonize, some pathogenic bacteria hijack the host ubiquitin system. Legionella OTU-like-DUBs (Lot-DUBs) are novel bacterial deubiquitinases found in effector proteins of L. pneumophila. LotA is a member of Lot-DUBs and has two OTU domains (OTU1 and OTU2). We determined the structure of a middle fragment of LotA (LotAM), which includes OTU2. LotAM consists of the conserved catalytic domain and the Legionella OTUs-specific EHL domain. The docking simulation with ubiquitin and the mutational analysis suggested that the acidic surface in the EHL is essential for enzymatic activity. The structure of the EHL differs from those of other Lot-DUBs, suggesting that the variation of the EHL is related to the variable cleaving specificity of each DUB.
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has posed numerous challenges to health care across the globe. Time is of the essence in cancer care to prevent disease progression. Materials and Methods: TrueConf ®, a local area network-based software, has been used for holding joint clinic meetings which are an essential part of cancer management at our hospital. Results: A total of 12 meetings were held over a period of 12 weeks where 42 patients were examined and their clinicoradiological evaluation was done. Further treatment decisions were made based on these joint clinics. Conclusion: TrueConf ® is an economical platform and easily implementable system, easing decision-making for critical cases, avoiding crowding in outpatient departments.
Acid rain is causing environmental damage around major industrial areas of the world. During spring, the pH of river water decreases due to a steady release of hydro gen ions from accumulated pollutants in snow. The snow melt period in spring coincides with the migratory period of salmonids, a period when salmonid fishes develop sea water adaptability with an associated parr-smolt transfor mation (smoltification).1) The rapid decrease in pH due to snowmelt may affect the seawater adaptability of migrato ry salmon fry. Acid rain water has been shown to cause acute mortality, reduced growth, skeletal deformities and reproductive failure in fishes.2) A decrease in plasma sodi um (Na+) and chloride (CI-) in brown trout is also caused by acid water, caused by the thawing of snow in spring.3) We examined the possible damage caused by short term acidwater stress on the osmoregulatory ability of five spe cies of Pacific salmon during and after their migratory sea
The encoding of image partitions plays a key role in the overall efficiency of the so-called region-based image coding techniques. A method based on the novel concept of "transition point" was previously proposed for the lossless encoding of arbitrary contour maps. This paper addresses the problem of partition simplification in the context of this new encoding method. A new simplification approach is introduced and results concerning its compression efficiency under constrained and unconstrained conditions are presented.
The mutagenicity of oxidized dATP, 2-hydroxydeoxyadenosine 5'-triphosphate (2-OH-dATP), was examined using an SV40 origin-dependent in vitro replication system with a HeLa extract. 2-OH-dATP mainly elicited a G x C to A x T transition, and a G x C to T x A transversion to a lesser extent. Interestingly, the mutagenicity of 2-OH-dATP was enhanced in the presence of 2-hydroxydeoxyadenosine 5'-diphosphate, an inhibitor of the MTH1 protein, suggesting that this protein functions in the hydrolysis of 2-OH-dATP in the replication reaction mixture. These results indicate that 2-OH-dATP is mutagenic and that its mutagenicity is suppressed by the MTH1 protein in mammalian cells.
Almost all studies of the densest particle packings consider convex particles. Here, we provide exact constructions for the densest known two-dimensional packings of superdisks whose shapes are defined by |x{1}|{2p}+|x{2}|{2p}<or=1 and thus contain a large family of both convex (p>or=0.5) and concave (0<p<0.5) particles. Our candidate maximal packing arrangements are achieved by certain families of Bravais lattice packings, and the maximal density is nonanalytic at the "circular-disk" point (p=1) and increases dramatically as p moves away from unity. Moreover, we show that the broken rotational symmetry of superdisks influences the packing characteristics in a nontrivial way.
We investigate the effects of the external gravitational and constant magnetic fields to the dynamical symmetry breaking. As simple models of the dynamical symmetry breaking we consider the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model and the supersymmetric Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (SUSY NJL) model nonminimally interacting with the external gravitational field and minimally interacting with constant magnetic field. The explicit expressions for the scalar and spinor Green functions are found to the first order in the space–time curvature and exactly for a constant magnetic field. We obtain the effective potential of the above models from the Green functions in the magnetic field in curved space–time. Calculating the effective potential numerically with the varying curvature and/or magnetic fields we show the effects of the external gravitational and magnetic fields to the phase structure of the theories. In particular, increase of the curvature in the spontaneously broken phase of the chiral symmetry due to the fixed magnetic field makes this phase to be less broken. At the same time the strong magnetic field quickly induces chiral symmetry breaking even in the presence of fixed gravitational field within the nonbroken phase.
TPS7101 Background: Momelotinib (MMB) is a JAK1/2 inhibitor that displays potent in vitro inhibitory activity against cells dependent on JAK2, including cells with the JAK2V617F mutation. In a completed phase I/II study of MMB which enrolled 166 subjects with myelofibrosis (MF) (CCL09101), the rate of spleen response was 39%, and the rate of anemia response was 53% (Pardanani et al, Blood 2013). Assessment at 3 months showed improvement of constitutional symptoms. Most common treatment-related adverse events were thrombocytopenia (46%), peripheral neuropathy (44%), diarrhea (25%), dizziness (24%), and nausea (22%). Dizziness is believed to be part of the first-dose effect of MMB. Methods: 420 subjects with primary (PMF), post-polycythemia vera (PPV-MF), or post-essential thrombocythemia MF (PET-MF) will be randomized in a 1:1 manner to receive either MMB plus ruxolitinib (RUX) placebo, or RUX plus MMB placebo in this double-blind, active-controlled study for 24 weeks, with the option for eligible subjects...
Among the conditions for the Northern territories development, the problem of ethnic self-identification and human consciousness in large cities is defined. This issue is important for representatives of different ethnic groups. There is a need for a person to assert themselves through everyday visual and audial demonstration of ethnic identity. Using example of Surgut the authors attempt to identify the peculiarity of identification processes in a multi-ethnic and multicultural Northern city. In the contemporary world, ethnicity has acquired new forms of its manifestation as actual daily practices presented in the article, which can serve as a means of identifying oneself with an ethnic group.
Hospital design technology of Korea has recently been exported to underdeveloped countries through the EDCF business. This business reflects our high technology of the hospital design and the regional features that reflect the natural environments, the architectural features and the architectural technology of underdeveloped countries. In accordance with the trend of the global environmental-friendly design market, introduction of environmental-friendly design is needed in the project of hospital for underdeveloped countries. A result of examining the Bangladesh case, the hospital design for the underdeveloped countries already contains a lots of environmental-friendly design elements which have lots of effect. In addition, these environmental elements already contains the advantage and efficiency of operation. Thus, for the success of the hospital design project of the international assistance business, it is necessary actively to discover the environmental-friendly design elements of the region, and to survey the environmental-friendly construction of the region and to make the guidelines of environmental-friendly hospital design during the feasibility study phase.
To the Editor: We read with interest the article published by Laxpati et al1 entitled “Unexpected Decrease in Shunt Surgeries Performed During the Shelter-in-Place Period of the COVID-19 Pandemic”. The authors reported an unexpected decrease in the number of shunt-related procedures performed during the beginning of the pandemic. Sahoo et al2 observed a similar pattern in a predominantly adult population, where surgeries for hydrocephalus reduced from an average of 2.7/d pre-COVID to 1.9/d during the COVID pandemic, although the latter figure could be confounded by the number of elective procedures. One would expect that the incidence of hydrocephalus, and the rate of shunt malfunction, an urgent neurosurgical issue requiring surgical exploration, should remain relatively unchanged. Environmental factors, such as decreased physical activity, reduced exposure to other children, or lifestyle changes, have been suggested as potential reasons for changes to shunt malfunction rate.1 The volume of elective neurosurgery at our institution, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, one of the larger pediatric units in the UK, has decreased due to workforce redeployment to other critical areas of the healthcare system during the pandemic. Our total operative procedures have decreased from 565 and 582 cases in 2018 and 2019, respectively, to 471 cases in 2020. However, our shunt activities have remained unchanged. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, 90 (46 insertions, 44 revisions), 90 (47 insertions, 43 revisions), and 91 (37 insertions, 54 revisions) shunt procedures were carried out, respectively. As a result, shunt surgeries have contributed to a higher percentage of our overall operative workload during the pandemic. Ventricular access device was excluded from our total numbers, as it is a temporizing procedure not necessarily with an intent of permanent cerebrospinal fluid diversion. The baseline volume of shunt surgeries carried out in Laxpati et al’s institution is high with up to 64 surgeries carried out over a 4-wk period alone in 2019 (2.3/d), which is significantly more than our institution (0.25/d). As the authors suggested, it would be useful to know whether the shunt activity remains low, or there has been a return to the pre-COVID level, eg, by analyzing a 6to 12-mo dataset starting fromMarch 2020. Such updated information would shed light on whether (1) their findings were a statistical anomaly; (2) the decreased number was due to nontime-sensitive cases, eg, asymptomatic shunt malfunction, which did not present during the original 4-wk study period; or (3) there were truly environmental factors at play. Despite the significant decrease in shunt surgeries, Laxpati et al has not observed an increase in possible shunt-related deaths at the time of the publication. This has led them to contemplate that perhaps a proportion of shunt revisions during the pre-COVID periods were not as time-sensitive as previously thought or surgery was not indicated in some cases. While the exact COVIDassociated environmental factors affecting the incidence of hydrocephalus and shunt malfunction rate are debatable, the pandemic has more definitely increased the parents’/guardians’/patients’ threshold for attending hospital, which affected the number and severity of presentation.3 Consequently, the proportion of asymptomatic shunt revisions or negative shunt explorations may also vary between the pre-COVID and COVID periods, as the authors suggested. However, the evaluation of shunt malfunction is challenging enough at the best of times, and we appreciate the complex, interplaying factors discussed above are difficult to assess from a retrospective administrative database review. In 2013, our department introduced the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) service, which provides (1) inpatient education at the time of the shunt insertion or subsequent revisions, and (2) ad hoc telephonic support for concerned parents. In 2018, we also started a weekly CNS-led telephonic clinic that reviews predominantly children with shunts. This service has improved families an understanding of shunt malfunction “red flag” signs, enabled more consistent and reliable clinical assessment, and provided a “safety-net” mechanism from the time of shunt insertion. There is evidence that the involvement of CNS care leads to reduced rehospitalization as well as improved health outcomes and patient satisfaction in non-neurosurgical chronic conditions.4 We believe that good communication between the families and our CNS is a main contributor of reducing unnecessary shunt-related presentations, but, on the other hand, the telephonic service identifies decompensating hydrocephalus, which would otherwise present late to the department. Since the pandemic began, anxiety to attend hospital has understandably increased and face-to-face appointments have decreased. The CNS telephonic service has provided families with reassurance and maintained continuity of care for pediatric patients with shunts, and may partly explain the unchanged shunt activity in our institution. Jalloh et al3 has reported a 7-fold increase in calls to the pediatric neurosurgery specialist nurses during the pandemic, reflecting the important role of telephonic communication. The full impact of the pandemic on neurosurgical elective and emergency care remains to be elucidated. It would be interesting for readers to learn the trajectory of numbers once again as the pandemic restrictions are eased, at any institution that observed reduced numbers during the pandemic—in particular the number of shunt revisions.
Intra-septal infusions of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist muscimol impair learning and memory in a variety of tasks. This experiment determined whether hippocampal or entorhinal infusions of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine would reverse such impairing effects on spontaneous alternation performance, a measure of spatial working memory. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given intra-septal infusions of vehicle or muscimol (1 nmole/0.5 microL) combined with unilateral intra-hippocampal or intra-entorhinal infusions of vehicle or physostigmine (10 microg/microL for the hippocampus; 7.5 microg/microL or 1.875 microg/0.25 microL for the entorhinal cortex). Fifteen minutes later, spontaneous alternation performance was assessed. The results indicated that intra-septal infusions of muscimol significantly decreased percentage-of-alternation scores, whereas intra-hippocampal or intra-entorhinal infusions of physostigmine had no effect. More importantly, intra-hippocampal or intra-entorhinal infusions of physostigmine, at doses that did not influence performance when administered alone, completely reversed the impairing effects of the muscimol infusions. These findings indicate that increasing cholinergic levels in the hippocampus or entorhinal cortex is sufficient to reverse the impairing effects of septal GABA receptor activation and support the hypothesis that the impairing effects of septal GABAergic activity involve cholinergic processes in the hippocampus and the entorhinal cortex.
4-(Dimethylamino)phenol (DMAP) is a potent cyanide antidote which forms many equivalents of ferrihemoglobin in vivo and in vitro. During this process formation of phenoxyl radicals was observed which are reduced by ferrohemoglobin, thereby sustaining a catalytic cycle of ferrihemoglobin formation, or which disproportionate to give the quinone imine of DMAP. In the presence of thiols, e.g., glutathione (GSH), formation of 4-(dimethylamino)-2-(glutathion-S-yl)phenol (2-GS-DMAP), 4-(dimethylamino)-2,6-bis(glutathion-S-yl)phenol (2,6-bis-GS-DMAP), and 4-(dimethylamino)-2,3,6-tris(glutathion-S-yl)phenol (2,3,6-tris-GS-DMAP) was observed. While the trisubstituted glutathione conjugate is a stable end product, 2-GS-DMAP and 2,6-bis-GS-DMAP were still reactive and produced ferrihemoglobin. It is concluded that formation of polysubstituted DMAP thioethers is a result of sequential oxidation/addition reactions with quinoid intermediates. Formation of glutathione disulfide (GSSG) was minimal during the interaction of oxidized DMAP or 2-GS-DMAP with glutathione but became significant when oxidized 2,6-bis-GS-DMAP reacted with GSH. Thus it is conceivable that the bulky glutathione substituents in 2,6-bis-GS-DMAP render the addition of a third GSH molecule to the quinone imine derivative more difficult, and other reactions may get a chance. The reaction mechanism of GSSG formation has not been fully resolved, but a radical pathway mechanism involving thiyl radicals is proposed. Oxidation and addition reactions were also observed in the absence of oxygen when ferrihemoglobin served as oxidant. In the presence of oxygen, however, GSSG formation was increased, Partly due to hydrogen peroxide formation, partly due to an additional trapping reaction of the glutathione disulfide radical anion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Absorption infrared spectra have been computed for a variety of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules of the pyrene family, taking into account anharmonicity and temperature effects, rovibrational quantization, and couplings. The energy levels are described by a second-order perturbative expansion of the rovibrational Hamiltonian in the vibrational and rotational quantum numbers, as relevant for a symmetric-top molecule, with ingredients obtained from quantum chemistry calculations. Multicanonical Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to compute bidimensional IR intensity histograms as a function of total energy and vibrational frequency, which then provide the absorption spectrum at arbitrary temperatures via a Laplace transformation. The main spectral features analyzed for neutral, anionic, and cationic pyrene indicate a strong dependence on temperature, in agreement with existing laboratory experiments, and a significant contribution of rotational degrees of freedom to the overall broadenings. The spectral shifts and broadenings reveal some sensitivity of anharmonicities to the charge and protonation states and, in the case of protonated pyrene and pyrenyl cation, on possible isomers and between aromatic and aliphatic C-H bands. Implications of the present work to the general issue of interstellar emission features are discussed.
We have previously demonstrated that arginine-rich and poly-arginine peptides possess potent neuroprotective properties, with poly-arginine peptide R18 identified as being highly effective at reducing infarct volume following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in the Sprague Dawley rat. Since peptides synthesised using D-isoform amino acids have greater stability than L-isoform peptides due to increased resistance to proteolytic degradation, they represent potentially more effective peptide therapeutics. Therefore we compared the neuroprotective efficacy of R18 and its D-enantiomer R18D following permanent MCAO in the Wistar rat. Furthermore, as increased peptide stability may also increase peptide toxicity, we examined the effects of R18 and R18D on cultured cortical neurons, astrocytes, brain endothelial cells (bEND.3), and embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) following a 10-minute or 24-hour peptide exposure duration. The in vivo studies demonstrated that R18D resulted in a greater reduction in mean infarct volume compared to R18 (33%, p = 0.004 vs 12%, p = 0.27) after intravenous administration at 300 nmol/kg 30 minutes after MCAO. Both R18D and R18 reduced cerebral hemisphere swelling to a comparable degree (27%, p = 0.03 and 30%, p = 0.02), and improved neurological assessment scores (1.5, p = 0.02 and 2, p = 0.058 vs 3 for vehicle). No abnormal histological findings specific to peptide treatments were observed in hematoxylin and eosin stained sections of kidney, liver, spleen, lung and heart. In vitro studies demonstrated that R18 and R18D were most toxic to neurons, followed by astrocytes, HEK293 and bEND.3 cells, but only at high concentrations and/or following 24-hour exposure. These findings further highlight the neuroprotective properties of poly-arginine peptides, and indicate that R18D at the dose examined is more potent than R18 in Wistar rats, and justify continued investigation of the R18 peptide as a novel neuroprotective agent for stroke.
Background/Aim: This study analysed the effect of α-tocopheryl succinate (α-TS) on the redox-state of leukemia and normal lymphocytes, as well as their sensitization to fifteen anticancer drugs. Materials and Methods: Cell viability was analyzed by trypan blue staining and automated counting of live and dead cells. Apoptosis was analyzed by FITC-Annexin V test. Oxidative stress was evaluated by the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein-carbonyl products. Results: Most combinations (α-TS plus anticancer drug) exerted additive or antagonistic effects on the proliferation and viability of leukemia lymphocytes. α-TS combined with barasertib, bortezomib or lonafarnib showed a strong synergistic cytotoxic effect, which was best expressed in the case of barasestib. It was accompanied by impressive induction of apoptosis and increased production of ROS, but insignificant changes in protein-carbonyl levels. α-TS plus barasertib did not alter the viability and did not induce oxidative stress and apoptosis in normal lymphocytes. Conclusion: α-TS could be a promising adjuvant in second-line anticancer therapy, particularly in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, to reduce the therapeutic doses of barasertib, bortezomib, and lonafarnib, increasing their effectiveness and minimizing their side effects.
Unlike TCR-alpha beta cells, TCR-gamma delta cells express a distinct member of the zeta family, the gamma-chain of Fc epsilon RI (Fc epsilon RI gamma) within the TCR complex. To study the role of the Fc epsilon RI gamma-chain in TCR-gamma delta cells, a TCR-gamma delta transgenic mouse (G8) has been crossed with CD3 zeta-chain-deficient mice (G8.zeta-/-). Thy-1+ spleen and lymph node cells of these animals expressed low levels of CD3/TCR. These results suggested that the zeta-chain is required for effective TCR transport to the cell surface. In contrast, intraepithelial TCR-gamma delta cells of G8.zeta-/- mice expressed high levels of TCR. Immunoprecipitation with anti-CD3 showed that Fc epsilon RI gamma-chains were associated with the TCR complex in T cells isolated from zeta-deficient mice. Although the Fc epsilon RI gamma-expressing T cells proliferated in response to stimulation by TCR-specific Abs including anti-CD3 epsilon, anti-pan gamma delta, and anti-V gamma 2 mAb, the G8.zeta-/- T cells did not respond to the G8-specific Ag (T10b), anti-Thy-1 mAb, or Con A. The unresponsiveness to the Ag was not due to the reduced TCR expression, because intraepithelial TCR-gamma delta cells from the zeta-deficient mice did not respond to Ag. The inability of the G8.zeta-/- T cells to respond to Ag could not be overcome by providing an anti-CD28 costimulatory signal or by adding exogenous rIL-2. Taken together, our data suggest that the Fc epsilon RI gamma-chain associates with the TCR-gamma delta complex in the absence of the zeta-chain, but it is not able to substitute for the zeta-chain for effective transport of TCR to the cell surface or functional responses to Ag.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in immune system homeostasis and tolerance to antigens, thereby preventing autoimmunity, and may be partly responsible for the lack of an appropriate immune response against tumor cells. Although not sufficient, a high expression of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) is necessary for their suppressive function. Recent reports have shown that histones deacetylase inhibitors increased FOXP3 expression in T cells. We therefore decided to investigate in non-Tregs CD4-positive cells, the mechanisms by which an aspecific opening of the chromatin could lead to an increased FOXP3 expression. We focused on binding of potentially activating transcription factors to the promoter region of FOXP3 and on modifications in the five miRs constituting the Tregs signature. Valproate treatment induced binding of Ets-1 and Ets-2 to the FOXP3 promoter and acted positively on its expression, by increasing the acetylation of histone H4 lysines. Valproate treatment also induced the acquisition of the miRs Tregs signature. To elucidate whether the changes in the miRs expression could be due to the increased FOXP3 expression, we transduced these non-Tregs with a FOXP3 lentiviral expression vector, and found no changes in miRs expression. Therefore, the modification in their miRs expression profile is not due to an increased expression of FOXP3 but directly results from histones deacetylase inhibition. Rather, the increased FOXP3 expression results from the additive effects of Ets factors binding and the change in expression level of miR-21 and miR-31. We conclude that valproate treatment of human non-Tregs confers on them a molecular profile similar to that of their regulatory counterpart.
In this paper we consider the structure and topology of a layered-security model in which the containers and their nestings are given in the form of a rooted tree T. A cyber-security model is an ordered three-tuple M = (T, C, P) where C and P are multisets of penetration costs for the containers and target-acquisition values for the prizes that are located within the containers, respectively, both of the same cardinality as the set of the non-root vertices of T. The problem that we study is to assign the penetration costs to the edges and the target-acquisition values to the vertices of the tree T in such a way that minimizes the total prize that an attacker can acquire given a limited budget. The attacker breaks into containers starting at the root of T and once a vertex has been broken into, its children can be broken into by paying the associated penetration costs. The attacker must deduct the corresponding penetration cost from the budget, as each new container is broken into. For a given assignment of costs and target values we obtain a security system. We show that in general it is not possible to develop an optimal security system for a given cyber-security model M. We define P- and C-models where the penetration costs and prizes, respectively, all have unit value. We show that if T is a rooted tree such that any P- or C-model M = (T, C, P) has an optimal security system, then T is one of the following types: (i) a rooted path, (ii) a rooted star, (iii) a rooted 3-caterpillar, or (iv) a rooted 4-spider. Conversely, if T is one of these four types of trees, then we show that any P- or C-model M = (T, C, P) does have an optimal security system. Finally, we study a duality between P- and C-models that allows us to translate results for P-models into corresponding results for C-models and vice versa. The results obtained give us some mathematical insights into how layered-security defenses should be organized.
The present study investigated leadership characteristics of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) from major corporations in the USA. The sample was obtained from 80 verbatim interviews on the CNN broadcast “Pinnacle.” 30 interviews were randomly selected and rated on 25 personality/lifestyle dimensions. The analyses indicated some consistent trends, namely, CEOs exhibited clear values, high tolerance for frustration, egalitarian attitudes, and dedication to the “work ethic.” Several surprising findings were noted, such as inadequate family life and low social visibility. Implications for research on the executives' personalities were discussed.
Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the exocrine glands become sites of intense immunologic activity, leading to tissue damage that is manifested as mucosal dryness (1). This disorder can occur either alone, as primary SS, or on a background of another connective tissue disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma), or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as secondary SS. One theory of the disease immunopathogenesis proposes that the syndrome is initiated by epitheliitis and is sustained by the ensuing influx of lymphocytes (2). Hence, the disease was referred to by those investigators as autoimmune epitheliitis. All affected organs, especially the salivary glands, exhibit a lymphoproliferative sialadenitis. Lymphoproliferative sialadenitis in SS is associated with lymphocyte infiltration, epithelial cell proliferation, and apoptosis (3). Compared with healthy individuals, patients with SS are at greater risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (4). Lymphocytes are therefore central to the pathophysiology of this autoimmune condition. However, there is controversy about which set of lymphocytes directs the immunopathologic process. Examination of the available evidence at a glance suggests that T lymphocytes play the principal role in the immunopathogenesis of these diseases. This proposition is based on the numerical predominance of T lymphocytes in the cellular composition of the inflamed tissues and on the restriction of the T cell receptor (5). One potential contradiction of this proposition, however, is that if the T lymphocytes were indeed the principal driving cells, then no increases in monoclonal Ig and B cell lymphoma would be seen in primary SS. Therefore, because the numerical predominance of T lymphocytes is not consistent with the clonal expansion of B cells in SS patients, attention has recently focused on the possibility that B lymphocytes play the leading role. Furthermore, there is good evidence to indicate that B lymphocytes promote the immune responses to self and non-self antigens through antibody-dependent and antibodyindependent mechanisms (6). Accumulation of B cells in exocrine glands results in their clustering into aggregates (7). There is nonetheless evidence from phenotype analyses suggesting that these aggregates are benign (8). Such findings raise questions as to why lymphomas frequently develop on a background of polyclonal proliferation of B cells in patients with SS (9). The frequent leukemic transformation in these patients with primary SS was first noted by Bunim and Talal (10). Subsequent studies by these investigators indicated that the two B cell aberrations were associated (11). They went on further to show a whole range of benign-to-malignant B cell proliferations in patients with primary SS, but not in those with secondary SS (12). Lymphoma in these patients has thus changed from an all-or-nothing phenomenon to one of a continuous spectrum of disease. This concept fits in with, but does not explain, the high frequency of lymphoma in patients with primary SS. In this review, we venture into the area of the ambiguous relationship between primary SS and B cell lymphoma. This analysis is focused in part on highlighting the centrality of B lymphocytes to the pathogenesis of primary SS and on exploring the likely processes that underpin the polyclonality or monoclonality of B cells in the disease. Our paradigm does not exclude a key role of Supported by the Association Francaise du Gougerot-Sjogren et des Syndromes Secs, the French Ministry for Education and Research, and the Institut Francais pour la Recherche Odontologique. Pierre Youinou, MD, DSc, Valerie Devauchelle-Pensec, MD, PhD, Jacques-Olivier Pers, DDS, PhD: EA2216 Immunology and Pathology, IFR 148 ScInBioS, European University of Brittany, and Brest University Medical School Hospital, Brest, France. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Pierre Youinou, MD, DSc, Laboratory of Immunology, Brest University Medical School Hospital, BP824, F29609 Brest, France. E-mail: youinou@univbrest.fr. Submitted for publication March 19, 2010; accepted May 11, 2010.
Source and item memory for faces of former United States Presidents were assessed in nondemented older adults over 65 years of age (n = 20) and young adults 18 to 25 years of age (n = 20). During the study phase, a male and a female source each presented pictures of faces to the participant one at a time. To assess source memory, the participant was asked to indicate whether a face from the study phase was presented by the male or female. To assess item memory, a study phase face and distractor face were presented and the participant was asked to indicate which was presented previously. Older adults displayed significantly better item memory for the faces of presidents compared to young adults. However, despite showing superior item memory, source memory still was impaired in older adults compared to young adults. The ability of older adults to efficiently integrate source and item information may be compromised to such a large extent that enhanced item memory does not appear to minimize or negate age-related source memory deficits. The findings demonstrate the robust effects of aging on source memory.
A technique of heat transfer enhancement is investigated whereby the internal span-wise cooling passages of a typical first stage gas turbine blade are modified by the introduction of circumferential ribs.The technique is verified by the use of a test rig incorporating a heated internally ribbed tube operating at the same range of Mach and Reynolds numbers as the turbine blade as well as by a test rig incorporating actual production blades immersed in a heated oil bath.Copyright © 1991 by ASME
The Pd–Cu–Clx/Al2O3 catalysts (PCC) were prepared by a two-step impregnation (TI) method in organic solvent, wet impregnation (WI) method and NH3 coordination-impregnation (CI) method. The PCC-TI catalyst prepared by the two-step impregnation method (TI) exhibited much higher activity and stability for CO oxidation than the other catalysts, resulting from the smaller size of Cu2Cl(OH)3 and fewer carbonates deposited on the surface of PCC-TI catalyst. Using the PCC-TI catalyst, the complete conversion temperature of CO was 10 °C in the presence of 3.1% H2O. Among the three catalysts, the activation energy (Ea) of PCC-TI/ethanol was the lowest (27.1 kJ mol−1). The PCC-TI/ethanol prepared in ethanol solvent showed a higher activity compared with PCC-TI/methanol, due to much stronger interactions between the copper and palladium species. High concentrations of moisture and CO had a negative effect on the CO conversion. The former is due to excessive numbers of –OH groups (from H2O dissociation) which occupy the active sites of Pd and Cu, though –OH groups can work as part of the catalytic cycle, and the latter may originate from competitive adsorption and the presence of carbonates on the surface. We used DFT calculations to study the adsorption of H2O and CO on the surface, and the catalytic cycle of CO oxidation on the Pd species, revealing the possible routes for the formation of common species observed in the in situ DRIFTS spectra.
Beta-adrenergic agonists are commonly used in livestock production to accelerate growth by enhancing lean tissue gain. These compounds repartition nutrients away from fat deposition and toward protein accretion. Generally, increased growth is associated with ractopamine feeding, which improves feed conversion and increases body weight gain. However, little data exists on the effects of ractopamine-HCl on live performance or carcass characteristics of beef heifers. Data released from Elanco Animal Health indicate that differences between gender may exist in response to ractopamine, and therefore appropriate strategies for the administration of this compound must be defined for heifers independent of those for steers. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Optaflexx, when fed for different dosages over different durations, on finishing heifer performance.
In up to 15% of acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs), a recurring chromosomal translocation, termed t(8;21), generates the AML1–eight–twenty-one (ETO) leukemia fusion protein, which contains the DNA-binding domain of Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) and almost all of ETO. RUNX1 and the AML1–ETO fusion protein are coexpressed in t(8;21) AML cells and antagonize each other's gene-regulatory functions. AML1–ETO represses transcription of RUNX1 target genes by competitively displacing RUNX1 and recruiting corepressors such as histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3). Recent studies have shown that AML1–ETO and RUNX1 co-occupy the binding sites of AML1–ETO–activated genes. How this joined binding allows RUNX1 to antagonize AML1–ETO–mediated transcriptional activation is unclear. Here we show that RUNX1 functions as a bona fide repressor of transcription activated by AML1–ETO. Mechanistically, we show that RUNX1 is a component of the HDAC3 corepressor complex and that HDAC3 preferentially binds to RUNX1 rather than to AML1–ETO in t(8;21) AML cells. Studying the regulation of interleukin-8 (IL8), a newly identified AML1–ETO–activated gene, we demonstrate that RUNX1 and HDAC3 collaboratively repress AML1–ETO–dependent transcription, a finding further supported by results of genome-wide analyses of AML1–ETO–activated genes. These and other results from the genome-wide studies also have important implications for the mechanistic understanding of gene-specific coactivator and corepressor functions across the AML1–ETO/RUNX1 cistrome.
By analyzing a number of trials concerning land disputes that took place between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth, this essay examines how freemen of color accessed property in the Pacific lowlands along the frontier of the Spanish empire, stretching from modern-day Colombia to Ecuador. Characterized by alluvial gold fields, this region was home to a significant population of Africans -both enslaved and free -who had mixed with local indigenous groups, in contrast to the very small presence of whites and the colonial authority. The mines thus became a resource for slaves to acquire freedom and land. In this particular context, the African diaspora communities living in this region considered the appeal to justice for the acknowledgment of their property rights more of a strategy to achieve citizenship, rather than the beginning of a process of ethno-genesis.
Most of the research in database integration have focussed on matching schema-level information to determine the correspondences between data concepts in the component databases. Such research relies on the availability of schema experts, schema documentation, and well-designed schemas – items that are often not available. We propose a method of initial instance-based correspondence discovery that greatly reduces the manual effort involved in the current integration processes. The gains are accomplished because the ensuing method uses only instance data (a body of database knowledge that is always available) to make its initial discoveries.
This paper shows how the critical flow section in a collector channel can be located by solving the dynamic equation of spatially varied flow, Manning's equation, and making use of the singular-point concept. In addition to channel length and tailwater elevation, the occurrence of a critical flow section in a spatially varied flow also depends on the combination of channel cross-sectional geometry, roughness, slope, and inflow rate. When the critical flow section is necessary to be developed in a collector channel, the two dimensionless parameters (Fq/S0 representing the design capacity and N/S0 representing the channel roughness) derived in this study guide selection of channel cross-sectional parameters. A set of design charts is provided for trapezoidal channels with a side slope of 1V:1H, 0.5V:1H, or 0V:1H.
Background Data: In cases of axillary nerve injury, surgical reconstruction is indicated when no spontaneous recovery is noted after three to six months. Surgical repair has been carried out by neurolysis, a nerve graft or nerve transfer. Purpose: The aim of this study was to report our results with reconstruction of the axillary nerve by transferring the branch of the triceps lower medial head to the anterior division of the axillary nerve. Study Design: A descriptive analytic cross section retrospective study. Patients and Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed their data archive from 2011 through 2015, and seven patients who were operated on due to complete injury of the axillary nerve either isolated or as part of brachial plexus injury were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent surgical reconstruction by transfer the radial nerve branch from the triceps medial head to the anterior division of the axillary nerve. Results: There were six men and one woman included in this study, with a mean age of 26 years (range 17–37 years). All patients recovered deltoid function and maintained full active elbow extension. Abduction strength improved from approximately 40% that of the normal side at 90˚ of abduction preoperatively to 60% of normal strength postoperatively. There was improved endurance in abduction from approximately 25% to 65% that of the normal side, which was sufficient to eliminate shoulder pain or fatigability. Conclusion: Transfer of the radial nerve branch for the lower triceps medial head to the anterior division of the axillary nerve proved to be an effective method of deltoid re-innervation. (2015ESJ101)
Milk is an important source of nutrients and energy, but there are still many uncertainties regarding the health effects of milk and dairy products consumption. Milk from different species varies in physicochemical and nutritional properties. We previously showed that dietary supplements with different milks in rats trigger significant differences in metabolic and inflammatory states, modulating mitochondrial functions in metabolically active organs such as the liver and skeletal muscle. Here, we have deepened the effects of isoenergetic supplementation of milk (82 kJ) from cow (CM), donkey (DM) or human (HM) on hepatic metabolism to understand the interlink between mitochondrial metabolic flexibility, lipid storage and redox state and to highlight the possible role of two hepatocyte aquaporins (AQPs) of metabolic relevance, AQP8 and AQP9, in this crosstalk. Compared with rats with no milk supplementation, DM- and HM-fed rats had reduced hepatic lipid content with enhanced mitochondrial function and decreased oxidative stress. A marked reduction in AQP8, a hydrogen peroxide channel, was seen in the liver mitochondria of DM-fed rats compared with HM-fed, CM-fed and control animals. DM-fed or HM-fed rats also showed reduced hepatic inflammatory markers and less collagen and Kupffer cells. CM-fed rats showed higher hepatic fat content and increased AQP9 and glycerol permeability. A role of liver AQP8 and AQP9 is suggested in the different metabolic profiles resulting from milk supplementation.
We report on the development of a simple process model, motivated by a need to predict the evolution of surface roughness and geometrical change over external, three dimensional free form surfaces undergoing a loose abrasive polishing process. To this end, the process model was derived from tribological wear laws and cast in terms of the point sliding velocity and apparent pressure and then benchmarked against data drawn from experiments in three disparate loose abrasive finishing techniques, namely, vibratory finishing, abrasive flow machining and magnetorheological finishing. We conclude with a brief discussion on the potential and limitations of the model in analysing loose abrasive finishing processes.
One explanation for why downstream gonadotropin protocol changes during IVF commonly arrive too late to have significant effects is that embryo development actually begins during oogenesis. Thus, efforts to modify the chromosomal status of blastocysts must address the ovarian milieu well in advance of follicular recruitment. A 42 year old woman with primary infertility of 3 year duration attended with her partner. Five previous IVF cycles had produced 20 embryos, but all had genetic abnormalities and no embryo transfer was performed. Karyotypes and all lab tests were normal for both partners. 3 months before her IVF here, she received isolated platelet-derived growth factors injected into both ovaries as a cell-free, enriched substrate. Genetic assessments were via whole genome amplification and DNA tagmentation and PCR adapter sequences. Comprehensive chromosomal screening was carried out by dual-indexed sequencing of pooled libraries on the MiSeq™ platform. From this IVF cycle one euploid 46, XY blastocyst was produced and vitrified on the day of trophectoderm biopsy. 9 days after frozen embryo transfer, serum human chorionic gonadotropin was 250 mIU/ml and a transvaginal ultrasound at 6 week gestation confirmed a single intrauterine pregnancy with fetal heart at 153/min. A healthy male infant was delivered by c-section at 39 weeks' gestation. While cellular and molecular events directing the oocyte-to-embryo transition are incompletely characterized, processes related to ovarian stem cell differentiation, mitochondrial dynamics, and mRNA storage, translation, and degradation likely are relevant. It appears that intraovarian application of autologous platelet-derived growth factors, when used before IVF, can impact oocyte integrity and facilitate euploid blastocyst development. Although research on intraovarian injection of autologous activated platelet rich plasma has already shown improved quantitative IVF responses, this is the first description of qualitative improvements in embryo genetics after intraovarian injection of autologous platelet-derived growth factors.
This evidence-based practice paper describes a living-learning community model for firstand second-year engineering students. Our residential community is designed to foster an educational experience that effectively supports and reinforces academic excellence in the classroom while infusing leadership practices into the physical and developmental spaces our students share. We do this by supporting academic foundations in engineering, promoting community responsibility, and teaching principles of leadership. Our programming model includes cohort-style engineering coursework, bi-weekly course reviews, and a collaborative service-learning project in which second-year students are project managers and first-year students are team members. The Engineering Leadership Community started as a retention strategy in 2009. Students who do not integrate socially and academically into their institution of higher learning are more likely to depart from college before earning a degree (1). In fact, student engagement can actually compensate for academic under preparedness, giving students the opportunity to connect to more academic support (2); (3); (4). By providing a physical environment for students in engineering majors to live, our program has historically allowed students to make academic and social connections early in their college career, which better supports their persistence. In recent years, students in the Engineering Leadership Community have taken multiple classes in the same sections together, including a one-credit academic success course and their introductory engineering lab. This method uses Tinto’s learning community model, helping students to make connections between courses with their peers (1). The additional elements of service-learning and project-based learning have brought the residents of the Engineering Leadership Community into stronger leadership roles. Using (5) learning partnership model, we combine students’ academic skills and interests in engineering with social justice and community service in order to produce what Baxter-Magolda calls “effective citizenship.” In addition, the program design allows for a scaffolded educational experience, support students as freshmen and gradually challenging them to take on leadership responsibilities by the end of their second year. We use qualitative analysis to assess how students interact and make sense of different elements of this program. In order to live in the Engineering Leadership Community, students submit a statement of purpose and a resume. These documents, along with work submitted in the academic success class, are analyzed inductively and deductively in NVivo software in order to code and connect themes in students’ attitudes and beliefs. At the end of the academic year, students participate in interviews to share about their participation in the Engineering Leadership Community. These data are used to continuously evaluate the program. Promising results have included continued academic success and retention, continued engagement in leadership activities within the college and the university, and a greater sense of peer-support and accountability. Students have also demonstrated more self-efficacy in project management and team leadership. What started as a program designed to retain students in the engineering discipline has turned into a multi-level developmental experience for first and second year students. The environment of both peer and administrative support has given students the opportunity to thrive in rigorous coursework, develop confidence in their planning, organization, and leadership skills, and connect their academic work to real-life applications of engineering.
Therapeutic stem cell applications represent a newly evolving approach for the treatment of several genetic and degenerative diseases. The advent of pharmacogenomics too, holds promise for an individualized, optimal treatment regime for a large variety of medical conditions. A combination of the benefits of these two technologies creates a new niche in therapeutic medicine research viz. that of stem cell pharmacogenomics (SCP). The development of this approach requires the application of existing technologies in genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics to resolve the various issues involved in advancing the therapeutic applications of stem cell medicine. In this brief overview of the subject, we attempt to provide fresh insights into the exclusive niche of stem cell pharmacogenomics and discuss some of the priority issues that need to be targeted, based on the existing principles of pharmacogenomics, stem cell characteristics and transplantation medicine. Advances in these areas are imperative in realizing the dream of stem cell therapies contributing towards the improvisation of the quality of human life.
The home-sharing platform, Airbnb, is disrupting the social and spatial dynamics of cities. While there is a growing body of literature examining the effects of Airbnb on housing supply in first-world, urban environments, impacts on dwellings and dwelling typologies remain underexplored. This research paper investigates the implications of “on-demand domesticity” in Australia’s second largest city, Melbourne, where the uptake of Airbnb has been enthusiastic, rapid, and unregulated. In contrast to Airbnb’s opportunistic use of existing housing stock in other global cities, the rise of short-term holiday rentals and the construction of new homes in Melbourne has been more symbiotic, perpetuating, and even driving housing models—with some confronting results. This paper highlights the challenges and opportunities that Airbnb presents for the domestic landscape of Melbourne, exposing loopholes and grey areas in the planning and building codes which have enabled peculiar domestic mutations to spring up in the city’s suburbs, catering exclusively to the sharing economy. Through an analysis of publically available spatial data, including GIS, architectural drawings, planning documents, and building and planning codes, this paper explores the spatial and ethical implications of this urban phenomenon. Ultimately arguing that the sharing economy may benefit from a spatial response if it presents a spatial problem, this paper proposes that strategic planning could assist in recalibrating and subverting the effects of global disruption in favor of local interests. Such a framework could limit the pernicious effects of Airbnb, while stimulating activity in areas in need of rejuvenation, representing a more nuanced, context-specific approach to policy and governance.
This paper describes the design of a model-based autonomous planning system that will enable robots to manage a space-borne chemical laboratory. In a model-based planning system, knowledge is encapsulated in the Ibrm of models at the various layers to support the predefined system objectives. Thus the model-based approach can he considered as an extended planning paradigm which is able to base its planning, control, diagnosis, repair, and other activities on a variety of objectives-related models. We employ a System Entity Structure/Model Base framework to support autonoiious system design through the ability to generate a family of planning alternatives as well as to build hierarchical event-based control structures. The model base is a multi-level, multi-abstraction, and multiformalism system organized through the use ni system morphisms to integrate related models.
Although treatment options for cancer patients are increasing every year, the drug resistance problem remains very present. It is very difficult to find a drug that acts equally on tumours of the same histology as the individual's genetic characteristics often determine the response to treatment. Furthermore, tumours that initially respond to anti-tumour therapy are able to adapt and develop resistance to the drug, while others do not. In addition, this usually implies resistance development to agents to which the cells have not been exposed, a phenomenon called cross-resistance or multidrug resistance. Given this situation, it has been suggested that the most appropriate treatment would be able to act in parallel on multiple pathways constitutively altered in tumour cells. Pemetrexed is a multitargeted antifolate that exerts its activity against folate-dependent enzymes involved in de novo pyrimidine and purine synthesis. It is currently in use in combination with cisplatin against malignant pleural mesothelioma and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer with favourable results. By real-time RT-PCR gene expression assays and restoration viability assays we demonstrated that Pemetrexed targets folate-dependent enzymes involved in de novo biosynthesis of purines differently depending on the intrinsic genetic characteristics of the tumour. These differences did not, however, interfere either with the initial response to the drug or with the activation of apoptotic pathways. In addition, these genetic fingerprints can differentiate two groups of tumours: those capable of developing resistance to antifolate, and not capable. These results may be useful to employ targets gene expression as resistance markers, a valuable tool for identifying patients likely to receive combination therapy to prevent the development of resistance.
Suppose N is a nice subgroup of the primary abelian group G and A = G/N. The paper discusses various contexts in which G satisfying some property implies that A also satisfies the property, or visa versa, especially when N is countable. For example, if n is a positive integer, G has length not exceeding !1 and N is countable, then G is n-summable iff A is n-summable. When A is separable and N is countable, we discuss the condition that any such G decomposes into the direct sum of a countable and a separable group, and we show that it is undecidable in ZFC whether this condition implies that A must be a direct sum of cyclics. We also relate these considerations to the study of nice bases for primary abelian groups.
Objective Progesterone receptor (PGR) and AT-rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A) have important roles in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in the uterus. In present studies, we examined the expression of mitochondrial tumor suppressor 1 (MTUS1) in the murine uterus during early pregnancy as well as in response to ovarian steroid hormone treatment. Methods We performed quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry analysis to investigate the regulation of MTUS1 by ARID1A and determined expression patterns of MTUS1 in the uterus during early pregnancy. Results The expression of MTUS1 was detected on day 0.5 of gestation (GD 0.5) and then gradually increased until GD 3.5 in the luminal and glandular epithelium. However, the expression of MTUS1 was significantly reduced in the uterine epithelial cells of Pgrcre/+Arid1af/f and Pgr knockout (PRKO) mice at GD 3.5. Furthermore, MTUS1 expression was remarkably induced after P4 treatment in the luminal and glandular epithelium of the wild-type mice. However, the induction of MTUS1 expression was not detected in uteri of Pgrcre/+Arid1af/f or PRKO mice treated with P4. Conclusion These results suggest that MTUS1 is a novel target gene by ARID1A and PGR in the uterine epithelial cells.
We present a novel method for segmenting images with texture and nontexture regions. Local spectral histograms are feature vectors consisting of histograms of chosen filter responses, which capture both texture and nontexture information. Based on the observation that the local spectral histogram of a pixel location can be approximated through a linear combination of the representative features weighted by the area coverage of each feature, we formulate the segmentation problem as a multivariate linear regression, where the solution is obtained by least squares estimation. Moreover, we propose an algorithm to automatically identify representative features corresponding to different homogeneous regions, and show that the number of representative features can be determined by examining the effective rank of a feature matrix. We present segmentation results on different types of images, and our comparison with another spectral histogram based method shows that the proposed method gives more accurate results.
Background . Dyslipidemia is defined as an abnormality of lipid metabolism which is characterized by an increase or decrease in the main lipid fractions, namely an increase in total cholesterol, Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, and a decrease in plasma High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Lycopene is one of the antioxidants that can affect lipid profiles. Research Methods. This research is a Pre-experimental research design pretest and posttest design. The subjects of this study were men and women aged ≥45 years with 8 people with LDL cholesterol levels> 100 mg / dl. Data were tested using the Paired T Test to determine the effect of decreasing LDL cholesterol levels before and after tomato juice administration (p = 0,000). Research R esult . There was an average decrease of 20 mg / dl on LDL cholesterol levels before and after administration of tomato juice. Conclusion . There was a significant effect on the reduction of LDL cholesterol before and after being given an intervention in the form of tomato juice.
A high-intensity deuteron linear accelerator is currently being studied as a promising candidate to treat high-level radioactive waste through the nuclear transmutation process. This paper presents the study on a design of a 75.5 MHz, 400 mA, continuous-wave deuteron radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ), which is proposed as the front-end of such a linear accelerator. The results of the beam dynamics simulation suggest that the designed RFQ can accelerate a 400-mA deuteron beam from 100 keV to 2.5 MeV with a transmission rate of 92.0 ∼ 93.3%, depending on the assumed input transverse emittance.
Half a century ago, the sedative thalidomide caused a serious drug disaster because of its teratogenicity and was withdrawn from the market. However, thalidomide, which has returned to the market, is now used for the treatment of leprosy and multiple myeloma (MM) under strict control. The mechanism of thalidomide action had been a long-standing question. We developed a new affinity bead technology and identified cereblon (CRBN) as a thalidomide-binding protein. We found that CRBN functions as a substrate receptor of an E3 cullin-Ring ligase complex 4 (CRL4) and is a primary target of thalidomide teratogenicity. Recently, new thalidomide derivatives, called immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), have been developed by Celgene. Among them, lenalidomide (Len) and pomalidomide (Pom) were shown to exert strong therapeutic effects against MM. It was found that Len and Pom both bind CRBN-CRL4 and recruit neomorphic substrates (Ikaros and Aiolos). More recently it was reported that casein kinase 1a (Ck1a) was identified as a substrate for CRBN-CRL4 in the presence of Len, but not Pom. Ck1a breakdown explains why Len is specifically effective for myelodysplastic syndrome with 5q deletion. It is now proposed that binding of IMiDs to CRBN appears to alter the substrate specificity of CRBN-CRL4. In this review, we introduce recent findings on IMiDs.
In one of my first books published in 1991, I wrote that after the collapse of European border regimes of Versailles, Yalta and Helsinki, the only European border regime to survive was the one established in London. Twenty-two years ago, I thought that border regimes established in Europe, (as a result of diplomatic conferences following great wars), reflected the geopolitical reality of the times back then, and as such, were in no way permanent. Despite the fact that these great powers decided to establish borders after these conferences (by proclaiming the borders as “unchangeable”), as time went by, the European political map has continously changed. Since the Peace of Westphalia, (1648) , to the Vienna peace (1815), and up to the Berlin peace (1878), borders were initially fixed on diplomatic tables as “unchangeable” but later, would change due to new realities in the field.
Antibiotics are among the most valuable compounds used for fighting human diseases. Unfortunately, pathogenic bacteria have evolved towards resistance. One important and frequently forgotten aspect of antibiotics and their resistance genes is that they evolved in non-clinical (natural) environments before the use of antibiotics by humans. Given that the biosphere is mainly formed by micro-organisms, learning the functional role of antibiotics and their resistance elements in nature has relevant implications both for human health and from an ecological perspective. Recent works have suggested that some antibiotics may serve for signalling purposes at the low concentrations probably found in natural ecosystems, whereas some antibiotic resistance genes were originally selected in their hosts for metabolic purposes or for signal trafficking. However, the high concentrations of antibiotics released in specific habitats (for instance, clinical settings) as a consequence of human activity can shift those functional roles. The pollution of natural ecosystems by antibiotics and resistance genes might have consequences for the evolution of the microbiosphere. Whereas antibiotics produce transient and usually local challenges in microbial communities, antibiotic resistance genes present in gene-transfer units can spread in nature with consequences for human health and the evolution of environmental microbiota that are largely ignored.
Dupuytren's disease is a common condition in hand surgery. The fifth finger is frequently affected, pre- senting the highest recurrence rate after surgical treatment. The ulnar lateral-digital flap is used when a skin defect prevents direct closure after fasciectomy of the fifth finger at the level of the MP joint. Our case series comprises of 11 patients undergoing this procedure. Their mean preoperative extension deficit was 52° at the MP joint and 43° at the PIP joint. Full extension of the MP joint and a mean of 8° extension deficit at the PIP joint was achieved with surgery. All patients maintained full extension at the MP joint, with a follow-up of 1 to 3 years. Minor complications were reported. The ulnar lateral digital flap is a simple and reliable alternative when surgically treating Dupuytren's disease of the fifth finger.
Objective To characterize trauma-related falls in infants and toddlers aged 0 to 3 years over a 4-year period and develop a risk stratification model of causes of fall injuries. Methods Data on falls of 0 to 3 year olds from 2009 to 2012 were identified from a Jerusalem tertiary hospital trauma registry (N = 422) and the National Trauma Registry of Israel (N = 4,131). Results Almost half of falls occurred during the first year of life, and 57% of the children were Jewish. The majority of the children lived in low socioeconomic environments, both in the Jewish (59.2%) and Arab (97.6%) samples. Most (74%) of the falls resulted in head injury. A classification and regression tree analysis indicated that falls from furniture were the leading cause of injury in 0 to 12 month olds (estimated probability of 37.9%), whereas slipping is the leading cause in 13 to 36 month olds (estimated probability of 38.4%). Age and ethnicity emerged as the leading predictors of the nature of a fall; Injury Severity Score and the child's sex were secondary. Compared with the national data, Jerusalem children had a higher incidence of falls from buildings (9.3%; 2.4%), a higher moderate-severe Injury Severity Score (>16), a higher incidence of traumatic brain injury, and a longer hospital length of stay (P < 0.001). Conclusions The leading determinants of fall injuries in children below the age of 3 years are age, ethnicity, and low socioeconomic status. Future outreach community interventions should target these risk groups and be tailored to their defining characteristics.
The reaction between [[{Me2P(BH3)}(Me3Si)C{(SiMe2)(CH2)}]Li(THF)3]2 and either Cp2Sn or Cp2Pb in toluene cleanly gives the compounds rac-[{Me2P(BH3)}(Me3Si)C{(SiMe2)(CH2)}]2E in moderate yield [E = Sn (10), Pb (11)]. NMR spectra of crude samples indicate that 10 is predominantly formed as the rac isomer; for 11 there is no evidence for the formation of the meso diastereomer at all. Crystallization from diethyl ether yields the solvates 10·Et2O and 11·Et2O; X-ray crystallography reveals that these compounds crystallize as discrete rac-dialkylstannylene and -plumbylene species in which there are two short agostic-type B−H···E contacts. A DFT study suggests that these agostic-type interactions stabilize 10 and 11 by 47.7 and 42.7 kcal mol−1, respectively. Calculations on the corresponding meso diastereomers of 10 and 11 suggest that the tin and lead centers in these compounds have close contacts to just one hydrogen atom of a BH3 group, although a second, weaker B−H···E contact is observed in each case. Thes...
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) requires nearly perfect adherence to be effective. This study aims to identify key factors identified by HIV-infected adolescents on ART as contributing to medication adherence in western Kenya. Using a qualitative study design, three adolescent focus groups discussions were conducted at an urban and rural clinic site in western Kenya. The study population included HIV-infected adolescents receiving ART through the USAID-AMPATH HIV care system. A trained facilitator conducted groups in Kiswahili using a semistructured interview guide probing multiple aspects of experience of taking medicines. Transcribed focus group dialogs were analyzed using constant comparison, progressive coding, and triangulation. The adolescents described a context of negative societal beliefs about HIV, necessitating a lifestyle of secrecy and minimizing the information shared about HIV or ART. Assessing and addressing adolescents’ fears and behaviors regarding medication secrecy and disclosure may enable more accurate monitoring of adherence and development of intervention strategies.
Chemical and non-chemical contributions to breath-holding time (BHT) were directly determined by using a visual analog scale (VAS). These values were compared with those indirectly calculated from the method proposed by Godfrey and Campbell (1968). The magnitude of non-chemical factor at low PCO2 in our study was substantially less than the one obtained by the above investigators. We conclude that Godfrey and Campbell's model postulating linear augmentation of non-chemical sensation is inappropriate to explain dyspnea profile during breath-holding.
Ječmenica M., N. Kravić, M. Vasić, T. Živanović, V. Mandić, J. Damnjanović, V. Dragičević (2016): Genetic variability of free energy in a function of drought tolerance in common bean accessions. Genetika, vol 48, no. 3, 1003 1015. Characterisation of bean genotypes, particularly local landraces is important for ongoing breeding programs, especially for drought tolerance. Susceptibility to drought is emphasized when bean is grown as a stubble crop and sown at the middle of summer. The aim of this study was to compare variability of ten bean genotypes to optimal (25 °C) and higher (30 °C) temperatures in combination with optimal (80%) and reduced (40%) field water capacity (FWC), from the point of growth (root and shoot length and fresh matter accumulation) and thermodynamic parameters of free energy (calculated parameter after drying at 60 °C, 105 °C and 130 °C) during the early seedlings stage. Significant and positive correlation between root length and fresh matter with free energy at symplast and chemically bound water occurred under temperature stress (i.e. 30 °C). Root growth and elongation were affected by drought stress, i.e. under a combination of high temperature (30 °C) and water deficit (40% FWC). Based on higher energy consumption, the ability of shoot to continue a growth in stressful conditions could be possible to achieve, as was confirm through significant and positive correlation between evaluated growth parameters in shoot and free energy of free water. 1004 GENETIKA, Vol. 48, No.3, 1003-1015, 2016 It could be concluded that most of the examined dry bean accessions expressed some sensitivity to stress applied. Among genotypes tested, local landrace zecak expressed lesser susceptibility to stresses applied. Accession Maksa was more tolerant to changes at cytoplasmic level, while Medijana and Sataja 425 expressed root i.e. shoot stress tolerance. Those accessions could be considered as potentially drought tolerant genotypes.
Urban passenger traffic mode sharing ratio is discussed. For the sake of the sustainable development of the economy, society, and ecology, a macro-optimization model of urban passenger traffic mode sharing ratio is put forward. Considering the macro-control and factors that may have impact on the structure of urban passenger transportation, a forecasting model of urban traffic mode sharing ratio is set up, which is based on the distance diversion curve. Instance analysis is provided to show the accuracy and the dependability of the proposed model in use.
Abstract   Field surveys were conducted during 1998, 2000, 2003, and 2004 within the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Missouri to determine if ambient ground-level ozone was impacting ozone-sensitive refuge vegetation. Ozone-induced leaf symptoms (stipple) were observed within the refuge during each survey year. Percentage of bioindicator plants exhibiting stipple were wild grape (16.1%) > Common Milkweed (16.0%) > ash (7.5%) > Black Cherry (6.7%) > Flowering Dogwood (4.9%) > Sassafras (2.3%) > Sweetgum (1.2%). By year, the incidence of symptomatic plants were 1998 (22.8%) > 2003 (3.9%) > 2000 (3.4%) > 2004 (2.5%). Cumulative ambient ozone levels (SUM60, ppb.hrs) monitored at the closest EPA monitor (Bonne Terre, MO) at time of survey were 1998 (44,886) > 2000 (39,611) > 2003 (38,465) > 2004 (15,147). The cumulative SUM60 threshold value of ozone needed to cause foliar symptoms on ozone-sensitive plants within the refuge appears to be ca. 10,000 ppb.hrs. Ozone injury is likely to occur on ozone-sensitive plant species within the refuge during most years.
The aim of this work is to develop a remotely controlled manipulator to perform minimally invasive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in the abdominal and thoracic cavities, with real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance inside clinical cylindrical MR scanners. The manipulator is composed of a three degree of freedom Cartesian motion system, which resides outside the gantry of the scanner, and serves as the holder and global positioner of a three degree of freedom arm which extends inside the gantry of the scanner At its distal end, the arm's end-effector can carry an interventional tool such as a biopsy needle, which can be advanced to a desired depth by means of a seventh degree of freedom. These seven degrees of freedom, provided by the entire assembly, offer extended manipulability to the device and a wide envelope of operation to the user, who can select a trajectory suitable for the procedure. The device is constructed of nonmagnetic and nonconductive fiberglass, and carbon fiber composite materials, to minimize artifacts and distortion on the MR images as well as eliminate effects on its operation from the high magnetic field and the fast switching magnetic field gradients used in MR imaging. A user interface was developed for man-in-the-loop control of the device using real-time MR images. The user interface fuses all sensor signals (MR and manipulator information) in a visualization, planning, and control command environment. Path planning is performed with graphical tools for setting the trajectory of insertion of the interventional tool using multislice and/or three dimensional MR images which are refreshed in real time. The device control is performed with an embedded computer which runs real-time control software. The manipulator compatibility with the MR environment and image-guided operation was tested on a 1.5 T MR scanner.
Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) decidual prolactin cDNA was cloned and sequenced. The first 210 bp of the monkey sequence is not contiguous to the human pituitary prolactin transcription initiation site. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Southern analysis confirmed that this 5'-extended prolactin transcript is present in monkey decidua but not in pituitary. Isolation and sequencing of a partial genomic monkey prolactin clone verified the nucleotide changes found in the rhesus cDNA. Comparison of the rhesus decidual prolactin cDNA to the human pituitary cDNA revealed more than 97% homology between the two. These data indicate that monkey prolactin mRNA from the decidualized endometrium of pregnancy contains unique 5' sequence not present in pituitary prolactin mRNA, suggesting the use of an alternative start site. Thus it is likely that the decidua uses promoter and regulatory regions different from those reported for pituitary prolactin.
Literary history--to put it mildly--has not been very kind to Robert Southey and his Vision of Judgment. Within the context of Byron's satiric reply, in fact, Southey himself takes on at least something of the dimensions of a character in comic art, caught forever in a pose of absurd assurance, even as Fate begins its work of unhinging the trapdoor beneath his feet. Who of us, for example, knowing that Byron's own Vision is to follow, has not quickened with anticipatory delight at the dramatic irony implicit in some of Southey's vaunting utterances? "Attack me as he will," we find Southey writing soon after the appearance of Canto I of Don Juan, "I shall not go out of my course to break a spear with him; but if it comes in my way to give him a passing touch, it will be one that will leave a scar" (Life and Correspondence _/185J./> P» 376). And after he had attempted even more than "a passing touch," striking sharply--if deviously--at Byron through references to "the Satanic school" in his preface to A Vision of Judgment, Southey wrote com placently to The Courier:
ABSTRACT Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an important vegetable crop that carries on vegetative growth and reproductive growth simultaneously. Indeterminate growth is favourable for fresh market under protected environments, whereas determinate growth is preferred for pickling cucumber in the once-over mechanical harvest system. The genetic basis of determinacy is largely unknown in cucumber. In this study, map-based cloning of the de locus showed that the determinate growth habit is caused by a non-synonymous SNP in CsTFL1. CsTFL1 is expressed in the subapical regions of the shoot apical meristem, lateral meristem and young stems. Ectopic expression of CsTFL1 rescued the terminal flower phenotype in the Arabidopsis tfl1-11 mutant and delayed flowering in wild-type Arabidopsis. Knockdown of CsTFL1 resulted in determinate growth and formation of terminal flowers in cucumber. Biochemical analyses indicated that CsTFL1 interacts with a homolog of the miRNA biogenesis gene CsNOT2a; CsNOT2a interacts with FDP. Cucumber CsFT directly interacts with CsNOT2a and CsFD, and CsFD interacts with two 14-3-3 proteins. These data suggest that CsTFL1 competes with CsFT for interaction with CsNOT2a-CsFDP to inhibit determinate growth and terminal flower formation in cucumber. Summary: A novel insight into the molecular mechanisms of determinate growth in cucumber and a strategy for fine-tuning plant architecture using CsTFL1 to adapt to different cucumber production systems.
BACKGROUND There is a tenfold variation across U.S. states in the prevalence of feeding tube use among elderly nursing home residents (NHR) with advanced cognitive impairment. The goal of this study was to examine whether regions with higher rates of health care transitions at the end of life are more likely to use feeding tubes in patients with severe cognitive impairment.   METHODS A retrospective cohort study of U.S. nursing home residents with advanced cognitive impairment. The incidence of feeding tube insertion was determined by Medicare Part A and B billing data. A count of the number of health care transition in the last 6 months of life was determined for nursing home residents. A multivariate model examined the association of residing in a geographic region with a higher rates of health care transition and the insertion of a feeding tube in nusing home resident with advance cognitive impairment.   RESULTS Hospital Referral Region (HRR) health care transitions varied from 192 (Salem, Oregon) to 509 per 100 decedents (Monroe, Louisiana) within the last 6 months of life. HRRs with higher transition rates had a higher incidence of feeding tube insertion (Spearman correlation = 0.58). Subjects residing in regions with the highest quintile of transitions rates were 2.5 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9-3.2) more likely to have a feeding tube inserted compared to those that resided in the lowest quintile.   CONCLUSIONS Regions with higher rates of care transitions among nursing home residents are also much more likely to have higher rates of feeding tube placement for patients with severe cognitive impairment, a population in whom benefit is unlikely.
ABSTRACT Mothers have been found to respond differently to grammatical and ungrammatical utterances in young children's language. However, parents indicate that they are conscious only of responding to communicative aspects of their children's speech, not grammar. Further, researchers have looked to the understandability of utterances to explain the effects of grammaticality on maternal responses. The present study addressed the question of whether it is actually grammatical form that mothers respond to, or whether it is ambiguity in the communicative functions of children's utterances. Three mother-child dyads were videotaped in a free play setting when the children were 2;0 and 3;0. Children's spontaneous comprehensible utterances were rated for grammaticality and ambiguity of function, and mothers' responses to them were noted. Results indicated that mothers responded differentially to both the ambiguity and grammaticality of children's utterances, and that these two factors had some degree of independence in their effects on mothers' responses.
Flow separation in a supersonic contoured nozzle whilst operating under over expanded regime is an inevitable fluid dynamic phenomenon. The flow field comprise formation of complex shock structures and its interaction with the viscous boundary layer. Profound number of researches on various types of contoured nozzle profiles have been undertaken to better understand the said phenomenon. The present study is focused on further understanding the fundamentals associated with formation of shocks and its structural transformation under varying NPR for a defined area ratio. Flow visualization utilizing Schlieren photography has enabled to capture the details of shock and its structure along with other phenomenon viz boundary layer separation, shock boundary layer interaction, aftershocks etc. The locations of shock captured experimentally have also been ascertained with computational generated data for various NPR and the results have been found quite comparable. Keywords—Nozzle, supersonic, overexpansion, contour, lambda feet, area ratio, NPR, SBLI, FSS, RSS, Ansys-Fluent, oblique shock, reflected shock, Schlieren photography, flow visualization, boundary layer, pressure gradients, lambda feet, triple point, slipstream, shear layer, aftershock
ABSTRACT Notochordal cells play a pivotal role in vertebral column patterning, contributing to the formation of the inner architecture of intervertebral discs (IVDs). Their disappearance during development has been associated with reduced repair capacity and IVD degeneration. Notochord cells can give rise to chordomas, a highly invasive bone cancer associated with late diagnosis. Understanding the impact of neoplastic cells during development and on the surrounding vertebral column could open avenues for earlier intervention and therapeutics. We investigated the impact of transformed notochord cells in the zebrafish skeleton using a line expressing RAS in the notochord under the control of the kita promoter, with the advantage of adulthood endurance. Transformed cells caused damage in the notochord and destabilised the sheath layer, triggering a wound repair mechanism, with enrolment of sheath cells (col9a2+) and expression of wt1b, similar to induced notochord wounds. Moreover, increased recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages, displaying abnormal behaviour in proximity to the notochord sheath and transformed cells, supported parallels between chordomas, wound and inflammation. Cancerous notochordal cells interfere with differentiation of sheath cells to form chordacentra domains, leading to fusions and vertebral clefts during development. Adults displayed IVD irregularities reminiscent of degeneration, including reduced bone mineral density and increased osteoclast activity, along with disorganised osteoblasts and collagen, indicating impaired bone homeostasis. By depleting inflammatory cells, we abrogated chordoma development and rescued the skeletal features of the vertebral column. Therefore, we showed that transformed notochord cells alter the skeleton during life, causing a wound-like phenotype and activating chronic wound response, suggesting parallels between chordoma, wound, IVD degeneration and inflammation, highlighting inflammation as a promising target for future therapeutics. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: Analyses using a zebrafish line expressing RAS in the notochord, under the control of the kita promoter, revealed that transformed notochord cells alter the skeleton during life, causing a wound-like phenotype and activating chronic wound response.
The effect of prenatal ASA ingestion on hemostasis was investigated in 59 maternal-neonate pairs. Group I consisted of 36 control pairs in whom a negative ASA drug history was substantiated by normal maternal and neonatal platelet aggregations and values for the prostaglandin byproduct malonyldialdehyde (MDA). Group II consisted of 16 pairs in whom a positive history for maternal ASA ingestion was confirmed by the expected abnormalities in platelet aggregations and MDA. Group III comprised 7 maternal-neonate pairs where maternal ASA ingestion occurred within 6 hours post partum. All groups were evaluated for hemostatic abnormalities. Maternal blood loss was considered excessive, if a drop of >10% between initial and discharge hemoglobin occurred (vaginal delivery), or >25% (C section). In Group I, no maternal hemostatic abnormalities were noted, although 1/34 neonates demonstrated facial ecchymoses. In 10/16 Group II pairs where maternal ASA ingestion had occurred 0-5 days prior to delivery, clinical evidence of bleeding occurred in 90% (9/10) of the infants, and 60% (6/10) of the mothers. In contrast, in 6/16 Group II pairs, where ASA ingestion had occurred 6-10 days prior to delivery, no abnormalities were found. Group III infants were normal, although 57% (4/7) mothers in this group bled abnormally. ASA ingested in the 5 days prior to delivery, or immediately post partum, is associated with hemostatic abnormalities in both mother and neonate.
A moment-method formulation was developed using two geometrically-orthogonal basis functions to represent the total non-uniform surface current distribution over a wire radiating element. Extended basis functions were used to reliably treat the discontinuity of the current at the free ends. A surface kernel was used over all of the antenna structure. It was found that the axially-directed component of the current distribution around the surface of the wire was highly non-uniform and that there was also a significant circumferential current flow due to capacitance between parallel wires, both of these being effects that are overlooked by standard filamentary current representations using an extended kernel. The impedance characteristic showed good agreement with the predictions of a standard filamentary-current code, in the case of applied uniform excitation along the local axis of the wire. However, the power loss computations produce significantly different results.
Several methods of phase retrieval for in line phase tomography have already been investigated based on the linearization of the relation between the phase shift induced by the object and the diffracted intensity. They use the Transport Intensity Equation (TIE) or the Contrast Transfer Function (CTF), or mixed approaches. In this work, we present a non linear iterative approach using the Frechet derivative of the intensity recorded at a few number of propagation distances. The inverse problem is regularized with the smoothing L2 norm of the phase gradient. The evaluation of the method was performed using a simple phase map, both with and without noise. Our approach outerperforms the linear methods on simulated noisy data up to high noise levels.
MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) technology is garnering more interest in new wireless communication standards. In this work, we introduce three techniques to reduce the power consumption of MIMO detectors and increase their data rate. We decrease the complexity of the K-best sphere decoder effectively by using the MMSE-SQRD channel processing technique. This technique results in a smaller K which results in a great reduction in power consumption compared to the K-best detectors using ZF-SQRD with the same BER/throughput performance. We also propose a child reduction technique that reduces the number of multiplications and additions which results in 8% power reduction. Also, we utilized the odd-even merge algorithm for the merge unit which is on the critical path of the circuit, to achieve the best power/throughput tradeoff. We implemented a 4*4 16QAM detector in a commercial 0.18µm CMOS process; synthesis results show that the detector works at the maximum data rate of 768Mbps with the area of 91KGates.
Abstract Objective: Some drivers involved in motor vehicle crashes across the United States may be identified as at risk of subsequent injury by a similar mechanism. The purpose of this study was to perform a national review of the risk factors for hospitalization for a new injury due to a subsequent motor vehicle crash. It was hypothesized that presenting to a different hospital after subsequent injury would result in worse patient outcomes when compared to presentation at the same hospital. Methods: The Nationwide Readmissions Database for 2010–2014 was queried for all inpatient hospitalizations with injury related to motor vehicle traffic. The primary patient outcome of interest was subsequent motor vehicle crash–related injury within 1 year. The secondary patient outcomes were different hospital subsequent injury presentation, higher Injury Severity Score (ISS), longer length of stay (LOS), and in-hospital death after subsequent injury. The analysis of secondary patient outcomes was performed only on patients who were reinjured. Univariable analysis was performed for each outcome using all variables during the index admission. Multivariable logistic regression was performed using all significant (P < .05) variables on univariate analysis. Results were weighted for national estimates. Results: During the study period, 1,008,991 patients were admitted for motor vehicle–related injury; 12,474 patients (1.2%) suffered a subsequent injury within 1 year. From the reinjured patients, 32.9% presented to a different hospital, 48.9% had a higher ISS, and 22.1% had a longer LOS. The in-hospital mortality rate after subsequent injury was 1.1%. Presentation to a different hospital for subsequent injury was associated with a longer LOS (odds ratio [OR] = 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20–1.45; P < .01) and a higher ISS (OR = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.27–1.49; P < .01). Motorcyclists were more likely to suffer subsequent injury (OR = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.32–1.46; P < .01) and motorcycle passengers were more likely to present to a different hospital with a subsequent injury (OR = 2.49; 95% CI, 1.73–3.59; P < .01). Alcohol abuse was associated with subsequent injury (OR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07–1.18; P < .01). Conclusions: Nearly a third of patients suffering subsequent motor vehicle crash–related injury after an initial motor vehicle crash in the United States present to a different hospital. These patients are more likely to suffer more severe injuries and longer hospitalizations due to their subsequent injury. Future efforts to prevent these injuries must consider the impact of this fragmentation of care and the implications for quality and cost improvements.
Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue Scale (MAFS) in an Iranian population with multiple sclerosis. Method: A self-reported survey on fatigue including the MAFS, Fatigue Impact Scale and demographic measures was completed by 130 patients with multiple sclerosis and 60 healthy persons sampled with a convenience method. Test–retest reliability and validity were evaluated 3 days apart. Construct validity of the MAFS was assessed with the Fatigue Impact Scale. Results: The MAFS had high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha >0.9) and 3-d test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.99). Correlation between the Fatigue Impact Scale and MAFS was high (r = 0.99). Correlation between MAFS scores and the Expanded Disability Status Scale was also strong (r = 0.85). Questionnaire items showed acceptable item-scale correlation (0.968–0.993). Conclusions: The Persian version of the MAFS appears to be a valid and reliable questionnaire. It is an appropriate short multidimensional instrument to assess fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis in clinical practice and research. Implications for Rehabilitation The Persian version of Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment and monitoring the fatigue in Persian-language patients with multiple sclerosis. It is very easy to administer and a time efficient scale in comparison to other instruments evaluating fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis.
A pilot project was conducted to study the feasibility of using electrodermal activity sensors embedded in a watch-like device to measure skin conductivity in real time. In the field of education, it may be interesting to use this technology to assess the students' cognitive engagement in the classroom. A few volunteer students as well as the professor were wearing an Empatica E4 wristband during some class periods where different activities were organized such as lectures, workshops and exams. Monitoring several individuals simultaneously makes possible to compare the collected data among students and between the students and the professor. Also, since the activities were weekly repeated, it was possible to assess to which extent the observed patterns were similar from one group to the other. In brief, the collected data is very difficult to interpret, since some external factors seem to have a significant effect on the measurements. Indeed, discrepancies are observed in the data curves representing the students’ electrodermal activity. Also, the data generated by the professor is quite different from one group to the other, even if he repeated the exact same activities at two different times of the week.  It is suggested to improve the understanding of all the phenomena that could affect the electrodermal activity measurements before trying to draw conclusions related to the students’ cognitive engagement in the classroom.
A processor chip set with IBM/370 architecture is implemented on five CMOS VLSI chips containing 2.8 million transistors with an effective channel length of 0.5 mu m. The chip set consists of the instruction and the fixed-point processor, two cache chips with 16 KB of data and instructions, and the floating-point processor. The chips are implemented in a 1.0- mu m technology with three layers of metal. An automatic design system based on the sea-of-gates technique and the standard cell approach was used. The worst-case operating frequency of the chip set is 35 MHz (typically 50 MHz). Four chips of the processor are packaged on a ceramic multichip module. Level-sensitive scan design, built-in self-test, and parity check guarantee high test coverage and reliability. >
Expression of the Ca2+‐dependent phospholipids binding protein annexin A2 (ANX2) in the brain is thought to be largely associated with brain pathological conditions such as tumor, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. The recent findings that ANX2 heterotetramer is involved in learning and neuronal activities necessitates a systematic investigation of the physiological expression of ANX2 in the brain. With combination of in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, ANX2 mRNA and protein were specifically detected in a group of GABAergic interneurons throughout the brain. Although ANX2 was absent from the interior of pyramidal neurons, it was found on the membrane and seemly the extracellular space of those neurons, where they closely co‐localized with glutamate decarboxylase terminals. In cultured developing neurons, ANX2 was present at high concentrations in the growth cones co‐distributing with several growth‐associated proteins such as growth associated protein 43 (GAP43), turned on after division/Ulip/CRMP (TUC‐4), tubulin, and tissue‐plasminogen activator. It then became predominantly distributed on the membrane and mostly in axonal branches as neurons grew and extended synaptic networks. ANX2 was also secreted from cultured neurons, in a membrane‐bound form that was Ca2+‐dependent, which was significantly increased by neuronal depolarization. These results may have implications in the function and regulatory mechanism of ANX2 in the normal brain.
BK virus（BKV）associated hemorrhagic cystitis is one of the most common complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation（HSCT）, which can increase the suffering, become time consuming and even life threatening. However, BKV infection has not attracted enough attention in clinical practice. Accurate BKV monitoring and effective clinical treatments are still in urgent need. In recent years, BKV-DNA monitoring has shown a significant clinical value in BKV-associated hemorrhagic cystitis after HSCT. As for clinical treatments, traditional antivirus agent cidofovir is still to show promising effects, in the meantime, the virus-specific lymphocytes and other new therapies are continuously appearing. Here, the most recent advances on pathogenesis, treatment, virus monstoring and so on for BKV associated hemorrhagic cystitis after HSCT are reviwed.
The eye can discount some features of an illuminant substitution but not others. Sorting out which features are discounted helps to organize constancy data, while avoiding possible overstatement of what the visual system can do. In outline form: (1) The eye cannot undo a breakdown of metamerism. (2) The eye discounts illuminant effects on object luminance well, whether (a) the light changes in intensity only, or (b) it changes in color as well. (3) The eye tends to discount the color of the illuminant, but (a) blue-yellow shifts are discounted better than (b) red-green shifts.1 (4) The eye tends not to discount illuminant effects on color contrast as quantified by (a) the red-green contrast parameter       t  ^      or (b) the blue-yellow contrast parameter       d  ^      .2 The poster reviews supporting data.
Purpose – The unemployment rate in Egypt has reached 24.8 per cent of the labor force and is significantly higher among university graduates. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Higher Education (HE) and employability in Egypt and to ask these pressing questions: How do students perceive the relationship? What are its main problems? What are the changes required to help improve the relationship from their own perspective? Design/methodology/approach – Offering an in-depth analysis of a case study of an Egyptian public university by interviewing four Egyptian HE students either in their final or their second-to-last year of study, this paper attempts to decipher the Egyptian HE students’ attitudes towards quality education and employability as an ultimate purpose. It also offers a macroscopic view of the necessary changes to make HE graduates more employable. Findings – The paper argues that, for effective HE reform to take place in Egypt, radical, comprehensive chan...
The norder expressions for the squeezed and coherent states are derived as a natural generalization of the usual squeezed coherent and coherent states. The photon number distribution of n order of squeezed coherent states that are eigenstates of the operators $ hat b^n= hat S^n hat a hat S^{+n}$ is derived. The n order coherent state is a particular case of the states that we are now deriving. Some mathematical and quantum statistical properties of these states are discussed.
Globally, pre-marital sexual activities among adolescents have been reported to be increasing. Many studies in Sub- Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, had reported that there were increasing premarital sexual activities among adolescents and youths. Besides, they are risk-takers who are more likely to make decisions about the future without adequately considering the consequences. The study aimed to assess the premarital sexual practice and its predictors among preparatory school students living with and without parents in Hossana Town, Southern Ethiopia. An institution-based comparative cross-sectional study design was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire. The sample size was determined by using EPI INFO version 3.5.3 software of two population proportions. The sample size for students who were living without parents and with parents was 202 and 404, respectively, and the overall sample size including a 10% non-response rate was 606. The predictors of pre-marital sexual debut were assessed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. The magnitude of pre-marital sexual practice was 105 (27%) and 76 (39%) among students who were living with and without their parents, respectively. Watching pornography videos [AOR=4.9, 95% CI: 2.4, 10.2], discussing about sexual issues with their friends or peers [AOR=3.5, 95% CI: 1.72, 7.15], drinking alcohol [AOR=6.62, 95% CI: 2.26, 19.36], and educational status of the father were predictors for students who live with their parents while discussing about sex with [AOR=5, 95% CI: 1.12, 5.6], watching pornography videos [AOR=2.7, 95% CI: 1.16, 6.07] drinking alcohol [AOR=6.0, 95% CI: 1.2, 29.7] were also predictors for students who live without their parents. The prevalence of pre-marital sexual practice was high in both groups; especially students who live without their parents. Thus, public health interventions should predominately focus on behavioral, social, and environmental factors of pre-marital sexual practices.
Using energy level framework to replace the grid framework of DENEUBOUG, It implements the directional movement of ants which point to the Line cluster clustering, and changes those ants' Two-dimensional random movement in grid framework, thus reducing the computational complexity. Construction of Line cluster clustering by clustering the subset to meet the necessary conditions for Complete classification. UCI example shows that the algorithm based on this model is feasible.
Focusing on a single funeral ceremony among the Toraja of Sulawesi, this article examines Toraja ethnic culture within broader-not only local but also national and globalsocioeconomic contexts, with special reference to the development of tourism in the region, and to Japanese television which filmed the funeral. In so doing, the paper attempts to depict the dynamic way in which an ethnic culture is "staged" in the contemporary "postmodem" setting.1
In Feulgen stained specimens, non-specific light loss is always present, which can be detected and measured quantitatively by scanning with a light spot at 450nm. Subtraction of the total “absorbance” at 450nm from that of 550nm virtually eliminates the effects of non-specific light loss and gives more accurate value of DNA content of a Feulgen stained cell. This is called two-wave-length-scanning method. An automatic instrument to perform two-wave-length-scanning measurements is described. By this method measurements were carried out on DNA contents of Purkinje cells and inner granule neurons in cerebellum of man and rat at various stages of postnatal life, and the rule of strict constancy of DNA content is confirmed. Based on discussions on various sources of the non-specific light loss, the use of this method is recommended when high accuracy is required in measurements of Feulgen cytophotometry.
The deployment of multi-vehicle systems gained increased relevance for various cyber-physical applications. Coverage Path Planning (CPP) is one area that can benefit from using multi-vehicles. The multi-vehicle version of CPP, aiming to minimize the cover time, is proven to be NP-Hard. Hence, no classical solutions can solve the problem in polynomial time. This necessitates a heuristics-based yet the accurate approach to finding an efficient solution. Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz (QAOA) is a meta-heuristic framework for performing approximate optimization on gate-based quantum computers. It is well suited for combinatorial optimization problems that need to satisfy hard constraints as it limits the search space to the feasible subspace.This work presents QAOA constructions for solving the multivehicle CPP on a gate-based quantum computer. We start with a trivial solution by initializing the circuit using X gates and then applying mixer and phase separation circuits sequentially. The mixer circuit is designed specifically for the multi-vehicle CPP to limit the search space to a set of valid paths for each robot. The mixer circuit was first constructed for a simple 2×2 grid such that all feasible paths inside are explored and then extended for a general m×n grid. We also derive approximate resource estimates in terms of the number of single-qubit gates and CNOT gates.
In 2004/2005, a team of mechanical engineering students undertook an interdisciplinary capstone design project to design a mobile bio-diesel production facility capable of converting 500 L/h of used vegetable oil or animal tallow into bio-diesel fuel. Bio-diesel fuel has negligible sulfur content and significantly reduces the emission of particulate matter, e.g. soot and carbon monoxide, compared to the combustion of conventional diesel fuel. Furthermore, bio-diesel fuel is biodegradable, nontoxic, and can be produced from renewable feedstock. The mobile facility is capable of taking used vegetable oil from different sources and processing the oil while in motion, eliminating costs associated with transportation, land use and construction. A special filter was designed to remove any major particulate matter as well as wax-like substances formed by heating of the cooking oil during its operational life. A rotary vacuum filter was designed to continuously of remove wax and solid particles accumulated on the filter cloth. The wax and solid wastes, which are organic compounds, are readily converted to useful light organic molecules through a subsequent gasification process. A transesterification process was applied using methanol as a solvent and sodium hydroxide as a catalyst. A mix of unrefined bio-diesel fuel and glycerol, which is produced by transestrification, is sent to a glycerol separating tower. The separator was designed to efficiently separate bio-diesel fuel from glycerol. The bio-diesel fuel is neutralized by weak acid solution and washed by water to remove impurities. High-speed mixers were designed to create maximum contact between phases for efficient separation. The mobile facility is subject to vibration, which was considered in every aspect of the design. The facility will be powered by bio-diesel fuel, and heat recovery and water recycling were considered to minimize energy requirements. The project culminated in a final design report containing detailed engineering analysis and a comprehensive set of working drawings.
OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical significance of anti-NuMA and anti-HsEg5 antibodies in a group of patients affected with rheumatic diseases.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Indirect immunofluorescence on HEp-2000 cells at serum dilution of 1:40 was used to examine 26 sera which had previously showed a "mitotic spindle" fluoroscopic pattern type during laboratory routine.   RESULTS 21 sera (80,7%) were identified with NuMA and 5 (19,3%) with HsEg5 patterns alone or associated with other ANA patterns. However only patients with isolated positivity and that is 15 with NuMA and 4 with HsEg5 stainings were included in this study. Of the NuMA positive patients 5 were affected with arthropathies associated to different forms of thyroiditis, 2 with seronegative arthritis, 2 with antiphospholipid syndrome, 1 with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 1 with rheumatoid arthritis, 1 with sicca syndrome, 1 with undifferentiated connective tissue disease, 1 with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and 1 with retinal thrombosis. Of the HsEg5 positive patients 3 were affected with SLE and 1 with seronegative arthritis.   CONCLUSIONS NuMA does not prevail in any defined rheumatic disease, while HsEg5 staining were more frequent (75%) in patients affected with SLE all of whom showing high antibody titres.
Abstract Worldwide, falls and accompanying injuries are increasingly common, making their prevention and management a critical global challenge. The wealth of evidence to support interventions to prevent falls has recently (2022) been distilled in the first World Falls Guideline for Prevention and Management for Older Adults. The core of falls prevention includes (i) risk assessment and stratification; (ii) general recommendations on optimising physical function and mobility for all and (iii) offering a holistic, multidomain intervention to older adults at high risk of falls, in which the older adult’s priorities, beliefs and resources are carefully considered. In recent decades, sustainable and adequately resourced falls prevention has proved challenging, although evidence suggests that suboptimal implementation of falls prevention is ineffective. Future research should focus on understanding the most successful approaches for implementation. To further optimise falls prevention, recent developments include technological innovation to identify and prevent falls, including exergaming. Further work is warranted to understand how to best incorporate the concepts of frailty and sarcopenia in falls prevention and management. This themed collection includes key articles in the field of falls prevention, covering several topics including risk factors, effective interventions, older adult’s views, implementation issues and future perspectives.
On 21 July 2008, Radovan Karadzic, the former president of the separatist Bosnian Serb entity, the Republika Srpska, and one of the most sought-after fugitives from international criminal justice, was arrested by Serbian authorities in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. He was surrendered to the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) several days later, where he will be tried for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-1995 conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This short note will briefly explore some of the basic legal questions arising from the arrest of Karadzic and his impending trial. It will first examine the indictment against Karadzic, including the genocide charge and the consequences of a possible genocide conviction. The note will then turn to the alleged immunity deal that Karadzic claims was agreed between him and Richard Holbrooke, a ranking US diplomat. The note will finally examine the issue of self-representation and the potentially adverse effects that it might have on what is certainly a trial of great symbolic importance.
Industry is a major source of funding for scientific research. There is also a growing concern for how it corrupts researchers faced with conflicts of interest. As such, the debate has focused on whether researchers have maintained their integrity. In this article we draw on both the history of medicine and formal modeling to argue that given methodological diversity and a merit-based system, industry funding can bias a community without corrupting any particular individual. We close by considering a policy solution (i.e., independent funding) that may seem to promote unbiased inquiry but that actually exacerbates the problem without additional restrictions.
An adaptive Volterra linearizer for reducing channel nonlinearities in QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) data transmission systems is described, and its performance is evaluated. The linearizer is implemented as a modern receiver digital circuit which employs two read-only memories that are programmed to cancel either third- or fifth-order nonlinearities. The memory outputs are scaled by adaptive coefficients which minimize the channel nonlinearity. The linearizer has been shown to be effective for input nonlinear bit error rates up to 10/sup -3/. At input error rates up to 10/sup -6/, the linearizer reduces the nonlinear error rate by five orders of magnitude in a 64-QAM digital radio system, and the linearized system has a selective fading performance approximately equal to that of a linear system. The circuit is entirely digital and can be manufactured with automated processes.<<ETX>>
Notation, p and q are generic symbols for prime numbers. N(H, p) denotes the number of primes q, not exceeding Hy which are primitive roots (mod p). g(p) denotes the least positive primitive root (mod p). g*(p) is the least prime primitive root (mod p). v(m) denotes the number of distinct prime divisors of the integer m. τk (m) is the number of ways of representing the integer m as the product of k integers, order being important. π(x, k, r) is the number of primes p, not exceeding x, which satisfy p ≡ r(mod k); while π(x) denotes the total number of p ≦ x. logm x denotes the mth iterated logarithmic function which is defined, when possible, by
The effect of chronic ethanol feeding on the fatty acid composition of plasma and abdominal adipose tissue in rats was studied. Animals were maintained on a 30% ethanol solution in drinking water for 3 and 5 months. Control rats were given water. Caloric intake was similar in control and ethanol-fed rats at the end of the experimental period. However, a decrease in body weight was observed in rats that had consumed ethanol. Palmitoleic (16:1n7) and oleic (18:1n9) acids increased markedly, and linoleic acid (18:2n6) decreased in the plasma and in the adipose tissue of ethanol-fed rats with respect to control rats. After 3 months of ethanol ingestion, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids were reduced both in plasma and adipose tissue. When ethanol was administered for 5 months, only plasma long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the n-3 series were decreased. This suggest that changes induced by ethanol ingestion in essential fatty acid metabolism is less pronounced when ethanol feeding is maintained for a long period of time.
Abstract : Buffet-induced vibrations can have a disastrous impact on aircraft structures. Early attempts at combating buffet vibrations included passive methods such as structural enhancements and leading edge fences. Active methods have shown greater promise, including active airflow control, control surface modulation, and active structural control using piezoelectric actuators. Surface mounted piezoelectric actuators impart directional strain reducing the negative effects associated with harmful vibration. The Block-15 F-16 ventral fin represents an aircraft structure prone to failure when subjected to the buffet field from the wake of a LANTIRN pod. This research takes advantage of the susceptibility to buffet vibration of the Block 15 ventral fin in an effort to design an active control system to alleviate vibrations using piezoelectric actuators and sensors and to demonstrate its capability during flight test. It was sponsored by the United States Air Force (USAF) Test Pilot School (TPS). The development of an active control system began with the specification of piezoelectric actuators and sensors to be used in a collocated design to alleviate the vibrations of the first two modes of the ventral fin. A switching amplifier was designed and built to drive the actuators during all phases of testing. For the piezoelectric actuators to be effective, they needed to be located within the regions of highest strain energy and aligned with the principal strain vectors in those regions, the direction of principle strain was experimentally determined to ensure the proper orientation of the piezoelectric hardware on the ventral fin's surface. Two control techniques were used in this research: positive position feedback and Linear Quadratic Gaussian compensator.
Postnatal growth of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants remains poor and does not come close to approximating rates of in utero growth. There is good evidence that early deficiencies in protein may be an important contributor to the poor growth outcomes observed in this population. Protein losses are inversely related to gestational age, and ELBW infants lose 1% to 2% of their total endogenous body protein stores each day that they receive glucose alone. It is now abundantly clear from a variety of studies that providing intravenous amino acids to sick premature infants in early postnatal life can improve protein balance and can increase protein accretion, even at low caloric intakes. Provision of approximately 1 g/kg/day of amino acids will result in a net protein balance close to zero, whereas delivery of 3 g/kg/day will accomplish protein accretion. Although data from metabolic studies, observational studies, and even a few randomized clinical trials overwhelmingly support the short-term safety and efficacy of early amino acids in reversing protein loss, there is much less known about the effects of early amino acid administration on longer-term outcomes such as growth and neurodevelopment in extremely premature infants. Based on the sum of currently available evidence presented, providing ELBW infants with 2.5 to 3.5 g/kg/day of intravenous amino acids as soon as possible after birth is a reasonable recommendation. Future studies are required to determine whether provision of 3 to 3.5 g/kg/day of amino acids is "aggressive" enough for optimal growth and neurodevelopmental outcome of ELBW infants.
This paper studies the solution of symmetric positive definite Toeplitz systems $Ax = b$ by the preconditioned conjugate gradient method. The preconditioner is a circulant matrix C that copies the middle diagonals of A, and each iteration uses the Fast Fourier Transform. Convergence is governed by the eigenvalues of $C^{ - 1} A$–a Toeplitz-circulant eigenvalue problem—and it is fast if those eigenvalues are clustered. The limiting behavior of the eigenvalues is found as the dimension increases, and it is proved that they cluster around $ lambda = 1$. For a wide class of problems the error after q conjugate gradient steps decreases as $r^{q^2 } $.
Contrary to the conventional belief that humic coal generates primarily gas, 3 billion bbl of recoverable oil has been discovered in the humic coaly succession of the fluviodeltaic Latrobe Group (Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary) that serves as both the reservoir and the source for hydrocarbons in the offshore Gippsland basin of southeastern Australia. Evidence for generation of liquid hydrocarbons from the coaly succession includes: (1) similarity of n-alkane distribution in the oil and in the coal extracts; (2) high wax content of oil (up to 27% by weight); (3) high ratio of pristane/phytane in oil (5-6); and (4) dominance of C29 steranes in the oil. In the Gippsland basin, coniferous rain forests dominated by kauri vegetation flourished in a raised bog setting. Present temperate climate and kauri vegetation of New Zealand are considered to be the modern analog to the Gippsland basin. The coniferous vegetation provided large quantities of hydrogen-rich exinite macerals, such as cutinite and resinite, with potential to generate oil. High rainfall, raised ground-water level, low oxygen, high acidity, and low-nutrient conditions of a raised bog setting were suitable for preserving organic matter. A comparison of gas chromatograms of oils in the Gippsland basin with gas chromatograms of oils generated by hydrous pyrolysis in the laboratory from the immature source rocks suggests that the paraffinic fraction of the oil was derived from coal, and the naphthenic fraction was derived chiefly from resin.
The following sequences have been submitted to the Nomenclature Committee since the July 2011 nomenclature update and, following agreed policy, have been assigned official allele designations (1). Full details of all sequences will be published in a forthcoming report. Below are listed the newly assigned sequences (Table 1) and confirmations of previously reported sequences (Table 2). The accession number of each sequence is given and these can be used to retrieve the sequence files from the EMBL, GenBank or DDBJ data libraries. Although accession numbers have been assigned by the data libraries and most sequences are already available, there is still the possibility that an author
In Australia, and around the world, momentum trading generates economically and statistically significant profits. This paper documents seasonalities in momentum profitability rather than examining returns averaged across all months. We report a strong reversal around the financial year end and apparent quarter-end seasonality in momentum profits. Preliminary tests support the hypothesis that seasonality in quarterly equity returns is driven by window dressing by institutional investors.
Home dialysis (home HD or home PD) remains underutilized in most jurisdictions. Physicians, advanced‐practice nurses, and policy makers working with chronic kidney disease populations can provide insights into patient, healthcare professional, and system‐level barriers to home dialysis selection by suitable patients. We used in‐depth interviews, with a purposive sampling strategy until informational redundancy was achieved, to elicit barriers and facilitators to home dialysis selection from thirteen informants. We triangulated these data against qualitative data collected in a related survey of nephrologist attitudes. We used a modified grounded theory approach to construct a taxonomy of barriers and facilitators. Informants included nephrologists (n = 11), an advanced‐practice nurse, and a health administrator with a provincial renal care organization. We constructed separate taxonomies of barriers and related facilitators that were specific to PD, specific to home HD, and common to both. We distinguished between factors favoring, modifiable factors opposing, and nonmodifiable factors opposing home dialysis selection. Several major themes emerged, including: medical factors, home physical environment, psychological and cognitive factors (knowledge, attitudes, coping styles), social factors (supports, lifestyle), dialysis program, local hospital or regional factors (expertise, resources, local culture), healthcare professional‐related factors (knowledge, attitudes, reimbursement), health system‐related factors (funding models), and exogenous factors (late referral, technology). We identified several modifiable practices at the level of patient, healthcare professional, dialysis facility, and healthcare system to increase appropriate use of home dialysis. We discuss potential facilitating factors, knowledge gaps, and priorities for future research, and propose potential applications for this novel taxonomy of determinants of dialysis modality choice.
Electromagnetic waveguides have dispersive properties, meaning the phase and group velocities change with frequency. This dispersion leads to broadening in the time-domain impulse response, which can make it difficult to separate adjacent signals if they overlap. To help address this issue, we present a dispersion-compensated algorithm for the analysis of electromagnetic waveguides. This algorithm maps signals measured in the frequency-domain to the distance-domain, and vice versa. It uses a priori information of the waveguide's propagation constant to compensate for dispersion and preserve features in the distance-domain impulse response, even over large distances. The dispersion-compensated algorithm has a variety of applications, including accurate distance-to-fault measurements and highly selective distance-domain windowing. For a simple demonstration, we show how the algorithm can be used to analyze data from a waveguide cavity resonator.
Markedly diverse sequences of the adenosine-5′-phosphosulfate reductase alpha subunit gene (aprA), which encodes a key enzyme in microbial sulfate reduction and sulfur oxidation, were detected in subseafloor sediments on the northwestern Pacific off Japan. The aprA gene sequences were grouped into 135 operational taxonomic units (90% sequence identity), including genes related to putative sulfur-oxidizing bacteria predominantly detected in sulfate-depleted deep sediments. Our results suggest that microbial ecosystems in the subseafloor biosphere have phylogenetically diverse genetic potentials to mediate cryptic sulfur cycles in sediments, even where sulfate is rarely present.
Abstract We analysed the methylation patterns of CpG dinucleotides in a bidirectional promoter region (LRS, LMP 1 regulatory sequences) of latent EpsteinBarr virus (EBV) genomes using automated fluorescent genomic sequencing after bisulfiteinduced modification of DNA. Transcripts for two latent membrane proteins, LMP 1 (a transforming protein) and LMP 2B, are initiated in this region in opposite directions. We found that B cell lines and a clone expressing LMP 1 carried EBV genomes with unmethylated or hypomethylated LRS, while highly methylated CpG dinucleotides were present at each position or at discrete sites and within hypermethylated regions in LMP 1 negative cells. Comparison of high resolution methylation maps suggests that CpG methylationmediated direct interference with binding of nuclear factors LBF 2, 3, 7, AML1/LBF1, LBF5 and LBF6 or methylation of CpGs within an Ebox sequence (where activators as well as repressors can bind) is not the major mechanism in silencing of the LMP 1 promoter. Although a role for CpG methylation within binding sites of Sp1 and 3, ATF/CRE and a sisinducible factor (SIF) cannot be excluded, hypermethylation of LRS or regions within LRS in LMP 1 negative cells suggests a role for an indirect mechanism, via methylcytosine binding proteins, in silencing of the LMP 1 promoter.
ABSTRACT.There are numerous factors in the operating room that can cause changes and/or artifacts while monitoring somatosensory evoked responses (Chiappa 1983, Nuwer 1986, York 1987). Drugs, anesthetic agents, irrigation, manipulation of the spinal column, changes in the patient's blood pressure and numerous other electrical equipment in the area can all cause changes in the evoked potentials. It is the responsibility of the EP technologist to determine the possible cause of changes when present. The technologist must know what factors can cause changes in the EPs and how to determine the source of artifact. The surgeon must be notified of any critical changes. Intraoperative monitoring can be less stressful and easier for the technologists involved if they are familiar with the surgical procedures, equipment, and medications.
Along with the economic globalization and network generalization, this provides a good opportunity to the development of cross-border e-commerce trade. Based on this background, this paper sets ASEAN countries as an example to exploit the determinants of cross-border e-commerce trade including the export and the import, respectively. The panel data from the year of 1998 to 2016 will be employed to estimate the relationship between cross-border e-commerce trade and relevant variables under the dynamic ordinary least squares and the error correction model. The findings of this paper show that there is a long-run relationship between cross-border e-commerce trade and relevant variables. Generally speaking, the GDP(+) and real exchange rate(-export & +import) have an effect on cross-border e-commerce trade. However, the population (+) and the terms of trade (-) only have an effect on cross-border e-commerce import. The empirical evidences show that the GDP and the real exchange rate always affect the development of cross-border e-commerce trade. Therefore, all ASEAN countries should try their best to develop the economic growth and focus on the exchange rate regime so as to meet the need of cross-border e-commerce trade development.
Background: Congenital talipes equinovarus is one of the commonest congenital anomaly of the foot with an incidence of 1 to 2 per 1000 live births. Most of the Clubfoot deformities are not recognized at birth and when recognized, there is no treatment available due to lack of awareness among the people. Nonoperative correction of the Clubfoot by Ponseti is an effective modality of treatment with excellent results. Methods: 38 feet of Idiopathic Congenital Talipes Equinus Varus Deformity were treated in children between the age group of 1 month- 1.8 months. The severity of foot deformity was assessed as per the Pirani scoring system. Results: 16 Males (66.66 %) and 8 Females (33.33 %) patients were included in the study with 10 (41.7%) Unilateral and 14 (58.3 %) bilateral cases. The mean of Pirani scores after the final cast was 3.02 and at 1,2 and 6 months are 0, 0 and 0.08 respectively. Standard deviation and Standard error were 0.070 and 0.014 respectively. Therefore p = 0.01, that is highly significant Conclusion: Treatment of Idiopathic clubfoot by Ponseti technique is an effective, time tested, simple technique with a low learning curve and minimizing the need for extensive surgeries.
Granitic pegmatites have been a focal point of research by petrologists and mineralogists for over a century. Mineralogical interest stems from the diversity of rare minerals that some pegmatites contain. Petrologic efforts are aimed at resolving the processes or agents that produce the complex textures and spatial heterogeneity that distinguish pegmatites from granites. Much of the scientific study of pegmatites has been motivated by exploration for the economic commodities they provide. Pegmatites yield quartz, feldspars, and micas for industrial uses; strategic rare metals for electronic, aerospace, and energy applications; and many of the world's finest gem and mineral specimens.
The Aboriginal and Islander Teacher Education Program (AITEP) is an affirmative action program offering entry to teacher education courses at James Cook University to Aboriginal and Islander students who do not meet direct entry requirements. The program operates with a ‘stretched’ first year. First year subjects in the regular teacher education courses are spread over three semesters instead of two, and students are required to undertake additional subjects - Study Skills and Oral Communications, Written Communications, and Introductory Mathematics during that 18 months. This paper began as a personal exploration into the way in which the teaching of writing within these additional subjects had developed and to provide a greater understanding of the process of teaching writing.
This paper advances the notion of software in existing grid services as discussed in OGSA, which provides software middleware or wrappers for accessing hardware resources towards the notion that the resources provided can be hardware, software, or hybrid hardware/software. It also proposes an approach using the integration of grid service, semantic grid, and Web2.0 to overcome some of the limitations of the existing Web services architecture which relies on having the Web version of the RPC mechanism and thus has difficulty in dealing with massive scale of user participation and communication across the Internet. The new approach produces a novel grid architecture - GRIDSpace.
The small passenger car transmission test was initiated to supply electric vehicle manufacturers with technical information regarding the performance of commercially available transmissions. This information would enable EV manufacturers to design a more energy efficient vehicle. With this information the manufacturers would be able to estimate vehicle driving range as well as speed and torque requirements for specific road load performance characteristics. This report covers the 1981 Mercury Lynx ATX transaxle. This transmission was tested per a passenger car automatic transmission test code (SAE J65lb) which required drive performance, coast performance, and no load test conditions. Under these test conditions the transmission attained maximum efficiencies in the 93% range for drive performance tests. The major results of this test are the torque, speed and efficiency curves which are located in the data section of this report. These graphs map performance characteristics for the Mercury Lynx ATX transmission.
Members of the "Sandwich Generation" are increasingly seeking professional help to assist them in balancing the demands of caring for an aging parent and their own jobs and families. Independent social workers can provide effective and innovative services to the growing number of caregivers in our society. This paper describes one such service-an eight-week workshop-support class for adult children of aging parents. After an opening discussion of the background and formation of the class, attention will be given to describing each of the eight weekly sessions, covering both content and process areas. Issues of class length, attendance, fecs, and the impact the class can have on a social worker's practice will also be briefly commented on.
In the early part of November, when this is being written, there are three, and probably four, comets under observation. All of them, though, are faint. Peltier’s comet, 1936a, which was conspicuous last summer, and to which so much attention was paid, is still far in the Southern Hemisphere of the sky. Since early October it has been moving slowly north, but by the first of next year it will still have a declination of 67 degrees south. The distances from both Sun and Earth are increasing and the comet’s brightness is correspondingly diminishing. It was observed in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand in late August when the magnitude was about 7. There is no recent news available here as tö its appearance and brightness. The comet found independently by three observers, Kaho in Japan, Kozik in the Turkmanian Republic, U.S.S.R., and Lis in Poland, 1936fr, is still under observation. When found in July it was low in the northwestern sky after sunset, but it soon moved into the morning sky, where it was better placed for observation. At discovery, and for a few days afterward, this comet had a fine tail and a bright nucleus. In the morning sky it showed little, and later, no tail ; it became more diffuse, much smaller, and the brightness diminished greatly. Photographs made with the Crossley reflector in September and early October show it as nearly a minute of arc in diameter, but very diffuse and with little central condensation. A later photograph of October 26 indicates that the magnitude was down to 17.5, that the total diameter was of the order of 10 seconds, and that there was a moderately condensed, but far from stellar, nucleus. This comet will not be observable much longer. The best orbit at hand, that by IMaxwell and Grosch of the University of Michigan, indicates that a parabola satisfies the observations. Jackson’s comet, 1936c, is likewise becoming very faint. This object has been photographed from time to time with the Crossley reflector, and on October 14 it was examined and
Financial crises precede deep and prolonged recessions. Political leaders face enormous challenges when confronting such dire economic situation, and they frequently have to face the possibility of losing power. In order to avoid this outcome, democratic and autocratic leaders may use war as a diversionary instrument to distract audiences at home. This empirical study enquires on the political consequences of financial crises. Using data from Rogoff and Reinhart (2009) including 66 developed and developing countries over the years 1800-2008, we compiled a panel to test the hypothesis that financial crises increase the likelihood of the onset of international conflict. We look at political instability, defined as turnover of the political leader, and we find that leaders can use war as a tool for political survival.
The procurement of a construction contractor should consider more aspects than only cost or price. Taking value and price into account to select the ‘best value for money’ bid results in adopting a structured multi‐criteria approach. An alternative contractor selection method is presented, which identifies the contractor with the best potential to deliver the highest value for money. An investigation of the client needs and product performances for contractor selection has been conducted for a building type, and the relative weight of each product performance is analysed through a questionnaire. The relative weights of the product performances are identified by allocating a fictional budget to the client needs and translating these values into the relative weight of the product performances by using the quality function deployment method. In the contractor selection method, the relative importance of the product performances are combined with the scores of the bids, resulting in the best bid and contractor in a specific building project.
ZnO nanoarchitecture-based nano- and microdevices came into the focus due to their multifunctional operation. In this work, we summarize cost-effective procedures to grow ZnO nano- and microstructures, namely hydrothermal growth and electrochemical deposition. These techniques allow the controllable growth of ZnO nano- and microarchitectures at relatively low temperatures, below 100 °C, and do not require sophisticated equipment. We report on technological details for synthesis of ZnO and its characterization and applications in different novel devices such as gas sensors. Nanosensors and microsensors were fabricated using a focused ion beam and by metal welding an individual nano- and microstructure to form rigid contacts. Devices made from pure and doped ZnO nanostructures are presented and discussed. Developed nano- and microdevice structures show promising performances and are quite attractive for further investigations in sensor applications. Several factors determine the gas sensing mechanism of pure and doped ZnO micro- and nanowire/nanorods and discussions on this are summarized.
Within a 24-month period, 454 patients were admitted with burns (average size, 33% of the total body surface [TBS]). Wound infection developed in 19, who subsequently were treated with subeschar antibiotics. The average burn size in those 19 patients was 63% of the TBS, with an average full-thickness injury of 47%. Five (26%) of the 19 survived, and five others died without evidence of wound infection, giving a would clearance rate of 52.6%. The five surviving patients (average burn size, 59% TBS) underwent excision of infected tissue, with split-thickness cutaneous autograft closure of the burn wound, after the course of subeschar antibiotic infusion. All surviving patients were infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Subeschar infusion of semisynthetic penicillins, therefore, is an effective adjunct in the care of the patient with Pseudomonas burn-wound infection.
This paper is intended to contribute to the ongoing discussion of selected concepts related to the topic of technical risk or uncertainty in the model-based design of physical artifacts. The paper focuses on the use of analytic models and numerical simulation in the multidisciplinary design optimization process. It considers how issues of physical process variability, information uncertainty and the use of models and simulations influence the design decision process. This paper only qualitatively addresses these issues but the goal is to provide a focus for discussion of concepts associated with information uncertainty as applied to model-based multidisciplinary design and optimization.
The use of transfer learning in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) has potential applications. As electroencephalogram (EEG) signals vary among different paradigms and subjects, existing EEG transfer learning algorithms mainly focus on the alignment of the original space. They may not discover hidden details owing to the low-dimensional structure of EEG. To effectively transfer data from a source to target domain, a multi-manifold embedding domain adaptive algorithm is proposed for BCI. First, we aligned the EEG covariance matrix in the Riemannian manifold and extracted the characteristics of each source domain in the tangent space to reflect the differences between different source domains. Subsequently, we mapped the extracted characteristics to the Grassmann manifold to obtain a common feature representation. In domain adaptation, the geometric and statistical attributes of EEG data were considered simultaneously, and the target domain divergence matrix was updated with pseudo-labels to maximize the inter-class distance and minimize the intra-class distance. Datasets generated via BCIs were used to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm. Under two experimental paradigms, namely single-source to single-target and multi-source to single-target, the average accuracy of the algorithm on three datasets was 73.31% and 81.02%, respectively, which is more than that of several state-of-the-art EEG cross-domain classification approaches. Our multi-manifold embedded domain adaptive method achieved satisfactory results on EEG transfer learning. The method can achieve effective EEG classification without a same subject's training set.
This paper describes BiSNET (biologically-inspired architecture for sensor networks), which addresses several key issues in multi-modal wireless sensor networks such as autonomy, adaptability, self-healing and simplicity. Based on the observation that various biological systems have developed mechanisms to overcome these issues, BiSNET implements certain biological mechanisms such as energy exchange, pheromone emission, replication, and migration to design sensor network applications. This paper presents the biologically-inspired mechanisms in BiSNET, and evaluates their impacts on the issues described above. Simulation results show that BiSNET allows sensor nodes to autonomously adapt their duty cycle intervals for power efficiency and responsiveness of data transmission, to adaptively aggregate data from different types of sensor nodes, to collectively self-heal (i.e., detect and eliminate) false positive sensor data, and to be lightweight
The study’s objective was to ascertain whether a nutritional multivitamin and mineral supplement enriched with two different dietary fibers influences microbiota composition, mineral absorption, and some immune and metabolic biomarkers in adult rats. Nine-week-old Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups: the reference group; the group receiving a daily supplement based on a food matrix with proteins, vitamins, and minerals; and two other groups receiving this supplement enriched with inulin (V + I) or acacia (V + A) fiber for four weeks. Microbiota composition was determined in cecal content and mineral content in fecal, blood, and femur samples. Intestinal IgA concentration, hematological, and biochemical variables were evaluated. Both V + I and V + A supplementations increased Firmicutes and Actinobacteria phyla, which were associated with a higher presence of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium spp. V + A supplementation increased calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc concentrations in femur. V + I supplementation increased the fecal IgA content and reduced plasma total cholesterol and uric acid concentration. Both fiber-enriched supplements tested herein seem to be beneficial to gut-health, although differently.
Bacteria are one of the main groups of organisms, which dynamically and closely participate in human health and disease development. With the integration of chemical biotechnology, bacteria have been utilized as an emerging delivery system for various biomedical applications. Given the unique features of bacteria such as their intrinsic biocompatibility and motility, bacteria‐based delivery systems have drawn wide interest in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, kidney failure, and hyperammonemia. Notably, at the interface of chemical biotechnology and bacteria, many research opportunities have been initiated, opening a promising frontier in biomedical application. Herein, the current synergy of chemical biotechnology and bacteria, the design principles for bacteria‐based delivery systems, the microbial modulation, and the clinical translation are reviewed, with a special focus on the emerging advances in diagnosis and therapy.
Serum and synovial fluid of 20 patients with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were tested for antikeratin antibodies (AKA) by indirect immunofluorescence using rat esophagus as antigen. AKA were found in 80% of the RA patients, in serum as well as in synovial fluid. None of the 54 serum control patients were AKA positive in serum. None of the 17 synovial fluid control patients were AKA positive in synovial fluid. F(ab)'2 fragments prepared from AKA positive RA serum retained antibody activity. AKA belonged to the IgG class of immunoglobulins. Corrected for the lower IgG content in synovial fluid, AKA constituted a higher percentage of the IgG in synovial fluid than in serum. This could imply a possibility of local production of AKA in the joint.
Simple Summary Reusing drugs could potentially shorten the development time for the effective treatment of dementia. Here, we tested a drug—dimethyl fumarate—for its efficacy in reducing Alzheimer’s disease-related changes in the brain. We discovered that the drug is not efficient due to the involvement of an essential exporting brain transporter. Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the leading cause of dementia, is a growing health issue with very limited treatment options. To meet the need for novel therapeutics, existing drugs with additional preferred pharmacological profiles could be recruited. This strategy is known as ‘drug repurposing’. Here, we describe dimethyl fumarate (DMF), a drug approved to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), to be tested as a candidate for other brain diseases. We used an APP-transgenic model (APPtg) of senile β-amyloidosis mice to further investigate the potential of DMF as a novel AD therapeutic. We treated male and female APPtg mice through drinking water at late stages of β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition. We found that DMF treatment did not result in modulating effects on Aβ deposition at this stage. Interestingly, we found that glutathione-modified DMF interacts with the ATP-binding cassette transporter ABCC1, an important gatekeeper at the blood–brain and blood–plexus barriers and a key player for Aβ export from the brain. Our findings suggest that ABCC1 prevents the effects of DMF, which makes DMF unsuitable as a novel therapeutic drug against AD. The discovered effects of ABCC1 also have implications for DMF treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Editor,—Latanoprost (0.005%) is a prostaglandin F-2α analogue licensed for primary open angle glaucoma. We describe the occurrence of cystoid macular oedema in a pseudophakic patient following its use.  A 50 year old pseudophakic myope (−4.50 D) was prescribed latanoprost once daily, because of raised intraocular pressure despite treatment with twice daily betaxolol (1/2%) drops. The right eye was blind from retinal detachment and the left eye had undergone three retinal detachment repairs including one vitrectomy. He had required betaxolol twice daily in the left eye to control the intraocular pressure since then. In January 1994, a left phacoemulsification cataract extraction with posterior lens implant restored the left visual acuity to 6/6.  In March 1997, latanoprost was prescribed to control …
Several trunk and leg signs are described which will assist in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of conditions associated with sciatic nerve tension. Use of these tests to distinguish between the genuine sufferer and the imitator is explained. The signs of an active lesion of an intervertebral disk are typical and constant, and simulated motions inconsistent with tension of the sciatic nerve may be discerned readily.
Through thickness texture variation is a reality in commercial sheet stock. However, methods to quantitatively evaluate this variation and its effects are not readily available. In this study, it was shown that a hot rolled commercial aluminium sheet manifests variation in rolling texture components which can be detected by traverse scan of the peak intensity across the through thickness using tapered specimens. Moreover, this asymmetry can be correlated to the intensity asymmetry observed in pole figures. A quantitative analysis is possible if the ODF is generated using monoclinic symmetry with the transverse direction as the diad axis instead of the conventional orthorhombic symmetry.
The study presents the interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of the brain mechanisms of learning difficulties in primary schoolchildren. The neuropsychological assessment and the resting-state EEG estimation were applied to analyze the neurophysiological factors of cognitive deficits in children with ADHD symptoms aged 7-8 and 9-10. EEG recordings of children with ADHD symptoms more frequently, as compared to children with typical development, contained EEG patterns of the fronto-thalamic system non-optimal functioning, reflected in frontal theta waves (FTW), right hemisphere local electrical activity (EA) deviations and EEG patterns associated with the general activation deficit arising from the brainstem reticular formation (DA). We specified cognitive impairments associated with different types of resting-state EEG deviations in ADHD children. Children with FTW of both age groups demonstrated pronounced difficulties in programming, regulation and control (executive functions) and verbal performance. Children with right hemisphere local EA abnormalities had executive functions deficit combined with difficulties in nonverbal performance. Children with EEG signs of DA of both age groups had a decreased cognitive processing speed and efficiency. Younger children with DA demonstrated difficulties in nonverbal task performance. Thus, the interdisciplinary study provided the evidence for at least three neurophysiological factors which can specifically impede the cognitive performance in ADHD children.
Abstract In sexually dimorphic species characterized by exaggerated male ornamentation, behavioral isolation is often attributed to female preferences for conspecific male signals. Yet, in a number of sexually dimorphic species, male mate choice also results in behavioral isolation. In many of these cases, the female traits that mediate species boundaries are unclear. Females in sexually dimorphic species typically lack many of the elaborate traits that are present in males and that are often used for taxonomic classification of species. In a diverse and largely sexually dimorphic group of fishes called darters (Percidae: Etheostoma), male mate choice contributes to behavioral isolation between a number of species; however, studies addressing which female traits males prefer are lacking. In this study, we identified the dominant female pattern for two sympatric species, Etheostoma zonale and Etheostoma barrenense, using pattern energy analysis, and we used discriminate function analysis to identify which aspects of female patterning can reliably classify species. We then tested the role of female features in male mate choice for E. zonale, by measuring male preference for computer animations displaying the identified (species-specific) conspecific features. We found that the region above the lateral line is important in mediating male mate preferences, with males spending a significantly greater proportion of time with animations exhibiting conspecific female patterning in this region than with animations exhibiting heterospecific female patterning. Our results suggest that the aspects of female phenotypes that are the target of male mate choice are different from the conspicuous male phenotypes that traditionally characterize species.
This article explains the process of the discussion and conception of a curriculum development to three undergraduate programs of the Social Communication. The curriculum was organized in order to integrate similar contents, to bring up to date the syllabus content, and to reduce the program extension to the three fields of the Social communication area, without any demage to each specific programs within the Social Communication, trying to contemplate the emergent trainning and mercadologic demands. To this purpose, we relied on an interdisciplinar approach to aim an innovation on the curricula design of each specific program. The article is organized based on a short introduction about the curriculum proposal, following with some quality indicators that are currently considered in the Social Communication area. We shortly elucidate how we proceeded to the elaboration process of the new curricula proposals as well as their basic curriculum organization criteria. Besides, we presented the main lines that gave form and that constituted the new proposals and also, we indicate some gains that we perceive as advancements to the implementation of the new curricula proposals that we now constructed. At the end, we make some considerations around of current trends regarding the organization of a curriculum process to the instruction in the undergraduate programs.
We have made crosstalk measurements on our U-groove isolated photodiode array by two independent techniques, an electrical measurement method and a laser scanning method. These two methods are shown to corre-late with each other. The crosstalk between two adjacnt pixels of the U-groove isolated array was below 5 X 10-4, which compared favorably to the value of 10-1 for the conventional diffusion junction photodiode array. Also, the effective diffusion length of the photogenerated carriers was measured to be 10µm in the N-region and 6 um in the top P-region. The advantages of the detector isolation technique for optical signal processing are presented.
Methods. Describing the complications that an older patient under- went during his hospital stay.Results. An 87-year-old man was admitted to the San Raffaele Hos- pital for a transient loss of consciousness (LOC). He was hospitalized for assessing the causes of the LOC. The LOC lasted 2 minutes, was associated with bilateral upper limb clonus and subsequent confu- sion. The patient was severely comorbid: he suffered from metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney failure, hemodynamically significant carotid atheromasia, anemia, and he had a dubious history of epilepsy. More- over, the patient was cognitively impaired and many episodes of LOC were reported in his medical history. During the hospital stay the patient developed many complications: a fall, nosocomial pneumonia, urinary retention and deconditioning.Conclusions. Global aging poses several challenges to society and public health systems. The traditional models of care are not suitable to face the complex needs of frail older people for whom standard deci- sional algorithms are seldom applicable. The context of hospitalization, though necessary, may be hazardous risky for the health of older peo- ple, especially the frailer ones.
Living nonhuman primates generally inhabit tropical forests, and torpor is regarded as a strategy employed by cold‐adapted organisms. Yet, some primates employ daily torpor or hibernation (heterothermy) under obligatory, temporary, or emergency circumstances. Though heterothermy is present in most mammalian lineages, there are only three extant heterothermic primate lineages: bushbabies from Africa, lorises from Asia, and dwarf and mouse lemurs from Madagascar. Here, we analyze their phenotypes in the general context of tropical mammalian heterothermy. We focus on Malagasy lemurs as they have been the most intensively studied and also show an unmatched range of flexibility in their heterothermic responses. We discuss the evidence for whether heterothermy should be considered an ancestral or derived condition in primates. This consideration is particularly intriguing given that an understanding of the underlying mechanisms for hibernation in lemurs opens the possibility for insight into genotype‐phenotype interactions, including those with biomedical relevance for humans.
The objectives of the research are: (1) to find out the influence of environment education towards  IPS students' learning motivation at SMK 1 Martapura, (2) to find out the influence of the school organization climate towards IPS students' learning motivation at SMK 1 Martapura? (3) to find out the influence of both the environmental education and school organization climate simultaneously towards IPS students' learning motivation at SMK 1 Martapura. This research used survey method with quantitative research approach. The research samples were taken with proportion stratified random sampling technique of the population of 1,341 students, from which 308 students were obtained as samples. This research found that (1) the value of t count> t table (3.240> 1.971) means that the environment education partially affects IPS students' learning motivation, (2) the value of t count> t table (2.083> 1.971) means that the school organization climate partially affects IPS students' learning motivation, (3) F count> F table (7.488> 3.886) means that the environment education and climate of student organization simultaneously affect IPS students’ learning motivation, (4) based on the output, the obtained scores of Adjusted Square was 0.041 or (4.1%). Based on these results, it can be concluded that: (1) Environment education partially affected IPS students' learning motivation. The value of t count was positive. It means that the effect was positive. This means that the implementation of environment–based education, the motivation of IPS students at SMK 1 Martapura increased more, (2) School organization climate partially affected IPS students' learning motivation. The value of t count was positive. It means that the effect  was positive. This means that the more comfortable the climate of the school  organization, the more the increase of the motivation of IPS students at SMK 1 Martapura  increase, (3) the environment education and the student organization climate simultaneously affected IPS students’ learning motivation. Keywords : environment education, school organization climate, learning motivation, social studies.
The metabolism of 14C-histamine injected i.v. in 3 ruminant species (goat, sheep, and cow) has been studied previously. In the present study isotope dilution- and paper chromatographic techniques were used to examine urinary 14C-metabolites of i.v. injected 14C-histamine in the horse and the pig. The urine excreted the first 24 hrs after injection accounted for 64–76 % and 81–91 % of the radioactivity injected in horses and pigs, respectively. Less than 2 % of the injected radioactivity could be accounted for in the feces excreted the first week after injection. Known metabolites in the first 24 hr urine on an average accounted for about 94 % and 103 % of the urinary radioactivity in horses and pigs, respectively. Methylation of his-tamine to 1.4-methylhistamine and further oxidation to 1.4-methylimidazoleacetic acid was quantitatively the most important pathway for histamine degradation, accounting on an average for about 63 % and 76 % of the radioactivity in horse and pig urine, respectively. The horse and the pig seemed to metabolize histamine in quite a similar way which again was quite different from that previously found in the ruminants in which oxidative deamination of histamine to imidazoleacetic acid was the only pathway of quantitative importance. As in ruminants histaminol seemed to be a metabolite of i.v. injected histamine accounting for about 2 % of the urinary radioactivity. The specific radioactivity of histamine was about tenfold larger than for 1.4-methylmidazoleacetic acid, in horses and pigs.
Background Individual and group level interventions have the largest effect on outcomes in patients with the first episode of psychosis. The quality of these individual and group level interventions provided to first-episode psychosis patients in Uganda is unclear. Aim To determine the quality of the individual and group level interventions provided to first episode psychosis patients in Uganda Setting The study was performed at the only tertiary psychiatric hospital in Uganda. Methods A retrospective chart review of recently discharged adult in-patients with the first episode of psychosis was performed. The proportion of participants who received different essential components for individual and group level interventions were calculated. From the different proportions, the quality of the services across the individual and group interventions was determined using the first-episode psychosis services fidelity scale (FEPS-FS). The FEPS-FS assigns a grade of 1–5 on a Likert scale depending on the proportion of patients who received the different components of the intervention. Twelve essential components across the individual and group interventions were assessed and their quality quantified. Results The final sample included 156 first-episode psychosis patients. The median age was 27 years (inter-quartile range [IQR] [24–36]) and 55% of the participants were female. All 12 essential components had poor quality with the range of scores on the FEPS-FS between one and three. Only one essential component assessed (use of single antipsychotics) had moderate quality. Conclusion Amongst current services at the Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital in Uganda, the essential components for individual and group level interventions for psychotic disorders are of poor quality. Further studies are required on how the quality of these interventions can be improved.
In order to accurately describe the running vehicles, based on the coupled map car following model proposed by Konishi, considering the influence of the driver's time-dependent delay time and the driver's sensitivity would change with velocity and the headway, meanwhile the actuator exist saturation constraints, introducing the fuzzy control theory, a new T-S fuzzy coupled map car following model with time-delays and control saturation is proposed, the stability of the new coupled map car following model is studied. Using the Lyapunov function theory and theorem of the parallel distributed compensation (PDC), the sufficient condition for the existence of the controller is given, which ensured that the closed loop fuzzy system satisfy the asymptotic stability under the actuator saturation is presented, the fuzzy controller gain matrix can be obtained via solving linear matrix inequality (LMI). Finally, through the simulation examples verify that the method in suppress the traffic congestion and reduce the carbon dioxide emissions is effective.
Abstract Objective To analyze studies that investigated the association between physical activity assessed by accelerometry and cognitive function in older people. Methods A systematic review was carried out in four electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SportsDiscus). Results In total, 195 records were identified. Fifty-two studies were selected for a full evaluation; 23 were selected according to the inclusion criteria adopted and divided into four chapters (characteristics of the studies, the association between physical activity level and cognitive function decline, effects of physical activity in reducing the chances of cognitive function decline and effects of physical activity on brain plasticity. The cross-sectional studies had an average score of 7 points, and the cohort studies obtained 10 points, indicating the high quality of the selected studies. Seven studies indicated an association between Moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) and cognitive function, two specifically indicated a reduction in the chances of cognitive function decline according to the interquartile of MVPA, and three studies indicated improvements in MVPA in brain plasticity. Conclusion Measured by accelerometry, seems to be favorably associated with important outcomes in cognitive function assessed through questionnaires, imaging analyses, and biochemical markers with older adults.
Due to its excellent nonlinear characteristics, ZnO resistors have been widely used in ultra-high voltage power transmission. The performance of ZnO resistors have an effect on the safe and stable operation of power system, thus the DC aging research of ZnO resistors is urgently needed. In order to study the DC aging characteristics of ZnO varistor, the aging test of ZnO varistor was carried out under different voltage waveforms, and the aging characteristics of ZnO under different voltage waveforms were analyzed. PEA space charge testing technology, SEM scanning electron microscope and EDS testing technology were performed on the samples before and after aging. The results show that the electrical properties of the ZnO varistor are significantly reduced after aging, and the aging of the sample under the DC bus voltage is particularly serious. The results of EDS test show that Zn ions and Bi ions have a translocation and accumulation in the polarization direction during the aging process. The unsymmetrical distribution of space charge further illustrates that DC aging has a single directional charge accumulation and migration. Under the action of DC voltage, the electrical performance of ZnO resistance chip is aging.
Tracheal rings (TR) are rare, congenital cartilaginous defect of the upper airway and are usually due to complete or near complete circumferential cartilaginous tracheal rings, with variable degrees of tracheal stenosis (TS) and shortening. Chromosomal anomalies like trisomy 21 are characteristically associated with a wide range of upper airway anomalies including TS and congenital heart disease (CHD). However, the overall prevalence of severe forms of TS is rare and reported in 1.2% of all CHD patients. Herein, we present a rare association of severe TS due to complete tracheal rings in a trisomy 21 patient with CHD and the challenges in the management.
Hepatitis B infection is a worldwide public health problem. Since Peru is located in an intermediate endemic area, this condition is relevant. The purpose of this article is to show the history of research performed regarding this illness. 60 references (1970-2002) were reviewed, and we found that there was no time sequence with respect to investigations on hepatitis B prevalence, and also, different markers were used. Results with respect to the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg) varied according to the different regions in Peru, such as the coast (0-4,8%), highlands (13,8-16%), and the jungle (3-17,1%), and no overall surveys have been carried out. With respect to studies performed in high-risk groups, some outbreaks have been identified in military detachments in the jungle, and HbsAg was found in up to 43,2% within this group. In female sex workers, studies showed marker prevalence between 51,5% to 89,3%. In health personnel, HbsAg has been reported with a 0 to 7,8% prevalence, and blood banks, nephrology, dentistry and gastroenterology reported most cases. Research regarding serological response to vaccines started in 1987 in native jungle communities; and thereafter a pilot program supported by WHO/PAHO was started in Abancay (a city in the Peruvian highlands). Since 1996, Peruvian Ministry of Health established mandatory immunization to children less than one year old in high and average endemic areas, and since 2003 immunization against hepatitis B virus infection was established for this age group in the whole country. It is concluded that in spite of the advances in hepatitis
Introduction: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) refers to a high-frequency current that heats and coagulates tissue. In the standard RFA setup, three components are used: a generator, an active electrode, and a dispersive electrode. RFA has garnered support in many of the surgical fields as an alternative to traditional procedures used in tumor removal. Other methods can prove to be more invasive and disfiguring to the patient, in addition to the unwarranted side effects; however, RFA provides a more localized treatment, resulting in decreased co-morbidity to the patient. Currently, its use in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery is limited, as its technology has not reached our field. By describing its limited use to the optics community, we hope to expand its uses and provide patients with one more alternative treatment option. Methods and Uses: We will describe the use of RFA on three types of pathology: lymphangioma, rhabdomyoscarcoma, oral squamous cell carcinoma, and neoplastic osseous metastasis. The majority of treatments geared towards these pathologies involve surgical resection, followed by reconstruction. However, damage to vital structures coupled with esthetic disfigurement makes RFA a more valuable alternative. In many of the cases, the tumors were successfully removed without recurrence. Conclusion: While the use of RFA has been scarce in our field, we believe that with more exposure it can gain momentum as an alternative to current treatment options. However, there are improvements that we feel can be made, helping to maximize its effectiveness.
This work examines the suitability of a non-rotating one-side 3D x-ray scatter system for imaging the human head. The system simultaneously produces images of the x-ray attenuation coefficients at two photon energies, as well as an image of the electron density. The system relies on measuring the scattered radiation at two directions orthogonal to an incident beam that scans the object from one side, in addition to the traditionally recorded transmitted radiation. Algorithms for this multi-parameter imaging process are presented, and their numerical viability is demonstrated, using both idealized detector responses and those independently estimated from Monte Carlo simulations. The absorbed radiation dose is also calculated, and was shown to be about one quarter of that of conventional CT systems, for 5 mm spatial-resolution images. The introduced system can therefore be useful in radiotherapy planning, and in post-treatment imaging.
Background: Occasionally atrial fibrillation (AF) is resistant to electrical cardioversion (EC). Ranolazine (RZ) is an antianginal agent, which inhibits abnormal late Na+ channel currents in cardiomyocytes and decreases Na+/Ca++ overload. RZ is a potent inhibitor of after‐depolarizations and triggered activity and prolongs atrial refractory periods. We postulated RZ could facilitate EC in patients resistant to EC.
Fasting hyperinsulinemia precedes the development of type 2 diabetes. However, it is unclear whether fasting insulin hypersecretion is a primary driver of insulin resistance or a consequence of the progressive increase in fasting glycemia induced by insulin resistance in the prediabetic state. Herein, we have discovered a mechanism that specifically regulates non–glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (NGSIS) in pancreatic islets that is activated by nonesterified free fatty acids, the major fuel used by β-cells during fasting. We show that the mitochondrial permeability transition pore regulator cyclophilin D (CypD) promotes NGSIS, but not glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, by increasing mitochondrial proton leak. Islets from prediabetic obese mice show significantly higher CypD-dependent proton leak and NGSIS compared with lean mice. Proton leak–mediated NGSIS is conserved in human islets and is stimulated by exposure to nonesterified free fatty acids at concentrations observed in obese subjects. Mechanistically, proton leak activates islet NGSIS independently of mitochondrial ATP synthesis but ultimately requires closure of the KATP channel. In summary, we have described a novel nonesterified free fatty acid–stimulated pathway that selectively drives pancreatic islet NGSIS, which may be therapeutically exploited as an alternative way to halt fasting hyperinsulinemia and the progression of type 2 diabetes.
Editors’ note:This paper was prepared for a conference on Qualitative Research, Stanford University, 23‐36 June 1988 and was read also at the American Educational Studies Association meeting in Toronto, 2‐6 November 1988. It will be published as part of a book by Teachers College Press and is reprinted by permission of the publisher from Soltis, Jonas F., “The Ethics of Qualitative Research,” in Eisner, Elliot W. & Peshkin, Alan M., Qualitative Studies in Education[New York: Teachers College Press, #cW 1989 by Teachers College, Columbia University. All rights reserved], in press. QSE thanks Professor Soltis and Teachers College Press for permission to publish the paper. In it, Soltis sketches a broad overview of the ethics of qualitative research by exploring four major purposes to which qualitative research in education has been put and by showing how each of these gives rise to generic and specific research‐setting types of ethical issues.
Microplasmas offer attractive flow control methodology for gas transport in microsystems where large viscous losses make conventional pumping methods highly inefficient. We study microscale flow actuation by dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) with field emission (FE) of electrons, which allows lowering the operational voltage from kV to a few hundred volts and below. A feasibility study of FE-DBD for flow actuation is performed using 2D particle-in-cell method with Monte Carlo collisions (PIC/MCC) at 10 MHz in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. The free diffusion dominated, high velocity field emission electrons create a large positive space charge and a body force on the order of 106 N m−3. The body force and Joule heat decrease with increase in dielectric thickness and electrode thickness. The body force also decreases at lower pressures. The plasma body force distribution along with the Joule heating is then used in the Navier–Stokes simulations to quantify the flow actuation in a microchannel. Theoretical analysis and simulations for plasma actuated planar Poiseuille flow show that the gain in flow rate is inversely proportional to Reynolds number. This theoretical analysis is in good agreement with the simulations for a microchannel with closely placed actuators under incompressible conditions. Flow rate of FE-DBD driven 2D microchannel is around 100 ml min−1 mm−1 for an input power of 64 μW mm−1. The gas temperature rises by 1500 K due to the Joule heating, indicating FE-DBD’s potential for microcombustion, micropropulsion and chemical sensing in addition to microscale pumping and mixing applications.
ABSTRACT This study explores an understudied area in corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is important for strategic communication practice during crises: corporate disaster aid. Companies mobilize their money, materials, and human resources to participate in different aid activities. Building on existing CSR communication literature, this study investigates 128 disaster aid tweets from 41 companies and 951 replies to analyze the patterns of corporate disaster aid and communication strategies on Twitter between August 1, 2017, and March 1, 2019. Corporate giving and third-party involvement are the most frequently mentioned activities on companies’ Twitter accounts. Still, companies in this sample have yet to harness the full potential of social media in communicating their corporate disaster aid efforts. For instance, many companies do not engage publics in their tweets, indicating companies’ perception that Twitter is a one-way information delivery tool. In terms of publics’ responses, the numbers of retweets, likes, or comments are significantly associated with corporate disaster aid types and message features. For instance, the results reveal that corporate giving brings more retweets and more comments, and video use will have a positive impact on the number of likes and comments. By introducing a new context for CSR, this study is among the first to shed light into strategic communication of corporate disaster aid.
The stratospheric ozone layer plays a crucial role in protecting living organisms against ultraviolet radiation. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) contained in metered-dose inhalers (MDIs) contribute to ozone depletion and in accordance with the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer established 10 years ago, phase-out strageies have been developed worldwide for this category of agents. Alternatives to CFC-containing inhalers have been developed, such as powder inhalers and those using hydrofluoroalkanes (HFAs) as propellants, which have been shown to be as safe and effective as CFC-containing inhalers and even offer interesting advantages over older inhalers. The transition to non-CFC MDIs requires a major effort to make the new products available and to ensure adequate comparision with the previous ones. It also requires a harmonization of actions taken by industry, government, licencing bodies and patients or health professional associations to ensure adequate information and education to the public and respiratory care providers.
We have no conflict of interest regarding this research and publication. We were previously evaluators of the program, but no longer are so employed. The Forum for Theological Exploration is aware that we are publishing results of surveys. Please address queries to: Cheryl H. Keen, Walden University. Email: cheryl.keen@mail.waldenu.edu Impact of a Postcollege Service-Learning Year: From Self to Social Justice
Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint pain syndrome that leads to dysfunction consequent to joint degeneration. Current available therapiesforOAare mostly symptomatic with little influence onregenerativeaspects. Thoughanti-inflammatory drugshave aneffectonpain reductionandcontrol of inflammatory processes they may not be sufficientin more advanced stagesofcartilage degeneration. Among a variety of biological functions, including an anti-inflammatory effect, collagen V (COLV) regulates the diameter of collagen fibers with a relevant role in the development of functional tissues. Objectives To evaluate, in rabbits, the influence of COLV in the induction of differentiation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells to a chondrocyte-like cell phenotype. Methods Rabbits New Zealand were used as source of adipose-tissues for the isolation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Preliminary characterization of mesenchymal lineage and differentiation into chondrocyte-like phenotype was confirmed by immunofluorescence analysis using antibodies to collagens I, II (polyclonals), III and CD34 (monoclonals). After 2 and 3 weeks in culture, in the presence or absence of COLV, cell aggregates were fixed for 2 hours in 4% formaldehyde, then dehydrated with etanol and washed with xylene. After embedded in paraffin, different sections were stained with Toluidine blue, Alcian blue and Picrosirius for evaluation in the optic microscope. Results Proteoglicans and collagen were demonstrated by Picrosirius staining confirming the existence of collagen expression. Remarkably, compared to control cultures, in the presence of COLV stimulation, MSCs were capable to increase collagen I and II expressions confirming its chondrocyte-like cell phenotype. Conclusions COLV may facilitatethe differentiation of rabbitadipose tissue-derived stem cells into a chondrocyte-like phenotype. Further studies are urged in order to evaluate the influence of this protein in the ability of chondrocytes to remodel osteoarthritic joint surface at ultra structural and molecular levels. As a result,the role of COLV in osteoarthritis physiopathology, its clinical significance and therapeutic implications could be elucidated. Disclosure of Interest C. Goldenstein-Schainberg: None Declared, I. Cruz: None Declared, R. Fuller: None Declared, A. Velosa: None Declared, S. Carrasco: None Declared, V. Capelozzi: None Declared, N. Yoshinari: None Declared, W. Teodoro Grant/Research support from: FAPESP – 2010/17824-8, Federic Foundation Grants, FFMUSP.
Structure-based drug design (SBDD) is commonly leveraged in rational drug design. Usually, ligand and binding site atomic coordinates from crystallographic data are exploited to optimize potency and selectivity. In addition to traditional, static views of proteins and ligands, we propose using normalized B-factors to study protein dynamics as a part of the drug optimization process. A retrospective case study of crizotinib and lorlatinib bound to both c-ros oncogene 1 kinase (ROS1) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) L1196M related normalized B-factors to differences in binding affinity. This analysis showed that ligand binding can have protein-stabilizing effects that start near the ligand but propagate through nearby residues and structural waters to more distal motifs. The potential opportunities for analyzing normalized B-factors in SBDD are also discussed.
Vestibular rehabilitation was first developed as treatment for vestibular disorders but has also been used as treatment for other causes of dizziness. Many outpatients with dizziness are seen in primary care but vestibular rehabilitation is probably not well known among physiotherapist outside tertiary care. The aim of this systematic literature review was to describe and elucidate vestibular rehabilitation as a feasible treatment for various causes of dizziness. Using the keyword vestibular rehabilitation, searches were performed in PubMed, AMED, CINAHL and PeDro. Seventy-one studies were included in the review. Strong scientific evidence for vestibular rehabilitation was found for vestibular hypofunction, for multisensory dizziness and for Ménière's disease. Moderately strong scientific evidence was found for vestibular rehabilitation after vestibular surgery. For neurological causes of dizziness, benign positional paroxysmal vertigo (BPPV), phobic postural vertigo (PPV), dizziness concomitant to whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) and migraine-associated dizziness there seems to be insufficient scientific evidence. Vestibular rehabilitation can be recommended as treatment for vestibular hypofunction, for multisensory dizziness, for Ménière's disease and after vestibular surgery. The results of research on vestibular rehabilitation for neurological causes of dizziness, BPPV, PPV, dizziness concomitant to WAD and migraine-associated dizziness are promising enough for recommending vestibular rehabilitation for these diagnoses also, even though more studies are needed.
Government policies (of which the introduction of ‘One‐Stop Shops’ for business advice is a recent example) have highlighted the need for public services to manage relationships between organizations as well as within them. This article focuses on one hind of inter‐organizational relationship: collaboration. Based on experience from a public sector project, it is argued that internal structures and processes are important factors in determining whether, when and how collaboration can successfully be developed. A new concept, collaborative capability’, is introduced to describe the capacity and readiness of an organization to collaborate and an initial model of the dimensions of the concept is suggested. The author argues that, in the light of differences in collaborative capabilities, any approach to the development and implementation of a joint strategy is likely to be contingent and incremental.
The current study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which miR‐454 influences the progression of heart failure (HF) in relation to the neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally downregulated 4‐2 (NEDD4‐2)/tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA)/cyclic adenosine 3',5'‐monophosphate (cAMP) axis. Sprague‐Dawley rats were used to establish a HF animal model via ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. The cardiomyocyte H9c2 cells were treated with H2O2 to stimulate oxidative stress injury in vitro. RT‐qPCR and Western blot assay were subsequently performed to determine the expression patterns of miR‐454, NEDD4‐2, TrkA, apoptosis‐related proteins and cAMP pathway markers. Dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay coupled with co‐immunoprecipitation was performed to elucidate the relationship between miR‐454, NEDD4‐2 and TrkA. Gain‐ or loss‐of‐function experiments as well as rescue experiments were conducted via transient transfection (in vitro) and adenovirus infection (in vivo) to examine their respective functions on H9c2 cell apoptosis and myocardial damage. Our results suggested that miR‐454 was aberrantly downregulated in the context of HF, while evidence was obtained suggesting that it targeted NEDD4‐2 to downregulate NEDD4‐2 in cardiomyocytes. miR‐454 exerted anti‐apoptotic and protective effects on cardiomyocytes through inhibition of NEDD4‐2, while NEDD4‐2 stimulated ubiquitination and degradation of TrkA protein. Furthermore, miR‐454 activated the cAMP pathway via the NEDD4‐2/TrkA axis, which ultimately suppressed cardiomyocyte apoptosis and attenuated myocardial damage. Taken together, the key findings of the current study highlight the cardioprotective role of miR‐454, which is achieved through activation of the cAMP pathway by impairing NEDD4‐2‐induced TrkA ubiquitination.
We study the utility indifference price of a European option in the context of small transaction costs. Considering the general setup allowing consumption and a general utility function at final time T, we obtain an asymptotic expansion of the utility indifference price as a function of the asymptotic expansions of the utility maximization problems with and without the European contingent claim. We use the tools developed in [54] and [48] based on homogenization and viscosity solutions to characterize these expansions. Finally we study more precisely the example of exponential utilities, in particular recovering under weaker assumptions the results of [6].
Bifungites was an ichnogenus established by Desio in 1940 for certain dumb-bell shaped trace fossils found in Late Devonian rocks in Libya. Since its original diagnosis it has been reported in rocks ranging in age from (?) Cambrian to Upper Devonian (Dubois and Lessertisseur 1964, Hantzschel 1975) and is particularly conspicuous in Devonian strata, where it has been reported and, or, described by Gutschick et at 1962, Dubois and Lessertisseur 1964, Rodriguez and Gutschick 1970, Gutschick and Lamborn 1975, and Melou and Plusquellec 1975. Indeed, some of its supposed pre-Devonian occurrences are questionable as many of the original specimens described for example by Hall (1852) and Zenger (1971) from the Silurian Clinton Group of New York have been destroyed, can no longer be located or are not illustrated. Furthermore, detailed descriptions of the trace fossils were incomplete and the traces could easily have been synonymous with the morphologically similar ichnogenera Arthraria, Corophioides or Diplocraterion. One of the purposes of this paper is, therefore, to record in some detail a definitive Ordovician occurrence of Bifungites.
Optical position encoders working according to the interference method consists of a measurement scale and a measuring head moving along each other. The scale has a reflection diffraction grating on its surface and the measuring head has a transmission diffraction grating with same period inside. Laser light passing and diffracting through these two gratings creates an interference signal on an optical detector. Decoding of the interference signal phase allows to determinate current position. Known optical position encoders use complex optical schemes and some phase optical elements to form several quadrature signals with different phase for higher encoder accuracy. Previously we researched such kind of schemes [1, 2]. In this paper we propose to use a common optical scheme without phase elements but with a complex structured measuring head grating for this purpose to simplify an optical scheme and alignment requirements. The optical scheme of position encoder based on measuring head grating with specific structure is research and described in this paper.
Within the past few years, a great deal of attention has been drawn towards the CDMA system. The state of a CDMA system has two cases: saturation and instauration. After the system is saturated, no more users are allowed to access to CDMA systems with traditional method. In order to enhance the maximum number of users and the all users’ satisfaction while guaranteeing users’ quality of service (QoS) –SINR (signal-to-interference–plus-noise) requirement, this paper presents a degradation scheme based on user satisfaction in CDMA systems. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme can be allowed more users to access to and increase the total users’ satisfaction, leading to higher system capacity and resource utilization.
Abstract The accumulation of DDT in the environment over the years is a major concern in the world today. The extent to which DDT may be absorbed and translocated from 14C-p,p¢-DDT contaminated soils into cowpea plant tissues, and the variation of uptake of p,p¢-DDT by the plants in relation to the dissipation of p,p¢-DDT in the soils was studied using a radioisotope technique. Significant absorption and accumulation of residues was observed for the cowpeas grown in two different sites, coastal and highland regions. The degree of uptake varied with soil type and growing conditions. Further results indicated that the higher the water retention by the soil the higher the rate of evaporation of p,p¢-DDT. Coastal region p,p¢-DDT soil samples showed DDE to be the major metabolite. DDT residue in the plants ranged from 0.94 to 7.73 mg/kg, while that in the soils ranged from 88.9 to 32.0 mg/kg. Preliminary electrode reactions indicated lowering of overpotential for reduction of p-chlorophenol by about 1 V, using copper phthalocyanine tetrasodium tetrasulfonate as the catalyst in microemulsion. Microemulsions and appropriate catalysts are a promising system for the decomposition of DDT.
Ontology's automatic extraction is a core problem of Information Integration in Electronic Government Affair. In the process of ontology's automatic extraction, FCA method is used in analyzing relationships between concepts automatically. But this method's ability is insufficient in the analysis of the synonym relationship. This paper optimizes the FCA method and brings forward a new algorithm - SFCA. SFCA sets the weight for the attribute based on the importance of it. It computes the similarity degree using the weights and judges whether the concepts are synonymous. Through the analysis of the experiment's result, the algorithm is validated to be effective. And its correctness proof is proved.
Cost awareness and cost efficiency have always been major concerns to organizations from all industries but    in the last few years its importance grew due to the global economic and financial crisis. Considering their    small size and market exposure, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) need cost awareness and efficiency    more than ever. However, efficient and accurate costing methodologies are out of reach for most SMEs. In this    research we propose that costing should be offered as a service to reduce the cost of cost analysis. Our research    proposal is a cloud-based costing system that offers costing as a service using Time-Driven Activity Based    Costing (TDABC) methodology and the concept of Business Process Costing Templates. When combined,    they reduce the cost of cost analysis, especially for SMEs. We used the Design Science Research Methodology    (DSRM) to conduct our research. This proposal was demonstrated in three Portuguese organizations and    evaluated with feedback gathered from interviews and results from the system instantiation in all organizations.
We have isolated two DNA aptamers against a tumor marker protein, human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF165). To select aptamers that have high specificity for VEGF165, we used another protein as a competitor in the SELEX process. In addition, we evaluated the screened library with aptamer blotting. Isolated aptamers bound to VEGF165 with Kd in a few hundred-nanomolar ranges, and did not bind to a competitor. This selection method allowed us to select the specific aptamers against a target protein efficiently. Furthermore, isolated aptamers did not bind to VEGF121. These specific DNA aptamers against VEGF165 would be a useful sensing element for cancer diagnosis.
We observe internal convective and conductive burn front propagation and solid consumption subsequent to thermal ignition for plastic bonded formulations of the solid organic secondary explosives octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine and 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene. This work describes x-ray radiographic diagnostics enabling the study of solid density in a fully encased explosive during internal burning subsequent to ignition. The result of this study is the ability to directly observe and measure rates of energy release during a thermal explosion.
Abstract A condensed shale from the middle Silurian of Gotland (Sweden) is herein described with regard to its biotic and environmental significance. The fauna is characterised by an overall low diversity and anomalous abundance patterns, notably a mass-occurrence of scolecodonts. Other elements include abundant chitinozoans, dendroid and graptoloid graptolites, conodonts, eurypterids, and the brachiopod Lingula. An unusually good collection of the rare, minute conodont Aldridgeodus minimus gen. et sp. nov., was recovered and is therefore formally described herein. The conspicuous faunal composition and palaeogeographical position of the shale in the interior area of a carbonate platform is unique for any stratum of Gotland and may represent a rarely preserved environment for the lower Palaeozoic.
Low-potential electrochemical polymerization of a series of aromatic ethers in boron trifluoride diethyl etherate (BFEE), such as diphenyl ether (DPE), 1,4-diphenoxybenzene (DPOB), and 2,2′-dinaphthyl ether (DNE), led to successful deposition of a new class of electrically conducting proton-doped poly(aromatic ethers) thin films exhibiting good electroactivity and high thermal stability, whereas their sulfur analogues, diphenyl sulfide (DPS) and diphenyl sulfone (DPSO), were not eletropolymerizable. FT-IR, 1H NMR spectra, and computational results demonstrated that poly(1,4-diphenoxybenzene) (PDPOB) were synthesized mainly through the coupling of DPOB at para-positions, while the polymerization of DNE occurred probably at α- and C6-positions of the naphthyl rings to form poly(2,2′-dinaphthyl ether) (PDNE) with complex structure. It was found that the electrodeposited poly(aromatic ethers) probably showed proton-doping nature similar to polyaniline based on FT-IR spectral results and conductivity investiga...
Collaborative learning is changing the learning environments design. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS), multiagent systems, affective computing, and virtual characters, are techniques and resources to improve individual and personalized learning. ITS and ILE (intelligent learning environments) try to adapt to the characteristics of each student through the construction and the analysis of models that reflect both behavioral and cognitive aspects of the students. These systems represent more advanced pedagogical tools and provide more individualized learning experiences. However, even with all the sophistication of these systems, cases can occur where the course material given by them is not sufficient to supply pedagogical necessities that a student comes to acquire during one learning activity. In these cases, is important to have tools that allow human-human interactions, where students can communicate themselves with tutors, or other students, and can jointly supply necessities and construct knowledge. The importance of social interactions in the learning process is already known by the educational theoreticians. Some studies in this field are the Socio-Cultural approach of Vygostky (1999); some works of Piaget (1995); theories of Collaborative Learning (Dillenbourg, Baker, Blaye, & O’Malley, 1995); and others. Recent advances in the ITS and ILE fields have proposed the use of agent’s society-based architectures (Norman & Jennings, 2000). The principles of multiagent systems have showed a very adequate potential in the development of teaching systems due to the fact that the nature of teaching-learning problems is more easily solved in a collaborative way. The collaborative learning systems development takes into account social factors, like those presented in Vassileva’s and Cao’s work (Cao, Sharifi, Upadrashta, & Vassileva, 2003). They concluded that is very important to consider sociological aspects of cooperation and to discover and describe existing relationships among people, existing organizational structures, and incentives for collaborative action. Hence, the learning environment can detect and solves some conflicts, help to perform tasks, and motivate learning and collaboration. Based on presented ideas, our research group has been developing some intelligent learning environments to promote collaborative learning. The AMPLIA environment (Vicari et al., 2003) is a multiagent system that provides a collaborative Bayesian Net Editor to allow students build their own networks and compare them with the expert network. This collaborative construction happens between medical students. This article presents the social agent that acts in the AMPLIA’s collaborative editor in order to improve collaboration. AMPLIA is an intelligent probabilistic multiagent environment to support the diagnostic reasoning development and the diagnostic hypotheses modeling of domains with complex and uncertain knowledge, like the medical area. The social agent supports group formation and it makes a search among students of an ITS/ILE looking for suitable students to join in a workgroup. Hence, students can help others during a common learning task. For such, these agents takes into account some affective and social aspects of the students.
With the Tibetan diaspora in the late 1950s, Tibetan Buddhism spread to nearly every continent on the globe and has begun transforming western landscapes through the construction of stūpas , Buddhism’s principal architectural form.  The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya Which Liberates Upon Seeing , located at Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado and dedicated to the meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, is an especially rich example of Tibetan Buddhist visual culture in the diaspora.  An iconographic analysis of the monuments exterior and interior architectural elements, sculptures and paintings, when contextualized within their historical context, reveals an intimate biography of Trungpa Rinpoche’s life.  Specifically, the visual narrative conveys two main Tibetan Buddhist themes:  the teacher’s progressive path of meditation and his lineage affiliations within Vajrayāna Buddhism.  In this way, the  stūpa acts as a visual namtar ( rNam-thar ), a traditional Tibetan biography that emphasizes a teacher’s personal journey to liberation and the masters who guided the way.  Although located far from the Himalayas and its Tibetan heritage, The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya’s affinity to traditional Tibetan Buddhist architectural and religious modalities provides a window into Tibet Buddhism's history prior to 1959.  At the same time, the monument serves as coherent, visual documentation of Tibetan art during the diaspora’s early period and will, no doubt, become an increasingly important part of the tradition’s historical record.
Outcomes research is designed to develop new and generalizable knowledge about care delivery, interventions, and patient outcomes. Advanced practice nurses are asked not only to participate in outcomes research but also to develop and maintain outcomes research projects and databases and to demonstrate the effectiveness of their own care practices through outcomes research. A four-step approach is described as an easy way in which to help advanced practice nurses engage in outcomes research at any site and with any patient population. The four steps are: Step I: identify and describe current practice in nursing-medical care and its outcome(s); Step II: data collection; Step III: data analysis; and Step IV: praxis: putting the research into practice. Participating in outcomes research will allow advanced practice nurses to improve healthcare services and to secure the role of advanced practice nurses in the changing healthcare arena.
Introduction: Endoscopes have greatly contributed to the prevention and treatment of various pathologies. However, despite the considerable advance in hospital care made possible by the advent of such equipment, the use of these devices has brought, beyond the obvious benefits, the risk of transmission of infection. Objective: To identify the incidence of adverse events (AD) related to endoscopic procedures. Method: Retrospective cohort study at a Digestive Endoscopy Service located in Salvador, BA. Gastrointestinal procedures, passive reports by patients and reports reported by endoscopists, between 2016 and 2018, were included in this cohort. Data collection occurred between October and November 2018, using our own instrument. Results: From 2016 to 2018, 21,827 colonoscopies, with an incidence of AE of 0.200%, were performed, and 40,261 upper digestive endoscopies, with incidence of AE of 0.080%, were also performed. In those years, the service performed 62,088 endoscopies, with a total incidence of AE of 0.100%. The most frequent adverse events were bacteremias, mucosal laceration, pain and abdominal distension, with an incidence of 0.030%, 0.010%, 0.010% and 0.010%, respectively. Conclusions: This study identified the incidence of AE related to endoscopic exams, contributing to the formation of data in the area of Brazilian gastrointestinal endoscopy. The incidence of 0.100% of AE identified here is much lower than the data in the international literature, as well as the incidence of the types of adverse events identified, signaling to the control of risks, quality and safety of the endoscopy service studied.
From the power processing point of view, high efficiency conversion, by itself, cannot en‐ sure the optimized power flow, since the PV output voltage and current are strongly de‐ pendent on environmental conditions, i.e., solar radiation and temperature; however, on the literature, many works bring solutions to maximize the photovoltaic output power, employ‐ ing specific circuits denominated by Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPT) [4-8]. In most applications, the MPPT is a simple dc-dc converter interposed between the photovoltaic modules and the load, and its control is achieved through a tracking algorithm.
Dynamical evidence accumulated over the past 20 years has convinced astronomers that luminous matter in a spiral galaxy constitutes no more than 10% of the mass of a galaxy. An additional 90% is inferred by its gravitational effect on luminous material. Here I review recent observations concerning the distribution of luminous and nonluminous matter in the Milky Way, in galaxies, and in galaxy clusters. Observations of neutral hydrogen disks, some extending in radius several times the optical disk, confirm that a massive dark halo is a major component of virtually every spiral. A recent surprise has been the discovery that stellar and gas motions in ellipticals are enormously complex. To date, only for a few spheroidal galaxies do the velocities extend far enough to probe the outer mass distribution. But the diverse kinematics of inner cores, peripheral to deducing the overall mass distribution, offer additional evidence that ellipticals have acquired gas-rich systems after initial formation. Dynamical results are consistent with a low-density universe, in which the required dark matter could be baryonic. On smallest scales of galaxies [10 kiloparsec (kpc); Ho = 50 km.sec-1.megaparsec-1] the luminous matter constitutes only 1% of the closure density. On scales greater than binary galaxies (i.e., >/=100 kpc) all systems indicate a density approximately 10% of the closure density, a density consistent with the low baryon density in the universe. If large-scale motions in the universe require a higher mass density, these motions would constitute the first dynamical evidence for nonbaryonic matter in a universe of higher density.
Vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) are a major cause of dementia worldwide. Studies have shown Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) genotype is a risk factor for VCID in humans. Our lab has previously demonstrated recapitulation of aspects of human VCID using a hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy)‐inducing dietary model in mice. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of ApoE genotype on the vascular pathology and neuroinflammatory changes generated by the induction of HHcy.
Growth and development of 207 children (49% males; mean age 5.4 years [SD 0.2], range 4 to 7.3 years whose mothers received iodine during pregnancy, and children who received iodine first in their 2nd year, were examined in 1996; 192 children(49% males; mean age 6.5 years[SD 0.2], range 5.8 to 6.9 years) whose mothers received iodine while pregnant were seen in 1998. Children were from the southern part of China's Xinjiang Province which has the lowest levels of iodine in water and soil ever recorded. Head circumference but not height was improved for those who received iodine during pregnancy (compared with those receiving iodine at age 2) and for those supplemented before the end of the 2nd trimester (relative to those supplemented during the 3rd trimester). Iodine before the 3rd trimester predicted higher psychomotor test scores for children relative to those provided iodine later in pregnancy or at 2 years. Results from the test for cognitive development resulted in trend only differences between those children supplemented during pregnancy versus later. The results address the question of when maternal iodine supplements should begin in public health programs world wide. Findings may be relevant to the treatment of maternal and newborn thyroid deficiency in industrialized countries, particularly for those infants delivered before the end of the second trimester.
Much attention has focused on employee basic skill (literacy) problems in recent years. Most authorities on the topic have focused their attention on two solutions alone: (a) offering in-house training to employees short-term solution intended to rectify existing basic skill deficiencies in the workforce; and (b) supporting public education as a long-term solution intended to ensure that future job applicants/employees possess basic skills adequate for beginning work. Few writers or authorities have suggested alternative performance improvement strategies to address basic skill problems. This article identifies a range of performance improvement strategies for addressing basic skill deficiencies and summarizes results of a recent survey of training and development professionals about how often these strategies are used in their organizations. In general, many survey respondents indicated that their organizations are using many different performance improvement strategies to address basic skill problems.
Purpose Facial nerve injury can occur in the regions ranging from the cerebral cortex to the motor end plate in the face, and from many causes including trauma, viral infection, and idiopathic factors. Facial nerve paralysis in children, however, may differ from that in adults. We, therefore, evaluated its etiology and recovery rate in children and adults. Materials and Methods We retrospectively evaluated the records of 975 patients, ranging in age from 0 to 88 years, who displayed facial palsy at Kyung Hee Medical Center between January 1986 and July 2005. Results The most frequent causes of facial palsy in adults were Bell's palsy (54.9%), infection (26.8%), trauma (5.9%), iatrogenic (2.0%), and tumors (1.8%), whereas the most frequent causes of facial palsy in children were Bell's palsy (66.2%), infection (14.6%), trauma (13.4%), birth trauma (3.2%), and leukemia (1.3%). Recovery rates in adults were 91.4% for Bell's palsy, 89.0% for infection, and 64.3% for trauma, whereas recovery rates in children were 93.1% for Bell's palsy, 90.9% for infection, and 42.9% for trauma. Conclusion These results show that causes of facial palsy are similar in adults and children, and recovery rates in adults and children are not significantly different.
Neuro‐ophthalmological symptoms in Lyme disease remain rare but can occur, such as anterior uveitis, pan uveitis, acute ocular flutter, Adie’s syndrome, and peripheral facial palsy [1-3]. According to the European Guidelines in Lyme neuroborreliosis, two of the three following criteria must be fulfilled to diagnose LNB: neurological symptoms, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, intrathecal specific antibody synthesis [4]. We report a case of isolated oculomotor nerve palsy due to Lyme disease with total resolution after antibiotic therapy.
Background: Opn5 is considered to regulate nonvisual photoreception in the retina and brain of animals. Results: Mouse and primate UV-sensitive Opn5 along with retinoid isomerase are localized in the preoptic hypothalamus. Conclusion: Mammalian Opn5 can function as a high sensitivity photosensor in the deep brain with the assistance of 11-cis-retinal supplying system. Significance: Mammals, including humans, may detect short wavelength light within the brain via Opn5. Opn5 is one of the recently identified opsin groups that is responsible for nonvisual photoreception in animals. We previously showed that a chicken homolog of mammalian Opn5 (Opn5m) is a Gi-coupled UV sensor having molecular properties typical of bistable pigments. Here we demonstrated that mammalian Opn5m evolved to be a more specialized photosensor by losing one of the characteristics of bistable pigments, direct binding of all-trans-retinal. We first confirmed that Opn5m proteins in zebrafish, Xenopus tropicalis, mouse, and human are also UV-sensitive pigments. Then we found that only mammalian Opn5m proteins lack the ability to directly bind all-trans-retinal. Mutational analysis showed that these characteristics were acquired by a single amino acid replacement at position 168. By comparing the expression patterns of Opn5m between mammals and chicken, we found that, like chicken Opn5m, mammalian Opn5m was localized in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer of the retina. However, the mouse and primate (common marmoset) opsins were distributed not in the posterior hypothalamus (including the region along the third ventricle) where chicken Opn5m is localized, but in the preoptic hypothalamus. Interestingly, RPE65, an essential enzyme for forming 11-cis-retinal in the visual cycle is expressed near the preoptic hypothalamus of the mouse and common marmoset brain but not near the region of the chicken brain where chicken Opn5m is expressed. Therefore, mammalian Opn5m may work exclusively as a short wavelength sensor in the brain as well as in the retina with the assistance of an 11-cis-retinal-supplying system.
1. The codling moth Cydia pomonella (L.), largely regarded as a sedentary species, shows great variation in flight capacity among individuals in the laboratory, as has been reported for tethered flight. The occurrence of individuals with the ability to fly over long distances is considered ecologically significant for the colonisation of new habitats in response to deteriorating environmental conditions. The work reported here was designed to investigate the importance of the genetic component in regulating dispersal in C. pomonella.
Background In Africa, many areas are co-endemic for the two major Schistosoma species, S. mansoni and S. haematobium. Epidemiological studies have suggested that host immunological factors may play an important role in co-endemic areas. As yet, little is known about differences in host immune responses and possible immunological interactions between S. mansoni and S. haematobium in humans. The aim of this study was to analyze host cytokine responses to antigens from either species in a population from a co-endemic focus, and relate these to S. mansoni and S. haematobium infection. Methodology Whole blood cytokine responses were investigated in a population in the north of Senegal (n = 200). Blood was stimulated for 72 h with schistosomal egg and adult worm antigens of either Schistosoma species. IL-10, IL-5, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 production was determined in culture supernatants. A multivariate (i.e. multi-response) approach was used to allow a joint analysis of all cytokines in relation to Schistosoma infection. Principal Findings Schistosoma haematobium egg and worm antigens induced higher cytokine production, suggesting that S. haematobium may be more immunogenic than S. mansoni. However, both infections were strongly associated with similar, modified Th2 cytokine profiles. Conclusions/Significance This study is the first to compare S. mansoni and S. haematobium cytokine responses in one population residing in a co-endemic area. These findings are in line with previous epidemiological studies that also suggested S. haematobium egg and worm stages to be more immunogenic than those of S. mansoni.
The Kafue lechwe is endemic to the Kafue Flats area of Zambia. It is semi‐aquatic in habit, feeding upon grasses above and below the waterline. The volume of the lechwe rumen is 17 L in the male and 14 L in the female. It has strong and definite pillars. The interior of the rumen is papillated except in the roof area and on the pillars. The omasum has more than 70 laminae which are papiliated on the reticular end. The anatomy of the lechwe stomach is similar to the stomachs of other water dependent grazers such as Bohor Reedbuck, Waterbuck, Uganda Kob and Puku.
Abstract The myelodysplastic syndromes are increasingly recognised clinical entities reflecting a stem cell defect that gives rise to ineffective clonal haematopoiesis. The spectrum extends from relatively indolent refractory anaemia through varying combinations of leucopoenia and thrombocytopenia to acute leukaemia. Diagnosis rests on marrow hypercellularity with dysplastic morphology, apoptosis and, often distinctive cytogenetic defects. Stratification to risk-related protocols range from occasional blood transfusions or erythropoietin through innovative options including thalidomide or amifostine to haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in selected individuals. Acute myeloid leukaemia, conceptually segregated from preleukaemia, is treated differently although accumulating cellular and molecular data favour a more integrated approach. Morphology and immunophenotyping are complemented by molecular genetics. On this basis chemotherapy alone is sufficient in defined sub-groups whereas others benefit by autologous or allogeneic grafting. Attention to demonstrating minimal residual disease is the basis for more specific intervention exemplified by monoclonal antibodies or maturation-inducing agents as with retinoic acid in acute progranulocytic leukaemia
The effects of billet homogenization and extrusion conditions on microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ31B magnesium alloy extrusions have investigated. Mg–Al and Mg–Al–Zn compounds observed on grain boundaries of as cast billet have disappeared by the homogenization. Then, the elongation of the extrusion increases by the homogenization. As the extrusion ratio increases, the elongation of the extrusion also increases by grain refining. As the billet temperature is lower and the extrusion speed is smaller, the grain size of the extrusion becomes smaller. As the result, the elongation of the extrusion increases.
Glucocorticoid hormone is required for complete posttranslational processing of the glycosylated mouse mammary tumor virus envelope precursor, Pr74env in the murine T-lymphosarcoma cell line, W7MG1. Metabolic labeling studies with [35S]methionine, [3H]galactose, and [3H]mannose, combined with enzymatic digestion analyses with a variety of endoglycosidases, demonstrated that both proteolytic processing and N-linked oligosaccharide maturation depended, either directly or indirectly, on glucocorticoid action. Pr74 is found in both control and hormone-treated cells. In both cases Pr74 molecules carry high mannose and/or hybrid, but not complex, oligosaccharide chains with very little or no sialic acid. When cells are grown with glucocorticoid, Pr74 is converted to gp52 and gp33 with greatly increased efficiency, and these mature glycoproteins carry complex oligosaccharides containing sialic acid. No O-linked carbohydrate was detected on any of these species. According to this evidence, the glucocorticoid-regulated step in this pathway must occur at or before the final mannose trimming step in the Golgi that is required for formation of complex carbohydrate chains.
System dynamics have over the years proven its usefulness in corporate strategy forming. The purpose of the paper is to investigate, how system dynamics modelling can be supportive for strategy implementation in organizations. In order to do so, we briefly discuss prospective features of strategy implementation interventions. Besides conceptual considerations, we base our arguments on a detailed case study from a high-tech company. Findings of this paper are that system dynamics modelling can be helpful for strategy implementation in regards to both strategy refinement and transfer of insights and understanding underlying the strategy forming. Research implications comprise the further evaluation of the approach and the discussion of potential ethical issues. The originality of this paper lies in the proposition of the usage of system dynamics modelling in change management settings, where the field of system dynamics traditionally make use of flight simulators or qualitative system dynamics, rather than formal modelling and simulation. © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neutrophils detect bacterial constituents, including bacterial DNA (CpG DNA), which elicits innate immunity and prolongs the functional life span of neutrophils through suppression of apoptosis. Both the anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 and activation of NF-κB have been implicated in neutrophil survival, but there is no evidence that these are linked in neutrophils. We hypothesized that CpG DNA could simultaneously activate these pathways. High purity CpG DNA (0.4–3.2 µg/ml) extended the life span of human neutrophils in vitro by delaying apoptosis through altering the rate of Mcl-1 turnover. CpG DNA slightly decreased Mcl-1 protein level in the presence of cyclohexmide and the proteasome inhibitor MG132 had little effect on Mcl-1 expression in CpG DNA-treated neutrophils. In contrast, CpG DNA evoked rapid increases in DNA binding by NF-κB/p65 and Mcl-1 mRNA. NF-κB inhibitors and the telomere-derived TLR9 inhibitory oligonucleotide 5′-TTT AGG GTT AGG GTT AGG G-3′ markedly reduced Mcl-1 protein levels and subsequently abrogated suppression of apoptosis by CpG DNA. Furthermore, CpG DNA attenuated the decreases in Mcl-1 in both cell lysate and nucleus of neutrophils undergoing spontaneous apoptosis and increased Mcl-1 translocation to the mitochondria, leading to preservation of mitochondrial transmembrane potential. These results demonstrate that CpG DNA through toll-like receptor 9 links two survival signaling pathways by delaying apoptosis through induction of NF-κB-mediated Mcl-1 gene transcription and promoting Mcl-1 translocation to the mitochondria.
Coronary blood flow velocity analysis of the contralateral and of the ipsilateral artery can be used to assess collateral flow during controlled balloon coronary occlusion. Coronary blood flow velocity assessment in combination with measurement of aortic pressure and coronary wedge pressure permits expression of the development of the collateral circulation in terms of flow and resistance. The application of both techniques is illustrated in two patients.
The study of uterine leiomyomata (fibroids) provides a unique opportunity to investigate the physiological and molecular determinants of hormone dependent tumor growth and spontaneous tumor regression. We conducted a longitudinal clinical study of premenopausal women with leiomyoma that showed significantly different growth rates between white and black women depending on their age. Growth rates for leiomyoma were on average much higher from older black women than for older white women, and we now report gene expression pattern differences in tumors from these two groups of study participants. Total RNA from 52 leiomyoma and 8 myometrial samples were analyzed using Affymetrix Gene Chip expression arrays. Gene expression data was first compared between all leiomyoma and normal myometrium and then between leiomyoma from older black women (age 35 or older) and from older white women. Genes that were found significant in pairwise comparisons were further analyzed for canonical pathways, networks and biological functions using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. Whereas our comparison of leiomyoma to myometrium produced a very large list of genes highly similar to numerous previous studies, distinct sets of genes and signaling pathways were identified in comparisons of older black and white women whose tumors were likely to be growing and non-growing, respectively. Key among these were genes associated with regulation of apoptosis. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare two groups of tumors that are likely to have different growth rates in order to reveal molecular signals likely to be influential in tumor growth.
Two psychophysical experiments examined the degree to which the processes for interaural and level differences (ITD and ILD) are independent and the central‐processing stage at which the information about the two cues is combined. The first experiment measured the detectability of individual or simultaneous changes of ITD and ILD. The results showed greater interaction of the two cues for high‐frequency stimuli (“transposed stimuli” centered at 4 kHz) than for low‐frequency stimuli (tones at 125 or 500 Hz). An analysis adopting the framework of signal detection theory indicated that the two cues are processed by partially independent “channels” at low frequencies. Focusing on low‐frequency stimuli, the second experiment measured the detectability of simultaneously modulated ITD and ILD, with a varying rate and phase relationship between the modulations. Although the pattern of the results varied among listeners, there was evidence that the detectability depends on the relative phase even at a modulation r...
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The findings of the 1985 Survey of Rural Fertility and Living Standards of contraceptive behavior and motivation in the rural areas of Jilin China a central northeastern province is described. The sample included 5399 ever married women 14-60 years. Contraceptive practice was distinguished as a response to the government family planning (FP) policy or voluntary (not involved in a government campaign). Significant variables in the multivariate analysis used to explain the number of surviving children the reasons for use or nonuse of contraception and the choice of contraception were as follows: ethnicity duration of marriage number of surviving male children experience of induced abortion difference between the ideal and the actual number of children FP source and possession of a 1 child certificate for those with 1 child. Womens educational attainment was not significant for any use or nonuse or number of children with controls for socioeconomic status and demographics. 78% considered 2 children to be the ideal although in practice the total fertility rate for 1985 was 1.02. Enforcement of the 1 child policy is strong in Jilin. 84% of women with 1 child practiced birth control 92% with 2 children and just 3% with no children. 78% of the 1 child mothers were practicing contraception in response to the government campaign: 8% desired no more children and 6% wanted to space births. 51% of those with 2 children were using contraceptives in response to government policy and 46% were doing so voluntarily. Womens ethnicity and the childs sex with controls for fertility and demographics significantly influenced contraceptive behavior for women with 1 child; i.e. Han ethnicity was related to use due to government campaigns at the .05 level. Those with a son were more likely to use contraception due to the government policy. Having a 1 child certificate was significantly related to responding to government policy. The researchers assume that the 1 child policy is more strictly enforced among the Han and reversible methods are used by most with 1 child and these women would have 2nd children without the policy. Current users of the IUD constituted 89% of women with 1 child versus 27% for those with >1 child. 71% chose sterilization among those with >1 child versus <1% of those with 1 child. Sterilization over IUD use was significantly influenced by having at least 1 son and complying with government policy.
ABSTRACT— This is the second paper dealing with a Finnish long‐term prospective study, the objective of which is to shed light on adjustment to retirement and old age. At this point, only the results of the initial survey carried out in 1982 are available. The material consisted of a random sample of 200 individuals born in 1920 and living in Turku, and a corresponding sample of 189 persons living in rural areas in the neighborhood of Turku. The method consisted of a structured interview, certain questionnaires and a physical examination. There was a considerable discrepancy between the subjects’ subjective working disability and the frequency of evident and handicapping physical illnesses found by the physician. This difference was largely explained in terms of mental problems. Dissatisfaction with life was clearly more common in subjects receiving a disability pension and in those classified as psychiatric cases than in others.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) developed by microorganisms is considered one of the most critical public health issues worldwide. This problem is affecting the lives of millions of people and needs to be addressed promptly. Mainly, antibiotics are the substances that contribute to AMR in various strains of bacteria and other microorganisms, leading to infectious diseases that cannot be effectively treated. To avoid the use of antibiotics and similar drugs, several approaches have gained attention in the fields of materials science and engineering as well as pharmaceutics over the past five years. Our focus lies on the design and manufacture of polymeric-based materials capable of incorporating antimicrobial agents excluding the aforementioned substances. In this sense, two of the emerging techniques for materials fabrication, namely, electrospinning and 3D printing, have gained significant attraction. In this article, we provide a summary of the most important findings that contribute to the development of antimicrobial systems using these technologies to incorporate various types of nanomaterials, organic molecules, or natural compounds with the required property. Furthermore, we discuss and consider the challenges that lie ahead in this research field for the coming years.
To clarify the origin of second-harmonic generation (SHG) from electrically polarized SiO2 glasses, we have investigated the influence of the OH concentration and structural defects in the SiO2 glasses and that of the poling conditions on the intensity of SHG. The SHG intensity was increased with increased OH concentration, and the most intense SHG was observed from the solgel-derived SiO2 glasses containing 2500 parts in 106 OH. On the other hand, the intensity of SHG was not clearly related to the specific defects observable by electron spin resonance and vacuum-ultraviolet absorption spectra. With respect to the poling conditions, the intensity of SHG was the largest when the glasses were poled by 3 kV at 200 °C for 4 h, and χ33(2) was evaluated as 0.37 pm/V, which was ∼8% of χ22(2) for LiNbO3.
Summary Crude herpes virus suspensions were fractionated by the cesium chloride density gradient sedimentation method into enveloped and naked virus particles. Particles without envelopes were found to be almost non-infectious, whereas fractions containing enveloped particles were highly infectious. It appears, therefore, that the envelope plays an essential role in herpes virus infection. The writer is pleased to acknowledge the technical assistance of Mr. Melvin Trousdale.
An autosomal dominant progressive myopathy with diffuse cytoplasmic bodies (CBs) is described. In four successive generations, 12 patients suffered from weakness and atrophy of muscles in the distal extremities, neck, thorax and shoulder girdles. The mean age at onset was 42 years old, and the patients became disabled after 5 to 10 years due to chronic respiratory failure. The level of serum creatine kinase was normal or slightly elevated. An electromyogram showed a predominant myopathic change with a slight neurogenic change. Autopsy of 2 cases revealed numerous CBs in the skeletal muscles. Smooth and cardiac muscles were also affected. CBs were present predominantly in type I fibers in skeletal muscles. Males were more frequently affected than females (2:1). An electron microscopic examination showed dense central cores of myofilaments surrounded by radiating filaments. Characteristics of clinical course and histopathological findings in a new kindred are discussed in this rare disease.
HOUSE paints have been developed empirically out of ancient craftsmanship; they are not yet to be regarded as products of science applied to industry. Many facts have been learned about paints through experience and practical testing but it has not yet been possible to establish general laws of paint behavior to correlate the facts. To be sure, the literature of the subject is replete with theories that are glibly accepted without verification by crucial experimentation and possess a remarkable ability to live on, long after they have been proved grossly inconsistent with the facts. Not only is there competition between rival theories but the facts themselves must be sought among a mass of utterly contradictory assertions often unsupported by citation of evidence. Moreover, there is as yet neither a generally accepted technic of measuring the durability of house paint nor agreement upon a definition of durability. The transformation of paint making from an art to a science is much to be desired but is not likely to be achieved for some time to come even though progress in that direction is proceeding more rapidly than it has in the past. Meantime current problems must continue to be met through frankly empirical experimentation and observation. The young graduate in chemistry confronted with the problem of paint evaluation often finds it difficult to adjust himself to the empirical method of procedure. His college training usually has taught him very little about it and, still worse, may have led him to hold it in light regard. As a result he tends to shirk the direct attack upon the immediate objective in order to pursue
The isovalent substitution effect of Ru in CeFe1−xRuxAsO (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1) has been systematically studied by powder X-ray diffraction, electrical resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements. The antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering of both d and 4f electrons are suppressed upon Ru doping, followed by Pauli paramagnetism (d electrons) and local moment paramagnetism (4f electrons) with strong ferromagnetic fluctuation, respectively. Neither superconductivity above 2 K nor pronounced Kondo screening are observed in the substitution phase diagram. Combined with published results of the cerium-based quaternary compounds CeMXO(M = Fe, Ru; X = P, As), our data suggest that the end member CeRuAsO is on the verge of becoming an FM Kondo lattice. Meanwhile, the ground state of 4f electrons in the quaternary CeMXO system should be determined by both the interlayer d-f Kondo coupling (JKondo) and the intralayer Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction (JRKKY ), which are both very sensitive to the change in crystal structure.
This research attempts to develop a human factors understanding of red team assessment strategies in computer and information security. Red teaming is an advanced form of assessment that can be used to identify weaknesses in a variety of security systems. The purpose of this research is to identify and define the various dimensions of red team effectiveness with the aim of improving red team performance. A study of a red team was conducted in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories Information Design Assurance Red Team (IDART). The design of the study included semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with red team members and observation of red team practices. The analysis yielded various dimensions of red team effectiveness from the customer, management, individual, and team member perspectives.
Abstract Background: One-third of Canadians meet the criteria for a mental or substance use disorder at some point in their lifetime. While prevention and treatment efforts have been focused on the individual, studies suggest the importance of incorporating social and community factors. Aims: This study investigates the relationship between community belonging and self-rated mental health among Canadians with mental or substance use disorders. Methods: The Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (2012) is a nationally representative survey of Canadians aged 15 years and older (n = 25,113). The present analytic sample is comprised of respondents reporting a mental or substance use disorder in the previous 12 months (n = 2628). The relationship between community belonging and self-rated mental health is depicted with a multivariable multinomial logistic regression model. Results: Self-rated mental health was reported as follows: poor or fair (38.1%); good (33.7%); and very good or excellent (28.2%). In the multivariable multinomial model, a positive relationship was observed. Those reporting very strong compared to very weak community belonging had an increased odds of better mental health. Conclusions: Findings indicate the importance of social and community-based interventions to effectively engage and retain individuals in services for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders.
NO, NO 2 and O 3 measurements from the Ground-based Cloud Experiment (GCE) campaign 1989 in the Po Valley in fog and fog free situations are presented. Extremely high concentrations of NO up to 9700 nmole m -3 (217 ppbv) are shown. From the observations the fluxes are calculated using a flux-gradient-method. A detailed observation of the evolution of gas concentrations and fluxes during one observational day supports the significance of the oxidation of NO by O 3 . The results strongly indicate that the soil is the main source of nitrogen oxides at this place. DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0889.1992.t01-4-00006.x
The isolated like sign dilepton signature for gluino production is investigated at the CERN LHC energy for the [ital R]-conserving as well as the [ital L]- and [ital B]-violating SUSY models over a wide range of the parameter space. One gets viable signals for gluino masses of 300 and 600 GeV for both [ital R]-conserving and [ital L]-violating models, while it is less promising for the [ital B]-violating case. For a 1000 GeV gluino, the [ital L]-violating signal should still be viable; but the [ital R]-conserving signal becomes too small at least for the low luminosity option of the LHC.
In this work we investigate the use of behavior feasibility to adapt and personalize lifestyle-targeting recommender systems for the prevention and treatment of hypertension. Based on survey data (N=300) we model the feasibiliy of 63 behaviors through a Rasch model, describing the engagement in a behavior as a function of the behavior's difficulty and the person's ability. We formulate two feasibility-tailored recommendation strategies that utilize the Rasch model. The engagement maximization strategy aims at maximizing the probability of engagement by proposing very feasible behaviors while the motivation maximization strategy aims to challenge users by matching the difficulty of the advice with the ability of the user, thereby maximizing motivation. In an online study (N=150) we assessed user preference for either strategies (embodied as virtual coaches) in comparison with a random control strategy. Our results show that coaches selecting feasible health advice resonate better with the patient than control. In general patients significantly preferred the engagement maximization strategy over random advice on most factors, while patients with a medium level of ability significantly preferred the motivation maximization strategy on all factors.
The reliability of the complement fixation test in amebiasis is still being questioned by many investigators. Because of relatively high antibody titers in hepatic amebiasis, which may be picked up even with weak antigens, almost all who tried the test in acute amebic involvement of the liver obtained a good percentage of positive reactions. The same agreement is not observed in intestinal amebiasis. While Craig (1933) using human blood, reported 90% accuracy with his test and Bozicevich (1950) obtained 85% of positive complement fixation tests in individuals harboring Endamoebahistolytica in the stools, Paulson and Andrews (1938) do not believe the accuracy of their test to be over 47%. Recently, Dolkart et at. (1951) found only 31.7% positive complement fixation tests in confirmed intestinal amebiasis, while positive complement fixation tests were observed in 68.3% of cases not harboring E. hiatolytica. In order to avoid a high percentage of false positive reactions, there is a tendency to dilute the patient's sera, to reduce the amount of antigen per tube or shorten the time of fixation. When one of these factors is introduced the percentage of false positive tests is somewhat reduced. However, the sensitivity of the test suffers to such a degree that with weak antigens and low antibody titers the false negative tests are extremely frequent and render the complement fixation test completely impractical in intestinal amebiasis. Hussey and Brown (1950) who adapted their test to hepatic amebiasis by reducing the time of fixation to four hours, observed 83.4% positive reactions in hepatic amebiasis, with only 2.4% positive complement fixation in intestinal amebiasis. The clue to a reliable complement fixation test in amebiasis obviously lies in a good antigen. An antigen with no tendency to render the test anticomplementary, would permit picking up cases with low antibodies by allowing the use of in.. creased amounts of antigen and a long fixation period. Its specificity would exclude false positive reactions despite the use of undiluted sera. The purpose of the paper is to present the Micro-Kolmer technique used in this laboratory, a modification of the Kolmer-Wassermann technique, with emphasis on a simple method of producing a fairly good antigen.
Background Despite the technological evolution of the implantable defibrillator, one of the questions that remains is the possible benefit of the dual chamber versus single chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in reducing inappropriate shocks. Objective To evaluate which type of device provides fewer inappropriate shocks (dual chamber versus single chamber) in patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). Methods Meta-analysis of randomized studies published in the literature comparing dual-chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillators to single chamber devices which have been known to cause, as an evaluated endpoint, inappropriate shocks. Results The dual-chamber implantable cardioverter showed no benefit in reducing the number of inappropriate shocks. In fact, the opposite was shown. In the analysis of fixed effects, the association tended to favor single-chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillators (OR = 1.53, CI 95%: 0.91-2.57), despite the absence of statistical significance (p = 0.11). We highlight the heterogeneity observed in the results (I2 = 53%), which motivated a replication of the analysis using a model of random effects. However, significant differences remained in the occurrence of inappropriate shocks in both groups (OR = 1.1, 95% CI: 0.37-3.31; p = 0.86). To complement the analysis, we proceeded to perform sensitivity analysis, which showed that the exclusion of a study resulted in the lowest heterogeneity observed (I2=24%) and the association with inappropriate shocks significantly favored the single chamber cardiodefibrillator (OR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.09-3.37; p = 0.27). Conclusions It was determined that there was no clear evidence of superiority of any of the devices evaluated.
The Acaiaca Complex (AC) is located in southeastern Minas Gerais state, and comprises felsic, mafic, ultramafic, and aluminous granulites as well as lower grade gneisses and mylonites. The complex is distributed over an area ofca. 36 km by 6 km, surrounded by amphibolite facies gneisses of the Mantiqueira Complex (MC). The discrepancy in the metamorphic grade between both complexes led to the present study aiming to understand the metamorphic history of the AC by means of geothermobarometric calculations and electron microprobe Th-U-Pb monazite dating. Estimates of the metamorphic conditions of the granulites based on conventional geothermobarometry and THERMOCALC resulted in temperatures around 800 oC and pressures between of 5.0 and 9.9 kbar and a retrometamorphic path characterized by near-isobaric cooling. Part of the granulites was affected by anatexis. The melting of felsic granulites resulted in the generation of pegmatites and two aluminous lithotypes. These are: i) garnet-sillimanite granulite with euhedral plagioclase and cordierite that show straight faces against quartz, and is the crystallization product of an anatectic melt, and ii) garnet-kyanite-cordierite granulite, which is probably the restite of anatexis, as indicated by textures and high magnesium contents. Th-U-Pb monazite geochronology of two granulite samples resulted in a metamorphic age around 2060 Ma, which is similar to the age of the MC registered in the literature. The similar Paleoproterozoic metamorphic ages of both complexes lead to the conclusion that the Acaiaca Complex may be the high grade metamorphic unit geochronologically related to the lower grade Mantiqueira Complex.
We introduce a class of states characterized by proposed conditions of homogeneity and isotropy in loop quantum gravity and construct concrete examples given by Bell-network states on a special class of homogeneous graphs. Such states provide new representations of cosmological spaces that can be explored for the formulation of cosmological models in the context of loop quantum gravity. We show that their local geometry is described in an automorphism-invariant manner by one-node observables analogous to the one-body observables used in many-body quantum mechanics, and compute the density matrix representing the restriction of global states to the algebra of one-node observables. The von Neumann entropy of this density matrix provides a notion of entanglement entropy of a local region which respects automorphism-invariance and can be applied to states involving superpositions of distinct graphs.
Objective : The purpose of research was to assess the availability and prevalence of types of diastolic dysfunction of the left ventricle (LV) in hypertrophic nonobstructive cardiomyopathy (NHCM). Methods : 97 NHCM patients. Mean age 42,5±14,9 years. Diastolic dysfunction assessed by Doppler echocardiography. Results : Signs of chronic heart failure NYHA class I observed in 44 (45%) patients, class II — in 40 (41%), class III — in 13 (13%) patients. 83% patients had LV diastolic dysfunction, mainly on the hypertrophic type. One third of the patients had pseudonormal type with uncertain interpretation. Diastolic dysfunction in terms of clinical manifestations determined mainly NYHA class III and syncope. Severity of LV diastolic dysfunction in NHCM depended on the severity of hypertrophy not only left, but the right ventricle too. In 94% of cases we observed not only diastolic dysfunction, but also reduction of secondary fibers shortening fraction — as sign of contractile dysfunction. Conclusion : Thus, in NHCM dominated diastolic dysfunction of hypertrophic type. Such dysfunction defining a clinic cardiac deficiency or syncope. One third of the patients had pseudonormal transmitral flow type, difficult to assess diastolic function. Diastolic dysfunction in NHCM was combined with impaired contractility of the walls of ventricle.
Liposomes have been a center of research for many years due to their numerous applications in chemistry, biology, medicine, and nanotechnology. They can be used to entrap materials such as drugs either within the central aqueous compartment if they are water soluble, or within the hydrophobic domain of the lipid bilayer if they are oil soluble. In addition, their surface can bemodified to realize targeted delivery. For example, in biomedicine, liposomes are used as vehicles to deliver drugs and genes to specific parts of the body. When used in the delivery of certain anticancer drugs, liposomes help to shield healthy cells from the drug toxicity and prevent concentration in vulnerable tissues. In addition, the liposomes allowmuch smaller doses of drug to be used, thus reducing the side effects of that drug. On the other hand, zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) is a potential drug that is being tested as a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT involves the systemic administration of a photosensitizer followed by illumination with light of an appropriate wavelength, which results in the formation of singlet oxygen (O2) for destroying cancer cells. [6] ZnPc has a high absorption coefficient at 650–700 nm with optimal tissue penetration. It has a long lifetime in the triplet excited state, thus resulting in the highly efficient production of O2 which is the main cytotoxic species in PDT. However, it is insoluble in water and must be incorporated into unilamellar liposomes (Figure 1a). The main drawback of liposomes is their instability in biological media, as well as their sensitivity to many external parameters, such as temperature or osmotic pressure. This instability problem affects the application of liposomes in drug/gene delivery and PDT. Attempts have been made to stabilize liposomes by adsorbing some
With substantial increase in the connection speed of Internet users and growing demand for high-quality video streaming services, provision of enough resources in P2P streaming systems to guarantee high streaming rate becomes a challenging task. The current works for the deployment of helper peers as bandwidth boosters in the P2P streaming systems does not model dynamic resource trading inside the system and lack incentive mechanisms to guarantee helpers' participation. The continuous join/leave of peers in different video channels, time constraints on their duration of stay in the system, and limited information about the internal benefits and costs of peers make the conventional static, offline mechanism design schemes impractical. In this paper, we investigate the challenges of deployment of a online bandwidth trading platform designed for P2P streaming and explore the different design options that are specific to these systems. A new two-sided bandwidth market among peers and helpers is also formulated and an online truthful auction mechanism is proposed which results in higher social welfare compared to the offline algorithms.
A complex transfer function is defined which relates the sound pressure at a point on the principal axis of a loudspeaker to the electrical input of the speaker. The argument of this function consists of an angle representing the phase shift in the speaker itself, plus an angle proportional to frequency representing travel time. By using an electrical delay line to match the travel time, the phase shift in the speaker itself can be measured directly. Typical phase functions for moving‐coil and electrostatic loudspeakers are shown; the general behavior of these curves is explained in terms of the known mechanical properties of the speakers. The effect of loudspeaker phase distortion on transients and correlation functions is discussed. Finally, the possibility is explored of using such phase measurements in the phasing of multiple‐speaker systems.
Rigid polyurethane (PUR) foam is products used as a biomedical material for medical device testing. Thermal stability is a very important parameter for evaluating the feasibility of use for testing surgical instrument load during drilling. This work aimed to perform experimental measurements to determine the dependence of the mechanical properties of a certified PUR on temperature, strain rate and density. Experimental measurements were realised for three types of the PUR samples with different density 10, 25 and 40 pounds per cubic foot. The samples were characterised in terms of their mechanical properties evaluated from tensile and compression tests at temperatures of 25 °C, 90 °C and 155 °C. Furthermore, the structures of the samples were characterised using optical microscope, their thermal properties were characterised by thermogravimetric analysis, and their density and stiffness with the effect of temperature was monitored. The results show that it is optimal not only for mechanical testing but also for testing surgical instruments that generate heat during machining. On the basis of experimental measurements and evaluations of the obtained values, the tested materials are suitable for mechanical testing of medical devices. At the same time, this material is also suitable for testing surgical instruments that generate heat during machining.
Monsters and the monstrous show up in Scripture and outside the pages of Scripture. Two of the most famous biblical monsters—Leviathan and Satan—appear and reappear in different forms, and, at times, their stories are merged into one. A focus on Leviathan and Satan in Scripture helps readers to see the different ways the biblical texts depict monsters and, especially, the relationship between humans, monsters, and the divine. As these creatures (re)appear in popular culture, often drawing on their scriptural representations, they continue to provide a space for audiences to ask: what makes a monster and what do these monsters reveal?
A new matched‐field source localization technique using generalized likelihood array processing is proposed. The problem is posed as a joint detection and parameter estimation problem in the face of structured noise of unknown power. Recent developments in reduced rank signal processing are exploited to solve it; they yield an algorithm that provides effective interference cancellation, high resolution, a constant false alarm rate detection statistic, and accurate source location estimates. Its performance is tested and evaluated in a simulated shallow water environment. It was found that it yields excellent results at the price of moderate computational overhead as compared to the Bartlett and Capon estimators.
OBJECTIVES Psychodynamically, chronic pain problems with no organic cause have been conceptualized as a punishment through physical pain for guilt feelings. This study aimed to investigate the effects of conscious guilt feelings on nocebo pain responses and whether the resultant nocebo pain would affect conscious guilt feelings in the form of expiation through the pain.   METHODS An experiment was conducted with 100 participants. There were two independent variables, which were guilt induction (guilt-no guilt) and nocebo manipulation (nocebo-no nocebo). Nocebo manipulation was done by telling the participants that they would receive electricity from an EEG cap. In addition, they watched a video in which a confederate imitates having pain during the procedure. There were two dependent variables, guilt feelings, and experienced pain. Guilt feelings were measured using Positive and Negative Affect Scale twice, once after guilt induction and once after nocebo pain manipulation. Subjective pain scores were measured by using a basic 0 to 10 visual pain scale, on which the participants reported how much pain they experienced.   RESULTS The findings revealed that only the main effect of nocebo was significant.   CONCLUSION The participants reported mild headaches in the absence of any physical stimulation after nocebo manipulations. The effect was observed in a standard laboratory environment. Non-physical nocebo pain induction could create pain, but conscious guilt induction did not increase the amount of reported nocebo pain, and resultant pain did not function as a punishment. Limitations and implications of the study were discussed.
An investigation of some open issues in homogeneous isotropic turbulence (HIT) decay is proposed in the present paper. More specifically, several apparent paradoxical or controversial issues, among which the existence of solutions satisfying complete self-similarity and complete self-preservation, are investigated via theoretical analysis and numerical results. The investigated range of Reynolds numbers encompasses values from Reλ = 10−4 to Reλ = 105, which are far beyond capabilities of existing wind tunnels and DNS. Thus, this analysis offers an almost unique opportunity to cover at the same time all possible decay regimes, from the high-Reynolds initial decay period to the low-Reynolds final decay period. The numerical analysis of such an extended range of Reλ is achieved by the use of the Eddy-Damped Quasi-Normal Markovian (EDQNM) model. Moreover, the high versatility of this model enabled a complete screening of HIT decay in terms of the initial conditions, and in particular the influence of the slope of the energy spectrum at large scales so that σ ∈ [1,4], E(k → 0) ∼ kσ has been extensively investigated. The analysis of the Lin equation shows that a complete self-similar decay regime occurs for σ = 1 only, and that all existing theories, including George’s theory, collapse in this case. Moreover, numerical results indicate that HIT does not lose memory of its initial conditions, i.e. no universal asymptotic behaviour derived by fixed-point analysis is recovered after very long time decay. As a confirmation, it is shown that a decay regime such that occurs for σ = 1 only, and from the initial time. Consequently, results of the fixed-point analysis of equations must not be considered as the evidence of a possible universal asymptotic behaviour, as they are valid in the sole case σ = 1.
Pulse width modulation is used in power converters to modulate a reference signal into gating pulses for IGBT switches. This conversion can be carried out using analog circuits or digital circuits, such as DSPs and microcontrollers. A more efficient and faster solution is the use of field programmable gate arrays (FPGA). This paper demonstrates how to build a variable pulse-width modulation (PWM) waveform based on Xilinx FPGAs. It involves the design, VHDL coding, functional and timing simulation and synthesis using Spartan/sup TM/-II FPGAs. Simulation results have proven the design principles and theoretical analysis.
Therapy with vincristine and prednisone (VP) has produced remissions in 30% of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast transformation (CML‐BT). The possibility that therapy with VP can adversely affect the production of mature granulocytes in this setting has not been appreciated, as these drugs are generally considered free of myelotoxicity. In this report we review eight courses of VP administered to three patients with CML‐BT. Granulocytopenia developed following all five courses in which granulocyte counts were normal prior to therapy; granulocytopenia worsened in two of three courses in patients who were granulocytopenic prior to therapy. Progressive leukemia in the marrow was excluded as a cause of granulocytopenia. It is important to recognize that VP therapy rather than disease progression may be a cause of granulocytopenia in CML‐BT.
Objectives: To establish the prevalence of vegetative state in Dutch nursing homes, describe the patient characteristics, and highlight the possible influence of medical decisions at the end of life. Design: A cross-sectional survey. The vegetative state was defined according to the Multi Society Task Force on PVS. All Dutch nursing homes were approached to provide data on patients in a vegetative state. In cases of doubt, the researcher discussed the diagnosis with the patient’s physician and, if necessary, examined the patient. Information on patients in a vegetative state in care between 2000 and September 2003 and end of life decisions for them were also recorded. Results: All nursing homes and physicians participated. After assessment of 12 doubtful patients, 32 met the criteria of vegetative state lasting longer than one month, a prevalence of 2/1 000 000. Of these, 30 patients’ data were analysed: age 9–90 years; 73% female; duration of vegetative state 2 months–20 years (26 surviving >1 year, 13 >5 years). Stroke was the commonest cause. Between 2000 and September 2003, there were 76 patients in a vegetative state in care of whom 34 died of complications and nine after withdrawal of artificial nutrition and hydration. Conclusions: The prevalence of vegetative state in Dutch nursing homes has been established for the first time. The figures are lower than suggested in the literature. The study included a heterogeneous group of patients, of which a substantial number survived for many years. The results cannot be explained by a policy of systematically withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration.
For solar Rankine cycle combined heat and power systems for residential buildings and other small-scale applications (producing 1-10 kWe), a low manufacturing cost, robust, and durable expander is especially attractive. The Tesla-type turbine design has these desired features. This paper summarizes a theoretical exploration of the performance of a Tesla turbine as the expander in a small-scale Rankine cycle combined heat and power system. A one-dimensional idealized model of momentum transfer in the turbine rotor is presented, which can be used to predict the efficiency of the turbine for typical conditions in these systems. The model adopts a nondimensional formulation that identifies the dimensionless parameters that dictate performance features of the turbine. The model is shown to agree well with experimental performance data obtained in earlier tests of prototype Tesla turbine units. The model is used to explore the performance of this type of turbine for Rankine cycle applications using water as a working fluid. The model indicates that isentropic efficiencies above 0.75 can be achieved if the operating conditions are tailored in an optimal way. The scalability of the turbine design, and the impact of the theoretical model predictions on the development of solar combined heat and power systems are also discussed.
The study was designed to evaluate the impact of education on AIDS knowledge among prison inmates in Maputo, Mozambique. A 6-month follow-up study was carried out in 1993 among 300 prisoners. A knowledge, attitudes, and practices questionnaire regarding AIDS and STD was administered to each subject as part of the intake medical examination and after an educational intervention provided by 30 prisoner 'activists'. A large proportion of prisoners had high risk behaviours (65% had 2 or more sexual partners per month and 39% had a history of STD) and low AIDS knowledge at incarceration. Statistically significant increases in knowledge occurred after the intervention. Prisoners with less formal education had a poorer performance on the initial questionnaire (43% vs 69% P <0.00001) and had a greater improvement after the intervention (41% vs 24%, P <0.00001). The results demonstrate that educational interventions involving peer health educators contribute positively to the acquisition of knowledge among prisoners.
The quality of the video stream is key to neural network-based video analytics. However, low-quality video is inevitably collected by existing surveillance systems because of poor quality cameras or over-compressed/pruned video streaming protocols, e.g., as a result of upstream bandwidth limit. To address this issue, existing studies use quality enhancers (e.g., neural super-resolution) to improve the quality of videos (e.g., resolution) and eventually ensure inference accuracy. Nevertheless, directly applying quality enhancers does not work in practice because it will introduce unacceptable latency. In this paper, we present AccDecoder, a novel accelerated decoder for real-time and neural-enhanced video analytics. AccDecoder can select a few frames adaptively via Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) to enhance the quality by neural super-resolution and then up-scale the unselected frames that reference them, which leads to 6-21% accuracy improvement. AccDecoder provides efficient inference capability via filtering important frames using DRL for DNN-based inference and reusing the results for the other frames via extracting the reference relationship among frames and blocks, which results in a latency reduction of 20-80% than baselines.
Collaborative environments allow geographically distributed groups to work together to generate new knowledge. These systems contain many tools to facilitate collaboration, including workflow management systems (WfMS). WfMS allow multiple agents to work towards achieving a common goal by enabling communication between them. This paper presents a brief overview of collaborative environments in general, and then discusses the distinctive characteristics of current WfMS. We consider the utility of using techniques employed in next-generation grid-based WfMS in collaborative systems that are available today. Specifically, the idea of constructing workflows by applying artificial intelligence planning techniques to a user-specified goal is explored
Two patients with markedly increased eosinophil counts developed severe postoperative complications after general anaesthesia. One patient suffered life-threatening Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), while the other presented with a coagulopathy and less severe respiratory problems. The hypereosinophilic syndrome is described and the possibility of a role of eosinophils in the pathogenesis of tissue injury is discussed. These cases suggest that, in patients with marked eosinophilia requiring general anaesthesia, perioperative steroid cover is advisable. This may reduce or prevent serious lung damage and other complications.
allogeneic blood transfusion still involves risks (1). Therefore before prescribing the transfusion of allogeneic blood the expected results of the transfusion must be weighted against the risks. The analysis should take into account the abil i ty of the patient to maintain an acceptable clinical condition despite low hematocrit (Hct) values and the chance to recover from anemia. Finally, all the possible alternative strategies to the transfusion of allogeneic blood should be considered and, when appropriate, applied. Transfusion of autologous blood (AB) (2), when possible, is the preferred form of blood replacement for elective surgery (3) and can be obtained through different techniques including preoperative AB donation (PABD), acute normovolemic hemodilution, and perioperative salvage. Moreover recently recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) has been approved for use in surgery as it has been demonstrated that it is effective in increasing patient’s red blood cells (RBCs) production in a short period before the operation. Preoperative autologous blood donation (4) is an attractive way to obtain AB because it is simple to perform, relatively economical and safe in most patients scheduled for elective surgery, moreover, when correctly utilized, it has been demonstrated to reduce significantly the use of allogeneic blood. For these reasons it has become the most widely practicized autotransfusion technique and has attracted the largest volume of published literature In the last few years, however much has changed. The improvement in the safety of allogeneic blood together with the current pressure on cost containment have provoked a debate on the utilization of PABD (5,6). Consequently to define the precise role of PABD alone or in combination with rHuEPO in modern transfusion practice, it is necessary to consider all the issues that must be addressed in assessing any form of patient therapy: need, feasibility, safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness. Need
Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) systems have successfully been developed and used to replace traditional conductive power transfer systems where physical connection is either inconvenient or impossible, such as biomedical implants, undersea vehicles, and contactless battery chargers of robots, for providing power to movable or detachable loads (Kim et al., 2001; Feezor et al., 2001; Harrison, 2007). As IPT systems extend to more fields, better control methods are required to cope with various operating environments to satisfy users’ needs. Difficulties in controlling the power flow in a wireless/contactless power pickup using IPT technologies can arise from several factors, which include but not limited to load and circuit parameter variations, magnetic field coupling variations between the primary and secondary coils, the operating frequency drift of the primary power supply, etc (Jackson et al., 2000; Chao et al., 2007). These factors can cause the output voltage of the secondary power pickup to deviate significantly from the original designed value, resulting in an undesirable characteristic for applications where a stable output voltage is required. Hence, there is a need to develop controllers under various operating conditions. Practical power flow control of an IPT sytem can generally be categorized into three different types: namely, primary power supply control, secondary power pick-up control, and coordinated control of both primary and secondary circuits. Among these three, direct power flow control at secondary power pickups is most commonly used to stabilize the output voltage, paricularly for multiple power pickup applications (Hu et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2006; Gao, 2005). This chapter presents the basic theory and control algotithm of an improved directional tuning control method for power flow control of secondary contactless/wireless power pickup circuits.
1‐(3‐Chlorophenyl)‐3‐diethylcarbamoyl‐1 H‐1,2,4‐triazole (CP‐32,961) inhibited [3H]diazepam binding to rat cortical membrances and [3H]flunitrazepam binding to mouse brain in vivo. Its inhibition of the binding of [3H]Ro 15‐1788 (benzodiazepine receptor antagonist) to these membranes was not facilitated by added GABA; CP‐32,961 exhibited a GABA ratio of 0.84 compared to 2.44 for diazepam. Cerebellar cyclic GMP content in rats was raised by CP‐32,961, which also further elevated the increased cyclic GMP levels induced by isoniazid. These neurochemical actions are similar to those shown by ethyl β‐carboline‐3‐carboxylate (β‐CCE) and suggest that CP‐32,961 is a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist with inverse agonist activity.
Spondylometaphyseal dysplasias (SMD) comprise a group of different disorders characterized by spinal and metaphyseal involvement. SMD with negligible metaphyseal changes are designated as brachyolmia (B). We report two sibs with a distinctive phenotype of mixed platyspondyly and minimal metaphyseal modification which differ from all known types of SMD and B. Patient 1 was born at 41 weeks to a 22-year-old primigravida after an uneventful pregnancy and delivery. The unrelated parents were of Anglo-Saxon descent and were in good health. The father was aged 35 years and was 178 cm tall. The mother’s height was 155 cm. The family history was unremarkable. Birth weight, length, and head circumference (OFC) were 3,650 g (76th centile), 49 cm (26th centile) and 35 cm (50th centile), respectively. In the first six months of life his development was normal. From the age of six months he had symptoms of upper airway obstruction in sleep, but these settled after adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy at two years. He had no predisposition to recurrent infections and his development was normal. From the age of three years, he occasionally complained of knee pains at night, which would wake him from sleep. His mental development was normal. His parents noted mild bowing of his forearms when the boy was 4 8/12 years old. At that time his height was 95.1 cm (<1st centile), weight 17.6 kg (42nd centile ), head circumference 50.9 cm (<50th Fig. 1. Patient 1. Four years, 8months old.A:He is short. Photographs of the patient showing hypertelorism, prominent forehead, short and bowed forearms, hyperlordosis, and mildly bowed legs. B: Cervical spine radiograph showing flattening of the vertebrae with bullet shaped anterior end. C: Lumbar and lower thoracic spine radiograph showing flattening of the vertebraewith rounding of the anterior end, and posterior wedging. D: Radiograph of the pelvis showing squared off iliac wings, narrow sciatic notches, flat trident acetabular roofs, short femoral necks, and minor coxa valga. Spina bifida L5-S2. E and F: Radiographs of the long bones showing shortening and bowing of the forearm bones (radius and ulna <10%) with minor hypoplastic/dysplastic changes at the proximal end. The metaphyses are slightly widened and the growth cartilage is narrow. There is minimal irregularity of the distal femoral and proximal and distal tibial metaphyses. G: Radiograph of the hand showing mild shortening of all the tubular bones. There is minimal widening and irregularity of the distal forearmmetaphyses with a narrow growth plate. Bone age corresponds to the chronological age. *Correspondence to: Dr. K. Kozlowski, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Department of Medical Imaging, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead NSW 2145, Australia.
Both the textual support and the modes of producing and reading narratives have varied with the introduction of new technologies, especially the electronic devices. Therefore, the aim of this study is to delineate the changes that make the modes of producing, archiving, reading and distributing the literary text from the digital technologies, taking as references some avant-garde literary manifestations of this century – in this case, understood as electronic literature.
The ZnO films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering are investigated. SEM provides information on the composition of the films and enables us to observe the nanostructures. AFM provides information on the roughness and the texture of the surfaces. Fourier transform, photoluminescence and Raman scattering are used for confirmation of appropriate results. The spectral dependences of ellipsometric parameters Δ and Ψ are determined by ellipsometry and the effective values of optical constants n and k are calculated. As it can be indicated, the nanostructures in ZnO film are formed when reducing base pressure down to 2.5•10-7 mbar and elevating the temperature of the substrate up to 5500C. The amorphous structure is formed in most of other films (crystalline structure is formed at rather special conditions). Films containing considerable portions of impurities (generally carbon impurities) are formed at reduced base pressure. The values of optical constants of some of the films fit the appropriate Dumont and Jellison tabulations satisfactorily.
Low-lying excited states in a neutron magic nucleus 143 Pm, were studied by investigating γ-rays and conversion electrons following 141 Pr(α, 2n) 143 Pm and 148 Nd(p, 6n) 143 Pm reactions. The 272 keV 7/2 + , 960 keV 11/2 - and 1057 keV 3/2 + levels were confirmed and the 1664 keV (13/2 - ) and possibly 2053 keV levels were found. The γ-transition scheme for these levels were obtained. The half-life of the 960 keV state was measured as 26.0±2.0 ns. The following reduced transition probabilities were obtained; B(M2, 960 keV 11/2 - →272 keV 7/2 + )=10.5±0.8 fm 2 ( (e hbar/2 ) Mc) 2 , and B(E3, 960 keV 11/2 - →ground state 5/2 + )=(1.01±0.09)×10 4 e 2 fm 6 . The effective M2 and E3 coupling constants are g M2 eff =0.235 g M2 SP and g M3 eff =4.0 g E3 SP . These values suggest a reduction of the M2 transition due to a destructive effect of the spin-isospin core polarization and an enhancement of the E3 transition due to a constructive effect of the octupole core polarization.
It is possible, and usually fairly easy, to recognize and classify tumours because they are composed of tissues with characteristic patterns, the result of growth in obedience to laws which are, in part, known. This review summarizes the results of histological investigations which contribute to current knowledge of the properties of tumours and the laws to which they conform. Since a prime object of the inquiry is to determine wherein tumour growth differs from growth in normal or other diseased tissues, the properties of non-tumour tissues as revealed in normal embryogenesis, in disease processes, and in experimental lesions are first discussed. One conspicuous process, the formation of bone, is traced in normal development under various circumstances in the adult and in tumours; the laws which govern the elaboration of organized structure in tumours are then considered with reference to the inherent characteristics of the parenchyma cells, the interactions of parenchyma and stroma, and the participation of the invaded tissues. In order to distinguish the properties common to all neoplasms from those particular to a few, it is necessary to study a wide range of tumours of man and of animals, making use of experimental methods when possible. Observations on human and animal tumours are complementary. Human tumours have been studied in abundance and variety by the best available histological methods; the structural types and clinical habits are, in large measure, established. By comparison, the number and variety of animal tumours which have been studied in detail are restricted, but under favourable circumstances they provide exceptional opportunities for the experimental investigation of special problems.
Apple maggot flies, Rhagoletis pomonella, were found to be highly responsive to visual stimuli, with maximum responses dependent upon color, shape, and size characteristics of the stimulus. Each sex had a significant preference for yellow 30 × 40 cm rectangles over green, orange, red, blue, violet, black, white and clear rectangles of the same size. On the other hand, each sex had a significant preference for red, blue, violet, dark orange, and black spheres 7.5 cm in diameter over green, light orange, yellow, white, and clear spheres of the same size. Both sexes had a significant preference for 7.5 cm spheres over equivalent‐sized cubes, cylinders and rectangles. As the diameter of a sphere was increased from 7.5 to 45 cm, there was an orderly and significant decrease in the attractiveness of those that were dark‐colored (red) but a progressive and significant increase in the attractiveness of those that were yellow. The flies did not congregate on trees with apples or respond strongly to 7.5 cm, dark‐colored spheres until they were sexually mature (at least in the case of females). Relative to other colors, females were often significantly more attracted than males to yellow. The attractiveness of an olfactory stimulus eliciting feeding‐type reactions was enhanced to a substantial degree when employed in conjunction with a 30 × 40 cm yellow rectangle, but to only a very slight degree when in conjunction with a 7.5 cm red sphere.
Abstract A novel transparent and electrically conductive polymer composite has been prepared by using conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and inorganic silica network. In this composite, a conducting PEDOT was incorporated in order to impart the excellent conductivity and the transparency, and an inorganic silica network provided good mechanical properties. In order to achieve the facile composite formation, PEDOT was polymerized during the silica network formation through the in-situ sol-gel process. The resulting transparent and conductive film exhibited ∼200 S/cm conductivity, more than 80% transparency, and 9H pencil hardness.
This paper describes the theory and simulation, by the numerical code SABER, of flexible alternate current transmission systems (FACTS) devices used in the electrical systems. One of these devices, unified power flow controller (UPFC), is chosen for a specific application, detailed in this paper, since it contains following elements: static Var compensator (SVC), controllable series compensator (CSC) and phase shifter (PS). It is able to control both active and reactive power flow.
Gastropericardial fistula is a rare sequel of transdiaphragmatic perforation of a gastric ulcer or carcinoma. We report a case of a 38-year-old male presenting with severe dyspnoea and abdominal pain along with evidence of severe cardiac tamponade secondary to a gastropericardial fistula following a benign gastric ulcer in the fundus. The life of the patient could not be saved in spite of pericardial decompression in the form of pericardiocentesis and intensive care. A high index of suspicion, early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention may result in a favorable outcome in this otherwise uniformly fatal condition.
The conformational propensity of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids was determined in aqueous 3‐[N‐morpholino]propane‐sulfonic acid (MOPS) buffer, protein interior‐like [nonmicellar sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS)] and membrane‐like environments (micellar SDS and lysophosphatidylglycerol/lysophosphatidylcholine micelles) using a single “guest” position in a polyalanine‐based model host peptide (Ac‐KYA13K‐NH2). This model system allows the intrinsic α‐helical or β‐sheet propensity of the amino acids to be determined without intra‐ and interchain side chain interactions. The overall environment dependence observed for the conformational propensity for the amino acids studied confirms the importance of determining propensity in lipidic environments to better elucidate the biological functions of proteins. The hydrophobic interactions between peptide side chains and lipids appeared to be the primary forces driving the conformational induction in lipidic environments of the model peptides studied. Finally, when comparing the results of these studies with those reported in the literature, the local environment was found to highly influence 65% of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 42: 489–498, 1997
This article is conveying about translation and poetry as two inseparable yet never-ending phenomena. The translation of this especially written narrative is somehow tricky as a translator is usually required to satisfy the TL readers by providing a decent result. Poetry in TL is most of the time expected to come with equivalent dictions and form as written in SL. The writer here is trying to apply the notion of Skopostheorie in translating poetry. Based on the theory of skopos or ‘purpose’, one can choose to translate from SL to TL based on the purpose of the need. In the article, the writer gives the examples of two poems with different purpose of translating: One for the sake of the diction, while the other is for the sake of the form. At the level of conclusion, the Skopostheorie admits that not all ideals can be reached during the quest of poetry translation. Suggested by the Skopostheorie, a poetry translation has to have its own purpose and not to meddle it with others in order to produce a focused TL product.
Abstract The University of South Alabama's Baugh Biomedical Library recently initiated a chat reference service targeted at distance education students in the biomedical sciences. After one year of service, the library conducted an evaluation of the chat reference to assess the success of this mode of reference service. Both traditional reference and digital reference evaluation methods are selected. The evaluation measures include both statistical and descriptive data, such as: number of questions received, time and day of week questions are received, type of questions, number of users, number of repeat users, saturation rate, transcript analysis, and user surveys. Results indicate that the chat reference service is well received by both the target audience and other users.
D uring the late 1990s and into the new millennium, the overall situation of religious freedom in the world has deteriorated. It is particularly bad in the larger Asian countries such as China, India, Paki stan, and Indonesia and in other large­ population countries such as Nigeria. Western Europe has also become less religiously free because of widespread concern over "cults." Some areas, such as Latin America, have improved . Others such as Africa , the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East have remained fairly stable, the latter two at a low level of religious freedom, and the last having one of the poorest records of the world. Another important feature is the increasing religious ele­ ment in conflict. The fighting between Israel and the Palestinians reflects much more religious rhetoric, identification, and claims than did the intifada of the late 1980s, and more than the overtly secular/ nationalist struggles of the 1960s and 1970s. Similar tendencies have been manifest in Kashmir, Nigeria, and Indone­ sia.
Introduction Renal cell carcinomas account for 90% of all malignant neoplasms of the kidney. The most common types of renal cancer in adults are clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinoma; sporadic cases of renal carcinomas containing chromosomal translocations are rare, more usually occurring in children and young adults. Nivolumab (a fully human immunoglobulin G4 PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor antibody) has received the Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma in patients who have received prior antiangiogenic therapy. Skin reactions are the most common side-effects under treatment with anti-PD-1 antibodies and play an important role for patients. Case report We report a nivolumab-induced lichen planus as an immune-related adverse event in a young woman who was treated for advanced renal cell carcinoma. After the ninth dose of nivolumab treatment, she was consulted to the dermatologist because of skin lesions, and lichen planus was diagnosed. Management and outcome She was treated with topical corticosteroids and clobetasol propionate cream. Her lesions regressed after the local therapy within one month, allowing for uninterrupted nivolumab therapy. Discussion Skin adverse events are the most common side-effects under immunotherapy and play an important role for patients and usually develop early in the course of treatment. The most frequent skin reactions are rash, pruritus, and vitiligo. Serious skin adverse events are rare and do not usually require dose reductions or treatment discontinuation. We report a nivolumab-induced lichen planus after the ninth dose of nivolumab.
Temperature and water potential are two important environmental factors influencing germination and subsequent seedling establishment. Seed germination requirements vary with species and with the environment in which the seeds are produced. Stipa species dominate large areas of the Eurasian zonal vegetation, but comparisons of germination requirements between Stipa species from different habitats is limited. We investigated the effects of temperature and water potential on seed germination of S. grandis, S. purpurea, and S. penicillata from habitats with low temperatures and relatively abundant rainfall (cool habitats) and S. glareosa, S. breviflora, S. gobiea, and S. bungeana from habitats with relatively high temperatures and low amount of rainfall (warm habitats). Seeds of species from cool habitats had a higher base (T b), optimal (T o), and maximum (T c) temperature than those of species from warm habitats, except for the base temperature of S. purpurea. Response of six tested Stipa species to water potential differed among species but not between habitats. Median water potential for germination was lowest for S. bungeana, S. penicillata, and S. gobiea. There was a negative correlation between hydrotime constant (θ H) and base water potential for 50% of the seeds of all species to germinate (ψ b(50)). Germination time of seven Stipa species in response to temperature and water was well predicted by thermal time and hydrotime models. Results of the present study on germination of these seven species of Stipa may provide useful suggestions for grassland restoration in different habitats.
An all-fiber phase modulator based on lead titanate zirconate coating deposited by dc reactive magnetron sputtering was fabricated and optically characterized. The frequency response showed a flat broadband structure up to 600 kHz, with an efficiency of 0.73 rad/(V m). This is an order of magnitude higher than that for sputtered zinc oxide based phase modulators. Radial mode resonance peaks were observed between 10 and 700 MHz, with a maximum phase modulation amplitude of 0.3 rad at the fundamental radial resonance frequency of 25.6 MHz.
UNLABELLED Tumoral calcinosis (TC) is a rare familial disease characterized by abnormal peri-articular calcification in affected joints, without any associated renal, metabolic or collagen vascular disease. It is characterized by usual hyperphosphataemia with normal serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase values. There are only a few reported cases ofTC patients with dental findings. This article reviews the dental literature and describes progressive gingival, alveolar and mandibular tori enlargement in a 41-year-old female from Zimbabwe with tumoral calcinosis.   CLINICAL RELEVANCE Tumoral calcinosis is a rare disorder of mineral metabolism with oral manifestations.
Railway transportation is the key part of China's modern transportation system, but the failures of some stations or lines may affect the efficiency of railway transportation. Analyzing the topological characteristics and vulnerability of China's Railway Express Freight Transportation Network (CREFTN) is important for optimizing the network structure and ensuring the stability of operation. The complex network model of CREFTN (CN-CREFTN) is constructed in L-space, then the scale-free and small-world characteristics are analyzed. The vulnerability under the largest-degree attack and the largest-betweenness attack is quantitatively calculated to identify the key stations. The results show that CREFTN has typical small-world and scale-free characteristics at present. The largest-degree attack makes the CREFTN more vulnerable than the largest-betweenness attack. When the proportion of the failed stations with higher degree reaches 18%, the network efficiency decreases by 80%. Therefore, the stations with high degree need to be protected intensively in operation.
Abstract Objective: Primary distal renal tubular acidosis with sensorineural hearing loss is a rare autosomal recessive disease, usually caused by mutations in the ATP6V1B1 gene. The aim of this study was to characterise the phenotype of this disease, with emphasis on the auditory findings, in a cohort of Israeli children. Study design: Prospective study of five children, from three unrelated families, with distal renal tubular acidosis and bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, with mutations in the ATP6V1B1 gene. Methods: The following were collected from patients' medical records: biochemical and renal data, age at distal renal tubular acidosis diagnosis, and age at hearing loss. Hearing loss progression as well as current hearing status were assessed, and high resolution computed tomography of the temporal bone was performed. All patients underwent genetic testing. Results: Four patients were diagnosed with distal renal tubular acidosis before the age of six months and one at 24 months. All had the classical findings of low blood pH and inappropriately high urine pH. Hearing loss was diagnosed between the ages of three months and two years. The hearing loss was bilateral, asymmetrical and progressive, occasionally with a conductive component. Two children underwent cochlear implantation, at ages 10 and 15 years. High resolution computed tomography, performed in four patients between the ages of 2.5 and 15 years, showed bilaterally enlarged vestibular aqueducts. This was the only radiological abnormality in the inner ear in all cases. A different mutation in the ATP6V1B1 gene was found in each family. Conclusion: Several types of mutations in the ATP6V1B1 gene may cause distal renal tubular acidosis and sensorineural hearing loss. Patients display a typical progressive type of hearing loss and have enlarged vestibular aqueducts, with no other abnormalities being observed on imaging.
This study investigated students’ perceptions of an adapted work placement (WP) delivery method due to COVID-19, their intention of finding paid jobs or becoming self-employed and how the intention influenced their job preparatory behaviours (JPB). Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was utilised as a theoretical framework to model the research design. The TPB framework has three constructs – attitude towards behaviour, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control – that lead to students’ intentions with regard to future jobs and, ultimately, behaviours. The study analysed three sets of data from: (i) semi-structured interviews with accounting students, (ii) a semi-structured interview with the head of an accounting department, (iii) document analysis of a WP guidebook. All data were collected from a polytechnic in Indonesia. There were three key findings. In terms of students’ perceptions, the adapted WP programme created disappointment among the students. Beyond this disappointment, the adapted delivery method unexpectedly increased the students’ self-employment intentions. Nonetheless, the intentions did not entirely prompt the students to pursue JPB towards self-employment. This paper provides insights into how higher education institutions might restructure their WP programmes, especially in times of crisis, and provides suggestions for students’ job preparations.
OBJECTIVE To probe the utility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) parameters in assessing the clinical characteristics of oral squamous cell carcinoma.   METHODS A total of 85 tumours were included. We applied the Tofts and Kermode model for the DCE-MRI data and obtained three dependent parameters: the influx forward volume transfer constant into the extravascular extracellular space (EES) from the plasma (K(trans)), the fractional volume of EES per unit volume of tissue (ve) and the fractional volume of plasma (vp). We evaluated the correlations between these parameters and the clinical stages.   RESULTS The T stage showed a negative correlation with the K(trans) (r = -0.2272; p = 0.0365), but it did not show a significant correlation with the other parameters. The N stage showed a negative correlation with K(trans) (r = -0.1948; p = 0.0404), and there were significant differences between N1 and N2+3 (0.119 ± 0.027 vs 0.096 ± 0.023 min(-1); p = 0.0198) and between N0 and N2+3 (0.114 ± 0.29 vs 0.096 ± 0.023 min(-1); p = 0.0288).   CONCLUSION A decrease in the K(trans) at the primary site was found in advanced N stage cases, which might indicate that the hypoxic status cause a high possibility of the metastasis.   ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE A decrease in the K(trans) at the primary site suggested the high possibility of an advanced N stage.
The objectives of this study were to evaluate microbiological quality of bulk tank milk in Prince Edward Island, to evaluate correlation among milk quality criteria, and to determine seasonal effects on milk quality parameters. Bulk tank raw milk quality was evaluated on all Prince Edward Island dairy herds (n = 235) over a 2-yr period (March 2005 to March 2007). Biweekly total aerobic (TAC), preliminary incubation (PIC), laboratory pasteurization, and coliform (CC) counts were determined using a Petrifilm culture system. Additionally, bulk tank somatic cell count was determined weekly. The mean and median values were 12.8 x 10(3) and 4.9 x 10(3) cfu/mL for TAC, 29.6 x 10(3) and 13 x 10(3) cfu/mL for PIC, 87 and 12 cfu/mL for laboratory pasteurization count, 21 and 5 cfu/mL for CC, and 218 x 10(3) and 187 x 10(3) cells/mL for somatic cell count. There was moderate correlation (0.57) between TAC and PIC. All other correlation coefficients were low (<0.26). Correlation results suggest that a single quality parameter could not predict others used in this study. Seasonal data indicate that 1) in general, all counts tended to be low in winter, 2) the CC and somatic cell count were always high in summer, and 3) TAC tended to be high during summer.
The inferior lobes are prominent bilateral brain areas in the hypothalamus of neopterygians among the ray-finned fishes. They are known as multisensory integration centers. As such, they should play a major role in fish evolution. In this study, a comparative morphometric analysis was performed. The morphology of the hypothalamus, where the inferior lobe is considered as fully developed first in Lepisosteus, was then re-examined. One hundred brains from different species of 60 families of ray-finned fishes were stained with cresyl violet and embedded in methacrylate. They were then cut on a microtome while conducting block-face imaging. The volumes were determined for the whole brain, brain areas, and nuclei. Since visual input represents a major sensory input for the inferior lobe, the nucleus glomerulosus, a visual-related nucleus in paracanthopterygian and acanthopterygian teleosts, and the tectum opticum were included in the investigations. The morphometric analysis revealed that the relative volume of the inferior lobes increases significantly from species of the Lepisosteiformes to the Tetraodontiformes. In addition, a positive correlation was detected between the relative volume of the inferior lobes and either the relative volume of the nucleus glomerulosus or the relative volume of the tectum opticum. These correlations, in combination with findings from previous hodological and behavioral studies, give rise to the speculation that the inferior lobes may be involved in higher cognitive processes and complex social interactions.
on man and the adjustments and control of the external factors to promote his health and wellbeing. From 1900 until recently, environ¬ mental control by public health agencies focused mainly on communicable and infectious disease, and succeeded in the United States and Canada in completely controlling if not eradicating many communicable diseases, such as typhoid fever and malaria. These achievements were based largely on the development of safe water supplies and sewerage, milk and food sanita¬ tion, and the control of vectors, techniques that
Bone metastases occur in 20–40% of patients with lung cancer. Recent studies demonstrate a direct antiproliferative effect of 3rd generation bisphosphonates (BPs) on lung tumors, which may influence the survival. Therefore, we examined the clinical impact of zoledronic acid (ZOL; Zometa®), a 3rd generation BP, with a focus on the survival, time to progression and pain effect in lung cancer patients with bone metastases. Lung cancer patients (n = 144, Stage IV) with evidence of metastasis bone scan were included. Eighty‐seven of 144 experienced bone pain and received ZOL, 4 mg i.v. every 21 days (Group A), whereas the other 57 patients received no ZOL (Group B). All patients were treated with a combination chemotherapy consisted of docetaxel 100 mg/m2 and carboplatin AUC = 6. It was found that Group A had a statistically significant longer survival (p < 0.01) when compared to Group B. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the number of cycles of therapy with ZOL and total patient survival (p < 0.01, Pearson correlation) and time to progression (p < 0.01). Pain effect of ZOL had no significant difference between the 2 groups of patients (p > 0.05). Urine N‐telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx) levels decreased in patients with NTx ≤ 29 nM BCE/mM creatinine at baseline after treatment with ZOL. The results of our study suggest that the addition of ZOL increases overall survival in lung cancer patients with bone metastases. The longer period of receiving ZOL, the better effect on survival and time to progression. © 2009 UICC
Motivation underlying the career choice of mental health professionals may include a desire to resolve personal psychological distress from childhood or the need to continue the caretaking role held in the family (A. DiCaccavo, 2002; J. D. Guy, 1987). The authors examined whether psychology students whose future vocational aspirations lie in the clinical domain (N = 40) differed from psychology students with no clinical aspirations (N = 35) and from business students (N = 91) in reported childhood experiences and current psychological functioning. Psychology students who wanted to work in the clinical domain reported higher rates of perceived childhood sexual abuse and neglect as compared with both psychology students with no clinical aspirations and business students. They also reported more parentification experiences between the ages of 14 years and 16 years as compared with business students. There were no significant differences between groups in reported levels of current negative emotions.
Chromosome number and morphology were observed in the squashed eggs and embryos of three bivalve species, Isognomon alatus, Pinctada imbricata and Argopecten irradians irradians. I. alatus has 14 pairs of chromosomes, all of which are either meta- or submetacentrics. Three or four of 14 chromosomal pairs of P. imbricata are subtelocentrics and the rest are submeta- or metacentrics. The chromosome complement of P. imbricata seems to be similar to that of P. fucata. Chromosome numbers of A. i. irradians are 16 (n) and 32 (2n) and are different from those of six Pectinidae species previously reported. The 16 pairs of chromosomes of A. i. irradians appear to consist of meta-, submeta-, subtelo-, and telocentrics.
Compression and stretching of ring-vortex solitons, which is a novel self-similar solution of (2+1)-dimensional diffraction decreasing waveguide, is investigated analytically and numerically. We obtain the ring-vortex solitons via the similarity transformation method. The distance modulation for the width, the diffraction, and the nonlinear response, strongly affects the form and the behavior of the self-similar vortex, and facilitates the efficient compression of optical waves. This approximate ring-vortex solitons can reflect the real properties of self-similar optical vortex beams during propagation under certain parameter window selection. Specific examples and figures are given to illustrate discussed features. The results obtained in this paper may have potential values for all-optical data-processing schemes and the design of beam compressors and amplifiers.
The XMM-Newton Observatory is a cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency's Horizon 2000 programme, and is the largest scientific satellite it has launched to date. This paper summarises the principal characteristics of the Observatory which are pertinent to scientific operations. The scientific results appearing in this issue have been enabled by the unprecedentedly large effective area of the three mirror modules, which are briefly described. The in-orbit performance and preliminary calibrations of the observatory are briefly summarised. The observations from the XMM-Newton calibration and performance verification phase, which are public and from which most papers in this issue have been derived, are listed. The flow of data from the spacecraft, through the ground segment, to the production of preliminary science products supplied to users is also discussed.
In response to demographic challenges, primary care need to get familiar with the concept of frailty and the early detection of cognitive impairment. The « Frailty and Alzheimer's disease prevention into primary care » (FAP) project introduced a geriatric evaluation with a nurse in primary care in order to assess older patients. Our work aimed to evaluate the general practitioner's (GPs) opinion involved in FAP project.   METHODS  This is an observational descriptive study performed in Occitanie region. 26 GPs have involved in this project. The gathering of information was performed through an online survey.   RESULTS   GPs estimated that most of the patients benefiting from a primary care geriatric evaluation would have declined hospital evaluation. 92% of the surveyed GPs gave a strongly positive or positive opinion regarding the detection of previously unidentified health issues and the improvement of patient care following this evaluation. 42% of the GPs found that the personalized plan of cares is difficult or very difficult to do. 73% of the GPs considered that they have a better knowledge of frailty syndrome and cognitive impairment after the evaluation.   CONCLUSION  GPs feedback was very positive and promising for the future. It could be interesting to develop this geriatric evaluation in primary care into new regions.
We introduce a new Dadras system with complex variables which can exhibit both four-wing hyperchaotic and chaotic attractors. Some dynamic properties of the system have been described including Lyapunov exponents, fractal dimensions, and Poincare maps. More importantly, we focus on a new type of synchronization method of modified hybrid project synchronization with complex transformation matrix (CMHPS) for different dimensional hyperchaotic and chaotic complex systems with complex parameters, where the drive and response systems can be asymptotically synchronized up to a desired complex transformation matrix, not a diagonal matrix. Furthermore, CMHPS between the novel hyperchaotic Dadras complex system and other two different dimensional complex chaotic systems is provided as an example to discuss increased order synchronization and reduced order synchronization, respectively. Numerical results verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the presented schemes.
The similarity measure is an important component used in collaborative filtering recommender systems (CFRSs) to determine the set of users having the same behavior with regard to the selected items. The measure is typically defined on sets of real-valued or discrete-valued vectors. For discrete-valued vectors, similarity measures are inspired by the comparison of sets and the cardinality of sets. In this paper, we aim to explore set-inspired similarity measures for CFRSs, including Fuzzy sets index, Jaccard index, Sorensen coefficient, and Symmetric difference, with four collaborative filtering methods: (i) user-based, (ii) item-based, (iii) user clustering-based, and (iv) item clustering-based methods. We conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the effect of different measures on the benchmark datasets. An important result is that all four of these measures outperform the Pearson coefficient and Cosine measures in both recommendation effectiveness and computation time. Empirical evidence also shows that the Symmetric difference measure provides better results than all remaining measures.
Niobium‐germanium alloys were obtained by electrodeposition from molten fluoride solutions containing 5 mol percent of , and various concentrations of in the eutectic solvent. The molten bath temperature was typically about 750°C. Cathodes (or substrates) were made of Mo and W foils, and a Ge sheet was used as a dissolving anode. Stable growth deposits were obtained of the intermetallic compounds , , , and their phase‐mixtures by varying the germanium ion concentration in the molten bath. Germanium was found to be more noble than niobium in the molten fluoride bath, thus facilitating the deposition of germanium rich alloys. The superconducting compound, , however, could not be obtained as a single‐phase deposit. It was obtained only as a minor constituent in certain phase‐mixtures when operating under extreme conditions.
A wavelet multi-resolution cross-correlation analysis was developed and applied to experimental pressure-time signals in order to analyze the characteristics of swirling gas-solid flow in both Fourier and physical spaces. The experiment was carried out in a horizontal pipe with a length of 7.5 m and an inner diameter of 76 mm. The initial swirl number based on the total inflow was varied from 0.0 to 0.61, the mean gas velocity was varied from 6 to 28 m/s, and the solid mass flow rate was varied from 0.08 to 0.5. From the wavelet multi-resolution correlation analysis of the fluctuating pressure in the range of low air velocity, the characteristics of swirling gas-solid two-phase flows were extracted at various frequencies. Much stronger correlations were found in the range of low frequency, which implied periodic motion of dunes and sliding clusters. Additionally, it was revealed that the motion of a large cluster sliding flow contains two smaller clusters and the moving velocities of dunes were 1 m/s and 2 m/s, respectively. However, no correlation existed at smaller scales of correlation features, which indicated heterogeneous suspension flow.
It is observed that the one-dimensional analog of the Slater KDP model provides a simple introduction to the study of strongly interacting systems and phase transitions as well as to recent research on two-dimensional KDP models. Although the first-order phase transition of the one-dimensional Slater model technically disappears when more realistic interaction strengths are taken into account, an anomalously large specific heat remains in the modified one-dimensional model.
The paleomagnetic data obtained in northeast Italy, southern France, and northeast Spain differ considerably and systematically from those for meso-Europe. The deviation of the inclination of the paleomagnetic directions may be explained by assuming that the structural units of Italy, southern France, and Spain have moved westward with respect to meso-Europe. This late Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic westward drift of rigid blocks in the mobile Tethys zone is considered to be due to dextral shear movements, which developed in the Tethys zone during the northwestward drift of the Gondwana shields (Africa, Arabia, and India) and the contemporaneous eastward movement of meso-Europe. The deviation of the declination of the paleomagnetic directions in northeast Italy, Corsica, and northeast Spain are indicative of counterclockwise rotations. These rotations are thought to be related to the dextral shear movements mentioned above. They were caused by subsidiary left lateral shear which developed in the mobile zones bordering the primary dextral faults. Similar structural systems are found in the former Tethys areas of Turkey (Anatolia fault system) and northwest Africa (Atlas fault system). The main conclusion drawn from the paleomagnetic data is that the Tethys mobile belt was and still is a zone of primary dextral shear.
A total of 30 different strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from some selected wards of Madonna University Teaching Hospital (MUTH), Elele, Nigeria, using blood agar and nutrient agar. All the isolates were subjected to some selected quinolones (ciprofloxacin, pefloxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxcin and sparfloxacin) to determine their antibiotic susceptibility pattern using the disk diffusion method. Ofloxacin had the highest percentage susceptibility of 93.3%, followed by ciprofloxacin with 73.3%; pefloxacin was next with 70%, sparfloxacin 63.3%, while norfloxacin recorded the lowest percentage of 50%. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the quinolones to the isolates was also determined. The results show that all the tested quinolones had an MIC ranging from 2.5-10mg/ml. Keywords : Staphylococcus aureus , quinolones, hospital environment African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Vol. 9 (3) 2008: pp. 142-146
OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory features of Plasmodium vivax malaria in children and adolescents. METHODS: This study was carried out in the Malaria Program of the Evandro Chagas Institute (Belém, Pará), from January 1995 to November 1996. 100 children and adolescents with the diagnosis of P. vivax malaria (thick blood film) were randomly enrolled. A protocol was created to assess epidemiological, clinical and laboratory parameters of this pathology. RESULTS: Malaria occurred in both sexes, and had a prevailing incidence among adolescents (37%). Most of the children and adolescents (92%) had been infected in the State of Pará. Autochthonous cases in the metropolitan area of Belém accounted for 34 % of the sample. Primary infection was seen in 80% of the patients. Fever was the major onset clinical symptom (88%). A history of typical febrile paroxysm was recorded in only 25% of the casuistic. In the first day of treatment (D0) fever (97%), chills (91%), pallor (85%), splenomegaly (46%) and hepatomegaly (29%) were some of the clinical features observed. Pallor (clinical signal) was found to be significantly (p=0.0004) associated with anemia (hemoglobin rate). There was a high significant negative correlation (p=0.0001) between delay of diagnosis (mean 12,5 days) and hemoglobin values. Regarding parasitological examination, just children and adolescents with positive results to hookworms were significantly (p=0.0133, p=0.0075) more anemic than those who had a positive parasitological examination to other helminths and/or protozoa species. CONCLUSIONS: Malaria affected children and adolescents from both sexes. An emphasis on epidemiological and clinical data is an important tool to the precocious diagnosis of the disease. Delay on diagnosis made anemia worse.
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to compare burnout between prison caseworkers and correctional officers and examine reasons for the high turnover of caseworkers. The study was conducted through surveys at a maximum/medium men's prison and at an all security level women's prison in the Midwest. By using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, it was found that there was a significantly higher level of burnout for prison caseworkers than correctional officers. The perceived three main reasons for high turnover of prison caseworkers were low salaries, lack of support from management, and stress which leads to burnout. State prison officials can use this information to help minimize conditions that lead to burnout and turnover of trained caseworkers.
Abstract Urbanization is associated with a variety of anthropogenic impacts that alter aquatic ecosystems and could affect riparian web-spinning spiders. The objective of this study was to evaluate how changes in web structural features and body condition of a horizontal orb-weaver are associated with surrounding levels of urbanization. Along an urban watershed in Puerto Rico, we found a significant negative relationship between the capture area of webs and in the body condition of spiders with increasing levels of surrounding impervious surface. We propose that these changes in web structure and body condition are associated with variations in the diversity and quality of prey, as well as the loss of riparian substrate in more heavily urban areas.
The fault detection and isolation problem is developed for both actuator faults and sensor faults of an aircraft. Pertinent theorems and definitions are presented. The fault detection filter design is treated as an eigensystem assignment problem. A computer algorithm which calculates the detection filters is discussed. Detection filter gains are developed for a linear aircraft model which augments actuator dynamics and a simplified wind gust model. A simulation of various faults and the performance of the detection filters are developed. Results indicate potential for improving fault-tolerant control system designs.
A theoretically solid and numerically exact method is presented for the calculation of absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectra of molecular aggregates immersed in a harmonic bath constituted as the combination of some prominent quantized vibrational modes and continuous overdamped Brownian oscillators. The feasibility and the validity of newly proposed method are affirmed in the analytical monomer spectra. To go beyond the independent local bath approximation, all the correlations of site energy fluctuations and excitonic coupling fluctuations are included in our strategy, and their influence on the absorption and CD spectra is investigated based on the Frenkel exciton model of homodimer. In the end, a good fit of the absorption and part of CD spectra for the entire B800-B850 ring in the light-harvesting complexes 2 of purple bacteria to the experimental data is given, and the simulation results suggest that the asymmetry in the 800 nm region of CD spectra is actually an indication of B800-B850 inter-ring coupling.
Introduction Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest tumours due to the limited treatment options and late diagnosis. Here, we describe a novel high throughput drug screening platform combining the OrganoPlate, a microfluidic based 3D-culture plate, and the recently described Pancreatic Ductal AdenoCarcinoma (PDAC) derived organoids. Material and methods The OrganoPlate is a high throughput microfluidic 3D cell culture platform, supporting physiologically relevant models with a minimal requirement of cell material and enabling a wide range of flow and co-culture options (e.g. with blood vessels). Organoids were derived from human PDAC xenografts and seeded in the OrganoPlate. The low amount of tissue material required (4000 cells per chip) and the high number of replicates on one plate (n=96 on a standard microtiter format plate) renders the OrganoPlate an efficient and cost-effective platform for drug screening and toxicity assays on complex, 3D models. Results and discussions Organoids were exposed to various chemotherapeutic drugs for 72 hours. The viability of the organoids before and after drug treatment is monitored with standard viability assays and subsequently used to generate dose response curves. Conclusion In conclusion, we showed that the OrganoPlate can be used for high throughput drug screening assays and toxicity screening, and demonstrated its compatibility with human pancreatic PDAC derived organoids.
Grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations have been performed to investigate the components of the force between parallel charged surfaces in an electrolyte. The solvent primitive model (SPM) was used to investigate the effect of neutral hard sphere solvent particles on the force between the surfaces. The effects of particle size, wall charge density, charge valency of the electrolyte, and the exclusion of neutral hard sphere are discussed. When solvent particles are considered, the total force between the charged surfaces is always repulsive, even for divalent counterions. This is different from the earlier conclusion reached with a restricted primitive model electrolyte. The repulsive force decreases in going from monovalent counterions to divalent counterions.
The impact of selected observing systems on forecast skill is explored using the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) 40-yr reanalysis (ERA-40) system. Analyses have been produced for a surface-based observing system typical of the period prior to 1945/1950, a terrestrial-based observing system typical of the period 1950–1979 and a satellite-based observing system consisting of surface pressure and satellite observations. Global prediction experiments have been undertaken using these analyses as initial states, and which are available every 6 h, for the boreal winters of 1990/1991 and 2000/2001 and the summer of 2000, using a more recent version of the ECMWF model. The results show that for 500-hPa geopotential height, as a representative field, the terrestrial system in the Northern Hemisphere extratropics is only slightly inferior to the control system, which makes use of all observations for the analysis, and is also more accurate than the satellite system. There are indications that the skill of the terrestrial system worsens slightly and the satellite system improves somewhat between 1990/1991 and 2000/2001. The forecast skill in the Southern Hemisphere is dominated by the satellite information and this dominance is larger in the latter period. The overall skill is only slightly worse than that of the Northern Hemisphere. In the tropics (20°S—20°N), using the wind at 850 and 250 hPa as representative fields, the information content in the terrestrial and satellite systems is almost equal and complementary. The surface-based system has very limited skill restricted to the lower troposphere of the Northern Hemisphere. Predictability calculations show a potential for a further increase in predictive skill of 1–2 d in the extratropics of both hemispheres, but a potential for a major improvement of many days in the tropics. As well as the Eulerian perspective of predictability, the storm tracks have been calculated from all experiments and validated for the extratropics to provide a Lagrangian perspective.
B uffoons as literary characters or self-created types have been represented as witty, intelligent, and funny men, beginning with Silenus, the Greek demigod, and including, among others, Plautus’s braggart soldier, François Rabelais’s Panurge, William Shakespeare’s Falstaff, Denis Diderot’s Rameau’s nephew, and the great comedic film star W. C. Fields. Often they have eaten and drunk too much, chased women in keeping with their misogyny, made fools of themselves, and, ultimately, lived pathetic, even tragic lives of humiliation and self-parody. While these characters span more than two thousand years of Western history, their recurrence should not be taken to suggest that the buffoon, or masculinity for that matter, is transhistorical or that he exists in a vacuum outside of his relationship to other men and to women. For the buffoon, though, it is mostly in his relationship to other men that he defines his character. Women are in many ways the absent presence that haunts the buffoon’s existence but, with the exception of Falstaff ’s antics, rarely ever appears. By reducing women to misogynistic stereotypes, the buffoon acts out a contempt for women grounded in the traditional belief that they are available for sexual pleasure but never to be trusted or taken seriously. It is, then, in his association with other male characters that the buffoon defines himself. The buffoon’s performance of masculinity embraces what Stephen M. Whitehead describes as the “complex dynamics of difference, subjectivity, power and identity . . . [that] are . . . under constant revision, negotiation and movement” (2002, 5). Indeed, men and masculinities exist in particular historical contexts and are thus defined by certain dominant characteristics and assumptions. Within these broad historical frameworks, the buffoon’s identity exists
Osteoporosis is a main concern, particularly in aging populations and more specifically in elderly women. Introducing functional foods that contains nutrients that have been scientifically proven to bring beneficial effects for bone metabolism is one of potential mechanism to reduce its prevalence. In this study, optimization of jelly products containing the necessary nutrients was conducted. We investigated the effect of adding skim milk, at particular concentrations, to gelling temperature of the sol, syneresis of the gels, and texture profile of the gels. Furthermore, green tea and ginger extract were added to the formulation and consumer preference on color and taste was analyzed. Our findings demonstrated that no significant difference in gelling temperature and syneresis was found as skim milk concentration was increased from 0.64 to 2.51%. Texture profile analysis data suggested that adding skim milk contributed to increased firmness, toughness, stringiness, and initial stiffness of the gels. In ge...
Proposes a design method of model reference adaptive control for nonlinear systems with unknown degrees. The present adaptive controller is composed of high gain feedbacks of hierarchical structures derived from "backstepping techniques", and the number of adaptive tuning parameters is 3. It is shown that the resulting control system is uniformly bounded, and that the tracking error converges to an arbitrarily small residual region.
In this study, we can measure the permeability of Marshall specimens by modified osmotic pressure meter, which is improved by osmotic pressure meter. We get different voidage Marshall specimens and rutting plates by changing compaction times and rolling times. Modified osmotic pressure meter measures the permeability of Marshall specimens. Pavement ooze water meter measures the permeability of rutting plates. The results showed that: Because of the internal air, side sealing and different formula, the permeability coefficient measured by Pavement ooze water meter is not accurate. Modified osmotic pressure meter eliminates many adverse effects when we measure the permeability of asphalt mixture. So the correlation of voidage and permeability coefficient is better.
ABSTRACT Purpose: The objective of this paper was to analyze the requirements of the end-users by class after carrying out a survey on the user requirements for sleeping bags and utilize the result for effective product development.Methods: The test for difference in means by class was conducted through one sample analysis and one-way ANOVA after the survey result has gone through a reliability verification, and an LSD (Least Significant Difference) test was conducted as a post-mortem method. Results: A significant result was derived from the survey on the user requirements for sleeping bags by method of use, use of combination of sleeping bag components or a sleeping bag alone. Conclusion: The significant result derived from the survey of this paper on the user requirements for sleeping bags can be utilized for effective development of sleeping bags. Key Words: Sleeping Bag, Questionnaire, Survey, LSD, Needs of the User ● Received 11 August 2014, 1st revised 25 August 2014, 2nd revised 3 september 2014, accepted 4 september 2014†Corresponding Author(n10523@naver.com)ⓒ 2014, The Korean Society for Quality ManagementThis is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-Commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract. The fossil record of marine microplankton provides insights into the evolutionary drivers which led to the origin of modern deep-water plankton, one of the largest component of ocean biomass. We use global abundance and biogeographic data combined with depth habitat reconstructions to determine the environmental mechanisms behind speciation in two groups of pelagic microfossils over the past 15 million years. We compare our microfossil datasets with water column profiles simulated in an Earth System model. We show that deep-living planktonic foraminiferal (zooplankton) and calcareous nannofossil (mixotroph phytoplankton) species were virtually absent globally during the peak of the middle Miocene warmth. Evolution of deep-dwelling planktonic foraminifera started from subpolar-midlatitude species during late Miocene cooling, via allopatry. Deep-dwelling species subsequently spread towards lower latitudes and further diversified via depth sympatry, establishing modern communities stratified hundreds of meters down the water column. Similarly, sub-euphotic zone specialist calcareous nannofossils become a major component of tropical and sub-tropical assemblages through the latest Miocene to early Pliocene. Our model simulations suggest that increased organic matter and oxygen availability for planktonic foraminifera, and increased nutrients and light penetration for nannoplankton, favored the evolution of new deep water niches. These conditions resulted from global cooling and the associated increase in the efficiency of the biological pump over the last 15 million years.
Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the bladder wall, characterized by pelvic pain, urinary urgency, and frequency. Its etiology is unknown. IC remains a diagnosis of exclusion. Although there are no uniformly effective therapies, many treatment options are currently available. We present an IC patient who successfully underwent LLLT using an 830 nm GaAlAs diode laser. After 40 LLLT treatment sessions, the interstitial symptom index total score which was previously 19 decreased to 8 and the interstitial problem index total score which was previous 15 decreased to 6. Symptoms of severe bladder irritation and pelvic pain, urinary urgency and frequency improved almost completely for an extended period.
In the past 100 years, with the intensification of natural climate change and human activities, global warming has become an indisputable fact. According to the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report, the global warming of 0.5% between 1880 and 2012 was 0.85°C, the last 30 years is the warmest 30 years in the last 1400 years, and it is clear that warming is an indisputable fact that one of the main manifestations of global warming. Due to the limitations of phenological data, there are relatively few studies on the phenology of herbaceous plants by scholars at home and abroad. Now this paper will illustrate the effects of solar activity, volcanic activity and human activity on global warming., and will concern phenology to the effects of global warming on plant growing season, germination and growth. Understanding of the phenological response mechanisms of plant warming remains limited. The interaction between many promoters makes it difficult to model and predict changes in plant figuration. In the future, researchers should focus on how to mitigate global warming trends and effective measures to protect the earth's ecological environment. This paper could help people understand the importance of climate and plants to humanity, arousing people's attention to protecting the ecological environment.
With rising concerns about sustainable practices, environmental complications, and declining resources, metabolic engineers are transforming microorganisms into cellular factories for producing capsular polysaccharides (CPSs). This review provides an overview of strategies employed for the metabolic engineering of heparosan, chondroitin, hyaluronan, and polysialic acid - four CPSs that are of interest for manufacturing a variety of biomedical applications. Methods described include the exploitation of wild-type and engineered native CPS producers, as well as genetically engineered heterologous hosts developed through the improvement of naturally existing pathways or newly (de novo) designed ones. The implementation of methodologies like gene knockout, promoter engineering, and gene expression level control has resulted in multiple-fold improvements in CPS fermentation titers compared with wild-type strains, and substantial increases in productivity, reaching as high as 100% in some cases. Optimization of these biotechnological processes can permit the adoption of industrially competitive engineered microorganisms to replace traditional sources that are generally toxic, unreliable, and inconsistent in product quality.
Layer-by-layer (LBL) BioAssembly method was developed to enhance the control of cell distribution within 3D scaffolds for Tissue Engineering applications. The objective of this study was to evaluate in vivo the development of blood vessels within LBL bioassembled membranes seeded with human primary cells, and to compare it to cellularized massive scaffolds. Poly(lactic) acid membranes fabricated by Fused Deposition Modeling were seeded with mono-cultures of human bone marrow stromal cells or with co-cultures of these cells and endothelial progenitor cells. Then, 4 cellularized membranes were assembled in LBL constructs. Early osteoblastic and endothelial cell differentiation markers, alkaline phosphatase and von Willebrand's factor, were expressed in all layers of assemblies in homogenous manner. The same kind of LBL assemblies as well as cellularized massive scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously in mice. Human cells were observed in all scaffolds seeded with cells, but not in the inner parts of massive scaffolds. There were significantly more blood vessels observed in LBL bio-assemblies seeded with co-cultures compared to all other samples. LBL bioassembly of PLA membranes seeded with a co-culture of human cells is an efficient method to obtain homogenous cell distribution and blood vessel formation within the entire volume of a 3D composite scaffold. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Background: The increased frequency of bacteraemias caused by pandrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (PDR-Kp) has significant implications. The aim of the present study was to identify predictors associated with mortality of PDR-Kp bacteraemias. Methods: Patients with monomicrobial bacteraemia due to PDR-Kp were included. K. pneumoniae was considered PDR if it showed resistance to all available groups of antibiotics. Primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of meropenem, tigecycline, fosfomycin, and ceftazidime/avibactam were determined by Etest, whereas for colistin, the broth microdilution method was applied. blaKPC, blaVIM, blaNDM, and blaOXA genes were detected by PCR. Results: Among 115 PDR-Kp bacteraemias, the majority of infections were primary bacteraemias (53; 46.1%), followed by catheter-related (35; 30.4%). All isolates were resistant to tested antimicrobials. blaKPC was the most prevalent carbapenemase gene (98 isolates; 85.2%). Thirty-day mortality was 39.1%; among 51 patients with septic shock, 30-day mortality was 54.9%. Multivariate analysis identified the development of septic shock, Charlson comorbidity index, and bacteraemia other than primary or catheter-related as independent predictors of mortality, while a combination of at least three antimicrobials was identified as an independent predictor of survival. Conclusions: Mortality of PDR-Kp bloodstream infections was high. Administration of at least three antimicrobials might be beneficial for infections in critically ill patients caused by such pathogens.
A dedicated network-based trauma system ensures optimal care to injured patients. Considering the significant burden of trauma, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is striving to develop a nationwide trauma system. This article describes the recent design, development, and implementation of the Saudi Arabian trauma system in line with Vision 2030. The basis of our strategy was the find, organize, clarify, understand, select-plan, do, check, and act (FOCUS-PDCA) model, developed by engaging key stakeholders, including patients. More than 300 healthcare professionals and patients from around the Riyadh region assessed the current system with three solutions and roadmap workshops. Subsequently, the national clinical advisory group (CAG) for trauma was formed to develop the Saudi Arabian trauma system, and CAG members analyzed and collated internationally recognized trauma systems and guidelines. The guidelines’ applicability in the kingdom was discussed and reviewed, and an interactive document was developed to support socialization and implementation. The CAG team members agreed on the guiding principles for the trauma pathway, identified the challenges, and finalized the new system design. They also developed a trauma care standard document to support and guide the rollout of new trauma networks across the kingdom. The CAG members and other stakeholders are at the forefront of implementing the trauma system across the Riyadh region. Recent trauma system development in Saudi Arabia is the first step in improving national trauma care and may guide development in other locations, regionally and internationally, to improve outcomes.
unfamiliar with some sociological terminology and statistical analysis. Furthermore, it will be disappointing to those looking for optimistic, cook-book solutions for improving relations between the police and the groups they serve. Bayley and Mendelsohn's excellent analysis not withstanding, police-community relations are likely to get worse before they get better if our society continues bent on law and order-without justice and social reform.
Cinematographic language is recognized for its capacity for expression and creativity. Through the creation of the camera, in the exhibition, and of the assembly, in the narration, the narrative of the cinema is constructed. In Vela ao Crucificado, a study of the point of view is able to perceive how the great imagist mobilizes language mechanisms, present in the short film of Frederico Machado, in the construction of a discourse that reveals itself paradoxical.
The influences of gradual Cu substitution for Ru on the magnetic characteristics of a weak ferromagnet, Ca3LiRuO6 (with a magnetic ordering temperature of 113 K), are reported as obtained by magnetization studies. We find that single-phase compounds could be formed only until x = 0.3 in Ca3LiRu1-xCuxO6. We do not find evidence for superconductivity in the temperature range of the investigation (2-300 K). The onset of magnetic ordering is depressed only marginally with Cu substitution (to about 90 K for x = 0.3), which indicates that the magnetic interaction along the chain is not predominantly of a long-range type, but rather of a short-range (superexchange?) type. There are notable changes in the magnetic field/temperature dependence of the magnetization, as if there are dramatic changes in the magnetic structure.
In this paper, we develop an online sequential learning algorithm for single hidden layer feedforward networks (SLFNs) with additive or radial basis function (RBF) hidden nodes in a unified framework. The algorithm is referred to as online sequential extreme learning machine (OS-ELM) and can learn data one-by-one or chunk-by-chunk (a block of data) with fixed or varying chunk size. The activation functions for additive nodes in OS-ELM can be any bounded nonconstant piecewise continuous functions and the activation functions for RBF nodes can be any integrable piecewise continuous functions. In OS-ELM, the parameters of hidden nodes (the input weights and biases of additive nodes or the centers and impact factors of RBF nodes) are randomly selected and the output weights are analytically determined based on the sequentially arriving data. The algorithm uses the ideas of ELM of Huang developed for batch learning which has been shown to be extremely fast with generalization performance better than other batch training methods. Apart from selecting the number of hidden nodes, no other control parameters have to be manually chosen. Detailed performance comparison of OS-ELM is done with other popular sequential learning algorithms on benchmark problems drawn from the regression, classification and time series prediction areas. The results show that the OS-ELM is faster than the other sequential algorithms and produces better generalization performance
The advent of the time-stretch technology, together with the high-speed photodetector, enables ultrafast spectrum analysis in the form of spectro-temporal analyzer, such as the amplified dispersive Fourier transform (ADFT) and the parametric spectro-temporal analyzer (PASTA). Leveraging the MHz to GHz frame rate, such a spectro-temporal analyzer is capable of observing certain ultrafast or non-repetitive events, such as the birth of mode-locking. However, since it always requires a large amount of dispersion, the spectral accuracy will be greatly degraded by the temporal instability, including the temperature-induced timing jitter and the cavity-induced frequency jitter, which hinder the practical application of such an ultrafast spectroscopy technique. To enhance the temporal stability and thereby spectral accuracy, two active control schemes are introduced here: the temperature feedback control for the long fiber link, and the phase-locked loop for the short laser cavity. As a result, the temporal stability is greatly enhanced, and the spectral accuracy is improved from 1.6 to 0.04 nm over a 5-h period of time. This stabilization process is an essential step for the practical application of spectro-temporal analyzers, such as the ADFT and particularly the PASTA.
Since prehistoric times, the Bering Strait area (Beringia) has served as an avenue of dispersal between the Old and the New Worlds. On a field expedition to this area, we collected fecal samples from dabbling ducks, geese, shorebirds, and gulls on the Chukchi Peninsula, Siberia, and Pt. Barrow, Alaska, and characterized the subtypes of avian influenza virus present in them. Four of 202 samples (2%) from Alaska were positive for influenza A virus RNA in two independent polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based screening assays, while all shorebird samples from the Chukchi Peninsula were negative. Subtypes H3N8 and H6N1 were recorded once, while subtype H8N4 was found in two samples. Full-length sequences were obtained from the three unique isolates, and phylogenetic analysis with representative sequences for the Eurasian and North American lineages of influenza A virus showed that one HA gene clustered with the Eurasian rather than the North American lineage. However, the closest relative to this sequence was a North American isolate from Delaware described in 2002, indicating that a H6 spillover from Asia has established itself in North America.
Air pollution is one of main problems in human health, especially in big cities. There are five pollutants material which is indicated as a source of air pollution, one of them is nitrogen oxide (NO2). The proper environmental monitoring system for air pollution management has demanding requirements. We have designed an integrated optical sensor to measure NO2 gas concentration using 1-D photonic crystal. The phenomenon of photonic pass band (PPB) has been used as a frequency filter in liquid concentration measurement. Photonic crystal, LED, and photodiode were designed to operate in NO2 absorption spectra that are in the range between 557.23 and 558.01 nm. The NO2 gas concentration is inversely proportional to intensity of peak PPB spectra. We built electronic signal conditioning circuit which is consisting of: current to voltage converter, voltage follower, active low pass filter, and instrumentation amplifier, to get an appropriate signal. The experimental results show that our optical integrated instrumentation is able to measure NO2 gas concentration, while requiring a filtering circuit addition because of the presence of internal noise.
Integrins are a large family of integral plasma membrane proteins that link the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton in animal cells. As a first step in determining if integrin-like proteins are involved in gravitropic signal transduction pathways, we have used a polyclonal antibody against the chicken beta1 integrin subunit in western blot analyses and immunofluorescence microscopy to gain information on the size and location of these proteins in plants. Several different polypeptides are recognized by the anti-integrin antibody in roots and shoots of Arabidopsis and in the internodal cells and rhizoids of Chara. These cross-reactive polypeptides are associated with cellular membranes, a feature which is consistent with the known location of integrins in animal systems. In immunofluorescence studies of Arabidopsis roots, a strong signal was obtained from labeling integrin-like proteins in root cap cells, and there was little or no immunolabel in other regions of the root tip. While the antibody stained throughout Chara rhizoids, the highest density of immunolabel was at the tip. Thus, in both Arabidopsis roots and Chara rhizoids, the sites of gravity perception/transduction appear to be enriched in integrin-like molecules.
Abstract. The domestic and foreign scholars conducted many studies on mechanical properties of wave web steel beam and high-strength spiral stirrups confined concrete columns. Based on the previous research work, studies were conducted on the anti-seismic property of the end plate bolt connected wave web steel beam and high-strength spiral stirrups confined concrete column nodes applied with pre-tightening force. Four full-size node test models in two groups were designed for low-cycle repeated loading quasi-static test. Through observation of the stress, distortion, failure process and failure mode of node models, analysis was made on its load-carrying capacity, deformation performance and energy dissipation capacity, and the reliability of the new node was verified. The results showed that: under action of the beam-end stiffener, the plastic hinges on the end of wave web steel beam are displaced outward and played its role of energy dissipation capacity. The study results provided reliable theoretical basis for the engineering application of the new types of nodes.
Variational data assimilation, also sometimes simply called the ‘adjoint method’, is used very often for large scale model calibration problems. Using the available data, the uncertain parameters in the model are identified by minimizing a certain cost function that measures the difference between the model results and the data. A variational scheme requires the implementation of the adjoint of (the tangent linear approximation of) the original model which is a tremendous programming effort, that hampers new applications of the method. Recently a new ensemble approach to variational inverse modelling using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) model reduction has been proposed that does not require the implementation of the adjoint model. Using an ensemble of forward model simulations an approximation of the covariance matrix of the model variability is determined. A limited number of leading eigenvectors of this matrix are selected to define a model sub space. By projecting the original model onto this subspace an approximate linear model is obtained. Once this reduced model is available the minimization process can be solved completely in reduced space with negligible computational costs.  Schemes based on the well-known Kalman filtering algorithm are also used recently for inverse modeling. The last years a number of ensemble based algorithms have been proposed, e.g., the Ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), the Reduced Rank Square Root filter (RRSQRT) and the Ensemble Square Root filter (ESRF). Although introduced for linear state estimation, these new algorithms 102 Ensemble methods for large scale inverse problems are able to handle nonlinear models accurately and, therefore, are very attractive for solving combined state and parameter estimation problems. It has been shown recently that the so-called symmetric version of the ESRF introduces the smallest increments and, therefore, is in most applications more accurate then the original version of this algorithm.
The thermal stability of a short carbon-fiber-reinforced PEEK composite was assessed by thermogravimetry and by a Rheometrics dynamic analyzer. The results indicated that holding for 10 min at 380°C was a suitable melting condition to avoid the thermooxidative degradation under air. After proving that the heating rate of 50°C/min can be used to evaluate the crystallinity, a heating stage was used to prepare nonisothermally crystallized specimens using cooling rates from 1 to 100°C/min after melting at 400°C for 3 or 15 min. The degree of crystallinity and the melting behavior of these specimens were investigated by DSC at a heating rate of 50°C/min. The presence of three or four regions indicated that the upper melting temperature, T changed with the crystallization temperature. The first region with the highest T m , which corresponded to the cooling rate of 1°C/min, can be associated with the crystallization in regime II. There was a second region where T m decreased as the amount of crystals formed in regime II decreased with increasing cooling rate from 5 to 20°C/min. The third region, a plateau region, corresponded to regime III condition in which the crystals were imperfect. In the fourth region, the cooling was so fast that crystallization was incomplete during the cooling for the melting condition of 400°C for 15 min.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy has revolutionised the treatment of several cancers but can also lead to the development of immune‐related adverse effects including dermatologic, gastrointestinal, endocrine, hepatic, pulmonary and less commonly, rheumatic toxicities. Toxicities associated with ICI therapy can occur several months or even years after initiation. Case reports of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) associated with nivolumab use are rare. We herein describe, for the first time, a case of PMR in a melanoma patient after cessation of treatment with nivolumab.
Embedded systems which are used for monitoring and controlling safety and mission critical systems cannot be shut down for want of making changes to the ES software for the reasons of updating, adding and deleting tasks. ES software must evolve dynamically while the software is up and running due to the criticality reasons. Many architectures have been presented related to loaded systems and few related to embedded systems for effecting semantic evolution of the embedded software. Dynamic evolution of embedded software is quite complicated due to the availability of fewer resources and especially when the evolution has to be carried under the influence of a real time operating system (RTOS). In this paper the implementation of dynamic semantic evolution of embedded software which runs under an RTOS has been presented.
In response to cholesterol deprivation, SCAP escorts SREBP transcription factors from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi complex for their proteolytic activation, leading to gene expression for cholesterol synthesis and uptake. Here we show that in cholesterol-fed cells ER-localized SCAP interacts through Sac1 phosphoinositide 4-phosphate (PI4P) phosphatase with a VAP/OSBP complex, which mediates counter-transport of ER cholesterol and Golgi PI4P at ER-Golgi contact sites. SCAP knockdown inhibited the turnover of PI4P perhaps due to a cholesterol transport defect and altered the subcellular distribution of the VAP/OSBP complex. As in the case of perturbation of lipid transfer complexes at ER-Golgi contact sites, SCAP knockdown inhibited the biogenesis of the trans-Golgi network-derived transport carriers CARTS, which was reversed by expression of wild-type SCAP but not cholesterol sensing-defective mutants. Altogether, our findings reveal a new role of SCAP under cholesterol-fed conditions in the facilitation of CARTS biogenesis at ER-Golgi contact sites, depending on the ER cholesterol. Summary SCAP is the key regulatory protein in cholesterol metabolism. Wakana et al. describe a new role of SCAP in controlling Golgi PI4P turnover and the biogenesis of the Golgi-derived transport carries CARTS via cholesterol/PI4P exchange machinery at ER-Golgi contact sites.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients receiving natalizumab and who are at risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) often switch to other high-efficacy disease-modifying therapies including fingolimod as a risk mitigation strategy, which could impact treatment safety and effectiveness. The TRANSITION study aimed to evaluate the safety of fingolimod over two years in patients with MS after switching from natalizumab in a real-world setting. The safety and effectiveness were assessed by monitoring serious and other adverse events (SAEs, AEs). We assessed effectiveness by recording relapses, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores, and MRI activity. Of 637 patients enrolled, 505 completed the study (mean age, 42 years). Overall, 72.8% and 12.7% experienced AEs and SAEs respectively. The most common AEs were fatigue, headache, and urinary tract infection; no cases of PML were observed. Fingolimod treatment resulted in low disease activity. Patients with ≤8 weeks washout period had a markedly lower risk of relapses (4.5%) than those with >8 weeks (51.4%). In patients switching from natalizumab to fingolimod, no new safety signals with overall low relapse activity were observed in patients with washout latencies of ≤8 weeks before fingolimod initiation. Fingolimod was found to be safe and effective in patients transitioning from natalizumab.
Hepatitis virus infections are the most common cause of liver disease worldwide. Sudan is classified among the countries with high hepatitis B virus seroprevalence. Exposure to the virus varied from 47%–78%, with a hepatitis B surface antigen prevalence ranging from 6.8% in central Sudan to 26% in southern Sudan. Studies pointed to infection in early childhood in southern Sudan while there was a trend of increasing infection rate with increasing age in northern Sudan. Hepatitis B virus was the commonest cause of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma and was the second commonest cause of acute liver failure in the Sudan. Studies of hepatitis C virus showed a low seroprevalence of 2.2%–4.8% and there was no association with schistosomiasis or with parenteral antischistosomal therapy. Hepatitis E virus was the commonest cause of acute hepatitis among pediatric, adult, and displaced populations. Recent introduction of screening of blood and blood products for hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections and the introduction of hepatitis B virus vaccine as part of the extended program of immunization is expected to reduce the infection rate of these viruses in the Sudan.
Background Injectable preparations other than parenteral nutrition admixture and injectable cytotoxic drugs could be prepared by Centralised IntraVenous Admixture Service (CIVAS) if the long-term stability of the drugs is known. However, this information is not always available. Purpose To develop a programme of chemical drug stability analysis in collaboration between the hospital pharmacy, the medical laboratory and a Biostatistics Centre to determine the long-term stability of widely-used injectable anti-infectious and non-anti-infectious drugs. Materials and Methods After setting up the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method, 25 drugs (10 anti-infectives, 4 anaesthetics, 2 propulsives, 2 detoxifying agents for antineoplastic treatment and 7 drugs with other properties) were reconstituted in a laminar air flow hood. 15 of them were stored directly at 5 ± 3°C and 16 stored in the freezer at –20°C, thawed by microwave following a standardised procedure and stored at 5 ± 3°C before use. The stability of the product was evaluated by regression analysis. Results For each drug, long-term stability varied from 11 days to 70 days. The freeze-thaw treatment by microwave may extend the stability (from 30 to 120 days) and allow batch-scale production of intravenous drugs, less expensive in term of manpower and sterile devices than drug reconstitution on the ward. The results were published by 47 posters in international congresses and by 34 publications in national and international pharmaceutical journals. Conclusions Our findings contribute to improving the number and variety of drugs that may be take on by a CIVAS. This collaboration led to the foundation in 2009 of a drug stability research group at the University Hospital of Mont-Godinne that has already been awarded 4 prizes and nominations. No conflict of interest.
Objective: To analyze the indications and knowledge of traditional healers on the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of wounds. Methods: Quantitative descriptive study conducted with 32 traditional healers from the municipality of Campina Grande – Paraiba, from November 2012 to March 2013. We used a structured questionnaire with 21 closedand open-ended questions on sociodemographic variables, information on the plant species indicated for the treatment of wounds, acquisition of knowledge on the issue and sale of plants. Data underwent descriptive analysis using absolute and relative frequencies. Results: Of the 40 medicinal plants dealers invited to participate in the study, 32 (75%) agreed to answer the interview; of these, 75% (n=24) were women, 50% (n=16) were 60 years old or older, 25% (n=8) lived in rural areas, and only 18.75% (n=6) grew the herbs they traded. In all, 87.5% (n=28) of the respondents worked for over five years in this sector, with the family transmission across generations as the most common form of knowledge acquisition (87.5%; n=28). In all, 18 plants were cited by the traditional healers, with the purple cashew tree as the most indicated (87.5%; n=28), followed by barbatimao (81.25%; n=26) and quixaba (50%; n=16). Conclusion: The present study leaves question about the level of popular knowledge of traditional healers on the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of wounds unanswered given that it comes from a family source without scientific evidence and imprecise therapeutic indication.
Metastasis, the greatest clinical challenge associated with cancer, is closely connected to multiple biological processes, including invasion and adhesion. The hypoxic environment in tumors is an important factor that causes tumor metastasis by activating HIF-1α. Fucoidan, extracted from brown algae, is a sulfated polysaccharide and, as a novel marine biological material, has been used to treat various disorders in China, Korea, Japan and other countries. In the present study, we demonstrated that fucoidan derived from Undaria pinnatifida sporophylls significantly inhibits the hypoxia-induced expression, nuclear translocation and activity of HIF-1α, the synthesis and secretion of VEGF-C and HGF, cell invasion and lymphatic metastasis in a mouse hepatocarcinoma Hca-F cell line. Fucoidan also suppressed lymphangiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. In addition, accompanied by a reduction in the HIF-1α nuclear translocation and activity, fucoidan significantly reduced the levels of p-PI3K, p-Akt, p-mTOR, p-ERK, NF-κB, MMP-2 and MMP-9, but increased TIMP-1 levels. These results indicate strongly that the anti-metastasis and anti-lymphangiogenesis activities of fucoidan are mediated by suppressing HIF-1α/VEGF-C, which attenuates the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways.
OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of non-persistence with oral glucose-lowering drugs (OGLD) on HbA(1c) goal attainment (<7%) in daily practice.   METHODS From the PHARMO Record Linkage System comprising among others linked drug dispensing and clinical laboratory data from approximately 2.5 million individuals in the Netherlands, new users of OGLD in the period 1999-2004 were identified. Patients with a baseline HbA(1c) > or =7% and at least one HbA(1c) measurement in the period of 6-12 months after treatment onset were included in the study cohort. Persistence with OGLD in the first year of treatment was determined using the method of Catalan. In case the first treatment episode overlapped the first HbA(1c) measurement within 6-12 months after treatment onset, a patient was considered persistent at that measurement. Patients with a HbA(1c) <7% were defined as having attained goal.   RESULTS The study cohort included 2023 patients with a mean baseline HbA(1c) of 8.9 +/- 1.8%. Three-quarters (1512 patients) were persistent with any OGLD at the first HbA(1c) measurement within 6-12 months after treatment onset; of these, 861 (57%) were at goal. Of the 511 non-persistent patients, 239 (47%) were at goal. Non-persistent patients were about 20% less likely to attain goal (RRadj 0.82; 95%CI 0.74-0.91), compared to persistent OGLD users.   CONCLUSION Non-persistent use of OGLD leads to a 20% decreased probability of HbA(1c) goal attainment in daily practice. This effect of non-persistence seems modest, but represents around 12 000 new and 10 000 prevalent OGLD users a year in the Netherlands in whom OGLD use could be better controlled.
PURPOSE Prostaglandins (PGs) modulate the activity of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis, and pituitary hormones are largely involved in the physiological responses to exercise. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), an inhibitor of PGs synthesis, in the pituitary responses to physical stress in humans.   METHODS Adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), beta-endorphin, cortisol, growth hormone (GH), and prolactin (PRL) responses to exercise were evaluated after administration of either placebo or ASA. Blood samples for hormone evaluations before (-30, -15, and 0 pre) and after (0 post, +15, +30, +45, +60, and +90 min) a 30-min treadmill exercise (75% of .VO(2max)) were taken from 12 male athletes during two exercise trials. One tablet of ASA (800 mg), or placebo, was administered two times daily for 3 d before and on the morning of each exercise-test.   RESULTS The results clearly show that, compared with placebo, ASA ingestion significantly blunted the increased serum ACTH, beta-endorphin, cortisol, and GH levels before exercise (anticipatory response) and was associated with reduced cortisol concentrations after exercise. Furthermore, although no differences in the GH response to exercise were shown, a significantly reduced total PRL response to stress condition was observed after ASA.   CONCLUSION ASA influences ACTH, beta-endorphin, cortisol, GH, and PRL responses to exercise-related stress in humans (preexercise activation/exercise-linked response). Even though it is not possible to exclude direct action for ASA, our data indirectly confirm a role of PGs in these responses. We have to further evaluate the nature of the preexercise endocrine activation and, because of the large use of anti-inflammatory drugs in athletes, whether the interaction between ASA and hormones might positively or negatively influence health status, performance, and/or recovery.
Vegetation restoration has significant effects on soil properties and vegetation cover and thus affects soil detachment by overland flow. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate this effect in the Loess Plateau where a Great Green Project was implemented in the past decade. This study was carried out to quantify the effects of age of abandoned farmland under natural vegetation restoration on soil detachment by overland flow and soil resistance to erosion as reflected by soil erodibility and critical shear stress. The undisturbed soil samples were collected from five abandoned farmlands with natural restoration age varying from 3 to 37 years. The samples were subjected to flow scouring in a 4.0 m long by 0.35 m wide hydraulic flume under six different shear stresses ranging from 5.60 to 18.15 Pa. The results showed that the measured soil detachment capacities in currently cultivated farmland were 24.1 to 35.4 times greater than those of the abandoned farmlands. For the abandoned farmlands, soil detachment capacities fluctuated greatly due to the complex effects of root density and biological crust thickness, and could be simulated well by flow shear stress and biological crust thickness with a power function (NSE = 0.851). Soil erodibility of abandoned farmlands decreased gradually with restoration age and reached a steady stage when restoration age was greater than 28 years. The critical shear stress of the natural abandoned farmlands declined when restoration age was less than 18 years and then increased due to the episodic influences of vegetation recovery and biological crust development. More studies in the Loess Plateau are necessary to quantify the relationship between soil detachment capacity and biological crust thickness for better understanding the mechanism of soil detachment under natural vegetation restoration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetic and chemical perturbations impact diverse cellular phenotypes, including multiple indicators of cell health. These readouts reveal toxicity and antitumorigenic effects relevant to drug discovery and personalized medicine. We developed two customized microscopy assays that use seven reagents to measure 70 specific cell health phenotypes including proliferation, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage, and aberrant cell cycle stage progression. We then tested an approach to predict multiple cell health phenotypes using Cell Painting, an inexpensive and scalable image-based morphology assay. In matched CRISPR perturbations of three cancer cell lines, we collected both Cell Painting and cell health data. We found that simple machine learning algorithms can predict many cell health readouts directly from Cell Painting images, at less than half the cost. We hypothesized that these trained models can be applied to accurately predict cell health assay outcomes for any future or existing Cell Painting dataset. For Cell Painting images from a set of 1,500+ compound perturbations across multiple doses, we validated predictions by orthogonal assay readouts, and by confirming mitotic arrest and ROS phenotypes via PLK and proteasome inhibition, respectively. We provide an intuitive web app to browse all predictions at http://broad.io/cell-health-app. Our approach can be used to add cell health annotations to Cell Painting perturbation datasets.
Internationalization and technological developments have changed the work organization in developed and developing industrial economies. Information and communication technologies, such as computers and smartphones, are increasingly used, allowing more temporal and spatial flexibility of work. This may lead to an increase in supplemental work, i.e. constant availability or working in addition to contractually agreed work hours. This in turn extends work hours and leads to work hours in evenings and weekends, causing interferences of work hours with biological and social rhythms for sleep, recovery and social interaction. However, empirical findings on the effects of supplemental work and work hours on occupational health are rather scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between (1) work-related contacts outside of regular work hours and (2) working in the free time with self-reported work-related health impairments in the fourth and fifth European Working Conditions Surveys (EWCS 2005, EWCS 2010). Out of these cross-sectional, large-scale surveys, data on n = 22 836 and n = 34 399 employed workers were used for weighted logistic regression analyses. About half of the sample reported at least occasional supplemental work. The results showed an increased risk of reporting at least one health problem for employees who had been contacted by their employer (EWCS 2005), or worked in their free time to meet work demands (EWCS 2010) in the last 12 months, compared to those reporting no supplemental work or work-related contacts during free time. These results were controlled for demographic variables, physical and mental work load, worker autonomy, and several work hours characteristics (e.g. hours per week, unusual and variable hours). The risk of reporting health problems was increased by being contacted both sometimes (Odds Ratio [OR] 1.26, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.14–1.39) and often (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02–1.25), whereas the frequency of working in the free time showed a clear dose-response effect (sometimes: OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.04–1.24; often: OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.47–1.75), both compared to the category “never”. The findings, thus, indicate that even a small amount of supplemental work beyond contractually agreed work hours may increase the risk of work-related health impairments. Working in the free time was associated with a substantial risk increase and might be a better indicator for actual work load than being contacted by the employer outside of contractually agreed work hours. Thus, in order to minimize negative health effects, availability requirements for employees outside their regular work hours should be minimized. While these effects definitely need further study, especially regarding a quantification of actual supplemental work and its temporal location, addressing the company culture and using incentives and policies might be options to reduce the amount of supplemental work and maintain the risks of health impairments in the working population at a lower level.
I thank Parthasarathy[1] for the specific interest in our work[2] on corneal collagen cross-linking with riboflavin. This study was a part of a larger study on various aspects of keratoconus at our center. Thus, vernal keratoconjunctivitis was not specifically mentioned in this article. In another original paper submitted for publication, we have reported that 24.4% of patients with keratoconus had symptomatic ocular allergies.
Epidemiological studies have found that whole wheat consumption is inversely associated with the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. The health benefits of whole wheat foods are attributed to their bioactive components including phytochemicals and dietary fibre. In this review, the current researches regarding bioactive components, and their health-promoting roles and the underlying mechanisms were summarized and discussed. The current research advances in processing technologies capable of potentially enhancing nutritional quality of wheat and wheat-based foods were also included. This review may promote the research, development and consumption of whole wheat foods in reducing the risk of human chronic diseases.
TATA binding protein (TBP) and transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) are key factors for the assembly of eukaryotic transcription initiation complexes. We used a rice whole-cell extract in vitro transcription system to characterize the functional interactions of recombinant plant TBP and TFIIB. Bacterially expressed rice TBP (OsTBP2) bound to the TATA box of the rice pal gene encoding phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, caused DNA bending, and enhanced basal transcription from the pal promoter in a TATA box–dependent manner. Recombinant rice TFIIB (OsTFIIB) stimulated the DNA binding and bending activities of OsTBP2 and synergistically enhanced OsTBP2-mediated transcription from the pal promoter and the promoter of Rice tungro bacilliform virus but not from the barley pr1 promoter. We also demonstrate a physical interaction between OsTBP2 and RF2a, a rice bZIP transcription factor that bound to the box II cis element of the promoter of Rice tungro bacilliform virus, resulting in enhanced transcription from the viral promoter. Enhancement of rice whole-cell extracts with recombinant transcription factors thus provides a powerful tool for the in vitro determination of plant gene regulation mechanisms. We conclude that OsTBP2 undergoes promoter-specific functional interactions with both the basal transcription factor OsTFIIB and the accessory transcription factor RF2a.
In this paper we propose a new surface simplification algorithm which produces high quality approximations of the original models. The geometric simplification is based on iterative edge contractions. To get a simplified mesh which fairly fits the original one, we introduce an accurate measure of quadratic error to characterize the geometric deviation introduced by edge collapse. In addition, we propose a vertex optimization process which moves the new vertex towards an optimized position.
The approximation of business areas with the use of new technologies, real-time savings, transactions with several countries and on several continents with different law guarantees are necessary. These warranties can be acquired through Continuous Audit (CA). However, to be able to perform the analysis the auditors need to have access and extract the data. Previous researchers only emphasis on the benefits of applying the CA methods, but do not explain how to retrieve and organize the data.  The paper aims to contribute to the literature with the deepening of ways to access, structure and collect critical and necessary data for CA. With the deepening of Audit Data Standard and  XBRL, as well as creating a basis for future research with the integration of extraction, analysis, and exception detection algorithms that are used by CA.
Midplane gas puffing close to the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) antennae has been demonstrated to be robust in improving ICRF power coupling in current tokamaks. It is also shown in a previous study (Zhang 2019 Nucl. Mater. Energy 19 364–71) that in ITER, midplane gas puffing with a puff rate of ∼4.5 × 1022 electrons s−1 can increase the antenna loading/coupling resistance by about a factor of two. In this paper, a comprehensive parametric study has been carried out to characterize the influence of midplane gas puffing on ICRF power coupling in additional and broader range of parameter scans. The new parameter scans include the gas puff rate, the poloidal location of the gas pipe orifices (GPOs), the separatrix density, the particle perpendicular diffusion coefficient, the radial distance between the plasma and antenna as well as the antenna phasing. The 3D edge plasma fluid and neutral transport code EMC3-EIRENE code has been used to simulate the 3D distributions of plasma density in the presence of gas puffing, which are then used in the antenna code ANTITER II to calculate the antenna coupling. The simulation results indicate that the ITER ICRF local midplane gas injection layout (with the GPOs located on one side of each antenna port) increases the ICRF power coupling significantly in all studied plasma scenarios and antenna parameters. We are hence confident that the chosen layout for the ICRF local gas injection on ITER is appropriate. We are also confident that the ITER local gas injection will allow boosting the ICRF coupling with all studied plasma conditions and antenna phasings.
The analysis of 169 attestations of the Middle Orontes toponyms Neʾayu, Tunep and Ḥamāt mentioned in the Palace G Ebla texts leads to a discussion of, among others, the following topics: personal and divine names; ritual activities, divine paraphernalia and religious landscape; political events concerning inter alia Ḥamāt, Armi and Nabu; size, inner articulation and borders of the kingdom of Ebla (with the Middle Orontes as frontier); Ib-ri-um’s family; military leaders; various economic matters (juridical texts dealing with agricultural land; mules wintering along the Orontes; drainage activities possibly around the Matkh Lake; Mari merchants in a kārum at Tunep; cutting and trade of timber); speculations on the 3rd Mill. name of the Orontes.
BACKGROUND Lack of practical consensus regarding routine electrocardiogram (ECG) ordering in primary care led us to hypothesize that nonclinical variations in ordering would exist among primary care providers.   METHODS We used 2 computerized billing systems to measure ECG ordering at visits to providers in 10 internal medicine group practices affiliated with a large, urban teaching hospital from October 1, 1996, to September 30, 1997. To focus on screening or routine ECGs, patients with known cardiac disease or suggestive symptoms were excluded, as were providers with fewer than 200 annual patient visits. Included were 69 921 patients making 190 238 visits to 125 primary care providers. Adjusted rates of ECG ordering accounted for patient age, sex, and 5 key diagnoses. Logistic regression evaluated additional predictors of ECG ordering.   RESULTS Electrocardiograms were ordered in 4.4% of visits to patients without reported cardiac disease. Among the 10 group practices, ECG ordering varied from 0.5% to 9.6% of visits (adjusted rates, 0.8%-8.6%). Variations between individual providers were even more dramatic: adjusted rates ranged from 0.0% to 24% of visits, with an interquartile range of 1.4% to 4.7% and a coefficient of variation of 88%. Significant predictors of ECG use were older patient age, male sex, and the presence of clinical comorbidities. Additional nonclinical predictors included Medicare as a payment source, older male providers, and providers who billed for ECG interpretation.   CONCLUSIONS Variations in ECG ordering are not explained by patient characteristics. The tremendous nonclinical variations in ECG test ordering suggest a need for greater consensus about use of screening ECGs in primary care.
Abstract This paper describes predation tactics used by the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) on flatback (Natator depressus) and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) sea turtles on nesting beaches in northern Australia. For adult turtles, crocodiles used both a sit-and-wait tactic in which they attacked a turtle at the water's edge after it completed nesting and an active hunting strategy in which crocodiles followed turtle tracks into the dunes to attack turtles at nest sites. Saltwater crocodiles also hunted sea turtle hatchlings in the dunes and excavated a sea turtle nest and consumed the eggs. The protection of saltwater crocodiles in Australia starting in the early 1970s has led to increased population sizes and a greater proportion of larger individuals. This likely has resulted in increased predation rates on sea turtles over several decades, which should be considered as an important mortality component for some tropical nesting aggregations.
We investigated the evolution of the magnetism in the alloy $ mathrm{Ce}{ mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{({ mathrm{Si}}_{1 ensuremath{-}x}{ mathrm{Ge}}_{x})}_{2}$ by means of low-temperature thermal expansion measurements on large single crystals with $0.01 ensuremath{ leqslant}x ensuremath{ leqslant}0.45$. The results evidence a new magnetic phase diagram more complex than that obtained in previous studies on polycrystals. The two main features are a second order transition from a paramagnetic to an antiferromagnetic state with a transition temperature ${T}_{N}(x)$ continuously increasing with Ge content and a first order transition corresponding to some change in the magnetically ordered structure at ${T}_{1}(x) ensuremath{ leqslant}{T}_{N}(x)$. ${T}_{1}(x)$ and ${T}_{N}(x)$ seem to merge at $x ensuremath{ approx}0.25$ leading to a tetracritical point at this concentration. An analysis of the Gr "uneisen parameter suggests that at this critical concentration a transition from rather localized f electrons for $xg0.25$ to composite heavy fermions for $xl0.25$ occurs. This strongly supports the itinerant scenario for the quantum-critical point observed in pure $ mathrm{Ce}{ mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{ mathrm{Si}}_{2}$.
A series of aliphatic propargylamine derivatives has been synthesized. Some of them possess highly potent, irreversible, selective, inhibitory activity toward monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B). The potency of the inhibitors is related to chain length and substitution of a hydrogen on the terminal carbon of the aliphatic chain. MAO inhibitory activity as assessed in vitro increased as the aliphatic carbon chain length increased. Substitution of a hydrogen by hydroxyl, carboxyl, or carbethoxyl groups at the aliphatic chain terminal or replacement of the methyl group on the nitrogen atom by an ethyl group considerably reduced the inhibitory activity. Stereospecific effects were observed with the R-(-)-enantiomer being 20-fold more active than the S-(+)-enantiomer. Inhibitors with relatively short carbon chain lengths (i.e. four to six carbons) were found to be more potent than those with longer chains in inhibiting brain MAO-B activity in vivo especially after oral administration. Chronic administration of low doses of the aliphatic propargylamines caused a slight cumulative inhibition of MAO-A activity in the mouse brain. These MAO-B inhibitors appear to be nontoxic, and they do not possess an amphetamine-like moiety in their structure as is the case for deprenyl. We expect that these aliphatic propargylamines may be useful in the treatment in certain neuropsychiatric disorders.
We have performed in situ hybridization (ISH) studies predominantly on paraffin sections and on isolated nuclei of 22 pediatric germ cell tumors (GCTs) from 18 patients including 4 recurrences from three patients. In addition, we performed conventional cytogenetic analyses in three tumor samples. Because reports on cytogenetic studies in pediatric GCTs are scarce we focused our studies on those chromosome abnormalities frequently observed in adult GCTs. These included numeric and structural abnormalities of chromosomes 1 and 12 (e.g. isochromosome 12p) and numeric deviations of chromosomes 8, 10, X and Y. The histological subsets of the tumors investigated included two dysgerminomas (DGE), one seminoma (SE), one combined seminoma, two embryonal carcinomas (EC), two recurrent ECs, six pure yolk sac tumors (YST), five combined teratomas, one immature teratoma (IT) and two recurrences of IT, and three differentiated teratomas (TD). Similar to the GCTs in adults, additional copies of chromosome 12 were the most frequently observed numeric abnormalities. The analysis of two paraffin-embedded tumors suggested that changes in the size of the pericentromeric hybridization signals of chromosome 12 may be attributed to the presence of i(12)(p10). This was confirmed following the karyotype analysis of one EC which unequivocally revealed the presence of two i(12)(p10). Interestingly, using these probes, no chromosomal abnormalities were found in the pure TD or in the TD cells of mixed tumors containing a YST component. In the YST portion, however, the 1p deletions and/or numeric chromosome changes were present. Surprisingly, deletions at the short arm of chromosome 1, del(1)(p36.3), were frequently observed in malignant pediatric GCTs and were the sole abnormality detected in one case.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
No study of the pollen grains of the southern balsam fir, Abies Fraseri (Pursh) Poir., from the highest mountains of Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, has been published which would assist in the identification of the species in investigations of southern sedimenits. In some studies, for the Soil Conservation service, of buried soils of the Piedmont in the vicinity of Spartanburg, South Carolina, numerous grains of Abies were encountered along with Picea and, probably, Pintus Banksiana,2 indicating the possibility of a conlsideably different climate during the time of deposition than now prevails in the region. It has been assumed in that unpublished work that the fir found in the buried soils was probably Abies Fraseri which today occurs natively at a distance of about 100 miles and with a lower altitudinal limit of some 30004000 feet higher than Spartanburg.
In order to achieve the European Union goals of effective integration in a wide range of economic and political domains, there is a need to reflect upon the common sense of European identity. The authors tried to identify to what extent content on "Europe", "European dimension" and "European identity and citizenship" exists in the Slovenian national secondary school curricula of social science subjects and how it is represented and constructed in official curricular documents. Upon the gathered data authors through geographical perspective discuss the connection between actual teaching of European issues in the classroom and syllabus goals, asking themselves if it is possible to achieve integration in terms of collective identity.
The increasing cost of power line carrier coupling equipment on newer high-voltage lines has prompted a study of less expensive coupling methods. The purpose of this paper is to reexamine overhead static wire coupling in the light of newer theories and available equipment, and compare this with conventional capacitor coupling. Data are submitted from a 345-kV line showing that static wire coupling can produce an acceptable carrier channel. Coupling loss increase is relatively small, and changing station impedances appears not to change system signal loss appreciably. Calculations of capacitively and inductively coupled voltages substantiate field results. This paper shows the feasibility of grounded static wire coupling, and it is hoped it will generate interest in examining other coupling methods.
Inflammatory diseases of women pelvic organs in reproductive period reach 60% among outpatients and 30% among inpatient gynecological patients. Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate therapy effectiveness of women pelvic organs deseases with Galavit as part of combination therapy compared to standard treatment. Materials and methods. The study included 120 patients with diagnosis of inflammatory diseases of pelvic organs, randomized to 2 equal groups (n=60). In the main group, the patient in complex therapy received Galavit, according to the scheme: for 5 days, 100 mg intramuscularly 1 time per day, then 100 mg every 72 hours (No. 20); in the control group - only standard treatment. Results. Improvement of clinical condition (reduction of severity, normalization of body temperature, reduction of pain syndrome) in patients of the main group was observed 2 times faster than in patient of control group. Quickly resolve the signs of inflammation by ultrasound in the main group. The number of leukocytes, ESR, LII in the main group normalized faster than in patient of control group. On the background of treatment complications of inflammatory diseases of women pelvic organs was observed in 6 (5%) patients of the main group and 9 (7.5%) patients of the control group; aftercare of patients of the main group with ineffectiveness of therapy was achieved without tubectomy. The duration of treatment in the study group was 8±2.6 days us 10±3.9 days in the control group. Conclusion. The inclusion of Galavit in the complex therapy of inflammatory diseases of women pelvic organs accelerates relief of inflammation symptoms and reduces frequency of complications, which allows to preserve reproductive function. Galavit can be recommended for treatment inflammatory diseases of women pelvic organs.
A magnetically recoverable catalyst of an iron(III) bis(phenol) diamine complex immobilized onto amine functionalized silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles has been synthesized. The catalyst was characterized using FESEM, TEM and XRD which confirmed the nano structure of the catalyst. The physicochemical techniques of ICP, FT-IR, XPS, EDS and TGA proved the loading of the ligand and metal complex on silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles. Using the prepared heterogeneous catalyst, aerobic epoxidation reactions of different alkenes have been investigated in the presence of SO32- as a reducing agent. Moreover, using TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy) to discover the mechanism of the aerobic epoxidation of olefins, a new TEMPO-assisted route has been explored. Both of the reaction pathways led to a moderate to high percentage yield of epoxides in water at room temperature. For further understanding mechanistic aspects, density functional theory (DFT) computational studies have been performed. The DFT calculations confirm the suggested mechanism for the title reaction and show the electron density in the vicinity of Fe(II) in the presence of TEMPO as a co-catalyst was more than that in the presence of SO32-.
An introductory program “Exercise for engineers in mechanical disassembly” is an exercise that ten students of every team disassemble a motor scooter to the components and then assemble again to the initial form in 15 weeks. The purpose of this program is to introduce mechanical engineering by touching the real machine and learning how it is composed from various mechanical parts to the students at the early period after the entrance into the university. Additional short lectures by young teachers and a special lecture by a top engineer in the industry encourage the students to combine the actual machine and the mechanical engineering subjects. Furthermore, various educations such as group leader system, hazard prediction training, parts filing are included in this program. As a result, students recognize the importance of the mechanical engineering study and the way of group working.
Although SILS has become an increasingly popular type of surgery, its application for gastric submucosal tumors (SMT) has been only sporadically reported. We herein describe 12 recent cases with gastric SMT located in the greater curvature or anterior wall. The aim is to validate technical feasibility and safety of single‐incision laparoscopic partial gastrectomy. Thus far, this is one of the largest series of patients with gastric SMT who underwent SILS.
The transfer function method is a procedure to determine the surface impedance of grounds in-situ. Disadvantageously, it is very sensitive to errors in the magnitude and phase of the measured transfer function at frequencies below about 500 Hz. One source of these errors is the differences in the frequency responses and calibration of the two microphones used. Two methods routinely used for impedance tube measurements are employed to reduce these errors: One microphone is subsequently placed at the two measurement positions or the measurement is done with two microphones in "normal" and "switched" position. The two microphone / switched positions technique leads to credible impedance estimates down to 100 Hz on the investigated ground of medium impedance. The one microphone / switched positions technique, on the other hand, shows a comparable performance only for small source-microphone distances, low wind speed and background noise.
In vivo T cell activation by anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) results in intestinal damage characterized by loss of villi and epithelial cell apoptosis. The role of the increased interleukin (IL)-10 released during this process is not clear. We assessed the effects of IL-10 on T cell-induced mucosal damage in vivo using IL-10-deficient C57BL/6 [IL-10 knockout (KO)] mice. IL-10 KO and wild-type C57BL/6 mice were injected with anti-CD3 mAb and observed for diarrhea. Changes in serum cytokine levels were measured by ELISA. Histological changes and epithelial cell apoptosis were analyzed on hematoxylin- and eosin-stained tissue sections. Fas expression on intestinal epithelial cells was assessed by flow cytometry analysis of freshly isolated intestinal epithelial cells. Anti-CD3-treated IL-10 KO mice developed more severe diarrhea, a greater loss of intestinal villi, and an increase in the numbers of apoptotic cells in the crypt epithelium. This difference in IL-10 KO mice was associated with an increase in serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma levels and with an increase in Fas expression on fresh, isolated, small intestinal epithelial cells. In addition, the enhanced intestinal tissue damage induced by anti-CD3 in IL-10 KO mice was significantly diminished by treatment with recombinant murine IL-10. Therefore, the lack of IL-10 allowed for an increased T cell-induced intestinal tissue damage, and this was associated with an increase in T cell cytokine release and an increase in epithelial cell Fas expression.
Background: Glycemic control (HbA1c) in teens with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) can be affected by several variables including race, insurance type, depression (PHQ-9 score), and diabetes distress (Paid-T score). This analysis sought to explore how these variables interact to affect HbA1c. Methods: 301 patients with T1DM age 13 years and older were grouped by race (white = W, African American = AA, bi-racial = BR) and by insurance type (State Insurance = SI, or Private Insurance = PI). Mean HbA1c values were calculated according to race and insurance type. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) testing was done to evaluate for any differences in HbA1c and race. Tukey’s Test was then performed to evaluate for a statistical difference between individual race variables (W, AA, BR). Results: Mean HbA1c significantly varied by race (W 8.7 ± 0.1, AA 10.3 ± 0.5, BR 8.8 ± 0.5%, p Discussion: These results demonstrate that psychological factors such as diabetes distress and depression, and socioeconomic factors such as insurance status, have a bigger impact on HbA1c than race in teens with T1DM. Disclosure A. Guarneri: None. S.K. Sinha: None. K. Hong: None. R.P. Hoffman: Research Support; Spouse/Partner; Provention Bio, Inc.
As the field of code clone research grows, the continuing problem of interoperability between code clone detection and analysis tools grows with it. As a step toward solving this problem, this paper presents a draft proposal for a generic model of code clone detection results. Using an online wiki, we hope to generate discussion and solidify a shared understanding of the core concepts of the problem domain, enabling us to ultimately develop a generic data exchange format.
IN MEDICAL PRACTICE moderate dehydration is usually diagnosed by observing the turgor of the skin and the fullness of the tongue. Laboratory data have been found to be of little value in determining the presence of dehydration, particularly when the patient first appears for examination in a state of dehydration and with impaired renal function. The physician, after making the diagnosis of dehydration, is often unable to determine the volume of fluid to be replaced since there is little data in the literature1,2to guide him. The work of Coller and Maddock1has been quoted widely as the basis for the statement that an adult must lose 6% of body weight in water before dehydration is present. The purpose of the present study was to investigate further the amount of fluid that must be lost from the adult human before dehydration becomes apparent on physical examination. Also, an
I have pleasure in furnishing herewith tables of magnetic values of declination, horizontal and vertical intensity for the Agincourt Magnetic Observatory and of declination for the Meanook Magnetic Observatory, these values being the results of our magnetic observations made in connection with the solar eclipse of June 8, 1918. The values furnished in each case for Agincourt and Meanook are from eye readings at minute intervals reduced to I. M. S.: at Agincourt, eye readings of differential magnetometers, and at Meanook, eye readings of magnetometer 48. The observer at Meanook was late starting owing to his having accidentally broken suspension in Elliott Magnetometer 48 on the morning of June 8.    [Tables 1–8 are based upon the data transmitted to the Journal. The data are plotted and discussed in the report by L. A. Bauer, H. W, Fisk and S. J. Mauchly, begun in this issue.-Ed.]
Drying agricultural products reduces the moisture content to suitable levels for storage, in order to maintain the product quality. However, special care with the temperatures applied in the process is important for the integrity and longevity of the material. The present study aimed at determining the immediate and latent effect of air-drying temperatures on the quality of soybean produced as a second season crop. The grains were collected at the R8 stage, close to the physiological maturity, with moisture content of approximately 23 % (w.b.), submitted to drying temperatures of 40 oC, 50 oC, 60 oC, 70 oC and 80 oC, up to a moisture content of 12.5 ± 0.7 % (w.b.), and then stored under non-controlled humidity and temperature for 180 days. Thereafter, quality was assessed every 45 days by determining the dry matter loss, color and crude protein and lipid contents, as well as the acidity and peroxide indices of the crude oil extracted. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the increase in the air-drying temperature affects the soybean quality and crude oil extracted, being this effect enhanced with the storage time; the soybean and crude oil quality decline with an increase in the air-drying temperature and storage time; the air temperature of 40 oC has the least effect on the quality of soybean grains and crude oil extracted.
Reversible thermodynamic processes are convenient abstractions of real processes, which are always irreversible. Approaching the reversible regime means to become more and more quasistatic, letting behind processes which achieve any kind of finite transformation rate for the quantities studied. On the other hand studying processes with finite transformation rates means to deal with irreversibilities and in many cases these irreversibilities must be included in a realistic description of such processes. Endoreversible thermodynamics is a non-equilibrium approach in this direction by viewing a system as a network of internally reversible (endoreversible) subsystems exchanging energy in an irreversible fashion. This material provides an introduction to the subject.
Studies on thermal acclimation in insects are often performed on animals acclimated in the laboratory under conditions that are not ecologically relevant. Costs and benefits of acclimation responses under such conditions may not reflect costs and benefits in natural populations subjected to daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations. Here we estimated costs and benefits in thermal tolerance limits in relation to winter acclimatization of Drosophila melanogaster. We sampled flies from a natural habitat during winter in Denmark (field flies) and compared heat and cold tolerance of these to that of flies collected from the same natural population, but acclimated to 25 °C or 13 °C in the laboratory (laboratory flies). We further obtained thermal performance curves for egg-to-adult viability of field and laboratory (25 °C) flies, to estimate possible cross-generational effects of acclimation. We found much higher cold tolerance and a lowered heat tolerance in field flies compared to laboratory flies reared at 25 °C. Flies reared in the laboratory at 13 °C exhibited the same thermal cost-benefit relations as the winter acclimatized flies. We also found a cost of winter acclimatization in terms of decreased egg-to-adult viability at high temperatures of eggs laid by winter acclimatized flies. Based on our findings we suggest that winter acclimatization in nature can induce strong benefits in terms of increased cold tolerance. These benefits can be reproduced in the laboratory under ecologically relevant rearing and testing conditions, and should be incorporated in species distribution modelling. Winter acclimatization also leads to decreased heat tolerance. This may create a mismatch between acclimation responses and the thermal environment, e.g. if temperatures suddenly increase during spring, under current and expected more variable future climatic conditions.
To mitigate the effects of heat and drought stress, an understanding of the genetic control of physiological responses to these environmental conditions is needed. To this end, we evaluated an upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) mapping population under water-limited and well-watered conditions in a hot, arid environment. The elemental concentrations (ionome) of seed samples from the population were profiled in addition to those of soil samples taken from throughout the field site to better model environmental variation. The elements profiled in seeds exhibited moderate to high heritabilities as well as strong phenotypic and genotypic correlations between elements, which were not altered by the imposed irrigation regimes, and specifically those with similar biochemical function. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping results from a Bayesian classification method identified multiple genomic regions where QTL for individual elements colocalized, suggesting that genetic control of the ionome is highly interrelated. To more fully explore this relationship, multivariate QTL mapping was implemented among groups of biochemically related elements. This analysis revealed both additional and pleiotropic QTL responsible for coordinated control of phenotypic variation for elemental accumulation. Machine learning algorithms that utilized only ionomics data were able to predict at very high accuracy which irrigation regime genotypes were evaluated under. Taken together, these results demonstrate the extent to which the ionome is genetically interrelated and predictive of plant physiological responses to adverse environmental conditions. One sentence summary The cotton ionome has a shared genetic basis that provides insight into the physiological status of the plant.
We predict a new dynamic state in current-carrying superconductors with a multicomponent order parameter. If the current density J exceeds a critical value J(t), an interband breakdown caused by charge imbalance of nonequilibrium quasiparticles occurs. For J>J(t), the electric field penetrating from current leads gives rise to various static and dynamic soliton phase textures, and voltage oscillations similar to the nonstationary Josephson effect. We propose experiments to observe these effects which would probe the multicomponent nature of the superconducting order parameter.
The $ ensuremath{ alpha}$ decay rate of $^{210} text{Po}$ was measured in a film sample $(^{210} text{Po}@{ mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{ mathrm{O}}_{3})$ and a slice sample $(^{210} text{Po}@ mathrm{Bi} phantom{ rule{4.pt}{0ex}} mathrm{metal})$, respectively. The former was used as a reference sample. The half-lives of $^{210} text{Po}@{ mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{ mathrm{O}}_{3}$ and $^{210} text{Po}@ mathrm{Bi}$ metal environments were observed to be $(138.40 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.21 phantom{ rule{0.16em}{0ex}} text{d})$ and $(138.87 ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}0.87 phantom{ rule{0.16em}{0ex}} text{d})$ at room temperature, respectively. It was found that the half-life of $^{210} text{Po}$ is consistent with international recommendations within the uncertainty limits, and we did not find any deviation of the $ ensuremath{ alpha}$ decay rate of $^{210} text{Po}$ between film sample $(^{210} text{Po}@{ mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{ mathrm{O}}_{3})$ and slice sample $(^{210} text{Po}@ mathrm{Bi} phantom{ rule{4.pt}{0ex}} mathrm{metal})$.
Standard procedures for local crystal-structure optimisation involve numerous energy and force calculations. It is common to calculate an energy-volume curve, fitting an equation of state around the equilibrium cell volume. This is a computationally intensive process, in particular, for low-symmetry crystal structures where each isochoric optimisation involves energy minimisation over many degrees of freedom. Such procedures can be prohibitive for non-local exchange-correlation functionals or other "beyond" density functional theory electronic structure techniques, particularly where analytical gradients are not available. We present a simple approach for efficient optimisation of crystal structures based on a known equation of state. The equilibrium volume can be predicted from one single-point calculation and refined with successive calculations if required. The approach is validated for PbS, PbTe, ZnS, and ZnTe using nine density functionals and applied to the quaternary semiconductor Cu2ZnSnS4 and the magnetic metal-organic framework HKUST-1.
This chapter regards Wolter's dismissal of the "historical Jesus" as a "fiction" and a "fallacy" as much too negative a conclusion and unjust to a whole discipline of historical inquiry. To acknowledge the inescapable probability that Jesus made an impact during his mission in Galilee and Judea, is already to speak in effect of "faith"; "impact" can be translated into "faith" without too much problem. This chapter focuses on the synoptic Gospel tradition, the tradition shared by Matthew, Mark and Luke. This represents and embodies the impact which Jesus made the faith-creating impact which Jesus had on his disciples. The synoptic tradition is composed of the memories of Jesus. The same yet different character shows how Jesus was remembered. The chapter gives a final thought on the question whether there is an unbridgeable gulf between a secular historian's approach to the Jesus quest and that of a Christian historian. Keywords: Christian faith; Galilee; historical Jesus; Jesus quest; synoptic Gospel tradition; Wolter
Percutaneous renal access remains the cornerstone initial step in varied clinical settings. For obtaining the best surgical outcome and minimizing patient morbidity, an appropriate access to the target calyx is needed. Though the site of entry depends upon anatomy of pelvicalyceal system and indication for access, a proper technique should be used for gaining access and at the same time minimizing the associated complications. This article describes our technique of gaining access to the pelvicalyceal system and subsequent percutaneous nephrostomy placement in a stepwise manner.
The curing of epoxy resins with anhydrides in the presence of dihydroxyl-terminated polyester or polyether modifiers produces block copolymer structures in which one “block” is the crosslinked epoxy/anhydride network and the other block is the linear modifier segment. The morphology of the cured system is dependent upon modifier molecular weight. The critical molecular weight of polycaprolactone and poly(propylene oxide) is 3000–5000. Below this level, single morphological phase systems are obtained, but two-microphase systems result above this level. This behavior is displayed by several epoxy resins. Two-phase systems display a superior balance of heat distortion temperature and impact strength, thus providing tough systems with greater elevated temperature capabilities than are obtained with single-phase systems.
When the bubble moves in the vicinity of a free surface, the movement will be affected by the buoyancy and the Bjerknes effect. Blake and Gibson proposed the criterion which determined the motion direction of the jet and the dynamics of bubble. They proposed the jet wouldn’t be formed in the condition that . Based on the potential flow theory, boundary element method (BEM) is used to calculate three typical examples in this paper in order to study the dynamics of the bubble under the combined action of the Bjerknes effect of the free surface and the buoyancy. It is found out during the analysis that the Blake criterion is applicable to predict the conditions that and .
Cerebroretinal microangiopathy with calcifications and cysts is a rare entity with progressive calcifications, enhancing subcortical cysts, and leukoencephalopathy. We present the oldest reported woman with this disorder, with 10 years of imaging documenting progression. This reveals (1) more profound white matter involvement than that previously reported and (2) growth and shrinkage of cysts over time, which may suggest a more complex pathogenesis than that previously theorized.
Abstract The sea-level pressure profile of a typhoon (hurricane) can be described by an equation which includes the sum of the typhoon central pressure and the product of an exponential function e−r0/r and the pressure difference between the periphery and center. The derivative of the pressure profile is used as pressure gradients for computing gradient wind speeds within the cyclonic circulation. The differences between computed wind speeds and recorded gusts at corresponding radial distances are mostly within a range of 2.5 m s−1 if a predetermined correction is made for topography at individual stations. The reality of the exponential equation is verified by the traces of sea-level pressure profiles recorded by microbarographs at Keelung, Taipei and Kaohsiung when the eyes of Typhoons Thelma and Vera moved directly over the stations. Thus, a model typhoon can he used to simulate an existing one and hereby assist the meteorologist in preparing better wind forecasts during the approach of a typhoon.
RADIOGRAPHIC EXAMINATION of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) often becomes an essential diagnostic tool, particularly in obscure and difficult problems of pain and dysfunction in the area of the articulation, ear, and masticatory musculature. Many individuals performing extensive prosthetic reconstruction utilize T M J X-rays as an adjunctive aid in establishing or verifying the harmony of the condylar position of the jaws. The theoretical and technical difficulties of obtaining detailed and diagnostically helpful radiographs of the T M J are numerous, owing to the depth and position of the anatomic structures being studied (i.e., the projection of the mastoid portion of the temporal bone, the head of the condyle, etc.). This is dramatically shown by the extent of distortion of the bony structures involved when standard radiographic techniques for viewing the TMJ are employed. Practically all of the techniques commonly used are designed to avoid anatomical superimpositions by utilizing an oblique projection, thus resulting in a less than accurate X-ray image of the bones and adjacent joint spaces. Tomography, which is now commonly utilized in diagnostic medical radiography, offers many advantages in the study of the T M J . Surrounding or adjacent structures can be selectively eliminated and an accurate image of a section, free of superimposition or distortion, can be obtained. If a photograph is taken of a moving object at a relatively slow lens speed, an indistinct image with blurred contours is produced. Tomography is essen­ tially based on this principle (i.e., separating one welldefined section from adjacent and surrounding sections). The desired section is always positioned parallel to the film. The X-ray generating tube and the film then follow diagonally opposite movements, thereby producing blur­ ring of all sections which are outside of the fixed center point. Only those portions of the anatomic structure being X-rayed which are located within the section emerge with a precise image. The rest of the structure or structures is indistinct and demonstrates the tracings of the scanning movement. Such tracings of the sweeping motion depend to a great extent on the form of the trajectory; however, they are all less identifiable because of the complexity of this trajectory. In summary, all of the anatomic elements situated within a chosen section produce a clear and distinct image upon the film, since the X-rays projected directly upon them follow the movement of the film. On the other hand, all anatomic points situated above or below the section move on the film and produce a blurred image or a trace of scanning motion. This washing-out effect occurs in proportion to the length of the trajectory. The clarity of the image is thus enhanced; however, the contrast becomes reduced. Serial tomographs are then capable of accurately revealing the three-dimensional character of the structure in study. For the last two years we have been employing a new tomographic apparatus, Stratomatic (Compagnie Generale de Radiologic Paris, France), which offers the following advantages: (1) a spiral trajectory which elimi­ nates the possibility of a line doubling back on itself or cutting across itself (the angle of incidence diminishes gradually due to the continually changing curve of the X-ray), and (2) a prolonged scanning movement. Our experience with this new device has been that the images obtained are greatly improved in regard to their homogeneities, contrast, and definition.
Considering the flow through biological or engineered valves as an example, there is a variety of applications in which the topology of a fluid domain changes over time. This topology change is characteristic for the physical behavior, but poses a particular challenge in computer simulations. A way to overcome this challenge is to consider the application‐specific space‐time geometry as a contiguous computational domain. In this work, we obtain a boundary‐conforming discretization of the space‐time domain with four‐dimensional simplex elements (pentatopes). To facilitate the construction of pentatope meshes for complex geometries, the widely used elastic mesh update method is extended to four‐dimensional meshes. In the resulting workflow, the topology change is elegantly included in the pentatope mesh and does not require any additional treatment during the simulation. The potential of simplex space‐time meshes for domains with time‐variant topology is demonstrated in a valve simulation, and a flow simulation inspired by a clamped artery.
A long-standing controversy concerning the causes of the magnetic field in and around a parallel-plate capacitor is examined. Three possible sources of contention are noted and detailed. The first is the ambiguous initial impression given by the calculation of the magnetic field using the integral form of the Ampere–Maxwell law which incorporates the displacement current density. The second is misinterpretation of this law as a cause–effect formula. The third is insufficient recognition of the fact that the electric field in Maxwell’s equations represents the sum of the well-distinguished irrotational and divergence-free fields, which are independently responsible for conservation of charge and the existence of the electromagnetic waves, respectively.
This paper presents a nominal model estimation method for a disturbance observer (DOB) used in controlling a one-wheel robot system. The fundamental idea of disturbance observer is to use the inverse model of the plant to identify the disturbance backward from the output. The performance of DOB depends upon the identified model. In this paper, the recursive least square (RLS) method for identifying the nominal plant model is proposed by an autoregressive moving average method (ARMAM). Input-output data is used for the estimation of model parameters of an unknown plant. Experimental studies of balancing a one-wheel robot with two differently induced models for DOB design are investigated and compared.
With the strong development of the Internet of Things (IoT), the definition of IoT devices’ intended behavior is key for an effective detection of potential cybersecurity attacks and threats in an increasingly connected environment. In 2019, the Manufacturer Usage Description (MUD) was standardized within the IETF as a data model and architecture for defining, obtaining and deploying MUD files, which describe the network behavioral profiles of IoT devices. While it has attracted a strong interest from academia, industry, and Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs), MUD is not yet widely deployed in real-world scenarios. In this work, we analyze the current research landscape around this standard, and describe some of the main challenges to be considered in the coming years to foster its adoption and deployment. Based on the literature analysis and our own experience in this area, we further describe potential research directions exploiting the MUD standard to encourage the development of secure IoT-enabled scenarios.
Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Arrays (CGRAs) are a class of reconfigurable architectures that inherit the performance and usability properties of Central Processing Units (CPUs) and the reconfigurability aspects of Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Historically, CGRAs have been successfully used to accelerate embedded applications and are today also being considered to accelerate High-Performance Computing (HPC) applications in future supercomputers. However, embedded systems and supercomputers are two vastly different domains with different applications and constraints, and it is today not fully understood what CGRA design decisions adequately cater to the HPC market. One such unknown design decision is regarding the interconnect that facilitates intra-CGRA communication. Today, intra-CGRA communication comes in two flavors: using routers closely embedded into the compute units or using discrete routers outside the compute units. The former trades flexibility for a reduction in hardware cost, while the latter has greater flexibility but is more resource hungry. In this paper, we aspire to understand which of both designs best suits the CGRA HPC segment. We extend our previous methodology, which consists of both a parameterized CGRA design and an OpenMPcapable compiler, to accommodate both types of routing designs, including verification tests using RTL simulation. Our results show that the discrete router design can facilitate better use of processing elements (PEs) compared to embedded routers and can achieve up to 79.27% reduction in unnecessary PE occupancy for an aggressively unrolled stencil kernel on a 18 × 16 CGRA at a (estimated) hardware resource overhead cost of 6.3x. This reduction in PE occupancy can be used, for example, to exploit instruction-level parallelism (ILP) through even more aggressive unrolling.
This chapter looks at central government’s role in directing the way in which local authorities enacted central-area redevelopment schemes. It shows how modernist ideas were sustained by a broadly consensual cross-party political culture in central government. It shows how the Joint Urban Planning Group, set up within the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, provided guidance to local authorities in how to form public–private partnerships to redevelop their city centres. The last section discusses the fate of these ideas during Labour’s first term after the 1964 election, and argues for an economic explanation of the initial reaction against modernist approaches to the built environment.
The purpose of this study was to describe the load factor of the assessment results on character education for high school students. The subjects were 545 second grade students. There were four instruments used, namely: cognitive aspect, affective aspect, behavioral aspect in the learning process and behavioral aspect outside the learning process. Each aspect contains nine indicators as factors. Data were analyzed with factor analysis technique and the models used were the Confirmatory Model of Principal Components Analysis with the varimak rotation method and Kaiser normalization. The results showed that each of these factors were statistically independent, not associated with other indicators. These findings reinforced the theories used in this study that character education loads indicators of dedication, conviction, honesty, discipline, tolerance, democracy, sense of belonging, gratitude and empathy. Statistically, each indicator obviously has four aspects of character. Therefore, assessment of manners that includes the aspects of cognitive, affective and behavior is a task that absolutely must be done.  Keywords: character, factor analysis, cognitive, affective and behavioral
Objective : to determine genospecies composition of Borrelia in the ixodid ticks of various species in natural foci of Ixodes tick-borne borreliosis (ITB) in the South of Western Siberia. Materials and methods . A total of 1148 examples of ticks collected from vegetation and 2183 examples of ticks withdrawn from persons seeking medical help have been tested by bacteriological (sowing in BSK-H medium, SIGMA, USA) and Real Time PCR methods. Genotyping of Borrelia was performed by sequencing. Results and conclusions . Infection of Ixodes ticks with borrelia ranged from 22.4 % in the Altay Republic to 56.9 % in the Novosibirsk Region. Reliable differences in borrelia infection rates of ticks I. persulcatus and I. pavlovskiy have not been established (average levels of infection 40 % and 38.8 %, respectively). The study of isolates of borrelia sp. circulating in natural foci of the West Siberia showed the presence of at least four genospecies of pathogenic borrelia ( B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. bavariensis, B. miyamotoi ). 30 nucleotide sequences of the rrf (5S)-rrl (23S) intergenic spacer were submitted to GenBank database. The detection rate of genospecies B. garinii and B. afzelii of different types of ticks ( I. persulcatus and I. pavlovskiy ) has no significant difference. More frequent occurrence of B. garinii in comparison with that of B. afzelii was determined. The level of I. persulcatus ticks infection with B. miyamotoi was significantly lower than that with genospecies B. garanii and B. afzelii. DNA of B. spielmanii and B. miyamotoi was detected in ticks D. reticulatus . Further evaluation of the role of ticks D. reticulatus in the distribution of borrelia in ticks in natural foci of the Russian Federation is necessary.
Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) is the most prominent figure in contemporary philosophical and literary debate. He originates a trend-breaking theory of deconstruction. He opines the persistence in west European philosophical tradition of what he labels is logocentric metaphysics of presence. He argues that the different theories of philosophy, from Plato until structuralism are versions of a single or authoritative system. Though we cannot hope to escape this system we can at least identify the conditions of thought it imposes by attending to that which it seek to impress. Derridean deconstruction may present a new perspective to Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex”, which has always been a research target for world researchers. The researchers studied it from different angles, but the present study tries to reveal different facets of the play on Derridean deconstructive bedrock. Applying Derrida’s deconstruction to the text of the play, the study tries to present it in a new and innovative way. The study will discuss how Western logocentric tradition of the metaphysics of presence and its compelling repercussions ground human thought in stable and pre-determined meaning. In its concluding mode, the study analyses preventive stumbling aporic blocks of fossilized logocentric structure of the minds of characters in the play. Keywords: Jacques Derrida, deconstruction, logocentric metaphysics of presence and messianic, aporia, binary Oppositions
Previous works employed pressure-based heat release analysis, spark-discharge current/voltage measurements, and cycle-resolved combustion imaging to identify four periods of stratified-charge spark-assisted compression ignition: spark discharge, early kernel growth (EKG), flame propagation, and compression ignition. While it was found that variability in the EKG, and not the spark discharge, influenced combustion phasing, the influence of the spark discharge on the EKG could not be assessed because the imaging system was incapable of recording both the spark discharge and the flame development from the same cycle. This limitation has been overcome here by recording images of both the spark discharge and combustion chemiluminescence during each engine cycle. Additionally, the spark discharge plasmas were recorded from two nearly-orthogonal views to assure that out-of-plane excursions were measured; such are not available from a single view. The results in this study demonstrate that the spark discharge event was not deterministic of the EKG. Circumstantial evidence is given to suggest that the fuel/air distribution and velocity at the spark plug dominate the EKG period variability, though this could not be confirmed definitively.
Abstract In this study four compacted graphite irons (CGIs) and one grey cast iron (FGI) were produced and tested in the laboratory. The molybdenum content of the four CGI grades was varied between 0 and 1··01 wt-%. The purpose of the investigations was to examine the effect of the different molybdenum contents of the CGI on the thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) behaviour. The TMF tests were performed by cycling a constrained specimen between 110 and 600°C. For every material three tests were performed on specimens machined from a ∅20 mm cylinder. Other tests were performed on specimens machined from ∅55 mm and ∅85 mm cylinders respectively. The tests showed that additions of molybdenum improved the fatigue resistance of CGI. It was observed that additions of molybdenum refined the pearlite and that the specimens with a finer metallic matrix had a higher TMF resistance.
GaAs FETs are widely used for high-speed and low-power devices, especially in optical communication systems. To improve product reliability, it is very important to control mechanical stress in device structures. This is because the stress field changes the dopant distribution and shifts electronic characteristic of devices due to piezoelectric effect. There are several stress development processes in the device manufacturing, such as thermal stress due to mismatch in thermal expansion coefficients among thin film materials used in the device structure and intrinsic stress which occurs during film deposition. To evaluate precise stress fields in actual device structures, the authors have developed stress simulation methods based on finite element analysis, a measurement method for mechanical properties of thin films, and a microscopic stress measurement method. To improve product reliability of silicon devices, it is confirmed that these methods are effective for control or optimization of mechanical stress fields in the device structure. In this paper, the stress evaluation methods are applied to discuss the effect of passivation film stress on the shift in threshold voltage of GaAs FETs.
Fifty-two children suffering from different types of malignancies were included and evaluated for the pharmacokinetics of gentamicin thrice or single daily dosage protocols. All the study population received a total dose of 5 mg/kg daily. Thirty children received gentamicin thrice daily, and 22 were treated using the single daily protocol; all had fever and neutropenia when included. The individual pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using a one-compartment model for two blood gentamicin samples. The mean (SD) t 1/2 (h), clearance (mL/min/BSA), Vss (L/kg), Cmax (micrograms/mL), and Cmin (micrograms/mL) were 3.05 (1.0) and 3.9 (0.6) h, 136 (61.3) and 99.9 (65.3) mL/min/BSA, 0.4035 (0.167) and 0.457 (0.17) L/kg, 5.2 (2.0) and 11.5 (4.2) micrograms/mL, 0.8 (0.6) and 0.18 (0.1) microgram/mL for thrice and single daily dosage schedules, respectively. The single gentamicin daily dose protocol had a significantly longer t 1/2, shorter clearance normalized to BSA, higher Cmax, and lower Cmin in comparison with the thrice daily schedule. We recommend the use of gentamicin at 5 mg/kg daily delivered as a single daily dose for pediatric cancer patients with fever and neutropenia, in spite of the measured pharmacokinetic differences, which in our opinion have no clinical significance.
Numerical predictions of three-dimensional flow and heat transfer are presented for non-rotating and rotating turbine blade cooling passages with or without the rib turbulators. A multi-block Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes method was employed in conjunction with a near-wall second-moment closure to provide detailed velocity, pressure, and temperature distributions as well as Reynolds stresses and turbulent heat fluxes in various cooling channel configurations. These numerical results were systematically evaluated to determine the effect of blade rotation, coolant-to-wall density ratio, rib shape, channel aspect ratio and channel orientation on the generation of flow turbulence and the enhancement of surface heat transfer in turbine blade cooling passages. The second-moment solutions show that the secondary flow induced by the angled ribs, centrifugal buoyancy, and Coriolis forces produced strong nonisotropic turbulent stresses and heat fluxes that significantly affected flow field and surface heat transfer coefficients.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
As quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) is maturing, more clinical applications are being explored. With this comes the question whether QSM is sufficiently robust and reproducible to be directly used in a clinical setting where patients are possibly not cooperative and/or unable to suppress involuntary movements sufficiently. Twenty-nine patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 31 patients with mild cognitive impairment and 41 healthy controls were scanned on a 3 T scanner, including a multi-echo gradient-echo sequence for QSM and an inversion-prepared segmented gradient-echo sequence (T1-TFE, MPRAGE). The severity of motion artifacts (excessive/strong/noticeable/invisible) was categorized via visual inspection by two independent raters. Quantitative susceptibility was reconstructed using ‘joint background-field removal and segmentation-enhanced dipole inversion’, based on segmented subcortical gray-matter regions, as well as using ‘morphology enabled dipole inversion’. Statistical analysis of the susceptibility maps was performed per region. A large fraction of the data showed motion artifacts, visible in both magnitude images and susceptibility maps. No statistically significant susceptibility differences were found between groups including motion-affected data. Considering only subjects without visible motion, significant susceptibility differences were observed in caudate nucleus as well as in putamen. Motion-effects can obscure statistically significant differences in QSM between patients and controls. Additional measures to restrict and/or compensate for subject motion should be taken for QSM in standard clinical settings to avoid risk of false findings.
The research reported in this paper was conducted to identify those attributes, of both sequential circuits and structural, sequential automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) algorithms, which can lead to extremely high test generation times. The retiming transformation is used as a mechanism to create two classes of circuits which present varying degrees of complexity for test generation. It was observed for three different sequential test generators that the increase in complexity of testing is not due to those circuit attributes (namely sequential depth and cycles) which have traditionally been associated with such complexity. Evidence is instead provided that another circuit attribute, termed density of encoding, is a key indicator of the complexity of structural, sequential ATPG.<<ETX>>
Summary Cotton leaf reddening was studied in irrigated vertisols at the Gezira Research Farm over three seasons. The percentage leaf reddening was negatively correlated with seed cotton yield. Plants showing symptoms of reddening produced smaller and fewer leaves which did not persist long enough to sustain the reproductive parts. Deficiencies of nitrogen and phosphorus were found to be responsible for the reddening symptoms. Nitrogen application, late August sowing and frequent control of insect pests all significantly reduced the incidence of reddening. Other possible remedies are discussed.
We completely agree with Drs Rohan, Olejar and Matej that the role of protease activated receptor (PAR)-2 in cancer biology is complex and not yet completely understood. PAR-2 expression in the stromal compartment has no effect on pulmonary metastasis of B16 melanoma cells injected into the tail vein [1]. In contrast, PAR-2 limits primary tumour growth when B16 melanoma cells are injected subcutaneously and enhances spontaneous metastasis of these primary tumours [2]. Moreover, PAR-2 seems to play a dual role in pancreatic cancer by inducing primary tumour growth and limiting lymph metastasis [3]. To further complicate matters, PAR-2-deficient mice show decreased tumour growth and metastasis in a spontaneous polyoma middle T (PyMT) breast cancer model [4]. As already stated in our original paper, targeting PAR-2 in the setting of cancer should thus be pursued with great care and is certainly not applicable for all cancer patients. Indeed, PAR-2 antagonists seem to have limited therapeutic potential in both melanoma and pancreatic cancer but may still have promise in other cancer types, such as, for instance, breast cancer. It should also be emphasized that the role of PAR-2 in other disorders seems more unambiguous and, especially in fibrotic disease PAR-2 deficiency, seems to limit disease progression in multiple models [5–7]. We thus disagree with the statement that PAR-2 inhibitors have no or limited therapeutic potential in general. We feel it is important to stress that PAR-2 inhibitors specifically may have limited therapeutic potential, rather than making this claim for all PAR inhibitors. Indeed, ZONTIVITY, the first FDA-approved PAR-1 antagonist, is already used in clinical practice for the reduction of thrombotic cardiovascular events in patients with a history of myocardial infarction or peripheral arterial disease (http://www.zontivity.com). In addition, preclinical animal models strongly suggest that PAR-1 inhibition may also have a bright future in, for instance, pulmonary fibrosis [8] or cancer [9]. Kun Shi* and C Arnold Spek *Correspondence to: K Shi, Centre for Experimental and Molecular Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands e-mail: k.shi@amc.nl
An investigation is carried out of the association and clustering of equimolar mixtures of oppositely charged Gaussian charge distributions (CDs) of the form ∼ exp  ( − r2 /2α2), where r is the separation between the centres of charge and α governs the extent of charge spreading (α→0 is the point charge limit). The results of molecular dynamics (MD) and Ornstein–Zernike integral equation with the mean spherical approximation (MSA) and hypernetted-chain (HNC) closures are compared for these systems. The MD and HNC radial distribution functions, g(r), agree very well for not too small α. The MD and MSA, g(r), also agree well for α ≈ 1 and greater. The potential energy per particle for the three methods also agrees well over a wider range of α values, better than might be expected from inspection of the radial distribution functions, because the dominant contributions to U come predominantly from intermediate and long distance ranges where there is good agreement between the g(r) from the MSD and HNC closures. The nature of the association and clustering of the charges as a function of α is explored through the mean nearest neighbour distance for unlike and like species and the mean and root-mean-square force. The velocity and force autocorrelation functions are also calculated; they show increasingly oscillatory behaviour in the small α limit, originating in vibrations of a pair of CDs of opposite sign.
A method for obtaining scattering decomposed images in optical coherence tomography based on a multiple scattering model is proposed. Images of different scattering components can be obtained with this method. Employing the proposed method, scattering decomposed images of a biological sample are obtained. Then spatial mean filtering for denoising is performed on only the multiple scattering component, and the total signal is reconstructed. This method is useful for observing the images of different scattering components and has the potential to be applied to information extraction or signal processing on these components separately.
This review is written to encourage APCP members to read this special edition of May 2012’s Children and Society’s journal. It describes the context of our practice from a UK policy and international perspective. As paediatric physiotherapists, we have a unique perspective on the lived experiences of disabled children and young people. This journal article reports on a seminar series from 2010-2011 funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The edition is divided into 9 separate articles so depending on your background or interests you can select those most relevant to you. It is a seminal edition, charting this empirical research journey, suggesting a future direction for travel.
Accurate rating of transformers is one of the most important elements in the problem of providing continuous service to the customers of the utility industry. Rather than attempt to follow a general rule for the loading of transformers it is believed that the urgency of wartime needs amply justifies the effort required to place individual ratings on each transformer bank of the utility under consideration. Experience has shown that such ratings vary widely. The transformers cover a wide range of sizes, designs, manufacturers, and periods of manufacture; with weights per kilovolt-ampere ranging from 7 to 20 pounds, excitation voltages ranging from 95 to 110 per cent, their daily load factors from 25 to 100 per cent, and their seasonal loading from 0 to 100 per cent. The consequent saving of ``critical'' material is self-evident when each case is considered individually. During the war it is desirable to base station ratings on the thermal capacity of all the transformers normally available for service, rather than attempt to set up station ratings based on abnormally high emergency ratings of the remaining units after the assumed failure of one unit. It is essential that these higher station ratings be properly applied so that the danger of failure is minimized.
The early Holocene archaeological record in Northwest Santa Cruz province in southern Argentina is remarkable in its richness. Among the lithic remains, most notable is a stemless triangular projectile point dating to ~8.5 - 10 uncalibrated kya. As part of a long term program directed to explore and understand diverse aspects of lithic technologies from Patagonia, this paper reports new observations on a set of notable unifacial tools existing in the assemblage accompanying them. Based on archaeological and experimental data we hypothesize they were produced from thick flake-blanks with one face totally or partially covered by flake scars sometimes reaching the longitudinal symmetry axis. This fact suggests that before being finished, it was reduced by detaching flakes from the edge to its center. This recent technological discovery allowed deepened on a new regional issue related with early Holocene unifacial tools that emerge as a peculiar style of covering unifacial flaking with subtle production differences to other similar implements. Together with the triangular points, this particular way of preforming the tool before and/or during the final shaping might be another distinctive manufacturing technique used by early Holocene hunter-gatherers in the area.
Introduction In 2007, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of William Taft’s birth, and thus it is especially appropriate to reconsider some aspects of his career and contributions to this Court, which he revered over all others. Although they may not be aware of it, any visitor to the Supreme Court and to the “Great Hall,” replete with its majesty and grandeur, immediately comes into contact with an example of these contributions: the building itself. Chief Justice Taft planned for it, pushed for it, persuaded the congressional leadership of its necessity, and personally selected its architect, Cass Gilbert. As his health failed in the late 1920s, he wrote to his daughter Helen on July 27, 1927, that “[w]hat I am praying for is that I can live and be on the Court until we move in. But that is a good deal to hope for.”1 Indeed it was: Taft did not live even to see ground broken for the building’s construction. Yet, in a very real sense, the Court’s majestic home is his most enduring monument.
We discuss the quantity and quality model proposed by Deaton (1987, 1988, 1990) for analyzing household demand from unit value data, with spatial structures of agents’ decisions. A combination of Deaton’s methodology (1987, 1988, 1990) and Kelejian and Prucha’s procedure (1999) provides a method for estimating the spatial versions of Crawford, Laisney and Preston’s model (2003). However, this approach is problematic for identifying spatial parameters and requires spatial matrices with special structures. We conclude with a Monte Carlo study to illustrate the difficulties in estimating spatial autoregressions.
Teenage pregnancy is a serious social and health concern. The aim of the study, as a literature review, was to investigate the causes, effects and strategies put forward to curb down the teenage pregnancy among girls between 13-19 years in lira district, Uganda. This study used desktop research using secondary data. The data was collected by others for their own purpose and it had been derived from various sources. This entails the findings and discussion got from causes, effects and strategies put in place to curb down teenage pregnancy. Social factors include decreased supervision by parents, early initiation to sexual activities, and pressure from families to marry early. Effects of teenage pregnancy were found to be preterm labour, intrauterine growth, sexually transmitted infections, sexual violence and limited access to medical services. There are policies designed to delay and protect young women from becoming pregnant during adolescence. These policies include the National Health Policy, the National Adolescent Health Policy, the National Policy on Young People and HIV/AIDS, the Sexual Reproductive Health Minimum Package, the Minimum Age of Sexual Consent Policy the defilement law. These policies also serve the purpose of fostering a supportive environment to encourage adolescent reproductive health. Given the factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy and its associated effects, it is concluded that the measures proposed in form of policies will help to curb down the problem of teenage pregnancy in Lira district.
Somatic mosaicism of repeat length is prominent in repeat expansion disorders such as Huntington disease and myotonic dystrophy. Somatic mosaicism is age-dependent, tissue-specific and expansion-biased, and likely contributes toward the tissue-specificity and progressive nature of the symptoms. We propose that therapies targeted at somatic repeat expansion may have general utility in these disorders. Specifically, suppression of somatic expansion would be expected to be therapeutic, whilst reversion of the expanded mutant repeat to within the normal range would be predicted to be curative. However, the effects of genotoxic agents on the mutational properties of specific nuclear genes are notoriously difficult to define. Nonetheless, we have determined that chronic exposure over a three month period to a number of genotoxic agents can alter the rate of triplet repeat expansion in whole populations of mammalian cells. Interestingly, high doses of caffeine increased the rate of expansion by approximately 60%. More importantly, cytosine arabinoside, ethidium bromide, 5-azacytidine and aspirin all significantly reduced the rate of expansion by from 35 to 75%. These data establish that drug induced suppression of somatic expansion is possible. These data also suggest that highly unstable expanded simple sequence repeats may act as sensitive reporters of genotoxic assault in the soma.
To the Editor. —Several recent reports have brought attention to the problem of tuberculosis (TB) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). 1-4 They suggest that the incidence of active TB is increased in maintenance hemodialysis patients, 1-3 as well as in patients with less severe renal insufficiency. 4 Of particular note is the frequency of extrapulmonary and difficult-to-diagnose cases reported and the fact that many of the patients had anergy to skin tests. Increased susceptibility to mycobacterial disease is not surprising in view of the defects in cell-mediated immunity that have been demonstrated in dialysis patients. 5 As part of routine surveillance, our patients have PPD skin tests every six months. Our present population of in-center and home peritoneal and hemodialysis patients shows an 18% incidence (19/ 107) of positive PPD reactivity. Of these 19, pulmonary TB developed in three after beginning dialysis. In one of these patients, recurrent
As psychiatry has begun to embrace the older patient with greater enthusiasm, psychotherapists and psychoanalysts have started to look more carefully at the applicability of intensive psychodynamically based therapies for this population. Myers book, while certainly not the first effort in this direction, is a welcome addition to a growing literature on this subject. An outstanding feature of this book is its emphasis on the detailed examination of six patients treated intensively in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. With clarity and sensitivity, the author shows how traditional analytic theory may be brought to bear on the problems of these patients. He demonstrates that, in contrast to the commonly held beliefs of many therapists, age per se does not significantly alter the capacity of patients to uncover, express and work through unconscious conflicts associated with aggression, sexuality and abandonment. The treatment process in each case is enlivened by the full intensity of transference and countertransference issues that one would find in patients of any age. After a competent although not comprehensive review of the psychotherapy literature in regard to the older patient, the author presents six chapters, each detailing the psychoanalysis or psychotherapy of "an older patient." The last third of the book examines issues related to therapy and ageing, specifically assessing the treatability of the older patient, the impact of loss on the sense of self, retirement, death conflicts, the feelings of the therapist toward these patients and the usefulness of dynamic therapy with the older individual. The clinical cases are clearly and thoroughly presented. Some readers however, will criticize what appears to be a rather narrow, traditional analytic approach to treatment that in general fails to incorporate more recent analytic concepts of self-psychology and developmental theory. At the conclusion of each treatment chapter the author summarizes the results of therapy. However there is a consistent failure to adequately compare and contrast the relevance of age to the various turns of the therapy. In general, the cases as presented offer meager material to advance our understanding of those issues which are specific to the older patient. With the exception of a seventy-one year old patient all the other cases described individuals struggling with issues of middle age rather than late life. Despite this problem some age specific factors are evident. These include the fact that age seems to increase the patient's motivation for therapy because of the individual's increased awareness of the limitations of time in his life and that the more evident losses of old age reduce the patient's sense of narcissistic omnipotence leading to a greater availability of the patient in therapy. The author goes on to highlight the role of losses of various sorts, particularly emphasizing retirement and physical disability. He suggests that these factors are demonstrated in the greater frequency of themes of loss and mourning in the dreams of patients. In Meyer's younger group three percent of the dreams were judged to relate to this theme while fifty to sixty percent ofthe dreams of the older patients related to loss and mourning. Here he echos the findings of other workers in the field who have .highlighted the centrality of the mourning and working through process during the developmental stage of old age. Unfortunately the author has not taken advantage of the opportunity of having this rich clinical material to look at issues of therapy with the older patient more critically, for example, the impact of unanticipated crises on long-term therapy. On several occasions he comments on or implies the need to be more gentle in his interpretations. He does not, however, then explore this very relevant factor. Most often he ends up discussing the similarities in the treatment of old and young patient's treatment rather than establishing the contrasts convincingly. The very similarity of this patient group to the younger group offers the opportunity for asking what indeed constitutes an "old patient." If mourning, loss, crisis, physical disability, and conflicts over approaching death constitute those factors which define the "therapeutically old" patient then we must look beyond the age group dealt with in the therapy of geriatric patients. Despite these criticisms, which I think substantially limit the usefulness of this text, the author shows himself to be a dedicated, sensitive and reflective therapist: In the sometimes overly conservative world of the traditional analyst, the kind of work which Dr. Myers describes in his book has too often been neglected. While the book does not much advance our understanding of the treatment of the mid-old and old-old population, it certainly demonstrates the applicability of psychoanalytic techniques to individuals in late middle age and will be a useful and interesting text to those who are or want to be engaged in this area of therapy.
The proposal to use active thermography in medical diagnostics is promising in some applications concerning investigation of directly accessible parts of the human body. The combination of dynamic thermograms with thermal models of investigated structures gives attractive possibility to make internal structure reconstruction basing on different thermal properties of biological tissues. Measurements of temperature distribution synchronized with external light excitation allow registration of dynamic changes of local temperature dependent on heat exchange conditions. Preliminary results of active thermography applications in medicine are discussed. For skin and under- skin tissues an equivalent thermal model may be determined. For the assumed model its effective parameters may be reconstructed basing on the results of transient thermal processes. For known thermal diffusivity and conductivity of specific tissues the local thickness of a two or three layer structure may be calculated. Results of some medical cases as well as reference data of in vivo study on animals are presented. The method was also applied to evaluate the state of the human heart during the open chest cardio-surgical interventions. Reference studies of evoked heart infarct in pigs are referred, too. We see the proposed new in medical applications technique as a promising diagnostic tool. It is a fully non-invasive, clean, handy, fast and affordable method giving not only qualitative view of investigated surfaces but also an objective quantitative measurement result, accurate enough for many applications including fast screening of affected tissues.
Executing domain specific workloads from a relational data warehouse is an increasingly popular task. Unfortunately, classic relational database management systems (RDBMS) are suboptimal in many domains (e.g., graph and linear algebra queries), and it is challenging to transfer data from an RDBMS to a domain specific toolkit in an efficient manner. This demonstration showcases the EmptyHeaded engine: an interactive query processing engine that leverages a novel query architecture to support efficient execution in multiple domains. To enable a unified design, the EmptyHeaded architecture is built around recent theoretical advancements in join processing and automated in-query data transformations. This demonstration highlights the strengths and weaknesses of this novel type of query processing architecture while showcasing its flexibility in multiple domains. In particular, attendees will use EmptyHeaded's Jupyter notebook front-end to interactively learn the theoretical advantages of this new (and largely unknown) approach and directly observe its performance impact in multiple domains.
The lung is a readily accessible target organ for gene therapy. To date, therapeutic gene delivery has largely focused on introducing functional, corrective genes in lung diseases arising from single gene defects such as cystic fibrosis. More recently interest has centred on gene therapy as a potential therapeutic tool in modulating complex pathological processes such as pulmonary inflammation. Genetic modification of critical components of the inflammatory process may be beneficial-for example, overexpressing anti-elastase genes may circumvent elastase mediated lung damage in emphysema. With the development of improved viral and liposome vectors and the evolution of effective adjuvant immunosuppression to obviate host immune responses--for example, using selective cytokines and blockers of T cell surface activation--the potential exists to target therapeutic doses of transgene to deficient or dysregulated cells. Furthermore, increased understanding of tissue-specific promoter regions and of mechanisms controlling regulation of gene expression offer the potential for close control of therapeutic gene expression within the lung. Continuing refinements in these technologies will provide new therapeutic strategies in inflammatory lung disease.
The article draws upon theoretical concepts from museology and cultural, Indigenous, and feminist theory to explore intersections between diversity and reading in Cultural Heritage Institutions and Museums (CHIM). These sites are important identity-generating institutions that both preserve and perpetuate ideology and culture. Visitors read and “read into” exhibits—which are often primarily visual; it is therefore crucial for CHIMs to practice self-awareness in how they do, or do not, make information legible. Modern museums were reformist, generalized, authoritative, monologic, and definitive arbiters of culture; in these spaces, visitors necessarily read information in a cognitively passive manner. Postmodern museums, at their best, are pedagogical, decentralized, constructive, dialogic, and representative of diverse voices, experiences, and perspectives. Postmodern museums invite visitors to engage with, and sometimes even collaborate with, or contribute to, exhibits. In both instances, visitors are asked to “read” the exhibits, but in the former, reading is a unidirectional, and therefore final, transmission; in the latter, reading is a discursive, transformative process, with potential to empower. The article proposes a non-proscriptive, Indigenous, and intersectional feminist paradigm as a more equitable information-framing model for CHIM.
than Machiavelli, Rousseau sees the dilemmas of politics arising from its character as the relations among individuals who are mutually dependent yet have conflicting interests. Dependence is particularly important for Rousseau, and has a psychological facet missing in Machiavelli's work (pp. 154,176). Rousseau locates the source of hypocrisy in politics in the corruption of human nature. Given the psychological basis of Rousseau's analysis of corruption and integrity, I wonder whether his understanding of "integrity" and the relationship of ethics and politics is not more different from Machiavelli than Grant allows. Grant notes the relationship between ethical "integrity" and psychological unity or wholeness in Rousseau's thought (see pp. 84-86,95-96,152-54). If Rousseau's psychological theory of psychic unity and corruption is the foundation for his ethical and political thought, then discussing the ethical dimension of "integrity" before the psychological foundation, as Grant does, obscures the relationship. Grant's most useful insight on this issue, that there is a substantive moral content to Rousseau's model of psychic unity (p. 86), is correct but needs development. The unexpected similarities Grant uncovers between Machiavelli and Rousseau should not obscure their differences.
ABSTRACT This study evaluated associations between similarity in personal values, accuracy of values perceptions, and relationship closeness among emerging adults and their mothers (dyads = 99). Contrary to previous studies, values similarity and accuracy were largely unrelated to relationship closeness. This was reinforced by Latent Profile Analysis (LPA), which revealed three unique patterns of values similarity, values accuracy, and closeness between emerging adults and mothers: (1) high relationship closeness, similar values and accurate perceptions; (2) moderate relationship closeness, dissimilar values and inaccurate perceptions; and (3) low relationship closeness but similar values and accurate perceptions. Subsequent analyses revealed different implications for emerging adults’ wellbeing from different profiles. Emerging adults from the subgroup with low relationship closeness but high values similarity and values accuracy had more problematic drinking behaviors than the other profiles and lower positive affect.
With the rapid development of new technology comes the need for high-energy battery solutions that are both economically and environmentally friendly. In particular the improvement of lithium ion battery components has been driven by their implementation in larger scale applications such as electric vehicles. Specifically the positive electrode (cathode) material has been widely studied in order to identify a candidate that is economically viable, environmentally benign and electrochemically stable. 1
Macroscopic extended systems with dissipation and injection of energy can exhibit particlelike solutions. Dissipative kinks with an oscillatory cloak and a family of localized states that connect uniform symmetric states in a magnetic wire forced with a transversal oscillatory magnetic field and in a parametrically driven damped pendula chain are studied. The oscillatory cloak is composed of evanescent waves emitted at the kink position and generated by a resonant mechanism. These waves mediate the kink interaction and generate a family of localized states.
Ultrasonography (US) of the knee in gonarthritis was evaluated with gadolinium-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging as a reference. The study included 13 patients with gonarthritis, 2 patients with osteoarthritis and 5 healthy controls. Compared to MR, US identified 100% (12/12) of joint effusions, 100% (5/5) of Baker's cysts, 57% (8/14) of the synovial membranes of the suprapatellar recess and 38% (3/8) of bone erosions. No MR or clinical findings characterized the patients with ultrasonographically identifiable synovial membranes. Quantitative MR- and US-estimates of effusion, synovial membrane and cartilage thicknesses were correlated. The Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.87, 0.86 and 0.82, respectively. US reliably demonstrated joint effusions and Baker's cysts but showed lack of sensitivity for demonstration of the synovial membrane and bone erosions. When the synovial membrane was identifiable, the measurements of synovial thickness by US appeared precise. Cartilage evaluation by US seemed dependable. The clinical value was limited, because the weight-bearing areas were inaccessible.
In this paper, an automatic design method for PMSM from the only required output characteristics is proposed. In this method, all motor mechanical parameters to realize minimum volume which satisfies a maximum torque, speed, power and losses inputted by user are obtained via control parameters, inductance and magnetic flux. This paper clarified the relationship between an inductance and the motor mechanical parameters, and all mechanical parameters are expressed as a function of the rotor diameter. The output characteristics from the obtained motor mechanical parameters are confirmed by a numerical simulation and Finite Element Method.
To evaluate the effects of the discontinuation of antithrombotic drugs on intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction and complications from ab interno trabeculotomy for patients with glaucoma. We performed a retrospective chart review on the data of patients treated with antithrombotic agents who have undergone ab interno trabeculotomy through Tanito microhook combined with cataract surgery at the Asahi General Hospital and the Tokyo University Hospital, with 6 months of follow-up. The patients were classified into two groups depending on whether they discontinued (AT-) or continued (AT+) antithrombotic therapy during the perioperative phase. The demographics, pre- and postoperative IOP, medication score, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and postoperative complications were analyzed preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 week and 1–6 months. The series included 44 eyes from 44 Japanese patients. The AT- and AT+ groups included 21 eyes from 21 patients and 23 eyes from 23 patients, respectively. The decrease in IOP from the baseline at 1 week postoperative was significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.009), but there were no significant differences observed in the other visits. Hyphema and IOP spikes exceeding 30 mmHg occurred in 10% and 10% of AT- participants, and in 43% and 26% of AT+ participants, respectively. Hyphema and spikes with hyphema occurred more frequently in the AT+ than in the AT- group (p = 0.02 and p = 0.05). The number of patients who had spikes was not significantly different (p = 0.27). In trabeculotomy using the Tanito microhook®, discontinuing antithrombotic therapy had better IOP-lowering effects and less postoperative complications.
Long‐range propagation in the Arctic is characterized by a refractive surface duct with a rough boundary. Below 100 Hz, experimental attenuation values are more than a factor of 2 greater than estimates based on scatter theory for statistically homogeneous surfaces and small roughness parameter. The more realistic composite model consisting of random patches having one of two different degrees of roughness does not appear to account for the discrepancy per se. As a step to investigate the apparent inadequacy of the theory, we examine the properties of a model realization—a simulated surface composed of random overlapping ellipsoidal bosses. [Work supported by NUSC.]
Alumina sintered with 5 wt% anorthite at 1620°C for 48 h has grains with flat boundaries and a size distribution representing abnormal grain growth. TEM observations of the grain triple junctions show flat grain surfaces, some of which are the (0001), ([Onemacr]012), and (1[Onemacr]01) planes. HRTEM observations confirm these surfaces to be atomically flat and hence singular. When sintered further after embedding in MgO powder, the {0001} and { 01[Onemacr]2} planes remain flat, but curved surface segments also appear. These curved surface segments are confirmed to be atomically rough by HRTEM. They are connected to the flat segments with discontinuously changing slopes. Thus, when MgO is added, the singular and rough surface phases coexist.
Statistical problems can usually be presented in the form of data x which depend on a parameter 6 through a known probability distribution of x for each 6, p(x 0). From observation of x it is required to make an inference about 6. The inference can take several forms: hypothesis testing, point and interval estimates, etc. Empirical Bayes (EB) problems differ in that there is not just one data set but several, xx, x2,.. ., x„, each with its own parameter. As before xk relates to 9k through a distribution of a known form, the same for each k. A typical problem is to make an inference about 6„ from all the observations x,, x*,. .., x„. In compound problems, the inference concerns all the parameters. It is common to suppose that the 9k have themselves been generated by a probability distribution p(8) but, unlike p(x 9), this is usually supposed unknown. It is not unreasonable to expect that inferences about 0„ will be improved by including the extra data xux2,. . .,x„_i in addition to x„ and this is borne out by calculations displayed in this book. An example is provided by data on schools, indexed by k, where 6k reflects the "true" performance of the school. The general pattern that exists between actual and true performance for all schools can be used to improve the estimation of one school's true quality from its and others observed performances. In particular, EB methods are especially successful in correcting apparently extreme observations. The role of p(6) in generating the parameters is essentially that of a prior distribution for 8; hence Bayesian methods can be used. When, as is common, p(9) is unknown, it has to be inferred. Often non-Bayesian methods are used at this stage and the qualification "empirical" inserted. Thus a typical solution to an EB problem is a blend of Bayesian and frequentist methods and the first edition of this book (1970) by Maritz alone, discussed these. The second edition of almost double the size is a substantial improvement because it includes accounts of other methods that have been developed for EB problems, including those that are fully Bayesian. Another merit of the new edition is that it includes a substantial chapter on applications that have been made of EB methods: examples include water contents of soils, law school validity studies and cancer mortality rates. The advances over the past 19 years have been included and increased familiarity with EB problems has enabled the presentation to be improved. The treatment, except in the applications chapter, is heavily mathematical and demands a good background in statistics. EB methods were once thought to form a rather specialised corner of statistics but this book, with its broad coverage, clear style and good applications, should do much to demonstrate that EB problems arise frequently and that there is a formidable battery of methods available to handle them.
Guided wave tomography offers a method to accurately quantify wall thickness losses in pipes and vessels caused by corrosion, using ultrasonic waves transmitted over distances of approximately 1 to 2 m, and measured by an array of transducers. These measurements are then used to reconstruct a map of wall thickness throughout the inspected region. To achieve accurate estimations of remnant wall thickness, it is vital that a suitable Lamb mode is chosen. This paper presents a detailed evaluation of the two most suitable modes, S0 and A0, to compare their performance using both numerical and experimental data. The sensitivity of A0 to thickness variations was shown to be superior to S0; however, the attenuation from A0 when a liquid loading was present was much higher than S0. A0 was less sensitive to the presence of coatings on the surface than was S0. Finally, it was shown that both modes could achieve a similar level of resolution in the plane of the plate surface.
The features of the philosophical principle anthropologic in the management of higher education. Investigated motivational factors teaching in modern Ukrainian universities. It is emphasized that this objective logic deployment of modern socio-political and cultural life transforms the humanism and philosophical anthropology into a new type of world - anthropocentrism. Proved that under the provisions of philosophical anthropological approach , an educational process - is primarily a person who strives for self-realization and self-improvement. Ability to realize personal potential improves performance as subjects of the educational process and the system of higher education in general. This is why there is a need for subjective (especially motivational ) factors improve professional academics. Determined that the principle of anthropocentrism in managing higher education is a social and philosophical assumptions strengthen the process of democratization of higher education. The concept of democratization of education broad and ambiguous. Democracy should be characterized as a process of learning and teaching ("Democracy in the audience"), and the entire way of everyday life of students ("student government"). Revealed that the current stage of the reform of higher education in Ukraine requires the implementation of democratic values in management education: the decentralization of the education department, university autonomy , the rejection of authoritarianism and ideological dictatorship in teaching , the democratization of relations between subjects of the educational process and so on. That is the main form of socio-cultural activities of the educational process - free creative, productive activities in the development of education and professional development of the individual, which is essential for the creative interaction of all subjects of the educational process. Such activities should be the basis of higher education institution, which will increase the effectiveness of professional development of future professionals. It is concluded that the democratization of the educational process lies in implementing democratic principles of interaction of teacher and student teaching without transparency authoritarian ideological orientation, and developed an effective system of student government involvement in the management of higher education institutions NGOs and local municipalities. Humanitarian dimension of education opens up prospects for genuine democracy educational process. As teachers and students are full subjects of higher education. The achievement of these goals will contribute to building a system of higher education
The adsorption and in vitro release properties of the poorly soluble cytostatic agent DL-aminoglutethimide (AGT) on pristine MCM-41, 3-aminopropyl and a novel N-propyl-2-sulfanylacetamide functionalized MCM-41 material were studied. The mesostructured supports and hybrid samples were characterized by small- and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric and calorimetric analyses, SEM-EDX and N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms. The drug uptake was found to be strongly influenced by its ionization state and solution pH. Drug release experiments show a spectacular increase in the dissolution rate of the therapeutic agent for all hybrid samples, indicating that aminoglutethimide encapsulation into the mesopores of MCM-41-type supports is a viable strategy for dissolution rate enhancement. Using a knowledge-based logit hydrogen bonding propensity model to assess the relative strengths of drug–support supramolecular interactions, we have proposed that a Si–OH⋯Cl− AGT+ mechanism is responsible for the increased drug adsorption in acid media and release rate enhancement at physiological pH.
Nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals BaTeMo2O9 (BTM) with large size and good quality have been grown by the flux method. The connections of the Mo−O octahedral group are presented, and the relationship between the structure and the thermal properties has also been discussed. The specific heat, anisotropic thermal expansion and thermal conductivity have been carefully measured. The principal thermal expansion and thermal conductivity coefficients have been determined at different temperatures. Thermal expansion of BTM exhibits weak anisotropy though it belongs to low symmetry system. Interestingly, the thermal conductivity of BTM ascends as the temperature is increased.
This work presents the conclusions of an experimental study that intends to find the best procedure for reducing the noise of medium resolution infrared images. The goal is to find a good scheme for an image database suitable for use in developing a system to aid breast disease diagnostics. In particular, to use infrared images in the screening and postoperative follow-up in the UFF university hospital, and to combine this with other types of image based diagnoses. Seven wavelet types (Biorthogonal, Coiflets, Daubechies, Haar, Meyer, Reverse Biorthogonal and Symmlets) with various vanishing moments (such as Symmlets, where this number goes from 2 to 28, Daubechies from 1 to 45 and Coiflets 1 to 5) comprising a total of 108 different variations of wavelet functions are compared in a denoising scheme to explore their difference with respect to image quality. Three groups of Additive White Gaussian Noise levels (σ = 5, 25 and 50) are used to evaluate the relations among the approaches to threshold the wavelet coefficient (hard or soft), and the image quality after transformation-denoising-storage-decompression. Levels of decomposition are investigated in a new thresholding scheme, where the decision about the coefficient to be eliminated considers all variation, aiming for the best quality of reconstruction. Eight images of the same type and resolution are used in order to find the mean, median, range and standard deviation of the 432 combinations for each level of noise. Moreover, three evaluators (Normalized Cross-Correlation, Signal to Noise Ratio and Root Mean Squared Error) are considered for recommendation of the best possible combination of parameters.
This chapter focuses on discrete firefly optimization algorithm (FA)-based microarray data, which is a meta-heuristic, bio-inspired, optimization algorithm based on the flashing behaviour of fireflies, or lighting bugs. Its primary advantage is the global communication among the fireflies, and as a result, it seems more effective for triclustering problem. This chapter aims to render a clear description of a new firefly algorithm (FA) for optimization of tricluster applications. This research work proposes discrete firefly optimization-based triclustering model first time to find the highly correlated tricluster from microarray data. This model is reliable and robust triclustering model because of efficient global communication among the swarming particles called fireflies.
Regardless of the funding source, Archer said his findings also suggest this underreporting is getting worse. “What we’re doing is training the public to tell us what they’re eating, and if we tell them fat is bad, they will report eating less fat,” Archer said. “We’re teaching people to lie better.” Some researchers argue that if the underreporting is roughly consistent, it can show dietary trends that could be associated with the effects of various modifying tools, such as taxing certain foods. Steven Heymsfield, MD, a professor of nutrition, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, said such trends can also mislead scientists. “Many years ago, we saw the NHANES data showing the obese don’t eat much more than normal weight people, and so we thought they must have a metabolic issue,” Heymsfield said. “But we learned that people were clearly underreporting what they ate, and so the field is finally moving away from thinking about obesity as a metabolic problem to how food intake and energy expenditure are related to each other.” Although there are accurate tests that can precisely determine an individual’s energy intake, such testing is too expensive for use in large population studies. Heymsfield acknowledges the less-than-rigorous data found in NHANES will continue to be used. “So the scientific community is dying for an accurate way to assess food intake independent of what people tell you. It’s the holy grail, in a way.”
An exhausted testing is one of the testing strategy that need more time taken due to test the whole test cases in the Software Under Test. Many techniques have been proposed to avoid this situation because the size of the Software Under Test is vary and need to have good testing strategy performance. One of the techniques is Adaptive Random Testing (ART). The ART is one of the enhanced random testing. Due to ART performance is better than pure random testing, it becomes motivation to implement the ART in Aspect Oriented Program (AOP). The ART and random testing are similar in which is selection the first test case with random manner. But, ART add another one characteristic which is the evenness test in domain area. Due to similar for first test case, we proposed a new strategy called StART. In StART, we use statistical testing technique to get the information before we test. This process we named it as code profiling. This code profiling helps in selection first test case in this technique. The result from this phase shows the area that we need to select for test activity.
The characteristic variation of 3‐dimensional (3‐D) solenoid‐type embedded inductors is investigated. Four different structures of a 3‐D inductor are fabricated by using a low‐temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) process, and their s‐parameters are measured between 50 MHz and 5 GHz. The circuit model parameters of each building block are optimized and extracted using the partial element equivalent circuit method and an HSPICE circuit simulator. Based on the model parameters, the characteristics of the test structures such as self‐resonant frequency, inductance, and quality (Q) factor are analyzed, and predictive modeling is applied to the structures composed of a combination of the modeled building blocks. In addition, characteristic variations of the 3‐D inductors with different structures using extracted building blocks are also investigated. This approach can provide a characteristic estimation of 3‐D solenoid embedded inductors for structural variations.
To the Editor:   We read with interest the report by Akhter, et al 1 on antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin (aPS/PT) and IgA antiphospholipid assays in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). While we commend the authors on the number of patient samples investigated and fully agree on the importance of aPS/PT as markers of thrombosis in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), we cannot overlook the weak design of the study.  The authors offer testing for aPS/PT as an “alternative” assay to predict risk of thrombosis in anticoagulated patients where, presumably, the lupus anticoagulant (LAC) testing is not valid. While the invalidity of the LAC testing in anticoagulated patients is a matter of debate2,3,4, Akhter, et al supported …   Address correspondence to Dr. M. Bertolaccini, Lupus Research Unit, The Rayne Institute, Division of Women’s Health, King’s College London, 4th Floor Lambeth Wing, St. Thomas’s Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK. E-mail: maria.bertolaccini{at}kcl.ac.uk
Computed tomography (CT) imaging and ultrasound experimental measurements were used to reconstruct the acoustic properties (density, velocity, and impedance) of forehead tissues from a deceased Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). The nonlinear regression methods were used to demonstrate the relationships between the sound velocity and temperature in melon, muscle and connective tissue. The obtained nonlinear equations were then combined with the original CT scanning results and sound velocity distributions reconstructed at room temperature 25°C to reconstruct the dolphin head’s sound velocity distribution at temperature 37°C. The beam formation and beam properties between two temperatures 37°C and 25°C were then compared and discussed. The results could provide important information for understanding the species’ bioacoustic characteristics and the acoustic data can be used for investigation of biosonar beam formation of this species.
Objectives Data suggest that poor sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) contributes to suboptimal diabetes control. How the subscales comprising the PSQI individually relate to diabetes control is poorly understood. Methods In order to explore how PSQI subscales relate to diabetes control, we analyzed baseline data from a trial of a telemedicine intervention for diabetes. We used multivariable modeling to examine: (1) the relationship between the global PSQI and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); (2) the relationships between the 7 PSQI subscales and HbA1c; and (3) medication nonadherence as a possible mediating factor. Results Global PSQI was not associated with HbA1c (n = 279). Only one PSQI subscale, sleep disturbances, was associated with HbA1c after covariate adjustment; HbA1c increased by 0.4 points for each additional sleep disturbances subscale point (95%CI 0.1 to 0.8). Although the sleep disturbances subscale was associated with medication nonadherence (OR 2.04, 95%CI 1.27 to 3.30), a mediation analysis indicated nonadherence does not mediate the sleep disturbances-HbA1c relationship. Discussion The sleep disturbances subscale may drive the previously observed relationship between PSQI and HbA1c. The mechanism for the relationship between sleep disturbances and HbA1c remains unclear, as does the impact on HbA1c of addressing sleep disturbances.
A Boehringer Mannheim (BM) Hitachi 737 was installed in our laboratory in March, 1986. The general performance of the photometric chemistries on the instrument has always been very satisfactory. However, the reliability and performance of the ion specific electrode (ISE) unit demonstrated periodic problems. Lithium heparinized plasma samples have always been in use in this laboratory. In January 1990 we changed to lithium heparin primary sample tubes from Greiner (C A Greiner und Sohne, Greinerstrasse, Austria) and this appeared to exacerbate the problems with the ISE unit. The problems were partial blocking of the electrolyte sipper line and the sodium electrode causing accumulation of air in the system; short life of the electrodes, for example, 2 weeks for chloride and 1 month for sodium and potassium electrodes at 400 samples a day; and inaccurate assay values for external quality assessment samples for each of the three electrodes, in particular with the United Kingdom External Quality Assessment Scheme (UKEQAS) in which a variety of quality control materials are circulated. This problem was also evident in our internal quality assessment which demonstrated a slight positive drift in daily means as the electrodes aged. This observation was not evident with patient samples. The Hitachi 737 lSE system is indirect with the sample being diluted I : 30 with BM ISE diluent and aspirated into the electrodes. Between each sample analysis BM ISE internal standard containing the equivalent dilution of 140 mmollL sodium, 5·0 mmollL potassium and 100mmollL chloride is also aspirated into the electrodes. As these are the only solutions passing through the electrodes it was decided to look at the possibility of their replacement. While the BM ISE diluent composition is not given by the manufacturer initial investigation
Objective: Latinx populations are rapidly growing and aging in the United States. There is a critical need to accurately and efficiently detect those at risk for dementia, particularly those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI diagnosis often relies on neuropsychological assessment, although cultural, demographic, and linguistic characteristics may impact test scores. This study provides a scoping review of neuropsychological studies on MCI in Hispanic/Latinx populations to evaluate how studies report and account for these factors in diagnosis of MCI. Method: Studies were identified using Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus, using search terms (Hispanic* OR Latin* OR "Mexican American*" OR "Puerto Ric*" OR Caribbean) and ("Mild Cognitive Impairment" OR MCI). Studies using neuropsychological tests in diagnosis of MCI for Latinx individuals in the United States were identified. Sample characterization (e.g., country of origin, literacy, language preference and proficiency), neuropsychological testing methods (e.g., test selection and translation, normative data source), and method of MCI diagnosis were reviewed. Results: Forty-four articles met inclusion criteria. There was considerable variability in reporting of demographic, cultural and linguistic factors across studies of MCI in Latinx individuals. For example, only 5% of studies reported nativity status, 52% reported information on language preference and use, and 34% reported the method and/or source of test translation and adaptation. Conclusions: Future studies of diagnosis of MCI in Latinx individuals should report cultural details and use of appropriate neuropsychological assessment tools and normative data. This is important to accurately estimate the prevalence of MCI in Latinx individuals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
This article presents several combined absorption cycles proposed for the simultaneous and/or alternative production of power (mechanical or electrical) and refrigeration. The cycles are classified into two groups according to their driving heat source temperature range as low-grade (<200°C (392°F)) and mid-grade (<300°C (572°F)) combined absorption cycles. The thermodynamic performance of these cycle configurations were evaluated based on energetic and exergetic performance criteria that consider the thermodynamic quality of their useful outputs in both performance criteria. One particularly interesting application of such types of cycles could be the efficient utilization of solar thermal collector installations throughout the year to produce variable amounts of electricity and cooling according to a given building demand to minimize the consumption of primary energy.
A frequency-tunable low-phase-noise magnetoacoustic resonator is developed on the base of a parallel-plate straight-edge bilayer consisting of an yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) layer grown on a substrate of a gallium gadolinium garnet (GGG). When a YIG-GGG sample forms an ideal parallel plate, it supports a series of high-quality-factor acoustic modes standing along the plate thickness. Due to the magnetostriction of the YIG layer the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) mode of the YIG layer can strongly interact with the acoustic thickness modes of the YIG-GGG structure, when the modes' frequencies match. A particular acoustic thickness mode used for the resonance excitations of the hybrid magnetoacoustic oscillations in a YIG-GGG bilayer is chosen by the YIG-layer FMR frequency, which can be tuned by the variation of the external bias magnetic field. A composite scheme of a magnetoacoustic oscillator, which includes a FMR-based resonance preselector, is developed to guarantee satisfaction of the Barkhausen criteria for a single-acoustic-mode oscillation regime. The developed low-phase-noise composite magnetoacoustic oscillator can be tuned from 0.84 to 1 GHz with an increment of about 4.773 MHz (frequency distance between the adjacent acoustic thickness modes in a YIG-GGG parallel plate), and demonstrates the phase noise of $ ensuremath{-}116$ dBc/Hz at the offset frequency of 10 kHz.
Cell-cell interactions consisting of diffusible signaling and cell-cell contact (juxtacrine signaling) are important in numerous biological processes such as tumor growth, stem cell differentiation, and stem cell self-renewal. A number of methods currently exist to modulate cell signaling in vitro. One method of modulating the total amount of diffusible signaling is to vary the cell seeding density during culture. Due to the random nature of cell seeding, this results in considerable variation in the actual cell-cell spacing and amount of cell-cell contact, and cannot prescribe the local environment. A more specific approach for modulating cell signaling is to use molecular inhibitors or genetic approaches to knock down specific signaling proteins, but both of these methods are best suited to manipulating small numbers of molecules. Here, we demonstrate a new approach to modulating cell-cell signaling that modulates the local environment of a cluster of cells by placing different numbers of cells at desired locations on a substrate. This method provides a complementary way to control the local diffusible and juxtacrine signaling between cells. Our method makes use of the Bio Flip Chip (BFC), a microfabricated silicone chip containing hundreds-to-thousands of microwells, each sized to hold either a single cell or small numbers of cells. We load the chip with cells simply by pipetting them onto the array of wells and washing unloaded cells off the array. The chip is then flipped onto a substrate, whereby the cells fall out of the wells and onto the substrate, maintaining their patterning. After the cells have attached, the chip can be removed (or left on). This approach to cell patterning is unique in that it: 1) doesn't alter the chemistry of the substrate, thus allowing cells to proliferate and migrate; 2) allows patterning onto any substrate, including tissue-culture polystyrene, glass, matrigel, and even feeder cell layers; and 3) is compatible with traditional microcontact printing, allowing the creation of extracellular matrix islands with cells placed inside those islands. In this video, we demonstrate the patterning of mouse embryonic stem cells onto tissue-culture polystyrene using the BFC.
Though it originated in the west, Marxism succeeded in adapting itself to the actual conditions in China and had become the guiding ideology for China’s revolution, development and reform. This is all because of actual needs: the urgent need for social reforms and development in China since modern times have provided rich soil for the sinicization of Marxism; the urgent need of the Chinese people towards freedom has been the direct driving force; and the need for Chinese traditions to keep up with the times has offered an opportunity.
We propose the application of a new transform-based coding method in conjunction with Golomb-Rice (G-R) codes to lower significantly the complexity, which can be used in various applications, e.g. the multiple description coding. The theoretical evaluations predict no important loss in compression performance, while the complexity is considerably reduced. Since GR codes are very fast and well suited for exponentially decaying distributions, they were implemented during the last decade in image and audio compressors. In all these schemes, the selection of the code parameter is performed presuming Laplacian distribution of prediction errors. We derive the selection method for the GR code parameter also for the case of Gaussian inputs.
In order to investigate the long-term effects of equol (Eq) on growth and meat quality in broilers, 0 μg (control, Con), 20 μg (low dose, L) and 100 μg (high dose, H) Eq, respectively, were injected into fertile eggs (146 eggs per group) on 7 days of embryos. After hatch, chickens were fed under the same conditions and slaughtered at 49 days of age for sample collection and analysis. The results showed that body weight and composition were marginally affected by Eq administration (P > 0.05). Compared with their male counterparts, the meat quality of female broilers was affected greatly after Eq administration. The redness (a*) of meat color in the L and H groups of female broilers was significantly decreased by 24.10% and 21.50% (P < 0.01), respectively; cooking loss decreased by 12.11% and 16.82%, respectively, in the L and H groups (P < 0.01); 24 h and 48 h drip loss was significantly decreased by 60.27% and 45.72% (P < 0.05), respectively, in the H group. However, for male broilers, only cooking loss was significantly decreased by high dosage of Eq treatment (P < 0.05). The antioxidative status was analyzed for discovering further the mechanism behind the improvement of the water-holding capacity caused by Eq in female broilers. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) in plasma was greatly increased by 15.94% in the L group (P < 0.01), whereas the total superoxide dismutase activity (T-SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde in plasma were not changed (P > 0.05). The T-SOD activity in the breast muscle of the L and H groups were significantly improved by 23.14% and 18.82% (P < 0.05), respectively. GSHPx in the breast muscle of the H group showed a tendency to increase (P = 0.06 < 0.1). These results indicate that Eq injection in ovo does not affect the growth of broilers, but significantly improves the water-holding capacity of the muscle, especially in female broilers, which is related to the improvement of antioxidative status.
Although many people are satisfied with their outcome after total knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis, around 20% report chronic post‐surgical pain. People are often disappointed and unsure about whether their pain is normal and what can be done about it. Given the high prevalence of long‐term post‐operative pain after knee replacement, there is potentially a large hidden population with an unaddressed need for care.
This paper uses the context of the Commonwealth in order to focus on a specific dimension of tourism that is located within it, that of the mega all-Commonwealth event, the Commonwealth Games, and its impact in tourism terms. Sports events and tourism are closely linked and it is abundantly clear that the tourism potential of mega sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games is a major factor in encouraging cities to bid to host such events. Such tourism potential relates to the immediate attraction of the event to athletes and officials associated with the event, volunteers and other paid employees who work at the event and, in particular, international and domestic visitors as games spectators and participants. This paper sets the Commonwealth Games in the wider context of sports tourism and will address their impact through consideration of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia.
The melting point trends of model salts composed of coarse grain ions are examined using NPT molecular dynamics simulations. The model salts incorporate ion size asymmetry and distributed cation charge, which are two common features in ionic liquids. A series of single-phase and two-phase simulations are done at set temperatures with 50 K intervals for each salt, and the normal melting point is estimated within 50 K. The melting point trends are then established relative to a charge-centered, size symmetric salt with a normal melting point between 1250 K and 1300 K. We consider two sets of size asymmetric salts with size ratios up to 3:1; the melting point trends are different in each set. The lowest melting point we find is between 450 K and 500 K, which is a reduction of over 60% from the charge-centered, size symmetric case. In both sets, we find diversity in the solid phase structures. For all size ratios with small cation charge displacements, the salts crystallize with orientationally disordered cations. When the partial cation charge is far enough off-center in salts with ion size ratios near 1:1, the salts can become trapped in glassy states and have underlying crystal structures that are orientationally ordered. At ion size ratios near 3:1, the salts with large cation charge displacements show premelting transitions at temperatures as low as 300 K. After the premelting transition, these salts exist either as fast ion conductors, where the smaller anions move through a face centered cubic (fcc) cation lattice, or as plastic crystals, where ion pairs rotate on a fcc lattice.
This paper introduces a set of definitions and classification requirements for coalbed methane (CBM) resources/reserves, based on Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS). The basic CBM classification criterions of 1P, 2P, 3P and contingent resources are put forward from the following aspects: ownership, project maturity, drilling requirements, testing requirements, economic requirements, infrastructure and market, timing of production and development, and so on. The volumetric method is used to evaluate the OGIP, with focuses on analyses of key parameters and principles of the parameter selection, such as net thickness, ash and water content, coal rank and composition, coal density, cleat volume and saturation and absorbed gas content etc. A dynamic method is used to assess the reserves and recovery efficiency. Since the differences in rock and fluid properties, displacement mechanism, completion and operating practices and wellbore type resulted in different production curve characteristics, the factors affecting production behavior, the dewatering period, pressure build-up and interference effects were analyzed. The conclusion and results that the paper achieved can be used as important references for reasonable assessment of CBM resources/reserves.
Co73Fe6Mo3B18 amorphous thin films have been prepared by using a RF sputtering technique. The optimum sputtering parameters are determined for this case. The high-frequency impedance of the films has been studied experimentally. The frequency relation for the impedance is described very well by the relation Z=(a0+ia1 omega )/(b0+ib1 omega ). The calculated value of a0/b0 is consistent with that extrapolated from the resistance-frequency curve.
Cytoskeletal components like microfilaments and microtubules are known to play important roles during the processes of oocyte maturation, fertilization and early embryonic development in mammals. However, the roles of other components such as cytoplasmic intermediate filaments, during these critical events remain largely unknown. Oocyte maturation is the final step of oogenesis, immediately before ovulation. Several cytological changes involving the cytoskeleton take place during the maturation process, including meiotic spindle formation, redistribution of cell organelles, membrane polarization and first polar body emission. In this study we determined the organization and rearrangements of cytokeratins during hamster oocyte maturation. Fully grown oocytes were cultured and then visualised using microscopic immunolabelling techniques to monitor the cytokeratin dynamics at specific meiotic stages of the maturation process. In prophase-I-arrested fully grown hamster oocytes, cytokeratins are confined to 4-10 large cortical aggregates, corresponding to extensive meshworks of intermediate filaments. These large aggregates disperse into multiple small spots starting at metaphase I until the end of the maturation period at metaphase II, where cytokeratin exhibits a homogeneously distributed spotted pattern. However, meiotic progression to metaphase II is not necessary for cytokeratin redistribution to occur, since precociously arrested metaphase I oocytes also exhibit dispersed cytoplasmic foci at the end of the culture period. The redistribution of cytokeratins is insensitive to nocodazole and cytochalasin D suggesting it occurs independent of microtubules and microfilaments. In contrast, both cumulus cells and protein synthesis are required for cytokeratin modifications to take place during oocyte maturation. These results show that cytokeratin intermediate filaments are present in the fully grown hamster oocyte, and that a striking reorganization of cytokeratins, triggered by attainment of the metaphase I stage, occurs during maturation.
Cobalt complex with flutamide was synthesized and physico - chemically characterized by amperometr y , polarography, elemental analysis and IR spectrometry . After synthesiz ing the metal complex, it was evaluated for antibacterial and antifungal activities against various pathogenic microorganisms such as Streptococcus aureus, Prosteus mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumonia and Aspergillus niger, Nigrosporan sp Fung i . B16 - F10 melanoma cell and C - 57BL/6 mice have been used for anticancer screening of the metal complex for in vitro and in vivo study. The result of pharmacological studies with M: L revealed that the complex is more potent as compared to the pure drug as regards to its anticancer activity.
This preliminary report is made on three of the simpler phases of a work which is designed to determine in what manner the methods of biology and physical chemistry can be made applicable to a study of the nervous system: 1. The ultramicroscopic observation of fresh nerve tissue reveals the colloidal nature of the tissue elements. This cannot be observed in fixed tissue with direct illumination. 2. In "swelling" experiments with fresh brain tissue, water is taken up in the proportions that are applicable to colloidal masses in general. The swelling of brain tissue thus follows the same laws as does that of gelatin, for instance. It is important to note that the swelling effects discussed are different from osmotic effects. 3. The effects of the colloidal swelling of the cells and intercellular substance of nerve tissue can be seen with the ultramicroscope. These appearances correlate with the results of
Study Design Retrospective cohort study with a cross-sectional comparison. Objective To compare the rates of anesthesia prescription and satisfaction with surgery, prevalence and severity of low back pain, prevalence of depression, and sexual dysfunction among pregnant and nonpregnant patients with AIS undergoing correction surgery with pedicle-based systems and healthy woman with a history of pregnancy. Methods Women between the ages of 18 and 40 years who underwent correction surgery for AIS with a pedicle screw system were interviewed regarding pregnancies, child delivery, method of pain control during delivery, and any long-term outcome after delivery. In addition, sexual dysfunction (Female Sexual Distress Scale–Revised [FSDS]), depression (the Beck Depression Assessment Questionnaire), and Scoliosis Research Society 24 (SRS24) questionnaires were administered. Data was compared between patients with AIS without a history of pregnancy and healthy controls. Results Satisfaction with surgery in the AIS pregnant group using the SRS24 questionnaire scored 3.76/5 (p = 0.0047 when compared with nonpregnant AIS group). Six of the 17 of the women with AIS had severe back pain during pregnancy (35%) mandating home treatment or hospitalization. Of the 17 women, 13 complained of a sustained back pain after child delivery (76%) that impacted their life. In the nonscoliosis group, no back pain attributed to pregnancy was reported. The rates of regional anesthesia prescription among pregnant patients with AIS who underwent correction surgery was 30% (5/17), whereas among healthy pregnant women, rates were 100% (6/6). The SRS24 scores in the patients with AIS were 72% (88/120), showing a low score of 3.69/5 in the pain domains (p = 0.0048 when compared with nonpregnant patients with AIS). Depression rates were in the normal range and similar in all groups. FSDS scores, used to assess sexual dysfunction, were 4.02 in the pregnancy group and 5.67 in the nonpregnant group (not significant) and 4.6 in the nonscoliosis control group (not significant). Conclusion Women who underwent scoliosis correction suffered from long-term back pain after pregnancy and had decreased satisfaction with surgery. In addition, anesthesiologists refused epidurals in a large number of these patients. A larger study is needed on the topic.
It is suggested that in some situations, observations for random variables should be collected in the form of intervals. In this paper, the unknown parameters in a bivariate normal model are estimated based on a set of point and interval observations via the maximum likelihood approach. The Newton-Raphson algorithm is used to find the estimates, and asymptotic properties of the estimator are provided. Monte Carlo studies are conducted to study the performance of the estimator. An example based on real-life data is presented to demonstrate the practical applicability of the method.
Little change has been made in present office chairs over the past decades. The study on office chairs is confined to their appearance molding and comfort without much innovation in the function of office chairs, especially functional diversity. Based on TRIZ, a creative design of multi-functional office chair has been accomplished. Its functional principle and structure are analyzed. A type of can realize the normal, comfortable office, and the rest of the multi-functional office chair is exploited.
Neuron form the basic computation unit of brain. These cells form connection with one another in the brain and form network in which information is processed. Immense information processing ability of neural network is attributed to its exceptional parallel processing. Neuron in network fires spikes which travels and effect other neurons in the network as well. Brain cultures of rat embryos are made on multi electrode array dish. MEA dish facilitates study of network topology as it allows recording from population of neuron. Time of spike occurrences in the network was recorded along with the electrode from which activity was recorded. For analysis of network related activity of dynamic network of neurons, the proposed framework ranks nodes of network based on two paradigms and defines a parameter activity index. Activity index takes into account the activity of neuron and reports the changing of activity hub of the neuron network with time. A comparative study is done on the result of two paradigms.
We provide the instances used in the paper The Generalized Regenerator Location Problem , by S. Chen, I. Ljubić and S. Raghavan, INFORMS J. on Computing, 27(2): 204–220, 2015 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/ijoc.2014.0621). This repository contains both the instances used in the paper as well as the upper and lower bounds obtained in the paper. The accompanying data is contained in the following files: • instancesgrlp.zip: In this compressed archive all the instances used in the paper (Set1, Set2, Set3) are provided. These instances do not have any preprocessing procedures applied to them (as described Section 3.1 of [1]). They are in a format suitable for the branch-and-cut approach. In other words they are the instances after transformation to the extended directed graph H̃ described in Section 3.3 of [1]. • InstancesDescription.txt: This file contains the description of the data files for the instances. • GRLP BandC.xlsx: This spreadsheet reports the upper and lower bounds obtained in the paper. Each sheet in this file contains the following columns: – Name: Name of the instance. – LB: Lower bound. – UB: Upper bound. – Status: OPTIMAL or SUBOPTIMAL (if UB 6= LB).
818 respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 binds to its target cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)., which is expressed in the lungs, intestines, kidneys, blood vessels, and heart.6,7 In animal models, the upregulation of ACE2 expression in various organs resulted from ACEI and ARB treatment.8-10 Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 turns angiotensin II to angiotensin 1-7, which has a protective role in the cardiovascular system and, potentially, a vasodilatory effect. Moreover, ACE2 prevents acute lung injury.11,12 Possible upregulation of ACE2 expression as a receptor for viral cell entry (with ACEIs or ARBs) may theoretically increase susceptibility to COVID-19. Interestingly, a contrasting hypothesis has also been postulated. Angiotensin receptor blockers have been suggested to act beneficially in patients with COVID-19 by ACE2 upregulation, thus increasing the concentration of vasodilating angiotensin 1-7 at the expense of angiotensin II causing vasoconstriction, which contributed to lung protection.13,14 Therefore, in the absence of firm evidence regarding beneficial or adverse outcomes of ACEI and ARB treatment in patients with COVID-19, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) as well as the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association do not recommend discontinuation or any modification of clinically indicated therapy. The risk of discontinuing drug use is well known: it may destabilize blood pressure control and consequently increase cardiovascular mortality in patients with COVID-19.15,16
Saccharin (o-benzoic sulfimide) preferentially adsorbs onto platinum (111) electrodes modified with the (3x3) iodine adlayers (θ I = 0.44). This is in contrast to platinum (111) electrodes modified with the (√7x√7)R19.1° iodine adlayer (θ I = 0.43) where no adsorption is detected. Saccharin adsorption was monitored through changes in the voltammograms associated with the oxidative desorption of the strongly bound iodine adlayer and Ag underpotential deposition on the iodine-modified electrode surfaces in acidic solutions. Simple modeling calculations support the experimental observation and suggest that the preferential adsorptive behavior of saccharin is due to the enhanced van der Waals interactions associated with the symmetric Pt(111)(3x3)-I adlayer structure. The Pt(111)(3x3)-I adlayer structure is one of two (3x3)iodine adlayer structures found to a comparable extent of coverage on flame-annealed Pt(111)electrodes exposed to iodine for a longer duration than that leading to the formation of the Pt(111)(√7x√7)R19.1°-I adlattice.
A novel technique involving pulsed laser vaporization of the bulk metal within a pulsed supersonic nozzle has been shown to successfully produce ultracold bare metal clusters of even the most refractory of metals, tungsten and molybdenum. Clusters of up to 25 atoms may be readily prepared using this technique. Mass‐selective resonant two‐photon ionization spectra of Mo2 produced in this fashion show that the dimer is efficiently cooled in the expansion Ttrans<6 K, Trot∼5 K, and Tvib∼325 K. We have rotationally resolved the A 1Σ+u←X 1Σ+g (0–0) band for 92Mo2 and determined the bond length in the ground and excited states to be 1.940±0.009 and 1.937±0.008 A, respectively. This confirms and extends the analysis of Efremov et al. [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 73, 40 (1970)] who prepared 98Mo2 by flash photolysis of isotopically pure Mo(CO)6. We have also observed the (1–1), (2–2), and (3–3) sequence bands which together with the ground state data of Efremov et al. determine vibrational constants ω′e=449.0±0.2 cm−1 and ...
The nucleation of graphene on Ni surface, as well as on the step, is stud- ied using a tight binding method of SCC-DFTB. The result demonstrates that the fcc configuration has the lowest total energy and thus is the most stable one compared to the other two structures when benzene ring is absorbed on the Ni(111) surface. The activity of marginal growth graphene's carbon atoms decreases from the boundary to the center, when they are absorbed on the substrate. Graphene layer can grow contin- uously on step surface formed by intersection of Ni(111) and Ni(1 ¯ 11) surface. Mean- while, amismatch will occur betweenthe graphenelayer and Ni surfaceand thus leads to flaws when the layer grows larger. Reducing the mismatch between the graphene and the step surface will benefit the growth of graphene of large area and high quality.
Fifty years before a report on the complete bitemporal lobectomy syndrome in primates, known as the Klüver-Bucy syndrome, was published, 2 talented investigators working at the University College in London, England-neurologist Sanger Brown and physiologist Edward Schäfer-also made this discovery. The title of their work was "An investigation into the functions of the occipital and temporal lobes of the monkey's brain," and it involved excisional brain surgery in 12 monkeys. They were particularly interested in the then-disputed primary cortical locations relating to vision and hearing. However, following extensive bilateral temporal lobe excisions in 2 monkeys, they noted peculiar behavior including apparent loss of memory and intelligence resembling "idiocy." These investigators recognized most of the behavioral findings that later came to be known as the Klüver-Bucy syndrome. However, they were working within the late-19th-century framework of cerebral cortical localizations of basic motor and sensory functions. Details of the Brown and Schäfer study and a glimpse of the neurological thinking of that period is presented. In the decades following the pivotal work of Klüver and Bucy in the late 1930s, in which they used a more advanced neurosurgical technique, tools of behavioral observations, and analysis of brain sections after euthanasia, investigators have elaborated the full components of the clinical syndrome and the extent of their resections. Other neuroscientists sought to isolate and determine the specific temporal neocortical, medial temporal, and deep limbic structures responsible for various visual and complex behavioral deficits. No doubt, Klüver and Bucy's contribution led to a great expansion in attention given to the limbic system's role in action, perception, emotion, and affect-a tide that continues to the present time.
Reading a poem or a novel, seeing a play or a film, is a special kind of experience. Yet the essential nature of that experience has remained a mystery. Philosophers have discussed the writer s role, and critics the writer s craft, but there has been little disciplined inquiry into the relation of literature to people s minds the way in which people re-create within themselves the literary experience. Norman Holland approaches the problem armed with a thorough understanding of psychoanalytic concepts, and develops a comprehensive theory of the psychology of literature that deals with poetry, theater, and film, as well as with fiction, myth, pornography, and humor."
The present study was conducted to document the ethnomedicinal plants used against jaundice by the tea tribes of Morigaon district of Assam, India. An ethnomedicinal field study was carried out from June 2016 - July 2017. Information was gathered by using a semi-structured questionnaire about the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants used against jaundice by the tea tribes of Morigaon district of Assam. Documented data was evaluated using the quantitative ethno-botanical indices of fidelity level (FL), Use Value (UV) and Family Use Value (FUV). From the ethno-botanical investigation, a total of 39 species of plants covering 36 genera and 27 families respectively have been enumerated. A total of 53 informants aged from 20-75 years were interviewed to record the ethnomedicinal data. Lamiaceae was the dominant family. Among the plant portions, leaves were most frequently used. Among the 39 medicinal plant species recognized mostly were herbs. The plants species having the highest use value were Drymaria cordata trailed by Xylosma longifolia and Achyranthes aspera, Aegle marmelos, Alstonia scholaris and Justicia gendarussa . The fidelity level was 100% for Achyranthes aspera, Cheilocostus speciosus, Clerodendrum infortunatum, Justicia gendarussa, Lawsonia inermis, Coffea benghalensis and Saccharum officinarum . The tea tribes of Morigaon district still relies on herbal therapies for curing jaundice. Coffea benghalensis has not been previously reported as a remedy of jaundice from Northeast India. Further research is needed to investigate the phytochemistry and pharmacological effectiveness of the plant species that could be the basis for the isolation and development of some novel phyto-therapeutic active compounds in the future.
This sixth quarter of the grant period has seen completion of a significant portion of the core gasification experiments set forth in the grant objectives. The authors have resolved all of the problems with impurities in the gas streams and all uncertainties in the mass spectroscopic analysis. Further, the analysis of gasified chars showed that the quantity of hydrogen adsorbed was much greater than the residue on the annealed char, so that they do not have to use deuterium (D{sub 2})or heavy water (D{sub 2}O) as the reactant species. In addition to reducing expenses, this greatly simplifies deconvolution of the experimental results because they no longer have to struggle to separate the concentrations of deuterated methane (CD{sub 4}, M = 20) from heavy water (D{sub 2}O, M = 20). Results of the gasification experiments conducted during this reporting period have been gratifying, both in terms of precision and reproducibility and in terms of information about the system under study. The remainder of the report for this period gives a review of the theory behind the work, a sample of the gasification results obtained, and interpretation of the data collected. The authors are now moving into the phase of the projectmore » where they will be conducting analyses of the data collected to determine the mode(s) of hydrogen inhibition taking place.« less
ABSTRACT: Bridging the gap between traditional immunology and nanoscale biophysics has proved more difficult than originally thought whereas for cell biology applications, super-resolution microscopy has already afforded a raft of new concepts. From neuronal segmentation to nuclear pores and the 3D structure of focal adhesions – nanoscopy has begun to illuminate the link between nanoscale organization and function. In the field of immunology, the explanation must typically go further, linking nanoscale biophysical phenomena to the manifestation of specific diseases, or the altered activity of specific immune cell subtypes in a bodily compartment. What follows is a summary of how nanoscopy has elucidated immunological function, and what might be achieved in the future to link quantifiable, nanoscale, biophysical phenomena with cell and tissue functionality. We explore where the gaps in our understanding are, and how they might be narrowed by microscopists, biophysicists and immunologists working together.
The effects of various subclasses of flavonoids, Rose Bengal, and different styrylpyridinium dyes on the magnitude of the dipole potential of membranes composed of pure phospholipids and sterol-containing bilayers were investigated. Changes in the steady-state membrane conductance induced by cation-ionophore complexes were measured to examine the changes in the dipole potential of lipid bilayers. The characteristic parameters of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm for different flavonoids and Rose Bengal and the slope of the linear dependence of the dipole potential change on the aqueous concentrations of RH dyes were estimated. Chalcones (phloretin and phloridzin) and flavonols (quercetin and myricetin) strictly decrease the dipole potential of phospholipid- and sterol-containing membranes; the unsaturation of the C-ring and the hydrophobicity of the molecule contribute to the ability of the flavonoid to reduce the bilayer dipole potential. Rose Bengal decreases the magnitude of the bilayer dipole potential to a similar extent, but its affinity for membrane lipids is higher; the effects of RH dyes, chalcones, and phloroglucinol are determined by sterol concentration and type.
Monodispersed FePt nanoparticles are synthesized by reduction of iron(II) acetylacetonate and platinum(II) acetylacetonate with 1,2-hexadecanediol as the reducing reagent in the polyol process. As-prepared FePt nanoparticles are chemically disordered with fcc phase. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show a self-assembled particle array with an average particle size of 3 nm and a standard deviation about 10%. The transformation from chemically disordered fcc to chemically ordered L10 phase is achieved by annealing at 650 degrees C for 30 min in Ar atmosphere where the oxygen level is less than 1 ppm. Magnetic hysteresis measurements show a coercivity of 9.0 kOe at 293K, and 16.7 kOe at 5 K for the annealed FePt nanoparticles.
Despite the importance of glucose for fetal growth, gestational development of placental glucose transport capacity has not been studied in the human. Furthermore, inadequate glucose transport has been implicated as a pathophysiological mechanism in intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). We studied glucose transporter (GLUT) protein expression in sections of normal term placental tissue (immunocytochemistry) and in syncytiotrophoblast microvillous (MVM) and basal membranes (BM) isolated from normal term, preterm, and IUGR placentas (immunoblotting). GLUT 1, but not GLUT 3, protein was abundantly present in syncytiotrophoblast membranes. MVM had approximately 3-fold higher GLUT 1 density than BM at term. MVM GLUT 1 density was maintained from 16 weeks of gestation to term. BM GLUT 1 density increased 2-fold in late second trimester and remained unaltered thereafter to term. GLUT 1 densities in term and preterm IUGR placentas were unaltered. Net D-glucose uptake rates corresponded to the GLUT 1 densities. These data suggest that 1) GLUT 1 is the main glucose transporter protein isoform in human syncytiotrophoblast; 2) the glucose transport capacity for MVM is potentially approximately 20-fold higher than that of BM; 3) GLUT 1 densities may be regulated independently in MVM and BM; 4) the increase in surface area and the maintenance of a high GLUT 1 density can account for the increase in placental glucose transport in the latter part of pregnancy; and 5) fetal hypoglycemia in IUGR is not due to a decrease in placental glucose transporter density.
Light scattered by an object contains plethora information about the object which is distributed evenly among all possible Fourier components of light observed in the far‐field. There are some cases, however, where this information is accumulated in the light confined by the object and then encoded in just a few coherent optical beams. Here, Fourier nanotransducers based on 2D plasmonic metamaterials are introduced, which are capable of confining light in 2D plane contacting with a functional interface, gathering information about its properties, and then transmitting the information into discrete optical beams with amplified phase relations. It is shown that phase of light in such beams can be used for probing dynamic physical properties of 2D materials and performing bio/chemical sensing with unprecedented sensitivity. Using a Fourier transducer based on periodic gold nanostructures, ferroelectric response from a single atomic layer of MoS2 is resolved and studied for the first time, as well as the detection of important antibiotic chloramphenicol at fg mL−1 level is demonstrated, which several orders of magnitude better than reported in the literature. The implementation of phase‐responsive Fourier nanotransducers opens new avenues in exploration of emergent 2D structures and radical improvement of biosensing technology.
Nanocrystalline powders of Y 2 O 3 with grain sizes in the range between 7 and 40 nm were prepared by the microemulsion technique and by condensation from an inert gas atmosphere. The cubic respectively monoclinic powders were examined by means of Brillouin scattering (consolidated samples) and micro-Raman scattering (powders and consolidated samples). Measurements of the elastic properties of quasi-isotropic pellets yield a longitudinal modulus reduced down to 25% compared with that of the monocrystal and point to optical inhomogeneities in the range of the wavelength of the light. With decreasing dimensions of the crystallites a shift of the characteristic Raman lines to lower frequencies and a distinct broadening of the lines are observed. A trial is made to interpret these features by the phonon-confinement model of Richter et al. [1]. A possibility to characterize the nanocrystalline powders by means of Raman spectroscopy is discussed.
Bulgaria and Romania have been included, whereas Turkey has notand why has Iceland been left out when Norway and Switzerland are brought in? The third part of the book, which in some ways is the most practical/ useful section is the appendices, setting up in schematic form a comparison of the practical application of competition rules in the different countries illustrating which countries allow for leniency, individual and block exemption, and which countries have criminal sanctions. It also lists the fines that one can expect if breaching the rules in the various countries. The second appendix outlines the type of litigation available in the different countries and the possibility of obtaining damages. In particular, this appendix points out the different standard of proofs required and clarifies with whom the burden of proof lies in competition litigation. Moreover, it shows which countries accept class actions and which do not. Finally, the third appendix is simply a list of all the competition authorities of all the countries presented in the book including full contact details also of the new Member States competition authorities. In my view this book offers a good introductory overview of the national competition rules in the old Member States mainly, as well as practical guidance (the appendices) to essential question on application and litigation. Moreover, the book has arrived at a time where such a guide is much needed and I am sure that a great deal of practitioners will find it extremely useful.
Developing highly active and structurally robust electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is of paramount importance for sustainable and clean production of hydrogen. Metal sulphides exposing catalytically active sites, in particular, have been actively pursued as advanced HER catalysts. Herein we report high-performance Rh2S3-based HER catalysts with excellent activity and durability. Hollow Rh2S3 hexagonal nanoprisms with controlled size and thickness could be conveniently prepared by one-step formation of core–shell nanoprisms followed by the etching of the core, and they show high surface areas and highly exposed edge sites. The hollow Rh2S3 nanoprisms exhibit very high HER activity and excellent stability under harsh acidic conditions.
Localization microscopy achieves nanoscale spatial resolution by iterative localization of sparsely activated molecules, which generally leads to a long acquisition time. By implementing advanced algorithms to treat overlapping point spread functions (PSFs), imaging of densely activated molecules can improve the limited temporal resolution, as has been well demonstrated in two-dimensional imaging. However, three-dimensional (3D) localization of high-density data remains challenging since PSFs are far more similar along the axial dimension than the lateral dimensions. Here, we present a new, high-density 3D imaging system and algorithm. The hybrid system is implemented by combining astigmatic and biplane imaging. The proposed 3D reconstruction algorithm is extended from our state-of-the art 2D high-density localization algorithm. Using mutual coherence analysis of model PSFs, we validated that the hybrid system is more suitable than astigmatic or biplane imaging alone for 3D localization of high-density data. The efficacy of the proposed method was confirmed via simulation and real data of microtubules. Furthermore, we also successfully demonstrated fluorescent-protein-based live cell 3D localization microscopy with a temporal resolution of just 3 seconds, capturing fast dynamics of the endoplasmic recticulum.
BACKGROUND Schwannomas are rare, slow-growing, benign tumors consisting of Schwann cells. They may cause pressure along a bony structure, resulting in increased pain and discomfort. Less than 1% of schwannomas become malignant, and localization in the foot is uncommon (2%-3% of reported cases).   METHODS We present a case of a schwannoma of a branch of the posterior tibial nerve sheath. The goal is to assist in recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of schwannoma in the foot and ankle. This is a case of a 51-year-old male soccer player with a soft-tissue mass along the medial ankle at the tarsal tunnel area with an insidious onset (2 years). Physical examination revealed a 3.0 × 2.5-cm mass; magnetic resonance imaging confirmed location, size, and depth.   RESULTS Surgical resection of the soft-tissue mass was performed under general anesthesia. The mass was found to be superior to the flexor retinaculum and attached by a small nerve branch of the posterior tibial nerve that traveled through the flexor retinaculum. A tissue specimen was sent to the pathology laboratory, and a schwannoma was confirmed histologically.   CONCLUSIONS Schwannomas can occur after trauma, especially if the posterior tibial nerve or its branches are affected intrinsically or extrinsically, leading to discomfort, pain, and numbness along the tarsal tunnel. Also, unique to this case, a schwannoma may occur along the small branches of the posterior tibial nerve and present anatomically superior to the flexor retinaculum.
Ultrasonically assisted turning (UAT) is a progressive machining method in which vibration is applied to the cutting insert in the direction of the cutting tool velocity to reduce the cutting forces, significantly and increase the surface finish noticeably. However, the key question about the tool damage caused by the vibration and its effect on the cutting forces, surface roughness and process zone temperature is still unknown in UAT. This paper presents experimental analysis of the effect of worn tool in UAT and conventional-turning (CT) of β-Ti-15V-3Al-3Cr-3Sn (Ti-15333) alloy on surface quality of a machined surface, temperature of the process zone and cutting forces using KC5510 (PVD TiAlN) and CP500 (PVD (Ti,Al)N-TiN) cutting inserts.  In UAT, the tool edge damages in CP500 inserts increased with tested machining time resulted a growth of 8 N and 10 N in tangential force component in CT and UAT, respectively.  Similarly, with the progression of tool edge damage, a growth of 1.7% and 9.3% in process zone temperature was observed in CT and UAT, respectively.  The surface roughness results revealed a gradual degradation with machining time, however, the results UAT with a worn tool was significantly better when compared to CT, with a virgin tool.
Trichoderma reesei (teleomorph Hypocrea jecorina) is the main industrial source of cellulases and hemicellulases harnessed for the hydrolysis of biomass to simple sugars, which can then be converted to biofuels such as ethanol and other chemicals. The highly productive strains in use today were generated by classical mutagenesis. To learn how cellulase production was improved by these techniques, we performed massively parallel sequencing to identify mutations in the genomes of two hyperproducing strains (NG14, and its direct improved descendant, RUT C30). We detected a surprisingly high number of mutagenic events: 223 single nucleotides variants, 15 small deletions or insertions, and 18 larger deletions, leading to the loss of more than 100 kb of genomic DNA. From these events, we report previously undocumented non-synonymous mutations in 43 genes that are mainly involved in nuclear transport, mRNA stability, transcription, secretion/vacuolar targeting, and metabolism. This homogeneity of functional categories suggests that multiple changes are necessary to improve cellulase production and not simply a few clear-cut mutagenic events. Phenotype microarrays show that some of these mutations result in strong changes in the carbon assimilation pattern of the two mutants with respect to the wild-type strain QM6a. Our analysis provides genome-wide insights into the changes induced by classical mutagenesis in a filamentous fungus and suggests areas for the generation of enhanced T. reesei strains for industrial applications such as biofuel production.
The title compound, C16H14ClN3OS, is an important, biologically active heterocyclic compound. The triazole ring is oriented at dihedral angles of 66.65 (3) and 82.53 (3) with respect to the 4-chlorophenyl and 2-(3-methoxyphenyl)methyl rings, respectively. The dihedral angle between the benzene rings is 32.90 (2) . In the crystal structure, intermolecular N— H S hydrogen bonds link the molecules into centrosymmetric dimers.
In this paper, we compare two photoacoustic techniques to characterize the mechanical parameters of edge‐supported aluminum and silicon nitride double‐layer thin films. In a first set of experiments, a femtosecond transient pump‐probe technique is used to investigate the Young’s moduli of the aluminum and silicon nitride layers by launching ultra‐high frequency bulk acoustic waves in the films. In a second set of experiments, dispersion curves of the A0 mode of the Lamb waves that propagate along the unsupported films are measured using a broadband photoacoustic guided‐wave method. The residual stresses and flexural rigidities for the same set of double‐layer membranes are determined from these dispersion curves. Comparisons of the results obtained by the two photoacoustic techniques are made.
Abstract This article proposes a new approach to understanding Russian pro-regime counter-demonstrations, arguing that starting from 2014, they have acquired a distinctively demobilizational outlook: whereas the opposition seeks to mobilize the population to action, what suits the regime best is a safely de-mobilized majority. This interpretation requires a perspective different from that used for studying opposition demonstrations: instead of seeing the regime’s social media strategy for promoting counter-demonstrations as attempts to attract maximum involvement, the message should be judged on its capacity to discourage large-scale collective action. To show how this works in practice, the two biggest recent pro-regime counter-demonstrations are analysed: their context and background and the promotion of them on their official VKontakte pages and in related Twitter posts by prominent pro-regime tweeters. What may appear as strategies to mobilize for counter-demonstrations emerge as efforts to engender emotions that serve the regime’s purpose of keeping the population apolitical and passive.
Protein ions of different mass and charge but similar mass-to-charge ratios are shown to undergo significantly different rates of differential neutralization, defined as the rate of change of charge with time, upon initiation of reactions with oppositely charged ions in the quadrupole ion trap. Overlapping charge state distributions arising from mixtures of ions of dissimilar charge are separated on the mass-to-charge scale at short reactions times. It is also demonstrated that the time frame for near total neutralization, defined as charge reduction to the 1+ ion, is relatively insensitive to initial charge state. It is shown, for example, that the (M + 11H)(11+)-(M + 22H)22+ ions derived from horse skeletal muscle apomyoglobin yield the (M + H)+ ion as the major ion/ion reaction product over the same reaction period that largely converts doubly protonated bradykinin to the singly protonated species. Less than 25% of the bradykinin ions are expected to be totally neutralized when roughly 7% of the myoglobin ions are expected to be totally neutralized. The phenomenon of significantly different initial differential neutralization rates for ions of dissimilar charge, and the relative insensitivity to ion charge for total neutralization, can be used to advantage in strategies for protein ion mixture analysis.
The existence of conflicts of interest in the field of food and nutrition is not new, but has intensified and has been better documented during the past decade, in terms of both knowledge production and dissemination, and of policy formulation and management. Since the 1970s, more than eight thousand articles about conflicts of interest were published in health sciences reference databases (MEDLINE and LILACS). In contrast, only a few dozen food and/or nutrition-related articles were published during the past 20 years, three fourths of which in the last decade alone. The recent increase in documenting food and nutrition-related conflicts of interest is proportionally higher than what was observed for the overall publications in the same databases. This indicates that the conflicts intensified or that the recognition of conflicts as such expanded, and/or there was stronger motivation to make them visible. Both in knowledge production and dissemination and in the formulation of food and nutrition policies, the growth, intensification and increased visibility of the conflicts of interest, and lack of compliance with them are partially based on the increase of flaws in food systems, which prevent them from fulfilling their purpose of ensuring suitable, healthy food to the population. Therefore, in order to move forward in facing conflicts of interest in this field, it is necessary to recognize nutritional problems as expressions of flaws in the food system 1,2. It is thus possible to identify common, structural causes that account for different problems, such as obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and other forms of malnutrition, therefore avoiding ineffective or palliative solutions. Moreover, it is necessary to identify and characterize the responsible for such flaws. There is broadly documented evidence that these dramatic changes in the food systems and in the feeding of populations have been imposed globally by large transnational corporations 1,2,3. Such changes affect the way food is produced, supplied, prepared and eaten, with the ultimate goal of generating wealth for these corporations and increasing their market share in a concentrated way (Table 1). Therefore, in addition to the nutritional problems they trigger, these corporations also cause an important negative effect on inequity, starting from the corporate environment itself. A study conducted in 2013 revealed that an employee of the McDonald’s Corporation in the United States needs to work 1,196 hours to receive the equivalent of one hour’s work of the company’s CEO 4. The socioeconomic, environmental and cultural impact 5,6 of this model imposed by such corporations also favors an increase in the recognition of conflicts that previously were not acknowledged as such. Therefore, the intensifi-
Background and Aim: Spiritual care is an essential part of holistic nursing care. It refers to a set of nursing care practices which help patients adapt better to the crises. Spiritual care can also lead to patient’s comfort, reduction of physical and emotional pain, reduction of anxiety, a deeper communication between the patient and the nurse, and a sense of relief in the patient’s family. In fact, the overall welfare condition of the patient and his/her family is a product of comprehensive care, an important aspect of which is the spiritual care, as the spiritual dimension encompasses other human dimensions and is a complement to individual’s health. Although most nurses recognize spiritual care as an important part of the holistic care, only about one third of them consistently provide this type of care and it is ignored in most cases. The present study, therefore, aimed to determine the barriers to provide patients admitted to hospitals in Kashan with spiritual care from the viewpoint of the nurses. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 306 nurses working at hospital affiliated with Kashan University of Medical Sciences in 2015. Quota sampling was chosen to select the participants. To begin, in collaboration with the nursing offices in the hospitals affiliated with Kashan University of Medical Sciences, a list of all nurses in each hospital was prepared and used as the sampling frame. Then, according to the number of nurses in each hospital, the appropriate sample size for each hospital was calculated. To collect the data, the researcher attended the clinical sections of the hospitals at different working shifts for two months collecting the samples from among those available. Explaining the study objectives and the approximate time to respond to the questionnaire (about 30 minutes) to the nurses, the researcher handed the questionnaire out to them if they were willing to participate in the study. About half an hour or an hour later, the researcher referred to the nurses to collect the completed questionnaires. In case the participants had not been able to complete the questionnaires during the allotted time, they were asked to set a time on the same day to hand the completed questionnaires back, or to submit the completed questionnaires to the section’s secretary later. Then, the researcher collected the questionnaires at as soon as possible. In a few cases where data collection was at the same time as the hospital training classes, the researcher referred to some of the nurses at the end of the classes, and- if they were willing to participate, she asked them to complete the questionnaires and to set a time and place to hand the completed questionnaires back. The data collection instrument were a researcher-made questionnaire designed through library research and reviewing various articles. For the validity of the questionnaire, qualitative and quantitative content validity were used to calculate its Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) of the instrument. Using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and through measures of internal consistency, the reliability of the instrument was also calculated. Alpha value was 0.78 for the entire instrument, 0.91 for the spiritual and religious support section, and 0.86 for the barriers to spiritual care section. Running descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS 16 statistical software, the data were analyzed using t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey’s post hoc test. Ethical Considerations: The present study was approved by both Research Council and Ethics Committee of Kashan University of Medical Sciences’. All ethical considerations in research were observed. Having obtained the permission from the university and hospital officials, the data were collected. Participation in the study was voluntary. After explaining the purpose and the nature of the research to all the participants, their informed consent to participate in the research was obtained. The questionnaires were anonymous and the participants were assured that their personal information will remain confidential. Results: The mean and standard deviation for the age of the nurses were 31.94 ± 6.53 years old. Most of the participants (78.3%) were females, and 93.8% of them had a bachelor's degree. The mean and standard deviation for their work experience was 8.66 ± 6.27 years. 68.2% of the nurses mentioned that they had not received any training concerning the concept of spiritual care. However, 72.5% of the nurses expressed their interest in acquiring spiritual care. In the nurses’ point of view, the major barriers to spiritual care were reported to be the lack of a sufficient number of staff to provide comprehensive care (78.1%), lack of private space for having a dialogue with the patient (70.3%), heavy workload and its related fatigue (67.4%), inadequate training (66.3%), dedication of more attention to the physical needs (66.3%), lack of organizational support (62.8%), insufficient time (62.7%), inability to communicate (56.9%), nurses and patients’ sexual differences (56.2%), and the belief in a better spiritual care by clergymen and psychologists (54.3%). t-test did not show a significant difference between the scores for the barriers to provide spiritual care in the two genders and the scores for the willingness to learn spirituality. In addition, the analysis of variance did not indicate a significant difference between the scores for the barriers to provide spiritual care and different ages and work histories. There was also no significant difference between the individual’s spirituality and religiosity and the impact of religious and spiritual beliefs on work. However, the analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between the scores for the barriers to provide spiritual care in different sections and different levels of education. Tukey’s post hoc test indicated that oncology nurses’ and surgical nurses' scores were significantly different (P=0.03) so that oncology nurses’ scores were lower than those of the other sections. Tukey’s post hoc test also showed that there was a significant difference between the scores of nurses with the bachelor’s degree and those with the associate's degree (P=0.03) in such a way that the scores of nurses with the bachelor’s degree were higher than those of the nurses with the associate's degrees. Conclusion: The results of the study pointed to the lack of a sufficient number of staff to provide comprehensive care and the lack of private space for having a dialogue with the patient as the most important barriers to provide spiritual care. Meanwhile, most nurses were not trained on how to provide spiritual care. In addition, oncology nurses and nurses with associate degrees received lower scores in providing spiritual care. It is recommended that health planners take the barriers into account to provide the patients with spiritual care, adopt appropriate measures to address them in order to improve the quality of holistic nursing care, and increase the patient and nurse satisfaction.  Please cite this article as: Adib-Hajbaghery M, Saeadnejad Z. Barriers to Provide Patients Admitted to Hospitals in Kashan with Spiritual Care: Nurses’ Viewpoints. Med Ethics J 2016; 10(37): 49-59.
With the accelerating process of modernization, the existing space of traditional culture is narrowed increasingly, which is the general trend of contemporary social economy and culture development. The Miao village in this thesis is unexceptionally affected by the modernization of outside world. For instance, tourism development has changed their traditional culture. However, for some reasons, the Miao village still maintains the primitive religions and burial customs such as tree worship and tree burial. Such precious traditional cultures as the Swing Festival, the village marriage custom and the characteristic costume and hair style, etc. are still seen in the village that is honored as the “living fossil” of the traditional culture of the Miao people. The survival of traditional culture always depends on the social demand; after the society opened, the survival or disappearance of traditional culture is always affected by the mainstream society.
The committee for autologous blood transfusion of the Japan Society of Blood Transfusion was assigned to evaluate the status of predeposit autologous blood transfusion in hospitals approved by the Japan Society of Blood Transfusion and to clarify problems concerning the promotion of autologous blood transfusion. Status of collection, management and compatibility testing of autologous blood transfusion have been analyzed and reported separately. Status of autologous blood transfusion at each surgical division was studied in this paper. Percentages of performance of predeposit autologous blood transfusion were 100% for orthopedics, 93% for cardiovascular surgery, 78% for general surgery, 91% for gynecology and obstetrics, 71% for neurological surgery and 95% for urology. Percentages of autologous blood without allogeneic blood cases and percentages of autologous blood units were higher in orthopedics, gynecology and obstetrics and urology divisions, but lower in cardiovascular surgery and general surgery. In cardiovascular surgery and general surgery, the differences in percentages of autologous blood without allogeneic blood cases and percentages of autologous blood units among hospitals were significant. Doctors approved by the Japan Society of Blood Transfusion and the blood transfusion service of the hospital should understand the status and information of blood transfusion during operation, and recognize their responsibility in promoting autologous blood transfusion in the surgical divisions where autologous blood transfusion is not performed sufficiently.
Abstract This article offers a qualitative and quantitative socio-cultural examination of RoastMe, a peculiar humorous practice deployed on Reddit and reposted on various social media. First, RoastMe is characterized from the emic (user) perspective and conceptualized in the light of humor theory (superiority and incongruity approaches). RoastMe consists in some users’ posting pictures of themselves with a view to being roasted, i. e. pelted with jocular insults, by other online community members. Albeit a type of disparagement humor, RoastMe is an innocuous humorous activity enclosed within a humorous frame; it is a form of affiliative humor based on users’ unbounded creativity. Second, this paper reports the findings of a quantitative study on the predominant types of targets/roastees depending on their (lack of) salient features, as well as the source and nature of the jocularly disparaged referents in roasting comments, i. e. the central features that roasters make harmless fun of most often, relative to the different categories of roastees. Roasting (v.) – To humorously mock or humiliate someone with a well-timed joke, diss or comeback. (…) Hone your roasting skills, meet other roasters, and get yourself roasted! Everybody needs to laugh at themselves! And other people, of course! (https://www.reddit.com/r/RoastMe/)
BACKGROUND Intensive care unit (ICU) patients experience two affronts to normal 24-h rhythms: largely internal events such as medication and external factors such as light, noise and nursing interventions.   AIMS AND OBJECTIVES We investigated the impact of light variance within an ICU on 24-h rhythmicity of three key physiological parameters: heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and body temperature (BT) in this patient population.   DESIGN Patients were assigned to beds either in the 'light' or 'dark' side within a single ICU. An actigraph continuously recorded light intensity for a 24-72-h period.   METHODS Measurements of HR, MAP and BT were recorded every 30 min.   RESULTS HR, MAP and BT did not follow 24-h rhythmicity in all patients. Higher light exposure in the Light Side of the ICU (122·3 versus 50·6 lx) was related to higher HR (89·4 versus 79·8 bpm), which may translate to clinically relevant outcomes in a larger sample. Duration of stay, the one clinical outcome measured in this study, showed no significant variation between the groups (p = 0·147).   CONCLUSIONS ICU patients are exposed to varying light intensities depending on bed positioning relative to natural sunlight, affecting the 24-h rhythm of HR. Larger, well-controlled studies also investigating the effect of relevant light intensity are indicated.   RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Light is a variable that can be manipulated in the constrained environment of an ICU, thus offering an avenue for relatively unobtrusive interventions.
Purpose Gynecological cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women worldwide. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the impact of 18F-FDG PET on the management of patients with recurrent gynecological cancers, including cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancers. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for English-language publications. All published studies on the impact of PET scans on the management of patients with recurrent gynecological cancers were reviewed. The proportion of management change (%), defined as the percentage of patients whose management changed after FDG PET to those who underwent FDG PET, was calculated. The data from each study were analyzed using MedCalc Statistical Software version 14.12.0 (MedCalc Software, Ostend, Belgium). Results Nineteen studies including 6191 patients were eligible for inclusion. The impact of FDG PET scan for detecting recurrence/metastasis in patients with gynecologic cancer was evaluated using management change rates, ranging from 9.4% to 60.7% with a pooled effect of 42.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 34.5%–49.6%; I2 = 92.9%). In the subtype analysis, FDG PET scanning resulted in changes in the management in 48.5% (95% CI, 37.8%–59.3%; I2 = 67.8%) of cervical cancer, 34.7% (95% CI, 33.4%–36.0%; I2 = 0%) of uterine cancer, and 40.3% (95% CI, 26.7%–54.7%; I2 = 95.2%) of ovarian cancer cases. Conclusions FDG PET has a significant impact on the restaging of patients with gynecological cancer. These findings suggest that FDG PET should be performed, especially in cases of suspected recurrence/metastasis in the main gynecologic cancer types, including cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers.
Imparting chirality affords additive values, functions and responsiveness in molecular systems including nanoscale materials. Here, we report pathway dependent chirality control in silver nanoclusters (NCs). The use of enantiomeric ligand, α-dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), for the synthesis of Ag NCs leads to the preferential formation of one-handed chiral Ag29(DHLA)12 NCs with intrinsic chirality in the exterior shell composed of a silver-dithiolate framework. Small Lewis base molecules such as pyridine bind to silver atoms in the shell of NC as a guest. The guest binding reverses the relative stability between the right- and left-handed NCs upon a steric interaction with the chiral ligand DHLA in the exterior shell in a kinetic manner, leading to unprecedented chirality inversion in the synthesis of NCs. This mechanism is further extended to the self-regulation or self-replication of chirality through interNC interactions dependent on the concentration in the synthesis of NCs.
Key Points HERC7 is a novel IFN-inducible member of the small HERC family. HERC7 downregulates the IFN response to promote viral replication. HERC7 targets MAVS, MITA, and IRF7 degradation by distinct mechanisms. Visual Abstract The small HERC family currently comprises four members (HERC3–6) involved in the regulation of various physiological activities. Little is known about the role of HERCs in IFN response. In this study, we identify a novel fish HERC member, named crucian carp HERC7, as a negative regulator of fish IFN response. Genome-wide search of homologs and comprehensive phylogenetic analyses reveal that the small HERC family, apart from HERC3–6 that have been well-characterized in mammals, contains a novel HERC7 subfamily exclusively in nonmammalian vertebrates. Lineage-specific and even species-specific expansion of HERC7 subfamily in fish indicates that crucian carp HERC7 might be species-specific. In virally infected fish cells, HERC7 is induced by IFN and selectively targets three retinoic acid–inducible gene-I–like receptor signaling factors for degradation to attenuate IFN response by two distinct strategies. Mechanistically, HERC7 delivers mediator of IFN regulatory factor 3 activator and mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein for proteasome-dependent degradation at the protein level and facilitates IFN regulatory factor 7 transcript decay at the mRNA level, thus abrogating cellular IFN induction to promote virus replication. Whereas HERC7 is a putative E3 ligase, the E3 ligase activity is not required for its negative regulatory function. These results demonstrate that the ongoing expansion of the small HERC family generates a novel HERC7 to fine-tune fish IFN antiviral response.
The frequency distribution, specific heat, electrical resistivity, and thermal resistivity of cesium are calculated using the lattice dynamical model of Sharma and Joshi. The calculated specific heats are compared with the calorimetric data in terms of the equivalent Debye temperatures. The computed Debye temperatures and the electrical resistivity are in fair agreement with the experimental data but the model overestimates the thermal resistivity.
In October 1935, the American photographer Walker Evans took a permanent position with the agency that would become the U.S. Farm Security Administration (FSA). A month later, New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opened the nation’s  rst major exhibition of work by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. Both are signal moments in American art history. While the MoMA opening initiated a string of events that eventually would make van Gogh an American icon, Evans’s work over the next eighteen months is generally regarded as his de nitive contribution to American photography. The FSA assignments themselves undoubtedly provided the key provocation for this extraordinary creative streak; however, Evans’s approach to these assignments owes a great and largely unacknowledged debt to the MoMA exhibition. Although I know of no direct record that Evans either saw the van Gogh show or explicitly acknowledged its in uence on his government photography, the circumstantial evidence for such in uence is clear in the facts of Evans’s life, in the photographs themselves, and in the texts that shaped their creation and reception. It does no disservice to the quality of Evans’s photography to note that his career bene ted from the in uence of well-placed friends among MoMA’s executive staV. In the early 1930s, Evans lived in New York and traveled in a social circle that included many of the young museum’s curators, directors, and advisory council members, including Alfred Barr, Thomas Mabry, Dorothy Miller, and Lincoln Kirstein. The museum began hiring Evans to photograph its exhibitions in 1930, and in 1933 MoMA’s architectural galleries displayed thirty–nine of his photographs of Victorian houses—the result of a collaborative project conceived by Kirstein. During his eighteen months with the FSA, Evans maintained close contacts with MoMA, and this relationship bore fruit in the 1938 single-artist exhibition American Photographs, a  rst both for the museum and for Evans. In 1935–36, then, Evans’s tours throughout the South coincidedwith an increasing nationwide recognition of a triumph both for the artist van Gogh and for Evans’s friends at MoMA.
The tribe Acalyptini is rede fined, distinguished from the tribe Derelomini and placed in the sub family Curculioninae. Most genera classified in Derelomini from Asia are transferred to Acalyptini: Derelomorphus Marshall, Eudela Pascoe, Eudelodes Zimmerman, Meredolus Marshall, Nodocnemus Marshall and Tithene Pascoe. Thus, at least in the Malesia (Malay Peninsula to NewGuinea) , Pacific islands and also Australia, weevils associated with the flowers of palms belong not to Derelomini but to Acalyptini except for introduced species. The genera Orsophagus Roelofs and Imera Pascoe, which were synonymized with Acalyptus Schoenherr and Amorphoidea Motschulsky, respectively, are resurrected to the status of full genera. All the genera classified in Acalyptini are briefly reviewed and a key to them is provided. Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese species are treated taxonomically, and a total of 5 genera and 7 species are recognized including the following new species: Orsophagus subfasciatus [Japan, Taiwan and Thailand] , Parimera flava [Japan] , P. subflava [Taiwan] and Imera formosana [Taiwan]. Amorphoidea gossyppi (Pierce) known from the Philippines is synonymous with A. lata, one of the famous pests of cotton in the Philippines. The genera Imera and Parimera are recorded in this area for the first time.
We investigate short-time memory storage in coupled map lattices with a periodic external input. In the case of linear coupled maps, the transient length necessary to achieve permanent memory is studied. We present numerical evidence that coupled weakly nonlinear maps are able to store multiple short-time memories, and use this fact to encode symbols in a matrix of pixels, using suitable control laws.
Superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films are prepared in situ by on‐axis dc magnetron sputtering from a single stoichiometric target. The magnetron uses an unbalanced magnetic field configuration to eliminate resputtering effects, and high quality thin films on MgO (100) substrates are realized with excellent reproducibility. The target is sputtered in Ar/O2 mixture at a fixed partial pressure ratio pAr/pO2= 15:1. We report on the growth and properties of films deposited (a) as a function of the total sputtering pressure pt (1–100 Pa) at fixed substrate heater temperature Ts=740 °C, and (b) as a function of Ts (600–860 °C) at fixed pt=42 Pa. Epitaxial c‐axis thin films are obtained over a wide range of deposition conditions (Ts≥700 °C, pt≥30 Pa). These films have superconducting transition temperatures Tc=86–90 K, critical current densities Jc77≥106 A cm−2, and resistance ratios R300/R100=2.0–3.1.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death both in the world and in the Russian Federation. The most significant contributors to the increase in mortality are arterial hypertension (AH) and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are the first line of treatment for these conditions. This is noted in the clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AH and in the guidelines for the management of patients with chronic coronary syndromes. CCBs are a heterogeneous group of drugs that have both general and individual pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. They are used in patients with AH and/or IHD, including those with concomitant diseases (diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, peripheral arterial disease). Felodipine is one of the CCBs. It has a combination of clinical effects, allowing the drug to be prescribed as a first-line therapy for AH, IHD and a combination of these diseases. This is noted in the registered indications for its use. This CCB has a sufficient evidence base of clinical trials demonstrating not only good antihypertensive and antianginal potential of the drug, but also the nephroprotection and cerebroprotection properties. The nephroprotective effect of felodipine is associated with a slowdown in the progression of chronic kidney disease, and the cerebroprotective effect is associated with a decrease in the risk of stroke and an improvement in cognitive functioning. The safety profile of felodipine is favorable: peripheral edema develops much less frequently. This is confirmed by the results of comparative studies. Felodipine is recommended for a wide range of patients with AH, IHD and their combination due to such clinical and pharmacological properties.
Herein we present a new strategy to achieve chiral induction and redox switching along the backbone of metallohelicate architectures, wherein a DNA duplex directs the handedness and charge transport properties of a metal-organic assembly more than 60 bonds away (a distance of >10 nm). The quantitative and site-specific binding of copper(i) ions to DNA-templated coordination sites imparts enhanced thermodynamic stability to the assembly, while the DNA duplex transfers its natural right-handed helicity to the proximal and distal metal centers of the helicates. When copper(ii) ions are employed instead of copper(i) ions, spontaneous DNA-mediated reduction occurs, which we propose is followed by a slower change in coordination environment (from pentacoordinate CuII to tetrahedral CuI) to generate copper(i) helicates. We demonstrate that the reduction of the adjacent and distal bis-phenanthroline sites is dependent on their proximity to DNA guanine bases (which act as the electron source). The kinetics of helical charge transport can thus be tuned based on guanine-CuII separation, resulting in a sequence- and distance-dependent redox switch that transfers electronic information from DNA to multiple linearly-arranged metal centers.
Summary Objectives: A Clinical Information System, serving more than 2,000 users was to be implemented at three hospitals of TILAK (Tiroler Landeskrankenanstalten GmbH), including the University Hospital of Innsbruck. The system was intended to integrate data from radiology, laboratory, and pathology subsystems with patient data. Methods: Using Cerner Millennium™ software and Health Level 7 standards, the first stage of an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) was built. Direct data entry was facilitated using either a Microsoft Word text processor (with subsequent authentication workflow) or structured forms. An enterprise-wide scheduling module allows coordination and storage of patient appointments directly in the EPR. As required by security policy, the Cerner software regulates the varying degrees of information exchange among organizations and departments within the enterprise. Results: First experiences indicate satisfactory acceptance of system functionalities. The introduction of Cerner Millennium at TILAK has achieved essential goals defined at the beginning of the project. Basic functionalities – free text documentation, standardized documentation, scheduling, and some parts of order entry – are offered in a user friendly manner. Integration with existing systems to complete the EPR has been successful using standard interfaces (HL7). Conclusion: TILAK concluded that it was possible to successfully implement a Clinical Information System (CIS) developed mainly for the American market in a European healthcare environment. Some adaptations and functional extensions were necessary (e.g., the discharge summary “Arztbrief”). The system had enough flexibility to meet the requirements and specifications of European healthcare processes. A key factor of success was the establishment of a basic level of understanding and communication between the software vendor and the TILAK user community.
The need for an efficient service management system in an ad-hoc network is obvious. Mobile nodes -- and with them the services they provide -- frequently enter and leave the network, imposing comparatively high dynamics that have to be considered for the design of communication protocols on nearly any network layer. In this paper we propose an ad-hoc service management system based on the Service Location Protocol (SLP) that not only allows the user to discover appropriate service providers, but also keeps him informed about the existence and the properties of alternative providers. With this information the user application is able to prepare and conduct service handovers in case of network or device failures. Moreover, it becomes possible to change to a more convenient provider when one becomes available.
With the advent of technology over the recent years, the low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, which were once seen as an impractical concept, are now poised to be the next big thing in the communication standards of today for their near-capacity performances. Nonetheless, the physical implementation of LDPC decoders is more often than not encumbered by the arithmetic of its decoding algorithm. Entangled by numerous computations of minima, LDPC decoders not only require considerable amount of resources to the implement cascaded pair-wise comparators, but also yield low decoding throughputs. In this paper, we propound a novel design for the computation of minimum and subminimum in LDPC decoding, known as the cognitive-amplification detector (CAD). By leveraging on the finite precision of fixed-point binary representation in actual hardware, our CAD proposition renders significant gains in decoding throughput and savings in resource consumption of up to 20% and 15%, respectively, not to mention negligible trade-offs in error-correcting capabilities.
A dynamic optimal control algorithm for ground-water remediation was extended to incorporate treatment facility capital costs, as a function of the peak operating rate. Our approach to including the capital costs of treatment required no additional control variables and only a single additional state variable. Incorporation of the capital costs of the treatment facility had the greatest impact on design when the pumping policies were changed at intervals of six months or fewer. For longer management periods, inclusion of treatment facility capital costs had little effect on the selected optimal policies. This work demonstrates that capital treatment costs may significantly impact a dynamic management policy and that these capital costs should be explicitly incorporated into a dynamic management model.
This paper presents the results of fundamental investigations on physical and chemical interactions between sulfur dioxide and N-formylmorpholine (NFM), with a view to the development of a regenerative process for waste gas scrubbing. This solvent is a promising medium for such processes because of its high absorption capacity, its low-to-moderate vapor pressure for temperatures below 100 °C, and its reduced toxicity. The existence of a chemical interaction between SO2 and NFM, with the formation of a 1:1 complex, was demonstrated by absorption tests, melting curve measurements, and the determination of vapor−liquid equilibrium from 25 to 80 °C. Further characterization was carried out by IR spectrometry. The formation of a solid complex with a melting point at 5.7 °C allows for the transport of absorbed sulfur dioxide under a convenient solid state; in addition, its stability was shown to decrease with temperature, which enables the solvent to be regenerated at high temperatures. The existence of a secon...
Conophthorus Hopkins 1915 cone beetles are among the most damaging pests of pine (Pinus spp.) seed production in North America (Hedlin et al. 1980; Cibrián-Tovar et al. 1986). Current work on cone beetle molecular identification and semiochemicals requires a rapid and reliable method for sexing adult beetles. Head microsculpturation (Schwarz 1895; Wood 1982), overall beetle length, head width, and internal genital structures (or parts of them) visible when extruded through the genital opening (Lyons 1956) have been suggested as characters to sex adult Conophthorus. Herdy (1959) pointed out that abdominal tergite morphology could be used to distinguish males from females. The latter seems to be the most reliable, non-destructive way to sex Conophthorus specimens. Published illustrations (Kinzer and Ridgill 1972) have been found difficult to interpret by many researchers. To increase the reliability in sexing adult Conophthorus beetles, we prepared scanning electron micrographs (SEMs) of the terminal abdominal tergites of adult males and females, which we present here, clearly showing the diagnostic features of each sex.
We identified prolonged dry (or drought) events during the 1777 to 1869 interval that were depicted in Native American annual pictographic records (winter counts) from several documents for a retrospective analysis with supplementary data and information. Based on available information related to the keeper (author) of the winter count, we approximated the locations of the drought episodes. Based on the locational information, we retrieved and reviewed historical temperature and precipitation data observed at US Army forts during the time interval of the winter count–documented drought episodes. Additionally, we examined Palmer Drought Severity Index data from the North American Drought Atlas, which includes annual drought estimates reconstructed from tree-ring chronologies, for the years and location of the documented droughts. We spatially and temporally compared the Native American drought-related winter counts to the available weather, drought information, and other ancillary information in an effort to cross-validate these relatively sparse and disparate historical climate records. Generally, we found the Native American observations of prolonged dry intervals were in agreement with other observations or available documentation. Thus, winter count observations of other climate-related events may provide an additional source of information for other historic climate analyses.
The Royal Commission on the Care of the FeebleMinded sat on Monday for the last time before the Christmas holidays. The principal witness was Mr. J. G. Legge, his Majesty's Inspector of Reformatory and Industrial Schools. He declared himself strongly in favour of large colonies for the feeble-minded, and expressed himself satisfied that they would be, to a great extent, self-supporting, and thus the rates would be saved from very serious burdens. This, he thinks, would be absolutely impossible if colonies of less than 800 persons were formed. In any legislation which it may be decided to propose hereafter, the question of cost will certainly have to be considered, for the ratepayers are already called upon to pay about as much as they can without finding the strain intolerable. Mr.
Corrective matrix that is derived to restore consistency of discretization schemes can significantly enhance accuracy for the inside particles in the Moving Particle Semi‐implicit method. In this situation, the error due to free surface and wall boundaries becomes dominant. Based on the recent study on Neumann boundary condition (Matsunaga et al, CMAME, 2020), the corrective matrix schemes in MPS are generalized to straightforwardly and accurately impose Neumann boundary condition. However, the new schemes can still easily trigger instability at free surface because of the biased error caused by the incomplete/biased neighbor support. Therefore, the existing stable schemes based on virtual particles and conservative gradient models are applied to free surface and nearby particles to produce a stable transitional layer at free surface. The new corrective matrix schemes are only applied to the particles under the stable transitional layer for improving the wall boundary conditions. Three numerical examples of free surface flows demonstrate that the proposed method can help to reduce the pressure/velocity fluctuations and hence enhance accuracy further.
fa this address, which was given to the Bath Clinical Society on Novetnbei 26Jh, 1966, the author describes some of the difficulties that may beset a cave diver, more particularly those that may be eliminated by training. He then ^akes a study of three fatalities among cave divers, in order to see what Assorts may be drawn from them, and concludes by setting forth some of le more recent ideas on the subject of drowning.
Background: The superiority of several immunochemical fecal occult blood tests (I-FOBT) over guaiac-based tests in colorectal cancer screening is now established. The aim of this study was to compare the analytical performance of 3 quantitative I-FOBTs. Methods: Stool samples from 10 healthy volunteers, initially I-FOBT negative, supplemented with human blood, were used to compare reproducibility and stability of measurement at varying storage temperatures (4°C, 10°C, 20°C, and 30°C) and durations before test analysis (1 to 10 days) for 3 I-FOBTs (New Hemtube/Magstream HT, OC-Auto sampling bottle3/OC-Sensor DIANA, and FOB Gold/SENTiFOB). Concentrations ranging from 0 to 350 μg Hb/g of feces were evaluated. Results: The measurement reproducibility of OC-Sensor was superior to Magstream and far superior to FOB Gold. For all tests, variability was essentially related to sampling. Detected hemoglobin (Hb) levels were substantially lower for all tests at temperatures above 20°C. At 20°C, this loss in concentration was less important with OC-Sensor (significant 1.7% daily decrease vs. 7.4% for Magstream and 7.8% for FOB Gold). At 30°C, daily loss was 8.6% with OC-Sensor, whereas after 24 hours, only 30% of the original Hb was detected with FOB Gold, compared to 70% with Magstream. No Hb was detected on day 5 for the latter 2 tests. Conclusions: About reproducibility and temperature stability, OC-Sensor performed better than Magstream and far better that FOB Gold. Impact: Independently of the chosen test, the delay between sampling and test processing should be reduced, the maximal admissible delay depending on ambient temperature. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(7); 1492–501. ©2011 AACR.
The Fuzzy Multi Attribute Decision Making (FMADM) methods used in this study are FSAW and FTOPSIS. They are developed for the selection of Periodic Salary Increment (KGB) for the Civil Servants (PNS) of the East Kalimantan province because there is a big possibility of an error in entering data, calculating salary and calculating the time of submission in manually. The FMADM method selects and ranks employees according to qualifications for salary increases based on a number of criteria that refer to government regulations. Criteria that are used as references for salary increment selection of civil servants are includes: years of experience, assessment of Employee Performance Target (SKP) for the past two years, behavioral assessment, and disciplinary penalty. Based on the results of 40 employees data used in this study, the accuracy is as much as 90% compared with reality for FSAW, and the accuracy of FTOPSIS is as much as 85% from reality. The minimum preference threshold value is 0.70 to pass the Periodic Salary Increment selection.
PURPOSE Energy balance seems to be important in the pathogenesis of colon cancer. Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is physiologically regulated by energy balance and is often upregulated in colorectal cancer. Nonetheless, the influence of FASN expression on patient outcome is uncertain.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Using the database of 647 patients with colon cancer in two independent cohort studies, FASN overexpression was detected in 84 tumors (13%) by immunohistochemistry. Cox proportional hazards models calculated hazard ratios (HRs) of colon cancer-specific and overall mortalities, adjusted for patient characteristics and related tumoral features, including KRAS, BRAF, p53, microsatellite instability and the CpG island methylation phenotype.   RESULTS There were 279 deaths, including 160 colon cancer-specific deaths. FASN overexpression was associated with a significant reduction in colon cancer-specific mortality by both univariate and multivariate analyses (adjusted HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.89) and an insignificant trend toward improved overall mortality (adjusted HR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.50 to 1.13). Notably, the effect of FASN expression on mortality might be different according to body mass index (BMI; P(interaction) = .019); the adjusted HR of overall mortality for FASN overexpression was 0.63 (95% CI, 0.39 to 1.02) among patients with BMI less than 27.5 kg/m(2) and 2.91 (95% CI, 1.19 to 7.12) among those with BMI >or= 27.5 kg/m(2). Moreover, the adverse effect of moderate overweight/obesity on overall survival was limited to FASN-positive tumors (adjusted HR, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.14 to 14.8; BMI >or= 27.5 kg/m(2) v < 27.5 kg/m(2)). CONCLUSION Among nonobese patients with colon cancer, tumoral FASN overexpression is associated with improved survival, whereas among moderately overweight or obese patients (BMI >or= 27.5 kg/m(2)), FASN overexpression may predict a worse outcome.
THE ISSUE Rhabdomyolysis results from the breakdown of damaged muscle with subsequent release of intracellular muscle contents, which can result in acute kidney injury (AKI). Non‐exertional aetiologies include trauma, vascular compromise, drugs, toxins and infections. Exertional rhabdomyolysis occurs after strenuous exercise, and spinning‐induced exertional rhabdomyolysis (SER) has been increasingly reported in the literature since the first reported case in 2004.[2‐7] A similar trend has also been observed in Singapore.[8]
The purpose of the study was to compare the VO2 max from bicycle ergometer and Harvard step test in untrained adults. A total of fifty students between age group of 18–25 yrs were enrolled for the study (25 were males and 25 were females) all the participants were randomly selected and divided into two groups group A and group B. After analysing by student t-test significant differences in physiological responses between the two tests were seen between bicycle ergometer test and Harvard step test. So, it can be explained by the fact that except different levels of load and intensity of work and types of movements or movement characteristic for certain ergometer, there can be different cardio respiratory and metabolic reactions
Within the framework of the effective mass approximation, we have theoretically investigated the linear intersubband optical absorption in a quantum well under external electric and intense laser field. Results obtained show that intersubband optical transition and energy levels in quantum wells can significantly be modified and controlled by the electric field and intense laser field. Generally there is a distinct feature for the case of the intersubband absorption compared with intersubband optical absorption in a quantum well with an applied electric field.
Source levels (SLs) of Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) underwater calls near Mawson, Antarctica, were determined using a two hydrophone array. SLs were 161 ± 10 dB re 1 μPa m (range 135–179, n = 280). SLs from 0.1–6 kHz varied little with frequency (r2 = 0.02, t = −2.46, P = 0.01, n = 251). One‐sixth octave ambient noise levels (ANLs) from 0.1–6 kHz were measured on low (n = 1), medium (n = 7), and high (n = 7) noise level days. The ANLs were flat (0.1–6 kHz) and the mean 1/6 octave ANLs were 77 ± 2.8, 96 ± 6.5, and 110 ± 6.1 dB re 1 μPa. SLs were randomly paired against ANLs in a Monte Carlo (n = 100 000) model to calculate the seal communication ranges (m), assuming spherical spreading and received levels 20 dB above threshold. The mean communication ranges for low, medium, and high ANLs were 2806 ± 2718, 428 ± 662, and 83 ± 124 m, respectively (median distances were 2006, 205, and 43m). The distributions were highly skewed toward the shorter distances. The high amplitude calls of Weddell seals m...
Experimental studies of a convergent hypersonic gas target were performed with a 4 keV, 0-400 mA electron beam impacting on a nitrogen gas target. One of the most critical parameters associated with the hypersonic target is the extent of gas leakage (backspill) from the main flow into the beam line. The presence of backspiSl obstructs beam transport and, consequently, may result in increased pumping costs for a full-scale system. For the cold-flow runs with a Mach number of about 4.7, essentially ail of the backspill into the beam line was found to be due to boundary-laye r spill. With the introduction of the electron beam into the target, the backspiSS increased with heat deposition by the beam. At a heating value of (?~0.5 (this Q is based on the assumption that the total mass flow is uniformly heated to the measured stagnation temperatures downstream of the target zone) the spill due to beam heating, i.e., in addition to the cold-flow spill, was about 0.5%.
To implement seamless messaging system, it's necessary to certify conformation in standard specifications. For standardized B2B communication, International Standard Organization, UN/CEFACT and OASIS, established ebXML message service (ebMS) specification. An OASIS technical committee also presented the ebXML test framework, called IIC (implementation, interoperability and conformance), including test harness, test contents, and test processes. The IIC specification does not contain the detail implementation guideline. While implementing the test framework, we focused to make a comprehensible adapter which can connect various kinds of messaging systems with the test framework. But, it's not easy, because each messaging system has its own object types for communication. In this paper, we present a new methodology to map objects in a messaging system and objects in the test framework semi-automatically by SOAP-RFC protocol
We previously analyzed the role of pausing induced by hairpin structures within RNA templates in facilitating strand transfer by HIV-1 RT (reverse transcriptase). We proposed a multistep transfer mechanism in which pause-induced RNase H cuts within the initial RNA template (donor) expose regions of cDNA. A second homologous RNA template (acceptor) can interact with the cDNA at such sites, initiating transfer. The acceptor-cDNA hybrid is thought to then propagate by branch-migration, eventually catching up with the primer terminus and completing the transfer. The prominent pause site in the template system facilitated acceptor invasion; however, very few of the transfers terminated at this pause. To examine the effects of homology on pause-promoted transfer, we increased template homology before the pause site, from 19 nucleotides (nt) in the initial template system to 52 nt in the new system. Significantly, the increased homology enhanced transfers 3-fold, with 32% of the transfers now terminating at the pause site. Additionally, the acceptor cleavage profile indicated the creation of a new invasion site in the added region of homology. NC (nucleocapsid) increased the strand transfer throughout the whole template. However, the prominent hot spot for internal transfer remained, which was still at the pause site. We interpret the new results to mean that pause sites can also serve to stall DNA synthesis, allowing acceptor invasions initiated earlier in the template to catch up with the primer terminus.
Family members serving as informal caregivers for loved ones often experience physical, psychological, emotional, social, and financial consequences that can be conceptualized as caregiver burden. As the number of older adults in our society continues to increase, there will be even more demand for family caregivers. It is important to move beyond a focus on the statistics and characteristics of caregiver burden and identify helpful interventions to reduce this burden. Interventions that decrease caregiver burden can enable family caregivers to delay placement of the individual in an institutional setting and improve quality of life for both the caregiver and care recipient.
Clinical therapies of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs)-based transplantation have been hindered by frequent development of teratomas or tumors in animal models and clinical patients. Therefore, clarifying the mechanism of carcinogenesis in stem cell therapy is of great importance for reducing the risk of tumorigenicity. Here we differentiate Oct4-GFP mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) into neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and find that a minority of Oct4+ cells are continuously sustained at Oct4+ state. These cells can be enriched and proliferated in a standard ESC medium. Interestingly, the differentiation potential of these enriched cells is tightly restricted with much higher tumorigenic activity, which are thus defined as differentiation-resistant ESCs (DR-ESCs). Transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses show that DR-ESCs are characterized by primordial germ cell-like gene signatures (Dazl, Rec8, Stra8, Blimp1, etc.) and specific epigenetic patterns distinct from mESCs. Moreover, the DR-ESCs possess germ cell potential to generate Sycp3+ haploid cells and are able to reside in sperm-free spermaduct induced by busulfan. Finally, we find that TGFβ signaling is overactivated in DR-ESCs, and inhibition of TGFβ signaling eliminates the tumorigenicity of mESC-derived NPCs by inducing the full differentiation of DR-ESCs. These data demonstrate that these TGFβ-hyperactivated germ cell-like DR-ESCs are the main contributor for the tumorigenicity of ESCs-derived target cell therapy and that inhibition of TGFβ signaling in ESC-derived NPC transplantation could drastically reduce the risk of tumor development.
ABSTRACT In large-scale residential communities for social housing in China where low-income groups gather, public green space is the most dominant public leisure space for residents. Therefore, researches on the characteristics of leisure activities in these communities and the built environment factors that exert an impact on leisure activities would provide an important theoretical basis for future reform of the public space of large-scale social housing communities in China. The study uses the method of behavioral mapping to obtain the data of the residents’ leisure activities in two typical large-scale social housing communities in Nanjing and Shanghai. This study employs methods such as syntactic modeling and site investigation to collect data of environmental factors. This study processes them with the multi-factor linear regression model to explore the “environment-behavior” relationship. The results indicate that the leisure activities of middle and low-income groups in large-scale communities follow a certain pattern in terms of the changes in time axis, sex ratio, location, willingness to socialize. Integrating the impacts of spatial structure and site elements with three groups of variables – spatial configuration, planning conditions and site elements – can explain approximately 70% of the leisure activities distribution. Graphical abstract
HAYABUSA is the first spacecraft ever to land on and lift off from any celestial body other than the moon. The mission, which returned asteroid samples to the Earth while overcoming various technical hurdles, ended on June 13, 2010, with the planned atmospheric re-entry. In order to safely deliver the sample return capsule, the HAYABUSA spacecraft ended its 7-year journey in a brilliant "artificial fireball" over the Australian desert. Spectroscopic observation was carried out in the near-ultraviolet and visible wavelengths between 3000 and 7500  AA at 3 - 20  AA resolution. Approximately 100 atomic lines such as Fe I, Mg I, Na I, Al I, Cr I, Mn I, Ni I, Ti I, Li I, Zn I, O I, and N I were identified from the spacecraft. Exotic atoms such as Cu I, Mo I, Xe I and Hg I were also detected. A strong Li I line (6708  AA) at a height of ~55 km originated from the onboard Li-Ion batteries. The FeO molecule bands at a height of ~63 km were probably formed in the wake of the spacecraft. The effective excitation temperature as determined from the atomic lines varied from 4500 K to 6000 K. The observed number density of Fe I was about 10 times more abundant than Mg I after the spacecraft explosion. N2+(1-) bands from a shock layer and CN violet bands from the sample return capsule's ablating heat shield were dominant molecular bands in the near-ultraviolet region of 3000 - 4000  AA. OH(A-X) band was likely to exist around 3092  AA. A strong shock layer from the HAYABUSA spacecraft was rapidly formed at heights between 93 km and 83 km, which was confirmed by detection of N2+(1-) bands with a vibration temperature of ~13000 K. Gray-body temperature of the capsule at a height of ~42 km was estimated to be ~2437 K which is matched to a theoretical prediction. The final message of the HAYABUSA spacecraft and its sample return capsule are discussed through our spectroscopy.
The distinction between positive and negative symptoms has gained prominence in schizophrenia research, but the construct has not been unequivocally validated. The authors report preliminary findings of investigations in which symptomatic and neuropsychological assessments were conducted in a sample of 32 chronic schizophrenic inpatients. Three distinct clusters of symptoms were identified in correlative analyses. One cluster of symptoms (alogia, attentional impairment, positive formal though disorder, and bizarre behavior) appeared to reflect primarily a disorganization of though independent of current definitions of the positive/negative symptom construct. A second cluster of symptoms (affective flattening, avolition/apathy, and anhedonia) appeared to reflect predominantly blunting of affect and volition. A third cluster (delusions, hallucinations, and "breadth of psychosis") seemed to represent only the florid psychotic features. The first and (to a lesser extent) second clusters of symptoms were selectively associated with neuropsychological impairment. The patterns of neuropsychological deficits correlated with the first cluster of symptoms appeared to be consistent with a process characterized by failure in the development of a normal repertoire of cognitive abilities. It is suggested that the "defect state" may not be a monothetic construct, and that within the domain of "type II" schizophrenia, disturbances of thought may be distinguished from those of affect and motivation.
Opportunity to learn refers to the extent to which teachers dedicate instructional time and content coverage to the intended curriculum using a range of cognitive processes, instructional practices, and grouping formats. This article describes the My Instructional Learning Opportunities Guidance System, a research-based online teacher log that allows teachers to plan and keep track of their instruction related to content standards, review feedback reports that are based on their own instructional data, and communicate and collaborate with colleagues to promote students’ opportunity to learn. A working example from an actual teacher's instructional data is used to illustrate My Instructional Learning Opportunities Guidance System and its potential to facilitate improved instruction for students with disabilities.
Just as there is rapid growth of Microfinance institutions in Cameroon, there is an alarming rate of bankruptcy, and consequently closure by these institutions. The prevalence of numerous closures of long time well-known microfinance institutions in Cameroon serves as the impetus for this research in an effort to seek and find the main cause of these closures. The credit management process was seen as the major cause of most of these sudden closures due to poor loan portfolio management. In 2014, Cameroon had 500 microfinance institutions and by 2015 only 418 microfinance institutions were listed (CRTV 2015). Renowned microfinance institutions left a huge clientele financially incapacitated due to their unexpected bankruptcy and closure. This research selected one highly rated functioning microfinance institution to find out the lapses in the credit management process. Data was collected using questionnaires, direct observation and secondary data. Data analysis is descriptive. Results show that there were a good number of lapses like: high provision, poor recovery procedure, credit officers without an educational background in the field, manual execution of some loans, slow credit management processes, bad faith of customers and poor follow up of loans given out. Key Words: Credit Management, Microfinance Institution (MFI), Recovery Procedure, Lender, Borrower, Bad debt, Doubtful debt, Microcredit DOI : 10.7176/HRL/50-05 Publication date: December 31 st 2019
We report a new route for the design of soluble phenylene vinylene (PV) based electroluminescent polymers bearing electron-deficient oxadizole (OXD) and triazole (TZ) moieties in the main chains with the aryloxy linkage. Both series of the PV-based polymers were prepared by Wittig reaction. By properly adjusting the OXD and/or TZ content through copolymerization, we can achieve an enhanced balance of hole- and electron injections, such that the device efficiency is significantly improved. Light-emitting diodes fabricated from P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, and P7 with the configuration of Indium-Tin Oxide (ITO)/Poly (styrene sulfonic acid) doped poly (ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/polymer/Ca/Al, emit bright green light with the maximum peak around 500 nm. For the device using the optimal polymer (P4) as emitting layer, a maximum brightness of 1300 cd/m(2) at 20 V and a maximum luminance efficiency of 0.325 cd/A can be obtained.
may be consistent with the philosophy underlying the guidelines: local conditions, being inherently nonuniform in nature and pointing in numerous directions, do not lend themselves to the categoriza tion and weighting which seem to be the hallmarks of the guidelines as they have been developed.2 Local variations are important because of the wide spectrum of conditions, attitudes and expecta tions spanning the nation. Overcentralization can produce a rigidity engendering hostility and causing diminution of respect for the national government.3 Yet the United States is "one nation." The basic
Purpose This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of generic and branded irbesartan for 8 weeks in patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension.   Patients and methods We screened 221 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension. After exclusion per study criteria, 177 subjects were randomized to receive 150 mg generic irbesartan (n=91) or branded irbesartan (n=86) as the intention to treat set. The primary efficacy endpoint of this study was the change in mean sitting diastolic blood pressure (SiDBP) from baseline to 8 weeks between the generic and branded irbesartan groups. The secondary efficacy endpoints were the change in mean SiDBP at Week 4 from baseline and the change in mean sitting systolic blood pressure (SiSBP) at Weeks 4 and 8 from baseline in both groups. All safety issues were evaluated.   Results At Week 8, the generic and branded irbesartan groups showed significantly reduced SiDBP (-10.3±8.0, -10.7±7.7 mmHg, all P<0.0001) compared with baseline values, and the mean between-group difference in SiDBP change after 8 weeks of treatment was -0.4±1.2 mmHg, showing the non-inferiority of generic irbesartan vs branded irbesartan. Furthermore, secondary efficacy, which was the mean change of SiDBP from baseline at 4 weeks, was comparable between the two groups (-9.4±8.1 vs -9.9±7.4 mmHg, P=0.69). There were no between-group differences in mean changes of SiSBP after 4 or 8 weeks of treatment (P=0.78, P=0.97, respectively), or in the incidence of adverse effects (16.7 vs 24.4%, P=0.20).   Conclusion Generic irbesartan treatment in patients with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension has shown effective antihypertensive effects comparable with the branded irbesartan treatment, with similar incidence of adverse effects.
The three-dimensional structure of the signal sequence for murine kappa light chain has been calculated by using conformational energy calculations. These calculations, based on tested and reliable potential energy functions, employ a novel global search technique to identify the lowest energy structures for the hexadecapeptide signal sequence, Glu-Thr-Asp-Thr-(Leu3-Trp-Val)2-Pro-Gly.l It has been found that the core hydrophobic sequence, Leu3-Trp-Val-Leu3, adopts an alpha-helical conformation that is terminated by chain reversal conformations for the four residues, Trp-Val-Pro-Gly. The amino-terminal four residues adopt low energy conformations that are fully compatible with the succeeding alpha-helix. The immediately neighboring sequence., Asp-Thr, exists in a single lowest energy double-equatorial conformation, whereas the first two residues, Glu-Thr, can adopt a variety of low energy conformations. The calculations arrive at a highly structured and specific model for the conformation of a leader sequence, compatible with recent experimental data.
Germinal matrix hemorrhages (GMH) and the consequent posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus (PHH) are among the most common and severe neurological complications of preterm birth that require lifelong complex neurosurgical care. GMH and PHH provoke disruption of neuroepithelium/ependyma development, a key structure implicated in brain development and homeostasis. Neuroepithelial/ependymal damage causes lifelong cognitive and motor deficits; however, no therapy is directed to recover the damaged ependyma. This study is aimed to test the possibilities of ependymal repair in GMH/PHH using neural stem cells (NSCs) or ependymal progenitors (EpPs). Thus, it sets the basis for a therapeutic approach to treating ependymal damage and preventing brain developmental deficits. GMH/PHH was induced in 4-day-old mice using different experimental procedures involving collagenase, blood, or blood serum injections. PHH severity was characterized using magnetic resonance, immunofluorescence, and protein expression quantification with mass spectrometry. Additionally, a new exvivo approach using ventricular walls from mice developing moderate and severe GMH/PHH was generated to study ependymal restoration and wall regeneration after stem cell treatments. NSCs or EpPs obtained from newborn mice were transplanted in the explants, and pretreatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) was tested. Ependymal differentiation and the effect of MSC-conditioned microenvironment were investigated in both explants and primary cultures. In the animals, PHH severity was correlated with the extension of GMH, ependymal disruption, astroglial/microglial reactions, and ventriculomegaly. In the explants, the severity and extension of GMH hindered the survival rates of the transplanted NSCs/EpPs. In the explants affected with GMH, new multiciliated ependymal cells could be generated from transplanted NSCs and, more efficiently, from EpPs. Blood and TNFα negatively affected ciliogenesis in cells expressing Foxj1. Pretreatment with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) improved the survival rates of EpPs and ependymal differentiation while reducing the edematous and inflammatory conditions in the explants. In conclusion, in GMH/PHH, the ependyma can be restored from either NSC or EpP transplantation, being EpPs in an MSC-conditioned microenvironment more efficient for this purpose. Modifying the neuroinflammatory microenvironment by MSC pretreatment positively influenced the success of the ependymal restoration.
ABSTRACT Over the course of history, oak trees have played a significant role in the natural landscape and built environment. While providing essential resources that sustain wildlife and even humans, they have aptly developed a legacy reflective of their importance across cultures. They inspire place names, emerge in stories and art, and appear on flags and coins. Their wood products, prominent in the architecture of ships, buildings, hand tools, and more, serve as a testament to their durability. Associated with qualities of endurance and longevity, the oak tree presents as a popular symbol. It is recognised as the national tree in the U.S., where oaks grow prolifically in a variety of environments. With such a reputation and many qualities resembling those of other desirable shade trees, oaks have become some of the most preferred, recommended, and beneficial species in U.S. urban forests.
Orientation selectivity of primary visual cortical neurons is an important requisite for shape perception. Although numerous studies have been previously devoted to a question of how orientation selectivity is established and elaborated in early life, how the susceptibility of orientation plasticity to visual experience changes in time remains unclear. In the present study, we showed a postnatal sensitive period profile for the modifiability of orientation selectivity in the visual cortex of kittens reared with head-mounted goggles for stable single-orientation exposure. When goggle rearing (GR) started at P16-P30, 2 weeks of GR induced a marked over-representation of the exposed orientation, and 2 more weeks of GR consolidated the altered orientation maps. GR that started later than P50, in turn, induced the under-representation of the exposed orientation. Orientation plasticity in the most sensitive period was markedly suppressed by cortical infusion of NMDAR antagonist. The present study reveals that the plasticity and consolidation of orientation selectivity in an early life are dynamically regulated in an experience-dependent manner.
A navigation method that combined strap-down inertial navigation system (SINS) with vision is proposed for fixed-wing UAV's autonomous landing in this paper. Firstly, landing trajectory is designed, which consists of glide phase and flare phase. Secondly, the outputs of inertial device can be acquired via trajectory generator and inertial device simulator. Navigation parameters is calculated by SINS simulator. Thirdly, in the glide phase, a cooperative object is put on the runway whose images are utilized to estimate the position of UAV. The SINS's errors is corrected via Kalman filter. In the flare phase, the UAV recognizes the images of runway edges and center line to obtain the offset distance from center line and height of UAV. Finally, the effectiveness of the presented method is demonstrated by simulation.
Pharmacogenomics is emerging as an important component in facilitating both new drug development and in improving the utility of existing chemotherapeutic agents. However, the process of identifying these genetic variants is still evolving and there are a number of different approaches that can be employed. Typically, identification of the genetic contribution to drug response comes from clinical observations; but these clinical studies are limited by our inability to control environmental factors in vivo, the difficulty of manipulating the in vivo system to evaluate biological changes and the lack of single drug regimens in large oncology trials. Therefore, we have developed a whole genome, cell-based model for identifying genetic variation(s) important in chemotherapeutic agent-induced cytotoxicity using lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from samples included in the International HapMap project as well as extended CEPH pedigrees that have been subject to extensive genotyping for linkage mapping studies. We have identified that SNPs associated with chemotherapeutic sensitivity are enriched in expression quantitative trait locus (eQTLs). The presentation will include an overview of current cell-based models used in pharmacogenomic discovery, replication and translation into the clinical arena. As technology advances, a more comprehensive evaluation of the human genome, including the examination of rare SNPs, copy number variations, tandem repeats, epigenetic effects, will further improve our understanding of the relationship between genetics and drug response in cancers. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(7 Suppl):CN4-1
The degree of white matter (WM) myelination is rather inhomogeneous across the brain. As a consequence, white matter appears differently across the cortical lobes in MR images acquired during early postnatal development. At 1 year old specifically, the gray/white matter contrast of MR images in prefrontal and temporal lobes is limited and thus tissue segmentation results show commonly reduce accuracy in these lobes. In this novel work, we propose the use of spatial intensity growth maps (IGM) for T1 and T2 weighted image to compensate for local appearance inhomogeneity. The IGM captures expected intensity changes from 1 to 2 years of age, as appearance inhomogeneity is highly reduced by the age of 24 months. For that purpose, we employ MRI data from a large dataset of longitudinal (12 and 24 month old subjects) MR study of Autism. The IGM creation is based on automatically co-registered images at 12 months, corresponding registered 24 months images, and a final registration of all image to a prior average template. In template space, voxelwise correspondence is thus achieved and the IGM is computed as the coefficient of a voxelwise linear regression model between corresponding intensities at 1-year and 2-years. The proposed IGM shows low regression values of 1-10% in GM and CSF regions, as well as in WM regions at advanced stage of myelination at 1-year. However, in the prefrontal and temporal lobe we observed regression values of 20-25%, indicating that the IGM appropriately captures the expected large intensity change in these lobes due to myelination.The IGM is applied to cross-sectional MRI datasets of 1-year old subjects via registration, correction and tissue segmentation of the corrected dataset. We validated our approach in a small study of images with known, manual “ground truth” segmentations. We furthermore present an EM-like optimization of adapting existing non-optimal prior atlas probability maps to fit known expert rater segmentations.
Introduction: Psychiatric disorders are causes of addicts’ rehabilitation failure, on the other side psychiatric diseases are not objective thus hardly diagnosed by general practitioners who play substantial roles in addiction treatment. To improve the treatment quality offered to opioid-dependent patients, this study aims to assess psychiatric characteristics of those addicts who have referred to rehabilitation centers. Method: These cross-sectional study 110 opioid-addicts along with their 110 family members were assessed. Patients were selected following a random cluster sampling method within 22 rehabilitation clinics. Individuals were randomly selected based on similar demographic characteristics (age, gender, education). Research tool was SCL- 90 Standard questionnaire, the questionnaire consists of 90 questions that addressing 9 psychiatric disorders. Data collection and entry into SPSS-16 software; the analysis was conducted following descriptive and analytical statistics such as chi-square and t-test at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Opioid-dependent patients’ average scores in all the assessed domains were higher than their family members, however; on somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, and anxiety the discrepancies were statically significant. Conclusion: A higher psychiatric disorders prevalence among the patients compared to their family members can be explained in a way that their tendency toward drugs is due to their psychiatric problems and since drug abuse also develops psychiatric problems, therefore; further studies are recommended to explain the main reason for such high disorder rate among the patients.
The possible domain structures which can arise in the universe in a spontaneously broken gauge theory are studied. It is shown that the formation of domain wall, strings or monopoles depends on the homotopy groups of the manifold of degenerate vacua. The subsequent evolution of these structures is investigated. It is argued that while theories generating domain walls can probably be eliminated (because of their unacceptable gravitational effects), a cosmic network of strings may well have been formed and may have had important cosmological effects.
Ripples are brief (<150 ms) high-frequency oscillatory neural activities in the brain with a range of 140 to 200 Hz in rodents and 80 to 140 Hz in humans. Ripples are regarded as playing an essential role in several aspects of memory function, mainly in the hippocampus. This type of ripple generally occurs with sharp waves and is called a sharp-wave ripple (SPW-R). Extensive research of SPW-Rs in the rodent brain while actively awake has also linked the function of these SPW-Rs to navigation and decision making. Although many studies with rodents unveiled SPW-R function, research in humans on this subject is still sparse. Therefore, unveiling SPW-R function in the human hippocampus is warranted. A certain type of ripples may also be a biomarker of epilepsy. This type of ripple is called a pathological ripple (p-ripple). p-ripples have a wider range of frequency (80-500 Hz) than SPW-Rs, and the range of frequency is especially higher in brain regions that are intrinsically linked to epilepsy onset. Brain regions producing ripples are too small for scalp electrode recording, and intracranial recording is typically needed to detect ripples. In addition, SPW-Rs in the human hippocampus have been recorded from patients with epilepsy who may have p-ripples. Differentiating SPW-Rs and p-ripples is often not easy. We need to develop more sophisticated methods to record SPW-Rs to differentiate them from p-ripples. This paper reviews the general features and roles of ripple waves.
Introduction: Sequential therapy with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs) is effective in some patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) progressed from or were intolerant to a prior TKIs. Anlotinib is a multi-kinase inhibitor targeting VEGFR1/2/3, PDGFR and FGFR, which has demonstrated efficacy and safety in first-line treatment of mRCC. This study assessed the potential of anloitnib as second-line treatment for patients with mRCC after prior one VEGFR-TKI. Methods: This is a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 study. Patients progressed after or were intolerant to sorafenib or sunitinib were enrolled. Anlotinib was administrated orally 12 mg once daily for 14 days every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), safety and quality of life (QoL). Results: Forty three patients were enrolled and 42 received anlotinib, of whom 32 progressed after and 10 were intolerant to sorafenib or sunitinib. Median PFS were 14.0 months (95% CI 8.3–20.3) and 8.5 months (95% CI 5.6–16.6) for overall population and patients progressed after a previous VEGFR-TKI, respectively. Median OS was 21.4 months (95% CI 16.0–34.5), confirmed ORR and DCR were 16.7 and 83.3% in overall population. The most common adverse events included diarrhea (47.6%), hypertension (45.2%), hand and foot syndrome (42.9%), and fatigue (40.5%). Grade 3 hematological adverse events occurred in four cases, while no grade 4 hematological adverse events was observed. Conclusions: Anlotinib showed promising efficacy as well as favorable safety as second-line treatment for patients with mRCC. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02072044.
C ASSANDRA foretold the fall of Troy, Jeremiah prophesied the doom of Jerusalem. Similarly, Benedetto Croce reminds us that, in mediaeval historiography, we find the idea of a history of things future, an idea continued in the Renaissance by the paradoxical Francesco Patrizzi. The oracles of Nostradamus, Patrizzi's contemporary, have recently become a best seller because of the alleged prophecies they contain about the frightful happenings of our days. Throughout history, in times of crisis prophets and seers have abounded who, stirring the masses, have gained a passionate following. In the more quiet periods succeeding the times of trouble, preoccupation with the future was not a mass phenomenon. It remained for artists and poets to paint their visions while, here and there, chiliastic preachers and utopian revolutionaries dreamed of the millenium that was soon to be born. Since the "dawn of conscience" in the days of the Egyptian prophets, the future has been both the sacred preserve of the genius and the happy hunting ground of the charlatan. Theirs was the monopoly of the " beyond " of space and time. Prophetic voices of all varieties, however, were bound to be stilled by the onrushing tide of the scientific age. To the diligent student of things exact and the pedantic teacher of events past and present, any attempt to delve into the future seemed a ridiculous undertaking worthy only of contempt. It so happened that the culmination of modern scientific development coincided with the era of social stability of the past century, encouraging scientists to restrict their investigations to the past of man and the invariably recurring present of nature. In a relatively static age, basic social change is too slow to enter into the consciousness of its contemporaries. In their eyes, past, present, and future are basically identical, each constituting but a link in the endless chain of repetitious events which makes up the whole of human development. To people living in a period of crisis such as ours, however, the future appears to be basically different from the past. In such historical moments, the present is felt to have little reality of its own, representing, so to speak, merely a turning point between the past that is irretrievably lost and a future that is radically new. Then the history of the past is not only reinterpreted in the light of the present, but the future throws its
ABSTRACT Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs), including H5N6 strains, pose threats to the health of humans and poultry. Waterfowl play a crucial role as a reservoir of HPAIVs. Since current influenza vaccines induce poor antibody titres in waterfowl, there is an urgent need to develop an efficient vaccine against H5N6 infection. In this study, we constructed two H5N6 virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of matrix-1 (M1) and haemagglutinin of wildtype (HA-TM) or haemagglutinin with transmembrane domain replacement (HA-TMH3) (designated as H5N6 VLPs-TM and H5N6 VLPs-TMH3). Biological characteristics of the composed H5N6 VLPs were compared including localization, expression, contents of HA trimers, thermal stability, morphology and immunogenicity in Muscovy ducks. Our results indicate that the H5N6 VLPs-TMH3 contained more HA trimers and presented better thermal stability. Moreover, Muscovy ducks immunized with H5N6 VLPs-TMH3 produced higher titres of HI antibody and IFN-γ compared with those immunized with the same dose of H5N6 VLP-TM, thus providing a promising approach for the development of influenza virus vaccines for waterfowl. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS H5N6 VLPs-TMH3 had more HA trimers and resisted higher temperature than H5N6 VLPs-TM H5N6 VLPs-TMH3 induced higher titre of HI than H5N6 VLPs-TM in Muscovy ducks
In the article results of researches of formation of the immune status of sheep of Cigai, Volgograd and Edilbaev breeds grown in cattle-breeding farms of Right bank of the Saratov region in the age dynamics are given.Adaptation of young animals is most fully characterized by immunological parameters: phagocytic, bactericidal and lysozyme activity in blood serum.The results of the studies showed that the parameters of immunity in sheep of all studied breeds had values that spoke of the high level of adaptationof animals.It was found that all immune indicators the edilbaev lambs had an advantage over other breeds throughout the experiment.This indicates the early maturity of the lambs of this breed and their better adaptation in the climatic conditions of the Saratov region.
Vibrio vulnificus is a virulent marine organism commonly found in Hong Kong coastal waters which contaminates local sea-food. It may produce a primary septicaemia, often associated with secondary skin lesions, following ingestion of raw shell fish. We report a rapidly fatal case of primary V. vulnificus septicaemia in a 50-year-old housewife with post-hepatitic cirrhosis presenting as spontaneous necrotising cellulitis of the legs. V. vulnificus infection should be considered in patients with a history of liver disease with acute septicaemia and characteristic skin lesions.
We describe an automatic classifier of arrhythmias based on 12-lead and reduced-lead electrocardiograms. Our classifier comprises four modules: scattering transform (ST), phase harmonic correlation (PHC), depthwise separable convolutions (DSC), and a long short-term memory (LSTM) network. It is trained on PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2021 data. The ST captures short-term temporal ECG modulations while the PHC characterizes the phase dependence of coherent ECG components. Both reduce the sampling rate to a few samples per typical heart beat. We pass the output of the ST and PHC to a depthwise-separable convolution layer (DSC) which combines lead responses separately for each ST or PHC coefficient and then combines resulting values across all coefficients. At a deeper level, two LSTM layers integrate local variations of the input over long time scales. We train in an end-to-end fashion as a multilabel classification problem with a normal and 25 arrhythmia classes. Lastly, we use canonical correlation analysis (CCA) for transfer learning from 12-lead ST and PHC representations to reduced-lead ones. After local cross-validation on the public data from the challenge, our team ‘BitScattered’ achieved the following results: 0.682 ± 0.0095 for 12-lead; 0.666 ± 0.0257 for 6-lead; 0.674 ± 0.0185 for 4-lead; 0.661 ± 0.0098 for 3-lead; and 0.662 ± 0.0151 for 2-lead.
Groundwater contamination is an important issue due to its toxicological effects on ecosystems and impact on public health. In this view, 120 water samples collected from flood affected areas of district Rajanpur, Pakistan were assessed for physical parameters (colour, odour, pH, turbidity and conductivity), minerals (Alkalinity, Na+, K+, Ca+2, Mg+2, Cl-, SO4 -2 and TDS), micronutrients (F-, As, Fe, Mn, Zn) and microbiological organism (total coliform and faecal coliform) to understand its suitability for human consumption and health risk associated. Analysis data revealed that 75 and 57% water samples were contaminated with total coliform and faecal coliform bacteria respectively. Other than this, a number of water samples were having high level of minerals, micronutrients and other chemical constituents. Health risk assessment due to high concentration of Fe, Mn, As and Zn was carried out by calculating chronic daily intake (CDI) and health risk index (HRI) for both adults and children separately. Calculated CDIs and HRIs were found in the order of Mn>As>Zn>Fe and As>Mn>Zn>Fe respectively. Results showed that HRI>1 for As in 46 and 37% water samples for children and adults respectively, posing serious threats to the healthy life of the local community.
A GD3-type ganglioside molecular species, LMG-4 (1), has been obtained from the polar lipid fraction of the chloroform/methanol extract of the starfish Luidia maculata. The structure of this ganglioside has been determined on the basis of chemical and spectroscopic evidence to be 1-O-[(N-acetyl-alpha-D-neuraminosyl)-(2-->8)-(N-acetyl-alpha-D-neuraminosyl)-(2-->3)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl]-ceramide. The ceramide moiety was composed of heterogeneous 2-hydroxy fatty acid and phytosphingosine units. This is the first report on the isolation and structure elucidation of GD3-type ganglioside from echinoderms. Moreover, 1 exhibited neuritogenic activity toward the rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells in the presence of nerve growth factor.
We map the parameter space that leads to stable [ital Z] vortices in the electroweak model. For sin[sup 2][theta][sub [ital W]]=0.23, we find that the strings are unstable for a Higgs-boson mass larger than 24 GeV. Given the latest constraints on the Higgs-boson mass from the CERN [ital e][sup +][ital e[minus]] collider LEP, this shows that, if the standard electroweak model is realized in nature, the [ital Z] vortex (in the bare model) is unstable.
The radiative parameters of mineral aerosols are strongly dependent on particle size. Therefore explicit modeling of particle size distribution is needed to calculate the radiative effects and the climate impact of mineral dust. We describe a parameterization of the global mineral aerosol size distribution in a transport model using eight size classes between 0.1 and 10 μm. The model prescribes the initial size distribution using soil texture data and aerosol size measurements close to the ground. During transport, the size distribution changes as larger particles settle out faster than smaller particles. Results of Mie scattering calculations of radiative parameters (extinction efficiency, single scattering albedo, asymmetry parameter) of mineral dust are shown at wavelengths between 0.3 and 30 μm for effective particle radii between 0.1 and 10 μm. Also included are radiative properties (reflection, absorption, transmission) calculated for a dust optical thickness of 0.1. Preliminary studies with the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM), using two particle size modes, show regional changes in radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere as large as +15 W m -2 at solar and +5 W m -2 at thermal wavelengths in the annual mean, indicating that dust forcing is an important factor in the global radiation budget.
This paper presents a design and a contrast test of an ultra-low power wireless health monitoring system capable of measuring a subject's ECG (Electrocardiography), respiration, and body temperature. The system is based on the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) technology which is most valued for its ultra-low power consumption. Compared to our former design using MSP430 MCU and Bluetooth 2.1, this new design is much more highly integrated and can reduce power consumption significantly, which is generally a vital problem should be considered in WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) issues. The new system can save as much as nearly 75% power consumption than the former design when working in the same mode with the sampling rate at 250 Hz, which means that the battery life can extend to 107 hours compared to 26 hours of the former one, both using a 3.7 V lithium polymer battery with the capacity of 1100 mAh. Meanwhile, the new design can connect 3 nodes simultaneously with a single PC or smart phone wirelessly; this number may increase with the new BLE stack will be released in the future.
Background: Antiplatelet agents are the cornerstone of medical treatment in acute coronary syndromes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical epidemiology of patients after an acute coronary syndrome treated with different antiplatelet agent regimens in a large real community setting. Methods: The ARCO database, including more than 12 million inhabitants, was evaluated. Antiplatelet agent prescriptions were analysed as follows: aspirin, clopidogrel, other antiplatelet agents used alone; the free and fixed combination of clopidogrel and aspirin; the free combination of aspirin with other antiplatelet agents. Healthcare costs included drug prescriptions (prices reimbursed by the Italian National Health System), outpatient specialist services and hospitalisations (Italian national tariffs). Results: From 1 January to 31 December 2014, 26,834 patients were discharged after an acute coronary syndrome. Of these, 19,333 (77%) were prescribed with an antiplatelet agent. Among patients undergoing a revascularisation procedure either percutaneous or surgical (47% of the total population), antiplatelet agents were prescribed in 90% of cases. Dual antiplatelet agent therapy was prescribed in 49.6% of the total population and in 68.5% of those treated invasively. Prescription continuity was observed in just 75% of patients. The highest adherence was observed for the fixed combination of aspirin/clopidogrel (81.5%). Throughout one year of follow-up re-hospitalisation occurred in 47.9% of the patients and the direct cost per patient treated with an antiplatelet agent was €13,297 versus €16,647 in patients not treated with antiplatelet agents. Conclusions: This study highlights that antiplatelet agent prescriptions, specifically dual antiplatelet agent therapy, are at least suboptimal as well as in prescription continuity. Hospitalisations were frequent and were the main driver of the costs, accounting for 84% of the total costs for the Italian National Health System.
Despite multiple reconstructive approaches proposed over the past several decades, there remains no consensus on the optimal method of reconstructing pharyngo-esophageal defects. In this paper, we compare our experience with tubed radial forearm free flap (RFF) and gastric pull-up (GP). Patients who underwent GP had lower rates of stricture formation, regardless of preoperative radiation status. Patients who underwent preoperative radiation had higher rates of stricture and fistula formation. Non-radiated patients also had higher rates of return to oral diet. Gastric pull-up offers lower rates of stricture and fistula formation, as well as high rates of return to oral diet. Patients who underwent preoperative radiation suffered higher rates of stricture and fistula regardless of reconstructive method. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT This article argues that Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) has struggled to gain traction in wider economic and political debates due to: (1) An incomplete understanding of key macroeconomic terms among economic commentators, especially journalists, and the wider community (lack of education); and (2) The deployment of key macroeconomic terms (incorrectly) in the context of pervasive cultural metaphors to support policy interventions that effectively benefit a privileged few at the expense of the majority. We provide a conceptual basis for understanding how the language we use constrains our thinking and we examine some of the key metaphors used to reinforce the flawed message of orthodox economics. We examine key ideas of modern monetary theory—an apolitical model of macroeconomic operations—and propose effective ways of expressing those key ideas in a progressive social and economic framework.
China, Zhonguo, the "middle kingdom," carries a fascination for the remainder of the world and has been described as the "longest running show on earth."* The authors recently journeyed to Beijing and Shanghai to lecture on cardiac pacing and valvular heart disease. The distinction between the teachers and the students became less clear as the trip evolved and each returned with profound impressions of the enormous accomplishments and remaining social problems facing this nation of 980,000,000 people during transition from an ancient to a modern society and in large part through the hardships imposed during the "cultural revolution" by the legendary "gang of four." The recent efforts to catch up with the developed nations on the social and scientific level date back fewer than five years but are being approached with enormous vitality and enthusiasm and honest admission of the deficiencies of the past. An overriding impression with which we returned is of the extraordinary multitudes crowding the streets and shops, queued at bus stops, stores, theaters and the Chinese equivalents of America's "fast food" shops; friendly, happy people with enormous curiousity about Westerners.
This paper reports on the evaluation of a natural product, candelilla wax, as a possible lubricant for unplasticized PVC formulations stabilized with lead or barium/cadmium chemicals. The lubricant effect of two types of wax (commercial grade and purified by solvent extraction) was evaluated by torque and extrusion rheometry and by differential scanning calorimetry. Commercial lubricants (Loxiol) were used for comparison. The results show that candelilla wax may be used as a lubricant (mainly of the external type) for unplasticized PVC; however, care must be taken when designing formulations to avoid over-lubrication, specially when lead-based thermal stabilizers are used.
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to ascertain whether people in China would be willing to pay for an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine booster dose. An online survey estimating participants' willingness to pay (WTP) for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine was conducted in Taizhou, China. The participants received ane-mail or e-poster on WeChat. A total of 1576 subjects participated the survey. A total of 66.4% (1046/1576) of the respondents were willing to pay for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for themselves. Using binary logistic regression analysis, the following factors were significantly related to a WTP for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine: 1) confidence in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines (high vs. low, OR: 4.30, 95%CI: 1.61–11.43), 2) confidence in the preventive effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 virus (moderate vs. little, OR: 1.76, 95%CI: 1.30–2.38; great vs. little, OR: 2.244, 95%CI: 1.62–3.12), and 3) COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (unhesitant vs. very unhesitant, OR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.45–1.02; hesitant vs. very unhesitant, OR: 0.29, 95%CI: 0.19–0.44; very hesitant vs. very unhesitant, OR: 0.09, 95%CI: 0.03–0.27). This study revealed that a moderate proportion of participants responded that they would be willing to pay for a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine. These findings suggest the importance of a detailed assessment and a health education plan that better understands the population’s risk perception as well as the potential health risks in China.
An apparatus has been designed and constructed to determine the effects of applied oscillatory loads on fibres. It includes a piezoelectric transducer to register the oscillatory loads on the fibre. This, combined with a strain gauge bridge system and suitable amplification, provides signals directly proportional to the maximum and mean load experienced by the fibre under test. These signals actuate a servomechanism which limits the desired maximum load experienced by the fibre to a constant value.
This paper investigates the optimal design of hybrid automatic repeat request with incremental redundancy (HARQ-IR) over arbitrarily correlated Rician fading channels for goodput maximization. With practical consideration of both the channel time correlation and line-of-sight (LOS) links, theoretical analysis and optimal design of HARQ-IR become very challenging. To address them, asymptotic outage analysis is first carried out to not only gain meaningful insights but also facilitate the optimal design. With simple forms of asymptotic expressions derived, joint optimization of the transmission powers and rate aiming at goodput maximization under average total transmission power constraint is enabled and solved analytically. The optimal goodput is also derived in closed form, with which meaningful insights can then be extracted. Particularly, the scaling law of the optimal goodput with respect to the transmit signal-to-noise ratio is found, and the harmfulness of time correlation and the benefit of LOS links are revealed. Finally, the analytical results are validated through extensive simulations.
The Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society has developed the ‘EPLBD Clinical Practice Guidelines’ as fundamental guidelines based on new scientific techniques. EPLBD is a treatment method that has recently become widely used for choledocolithiasis. The evidence level in this field is usually low, and in many instances, the recommendation grading has to be determined on the basis of expert consensus. At this point, the guidelines are divided into the following six sections according to the ‘EST Clinical Practice Guidelines’: (i) Indications, (ii) procedures, (iii) special cases, (iv) procedure‐related adverse events, (v) treatment outcomes, and (vi) postoperative follow up observation.
To the Editors:   Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical generated from l-arginine through the NO synthases (NOS). This molecule is produced within the respiratory tract and plays an important role in airway pathophysiology, exerting both beneficial and nonbeneficial effects 1, 2.  Because various pro-inflammatory mediators and lipopolysaccharides are capable of inciting inducible NOS (iNOS) expression 2, different airway inflammatory diseases are associated with increased NO release, which is detectable in exhaled gas, including asthma 3, bronchiectasis 4, allergic rhinitis 5 and upper respiratory tract infections 6. However, not all sources of the elevated …
Brain-computer interface is mainly developed for clinical rehabilitation. Numerous studies have shown that it can also be applied to neuromarketing to assist customers in making decisions. By identifying the P300 component of the event-related potentials (ERPs), it can be known whether the target commodity or target stimuli is interesting to the consumer. However, when the target stimuli appear more frequently and people’s responses to stimuli vary, it is challenging to locate the target stimuli based on the P300 in practical applications. Moreover, a significant P300 component can only be obtained by stacking and averaging multiple ERPs in normal conditions. In this study, we propose a group electroencephalogram processing method to estimate the timing of evoked stimulus appearance without compromising real-time performance using convolutional neural networks. In addition, this method can be used to estimate the group’s attention to the target and standard stimulus. The results show that the effectiveness of the proposed processing method for stimuli presentation time estimation and group attention state estimation are 87.10 % and 96.55 %, respectively.
Lilong Gao, Xiaojun Li, Ying Wang, Weipu Zhu, Zhiquan Shen, Xiaodong Li MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, People’s Republic of China Affiliated Stomatology Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310006, People’s Republic of China Key Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials and Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310027, China Correspondence to: W. P. Zhu (E-mail: zhuwp@zju.edu.cn) or X. D. Li (E -mail: cisarli@zju.edu.cn)
Valence of musical emotions and its laterality evoked by instrumental Indian music has been examined using well-established model of frontal regional activation of emotions as a theoretical framework. A sample of forty-one subjects given piece of instrumental Indian classical music, and Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals recorded before and during listening to the music. All participants divided into two groups of appreciator and non-appreciator based upon their feedback given by them at the end of the recording session, noted by rating to the music given by the subjects used in the study. Using Fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm power in the theta band at frontal region was calculated. It has been found out significant increase in frontal midline theta power in appreciator left brain when compared to the right. Moreover, significant decrease in frontal midline theta power in non-appreciator's left hemisphere. These findings and comparison with psychometric data provided by subjects reveals positive or pleasant emotions evoked by instrumental Indian classical music are processed by left frontal region. And activation and non-activation of frontal left lobe depends upon Subject being an appreciator or non-appreciator of music. Hence, supporting established finding in Indian population for appreciation of Indian Classical Music. Moreover, processing of music by the brain is beyond the realms of culture.
The use of NAPZA (Narcotics, Alcohol, Psychotropic, and other addictive substances) in Indonesia keeps increasing. One type of frequently used NAPZAs is diazepam. Diazepam is a kind of sedative-hypnotics drug which belongs to benzodiazepine. The objective of this study was to determine kidney function by examining the level of urine ureum and creatinine also histological structure in rat after treated with diazepam. Rats were divided into one control group and three diazepam treatment groups which were solvent control (PEG 1%), treatment I (62.25 mg/kg BW), treatment II (83 mg/kg BW), and treatment III (124.5 mg/kg BW) of diazepam. These doses were based on LD 50 in human. Rat urine was taken on the D0, D7, D14, D21, and D28. The ureum level was examined by ureumse-GLDH method and the creatinine level was analyzed by Jaffe method. The histological section was made by paraffin method with Hematoxylin and Eosin (HE) staining. Results showed that diazepam given to rat for 28 days led the in- crease of urine ureum and creatinine levels compare to control group. Furthermore, histological damages of the kidney also detected including cellular injuries, both reversible and irreversible injuries, congestion, hemorrhage, and glomerular damage. In conclusion, the use of diazepam for 28 days affected kidney function in rat.
The football fan park, originally a ‘surrogate stadium’ for fans without tickets, has now become a live venue in its own right, and a new arena in the culture of football fandom. In these sites of exceptionally high ‘media density’, football fan identities become flexible and mobile, as participants in these venues interact with an increasingly mediatized social environment. In this chapter, we explore the interlocking issues of mediatization and globalization and their impact on the construction and negotiation of football fan identities, as matches between national teams are broadcast to these public viewing areas. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in the FIFA Fan Parks in Berlin, Cape Town and Rio during the 2010 World Cup, we argue that the fan park, as a mediatized space, has become a site where fan identities are constructed in new ways, facilitating a cosmopolitan understanding of football.
China, as a whole, is about to meet the Millennium Development Goals for reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR), but the disparities between rural area and urban area still exists. This study estimated the potential effectiveness of expanding coverage with high impact interventions using the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). It was found that gestational hypertension, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, preterm birth, neonatal asphyxia, and neonatal childhood pneumonia and diarrhea are still the major killers of mothers and children in rural area in China. It was estimated that 30% of deaths among 0-59 month old children and 25% of maternal deaths in 2008 could be prevented in 2015 if primary health care intervention coverage expanded to a feasible level. The LiST death cause framework, compared to data from the Maternal and Child Mortality Surveillance System, represents 60%-80% of neonatal deaths, 40%-50% of deaths in 1-59 month old children and 40%-60% of maternal deaths in rural areas of western China.
Vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy, conductometric titration measurements, and EDX elemental mapping were used to examine surfactant adsorption to the gypsum (010) surface and assess the effects of surfactant adsorption on gypsum solubility in aqueous solutions. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) were used as anionic and cationic surfactants, respectively. Gypsum/SDS interactions result in an ordered precipitate layer on the gypsum surface after water evaporation; gypsum/DTAC interaction did not show a similar effect, despite exposure of gypsum to equivalent amounts of surfactant. VSFG spectra showed that SDS molecules adsorb with their chains parallel to the gypsum surface; spectra from gypsum surfaces treated with DTAC, however, showed no measurable response, implying that these surfactants form disorganized aggregates with no polar ordering. Vibrational data were supported by independent EDX measurements that show a uniform distribution of SDS across the gypsum surface. In contrast, element-specific EDX images showed that DTAC clustered in tightly localized patches that left most of the gypsum surface exposed. The uniform adsorption of SDS on the gypsum surface suppresses long-term dissolution up to 40% when compared to samples exposed to DTAC. Gypsum samples in DTAC-containing solutions lose approximately the same amount of material to dissolution as samples immersed in pure water.
ABSTRACT This study was conducted to evaluate the interactions between the gut microbiota, ochratoxin A and functional food such as honey and quercetin, and the consequences of these interactions on ochratoxin-induced DNA damage in blood, liver and kidney cells. Honey (2 g kg−1) or Quercetin (50 mg kg−1) was applied to mice by intragastric application every day for 15 days, immediately before ochratoxin treatment (100 µg kg−1). We investigated colonic probiotic bacteria count, β-glucuronidase activity, the alkaline comet assay in blood, liver and kidney, the number of cells in the peritoneal cavity, macrophage spreading index and hematological and biochemical parameters. Honey and QU may reduce ochratoxin-induced DNA damage in the liver and kidney, β-glucuronidase activity and inflammation, partly through increasing the colon Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli counts. The obtained results suggest that honey and QU counteracted the OTA-induced toxicity due to their bifidogenic activity and antigenotoxic activity. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
In this paper, a design method of an infusion monitoring device using a 5kg load cell was proposed, and a material object with a monitoring accuracy of 0.1g was fabricated by this method. Usually, the use of load cells to monitor the infusion situation will face a variety of external disturbances. This paper ensured that the correct data was filtered out via the range analysis of the measured values and software filtering, and summed up all kinds of errors that may occur, which made the device have the ability to judge varieties of errors. Besides, the selection of different thresholds in the range was explored so that the device can dynamically adjust the threshold according to different drug solutions, different rate requirements, and different infusion sets. Furthermore, this paper proposed the equation and method of temperature correction. The results show that the proposed design method made the device more practical.
Context: As breast cancer treatment going forward, need for supportive strategies grows. That creates an important call to summarize what has been done regionally. Objectives: In this study, we systematically reviewed articles that proceeded rehabilitation and supportive care in breast cancer patients in Iran to present a research map of rehabilitation research in the past 10 years in Iran. Data Sources: All articles published from January 2006 to October 2015 were included. All of the breast cancer studies in Iran were searched in 3 English (Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus) and 2 Persian databases (SID and IranMedex). Study Selection: All papers related to rehabilitation in breast cancer were included and categorized into 5 subgroups including qualitative, instrument, lymphedema, interventional, and observational studies. Three reviewers (two surgeons and an epidemiologist) screened the primary search and divided it into subgroups. Data Extraction: Two reviewers used a checklist to critically appraise the full text of the selected articles. The necessary information of retrieved articles was extracted and recorded in the designed data extraction spreadsheet in Excel software. Results: A total of 194 articles (102 in English and 92 in Persian) were assessed for eligibility of inclusion in the review, of which, 121 were excluded, and 73 studies were kept. The included studies consisted of 14 on qualitative design, 5 studies in the translation and validation of research instruments, 7 articles in the field of lymphedema, 20 articles about different intervention modalities on breast cancer patients (including education, social status, psychological, exercise, etc.), and 27 observational studies about anxiety, depression, quality of life, sexual function, emotional distress, complementary medicine, lifestyle, etc. Conclusions: Most of the reviewed studies insisted on a prevalence of physical, psychological, functional, and spiritual problems of breast cancer survivors and their caregivers. Designing a mega project to offer a palliative and rehabilitation service package according to the needs of Iranian patients may become a priority in their health care system.
Background and Purpose: The humoral immune response in cancer patients can be used for early detection of the disease. Autoantibodies raised against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are promising clinical biomarkers for reliable cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy monitoring. In this study, an electrochemical disposable multiplexed immunosensing platform able to integrate difficult- and easy-to-express colorectal cancer (CRC) TAAs is reported for the sensitive determination of eight CRC-specific autoantibodies. Methods: The electrochemical immunosensing approach involves the use of magnetic microcarriers (MBs) as solid supports modified with covalently immobilized HaloTag fusion proteins for the selective capture of specific autoantibodies. After magnetic capture of the modified MBs onto screen-printed carbon working electrodes, the amperometric responses measured using the hydroquinone (HQ)/H2O2 system were related to the levels of autoantibodies in plasma. Results: The biosensing platform was applied to the analysis of autoantibodies against 8 TAAs described for the first time in this work in plasma samples from healthy asymptomatic individuals (n=3), and patients with high-risk of developing CRC (n=3), and from patients already diagnosed with colorectal (n=3), lung (n=2) or breast (n=2) cancer. The developed bioplatform demonstrated an improved discrimination between CRC patients and controls (asymptomatic healthy individuals and breast and lung cancer patients) compared to an ELISA-like luminescence test. Conclusions: The proposed methodology uses a just-in-time produced protein in a simpler protocol, with low sample volume, and involves cost-effective instrumentation, which could be used in a high-throughput manner for reliable population screening to facilitate the detection of early CRC patients at affordable cost.
This paper undertakes the issue of portfolio insurance from the perspective of a risk-averse agent requiring his financial wealth to grow at a floored rate in excess of an equity benchmark. The suggested solution is a generalization of the CPPI approach within a two-equity asset framework. The paper examines some features of this extension related to its dynamic, its relative risk-reward profile and its static replication. It focuses more specifically on the optimal design of this portfolio strategy in the sense of consumption-investment decision making.
Propagation in the urban environment is in principle a well-posed problem: the electromagnetic field radiated by prescribed sources, in the simplest case a single antenna, must fulfil Maxwell equations in the open space and boundary conditions over the built-up buildings walls. But any attempt to provide a solution to this apparently simple problem must face the complication of the scattering scenario. A general frame to locate above mentioned problem is certainly desirable, if not necessary. This point is examined in the paper.
We improve the efficiency of quasi-Monte Carlo integro-approximation by using weighted averages of samples instead of the samples themselves. The proposed deterministic algorithm is constructed such that it converges to the solution of the given integro-approximation problem. The improvements and wide applicability of the consistent method are demonstrated by visual evidence in the setting of light transport simulation for photorealistic image synthesis, where the weighted averages correspond to locally smoothed contributions of path space samples.
The simplicity, reliability and cost-effectiveness of ejector-based technologies have paved way to recover low-pressure gases which are normally flared by the oil companies. In this study, a numerical analysis was performed to evaluate the performance of an ejector for flare gas recovery application. Initially water was used as the primary fluid and air as the secondary fluid. The analysis was then extended to different combinations of primary and secondary fluids, namely, water–methane, crude oil–air and crude oil–methane, respectively. The governing equations of fluid flow were solved for both liquid and gas phases. The entrainment and pressure ratio varied as the design parameters and operating conditions were changed. The role of setback distance on the location of jet breakup was presented. Primary flow rate optimization was done to find the maximum flow rate for the design as the best performance can be obtained at that flow rate. The optimum setback distance and the flow rate of the primary fluid were found to be 34 mm and 0.76 lps, respectively. The role of primary fluid viscosity and suction fluid density was also presented. A maximum efficiency of 44% was observed when crude oil was used as the motive fluid for recovery of these gases.
In 1993 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared tuberculosis a global public health emergency, the only disease so far to warrant that designation. The declaration galvanized an awareness in the medical community of the magnitude of the global tuberculosis problem. This paper will review the epidemiological data from WHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other groups and describe recent research developments.  Based on well-recorded history, WHO has calculated that there has been no significant decrease in the world-wide mortality due to tuberculosis since before the time of Koch in 1882, and that the advent of sanatoria and chemotherapy, which drastically reduced tuberculosis in the more developed countries, had no profound effect on the global problem [1,2]. The tuberculosis problem in India alone has not changed since its independence in the late 1940s. Then and now, about 13 million people, i.e., 1.5% of the total population, suffer from active pulmonary tuberculosis and, of these, about 6 million are sputum-positive and therefore highly infectious [3].  Some of the well-known truisms about tuberculosis are that the disease is emerging, reemerging, recalcitrant and resistant to treatment in many global areas; responsible for more human deaths than any other single infectious agent — 26% of all preventable deaths, 7% of all deaths [4]; and inherently resistant to many common antibiotics, such as the β-lactams, due to inherent β-lactamases and its peculiar mycolic acid-containing cell wall barrier [5].  Epidemiologists have estimated, based on tuberculin skin test reactivity, that about one-third of the world's population, i.e., about 1.7 billion people, are infected with M. tuberculosis [4]. They also calculated that each year, 8–10 million new cases of tuberculosis occur, i.e., an estimated 90 million cases over this decade, and almost 3 million people die from tuberculosis …
This paper focuses on AGV scheduling and path planning of automatic transport system. Using the topological modeling method to build an electronic map; based on A* (A-Star) algorithm and complex scheduling strategies to solve single AGV path planning, this paper presents a one-way graph path based planning algorithm which solves the problem of multi-AGV path planning, avoids system conflicts and enhances system stability. And the algorithm is verified by the AGV automatic transport management system, which is based on VC++6.0 and SQL Server.
The present study was aimed to assess wilt and root rot/damping off prevalence in chilli (Capsicum annuum) in Kashmir and to examine the potential of various bio-agents in manage-ment of these diseases. Survey was carried out in three districts of Kashmir viz., Pulwama, Budgam and Srinagar during the year 2013. The damping off and wilt/root rot incidence in chilli growing areas varied from 7 to 36 and 10 to 54%, respec-tively with highest disease incidence in district Pulwama and lowest in district Srinagar. The pathogens responsible for wilt/root rot were Rhizotonia solani, Sclerotium rolfsii, Fusarium solani, F. oxysporium, F. pallidoroseum and Phy-tophthora capsici. Pythium sp. was observed to be the incitant of damping off. Fifteen isolates of Trichoderma species and 2 isolates of Pseudo-monas fluorescens and Bacilus sp. each were isolated locally and evaluated against above pathogens (except P. capsici) in vitro. Trichoder-ma viride isolate TK1, T. harzianum isolate TK8, Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate Ps1 and Bacil-lus sp. isolate B1 were most effective in inhibit-ing the mycelia growth of pathogens. In vivo wilt/root rot disease management through use of effective bioagents revealed that all the four biocontrol agents, used individually or in combi-nation, significantly improved seed germination (62.7–76.3%) as against control (57.7%). The fun-gicide treatment of 2-(methoxycarbamoylamino)-benzimidazole (carbendazim 50 WP) had less damping-off incidence of 2% as against 6.0 to 13.7% in bioagent treatments and 18.7% in con-trol. Similarly, wilt/root rot was significantly re-duced in bioagent or chemical treatments than control.
Considering the importance of the image diagnosis associated  with the clinical examination in the patient’s evaluation  with temporomandibular disorders, the aim of  this research was to investigate, through nuclear magnetic  resonance images (RMN), the relationship of disc displacement  with the intramedullar bone edema, effusion  and osteoarthrosis of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). For  this, it was evaluated 65 TMJs of the 37 adults subjects,  of both gender, with clinical diagnosis of temporomandibular  disorders and radiographic of the displacement  disc. The results showed the presence of osteoarthrosis  in 26,3%, effusion in 33,7% and edema in 16,8% of the  cases. The osteoarthrosis was presented in 70,6% of the  TMJs with displacement disc without reduction and in  only 12,5% displacement with reduction. Furthermore,  there was no significant relationship between anatomic  displacement disc and the pathologies. This variability  showed the importance of the RMN diagnosis for differential  treatment for each case.  Key words: Temporomandibular joint. Disc displacement.  Intramedullar bone edema. Effusion. Osteoarthrosis.
Polymeric fibers are used for reinforcement of composites in all kinds of applications, from sport and recreation products to military equipment. Since these fibers have high energy absorption on ballistic impact, the defense industry uses them to manufacture lightweight armor. In many cases, armors are exposed to degradation agents such as heat, humidity, and radiation. The macromolecular changes of polymer fibers exposed to degradation agents can affect the mechanical and ballistic properties of the composite. The present work studies the ballistic performance of aromatic polyamide (aramid) fabric-reinforced composite using two different matrices, degraded by gamma radiation. The results suggest that gamma radiation can change the penetration failure mechanism of the composite in a variety of ways depending on the matrix, compromising its performance.
We present observations of CO (1-0) and CO (2-1) emission from the z = 4.12 quasi-stellar object (QSO) PSS J2322+1944 using the Very Large Array. The CO emission is extended on a spatial scale of 2''. This extension could reflect the double nature of the QSO, as seen in the optical, or could be diffuse emission with a (redshift-corrected) mean brightness temperature of 2.8 K for the CO (2-1) line. We find that CO excitation conditions are lower than in two other IR-luminous z > 4 QSOs, suggesting the presence of a significant contribution from cooler, lower density molecular gas [n(H2) ~ 5 × 103 cm-3], although such a conclusion is complicated by the possibility of differential gravitational magnification.
A search made of the Sumerian and Akkadian literature for indications of the possible existence of wind vanes in the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations resulted in two discoveries. First, in one Akkadian fable, originally written between about 1800 and 1600 B.C., mention was made of a wind vane. It follows from the context of the fable that the vane was made of wood, while the name of the vane suggests that it was in the shape of a bird. Second, three Sumero-Akkadian vocabularies of this period give three different Sumerian names for the single Akkadian name for vane. The Sumerian names appear to be genuine Sumerian terms and not translations of the Akkadian term. All three Sumerian names suggest that the vanes were made of wood; one of the three may possibly indicate that the vane was made in the form of either a fish (shark?) or a mythological water monster. Since the Sumerian culture flourished before about 2000 B.C. (the Ur III dynasty ruled from about 2100 to 2000 B.C.), it seems that in the ancient ...
BACKGROUND determining whether a colonoscopy is performed for screening or nonscreening purposes can facilitate clinical practice and research. However, there is no simple method to determine the colonoscopy indication using patient medical files or health administrative databases.   OBJECTIVE to determine patient-endoscopist agreement on the colonoscopy indication.   METHODS a cross-sectional study was conducted among staff endoscopists and their patients at seven university-affiliated hospitals in Montreal, Quebec. The study participants were 50 to 75 years of age, they were able to understand English or French, and were about to undergo colonoscopy. Self- (endoscopist) and interviewer-administered (patient) questionnaires ascertained information that permitted classification of the colonoscopy indication. Patient colonoscopy indication was defined as the following: perceived screening (routine screening, family history, age); perceived nonscreening (follow-up); medical history that implied nonscreening; and a combination of the three preceding indications. Agreement between patient and endoscopist indications was measured using concordance and Kappa statistic.   RESULTS in total, 702 patients and 38 endoscopists participated. The three most common reasons for undergoing colonoscopy were routine screening⁄regular check-up (33.8%), follow-up to a previous problem (30.2%) and other problem (24.6%). Concordance (range 0.79 to 0.85) and Kappa (range 0.58 to 0.70) were highest for perceived nonscreening colonoscopy. Recent large bowel symptoms accounted for 120 occurrences of disagreement in which the patient perceived a nonscreening colonoscopy while the endoscopist perceived a screening colonoscopy.   CONCLUSIONS patient self-report may be an acceptable means for rapidly assessing whether a colonoscopy is performed for screening or nonscreening purposes. Delivery of patient-centred care may help patients and endoscopists reach a shared understanding of the reason for colonoscopy.
Objective To investigate the risk of cancer and potential gender effects in persons hospitalised with burn injury. Design Population-based retrospective cohort study using record-linkage systems in Scotland and Western Australia. Participants Records of 37 890 and 23 450 persons admitted with a burn injury in Scotland and Western Australia, respectively, from 1983 to 2008. Deidentified extraction of all linked hospital morbidity records, mortality and cancer records were provided by the Information Service Division Scotland and the Western Australian Data Linkage Service. Main outcome measures Total and gender-specific number of observed and expected cases of total (‘all sites’) and site-specific cancers and standardised incidence ratios (SIRs). Results From 1983 to 2008, for female burn survivors, there was a greater number of observed versus expected notifications of total cancer with 1011 (SIR, 95% CI 1.3, 1.2 to 1.4) and 244 (SIR, 95% CI 1.12, 1.05 to 1.30), respectively, for Scotland and Western Australia. No statistically significant difference in total cancer risk was found for males. Significant excesses in observed cancers among burn survivors (combined gender) in Scotland and Western Australian were found for buccal cavity, liver, larynx and respiratory tract and for cancers of the female genital tract. Conclusions Results from the Scotland data confirmed the increased risk of total (‘all sites’) cancer previously observed among female burn survivors in Western Australia. The gender dimorphism observed in this study may be related to the role of gender in the immune response to burn injury. More research is required to understand the underlying mechanism(s) that may link burn injury with an increased risk of some cancers.
Context Antiretroviral therapy sometimes causes peripheral fat loss and central fat accumulation (lipodystrophy) and increases metabolic risk factors in patients with HIV. Contribution The investigators randomly assigned 39 HIV-infected men with lipodystrophy to rosiglitazone or metformin for 6 months. Compared with metformin, rosiglitazone increased abdominal fat and adiponectin levels. Compared with rosiglitazone, metformin reduced fasting lipid levels and improved some measures of brachial artery vasodilation. Both agents decreased glucose and insulin levels similarly. Cautions This open-label trial was small and did not assess clinical outcomes. Implications Available evidence does not establish whether rosiglitazone or metformin better benefits HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy. The Editors Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in patients with HIV infection has greatly reduced AIDS-related mortality (1) but is associated with changes in fat distribution (lipodystrophy), including peripheral fat loss and central fat accumulation (2-4). Severe forms of lipodystrophy are a major cosmetic concern and can lead to suboptimal adherence to HAART. In addition, lipodystrophy is associated with metabolic risk factors, including insulin resistance and dyslipidemia (2-6), which have been correlated to surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease (7-9). As survival of patients with HIV infection increases, cardiovascular disease could become an important complication (10). Metformin and rosiglitazone are used in clinical medicine to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes (11, 12). However, these agents may also be useful in nondiabetic patients with insulin resistance. Metformin acts mainly by decreasing hepatic insulin resistance and glucose output (11). Rosiglitazone is an agonist for peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor- activation, thereby directly influencing the transcription of genes that regulate glucose and lipid metabolism (12). Peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor- is preferentially expressed in adipose tissue, and the improvement of insulin resistance is partly secondary to enhanced fatty acid storage in subcutaneous adipocytes and improved adipocyte function, as reflected by the altered secretion of adiponectin (12). In vitro, rosiglitazone promotes adipogenesis, even in the presence of a protease inhibitor (13). Although metformin and rosiglitazone have been investigated separately (14-19), no studies were available that directly compared the effects of rosiglitazone and metformin for treating HIV lipodystrophy. Endothelial dysfunction is an early marker of atherosclerosis and can be assessed clinically by ultrasonography assessment of brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation. Flow-mediated vasodilation is correlated with degree of atherosclerosis (20), and impaired flow-mediated vasodilation is an independent predictor of future cardiovascular events (21-23). In HIV-infected patients, the use of protease inhibitors has been linked to endothelial dysfunction (7). However, pravastatin did not improve flow-mediated vasodilation in HIV-infected patients, despite reductions in atherogenic lipoprotein levels (24). Rosiglitazone and metformin improve endothelial function (25-27) in HIV-negative individuals, but the effects of either agent in HIV-infected patients are not known. We conducted a randomized study to compare the effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on insulin sensitivity, body fat distribution, and endothelial function in patients with HIV lipodystrophy. Methods Patients We recruited men between 18 and 70 years of age with documented HIV infection from the Department of Infectious Disease of the University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands, between March 2003 and January 2004. At the HIV clinic, approximately 600 patients are currently treated for HIV infection, of whom an estimated 25% have clinical signs of lipodystrophy. Inclusion criteria were HIV RNA values less than 10000 copies/mL, the presence of lipodystrophy, and treatment with HAART for at least 18 months with no changes in the treatment regimen during the 6 months before inclusion. Exclusion criteria were the presence of opportunistic infectious disease or malignant conditions; renal disease, thyroid disease, or liver disease; body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2; fasting plasma glucose level greater than 7 mmol/L (>126.13 mg/dL), triglyceride level greater than 10 mmol/L (>884.96 mg/dL), or total cholesterol level greater than 8 mmol/L (>308.89 mg/dL); alcohol intake greater than 3 units (36 g) per day or history of alcohol abuse within the past 5 years; current thiazolidinedione therapy or known sensitivity to thiazolidinediones; clinical evidence of congestive heart failure; use of any other investigational agent within the past 4 weeks; concurrent therapy with glucocorticoids, testosterone, anabolic steroids, or growth hormones; use of any agent that could potentially interfere or interact with rosiglitazone; or history of nonadherence to medical regimens. We also excluded patients whom we considered to be potentially unreliable and those who had any concomitant condition that, in our opinion, could interfere with the interpretation of efficacy and safety data gathered in our trial. We defined the presence of HIV lipodystrophy as self-reported symptoms of loss of subcutaneous fat (face, arms, legs, and buttocks) with or without increased abdominal girth or development of a buffalo hump. An investigator confirmed these findings before enrollment. Clinical criteria for HIV lipodystrophy are controversial, but at the start of the study, no uniformly approved objective criteria were available for diagnosing lipodystrophy (28). We used subjective criteria for lipodystrophy that have been used previously (17, 19). Study Design Most recruited patients were consecutively seen patients with suspected lipodystrophy. At inclusion, we obtained fasting blood specimens and performed anthropometric measurements. We estimated total body fat mass by using bioimpedance analysis (RJL Systems, Clinton Township, Michigan). We recorded concomitant medication use and known cardiovascular risk factors, such as smoking habit, dietary pattern, physical exercise, and hypertension. In addition, we performed a thorough physical examination. Eligible patients underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, single-slice abdominal computed tomography, and flow-mediated vasodilation assessment. Subsequently, we randomly assigned participants in blocks of 4 to receive rosiglitazone (8 mg/d) or metformin (2 g/d) for 26 weeks by using a computer-generated list. The investigators and patients were not blinded to drug assignment. An independent pharmacist ensured allocation concealment. We requested that participants not change their regular diet, physical exercise, and smoking habit during the study. At the end of the period, we performed the same measurements. We also evaluated patients' self-reported body fat distribution and physicians' impressions of body fat distribution by open-ended questionnaire. Patients visited the hospital after 2 months and 4 months of treatment for safety evaluation, which included an open-ended questionnaire, physical examination, and blood sampling. During these visits, we evaluated adherence to study medication by open-ended questionnaire, although we did not perform pill counting. The participants also underwent a standardized oral fat-loading test before and after treatment with the study drugs. The effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on postprandial lipid and fatty acid metabolism will be published separately. The local research ethics committee of the University Medical Center approved the study protocol, and all participants gave written informed consent. Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Patients visited the hospital after an overnight fast. After insertion of a cannula in the forearm for venous blood sampling, patients rested for 30 minutes before administration of the glucose load (75 g). We obtained peripheral blood samples in sodium EDTA (68.44 mol/L) before (t= 0) and at regular 15-minute intervals up to 2 hours after glucose ingestion. We kept all EDTA blood samples on ice and centrifuged them immediately for 15 minutes at 800 g at 4C and stored them at 80C until assayed. Cross-Sectional Computed Tomography We performed single-slice, cross-sectional computed tomography at the L4L5 level, as described previously (29), to assess distribution of subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat. Briefly, we obtained a lateral scout image to identify the level of the L4 pedicle, which served as the landmark for the 1-cm single-slice image. Scan variables were 144-cm table height, 80 kV, 70 mA, 2 seconds, 1-cm slice thickness, and a 48-cm field of view. On the computed tomography image, we outlined the border of the intra-abdominal cavity and quantified total and visceral abdominal fat areas by selecting an attenuation range of 250 to 50 Hounsfield units. We calculated subcutaneous abdominal fat as the difference between total and visceral abdominal fat. An independent radiologist who was unaware of the assignment status of the patients read and analyzed the computed tomography images. Endothelial Function We used ultrasonography to measure nitric oxidedependent, flow-mediated vasodilation as percentage diameter change in the brachial artery after reactive hyperemia (30). We measured this at the elbow of the patients' right arms by using a Wall Track System (Scanner 200, Pie Medical, Maastricht, the Netherlands), which consists of an ultrasound imager with a 10-MHz linear array transducer connected to a data acquisition system and a personal computer. We averaged 3 measurements to calculate a baseline diameter. By inflation of a blood pressure cuff for 5 minutes at a pressure of 200 mm Hg, ischemia was applied to the forearm distal to the location of the transducer. Ultrasonography continued fo
A new fringe-order identification technique for interferometric optical fibre sensors is described using dual broadband optical sources coupled with white-light interferometry. Compared with previous work, this technique enables the central (zero-order) fringe to be directly identified through its dominant amplitude, and does not require digitisation and its associated computing power. Therefore, it is suitable for coherence multiplexed quasidistributed sensors and for monitoring quickly varying measurands.
Program comprehension is the main activity of the software developers. Although there has been substantial research to support the programmer, the high amount of time developers need to understand source code remained constant over thirty years. Beside more complex software, what might be the reason? In this paper, I explore the past of program-comprehension research, discuss the current state, and outline what future research on program comprehension might bring.
A new type of tungsten(VI) alkylidene complex has been prepared with [OCPh2(2-py)], a potentially bidentate O,N-chelating monoanionic ligand, and the corresponding triorganotungsten phenylimido alkoxide precursor complexes have been isolated; the new tungsten(VI) alkylidene complex [W(CHSiMe3)(CH2SiMe3)(NPh)-{OCPh2(2-py)}]3 reacts with norbornene (70 °C) to provide selectively the cis-polymer in a ring-opening metathesis polymerization reaction.
Background and Purpose— The possible cause of chronic hydrocephalus after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been reported to be meningeal fibrosis. We examined whether the induction of tenascin-C (TN-C), an extracellular matrix glycoprotein known to promote tissue fibrosis, was associated with chronic hydrocephalus after SAH. Methods— We prospectively measured cerebrospinal fluid TN-C levels in 7 control patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms and in 29 consecutive patients with aneurysmal SAH on days 1 to 12. Results— Cerebrospinal fluid TN-C levels were less than the diagnostic threshold level in control patients but markedly increased after SAH. Higher TN-C levels were observed in patients with more severe SAH on admission CT, ventricular drainage for acute obstructive hydrocephalus, and a worse outcome. Independent of these factors, however, cerebrospinal fluid TN-C levels were significantly higher in patients with than without subsequent chronic shunt-dependent hydrocephalus on days 1 to 9. Conclusions— These findings suggest the possible involvement of TN-C in the development of chronic hydrocephalus after SAH and encourage further studies.
Faulty components in a wireless sensor network need to be localized and repaired to sustain the normal operation of the network. Due to the inherent stringent bandwidth and energy constraints, we consider only use end-to-end measurement to infer lossy links in sensor network. In this paper, we formulate the problem of lossy links localization as a Bayesian inference problem, and use max-product algorithm to solve it. Finally, we evaluate the performance of our approach through simulation and it shows good performance and stability.
Abstract A new highly oxygenated cycloheptane derivative crustane (1), along with fourteen known compounds (2–15) were isolated from Penicillium crustosum JT-8. The structure of compound 1 was determined by extensive spectroscopic data, DP4+ probability analyses and dimolybdenum CD method. Compound 1 exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with MIC of 4.0 μg/mL. Graphical Abstract
Objective This study aimed to compare the association between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels using the second derivative of photoplethysmogram (SDPTG) index and the cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). Methods Electronic medical records of 276 participants (160 men, 116 women) who visited the health promotion center of a university hospital were examined. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and lipid profile were considered as risk factors for arterial stiffness, together with the FPG, HbA1c, CAVI, and SDPTG indices. Hierarchical regression models were constructed, and all participants were divided into low-normal, high-normal, prediabetic, and diabetic groups to examine the group-based differences in CAVI and SDPTG indices. Results FPG and HbA1c were independently predictive of increased CAVI, and their predictive powers for CAVI were equivalent (β = 0.214 and 0.200, respectively). Risk factors, including age, BMI, and male sex, were also predictive of CAVI (β= 0.593-0.630, -0.256 – -0.280, and 0.142-0.178, respectively). None of the FPG and HbA1c values were predictive of the SDPTG indices. The CAVI was higher in the diabetes group than in the other three groups according to HbA1c level, while the d/a index of the SDPTG decreased in the prediabetes group and increased in the diabetes group. Conclusions CAVI may not be substituted for SDPTG indices when evaluating arterial stiffness based on the glucose level. Moreover, the progression rate of arterial stiffness may differ between the diabetic and nondiabetic stages.
Fotemustine is a chemotherapeutic drug for the treatment of melanoma. In this study, we investigated the metabolic and chemical stability of fotemustine with 31P-NMR and FAB-MS. In the absence of GSH, 95% of fotemustine decomposed rapidly into a reactive diethyl ethylphosphonate (DEP) isocyanate, both in rat liver S9 fraction and in HEPES buffer (pH = 7.4). DEP-isocyanate in turn hydrolyzed rapidly into diethyl (1-aminoethyl)phosphonate, which reacted subsequently with the parent DEP-isocyanate. The remaining 5% of fotemustine was shown to decompose via dechlorination into diethyl [1-(3-nitroso-2-oxoimidazolidin-1-yl)ethyl]-phosphonate. In the presence of GSH, hydrolysis of DEP-isocyanate was blocked, and a glutathione conjugate (DEP-SG) was formed instead. DEP-SG was relatively stable at 37 degrees C in HEPES buffer. Only two minor and as yet unidentified decomposition products were formed. Addition of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) to DEP-SG in HEPES buffer converted DEP-SG rapidly into the corresponding NAC conjugate of DEP-isocyanate (DEP-NAC). The formation of DEP-SG from DEP-isocyanate and GSH appeared to be spontaneous. The extent of formation of DEP-SG from fotemustine and GSH was equal in both enzymatically active and inactive rat liver S9 fractions. In the presence and in the absence of GSH, the half-lives of decomposition (t1/2) of fotemustine were 33 +/- 6 and 27 +/- 3 min, respectively. The formation of the DEP-isocyanate and 2-chloroethanediazohydroxide intermediates from fotemustine appeared to be rate limiting, and not the hydrolysis of the DEP-isocyanate nor its conjugation to GSH. Active or inactive rat liver S9 fractions accelerated the decomposition of fotemustine slightly; i.e., the t1/2 of fotemustine decreased from 39 +/- 3 to 29 +/- 1 min. Further knowledge of the metabolic and chemical stability of fotemustine and DEP-isocyanate will contribute to a better understanding of fotemustine-related cytostatic effects and toxic side effects and to the design of chemoprotection against undesired toxic side effects.
In this work, a series of isotactic polypropylene/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (iPP/PET) samples were prepared by microinjection molding (μIM) and mini-injection molding (IM). The properties of the samples were investigated in detail by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Wide-Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD), Polarized light microscope (PLM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that the difference in thermomechanical history between both processing methods leads to the formation of different microstructures in corresponding iPP/PET moldings. For example, the dispersed spherical PET phase deforms and emerges into continuous in-situ microfibrils due to the intensive shearing flow field and temperature field in μIM. Additionally, the incorporation of PET facilitates both the laminar branching and the reservation of oriented molecular chains, thereby leading to forming a typical hybrid structure (i.e., fan-shaped β-crystals and transcrystalline). Furthermore, more compact and higher degrees of oriented structure can be obtained via increasing the content of PET. Such hybrid structure leads to a remarkable enhancement of mechanical property in terms of μIM samples.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic created considerable challenges for the food supply chain. One of the industries hardest hit was the agricultural and agri-foods industry. This industry has long faced worker shortages and regularly relied on temporary foreign workers. In this case, Roosters, a chicken processing and production company in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, had just come off a very costly 12-day closure following a COVID-19 exposure risk in two of its processing plants. With the company back in operation a new safety policy has been implemented to limit future virus exposure and shutdown risks. The policy, however, targets a small group of temporary foreign workers, one of whom is challenging the lengths the company can go in the name of protecting employees from the virus and the company from losses due to closure.
Abstract. Since seeds are the principle means by which plants move across the landscape, the final fate of seeds plays a fundamental role in the assemblage, functioning and dynamics of plant communities. Once seeds land on the soil surface after being dispersed from the parent plant, they can be moved horizontally by surface runoff. In arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems, where seeds are scattered into a very heterogeneous environment and intense rainfalls occur, the transport of seeds by runoff to new sites may be an opportunity for seeds to reach more favourable sites for seed germination and seedling survival. Although seed transport by runoff may be of vital importance for the recruitment of plants in these ecosystems, it has received little attention in the scientific literature, especially among soil scientists. The main goals of this review paper are (1) to offer an updated conceptual model of seed fate with a focus on seed destiny in and on the soil; (2) to review studies on seed fate in overland flow and the ecological implications seed transport by runoff has for the origin, spatial patterning and maintenance of patches in arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems; and finally (3) to point out directions for future research. This review shows that seed fate in overland flow may result either in the export of seeds from the system (seed loss) or in the spatial redistribution of seeds within the system through short-distance seed movements (seed displacement). Seed transport by runoff depends on rainfall, slope and soil characteristics. Susceptibility of seed removal varies highly between species and is mainly related to seed traits, including seed size, seed shape, presence of appendages, and ability of a seed to secrete mucilage. Although initially considered as a risk of seed loss, seed removal by runoff has recently been described as an ecological driver that shapes plant composition from the first phases of the plant life by favouring species with seeds able to resist erosion and by selecting for plant traits that prevent seed loss. Moreover, the interaction of seed transport by overland flow with the high seed trapping capacity of vegetated patches results in a "patch-to-patch" transport of seeds that plays a relevant role in vegetation establishment and patterning in arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems. Overall, this review shows how the knowledge about seed fate in overland flow can be used to explain a number of important characteristics of whole plant communities. It also underlines important gaps in knowledge that should be filled in. Future lines of research are proposed in order to broaden our understanding of the origin, maintenance and dynamics of patchiness in arid and semiarid ecosystems and to improve restoration success of intensively eroded ecosystems. Among the most exciting challenges, empirical studies are needed to understand the relevance of short-distance seed displacements in the origin and maintenance of patchiness, addressing the feedbacks between structure and function and abiotic and biotic components, in order to validate existing models about the dynamics of arid and semiarid ecosystems and help to predict future changes under the scenarios of climate change.
Objectives To explore the prevalence, discomfort, and self-relief behaviours of painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) among rural community residents with type 2 diabetes. Design A community-based, cross-sectional study. Setting This study was part of a longitudinal cohort study of a nurse-led health promotion programme for preventing foot ulceration in Chiayi County, Taiwan. Participants Six hundred and twenty-eight community adults with type 2 diabetes participated in this study. Outcome measures Parameters assessed included peripheral neuropathy, peripheral vasculopathy, glycaemic control and metabolic biomarkers. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and a multivariate logistic regression model. Results About 30.6% of participants (192/628) had PDN. Factors associated with PDN included an abnormal ankle brachial index (ABI; OR=3.4; 95% CI 1.9 to 6.2; p<0.001), Michigan neuropathy screening index (OR=1.69; 95% CI 1.0 to 2.6; p=0.021), triglyceride level (OR=1.61; 95% CI 1.0 to 2.4; p=0.036) and being female (OR=1.68; 95% CI 1.1 to 2.4; p=0.022). PDN was characterised by uncomfortable feelings of prickling, stinging or burning pain and inexplicable dullness around the base or dorsal areas of the feet, but received little attention or treatment from primary healthcare providers. Conclusions A high prevalence of PDN was found in rural community residents with type 2 diabetes and the healthcare workers provided little attention to, or treatment of, discomfort. It is important to identify high-risk groups with PDN early in order to prevent foot ulceration and reduce the incidence of amputation of the extremities. It is also urgent to develop appropriate treatment and self-relief behaviours to halt or reverse the progression of PDN for this population living in rural areas.
In recent times, there have been discussions by computing professionals about how to best  respond to developments in the information technology and communications industry. At  the same time, there has been a downturn in employment opportunities in this industry (ICT  Skills Snapshot, 2004). Recent research also indicates that many of the entry-level positions  that graduates traditionally entered have diminished due to the economic downturn and  to companies outsourcing positions to off shore companies. This chapter presents the path  that the  Victoria University (Australia) school of Information Systems took in introducing  multiple programs in an endeavour to compliment traditional course delivery and to better  connect a University School with ICT industry requirements. The programs included the  use of  SAP hosting centres for access to ERP systems, conducting an  ERP visiting expert  teaching delivery model for SAP content and multiple  SAP certification programs. The results of these programs as described in this paper show that flexibility in delivery mode and  effective merging of  ERP curriculum and ERP certification content is crucial to achieving  successful programs.
Loading/excessive loading of the hip joint has been linked to onset and progression of hip osteoarthritis. Footwear‐generated biomechanical manipulation in the frontal plane has been previously shown in a cohort of healthy subjects to cause a specific gait adaption when the foot center of pressure trajectory was shifted medially, which thereby significantly reduced hip joint reaction force. The objective of the present study was to validate these results in a cohort of female bilateral hip osteoarthritis patients. Sixteen patients underwent gait analysis while using a footworn biomechanical device, allowing controlled foot center of pressure manipulation, in three para‐sagittal configurations: medial, lateral, and neutral. Hip osteoarthritis patients exhibited similar results to those observed in healthy subjects in that a medial center of pressure led to an increase in inter‐maleolar distance while step width (i.e., distance between right and left foot center of pressure) remained constant. This adaptation, which we speculate subjects adopt to maintain base of support, was associated with significantly greater hip abduction, significantly decreased hip adduction moment, and significantly reduced joint reaction force compared to the neutral and lateral configurations. Recommendations for treatment of hip osteoarthritis emphasize reduction of loads on the pathological joint(s) during daily activities and especially in gait. Our results show that a medially deviated center of pressure causes a reduction in hip joint reaction force. The present study does not prove, but rather suggests, clinical significance, and further investigation is required to assess clinical implications. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:1762–1771, 2016.
The identification of mechanisms for the implementation of public relations and the selection of effective internal PR tools can affect the organization’s management. The main objective of internal PR is to stabilize the workforce and increase employee satisfaction. The possibilities of internal PR in the formation and maintenance of corporate culture have been investigated in the article. The indicators of labor assessment presented not only help determine the level of professionalism of the employee, but also demonstrate his personalized labor achievements to the whole team. The motivation of the participants of the labor process to the awareness of the importance of the implementation of the collective tasks has a beneficial effect on the formation of corporate culture. Monitoring of events and internal PR tools will allow you to adjust the formation of corporate culture and provide a high level of management at the enterprise.
The phase transition strain and magnetostrain during the martensitic transformation have been systematically investigated in Ni46Co4Mn37In13 Heusler alloy. A large phase transition strain with the value of about 0.25% upon martensitic transition has been observed, which is much larger than that in other metamagnetic shape memory alloys. In addition, such phase transition strain can be also obtained by the field change of about 50 kOe, exhibiting a large metamagnetic shape memory effect with nonprestrain. This behavior can be attributed to magnetoelastic coupling, which is caused by large difference in Zeeman energy between austenitic and martensitic phases.
Nicotine, a large constituent of cigarette smoke, is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, but the data supporting this relationship are inconsistent. Here, we found that nicotine treatment not only induced emphysema but also increased both lung tumor multiplicity and volume in 4-nitrosamino-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-initiated lung cancer in A/J mice. This tumor-promoting effect of nicotine was accompanied by significant reductions in survival probability and lung Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression, which has been proposed as a tumor suppressor. The decreased level of SIRT1 was associated with increased levels of AKT phosphorylation and interleukin (il)-6 mRNA but decreased tumor suppressor p53 and retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-β mRNA levels in the lungs. Using this mouse model, we then determined whether β-cryptoxanthin (BCX), a xanthophyll that is strongly associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer in several cohort studies, can inhibit nicotine-induced emphysema and lung tumorigenesis. We found that BCX supplementation at two different doses was associated with reductions of the nicotine-promoted lung tumor multiplicity and volume, as well as emphysema in mice treated with both NNK and nicotine. Moreover, BCX supplementation restored the nicotine-suppressed expression of lung SIRT1, p53, and RAR-β to that of the control group, increased survival probability, and decreased the levels of lung il-6 mRNA and phosphorylation of AKT. The present study indicates that BCX is a preventive agent against emphysema and lung cancer with SIRT1 as a potential target. In addition, our study establishes a relevant animal lung cancer model for studying tumor growth within emphysematous microenvironments. Cancer Prev Res; 6(4); 309–20. ©2012 AACR.
An interferometer has been constructed with reflection optics and lamellar gratings to operate in the wavelength range of 175–400 μ. The gratings serve not only as beam splitters and recombiners but also as filters to separate out a narrow band of radiation. In this way a simple wide band Hg arc lamp can be used as the source. Because of the required response time for afterglow plasmas, a Putley detector measures the radiation. An application of the interferometer has been made to measure electron densities in repetitively pulsed plasma with λ = 200 μ and a time response of 3 μsec. The electron line density sensitivity is 3×1013 cm−2 and line densities have been measured up to 1015 cm−2, still substantially below the instrumental limit.
The purpose of this paper is to present a new device for multimodal head study registration and to examine its performance in preliminary tests. The device consists of a system of eight markers fixed to mobile carbon pipes and bars which can be easily mounted on the patient's head using the ear canals and the nasal bridge. Four graduated scales fixed to the rigid support allow examiners to find the same device position on the patient's head during different acquisitions. The markers can be filled with appropriate substances for visualisation in computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance, single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography images. The device's rigidity and its position reproducibility were measured in 15 repeated CT acquisitions of the Alderson Rando anthropomorphic phantom and in two SPECT studies of a patient. The proposed system displays good rigidity and reproducibility characteristics. A relocation accuracy of less than 1,5 mm was found in more than 90% of the results. The registration parameters obtained using such a device were compared to those obtained using fiducial markers fixed on phantom and patient heads, resulting in differences of less than 1 degree and 1 mm for rotation and translation parameters, respectively. Residual differences between fiducial marker coordinates in reference and in registered studies were less than 1 mm in more than 90% of the results, proving that the device performed as accurately as noninvasive stereotactic devices. Finally, an example of multimodal employment of the proposed device is reported.
We have reported a case with culture and serologic evidence of pulmonary infection with Petriellidium boydii treated with intravenous miconazole, resulting in dramatic symptomatic improvement, stabilization of x-ray changes, and clearing of Petriellidium on sputum culture. Although no biopsy was done to establish absolute diagnosis of invasive disease, and thus the results of this case cannot be taken as an absolute criterion for therapy, this may represent the first medical cure of pulmonary infection with this agent.
A preoccupation with restricted interests (RI) is a core symptom of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Engagement in RI is commonly observed in this population and impacts social, adaptive, and emotional functioning. The presence of anxiety disorders and overlap in symptom expression with RI, such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), in children with ASD suggests a possible link between anxiety and the RI manifestation. RI play a multidimensional role in ASD and have been described as being expressed in multiple forms, such as fact collection or the enactment of RI through play. However, there is little research exploring in more detail the possible relationship between RI expression and anxiety. To explore the association between RI expression and anxiety, the current study examined the association between the various modes of RI expression and anxiety disorder symptoms in 68 elementary-aged children diagnosed with high-functioning ASD. Findings indicated that symbolic enactment of RI in the form of play, rather than information collection or time engaged in RI, was significantly linked with the increased presence and severity of anxiety symptoms. The conceptualization of RI as possible maladaptive coping responses to negative emotional experiences is discussed.
tangents. But the mid-point of F, Y2 is also the mid-point of ST. Hence T lies on the line midway between the directrices. (b) Denote the parabolas by pv pv their directrices by dt, d2. The orthocentre H of a triangle formed by three tangents to p1 lies on dv and every line from H to the circumcircle is bisected by the nine-points circle. Hence, using (i), the locus (ii) (a), which is midway between H and d2, touches the nine-points circle. B. E. LAWBENCE.
The mechanisms used to improve the reliability of distributed systems often limit performance and scalability. Focusing on one widely‐used definition of reliability, we explore the origins of this phenomenon and conclude that it reflects a tradeoff arising deep within the typical protocol stack. Specifically, we suggest that protocol designs often disregard the high cost of infrequent events. When a distributed system is scaled, both the frequency and the overall cost of such events often grow with the size of the system. This triggers an O($n^{2}$) phenomenon, which becomes visible above some threshold sizes. Our findings suggest that it would be more effective to construct large‐scale reliable systems where, unlike traditional protocol stacks, lower layers use randomized mechanisms, with probabilistic guarantees, to overcome low‐probability events. Reliability and other end‐to‐end properties are introduced closer to the application. We employ a back‐of‐the‐envelope analysis to quantify this phenomenon for a class of strongly reliable multicast problems. We construct a non‐traditional stack, as described above, that implements virtually synchronous multicast. Experimental results reveal that virtual synchrony over a non‐traditional, probabilistic stack helps break through the scalability barrier faced by traditional implementations of the protocol. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CD22 is a key receptor on B-lymphocytes that modulates signaling during antigenic stimulation. We have defined a novel cytoplasmic motif in human CD22 that controls its unusually rapid turnover at the plasma membrane. Chimeric and mutated CD22α cDNA vectors were constructed and stably transfected in CD22-negative Jurkat T-lymphocytic cells. Two assays were employed to measure CD22α internalization: first, cytoplasmic uptake of radioiodinated anti-CD22 monoclonal antibody; and second, lethal targeting of a toxin, saporin, into cells via CD22 using bispecific F(ab′)2([anti-CD22 × anti-saporin]) antibody. Results showed that CD22α lacking a cytoplasmic tail was not internalized and that replacement of the cytoplasmic tail of CD19 with that of CD22α resulted in a chimeric molecule that behaved like CD22α and internalized rapidly. Step-wise deletion of the cytoplasmic tail of CD22α located the internalization motif to a polar region of 11 residues (QRRWKRTQSQQ) proximal to the plasma membrane, a part of the molecule predicted to form a coil or turn structure. Interestingly, additional CD22 mutants showed that the two glutamine residues sandwiching the serine are critical to internalization but that the serine itself is not.
The skin microbiome plays a central role in inflammatory skin disorders such as atopic dermatitis (AD). In AD patients, an imbalance between pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and resident skin symbionts creates a state of dysbiosis which induces immune dysregulation and impairs skin barrier function. There are now exciting new prospects for microbiome‐based interventions for AD prevention. In the hopes of achieving sustained control and management of disease in AD patients, current emerging biotherapeutic strategies aim to harness the skin microbiome associated with health by restoring a more diverse symbiotic skin microbiome, while selectively removing pathogenic S. aureus. Examples of such strategies are demonstrated in skin microbiome transplants, phage‐derived anti‐S. aureus endolysins, monoclonal antibodies, and quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors. However, further understanding of the skin microbiome and its role in AD pathogenesis is still needed to understand how these biotherapeutics alter the dynamics of the microbiome community; to optimize patient selection, drug delivery, and treatment duration; overcome rapid recolonization upon treatment cessation; and improve efficacy to allow these therapeutic options to eventually reach routine clinical practice.
The aim of the present work is to study the noise and vibration damping capacity of ferromagnetic Fe-16%Cr base alloys (before and after heat treatment) with different Al and Mo contents. The noise damping was evaluated by the level of sound emission after an impact. The vibration damping was studied using a cantilever device. In addition to these tests, the magnetic structure of the materials was also investigated by Kerr effect. It was verified that the materials can decrease noise level in the frequency range of human earring. The vibration damping is influenced by heat treatment and chemical composition of the alloy. The improvement of vibration damping after heat treatment is ascribed to the decrease of internal stresses in materials and changes in magnetic domain structures.
The problem of the research represent off, there is weakness of companies to their elements which are connected with human resources as the same level of their concrete assets. This affects on the financial listings. So , the problem of the research is formulated in the following questions: Is the measured of value human resources which the company has possessed and its explicitness within assets, reveals the real value if the financial listings. Is the weakness of human resources affects on accuracy of financial listings. The research aims to acquaint of concept , aim and the importance of the human resources. Also it measures the human capital and its effects on the financial listings. In addition to showing the importance of explicitness of human resources as one of the main asset which the company has possessed and within it, the company does not benefit from the rest of assets. The research hypotheses that , the weakness of human resources affects on the accuracy of the financial listings. Measuring the value of the human resources owned by company and showing them within the assets reflects the true value of the financial statements. The accounting disclosure of human resources maximizes the market value of the company. The research has many results among them ones are: The financial listings are more objectivity when they connect with weakness of human resources value, and weakness of human assets as one of the assets increases, the trust in financial listings. The research has some recommendations among them: The weakness accountancy of human resources increases the benefit for the company. Weakness of human resources helps all parts to justify the quality and performance of the company.
BACKGROUND Many laboratories offer glycemic index (GI) services.   OBJECTIVE We assessed the performance of the method used to measure GI.   DESIGN The GI of cheese-puffs and fruit-leather (centrally provided) was measured in 28 laboratories (n=311 subjects) by using the FAO/WHO method. The laboratories reported the results of their calculations and sent the raw data for recalculation centrally.   RESULTS Values for the incremental area under the curve (AUC) reported by 54% of the laboratories differed from central calculations. Because of this and other differences in data analysis, 19% of reported food GI values differed by >5 units from those calculated centrally. GI values in individual subjects were unrelated to age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, or AUC but were negatively related to within-individual variation (P=0.033) expressed as the CV of the AUC for repeated reference food tests (refCV). The between-laboratory GI values (mean+/-SD) for cheese-puffs and fruit-leather were 74.3+/-10.5 and 33.2+/-7.2, respectively. The mean laboratory GI was related to refCV (P=0.003) and the type of restrictions on alcohol consumption before the test (P=0.006, r2=0.509 for model). The within-laboratory SD of GI was related to refCV (P<0.001), the glucose analysis method (P=0.010), whether glucose measures were duplicated (P=0.008), and restrictions on dinner the night before (P=0.013, r2=0.810 for model).   CONCLUSIONS The between-laboratory SD of the GI values is approximately 9. Standardized data analysis and low within-subject variation (refCV<30%) are required for accuracy. The results suggest that common misconceptions exist about which factors do and do not need to be controlled to improve precision. Controlled studies and cost-benefit analyses are needed to optimize GI methodology. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00260858.
In linear time-invariant multi-input multi-output proper systems S(A,B,C,D) the classical notion of Smith zeros does not characterize fully the output-zeroing problem nor the zero dynamics. However, introducing the notion of invariant zeros (defined as those complex numbers in which there exists a zero direction with nonzero state-zero direction) which constitutes an extension of the concept of Smith zeros, the above disadvantage can be removed. Recall that Smith zeros of S(A,B,C,D) are the roots of the so-called zero polynomial which is obtained from the Smith canonical form of the underlying system matrix P(s), while the definition of invariant zeros admits an infinite number of these zeros (then the system is called degenerate). A simple sufficient and necessary condition of non-degeneracy (degeneracy) is presented. It decomposes the class of all systems S(A,B,C,D) such that D /spl ne/ 0, B /spl ne/ 0, C /spl ne/ 0 into two disjoint subclasses: of degenerate and non-degenerate systems. In a nondegenerate system the Smith and invariant zeros are exactly the same objects which are the roots of the zero polynomial. The degree of this polynomial equals the dimension of the maximal output-nulling subspace, while the zero dynamics are determined fully by the Smith zeros. In a degenerate system the zero polynomial determines merely the Smith zeros, while the set of invariant zeros equals the whole complex plane. Moreover, the dimension of the maximal output-nulling subspace is strictly greater than the degree of the zero polynomial, and the zero dynamics are essentially dependent upon control vector.
Importance A significant limitation of femoral artery access for cardiac interventions is the increased risk of vascular complications and bleeding compared with radial access. Strategies to make femoral access safer are needed.   Objective To determine whether routinely using ultrasonography guidance for femoral arterial access for coronary angiography/intervention reduces bleeding or vascular complications.   Design, Setting, and Participants The Routine Ultrasound Guidance for Vascular Access for Cardiac Procedures (UNIVERSAL) randomized clinical trial is a multicenter, prospective, open-label trial of ultrasonography-guided femoral access vs no ultrasonography for coronary angiography or intervention with planned femoral access. Patients were randomized from June 26, 2018, to April 26, 2022. Patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction were not eligible.   Interventions Ultrasonography guidance vs no ultrasonography guidance for femoral arterial access on a background of fluoroscopic landmarking.   Main Outcomes and Measures The primary composite outcome is the composite of major bleeding based on the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium 2, 3, or 5 criteria or major vascular complications within 30 days.   Results A total of 621 patients were randomized at 2 centers in Canada (mean [SD] age, 71 [10.24] years; 158 [25.4%] female). The primary outcome occurred in 40 of 311 patients (12.9%) in the ultrasonography group vs 50 of 310 patients (16.1%) without ultrasonography (odds ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.49-1.20]; P = .25). The rates of Bleeding Academic Research Consortium 2, 3, or 5 bleeding were 10.0% (31 of 311) vs 10.7% (33 of 310) (odds ratio, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.55-1.56]; P = .78). The rates of major vascular complications were 6.4% (20 of 311) vs 9.4% (29 of 310) (odds ratio, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.37-1.20]; P = .18). Ultrasonography improved first-pass success (277 of 311 [86.6%] vs 222 of 310 [70.0%]; odds ratio, 2.76 [95% CI, 1.85-4.12]; P < .001) and reduced the number of arterial puncture attempts (mean [SD], 1.2 [0.5] vs 1.4 [0.8]; mean difference, -0.26 [95% CI, -0.37 to -0.16]; P < .001) and venipuncture (10 of 311 [3.1%] vs 37 of 310 [11.7%]; odds ratio, 0.24 [95% CI, 0.12-0.50]; P < .001) with similar times to access (mean [SD], 114 [185] vs 129 [206] seconds; mean difference, -15.1 [95% CI, -45.9 to 15.8]; P = .34). All prerandomization prespecified subgroups were consistent with the overall finding.   Conclusions and Relevance In this randomized clinical trial, use of ultrasonography for femoral access did not reduce bleeding or vascular complications. However, ultrasonography did reduce the risk of venipuncture and number of attempts. Larger trials may be required to demonstrate additional potential benefits of ultrasonography-guided access.   Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03537118.
Introduction If common bile duct (CBD) stones (choledocholithiasis) are left untreated, they may cause increases in morbidity and mortality due to several conditions. Aim In this study, using transient biliary stenting following the failure of an initial endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) session, we aimed to show the effects of making the CBD stones smaller and easier to remove in the following session. Material and methods In 156 of 1300 (12%) patients with CBD stones, who underwent balloon screening and/or basket lithotripsy following ERCP and CBD cannulation, it was not possible to remove the stones in the first session. Of these 156 patients, 64 (4.9%) were further followed and tested following transient biliary stenting. Results In the last ERCP following biliary stenting, the maximum stone sizes and stone indices were decreased in 54 (83%) patients and stone fragmentation was observed in 46 (72%) patients. Complete and incomplete removal was obtained in 40 (62.5%) and 24 (37.5%) patients, respectively. Conclusions Biliary stenting, fragmentation and the reduction in the size of difficult common bile duct stones caused by the first session of ERCP may increase the chance of success in the next session of ERCP.
An attempt to generalize the maximum overlap or Brueckner orbitals, which are defined in the single-reference-state formulations of the many-electron theory, to the case of multi-referencestate approaches is made. The generalization is obtained by considering the orbitals that yield the maximum proximity of the subspace M spanned by the set of d exact wavefunctions considered in the MR method with the model space M 0 spanned by ddeterminants providing approximations to these wavefunctions. The new orbitals are referred to as maximum-proximity orbitals (MPOs). The general problem of defining the distance between pairs of finite dimensional subspaces of the Hilbert space is shortly reviewed. To better understand the impact of the distance of the M 0 and M spaces on MR-type approaches, model studies have been undertaken for the MBS H4 system, which offers the possibility of a simple parametrization of arbitrary symmetry-adapted orbital sets. Proximity indices of 13 standard quantum-chemical orbital sets are ...
Heart Disease (HD) remains the greatest cause of death worldwide. Due to the heart’s poor capacity to regenerate after damage, there is a critical need for treatments that can restore cardiac cell integrity and function in HD patients. Preclinical and clinical evidence has highlighted the potential role of Cardiac Progenitor Cells (CPCs) in regulation of cardiac repair after injury, with an emerging role of CPC secreted proteins in this process. We have been studying CPCs isolated from human left ventricular myocardium characterized by their high proliferative capacity in vitro. These cells (human highly proliferative clones, hHiPC) are characterized by high expression of CD105/Endoglin and show varying potential for differentiating into endothelial cells in vitro. When injected into the mouse myocardium after surgically induced myocardial infarction (MI), individual hHiPC clones show variable effects on heart remodeling. For instance, when clone 11 was injected into the infarct zone post‐MI we saw a trend towards improvement in the fractional shortening (%) compared to clone 22 and saline injected controls. We hypothesized that hHiPCs associated with improvement in cardiac remodeling after MI will have a secretome characterized by higher expression of pro‐angiogenic and pro‐proliferative proteins, and these are regulated by the BMP/CD105 pathway. An unbiased and global proteomics approach (LC‐MS/MS) was used in our lab to identify proteins secreted from hHiPCs pre‐treated with the CD105 ligand BMP9 (5 ng/mL) compared to non‐treated controls. Our secretome data identified ~700 proteins in which 57% were characterized from UniProt as having a signal peptide sequence. Several pro‐angiogenic secreted proteins were identified in clone 11 including CCN2, CXCL6, and TGFB2. We found a >2.5‐fold significant increase in the secretion of Sclerostin (SOST) in BMP9 treated hHiPC compared to non‐treated controls. SOST is a known BMP‐target protein and WNT inhibitor. Previous evidence has highlighted the role of WNT‐signaling in heart remodeling after myocardial induced injury, but the role of Sclerostin in this process has yet to be elucidated. To further characterize the relationship between BMP9 and the secretion of SOST we performed a Real‐Time q‐PCR and ELISA assay of cell lysates and conditioned media between BMP9 treated and non‐treated controls and found a dramatic increase in the expression of SOST in BMP9 treated clone 11. We also found an increase (4.5‐fold) in CD105 mRNA expression after BMP9 treatment. Similarly, using LC‐MS/MS we found a significant increase in CD105 expression (2.5‐fold, p‐value = 7.39x10‐6) in the membrane fraction of clone 11 compared to clone 22 indicating its potential role in positive heart remodeling effects. Future studies will be conducted in vivo to determine the role SOST/WNT signaling has in heart remodeling after ischemic injury. Further, the increase in pro‐angiogenic factors after BMP9 treatment may suggest the potential relevance of BMP9 treatment in cardiac progenitor cell secretome mediated repair and we will test this hypothesis in the future.
A previously published photonic link architecture was shown to suppress a high-power interference signal of a specific amplitude while permitting recovery of lower-power signals of interest. One undesirable feature of this architecture was the generation of an output intermodulation distortion product that was inherently as strong as the output signal at the frequency of the signal of interest. This article describes a modification to the previously published interference suppression architecture that eliminates this undesirable side effect by applying aspects of one established technique for enhancing the spurious-free dynamic range of analog photonic links along with aspects of a second established technique for accomplishing single-sideband modulation of a Mach–Zehnder electro-optic modulator. The improved performance of this modified architecture is explained using a mathematical model and is verified by the measured input/output characteristics of hardware in a proof-of-concept laboratory demonstration.
The accuracy of fault diagnosis is directly determined by the accuracy of fault information classification of rotating machinery. Based on the analysis of the basic theories of sample entropy and multi-scale entropy, and through the comparative analysis of sample entropy and multi-scale entropy on the original experimental data, it can be seen that multi-scale entropy is able to classify fault information more effectively. The optimal scale was determined through Matlab analysis. Under this scale, the fault differentiation capability under different similar tolerance was simulated, and the optimal scale and similar show that the multi-scale entropy is effective in differentiating various faults under the same scale and similarity tolerance.
Considering the administration as a mortar that united the different kingdoms integrated in the Hispanic monarchy, this text focuses on the Indies judiciary Once the nature, the way to access and the remit of the agents of justice is analysed, the text contemplates some considerations in relation to the debate held during the 17th Century about the position the Indies occupied, or should occupy, in that universe
Dedicated rapid access palliative radiation therapy improves patients' access to care, allowing more timely treatment which would positively impact on quality of life. The TomoTherapy (Accuray, Sunnyvale, CA) system provides megavoltage (MV) fan-beam computed tomography (FBCT) as the image guidance technique, and a module called “statRT” that allows the use of these MV FBCT images for direct planning. The possibility of using this imaging modality for palliative radiotherapy treatment planning is assessed against accepted planning CT standards by performing tests following AAPM TG 66 and an end-to-end measurement. Results have shown that MV FBCT images acquired by TomoTherapy are of sufficient quality for the purpose of target delineation and dose calculation for palliative treatments. Large image noise and extended scan acquisition time are the two main drawbacks, so this imaging modality should only be used for palliative treatments at areas with well-known, easily distinguishable, and relatively immobile targets such as spine and whole brain.
The Lake Maggiore watershed is one of the areas most affected by acid deposition in Italy. Decreasing sulfate concentration and increasing pH values of precipitation have been observed in this area in the last 15–20 yr. Besides atmospheric deposition, an important factor controlling water acidification and recovery is the episodic deposition of Saharan calcareous dust, which contributes significantly to alkalinity and base cation deposition. At the sampling site at Pallanza, rain chemistry has been investigated since 1975. The frequency and chemical characteristics of alkaline events (pH > 5.6) and Saharan events in particular (distinguished by an exceptionally high calcium and alkalinity content and by the visible presence of red dust) were evaluated at this site. Saharan events, despite their small contribution to total annual precipitation (3–17%), carry a considerable fraction of the annual total calcium and bicarbonate deposition (up to 70 and 100% respectively). The frequency and intensity of alkaline events affect the acidity/alkalinity budget on an annual basis. Apart from the major effect of sulfate decline, the increasing pH of precipitation recorded at the study site since the 1980s might also be influenced by an increased occurrence and intensity of alkaline events. An increase in the export of Saharan dust from arid regions together with changes in the circulation pattern over the Mediterranean area has been hypothesized as the main causes of this trend.
Introduction: Open reduction and plating of distal tibial fractures require extensive soft tissue dissection and periosteal stripping. Complications like infection, delayed union and non-union are common. Minimally invasive plate Osteosynthesis (MIPO) technique preserves soft tissue envelope, vascularity of fracture fragments and containment of fracture haematoma and provide biologically favourable environment for fracture healing. Materials and methods: 20 patients of distal tibial fractures treated with locking plate by MIPO technique between October 2015 and January 2017 were included in this prospective study. Analysed using software SPSS version 24.0 Results: Mean average time to union is 15.2 weeks. Based on Tenny and Wiss scoring criteria, eighteen patients (90%) had good and excellent results at 22 weeks with fracture union. Conclusion: MIPO technique provides good healing and decreases the incidence of non-union and the need for bone grafting. This technique can be used in distal tibia fractures where nailing cannot be done, such as, fractures with small distal metaphyseal fragments, coronal fractures, Comminuted and intraarticular fractures.
Background: The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (Mini-CEX) is a valid and reliable tool that facilitates the assessment of skills essential for a physician and provision of immediate feedback. Aims: This study aimed to assess the acceptability and feasibility of Mini-CEX as a learning tool for pediatric residents. Materials and Methods: Following the sensitization with the concept of Mini-CEX, the actual process of assessment of residents was done using the “standardized American Board of Internal Medicine Mini-CEX evaluation form.” Feedback about the Mini-CEX was taken from the residents and faculty on separate questionnaires consisting of close- and open-ended questions. A total of 87 Mini-CEX encounters were done with 13 faculty and 29 residents over 6-month study period. Results: Residents perceived that it is a method that does the assessment of skills, prerequisite for good clinical performance with provision of immediate feedback. Most of the residents felt that it improved their clinical skills, uplifted the personal development, and impart a better one to one student–teacher interaction. Almost all the faculty were satisfied with this method of assessment. They found it useful for improved learning of themselves also. Both residents and faculty suggested to incorporate Mini-CEX in curriculum. Conclusions: Mini-CEX is an acceptable learning tool as reflected by the residents and faculty. It is feasible to use mini-CEX for assessment of residents.
Given the scant literature on the use of celebrity endorsements in advertisements targeting Middle East markets such as Saudi Arabia, this study is aimed at contributing knowledge through investigating the extent to which advertising agencies use this strategy to attract Saudi consumers. A qualitative content analysis of advertisements appearing in traditional print and visual media and on YouTube is conducted. Interestingly, the results show that none of the advertisements in traditional printed media utilize endorsements from Saudi celebrities. While a few Saudi celebrity endorsers appear in television and YouTube commercials, none is portrayed as an expert in the products advertised. In contrast, many embedded endorsements appear in YouTube shows targeting Saudi youths, and the celebrities in these shows are often YouTubers themselves. All three types of endorsements (explicit, implicit, and co-present) are used by these YouTubers, and they are all one-sided endorsements.
Introduction: Treatment of malignancies nowdays has to control the disease and to achieve an adequate quality of life. Malnutrition at diagnosis and treatment is not rare, but is not determined regularly. Aim: Determination of the frequency of malnutrition during chemotherapy and analysis of the quality of life in relation to the characteristics of the patients and type of lymphoprolife-rative diseases. Material and methods: The study included 30 men and 20 women treated at the Clinic for hematology KCS between November 2017 and February 2018 with lymphoproliferative disease on chemotherapy or immunochemotherapy. Malnutrition Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were used for the assessment of malnutrition. Quality of life was assessed by Fact-Lym. Results: The average age of respondents was 53.5 (95% CI 49.8 to 57.2) years. 64% of all patients were on the initial treatment, 36% were in relapse. According to NRS 2002 questionnaire 23 (46%) patients were malnourished, and according to MNA 32 (64%) patients were malnourished. A significantly higher frequency of malnourished patients was in the group whose CRP ≥ 10 mg/l (p = 0.010 for NRS 2002 and p = 0.036 for MNA). All patients with ECOG PS ≥ 3 were malnourished according to MNA. The overall quality of life did not differ with respect to patient characteristics (gender, age < 70 vs ≥ 70 years, disease stage, indolent vs aggressive disease, ECOG PS ≤ 2 vs ≥ 3, NRS 2002 ≤ 2 vs ≥ 3, MNA ≤ 11 vs ≥ 12, CRP < 10 vs ≥ 10 mg/l). A sub-category-physical condition was significantly various in a group of malnourished and non-malnourished patients estimated by NRS 2002 (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Nutritional status of patients with lymphoproliferative disease on chemotherapy or immunochemotherapy is damaged in about half of patients. Quality of life, especially the physical condition was significantly worse in the group of malnourished patients.
Since December 2019, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a global pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although viral nucleic acid test (NAT) has been applied predominantly to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA for confirmation diagnosis of COVID-19, an urgent need for alternative, rapid, and sensitive immunoassays is required for primary screening of virus. In this study, we developed a smartphone-based nanozyme-linked immunosorbent assay (SP-NLISA) for detecting the specific nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (NP) of SARS-CoV-2 in 37 serum samples from 20 COVID-19 patients who were diagnosed by NAT previously. By using SP-NLISA, 28/37 (75.7%) serum samples were detected for NP antigens and no cross-reactivity with blood donors’ control samples collected from different areas of China. In a control assay using the conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), only 7/37 (18.91%) serum samples were detected for NP antigens and no cross-reactivity with control samples. SP-NLISA could be used for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 NP antigen in primary screening of SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals.
The level of argininosuccinate synthetase activity in the human tissue culture cell line RPMI 2650 was 6-fold higher when citrulline was substituted for arginine in the culture medium. Canavanine-resistant (Canr) variants were isolated and had enzyme activity up to 25 nmol min-1 (mg of protein)-1 or 180-fold higher than that of the wild-type cells grown in arginine. The differences in enzyme activity were paralleled by differences in the amount of enzyme determined immunologically. The micrograms of enzyme per milligrams of protein, determined by complement fixation, were 0.03 for wild-type cells grown in arginine, 0.29 for wild-type cells grown in citrulline, and 6.73 for a Canr variant. In vivo labeling studies suggested increased synthesis of argininosuccinate synthetase in Canr cells, and in vitro translation of poly(adenylic acid) [poly(A)] messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) from wild-type and Canr cells confirmed a quantitatively compatible increase in translatable poly(A) mRNA for the enzyme in Canr cells. No precursor for the enzyme was recognized by using in vitro translation, and the poly(A) mRNA for the enzyme had a sedimentation value of 16 S by sucrose-gradient analysis. The levels of argininosuccinate synthetase activity in the Canr cells were similar to those found in normal liver.
OBJECTIVE This study evaluated a computerized method for extracting numeric clinical measurements related to diabetes care from free text in electronic patient records (EPR) of general practitioners.   DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS Accuracy of this number-oriented approach was compared to manual chart abstraction. Audits measured performance in clinical practice for two commonly used electronic record systems.   RESULTS Numeric measurements embedded within free text of the EPRs constituted 80% of relevant measurements. For 11 of 13 clinical measurements, the study extraction method was 94%-100% sensitive with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 85%-100%. Post-processing increased sensitivity several points and improved PPV to 100%. Application in clinical practice involved processing times averaging 7.8 minutes per 100 patients to extract all relevant data.   CONCLUSION The study method converted numeric clinical information to structured data with high accuracy, and enabled research and quality of care assessments for practices lacking structured data entry.
The paper presents an extended version of the SuperMatrix system-a general tool supporting automatic acquisition of lexical semantic relations from corpora. Extensions focus mainly on parallel processing of massive amounts of data. The construction of the system is discussed. Three distributed parts of the system are presented, i.e., distributed construction of co-incidence matrices from corpora, computation of similarity matrix and parallel solving of synonymy tests. An evaluation of a proposed approach to parallel processing is shown. Parallelization of similarity matrix computation demonstrates almost linear speedup. The smallest improvements were achieved for construction of matrices, as this process is mostly bound by reading huge amounts of data. Also, a few areas in which functionality of SuperMatrix was improved are described.
We analyse multiwavelength observations of a western limb flare (C3.9) occurred in AR NOAA 111465 on 30 April 2012. The high resolution images recorded by SDO/AIA 304, 1600  AA  and Hinode/SOT H$ alpha$ show the activation of a mini-filament (rising speed$ sim$40 km s$^{-1}$) associated with kink instability and the onset of a C-class flare near the southern leg of the filament. The first magnetic reconnection occurred at one of the footpoints of the filament causing the breaking of its southern leg. The filament shows unwinding motion of the northern leg and apex in the counterclockwise direction and failed to erupt. A flux-rope (visible only in hot channels, i.e., AIA 131 and 94  AA  channels and Hinode/SXT) structure was appeared along the neutral line during the second magnetic reconnection taking place above the kinked filament. Formation of the RHESSI hard X-ray source (12-25 keV) above the kinked filament and simultaneous appearance of the hot 131  AA  loops associated with photospheric brightenings (AIA 1700  AA) suggest the particle acceleration along these loops from the top of the filament. In addition, EUV disturbances/waves observed above the filament in 171  AA  also show a close association with magnetic reconnection. The flux rope rises slowly ($ sim$100 km s$^{-1}$) producing a rather big twisted structure possibly by reconnection with the surrounding sheared magnetic fields within $ sim$15-20 minutes, and showed an impulsive acceleration reaching a height of about 80--100 Mm. AIA 171 and SWAP 174  AA  images reveal a cool compression front (or CME frontal loop) surrounding the hot flux rope structure.
Survival despite prolonged non‐adherence with immunosuppression is rare but has been reported in kidney, lung, and liver transplantation. Its occurrence in heart transplantation is quite rare. Our study was prompted by an index patient who survived despite prolonged medication non‐adherence. Prospective consent and blood collection were conducted for seven additional patients who presented in a similar fashion. The blood of patients who were diagnosed with rejection, stable early post‐transplant, and stable more than 5 years post‐transplant were all compared with a custom gene array focusing on T‐regulatory cell processes. The two genes that were differentially expressed in every comparison were TGF beta and RNASEN with very low expression in the rejector group. The prolonged non‐adherent group had the maximum expression for TGF beta but average RNASEN expression as compared to the low expression for rejectors and high for post‐5 years patients. The patients presented survived for varying lengths of time without immunosuppression. The gene array analysis showed intriguing differences between these rare patients and important patient cohorts. Further efforts should be directed to finding and studying more patients who survive despite lack of prescribed immunosuppression. The mechanisms underlying this phenomenon may inform future advances in transplant immunosuppression.
We present a Reformed view on the relation between Christianity and non-Christian religions. We then explore what this view entails for the question whether Christians and non-Christian religious believers refer to, believe in, and worship the same God. We first analyze the concepts of worship, beliefin, and reference, as well as their interrelations. We then argue that adherents of the Abrahamic religions plausibly refer to the same God, whereas adherents of non-Abrahamic religions do not refer to this God. Nonetheless, it would be wrong to say that adherents of all Abrahamic religions believe in and worship the same God.
Although the performance and corresponding manufacturing technology of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) units have greatly improved and have met commercial requirements over the past decades, they are constructed such that they perform poorly and lack strong duration outputs. Therefore, achieving high performance and extending duration at a stack level are challenges faced by the development process. This paper develops a large-scale and multiphysics model for the complete structure of a typical 10-cell SOFC stack. It includes solid components, flow paths, and porous sections—solid ribs, interconnectors, anode support, anode function layer, electrolyte layer, cathode layer, air/fuel feed manifolds, feed header, rib channels, exhaust header and outlet manifolds. The multiphysics application includes momentum, mass, energy and quasi electrochemical transporting; and their mutual coupling processes within the stack. This new model can help us understand the working specifics of the large-scale stack, obtaining distribution details of static pressure, species fraction, and temperature gradient; further addressing optimization of structure and operation parameters. These details serve as guidelines for practical structural designs and parameters in real stack levels.
Two techniques for calibrating leaks, one primary and one secondary, are described. The ΔPΔV method, a primary technique, is a modification of the PΔV technique which requires less time, has smaller outgassing error, and allows simultaneous, automated calibrations of several leaks in the range 10−8–10−12 mol s−1. The pressure difference method is a comparison technique in which a mass spectrometer is used to compare the partial pressure of gas collected from the leak being calibrated to a known partial pressure generated by a constant flow. It is useful for calibrations in the 10−12–10−15 mol s−1 range. Both methods have been incorporated in an automated apparatus.
Abstract Adenomyoepitheliomas of the breast are biphasic lesions composed of epithelial and myoepithelial cells. These lesions are most often benign and are found in older women. Some lesions, especially the sclerosing variant, show an overlap in features with complex sclerosing lesions, sclerosing adenosis, and intraductal papillomas. The geographic heterogeneity of these lesions makes accurate diagnosis on core biopsy difficult, and thorough sampling of excised adenomyoepitheliomas is necessary to rule out incipient malignancy. Malignant degeneration is rare but can involve one or both cell types. This case review discusses histologic features, morphologic variants, and diagnostic pitfalls of adenomyoepithelioma on a core biopsy.
Background Undersized ring annuloplasty is a commonly used surgical repair for ischemic mitral regurgitation, in which annular downsizing corrects regurgitation, but alters valve geometry and elevates tissue stresses. In this study, we investigated if unphysiological leaflet kinematics after annuloplasty might cause pathogenic biological remodeling of the mitral valve leaflets, and if preserving physiologic leaflet kinematics with a better technique can moderate such adverse remodeling. Methods and Results Twenty‐nine swine were induced with ischemic mitral regurgitation, and survivors were assigned to groups: 7 underwent annuloplasty, 12 underwent annuloplasty with papillary‐muscle approximation, 6 underwent papillary‐muscle approximation, and 3 were sham controls. Pre‐and post‐surgery leaflet kinematics were measured, and valve tissue was explanted after 3 months to assess biological changes. Anterior leaflet excursion was unchanged across groups, but persistent tethering was observed with annuloplasty. Posterior leaflet was vertically immobile after annuloplasty, better mobile with the combined approach, and substantially (P=0.0028) mobile after papillary‐muscle approximation. Procollagen‐1 was higher in leaflets from annuloplasty compared with the other groups. Heat shock protein‐47 and lysyl oxidase were higher in groups receiving annuloplasty compared with sham. α‐SMA was elevated in leaflets from animals receiving an annuloplasty, indicating activation of quiescent valve interstitial cells, paralleled by elevated transforming growth factor‐β expression. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate that surgical valve repairs that impose unphysiological leaflet mechanics have a deleterious, pathological impact on valve biology. Surgeons may need to consider restoring physiologic leaflet stresses as well as valve competence, while also exploring pharmacological methods to inhibit the abnormal signaling cascades.
Significance Video is an increasingly common source of political information. Although conventional wisdom suggests that video is much more persuasive than other communication modalities such as text, this assumption has seldom been tested in the political domain. Across two large-scale randomized experiments, we find clear evidence that “seeing is believing”: individuals are more likely to believe an event took place when shown information in video versus textual form. When it comes to persuasion, however, the advantage of video over text is markedly less pronounced, with only small effects on attitudes and behavioral intentions. Together, these results challenge popular narratives about the unparalleled persuasiveness of political video versus text. Concerns about video-based political persuasion are prevalent in both popular and academic circles, predicated on the assumption that video is more compelling than text. To date, however, this assumption remains largely untested in the political domain. Here, we provide such a test. We begin by drawing a theoretical distinction between two dimensions for which video might be more efficacious than text: 1) one’s belief that a depicted event actually occurred and 2) the extent to which one’s attitudes and behavior are changed. We test this model across two high-powered survey experiments varying exposure to politically persuasive messaging (total n = 7,609 Americans; 26,584 observations). Respondents were shown a selection of persuasive messages drawn from a diverse sample of 72 clips. For each message, they were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a short video, a detailed transcript of the video, or a control condition. Overall, we find that individuals are more likely to believe an event occurred when it is presented in video versus textual form, but the impact on attitudes and behavioral intentions is much smaller. Importantly, for both dimensions, these effects are highly stable across messages and respondent subgroups. Moreover, when it comes to attitudes and engagement, the difference between the video and text conditions is comparable to, if not smaller than, the difference between the text and control conditions. Taken together, these results call into question widely held assumptions about the unique persuasive power of political video over text.
In the field of maneuvering-target tracking (MTT), the targets with changeable and uncertain maneuvering movements cannot be tracked precisely because there always exist time delays of maneuvering model estimation with traditional MT-T algorithms. To solve this problem, we propose a deep MTT (DeepMTT) algorithm based on a deep neural network, which can quickly track maneuvering targets once it has been well trained by abundant off-line trajectory data from existent ma-neuvering targets. To this end, we first build a Large-scale trajectory database to offer abundant off-line trajectory data for network training. Second, the DeepMTT algorithm is developed based on a deep neural network, which consists of three bidirectional long short-term memory layers, a filtering layer, a maxout layer and a linear output layer. The simulation results verify that our DeepMTT algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art MTT algorithms.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The causes of cognitive impairment in PD are diverse, and some remain unclear. Cognitive impairment in PD is thought to be caused by abnormal protein accumulation, neurotransmitter circuit dysfunction, synaptic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and/or changes in microglia and astroglia. PD with dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are defined as dementia syndromes that have many overlapping clinical features and underlying genetics. As such, it is difficult to distinguish between PDD and DLB neuropathologically. In this paper, we will use the term “Lewy body dementia” to refer to the dementia syndromes of both diseases. Furthermore, we will describe the cognitive impairment that accompanies PDD and DLB from a neuropathological perspective according to recent research.
A general equation is deduced for finding optimum isotope ratios in double tracer experiments from the criterion of minimizing the statistical errors in the results. An application is also described to the retention studies of isotopes in a biological system, where successive measurements need to be made and the statistical errors of the measurements are a function of time after the administration of isotopes. An example is given of a whole-body retention study of 137Cs-86Rb.
The prevalence of cholesterol gallstones is increased in obese persons. The risk is especially high in those with the highest body mass index (relative risk 5-6). Weight loss further increases the risk of gallstones: the prevalence of new gallstones reaches 10-12% after 8-16 weeks of low-calorie diet and more than 30% within 12-18 months after gastric by-pass surgery. About one-third of the stones are symptomatic. The increased prevalence of stones is mostly due to supersaturation of bile with cholesterol, because of an increased synthesis by the liver and secretion into bile. Saturation is further increased during weight loss. It returns toward normal after weight stabilization at a lower level, allowing spontaneous stone dissolution in some cases. Identified risk factors for gallstones during weight loss are a relative loss of weight greater than 24% of initial body weight, a rate of weight loss greater than 1.5 kg per week, a very low calorie diet with no fat, a long overnight fast period and a high serum triglyceride level. Ursodeoxycholic acid decreases cholesterol saturation of bile and gallstone incidence during weight loss. Other preventive measures include a control of weight loss rate, a reduction of the length of overnight fast, and maintenance of a small amount of fat in the diet.
Thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs) have been shown to be able to provide regulation service in ancillary service markets. In this work, an online optimisation model of TCLs was established to track the automatic generation control signal. In the optimisation model, the TCLs are regulated with different control commands, and the cluster-based control structure of the TCLs is proposed for implementation. To solve the optimisation problem, a mapping between the temperature setpoint variation and the on/off state of TCLs was established. Hence, the problem was transformed into a 0–1 non-linear programming, which can be solved by the binary dynamic multi-swarm particle swarm optimisation with cooperative learning strategy (DMS-PSO-CLS). Simulation results demonstrate that the binary DMS-PSO-CLS algorithm is an efficient method to solve the optimisation problem. It is promising to control the TCLs individually to serve for the frequency regulation in power grid.
Friction stir welding (FSW) and underwater friction stir welding (UWFSW) of aluminium alloy 2024-T351 was carried out, with a chosen set of parameters, namely, rotational speed of 450 rpm, 560 rpm and 710 rpm, welding speed of 25 mm/min, 40 mm/min and 63 mm/min and tool tilt angle of 0o, 1° and 2o. This study aims to understand the correlation between temperatures and weld parameters, finite element simulation was carried out using Abaqus®.,Comparative analysis of the mechanical properties of the samples welded with FSW and UWFSW was carried out and correlated with that of the microstructures. Microhardness survey was also conducted across the weldments to support the findings.,Samples welded with higher rotational speed and low traverse speed favoured good quality, defect-free welds with enhanced material flow. Underwater welded samples resulted in improved mechanical properties than that of the samples welded with conventional FSW. Higher cooling rates resulted in finer grains in all UWFSW samples than that of conventional FSW samples, which, in turn, also reflected in the microhardness survey done across the weldments. Among the chosen window of the parameter, samples welded with 710 rpm, 25 mm/min and 2° had shown improvement in mechanical properties.,This work was carried out in a milling machine, which limits the rotational speed which could be used. Optimistically, this limitation also paves way for using the commonly available milling to be used for FSW.,This original research study shall open opportunities to enable FSW and UWFSW to be done on similar/dissimilar joints of varying composition. Additionally, this research study throws enough light on the age – hardenable aluminium alloy being welded in a commonly available milling machine.
MeV Ion beams are used to tailor the drug delivery rate of materials with dual usage of prosthesis devices and drug encapsulation. Available surface porosity and diffusivity can be controlled by the choice of specie, fluence and energy of the bombarding ions. Together with appropriate drug concentration gradients within the capsule, the capsule can be made to deliver an initial dose rate either higher or lower than the steady state value for a predetermined time. The exceptional biocompatibility as well as porosity of glassy polymeric carbon (GPC) make it the favored material for drug encapsulation. A wide range of available porosity in the bulk material can be produced by heat treatment. We demonstrate that lithium diffusivity near the surface of GPC can be increased by carbon, oxygen or silicon ion bombardment and can be decreased by gold ion bombardment. In addition enhanced absorption of lithium in a layer near the end of the range of the implanted ions has been observed.
The paper presents in-situ, airborne survey radio-frequency measurements, which were made over the 400-1000 MHz range in May 1977 during the ASSESS-II Space Shuttle/Spacelab simulation aircraft flights. Measurements were made from altitudes of 10,000 to 33,000 feet with a downward-directed 70 deg wide, half-power beamwidth receiving antenna pattern. Channel occupancy percentages are given within a 50 MHz spectrum width, and continuous spectrum-scan measurements are presented for selected locations on the USA West Coast, showing the channel occupancy environment within the 806-890 MHz mobile-service band.
Clinical experience has shown that deformation of patella components can lead to loosening or excessive particulate debris, requiring revision. Factors affecting patella performance are the degree of congruity, the shear forces occurring due to tracking variations, and the excessive patellofemoral forces, particularly at higher flexion angles. A method was devised to load the patella with a constant force against the femoral component. The load was applied through a range of flexion. The deformation and wear patterns resembled those of retrieved clinical specimens. All-plastic components suffered from local deformation and underlying bone failure, whereas metal backing led to eventual penetration of the metal onto the femoral flange. Increased conformity of the patella component onto the femoral flange improved the situation for all-plastic and metal-backed designs by increasing the contact area and the available thickness of plastic.
Since the discovery by J . Murray and A. F. Renard (1883) of magnetic spherules of diverse nature in sediments from the Challenger expedition, i t has been considered tha t marine sediments could be a good environment for the storage of dust of cosmic origin. Moreover, a great number of workers have tried to find such particles in recent sediments as well as in old sedimentary rocks. They tried to establish a relationship between the existence of such particles and the variations of the major chemical constituents of the sediments, and tried to find a criterion tha t allowed them to assert t he cosmic origin of those spherules. We do not intend to present a detailed bibliography on this subject ; several bibliographical compilations have been made, e.g., the recent article of R. A. Schmidt (1963). Only articles having a direct relation to the present work will be cited. In three cores of sediments of the occidental basin of the Mediterranean Sea, we have undertaken to count the magnetic spherules and to relate their chemical composition to that of the surrounding sediment.
Stainless Steel 304 (SS304) is a non magnetic material and has excellent corrosion resistance and forming characteristics which is mainly used in chemical, petrochemical, aerospace industries, etc. Few examples are kitchen wares, cryogenic vessels, surgical equipments and heat exchangers. However, most of these components require different machining processes to produce the desired product or assembly. But, during machining of SS 304, industries are facing major difficulties such as high tool wear and poor surface finish due to low thermal conductivity and high built up edge (BUE) tendency. Many researchers started working towards machinability of SS304 in different machining processes. Among these, few works have been started on drilling of this material. Drilling process is mainly used for assembly of structural parts and also used as primary process for boring, reaming, etc. By considering the above applications and challenges in machining of this material, the present study analyzes the effect of cutting speed, feed and machining environment on surface roughness and machining time during drilling process.Drilling experiments have been conducted in a jig boring machine using 10 mm diameter HSS twist drill bit by varying cutting speed (16, 22 and 28 m/min), feed (0.08, 0.12 and 0.16 mm/rev) and machining environment (dry, normal soluble oil flood coolant and kerosene) as per Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array. The results indicated that, average surface roughness (Ra) increased from 2.088 μm to 6.647 μm when increase in cutting speed and feed. Roughness value decreased for kerosene environment compare to dry and coolant environment. Also, machining time decreased from 15.01 second to 5.58 second when increase in cutting speed and feed along with kerosene environment compared to dry and flood coolant condition.
Three locked-wheel skid trailers, International Cybernetics Corporation (ICC) Model MOR 5041 and K. J. Law Models M 1270 and M 1290, were tested at three speeds on 14 test sections located in Greenville, North Carolina. The test sections included a heavy-duty surface course, polymer-modified heavy-duty surface course, rubber-modified heavy-duty surface course, heavy-duty surface course with carbon black, stone mastic with fibers, polymer-modified stone mastic, and large-stone surface course. Multivariate regression analysis of friction number versus speed for the three test vehicles was performed. Despite having been load cell calibrated 1 day before testing, the ICC MOR 5041 results were statistically different from those of the other skid trailers on all but one test section. The two K. J. Law skid trailers were statistically different from each other, either on intercept or slope, on more than half of the test sections. Each individual skid trailer provided repeatable results with a standard deviation of about 2 when testing was done at 64 km/h, with a higher standard deviation for testing at lower speed. The frictional resistance of the test sections was compared by ranking frictional number at 64 km/h and rate of decline of friction number with speed. The best frictional performance was provided by the heavy-duty surface course and the large-stone surface course, and stone mastic with fibers and stone mastic with polymer were ranked poorest. None of the test sections had an average friction number less than 40, even when tested at 80 km/h.
As a vehicle for promoting energy efficiency, energy service companies play an important role in achieving China's goal in energy conservation. Based on the industry life cycle theory, the paper studies the energy service industry's life cycle in China. And according to the relationship between the industry life cycle and the enterprise development strategies, the paper draws the conclusion that China's energy service companies should take specialized development strategies and build their own core competencies.
This text begins with a broad overview of mineral or water interfacial reactions, then continues with three sections written by internationally known experts. The first deals specifically with spectroscopic and microscopic techniques that can be used in combination with macroscopic approaches to glean mechanistic information on mineral or water reactions and processes. The second section emphasizes computer models that are used to elucidate surface mediated reaction mechanisms. The remainder of the volume is organized around reaction type, including sorption and desorption of organic and inorganic species, precipitation and dissolution processes, heterogeneous electron transfer reactions, photochemically driven reactions, and microbially mediated reactions.
The aim of this study was to find the optimal basketball athletic stance which will enable the fastest subsequent action. We compared the reaction (RT), movement (MT), and total response (RST) times of a single leg lateral step, performed from starting positions and differentiating in three different heights and two different stance widths. RMANOVA results showed that the RSTs obtained during wide stance positions were clearly shorter when compared to the times obtained during narrow stances (p = 0.000). Interaction of the height (knee angle) and width of stance was also found significant (p = 0.048), while the effect of the height of the stance alone was not (p = 0.098). Similar results were found for MT, while no differences were found for RT. Width of the stance therefore clearly brings about different RSTs; a wide feet position enabled shorter MT when compared to a narrow position and consequently shorter RST, probably due to a more advantageous starting position for lateral movements and due to laws of joint and muscle mechanics. The basic athletic stance with feet double shoulder distance apart and a medium (120°) and small (150°) knee flexion was found optimal in enabling the quickest lateral movement response.
In this text, I try to associate anthropological field research to the photographic act itself, showing what is common in these two activities: the need for clipping, proximity, intimacy and empathy, the decision about what will or will not be in focus. From my experiences at the Escola de Arte Brasil: I talk about the awareness of the gaze, the need to create repertoires and the opportunity that photography offers to change the focus - from the verb to behavior, the body, the gestures, the details about which it is not always possible to speak. I also try to emphasize the association of photography with the narrative that Walter Benjamin talks about, the ability of both the narrative and the photography to welcome the experience of those who hear or contemplate it.
Ocular complications are common in acquired immunodefi ciency syndrome (AIDS) and occur in 50-75% of patients throughout the course of their illness. Syphilis is the most common bacterial eye infection in these patients and most often presents as uveitis or an optic nerve disease. This condition can manifest as episcleritis, scleritis, dacryoadenitis, anterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, papillitis, retinal vasculitis, neuroretinitis, or retrobulbar optic neuropathy. The most common symptoms include blurred vision, loss of vision, central scotoma, and bilateral ocular involvement. Although most patients with ocular syphilis do not present with clinical fi ndings, such fi ndings have a high positive predictive value. Patches of creamy, diffuse retinitis with overlying punctate and superfi cial retinal precipitates have been described as presentations suggestive of ocular syphilis (Figure A). This clinical condition may represent the clinician’s fi rst opportunity to diagnose human immunodefi ciency virus (HIV) infection and tends to be more severe in individuals who are not yet receiving antiretroviral therapy.
This paper examines the impact of human capital (the number of working age household members), social capital (social exchange helping networks and community integration), technological capital (use of mechanical agricultural tools), and village of residence on stratification of Russian peasant households in the post-Soviet era. Findings from a 1995 survey of households in three Russian villages show that the number of working age adults in the household has the strongest influence on household agricultural production. Social capital and technological capital also are associated with differences in the amount of sales obtained from household production. One village, which is located in an oblast (province) which has a program to assist peasant households had substantially higher agricultural production than did the other two villages which are located in oblasti without such programs. The number of working age adults in the household, social exchange networks, and community attachment are negatively associated with symptoms of stress, while higher village levels of production are associated with higher average levels of symptoms of stress in the village. The implications of the findings for the future of Russian agriculture and Russian rural village life are discussed.
This paper deals with the problem of sequentially detecting statistical changes. In particular, the focus is on transient change detection, in which a probability minimizing optimal criterion is desirable. This is in contrast with the traditional minimization of the detection delay, proposed in quickest change detection problems. A finite moving average stopping time is proposed for the general transient change detection problem. The statistical performance of this stopping time is investigated and compared to other methods available in the literature. The proposed stopping time and theoretical findings are applied to quality monitoring, including reliability monitoring in industrial processes and signal quality monitoring in global navigation satellite systems. Numerical simulations are presented to assess the goodness of the presented theoretical results, and the performance of the considered stopping times. This will show the superiority of the proposed scheme.
ABSTRACT This study investigates the participation and knowledge growth of children with mathematical difficulties as they work in groups with their classmates on a year-long sequence of modelling tasks. It involves observations of a class of 23 fifth graders, 9 of whom were identified as having difficulties in mathematics. All the students worked for 8 months on a sequence of 12 modelling task in heterogeneous groups. The findings show a gradual growth in modelling competencies and mathematical knowledge of the students with mathematical difficulties together with an increase in their contribution to the group. The growth in modelling competencies involved their ability to analyse situations and the growth of mathematical knowledge was evident in offering mathematical ideas during group work and in a better posttest performance. Student reflections indicated their awareness of these changes and of the appreciation of their ideas by their peers.
CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLPP) provides electricity supply to over two millions customers in Kowloon, the new territories, and most of the outlying islands of Hong Kong. To cope with the increasing customer expectation, CLPP implemented two major business process changes in providing emergency services to its customers, one in 1995 and the later one in 1997. In year 1993, CLPP realized that the existing process in restoration of electricity supply could not meet the service pledge. There was an average of 17,000 customer calls for about 1,900 faults per month in year 1993/1994. Especially in the thunderstorm period, about 50 overhead line faults could occur on the 11 kV system in one day. Traditional incremental improvement could not cope with the demand. Therefore. CLPP implemented a business process re-engineering (BPR) project in supply restoration services in year 1995 to strive for dramatic improvement. This project covered the faults on the distribution system with voltage tip to 33 kV. Through this BPR project, four main target areas, from order initiation, order dispatching and proceeding to site, site investigation to restoration mobilization and restoration stage on the emergency services were identified for improvement. Changes implemented covered organizational side as well as the technology side, and the outcome was satisfactory. To meet increasing customer expectations in supply restoration, another enhancement in emergency services was implemented in year 1997. Ten districts were grouped into three Regions. The supply restoration manager was decentralized to each region and their role was picked up by 3-shift 24 hours experienced emergency services engineer (ESE). This results in better communication and coordination with the customers in handling emergency repair. CLPP pledged to continuous improvement in providing services to its customers. This paper examines the past experience of CLPP and the approach adopted in providing emergency services in meeting the ever increasing customer expectation.
Child welfare (CW) agencies are charged with ensuring children’s safety; when children live with families impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV), this task can be complex. To better understand how U.S. CW agencies identify and make decisions about child maltreatment (CM) in the presence of IPV, this mixed-methods study used national data (N = 248,654) to investigate whether IPV was more likely to be documented as co-occurring with certain types of CM. This study also explored the intersection of IPV and CM using 19 semi-structured interviews with child welfare stakeholders to gain insight into the mechanisms underpinning reporting processes. Multinomial logistical regression showed that after controlling for other risk factors, children living in a household with IPV were more likely to be determined to be physically abused and emotionally maltreated than neglected, and less likely to be determined to be sexually abused than neglected, compared with children who did not live in a household with IPV. Those children were also more likely to be determined to be emotionally maltreated than physically abused, and less likely to be determined to be sexually abused than physically abused, compared with children who did not live in a household with IPV (all results, p < .0001). Qualitative results revealed IPV and children’s exposure to IPV may be categorized as different types of CM by CW agencies and staff, and that this categorization can vary by agency and staff level. Participants also described challenges to addressing IPV within CW systems. Findings suggest national CW data may obscure when IPV and CM co-occur versus when a given type of CM is serving as a proxy for the presence of or children’s exposure to IPV, presenting challenges to interpreting child welfare data. Recommendations are presented to improve CW data accuracy and ensure the safety of children and families impacted by IPV.
The realistic case of a continuous distribution of combustion sources in the axial direction is considered in the investigation. The results obtained are compared with those of an earlier study conducted by Baer et al. (1974) concerning the stability of partially lined combustors with distributed combustion. There is a substantial upward shift of the curves in all cases relative to the curves obtained in the first analysis. The increase in chamber stability indicated is traced to some important damping effects associated with source terms which had been neglected in the previous study.
All rats were exposed to whole‐body irradiation (1,000 rads by X‐rays) to induce aplastic marrows. Control rats received no further treatment. Experimental rats were conjugated three days after irradiation with a non‐irradiated healthy litter mate by aortic anastomosis. Control rats died within seven days due to irradiation injury. In these animals, bone marrow reticulum cells were easily distinguished from other stromal cells, such as macrophages or sinusoidal endothelial cells. Three to seven days after irradiation, reticulum cells accumulated lipid droplets in the cytoplasm and showed increases in size and number, resulting in fatty aplastic marrows. On the other hand, parabiosed rats showed hemopoietic recovery and lower levels of lipid droplets in reticulum cells at five to eight days after parabiosis. Progressive fibrosis followed after irradiation but a regression followed after parabiosis. This suggested that fibroblastoid reticulum cells aided in producing collagen fibers. It was also suggested that bone marrow stromal cells, namely, perisinusoidal and intersinusoidal reticulum cells, fat‐storage cells, and fibroblastoid cells, shared a common cellular origin. The deserted alterations in reticulum cells after irradiation and the hemopoietic recovery after parabiosis might be due to hemopoietic cells stimulating reticulum cells to induce and sustain the hemopoiesis.
Alterations of the gravity Lagrangian introduced in modified torsion gravity theories---also referred to as $f(T)$ gravity---allows for an accelerated expansion in a matter dominated Universe. In this framework, the cosmic speed up is driven by an effective `torsion fluid'. Besides the background evolution of the Universe, structure formation is also modified because of a time dependent effective gravitational constant. Here, we investigate the imprints of $f(T)$ gravity on galaxy clustering and weak gravitational lensing to the aim of understanding whether future galaxy surveys could constrain torsion gravity and discriminate amongst it and standard general relativity. Specifically, we compute Fisher matrix forecasts for two viable $f(T)$ models to both infer the accuracy on the measurement of the model parameters and evaluate the power that a combined clustering and shear analysis will have as a tool for model selection. We find that with such a combination of probes it will indeed be possible to tightly constrain $f(T)$ model parameters. Moreover, the Occam's razor provided by the Bayes factor will allow us to confirm an $f(T)$ power-law extension of the concordance $ Lambda{ rm CDM}$ model, were a value larger than 0.02 of its power-law slope measured, whereas in $ Lambda{ rm CDM}$ it is exactly 0.
Objectives:Cosmetic surgery procedures increase in incidence annually, with 11 million performed in 2006. Because breast cancer is the most frequently occurring malignancy in women, a personal history of cosmetic surgery in those undergoing treatment for breast cancer is becoming more common. Methods:This review identified key studies from the PubMed database, to consolidate existing data related to treatment of breast cancer after plastic surgery. Data were reviewed for factors affecting breast cancer treatment after breast augmentation, breast reduction, abdominoplasty, and suction lipectomy. Results:There are little comprehensive data on the management of breast cancer after plastic surgical procedures. Plastic surgery may affect diagnostic imaging, surgical options, and radiotherapy management. Breast augmentation and reduction are two of the most common cosmetic procedures performed and knowledge of their influence on the incidence, diagnosis, and treatment of breast cancer is important for proper management. Conclusions:Plastic surgery does not significantly affect breast cancer outcomes but does present management challenges that must be anticipated when deciding various treatment options. Knowledge of the existing literature may be helpful in discussing those options with patients and planning the multidisciplinary approach to this malignancy.
The present investigation describes the synthesis and detailed characterization of novel fluorescent bio-nanocomposite films of chitosan reinforced by hemicyanine dye-modified montmorillonite (MMT–HD) using a solvent-casting method. A series of hemicyanine dyes (HD) have been synthesized by catalyst-free and solvent-free conditions in high yields. These organic compounds were intercalated within the interlayer gallery of montmorillonite providing an increase in the basal spacing and affording inorganic–organic host–guest materials. The fundamental properties of these dyes as well as their intercalated MMT were studied by X-ray, FTIR, and thermal analysis, completed by photophysical properties studies. The results showed that the guest species (HD) are successfully intercalated and stacked as J-aggregates (head-to-tail aggregates) into the host layer of MMT, which is confirmed by spectral characterization. Improvement in thermal stability of the intercalated MMT was indicated by results from thermal analysis compared to the pure dye. Next, the resulting organo-modified clays were dispersed within the chitosan biopolymer. The obtained bio-films were investigated and characterized with varying content of clay (1, 2, 5 and 10 wt%). The structural, hygroscopic (hydrophobicity and water solubility) and fluorescence properties of the resulting materials were evaluated. Results demonstrate that the incorporation of MMT–HD into chitosan improves the hygroscopic properties of the chitosan film, thus showing potential for active food packaging materials. In addition, the solid state fluorescence spectra of the bio-films have shown a significant fluorescence emission at room temperature with increasing clay content.
Abstract— A 12.1‐in. tablet liquid‐crystal‐display (LCD) panel with integrated amorphous‐silicon row driver circuits has been developed using a standard TFT process and Advanced Fringe‐Field Switching (AFFS) technology. An XGA‐resolution 768‐stage shift‐register circuit with two‐phase clocks has been designed and fabricated. The circuit parameters were optimized in order to obtain a highly reliable a‐Si row‐driver‐circuit structure. Thermal Humidity Operation (THO) test results at 50°C and 80% humidity during 500 hours of operation shows that the fabricated panel is reliable during long‐term operation and any abnormal display phenomenon was not observed at 0°C.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) inputs are most noticeable in diagnosing brain tumors via computer and manual clinical understanding. Multi-level detection and classification of the images utilizing computer-aided processing depend on labels and annotations. Though the two processes are dynamic and time-consuming, without which the precise accuracy is less assured. For augmenting the accuracy in processing un-labeled or annotation-less images, this article introduces Absolute Classification-Detection Model (AC-DM). This model uses a conventional neural network for training the morphological variations proficient of achieving label-less classification and tumor detection. The traditional neural network trains the images based on differential lattice morphology for classification and detection. In this process, training for the lattices and their corresponding gradients is validated to improve the precision of the regional analysis. This helps to retain the precision of identifying tumors. The variations are recognized for their lattice mapping in the detected boundaries of the input image. The detected boundaries help to map accurate lattices for adapting morphological transforms. Thus, the partial and complex processing in detecting tumors is restrained in the suggested model, adapting to the classification. The efficiency of the suggested model is verified utilizing accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and classification time.
An experimental feeding study was designed to assess the role of earthworms in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii infection to eastern barred bandicoots (Perameles gunnii). Six animals with no agglutinating antibodies to T. gondii were fed artificially cultured earthworms that had been maintained in autoclaved nutrient-enriched soil. Two animals were given earthworms that had been maintained in soil contaminated with T. gondii oocysts (P89/VEG strain); two animals were fed on earthworms, which initially had been exposed to soil containing T. gondii oocysts then transferred through three changes of sterile soil; two control bandicoots were fed earthworms maintained in sterile soil. Both bandicoots fed earthworms maintained in T. gondii contaminated soil died 11 and 14 days after feeding. The necropsy findings were consistent with acute toxoplasmosis. Bandicoots fed earthworms exposed to oocysts but then transferred through changes of sterilized soil remained healthy as did control animals. All surviving animals remained seronegative over the 6 wk observation period after feeding. These findings confirm that earthworms, a major component of the natural diet of P. gunnii, can transmit T. gondii infection. It appears that oocysts present in the alimentary tracts of the worms, rather than infective stages of T. gondii in worm somatic tissues, are responsible for these infections.
Power supply enterprises face the business risk caused by electricity clients who break their promise on supply contracts. In order to avoid credit risk and conduct comprehensive evaluation on electricity clients, this paper builds an electricity client credit risk evaluation model based on GPSO hybrid algorithm, overcoming the shortcomings of traditional linear ECCR evaluation method. This new model integrates advantages of GA (genetic algorithm) and PSO, better than traditional multiple regression method and GP method regarding convergence performance and forecast accuracy. Simulation results indicate that hybrid model is simple and feasible, and it can improve efficiency and accuracy of evaluation.
A solid phase radioimmunoassay (RIA) was developed for typing Herpesvirus hominis (HVH) strains isolated from clinical materials, and it also proved to be applicable to the direct detection and typing of HVH antigen in human and animal brain tissue. The procedure utilized virus-infected human fetal diploid cells or brain tissue smears in the bottom of 1-dram glass vials, antigen was detected through the use of intermediate HVH antisera produced in rabbits or hamsters and cross-absorbed with the HVH heterotype, and (125)I-labeled anti-species (rabbit or hamster) globulins produced in goats were used for detection of immune complexes. The cross-absorbed HVH antisera could be used at high dilutions in the RIA test, and they reacted with marked type-specificity in the RIA system. Specificity of the test was also improved by determining and using optimal concentrations of intermediate sera and of (125)I-labeled anti-species globulins. Results of typing HVH isolates by the RIA procedure agreed in all instances with those obtained by direct fluorescent antibody staining with cross-absorbed conjugates. The RIA procedure was effective and more sensitive than direct fluorescent antibody for demonstrating and typing HVH antigen directly in smears of infected human brain tissue.
PURPOSE Bladder cancer cell lines UCRU-BL-13, UCRU-BL-17/2 and UCRU-BL-28, with differing p53 status and molecular responses to irradiation, were used to investigate possible mechanisms for caffeine-induced radiosensitization.   MATERIALS AND METHODS After treatment with caffeine and exposure to X-radiation, radiosensitivity was determined by clonogenic assay. Cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry.   RESULTS Both BL-13 and BL-28 cells (each expressing p53 with a wild-type sequence) fail to arrest at the G2 checkpoint after radiation, but nevertheless caffeine did induce radiosensitization. In contrast, in BL-17/2 cells (expressing p53 with a point mutation in codon 280), caffeine treatment abrogated the radiation-induced G2 arrest but was not accompanied by radiosensitization. No effects on radiosensitivity were seen in RT112 cells (expressing a functionally defective p53) at low caffeine doses (2 mM), but at higher doses (4 mM and 10 mM) caffeine caused both abrogation of radiation-induced G2 arrest and radiosensitization. In none of the cell lines examined did caffeine treatment and/or irradiation result in apoptosis.   CONCLUSIONS In contrast with previous studies, the data suggest that radiosensitization induced by caffeine is not dependent on abrogation of G2 arrest or the induction of apoptosis, and is not selective for cells expressing p53 proteins with mutations.
We propose a direct method to determine absorption anisotropy of colloidal quantum rods. In this method, the rods are aligned in solution by using an alternating electric field and we measure simultaneously the resulting average change in absorption. We show that a frequency window for the electric field exists in which the change in absorbance as a function of field strength can be analyzed in terms of the quantum-rod dipole moment and the absorption coefficient for light that is polarized parallel or perpendicular to the long axis of the rod. The approach is verified by measuring the absorbance change of CdSe rods at 400 nm as a function of field strength, where we demonstrate excellent agreement between experiment and theory. This enables us to propose improved values for the CdSe quantum-rod extinction coefficient. Next, we analyze CdSe/CdS dot-in-rods and find that the absorption of the first exciton transition is fully anisotropic, with a vanishing absorption coefficient for light that is polarized perpendicularly to the long axis of the rods.
This paper presents an artificial bee colony algorithm for solving optimal short term hydrothermal scheduling problem. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, hydrothermal test system consists of three thermal units and four cascaded hydro power plants has been tested. The valve point loading effect is taken into consideration. In order to show the feasibility and robustness of the proposed algorithm, a wide range of thermal and hydraulic constraints are taken into consideration. The numerical results obtained by ABC algorithm are compared with those obtained from other methods such as genetic algorithm (GA), simulated annealing (SA), evolutionary programming (EP) and constriction factor based particle swarm optimization (CFPSO) technique to reveal the validity and verify the feasibility of the proposed method. The experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm can obtain better schedule results with minimum execution time when compared to other methods.
M r=260.1, monoclinic, P21/c, a= 11.061(2), b= 20.939 (3), c=9.420 (1)/k, fl= 92.8i(1) °, V= 2179.1/~3, Z=8, Dm= 1.54 (2), D x = 1.586 Mg m -3, )[,(Cu K~t) = 1.54178 A~, g = 4.987 mm -l, F(000) = 1056, T = 295 K. Final R = 0.039 for 2934 observed reflections. There are two independent molecules in the unit cell. Molecule A is essentially planar, except for two C atoms of the aliphatic ring which are displaced equally 0.33 /~, above and below the plane of the molecule; the N atom also lies in the molecular plane defined by the aromatic ring. Molecule B exhibits partial disorder of the (+)- and (-)- enantiomers.
BACKGROUND Left atrial (LA) enlargement (LAE) is a morphologic expression of the severity and chronicity of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction, volume overload, and increased atrial pressure and has diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic importance in cats. The noninvasive gold standard for assessing LA size is 2-dimensional echocardiography (2DE).   HYPOTHESIS ECG and thoracic radiography may be used to predict LAE in cats.   ANIMALS Twenty-one healthy control cats and 31 cats with cardiomyopathy were prospectively studied.   METHODS 2DE studies, including determination of the maximum LA dimension (LAD) and area (LAA), were performed prospectively in all cats and compared to the assessment of LA size based on thoracic radiography and indices obtained from a 6-lead ECG. Results obtained from healthy cats were used to generate discrimination limits suggestive of LAE as defined by LAD > 1.57 cm and LAA > 2.75 cm2.   RESULTS In cats with LAE, P wave duration and PR interval were prolonged and radiographic LA vertebral heart size (LA-VHS) was increased (P < .05). P wave-related indices had low sensitivity (Se; range, 0.12 to 0.60) but high specificity (Sp; range, 0.81 to 1.00) for the prediction of LAE. Radiographic indices had low Se (range, 0.28 to 0.72) and high Sp (range, 0.74 to 0.95) for the prediction of LAE. Correlation analyses identified correlations between LAA and P wave duration (r = 0.47, P = .003) and LAD and LA-VHS (r = 0.70, P < .001).   CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE ECG and thoracic radiography are reasonably specific but less sensitive predictors of LAE in cats.
Mn x Fe 3-x O₄ powders have been fabricated by using sol-gel methods; their crystallographic and magnetic properties were investigated by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. The Mn x Fe 3-x O₄ ferrite powders annealed at 500 ℃ had a single spinel structure regardless of the Mn²?-doping amount and their lattice constants became larger as the Mn²? concentration was increased. Their Mossbauer spectra measured at room temperature were fitted with 2 Zeeman sextets due to the tetrahedral and octahedral sites of Fe ions, which made them ferrimagnetic. The magnetic behavior of Mn x Fe 3-x O₄ powders showed that the Mn²?-doping amount made their saturation magnetization increase, but there were no severe effects on their coercivities. The saturation magnetization of the Mn x Fe 3-x O₄ powder varied from 38 emu/g to 70.0 emu/g and their minimum coercivity was 111.1 Oe.
Orexin‐A is synthesized in the posterolateral hypothalamus and immunoreactive fibres project to many central nervous system structures, including the paraventricular nucleus, which is rich in corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) neurones and neuropeptide Y (NPY) innervation. We investigated the central effects of orexin‐A on the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis by measuring plasma concentrations of corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) in vivo. We explored the potential neuropeptide pathways involved by investigating the effects of orexin‐A on CRF, NPY, arginine vasopressin (AVP) and noradrenaline release from hypothalamic explants in vitro. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of orexin‐A (3 nmol) in male rats stimulated increases in plasma concentrations of corticosterone between 10 and 40 min after injection, and of plasma ACTH at 20 and 90 min after injection. Orexin‐A significantly stimulated CRF and NPY release from hypothalamic explants in vitro. Orexin‐A did not stimulate CRF release in the presence of the selective NPY Y1 receptor antagonist, BIBP3226. BIBP3226 alone did not alter CRF release from hypothalamic explants. Orexin‐A had no effect in vitro on the release of other neuropeptides, AVP and noradrenaline, involved in the central regulation of the HPA axis. These results suggest that orexin‐A is involved in activation of the HPA axis, and that these effects could be mediated via the release of NPY.
Global software engineering is a reality in today's software development industry. With the fast development of this area, it is also necessary to better prepare software development professionals to develop software when located in distributed settings. In this paper, we present an experience of corporate training initiatives related to distributed development in a multinational company with global operations. We have interviewed and collected qualitative data from 39 employees aiming at the identification of challenges and the improvement of their distributed development skills. The results show an interesting profile indicating the existence of a distance between technical and non-technical knowledge, mainly in the beginning of a globally distributed operation. Based on these profiles, we present recommendations to reduce the distance and to manage risks associated with the lack of skill in this scenario.
In this study, different disc brakes and friction materials are evaluated with respect to particle emission output and characteristic features are derived. The measurements take place on an inertia dynamometer using a constant volume sampling system. Brake wear particle emission factors of different disc concepts in different sizes are determined and compared, using a grey cast iron disc, a tungsten carbide-coated disc and a carbon ceramic disc. The brakes were tested over a section (trip #10) novel test cycle developed from the database of the worldwide harmonized Light-Duty vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). First, brake emission factors were determined along the bedding process using a series of trip-10 tests. The tests were performed starting from unconditioned pads, to characterize the evolution of emissions until their stabilization. In addition to number- and mass-related emission factors (PM2.5–PM10), the particle size distribution was determined. Another focus was the evaluation of temperature ranges and the associated challenges in the use of temperature readings in a potential regulation of brake wear particle emissions. The results illustrate the challenges associated with establishing a universal bedding procedure and using disc temperature measurements for the control of a representative braking procedure. Using tungsten carbide coated discs and carbon ceramic discs, emission reduction potentials of up to 70% (PM10) could be demonstrated along the WLTP brake cycle. The reduction potential is primarily the result of the high wear resistance of the disc, but is additionally influenced by the pad composition and the temperature in the friction contact area.
The purpose of this study is to determine empirical evidence about the effect of strategy Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning of Product Brand Purchasing Decisions azara brand hijab at a lecturer at the University of Islam Malang. The research method in this research is to use the linear regression method with the processed data are Segmenting (X1), Targeting (X2), Positioning (X3) and Decision Purchase (Y). This type of research is explanatory associative with quantitative approach. In this study, the population is a lecturer at the University of Islam Malang the number of samples used by 100 respondents. The analytical method used in this study is multiple regression. Data analysis technique used multiple regression analysis technique using SPSS version 24.00. Research result shows that the coefficient of determination (R2) that of all the independent variables Segmenting (X1) Targeting (X2) and Positioining (X3) have the ability to explain variations of the decision dependent variable Purchase (Y) of 0.145 or 14.5% while the remaining 0.855 or 85.5% is explained by variables other. There is a significant effect of the Segmenting (X1) Targeting (X2) and Positioning (X3) variables simultaneously affect the dependent variable, namely the Purchase Decision (Y).
IN recent years the line-of-sight velocities of about ninety of the spiral nebulae have been measured. The distances of some of the nearest of them have been determined by a fairly trustworthy method, and for others rude estimates depending on statistical methods are available. When we survey these data, a remarkable state of affairs is revealed. The spiral nebulae are almost unanimously running away from us; moreover, the greater the distance the greater the speed of recession. The law of increase is found to be fairly regular, the speed being simply proportional to the distance. The progression has been traced up to a distance of more than 100 million light-years, where the recession is 20,000 km. per sec.—about the speed of an α-particle.
Geographical distribution of brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) flame retardants in the North American Great Lakes ecosystem in 2000 was determined by analysis of herring gull eggs (13 egg pools) from a network of 15 monitoring colonies scattered throughout the lakes and connecting channels. sigmaBDEs were found at concentrations ranging from 192 to 1,400 microg/kg, mean of 662 +/- 368 microg/kg (wet weight of egg contents). Highest concentrations were found in northern Lake Michigan and Toronto harbor (1,000-1,400 microg/kg) and lowest in Lake Huron and Lake Erie (192-340 microg/kg). The distribution suggested that input from large urban/ industrial areas through air or water emissions contributes local contamination to the herring gull food web in addition to background levels from regional/global transport. The congener composition was similar among sampling sites. Major congeners were BDE-47 (43%), BDE-99 (26%), BDE-100 (13%) BDE-153 (11%), BDE-154 (4%), BDE-183 (2%) and BDE-28 (1%). Temporal trends of BDE contamination, 1981-2000, were established by analysis of archived herring gull eggs (10 egg pools) from colonies in northern Lake Michigan, Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron and eastern Lake Ontario. BDE-47, -99 and -100, and BDE-153, -154 and -183 concentrations were grouped separately for analysis because these two groups had different trends and are primarily associated with the Penta BDE and Octa BDE flame retardant formulations, respectively. SigmaBDE47,99,100 concentrations were 5-12 microg/kg (wet weight) in 1981-1983 and then increased exponentially (p < 0.00001) at all three sites to 400-1,100 microg/kg over the next 17 years. Doubling times were 2.6 years in Lake Michigan, 3.1 years in Lake Huron and 2.8 years in Lake Ontario. SigmaBDE154,153,183 concentrations generally increased but varied in an erratic fashion among sites and decreased as a fraction of sigmaBDE over time. Concentrations of sigmaBDE154,153,183 were 100-200 microg/kg in eggs from all three colonies in 2000. Therefore, most of the dramatic increases in sigmaBDE concentrations observed over the past 20 years in the Great Lakes aquatic ecosystem seem to be connected with the Penta BDE formulation, which is mainly used as a flame retardant in polyurethane foam in North America. If present rates of change continue, concentrations of sigmaBDEs will equal or surpass those of sigmaPCBs in Great Lakes herring gull eggs in 10-15 years.
Abstract:The ninth- or tenth-century Prosperous, Co. Kildare, crozier was received for conservation and study in the Ulster Museum, Belfast, in the 1980s. The work and its results are documented here. It is argued that the crozier was divided in two, probably in the late Middle Ages, and that the parts were reunited in the nineteenth century. An explanation is advanced in terms of the function of the crozier as a symbol of title or tenure. The material of the primary metal components is identified provisionally as a copper-zinc-tin alloy (i.e. a ‘gunmetal’).
The aerial oxidation kinetics of hydroquinone in a freshly prepared developer solution at different temperatures and pHs has been studied. The activation parameters, Ea, ΔG# , ΔS# , ΔH# and enthalpy of formation of activated complex, ΔHfo(X# ), are determined. The large negative value of free energy of activation ΔG# proves that hydroquinone extremely tends to be oxidized by air at optimum temperature (20℃) and optimum pH (10.5) and converts to the activated complex semiquinone. It was also found that if the pH of the developer solution is increased from 9.3 to 10.5 the reaction rate will increase by a factor of 2.
Three experiments were performed to examine development of understanding of functional relations in economics by children between ages 4 and 10 years. Results of Experiment 1 indicated that preschoolers understood the effects of demand, and 2nd graders also understood the effects of supply, but even 4th graders often failed to demonstrate understanding of the effects of motivation and morality. In Experiment 2, 4th but not 2nd graders proved able to explain how motivation and morality might influence sales when told that these variables had an effect. In Experiment 3, 2nd and 4th graders' evaluations of the plausibility of other children's explanations of effects of motivation and morality showed evidence of understanding, though those of kindergartners did not. The data supported the 3 hypotheses that motivated the experiments: (a) direct links between causes and effects are understood before indirect ones, (b) positive correlations between causes and effects are understood before negative ones, and (c) variables that produce effects are understood before ones that do not.
Abstract The Notched Ring Test(NRT) has proven to be very useful in determining the slow crack growth behavior ofpolyethylene pressure pipes. In particular, the test is simple and an order of magnitude shorter in experimental times ascompared to the currently used Notched Pipe Test(NPT), which makes this method attractive for use as the accelerated slowcrack growth test. In addition, since the NRT specimen is taken directly from the pipe, having maintained the cross-section,processing induced artifacts that would affect the slow crack growth behavior are not altered. This makes the direct comparisonto the slow crack growth specimen in pipe from more meaningful. In this study, for comparison with other available slow crackgrowth methods, including the NPT, the stress intensity factor equation for NRT specimen was developed and demonstratedof its accuracy within 3 % of that obtained from the finite element analysis. The equation was derived using a flexure formulaof curved beam bending along with numerically determined geometric factors. The accuracy of the equation was successfullytested on 63, 110, 140, 160, 250, and 400 mm nominal pipe diameters, with crack depth ranging from 15 % to 45 % of thepipe wall thickness, and for standard dimensional ratio(SDR) of 9, 11, and 13.6. Using this equation the slow crack results from110SDR11 NRT specimen were compared to that from the NPT specimen, which demonstrated that the NRT specimen wasequivalent to the NPT specimen in creating the slow crack, however in much shorter experimental times.Key wordsnotched ring test(NRT), notched pipe test(NPT), slow crack growth, stress intensity factor, plastics pipesand fittings.
Abstract In this paper, we introduce a new iterative algorithm for approximating fixed points of mean nonexpansive mappings in CAT(0) spaces. We prove a -convergence theorem under suitable conditions. The result we obtain improves and extends several recent results stated by many others; they also complement many known recent results in the literature. We then provide some numerical examples to illustrate our main result and to display the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
A new, closed nonlinear integral transformation relation is derived describing the mapping of a two-dimensional ocean wave spectrum into a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image spectrum. The general integral relation is expanded in a power series with respect to orders of nonlinearity and velocity bunching. The individual terms of the series can be readily computed using fast Fourier transforms. The convergence of the series is rapid. The series expansion is also useful in identifying the different contributions to the net imaging process, consisting of the real aperture radar (RAR) cross-section modulation, the nonlinear motion (velocity bunching) effects, and their various interaction products. The lowest term of the expansion with respect to nonlinearity order yields a simple quasi-linear approximate mapping relation consisting of the standard linear SAR modulation expression multiplied by an additional nonlinear Gaussian azimuthal cutoff factor. The cutoff scale is given by the rms azimuthal (velocity bunching) displacement. The same cutoff factor applies to all terms of the power series expansion. The nonlinear mapping relation is inverted using a standard first-guess wave spectrum as regularization term. This is needed to overcome the basic 180° mapping ambiguity and the loss of information beyond the azimuthal cutoff. The inversion is solved numerically using an iteration technique based on the successive application of the explicit solution for the quasi-linear mapping approximation, with interposed corrections invoking the full nonlinear mapping expression. A straightforward application of this technique, however, generally yields unrealistic discontinuities of the best fit wave spectrum in the transition region separating the low azimuthal wave number domain, in which useful SAR information is available and the wave spectrum is modified, from the high azimuthal wave number region beyond the azimuthal cutoff, where the first-guess wave spectrum is retained. This difficulty is overcome by applying a two-step inversion procedure. In the first step the energy level of the wave spectrum is adjusted, and the wave number plane rotated and rescaled, without altering the shape of the spectrum. Using the resulting globally fitted spectrum as the new first-guess input spectrum, the original inversion method is then applied without further constraints in a second step to obtain a final fine-scale optimized spectrum. The forward mapping relation and inversion algorithms are illustrated for three Seasat cases representing different wave conditions corresponding to weakly, moderately, and strongly nonlinear imaging conditions.
We reported that tumor necrosis factor receptor I (TNFRI) is required for neuronal death induced by amyloid-beta protein in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. However, whether TNF receptor subtypes are expressed and activated differentially in AD brains compared to non-demented brains remains unclear. Our studies on Western blot and ELISA measurements demonstrated that TNFRI levels are increased whereas TNFRII levels are decreased in AD brains compared to non-demented brains (p <0.05). Immunohistochemical results demonstrated that both TNFRI and TNFRII are expressed in neurons in AD and non-demented brains. However, in situ hybridization studies showed little change in the mRNA levels of either type of TNF receptor in the neurons of AD brains compared to non-demented brains. To examine whether different levels of TNF receptors in AD brains are correlated with the alteration of functional binding of TNF receptors, by using 125I-TNF-alpha binding technique, we found that, in AD brains, 125I-TNF-alpha binding affinity to TNFRI is increased, whereas binding affinity to TNFRII is decreased (p < 0.01). These studies reveal a novel observation of abnormal TNF receptor activation in AD brains. Differential TNF receptor protein levels and binding affinities suggest distinct pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegeneration in the AD brain.
In Finland the municipal restructuring project was launched in 2005. Its goal is to create a system that ensures high-quality municipal welfare services for everyone, continuing into the future. The main focus of this research is to examine the tension between strategic competence-based management and productivity in public welfare services. The theoretical basis covers theories regarding strategic competence-based management and productivity. To guarantee services and quality it is important to strengthen the supply of employees, competence, development, leverage, and benefits in public organizations. Leadership has a significant role in strategic competence-based management.
Background: Paralympic powerlifting (PP) training is typically intense and causes fatigue and alterations in the immune system. Objective: To analyze whether IBU would affect performance and the immune system after training in PP. Methodology: 10 athletes at the national level (NL) and 10 at the regional level (RL) participated in the study, where force and blood indicators were evaluated after training. The study took place over three weeks: (1) familiarization and (2 and 3) comparison between recovery methods, with ibuprofen or placebo (IBU vs. PLA), 800 mg. In the evaluation of the force, the peak torque (PT), fatigue index (FI), and blood immune system biomarkers were analyzed. The training consisted of five sets of five repetitions with 80% of one maximum repetition (5 × 5, 80% 1RM) on the bench press. Results: The PT at the national level using IBU was higher than with PLA (p = 0.007, η2p = 0.347), and the FI in the NL was lower with IBU than with PLA (p = 0.002, η2p = 0.635), and when comparing the use of IBU, the NL showed less fatigue than the regional level (p = 0.004, η2p = 0.414). Leukocytes, with the use of IBU in the NL group, were greater than in the RL (p = 0.001, η2p = 0.329). Neutrophils, in the NL with IBU, were greater than in the RL with IBU and PLA (p = 0.025, η2p = 0.444). Lymphocytes, in NL with IBU were lower than in RL with IBU and PLA (p = 0.001, η2p = 0.491). Monocytes, in the NL with IBU and PLA, were lower than in the RL with IBU (p = 0.049, η2p = 0.344). For hemoglobin, hematocrit, and erythrocyte, the NL with IBU and PLA were higher than the RL with IBU and PLA (p < 0.05). Ammonia, with the use of IBU in the NL, obtained values higher than in the RL (p = 0.007), and with the use of PLA, the NL was higher than the RL (p = 0.038, η2p = 0.570). Conclusion: The training level tends to influence the immune system and, combined with the use of the IBU, it tends to improve recovery and the immune system.
This study builds counties-specific panel data and establish a stochastic rice yield forecasting model by using a fixed effect panel model based on results calculating the coefficients for the meteorological factors, and by using a variety of weather scenarios. Rice yield prediction model developed estimating equations were set to rice yield as the dependent variable, and the average temperature, accumulated temperature, daily temperature range, sunshine hours as explanatory variables, by using panel data by counties in recent 10 years. Estimation results using a fixed-effects model was able to verify that an average temperature affects to yield as quadratic form, there appeared to be significantly affected by accumulated temperature in Heading period, an average temperature in Ripening period. a rice yield prediction model is meaningful in that we can see the forecasting results in the previous. not waiting the actual survey results provided by the National Statistical Office. because this forecasting estimates is sufficient rationale material by government supply & demand measures. Finally, the study leave to future challenges with respect to establishing a prediction model developed as combined with land productivity and environmental engineering factors
There has been considerable investment by Dofasco in existing manufacturing process software. Also, it has been shown that software must evolve to continue to be useful, and thus enhancement/perfective maintenance work is a common activity in an industrial environment. Since software maintenance can consume as much as 70 % of the lifecycle costs of a software system, there is constant pressure from our internal clients to reduce maintenance costs. This proposal describes an approach of reclassifying maintenance activities to provide a measurement tool for clients and senior management, to see a true picture of efforts spent on "business support", "retain benefits" and to obtain "business benefits".
We applied both the ordinary linear regression (OLR) and the new uncertainty weighted linear regression (UWLR) models for the calibration and comparison of a XRF machine through 59 geochemical reference materials (GRMs) and a procedure blank sample. The mean concentration and uncertainty data for the GRMs used for the calibrations (Supplementary Materials) (available here) filewere achieved from an up-to-date compilation of chemical data and their processing from well-known discordancy and significance tests. The drift-corrected XRF intensity and its uncertainty were determined from mostly duplicate pressed powder pellets. The comparison of the OLR (linear correlation coefficient r∼0.9523–0.9964 and 0.9771–0.9999, respectively, for before and after matrix correction) and UWLR models (r∼0.9772–0.9976 and 0.9970–0.9999, respectively) clearly showed that the latter with generally higher values of r is preferable for routine calibrations of analytical procedures. Both calibrations were successfully applied to rock matrices, and the results were generally consistent with those obtained in other laboratories although the UWLR model showed mostly narrower confidence limits of the mean (slope and intercept) or lower uncertainties than the OLR. Similar sensitivity (∼2.69–46.17 kc·s−1·%−1 for the OLR and ∼2.78–59.69 kc·s−1·%−1 for the UWLR) also indicated that the UWLR could advantageously replace the OLR model. Another novel aspect is that the total uncertainty can be reported for individual chemical data. If the analytical instruments were routinely calibrated from the UWLR model, this action would make the science of geochemistry more quantitative than at present.
therapy to decompress the lung was suggested. After extensive counselling, parents opted for fetal surgery at 25 weeks. The fetal surgery was performed in the same way the FETO procedure for congenital diaphragmatic hernia is. The normal upper right lobar bronchus was visualized and a fibrous tissue occluding thereafter was found, confirming the diagnosis of bronchial atresia affecting the middle and inferior bronchi. By ultrasound it was observed that the stop in the broncus was very close to the cystic tubular structure, which was supposed to be the inflated and mucus filled distal bronchial tree. Combining ultrasound and fetoscopy, perforation of the membranous tissue was achieved by contact laser firing. After the procedure, significant improvement of all the parameters was demonstrated at following up scans. At 35 weeks the O/E LHR was 85%. The fetus developed normally and was born at term. Postnatally, the baby had no severe respiratory distress though condensation at mid and low right pulmonary lobes was patent. Bilobectomy was performed at 12 days of life and evolution was satisfactory. The infant was discharged after 2 months without any treatment, and at 6 months of age remains healthy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful fetoscopy for prenatal lung decompression in a case of lobar bronchial atresia at high risk of pulmonary hypoplasia.
This study compared the efficacy of an herbal ointment to a placebo ointment in relieving the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis. The herbal preparation contained substances believed by alternative practitioners to be helpful in treating osteoarthritis.This study was a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial. Subjects were solicited from patients attending an arthritis clinic in Dallas, Texas. Selection of subjects with osteoarthritis was based on the criteria developed by the American College of Rheumatology. Subjects were randomized to an active (n = 11) or a placebo (n = 8) group. Herbal ointment and control contained small amounts of capsaicin and menthol and were similar when applied. Subjects graded their levels of pain and stiffness for a 1-week no-treatment baseline. Subjects then applied the herbal or sham ointment to the involved joint(s) for 28 consecutive days and recorded their levels of pain and stiffness daily on visual analog scales.Significant differences between the active and placebo groups for pain (P < 0.05) and stiffness (P < 0.05) were found when the baseline phase was compared with the fourth week.An herbal ointment was shown to be effective in relieving the pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis without adverse effects. If future studies confirm effectiveness of this treatment, it may have a role as an adjunct to standard drug therapy.
K9 glass is regarded as one of the most difficult-to-machine materials due to its mechanical characteristics, which is known as an excellent performance optical material. In this paper, rotary ultrasonic face milling (RUFM) process is introduced into machining flat surface of K9 glass using right-angle diamond cutter for the first time. It studies the influence of process variables (spindle speed, feedrate, cutting depth, and cutting width) on cutting force and surface roughness through the single-factor experiments. The cutting force is measured by a KISTLER dynamometer, and the surface roughness is measured by a talysurf. The investigation also includes a comparison between RUFM and diamond milling. The experimental results tell that the RUFM process can significantly reduce cutting force, which inferred that RUFM can have less tool wear and longer tool life. It also shows that the surface roughness in RUFM of K9 glass is slightly higher than that obtained in diamond milling.
Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is partly driven by autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta cell, facilitated by the release of inflammatory cytokines, including IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-1β by cells of the innate immune system. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have been used to counteract autoimmunity in a range of therapeutic settings due to their secretion of trophic and immunomodulatory factors that ameliorate disease independently of the cells themselves.The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the secretome of human bone-marrow derived MSCs on cytokine-driven beta cell apoptosis.All experiments were conducted in two insulin-secreting islet cell lines (BRIN-BD11 and βTC1.6) with selected experiments confirmed in primary islets. MSC secretome was generated by conditioning serum-free media (MSC-CM) for 24 hours on sub-confluent MSC populations. The media was then removed and filtered in readiness for use.Exposure to IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-1β induced apoptosis in cell lines and primary islets. The addition of MSC-CM to cell lines and primary islets partially reversed cytokine-driven apoptosis. MSC-CM also restored glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in cytokine-treated cell lines, which was linked to improved cell viability following from cytokine challenge. Characterization of MSC-CM revealed significant concentrations of IL-4, IL-10, PIGF and VEGF. Of these, IL-10 alone prevented cytokine-driven apoptosis. Furthermore, the inhibition of IL-10 through the addition of a blocking antibody reversed the anti-apoptotic effects of MSC-CM.Overall, the protective effects of MSC-CM on islet beta cell survival appear to be largely IL-10-dependent.
Human malaria is a parasitic disease caused by four distinct species of intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. The parasites are transmitted to persons by the bite of an infective female Anopheles mosquito and rarely through blood transfusion and congenital transmission. The majority of malarial infections reported in the United States are acquired abroad by recent immigrants or persons returning from areas where malaria is endemic. This report describes the first documented case of congenital malaria acquired in Nassau County, New York, which is the fifth case of congenital malaria reported in the United States since 2000. Health-care providers should consider malaria as a diagnosis in neonates and young infants, particularly those with fever, whose mothers emigrated from areas where malaria is endemic.
periments, and by critical reasoning, with every conclusion or theory subjected to the most rigid tests. Yet, although the sciences should be the least dogmatic of all subjects in the elementary and high schools, the teaching of science is often fully as dogmatic as that of other subjects. The child is given the conclusions of science ready-made and is offered little or no evidence. He is told that the
The dentition of the Cook islanders was metrically examined in terms of inter-island variation and biological population affinity. The mesiodistal and buccolingual crown diameters of the permanent dentition were recorded here on 146 plaster casts of male minors in the Cook Islands. According to the ethnic origin or native island of each subject, the samples have been divided into six population series. The results revealed that Pukapukans were greatest in tooth size among the Cook Islands peoples, and that the differences between Pukapukans and the other Cook Islands populations were significant for the mesiodistal dimensions of the upper and lower second premolars, and the first and second molars, and for the buccolingual of the upper central incisor and the lower second molar. Within the samples from the southern group of Cooks, however, no difference was found in tooth size. The part-European sample showed a rather close distance to those of the southern Cook populations, but did a considerably great distance from the Pukapukan sample. Through the comparison with several ethnic populations in Oceania, there emerged two major clusters: a Cooks-Taumako-Hawaii-Java cluster and a cluster consisting of populations from New Guinea, Bougainville and Australia. The present findings of odontometric analysis supported the biological dichotomy in Oceanic populations, which was proposed by some osteological and dental morphological studies.
The process of crystallization of the PbSe liquidus surface in the Cu – Pb – Se system was investigated. Equations were obtained to calculate the partial excess energy functions of mixing lead and selenium for Cu – Pb – Se alloys saturated with lead selenide. The obtained analytical dependences T – x – y and p (Se2) –T – x were visualized. It found that when describing the effect of selenium partial pressure on Gibbs partial molar free energy at high pressure, it is necessary to take into account the contribution of the volumetric member. Changes in the energy of defect formation from the electronic chemical potential function in samples based on PbSe in Cu – Pb – Se were studied. Proceeding from the constructed Cu – Pb – Se phase diagram of the isothermal section, a single phase region was determined based on PbSe and two phase regions between PbSe and copper selenides.
An overview of low bit rate coding and the interaction between source coding and channel coding is presented. The interaction of coding with networking in a multiuser environment, including algorithms for robust coding which anticipate imperfect network performance, and techniques of decoding a signal that has traversed an imperfect network are described. The performances of such algorithms are illustrated with examples from speech, audio, and video transmission in the presence of packet losses. The challenges in measuring the quality of service (QOS) in the context of new algorithms for coding and networking and the difficulty of measuring QOS in the networking of multimedia information are discussed.<<ETX>>
PURPOSE The aim of this literature review and case report was to point out the relationship between Cowden Syndrome (CS) and severe periodontitis. CS is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterised by skin and oral hamartomas, and is associated with an increased risk of cancer development.   CASE REPORT The case of a 43-year old male patient affected by Cowden syndrome and presenting severe periodontitis was reported.   RESULTS It can be suggested that the specific gingival morphology of the patient with CS might be a risk factor for the development of periodontal disease, as described in the present case report.   CONCLUSION Early diagnosis is crucial in patients affected by CS. The dentist may be the first to notice any atypical changes in the oral cavity and refer the patient for further examinations. Moreover, the mucosal and skin changes have a tendency to appear prior to the malignancies associated with the syndrome. This highlights the responsibility of the dentist in the early diagnosis of this progressive pathological syndrome.
Abstract: We isolated Plagiodinium belizeanum into clonal culture from the Pacific island of Okinawa (Japan) and characterized it using a combination of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and 18S/28S ribosomal (r) gene sequences. Although molecular phylogenetic analyses of 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA sequences were unable to resolve the phylogenetic position of P. belizeanum within dinoflagellates, the ultrastructural data provided some new traits for the species. For instance, double-membrane-bound vesicles, distinct from the mitochondria, were interpreted as autolysosomes containing electron-dense virus particles. The thecal plate pattern was Po 1′ 0a 5′′ 5(6)C 4S 5′′′ 0p 1′′′′, which is slightly different from the original description in having an additional epithecal plate and four sulcal plates. The laterally flattened cells were 22–34 μm long, 11–13 μm deep, and 15–18 μm wide and contained a peridinin-type plastid with lobes radiating from a central pyrenoid that lacked starch sheaths and was traversed by stacks of thylakoids. This isolate represents the first record of the species in Japan, and the new ultrastructural and DNA sequence data were used to emend the species description.
Glancing through the current literature on African rural development, one gets the impression that the impact of structural adjustment has turned rural-urban relations upside-down. While the cities were once seen as the poles of growth and industrial development for the rural areas, there is now a recurrent theme which emphasises the role of rural-based non-farm enterprises in the economic development of the countryside and the growth of small rural towns (Baker and Pedersen 1992; Rasmussen et al 1992; Pedersen 1997; Aeroe 1992). This literature emphasises the importance of infrastructural development in small towns to facilitate the developmental clustering of rural enterprises. Underlying this whole model is an assumption that structural adjustment has shifted resources and informal entrepreneurial initiatives back to the rural areas. The economic initiative appears to have passed from the urban to the rural economy.
Refer to the page 313-320    Cardiac involvement in sarcoidosis is being increasingly noted since it has been recognized in the early 20th century and is associated with poor prognosis. Cardiac sarcoidosis is rare but is potentially fatal with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from an incidentally discovered, benign condition to fatal cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and even sudden cardiac death.1),2) Cardiac involvement may occur at any point during the course of sarcoidosis, may occur in the absence of pulmonary or systemic involvement, and may be a presenting feature.1-3) Arrhythmias or conduction defects are the most common cardiac manifestations reflecting granulomatous infiltration within the conduction system or ventricular walls and are the most common causes of death due to cardiac sarcoidosis; however, progressive heart failure due to massive granulomatous infiltration of the myocardium accounts for at least 25% of deaths.1),3),4) Sarcoidosis can involve any part of the heart, including myocardium, endocardium, and pericardium.3),4) The areas of involvement in descending order of frequency are the left ventricular free wall, ventricular septum, papillary muscles, right ventricle, and atria.3) Obliteration of the sinoatrial node, atrioventricular node, or the bundle of his may occur.4) Valvular dysfunction may result from localized involvement of the papillary muscles causing significant valvular insufficiency in rare cases.4)
The relationship between basal and stimulated plasma GH and somatomedin-C (SmC) levels in acromegalic patients was evaluated. The basal plasma SmC levels of 66 patients were significantly correlated (P less than 0.01) with mean daily plasma GH levels, but not with the percent GH increase after GH-releasing hormone or TRH or the GH decrease after acute bromocriptine administration. Bromocriptine (7.5-15 mg/day) administration for 9.2 +/- 0.9 (+/- SD) months in 20 patients significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased GH levels. SmC decreased significantly [from 9.8 +/- 1.9 to 5.1 +/- 0.7 U/ml (mean +/- SE)] only in the 10 patients who had the more marked GH inhibition. The administration of a somatostatin analog, SMS 201-995 (100 micrograms twice daily), to 12 patients for 16 weeks significantly decreased plasma GH and SmC levels beginning on the second day of therapy; normal SmC levels were achieved in 5 of 12 patients. Pituitary adenomectomy resulted in normal GH and SmC levels in 10 of 12 and 8 of 12 patients, respectively. Our data indicate an overall dependency of plasma SmC levels on plasma GH levels in acromegaly, although similar GH levels may have differing somatomedin-stimulating activities. A derangement in the feedback mechanisms controlling GH secretion is indicated by the failure of elevated SmC levels to influence the GH responsiveness to releasing hormones. In evaluating pharmacological or surgical treatments of acromegaly, a single plasma SmC value can reliably replace several plasma GH determinations.
Objective There is interest in health service reform and efficiencies; health service providers collect statistics, set targets and compare institutions. In January 2009, in Ireland, a national waiting time target of 6 h was set from registration in the emergency department (ED) to admission or discharge. The aim of this study was to assess the consequences of the introduction of this target on our institution and the Acute Medical Admission Unit. Methods All emergency medical admissions were tracked over 7 years and in-hospital mortality, length of stay and ED ‘wait’ numbers and times were summarized. Results There were 43 471 admissions in 28 862 patients. In-hospital mortality for 2006–2008 averaged 5.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.5–6.2%] compared with 4.8% (95% CI 4.6–5.1%) for 2009–2012 – a relative risk reduction of 18.3% (95% CI 11.5–24.5%) (P<0.001). The median length of stay was unaltered: 5.1 days (interquartile range 2.1–9.8) versus 5.0 days (interquartile range 2.0–9.5) (P=0.16). An ED ‘first ward’ allocation decreased six-fold with redistribution to the Acute Medical Admission Unit (two-fold increase) and the medical wards (four-fold increase). The time to on-call medical assessment decreased (time to team pre/post 4.5 vs. 4.2 h, P<0.001). However, calculations directly on the real-time log of arrival and first in-patient time showed a worsening of the position (time to ward pre/post 7.1 vs. 8.4 h, P<0.001). Conclusion Target setting may result in unintended consequences in other areas in addition to its stated goal. These unintentional consequences of targets should be borne in mind by those planning and instituting healthcare reform.
The operation of an electric power generation reservoir is defined as a function of the river basin streamflows. Since this is a random variable there are risks inherent to its estimation, and this is reflected in the Power Plant operation. In order to reduce these risks, it is necessary to forecast inflows. Early forecasting can be performed based on observed precipitation, using a hydrological model that transforms precipitation into streamflow. The real time forecasting of volumes allows a forecast of extreme events, updating the reservoir levels over time. In this study the IPH model was adapted to real time forecasting and used to predict the in-flows to Ernestina reservoir, based on precipitation. The study introduced state update criteria in the IPH II model, showing an improvement of short-term forecasting. Furthermore, it was observed that for longer-term forecasts short term forecasts of precipitation are required.
The addition of genomic information to our understanding of oral disease is driving important changes in oral health care. It is anticipated that genome-derived information will promote a deeper understanding of disease etiology and permit earlier diagnosis, allowing for preventative measures prior to disease onset rather than treatment that attempts to repair the diseased state. Advances in genome technologies have fueled expectations for this proactive healthcare approach. Application of genomic testing is expanding and has already begun to find its way into the practice of clinical dentistry. To take full advantage of the information and technologies currently available, it is vital that dental care providers, consumers, and policymakers be aware of genomic approaches to understanding of oral diseases and the application of genomic testing to disease diagnosis and treatment. Ethical, legal, clinical, and educational initiatives are also required to responsibly incorporate genomic information into the practice of dentistry. This article provides an overview of the application of genomic technologies to oral health care and introduces issues that require consideration if we are to realize the full potential of genomics to enable the practice of personalized dental medicine.
An improved electrode performance is achieved in LiFePO 4 materials of different origin by a simple coating procedure. LiFePO 4 samples were prepared by a conventional ceramic synthesis. 57 Fe Mossbauer data evidenced that heating above 750°C with carbon should be avoided to limit the amount of iron phosphide impurities. The ceramic sample was compared to a commercial sample differing in particle size and porous system. ZnO precipitation of a ca. 2 nm films on the particles surface of both phosphate samples resulted in a protection vs electrolyte hydrolysis product that limits iron dissolution during lithium battery operation. As a consequence, capacity retention improves significantly at different rates.
ISSN 0895-0156/02/$17.00©2002 IEEE To what extent is the use of transient tests prevalent in the policy of utilities: Acceptance tests Incidence analysis New modular relay definitions Optimal settings Corrective maintenance Relay selection? The main incentive of our research was to tackle the development of diverse tools that, in conjunction, made it possible to establish conclusions to answer this question.
In this paper, we study the information theoretic performance of the modified time-reversal maximum ratio combining (TR-MRC) receiver (presented in [9]) with the spatially averaged periodogram-based carrier frequency offset (CFO) estimator (proposed in [7]) in multi-user massive MIMO systems. Our analysis shows that an $ mathcal{O}( sqrt{M})$ array gain is achieved with this periodogram-based CFO estimator, which is same as the array gain achieved in the ideal/zero CFO scenario (ℳ is the number of base station antennas). Information theoretic performance comparison with the correlation-based CFO estimator for massive MIMO systems (proposed in [6]) reveals that this periodogram-based CFO estimator is more energy efficient in slowly time-varying channels.
Background The current pressure-based coronary diagnostic index, fractional flow reserve (FFR), has a limited efficacy in the presence of microvascular disease (MVD). To overcome the limitations of FFR, the objective is to assess the recently introduced pressure drop coefficient (CDP), a fundamental fluid dynamics-based combined pressure–flow index. Methods We hypothesize that CDP will result in improved clinical outcomes in comparison to FFR. To test the hypothesis, chi-square test was performed to compare the percent major adverse cardiac events (%MACE) at 5 years between (a) FFR < 0.75 and CDP > 27.9 and (b) FFR < 0.80 and CDP > 25.4 groups using a prospective cohort study. Furthermore, Kaplan–Meier survival curves were compared between the FFR and CDP groups. The results were considered statistically significant for p < 0.05. The outcomes of the CDP arm were presumptive as clinical decision was solely based on the FFR. Results For the complete patient group, the %MACE in the CDP > 27.9 group (10 out of 35, 29%) was lower in comparison to the FFR < 0.75 group (11 out of 20, 55%), and the difference was near significant (p = 0.05). The survival analysis showed a significantly higher survival rate (p = 0.01) in the CDP > 27.9 group (n = 35) when compared to the FFR < 0.75 group (n = 20). The results remained similar for the FFR = 0.80 cutoff. The comparison of the 5-year MACE outcomes with the 1-year outcomes for the complete patient group showed similar trends, with a higher statistical significance for a longer follow-up period of 5 years. Conclusion Based on the MACE and survival analysis outcomes, CDP could possibly be an alternate diagnostic index for decision-making in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Clinical Trial Registration www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01719016.
This study was carried out to investigate the changes in citizen satisfaction with parks and green spaces in Daegu. Three surveys were conducted using the same measurement tools in 1986, 2001, and 2010. Major results are as follows: 1. The overall satisfaction level with parks and green spaces increased remarkably over the last25years. Satisfaction levels with city spaces overall were higher than that of nearby surrounding areas. 2. Diversity of green spaces was the most distinguished indicator in increasing level of satisfaction while the management level of green space facilities showed the lowest improvement. 3. The factor analysis for individual variables for satisfaction resulted in two factors: functions and physical conditions were categorized as one factor, and indicators for the planning of green spaces were the other. Using a regression model, the major variables found for satisfaction were diversity, management level of woods, quantitative level, function of static recreation, and management level of facilities, respectively. 4. Regarding satisfaction level by the type of green spaces, green spaces by streets showed a remarkable increase while green spaces in industrial areas showed the lowest improvement. A factor analysis for each type of green space resulted in 3 factors: green spaces of urban parks, green spaces of urban recreational facilities, and green spaces of each district including residential areas and industrial areas.
Research on second language (L2) grammar in task-based language learning has yielded inconsistent results regarding the effects of task-complexity, prompting calls for more nuanced analyses of L2 development and task performance. The present cross-sectional study contributes to this discussion by comparing the performance of 245 learners of German at two universities in the USA on two types of assessment tasks using multidimensional analyses of grammatical accuracy, fluency and complexity. Results show that: (1) grammatical accuracy in learner performance did not improve linearly across two years of instruction in either task condition; (2) participants tended to perform more accurately in the integrative task than on discrete-point items; (3) second-year learners wrote more fluently than first-year learners; and (4) fourth-semester learners wrote more complex sentences than other groups. The results yield important research, pedagogical and curricular insights.
A rise in blood and liver acetaldehyde concentrations following an intragastric administration of ethanol to rats was significantly inhibited when the quinone derivatives 2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-6-decaprenyl-1,4-benzoquinone (ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q10), 4,5-dihydro-4,5-dioxo-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-f]quinoline-2,7,9-tricarboxylic acid (pyrroloquinoline quinone, PQQ) and 6-(10-hydroxydecyl)-2,3-dimethoxy-5-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone (idebenone) were injected intraperitoneally, prior to ethanol load, at a dose of 10, 11.5 and 30 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. When acetaldehyde was incubated in vitro with 1,4-benzoquinone (3.7-13.0 mM) or PQQ (1.4-4.9 mM) at 0 and 40 degrees C, the acetaldehyde concentrations slowly decreased with incubation time at 40 degrees C. The results suggest that low acetaldehyde concentrations following ethanol load are due to an accelerated oxidation of acetaldehyde by PQQ in the liver and the circulating blood.
The magnetic properties of paramagnetic species with spin S > 1/2 are parameterized by the familiar g tensor as well as "zero-field splitting" (ZFS) terms that break the degeneracy between spin states even in the absence of a magnetic field. In this work, we determine the mean values and distributions of the ZFS parameters D and E for six Gd(iii) complexes (S = 7/2) and critically discuss the accuracy of such determination. EPR spectra of the Gd(iii) complexes were recorded in glassy frozen solutions at 10 K or below at Q-band (∼34 GHz), W-band (∼94 GHz) and G-band (240 GHz) frequencies, and simulated with two widely used models for the form of the distributions of the ZFS parameters D and E. We find that the form of the distribution of the ZFS parameter D is bimodal, consisting roughly of two Gaussians centered at D and -D with unequal amplitudes. The extracted values of D (σD) for the six complexes are, in MHz: Gd-NO3Pic, 485 ± 20 (155 ± 37); Gd-DOTA/Gd-maleimide-DOTA, -714 ± 43 (328 ± 99); iodo-(Gd-PyMTA)/MOMethynyl-(Gd-PyMTA), 1213 ± 60 (418 ± 141); Gd-TAHA, 1361 ± 69 (457 ± 178); iodo-Gd-PCTA-[12], 1861 ± 135 (467 ± 292); and Gd-PyDTTA, 1830 ± 105 (390 ± 242). The sign of D was adjusted based on the Gaussian component with larger amplitude. We relate the extracted P(D) distributions to the structure of the individual Gd(iii) complexes by fitting them to a model that superposes the contribution to the D tensor from each coordinating atom of the ligand. Using this model, we predict D, σD, and E values for several additional Gd(iii) complexes that were not measured in this work. The results of this paper may be useful as benchmarks for the verification of quantum chemical calculations of ZFS parameters, and point the way to designing Gd(iii) complexes for particular applications and estimating their magnetic properties a priori.
Hyperinsulinemia may explain excess colorectal cancer among individuals who are overweight or inactive. Recent studies have observed elevated colorectal cancer risk among individuals with elevated insulin levels 2 hours after oral glucose challenge or with elevated plasma C-peptide levels. The effect of consuming a high glycemic diet on colorectal risk, however, remains uncertain. Two prospective cohort studies, the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, contributed up to 20 years of follow-up. After exclusions, 1,809 incident colorectal cancers were available for analyses. Dietary glycemic load (GL) was calculated as a function of glycemic index (postprandial blood glucose response as compared with a reference food), carbohydrate content, and frequency of intake of individual foods reported on food frequency questionnaires. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to adjust for potential confounders. Intakes of dietary carbohydrate, GL, overall glycemic index, sucrose, and fructose were not associated with colorectal cancer risk in women. A small increase in risk was observed in men with high dietary GL (multivariate relative risk, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.79; highest versus lowest quintile), sucrose or fructose (multivariate relative risk, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.78; highest versus lowest quintile of fructose, P = 0.008). Associations were slightly stronger among men with elevated body mass index (> or =25 kg/m(2)). Results among women were similar after stratifying by body mass index or physical activity. High intakes of GL, fructose, and sucrose were related to an elevated colorectal cancer risk among men. For women, however, these factors did not seem to increase the risk of colorectal cancer.
e14606 Background: Amrubicinol (AMR-OH) is an active metabolite of amrubicin (AMR), a novel synthetic 9-amino-anthracycline derivative. The time-concentration profile of AMR-OH exhibits a continuous long plateau slope in terminal phase. To determine the relationships between the steady-state plasma concentration of AMR-OH and treatment effects and toxicities associated with AMR therapy, we performed a PK/PD study of AMR in patients with lung cancer treated with AMR alone or the combination of AMR + cisplatin (CDDP).   METHODS AMR was given at a dose of 30 or 40 mg/m2 on days 1 to 3. Plasma samples were collected at pretreatment, 24 hours after the 1st injection (day 2), and 24 hours after the 3rd injection (day 4). Plasma concentrations of AMR, AMR-OH, and CDDP were determined by HPLC and AAS. Percent change in neutrophil count (dANC) and the plasma concentration of AMR-OH were evaluated using a sigmoid Emax model.   RESULTS A total of 35 patients with a median age of 65 years (range 40-78), including 10 with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), 23 with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 1 with thymic cancer, and 1 with neuroblastoma were enrolled. A total of 107 plasma samples were available for study. Mean concentrations of AMR on day 2, AMR on day 4, AMR-OH on day 2, and AMR-OH on day 4 were 8.52ng/mL+4.63, 16.55ng/mL+11.92, 7.28 ng/mL+3.56 SD, and 13.35ng/mL+5.56 (mean ± SD), with significant increase from day 2 to day 4 for both AMR (p<0.0001) and AMR-OH (p<0.0001). Significant relationships were observed between AMR-OH on day 4 and the toxicity grades of leukopenia, neutropenia, and anemia (p=.018, p=.012, and p=.025). Thrombocytopenia grade exhibited a tendency toward relationship with AMR-OH on day 4 (p = .081). No relationships were observed between drug concentrations and responses. The plasma concentration of AMR-OH on day 4 was positively correlated with dANC in the group of all patients, as well as in patients treated with AMR alone and in patients with co-administration with CDDP using a sigmoid Emax model.   CONCLUSIONS The plasma concentration of AMR-OH on day 4 was correlated with hematological toxicities in patients treated with AMR. Assessment of plasma concentration of AMR-OH at one time point might enable prediction of hematological toxicities. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Ge-Sb-Se chalcogenide glasses is a kind of excellent infrared optical material, which has been enviromental friendly and widely used in infrared thermal imaging systems. However, due to the opaque feature of Se-based glasses in visible spectral region, it's difficult to measure their homogeneity and internal defect as the common oxide ones. In this study, a measurement was proposed to observe the homogeneity and internal defect of these glasses based on near-IR imaging technique and an effective measurement system was also constructed. The testing result indicated the method can gives the information of homogeneity and internal defect of infrared Se-based chalcogenide glass clearly and intuitionally.
Ratio of urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine excretion is often used as an index of bone resorption. To establish the difference between the fasting urinary content (FU-HPR/CR) and the 24-h urinary excretion (24 h-U-HPR/CR) we determined hydroxyproline and creatinine in specimens from a group of early postmenopausal women. One hundred and eighty-six early postmenopausal women were randomized into 10 groups receiving various doses of sequential female sex hormones and/or 1,25(OH)2D3, 0.25 microgram per day, or placebo. In all groups there were parallel changes of FU-HPR/CR and 24 h-U-HPR/CR, and in all groups treated with oestrogens the values decreased significantly. The changes in FU-HPR/CR were more pronounced than in the 24-h-U-HPR/CR, which indicates that FU-HPR/CR is a more sensitive marker of changes in bone resorption. The strong correlation between the mean values of 24-h-U-HPR/CR and those of FU-HPR/CR suggests that both methods are convenient for evaluating changes during long-term studies in groups of patients. The correlation on an individual basis is weak. The substantial intraindividual variation in 24-h-U-HPR/CR, (34.6%) indicates that FU-HPR/CR (CV = 17.0%) is the more valid variable for individual patients.
During the last 2.5 years we have been confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has challenged our health system in many ways. As the pandemic has waxed and waned, we have developed responses based on the experience of the previous waves and the data. In this issue of our journal Watson et al. reflect on the NSW experience of the health system’s response to delivery of surgery. NSW’s public hospitals have considerable data, which the authors have analysed. They describe the considerable health crisis of delayed surgical care and the limited ability of the public hospitals to deliver the desired surge in care due to having a baseline number of beds and associated staff and services. They describe the interdisciplinary leadership, networks and governance nuances and changes that have helped drive equitable patient care. In March 2020, most of us were not able to visualize the potential long-term effect of this virus and our public health management of it on the whole healthcare system let alone delivery of surgery. There is a variation in the urgency of need for surgery across all the specialties. In Australia, the National Elective Surgery Urgency Categorisation Guideline was developed and published in 2015 for national consistency and comparability with three broad categories: Category 1: Procedures that are clinically indicated within 30 days. Category 2: Procedures that are clinically indicated within 90 days. Category 3: Procedures that are clinically indicated within 365 days. Each surgical specialty developed named procedures within the categories. The pandemic has revealed to us that this categorisation system and terminology such as ‘elective surgery’ need to be reviewed and updated. This work is underway at RACS. We know that throughout Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand acute care and procedures described as Category 1 in Australia and ‘nondeferrable’ in Aotearoa New Zealand usually continued appropriately with some tolerable variation. The pandemic public health measures, which were instigated to make hospital beds available for COVID patients, along with healthcare staff, medical supplies and PPE, saw the significant deferment of ‘elective surgery’. This meant that the procedures described in Australia as Categories 2 and 3 did not occur in some states for long periods of time as Watson et al. describe. There was movement of some patients within Category 2 due to their conditions becoming more urgent. This was followed by initially gradual resumption and then surge of elective surgery above baseline rates. Prior to the pandemic, in Aotearoa New Zealand, many District Health Boards developed versions of the HealthPathways system. This is a system of assessment management and request information used by general practitioners (GPs) who interpret their patient’s needs and appropriateness of access to public hospital services. It was developed by GPs, hospital specialists and others to make access to services more equitable and realistic. It also includes interactive communication between primary care and secondary care. This is related to the concept of ‘value-based care’ as illustrated by Mukherjee et al. Note that the health system in Aotearoa New Zealand is going through a considerable re-structure. We have seen innovation, as the authors state. Just as we have seen a huge increase in and maturation of the technology-assisted (Telehealth) system, we have seen other rapid advances. We see increases in day surgery and short stay surgery out of necessity and application of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), all shortening hospital stays so as more patients are likely to be treated. Orthopaedic joint replacement patients are in Category 3, and they have been significantly affected by the elective surgery restrictions. Shortening the hospital stay will help get this surgery done in the future. Overnight surgery for orthopaedic joint replacement is possible. There is ongoing concern about our healthcare workforce, not just numbers but also well-being. RACS has developed the Wellbeing Charter, which has been approved by other medical colleges and the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges. Despite our interest in stress, burnout and mental health, we continue to see this problem illustrated. Surge activity has certainly affected our health workforce. The article by Watson et al. illustrates that we need continuous analysis of data, innovation, flexibility and a national strategy.
Waterloo Cases in Design Engineering (WCDE) has been established to enhance engineering design education by developing case studies from student cooperative work term reports, and implementing them across the entire Faculty of Engineering. One design case, developed from a student report, was used in three (3) different courses during one academic term as a precursor activity to a class or term design project. The results of a student survey indicate that the design case was an engaging application and that group discussion and interaction helped to enhance students’ understanding of the design method, and the specific design challenge described in the case. Instructor perspectives are summarized on using design cases and the case method with students in teams to develop teamwork and other complementary abilities.
The dense High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW) which spreads out below parts of the Ross Ice Shelf represents a heat-reservoir that can induce ablation if it comes into contact with the ice shelf base. One source of the mechanical energy necessary to lift the dense HSSW is small-scale turbulence induced by the shear of tidal currents at the sea-floor and at the ice shelf base. A one-dimensional Kraus-Turner-type model which is forced by a barotropic tidal current is coupled to the ice shelf by postulating that the ice-water interface is at the freezing point. The calculations indicate that the results of this two-layer approach allow a classification into a freezing and melting regime, depending strongly on the variability of the tidal currents with time and less on the intensity and the corresponding high production rate of turbulent kinetic energy. Based on an extended three-layer model ablation rates exceeding 0.4 m yr−1 are obtained in the south-eastern part of the Ross Ice Shelf. Advection processes in the mixed layer directly beneath the ice shelf base are not considered. These results can therefore be regarded as indicating the maximum amount of ablation occuring in the deeper reaches of the ice shelf cavity. Application of the three-layer model to the J9-area in the central Ross Ice Shelf indicate a tidally induced vertical heat flux of 1.8 W m−2 and a corresponding melting rate of 0.17 m yr−1. As supported by ice core measurements, however, an accumulation rate of 0.03–0.05 m yr−1 is estimated due to advection of freshwater produced immediately south of the J9-area.
The characterization of immune responses to hepatitis B virus is crucial for the understanding of hepatitis B virus–caused liver disease. However, lack of a suitable autologous effector–target cell system makes a precise study of the pathogenesis of hepatitis B difficult. In this study we established a model system by using autologous HBcAg‐expressing Epstein‐Barr virus–immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines as stimulator/target cells. T‐cell cultures were established by repetitive stimulation with recombinant HBcAg or autologous HBcAg‐expressing lymphoblastoid cell lines. Both proliferative and cytotoxic T‐cell clones were obtained from the peripheral blood of an asymptomatic HBsAg carrier. Clones T12 (CD8+) and T2B (CD4+) were cytotoxic clones specific against autologous lymphoblastoid cell lines expressing endogenously synthesized HBcAg, whereas five CD4+ T‐cell clones proliferated in response to lymphoblastoid cell lines incubated with exogenous recombinant HBcAg and autologous HBcAg‐expressing lymphoblastoid cell lines. These results indicate that autologous HBcAg‐expressing lymphoblastoid cell lines are appropriate stimulator/target cells for the study of HBcAg‐specific T lymphocytes. By using this approach, we have demonstrated that both proliferative and cytotoxic T lymphocytes recognizing endogenously synthesized HBcAg are induced during chronic hepatitis B virus infection. (HEPATOLOGY 1993;18:275–283).
Excessive consumption of alcohol is not only a social problem, but it also significantly increases the morbidity and mortality rates of many societies. A correlation has been demonstrated between alcohol consumption and increased mortality from cancer, accidents and injuries, liver cirrhosis and other causes. Alcohol abuse increases the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke and the risk of ischemic stroke, induces serious arrhythmias, adversely affects blood pressure and damages the heart muscle. The dose and way of drinking alcohol play a crucial role in assessing whether this drink allows people to maintain health or whether it is a great health and social threat. The beneficial effects of low and moderate doses of alcohol on the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases have been shown in many population studies and meta-analyses in which the effect of U-shaped or J-shaped curves relating alcohol intake to cardiovascular mortality was observed, especially in ischemic heart disease. However, due to the fact that alcohol consumption is associated with many health hazards, it is not recommended to consume it as a preventive action of cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, recent studies suggest that association of low-to-moderate alcohol consumption with the reduction in cardiovascular risk is a result of lifestyle changes and that any reduction in alcohol consumption is in fact beneficial in terms of general health.
Industrial engineering students at the undergraduate and graduate levels can benefit from participating in industry projects. Capabilities of faculty student teams to complete such projects have been marketed to local industry by an industrial extension program. Several such projects have been completed. The impact of these projects on both the learning of industrial engineering topics by students, and the development of "soft skills" such as communication and teamwork is reported. The model used to solicit and complete such projects is reported, and the lessons learned are presented.
Middle to Upper Ordovician ironstone and associated sedimentary rocks of the West Asturian‐Leonese and Cantabrian tectonostratigraphic zones, Spain, provide new information regarding the Palaeozoic Fe cycle and the palaeoceanography of the Rheic Ocean. Examination of drill cores and outcrops indicates the southeastern margin of this narrow seaway was a dynamic continental shelf where upwelling of ferruginous seawater and storm currents controlled lithofacies character. Parasequence composition and stacking relationships suggest ironstone accumulated during marine transgression as accommodation increased from lowstand conditions. Proximal parasequences record aggradation from deep subtidal to shoreface environments. Hummocky cross‐stratified sandstone and organic‐rich siltstone grade upwards into swaley cross‐stratified sandstone and granular Fe‐silicate‐rich ironstone capped by a flooding surface. Distal parasequences were deposited below storm wave base on the distal shelf and are composed of variably bioturbated organic‐rich siltstone with thin Fe‐chlorite and phosphorite layers. These differences in parasequence character define two different ironstone factories where Fe was concentrated and precipitated in sediment. Lithofacies associations support an emerging model for ironstone deposition where coastal upwelling delivered and stimulated the precipitation of Fe within shelf sediment. This notion provides further evidence for the development of intermittent anoxic water masses in an Ordovician ocean that was near the threshold of becoming fully ventilated. This style of Fe delivery probably represents a tipping point in the oxygenation history of the Phanerozoic oceans and is a throwback to the Precambrian when widespread anoxia allowed hydrothermal Fe to concentrate in the global ocean. New data suggest that minor extinction events punctuating the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event may be traced to these anoxic waters, which in addition to Fe, were also enriched in biologically toxic, redox sensitive trace elements. Conversely, precipitation of upwelling‐related ironstone may have helped sequester these trace elements, providing a negative feedback response that would aid post‐extinction recovery.
This report presents chemical compositions determined from 25 solid-phase samples from the eastern Snake River Plain aquifer system and contributing drainages. Seven samples were collected at selected depths from 6 coreholes located on or near the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho, and from 18 outcrops in the recharge areas of the Snake River Plain aquifer. This report was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy, Idaho Operations Office. Ten major elements, as many as 28 trace elements, and the amount of volatile material were determined for each sample by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy, instrumental neutron activation analysis, loss on ignition, or ion-selective electrode potentiometry.
This research inquired problems that appeared in the previous boundary point coordinates record book, boundary point cover record book, and ground boundary point record book. Also, we suggested the framing plan and based on the boundary point record book for the registration and management of boundary point of cadastral resurvey upon completion on record book. In fact, the outlines of result could be organized into three following points; Firstly, a quick survey can be possible, as reference points for the present situation were available to be checked right away due to unify and manage the boundary point at the record book, even if at the field without the location explanation drawings of boundary points. Secondly, continuous managing of boundary points is possible, since recording the boundary points book with a parcel boundary point, as a unit, make it easily monitoring the formation, critical situation, and extinction of boundary point. Thirdly, the boundary point could be maintained at the boundary points at location, coinciding with geographic features by requesting boundary changes at the time of completion, although it has been made at when the location explanation drawing is made.
Student activism remains a potent force worldwide. Recently, students were instrumental in the collapse of the regime in Ukraine, and were key forces in the Arab Spring movements. Students, however, are unable to ensure that their views will be reflected in the governments that emerge from unrest. Students also are active participants in campus events, and have often been instrumental in shaping higher education policy.
The authors show that a formal framework can be proposed within which the expert's uncertain knowledge can be represented and directly encoded in the knowledge based in a purely qualitative way. Slightly more precisely, a probabilistic-like theory can be elaborated in which, however, the uncertainty degree attached to a given statement is not a real number, but rather a symbolic object in a totally ordered set. A symbolic model for the representation of uncertainty in a knowledge-based system allowing the encoding of the expert's uncertain knowledge without recourse to any quantification is proposed. The application of this model to a problem in civil engineering leads to the design of an expert system for the statical diagnosis of ancient buildings.<<ETX>>
Atmospheric models of intermediate complexity play an important role when studying atmospheric phenomena. Their complexity is between highly truncated low‐dimensional ‘toy’ models and modern general circulation or numerical weather prediction models. By design, computational cost associated with intermediate models is much reduced while at the same time some important aspects of atmospheric behaviour are still reasonably realistically described. Performing numerical experimentation with such models in the contexts of data assimilation, predictability, and atmospheric dynamics can produce informative results regarding those aspects for comparatively low cost. Nevertheless, as with any model‐based study, the degree to which results so obtained may be generalized to more realistic conditions remains somewhat uncertain and dependent on the specific questions being considered. An intermediate‐complexity model, named AMIC (Atmospheric Model of Intermediate Complexity) based on the nonlinear quasi‐geostrophic potential vorticity equation is presented. This global model uses a spectral dynamical core, and contains ‘physical processes’, such as climatological forcing, diffusion, and damping, designed to reasonably match AMIC's behaviour with observed atmospheric properties. While AMIC has variable horizontal and vertical resolution, the properties of AMIC are studied here for two specific resolutions (T45L6 and T106L9) and these are compared against atmospheric properties in terms of energy spectra, time‐mean and transient behaviour, and singular‐vector perturbation growth. The model's behaviour is reasonably realistic, except for its transient activity being somewhat weak, especially in the southern (summer) hemisphere. AMIC is also suited for some data assimilation and predictability studies since it contains complete tangent‐linear and adjoint models. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society
The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the effects of a pica box in reducing pica behavior in a 10-year-old girl with autism and pica. Using an ABAB design, the availability and nonavailability of a pica box was analyzed in relation to the frequency of the problem behavior. Data, which were collected throughout the student's school day, showed a decrease in pica attempts when the pica box was available to the student.
We have examined the cerebrovascular response to carbon dioxide during normotension, sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced hypotension and high dose isoflurane-induced hypotension in 10 patients who received a standardized general anaesthetic. Carbon dioxide reactivity was determined by varying Paco2 between 3.0 and 8.0 kPa and recording simultaneously blood flow velocity from the middle cerebral artery (vmca). The paired vmca-Paco2 data were analysed using linear regression to determine carbon dioxide reactivity. During hypotension, both high-dose isoflurane and SNP reduced significantly mean absolute (from 17.4 (SEM 2.3) to 13.0 (1.7) and 8.8 (1.3) cm s−1 kPa−1 respectively; P
A vast potential for the production of secondary metabolites and insecticide potential has been studied within a wide diversity of Brazilian flora. Thus, this study aimed to present information on the potential of plants to control insects through a literature review. The first botanical insecticides used were nicotine, pyrethrin, rotenone, ryanodine, and sabadilla. Since then, various compounds and species have been studied, such as azadirachtin extracted from neem, alkaloids from Annonaceae, rotenone in Derris urucu , and amides from Piperaceae, among other records of Amazonian species. Therefore, Amazonian species make up a rich source of research, and many of the specimens studied were promising for the development of insecticides. However new research, especially in the field, should be carried out to prospect for new species, seeking selective compounds with consequently less environmental contamination for both direct use and the development of new commercial insecticides.
Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is a novel swine enteropathogenic coronavirus with worldwide distribution. PDCoV belongs to the Deltacoronavirus (DCoV) genus, which mainly includes avian coronaviruses (CoVs). PDCoV has the potential to infect human and chicken cells in vitro, and also has limited infectivity in calves. However, the origin of PDCoV in pigs, the host range, and cross-species infection of PDCoV still remain unclear. To determine whether PDCoV really has the ability to infect chickens in vivo, the three lines of chicken embryos and specific pathogen free (SPF) chickens were inoculated with PDCoV HNZK-02 strain to investigate PDCoV infection in the current study. Our results indicated that PDCoV can infect chicken embryos and could be continuously passaged on them. Furthermore, we observed that PDCoV-inoculated chickens showed mild diarrhea symptoms and low fecal viral RNA shedding. PDCoV RNA could also be detected in multiple organs (lung, kidney, jejunum, cecum, and rectum) and intestinal contents of PDCoV-inoculated chickens until 17 day post-inoculation by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). A histology analysis indicated that PDCoV caused mild lesions in the lung, kidney, and intestinal tissues. These results prove the susceptibility of chickens to PDCoV infection, which might provide more insight about the cross-species transmission of PDCoV.
A recursive approach for the compensation of the ionospheric phase contamination is proposed based on multistage Taylor expansion and the extended Kalman filter. The proposed algorithm can dynamically compensate the ionospheric phase contamination. We show by numerical examples that the proposed algorithm outperformances the conventional methods such as the polynomial phase signal (PPS) and the singular value decomposition (SVD).
OBJECTIVE The present study investigates social cognition impairments in 29 women with bingeing/purging spectrum eating disorders (ED) compared to 27 healthy controls.   METHOD Measures were used to examine encoding and representational processes in relation to affect perception and affect attribution, as well as the ability to recognize mental causality in social relationships.   RESULTS ED patients failed to correctly encode causality in interpersonal relations, exhibited deficits in their ability to ascribe behaviour to mental states, and showed a greater tendency to attribute negative affects in interpersonal relationships. Stepwise regression analyses suggested that ED symptoms could account for deficits in the recognition of causality in interpersonal relations.   CONCLUSIONS In addition to addressing ED symptoms, social cognition deficits should be addressed in the psychological treatment of EDs.
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), the leading disease complex in beef cattle production systems, remains highly elusive regarding diagnostics and disease prediction. Previous research has employed cellular and molecular techniques to describe hematological and gene expression variation that coincides with BRD development. Here, we utilized weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to leverage total gene expression patterns from cattle at arrival and generate hematological and clinical trait associations to describe mechanisms that may predict BRD development. Gene expression counts of previously published RNA-Seq data from 23 cattle (2017; n=11 Healthy, n=12 BRD) were used to construct gene co-expression modules and correlation patterns with complete blood count (CBC) and clinical datasets. Modules were further evaluated for cross-populational preservation of expression with RNA-Seq data from 24 cattle in an independent population (2019; n=12 Healthy, n=12 BRD). Genes within well-preserved modules were subject to functional enrichment analysis for significant Gene Ontology terms and pathways. Genes which possessed high module membership and association with BRD development, regardless of module preservation (“hub genes”), were utilized for protein-protein physical interaction network and clustering analyses. Five well-preserved modules of co-expressed genes were identified. One module (“steelblue”), involved in alpha-beta T-cell complexes and Th2-type immunity, possessed significant correlation with increased erythrocytes, platelets, and BRD development. One module (“purple”), involved in mitochondrial metabolism and rRNA maturation, possessed significant correlation with increased eosinophils, fecal egg count per gram, and weight gain over time. Fifty-two interacting hub genes, stratified into 11 clusters, may possess transient function involved in BRD development not previously described in literature. This study identifies co-expressed genes and coordinated mechanisms associated with BRD, which necessitates further investigation in BRD-prediction research. Author Summary Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), the leading disease in beef cattle, is a highly dynamic disease complex. Through simultaneous sequencing of thousands of genes active in the blood of cattle at arrival, we pursued the co-expression patterns of these genes to evaluate associations with BRD development and severity overtime. This approach allows for a better understanding of gene expression active in cattle at arrival, and the discovery of new molecules and biological complexes that may predict BRD before the onset of clinical signs. Our work provides evidence that genes related to T-cells, a type of immune cell, are strongly co-expressed when cattle arrive to beef production system, and correlate with increased red blood cell (RBC) factors and BRD development. Further analysis shows that genes involved in cellular energy production and the respiratory electron transport are strongly co-expressed when cattle arrive to beef production system, and correlate with increased eosinophils, a type of immune cell, and weight gain overtime. Additionally, using genes which strongly correlate with BRD development and severity overtime, we identify a novel protein interaction complex that may drive future research for discovering new ways to manage and treat BRD in beef cattle.
Determination of the potential and actual host range of a natural enemy is crucial before its importation and release for biological control. We studied some of the factors that are important in determining the physiological host range of insect parasitoids attacking lepidopteran hosts. Our experimental system consisted of novel host‐parasitoid associations, with two New World pyralid stalk borers, Diatraea saccharalis and D. grandiosella; one Old World crambid borer, Ostrinia nubilalis as hosts; and three Old World microgastrine braconids, Cotesia chilonis, C. sesamiae, and C. flavipes as parasitoids. Experiments on the chronology of encapsulation of the parasitoid progeny by host hemocytes indicated that lepidopteran stemborers that are taxonomically, behaviorally and ecologically very similar differ in their ability to encapsulate a parasitoid species. D. saccharalis encapsulated C. flavipes sometimes, whereas D. grandiosella consistently encapsulated C. sesamiae and C. flavipes. C. chilonis was not encapsulated by either Diatraea host. If encapsulation occurred it did not start until four days after parasitization and continued during the following days. O. nubilalis was an unsuitable host for all three parasitoid species; parasitoid eggs were killed within 24 hours of parasitization. O. nubilalis had nearly twice as many hemocytes present in the hemolymph compared to the Diatraea species. In many of the host‐parasitoid combinations, there was an initial increase of hemocyte number soon after parasitization, which was not due to mechanical damage at oviposition. There was no correlation between total numbers of hemocytes present in the host hemolymph and the observed encapsulation levels. By understanding the encapsulation response we may be able to make better predictions about the host range of a parasitoid species before its release as a biological control agent.
To determine the safety and efficacy of single oral doses of quinapril in the treatment of congestive heart failure (CHF), an open-label, hemodynamic trial was conducted in 11 patients with severe CHF [New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV] in whom previous or current therapy with diuretics and digitalis had been inadequate. After participating in this single-dose trial (acute phase), all 11 patients were entered into a 16-week, multiple-dose investigation (chronic phase). In the acute phase of the study, single oral doses of quinapril (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/day) achieved beneficial hemodynamic changes within 1 h after the onset of therapy. Maximal improvements in key hemodynamic variables (i.e., pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, mean arterial blood pressure, cardiac output, and total systemic vascular resistance) were observed within 4 h after dosing. The hemodynamic changes after 16 weeks of chronic quinapril therapy (5, 10, 15, and 30 mg/day) were equivalent or superior to those observed after acute therapy, indicating that quinapril produces a sustained hemodynamic benefit after chronic oral dosing. Quinapril was shown to be safe and effective in the treatment of patients with severe CHF.
In 1983, an All-Union Conference on the "Man-Computer" dialogue, organized by the Council on the Automation of Scientific Research attached to the presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the USSR Institute of High Energy Physics of the GKAE, met in Protvino. It was with great satisfaction that I received at this conference S. S. Lavrov's appeal for cooperation with psychologists and expressed my readiness for such cooperation. In devising concrete programs for joint work, it is necessary to make full use of the experience that has been accumulated thus far in the development of psychological problems related to the creation and exploitation of automated dialogue systems for various purposes. This work has been proceeding in the Department of Psychology of Moscow State University for a number of years. Since 1975, psychological studies of dialogue systems have been conducted within the framework of the program "Psychological problems related to the creation and use of artificial intelligence" (the "I...
Abstract This article highlights the importance of evaluating the whole person when health professionals diagnose potential toxicity from occupational and/or environmental exposure. Health professionals must consider interactions of combined exposures to toxic agents resulting from the personal lifestyle of an individual, along with various drugs which the person may be taking. In addition, health professionals must evaluate potential family or home exposures from use of chemicals in the home, as well as from chemicals that may enter the home by way of workplace-contaminated clothing or other items brought home from work. Toxic exposures to chemical and physical agents and other modifying factors (e.g., diurnal variations due to shift work or stress) to which individuals may be exposed occupationally or environmentally must also be considered. Readers are reminded that many modifying factors may impinge on occupational and environmental toxicity. Summary: As described in this article, various kinds of int...
The archive serves as a site for defining and legitimating mass communications as an area of research and, especially, in constructing a sense of history. The creation of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin's Mass Communications History Center in 1958 provides an illuminating entry point into conceptions of mass communications. Archivists grappled with the definition of mass communications in order to develop a collecting policy. They called on experts to help define mass communications, its scope, and what sorts of materials were necessary for its study. While not the job of archivists to stimulate research, they played a considerable role in shaping the contours of the discipline, particularly within social science frameworks.
We present synthesized findings from a systematic study of user mobility based on a well grounded data set through mining attributes of place-to-place transitions. Next place predictions are the atomic units in constructing end-to-end user mobility trajectories based on historical trace data. These trajectories in turn form models for opportunistic networks to be utilized for providing location and communication services. We start with a baseline of the user's current place, start time, and end time to predict the next place. We demonstrate the efficiency of an algorithm called PeriodicaS through aggregated average prediction accuracies across all users over a large set of diverse participants. PeriodicaS mines periodicity intelligently in users' mobility traces and further improves prediction accuracies with additional classification rules. We derive these classification rules by applying explicit semantic annotations (home, work place and public transportation points associated with places visited), and accompanying group information. We propose novel ways of transforming bits of information in the mobility traces, defined to be inherent semantic annotations, as features for mobility modeling in PeriodicaS. Inherent semantic annotations are computed with temporal variations from visited places such as end time only, and measuring duration time. We deduce more inherent semantic annotations from place rankings by frequency of visits. By progressively employing these two types of semantic annotations, explicitly stated in the data set and deduced from the mobility traces, we improve next place prediction accuracies up to 54% compared to baseline predictions.
The purpose of the present study is to empirically examine the multigenerational differences in career preferences, reward preferences and work engagement among three generations (senior generation, generation X and generation Y). Data were collected with the help of an online questionnaire from 653 working executives working in different Indian public and private organizations. Significance of differences in career preference, reward preference and work engagement among generations was analyzed with the help of analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc Tukey test. Findings of the present study indicate that there is a significant difference in career preferences and work engagement among the three studied generations. Additionally, there is no significant difference in reward preferences among the three studied generations. The present article describes and discusses these findings and the global implications of the same for managers.
In this article we discuss about the main trends by using BIM-technologies in construction in the Russian Federation, possibilities of applying them in construction quality management and in staff training. Weoutlinethenecessity to improve the system of preparation and implementation of BIM-technologies in the new civil engineers educational process within the strategic development of the construction industry because it’s very important for the further development of construction, architecture and other engineering areas. Here we analyze the possibilities of using BIM-technology in education programs for students of various specialties in the absence of real skills to create drawings on the example of the University of Architecture and Civil Engineering.
Alumina nanotemplates integrated on silicon substrate with pore diameters of 12 nm to 100 nm were prepared by galvanostatic anodization. High current density (e.g. 100 mA.cm-2) promoted a highly ordered hexagonal pore structure with fast formation rate independent of anodizing solutions, where 2000 nm/min, 1000 nm/min were achieved at current densities of 100 mA.cm-2 and 50 mA.cm-2, respectively. These rates were approximately two orders of magnitude greater than other reports in the literature. Different electrolytes of sulfuric acid (1.8 to 7.2 M), oxalic acid (0.3 M) and mixed solutions of sulfuric and oxalic acid were evaluated as anodizing solutions. Sulfuric acid promoted smaller pore diameter with lower porosity than mixed acids and oxalic acid. The I-V characteristics strongly depend on solution composition, temperature, and bath agitation. In the case of sulfuric acid, the breakdown voltage (UB) varied linearly with logarithmic of sulfuric acid concentration (UB = 24.5-11 log [H2SO4]) and it decreased at higher temperature. The pore diameter of silicon-integrated alumina nanotemplate varied linearly with measured voltage with a slope of 2.1 nm/V, which is slightly smaller than reported data on bulk aluminum (2.2 nm/V and 2.77 nm/V). Thermoelectric Bi2Te3 nanowires with diameter of 43 nm were electrodeposited.
Oxygen binding by hemocyanin from Levantina hierosolima was studied at pH 7.30, in solutions containing calcium in the concentration range 0-1 M. The binding was found to be cooperative, the degree of cooperativity being calcium concentration dependent. The dependence on calcium concentration of the affinity toward oxygen for both deoxygenated and oxygenated hemocyanin was interpreted in terms of two oxygen-linked calcium ions, one promoting and the other opposing oxygen binding. The results show that cooperativity may be fully explained on the basis of a coupling of the free energy of binding between calcium and oxygen.
Technology for enabling plants to biomanufacture nonnative proteins in commercially significant quantities has been available for just over 20 years. During that time, the agricultural world has witnessed rapid commercialization and widespread adoption of transgenic crops enhanced for agronomic performance (herbicide-tolerance, insect-resistance), while plant-made pharmaceuticals (PMPs) and plant-made industrial products (PMIPs) have been limited to experimental and small-scale commercial production. This difference in the rate of commercial implementation likely reflects the very different business-development challenges associated with 'product' technologies compared with 'enabling' ('platform') technologies. However, considerable progress has been made in advancing and refining plant-based production of proteins, both technologically and in regard to identifying optimal business prospects. This review summarizes these developments, contrasting today's technologies and prospective applications with those of the industry's formative years, and suggesting how the PM(I)P industry's evolution has generated a very positive outlook for the 'plant-made' paradigm.
There is an increased focus with growing research in the area of early cognitive development, there is increased focus on the significance of ECD. The early years of a child’s lifefrom conception through 3-5 years of age, are most crucial with greatest opportunity for growth and development. Rapid brain development and sensitivity of brain architecture to the external environment during this period facilitates cognitive and social-emotional development. This ensures every child’s right to survival and development, and promotes long-term economic productivity.
An increasing number of patients with severe aortic stenosis and concomitant critical coronary artery disease were referred to our hospital. Some of those patients were classified as high-risk patients qualifying for a transcatheter therapy with the additional need for coronary revascularization. As a consequence of their comorbidities, the established transapical as well as transfemoral approach were either not possible or not favored owing to the indispensable need for coronary revascularization. We present 4 successfully combined off-pump procedures consisting of a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (Edwards SAPIEN XT) via the transaortic approach and an off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. All patients were discharged free from stroke, myocardial infarction, or access site complications either to rehabilitation facility or to the referring hospital with none or trace aortic regurgitation and patent grafts. These cases confirm the feasibility of those combined operations and should be considered as realistic alternative for surgical treatment in high-risk patients who are clearly identified to benefit from transcatheter approach to treat aortic stenosis and who have severe concomitant coronary artery disease.
We describe here a new method for object detection that uses a special structure called a pyramidal adjacency graph. Using that structure, which is built upon a Gaussian pyramid structure, and several predicates of color homogeneity, we are able to detect a spot region in a color pyramid. One interesting aspect of this structure is that it helps to describe connections between events at different levels of a pyramid, and so provides a more global analysis.
Death studies have, over the past twenty years, witnessed a flourishing of research and scholarship particularly in areas such as dying and bereavement, cultural practices and fear of dying. But, despite its importance, a specific focus on the nature of personal mortality has attracted surprisingly little attention. Reflecting on the Inevitable: Mortality at the Crossroads of Psychology, Philosophy, and Health breaks new ground by bringing together available ideas and research on the meaning of one’s own death. Its content is organized around the question of how an ongoing relationship might be possible when the threat of consciousness coming to an end points to an unthinkable and unspeakable nothingness. The book then argues that, despite this threat, an ongoing relationship with one’s own death is still possible by means of conceptual devices that help shape personal mortality into a relatable object. Four of these devices, or “enabling frames,” are examined: essential structures, passionate suffusion, point-of-transition, and self-generative process. While each frame conceptualizes mortality differently, they share a capacity to move it from unintelligibility to something we can think and speak about, thereby enabling us to maintain an ongoing engagement. The final chapters explore ways in which pursuing a relationship with our own deaths could become a normal and acceptable activity throughout our lives.
Generation of mitochondrial signals is believed to be important in the commitment to apoptosis, but the mechanisms coordinating the output of individual mitochondria remain elusive. We show that in cardiac myotubes exposed to apoptotic agents, Ca2+ spikes initiate depolarization of mitochondria in discrete subcellular regions, and these mitochondria initiate slow waves of depolarization and Ca2+ release propagating through the cell. Traveling mitochondrial waves are prevented by Bcl‐xL, involve permeability transition pore (PTP) opening, and yield cytochrome c release, caspase activation and nuclear apoptosis. Mito chondrial Ca2+ uptake is critical for wave propagation, and mitochondria at the origin of waves take up Ca2+ particularly effectively, providing a mechanism that may underlie selection of the initiation sites. Thus, apoptotic agents transform the mitochondria into an excitable state by sensitizing PTP to Ca2+. Expansion of the local excitation by mitochondrial waves propagating through the whole cell can be especially important in activation of the apoptotic machinery in large cells.
The study was designed to determine whether cultivation of willow (Salix sp.) energy plantations (WEP) is cost-efficient and to identify the main factors that influence development of such plantations in Lithuania. The economic efficiency of the cultivation of WEP was estimated based on cash flow analysis, discounted cash flow net present value and decomposition analysis methods. The survey of the willow plantation growers identified the motives, incentives, problems and intentions of local willow growers. The study revealed that cultivation of WEP was mostly hindered by economic factors, including low selling price of willow biomass for fuel and high cost of harvesting. Willow cultivation in Lithuania was least hindered by social and ecological factors. The results suggest that European Union (EU) subsidies are currently the main incentive to cultivate willow plantations. However, financial support alone did not guarantee the success of willow biomass harvesting and market access of the final biofuel production. The findings of this study provide information for decision makers on the opportunities and challenges of the development of willow plantations in Lithuania.  Keywords: Salix sp., short-rotation plantations, social and economic factors, economic incentives.
High resolution experiments with the operational ECMWF model starting from observed data wereused to test the impact of the 1982/83 E1 Nino sea surface temperature anomaly on the zonal mean me-ridional circulation and transfer properties of the atmosphere. The increased sea surface temperature in the Eastern Pacific Ocean along the Equator amplifies theHadley circulation. This enhances the convergence of moisture and sensible heat towards the tropics, induc-ing positive feedback between tropical diabatic heating and direct mean meridional circulation. The am-plification of the Hadley circulation also results in an equatorward extension of the mid-latitude wester-lies. Equatorial SST anomaly makes the zonal mean eddy transfer properties in the winter hemisphereundergo substantial changes, and the maxima of transfer of heat and momentum are all shifted to highlatitudes. An extra indirect meridional circulation is thereby forced in high latitudes in the northern hem-ispheric winter. It seems that in a time scale of about one month and in a sense of zonal mean, the impact of theE1 Nino is to cause a warmer and wetter climate in the tropics and in high latitudes in the northernhemisphere, but a drier one in the subtropics.
This article aims to circumscribe pastoral care as a porous practice that is intertwined with other practices and takes place in congregational rooms, as well as in public spaces. By relating empirical research, theories, and experiences from Nordic countries to theories from the intercultural paradigm, we explore a multifaceted and multivoiced practice of pastoral care. Grounded in fieldwork, empirical material, and newer pastoral care theory, we argue that contemporary pastoral care should emphasize the relevance, importance, and necessity of social, cultural, gender, racial, ecological, and political issues, to a higher degree than earlier Nordic literature may suggest.
Abstract Several recently developed Channelrhodopsin (ChR) variants are characterized by rapid kinetics and reduced desensitization in comparison to the widely used ChR2. However, little is known about how varying opsin properties may regulate their interaction with local network dynamics. We compared evoked cortical activity in mice expressing three ChR variants with distinct temporal profiles under the CamKII promoter: Chronos, Chrimson, and ChR2. We assessed overall neural activation by measuring the amplitude and temporal progression of evoked spiking. Using γ-range (30–80 Hz) local field potential (LFP) power as an assay for local network engagement, we examined the recruitment of cortical network activity by each tool. All variants caused light-evoked increases in firing in vivo, but each demonstrated different temporal patterning of evoked activity. In addition, the three ChRs had distinct effects on cortical γ-band activity. Our findings suggest the properties of optogenetic tools can substantially affect their efficacy in vivo, as well their engagement of circuit resonance.
Electromagnetics is arguably one of the most challenging courses in any electrical engineering curriculum. A solid foundation in vector calculus and a good intuition based on physical grounds are the normal requirements for a student to successfully complete this course. This paper presents a simple, yet powerful approach to introducing boundary-value problems arising in electrostatics. The principles of electrostatics find numerous applications such as electrostatic machines, lightning rods, gas purification, food purification, laser printers, and crop spraying, to name a few. This paper focuses on the use of spreadsheets for solving electrostatic boundary-value problems. Sample problems that introduce the finite difference and the finite element methods are presented. The geometries included in the problems are sufficiently nontrivial for hand calculation or analytical solution, but reasonably manageable using spreadsheets. Although specialized software is available for this purpose, oftentimes such sophistication tends to obscure the mathematical underpinnings of the solution methods. Spreadsheets offer a transparent alternative − perhaps proximate to hand calculation − for students to better appreciate the numerical methods for solving boundary-value problems.
Ubiquitylation controls protein function and degradation. Therefore, ubiquitin ligases need to be tightly controlled. We discovered an evolutionarily conserved allosteric restraint mechanism for Nedd4 ligases and demonstrated its function with diverse substrates: the yeast soluble proteins Rpn10 and Rvs167, and the human receptor tyrosine kinase FGFR1 and cardiac IKS potassium channel. We found that a potential trimerization interface is structurally blocked by the HECT domain α1‐helix, which further undergoes ubiquitylation on a conserved lysine residue. Genetic, bioinformatics, biochemical and biophysical data show that attraction between this α1‐conjugated ubiquitin and the HECT ubiquitin‐binding patch pulls the α1‐helix out of the interface, thereby promoting trimerization. Strikingly, trimerization renders the ligase inactive. Arginine substitution of the ubiquitylated lysine impairs this inactivation mechanism and results in unrestrained FGFR1 ubiquitylation in cells. Similarly, electrophysiological data and TIRF microscopy show that NEDD4 unrestrained mutant constitutively downregulates the IKS channel, thus confirming the functional importance of E3‐ligase autoinhibition.
This article presents an application of the energy method to assess the energy input introduced into two subsystems of the human–glove–tool system. To achieve this aim, a physical model of the system was developed. This consists of dynamic models of the human body and the glove described in Standard No. ISO 10068:2012, and a model of a hand-held power tool. The energy input introduced into the subsystems, i.e., the human body and the glove, was analysed in the domain of energy and involved calculating three component energy inputs of forces. The energy model was solved using numerical simulation implemented in the MATLAB/simulink environment. This procedure demonstrates that the vibration energy was distributed quite differently in the internal structure of the two subsystems. The results suggest that the operating frequency of the tool has a significant impact on the level of energy inputs transmitted into both subsystems.
In spite of the renewed interest in agriculture as the main driver of the economic policy which focuses on diversifying the economy away from oil‐based to agriculture‐driven economy, there seems to be no evidence of the policy effect on the welfare of the people. This study aimed at investigating the effect of an increase in government agriculture expenditure on the well‐being of rich and poor households in Nigeria. The study employed a computable general equilibrium model given its appropriateness in handling economy‐wide and the welfare effect of specific policies. Simulations results reveal that the welfare of both rich and poor households improves with an increase in agriculture expenditure share. The improvement for both households as well as overall economic welfare was found to be highest under simulation one (25 per cent increase in agriculture expenditure share), followed by simulation two (10 per cent increase in agriculture expenditure share) and then simulation three (5 per cent increase in agriculture expenditure share). The study therefore recommends that government should significantly increase funding of agriculture through increased allocation to the agricultural sector in compliance with the Food and Agriculture Organization and the Maputo 2003 declarations on Agriculture.
First-principles and purely classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for complexes of the uranyl ion (UO(2)(2+)) are reviewed. Validation of Car-Parrinello MD simulations for small uranyl complexes in aqueous solution is discussed. Special attention is called to the mechanism of ligand-exchange reactions at the uranyl centre and to effects of solvation and hydration on coordination and structural properties. Large-scale classical MD simulations are surveyed in the context of liquid-liquid extraction, with uranyl complexes ranging from simple hydrates to calixarenes, and nonaqueous phases from simple organic solvents and supercritical CO(2) to ionic liquids.
We present a simple density functional approach to study the structure of homogeneous as well as inhomogeneous adhesive hard sphere fluid. Radial distribution function g(r) of the homogeneous adhesive hard sphere fluid is calculated by making use of the well known Percus identity which relates the density distribution of an inhomogeneous fluid to the g(r) of the corresponding homogeneous fluid when the external potential responsible for the inhomogeneity is the interparticle potential itself. We have also studied the local density distribution of the same fluid confined in a planar slit consisting of hard walls. The input required for the calculation is the two-particle direct correlation function of the bulk fluid, which is taken from the analytical results corresponding to the Percus Yevick approximation. Both perturbative and nonperturbative weighted density approaches are employed and the calculated radial distributions as well as the density profiles are shown on an average to compare quite well with...
Search engines, i.e., Google, Yahoo pro-vide various libraries and API’s to assist programmers and researchers in easier and efficient access to their collected data. When a user generates a search query, the dedicated Application Programming Interface (API) returns the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file which contains the desired data. Scraping techniques help image descriptors to separate the image’s URL and web host’s URL in different documents for easier implementation of different algorithms. The aim of this paper is to propose a novel approach to effectively filter out the desired image(s) from the retrieved data. More specifically, this work primarily focuses on applying simple yet efficient techniques to achieve accurate image retrieval. We compare two algorithms, i.e., Cosine similarity and Sequence Matcher, to obtain the accuracy with a minimum of irrelevance. Obtained results prove Cosine similarity more accurate than its counterpart in finding the maximum relevant image(s).
The incidence of cancer and congenital defects has increased significantly in Iraq after the Allied use of depleted uranium bullets during the Gulf war, a recent conference in London was told. Declassified US documents suggest that the American military used about 944000 rounds of depleted uranium bullets in Iraq and Kuwait during the war in 1991.  The conference (about the cancer epidemic in Iraq and its possible link to the Allied use of depleted uranium weapons), …
Background & objectives: Dakshina Kannada is one of the districts of Karnataka state of India with high incidences of mosquito-borne diseases, especially malaria and dengue. The larval stages of the mosquitoes are very important in determining the prevalence of adult mosquitoes and associated diseases. Hence, the occurrence of mosquito species was investigated by sampling different water bodies present in the Dakshina Kannada district from June 2014 to May 2017. Methods: Random sampling was carried out from permanent and temporary, artificial and natural water bodies belonging to 11 types of microhabitats using dippers and suction pumps. Results: A maximum of 37 mosquito species belonging to 12 genera were recorded with the dominant genera being Culex. Most species have been recorded from temporary bodies of water with the highest number of species in receptacles. Monsoon is the most productive season, both in terms of occurrence and abundance followed by post-monsoon and pre-monsoon. The abundance of mosquito larvae was significantly higher in temporary water bodies compared to the permanent. Interpretation & conclusion: Abundant rainfall in the study area which produces many natural and domestic temporary water bodies accounts for mosquito breeding throughout the year.
Purpose The improving global health (IGH) programme is a leadership development programme that aims to develop leadership skills and behaviours alongside quality improvement methodology in National Health Service (NHS) employees in a global health setting. Through collaboration, experiential learning and mentorship, the programme aims to produce both vertical and horizontal leadership development in its participants. This paper aims to describe the programme and its impact, in terms of leadership development, in a sample of participants. Design/methodology/approach Open coding and thematic analysis of leadership development summaries (LDS) completed by 39 returned IGH participants were conducted. LDS are written on completion of the overseas placement; participants reflect on their personal leadership development against the nine dimensions of the NHS Healthcare Leadership Model (2013). Findings These IGH programme participants have reported a change in the way they think, behave and see the world. A development in sense of self and experience in developing team members are the two most commonly reported themes. Adaptability, communication, overcoming boundaries, collaborative working, “big picture” thinking and strategic thinking were also identified. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by the relatively low number of completed LDS. More work is needed to understand the long-term effect of this type of leadership development on the NHS. Other leadership development programmes should consider focussing on vertical and horizontal leadership development. Originality/value This more granular understanding of the leadership skills and behaviours developed and how it is the programme’s design that creates it, has not previously been described.
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by severe intellectual disability, seizures, lack of speech, and ataxia. The gene responsible for AS was identified as Ube3a and it encodes for E6AP, an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Currently, there is very little known about E6AP's mechanism of action in vivo or how the lack of this protein in neurons may contribute to the AS phenotype. Elucidating the mechanistic action of E6AP would enhance our understanding of AS and drive current research into new avenues that could lead to novel therapeutic approaches that target E6AP's various functions. To facilitate the study of AS, we have generated a novel rat model in which we deleted the rat Ube3a gene using CRISPR. The AS rat phenotypically mirrors human AS with loss of Ube3a expression in the brain and deficits in motor coordination as well as learning and memory. This model offers a new avenue for the study of AS. Autism Res 2020, 13: 397–409. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research,Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The aim of this work was to study the effect of the application of a solid waste from olive oil production (alperujo) on the movement and persistence of the herbicide diuron [3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea]. The application of alperujo, fresh or composted, to the land has been shown to be an extremely effective contribution to increasing crop yields and to maintaining or improving soil fertility. An experimental olive grove located in Mengibar (Jaen, Spain) was divided into two plots: 1. Plot without organic amendment (blank) and 2. Plot treated with alperujo during 3 years at a rate of 17920 kg of alperujo ha. Diuron was applied to both plots at a rate of 2 kg haa.i. Triplicates from each plot were sampled at three depths (0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm), air-dried, remains of olive leaves, grass roots, and stones removed and sieved through a 5 mm mesh sieve. Diuron was extracted with methanol 1:2 weight:volume ratio, the extracts were evaporated to dryness, resuspended in 2 mL of methanol, filtered and analyzed by HPLC. Higher amounts of diuron were detected at each sampling depth in plots treated with alperujo. The increase in soil organic matter content upon amendment with alperujo slightly increased sorption, suggesting that other factors beside sorption affect diuron degradation rate in organic amended soils.
A novel efficient boost chopper integrated with two cryogenic metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and one high-temperature superconducting (HTS) inductor is presented. State-of-the-art CoolMOS MOSFETs are introduced and immersed in liquid nitrogen to save about 85% of conduction losses. Considering the anisotropy of gadolinium barium copper oxide (GdBCO) tapes, ferromagnetic disks with raised edges are optimized to enhance the critical current and reduce the hysteresis loss of the HTS smoothing inductor. As compared to the conventional boost chopper composed of ambient-temperature power electronics and a copper inductor, the total operational loss from the cryogenic MOSFETs and the HTS inductor in the proposed cryogenic boost chopper is reduced by 87% in the case of a 40-kW chopper.
White spot lesion (WSL), which is called also incipient carious lesion or smooth surface lesion, is the first and curable stage of dental caries. WSL develops as a result of the demineralization that begins when the oral pH decreasing below the critical value of 5.5 for 30 minutes. In children under 3 years of age, WSL is the precursor of severe early childhood caries. WSL is commonly seen and rapidly developing in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment. These lesions are demineralized but non-cavitated. In this stage, it is possible to stop the development of caries lesion before cavitation. In the name of preventive dentistry, treatment of WSL is very important to prevent possible loss of dental tissue and to reduce the cost and duration of the treatment. Many methods are used in the treatment of WSL such as regulation of diet, improvement of oral hygiene, fluoride preparations, chlorhexidine gluconate, laser, casein phosphopeptide, microabrasion, bioactive glass and low-viscosity resin infiltration. The aim of this review is to examine the methods used in the treatment of white spot lesions with the results of the research on this topic.
A technique for dose reduction using prior image constrained compressed sensing (DR-PICCS) in computed tomography (CT) is proposed in this work. In DR-PICCS, a standard FBP reconstructed image is forward projected to get a fully sampled projection data set. Meanwhile, it is low-pass filtered and used as the prior image in the PICCS reconstruction framework. Next, the prior image and the forward projection data are used together by the PICCS algorithm to obtain a low noise DR-PICCS reconstruction, which maintains the spatial resolution of the original FBP images. The spatial resolution of DR-PICCS was studied using a Catphan phantom by MTF measurement. The noise reduction factor, CT number change and noise texture were studied using human subject data consisting of 20 CT colonography exams performed under an IRB-approved protocol. In each human subject study, six ROIs (two soft tissue, two colonic air columns, and two subcutaneous fat) were selected for the CT number and noise measurements study. Skewness and kurtosis were used as figures of merit to indicate the noise texture. A Bland-Altman analysis was performed to study the accuracy of the CT number. The results showed that, compared with FBP reconstructions, the MTF curve shows very little change in DR-PICCS reconstructions, spatial resolution loss is less than 0.1 lp/cm, and the noise standard deviation can be reduced by a factor of 3 with DR-PICCS. The CT numbers in FBP and DR-PICCS reconstructions agree well, which indicates that DR-PICCS does not change CT numbers. The noise textures indicators measured from DR-PICCS images are in a similar range as FBP images.
ABSTRACT Spatial interpolation is a traditional geostatistical operation that aims at predicting the attribute values of unobserved locations given a sample of data defined on point supports. However, the continuity and heterogeneity underlying spatial data are too complex to be approximated by classic statistical models. Deep learning models, especially the idea of conditional generative adversarial networks (CGANs), provide us with a perspective for formalizing spatial interpolation as a conditional generative task. In this article, we design a novel deep learning architecture named conditional encoder-decoder generative adversarial neural networks (CEDGANs) for spatial interpolation, therein combining the encoder-decoder structure with adversarial learning to capture deep representations of sampled spatial data and their interactions with local structural patterns. A case study on elevations in China demonstrates the ability of our model to achieve outstanding interpolation results compared to benchmark methods. Further experiments uncover the learned spatial knowledge in the model’s hidden layers and test the potential to generalize our adversarial interpolation idea across domains. This work is an endeavor to investigate deep spatial knowledge using artificial intelligence. The proposed model can benefit practical scenarios and enlighten future research in various geographical applications related to spatial prediction.
BACKGROUND Heart failure is a global health problem which affects a large percentage of the older population. Cardiac rehabilitation programs have been implemented to aid patients in successfully managing their heart condition. However, non-adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programs is common in this group of patients. This results in higher morbidity and mortality rates, rehospitalisation and ultimately higher healthcare costs. There is a need to have a better understanding of the impact that knowledge and beliefs have on patients' adherence levels, so that healthcare providers can implement appropriate strategies to promote their adherence.   OBJECTIVES This review aimed to establish the best evidence regarding the impact of knowledge and beliefs on adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programs in patients with heart failure; and to make recommendations for healthcare practice and future research.   INCLUSION CRITERIA Patients above the age of 18, who had been diagnosed with heart failure and had been admitted to a cardiac rehabilitation program in inpatient or outpatient settings.This review considered studies that evaluated the impact of heart failure patients' knowledge and beliefs of their disease, medication, diet, exercise and other lifestyle change recommendations, on their adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programs.Heart failure patients' knowledge, beliefs and adherence toward their medication regime, low-sodium diet, exercise, and other lifestyle change recommendations.Quantitative study designs published in the English language, up to December 2010 were considered for inclusion.   SEARCH STRATEGY Using a three-step search strategy, the following databases were assessed: CINAHL, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, OvidSP, MDConsult, ScienceDirect, Sociological Abstracts, Mosby's Nursing Consult, Mednar and TRIP.   METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY Two independent reviewers assessed each paper for methodological validity prior to inclusion in the review using standardised critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute.   DATA EXTRACTION Information was extracted by two independent reviewers, from each paper using the standardised data extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute.   DATA SYNTHESIS The findings are presented in narrative form, as statistical pooling was not possible, due to the different instruments used in measuring the outcomes.   RESULTS Twelve quantitative studies were included in this review (one RCT, one pre-test/post-test single group study, and ten descriptive studies). The present findings suggest that the relationship between knowledge and adherence is unclear. However, patient beliefs on medication, symptom monitoring, illness and control were found to have stronger associations of adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programs.Implications for practice Healthcare institutions need to provide adequate support for patients with heart failure; individualise adherence-enhancing interventions to cater for varying patient needs; and work on empowering patients.Implications for research Future quantitative research should be undertaken to investigate the relationship between knowledge and beliefs, determine their combined effect on adherence and examine the effectiveness of strategies used to improve patient knowledge and beliefs. Quantitative and qualitative studies could also be conducted to ascertain the factors correlated with patient knowledge, beliefs, and adherence.
The quality of embryos produced by in-vitro fertilization (IVF) is variable. Many embryos contain unequal sized blastomeres and multiple cellular fragments. Embryos with excessive fragmentation have limited developmental potential both in vitro and in vivo. Histologically, some blastomeres of fragmented embryos resemble cells undergoing apoptosis as a result of programmed cell death (PCD). The objective of the present study was to determine if the morphological features of apoptosis are observed in fragmented human preimplantation embryos, supporting the possible involvement of PCD in early human embryo arrest and demise. Using combined nuclear and terminal transferase-mediated DNA end labelling (TUNEL) on arrested, fragmented human embryos, we were able to detect extensive condensation and degradation of chromatin, compatible with apoptosis. Electron microscopy confirmed the typical morphological features of apoptosis. No such abnormalities were observed in spare embryos with regular sized blastomeres without fragmentation. The high incidence of condensed chromatin, TUNEL detection of degraded DNA, cell corpses and apoptotic bodies in fragmented human embryos strongly suggest that PCD is triggered in human embryos at a stage prior to blastocyst formation. At such early stages, occurrence of apoptosis seemed to be detrimental, leading to preimplantation embryo death.
ABSTRACT In this paper, a point-set similarity model (PSM) is introduced, which provides a new elastic point set registration frame by using similarity invariant signature curves. According to the potential correspondences obtained by PSM, the similarity transformations between the point sets could be estimated. Experiments on synthetic data and real data of coronary artery show that our method offers certain advantages comparing with typical methods.
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the bladder is uncommon, but can arise in the setting of long-term bladder catheterization and chronic inflammation. SCC can arise primarily from the suprapubic catheter tract, but fewer than 10 such cases have been reported. We document 2 cases of SCC arising from the suprapubic tract associated with chronic indwelling urinary catheters. SCC must be differentiated from granulomatous conditions, which are quite common in patients with suprapubic catheters.
Developmental glaucoma can occur as an isolated or syndromic condition and is genetically heterogeneous. We describe a three‐generation family affected with developmental glaucoma, myopia, and/or retinal defects associated with variable craniofacial/dental, auditory, brain, renal, and limb anomalies. Whole‐exome sequencing identified a heterozygous c.124T> C, p.(Trp42Arg) allele in ADAMTSL1; cosegregation analysis confirmed the presence of this allele in four affected family members. The mutation affects a highly conserved residue and is strongly predicted to have a deleterious effect on protein function. Trp42 is normally modified by protein C‐mannosylation, an unusual post‐translational modification. Comparison of ADAMTSL1‐WT (also known as punctin‐1) and ADAMTSL1‐p.Trp42Arg in vitro demonstrated that the latter was not secreted from transfected cells but retained intracellularly. Moreover, ADAMTSL1‐p.Trp42Arg reduced secretion of cotransfected wild‐type ADAMTSL1, suggesting a dominant negative effect for this mutation. These data imply a multisystem role for ADAMTSL1 and present the first disease‐associated variant affecting a C‐mannosylation motif.
In this paper we conduct a number of experiments to assess the impact of typical human body movements on the signal characteristics of outdoor body-to-body communications channels using flexible patch antennas. A modified log-distance path loss model which accounts for body shadowing and signal fading due to small movements is used to model the measured data. For line of sight channels, in which both ends of the body-to-body link are stationary, the path loss exponent is close to that for free space, although the received signal is noticeably affected by involuntary or physiological-related movements of both persons. When one person moves to obstruct the direct signal path between nodes, attenuation by the person's body can be as great as 40 dB, with even greater variation observed due to fading. The effects of movements such as rotation, tilt, walking in line of sight and non-line of sight on body-to-body communications channels are also investigated in this study.
The article is a view of transport from young people point from peripheral area, located out of reach the agglomeration communication system. The research analysis based on survey shows what elements of passengers carriers are the most important in young’s people journey from main city or other localities preferences. The conclusions indicate that the intensity of this group journeys is based on transportation net and frequency of bus courses relate with settlement network (near big towns), not with recently administrative division. The article shows the inequality of journeys from main city and other locations, the process of deregulation in local passengers transport market and progressive disproportion in transport accessibility in that peripheral region.
OBJECTIVES Electrically evoked compound action potentials (eCAP) recordings are widely used in functional evaluation and fitting of cochlear implants (CI) in clinics. We compared the results from two eCAP recording approaches (StandardART and FineGrain, MED-EL, Austria). The FineGrain method is more advanced than the Auditory Nerve Response Telemetry (StandardART) method in terms of the stimulation and algorithm for the eCAP threshold detection. To understand the benefits of these alterations, we compared the two methods on a larger scale in pediatric CI users alongside evoked auditory brainstem responses (eABR).   MATERIALS AND METHODS We collected the eCAP recordings obtained with both methods from a population of pediatric subjects with CI, either intra- or post-operatively. The eABR recordings were only collected post-operatively. For comparability reasons, we used the same stimulation rate and similar amplitude levels for all three approaches.   RESULTS Our results demonstrate that, although the success rates are similar, the FineGrain method outperforms traditional StandardART in terms of robustness and measurement duration. The eCAP recordings in general outperform the eABR in terms of speed.   CONCLUSION We conclude that the eCAP recordings are the method of choice for measuring the auditory neural activity, and FineGrain outperforms StandardART. From the three investigated approaches, we conclude that FineGrain performed best and should be the first-choice method in pediatric patients.
Abslrac: - The Vainstain's theory for excitation of resonator and waveguides have been generalized for sMct nonstationary case including nonlinear media and boundary conditions. The spatial-time tensor Green's functions and corresponding Integral or integrodifferential equations for shielded resonators and waveguides with linear and nonlinear media andor inclusions have been constructed. The theory also generalized for waveguide transformers and for open structures. The numerical results for pulse radiation by dipole cnrrents and its propagation in resonators, waveguides and its discontinuities are presented.
The publication of several special issues was part of the initiatives taken in 2013 to launch Risks as a new online journal. It seemed natural to devote one to this important, concrete and complex problem of managing catastrophic and heavy tailed risks. We received an enthusiastic response last spring to the call for invited and contributed research papers and are proud of the special issue now being published. The emphasis was put on quality rather than quantity; this special issue contains three invited and two contributed research papers.
Background: Curcumin, a natural polyphenol and the principal bioactive compound in Curcuma longa, was reported to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and anti-rheumatic activity. Curcumin is not only considered for preventive, but also for therapeutic, purposes in cancer therapy, which requires a killing effect on cancer cells. A drawback, however, is the low bioavailability of curcumin due to its insolubility in water. To circumvent this limitation, curcumin was administered in different water-soluble formulations, including liposomes or embedded into nanoscaled micelles. The high uptake rate of micellar curcumin makes it attractive also for cancer therapeutic strategies. Native curcumin solubilised in organic solvent was previously shown to be cytotoxic and bears a genotoxic potential. Corresponding studies with micellar curcumin are lacking. Methods: We compared the cytotoxic and genotoxic activity of native curcumin solubilised in ethanol (Cur-E) with curcumin embedded in micells (Cur-M). We measured cell death by MTT assays, apoptosis, necrosis by flow cytometry, senolysis by MTT and C12FDG and genotoxicity by FPG-alkaline and neutral singe-cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). Results: Using a variety of primary and established cell lines, we show that Cur-E and Cur-M reduce the viability in all cell types in the same dose range. Cur-E and Cur-M induced dose-dependently apoptosis, but did not exhibit senolytic activity. In the cytotoxic dose range, Cur-E and Cur-M were positive in the alkaline and the neutral comet assay. Genotoxic effects vanished upon removal of curcumin, indicating efficient and complete repair of DNA damage. For inducing cell death, which was measured 48 h after the onset of treatment, permanent exposure was required while 60 min pulse-treatment was ineffective. In all assays, Cur-E and Cur-M were equally active, and the concentration above which significant cytotoxic and genotoxic effects were observed was 10 µM. Micelles not containing curcumin were completely inactive. Conclusions: The data show that micellar curcumin has the same cytotoxicity and genotoxicity profile as native curcumin. The effective concentration on different cell lines, including primary cells, was far above the curcumin concentration that can be achieved systemically in vivo, which leads us to conclude that native curcumin and curcumin administered as food supplement in a micellar formulation at the ADI level are not cytotoxic/genotoxic, indicating a wide margin of safety.
The energetics at organic‐metal interfaces are, to large extend, determined by the structure of the molecular adsorbate on the substrate surface. As shown by low‐energy electron diffraction (LEED) the zigzag shape of picene leads to a peculiar monolayer structure on Ag(111), Ag(110), and Cu(111) with one molecule in the unit cell lying essentially flat and the other one adopting an edge‐on orientation. The adsorbate‐substrate coupling is weak as shown by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). This is in striking contrast to monolayers of straight pentacene, where all molecules lie flat and are strongly coupled, involving charge transfer complex formation on most of these surfaces.
Is Louise Bourgeois's sculpture of the late forties and fifties in any way political? It's not a simple question to answer. Discussions of the politics of postwar American art have revolved mostly around the binaries of the Right (McCarthy) and the Left (Stalin), understood as a sliding scale, with Truman and Trotsky in between. As the forties skidded into the early fifties, the Stalinist and even the Trotskyist aspects of the continuum grew increasingly suspect to middle-of-the-road America.
The gene networks underlying closure of the optic fissure during vertebrate eye development are poorly understood. Here, we profile global gene expression during optic fissure closure using laser capture microdissected (LCM) tissue from the margins of the fissure. From these data, we identify a unique role for the C2H2 zinc finger proteins Nlz1 and Nlz2 in normal fissure closure. Gene knockdown of nlz1 and/or nlz2 in zebrafish leads to a failure of the optic fissure to close, a phenotype which closely resembles that seen in human uveal coloboma. We also identify misregulation of pax2 in the developing eye of morphant fish, suggesting that Nlz1 and Nlz2 act upstream of the Pax2 pathway in directing proper closure of the optic fissure.
The interaction between leukocytes and cytokine-activated retinal endothelium is an initiating step in non-infectious uveitis involving the posterior eye, mediated by cell adhesion molecules. However, because cell adhesion molecules are required for immune surveillance, therapeutic interventions would ideally be employed indirectly. Using 28 primary human retinal endothelial cell isolates, this study sought to identify transcription factor targets for reducing levels of the key retinal endothelial cell adhesion molecule, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, and limiting leukocyte binding to the retinal endothelium. Five candidate transcription factors—C2CD4B, EGR3, FOSB, IRF1, and JUNB—were identified by differential expression analysis of a transcriptome generated from IL-1β- or TNF-α-stimulated human retinal endothelial cells, interpreted in the context of the published literature. Further filtering involved molecular studies: of the five candidates, C2CD4B and IRF1 consistently demonstrated extended induction in IL-1β- or TNF-α-activated retinal endothelial cells and demonstrated a significant decrease in both ICAM-1 transcript and ICAM-1 membrane-bound protein expression by cytokine-activated retinal endothelial cells following treatment with small interfering RNA. RNA interference of C2CD4B or IRF1 significantly reduced leukocyte binding in a majority of human retinal endothelial cell isolates stimulated by IL-1β or TNF-α. Our observations suggest that the transcription factors C2CD4B and IRF1 may be potential drug targets for limiting leukocyte–retinal endothelial cell interactions in non-infectious uveitis involving the posterior eye.
The aim of this research is to study about environmental conservation of Aga Tenganan ethnic group in Desa Pakraman Tenganan Pegringsingan Karangasem Bali. Qualitative descriptive method is carried out in this research. Field observation is done and fifteen respondents including children and adults is selected in this study. Data is collected from questionnaire and interview from respondents. Based on data collected from 15 respondents shows that environmental science education is taught by eldery people (80%) and parents (76%). However, the rubbish and wastes produced by people activities needs more attention. The findings of field study shows that Aga Tenganan are still maintaining their local tradition. It shows with the presence their social practices in meeting places such as bale banjar, bale wantilan and bale subak; awig-awig as a tradition rules; local tradition ceremony Mekare kare related to environment; and forest preservation. High attention of local people in environmental conservation is supported by their environmental science education background.
What Is HSDD? For both patients and health care providers, HSDD probably should mean “Having the Sexual Dysfunction Discussion” to diagnose and treat distressful conditions,1 but it really stands for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. The DSM-IV defines it as the persistent or recurring deficiency (or absence) of sexual fantasies or thoughts or desire for sexual activity associated with personal distress.2 Although surveys suggest that 31% of men and 43% of women experience some sort of sexual dysfunction1,3 (men usually erectile dysfunction and women usually lack of desire),4 both genders experience HSDD. HSDD is the subject of much debate and even controversy, ranging from the gender equality angle that women’s sexual problems are finally receiving the same attention as men’s to the accusation that HSDD is really a form of corporate disease-mongering and a diabolical conspiracy by Pharma to invent a disorder that doesn’t really exist in order to sell dangerous, expensive drugs that don’t really work and thereby exploit unsuspecting women.5 The truth is probably somewhere in between. Certainly, women who have lost interest in their partner but want to have sex with the guy next door do not have HSDD, but a relationship issue. None of this debate should take away from the prospect of helping those women (and men) with distressful problems of reduced sex drive, decreased libido, and a reduced number of satisfying sexual events due to a dysfunctioning reward system. Treatments for HSDD are discussed in the next Brainstorms.6
The retrieval of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence is greatly beneficial to studies of marine phytoplankton biomass, physiology, and composition, and is required for user applications and services. Customarily phytoplankton chlorophyll fluorescence is determined from satellite measurements through a fluorescence line-height algorithm using three bands around 680 nm. We propose here a modified retrieval, making use of all available bands in the relevant wavelength range, with the goal to improve the effectiveness of the algorithm in optically complex waters. For the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI), we quantify a Fluorescence Peak Height by fitting a Gaussian function and related terms to the top-of-atmosphere reflectance bands between 650 and 750 nm. This algorithm retrieves, what we call Fluorescence Peak Height by fitting a Gaussian function upon other terms to top-of-atmosphere reflectance bands between 650 and 750 nm. This approach is applicable to Level-1 and Level-2 data. We find a good correlation of the retrieved fluorescence product to global in-situ chlorophyll measurements, as well as a consistent relation between chlorophyll concentration and fluorescence from radiative transfer modelling and OLCI/in-situ comparison. Evidence suggests, the algorithm is applicable to complex waters without needing an atmospheric correction and vicarious calibration, and features an inherent correction of small spectral shifts, as required for OLCI measurements.
Suction adhesion is widely used by natural organisms for gripping irregular objects (e.g., rocks), but their artificial counterparts show less adaptation in the same situation. In addition, they can require complex sensing and control systems to function. In this paper, we present a contact-triggered suction cup with the ability to adapt to objects with complex and irregular shapes. The gripper has two states to adhere and release the object and the transformation from release to adhesion is passively triggered by the contact force, making it an autonomous gripper and removing the need for complex driven system. Once the suction cup experiences a contact force above a set threshold, it will automatically capture the contacting object. Only the resetting transformation from adhesion to release is actuated by a vacuum pump. The maximal suction force up to 15.1 N is generated on the non-flat surface with the suction cup diameter of 30 mm. The performance of this gripper is demonstrated on a 7 DoF robot arm which successfully picked up a variety of irregular objects. We believe that this contact-triggered gripper provides a new solution for low cost, energy-effective and adaptive soft gripping.
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a congenital condition characterized by "café au lait" spots and subcutaneous fibromas. There are various combined diseases, such as malignant tumors in the abdominal organs or brain tumors. Here, we present a case of a 35-year-old patient with a rare combination of NF1 with a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) and pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM). At the first visit, her main symptom was right upper abdominal pain. Radiological investigations revealed a common bile duct stone, submucosal tumor in the duodenum, PBM, and abnormal findings in the intrahepatic bile ducts. After the common bile duct stone was removed by endoscopic intervention, the patient underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, resection of the duodenal submucosal tumor, and liver biopsy. Pathological examination revealed chronic cholecystitis, GIST of the duodenum, and chronic inflammation of the intrahepatic bile ducts. This is the first case report of the rare coexistence of GIST and PBM in a patient with NF1.
This paper deals with a manipulator interconnected by an arbitrary number of modules, each with a flexible slewing link and a flexible deployable link. This manipulator has several inherent advantages compared to a manipulator connected by rotational joints. The two main ones are that integration of modules leads to a variable geometry manipulator with favorable obstacle avoidance and redundancy characteristics, and that there are no singular positions as in the revolute type manipulator. The equations of motion of the manipulator are derived from Lagrange's equations for the quasicoordinates using the elastic deformation modes orthogonal to the translational displacements. The total amount of calculation for the control torque is proportional to the number of links. Finally, to verify the validity of the derived equation and the computer program, the conservation of energy in a few dynamics problems is checked numerically.
D. M. K. Siddeswara, K. R. Vishnu Mahesh2∗, S. C. Sharma, M. Mylarappa, H. Nagabhushana, K. S. Ananthraju, H. P. Nagaswarupa, S. C. Prashantha, N. Raghavendra Department of Chemistry Jyothy Institute of Technology, Bengaluru-560082, Karnataka, India Department of Chemistry, Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Kumara Swamy Layout, Bengaluru, 560078, Karnataka, India Department of Mechanical Engineering, DSCE, Provost, Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore, 560078, India Research Center, Department of Chemistry, AMC Engineering College, Bengaluru-83, Karnatak,India Prof. C. N. R. Rao Centre for Advanced Materials, Tumkur University, Tumkur, 572 103, India Research Center, 4Department of Science and Humanities, EWIT, Bengaluru-91, India CMRTU, RV College of Engineering, Bangalore-59, India ∗vishnumaheshkr@gmail.com
RATIONALE Research on disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) has shown that an imbalance in the levels of specific endogenous neurotransmitters may underlie certain CNS diseases. These alterations in neurotransmitter levels may provide insight into pathophysiology, but can also serve as disease and pharmacodynamic biomarkers. To measure these potential biomarkers in vivo, the relevant sample matrix is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is in equilibrium with the brain's interstitial fluid and circulates through the ventricular system of the brain and spinal cord. Accurate analysis of these potential biomarkers can be challenging due to low CSF sample volume, low analyte levels, and potential interferences from other endogenous compounds.   METHODS A protocol has been established for effective method development of bioanalytical assays for endogenous compounds in CSF. Database searches and standard-addition experiments are employed to qualify sample preparation and specificity of the detection thus evaluating accuracy and precision.   RESULTS This protocol was applied to the study of the histaminergic neurotransmitter system and the analysis of histamine and its metabolite 1-methylhistamine in rat CSF.   CONCLUSIONS The protocol resulted in a specific and sensitive novel method utilizing pre-column derivatization ultra high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC/MS/MS), which is also capable of separating an endogenous interfering compound, identified as taurine, from the analytes of interest.
Introduction Mobile health (mHealth) applications may improve timely access to health services and improve patient-provider communication, but the upfront costs of implementation may be prohibitive, especially in resource-limited settings. Methods We measured the costs of developing and implementing an mHealth-facilitated, home-based strategy for tuberculosis (TB) contact investigation in Kampala, Uganda, between February 2014 and July 2017. We compared routine implementation involving community health workers (CHWs) screening and referring household contacts to clinics for TB evaluation to home-based HIV testing and sputum collection and transport with test results delivered by automated short messaging services (SMS). We carried out key informant interviews with CHWs and asked them to complete time-and-motion surveys. We estimated program costs from the perspective of the Ugandan health system, using top-down and bottom-up (components-based) approaches. We estimated total costs per contact investigated and per TB-positive contact identified in 2018 US dollars, one and five years after program implementation. Results The total top-down cost was $472,327, including $358,504 (76%) for program development and $108,584 (24%) for program implementation. This corresponded to $320-$348 per household contact investigated and $8,873-$9,652 per contact diagnosed with active TB over a 5-year period. CHW time was spent primarily evaluating household contacts who returned to the clinic for evaluation (median 30 minutes per contact investigated, interquartile range [IQR]: 30–70), collecting sputum samples (median 29 minutes, IQR: 25–30) and offering HIV testing services (median 28 minutes, IQR: 17–43). Cost estimates were sensitive to infrastructural capacity needs, program reach, and the epidemiological yield of contact investigation. Conclusion Over 75% of all costs of the mHealth-facilitated TB contact investigation strategy were dedicated to establishing mHealth infrastructure and capacity. Implementing the mHealth strategy at scale and maintaining it over a longer time horizon could help decrease development costs as a proportion of total costs.
Quasiballistic heat transfer occurs when there is a temperature gradient over length scales comparable to phonon mean free paths (MFPs). This regime has been of interest recently because observation of quasiballistic transport can lead to useful information about phonon MFPs, knowledge of which is essential for engineering nanoscale thermal effects. Here, we use the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) to understand how observations of quasiballistic transport can yield information about MFPs. We solve the transient, one-dimensional, frequency-dependent BTE for a double-layer structure of a metal film on a substrate, the same geometry that is used in transient thermoreflectance experiments, using a frequency-dependent interface condition. Our results indicate that phonons with MFPs longer than the thermal penetration depth do not contribute to the measured thermal conductivity, providing a means to probe the MFP distribution. We discuss discrepancies between our simulation and experimental observations which offer opportunities for future investigation.
To improve speech perception for cochlear implant (CI) users, it is essential to improve the transmission of temporal envelopes. The most common speech processors deliver temporal envelopes via the CI using fixed-rate amplitude modulated (AM) pulse trains. Psychophysical studies suggest that rate modulation (RM) and AM are perceived by a shared temporal integration mechanism, but the potential for them to constructively combine to encode temporal envelopes has yet to be explored. In this experiment, a speech processing strategy called amplitude and rate temporal modulation was developed to encode speech temporal envelopes with simultaneous AM and RM. The strategy was tested for perception of clean speech at 60 and 40 dBA, and 60 dBA speech in noise (+10 dB SNR). The amount of RM was varied and the amount of AM was held constant to determine whether the addition of RM could enhance the perception of temporal envelopes and improve speech understanding. At the lowest RM amount, speech scores were poorest for all speech conditions. For 60 dBA clean speech and speech in noise, speech scores were significantly better at the highest RM amounts, suggesting that RM combined with AM can be used to enhance perception of temporal envelopes.
Background: The detection of prodromal Parkinson’s disease (PD) is desirable to test drugs with neuroprotective potential, but will be affected by known disease variations. Objective: To assess the prevalence of four key non-motor prodromal PD markers, and evaluate the sensitivity of case detection when non-motor screening tools for prodromal PD are implemented in an early clinical PD cohort. Methods: Hyposmia (University of Pennsylvania smell identification test ≤15th centile or Sniffin’ Sticks at or ≤10th centile corrected for age and sex), rapid-eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD questionnaire >4), constipation (<1 daily spontaneous bowel motion) and depression (Leeds >6) were recorded in recent onset PD cases, and proposed non-motor screening criteria applied. Results: In 1,719 PD cases, mean age 68.6 years (SD 8.1), 65.5% male, mean disease duration 1.3 years (SD 0.9), 72.2% were hyposmic, 43.3% had RBD, 22.1% depression, and 21.5% constipation. 11.6% of cases had no key non-motor features, 38.8% one, 32.1% two, 15.5% three, and 2.0% all four. Increasing numbers of non-motor features were associated with younger age (p = 0.019), higher motor scores (p < 0.001), more postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) (p < 0.001), greater cognitive impairment (p < 0.001) and higher total non-motor burden (p < 0.001). Cases with hyposmia alone were younger (p < 0.001), had less severe cognitive (p = 0.006) and other non-motor features (p < 0.001). All screening criteria selected younger patients (p = 0.001, p < 0.001), three of four greater overall non-motor burden (p = 0.005, p < 0.001), and inclusion of RBD more cognitive impairment (p = 0.003, p = 0.001) and PIGD (p = 0.004, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Varying sensitivity levels, and age and phenotype selectivity, are found when different non-motor screening methods to detect prodromal PD are applied to an early clinical PD cohort.
readers with a specialist interest in the area a half-page specimen of such translations as Leijdecker's would have been more illuminating than any amount of discussion of its worth by others. The book is accordingly less geared to the interests of the language specialist than is usual with books on Indonesia issued in the Verhandelingen series. In his introduction the author draws attention to certain shortcomings of his book, including a European bias and Dutch orientation, both made inevitable by the nature of the available sources and indeed by the nature of the activities being described. He also anticipates that the modern reader may feel some condemnation for the somewhat colonial carryings-on of the Dutch missionaries of the last century, who were by no means immune from the superiority complexes with which most Europeans of that era viewed Indonesians. The author is himself a Bible translator j in this work therefore he is writing with personal experience about predecessors in his own field. Its greatest value lies in the interesting light it throws on the lives and personalities of the earlier Bible translators, many of whom were pioneers in their particular languages, and whose names are well known from their dictionaries or studies of language. He spices the narrative with anecdotes (which he likens to the sambal which goes with Indonesian food). Such well-known names as G. H. Werndly, J. P. C. Gerioke, B. F. Matthes, H. C. Klinkert, and S. Coolsma testify to the importance of the support given by the Netherlands Bible Society to the early studies of Indonesian languages by foreigners. In the middle of the century it was the only organization undertaking research into Indonesian languages other than Javanese and Malay. One personality stands out from all the others, an eccentric individualist named Herman Neubronner van der Tuuk (1824r-94). He was a remarkable scholar, showing his brilliance while he was still a student at Leiden; he helped lay the foundations for the study of e.g. Batak and comparative linguistics of the languages of the region, besides making significant contributions to the investigation of Malay, Balinese, Javanese, Lampung, and other regional languages. This cantankerous genius had a caustic wit; (he once observed that to call Leijdeeker's language ' High Malay' ' was in a certain sense justified, since it was above the head equally of the native and the European'). He engaged in numerous disputes, epistolary and other. It is not uncharacteristic of him that after he had been in the service of the Bible Society for many years the question arose as to whether he was in fact a believing Christian. It says much for the system under which he worked that he had evidently never been directly taxed on this point; at all events, when direct allegations were made the Council wisely decided (but only after two hours of discussion and some no doubt agonizing thought) that the terms of van der Tuuk's engagement did not provide for investigation of his beliefs and the matter was allowed to drop. However, in 1873 he transferred to the civil service, and spent the last two decades of his life in very productive scholarly work in Bali. This is a carefully researched and documented book. Reproductions are given of titleor specimen pages of six early books; photographs are included of nine of the scholars discussed. An annotated index of persons makes this a useful reference to some of the nineteenth-century scholars in the Indonesian field.
Goethe and the Earlier Chemical Journals        Two hundred years ago the german “Allgemeines Journal der Chemie” was founded by the Bergrat Scherer from Weimar. His redaction was situated in the castle Belvedere. Goethe was a promoter of this chemist und editor. The concept of this journal, the citations of Goethe and his works in the following “Journal fur Chemie und Physik”, edited by Schweigger, and the interests of Goethe as reader also on Crells oldest chemical journal from 1778 are described in detail.
One of the serious obstacles to the applications of speech emotion recognition systems in real-life settings is the lack of generalization of the emotion classifiers. Many recognition systems often present a dramatic drop in performance when tested on speech data obtained from different speakers, acoustic environments, linguistic content, and domain conditions. In this letter, we propose a novel unsupervised domain adaptation model, called Universum autoencoders, to improve the performance of the systems evaluated in mismatched training and test conditions. To address the mismatch, our proposed model not only learns discriminative information from labeled data, but also learns to incorporate the prior knowledge from unlabeled data into the learning. Experimental results on the labeled Geneva Whispered Emotion Corpus database plus other three unlabeled databases demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method when compared to other domain adaptation methods.
In 1924 the German National Railway Company (Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft-DRG) was created in the wake of the Dawes plan to ensure that Germany paid its war debts. Under the political pressure of the Western allies, a private corporation was pushed through to operate the national German railways. Alongside cuts in personnel and downsizing of social rights, a number of re-engineering measures were to ensure the required solvency. Important impulses towards modernising the German railway system were thus received from abroad, mainly from the USA. The re-engineering measures taken with DRG largely covered three areas. One of the most important reforms was the development of a cost allocation system. Largely due to the introduction of through pneumatic braking systems for freight trains, significant savings in human resources could be achieved in operations and traffic sections. The outcome of applying standards in the workshops and assembly line production was a noteworthy rise in productivity. Nevertheless the processes involved in re-engineering were not effected on a continuous basis. A conservative attitude and a certain inertia thwarted the installation of modern commercial book-keeping. The lack of capital and a surplus of vehicles hindered the introduction of a new, totally standardised generation of locomotives. Often DRG restricted itself to improvisation or to measures which called for little capital investment. Nevertheless, during the years between 1924 and 1929, DRG was able to step up productivity to over twenty percent. It is, however, true to say that there was hardly any real increase compared to pre-war levels; the deterioration due to the war was merely made good. Compared, however, to the pre-war period, per capita personnel costs more than doubled. Corporate re-engineering was unable to cope with this cost explosion, so that DRG had no alternative but neglect investment for the innovation of vehicles or premises.
By using the first order Melnikov function method with multiple parameters presented in [Han & Xiong, 2014], we prove that [Formula: see text] limit cycles can bifurcate from the quadratic reversible center [Formula: see text] under [Formula: see text]th degree polynomial perturbations for [Formula: see text]. Our result in this paper improves the existing lower bound on the maximal number of limit cycles bifurcating from quadratic reversible centers inside the polynomial differential systems of degree [Formula: see text] which is 4 (resp., [Formula: see text]) when [Formula: see text] (resp., [Formula: see text]).
A full-sky Hα map with 6′ (FWHM) resolution is presented. This map is a composite of the Virginia Tech Spectral line Survey (VTSS) in the north and the Southern H-Alpha Sky Survey Atlas (SHASSA) in the south. The Wisconsin H-Alpha Mapper (WHAM) survey provides a stable zero point over 3/4 of the sky on a 1° scale. This composite map can be used to provide limits on thermal bremsstrahlung (free-free emission) from ionized gas known to contaminate microwave-background data. The map is available on the World Wide Web for public use.
Abstract A primitive-equation fine mesh limited-area barotropic model has been integrated using time steps of 0.5 hr. The increased time step possible and the reduction in computation time are due to the implicit treatment of the terms governing gravity waves in the difference equations. Comparative integrations of the semi-implicit model and an explicit model show only minor differences in a 24-hr forecast, but the former achieves a time advantage of 3.5:1.
Metaloxide thin ﬁlms were deposited on tilted-axes NdGaO 3 substrates (TAS NGO) by pulsed laser deposition. A speciﬁc growth mode resulting in an inclination between crystallographic planes of the top layer and that of the bottom layer was commonly observed. A simple geometrical growth model, taking into account faceting of the surface of the bottom layer, explains the observed dependencies well. The matching of the top and the bottom layer is essentially three dimensional, with graphoepitaxial matching in the substrate plane. The three-dimensional graphoepitaxial (3DGE) growth mechanism seems to be quite common for deposition on TAS with tilt angles more than 5°. It was observed for eight of ten studied combinations of materials, including multilayer heterostructures, for four different deposition techniques, and on substrates with different predeposition treatment. The 3DGE growth was observed both with increase and decrease of the top layer tilt angle compared to the tilt angle of the bottom layer. Two different 3DGE dependencies can be distinguished in the high-angle range ( > 15 ◦ ): with a tendency towards standard growth above some threshold angle, and retaining 3DGE behavior until a tilt angle of 45° is reached, either by the top or by the bottom layer. In a simpliﬁed way the difference may be attributed to two different formation mechanisms: the ﬁrst one generates the additional tilt when the growing grain overgrows another grain, seeded on the next step on the substrate surface, while for the second mechanism the inclination is formed when the grain is seeded over the step. The ﬁrst type is better described by a tangent angular dependence, it is observed usually when a compressive strain is induced in the top layer. The second type follows a sine dependence, and is usually seen for a tensile-strained top layer.
Abstract Background Scaphoid excision and limited intercarpal fusion is a common surgical procedure performed for degenerative disorders of the wrist including scapholunate advanced collapse (SLAC) and scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse (SNAC) wrist deformities. Postoperative screw migration is a rare but devastating complication that can result in severe degenerative changes in the radiocarpal joint. Questions/Purposes The purpose of this study is to report on a series of patients who developed proximal migration of their hardware following limited intercarpal fusions with headless compression screws. Patients and Methods Four patients were identified between 2001 and 2012 who were indicated for and underwent scaphoid excision and midcarpal fusions with headless compression screw fixation and subsequently developed hardware migration with screw protrusion into the radiocarpal joint. Detailed chart review was performed. Results Mean age at surgery was 64 years (57–69 years). All patients had the diagnosis of SLAC wrist. Mean time to detection of failure was 6 months (4–8 months). All patients demonstrated radiographic union prior to failure based on plain films. Radiographs revealed screw backout with erosion of the radial lunate facet in all patients. Calculated carpal height ratios demonstrated a drop from an average 44.2% to 39.5% at the time of hardware migration. All four patients underwent hardware removal. One patient was not indicated for any further surgery, and two patients underwent further revision surgery. All three patients reported complete pain relief. One patient refused a salvage procedure and had subsequent persistent pain. Conclusions This study reports a serious complication of scaphoid excision and midcarpal fusion performed with headless compression screws. We advise surgeons to be aware of this potential complication and consider employing methods to reduce the risk of hardware migration. Additionally, we recommend at least 8 months of clinical and radiographic follow-up postoperatively to enable early intervention if necessary. Level of Evidence Level IV, therapeutic study.
1. Introduction: Culture, Values and Ethics in Social Work and Human Services 2. The Implications of Culture for Social Work and Human Services 3. Professionalism and Ethics in Social Work and Human Services 4. Universal Values and Ethics 5. Cultural Difference in Values and Ethics 6. Pluralism and Ethics in Social Work and Human Services 7. Religion, Spirituality, Values and Ethics: Implications for Social Work and Human Services 8. Ethical Pluralism and the Democratic Urge 9. The Paradox of Value Difference and Ethical Pluralism 10. Embracing Diversity: Shared Humanity and Cultural Difference?
A NEW coefficient of humidity, in which an attempt has been made to express soil-moisture conditions, toward a surplus or deficiency of water, by a numerical figure, has recently been set forth by Anders Angstr6m. Because soil moisture is seldom measured directly, Angstr6m believes it is justifiable to deduce the desired data from current meteorological observations. He shows that the moisture condition of the soil may be related to the intensity of rainfall, which in turn is related to the monthly amount and to the monthly mean temperature. From these data he derives a coefficient from the formula = N * I.07', in which t is the time during which precipitation occurred in units of a hundred minutes, N is the monthly rainfall in millimeters, and t is the mean monthly temperature in degrees centigrade. The coefficient, therefore, is proportionate to the duration of precipitation and is considered as effective, in general, in storing soil moisture, over wide homogeneous areas where there is little altitudinal difference, as the total amount of rainfall. With due caution, Angstr6m warns that the coefficient may be meaningless for very cold climates and for high altitudes, particularly within an area where there is a marked altitudinal difference within a short distance. For stations at low altitudes, where there is little or no orographic rainfall, this humidity coefficient expresses general and relative moisture availability in a true manner. Further, it has advantages over Lang's' coefficient, which is the ratio of the precipitation of the year to the sum of the mean temperatures for the frost-free months divided by twelve; and it is superior to De Martonne's2 coefficient, which reaches zero at -IO? C. However, Angstr6m's and De Martonne's coefficients are closely parallel between o0 C. and I50 C. when De Martonne's is multiplied by a reduction factor of IO. Included in Angstr6m's paper are two maps, for January and July, of northwestern Europe and the adjacent North Atlantic, on which only the general pattern of moisture distribution is given. Wishing to test this coefficient in another area, the writers have constructed January and July maps of the United States, using data from the Climatic Summaries published by the Weather Bureau. Coefficients for 548 stations were computed, and the isopleths were drawn (Figs. i and 2). The isopleths have been smoothed somewhat, less over flat country than in rugged areas.
Direct participation in hostilities and membership in an organized armed group are contested and controversial concepts. Recent developments in military and legal doctrine suggest that a more practicable account may supplement the valuable work of the ICRC in its Interpretive Guidance on Direct Participation in Hostilities in order to guide target analysis in the unconventional and civilianized operational environment of contemporary non-international conflicts. The purpose of this article is to extrapolate criminal law models of accessorial liability and co-perpetration in order to elucidate the concepts of direct participation in hostilities and membership in an organized armed group. What is proposed is an intelligenceled framework for target analysis that is grounded in military doctrine and based on a mixture of objective and subjective criteria derived from criminal law. This can foster a better understanding of the social dynamic that sustains on-going fighting which limits the scope for arbitrary and erroneous targeting decisions in doubtful situations.
Rising temperatures and ozone levels are among the most striking stressful phenomena of global climate changes, and they threaten plants that are unable to react rapidly and efficiently. Generic responses of plants to stresses include the production of excess reactive oxygen species (ROS). Excessive ROS accumulation can lead to extensive oxidation of important components such as nucleic acids, proteins and lipids which can further exacerbate ROS accumulation leading to programmed cell death. Although most studies on plant antioxidants have focused on non-volatile compounds, volatiles belonging to the isoprenoid family have been implicated in the protection against abiotic stresses, in particular thermal and oxidative stress whose frequency and extent is being exacerbated by ongoing global change and anthropogenic pollution. Historically, research has focused on isoprene, demonstrating that isoprene-emitting plants are more tolerant to ozone exposure and heat stress, reducing ROS accumulation. Yet, evidence is being compiled that shows other volatile isoprenoids may be involved in plant responses against abiotic stresses. Grapevines are not isoprene emitters but some varieties produce other volatile isoprenoids such as monoterpenes. We investigated photosynthesis and emission of volatile organic compounds upon heat stress in two Vitis vinifera cv. ‘Chardonnay’ clones differing only for a mutation in the DXS gene (2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway), regulating volatile isoprenoid biosynthesis. We showed that the mutation led to a strong increase in monoterpene emission upon heat stress. At the same time, maximum photochemical quantum yield (Fv/Fm ratio) of PSII was affected by the stress in the non-emitting clone while the monoterpene emitter showed a significant resilience, thus indicating a possible antioxidant role of monoterpenes in grapevine. Future mechanistic studies should focus on unveiling the actual mechanism responsible for such findings.
This paper presents results of investigations of the test setup for conducted emission measurements in the frequency rang from 150 kHz to 30 MHz according to CISPR 14:1993 and EN 55014:1993, respectively. It is addressed to EMC test engineers to give them an idea how slight variations in the test setup can affect the measurement results and increase the measurement uncertainty. The investigations were performed by using a real EUT, namely a gas heating device with a repetitive ignition unit which produces broadband disturbances. Furthermore a comparison of a type A and type B evaluation of the measurement uncertainty is presented. The obtained results confirm that the human factor as well as some degrees of freedom in the standards are sources of measurement uncertainty.
This paper proposes a simplied fast method to estimate the head pose in monocular images. The head pose is estimated comparing the position of the landmark points localized in the face, which correspond to pre-selected points of a 3D face model. To localize these points on a face image (such as the eyes, mouth and nose) we use Active Shape Models. These points are detected in the 2D space, and next the 3D face model is adjusted by geometric transformations to the 2D points on the face image to estimate the head angular position in the 3D space. Our preliminary experimental results are encouraging, since they show that our simplied approach has a competitive accuracy when compared to more sophisticated methods available in the literature.
A series of derivatives of the known thromboxane A2 prostanoid (TP) receptor antagonists, 3-(6-((4-chlorophenyl)sulfonamido)-5,6,7,8-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)propanoic acid and 3-(3-(2-((4-chlorophenyl)sulfonamido)ethyl)phenyl) propanoic acid, were synthesized in which the carboxylic acid functional group was replaced with substituted cyclopentane-1,3-dione (CPD) bioisosteres. Characterization of these molecules led to the discovery of remarkably potent new analogues, some of which were considerably more active than the corresponding parent carboxylic acid compounds. Depending on the choice of the C2 substituent of the CPD unit, these new derivatives can produce either a reversible or an apparent irreversible inhibition of the human TP receptor. Given the potency and the long-lasting inhibition of TP receptor signaling, these novel antagonists may comprise promising leads for the development of antithromboxane therapies.
A lidar for measuring fluorescence from atmospheric aerosols was constructed with a third harmonic Nd:YAG laser, a 1- m diameter telescope, and a 32-channel time-resolved photon counting spectrometer system. Fluorescence of aerosols in the spectral range from 420 nm to 510 nm was studied with the excitation at 355 nm. The distribution of fluorescent aerosols was studied in the time-height indications of the broad fluorescence. Type of the aerosols was identified from simultaneous observation with a polarization lidar in the Asian dust and aerosol observation lidar network (AD-Net). It was found that Asian dust and air-pollution aerosols transported from urban or industrial areas emit fluorescence. Fluorescence efficiency was roughly estimated for these aerosols. The results suggest fluorescence measurements combined with the measurement of microphysical parameters of aerosols using a multiple-wavelength Raman lidar or high-spectral-resolution lidar will provide useful information for characterizing chemical properties of aerosols.
Abstract This paper develops a measure of the contribution of biodiversity in enhancing ecosystem performance that is subject to environmental fluctuation. The analysis draws from an ecological model that relates high phenotypic variance with lower short‐term productivity (due to the presence of suboptimal species) and higher long‐term productivity (due to better ability to respond to environmental fluctuations). This feature, which is a notable extension to existing economic‐ecological models of biodiversity, enables assessment of the interactions between diversity and a range of environmental fluctuations to highlight that biodiversity could be rendered economically disadvantageous when environmental fluctuation is insufficient. The resulting economic‐ecological model generates discounted present value of harvests for an ecosystem with diverse set of species. This value is compared with the harvest value of a similar economic‐ecological model with no diversity and that of an ecosystem where the dynamics of phenotypes in response to environmental fluctuations is disregarded. The results show that diversity positively contributes to the performance of ecosystems subject to sufficiently large environmental fluctuation. In addition, neglecting an ecosystem's increasing ability to adapt to match environmental conditions is also shown to be more costly than having no diversity in an otherwise identical ecosystem.
Background/Aims: We aimed to explore whether thyroid function within a normal range is associated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a large Chinese population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study that included 10,859 euthyroid individuals who underwent an annual regular health checkup in Jiangsu Province Official Hospital between August 2012 and August 2013. We measured the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) levels using a Roche modular analytics E170 and then calculated the eGFR using the Chinese modified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (CMDRD) equation. Results: In multiple linear regression models, TSH was negatively associated with eGFR after adjusting for confounding factors (β = -0.072, P = 1.994×10-22). The significance remained in both males and females. No significant association was observed between FT4 and eGFR. In the logistic regression model, we did not observe significant associations of TSH or FT3 with CKD. Participants in the highest quartile of FT4 versus the lowest quartile (reference) had an increased risk of CKD (OR = 1.763, P = 0.012). The risk of CKD was more pronounced in females with the highest quartile of FT4 (OR = 2.424, P = 0.029). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that TSH is associated with eGFR in euthyroid individuals and that higher FT4 is associated with an increased risk of CKD. More cohort studies are warranted to confirm whether the association is causal.
There is only a few reports on the laparoscopic adrenalectomy in the world, especially in the urological field. This paper presents recent experience of this method for a case of Cushing's syndrome with successful result, which may be the first report in the surgical field. A 23-year-old single woman with Cushing's syndrome having a 2.7 cm right adrenal adenoma underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy on November 4, 1992. Five trocars (four 11-mm and one 5-mm trocars) were introduced into the right flank in about 60 degree of left lateral position. With lifting up to the right lobe of the liver, the adrenal mass was easily observed. After the adrenal vessels were carefully exposed and clipped, the tissue was set into the “endopouch” and pull out. Operative blood loss was only 20 grams and operative time was 2 hours and 41 minutes. Postoperative course was uneventful and she was discharged from the hospital on the eighth postoperative day. This approach has more advantages that allows rapid recovery and avoid large surgical wound in comparison with the transabdominal or the lumbar approach. So we emphasize that this approach should be more taken for the adrenal surgery.
The NBS laser scanner has been used to make measurements on the solar cell test pattern, NBS-22, to verify the theoretical calculations of Sawyer, Lehovec, and Fedotowski. The photovoltaic response from cells with controlled sheet resistance step changes and breaks in the metallization contact to the cell was measured and compared to the theoretical predictions. Laser scanner limits of resolution were identified and proposed improvements were discussed. Preliminary measurements indicate that it is possible to measure the sheet resistance of the emitter layer of solar cells with an accuracy of several percent, using the laser scanner.
In search of a rapid, low-cost, and solution-phase detection technique for explosives, the (spectro-)electrochemistry of compounds from two major non-aromatic classes, namely nitramines (RDX and HMX) and nitrate esters (PETN and the plastic explosive composite Semtex 1A) in acetonitrile (AN) is reported. In electrochemical screening, 5 µg of explosive material was detectable is 10 s by multi-component cyclic voltammetric (CV) analysis on unmodified glassy carbon under ubiquitous environmental influences (i.e. trace water and dissolved oxygen). The explosives were identified with high recoveries under a battery of proof-of-concept testing scenarios in various matrices. In AN containing naturally dissolved oxygen (approx. 2 mM), the superoxide radical is co-electrogenerated during analyte reduction. Free superoxide yields prominent signals that the explosives attenuate quantitatively. To gain further insight into the electrochemical transformation mechanism, spectroelectrochemistry was employed to monitor changes in UV absorbance during CV and identify transient intermediates and product species, which could be targeted by future chemical sensors. Overlapping UV spectra of multiple species are deconvoluted using a new strategy, spectral regional baselining, for time- and potential-resolved spectroelectrochemical (SEC) analysis. This study shows that dissolved oxygen, hitherto an interferent purposefully removed from solution, can be exploited advantageously in electrochemical sensing. The work expands our understanding of high-explosive solution-phase chemistry and offers a novel route to signal transduction for the sensing of energetic materials.
In this paper, we propose the development of an underwater virtual reality (VR) system for scuba training. The aim is to enable scuba students to experience an arbitrary underwater environment and enable training using VR technology in limited water environments such as a pool or shallow water. Using this system, scuba training, which can currently only be done by hands-on training, can be reproduced through a VR experience in a pool. This system consists of a cable-connected PC-HMD (UWHMD: Underwater Wired Head Mounted Display) that can be used underwater and a motion capture system. According to the pilot test, it was confirmed that position tracking was successful at widths of about 2.25 m, lengths of about 3.0 m, and depths of about 1.3m.
The research aims to develop environmental ethics and intelligence among Preparatory Stages Pupils through designing an Enrichment Program Based On Problem Centered Learning Strategy and measuring its effectiveness. a list of environmental ethics and intelligence skills should be developed to pupils in preparatory stage pupils and designing the enrichment program included (20 an enriching activity.. Environmental Ethics scale was designed which included (36 items), and Environmental intelligence scale which included (24 items).The research Tools was applied pre application of the program on the experimental group. The program was applied on an experimental group (40 pupil), then the research Tools was applied post application. The results pointed out, there was a statistically significant difference among the middle-grades pupils in the experimental group in environmental ethics scalebefore the applying of treatment and beyond for the post application. There was a statistically significant difference among the middle-grades pupils in the experimental group scores measure student performance in environmental intelligence before applying the treatment and beyond for the post application. The research recommended the necessity of applying the enrichment Program to develop environmental ethics and Intelligence among preparatory stage pupils and involving environmental ethics and intelligence skills on various curricula. Key words: environmental ethics- Environmental intelligence - Problem Centered Learning Strategy - Enrichment Program.
Australia's science minister Kim Carr has appointed physical scientists to key posts. Penny Sackett, an astronomer, takes over as the government's chief scientist this month, while in January geologist Megan Clark will become chief executive of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the county's largest research agency. Both five-year appointments have been welcomed by researchers.
The 26S proteasome is a multi-subunit ATP-dependent protease responsible for degrading most short-lived intracellular proteins targeted for breakdown by ubiquitin conjugation. The complex is composed of two relatively stable subparticles, the 20S proteasome, a hollow cylindrical structure which contains the proteolytic active sites in its lumen, and the 19S regulatory particle (RP) which binds to either end of the cylinder and provides the ATP-dependence and the specificity for ubiquitinated proteins. Among the approximately 18 subunits of the RP from yeast and animals are a set of six proteins, designated RPT1-6 for regulatory particle triple-A ATPase, that form a distinct family within the AAA superfamily. Presumably, these subunits use ATP hydrolysis to help assemble the 26S holocomplex, recognize and unfold appropriate substrates, and/or translocate the substrates to the 20S complex for degradation. Here, we describe the RPT gene family from Arabidopsis thaliana. From a collection of cDNAs and genomic sequences, a family of genes encoding all six of the RPT subunits was identified with significant amino acid sequence similarity to their yeast and animal counterparts. Five of the six RPT sub- units are encoded by two genes; the exception being RPT3 which is encoded by a single gene. mRNA for each of the six proteins is present in all tissue types examined. Five of the subunits (RPT1 and 3-6) complemented yeast mutants missing their respective orthologs, indicating that the yeast and Arabidopsis proteins are functionally equivalent. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the RP, like the 20S proteasome, is functionally and structurally conserved among eukaryotes and indicate that the plant RPT subunits, like their yeast counterparts, have non-redundant functions.
Over a period of 4 days 12 colostomized laying hens daily received 36 g coarse wheat meal containing 14.37 atom-% 15N excess (15N') together with a conventional ration. After the homogenisation of each oviduct N and 15N' were determined. After the precipitation with TCA the 15N' of the amino acids was analysed in both the precipitate and the supernatant. In addition, the free amino acids and the peptides were determined in the TCA soluble fraction. The atom-% 15N' in the total N and in the non-basic amino acid N showed a parallel decrease; it diminished from 1.75 atom-% 15N' to 0.64. Of the three basic amino acids, lysine shows the lowest labelling at all four measuring points. The quotas of non-basic amino acid 14N and 15N' in the total 14N and 15N' of the oviduct are the same and amount to 53%. In contrast to this, the quota of the 14N of the basic amino acids in the total 14N of the oviduct only amounts to 21.6% and that of 15N' only to 15.4%. The average atom-% 15N' of the free amino acids 12 h after the last 15N application is 1.54 and is considerably above that of the peptides with 1.15 atom-% 15N'. 36 h after the last 15N application the ascertained value of 1.25 is identical in both fractions. The labelling of the free amino acids decreases more quickly than that of the peptides the more time has passed after the last 15N application.
Using a model followed in earlier research, corre lations were computed between undergraduate and graduate grade-point averages as well as between these and standard graduate and professional school tests. Approximately 1200 law school stu dents constituted a professional school sample and another 1200 students in mathematics, physics, and chemistry constituted a graduate school sample. Earlier findings were replicated. In addition, it is shown that both graduate and professional school grades form simplex matrices and that early grades are more highly predictable from aptitude tests than later grades. There is evidence for a single simplex matrix extending through the four under graduate and three post-graduate years only in the law school sample. There are two separate simplex matrices for the two levels in the graduate school sample. Correlations between test scores and under graduate grades are biased to very low values in the professional school sample by a compensatory selec tion system, but both aptitude and achievement tests are clearly more highly correlated with fresh- man than with senior grades in the graduate school sample. In this sample, however, the advanced test in the discipline is more highly correlated with first year graduate grades than with senior grades. These data suggest that the first year in a new aca demic learning situation represents a greater intel lectual challenge than subsequent years.
A dermatopathologist can only make a specific diagnosis based on the presence of defined histologic criteria. Most cases encountered in routine practice show enough criteria on standard examination to reach an unequivocal diagnosis. Sometimes further steps must be taken, such as cutting deeper levels or using special stains, to clarify uncertainties. Occasionally the final histologic diagnosis must remain uncertain or borderline. This most frequently occurs in the assessment of melanocytic lesions.    There is no single diagnostic criterion for the histologic diagnosis of melanoma. “Criteria are evaluated differently by different observers. They are derived from typical, not difficult cases, and are seldom tested. In sum, none of the criteria useful for the diagnosis of melanoma are specific and diagnostic . . .” [1].    A series of architectural and cytological criteria are listed (Table 1) [2] and these criteria would apply to the majority of melanomas encountered in routine dermatopathology practice, but the quantity or quality required to make a diagnosis are not defined. It is accepted that melanomas, as with all malignant tumours, evolve over time and the rate of growth has been measured in one study [3]. Currently, few very small melanomas are diagnosed [4,5]. The increased use of dermatoscopy and digital monitoring should lead to more small melanomas being encountered [6]. What is not known is how commonly these very small melanomas, at the ‘infantile’ stage of Ackerman’s analogy, lack sufficient criteria to make the diagnosis of melanoma. It seems reasonable to speculate that such lesions exist. This leads us to pose the question, “Can melanomas be diagnosed earlier by adding information from history and dermatoscopy to the findings at histopathology?” and we present the case that led us to consider these matters.        TABLE 1    Histologic criteria for the diagnosis of malignant melanoma (after Ackerman) (Table 32.4, Weedon’s Skin Pathology[2].)          Case report  A 51-year-old man with a history of five previously treated melanomas was referred for a skin examination. Two lesions were identified as clinically and dermatoscopically suspicious for melanoma and were excised. They were both subsequently signed out as melanomas, one (on the back) invasive and one (on the calf) in-situ. As he was rising from the operating table the patient indicated a 2 mm pigmented lesion on his face (Figure 1). He stated that he had been thinking about the doctor’s earlier question about whether he had noticed any new or changing skin lesions and he stated that he had only been aware of this lesion for two weeks. He was quite certain about this and stated that this was because of his heightened awareness of his risk for melanoma based on his past history.        Figure 1    Clinical and close-up image of a (reportedly new) 2 mm pigmented skin lesion on the face of a 51-year-old man. [Copyright: ©2012 Rosendahl et al.]        Dermatoscopic assessment (Figure 2) revealed a brown structureless lesion with several discrete gray circles, some complete and some incomplete (asymmetrically pigmented). Gray structures, and more specifically gray circles, have been described as a clue to melanoma [7,8] correlating with extension of melanin-containing melanoma cells down hair follicles, and asymmetrically pigmented follicular openings are described as a clue to lentigo maligna [9]. Furthermore it has been recommended that the presence of any dermatoscopic gray structures on the face should lead to a biopsy [6].        Figure 2    A dermatoscopic image reveals the presence of gray circles (three of which are indicated by arrows). [Copyright: ©2012 Rosendahl et al.]        An excision biopsy was performed and histologic examination (Figures 3–5) revealed a melanocytic proliferation including areas with a lentiginous array of single melanocytes as well as some nesting at the tips of rete ridges, with some melanocytes, although small, exhibiting pleomorphic and hyperchromatic nuclei. There was a very focally confluent proliferation of single melanocytes extending down two follicles.        Figure 3    Low power view of the pigmented skin lesion illustrated above showing a melanocytic proliferation with some lentiginous array of single melanocytes as well as nesting. On the left a lentiginous array of single melanocytes extending down a hair follicle ...            Figure 5    Higher power view of focally confluent lentiginous single melanocytes extending into the superficial part of a follicle. [Copyright: ©2012 Rosendahl et al.]          The reporting pathologist (author DW) was unable to make a diagnosis of melanoma based on currently accepted criteria. This was not based on the absence of any criteria for melanoma but rather on an insufficient degree of cytological and architectural atypia. The pathologist did agree that there were certain apparent inconsistencies with the alternative diagnosis of nevus:      A new (macular) junctional nevus is uncommon on the central part of the face at mature age. (Personal observation by author DW.)      Although it is seen occasionally, extension down a follicle is uncommon in a non-congenital-type nevus. (Personal observation by author DW.)          However a diagnosis of “atypical nevus” was issued and this was confirmed by another senior pathologist at the same institution.
The Competition Act, 2002, radically altered merger control in Ireland, removing political involvement and assigning responsibility for reviewing mergers to an independent agency, the Competition Authority. This paper reviews the first 5 years of this new regime. The reform has increased transparency and made competition the sole criteria for the evaluation of mergers. There is evidence that most mergers notified have no competitive effect within Ireland, suggesting that the legislation is too broad in scope. Although relatively few notified mergers raised any competition concerns, this paper identifies problems in the Competition Authority's analysis in a number of these cases. The Authority has tended to rely on qualitative rather than quantitative evidence. In some instances, its analysis is inconsistent with economic theory. This applies particularly to its analysis of efficiencies. This paper therefore recommends that the Authority urgently review its merger procedures and introduce additional checks and balances in the merger review process. In addition, it should review its approach to efficiencies. This paper also suggests possible legislative reforms to reduce the number of unnecessary notifications and provide third parties with a right of appeal against decisions by the Authority.
Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan parasite responsible for Chagas' disease, causes severe myocarditis often resulting in death. Here, we report that Slamf1−/− mice, which lack the hematopoietic cell surface receptor Slamf1, are completely protected from an acute lethal parasite challenge. Cardiac damage was reduced in Slamf1−/− mice compared to wild type mice, infected with the same doses of parasites, as a result of a decrease of the number of parasites in the heart even the parasitemia was only marginally less. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments reveal that Slamf1-defIcient myeloid cells are impaired in their ability to replicate the parasite and show altered production of cytokines. Importantly, IFN-γ production in the heart of Slamf1 deficient mice was much lower than in the heart of wt mice even though the number of infiltrating dendritic cells, macrophages, CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes were comparable. Administration of an anti-Slamf1 monoclonal antibody also reduced the number of parasites and IFN-γ in the heart. These observations not only explain the reduced susceptibility to in vivo infection by the parasite, but they also suggest human Slamf1 as a potential target for therapeutic target against T. cruzi infection.
The space of positive Lagrangians in an almost Calabi-Yau manifold is an open set in the space of all Lagrangian submanifolds. A Hamiltonian isotopy class of positive Lagrangians admits a natural Riemannian metric $ Upsilon$, which gives rise to a notion of geodesics. We study geodesics of positive $O_n( mathbb{R})$ invariant Lagrangian spheres in $n$-dimensional $A_m$ Milnor fibers. We show the existence and uniqueness of smooth solutions to the initial value problem and the boundary value problem. In particular, we obtain examples of smooth geodesics of positive Lagrangians in arbitrary dimension. As an application, we show that the Riemannian metric $ Upsilon$ induces a metric space structure on the space of positive $O_n( mathbb{R})$ invariant Lagrangian spheres in the above mentioned Milnor fibers.
Plasmonic structures have been proposed for enhancing light absorption in thin film solar cells, for which insufficient light absorption is a limiting factor for further improvement of efficiency. The optical path of light in the absorber layer of a solar cell is increased due to the enhanced light scattering by plasmonic structures at resonance. This process involves two steps of energy conversion: light-electron and then electron-light. The first step couples optical energy into the kinetic energy of collective electron motions in plasmonic structures, forming oscillating current. This step is easy to implement as long as plasmonic structures are at resonance. The second step releases the energy from electrons to photons. An efficient release of photon energy is a must for solar cell applications and it is dependent on the two competing effects: light scattering and field localization that results in heat loss. Theoretical discussions and simulation work are provided in the paper. The scattering of light by a plasmonic structure is analyzed based on the antenna radiation theory. Three factors are found to be important for the efficiency of a plasmonic light trapping design: the radiation of each unit structure, the array factor and the energy feeding of the structure. An efficient plasmonic light trapping design requires proper considerations of all the three factors.
In this paper, a salient-pole permanent magnet synchronous machine (SPPMSM) is introduced to high-speed trains, taking advantage of its high utilization of the reluctance torque from the unbalanced reactance. Torque characteristics, such as average torque and torque ripple, are rather important and should be carefully concerned during the optimal design of the SPPMSM. Both the eccentric air-gap and the advanced step-skewed rotor (ASSR) design are developed and implemented to reduce the torque ripple for comfort and safety issues. Compared to the conventional step-skewed rotor (CSSR), the ASSR takes advantage of the high utilization of permanent magnets (PMs), which are axial continuous assembled, and the easier manufacture with a single rotor lamination model, which is asymmetrically designed with pole shoes skewed by individual skewing angles. No skewing arrangement is applied to the rotor yoke and the PM chambers. The impacts of the eccentric air-gap and the ASSR on the torque characteristics are comprehensively investigated by finite element analysis. The results show that the proposed technique can significantly reduce the torque ripple with a slight expense of the average torque. Based on the optimal eccentric design, experiments of the SPPMSM with the non-skewed rotor, CSSR, and ASSR under various conditions are carried out to validate the estimated results.
Assessing whether the research we are reading is any good is often a challenge. If we are going to use a study's findings to change how we think and how we practice, we want to have confidence in the findings.  What do you need to look for in qualitative research to show that the study is of high quality? The answer is not straightforward, even though there are many different criteria available for judging qualitative research – Dixon-Woods et al 1 reports there are over 100 proposals for identifying quality in qualitative research. Spencer et al 2 drew on 29 existing frameworks to produce …
Union density and collective bargaining coverage is on a downwards trend in many developed countries, and this is evident in New Zealand. Some suggest this decline is resulting in traditional approaches to collective bargaining being replaced with a more collaborative style. This article empirically explores the nature of collective bargaining and examines the attitudes and behaviours of managerial negotiators, in the New Zealand environment, which has seen unions marginalized then recently afforded some degree of legitimacy. The study supports the traditional vs collaborative dichotomy, and the attitudes and behaviour comprising these styles is consistent with the literature and managerial self-reports.
We present a microscopic theory for the time resolved light emission from a semiconductor quantum dot, interacting with LO-phonons. We investigate the emission properties of the QD under strong external laser powers, leading to strongly correlated electron phonon dynamics. We employ an equation of motion approach, which treats the electron phonon interaction with necessary accuracy far beyond the typical bath approximation. We can describe several new non-equilibrium features, like phonon assisted Mollowtriplets and phonon related anti-crossings, which occur in the spectrum in the strong excitation regime.
The metalorganic molecular‐beam epitaxial growth of ZnSe and ZnS on (100) GaAs has been demonstrated and characterized. Diethylzinc and diethylselenide were used for the ZnSe growth, while for the ZnS growth both hydrogen sulfide and diethylsulfide (DES) were tested as sulfur sources. The dependence of the growth rate on various growth conditions was investigated to clarify the growth mechanism. When group VI alkyls were used as sources, pyrolysis in a cracking cell was required, unlike metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Interesting differences in growth kinetics and in crystallinity between H2S‐based and DES‐based ZnS have been found. Photoluminescence spectra of ZnSe layers measured at 4.2 K showed resolved exciton emissions. However, donor‐acceptor pair emission lines attributed to a Li acceptor (LiZn) were also observed. Smooth, monocrystalline ZnS layers could be grown at substrate temperatures above 250 °C by using cracked H2S and DES, and above 150 °C by using uncracked H2S. Photoluminescence ...
In 31 patients with more than 2 migraine attacks per month the prophylactic effect of tolfenamic acid and placebo was compared in a double‐blind crossover study. The patients were treated for 10 weeks with each preparation, with a 2‐week break in treatment between the preparations. Tolfenamic acid had a significantly better effect in relation to the preferences of the patients, the number of attacks, the total duration of the attacks, the degree of severity, the number of episodes of vomiting, and work capacity. Mild symptoms and complaints occurred in both treatment periods, but they were qualitatively and quantitatively similar. Laboratory investigations of blood, liver function, and kidney function showed no changes whilst on treatment with either preparation. It is therefore concluded that tolfenamic acid can be used in the prophylactic treatment of migraine.
Certification-based database replication protocols are a good basis to develop replica recovery when they provide the snapshot isolation level. For such isolation level, no readset needs to be transferred between replicas nor checked in the certification phase. Additionally, these protocols need to maintain a historic list of writesets that is used for certifying the transactions that arrive to the commit phase. Such historic list can be used to transfer the missed state of a recovering replica. We study the performance of the basic recovery approach - to transfer all missed writesets - and a version-based optimization - to transfer the latest version of each missed item, compacting thus the writeset list - and the results show that such optimization reduces a lot the recovery time.
Empirical studies on happiness have found that: a) most people are happy in modern nations, b) average happiness in nations is rising, c) inequality in happiness is going down, d) happiness depends heavily on the kind of society one lives in, but e) not very much on one’s place in society. These remarkable findings are largely ignored in sociology, if not denied. This has several reasons. One reason is professional bias: most sociologists earn their living dealing with social problems are therefore not apt to see that people flourish. Another reason is ideological: many sociologists are ‘critical’ of modern society and can therefore hardly imagine that people thrive in these conditions. Lastly, some sociological theories play them false, in particular cognitive theories implying that happiness is relative. These theories and the evidence against them are discussed in this paper.
As the Internet continues to grow, the tasks of network management are becoming more and more difficult. Over the past few years, much effort has been given to implement the automation of network management. Ontology seems to be a promising technology for that purpose. However, only ontology alone may not easily achieve the goal of automatic network management. Thus under this background, policies may be added to enhance ontology-based network management. This paper just aims in the integration of ontology-based and policy-based approaches to automate network management. A common model for this integrated automatic network management is then proposed in the paper. To check the feasibility of this model, the paper provides a possible scenario.
OFDM combined with CDMA has emerged as an attractive technique due to its low equalization complexity and good performance in multipath fading channels due to frequency Rake receiver. Using the transmitter diversity scheme and layered space-time (LST) architecture with OFDM-CDMA, high spectral efficiency and good error rate performance can be achieved at the same time. In this paper, the transceiver structure in OFDM-CDMA with multiplexed space-time block codes (STBC) is proposed, in which the number of receive antennas can be less than that of transmit antennas. Computer simulation demonstrates effectiveness of this detector and conclusion is followed
Herein, a sturgeon skin gelatine film combined with esculin and ferric citrate was developed as an edible food packaging material to prevent Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) contamination. E. faecalis is able to hydrolyse esculin in the film, and then the hydrolysed product, esculetin, combines with ferric citrate to form a brown-black phenol iron complex. This phenomenon can be observed easily after 48 h of contamination under visible light, and it can be determined under 365 nm ultraviolet light with high sensitivity. With the addition of esculin and ferric citrate, the film showed better mechanical properties and water vapour permeability than those of the unmodified gelatine. When an increased amount of esculin was added, an increase in thermal stability, antioxidant activity, and antioxidant stability of the film was observed. These physicochemical characteristics are beneficial for developing a packaging material for food storage that mitigates foodborne illness caused by E. faecalis.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection carries substantial risk for all-cause mortality and liver-related morbidity and mortality, yet many persons coinfected with HIV/HCV remain untreated for HCV. We explored demographic, clinical, and sociodemographic factors among participants in routine HIV care associated with prescription of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). The HIV Outpatient Study (HOPS) is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of persons with HIV in care at participating clinics since 1993. There are currently eight study sites in six US cities. We analyzed medical records data of HOPS participants diagnosed with HCV since June 2010. Sustained virological response (SVR) was documented with first undetectable HCV viral load (VL). We assessed factors associated with being prescribed DAAs by multi-variable logistic regression and described the cumulative rate of SVR. Among 306 eligible participants, 131 (43%) were prescribed DAA therapy. Factors associated with greater odds of being prescribed DAA were older age, private health insurance, higher CD4 cell count, being a person who injects drugs, and receiving care at publicly funded sites (p < 0.05). Of 127 (97%) participants with at least 1 follow-up HCV VL, 110 (87%) achieved SVR at 12 weeks. Of the total 131 participants, 123 (94%) eventually achieved SVR. Less than half of HIV/HCV coinfected patients in HOPS have been prescribed DAAs. Interventions are needed to address deficits in DAA prescription, including among patients with public or no health insurance, younger age, and lower CD4 cell count.
In this paper, we propose the application of the Adam optimizer to extrinsic calibration of the multi -sensory system. Our robot is equipped with three RGB-D cameras. The first camera is attached to the wrist of the arm, the second camera is mounted in the robot's head, and the third camera is attached to the mobile base. Additionally, the pose of the wrist camera changes with respect to the robot frame and depends on the configuration of the robotic arm. The proposed method finds all relative transformations between cameras in a single optimization procedure. We compare the proposed application of Adam method with black-box evolutionary algorithm, Levenberg-Marquardt optimization, and graph-based optimization. We also evaluated three cost functions to verify the influence of various parameterization methods of the SO (3) rotation on the calibration results.
ABSTRACT New York, Dec. 6, 1897.To the Editor of Janus, Amsterdam, Netherlands. —Dr. Ehlers says (Janus, July and August) I attribute to him opinions which he never professed.Whether or not Dr. Ehlers stands for isolation was not the point at issue; it was, should isolation as a principle be promulgated by the Berlin Lepra-Conference? That was the important question. He stood an obstacle to our obtaining official delegates, claiming that governments had always neglected the holy name of hygiene, le saint nom de l'hygiene, in all countries and in all times. It was not, in his opinion, the way that leads to the goal to try to stir up the governments. It is a congress which takes place between known leprologists and not a congress of leprology. Our goal was not so much a congress of leprologists, which I have taken the liberty to call very frequently a congress
Tracking is frequently considered a frame-to-frame operation. As such, object recognition techniques are generally too slow to be used for tracking. There are domains, however where the objects of interest do not move most of the time. In these domains, it is possible to watch for activity in the scene and then apply object recognition techniques to find the object's new location. This makes tracking a discrete process of watching for object disappearances and reappearances. We have developed a memory assistance tool that uses this approach to help people with slight to moderate memory loss keep track of important objects around the house. The system is currently deployed in a prototype smart home.
Fire blight disease, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, has developed to an economical important disease in cultivation of pome fruits in many regions of the world. The bacterial cysteine protease AvrRpt2EA was identified as a central molecule in the host-pathogen interaction and it is important for pathogen recognition in the fire blight resistant crabapple Malus ×robusta 5. However, little is known about its role as virulence factor in susceptible apples. To investigate its function in planta, transgenic lines of the fire blight-susceptible cultivar ‘Pinova’ were generated, which contain an plant-optimized version of AvrRpt2EA driven by a heat shock-inducible promoter. After induced expression of AvrRpt2EA, the transgenic lines showed symptoms similar to natural fire blight infections, such as shoot necrosis and browning of older leaves. Furthermore, an increase of the expression of the PR-1 gene was shown, which was used as molecular marker for salicylic acid (SA) dependent systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Additional analysis reveal that the levels of SA and its derivatives were increased after AvrRpt2EA expression, too, with diverse kinetics in leaves of different ages. In contrast, no induction of the expression level of VSP2 paralogs was found, which were used as marker genes for the activation of the jasmonic acid (JA)-dependent defense pathway. This was also confirmed by metabolic profiling of JA and its derivatives. In conclusion, the results of this study show that AvrRpt2EA alone acts as virulence factor causing fire blight disease symptoms in susceptible apple plants and induces the formation of SA and SA-dependent SAR.
We develop models for the motion of two trapped ions in one dimension, including both harmonic trapping forces and the Coulomb interaction between the ions. Mathematical and physical consistency dictates that the divergence of the Coulomb interaction at small distances be tempered with a soft core. A split-operator method is used to analyze numerically the energies and eigenstates of the motion of the two ions. Classification and closed-form expressions are also presented for the energies and the eigenstates in the limits when the equilibrium distance due to the Coulomb repulsion is either much smaller or much larger than the amplitude of the zero-point motion of the ions. Implications of the results for the properties of two identical ions with Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac statistics are discussed.
Why have the hopes for comity between Russia and the West in the post-Cold War period so signally failed to be realized? What rights does Russia claim vis-a-vis Western partners, both in the post-Soviet region and in the world? In particular, what norms have emerged, or failed to emerge, from the dialogue between these two sides regarding international law justifications for military intervention? Roy Allison’s major study helps answer all these questions. Allison offers a highly detailed and...
BACKGROUND Dihydrocapsiate is a capsinoid found in chili peppers. Dihydrocapsiate is similar to capsaicin, which is known for its thermogenic properties.   OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine the acute and chronic effect of dihydrocapsiate on resting metabolic rate (RMR).   DESIGN Seventy-eight healthy subjects in a double-blind, parallel-arm trial were randomly assigned to 3 groups receiving 0 (placebo), 3, or 9 mg dihydrocapsiate/d for 28 d. After a 10-h overnight fast, RMR was measured by indirect calorimetry for 30 min before and 120 min after ingestion of dihydrocapsiate.   RESULTS RMR was similar in the 3 groups before dosing on day 1 [1714 ± 41 kcal/d (0 mg), 1760 ± 41 kcal/d (3 mg), and 1694 ± 38 kcal/d (9 mg)] and after acute dosing (41 ± 17, 55 ± 17, and 3 ± 24 kcal/d for 3-mg, 9-mg, and placebo groups, respectively). When the chronic effect of dihydrocapsiate on RMR was calculated from the average 2-h RMR on day 28 minus the 30-min preingestion RMR at baseline, a borderline effect in subjects receiving 3 mg dihydrocapsiate/d compared with placebo was observed (61 ± 24 kcal/d compared with -1 ± 12 kcal/d, P = 0.054), whereas no significant increase in RMR in comparison with placebo was noted for the 9-mg/d dose (48 ± 23 kcal/d compared with -1 ± 12 kcal/d, P = 0.12). When data from both groups were combined, the thermic effect of dihydrocapsiate reached significance (53 ± 9 kcal/d compared with -1 ± 12 kcal/d in the placebo group, P = 0.04). Fat oxidation was unaffected by dihydrocapsiate.   CONCLUSION After 1 mo of supplementation, dihydrocapsiate had a small thermogenic effect of ≈50 kcal/d, which is in the range of day-to-day RMR variability. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00999297.
The electrophilic organofluorophosphonium catalyst [(C6F5)3PF][B(C6F5)4] is shown to effect benzylation or alkylation by aryl and alkyl CF3 groups with subsequent hydrodefluorination, thus resulting in a net transformation of CF3 into CH2-aryl fragments. In the case of alkyl CF3 groups, Friedel-Crafts alkylation by the difluorocarbocation proceeded without cation rearrangement, in contrast to the corresponding reactions of alkyl monofluorides.
A novel aqueous phase synthetic route for CuInSe2 nanoparticles is presented. In our synthesis, the Se precursor used was Na2SeSO3 and CuI, while InCl3 were used as precursors for copper and indium, respectively. The reaction was performed in water under basic condition in the presence of thioglycolic acid (TGA). TGA has a crucial effect on the formation of CIS nanocrystals in aqueous media. With less amount of TGA compared to the optimum amount, only amorphous CIS was formed while larger amount caused the formation of Cu2-xSe crystals because TGA had a lower reactivity of In3+ to Se2- ion. The ratio of reagents used optimized the structure, while the composition and properties of the nanomaterials obtained were studied applying various techniques such as XRD, SEM, TEM, TG/DSC, and XPS.
The present study investigated the relationships between the timing of women’s first childbirth and their postsecondary education using an inner-city minority cohort. The study sample (695 females) was drawn from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), an ongoing investigation of a panel of low-income minority children (94% African American) born in 1980 who grew up in high-poverty neighborhoods in Chicago. The findings indicated that, taking into account sociodemographic factors and early academic achievement, first childbirths before age 18 and between ages 19 and 21 were significantly associated with lower rates of college attendance and bachelor (BA) degree completion. First childbirths between ages 21 and 25 were not significantly associated with any outcome of postsecondary education.
End-user involvement in the requirement specification phase is essential for the success of a software product. Software developers and architects must be able to easily and accurately translate the requirements to software codes; visualize interdependencies among different functions, objects and rules; and understand system limitations.        Using the rapid prototyping technique in the requirement analysis and specification phase is one way of achieving the goals of high quality software, lower development cost, on-time delivery and user satisfaction.        This paper discusses the use of the rapid prototyping technique in the requirements phase of a software development cycle. It describes the advantages of using prototyping in all applications, especially in the design and development of systems which have complex user interfaces. The paper explores the user-centered approach in relation to the rapid prototyping technique.        The rapid prototyping technique has been successfully used in several AT&T software projects. This paper also includes the authors' experiences in applying the technique to software projects.
The Barnett Shale is one of the first and most fully developed shale gas plays in North America. In this play, the knowledge of natural and induced fracture orientation and intensity is of great importance in the choice of drilling direction and completion program. In this study, the organic-rich Barnett Shale reservoir has been extensively hydro-fractured by high pressure to simulate production prior to the acquisition of the 3D seismic survey. The objective is to recognize gasor watercharged induced damaged rock and to identify any bypassed pay.
Background While patients’ satisfaction is a barometer for healthcare quality, Myanmar did not do enough to assess the antenatal care (ANC) satisfaction. Objective In this study, we aim to assess the satisfaction level of pregnant women with ANC services provided by a public hospital in Myanmar. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 125 women in the quantitative and 27 in the qualitative study at South Okkalapa Women and Children Hospital in Myanmar. Satisfaction was measured by using a five-point Likert scale with 25-item services. Statistical software SPSS version 16 was used for quantitative data analysis. Qualitative data were manually analyzed by thematic analysis. Results The proportion of pregnant women who were satisfied with healthcare services ranged from 18% to 35%. Provider’s service yielded satisfaction ranging between 25% and 35%; meanwhile, facilities in the waiting area had the lowest mean score (2.78) for satisfaction. Laboratory service and waiting time at the antenatal clinic were major sources of dissatisfaction. Overall, 48% of the pregnant women were in high satisfaction with ANC services. Out of 25 items, cleanliness of ANC clinic, the process of ANC procedure, drug supply by the hospital, ventilation, and lighting in the waiting area, waiting time to see doctors, and working hours (availability of services) showed significant association with overall satisfaction. Conclusion Nearly half of the pregnant women in the study were very satisfied with the total healthcare services they received. Facilities in the waiting area, laboratory service, and waiting time to see doctors were dissatisfied services and need to be upgraded.
The main objective of this study was synthesis a composite of porous n-HAp/MWCNTs loaded with ciprofloxacin (CFX) as a local drug delivery during surgical procedures with sustained release behavior in the treatment of bone infection minimizing the risks of systemic toxicity. Ciprofloxacin is used as an antibacterial of the Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria that affect the bones. The prepared scaffolds loaded with ciprofloxacin were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Cytotoxicity Testing. The in-vitro release of the drug of such scaffolds was also investigated as well as the study of the Entrapment efficiency of scaffold by using U.V spectroscopy. The cytotoxicity of hydroxyapatite containing MWCNTS applied on normal bone cells for the highest rate of 3 x 10-3 showed the cell viability greater than 90%. The CFX was successfully loaded within such HAp-nano Scaffolds referred to their reasonable encapsulation efficiencies which they revealed. The drug release behavior showed promising sustained prolonged profiles up to 8 days with minimum initial burst effects.
The signal strength of the MNa+ ion from 25 underivatized oligosaccharides (linear, and both O- and N-linked oligosaccharides from glycoproteins) was measured by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry on a time-of-flight and on a magnetic sector instrument with 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid as the matrix, in order to examine the influence of structure on ion abundance. Oligosaccharides with masses greater than about 1000 Da exhibited similar signal strengths, irrespective of structure, when examined on the time-of-flight instrument. Oligosaccharides with masses below 1000 Da displayed a progressive reduction in signal intensity with decreasing molecular weight, an effect which was probably due to temporary saturation of the detector by the intense matrix ions (m/z 130-200 region). Similar studies performed on a magnetic sector instrument revealed that all oligosaccharides studied produced signals of equivalent intensity and that no reduction in signal strength occurred with the smaller sugars. The compounds could be measured with a precision of +/- 5% on this instrument. The nature of the matrix did not appear to exert a differential effect on the ionization of sugars of different structural types although some matrices appeared to have a preference for ionization of smaller molecules.
In the pathogenesis of type I diabetes mellitus, activated leukocytes infiltrate pancreatic islets and induce β cell dysfunction and destruction. Interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin (IL)-1β play important, although not completely defined, roles in these mechanisms. Here, using the highly differentiated βTc-Tet insulin-secreting cell line, we showed that IFN-γ dose- and time-dependently suppressed insulin synthesis and glucose-stimulated secretion. As described previously IFN-γ, in combination with IL-1β, also induces inducible NO synthase expression and apoptosis (Dupraz, P., Cottet, S., Hamburger, F., Dolci, W., Felley-Bosco, E., and Thorens, B. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 37672–37678). To assess the role of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway in IFN-γ intracellular signaling, we stably overexpressed SOCS-1 (suppressor of cytokinesignaling-1) in the β cell line. We demonstrated that SOCS-1 suppressed cytokine-induced STAT-1 phosphorylation and increased cellular accumulation. This was accompanied by a suppression of the effect of IFN-γ on: (i) reduction in insulin promoter-luciferase reporter gene transcription, (ii) decrease in insulin mRNA and peptide content, and (iii) suppression of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Furthermore, SOCS-1 also suppressed the cellular effects that require the combined presence of IL-1β and IFN-γ: induction of nitric oxide production and apoptosis. Together our data demonstrate that IFN-γ is responsible for the cytokine-induced defect in insulin gene expression and secretion and that this effect can be completely blocked by constitutive inhibition of the Janus kinase/STAT pathway.
Flexible warehouse systems gain in importance as the demand for seamless transportation of products increases. Conventional consignment systems rely on conveyors and human operators who assemble the goods. In a new approach, a swarm of small automated guided vehicles (AGVs) is employed to collect items from storage shelves and take them to a picking station. A challenging issue connected with this approach is to provide efficient localization and tracking techniques in order to obtain the AGV's position at any point in time. In this paper the localization is realized by sensor fusion of wheel encoder data and range measurements obtained from an IEEE 802.15.4a CSS network. The choice of the filter algorithm is often crucial for the performance of the localization. For this reason this paper provides a comparison of three implementations of a Bayes Filter: the Extended Kalman Filter, Unscented Kalman Filter and the Particle Filter. Experimental results show how accurate position estimation can be performed by each of the filter algorithms.
A series of symmetrical and inherently chiral water-soluble calix[4]arenes bearing one, two or four proton-ionisable dihydroxyphosphoryl groups at the narrow rim of the macrocycle has been synthesised by consecutive treatment of appropriate diethoxyphosphoryl derivatives with bromotrimethylsilane and methanol. The calix[4]arene phosphoric acids synthesised possess pKa-values 2.85–3.10 (CH3OH–H2O 70 : 30) and form salts with L-(−)-α-phenylethylamine or (1S,2R)-(+)-ephedrine in methanol solution. The salts of the inherently chiral calixarene phosphoric acids with chiral amines are easily separated into diastereomeric forms by the RP HPLC method on Separon SGX C18 or Partisil 5 ODS 3 achiral columns.
With the development of optical engineering technology, the precision of 3D scanning equipment becomes higher, and its role in 3D modeling is getting more distinctive. This paper proposed a 3D scanning modeling method that has been successfully applied in Chinese ancient city reconstruction. On one hand, for the existing architectures, an improved algorithm based on multiple scanning is adopted. Firstly, two pieces of scanning data were rough rigid registered using spherical displacers and vertex clustering method. Secondly, a global weighted ICP (iterative closest points) method is used to achieve a fine rigid registration. On the other hand, for the buildings which have already disappeared, an exemplar-driven algorithm for rapid modeling was proposed. Based on the 3D scanning technology and the historical data, a system approach was proposed for 3D modeling and virtual display of ancient city.
The process of classifying vocal and non-vocal regions in an audio clip is the base for many Music Information Retrieval (MIR) tasks. In this work, we have computed novel features based on formant structure for segmenting the vocal and non-vocal regions of a given music clip. The features such as obtuse angles at formant peak, valley locations, convexity, and concavity have been proposed for this task after thorough analysis. The obtuse angles have been computed for second, third and fourth formants as much discrimination is not found for the first formant. The computed formant related features have been added to the base-line Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) in order to improve the performance. Moreover, singer formant (F5) has also been computed forming a 19-dimensional feature vector. As artificial neural networks (ANNs) are more suitable for handling nonlinear data, they have been considered as a classifier. Further, the 11-point moving window has been applied to avoid intermittent misclassifications. An accuracy of 88% is obtained using the proposed approach with a 19-dimensional feature vector.
Any two sets A,BCZm are inversions of one another with respect to the index x if, for any eEA, there exists an fEB (and vice versa) such that e + f= x mod m. In this case the interval-class vectors of A and B will be identical. (Interval-class vectors will be defined formally in 0.3 following.) This paper extends the idea of simple inversion to a relation which will be referred to as "dual inversion": under circumstances to be de-
Abstract : The role of enhanced grain boundary diffusivity in high-temperature diffusion of interstitial elements through metals is widely recognized but poorly characterized in most materials. This paper summarizes an effort to estimate grain boundary diffusivity of oxygen in a near-alpha titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo-0.1Si, by explicitly incorporating microstructure obtained from electron backscatter diffraction into an analytical model. Attention is focused on near-surface diffusion behavior contributing to the rapid ingress of oxygen and possible crack initiation in high-temperature environments.
Abstract Background: Primary liver cancer (PLC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world, and its incidence and fatality rate are increasing year by year. Due to the large population base in China, the aging population is severely affected by environmental pollution, eating habits, and unhealthy lifestyles. And many other influences have caused the number of new PLC cases and deaths in China to rank first in the world. Acupuncture combined with external application of Chinese medicine to treat PLC is currently one of the commonly used treatments in China. However, this combined treatment still lacks evidence-based medicine support. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture combined with external application of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of PLC. Method: We will search PubMed, Web of Science, GCBI, Embase, OVID, AMED, Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP, CBM, and Wanfang databases. As of September 15, 2021, there are no restrictions on search language, publication time, and publication status. We will use the following medical keywords to search, including: “acupuncture”, “external application of traditional Chinese medicine”, and “primary liver cancer”. At the same time, we will manually search all reference lists from relevant systematic reviews to find other eligible studies. We will use the random effects model in REVMAN v5.3 for meta-analysis. The study for acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of PLC was a randomized controlled study. Two researchers will independently review the research selection, data extraction, and research quality assessments. Finally, we will observe the outcome measures. Results: This study will provide evidence-based guidance for the treatment of PLC with acupuncture and the external application of traditional Chinese medicine and offers new ideas and methods for the treatment of PLC.
Abstract Taste allows animals to discriminate the value and potential toxicity of food prior to ingestion. Many tastants elicit an innate attractive or avoidance response that is modifiable with nutritional state and prior experience. A powerful genetic tool kit, well-characterized gustatory system, and standardized behavioral assays make the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, an excellent system for investigating taste processing and memory. Recent studies have used this system to identify the neural basis for acquired taste preference. These studies have revealed a role for dopamine-mediated plasticity of the mushroom bodies that modulate the threshold of response to appetitive tastants. The identification of neural circuitry regulating taste memory provides a system to study the genetic and physiological processes that govern plasticity within a defined memory circuit.
The purpose of this research was to clarify how an individual personality will be reflected in the appraisal for on-site forest environment. We looked into individual personality for the each respondent with using some questionnaire such as the profile questionnaire, Neo-FFI, GSES, TBS-test that were executed before the forest bathing experiment. Then to examine the appraisal in the on-site forest environment, we tried to survey the impressive appraisal experiment for each respondent by the semantic differential method in each on-site forest environment after the forest bathing experiment, and to do the correlative analysis and the contrastive analysis. As a result of Neo-FFI, Neuroticism and Extroversion were significantly related to the evaluation of vigor for on-site forest environment. As to GSES, the higher group on Social position of their own abilities evaluated more natural than the lower relatively on the contrary to Uneasiness to failure. Form TBS-test, it was clarified that the relations between individual personality and the appraisal of on-site forest environment, such as the higher group on Anthropocentrism evaluated more crowded and densely than the lower significantly. Finally, the personality-based-designs and programs for on-site forest environment were suggested to be healed more.
BACKGROUND Long-term follow-up after radioactive iodine therapy (RIT) for Graves' disease and toxic thyroid autonomy is incompletely addressed by current guidelines. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical course of 1233 out of 1728 consecutive Graves' disease (n = 536) and thyroid autonomy (n = 1192) patients after dosimetry-guided RIT to optimize follow-up.   METHODS Patients were referred between 1990 and 2018; follow-up was monitored according to available electronic registers with medical reports, including autopsies from 9 hospitals and 10 residential care homes.   RESULTS In total, 495/1728 cases were censored because of incomplete 6-month follow-up data. The conversion rates to hypothyroidism in Graves' disease and different forms of thyroid autonomy can be deconvoluted into two follow-up periods: first year after RIT and afterward. The conversion rate in Graves' disease was significantly higher than that in all thyroid autonomy subgroups during the first year but almost identical afterwards. Thyroxine substitution started between 10 and 7900 days after RIT at thyroid stimulating hormone between 0.11 and 177 µU/ml.   CONCLUSIONS We advise earlier (2-3 weeks) first follow-up checks after RIT in all Graves' disease patients and thyroid autonomy under antithyroid drugs (ATD) and re-checks every 2-4 weeks until conversion to hypothyroidism during the first year. The first check in thyroid autonomy without ATD should be after 3-4 weeks with re-checks every 4-6 weeks. After 1 year, both groups can be re-checked every 4-6 months over the next 5 years. The success rate of RIT in thyroid autonomyincreases with age but the history of RIT is rapidly lost during follow-up.
Light bulbs play an indispensable role in our lives as they provide unhindered ability to see the world even during the night. Efficiency of light bulbs is becoming increasingly important, and through this experiment, light bulb efficiencies are analyzed from measurements of relative light intensity and power input of various bulbs. Furthermore, this report is aimed to increase awareness of the efficiency advantage in fluorescent bulbs and to encourage their usage in the interest of conserving energy. Introduction Light is an essential part of our daily lives. When natural sunlight is not available, we turn to artificial sources such as electrical light bulbs. Such light bulbs include, but are not limited to, incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs. Incandescent bulbs have been known since 1879 when Sir Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison introduced them to the world [1]. These bulbs operate by running current through a tungsten filament that then emits light as its atoms absorb and release energy [1]. In 1976, Thomas Lo Guidice patented the fluorescent light bulb and claimed that fluorescents consume 1/6 of the energy of incandescents with the same light output [2]. Fluorescent bulbs work by running current through an electrode and exciting mercury, which in turn excites the phosphor coating the fluorescent tube to give off light [1]. In the present day energy crisis, the use of fluorescent bulbs is important as they are much more efficient than incandescents. In this experiment, the relative efficiencies of various wattages of fluorescent and incandescent bulbs are measured and analyzed. This includes mainly a cost efficiency analysis, as well as a power analysis. The goal of the experiment is to justify and relatively quantify the efficiency advantage that fluorescents have over incandescent bulbs. Methods To acquire data, two sets of four pairs of new light bulbs were used. Each pair had one fluorescent and one incandescent light bulb, both commercially reported to have very similar lumen outputs and are thus comparable. The light bulbs used were: 5W fluorescent and 25W incandescent, 9W fluorescent and 40W incandescent, 13W fluorescent and 60W incandescent, and 23W fluorescent and 100W incandescent (Figure 1). All light bulbs were of Philips brand to ensure similar quality. With eight bulbs per trial, a total of sixteen bulbs were used throughout the whole experiment. Each light bulb was tested three times, leaving ample time between each replicate to allow the light bulb to cool off. The experiment was carried out in the crawlspace of a house, which offered an absolutely dark environment so that the photocell would be isolated and unaffected from external light sources. A photocell is a small resistor of cadmium-sulphide that changes resistance with changing brightness [3]. There were two parts to the measurements done: 1) Measuring the current each light bulb draws: Figure 2. Experimental set-up for measuring current. Pictured here is the light source and multimeter. Figure 1. Light bulb pairs are shown left to right from lowest to highest wattages.
A unified model for camera calibration is presented. The model does not assume any explicit form of imaging process and can perform linear back projection while considering all lens distortions. This model is well suited to stereo reconstruction. It has been shown that the original two-plane model, the linear and nonlinear pin hole model, can all be realized as special cases of this model. With the two-plane model, optimal orientation of the two reference planes can be found intuitively.<<ETX>>
Sustainable solutions, such as the combination of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as a partial substitution of virgin materials and warm-mix asphalt (WMA) additives to decrease production temperatures, represent the new research frontier in the asphalt industry. Specific investigations must evaluate the consequences of recycled WMA performance, especially in the case of open-graded (OG) mixtures, given that lower production temperatures can affect the adhesion properties and durability of those materials. This paper describes an experimental effort that involved OG mixtures produced in plant at warm temperatures (130°C) with two WMA chemical additives characterized by different compositions. In addition, an equivalent mixture (used as a control for comparison purposes) was produced at standard temperatures. Each material was prepared with a polymer-modified binder and 15% RAP. The main objective of the study was to characterize volumetric and mechanical properties of the investigated mixtures with particular attention paid to compactability aptitude and durability. To this end, gyratory-compacted specimens were subjected to several laboratory tests after dry and wet conditioning (i.e., indirect tensile strength, Cantabro test, semicircular bending, and repeated indirect tensile loading). Moreover, plant production of the investigated mixtures made it possible to evaluate the feasibility of large-scale processes. The WMA mixtures showed significant water susceptibility, although they guaranteed good compactability and satisfied mechanical acceptance requirements and international recommendations for raveling resistance in dry conditions. The chemical composition of the WMA additives was found essential to reduce the water damage. Surfactants and adhesion enhancers included within one of the investigated WMA additives ensured better water resistance than the other additive classified as a viscous regulator.
Petri nets have proven to be a valuable tool for modelling concurrent systems. As such, they should be suitable for modelling agent and multi-agent systems, as these are inherently concurrent. Nevertheless, there are not many systems that allow modelling of the whole multi-agent system in Petri nets. The use of Petri nets is usually limited to sub-problems, such as verification of interaction protocols. This paper describes the main concepts of PNagent - a tool for modelling BDI agents using the formalism of object oriented Petri nets (OOPN). PNagent allows development, testing and running software agents in a consistent graphical environment. The framework is suitable for prototyping and experiments with both multi-agent applications and the particular agent architecture itself. At the same time, thanks to the formal nature of its underlying paradigm, it provides means for verification of agentpsilas properties.
Single-particle dynamics in simple models for the static reversing magnetic field of the geotail current sheet have been extensively studied in the case where the reversing field Bx(z) varies, the linking field Bz is constant, and the crosstail field By is zero (and some generalization to include time dependence has been achieved). More recently, numerically integrated trajectories in static reversals which include a constant shear By component have suggested some differences in the nature of the dynamics in this and the By = 0 case. The invariant of the z cross-sheet motion for the By = 0 case is well known, here we find its equivalent for systems with constant By. Our results hold for reversals with general z dependence and arbitrary constant By. The form of this invariant suggests that it is still conserved for trapped particles, but for certain values of energy, By and Bz the invariant is destroyed and particles are detrapped. This corresponds to an increase in the volume in phase space available to current carrying particles that transit the sheet. For typical magnetotail parameters, both protons and electrons in an average 1 RE thick sheet will be detrapped, but in a thin ∼ 100 km sheet protons will not.
Proper brain development is based on the orchestration of key neurodevelopmental processes, including the formation and function of neural networks. If at least one key neurodevelopmental process is affected by a chemical, an adverse outcome is expected. To allow a higher testing throughput than the guideline animal experiments, a developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) in vitro testing battery (DNT IVB) has been set up that includes a variety of assays, which model several key neurodevelopmental processes. Gap analyses of the DNT IVB revealed the need of a human-based assay to assess neural network formation and function (NNF). Therefore, here we established the human NNF (hNNF) assay. A co-culture comprised of human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)- derived excitatory and inhibitory neurons, as well as primary human astroglia, was differentiated for 35 days on micro-electrode arrays (MEA) and spontaneous electrical activity, together with cytotoxicity, was assessed on a weekly basis after washout of the compounds 24 h prior to measurements. In addition to the characterization of the test system, the assay was challenged with 28 compounds, mainly pesticides, identifying their DNT potential by evaluation of specific spike-, burst- and network parameters. This approach confirmed the suitability of the assay for screening environmental chemicals. Comparison of benchmark concentrations (BMC) with an NNF in vitro assay (rNNF) based on primary rat cortical cells, revealed differences in sensitivity. Together with the successful implementation of hNNF data into a postulated stressor-specific adverse outcome pathway (AOP) network associated with a plausible molecular initiating event for deltamethrin, this study suggests the hNNF assay as a useful complement to the current DNT IVB.
In July 2020 the new video coding standard Versatile Video Coding (VVC) was released. VVC delivers bitrate savings of up to 50% relative to its predecessor High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) without compromising subjective quality. It has been designed for a broad range of applications and input material ranging from standard dynamic range to high dynamic range camera-captured content, screen content, and immersive applications. One of the key technologies included in the new standard is the flexible block partitioning using a quad-tree with multi-type tree structures (QT+MTT). Based on the VVC test model VTM, the VVenC project provides an open optimized VVC encoder. VVenC inherits and utilizes all of VTMs in-built partitioning search strategies. The QT+MTT partitioning search still poses a challenge for fast encoder implementations. After defining alternative low-depth partitioning configurations to VTM, it was observed that the initial search algorithm performs less optimal. We analyze and propose in this paper a set of additional fast search strategies for partitioning within VVenC, optimized for low-depth partitioning configurations. As a result, an average of 38% runtime reduction is achieved at the managable cost of less than 2% BD-rate loss.
Throughout the animal kingdom there are many existing sensory systems with capabilities desired by the human designers of new sensory and computational systems. There are a few basic design principles constantly observed among these natural mechano-, chemo-, and photo-sensory systems, principles that have been proven by the test of time. Such principles include non-uniform sampling and processing, topological computing, contrast enhancement by localized signal inhibition, graded localized signal processing, spiked signal transmission, and coarse coding, which is the computational transformation of raw data using broadly overlapping filters. These principles are outlined here with references to natural biological sensory systems as well as successful biomimetic sensory systems exploiting these natural design concepts.
Abstract The educational system in Macedonia is directed towards the modern European standards and models of inclusive education. This is done by initiation and implementation of the innovations in the education. The inclusion of the children with impaired hearing is not connected only with their placement in the schools. In an inclusive school, quality education can be assured only in educational surrounding that is friendly towards the children and the learning process, where the difference is accepted and acknowledged as process for enrichment of all the persons involved. The social aspects of the learning process should be accentuated. This includes a dialogue between the teacher and the other teachers, the teacher and head masters of the schools, between the teacher and the children with impaired hearing and a dialogue with the parents. The teachers should take in consideration the children's needs and interests and they should be able to conduct a flexible management of the classroom. Key words: children with impaired hearing, inclusive school, inclusive school teachers. Introduction The main reasons for the barriers in learning and participation of the children with impaired hearing can be found in the surrounding. This can happen as a result of the negative attitudes towards the children, misunderstanding of the process of active learning, too rigid system and curriculum, inadequate adaptation of the learning methods, inappropriate approach towards the educational environment etc. The society has a commitment to educate all the children. There are certain ideal conditions for the educational environment and the teacher's characteristics that contribute to the success of this process. First of all, the environment in which the education occurs should be adapted to the child to develop a positive self image and to enable the most appropriate curriculum. The teachers in the educational environment should take in consideration the diversity of the children, to maintain good basis for learning and to improve the children's practice. The children should be pupils full with optimism and certain abilities. These conditions should be acceptable regardless whether it is a regular school or a school for deaf. The children's needs and abilities should dictate the appropriate educational environment in which the learning process will take place. When the school and the parents will cooperate in the decision making process, the children's special interests and requests will be implemented. (2) Method During the selection of the problem we decided for contextual one with the purpose to gain information that describe the situation, the difficulties that the pupils with Cochlear implant interface in a certain context, in Republic of Macedonia. The research that we conducted was actually an action research. The action research is conducted by one or more individuals or groups with the purpose of solving some problem or gathering information with the purpose to improve the current practice. To achieve maximum success the action research should result with an action plan or development of work strategies, which should be implemented and further evaluated in an ideal situation. We decided to conduct a participatory action research. Although the participatory action research shares the focus for a specific local question and uses the data for the action implementation, it differs in some main points from the practical action research. The first difference is that there are two additional goals: to motivate the individuals and groups to improve their lives and to contribute for a social change on some level-school, community or society. According to that, the research involves a bigger group of people that have different experience and points of view that are focused on the same problem. This involves common work on the data gathering and the data analyses, interpretation of the data and the actions that follow. …
Four qualitatively different conceptions of learning and three of teaching are presented as the findings of this study. Learning was understood as (l)the acquisition of knowledge or skill from others, (2)a fulfilment of responsibility to society, (3) a change in understanding of something external to self, and (4) a change in understanding one's self. Teaching was understood as (1) the delivery of content; (2) the development of character; and (3) a type of relationship. It is argued that some of these conceptions are compatible with, and possibly derivative of, cultural, social, political and economic factors within China.
1. The New World army ants are top predators in the litter of tropical forest, but no comprehensive studies exist on variation in assemblage-wide activity and species composition. We used standardized protocols to estimate foraging raid rates and species composition of army ant communities in four Neotropical forests. The study sites spanned approximately 10 degrees latitude, with two sites each in Central and South America. 2. We recorded a total of 22 species of army ants. The four sites varied in observed and estimated species richness. Species overlap was highest between the Central American sites, and lowest between the South American sites. 3. Raid activity varied significantly among sites. Raid activity per kilometre of trail walks was over four times higher at the most active site (Sta. Maria, Venezuela) than at the least active site (Barro Colorado Island, Panama). Furthermore, each site showed a different diel pattern of activity. For example, raid activity was higher during daylight hours in Costa Rica, and higher at night in Venezuela. Raid activity relationships with ambient temperature also varied significantly among sites. 4. The overall rate of army ant raids passing through 1 m(2) plots was 0.73 raids per day, but varied among sites, from 0 raids per day (Panama) to 1.2 raids per day (Venezuela). 5. Primarily subterranean species were significantly more abundant in Venezuela, and above-ground foragers that form large swarm fronts were least abundant in Panama. The site heterogeneity in species abundance and diel activity patterns has implications for army ant symbionts, including ant-following birds, and for the animals hunted by these top predators.
One of the effective methods of surfacing protective coatings on large areas, as well as the formation of permanent joints is the method of immersion (dipping) of parts into the melt. In order to increase the productivity of this method, the quality of surfacing is proposed to heat the work surfaces of the parts with an electroslag method. The rational regimes for its realization are determined by calculation. A mathematical model is proposed for heating the contacting layers of a solid body, slag and melt, taking into account the Joule heat released during the passage of an electric current. The corresponding problem is solved numerically with the help of the method of finite differences. The results are discussed, practical recommendations are presented.
Many books about probability and statistics only mention the weak and the strong law of large numbers for samples from distributions with finite expectation. However, these laws also hold for distributions with infinite expectation and then the sample average has to go to infinity with increasing sample size.    Being curious about the way in which this would happen, we simulated increasing samples (up to n= 40000) from three distributions with infinite expectation. The results were somewhat surprising at first sight, but understandable after some thought. Most statisticians, when asked, seem to expect a gradual increase of the average with the size of the sample. So did we. In general, however, this proves to be wrong and for different parent distributions different types of conduct appear from this experiment.    The samples from the "absolute Cauchy"-distribution are most interesting from a practical point of view: the average takes a high jump from time to time and decreases in between. In practice it might well happen, that the observations causing the jumps would be discarded as outlying observations.
The effect of the intrathecal administration of diamorphine on the hyperglycaemic, adrenocortical and cardiovascular responses to major colonic surgery were investigated, and the results compared with those obtained in a similar group of patients receiving low doses of fentanyl. In the group receiving intrathecal diamorphine, the hyperglycaemic response was delayed, and the adrenocortical response decreased significantly both during and following surgery; there were no significant cardiovascular responses to incision, and analgesia was prolonged after operation.
In this paper we shall analyze the $f( mathcal{G})$ gravity phase space, in the case that the corresponding dynamical system is autonomous. In order to make the dynamical system autonomous, we shall appropriately choose the independent variables, and we shall analyze the evolution of the variables numerically, emphasizing on the inflationary attractors. As we demonstrate, the dynamical system has only one de Sitter fixed point, which is unstable, with the instability being traced in one of the independent variables. This result holds true both in the presence and in the absence of matter and radiation perfect fluids. We argue that this instability could loosely be viewed as an indication of graceful exit in the $f( mathcal{G})$ theory of gravity.
Thc vibration signal is one of the most commonly occurring communication displays in honey bee (&is md@ra) colonies. It may function in a ‘modulatoty’ manner, becAuSc it causes a nonspecihc increase in actkity that enhances a %ariety of behaviors depending upon the age and caste of the rccipicnt. We examined hone! bee workers that performed vibration signals on other workers in three observation hives, each containing a populstion of marked bces of known age. In all three colonies, the mean age of the first perfrmnance of the vibration signal was significantly different from the mean agc at which workers first performrd waggle dances, carried pollen loads, or attended the queen. However, workers of all ages, except those less than 3 d old, could perform vibration signals. In older workers of foraging age, signal performance was most closely associated with recent foraging success. Younger workers that vibrated did not appear to be early-maturing foragers and thus thcir signals wcre probably not influenced by food collection. Rather, for these preforaging-age workers, sip11 performance was associated more with periods of orientation flight, during which ywnger bees learn the location of the nest and surrounding landmarks. Thus, the vibration signal may be triggered by different stimuli in different worker age classes. Because it elicits a general incrcase in activity In all recipients, the signal may help adjust many dlffcrent colony behaviors simultaneously to changes in foraging success and colony development.
Outpatient care (e.g., individual, group, or self-help therapies) and day treatment programs (DTPs) are common and effective treatments for adults with eating disorders. Compared to outpatient care, DTPs have additional expenses and could have unintended iatrogenic effects (e.g., may create an overly protective environment that undermines self-efficacy). However, these potential downsides may be offset if DTPs are shown to have advantages over outpatient care. To explore this question, our team conducted a scoping review that aimed to synthesize the existing body of adult eating disorder literature (a) comparing outcomes for DTPs to outpatient care, and (b) examining the use of DTPs as a higher level of care in a stepped care model. Only four studies met the predefined search criteria. The limited results suggest that the treatments have similar effects and that outpatient care is more cost-effective. Furthermore, no studies explored the use of DTPs as a higher level of care in a stepped care model (despite international guidelines recommending this approach). Given the clear dearth of literature on this clinically relevant topic, we have provided specific avenues for further research.
AbstractThis paper examines the effect of trade wind cumulus clouds on aerosol properties in the near-cloud environment using data from the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) campaign. Aerosol size distributions, particle concentrations, and optical properties are examined as a function of altitude and distance from cloud, at ambient relative humidity (RH) and adjusted to a constant RH to isolate effects of humidification from other processes.The cloud humidity halo extended about 1500–2000 m from the cloud edge, with no clear altitude dependence on horizontal extent over an altitude range of 600–1700 m. The combined effects of vertical transport of aerosol by clouds and cloud processing contributed to the modification of aerosol size distributions within the clouds' humidity halos, particularly close to the cloud boundaries. Backscatter at 532 nm, calculated from the aerosol properties, exhibited no distinguishable trend with altitude within 400 m of cloud edges, increased toward lower altitudes beyon...
Lignin as the only natural resource of aromatics has the potential to be the feedstock of choice for the production of value-added chemicals. However, the recalcitrance of lignin has limited its valorization into value-added products, and it is often burned for heat. The acid-catalyzed organosolv extraction of lignin results in the formation of interunit carbon–carbon bonds, which limit its upgrading. In this work, three different solvent systems (methanol, acetone, and acetic acid) were evaluated for the extraction of native lignin from wild-type and genetically modified poplar species (wild type, high-S, and low-S). Over 68% of the original lignin in the biomass was isolated and subjected to further upgrading over a heterogeneous Ni/C catalyst (10 wt% of catalyst in methanol solvent, under 35 bar H2 pressure at 225 °C). Three major monomeric phenolic products, guaiacol, isoeugenol, and 4-propenyl syringol, were obtained. Methanol-extracted lignin gave the best yield of >60% of the said aromatic products. Methanol as a nucleophile reacted with the Cα benzylic carbocation formed during the organosolv extraction, minimizing the carbon–carbon bond formation. This protection by methanol was demonstrated by NMR spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed differences in the isolated lignin on the micron scale from the three different treatments.
Spectrum sensing is a key technique for determining the spectrum available in cognitive radio (CR) networks. In this paper, we study how to jointly optimize sensing time and resource allocation to maximize the sum transmission rate of all CR users of a multichannel CR network. We take into consideration the transmission power and interference constraints to protect primary users from harmful interference, as well as constraints of detection probability and false alarm probability. Under these constraints, we propose an asymptotically optimal resource allocation algorithm. The optimal sensing time can be obtained using the traditional one‐dimensional exhaustive search. However, owing to the high complexity of searching for the sensing time, we propose a simplified method to get the optimal sensing time under the assumption that false alarm probability is small. Simulation results show that the simplified method can obtain the optimal sensing time efficiently under strict constraint of false alarm probability. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The soluble microbial products (SMP) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) significantly affect fouling in membrane filtration. This work filtered SMP and fractionated EPS of activated sludge using a 0.45 mm filter membrane. The fluorescently labeled stains and confocol laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images in situ visualized the distributions of proteins, α-polysaccharides, β-polysaccharides, lipids, total cells, and dead cells of different EPS fractions in the fouling layers. The role of individual SMP and fractionated EPS fractions on membrane fouling was discussed.
Distraction osteogenesis is a well-established technique of endogenous tissue engineering. The biomechanical factors thought to affect the quality of the distraction regenerate include the latency, rate, rhythm, and consolidation period. In an effort to understand the impact of these parameters on regenerate bone formation, this study was designed to decipher the most adaptive response in a rat model of mandibular distraction osteogenesis. Ninety-six adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 16 subgroups (n = 6 per subgroup) based on variations in the distraction parameters (i.e., latency, rate, and rhythm). After a 28-day consolidation period, the mandibles were harvested, decalcified, and sectioned. A standardized histologic ranking system was used to evaluate the effect of each protocol on the adaptive response of the regenerate bone. In this study, we have demonstrated that the latency period dramatically affects the success of distraction osteogenesis. Furthermore, distraction rates up to 0.50 mm per day stimulated excellent regenerate bone formation, whereas greater distraction rates produced a fibrous union. Finally, higher frequency distraction (i.e., increased rhythm) appeared to accelerate regenerate bone formation. We believe that defining the critical parameters of this model will improve future analysis of gene expression during rat mandibular distraction osteogenesis and may facilitate the development of biologically based strategies designed to enhance regenerate bone formation.
This report describes the composition of evolved gas and the material balance of the activation process of char.It was assumed that the activation process consisted of two stages; the thermal decomposition and the activation of char.Most part of the sulfur, which was introduced into char by sulfonation, was released as SO2 during the thermal decomposition of char at around 300-400°C. while, about 50% of the original sulfur contained in raw asphalt was released as H2S during the thermal decomposition of char at around 300-500°C., and about 25% of the original sulfur as H2S during the activation stage.The formation of hydrocarbons was observed evidently in addition to SO2and H2S during the thermal decomposition at around 400-600°C., while H2 and CO formed through water gas reaction occupied 90% of the total gas generated during the activation stage.The material balance of the activation stage was calculated from the total volume and composition of evolved gas as well as the ultimate analysis of asphalt, char and activated carbon.
AIM: Thiols contribute to the maintenance of homeostasis by participating in synthesis or structure of the proteins, performing some specific tasks in intracellular signaling pathways, having some regulatory roles in some parts of the cell cycle, acting as a catalyst in chemical reactions and forming compounds with metalic elements. Also, they occupy an important place in antioxidant defense system. We aimed at revealing whether there is any specific aberration in thioldisulfide homeostasis according to lifestyle in three distinct categories.
IN a small and very simple group like the family, sept or tribe, that sense of being related which is the moral core of religion may do very well as a basis for harmonious living. But for a large and highly organized society acquired sympathy has just the shortcomings I pointed out in a spontaneous sympathy in the first paper of this series. It establishes general bonds and sees to it that no social class is exploited or left behind, but it is not fit to be charged with the immediate regulation of men. The reason for this lies in the nature of the social order. Taking the society we are in, this social order presents itself as a system of active individuals, unlike in respect to dependence, desires, abilities and occupation, engaged in the strenuous pursuit of personal ends, but nevertheless so ordering their activities and conduct as to realize a certain equilibrium which can be indefinitely maintained. People are constantly dropping out of this system, new people are constantly maturing into it, and these after entering frequently change their places in it. But whatever be a person's place in the system, there are required of him in that place certain definite relations to other persons and to other parts of the system. The individual as daughter is to defer in certain ways, as wife must assume certain relations of mutuality, as mother is expected to become care-taker of her children, as nurse is called upon to meet unflinchingly certain responsibilities. As one passes from youth to manhood, from minority to citizenship, from study to work, from bachelor to father, from subordinate to chief, many definite changes at once take place in social requirement. At times these requirements are so unlike as to call up precisely opposite sentiments. Consider the contrast between the individual as diplomat and as man of science, as advocate and as judge, as business man and
Abstract Purpose The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented novel challenges to healthcare systems; however, an analysis of the impact of the pandemic on inpatient pharmacy services has not yet been conducted. Methods Results of an observational assessment of operational and clinical pharmacy services at a community teaching hospital during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic are presented. Service outcomes of the inpatient pharmacy were evaluated from February 1 to April 8, 2020. Outcomes during the weeks preceding the first COVID-19 admission (February 1 to March 11, 2020) and during the pandemic period (March 12 to April 8, 2020) were compared. Evaluated outcomes included daily order verifications, clinical interventions, and usage of relevant medications. An exploratory statistical analysis was conducted using Student’s t test. Results During the pandemic period, the number of new order verifications decreased from approximately 5,000 orders per day to 3,300 orders per day (P < 0.01), a reduction of 30% during the first 4 weeks of the pandemic compared to the weeks prior. Average daily pharmacokinetic dosing consults were reduced in the pandemic period (from 82 to 67; P < 0.01) compared to the prepandemic period; however, total daily pharmacist interventions did not differ significantly (473 vs 456; P = 0.68). Dispensing of hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, enoxaparin, and sedative medications increased substantially during the pandemic period (P < 0.01 for all comparisons). Conclusion The operational and clinical requirements of an inpatient pharmacy department shifted considerably during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pharmacy departments must be adaptable in order to continue to provide effective pharmaceutical care during the pandemic.
The angiographic localization of gastroesophageal-junction hemorrage emanating from the left inferior phrenic artery (which originated from the abdominal aorta) is described. The diagnosis was established after conventional selective celiac and left gastric arteriography failed to demonstrate extravasation. The arteriographic evaluation of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage requires consideration of the variable arterial distribution to the gastroesophageal junction and an awareness of the variable causes of dense opacification (including superimposed adrenal glands) that may mimic extravasation.
Previous literature suggests that active commuting has substantial health benefits. Yet, in polluted regions, it can also cause additional health risks by increasing riders’ pollution exposure and raising their inhalation rate. We examine the effect of perceived air pollution on stated commuting choices using an on-site survey experiment for 2285 non-automobile commuters in Zhengzhou, a heavily polluted city in central China. We integrate a sequential randomized controlled trial in a survey where individuals in the treatment group received tailored information on their commuting-related pollution exposure, based on our 2 week peak-hour pollution monitoring campaign across transportation modes in the city. We find that travelers in Zhengzhou have already adopted pollution prevention actions by favoring indoor commuting modes on polluted days. Individuals receiving personalized pollution exposure information by mode further decrease active commuting by 8.4 percentage points (95% CI: 5.1, 11.6), accompanied by a 14.7 percentage points (95% CI: 10.7, 18.3) increase in automobile commuting. Travellers make sub-optimal, overly risk averse choices by reducing active commuting even for trips where epidemiological research suggests the exercise benefits outweigh pollution exposure risks. This pollution avoidance tendency significantly attenuates the effect of policies encouraging active commuting. Our findings show the intricately intertwined relationships between the public health targets of promoting active lifestyles and reducing pollution exposure, and between individual pollution avoidance and societal pollution mitigation.
Landscape transformations such as land-cover and land-use change are processes that modify ecosystems, particularly in the tropical regions at a global scale. In this paper we analyze the patterns of change in the landscape of the indigenous community of Cuzalapa, locatedwithin the Sierra de Manantlan Biosphere Reserve, Jalisco, Mexico, during the period of 1972 to 2000. These patterns are explained through the analysis of the community’s rural dynamics from a sociological approach with the help of remote sensing. Our results show that land-cover in Cuzalapa changed during the period analyzed, with a loss of approximately 20 % of forested area, that coincided with the opening of areas for agriculture and livestock; the expansion of extensive livestock activities appeared to be the main factor for the transformation of Cuzalapa’s landscape. In this sense, Cuzalapa represents a clear example of landscape and agrarian dynamics in Mexico’s rural areas, where forests are transformed into croplands or grasslands, with the corresponding environmental and social impacts. Archive XML (SciELO)
There are intense magmatic activities in the Alasituo integrated gold exploration area, west Tianshan Orogen. On the basis of field characteristics, geochemistry features, and chronology in Alasituo, the formation mechanism of complex granite rocks was explored. The intrusive rocks are divided into 3 parts: a silicic endmember, a mafic endmember, and intermediate rocks. Mafic microgranular enclaves, as well as spotted structure, silicic veins intruding mafic rocks and plagioclase xenocrysts, developed in rocks. Under the microscope, there are many unbalanced mineral combinations, needle‐like apatites, and poikilitic structures. Futhermore, there is an obvious linear trend between the mafic endmember samples, intermediate samples, and the silicic endmember samples in Harker diagrams. All samples were evolved from magma mixing in TFe2O3‐MgO diagram. The trace element concentrations of intermediate rocks have the transitional features of both silicic and mafic endmember rocks. The above characteristics show that rocks have experienced low degree and uneven physical and chemical magma mixing. The silicic endmember rocks have a high content of K2O + Na2O, Zr, Nb, Y, and REE; high Ga/Al ratios, and; low content of Sr, Eu, Ti, and P, which have the characteristics of A‐type granites with a crustal source. The high content of MgO, TFe2O3, and low K2O/Na2O in mafic endmember rocks indicate a mantle source. The LA‐ICP‐MS U–Pb zircon age of the granodiorites is 350.3 ± 3.0 Ma. Combined with regional geological background and geochemical characteristics, the intrusive rocks were formed when the thinning lithosphere triggered mafic magma underplating, heating upper crust granites, and causing them partial melt.
Real-time scenarios of deep learning algorithms are challenged by two less frequently addressed issues. The first is data inefficiency i.e., the model requires several epochs of trial and error to converge which makes it impractical to be applied to real-time applications. The Second is the high precision computation load of the deep learning algorithms to achieve high accuracy during training and inference. In this paper, we address these two issues and apply our model to the task of online anomaly detection using FPGA. To address the first issue, we propose a compressed training model for the contrastive divergence algorithm (CD) in the Deep Belief Network (DBN). The goal is to dynamically adjust the training vector according to the feedback from the free energy and the reconstruction error, which allows for better generalization. To address the second issue, we propose a Hybrid-Stochastic-Dynamic-Fixed-Point (HSDFP) method, which provides training environment with high reduction in calculation, area, and power in FPGA. Our framework enables the DBN structure to take actions and detect attacks online. Thus, the network can collect efficient number of training samples and avoid overfitting. We show that (1) our proposed method converges faster than the state-of-the-art deep learning methods, (2) FPGA implementation achieves accelerated inference speed of 0.008ms and a high power efficiency of 37 G-ops/s/W compared to CPU, GPU, and 16-bit fixed-point arithmetic (3) FPGA also achieves minimal degradation in accuracy of 95%, 95.4%, and 97.9% on the benchmark datasets: MNIST, NSL-KDD, and Kyoto datasets.
A necessary updating degree is vital for the digital map data in a vehicle navigation system. Only when the digital map data are well updated, can the quality of the navigation be assured. Today the companies devoting to the production of digital map data for vehicle navigation have to cost much labor, material and capital to collect and update data in order to maintain a necessary updating degree. Throughout the history of electronic navigation data updating, they have made considerable progress both on the methods and processes of data production, and the way of map management. Updating from the CD to the network, from the wired to the wireless, from the replacing to the incremental way, each of the technical changes is a power source to enhance the data updating rate. As we all know, the change detection is a prerequisite and base for the electronic navigation data updating. By rapidly developing the area with changes and using the appropriate updating method, we can scientifically maintain the original database of navigation data and terminal physical data. In view of this, starting from application needs for dynamic data updating, this paper analyses change detection methods of navigation data in different versions used for generating incremental data, and focuses on that of rasterizing features and attributes, exploring a new approach to quickly get the incremental data between versions.
Elevated plasma levels of lipid-bound sialic acid (LSA) (gangliosides) have been reported in malignant diseases (Dnistrianand Schwartz 1983). The potential function of gangliosides on the cell membrane was suggested to be related to the immunological depression observed in patients with malignancy (Horgan 1982). Elevated LSA levels are rarely seen in plasma of healthy subjects and those with benign disorders (Katopodis, Hirshaut, Keller and Stock 1982). However, Kishore, Arakawaund Gejyo(1983)havefoundasignificant increase in the LSA level of patients with chronic renal failure and according to Erbil, Jonesand Klee (1985), obese persons show an elevation in the level of total sialic acid which includes the lipid-bound subfraction of sialic acid. As renal failure is a common complication of diabetes and obese diabetics constitute a subgroup of patients with NIDDM, we found it of interest to investigate possible changes in the plasma LSA levels of IDDM patients with end-stage renal failure (RF) and obese patients with NIDDM.
Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard to detect and remove colorectal neoplasia. The efficacy of colonoscopy with polypectomy to reduce colorectal cancer incidence and mortality has been demonstrated. Recently, post‐polypectomy surveillance colonoscopy has become a necessary intervention in daily practice not only in Western countries but also in the Asia–Pacific region. Therefore, it is crucial to establish new clinical practice guidelines to reduce the number of unnecessary surveillance colonoscopies in order to create space for screening colonoscopy. The Asia–Pacific Consensus group recommended that surveillance colonoscopy interval should be tailored according to risk level of index colonoscopy. However, precise guidelines on interval of surveillance cannot be given because of a lack of prospective data. According to Korean and Australian guidelines, surveillance intervals after index colonoscopy of 5 years for low‐risk subjects and 3 years for high‐risk subjects are recommended in Asia–Pacific regions at present. Prospective data including long‐term outcomes from the Japan Polyp Study, which is a multicenter randomized control trial, would be useful to establish the Asia–Pacific consensus in the near future.
We examined the relative importance of bottom-up (nutrient availability) and top-down (grazing) factors in regulating phytoplankton assemblages in tidepools on a rocky shore near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. We manipulated the concentration of nutrients and density of micrograzers in pools in the h ~ g h intertidal and splash zones in 3 repeated, 1 to 2 wk experiments in November 1992 and June and August 1993 For each expenment, we set up 4 orthogonal treatments in enclosures in each of 3 or 4 pools: (1) micrograzers removed and nutrients enriched, (2) micrograzers removed and nutrients at natural levels, (3) micrograzers at natural densities and nutrients enriched, and (4) both micrograzers and nutrients at natural levels. For each treatment, we measured the change in abundance over 1 wk intervals of 5 taxonomic groups of phytoplankton: centric diatoms, pennate diatoms, cryptomonads, prasinophytes, and chlorophytes. We examlned the effects of nutrient concentration, grazer denslty, and pool on the phytoplankton assenthlage uslng multivariate analysis of variance. There were significant effects of grazer density in June and August, and of nutrient concentration in August, which varied among phytoplankton groups and tidepools. In 1 pool in June, reduction in grazer density had a negative effect on pennate diatoms, cryptomonads and chlorophytes in the first week of the experiment, but a posihve effect on pennate diatoms In the second week. In another pool in the second week, grazer reduction had a positive effect on prasinoph.ytes but a negative effect on chlorophytes. In 1 pool in August, nutrient enrichment had a posltlve effect on pras~nophytes in the first week of the experiment, and grazer reduction had a negative effect on cryptomonads and chlorophytes in the second week. In another pool in the first week, nutrient enrichment had a negative effect on chlorophytes. Based on the frequency of significant effects, we concluded that grazing is more important than the nutrient regime in regulating phytoplankton assemblages in tidepools. The large variability among tidepools in the response of phytoplankton to our manipulations supports our previous suggestion that regulation of these assemblages occurs at the scale of the individual pool rather than the intertidal zone.
Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the change in physical properties (surface roughness, surface hardness and phase transformation) after surface grinding of zirconia by using three commercially available abrasives. Materials and Methods: Thirty sintered zirconia specimens were prepared and divided into three groups namely Group M (grinded using Mani Dia diamond bur standard grit), Group T (grinded using Tri Hawk diamond bur coarse grit) and Group P (grinded using Predator carbide bur). A customised assembly was used to follow a standardised protocol for surface grinding. The surface roughness, surface hardness and phase transformation was recorded before and after the grinding procedure. Statistical Analysis Used: ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to assess the values obtained after the testing the surface roughness and surface hardness. Results: The results of the present study revealed the average values of change in surface roughness as Group M (0.44 μm) and Group T (1.235 μm) and Group P (-0.88 μm). The average values of change in surface hardness were Group T (19.578 HV), Group M (46.722 HV) and Group P (36.429 HV). The change in surface hardness was not statistically significant. There was no phase transformation seen after the grinding procedure. Clinical Significance: Carbide burs along with copious water irrigation when used to grind zirconia intra-orally produces has a polishing effect, minimal change in hardness & no phase transformation. The present study advocates the use of carbides for chair-side grinding of zirconia.
WILLIAM GUTTERIDGE is Senior Lecturer in Modern Subjects at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. The recent Chinese invasion of north-east India and the consequent criticisms of the Republic’s defence arrangements have not unnaturally focussed attention on the Indian army and on the structure and evolution of its officer corps. Sixteen years after independence, the suggestion has been made that the British pattern has been adhered to too closely for effectiveness in the conditions of Himalayan warfare and that this in some way is Britain’s fault though, inevitably, the whole body of junior and ’middle piece’ officers in operational units has been commissioned since 1947, under national arrangements. The process of Indianisation is, therefore, still of more than academic interest. The contrast between the comparatively advanced ’localisation’ of the Indian army by 1947 and the total lack of African officers in the Congo ’Force Publique’ in 1960 in itself merits reflection. With the exception, of course, of Pakistan and the Sudan, no newly independent state has so far rivalled India in military preparedness, in terms of officers, for complete autonomy. For this
Background: A state of preparedness to a natural calamity can considerably mitigate loss of life and property and the human suffering and restore normalcy at the earliest. This study aimed at evaluation of knowledge levels on disaster management among community residents in Puducherry.Methods: Community based intervention study involving 150 community residents from a disaster affected coastal area was carried out employing convenient sampling. One-to-one interview was conducted using a structured questionnaire. Intervention through posters, lectures and disaster management mock drills was done. Evaluation was made using the same questionnaire following the intervention. The pre- and post-test evaluation were compared and analysed.Results: The study showed lower levels of knowledge regarding disaster management. Following the intervention there was a significant rise in the knowledge levels (p<0.005).Conclusions: This study may be useful for planning future training needs and IEC strategies for the community regarding disaster management.
Forest land conversion into oil palm plantation causes drastic ecological changes which influence various species in the ecosystem. Arthropoda, as one of the components of biodiversity, has important roles as herbivore, predator and parasitoid, and detritivore. This research was conducted in village of Runtu, Subdistrict of Arut Selatan, District of Kotawaringin Barat, the province of Central Kalimantan. Techniques of Arthropoda sample collection were pitfall trap, malaise trap, and sweep net conducted in two ecosystems. The two ecosystems were ecotone (transition between forest and oil palm plantation) and oil palm plantation. Research results showed that forest existence could increase the abundance of arthropoda. Abundance of Arthropoda in ecotone ecosystem was higher as compared to that in oil palm plantation. Populations of predator and parasitoid Arthropoda were higher in ecotone ecosystem.Key words: Arthropoda, detritivore, herbivore, oil palm plantation, predator, parasitoid
In firms where oversight by a regulatory body within the industry exists and where new core competencies must be developed to offset aggressive competition, there is evidence that a larger role for board of director involvement in strategic activities occurs. Within this context, survey data from board members and CEOs reveal that in organisations where financial soundness scores are less favourable, the odds of the board being more involved in a formal strategic planning process increase. Regarding a strategy role that consists of the board collaborating with management in making new strategic decisions, it is less likely that the board will take on this role when the organisation's financial soundness scores are not at the optimal level. For many years, boards of directors have been encouraged in theory and in practice to take on an active strategy role. However, in much of the literature the nature and extent of board involvement in strategy is undifferentiated. Most empirical studies dealing with corporate governance issues focus on board composition and structure variables and do not examine the level of involvement from a decision making perspective. Capturing this particular perspective is not only of interest to researchers but also is of practical importance, as general management seeks to realise the board's full potential in the strategic arena. This paper reports on the involvement of boards in a five-step strategic planning process and also examines board participation relative to that of senior management in strategic decision-making and evaluation. The first section examines the limited empirical findings of board involvement in strategic activities and outlines three viewpoints on possible participation levels. The paper then describes an empirical study that shows board involvement varies in relation to the organisation's financial performance.
Cirrhosis of the liver is the end result of irreversible hepatocellular injury causing fibrosis and nodular regeneration of the liver. One of the complications of hepatic cirrhosis is ascites. The most common causes of ascites in liver cirrhosis are portal hypertension, hypoalbuminemia and kidney dysfunction which will result in the accumulation of the fluid in the peritoneum. Ascites in cirrhosis is truly important as it is highly associated with mortality, and significantly requires liver transplantation as a therapeutic option. This article reports an SIA woman, 68 years old, diagnosed with ascites e.c hepatic cirrhosis who was treated due to an enlarged abdomen. The patient received diuretic therapy but there were no significant changes. The patient also received an ascitic fluid puncture procedure. Cirrhosis of the liver is a condition where the extracellular matrix or scar tissue accumulates as a response to acute or chronic liver injury. Ascites is the most likely complication occurred in cirrhosis patients. The occurrence of ascites in cirrhosis is very important which is correlated to the patient’s mortality. Adequate ascites therapy will levitate the quality of life for cirrhosis patients and prevent complications.
This paper presents some results from the ONTOCODESIGN project meant to help SMC/CSCWD Committee members to better interact and organize their scientific production, and to make more informed decisions. The ontology was developed from seed words from a previous Call for Papers, with some additions and minor modifications. The concepts and definitions were then complemented by adding translations into different languages. The ONTOCODESIGN ontology was used to obtain some statistics from the 2016 paper submission and provided interesting results.
The effect of defocus on the printability of submicron 5X reticle defects at g-line, i-line and duv wavelengths is assessed. Imaging of a specifically designed test reticle incorporating defects whose size, and proximity to adjacent features, varies within submicron line/space arrays was studied using the simulation package SOLID. The results were assessed and initially presented by plotting minimum printed defect (MPD) vs. array linewidth (L/W) to compare with a previously reported practical study. Following this the results were replotted as curves of MPD vs. defocus at differing linewidth values. Finally, the resist modelling program has been used to create 3D images of the printed defects and thus demonstrate the effect caused by defocus on the resist profiles. Results on defect printability enable future reticle procurement specifications to be established.
Objective To investigate vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and TNF-α levels in the serum of patients with primary hepatocellur carcinoma(HCC),and to evaluate their relevance with the development and metastasis of HCC.Methods VEGF and TNF-α levels in serum were examined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) technology in 87 patients with HCC and 10 healthy individuals.Results Serum VEGF and TNF-α,levels in HCC patients were significantly higher than that in the contorl group.In addition,HCC patients infected with hepatitis virus(including HBV and HCV) showed a remarkable elevation in serum VEGF and TNF-α levels.The VEGF and TNF-α levels in HCC with metastasis were also higher than those without metastasis.Conclusion The serum VEGF and TNF-α levels in HCC patients might serve as the pivotal biological indices that could reflect HCC progressien and metastasis.    Key words:  Carcinoma,hepatocellular; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Tumor necrosis factor-α
The paper describes the application of Fe-based nanocrystalline alloy ribbon to a common-mode noise filter and a shielded cable in the 10 MHz-1 GHz frequency range. A 0.01-mm-thick Fe-based nanocrystalline alloy ribbon exhibited high permeability and high impedance characteristics. The resistance of a 5.5-mm-diameter roll of Fe-nanocrystalline ribbon (12.5 mm wide and 6 cm long) increased from 1.0 /spl Omega/ at 1 MHz to 5.1 /spl Omega/ at 700 MHz. We confirmed that this filter exhibited the same noise attenuation as a conventional filter (ferrite core) but with 1/20th its volume. Moreover, the noise emission from a twisted pair cable is greatly reduced without any increase in the cable volume by employing the nanocrystalline ribbon as a shielding material.
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) was performed on monolayers prepared by scribing silicon under a homologous series of 1-alkenes, 1-alkynes, and 1-haloalkanes: CH 2 =CH(CH 2 ) n -CH 3 (n = 2, 5, 9), HC≡C(CH 2 ) n CH 3 (n = 2, 5, 9), Cl(CH 2 ) n CH 3 (n = 4, 7, 9), Br(CH 2 ) n CH 3 (n = 4, 7, 11), I(CH 2 ) n CH 3 (n = 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 11), and I 1 3 CH 3 . Numerous SiC x H y + and C x H y + fragments and adduct ions were observed. The results support a proposed binding model that 1-haloalkanes bind to the silicon surface through one C-Si bond and that 1-alkenes and 1-alkynes generally bind through two C-Si bonds. For instance, silicon surfaces scribed under 1-haloalkanes show less carbon by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) than silicon scribed under 1-alkenes and 1-alkynes with the same number of carbon atoms, but they show more intense SiC x H y + fragments by ToF-SIMS. Above a certain chain length, the relative intensities of the fragment and adduct ions for a homologous series generally increase with increasing alkyl chain length, which is in agreement with carbon surface coverages measured by XPS and the proposed binding models. Anomalously strong SiCH 3 + and SiC 2 H 5 + fragments observed in silicon scribed under CH 3 I and CH 3 CH 2 I suggest formation of methyl- and ethyl-terminated silicon, respectively. An isotopic study of silicon scribed under 1 3 CH 3 I and CH 3 I provides additional evidence for formation of methyl-terminated silicon and suggests sputter-induced decomposition of the near-surface region by ToF-SIMS. Ab initio calculations of a few SiC x H y + type fragments are shown to verify assignments of structure. We also note an alternative explanation for some of the results based on the density of alkyl chains on the surfaces.
Due to advances of hyperspectral imaging sensors many unknown and subtle targets that cannot be resolved by multispectral imagery can now be uncovered by hyperspectral imagery. These targets generally cannot be identified by visual inspection or prior knowledge, but yet provide crucial and vital information for data exploitation. One such type of targets is anomalies which have recently received considerable interest in hyperspectral image analysis. Many anomaly detectors have been developed and most of them are based on the most widely used Reed-Yu's algorithm, called RX detector (RXD). However, a key issue in making RX detector-like anomaly detectors effective is how to effectively utilize the spectral information provided by data samples, e.g., sample covariance matrix used by RXD. Recently, a dual window-based eigen separation transform (DWEST) was developed to address this issue. This paper extends the concept of DWEST to develop a new approach, to be called multiple-window anomaly detection (MWAD) by making use of multiple windows to perform anomaly detection adaptively. As a result, MWAD is able to detect anomalies of various sizes using multiple windows so that local spectral variations can be characterized and extracted by different window sizes. By virtue of this newly developed MWAD, many existing RXD-like anomaly detectors including DWEST can be derived as special cases of MWAD.
Single‐particle microscopy is important for characterization of nanoparticulate matter for which accurate concentration measurements are crucial. We introduce a method for estimating absolute number concentrations in nanoparticle dispersions based on a fluctuating time series of particle counts, known as a Smoluchowski process. Thus, unambiguous tracking of particles is not required and identification of single particles is sufficient. However, the diffusion coefficient of the particles must be estimated separately. The proposed method does not require precalibration of the detection region volume, as this can be estimated directly from the observations. We evaluate the method in a simulation study and on experimental data from a series of dilutions of 0.2‐ and 0.5‐μm polymer nanospheres in water, obtaining very good agreement with reference values.
Phase error dynamics of a second order Digital Phase Locked Loop (DPLL) have been studied using digital computers. Ranges of initial conditions leading to the phase locking condition were determined from the real time simulation of a second order DPLL in a digital computer. Hence the frequency acquisition range (FAR) of the loop was determined. At the same time ranges of initial conditions leading to the diverging condition of the loop were determined from the same simulation. Lyapunov exponents were examined, for very large number of possible values of the state variables in its entire range, for different input signal frequency. In the diverging zone of the loop the Lyapunov exponents are positive. Using these observations a scheme has been proposed to extend the FAR or the lock range of the DPLL.
Objectives To study the association between serum uric acid level and severity of coronary lesions in coronary heart disease. Methods A total of 4609 in hospital possible coronary heart disease (CAD) patient were enrolled in the present study. Diagnostic coronary angiography was performed in all patients. Standard for diagnosing CAD was coronary angiography-positive (major blood vessel diameter stenosis ≥ 50%). Severity of coronary artery stenosis using Gensini integral evaluation. Patients were divided into 4 groups (0, single, two and three disease group) according to the number of main coronary artery involved. Analysis of variance, clinical parameters of Kendall correlation analysis, and logistic regression analysis were performed. Results Blood uric acid value were higher in coronary artery stenosis group than patients without coronary artery stenosis group (328 ± 103 vs 314 ± 98 µmol/L, P < 0. 05). Coronary artery stenosis and blood uric acid, hypertension, diabetes, smoking, diuretics, lipid disorders, renal function, age, gender, individual clinical parameters were significantly correlated with coronary artery stenosis and blood uric acid level (r = 0.051-0.271, all P < 0.01). Blood uric acid level in three disease groups and uric acid were higher than other groups.(337 ± 107 vs 314 ± 98, 318 ± 99, 325 ± 100 µmol/L, P <0. 05) Conclusions The coronary artery stenosis was independently associated with serum uric acid level.
Purpose To determine whether multiple doses of gadobutrol increase the T1 signal intensity in the brains of children. Materials and Methods This retrospective imaging study evaluated 91 children (median age, 5.4 years; age range, 0-17 years) with brain tumors who underwent five or more MR brain examinations at a single institution. A subgroup of 46 patients received five or more administrations of gadobutrol (0.1 mmol/kg) and underwent follow-up MRI. T1 signal intensity in the globus pallidus and dentate nucleus was measured at the first to sixth unenhanced MR brain examination in these children. Globus pallidus-to-corpus callosum and dentate nucleus-to-corpus callosum signal intensity ratios were analyzed by linear mixed-effect analysis. Subgroup analysis was performed for six children who underwent 14 or more administrations of gadobutrol. Results The globus pallidus-to-corpus callosum ratio increased with patient age (absolute change, 0.0052 per year; 95% confidence interval: 0.0033, 0.0071; P < .0001). There was no change in the dentate nucleus-to-corpus callosum ratio with age (P = .30). Among 46 children who received five or more doses of gadobutrol (median dose, 11 mL; range, 3.9-31 mL), there was no change in signal intensity ratio of the globus pallidus (P = .17) or dentate nucleus (P = .44). Among six children who underwent more than 14 administrations of gadobutrol (median dose, 64 mL; range, 40-91 mL) there was no change in signal intensity ratio of the globus pallidus (P = .15) or dentate nucleus (P = .50). Conclusion No increase in T1-weighted signal intensity ratio was observed in the globus pallidus or dentate nucleus after the administration of at least five doses of gadobutrol. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article.
The purpose of the present investigation is to study renal injury by monthly viral inoculation into mice, using several different types of strains of enterovirus. A group of mice were inoculated intravenously with five different serotypes of group B coxsackieviruses (CB1 to CB5), once a month from 1 to 5 months of age and sacrificed monthly from 6 to 12 months of age. Mesangial proliferation and PAS-positive mesangial deposits in light microscopy and electron-dense deposits in electron microscopy were observed at maximum from 6 to 7 months of age. The CB viral RNA detected by in situ hybridization were observed in the mesangial lesion. By immunofluorescence findings, positive findings for IgG and IgA were observed. These results demonstrated that intermittent intravenous inoculation with different serotypes CB in mice provoked pathological changes closely resembling those in human proliferative glomerulonephritis. Moreover, the detection of CB viral RNA in glomerular lesions suggested that renal injury was induced by immune complexes correlated with CB viral replication in renal tissues.
Copyright © 2014 by Siemens Energy, Inc. The correct computation of steam subcooling, subsequent formation of nuclei and finally droplet growth is the basic prerequisite for a quantitative assessment of the wetness losses incurred in steam turbines due to thermal and inertial relaxation. The same basically applies for the prediction of droplet deposition and the resulting threat of erosion. Despite the fact that there are many CFD-packages that can deal with real-gas effects in steam flows, the accurate and reliable prediction of subcooling, condensation and wet steam flow in steam turbines using CFD is still a demanding task. One reason for this is the lack of validation data for turbines that can be used to assess the physical models applied. Experimental data from nozzle and cascade tests can be found in the open literature; however, this data is only partly useful for validation purposes for a number of reasons. With regard to steam turbine test data, there are some publications, yet always without any information about the turbine stage geometries. This publication is part of a two-part paper; whereas part 1 focuses on the numerical validation of wet steam models by means of condensing nozzle and cascade flows, the focus in this part lies on the comparison of CFD results of the turbine flow to experimental data at various load conditions. In order to assess the validity and reliability of the experimental data, the method of measurement is presented in detail and discussed. The comparison of experimental and numerical results is used for a discussion about the challenges in both modeling and measuring steam turbine flows, presenting the current experience and knowledge at ITSM.
Summary form only given. With support from the Department of Energy, Illinois Institute of Technology is leading a team to develop a high fidelity "faster than real-time" dynamics simulator capable of predicting complex, large-scale power system behavior based on (eventually) real-time measurements. The team is leveraging several mathematics and computational advances (e.g., PETSc linear solvers, nonlinear solvers, time-stepping algorithms, memory management and multi-core processors) to improve the speed of dynamics simulations. In addition, the team is leveraging recent modeling and simulation advances (e.g., new three-phase unbalanced network models, single-phase induction motor models, protection system models) to improve the fidelity of the dynamics simulations. The goal is to aid operators in their true time of need, when there is a significant risk of cascading outages. The project will accelerate performance and enhance accuracy of dynamics simulations, enabling operators to maintain reliability and steer clear of blackouts. In the long-term, the proposed simulator will form the backbone of the newly conceived hybrid real-time protection and control architecture that will coordinate local controls, wide-area measurements, wide-area controls and advanced real-time prediction capabilities. The team members (and roles) are as follows: Illinois Institute of Technology (modeling, algorithm development, dynamics simulator development, verification and validation), Argonne National Laboratory's Mathematics and Computer Science Division (algorithm development), Electrocon, the developer of CAPE, a protection system modeling and simulation tool (protection engine development, independent verification & validation), Alstom Grid, a control center Energy Management System vendor (independent verification & validation), Commonwealth Edison, a large metropolitan utility (independent verification & validation), McCoy Energy (facilitate utility advisory group) and AltaLink, a large Canadian transmission system operator (independent verification & validation). This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-OE0000624. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.
Numerical techniques used for describing many-body systems, such as the Coupled Cluster methods (CC) of the quantum chemistry package NWChem, are of extreme interest to the computational chemistry community in fields such as catalytic reactions, solar energy, and bio-mass conversion. In spite of their importance, many of these computationally intensive algorithms have traditionally been thought of in a fairly linear fashion, or are parallelised in coarse chunks.
With fresh Chinese cabbage leaves as material, 0.004% bromocresol purple and 1500 IU/mL Nisin standards were added into modified GM17 medium, saccharose was used as the only carbon source, spherical strain that was Nisin-tolerate, acid-producing and Gram positive was obtained. Oxford Cup method of inhibition zone and 16S rDNA were used to identify it, and it was named L-217. By verifying the thermal stability of the bacteriostatic substance in the fermentation broth, it was detected to have good thermal stability under low pH condition. Then, the bacteriostatic substance in the fermentation broth was concentrated and purified by macroporous adsorption resin, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to compare the purified liquid with Nisin standards. Finally, the bacteriostatic substance was confirmed as Nisin. The Nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis was obtained.With fresh Chinese cabbage leaves as material, 0.004% bromocresol purple and 1500 IU/mL Nisin standards were added into modified GM17 medium, saccharose was used as the only carbon source, spherical strain that was Nisin-tolerate, acid-producing and Gram positive was obtained. Oxford Cup method of inhibition zone and 16S rDNA were used to identify it, and it was named L-217. By verifying the thermal stability of the bacteriostatic substance in the fermentation broth, it was detected to have good thermal stability under low pH condition. Then, the bacteriostatic substance in the fermentation broth was concentrated and purified by macroporous adsorption resin, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to compare the purified liquid with Nisin standards. Finally, the bacteriostatic substance was confirmed as Nisin. The Nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis was obtained.
CAR T cell therapy is a promising approach to improve outcomes and decrease toxicities for patients with cancer. While extraordinary success has been achieved using CAR T cells to treat patients with CD19-positive malignancies, multiple obstacles have so far limited the benefit of CAR T cell therapy for patients with solid tumors. Novel manufacturing and engineering approaches show great promise to enhance CAR T cell function against solid tumors. However, similar to single agent chemotherapy approaches, CAR T cell monotherapy may be unable to achieve high cure rates for patients with difficult to treat solid tumors. Thus, combinatorial drug plus CAR T cell approaches may ultimately be required to achieve widespread clinical success. In this regard, we developed a novel high-content and high-throughput screen to evaluate 1114 FDA approved drugs to increase expression of the solid tumor antigen B7-H3 in metastatic osteosarcoma cells. In this proof-of-principle screen, we demonstrate that ingenol-3-angelate increased B7-H3 (CD276) mRNA, total protein, and cell surface expression. Mechanistically, ingenol-3-angelate increased B7-H3 expression via protein kinase C alpha activation. Functionally, ingenol-3-angelate induced B7-H3 expression enhanced B7-H3-CAR T cell function, highlighting utility of the approach, and paving the way for expanding this high-throughput and high-content technique to study other tumor and CAR T cell combinations.
Respiratory disturbance during sleep, in its most common form, obstructive sleep apnea, is a prevalent condition in the general population. During the past several years, researchers have investigated a possible link between obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension. This article discusses the available epidemiologic and clinical evidence supporting this link. The possible mechanisms leading to the development of hypertension in patients with obstructive sleep apnea will also be discussed, as well as the effects of therapeutic interventions on arterial blood pressure. Last, the clinical importance of such interaction, which may lead to excessive cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, will be addressed.
Abstract Ray tracing techniques have been used to investigate numerical effects on the propagation of acoustic waves in a non-hydrostatic dynamical core discretised using an Arakawa C-grid horizontal staggering of variables (Arakawa & Lamb 1977) and a Charney-Phillips vertical staggering of variables (Charney & Phillips 1953) with a semi-implicit timestepping scheme. It is found that the space discretisation places limits on resolvable wavenumbers and redirects the group velocity of waves towards the vertical. Wave amplitudes grow exponentially with height due to the decrease in the background density, which can cause instabilities in whole-atmosphere models. However, the inclusion of molecular viscosity and diffusion acts to damp the exponential growth of waves above about 150 km. This study aims to demonstrate the extent to which numerical wave propagation causes instabilities at high altitudes in atmosphere models, and how processes that damp the waves can improve these model’s stability.
In this paper, the flow field around and the heat-transfer characteristics of two different hypersonic projectiles are analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Initially, complete flow fields are computed at a freestream Mach number of 7.0 for a 10° cone over a range of bluntness values at the tip. The computed heat-transfer results show the expected downward trend with increasing cone bluntness. Then the computations are extended to a high-kinetic-energy projectile with eight symmetrically placed fins. Tests are performed at a freestream Mach number of 5.4 using a non-contiguous grid. The CFD results capture the three-dimensional recirculation vortex upstream of the fin, and are used to relate the surface temperatures to the flow patterns. The numerical predictions agreed qualitatively with relevant data in the literature.
Background: Human α-defensin HD5 is a multifunctional antimicrobial peptide whose functional determinants have yet to be elucidated. Results: Alanine scanning mutagenesis aided by x-ray crystallography identified Leu29 at the dimer interface as crucial; N-methylation of Glu21 to debilitate HD5 dimerization also affected activity. Conclusion: Dimerization and hydrophobicity are important for HD5 function. Significance: The molecular basis of α-defensin function is better understood. Human α-defensins are cationic peptides that self-associate into dimers and higher-order oligomers. They bind protein toxins, such as anthrax lethal factor (LF), and kill bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, among other functions. There are six members of the human α-defensin family: four human neutrophil peptides, including HNP1, and two enteric human defensins, including HD5. We subjected HD5 to comprehensive alanine scanning mutagenesis. We then assayed LF binding by surface plasmon resonance, LF activity by enzyme kinetic inhibition, and antibacterial activity by the virtual colony count assay. Most mutations could be tolerated, resulting in activity comparable with that of wild type HD5. However, the L29A mutation decimated LF binding and bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. A series of unnatural aliphatic and aromatic substitutions at position 29, including aminobutyric acid (Abu) and norleucine (Nle) correlated hydrophobicity with HD5 function. The crystal structure of L29Abu-HD5 depicted decreased hydrophobic contacts at the dimer interface, whereas the Nle-29-HD5 crystal structure depicted a novel mode of dimerization with parallel β strands. The effect of mutating Leu29 is similar to that of a C-terminal hydrophobic residue of HNP1, Trp26. In addition, in order to further clarify the role of dimerization in HD5 function, an obligate monomer was generated by N-methylation of the Glu21 residue, decreasing LF binding and antibacterial activity against S. aureus. These results further characterize the dimer interface of the α-defensins, revealing a crucial role of hydrophobicity-mediated dimerization.
As part of the EU research project Sustainable Organic and Low Input Dairying (SOLID; www.solidairy.eu), a decisionsupport system called SOLID-DSS is currently being developed. SOLID-DSS is meant for strategic use on organic and low input dairy farms, which are usually characterized by their efforts to minimize external inputs, mainly feed and fertilizer, and to maximize the utilization of grassland, especially pasture. By simulating different management options on the farm and evaluating them with regard to the risk of feed shortages, SOLID-DSS shall offer support for strategic management decisions and help balance forage supply and demand. For ration planning on larger time scales, a linear optimization routine is implemented, which combines data from plant growth models with the herd’s requirements. As SOLID-DSS shall be usable in many European countries, the existence of several different systems of feed evaluation and nutrient requirements in Europe poses a challenge. Although the plant growth models used in SOLID-DSS are expected to be applicable in large parts of Europe, the parameters of feed quality they supply are limited. Therefore, the feed evaluation, which should be based on data supplied by the plant growth models in order to fully profit from the dynamic plant modelling, represents a constraint for the whole diet model in SOLID-DSS. Hereafter, our chain of thought regarding the challenge mentioned and the solutions we have found so far will be laid out.
Traditional cryptosystems are based on the possession of secret keys that can be stolen or shared by non legitimate users. On the other hand, binding the real identity of a system user to what he is instead of something he knows or possesses is the main desirable property of biometric systems. Biometric Crypto-Systems (or BCSs) are designed to bind a cryptographic key with a biometric template to ensure that only a legitimate user can access to encrypted data. In this paper, we propose a new biometric cryptosystem that reformulates the binding process as a minimization problem in such a way that the cryptographic key cannot be derived from the parameters of the objective functions unless the system is provided with a valid biometric template. The idea this method is based on is quite novel and unexplored, and shows the advantage of being robust to attacks that commonly break some of the existing approaches. Moreover, unlike most of biometric crypto-systems, it doesn't need any error correction code technique. The paper formally discusses about the security of the system by evaluating the probability of an attacker to retrieve the correct cryptographic key, while experimental results show the efficiency and the effectiveness of the binding process by measuring the system performance in terms of accuracy, computational time and storage requirements.
The oxidation of fats and oils has a key role in the reduction of the nutritional and organoleptic properties of foodstuffs. Nowadays, there is a tendency to create to use natural preservatives, such as essential oils, for antioxidant, antiradical and antimicrobial properties in foodstuffs. In this study, the effect of thermal processing on the antiradical activities of Zataria multiflora Boiss. (ZMEO) and Cinnamon zeylanicum (CZEO) essential oils is checked. Antiradical activities were measured with a 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) assay at 3 temperatures (100, 140 and 180 °C) and at 3 different time intervals (1, 2 and 3 h). The EC 50 of ZMEO and CZEO were 4026.67 ± 2.2 and 2605.01 ± 15.57 ppm, respectively, at 25 °C. The 2 essences showed various reactions and characteristics at different temperatures (100, 140 and 180 °C) and time ranges (1, 2 and 3 h). Maximum and minimum antiradical properties were observed for ZMEO at respectively, 140 and 180 °C after 1 h heating. doi: 10.14456/WJST.2015.85
Due to its excellent creep rupture strength and low cost, superalloy GH2984 has becoming a promising material to be used as heat exchanger in the prospective 700 °C fossil power plant. The mechanical response of the material under various forming conditions, which is a particularly important indicator for the superalloy, strongly depends on the forging temperature and strain rate. In current study, based on the measured stress-strain curves under different temperatures and strain rates, a series of flow stress constitutive equations for GH2984 superalloy were established through the classical theories on work hardening and softening. The comparison between the experimental and modeling results has confirmed that the established constitutive equations can correctly describe the mechanical responses and microstructural evolutions of the GH2984 under various hot deformation conditions.
The company's performance reflects its capacity of generating future cash-flows, by using existent resources, and the efficiency level in using new resources.The capacity of generating future cash-flows assumes that the company would have to book revenues of its activity, and the use of the existent resources needs a detailed overview of the expenses of the period. The revenues and expenses are elements strictly tied to the evaluation process of the company's performance. This paper seeks to emphasize the efficiency level in using resources dependent on the profit (when the revenues are higher than the expenses), or on the loss (when the expenses are higher than the revenues), their first-step evaluation in the accounting process, so that the next step would evaluate them through a professional specific processing system, in order to lay out the economic result by efficiently binding the two methods.The current paper will analyze only the recognition and evaluation of companies' revenues, with the help of the two criteria, when the revenues are higher than the expenses and therefore one will carry out an evaluation and analysis of the company's performance in this particular field.
Clinical and histologic correlations were performed on five adult patients with verrucae vulgaris lesions and on four normal adult volunteers without verrucae after induction of irritant contact dermatitis and subsequent allergic contact immune response to 1-nitro-2,4-dichlorobenzene (DNCB). Four of the five patients with warts and all of the control patients developed normal delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (DCH) reactions. The four patients with verrucae vulgaris, with induced DCH responses, had disappearance of the warts after topical challenge by DNCB. After several weeks, two of these patients experienced complete disappearance of all nontreated warts, as well.
A novel, patent pending, technique to design random bit generators, suitable to be integrated in a cryptographic device, is presented. The proposed generator is based on a high resolution phase noise detection in free running ring oscillators and it belongs to the class of stateless generators introduced by the authors in a previous work. Therefore, the quality (entropy per bit) of the produced bit stream can be easily tested after the digital post-processing without requiring time-consuming statistical tests on the noise source.
Abstract Celebrated as a leading luxury hotel in the world, the Raffles Hotel stands as a monument to Singapore’s status as a global city of commerce. The century‐old Hotel also represents successful postcolonial heritage conservation. Drawing from archival and published sources, I analyze the Hotel as a changing cultural form in the historical transformation of Singapore by the circuits of global capital, from imperial capitalism, through the postcolonial development of national capitalism, to the current phase of neoliberal globalization. Together with developments in the surrounding urban heart of Singapore, Raffles Hotel is a space of cultural disjuncture transfiguring through the three ages of capital. I argue that the Hotel took the dominant form of white male domesticity in British Singapore, nostalgic authenticity in the postcolonial period and cosmopolitan hybridity in the current global phase. In each phase, the form elided the racial, class, gender and sexual contradictions of transnational capital and produced social relations of relative mobility. It shows that the global city is not made by transnational capital but by the developmental state harnessing economic flows for global city‐making with the ensuing spatial‐cultural politics in tow.
venting chest infections, we believe the prone position is allimportant. " Keep them off their backs " should be the constant watchword to nurses, who may not remember that the trachea runs backwards and that unconscious or drugged patients on their backs will therefore retain respiratory secretions which can become infected in a few hours. Inhalation of vomit is much less likely to occur if the patient is lying prone. We are convinced this simple manceuvre is much more important to the patient than "6 preventive " antibiotics, " frequent turning," " laryngeal toilet," etc. Another excellent reason for " keeping them off their backs " is lessening the danger of phlebothrombosis, particularly in the soleus intramuscular veins. Gibbs' showed this to be the most common site of phlebothrombosis and noted that dependent drainage here will be obtained when the patient is lying prone. Prevention of spasms can only be achieved with certainty by relaxants such as curare. But this automatically entails artificial respiration with all the complexities, strain on medical and nursing staff, etc. If one advocates such a regime for severe tetanus, what are to be the indications for adopting it in a particular case ? Is it to be the first " generalized spasm " as defined above ? A patient recently observed died in the first such spasm. Is failure of conservative methods to be the criterion ? Another patient was admitted with frequent spasms which were apparently controlled satisfactorily by thiopentone and chlorpromazine. On the fourth day, without any obvious warning, he then had a general spasm and died. If curarization and intermittent positive-pressure artificial respiration (I.P.P.R.) regime is started, when should it be stopped ? One patient with a 24-hour onset period was treated by the respiration unit here for 13 days with the I.P.P.R. regime, but continued to have general spasms for 48 hours after the machine was stopped. Are such spasms hazardous to life even though the intoxication is on the wane ? There are so many questions to which there seems no satisfactorv answer. Indeed, there are so many variables in tetanus that the greatest caution is needed in concluding any particular line of treatment is an advance-for the patient. Creech and his colleagues," in a masterly review of probably the largest published series ever treated in one hospital, showed a falling trend in mortality interrupted by " bad years" over the last 50 years, a fall rather similar to tuberculosis before the days of streptomycin and isoniazid. The trend could not be convincingly correlated with any of the so-called advances such as antiserum, sulphonamides, antibiotics, tracheotomy, or gastrostomy. In 1949 they had 19 successive patients, all of whom recovered. As they remark, if some new treatment had been tried out during these admissions, it would have been tempting to attribute the success to the innovation. But the final mortality for that year was higher than any other year from 1946 to 1956. Dr. Johnstone had the courage to withhold antiserum. Would it be justifiable to withhold sedative drugs as well ? How many patients are killed by the "treatment" ?We are, etc., H. A. REID.
We have studied the optical properties of InAs sub monolayer (SML) quantum dots in GaAs quantum well with InAs average deposition below one monolayer (ML) [0.3 - 0.8 ML] in Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) growth system. The samples have exhibited sharp photoluminescence peak at low temperature (3.3 K) which could be tuned in the near infrared (NIR) region (1.42 eV-1.47 eV) by controlling the InAs SML coverage.We have studied the optical properties of InAs sub monolayer (SML) quantum dots in GaAs quantum well with InAs average deposition below one monolayer (ML) [0.3 - 0.8 ML] in Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) growth system. The samples have exhibited sharp photoluminescence peak at low temperature (3.3 K) which could be tuned in the near infrared (NIR) region (1.42 eV-1.47 eV) by controlling the InAs SML coverage.
The athletic and training convention is a new contract which sport associations and internal and international organizations deal with it, and use it as a result of legal disputes and legal nature and effects of this contract, and not adopting specific legislation in this field, and lack of legal remedies in any potential conflict. We intend to deal with specific adjustments of law rules in this convention. Sport training contract is based on the features that are available in the convention and distinguishes this agreement from other agreements. As we have concluded these contracts are not mentioned so far. This obtained after comparing this contract with the same contracts, such as job convention, job training, and even contractor conventions. Some believe that these contracts are condemned but given the specific nature of sport training, whether from sport area or the nature of the obligation associated with the two parties we conclude that these conventions have special order. They are unknown conventions which the law doesn’t defined any rule for them. Because it is necessary to set rules for sport training we want to deal with the number of materials that properly defined conventions and qualifications and the pillars of this agreement and express obligations associated with the two parties specially the provisions of forcing the trainee to train and ensuring the health of athletes which is possible with reference to the general rules of the convention theory.
Purpose: To retrospectively review the effectiveness and safety of fluoroscopic and US-guided percutaneous transgluteal drainage of postoperative pelvic abscesses. Materials and Methods: From January 2002 to December 2007, 594 patients underwent surgery at our institution due to rectosigmoid cancer. A retrospective analysis revealed that percutaneous drainage of a postoperative pelvic abscess was performed in 19 out of the 594 patients (3.19%) that underwent surgery (13 male, 6 female; mean age, 57.9 years; age range, 40-82 years). The transgluteal and other methods were used for percutaneous drainage and the success rate, duration of therapy, and complication rate were evaluated. Results: The transgluteal approach was performed with fluoroscopic and US-guidance in 10 patients (52.6%). A catheter was inserted through a preexisting surgical drain in 5 patients (26.3%). The transabdominal approach was performed under US-guidance in 4 patients (21.0%). Technical success was achieved in all patients. The catheter was removed after a mean of 14 days. In 2 patients, who were treated by the transgluteal apporoach, subsequent surgery was performed due to incomplete resolution of the abscess (10.5%). The mean duration of catheter drainage using the transgluteal approach (16.5 days) was longer than other methods (11.2 days). Furthermore, no procedure-related major complications or mortality was observed in all methods. Conclusion: The percutaneous transgluteal approach to a postoperative pelvic abscess with US and fluoroscopic guidance is relatively safe and effective.
The microwave behaviour of a frequency selective window consisting of a cascade of two optically transparent band-stop frequency selective surfaces (FSSs) made with highly conductive, highly transparent thin-film indium tin oxide (ITO) is investigated. The performance of the ITO FSS structure is compared to a similar structure made from copper. Experimental results demonstrate the improved band-stop behaviour of a double layer window over a single layer one.
We construct an integrable lattice model of classical interacting spins in discrete space-time, representing a discrete-time analogue of the lattice Landau-Lifshitz ferromagnet with uniaxial anisotropy. As an application we use this explicit discrete symplectic integration scheme to compute the spin Drude weight and diffusion constant as functions of anisotropy and chemical potential. We demonstrate qualitatively different behavior in the easy-axis and the easy-plane regimes in the non-magnetized sector. Upon approaching the isotropic point we also find an algebraic divergence of the diffusion constant, signaling a crossover to spin superdiffusion.
Background— The definition of a normal heart rate (HR) response to exercise stress testing in women is poorly understood, given that most studies describing a normative response were predominately based on male data. Measures of an attenuated HR response (chronotropic incompetence) and age-predicted HR have not been validated in asymptomatic women. We investigated the association between HR response to exercise testing and age with prognosis in 5437 asymptomatic women. Methods and Results— Participants underwent a symptom-limited maximal stress test in 1992. HR reserve (change in HR from rest to peak), chronotropic index, and age-predicted peak HR were calculated. Deaths were identified to December 31, 2008. Mean age at baseline was 52±11 years, with 549 deaths (10%) over 15.9±2.2 years. Mean peak HR was inversely associated with age; mean peak HR=206–0.88(age). After adjusting for exercise capacity and traditional cardiac risk factors, risk of death was reduced by 3% for every 1–beat-per-minute increase in peak HR, and by 2% for every 1–beat-per-minute increase in HR reserve (P<0.001). Inability to achieve 85% age-predicted HR was not an independent predictor of mortality, but being ≥1 SD below the mean predicted HR or a chronotropic index <0.80 based on the prediction model established by this cohort were independent predictors of mortality (P<0.001 and P=0.023, respectively). Conclusions— Chronotropic incompetence is associated with an increased risk of death in asymptomatic women; however, the traditional male-based calculation overestimates the maximum HR for age in women. Sex-specific parameters of physiological HR response to exercise should be incorporated into clinical practice.
Objective: To review the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of subcutaneous interferon β-1a (sc IFN β-1a) in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS). Background 3–10% of patients with MS present before 16 years; Design/Methods: A multi-regional retrospective cohort study of patients who received ≥1 injection of sc IFN β-1a for demyelinating events before age of 18 years. A patient9s 9observation period9 began with the first medical record available until “lost to follow-up” or 31 December 2009, whichever occurred first. Outcomes included safety medical events (MEs) and laboratory parameters occurring after treatment initiation; clinical attacks and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores were collected. Results: Data from 307 patients were analyzed; mean age at treatment initiation: 14.0 years, with 52 patients (16.9%) aged Conclusions: Most children ( Supported by: Merck Serono S.A. – Geneva, Switzerland, a branch of Merck Serono SA, Coinsins, Switzerland, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Disclosure: Dr. Pohl has received personal compensation for activities with Bayer Schering, Merck Serono and Teva. Dr. Banwell has received personal compensation for activities with Merck-Serono, Biogen-IDEC, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Genzyme Corporation and Teva Neuroscience as a speaker and or advisor. Dr. Ghezzi has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as a speaker. Dr. Krupp has received personal compensation for activities with Teva Neuroscience, BiogenIdec, Serono, Inc., Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Guidepoint Global, Pfizer Inc, Axon Advisors, Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as a speaker, consultant and/or participant on an advisory board. Dr. Krupp has received (royalty or license fee or contractual rights) payments from Genzyme Corporation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, MedImmune, and Novartis. Dr. Krupp has received research support from Serono Inc. and Biogen Idec. Dr. Boyko has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis, Merck Serono, TEVA, Gensyme, Biogen Idec, Nicomed as a member of advisory boards, a speaker and a participant of clinical trials. Dr. Meinel has received personal compensation for activities with Novartis as an employee. Dr. Rocak has received personal compensation for activities with Merck Serono S.A. as an employee. Dr. Margaretha Stam Moraga has received personal compensation for activities with Merck Serono S.A. as an employee. Dr. Tenembaum has received personal compensation for activities with Genzyme Corporation, Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Teva Neuroscience, Merck Serono and Biogen Idec as a consultant and/or speaker. Dr. Tenembaum has received research support from Merck Serono.
The utilization of new technologies coupled with the digitization and automation of the construction industry (known as Construction 4.0) comes with many advantages. For example, it will make the Architecture Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry more connected, accessible, and transparent. However, the inherent nature of these connected systems will make construction networks more vulnerable and prone to cyberattacks. That will compromise not only the confidentiality of sensitive information but also the security of physical assets and project participants. With this background in mind, it is crucial to measure the security of construction networks. There are different systems to evaluate security vulnerabilities of a system, network, organization, or process; one of the most common is the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), which provides a numerical score that reflects the severity of a given vulnerability based on specific identified metrics. This paper examines the application of CVSS to quantify and evaluate the vulnerability of project participants that can be used as the groundwork to determine the security vulnerability of construction networks. The objectives of this paper are 1) to examine the advantages and disadvantages of different scoring systems and their applicability to the AEC industry, 2) to systematically apply the identified system to determine scores for some of the most significant construction participants such as the owner, contractor, and worker. The proposed approach will help to assess the vulnerability of project participants and, eventually, the security level of construction networks. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Budapest University of Technology and Economics & Diamond Congress Ltd Peer-review under responsibility of the Scientific Committee of the Creative Construction Conference 2020.
Globally, poor air quality is the most significant environmental health concern. Across Europe, 400,000 deaths were attributed to air pollution in 2012, whilst in the UK over 50,000 deaths per year are due to a combination of gaseous and particulate matter air pollution. The deadline for achieving the EU limit value for NO2 was the 1st of January 2010, yet the UK remains non-compliant in 38 of 43 zones and agglomerations. As a consequence, in April 2015, the government was ordered by the UK Supreme Court to draw up new air quality plans to achieve the EU limit values in the shortest time possible. In response the UK government consulted on a draft national air quality plan, which estimated compliance with the EU Air Quality Directive by 2020 in all zones and agglomerations except London (compliance by 2025). The plan introduces the concept of a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) to address the non-compliant zones but overall has significant weaknesses in many zones and agglomerations and compliance by 2020 (and 2025 in London) is considered to be overly optimistic. The plan’s predictive models use vehicle emission factors that are not considered representative of actual driving conditions, and transparency in the data underlying vehicle fleet turnover calculations is lacking. The suitability of CAZ as a cornerstone of the plan is of particular concern. This contribution examines new evidence that challenges the robustness of the UK government’s air quality plan. If air quality within the UK is to improve within the shortest time possible, significant improvements in the analysis and proposed solutions will be required.
China is not only becoming a major international tourist destination, and it also has huge potential as an issuing market. Spain, meanwhile, has long ranked among the world’s top tourist destinations, and as an issuing market, it is gradually growing in importance. There is high potential for an increase in tourist flows between Spain and China in both directions. This paper analyses Spaniards’ perceptions of China as a country and as a tourist destination and their familiarity with the reality of this Asiatic country, before the first news about COVID-19. Likewise, it aims to identify possible factors that might inhibit Spaniards from traveling on holiday to China while also offering an initial insight into Spain’s future potential as an issuing market to China. For this purpose, 1063 interviews were conducted and analyzed. The results point to a strong potential intention by Spaniards to visit China, although it also reveals very little familiarity with the reality of China as a tourist destination, except for its two major symbols, Beijing and the Great Wall. The results also seem to indicate the existence of big travel inhibitors among certain segments, mainly related to the travel costs, politics and safety, environmental issues, and a lack of awareness of the quality standards of China’s tourist sector. Future studies should analyze the changes that the pandemic may have produced in China’s image.
In the past two decades, Iranian contemporary art has been eagerly embraced by international art venues. The transportation of artworks from Tehran to mostly western European and North American cultural centers entails inter-discursive translations that will render them legible for their reception in a new context. This paper argues that bound up in these translations are performative acts of language that label these artworks as markers of ethnic alterity, unexplored localities and most of the time associates them with issues of gender and femininity (and therefore limited to the vocabulary of “veil,” “plight of women” and “sexual inequality”). Looking at a seven-minute piece of video-art by Ghazaleh Hedayat entitled Eve's Apple (2006), the article examines this predicament and the possibilities for the artists to circumvent it. It argues that Hedayat's video enables an observation of the performative dominance of Western discourses of art history that mark the limits of inter-discursive interpretation in disciplines such as art history and art criticism.
Background Achieving clinical remission and low disease activity (LDA) in early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) limits joint damage and disability.1 Biologics such as anti-TNF agents have been shown to rapidly induce remission in early RA, which may improve the likelihood of long-term treatment success.2 Current EULAR guidelines suggest consideration of biologic withdrawal after achievement of a good clinical state,1 but few studies have explored which patients are the best candidates for therapy reduction or withdrawal. Objectives To examine the influence of demographic and disease characteristics and early treatment response on the achievement of sustained remission in patients with early RA in the PRIZE study. Methods Methotrexate (MTX)-/biologic-naïve patients with early moderate-severe RA who achieved DAS28 ≤3.2 at week 39 and <2.6 at week 52 after open-label treatment with etanercept (ETN) 50 mg+MTX 10-25 mg (Phase 1 [P1]) were randomized to ETN 25 mg+MTX, MTX alone, or placebo (PBO) for 39 week in the double-blind phase (Phase 2 [P2]). Mantel-Haenszel chi-square tests were used to analyze the association between baseline (BL) characteristics and P1 treatment responses and P2 sustained remission (ie, DAS28 <2.6 at week 76 and 91, without corticosteroids for week 52-64). Results Predictors of sustained remission in P2 in the ETN 25 mg+MTX group were: achieving DAS28 sustained remission over weeks 13-52 (vs patients without this P1 response: 79% vs 54%; P=0.044); DAS28 LDA over weeks 13-52 (76% vs 41%; P=0.007); and ACR/EULAR Boolean remission at week 52 (71% vs 44%; P=0.049). Rapid and robust responses in P1 (ie, first DAS28 remission in days 0-179, mean DAS28 ≤1.91 at week 52) were associated with sustained remission in the ETN 25 mg+MTX group in P2 (table). In the MTX group, predictors of P2 sustained remission were achieving DAS28 LDA over weeks 13-52 (49% vs 23%; P=0.044), younger age at BL, and lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) at week 52. In the PBO group, predictors were being seronegative at baseline for anticyclic citrullinated peptide (seronegative vs seropositive: 48% vs 11%; P=0.001) and for rheumatoid factor (41% vs 11%; P=0.005) antibodies. Table 1. Continuous predictors of sustained remission for active treatment groups Predictor Quartiles of response, n/N (%) P value* ETN 25 mg+MTX  First DAS28 remission Days 0–57 58–179 180–273 ≥274 12/15 (80) 16/20 (80) 8/16 (50) 4/12 (33) 0.003  First DAS28 LDA Days 0–29 30–57 58–183 ≥184 12/14 (86) 12/20 (60) 10/15 (67) 6/14 (43) 0.041  Mean DAS 28, week 52 DAS28 ≤1.55 >1.55–1.91 >1.91–2.16 >2.16 14/16 (88) 11/16 (69) 7/15 (47) 8/16 (50) 0.014 MTX  Age, BL 19–39 years 40–48 49–60 ≥61 11/15 (73) 8/22 (37) 2/15 (13) 5/13 (39) 0.024  CRP level, week 52 0–0.5 mg/L >0.5–1.09 >1.09–2.91 >2.91 9/16 (56) 8/14 (57) 6/18 (33) 2/16 (13) 0.005 * Mantel-Haenszel chi-square correlation (trend) test. Conclusions Early onset of response to induction therapy with etanercept plus MTX predicted sustained remission with a reduced-dose combination maintenance regimen. These findings are clinically relevant as prompt recognition of patients unlikely to achieve response targets may allow for more timely adjustments in treatment and ultimately better long-term outcomes. References Smolen JS, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2010;69:964-75. Emery P, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2012;71:989-92. Acknowledgements This study was sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Medical writing support was provided by Donna McGuire of Engage Scientific and was funded by Pfizer Inc Disclosure of Interest P. Emery Grant/research support: AbbVie, BMS, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB., Consultant for: AbbVie, BMS, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB., R. Pedersen Shareholder of: Pfizer., Employee of: Pfizer., J. Bukowski Shareholder of: Pfizer., Employee of: Pfizer., L. Marshall Shareholder of: Pfizer., Employee of: Pfizer. DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.1704
Whole genome sequencing of a severely affected dizygotic twin with an autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability revealed a compound heterozygous mutation in the HTR7 gene as the only variation not detected in control databases. Each parent carries one allele of the mutation, which is not present in an unaffected stepsister. The HTR7 gene encodes the 5‐HT7 serotonin receptor that is involved in brain development, synaptic transmission, and plasticity. The paternally inherited p.W60C variant is situated at an evolutionary conserved nucleotide and predicted damaging by Polyphen2. A mutation akin to the maternally inherited pV286I mutation has been reported to significantly affect the binding characteristics of the receptor. Therefore, the observed sequence alterations provide a first suggestive link between a genetic abnormality in the HTR7 gene and a neurodevelopmental disorder. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A multi-objective parameter has been optimized aimed at integral impeller high speed cutting based on genetic algorithm. Productivity, production cost and the surface roughness linearly weighted, a different weighting coefficient is set for the roughing and finishing stages of the integral impeller. For rough machining, productivity and production costs are the main optimization goals; for finish machining, the surface roughness is a major optimization goal. Cross-encoding variables are coded according to the schema theorem. The results show that: using the optimized cutting parameters in high speed milling hardened aluminum alloy LY12, processing time and production costs are shortened in rough machining stage and surface roughness is improved in the finishing stage.
The importance of providing clear, relevant information and advice for older people has been recognised by health care professionals, politicians and policy makers. Key policies (Better Government for Older People, 1998; Better Care Higher Standards, 2000; National Service Framework for Older People, 2001) have restated the importance of such provision specifically in relation to older people. A literature search and an examination of local authority websites were key sources of information for the study designed to explore the elements of guidelines for good practice. In addition we examined the websites of three major providers of information and advice for older people. Older people's views as to what constitutes good quality information and advice were explored in three focus groups. These four sources of data are the basis for the findings reported in this paper. This paper reports the limitations in the existing provision of information and advice for older people. Key features emerging from the research were that the involvement of older people in every stage of the process of design, production, dissemination and monitoring of information and advice was necessary. Older people valued face‐to‐face contact in the provision of information and advice.
SUMMARY  The effect of aggregate foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth remains uncertain in the literature. We revisit this FDI–Growth relation by analyzing the components of FDI – greenfield investment and cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Our analysis contributes to the existing literature by focusing on potentially heterogeneous growth effects of different FDI entry modes. Using a sample of 84 countries from 1987 to 2001, we separately examine the growth effects of greenfield investment and M&As. We find that greenfield investment and M&As have different impacts on economic growth. Greenfield investment promotes economic growth while M&As can be beneficial only when the host country has an adequate level of human capital. Our results provide support for receiving M&As when policymakers allocate more resources for human capital accumulation.
Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition in which foci of endometrial tissue grow outside of the uterine cavity. Endometriosis was estimated to affect 176 million women of childbearing potential all over the world in 2010. The presence of extrauterine endometrial tissue is associated with pain and infertility. Typical symptoms of endometriosis include dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, heavy menstrual periods (menorrhagia), pelvic pain that is not related to menstrual cycles, dysuria, and chronic fatigue. Medical treatments for endometriosis include combined oral contraceptive pills, danazol, gestrinone, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (aGnRHs). A new class of medications called aromatase inhibitors has been identified in recent years as potential therapeutic agents for endometriosis. This article provides general information about aromatase inhibitors, their use in gynaecology, and their adverse effects. In particular, the paper discusses the use of aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of endometriosis in postmenopausal women. Unlike oral contraceptives, gestagens, aGnRHs, and danazol, which suppress ovarian oestrogen synthesis, aromatase inhibitors inhibit mainly extra-ovarian synthesis of oestrogens. Therefore, the use of aromatase inhibitors seems to be particularly relevant in older patients, as most of the body's oestrogen is produced outside the ovaries after menopause. The paper discusses also the use of aromatase inhibitors in the treatment of pain associated with endometriosis and infertility caused by endometriosis.
3 m of annually laminated sediments were recovered from a small steep-sided lake, Diss Mere, Norfolk, UK. In an 8 cm section, known to include the mid-Holocene 'elm decline', the laminae were sampled separately, as far as possible, resulting in 181 samples covering 252 years. Relative pollen percentages, pollen influx, and charcoal were analysed. They show evidence of two phases of human disturbance within the woodland around the Mere, the first starting at least 160 years before the 'elm decline', and involving cereal growth. At the 'elm decline', Ulmus pollen values fall by 73% over six years. This is comparable in rate and magnitude with the fall, as recorded palynologically, in Castanea dentata from North America known to have been caused by a pathogen earlier this century, with the mid-Holocene Tsuga canadensis decline also attributed to a pathogen, and with the present-day Ulmus decline caused by Dutch elm disease at Scords Wood, England. Exponential and logistic models of population change are applied to the Diss Mere Ulmus decline data. The form, magnitude, and rate of decrease of the Ulmus decline at Diss Mere are all consistent with the hypothesis of a pathogenic attack. All the available evidence from Diss supports the hypothesis that the mid-Holocene 'elm decline' was caused by a combination of disease and human activity.
Marine-bar and valley-fill stratigraphic traps in the Cretaceous "J" sandstone in Cheyenne and Banner Counties, Nebraska, illustrate control of reservoir shape, size, and characteristics by depositional environment. Reservoirs deposited as shallow-marine bars are elliptical lenses 2-5 mi long, 0.5-1.5 mi wide, and less than 25 ft thick. Sandstone grades laterally into marine mudrock. There are two generations of bars in the area, closely spaced stratigraphically, but with different directions of elongation. These lenses now are tilted with a regional southwest dip. Entrapment is independent of structural closure. Most bar bodies are entirely oil filled. Reservoirs deposited as a valley fill are within a prism of sandstone more than 20 mi long, 2,000 ft wide, and 50-80 ft thick. The boundaries of this body are erosional. Oil is trapped only where the valley-fill trend crosses plunging anticlines. The valley fill interconnects all pools as a single aquifer system. Exploration and production efforts are guided by several considerations. Position of marine-bar reservoirs can be predicted by techniques which map gradients in sandstone-shale proportions, such as those based on mechanical logs. Bars in the study area are scattered and not in chains; orientation is varied. Structure is unimportant. In contrast, valley-fill reservoirs are separated by erosional boundaries from enclosing rocks; hence, they cannot be detected by examination of the enclosing facies. Where present, however, the valley fill has great continuity and persistence of trend. Structure is essential. Valley-fill reservoirs have water drive and high primary recovery, whereas marine-bar reservoirs have only solution-gas energy. Environmental interpretation of these reservoirs is based on fossils, sedimentary structures, textures, facies relations, and geometry. A single core commonly allows correct interpretation. Exploration and production programs are guided profitably by use of environmental concepts at an early stage.
Substation automation has critical role in power systems. Substations are responsible for many protection, control and monitoring functions that allow robust routing of power from generators to loads through a complex network of transmission lines. With the latest technology development many intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) available in substations today are capable of performing enhanced functionalities beyond what their basic function is. This brings an opportunity for adding new functionalities that go well beyond what the traditional substation automation solutions have provided. This presentation summarizes requirements for automated fault analysis functions that may be performed in substations in the future. Particular focus is on requirements for implementing a new concept of merging operational and non-operational data with a goal of improving fault analysis. The requirements are aimed at expanding the substation automation role in automated fault analysis towards better serving many utility groups: operations, protection and asset management.
The present study was conducted to evaluate the regulatory actions and underlying mechanisms of butyrate on the inflammatory response and tight junction (TJ) disruption in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs). Results showed that butyrate declined histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) expression, blocked NF-κB activation, and thus suppressed inflammatory cytokine production in γ-d-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid (iE-DAP)-triggered BMECs. Butyrate also depressed the protein abundance of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), elevated the expression of TJ proteins, and restored the cellular distribution of TJ proteins and the barrier function of epithelial cells. HDAC3 overexpression abolished the protective effects of butyrate. In conclusion, butyrate alleviated the iE-DAP-induced inflammatory response and TJ injury by blocking NF-κB activation and decreasing inflammatory cytokine production and MLCK expression in a HDAC3-dependent manner. Our finding provides a mechanistic basis for further exploring the regulatory effects of butyrate on the mammary inflammatory response.
Oligodendrocytes are highly specialized glial cells characterized by their production of multilayer myelin sheaths that wrap axons to speed up action potential propagation. It is due to their specific role in supporting axons that impairment of myelin structure and function leads to debilitating symptoms in a wide range of degenerative diseases, including Multiple Sclerosis and Leukodystrophies. It is known that myelin damage can be receptor‐mediated and recently oligodendrocytes have been shown to express Ca2+‐permeable Transient Receptor Potential Ankyrin‐1 (TRPA1) channels, whose activation can result in myelin damage in ischemia. Here, we show, using organotypic cortical slice cultures, that TRPA1 activation, by TRPA1 agonists JT010 and Carvacrol for varying lengths of time, induces myelin damage. Although TRPA1 activation does not appear to affect oligodendrocyte progenitor cell number or proliferation, it prevents myelin formation and after myelination causes internodal shrinking and significant myelin degradation. This does not occur when the TRPA1 antagonist, A967079, is also applied. Of note is that when TRPA1 agonists are applied for either 24 h, 3 days or 7 days, axon integrity appears to be preserved while mature myelinated oligodendrocytes remain but with significantly shortened internodes. These results provide further evidence that TRPA1 inhibition could be protective in demyelination diseases and a promising therapy to prevent demyelination and promote remyelination.
Purpose of reviewSpontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Although treatment options are limited, a potential acute medical intervention is blood pressure (BP) reduction. The review will summarize the current evidence and remaining knowledge gaps with respect to acute BP management in acute ICH. Recent findingsMore than 3000 patients were enrolled in seven prospective randomized-controlled clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of intensive BP reduction (target <140–150 mmHg systolic) compared with current guideline-recommended BP target (<180 mmHg) in acute ICH. Overall, these trials demonstrated that intensive BP reduction is well tolerated and may be associated with a modest improvement in functional outcomes. There is still no conclusive evidence that aggressive BP reduction is associated with attenuation of hematoma growth or mortality rates. Delayed time to enrolment and difficulty in achieving intensive BP targets in a timely fashion without stringent antihypertensive protocols may partially account for the absence of proven benefit. SummaryRecent trials have shown that BP lowering (<140 mmHg systolic) is well tolerated and may improve functional outcomes. Ongoing trials will provide insight into the overall benefit of early aggressive BP reduction in acute ICH.
5-Endo cyclizations of N-alkenyl carbamoylmethyl radicals provide gamma-lactam radicals, which in turn evolve to reduced or non-reduced (alkene) products depending on reagents and reaction conditions. Several groups have made surprising observations that chlorides are better radical precursors than iodides in such cyclizations. Here is described a detailed study of tin and silicon hydride-mediated radical cyclizations of N-benzyl-2-halo-N-cyclohex-1-enylacetamides. The ratios of directly reduced, cyclized/reduced, and cyclized/non-reduced products depend not only on the reaction conditions and reducing reagent but also on the precursor. Prior explanations for the precursor-dependent product ratios based on amide rotamer effects are ruled out. The precursor-dependent behavior is further dissected into two different effects: (1) the ratio of cyclized/reduced products to cyclized/non-reduced products depends on the ability of the radical precursor to react with the product gamma-lactam radical in competition with tin hydride (iodides can compete, chlorides cannot), and (2) the occurrence of large amounts of directly reduced (noncyclized) products in the case of iodides is attributed to a competing ionic chain reaction by which the precursor is reductively deiodinated with HI. This side reaction is not available to chlorides, thereby explaining why the chlorides are better precursors in such reactions. The ability of the iodides to provide cyclized products can be largely restored by adding base. The chlorides and iodides then become complementary precursors, with chlorides giving largely cyclized/reduced products and iodides giving largely cyclized/non-reduced products.
Objective Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is acknowledged as the gold standard for the alleviation of climacteric vasomotor symptoms. Prothrombotic genetic variants have been suggested to increase thrombotic risk among HRT users. The aim of the study was to determine whether a positive family history may identify a genetic predisposition for thrombosis in women before prescribing HRT. Methods From January 2005 to May 2009, we consecutively enrolled 145 asymptomatic women (mean age 51.2  ±  5.4 years) without previous episodes of venous and/or arterial thrombosis referred to our Genetics Research Unit before starting HRT. A detailed family history was reconstructed and we identified 48 women (33.1%%) with a positive family history, defined as venous thromboembolism and/or stroke or heart attack, in first-degree relatives before 60 years for men and 65 years for women. A group of 121 women (mean age 54.0  ±  9.1 years) with an episode of venous and/or arterial thrombosis was also included. Genetic screening for factor V Leiden, prothrombin G20210A and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphisms was performed. Results The frequency of factor V Leiden or prothrombin G20210A mutations was significantly higher both in asymptomatic women with a positive family history (16.7%% vs. 2.1%%, p  ==  0.001) and in patients with thrombosis (12.4%% vs. 2.1%%; p  ==  0.005) compared with asymptomatic women without a family history. Multivariate regression analysis showed a synergic effect between the presence of one prothrombotic mutation and family history on the risk of thrombosis (odds ratio 3.7, 95%% confidence interval 1.9–7.2). Conclusions A positive family history of thrombosis is a sensitive indicator for selected genetic testing in high-risk women before starting HRT.
Stoichiometry of molecular complexes plays a crucial role in biology. Moreover, for quantitative fluorescence studies, it is often useful to know the number of fluorophores labeled onto the molecules studied. In this work, we propose an approach to determine the number of independent fluorescence emitters on fluorescent molecules based on fluorescence blinking caused by photo-induced triplet state formation, photo-isomerization or charge transfer. The fluorescence blinking is measured under two different excitation regimes, on the same setup, and in one and the same sample. By comparing the fluorescence fluctuations under continuous excitation using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS), when all the fluorophores are blinking independently of each other, with those occurring under square-pulsed excitation using Transient State (TRAST) spectroscopy, when all fluorophores are blinking in a synchronized manner, the number of fluorophores per molecule can be determined. No calibration sample is needed and the approach is independent of experimental conditions and of the specific environment of the molecules under study. The approach was experimentally validated by labeling double stranded DNA (dsDNA) with different concentrations of the intercalating dye YOYO-1 Iodide. The sample was then measured consecutively by TRAST and FCS and the number of fluorophores per molecule was calculated. The determined numbers were found to agree well with the number of fluorophores per dsDNA, as determined from FCS measurements using additional calibration samples.
The reversible acetylation of histone lysine residues is controlled by the action of acetyltransferases and deacetylases (HDACs), which regulate chromatin structure and gene expression. The sirtuins are a family of NAD-dependent HDAC enzymes, and one member, sirtuin 6 (Sirt6), influences DNA repair, transcription, and aging. Here, we demonstrate that Sirt6 is efficient at deacetylating several histone H3 acetylation sites, including its canonical site Lys9, in the context of nucleosomes but not free acetylated histone H3 protein substrates. By installing a chemical warhead at the Lys9 position of histone H3, we trap a catalytically poised Sirt6 in complex with a nucleosome and employ this in cryo-EM structural analysis. The structure of Sirt6 bound to a nucleosome reveals extensive interactions between distinct segments of Sirt6 and the H2A/H2B acidic patch and nucleosomal DNA, which accounts for the rapid deacetylation of nucleosomal H3 sites and the disfavoring of histone H2B acetylation sites. These findings provide a new framework for understanding how HDACs target and regulate chromatin.
In this study, we investigate the flow between co-rotating disks in a stationary cylindrical enclosure. Here, the gap between disks is much narrower than disk radius. This flow is often non-axisymmetrical and complicated. This flow sometimes induces magnetic-head oscillations in disk storage drives of PCs. Then, we carry out flow visualisations using a high-speed camera, and time-continuous quasi-three-dimensional PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) analyses. As a result, we confirm a pair of toroidal vortex structures near the cylindrical enclosure on the rz plane. We show the toroidal structures on a quasi-three-dimensional space rzt. Here, t is the time. By this visualisation technique, we can easily and clearly see the toroidal structures. We can confirm that the vortex structures hardly fluctuate.
T here is not much data available on Turkish medicine before the acceptance of the Islamic religion. Medical history goes back to the eighth century, the time of the Uygurs and Orhun Turks. During this period surgeons from neighboring countries had an influence on Turkish medicine and some written data were established. Physicians were educated in hospitals in a “master-knight” relation. When lay medical schools were opened in Europe, Turks had founded the State of Seltschucks and started to build lay hospitals and schools. One of these examples is Nureddin Zengi Hospital in Damascus, Syria, built in 1174 and still visited today. The Gevher Nesibe Medical School and Hospital in Kayseri, Turkey, built in 1206, can also be visited today as a museum of medical history.
SIRS, We are grateful to Dr Domenech et al. for their useful comments on our review. They highlight another area of controversy surrounding the practical guidance on using ciclosporin. The rationale for prolonging the bridging’ therapy with oral ciclosporin up to 3 months, is based on the assumption that thiopurines take 2–3 months to work. It seems logical to do this, particularly in patients who are thiopurine-nave’, as long as patient safety is not compromised, by means of careful monitoring of ciclosporin levels, and renal function. In our experience, continuing oral ciclosporin allows more rapid tailing of corticosteroids, which can be discontinued at a time when thiopurines are only starting to take effect. Domenech et al.’s paper certainly shows comparable long-term outcomes without the use of ciclosporin, although these patients were clearly on high dose corticosteroids after discontinuing intravenous ciclosporin (median 50 mg prednisolone at start of azathioprine therapy, continued for a median 3 months). The randomized-controlled trial being carried out is certainly welcomed. A more interesting conclusion might be that once healing of ulcerative colitis mucosa is initiated by ciclosporin, the healing continues and does not have to be consolidated by ongoing immunosuppression (as these patients were corticosteroid refractory, and thiopurines have not yet taken effect). This appears to contrast to the effect of ciclosporin in Crohn’s disease, (where high-dose treatment produces responses, but this is not sustained on discontinuation) and REFERENCES
Abstract An ergometer for kayak paddlers has been developed and used for winter training, measurements of work capacity and maximal oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O2 max). Force is transmitted from the paddle by means of a wire connected to a flywheel mounted with six 9 × 9cm blades. Resistance, therefore, is based on wind turbulence generated by the flywheel. The mechanical efficiency of the ergometer at 63% (range 48-77) of [Vdot]O2 max was 17% (range 16-18) (n= 13). The [Vdot]O2 max was similar during bicycling (median 4·9; range 4·4-5·4l/min), arm cranking (median 4·8; range 4·3-5·11/min), on-water rowing in a kayak (median 4·7; range 4·0-4·91/min) and during rowing the kayak ergometer (median 4·8; range 4·3-5·21/min), (n = 6, p> 0·05). Work capacity during a 5 min ‘all-out’ test was 272 W (range 253–304 W) on the kayak ergometer (n = 17). The use of the ergometer for training helped to increase the aerobic power during arm exercise of Danish paddlers. Before introduction of the ergometer (February 1986), their...
Radiation hybrid (RH) mapping is based on radiation-induced chromosome breakage and analysis of chromosome segment retention or loss using molecular markers. In durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L., AABB), an alloplasmic durum line [(lo) durum] has been identified with chromosome 1D of T. aestivum L. (AABBDD) carrying the species cytoplasm-specific (scsae) gene. The chromosome 1D of this line segregates as a whole without recombination, precluding the use of conventional genome mapping. A radiation hybrid mapping population was developed from a hemizygous (lo) scsae− line using 35 krad gamma rays. The analysis of 87 individuals of this population with 39 molecular markers mapped on chromosome 1D revealed 88 radiation-induced breaks in this chromosome. This number of chromosome 1D breaks is eight times higher than the number of previously identified breaks and should result in a 10-fold increase in mapping resolution compared to what was previously possible. The analysis of molecular marker retention in our radiation hybrid mapping panel allowed the localization of scsae and 8 linked markers on the long arm of chromosome 1D. This constitutes the first report of using RH mapping to localize a gene in wheat and illustrates that this approach is feasible in a species with a large complex genome.
Objective. The objective of this study was to compare the plasma alcohol concentrations after celiac plexus block in different types of cancer. The authors studied the consecutive changes of plasma alcohol concentrations after celiac plexus block in a gastric cancer group (group 1, n = 6) and a pancreatic cancer group (group 2, n = 5). Method. Celiac plexus block was performed with 10 ml of absolute ethyl alcohol. In all patients, operations had been performed 1.2-3.5 years before the block. Arterial blood was sampled at 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120, 240, and 480 minutes after the block. Results. The average dose of absolute ethyl alcohol was 0.186 g/kg in group 1 and 0.182 g/kg in group 2. Plasma alcohol concentrations in group 1 were about four times greater than those of group 2 ( p < 0.01). The mean maximum level was reached at 15 minutes after injection in group 1 (44.0 ± 5.8 mg/dl) and at 30 minutes in group 2 (13.1 ± 2.4 mg/dl). Conclusion. Plasma alcohol concentrations after celiac plexus block showed different patterns according to the site of cancer and the type of operation performed.
The fact according to which the small open market economics with developed public administration are capable of rapid growth has proved to be true in the third millennium, as well. It especially holds true for Singapore, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Ireland and Denmark which also have a prestigious position in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF).The countries of Central and Central East Europe more or less similar to them could be characterised by an improving economic position following their change of the regime and a painful transitory period. This process was closely linked to the integration process of the Central European countries to the EU. At that point the international analyses examining the development of the countries in transition judged Hungary’s competitiveness situation to be the best (ranking 27th place due to the radical economic reforms carried out previously according to the analysts). Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland were lagging behind Hungary at that time regarding competitiveness. Acceding to the European Union the transitory Central European countries reached a more developed and improving stage and the conditions for competitiveness significantly changed. The microeconomic index of the WEF shows that to date the question of microeconomic competitiveness in Slovenia, Hungary, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia, Poland and in the Balkan and Baltic countries has become a more and more important issue of economic policy. The policymakers of the developing countries are more and more concerned with the national competitiveness analyses, the indices of international competitiveness and the lists of rankings. The World Economic Forum is commissioned with publishing these indicators. Our paper tries to find an answer how the GCI of the East and Central East European countries changed after 2006, i.e. the accession to the European Union and 2008, i.e. after the global economic crisis and what countries make up a group of similar competitiveness.
Starting from Scheler’s claim that eros is the essence of life, this paper examines his theory of sexuality. I firstly consider “sexual love”, taking into account Scheler’s doctrine of value-emotions, particularly his view on “appetite”. Then I consider “sexual instinct”, putting forward Scheler’s criticism of Freud’s ontogenetic theory. Lastly I discuss Scheler’s view on the metaphysical importance of human sexual intercourse.
Monoclonal antibodies of certain epitope specificity have been shown to produce a marked dose-dependent enhancement of the somatogenic and lactogenic activity of human GH (hGH). Two antibodies (EB1 and EB2), binding to distinct antigenic determinants and expressed on both hGH and human chorionic somato-mammotrophin (hCS), significantly enhanced the hGH-stimulated uptake of 35S-labelled sulphate into cartilage. Similarly, these antibodies enhanced the lactogenic activity of both hGH and hCS in the pigeon crop sac test. Two hGH specific monoclonal antibodies (QA68 and NA71), defining a further two epitopes, exhibited only modest enhancing or inhibitory activity in these assays, whereas the binding of certain combinations of monoclonal antibodies resulted in either reversal of enhancement or inhibition of hormone activity. Univalent antibody fragments derived from EB1 were as enhancing as the intact antibody indicating that bivalency dependent mechanisms were not involved in the phenomenon. Enhancing monoclonal antibodies were relatively poor inhibitors of 125I-labelled hGH binding to liver microsomal receptors, which is in contrast with their previously described property of potent suppression of hGH interaction with lymphoid cell receptors. It is tentatively concluded that 'restriction' of hormone binding to particular hGH receptors, relevant to somatic growth or lactogenic activity, may play a role in the enhancement phenomenon of hGH in vivo.
Weija reservoir on the Densu river serves as a source of water supply to parts of Greater Accra and Central regions of Ghana. The Densu river basin is characterised by accelerated land degradation. A number of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) interventions have been implemented in the basin. Reports suggest there has been an improvement of physicochemical parameters of the water resources. However, there is no recent study on fluvial sediment transport in the basin. This paper assessed sediment transport into the Weija reservoir via the Densu River. Weekly suspended sediment concentration and river discharge were monitored over a 1 year period to quantify sediment yield into the reservoir. The results indicated that total annual suspended sediment yield, and annual specific suspended sediment yield were 5375 t yr -1 and 2.0 t km -2 yr -1 , respectively. These were relatively low compared to results obtained by past studies on the Densu basin at upstream Mangoase (6146 t yr -1 and 2.49 t km -2 yr -1 ) and other river basins in Ghana. Parameters established from a yield rating curve indicated that parts of the basin were degraded and sediment transport in the basin was largely due to the availability of sediment in the catchment and not just due to high river discharges. The relatively low sediment transport at Weija may be indicative of the success of the IWRM interventions. It is recommended that these be sustained and/or intensified.
Application of an electric field across the pressure-driven stratified flow of a pair of miscible fluids inside a microchannel manifests interesting electrohydrodynamic (EHD) instabilities. Experiments uncover distinctive instability regimes with an increase in electric field Rayleigh number ( $Ra^{ unicode[STIX]{x1D713}}$ ) – a linear-onset regime, a time-periodic nonlinear regime analogous to the von Kármán vortex street in the downstream and a regime with coherent flow patterns. The experiments also reveal that such linear and nonlinear instabilities can be stimulated non-invasively in a microchannel to mix or de-mix fluids simply by turning the electric field on or off, indicating the suitability of the process for on-demand micromixing. The characteristics of these instabilities have been theoretically investigated with the help of an Orr–Sommerfeld framework, which discloses the possibility of five distinctive finite-wavenumber modes for the instability. The EHD stresses originating due to the application of electric field stimulate a pair of shorter-wavelength electric field modes beyond a critical value of $Ra^{ unicode[STIX]{x1D713}}$ . Increase in the levels of charge injection and EHD stresses lower the critical $Ra^{ unicode[STIX]{x1D713}}$ of these modes. The relatively longer-wavelength viscous mode is found to appear when the viscosity stratification between the fluid layers is high. Beyond a threshold Schmidt number ( $Sc$ ), a diffusive mode is also found to appear near the mixed interfacial region. A thinner interface between the fluids at a higher $Sc$ helps this mode to behave as the interfacial mode of immiscible fluids. Contrast of ionic mobility in the fluids leads to the appearance of the K-mode of instability at much shorter wavelengths. The reported phenomena can be of significance in the domains of microscale mixing, pumping, heat exchange, mass transfer and reaction engineering.
Place shaping has now entered the everyday vocabulary of built environment professions, academics and the public sector at large. This struck me when leafing through the job vacancies in a well known British regeneration industry publication as I happened to notice an advert for what appeared to be an innovative and exciting new spatial development role: Head of Place Shaping. I was curious about this role, particularly as I had just advertised for an economic development officer with a background in or enthusiasm for ‘place shaping’, so I started to investigate a little further.
Considering the adjustments for sensor selections attributed by different finite element (FE) grids, a hybrid optimization algorithm including FE grids updating for optimal sensor placement is proposed based on effective independence method and sensor distribution index, in order to improve the algorithm efficient and reduce the redundancy information simultaneously. This study takes into account of the relationship of FE grids, redundancy information, and optimal sensor placement performance by detailed statements. Furthermore, in order to reduce the redundancy information caused by too fine FE grids and too near measurements, the proposed sensor distribution index can synthetically deal with both cases of the nearer nodes and overall sensor distribution ranges. Moreover, by means of normalization and weighted factor, the constituted fitness function, which consists of Fisher information and sensor distribution index, can be more competitive by eliminating the gap of orders caused by the different fitness functions. Therefore, the economical FE grids are suggested, and the corresponding optimum sensor locations are simultaneously obtained by the hybrid optimization algorithm. Finally, the proposed method is verified by a deployable antenna module of space solar power satellite and a wing of reusable launch vehicle, respectively.
The optimization method of task scheduling has received increasingly extensive attention as the high level autonomous vehicle has been recognized as the typical mixed-criticality cyber-physical system. The low criticality functions are often degraded or abandoned at high system criticality level, thus decrease service satisfaction when the traditional mixed-criticality theory is applied to solve the scheduling problem. Under the scenario of the future prospect of intelligent transportation and the new electronic/electrical information architecture of network connection, this paper proposes an optimization method of vehicle-cloud joint scheduling, using edge computing to improve the performance of low criticality functions on the premise that high criticality functions can meet the deadline requirements. Since the previous DAG models used to describe vehicle functions are not specific enough, this paper also gives three detailed mixed-criticality function models to better fit the industrial reality. For the lack of evaluation of passengers’ perception when vehicle soft real-time DAG functions are not able to meet the deadline, the function completion evaluation coefficient is proposed to measure the scheduling effect of this situation, which also quantifies the degree of improvement of vehicle-cloud joint scheduling over the traditional local scheduling method.
Abstract Field first-aid data from the Wenchuan Earthquake in China was analyzed retrospectively in order to probe into ways to develop field first-aid operations and provide a reference for future emergency rescue. Related documents about the Wenchuan Earthquake were collected and reviewed. The state of injury and leading causes of death during the disaster were identified. The presnece of emergency medical resources on-site after the earthquake was relatively insufficient. Deaths mainly were due to cardiopulmonary arrest, severe craniocerebral injury, incurable hemorrhagic shock, and crush syndrome that caused multiple organ system dysfunction syndrome. Only by strengthening the on-site emergency medical resources, speeding-up triage, and equipping responders with professional, portable medical equipment, can field first-aid operations be delivered more efficiently.
Various inspection methods of efficiently detecting flaws on overhead transmission lines caused by lightning or long-term fatigue were studied. The results suggested that an electromagnetic induction method would be highly feasible for detecting flaws. Consequently, a new detector that uses the electromagnetic induction method has been developed to locate and detect the degree of flaws. The results of laboratory and field tests using the newly developed flaw detector are described. The detector was found to be a quick and accurate tool for inspecting flaws on power conductors. >
With the increase in merger and acquisitions (M&A) activities, managers of bidder firms need to make informed decisions on quantifying the operational synergies in an M&A. This paper considers a stochastic variational inequality approach to quantifying the operational synergies in a horizontal M&A through the integration of a supply chain network, in which each firm is represented as a network of economic activities associated with manufacturing, distribution, and storage. Specifically, we seek to quantify the gains, if any, associated with M&A. The model is stochastic and sufficiently general to handle many decision-makers and their independent behaviors. This paper extends Nagurney (2009) in which the cost functions (including both the production function and the transaction function) and the pricing cost are deemed as stochastic. Quasi-Monte Carlo approximating and homogeneous interior-point methods are used to solve the stochastic problem. Numerical results are provided.
Abstract Everyday objects can become computer interfaces by the overlay of digital information. This paper describes scenarios and implementations in which imagery is digitally painted on the objects and spaces of a kitchen. Five augmented physical interfaces were designed to orient and inform people in the tasks of cleaning, cooking, and accessing information: Information table, Information annotation of a kitchen, HeatSink, Spatial definition, and Social floor. Together, these interfaces augment the entire room into a single graphical user interface.
In this paper, a qualitative study was conducted on Jennifer, an EFL teaching professional at the tertiary level in a Chinese context, to investigate her cognitions regarding her professional development and accompanying facilitating factors in her journey from a novice teacher to a teacher leader with Borg’s model of language teacher cognition as the conceptual basis for subsequent analysis. Jennifer’s written overview and verbal narration in interviews of her journey in professional development were gathered following guiding protocols. Collected data were processed with thematic analysis in NVivo 12. Findings suggest that Jennifer has clear cognitions about how she learned and improved, i.e., the positive changes, in her professional journey and the facilitating factors that mediated her improvement and progress. These facilitating factors were found to include her teaching experience, in-service training, administrative promotion, drawing wisdom from reading Chinese classics, and constant reflection upon her English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching, etc. The implications of the present study for language teacher cognition researchers, English language teacher educators, and EFL teachers in the Chinese context were also discussed.
Introduction prevalence of smoking in school children is alarming in Saudi Arabia and little is well-known about the aspects stimulating such behaviours in secondary school children. The aim of this study was to assess the association between influence of parent/sibling/peer smoking and future intentions to initiate smoke among 13-15 years old school children in Al Ras town, Saudi Arabia. Methods a cross sectional survey was conducted in Al Ras city during first quarter of 2019. Data was collected from 492 secondary school children who were selected through multistage stratified cluster sampling. Pretested, self-administered Arabic questionnaire was used to collect data about socio-demographic and prevalence of current smoking behaviours and associated factors. Descriptive statistics was done initially, following by binomial regression to assess the predictors of current smoking and future smoking intentions. Results the overall prevalence of smoking in respondents was 22.7% and statistically significant difference in smoking prevalence's between boys and girls was observed (40% vs 5.6%). Among the predictors of current smoking, smoking habits in siblings and getting pocket money over 200 Saudi riyals are found to be significant. Siblings smoking (odds ratio: 6.4) and poor academic performance (odds ratio: 3.2) were the two most important factors influencing children's intentions of smoking. Conclusion smoking prevalence in secondary school children of Al Ras was similar to national data. Since, influence of siblings, getting more pocket money and poor academic performance were found to important predictors of children smoking behaviours and attitudes, health education programs should address these factors to be effective.
BACKGROUND The prospective, multicentre EURECA registry assessed the use of imaging and adoption of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Guidelines (GL) in patients with chronic coronary syndromes (CCS).   METHODS Between May 2019 and March 2020, 5156 patients were recruited in 73 centres from 24 ESC member countries. The adoption of GL recommendations was evaluated according to clinical presentation and pre-test probability (PTP) of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD).   RESULTS The mean age of the population was 64 ± 11 years, 60% of patients were males, 42% had PTP >15%, 27% had previous CAD, and ejection fraction was <50% in 5%. Exercise ECG was performed in 32% of patients, stress imaging as the first choice in 40%, and computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) in 22%. Invasive coronary angiography (ICA) was the first or downstream test in 17% and 11%, respectively. Obstructive CAD was documented in 24% of patients, inducible ischaemia in 19%, and 13% of patients underwent revascularization. In 44% of patients, the overall diagnostic process did not adopt the GL. In these patients, referral to stress imaging (21% vs. 58%; P < 0.001) or CTCA (17% vs. 30%; P < 0.001) was less frequent, while exercise ECG (43% vs. 22%; P < 0.001) and ICA (48% vs. 15%; P < 0.001) were more frequently performed. The adoption of GL was associated with fewer ICA, higher proportion of diagnosis of obstructive CAD (60% vs. 39%, P < 0.001) and revascularization (54% vs. 37%, P < 0.001), higher quality of life, fewer additional testing, and longer times to late revascularization.   CONCLUSIONS In patients with CCS, current clinical practice does not adopt GL recommendations on the use of diagnostic tests in a significant proportion of patients. When the diagnostic approach adopts GL recommendations, invasive procedures are less frequently used and the diagnostic yield and therapeutic utility are superior.
The isolated cat gastrocnemius preparation was used to study the relation between the washout of 133Xenon measured by external monitoring and blood flow measured directly by a dropcounter. The experimental possibility was thereby tested of recording the total tracer bolus and its subsequent washout by external monitoring, using the height H and the corresponding area A of the washout curve. The partition coefficient λ, and the amount of recirculation were evaluated in separate experiments. According to Zierler, the blood flow per gram of tissue should equal λ • H/A. This relation was verified experimentally. Exponential analysis was carried out but the results of it were not considered to support the hypothesis of a two compartment inparallel model in skeletal muscle. The shape of the washout curve did not suggest the existence of A-V shunts.
Abstract Masonry arch bridges are vital infrastructures in the system of railway transportation. In Iran's railway network, there is a large number of masonry arch bridges built 80 years before. These structures have been designed just for gravity loads, not for earthquake excitations. Thus, their seismic assessment is critical. Probabilistic performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) is preferred to other seismic response assessment methods, since the randomness and uncertainty in structural resistance, as well as seismic excitation, is involved in this method. The PBEE procedure assesses the seismic performance of structures concerning decision variables of downtime, fatalities, and monetary losses. The decision variables involve the evaluation of the limit state risk. For this purpose, 22 far-field earthquake records are employed for incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) of two railway arch bridges located at km 23 and 24 of the old railway of Tehran-Qom, respectively. Using the results of IDA, the capacities of performance levels, the mean annual frequency of exceeding the performance limits and levels of confidence of meeting seismic performance objectives, fragility curves, damage state probabilities, mean rate of a certain limit state per year, deaggregation of annual rate of limit states, and probability of reaching limit states over different life spans are obtained.
Objective  To investigate the protective role of chitosan oligosaccharide on blast brain injury (BBI) in rats.      Methods  Ninety male SD rats were divided into control group, BBI group and chitosan oligosaccharide group according to the random number table, with 30 rats per group. A model of BBI was induced by high pressure shock wave. Rats in chitosan oligosaccharide group received chitosan oligosaccharide (20 mg/kg body weight) intraperitoneally once a day for 5 days after the induction of BBI. For control and BBI groups, an equal amount of normal saline was given. Rat neurological severity score (NSS) was evaluated using the maze test, pole test and reflection test. Brain tissue pathological changes were observed using HE staining. Activity of catalase (CAT) and contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brain tissues were determined using the ELISA method. Protein expressions of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in brain tissues were tested using the Western blot and immunefluorescence method . Expressions of TNF-α and NF-κB mRNA in brain tissues were determined using the Real time PCR.      Results  Mean NSS was 0 point in control group, 5.52 points in BBI group, and 3.56 points in chitosan oligosaccharide group (P 0.05).      Conclusion  Chitosan oligosaccharide can protect rats against BBI by down-regulating expressions of TNF-α and NF-κB and reducing oxidative damage.      Key words:  Brain injuries; Blast injuries; Chitosan; Inflammation; Oxidative stress
A multi-armed neutral anion receptor (1) bearing multiple amide and thiourea binding sites was synthesized. Receptor 1 forms 1:2 complexes with dicarboxylate anions, and the sensitivity for recognition of dicarboxylate depends strongly on the chain length of these dicarboxylate anions. Addition of the anions caused a considerable change in the absorbance and fluorescent intensity of the host solution and a consequent visible color change.
Calcaneus fractures are severe injuries that historically have been associated with poor outcomes and debilitating consequences. To maximize functional outcome, the literature in favor of operative management encourages anatomic reduction and alignment of displaced, intra-articular calcaneus fractures, while minimizing risk to soft tissues. Because of the increased risk of soft tissue complications with extensile approaches, minimally invasive techniques have continued to gain popularity. The current technique aims to describe a minimally invasive approach to calcaneus fractures through a dual-incision, lateral (sinus tarsi) and medial, approach. This approach facilitates anatomic reduction of the calcaneal tubercle to restore calcaneal tuberosity height and length, thus facilitating anatomic reduction of the posterior facet and realignment of the anterior calcaneus while minimizing risk of soft tissue complications. The authors’ results support this technique and we recommend it as a safe and effective method for open reduction and internal fixation of displaced, intra-articular calcaneal fractures. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic Level V. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Results of experiments with various noise reduction devices are described. Experiments were conducted with a full‐scale turbojet engine on an outdoor thrust stand which permitted essentially free‐field measurements. The results confirm the findings of other investigators showing that some reduction in noise can be achieved although outstanding improvements have not been achieved. The work is still in progress.
Typical image sensors in digital cameras have a fixed sensitivity, and the amount of captured light energy is often controlled by adjusting exposure time and lens aperture. For high end motion imaging these settings are not available as they are used to set motion blur and depth of field, respectively. In many cases a proper exposure is achieved with additional optical filtering, using so called "neutral density" (ND) filters. We propose a digital equivalent of a neutral density filter, which can replace the handling of optical filters for camera systems. It consists of an adjusted sensor readout and in-camera processing of images. Instead of a single long exposure we capture N short exposures. These images are then combined by averaging. The short exposures reduce the sensitivity by a factor of N, while averaging reconstructs motion blur. In addition we also achieve a reduction of both dynamic and fixed pattern noise which leads to an overall increase in dynamic range. The digital ND filter can be used with regular image sensors and does not require hardware modifications.
A method of formulating granules from an acetone extract fraction of the fruit of Melin volkensii, a Kenyan tree known to possess insecticidal properties,was developed. The granules were tested for toxicity to third and fourth instars of Aedes aegypti L. Some acute physiological effects were observed within 24 hours of adding the granules to water as larval food. A mortality of 95% was achieved on various developmental stages of the mosquito after 12 days, with only 5% adult emergence being recorded.RésuméUne méthode de formulation de granules a été mise au point à partir d’une fraction d’un extrait à l’acétone du fruit de Melia volkensii (Gurke), un arbre kenyan reconnu posséder des propriétés insecticides. Les granules étaient testées pour leur toxicité sur les 3moet 4l1u’stades larvaires de A. negypti. Certains effets physiologiques aigus ont été dépistés endéans 24 h après que ces granules étaient ajoutées à l’eau, en guise d’aliment pour larves. Une mortalité de 95% a été enregistrée chez différents états de développement du moustique au cours de 12 jours et seulement 5% d’adultes ont émergés.
Kinetic theory based upon a classical Boltzmann equation is applied to the analysis of recent thermomagnetic torque experiments on nitrogen. To evaluate the collision integrals which arise it is assumed that the molecules behave as rigid ellipsoids. This model already is known to account quite well for the Senftleben‐Beenakker effects upon thermal conduction but to fail in dealing with certain aspects of the analogous field effects upon shear viscosity. The torque dependence upon model parameters is examined and comparisons are made with experimental data and with estimates obtained from the theory of Levi, McCourt, and Beenakker. Predictions of the torque based upon this model fail in the same way—and for the same reasons—as they do for viscosity. The magnitude of the torque can be accounted for satisfactorily but the model underestimates the magnetic field strength at which the torque is maximal. To successfully deal with the latter it appears that one must introduce more realistic intermolecular forces. Calculations based upon the Levi‐McCourt‐Beenakker theory indicate that in the case of nitrogen thermal creep makes a very substantial contribution to the thermomagnetic torque.
The first fracture treatment using crosslinked guar was performed in 1969. Since then guar and its derivative polymers have dominated hydraulic fracturing. But because of volatility and supply issues with guar gum that have surfaced during peak activity years, industry has turned to alternatives. One of those is Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) that just like guar comes from food industry. CMC is also used in pharmaceuticals as a thickening agent, and in the oil and gas industry as an ingredient in drilling mud. Use in hydraulic fracturing is surprisingly limited. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate successful cases of CMC based treatments over traditional guar and surfactant based treatments used in linear and foamed applications. This paper presents several cases from treatments performed on formations such as Cardium, Montney, Belly River, and Dunvegan. Presented production comparison will demonstrate that wells treated with CMC based hydraulic fracturing fluid system yield similar performance when compared to wells treated with guar, its derivatives, and surfactant based fluid systems. Cost savings realized when switching to CMC based fluid systems are also discussed in the paper. Laboratory tests described, performed, and results shared to demonstrate the performance of CMC compared to guar, Carboxymethylhydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG), and surfactant systems. The paper attempts to provide degree of confidence to the operators looking for cleaner alternatives to industry established fluid systems and shows that these can be successfully implemented without additional risk or cost. To order the full paper, visit https://doi.org/10.2118/175904-MS TECHNICAL PAPER
We propose a modification of generalized concatenated codes, which allows the construction of some best known binary linear codes in a very simple way. As another application we show that by using this method we can generate a big class of optimal linear unequal error protection codes (LUEP codes) very easily and that most of the constructions given by van Gils [1] are special cases of this new method. A big advantage of our method is, that all constructed codes can be decoded very easily by the well known Blokh-Z yablov-Zinov'ev algorithm with a slightly modified metric.
Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) exerts anti-inflammatory action in part by antagonizing proinflammatory transcription factors such as the nuclear factor kappa-b (NFKB). Here, we assess the crosstalk of activated GR and RELA (p65, major NFKB component) by global identification of their binding sites and target genes. We show that coactivation of GR and p65 alters the repertoire of regulated genes and results in their association with novel sites in a mutually dependent manner. These novel sites predominantly cluster with p65 target genes that are antagonized by activated GR and vice versa. Our data show that coactivation of GR and NFKB alters signaling pathways that are regulated by each factor separately and provide insight into the networks underlying the GR and NFKB crosstalk.
In developed economies, wealth inequality is high, while public capital is underprovided. Here, we study the impact of heterogeneity in saving behavior and income sources on the distributional effects of public investment. A capital tax is levied to finance productive public capital in an economy with two types of households: high income households who save dynastically and middle income households who save for retirement. We find that inequality is reduced the higher the capital tax rate is and that low tax rates are Pareto‐improving. There is no clear‐cut trade‐off between efficiency and equality: middle income households’ consumption is maximal at a capital tax rate that is higher than the rate which maximizes high income households’ consumption.
Using sweet potato root tissue infected with Ceratocystis fimbriata, the effect of farnesol, nerolidol or geraniol on the incorporation of acetate-2-14C into ipomeamarone and other lipids, and on the production of ipomeamarone and other lipids was examined. Acetate-2-14C incorpration into ipomeamarone and other lipids and the production of the lipids except ipomeamarone were markedly suppressed by the addition of the terpenol. The production of ipomeamrone was unaffected. It was concluded that the marked decrease of acetate incorporation into ipomeamarone in the presence of the terpenol was due mainly to the direct inhibition of the biosynthetic pathway and to a lesser extent to their dilution effect. The inhibitory sites by the terpenol seemed to be localized in at least 2 positions in the biosynthetic pathway of ipomeamarone. After feeding tissue disks with actetate-2-14C in the presence of farnesol or geraniol, either farnesol or geraniol was isolated, and the respective crystalline derivatives were fo...
Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) is an important photoprotective mechanism in plants and algae. Although the process is extensively studied, little is known about its relationship with ultrastructural changes of the thylakoid membranes. In order to better understand this relationship, we studied the effects of illumination on the organization of thylakoid membranes in Monstera deliciosa leaves. This evergreen species is known to exhibit very large NPQ and to possess giant grana with dozens of stacked thylakoids. It is thus ideally suited for small-angle neutron scattering measurements (SANS)—a non-invasive technique, which is capable of providing spatially and statistically averaged information on the periodicity of the thylakoid membranes and their rapid reorganizations in vivo. We show that NPQ-inducing illumination causes a strong decrease in the periodic order of granum thylakoid membranes. Development of NPQ and light-induced ultrastructural changes, as well as the relaxation processes, follow similar kinetic patterns. Surprisingly, whereas NPQ is suppressed by diuron, it impedes only the relaxation of the structural changes and not its formation, suggesting that structural changes do not cause but enable NPQ. We also demonstrate that the diminishment of SANS peak does not originate from light-induced redistribution and reorientation of chloroplasts inside the cells.
El activismo en el mundo arabe ha sido representado en la clandestinidad. Destaca el uso de la caricatura, que ha sido un elemento clave, debido a que a traves de simbolos el caricaturista era capaz de convertirse en un activista de la pluma. No obstante, con el desarrollo del ciberespacio esa fuente de activismo marcada en el papel se tradujo a la red, haciendo que la caricatura cobrara aun mas importancia al poder transmitir ideas de una manera mas directa, al mismo tiempo que desarrollaba una forma de activismo virtual. Por ello, este trabajo pretende estudiar y analizar la historia de la caricatura arabe para ver su cristalizacion en una forma de activismo revolucionario, asi como tambien pretende reflejar como se ha generado una comunidad virtual en torno a ello. Se ha usado una metodologia cualitativa, empleando un metodo historico que permita recolectar informacion sobre la historia de las caricaturas en el mundo arabe. Luego, se ha desarrollado un metodo visual etnografico que permita estudiar el uso de las caricaturas usadas. Por tanto, los resultados y la discusion esperados son demostrar que la caricatura es una forma de revolucion y activismo, que se ha afianzado con el uso de internet.  Palabras clave: Dibujo, revolucion cultural, Arabe, identidad cultural, medio de comunicacion de masas.  Abstract:Activism in the Arab world have been represented in hiding. One of the most important forms has been political cartoons which have been an important tool that has been consolidated over time because cartoonists were able to become activists thanks to the use of symbols. However, the development of cyberspace translated cartoons into the network, by making them even more important as they transmitted ideas in a more direct way and developed a form of virtual activism . Therefore, the aim of this research is to study and analyze the history of the Arab political cartoons to see how it has consolidated in a form of revolutionary activism. Additionally, the attempt to this research is to reflect how a virtual community has been generated around that figure. As a result, a qualitative methodology has been used to carry out this research. A historical method has been used to collect information about the history of cartoons in the Arab world. Then, an ethnographic visual method has been developed to study the use of cartoons used. The results and discussion are to demonstrate that the cartoon is a form of revolution and activism which has strengthened itself with the use of the internet.
Numerous research and clinical interventions, such as targeting drug deliveries or surgeries and finding blood clots, abscesses, or lesions, require accurate localization of various body parts. Individual differences in anatomy make it hard to use typical stereotactic procedures that rely on external landmarks and standardized atlases. For instance, it is not unusual to incorrectly place a craniotomy in brain surgery. This project was thus performed to find a new and easy method to correctly establish the relationship between external landmarks and medical scans of internal organs, such as specific regions of the brain. Methods: This paper introduces an MRI, CT, and radiographically visible compound that can be applied to any surface and therefore provide an external reference point to an internal (eye-invisible) structure. Results: Tested on nonhuman primates and isolated brain scans, this compound showed up with the same color in different scan types, making practical work possible. Conventional, and mostly of specific utility, products such as contrast agents were differentially colored or completely failed to show up and were not flexible. Conclusion: This compound can be customized to have different viscosities, colors, odors, and other characteristics. It can also be mixed with hardening materials such as acrylic for industrial or engineering uses, for example. Laparoscopy wands, electroencephalogram leads, and other equipment could also be embedded with or surrounded by the compound for ease in 3-dimensional visualizations. A pending U.S. patent endorses this invention.
Objective  To investigate the curative effects of emergency endoscopy and emergency open surgery in elderly patients with acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis (AOSC).      Methods  The clinical data of 80 elderly AOSC patients were retrospectively analyzed, and patients were divided into observation group and control group according to operative methods, with 40 cases in each group. The patients in observation group were treated by emergency endoscopy surgery, while the patients in control group were treated by emergency open surgery. The clinical data during peri-operation, the liver function, inflammatory markers and incidence of complications after treatment were compared between the two groups.      Results  The drainage tube duration, hospital stay, time for remission of jaundice, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal function after operation in observation group were significantly shorter than those in control group, the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The levels of bilirubin (IBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT), percentage of neutrophil granulocyte (NEU%) and procalcitonin (PCT) in the two groups after operation were significantly lower than those before operation, the levels of IBIL, ALT, GGT, NEU% and PCT in observation group after treatment were significantly lower than those in control group (P all<0.05). The total incidence of complications in observation group (5.0%) was significantly lower than that in control group (22.5%), the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).      Conclusions  Emergency endoscopy is effective on elderly AOSC with high safety. It can promote the rehabilitation, liver function and inflammation which is worthy of clinical application.      Key words:  Emergency endoscopic treatment; Elderly patients; Acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis; Liver function
Kinetic roughening in two variants of a solid-on-solid model of epitaxial growth, a ‘‘toy’’ relaxation model and a collective diffusion model, is studied and compared, using extensive computer simulations in different spatial dimensions. We have studied the Wolf-Villain ~WV! model and its modifications, and a full diffusion ~FD! model with Arrhenius dynamics. The WV model shows nonuniversal features and its asymptotic behavior switches between the Edwards-Wilkinson type and a morphological instability, depending on the spatial dimension, a lattice coordination, or a minor modification of the model rules. The results for the FD model in 111 and 211 dimensions are not consistent with any of the continuum equations proposed to describe epitaxial growth; in particular, we observe too low values of the roughness exponent measured from the height-difference correlation function. In 1 11 dimensions, the results obtained for both models are very similar for more than 10 6 monolayers deposited with an ‘‘incorporation’’ radius in the WV model corresponding to the substrate temperature in the FD model. Such a close correspondence is not found in 211 dimensions. Asymptotic behavior of the WV and FD models is different in all spatial dimensions. Both FD and WV models show anomalous scaling in all dimensions studied. The anomalous scaling in the FD model is very weak ~logarithmic! in the physically relevant case of 211 dimensions.
Key Points α2β1 deficiency does not alter the balance of NK cell/ILC1 generation. α2β1 deficiency does not alter NK cell maturation. α2β1-deficient NK cells efficiently protect from lethal mousepox and control MCMV. NK cells play an important role in antiviral resistance. The integrin α2, which dimerizes with integrin β1, distinguishes NK cells from innate lymphoid cells 1 and other leukocytes. Despite its use as an NK cell marker, little is known about the role of α2β1 in NK cell biology. In this study, we show that in mice α2β1 deficiency does not alter the balance of NK cell/ innate lymphoid cell 1 generation and slightly decreases the number of NK cells in the bone marrow and spleen without affecting NK cell maturation. NK cells deficient in α2β1 had no impairment at entering or distributing within the draining lymph node of ectromelia virus (ECTV)–infected mice or at becoming effectors but proliferated poorly in response to ECTV and did not increase in numbers following infection with mouse CMV (MCMV). Still, α2β1-deficient NK cells efficiently protected from lethal mousepox and controlled MCMV titers in the spleen. Thus, α2β1 is required for optimal NK cell proliferation but is dispensable for protection against ECTV and MCMV, two well-established models of viral infection in which NK cells are known to be important.
In managing water quality in U.S. estuaries, as well as throughout ocean and coastal governance, there is an increasing call for economic research to communicate the values of environmental resources to local communities, policy makers, and other stakeholders. Watershed managers implement economic studies to: 1) better communicate the value of estuarine resources to the wider community, 2) determine the most cost-effective management actions, and 3) compare the costs and benefits of actions to improve water quality. In order to better understand how economic studies are applied and their usefulness in coastal management, we interviewed managers from six National Estuary Programs (NEPs) and two watershed organizations that have undertaken economic studies, focusing on the lessons learned from the use of those studies.    Economic studies can provide insights to managers and stakeholders about the implications of management actions or lack of action. Although economic research can offer a common language and framework, estimating economic values of policy changes to estuaries is a complex process requiring careful implementation in terms of methodology and scale as well as in the presentation and application of findings (Pendleton 2010). The findings from our interviews highlight the utility and limitations of economic analyses for coastal management and may help coastal managers to determine the most appropriate economic approaches to suit their needs and to avoid some of the pitfalls faced by other managers in conducting and communicating economic analyses. Additionally, our findings may help economists understand the needs of estuary managers, and help them better provide economic research that can contribute effectively to coastal management.
The imprinting of the mouse Peg3 domain is controlled through a 4-kb genomic region encompassing the bidirectional promoter and 1st exons of Peg3 and Usp29. In the current study, this ICR was inverted to test its orientation dependency for the transcriptional and imprinting control of the Peg3 domain. The inversion resulted in the exchange of promoters and 1st exons between Peg3 and Usp29. Paternal transmission of this inversion caused 10-fold down-regulation of Peg3 and 2-fold up-regulation of Usp29 in neonatal heads, consistent with its original promoter strength in each direction. The paternal transmission also resulted in reduced body size among the animals, which was likely contributed by the dramatic down-regulation of Peg3. Transmission through either allele caused no changes in the DNA methylation and imprinting status of the Peg3 domain except that Zfp264 became bi-allelic through the maternal transmission. Overall, the current study suggests that the orientation of the Peg3-ICR may play no role in its allele-specific DNA methylation, but very critical for the transcriptional regulation of the entire imprinted domain.
Reaction of trans-[PdCl2(DMSO)(2)]. cis-[PtCl2(DMSO)(2)]. and [Cu(OAc)(2)](H2O)-H-. with metronidazole (mnz) leads to the formation of new complexes, i.e., trans-[PdCl2(mnz)(2)] (1), trans-[PtCl2(mnz)(2)] (2). and trans-[Cu-2(OAc)(4)(mnz)(2)] (3), respectively. Complexes 1-3 crystallize all in the centrosymmetric monoclinic space group P2(1)/c with Z = 8. Unit-cell parameters for these complexes are: 1, a = 7.1328(14) Angstrom, b = 20.699(4) Angstrom, c = 7.1455(14) Angstrom, and beta = 116.17(3)degrees; 2, a = 9.9169(14) Angstrom, b = 21.853(4) Angstrom, c = 6.7218(13) Angstrom, and beta = 110.79(3)degrees: 3. a = 9.1663(18) Angstrom, b = 19.129(4) Angstrom, c = 8.9446(18) Angstrom, and beta = 116.44(3)degrees. The complexes 1 and 2 maintain an ideal square-planar geometry. In complex 3, the H2O molecules of the starting complex are replaced by metronidazole while maintaining a dimeric structure of [Cu(OAc)(2)]. Each Cu ion has an ideal octahedral structure, though distortion occurs in the equatorial position where the acetato ligands are attached. The Cu-Cu separation of 2.6343(8) Angstrom indicates considerable metal-metal interaction. The testing of the antiamoebic activity of these complexes against the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica suggests that compound 1-3 might be endowed with important antiamoebic properties since they showed IC50 values in a muM range better than metronidazole (Table 2). Thus, compound 1 displayed more effective amoebicidal activity than metronidazole (IC50 values of 0.103 muM vs. 1.50 muM resp.).
Background: Banisteriopsis pubipetala is a little-studied species belonging to the same genus of B. caapi, which stands out for the bioactive compounds known to be important in the degenerative diseases treatment. Objective: The objective is to analyze the anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic potential and chromatographic profile of the extracts of B. pubipetala. Materials and Methods: The investigation of the chromatographic profile was performed through high-performance liquid chromatography diode-array detector. Cell viability was determined by a quantitative colorimetric assay with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. In the pharmacological tests, interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), IL-10, and nitric oxide (NO) levels in cell culture supernatants were performed. Results: In the leaf were observed nine major compounds and in the stem five major compounds. The extracts of B. pubipetala demonstrated concentration-dependent behavior regarding cytotoxicity. The fraction in dichloromethane had inhibitory concentration of 50% (IC50) = 67.39 μg/mL whereas the extract in ethyl acetate had IC50 =103.37 μg/mL. The results showed that extracts significantly reduced the production of IL-6 and TNF-α by cells 3T3 cells, however increased the production of IL-10 and NO. Conclusion: The results of the tests indicate that the extracts of B. pubipetala evaluated have potential anti-inflammatory properties and may promote the regulation of inflammation levels.
The sentence-initial position (vorfeld) in German is filled in accordance with discourse structural consideration. Several types of elements compete for this position. Their distribution can be modelled by Stochastic Optimality Theory. It is filled in general by phrases that have at least one of the following functions: scene-setting elements, contrast, topic. In conflict cases the functions are ranked scene-setting >> contrast >> topic. In dialogic discourse other considerations play a role, too, such as the explicit marking of origo (deictic center) and rhetorical relation. Two additional constraints, dann-vorfeld and subject-pronoun-vorfeld, can be fit in; the ranking including those would be dann, scene-setting >> subject-pronoun, contrast >> topic. After insertions, the re-introduction of the topic is sensitive to which of the participants started the insertion: topics re-introduced by another participant than the one starting the insertion pattern rather with contrastive elements.
We show that for certain integers n, the problem of whether or not a Cayley digraph of Zn is also isomorphic to a Cayley digraph of some other abelian group G of order n reduces to the question of whether or not a natural subgroup of the full automorphism group contains more than one regular abelian group up to isomorphism (as opposed to the full automorphism group). A necessary and sufficient condition is then given for such circulants to be isomorphic to Cayley digraphs of more than one abelian group, and an easy-to-check necessary condition is provided.
The confusion concerning the management of the undescended testis is not rivaled by many other lesions. When such disparity of opinion exists, it is safe to conclude that either the data available are hopelessly muddled or the observers are not all talking about the same thing. The undescended testis should be a lesion which lends itself to thorough investigation from which definitive statements could be made concerning etiology, anatomy, and management. Instead, there are widely divergent views concerning causation; association with other lesions, such as hernia; medical versus surgical management; the indications for surgery; the type of operation needed; the age of election, and the results. My associates and I have been interested in undescended testes for seven years and know that such a short period of observation cannot be definitive in all aspects of the problem. However, there are some observations we are now able to make on the
ABSTRACT Recently, a novel isolate of the baculovirus Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpltNPV) has been isolated from Pakistan, which is distinct from the type species SpltNPV-G2 (ICTV). Here, we examined the biological activity of this isolate (SpltNPV-Pak-BNG) in second (L2), third (L3) and fourth instar (L4) larvae of the leafworm S. litura, more specifically to measure biological properties that are relevant for use of this virus for pest control under field conditions. The median lethal dose for L2 and L3 instar larvae was similar, but significantly lower than for L4 larvae. Likewise, the survival time was similar for L2 and L3 larvae (84 h), but was significantly longer for L4 instar larvae (108 h). Thus, in terms of efficacy, S. litura L2 and L3 instar larvae are the preferred targets for S. litura control with SpltNPV-Pak-BNG in field crops in Pakistan. On the basis of our data spray regimes can be designed to control the leafworm in cotton and vegetable crops targeting L2 and L3 larvae.
ABSTRACT Sexually transmitted infections are a major public health problem in France and other European countries. Particularly, surveillance data about Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections have clearly indicated an increase in the incidence of gonorrhoea in France in 2006. The French laboratories participated on voluntary basis in the RENAGO (Réseau National du Gonocoque) network and sent all of their collected strains to the National Reference Center for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In this first French molecular epidemiological study, 93 isolates collected in 2006 and representative of the French gonorrhoea epidemiology were selected. Antibiotic susceptibility to six antibiotics was determined, and serotyping and N. gonorrhoeae multiantigen sequence typing (NG-MAST) were performed. NG-MAST identified 53 sequence types (STs), of which 13 STs contained 2 to 16 isolates. The major STs identified in France were previously described elsewhere. However, two newly described STs, ST1479 and ST1987, had only been found in France until now. ST1479 was characterized by a multiple-resistance phenotype, whereas ST1987 presented a susceptibility phenotype. Moreover, among the predominant French STs, ST225, which had already been described in many countries, comprised isolates (14/16) resistant to ciprofloxacin and with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone. Thus, the surveillance of resistance to antibiotics is a priority in order to adapt treatment and decrease the transmission of resistant strains. Of note, no predominant ST was identified among rectal isolates from men who have sex with men.
Graft‐recipient size matching is a major challenge in pediatric liver transplantation, especially for adolescent recipients. Indeed, adolescents have the lowest transplantation rate among pediatric recipients, despite prioritization policies and the use of split grafts. In case of an important graft‐recipient size mismatch, ex situ graft reduction with right posterior sectionectomy (RPS) may optimize the available donor pool to benefit adolescent recipients.
Allogeneic HSCT is the only curative intervention for patients with persistent disease or who recur after transplantation; however, these patients are often not considered for HSCT because of their persistent disease or high risk for regimen-related toxicity. We conducted a prospective study for patients who had hematologic malignancies with refractory disease or who relapsed after allogeneic HSCT using mismatched family member donors and a reduced intensity conditioning regimen in an effort to allow GVHD to occur to reduce disease recurrence in this high risk patient population. The conditioning regimen consisted of fludarabine (40 mg/m2/day for 5 days), melphalan (60 mg/m2/day for 2 days), and thiotepa (10 mg/kg/day for one day). One dose of melphalan was omitted in 6 patients who were aplastic at the time of transplantation. OKT3 was administered from day −9 to +17 for prevention of graft rejection. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of MMF initiated on day −2. Rituximab 375 mg/m2 was administered on day 0 as EBV prophylaxis. Patients received G-CSF starting on day +6 until ANC ≥ 2000/mm3 for two consecutive days. Peripheral blood grafts were obtained after mobilization with G-CSF and GM-CSF. Grafts were depleted of T-lymphocytes on the CliniMACS device using the anti-CD3 antibody OKT3. 25 patients were treated in this manner: 10 with refractory disease and 15 requiring another allogeneic HSCT (14 had one prior HSCT, one had 2 prior HSCT). For refractory patients, diagnoses included AML (2 secondary AML, 1 persistent disease (PD)) JMML (n=1, PD), ALL (n=3, PD), and NHL (n=3, PD including one after autologous HSCT). For patients who had failed prior allogeneic HSCT, diagnoses included AML (n=7), ALL (n=7), and CML (n=1, blast crisis). Patients had failed HSCT from matched sibling donors (n=5), unrelated donors (n=5), unrelated cord blood grafts (n=2), and haploidentical parents (n=3). Patients were a median of 11 years old at HSCT (range, 1–26). The median number of CD34+cells/kg infused was 13.64 x 106/kg (range, 2.23–42.46); the median number of CD3+ cells/kg infused was 0.122 x 106/kg (range, 0.006–0.45). Two patients suffered primary graft rejection: one with refractory JMML recovered with persistent disease after OKT3 and a re-infusion of paternal PBSCs. The second underwent infusion of the original unrelated donor cells and engrafted. The 23 evaluable patients had a median time to ANC ≥ 500/mm3 of 10 days (range, 7–12) post-HSCT. One patient undergoing second HSCT developed secondary graft rejection requiring infusion of original sibling donor marrow. 13 patients developed acute GVHD, but only 2 developed grade 3–4 acute GVHD. 5 patients developed chronic GVHD. None developed VOD. Of the refractory patients, 7 died of relapse and 1 of regimen-related toxicity. Of those undergoing subsequent HSCT, 6 died of relapse and 2 of regimen-related toxicity. With a median followup of 472 days, (range, 147–767), 9 remain alive. Transplantation of mismatched related donor PBSC grafts using OKT3 for ex vivo T-cell depletion following a reduced intensity conditioning regimen produces favorable outcomes with acceptable toxicity in this this high-risk patient population.
The purpose of this study is to understand the elements of creativity, as well as to what extent and how creativity serves as a tool in preserving the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) at World Heritage Sites (WHSs). A WHS will lose its uniqueness if the ICH disappears. Hence, it is important to determine how creativity may sustain the ICH. In-depth interviews, and participant and nonparticipant observations were conducted, and a 5As—actor, audience, affordance, artifact, and apprentice—cultural creativity interaction model was constructed. These elements of cultural creativity may serve as a guideline for different stakeholders in sustaining the status of a WHS.
Background and Aims: Patients with penetrating trauma of the major vessels of the chest are infrequently encountered. This is due to the fact that the majority of these patients die on scene, as well as due to the overall dramatic decline in the incidence of penetrating trauma in the Western world. A certain proportion of survivors are physiologically stable and can be transferred to adequate care. Patients who are physiologically unstable must be dealt with by the surgeons available without delay. Rapid diagnosis and operation can salvage patients who would otherwise be lost, and all general surgeons should be capable of recognizing these injuries and intervening if a trauma and/or cardiothoracic surgeon is not immediately available. Material and Methods: Technical description of practical emergency surgery approaches to patients bleeding to death from penetrating mediastinal vessel injuries. Results: The scope of this review familiarizes the “uninitiated” surgeon with the operative management of this rare and lethal type of injuries. Technical aspects are described, and pitfalls as well as tips and tricks of the trade are discussed. Conclusions: Patients with penetrating injuries to the mediastinal vessels can be saved by swift and knowing operative management of this rare and lethal type of injuries, even if a trauma and/or cardiothoracic surgeon is not immediately available.
This work demonstrates the applicability of more generalized sluice gate equations to the design of baffle sluice modules. The generalized equations allow the module to be designed for any upstream head. These equations also offer additional understanding of the behavior of the baffle sluice module and demonstrate that the first baffle of the module is largely redundant. The constraint of having the minimum water level coincide with the crest of the first baffle has been removed. Through an optimization procedure, an alternative design method is suggested that will theoretically improve the performance of the baffle sluice module. Through this design technique, a module can be designed with any practical number of baffles. The effect of combined orifice-weir flow and width of the module is also discussed.
Using OECD input output matrices consistently, we offer a tentative solution to the mystery of missing trade. First, we confirm the usual rejection of factor price equalization and identical technologies. Second, we develop a new technique to compute the factor content of trade when countries’ technologies are different. Measuring factor content conventionally, we find a putative paucity of trade in these data. When factor content is measured correctly, theory predicts the direction and volume of trade more accurately. Thus measuring the factor content of trade according to the country of origin may vindicate the Heckscher-Ohlin-Vanek paradigm.
Economic theory predicts that investing in renewable energy should generally have a negative effect on risk-taking in financial portfolios, which can affect the optimal design of a wide variety of financial and insurance policies. However, there is no empirical work to confirm a relationship between renewable energy investments and portfolios. Using data for 15,600 U.S. households spanning the period 2001-2012, we find that increases in renewable energy investments also increase investments in risky assets. Therefore, investing in renewable energy has a substantial impact on portfolio choice decisions.
Many of the implemented dialog systems in industry are based on a state automaton. Most of these systems rely on predefined messages, where a message is an ordered set of utterance templates, in order to produce the output message. The automaton-based dialog manager computes the correspondence of a particular predefined message to a given user's request. However, a rather common event in the dialog system's workflow is the dialog manager's highlighting of multiple messages in response to a user's request. In order to produce an appropriate output message, the templates of all messages need to be merged and restructured. In this paper, we introduce a natural language generation (NLG) module to the automaton based dialog system in order to perform this task.
Various microfluidic devices utilizing the principle of dielectrophoresis (DEP) have been developed to separate, concentrate, and characterize biological cells; however, their performance is still limited by a lack of quantitative characterization. We addressed this limitation by employing a method capable of accurately quantifying a cell's response to an imposed field gradient. In this study, a simple method using a newly designed Creek-gap electrode was proposed, and the electrokinetic behavior of cells was characterized by DEP velocimetry under the exposure of an approximately constant gradient of electric field square established along the gap of the electrodes. Together with the numerical prediction of the electric field based on three-dimensional electric field analysis, the magnitude of DEP forces and the real part of the Clausius-Mossotti factor of cells were deduced from their movement. Results demonstrated that the proposed method was applicable to the determination of the dielectrophoretic properties of cells.
The SMK (SAM‐III) box is an S‐adenosylmethionine (SAM)‐responsive riboswitch found in the 5′ untranslated region of metK genes, encoding SAM synthetase, in many members of the Lactobacillales. SAM binding causes a structural rearrangement in the RNA that sequesters the Shine‐Dalgarno (SD) sequence by pairing with a complementary anti‐SD (ASD) sequence; sequestration of the SD sequence inhibits binding of the 30S ribosomal subunit and prevents translation initiation. We observed a slight increase in the half‐life of the metK transcript in vivo when Enterococcus faecalis cells were depleted for SAM, but no significant change in overall transcript abundance, consistent with the model that this riboswitch regulates at the level of translation initiation. The half‐life of the SAM–SMK box RNA complex in vitro is shorter than that of the metK transcript in vivo, raising the possibility of reversible binding of SAM. We used a fluorescence assay to directly visualize reversible switching between the SAM‐free and SAM‐bound conformations. We propose that the SMK box riboswitch can make multiple SAM‐dependent regulatory decisions during the lifetime of the transcript in vivo, acting as a reversible switch that allows the cell to respond rapidly to fluctuations in SAM pools by modulating expression of the SAM synthetase gene.
In patients with acute cerebral injury, polyuric states can potentially trigger, maintain and aggravate the primary neurological damage, due to hypovolemia, arterial hypotension and alterations of osmolarity. The true incidence of the condition in this population is unknown. A widely validated definition of polyuric state is lacking and its etiology is multifactorial. There are two principal classes of polyuria: (a) aqueous polyuria with diabetes insipidus as the main cause; and (b) osmotic polyuria in which sodium, glucose or ureaplay the main role. Polyuric states are in close association with disorders of water and sodium metabolism and with alterations in acid-base balance. A detailed analysis of the history, clinical picture and simple laboratory determinations in blood and urine, are required for an adequate assessment of these polyuric states. The problem must be faced with pathophysiological reasoning and a systematic and sequential approach, because each disorder needs a specific therapy.
The nanostructured coatings of tantalum and its compounds on the stainless steel surfaces were investigated by atomic force microscopy. Their hydrophilic properties were studied by sessile drop and atomic force spectroscopy methods. The thromboresistant properties of samples were analysed in vitro by incubation of the samples in the rich platelets plasma of patients with acute coronary syndrome. The effect of surface properties on the thromboresistant properties was analysed.
Human action recognition is a challenging research in computer vision applications because variety of human actions can be misclassified as some other action types. In this paper, we proposed a method for human action recognition based on dual tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT). DTCWT has better edge representation and approximate shift-invariant properties compared to real-valued wavelet transforms. Experiments are carried out on different standard action datasets including KTH and MSR. We have performed the proposed method on multiple levels of DTCWT. The proposed method is compared with other state-of-the-art methods in terms of different quantitative performance measures, and the results of the proposed method are found to have better recognition accuracy.
This paper discusses the possibility of assessing the quality of materials in terms of their mechanical properties as determined by a modified low-cycle fatigue test applied in these studies. The developed computer program adapted to the needs of an MTS universal testing machine is described, as are the details of an algorithm used by this program. The compatibility of test results obtained by the two methods (i.e., the standard low-cycle fatigue test [LCF] and its modified original version [MLCF]) has been demonstrated on the samples of selected non-ferrous metals alloys.
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance is increasing, and data on antimicrobial use in Swedish children are limited. We evaluated trends in antimicrobial use and attempted to identify targets for improving the quality of antimicrobial prescribing in a tertiary care center.   METHODS One-day hospital-wide point prevalence surveys were conducted 8 times during 2003-2017 at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital. Children <17 years old were included. Medical records were evaluated for risk factors, indications for treatment, and antibiotic agents used.   RESULTS Among 946 admitted patients, 36% (336/946) received antimicrobial treatment. The total number of prescriptions increased (P = 0.031), but the proportion of patients treated remained unchanged. The proportion of patients receiving prophylactic treatment increased from 11% to 43% (P = 0.005). The rate of hospital-acquired infections remained unchanged. The primary indication for antimicrobial therapy was sepsis, fever of unknown origin, or fever in neutropenia, followed by intra-abdominal infections and pneumonia. The most frequently used antibiotics were cephalosporins, but consumption decreased, and in 2017 piperacillin-tazobactam was the most frequently used. Antimicrobial use was generally appropriate, although guidelines were often missing. The number of pediatric hospital beds decreased, and the bed occupancy was 71% (101/142) in 2003 and 121% (110/91) in 2017. The patient mix changed toward more patients with underlying risk factors for infectious diseases.   CONCLUSIONS Antimicrobial use changed during the study period, mainly due to increased prophylactic use in at-risk patients. Antimicrobial stewardship programs including infection control interventions and increasing the availability of guidelines may reduce and improve antimicrobial therapy.
Internet of Things (IoT) is going to create many changes in libraries. However, its application in libraries requires the use of various infrastructures. This paper aims to determine IoT infrastructures in academic libraries and examine them in Iranian academic libraries. This is a descriptive survey with two qualitative and quantitative approaches. The statistical population consists of 15 central libraries of state universities of Tehran in 2018. The infrastructures needed to apply this technology in libraries were extracted through an in-depth study method and based on which a researcher-made questionnaire was designed and its reliability and validity were confirmed. The questions were answered in three parts by managers, library staffs, and IT specialists Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics and SPSS software. A total of 4 infrastructures and 42 components were obtained for IoT in libraries. The results showed that the studied libraries, having 60.53% of the required infrastructures are in moderate condition. Technical, financial, legal and human resource infrastructures, respectively, with an average score of 64.85%, 63.7%, 71.23%, and 64.7% are also in moderate condition. The studied libraries are in moderate condition in terms of the required infrastructures for using IoT and are still far from ideal. It is suggested that the identified weaknesses and shortcomings will be addressed by managers and authorities in order to provide the basis for using this technology.
Food allergy is an increasing problem in western countries, with strict avoidance being the only available reliable treatment. However, accidental ingestion can occur and anaphylactic reactions still happen. In recent years, many efforts have been made to better understand the humoral and cellular mechanisms involved in food allergy, and to improve the strategies for diagnosis and treatment. This review focuses on IgE-mediated food hypersensitivity and provides an overview of the diagnostic strategies and treatment advances. Specific immunotherapy, including different routes of administration and allergen sources, such as natural, recombinant and T-cell epitopes, are analyzed in detail. Other treatments such as anti-IgE monoclonal antibody therapy, adjuvant therapy and Chinese herbs will also be described.
Cationic protein purified from rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) was demonstrated to incite autoaggregation of the rabbit PMN and promote adhesiveness of human PMN to endothelial cells. PMN aggregation induced by supernatants derived from secretory PMN was blocked by a specific anticationic protein antibody. These studies reveal that a positively charged protein derived from the PMN can alter surface properties of the PMN itself and imply a role for this protein in PMN immobilization at inflammatory sites.
MTF data can be a dependable criterion for assessing the performance of an optical system if the testing is done under conditions that closely resemble the actual application. For testing IOL performance, this requirement can be met by inserting the lens in a suitable eyes model. A dynamic eye model in which the corneal power can be varied to simulate the range of conditions found in different human eyes is ideal, but if the vergence angle is chosen carefully, a fixed eye model can be sufficient. For the resulting MTF data to be valid, it is necessary to consider the entire spread function of the system. In the case of a multifocal IOL, the failure to accurately sample the complete spread function is a major source of measurement errors. The detector must be able to characterize in considerable detail the central maximum of the in focus segment. At the same time it must also deal with the complex and diffuse `halo' from the out of focus segment of the lens. Additionally, it must be able to measure the stray light found beyond the halo, that results from the transitions between the various zones of the multifocal lens. Test systems based on the direct measurement of MTF have a substantial advantage in these cases where the spread function is large and complex.
The pm-CCD camera is one of the three focal plane instruments of the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) on board the x-ray multi mirror (XMM) mission scheduled for launch in August 1999. The detector consists of four quadrants of three pn-CCDs each, which are integrate don one 4 inch silicon wafer. Each CCD has 200 by 64 pixels with 280 micrometers depletion depth. One CCD of a quadrant is readout at a time, while the four quadrants can be processed independently of each other. Observations of point sources brighter than 11 mCrab in imaging mode will be effected by photon pile-up. However, special operating modes can be used to observe bright sources up to 150 mCrab in Timing Mode with 30 microsecond(s) time resolution and very bright sources up to several Crab in Burst Mode with 7 microsecond(s) time resolution. We have tested and calibrate the flight model FM of the EPIC pn-CCD camera at the long beam test facility Panter near Munich and at the synchrotron monochromators of the Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale in Orsay, France. In this paper describe the calibration of the pn-CCD detector in high time resolution/bright source operating modes and present preliminary results on the performance in these modes.
Retrospective analysis of the Black Sea hydrophysical fields (1993–2014) is carried out including assimilation of the three-dimensional fields of the temperature and salinity pseudo measurements reconstructed before in the model on the horizons within the layer 63–500 m by the adaptive statistics method. To compare root-mean-square deviations of the temperature and salinity fields from the observations, the reanalysis data (1993–2012) comprising assimilation of the temperature and salinity unperturbed profiles in the model are used. Variability of temperature and salinity (density) profiles in the main pycnocline is reproduced more accurately in the reanalysis for 1993–2014. Root-meansquare deviations of the sea level fields (resulted from the reanalysis for 1993–2014) from the altimetry ones in the first decade of seasonal and inter-annual variability are smaller than those (estimated in the same way) obtained from the reanalysis data for 1992–2015 in which the AVISO data and the sea surface temperature are assimilated. The root-mean-square deviations of the sea level increase in the second decade of the period. It is explained by the fact that decrease of the training set is accompanied by lowering of accuracy in reconstructing the fields of the temperature and salinity pseudo-measurements based on the altimetry and Argo buoys’ data. Synoptic variability of the sea currents’ fields in 1993–2014 is studied by analyzing the maps of the sea level integral dispersion. The values of sea level dispersion are found to be high on vast areas in the western and eastern parts of the basin. It is conditioned by generation and movement of the Sevastopol anticyclone, formation of synoptic vortices in the southwestern region of the western cyclonic water cycle, dynamics and evolution of the Caucasian anticyclonic vortices and the Batumi anticyclone. The local area to the northwest off Sinop is also noted.
BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to determine, whether electrocardiogram (ECG) screening could reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with hearing loss through the early diagnosis of Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome and the introduction of the therapy.   METHODS One thousand and eighty patients with hearing loss (aged 21.8 ± 19.9 years) underwent ECG. Additionally, all subjects were asked to complete a 3-question survey. Those who met, at least, one of the high-risk criteria underwent further cardiac assessment and genetic testing.   RESULTS QTc assessment was possible in 1,027 patients. Mean QTc measured 422.8 ± 23.7 ms in 313 women, 414.9 ± 27.7 ms in 273 men and 421.1 ± 21.5 ms in 441 children (individuals younger than 14 years). Abnormal QTc was found in 13 (4.1%) women, 20 (7.3%) men, and 72 (16.3%) children. In the studied group, no recessive mutation of KNCQ1 or KCNE1 was found. In 6 patients, other mutations were found: in KCNQ1 (n = 1), in KCNH2 (n = 3) and in SCN5A (n = 1), which were pathogenic for long-QT-syndromes (LQTS), and 2 mutations of unknown clinical significance in SCN5A. Overall, out of these 6 patients LQTS was diagnosed in 3 asymptomatic patients, but with abnormal QTc and in 2 patients with normal QTc, but who were previously treated for epilepsy.   CONCLUSIONS Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome is a very rare condition even in a population with hearing loss. In this population, the prevalence of prolonged QT interval is increased over the general population. Further investigations are necessary.
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC), a special type of lung cancer, is reputed to carry a poor prognosis. The morbidity of SCLC is increasing in China and other countries. A variety of DNA alterations associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been described. However, genetic and epigenetic changes of SCLC are not well established. Few studies have demonstrated that epigenetic silencing of key tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) is pivotal to initiation and development of SCLC. Recently, promoter methylation of many TSGs have been identified in SCLC. These novel TSGs are potential tumor biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognostic prediction. Moreover, epigenetic promoter methylation of TSGs could be a target of intervention with a wide prospect of clinical application. This review summarizes recent studies on promoter methylation of TSGs in SCLC and aims to provide better understanding of the promoter methylation in tumorigenesis and progression of SCLC.
The reduction of total vehicle weight and lowering of moving masses within the engine are key elements to overcome future emission challenges of the automotive industry. Within a German BMBF funded project the melt spinning technology will be driven to a series production status. The very fast cooling condition of the melt leads to a nano-structure of the aluminium material. This results in new material properties of known alloys. The strength increases dramatically without lowered forming behaviour. With this process the freedom of designing complex alloys is very flexible. Different alloys have been investigated for several applications, where high strength at room and elevated temperatures and/or high wear resistance is required. This paper presents some results regarding the processing, microstructure and mechanical properties of a developed Al-Ni-Fe alloy. This joined research project with partners from the automotive industry as well as automotive suppliers and universities is funded by the German BMBF "NanoMobile" Program under Project number 03X3008.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The morphological structure of anthetic carpels of Brasenia (Cabombaceae), a member of the phylogenetically basal ANITA grade, has not been studied before. The carpel has a long stigmatic crest on the ventral side and could give the impression of a conduplicate structure. This is in contrast to the carpel structure in other genera of the ANITA grade. Therefore, a study of carpel development and carpel structure at anthesis was carried out.   METHODS Carpels of Brasenia schreberi were studied at different developmental stages up to anthesis by means of microtome section series and SEM to analyse and reconstruct the outer and inner carpel morphology.   KEY RESULTS Carpels of Brasenia are extremely ascidiate up to anthesis. The elongate stigma originates around the mouth of the young carpel, which is slightly curved toward the centre of the flower. Subsequently, the stigmatic zone below the mouth expands by massive intercalary elongation.   CONCLUSIONS In their ascidiate shape, carpels of Brasenia are similar to carpels of Cabomba, the other genus of Cabombaceae, which, in contrast, has a short stigma restricted to the tip of the carpel. Thus, the morphological structure is independent of the extent (and one-sidedness) of the stigma. The outer shape of carpels at anthesis does not allow the inference of the inner morphological surface. If an angiosperm carpel has a one-sided stigma it can be extremely conduplicate or extremely ascidiate. Therefore, caution has to be used in the interpretation of the structure of fossil carpels.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic hampered the economic status of one’s state hugely affecting private sectors companies particular those into providing services and transportation due to the unexpected lockdowns. The study used a qualitative-phenomenological approach in exploring the lived experiences of these retrenched employees in alignment with the study’s objective to provide descriptive presentation on how retrenchment affected their well-being and understanding with regards of how they cope with the situation. Participants were selected using purposive-sampling method identified by the researchers who meet the description of; (a) Age between 20-45; (b) Resident of Catbalogan; (c) working in the private sector particularly providing services like merchandising and transportation; (d) Involuntary retrenched in the midst of Pandemic. From the analysis of data, it was found out that retrenched employees experienced significant difficulties in addressing the implications of retrenchment in providing the needs and support of their families and people who constantly relies on them. Financial strain is the major reason of the distress that these retrenched employees are experiencing thinking how they can provide the needs that affected their families as well. In spite of the challenges, they endured and overcome the difficulties because of their unconditional love for their families and dependents.
Childbirth is a life-changing and transformative experience for women and families. The birth experience has the ability to deeply impact women psychologically, physically, and emotionally in positive and negative ways. Qualitative research is a complementary method for researching childbirth because it does not practice reductionism by reducing human beings or experiences into separate parts (Munhall, 2012). Due to the complex and integrated nature of the birth experience, a holistic approach is needed in order to gain a comprehensive and realistic understanding of what the experience entails for women. The qualitative methods most applicable to the birth experience are phenomenology, ethnography, and narrative inquiry. By using different qualitative research methodologies, different facets of the birth experience can be viewed. In a series of qualitative interviews, one individual, SM, was interviewed three times using the different qualitative research methods of phenomenology, ethnography, and narrative inquiry. Phenomenology aims to capture the worldview and perspective of individuals (Munhall, 2012). Ethnography looks at the role of culture in informing human social behavior and values (Wolf, 2012). Narrative inquiry looks to uncover authorial voices within an individual’s narrative story (Duffy, 2012). After each interview, recurrent concepts were coded and identified as dominant themes. Through these different interview approaches commonalities and differences in the information collected can be evaluated.
I bear the burden of this topic because of an innocent, lonely sentence in my recent book in which I said, "Farm people and their leaders are not in general conversant with the ideas, the philosophical basis, and the historical processes that are part and parcel of the urbanization and industrialization of which modern agriculture is an integral part. ", I value the challenge of this occasion; I shall endeavor to clarify what I meant. The assignment, however, takes me far beyond economic analysis, a risky venture for an economist. My reward is in the fact that I have come upon a number of puzzling questions which require much further thought.
In this paper we present one year of meteorological and flux measurements obtained near Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen. Fluxes are derived by the eddy covariance method and by a hydrodynamic model approach (HMA) as well. Both methods are compared and analyzed with respect to season and mean wind direction. Concerning the wind field we find a clear distinction between 3 prevailing regimes (which have influence on the flux behavior) mainly caused by the topography at the measurement site. Concerning the fluxes we find a good agreement between the HMA and the eddy covariance method in cases of turbulent mixing in summer but deviations at stable conditions, when the HMA almost always shows negative fluxes. Part of the deviation is based on a dependence of HMA fluxes on friction velocity and the influence of the molecular boundary layer. Moreover, the flagging system of the eddy covariance software package TK3 is briefly revised. A new quality criterion for the use of fluxes obtained by the eddy covariance method, which is based on integral turbulence characteristics, is proposed.
Ab s t r Ac t Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the various physical parameters used for the preoperative prediction of difficult laryngeal exposure (DLE) during suspension microlaryngoscopy. Materials and methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study carried out in a tertiary care teaching hospital, comprising 50 patients who underwent suspension microlaryngoscopy at our center from June 2014 to April 2016. We assessed 10 physical parameters that can help in predicting DLE preoperatively. Results: The patients’ ages ranged from 20 to 69 years. The laryngeal exposure was assessed in all the patients and correlated with the 10 physical parameters. Out of the parameters assessed using the student t test, the modified Mallampati’s index (MMI) (class II and above), body mass index (BMI) (>27.1 kg/m2 ), thyroid–mental distance (≤4.9 cm), thyroid–mandibular angle (>122°), and horizontal thyroid distance (HTD) (≤3.8 cm) showed a statistical significance with p < 0.001. The ROC curve analysis showed that the thyroid–mental distance and HTD had the highest sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%) each among the parameters assessed. Conclusion: Based on our study results, we conclude that the age and the sex of the patient have no role in predicting the risk of DLE during suspension microlaryngoscopy. The MMI, BMI, thyroid–mental distance, thyroid–mandibular angle, and HTD measurements help in the prediction of DLE preoperatively. Clinical significance: These physical parameters can be measured just prior to the surgery using simple measuring aids. The advantage of preoperative prediction of DLE being that it enables the surgeon to be prepared beforehand with additional measures to deal with the same and provide adequate treatment.
Automated docking of small molecules to proteins is a powerful approach for both predicting and understanding the molecular mechanisms of ligand recognition and specificity. Carbohydrate recognition is a key component of many biological processes including innate immunity, metabolism, and immune response. Computational tools specific for studying the molecular basis of carbohydrate recognition have recently been developed that efficiently and accurately dock a flexible carbohydrate to a protein. Two aspects of carbohydrate docking are particularly challenging; parametrization of a the potential energy function for the intra-and intermolecular forces and efficient conformational searching. The combination of a genetic conformational search algorithm coupled with a novel empirically derived free energy function specific for carbohydrates allows the prediction of free energies of formation to 1 kcal-mol"' . This chapter covers the basic principles of empirical free energy functions and their application to carbohydrates.
In the present work an attempt has been made to model material removal rate (MRR) by using Buckingham’s Pi-theorem during electric discharge machining (EDM) of shape memory NiTi alloy. Machining of Ni-Ti alloyis mostly attempted by non- conventional methods of machining, and, especially by EDM, as this advance material imposes machinability issues when cut by conventional processes. However, EDM process has low material removal rate.In present investigation EDM of NiTi alloy is carried out using electrolytic copper toolon die sink type of electric discharge machine. The experimental-based mathematical model to predict MRR is developed varying process parameters such as gap current, pulse on time, pulse off time, voltage, workpiece electrical conductivity and tool electrode electrical conductivity during the experiments. The model developed using dimensional analysis and Buckingham pie theorempredicts the value of MRR close to the experimental observations with the accuracy of 91 % shows that the developed model could be used to predict MRR during EDM of NiTi alloy within the domain of the parameters selected in the present study.
We have studied the relation between the unusual antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering and anisotropic c-f hybridization in CeOs2Al10 by measuring the magnetic susceptibility χ under uniaxial pressures P up to 0.45 GPa. For P // B // a and P // B // c, the AFM ordering temperature TN = 28.5 K hardly changes with increasing P, while the value of χ decreases and the maximal temperature T χ max of χ(T) shifts to higher temperatures. These findings suggest that the intensity of c-f hybridization is enhanced along the pressurized a and c axes. On the other hand, for P // b, TN increases up to 30 K at 0.15 GPa, while the value of χ remains unchanged. This observation for P // b suggests that the net intensity of c-f hybridization decreases, while the c-f hybridization along the b-axis hardly changes. We discuss these results in terms of the atomic displacements of Os, Al(3) and Al(4) under uniaxial pressures.
Synaptic plasticity is a cellular mechanism of learning and memory. The synaptic strength can be persistently upregulated or downregulated to update the information sent to the neuronal network and form a memory engram. For its molecular mechanism, the stability of α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate-type glutamate receptor (AMPAR), a glutamatergic ionotropic receptor, on the postsynaptic membrane has been studied for these two decades. Since AMPAR is not saturated on the postsynaptic membrane during a single event of neurotransmitter release, the number and nanoscale localization of AMPAR is critical for regulating the efficacy of synaptic transmission. The observation of AMPAR on the postsynaptic membrane by super-resolution microscopy revealed that AMPAR forms a nanodomain that is defined as a stable segregated cluster on the postsynaptic membrane to increase the efficacy of synaptic transmission. Postsynaptic density (PSD), an intracellular protein condensate underneath the postsynaptic membrane, regulates AMPAR dynamics via the intracellular domain of Stargazin, an auxiliary subunit of AMPAR. Recently, it was reported that PSD is organized by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) to form liquid-like protein condensates. Furthermore, the calcium signal induced by the learning event triggers the persistent formation of sub-compartments of different protein groups inside protein condensates. This explains the formation of nanodomains via synaptic activation. The liquid-like properties of LLPS protein condensates are ideal for the molecular mechanism of synaptic plasticity. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the properties and regulation of synaptic plasticity, postsynaptic receptors, PSD, and LLPS.
Within this essay the questions of if and how the theoretical considerations of the transaction cost theory for the market of Scandinavian coniferous lumber are also valid for Germany were analyzed. For this, the market is analyzed from the point of view of the different actors (agents and brokers, sales office, importing sawmills). It becomes evident that many problems from the daily working experience can be analyzed with the help of transaction cost theory. In particular, assumptions on human behavior such as «bounded rationality» and «opportunism», which are described by this theory, play an important role in all aspects.
Automatic image registration is important for many multiframe-based image analysis applications. With an increasing number of images collected every day from different sensors, automated registration of multi-sensor/multi-spectral images has become an important issue. A wide range of registration techniques exists for different types of applications and data sources, however no algorithm is known that can accurately register multi-source images consistently. This research addresses this problem by investigating the development of a fully automatic registration system for remote sensing images. The development of this new automatic image registration method is based on the extraction and matching of common features that are visible in both images. The algorithm involves the following five steps: noise removal, edge extraction, edge linking pattern extraction and pattern matching.
In early 2011, the national news media headlined stories about Wisconsin’s government proposing legislation that would curtail workers’ right to collective bargaining. Wisconsin governor Scott Walker defended the bill, which passed despite widespread protests and a lack of Democratic support within the state legislature. The scenes from Wisconsin illuminated the ways in which state governments can influence workplace environments and workers’ rights. Donald W. Rogers’s timely book, Making Capitalism Safe: Work Safety and Health Regulation in America, 1880-1940, provides insight into the historical roots of states’ involvement in the workplace, specifically their development and enforcement of health and safety regulations. Tracing the emergence, impact, and eventual decline of state labor programs in the first half of the twentieth century, Rogers argues that state labor programs, though often overlooked, were critical to the development and passage of the national Occupation Health and Safety Act (OSHA) in the 1970s. Making Capitalism Safe primarily focuses on Wisconsin and its Industrial Commission, to which Rogers compares the health and safety programs in New York, Illinois, California, Ohio, and Alabama. Beginning in the nineteenth century, Rogers devotes his first two chapters to the transition from court-based, due-care common law to executive-produced safe place statutes. Rogers notes that although courts held workers primarily responsible for their personal safety, the due-care doctrine obliged employers to provide some measure of safety for their employees. He contends that the establishment of new factory laws, such as machine safety laws that required protection from dangerous apparatus, extended employers’ responsibility in this arena. The formation of state-based administrative health and safety programs in the early twentieth century further solidified this shift by creating and enforcing statutes that mandated safe environments for industrial workers.
Hydroxyethyl starch (HES) is a commonly used intravenous fluid in hospital settings. The merits and demerits of its application is still a debatable topic. Investigating the interaction of external agents like intravenous fluids with blood cells is of great significance in clinical environments. Micro-Raman spectroscopy combined with an optical tweezers technique has been utilized for conducting systematic investigations of single live red blood cells (RBCs) under the influence of external stress agents. The present work deals with a detailed biophysical study on the response of human live red blood cells in hydroxyethyl starch using optical techniques. Morphological changes in red blood cells were monitored using quantitate phase imaging techniques. Micro-Raman studies suggest that there is a significant reduction in the oxy-haemoglobin level in red blood cells suspended in HES. The spectra recorded by using different probe laser powers has shown that the cells are more vulnerable in HES under the influence of externally induced stress than in blood plasma. In addition, the spectral results support the possibility of heme aggregation and membrane damage for red blood cells in HES under externally induced stress. Principle component analysis performed on the Raman spectra were able to effectively discriminate between red blood cells in HES and in blood plasma. The use of Raman tweezers can be highly beneficial in elucidating biochemical alterations happening in live, human red blood cell.
In collaborative software development projects, work items are used as a mechanism to coordinate tasks and track shared development work. In this paper, we explore how “tagging,” a lightweight social computing mechanism, is used to communicate matters of concern in the management of development tasks. We present the results from two empirical studies over 36 and 12 months, respectively, on how tagging has been adopted and what role it plays in the development processes of several professional development projects with more than 1,000 developers in total. Our research shows that the tagging mechanism was eagerly adopted by the teams, and that it has become a significant part of many informal processes. Different kinds of tags are used by various stakeholders to categorize and organize work items. The tags are used to support finding of tasks, articulation work, and information exchange. Implicit and explicit mechanisms have evolved to manage the tag vocabulary. Our findings indicate that lightweight informal tool support, prevalent in the social computing domain, may play an important role in improving team-based software development practices.
Conclusion Antiguinea pig rabbit immune sera, when injected intradermally into guinea pigs inhibited the clinical manifestations of typhus and spotted fever after' the infective material was inoculated at the site of the serum administration. Highly protective properties against typhus and spotted fever, previously absent in the serum of untreated rabbits, were demonstrated in the antisera of the same animals after their immunization with guinea pig spleen and bone marrow. However, an attenuation of typhus and spotted fevers occurred when serum of certain “normal” rabbits was used. The presence of Forssman antibodies in the rabbit immune sera and of sheep cell lysins in the “normal” sera seems of no significance. Among the factors involved in the observed phenomena, the barrier effect of the skin; and its modified permeability are probably decisive. The role of the spreading factor in the invasiveness of rickettsiae is under systematic experimental study. The authors make no suggestions as to the possibilities of utilizing the methods and resuits described as a practical application for protection against or treatment of typhus or spotted fever.
Possessory risk management in the context of ensuring sustainable economic development requires creating and maintaining the integration of environmental, socio-economic, and corporate mechanisms for identifying, analyzing, and evaluating risk factors in corporate organization management systems. This paper presents an integrative framework for managing possessory risks to sustainable development in Russian companies. This integrative structure is developed by supplementing the existing company risk management system with mechanisms for identifying, analyzing, and evaluating possessory risk. This study suggests a concept for ensuring economic sustainability based on possessory risk management as a special managerial and organizational mechanism that allows for integrating corporate goals with processes of creating economic and financial value for the owner and for maintaining the owner's environmental and social responsibility to society.
Experiments at Invergowrie, south-east Perthshire, showed that the extent of spread of potato leaf-roll and Y viruses varied from year to year and that virus Y consistently spread more than leaf roll. Most spread of Virus Y occurred before the end of June and of leaf-roll virus before the end of July. Both viruses spread slightly more in late- than in early-planted crops. When plants with leaf roll and already colonized by Myzus persicae were placed in a healthy crop of Majestic potatoes at intervals during the season, the amount of virus spread decreased rapidly with increasing age of the crop. Spread of leaf roll occurred in all of twenty-five ‘seed’ crops in different districts of eastern Scotland in 1955 but in only twenty out of thirty-six similar crops in 1956. Annual and regional differences in virus spread appear to reflect differences in the time at which migrant aphids reach potato crops in early summer and the rate at which infestation builds up in the crops.
Plastic deformation behavior during equal channel multi-angular pressing (ECMAP) was analyzed using the three dimensional finite volume method of the commercial code MSC.Superforge. In order to understand local and global deformation characteristics, effective strain and pressing load histories were investigated. The predicted plastic deformation behavior of the workpiece material during ECMAP of route A, route B and route C with a theoretical total strain of ~2.2 upon a single pass at three different friction factors (m=0, 0.1 and 0.2) was compared. The predicted strain results show different values in outside and similar values in central regions of the processed workpieces with different friction and forming routes. The pressing loads are higher under higher friction condition, showing almost no difference with three different pressing routes.
Genetic lesions hijack the regulatory programs of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors (HSC/P) to transform them into leukemic stem cells (LSC). These initiating mutations confer a competitive advantage to promote clonal expansion of pre-leukemic stem cells (pre-LSC). Pre-LSCs are believed to serve as a reservoir for leukemia relapses and a cure for leukemia likely depends on the eliminating of pre-LSCs. Better understanding of how mutations dysregulate HSCs to transform them into pre-LSCs will identify new therapeutic targets to eliminate pre-LSCs.  Activating RAS mutations are highly prevalent in hematopoietic malignancies. We have previously shown that a single allele of oncogenic NrasG12D promotes clonal expansion in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) through increased proliferation and self-renewal, but the role apoptosis plays in the clonal dominance of NrasG12D HSCs remains unclear. Here we report that oncogenic NRasG12D protects HSCs from cellular stress. Upon cytokine starvation and γ-irradiation, HSCs from Mx1-cre; LSL-NrasG12D/+ mice display reduced apoptosis as measured by Annexin V staining and Caspase 3/7 activation. This NRasG12D -mediated HSC survival is not dependent on autophagy since Bafilomycin A, an inhibitor previously shown to inhibit autophagy in HSCs, did not rescue the phenotype. Moreover, NrasG12D HSCs exhibits decreased levels of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and restoration of ROS levels with buthionine sulfoximine significantly blocked the survival of NrasG12D HSCs.  We next sought to identify the signaling activated by NRasG12D to promote HSC survival. Although our previous studies show that STAT5 is required for NRasG12D -mediated HSC proliferation, STAT5 is dispensable for NRasG12D -mediated HSC survival. We then determined whether inhibition of the canonical Ras effector pathways blocks NRasG12D -mediated HSC survival. To our surprise, inhibition of PI3K/AKT, MEK/ERK, or mTOR signaling did not abrogate the pro-survival effect of NRasG12D in HSCs. However, inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) with two structurally independent inhibitors rescued the pro-survival phenotype of NrasG12D/+ HSCs. PKC inhibition also led to increased ROS levels in NrasG12D mutant HSCs, suggesting that NRasG12D reduces ROS and protects HSCs from stress through activation of PKC signaling. Taken together, we discover that in addition to increasing HSC proliferation, oncogenic NRasG12D promotes HSC survival under stress conditions. Furthermore, we reveal a pathway NRasG12D relies on to evade apoptosis and manage reactive oxygen species in HSCs independent of the STAT5 signaling that governs cell proliferation. Targeting PKC signaling, alone or in combination with STAT5 signaling, may have therapeutic benefit in eliminating pre-LSCs.  Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The antiferromagnetic defect scattering from an 80 at.% gamma -MnZn alloy was measured at 4.2K using neutron polarisation analysis. The magnetic defect was found to extend to second nearest neighbours from the impurity site which carries no moment to within +or-0.1 mu B. The authors calculate d mu /dC=-2.8 mu B per atom which is in good agreement with the value derived from the variation of magnetic Bragg scattering with composition. They have also shown that Zn atoms anticluster in gamma -Mn.
2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) has immense industrial applications. Recently, microbial fermentation has emerged as an alternative way to produce this industrially important chemical. Although 2,3-BDO is produced by several microorganisms, the Klebsiella genera has an excellent production compared with other 2,3-BDO-producing microorganisms. In order to produce 2,3- BDO on a large scale, the challenges of removing pathogenic factors from Klebsiella pneumoniae need to be addressed. K. pneumoniae produces a number of virulence factors that contribute to its pathogenesis, including lipopolysaccharides, capsules, fimbrial adhesins, etc. Removal of these pathogenic factors from 2,3-BDO-producing Klebsiella strains will result in avirulent strains for the safe, economic, and efficient production of 2,3-BDO. In this review, we summarize the current trends in 2,3-BDO production using K. pneumoniae and insights into the removal of its virulence factors for industrial applications.
1. Historical introduction I: THEORY 2. The ionic bond 3. The bond valence model II: CHEMISTRY Anion and cation bonding strengths 5. Liquids 6. Cation coordination number 7. Hydrogen bonds 8. Electronically distorted structures 9. Physical properties of bonds III: SOLIDS 10. Space and space groups 11. Modelling inorganic structures 12. Lattice induced strain IV: APPLICATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS 13. Applications 14. Chemical implications of the bond valence model A. Bond valence parameters B. Space group spectra C. Solution of the network equations D. Cation and anion bonding strengths References to the ICSD and the CSD References List of symbols Index
We report a study of the correlations among topological, weighted and spatial properties of large infrastructure networks. We review the empirical results obtained for the air-transportation infrastructure that motivates a network modeling approach which integrates the various attributes of this network. In particular, we describe a class of models which include a weight-topology coupling and the introduction of geographical attributes during the network evolution. The inclusion of spatial features is able to capture the appearance of non-trivial correlations between the traffic flows, the connectivity pattern and the actual distances of vertices. The anomalous fluctuations in the betweenness-degree correlation function observed in empirical studies are also recovered in the model. The presented results suggest that the interplay between topology, weights and geographical constraints is a key ingredient in order to understand the structure and evolution of many real-world networks.
Mini-combined test compared with NICE guidelines for early risk-assessment for pre-eclampsia: the SPREE diagnostic accuracy study Liona C Poon ,1 David Wright ,2 Steve Thornton ,3 Ranjit Akolekar ,4 Peter Brocklehurst 5 and Kypros H Nicolaides 1* 1Fetal Medicine Research Institute, King’s College Hospital, King’s College London, London, UK 2Institute of Health Services Research, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK 3Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medway Maritime Hospital, Kent, UK 5Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, London, UK *Corresponding author kypros@fetalmedicine.com Background: The traditional method of risk assessment for pre-eclampsia recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is based on maternal factors and it recommends that high-risk women should be treated with aspirin. An alternative method of screening is based on the competing risk model, which uses Bayes’ theorem to combine maternal factors with mean arterial pressure, the uterine artery pulsatility index, serum placental growth factor and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A at 11–13 weeks’ gestation. Objective: The primary aim was to compare the performance of screening by risks obtained using the competing risk model with risk assessment using the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. Design: This was a prospective multicentre observational study. Setting: The setting was seven NHS maternity hospitals in England. Participants: Participants were women with singleton pregnancy attending for a routine hospital visit at 11+0–13+6 weeks’ gestation between April and December 2016. Main outcome measures: The performance of screening for pre-eclampsia by the competing risk model was compared with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method. Relative reductions in risk with aspirin prophylaxis of 30% and 60% were assumed for all pre-eclampsia and preterm pre-eclampsia, respectively. The primary comparison was the detection rate of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method with the detection rate of a mini-combined test (including maternal factors, mean arterial pressure and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A) in the prediction of all pre-eclampsia for the same screen-positive rate determined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method. Results: In 473 (2.8%) of the 16,747 pregnancies there was development of pre-eclampsia, including 142 (0.8%) women with preterm pre-eclampsia. The screen-positive rate by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method was 10.3%. For all pre-eclampsia, the false-positive and detection rates by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method were 9.7% and 31.6%, respectively. For preterm pre-eclampsia, the false-positive and detection rates were 10.0% and 42.8%, respectively. DOI: 10.3310/eme07080 Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation 2020 Vol. 7 No. 8 © Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO 2020. This work was produced by Poon et al. under the terms of a commissioning contract issued by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. This issue may be freely reproduced for the purposes of private research and study and extracts (or indeed, the full report) may be included in professional journals provided that suitable acknowledgement is made and the reproduction is not associated with any form of advertising. Applications for commercial reproduction should be addressed to: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK. v Compliance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendation that high-risk women should be treated with aspirin from the first trimester was 23%. For the same screen-positive rate, the detection rate of the mini-combined test for all pre-eclampsia was 42.8%, which was superior to that of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method by 11.2% (95% confidence interval 6.9% to 15.6%). The increase in detection for the same screen-positive rate was accompanied by a reduction in false-positive rate of 0.3%. For the same screen-positive rate as National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the detection rate for preterm pre-eclampsia by combining maternal factors, mean arterial pressure and placental growth factor was 67.3% compared with 44.1% with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method. With the addition of the uterine artery pulsatility index, the detection rate was 78.6%. This was higher than that of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence method by 35.5% (95% confidence interval 25.2% to 45.8%). Calibration of risks for pre-eclampsia was generally good, with the calibration slope very close to 1.0. The feasibility of incorporating a new biomarker was demonstrated. However, the addition of inhibin A to the full combined test did not improve the detection rates for all pre-eclampsia and preterm pre-eclampsia (61% and 80%, respectively). The same screening model for preterm pre-eclampsia by a combination of maternal factors, mean arterial pressure, the uterine artery pulsatility index and placental growth factor achieved detection rates of 45.8% and 56.3%, respectively, for preterm small for gestational age and early small for gestational age neonates. Limitation: The study did not include a health economic assessment. Conclusion: The findings suggest that performance of screening for pre-eclampsia provided by a combination of maternal factors and biomarkers is superior to that achieved by current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines. Future work: Future work is required to identify potential biomarkers for further improvement of the competing risk model and to carry out a health economic assessment. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN83611527. Funding: This project was funded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme, a Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) partnership. This will be published in full in Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation; Vol. 7, No. 8. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information. ABSTRACT NIHR Journals Library www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk vi
Objectives To cross-culturally adapt the VISA-P questionnaire for Greek-speaking patients and evaluate its psychometric properties. Background The VISA-P was developed in the English language to evaluate patients with patellar tendinopathy. The validity and use of self-administered questionnaires in different language and cultural populations require a specific procedure in order to maintain their content validity. Methods The VISA-P questionnaire was translated and cross-culturally adapted according to specific guidelines. The validity and reliability were tested in 61 healthy recreational athletes, 64 athletes at risk from different sports, 32 patellar tendinopathy patients and 30 patients with other knee injuries. Participants completed the questionnaire at baseline and after 15–17 days. Results The questionnaire's face and content validity were judged as good by the expert committee, and the participants. Concurrent validity was almost perfect (ρ=−0.839, p<0.001). Also, factorial validity testing revealed a two-factor solution, which explained 85.6% of the total variance. A one-factor solution explained 80.8% of the variance when the other knee injury group was excluded. Known group validity was demonstrated by significant differences between patients compared with the asymptomatic groups (p<0.001). The VISA-P-GR exhibited very good test–retest reliability (ICC=0.818, p<0.001; 95% CI 0.758 to 0.864) and internal consistency since Cronbach's α analysis ranged from α=0.785 to 0.784 following a 15–17 days interval. Conclusions The translated VISA-P-GR is a valid and reliable questionnaire and its psychometric properties are comparable with the original and adapted versions.
Introduction There is no widely used method for communicating the possible need for surgical intervention in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study describes a scoring system designed to communicate the potential need for surgical decompression in TBI patients. The scoring system, named the Surgical Intervention for Traumatic Injury (SITI), was designed to be objective and easy to use. Methods The SITI scale uses radiographic and clinical findings, including the Glasgow Coma Scale Score, pupil examination, and findings noted on computed tomography. To examine the scale, we used the patient database for the Progesterone for the Treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury III (ProTECT III) trial, and retrospectively applied the SITI scale to these patients. Results Of the 871 patients reviewed, 164 (18.8%) underwent craniotomy or craniectomy, and 707 (81.2%) were treated nonoperatively. The mean SITI score was 5.1 for patients who underwent surgery and 2.5 for patients treated nonoperatively (P<0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.887. Conclusion The SITI scale was designed to be a simple, objective, clinical decision tool regarding the potential need for surgical decompression after TBI. Application of the SITI scale to the ProTECT III database demonstrated that a score of 3 or more was well associated with a perceived need for surgical decompression. These results further demonstrate the potential utility of the SITI scale in clinical practice.
Feeding activity of the slug Umax valentianus Fdrussac throughout a 24-hour period began with the decrease in lightFeeding began 41 minutes after the start of locomotor activity and showed a maximum level in the beginning of the night L. valentianus had two to five meals each night, each meal lasting 8.5 to 14 minutes. The overcrowding of the slugs induced a shorter duration of individual feeding periods and acts of aggression during meals.
This paper presents a new optical fiber carbon dioxide (CO2) sensor based on the emission wavelength shift of CuInS2/ZnS quantum dots (CIS/ZnS QDs) due to changes in the absorption of a pH indicator (α-naphtholphthalein) with a changing CO2 concentration. Using an LED with a central wavelength of 375 nm as the excitation source, it is shown that using the red emission of CIS/ZnS QDs allows for the detection of CO2 concentration over the range of 0-100%, and the associated wavelength shift was found to be 630 pm/%CO2. Moreover, the observed luminescence intensity from CIS/ZnS QDs at 578 nm increases as the CO2 concentration increases. The observed luminescence intensity change by CO2 is expressed as I100/I0, which I0 is used to represent the sensitivity of the optical fiber sensor, where I100 and I0 represent the steady-state luminescence intensities in pure carbon dioxide and pure nitrogen environments, respectively. The ratio I100/I0 of this optical fiber sensor is estimated to be 100. These results of the optical sensing method can be used in practice for detection of CO2 and could offer a new approach for developing novel types of optical fiber sensor.
Cognitive function is a group of functions includes memory, general intelligence, learning, language, orientation, perception, attention and concentration, judgment. Cognitive impairment can result from conditions that occur during fetal development, at birth, shortly after birth, or at any point in life. Sometimes, the cause of cognitive impairment cannot be determined, especially in a new-born or small child. Some medical conditions could lead to cognitive impairment in children such as epilepsy, ADHD, Diabetes mellitus, β-thalassemia, Hepatitis etc. It is very essential to understand the cognitive function in children and early intervention to stop deterioration in cognition.
The kinetic of the thermophilic composting process of trimming residues was studied under several parameters [moisture (40-70%), aeration (0.2-0.6 l air/kg min) and particle size (1-5 cm)] in order to determine the best composting conditions to ensure an optimum composting design. Under those conditions, suitable temperature evolutions have been found for all the reactors. The kinetic model proposed by Whang and Meenaghan was used and two first-order kinetic equations were used for describing the composting process. A central composite experimental design was used and a second-order polynomial model consisting of the three selected independent process variables was found to accurately describe (the differences between the experimental values and those estimated by using the equations never exceeded 10% of the former) the kinetic process. The magnitude of the constants among the studied conditions varies among 5 and 13.9 for 1/K1 and 0.0015 and 0.0035 for K2. Both, moisture and particle size affects positively and negatively the composting process and low effect of aeration (among studied values) was found. The values of 1/K1 and K2 obtained showed higher values for both parameters under 55% moisture content, 5cm particle size and 0.2 lair/min kg.
OBJECTIVE Different cultural norms for paranoia that exist among African Americans may be misconstrued and fuel the overdiagnosis of schizophrenia. The present study examined whether the frequency of psychotic psychiatric diagnoses differs by race/ethnicity, particularly with regard to paranoid schizophrenia. We examined the frequency upon admission and at discharge and further explored the pattern of diagnostic changes that occurred by racial/ethnic group.   METHOD The present study is a secondary analysis of diagnostic data obtained on inpatients admitted to a research unit from 1990 to 2003 with a typical length of stay from 3 to 6 months. Admission and discharge diagnoses were obtained from each chart on the sample of 238 patients, 55% (N = 130) of whom were white; 24% (N = 58), African American; and 21% (N = 50), Latino. Inpatients were grouped into 4 diagnostic categories: schizoaffective disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, schizophrenia-undifferentiated or -disorganized type, and other psychotic disorder.   RESULTS Upon admission, African American patients were more likely to receive a less-defined diagnosis, such as psychosis not otherwise specified, in part because they tended on average to be younger. Over the course of hospitalization, diagnoses for white patients were more likely to move toward schizoaffective at discharge (OR = 6.85, 95% CI = 1.53 to 30.66). African American patients were more likely to experience a diagnostic change to paranoid schizophrenia (OR = 4.58, 95% CI = 1.70 to 13.36). Interestingly, Latino patients were the least likely group to experience diagnostic changes during their hospitalization stay.   CONCLUSIONS The present preliminary findings reveal an interesting pattern of diagnostic changes that occurred over the course of hospitalization that should be followed up in a comprehensive study.
Resistance to endocrine therapy occurs in virtually all patients with estrogen receptor α (ERα)-positive metastatic breast cancer, and is attributed to various mechanisms including loss of ERα expression, altered activity of coregulators, and cross-talk between the ERα and growth factor signaling pathways. To our knowledge, acquired mutations of the ERα have not been described as mediating endocrine resistance. Samples of 13 patients with metastatic breast cancer were analyzed for mutations in cancer-related genes. In five patients who developed resistance to hormonal therapy, a mutation of A to G at position 1,613 of ERα, resulting in a substitution of aspartic acid at position 538 to glycine (D538G), was identified in liver metastases. Importantly, the mutation was not detected in the primary tumors obtained prior to endocrine treatment. Structural modeling indicated that D538G substitution leads to a conformational change in the ligand-binding domain, which mimics the conformation of activated ligand-bound receptor and alters binding of tamoxifen. Indeed, experiments in breast cancer cells indicated constitutive, ligand-independent transcriptional activity of the D538G receptor, and overexpression of it enhanced proliferation and conferred resistance to tamoxifen. These data indicate a novel mechanism of acquired endocrine resistance in breast cancer. Further studies are needed to assess the frequency of D538G-ERα among patients with breast cancer and explore ways to inhibit its activity and restore endocrine sensitivity.
Abstract Growing evidences have shown that patients recovering from stroke experience high and unremitting stress. Chronic restraint stress (CRS) has been found to exacerbate neurological impairments in an experimental focal cortical ischemia model. However, there have been no studies reporting the effect and mechanism of CRS on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of CRS on a mouse ICH model. Adult male C57BL mice were subjected to infusion of collagenase IV (to induce ICH) or saline (for sham) into the left striatum. After ICH, animals were stressed with application of CRS protocol for 21 days. Our results showed that CRS significantly exacerbated neurological deficits (Garcia test, corner turn test, and wire grip test) and the ipsilateral brain atrophy and reduced body weight gain after ICH. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that CRS exerted significant suppressive effects on neuron, astrocyte, vascular endothelial cell and pericyte and excessively activated microglia post ICH. All of the key cellular components mentioned above are involved in the neurovascular unit (NVU) remodeling in the peri-hemorrhagic region after ICH. Western blot results showed that matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and tight junction (TJ) proteins including zonula occludens-1, occludin and claudin-5 were increased after ICH, but MMP-9 protein was further up-regulated and TJ-related proteins were down-regulated by CRS. In addition, ICH-induced activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis were further strengthened by CRS. Collectively, CRS exacerbates neurological deficits and disrupts the remodeling of the peri-hemorrhagic NVU after ICH, which may be associated with TJ proteins degradation and excessive activation of MMP-9 and endoplasmic reticulum stress-apoptosis. LAY SUMMARY CRS exacerbates neurological deficits and disrupts the remodeling of the NVU in the recovery stage after ICH, which suggest that monitoring chronic stress levels in patients recovering from ICH may merit consideration in the future.
We describe a graph visualization method that attempts to aid the understanding of graphs by adding continuous local movement to graph diagrams. We include a discussion of some of the many different kinds of potential graph movement and then describe an empirical trial that was conducted to investigate whether one kind of movement helps with a particular graph comprehension task. Although the results of the trial are promising, the degree of benefit afforded by the movement varies between graphs and we include a discussion about graph features which may account for this discrepancy.
While various investigators have explored the correlates of the Cartter report's ratings of quality in graduate education, none have concentrated on how these correlates might differ across disciplines. Using both original data and data from published sources, this study examines the relationship of the rated quality of university departments to other possible quality indicators in two physical and two social sciences. The reputations of individual faculty members were found to be more closely associated with departmental reputation in the physical than in the social sciences. Discriminant analyses of financial data and other objective indicators were 95-100 percent successful in discriminating the Cartter report ratings of quality for a stratified random sample of 20 departments in each of four scientifc fields. Similarly, multiple regression analyses gave large R2 for each field with rated quality of departments as the dependent variable. However, the same variables were not the best predictors for all fields with either technique, and no objective measure is linearly, or even monotonically related to the Cartter ratings across fields. These findings are discussed in terms of Kuhn's ideas of raradigm development: existing structures of knowledge in various disciplines differ in ways that have implications for the relationships between other variables and rated quality.
Insulin, a principal anabolic hormone produced by pancreatic β-cells, has a primary function to storage nutrients following excessive energy intake. Pre- or early type 2 diabetes stages present a hyperinsulinemia (β-cell dysfunction) and insulin resistance. Initiation of hyperinsulinemia is triggered by a loss of first phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion with altered membrane ion channel distribution. More factors, including insulin resistance and excessive proliferation of β-cells, deteriorate the hyperinsulinemia, whereas the hyperinsulinemia contributes to further development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes; to develop eventually late-stage diabetes with absolute insulin deficiency. In this mini review, the major focus was put on causes and pathophysiology of hyperinsulinemia, the metabolic consequences and current treatment of hyperinsulinemia were discussed. The data used in this narrative review were collected mainly from relevant discovery in last 3 years.
Water is a vital natural resource for the existence of living beings, it would be impossible without it there is life on the planet, however, a finite resource, which has an economic value, worthy of rational and conscious use. The objective of this work was the development of students' perception of the 7 th year of primary education in a public school about the conscious of the use of water. The same was developed in a public school in the municipality of Pombal - PB, with a group of 40 students enrolled in the 7 th grade of elementary school. It was applied 40 questionnaires containing 12 questions in order to make a survey about students 'prior knowledge on the subject, but also develop the students' perception about the conscious use of water. By applying a didactic sequence, with the application of a questionnaire, a lecture, a visit to canal station and water treatment, and finally, presentation of a play. There were several answers when asked about the usefulness of water for drinking, bathing, cooking and irrigation, were the most cited. With respect to the origin of the water they use the students answered wells, ponds, rivers, tanks and CAGEPA. However, there is a need for educational campaigns that can facilitate the learning of them on the subject.
What sort of text is a Bill of Rights? The desire for a new foundational law manifested by the major political parties in the UK in the first decade of the 21st century expressed a crisis in Britain's identity as a land of liberty grounded in a distinctive national system of unwritten law. This historically uncharacteristic faith in the capacity of written law to advance freedom draws attention to the symbolic value that can be seen to attach to texts when they are themselves visible images of what they are held to represent, and which is invoked in contemporary parlance by the term 'iconic'. How, then, does an 'iconic' legal text ask to be read? As the term itself suggests, the question of relations between writing and the visual raises that of the relations between law and religion. This is especially relevant, moreover, when the latter is central to the crisis in national identity that the Bill of Rights seeks to resolve. The second part of the article therefore conducts a reading of two early 21st-century cases in the US Supreme Court dealing with challenges to the first article of the American Bill of Rights caused by displays of the Ten Commandments. The article concludes by returning to the iconicity of religion and law on this side of the Atlantic to address the regime of visibility implied by the ideals of the iconic law.
We have implemented a planar microstrip antenna array with a Butler matrix to form a switched beam smart antenna array that ensures real time mobile tracking in dynamic environments. If the transmitting and receiving antennas are both linearly polarized the misalignment between antennas expected to occurs frequently and affects strongly on the performance of the mobile tracking system; in order to improve the system performance, we have generated a circular polarized microstrip array that consists of four identical linearly polarized patches. A 2times2 circular polarized patch array and a 4times4 Butler matrix have been designed using ADS (Advanced Design System) and matlab software. The simulated results show that a combination of a circularly polarized patch array and a Butler matrix creates four narrower beams; each of these beams has a better gain, directivity, and radiated power than a single patch beam.
This Monte Carlo study evaluates, in the context of multilevel latent growth curve models, the consequences of under- and overspecifying across-cluster time-specific residuals (i.e., ) on the estimation of the fixed effects, their corresponding standard errors, the variances and covariances of the random effects, Type I error rates, and the statistical power of detecting fixed effects. The results show that underspecifying with all elements of fixed at zero results in a large underestimation of the between- and within-level random effect and standard errors of fixed effect estimates, which, in turn, leads to serious bias in significant testing. Underspecifying with diagonal elements of constrained to equality, or overspecifying with diagonal elements of constrained to equality or freely estimated and residual covariances fixed at zero also leads to bias in the estimation of the between- and within-level random effects. Implications of the compensatory relationship occurring at the covariance level are discussed.
Isabella Lazzarini offers a new take on the issue of modern diplomacy’s emergence in late medieval Europe. Following the basic tenets of new diplomatic history, her account carefully scrutinizes the evolution of diplomatic interactions in Italy through what she calls the long Quattrocento. In her presentation of a multilayered and multifaceted diplomacy, she espouses a revisionist approach against the traditional historiography which sees diplomacy within the grand narrative of modern state’s emergence and places its roots firmly in the mid-fifteenth century, taking Florence as its case-study.
Early childhood care and education (ECCE) programme has been identified as a strong tool to break the cycle ofpoverty and effective means to establish the basis for further learning, prevent school drop-out, increase equity ofoutcomes and overall skill levels; hence all nations of the world call for effective investment in ECCE. Nigeriaembraced the idea of ECCE and made it a national agenda by incorporating it into the national policy. The essence isto establish access and equality for children all over the country, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, socio-economictransfer. Looking at the trend or the status of the ECCE for some years, it is as if there are lapses in the provision ofearly childhood education in the country. The study therefore examined existing research in early childhoodeducation in Nigeria between 2013 and 2017 (which are pre and post Millennium Development Goals documents) tohighlight the indicators of enrolment in ECCE, sex, and personnel to determine whether there is equality orinequality in the provision and identify the areas of inequality if there be any. The findings showed that inequalitystill exists in the provision of the ECCE programme in Nigeria. The enrolment in the programme is still low ascompared to other educational levels. Employment of personnel into the programme is also very low to the numberat the primary level. There was no visible data on the educational programme as from 2017. It is recommended thatthe government should show more commitment to the educational level.
During fasting, animals rely on a mixture of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins that are derived solely from endogenous sources. The relative contributions of these metabolic fuels chiefly depend on the duration of the fast, but other factors including previous diet, environmental temperature, and activity level can modulate the fuel mixture. It has long been held that endogenous proteins are spared from catabolism until the final stages of prolonged fasting and contribute a significant proportion of energy once the other metabolic fuels have been depleted. However, evidence is mounting that protein is catabolized supplemental to fat metabolism under some circumstances. This has been shown in migratory birds that exhibit dramatic reductions in lean mass during flights. One hypothesis to explain this seemingly maladaptive metabolic strategy is that the catabolism and oxidation of protein in situ yields five times more metabolic water than that generated through fat oxidation alone. Recent support for this hypothesis is that birds benefit from such a strategy due to their uricotelic nature. However, it remains unclear whether ureotelic mammals would also employ this strategy. Here we test the protein-for-water hypothesis in resting laboratory mice subjected to water deprivation during fasting while we tracked rates of protein and lipid catabolism using endogenously incorporated 13C-leucine and 13C-palmitic acid. We found no differences in instantaneous leucine oxidation; however, cumulative differences in instantaneous leucine oxidation ultimately resulted in a higher total leucine oxidation after 72 h of fasting in water-deprived animals. We also found that lipid oxidation was 8% higher in the hydrated mice, but the difference was not significant presumably because of a concomitant reduction in metabolic rates of the water-deprived mice. Our results indicate that mammals do increase rates of protein catabolism during dehydration but to a lesser degree than birds. The ability of mammals to produce highly concentrated urine and their lower inherent rates of protein turnover apparently preclude mammals from taking full advantage of the protein-for-water strategy during fasting under dehydrating conditions.
Background The emerging landscape of patient-generated data (PGData) provides an opportunity to collect large quantities of information that can be used to develop our understanding of different health conditions and potentially improve the quality of life for those living with long-term health condition (LTHCs). If the potential benefits of PGData are to be realised, we need a better understanding of the psychological barriers and facilitators to the collection and beneficial sharing of health and lifestyle data. Due to the understudied role that stigma plays in sharing PGData, we explore the attitudes and experiences of those living with potentially stigmatised LTHCs with respect to collecting and sharing health and lifestyle data. Methods This study used semi-structured interviews and a card sorting task to explore the attitudes and experiences of people living with potentially stigmatised LTHCs. Fourteen adult participants who reported having a range of conditions were recruited in England. Template analysis was used to analyse interview transcripts and descriptive statistics were used for the card sorting task. Results The findings present four overarching themes: Preferences for collecting health and lifestyle data, Importance of anonymity, Expected use of data, and Sources of emotional support. Participants illustrated a general willingness to share health and lifestyle data; however, there were some notable differences in sharing experiences, varying both by information type and recipient group. Overall, participants did not identify health-related stigma as a barrier to collecting or sharing their personal health and lifestyle data. Conclusions We outline a number of preferences that participants feel would encourage them to collect and share data more readily, which may be considered when developing data sharing tools for the future.
In this paper, a highly reliable radiation hardened by design memory cell (RHD12) using 12 transistors in a 65-nm CMOS commercial technology is proposed. Combining with layout-level design, the TCAD mixed-mode simulation results indicate that the RHD12 not only can fully tolerant the single-event upset occurring on any one of its single nodes but can also tolerant single-event multiple-node upsets in a single memory cell, which are caused by charge sharing. Moreover, a set of HSPICE post-simulations are done to evaluate the RHD12 and other state-of-the-art memory cells, which show that our proposed memory cell has better performance, considering the area, power consumption, and access time.
Abstract : Most people know what they like because they like what they know. Marine aviation logistics support plan II (MALSPII) challenges an entire community of logisticians to like something that is new. It provides a new paradigm in logistics support that will enable the Marine aviation element (ACE) to reach those goals outlined in the Marine Corps' 2004 Aviation Plan. MALSPII will be called upon to respond to the newest operational demands and transitional technologies in expeditionary aviation. The first operational implementation of MALSPII will be conducted in Iraq during the 12-month deployment of MALS-26 in 2005. While executing this trial-run it is critical to continue the indoctrination of the entire AVLOG community so they will understand the technological, cultural, and informational nuances between the old and new.
Although often presented as inherently normative, Euro-American systems of intellectual property rights (IPRs) law are, like earlier systems of biological classification, best understood as particular, culturally defined systems for codifying knowledge employed to discipline objects, phenomena and social relations. Despite their partiality, such systems have successfully colonised new domains, recently underpinning a new uniform global regime for the protection of IPRs (GATT/WTO TRIPs). In this paper I reveal the central role that global institutions now play in accelerating the universalisation of specific “cultures of regulation”: acting as powerful vectors for the transmission of particular types of knowledge and arbiters of the “normative” bases of global regulatory regimes. Recent empirical evidence from the Pacific illustrates how the TRIPs regime facilitates the commodification and appropriation of intellectual, cultural and biological resources in that region and highlights the development of alternative sui generis systems of IPR protection that challenge the normativity and hegemony of this regime. The article serves as an entry point for further research into the geography of knowledge systems—the way in which the colonisation of certain regulatory systems and forms facilitates the pursuit of particular interests or sustains relations of domination.
Background and aims Systemic combinations have recently brought significant therapeutic benefits for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). To design the most effective combination regimens, a systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42022321949) was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of systemic combinations on aHCC. Methods We retrieved all the studies from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms until December 21, 2022. The effect indicators (hazard ratio [HR], relative risk [RR], and median) were pooled by a fixed- or random-effects model. A subgroup analysis was conducted according to types and specific therapies. Results In total, 88 eligible studies were selected from 7249 potential records. Each kind of combination treatment (chemotherapy plus chemotherapy, targeted plus immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy, targeted plus chemotherapy, and targeted plus targeted therapy) had a better objective response rate (ORR) in patients with aHCC, compared to the monotherapy mostly with sorafenib (RR: 1.57 [1.44–1.71]; I 2 = 30%). Of those, targeted plus ICI therapy showed better therapeutic efficiency in overall survival (median: 15.02 [12.67–17.38]), progression-free survival (median: 7.08 [6.42–7.74]), and ORR (RR: 1.81 [1.55–2.13]), compared to the monotherapy. Specifically, Atezo plus Beva showed all those benefits. Our pooled result showed all the combinations had increased ≥3 Grade treatment-related adverse events (TrAEs), with an RR of 1.25 [95% CI: 1.15–1.36], compared to the monotherapy. Conclusion The systemic combinations, especially targeted plus ICI therapy, including Atezo plus Beva, significantly improve clinical outcomes but increase side effects in patients with aHCC. Future trials should concentrate on improvement in therapeutic efficiency and reduction of toxicity of targeted plus ICI therapy. Systematic review registration https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier CRD42022321949.
Ultrasound (US) imaging technique is one of the most common imaging techniques in clinical applications. However, the spatial resolution of ultrasound is limited. Recently, a fast super-resolution ultrasound imaging (SR-US) technique has been proposed to break the diffraction limit, which is implemented by using super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) method. Further, to reduce the nonlinear response to brightness and blinking heterogeneities in highorder SOFI image, a balanced SOFI (bSOFI) method can also be used in SR-US. It should note that when using bSOFI method, the point spread function (PSF) of the imaging system is a key factor that affect the obtained imaging performance of SR-US. However, bSOFI is a method from optical microscopy. The PSF of optical system is significantly different from PSF of US system. To better apply bSOFI method to ultrasound, in this paper, we investigate the effect of PSF on the imaging performance of SR-US. Especially, to speed up the data acquisition and further improve the temporal resolution of SR-US, here, the US data are acquired by plane wave (PW) scan. The results from the numerical simulation indicate that when considering the characteristic of PSF in ultrasound (i.e., σ x≠ σy ), by using bSOFI method, we can greatly improve the imaging performance of US, where the smaller line structure can be effectively resolved compared to the standard US imaging method. As a result, the technique (bSOFI method combined PW scan) provide the potential in ultrafast SR-US imaging.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are still the principal cause of death worldwide. Weakened endothelial function followed by inflammation of the vessel wall hints at atherosclerotic lesion formation that causes myocardial infarction and stroke. Heart failure can arise as consequence of large myocardial infarctions. In its more severe stages, heart failure patients have a life anticipation that is parallel to destructive cancers. Accordingly, the increase in risk factor load by metabolic diseases and age augments the incidence for vascular and cardiac diseases and provides a challenge for developing efficient treatments. There is widespread proof to show that drug treatment of conventional risk factors is effective in reducing cardiovascular events. More effective treatment of CVD with various classes of antihypertensive drugs has been associated with greater benefits, but some recent studies suggest we may be reaching the optimal level of treated blood pressure in some patient groups. Apart from the treatment of cardiovascular risk factors with pharmacological agents and the use of antithrombotic drugs, there is growing awareness of the role of dietary factors and herbal medicines in the prevention of CVD and the possibility of their use in treatment. Investigators from different places of the world like China, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and so forth contributed to this special issue by presenting tremendous papers. These papers deliver an analysis in this field and create innovative contributions concerning the mechanism of action of bioactives and traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular/cerebrovascular diseases.    Some interesting papers in this special issue address the cardioprotective effects of Chinese herbal medicine and natural compounds. For instance, a paper summarized the synergetic cardioprotective potential of herbal combination of four plants, namely, Terminalia arjuna, Cactus grandiflorous, Crataegus oxyacantha, and Piper nigrum through curative and preventive mode of treatment analysis and this paper reported preadministration and postadministration of herbal mixture restore the levels of biomarker of cardiotoxicity, which includes cardiac marker enzymes, lipids profile, and antioxidant enzymes. Similarly, another paper in this issue reports the cardioprotective effects of Sundarban honey on cardiac troponin I, cardiac marker enzymes, the lipid profile, lipid peroxidation products, and histoarchitecture of the myocardium against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in Wistar rats. Pinggan Qianyang recipe (PQR), a Chinese medicine recipe, has long been used for calming the liver. It has also been used to treat essential hypertension with satisfactory results. Consistent with this concern, this special issue published a paper that reports PQR exerts its antihypertensive effect through deterioration of the vascular remodeling process. The mechanism might be associated with regulating differentially expressed miRNAs in aorta tissue.    Despite the fact that there are major developments in treating ischemic stroke over the last decade, stroke is still a serious concern for which effective drug therapy is not yet available. In the search for neuroprotective agents from natural sources, a number of plant extracts and several natural products were isolated and reported to provide neuroprotection against ischemic stroke. A few papers in this special issue report the neuroprotective effects of Chinese herbal medicine and natural compounds. For instance, Antrodia camphorata (A. camphorata), a fungus generally used in Chinese folk medicine for the treatment of viral hepatitis and cancer, has shown neuroprotective effects in embolic rats. This effect may correlate with the downregulation of the iNOS, HO-1, Bax, and activated caspase-3 and the inhibition of OH° signals. Another study shows alpha-lipoic acid attenuates middle cerebral artery occlusion-induced cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury via insulin receptor-dependent and PI3K/Akt-dependent inhibition of NADPH oxidase. Moreover, an interesting study in this special issue established the effects of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on functional recovery and neuronal dendritic plasticity after experimental stroke. In this study, the authors have shown that enhanced dendritic plasticity contributes to TMP-elicited functional recovery after ischemic stroke.    Hinokitiol is a naturally occurring compound isolated from the wood of Chamaecyparis taiwanensis. It is involved in multiple biological activities, including antimicrobial and antitumorigenic activities. Although hinokitiol has been reported to inhibit inflammation, its immunological regulation in lymphocytes remains inadequate. With this context, a well-designed study reported that hinokitiol downregulated cyclin D3, E2F1, and Cdk4 expression and upregulated p21 expression in concanavalin A- (ConA-) stimulated T lymphocytes. It further demonstrated that hinokitiol upregulates p21 expression and attenuates IFN-γ secretion in T lymphocytes from the spleens of mice, thereby arresting the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase. These authors concluded that hinokitiol provides benefits in treating patients with autoimmune diseases. We expect that this special issue grants inventive awareness to increase the therapeutic value of herbal and/or Chinese medicines for treatment or prevention of cardiovascular and ischemia-reperfusion injury-related disorders.      Joen-Rong Sheu    Pitchairaj Geraldine    Mao-Hsiung Yen
Magnetic separation is one of the effective ways to separate specific biological entities such as DNA/RNA, bacteria, and cells from their native environment for subsequent downstream analysis. The process involves the labeling of the desired biological entity with magnetic beads followed by separating the tagged entities via a magnetic separation device. In conventional tube-based magnetic separation, magnetically labeled biological entities are retained on the inner wall of the tube by applying an external magnet, while the supernatant is decanted off. Removing the tube from the magnetic field enables resuspension of the target entity. Although widely used, there are limitations to the conventional magnetic separation method. For example, there is a significant sample loss due to multiple sample handling, washing, and transfer. In addition, manual magnetic separation systems are labor intensive and their effectiveness is user-dependent.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Epidemiological studies have shown that adults with low birthweight have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and some others have shown that they have a less favourable serum lipid and lipoprotein profile. If cholesterol metabolism were programmed in utero, we would expect to see an influence of birthweight on blood lipids in children. In 422 children aged 11‐15 y in Middlesborough, Cleveland, UK, we investigated the association between birthweight and serum lipids and plasma fibrinogen. We also investigated the influence of childhood social deprivation, measured using the Townsend deprivation index, on these measures.
OBJECTIVES This study assessed whether sociodemographic differences exist in triage assignment and whether these differences affect initial diagnostic testing in the emergency department (ED) for patients presenting with chest pain.   METHODS A nationally representative ED data sample for all adults (>or=18 years) was obtained from the National Hospital Ambulatory Health Care Survey of EDs for 1997-2006. Weighted logistic regression was used to examine the associations between race and presenting symptom, triage assignment, and test ordering, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics.   RESULTS Over 10 years, an estimated 78 million visits to the ED presented with a complaint of chest pain. Of those presenting with chest pain, African Americans (odds ratio [OR] = 0.70; 99% confidence interval [CI] = 0.53 to 0.92), Hispanics (OR = 0.74; 99% CI = 0.51 to 0.99), Medicaid patients (OR = 0.72; 99% CI = 0.54 to 0.94), and uninsured patients (OR = 0.65; 99% CI = 0.51 to 0.84) were less likely to be triaged emergently. African Americans (OR = 0.86; 99% CI = 0.70 to 0.99), Medicaid patients (OR = 0.70; 99% CI = 0.55 to 0.88), and uninsured patients (OR = 0.70; 99% CI = 0.55 to 0.89) were less likely to have an electrocardiogram (ECG) ordered. African Americans (OR = 0.69; 99% CI = 0.49 to 0.97), Medicaid patients (OR = 0.67; 99% CI = 0.47 to 0.95), and uninsured patients (OR = 0.66; 99% CI = 0.44 to 0.96) were less likely to have cardiac enzymes ordered. Similarly, African Americans and Hispanics were less likely to have a cardiac monitor and pulse oximetry ordered, and Medicaid and uninsured patients were less likely to have a cardiac monitor ordered.   CONCLUSIONS Persistent racial, sex, and insurance differences in triage categorization and basic cardiac testing exist. Eliminating triage disparities may affect "downstream" clinical care and help eliminate observed disparities in cardiac outcomes.
The complexation of tightly ion-paired divalent salts such as paraquat dichloride by cryptands based on crown ethers can be improved by the introduction of ion-pair recognition as a means of also binding the counteranions. A series of diamide-based cryptands derived from bis(m-phenylene)-[32]crown-10 and designed to complex the bipyridinium dication with anion assistance was synthesized. The ion-pair recognition process was fully characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and single crystal X-ray analysis. (1)H NMR spectroscopy demonstrated that these new heteroditopic cryptand hosts can complex both the positive and negative components of the paraquat dichloride salt. UV/Vis spectroscopy showed that the addition of chloride anion into equimolar solutions of cryptands 3c or 3g with paraquat bis(hexafluorophosphate) salt (2a) improves the binding of the cryptands to the paraquat guest. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and single-crystal X-ray analysis confirmed the 1:1 stoichiometries and ion-pair recognition of these cryptand/paraquat complexes. It was found that the cryptand 3g, with 13 atoms and an isophthalamide moiety in the third chain, exhibited the best binding affinity for tightly ion-paired paraquat dichloride (2b), due to the combination of its spatial compatibility and additional anion-binding site.
ABSTRACT Purpose: There is currently no clinical risk-assessment tool allowing identification of patients at risk for developing uveal melanoma (UM) who might benefit from regular screening. As a first step toward the elaboration of such a tool, we systematically reviewed UM risk factors already established by meta-analysis. Methods: Two reviewers independently screened Pubmed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science from their respective inception dates until July 2016 using a combination of keywords and MeSH terms. Eligible studies were meta-analyses or systematic reviews providing pooled odds ratios (ORs) of risk factors for UM development or sufficient information to calculate them. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews tool. Results: Four meta-analyses with a mean methodological quality score of 65.9% (min: 54.5%; max: 72.7%) were included. The following significant risk factors were identified: atypical cutaneous nevi (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.10–7.26), welding (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.20–3.51), occupational cooking (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.33–2.46), fair skin color (OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.31–2.47), light eye color (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.31–2.34), common cutaneous nevi (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.27–2.39), propensity to sunburn (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.29–2.09), iris nevi (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.03–2.27), and cutaneous freckles (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09–1.49). Non-significant factors included outdoor leisure activity, occupational sunlight exposure, latitude of birth, and hair color. Conclusion: Moderate quality of evidence determined nine significant risk factors for developing UM. Knowledge of these variables will assist researchers in the elaboration of a formal risk-assessment tool allowing clinicians to estimate susceptibility to the disease and necessity of regular screening.
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of dietary macronutrient ratio on postprandial (5 or 48 h after refeeding) endocrine functioning and metabolites of the intermediary metabolism and to relate these parameters with dietary-induced alterations in energy, protein, and lipid metabolism. Male broilers were reared from 1 to 7 wk of age on isoenergetic diets with substitutions between fat and protein but similar carbohydrate contents [low protein (LP): 126 vs. 242 g protein/ kg; low fat (LF): 43 vs. 106 g fat/kg]. The LP chickens had significantly increased postprandial plasma triglyceride levels. This was likely the result of stimulated hepatic lipogenesis, as corroborated by their significantly higher respiratory quotients. Plasma free fatty acid concentrations were higher in LP broilers, whereas glucose levels were unaffected by dietary composition, suggesting that these chickens preferred carbohydrates as an energy source over free fatty acids. Plasma uric acid levels were lower in LP compared with LF chickens, indicating a more efficient protein retention in the former group. LP birds that were fasted and refed at 48 h had higher plasma 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) levels, corroborating their increased heat production. The postprandial T3 increase was more pronounced in the LF chickens, possibly induced by their higher protein consumption. In conclusion, diet-induced changes in heat production and energy partitioning are reflected in circulating levels of intermediary metabolites and hormones. Furthermore, nutritional studies should consider the ability of organisms to habituate to changed diet compositions and that alterations in feeding status follow higher-order responses.
A stimulating and inviting tour of modern economics centered on the story of one of its most important breakthroughs. In 1980, the twenty-four-year-old graduate student Paul Romer tackled one of the oldest puzzles in economics. Eight years later he solved it. This book tells the story of what has come to be called the new growth theory: the paradox identified by Adam Smith more than two hundred years earlier, its disappearance and occasional resurfacing in the nineteenth century, the development of new technical tools in the twentieth century, and finally the student who could see further than his teachers. Fascinating in its own right, new growth theory helps to explain dominant first-mover firms like IBM or Microsoft, underscores the value of intellectual property, and provides essential advice to those concerned with the expansion of the economy. Like James Gleick's Chaos or Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe, this revealing book takes us to the frontlines of scientific research; not since Robert Heilbroner's classic work The Worldly Philosophers have we had as attractive a glimpse of the essential science of economics.
Vonka, Vladimir (Baylor University College of Medicine, Houston, Tex.), and Matilda Benyesh-Melnick. Interactions of human cytomegalovirus with human fibroblasts. J. Bacteriol. 91:213–220. 1966.—Virus attachment of human cytomegalovirus to human embryo lung fibroblasts was found to be temperature-independent, from 4 to 37 C. Prolonged incubation at 4 C, however, resulted in inactivation of a high proportion of attached virus. Virus penetration seemed to be temperature-dependent, occurring at 37 C but not at 4 C. Detailed studies of the growth curve of the virus were made. Cell-associated virus preceded the appearance of virus in the fluid phase by 2 to 5 days. Complement-fixing antigen could be detected, but only when the cytopathic effect was advanced, and it was demonstrable only in the cell-associated fraction. Under methyl cellulose, decreasing the bicarbonate concentration in the overlay from 0.225 to 0.15% resulted in marked increase in plating efficiency with all strains tested. However, varying the concentration of bicarbonate from 0.3 to 0.15% in fluid medium did not influence the growth of virus.
We observed unipolar resistance switching in Pt/TaOx/Pt cells. We could make the cell have the bipolar resistance switching by inserting a stoichiometric Ta2O5 layer between Pt and TaOx layers. Bipolar resistance switching in Pt/Ta2O5/TaOx/Pt cells occurred reliably without applying an external compliance current. With increase in the Ta2O5 layer thickness, the current value at the low-resistance state became decreased but the forming voltage became increased. We could explain these intriguing phenomena using the interface-modified random circuit breaker network model.
Recently, a class of “Blind Interference Alignment (BIA)” techniques has been proposed in [3] and [4], which allows interference alignment to be achieved without knowledge of channel coefficients at the transmitter. In [4], the key to realizing the BIA for multi-user (MU) multiple-output-single-input (MISO) broadcast channel (BC) is the use of a receive antenna capable of switching among multiple pre-determined antenna patterns. The Electronically Steerable Parasitic Array Radiator (ESPAR) antenna, which uses only a single radio frequency (RF) front-end, has been shown to allow multiple-output-multiple-input (MIMO) communication by transmitting and/ or receiving data over diverse beampatterns. As the ESPAR antenna is capable of switching antenna pattern among a set of orthogonal basis patterns, in this context, we design a MU-MISO BC where receivers are equipped with ESPAR antennas to create short-term beampattern fluctuations. We show that there are multiple potential channel values available for each user through antenna switching of an ESPAR antenna. Then, the designed system model is exploited for implementation of the BIA coding [4]. The performance of the proposed BIA scheme is evaluated via simulation.
The therapeutic potential of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in improving glycaemic control in diabetes has been widely studied, but the potential beneficial effects of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) have until recently been almost overlooked. One of the major problems, however, in exploiting either GIP or GLP-1 as potential therapeutic agents is their short duration of action, due to enzymatic degradation in vivo by dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPP IV). Therefore, this study examined the plasma stability, biological activity and antidiabetic potential of two novel NH2-terminal Ala2-substituted analogues of GIP, containing glycine (Gly) or serine (Ser). Following incubation in plasma, (Ser2)GIP had a reduced hydrolysis rate compared with native GIP, while (Gly2)GIP was completely stable. In Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts stably transfected with the human GIP receptor, GIP, (Gly2)GIP and (Ser2)GIP stimulated cAMP production with EC(50) values of 18.2, 14.9 and 15.0 nM respectively. In the pancreatic BRIN-BD11 beta-cell line, (Gly2)GIP and (Ser2)GIP (10(-8) M) evoked significant increases (1.2- and 1.5-fold respectively; P<0.01 to P<0.001) in insulinotropic activity compared with GIP. In obese diabetic ob/ob mice, both analogues significantly lowered (P<0.001) the glycaemic excursion in response to i.p. glucose. This enhanced glucose-lowering ability was coupled to a significantly raised (P<0.01) and more protracted insulin response compared with GIP. These data indicate that substitution of the penultimate Ala2 in GIP by Gly or Ser confers resistance to plasma DPP IV degradation, resulting in enhanced biological activity, therefore raising the possibility of their use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
The People's Bank of China (PBC) has made great strides in modernizing its monetary policy frameworks but their effectiveness will diminish as the sophistication of the economy increases. Empirical evidence supports maintaining a reference to money in China's monetary strategy and enhancing the role of interest rates in its conduct. We advocate adoption of an eclectic strategy involving the monitoring of several indicators, and of a short-term interest rate as the operational target. The PBC should be granted discretion to change its policy rate, and there are no technical obstacles for such a move to occur in the near future.
Many of the antigen targets of adaptive immune response, recognized by B and T cells, have not been defined (1). This is particularly true in autoimmune diseases and cancer(2). Our aim is to investigate the antigens recognized by human T cells in the autoimmune disease type 1 diabetes (1,3,4,5). To analyze human T-cell responses against tissue where the antigens recognized by T cells are not identified we developed a method to extract protein antigens from human tissue in a format that is compatible with functional assays (6). Previously, T-cell responses to unpurified tissue extracts could not be measured because the extraction methods yield a lysate that contained detergents that were toxic to human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Here we describe a protocol for extracting proteins from human tissues in a format that is not toxic to human T cells. The tissue is homogenized in a mixture of butan-1-ol, acetonitrile and water (BAW). The protein concentration in the tissue extract is measured and a known mass of protein is aliquoted into tubes. After extraction, the organic solvents are removed by lyophilization. Lyophilized tissue extracts can be stored until required. For use in assays of immune function, a suspension of immune cells, in appropriate culture media, can be added directly to the lyophilized extract. Cytokine production and proliferation by PBMC, in response to extracts prepared using this method, were readily measured. Hence, our method allows the rapid preparation of human tissue lysates that can be used as a source of antigens in the analysis of T-cell responses. We suggest that this method will facilitate the analysis of adaptive immune responses to tissues in transplantation, cancer and autoimmunity.
This paper formulates the problem of embedded modulation applied to a multiuser multicarrier system. These embedded multiuser optimization problems are shown to be convex, for which globally optimal solutions can be computed efficiently. We also show that these embedded problems are convex relaxations of the combinatorial FDMA multiuser problems and thus provide performance bounds to the optimal and asymptotically optimal solutions proposed by Hoo, Tellado and Cioffi (see IEEE Global Telecommunications Conf. (Globecom), p.25-30, 1998 and IEEE PIMRC, p.278-82, 1998).
Published by the Harvard-Yenching Institute HJAS 74.1 (2014): 176–183 state-directed. There are still countless research taboos with respect to both the preand post-1949 periods. The party/state still recruits (and rewards) servants who will turn out polemics that legitimize immediate state interests. During the run-up to the Bo Xilai trial, the party center circulated Document No. 9, which warns party regulars of serious threats to party rule: ideas about constitutional democracy, an independent judiciary, universal human rights, media independence, and civil society. The list also includes “nihilist” (and clearly unpatriotic) research on the history of party-initiated debacles after 1949. Under such circumstances, it comes as no surprise that many intellectuals, though not all, will continue to jump at a chance to serve, whether or not they really believe the latest orthodoxies. Others will self-censor. It can be a matter of survival. Li’s utopian call for fresh, nonteleological, grand narratives that arise from a “within-time and open-ended” conception of modern Chinese history is inspiring, but it presupposes structural arrangements and political prerequisites for such writing that do not exist in China. Until historians of modern China can enjoy a meaningful measure of professional independence and basic standards of personal security, they are likely to continue to self-censor and serve party/state power whether or not they “really” believe in the current political orthodoxy. By definition, critical scholarship on any subject involves keen debate and multiple possibilities for dissent. How many scholars of modern Chinese history working in mainland China today and writing in Chinese are ready to express views that challenge current party/state orthodoxies? Who will employ such people? Where will they publish their research?
Veld management in Ciskei is based predominantly on a communal land tenure system, and livestock is produced under a ‘Group Ranch’ system. Stocking rates are excessively high and consequently veld degradation is severe, resulting in a lowered carrying capacity and low efficiency indicators such as weaning percentage. Veld rehabilitation programmes during the 1960s resulted in some improvement in veld condition, but also caused bush encroachment and selective grazing. Factors limiting veld rehabilitation are of a political, socio‐economic and technical nature, the most important being overstocking, the land tenure system and incorrect land use. A solution to the continued degradation of the veld depends on the commitment of the government to a development strategy which addresses factors such as freehold tenure, education and the provision of incentive for profitable production.
A 2400 base pair DNA segment containing the leftward operator (OL) of phage lambda was covalently joined in vitro to a fragment of simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA harboring the SV40 replication origin. The recombinant molecule was propagated in the presence of helper wild-type SV40 DNA in monkey kidney cells and partially cloned by an infectious center procedure. After propagation in monkey cells and purification, the hybrid DNA could be distinguished from wild-type SV40 DNA by its shortened length (about 80% that of SV40), specific hybridization to denatured lambda DNA immobilized on filters, specific affinity for lambda repressor, and preservation of a large part (about 2300 base pairs) of the lambda immunity region as determined by restriction nuclease cleavage patterns and electron microscopic heteroduplex analysis. These results indicate that defective SV40 replicons can serve as vectors for propagating foreign DNA in mammalian cells.
The laxative effects of 50% lactulose syrup and 50% glucose syrup were compared in a 12‐week, double‐blind study of 47 elderly constipated patients living in a nursing home. The dosage was 30 ml daily taken at bedtime; it was reduced to 15 ml if the initial dosage produced two or more bowel movements daily. The number of bowel movements during treatment in comparison to pretreatment was significantly increased in the 42 patients (19 lactulose, 23 glucose) who completed at least 8 weeks of the study. Lactulose was superior to glucose in the mean number of bowel movements per day (p < 0.02) and in the percentage of days in which at least one bowel movement occurred (p < 0.05). Reduction in the severity of each of 5 symptoms (cramping, griping, flatulence, tenesmus, bloating) was greater with lactulose. For relief of all 5 symptoms, lactulose was significantly more effective than glucose (p < 0.04). The striking reduction in the number of fecal impactions (only 6 in the lactulose patients vs 66 in the controls) was highly significant (p < 0.015). The lactulose patients needed fewer enemas than did the controls. No abnormal values were observed in laboratory tests.
The wavelengths of minimum dispersion in step-index monomode fibers are evaluated quite rigorously. These results are compared with those obtained when certain approximations used by several authors are introduced into the course of the calculation. Furthermore, a comparison is made between the wavelengths of minimum dispersion obtained when dispersive data measured by different authors are used for the evaluation.
Aiming at the security problem of secret information preprocessing and the difficulty of improving the capacity and robustness of the single-carrier image information hiding algorithm, an identifiable tampering multi-carrier image information hiding algorithm based on compressed sensing is proposed. Firstly, the angle structure descriptor feature vector was used to preprocess and classify the image carrier set. Secondly, the GHM multiwavelet transform was applied to different types of image carriers to obtain the secret information hiding area which can balance the invisibility and robustness. Thirdly, the secret image was processed by compressed sensing, the resulting observation matrix was decomposed by singular value, and the chaotic scrambling was encoded by logistic mapping. Finally, the secret information was embedded in the image singular value to complete the information hiding of different types of multi-quantity image carriers. Combined with the angle structure descriptor of the image, the algorithm proposed an effective way to organize multiple carriers, which improved the embedding quality and efficiency of secret information. The verification data and segmented secret information classification and embedding strategy made the proposed algorithm have a keen ability to detect tampering and effectively improve the efficiency and integrity of secret information extraction. Experimental results show that compared with image sharing information hiding algorithm and the single-carrier information hiding algorithm based on compressed sensing, the invisibility and robustness of our algorithm are significantly improved. At the same time, the proposed algorithm has strong anti-analysis ability, can effectively resist most image processing attacks, and is suitable for large capacity secret communication and high-security applications.
After two decades of costly new surgical procedures involving open heart surgery and multiple types of replacement therapies, the editor of this volume writes, "surgeons must become actively involved in research on surgical health care services." Rutkow has assembled a group of public health planners to discuss issues of ethics, morality, cost-effectiveness, and cost benefits of surgery in a decade of limited health care dollars. Dr Rutkow has tackled the issue of a higher rate of surgery in the United States. Is such a high rate a consequence of fee for service, in contrast to the prepaid group practice of health maintenance organizations or to nations with nationalized health care programs? Do prepaid group practices and HMOs encourage less than optimal care by denying or delaying elective surgery? Have the surgical second-opinion programs been cost-effective while promoting higher-quality surgical care? What constitutes the "unnecessary surgical procedure"? The authors have addressed
1st International Conference on Applied & Industrial Mathematics and Statistics 2017 (ICoAIMS 2017) 8-10th August 2017, Vistana City Centre, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. 1st International Conference on Applied & Industrial Mathematics and Statistics 2017 (ICoAIMS 2017) is organised by Faculty of Industrial Sciences & Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Malaysia. Our co-organisers are Institut Teknologi Sepuluh (ITS) Nopember, Surabaya, Indonesia, Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), Malaysian Mathematical Sciences Society (PERSAMA) and Malaysian Institute of Statistics (ISM). This international conference is a biannual conference, started in 2017. The main topics of the conference is divided into six categories; Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Computational Mathematics, Statistics & Applied Statistics, Operational Research and Mathematics Education including Engineering & Industrial Applications. List of Organising, Scientific Committees and Keynotes Speakers are available in this pdf.
The neutrinoless double beta decay of [sup 48]Ca is studied in a shell-model framework. Inclusion of the recoil terms in the hadronic currents is found to be essential in giving the right order of magnitude for the coupling constant between left and right currents. Short-range correlations and nucleon-size effects are also examined. The comparison of calculations in the full and truncated pf shell spaces indicates that the process is not very sensitive to nuclear-structure details. Assuming a mass of 1 eV for the electron neutrino the calculated half-life for the ([beta][sup [minus]][beta][sup [minus]])[sub 0[nu]] mode is [ital T][sub 1/2][sup (0[nu])][congruent]10[sup 25] yr.
Background— Small observational studies demonstrate the feasibility of transradial approach for chronic total occlusion (CTO) percutaneous coronary intervention. The aim of the current study is to assess technical success, complication rates, and procedural efficiency in fully transradial approach (fTRA) and transfemoral approach (TFA) in a large prospective European registry adopting the hybrid algorithm for CTO percutaneous coronary intervention (Registry of CrossBoss and Hybrid Procedures in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and United Kingdom, RECHARGE registry). Methods and Results— We analyzed 1253 CTO percutaneous coronary intervention procedures performed according to the hybrid protocol in 17 European centers, comparing fTRA (single or biradial access) and TFA (single or bifemoral or combined radial and femoral access). fTRA was applied in 306 (24%) and TFA in 947 (76%) cases. The average Japanese CTO score was 2.1±1.2 in fTRA and 2.3±1.1 in TFA (P=0.06). Technical success was achieved in 85% in fTRA and 86% in TFA (P=0.51). Technical success was comparable for fTRA and TFA in different Japanese CTO score subgroups after multivariable analysis and after propensity adjustment. In-hospital major adverse cardiac and cerebral events occurred in 2.0% in fTRA and 2.9% in TFA (P=0.40). Major access site bleeding occurred in 0.3% in fTRA and 0.5% in TFA (P=0.66). fTRA compared with TFA had similar procedural duration (80 minutes [54–120 minutes] versus 90 minutes [60–121 minutes]; P=0.07), similar radiation dose (dose area product 89 Gray×cm2 [52–163 Gray×cm2] versus 101 Gray×cm2 [59–171 Gray×cm2]; P=0.06), and lower contrast agent use (200 mL [150–310 mL] versus 250 mL [200–350 mL]; P<0.01). Conclusions— fTRA CTO percutaneous coronary intervention is a valid alternative to TFA with a high rate of success, low complication rates, and no decrease in procedural efficiency.
In this paper, a new integral-based triggering scheme is introduced for LTI systems. The main feature of the novel triggering condition is that it does not require the derivative of Lyapunov function to be negative at the all time instants and so, it is less conservative than the corresponding available conditions in the literature. Morever, a well-proved comparison with traditional triggering condition and simulation results for a satellite system are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed system.
Uncertainty in the rainfall network can lead to mistakes in dam operation. Sudden increases in dam water levels due to rainfall uncertainty are a high disaster risk. In order to prevent these losses, it is necessary to configure an appropriate rainfall network that can effectively reflect the characteristics of the watershed. In this study, conditional entropy was used to calculate the uncertainty of the watershed using rainfall and radar data observed from 2018 to 2019 in the Goesan Dam and Hwacheon Dam watersheds. The results identified radar data suitable for the characteristics of the watershed and proposed a site for an additional rainfall gauge. It is also necessary to select the location of the additional rainfall gauged by limiting the points where smooth movement and installation, for example crossing national borders, are difficult. The proposed site emphasized accessibility and usability by leveraging road information and selecting a radar grid near the road. As a practice result, the uncertainty of precipitation in the Goesan and Hwacheon Dam watersheds could be decreased by 70.0% and 67.9%, respectively, when four and three additional gauge sites were installed without any restriction. When these were installed near to the road, with five and four additional gauge sites, the uncertainty in the Goesan Dam and Hwacheon Dam watersheds were reduced by up to 71.1%. Therefore, due to the high degree of uncertainty, it is necessary to measure precipitation. The operation of the rainfall gauge can provide a smooth site and configure an appropriate monitoring network.
Background: The progress of labour can be graphically represented using the WHO partogragh, which helps in early detection and prevention of complication of labour, thus resulting in a better feto-maternal outcome especially in high risk cases.Methods: The study was undertaken at Hitech Medical College and Hospital, Bhubaneswar from March 2017 to February 2019 on 200 high risk patients. The progress of labour was plotted and assessed on Modified WHO partograph.Results: Majority of the cases were referred cases. Augmentation of labour was carried out in 56 cases. The mean duration of labour in the first stage was 5.4 hours and 4.1 hours in primi and multigravidas, whereas that of the second stage of labour are 37.5 minutes and 26.3 minutes respectively. 51 cases had prolonged labour and 15 cases had arrest of labour in the second stage. Maximum number of cases underwent LSCS due to abnormal labour progression. 8.7% of the cases had PPH and 2.3% had puerperal sepsis. Neonatal asphyxia was seen in 13.6% cases and 2.8% had early neonatal death.Conclusion: The results conclude that the WHO modified partograph is an inexpensive useful tool in monitoring the progress of labour and reducing foeto maternal morbidity in high risk groups.
Decreased serum sulfate concentrations are observed in hypothyroid patients. However, the mechanism involved in thyroid hormone-induced alterations of renal sulfate homeostasis is unknown. The objectives of this investigation were to determine the effect of 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothyroidism in rats on 1) the in vivo serum concentrations, renal clearance, and renal reabsorption of sulfate, 2) the in vitro renal transport in brush-border membrane (BBM) and basolateral membrane (BLM) vesicles, and 3) the cellular mechanism of the hypothyroid-induced alteration in sulfate renal transport. Serum sulfate concentrations, renal fractional reabsorption of sulfate, and creatinine clearance were decreased significantly in the hypothyroid group. The V max values for sodium-sulfate cotransport in BBM were significantly decreased in the kidney cortex from the hypothyroid animals (0.90 ± 0.31 vs. 0.49 ± 0.08 nmol ⋅ mg-1 ⋅ 10 s-1, n = 5-6, P < 0.05) without changes in K m. There were no significant differences in V max and K m for sulfate/anion exchange transport in BLM. Sodium-dependent sulfate transporter (NaSi-1) mRNA and protein levels were significantly lower in the kidney cortex from hypothyroid rats. Hypothyroidism did not alter the membrane motional order (fluidity) in BBM and BLM, which indicates that the changes in the membrane fluidity do not represent the mechanism for the altered renal transport. These results demonstrate that PTU-induced hypothyroidism decreases sodium-sulfate cotransport by downregulation of the NaSi-1 gene.
This paper is a literature review of Strategy-based instruction in Teaching English as Second Language (TESOl) around the world. With the globalization and modernization, English plays increasing role in exchange and communication, then how to improve the teaching efficiency in TESOL becomes more important. SBI combines the real teaching and learning strategy instruction esp.the examples and specific purposed practice. Many teachers around the world have been employing this strategy in real teaching practice, some got significant result in comparison, some think it potentially helpful although no obvious except only minor empirical database analysis advantage. Introduction Language learning strategies(LLS) has been receiving ever-growing attention in foreign language teaching and learning (Oxford 1990, Cohen 1990, O'Malley&Chamot 1990, Wenden 1991, Brown 1991, Rubin& Thompson 1994, Mendelsohn 1994, McDonough 1995, Cohen 1996, Anna uhl Chamot 2005, 2007, Yunlin Shi 2008.) Appliedlinguists have been exploring language learner strategies for more than 30 years (Gu, Y 2007, Dingfang Shu 2011, Qingquan Ni 2014), much of this history has been sporadic. The 1980s and early 1990s were a period of substantial research on learning strategies in the west. Recently, a number of new investigations have reinvigorated the field (Anna UhL Chamot, 2005). Learning strategy Though there are so many theoretical and empirical studies on all the factors affecting learning strategy use. Practically, variables function together as a system (Wen&Johnson, 1997). Table 1 Conceptual model of factors affecting English achievement (Wen&Johnson, 1997) Non-learner factors Learner factors Outcomes Environmental Institutional Unmodifiable Modifiable Social Economic Cultural Linguistic Contexts Family background School resources Teaching qualities Assessment methods Intelligence Aptitude Sex Age Prior learning Learning purposes Beliefs Effort Management strategies Language learning strategies Presage一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一一 process一一一一 product The model in table 1tells that although both non-learner and learner factors affects outcomes, Modifiable factors is the key part to affect the outcomes, through which the non-learner factors to influence the outcomes, and also through which unmodifiable learner variables to do so either directly or indirectly, and among which, all will be operated well through language learning strategies (see Wen&Johnson, 1997). So learning strategy is truly significant for English learners when analyzing the factors that affecting the outcome. 3rd International Conference on Economics, Social Science, Arts, Education and Management Engineering (ESSAEME 2017) Copyright © 2017, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 119
With the technological advance in electricity generation techniques and the prevailing need for sustainable development of countries, the massive use of alternative energies has been in force for the last 15 years, with clear goals towards 2020 for sustainable development. At the regulatory level, Colombia cannot be left behind in the regulation, and progress has already been made on the subject with law 1715 of 2014 and several decrees of incentives in the promotion of renewable energies. The objective of this paper is to show the state of the art on the way in which the net balance and residential energy self-consumption by DER is handled by several tax regulations in different countries of Europe; moreover, it will also go into detail about the advantages offered by using a selected methodology to consider fair charges of support for the use of the electrical network by generators distributed from photovoltaic solar energy, all this as a contribution to advances already made in this field. This is provided from a network planning approach, in which a long-term methodology is selected that efficiently integrates the distributed generation into the interconnected system and allows transition periods in its implementation to avoid disruption of network operators (ORs). Likewise, this analysis is supported by the simulated operation of a system with DER together with the changes in load flows due to decongestion and surplus injection that the electric system has in the scenario of massive use of these resources.
A cantilevered beam was excited by a periodically reciprocating friction contact surface. Frequency sweeps revealed frequency regions of dynamic responses in the flexural direction of the beam. Chaotic and quasiperiodic responses were observed when the input frequency was fixed. The quasiperiodic responses sometimes were accompanied by beam oscillations normal to the friction surface. Extremely low frequencies were observed (up to over 100 times lower than the driver). Two-frequency quasiperiodicity was observed, and underlying circle maps were extracted. Winding numbers were matched to frequencies quantified in FFTs. Impending torus folding and intermittency were revealed. Three-frequency quasiperiodicity was also evident. A torus doubling bifurcation was documented.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Well-ordered bioreceptors on atomically flat Au surfaces can be a high-performance biosensor. Cardiac troponin I proteins (cTnIs) have been regarded as a specific biomarker for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Here, we report the accurate detection of cTnIs using an aptamer-immobilized Au nanoplate platform. The single-crystalline and atomically flat Au nanoplate was characterized by atomic force microscopy. For the precise detection of cTnI, we immobilized an aptamer that can strongly bind to cTnI onto an atomically flat Au nanoplate. Using the aptamer-immobilized Au nanoplate, cTnIs were successfully detected at a concentration of 100 aM (2.4 fg/mL) in buffer solution. Furthermore, cTnIs in serum could be identified at a concentration of 100 fM (2.4 pg/mL). The total assay time was ~7 h. Importantly, the aptamer-immobilized Au nanoplate enabled us to diagnose AMI patients accurately, suggesting the potential of the present method in the diagnosis of AMI.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effect and mechanism of Dendrobium alkaloids (DNLA) on oxidative stress-related death in neuronal cells. Our results demonstrated that DNLA has a direct neuroprotective effect through oxidative stress in N2A cells induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). CCK8, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), intracellular Ca2+, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were used to evaluate the mechanism of DNLA neutralization by H2O2-induced injury. Results presented in the paper indicate that treatment with DNLA (35 ng/mL) significantly attenuated decreases in cell viability, release of LDH, and apoptosis after H2O2-induced neuronal injury. Furthermore, DNLA significantly reduced intracellular Ca2+ up-regulation, ROS production, and inhibited mitochondrial depolarization. Moreover, DNLA treatment significantly downregulated expressions of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, nitric oxide synthase, janus kinase-signal transducer and activators of transcription (JAK-STATs) signaling in N2A cells, all of which were H2O2-induced. Taken together, our findings suggested that DNLA may inhibit the expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic factors by blocking JAK-STATs signaling after oxidative stress injury. This research provides a potential experimental basis for further application of DNLA to prevent various human nervous system diseases caused by oxidative stress.
This paper presents the second part of an investigation of the combined effects of unsteadiness and surface roughness on an aft-loaded ultra-high-lift low-pressure turbine (LPT) profile at low Reynolds numbers. The investigation has been performed using low-and high-speed cascade facilities. The low- and high-speed profiles have been designed to have the same normalized isentropic Mach number distribution. The low-speed results have been presented in the first part (Zhang, Vera, Hodson, and Harvey, N., 2006, ASME J. Turbomach., 128, pp. 517-527). The current paper examines the effect of different surface finishes on an aft-loaded ultra-high-lift LPT profile at Mach and Reynolds numbers representative of LPT engine conditions. The surface roughness values are presented along with the profile losses under steady and unsteady inflow conditions. The results show that the use of a rough surface finish can be used to reduce the profile loss. In addition, the results show that the same quantitative values of losses are obtained at high-and low-speed flow conditions. The latter proves the validity of the low-speed approach for ultra-high-lift profiles for the case of an exit Mach number of the order of 0.64. Hot-wire measurements were carried out to explain the effect of the surface finish on the wake-induced transition mechanism.
Background Heparin flush solution is a sterile preparation of heparin sodium with sufficient sodium chloride to make it isotonic with blood. So far heparin was mainly prepared on wards from concentrated solution (25.000 IU/ml) prior to application. Purpose To streamline the preparation and provide products that meets all the quality criteria. Information about the desired concentrations and quantities of different concentrations of heparin in saline solution were obtained using a 3-month data collection on hospital wards. Materials and methods A literature search was made and the conclusions of stability studies were respected and obtained monographs were studied. Materials: Heparin Sodium, injectable grade; Sodium Chloride low in endotoxins, suitable for the biopharmaceutical production. Method of preparation: suitable amount of Heparin Sodium and Sodium Chloride are weighed in sterile glass and dissolved in chilled water (20 °C) for injections. After homogenisation the sample for in process control is taken. The solution is then filtered by 0.2 μm membrane filter in 100 ml Asolvex glass bottles and sterilised by steam sterilisation 15 min by 121 °C. Results The authors have prepared a series of solutions of various content of Heparin Sodium in 9 mg/ml Sodium Chloride solution. Heparin content was measured before and after filtration and before and after sterilisation. Tests were made in accordance with the European Pharmacopoeia chapter 2.7.5. At the same time the pH value and the content of sodium and chloride was measured. All samples were sent for Sterility testing and testing for Pyrogens. Conclusions Solutions of heparin in concentrations from 1 IU to 100 IU/ml in sodium chloride solution are stable under sterilisation conditions. No significant decrease in heparin activity during autoclaving cycle at 121 °C 15 min was detected.
Seventy-six adult rats were exposed to 60 psig of oxygen on consecutive days until death. At autopsy, 17 of the animals segmental foci of central necrosis of the spinal cord gray matter, often associated with small ball- and flame-shaped hemorrhages in either the cervical and/or lumbosacral enlargements. Paraplegia or quadriplegia were clinically observed prior to death. The oxygen-induced spinal cord lesions are similar though not identical to those observed in experimental and human spinal cord trauma. These observations indicate that the therapeutic use of hyperbaric oxygen in patients with spinal cord injury has a potential danger of causing central spinal cord necrosis.
OBJECTIVE The aim: A comprehensive assessment of the state of the autonomic nervous system and cerebrovascular reactivity of the cerebral blood flow in the patients with the headache accompanied by arterial hypertension (AH) and somatoform autonomic dysfunction (SAD).   PATIENTS AND METHODS Materials and methods: We conducted the clinical, autonomic regulation and Doppler sonography examination of 124 young patients (18-45 years old), including 51 men and 73 women in the conditions of the clinical base of the Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in 2018-2021. All patients with cephalgias were divided into three groups: with AH stage II (Group I - 41 patients), AH stage I (Group II - 40 patients), SAD (Group III - 43 patients). The control group consisted of 50 patients of the corresponding gender and age.   RESULTS Results: The intensity of cephalalgia in patients with SAD was maximum. The autonomic tone (AT) was changed in 68.5%examined patients. It had a pronounced shift towards sympathicotonia. According to the visual analogue scale the maximum intensity of cephalgias was against the sympathicotonia. In the groups with organic lesions of the cerebral vessels the latent period delay was registered with the progression of the organic pathology. The regularity was revealed - the shortening of the evoked skin sympathetic potentials latency with the severity of cephalalgia, which can be interpreted as an increase in ergotropic effects with the realisation of the pain syndrome. The obtained data on the state of the AT indicate the depletion of the ergotropic processes with the progression of cerebral ischemia with a known increase in parasympathicotonia. In the patients of SAD group the CrCO2 and KrFNTvalues were significantly increased, in AH stage I group they slightly exceeded the standard values , in AH stage II group they were reduced. The reactivity to the orthostatic loads and functional metabolic test in all groups exceeded the control values.   CONCLUSION Conclusions: 1. The cephalgic syndrome is one of the main symptoms of the autonomic dysfunction and arterial hypertension; the frequency and intensity of the headache increases with the hyperreactivity of the sympathetic system. 2. The SSP data indicate that the sympathetic activity triggers and maintains the pain syndrome, and can also be realized in the form of arterial hypertension. 3. The dysfunction of the central link of the GSR indicates the instability of the autonomous regulation, the work of the limbic-reticular complex, which is clinically manifested by the changes in the cerebral vascular tone. 4. The cerebrovascular hyperreactivity as a sign of the search for the optimal sanogenetic variant of the cerebral hemodynamics in patients with SAD and AH stage I occurs predominantly due to the vasodilatory component. 5. In the patients with AH stage II the vasoconstrictor reactions are observed with the depletion of the vasodilation reserves, which is a marker of the autoregulation failure.
Gold nanoclusters protected by a thiolate monolayer (MPC) are widely studied for their potential applications in site-specific bioconjugate labeling, sensing, drug delivery, and molecular electronics. Several MPCs with 1-2 nm metal cores are currently known to have a well-defined molecular structure, and they serve as an important link between molecularly dispersed gold and colloidal gold to understand the size-dependent electronic and optical properties. Here, we show by using an ab initio method together with atomistic models for experimentally observed thiolate-stabilized gold clusters how collective electronic excitations change when the gold core of the MPC grows from 1.5 to 2.0 nm. A strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) develops at 540 nm (2.3 eV) in a cluster with a 2.0 nm metal core. The protecting molecular layer enhances the LSPR, while in a smaller cluster with 1.5 nm gold core, the plasmon-like resonance at 540 nm is confined in the metal core by the molecular layer. Our results demonstrate a threshold size for the emergence of LSPR in these systems and help to develop understanding of the effect of the molecular overlayer on plasmonic properties of MPCs enabling engineering of their properties for plasmonic applications.
AbstractContinuous and interrupted torsion tests have been conducted in the range of 900°−1000°C at surface strain rates of 0·1–10s−1 on a low-carbon and a Nb-bearing steel. During continuous deformation, the strains for recrystallization and for fracture had dependencies on temperature and strain rate that were similar for both steels but were higher and lower, respectively, for the Nb-bearing steel. For both steels, the flow stress depended on temperature and on strain rate according to an Arrhenius and a power-law relationship, respectively, and was consistently higher for the Nb-bearing steel. The interrupted deformations were performed so that in a given test, interruptions were of equal duration being 10, 20, or 40 s at equal strain intervals of either 0·2 or 0·4. The difference in stress at the instant of un loading and upon reloading was measured to assess the amount of static recovery and recrystallization taking place during the interval. At 0·1 S−1 recrystallization took place in the carbon ste...
This paper uses job applications data to investigate the relationship between job queues and wage differentials. The main finding is that openings for jobs that pay the minimum wage attract more job applicants than jobs that pay either slightly more or slightly less than the minimum wage. This spike in the job application rate distribution suggests that ex ante rents generated for employees by an above market-level minimum wage are not completely dissipated by reductions in nonwage benefits. In addition, we find that highly unionized firms, large firms, and firms in high-wage industries tend to receive relatively many job applicants for openings.
Aim of this study was to understand the allocation of biomass into different canopy and root components and to measure the stem area index and its partitioning by cladode functionality (age), for fruiting Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) Gialla trees, spaced 6x5 m apart and trained to a globe. The net primary productivity (NPP), calculated taking into account dry weight gain for above-ground vegetative components of OFI trees was 3.6 t C ha –1 . Including the fruit component and 1 st flush current-year cladodes, NPP of above-ground components becomes 12 t ha –1 , equivalent to 5.4 t C ha –1 . Current-year cladodes were the highest C sink (49% of total annual C fixed in the canopy), secondary growth accounted for 22% of C fixation and the fruit component for 29%. This study demonstrated that OFI trees, grown in a commercial fruit orchard, couple high productivity, in terms of fruit yield and harvest index, with relevant C fixed in the canopy.
We are concerned with software that can self-adapt to satisfy certain reliability requirements, in spite of adverse changes affecting the environment in which it is embedded. Self-adapting software architectures are heavily based on dynamic binding. The bindings among components are dynamically set as the conditions that require a self-adaptation are discovered during the system's lifetime. By adopting a suitable modeling approach, the dynamic binding problem can be formulated as a discrete-time feedback control problem, and solved with very simple techniques based on linear blocks. Doing so, reliability objectives are in turn formulated as set point tracking ones in the presence of disturbances, and attained without the need for optimization. At design time, the proposed formulation has the advantage of naturally providing system sizing clues, while at operation time, the inherent computational simplicity of the obtained controllers results in a low overhead. Finally, the formulation allows for a rigorous assessment of the achieved results in both nominal and off-design conditions for any desired operation point.
The aim of the present paper is to compare and evaluate different diagnostic means for the identification of the broken bar fault in delta connected double-cage induction motors. The work is carried out with FEM. The motors are studied at nominal load as well as under low load operation. The traditionally used diagnostic means such as: the current, torque and apparent power waveforms' spectrums are thoroughly studied with respect to prior work. Moreover, in this work the zero-sequence current spectrum is also investigated. The advantages and disadvantages of each diagnostic mean will be discussed and evaluated, offering an important insight of the broken bar fault diagnosis in the double-cage induction motor.
Abstract The goal of this retrospective cohort study was to compare survival, implantation, clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates between blastocysts that were vitrified on post-fertilization days 5, 6 and 7. Before vitrification, blastocysts were evaluated in terms of morphology and blastocyst expansion, inner cell mass and trophectoderm quality. They were thawed and transfered in a subsequent artificial cycle. Embryo implantation rates were 39%, 25% and 25% for blastocysts that were vitrified on days 5, 6, and 7, respectively (p = 0.006). Clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates were 19%, 12%, 13% (p = 0.100) and 9%, 7%, 12% (p = 0.99) for days 5, 6 and 7 blastocysts, respectively. Day 5 blastocysts had significantly higher full-collapsing score after assisted-hatching compared to days 6 and 7 blastocysts (p = 0.014). As blastocyst quality increased, implantation and clinical pregnancy rates increased in all groups and both parameters were statistically significantly higher on day 5 blastocysts than on days 6 or 7 (p = 0.001). It was clearly found that good quality blastocysts obtained on day 5 have higher implantation and clinical pregnancy rates than 6th and 7th day cryopreserved embryos. There were no statistically significant differences between the cryopreserved embryos on days 6 and 7 regarding the implantation, clinic and ongoing pregnancy rates.
Conventional ultrasonography reconstruction techniques, such as B-mode, are based on a simple wave propagation model derived from a high frequency approximation. Therefore, to minimize model mismatch, the central frequency of the input pulse is typically chosen between 3 and 15 megahertz. Despite the increase in theoretical resolution, operating at higher frequencies comes at the cost of lower signal-to-noise ratio. This ultimately degrades the image contrast and overall quality at higher imaging depths. To address this issue, we investigate a reflection imaging technique, known as reverse time migration, which uses a more accurate propagation model for reconstruction. We present preliminary simulation results as well as physical phantom image reconstructions obtained using data acquired with a breast imaging ultrasound tomography prototype. The original reconstructions are filtered to remove low-wavenumber artifacts that arise due to the inclusion of the direct arrivals. We demonstrate the advantage of using an accurate sound speed model in the reverse time migration process. We also explain how the increase in computational complexity can be mitigated using a frequency domain approach and a parallel computing platform.
Experiments in a dusty plasma under the microgravity conditions of parabolic flights are presented. Under microgravity, extended dust structures and a central dust-free region (“void”) are formed. Here, the forces and the force balance at the void boundary are studied by means of laser manipulation of the dust particles: A focused laser beam is moved in a controlled way to drive particles in the extended dust cloud and at the void boundary. From the observed particle motion, the forces on the particles in the dust cloud and at the void boundary are derived. Together with Langmuir probe measurements, a quantitative description of the force balance has been achieved. Special attention has been paid to the ion drag force, which is crucial in understanding the void formation. The results are compared to prevalent ion drag models.
Laser metal deposition (LMD) with high power lasers consists of manufacturing precise layers of materials by fusing metal powder with a laser beam over a substrate. Typical dilution of 5% allows metallurgical adhesion of the coating. This technique provides a unique combination of high accuracy and low heat affecting zone which is attractive for processing high added value components such aeroengines. Nickel (Ni) base superalloys are widely used in aeroengines because of their high mechanical properties when working at high temperatures (creep). A repairing or manufacturing chain of these components by LMD requires a good understanding of many parameters; therefore process control plays an important role. This work is focused on the study of the LMD processing of a Ni base superalloy using two colour pyrometry for the process monitoring. Presented results show how temperature and cooling rates of the LMD tracks affect the shape, microstructure and corrosion of the LMD coatings.
Altruism is an important omitted variable in much of the political economy literature. While material self-interest is the base of most approaches to redistribution (first affecting preferences and then politics and policy), there is a paucity of research on inequality aversion. I propose that other-regarding concerns influence redistribution preferences and that (1) they matter most to those in less material need and (2) they are conditional on the identity of the poor. Altruism is most relevant to the rich, and it is most influential when the recipients of benefits are similar to those financing them. Using data from the European Social Survey from 2002 to 2012, I will show that group homogeneity magnifies (or limits) the importance of altruism for the rich. In making these distinctions between the poor and the rich, the arguments in this article challenge some influential approaches to inequality, immigration, and voting.
A non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor, bis(acetylacetonato)oxovanadium(IV) complex, [VO(acac)2], fabricated on a self-assembled 4-(pyridine-4′-amido)thiophenol (PATP) monolayer modified gold electrode, was developed for the detection of glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at neutral pH. The modified electrode was characterized by electrochemical and microscopic techniques. The non-enzymatic sensor exhibited a remarkable catalytic performance for glucose oxidation and H2O2 reduction. Chronoamperometry was used for the electrochemical determination of glucose and H2O2. The non-enzymatic sensing of glucose was realized with a linear response range from 0.001 to 0.5 mM with a detection limit of 0.1 μM (S/N = 3). The sensor also has a good performance for the electrocatalytic reduction of H2O2 with a linear response range from 0.02 to 0.9 mM with a detection limit of 0.03 μM (S/N = 3). In addition, [VO(acac)2]–PATP–Au showed a good selectivity for glucose and H2O2 detection in the presence of potential interfering agents such as ascorbic acid, uric acid, L-dopa, L-cysteine and different ions like Na+, K+, Cl− etc. The kinetic parameters such as the electron transfer coefficient and the catalytic reaction rate constant were also determined for glucose and H2O2. Finally, the modified electrode was used to achieve quantitative detection of glucose and H2O2 in blood and milk, respectively for practical applications.
Despite the frequency with which antireflux procedures are performed, decisions about gastroesophageal reflux disease treatment remain challenging. Several factors contribute to the difficulties in managing gastroesophageal reflux. First, the distinction between physiologic and pathologic gastroesophageal reflux (gastroesophageal reflux disease-GERD) is not always clear. Second, measures of the extent of gastroesophageal reflux often poorly correlate to symptoms or other complications attributed to reflux in infants and children. A third challenge is that the outcome of antireflux procedures, predominately fundoplications, are relatively poorly characterized. All of these factors contribute to difficulty in knowing when to recommend antireflux surgery. One of the manifestations of the uncertainties surrounding GERD is the high degree of variability in the utilization of pediatric antireflux procedures throughout the United States. Pediatric surgeons are frequently consulted for GERD and fundoplication, uncertainties notwithstanding. Although retrospective series and anecdotal observations support fundoplication in some patients, there are many important questions for which sufficient high-quality data to provide a clear answer is lacking. In spite of this, surgeons need to provide guidance to patients and families while awaiting the development of improved evidence to aid in these recommendations. The purpose of this article is to define what is known and what is uncertain, with an emphasis on the most recent evidence.
This article is a first attempt to examine the effectiveness of EU water policies in a comparative perspective. It provides a systematic analysis of the relationship between EU water policies and the quality of national water resources for 17 EU member states over a period of 23 years (1990–2012). The analysis reveals that EU policies have contributed to the water quality in the member states. Moreover, it finds that decentralized implementation processes enhance the effectiveness of top-down policy instruments while not making a significant difference for bottom-up policy instruments. Administrative capacities and (neo-)corporatist arrangement seem to play some, yet only minor, role in determining the effectiveness of EU water policies. This way, the article speaks to the literature on EU compliance and implementation and the broader public policy literature.
This study identifies the sources of income tax work for corporate taxpayers under the Self-Assessment System (SAS) environment. Utilizing the researcher administered survey, the sources of tax compliance costs is investigated. The internal-external costs ratio was 37:63, indicating that there is a heavy reliance on external sources. This study therefore concluded that tax compliance activities were mainly handled by external tax professionals. Comparative findings with existing studies provide further contributions to corporate tax knowledge, tax administration and practices.
The semiconductor detector of ionizing radiations is rapidly becoming standard equipment in nuclear physics research experiments. The devices have many advantages the most important of which is that they can be made into spectrometers. The elementary physics of their operation is outlined here together with the techniques of their use. Details are also given of some student laboratory experiments that have been performed with silicon detectors in order to demonstrate certain aspects of nuclear and solid-state physics.
Two feline hemotropic mycoplasma spp. (aka hemoplasma) have previously been recognized. We recently discovered a third novel species in a cat with hemolytic anemia, designated 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis', which is closely related to rodent haemoplasmas. This novel species induced anemia after experimental transmission to two SPF cats. Three quantitative real-time PCR assays were newly designed and applied to an epidemiological study surveying the Swiss pet cat population. Blood samples from 713 healthy and ill cats were analyzed. Up to 104 parameters per cat (detailed questionnaire, case history, laboratory parameters and retroviral infections) were evaluated. 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' infection was more prevalent (8.5%) than Mycoplasma haemofelis (0.5%) and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis' (1%). Hemoplasma infections were associated with male gender, outdoor access, and old age, but not with disease or anemia. Infections were more frequently found in the South and West of Switzerland. Several hemoplasma infected cats, some acutely infected, others co-infected with FIV or FeLV, showed hemolytic anemia indicating that additional factors might play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease.
This paper studies the effect of maternal depression on early childhood cognition in Peru, where rates of depression are around 50%. By using an instrumental variables approach, this study exploits variation in the exogeneity of the exposure to shocks during early life to instrument for maternal depression. The empirical strategy exploits a novel longitudinal data—the Young Lives survey—that includes information on cognitive outcomes of children and variation in their mothers’ mental health status between rounds of data collection. Results suggest that maternal depression is detrimental to a child’s vocabulary at age 5, but effects fade out by age 8. Effects do not vary by maternal education but are significant only for children living in disadvantaged households. Estimations indicate that the presence of a partner worsens the effect of maternal depression on vocabulary development, results that are driven mainly by households with heavy-drinking partners. Our findings make a strong case for recognizing maternal mental health problems as disorders of public health significance and guide maternal and infant health policies in Peru.
CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb) immunotherapy is effective for lymphoma and autoimmune disease. In a mouse model of immunotherapy using mouse anti–mouse CD20 mAbs, the innate monocyte network depletes B cells through immunoglobulin (Ig)G Fc receptor (FcγR)-dependent pathways with a hierarchy of IgG2a/c>IgG1/IgG2b>IgG3. To understand the molecular basis for these CD20 mAb subclass differences, B cell depletion was assessed in mice deficient or blocked for stimulatory FcγRI, FcγRIII, FcγRIV, or FcR common γ chain, or inhibitory FcγRIIB. IgG1 CD20 mAbs induced B cell depletion through preferential, if not exclusive, interactions with low-affinity FcγRIII. IgG2b CD20 mAbs interacted preferentially with intermediate affinity FcγRIV. The potency of IgG2a/c CD20 mAbs resulted from FcγRIV interactions, with potential contributions from high-affinity FcγRI. Regardless, FcγRIV could mediate IgG2a/b/c CD20 mAb–induced depletion in the absence of FcγRI and FcγRIII. In contrast, inhibitory FcγRIIB deficiency significantly increased CD20 mAb–induced B cell depletion by enhancing monocyte function. Although FcγR-dependent pathways regulated B cell depletion from lymphoid tissues, both FcγR-dependent and -independent pathways contributed to mature bone marrow and circulating B cell clearance by CD20 mAbs. Thus, isotype-specific mAb interactions with distinct FcγRs contribute significantly to the effectiveness of CD20 mAbs in vivo, which may have important clinical implications for CD20 and other mAb-based therapies.
liability insurance and 39.1% stated that they were risk-takers and 56.5% stated that they were somewhat risk-takers and only 4.3% stated that they were not. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that 76% of participants in this study had moderate knowledge. Lack of familiarity with consent can lead to problems for the medical community and endanger the health of the community. Therefore, legal training should be provided through retraining programs and workshops designed to enhance the information of clinical professionals. 2020;8(3&4):7-13
The concept of global ecosystem services has become a powerful paradigm for understanding the link between ecosystem processes and related human activities, which is expressed by the economic and ecological quantification of the services in regards to sustainable development. The role of tropical forests in the global climate system and the uncertainty of the exact magnitude of this complex interaction has become a major concern to the scientific community. In this paper we review and synthesize the global effects of Amazon deforestation in Brazil, as well as drivers and challenges related to this process. To this end, we provide data on carbon emissions from combined annual maps of clear cutting of primary forests and spatial information on biomass distribution for different vegetation types and secondary vegetation growth, as well as the temporal dynamic related to the deforestation process and its interregional heterogeneity, the social and institutional drivers. In 2009, during the Conference of Parties, of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (Copenhagen, Denmark), Brazil announced a voluntary commitment to reduce the national GHG emissions by 2020 and, to this end, such commitment requires reducing Amazon rainforest deforestation by 80% over a decade. To achieve this target, a set of consolidated remote sensing techniques have served to monitor and calculate the extent of deforestation, which became indispensable auditing tools for conservation, forest restoration and implementing climate change mitigation schemes.
The Earth’s climate was marked by a pronounced warming at the onset of the Eocene Epoch, followed by successive short-lived warmings in the later part of the early Eocene. The carbon isotope (δ 13 C) excursions, the fingerprints of the Eocene hyperthermal events, have been established in the geological sections in India that lay across the equator in the early Eocene. The present study examines how shallow-marine foraminifera responded to the thermal events. The hyperthermal events, identified in sections of Kutch and Cambay basins corresponding to Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZs) between SBZ 5/6 to SBZ 11, have been examined for their foraminiferal assemblages, which indicate a shallow-marine environment. A significant change in the foraminiferal assemblage occurs from SBZ 5/6 to SBZ 11. The SBZ 5/6 to SBZ 10 interval (corresponding to Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 and Eocene Thermal Maximum 3) is characterized by (i) low diversity and dwarfed foraminifera, (ii) rectilinear benthic foraminifera, and (iii) biserial and triserial planktic foraminifera that are known to survive in areas of high runoff, upwelling or otherwise eutrophic conditions. The stressed environments of the SBZ 5/6 to SBZ 10 appear to have ameliorated in SBZ 11 (corresponding to Early Eocene Climatic Optimum) with significant increase in abundance and diversity of foraminifera, dominance of K- strategists, and a switch from eutrophic to oligotrophic environments.
We define secondary theories and characteristic classes for simplicial smooth manifolds generalizing Karoubi's multiplicative K-theory and multiplicative cohomology groups for smooth manifolds.  As a special case we get versions of the groups of differential characters of Cheeger and Simons for simplicial smooth manifolds.  Special examples include classifying spaces of Lie groups and Lie groupoids.
ABSTRACT In South Wales, United Kingdom, a populated coastal region lies beneath hill pastures grazed by livestock in which Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is endemic. The Taff is a spate river running off the hills and through the principal city of Cardiff. We sampled Taff water above Cardiff twice weekly from November 2001 to November 2002. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was detected by IS900 PCR and culture. Thirty-one of 96 daily samples (32.3%) were IS900 PCR positive, and 12 grew M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis bovine strains. Amplicon sequences from colonies were identical to the sequence with GenBank accession no. X16293 , whereas 16 of 19 sequences from river water DNA extracts had a single-nucleotide polymorphism at position 214. This is consistent with a different strain of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the river, which is unculturable by the methods we used. Parallel studies showed that M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis remained culturable in lake water microcosms for 632 days and persisted to 841 days. Of four reservoirs controlling the catchment area of the Taff, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was present in surface sediments from three and in sediment cores from two, consistent with deposition over at least 50 years. Previous epidemiological research in Cardiff demonstrated a highly significant increase of Crohn's disease in 11 districts. These bordered the river except for a gap on the windward side. A topographical relief map shows that this gap is directly opposite a valley open to the prevailing southwesterly winds. This would influence the distribution of aerosols carrying M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis from the river.
Although the value of online product recommendations is well established, the relative value of retargeted recommendations (based on individual users’ past viewed products) over crowd-based generic recommendations (based on co-views and co-purchases of the crowd) is unclear. Moreover, there is little guidance on how the relative value would vary at different stages of the consumer purchase funnel. We conduct a field experiment on the website of a mid-size retailer in the US to examine the effect of retargeted and generic product recommendations on the sales of recommended products in early versus later stages of the purchase funnel. We examine the effect of these recommendations on the two components of recommended product sales – the number of daily impressions and conversion rates (purchase conditional on impression). We find that (1) generic recommendations only increase the conversion rate in the early purchase funnel stage, but retargeted recommendations do not affect conversion rates; and (2) both retargeted and generic recommendations result in a higher number of impressions of recommended products. Overall, we find that it is beneficial to show retargeted (generic) recommendations to visitors in the late (early) purchase funnel stage. We conduct counterfactual simulations to show that the application of our findings can result in up to five percent increase in the sales of recommended products. Our findings have implications on the optimal design of product recommendation systems.
Complex metallic alloys and quasicrystals are closely related. Both possess icosahedral local order, but while in quasicrystals the long-range order and hence the macroscopic structure is also icosahedral, in complex metallic alloys a periodic structure with large lattice parameters is formed. Metadislocations are novel and highly complex structural defects in complex metallic alloys. Focusing on metadislocations in e-type phases, we will review the basic geometric concepts of metadislocations and the relation between the number of phason planes, Burgers vector, and the elastic energy. The properties of dislocations in icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn will briefly be recalled and discussed in relation to metadislocations.
In the four or so years since we completed the manuscript of  Code/Space, it is evermore apparent that the  onrushing pace of digitisation of economic tran-  sactions and social interactions means that scope of  software has increased in most people’s lives, yet the  ability to comprehend the workings of code itself and  account for its agency remains limited. Given the  growing automation of activities, the potential  advantages at least for some, and the inherent risks of  taking humans out of the loop, it is helpful to have  this forum to consider why code matters from a spa-  tial perspective and how human geographers might  contribute to documenting work of software.
Transcriptional master regulators like Sox2 and Oct4, which are expressed in various human tumors, have been shown to cause tumor growth promotion as well as epithelial dysplasia by means of interfering with progenitor cell differentiation. In order to investigate the potential of Sox2‐Oct4 transcription factor decoy (TFD) strategy for differentiation therapy, mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) were used in this study as a model of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Sox2‐Oct4 complex decoy ODNs (cd‐ODNs) were designed according to their elements in the promoter region of Sox2 gene. DNA–protein interactions between decoy ODNs and their corresponding proteins were examined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Then, decoy and scrambled ODNs were transfected into mESCs with lipofectamine under 2 inhibitors (2i) conditions. Fluorescence and confocal microscopy, cell viability, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis, alkaline phosphatase, embryoid body formation assay, and real‐time PCR were used to conduct further investigations. EMSA data showed that Sox2‐Oct4 decoy ODNs bound specifically to their recombinant proteins. The results revealed that the synthesized complex decoy can concomitantly target Sox2 and Oct4, which subsequently represses the stemness properties of mESCs compared to controls through decreasing cell viability, arresting cell cycle in G0/G1 phases, inducing apoptosis, and modulating differentiation in mESCs despite the presence of 2i/LIF in cell culture. While cd‐ODN strategy seems to offer great promise for cancer therapy, further studies are still required to put this powerful investigative tool in practice for a wide range of human cancers.
Movement primitives are a well-established approach to robot motion planning, as they offer a modular basis for robot motion planning. Dynamic movement primitives (DMPs) are a popular control framework based on nonlinear differential equations which, when scaled in time, produce a smooth kinematic movement plan. In this letter, we introduce an adjusted movement primitive framework which replaces the stable equilibria of DMPs with saddle points. These saddle points are linked together in stable heteroclinic channels (SHCs) which are in turn part of dynamical systems called stable heteroclinic networks. SHC-based movement primitives (SMPs) form a framework where the weights of the kernel functions have spatial significance in the task space. In this letter, we show that SMPs and DMPs perform comparably according to a kinematic-based cost function. We also show that SMP kernel weights follow a given trajectory when plotted in the task space. The plotted kernel weights provide an intuitive tool for managing the controller.
Objectives Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota (GM) is observed in both murine models and humans with cystic fibrosis (CF). Laxative treatments are typically used to improve gastric motility and alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms associated with CF. Genistein, a phytochemical in soy, exerts therapeutic benefits by activating intestinal CFTR ion channels but whether genistein affects the GM in CF is unknown. This study aimed to establish whether dietary genistein alters the GM community structure in a murine model of the most common CF-associated mutation, DF508.   Methods In this 3-arm parallel randomized intervention, 21-day old DF508 mice (n = 24) were fed standard chow (CHOW; n = 11), CHOW plus Colyte (laxative; n = 7), or CHOW plus 600 mg of dietary genistein (GEN) per kg of diet (n = 6) for 45 days. Fecal pellets from day 45 were frozen at -80˚C and microbial genomic DNA extracted using a DNeasy PowerSoil Kit. The 16S rRNA gene was sequenced via Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were quality checked and denoised using DADA2 and taxonomy determined using the GreenGenes 13.8 database. Treatment differences in the GM were compared using both alpha (within-sample) and beta (between-sample) diversity metrics (Kruskal-Wallis and PERMANOVA tests).   Results Both observed operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and Shannon's diversity index (alpha diversity richness measures) were greater for CHOW (OTUs: p = < 0.003; Shannon's: p < 0.003) and Colyte (OTUs: p = 0.012; Shannon's: p = 0.006) compared to GEN animals. Colyte resulted in significantly lower species richness (OTUs: p < 0.005) compared to CHOW. Species evenness (Pielou's) did not differ suggesting the importance of species richness over evenness for group differences. Jaccard, Bray-Curtis, unweighted and weighted UniFrac metrics (beta diversity measures) revealed significant group differences (GEN vs. CHOW: p's < 0.004; GEN vs. Colyte: p's < 0.005; CHOW vs. Colyte: p's < 0.006) suggesting that differences in GM community structure were driven by presence/absence, abundance, and phylogeny of taxa.   Conclusions Colyte and GEN resulted in lower within-sample diversity and significant differences in beta diversity compared to CHOW mice. Species abundance differences between Colyte and GEN groups and how disease prognosis is impacted require further investigation.   Funding Sources Midwestern University intramural funds (LA) and Arizona State University internal funds (CMW).
This work presents a study of plasma transport at low aspect ratio on the National Spherical Torus Experiment tokamak, where the turbulent and neoclassical energy fluxes calculated by the quasilinear Trapped Gyro Landau Fluid (TGLF) model and the multi species drift-kinetic Neoclassical solver (NEO) are validated against experimental data. The turbulent energy transport of two plasma discharges, one in the L-mode confinement regime and another in the H-mode regime, is dominated by electrostatic drift-wave instabilities, while the ion heat transport has a significant neoclassical contribution. The data analysis workflow is described in detail to understand how the variations of mapping and fitting of experimental data affect the power balance solution and subsequent flux-matching plasma profile predictions with the TGYRO solver. On average, the predicted plasma profiles are consistent with experimental data. However, the solutions are sensitive to various input parameters, including boundary conditions, and the electron-ion coupling. Linear gyrokinetic stability analysis demonstrates close agreement of the real frequencies of unstable modes between TGLF and CGYRO gyrokinetic simulations, but higher growth rates are predicted by TGLF, especially for the H-mode case. Estimates of the low-k modes’ contributions to the total flux are consistent with linear stability analysis and the E × B suppression of turbulence in TGLF simulations with the SAT1 saturation model, while the SAT2 saturation model over-predicts the low-k modes’ contribution in the H-mode case. Moreover, the results with SAT1 model are consistent with power balance analysis, which indicates only neoclassical ion energy fluxes inside ρ < 0.4 in the L-mode case and ρ⩽0.7 in the H-mode case. The presence of multi-scale turbulence and ion-scale driven zonal flow mixing effects are also observed in TGLF scans of the electron turbulent heat flux over a range of temperature gradients and the electron-ion temperature ratio, which could explain the strong model sensitivity to variations of input parameters.
Trout taken from deep waters of Lake Superior are of two subspecies—a fat one and a lean one—that vary greatly from each other in physical characteristics and in chemical composition. The fat species has a smaller head, larger body, and lighter colour. The percentage of oil does not reach 20% in the fillets of the lean species, whereas it may reach 67% in fillets of the fat species, which has the highest known oil content of any fish.
The long and glorious commercial history of Amalfi, which began some time about the middle of the eighth century, came to an abrupt end on November 24, 1343. On that day a raging storm accompanied by a tidal wave destroyed the lower town and swallowed all the harbor installations, including the famed sea fortifications. From that blow Amalfi never recovered. The present lovely resort appears as a most unlikely setting for a republic which was once a great maritime town in the western Mediterranean.
The m u l t i p l e (N 20) Water Bag and the h igh o r d e r (N 12) Cauchy models a r e ve ry u s e f u l t o cour p u t e t h e mutual and s e l f impedances of d i p o l e s and quadr ipo le s (p lane and s p h e r i c a l geometry). Th i s is due t o t h e f a c t t h a t t he computation of f i e l d s a t s h o r t d i s t a n c e imp l i e s a l 1 t he p o l e s of t he d i s p e r s i o n r e l a t i o n . Moreover t h e m u l t i p l e Water Bag approximates v e r y e f f i c i e n t l y an expe r imen ta l ly g iven d i s t r i b u t i o n func t ion .
Critical to the Hospital's rebuilding efforts have been its public partners at the federal, state, and local government levels who have made a major financial commitment to renovating the Hospital's research infrastructure. To date, the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has been awarded a total of nearly $8.5 million to create and equip new, state-of-the-art laboratories for scientific investigations. The modernization of the Hospital's research facilities was jump-started in 1998 with a $950,000 seed grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to renovate laboratories for immunology research in the Caspary Research Building. Coupled with a matching $5.5 million commitment from HSS, this infusion of NIH funding laid the groundwork for an overhaul of all of the Hospital's research space.
Nonequilibrium demography impacts coalescent genealogies leaving detectable, well-studied signatures of variation. However, similar genomic footprints are also expected under models of large reproductive skew, posing a serious problem when trying to make inference. Furthermore, current approaches consider only one of the two processes at a time, neglecting any genomic signal that could arise from their simultaneous effects, preventing the possibility of jointly inferring parameters relating to both offspring distribution and population history. Here, we develop an extended Moran model with exponential population growth, and demonstrate that the underlying ancestral process converges to a time-inhomogeneous psi-coalescent. However, by applying a nonlinear change of time scale—analogous to the Kingman coalescent—we find that the ancestral process can be rescaled to its time-homogeneous analog, allowing the process to be simulated quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, we derive analytical expressions for the expected site-frequency spectrum under the time-inhomogeneous psi-coalescent, and develop an approximate-likelihood framework for the joint estimation of the coalescent and growth parameters. By means of extensive simulation, we demonstrate that both can be estimated accurately from whole-genome data. In addition, not accounting for demography can lead to serious biases in the inferred coalescent model, with broad implications for genomic studies ranging from ecology to conservation biology. Finally, we use our method to analyze sequence data from Japanese sardine populations, and find evidence of high variation in individual reproductive success, but few signs of a recent demographic expansion.
Artificial intelligence has been used to address a wide range of problems in power systems. A large set of artificial intelligence techniques has been used for addressing several problems in power systems. Knowledge-based systems and decision-support systems have been applied in the power and energy industry. A wide range of technologies is used, like expert systems, machine learning and data mining, computational intelligence, and bio-inspired computing, planning, and multi agent systems.        Currently Al-based applications are used daily in power system planning and operation, as well as in electrigity market-related activities. With secure steps, these applications are contributing towards the future implementation of the concept of an intelligent power system.        This article is intended to offer an undated overview of the application of artificial intelligence in power systems. It is organized in a way so that readers can easily understand the problems and the adequacy of the proposed solutions. Because of space constraints, this approach can be neither complete nor sufficiently deep to satisfy all readers' needs. As this is a multidisciplinary area able to attract both software and computer engineering and power system people, this article to give an insight in to most important concepts involved in these applications. Complementary material can be found in the reference list, providing deeper and more specific approaches.      Keywords:    artificial intelligence;  intelligent applications;  power systems;  electricity markets
Simultaneous interpreting (SI) is a complex bilingual verbal activity that poses great challenges for working memory (WM) and language proficiency. Fluency is one of the crucial indicators in evaluating SI quality, the violation of which is characterized by disfluency indicators such as interruptions, hesitations, repetitions, corrections, and blanks. To uncover factors underlying fluency in SI, 22 interpreting students performed a battery of tasks to test their language proficiency and WM. Two SI tasks, both from Chinese to English and from English to Chinese, were also conducted, and fluency was evaluated according to the five indicators. Two factors (language proficiency and WM) and the five objectively measured disfluency indicators were then used as input for a regression analysis in both directions to model factors underlying fluency in SI performance. The results reveal that, with fluency measured as a whole, WM and directionality yield a significant effect on fluency, and that WM is the only variable that predicts fluency in both directions, accounting for 50 and 51% of the variation in the occurrence of disfluencies in Chinese–English and English–Chinese interpreting, respectively. The findings clarify for the first time the role of language proficiency, WM, and directionality upon fluency in SI, indicating the critical role of WM capability as compared with language skills in fluent production. The research also supports the position that, for interpreting students, interpreting performance tends to be more fluent in the non-native to native language direction.
This experiment has been done to develop the process for synthesizing ZnO nanorods on FTO substrate using hydrothermal growth solution method with two different molarities and to fabricate Interdigital Transducer (IDT) fingers electrode for surface acoustic wave application. The FTO substrate was pre-coated with ZnO nanoparticle seed layer that was prepared by utilizing low cost and low temperature sol-gel method. A 0.3 M ZnO nanoparticle seed layer was deposited on the FTO substrate by using spin coating technique prior to annealing process. FTO substrates were then immersed in two different hydrothermal growth solutions which have molarities of 0.02 M and 0.04 M. Physical properties and chemical composition of ZnO nanorods were investigated using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). IDT finger electrode was fabricated using typical microelectronic processing steps by utilizing quartz and glass substrates. The process parameters used in this fabrication process were investigated and standardized in order to get well oriented patterns of IDT finger electrode. The result showed that the synthesized ZnO nanorods with hexagonal wurtzite structure grew with different densities at molarities of 0.02 and 0.04 M. Nanorods that were synthesized using 0.02 M had well aligned density with diameter within the range 20–60 nm while nanorods using 0.04 M had average density with porous distribution with diameter in the range of 60–90 nm. One can also observed that the introduction of annealed ZnO nanoparticle seed layer improved the structure distribution, nanorods diameter and density distribution. The result was also consistent with the XRD analysis. Chemical composition analysis from EDX showed the presence of zinc and oxygen elements that confirm the formation of ZnO nanorods on top the FTO substrate. The IDT finger electrode obtained after the completed fabrication step prove that process parameters are suitable and react well with the process development.
Modern slot machines are among the more harmful forms of gambling. Psychophysiological measures may provide a window into mental processes that underpin these harms. Here we investigated pupil dilation derived from eye tracking as a means of capturing changes in sympathetic nervous system arousal following outcomes on a real slot machine. We hypothesized that positively reinforcing slot machine outcomes would be associated with increases in arousal, reflected in larger pupil diameter. We further examined the contribution of game luminance fluctuations on pupil diameter. In Experiment 1A, experienced slot machine gamblers (N = 53) played a commercially-available slot machine in a laboratory for 20 minutes while wearing mobile eye tracking glasses. Analyses differentiated loss outcomes, wins, losses-disguised-as-wins, and (free-spin) bonus features. Bonus features were associated with rapid increases in pupil diameter following the onset of outcome-related audiovisual feedback, relative to losses. In Experiment 1B, luminance data were extracted from captured screen videos (derived from Experiment 1A) to characterize on-screen luminance changes that could modulate pupil diameter. Bonus features and wins were associated with pronounced and complex fluctuations in screen luminance (≈50 L and ≈25L, respectively). However, the pupil dilation that was observed to bonus features in Experiment 1A coincided temporally with only negligible changes in screen luminance, providing partial evidence that the pupil dilation to bonus features may be due to arousal. In Experiment 2, 12 participants viewed pairs of stimuli (scrambled slot machine images) at luminance difference thresholds of ≈25L, ≈50L, and ≈100L. Scrambled images presented at luminance differences of ≈25L and greater were sufficient to cause pupillary responses. Overall, pupillometry may detect event-related changes in sympathetic nervous system arousal following gambling outcomes, but researchers must pay careful attention to substantial in-game luminance changes that may confound arousal-based interpretations.
Authors communicate four cases of bloody diarrhea in neonates, with Campylobacter fetus jejuni in the stools. In one case, the same bacteria was isolated from the mother and, in another case, existed possibility of a cross-infection. The mildness of the evolution is marked, specially in those cases in which maternal feeding was continued. Some diagnostic and epidemiological aspects, concerning the neonatal period, are commented.
Using $(10087 pm44) times10^{6}$ $J/ psi$ events collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII $e^+e^-$ storage ring at the center-of-mass energy of $ sqrt{s}=3.097~ rm{GeV}$, we present a search for the rare semi-muonic charmonium decay $J/ psi to D^{-} mu^{+} nu_{ mu}+c.c.$. Since no significant signal is observed, we set an upper limit of the branching fraction to be $ mathcal{B}(J/ psi to D^{-} mu^{+} nu_{ mu}+c.c.)<5.6 times10^{-7}$ at $90 %$ confidence level. This is the first search for the weak decay of charmonium with a muon in the final state.
For a spectrum-efficient, bandwidth-on-demand multiplexerdemultiplexer for a multiuser, multicanier communication system based on wavelet packet trees for downstream transmission described in recent publications by the authors, an innovative scheme for synchronization is proposed which uses a unique sync word at the root of the tree. An example filterbank tree with 8 leaves is used throughout the paper. For this example the creation of the unique 32-bit sync word is described. The multirate signal processing and construction and properties of 25 32x32 matrices required in the multiplexer to find locations of sync words at input ports to cancel the effects of data and insert the 32-bit sync word in a window in the correct location at the root of the tree is described. The ratio of maximum to minimum absolute values of eigenvalues of the matrices is used to ensure well-conditioning, since they must be inverted in the processing.
The cork oak woodland production systems result from the integration of conflicting activities in the same space creating the need of constant search of equilibrium between its components in order to achieve sustainability. In a climate change environment, associated with recent modifications in rural societies, adaptive management concepts are needed so as to maintain cork oak woodland systems sustainable. Nowadays/Currently cork oak woodlands are facing disturbances that are affecting the production system sustainability both by intensification of the activities undercoverthat leads to a lack of regeneration and consequent disappearing of the crown cover, loss of cork production and site degradation mainly by soil loss-, or by the abandonment that conducts to an invasion of shrubs and other oaks increasing the competition (reducing cork production) and the risk of forest fire. Only adaptive management techniques associated with growth models and decision support systems, constructed in knowledge based monitoring system, are able to prevent cork wood land decline with the adoption of management practices focused in long term objectives. For the present study it was selected a set of permanent plots according with site quality and stand age and structure. Simulation studies results indicates that cork oak woodland system sustainability (both economical and ecological) is supported in regeneration events associated with the shrub control techniques without soil mobilization with strong dependency of cork prices and
Non-uniformity is the main constraint for the image quality of infrared systems.Analysis approach for non-uniformity influence on target detection was proposed,and the indicators of non-uniformity were provided to satisfy different target detector systems.First,point light source was used for simulating the relationship between non-uniformity and SCR.Then,the impacts of SCR on probability of detection and false alarm were derived based on Neyman-Person Criterion.Experimental results show that each increase of 1% of non-uniformity will cause probability of detection decrease almost 15%.While non-uniformity reaches 10%,the detection system is basically useless.The probability of false alarm reduces with the increases of non-uniformity,and the non-uniformity has no impact on the probability of false alarm when it decreases to 5%.
The forecasts of climate change scenarios regarding water availability and its distribution at a spatio-temporal scale, demand new perspectives of analysis that promote more sustainable and adaptive management approaches from both environmental and social perspectives. This process of hydrological transition entails radical changes, from water management models based on the development of hydraulic infrastructures to new ecosystemic and holistic management approaches. This transition is hampered by cultural and cognitive inertias resistant to change where educational strategies can make interesting contributions. The article describes and analyzes an educational experience carried out in two contexts of non-formal teaching, in the field of advanced environmental education. Through group analysis of selected texts, different ideological and conceptual scenarios related to the necessary hydrological transition are constructed. The analysed texts refer to the conceptual underpinnings of the Spanish “hydraulic regeneration” movement, to the permanence and influence of those ideas to this day - what we call cognitive inertias -, and to the persistence of water management challenges despite a century of hydraulic interventions and the new approaches to sustainability and water rationality. The experience highlights the complexity of conceptual change processes, the need to know the ideas underlying water perceptions in order to transform them, and the need for educational strategies to facilitate the hydrological transition.
In the field of marketing communication, the use of technology and language skills is a critical issue. An important qualification for a marketer is the capacity to communicate effectively in order to convince the customer and/or the prospects. Using technological means marketers are able to exercise their profession more effectively which presupposes language efficiency and marketing communication skills. This case study examines and explores the possibilities of using presentation graphics so as to bridge the marketing communication skills along with the EFL (English Foreign Language) proficiency. In particular, a team of lecturers, from an institution of tertiary education in Cyprus, from MIS (Management Information Systems), Languages and Marketing Departments carried out a case study to identify the impact of technology and language to marketing students through the following courses: COMP-150, BADM-231and MKTG-291. This case study examines the way with which presentation graphics bridges EFL proficiency and marketing communication skills.
Advancing diagnostic testing capabilities such as clinical next generation sequencing methods offer the potential to diagnose, risk stratify, and guide specialized treatment, but must be balanced against the escalating costs of healthcare to identify patient cases most likely to benefit from them. Heme-STAMP (Stanford Actionable Mutation Panel for Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Malignancies) is one such next generation sequencing test. Our objective is to assess how well Heme-STAMP pathological variants can be predicted given electronic health records data available at the time of test ordering. The model demonstrated AUROC 0.74 (95% CI: [0.72, 0.76]) with 99% negative predictive value at 6% specificity. A benchmark for comparison is the prevalence of positive results in the dataset at 58.7%. Identifying patients with very low or very high predicted probabilities of finding actionable mutations (positive result) could guide more precise high-value selection of patient cases to test.
Interestingly, the science of movement that you really wait for now is coming. It's significant to wait for the representative and beneficial books to read. Every book that is provided in better way and utterance will be expected by many peoples. Even you are a good reader or not, feeling to read this book will always appear when you find it. But, when you feel hard to find it as yours, what to do? Borrow to your friends and don't know when to give back it to her or him.
Food-service facilities have high energy intensities compared to other commercial buildings due to their energy use for cooking and refrigeration. Assessing the energy performance of such facilities has two main purposes. The first one is to evaluate how efficient food-service facilities are and to compare the results with other similar facilities. The second objective is to get a deeper analysis of the energy uses, what enables an easier identification of the processes whose energy efficiency can be improved. This thesis gives, in a first part, a general methodology of how such an energy performance assessment could be carried out. In a second part, a Swedish restaurant – Langbro Vardshus – is taken as a case study. This case study consists in an analysis of the cooking appliances' energy use and an energy performance assessment of the whole facility. A first result of this thesis is the importance of the definition of the system before to start the assessment. Lack of information about the considered processes or how energy use is estimated makes comparison and benchmarking difficult and potentially irrelevant. A second important aspect that stands out of the study when dealing with energy efficiency is the choice of a meaningful indicator. In the case of food-service facilities the amount of energy used per meal (typically expressed in kWh/meal) seems to be the most appropriate one. As regards the energy efficiency of Langbro Vardshus, it has been estimated at 5.9 kWh/meal when considering the total energy use of the facility and at 4.1 kWh/meal without HVAC systems' energy use. Concerning the cooking appliances, the monitored data of their electricity consumption have been analysed to identify the influence of the heating technology and behaviours on the energy use. It resulted, for example, that replacing two hot plate range tops by a solid top and an induction range top enabled 38 % energy savings. Moreover, training the personnel reduced by 7 % the total energy use of the monitored cooking appliances.
Detection of colon cancer has improved in Manitoba over the last 20 years with decreases in diagnostic delay and failure. Between 1981 and 1984 diagnostic delay, resulting from initial false-negative examinations, occurred in 5.7% of patients. Diagnostic failure, because all investigations were negative in patients found to have cancer of the colon within one year, was 0.66%, compared with 9.5% and 5.8% respectively between 1964 and 1969. In the intervening time double-contrast barium examinations and colonoscopy were introduced and became more widely used, with a corresponding decline in single-contrast examinations. The mortality rate in the general population was unchanged despite an increased incidence, while 1980 survival rates suggested that women cancer patients were living longer than previously as well as longer than their male counterparts.
An extraction process of polyphenol from wine grape seeds was studied in this paper. Water was used as solvent and the material studied consisted of wine grape seeds, which was obtained from the pomace from wine vinification. Before extraction grape seed oil was squeezed out. Different factors were considered, such as grinding degree, material-water ratio, extract temperature, time, and frequency. Based on single factor tests, orthogonal test was done. Results showed that temperature was the most important factor, then frequency, time, and material-water ratio in turn, while grinding degree's effect on the extraction was not statistically evident. The optimum extraction conditions were as follows: 100 ℃ of water temperature, 1:9 of material-water ratio, 1.5h of extract time and 3 times. The concentration of the solution was about 1mg/mL. GSPE powder was produced by freeze drying, and the rate of production was about 3.3%.
Starting from enzyme kinetics, it is shown that generally a linear rather than a proportional relationship exists between rate and free energy changes in biochemical processes. In the derivation the boundary condition of constant substrate plus product is used, which is appropriate for many cellular systems. An example is the ADP plus ATP concentration is mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, as is illustrated experimentally.
This paper reviews current treatments for renal cell carcinoma/cancer (RCC) with the multikinase inhibitors (MKIs) sorafenib, sunitinib, lenvatinib and axitinib. Furthermore, it compares these drugs regarding progression-free survival, overall survival and adverse effects (AE), with a focus on hypertension. Sorafenib and sunitinib, which are included in international clinical guidelines as first- and second-line therapy in metastatic RCC, are now being challenged by new-generation drugs like lenvatinib and axitinib. These drugs have shown significant clinical benefits for patients with RCC, but all four induce a variety of AEs. Hypertension is one of the most common AEs related to MKI treatment. Comparing sorafenib, sunitinib and lenvatinib revealed that sorafenib and sunitinib had the same efficacy, but sorafenib was safer to use. Lenvatinib showed better efficacy than sorafenib but worse safety. No trials have yet been completed that compare lenvatinib with sunitinib. Although axitinib promotes slightly higher hypertension rates compared to sunitinib, the overall discontinuation rate and cardiovascular complications are favourable. Although the mean rate of patients who develop hypertension is similar for each drug, some trials have shown large differences, which could indicate that lifestyle and/or genetic factors play an additional role.
Pure titanium is a kind of excellent corrosion resisence material,it is widely used on petrifaction device,because of its vivacity and sensibility to heat,welding is becoming the key process on manufacturing titanium device,especially for great titanium lining device.The article combines the structure of pure titanium lining device,the effect of shielding on pure titanium using TIG welding technique and the choice of welding procedure parameters is analyzed,factors influencing the quality are also discussed.
Levocarnitine acetyl has previously been found to significantly prevent axotomy-induced cell death in the spinal cord motor nucleus 9 and 12 months after section of the sciatic nerve in rats. In the present paper, the effects of levocarnitine acetyl on axotomy-induced cell death in the brain stem motor nuclei 90 days after section of the vagus nerve were studied. The right vagus nerve was cut at the neck. To prevent regeneration, a 5 mm-long segment of the vagus nerve was excised and the distal stump was displaced caudally. After surgery, a group of rats (n = 6) was treated with levocarnitine acetyl dissolved in the drinking water (75 mg/kg/day) (Group I). A second group of operated rats (n = 4) received drinking water alone. (Group II). Ninety days postoperatively, in the rats of both groups the proximal nerve stump of the vagus nerve was injected with horseradish peroxidase to label retrogradely the brain stem motoneurons of the dorsal motor vagal and the ambiguus nuclei. The brain stem nuclei were also labelled by horseradish peroxidase in three unoperated control rats (Group III). In the Group II rats, the number of horseradish peroxidase-labelled motoneurons of the dorsal motor vagal nucleus was found to be significantly smaller than in either the Group I (p < 0.01) or the Group III (p < 0.02) animals. In the Group I rats, the number of motoneurons of the dorsal motor vagal nucleus was not significantly smaller compared to the Group III rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We consider an interaction of a spin-3/2 field with the electromagnetic field in the framework of the hard-wall model of AdS/QCD. We write Lagrangian for this interaction including all kinds interaction terms in the bulk of AdS$_{5}$ space and present the scattering matrix element in integrals over the fifth coordinate. Comparing the current matrix element obtained in the boundary of this space with the one known from field theory, we find the vertex function coefficients for the $ gamma^{*} Delta Delta$ interaction vertex. As an example, we apply the obtained coefficients to the computation of the charge form factor $G_{E0}$ for the $ Delta^{+}$ baryon and compare the result with the one obtained in the field theory.
Abstract During the 1981 summer season within a 70 000 km2 area surrounding Miles City, Montana, researchers from approximately twenty institutions participated in the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment (CCOPE). The measurements collected during this project comprise one of the most comprehensive datasets ever acquired in and around individual convective storms on the high plains of North America. Principal data systems utilized during CCOPE included 8 ground-based radar (7 of which had Doppler capability), 12 instrumented research aircraft, and a network of 123 surface stations. A major data processing goal has been to combine these independently acquired mesoscale measurements into a numerical description of observed atmospheric conditions at any point in time. Using the CCOPE data archive as an example, this paper describes the procedures used to reduce these high resolution observations to a common spatial and temporal framework. The final product is a digital description of the environme...
The invention discloses a method of preparing biodiesel in ionic liquid. The method is as follows: acetate ionic liquid is prepared, and an ionic liquid/solid alkali NaOH catalytic system, castor oil and methanol are put in a three-neck flask in proportion for a reaction, reaction temperature is in a range of 20 to 80 DEG C normal-pressure reflux, the amount of a catalyst is 8 to 25%, a ratio of the ionic liquid to NaOH is 1: 3 to 1: 18, a mol ratio of methanol to the oil is 9: 1 to 27: 1, and reaction time is 1.5 to 24 h. The method has the following characteristics: the acetate ionic liquid functions both as a catalyst and a solvent in the reaction, which enables the disadvantage that a traditional solid base catalyst cannot be recycled to be overcome; production cost for the ionic liquid is low, yield of the ionic liquid is high, and the ionic liquid can be repeatedly used, thereby lowering down cost for industrial production of biodiesel; the process of producing biodiesel is simple and clean. According to results of experiments, yield of fatty acid methyl ester can reach as high as 93.4%. Application of the method in preparation of biodiesel enables requirements for energy saving and environmental protection to be better met, and production of a novel clean energy has important significance to solving of energy crisis.
Summary: Floristic-structural analysis of spontaneous little forests in the J. F. Villarino park (Santa Fe, Argentina). The anthropization process in the Pampean grassland has brought about an increasing presence of trees. In this study we analyzed the structure and composition of little forests which have resulted from the spontaneous multiplication of tree species in the J. F. Villarino Park, in Zavalla, Province of Santa Fe, Argentina. Using a plot sampling method, individuals were counted to determine density per species in the upper and treelets strata. Height and DBH of individuals in the upper stratum were recorded. Abundance-coverage of herbaceous and woody species saplings was estimated in the lower stratum. Soil humidity and ground-level light intensity were measured. Data were analyzed using multivariate methods. Three types of little forests were identified: a mixed one, another dominated by Acer negundo and a third with dominance of Ligustrum lucidum. Differences in DBH-height relationship were significant among the three groups. Soil humidity and light intensity did not differ significantly. Young individuals of the dominant species in the upper stratum are found in the under-storey. The lower herbaceous stratum is discontinuous. These forests contain many native species.
This paper surveys certain problems involving numerical characters for ideals I(Z) defining fat points subschemes $Z=m_1p_1+...+m_np_n$ for general points $p_i in { bf P}^2$. It also presents some new results, and includes a suite of MACAULAY 2 scripts for computing actual or conjectured values of (or bounds on) these characters. One such script, for example, is findres, which implements an algorithm due to Fitchett, Harbourne and Holay for computing the syzygy modules in a minimal free resolution of the ideal I(Z) for any such Z with n<=8; since findres does not rely on a Gr "obner basis calculation, it is very fast and can handle very large multiplicities.
Finite element (FE) numerical simulation is an effective tool for analyzing phenomena that cannot be clarified by experimental methods, like most of the biomechanical processes, for example the age-related spinal degeneration processes. Moreover, numerical simulation techniques have the potential to reduce costs and to save time during the development of new effective spinal treatment methods or implants. Consequently, there is a need to obtain more and more realistic and correct numerical models for the very complicated structure, the human spine. In this chapter the FE modeling aspects of the most frequented spinal part, the lumbar spine is presented. After giving a short overview of the anatomy of the lumbar spine, biomechanical effects, loads, internal forces and movements are detailed. Then the three steps of FE modeling procedure, the geometric, material and element/mesh type modeling is discussed, followed by the validation of the complete FE model. Finally, an example for FE numerical simulation closes the chapter.
Objective To evaluate the effects of 561 nm laser in treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).Methods Leakages of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in 32 patients (32 eyes) with CSC were treated by 561 nm laser.Results At 1 month after laser treatment,visual acuity of 32 eyes(65.17±4.22) was higher significantly than that before treatment(47.35±3.26)(P0.01),in which lesions disappeared in 25 eyes(78.12%),symptom improvement in 5 eyes(15.62%),invalid in 2 eyes(6.25%).At 3 months after laser treatment,visual acuity in 25 eyes had been cured ago were stable,visual acuity in 5 eyes had been improved were recovered in 3 eyes,another 2 eyes were stable,but the nerve fiber layer replaced.Symptom improvement and reduced area of sensory retina detachment appeared in 1 eye,RPE leakage stopped after 561 nm laser photocoagulation again in 1 eye,treatment for these 2 eyes were ineffective at 2 months ago.Conclusion 561 nm laser is safe and effective in treatment of CSC.
As an important part of the new construction of Party,the cultivation anddevelopment of the college student Party members of the higher education deserves much attention.The proportion of college student Party members accounts for more and more ratio.So it is a question that all layers of Party organizations must pay great attention and serious consideration to as how to educate the college student Party members,reinforce its conception on the Party ideology and Member ideology and the pioneering function of the Party members according to the new situation.
In bringing to your attention the varied, and frequently bizarre symptoms which characterize the sprue syndrome, it may be thought that I have selected for discussion a disease-state that is rarelv observed in non-tropical climates. Such is not the case, and in support of this statement the experience of two widely separated clinics may be cited. A. M1. Snell' has recently stated that 20 cases have been diagnosed as sprue at the -Mayo Clinic since its foundation, nine of which have been observed by him in the 12 months preceding his report. Snell's patients came from the following states: WVisconsin, MIissouri, Illinois, 'Minnesota, Nebraska, Texas and Washington. Sprue has been reported from AIassachusetts, Ohio, Georgia, NMississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana and Virginia. In a period of 19 months--January, 1935, to August, 1936, we2' 1 have had the opportunity of studying intensively 16 instances of the sprue syndrome at Duke Hospital, whereas in the preceding 4 years this diagnosis was registered only 6 times. During this same period 47 cases of pernicious anemia were adcmitted a ratio of 1:3. It is highly unlikely that the incidence of sprue has suddenly increased, it is far more likely that increasing familiarity with the clinical picture of sprue has resulted in its more frequent recognition. None of these sixteen cases of sprue had ever lived in the tropics and onlNy one had ever lived outside the state of North Carolina. Several hundred cases of the sprue syndrome occurring in non-tropical climates are on recorcl. Celiac disease, which we regard as the infantile analog of sprue, is certainly not a tropical or subtropical malady. The occurrence of the sprue syndrome, then, is not a matter of latitude, but as all modern observers agree, of dietary deficiencies, however produced. The Dutch word "sprouw"' means literally aphthous stomatitis and was first used by Vincent Ketelear in 1669 in describing among the Belgians aphthous stomatitis accompanied by feces so copious
Anxiety and stress are both subjective experiences. An individual’s ability to cope with stressful situations will be determined by the individual’s perception of stress and their individual coping mechanisms. Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) is used by the Irish Fire Services to manage stressful events. Age and longitude of service may influence a firefighters resistance to stress and anxiety levels. The objectives of this research are; to explore if there is a difference in age, longitude and coping mechanisms on stress and anxiety levels, and to determine is problem focused solving is predominantly used as a coping mechanism amongst respondents. Qualitative questions explore Psychological Debriefing/ defusing after a stressful experience and aspects of CISM Fire Fighters currently engage in. Method: A mixed method questionnaire based on CISS and DASS21 is being provided to participants from a full time urban based station providing EMS, and five retained stations. Participants were recruited through cross sectional convenience sampling. Results: A moderate positive correlation between stress and avoidance and a weak positive correlation between stress and social diversion was found. There was a significant association in stress and avoidance distraction and also in stress and emotion orientated coping. Research also found no difference in age and longitude of service and the coping mechanism. Problemfocused coping is the predominant coping mechanism used for Irish based firefighters. Thematic analysis results are also provided. Discussion: Review of findings, limitations of research and implications are discussed.
Objective To accumulate experience of cryopreservation thawed embryo transfer in vitro fertilization. Methods The surplus embryos after in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation (in 20 cases) were all cryopreservated. Given invalidated pregnancy, they would be thawed in a later cycle for another transplantation. Results Among the 20 cases who had received cryopreservation thawed embryo transplantation for 20 cycles, 7 cases achieved clinical pregnancy (with the rate of 35%). Out of the 20 cases, 13 cases received natural-cycle transplantation and 5 of them achieved clinical pregnancy (with the rate of 38.5 %); 7 cases received hormone substitution transplantation and 2 of them achieved clinical pregnancy (with the rate of 28.5 %). In the first case of cryopreservation thawed embryo pregnancy, a boy infant was delivered after 38 weeks conception and the neonate developed well. Conclusion Cryopreservation thawed embryo transplantation can increase the chance of accumutive pregnancy while curb the occurrence of multi pregnancy and the syndrome of excessive ovary stimulation.
Employability is an important task of higher vocational education.The college-students management should concentrate on how to improve the students' quality to enhance the employability and how to improve the management for the effective employment of students.This is also a practical problems to solve.This paper is guided by the Scientific Concept of Development,emancipating and expanding the mind to promote the employment.Also,it focuses on taking effective measures and coping with the changing market demand as well as exploring the operational mode and mechanism to expand employment opportunities.
Management costs in a business system requires planning, budgeting, monitoring and comparing of all kinds of expenses. When calculating a production through the production order system there always seems to appear the same dilemma; which key or keys should be chosen for allocating indirect costs. As a result, in addition to the well-known classical methods for allocating indirect costs, a new method is developed in the form of a Model for allocating indirect costs. By applying the above-mentioned model, the classical methods are omitted from the process of allocation indirect costs, which contributes to an easier and faster planning, monitoring, comparing, and reducing costs.
The AGC/AVC function is an important device for the economical and safe operation of the Three Gorges Left Bank Hydropower Station.The system structure,distribution principle and regulation mode of the AGC/AVC are briefly introduced.In the general design and implementation of the AGC/AVC,the safety issues should be considered for realizing the AGC/AVC function of huge units.Finally,the problems found after the AGC/AVC was put into service are discussed and some solutions are proposed.
The purpose of the study is to examine how teachers and students believe that graphing calculators affect the teaching of high school mathematics courses. By becoming aware of this, teachers and teacher students have the opportunity to reflect on the use of graphing calculators in their teaching. The empirical base consists of interviews with teachers and a survey among students at two high schools in southern Sweden. The results show that teachers especially consider the graphing calculator as a tool, much like paper and pencil. They use it if and when it is deemed able to contribute in a significant way in their teaching, either to save time and/or to help deepen the understanding of various mathematical concepts and methods. One conclusion is that graphing calculators affect teaching in different ways, and increasingly, as the level of the course increases.
Objective:To study the expression and correlation of c-erbB-2 and PTEN in endometrial carcinoma. Methods: S-P immunohistochemistry was used to measure the protein expressions of c-erbB-2 and PTEN in normal endometrium of proliferative phase, endometrial atypical hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma. Results: The positive expression rate of c-erbB-2 in normal endometrium of proliferative phase, endometrial atypical hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma were 0, 40% and 58% respectively; and those of PTEN were 100.0% and 60.0% and 25.8% respectively. The positive expression rate of c-erbB-2 in endometrial carcinoma and the histological differentiation were positively correlated ( P0.05). There was no correlation between the expression rate of c-erbB-2 and PTEN in endometrial carcinoma. Conclusion: There is a correlation between the positive expression of c-erbB-2 and poor prognosis of patients. The deletion of PTEN expression may play a role in the earlier happening of endometrial carcinoma. In the happening of endometrial carcinoma, the inverse coordination with c-erbB-2 and PTEN is also uncertain.
Interchangeable lens unit (3) having a left-eye optical system (OL), holding the left-eye optical system (OL) of the eye lens holder (35L) and the lens frame (36). The lens frame (36) having a support portion for the left eye on the left side of the guide (42L) with a lens holder (35L) is moved in the direction of the left-eye optical axis (AL) of. Having a left-eye lens holder (35L) arranged on the left side with respect to the support part (42L) slidably front protrusion (62), the front protrusion (62) configured and disposed over the Y-axis direction so as to be spaced apart with respect to the left-side support portion (42L) slidably rear protrusion (67). Left support portion (42L) interposed side projections (62) and the rear protrusion (67) between the front.
Of 800 patients suffering from malignant schizophrenia for 20 years and longer a group of 94 patients showing signs of the process stabilization was selected. In a part of them (76 patients), residual positive disturbances (isolated, gradually subsiding hallucinatory manifestations not accompanied with any delusional interpretations) were noted. In the rest 18 patients, the clinical picture was characterized by personality changes according to the type of a monotonous activity or apathetic debility. Prolonged absence of positive disturbances and exacerbations in these patients suggests that the morbid process in them got stabilized (residual state). This type of the schizophrenia outcome is not an indispensable stage of the psychosis termination, and is observed rather infrequently-according to the author's data, in 2% of cases only.
The influence of histones, protamine, pronase E and albumin on the corticosterone amount in the blood of rats has been studied. It is shown that injection of 10 and 100 (or 500) mkg of histones per 100 g of body weight leads to a decrease of the corticosterone amount in the blood 24 and 5 h (respectively) later. Irrespective of the injection way (intra-abdominal or per os), a dose of 500 mkg of histones per 100 g of body weight decreases the corticosterone amount in blood by 96%, already 5 h later and, after 24 h the corticosterone amount is practically undetermined. In all cases regeneration of the corticosterone amount in blood is observed after 48 h, and besides, the regeneration extent is inversely proportional to the extent of the corticosterone amount decrease in the first hours of the histone injection. After digestion of 500 mkg of histones with 10 mkg of pronase E during 10 min at 37 degrees C and following injection of this mixture, the corticosterone amount in blood decreases but to much less extent than with injection of the same quantity of intact histones. After more intensive digestion (500 mkg of histones with 50 mkg of pronase E during 30 min at 37 degrees C), histones do not decrease the corticosterone amount in blood but they increase it 5 h after the injection, and then exert no influence on the corticosterone amount. The protamine injection does not influence the corticosterone amount in the first hours but increases it 48 h later. Injection of pronase E and albumin increases the corticosterone amount in blood.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Federal regulation of securities offerings has become less mandatory. Over the last twenty years, Congress, the courts and the SEC have been rethinking the Securities Act of 1933 and its regulatory tenets of manager informational shirking and investor helplessness. No longer is the prototypical investor our guileless grandmother, but is now our savvy rich uncle. This article asserts, as a positive matter, that federal regulation of securities offerings has come to accept party choice far more than acknowledged. Issuers can choose from richly-layered disclosure levels, offering methods, and even warranty-liability standards--all avoiding the strict disclosure/liability regime imagined by the Securities Act. Yet, despite this choice, there is strong evidence that investor informational demands in securities offerings often compel issuers to disclose at levels beyond that mandated--as a private, contractual matter. As a normative matter, this article proposes that the SEC exercise its rulemaking powers to adopt an enabling legal structure so firms can choose the disclosure level appropriate for their securities offerings. (The proposal is limited to offering transactions, not ongoing disclosure by publicly-traded companies to trading markets.) Intermediated by markets and securities professionals, the disclosure aspects of the issuer-investor relationship in securities offerings (like other relational aspects subject to state-based corporate law) should be a matter of choice, giving issuers the latitude to supply the firm-specific information that investors demand and that they are willing to pay for. The federal disclosure regime would evolve as a set of options in which issuers choose disclosure and liability levels sought by investors--ranging from full-fledged "SEC certified" mandatory disclosure plus warranty-like antifraud liability to "non-certified" disclosure subject only to minimal antifraud liability. The article considers the advantages of the SEC as form-giver and the viability of disclosure choice resting on a mandatory informational floor of Rule 10b-5 fraud liability. Investors rely on a rich variety of non-prospectus signaling devices--principally from securities professionals and markets--in making investment decisions. Disclosure choice in securities offerings would shine the spotlight, even more brightly, on those who provide securities intermediation.
Obuective:To observe the serum level of microelements from preoperative patients with pectus excavatum.Methods:With atom absorption and flame way,the levels of serum microelements of 26 cases with pectus excavatum were measured.Result:Of the 26 patients,the levels of calcium and copper were decreased.Conclusion:The levels of calcium and copper in serum were lower in patients with pectus excavatum.They should be supplied.The foods rich in calcium and copper should be supplied additionally in order to fulfill the regeneration requirement of the costal cartilages.
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia is the phenomenon of a spurious low platelet count due to antiplatelet antibodies that cause platelet clumping in blood anticoagulated with EDTA. The aggregation of platelets in EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia is usually prevented by other anticoagulants, such as sodium citrate. EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia has never been associated with hemorrhagic diathesis or platelet dysfunction. In this article, a 2,5-year-old boy with EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia is presented because of rare presentation. We report that EDTA can induce platelet clumping, and thus spuriously low platelet counts. However, aggregation of platelets was not detected in blood samples with sodium citrate, and platelet count was normal.
Taking the opportunity of implementing teacher position appointment in NUST,it makes a practical study on management model of position appointment.The article analyses that the university implements the purpose of the management mode of system of position appointment of a teacher of sports,principle,method and result.It has shown that it implements the system of position appointment management mode,reflects the "open,fair,just principle",sports working attitude.The role of their change,quality,scientific research level and contest achievement is obviously raised in teaching,the distribution system is more scientific and rational.The obtained successful experiences provide good references and models for those departments of PE in colleges and universities that are implementing or will be implementing the position appointment.
The rapid development of modern information technology has brought about profound changes in educational thoughts, goals, content, methods, environment, and evaluation. As a compulsory course for sports training majors basketball specialized course has to face the new era of the information technology integration. And the pointcut of information technology integrating application gradually become the key to teaching reform of the course. This paper analyzes the fusion of basketball teaching tasks and modern educational information technology achievements, and makes a directional exploration of the problem, providing a basis for the further implementation of basketball specialized courses reform and information technology integration development.
Floating method is an advanced teachnology for manufacture of glass plate. In floating manufacture line, the shaping segment is the key part for quality control. The measurement of temperature distribution across the glass plate in this segment is the prerequisite for optimum temperature research and control. In this paper, the possibilily of using infrared vidicon to mesure the temperature distribution of glass plate is analysed. Methods for raising the measuring accuracy are also discussed. Experiment results verify the analysis.
Sensor, in particular a Hall sensor, comprising a sensor element (1; 10) (6; 20) which emits a an interfering signal (STS) containing sensor signal (SS), having an evaluation device, with the sensor element (1; 10) and a includes that the jamming signal (STS) from the sensor signal (SS) is subtracted, wherein the sensor includes a filter means (3) that the noise signal (STS) from the sensor signal (SS) filters out and a band-pass; subtractor (21 2) or a high-pass filter means (5; 25) which controls a counter or integrator (26) whose count value / sum value corresponds to the value of the interference signal, wherein the counter / integrator (26), a digital-to-analog converter (27) is connected downstream, which converts the counter value / sum value to an analog signal, and wherein the sensor includes a chopper (chopper, 15) which alternately inverts the signal present at its input and not inverted, and the output of the chopper (chopper, 15) with a em demodulator (24) is connected.
The Hamiltonian of an evolving Universe is shown to be formally equivalent to that of a driven quantum system, whose driving follows from the temporal dependence of the spacetime metric. This analogy allows insights from the field of driven quantum systems to be applied to cosmological settings. In particular, it is shown that periodic cyclic cosmologies are generically prohibited (except under certain limiting constraints) due to their correspondence with periodically-driven quantum systems (which are typically expected to experience unbounded heating in the infinite future). This result highlights how future work on non-periodically-driven quantum systems is required to fully describe the dynamics of more general cyclic cosmologies (for which a qualitative picture is briefly discussed).
PURPOSE: An advertising system based on the community on the internet and the method thereby are provided to display a specified advertisement by analyzing the disposition of a community service user based on chatting, a visitors book, bulletin boards on the internet. CONSTITUTION: A chatting server is comprised of an interaction control part(110), a history space(130), a history controller(120), an advertisement space(140) and an advertisement controller(150). The interaction control part(110) provides an interaction service to the users of a community system and collects interaction contents to be stored in the history space(130). The history controller(120) stores interaction contents in the history space(130). An RIA(Real time Interactive Advertisement) system(200) is composed of a history analysis server(210), a banner search server(220), a word DB(230), a banner DB(240), a banner control server(250) and a banner management server(260). The history analysis server(210) compares and analyzes interaction contents, transmitted from history space(130), through the word DB(230). The banner search server(220) extracts banner advertisements corresponding to keywords from the banner DB(240).
The invention discloses a weak signal detection and transmitting module of a neutral beam injector control system. The module comprises an FPGA control module and a light power generation module, wherein the FPGA control module is in control connection with a weak signal processing module, an analog signal acquisition module and a bus communication module; a signal output end of the weak signal processing module is connected with a signal input end of the analog signal acquisition module; and the FPGA control module is in communication connection with a system bus through the bus communication module. The module can intelligently adjust the weak signal detection and transmitting process to achieve high-speed transmission and high-voltage isolation of weak signals.
Based on thorough comprehensive investigation of basic situation foundation of passenger transportation in Panzhihua City,this article has analyzed the main problem and its reason,and has proposed the concrete solution and measures that the future will do well in the city passenger transportation work;the constructive countermeasure is provided for the department concerned for the leadership decision-making as the possible reference basis.
Samples of juvenile sporophyte of Laminaria japonica were collected from breeding house near city of Rongcheng and Weihai, Shandong peninsula. Alginic acid decomposing bacteria were isolated from the seaweeds surface. Study on distribution and infection of the bacteria was then studied. At 22℃, isolation and purification of the bacteria were performed. Verification and correlation analysis between the number of heterotrophic bacteria and the decayed juvenile sporophytes was carried out. Results showed that the total number of heterotrophic bacteria (1.22×10 8 cfu/g) on infected juvenile sporophyte in seeding net was 100 times higher than that from normal cultivars: (1.11—1.15)×10 6 cfu/g, and that the number of alginic acid decomposing bacteria (4.88×10 7 cfu/g) was up to 100—500 times of that of the latter [(0.8—4.3)×10 5 cfu/g]. Compared with normal Laminaria juvenile sporophyte, the total number of heterotrophic bacteria from infected and dead sporophyte was ten times higher, and the number of alginic acid decomposing bacteria was about 200 times higher. It is estimated that the alginic acid decomposing bacteria took about 61.98% of the total of heterotrophic bacteria. Re-infection tests indicated that the alginic acid decomposing bacteria was insensitive to high temperature, even though the occurrence of decayed juvenile sporophytes was at 6℃. The optimal temperature for growth of the isolated alginic acid decomposing bacteria was about 20℃. It will be time consuming and laborious if only isolated at 6℃, and will hinder the normal growth of alginic acid decomposing bacteria. Lab study on the heterotrophic bacteria behavior indicated that the decayed Laminaria tissues occurred at 15℃ but 6℃. Dense population of farming and complicated bacterial function could be the possible reasons. Some alginic acid decomposing bacteria isolated form the healthy juvenile sporophyte showed a moderate ability for decomposing alginic acid sodium at 25℃ but exhibited a strong ability against the infection at 15℃. While those from the decayed juvenile sporophytes or strong decomposition of alginic acid sodium at 25℃ did not showed the strong ability for infected the algal tissue at 15℃, this may ascribed to the culture conditions under different temperatures and re-infected algal materials. Our re-infected tests proved that the alginic acid decomposing bacteria is opportunistic pathogen to the Laminaria sporophyte. Close co-relation existed between the decay of Laminaria and the alginic acid decomposing bacteria, this indicated that the de-attached juvenile sporophyte will possibly resulted in the fluctuation of alginic acid decomposing bacteria. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the de-attached juvenile sporophyte immediately when it occurred in the breeding seawater system, otherwise, the breeding seawater contaminated with de-attached juvenile sporophyte would cause the huge increase of alginic acid decomposing bacteria, and eventually led to the decay or de-attachment of juvenile sporophyte.
The great prairie lawyer Abraham Lincoln once tory lists, during the past twenty years, only six said of an opposing legal counsel's argument, articles dealing with the subject and no books. "He caught on to something, but only by the These numbers stand in sharp contrast to the hind leg."1 Lincoln's observation applies with more than sixty entries and two major books equal force to our current understanding of the on southern legal history and the more than legal culture of the Great Plains, and even that twenty articles devoted to the legal culture of characterization is generous. Take, for example, the Rocky Mountain and Pacific states.3 Our the literature on the region's history of public ignorance about the legal culture of the Great and private law and legal institutions. It is piti- Plains is even more sobering when we realize fully small. Bits and pieces are scattered through that in the past century scholars of American
The object of this paper is to extend the concept of β-admissible for multivalued mappings due to Mohammadi et al. [B. Mohammadi, S. Rezapour and N. Shahzad, Some results on fixed points of α-ψ-Ciric generalized multifunctions, Fixed Point Theory and Applications 2013 (2013), 24] to fuzzy mappings and utilize this concept to prove a common α-fuzzy fixed point theorem for a pair of fuzzy mappings. We also give illustrative example which demonstrate the validity of the hypotheses of our results. Some related results to common fixed point for multivalued mappings are also derived from the main result.
Consultancy report for Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Victoria  Review of the blackberry biocontrol proposal. A critical review of the scientific merit, feasibility and quality of the proposal entitled "Development of effective biological control of European blackberry. A proposal to develop Purple Blotch Disease as a biological control agent for blackberry." The review also outlines current knowledge about the pathogen and host in terms of information needed to complete the next stage of a successful biological control program.
Dissolution kinetics for pits and crevices in aluminum and the effect of dichromate ions on the dissolution kinetics were investigated by using artificial crevice electrodes. The aluminum artificial crevice electrodes were potentiostatically polarized over a range of potential in 0.1 M NaCl solution with and without dichromate ions. The anodic dissolution charge, and cathodic charges for the hydrogen and dichromate reduction reactions, were measured. The addition of dichromate ions did not suppress the active dissolution. This indicates that the mechanism of localized corrosion inhibition by dichromates is something other than anodic inhibition of Al dissolution in the pit or crevice environment. The relative amount of local cathodic reactions on Al was increased by the addition of dichromate because of the dichromate reduction. The initial dissolution of aluminum in a crevice was ohmic controlled. From the change in the dissolution current with time, the conductivity of the crevice and potential at the bottom of crevice were estimated. The conductivity and the bottom potential decreased with the ratio of cathodic charge of hydrogen evolution to anodic dissolution charge. The conductivity in the crevice and thus the dissolution current seem to be controlled by hydrogen evolution and only indirectly by dichromate concentration.
The asphalt paving industry is facing two major challenges. These include increased demands for environmentally friendly paving mixtures and increasing costs of raw materials. To address these challenges, it has been suggested to incorporate WMA technology additives and more Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) into new HMA mixtures. In this study, the influence of the dose of two WMA additives (Advera and Sasobit) on the composite binder properties, mixture workability, and mixture durability was investigated. Two Superpave mixtures, a 12.5mm with 10% RAP and a 19.0mm with 25% RAP, were used for this study. Binder testing showed that the addition of Sasobit at a dose of 1.5% and 3.0% by weight of the binder changed the performance grade of the binder and decreased the binder viscosity. The addition of Advera at dosages of 0.1% and 0.3% by weight of mixture did not change the performance grade of the binder and only marginally changed the binder viscosity. Workability testing on the mixtures showed that both WMA additives improved the workability of the mixtures containing RAP at any of dosages tested. Durability testing showed that all the WMA additives tested at any dose increased the moisture susceptibility of the mixture. This indicated that for particular WMA additives anti-strip may be required in order to produce a durable mixture. Furthermore, durability testing may be an integral step when developing a mix design procedure for mixtures with WMA additives.
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TENS), electroacupuncture (EA), and ice massage with placebo treatment for the treatment of pain. Subjects (n = 100) diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee were treated with these modalities. The parameters for evaluating the effectiveness of treatment include pain at rest, stiffness, 50 foot walking time, quadriceps muscle strength, and knee flexion degree. The results showed (a) that all three methods could be effective in decreasing not only pain but also the objective parameters in a short period of time; and (b) that the treatment results in TENS, EA and ice massage were superior to placebo.
Object: In this paper an overview is presented of the enduring efforts of physicians to control aggressive and disinhibited behaviors irrespective of the nosological context. Compounds that are thought to have a specific antiaggressive effect are called serenics. Method: First, a selective review of the historical concepts is outlined together with the treatment modalities. Second, the pharmacological approaches are described that have been developed since the introduction of psychotropics. Results: From ancients times on several herbal sedatives and containment strategies have been used to control manifestations of aggression. In the second half of the past century, all psychotropics have been advanced as a potential treatment. The results, however, are only aspecific. During the past decade, animal experiments have shown that systemic administration of specific serotonin receptor antagonists may exert behavioral specific effects. Conclusions: So far no specific pharmacological treatment is available for aggressive behaviors. Modern research suggests that aggressive behavior should be studied as a separate functional disorder across diagnostic boundaries.
Objective To observe clinical effect of autogenous fat granulation transplantation on the nasolabial fold.Methods Using syringe suction abdomen or thighs inside and outside subcutaneous fat under tumescent anaesthesia,in order to obtain fat granulation.Then filling it to the sag parts of the nasolabial fold.Results There were 73 cases were underwent with this operation.Among them 10 cases were filled three times,54 cases were filled twice and 9 cases were filled only once,and all of them reached the ideal result.Conclusion Filling sag parts of the nasolabial fold with autogenous fat granulation is an ideal and effective method and it is worth to application and dissemination.
The problem of cerebral arteriospasm following rupture of intracranial aneurysm is analysed comprehensively in the clinical, angiographic, electroencephalographic and, particularly, neurosurgical aspects in a group of 51 cases. Seventy-six patients without arteriospasm after aneurysm rupture served as controls. It was found that cerebral arteriospasm caused deterioration of the preoperative condition of the patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage and influenced unfavourably the results of surgical treatment of patients with intracranial aneurysm.
Feeding tube insertion is a basic routine procedure. Little has been written on how to check for placement of small bore nasointestinal feeding tubes. A major risk is accidental placement of the tube into the respiratory system. We report a case of accidental tracheal intubation of feeding tube in an intubated, polytrauma patient. The patient was shifted to intensive care unit (ICU) for ventilatory support in the post-operative period. He was weaned off the ventilator and enteral feeding was planned by the third post-operative day. Immediately after feeding tube insertion the patient developed respiratory distress. Mechanical ventilation was resumed. On re examination, the feeding tube was found to be in the trachea. It was immediately removed. The condition of the patient improved thereafter.
The aim of this study was to establish oral carriage of Candida and possible factors associated to their virulence in young adults and their relation with local and general situations considered as predisposing factors. Samples were obtained from dorsum tongue in 70 students attending the Faculty of Dentistry (University of Buenos Aires) average age: 23, all in healthy oral conditions. Of these, 21.42% were Candida positive. These samples were seeded in CHROMagar. Candida identification was completed in milk agar and Fungichrom 1. The following species were identified: 11 Candida albicans (C.a), 2 Candida parapsilosis (C.p) and 1 Candida glabrata (C.g). In one case, 2 species (C.a and C.g) were isolated in the same sample. Virulence was determined as adherence capacity by biofilm or in vitro plaque formation and hydrophobicity. Different host factors were analyzed statistically to establish their importance as predisposing factors to allow Candida colonization. Adherence of C.a. was found to be similar in all C.a. strains, whereas significant differences were found between C.a. and C.p. and between C.a. and C.g. Only the antiseptic mouthrinse and the diet were significant among the considered factors.
In the contemporary media landscape, gender violence has achieved great visibility. However, the media still struggle to represent the complexity of violence perpetrated by men against women in its various forms – femicide, domestic violence (DV), intimate partner violence and violence against women. The narratives that represent such violence as an expression of individual deviance or as a crime of passion are still the most widespread both in fictional and factual products. This chapter will look at a case study by applying a multiperspective methodology of femicide and DV in an Italian town. In particular, the exemplary case study presented here was constructed by analysing newspaper articles, social networks and one television broadcast. The first part of the chapter is dedicated to the analysis of literature on femicide, DV and gender violence in relation to studies and research on media coverage, with particular reference to Italian studies. The second part presents the methodology applied in the research. The third part presents the outcomes regarding the analysis of the narrative, highlighting the frames that characterise it. Finally, the fourth part shows the conclusion that can be derived.
Towards the goal of on-line monitoring of transient neutral intermediates during electrochemical reactions, an electrochemistry-neutral reionization-mass spectrometry (EC-NR-MS) technique was developed in this work. The EC-NR setup consisted of a customized EC flow cell, a sonic spray ionization source, a heating tube, an ion deflector and an electrospray ionization source, which were respectively used for the precise control of the electrochemical reaction, solution nebulization, droplet desolvation, ion deflection and neutral intermediate ionization. Based on the EC-NR-MS approach, some long-sought neutral radicals including TPrA˙, DBAE˙ and TEOA˙, which belong to important reductive intermediates in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) reactions, were successfully identified which helps to clarify the previously unproven ECL reaction mechanism. These findings were also supported by spin-trapping experiments and the tandem MS technique. Accordingly, the EC-NR-MS method provides a direct solution for studying complicated electrochemical reactions, especially for detecting short-lived neutral radicals as well as ionic intermediates.
An experiment was conducted during 2006 revealed that among different weed control methods with oryzalin, application of oryzalin @ 3 Kg ha along with HW at 30 DAS or application of oryzalin @ 4.5 Kg ha along with HW at 30 DAS or hand weeding at 15 DAS and 30 DAS produced yield of seeds in soybean, Number of pods / plant and Number of seeds / pod which were statistically at par, but produced significantly better result than rest all other treatments-by reducing the weed population and their dry matter. In case of test weight all the treatments effects are non-significant. Now, maximum profitability (benefit: cost ratio) was obtained in the treatment where oryzalin @3 Kg ha is applied along with hand weeding at 30 DAS. It was observed that with the increasing dose of oryzalin, persistence of oryzalin in soil also increased. In case of residue analysis, the residues of the herbicide were found in soil up to 30 days after spraying. The residues remains below detectable limit in all harvest samples i.e. plant, pods and field soil.
The problem of constructing models in the form of decision trees based on data samples with missing values is considered. A new method of the identification of decision trees, which uses the theory of confidence functions to work in conditions of parameters uncertainty in solving the problem of automatic classification is proposed. The developed method allows us to identify the structure and parameters of decision trees. Tabl.:1. Refs.: 9 titles
AIMS Older people experiencing mental distress are commonly overlooked in research and policy in New Zealand, partly due to lack of consistent national service provision and collation of information. This study aimed to: 1. Describe service arrangements for older people's mental health; 2. Describe mental health service use from age 65, where data is available.   METHODS DHBs were surveyed to determine mental health service delivery and funding models for adults aged 65 and older. PRIMHD was used to explore demographic and clinical characteristics of older people using mental health services in Northern and Midland DHBs between 2009 and 2015.   RESULTS DHBs vary in funding, access and reporting arrangements for older people's mental health services. Most services provide information into PRIMHD, but this is often partially complete. In the Northern and Midland regions, 2.2 % of older adults access specialist mental health services. People aged 65-74 were more likely to have previously used mental health services, live in deprived areas, have functional mental health conditions and have high treatment intensity than older age groups.   CONCLUSIONS National consistency in data collection and service delivery for older people is needed. Further investigation is needed to understand the needs of people with prior mental health service contact.
Disclosed is a processing technology utilizing an electrosparking device control system. A device comprises an electrosparking head (10), a lifting device (101), a stand column (102), a workbench (103), a workpiece (105) and a processing medium providing device (104). The lifting device (101) can vertically move along the stand column (102), therefore, the electrosparking head (10) can ascend and descend, the processing medium providing device (104) is borne on the workbench (103), and the workpiece (105) is arranged in processing media in the processing medium providing device (104).
office. During more than 30 years of practice, Mr. Ivans has served as lead counsel in numerous complex business, corporate, real estate and real estate finance transactions. These transactions have involved mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, formations of business entities and joint ventures, employment and non-competition agreements, shareholder agreements, corporate governance, licensing and franchise agreements, arbitration of disputes arising out of the sale of a business, real property acquisitions and development, construction law, condominium and planned unit development, formation and governance of condominium and homeowner associations, commercial leasing, and real estate and asset backed finance transactions on behalf of both lenders and borrowers. He also has substantial experience counseling businesses in situations involving financially troubled companies, advising both debtors and creditors of their alternatives in these situations. During the course of his career, Mr. Ivans has represented foreign and domestic clients of all sizes, from large business entities to start-up businesses, financial institutions, and individuals conducting transactions throughout the United States.
Based on the instance of processing a mould part and the characteristic of applying HSM and EDM to process mould cavity,the paper expounded the method and analysed the technique of technologic design for processing mould cavity,Elaborate the technologic process of machining mould cavity and apply it to practice,the result indicate that applying HSM and EDM with reason can improve quality and productivity.
Abstract : This patent application discloses an immunochromatographic assay for quantitation of a biological substrate such as hepatitis B antibody in which strips of nitrocellulose acetate filter paper are uniformly coated with a specific binding material for the substrate, such as hepatitis B surface antigen, after which non-specific binding sites on the strips are blocked with proteinaceous material, such as serum albumin. Sample solutions containing unknown amounts of substrate are allowed to migrate up each strip so that the specific binding material will bind the substrate, the area occupied by bound substrate corresponding to the concentration of substrate in the sample solution. The presence of bound substrate is determined by immersing in a solution containing a complex of specific antibody for the bound substrate, such as anti-immunoglobulin, and an indicator activating agent, such as peroxidase enzyme. The strips are then rinsed to remove excess unbound complex, and immersed in an indicator solution, such as a solution of 4-chloro-1-naphthol and hydrogen peroxide. Peroxidase mediated oxidation of the indicator produces a dark blue chromophore precipitate marking the presence of substrate on the strip.
Based on the data of releasing and enhancement of Shandong Marine Fishing and Production Management Station, author has entirely summarized the experiences and achievements on releasing and enhancement works in Shandong Province for the last twenty years. The results showed that the main species of the early releasing was Fenneropenaeus chinensis, and others, like fish, seashell and other species, were gradually increases after 1990. In 2005, "the Action Plan of the Restoration of Fisheries Resources in Shandong Province" has been started, and large scale releasing and enhancement activities have also been started. So far, there are more than 18 enhancement species, in which crustacean species are absolute majority. There are significant ecological, economic and social benefits. Author finally summarized both national and international development trends of releasing and enhancement, and proposed demands and objective of industrial development.
Effect experiment of organic fertilization on growth of the seedling of Altingia excelsa was conducted by using single-factor design.The results showed that:(1) Fertilization significantly affected the seedling density,Basal diameter,Height and lateral branch.(2) With increasing of fertilizer,seedling density was trend to decrease.(3) The rate of fertilizer between 0.0 and 3.0 kg/ m2,the Basal diameter increased with the fertilizer increasing;when it more than 3.0 kg/ m2,Basal diameter of all treatments were not significant difference.(4) When fertilizer rate was 0.0 ～ 7.0 kg/ m2,Height increased with increasing of the fertilizer;the Height growth was inhibited when it exceeded 8.0 kg/ m2.(5) There was a positive correlation between the lateral branches and fertilizer when the fertilizer rate was 0.0 ～ 7.0 kg/ m2,when it exceeded 7.0 kg/m2,the growth of lateral branches were inhibited.(6) There was a significant correlation for every two parameters except the density and lateral branches,and it was negative correlation between density and Height as well as Basal diameter,however,between Basal diameter and Height as well as lateral branch,there was a positive correlation.
Characteristics of etching and induced surface morphology variation by wet-etching of n-type GaN were investigated using phosphoric acidic solutions. Generally, the etch-rate was increased as the temperature of the etch solutions was increased, and the highest etch rate of about 300 A/min was achieved at the temperature of 180℃. The morphology variation of the etched surface was observed by optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Initially, high density of hexagonal holes or pits were formed on the etched surface at the time of 40 min with the bimodal size of 20 μm or 5 μm, respectively. However, as the etching time was increased further, the lateral size of the hexagonal holes or pits was increased, and finally, joined and merged together at the time of 100 min. This means that the etching of n-type GaN by phosphoric acidic solutions proceeded through the lateral widening and the merging of initial holes and pits.
We construct representations of the braid groups B_n on n strands on free Z[q,q^-1,s,s^-1]-modules W_{n,l} using generic Verma modules for an integral version of quantum sl_2. We prove that the W_{n,2} are isomorphic to the faithful Lawrence Krammer Bigelow representations of B_n after appropriate identification of parameters of Laurent polynomial rings by constructing explicit integral bases and isomorphism. We also prove that the B_n-representations W_{n,l} are irreducible over the fractional field Q (q,s).
The purpose of this thesis is to present, classify and analyze the special finishing operations of the printing substrates and their surfaces. The special finishing operations are employed in various categories of print materials like front pages, packages and labels, in order to give them additional characteristics of special value. These characteristics refer to the embedding of durability, safety, protection and improved appearance. The presentation, recording, classification and analysis of the modern technological advances concerning the special finishing operations highlight the significance of the special finishing operations and the role they play in adding value to the various print materials by embedding particular characteristics of special value.
The purpose of this study is to survey the vocabulary m elementary school Korean text according 7th curriculum. This study has been analyzed according to the frequency of use, phonological aspects, morphologic parts and lexical m order The number of vocabulary surveyed is 15,830 individual vocabularies and 272,683 total vocabularies.  In spite of their heterogeneous research, high frequency vocabularies contain such vocabularies as 'see(보다), exist(있다), do(하다), something(것), etc'  In phonological analysis, as an intial sound at the first letter, when it is analyzed as consonants and vowels, vocabularies beginning with vowels are 16.54%, and then vocabularies with consonants are ㄱ(12 59%), ㅅ(11.18%) and ㅈ(9 64%) in order. ㄹ is the least as 0 23%.  In morphological analysis, the rate of parts speech represents that the frequency has the following sequence noun, verb, adverb, adjective in distribution situation of word formation, it represents a single word  In syllabic analysis, it represents dissyllabic, trisyllabic quarter syllabic m order, The longest word of syllable is 12 and the word is 담색긴꼬리까마귀부전나비  In lexical analysis the distribution situation of kinds words shows the following a word derived Chinese character(48 98%), a native tongue, a mixed words and a naturalize word in order (Chinju National University of Education)
Until recent years, management review of the middle and small business has been carried through by the way of dialectically qualitative analysis, which makes it very difficult to eliminate the influence of contrived factors. In this paper, a compositive appraisal model of management review is brought up on the basis of fuzzy mathematics to quantify the factors and goals in the quantitative problems for the middle and small businesses.
Patient engagement has been identified as a key strategy for improving patient outcomes. In this paper, we describe the development and pilot testing of a web-based patient centered toolkit (PCTK) prototype to improve access to health information and to engage hospitalized patients and caregivers in the plan of care. Individual and group interviews were used to identify plan of care functional and workflow requirements and user interface design enhancements. Qualitative methods within a participatory design approach supported the development of a PCTK prototype that will be implemented on intensive care and oncology units to engage patients and professional care team members developing their plan of care during an acute hospitalization.
Crowd-scale discussion platforms are receiving great attention as potential next-generation methods for democratic citizen platforms. Such platforms require support functions that can efficiently achieve a consensus, reasonably integrate ideas, and discourage flaming. We are developing several crowd-scale discussion platforms and conducting social experiments with private citizens. The aim of this paper is to present an implementation of the automated facilitation agent that facilitate online crowd discussion and demonstrate the result of our large scale social experiment with Nagoya local government. Our automated facilitation agent extracts discussion structures from text discussions, analyzes them, and posts facilitation messages. The experiment results demonstrate that the automated facilitation agent worked quite well.
International surveys show persistent inequalities in the French school system between native French students and students who are children of immigrants. This finding highlights the need to develop specific programs for these children to promote equal opportunities and academic success for everyone at school, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education. The present article describes an innovative program in the areas of prevention and inclusive education, namely transcultural mediation in school environments. This program was inspired by a transcultural approach in schools and the transcultural mediation system. Our research findings on the impact of transcultural mediation in school show that this type of mediation is a tool for school inclusion, particularly (although not exclusively) well-suited to children of immigrants experiencing school inclusion difficulties.
In recent years, the importance of the environmental agenda for the industry has been rising exponentially at the international level. Additionally, increasing consumers’ awareness on the environmental impact of their consumption choices and their willingness to reduce their ecological footprint has created new market  opportunities for manufacturers. Sustainable green practices have become the conscientious imperative  expected from all manufacturing industries due to rising environmental awareness among today’s society.Therefore, the objectives of this research were to determine the extent of green initiatives implementation in Electrical and Electronics (E&E) manufacturing SMEs as well as to examine the relationship between those practices and sustainable green practices.The quantitative data was obtained through a survey of 260 E&E manufacturing SMEs located throughout Malaysia. Analysis of the findings showed that there is  an encouraging level of sustainable green practice implementation among the SMEs, with optimization of water conservation initiative as being the top priority and followed by energy efficiency.The result also revealed that waste management initiative not significantly affected sustainable green practices.The findings of this research provide new directions for future research and key implications concern the importance for firms and policymakers to work with sustainability issues using both internal and external perspectives.
In order to obtain optimum pre-treatment methods and improve T-N and T-P removal efficiencies, removal rates of pollutants in small-scale livestock wastewater treatment apparatus with water plant filtration bed or activated sludge tank were investigated. Based on the results from the optimum pre-treatment in small-scale livestock wastewater treatment apparatus, removal efficiencies of pollutants in livestock wastewater treatment plant with water plant filtration and activated sludge beds. The removal rates of COD, SS, T-N, and T-P in effluent were 83, 89, 63 and 87% in small-scale livestock wastewater treatment apparatus with water plant filtration bed, respectively. The removal rates of COD, SS, T-N, and T-P in effluent were 96, 95, 86 and 92% in small-scale livestock wastewater treatment apparatus with activated sludge tank, respectively. For increasing the COD, SS, T-N, and T-P removals in small-scale livestock wastewater treatment apparatus, the water plant filtration and activated sludge beds are recommended. In livestock wastewater treatment plant with water plant filtration (1 st treatment) and activated sludge (2 nd treatment) beds, the concentrations of COD, SS, T-N, and T-P in effluent were 39, 15, 42 and 1 mg L -1 , respectively. It was shown that the concentrations of COD, SS, T-N, and T-P met acceptable effluent quality standard for livestock wastewater. Based on the above results, the removal rates of COD, SS, T-N, and T-P in effluent were over 99.8, 99.9, 99.2, and 99.9% in livestock wastewater treatment plant, respectively.
Many of the ordinal regression models that have been proposed in the literature can be seen as methods that minimize a convex surrogate of the zero-one, absolute, or squared loss functions. A key property that allows to study the statistical implications of such approximations is that of Fisher consistency. Fisher consistency is a desirable property for surrogate loss functions and implies that in the population setting, i.e., if the probability distribution that generates the data were available, then optimization of the surrogate would yield the best possible model. In this paper we will characterize the Fisher consistency of a rich family of surrogate loss functions used in the context of ordinal regression, including support vector ordinal regression, ORBoosting and least absolute deviation. We will see that, for a family of surrogate loss functions that subsumes support vector ordinal regression and ORBoosting, consistency can be fully characterized by the derivative of a real-valued function at zero, as happens for convex margin-based surrogates in binary classification. We also derive excess risk bounds for a surrogate of the absolute error that generalize existing risk bounds for binary classification. Finally, our analysis suggests a novel surrogate of the squared error loss. We compare this novel surrogate with competing approaches on 9 different datasets. Our method shows to be highly competitive in practice, outperforming the least squares loss on 7 out of 9 datasets.
The utility model relates to a testing device capable of simulating uniform-flow vortex-induced vibration of a submarine pipeline, which is characterized by comprising a false simulation bottom arranged in a towing tank, the two ends of the false simulation bottom respectively penetrates through a column in a sliding way, the top ends of the two columns are both connected onto a towing vehicle arranged on the towing tank, the middle lower parts of the two columns are respectively provided with an end support structure, and the two end support structures are respectively connected with a corresponding shaft end of a submarine pipeline model; and a measurement and analysis system is arranged in the towing tank. The testing device has a delicate structure, the submarine pipeline model can be horizontally arranged in the towing tank, the vortex-induced vibration can be simulated under the uniform flow, the actual submarine conditions and the actual submarine pipeline can also be simulated, and the testing time is longer. Therefore, the testing device can be widely applied in testing of the vortex-induced vibration of the submarine pipeline.
In this report, we have modelled a secondary active co-transporter (symport and antiport), based on the classical kinetics model. Michaelis-Menten model of enzyme kinetics for a single substrate, single intermediate enzyme catalyzed reaction was proposed more than a hundred years ago. However, no single model for the kinetics of co-transport of molecules across a membrane is available in the literature We have made several simplifying assumptions and have followed the basic Michaelis-Menten approach. The results have been simulated using GNU Octave. The results will be useful in general kinetic simulations and modelling.
View of the problem that there is no clear management approach about prediction of military software profit in current military software industry.Analyzed the characteristics of military software profits,pointed out the deficiency of existing profit calculation methods,introduced using dynamic margin methods and grading award methods to measure the profits of general military independent software and significant impact military independent software respectively.The program emphasizes the level of profits consistent with the creation of benefits,which can save the military funding,change the passive situation of military in military software pricing,and promote the healthy development of military software industry.
Long-span floors,such as post-tensioned floors and steel-concrete composite floors,are widely used in stadium,long-span space structures and high-rise buildings to meet the requirements for open space.Due to its potential low damping and low fundamental vibration frequency,the long-span floor system is subject to floor vibration induced by human activity.It may cause vibration serviceability problem when the vibration amplitude is beyond certain limitation.As a result,the vibration serviceability becomes the dominant factor for design of long span floor.This paper reviews some research and design criteria of vibration serviceability for long-span floors and discusses some existing problems combined with some research interests in future.
The invention relates to a method for preparing a carbamide sulphuric acid long-standing slowly-releasing compound fertilizer, comprising the following steps: decomposing and activating powdered rock phosphate with sulphuric acid, preparing activation slurry, preparing compound slurry by reaction with carbamide, neutralizing the compound slurry with alkaline weathered coal slurry, sending the compound slurry to a rotating drum granulation machine, granulating with KCL, stuffing, proper amount of carbamide and return product, and drying to obtain the granular carbamide sulphuric acid long-standing slowly-releasing compound fertilizer. The invention has simple process, low cost, strong technique adaptability and no pollution and various long-standing compound fertilizers containing slow-releasing components can be obtained in the same process.
The purpose of the report the end of this is making an application data processing savings and loan at an institute of community self-supporting shoots hope urban village lorok pakjo palembang. A method of research conducted in the form of primary namely interview and observation directly, as well as data secondary. While analysis development the system using analysis pieces. Development this application use of language programming php and a database mysql. Application it contains menu data member consisting of confirm data member and rekap data member, data of member savings consisting of added data savings and data savings, data loans a member of consisting of added data installments and data loans, and the management reports consisting of the report rekap data savings, report rekap data installments and evidence installments payment.
There exists a method using Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (OBDDs) to solve combinatorial problems. In the method, Boolean variables are de ned and a Boolean function is constructed as an OBDD whose value is 1 for assignments which satisfy conditions of a problem. In this paper, we improve the method. As the values of almost all variables are xed before the construction of the OBDD, our algorithm can solve far larger instances than before.
Based on the requirement of the authentication protocol, a livefingerprint based user identity authentication protocol is presented and analyzed formally by BAN logic. Besides formal analysis, the authors also study the protocol by qualitative analysis. This protocol enables two entities to authenticate each other on computer network, resists any cheat and relay attack, and protects livefingerprint authentication information. And the protocol is characterized by high efficiency as well.
Because of the need to control rising U.S. health care costs, managers today not only must focus on their staff and patients, but also on the business aspects of radiology, such as increasing productivity. Balancing productivity with quality patient care is not an easy task--it requires changes by the entire radiology team, including managers, technologists and radiologists. After completing this article, the reader should be able to: Discuss why health care costs continue to rise. Define productivity, how it can be measured and why it must be measured in today's health care settings. Recognize how patient satisfaction contributes to a health care organization's bottom line. Understand the health care team's role in simultaneously increasing productivity and patient satisfaction.
The present invention relates to liquid crystal media (LC media) having negative or positive dielectric anisotropy, an LC medium comprising at least one difunctional or more functional groups anchor self-aligning additive (the SAM), implemented in the additive homeotropic liquid crystal display (LC displays), or a surface of the container wall (vertical) alignment. Accordingly, the present invention also encompasses in the vertical plane with no conventional polyimides having liquid crystal media (LC media) to the case where the alignment layer LC display. LC medium may be supplemented by a polymerizable or polymerizable component, which functions as an alignment stabilized, for adjusting the tilt angle and / or as a passivation layer.
To compare the disease course with regard to genetic markers carriage, the authors have examined 84 tuberculous patients. It was established that carriers of antigen HLA-DR2 and haptoglobin phenotype 2-2 have large cavities of destruction and more advanced dissemination. This trend is more evident in combination of above markers. These carriers are also noted to exhibit less advantageous run of pulmonary tuberculosis as shown by longer terms of the bacterial isolation and cavern healing.
We provide a scientific basis for recommending commercial encounter protocols for sponges and sea pens in the NRA. For each we provide an assessment of significant adverse impact of bottom trawling taking into account published and new data on gear efficiency and selectivity, incidental mortality and recoverability. The proportion of VMS trawls in 2010 that would be impacted by lowering the current thresholds is estimated following previously established methods. Approaches to move-on rules are also considered.
FOUNDATIONS: FACTS AND TECHNIQUES. Using Suggestion without Hypnosis. Suggestion and Suggestibility. The Induction of Hypnosis. "Hypnosis," The State. The Depth of Hypnosis and Related Matters. The Production of Hypnotic Phenomena. Autosuggestion and Self-Hypnotism. Additional Clarifications. CLINICAL HYPNOTISM AND OTHER APPLICATIONS. Introduction to Clinical Hypnotism and Other Applications. General Overview and Principles of Clinical Hypnotism. General Procedures in Clinical Hypnotism: Preparation of the Patient. Specific Procedures in Clinical Hypnotism: Anxiety and Its Treatment. Specific Procedures in Clinical Hypnotism: Somatic and Related Problems. Specific Procedures in Clinical Hypnotism: Psychiatric and Psychological Problems. Nonclinical Applications of Hypnotism. Ericksonian Clinical Hypnotism. The Future of Hypnotism. For Further Reading. References. Indexes.
Package exams provides a framework for automatic generation of simple (statistical) exams. To employ the tools, users just need to supply a pool of exercises and a master file controlling the layout of the final PDF document. The exercises are specified in separate Sweave files (containing R code for data generation and LaTeX code for problem and solution description) and the master file is a LaTeX document with some additional control commands. This paper gives an overview on the main design aims and principles as well as strategies for adaptation and extension. Hands-on illustrations - based on example exercises and control files provided in the package - are presented to get new users started easily. (author´s abstract)
UNLABELLED The implantable automatic defibrillator has proved its superiority over pharmacological treatments for preventing mortality by serious ventricular arrhythmia. We studied the cause of death in a population of 283 consecutive patients implanted between February 1988 and December 2000 (age at implantation: 58 +/- 14.7 years; extremes: 15-78 years, 45 females, ejection fraction: 0.39 +/- 0.15) and followed up over a median of 25 months (extremes = 1 day-163 months).   RESULTS At the end of follow up, 55 patients had died (average age: 62.7 +/- 12.6 years, extremes: 15-79 years, 7 females). All except 2 had a cardiopathy: ischaemic cardiopathy (n = 38, 36 IDDM), dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 14), arrhythmogenic dysplasia of the right ventricle (n = 1). The median interval between implantation and death was 35 months (extremes = 1 day-137 months). The causes of death were the following: cardiac insufficiency (n = 24), refractory arrhythmias (n = 13), other cardiac causes (n = 8), extra-cardiac pathologies (n = 10). The deceased patients had presented an average of 86.6 +/- 23.4 ventricular arrhythmias (extremes = 0-1309) but 18 of them (33%) did not present any during follow up.   CONCLUSIONS Cardiac insufficiency is the prime cause of death in refractory arrhythmias; on patient in 4 dies from ventricular arrhythmia, despite the defibrillator and one deceased patient in 3 had no arrhythmia during follow up.
In order to understand the origin, the extent and  the space distribution of the seasonal anthropic pollution parameters in the  water retention located in mountainous area  thickly populated and which water resources is intended for the production of  drinking water for serving a population of approximately 800,000 inhabitants,  two sampling campaigns were carried out for the two seasons of the year known  as the dry and rainy season. The samples were then conveyed and analyzed in  laboratory. The parameters retained for this study were primarily the  physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity and temperature), measured in situ and second the major anthropic  origins anions of (, , and ). The results of the study show that overall the  anthropic pollution parameters undergo an important seasonal variation of their  concentration between the dry and rainy periods although they remain high in  any season compared to the quality standards of natural water of the European  Union. Their space distribution within retention remains overall random and is  not function of the seasons. However, surrounding areas of the retention and  the discharge system of the seasonal rivers (Mayos) which feed it present in  rainy season space distributions of concentrations in anions of anthropic  origin enumerated above highest.
Daily totals of observed net allwave radiation (ΣQ*) and incoming shortwave radiation (ΣK{d}) over grassland show high linear correlations which mask significant temporal variability in values of ζ= ΣQ*/ΣK{d}. The temporal variability depends on date, latitude and cloudiness, whereas the landsurface plays a less important role. Data obtained for sites in Australia, New Caledonia, Denmark and Ireland, yield a relationship for estimating ζ from day length. Values of ΣQ* may thus be estimated from ΣK{d} observations using (1) a single linear regression between ΣQ* and ΣK{d}; (2) monthly ζ; values derived from measurements; or (3) monthly ζ values estimated from day length. Observations and estimates of ΣQ* are used to compute potential evapotranspiration for a 26km{2} catchment near Goulburn (NSW). Using the semi-distributed VIC catchment model the impact of different methods of obtaining ΣQ* on actual evapotranspiration and streamflow is demonstrated.
Schiff bases have been exposed to reveal a wide range of biological activities, including antifungal, antibacterial, antimalarial, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antipyretic properties. Mixed ligand complexes can be a synthetic challenge to tune the properties of the transition metal complexes. The review of this paper covers updated information on the most active mixed ligand metal complexes of 1,10-phenantroline derivatives that have been reported to prove considerable pharmacological actions such as, antifungal, antibacterial, antitumor, antimalarial, antiviral and other biological activities. In the present study, we summarized the biological aspects, chemistry and applications of some important mixed ligand complexes. This review is balancing to earlier reviews and aims to review the work reported on various biological activities of mixed ligand complexes bearing 1,10-phenantroline derivatives from year 2000 to the beginning of 2016. Keywords: 1,10-phenanthroline, Mixed ligand complexes, Antibacterial investigation, Antifungal investigation, Antitumor investigation
The article examines the reception of ancient armour in the works of the Italian Renaissance armourers. The author analyzes the decoration of armour, compares it with the extant examples of Roman armament and comes to the conclusion that the works of Italian Renaissance armourers not only copied the main features of the Roman armament, but also became the starting point for the scholarly studies of ancient Roman armament.
BACKGROUND The site of a urinary tract infection (UTI) is located by clinical findings plus imaging techniques. Renal imaging with technetium 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc-DMSA) has shown promise but its efficacy for detecting acute pyelonephritis is still debated as is its ability to differentiate between acute, potentially curable disease and scarring, definitive changes.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The files of all the 166 patients that underwent one or two (32 patients) 99mTc-DMSA imaging sessions for UTI in 1989 and 1990 in our department were analysed. The results of this technique were compared with the clinical and laboratory data and with those of other imaging techniques (ultrasonography and retrograde voiding cystourethrogram). The patients (92 girls and 74 boys, mean age: 5 years, range 15 days-17 years) were assigned to one of 3 categories: 1) acute pyelonephritis (27 patients), 2) low UTI (60 patients) and 3) uncertain UTI (79 patients), on the basis of the clinical and laboratory data.   RESULTS The first 99mTc-DMSA imaging was normal in 110 children; changes were unilateral in 45 and bilateral in 11 children. Images suggesting either acute or chronic changes were observed respectively in 19 and 48 children. 4 of the 7 acute changes were normalized on the second radioisotope scanning while 2 became worse; 19 of the 23 chronic changes were unchanged at the second scanning. Radioisotope scanning changes were seen in 81% of the patients classified as acute pyelonephritis and in only 27% of those with lower UTI. Reflux was detected in 56% of abnormal kidneys and in 36% of normal kidneys. The results of radioisotope scanning and ultrasound scan findings were not correlated in 24 patients (19 only abnormal radioisotope imaging, 5 only abnormal ultrasound scan).   CONCLUSIONS DMSA scans are useful for investigating and following UTI. They help to distinguish acute pyelonephritis and lower UTI. It is a reliable method of detecting structural abnormalities and identifying children at risk of progressive renal damage.
The dissolution characteristics of alkaline industrial wastes such as white sludge,carbide slag,alkali slag and salt slag from different sources were studied by pH-stat method in various parameters.The results show that the lower the pH value is,the higher the dissolution rate is;particle size is the direct function of dissolution rate,the smaller the size is,the higher the dissolution rate is,the optimal particle size is 0～0.097 mm;the reaction temperature has slightly influence on alkaline wastes dissolution.The experiments show that the final dissolution rate of the alkaline wastes in the descending order are carbide slag,white sludge,alkali slag,and salt slag.
Given any $n$-variate exponential sum, $g$, the real part of the complex zero set of $g$ forms a sub-analytic variety $ Re(Z(g))$ generalizing the amoeba of a complex polynomial. We extend the notion of Archimedean tropical hypersurface to derive a piecewise linear approximation, $ mathrm{Trop}(g)$, of $ Re(Z(g))$, with explicit bounds --- solely as a function of $n$, the number of terms, and the minimal distance between frequencies --- for the Hausdorff distance $ Delta( Re(Z(g)), mathrm{Trop}(g))$. We also discuss the membership complexity of $ mathrm{Trop}(g)$ relative to the Blum-Shub-Smale computational model over $ mathbb{R}$. Along the way, we also estimate the number of roots of univariate exponential sums in axis-parallel rectangles, refining earlier work of Wilder and Voorhoeve.
This study investigated: (i) the modality used to assign jobs to Work-Study students, (ii) nature of jobs assigned to Work-Study students, (iii) the age difference of Work-Study students, (iv) gender difference of Work-Study students, (v) if a significant relationship exists between the academic level of Work-Study students and job performance. In collecting its data, questionnaire was administered to 91 respondents. Percentage was used to analyse the responses obtained in respect of the research questions. Moreover, the study employed ANOVA and T-test to test the hypothesis formulated for the study. The result of the investigation revealed that a significant relationship exists between the academic level of Work-Study students and job performance @ 1 percent level of significance. Moreover, the result indicated that each student programme of study was used as a modality for assigning jobs to students. Furthermore, it equally revealed that female students participated more in the programme than their male counterparts.
Sudden severe dysrhythmias during anaesthesia can be life- threatening for the patient. We describe a case in which ventricular dysrhythmias and severe bradycardia occurred during dissection and mobilization of the deep lobe of the parotid gland during total parotidectomy under general anaesthesia. We believe that these dysrhythmias were caused by a trigemino- vagal reflex similar to the oculocardiac reflex, but with afferent innervation from mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve. The case report is presented to illustrate a possible existence and importance of reflex bradycardic responses that may occur during surgical procedures involving the parotid gland.
Objective To analyze the electrophysiological characteristics of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia(AVNRT) requiring ablation at the mitral annulus.Methods Ablation was carried out at the mitral annulus by mapping the slow pathway with resetting method in order to acquire the electrophysiological parameters needed for successful ablation of AVNRT.Results Three cases with AVNRT who had prior failed ablation were successfully ablated by targeting the slow pathway located at the mitral annulus.The location of the left-sided slow pathway was selected by a positive resetting response and verified by junctional automaticity elicited by radiofrequency application and elimination of tachycardia.Conclusion AVNRT refractory to ablation of slow pathway at the posteroseptal area may require ablation at the mitral annulus.Resetting response may help to locate the slow pathway along the mitral annulus.
A compound selected from the group of compounds represented by Formula I: Formula I wherein: - A is a ?CH2-, -O-, -S- or is S (O) -; - Ar is an optionally substituted phenyl or optionally substituted naphthalenyl; - R1 is hydrogen, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkoxy, hydroxy, hydroxy-C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkylthio, halo, cyano, C (O) R5, -C (O) NR5R6, -NR5R6, - (CR?R?) 0-3OC (O) R5, - (CR?R?) 0- 3SO2R5 and (CR?R?) 0-3NSO2R5 where R5, R6, r, and r, they are each independently each occurrence hydrogen or C1-6 alkyl, with the proviso that if a is how CH2-, then R1 is not: C (O) NR5R6; - R2 is hydrogen, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkoxy, hydroxy, halo, halo-C1-6 alkyl, nitro, cyano, - NR5R6, where R5 and R6 are as defined above; - R3 is how SOR7, SO2R7 or is SO2NR5R6 wherein R7 is C1-6 alkyl, C1-6 hydroxyalkyl, C1-6alkoxy-C1-6alkyl, or C1-6alkoxy-carbonyl-C1-6 alkyl; and R5 and R6 are as defined above; - R4 is hydrogen or C1-6 alkyl; or individual isomers, mixtures of isomers or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
An equipment for measuring partial reflections using the FM-CW-radar principle at 3.18 MHz, installed at the Ionospheric Observatory Juliusruh of the CISTP (HHI), is described. The linear FM-chirp of 325 kHz bandwidth is Gaussian-weighted in amplitude and gives a height resolution of 1.5 km (chirp length is 0.6 sec). Preliminary results are presented for the first observation period in winter 1982/83.
Low temperature freezing of E. coli cells causes an almost complete cell damage. A transfer of the frozen cells to nutritional media results in a repair of some of the damages, i.e. in reconstitution of the barrier stability of the E. coli outer membrane detected by a decrease in sensitivity of the frozen cells to the detergent and lysozyme action and in a change of the cell membrane potential measured by the penetrating ion method. The repair of the cytoplasmic membrane damage is followed by the changes in the permeability barrier for H+ and endogenous substrates, which results in restoration of ATP synthesis as a response to the artificial proton motive force and in an induction of beta-galactosidase synthesis. At the same time the synthesis of the periplasmic protein, alkaline phosphatase, in the cells after repair remains suppressed. An analysis of various biosynthetic processes demonstrated that the inhibition of lipid synthesis completely suppresses the reduction processes, while protein synthesis is not necessary for the repair. The importance of the transmembrane electrochemical proton gradient for the repair processed in E. coli cells was established; the ATP biosynthesis essential for the repair occurs, in all probability, via the glycolytic pathway and not via oxidative phosphorylation.
The diagnostic accuracy of the light-box reading of conventional (film screen) radiographs of the extremities was compared with that of the same set of images displayed on a 1 k x 1 k interactive monitor after laser digitization. 389 alterations (23 nondisplaced fractures, 129 soft-tissue calcifications and 237 articular bone erosions), identified by two experienced radiologists on 66 conventional radiographs, were the reference standard. ROC statistical analysis was performed on 1,556 observations expressed by four readers. The overall diagnostic performance of the two display modalities were substantially equivalent: no statistically significant differences resulted on the whole, but two individual readers performed better with conventional images. No overall nor individual statistically significant difference was reobserved for the subset of articular erosions either. Light-box reading of conventional radiographs allowed a higher number of calcifications in the soft-tissues and of proximal (carpal) abnormalities to be detected. Although our results indicate the overall high fidelity of monitor-displayed laser-digitized images, major improvements in the performance of digital diagnostic workstations are still required before adopting monitors for routine radiologic activity.
The early childhood literacy education scholars studied generally refers to the children less than seven years old,and that is from birth to preschool.This paper discusses the survey which the scholars analysis about the children's literacy education.This paper tries to summary the children's psychological characteristics and the rules of literacy.The purpose of the paper is to guide the child literacy education.
A direction-reversing device includes at least one input shaft, an output shaft, and direction-reversing element with a clutch sleeve including a moving clutch sleeve, mounted to move axially on one of the shafts carrying it to enable occupying forward and reverse positions. This device also includes a blocking element that is driven in rotation by the input shaft that carries the moving clutch sleeve, whereby this blocking element is mounted to move between the off position, in which the moving clutch sleeve is able to switch from one operating position to the next, and the on position, in which the blocking element forms an obstacle that prevents the switching of the moving clutch sleeve from one position to the next, being able to switch automatically from the off position to the on position when the input shaft is driven at a speed of rotation that exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
In 310 individuals (165 men and 145 women) significant pathological processes were exluded by reference to the patient's history, by physical investigation and by detailed laboratory tests (clinical chemistry, hematological cytology and most important coagulation analyses). Hematological laboratory values were then evaluated for age and sex differences, and in women according to menstruation versus post-menopause an oral contraception. Only the well known sex-specific differences in hematocrit values, hemoglobin and red cell counts were statistically highly significant (Z > 10). All other hematological values were pooled after exclusion of methodological errors. According to the non-symmetrical distribution of hematological laboratory values, percentiles were calculated. The 2.5 to 97.5 percentiles thus established now serve as "normal hematological reference values" for our laboratory.
This experiment was performed to find intelligence in a natural environment. We used a game setting with pawns belonging to players. Pawns used programs which defined their behaviour during the game. Programs could be changed by players to create better playing pawns. We compared different syles of cloning and mutations to increase the performance of pawns. We found an increase in performance during several experiments. With mutations disabled these performances stagnated to a certain value. Even when using mutations by deleting parts of a program resulted in stagnated performances. Mutations by adding random commands to a program showed the best results.
As regards the thesis that the terms of trade between primary commodities and manufactured goods tended to deteriorate during the twentieth century, econometric analyses based on the Grilli-Yang series have not produced decisive results. Many of these have, however, one point in common: the phenomenon, when present, is not continuous over time, but is concentrated in short periods of structural change, a fact which makes it extremely difficult to forecast deteriorations in the future. Work carried out more recently has highlighted the important role volatility in the terms of trade of primary commodities plays in conditioning any trend deteriorations. Leaving aside empirical results regarding deterioration in the relation between the prices of primary commodities and manufactures, we believe that the policy insights provided by Prebisch and Singer remain substantially valid today: specialization in the agricultural sector or mining industry have so far not led to external economies able to drive other manufacturing sectors.
The invention relates to a frameless dynamoelectric machine having a stator and a rotor, wherein the stator of axially laminated electrical steel plates (1) is established, the side facing the air gap grooves (2) and teeth (3) form, in which the grooves (2) , winding system is arranged which generates a magnetic flux and wherein the electrical sheet segments (1) in the circumferential direction, are at least partially axially extending recesses (5) in a the teeth electromagnetically connecting Jochrucken (4), wherein at least some recesses (5) with cooling pipes (6 ) are provided and at least with these recesses (within the electrical steel plate 1) extending magnetic flux barriers (7) are provided, so that no radial field components pass through the cooling pipes (6) surrounding the cooling tube pitch.
With the increased capability and lower costs of computer technology, physicians and medical institutions are adopting electronic medical records as a means of improving practice efficiency and achieving both better patient care and monetary savings. We are very much in favor of transforming office activities onto electronic formats. However, there are some caveats that merit attention. This article discusses some of the pitfalls and pratfalls incorporating electronic records in into everyday practice.
The invention discloses a double-flexible driven electromagnetic fan clutch for a high-power and heavy type vehicle, which is mainly characterized in that a permanent fixed disk (2) is connected with the outer periphery of the end face of a fan fixed disk, a soft magnetic heat radiation disk (3) is connected with the outer periphery of the end face of a driven disk, the end face of the soft magnetic heat radiating disk is in interstitial phase correspondence to the end face of a permanent magnet (11) connected on the permanent magnet fixed disk, and a soft magnetic iron plate (10) is fixedly connected in the end face of the soft magnetic heat radiating disk of the corresponding end face of the permanent magnet (11). In the invention, an electromagnetic fan clutch is switched from static cold start into a primary flexible buffer drive and then switched into secondary double-flexible buffer drive; the rotation speed slip difference and the number of switching is reduced under the powerful drive synthesized by a secondary double-eddy current magnetic field; and heat radiation efficiency and heat radiation energy consumption rate are obviously improved, the working nose and the output of engine energy are effectively reduced, and the service lives of engine connecting parts and the electromagnetic fan clutch are prolonged.
In order to suppress chaotic vibration of ship electrical power system which was excited by periodic electromagnetism perturbation, twin-engine paralleling mathematical model was constructed and Melnikov method was applied to acquire the analytic condition of chaotic vibration. Output delay feedback idea was used to destroy such condition through selecting appropriate delay time and feedback coefficient. The simulation results show that the designed controller can restrain the chaotic oscillation into period one state with simple structure and less control energy that can enhance stability of ship electrical power system.
Thank you very much for reading the letter of violence essays on narrative ethics and politics. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their favorite readings like this the letter of violence essays on narrative ethics and politics, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some malicious virus inside their computer.
Along with noise, image blur is probably the most widespread reason for image degradation. It originates from a vast variety of sources, including atmospheric turbulences, defocus and motion. Nowadays fast and accurate deblurring algorithms become more and more important due to the ubiquitous smartphones. The majority of recent deblurring algorithms first estimate the point spread function, also known as blur kernel, and then perform a non-blind image deblurring. In this work we introduce a novel approach for both non-blind and blind image deblurring, which is motivated by variational models. We follow the idea of Chen et al. 2015 and derive a network structure which is related to minimizing an iteratively adapted energy functional. Moreover, we present a differentiable projection onto the unit simplex based on the Bregman divergence to constrain the blur kernels. The non-blind as well as blind deblurring networks are trained in a discriminative fashion to enhance properties of natural sharp images because recent discriminative reconstruction approaches demonstrated their superiority in terms of quality and runtime. Both deblurring networks are qualitatively evaluated and numerous experiments demonstrate the clear quality boost of the resulting image and blur kernel estimates. Furthermore, in contrast do neural networks, all individual parameters of the proposed networks can be easily interpreted due to the close relation to energy minimization.
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to survey dental hygiene graduates to determine utilization in the private practice setting of expanded functions taught in school.   METHOD A questionnaire was sent to 90 dental hygiene graduates from the classes of 1990-1994, of Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne. Analysis was done on utilization of specific expanded functions taught in school. Frequency tabulations of procedures performed and adequacy of preparation were done using the SAS software. The results were graphically represented in tables.   RESULTS Equal response from each class resulted in the total response rate of 74%. The expanded functions most frequently performed by dental hygienists were placing sealants followed by making cast impressions. Placing temporary and amalgam restorations were rarely performed. The majority of graduates felt adequately trained to perform these skills.   CONCLUSION Skills being required and taught in school are not being delegated in private practice. This survey shows the need for curriculum revisions and discrepancies between educational requirements and utilization.
A multi-objective robust optimization method based on sensitivity was proposed.Aiming at the condition that there exists disturbance in design variables,by adding bias function to original multi-objective optimization model and adopting worst-case method,constraints were adjusted to ensure robust feasibility.Global sensitivity equation(GSE) method was utilized to compute the sensitivity of objective function and constraint function to design variables.Furthermore,Pareto Genetic Algorithm(PGA) was employed to search pareto-optimal set of multi-objective optimization problem with constraints.Designer can select suitable design points according to different design criteria.The above method is applied in aircraft conceptual parameter optimization design,and its result is compared with the ones obtained by traditional methods.
This paper emphatically probes the damage of the formaldehyde and protection of vitamin C on Drosophila melanogaster.It is discussed the amount of the fruit fly generation and the dynamic change of somatic several mostly substances content and the micronucleus number of cell in the interaction formaldehyde and vitamin C.The results shows that along with the hoist of formaldehyde concentration in the medium the amount of the fruit fly generation gradually has reduced and the content of protein in the larva decreased and the change of nucleic acid content is no evidence and micronucleus number of cell increases.But vitamin C has evident resistance for poison of formaldehyde.After the fruit fly has cultured many generations these effects gradually lighten.
In this work we address the concept of a two stage power allocation in a multi-cell wireless network. The first stage is the outer-loop power control (OLPC), where a central network controller (CNC) operates on a larger timescale and allocates power budgets to base stations or access points. OLPC aims at controlling the inter-cell interference (ICI) in average. The individual bandwidth and power of each user are allocated on frame-level during the second stage of the resource allocation. We solve the OLPC-problem using a max-min SINR-balancing approach. Further, we introduce different strategies for reducing the feedback between BSs and the CNC and investigate the influence of the reduced feedback on the system outage performance.
Standard matched filter always makes radar pulse compression generate rang sidelobes in the vicinity of large targets which can result in the masking of smaller nearby targets.To solve this problem,adaptive pulse compression via MSN is proposed to effectively suppress sidelobes.However,some in-service radar systems may not have access to the received signal prior to standard pulse compression or may not be feasible to replace the current pulse-compression system,this algorithm would not work.Adaptive pulse compression repair processing via MSN criteria proposed in this paper adaptively operates on the output of the standard matched filter and uses the apriori information to suppress sidelobes and noise.Algorithm steps are given according to the principle and simulation shows this algorithm can effectively suppress sidelobes for single and multiple targets,when Doppler mismatch is considered,performance degrades,but this algorithm still outperms matched filter,so that it can improve the ability to detect small targets.
This paper aims at analysing the writing of the Portuguese author Antonio Lobo Antunes, considered one of the major writers in European Literature with 26 books published, by focusing on the strategies deployed in his texts of creating micro-narratives within the main frame, and conveying the elements of individual and collective memory, past and present, the self and the others, using various voices and silences. Lobo Antunes incorporates in his writing his background as a psychiatrist at a Mental Hospital in Lisbon, until 1985 (when he decided to commit exclusively to writing), his experience as a doctor in the Portuguese Colonial War battlefield, but also the daily routines of the pre and post 25th of April 1974 (Portuguese Revolution) with subtle and ironic details of the life of the middle and upper class of Lisbon’s society: from the traumas of the war to the simple story of the janitor, or the couple who struggles to keep their marriage functional, everything serves as material to develop and interweave a complex plot, that a lot of readers find too enwrapped and difficult to follow through. Some excerpts taken from his first three novels and books of Chronicles and his later novel – Ontem nao te Vi em Babilonia (2006) – will be put forward to exemplify the complexity of the writing and the main difficulties of the reader, lost in a multitude of narrators’ voices. Recently, Lobo Antunes has commented on his work stating: What I write can be read in the darkness. This paper aims at throwing some light by unfolding some of the strategies employed to defy new borders in the process of reading.
Objective To study the application effect of whole nursing intervention to pediatric circumcision.Methods 100 cases with pediatric circumcision were selected and equally divided into the control group and the observation group with 50 cases in each.The control group were given the conventional nursing,while the observation group were given whole nursing intervention.And the nursing efficacy was compared between the two groups.Results The differences in degree of edema,swelling time,fear and nursing satisfaction and other indicators between the two groups were statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion Whole nursing intervention applied to pediatric circumcision has satisfactory effect,therefore it is worthy of application and promotion.
The interview deals first of all with the analysis of change in the world of work from the perspectives of both social psychology and the psychodynamic study of work. It then deals with the impact of these changes on the way the requests addressed to the practitioner intervening in the field, has evolved. Then, the effect of the two preceding analyses on the reorganization of principles of intervention in the company are sketched out.
The new poly(ester-etherurethane)s (PEEUR) were prepared in two stage syntheses from formerly obtained oligo(alkylene ester-ether)diols (OAEE) and 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI). PEEUR samples were subjected to crosslinking with styrene in the presence of radical polymerization initiators: methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKPO) or cobalt 2-ethyl cyclohexanoate (EtHCo) (Table 1). Crosslinked PEEUR were characterized by their mechanical strength properties, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) (Table 2) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) (Fig. 2). The structures were confirmed by FT-IR method (Fig. 1). Tensile strength of poly(ester-etherurethane)s prepared was in the range 8—29 MPa, hardness: 24.9—28.3 °Sh D, thermal stability (expressed as temperature of 10 % weight loss) in the range 298—333 °C and glass transition temperature was 50—76 °C. Microscopic observations showed that the materials obtained were homogeneous in micrometric scale.
The objective of this sub-project is to establish specifications and design criteria for corrosion monitoring and corrosion sensor systems used in CO2 storage wells; this includes sensitivity analysis and an evaluation of technological maturity. In the Year 1 programme, we review the tools deployed for downhole integrity monitoring principally in oil and gas wells. This is because there is an established body of literature and field experience in the oilfield. The tools reviewed in this document are based on mechanical, sonic, electromagnetic, optical and electrochemical principles.
The violent confrontation between organized crime and the state after globalization has moved more than the level of conflict. Recently as in the case of Mexican drug cartels, it is spreading out the level of not just violence but terrorism treating to national security. This paper is to analyze two case studies of organized crime which challenged to the state. One is the case of the Medellin cartel, a Colombian drug organization, for the period of the 80∽90"s. The other is the case of Sicilian mafia, a criminal group, for the same period of the 80∽90"s. Through it, this study will provide both a theoretical framework and some policy implications to the challenge of organized crime which is likely to occur again in the near future. For this, first, this paper proposes a framework for relationship between organized crime and political power. This framework is basically based on three approaches as follows: a historical-structure perspective focusing on political-economical factors, the group approach in leadership, characteristics, role of the internal organization, and the conflict-process perspective in relationship between organized crime and the state. To do this comparative analysis, this can find some similarities and differences of two criminal groups.
Almost no multidimensional spatial access method considers the order of spatial objects. They only support the index and search of the single spatial object, and can't support the matching of the sequence of spatial objects. In this paper, we present the OR--Tree, a new dynamic index structure for sequence matching of spatial objects, which saves the sequence order of each spatial object so that we can deal with similarity search of sequence of spatial objects effectively. Experiments on subsequence matching of time series with OR-Tree and R--Tree show that the OR- Tree method has advantages over the R--Tree in the numbers of disk I/O and false alarm rate with one or several magnitude, and the longer the query subsequence, the more obviously its performance improves.
Limited-area numerical weather prediction (NWP) models in operational use are usually run for forecast lead times of up to two to three days. Integrations beyond this limit are of little value for weather prediction, but may be beneficial for various research purposes. One of such applications is the use of limited-area models (LAMs) as tools for regional climatological modelling. The main idea consists, by analogy to the use of LAMs in weather prediction, in nesting in the driving global climate model (GCM), which provides lateral boundary conditions for a LAM. In order to evaluate the potential of the LAM to be integrated over extended time periods and its ability to reproduce the observed climate characteristics, the LAM should first of all be nested within the atmospheric analyses, representing the observations. In climatological use, the LAM is not required to predict individual episodes or events with great accuracy; rather it must provide a correct climatology, that is, proper spatial and temporal statistics of weather elements. The idea of using LAMs for regional climate modelling emerged in the late 1980’s; for a broad discussion of the basic issues related to it, we refer the reader to the pioneering papers by Anthes et al. (1989), Dickinson et al. (1989), Giorgi and Bates (1989), and Giorgi (1990). A comprehensive review of work done in regional climate modelling since then is provided e.g. by McGregor (1997), Giorgi and Mearns (1999), and Giorgi et al. (2002). The ALADIN limited-area NWP model, discussed in this paper, has been developed under a broad international cooperation headed by MétéoFrance and is operationally run, among others, at the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) in Prague, Czech Republic, in framework of LACE. The first atempt to integrate it beyond the operational limit was performed by Janisková (1995). The aim of her study was mainly to examine systematic errors in the NWP model and their response to changes in physical parameterizations. Our aim is to transform NWP model ALADIN into a regional climate model (RCM). In this note we report the results of our first integration
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has poor prognosis due to the advanced disease stages by the time it is diagnosed, high recurrence rates and metastasis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of metformin (a safe anti‐diabetic drug) and curcumin (a turmeric polyphenol extracted from rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn.) on proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis of HCC in vitro and in vivo. It was found that co‐treatment of metformin and curcumin could not only induce tumor cells into apoptosis through activating the mitochondria pathways, but also suppress the invasion, metastasis of HCC cells and angiogenesis of HUVECs. These effects were associated with downregulation of the expression of MMP2/9, VEGF, and VEGFR‐2, up‐regulation of PTEN, P53 and suppression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR/NF‐κB and EGFR/STAT3 signaling. Co‐administration of metformin and curcumin significantly inhibited HCC tumor growth than administration with metformin or curcumin alone in a xenograft mouse model. Thus, metformin and curcumin in combination showed a better anti‐tumor effects in hepatoma cells than either metformin or curcumin presence alone and might represent an effective therapeutic strategy for HCC treatment.
Analysis of cardiovascular parameters during bicycle ergometry in healthy children and adolescents and oncological patients after complete antitumor therapy was the aim of the present study. We studied 19 patients treated with anthracyclines for a malignant disease (acute lymphoblastic leukeamia), group A and 19 healthy children and adolescents, group C. Control subjects were randomly chosen from 60 healthy volunteers at the basic and secondary grammar schools in Brno age-matched 1:1. The test was carried out on the ergometer. We used a continuous exercise test with an increment of 25 Watts/2min until the exhaustion of the subjects. The baseline values of blood pressure and heart rate and the same values immediately at the end of the test together with standard testing parameters were analysed. Baroreflex sensitivity as index autonomous regulation of blood pressure was determined by spectral method. There were no differences between group A and C either in baseline parameters or in mean values in studied parameters during exercise testing. The distribution histograms of maximal tolerated load and maximal tolerated load per kg of body weight differed significantly (p<0.05, F-test). In spite of significant difference in distribution of tolerated load during exercise between treated patients and controls, the differences in mean values of all parameters were insignificant. This indicates that in majority of subjects after anthracycline treatment the load tolerance need not affected.
In this paper we provide a description of TimeML, a rich specification language for event and temporal expressions in natural language text, developed in the context of the AQUAINT program on Question Answering Systems. Unlike most previous work on event annotation, TimeML captures three distinct phenomena in temporal markup: (1) it systematically anchors event predicates to a broad range of temporally denotating expressions; (2) it orders event expressions in text relative to one another, both intrasententially and in discourse; and (3) it allows for a delayed (underspecified) interpretation of partially determined temporal expressions. We demonstrate the expressiveness of TimeML for a broad range of syntactic and semantic contexts, including aspectual predication, modal subordination, and an initial treatment of lexical and constructional causation in text.
The present paper investigates polysemous words, idioms and conceptual metaphors in a cognitive linguistic framework. The focus is on the motivation ofthe meanings of polysemous words and idioms (including phrasal verbs), and its implications for lexicography. Cognitive linguistic research on polysemous words and idioms suggests that their meaning structure is motivated by conceptual mechanisms such as conceptual metaphors and metonymies, and it can be accounted for in a systematic way. This paper claims that lexicographers can make use of meaning analyses focusing on motivation and apply these in the structure of dictionaries.
AIM To study quality of life (QoL) in patients with celiac disease (CD) in the course of treatment with aglutenic diet (AD). MATERIAL AND METHODS Modern algorithm of glutenic enteropathy diagnosis (enzyme immunoassay, histological examination of the biopsy of distal duodenum mucosa) was used in 650 patients with different gastrointestinal symptoms. QoL was assessed in the course of AD treatment of CD with application of universal standard questionnaire MOS SF-36. RESULTS CD was diagnosed in 56 (8.6%) patients. Classic CD was diagnosed in 44 (78.6%) patients, atypical CD--in 12 (21.4%). Significant lowering of QoL characteristic psychological health" was observed in CD patients under 30 and over 50 and "physical health" in 30-50-year-old CD patients. Women had low points on "mental health" scale. After 3 AD months QoL worsened by all the scales, but after 12 months QoL significantly improved. CONCLUSION QoL in patients with classic CD is associated with gender and age. First, AD deteriorates QoL, but 1-year diet therapy improves QoL.
Objective To study the change and clinical significance of serum calcium concentration in patients with cirrhosis.Methods The serum calcium concentration of 40 patients with cirrhosis was measured.(The patients were divided into 3 subgroups A,B,C according to their liver function).The serum calcium concentration of them was compared with the control group.Results The serum calcium concentration the cirrhosis group were(1.96±0.19) mmol/l,the control group's were(2.42±0.21) mmol/l.The difference was significance(P0.01).The serum calcium concentration of 3 sub groups A,B,C were(1.98±0.24) mmol/l,(1.95±0.18) mmol/l,(1.88±0.20) mmol/l.There was no difference among sub groups,(P0.05): The incidence of hypocalemia in patients with cirrhosis was higher than control group(92% to 10%,P0.01).Conclusions The incidence of hypocalemia in patients with cirrhosis was higher,but it's symptoms were unrepresentative.Therefore,more monitor of serum calcium in patients with cirrhosis is needed in order to diagnosis and treat in time.
Author(s): Graham, Michelle T. | Advisor(s): Shah, Neil P | Abstract: Non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase Syk mediates signal transduction pathways downstream of immunoreceptors, integrins, and C-type lectins and is expressed in immune cells. Overexpression and aberrant activation of Syk is observed in numerous hematopoietic malignancies and autoimmunity. These studies examined whether constitutively active versions of Syk lead to deregulated signaling, aberrant function in hematopoietic cells, and generation of hematological malignancies. A previously characterized fusion protein TEL-Syk was analyzed for constitutive activity, hypersensitivity toward low-dose cytokine stimulation and generation of a myeproliferative neoplastic disease. TEL-Syk expressing fetal liver hematopoietic cells led to constitutive activation, induced myeloid expansion/dysmyelopoiesis and dyserythropoiesis, myelofibrosis, elevated circulating inflammatory cytokines and JAK2-independent phosphorylation of STAT5. Therefore TEL-Syk causes a pre-leukemic myeloid disorder rather than a lymphoid leukemia as previously published. We further examined whether Y(342, 346)A mutations within interdomain B of Syk lead to constitutive activation and deregulated signaling. Expression of Syk Y(342, 346)A in 293T cells led to constitutive phosphorylation of NTAL and other tyrosine containing targets, but demonstrated reduced autophosphorylation. Primary macrophages expressing Syk Y(342, 346)A phagocytosed IgG-opsonized SRBCs normally, but failed to mobilize calcium or transform Ba/F3 cells. Lastly, to address whether disruption in auto-regulatory motifs in Syk led to constitutive activation, we generated an allelic series within Syk, then determined the ability of these mutants to phosphorylate the downstream adaptor NTAL following co-expression in 293T cells. Although Syk mutants enhanced overall tyrosine phosphorylation, only Syk mutants W135A and Q149A increased autophosphorylation. Furthermore, DT-40 B-cells expressing these Syk mutants demonstrated a hypomorphic calcium mobilization response after BCR cross-linking as compared to cells expressing a wild-type Syk, suggesting that other regulatory mechanism may compensate for constitutive Syk activation. We also found that all Syk mutants did not transform Ba/F3 in the absence of IL-3 as compared to TEL-Syk. Our data demonstrates that TEL-Syk is a potent oncogene that drives a myeloproliferative neoplasm with robust myelofibrosis, and disruption of auto-regulatory motifs in Syk lead to constitutive NTAL and tyrosine phosphorylation. These studies provide a system to study deregulated Syk signaling in hematopoietic malignancies and additional evidence to target the kinase domain to treat human leukemias.
Tracking and estimating motion of the object from dynamic image sequences can be implemented based on deformable model and elastic registration technique, respectively. Both of them are actually optimization problems to minimize pre-defined cost functions. They can be solved by using dynamic programming (DP) to acquire a global optimal solution. The main idea of DP is to decompose the original problem into several sub-problems, solutions of which are stored to avoid redundancy. Its computation cost is rather low to realize real-time process. Experimental results of coronary arterial motion analysis from X-ray angiographic sequences are satisfactory. When matching about 2000 arterial skeleton points, we spent only 1 second. Results of the algorithm applied to synthetic images have shown that it is accurate, with a root mean square error less than 1 pixel (1 pixel=0.3mm)
OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy and safety of Jessner's solution with 30% salicylic acid as superficial chemical peeling agents in treating epidermal melasma in Asian skin.   STUDY DESIGN Double blind, randomized, interventional comparative study.   PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Department of Dermatology, Combined Military Hospital, Malir Cantt, Karachi, from January to December 2004.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty consenting patients with epidermal melasma were randomly divided into two groups. Group A was treated with Jessner's solution and Group B with 30% salicylic acid. Baseline Melasma Area Severity Index (MASI) score was noted and peeling started at 2-weekly intervals. Sunscreen in morning and moisturizer at night were prescribed in all patients. MASI score and adverse effects were recorded biweekly. Treatment was stopped at 12 weeks and patients were followed-up at 4 weekly intervals for further 12 weeks. Final MASI score and adverse effects were noted at the end of follow-up period. Mean MASI scores were compared using paired sample t-test and one-way ANOVA.   RESULTS Difference in baseline, treatment end and follow-up end MASI scores was not statistically significant between the two groups (p 0.54, 0.26, and 0.55 respectively). On the other hand, within group analysis of difference between pre and posttreatment MASI score was highly significant in both groups (p<0.0001). Adverse effects were mild and comparable in both groups.   CONCLUSION Jessner's solution and 30% salicylic acid are equally effective and safe peeling agents for use in epidermal melasma in Asian skin.
Rapid growth in storage density is continuing to fuel dramatic improvements in cost, form-factor and capacity of storage devices. Compact mobile-storage elements are being embedded in all kinds of electronic devices, including laptops, PDAs, cameras, MP3 players, TV recorders, etc. The trend is toward a world where each user's personal data is distributed among a large number of storage devices, many of which are mobile and distributed across many locations. In this context, data management issues such as efficiently managing coherence, availability, reliability and sharing of data, become challenging.  Unfortunately, the network-connectivity options available to help us deal with these challenges are less than perfect. High-bandwidth connectivity is generally available only in small neighborhoods. Although wide-area connectivity is increasingly ubiquitous, its bandwidth will always significantly lag behind that of the short-range options. Therefore, the systems that we design for this environment should be sensitive to this heterogeneity in networking technologies. In particular, the systems need to be judicious in their use of wide-area connectivity, and should rely on storage and short-range connectivity to overcome its limitations.  In this thesis, we present two storage systems that deal with distribution and mobility in this environment. The first system, named PersonalRAID , is designed to manage storage on a set of computers distributed across multiple geographic locations by relying only on mobile storage devices and short-range connectivity. The core of this system is a distributed log-structured design, which organizes each storage element in the form of a log. It not only provides an efficient means for propagating updates among different storage elements, but also allows efficient direct I/O accesses to the logs without incurring unnecessary log replay delays.  The second system, named Segank, is a generalization of PersonalRAID. By making complementary use of mobile storage, short-range connectivity and wide-area networks, it is able to provide much improved functionality. The Segank design features (1) a topology-aware multicast-like algorithm for locating data, (2) a data coherence mechanism, which enables lazy and independent propagation of data and meta-data in a peer-to-peer fashion, and (3) a distributed snapshot mechanism to support data sharing, which allows users to trade-off freshness of data for access efficiency.
OBJECTIVES Patients with Fanconi Anemia (FA) have an increased risk of developing myeloid malignancies, which often precede the diagnosis of FA. We describe a patient with non-specific clinical findings diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) at 17 years of age. A pathogenic SF3B1 alteration was identified and prompted evaluation for a bone marrow failure syndrome. Chromosomal breakage testing demonstrated an increase in breakage and radial formation; a targeted FA molecular panel identified variants of unknown significance in FANCB and FANCM. To date, reports of pediatric patients, with or without a co-morbid diagnosis of FA, diagnosed with MDS with SF3B1 alteration are rare. We describe a patient with FA diagnosed with MDS with ring sideroblasts and multilineage dysplasia (MDS-RS-MLD, WHO revised 4th edition) with an associated SF3B1 alteration and discuss the new classifications of this entity. In addition, as the knowledge around FA grows, so too does the knowledge about genes associated with FA. We present a novel variant of unknown significance in FANCB, to add to the growing body of literature about genetic alterations identified in individuals with a clinical picture most in keeping with FA.
Recent papers discuss relation of flavonoid compounds and tumour diseases. In addition it is impossible to say that effect of flavonoids is positive or negative without epidemiological studies. That is why it is necessary to suggest a simple, low cost and sensitive technique for determination of these compounds in biological material. The electrochemical techniques are very suitable for these purposes. Here we suggested the electrochemical technique for the determination of rutin, quercetin, quercitrin, chrysin and diosmin by square wave voltammetry using carbon paste electrode as a working electrode. The limits of detection of the studied flavonoids were about tens of nM, except diosmin (tens of µM).
The objective of this research is to examine and analyze the influence of earnings, operating cash flow, free cash flow,  and last year cash dividend both simultaneously and partially toward cash dividend received by stock holders on listed companies from the manufacturing sector at the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the year 2001-2005. The research type used is verificative research by using census method. The target population of this research is listed companies from the manufacturing sector at the Indonesia Stock Exchange which have positive earnings, operating cash flow, free cash flow and pay cash dividend both current year and last year. After being selected, there are 11 companies as target population. Because this research is done for five years, the total observations are 55. The multiple regression model is used to examine the influence of earnings, operating cash flow, free cash flow, and last year cash dividend both simultaneously and partially toward cash dividend received by stock holders. The results of this research show that (1) earnings, operating cash flow, free cash flow, and last year cash dividend simultaneously have influence toward cash dividend received by stock holders, (2) partially, earnings, free cash flow, and last year cash dividend have positive influence toward cash dividend received by stock holders, whereas operating cash flow has negative influence toward cash dividend received by stock holders. Keywords: earnings, operating cash flow, free cash flow, and cash dividend
Early dark energy has emerged as one of the more promising approaches to address the Hubble tension - the statistically signiﬁcant disparity between measurements of the Hubble constant made using data from diﬀerent epochs in cosmic history. However, the idea is not without its own set of challenges, both from the data, in the eﬀects it has on other measurements, such as the large-scale structure tension, and from theoretical concerns such as technical naturalness and the introduction of a new coincidence problem in cosmology. In this brief note, delivered as an invited plenary lecture at the 15th Frontiers of Fundamental Physics conference , I discuss how some of the ﬁne-tuning problems of early dark energy can be ameliorated by using couplings to other ﬁelds already present in cosmology, and for which the epoch of matter-radiation equality is already a special one. The resulting models - neutrino assisted early dark energy, and chameleon early dark energy - provide testable, theoretically robust implementations of this general idea. I will discuss the formulation and the cosmology of such approaches, including some constraints arising from both observational and theoretical considerations.
Literature overtly uncovered the new doors from authors' concepts & works in terms of cognitive linguistics. The present study has worked on the basis of shapiro's law of embodiment in cognitive linguistics. This research lighten up the embodiment as one of the cognitive concepts for better understanding of abstract concepts. It is also thinkable that concepts like symbolism & surrealism in what performance used by the author and how it is possible to be helped the transition of story message by embodiment. According to this reality, the researcher analyses with scrutiny the whole context of story. The main purpose of the research is to show the close relation between literatures, linguistics concepts at Persian literature area. The hypothesis of the research are: there are embodiments at the contexts of story and this embodiment due to the author's characterization in story. The author have been affected by the surreal aspects of the story due to the French school. The research method of the study is analytic- descriptive and the exact analysis of the data shows the existence of embodiment in this story. The story of sadegh hedayat's life, thought's and works high lights the reason for usage of embodiment & creation of surreal space where make its own path to the essence of embodiment due to hedayat's characterization which this reality influenced by main body of the story. The result shows also the surrealism in the story affected by both French school and symbolism.
The risk and magnitude of damages to people and property due to natural disasters are very severe in Bangladesh. Cyclone is one of the major natural disasters in context of Bangladesh. Since it is a natural phenomenon, occurrence of cyclone cannot be prohibited. But the occurrence time of a cyclone can be predicted from statistics. So, reduction of losses and possible mitigation measures can be taken easily if desired. Cyclone not only affects life of people but also has huge impact on social and economic losses. Geographical location of Bangladesh is primarily responsible for cyclone disasters. Although it is a physical phenomenon it affects society, community, people, institutions, environment and the overall development of the country. Due to cyclone hazard it is difficult to meet the targets of the MDG’S. There is a very good relationship between development process and cyclone risk. The DRI developed here provides the national decision makers access the information to identify risk and propose adequate disaster risk management policies. This paper presented different perspective of cyclone risk assessment and established cyclone Disaster Risk Index (DRI) for the local level for Bangladesh. This will help to prepare and plan habitable human settlements at coastal areas.
In this article, Rachel Burke is concerned with a tendency towards use of English names, particularly but not exclusively in ESL classes, whether adopted of their own volition by new arrivals or assigned by the class teacher In the latter case, she reflects on what removal of someone's most exclusive badge of identity says about our commitment to cultural diversity. Rather, she seeks the positives in using a student's given name(s).
In order to realize the co-sharing of regional health information,provide quality and efficient health information service for society and regional public,structuring regional health information exchange standards becomes an basic and important task.The paper discusses how to set up exchange data sets in the environment of regional health information exchange and analyzes the demands of exchange functions,focuses on business modeling and information modeling as well as data standardized management,proposes key problem solving in structuring process.
The research studied Computer-type Microwave Oven,and compared its traditional operation interface with easy-to-use operation interface with experimental method.The aim was to provide scientific evidences for optimizing basis of Computer-type Microwave Oven's operation interface.The experiment used the serial target task by studying 16 participants.The results showed that:easy-to-use operation interface was more usable than traditional operation interface.The key-press design in computer-type microwave oven was supposed to follow three principles:order of operation,specific task state and operating hints.
This study focused on food and vices in South-Eastern Nigeria: implication for poverty. One hundred and sixty (160) respondents, adult male and female, were selected from 8 local government areas in Imo and Abia States. A purposive sampling technique was employed. The objectives include among others an examination of the nature of poverty in South-Eastern Nigeria; an investigation to ascertain whether or not, poverty results in hunger, etc. The following were the findings: Hunger seems to have ravaged our society. This is because majority of our people are poor and are unable to solve the hunger problem. As a result of inability to provide food, which is a basic necessity of life, the poor have employed all sorts of measures to put food on the table for their families. Unfortunately, most of these measures have been negative; as people are engaged in vices like armedrobbery, prostitution, pick pocketing, over-profiteering, etc. Others, because of poverty, have engaged in begging, constituting nuisance in the society. This paper sought solutions that would improve the lot of the poor and have them properly engaged in activities other than these vices, which can help them provide food for their families. The following were recommended: There should be the provision of gainful employment through the setting up of industries, factories and other establishments. This employment should be made to incorporate both educated and uneducated people based on merit and according to their area of competence; Skill’s Acquisition Centers should be widely set up so that those who cannot cope can learn trades that would help them to face life’s challenges, etc. Keywords: Hunger, Food, Vices, Armed-Robbery, Prostitution, Pick-Pocketing, Over- Profiteering, Poverty, Begging, Nuisance
Few characteristics of bilingual speech have inspired as much popular and scholarly interest as code-switching, the alternating use of two or more linguistic codes in a single conversational event. Of particular interest for the present discussion is intra-sentential codeswitching, which demonstrates grammatical regularities, reflecting underlying, unconscious syntactic principles. Introducing code-switching data into the discussion of Universal Grammar, as advanced in the Chomskyan Principles and Parameters framework, Belazi, Rubin and Toribio (1994) argue that the coherence and co-occurrence restrictions attested in Spanish-English codeswitching may be captured by reference to the Functional Head Constraint, proffered as a general principle of Universal Grammar. The present work seeks to lend further corroborating empirical evidence to this syntactic-theoretical construct. The empirical assessment of the Functional Head Constraint is accomplished through the administration of tasks designed to access linguistic competence-a grammatical acceptability questionnaire and an introspective linguistic survey. In concluding that the patterns oflanguage alternation in bilingual speech are predictable by reference to a construct elaborated in the context of Chomsky's Principles and Parameters theory, the work demonstrates that the domain of a theory of linguistics, and syntax in particular, should encompass data on code-switching. 1. Preliminary Overview Code-switching (henceforth, CS) refers to the ability on the part of bilinguals to alternate between their linguistic codes in the same conversational event. Contrary to common assumptions, CS is most frequent among proficient bilinguals, and may indeed be the nonn in many bilingual communities. CS may be inter-sentential or intra-sentential, as exemplified in the Spanish-English sentences in (la-b ), respectively. (For ease of exposition, the Spanish portion of code-switched sentences appears in italics throughout.) (1) a. Llegamos a los Estados Unidos en los 60s. New York was our home. 'We arrived in the United States in the 60s. New York was our home.' b. Code-switching among bilinguals ha sido lafuente de numerosas investigaciones. 'Code-switching among bilinguals has been the source of numerous studies' *This work was initiated in 1996 in conjunction with a larger study on the syntax of code-switching. The author gratefully acknowledges the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities in the form of fellowship #FA-34144-96 and the generous support of intramural agencies, including the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center and UCMexus.
An introduction to the dual theory of choice under risk is given. Optimal risk sharing under both expected utility theory and the dual theory of choice under risk is reviewed. Central results to insurance in pure demand theory is found to be very similar under both theories. The exception is optimal coinsurance. Central results are also found to be similar concerning Pareto optimal risk sharing between an insurer and a potential policyholder, but some differences arise. The general structure of Pareto optimal risk sharing is affected by the underlying choice theory. For both Pareto optimal risk sharing and pure demand theory similarities/differences are attempted explained by properties underlying the respective choice theories. A brief introduction to distortion risk measures and their relation to the dual theory of choice under risk is given. Before the concluding remarks, a brief discussion concerning the normative and descriptive validity of each choice theory is presented. In general it seems that the dual theory of choice models risk sharing between firms well, while expected utility theory models risk sharing concerning individuals well. This seems to be a result of agents’ attitudes towards wealth under the different theories.
The invention discloses a sectional wind turbine blade and an assembling method of the sectional wind turbine blade. The sectional wind turbine blade comprises at least two sections. Each section comprises a C-type blade shell and a crossbeam arranged in the blade shell. A fixed bolt hole is formed in a blade shell fracture surface of the sectional connecting position. Adjacent sections are connected with fixed bolt hole assembling blades through a dual-direction reverse bolt. The draught fan blade can be divided into the two sections and spliced and installed in the field considering high mountain wind power plants. Bolted connection is adopted for sectional draught fan blade connecting positions, steel frame connection is adopted at the blade enter, structural adhesives are adopted for strengthening joints, and glass fiber leveling is used for the surface. The strength of the novel draught fan blades is guaranteed, and the problems that high mountain wind power station blades are difficult to transport and road cost is high are solved. The sectional wind turbine blade has strong practicability.
The present paper introduces results of an analysis conducted on data collected from Khartoum state for the yea 2009. It aims to apply statistical models for the HIV/AIDS data in Khartoum state centers of testing blood and counseling. AIDS is recognized as an emerging disease only in the early 1980s, AIDS has rapidly established itself throughout the world, and is likely to endure and persist well into the 21s century. AIDS has evolved from a mysterious illness to a global pandemic which has infected tens of millions less than 20 years. The importance of the study is to emphasize that the disease exists even under the special conditions of the country and its status. The study constructs three main hypotheses that non-linear models fit the HIV/AIDS data well especially binary logistic regression. Moreover, it is assumed that demographic variables affect the HIV/AIDS incidence in Khartoum state. It is also assumed that incidences of HIV/AIDS are increasing as manifested among volunteers in the three centers Khartoum, Khartoum North, and Omdurman. The main objective of the paper was to apply statistical models for HIV/AIDS in Khartoum state so as to obtain a good analysis, beside other sub objectives. Data were from secondary sources and volunteers centers for blood testing and counseling inside Omdurman, Khartoum, and Khartoum North teaching hospitals. Also data were collected through questionnaires designed to get all the information registered inside the three centers. The main idea of analysis was to apply and identify statistical model that related to AIDS by using statistical packages to construct the models depends on the collected data about HIV/AIDS of Khartoum state. The focus was on binary logistic regression, because it’s suitable to the data collected from the three centers inside the three hospitals in Khartoum. Estimated coefficients and statistical tests were conducted to distinguish between the variables that related to HIV/AIDS incidence and spread through people in the three cities Khartoum, Khartoum North, and Omdurman. It is concluded that there is no effect of education level on n HIV/AIDS infection for the data collected from Omdurman. However, there is dependency between HIV/AIDS incidence and occupation of volunteers. So the job of individuals affects the HIV/AIDS incidence inside Omdurman area. Also there is an association between HIV/AIDS incidence and social status of individuals. High numbers of positive HIV/AIDS in Omdurman center are among married people.
Paintball shooting is played with increasing frequency in the Netherlands. A bullet, filled with paint, shot at 60 m/sec can cause serious damage to the eye. All five patients seen in two years showed a hyphaema. Four out of five patients showed damage of the posterior pole, including vitreous haemorrhage, choroidal rupture, retinal detachment, and sub- or intraretinal haemorrhage. Three out of five patients incurred permanent visual loss, varying from 3/60 to 25/100. Adequate instruction of the participants in the game and proper use of the eye protector will be of help in preventing eye injuries. Language: nl
In recent years, there has been increased interest in the relationship between environment and health. Human ecology is the study of the interactions among humans, their biology, their cultures, and their physical environments that focuses on the notion of adaptation, whereby human populations have evolved and adapted to their ecological surroundings over time. This study is attempts to deal with aspects that have a bearing on the emerging health threats among two dominants caste group’s i.e. Rajput and Sonar to looks at environmental and cultural conceptions of the body, health and illness. This research paper focuses on the relationship between health indicators and environmental variable in cross-sections of semi – urban population.
Given the important role that meta-cognitive processes play in learning, intelligent tutoring systems should not only provide domain-specific assistance, but should also aim to help students in acquiring meta-cognitive skills. As a step toward this goal, we have constructed a Help Tutor, aimed at improving students' help-seeking skill. The Help Tutor is based on a cognitive model of students' desired help-seeking processes, as they work with a Cognitive Tutor (Aleven et al., 2004). To provide meta-cognitive tutoring in conjunction with cognitive tutoring, we designed an architecture in which the Help Tutor and a Cognitive Tutor function as independent agents, to facilitate re-use of the Help Tutor. Pilot tests with four students showed that students improved their help-seeking behavior significantly while working with the Help Tutor. The improvement could not be attributed to their becoming more familiar with the domain-specific skills being taught by the tutor. Although students reported afterwards that they welcomed feedback on their help-seeking behavior, they seemed less fond of it when actually advised to act differently while working. We discuss our plans for an experiment to evaluate the impact of the Help Tutor on students' help-seeking behavior and learning, including future learning, after their work with the Help Tutor.
The main thesis of this article is this computer- aided fixture designing software, which helps to design Machine Tool Fixtures on the support of AutoCAD environment, and can improve the efficiency and quality of your design. This article describes the particular aspects of this software in detail, such as the customer interface, auto- designing function and parameter- drove drawing system and so on.And it gives a specific instruction about how to utilize this software to carry out the work including conceiving, selecting particular type, designing, calculating and drawing of the lathe fixture.
User authentication can be defined as the process of proving the user’s identity. Three typical categories of user authentication are based on users’ knowledge (i.e. PIN and Passwords), users’ possession (i.e. Smart Card and Token) and users’ characteristics (i.e. Iris and typing pattern). This paper presents an extensive review related to password-based authentication and then reports the latest experimental study conducted to evaluate the password practices among students within the authors’ institution. Participants within the study were given a scenario where their accounts were hacked and straightforwardly, they were asked to create new passwords according to three conditions; namely C1 (i.e. having at least one upper, lower, number and special character), C2 (i.e. contains at least three words) and C3 (i.e. combination of C1 and C2 respectively). After a week time, they were again invited to participate by writing down their passwords to investigate memorability. Overall, the study managed to recruit 380 students, having a total of 1140 passwords. From the analysis covering password memorability, password creation and password perception, it could be reported that the three tested conditions have both positive and negative outcomes, thus authors suggest that ‘a second look’ should be considered if these conditions to be implemented in real setting.
The problem is how to define the life cycle of an efficient construction manager when a lot  of various stakeholders are involved in his activities, when alternative versions of construction  management come to hundreds of thousands and when the efficiency changes with the alterations in  the personality traits, the micro, meso and macro conditions and the constituent parts of the process in  question. Formalized presentation of the research shows how changes in the personality traits, micro,  meso and macro environment and the extent to which the goals pursued by various stakeholders are  satisfied cause corresponding changes in the value and utility degree of a construction manager life  cycle. For that purpose, we need to analyse versions of a construction manager life cycle, because such  analysis helps to find an optimal combination of factors related to the personality and micro, meso and  macro environment. The more alternative versions are investigated before making a final decision, the  greater is the possibility of a more rational end result. Using the available information it is possible to  perform the multiple criteria analysis of the components of a construction manager life cycle and to  select the most efficient versions. Afterwards, the resulting compatible and rational components are  combined into the alternatives of a construction manager life cycle. Following the multiple criteria  analysis of the alternatives obtained in this way, the most efficient alternatives can be selected.  Strengths and weaknesses of investigated alternatives are also analysed. The facts determining why  and to what extent one version is better than the other are also established. All analyses are based on  conceptual and quantitative information.
Benchmarks By the end of Grade 12 at developmentally appropriate levels of increasing complexity and skill, all students should: Grade Specific Concepts/Skills By the end of the grade level listed above, to meet the designated GRADE 12 benchmarks, a students should be able to do the following using increasingly complex materials linked to increasingly skilled performance: Students Activities/Evidence The following are examples of tasks/classroom assessments that provide evidence of students’ progress toward proficiency:
Abstract : The objective of this work was to develop information to support a proposed flammability standard for flight attendant uniforms. Currently used uniforms were found to burn to varying degrees when exposed to a temporary small ignition source. The feasibility of designing uniforms with improved fire safety is demonstrated. Trade-offs in terms of cost, appearance, serviceability, and comfort are discussed. A proposed flammability standard for flight attendant uniforms is included. It describes the tests and qualifying criteria needed to add self-extinguishing characteristics and heat flux resistance to various types of F/A uniform items. (Author)
The article analyses a mythopoetic image of the Ship of Fools in the art of the Northern Renaissance based on the example of the poem by a German satirist Sebastian Brant and the painting by a Netherlandsmaster Hieronymus Bosch. The article contains the etymology of the notion "Ship of Fools "; the study of the allegorical content of a Basel poet''s satire and a Brabant painter ''s picture; the analysis of symbols and artistic details represented in both pieces of art and revealing hidden metaphors of these two masterpieces.
The benzene series,benzaldehyde and phenol in cigarette packing material were determined by purge trap and gas chromatography.Detection limit of this method is 0.011—0.98ng/cm2,the recovery are in the range of 95% to 111% with the RSD of 0.73%—5.33%,and the correlation coefficients are 0.9991—0.9999.The benzene series,benzaldehyde and phenol can be extracted and concentrated without organic solvent to induce pollution.The method was less sample,high sensitivity,low detection limit,operation simple and quantitative accurate.
The road surface is broken up over the entire length of the tunnel to be built, including the tunnel entrances and exits, then a new road surface is laid using abutting concrete panels (1) that extend over at least one lane in the tunnel. Wall columns (33) are formed to support the ends of the concrete panels and the area beneath these panels is excavated to form the tunnel tube and at least part of the entrances and exits. The tunnel floor and walls are formed and then finally the concrete panels over the entrances and exits are removed so that these entrances and exits and be connected to the tunnel and finished. An independent claim is also included for a concrete panel suitable for this construction method, which contains one or more passages (29) extending between its top and bottom sides at either end.
A part of the ongoing effort to miniaturize the adjoint sensitivity method (ASM) probe, six small probes in different configurations were tested on a single experiment. The results of the different configurations are presented. The ASM probe is quite accurate and its performance is well understood in those situations where we have a relatively large area that has 1-D flow. Area is expensive and it is desirable to make measurements using a minimum of this resource. When we confine ourselves to a small area we get electromagnetic effects and perturbations in the hydrodynamic flows that were absent in experiments whose lateral extent was large enough to effectively eliminate these problems. We are forced toward magnet and coil configurations that are not ideal for best accuracy. In the experiment described in this report, we describe and report the results of six ASM probes that approach the goal of using less area. 2 refs., 23 figs., 2 tabs.
The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of drought stress on the differential protein expression in sugarcane roots by SDS-PAGE.The plants of the sugarcane variety ROC16 were used as the experimental materials,which were cultivated in sand bed.Sugarcane plants were treated with nutrient solution containing 10 %(W/V) polyethylene glycol 6000(PEG 6000) for simulating drought stress at their 25 cm height.The proteins from different samples were separated by SDS-PAGE.Compared with the control,the stable existence of the new protein band was 14.2 KDa protein during 24 h PEG stress,which may be the main new regulatory protein responding drought stress.The fastest responding protein bands were 81.7 and 52.6 KDa ones,which decreased markedly at the early PEG stress stage of 2 h.But the relative content of 33.8 KDa protein band remained stable for a long time before declining at the late PEG stress stage.The relative content of 60.3,26.1 and 16.2 KDa protein bands changed actively during the late PEG stress.The protein bands showed the most at 5 h of PEG stress.Four new protein bands(88.7,65.9,31.9 and 14.2 KDa) were found and a protein band(64.9 KDa) was disappeared.Meanwhile,the protein bands of 81.7,52.6 and 26.1 KDa were down-regulated while the 60.3 KDa protein band was up-regulated markedly in roots at 5 h of PEG stress.Proteins in sugarcane roots play an important role in gene expression and regulation,and their changes should be related with the occurrence of drought stress.
In response to recommendations from a 1992 accreditation visit, Flathead Valley Community College (FVCC), in Montana, designed and implemented a new faculty evaluation system. The college's Personnel Committee, comprised of seven full-time faculty members and the Academic Dean, was charged with developing the new system, beginning by reviewing evaluation procedures at other colleges, the current literature on faculty evaluation, and the history of faculty evaluation at FVCC. In response to findings that portfolios are very useful for faculty evaluation when there is a concentration on teaching, the Committee developed a portfolio that includes the following components: an evaluation plan, prepared by faculty and submitted immediately prior to their evaluation year; instructional and professional-related evaluations; a self-evaluation; a professional development plan; and a division chair/supervisor's evaluation. A revised pre-tenure evaluation process was also developed requiring more classroom observations. Using a three-year faculty evaluation cycle, one third of the faculty was designated to participate in the pilot year of the new evaluation process. Although there was some initial resistance to change and confusion over the sheer volume of forms, the pilot test indicated that the new system was successful in involving faculty and meeting accreditation standards, while the collaborative development of the process increased trust between faculty and administrators. (TGI) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
Over recent years there have been several initiatives around the world that aim to roll out smart metering systems, especially within North America and member states of the European Union. Smart metering systems, giving essential conditions for smart grids in the energy sector, can offer services aimed at achieving many different goals beyond the main task of metering electricity consumption of households. Despite the many advantages gained by the smart metering system, there is a number of serious issues that may lead to the system’s failure or inability to reach its goals. One such obstacle which can lead to consumers’ rejection of smart meters is perceived security and privacy violations of consumers’ information. The social rejection of smart meters poses a significant threat to a successful rollout and operation of the system as consumers represent a cornerstone in the fulfillment of goals such as energy efficiency and savings, by their active interaction with the smart meters. To investigate consumers’ perception of smart meters theories and models from the technology acceptance literature can be used for understanding consumers’ behaviors, and exploring possible factors that can have a significant impact on consumers’ acceptance and usage of a smart meter. In this paper, a first-stage hybrid model of a two well-known technology acceptance theories is presented. These theories are: the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Usage of Technology- UTAUT, and Innovation Diffusion Theory- IDT. The hybrid model is further extended with additional acceptance determinants derived from the smart metering case in the Dutch context. The model aims to investigate determinants that can help shed the light on consumers’ perception of the system and its acceptance.
Previous studies showed that interstitial inflammation was more prevalent among CaOx stone formers (SF), indicating interstitial inflammation might be an important component part of pathologic processes in CaOx formation. However, contribution of genetic variants in interstitial inflammation-related CD44 and CSF-1 towards the risk of nephrolithiasis has not been reported. In this study, 582 patients and a group of 499 stone-free controls were enrolled in a case-control study. Four SNPs in CD44 and CSF-1 were selected to probe associations with nephroli- thiasis. Significant differences were observed in the distribution of the genotype and allele frequencies of rs13347 and rs2050462 between the nephrolithiasis patients and control subjects. Our study suggested that the CSF-1 rs2050462 C allele and CD44 rs13347 T allele were associated with susceptibility of nephrolithiasis. Through strati- fication analyses, we probed that the associations between CSF-1 rs2050462 and CD44 rs13347 with nephrolithia- sis risk were more prominent in some specific subgroups. Individuals carrying ≥2 risk alleles were more susceptible to nephrolithiasis. In conclusion, our study proved that the genetic variants in interstitial inflammation-related genes CD44 and CSF-1 played an important role in the susceptibility of nephrolithiasis.
Starting from introducing explants selection of Phalaenopsis spp.,the effects of explants sources,culture mediums,hormones and nutrition compositions on multiplication and differentiationof protocorm-like body of Phalaenopsis spp.were described.The research progress of tissue culture were reviewed.And some reference materials were also provided for further study in tissue culture of Phalaenopsis spp.
The use of Crystal Structure Prediction (CSP) studies in the pharmaceutical industry is currently limited by computational cost, which scales badly with molecular size and flexibility. This thesis seeks to develop new methods that would allow to perform CSP studies on larger, more flexible pharmaceutical-like molecules. First, a full CSP workflow was successfully used to predict the crystal structure of a large flexible molecule for the 6th Blind Test and in a joint computational-experimental study of the antihelminthic drug mebendazole. These CSP studies were integrated with three previously published computational analyses of flexible pharmaceuticals and used to benchmark the development of new methods. Successively, knowledge-based conformational information retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) was used to facilitate the generation of candidate crystal structures of these five molecules. Millions of crystal structures were generated at a reduced computational cost, but with an equally effective coverage of the conformational search space, compared to the original CSP efforts. The importance of treating conformational flexibility when optimising search-generated crystal structures was then assessed. This led to using dispersion-corrected density functional tight-binding (DFTB-D) as an intermediate step to minimise all intra- and intermolecular degrees of freedom of several thousands of search-generated crystal structures. DFTB-D reduced the cost of the final lattice energy evaluations by providing better starting points, and results of similar quality to the original CSP studies were obtained after optimising only the intermolecular interactions with a higher quality wave-function. Finally, a CSD survey was performed to determine thresholds that can discriminate the great majority of polymorphs from duplicate determinations. These thresholds and comparison methods were implemented in a Python programme that can be used in CSP studies to perform clustering and to interpret the results more effectively. The prospects for expanding the use of CSP to pharmaceutical development are discussed.
The invention relates to an open caisson construction method of flowing muddy mollisol and belongs to the technical field of open caisson engineering. The open caisson construction method of the flowing muddy mollisol comprises the procedures of open caisson making, open caisson sinking and open caisson bottom sealing and is characterized by comprising the following steps of: (1) constructing an open caisson support: constructing the support at an open caisson pre-installation position, wherein the support is used for supporting an open caisson when the open caisson sinks; (2) positioning the open caisson or making the open caisson: arranging the open caisson above the open caisson support, or making the open caisson on the open caisson support; (3) sinking the open caisson: after the open caisson is positioned or made, removing the top of the open caisson support to sink the open caisson for some distance, and then removing the top of the open caisson support to further sink the open caisson for some distance, and repeating the steps until the open caisson sinks to a needed position. The open caisson construction method has the advantages of convenience in construction, high safety, uniformity and stability in open caisson sinking, simplicity in reinforcing and good controllability of making the open caisson, precise final sinking elevation, high construction efficiency, and the like.
Recently, in Korea various kinds of genetically modified (GM) crops have been imported and used as a raw material to manufacture foods and livestock feeds, but the different social concerns about the benefits and the potential risks of GM crops are being shown with a different reaction from the public. Thus a persistent management is required for the safe utilization of genetically modified organism (GMO). PCR analysis of transgene into crop is generally performed for the efficient post management of GMOs. The most important prerequisite for the application of nucleic acid detections is to decide the effective DNA-extraction methods. Particularly, in the case of processed feeds, the nucleic acids of which may be damaged by heating, high pressure, pH treatments, fermentation, etc. in processing, DNA must be extracted with high sensitivity from the samples to perform the PCR successfully. In this study, seven of DNA-extraction methods used commercially and non-commercially were compared with respect to the yields and quality of DNA extracted from livestock feeds and those crop materials. Amounts of genomic DNA obtained from the extraction methods varies according to feed configurations and crop materials. The DNA yield and uniformity of samples extracted with PG, CTAB, and QF method is greater than that obtained from other extraction methods. In the DNA integrity of the selected extraction methods, PCR analysis showed distinct amplifications and similar patterns in detecting crop endogenous genes and GMO genes. These results would be applicable for the selection of an adequate DNA-extraction method in extracting processed feeds and/or crop materials.
AIM To study efficacy of infrared laser radiation on the adrenal projection region in patients with bronchial asthma (BA).   MATERIAL AND METHODS The adrenal region of BA patients was exposed to infrared laser radiation. The effect was stated after blood count, examination of the urine and sputum, blood biochemical tests, blood hydrocortisone assay.   RESULTS Positive clinical response to laser therapy manifested with improvement of clinical, device and spirometric indices in BA patients. Blood levels of hydrocortisone normalized.   CONCLUSION Infrared laser radiation of adrenal projection region reduced the number of asphyxia attacks, improved bronchial drainage, shortened the disease duration. The method is well tolerated, safe, easy to make and suggested for use in combined treatment of BA.
A stability-indicating LC assay method was developed and validated for a simultaneous determination of meropenem and potassium clavulanate in the presence of degradation products formed during acid-base hydrolysis, oxidation and thermolysis. The isocratic RP-HPLC method was developed with a LiChrospher RP-18 (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 microm) column and gradient elution of 12 mmol/L ammonium acetate and acetonitrile. The flow rate of the mobile phase was 1.0 mL/min, the detection wavelength 220 nm and the temperature 303 K. The method was validated with regard to linearity, accuracy, precision, selectivity and robustness, and was applied successfully for the determination of meropenem and potassium clavulanate separately as well as jointly in pharmaceutical formulations.
The invention provides an image processing device which implements efficiency of an observation by a user and an image processing method in the image processing device. The image processing device is equipped with an image signal input means for inputting image signals from a plurality of images captured by a medical device with an imaging feature, an image segmentation means for dividing each of the plurality of images into a plurality of regions, a characteristic amount calculating means for calculating the amount of characteristics in each of the plurality of regions, a cluster sorting means for sorting each of a plurality of clusters generated in a characteristic space into one of a plurality of classes from the amount of the characteristics and the occurrence frequency of the amount of the characteristics, a subset generating means for generating a plurality of subsets by using the plurality of images,; and a sorting criterion calculating means for calculating sorting criteria when sorting the images included in a subset from the distribution state of the characteristic amount in the characteristic space of each image included in a subset.
In this paper,a convertion scheme of subcarrier frequency modulation signal is proposed based on Fabry-Perot cavity laser diode(FP-LD),including an FP-LD and an electro-optic phase modulator(PM).First of all,the sinusoidal phase modulation optical signal is obtained by the tunable lasers,electro-optic phase modulator and microwave source,then the phase modulated optical signal is injected into the FP-LD,and the low frequency phase modulated signal is convered into the subcarrier frequency modulation signal based on injection-locking in the FP-LD.In the experiment,the optical signals with 2 GHz,3 GHz,4 GHz and 5 GHz modulation frequencies are injected into the FP-LD,appropriate to be 22 GHz,21 GHz,24 GHz and 25 GHz subcarrier FM signal,respectively.
Dioscorea bulbifera L. is a medicinal plant. The present study was undertaken to investigate the hepatotoxicity induced by D. bulbifera in mice. Through the acute toxicity of various extracts including the EtOAc fraction (EF) and the non-EtOAc fraction (Non-EF) from ethanol, and the ethanol itself, we found that the EF contains the toxic ingredients of D. bulbifera rhizome. On this basis, to study the hepatotoxicity induced by the toxic ingredients, mice were treated with 0.5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) alone or the EF of D. bulbifera rhizome at doses of 80, 160, 320, and 480 mg/kg once daily i.g. for fourteen consecutive administrations. Serum samples were collected for determination of the biomarkers for liver injury, such as, alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transanimase (AST). Hepatic tissues were used to assay for the level of lipid peroxide (LPO), amounts of antioxidants such as glutathione, and activities of antioxidant-related enzymes for liver oxidative-antioxidative status in mice. The results showed that ALT and AST were significantly elevated after fourteen consecutive administrations of the EF of D. bulbifera rhizome. In addition, the level of LPO increased remarkably, while the glutathione amounts, and the activities of the antioxidant-related and glutathione-related enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL) of hepatic tissues all decreased conspicuously, in livers of mice treated with the EF of D. bulbifera rhizome. Taken together, our results indicate that the EF contains the main toxic ingredients of D. bulbifera rhizome, and the mechanism of hepatotoxicity induced by it may be due to liver oxidative stress injury in mice.
Presurgical research results of quality of life in patients with ischemic heart disease are presented. All patients received treatment in the cardiological centers and in the centers of cardiac surgery. It is known that the quality of life in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) before applying coronary bypass surgery or medical interventions on the coronary arteries is always lower compared with the average of their population-based data apparently healthy population. Quality of life depends on compensating and combining heart disease. One part is substantially affected, and the other may remain sufficiently high for a long time. Therefore it is very important to analyze the quality of life of patients cardiac surgery profile, particularly in patients with coronary artery disease prior to application of surgical and / or endovascular treatment in terms of a comparative study with the average and postoperative parameters. The purpose of the study to assess the quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease before applying coronary bypass surgery and / or medical interventions on the coronary arteries using a general questionnaire SF-36. Quality of life of patients in the preoperative period were significantly lower than those of healthy people, which was quite expected. It should be noted that not very low, pointing to the physical functioning of the patient with coronary artery disease in the preoperative period (p = 0,000), its role physical functioning suffered significantly (p = 0,002).
This article, , is to provide a new understanding on diverse races and ethnic groups with strong appeals shown in late modern painting as ``multicultural trauma`` and to study the relationship between their role and phase change. Multicultural trauma is composed of two axes, that is multiculture and trauma. The roots of these two axes are in cultural diversity and psychological region resulting from relativity in late modern painting. While paid attention to artists who have been excluded from the ruling culture, imperfect balance between conflicts and confrontation of each culture is moved to a mobile balance in terms of contents. In expressions, multicultural trauma breaks away from absolute beauty or universal truth and, changes it into forms composed of subjective and mental projection in order to propose a new issue on race and class conflicts. These situations provide a direction of construction and propagation for a new artistic culture in late modern painting. As a method, the power of tradition settles into a new culture through accessories and oppositions of minorities` life after destruction of subordinate relationship with ruling culture. It is under the same scope as Derrida`s deconstructivism that exposed the logos-centered stratagem among post-modernistic discussions from the inside and as post-modern perspective of Lyotart which dismantled metaphysical philosophy. In connection with such, since multicultural trauma is an ultimate area and is related to the birth of a new culture, it pursued new artistic forms and genre in late modern painting. There are many characteristics of multicultural trauma that suggest the basis. First, multicultural trauma removed the barrier placed between genres, jumped over the boundary line and shortened their distances. Second, it is a spatial projection for idealogical escape from Western rationality through the motive force which deduces a new social structure. Third, by strategically filtering fantasies in a symbolic suppressive structure, impossible yet irresistible and irremovable desires can be temporarily suspended. In conclusion, multicultural trauma in late modern painting can be defined as overcoming inequalities and oppressions, removal of central bodies, and increasing the voices of surrounding individuals. Furthermore, multicultural trauma promotes an understanding of conflict structure between races and cultures. It was deduced as an art of social communities and a motive force that derives a new culture through experience of catharsis.
The developed countries nowadays pay more attention to the undergraduate learning outcomes assessment and develop multiple assessment instruments.As for the contents of assessment,these assessment instruments focus more on students' cognitive outcomes and non-cognitive outcomes,and different kinds of assessment focus on different assessment content.As for the mechanism,the developed countries show some common traits as well as individual characteristics in organization,frequencies,participants and outcome use of assessment.China should absorb the experience of developed countries in the following aspects,such as developing instrument,establishing the organizations of assessment,constructing the systems of assessment and etc.
As the appearance of the intercity track transportation,traditional highway transportation will face a really big challenge.The factors are analysed that influence the rivalrousness between them;then estimates the distributing rates on passenger flows between the intercity track transportation and highway transportation using the Logit model.A new method is used to calculate the utility function of transport product.And the utility function of transport product is applied instead of the traditionally used linear regression functions in the Logit model.Finally some suggestions about the development of highway transportation are gives.
Chinese Ways of Being Muslim: Negotiating Ethnicity and  Religiosity in Indonesia poses a welcoming contribution to the  intersection of Chinese and Muslim identity in Indonesia. Both identity  expressions were restricted during the New Order regime and have  experienced a revival since its end in 1998. Much has been written on the  re-discovery of Chineseness, even more so on the different forms of  Islamic revival in Indonesia. However, as the author rightly identified,  the (inter)- connection between the two has been neglected. Wei Weng  shows in his book that Chinese and Muslim identity in Indonesia have  more in common than it might appear at first sight. Both, Muslim and  Chinese identities, had been surpressed. Expressions of Islam, as well as  expressions of Chineseness, were restricted. In addition, both identites  are multiple and fluid. There is no single Chinese or Islamic identity in  Indonesia. The official national motto of Indonesia Bhinneka Tunggal  Eka (Unity in Diversity) is present everywhere. Looking further into the  similarities of Chinese and Muslim identities, Wei Weng finds that  Chineseness and Islamicness are probably the two most commodified  and visible identities in Indonesia’s markets today. Here, Rudnycsky’s  Market Islam comes to mind, and how Muslim religious ethics are  designed to merge with capitalism and consumer culture. Furthermore,  both identities carry a transnational dimension, connected to the Chinese  diaspora and the Muslim ummah. Wei Weng uses ‘Islamic ummah’,  which I find problematic because the ummah is made up of Muslims,  meaning people. However, ‘Islamic’ implies the notion of ideology,  which is problematic when refering to a community as diverse as the  Muslim ummah. To unite the two identities, the author argues that
With the ambition to reduce compliance costs for multinational enterprises within the European Union, but also in order to reduce the erosion of the tax base through transfer pricing and harmful tax competition among member states, the European Commission has promised to deliver a proposal for a Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB) by the end of 2008. A vast literature has since emerged on the advantages and disadvantages of a move towards formulary apportionment (CCCTB). Whilst no official proposal has yet been submitted by the European Union, several documents have since been released. It is the novel contribution of this paper to critically evaluate the proposal itself. We argue that the formula is overly complex and should be simplified to source and destination based revenue weights only. (author´s abstract)
The latest mobile Geographical Information System (GIS) technology is useful to manage spatial components of various daily business projects in corporate databases. It is important to apply proper geographical analysis efficiently in a wireless application. However, one of the problems of wireless internet is system bottlenecks that can slow down data processing in Mobile GIS. Spatial data indexing is one of the methods to speed up spatial queries. The existing spatial data indexing can only change the index used. However, an indexing method is only better for some ranges of data and conditions. The objective of this research is to speed up access to spatial database system by using spatial index selection engine. This research introduces an index selection engine for spatial database system for every condition and range of data, on top of the basic index structure. The index selection engine, which is called QuadRtree Selection engine, uses a rule-based Knowledge Base Expert System (KBES) to select between R-tree and Quadtree spatial data indices. These spatial data indexing methods are the best spatial data indexing methods among many other existing spatial index methods for low-dimensional spatial data which have different advantages and disadvantages based on the condition of spatial data. The result of using the proposed method can save time up to 42.5% compared to not using this method.
OBJECTIVE The possibility of using pig xenografts raises the questions of their acceptability and the reasons for reluctance by patients and society, which have not been clearly investigated in Europe.   RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A survey using a multiple-choice questionnaire was conducted to quantify the acceptability of pig xenografts in type 1 diabetic patients potentially concerned by xenografts (n = 377) as compared to a sample of the French population (n = 697).   RESULTS Willingness to accept a xenograft was significantly greater among diabetic patients than the general population (64% vs 54%, P < 0.001). The notion of using pig xenografts appears to be rather well accepted by the general population, and more information might improve acceptability. The acceptance of xenografts in general and pig tissues in particular was higher in diabetic patients.   CONCLUSIONS Because the general population and type 1 diabetic patients are not aware of the sanitary risks specifically related to a xenograft, the decision to use xenografts cannot be based simply on the expectations of possible recipients. The sanitary risks need to be assessed before further xenografts are performed, particularly in diabetic patients whose risk/benefit ratio is not particularly favourable.
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The antipathy between Thatcher and Delors is examined, in particular their socio-economic divide and its influence upon their conflicting visions of the future of the EC. Thatcher was a neo-liberal realist with an inherent distrust and suspicion of the EC; she equated it with her domestic attack upon the post-1945 Keynesian consensus. She was divided from Delors over many issues, including national concepts and the US relationship; however, underlining this division was her vision of a total Europe-wide free market, with little regulation to hinder market forces. She saw the SEA as a vital step in the creation of her vision of the EC - a stateless market. Delors, the personalist and pragmatic socialist, had a contrasting vision of Europe. His philosophy was critical of liberalism in that it put community before individuality; he supported protection, wanted regulation in the market, and believed everybody should be helped, especially the agricultural community for which he had a near spiritual affection. He saw the SEA as a stage in the development of EC integration; the Delors' package, EMU, the social dimension and political union were all part of his vision of the creation of state-like structures to avoid the stateless market. That was when the division with Thatcher could be clearly seen and became more personal. Thatcher and Delors were the extremes of the debate; the more realistic way forward for the EC appeared the middle way with inter-governmental bargaining slowing integration, making Europe more than the pure free market visualized by Thatcher but less than the more integrated state which was the dream of Delors.
In order to provide the technical aid for chemical leakage accidents in factory,taking the zone of benzene tank in He'nan Shenma Nylon Chemical Co.as a sample,the heavy gas dispersion model and turbulence flow model were used to simulate leakage of benzene tank under the constrain of basic assumptions.The gas concentration contours with the change of wind velocity were analyzed and the safety zones were determined.The results of simulation show that the bands of diffused puff are formed along the direction of tailwind and the rate of vertical or horizontal proliferation is equal in mixed layer.For different wind speeds,appropriate protective measures should be taken to control the results of accident.The achieved visual simulation and function of onsite data management provide the technical support for the leak accident of benzene tank.
The back contact solar cell (BCSC) has several advantages compared to the conventional solar cell since it can reduce grid shadowing loss and contact resistance between the electrode and the silicon substrate. This paper presents the effect of the surface texturing of the silicon BCSC by varying the texturing depth or the texturing gap in the commercially available simulation software, ATHENA and ATLAS of the company SILVACO. The texturing depth was varied from 5{mu}m to 150{mu}m and the texturing gap was varied from 1{mu}m to 100{mu}m in the simulation. The resulting efficiency of the silicon BCSC was evaluated depending on the texturing condition. The quantum efficiency and the I-V curve of the designed silicon BCSC was also obtained for the analysis since they are closely related with the solar cell efficiency. Other parameters of the simulated silicon BCSC are as follows. The substrate was an n-type silicon, which was doped with phosphorous at 6{times}10^{15}cm^{-3}, and its thickness was 180{mu}m, a typical thickness of commercial solar cell substrate thickness. The back surface field (BSF) was 1{times}10^{20};cm^{-3} and the doping concentration of a boron doped emitter was 8.5{times}10^{19};cm^{-3}. The pitch of the silicon BCSC was 1250{mu}m and the anti-reflection coating (ARC) SiN thickness was 0.079{mu}m. It was assumed that the texturing was anisotropic etching of crystalline silicon, resulting in texturing angle of 54.7 degrees. The best efficiency was 25.6264% when texturing depth was 50{mu}m with zero texturing gap in case of low texturing depth (< 100{mu}m).
STUDY OBJECTIVES In this study we evaluated the role of three currently available therapeutic regimens in the treatment of early stages of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).   PATIENTS The study population consisted of 57 consecutive suspected individuals with IPF. Patients with interstitial pneumonias other than IPF and subjects with advanced disease or contraindication to therapy were excluded. We evaluated 30 subjects with mild-moderate IPF, homogeneous baseline characteristics and prognostic parameters that were assigned to 3 treatment regimens: group 1 (n = 11): prednisone 1 mg/kg/ day; group 2 (n = 9): prednisone 0.5 mg/kg/day plus cyclophosphamide 100 mg/day; group 3 (n = 10): prednisone 0.5 mg/kg/day plus colchicine 1 mg/day. We analysed response to therapy by analysis of a clinical-radiographic-physiologic (CRP) score before treatment and at 6 months intervals for 18 months. Side effects and three years survival rate were also investigated.   RESULTS Although our study was performed in a subset of patients with early disease's stages, these data showed that none of the regimens was able to interfere with IPF's course. However treatment with colchicine plus prednisone resulted in fewer side effects and re-evaluation parameters showed a significant decrease of dyspnoea (p < 0.01). No significant differences were observed in survival rate among the three groups.   CONCLUSIONS None of the regimens analyzed was effective even in the treatment of the early stages of IPF. The association colchicine/corticosteroids could be considered a safe and not expensive regimen that may be used in the treatment of IPF, especially in patients who have experienced adverse effects from immunosuppressive agents, while waiting for newer therapeutic strategies.
57 of 105 cases of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were seen during the first two weeks of illness and evaluated for response to therapy and early indicators of chronicity. The high incidence of chronicitv among children over ten years of ape (67%) was sipnificantly different (p less than .01) from the corresponding incidence for children ten years of age and younger (4%). This difference was unrelated to sex, initial platelet count, precipitating factor or therapy. Among the 48 patients ten years of age or younger, early corticosteroid therapy, for considerations believed to represent increased risk, resulted in a significantly greater portion of the treated group (33%) achieving remission before two weeks from, onset than of the untreated groun (5%), (p less than .05). The difference was apparent when time to remission was calculated from the historical onset of symptomatolopy rather than from time of presentation. Incidence of chronicity was not significantly different (p greater than 0.5) between these proups. Of 7 chronic patients who responded to steroids initially and then relapsed, all had some response to a subsequent course. No chronic patient treated with corticosteroids alone had a sustained remission. 8 of 11 (73%) chronic patients had a sustained remission after splenectory.
Neroli oil was prepared by supercritical CO2 extraction combined with molecular distillation.Best process conditions of supercritical CO2 extraction were determined by orthogonal experiments:extraction time 240min,extraction pressure 20MPa,extraction temperature 40℃,CO2-flow 20L/h.The compositions of neroli oil were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry(GC/MS) apparatus,and the 54 kinds of components were detected.The supercritical CO2 extraction method combined with molecular distillation basically did not destroy the heat-sensitive materials at low operation temperature,the aroma of essential oil was close to the original aroma,the prepared neroli oil did not contain solvent residual.
Genetically fat and lean chickens reared identically in the same environment were used to investigate the effect of the apoVLDL-II gene (intron I) on total cholesterol, triglyceride, and lipoprotein concentrations. The overall allele frequency in the 2 populations was 0.59 for allele A and 0.41 for allele B. The allele frequency in the Rugao breed was 0.52 for allele A and 0.48 for allele B; however, in the Anka breed it was 0.65 for allele A and 0.35 for allele B. The apoVLDL-II genotype in the genetically fat Anka breed was associated with a significant increase in serum triacylglyceride concentration in sexually immature birds.
In order to change single mechanical sand control measu res, realize forever protection, and improve environ- mental quality on base road of oil field in the hinterland of Takilamkan Desert, demonstration project of bi ology sand con- trol technology had been developed on oil fields under control of extreme foul environment since 1997. It showed that irri- gation system, by which plants were watered every twenty days or so, and irrigation quantity was thirty kilograms per time, was suitable to construct biological sand controlled forest by drop irrigation, with 4-5g/l saline water in the hinter- land of Takillamakan D esert.
The utility model discloses a universal wheel device which comprises a casing, a transition plate, a rotation motor, a driving motor, a rotating body, a wheel, a cover plate, a rotating transmission mechanism and a driving transmission mechanism. The rotation motor is installed on the transition plate, the transition plate is fixed at the position of a notch positioned at the upper end of the casing, the driving motor is fixed on a large gear of the rotating transmission mechanism, the wheel is installed between the rotating body and the cover plate, the rotation motor drives the rotating body to rotate through the rotating transmission mechanism so as to achieve steering of the wheel device; the driving motor drives the wheel to move through the driving transmission mechanism to achieve advance or retreat of the wheel device; and universal movement of the wheel device is achieved through the rotation motor and the driving motor jointly. The universal wheel device is simple in structure and convenient to use, steering movement and driving movement can be performed synchronously, and working efficiency of robots or other devices borne by the universal wheel device is effectively improved.
The Mississippian was an important time in plant evolution, with the diversification of several groups, especially among the ferns s.l. and seed plants. The Montagne Noire localities in southern France include some of the oldest outcrops with anatomically preserved fossil plants from that time. The plant remains occur within the Lydienne Formation, which corresponds to alternating beds of argillaceous rock and radiolarian cherts that contain phosphatic nodules deposited in a shallow sea. The horizons containing plant fossils are considered middle Tournaisian in age based on the conodonts (Galtier et al., 1988).  Since the first study of an anatomically preserved Lepidostrobus cone by Schimper in 1870, more than 30 taxa have been identified in the Lydiennes formation (e.g., Bohm, 1935; Bertrand et al., 1935; Galtier, 1970; Meyer-Berthaud, 1984; Galtier et al., 1988; Galtier & Rowe, 1989; Rowe & Galtier, 1989, 1990; Galtier et al., 1993; Decombeix et al., 2006, 2008). Ongoing work on this material aims to provide a better understanding of plant diversity in the Early Mississippian and to elucidate their systematic relationships with better-known Late Devonian and Late Mississippian taxa. Here we present (1) a synthesis of plant diversity in the Montagne Noire and how it compares to Devonian-Mississippian floras from around the world, (2) three examples of recently (re)investigated taxa and how they contribute to our understanding of plant evolution, and (3) remaining questions and future directions.  The Montagne Noire anatomically preserved flora is largely dominated by seed plants, which represent more than half of the total number of collected specimens. Zygopteridalean ferns, cladoxylopsids, and lycopsids are also relatively abundant (+/- 10%) while the progymnosperms and sphenopsids are exceptionally rare (1–2%). Reproductive structures are rare (4–5 %) and the majority of the specimens are leaves and stems (Galtier et al., 1988). The latter range from minute axes less than a millimeter in diameter to wood fragments indicating the presence of arborescent taxa. A number of genera found in the Montagne Noire also occur in younger (Late Tournaisian-Visean) localities (e.g., Stenomyelon, Eristophyton) and a few are known in both Devonian and younger Mississippian localities (e.g., Sphenophyllum, Cladoxylon). Interestingly, there are also some genera that are to date only known in the Montagne Noire such as the seed Coumiasperma, or the seed plant stems Faironia and Lyginopitys. The closest flora in terms of composition is from the Saalfeld area in Thuringia, Germany which is likely coeval.  Recent (re)investigations of specimens from the Montagne Noire have provided important information on several key plant genera. One example is Sphenophyllum, a scrambling to lianescent sphenopsid genus known from the Late Devonian to the Triassic and a major component of Pennsylvanian coal swamp floras. The Montagne Noire specimens provide new information on the anatomy of Mississippian representatives of Sphenophyllum, which are poorly known in part due to the small number of permineralized specimens from that time (Terreaux de Felice et al., in revision).  The Montagne Noire flora also contains several specimens that can be assigned to the enigmatic progymnosperm Protopitys, an arborescent genus currently known from the Mississippian localities of Canada, Scotland, France, Germany, Australia, and possibly the US (Decombeix et al, 2015). Of particular importance is a branching system bearing sporangia with preserved spores. This specimen represents the third fertile specimen ever reported for the genus and is the best preserved and the oldest one known to date. Ongoing studies will provide new information and insight to assess the affinities of Protopitys.  Finally, some plants from the Montagne Noire display a unique combination of characters that challenges our understanding of Devonian-Carboniferous plant relationships and their stratigraphic distribution. This is the case for Stauroxylon (Galtier 1970), an enigmatic genus currently being reexamined that could represent the youngest occurrence of an aneurophytalean progymnosperm, a group typically known in the Middle and Late Devonian and thought to have gone extinct by the end of the Frasnian.  Future work will focus on the description of unpublished specimens from the Universite de Montpellier collections and collecting of new material. While plant remains are rare in the Lydienne formation, they have the potential to provide key information on plant evolution. As one of the oldest Mississippian deposits with anatomically preserved plants, the Montagne Noire is also a crucial source of information on floral changes around the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary.
Enterobacter agglomerans의 질소고정유전자에 대한 연구가 보고된 바가 없으므로 이 질소고정유전자의 특성을 연구할 목적으로 국내 논의 흙에서 분리한 질소고정활성을 갖는 E. agglomerans NFB-264의 질소고정유전자를 cloning 하였다. E. agglomerans NFB-264의 total DNA를 Hind III로 절단하여 부분적으로 pBR 322에 연결하여 Escherichia coli K060에 도입한 후 negative selection 및 colony hybridization 방법으로 형질전환미생물을 선별하였다. 형질전환미생물로부터 recombinant plasmid인 pNEL10과 pNES20을 얻었다. pNEL 10은 nif Q-X probe DNA와 hybridization 되는 12Mdal의 삽입외래 DNA를 함유하였으며, pNES20은 nif NE와 nif YK probe DNA와 hybridization 되는 5 Mdal의 외래 DNA가 삽입되어 있었다. 【In order to cloning of the nif genes of Enterobacter agglomerans NFB-264, the digested total DNA of the strain was ligated to pBR 322 and transformed into E. coli. Through the negative selection and colony hybridization, the transformants were obtained. The recombinant plasmids, pNEL 10 and pNES 20 were extracted from these transformants. It was known from Southern hybridization that pNEL 10 contained the 12 Mdal foreign DNA fragment hybridized with nif Q-X probe and pNES 20 included the 5 Mdal foreign DNA fragment hybridized with nif NE and nif YK probe.】
The concept ofcompetitive advantage has a direct relationship with values expected by customers. As the values presented by an organization approaches to values expected by customers, it can be said that the organization has an advantage over its competitors. The present research is an applied survey. After studying books, papers, and conducting interviews with experts, indices of competitive advantage in Saipa were identified. These indices (dimensions) include environmental capabilities, competitive smartness, organizational capabilities and communicational capabilities. These dimensions form research hypotheses and each of these indices had subdimensions. The questions of the questionnaire were based upon these dimensions. The questionnaires were distributed among managers of Saipa company. After collecting the questionnaires, the data were analyzed by means of structural equations modeling technique and LISREL software and all hypotheses were supported.
CASE REPORT A 78-year-old man was referred for evaluation of a limbic lesion in his left eye. This had a gelatinous appearance and an extension of 240 degrees . The lesion was clinically diagnosed to be a conjunctival and corneal intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Topical treatment with interferon alpha2b (INFalpha2b) four times daily was started and continued until the lesion had completely resolved at 4 months.   DISCUSSION Topical INFalpha2b alone may be a safe and effective treatment of CIN instead of the other classic alternatives such as surgical excision with cryotherapy, which could induce the development of severe limbic deficiency in cases with extensive disease.
Objective It is to evaluate the efficacy of combined Androgen blockade on advanced prostate cancer.Methods 38 cases of patients with advanced prostate cancer were given Flutamid 250 mg for oral use three times every day after final diagnosis,and given LHRH-A 3.6 mg 3-7 days later.After three months the patients were performed castration operation on and given Flutamid continually after the operation.The patients' clinical data was analyzed retrospectively.Results Hormone sensitive androgen independent prostate cancer(HRPC) can be excluded after medical castration plus androgen blocker for three months.After that,castrating level can be maintained by operative castration plus androgen blocker.The relapse rate was 10%,5 cases showed impaired liver function.Conclusion Combined Androgen blockade is safety and effective for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
Objective:To discuss selecting of operative approach and curative effect of senile pituitary adenomas. Methods: 24 senile cases with pituitary adenomas, which underwent microsurgical treatment, were reviewed. Results: Total resection was achieved in 15 cases, subtotal in 6 cases, partial in 3 cases. No surgical mortality. As to incidences of complication and incorporated disease after operation, transcranial team is more than transsphenoidal team. Conclusions: With tight perioperative management and choosing appropriate operative approach, better curative effect in senile pituitary adenomas could be gotten. And transsphenoidal microsurgery has a virtue of fewer incidences of complication and incorporated disease.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Assess long-term subjective, functional and radiographic outcome after free patellar graft and extra-articular lateral plasty for chronic anterior laxity of the knee.   PATIENTS AND METHODS 148 cases of chronic anterior laxity of the knee treated by free patellar graft and extra-articular lateral Lemaire plasy were reviewed after a mean follow-up of 11.5 years (range 10-15 years). A complete work-up was performed in all cases at 4 years postsurgery to assess objective, sport, function and radiographic outcome (objective laxity and osteoarthritic status).   RESULTS Subjectively, 65 p. 100 of the patients were very satisfied and 24 p. 100 were satisfied. According to the IKDC classification, functional outcome was in class A in 22 p. 100 and in class B in 49 p. 100. All failures (14 p. 100) except one occurred during the first year. When the meniscus was healthy or repaired, the failure rate was only 4 p. 100. Two principal factors favoring failure were severe laxity (meniscectomy) and poor femoral position. Residual laxity measured on the lateral view in the one-leg weight bearing position was 3.3 mm in the overall series, 2.4 mm for cases with isolated anterior laxity, and 4 mm for chronic laxities. Residual laxity was higher if the medial meniscus was totally or partially removed. There was no change between the 4th and 11th year of follow-up. A secondary meniscectomy was performed in 5 p. 100 of the cases despite renewed sports activity in 80 p. 100 of the cases. Osteoarthritic degeneration was the most important factor for less favorable outcome: 42 p. 100 of the cases developed preosteoarthitis or osteoarthritis. Joint degeneration occurred almost exclusively in patients who had undergone medial meniscectomy. Only 2 p. 100 of the patients with a healthy or repaired meniscus developed osteoarthritis. When the anterior laxity was the only anomaly, the functional result was very excellent, with renewed sports activity. Even in cases with persistent residual laxity, there were almost no failures or secondary meniscal lesions if the femoral position was correct.   DISCUSSION For chronic laxity, free patellar graft alone cannot avoid a high rate of failure and/or joint degeneration, particularly favored by an incorrect femoral position. Improved results can only be achieved by preserving the meniscus and possibly associating a lateral or medial plasty whose effect remains to be evaluated.
A study was carried out on the growth of bones in young male sheep of the romni-marsh breed aged 4, 7, 10 and 48 months old. It was found out that in the axial region of male sheep, the thoracic region has the most intensive growth in the postnatal period from which the intensity of growth decreases in the cranial and caudal area. With the increase in the relative weight of bones of the limbs, their weight (in relation to the weight of bones of the carcass) decreases, with this; the more distal the bone in the limbs, the lesser there will be in the absolute weight.
The study aims to analyze learning behavior, social interaction and spiritual level of UHN I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa students due to the pandemic Covid-19 in order to be able to prepare and do the right things in the era of adapting new habits. This study was quantitative research and used cross-sectional design. Samples that were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using online questionnaire. The impact of the covid-19 pandemic for students in college activities is     (1)the adjustment of online method, because some areas are constrained by internet signal, quotas, learning platforms, etc. (2) social communication in cyberspace has increased, as a result of not being able to meet face-to-face directly and (3) the spiritual level of students is in the good category. Students have more time to correct themselves to be better, more resilient, and take lessons from what happened
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) responds poorly to conventional systemic therapies. The first-in-class proteasome inhibitor bortezomib has been approved in clinical use for hematologic malignancies and has shown modest activity in solid tumors, including HCC. However, a considerable proportion of patients fail to respond and experience important adverse events. Recently, the next-generation orally bioavailable irreversible proteasome inhibitor oprozomib was developed. Here, we assessed the efficacy of oprozomib and its effects on the unfolded protein response (UPR), a signaling cascade activated through the ATF6, PERK and IRE1 pathways by accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, in HCC. The effects of oprozomib and the role of the UPR were evaluated in HCC cell lines and in diethylnitrosamine-induced and xenograft mouse models for HCC. Oprozomib dose-dependently reduced the viability and proliferation of human HCC cells. Unexpectedly, oprozomib-treated cells displayed diminished cytoprotective ATF6-mediated signal transduction as well as unaltered PERK and IRE1 signaling. However, oprozomib increased pro-apoptotic UPR-mediated protein levels by prolonging their half-life, implying that the proteasome acts as a negative UPR regulator. Supplementary boosting of UPR activity synergistically improved the sensitivity to oprozomib via the PERK pathway. Oral oprozomib displayed significant antitumor effects in the orthotopic and xenograft models for HCC, and importantly, combining oprozomib with different UPR activators enhanced the antitumor efficacy by stimulating UPR-induced apoptosis without cumulative toxicity. In conclusion, next-generation proteasome inhibition by oprozomib results in dysregulated UPR activation in HCC. This finding can be exploited to enhance the antitumor efficacy by combining oprozomib with clinically applicable UPR activators.
As the result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), individuals have been inundated with constant negative news related to the pandemic. However, limited research examines how such news consumption impacts employees' work lives, including their ability to remain engaged with their work. Integrating conservation of resources theory and insights from the media psychology literature with research on occupational calling, we propose that weekly COVID-related news consumption heightens employees' anxiety levels, thereby frustrating their ability to remain engaged with work and that this process is differentially moderated by different facets of occupational calling. Specifically, we postulate that those who are called to their work primarily because it gives them personal meaning and purpose (i.e., higher in purposeful work) will remain more engaged with work in the face of the anxiety that arises from consuming COVID-related news, as their work may facilitate resource replenishment for these individuals. Conversely, we postulate that those who are drawn to their work primarily because it allows them to help others (i.e., higher in prosocial orientation) will experience the opposite effect, such that their inability to help others during the pandemic will strengthen the negative effect of anxiety on work engagement. Results from an 8-week weekly diary study with a sample of 281 Canadian employees during the pandemic provided support for our hypotheses. Implications are discussed for maintaining employee work engagement during the pandemic era, and beyond. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Background Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and high-grade glioma (HGG) appear similar under imaging. However, since the two tumors vary in their treatment methods, their differential diagnosis is crucial. The use of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) imaging to effectively distinguish between the two tumors is not clear; therefore, a meta-analysis was carried out to determine its effectiveness. Materials and methods The databases PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, China Science, and Technology Journal Database (CQVIP) were exhaustively searched using stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria to select high-quality literature. The Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) was used for the qualitative assessment of the included literature. The bivariate effect model was used to combine statistics such as sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPE), positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) [95% confidence intervals (CI)], plot summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve, and calculate the area under the curve (AUC) value. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate the stability of the results, and Deek's test was used to assess publication bias. Meta-regression and subgroup analysis was used to determine the sources of heterogeneity. Results A total of nine studies were included in this study. For differential diagnosis of PCNSL and HGG, the combined SEN was 0.91 (95% CI: 0.80–0.96; I2 = 46.73%), combined SPE was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.82–0.93; I2 = 56.30%), the combined PLR was 7.83 (95% CI: 4.96–12.37; I2 = 15.57%), combined NLR was 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05–0.23; I2 = 31.99%), combined DOR was 77.36 (95% CI: 32.74–182.77; I2 = 70.70%). The AUC of SROC was 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93–0.97). No publication bias was found and the sample size and different parameters were the primary reason for heterogeneity. Conclusion The 18F-FDG-PET/CT imaging technique has a high diagnostic accuracy in the differential diagnosis of PNCSL and HGG. Patients suspected to have the above two tumors are suggested to be examined by 18F-FDG-PET / CT to help in the clinical distinction and further treatment modalities.
Abstract Synthetic biology is a field in-the-making: a loosely defined amalgamation of diverse disciplines, institutions and practices. Where some practitioners identify as scientists, others consider themselves engineers; while some extol the simplicity of standardised biology, others dismiss it as counterproductive. Three different communities in synthetic biology (epistemics, sceptical constructors and committed engineers) can be distinguished by way of their intentions, practices and promises. Synthetic biologists’ promises shape policy-makers’ expectations, which in turn shape institutional arrangements. These institutional arrangements then influence practitioners’ promises in an iterative fashion. In both the USA and the UK, ‘committed engineers’ have succeeded in gaining support for an engineering-based and industry-centred vision of synthetic biology, which promises applications and economic growth. This group's intentions and promises have influenced policy-makers’ expectations, which, in turn, have driven the major institutional developments in synthetic biology in the two countries. However, while the promises of the economic potential of this vision of the field have been embraced at policy levels, other aspects of this vision, such as the importance of enabling infrastructure, are often overlooked. In a sense, committed engineers’ promises and rhetoric have been too successful, because they have overshadowed the institutional and infrastructural developments needed to make them a reality.
Diabetic retinopathies are important disabling conditions. Micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are regulators of gene expression and diseases can change their expression. Our aim was to analyze the expression of miRNAs in serum and vitreous samples from patients with diabetic retinopathies. The following groups and number of individuals were included: proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (n = 16), diabetic macular edema (DME) (n = 17), and idiopathic epiretinal membrane (IEM) as non-diabetic controls (n = 23). The initial miRNA expression was explored using TaqMan low-density arrays (TLDAs) with subsequent validation through a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Target genes were identified through bioinformatic tools for enrichment analysis. The TLDAs revealed the following miRNAs with differential expression in terms of PDR vs. IEM: miR-320a-3p, miR-92a-3p, and miR-375-3p in the serum, with miR-541-5p and miR-223-5p in the vitreous samples. DME vs IEM: miR-486-5p, miR-145-5p, miR-197-3p, and miR-125b-5p in the serum, and miR-212-3p in vitreous samples. PDR vs. DME: miR-486-5p, miR-100-5p, miR-328-3p, miR-660-5p, and miR-145 in the serum and none in the vitreous samples. Validation was confirmed only for miR-145, miR-92a, and miR-375 in the serum. The relevant enriched pathways for these three validated miRNAs, miR-145, miR-92a, and miR-375 were the vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor, hepatocyte growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor, focal adhesion, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Our results support the involvement of miRNAs in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathies and reinforce their potential as biomarkers or therapeutic resources.
This study determined hypothesized predictors of three components of motivation for change—drug problem recognition, desire for help, and treatment readiness—in a high-risk, drug-using population. The sample consisted of 190 guests at two inner-city soup kitchens in Brooklyn, NY who reported drug/alcohol use and were not participating in substance dependency treatment. Ever receiving addiction treatment, having no trade/job skills, and more severe symptoms of depression were associated with greater drug problem recognition. More recent days of drug/alcohol use, intensive pattern of drug use, and greater problem recognition were associated with greater desire for help. Caring for children, more recent days of drug/alcohol use, physical health problems, and desire for help were the direct predictors of treatment readiness. Problem recognition had a strong indirect effect on readiness mediated through desire for help. Knowledge of a drug user's motivational state and the factors leading to it can help guide the development of more effective interventions.
A search for four-top-quark production, $t bar{t}t bar{t}$, is presented. It is based on proton-proton collision data with a center-of-mass energy $ sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider during the year 2015 and 2016, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $36.1$ fb$^{-1}$. Data are analyzed in both the single-lepton and opposite-sign dilepton channels, characterized by the presence of one or two isolated electrons or muons with high-transverse momentum and multiple jets. A data-driven method is used to estimate the dominant background from top-quark pair production in association with jets. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. The result is combined with the previous same-sign dilepton and multilepton searches carried out by ATLAS and an observed (expected) upper limit of 5.3 (2.1) times the four-top-quark Standard Model cross section is obtained at 95% confidence level. Additionally, upper limit on anomalous four-top-quark production cross section is set in the context of an effective field theory model.
Background : The Tuberculin skin test (TST) has been used for years in the latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) diagnosis, but it has, well-documented, low sensitivity and specificity. Interferon-γ release assays (IGRA) has been reported to be more sensitive and specific than TST. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the performance of a commercial IGRA, QuantiFERON ® -TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT), comparatively to TST in LTBI diagnosis. Patients and Methods : This study included 238 patients who were candidate for an anti-TNF therapy. The screening for LTBI was performed by both TST and QFT-GIT test for all patients. In order to evaluate the strength of associations, the odds ratios (OR) together with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The correlation between QFT-GIT and TST was evaluated using κ statistics. Results : Sixty-three (26.4%) sera were positive for QFT-GIT with a mean level of IFN-γ of about 1.18 IU/ml, while 81 (34%) patients were positive for TST. Agreement between QFT-GIT and TST was poor (37 QFT-GIT+/TST- and 55 QFT-GIT-/TST+), κ=0.09 (SD=0.065). The positivity of QFT-GIT was not influenced by BCG vaccination or by immunosuppression. Nevertheless, it was significantly associated to both history of an earlier tuberculosis disease (HETD) and its radiological sequel (RS), p =6E-7 and p =1E-8, respectively. Inversely, the TST results were not correlated to either HETD or RS, but the TST positivity was less frequent in immunosuppressed patients (45.5% vs. 73.9%), p =1E-5, OR (95% CI) = 0.29 [0.17-0.52]. Moreover, the extent of both the immunosuppression period and the time elapsed from the last BCG injection was significantly correlated to a lesser TST positivity, p =3E-12 and p =5E-7, respectively. Among the QFT-GIT-/TST+ patients (n=55) whom received an anti-TNF agent without any prophylactic treatment of LTBI, no tuberculosis was detected with a median follow-up of 78 weeks [56-109]. Conclusion : Our study suggests that the QFT-GIT has a higher performance comparatively to TST in the LTBI screening that is unaffected by either BCG vaccination or immunosuppression. Therefore, IGRAs has to replace TST especially in patients who are under consideration for an anti-TNF therapy.
Representation and modelling of movements play a significant role in recognising actions in unconstrained videos. However, explicit segmentation and labelling of movements are non-trivial because of the variability associated with actors, camera viewpoints, duration etc. Therefore, we propose to train a GMM with a large number of components termed as a universal movement model (UMM). This UMM is trained using motion boundary histograms (MBH) which capture the motion trajectories associated with the movements across all possible actions. For a particular action video, the MAP adapted mean vectors of the UMM are concatenated to form a fixed dimensional representation referred to as “super movement vector” (SMV). However, SMV is still high dimensional and hence, Baum-Welch statistics extracted from the UMM are used to arrive at a compact representation for each action video, which we refer to as an “action-vector”. It is shown that even without the use of class labels, action-vectors provide a more discriminatory representation of action classes translating to a 8 % relative improvement in classification accuracy for action-vectors based on MBH features over naïve MBH features on the UCF101 dataset. Furthermore, action-vectors projected with LDA achieve 93% accuracy on the UCF101 dataset which rivals state-of-the-art deep learning techniques.
July 23-25, 1974, a group of computer science educators met at The Virgini a Institute of Marine Science to begin considerations of what will become the revision o f "Curriculum '68" based on experience in computer science education, and developments i n computer science since the publication of the 7968 report . The meeting was sponsore d by the ACM Education Board and SIGCSF . The following individuals participated in th e working sessions :
Purpose Few case reports and letters to the editor have been published regarding oral signs and symptoms in COVID-19 patients. The aim of the study therefore is to investigate different types of oral manifestations in COVID-19 patients as well as their prevalence. Patients and Methods The study is a cross-sectional study from a single medical center. A convenience sample was taken from all patients who were COVID-19 confirmed, symptomatic, and non-hospitalized. Demographic information, medical and travel history, general symptoms, and clinical examination results of the oral cavity were collected. Results This study included a total of 109 patients. Loss of taste was the most common oral manifestation of COVID-19 (43.4%), followed by erythema/desquamated gingivitis and coated tongue (7.3% each) and ulcers/blisters (6.4%). Loss of taste was the only symptom persisting for 10 days. Oral manifestations appeared as a single symptom (79.3%), and dorsum of tongue was the most common oral location (72.4%). Conclusion Loss of taste was the most prevalent specific reported oral manifestation. Other nonspecific oral lesions/symptoms are controversial. It has been suggested that oral examinations of COVID-19 patients should be conducted as part of routine examinations to investigate any possible correlation between the disease and the oral cavity.
The establishment and strengthening of regional human rights institutions has been hailed as a positive and practical step towards the more effective protection of human rights. But the effectiveness of regional systems depends in large part on prior ideological and institutional commitments to democracy and human rights in states within the region. Using the example of women's rights in Southeast Asia, this article considers how the dynamics of change work in and among regions where a majority of states are not liberal democracies. This article argues that in circumstances where states are not already committed to democracy and human rights, then premature attempts to promote norms at the regional level actually undercut efforts to positively shape the behavior of states. In contrast, norms articulated at the global level, through global instruments and institutions, have comparatively greater power to procure change.
Most people who have been working in composition theory in the past ten years would probably agree that the major change that has come about in the profession in that time is exemplified by the maxim, "Focus on the writing process, not on the written product." It is part of the new conventional wisdom of the profession, and certainly for most of us a welcome change from an approach to teaching writing that depended primarily on analysis and imitation of the written product. I want to suggest, however, that following our new maxim is not nearly as easy as one might think; nonfiction prose is not all alike and different kinds of writing are not done in the same way. In other words, "the process of writing" should not be taken to mean the same thing as "the writing process." Almost certainly, there is more than one. It's been evident in the profession for some time that major researchers and teachers in the field cannot agree on what the writing process is or should be. Those teachers who belong to what Lester Faigley and others call the "literary" or "romantic" school of writing-for example, Donald Murray, Peter Elbow, and William Coles-believe that students are most likely to learn how to express what they know and feel if the teacher focuses primarily on finding ways to stimulate the students' inherent ability and need to write. (See Lester Faigley, Roger D. Cherry, David A. Jolliffe, and Anna R. Skinner, Assessing Writers' Knowledge and Processes of Composing [Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Co., 19851, Chapter 1.) They think that writers discover their meaning by writing, and that, for the most part, they cannot know what to write nor how to write it until they actually begin to write something. They would say that students do not really learn how to write; rather they come to an understanding of what it means to write by actually engaging in the process. This school of teachers has little use for strategies or formulas or for the Aristotelian approach that would divide the writing process into stages of discovery, arrangement, and style.
In this article we focus on the quantitative project scheduling problem in IT companies that apply the agile management philosophy and Scrum, in particular. We combine mathematical programming with an agile project flow using a modified multi-mode resource constrained project scheduling model for software projects (MRCPSSP). The proposed approach can be used to generate schedules as benchmarks for agile development iterations. Computational experiments based on real project data indicate that this approach significantly reduces the project cycle time. The approach can be a useful addition to agile project management, especially for software projects with predefined deadlines and budgets.
S-Adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (AdoMetDC) is a pyruvoyl-dependent enzyme that catalyzes an essential step in polyamine biosynthesis. The polyamines are required for cell growth, and the biosynthetic enzymes are targets for antiproliferative drugs. The function of AdoMetDC is regulated by the polyamine-precursor putrescine in a species-specific manner. AdoMetDC from the protozoal parasite Trypanosoma cruzi requires putrescine for maximal enzyme activity, but not for processing to generate the pyruvoyl cofactor. The putrescine-binding site is distant from the active site, suggesting a mechanism of allosteric regulation. To probe the structural basis by which putrescine stimulates T. cruzi AdoMetDC we generated mutations in both the putrescine-binding site and the enzyme active site. The catalytic efficiency of the mutant enzymes, and the binding of the diamidine inhibitors, CGP 48664A and CGP 40215, were analyzed. Putrescine stimulates the k(cat)/K(m) for wild-type T. cruzi AdoMetDC by 27-fold, and it stimulates the binding of both inhibitors (IC(50)s decrease 10-20-fold with putrescine). Unexpectedly CGP 48664A activated the T. cruzi enzyme at low concentrations (0.1-10 microM), while at higher concentrations (>100 microM), or in the presence of putrescine, inhibition was observed. Analysis of the mutant data suggests that this inhibitor binds both the putrescine-binding site and the active site, providing evidence that the putrescine-binding site of the T. cruzi enzyme has broad ligand specificity. Mutagenesis of the active site identified residues that are important for putrescine stimulation of activity (F7 and T245), while none of the active site mutations altered the apparent putrescine-binding constant. Mutations of residues in the putrescine-binding site that resulted in reduced (S111R) and enhanced (F285H) catalytic efficiency were both identified. These data provide evidence for coupling between residues in the putrescine-binding site and the active site, consistent with a mechanism of allosteric regulation.
Abstract The solubility-limiting solid phases in the ternary aqueous systems of Zr(IV)/OH/oxalate, Zr(IV)/OH/malonate, Th(IV)/OH/oxalate and Th(IV)/OH/malonate were characterized by elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis. The ternary solid phase of M(IV)/OH/carboxylate was observed to form, even under acidic conditions, depending on the pH and the concentration of carboxylate ligand. In the presence of a large excess of carboxylic acid, however; the binary M(IV)-carboxylate solid phase formed.
In a companion paper [1] a technique for overcoming acoustic problems resulting from the directional nature of human speech in open stage auditoria by means of virtual reflectors has been proposed. In a following paper [2] the system was applied to a computer model of an open stage auditorium in which there was no background noise and the space was relatively dead. In the current paper the action of the virtual reflector has been systematically investigated in more realistic conditions. It is shown to be capable of functioning in conditions which are more reverberant and in conditions in which background noise is present. In all cases investigated the action of a virtual reflector results in conditions to the rear of the primary source (human speaker) being improved such that they become comparable to conditions at equivalent positions to the front. It has been shown that the STI at the rear of a human speaker in an open stage auditorium with the virtual reflector system in operation does not increase significantly with increasing gain [2]. This is due to the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF's) being determined by the convolution of two impulse responses multiplied by a gain factor and added to a third impulse response. The resulting impulse response will therefore consists of many ‘reflections’ and hence the MTF's (and the STI values that they determine) will be adversely affected. An attempt was made to reduce the number of ‘reflections’ in the resultant impulse response by the use of a super directional microphone in order to improve the MTF's and thus the STI values. The actual improvement observed was very small and hence it would appear that the use of a super directional microphone is not particularly effective in this context.
she says, ‘conversions meant publicly owning African performance traditions, in full sight of those whites trying to appropriate them’ (p. 4). Although the church is often seen as anti-theatrical, Cima describes how, in fact, religious discourse borrowed performance tropes and practices to offer the pleasures of theatre recast as pious activities. This ambitious, original project demonstrates the utility of interdisciplinary studies that take performance as their unifying thematic and method. My only wish is that she had detailed more specifically where she finds traces of performance in the ‘host bodies’. For instance, how do Mercy Warren’s texts ‘perform’ as masculine? Is it in their syntax or vocabulary, their signature or address? Nonetheless, although she juggles many different balls at once here, the resulting kaleidoscope allows the author to focus her own rigorous, illuminating scholarship on the overlapping effects of race, gender and religion on early American women’s critical engagements with public life.
The success of enantioselective olefin metathesis relies on the design of enantioenriched alkylidene complexes capable of transferring stereochemical information from the catalyst structure to the reactants. Cyclometalation of the NHC ligand has proven to be a successful strategy to incorporate stereogenic atoms into the catalyst structure. Enantioenriched complexes incorporating this design element catalyze highly Z- and enantioselective asymmetric ring opening/cross metathesis (AROCM) of norbornenes and cyclobutenes, and the difference in ring strain between these two substrates leads to different propagating species in the catalytic cycle. Asymmetric ring closing metathesis (ARCM) of a challenging class of prochiral trienes has also been achieved. The extent of reversibility and effect of reaction setup was also explored. Finally, promising levels of enantioselectivity in an unprecedented Z-selective asymmetric cross metathesis (ACM) of a prochiral 1,4-diene was demonstrated.
Angiolipoma usually develops in the trunk and extremities and rarely arises in the head and neck region, especially in the oral cavity. A case of angiolipoma of the cheek is reported. A 12-year-old girl was referred to our hospital because of swelling of the left cheek. Clinical examination revealed a rather ill-defined soft mass in the left cheek. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR angiography (MRA) suggested the mass to be a hemangioma. The mass was extirpated transorally with the patient under general anesthesia. Microscopically, the mass consisted of mature fat tissue intermixed with abundant vascular elements. A pathologic diagnosis of angiolipoma was made.
Abstract Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective yet under-utilised method for preventing HIV transmission in high-risk groups. Despite ongoing social marketing to increase PrEP awareness, few studies have evaluated public responses. This paper contextualises negative responses to Chicago’s PrEP4Love campaign. In February 2016, a sex-positive ad campaign called PrEP4Love was launched online and throughout public spaces in Chicago. A gender and sexuality inclusive campaign, PrEP4Love is intended to be culturally responsive and sex positive, while retaining a focus on risk reduction. Advertisements prominently feature Black sexual minority men, and Black transgender women, and were strategically placed in diverse Chicago neighbourhoods. In response, there were 212 new callers to the PrEPLine during the two-month study period. Negative responses were concerned with: negatively depicting Black homosexuality (4), general anti-LGBTQ comments (7), adverse effects on children (6), sexually explicit nature (5), and general stigmatisation of racial minorities (4). Discussion focuses on sex-positive frameworks, normalising intimacy, stigma and historical mistrust of medical and pharmaceutical institutions, and the social meanings of biomedical prevention technologies (e.g. PrEP) in relation to dominant norms of sexuality and gender. This study is the first to investigate public responses to a sex-positive PrEP campaign. More studies of PrEP social marketing are needed to evaluate targeted public health campaigns to guide future PrEP promotion strategies.
The purpose of this research is to know the Tracer Study of the alumni profile and STEIs contribution to the competence of its graduates in the world of work (case study on the 2012 Batch of alumni). This study uses sampling from the data obtained by distributing questionnaires to 2012 alumni for the past 4 months. The method used in cluster analysis finds an optimal grouping of observations or objects in each cluster that is the same, but different from each other. The STEI Tracer Study research report in 2012 class focuses on research on the target of STEI alumni respondents in the year of 2012. From some of the discussions and data obtained in this study, several conclusions can be drawn regarding the characteristics and profile of the respondent when undergoing lectures, the relationship between universities and work and current job conditions. Based on the characteristics of respondents, the amount of data entered is 303 alumni, with details of 94 men (31%) and 209 women (69%). Overall STEI 2012 alumni as a whole have an average IP score of 3.11. STEI alumni of the 2012 employment status currently are 251 people working, 5 people working and self-employed, 32 people are not working, and 12 people are entrepreneurs. Overall, STEI was able to increase its contribution and more evenly related to the provision of competencies for students (not only focus on knowledge in related fields, but also soft skill and hard skill factors).
The authors report the construction of carbon nanotube Schottky diodes by covering a selectively exposed area of the electrode with self-assembling molecules. Two self-assembling molecules with different polarities, 2-aminoethanethiol and 3-mercaptopropionic acid, were used to modify the Fermi level lineup at the selected contact. The devices showed p-type behavior with symmetric I-V showing clear rectifying behavior after treatment of one contact with 2-aminoethanethiol. Their experiment, in conjunction with the results of ab initio electronic structure calculations, suggests that the diode action stems from the asymmetric Fermi level lineup between the bare and engineered contacts.
OBJECTIVES During orthodontic arch expansion, the teeth are displaced against the perioral soft tissues. This can affect the equilibrium of forces that are thought to act on teeth, with consequent implications for long-term stability. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of incremental lower lip advancement on intraoral pressure and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the lower lip.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Intraoral pressure and EMG activity was measured in 10 participants (2 males, 8 females; 22 years ± 7 months) as the lower lip was incrementally advanced using three custom-made vacuum-formed stents of differing labial thicknesses (0.5, 2.5, and 4.5 mm). A task paradigm including at rest recordings and maximal voluntary contraction was completed for each tray.   RESULTS Resting lip pressure generated increased as the lower lip was advanced (P < 0.001). The EMG activity of the lower lip increased significantly (P < 0.001) only once the lip was advanced from 2.5 to 4.5 mm. For the pressure recordings, the response to incremental lip advancement showed considerable individual variation.   CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the initial pressure increase on the lower incisors was mostly likely due to the inherent viscoelastic properties of the lower lip, while the pressure increase between the 2.5 and 4.5 mm advancement was due to increased muscle activity. Each individual also responded to lower lip advancement in a different yet subject-specific manner.
Progesterone concentration in the ovarian vein blood during the menstrual cycle has been studied in 4 patients. Values of 110, 48 and 29 μg/100 ml of ovarian vein blood were obtained 5, 10 and 11 days postovulatory, respectively. In one anovulatory cycle no measurable progesterone could be detected. In addition to progesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone,1 20α-hydroxy-4-pregnene-3-one and androstenedione have been identified in the same samples.
To generate a mouse line which allows inducible, Cre/loxP‐dependent recombination in adipocytes, we used RedE/RedT‐mediated recombineering to insert the CreERT2‐transgene, which encodes a fusion protein of Cre and a mutated tamoxifen‐responsive estrogen receptor, into the start codon of the adipocyte‐specific Adipoq gene. Adipoq encodes adiponectin, an adipokine specifically expressed in differentiated adipocytes. Tamoxifen treatment induced almost complete recombination in white adipose tissue of the AdipoqCreERT2 mouse line (97%–99%), while no recombination was seen in vehicle‐treated animals. Recombination in brown adipose tissue was about 15%, whereas other organs and tissues did not undergo recombination. In addition, mice expressing CreERT2 in adipocytes did not show any alterations of metabolic functions like glucose tolerance, lipolysis, or energy expenditure compared to control mice. Therefore the AdipoqCreERT2 mouse line will be a valuable tool for studying the consequences of a temporally controlled deletion of floxed genes in white adipose tissue. genesis 48:618–625, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inflammatory conditions manifest with a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Panniculitis is such a condition affecting the subcutaneous fat and presents as tender erythematous nodules. It is also associated with a systemic response and has been described in the literature as early as in 1892 by Pfeifer and in the 1920s by Weber and Christian. We present an unusual case of a Caucasian man with recurrent febrile illness, systemic inflammatory response and renal dysfunction requiring acute high dependency care. The authors successfully treated him with an antiproliferative agent, mycophenolate mofetil, which resulted in preventing him from having further episodes.
Skim milk microfiltration (MF) is a well established dairy processing operation to remove whey proteins. This is classically completed using ceramic membranes under the uniform transmembrane pressure (UTMP) concept. However, there is a growing interest in the use of spiral wound polymeric membranes for this purpose due to their lower capital cost. In this work we show that polymeric and ceramic membranes provide comparable performance during skim milk MF when operated at comparable levels of transmembrane pressure (TMP), shear stress and temperature. Operation is strongly affected by both TMP and temperature but is less affected by crossflow velocity under the conditions utilised here. However, while polymeric membranes offer similar performance, it will be operationally difficult to retain the necessarily low TMP at the industrial scale, due to the lack of a comparable UTMP configuration.
Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the conditions of supercritical CO2 extraction of the oil from freeze-dried onion powder. The effects of pressure, temperature and extraction time on the yield of oil were investigated. The maximum extraction yield of 4.69 ± 0.04 g/kg dry basis was achieved at a pressure of 20.6 MPa, a temperature of 40.6 °C, a time of 260 min, a CO2 flow rate of 22 L h–1, and an entrainer ratio of 0.1 mL absolute ethanol per gram dry basis. The chemical composition of the oil was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The most representative compounds of the essential oil were organosulfur-containing compounds and, among these, the main constituents were methyl 5-methylfuryl sulfide (18.30 %), methyl 3,4-dimethyl-2-thienyl disulfide (11.75 %) and 1-propenyl propyl disulfide (9.72 %).
Sisal nanofibres and Rice husks nanosilica particles are valuable materials which are used in many applications around the world. Polymer composites with nanocellulosic fibres as reinforcing materials are widely used due to their high strength to weight ratio and their strong tensile properties. This study focused on the tensile properties of mono and hybrid nanocellulosic polymer composites using both the experimental and the finite element method. The experimental method was used to validate the finite element analysis results. The experimental and numerical results show that the tensile properties of both the mono and the hybrid composites increase up to an optimal point, beyond which they begin to reduce. It was also evident that the hybrid composites had higher tensile properties than the mono composites.
In this paper we explore the concept of “ecosystem” as a metaphor in the development of the digital economy. We argue that the modelling of social ecosystems as self-organising systems is also relevant to the study of digital ecosystems. Specifically, that centralised control structures in digital ecosystems militate against emergence of innovation and adaptive response to pressures or shocks that may impact the ecosystem. We hope the paper will stimulate a more holistic approach to gaining empirical and theoretical understanding of digital ecosystems.
The performance of selection diversity reception in a correlated Rayleigh fading environment is studied. A simple probability density function (PDF) is derived for the output signal-to-noise ratio of a selection diversity receiver. Using the PDF, the bit error rates for DPSK and NCFSK are calculated to show the effect of correlation (or distance) between the diversity antennas. The numerical results show that the distance between diversity antennas can be as small as 0.3 /spl lambda/.
The relationship between disordered brain function and learning deficits in chronic schizophrenia is unclear. The authors compared correlations of brain response to picture encoding with subsequent recognition memory between samples of clinically stable patients over age 45 with schizophrenia and demographically similar healthy individuals. Subjects were studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging during novel picture encoding and a control condition. Comparison subjects showed an inverse relationship between subsequent recognition memory and brain response in medial temporal areas. Among schizophrenia patients, brain response in these regions was positively correlated with recognition memory. Brain-behavior relationships during learning were thus found to be qualitatively different between schizophrenic patients and healthy subjects.
With the help of an extended mapping approach and a linear variable separation method, new families of variable separation solutions with arbitrary functions for the (3+1)-dimensional Burgers system are derived. Based on the derived exact solutions, some novel and interesting localized coherent excitations such as embed-solitons are revealed by selecting appropriate boundary conditions and/or initial qualifications. The time evolutional properties of the novel localized excitation are also briefly investigated.
We report an unusual case of intracameral precipitation from using vancomycin and cefuroxime after a trabeculectomy surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such report.  A 55-year-old man underwent right trabeculectomy with a 10 mg/0.2 ml subconjunctival injection of 5-fluorouracil in the superior fornix before surgery, for uncontrolled primary open-angle glaucoma. He had intracameral Vancocin (vancomycin hydrochloride: 2 mg/0.1 ml of a balanced salt solution, ie, 20 mg/ml; Eli Lilly, Hampshire, UK) and a combination of 4 mg/ml Betnesol (betamethasone sodium phosphate; UCB Pharma, Berkshire, UK) and 125 mg/ml Zinacef (cefuroxime sodium; GlaxoSmithKline, Middlesex, UK) subconjunctivally at the inferior fornix at the end of surgery. On postoperative review 2 h later, a florid white precipitate was observed in the anterior chamber (AC). (figure 1A). During the next 48 h, the precipitate completely cleared (figure 1B …
Abstract How do we define civilisation? Who created the conditions for the quality of life we now enjoy? Who have been the greatest civilisers? What are our key life support systems and who provides the skills which create them? What do we want from our urban environment and who can give it to us? Are our cities in the prime of life, or are they geriatric? Are they sustainable? These and other challenges are considered and addressed in this review of the infrastructure of modern society and of the choices we face as we embrace the twenty-first century, with the emphasis on the urban environment.
The challenge to produce more food for a rising global population on diminishing agricultural land is complicated by the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity. Although great progress has been made in crop improvement, so far most efforts have targeted above-ground traits. Roots are essential for plant adaptation and productivity, but are less studied due to the difficulty of observing them during the plant life cycle. Root system architecture (RSA), made up of structural features like root length, spread, number, and length of lateral roots, among others, exhibits great plasticity in response to environmental changes, and could be critical to developing crops with more efficient roots. Much of the research on root traits has thus far focused on the most common cereal crops and model plants. As cereal yields have reached their yield potential in some regions, understanding their root system may help overcome these plateaus. However, root and tuber crops (RTCs) such as potato, sweetpotato, cassava, and yam may hold more potential for providing food security in the future, and knowledge of their root system additionally focuses directly on the edible portion. Root-trait modeling for multiple stress scenarios, together with high-throughput phenotyping and genotyping techniques, robust databases, and data analytical pipelines, may provide a valuable base for a truly inclusive ‘green revolution.’ In the current review, we discuss RSA with special reference to RTCs, and how knowledge on genetics of RSA can be manipulated to improve their tolerance to abiotic stresses.
Indirect rupture of the globe was found to be a rare injury, more common in males (P less than .01), and having a tendency to involve the left eye. Severe chemosis, a hyphema, and hypotony were usually present, but the intraocular pressure was elevated in three eyes. Of the 50 ruptures in this study, 41 were at the equator or anterior to it (P less than .01), and 37 were parallel to the equator. Thirty-three of the 41 anterior ruptures were located in the superior half of the eye. The nasal-superior quadrant between the limbus and spiral of Tillaux, the temporosuperior quadrant between the spiral of Tillaux and 5 mm posterior to the equator, and the temporosuperior quadrant between the limbus and spiral of Tillaux were the three most common areas involved, in decreasing order of frequency. A theory has been described to explain this distribution. The absence of a hyphema (P less than .001), the presence of a rupture of 9 mm or less (P less than .01), and the use of cryotherapy or diathermy at the wound edge at the time of closure of the rupture (P less than .01) were all good prognostic signs. The visual outcome was light perception or worse in 45 of the 50 ruptures, but every effort must be made to preserve the eye rather than to remove it.
The term super responders defines a subset of patients with moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis that present a rapid and higher rate of response to biological treatments in comparison to the general population. Little scientific evidence to explain the behavior and clinical characteristics of these psoriatic patients has been published thus far. Its characterization could be important to improve therapeutic optimization and to identify the profile of patients that will respond efficiently to biological treatments.
With the help of the Thermo-Calc software package, arrays of calculated data were created for carbon concentrations in ferrite and austenite, corresponding to the para-equilibrium of these phases and their para-equilibrium with cementite, as well as for the corresponding temperatures A1 and A3. Marked arrays were obtained in wide temperature ranges for ranges of carbon concentrations and the most important substitution alloying elements (Mn; Si; Cr; Ni; Mo), covering the respective ranges for medium carbon and moderately alloyed steels. Analytical formulas were developed on the basis of the reference data arrays for calculating para-equilibrium concentrations of carbon in ferrite and austenite (depending on temperature and chemical composition), as well as temperatures A1 and A3 (depending on chemical composition), which allow to reproduce with high accuracy the results obtained using Thermo-Calc.
Background: With the expansion of palliative care, the concept of clinical excellence is worthy of study and has not been described well in the literature. Objective: To apply the domains of clinical excellence, as proposed and published by the Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence, to the field of palliative care. Design: Review of the literature to identify episodes of superb palliative care delivered by individuals and teams. Measurement and Main Results: In reviewing 821 publications, we found multiple palliative care case reports to serve as exemplars for each of the distinct domains of clinical excellence. Conclusions: The domains of excellence are relevant and applicable to the field of palliative care. This article aims to inspire clinicians—and advance the field—by promoting thoughtful reflection on what clinical excellence in palliative care entails.
A blind watermarking algorithm for digital video resilient to MPEG-2 compression combined with several attacks is proposed. The proposed algorithm embeds binary visually recognizable patterns, such as the owner's logotype, in the DWT domain of some randomly selected video frames. To increase the security, the watermark data is transformed into a noise-like pattern by using a chaotic mixing method before the embedding process. The main advantage of the proposed algorithm is its simplicity, blindness and robustness. Extensive simulations show the watermark imperceptibility and robustness against several video degradations and other combined attacks. These results also show that the extracted watermark data from the watermarked video sequences using the proposed blind scheme is enough clear even after several attacks.
This paper deals with the issue of how to allocate greenhouse gas emission permits to nations in the long run. The so-called "equitable" rules to allocate such permits under a global agreement (per capita or grandfathering allocation rules for instance) do not necessarily ensure stability in the sense of the core of a cooperative game: some nations and groups of nations may typically be worse off under the global agreement than in alternative non-cooperative situations. We present a way to compute allocations of permits satisfying core constraints at each commitment period, while being as close as possible to any given "equitable" allocation. Then a simple world simulation model is used to analyze the long run welfare effects of these allocations.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) is a highly contagious virus leading to high mortality in a large panel of freshwater and marine fish species. VHSV isolates originating from marine fish show low pathogenicity in rainbow trout. The analysis of several nearly complete genome sequences from marine and freshwater isolates displaying varying levels of virulence in rainbow trout suggested that only a limited number of amino acid residues might be involved in regulating the level of virulence. Based on a recent analysis of 55 VHSV strains, which were entirely sequenced and phenotyped in vivo in rainbow trout, several amino acid changes putatively involved in virulence were identified. In the present study, these amino acid changes were introduced, alone or in combination, in a highly-virulent VHSV 23–75 genome backbone by reverse genetics. A total of 35 recombinant VHSV variants were recovered and characterized for virulence in trout by bath immersion. Results confirmed the important role of the NV protein (R116S) and highlighted a major contribution of the nucleoprotein N (K46G and A241E) in regulating virulence. Single amino acid changes in these two proteins drastically affect virus pathogenicity in rainbow trout. This is particularly intriguing for the N variant (K46G) which is unable to establish an active infection in the fins of infected trout, the main portal of entry of VHSV in this species, allowing further spread in its host. In addition, salmonid cell lines were selected to assess the kinetics of replication and cytopathic effect of recombinant VHSV and discriminate virulent and avirulent variants. In conclusion, three major virulence markers were identified in the NV and N proteins. These markers explain almost all phenotypes (92.7%) observed in trout for the 55 VHSV strains analyzed in the present study and herein used for the backward validation of virulence markers. The identification of VHSV specific virulence markers in this species is of importance both to predict the in vivo phenotype of viral isolates with targeted diagnostic tests and to improve prophylactic methods such as the development of safer live-attenuated vaccines.
ratory distress. Intravenous dexamethasone and furosemide were increasedto 8 mg 3 timesdailyand 40 mg once daily,respectively. On day 3, all clinical symptoms, including low-grade fever, weakness, lymphadenopathy, and pruriticskin rash,were resolved. The patient was discharged with a prescription for 3 days of dexamethasone 8 mg daily.At follow-up 4 weeks later,her clinicalsymptoms were resolvedand liver functionvalues returned to baseline.Laboratory data showed white blood cell count 5.0 x J03/JILwith39% polymorphonuclear leukocytes, 42% lymphocytes, 9% monocytes, and 10% eosinophils. Serum complement level was within the normal range. Serum immunoglobulin E level was 54 IU/mL(reference range0-200). Discussion, Serum sickness is a type III hypersensitivity reaction caused by an immunecomplex-mediatedreactionto heterologous antisera and other foreign proteins.' Typical manifestations of SSLR include fever, malaise, and lymphadenopathy,"Dyspnea with or without pulmonaryinfiltrates is a rare symptom.' SSLR was suspectedinour patient due to use of cefuroxime and/or ceftriaxone. Although the patient had been on other medications in the past,only cephalosporins havebeen associatedwith SSLR.4 The Naranjoprobability scale indicateda probable relationshipbetween the cephalosporintherapy and the developmentof SSLR in our patient," Multiplecoursesof antibiotics havebeen shownto be a riskfactorand may increase the frequency of SSLR.2 Although no specific laboratory criteriaare universally presentor conclusively diagnostic of SSLR, liver transaminaselevels may be transientlyelevated.' The patient's elevated liver enzymes may be a part of the drug reaction. The noncardiogenic pulmonaryedema thatdevelopedand respondedto steroidtherapywas a rare and interesting clinicalmanifestation.
Abstract We propose that a magnetar could be formed during the core collapse of massive stars or coalescence of two normal neutron stars, through collecting and inheriting the magnetic fields magnified by hyperaccreting disk. After the magnetar is born, its dipole magnetic fields in turn have a major influence on the following accretion. The decay of its toroidal field can fuel the persistent X-ray luminosity of either an SGR or AXP; however the decay of only the poloidal field is insufficient to do so.
To characterize and compare acid suppression (pharmacodynamics) and pharmacokinetics of IV famotidine and ranitidine in critically ill children at risk for stress gastritis. Single‐blind, randomized study in PICU patients 6 months to 18 years requiring mechanical ventilation with continuous gastric pH monitoring, randomized to IV famotidine 12 mg/m2 or ranitidine 60 mg/m2 when gastric pH < 4.0 >1 hour with serial blood sampling following first dose. Twenty‐four children randomized to either famotidine (n = 12) or ranitidine (n = 12). Sixteen out of twenty‐four completed both PK and PD study arms (7/12 famotidine; 4.7 ± 3.4 years; 9/12 ranitidine; 6.6 ± 4.7 years; p = 0.38). Time to gastric pH 4.0 and total time pH above 4.0 similar with no difference in pH at 6 and 12 hours (p > 0.2). No difference between drugs in clearance, volume of distribution and half‐life (p > 0.05). Ratio of AUC pH to AUC drug concentration 0–12 hours after first dose was significantly greater for famotidine (0.06849 ± 0.01460 SD) than ranitidine (0.02453 ± 0.01448; p < 0.001) demonstrating greater potency of famotidine. pH lowering efficacy of both drugs is similar. Greater potency of famotidine may offer clinical advantage due to lower drug exposure and less frequent dosing to achieve same pH lowering effect.
Short-term travel time prediction is an important consideration in modern traffic control and management systems. As probe data technology has developed, research interest has moved from highways to urban roads. Most research has only focused on improving the prediction accuracy on urban roads because it is the key index of evaluating a model. However, the low penetration rate of probe vehicles at urban networks may result in the low coverage rate which restricts prediction models from practical applications. This research proposed a non-parametric model based on Bayes’ theorem and a resampling process to predict short-term urban link travel time, which can enhance the coverage rate while maintaining the prediction accuracy. The proposed model used data from vehicles in both the target link and its crossing direction, so its coverage rate can be expanded, especially when the data penetration rate is low. In addition, the utilization of relationships between vehicles in both directions can reflect the influence of signal timing. The proposed model was evaluated in a computer simulation to test its robustness and reliability under different data penetration rates. The results implied that the proposed model has a high coverage rate, demonstrating stable and acceptable performance at different penetration rates.
Simple Summary Stereotactic radiosurgery has changed the landscape of treatment for skull base meningiomas. Lesions encasing or compressing radiosensitive structures are considered not suitable for single session stereotactic radiosurgery because of the high risk of side effects. Multisession stereotactic radiosurgery can reduce these risks, allowing for normal tissue repair between fractions, while delivering a high dose per fraction. The aim of this study is to validate the role of multi-session stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of skull base meningiomas, through a retrospective analysis of 156 patients affected by skull base meningioma, treated at the University of Messina between 2008 and 2018. Our study suggests that multisession stereotactic radiosurgery represents a safe and effective profile in the treatment of skull base meningioma, providing a satisfactory local control and a low toxicity rate, together with patient comfort from a frameless procedure. Abstract Background: The efficacy of single-session stereotactic radiosurgery (sSRS) for the treatment of intracranial meningioma is widely recognized. However, sSRS is not always feasible in cases of large tumors and those lying close to critically radiation-sensitive structures. When surgery is not recommended, multi-session stereotactic radiosurgery (mSRS) can be applied. Even so, the efficacy and best treatment schedule of mSRS are not yet established. The aim of this study is to validate the role of mSRS in the treatment of skull base meningiomas. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients with skull base meningiomas treated with mSRS (two to five fractions) at the University of Messina, Italy, from 2008 to 2018, was conducted. Results: 156 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median follow-up period was 36.2 ± 29.3 months. Progression-free survival at 2-, 5-, and 10- years was 95%, 90%, and 80.8%, respectively. There were no new visual or motor deficits, nor cranial nerves impairments, excluding trigeminal neuralgia, which was reported by 5.7% of patients. One patient reported carotid occlusion and one developed brain edema. Conclusion: Multisession radiosurgery is an effective approach for skull base meningiomas. The long-term control is comparable to that obtained with conventionally-fractionated radiotherapy, while the toxicity rate is very limited.
Female patient of 30-years-old, pregnant of 36 weeks, with previous surgical biliopancreatic bypass (Scopinaro) performed by laparotomy nine years earlier (pre-surgical BMI: 48, pre-gestational BMI: 33), with multiple entries during the 3 trimester due cramping abdominal pains, which were labeling as renal colics (a light right renal hydronephrosis was objectified by ultrasound). Few days later, the patient returns to the emergency room referring an abdominal pain four hours of evolution, with similar characteristics with four hours of evolution, focused on hypogastrium, accompanied by vomiting and absence of fever. Physical examination evidenced diffuse abdominal pain without peritoneal irritation signs, mainly in lower abdomen. The blood test evidenced intense leukocytosis (28,500 leukos/ml, 89.2 % neutrophils), CRP 18.4 mg/dl, procalcitonin 3.2 ng/ml and Quick index of 58 %. Although the fetal monitoring did not describe signs of distress, labor induction was decided due clinical suspicion of acute pyelonephritis (given the recent history of the patient). The delivery passed smoothly and a healthy girl of 2,800 g was born by the vaginal via. The next day, coinciding with epidural catheter removal and deletion of continuous infusion of intravenous analgesics, the patient debuts with abdominal hyperacute pain with abdominal defense and marked signs of peritonism. A CT scan was realized (Fig. 1) which reported pneumoperitoneum with free fluid and diffuse thickening and distension of small bowel. The patient underwent an emergency laparotomy, which revealed a peritonitis secondary to intestinal perforation of the Scopinaro’s jejunoileal anastomosis due traction from firm flange on the ileal common loop. A primary closure of the perforation and abdominal lavage were done. The postoperative course was uneventful.
Methylation of lysine 9 (K9) in the N-terminus tail of histone H3 (H3) in chromatin is associated with transcriptionally silenced genes and is mediated by histone methyltransferases. Murine G9a is a 1263 amino acid H3-K9 methyltransferase that possesses characteristic SET domain and ANK repeats. In this paper, we have used a series of green fluorescent protein-tagged deletion constructs to identify two nuclear localization signals (NLS), the first NLS embedded between amino acids 24 and 109 and the second between amino acids 394 and 401 of murine G9a. Our data show that both long and short G9a isoforms were capable of entering the nucleus to methylate chromatin. Full-length or N-terminus-deleted G9a isoforms were also catalytically active enzymes that methylated recombinant H3 or synthetic peptides representing the N-terminus tail of H3. In vitro methylation reactions using N-terminus tail peptides resulted in tri-methylation of K9 that remained processive, even in G9a enzymes that lacked an N-terminus region by deletion. Co-expression of G9a and H3 resulted in di- and tri-methylation of H3-K9, while siRNA-mediated knockdown of G9a in HeLa cells resulted in reduction of global H3-K9 di- and tri-methylation. A recombinant deletion mutant enzyme fused with maltose-binding protein (MBP-G9aΔ634) was used for steady-state kinetic analysis with various substrates and was compared with full-length G9a (G9aFL). Turnover numbers of MBP-G9aΔ634 for various substrates was ∼3-fold less compared with G9aFL, while their Michaelis constants (Km) for recombinant H3 were similar. The KmAdoMet for MBP-G9aΔ634 was ∼2.3–2.65 μM with various substrates. Catalytic efficiencies (kcat/Km) for both MBP-G9aΔ634 and G9aFL were similar, suggesting that the N-terminus is not essential for catalysis. Furthermore, mutation of conserved amino acids R1097A, W1103A, Y1120A, Y1138A and R1162A, or the metal binding C1168A in the catalytic region, resulted in catalytically impaired enzymes, thereby confirming the involvement of the C-terminus of G9a in catalysis. Thus, distinct domains modulate nuclear targeting and catalytic functions of G9a.
In this talk, I will present a novel academic search and mining system, AMiner, the second generation of the ArnetMiner system. Different from traditional academic search systems that focus on document (paper) search, AMiner aims to provide a systematic modeling approach for researchers (authors), ultimately to gain a deep understanding of the big (heterogeneous) network formed by authors, papers they have published, and venues they published those papers. The system extracts researchers' profiles automatically from the Web and integrates the researcher profiles with publication papers after name disambiguation. For now, the system has collected a big scholar data with more than 130,000,000 researcher profiles and 100,000,000 papers from multiple publication databases. We also developed an approach named COSNET to connect AMiner with several professional social networks such as LinkedIn and VideoLectures, which significantly enriches the metadata of the scholarly data. Based on the integrated big scholar data, we devise a unified topic modeling approach for modeling the different entities (authors, papers, venues) simultaneously and provide a topic-level expertise search by leveraging the modeling results. In addition, AMiner offers a set of researcher-centered functions including social influence analysis, influence visualization, collaboration recommendation, relationship mining, similarity analysis and community evolution. The system has been put into operation since 2006 and has attracted more than 7,000,000 independent IP accesses from over 200 countries/regions.
written was the work of a Marxist, the late Gordon Childe. Surely Ghilde's ideas are as relevant to Africa as they were to Europe or the Near East ? Secondly, however, Professor Sfk would appear to be handicapped by the suspicion with which he finds it necessary to approach many of his sources. Thus oral tradition is suspect not only because of the difficulty of evaluating its truly historical content, but also because so much of it has been recorded by (bourgeois) European colonizers. The result is that the first section of his book has little sense of historical continuity or movement. It tends, indeed, to have the character of an ethnographic catalogue. It might be remarked that this does not accord well with Professor Sfk's aim to avoid writing ' racist' history. If this is a purist objection, then it should be said that his own purism requires him to eschew the term ' Negro Africa' and substitute the tautological' Black Africa '. Professor Sfk's distrust of bourgeois writers does not entitle him to make up history for himself. Yet this is what sometimes seems to happen when, for the fifteenth century onwards, they must perforce provide the bulk of his authorities. Thus 'Au cours d'une periode relativement breve (i807-1824), les colonisateurs anglais durent mener sur la Cote de l'Or quatre guerres (1807, 1814, 1816, 1821-1826) contre le peuple achanti qui luttait non seulement pour son independance mais pour Pexpulsion des occupants europe'ens . . . de la Cote de l'Or . . .' (p. 216) squares oddly with the generally accepted picture that Ashanti was trying to conquer and control Fante territory, that British troops first took the field in 1822, and first entered Ashanti territory in 1874. Nor is one any more inclined to accept the statement (p. 240),' Enfin, en 1834,l'affranchissement des esclaves, ou plus exactement la maniere dont le gouvernement anglais le mit a execution, ruina completement une grande partie des fermiers boers et fut la cause du depart d'environ 10,000 Boers de la colonie (Le Grand Trek).' If it be objected that these are to some extent matters of opinion, consider the following statements, which all occur (among others) within the two pages 130 and 131: the British built Fort James on the Gambia in 166) and named it in honour of their king of the time; the French took Arguin from the Dutch (for the first time ?) in 77.27; the Dutch appeared on the Gold Coast in 1624 immediately after the English had constructed their first fort, at Kormantine, in 1616. Errors of this kind abound, and lead one to wonder how much notice has been taken of many of the books in the lengthy bibliographies. The plates are well chosen, though they are not always so well reproduced and unfortunately their sources are not acknowledged: Plate 3 suggests that Great Zimbabwe is on the coast. The maps are beautifully reproduced in colour. J. D. FAGE
There is a strong need of defining and using measurable tools to assist the processes of planning, management and evaluation of sustainable policies. Chapter 40 of Agenda 21 emphasizes the need of countries, international organizations and NGOs developing sustainable development indicators. This study aimed at identifying, describing and classifying the ain types of indicators, and  at defining the most ppropriate type to measure the sustainability of extractive agroecosystems. For achieving these goals, we chose the case f the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebenthifolius Raddi) ruit picking in the hydrographic sub-basin of Baixo Sao rancisco, in northeastern Brazil. The geographic areas used n this study where the sub-basin and adjacent coastal area. Data collection was carried out in two steps: the first step refers to literature review and documental research in raditional publications, and the second step refers to field esearch, with the use of direct observation and directed nterviews. Based on literature descriptions, it was possible o identify and classify the types of indicators that are ffectively used throughout the world, and thereby set the most appropriate indicators to  measure the object of research. This study has shown that models of sustainability ndicators can be classified according  to generation, scope nd focus. PEIR model developed by CIAT, the World Bank and NEP was considered the most suitable for evaluating the sustainability of extractive agroecosystems.
Abstract In 2004 and 2005, large numbers of the tumbling flower beetle, Falsomordellistena bihamata (Melsheimer), were found on traps baited with sweet birch oil, whereas significantly fewer individuals were found on control traps. In both years, peak captures were at 680 DD10°C. Trapping was conducted in Naugatuck State Forest in Naugatuck, CT. Little is known about the ecology and biology of the tumbling flower beetles (Coleoptera: Mordellidae), and the larval food plant for this species is not known. Thus, we cannot say why the beetle is attracted to sweet birch oil. Sweet birch oil is ≈99.8% methyl salicylate (MeSA). MeSA is found constitutively in large quantities in some plants, but it is also an important signal in, and product of, plant stress-response pathways. MeSA has been found to attract both herbivores that need stressed plants as food and natural enemies of herbivores in stressed plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of mass trapping of a tumbling flower beetle. Fuller understanding of the phenomenon awaits further study.
The French language development of children adopted (n=24) from China was compared with that of control children matched for socioeconomic status, sex, and age. The children were assessed at 50 months of age, on average, and 16 months later. The initial assessment revealed that the 2 groups did not differ with respect to socioemotional adjustment or intellectual abilities. However, the adopted children's expressive language skills were significantly lower than those of the nonadopted children at both assessments. The receptive language skills were also significantly weaker for the adopted children at the second assessment. The results are discussed in terms of possible early age-of-acquisition effects that might affect adopted children's ability to acquire a second first language.
In LTE/LTE-A (Long Term Evolution/ Long Term Evolution-Advanced) wireless technology, control signaling information in uplink like channel quality indicator (CQI), Acknowledgement (ACK/NACK) for Hybrid Automatic Request (HARQ), Scheduling Request (SR) from users equipment (UEs) to the Evolved Node Base-station(eNodeB) is carried over the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). The PUCCH is a code-multiplexed narrow band channel where more than one user is multiplexed by means of orthogonal Code Division Multiplex (CDM) on the same set of sub-carriers. For optimum LTE system performance, the eNodeB must accurately estimate the SINR on the received PUCCH channel per-user and signal the UEs accordingly to transmit their PUCCH at an optimum power level, such that the received signal can be reliably decoded from multiple users typically even in the presence of receiver impairments like timing offset(TO) between users and eNodeB. This system performance should be guaranteed over a wide SINR (Signal-to-Interference-Noise Ratio). This paper establishes a robust method to estimate the PUCCH SINR for each allocated user in the presence of channel impairments.
This chapter reviews recent academic articles (2001-2016) about media and migration both within and to Europe. This chapter contributes to understanding how contemporary perceptions of migration and migrants intersect with media representations, while highlighting shortages in academic coverage and providing suggestions for future research. Articles (N = 89) from ten prominent journals dealing with mass media narratives were analyzed using content analysis. Following a quantitative overview of the data, the chapter discusses the main themes present in the literature. Closely-related articles (i.e., directly dealing with (im)migration and (im)migrants) tackled representations of immigrants, immigrants� media use, stereotypes in the media, ethnic and minority media, discourses about migration issues, and visual representations of refugees/asylum-seekers. Articles considered moderately relevant referred to migration/migrants as a background to their primary topic of investigation. The findings draw attention to the scarcity of research on media production in general and the need to further connect media discourse to concrete editorial and journalistic practices and identify that the lack of methodological transparency echoes validity concerns in (qualitative) scientific research. Remarkably, few studies considered refugees, though the current actuality of the refugee crisis is expected to cause a shift in research focus. Finally, this chapter suggests that the construction of immigration is predominantly a non-European experience while drawing attention to the growing relationship between race, ethnicity, religion, and migration. The suggested shift from the migrant category to religious, cultural, and racial denominations highlights the need to consider implications of these references as proxies of the migrant category in future research.
In this paper, the frequency of measured transient voltage of neutral grounding reactor on UHV AC transmission line (abb.: neutral reactor) is analyzed. Firstly, the measurement method of transient voltage of neutral reactor is introduced. Then the measurement results are analyzed. When the no-load transmission line is put into power system, the transient voltage of neutral reactor contains two high frequency components. The component with lower frequency is determined by the zero-sequence voltage of the transmission line, and these oscillation frequency range is between 100 Hz and 250 Hz. The component with higher frequency is determined by the inductance value of the neutral reactor, and the corresponding relationship between the transient voltage frequency and power frequency impedances of the neutral reactor is obtained. When the no-load transmission line is cut off from power system, the transient voltage of neutral reactor contains only one frequency component, which is determined by the zero-sequence voltage of the transmission line, and these oscillation frequency distribution range is below 50 Hz. The measurement results will be useful for the UHV AC insulation coordination design, computer simulation model development, voltage measurement device development or other technical fields.
Nuclear magnetic shieldings in first‐ and second‐row hydrides were calculated with electron correlation taken into account through third order. The calculation was performed using London’s gauge‐invariant atomic orbitals (GIAOs) and finite‐field Mo/ller–Plesset perturbation theory (FF‐MPPT). Furthermore, the vibrational motion corrections to the magnetic shieldings were evaluated. It was shown that the calculated isotropic shielding constants at the experimental geometries are higher than the experimental values, but that vibrational corrections are generally negative and improve the calculated shielding constants.
Nutrition influences skin structure; however, a systematic investigation into how energy and macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) affects the skin has yet to be conducted. We evaluated the associations between macronutrients, energy intake and skin structure in mice fed 25 experimental diets and a control diet for 15 months using the Geometric Framework, a novel method of nutritional analysis. Skin structure was associated with the ratio of dietary macronutrients eaten, not energy intake, and the nature of the effect differed between the sexes. In males, skin structure was primarily associated with protein intake, whereas in females carbohydrate intake was the primary correlate. In both sexes, the dermis and subcutaneous fat thicknesses were inversely proportional. Subcutaneous fat thickness varied positively with fat intake, due to enlarged adipocytes rather than increased adipocyte number. We therefore demonstrated clear interactions between skin structure and macronutrient intakes, with the associations being sex-specific and dependent on dietary macronutrient balance.
Background The typical clinical symptoms of glomus tumors are pain, tenderness, and sensitivity to temperature change, and the presence of these clinical findings is helpful in diagnosis. However, the tumors often pose diagnostic difficulty because of variations in presentation and the nonspecific symptoms of glomus tumors. To the best of our knowledge, few studies have reported on the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosing glomus tumors in patients with unspecific symptoms. Methods The inclusion criteria of this study were: having undergone surgery for subungual glomus tumor of the hand, histopathologic confirmation of glomus tumor, and having undergone preoperative MRI. Twenty-one patients were enrolled. The characteristics of the tumors and the presenting symptoms including pain, tenderness, and sensitivity to temperature change were retrospectively reviewed. Results Five out of 21 patients (23%) did not show the typical glomus tumor symptom triad because they did not complain of pain provoked by coldness. Nevertheless, preoperative MRI showed well-defined small soft-tissue lesions on T1- and T2-weighted images, which are typical findings of glomus tumors. The tumors were completely resected and confirmed as glomus tumor histopathologically. Conclusions Early occult lesions of glomus tumor in the hand may not be revealed by physical examination because of their barely detectable symptoms. Moreover, subungual lesions may be particularly difficult to evaluate on physical examination. Our cases showed that MRI offers excellent diagnostic information in clinically undiagnosed or misdiagnosed patients. Preoperative MRI can accurately define the character and extent of glomus tumor, even though it is impalpable and invisible.
BACKGROUND This paper reports on the torques developed in the shoulder joint experienced by occupants of moving vehicles during manual handling tasks. Handling heavy weights can cause musculoskeletal injuries, especially if handling is done with arms extended or at high levels.   OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to measure the longitudinal and lateral accelerations in a variety of passenger vehicles together with the postures of subjects lifting luggage onto storage shelves. This data enabled the application of inverse dynamics methods in a non-inertial reference frame to calculate the shoulder joint torques.   METHODS The subjects lifted 3 pieces of luggage of masses of 5 kg, 10 kg and 14 kg onto shelving which were at heights of 1.2 m, 1.6 m and 1.8 m. The movement of subjects was measured using a 12 camera, 3-dimensional optical tracking system. The subjects stood on force plates to measure the ground reaction forces.   RESULTS Sixty-three trials were completed, although 9 trials were aborted because subjects felt unable to complete the task. It was found that the shoulder torques exceeded the levels recommend by the UK Health and Safety Executive for manual handling. A lift assistance device is suggested to reduce the shoulder torques required for luggage handling.
The purpose of this phenomenological undertaking is to describe the lived realities of the street sweepers working in the City Local Government Units (CLGUs) in Davao Region, Philippines. In-depth Interview (IDI) and Focus Group Discussion were employed in collecting the data. Findings revealed that they are working with no security of tenure leading to meager compensation and non-existent benefits. Dearth of necessary work implements and bureaucratic red tape were found out as predicaments encountered other than insecurity and vulnerability of the work. In solving the problems encountered, loan dependence and moonlighting turned out to be the primary solution aside from perseverance to the job, detachment and nonchalance as well as their wishful thinking.  Out from the generated results, it can be learned that they desire recognition and respect and environmental responsibility among citizenry needs to be cultivated. Amidst the deprivation due to the nature of their employment, there is pride and satisfaction in doing their job. Though a street sweeper’s work is hard and unenviable, job security continues to be an elusive dream.
Scarring remains a serious complication of the wound healing process that can lead to the formation of excessive fibrous connective tissue in an organ or tissue leading to pain and loss of function. This process is mainly regulated by Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), which binds to receptors and induces its downstream mediator, Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF). The number of drugs targeting CTGF for treating scars has been on the rise in the past few years. The purpose of this article is to suggest the possibility of using cornea as a model for testing anti-CTGF therapies for scarring.
BACKGROUND/AIMS Features of LSPH secondary to pancreatic cancer is ambiguous, and controversy remains in the treatment.   METHODS 48 cases from our department were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the clinical features, as well as the feasibility and effect of surgical treatment.   RESULTS 16 patients had gastrointestinal hemorrhage history. Laboratory findings showed normocytic and normochromic anemia, thrombocytopenia, lymphocyte reduction, and elevated liver enzyme. Tumor markers were normal in 12 patients. Ultrasonography showed splenic venous obstruction in 40 patients and splenomegaly in 35. Esophagogastric varices could be detected by endoscopy in 40 patients and by CT in 37. Radical resection was performed in 43 patients and splenectomy or additional devascularization in 29. 15 patients had gastrointestinal bleeding during follow-up, and the median survival time was 11.0 months.   CONCLUSION Associated LSPH brought special features to pancreatic cancer. Radical resection, as well as splenectomy or additional devascularization for varices above Grade II, was worth performing.
To investigate the relationship between the expression of HIF-1α, VEGF and tumor angiogenesis in non small cell lung cancer(NSCLC). The expression of HIF-1α, VEGF and MVD were evalulated by immunohistochemical method. The expression of HIF-1α and VEGF in NSCLC tissue was demonstrated in 71.11% and 66.7%, respectively, and significantly higher than that of normal lung tissue (P0.05); there was a statistically significant correlation between HIF-1αexpression and lymph node metastase, TNM stages,VEGF expression and MVD; But no significant corerelation was seen between HIF-1αexpression and tumor size, pathological grade,; there was also a statistically significant correlation between VEGF expression and tumor size, lymph node metastase, pathological grade ,TNM stages and MVD. [Conclusion] The present finding suggests that the expression of HIF-1α,VEGF correlates closely with tumor invasion and angiogenesis.
One of the most unusual insects found in soybean during late July and August has been the robber fly. Adult robber flies are noted for their voracious attacks on other insects, including wasps and bees. This behavior has earned them the name "bee catchers." They are usually found in open and sunny areas ranging from soybean fields to pastures to city yards and woodland edges. They fly mainly during the hotter parts of the day. Often they wait in open sunlit areas where they can command a good view of passing insects and then fly out to catch their prey.
Following the preceding paper “Abrasion Resistance of Anodic Oxide Film Impregnated with Lubricating Oil”, this paper describes the experiments with MoS2 as impregnating material by using Okoshi's Rapid Wear Testing Machine. The following results were obtained: (1) Abrasion resistance of porous films impregnated with MoS2 was excellent and its value remained almost constant at high friction velocity. (2) The maximum abrasion resistance was observed when the films were heat-treated at 200°C; but, the value gradually decreased when the temperature of treatment was higher than 400°C. The resistance of the films heat-treated at 200°C was proved to be remarkably excellent by testing at a high frictron velocity. (3) The resistance was higher with the increase in MoS2 content of the oil, but it became lower when the content was more than 20%.
Vibration is a very important factor to influence the working accuracy like high precision roll grinding machine,this paper puts forward the spring unit is an effective way to solve vibrating through analysing the propagation of vibration and the decay vegular of vibration,also particularly mentioned the points for attention of the spring unit should be,at the same time,according to the actual reguirement to ensure the selection of anti-vibration elements.
Objective To study the feasibility of Cannulae-needle used in continued brachial plexus block.Methods Twenty-six patients were operated on upper-limbs surgery.Continued brachial plexus block were used and vital signs effectiveness of anesthesia and side reaction were observed.Results Anesthesias were satisfactory in all 26 patients no side reaction were observed.Conclusions Using 24G vein-retention-needle to perform continued brachial plexus is a good anesthetic method for upper arm operation.
A.E. Timms1, A.M. Crane1, A.-.M. Sims1, H. Cordell2, L. Bradbury1, O. Beynon1, G.R. Duff5, L.R. Cardon4, A. Calin3, P. Wordsworth1 , M.A. Brown1. 1Institute of Musculoskeletal Sciences, The Botnar Research Centre, Oxford, United Kingdom; 2Cambridge Institute of Medical Research, Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom; 3Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath, United Kingdom; 4Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; 5Division of Genomic Medicine, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
On 18th August 2016, The Tuticorin Research Centre of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute and Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli has added a feather to their caps by signing a Memorandum of Understanding at 1200 hrs at the Syndicate Meeting Hall of the University.  The MoU signing in function was chaired by the Shri. K. Baskar, Vice Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, accompanied by the Heads of Departments of various disciplines, Syndicate/Senate Members of the University and distinguished personalities both from teaching and administration. On the other hand Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan, Director CMFRI, Kochi, PME Cell incharge, Dr. Boby Ignatius, Principal Scientist and Dr. P. P. Manojkumar, Scientist in charge, Tuticorin Research Centre of CMFRI, Dr. I. Jagadis, Principal Scientist and Dr. C.P. Suja, Senior Scientist were present.  The MoU is considered to be one of the important events of both the organization. Manonmaniam Sundaranar University is catering the Educational and manpower development need of the southernmost three districts Viz. Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari. Tuticorin Research Centre of CMFRI, a constituent unit of CMFRI, Kochi under the Administrative control of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi under Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare is functioning for the past five decades for the development of Marine Fisheries in this region.
In the last 20 years the global appearance and transmission of infectious diseases in humans have two evident characteristics: one is a certain increase in the extermination or near extermination of infectious diseases which have seriously threatened peoples health--the former includes variola the latter poliomyelitis and neonatal tetanus; secondly there are Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) which threaten the health and lives of people. EIDs are divided into two main types of ailment: one type is the return of a previously controlled infectious disease staging a comeback such as tuberculosis cholera plague diptheria dengue malaria and others; the other type consists of scores of newly discovered infectious diseases. This article only discusses infectious diseases newly emerging in the last 20 years and their preventative measures. (excerpt)
Audio-visual archives play an important role such as historical documents, education, extensive exchanges in higher vocational colege. There are some problems in the management of audio-visual archives, including limited file awareness, unsound system, and poor conditions of preserving records. Therefore, it's urgent to raise awareness of archive management, set rules, broaden colection channels, and improve the storage environment to act as information service.
There is a cleaning process using a cleaning liquid during a cleaning method capable of preventing damage of the silicon germanium layer, and this semiconductor device is disclosed comprising a silicon germanium layer. Non-ionic surface active agent 0.01 to 2.5% by weight of the basic compound from 0.05 to 5.0, the cleaning liquid containing the wt% extra pure is the silicon exposed at the time of forming the trench for forming the device isolation pattern on the multilayer silicon substrate silicon germanium layer trench while preventing damage to the germanium layer has the effect that can effectively remove impurities present on its surface.
A central activity of science is the construction and testing of empirical models, utilizing known natural mechanisms, of parts of the natural world. Occasionally, some scientists tentatively conclude that some particular phenomenon is unexplainable in terms of any known natural mechanisms. I discuss some historical examples which have been resolved (e.g., the energy source of the sun) and some modern examples still under discussion (e.g., the Big Bang, first life) where at least some scientists have concluded that a phenomenon is unexplainable in terms of known natural mechanisms. In such circumstances, individual scientists have advocated a range of scientific and philosophical conclusions (e.g., unknown natural mechanisms, multiple universes, divine intervention).
The Achang Epic"Zhe Pa Ma and Zhe m Ma"is the Achang traditional culture an important part of an important cultural value in the memory of history,In the epic"Zhe Pa Ma","Zhe m Ma","Sang guni"is the the Achang initial three ancestor worship gods and ancestor worship reflects the context of the the Achang national development,but also with moral education,filial piety,rich in ideasepic cultural connotations.
The purpose of this project is to evaluate the escalation of the production of acute human lymphocytic leukemia (REH) cells, in order to obtain maximum concentrations of these, since they serve as host cells for WT1-5 oncolytic virus replication, which causes childhood gastroenteritis. The scaling was worked from 24-well microplates, followed by the experiment in Petri dishes, where both kinetics were evaluated for growth kinetics and cell viability, in order to obtain data such as the specific growth rate and the time it takes for the cells to double. The respective experiments were then carried out in the 250 mL spinner reactor, where, in addition to evaluating the growth kinetics and its viability, glucose consumption data were obtained in each sample that was used to make the respective cell count, reaching show a relationship between glucose consumption and cell concentration. Subsequently, a simulation of the 250 mL spinner reactor is carried out in the MATLAB open source program, where the results achieved are they compare with the data obtained experimentally. At the end of each of the experiments, the cells that grew in a Petri dish and in the 250 spinner reactor were delivered for the subsequent infection and production of the WT1-5 virus named above.
Perceptions of consumers, health care administrators, and physicians regarding health care providers are analyzed. Ratings on 26 dimensions of health care services were obtained from members of the three participant groups using measures of image and satisfaction of both physicians in general, and of specific physicians. Discriminant analysis reveals significantly different perceptions of the health care system among the three groups of respondents. These differences suggest some changes in health care administration which could lead to increased consumer satisfaction and competitive advantages for physicians and health care institutions.
necrotizing lymphadenitis is a self-limited cause of cervical lymphadenopathy. First described by Kikuchi and Fujimoto in 1972, its history dates back to the late 1960s.1 At that time, the National Cancer Institute had organized the Lymphoma Task Force whose objective was to review pathology specimens for confirmation of diagnoses.1 The task force identified 108 cases, some who had already started chemotherapy, that were misdiagnosed as lymphoma and actually represented “an unusual form of necrotizing lymphadenitis.”1 Reporting these findings in 1973, these patients were identified as having KFD. Subsequent cases surfaced throughout the world’s literature, all describing a clinical entity that had been mistaken for lymphoma, lupus, and an assortment of infectious diseases.1,2 We present a patient with KFD to further illustrate the varied clinical presentation of this disease.
Since the publication of the first Vitamin P in 2002, painting has continued to evolve and excite, with new generations responding to its historic importance and taking it in unexpected directions. A central pillar of artistic practice, painting also has enduring appeal, dominating the art market. Vitamin P3 takes the conversation forward, spotlighting more than 100 outstanding artists who are engaging with - and pushing the boundaries of - the medium of paint.    International experts include: Iwona Blazwick, Benjamin Buchloh, Marlene Dumas, Laura Hoptman, Geeta Kapur, Alex Katz, Tim Marlow, Sarah McCrory, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Beatrix Ruf, Nancy Spector, Daniel Sturgis
This report provides details of experiments to obtain near solidus mechanical data on a range of materials at elevated temperatures. These materials included a Copper-Nickel, an Iron and a Nickel alloy. The tests were performed at NPL in a miniature multiproperty apparatus (the ETMT), at the IRC (University of Wales, Swansea) using ASSET (an Advanced Semi-Solid Elongation Tests System) and at USEM (University of Sheffield) in an induction-heated high temperature test rig.
Win conjectured that a graph $G$ on $n$ vertices contains $k$ disjoint perfect matchings, if the degree sum of any two nonadjacent vertices is at least $n+k-2$, where $n$ is even and $n geq k+2$. In this paper, we first prove that under Win's condition there is a $k$-factor in $G$ if $k geq n/2$. As a byproduct, we show that Win's conjecture is true for all sufficiently large $n$, if $k geq n/2$. Our main tools include Tutte's $k$-factor theorem, the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker theorem on convex optimization and the solution to the longstanding 1-factor decomposition conjecture.
Random effects models for hierarchically dependent data, e.g. clustered data, are widely used. A popular bootstrap method for such data is the parametric bootstrap based on the same random effects model as that used in inference. However, it is hard to justify this type of bootstrap when this model is known to be an approximation. In this paper we describe a semiparametric block bootstrap approach for clustered data that is simple to implement, free of both the distribution and the dependence assumptions of the parametric bootstrap and is consistent when the mixed model assumptions are valid. Results based on Monte Carlo simulation show that the proposed method seems robust to failure of the dependence assumptions of the assumed mixed model. An application to a realistic environmental data set indicates that the method produces sensible results.
The thesis deals with job analysis from ergonomic point of view and is divided into two parts. In the theoretical part of the thesis there is briefly defined what is the ergonomics and what disciplines it consists of. There are described issues of work environment, work place and handling of loads. The introduction of the practical part of the diploma thesis is devoted to familiarization with the selected company, further there is processed the metho-dology of the research part of the qualification work and analysis of the work place ergonomic criteria. There are improvement measures proposed after the evaluation of the analysis.
Objective:To analyze angiography characteristics of coronary artery disease accompanied with diabetes.Methods:A total of 120 patients with coronary artery disease were performed coronary artery angiography,and the patients were divided into diabetes group (n=60) and non-diabetes groups (n=60). The clinical and angiography characteristics between two groups were compared.Results:The levels of triglyceride and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C) were significantly higher than those of non-diabetes group (P0.05) and high density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C) level was significantly lower than that of non-diabetes group(P0.05).Multi-vessel lesion and diffused lesion of coronary artery in diabetes group were significantly higher than those of non-diabetes group (P0.05),and single vessel lesion was significantly lower than that of non-diabetes group(P0.05),and there were no difference in involved vessel distribution.Conclusion:The main angiography characteristics of coronary artery disease accompanied with diabetes is diffused lesion of coronary artery.
Objective To build a digitized visible model of nasal anatomical structures.Methods Data of the cross-sectional image range of the first set of Chinese visible human female database(CVH-2) from the top layer of the frontal sinus to the bottom layer of the maxillary sinus were used in this study.The contour of organs was segmented from the cross-sectional images and 3D reconstructed by the Amira 4.1 and Radio-Dexter software in a computer.Result We successfully reconstructed 3D visible models of the main nostril structures,such as the nasal bone,frontal sinus,ethmoidal sinus,sphenoidal sinus,maxillary sinus,nasal cavity,superior,middle or inferior nasal turbinate,crista galli,nasal septum,uncinate process,nasolacrimal canal,internal carotid artery,and optic nerve.These models could be displayed from any directions,and the spatial positions and adjacent relationships of different anatomical structures,also the reconstructed structures could be determined in 3D space.Conclusion These visible nasal models have facilitated observing and understanding of the anatomical structures in this area,provide the morphological data for imaging diagnosis of nasal diseases and nasal endoscopic surgeries,and also could be used in virtual surgeries.
An electrical-single particle aerodynamic relaxation time (E-SPART) analyzer was used to measure, in real time, the electrostatic charge and aerodynamic size distributions of aerosol particles on an individual basis. A TSI Model 3071 differential mobility analyzer (DMA) was used to classify the test aerosol particles according to their electrical mobility as an independent means of charge calibration. Measurements were performed in a range of 0 to +-200 electronic charges. Experimental data show a close agreement between the electrostatic charge classification by DMA and the measurements obtained by the E-SPART analyzers.
This paper presents a detailed description of the design and implementation of a computerized morphological segmentation tool for Cayuga nouns. Speakers of polysynthetic First Nations languages are presented with an array of difficulties when it comes to word segmentation and dictionary access. This program demonstrates that finite-state techniques are applicable to these morphologically complex languages and are worth further study and development in order to create useful tools for speakers and learners of thesis languages.
Juggling networks.- Optimal parallel verification of minimum spanning trees in logarithmic time.- The parallel complexity of algorithms for pattern formation models.- On the parallel complexity of iterated multiplication in rings of algebraic integers.- NC 2 Algorithms regarding Hamiltonian paths and circuits in interval graphs.- Concurrency in an O (log log N) priority queue.- Embedding k-D meshes into optimum hypercubes with dilation 2k-1 extended abstract.- Embedding 3-dimensional grids into optimal hypercubes.- Distributed cyclic reference counting.- Efficient reconstruction of the causal relationship in distributed systems.- Scalable parallel computational geometry.- Sorting and selection on arrays with diagonal connections.- Work-Optimal thinning algorithm on SIMD machines.- An efficient implementation of parallel A*.- Constant-time convexity problems on reconfigurable meshes.- Deepness analysis: Bringing optimal fronts to triangular finite element method.- Communications in bus networks.- Fault-tolerant linear broadcasting.- The minimum broadcast time problem.- The complexity of systolic dissemination of information in interconnection networks.- Representations of gossip schemes.- On the multiply-twisted hypercube.
The device is for the transporting of material rolls, whereby the material rolls are installed on a first transporting trolley which is installed on a second transporting trolley. The second transporting trolley travels between a store with several storage locations and a roll changer of a sheet processing machine. The second transporting trolley travels with the first transporting trolley and material roll mounted on it up to an loading/unloading position of the roll changer.
Serving demands in the urban-microscale context will be made difficult in the 1980s by constraints on funding for new facilities and services. More private involvement in transportation in the microscale environment is seen likely. Concern has been expressed about the gap between the state of the art and the state of the practice. Often planning has concentrated on design of specific solutions without adequate consideration to defining the problem to be addressed. Barriers in such a process include; (1) lack of knowledge by planner and decision maker about available alternatives; (2) institutional arrangements prohibit planner from broad considerations of alternative solutions; (3) objectives for planning are often poorly or inexplicitly specified by the decision maker; (4) decision makers often select among alternatives; (5) analytical techniques are often inadequate to assess all alternatives. Work is necessary in the travel demand impacts of the following microscale strategies: Parking management, transit fare policies, ridesharing incentives, automobile use restrictions; pedestrian demand accommodation; and alternative transit-service types. It was felt that methods were in existence to properly assess the following with the primary need being to disseminate methods and results: Fixed-route transit service; demand-management measures, bicycle enhancement, and goods-movement data collection.
With the development of electric power system and advancement of science and technology,the requirements for synchronous generator excitation equipment are increasing.In this paper,an excitation controller is designed by using programmable logic controller(PLC) as the control core.The paper describes the whole structure and the design requirements of the excitation system,and presents the specific design and realization methods of controller's software and hardware.
Objectives: To measure levels of empathy among undergraduate dental students in Pakistani Dentistry Institute and to find the difference with respect to gender and academic year in the dental college. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at CMHLMC and IOD in Pakistan, from December 2018 to April 2019, and comprised dental students of all four years. A valid and reliable “The Toronto empathy questionnaire” was used for the collection of data. Responses were indicated on a four-point Likert scale and total scores ranged from 0-64, with higher values indicating higher levels of empathy. Eight out of sixteen items were positively worded and the remaining eight items were negatively worded. Comparison of empathy scores across the year of study was analyzed using one-way ANOVA whereas a t-test was utilized for gender differences. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Results: Questionnaire was returned by 281 students, with a 94% response rate. First-year dentistry students scored the highest mean score of 3.0, followed by second and third-year students by scoring 2.8 whereas the final year students obtained the lowest mean empathy score of 2.7. When mean empathy scores were compared among students of all 4 years by ANOVA test, it was found to be statistically significant, F=3.22, p=0.02. No significant differences in empathy scores were found with respect to gender (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: The present study reported a decline of empathy mean scores among dentistry students as the years of study progressed. This study reflects the need for early exposure to clinical training, educational programs and innovative teaching strategies in the undergraduate dentistry curriculum by emphasizing on dentists-patient communication skills, which in turn could encourage dentistry students to become empathetic health professionals.
Currently, there are several therapeutic options for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, they may have possible adverse effects or even relatively significant efficacy. The fixed oil of flaxseed (Linum usitassimum) is known for its high content of omega 3 fatty acids and proteins acting as stimulators of the immune system. Thus, the main objective of this study was to study the anti-inflammatory activity of the fixed oil of flaxseed on a mouse model and its effect on the gut microbiota.    The anti-inflammatory effect of the fixed oil was tested with doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg on acetic acid-induced colitis on an animal model (albino mice) for 48 hours. In parallel, a bacteriological analysis of the faecal flora of each lot (healthy, sick and treated by fixed oil) was carried out by the enumeration of Escherichia coli on selective medium.    Statistical tests revealed that the administration of Linum usitatissimum fixed oil  significantly (P <0.05) decreased the P / L (weight/ Length of the colon)  ratio with a 15.1% reduction, as well as, a decrease in hemorrhagic erosions scattered throughout the colon compared to colitic lot and an improvement in colon length. In addition, a decrease in the number of E. coli in fecal matter was also observed. All these results suggest an anti-inflammatory effect of the fixed oil. Thereby, flaxseed fixed oil has an anti-inflammatory effect and can therefore be considered as a potential therapeutic strategy in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The four major football clubs in Rio de Janeiro experienced a period without victories in the early 2000s. However, from 2006 onwards, the scenario has changed. With three titles in the Brazil Cup and two in the Brazilian Championship, Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco returned to the best places in national tournaments. Through descriptive analysis with empirical-analytic, the present study aimed to justify the recent success of teams from Rio de Janeiro using economic variables for the research. The results demonstrate that the clubs have poor financial situation, but suggest that the increase occurred in revenues and investments provided better sports performance in recent seasons.
The inhabitants of Metz had lived in an oligarchic republic within the Holy Roman Empire since the thirteenth century. Referring to an age-old history, they considered their city as an independent and autonomous community. This city awareness, working as a source of unity, stemmed from the original prosperity of Metz, a unique geostrategic and linguistic position within the Empire, and ever-renewed opposition to territorial princes. However, at the dawn of modern times the whole situation changed. Social bonds became ever looser in all the strata of the population as a result of the Germanization of the Empire, the economic recession, and the beginning of the Reformation. Volume four of Philippe de Vigneulles
Construction system for cabinet-shelf laboratory, comprising two uprights of metal profiles (1), two first brackets (2), two brackets second (3), pairs of third and successive brackets (4), frame horizontal (5 ), vertical frame register (6) upper hollow ducts (7) and lower (8) worktop (9), supplement worktop (10), inspection door (11), shelves without overhang (12), overhang (13), electrical duct with light fitting (14), front edges (15), services desktop (16), air services (17), tower service (18), deep trays collects-liquid (19), hanging cabinets (20), busbars (21); wherein: the uprights of metal sections (1) extend from the ground over the full height of the cabinet and, in their vertical edges and on their sides, with means capable of enabling the simultaneous clamping its front and rear sides of said brackets first (2), second (3), third, and subsequent, (4); Stiles metal profiles are capable of supporting each other the vertical frame (6), upper gutters (7) and lower (8), supplement worktop (10), the shelves without overhang (12) and overhang (13), tower service (18), deep-liquid drip trays (19), hung windows (20) and busbars (21).
As an unavoidable consequence of the requirement for light, higher plants are exposed  to UV-B radiation. While several key factors of UV-B signalling, damage prevention and  repair are known, their interplay, regulation and variation across natural populations  remain to a large extent undiscovered. Although it has been proposed that UV-B  radiation can cause mutations, realistic estimations of the mutagenic potential of natural  UV-B on a genome-wide level in plants are missing.  In order to explore natural variation in response to UV-B, growth related phenotypes of  345 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions in response to UV-B irradiation were analysed by  genome-wide association studies and complemented by QTL mapping. A complex  genetic basis underlying these traits was revealed and identified the RECEPTOR-LIKE  PROTEIN 7 as a putative candidate gene partially responsible for this variation. In  addition, RNA sequencing of UV-B sensitive and resistant accessions followed by mutant  analysis revealed several novel candidate genes involved in the response to UV-B  irradiation in Arabidopsis.  The mutagenic effects of natural-like UV-B radiation were analysed by whole genome  sequencing of over 120 A. thaliana genomes from plants grown for up to three full  generations under UV-B conditions corresponding to different sites within the natural  distribution range. This revealed unaffected mutation rates in Col-0 wild-type plants,  irrespective of the UV-B dosage applied. Similarly, the lack of flavonoid biosynthesis,  UV-B photoreception and photolyase UVR3 had no influence on the accumulation of  UV-B induced mutations. In contrast, UV-B induced many mutations in plants deficient in  the UVR2 photolyase, suggesting the importance of this factor in maintaining genome  stability in Arabidopsis. The majority of mutations were transitions, which were  specifically enriched by UV-B irradiation. Furthermore, UV-B induced mutations were  non-randomly distributed. Mutations occurred preferentially in methylated cytosines of  transposable elements in pericentromeric regions.  In summary these findings revealed natural variation in A. thaliana in response to UV-B  and identified several novel genes associated with the response to UV-B that will be  further analysed. Moreover, the mutagenic potential of natural-like UV-B irradiation was  estimated and gave insight into the mutational spectrum of UV-B induced mutations and  the importance of certain genetic factors to prevent the accumulation of mutations.
Blended Learning as an Instructional Strategy to Improve Academic Performance by Debra-Dreana Marshall MA, Walden University, 2012 BS, University of the West Indies, 2002 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University July 2018 Abstract Higher education institutions in Barbados have introduced blended learning as a strategy to improve students’ academic performance and achievement. Despite the implementation of blended learning, the poor student performance and outcomes persist. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teaching processes and practices at the institution have influenced blended learning to improve student achievement. A social constructivist framework was used to guide the study. The research question addressed the practices and processes used by teachers to increase student learning and performance in a blended learning environment. Data collection involved semistructured interviews with 6 teachers from the study site. Lean coding analysis yielded 4 themes: student engagement, student success, pedagogical and technological challenges, and teacher professional development. Findings were used to create a teacher professional development program for local stakeholders with an emphasis on pedagogical best practices and processes for creating and sustaining an effective blended learning environment. Findings may be used to improve student engagement and academic success at the study site.Higher education institutions in Barbados have introduced blended learning as a strategy to improve students’ academic performance and achievement. Despite the implementation of blended learning, the poor student performance and outcomes persist. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how teaching processes and practices at the institution have influenced blended learning to improve student achievement. A social constructivist framework was used to guide the study. The research question addressed the practices and processes used by teachers to increase student learning and performance in a blended learning environment. Data collection involved semistructured interviews with 6 teachers from the study site. Lean coding analysis yielded 4 themes: student engagement, student success, pedagogical and technological challenges, and teacher professional development. Findings were used to create a teacher professional development program for local stakeholders with an emphasis on pedagogical best practices and processes for creating and sustaining an effective blended learning environment. Findings may be used to improve student engagement and academic success at the study site. Blended Learning as an Instructional Strategy to Improve Academic Performance by Debra-Dreana Marshall MA, Walden University, 2012 BS, University of the West Indies, 2002 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Walden University July 2018 Dedication I dedicate this doctoral study to the two most prominent people who share my life, my husband and my dad. With their guidance and faith, I remained motivated to complete this course of study successfully. I dedicate this work to the memories we shared during this journey. Acknowledgments I am very much appreciative of the role my husband, Hayden, played in ensuring that I followed my dreams of achieving this qualification. There were sacrifices made, and he was there with me to provide the needed support and motivation. I wish to acknowledge my heartfelt thanks and eternal gratitude for his kindness and never-ending love. My best friend played an instrumental role in ensuring I stayed on track and remained focused on achieving my goal. Through my darkest hours, he was my guiding light. I thank him for his friendship and faith. Thank you for seeing me through to the end. The guidance and support provided by my first chair, Dr Robert McClure, was invaluable. I truly appreciate the patience and kindness he showed during this process. Dr Orr’s contribution as reviewer and then second chair allowed for improvements, and I am especially grateful to her for being with me to the end. I am grateful that the study site permitted me to complete this project study, and I am especially thankful to the leadership for considering the findings as they continue to institutionalize blended learning at their college.
The present invention relates to laser cooling and trapping of the laser of two wavelength to stepped energy level alkali metal atom, the Magneto-Optical Trap method and apparatus that specially a kind of laser using atom storage wave band and two wavelength of optical communication wave band is cooled down and captured to atom.Comprise the following steps：Build the atom vacuum room containing printing opacity quartz window；Build the magnetic field part of Magneto-Optical Trap；Construction work is in the ground state and the light path part of the laser of middle excitation state of alkali metal atom；Construction work is in the middle excitation state and the light path part of the laser of more highly excited level of alkali metal atom；Build the probe portion for the atomic fluorescence being made up of charge-coupled device camera.Device of the present invention cooling and capture atom directly from room temperature hot atom vacuum room, available for the laser cooling and trapping to storing wave band and the alkali metal atom of optical communication wave band with atom；The application study of the cooling mechanism and quantum repeater based on four-wave mixing of atom is cooled down available for multi-photon.
Objective To explore the project to treat tuberculous pleurisy.Methods Ninety preliminary treating cases of tuberculous pleurisy were divided into group A,group B and group C at random:group A using 2HLZS/4HL as the routine treating project,group B boostering other drugs dose while decreasing hormone gradually,group C using 2HLZS/4HL and ofloxacin was applied during the intensifying period.After the treatment for six months,the symptoms and the effects were examined.Results The three groups have stastitic difference in the symptoms.Pleurorrhea absorption and defervesce.Conclusion The project using ofloxacin while boostering other drug dose but decreasing hormone gradually has the best curative effect.
During 1992 the Water Well Trust, Zambia, began a rural water supply project in the south of the Samfya District, Luapula Province, Zambia. The project used voluntary labour in the hand drilling of tubewells and equipping them with handpumps. Villagers undertake the maintenance of the infrastructure put in place by the project. The southern part of the Samfya District is underlain by a lateritic profile comprising clayey silt within which an unconfined aquifer exists. Villagers have traditionally used surface streams and unlined hand dug wells as their water source. By mid 1992 these had largely become dry, due to a prolonged period of drought. These traditional sources are not safe from contamination as sanitation does not exist in many villages. Also the poorly constructed hand dug wells produced very dirty water, due to the silt in the aquifer. Tubewells were drilled by hand and sited in conjunction with pit latrines. By constructing the tubewells with a sand pack against the screens, and using handpumps for extraction, clean safe water was supplied to the villages. This paper details the early experiences of the project (up to July 93), particularly those encountered with community participation.
Changes in the activities of four enzymes involved in antioxidative plant defence against low temperature treatment were studied in winter wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L cv. Sadovo 1) grown on acid soil (pH 4.2, KCl) under controlled environmental conditions. To investigate the effect of molybdenum (Mo) deficiency on antioxidative defence of these plants, Mo was added to part of the plants at early second-leaf stage as [NH4]6Mo7O24 x 4 H2O in 1 mg Mo/kg concentration. Enzyme activities of catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbic acid peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), peroxidase (POX, EC 1.11.1.7), and glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.8.1.7) were measured in leaves of both Mo-deficient and Mo-supplied plants during the early period of plant cold acclimation at 2°C. Results demonstrated higher level of APX activity and slightly increased activity of GR due to Mo-deficiency under normal growth temperatures. On its part CAT activity was found to be higher in Mo-supplied plants by contrast with POX activity. Mo-deficiency provoked changes only in APX and POX activities at low temperature.
With the economy development and industrial construction of modern China, air pollution issues increase all around China. Especially in Beijing, the air quality becomes much worse than ever before and seriously threatens the environment and public health. For the purpose of finding which factors affect the air quality most and providing a useful tool to assist the forecast and early warning of air pollution conditions in Beijing, we applied the information theory based partial mutual information feature selection method and the artificial neural network (ANN) based machine learning model to the air quality index (AQI) predictor analysis and AQI forecast in this paper. We found that the PM2.5, PM10, SO 2 , NO 2 , O 3 , wind speed, wind speed direction, relative humidity, and sunshine duration play the most important roles in the AQI forecast and control tasks. We advise environment protection organizations and governments protect and control the air quality by controlling and adjusting these factors. Besides, the machine learning based forecast method is very useful for the AQI forecast and early warning of air pollution conditions. This tool could be applied to other city’s air condition monitoring and early warning tasks to further verify its effectiveness and robustness. At last, we suggested to use training data sample with better quality and representative to further improve the AQI forecast model performance in future researches.
This paper focuses on similarities today’s immigration debate has with the fugitive slave debate in the antebellum United States. I argue that Prigg v. Pennsylvania and the response many northern states had to it in their personal liberty laws provide valuable lessons for today’s debate over the constitutionality and consequences of allowing differing levels of enforcement of federal lawon through local action. I contend that Prigg uniquely addresses the questions presented in United States v. Arizona, regarding Arizona's SB 1070, because it speaks to the ability of states to use their police power to vary the level of enforcement of federal laws and provides a historical example of the consequences of allowing states to do so. Furthermore, this paper uses the similarities between the debates to discuss the consequences of having a debate about national issues at the local level with local legislation and action, rather than federal action. These consequences include the creation of difficult narrow questions for the courts that have implications much broader than might first be thought.
Abstract No attempt will be made to summarize in any formal way the "pot-pourri" of experiments we have considered in this chapter. It may occur to some that immunologists as a group have been somewhat removed from the advances made in cellular biology during the last decade. Specifically, they may appear to lack an appreciation of the many ways in which durgs like the cytochalasins can affect cell function. Perhaps because of this naivety however, the immunologists have used the cytochalasins to probe systems so complex that they would never have been comtemplated by more conservative investigaors. In doing so they have revealed insight into many systems that will hopefully be of broad biolgical interest. To date the insights have been mostly of a rather superficial nature and clearly demand more thorough investigation. If they are to be done, such studies will have to be performed by non-immunologists bringing new tools and new perspectives to bear on the immunologists' problems.
In the second paper of this series we present the calculations of the gravity-darkening exponent for low mass stars. Such calculations are based on a modified version of the method developed by us and published in an earlier paper. The corresponding apsidal motion constants for VLMS are also presented. The mass range for which both parameters are available is now extended from 0.08 up to 40 M . The derived β1 is compared with the results of the radiation hydrodynamics simulations. Although a systematic difference with decreasing effective temperature is detected, the interagreement can be considered as good (maximum discrepancy around 10%). The local maximum for log Teff ≈ 3.7 is not detected in the RHD formalism, although calculations for lower effective temperatures are needed to draw a more definitive conclusion. It is pointed out that the gravity-darkening phenomenon is related not only with atmospheric parameters but also with the internal stellar structure and with details of the rotation law. The influence of changing the input physics on the gravity-darkening exponent is investigated and it is found that they depend slightly on the chemical composition mainly in the zone of the radiative/convective phase transition. For deep convective envelopes, it is found no significant differences in β1’s computed for different mixing-length parameter. It is emphazised that at the actual level of light curve quality of eclipsing binaries it is not possible to discriminate effects of third order in the gravity-darkening exponents such as chemical composition, theory of convection, irradiation, etc. On the other hand, the role of the differential rotation is discussed in the light of its possible relation with moderately anomalous gravity-darkening exponents for some particular cases. Concerning the high values of the gravity-darkening exponent reported by some authors, this is not supported by very recent simultaneous uvby observations, at least in the case of VV Uma.
In this paper, we propose an automatic facial phrenology analysis and avatar drawing system based on internet using multi color information and face geometry. In the proposed system, we detect face using logical product of Cr and I which is a components of YCbCr and YIQ color model, respectively. And then, we extract facial feature using face geometry and analyze user's facial phrenology with the classification of each facial feature. And also, the proposed system can make avatar drawing automatically using extracted and classified facial features. Experimental result shows that proposed algorithm can analyze facial phrenology as well as detect and recognize user's face at real-time.
It is shown that, on certain weighted spaces of vector fields on R3, any homogeneous measure of finite energy density and dissipation can be approximated in the second Wasserstein distance by homogeneous measures supported by finite trigonometric polynomials of increasing period and degree. In particular, the periodic correlation functions of the approximation converge uniformly on compact sets of R3 to the correlation function of the given measure.
Biosurfactant Formulation of Pseudomonas cepacia and Application in the Removal of Oil from Coral Reef Rita de Cássia F. Soares da Silva, Darne G. Almeida, Pedro P. F. Brasileiro, Raquel D. Rufino, Juliana M. Luna, Leonie A. Sarubbo* Northeast Biotechnology Network, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco – RENORBIO/UFRPE, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos. CEP: 52171-900, Recife – Pernambuco, Brazil Centre of Sciences and Technology, Catholic University of Pernambuco – UNICAP, Rua do Príncipe, n. 526, Boa Vista, CEP: 50050-900, Recife – Pernambuco, Brazil Advanced Institute of Technology and Innovation – IATI, Rua Carlos Porto Carreiro, n. 70, Boa Vista, CEP: 50070-090, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil leonie@unicap.br
Gestalt-therapy is a fertile ground offering many concepts and methods of intervention directly  usable in child psychotherapy. Three essential qualities must be developed:  understanding and better recognition of the child as a totality to be captured in its complexity and  as a growing being, resonating with him in our childhood sensitivity by revisiting our history and  what has motivated our choice to become a child therapist, accompanying the child to help him grow  in a harmonious manner, to meet with him, to communicate with him as a full fledge partner, and to  facilitate relations between him and his environment.
Behavioural design has emerged as a critical new area of research and practice. However, despite the development of extensive lists of possible problem features and suggested solution principles there is little guidance on how these should be connected. Therefore, in this work we systematically examine interactions between major problem features and solution principles, based on an analysis of 218 behavioural design interventions drawn from 139 cases across design domains and foci. This forms the basis for a number of contributions. First, we bring together behavioural and designerly perspectives on problem characterisation via two proposed problem features: change demand and behavioural constraint, related in a two-by-two framework. Second, we synthesised recommendations from across domains and foci to operationalise a list of 23 solution principles relevant to designers. Third, we link these insights in a proposed Behavioural Problem/Solution (BPS) matrix. Further, we identify a number of potential systemic challenges in the reporting and evidencing of behavioural design interventions. Together, these insights substantially extend both theory and practice surrounding problem-solution mapping in behavioural design, and form a foundation for further theory development and synthesis in this area.
Dermatosis papulosa nigra is a benign skin lesion found most frequently on the face of patients with skin of color. Elective treatment is occasionally requested. However, in view of knowledge gaps regarding aesthetic treatments for skin of color, patients can be exposed to unnecessary risks or simply denied treatment options due to physician reservation. Cosmetic treatments should balance efficacy of lesion removal while minimizing pigmentary complications. In this review, we describe the few published treatment modalities for dermatosis papulosa nigra. Alongside established surgical techniques, laser devices including the 532-nm potassium-titanylphosphate laser, 532-nm diode laser, 585-nm pulsed dye laser, 1064-nm neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser, 1550-nm erbium-doped fractionated laser and the 10,600-nm carbon dioxide laser have been successfully reported. The insight from this review can assist in increasing our understanding of safe and effective treatments for conditions that are common on skin of color.
03 The great privilege I enjoy in my role as chief operations of½cer of the International Academy for (esign Health and editorial director of World Health (esign is the opportunity to travel to e perience different cultures and to learn from some of the leading researchers and practitioners around the [orld [ith their unFridaled passion and love for the art and science of the ½eld of design and health 3ver recent years as I have e perienced and seen [ith my o[n eyes the vastly different social economic and political conte ts [ithin [hich [e all live These journeys have revealed to me the enduring importance and Uualities of the arts and the sciences as a platform for freedom creativity and the progressive development of human society It may Fe a long and arduous journey at times e plains John >eisel p Fut the re[ards come [ith dedication and endeavour As Alan (ilani states scienti½c enUuiry and the development of Ono[ledge are a puFlic good that should Fe invested in and protected p13 The [orld presently de½nes success in relation to +(P gro[th yet as Aristotle vocalised a functioning and healthy society [ill only thrive through a puFlic life in [hich economy is one element of a greater [hole Salutogenesis provides a model that can help us to rede½ne prosperity around people and the planet 0et´s continue the discussion in &risFane at the th (esign Health World 'ongress Marc Sansom Editorial director John Zeisel Good luck to all reseachers and designers in taking the next step forward in environment-behaviour research in healthcare design Alan Short The NHS has a tough challenge ahead to meet its targets to cut carFon emissions Fy 0 and maintain a high Uuality of care Fut all is not lost Celeste Alvaro A new continuing care and rehabilitation centre in Toronto offers an opportunity for a systematic post-occupancy evaluation project Xuemei Zhu Has the development of a ne[ ³[alOaFle´community in Te as had the desired postive impact on health social interaction and cohesion for its residents# Clare Cooper Marcus Charting the move towards a more consistent approach to the evaluation and GIVXM½GEXMSRSJVIWXSVEXMZI gardens and outdoor spaces in healthcare facilities Cover Image
This paper analyzed some problems that existed in traditional ATO simulating and testing platforms,introduced the framework design and the software design of the platform based on dSPACE,the necessity of introducing dSPACE,and explained how to use dSPACE to implement a complicated train model.The process of platform development and the process of simulating and testing demonstrated that this platform overcame the problems that existed in traditional ATO simulating and testing platforms,implemented the function of ATO simulating and testing successfully.
Throughout my life, I have had great difficulty reconciling my democratic principles with what happens when the democracy votes the wrong way. Leaving aside the crudities of party politics, I feel, for instance, that had a plebiscite been held in 1947 when it was proposed to expand our immigration policy by admitting people from the continent of Europe and displaced persons, that the majority would probably have said ‘No, no, keep us British.’ And we know that because, in 1948, some Melbourne sociologists did an opinion poll and their figure was 54 per cent for the number of people polled who wanted only English as immigrants. Only 38 per cent favoured Irish immigrants and the rest were well under 20 per cent. I’m sorry to say that the Germans I believe were ahead of the Israelis, but that was public opinion as it was found. Similarly, in the 1970s, when the White Australia policy was gradually diluted and eventually abandoned, I’m sure if that had been put to a plebiscite the answer would have been ‘No, no, don’t change things.’
Biodiesel is attracting attention as a n alternative fuel which will allow us to reduce fossil fuel use and help to lower greenhouse gas emission s than fossil fuels . Besides this effect, it can also help to reduce air pollutant emissions such as carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matter (PM). In this paper, exhaust emission characteristics of in-use buses and light duty trucks operating on palm methyl ester (PME) and coconut methyl ester (CME) in Bangkok, Thailand are compared with petroleum diesel by chassis dynamometer emission testing. The test fuels are 100% petroleum diesel, PME20 (20% PME and 80% petroleum diesel) and CME20 (20% CME and 80% petroleum diesel). The overall test results show that nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from PME20 are slightly higher compared with th ose from diesel. CO and PM emissions from PME20 and CME20 are lower than th ose from diesel, and larger reductions were observed for PM especially in CME20. Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are almost comparable with no significant difference among the different fuel types. This study indicates that utilization of PME and CME might reduce local air pollutant emissions without increasing tailpipe CO 2 emissions, and also indicates that CME has greater reduction potential than PME.
This article offers a reading of the conception of Man according to Spinoza, as belonging to the tradition of democratic thought, by considering his theological assumptions. The article argues against Carl Schmitt’s thesis according to which there are only two notions about Human Nature: the pessimistic and the optimistic one. It tries to show a third option: the Spinoza’s idea about Man as an improvable being.
Abstract In the Maximum-Duo Preservation String Mapping ( Max-Duo PSM ) problem, the input consists of two related strings A and B of length n and a nonnegative integer k. The objective is to determine whether there exists a mapping m from the set of positions of A to the set of positions of B that maps only to positions with the same character and preserves at least k duos, which are pairs of adjacent positions. We develop a randomized algorithm that solves Max-Duo PSM in 4 k ⋅ n O ( 1 ) time, and a deterministic algorithm that solves this problem in 6.855 k ⋅ n O ( 1 ) time. The previous best known (deterministic) algorithm for this problem has ( 8 e ) 2 k + o ( k ) ⋅ n O ( 1 ) running time [Beretta et al. (2016) [1] , [2] ]. We also show that Max-Duo PSM admits a problem kernel of size O ( k 3 ) , improving upon the previous best known problem kernel of size O ( k 6 ) .
Surgical fixation device for fixing a surgical filament to a body tissue (100). The apparatus includes a gripping handle (107), an elongated shaft (102) and extending from the gripping handle. Compartment (63) accommodates one or more surgical fasteners. Ejection mechanism is used to eject the surgical fasteners from the compartment containing one or more surgical fasteners. The device also fastener includes a filament dispensing system (108) for distributing the surgical filament (109) along the shaft to grasp the filament when it is discharged from the shaft. The present invention also provides a surgical fastener and surgical filament for use in the apparatus. .The 14
This study compares the contribution of emotional intelligence (EQ) versus cognitive intelligence (IQ) to efficacy for team work (ETW). Management students working in self-managing teams completed 2 measures of both EQ (Scutte and Baron-EQI) and IQ (Wonderlic and Watson-Glaser). The Williams T2 test was used to test for significant differences in correlations between EWT and both EQ and IQ. Hierarchical regression was used to test whether EQ remains a significant predictor of ETW after controlling for IQ, and whether EQ moderates the relationship between IQ and ETW. Both IQ and EQ are statistically significant predictors of ETW, but EQ is a more significant predictor than IQ, and remains significant after controlling for the influence of IQ. EQ does not moderate the relationship between IQ and efficacy for team work.
We investigate the effects of changes in the quota for skilled immigrants on the welfare of native workers, legal immigrants, and illegal immigrants under different levels of employer sanctions, assuming a small open economy with dual labor markets and efficiency wages. We demonstrate that if fines are large(small),increases in the quota are likely to increase(decrease)the welfare of native workers and legal immigrants. Our results suggest that the policy authority has to manipulate the immigration quota and employer sanctions simultaneously in order to increase the welfare of native workers and legal immigrants.
A toy comprising a toy assembly tools and electrochromic light containing electrochromic layer; said photochromic layer containing a photochromic compound (photochromic properties of a memory color) light having a memory effect by ultraviolet rays or with UV sunlight irradiation while maintaining color colored state, and becomes decolored state by irradiation of visible light decolorization; discoloration tool comprising the ultraviolet absorbent can block ultraviolet rays, and at least at least one opacifying pigment, by blocking sunlight UV irradiation of visible light and thereby the state of the photochromic compound into a decolored state from the colored state, and holds the change; wherein the color change by means of the photochromic layer or without contact, alternately displaying memory effect and maintain the colored state and decolored state.
The sea nodules from National Institute of Oceanography, Goa were subjected to reduction roast with fuel oil alongwith sodium chloride and were then leached with ammonia and ammonium carbonate solution. The different process parameters studied in reduction roast were effects of temperature, amount of fuel oil and quantity of additive. The kinetics of leaching and the effect of concentration of leachant were studied in detail. The recoveries of nickel, copper and cobalt were 93.0%, 99.0% and 78.0% respectively on reduction of nodules at 750°C for 1 hour and subsequent ammonia leaching of the calcine for 4 hours.
Several recently commissioned Department of Labor reports and other publications examining youth employment and training (E&T) programs were reviewed, and the findings were synthesized into a proposed framework for reviewing current and recommended directions for youth E&T programs with consideration for available research on youth development. It was discovered that the most effective youth E&T programs have been those designed with consideration for the findings of research on youth development. It was therefore recommended that program designers/providers take the following actions: (1) shift their focus from defining success primarily in terms of short-term changes in knowledge or behavior to defining success in terms of changes in perception and processing that can have more lasting implications; (2) improve their understanding of adolescent development and adolescent thinking, their commitment to providing not only services but also supports, and their ability to tailor program times and offerings to the needs of their youth; (3) realize that young people targeted for second-change youth E&T programs should not be expected to benefit from programs modeled after adult programs; (4) remember that young people are influenced not just by programs but also by their larger environment; and (5) give noncollege-bound youth the same time for "floundering" that is provided for college-bound youth. (MN) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** CENTER FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT 4Ct POLICI ItESEARCH ACADEMY FOR EDUCA110NAL DEVELOPMENT YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PREPARATION THROUGH A YOUTH DEVELOPMENT LENS: Broad Recommendations for Sustaining Change S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Ea.,-.1 COW R011,10" irvot.rtwor EDUpATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) docoment has been reproduced as received from the person or organiration ongrnatiiN it 0 Moor changes have been made to improve inproductnen quality Potnts of view or optntons staled in this document do not necessarily represent offictal OERI position or policy Karen J. Pittrnan Michele Cahill Shepherd Zeldin September 1994 'PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
Dried and ensiled corn were each steeped with aqueous SO2 or water at initial pHs of 4-5; both were also steeped with aqueous SO2 at pH7. Initial steepwater composition or pH had less effect on yields of individual fractions and recoveries of various components than did differences between dried or ensiled corn. Recovery of starch after milling was appreciably higher with ensiled corn. Protein recovery in gluten decreased, but this was partially counterbalanced by increased protein content of the steepwater from ensiled corn. Results using batchwise steeping or a simulated countercurrent procedure were similar, though the latter gave higher starch recoveries. Disciplines Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering | Biological Engineering Comments Published in Cereal Chemistry 61, no. 1 (1984): 8–14. This article is available at Iowa State University Digital Repository: http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cbe_pubs/2
Within the scope of a controlled double-blind study to demonstrate the effect of conservative therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia with Harzol, ultrasonographic examination of the prostate adenoma was carried out on 23 patients before and after therapy with the trial preparation or placebo. Within a two-month treatment with Harzol, there was a significant change in the echo structure of the prostate adenoma, and this is interpreted as a reduction in the interstitial formation of oedema.
In this thesis the synthesis of nanoparticles via gas-to-particle conversion was studied both experimentally and theoretically. In the experimental part, nonagglomerated silver nanoparticles were produced via evaporation-condensation. It was shown that it is possible to control the particle size and degree of agglomeration using dilution. A new one-step process for synthesis of supported metal catalyst nanoparticles was developed. The carrier was produced via thermal decomposition of a metalorganic precursor and the metal was added via evaporation-condensation. The metal was well dispersed in 12 nm sized particles on the surface of the agglomerated carrier particles. A simple system was also developed for depositing single nonagglomerated nanoparticles with a narrow particle size distribution. The system relied on the competition between diffusion and negative thermophoresis. Ruthenium dioxide nanorods were synthesised via decomposition of ruthenium triand tetroxide vapours. However, since no optimisation of the system was done, the size distribution was broad. In the modelling part of this thesis the formation of silver nanoparticles via evaporation-condensation was studied. The modelling was done using two different approaches. In the first approach the classical nucleation theory and a sectional model were used, whereas in the second approach a discrete model was used and the nucleation was described as a dimerisation process. The results showed that for the classical nucleation theory to predict the final particle properties in the various cases, very different correction factors, 115 000, were needed. The kinetic nucleation approach gave better agreement between the model and experimental results.
Objective To explore the risk factors for asthma in children.Methods A 1:1 matched and hospital-based case-control study was conducted to analyses risk factors for asthma in 300 pairs of children by logistic regression analysis. Results The result of univariate Logistic regression analysis showed that there were 17 related factors for children asthma, including disease history of parents in respiratory system,family income,atopie character,history of acute respiratory infections, eating habit,the amount of sea foods intakes,foam plastics,family decoration,the way of exhaust fume in kitchen,the exhaust effectiveness,raising pet in house,family history of asthma,family history of allergic rhinitis,family history of food allergy,dust allergy of parents,systemic therapy after the first attack.With multivariate Logistic regression analysis,7 factors were entered the model,6 risk factors including father's history of respiratory diseases(OR 3.771,95%CI 1.533～9.278),low family income(OR 1.503, 95%CI 1.258～1.795),atopy(OR 3.788,95%CI 2.368～6.058),meat-eating habit(OR 2.042,95%CI 1.481～2.815),asthma history of family members(OR 1.710,95%CI 0.988～2.958),the family history of allergic rhinitis(OR 1.991,95%CI 1.234～3.211), and 1 protective factor of raising pet in house(OR 0.443,95%CI 0.265～0.739).The coefficients of these factors in multivariate logistic regression model were 1.327、0.407、1.322、0.714、0.536、0.689、and-0.814 respectively.Conclusion Children asthma was a multi-factorial complex disease,and the interaction of environmental and genetic risk factors played an important role in the onset of this disease.
Dynamics of cubic-quintic nonlinear Schrodingeroequation are studied numerically with symplectic method. Behaviors of the equation are discussed with increased quintic nonlinear parameter. We observe homoclinic orbit crossing and elliptic orbit in turn and the system has recurrent solutions. Pattern drifting of solutions is also discussed. It is shown that pattern drifting can be slowed down by increasing the quintic nonlinear parameter.
An asymmetrical supercapacitor, has positive and negative electrodes with different capacitances Cp, Cn, where the ratio of positive to negative electrode capacitance Cp/Cn , is greater than 1, and preferably between 1 and 1.5 and most preferably 1.3. An enhanced energy capacity is provided by increased cell voltage through unequalising the electrode capacitance. Preferably the positive electrode is a nanocomposite of carbon nano-tubes ( CNT ) and a conducite polymer, preferably polyaniline ( pan / pani ). The CNT/PAN electrode may be made by electro-co-deposition. The negative electrode may substantially carbon and be a mixture of cabot monarch 1300 pigment black (cmpb) and ptfe cast from an aqueous solution on to graphite and thus may also have a nano-structured surface. The figure, 3, shows an increase in operating voltage with increasing Cp/Cn ratio.
Challenging problems of modern engineering education and a role of information technology are reviewed. An importance of simulation of real world physical problems in both graduate and lifelong/corporate education is discussed. It is proposed to integrate the hypermedia theory courseware with industrial strength simulation software. As a proof of the concept an educational environment "Heat and Mass Transfer in Advanced Semiconductor Technology" has been developed.
This paper, through the concept of prosthesis, explores the narrative expression in Taiwan ”Healthy Realism” cinema of the 1960s and 1970s with regard to its social function in the particular mode of governance and affective subjectivity brought about by the cinema, which is labeled as prosthetic modernity. Prosthesis in this paper has multiple implications in the representation of rhetoric, machine, and image. In the narrative presentation, prosthesis characterizes the primary features of the narrative structure, leading to the formation of an artificial, ideal body that symbolizes an ideal nation and society. Such form of narrative prosthesis is also an expression machine, dissembling/assembling its machinic parts and co-functioning with other social machines. In addition, the cinema that produces prosthetic images intervenes the governance through the creation of historical memories and affective subjectivity. Also, this paper questions the idea of prosthetic modernity by asking how a ”real” body and ”real” memory can become possible in the composition of narrative prosthesis and the constitution of artificial memories.
The delay problem of intrusion detection response was studied.Usually,there is a delay between detection of a possible intrusion and response to that intrusion.This delay in detection and response,ranging from minutes to months,provides a window of opportunity for attackers to exploit.According to Cohen's research,it often induces to serious result.As one solution to this problem,a modified IDS model was proposed that includes physical layer response mechanism,so as to respond rapidly and effectively.Further-more,the details of the physical layer design was given.
Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated by peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined in hamsters bearing two lines of transplantable melanomas of common origin but differing in surface glycoprotein contents, heterogeneity, antigenicity and immunogenicity. Amelanotic melanoma cell line, characterized by a higher growth rate and more prominent changes in surface glycoproteins, displayed statistically significant decrease in susceptibility of ADCC in comparison to the native line of the tumor. The relationship between changes in the surface glycoproteins of the target cells and the extent of specific lysis of melanoma cells was discussed.
In order to prepare grain oriented silicon steel with low iron loss,the influence of surface treatment on iron loss of grain-oriented silicon steel was studied,and in which the hysteresis loss and abnormal eddy loss were discussed in detail.The results show that iron loss of the oriented silicon steel can be decreased by 22% after chemical polish compared with the substrate and subsequent TiN ceramic coating.When chemical polish technology is adopted,hysteresis loss decrease by 28%,but abnormal eddy loss deteriorate by 15%.When the groove forming technology is adopted before the preparation of ceramic coating,abnormal eddy loss improves by 40% and hysteresis loss deteriorate by 5%.
The Yelahanka Nadu, the minor principality contributed to the glory of Vijayanagara Empire during the early part of the 14th Century AD. Hiriya Kempegowda was one of the three confidants of King Krishna Devaraya which had brought him great reputation. The political dilemmas and the stalemate that cropped up after the demise of Sri Krishna Devaraya became the causes for the rise of Kempegowda, Contemporary political climate came to encounter the spreading popularity of Kempegowda who had by 1537 founded New Bangalore. This Paper deals the Historical significance, Political situations, and contributions of Kempegowda during his Tenure.
With the acceleration of economic globalization,new liberalism has gradually become the dom-inant executive thought of those in power in the developed western countries,exerting a far-reaching effect on other countries' economic development.Meanwhile,China is involving itself into the world's e-conomic integration as an international processing plant.However,there are still many problems in the current urban development in China.This article analyzes the origins and meanings of economic global-ization and new liberalism,discusses their harm to the urban development in China,and proposes strate-gies for China's urban development.
It is very urgent to increase the supplies for the elderly facility because of the rapid population growing of elders in our country. But, if we depend on the only new building for them, it will take a lot of time and cause to bring economic problem. So, this study proposed the activating plan to increase the supplies of the elderly facility through using the existing unused regional buildings. The results of this study were as follows. At first, it suggests the deregulation of National Land Planning and Utilization Act for location of the elderly facility in the residential-only district. The second, the simplification of building permit procedures for the conversion of building use were suggested. The last, it suggests the need of the financial support and the design guideline for the remodeling of existing building.
There are several methods to estimate the stability of a genotype across environments or seasons by determining G x E interaction effects. Among these, AMMI analysis is the most recent and widely exploited in different crops for the identification of stable genotypes over locations as well as seasons. The main objective of the present study was to identify more high yielding stable promising genotypes and to determine the best seasons would be adapted by AMMI model. In the present investigation, the experiment material comprised a total of seven rice genotypes evaluated using randomized complete block design with three replications during three seasons rabi 2014-15, kharif 2015 and rabi 2015-16. Pooled analysis of variance indicated that significance variance among genotypes, seasons and genotype x environment interactions indicated the usefulness of AMMI model. Yield stability and adaptability of yield performance were analyzed by additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) model. Among the rice genotypes, G1 (WGL-1097), G5 (WGL-1101) and G4 (WGL-1100) exhibited high yield, out of which G1 being the overall best genotype in terms of yield. As per AMMI 2 biplot, G7 (WGL-1010), G6 (WGL-1102), G1 (WGL-1097) and G4 (WGL-1100) had more responsive since they were away from the origin whereas the genotypes G3 (WGL-1099) and G2 (WGL-1098) were close to the origin and hence they were less sensitive to environmental interactive forces. What-won-where biplot indicated that three environments fall into two mega environments. Hence the genotype G1 (WGL-1097) was the winner in the environments E1 and E3 where as the genotype G2 (WGL-1098) was the winner in the environment E2. This pattern suggests that the target environment may consist of two mega environments and that different genotypes should be selected for each environment.
Development of vaccines against enterobacterial species responsible for enteric infections sounds like an unrealistic project. On the other hand, based on our growing understanding of the pathogenesis of infections caused by the major species (i.e. Salmonella typhi, Shigella flexneri and Shigella dysenteriae 1, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli) and on our better characterization of the immunological parameters of mucosal protection, it is likely that a limited number of vaccines controlling diseases such as typhoid fever, bacillary dysentery and cholera-like E. coli infections will become available. There are three major problems that still need to be solved: the variety of antigens and antigenic specificities, the nature of protective antigens and, provided that these prerequisites are fulfilled, the presentation of the vaccine and the immunization route. With the exception of typhoid fever, which has a systemic phase that probably makes immunization attempts by purified Vi antigen successful, experimental strategies rely very much on induction of a mucosal immunity. Either subunit vaccines, or genetically manipulated strains which attenuated virulence are currently considered.
The paper analyses the influence of photovoltaic (PV) system on voltage profile and planning of low voltage (LV) networks. Further integration of PV should not be limited, despite their substantial impact on network performance. This is the reason the network planning methods should be upgraded taking into account the stochastic nature of LV networks and uncertainties regarding future location of PV in the network. Using Monte Carlo method the voltage situation in the future can be assessed and thus results of different voltage management strategies compared.
This paper analyzes the equivalent current method in FDTD for excitation source design.The method is based on the method for avoiding the unwanted non-physical scattering fields in computational electromagnetics.It excites electromagnetic fields by introducing equivalent electric or magnetic current into FDTD formulae.The analysis of the excitation source technology in PIC simulation and the formulae of the new method are also provided.According to the theoretical analysis,the new method has a compact form and can be easily introduced into FDTD formulae for numerical realization.According to the numerical validation,the new method needn't set an addisional scattering field region for scattering field calculation specially,and it has more than 20% higher efficiency and obvious lower requirement of computer memory than general excitation source methods based on the total/scattering field system,so it's very suitable for some time-consuming electromagnetic calculations such as PIC simulation.Further more,the practicability of this method is proved by computing relativistic klystron amplifier(RKA) in 2D cylindrical coordinate system as an example.
A laboratory study was carried out using different nano micro nutrients (Iron NPs, Zinc NPs, Al NPs, CaCo3 NPs) and same nutrients as a bulk of different concentration viz., 100, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 ppm. Nano seed treatment improved the seed germination of aged groundnut seeds variably towards the treatment at different concentrations. Among the treatment maximum germination percentage, root length, shoot length and seedling vigour index II was promoted by ZnO nanoparticles @ 1000 ppm (84 %, 8.59 cm,18.84 cm and 2326) which was followed by TiO2 NPs @ 500 ppm (82 %, 8.28 cm, 17.85 cm and 2135) and Nano Iron @250 ppm (80.7 % 8.07 cm, 17.73 cm and 2100) and respectively.
Soil repellency and soil release finish of heavy cotton fabric were carried out,their durability was analyzed,factors exerting influence on finishing results were discussed,such as predrying temperature, curing conditions,and dosages of finishing agents.It was found that two finishing agents in one bath could impart heavy cotton fabric soil repellency and soil release properties,but there was some mutual restrictions.If soft and drape handle was demanded,softener should be carefully selected.Resin finish could enhance the soil repellency and soil release finishing effects,as well as their durability.Addition of pigments could improve the dyeing shade,but would reduce the soil release effect.
The invention discloses an energy management and intelligent control-based solar cooling tower, which comprises a solar battery, a first motor, a water pump, a second motor and speed reducer, a fan, a hybrid converter connected with the output end of the solar battery, an intelligent controller, and a sensor group; the output end of the hybrid converter is connected with the input ends of the first motor and the second motor and speed reducer; the signal output end of the sensor group is connected with the signal input end of the intelligent controller; the output end of the intelligent controller is connected with the signal input end of the hybrid converter; and the signal output end of the hybrid converter is connected with the signal input end of the intelligent controller. In the control process, the intelligent controller reasonably distributes the flowing direction of the electric energy through the hybrid converter by an energy management method, and performs intelligent speedregulating control on the first motor and the second motor and speed reducer by a water inlet temperature negative feedback method and a minimum enthalpy difference control method, and an energy-saving effect is achieved on the premise of ensuring operating reliability.
This paper provides new evidence on intergenerational mobility in Chile. Income mobility elasticities for Chile are the range of 0.52 to 0.67, which stand as fairly high in comparison with the international evidence. We also find that educational mobility is lower for the younger cohorts, suggesting an increase of intergenerational educational mobility in the last decades. Finally, we find evidence of a higher degree of intergenerational persistence at the two extremes of the income distribution, particularly at the top of the distribution. We suggest this mirrors the unusually high income concentration at the top of the Chilean income distribution.
Tracer amounts of [59Fe++]citrate, [111In+++]chloride, and [68Ga+++]chloride were complexed with autologous plasma transferrin. Each of these complexes were co-administered with [125I]albumin by i.v. injection and their biodistribution was studied in Wistar rats. The plasma clearance of 59Fe and [125I]albumin was monoexponential with half-times of 49-70 and 277 min, respectively. The plasma clearance of 68Ga and 111In was biexponential with second component half-times of 157 and 232 min, respectively. Indium-111 tissue distribution was similar to that of [125I]albumin in heart, lung, muscle, brain and Walker-256 allograft. Iron-59 distribution spaces were generally the highest of the metal complexes in all tissues except muscle, where the 68Ga space was highest. The effects of transferrin-specific receptor-mediated endocytosis can be avoided in many organs and Walker-256 allografts by using the indium-transferrin complex, and the radiolabeled complex may be a convenient macromolecular tracer to estimate vascular permeability and vessel pore size in tumor and systemic tissue. In contrast, the iron-transferrin complex may be useful for measuring and imaging transferrin-specific receptors in brain and tumor tissue.
The Gate - Controlled Series Capacitor (GCSC) is supposed to be an excellent tran- smission line series compensator. In practical applications, the GCSC would be used typically for EHV transmission lines compensation, requiring high power GTO valves. To overcome the limita- tions due to the power range of the GTO valves, multi-module GCSC (MGCSC) can be used in a way that several small GCSCs are connected in series with one another in order to provide the de- sired series compensation level. This paper presents a detail analysis and evaluation of the MGCSC while the special emphasis is given to the harmonic analysis of this device showing that how much of harmonic levels are generated by this device, and how they can be reduced. In add- ition, the harmonics of the power system, to where the MGCSC is connected, is studied. In order to consider the subsynchronous resonance (SSR) phenomenon, which is a potential problem in series compensated transmission lines, all analysis are performed in the IEEE First Benchmark Model, a highly unstable power system to SSR, by studying the impact of the MGCSC on the SSR mitigation. Copyright © 2009 Praise Worthy Prize S.r.l. - All rights reserved.
Objective To study tuberculosis examination of Aliens and Chinese citizens who have stayed abroad, in HK, Macao and Taiwan, for the prevention of spreading tuberculosis. Method With ordinary chest X-ray and sputum smear exami nation to check pulmonary tuberculosis. Results In Guangzhou from 1999 to 2002, 223 people of 10 901 Aliens and Chinese citizens who have stayed abroad, in HK, Macao and Taiwan were diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis, with the detectable rate of 2050 per hundred thousand. In which, 21 cases were active pulmonary tub erculosis, with a detectable rate of 193 per hundred thousand. 19 cases were don e sputum smear examination. 5 of them were positive (26.3%). Conclusions The de tectable rate of tuberculosis is increasing. All active tuberculosis cases came from Asia. In this paper we put forward some concrete methods about how to stren gthen the examination for pulmonary tuberculosis for Aliens and Chinese citizens who have stayed abroad, in HK, Macao and Taiwan.
Trusted by over 9,000 different organizations worldwide, SafetyCulture is helping improve the safety of workplace environments by changing how organizations conduct inspections. Launched in 2004 from CEO Luke Anear’s garage, the Australian company helps organizations across the globe and in a wide variety of industries conduct more than 1.47 million inspections per month using the SafetyCulture iAuditor application.
Title of Document: A SURVEY OF UNIVERSITY COUNSELING CENTER THERAPISTS: WORKING WITH CLIENTS WHO HAVE RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL ISSUES Ian S. Kellems, Doctor of Philosophy, 2005 Directed By: Dr. Clara Hill, Professor of Counseling Psychology, Psychology Department University counseling center therapists (n = 220) completed an internet survey about one of their recent therapy cases in which the clients’ issues involved religion/spirituality (RS). Responses were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Common RS issues for clients involved questioning one’s childhood religion, exploring RS beliefs, and using client’s RS as a source of strength. The similarity of therapist and client RS values is not related to the strength of the therapeutic relationship. A therapist’s religious commitment is related to both the goals that therapist considers important when working with RS issues and to how frequently the therapist uses religiously/spiritually-oriented interventions. Regarding training, therapist self-efficacy in working with RS issues is positively related to the amount of training the therapist has engaged in about how to work with RS issues. Implications for practice, research, and training are discussed. A SURVEY OF UNIVERSITY COUNSELING CENTER THERAPISTS: WORKING WITH CLIENTS WHO HAVE RELIGIOUS/SPIRITUAL ISSUES
On Samyuktābhidharmahridaya Vol.10,a piece of Dunhuang Manuscript in Chinese National Library Collection,there is vermilion pigment seal read as Seal of Yongxing County astride seams.This article tries to figure out the origin of the scroll by a extensively survey on the historical geography records of Dunhuang,and put forwards opinion that dating of the scroll is around 561-574 A.D.of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.The engraved printing of the Buddhist figures on its back can be considered to be the earliest printmaking production in the world.
Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol has the potential to modify an individual's brain and lead to alcohol dependence. Alcohol use leads to 88,000 deaths every year in the U.S. alone and can lead to other health issues including cancers, such as colorectal cancer, and mental health problems. While drinking behavior varies due to environmental factors, genetic factors also contribute to the risk of alcoholism. Certain genes affecting alcohol metabolism and neurotransmitters have been found to contribute to or inhibit the risk. Geneenvironment interactions may also play a role in the susceptibility of alcoholism. With a better understanding of the different components that can contribute to alcoholism, more personalized treatment could cater to the individual. This review discusses the major genetic factors and some small variants in other genes that contribute to alcoholism, as well as considers the gene-environmental interactions.
Many methods have been developed to give transport policy makers better insight into why different choices are made. One such methodology that has been receiving increasing attention is the hybrid choice model, which seeks to allow for a better understanding of the relationship between choices and attitudes or character traits latent to the respondent. Recently there has been debate as to the appropriateness of using such models to conclude that a change in a given attitude will bring a change in choice given the focus on cross-sectional data. To address this, we propose a framework to examine the stability of choices and attitudes over time. Making use of a repeated stated preference experiment conducted at two points in time on an identical set of respondents we find that, in the context of air security procedures, preferences and latent attitudes are relatively stable over time despite the two different and extreme shocks at the times the survey was conducted. While this is comforting to transport policy makers in some respects, these results lead one to ask that if choices and preferences do not change in extreme situations how changeable are they truly in the context of a nudge agenda by many governments? Additionally, we find some evidence that for the most part while latent attitudes are invariant, the role they play in choices differs over waves suggesting potential cognitive dissonance.
In this work we present the resolution of multiobjective optimization problems as a tool in engineering design. In the literature, the solutions of this problem are based on the Pareto frontier construction. Indeed; we propose a hybrid algorithm of genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization using the normal boundary intersection method to solve some multiobjective optimization problems. Our contribution has two aims. First, we present the hybrid genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization. Secondly, the new formulation of GA-PSO with normal boundary intersection method gives performance results using several experiments.
BACKGROUND AND AIM The usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis and assessment of patients with aortic dissection has been widely demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of this technique in the detection of intramural aortic hematoma and in the follow-up of these patients.   METHODS The records of 51 patients with aortic dissection by transesophageal echocardiography diagnosed between May 1990 and May 1994 were reviewed.   RESULTS The diagnosis of intramural aortic hematoma was established in 6 patients by transesophageal echocardiography (11%). This diagnosis was confirmed either anatomically (3 patients) or with an additional diagnostic technique (computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) and on the basis of echocardiographic follow-up changes (3 patients).   CONCLUSIONS Intramural aortic hematoma represents an infrequent variant of aortic dissection that can be detected by transesophageal echocardiography and is usually unrecognized by aortography.
In this paper, we present a formal model for preserving privacy in Web services. We define a Web service-aware privacy model that deals with the privacy of input data, output data, and operation usage. We introduce a matching protocol that caters for partial and total privacy compatibility. We propose also a negotiation model to reconcile clients' requirements with providers' policies in case of incompatibility.
We present a 10-Gb/s optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC) receiver fabricated with standard 0.13-μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology for 850-nm optical interconnect applications. The OEIC receiver consists of a CMOS-compatible avalanche photodetector (CMOS-APD), a transimpedance amplifier (TIA), an offset cancellation network, a variable equalizer (EQ), a limiting amplifier (LA), and an output buffer. The CMOS-APD provides high responsivity as well as large photodetection bandwidth. The TIA is composed of two-stage differential amplifiers with high feedback resistance of 4 kΩ. The EQ compensates high-frequency loss by controlling the boosting gain with a capacitor array. The LA consists of five-stage gain cells with active feedback and negative capacitance to achieve broadband performance. With the OEIC receiver, we successfully demonstrate transmission of 10-Gb/s optical data at 850 nm with a bit error rate of 10-12 at the incident optical power of -4 dBm. The OEIC receiver has the core chip area of about 0.26 mm2 and consumes about 66.8 mW.
Abnormalities of the 3rd stage of labor are described. Postpartum hemorrhage is the most common cause of serious blood loss in obstetrics. Immediate causes and predisposing causes are discussed as well as the clinical picture. Diagnosis prognosis and management during the 3rd stage and after placental delivery are described. Other causes of bleeding may be from cervical laceration or retained placental fragments. The retention of the placenta during the 3rd stage is described. Management by manual removal of the placenta is considered a safe procedure. In placent accreta an abnormal adherence of the placenta to the uterine wall resulting from defective formation of a decidua with chorionic villi in direct contact with the uterine muscle attempts to separate the placenta manually are usually futile. Another abnormality of 3rd stage labor is inversion of the uterus. This is a rate occurrence. Etiology symptoms diagnosis prognosis and treatment are described.
Temporary intermediate storage preemption command for graphics workloads "this is a temporary storage of intermediate preemption command for graphics workloads in a graphical rendering environment. In one example, the instructions of a first context are implemented in a graphics processor, and the first context is a sequence of instructions in addressable temporary storage and at least one instruction is an instruction preemption. after the execution of preemption instruction, execution of the first context is interrupted before the sequence of instructions is completed. an address is stored for an instruction with which the first context will be resumed. the second context is executed and, after completion of the implementation of the second context, the implementation of the first context is taken up in the stored address.
There are many benefits to having more natural light in your home. The most obvious of these are the savings you can achieve with a reduced utility bill. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (2012), about 10% of household electricity usage comes from lighting. The more natural light you have in your house, the less lights you have to turn on, and the less electricity you use. Another benefit, also related to energy use, is natural light can help heat homes. One of the best reasons to design your home for natural light involves the health benefits gained through exposure to natural light. According to the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (Mead, 2008), below are some of the researched health benefits of sunlight:
A research program to evaluate telerobotic methods for inspace assembly of large truss structures has been initiated at the NASA Langley Research Center. A commercial robot is mounted on a carriage positioning system and a tetrahedral truss, which is composed of 102 members each 2 m long, is assembled on a rotating motion-base. The facility system is described including details of characterization tests on the truss structure. The current status of the assembly tests is discussed and observations from these tests indicate that no problems have been encountered that would prohibit automated telerobotic assembly from being a viable inspace construction method.
Iodamide 420 is a high concentrated, water solubile contrast medium of 420 mg/ml iodine content. Clinical observations were made on 31 patients, following 68 contrast injections. The administered iodine solution amounted to 3 to 100 ml pro injection, i.e. 0.6 to 2.0 ml/kg body weight and a total of 12 to 160 ml, i.e. 0.8 to 5.0 mg/kg pro angiographic study. Tests of sensitivity were not done. Iodamide 420 is characterized by a strikingly good tolerability. No severe complication was observed. The side effects were rare and negligible. The use of this high concentrated contrast medium improves the quality of angiograms, especially in cases, where the injection of the necessary amount is troublesome due to the high flow/small catheter lumen ratio.
The particularly severe losses of manufacturing employment since 1982 should not obscure the evidence that declining growth rates can be traced back to the mid‐seventies. This article attempts to identify the most important structural features of the particular pattern of South African industrial development which are responsible for this deepening crisis. The manufacturing sector faces fundamental constraints on further expansion and these can be partially attributed to the highly ‘polarised’ pattern of industrial development engendered by import‐substitution and the failure to develop a broadly based mass market due to the existence of extreme income and wealth inequalities. Efforts to restore a stable growth process have taken the form of restructuring by manufacturing firms and a shift towards the introduction of neo‐conservative economic policies by the state. These have serious implications for wages and employment but it is argued that they are unlikely to provide a way out of the current economic ...
Internet is the biggest medical library in the world. It has transformed the way many health seekers find health information. Seekers on net have exponentially increased from 54 million in 1998 to 110 million in 2002 (U.S. figures) and are ever increasing. Act of looking for health or medical information is the third most popular activities online. Search engines are used by almost 81% of the e-patients to look for the information they want. Internet is fast becoming an influential force as more than 70% consumers say that the information on the net has influenced their treatment decisions. However, the reliability of all the health information available on the Internet is questionable. Numerous studies have indicated deficiencies in the quality of information on the Internet. Due to technical and commercial reasons, the results provided by various search engines can be potentially biased. Only about a quarter of health seekers thoroughly check the source, timeliness of information every time they search for health information. In fact, most adults from USA, Japan, France and Germany who participated in a recent survey thought online health care information to be trustworthy, of good quality, easy to understand and easy to find. Efforts are now being taken to ensure the quality of health information on the Internet. Patients need to be educated about the worthiness of a site and also be prescribed the right sites to be consulted for information.
A Forensic Analysis of Contaminant Releases from a Sewer Pipe Interpreting Tar Patterns at Former Manufactured Gas Plants Failures in the Historical Age Dating of Separated Phased Product Leaded Gasoline Releases in the United States Forensic Geochemical Community Methane Vapor Intrusion Case Study: Interpretation of Complex Environmental Data NAPL Source Identification Utilizing Data from laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) Screening Tools Environmental Forensic Investigation for Identifying Sources of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in a Stream Modeled PCN Weathering Series in Principal Component Space: Consideration for Multivariate Chemical Fingerprinting Techniques to Age Date Human Exposure to PCBs The Use of Compound Specific Isotope Analysis (CSIA) for Discerning Sources of Trichloroethylene (TCE) and Perchloroethylene (PCE) within a Commingled Groundwater Plume in California, USA Source Attribution of Industrial Fugitive Dusts: Case Studies for the Environment Agency, UK Strategies and Techniques for Identifying Unknown Compounds in Environmental Samples Defensible Data Begins with Proper Field Protocols Basic Fundamental Aspects of Environmental Forensics Investigations Phytoforensics: Sampling, Analytical Methods and Case Studies Identifying the Sources of Chemical Contamination after the Fact Author Index Subject Index
During the period from 1978 to 2008,with 1991 and 2003 as cut off points,China’s economic gravity centre moved south-west,south-east and north-east,respectively in sequence.Since general contribution decomposition approaches are not suitable in gravity centre method analysis,this paper proposes a new decomposition approach based on Shapley Value.The"Engine"and"Inverse Engine"provinces are defined based on this method.We find that during the first period,the reason for westward movement is neither lag effect of investment nor a side-effect of Guangdong’s development;it is actually driven mainly by the Northeast region’s slow development.During the second period,the main driver for eastward movement is not a result of competition between Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta,instead it’s the consequence of the western region’s slow development,augmented by the eastern region’s,especially the Yangtze River Delta’s rapid development.The only reason for northward movement in third period is the slow development of the western region rather than the strategy effect of"revitalizing the northeast old industrial base".Finally,evaluation of regional development policies best suggest that the western region is a key priority to ensure China’ s rapid economic development can be balanced.
Bilingual teaching refers to the application of two languages to teach non-language courses.By applying bilingual teaching method to teach basic computer courses,students can master computer knowledge and ipmrove their English level.This method builds a new road for basic education reform in higher schools.On the basis of necessity and feasibility of bilingual teachinhg,some measures and strategies are put forward,the problems arising from it are pointed out,and its future development is illustrated.
New techniques for vasectomy and tubal ligation are presented which would facilitate recanalization with minimal dissection and trauma. In vasectomy the two ends of the cut vas are allowed to overlap for 2 cm and made parallel. No. 40 black cotton thread is used to tie the cut end of the proximal segment and to tie this end with the contiguous portion of the distal segment which is first crushed; the procedure is repeated for the distal cut end. Phadkes method for recanalization of the vas (performed after excising the sections between the 2 ligatures) is modified by bringing the ends of the splinting nylon outside the skin and tying them. Female sterilization without excision of a tubal segment is performed by crushing the medial part of the tube in 3 places with a mosquito artery forceps and ligating within 2 cm using non-absorbable suture material. Recanalization after excising this segment is effected by passing a monofilament nylon through the fimbrial end of the tube threading it into the medial half and pushing it into the uterine cavity; the other end is brought out through the abdominal wall and anchored to the skin. The cut ends of the tube are anastomosed with interrupted 3-0 or 5-0 atraumatic silk sutures.
Face recognition is a hot research in disciplines such as pattern recognition,image processing etc,and it has a wide range of potential applications.Briefly introduces the concept,process, technology development and research current situation of face recognition,and mainly summarizes the principle and application of the color model,SVM in face recognition.Analyzes the process of face recognition existing difficulties,and prospects the research on face recognition technology in the future.
The influence of experimental hypothyroidism induced by a synthetic antithyroid drug, methylthiouracil, upon the development of metastases was studied on male Wistar rats, inoculated intravenously with Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells. The experimental results reveal obvious differences between the control group and the group previously treated with methylthiouracil, concerning the incidence, latent period, localization and tumor extension. Hypothyroidism promoted metastasis, increasing significantly the metastatic incidence (88% against 62% in controls), shortening the latent period and extending the localization of tumor metastases to unusual sites, such as liver and spinal column.
The paper analyzes the present application of one-dimensional deviation analysis to entire vehicle design in automobile industry.Examples are given to demonstrated one-dimensional deviation analysis used in entire vehicle design based on the design practice on the gap theory design value from the small automobile's front door seal to its trim edge in SGMW.It also points out the shortcomings found in the application of the one-dimensional deviation analysis in entire vehicle design.Future development tendency and the future application of the one-dimensional deviation analysis are analysed.
The chemical vapor deposition (CVD), ion implantation, or physical vapor deposition (PVD) or for the processing chamber, such as the sputtering chamber, the deposition shield assembly has been removed is easy is provided. Shield assembly includes a shield member, the shield member is attached to the chamber to facilitate the removal by a screw, to define a space along the periphery of the substrate support. A shield ring is mounted in a removable manner is inserted into the peripheral space is automatically caught in the vicinity of the center substrate. Shield ring falls on a circular shield and a deposition ring. Deposition ring is placed removably on the flange extending from the outer periphery of the substrate support pedestal. Overall, these parts are to prevent deposition on the chamber and the other hardware processing region.
Feedback is ranked among the top 5 to 10 highest influences on academic achievement. Recent advances in neurosciences enable understanding feedback in post-secondary settings as a reciprocal process that is mediated by brain-based cognitive processes common to both students and instructors. We describe three of these processes. The first process explains how feedback often involves tacit emotional responses. The second process highlights how prior experiences with feedback influence current experience. The last process relates to the development of personal mental models of feedback. We offer a set of implications for best practices based on these cognitive processes shared by students and instructors.
Twenty isolates of Fusarium fujikuroi from Nueva Ecija and Laguna provinces in the Philippines were characterized by Universally Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (UP-PCR) using AA2M2 and L45 primer. Sixty-six unique banding patterns were generated and a dendrogram was created. High degree of variation was observed among the isolates. At 90% similarity, fifteen clusters were formed, suggesting that sexual reproduction plays a significant role in generating variation of F. fujikuroi populations in the field. © 2011 Friends Science Publishers
The Sunni saint cult and shrine of Ahmad-i Jam has endured for 900 years. The shrine and its Sufi shaykhs secured patronage from Mongols, Kartids, Tamerlane, and Timurids. The cult and shrine-complex started sliding into decline when Iran's shahs took the Shiʿi path in 1501, but are today enjoying a renaissance under the (Shiʿi) Islamic Republic of Iran. The shrine's eclectic architectural ensemble has been renovated with private and public funds, and expertise from Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization. Two seminaries (madrasa) that teach Sunni curricula to males and females were added. Sunni and Shiʿi pilgrims visit to venerate their saint. Jami mystics still practice ʿirfan ('gnosticism'). Analyzed are Ahmad-i Jam's biography and hagiography; marketing to sultans of Ahmad as the 'Guardian of Kings'; history and politics of the shrine's catchment area; acquisition of patronage by shrine and shaykhs; Sufi doctrines and practices of Jami mystics, including its Timurid-era Naqshbandi Sufis.
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of cell surface receptors and a key drug target class. Recently, allosteric drugs that can cobind with and modulate the activity of the endogenous ligand(s) for the receptor have become a major focus of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry for the development of novel GPCR therapeutic agents. This class of drugs has distinct properties compared with drugs targeting the endogenous (orthosteric) ligand-binding site that include the ability to sculpt cellular signaling and to respond differently in the presence of discrete orthosteric ligands, a behavior termed “probe dependence.” Here, using cell signaling assays combined with ex vivo and in vivo studies of insulin secretion, we demonstrate that allosteric ligands can cause marked potentiation of previously “inert” metabolic products of neurotransmitters and peptide hormones, a novel consequence of the phenomenon of probe dependence. Indeed, at the muscarinic M2 receptor and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor, allosteric potentiation of the metabolites, choline and GLP1(9–36)NH2, respectively, was 100-fold and up to 200-fold greater than that seen with the physiological signaling molecules acetylcholine and GLP-1(7–36)NH2. Modulation of GLP1(9–36)NH2 was also demonstrated in ex vivo and in vivo assays of insulin secretion.This work opens up new avenues for allosteric drug discovery by directly targeting modulation of metabolites, but it also identifies a behavior that could contribute to unexpected clinical outcomes if interaction of allosteric drugs with metabolites is not part of their preclinical assessment.
The present invention includes one or more chambers for holding a plurality of separately-containing formulations, the specified time, the designated dose (e.g., the specified volume / droplet number), the dispensing mechanism a dispensing mechanism for precisely dispensing one or more of the plurality of separately contained drug at startup time of each activation of the dispensing mechanism, and for example, the position, the patient variables, such as data input by the user to determine the potential other information, the determined activation time, located away from the dispenser, so as to transmit to the computer which is stored in the same manner as the apparatus for reading by a clinician managing the patient optionally to provide a portable drug dispenser comprising a configured processing device. .FIELD 1
OBJECTIVE To assess whether intraoperative lavage and primary resection with anastomosis is a safe alternative to a Hartmann procedure in emergency surgery of the left colon.   DESIGN Retrospective study.   SETTING University hospital.   MATERIAL 101 consecutive patients (39 emergency and 62 elective) who underwent a left-sided colonic resection during a 3-year-period.   INTERVENTIONS 17 of the emergency procedures comprised an intraoperative lavage followed by resection and primary anastomosis without faecal diversion; 17 were Hartmann procedures and 5 patients had primary resection without lavage.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Postoperative mortality, morbidity and duration of hospital stay in these two groups compared with these after a contemporary series of elective resections.   RESULTS There were no postoperative deaths and no clinical anastomotic leaks in the lavage group. The duration of hospital stay (median 11 days) was similar in both groups (overall and sigmoid resection respectively). In the Hartmann group, there were two deaths and the postoperative stay in hospital was significantly longer.   CONCLUSIONS Primary resection with intraoperative lavage can be done successfully in patients with acute obstruction of the left colon and the duration of hospital stay and morbidity are similar to those seen in patients operated on electively.
INTRODUCTION Stroke is often associated with cognitive deterioration (CD) in varying degrees, and the risk factors associated to CD after a stroke vary from one study to another.   AIMS To determine the frequency of CD following cerebral infarction and to identify the factors that account for its presence.   PATIENTS AND METHODS A descriptive study was performed involving 126 stroke survivors who were hospitalised for rehabilitation. Patients were classified as having CD if they had scores below the cut-off point in one of the cognitive tests that were applied, i.e. the Folstein Minimental Test (< 24) or the Command-Condition Clock Test (< 7). The explanatory variables were: demographic variables (age, sex and years of schooling), comorbidity (arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and intelligence quotient), noxious habits (smoking and drinking), variables related to the lesion (extension, hemisphere and location), and others related to the consequences of the stroke (neurological status and depression). Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the role of these variables in CD.   RESULTS CD was observed in 51.6% of the patients. In the bivariate analysis, the extension of the infarction, age, years of schooling, degree of neurological compromise and depression were associated with the presence of CD. The logistic regression model showed that the factors explaining CD were severe neurological compromise (OR = 22.9; CI 95% = 4.2-125.2), having major depression (OR = 2.9; CI 95% = 1.14-7.8) and older age (OR = 0.94; CI 95% = 0.89-0.98).   CONCLUSIONS A little more than half of all stroke survivors, who are undergoing rehabilitation in hospital, have CD. The factors with the greatest explanatory power to account for CI were neurological status, depression and age.
Bio-low temperature and pressure is a micro plasma spray device for medical application is disclosed. The plasma jet apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention includes a gas inlet tube, a porous insulating material, the protective tube, and an insulating case is used as an electrode, a negative electrode is used as anode. In the electrode is a plasma jet. Gas injection pipe injects the gas from the outside. A porous insulating material has at the electrode and the gas injection pipe between sikimyeo insulate the electrode and the gas inlet tube, a plurality of passage for passing the gas injected from the gas injection tube into the electrode hole. The protective tube surrounds the gas inlet tube in order to insulate from the outside and protect the gas inlet tube. That the insulating case is that the discharge takes place to generate the plasma between the electrodes, wherein the porous insulating material, and the gas injection pipe of surrounding the part connected to the porous insulating material, the electrode and the gas inlet tube spread to the outside be blocked. Plasma spraying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is a low voltage at atmospheric pressure by making the micro-diameter of the micro-electrodes of the electrode in which plasma is injected by using a machining process such as MEMS less than several tens of micrometers is also a low temperature and a high current density can be injected to create a plasma, whereby the bio-an advantage that can be applied in medical field, especially the biomedical field with apoptosis.
COMPARISON BETWEEN KJELDAHL TRADITIONAL METHOD AND AUTOMATED DUMAS ( N CUBE ) METHOD FOR DETERMINATION OF PROTEINS IN SEVERAL KINDS OF FOOD Los metodos de Kjeldahl y de Dumas son aplicados en el laboratorio de analisis fisico quimico del Instituto Nacional de Nutricion de Venezuela, para determinar el contenido de nitrogeno en alimentos. Se realizo un estudio comparativo de ambos metodos para determinar si existen diferencias estadisticamente significativas entre sus resultados. Se analizaron veinticuatro muestras de alimentos diferentes por ambas tecnicas, observandose que no existen diferencias relevantes (α = 0,05), entre los reportes de ambos ensayos. En virtud que los analisis de proteinas en laboratorios de alimentos son de orden rutinario, se recomienda emplear el metodo de Dumas como una alternativa para la realizacion de este ensayo, por ser confiable, rapido y seguro, tanto para el operador como para el ambiente. Palabras clave : Nitrogeno, combustion. ABSTRACT Kjeldahl and Dumas methods are applied in the Laboratory of physicochemical analysis of the Venezuelan National Institute of Nutrition. A comparative study was made for both methods to determine the existence of statistically significant differences between their results. Twenty four (24) different food samples were analyzed by both techniques, showing that there were no significant differences between reports from both tests (α = 0.05). Since analyses of proteins in food laboratories are routinely made, the use of Dumas method is recommend as an alternative for conducting this essay, being reliable, fast and safe for both the operator and the environment. Key words : Nitrogen, combustion.
Background: G93A or A4V mutations in the human Cu/Zn- superoxide dismutase gene (hSOD1) cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS). However, it has not yet clearly understood how these bring about fALS. We investigated the effects of the G93A or A4V mutations in hSOD1 on the phosphatydilinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) pathway, and effects of GSK-3 inhibitor on the G93A- or A4V-mutant cells. Methods: To evaluate those effects, VSC4.1 motoneuron cells were transfected with G93A- or A4V-mutant types of hSOD1 (G93A and A4V cells, respectively) with/without GSK-3 inhibitor were compared with them transfected with wild type (wild cells) in cell viability and intracellular signals, including PI3K/Akt, GSK-3, and caspase-3, 24 hours after neuronal differentiation. Results: Compared with wild cells, MTT assay revealed a greatly reduced viability in G93A and A4V cells without GSK-3 inhibitor. However, treatment with GSK-3 inhibitor increased the viability of G93A and A4V cells. Western blotting showed that PI3K and pAkt were decreased, and GSK-3 and caspase-3 were increased in G93A and A4V cells, and that GSK-3 inhibitor treatment reduced caspase-3 but did not affected PI3K, Akt and GSK-3. Conclusions: These results suggest that the G93A or A4V mutations induce inhibition of PI3K/Akt and activation of GSK-3 and caspase-3 resulting the vulnerability to oxidative stress, and that GSK-3 mediated cell death mechanism is important in G93A and A4V cell death.
All known calculation methods incorporate some sort of turbulence model to reduce the infinite hierarchy of equations, under Reynolds' averaging, to a finite set. All such models suffer from a certain ad hoc nature. A dual structure model was developed wherein the turbulence field is, somewhat arbitrarily, decomposed into large eddies which presumably are dominant contributors to the Reynolds' stress and small eddies which feed on the large eddies as these, in turn feed upon the average flow to gain their energy. These concepts have been developed into a dual approach, one extractive and the other predictive as outlined below.
The overall frame of population forecast DSS wasdesigned.Everycontent ofpopulation forecast was classified and organized.Some science feasible reference countermeasures were appeared.The historical data of people in a certain area was imitated andpredicted.And the development trend of total population was analyzed,and the work resource structure impacting economic structure as examples to explained the systematic analysis decision-making process.
The present invention relates to an antiperspirant cosmetic composition comprising a) at least one material selected from the group consisting of cosmetic oils which are liquid at 20 ° C and 1.013 hPa, fragrances and waxes, b) at least one antiperspirant aluminum salt in a total amount of 0.1 to 80 wt .-%, based on the total weight of the antiperspirant cosmetic product, and c) at least one compound of formula (Ia-I) wherein R X or at least one antiperspirant aluminum salt is, wherein the addition of at least one compound of formula (LA-I) in an effective closure formation of the ducts of the sweat gland (n) results.
Stress is the interaction between stress factors and protective reactions of organism. Constant internal balance of the body of animals (homeostasis), stress factors threaten the internal or external events. Stress in farm animals can be defined as an inability to cope with the environment reflected by failure to meet genetic potential e.g., growth rate, disease resistance, milk production and fertility. Stress can be determined by the parameters of health, production, behaviour and physiology. The response to any stress factor, begins perceive as a potential threat to the creature's body balance of the warnings by central nervous system. The physiological and behavioral impact of a stressor is highly dependent on the subjective perceptions of the individual, and the individual's behavioral response style. Animals under stress become sick more easily and this leads to more drug use. Drug residues in animal products are increasing as a result of this and it threatens public health. The key factor in animal health and food safety, herd health inspection services in the "herd well-being" is an important element. Therefore, careful examination of stress factors in animals and to eliminate factors that make up this practice should be implemented.
Abstract : This report brings together many different aspects of Gauss elimination. The basic Gauss elimination (GE) algorithm is a fundamental tool of linear algebra computation for solving systems, computing determinants and determining the rank of matrix. All of these are discussed in varying contexts. These include different arithmetic or algebraic setting such as integer arithmetic or polynomial rings as well as conventional real (floating-point) arithmetic. These have effects on both accuracy and complexity analyses of the algorithm. These, too, are covered here. The impact of modern parallel computer architecture on GE is also included. Finally, GE is considered within the context of 'noisy' matrices. The effect of the noise in matrix entries on the effective rank of the matrix is the central aspect considered here.
Many dairy and swine producers in Tennessee and the United States utilize liquid manure storage systems coupled with land application of liquid manure slurry. The proper management and application of liquid manure is critical to avoid adverse environmental impacts. Many producers do not own the equipment necessary to efficiently spread animal waste slurry stored in liquid manure systems over the necessary acreage. Tennessee farmers have been active in providing their own solution to this challenge by forming non-profit animal waste management associations. Producers can hire these associations, on a contract basis, to land apply liquid manure for a reasonable fee. Many farmers can not afford to purchase this equipment for their farm alone. By acting together, farmers have reduced capital investment required to manage their waste and follow environmentally sound land application practices. This paper provides a case study of one of these cooperative associations, the Coffee-Franklin-Warren Animal Waste Management Association (CFW) located in southern-middle Tennessee. Although the CFW is only one of seven associations established in the state, sound management and good record keeping have helped it become the model which other Tennessee associations follow. Analysis of 3 years of CFW records provides insight into the effectiveness of this association. Summaries of the systems pumped, and the nutrients applied provide an overview of typical liquid waste storage systems currently utilized by swine and dairy producers in the state.
The notion of leisure has never been a fixed and ready concept. Nor has leisure ever contained a specific and finite range of events, facilities, resources or individual affects and perceptions. The explosive development of the United States in its short history has been dependent upon a vast and capillary system of social control. This system is based on a set of complimentary myths work and leisure. This pair of myths has defined the American social construction of reality from the outset. The power of leisure is in its flexibility to be revised and redefined continually to meet social and economic conditions and the motives of policy makers. In this paper, the historical development of the social construction of the United States is described by a discursive analysis of fouruniquely American myths. This discursive analysis proceeds from a definition of leisure as a social construction based on various myths that describe the social and economic conditions of various historical periods. From this thesis, myth the metalanguage of culture is employed to describe the social construction of leisure, as we know it today. These myths include the Puritan Work Ethic Myth, the Rugged Individual Myth, The Ideology of Consumerism Myth and the Leisure Myth as it appears today. These myths illustrate how leisure is an ever-expanding mechanism through which policy decisions are deployed. New myths will appear in the future as the social and economic conditions of the United States continue to develop. The story of Leisure will change with it.
Director Melanie Hogan's documentary 'Kanyini' is one man's (Bob Randall) heartfelt account of the systematic oppression of his people by white colonisers - from the genocide of early colonisation, through the Stolen Generation of the 20th century, up to the present day, where many indigenous Australians suffer extreme poverty, substance addiction and dependence on a seemingly uncaring welfare system. It is a deeply affecting and compelling account, largely because it's related from - rather than on behalf of - the indigenous perspective.
Aphrodite is the divine image in Western civilization of love and fertility. She is the eternal beauty of classical Greece - but she has a wide-ranging history. On the one hand giver of wealth and abundance - on the other linked with violence and war. Aphrodite appeared on Cyprus during the Bronze Age. Protectress of copper, her cult spread all over Europe. In Scandinavia she was called Nerthus. Bronze, together with new agricultural methods, made people’s lives prosper and the goddess’s popularity soared. Her roots reach back to the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna/Ishtar. After the advent of Christianity, she shaped the image of the Holy Virgin. Aphrodite/Venus, once so prominent in art and literature, is still famous. Today her name often has a negative bias, with only her sexual aspect stressed, usually in commercial contexts. In this anthology the Centre of Classical Mythology presents the influential and versatile goddess.  Lotten Peterson traces Aphrodite’s development from the Mesopotamian goddess Inanna/Ishtar 5,000 years ago to the classical goddess and, later, how she influenced the Virgin Mary.  Gota Johansson describes Aphrodite’s origins and her long journey to Scandinavia, where she became the Vanir divinity Nerthus/Njord.  Katarina Wadstein MacLeod discusses Aphrodite/Venus in a variety of examples from modern and contemporary art.  Johan Flemberg describes Aphrodite as a goddess of war and love; he then presents her marble statuette in the Carl Milles collection. In a third essay, he explains her epithet 'Ambologera'.  Susanna Roxman analyses Aphrodite as a leitmotif in texts by the 20th century novelist and poet, Lawrence Durrell.  Carlos Parada provides an authoritative genealogical guide to Aphrodite’s nature, birth, family ties, lovers, and actions.
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The objective of the research was to establish a procedure of somatic embryogenesis induction in coffee from leaf explants. Two trials were installed, one for surface disinfection and other for somatic embryogenesis induction. In the surface disinfection trial of coffee leaves, coming from field and greenhouse, different concentrations of NaClO, immersion times and use of antioxidant solution were evaluated. The best surface disinfection treatment was 2% NaClO for 5 minutes. In the somatic embryogenesis induction in Castillo, Catuaí and Costa Rica 95 leaves, different types and concentrations of growth regulators was evaluated; BAP and KIN cytokinins (2.0, 4.0 and 6.0 mg / L) and auxin 2,4-D (0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 mg / L) alone, and in combination with KIN (1.5 mg / L). Study variables were callogenesis rate, beginning of callus formation, level of callogenesis induction, size of callus, embriogenesis rate, beginning of embryos formation and number of embryos. It was possible to induce somatic embryogenesis, direct and indirect, in only one culture medium and from seventh week. Castillo variety presented values of 32% to 100% of explants with somatic embryogenesis and 12.62 embryos / explant; Catuaí variety, presented rates of somatic embryogenesis from 52% to 100% and reaching an average of 26.84 embryos / explant; in Costa Rica 95 variety, 98% to 100% of embryogenesis rate were obtained and 7.4 somatic embryos / explant. From the results, it was concluded that BAP and 2,4-D, alone and in combination with KIN, induce callogenesis and embryogenesis according to coffee variety; for Castillo, in the three treatments of BAP and 2,4-D in combination with KIN; for Catuaí, in all 2,4-D treatments alone and in combination with KIN; and for Costa Rica 95, in the three concentrations of BAP and in the treatment conformed by 0.5 mg / L 2,4-D + 1.5 mg / L KIN.
We observe strong energy-dependent quantum defects in the scaled-energy Stark spectra for vertical bar M vertical bar = 1 Rydberg states of barium atoms at three scaled energies: epsilon = -2.000, epsilon = -2.500 and epsilon = -3.000. In an attempt to explain the observations, theoretical calculations of closed orbit theory based on a model potential including core effect are performed for non-hydrogenic atoms. While such a potential has been uniformly successful for alkali atoms with a single valence electron, it fails to match experimental results for barium atoms in the 6snp Rydberg states with two valence electrons. Our study points out that this discrepancy is due to the strong perturbation from the 5d8p state, which voids the simple approximation for constant quantum defects of principle quantum number n.
We describe a data-driven approach for automatically explaining new, non-standard English expressions in a given sentence, building on a large dataset that includes 15 years of crowdsourced examples from UrbanDictionary.com. Unlike prior studies that focus on matching keywords from a slang dictionary, we investigate the possibility of learning a neural sequence-to-sequence model that generates explanations of unseen non-standard English expressions given context. We propose a dual encoder approach—a word-level encoder learns the representation of context, and a second character-level encoder to learn the hidden representation of the target non-standard expression. Our model can produce reasonable definitions of new non-standard English expressions given their context with certain confidence.
An analysis of the attitudes of residents of several small urban areas towards transit improvement was conducted in an attempt to identify groups with similar preferences. The groups were described by several demographic characteristics: age, sex, autos owned, family size. Two methods were used: a comparison of the preference rankings of each group across the cities; and discriminant analysis to identify grougs with similar attitudes. The results indicate that there is some similarity within certain demographic groups, across the cities. However, respondents as a whole exhibited great similarity of prefereed choices, irrespective of demographics or city. The two most preferred improvements were special vehicles for the handicapped and reduced fares for the elderly and handicapped. It is concluded that there exists some similarity in the attitudes towards transit improvement among the cities, but the development of any distinct groups proved impossible with limited set of demographics available for use in this study. /Author/
describes a method for releasing a bound in an aqueous precursor reducing agent to use the same for a reaction over a catalyst in connection with the denitrification of the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, particularly a diesel engine, in which method the aqueous precursor a decomposition reactor is supplied on which the precursor is prepared for release of the reducing agent under the influence of heat. The precursor is absorbed by capillary action of the substrate of the decomposition reactor due to its pore structure. Therefore, the treatment process is at least partially held within the substrate. The purification products are at least partially carried away by the substrate flowing from the soaked precursor liquid. Described is further a means for releasing a bound in an aqueous reducing agent precursor for use thereof for a reaction over a catalyst 3 in connection with the denitrification of the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine.
This paper reports study on the determination of the actuation performance of shape memory alloy (SMA) friction-spun yarns (SMA FSY). Thin SMA actuator wire has been spun with 100% cotton fibres into the core of the friction spun yarn structure using DREF 3000 friction spinning. The delivery speed (m/min) and suction pressure (rpm) are varied, while the spinning drum speed as well as the core-sheath ratio are kept constant during production. The SMA FSY has been electrically heated using a customized instrument and the results are reported as the work done (potential energy) and output power (Watt) needed to lift the load (constant weight) from staticcondition. The actuation performances of the SMA FSY are compared with SMA wires actuation performance without sheath. The changes in spinning parameters show different actuation performance of SMA FSY, which is measured as the height to lift the load and the time taken for the SMA core to return to the pre-determined shape. The cohesion between the sheath and the wire may have contributed to the difference in the actuation performance based on the internal friction test.
Day, rotogravure, and others j textile machinery $ etc. In its showing of the machine used in reducing medals the Newark Museum has already demonstrated how to plan an exhibit of this sort. The various parts of the machine were labelled and tagged with explanations, and a small pamphlet which went quite thoroughly into the working of the machine was given to all those interested. Since artists like best to learn objectively, such exhibits are particularly valuable to them. The entire field is so new that
Real-time systems are employed in many areas, such as aerospace and defenses. In real-time systems, especially in hard real-time systems, it is important to meet the associated time requirements. With the increasing demand for high speed processing capabilities, the requirement for high computing power is becoming more and more urgent. However, it is no longer possible to increase processor speeds because of thermal and power constraints. Consequently, industry has focused on providing more computing capabilities using more number of processors.As to the scheduling policies, they can be classified into two categories, preemptive and non-preemptive. Preemptive scheduling allows preemptions arbitrarily, whereas it implies prohibitively high preemption related overheads. On the contrary, the non-preemptive scheduling which do not allow preemption at all, will not have such overheads, but suffers due to the block time on high priority tasks. Limited preemptive scheduling, that builds on the best of preemptive and non-preemptive scheduling, benefits from the limited number of preemptions without a major effect on real-time properties. It is proved that limited preemptive scheduling dominates preemptive and non-preemptive scheduling on uniprocessors under fixed priority. However, less work has been done on multiprocessor limited preemptive scheduling, especially under Earliest Deadline First (EDF). On a multiprocessor, limited preemptively scheduling real-time tasks imply an additional challenge with respect to determining which of the running task to preempt. On one extreme, the scheduler can preempt the lowest priority running task and this is referred to as Adaptive Deferred Scheduling (ADS). On the other hand, the scheduler can preempt any lower priority running task that becomes pre-emptible. Such a scheduler is referred to as Regular Deferred Scheduling (RDS)In this work, we empirically investigate the performance of ADS and RDS, and compare it with the global preemptive and non-preemptive scheduling, in the context of an EDF based scheduler. Our empirical investigation revealed that the number of preemptions under ADS is less compared to RDS, at runtime. This is due to the fact that by delaying preemptions, the higher priority tasks that are released subsequently will run in priority order thereby avoiding the need for more preemptions. Also, by delaying preemptions, the possibility of one or more processors becoming available increases. Experiments investigating the schedulability ratio shows that ADS and RDS performs almost equally well, but better than fully non-preemptive scheduling.
Despite Marinetti's anticlericalism, futurist engagement with religious themes was attuned to the 1929 Concordat between Church and State, although in reality certain members of the movement had been creating such works for several years, aiming to modernise an obsolete and anachronistic vocabulary.Futurism - which had initially recognised progress and the machine as its only religions - increasingly felt an impulse to transcend time and matter and to strive for a more spiritual interpretation of modern life.The Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented this exhibition - which was the first of its kind - in anticipation of Futurism's centenary in 2009. It provides a comprehensive overview of this little-studied aspect of Futurist art through works by many of the movement's major exponents, including Giacomo Balla, Fillia and Gerardo Dottori.Written in English and Italian.
Robotics in schools has been widely acknowledged as enhancing student learning outcomes, particularly motivation, engagement and problem solving. The research literature predominantly makes calls for further research to illuminate issues of sustainability of robotics initiatives beyond the novelty factor, gender differences in sustaining interest, and teacher confidence. And further, robotics has not been overly used in early years classrooms, being more often associated with students in the upper primary and junior secondary years. This paper reports on a two-fold project researching student and teacher learning through embedded robotics curricula. With a focus on sustainable living, Year 1 and Year 7 students explored green cities using programmable robots, with classroom teachers working alongside students and robotics tutors. This paper reports on preliminary data analysis in relation to classroom observations and interview data. These data showed a high level of engagement in robotics activities by the majority of students in both Grade 7 and Grade 1. The Grade 1 children readily engaged in programming their robots and completing set tasks, as did the Grade 7 students. Student awareness of environmental issues increased. Using robots was seen to contribute to student interest and motivation in each lesson. In all robotics sessions, classrooms were lively and student energy was high. Teachers’ confidence with using robotics and incorporating them into their regular lessons was strong, but more so for the Grade 7 teacher than the Grade 1 teacher. These findings are discussed in relation to implications for classrooms of the future.
Background: Platelet hyperactivity is associated with a number of disorders including Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) and manifests as increased platelet activation and often inappropriate thrombus formation. The thienopyridine class of anti-platelet drugs, of which clopidogrel and prasurgrel are the most well-known, target the P2Y12 receptor on platelets, blocking the effects of the platelet agonist ADP. However, the effect of these drugs is variable amongst patients, with some patients responding well and some remaining at risk of thrombosis. This variability highlights a need for a refinement of this class of P2Y12 inhibitor.
Objective To study the expressions of ZAP-70 and CD38 in chronic B lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) and the correlation between them. Methods Semi-quantitative RT-PCR was utilized to analyze ZAP-70 expressions in patients with B-CLL (n=19) and normal adults (n=12), and CD38 expression was assessed by flow cytometry. Results Positive expression of ZAP-70 was found only in seven patients with B-CLL (7/19) and CD38 in eight patients. Conclusion ZAP-70 and CD38 expressions predict poor prognosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. ZAP-70 may replace IgVH mutational status to be an valid prognostic index of this disease.
Abstract : The execution of contractual agreements between two private parties is generally limited to the good faith enforcement of expressed contract rights and implied rights established by common law. However, a multitude of rules significantly affect the rights and responsibilities of all parties to a contract when one of those parties is the Government. Not only do these rules dictate the content of Government contract provisions, but they affect the application of common law in determining implied rights and responsibilities and the method of the Government's administration of the contract. This paper will strive to illustrate both the differences and similarities between private and military construction contracting. It will then more specifically compare important clauses in the U.S. Navy's General Provisions for construction contracts and the American Institute of Architects' most important construction contract document, the A201, General Conditions of the Contract for Construction. The two contract documents' assignment of rights and responsibilities to the owner, the contractor, and the architect, who is often a third party to the construction contract, will be discussed and evaluated. The goal will be for the reader to become more aware of opportunities and pitfalls for each party in relation to specific clauses, and to gain an appreciation for the difficulties experienced by contractors transitioning between private and military construction contracting.
This study is highlighted to survey changes of pollutant in runoff water from a core urban area of Vientiane City, Lao PDR during dry and rainy seasons, and to simulate the runoff pollutant by using SWMM simulation model. Hong Thong catchment area was selected for sampling during wet and dry weather. As a result of the surveys, mean concentration of SS was higher in a rainy season, in contrast, COD, TN and TP were much higher in a dry season possibly due to being associated with domestic wastewater and attenuation by stormwater in a rainy season. The mean total PAHs concentration values were 230.13, 132.83 and 143.72ng/L respectively for a rainy season wet and dry periods, and a dry season. In addition, the pollutant runoff from the catchment area was simulated using SWMM, and the runoff characteristics were shown.
The research was conducted in clinical cases of twenty four dogs with femur fracture and they were randomly divided into three groups viz., group I, II and III with eight animals in each group. Group I, II and III animals were treated with Dynamic compression plating, Locking compression plating and Intramedullary interlocking nailing techniques respectively. Healing of fractures was studied on before operation, immediately after operation, 30, 60 and 90 post-operative days in 3 groups based on physiological and haemato-biochemical findings. In the present study bradypnoea, bradycardia and hypothermia were found on post-operative days. Progressive increase of packed cell volume, haemoglobin and total erythrocyte count on different post-operative days was seen. Physiological leucocytopenia, neutropenia and relative lymphocytosis was observed on post-operative days. Monocyte and eosinophil count were within physiological range in three groups of animals. Slight hypercalcimia, slight hyperphosphatemia and progressive decrease of serum alkaline phosphatase were found on different post-operative days. However, all physiological and haemato-biochemical findings during repair of femur fracture in dogs were within the normal physiological range in three groups of animals.
According to non-linearity,time-variable and external interference of soil pollution spiral milling machines to collect hydraulic cylinder suspension system,design method based on fuzzy PID control has been proposed to simulate the model of cut-depth control system based on Matlab/Simulink;and fuzzy inference system has also been established.It is shown that fuzzy-PID control method has advantages of sensitive response,good time-variable and little overshooting and is an effectively controlling strategy.
As part of our institution’s commitment and statutory requirements to equality and diversity, a small team cross-institutional team has been developing a range of resources to support and foster awareness and understanding of unconscious bias. These resources are being delivered through a blended learning approach that combines face-to-face workshops with a number of online resources and informal accreditation via digital badges. The ECU (2013) define unconscious bias as “a bias that we are unaware of, and which happens outside of our control . . . influenced by our background, cultural environments and personal experiences.” In late 2015 the British Prime Minister raised the awareness of unconscious bias in relation to UK university admissions processes. From 2017 all admissions will be anonymous. However, there is still relatively little formal acknowledgement of the potential influence of unconscious bias on the development of learning and teaching approaches, resources and delivery methods. This case study illustrates how the authors are attempting to address this gap. Like many other UK HEIs we are currently expanding our online portfolio to encourage more international recruitment.  We are also developing a significant partnership to deliver undergraduate programmes for a new African Higher Education initiative. These developments sit alongside our long-standing commitment to increase internationalisation across all university activities; ensuring that all our students will benefit from an education that prepares them for successful employment in the global labour market.  These aims make it vital to ensure that we when are developing and delivering learning and teaching our teaching staff are aware of cultural differences and the propensity towards our own unconscious biases. Recognition of unconscious bias is increasingly important as we move towards more global engagement and a richer diversity of students through fully online delivery. The case study will illustrate the processes used by a central academic unit to develop sustainable, openly licensed, online support materials to raise awareness of unconscious bias. Our approach is to encourage learner self-regulation through active reflection on personal attitudes and behaviours. The materials are accessible to all staff via our VLE.  We are also actively endeavoring to integrate unconscious bias more widely into a range of learning and teaching related CPD opportunities, including formal and informal face-to-face workshops supported with online resources.   This submission relates both the shifting boundaries and breaks in continuity themes of the conference. Through our work around unconscious bias we are now providing additional way to challenge conventional attitudes and approaches to learning, teaching and assessment. The session will require active participation from session participants through their engagement with a selection of our resources and reflection on the range of digital tools we have used to develop them.  References Burns, Judith (2015). University applications to be anonymous, says David Cameron [online] BBC News Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-34616420 [Accessed 12  Feb. 2016] ECU (2013). Unconscious Bias and Higher Education. Equality Challenge Unit, London. Kahneman, D (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Penguin Books Ltd, London
Sometimes chemistry is fun just because molecules are beautiful. At Massachusetts Institute of Technology, chemistry professor Stephen J. Lippard and graduate student Kingsley L. Taft have discovered such a molecule. It has no known utility, but it sure is pretty. They call it a molecular "ferric wheel." The molecule, [Fe(OCH 3 ) 2 (O 2 CCH 2 - Cl)] 10 , is a decairon molecule that forms a nearly perfect circle [ J. Am. Chem. Soc. , 112 , 9629 (1990)]. It assembles spontaneously in methanolic solutions of diiron(III) oxo complexes that Lippard and Taft are studying. The studies are part of a research program to elucidate the chemistry of polyiron oxo protein cores such as those that occur in the proteins hemerythrin, ribonucleotide reductase, methane monooxygenase, and ferritin. "We were not trying to make this particular compound," Lippard says. "It was a completely serendipitous discovery." The compound was prepared by allowing the monochloroacetate analog of basic iron acetate, [Fe 3 O(O 2 -CCH 2 Cl) 6...
The aim of our experiments has been to analyse how formation of chemical synapses affects the distribution of calcium (Ca2+) currents and neurite outgrowth of leech Retzius cells. Previous results showed that Ca2+ currents measured in the initial process or ‘stump’ of postsynaptic cells were significantly smaller than those in corresponding sites on presynaptic neurons. In the present experiments, neurons were plated together in close apposition as pairs or as triads, with the tip of one Retzius cell touching the soma of another. Ca2+ currents from selected areas o f the neuronal surfaces were measured by loose-patch recording before and after the formation of chemically mediated synaptic connections, which developed in about 8 h. With three cells arranged in a row, the last of the series, which was purely postsynaptic (i. e. with no target), also showed a dramatic reduction in Ca2+ currents in its initial segment, compared with the currents seen in either the first cell (purely presynaptic) or the second cell of the chain (which was both postsynaptic to the first cell and presynaptic to the third). This suggests that retrograde as well as anterograde effects on Ca2+ currents occurred as a result of synapse formation: the Ca2+ currents in the middle cell did not decrease although a synapse had been formed on it. To test for additional consequences of synapse formation, neurite outgrowth was measured in postsynaptic cells and in single cells plated on an extract of extracellular matrix containing laminin (ECM-laminin). After 48 h, the total length of neurite outgrowth in postsynaptic cells was only about one third of that in single cells. These results show that the establishment of a chemical synapse between two cells produces characteristic changes in membrane properties and sprouting; the nature of these changes depends on whether the neuron itself has formed synapses on another cell and whether or not synapses have formed upon it.
Introduction: β-thalassemia is one of the most common transfusion dependent genetic disorders with consequences of transfusions or chelation therapy especially effecting on growth and development of these patients. Aims and objectives: To assess growth and development in β-thalassemic children based on their transfusion and chelation therapy status. Methodology: The clinical and socio-demographic data was collected from the β-thalassemia (n=52) patients (2-15 years of age) included in the study using predesigned proforma. Data and blood reports relevant to the study were collected and analysis was done by SPSS software v 22.0 applying non- parametric Man-Whitney U Test, chi-square tests for independence of attributes. Results: Growth retardation is significantly more in beta-thalassemia major patients (45.95%) than minor forms of beta-thalassemia (13.33%). Patients without chelation therapy and those having transfusions ≤ once monthly were associated with growth retardation (p <0.05). A range of 5 -12% patients were having subnormal IQ and SQ whereas 41.2% were diagnosed as Suspects by DDST-II.  Conclusion: A significant number of β-thalassemia major patients were having inadequate transfusion and chelation therapy which affect their growth and development variably compared to β-thalassemia minor patients.
During the last half-century or so, archaeological conferences have become increasingly important as a means of keeping up with developments in the discipline and maintaining contact with widely scattered colleagues. Both these objectives have been particularly necessary in the case of archaeology concerned with the African continent, whose practitioners come from so many different parts of the world. In these respects, the 2008 conference of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists was a resounding success that owed much to the excellent organisation of Peter Breunig and his committee from the Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, the University of Cologne, and the University of Geneva. According to information available at the Business Meeting of the Society on the last afternoon of the conference, 290 people were registered, 260 were participants, and 195 papers were presented. Although the figures do not quite add up, it was stated that of the participants 130 were Europeans, 70 Africans, 50 North Americans, two Australians, and one from China. I do not intend here to attempt a review of the large number of papers but rather, to reflect on the size, diversity and content of the conference and what these might augur for our discipline. In short, the conference will be used to take the pulse of African archaeology, that is, to investigate its present state of health and consider its future wellbeing. Conference statistics are always imprecise because some people who are listed as attending do not actually turn up and others, who are not listed, do. In addition, the papers promised in a conference programme are not always given and others, not mentioned, sometimes are. Nevertheless, I have the impression that the number of participants at Frankfurt was greater than at previous SAfA conferences. In 1992, for instance, there were only 126 people at the Los Angeles conference (University of California 1992), which I attended, but unfortunately I have no record of attendances at subsequent conferences although I was present at all of them except that of 1994. At Frankfurt, the participants had come from 33 countries, of which 15 were in Africa (Goethe University 2008, 103 13), at Los Angeles from only 23 countries, of which 13 were in Africa. There were differences in the African countries represented on these two occasions, but it was the greater range of non-African countries at Frankfurt that was most notable. This reflects the gradual change of SAfA from an
Ever wondered whether your students are getting the most out of their anatomical experience? With extensive changes to medical curricula it has been necessary to reassess the way we teach anatomy so students are well equipped for the challenges beyond university. At one UK medical school we have explored ways to promote anatomical learning. Variety is truly the spice of life and we have designed our program to include both traditional and contemporary teaching methods, all aimed at stimulating deep learning. A varied approach has helped us to effectively include all students in the learning experience and encompass different learning needs of our diverse student population. Whether students spend time in the dissecting room, engaged in interactive tutorial sessions or participating in technology‐enhanced living anatomy classes, a building block approach to learning is used which draws together form, function and clinical relevance. Our approach to anatomy education has had to take on board many conflicting demands, but the learning achievements of our students and their feedback would suggest we are leading the competition in this respect.
Current fault tolerance protocols are not sufficiently scalable for the exascale era. The most-widely used method, coordinated checkpointing, places enormous demands on the I/O subsystem and imposes frequent synchronizations. Uncoordinated protocols use message logging which introduces message rate limitations or undesired memory and storage requirements to hold payload and event logs. In this paper we propose a combination of several techniques, namely coordinated checkpointing, optimistic message logging, and a protocol that glues them together. This combination eliminates some of the drawbacks of each individual approach and proves to be an alternative for many types of exascale applications. We evaluate performance and scaling characteristics of this combination using simulation and a partial implementation. While not a universal solution, the combined protocol is suitable for a large range of existing and future applications that use coordinated checkpointing and enhances their scalability.
Background and aims: Preeclampsia and diabetic pregnancies share many pathophysiological features suggested to influence epigenetic changes during foetal life with importance for childhood development and later metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Our Objective was to study early myocardial affections in offsprings after these pregnancy complications. Design: Forty-five children delivered (2001-2004) due to pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia (n=25), diabetic mellitus type 1 (n=8) and gestational diabetes mellitus (n=12) were included at age 5-8 year (2008-2009). Fifteen children from uneventful pregnancies served as controls. Global systolic and diastolic longitudinal myocardial functions of right and left ventricle were examined by conventional Doppler and Tissue Doppler echocardiographic imaging (TDI) including assessment of annular velocities, displacement and myocardial wall deformation by strain and strain rate analyses. Offline analyses were performed by the Echopac PC software system. Results: No major differences were found in myocardial function between the offsprings of pregnancy complications and control group. By pulsed wave and colour TDI, an increased late diastolic velocity (A'-wave) was found at mitral valve attachments in the preeclampsia vs. control and diabetic groups (p≤0.01). Conclusion: No major differences in myocardial function in offsprings after pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia or diabetes mellitus compared with controls were detected at 5-8 years of age. The numbers of examined children in each group were limited, and the study was not powered to detect minor differences in myocardial function. The increased late diastolic velocity in the preeclampsia group should be prospectively studied to assess whether it represents an early sign of diastolic dysfunction.
Simple Summary Here, we present a novel strategy to identify key signatures of clinically-relevant co-expressed circRNA-mRNA networks in pertinent cancer-pathways that modulate the prognosis of HCC patients, by integrating clinicopathological features, circRNA and mRNA expression profiles. Five master circRNAs were identified and experimentally demonstrated to upregulate proliferate and promote transformation. Through further integration with miRNA-expression profiles, clinically-relevant competing-endogenous-RNA (ceRNA) networks of circRNA-miRNA-mRNAs were constructed. The most up-regulated nodal-circRNA, circGPC3 was experimentally demonstrated to up-regulate cell-cycle, migration and invasion. circGPC3 was found to act as a sponge of miR-378a-3p to regulate ASPM expression and modulate cell transformation. These 5 nodal circRNAs has potential to be good prognostic biomarkers with good prognostic performance. circGPC3 has great potential to be a promising non-invasive prognostic biomarker for early HCC. We have thus demonstrated the robustness of bioinformatically-predicted master circRNAs in clinically-relevant, circRNA-mRNA networks, underscoring the important roles that these identified deregulated key/master circRNAs play in HCC. Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and lethal cancers worldwide. Here, we present a novel strategy to identify key circRNA signatures of clinically relevant co-expressed circRNA-mRNA networks in pertinent cancer-pathways that modulate prognosis of HCC patients, by integrating clinic-pathological features, circRNA and mRNA expression profiles. Through further integration with miRNA expression profiles, clinically relevant competing-endogenous-RNA (ceRNA) networks of circRNA-miRNA-mRNAs were constructed. At least five clinically relevant nodal-circRNAs, co-expressed with numerous genes, were identified from the circRNA-mRNA networks. These nodal circRNAs upregulated proliferation (except circRaly) and transformation in cells. The most upregulated nodal-circRNA, circGPC3, associated with higher-grade tumors and co-expressed with 33 genes, competes with 11 mRNAs for two shared miRNAs. circGPC3 was experimentally demonstrated to upregulate cell-cycle and migration/invasion in both transformed and non-transformed liver cell-lines. circGPC3 was further shown to act as a sponge of miR-378a-3p to regulate APSM (Abnormal spindle-like microcephaly associated) expression and modulate cell transformation. This study identifies 5 key nodal master circRNAs in a clinically relevant circRNA-centric network that are significantly associated with poorer prognosis of HCC patients and promotes tumorigenesis in cell-lines. The identification and characterization of these key circRNAs in clinically relevant circRNA-mRNA and ceRNA networks may facilitate the design of novel strategies targeting these important regulators for better HCC prognosis.
The paper proposes the use of Visible Light Communication (VLC) in Vehicular Communication Systems for vehicle safety applications. A smart vehicle lighting system that combines the functions of illumination, signaling, communications, and positioning is presented. The system aims to ensure the communication between a LED based VLC emitter and an on-vehicle VLC receiver. A traffic scenario is stablished. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and Infrastructure-to-Vehicle (I2V) communications are analyzed. For the V2V communication study, the emitter was developed based on the vehicle head lights, whereas for the study of I2V communication system, the emitter was built based on streetlights. The VLC receiver is used to extract the data from the modulated light beam coming from the white RGB-LEDs emitters. The VLC receiver is based on amorphous SiC technology and enhances the conditioning of the signal enabling to decode the transmitted information. The [p(SiC:H)/i(SiC:H)/n(SiC:H)/p(SiC:H)/i(Si:H)/n(Si:H)] tandem photodetectors are located at the roof-top of the vehicle, for I2V communications, and at the tails for V2V reception. Clusters of emitters, in a square topology, are used in the I2V transmission. The information and the ID code of each emitter in the network are sent, simultaneously, by modulating the individual chips of the trichromatic white LED. Free space is the transmission medium. An on-off code is used to transmit data. An algorithm to decode the information at the receivers is set. The proposed system was tested. The experimental results, confirmed that the proposed cooperative VLC architecture is suitable for the intended applications.
BACKGROUND Ear cropping for cosmetic purposes was made illegal in the UK in 2006. Despite this, a lack of import regulations and celebrity and media influences mean cropped dogs are increasingly reported.   METHODS The demographics, temporal trends and patient-level associated factors for dogs with cropped ears were evaluated in a large sentinel population of dogs visiting UK veterinary practices.   RESULTS A total of 132 dogs with cropped ears were identified, with rates peaking in 2021. In 84 cases (63.6%), there was evidence of importation, most commonly from countries where cropping is also illegal, including Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Spain, Poland and Ireland. American Bulldogs, Dobermanns, Italian Mastiffs (Cane Corso), Bulldogs and Mastiffs were all significantly overrepresented. Affected dogs were more likely to be unneutered (odds ratio 11.04, 95% confidence interval 5.84-20.90).   LIMITATIONS The study likely underestimates true levels of ear cropping. Identified cases are from a sentinel network of veterinary practices, and as such may not be representative of the wider UK population.   CONCLUSION These data suggest a need to educate owners and veterinary surgeons about the welfare and legal implications of ear cropping. The data presented can inform future targeted policies in veterinary practices and at a governmental level.
This study aims to examine the underlying mechanism of the relationship between perceived green human resource management (GHRM) and perceived employee green behavior (EGB). By drawing on attitude and social exchange theories, we examined green commitment (GC) as a mediator and green knowledge sharing (GKS) as a moderator of the GHRM–EGB relationship. The study employs partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze 329 responses. Data were collected in two time lags. The empirical results confirmed that GC mediates the relationship between GHRM and EGB. However, the study results found that GKS moderated the indirect influence of GHRM on green behavior via GC. This research signifies the effect of GHRM, GKS, GC, and green behavior on organizations’ sustainability and environmental management. Despite the emerging literature on the significance of green practices in organizations for environmental management, no study has examined the moderating role of GKS on the indirect effect of GHRM on green behavior via mediating role of GC. This study offers valuable insight into environmental management in organizations through green practices and green behavior.
Background Policy instruments based on the working of markets have been introduced to empower consumers of healthcare. However, it is still not easy to become a critical consumer of healthcare. Objectives The aim of this study is to analyse the possibilities of the state to strengthen the position of patients with the aid of a new financial regime, such as personal health budgets. Methods Data were collected through in-depth interviews with executives, managers, professionals and client representatives of six long-term care institutions. Results With the introduction of individual budgets the responsibility for budgetary control has shifted from the organisational level to the individual level in the caregiver-client relationship. Having more luxurious care on offer necessitates a stronger demarcation of regular care because organisations cannot simultaneously offer extra care as part of the standard care package. New financial instruments have an impact on the culture of receiving and giving care. Distributive justice takes on new meaning with the introduction of financial market mechanisms in healthcare; the distributing principle of ‘need’ is transformed into the principle of ‘economic demand’. Conclusion Financial instruments not only act as a countervailing power against providers insufficiently client-oriented, but are also used by providers to reinforce their own positions vis-à-vis demanding clients. Tailor-made finance is not the same as tailor-made care.
We reported a case where a 14-year-old Tetralogy of Fallot/pulmonary atresia patient with a rare tubular aortopulmonary communication between the arterial trunks, allowing for well-growth of the pulmonary vasculature. The patient underwent successful one-stage unifocalization, right ventricle-pulmonary artery conduit, and ventricular septal defect closure. The tubular communication was considered as an aortopulmonary window as opposed to the major aortopulmonary collateral, based on its exclusively intrapericardial course. We highlighted the importance of cross-section imaging in diagnosis and surgical decision-making in such situations.
Tissue stem cells have great potential as a source of tissue for regenerative medicine. Epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) are the most accessible population of tissue stem cells that can regenerate the specialized cell types of tissues including the epidermis, smooth muscle and the sciatic nerve. However, the dif culties in isolation of the high numbers of EpSCs and their long-term culture have hampered the development of wider clinical applications of EpSCs. Here, we present a novel approach to EpSC culture that utilizes a feeder layer of Swiss 3T3 cells expressing the putative EpSC niche-speci c molecule, CD200R. The colony forming ef ciency of CD34+, α6-integrin EpSCs was increased on CD200R-expressing Swiss 3T3 feeder cells compared with normal Swiss 3T3 feeder cells. Furthermore, treatment with glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3 inhibitor, an activator of Wnt signaling, synergistically enhanced the proliferation of EpSCs. These results raise the possibility that an arti cial microenvironment equivalent to in vivo niches will enable the persistent culture of EpSCs, thereby increasing the utility of EpSCs for tissue engineering and regeneration.
To the Editor.— I have had extensive experience with the use of fluorouracil (Efudex) cream in treating actinic keratoses during the last eight years. I have observed that approximately 25 of every 100 patients treated will have a mild-to-moderate mental depression occurring at the peak of the irritative response. This reaction is slightly more common in women. Affected patients usually have extreme fatigue and lethargy that lasts five to seven days. Some of these patients will complain of easy irritability, short temper, and excessive crying. When use of the fluorouracil cream is discontinued and signs of healing begin to appear, the depressive symptoms rapidly clear within several days. Report of a Case.— An otherwise stable 52-year-old woman experienced emotional changes while being treated with fluorouracil cream. A moderate inflammatory reaction developed after ten days of application. Her discomfort was about average. On the 11th day of treatment, she went into
Abstract We report on the outcome of a computational study of heat and momentum transport in a heated ribbed straight channel rotated about a spanwise axis. The flow is of both practical and fundamental interest, the latter due to the simultaneous presence in this flow of a number of complicating effects. These include system rotation, mean-flow unsteadiness, large-scale flow separation, and subsequent reattachment; their interactions severely distort the turbulence structure and thus pose this flow as a challenge to engineering prediction methods. In this study, the predictions were obtained using Large-Eddy Simulations with the objectives of assessing the performance of this approach in this flow, and gaining better understanding of the factors that influence the quality of the solutions. Thus, the numerical accuracy of the simulations was determined using Grid Convergence Index (GCI) method, and additionally by comparing results obtained using discretization schemes of different orders of accuracy. The dependence of the computed results on the models for the sub-grid scale correlations in both the momentum and thermal energy equations was checked by performing computations with alternative closure assumptions. These included the Smagorinsky and the dynamic models for momentum, and both linear and non-linear models for the thermal energy fluxes. The computations, which were performed with OpenFOAM, were compared with benchmark experimental data from both heated and isothermal flows. The correspondence between predictions and measurements was generally satisfactory but some important differences remain. It is argued that these are in part due to ambiguities in the way in which temporal and spatial averages are obtained in the computations and in the measurements.
This paper describes ongoing work on creating a dramatic gaming prototype. A specific problem is how to evaluate the game and the gaming experience as there are no existing methods specifically suited for this purpose. Two methods are presented that aim to capture different aspects of the players’ subjective experiences. One of the methods, the sensual evaluation instrument, is an experimental non-verbal method that attempts to capture players’ immediate emotional experiences. The other, Repertory Grid Technique, is a method for eliciting and evaluating people’s subjective experience of interacting with technology, used after the gaming session.
Epigenomic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, represent a critical link between genomic coding and phenotype expression that is influenced by both underlying genetic and environmental factors. Animal models indicate that epigenomic mechanisms have fundamental roles in the development of inflammation, obesity, diabetes, atherosclerotic lesions, and cardiovascular disease. Aberrant DNA methylation and histone modifications have been found in pathology investigations of atherosclerotic lesions. In the present article, we propose an overview of the major milestones in epigenetics, as well as of recent development and technologies for epigenomic research. We review recent findings demonstrating the links of individual characteristics, risk factors, and biomarkers with epigenetic signatures. We present available evidence from human studies that have investigated the relation of epigenetic mechanisms with subclinical and clinical cardiovascular disease. Also, we provide a list of online resources that can help retrieve additional information and facilitate further work in epigenomics. Finally, we discuss open questions for future research in cardiovascular epigenomics, including issues related to the analysis of surrogate and cardiovascular tissues, conduction and analysis of genome-wide epigenetic studies, integration of genomic and transcriptomic data in epigenomic investigations, and perspectives for epigenomics in preventive cardiovascular medicine and pharmacology.
A considerable body of empirical evidence exists on the demographic and socio-economic correlates of food insecurity in Australia. An important omission from recent studies, however, is an understanding of the role of stressful life events, or stressors in explaining exposure to food insecurity. Using nationally representative data from the 2014 General Social Survey and multivariable logistic regression, this paper reports on the association between 18 discrete stressors and the likelihood of reporting food insecurity in Australia. The results, adjusted for known correlates of food insecurity and complex survey design, show that exposure to stressors significantly increased the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity. Importantly, stressors related to employment and health approximately doubled the odds of experiencing food insecurity. The results underscore the complex correlates of food insecurity and indicates that conceptually it interacts with many important social and economic problems in contemporary Australia. There is no simple fix to food insecurity and solutions require co-ordination across a range of social and economic policies.
Not only has the number of launched spacecraft per year exploded over the past few years, but also spacecraft are getting progressively more complex, as flyby missions give way to remote orbiters, which in turn give way to rovers and other in situ explorers. To address the software issues in this expanding mission set, JPL started the Mission Data System (MDS) project, an effort to make flight software engineering more straightforward and less prone to error through the eplicit modeling of spacecraft state. This paper presents how MDS performs mission planning and execution in the context of explicitly managing spacecraft state.
The purpose of this study is to suggest policy implications concerning conservation and re-use systems for architectural assets. The non-designated assets as well as privately owned historic buildings are at risk of dissipation because of exclusion from the legal system. The approach to architectural assets needs an aspect of maintenance and utilization unlike the preservation of original state targeting cultural heritage. To address this issue, this study focuses on the representative case, Kanazawa machiya, a Japanese traditional architecture style and managed by local system. This study was conducted in three phase: 1) A literature review was conducted to understand the trend of policy in Korea. 2) Interviews, field study and literature review were conducted to investigate the transition of management of Kanazawa machiya. 3) The maintenance and utilization system of machiya was identified based on the analytical framework. The case study of Kanazawa machiya indicates that institutional system and financial supports based on the community involvement are necessary. Local actors play an distinctive role to conserve and manage the assets according to their fields and categories, so that the participation and cooperation is important including government, citizens, owners and users, and private sector such as real estate agents.
The behavior and conditions for the flotation separation of In Ⅲ from other metal ions were investigated with tetrabutyl ammonium bromide(TBAB)-potassium iodide-indiumⅢ ternary complex.The results showed that In could combin with TBAB and KI into a ternary ion association precipitate(InI4-·TBAB+) in aqueous solution.The precipitate could float well on the surface of aqueous phase,making the system divide into liquid and solid phases with a distinct interface.In could be quantitatively floated and separated from Fe2+,Al3+,Mn2+,SnⅥ,Ni2+,Zn2+,Cr3+,VⅤ,WⅥ and Co2+ with its floatation rate up to 99.1% when the concentrations of TBAB and KI in solution(pH 2.0) were 6.0×10-4 mol/L and 5.0×10-3 mol/L,respectively.The proposed method has been applied to the separation and determination of indium Ⅲ in synthetic water samples with satisfactory results.This method was environment-friendly,and it showed fine practical value in the separation and enrichment analysis of trace indium.
The effects of cluster mergers on the metal enrichment of the intra-cluster gas in clusters of galaxies are reviewed. Mergers can influence the metal production as well as the gas ejection processes, which transport the gas from the galaxy potential wells into the intra-cluster gas. Several processes are discussed: ram-pressure stripping, galactic winds and star formation activity. Simulations on different scales ranging from galaxy size to large-scale structure are presented.
The International Development Community places individuals at the center of concern for policy making. This study investigates why group analyses are crucial for the welfare of individual and social stability, and claims that the concept of Horizontal Inequality (group-based inequality) is important but widely neglected. The group of investigation is the indigenous population in Chiapas, Mexico’s poorest state. Since their initial protests in 1994, they demand more rights and a more equal society. The research at hand shows that little has changed since then as the indigenous population still lags behind in terms of socio- economic indicators. Apart from providing patterns over time, this study finds that the indigenous population in Chiapas is worse off than in other Mexican states. This demonstrates that the prevalence of high economic and social inequality patterns still hinder Chiapas’ indigenous population from improving their poor living standards. Thus, this thesis concludes with policy implications and a call for strengthening efforts on behalf of the Mexican government. (Less)
The garment layout problem is how to find the arrangement of cloth units in a region without overlapping so that the least cloth would be wasted.According to actual technical requirements,a mathematic model of optimal layout was obtained based on hybrid combinations of rectangular parts for this problem.An optimal solution algorithm was presented based on the combination optimization method and actual garment layout experience.Finally,an example was used to verify the effectiveness of the method.
INTRODUCTION: Glaucoma is a chronic progressive optic neuropathy caused by a group  of ocular conditions, which lead to damage of the optic nerve with loss of  visual function. Most common risk factor is raised intra ocular pressure.  Glaucoma is a group of diseases characterized by visual field changes  and progressive optic neuropathy for which raised Intra ocular pressure is a  risk factor.  Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness throughout the  world; glaucoma coexisting with cataract is commonly prevalent among  elderly patients. The frequent coexistence has led to many ideas as to how best  to control glaucoma and at the same time improve the vision. Many successful  designs of combined operation have been tried in last 10 years such as ECCE,  ICCE and SICS, IOL implantation combined with new filtering procedures.  Glaucoma triple procedures can provide good visual rehabilitation and  IOP control in cases of co-existing cataract and primary open angle glaucoma.  SICS has reduced surgical trauma and induced astigmatism to such a degree  that, when combined with trabeculectomy, one could expect visual  performance and intraocular pressure control as good as that with two separate  procedures.  This study is undertaken to compare the efficacy of reduction in IOP  between extra capsular cataract extraction with trabeculectomy and small  incision cataract surgery with trabeculectomy.  AIM OF THE STUDY:  To compare the efficacy of reduction in IOP between small incision  cataract extraction and posterior chamber intra ocular lens implantation with  trabeculectomy and extra capsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber  intra ocular lens implantation with trabeculectomy in cases of glaucoma  associated with cataract.    MATERIALS AND METHODS  Prospective, randomized and comparative type of study involving 50 eyes of  50 patients with glaucoma and cataract undergoing small incision cataract  surgery and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation with  trabeculectomy and extra capsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber  intraocular lens with trabeculectomy in Government Rajaji Hospital,  Madurai Medical College, Madurai.  Duration of study  This study was done for a period of 1 year from January 2004 to January  2005, The follow up of the patients was done for a period of 12 months with  follow ups on 2nd week, 4th week, 6th week, 3rd month, 6th month and 12th  month.  Inclusion criteria  All cases of primary open angle glaucoma, primary angle closure glaucoma  and secondary angle closure glaucoma where in IOP was not controlled by  maximum medical therapy to less than 21 mm Hg having visually  significant cataract with best corrected visual acuity 6 12 and less, were  selected for the study. Exclusion criteria  • Eyes with other types of glaucoma  • Traumatic cataract  • Complicated cataract  • Subluxation of lens  • Fundus pathology affecting visual acuity  • Patients with corneal opacity  • Eyes with prior filtering surgery  Methodology  Among the patients who were seen during the recruitment period in the  ophthalmology department of Government Rajaji Hospital, we selected 50  eyes of 50 patients who satisfied our criteria to undergo surgery.  All the patients enrolled in our study received a standard ophthalmological  examination which included recording of best-corrected visual acuity, which  was determined by subjective and objective refraction with standardized  snellen’s chart.  CONCLUSION: Our study shows small incision cataract surgery with trabeculectomy  has better efficacy in reduction of IOP than extra capsular cataract extraction  with trabeculectomy.  Also small incision cataract surgery with trabeculectomy gives better  IOP control, better visual results and early visual rehabilitation, good filtering  bleb and lesser postoperative complications than extra capsular cataract  extraction with trabeculectomy.  Since our study is a short term of one year follow up only, further studies  are needed for long-term results.
This paper will study the spiral scan technique for Medical Image Watermarking with Tamper Detection and  Recovery by Jasni Mohd Zain (2006).The spiral algorithm in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction is presented to test  when the tamper is made near to the centre of image. For ultrasound image, this is highly likely because the region of  interest (ROI) happens to be in the centre of the image. Using spiral technique, we show that the block spiraling and  starting in the middle will have a greater chance of recovery compared to the simple raster scan technique which is start  from left to right starting at the top-left corner and reverse raster scan technique. Besides, we present the recovery rate  of spiral scan technique in 6 X 6 block size of image with 2 X 2 and 4 X 4 block tamper. Recommendations will then  be made to enhance the technique especially in the aspect of recovery or reconstruction rate for medical images.
Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) represents a significant aetiological factor in infections of skin and soft tissues. Resistance to vancomycin is very rare. In recent years the MIC creep phenomenon has been noted. At present, it is suggested that S. aureus strains with vancomycin minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) at a level > 1 μg/ml poorly respond to treatment. Aim: The study was aimed to compare MIC evaluated in the automatic system of Vitek with the real MIC of van- comycin for S. aureus strains isolated from patients treated in the Department of Dermatology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences. Material and methods: Material for the studies involved 80 smears sampled from dermal lesions in patients diag- nosed and treated in the Department of Dermatology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poznan between May 2008 and December 2010. Results: Methicillin-sensitive S. aureus strains (MSSA) were isolated in 76 cases (95%), while methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) - in 4 cases (5%). Using the automatic Vitek technique in 72 cases (90%), the obtained vancomycin MIC for S. aureus amounted to ≤ 0.5 μg/ml, in 5 cases to 1 μg/ml and in 3 cases to 2 μg/ml. Using Etest technique, the real MIC amounted in one case to 0.5 μg/ml, in 1 case to 0.75 μg/ml, in 1 case to 1 μg/ml, in 19 cases to 1.5 μg/ml and in 58 cases to 2.0 μg/ml. Conclusions: Due to the MIC creep phenomenon and extensive diversities obtained in estimates of S. aureus resis- tance to vancomycin, the authors suggest estimating the real MIC.
Based on field experiments of the water irrigation which have been conducted in the Luancheng Agriculture Experimental Station of CAS,SWAP(Soil-Water-Atmosphere-Plant)model developed by Wageningen Agricultural College was used as an analysis too1.The parameters in the model were calibrated with the data of irrigation experiment.Some kinds of irrigation schedules in different flow years and certain irrigation quotas in this region were developed.The different irrigation quotas based on different irrigation schedules were simulated with SWAP model.The guidance irrigation schedule was put forward as 5 irrigation times in winter-wheat field and 1 irrigation time in the summer-maize field in median flow year.The optimal irrigation schedule would be useful for reference of water use of farmland in this region.
This paper presents evidence that candidate issue positions have a measurable impact on elections for the U.S. House of Representatives. For eight election years, electoral margins of Northern incumbent congressional candidates were examined to test the proposition that “moderates” within each party are better vote getters than those whose roll call records reflect their party's ideological extreme. The effects of roll call positions on election results were estimated by examining the relationships between roll call “extremism” and vote margins with district presidential voting held constant as a control for normal constituency voting habits. Although no strong support was found for the proposition that Democratic Representatives lose electoral support when they take extremely liberal roll call positions, a clear pattern emerged for Republicans: the Republican Congressmen who are the best vote getters tend to be the relative moderates and liberals who avoid the extreme conservative end of the political spectrum. An analysis of survey data suggests that the small group of voters whose electoral decisions are influenced by their Republican Congressman's roll call performance are found within the ranks of a select group who are both free of strong partisan motivations and highly politically informed.
With it prevents the dimming of light emitting stains, to prevent the degradation of the click feeling. The EL element 5, a key top (2) is formed sandwiched between the silicone rubber sheet (4b) has an adhesive layer 3, the silicone rubber sheet (4a) and a projecting portion 41 which is secured via a. When forming the EL element (5) on the silicon rubber sheet, then a surface of the silicone rubber sheet (4a, 4b) for forming the EL element (5), and subjected to surface modifying treatment for over a surface of at least either , to form the EL element (5).
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of chromium (VI) on the placental function and reproduction in rats. For the study, the placental prolactin-growth hormone (PRL-GH) gene expression, placental trophoblast cell differentiation and reproductive data were analyzed.   METHODS The pregnancies of F344 Fisher rats were checked by the presence of a copulatory plug or sperm in the vaginal smear, which was defined as day 0 of the pregnancy. Pregnant rats were divided into the three groups. The control group was given tap water (chromium level < 0.001 ppm) and the remaining groups were given 250 or 750 ppm of chromium (VI) [as potassium dichromate], from day 7 to 19 of the pregnancy. Rats were sacrificed at days 11 and 20 of pregnancy. The mRNA levels of PRL-GH and Pit-1a and b isotype genes were analyzed by Northern blot hybridization and reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The hormonal concentration was analyzed by radioimmunoassay, and the differentiation of placental trophoblast cells were observed by histochemical studies. Reproductive data, such as placental and fetal weights, pregnancy period, and litter size, were surveyed at day 20 of pregnancy and after birth. A statistical analysis was carried out using the SAS program (version 8.1).   RESULTS The mRNA levels of the prolactin-growth hormone (PRL-GH) family of genes were dose dependently reduced by chromium exposure. The mRNA levels of Pit-1a and b isotype genes that induce the expression of the PRL-GH family of genes were also reduced by chromium exposure. The PRL-GH hormonal concentration in the rat placenta, fetus and maternal blood were decreased by chromium exposure. In the middle stage of pregnancy (day 11), a high dose of chromium suppressed the differentiation of spongiotrophoblast cells that secret the PRLGH hormones. In the last stage of pregnancy (day 20), a high dose of chromium induced apoptosis of placental cells. Reproductive data, such as placental and fetal weights, litter size, were reduced, but the pregnancy period was extended in the group exposed to chromium compared with the controls.   CONCLUSIONS Chromium (VI) disrupts the ordered functions of the placenta, which leads to reproductive disorders in rats.
Until recently, transcriptomics was limited to bulk RNA sequencing, obscuring the underlying expression patterns of individual cells in favor of a global average. Thanks to technological advances, we can now profile gene expression across thousands or millions of individual cells in parallel. This new type of data has led to the intriguing discovery that individual cell profiles can reflect the imprint of time or dynamic processes. However, synthesizing this information to reconstruct dynamic biological phenomena from data that are noisy, heterogenous, and sparse---and from processes that may unfold asynchronously---poses a complex computational and statistical challenge. Here, we develop a full generative model for probabilistically reconstructing trees of cellular differentiation from single-cell RNA-seq data. Specifically, we extend the framework of the classical Dirichlet diffusion tree to simultaneously infer branch topology and latent cell states along continuous trajectories over the full tree. In tandem, we construct a novel Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler that interleaves Metropolis-Hastings and message passing to leverage model structure for efficient inference. Finally, we demonstrate that these techniques can recover latent trajectories from simulated single-cell transcriptomes. While this work is motivated by cellular differentiation, we derive a tractable model that provides flexible densities for any data (coupled with an appropriate noise model) that arise from continuous evolution along a latent nonparametric tree.
The final efforts are being made at this moment to complete the assembly of the KSTAR tokamak until the end of 2007. After finishing it, a series of experiments to make the tokamak plasmas from the first plasma to the advanced plasma mainly including a long-pulse mode will be continued during 10 years. The ICRF and the NBI systems are expected to play important roles during the long pulse operation period, through selective heating of ions and electrons, controlling the pressure and current profiles, core fueling, and beam diagnostics for the KSTAR. In addition, the ICRF system contributes to the first plasma experiments through possible discharge cleaning and assisting the tokamak startup. In this paper, recent achievements in the development of the ICRF and the NBI heating systems are described with emphasis on the eventual long pulse operation as well as the first plasma experiments. The four-strap ICRF antenna, which should have the long pulse capabilities, has been successfully tested for up to 41 kV for a pulse length of 300 sec and for 46 kV for 20 sec in a the vacuum test chamber. A prototype KSTAR NBI system has been developed and being tested for the required long pulse operation (300 sec) at the designed beam power. At present, the system has successfully produced a 1 MW beam for 200 sec, and a 3.5 MW output beam for 4 sec.
The distribution of pinnipeds, unlike that of most other mammals, is largely a linear one. The majority of species occur along insular or Continental coast lines. In this respect they resemble certain members of the family Alcidae among birds (Storer, 1952, p. 189), as well as many littoral zone fishes, invertebrates and marine algae. There are a few exceptions such as the northern für seal (Callorhinus ursinus), which is pelagic outside of the breeding season, and a few pinnipeds that have adapted themselves to Inland waters. The shoreline habitats that are utilized by most seals and sea lions can be divided
Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate de- The purpose of this study was to evaluate de- layed enhancement (DE) of the aortic wall of atheroscle- layed enhancement (DE) of the aortic wall of atheroscle- rotic aneurysms using computed tomography and to rotic aneurysms using computed tomography and to evaluate the relationships between DE and wall thickness evaluate the relationships between DE and wall thickness of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), diameter of AAA, of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), diameter of AAA, serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) which indicate serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) which indicate infl ammation status, and pathological fi ndings. Computed infl ammation status, and pathological fi ndings. Computed tomographic images of atherosclerotic AAA in 110 pa- tomographic images of atherosclerotic AAA in 110 pa- tients were studied between July 2001 and March 2003. tients were studied between July 2001 and March 2003. Computed tomography (CT) scanning included unen- Computed tomography (CT) scanning included unen- hanced, enhanced early, and enhanced delayed phases. hanced, enhanced early, and enhanced delayed phases. Pathological fi ndings were obtained from 19 of the 110 pa- Pathological fi ndings were obtained from 19 of the 110 pa- tients. We determined DE of the AAA wall and assessed tients. We determined DE of the AAA wall and assessed the association between DE and AAA wall thickness, the association between DE and AAA wall thickness, AAA diameter, serum levels of CRP, and pathological AAA diameter, serum levels of CRP, and pathological fi ndings. Delayed enhancement on CT was demonstrated fi ndings. Delayed enhancement on CT was demonstrated in 66 of 110 patients with atherosclerotic AAA (60.0%). in 66 of 110 patients with atherosclerotic AAA (60.0%). Patients with DE demonstrated signifi cantly larger AAA Patients with DE demonstrated signifi cantly larger AAA diameter (4.8 diameter (4.8 ± 0.9 versus 3.9 0.9 versus 3.9 ± 0.6 cm, 0.6 cm, P < 0.0001) and 0.0001) and signifi cantly higher levels of CRP (5.0 signifi cantly higher levels of CRP (5.0 ± 6.0 versus 2.3 6.0 versus 2.3 ±
Objective: There is different learning style of students which represents the common method used for learning. The purpose of the study was to find out the frequency of different learning style in students of first year doctor of physical therapy (DPT) and to formulate future academic plan according to the needs of students.  Methodology: The descriptive cross sectional study was conducted from 01 October to 30th November 2012. A sample of 81 students from first year of Doctor of Physical Therapy was recruited. The Kolb’s learning inventory (1985) was used for collection of data.  Results: The data shows the frequency of four learning style,22% and 14.6 % 52.98% students were accommodators and converges respectively. 11% of the total students were diverges. 12.2% were male and 86.6% were females. The relationship of gender and learning style 22% male and 78%female were accommodators.  Conclusion: It is concluded that the majority of students were accommodator. It means that greatest strength lie in carrying out plans and experiments and involving themselves in new experiences.
The CHO/HGPRT assay was used to quantify cytotoxicity and mutation at the HGPRT locus induced by various chemicals to study structure-mutagenicity relationships. On an equimolar basis within each structurally related group (nitrosamidines, nitrosamides, alkyl alkanesulfonates and alkylsulfates), chemical reactivity with DNA (s value), mutagenicity and cytotoxicity decrease with increasing size of the alkyl group, with the methyl agents being more mutagenic and cytotoxic than the corresponding ethylating agents. However, significantly different relationships are observed if comparisons are made at equitoxic levels. The possible role of alkylated dNTPs, produced within cells by treatment with simple slkylating agents, in mutagenesis was studied. Using a modified treatment protocol, individual dNTP adducts can be introduced into CHO cells at significant levels. m/sup 6/dGTP was found to be neither cytotoxic nor mutagenic. Experiments using (8-/sup 3/H)m/sup 6/dGTP indicate that this alkylated dNTP, as it occurs in the intact cell, is not a precursor for DNA synthesis. Instead, it appears that this analog can be interconverted to other nucleoside and nucleotide forms, one of which (0/sup 6/-methyldeoxyguanosine) can be repaired by adenosine deaminase. This modified treatment protocol seems to hold promise for the study of other dNTP adducts, as well as other highly charged, usually-nonpermeable molecules.more » 26 references, 5 tables.« less
A developmental model of algorithmic concepts is proposed here for program comprehension. Unlike traditional approaches that cannot do anything beyond their predesigned representation, this model can develop its internal representation autonomously from chaos into algorithmic concepts by mimicking concept formation in the brain under an uncontrollable environment that consists of program source codes from the Internet. The developed concepts can be employed to identify what algorithm a program performs. The accuracy of such identification reached 97.15% in a given experiment.
The aim of chronic hepatitis B therapy is to suppress hepatitis B virus replication, to control disease activity and progression towards cirrhosis. The first-line drug is the pegylated interferon a, which suppresses HBV replication in 40% of cases, albeit burdened with several contraindications and side effects. Lamivudine, a nucleoside analog inhibiting HBV reverse transcriptase, is indicated in case of failure or contraindication to interferon, may however lead to the selection of resistant mutant HBV strains (20% yearly). In that case, adefovir is indicated and has a lower risk of selection of resistant strains (5% yearly). More effective drugs (telbivudine and entecavir) will soon be available in Switzerland. Two inhibitors of HIV (tenofovir and emtricitabine) may also be used to treat hepatitis B in selected cases. Drug combinations, although supported by theoretical considerations, bring no known clinical benefit and are not reimbursed.
This study is aimed to examine the effect of understanding of the government accounting standard and internal control system on quality of financial statement from local government through review process of financial statement by inspectorate. The population of this study are officers at inspectorate doing review of government financial statement from districts and municipals in Aceh province. Total population are 160 respondents and sample are 72 respondents in 18 districts and 5 municipals. The data source is the primary data obtained from the respondents by distributing questionnaires to respondents. Analysis method used is path analysis. Results of this study show that (1) understanding of the government accounting standard, both directly and indirectly through review process of financial statement by inspectorate, has a significant effect on quality of financial statement from districts and municipals in Aceh province. (2) understanding of the internal control system directly does not have significant effect on quality of financial statement, but it has significant effect on review process of financial statement by inspectorate, and then review process of financial statement by inspectorate has significant effect on quality of financial statement. The results also can be described that (1) review process of financial statement by inspectorate can mediate the effect of understanding of government accounting standard and internal control system on quality of financial statement (2) the effect of understanding of the government accounting standard on quality of financial statement is partially mediation, whereas the effect of understanding of internal control system on quality of financial statement is fully mediation. Keywords : Government Accounting Standard, Internal Control System, Review Process of Financial Statement, Quality of Financial Statement.
Stone disease has afflicted mankind since centuries; records from ancient civilisations of India and Egypt have shown stones in human bodies. The scientific mind of humans has always made smart endeavours to remove the kidney stones. From large instruments made like the beaks of different animals and birds in 600 BC (Indian civilisation) to extremely sophisticated and miniaturised endoscopic intruments of today the human race has travelled a long way. The theme has always been to remove the stones with minimal morbidity and mortality and with minimum pain to the patient. The article takes you through the journey of instruments used in 600 BC until today. The story of instrumentation is a symbiosis of the medical minds along with engineering advances. The story of miniaturisation could not have moved further without the development of lasers, fiberoptics and sophisticated cameras. As the field stands today, we remove more complex stones by larger endoscopic intervention and smaller stones by miniaturised instruments. The article discusses all the merits and shortcomings of various techniques: from open surgery to standard PCNL to Mini PCNL to Ultra- Mini PCNL to Micro-PCNL.
How does transport availability and access to training, coaching and competition influence the propensity for towns and regions to produce elite sports athletes? This paper provides the first multivariate spatial analysis exploring the influence of transport accessibility and remoteness from major centres, where higher-order junior coaching and competition is available, on the propensity of towns and regions to produce elite professional sports players. Our approach is to geo-code the place of junior development for a large population of elite athletes, match it with socio-demographic data for the populations in those areas, and with measures of transport accessibility and remoteness, to identify possible correlates. The authors develop a unique approach, the Talent Tracker, that identifies, tabulates and maps the junior town/region of origin for the 1,290 players who were drafted and played at least one game in the senior professional Australian Football League (AFL), Australia’s most popular football code by participation, in the period 1997-2010. Junior AFL participation data for the same period is used to determine spatial measures of each AFL region’s annual average ‘talent yield’ (elite players produced per junior participant). The results are matched with Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) data, which provides a measure of spatial accessibility via the road network to key centres and services, and with Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) data, aggregated to the level of AFL regions. Bi-variate and multivariate analyses are conducted using SPSS software. The bivariate results suggest that as transport accessibility decreases, talent yield also decreases (Pearson correlation statistic -0.242; p=0.02) but the relationship is weaker than first expected. Locations are identified that fit the trend, to provide further insight. Locations that deviate from the trend, over-producing talent are also identified. However, multivariate analysis highlights that if one controls for whether the region is predominantly AFL or rugby dominated (in Australia’s parochial sports landscape), and for socio-economic status, the influence of transport accessibility becomes significantly less strong. The hypothesis that transport accessibility and remoteness affects sports talent development for sports with wide national coverage in rural areas has minimal support. Many of the AFL regions with low transport accessibility scores but high talent yields have well designed coaching and competition structures, suggesting the organisation of sports landscapes may help overcome tyrannies of distance. Opportunities for further research include detailed examination of
This study deals with morphology field which is limited on the study of compound words. The object of the analysis in this study is A Walk to Remember novel by Nicholas Sparks. The thesis entitled “Compound Words Analysis in A Walk to Remember Novel by Nicholas Sparks” explains about types, form, and sub-types of compound words. The theories used in this study are from Dobrovolsky, Katamba, and O’Grady (1996) to analyze the data. The writer uses qualitative approach as the study focuses on morphology. The result of the study shows there are fifty compound words which are found in A Walk to Remember novel. They are divided into three types compound noun, compound adjective, and compound verb, three forms, single, hyphen, and separate, and two sub-types endocentric and exocentric compound words.    Key words: Morphology, Compound Words, Types of Compound, Forms of Compound, Sub-types of Compounds, Qualitative, Novel.
Luo Jinxi, a most preeminent thinker of Taizhou School, can be regarded as an intermediator between Wang Yangming and Li Zhuowu. On one hand, the Theory of Children's Mind owes much to Jinxi's Theory of Natural Kindness, which advocates both the truth and the good. On the other hand, Jinxi's claim that Everything is my body and Desire is embedded in Justice makes it possible to look on Desire as part of Justice, which obviously leads to the becoming of Zhuowu's thoughts. Comprehensive and integrative is Jinxi's theory, as is deeply affected by Cheng Mingdao's thoughts of benevolence and by his notion that everything on Earth is of the same body. Being a major Confucian scholar of Song Dynasty, Cheng is completely admired by Jinxi. It can be concluded that the early intellectual thoughts draw much as the theoretical fundaments from Wufeng's and Ming-dao's learing.
We report developments of earlier work which demonstrated the suitability of PCR-cloning in the 5{prime} terminus of IacZ for the detection of frameshift and nonsense mutations of in APC, the gene which predisposes carriers to adenomatous polyposis coli and, ultimately, colon cancer. A test set of clinically diagnosed APC patients and their unaffected relatives is being used to test a combination of multiplex PCR of several overlapping segments of coding sequence and a lethal negative selection against in-frame, i.e., wild type, clones. This modification will balance the strigency of the negative selection with the low-level readthrough, frameshifting and/or re-initiation of mutant clones, such that high-level {beta}-galactosidase production results in death, while a low level allows discrimination between APC mutant insertions and insert-free vector transformants. The same patient base is also serving as a test set for a PCR-based cloning technique that allows the concatenation of two exons into a single synthetic fragment by skipping over the intervening intron, bypassing the need for single exon analysis or mRNA/cDNA preparation. This technique is based on the design of primers with homology to intron sequences immediately adjacent to the exon sequences of interest, maintaining the reading frame, and adjusting for in-frame termination codonsmore » by base-substitutions. The conditions necessary for the concatenation of a large number of exons in a two-step PCR protocol are under investigation. These methods have advantages over other rapid mutation-detection systems by being (1) capable of detecting previously unidentified mutations, (2) non gel-based and (3) non-radioactive.« less
The Virginia Transportation Research Council has been collecting safety belt use data in Virginia since 1974. In 1992, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the final guidelines for conducting surveys of belt and helmet use in the states. As of the 1992 survey, Virginia adopted the NHTSA protocol for its statewide survey. The current survey showed that Virginia’s summer 2005 safety belt use rate was 80.4% and its motorcycle helmet use rate was 99.3%. In the 12 previous surveys, virtually all of the motorcycle drivers and passengers observed were using a helmet. For passenger car drivers and right front passengers observed from 1992 through 2003, use rates varied from a low of 67.1% in 1997 to a high of 74.6% in the summer of 2003. The summer 2005 use rate was 0.5% higher than the rate for the summer of 2004 (79.9%), which was about 5 points higher than any previous use rate. It should be noted, however, that any differences between annual use rates might be attributable to differences in travel patterns or other extraneous variables, such as increases in gas prices and the resulting reduction in pleasure trips, rather than solely to changes in driver and occupant behavior.
Abstract The 1996 construction of a drainage ditch in the former Dean Word Quarry in southeast Austin, Texas, led to the discovery of a new, unique, and undescribed fauna from the Pilot Knob ‘Pyroclastic Zone’ of the Austin Group. Most of the sparsely fossiliferous spoil piles were a random mix of different strata, impossible to interpret. However, excavation of the drainage ditch exposed a much more fossiliferous 3-ft (1-m) sequence of layers in the ditch walls. The lowermost green clay layer contained a moderate fauna. The red clay layer above it contained the most numerous and diverse fauna. The uppermost layer was a hard, yellow, clastic material and was the least diverse, containing mostly Inoceramus sp. bivalves and burrows. All specimens in this study were collected from piles of these three distinctly colored sequential layers excavated from the adjacent drainage ditch. Calcification was the most common mode of preservation. Unlike steinkern development, typical of many bivalves and gastropods in the Austin Group, the majority of these specimens, even aragonitic ones, have been altered to calcite and still retain their exterior details and ornament. This diminutive fauna is surprisingly diverse with over 125 taxa, including (from most to least diverse): bivalves, gastropods, crustaceans, echinoids, ammonites, worm tubes, shark teeth, fish teeth, solitary corals, sponges including borings, crinoids, bryozoans, and trace fossils. Foraminifera remain to be studied. Decapod cheliped (leg and claw) fragments were most abundant. This collection is a new and important addition to our knowledge of the ‘Pyroclastic Zone’ of the Austin Group and provides a unique record of a Texas Santonian fauna.
Glucocorticoids and mineralcorticoids are "Life Saving" hormones secreted by the adrenal glands. They are steroidal in nature and have a wide range of effects on the metabolism of the body. Due to its anti inflammatory and pain relieving properties, cortisol is widely exploited. It is used to treat diseases like arthritis and asthma. Deficiency as well as excess of this hormone can lead to serious disorders like Addison's Disease and Cushing Syndrome. A life threatening condition that can arise during dental surgery is "Adrenal Crisis" due to lack of cortisol. A dental practice serving 2000 adults can encounter 100 patients who use corticosteroids or have potential adrenal ab- normalities. Hence, a dentist must take precautions to manage such medically compromised patients.
Statistical processing of multi-word units in occidental or oriental languages and unknown words in oriental languages requires substring reduction. The time complexity of traditional substring reduction algorithms is O(n~2), which is ineffective for large-scale corpora. It proposes a hash algorithm with time complexity O(n), and mathematically proves the equivalence to the O(n~2) one. That is, with the same inputs, the outputs are the same. The experiments on different scale corpora show that the new algorithm can dramatically shorten the processing time than the traditional one. So it is therefore an appropriate choice for large scale corpus processing.
Treatment of habitual and threatened abortion with human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) is discussed. Two problems are encountered: the selection of patients for treatment; and the correct dosage of HCG. Determination of human placental lactogen (HPL) in the serum was used to select patients for treatment. The dosage of HCG was varied according to the response of the patient and as indicated by the levels of HPL in her serum.
The optimisation of gearboxes, namely of teethed wheels is still valid subject of scientific research. The development of software products for multiparametrical optimisation at Machine Engineering Faculty University of Technology Bratislava was concluded into successful solutions of arbitrary defined objective functions. In the article are given the results of teeth gears optimisation with involute gearing from point of view of its efficiency. The calculation included the complete geometrical and strength check of gearing according to DIN 3990 level B / ISO 6336 as the restriction conditions in original way.
Arylboronic acids have found many applications in diverse areas of chemical science, such as organic synthesis, catalysis or crystal engineering. They can be also used as low-cost luminescent complexes (e.g., borinic-type compounds) for applications in optoelectronic devices.1 Quite recently, we have introduced a new class of cheap, easily-synthesisable and modifiable organic luminescent materials based on ortho-phenylenediboronic acid.2,3 The acid reacts with 8-hydroxyquinoline in high yield, both in solution and under mechanochemical conditions, and forms a brightly luminescent 8-oxyquinoline complex.3 More importantly, the obtained complexes appeared to be electroluminescent. Similarly to the well-known borinic-based luminescent materials tuning of the emitted colour can be achieved mainly by modifications of the N,O-donor fragment. Therefore, here we present a series of ortho-phenylenediboronic acid complexes with luminescent N,O-donor compounds (Figure 1).4,5 The latter species themselves contain phenyl fragment and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ring, and thus may easily form intramolecular hydrogen bonding, which enables a further proton transfer. The proton transfer is responsible for their luminescent properties and can be tuned via the phenyl ring substituent character and a solvent choice. In the complex with ortho-phenylenediboronic this proton transfer is disabled. Hence, we checked the impact of the complexation of boronic acid on luminescent properties of the selected N,O-donor species. All new complexes were crystallized and structurally characterized using X-ray diffraction technique. Additionally, we examined their luminescence properties both in solution and in the solid state. The experimental data were supported by periodic energetic calculations and TDDFT studies. (1) Durka, K. et al. J. Mater. Chem. C 2015, 3, 1354.(2) Durka, K.; Jarzembska, K. N.; Kamiński, R. et al. Cryst. Growth Des. 2013, 13, 4181. (3) Jarzembska, K. N.; Kamiński, R. et al. Acta Cryst 2015 A71, s333.( 4) Stasyuk, A. J. et al. J. Org. Chem. 2012, 77, 5552. (5) Stasyuk, A. J. et al. J. Photochem. Photobiol. A 2016, Volume 314, 198. Figure 1. Luminescent properties of single crystals of new adducts (left panel). Schematic representation of new complexes based on ortho-phenylenediboronic acid and imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines (right panel).
The way the supply of public services and social insurance – thus, the traditional Italian welfare system – are organized is today strongly debated. The pressure for fiscal consolidation, coming from the international community – first from finance, then from politics – and the need of trustworthiness arising in the Italian political system are among the factors that sped up the start of a reorganization in the public sector, which many political programs have suggested for a long time. New principles are emerging pointing to a different, less diffuse and more selective welfare model, a more regulatory rather than economic role of the State, a more widespread standard in the restitution of the services rendered and for fiscal responsibility at local level. In the meantime, citizens and firms, which are already burdened by the crisis, are faced with the imposition of tax overpressure and the reduction of social guarantees from public administration. This work analyses the impacts of government action on public expenditure in Tuscany and the reactions of local authorities, aimed at preserving the customary supply capacity of public services provided to citizens. It also examines the onset of the process of municipal federalism through the introduction of the Unique Municipal Tax and other instruments for local fiscal autonomy. Finally, it deals extensively with public investments, in particular with the effects on payments of the Stability Pact, the real opportunities of public-private partnerships financing, and the want for more efficiency by means of a better functioning in the awarding procedure.
The relation between equivalent power-frequency current and converter bus voltage during the commutation failure of DC system is obtained based on the CIGRE HVDC benchmark model. The criterion expression of current differential protection for AC-DC interconnected system is deduced and the differential protection connected to DC power system for transmission line is analyzed. The analytical results indicate that,the differential protection may reject to act when in-zone fault occurs in AC-DC interconnected operation. It is proposed to detect the internal fault based on the amplitude criterion. Simulative results by PSCAD / EMTDC validate the correctness of theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of proposed criterion.
Saersoc gold deposit, a new type of deposit recently discovered in Ashele large scale Cu-Zn ore district surroundings, has special ore-forming characteristics. According to 25 samples collect at random from rocks and ores, REE have the following characteristics:∑LREE/∑HREE ratios of the all samples are higher than 1, ores and rocks show strong to moderate negative anomalies of Eu. The REE mode of most ores are similar to the mode of the wall rocks and near-ore wall rocks, it is shown that ore-forming materials came mainly from host wall rock. But they are of multisource nature. REE total amounts of different type ores have obvious distinction. Moreover, it is pointed out that gold deposit had been formed by two-term hydrothermal activities at least.
In this paper, we proposed an adaptive image watermarking algorithm based on DCT and Arnold shuffling transform. With the features of Human Visual System (HVS) sufficiently taken into account during embedding, embedding different watermarking energy into different DCT blocks made the algorithm adaptive. The experimental results show that the algorithm is robust to common digital image processing operations, especially to image cut.
Diesel injector faults will affect fuel injection quality, cause combustion worse, and influence diesel performance. The typical faults of diesel injector were simulated and the pressure waves were measured with the pressure sensor clamped on high pressure line. Artificial neural network was used in fault diagnosis. Result showed that the method could realize diesel injector diagnosis without disassemble.
During periods of high energy demand an animal may be constrained by a physiological maximum to its energy intake rate. Predictions by allometric equations describing this maximum for endotherms were significantly surpassed during a few recent laboratory experiments on birds and mammals, being given access to food 24 h day 21 . How relevant this is in the field remains to be assessed. We predicted that Bewick’s swans Cygnus columbianus bewickii might surpass this maximum during stopover on their migration. We determined intake rate by measuring initial and final biomass density, and dividing the biomass difference by the feeding time required to reach this difference. This feeding time was given by the functional response. After conversion to daily energy intake rates, these exceeded the previously assumed maximum on two of the three stopover sites studied. The exception was a stopover site where daily foraging time was limited by the tidal cycle. Our study confirms that intake rates may exceed the formerly generally supposed maximum under natural conditions when foraging is possible day and night.
We present the development of an automated microfluidic platform that is capable of creating logarithmic serial dilution by adapting pneumatically actuated microvalves. A valve-assisted droplet manipulator integrated with a peristaltic mixer allowed the accurate formation of droplets with controlled sizes and the dilution of reagent sequentially. Hence, serial dilution with flexible dilution factors was obtained in a series of nanoliter-scale droplets. We validated the mixing efficiency and droplet generating performance of the chip at various operating conditions and demonstrated an example of logarithmic serial dilution with two different dilution factors. The microfluidic droplet serial dilutor could be used as an analytical tool to evaluate various complex chemical and biochemical reactions.
Chile is a country that throughout its history has been constantly plagued by several natural disasters, which not only took the lives of thousands of citizens and caused pain and material losses, but also put to the test to both the authorities and the community. In this regard, the purpose of this research was to study how El Mercurio and La Tercera –the most important newspapers of the leading Chilean written press media’s duopoly- framed the most destructive catastrophes that happened in the past two years: The Earthquake of Iquique and Coquimbo, The Alluvium of Copiapo and The Fire of Valparaiso.  All this in order to analyze both qualitatively and quantitatively the framing of these newspapers regarding the natural disasters, so the contributions and shortcomings of these Chilean press medias when reporting on these extreme situations can be established in a critical way, taking into account that normatively, to these phenomena, press is expected to be a forum both for balances of what happened, as for discussion on the future reconstruction.
PURPOSE: To make possible to arrange a dial or a band providing an aesthetic appearance by providing several retrogressive area displays each comprising a movable indication member cooperating with one fixed hand indicating the time or the minute. CONSTITUTION: A spiral cam 20 having a protrusion 21 extending about three quarters of a circumferential part and slightly longer than a quarter of the circumferential part concentric to a hub 18 is fixed to the hub 18 and the final part 22 of the protrusion 21 is made concentric to the hub 18. The protrusion 29 of a lever 23 driving a hand 7 trying to point 3 o'clock is arriving at the final part 22 from the largest part of the current protrusion 21. In this regard, a lever 24 operating a hand 8 is actuated by the protrusion 21 and the hand 7 stays at the position for indicating 3 o'clock only for 2-5 minutes while the hand 8 moves toward 4 o'clock. Subsequently, the protrusion 29 of the lever 23 is released from the protrusion 21 and the hand 7 returns to the position of 12 o'clock. Consequently, the indication of time can be read out continuously by means of retrogressive area displays 2-5 and the hands 7-10. COPYRIGHT: (C)1990,JPO
In today's competitive market, businesses are adopting new practices like Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), a customer driven, structured methodology for faster-to-market, higher quality, and less costly new products and services. Monte Carlo simulation and stochastic optimization can help DFSS practitioners understand the variation inherent in a new technology, process, or product, and can be used to create and optimize potential designs. The benefits of understanding and controlling the sources of variability include reduced development costs, minimal defects, and sales driven through improved customer satisfaction. This tutorial uses Crystal Ball Professional Edition, a suite of easy-to-use Microsoft® Excel-based software, to demonstrate how stochastic simulation and optimization can be used in all five phases of DFSS to develop the design for a new compressor.
OBJECTIVE To compare validity, reliability, and responsiveness of generic and disease specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).   METHODS Two samples of patients completed the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), EuroQol (EQ)-5D, 15D, Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life Scale (RAQoL), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and visual analog scales (VAS) for pain, fatigue, and global RA. VALIDITY (convergent, discriminant, and known-groups) was evaluated in a cross-section of 200 patients. Reliability was evaluated by agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient; baseline to 2 weeks) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha); and responsiveness by the standardized response mean stratified on improvement, status quo, or deterioration in health status after 6 months in 150 patients followed longitudinally. Followup questionnaires (at 2 weeks and 6 months) included questions about changes in health status since baseline.   RESULTS The cross-sectional sample included 77% women, median age 57 years (range 19-87), disease duration 6 years (0-58), with Disease Activity Score 28-joint count (DAS28) of 3.10 (1.21-6.47). The longitudinal sample included 80% women, median age 60 years (22-82).   VALIDITY all instruments discriminated between low, moderate, and high DAS28. Reliability: RAQoL and HAQ displayed good repeatability (ICC > 0.95) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > 0.90). Responsiveness: SF-36 bodily pain scale and VAS pain were responsive to both improvement and deterioration.   CONCLUSION All instruments were valid measures for HRQOL in RA. The RAQoL and HAQ displayed the best reliability, while the SF-36 bodily pain scale and VAS pain were the most responsive. The choice of instrument should depend on the study objectives.
Severe mechanical fatigue conditions for worldwide proliferating windfarms are a Major challenge for high-performance concrete in towers, connecting joints and foundations of wind turbines. High-performance concrete offers potential for the application in offshore windfarms, not only regarding its good mechanical, but also chemical resistivity due to low diffusivity in the highly densified microstructure. For a more reliable fatigue assessment, monitoring based on nondestructive testing can be a valuable complement to design rules. Both approaches demand reliable experimental data, information about scalability and the development of standardized testing methods. This article presents results of an ongoing research program of BAM (Bundesanstalt fur Materialforschung und -prufung), which is a part of a joint national project (WinConFat) funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The subproject implemented by BAM examines the fatigue behavior in dependence of size and slenderness for varying concrete strength at different stress levels. Besides fatigue strength, nondestructive testing is carried out additionally.  Methods used are strain measurement and ultrasonic testing. The change of strain, stiffness and ultrasonic pulse velocity in the fatigue process is discussed. Results disclose a deeper insight into the damage process under cyclic loading of high-performance concrete and contribute to improve nondestructive monitoring.
To establish reliable and long-range millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication, beamforming is deemed to be a promising solution. Although beamforming can be done in the digital and analog domains, both approaches are hindered by several constraints when it comes to mmWave communications. For example, performing fully digital beamforming in mmWave systems involves using many radio frequency (RF) chains, which are expensive and consume high power. This necessitates finding more efficient ways for using fewer RF chains while taking advantage of the large antenna arrays. One way to overcome this challenge is to employ (partially or fully) analog beamforming through proper configuration of phase-shifters. Existing works on mmWave analog beam design either rely on the knowledge of the channel state information (CSI) per antenna within the array, require a large search time (e.g., exhaustive search) or do not guarantee a minimum beamforming gain (e.g., codebook based beamforming). In this paper, we propose a beam design technique that reduces the search time and does not require CSI while guaranteeing a minimum beamforming gain. The key idea derives from observations drawn from real-life measurements. It was observed that for a given propagation environment (e.g., coverage area of a mmWave BS) the azimuthal angles of dominant signals could be more probable from certain angles than others. Thus, pre-collected measurements could used to build a beamforming codebook that regroups the most probable beam designs. We invoke Bayesian learning for measurements clustering. We evaluate the efficacy of the proposed scheme in terms of building the codebook and assessing its performance through real-life measurements. We demonstrate that the training time required by the proposed scheme is only 5% of that of exhaustive search. This crucial gain is obtained while achieving a minimum targeted beamforming gain.
We derive the asymptotic covariance matrix of the estimates of normalized varimax-rotated factor loadings. We partition the process of obtaining the estimates of normalized varimax-rotated factor loadings into the three stages: (i) normalization, (ii) raw varimax rotation, and (iii) denormalization, and use the chain rule to combine the matrix of partial derivatives from each of the three stages. For the stage (ii) we make use of the existing formulas for the asymptotic covariance matrix of the estimates of raw varimax-rotated factor loadings.
Background: All natural anticancer agents are cytotoxic basically and act mainly by the inhibition cell proliferation; but they have different mechanisms. Two assays, thiazolyl blue [3- (4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2, 5-diphenyl-terazoliumbromide or MTT] and sulforhodamine B (SRB), are used to assess cell growth. This study aimed to compare measurements between MTT and SRB on the cancer cell lines. Methods: Different concentrations of the bromelain were added to cultured cells including mouse breast cancer (4T1), human gastric carcinoma (AGS), and human prostate carcinoma (PC3) cell lines and incubated at 24 and 48 hours. The growth and proliferation rates of the studied cells were investigated using both MTT and SRB assays after treatment with bromelain. The differences between cells were determined using Kruskal-Wallis and Dunns tests. Findings: Bromelain significantly decreased growth and proliferation rate of 4T1, AGS and PC3 cancer cells, in a concentration-dependent manner at different times, in both MTT and SRB assays. Conclusion: Findings showed that both MTT and SRB assays gained similar data regardless of the cell types.    A comparison of Thiazolyl blue (MTT) versus Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay in assessment of antiproliferation effect of bromelain on 4T1, AGS and PC3 cancer cell lines (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320563601_A_comparison_of_Thiazolyl_blue_MTT_versus_Sulforhodamine_B_SRB_assay_in_assessment_of_antiproliferation_effect_of_bromelain_on_4T1_AGS_and_PC3_cancer_cell_lines [accessed Nov 07 2017].
Objective To evaluate the changes of the retinal function in myopia patients with different diopter in different retinal site,and compare it with the normal.Methods Sixty-eight subjects(101 eyes) aged from 18 years to 32 years were enrolled in the study,and divided into three groups:low and medium myopia group(23 cases,40 eyes),high myopia group(24 cases,40 eyes) and normal group(21 cases,21 eyes).All cases underwent examination of multifocal electroretinogram using RETIscank produced by Roland in Germany,the latencies and amplitude densities of wave P1 and N1 in every ring were measured.Then the difference among three groups was also analyzed.Results The studies showed that the amplitude densities of three groups at 1 ring was the highest,which decreased rapidly followed by the increase of eccentricity,while the latencies was the shortest at 1 ring and delayed gradually followed by the increase of eccentricity.The amplitude densities of wave P1 and N1 in every ring in high myopia group was lower than that in low and medium myopia group and normal group,there were statistical differences(all P0.05),while there was no statistical difference between low and medium myopia group and normal group(all P0.05).The latencies of wave P1 and N1 at 1 ring in high myopia group was longer than that in low and medium myopia group and normal group,there was statistical difference(P0.05),and there was no statistical difference among other groups(all P0.05).Conclusion The amplitude densities of multifocal electroretinogram in high myopic eyes is lower than that in normal eyes,while the latencies at 1 ring is longer than normal eyes.There is no change in amplitude densities and the latencies between low and medium myopic eyes and normal eyes.
In this paper, we represent a new method to model real-time local and global deformations on a variety of three-dimensional sculptured surfaces governed by physical principles. The deformable objects are highly elastic with linear behavior in the range of typical haptic forces. A deformation model is developed for incompressible material based on a mapping technique and the superposition principle. The law of energy conservation is used to calculate real-time force reflection. Using the divergence theorem, force reflection is calculated for volumetric deformations.
PURPOSE: A silicon carbide substrate, an epitaxial wafer, and a method for manufacturing the silicon carbide substrate are provided to efficiently reduce the number of residues attached on a main surface by performing an etching process with the gas containing hydrogen or hydrogen chloride. CONSTITUTION: An underlying substrate with a main surface made of silicon carbide is prepared. The main surface is cleaned with a first alkaline solution and a second alkaline solution. A silicon carbide substrate(10) is formed through a cleaning process. The number of residues on the main surface of the silicon carbide substrate is between 0.2 to 200.
This paper focuses on the performance analysis of regular LDPC coded BICM for block fading channels. We propose an iterative receiver which carries out channel estimation and decoding iteratively via belief propagation algorithm over coherent and non-coherent block fading channels and derive the ML and MAP channel estimator for higher order modulations. Analysis shows that as Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)or channel memory increases, MAP channel estimator becomes ML channel estimator. Simulation result verifies our analysis.
Over the past 20 years, veterinarians in Canada have enjoyed increasing incomes with more time off. Twenty years ago the average veterinarian worked a little more than 2000 hours per year, but a lot has changed since that time. In an effort to tip the work/life balance in their favor, most veterinarians in Canada have chosen to work fewer hours, and after 20 years we are left with a reporting system that no longer reflects the average veterinarian. The 2000 hour full-time equivalent (FTE) standard that has been in use for the past 20 years no longer fits most veterinarians in Canada and needs to be updated.
This evaluation aimed to assess how changes to legislative duties towards those leaving custody since 2015 had been implemented by local authorities, prisons and probation providers; what impact the changes had on housing prison leavers; and to identify areas of good practice in meeting the housing needs of prison leavers.    Chapter 1 provide some understanding the policy context for the development and implementation of the National Pathway for Homelessness Services to Adults in the Secure Estate. Chapter 2 briefly covers the existing delivery arrangements for the pathway. A background paper accompanies this report and provides more in depth  exploration of both these issues. Chapter 3 describes the methodology adopted to undertake the evaluation. In turn thereafter, chapters 4, 5 and 6 respectively present the findings in relation to the operation of the National Pathway at the reception, prerelease and community stages of a prisoner’s journey into and out of custody. In Chapter 7, better practices in relation to implementing the National Pathway are discussed. Finally in chapter 8 the evaluation findings are summarised and recommendations for improving practices are identified.
Phosphorus deficiency is a major yield-limiting factor in crop production; studies about low phosphorus tolerance will provide important theoretical guiding for rice resistant breeding. In this study,a set of chromosome segment substitution lines carrying Nipponbare segments in 9311 background was used to identify QTLs for root elongation traits related to phosphorus deficiency at rice seedling stage under solution conditions. A total of nine QTLs for three root elongation traits were mapped,including two QTLs under normal phosphorus level,four QTLs under low phosphorus stress level,and three relative trait QTLs. Of them,additive effect values of five QTLs were negative, and derived from the low-phosphorus-sensitive parent Nipponbare. Additional four QTLs were of positive additive effect values and their effects were derived from the low-phosphorus-tolerance parent 9311. One common QTL located on rice chromosome 5 was detected between the root elongation trait under low phosphorus level and relative trait,which was not reported previously. The results will provide information for identification of genetic loci associated with low phosphorus tolerance and for rice marker-assisted breeding.
The Commonality-Based Crossover Framework defines crossover as a two-step process: 1) preserve the maximal common schema of two parents, and 2) complete the solution with a construction heuristic. In these "heuristic" operators, the first step is a form of selection. This commonality-based form of selection has been isolated in GENIE. Using random parent selection and a non-elitist generational replacement scheme, GENIE does not include fitness-based selection. However, a theoretical analysis shows that "ideal" construction heuristics in GENIE can potentially converge to optimal solutions. Experimentally, results show that the effectiveness of practical construction heuristics can be amplified by commonality-based restarts. Overall, it is shown that the commonality hypothesis is valid--schemata common to above-average solutions are indeed above average. Since common schemata can only be identified by multi-parent operators, commonality-based selection is a unique advantage that crossover can enjoy over mutation.
The main goal of this study was to know if heterotrophic bacteria obtained from Biofloc Tilapia system can be used as food source to cladocerans organism. This study was made with Moina macrocopa, which was cultured by triplicate in 20 L plastic beakers at 19°, 23° and 25 °C temperature, for 60 days at Live Food Production Laboratory of Universidad Autónoma Metropolitan Xochimilco, during May to June of 2017. The bacteria source was obtained from culture medium of Biofloc system with tilapia organisms, which was screened through 20 μm PVC sieve. Every third day a sample of 500 mL was taken from each culture medium and all organisms were counted. The maximum density was obtained at 23°±1°C with 85,552±255 org, whereas, lower density was found at 19°±1°C with 9,921±219 org. The ANOVA analysis showed significant differences (P<0.001) between experimental treatments. Obtained reproduction rates values were r=0.73 to 0.139; Ro=22 to 192 org. per female and Tc=39.31 to 42.23 days. Tendency curves show a polynomic second grade curves with R up to 0.90 of correlation value. Heterotrophic bacteria can be used as food to maintain cladocerans low-density culture or in mixed diets with microalgae.
The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of socio-cultural factors on maternal death in Tanzania with particular focus on Makete district in Njombe .region. The study attempted to answer the following questions: What are the social factors that contribute to maternal death in rural areas of Tanzania? What are the cultural factors that contribute to maternal deaths in rural areas of Tanzania? What is the women’s level of decision-making on issues that can control maternal mortality? The study was conducted among child-bearing women, health workers and village leaders in four wards of Makete District. Their selection was done using random sampling techniques and purposive sampling techniques. The study included both qualitative and quantitative data which were obtained through in-depth interviews, interviews, focus group discussions and direct observation methods. Regarding various social factors contributing to maternal mortality, the findings indicated that, women inability to make decisions on family planning use, women lack of decisions to go to the hospital during labour and women inability to decide to .attend ante-natal clinic can be the source of maternal death. On the other hand, women lack of decisions on eating nutritious food and women lack of decision-making on child bearing are cultural factors which can contribute to maternal death., Concerning women’s level of decision-making on issues that can control maternal death, the findings indicated that, women level of decision-making in Makete district is low. Due to low level of women decision-making on various matters, its effects revealed include limited ante-natal clinic attendance (87%), early marriages (81%), bearing many children (74%), delays required care (61%), poor nutritious food (60%) and early child bearing (60%) were mentioned to have effects on maternal mortality.
This research is undertaken to identify the attitude and level of involvement of students in cocurriculum and its relationship with academic achievement. Five attitudes have been identified, namely, Self-Confidence, Beneficial Involvement, Pride In One's Self, Effects of Stress and Negative Assumptions. This research presents 7 items to look at the level of students' participation in co-curricular activities, be active, moderate or inactive. The result of the research shows significant differences in the attitude and involvement level at p = 0.004, whereas there are significant differences level at p = 0.047 in male and female students in the field of cocurriculum. There is also a significant relation between the involvement of male students in cocurriculum with their academic achievement at their PMR examination for grades B, C and D. There is also a significant relation in the involvement of female students in co-curriculum with their academic achievement at the PMR examination for grades B, C and D. Findings from this research show that male and female students who are actively involved in co-curriculum are not significantly affected in their academic achievement in the PMR examination. Two final research questions are to assess relationships between students' attitudes and academic achievement. The result shows that on some male and female students, there exist a significant link at level p =0.05 between their attitudes towards co-curriculum and their academic achievement in the PMR examination
It can improve heat dissipation of the electrolyte solution in the slit, to provide a frame member used in the cell of the redox flow battery capable of suppressing the temperature increase of the electrolyte. A frame member used in the cell of the redox flow battery, an opening formed on the inside of the frame body, a manifold electrolyte flows, and connecting the said manifold opening, and the opening and the manifold and a slit forming a flow path of the electrolyte solution between said slit, in a cross section perpendicular to the flow direction of the electrolyte, a pair of side walls facing each other, in the depth direction of the slit at least a portion, a frame having a narrow width narrow portion spacing of the side walls in the depth direction.
MS) and its individual components in the adult population of Vladivostok, surveyed 704 human-ages (244 men and 460 women) aged 20-69 years. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 48,8 % of the people, the individual components of MS in 83,2 % of patients. Analysis of prevalence of MS components in women and men showed that with age, the likelihood of MS symptoms increases. Among the men of the investigated combination of abdominal obesity with other criteria for MS were you, revealed in 34,7 %. In women, the combination of abdominal obesity and additional part-that returns the MS was found in 28,7 %. More often those with 3 and 4 components of MS. Show, but that with age, the probability distribution of the main manifestations of the metabolic syndroma increases.
Management education and MBA programs have been criticized for being rigor and having little effect on managerial performance, however little attention has been paid to management education provided by management training and development businesses often referred to as non-formal education providers. Since the studies on management training businesses are scarce, the exploratory study was conducted documenting the state of management training businesses' activities in Estonia on the analysis of four focus issues: (1) the scope of training programs; (2) methods; (3) trainers and (4) organizational development. The data was collected from 26 management training businesses' websites including 3 universities' continuing education websites. The findings highlight the domination of soft skills, coaching as an increasingly used method, frequent use of contracted co-trainers and modest reflection of organizational development issues. The outcome contributes to the literature of management education, training and developing research providing preliminary insight on management training businesses activities. Additionally the results could be of practical use for HR managers in assessing overall capabilities of management training businesses.
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of experimental zearalenone mycotoxicosis on the metabolic changes in the bitches receiving zearalenone for 100 d. The experiment was carried out on 9 sexually mature and clinically healthy bitches. The animals were divided into three groups: DI and DII, which were receiving orally zearalenone at 25 µg/kg b.w. and 50 µg/kg b.w., respectively, and one control group. The haematological and biochemical parameters in blood plasma were measured using laboratory tests. The results of laboratory analyses may suggest that zearalenone apart from the induction of hyperoestrogenism leads to the metabolic dysfunction. After the phytoestrogen was introduced to the blood, it caused anaemia and led to erythropoenia that was accompanied by hypersideraemia and hyperbilirubinaemia. This condition is unfavourable for the excretion of bilirubin with bile acids but it intensifies the decrease in the intensity of hypocholesterolaemia and hyperproteinaemia. It is assumed that the oral administration of zearalenone in bitches caused changes in the general metabolic profile.
Using channel geometric surveys and hydrological records, this paper analyzed the processes and mechanisms of channel adjustment in the Yellow River mouth responding to the prolongation of the river delta. It was found that with the extension of the river mouth the bankfull width-depth ratio, bed material size, and slope decrease gradually in the young and mature stages of a mouth channel but reach a lower limit or threshold in the old stage. The occurrence of the lower limit of bed material size is attributed to the grain size composition of incoming sediment and the fining mechanism. The reason for the existence of a limit of bankfull cross-sectional shape is that the large flows can fully transport the sediment load they are carrying. The channel formed in the large flows is unfit to the low flows, resulting in siltation in the channel in the low flows. On the other hand, the channel filled up in the low flows may lead to siltation in some high flows which may transport sediment carried by the river through the channel before it was remolded by the low flows. In this way, the channel slope is kept around a lower limit by sediment accumulation in the channel throughout the old stage. It seems that it can be a good way to manage the mouth channel by reducing the natural limit of width-depth ratio of the channel through regulating the flows, or separating high flows from low flows, or narrowing the channel using channel training works.
Britain’s difficult relationship with its European partners has led often to it being described as ‘an awkward partner’, a term popularised by Stephen George’s 1990 book on UK-EU relations. But people often misquote George by calling Britain ‘the’ awkward partner. As Oliver Daddow and Tim Oliver argue, Britain is not the only awkward member of the EU. They do not deny that Britain can be more awkward than most, but we should not overlook the fact that other member states have also been awkward and that Britain’s relationship with the EU has often led to positive outcomes for both.
The present invention relates to a fuel element pebble novel design and manufacturing to meet the requirements of high temperature pebble bed nuclear reactors of the next generation. The present invention uses the fuel element pebble shell made from and and silicon carbide (SiC) and / or zirconium carbide (ZrC) and natural graphite and graphitized petroleum coke lacking fuel, the shell 5 mm, preferably is simply have a maximum average nominal thickness of 3 mm. .BACKGROUND
After gaining the independance one of the main tasks in the process of democratization and transition in Croatia was to change its school system. This goal was hinderd by some objective circumanstances, first of all by the war and tragic postwar consequences.  Designing of a "new Croatian school" presupposed the necessary curricula modernization, new legislation, statutary norms for students` and teachers` behaviour, a kind of spiritual revival. Schools have to prepare students for active democratic participation, which also means that multiculturalism has to be seen as an important and equal dialoge between people. These changes have also to be in the correlation with European achievements in the field of intercultural/multicultural education.  The formal structure of the school system is only the framework for the active fuctioning of education, so the essence of the changes should be in various educational areas and school subjects. In the newly constituted states, like Croatia, there is always danger of overemphassing ethnocentrism, which could be particularly reflected in the school system. The point is how to balance it with European ideas, to evaluate them and to implement in the specific Croatian educational situation.  One of the new challenges of the educational pluralism in Croatia is the introduction of private and alternative school, the process which began parallely with the democratic changes. The very important part of the school reform is creating of the new approach to the education of national minorities according to the stipulation in the new Croatian Constitution.Various forms of their education have been initiated from pre- school to the secondary school, with the special role of teachers in developing intercultural educational content.  Croatian school system is really facing the challenge of multiculturalism. However, there is not still real knowledge on muliculturalism, its philosophical, religious and humanistic roots. This is why the reform of educational system in Croatia has to be more oriented towards intercultural issues.
Elastic vibration is inevitably caused during movement of flexble arms,thus the real trajectory of the terminal fluctuates around the ideal trajectory.In this article,two methods to measure the trajectory of the moving platform of a 3-RRR flexible parallel robot;accurate 3D optical equipment Optotrak and d Kinematics data acquiring system based on linear wire encoder are used and then the measuring results is compare.
Architectural survey is an evolving field in architecture that has been affected during the past decades by the technological advancements in the field of 3D data acquisition. Data acquired from laser scanning and photogrammetry, for the purposes of documentation can be integrated in the BIM data base of the project and contribute as the first stage in the sustainable process of building reuse and retrofit and for an appropriate design intervention for a building under preservation. This paper presents the case study of the documentation and design intervention of a building under preservation in Ramat Gan, Israel. All phases of the design process were integrated into a comprehensive BIM data base: the digital documentation of the building, through laser scanning and photogrammetry, the architectural geometry, the structural information, the HVAC and electrical planning. This case-study demonstrates how the compilation of the various phases in a BIM database facilitated a smooth workflow in a complicated project under preservation, allowed for an immediate coordination between the various consultants and resulted in a non-invasive design intervention.
Formation and the onset of processes in socio-economic environment is often caused by stimuli which often arise as a result of accumulating problems, then creating social tension and social pressure. Disability of this condition and the search for a solution medium itself then forms a stimulus that leads to a change in the environment, and this in turn can change the environment otherwise accept further development initiative. This gives rise to an escalating cyclical process starts feedback link, often leading to the creation of non-linear links. Socio-economic systems are therefore generally nonlinear, therefore providing solutions to such problems in continuum model of these tasks described by a system of nonlinear differential equations. Published contribution tries to answer the question whether the Euler continuum models may arise and be maintained wave processes in response to any stimulus and influence. Finding the equation confirmed this possibility.
Scheduling was phase translation of a planning into a diagrams matching with time scale. so determines when the activitys started and finalized. One of them is is Precedence Diagramming Method is containing activity orbits and sequences event of happened in project. The aim of this research to knew how far Precedence Diagramming Method earns more efficient and effectively in execution scheduling of project of construction in this case construction Jembatan Taludaa 3 Based on result of research, construction of Jembatan Taludaa 3 enforceable within 92 workdays. This means scheduling which is made can run against time remaining. While critical path seen through activity 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 32 and 36.
BACKGROUND The loss of the vertical dimension of occlusion in children with quickly progressing early childhood caries hinders the aesthetic rehabilitation of primary incisors. Minimally invasive restorations using chemical-mechanical caries removal methods preserve sound dental tissue and maintains the health of the pulp. This is the treatment of choice for children and allows crown reconstruction of the primary incisors without the need for endodontic treatment. The resources employed in the rehabilitation process range from biological restorations to direct and indirect crowns with or without the aid of a celluloid matrix.   CASE REPORT The aim of this study was to describe a case of maxillary incisor rehabilitation in a female patient aged two years five months using a mock-up combined with the stratified technique and Planas' direct tracks. After a 26-month follow-up period only a little fracture of the reconstructed incisor had occurred.   CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS In the case described, neuro-occlusal and functional rehabilitation enabled the establishment of satisfactory aesthetics in the primary incisors.
The title of this legal writing is The Implementation of Compensation of Detriment toward the Consumers of Airline in Province of Yogyakarta Special Regency. The purposes of this research are: 1) to know the implementation of compensation of detriment by Airline toward the consumers of airline, 2) to know the factors that hamper in the implementation of compensation of detriment by airline and the consumers of airline. The kind of this research is empirical legal research, i.e. a research that was conducted directly based on the facts that happened in environment that is related to the implementation of compensation of detriment  toward the consumers of airline in Province of Yogyakarta Special Regency. The data  sources that were used comprise of primary data source and secondary data source.  Method of analysis used qualitative data analysis. Then it was drawn conclusion that  the implementation of compensation of detriment by airline toward the consumers of  the airline has been strived, however to give the compensation, the airline should consider from the case, thus it is not all of detriment could be compensated. The substitution gained is given in the shape of compensation. The hampering factors that were faced by airline and consumers are: 1) consumers' knowledge on the availability of legal guarantee toward the consumers' right is still minimum, 2) the consumers are acquiescent to and have no willingness to pledge any complains relating to the detriment they had, 3) the airline as the part which has higher position and authority compared with the passengers, has an authority to follow up or not to pledge on detriment that is submitted by the consumers, 4) the difficultness of achieving an agreement between the consumers and the airline in determining the amount of compensation, (5) The government as has not conducted any action toward the, airline which had been proven suffered many victims.
Damages occurring in extraordinary circumstances (war, terrorist acts or criminal), as well as the damages in case of natural disasters and catastrophes caused by natural forces (such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, destructive winds, etc) have the common grounds of being connected with unpredictable occurrences that from the point of view of compensation law prevent the damaged person to act timely in preventing or decreasing the suffered damage. At the same time, those are occurrences that have the character of higher force (force majeure). Besides considerable differences, the analysis of former and current court practice shows the similarities in the fact that the society developed to the stage where it recognizes the necessity for the state to demonstrate concern and solidarity for those who are the victims of such events, although there are no conditions for remuneration based on general rules. All the more, the shortages are noted of existing stipulations of the Law on Contracts and Torts and the need to improve de legeferenda legislature by passing special laws to regulate the right to remuneration for the persons who were victims to terrorist acts and criminal acts of violence, without the perpetrator being found. In all these situations the legal regime changes, i.e. it transfers to the legal grounds of public indemnities. The state pays the indemnity (but not remuneration for damage) estimated according to its material possibilities and only subsidiary (in case there is no other way to pay the remuneration) only as an act of mercy and solidarity with suffering of its victimized citizens, and not upon its legally determined responsibility.
In the present study, the reliability design of semicircular breakwater is based on the verification of the rules defined by standard specifications, where partial coefficients are introduced to ensure safety. The reliability of the semicircular breakwaters has been analyzed by using the Hasofer-Lind method to determine the reliability index of structure that has correlated loads, utilizing the long-term observed wave data at a given place. The relation curve between reliability index and safety factor in the traditional design method, as well as the relationships between reliability index and partial coefficients, have been obtained. This paper proposes values of partial coefficients for the design expression of semicircular breakwaters in the cases of anti-sliding and anti-overturning.
The new requirements of professional development that have generated the processes of globalization, raise the need to orchestrate formative and innovative offers, which they contribute to facing the difficulties of the social, labor and professional field, for what the present document has as aim consolidate an offer that links to the educational area and to the labor market in which the Licentiates develop in Tourism. This one entail implies the educational organizations to orientating the capacity of the persons to attend to the needs of his community or of his country, giving a social value to the knowledge and to undertake development of skills for the attention and improvement of the services, as well as to the of emergent actions for the social improvement and the development of the tourist companies.
In an embodiment, a method of producing a multi-level RF signal includes producing plurality of pulse-width modulated signals based on an input signal. The method further includes driving a corresponding plurality of parallel amplifiers with the plurality of pulse-width modulated signals by setting a parallel amplifier to have a first output impedance when a corresponding pulse-width modulated signal is in an active state and setting the parallel amplifier to have a second output impedance when the corresponding pulse-width is in an inactive state. The method also includes phase shifting the outputs of the plurality of parallel amplifiers, wherein phase shifting transforms the second output impedance into a third impedance that is higher than the second output impedance, and combining the phase shifted outputs.
ics of social exclusion. We also review the extent to which commitments made in the cycle of United Nations social conferences are being integrated in Brazilian public policies. In Brazil, democratic radicalisation implies overcoming a brutal model of social inequality. This was one of the main conclusions of a seminar organised by Social Watch in Brazil, with the participation of NGOs, social movements, universities and the government. The struggle against social exclusion demands, initially, recognition that Brazil is not a poor country. Comparative analysis (Paes y Barros, R. and Mendonca R., 1997) shows that more than 75% of the world population live in countries with a per capita income lower than that of Brazil. Moreover, the country has an average per capita income which would allow for the implementation of redistribution policies with no great costs in terms of economic growth. That is, the resources are available to eradicate absolute poverty in the country. Therefore, the problem lies in the political field, in terms of both strategy and will.
The Heritage Lottery funded project, What’s Your Trinity Story? documents the history of the Trinity Centre in Bristol from the 1960s to today. Trinity embodies and reflects the social and cultural changes that have taken place around it. Since its de-consecration in 1976, Trinity has passed through the hands of a number of groups and owners, whilst developing into a major music and community arts venue for the city. One aim of the project is to establish an online archive for Trinity. A digital archive can offer a more accessible means of engaging communities than a traditional physical archive. Moreover, it creates links between different items, eras, ideas and cultures, challenging physical, temporal and cultural divides. By adopting open standards in the development of the archive, it is hoped that we will allow wider inter-operability and re-use of content, as well as allowing replication of the infrastructure by other groups. This paper discusses some of the challenges encountered in building this archive.
Suprofen, an inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis, was found to affect certain aspects of platelet function after in vivo administration in various species. In guinea-pigs, platelet aggregation induced by collagen and Thrombofax, and secondary A.D.P. aggregation were reduced in a dose-dependent way by suprofen (single oral administration) from 0.08 mg/kg on. In dogs, the effect of a single oral dose of 2.5 mg/kg of suprofen on collagen-induced aggregation started 30 min after administration, lasted for at least 8 h and had disappeared after 24 h. Plasma coagulation parameters were not affected by the compound in this species. In rats, suprofen prolonged tail bleeding times, but did not modify fibrinolysis, platelet adhesion to glass beads or plasma coagulation. Sub-chronic administration of comparatively high doses of the compound resulted in potentiation of the anti-coagulant effect of warfarin in this species.
Cretaceous Gondwana breakup between East Antarctica and India was accompanied or followed by emplacement of the Kerguelen Plateau Large Igneous Province (LIP), north of Prydz Bay. During Polarstern expedition ANT-XXIII/9 in early 2007, deep crustal seismic and helicopter-magnetic surveys were conducted along a corridor between the southern Kerguelen Plateau and the outermost Prydz Bay. These surveys were designed to investigate breakup processes and the effect that the igneous activity had on the formation of the passive margin of East Antarctica and also the apparent oceanic crust between the plateau and the Antarctic margin in the Princess Elizabeth Trough (PET). Preliminary data analysis and modeling reveal a wide zone of highly extended continental crust on the margin of Mac.Robertson Land and that the southernmost Kerguelen Plateau is generally of continental affinity. Seismic velocities and magnetic data indicate an oceanic-type crust beneath the PET. Magmatic accretion to this crust from the Kerguelen LIP is widely observed.
To establish abnormal Hilit typing quantization diagnostic criteria of Uighur medicine for the Coronary heart disease patients,in accordance with free disease clinical diagnostic information,180 coronary heart disease patients were selected in the study of quantitative diagnosis specialist counseling.The selected factors were analyzed by modified multiple category logistic regression analysis to determine the contributions of the symptom-complex factors and the OR value to identify abnormal Hilit of coronary heart disease.It is shown that the chief symptoms of abnormal savda type coronary heart disease are heart-mind dysfunction,grey lips,grey and black fur of the tongue,cool skin,and pale colour of the urine.Among the second important symptoms are dark purple tongue,less urine,too many dreams,and nightmares.The chief symptoms of abnormal kan type coronary heart disease are red complexion,redish conjunctiva,no dried mouth,mildly bitter flavor in mouth,thick and wavelike pulse,dry and hard stool.Among the next important symptoms are sleepless,less sweating,yellow-red colour of the urine.The chief symptoms of abnormal balgham type coronary heart disease are lower spirit and speechless,pale labia,sticking mouth,insipidity of the mouth,too much sweating,numbness of the limbs.Among the next important symptoms are pale face,white and sticky tongue coating with indentation boundary,weak and heavy pulse,hyper-somnia,too much urine.The chief symptoms of abnormal saprah type coronary heart disease are dim complexion,lack of spirit of the oculus,yellowish conjunctive,the hotter skin,thin and hard pulse.Among the next important symptoms are acute mind and tantrum,yellowish complexion,sweet-bitter flavor mouth,rough skin and yellowish urine.As a result,the meaningful symptoms were found in all the abnormal Hilit syndromes according to the OR value.The features of excess syndromes of the four abnormal Hilit syndromes are complicated with deficiency.The symptom quantitative diagnosis of the abnormal Hilit excess syndromes provides an objective evidence for clinical practice.
This paper deals with the design of scalable, fuzzy adaptive, decision making systems constructed from sets of heterogeneous classiflers. We propose a multiclassifler architecture formed by sparsely connected coalitions of classiflers. Coalitions are deflned by fuzzy integral operators on small, but not necessarily disjoint, subsets of classiflers. The small size constraint on individual coalitions is intended for both the interpretability of fuzzy measures and low complexity of fuzzy integral operators. In addition, the sparse connection constraint guarantees realizable good independent coalitions amenable to further information fusion stages. Simple rules regarding the number of coalitions, the number of classiflers per coalition and the number of coalitions where each classifler should participate are presented. Experimental results show the feasibility of our proposal.
This paper presents a quasi-3-dimensional calculation method considering secondary flows in the impellers of diagonal flow blowers. A quantitative estimation of the secondary flow effects is made by using secondary flow theories. In order to verify the validity of the adopted models, that is, span-wise mixing model and the tip clearance model, numerical simulations are performed for two different types of impellers of diagonal flow blowers which are designed differently. Numerical experiments are conducted for each of a constant tangential velocity type impeller and a free vortex type impeller, both at two different flow coefficients. According to the simulation results, it was found that the present model considering span-wise mixing and tip clearance effect shows better agreements with the experimental data than those without these models in terms of the flow velocity and the angle distribution.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the use of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate for the prevention of recurrent preterm deliveries is cost-effective.   METHODS Using decision-analysis modeling, we compared the cost-effectiveness of using 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate in four subgroups: 1) Prior preterm deliveries less than 32 weeks; 2) prior preterm deliveries 32-37 weeks; 3) prior term delivery; and 4) no prior delivery. Each subgroup was compared with a "no treatment" group. Costs included those for 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate, hospital admissions, and complications from preterm deliveries. The main outcome measures include cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained and the number of preterm deliveries prevented. Secondary outcomes include neonatal complications prevented. One-way and multiway sensitivity analyses were performed.   RESULTS The use of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate for the prevention of preterm deliveries result in cost-savings in women with prior preterm deliveries less than 32 weeks and 32-37 weeks. The sensitivity analyses revealed the model to be robust over a wide range of values for evaluated variables.   CONCLUSION Within our baseline assumptions, 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate was associated with cost-savings when used for the prevention of preterm deliveries in women with prior preterm deliveries.
The authors explored principles of auditory and auditory-visual grouping. Participants made visual temporal order judgments (TOJ) about which of two centrally presented lights appeared first while they heard task-irrelevant critical sounds before the first and after the second light. Temporally misaligned sounds captured the onsets of the lights (i.e., temporal ventriloquism). This temporal ventriloquist effect was greatly attenuated when the critical sounds themselves were flanked by similar sounds, but not when the flanking sounds had different frequency, or rhythm. The results demonstrate that principles of auditory grouping take priority over intersensory ones.
In the paper there are discussed the opportunities for using Web 2.0 tools as communication solutions and platforms of cooperation with the client in the field of co-creation of innovation. There are presented the changes of the concept in the area of innovation, from closed to open innovation, and particularly the models emphasizing the role of users in creating innovation. There is also discussed the evolution of the solutions of communication with the client with the consi young people as co-creators of on-line innovation, identify the most frequently used channels of communication and, above all, present the evaluation of the application of Web 2.0 tools in the field of cooperation with the client.
Objective. To examine the impact of metabolic control and different treatment modes on the development of diabetic complications in type 2 diabetic patients. Research Design and Methods. During a 10-year period, 385 (134 females) type 2 diabetic patients were included, out of whom 86 were treated without and 299 with insulin, 199 from baseline and an additional 100 during the study. End points at follow-up were myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, heart failure, stroke and uremia, alone or in combination. The degree of albuminuria was defined as the ratio between albumin and creatinine clearance (ACCR). Results. The glycosylated haemoglobin (HbAlc) level in patients without insulin treatment was lower at baseline but increased continuously. Such an increase was halted and reversed in patients who were transferred to insulin. In contrast, patients on insulin treatment from baseline had a rather constant HbAlc level. All patients, despite treatment mode, had similar HbAlc levels at the end of observation period. Heart failure, death and a doubling of ACCR were associated with high levels of HbAlc while other endpoints were not. There was no influence of type of diabetes treatment on development of endpoints except for less frequent occurrence of angina pectoris and more frequent doubling of ACCR in patients treated with insulin from baseline compared with patients without. Conclusions. Insulin treated type 2 diabetic patients were less prone to develop angina pectoris but more prone to develop albuminuria. The latter was explained by higher HbAlc levels. High HbAlc levels were also associated with development of heart failure and death.
1. Introduction 2. The intervention of the Israeli High Court of Justice in government decisions: an empirical, quantitative study with paradoxical results 3. Law and politics: theoretical aspects 4. The Supreme Court as a political entrepreneur in the process of institutional change - an analysis based on shared mental models and political entrepreneurship 5. Israeli public law 6. Israel in light of structural and cultural variables 7. The Supreme Court and the political system in light of social and political processes in Israel during 1948-99 8. The struggle for a new conservative constitutional court (2000): redefining the guarantor of human rights in Israel - the role of the Israeli Supreme Court 9. The rule of 'who governs' as electoral capital (1999-2007): the Supreme Court as an agenda setter in Israel 10. The Supreme Court of Israel as an agenda setter: three cases 11. On law, society and policy design - towards a reform in the relationship between the High Court of Justice and the Knesset 12. Conclusion and normative implications.
Conservation Treatment Job # 0047-P91 - Summary: Approximately 5,500 promotional and commemorative items in a variety of formats, including cartoons, prints, and posters; lapel buttons, ribbons, medals, textiles, hats, and other costume items; ballots, broadsides, leaflets, and other ephemera; pamphlets and other formal publications; sheet music and songbooks; scrapbooks; and three-dimensional items relating to United States presidential campaigns, as well as a small amount of material on candidates for other offices.   Also, biographical information about Susan H. Douglas and a CD with images of a scrapbook she kept about her collection.
Many studies rely on regional economic impact analysis to estimate the larger effects of an event on a community, such as a plant opening or closure. However, few conduct an ex post analysis to consider how close the estimates were to actual economic events that ensued. This study examines the accuracy of a previous impact analysis of the closure of a Texas beef packing plant. The challenges of validating economic impact studies are demonstrated and several suggestions are offered for improving ex ante and ex post modeling efforts to help future researchers maintain the credibility of economic impact studies.
Objetivo : abordar as diferentes aplicacoes da ferramenta de edicao genica “Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats” (CRISPR) e “crispr associated protein-9” (Cas9) na caracterizacao, prevencao, susceptibilidade genetica, diagnostico e terapeutica da diabetes mellitus (DM). Fonte de dados: foi realizado um levantamento bibliografico das publicacoes disponiveis nas bases da National Library of Medicine (NIH – PubMed), Scientific Eletronic Library Online (Scielo) e Scholar Google dos ultimos 20 anos, priorizando publicacoes dos ultimos 5 anos. Sintese dos dados : considerando que a DM e uma doenca cronica de carater metabolico sob influencia de variantes geneticas e, muitas vezes, associadas a interacoes ambientais, com altos indices epidemiologicos de incidencia e prevalencia no Brasil e no mundo e tendo diversas limitacoes na pratica clinica e diagnostica, ferramentas inovadoras de edicao genica possuem potencial para contribuir positivamente na problematica da DM como a CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR e um sistema de manipulacao genica sitio-especifico guiado por RNA e inspirado no funcionamento do sistema imune bacteriano que tem apresentado resultados promissores para estudo de diversas doencas.  Conclusao : o sistema CRISPR-Cas9, apesar de algumas limitacoes tecnicas e eticas, e promissor em virtude de sua sensibilidade e especificidade, sendo uma alternativa aos metodos classicos para compreensao das bases geneticas e fisiopatologicas da DM e que permite desenvolver e aplicar modelos de estudo aplicados a elucidacao de novas e mais eficientes estrategias de diagnostico e tratamento. Palavras-chave : diabetes mellitus; crispr-cas9; diagnostico; terapeutica; edicao genica.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract Objective : Adress the different applications of the “Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats” (CRISPR) and “crispr associated protein-9” (Cas9) gene editing tool in the characterization, prevention, genetic susceptibility, diagnosis and therapeutic of diabetes mellitus (DM). Data sources : A bibliographic survey of the publications available in the databases of the National Library of Medicine (NIH - PubMed), Scientific Eletronic Library Online (Scielo) and Scholar Google for the last 20 years was carried out, prioritizing publications from the last 5 years. Summary of the data : Considering that DM is a chronic metabolic disease under the influence of genetic variants and often associated with environmental interactions, with high epidemiological rates of incidence and prevalence in Brazil and in the world and with several limitations in clinical and diagnostic practice, tools Gene editing innovators have the potential to contribute positively to the problem of DM such as CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR is a site-specific gene manipulation system guided by RNA and inspired by the functioning of the bacterial immune system that has shown promising results for the study of several diseases. Conclusion : The CRISPR-Cas9 system, despite some technical and ethical limitations, is promising due to its sensitivity and specificity, being an alternative to classic methods for understanding the genetic and pathophysiological bases of DM and which allows the development and application of study models applied to the elucidation of new and more efficient diagnosis and treatment strategies. Keywords : diabetes mellitus; crispr-cas9; diagnosis; therapeutics; gene editing.
We study retrospectively 123 cases of patients suffering from Ta/T1/T2 vesical tumour so as to evaluate the Disease Free Period as a predictive factor of relapse potential, capability of progression and survival. This parameter has no influence over the variables that define the progression of the tumour, but it has a close correlation with relapse potential; Annual Relapse Rate (p less than 0.001) and Mean Interval between Relapses (p less than 0.0001). We were not able to show any relationship between Disease-Free Period and Survival, however it defines those tumours which relapse due to tumoural persistence. These tumours progress in stage in 80% of cases and 75% of these do so with deep tumours.
The "ecosystem" metaphor has been gaining increasing currency in management research; however there is only limited recognition and integration of other similar management constructs and underlying theory. We conduct a systematic review of the ecosystem and related literature, defining an ecosystem as a network of interconnected organizations, organized around a focal firm or platform, which incorporates both production and use side participants. We suggest three interdependent characteristics that provide the boundaries of the ecosystem construct - value logic, participant symbiosis and institutional stability - and outline the interrelationships between them. Utilizing these characteristics, we propose the "ecosystem model" as a practitioner tool, analogous to the business model, which describes the rationale of how an ecosystem creates, delivers and captures value. We conclude by identifying emerging trends and areas for future research.
Objective To observe the effect of Zhimaining on leptin and TNF-α in rat serum with alcoholic fatty liver(AFL),and discuss possible mechanism of Zhimaining on AFL.Methods 70 Wistar rats(weight from 160~180 g) were randomly divided into five groups,control group,model group,high dose Zhimaining group,low dose Zhimaining group and Dongbaogantai group.AFL model was established by feeding high fat diet and intragastric administration of white spirit.There were 15 rats in each group except 10 rats in control group.Control group was given distilled water,eating normal diet,free access to water.Low dose Zhimaining group and high dose Zhimaining group were respectively fed Zhimaining 0.75,1.5 g/kg body weight.Dongbaogantai group was fed Dongbaogantai 0.9 g/kg body weight.The control group and model group were fed with distilled water.blood and liver tissue was collected under anesthesia.TC,TG,AST,ALT,Leptin and TNF-α in serum and pathological changes in liver tissue were observed after eight weeks.Results TC,TG,ALT and AST in high dose Zhimaining group,low dose Zhimaining group and Dongbaogantai group were significantly decreased in comparison with those in model group(P0.01).TC,TG,ALT and AST in high dose Zhimaining group were lower than those in Dongbaogantai group(P0.05,P0.01).TC in low dose Zhimaining group were lower than that in Dongbaogantai group(P0.05).The levels of leptin and TNF-α in model group were the highest in all groups(P0.01).The levels of leptin and TNF-α in high dose Zhimaining group and low dose Zhimaining group were lower than those in Dongbaogantai group(P0.05,P0.01).There was no difference between high dose Zhimaining group and low dose Zhimaining group on the levels of leptin and TNF-α(P0.05).Conclusion Zhimaining that reduces the levels of Leptin and TNF-α in serum may be one of the mechanism of prevention and treatment of AFL.
This in vitro study generated data on the quality of marginal adaptation, fracture resistance and retention of several indirect adhesive composite configurations on root-treated premolars before and after a long-term fatigue test and compared these results to a control group of adhesive onlays on "vital" teeth. Six root-treated extracted human premolars per group, with four different restorative configurations with and without adhesive fiber posts, were evaluated. Another group of six premolars, "revitalized" by using diluted horse serum to simulate pulpal fluid and restored with adhesive composite onlays, served as the control. Marginal adaptation before and after long-term occlusal loading (1,200,000 occlusal loading cycles at max 49 N) was assessed by using the replica technique and quantitative evaluation in SEM at 200x magnification. The number of lost restorations was recorded after loading. Fracture resistance and fracture patterns were evaluated by using a universal-testing machine on the fatigued samples. No significant differences (p > 0.05) between groups were detected before and after loading for the percentage of "continuous margin" at the total marginal length. Loading had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the percentage of "continuous margin" for the total marginal length of two groups only. No significant difference (p > 0.05) for fracture resistance was detected and no lost restorations were observed. The results suggest that for both the less decayed and the more significantly decayed devital teeth, the minimally invasive adhesive restorative approach is promising.
Abstract Although organizational values are increasing in importance in the global healthcare industry, little is known about whether or not the actions of health care organizations are directly linked to the values that these organizations espouse in public value statements. A common assumption in both the academic and practitioner literature is that the values a health care organization espouses should provide some guidance to its employees. In this paper, we contend that the impact of a values statement should be most salient in times of organizational crisis. We contribute to organizational theory by suggesting that organizational values-actions consistency should influence employee behavior in times of crisis. To illustrate this link, we report on a qualitative study of the experiences described by employees who worked in a Singaporean hospital during the 2003 global health crisis triggered by the emergence of the Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus. This study indicates that the values statement of the hospital was not, by itself, a guidance during the crisis. However the values-driven actions of the hospital and the employees’ own sense of professionalism were identified as assisting employees to respond well to the SARS crisis. The implications from this study are that healthcare organizations going through a crisis need to give employees opportunities to demonstrate their professionalism, and articulate a clear explanation of the actions they take during a crisis in terms of the value-base of the organization.
Characteristics of flows around curved sections of open channels at velocities greater than the wave velocity (that is, F > 1) are discussed in this paper. In simple curves such flows produce cross-wave disturbance patterns which also persist for long distances in the downstream tangent. These disturbance patterns indicate nonequilibrium conditions whose basic cause (when F > 1) is that disturbances cannot be propagated upstream or even directly across the channel. Thus, the turning effect of the curved walls does not act equally on all filaments in a given cross section and equilibrium is destroyed. The paper  outlines two basic methods of eliminating these disturbance patterns. Analytical design criteria are developed, and experimental verifications of the analyses are presented. The first method consists of applying a lateral force  in such a way that it acts simultaneously on all filaments, causing the flow to turn without disturbing the equilibrium. Bottom banking supplies such a  lateral force, and a series of vertical curved vanes across the channel has roughly the same effect. The second method employs interference patterns introduced deliberately at the beginning and at the end of the curve. Compound  curves, spiral transitions, and sills all operate on this principle. Rectangular channels are uniquely suited to the interference method of treatment, since for a given channel the wave patterns are substantially independent of  the flow. Trapezoidal and other nonrectangular channels should be avoided if possible, unless the flow is invariant. The fields of application of the different  treatments are discussed briefly.
This paper presents the Minnesota Intelligent Transportation Systems Institute Laboratory Environment (MITSILE). The scope of the paper includes the project history, requirements, architecture (physical, digital, video), functionality, and a summary of the first research projects in the laboratory. The 3000+ square foot laboratory has 10 research positions (workstations), three teaching positions, and three visitor's offices connected to digital and video networks to facilitate demonstrations of emerging ITS technologies, including many national architecture functions. The CTS staff herewith invites researchers from other universities, state DOTs and private industry to participate in joint research projects that can effectively utilize the laboratory's interfaces, processors, databases, and sensors.
INTRODUCTION In Australia, over the past 30 years, the prevalence of dental decay in children has reduced significantly, where today 60-70% of all 12-year-olds are caries free, and only 10% of children have more than two decayed teeth. However, many studies continue to report a small but significant subset of children suffering severe levels of decay.   METHODS The present study applies Monte Carlo simulation to examine, at the national level, 12-year-old decayed, missing or filled teeth and shed light on both the statistical limitation of Australia's reporting to date as well as the problem of targeting high-risk children.   RESULTS A simulation for 273 000 Australian 12-year-old children found that moving from different levels of geographic clustering produced different statistical influences that drive different conclusions. At the high scale (ie state level) the gross averaging of the non-normally distributed disease burden masks the small subset of disease bearing children. At the much higher acuity of analysis (ie local government area) the risk of low numbers in the sample becomes a significant issue.   CONCLUSIONS The results clearly highlight the importance of care when examining the existing data, and, second, opportunities for far greater levels of targeting of services to children in need. The sustainability (and fairness) of universal coverage systems needs to be examined to ensure they remain highly targeted at disease burden, and not just focused on the children that are easy to reach (and suffer the least disease).
This paper explores the association between the symbolized and the actualized, beginning with the prehistoric notion of a "reality double," in which no practical difference exists between pictorial representations, visual symbols, and real-life events and situations. Alchemists of the Middle Ages, with their paradoxical vision of the universe having mixed elements of the physical world and the imagined characteristics of mystical and spiritual forces, are prophets of the modern age. Their ideas have been the basis for some modern scientific discoveries, as the visions they foretold through highly visual symbols became conscious to the mind of man and contributed to a redefinition of reality. Based on a belief in the redefined reality, in which things and people could be altered to form more useful or valuable elements, a curriculum was created for vocational and spiritual training, with state support, that was to be provided uniformly across classes. Interest in redefining reality was revived at the beginning of the 20th century through the following set of circumstances: (1) laws of atomic physics changed forever the notion of the nature of matter, and no longer could the idea of fixed reality be assumed; and (2) birth of the sciences of psychology and psychiatry, and an acceptance of the existence of the subconscious, an extranatural or mystical aspect of man. Through time, artists have symbolically expressed their visions of new realities that were "abstract" and lacking in absolutes. In addition, mass media created an illusion of reality, both consciously and subconsciously. (MAS) ******************************************************************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. *******A************************************************************** U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION )tire 01 Educational Research and improvement DUCATIONAL RESOURCES I INFORMATION CENTE fER This document has been reprodur ed as received from the person or organization originating : Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality e Points of new or opinions staled in thiS deco mend do not necessarv represent OE RI position 01 0011(0 Curriculum: Managed Visual Reality
The present invention relates to cancer and angiogenesis Ben Pro Perrin (benproperine) derivative represented by the formula (1) relates to a preventive and therapeutic pharmaceutical composition for the relevant disease. Ben Pro Perrin derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof of the present invention is caused by abnormal angiogenesis, such as inhibiting the cancer cell movement and by inhibiting the angiogenesis of vascular endothelial cells as well as cancer, diabetic retinopathy, corneal transplant rejection which it may be useful in the prevention and treatment of disease. Formula 1 Wherein R, R
Blood pressure measurements are hearing representation. Acoustic combiner (15) receives the signal indicating the blood pressure information, it synthesizes the sound output from the signal. Both the duration of the synthesized sound output and pitch, based on the value of the blood pressure information by a linear scale or nonlinear scale, such as point scale. Blood pressure information includes arterial or pulmonary artery systolic, diastolic, and at least one of the mean blood pressure measurements. Acoustic output comprises an audio signal composed of one sound or series of sounds. One or more sound indicates the type of blood pressure measurement. Audio signal may comprise one or more static beacon or dynamic beacon.
The wireless communication system according to the present invention, communication to each of the queue information searching unit, and a plurality of external devices according to the number of the queue number sequence based on the detected queue status information to retrieve queue state information included in the packet unit data first external corresponding to an individual communication start unit that starts the external device to communicate with, for counting the number of times of communication is initiated by an external device, a counter, and the input data according to the communication priority decision unit, the determined communication priority to rank and a second comparison unit for comparing the count value of the second external device has the maximum count value and the count value of the device. Here, the communication initiation unit first when the difference between the count value and second count value in the external device of the external apparatus is smaller than the set value, and starts the first external device communicates with the communication priority first. In addition, the counter subtracts the first Claim 1, a continuous increase in the amount of change in count value of the count value from the external device a communication priority of the external device is not a priority, the first external device. The counter increases the count value of the first external device is the first priority communication by one rank. Thus, it is possible to a case in which one wireless communication apparatus transmitting and receiving a plurality of wireless communication devices and data guarantee high yield and equality of the respective wireless communication devices at the same time. Bluetooth system, master, slave, yield piconet
Taught various courses for pre-and in-service teachers as well as college algebra and calculus recitations. Analyzed ways to efficiently model a large-scale grid computing system and developed mathematical techniques to simplify analysis of the model. Tutored classes of 6 to 10 students in math and reading skills. Responsible for teaching math concepts and building literacy skills for students currently below grade level in their performance. Math Forum, Intern: Winter 2005. Responsible for finding and cataloguing on the Math Forum website any didactic tools that would aid users in understanding concepts in Multivariable Calculus. Surveyed and interviewed participants and staff in reading program at a Boys' and Girls' Club summer camp. Analyzed data to determine effectiveness of intervention program to encourage children's enjoyment of reading. With funding from GP NSEC, worked with two other grad students to create and present an introduction to cryptology for a group of 20 undergraduate students interested in working in the intelligence communities. Received partial support from the NSF Math Science Partnership grant NebraskaMATH during two semesters and two summers for teaching various graduate level courses for in-service teachers. Combinatorial neural codes from a mathematical coding theory perspective. In preparation. Introduction to Cryptology 75 minute presentation with two other graduate students to introduce past and present methods in cryptology to 20 undergraduate students interested in the intelligence communities. We also designed and implemented a code-breaking activity for these students as part of a week-long simulation of work in the intelligence communities put on by the Great Plains National Security Education Consortium in July 2011.
The article generalizes various methodological approaches to define the causes of crisis phenomena in the companies' economy and finances both in classical market economies and in the transition ones. The author analyzes the dynamics of the main production and financial indicators of Ukraine's industry during the 18 years of independence and reveals fundamental internal and situational (both internal and external) Factors of industrial crises. She defines new accents in the state anti-crisis policy and criteria of the provision of state financial aid to economic agents.
Objective To investigate the changes of erythrocyte aggregation and deformability during establishing different oxidative models. Methods Whole blood was obtained from the carotid artery of 15 rats,at 9m L each. The samples were centrifuged and the buffy coat was removed. Red blood cells( RBC) suspensions were divided into four groups( n = 3) :Group control; Group H2O2( hydrogen peroxide) which final concentration were 0. 5,5 and 8 mmol/L respectively; Group phenazine methosulfate( PMS) which final concentration were 25,50 and 100 μmol / L respectively; Group Na NO2( sodium nitrite) which final concentration were 0. 5,1 and 1. 5 mmol / L respectively. All groups were then incubated for 1h at 37℃.The samples were centrifuged and the hematocrit of all samples was then adjusted to 40% with self-plasma before the measurements on erythrocyte aggregation and deformability. Results Aggregation index( AI) : AI in Group H2O2 decreased and was significantly lower at 8 mmol / L which was 32. 5 ± 1. 3 compared with Group control which was 45. 3 ± 1. 5( P 0. 05);AI in Group PMS and Na NO2 were not significantly different( P 0. 05). Top time( TT) : TT increased when H2O2 was at 5mmol / L and 8 mmol / L,which were1. 68 ± 0. 2 s and 1. 85 ± 0. 14 s,respectively and show significantly different compared with Group control( 0. 89 ± 0. 13 s)( P 0. 05); PMS showed no effect on TT( P 0. 05); TT decreased in Group Na NO2 which were 0. 54 ± 0. 06 s,0. 62 ± 0. 03 s and 0. 78 ± 0. 08 s,respectively compared with control,while it increased as the concentration increased but still lower than Group control. Elongation index( EI) : EI at all shear rate( SHR) in Group control were 28. 1 ± 0. 45,40. 6 ± 0. 92,42. 4 ± 1. 09,43. 2 ± 1. 12,44 ± 1. 21. EI decreased significantly at all SHR in Group H2O2( SHR = 100 s-1,EI were 18. 8 ± 3. 78,11. 3 ± 2. 36,6. 9 ±4. 89,P 0. 05); EI decreased significantly at all SHR in Group PMS( SHR = 100 s-1,EI were 16. 8 ± 2. 27,8. 5 ± 0. 64,5. 6 ±0. 07,P 0. 05); EI in Group Na NO2 were 23. 9 ± 1. 41,20. 8 ±0. 01,21. 9 ± 041( P 0. 05) when SHR = 100 s-1. However,as shear rates increased,EI tended to increase and was significantly different when SHR≥600 s-1,compared with Group control( SHR = 100 s-1,EI wer e48. 3 ± 0. 73、49. 2 ± 0. 1、48. 3 ± 0. 65,P 0. 05). Conclusion Effects of different oxidants on erythrocyte aggregation and deformability differ from one another,suggesting that proper oxidant should be chosen according to the purposein in vitro models.
In the present investigation, the toxic effect of cypermethrin on antioxidant enzyme activity in fresh water fish Cyprinus carpio. Cypermethrin was applied 96 hrs LC50 (250µg/l), sub lethal concentration (120 hours 50µg/l). The fish were treated with cypermethrin for five days, after that at the end of the fifth day treated fish were separated into two group one group is feed with Delonix elata supplementary fed for five days, organs like gill, liver and kidney were examined 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours The antioxidant enzymes like catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (Gpx), Lipid peroxidation (TBARS) level changes occurs due to toxic effect of cypermethrin. Antioxidant enzymes are biomarkers used to indicating the cypermethrin toxic effect. SOD and CAT are decreased during exposure period. TBARS level increased negative correlation was observed in the treated group.GPX level increased in the treated group. In the recovery group Novelties antioxidant enzymes were increased and TBAR activity was decreased. Present study to know the toxic effect of cypermethrin on Cyprinus carpio fish and chelating property of Delonix elata supplementary feed.
Technetium-99m-sulfur colloid (TSC) was administered to 45 renal transplant patients. No TSC accumulation was seen in normally functioning transplant kidneys. Accumulation of TSC was found in 89% of transplants with rejection, in 30% of transplants exhibiting acute tubular necrosis, and in 30% of transplants of patients with sepsis. Renal accumulation of TSC in various transplant complications diminishes the value of this technique for monitoring transplant rejection.
The effects of different planting density and soil nutrient contents on root system growth of Pinus massoniana seedlings were investigated. The results show that with the increase of planting density, P. massoniana seedlings root system appeared a trend of straight decline, as the numbers of trees planted reached a certain number(6 trees), the root system growth competed for the soil nutrients and thus prompting the root system growth; under the condition of soil space enough, with the increase of soil nutrient contents, the root system presented a Increasing trends.
The present invention relates to power-driven mechanism for controlling the stator integrally in-wheel motor, comprising a spindle (4), set in the spindle drive control unit (5) (4), set outside the drive control unit (5) , set outside the stator assembly of the hub (8). Power drive control of the present invention is integrally wheel motor, the connection point is not only less, waterproof, and small phase line current loss, high efficiency.
A kind of wearable device has：Motion detector, it is configured as detecting the motion of the equipment and produces with the motor message with the motion related information of the equipment；Feeler, be configured as detecting the equipment whether in contact with object and produce have with the equipment whether the activation signal with the information of object contact；Controller, it is operatively coupled the motion detector and the feeler.The controller is configured as switching between conducting state and closed mode, as the function of one in the motor message and the activation signal.The equipment also includes sonic transducer or is operatively coupled other transducers of the controller.The controller is configured as corresponding to and receives the motor message and the activation signal and change the state of the sonic transducer between conducting state and closed mode.
In this paper,six new rare earth complexes were synthesized by the reaction that rare earth nitrates reacted with 3 ferrocenyl 2 crotonic acid in 95% alcohol.The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis,IR spectra,UV spectra,weight loss analysis and molar conductivity,and tested for antibacterial activity.The results of test on antibacterial activity showed that the six complexes have selective antibacterial property.
The present invention provides a dietary fiber instant rice grain noodle production process, which comprises screening, mixing, constant temperature and constant humidity conditioning, extrusion granulation molding, drying, and cooling. According to the dietary fiber instant rice grain noodle production process, wheat dietary fibers are added to the formula so as to slow down formation of starch crystal and gluten network structure in flour during extrusion in the extrusion process, such that no gas hole is generated in the rice grain noodle, the obtained rice grain noodle has a compact structure, the dietary fiber content in the rice grain noodle is increased, and the taste of the rice grain noodle is ensured; and the appropriate proportion of propylene glycol alginate and sucrose fatty acid ester are added, such that the problem of easy dreg shedding or rough surface of the rice grain noodle prepared by adding the wheat dietary fibers is solved.
End-stage renal disease affects all organ systems. Nevertheless, frequency of some pathologic conditions does not differ in end-stage renal disease patients in comparison with their age- and sex-matched controls recruited from general population. The paper presents the results of the survey on the prevalence of gallstones in a relatively big group of hemodialysis patients (n = 114; 49 females, 65 males). The goal of the study was to examine whether the genesis of gallstones could be explained by renal failure itself. Gallstones have been found in 24 of 114 hemodialysis patients (21.05%), predominantly females (n = 14). Gallstones have been found in 28.75% of female patients, and in only 15.38% of male patients. The frequency of gallstones correlated significantly with age of the patients (r = 0.26, p < 0.05), number of pregnancies (r = 0.20, p < 0.005) and deliveries (r = 0.22, p < 0.05). Patients suffering from gallstones were significantly older (60.58 +/- 11.99:51.72 +/- 14.01 years, t = 3.10, p < 0.01), with every third older than 54 affected. The results observed do not differ from the results of other authors that report the morbidity in general population. In conclusion, gallstones in hemodialysis patients show same frequency as in general population and probably result from the same pathophysiologic mechanisms.
To improve the efficiency of symbolic recognition and enhance the robustness of identification methods,a symbol recognition method based on the characteristics of the centroid is presented.This method uses progressive methods of marking tags on the images to produce black and white connected domain queue.Then the symbol domain can be extracted.According to the number of connected regions in the symbol domain,the connected components of the heart-shaped distribution,the position and orientation of the largest connected domain,symbol recognition can be achieved.The recognition process needed scanning the whole images once and connected domain queue twice.
Lot 64 is situated in Kings County, not Queens County as stated in the map title. The map shows Lot 64 divided into parcels of land with names of residents and their acreage amounts. Several parcels of land are coloured pink. A few land conveyance references appear on the map, written in red ink. The map shows roads and bridges. It shows the Murray Islands. Bodies of water--which include the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Fox River and Murray River--are coloured blue. Bar scale in chains. Compass rose with magnetic north arrows showing variations for 1829 and 1764. Noted near the title and signed: No. 15. This is one of the Plans referred to in the Deed from Sir Edward Cunard, William Cunard and Laura Cunard to the Commissioner of Public Lands bearing[?] date the 15 th day of July 1866.
Measurements of the sedimentary organic carbon and nitrogen contents and minor element concentrations are used along with stable isotope records obtained form planktonic and benthic foraminifera to interpret hydrographic history at mid-depth (600 m) on the central Oman Margin (ODP Site 724) over the past half million years. Both C. wuellerstorfi data and Iodine/C[sub org] ratio information indicate that the oxygen minimum on the margin has been continuously present over the period examined. Glacial-interglacial [delta][sup 18]O amplitudes recorded by benthic foraminifera are reduced when compared to the estimated mean ocean changes of [delta][sup 18]O[sub seawater]. This implies that Red Sea outflow waters (which are enriched in [sup 18]O and [sup 13]C) were replaced during glacial periods by intermediate waters still enriched in [sup 13]C but relatively depleted in [sup 18]O. Glacial-interglacial amplitudes of the planktonic [delta][sup 18]O record exceed those of the mean ocean [delta][sup 18]O[sub seawater] variation and imply decreased surface water temperatures at this site during glacial times. If this interpretation is correct, then the data suggest that increased upwelling occurred during glacials. This conclusion conflicts with previous findings that upwelling maxima in the western Arabian Sea correspond to maxima in the strength of the SW monsoon, whichmore » occur primarily during interglacials.« less
Objective To study the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) phosphorylation in vascular remodeling after balloon endothelial denudation in rats. Methods The rat models of balloon endothelial denudation were built. Male Wistar rats were randomized into five groups. No balloon endothelial denudation control group and 4 day,8 day,16 day and 24 day model group after balloon endothelial denudation. Western blot was used to detect the expression and activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). hyperplasia of intima was observed. Results Compared with the control group,the expression and activity of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in model group rapidly increased at day 4 after balloon injury,the expression of FAK reached its peak at day 8,and began to decrease at day 16. Focal hyperplasia of intima was found after 8 day after balloon endothelial denudation,diffuse hyperplasia of intima were found after 16～24 day after balloon endothelial denudation. Conclusion FAK takes part in vascular remodeling after balloon endothelial denudation in rat. The level of intima hyperplasia is positively associated with the lever of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and focal adhesion kinase phosphorylation.
It is not entirely clear from the report whether the teaching of social science needs to be strengthened (the paper suggests it is relatively strong across a range of unequally funded and represented universities), or the public perception of the teaching of, or the value of, social science is at issue. Both comments – ‘we want to contribute to the articulation and demonstration of its value’ and ‘how can we preserve and strengthen the value of undergraduate social science education’ – seem to suggest the latter (p. 1).
A four-year-old girl on maintenance therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) complained of a headache and low back pain on the day she received her 21st intrathecal methotrexate (it-MTX) administration, and the next day experienced numbness and pain in her foot. This numbness gradually spread to her hand. She thereafter developed a fever and was hospitalized on day 8. After antibiotic therapy, the fever disappeared. However, her lower limbs became paralyzed, and she also developed urinary retention. On day 12, her paralysis progressed upwards, and she also developed paralysis of the upper limbs. Finally, she experienced convulsions with an impairment of consciousness. A magnetic resonance imaging study of the brain and spinal cord showed abnormal signals in the brain cortex and anterior horn. Accordingly, we diagnosed acute encephalomyelitis associated with it-MTX. High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin, steroid pulse therapy, plasma exchange, and dextromethorphan administration were initiated, while she received mechanical ventilation. Despite this intensive treatment, she suffered severe neurological damage and had to be maintained on mechanical ventilation due to persistent flaccid quadriplegia one year after the onset. When patients have symptoms of ascending paralysis during it-MTX treatment, clinicians should carefully consider the possibility of acute encephalomyelitis due to it-MTX.
Nowadays, there is no problem in accessing to geocoding providers but in choosing the proper one. The application requirements determine the selection of the service in a context where the user needs an answer and is not often interested in knowing where to find the right information. This paper presents an architectural approach for compound geocoding Web services built above diverse Web Services with spatial content, especially gazetteer and geocoding services. The diversity in scenarios of geocoding usage requires an adaptive geocoding service. The proposed architecture satisfies this user requirement.
summaRy Depressive symptoms among medical intern students in a Brazilian public university Objective: To estimate, among Medical School intern students, the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their severity, as well as associated factors. Methods: Cross-sectional study in May 2008, with a representative sample of medical intern students (n = 84) from Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS). Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and a structured questionnaire containing information on sociodemographic variables, teaching-learning process, and personal aspects were used. The exploratory data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Finally, the analysis of multiple variables by logistic regression and the calculation of simple and adjusted ORs with their respective 95% confidence intervals were performed. Results: The general prevalence was 40.5%, with 1.2% (95% CI: 0.0-6.5) of severe depressive symptoms; 4.8% (95% CI: 1.3-11.7) of moderate depressive symptoms; and 34.5% (95% CI: 24.5-45.7) of mild depressive symptoms. The logistic regression revealed the variables with a major impact associated with the emergence of depressive symptoms: thoughts of dropping out (OR 6.24; p = 0.002); emotional stress (OR 7.43; p = 0.0004); and average academic performance (OR 4.74; p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The high prevalence of depressive symptoms in the study population was associated with variables related to the teaching-learning process and personal aspects, suggesting immediate preemptive measures regarding Medical School graduation and student care are required.
OBJECTIVE To probe into the clinical effect of needle-pricking therapy for treatment of polycystic ovarial syndrome.   METHODS One hondred and twenty-one cases of polycystic ovarial syndrome were divided into a needle-pricking therapy group of 61 cases and a medication group of 60 cases with randomized and controlled method. The needle-pricking therapy group were treated by needle-pricking therapy at sacral plexus stimulating points on both sides of the spine and lateral points of Dazhui (CV 14), and the medication group by oral administration of domiphen and intramuscular injection of chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). Levels of hormones and symptoms in the patients before treatment, after treatment of 3 cycles and at the sixth cycle after treatment were investigated.   RESULTS After treatment of 3 cycles, the level of hormone and B type ultrasound examination were significantly improved in the two groups (P < 0.01). At the sixth cycle after treatment, the conditions of the patients in the medication group were returned to the original levels before treatment, while the conditions in the needle-pricking therapy group still kept at the post-therapeutic level, and their menstruation and ovulation restored to normal state, and the ovulation mucosa and the pregnancy rate were significantly higher than those in the medication group (all P < 0.01).   CONCLUSION Needle-pricking therapy has obvious effect on polycystic ovarial syndrome, and has a good long-term therapeutic effect.
The invention discloses a novel multifunctional power electronic current-limiting system and a control method thereof. A PWM voltage stabilizing module is connected to a 10-kilovolt power grid in parallel through a shunt transformer Tb, a three-single-phase DVR module shares the direct current side of the PWM voltage stabilizing module to achieve energy supplying, a thyristor branch is placed between each contravariant unit output point of the three-single-phase DVR module and an output filter reactor and is connected with two output points of each contravariant unit of the DVR module, the output point of the DVR module is connected between the power grid and a load through a series transformers in series, and a small capacitor C filter branch is connected with a secondary side of the series transformer in parallel. According to the novel multifunctional power electronic current-limiting system, voltage fluctuation can be offset, the reliability and the stability of power supplying of a power grid system are improved, load voltage is stabilized, devices on the user side can operate normally, a short-circuit current is limited, the safety of a power grid system and the safety of a power supplying unit are improved, the short-circuit current is limited, the safety of a user device is protected, the time that the power grid bears a large short-circuit current in the process from short-circuit trouble occurrence to relay protective actions is shortened, and the safety of the power grid is improved.
Submitted for the DAMOP12 Meeting of The American Physical Society Characterization and manipulation of a high-magnetic field trap ERIC PARADIS, GEORG RAITHEL, University of Michigan — We report on the characterization of an efficient atom trap within a background magnetic field of 2.6 Tesla. Up to 10ˆ8 Rubidium atoms are recaptured from a cold atomic beam with a 2-3% collection efficiency, in a cigar-shaped volume and cooled with a six-beam optical molasses. The aspect ratio of the trap is measured as a function of the magnetic field curvature, which can be varied to produce a range of trap shapes. The trapping lineshape is both narrow and asymmetric, as is characteristic of lasercooling of atoms or ions in an external trapping potential. Additional features of the high magnetic field trap include cooling onto hollow shell-like structures. Simulation results are also presented. Eric Paradis University of Michigan Date submitted: 30 Jan 2012 Electronic form version 1.4
Abstract Most soils contain sufficient amounts of Fe for plant use; however, most of these amounts are found mainly in unavailable forms for plant use. Applying Fe to soil is associated with rapid sorption by soil; also, application of micronutrient elements might affect Fe availability in soil. This paper discuses the effects of applying Fe, Zn or Mn fertilizers on AB-DTPA-Fe extractability; also it investigates the fitness of Fe sorption data to different kinetic models to explore the possible mechanism or mechanisms that might affect Fe sorption in soil. The results reveal that application of either Fe, Mn or Zn had no significant effect on AB-DTPA- Fe in the Typic Torriorthent and Typic Haplocalcid soils. Mixed application of Fe + Mn, Fe + Zn, Zn + Mn or Fe+Zn+Mn increased AB- DTPA- Fe extractability significantly in both soils. The increase in the amount of AB-DTPA-Fe was about 4 folds in the Typic Torriorthent soil, and 40 folds in the Typic Haplocalcid one. Fitting the sorption data of Fe of nine periods of contact between soil and added metals to the different kinetic models showed that the simple Elovich and parabolic diffusion models seemed to be the most fitting models for describing Fe sorption kinetics in the Typic Torriorthent soil, while the first order model was the most fitting model to describe Fe sorption kinetics in the Typic Haplocalcid soil.
The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of the accountability-related to CSRD and the influence of the corporate governance on CSRD practices. This study used the Modified Koppell’s Model in understanding the accountability-related to CSRD, which consists of four dimensions, namely; transparency, liability, responsibility and responsiveness. The corporate governance characteristics studied are board size, board independence, board meetings, and female directors on board, which are used as the predictors of company’s accountability on CSRD. Annual reports of 100 public listed companies in Malaysia were analysed using the content analysis of two years observations i.e. 2015 and 2016. Descriptive analyses were conducted and it has been discovered that the percentages of accountability-related CSRD amongst Malaysian companies are mostly low. The study also provides empirical evidence that only board size has a significant relationship with the accountability-related CSRD. In general, this study put forward some insights about Malaysian CSRD practices from the perspective of accountability as well as governance related strategy in enhancing companies’ accountability in reporting CSR information. The study also signifies the need to strategically establish a relevant CSRD-accountability model towards an enhanced ethical-accountability based reporting.
Purified, formaldehyde-inactivated and alum-adjuvanted hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccines have recently become available for clinical trials. The vaccine is administered intramuscularly in a schedule of 0, 1, and 6 months. The aim of the study was to evaluate the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of an inactivated hepatitis A (HA) vaccine. Three groups of volunteers comprised the study population: 28 volunteers without antibody to HAV were given HA vaccine and, for comparison, 43 subjects received hepatitis B vaccine for possible adverse reactions to the HA vaccine; 12 other subjects received immunoglobulin alone. Each 1 ml dose of HA vaccine contained 720 enzyme units or about 100 ng of antigen. Anti-HAV was determined by means of a commercial assay (Abbott Laboratories: HAV-EIA), and by a more sensitive ELISA. No significant adverse reactions were reported. In the group that received HA vaccine, 4 weeks following the first dose all had detectable antibodies (> or = 20 mIU/ml) by the sensitive ELISA. By commercial HAV-EIA, at 20 weeks following the second dose 75.0% had detectable antibodies, and after the third vaccine all had detectable antibodies. This new inactivated HA vaccine is highly immunogenic and had no significant side effects.
Chitin is the second most important natural biopolymer from the shells of crustaceans in the world. Development of chitosan industries on commercial scale would also generate employment opportunities which are most essential for developing countries like India. Quite a few kinds of polysaccharides occur in nature in a broad range of structures and forms, and most of them are considered to work as structural materials or suppliers of water and energy, though their functions may not have been fully comprehended. We discuss chitosan, the most important derivative of chitin, outlining the best techniques to characterize and it is many applications.
The origin of agriculture in Ethiopia has often been attributed to external influences. However, some clues now suggest its probable indigenous origin. This study investigates major activities associated with the cultivation and consumption of the indigenous cereal teff in the Gojjam highlands of north western Ethiopia. A comparison is made also with the main activities involved in the cultivation and consumption of other cereals growing in the region. Unlike most other crops, the activities associated with exploitation of teff are rather unique. Although teff is laborious to cultivate, it is generally the most preferred staple and widespread food crop. Its utilization is embedded in different cultural and ritual practices which is absent among crops introduced from outside. The study suggests that well-established cultural and ritualized activities based on the cultivation and exploitation of indigenous crops might have preceded the arrival of crops from the Near East. The paper also shows that local context and specific details of crop cultivation and consumption are important in understanding agricultural origins in a specific area.
Manufacturing method of the antenna sheet includes an antenna coil and / or the connection pattern to form a material of a metal material provided on one surface of the substrate to the thermoplastic resin and forming material, a metal material provided on the other surface of the substrate the overlapping portion of the conductive member to form material, using a pressing means, for welding a pressing step of pressing at least one surface of the substrate, and the antenna coil and / or the connection pattern, the overlapping portion of the conductive member It has a welding step.
Geographic Information Task (GeoTask) is one of the newly proposed tasks at the NTCIR-4 WEB. Geographic information is close to our daily lives, and is one of the real ways to access Web information. Researches and developments of such aspects have been increasing recently, however, comparative evaluations of such kinds of techniques has not been carried out so far. GeoTask focused on the technology that the system extracts geographic information from Web documents relevant to a given viewpoint. The aim of this workshop is to expedite and advance researches and developments of Geographic IR technologies for the Web, therefore we are going to build reusable test collection for evaluating various methods of Geographic IR for Web documents. In this paper, challenges for searching geographic information are described, which are discussed through the explanation of our research on developing geographic IR systems.
Objective To investigate the resistance rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to several commonly used antibiotics,as well as the prevalence status of three species of integrons in multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 2005 to 2006 in our hospital,and to identify the genetic structure of classⅠintegron in in our hospital.Methods Drug resistance slip method was applied to detecting the resistant rates of 100 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to ciprofloxacin,cefotaxime,gentamicin and imipenem.Boiling method was adopted to abstract DNA template of 100 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa,and PCR assay adopted to identify the prevalence rate of three species of integrons and classⅠintegron structure.Results The resistant rates of 100 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to ciprofloxacin,cefotaxime,gentamicin,cefoxitin,tobramycin and imipenem were 32%,45%,82%, 37%,39%and 43%respectively.The prevalence rates of three species of integrons was as follows: classⅠ53%,Ⅱ21%andⅢ5%.Sequence analysis displayed there existed box gene dfrA17 and aadA2 in variable region of classⅠintegron.Conclusion The resistant rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to four drugs are elevated,especially to gentamycin.Multi-drug resistance may be partly due to prevalence of classⅠintegron.
Center for Congenital Heart Diseases, Department of Pediatric Cardiology/Beatrix Children’s Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands; Center for Congenital Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands; and Center for Congenital Heart Diseases, Department of Cardiology. University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Introduction. Washington state has experienced a dramatic reduction in adult smoking prevalence (22.4% in 1999 to 14.8% in 2010) because of a comprehensive tobacco control effort that includes a proactive health professional education and an outreach program. The outreach program uses academic detailing and online tools to increase routine identification and treatment of tobacco users. This article summarizes outcomes from the first 2 years of the program. Method. Outcome measures include the frequency of contact with providers, changes in the percentage of callers reporting that they had heard about the Quit Line from a health professional, and changes in provider Quit Line fax referrals. Data are compared between Initial, Expanded, and Never Outreach Counties. Results. From 2008 to 2010, a total of 629 unique health care organizations and 3,989 unique health professionals received services. Between 2007 and 2010, the ratio of health professional “How Heard Abouts” to total Quit Line registrations increased by 142.6% and 95.4% in Initial and Expanded Outreach Counties, whereas Never Outreach Counties showed an 11.2% increase. Fax referrals to the Quit Line increased by 132% and 232% in Initial and Expanded Outreach Counties whereas they declined by 39% in Never Outreach Counties. Discussion. Results suggests that health professionals can be an important and reliable source of referrals to a treatment resource such as a tobacco quitline. A field-based outreach program using academic detailing principles can be used to increase treatment referrals and holds application for other chronic disease areas and quality improvement programs.
With the working medium in a humid air turbine and compressed-air energy storage system serving as an object of study a new cubic type of status equation is employed to compute the vapor-liquid phase equilibrium parameters of pure water at subcritical and near-critical status as well as the humid air in the current range of experimental temperature and pressure.Compared with the experimental data now available the average and maximum calculation error of pure water saturated pressure is respectively 0.09% and 0.44%.As for the saturated gas-phase specific volume the average and maximum calculation error is respectively 1.81% and 5.15%.The average and maximum calculation error for the saturated liquid-phase specific volume is respectively 2.30% and 5.47%.The average calculation error for vapor molar fraction in the humid air is 0.10% with its maximum error being 1.99%.This new cubic type of status equation currently represents a relatively good mathematical model for calculating the phase equilibrium parameters of water and the properties of saturated humid air.
In this study, the effects of decreasing clutter cell size on radar system performance are analyzed. The mean and variance of the clutter cross section for small clutter cells, characteristic of high resolution radar, are calculated. Typically, the statistical distribution of the clutter cross section is assumed to be exponential. As the clutter cell size decreases, however, the statistical distribution of the clutter cross section is no longer well modeled by an exponential distribution. The variance increases as the clutter cell size decreases. The calculated means and variances for small cell sizes were used as input parameters to four clutter cross section distribution functions and the effect on system performance examined. Because a definitive statistical distribution of the clutter cross section for small clutter cells has not been identified, four common distribution functions were used to represent the clutter statistics: the exponential; Weibull; chi-squared and log-normal. Detection probabilities were found to decrease as the cell size decreased due to the non-Gaussian clutter characteristics of small cells. In some cases, order of magnitude reductions in the probability of detections were observed.<<ETX>>
This article examines a number of ‘trade licences’ issued during the pontificate of Clement VI, found predominantly in the unpublished Vatican Registra supplicationum. These licences were privileges granted to merchants exempting them from the papal ban on trade with the Muslim world. The article argues that the licences can demonstrate, amongst other things, that merchants were more concerned with their spiritual welfare and the ramifications of illegal trade than has often been presumed, and that the papacy was aware of the need for merchants to have contact with Muslims, in contradiction to the view of a fundamental opposition between the Church and Islam during the period. They provide a valuable insight into the changing Western attitudes towards contact with different Muslim groups in the Mediterranean, and also shed considerable light on the complex interaction between mercantile objectives and religion in the Middle Ages.
Introduction: The recovery ward is a vital unit to care patients awaking from anesthesia and is a standard requirement for the operating room. Recovery ward is located adjacent to the operation room and is easily accessible to trained and skilled individuals. The unit must have adequate equipment for surveillance and monitoring of patients and required medication should also be provided. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional conducted in one phase through referring to hospital facilities and equipment. Physical space, personnel and their skill levels and other factors that are involved in the care of patients in the recovery have been investigated. The instruments used in this study were a check list and observe sheet which were completed by the researchers. Data analysis was conducted by SPSS software. Results: The results showed that the standards of buildings and physical space in the researched areas were mostly nonstandard. Equipment standards were to some extent in line with the criteria set by American Association of Anesthesia. Besides, some equipment was blow standard levels. Personnel standards regarding the number of nurses toward the number of recovery beds did not meet the standard criteria in most of the cases. Conclusion: The research shows that building standards in most cases are not in line with mentioned references. Undertaking equipment standards in the hospital recovery wards needs reviewing and providing controlling equipment for preventing the complications of recovery phase of anesthesia in recovery wards.
Until recently, the Graham patch was the undisputed method of management for a perforated duodenal ulcer. Results of our experience with 186 patients treated at Wayne State University Affiliated Hospitals from 1970 through 1978 dispute this concept and suggest that a definitive operation is the procedure of choice. One hundred and thirty-seven of the patients were treated with an omental patch, and 47 underwent a definitive operation; 114 of the patients were available for an 18 month follow-up study. It was found that previous ulcer symptoms were not an accurate predictor of the need for a subsequent definitive operation and that mortality was determined by the age and condition of the patient at the time of operation rather than by the choice of operation itself. It is recommended that the perforation itself is an indication for a definitive operation unless the patient is in a state of shock at the time of operation. Vagotomy and pyloroplasty have proved to be safe, reliable, definitive operations in this situation.
The invention concerns a method for drilling a vertebral pedicle in particular for setting a pedicle screw using a motorised hand-operated instrument. The invention is characterised in that it consists in implanting prior to drilling an electric signal sensing electrode on a muscle and in connecting the drilling instrument to a voltage source, and in controlling a warning system in the event that the implanted electrode detects a signal correlated with the drilling instrument voltage source.
The Classified Recruitment presently evolves into the prevailing trend of recruiting university freshmen.It is a breakthrough,reducing the risk of applying to universities blindly,offering more opportunities of major-selection,and enforcing the competition in between teachers and majors.This system dramatically changes the original models of teaching and elite cultivating.However,colleges and universities should not carry out the currently-implemented classified recruitment policy without any careful and further consideration for it does not apply to all of them.
The paper deals with historical aspects of development of rural settlements ofUkraine. It is shown that the historical approach is of utmost importance for it studied economic phenomena right in the sequence in which they occurred. This allows to deeper understand the history of foundation of villages and their further transformation into cities or their complete decline. Types of rural settlements that existed and exist on theterritoryofUkraineare investigated. It is shown that the historical fact of foundation of a village is an indicator for planning development of the area which takes into consideration the specifics of rural areas, which has changed significantly under the influence of globalization. Розглянуто історичні аспектирозвиткусільськихнаселенихпунктівУкраїни. Показано, щосаме історичнийпідхідмає дужеважливезначення, оскількидосліджує економічні явищаутій послідовності, уякійвонивідбувалися. Цедає можливістьглибшогорозуміннявиникненнясілта їхподальшої трансформації умістаабоповногозанепаду. Дослідженовидисільськихнаселенихпунктів, які існувалита існуютьнатериторії України. Показано, що факт історичноговиникненнясела є індикаторомдляпланування розвитку території зурахуваннямсільської специфіки
This thesis discusses the indemnification by local government of Sambas Regency Against the Receiving Party as the Right Holder of Land for Development of Water Front City. From the result of this thesis research, it can be concluded that the implementation of the compensation for the right to the land affected by Water Front City Development in Sambas Regency, West Kalimantan Province still adheres to the principle of upholding the respect of the land holders. The local government of Sambas regency to this day is still approaching in a musyawarah, this is because the nature of the meeting is inherent in every side of community life in the district. Even personally the Regent of Sambas asks the owner / holder of the Land Rights, to release the right to his land for development purposes. The price offered by the Sambas Regency Government has been well above the market value and the Land Sales Value of Land (NJOP). The size of justice is difficult to determine, especially when it is associated with the application of a rule. Justice is one of the legal ideals that depart from human moral values. On the procurement of land for Water Front City Development, Sambas District Government seeks to make sense of justice for the owner / holder of Land Rights can be fulfilled. The intended justice is if the owner / holder of Land Rights has received compensation that is deemed adequate, because the compensation has been beneficial and give them a better life. The obstacles faced by Sambas District Government in the procurement of land for Water Front City Development is due to the unresolved agreement between Sambas Regency Government and one owner / holder of Land Rights. In the event of inadequate compensation provided by the government, because the owner / holder of the Land Owner feels that the land in which the house is standing has a Historical Value for family members who have lived for 50 years. It can be interpreted that the economic value of the land has not been able to replace the historical value of land and houses that have been in descending place, because the land and the house has given a lot of social meaning and deep memories for family members either in joy or sorrow or in other words The existence of emotional bond between the owner with the land and the building tersebut.Upaya undertaken by the Regional Government of Sambas Regency in this case prefer deliberation, in order not to appear the impression society is hurt as a result of the release or release of the Right to the Land for development, so Against one person Owner / holder of Right to Land who has not yet waived his land rights, Sambas Regency Government does not take the Deliberation effort.
Aims. The assessment of the potential pathological influence of Growth Hormone (hGH), Testosterone, Estradiol, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone in the development of SCFE and the re-evaluation of the Harris theory (increased quotient of hGH/sex hormones in patients suffering from SCFE). Methods. Nineteen patients in total were included in the study. Fourteen patients (7 boys, 7 girls, 16 hips) suffering from SCFE during the proceeding of this study, formed group ‘A’. Another 5 patients (4 boys, 1 girl), that had been treated for SCFE a few years before the study, formed group ‘B’. We measured serum hGH, FSH, LH, Testosterone and Estradiol levels. Furthermore we checked all necessary anthropometrical and clinical characteristics (age, height & weight, sexual maturation, grade of slipping). Results. Thirty six out of 95 in total measurements (37,9%) revealed pathological values. The majority of group A patients had pathological values (43% of measurements). The Harris theory seems to be true in 7 out of 19 in total patients: 5 group A patients (2 boys and 3 girls) and 2 group B patients (1 boy and 1 girl). Conclusions. We believe that a temporary (?) disorder or imbalance of hGH and sexhormones, under the possible influence of FSH and LH (along with other etiologic factors) during the early years of adolescence, may play a potentially significant role in the development of SCFE.
Contemporary pedagogical approaches are based on team work. Team work is when a group is focused on a particular goal and members of the group work together with the purpose of fulfilling the goal. In the pedagogical field this means that at least two pedagogical workers are focused on the same students at the same time.  For team work to be successful certain competences are needed. In the widest definition competences can be defined as knowledge, skills and strategies. For a competence to develop one must first function in a certain environment. Namely, one must first function in a team for team work skills to develop. However, functioning in a team alone is not enough for the development of team work skills. Education and team work training are important as well.  In my research I wanted to study how developed team work skills are in students of social pedagogy and in employed social pedagogues. I was also interested in which factors according to respondents affect the development of team work skills the most. Data was gathered with a questionnaire that had been solved online by the respondents. The questionnaire had been solved by 61 respondents, 29 of which are students and 32 employed social pedagogues.  The results have shown that students of social pedagogy and employed social pedagogues have developed team work skills to a very similar degree. The most distinct are skills of honouring agreements, conforming to team members, finding common solutions, being open to criticism and expression opposing views. The least distinct are skills of being acquainted with technical discoveries from the field of team work, expressing observations, disagreements and dissatisfactions in a team.  According to students of social pedagogy the development of team work skills is most affected by team work experiences, working in a team and feedback from the other members of the team. According to employed social pedagogues the most vivid factors in the development of team work skills are feeling safe in a team, clear instructions about the purpose of a team and the responsibilities of its members. Students of social pedagogy have evaluated reading technical literature, illustrations of team work by professors and assistants and lectures on team work as least influential factors. Employed social pedagogues have evaluated that team work skills are least affected by cooperation when preparing a seminar paper, lectures on team work and reading technical literature.
At present, the life support system on the International Space Station Alpha vents overboard the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the crew members. Recovering the oxygen contained in the CO2 has the potential to reduce resupply mass by 2000 pounds per year or more, a significant weight that could be used for experimental payloads and other valuable items. The technologies used to remove CO2 from the air and to recover O2 from CO2 are flight-ready; however, the interface between the devices is a problem for the Space Station system. Ames Research Center has developed a new technology that solves the interface issue, possibly allowing closure of the oxygen loop in a spacecraft for the first time. CO2 produced by the crew is removed in the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly (CDRA). This device effectively produces a pure CO2 stream, but at a very low pressure. Elsewhere, the oxygen generation system which makes O2 by electrolyzing water produces a hydrogen stream. In principle the CO2 and H2 can react to form methane and water over a suitable catalyst. Water produced in this methane-formation reactor can be returned to the water electrolyzer, where the O2 can be returned to the cabin; however, the methane-formation reactor requires CO2 at a much higher pressure than that produced by the CDRA. Furthermore, the CO2 and H2 are often not available at the same time, due to power management and scheduling on the space station. In order to get the CO2 to the reactor at the right pressure and at the right time, a device or assembly that functions as a vacuum pump, compressor, and storage tank is required.
Photograph of the Bancroft Shingle Mill Crew. There are twenty-seven men, all standing except seven who are seated. One row of men are standing on the ground and the other row is on a platform behind them. The men are wearing button-up shirts, some are wearing vests, suspenders or jackets and all except one are wearing hats. In the foreground are wooden beams and bits of wood. Written on or above some of the men are the numbers 1 through 10.
This paper presents empirical evidence that the neoclassical explanation of real wage has a high explanatory power at macro level. The factor endowments explanation of the real wage is surprisingly rare in the literature, at least at empirical level. In this paper, using panel data from 26 OECD countries, we show that the factor endowments-technology, physical capital stock and labor stock- have a significant explanatory power on the determination of the real wage. Based on our findings, we speculate that the supply-side rather than the demand-side variables may be the major source of the wage differences across countries.
Sales promotions, although ill defined and under theorised, have long been a part of the marketing communications mix and used by brands in a variety of ways in many different contexts. Much of the research that examines sales promotions has done so from a rational economic or behaviourist perspective. Whilst acknowledging the contribution of such ontologies, it is argued that there has been limited examination of sales promotions from a managerial perspective. What has been produced tends to be largely prescriptive and written for practitioners. In this thesis the ontology of critical realism has been used to develop a conceptual framework that treats sales promotions as individual entities taking place within organisational and market structures. This conceptual framework has been used to analyse empirical data collected from thirteen smaller U. K. brands drawn from a diverse set of product categories and industries. Four in-depth case studies are presented with rich, fine-grained insights into the behaviours of those involved in such activities and the subsequent outcomes; in particular the contemporary practices of managerial actors involved in the conception, commissioning and implementation of sales promotions activities. The results of a further 9 case studies are also presented in summary form. In each case the conceptual framework proves largely effective in interpreting the likely causes of the form that the sales promotion took and its subsequent outcomes. It is claimed that the research made the following contributions to the study of sales promotions: I) a re-examination of the definitional discourse that informs sales promotion and the development of a new definition ; 2) the early and successful use of the combination of a critical realist ontology and case study 3) that the forms and outcomes of sales promotions can be better understood as being dependent on causal explanations of involving organisational and business contexts and 4) the development of a model that integrates diverse contextual factors from both within and outside of the organisation in order to inform the managerial practice of deploying and managing sales promotions. The products of the study argue for a deeper and more sophisticated treatment of the way that sales promotions are researched, operate and are managed. The findings also suggest that both the method and the results have wider implications for the study of sales promotions, marketing communications in general and marketing practice.
Based upon the German safety criteria, released in 2010 by the Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU), a safety concept and a safety assessment concept for the disposal of heat-generating high-level waste have both been developed in the framework of the preliminary safety case for the Gorleben site (Project VSG). The main objective of the disposal is to contain the radioactive waste inside a defined rock zone, which is called containment-providing rock zone. The radionuclides shall remain essentially at the emplacement site, and at the most, a small defined quantity of material shall be able to leave this rock zone. This shall be accomplished by the geological barrier and a technical barrier system, which is required to seal the inevitable penetration of the geological barrier by the construction of the mine. The safe containment has to be demonstrated for probable and less probable evolutions of the site, while evolutions with very low probability (less than 1 % over the demonstration period of 1 million years) need not to be considered. Owing to the uncertainty in predicting the real evolution of the site, plausible scenarios have been derived in a systematic manner. Therefore, a comprehensive site-specific features, events and processes (FEP) data base for the Gorleben site has been developed. The safety concept was directly taken into account, e.g. by identification of FEP with direct influence on the barriers that provide the containment. No effort was spared to identify the interactions of the FEP, their probabilities of occurrence, and their characteristics (values). The information stored in the data base provided the basis for the development of scenarios. The scenario development methodology is based on FEP related to an impairment of the functionality of a subset of barriers, called initial barriers. By taking these FEP into account in their probable characteristics the reference scenario is derived. Thus, the reference scenario describes a comprehensive set of probable future evolutions of the repository site. By stepwise consideration of less probable FEP or less probable characteristics of FEP within this process, alternative scenarios are also developed, which are characterized by a lower probability of occurrence. An important methodological aspect is that some assumptions had to be made for the scenario development. They allow, on the one hand, to deal systematically with incomplete knowledge regarding the geological situation below ground owing to restricted site investigations, and, on the other hand, to structure the scenario development process. The consideration of alternative assumptions may result in additional alternative scenarios.
Objective: To study the preparation process of anti-aging healthy beverage.  Methods: L9 (34) was used to identify, weigh and pretreat raw materials, optimize and make an orthogonal experiment with as reference, screen out the optimal formula of beverage blending in accordance with sensory score.  Results: The best formula of anti-aging healthy beverage with compound hawthorn and Astragalus membranaceus: 43% for extraction amount of Chinese herbal medicine such as hawthorn and Astragalus membranaceus, dosage of sweetener for 8.4%, dosage of β-cyclodextrins for 0.5%, dosage of essence for 0.07%, xanthan gum for 0.05%, CMC Na for 0.15%, pectin for 0.06% and carrageenan for 0.04%. In this way, beverage flavor and stability are both the best.  Conclusion: Beverage with healthy function with hawthorn and Astragalus membranaceus as the main materials can be controlled to the optimum in stability and homogeneity effect. Beverage flavor can be ensured the best; at the same time, the production stability of the food industry can be ensured.
Streptokinase and catheter thrombectomy were retrospectively compared in 25 patients who presented with acute ischemia to investigate whether the use of intra-arterial streptokinase offers an advantage in the treatment of acute arterial or graft thrombosis. Streptokinase was used in all patients presenting with acute thrombosis unless the ischemic limb would not tolerate the time required for clot lysis. Complete thrombolysis was achieved in 47 per cent of the occlusions treated with streptokinase and initial limb salvage rate in 37 per cent of the patients. Subsequent surgical procedures were required in seven of eight patients with successful thrombolysis. Catheter thrombectomy reestablished vessel or graft patency in 86 per cent of the procedures and achieved initial limb salvage in 67 per cent of the patients. Long term (greater than six months) patency was achieved in 25 per cent of the patients treated with streptokinase and 44 per cent of the patients with catheter thrombectomy. Streptokinase did not prevent the need for further surgical intervention, improve early patency of these vessels or promote limb salvage when compared with that of catheter thrombectomy.
The operation of North-South and East-West station-keeping Hall thruster propulsion systems on-board two Russian Express-A geosynchronous communication satellites were investigated through a collaborative effort with the manufacturer of the spacecraft. Over 435 firings of 16 different thrusters with a cumulative run time of over 550 hr were reported with no thruster failures. Momentum transfer due to plume impingement was evaluated based on reductions in the effective thrust of the SPT-100 thrusters and induced disturbance torques determined based on attitude control system data and range data. Hall thruster plasma plume effects on the transmission of C-band and Ku-band communication signals were shown to be negligible. On-orbit ion current density measurements were made and subsequently compared to predictions and ground test data. Ion energy, total pressure, and electric field strength measurements were also measured on-orbit. The effect of Hall thruster operation on solar array performance over several months was investigated. A subset of these data is presented.
Tuberculous involvement of central nervous system (CNS), although not very frequent, results in severe morbidity. Tuberculosis (TB) is endemic in developing countries but even in developed countries, after an initial decline up until 1980’s, incidence of TB is on the rise. The AIDS epidemic, emergence of multi-drug resistant strains and immigration of people from endemic areas are some of the factors significantly contributing to this increase. Consequently, the burden of central nervous system tuberculosis has increased significantly worldwide.
LEADERS OF THE FUTURE Some students want to broaden their perspectives while others want to deepen their knowledge, and it is vital to challenge students to the level of their ability and interest. However, in regular programmes the possibilities for individualization and differentiation in content and didactics are often limited. The main focus of a regular degree programme is how to guarantee the bachelor's level for all students. Focusing on the average student alone, though, might cause Windesheim to lose the interest of students who are looking for an additional challenge. It is difficult to predict what tomorrow's world will look like. All we know for certain is that we are educating the professionals of and for the future, the next generation. Because knowledge is changing rapidly, we need to teach our students not only what we already know but, on top of that, how to build new knowledge and insights. Besides knowledge, students also need to develop the capacity both to excel in the present and to shape a new and a better society fitting their generation. To find new possibilities and new solutions, our future professionals must be able to cooperate across disciplines and cultures, to be critical and creative. As talented students will become the leaders of the future, Windesheim's challenge is to find the best way to educate them. WINDESHEIM HONOURS COLLEGE Our answer to the challenge is the Windesheim Honours College and Honours Programmes. At our honours college we offer the English BBA programme Global Project and Change Management. This program is accredited as "small scale and intense" by the NVAO--the accreditation organization of the Netherlands and Flanders--and receives excellent marks. Our students are being challenged in diverse areas throughout their bachelor's programme and are offered an additional challenge when compared to the regular programmes of Windesheim. One of the didactic pillars is that we address these students from the start as professionals. By cooperating with professionals from [international businesses and institutions and on real-life projects from day one onwards, they learn to cooperate, to come up with new solutions, and to develop their professional skills in diverse settings. In the third and fourth year, students are able to tailor their own subjects by choosing a project management field as an area of expertise. Students thus have the opportunity to specialize their knowledge and skills in the direction of global health, urban dynamics, social entrepreneurship, and/or civil society. In addition, the programme is globally oriented with an international internship that gives Dutch students as well as international students a challenge abroad Windesheim provides the support for this programme. The difference between this bachelor's degree and similar programmes at research universities is that it is less academic and more practically oriented, directed toward the future working environment of our alumni. It also offers international students a unique opportunity to combine the best in education from both a research as well as a practical perspective. For all of it students, the degree programme provides small-scale personal guidance and strong interaction with staff members. COOPERATION WITH DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES In addition to our honours college, Windesheim offers honours programmes, which give our most talented students a sense of community by inviting the best students from different study programmes, thus creating a multidisciplinary learning environment. The main goal of this multidisciplinary set-up is to broaden the students' perspectives: to have them acquire new twenty-first-century skills and knowledge that the regular programmes do not offer and to have them create new knowledge on shared themes together with lecturers, professors, and companies. …
The abundance of up-to-date diagnostic equipment and imaging techniques makes it necessary to reconsider diagnostic approach to many maxillofacial disorders, including mandibular tumours, and to elaborate algorithms of radiological examinations allowing for the planning of a cost-effective treatment based on thorough diagnostics. The material was composed of 146 case records of 68 patients examined in the years 1995-2000 in the Medical University of Lublin. There were selected radiograms as well as the results of other imaging modalities of persons with clinically confirmed tumours of mandibular ramus or angle. In each case there were noted: the initial and the final diagnosis as well as the number and sequence of the performed diagnostic examinations. On the basis of the obtained results there was proposed a diagnostic algorithm in cases of mandibular angle and ramus tumours, which was presented in the form of a scheme. It was proved that conventional radiograms are still fundamental in initial selection of patients while other diagnostic imaging methods are indispensable in treatment planning.
The micro-DEM of artificial hoed sloping field(10°) in loess plateau with grid cell resolution of 0.3 cm,0.6 cm,1.0 cm,3.0 cm,5.0 cm and 7.5 cm respectively was simulated by GIS to discuss the influence of microtopography scale on surface hydrological characteristics.The calculated surface roughness by indexes of RR,MUD and T are different,among which,RR and MUD are less affected by grid cell resolution while T is decreased obviously with the increase of grid cell resolution.The variation trends of MDS and surface roughness index are the same.The influence of microtopography scale on surface runoff yield and water storage characteristics are significant when P-F value was less than 2.5 cm,and microtopography scale has evident influence on Linsley runoff producing model.The surface water storage area and surface water level has positive correlation.When surface water level is higher than 0.015 m,water storage area increases rapidly and original isolated depressions are connected and surface runoff increases.The analysis shows microtopography scale has obvious influence on surface hydrological characteristics.
The purpose of this paper is to prove a weak convergence theorem for a common fixed points of finite family of nonspreading mappings and nonexpansive mappings in Hilbert spaces. The results presented in this paper extend and improve the results of Mondafi [A. Moudafi, Krasnoselski-Mann iteration for hierarchical fixed-point problems, Inverse Problems 23 (2007) 1635-1640], and Iemoto and Takahashi [So Iemoto, W.Takahashi, Approximating common fixed points of nonexpansive mappings and nonspreading mappings in a Hilbert space, Nonlinear Analysis (2009), doi:10.1016/j.na.2009.03.064].
Statistical agencies that disseminate data to the public must protect the confidentiality of respondents’ identities and sensitive attributes. To satisfy these requirements, agencies can release the units originally surveyed with some values, such as sensitive values at high risk of disclosure or values of key identifiers, replaced with multiple imputations. These are called partially synthetic data. In this article, we empirically examine trade offs between inferential accuracy and confidentiality risks for partially synthetic data, with emphasis on the role of the number of released datasets. We also present a two stage imputation scheme that allows agencies to release different numbers of imputations for different variables. This scheme can result in lower disclosure risks Institute for Employment Research, Regensburger Str. 104, 90478 Nuremberg, Germany. E-mail: joerg.drechsler@iab.de. Department of Statistical Science, Box 90251, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0251, E-mail: jerry@stat.duke.edu, phone: 919 668 5227, Fax: 919 684 8594.
In the manufacturing process of the electronic component in which a plurality of conductive patterns are stacked while the insulating layer, a conductor pattern layer in which a plurality of conductor patterns 4, 5, 7, 8 is formed through a gap in the layer plane, insulating continue to laminated a layer 10-13 alternately. Thus, to produce a laminate electronic part 1 which is formed by laminating conductor patterns 4, 5, 7, 8 has a plurality sets formed. Thereafter, pressurized with a force along the stack in the stacking direction, thereafter, separating the multilayer body and cut into individual electronic components each according to cutting lines which are set along the boundary of each electronic component 1 To divide. Thus the cutting removal area Z of the mother board for cutting out a plurality of electronic components 1, to form a removal dummy pattern 18 sized to fit in the area. The electronic component 1 is formed via electrically connected to the not no floating dummy pattern 15 cut away region Z and spacing the conductor pattern 4, 5, 7 and 8.
In the process of editorial modernization, Public Relation (PR) Awareness is essential for the editors in the Journal Editorial Department, which plays an important role in the improvement of the Journal editing work. In a broad sense, Journal’ s PR practice includes not only the horizontal PR, internally and externally, but also the longitudinal PR, upward and downward. To fully understand the importance of PR awareness, understand the basic content of Journal of PR practice is the ideological basis for the Journal’s editorial work; to improve Journal editors’ PR quality, do a good job in the Journal’ PR practical work is the methods and guarantee of Journal editing work.
Iterative Hard Thresholding (IHT) is a class of projected gradient descent methods for optimizing sparsity-constrained minimization models, with the best known efficiency and scalability in practice. As far as we know, the existing IHT-style methods are designed for sparse minimization in primal form. It remains open to explore duality theory and algorithms in such a non-convex and NP-hard problem setting. In this paper, we bridge this gap by establishing a duality theory for sparsity-constrained minimization with $ ell_2$-regularized loss function and proposing an IHT-style algorithm for dual maximization. Our sparse duality theory provides a set of sufficient and necessary conditions under which the original NP-hard/non-convex problem can be equivalently solved in a dual formulation. The proposed dual IHT algorithm is a super-gradient method for maximizing the non-smooth dual objective. An interesting finding is that the sparse recovery performance of dual IHT is invariant to the Restricted Isometry Property (RIP), which is required by virtually all the existing primal IHT algorithms without sparsity relaxation. Moreover, a stochastic variant of dual IHT is proposed for large-scale stochastic optimization. Numerical results demonstrate the superiority of dual IHT algorithms to the state-of-the-art primal IHT-style algorithms in model estimation accuracy and computational efficiency.
Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been linked to many types of cervical diseases, ranging from the relatively innocuous lesion to fatal invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Objective: to investigate prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) expression in cervical biopsies by immunohistochemistry, (IHC) in Kurdish women in Erbil city. Materials & Methods: During the study period between September 2012 and June 2013, a total of 57 biopsy samples of cervical tissue were retrieved randomly from the Pathology Department of Maternity Teaching Hospital & some private laboratories in Erbil city, Kurdistan of Iraq. They were categorized as: Benign cervicitis (12), cervical intrepithelial neoplasia CIN I (24), CIN II (7), CIN III (6), cervical squamous cell carcinoma ,SCC (5) and three cervical adenocarcinoma. Results: None of the 12 samples of benign cervicitis were positive for HPV protein while 15 out of 24 CINI ( 62.5%) ,5 out of 6 CIN II (83.3%)and 5 out of 7 CIN III (71.4%) were positive for HPV. Also HPV positivity observed in all five cases of SCC (100%), mostly in sheets of less mature squamous cells and in 2 out of 3 (66.7%) cases of adenocarcinoma, mostly focal & in single cells. Conclusion: The immunohistochemical staining technique revealed a significant detection of HPV protein in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia & cervical carcinoma in Kurdish women.
The invention relates to a synthetic method of diol phenylate compounds, which is characterized in that raw material comprises aromatic compounds, diol, metal salt catalysts, alkali, reaction promoting ligand and reaction solvent; the raw material is added in a reactor and stirred for 1 to 72 hours under the temperature ranging from 50 to 220 DEG C; the raw material is extracted through organic solvent and concentrated through a rotary evaporator, and then the diol phenylate compounds are obtained through column passing; a chemical reaction equation is shown in a patent specification; the synthetic method achieves high efficiency; in addition, metal salt is adopted as the catalysts, so that non-corrosiveness can be achieved, and the synthetic method is convenient to prepare and use.
Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is the blockage or narrowing of the portal vein by a thrombus. It is relatively rare and has linked with presence of underlying liver disease or prothrombotic disorders. (APLA –antiphospholipid antibody syndrome).However, no cause is identified in more than 25% of patients. Since lot of patients are asymptomatic and diagnosis is usually made in presence of complications. Abdominal pain is an interesting presentation of portal vein thrombosis, such as the patient presented in following case report.
BACKGROUND The implication of miR-452-5p and its prospective machinery in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. For this reason, this study aimed to inspect the clinical implication of miR-452-5p expression in HCC tissues with multiple detection approaches, to analyze its potential function via in silico methods, and to validate this using a dual-luciferase reporter assay.   METHODS The assessment of the expression level of miR-452-5p in HCC was conducted via four methods: 1) in-house real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), 2) miRNA-sequencing (miRNA-seq) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), 3) miRNA microarrays from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and 4) comprehensive meta-analyses calculating the standard mean difference (SMD) and summary of receiver operator characteristic (sROC). Following the target prediction, one of the potential targets of miR-452-5p was validated through a dual-luciferase reporter assay.   RESULTS MiR-452-5p was consistently elevated in HCC tissues via various detection methods, including in-house RT-qPCR, miRNA-seq, and miRNA microarrays. The final SMD was 0.842 for 820 cases of HCC samples. Simultaneously, the area under curve (AUC) of the sROC was 0.80 (0.76-0.83). The 1,135 predicted targets of miR-452-5p were enriched in the pathways of cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, carbon metabolism, and complement and coagulation cascades. Among these predicted targets, CDKN1B was verified to be a real target of miR-452-5p.   CONCLUSION The overexpression of miR-452-5p may play a pivotal role in the carcinogenesis of HCC via targeting multiple signaling pathways and genes. The function and molecular machinery of miR-452-5p in HCC requires further in-depth exploration.
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder and it imposes a big burden on health care systems. It is treated mainly with drugs but surgery may be used for severe cases. Sodium valproate is widely used as a major drug in the treatment of epilepsy, but the most serious adverse effect of chronic use is hepatotoxicity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Gum Arabic on sodium valproate-induced hepatotoxicity in the rat, by following liver function during treatment. Twenty eight healthy rats weighing 80 – 160 g were divided into four groups and received treatment for 45 days. Group (A) was given sodium valproate orally at dose of 2.2 mg/kg  body weight (B.wt) /rat/day. Group (B) was given sodium valproate 2.2 mg/kg body weight /rat/day and Gum Arabic 0.5 g/kg body weight (B.wt)/rat/day in drinking water simultaneously. Group (C) was given water and served as control for group (A). Group (D) received Gum Arabic at 0.5 mg/kg body weight (B.wt) /rat/day in drinking water. Alanine amino transferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, (ALP), total plasma proteins, albumin and total bilirubin were estimated with Roche Diagnostic/ Hitachi (902) system. The results showed that serum ALT and AST activities in group (A) receiving valproate increased significantly (P< 0.01) after 15 days, 30 days (P< 0.001) and 45 days (P< 0.0001). Treatment with Gum Arabic in combination with valproate (group B) resulted in a significant increases in the level of ALT and AST after 30 and 45 days compared to the control D (P<0.01). Although levels of ALT and AST increased, the values were significantly decreased compared to the corresponding estimates of group (A). A highly significant increase in the level of ALP was found in group (A) after 15, 30 and 45 days compared to the control. Although treatment with valproate in combination with Gum Arabic resulted in a significant rise in ALP level throughout the period of treatment; the rise was significantly lower than that recorded for group (A) at the respective times. Serum total protein concentration showed no significant difference between groups A, B, C, and D throughout treatment. However, a significant decrease in the level of albumin in group A was found after 30 and 45 days (P=0.01 and P= 0.001 respectively). Combination therapy restored the decrease that occurred
A thorough analysis of a case that involves a medication that may have caused or contributed to an adverse outcome, or a comparison of two compounds in a patent dispute, requires consideration of many processes that affect the clinical effects of a medication. These include its chemical structure, its pharmacological actions (pharmacodynamics), the pharmaceutical formulation, and its absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (pharmacokinetics). They also include analysis of clinical details, including the diagnosis, the quality of the prescribing decisions, the accuracy of the prescription, dispensing, and administration of medications, and how appropriately the case was managed, including monitoring. A causality assessment should be attempted for both the general case and the particular case. Knowledge of the systems that describe a medication's mechanisms of action (EIDOS) and the dose-relationships and time-courses of adverse outcomes and individual susceptibilities to them (DoTS) can inform several aspects of the analysis. Reports should be written in clear English and should not contain statements that rely on expertise that the expert does not possess.
New physics beyond the Standard Model could well preferentially show up at the LHC in final states with taus. The development of efficient and accurate reconstruction and identification of taus is therefore an important item in the CMS physics programme. The potentially superior performance of a particle-flow approach can help to achieve this goal with the CMS detector. Preliminary strategies are presented in this summary for the hadronic decays of the taus.
The present invention provides a method for connecting a first component (102) to a second component (104) by means of electromagnetic pulse welding in the motor vehicle sector, wherein the weld formed during the welding of the first and second components (102, 104) extends in a substantially planar manner in a plane perpendicular to a joining direction (122) along which the first and/or second component (102, 104) is/are moved in order to weld said components to each other.
In the course of commercialization plant gene engineering, transgene silencing is one of obstacles. It can result from structural characters of transgenes and endogens, position effect and genetic regulations of host plants before transcription; it happens due to effects of promoter, transcriptional factor and terminator when transgenes transcript; and it appears in view of modifications of post transcription, specific expression of foreign genes, as well as environmental effects. Thus, we can promote expression levels of transgene by selecting suitable transgene and regulatory elements, using advanced transformational methods and adopting the more concise and quicker means to select transformants.
Face detection method suffered from problem of feature selection process. The feature selection process in pattern recognition and detection play an important role. The current method of face detection system only focus on local, global and neural network process of feature extraction and process for detection. The optimised feature selection process improves the detection ratio of face detection. In this paper we proposed a new method for face detection based on wavelet transform function for feature extraction and for selection of feature of facial image used ant colony optimisation technique for selection of feature for classification of support vector machine. The optimised feature selection process pass the data of most similar for classifier for classified data for detection process. The optimised process of data reduces the unclassified region of support vector machine and improves the performance of face detection. Our proposed method compare with PCA and SVM method for detection of group image. Our empirical result shows that better performance in compression of PCA and Support Vector machine.
Siwangping copper deposit is a typical magmatic hydrothermal metasomatic-backfilling ore deposit in Chaoan county,eastern Guangdong province,whose most important ore-controlling factors are magmatic rocks,faults or interlayer sliding fracture,and wallrock feature,meanwhile interlayer sliding fracture in rhyolite porphyry and crystal tuff are the most favorable space for mineralization.The comprehensive analyzing of the relationship among magmatic rocks,fault,wall rock condition and ore-body scale or enrichment style are used for explain the genesis of this deposit.Furthermore,metallogenic modal is established,which is useful for the further prospecting for the similar ore deposits in this area.
The electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose was performed in alkaline solutions at gold nanoparticles modified gold electrodes(NG/Au) and high catalytic activity of modified electrode was clearly demonstrated.The current densities were markedly increased and the oxidation of glucose occured at lower potentials obtained at NG/Au than that obtained at bare gold electrode,which maybe resulted from that the gold nanoparticles can selectively enhance oxidation of glucose and decrease the overvoltage for the formation of adsorbed OH-.The influences of scan rates(2~1 000 mV 5s-1),concentrations of glucose and hydroxide,temperature and the pH value on the oxidation of glucose have also been studied.
Objective To investigate the effect of artificial carbon fiber for the treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation Methods Twenty five cases of acromioclavicular joint dislocation were treated with kirschner pin integrated with tying up the coracoid to clavicle by tensional double cotton threat with artificial carbon fiber.Results Redislocation and infection were not seen.By the method of Huang Gongyi's criteria of postoperative therapeutic effect,17 out of 25 cases got excellent result and 8 good.After the operation,roentgenogram showed complete reduction of dislocation for all cases.All cases were followed up for 6～20 months(average 12 months).Conclusion Artificial carbon fiber is reliable and effective for the treatment of acromioclavicular joint dislocation.The indication for this treatment are all grade Ⅲ A C joint dislocation and some grade Ⅱ subluxation;and the method allowed early function exercise.
A charging device, an image forming apparatus, and a charging control program are provided to predict the amount of discharging electric charges generated between a charged object and a charging object by the integration of a discharging current and control the charging, thereby reducing the integration error of a value corresponding to the charging amount of the charged object which the charging member charges. A charging device comprises a charging member(56), a current detecting unit(78), an integrating unit(80), a periodical signal generating unit(74), and a control unit(66). The charging member charges a charged object. The current detecting unit detects the AC(Alternating Current) component of a current flowing to the charging member. The integrating unit integrates the current detected by the current detecting unit. The current control unit controls the current flowing to the charging member according to the integration result of the integrating unit. The periodical signal generating unit generates a periodical signal having a period corresponding to the period of the AC component. The integration period control unit controls the integration period of the integrating unit.
Teenagers world is a world full of changes, teenagers going through puberty have a strong urge or desire about the changes that occur in her body and began to feel a sense of fascination with the opposite sex. The teens were trying to gure out about the things that make them attracted to the opposite sex and also they try to nd out about how and what caus- ing the changes that occur in her body is good physical or psychological changes. On the other hand, the ow of infor- mation and clubbing provide an oer that leads to sexual problems vulgar. That is what one of them as the cause of the sexual behavior premarital in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to nd out how the image of premarital sexual behavior among girls who do the clubbing and Any factors that in uence it. The approach used in this study is the approach in the form of qualitative case study subjects were a teenager women's premarital sexual behavior during clubbing. Engineering used for data collection were obser- vation and interviews. Observations made in this study is the direct observation - nonparticipant, direct obervasi are observations made by directly by going directly to where the subject is located. Overview of research on the subject of premarital sex behavior includes behaviors: touching, hold- ing hands, hugging, kissing, limitation of this behavior is to start from just kiss (light kissing) until the French kiss, that is the activity or movement of the tongue in the mouth (deep kissing). Making out (petting) that is various forms of physical sexual activity between men and women more than just a kiss or a hug that leads to power of sexual de- sire, but not until the associated gender, on general form of activity involved in this petting, involving behavior kissing, touching or grabbing, sucking, and licking in these areas couples, such as breast kissing female partner, or a kiss sex male partners. Related sex (intercourse sexsual), namely the existence contact between the penis and vagina, and there was penetration of the penis into the vagina. Factors aecting the subject of premarital sex behavior is a factor social, among others: the religious level is low, the norms that support sex equality, which tend to permissive sex- ual norms, have a friend peer that embraces the principles of free sex and family with parents single. Psychological factors, among others: the use of illegal drugs and alcohol addicts, low self-esteem, need for aection high educational goals are not clear and low academic achievement, feelings of alienation, deviant attitudes adopted, the attitude of par- ents who all permissive, impaired parent-child relationship, lack of communication between parents and children, couples dating is a permanent partner and an loved ones, adopt the attitude that contain high risk, tend to passive and dependent and biological factors, with age above 16 years (has been entering puberty.)
OBJECTIVE The purpose of the study was to assess the biocompatibility of a composite material considering the reaction caused at the implant site during 21 days by daily observing the subjects' behavior as well as by macroscopic examination and histological examination upon expiry of the testing period.   MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed the tolerance test by implant of the composite material Dualcim. The implant test was made on two species of lab animals, Guinea pigs and Wistar rats in two versions: subcutaneous implant and intramuscular÷perimuscular implant.   RESULTS After a 21 days period, when the implant was in direct contact with the tissue, no change of the shape and consistency, color or surface of the implant occurred. Around the implants, the biocompatibility was kept under physiological limits.   CONCLUSIONS The product, in the structure and shape presented, could be easily placed under good conditions, both at the level of the subcutaneous tissue and at inter-muscular level. In case of both species and in all subjects, the histological exam proved a favorable development of the relationship between the implant body and the placing site.
Soft tissue reconstruction of the sole. Retrospective analysis of 12 patients Background: An adequate reconstruction of foot soft tissue, specially in the sole, is crucial to restore functional capacity. Aim: To report the experience with reconstruction of sole soft tissues. Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 12 patients aged 19 to 72 years (seven males), subjected to reconstruction of soft tissue defects in the sole. Results: The lesions were secondary to excisions of malignant melanomas in seven patients, old traumatisms in two patients, a burn lesion in one patient and a diabetic ulcer in one patient. The reconstruction techniques used were skin grafts in one patient, local fl aps in eight and free fl aps in three patients. Five patients experienced complications and one of these required a new reconstructive surgery. Functional recovery was adequate in 11 patients. Conclusions: Reconstructive surgery of the sole can achieve an adequate functional recovery in most operated patients.
The topographic features of an implant, which mechanically regulate cell behaviors and functions, are critical for the clinical success in tissue regeneration. How cells sense and respond to the topographical cues, e.g., interfacial roughness, is yet to be fully understood and even debatable. Here, the mechanotransduction and fate determination of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on surface roughness gradients are systematically studied. The broad range of topographical scales and high-throughput imaging is achieved based on a catecholic polyglycerol coating fabricated by a one-step-tilted dip-coating approach. It is revealed that the adhesion of MSCs is biphasically regulated by interfacial roughness. The cell mechanotransduction is investigated from focal adhesion to transcriptional activity, which explains that cellular response to interfacial roughness undergoes a direct force-dependent mechanism. Moreover, the optimized roughness for promoting cell fate specification is explored.
This thesis argues that the resurrection of Jesus can be considered as a historical event and that there are important theological implications of declaring the resurrection of Jesus to be a historical event. The first part of this thesis identifies the questions that motivate this investigation, and providing examples of confusion of conceptuality and terminology often involved in posing these questions. The second part offers a brief synopsis of the evolution of historical method in the West, and surveys recent developments within historiography in order to establish that there is meaning and value in pursuing the question of historicity in regards to events, even if absolute certainty is never within the historian’s grasp. The third part considers the relationship of historical method to events that may be considered without analogy to everyday experience, specifically miracles, as discussed among twenty-first century theologians, in order to establish that consideration of events with religious significance may still be undertaken within the limits of disciplined historical method. The fourth part critically examines the use of historical method by selected New Testament scholars as it pertains to the New Testament accounts of the resurrection of Jesus, and explores the nature of the Gospel writers’ historiography, in order to show the various relationships between the implicit or explicit historical methodologies employed by New Testament scholars and their results regarding the historicity of the resurrection. The fifth part surveys recent theological assessments of the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus, attempting to lay bare what each author is trying to preserve or avoid from a systematic perspective, in order to establish how it is that the question of historicity is and is not applicable to the resurrection of Jesus. The sixth part discusses in a constructive way several key implications of declaring the resurrection to be historical for contemporary theology, including of the relationship of salvation and the historical process, the freedom of God to act within history for the liberation of the oppressed, our vision of the eschatological consummation, the telos of God’s creation.
An air-conditioning high-isolation antistaling method for fresh mushroom includes rinsing in rinsing aqueous solution for 3-5 min, treating with mixed antistaling liquid, dripdrying, pre-cooling, loading in high-isolation antistaling bag containing the mixed gas of CO2 (1-8 vol.%), O2 (1-5) and N2 (rest), sealing, packing with carton, gamma ray radiation with Co60 by 50-300 KR and coming in cold chain at 1-5 deg.C. The pressure of said mixed gas is (1-2)X10 to the power 5 Pa. The volume rate of the mixed gas to fresh mushroom is 1: (1-2).
Markov chain approach to quantify the coverage of dd-graph representing the software code using genetic algorithm (GA) is presented in this paper. Initially the dd-graph is captured from the control flow graph. In this technique, test software code coverage is carried out by applying GA through sufficient number of feasible linearly independent paths. These paths have been decided in a software code depending on computational uses and predicate uses. Automatic test cases have been produced for the three mixed data type variables namely, integer, float, Boolean and GA is applied. Transition probability of the Markov chain is attained from gcov coverage analysis tool of the initial test suite. Fitness function of GA is measured using path coverage metric; as the product of node coverage and TPM values. Highest fitness value represent the most critical paths among these independent paths with aim to increase testing efficiency of the software code.
The properties of moisture absorption,soaping and water evaporation of desert shrub fibre substrate were studied in the paper, the results show that the value of moisture absorption of desert shrub fibre material is 1.7 times of that of sanded soil and the evaporation of desert shrub fibre substrate is fast than that of sanded soil. The desert shrub fibre substrate has good moisture retaining property.
Includes: No date: St Augustine's Church presents Peter Pan Players in "Flat to let". Wednesday 12th May. Ticket. [1933?] Typescripts for amateur trials, including marks and comments for the play "The Funk Hole". Other typescripts, one with a subscript "God save the King" (probably 1940) Wadestown Players present two one-act play readings by Peter Pan Players. "Establishing relations" and "Background to tragedy", followed by "Let's be devils". Script for "Sparrow" in booklet, typewritten. Script for "Michael and Mary" (Detective Inspector's copy) [1932?] Plays for playwriting competition / Mr P W Cousins (typescript list) Thespians. "The brass door knob"; "The girl who couldn't quite". 7 September Programme for a reading of "The potting shed", arranged by Kay Farquhar [no date]. A reading of "The Paper Chain" arranged by Percy W Cousins [no date] Thespians Little Theatre Society. Rehearsal schedule for "Three men on a horse" [no date] "The coming of Christ". Cast list "Mystery at Green Fingers" by J B Priestley. Cast list Annual concert. Programme, The Henry Rudolph Girls Choir. The Thespian (newsletter edited by Barry Leighton and Peter Whiteside) 1930-1935: Various cuttings, and programmes for "The romantic young lady" (Wellington Players, 28-30 March 1933); "Flat to let" (the Belfrances Players, 8 August 1933, 4 September 1933, and 24 October 1933; notes for speech to the Spilt Ink Club "Sidelights of the stage", 23 April 1935; Lyceum Club programmes for one-act plays 1933-1934; Pandora Musical and Dramatic Society one-act play evening 27 August 1935? (with tickets) Harold G Hobday presents "Michael & Mary". 1932 (Flyer) Pandora Musical and Dramatic Society. "A dramatic night". Blue Triangle Hall, Boulcott Street. 30 July 1934 (included: "Five of a kind", "Always depend on Father", "Eldorado", "Love conquers all") Harold G Hobday presents "Mystery of the limping man". Town Hall Concert Chamber, 20-21 September 1932 (with letters from Hobday to Cousins late the next year, asking him to reprise the part for a Tauranga season) Concordia College Plays night, 9 April 1934. Programme (with items by Lyceum Club Drama Circle, and Belfrances Players) Concordia College Plays night, 16 October 1933 (with items by Wellington East Amateur Dramatics, Belfrances Players, Lyceum Club Drama Circle, and Wesley Joy Players. The Wellington Players. "The actress", "The simple sketch", "The mother of Judas". Wellington and Masterton, 1-5 November [1932]. 1936-1939: Mainly newsletters of the Pandora Musical and Dramatic Society, and two typescripts of the text of a talk on "A day in the life of a signwriter" by Percy Cousins. 1940-1944: Typescript programmes for performances of the Wellington Catholic Players Inc, concerts arranged for the soldiers at Trentham, Palmer Head, and Fort Dorset (arranged by Esme Crow), Non-stop variety Concert at the Grands Opera House ("Leigh Brewer - this charming little personality will soften your heart") 1940. Some Wellington Repertory programmes (readings of "The eldest son", 3 April 1944; "Without the prince", 26 May 1942) and British Drama League Wellington Branch. Petone Ladies' Choir & Verse-Speaking Society. Grand concert, Labour Hall Petone, 2 October 1940. Religious Drama Society. "A man's house". Wellington 7-9 September 1944. Mrs Bernard Webb presents her pupils in their annual variety recital. Town Hall Concert Chamber. 16 December 1941 (includes Gae Cousins, vocal soloist; Mr P Cousins was Front of House Manager) Grand Concert on Ngaio Town Hall. Proceeds in aid of Gift Plane Fund. Ticket, programme and cutting. 26 September 1940. Another concert in Ngaio Town Hall for soldier's parcels. 19 June 1941. Programme and ticket. 1945-1949: Various flyers for readings of: Wellington Repertory Society ("Laura" 15 July 1946;"The gleam" 22 August 1949; "Vanity Fair", 25 August 1947; "Edward my son", 2 May 1949); British Drama League Social evenings 29 May 1947, 21 November 1945; Religious Drama Society 1948 Social and play reading of "The keeper of the keys", "St Peter is delivered from prison", "Knocking at the door") Hataitai Methodist Play Reading Club. Typescript programme for 18 June 1947. Annual recital by the pupils of Mrs Mavis Ring. Oddfellows Hall Wellington, 18 December 1945. Religious Drama Society. "Murder in the Cathedral". Produced by Maria Dronke. 1947. Programme. Hutt Valley High School Old Pupils' Dramatic Society. "In the cellar"; "Phantom ship", produced by P W Cousins. 1945. Thespians. "They came to a city". Town Hall Concert Chamber. 25-27 May 1946. Programme. Religious Drama Society Wellington. "Skipper next to God". Town Hall Concert Chamber. 17-20 September 1949. Programme. Student Thespians present "The woman and the walnut tree" by Sydney Box. RSA Hall, Victoria Street, 4-6 October 1948. Programme. Thespians. "The Tempest". Produced by Russell Reid. Wellington Town Hall Concert Chamber 22-27 July 1946, and Palmerston North Opera House 2-3 August 1946. Programme. 1951: Thespians. "Ever since Paradise". A reading arranged by Jock Millar. 1951 (Typescript) 1952: British Drama League Annual dinner. Royal Oak Hotel Wellington. 23 Febraury 1952. Menu. 1954: The Thespians present a rehearsed reading of "The confidential clerk" by T S Eliot. 4 October 1954. Reading arranged by Jock Millar. 1955: The Thespians present "Surfeit of lampreys" by Ngaio Marsh. Australasian premiere. 22-26 Nomver 1955. Programme. Peter Pan Players present "Fools rush in". Labour Hall Petone, 6 May [1955?] Ticket. The Thespians Revue 1955. Typescript programme. Peter Pan Players. "Love's a luxury". Invitation letter 1955. 1956: The Thespians present "The facts of life". Concert Chamber, 22 September 1956. Programme. 1957: The Thespians. "Corinth House". 6 May 1957. Flyer/programme. The Thespians present a rehearsed reading of "The burning glass", reading arranged by Jock Millar. 1960: The Thespians. "Plaintiff in a pretty hat". First reading. Blind Club Social Hall. 1960. Thespians present a rehearsed reading of "Relative values" by Noel Coward. Reading arranged by Jock Millar. 1960. 1961: British Drama League Wellington Area. Evening of one-act plays 20 May 1951. Brooklyn Theatre '52 presents "Conflict" by Mrs E Kelsey of Taita. Producer Marshall Marsden, Peter Pan Players present "Hinemoa's leap" by John Dunmore of Johnsonville, produced by Percy W Cousins. Two programmes on one flyer. International concert. Concert Chamber Town Hall 31 July 1961. "Hinemoa's leap" produced by Percy W Cousins. Programme. 1964: Peter Pan Players. "Odd man in". St George's Hall Seatoun, 11 July 1964. Programme and flyer.  Quantity: 6 folder(s) of programmes, pamphlets, flyers.  Physical Description: Pamphlets, typescripts, programmes of sizes varying to 350 mm.
Examining Australian colonial re-readings of Shakespearean texts outside the formal realm of theatre productions offers a fascinating insight into the multiplicity of Victorian revisions and responses to Shakespeare as a literary form throughout the 1850s and 1860s. The growth of dramatic readings in non-purpose-built venues during the period represents an alteration of form significantly affecting colonial culture and the spaces and conditions in which alterations of form took place. Aside from purpose-built venues, other public spaces used for dramatic readings of Shakespearean texts included annexed rooms built on to, or adjacent to, public houses and saloons, town halls, court houses, showground buildings, schools, Masonic halls, and occasionally - albeit rarely - churches. This article has two aims: to explore the variety of the non-purpose-built social spaces in which re-readings of Shakespearean texts occurred during the mid-nineteenth century; and to examine the social and cultural shifts in attitudes to both the space, and Shakespearean texts, which such re-readings motivated.
The roles of individual liver cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes in N-dechloroethylation leading to deactivation and neurotoxification of the isomeric alkylating agent prodrugs ifosfamide (IF) and cyclophosphamide (CPA) were investigated using an in vitro rat liver model. Rats were pretreated with a panel of drugs, including phenobarbital (a strong inducer of liver P450 2B1/2B2) and dexamethasone (a strong inducer of P450 3A enzymes), to examine the effects of these P450-inducing agents on IF and CPA N-dechloroethylation catalyzed by rat hepatic microsomes. The P450 3A-specific inhibitor troleandomycin and inhibitory monoclonal antibodies reactive with P450 2B and 2C enzymes were used to identify the individual P450 subfamilies involved in microsomal N-dechloroethylation of IF and CPA. It was found that dexamethasone pretreatment preferentially elevated microsomal CPA N-dechloroethylation activity (12-fold increase) and that P450 3A enzymes catalyzed up to > 95% of this reaction in both uninduced and drug-induced liver. In contrast, IF N-dechloroethylation activity was stimulated (approximately 8-fold increase) in liver microsomes by phenobarbital pretreatment, and P450 2B1/2B2 were responsible for the majority of this activity. In addition, P450 2C11 catalyzed approximately 50% of IF N-dechloroethylation in uninduced male rat liver microsomes. inducers of P450 1A and 4A enzymes had no effect on N-dechloroethylation of IF or CPA. These P450 enzyme patterns for the N-dechloroethylation reaction are distinct from those previously determined for IF and CPA activation via 4-hydroxylation. In accord with this observation, the balance between oxazaphosphorine activation (4-hydroxylation pathway) and deactivation/neurotoxication (N-dechloroethylation pathway) could be modulated by P450 form-selective inducers and inhibitors. Thus, dexamethasone pretreatment substantially decreased the extent of IF N-dechloroethylation, from 47% to 24% of total metabolism, whereas it increased CPA N-dechloroethylation from 29% to 84% of total metabolism. Moreover, troleandomycin selectively inhibited CPA N-dechloroethylation, thereby increasing net metabolism of the drug via the therapeutically productive 4-hydroxylation pathway. Oxazaphosphorine activation and deactivation/neurotoxication are thus catalyzed by distinct subsets of liver P450 enzymes, in a manner that may allow for improvements in therapeutic indices for this class of drugs by using P450 form-selective modulators.
The present invention discloses a calcium carbide sensible heat power generation system based on calcium carbide furnace and its implementation, the prior art to solve the sensible heat released calcium carbide and other issues can not be recovered. The sensible heat power generation system includes calcium carbide calcium carbide furnace surround week annular heat exchange system, communicating with the annular heat exchange system of the drum (7), connected by a steam inlet pipe (1) and the drum (7) of the turbine (4), and the turbine (4) connected to the generator (3), respectively, and the steam turbine (4) vent and drum (7) connected for recovering exhaust steam to the steam drum (7) of the return system. The present invention is not reasonable structure design, easy to implement and effective recovery of the sensible heat of calcium carbide calcium carbide sensible heat power generation system, reducing the ambient temperature; in addition, greatly reducing the manual aspects of effectively reducing the risk of workers' jobs.
Various types of samples, including plastic foams, elastomers, and hollow-shaped plastics, are evaluated by both high-speed impact tests and the static compression tests. It was found that the high-speed impact tests together with proper data analyses are very effective in evaluating Energy-Absorbing (E/A) properties of various materials. Analyses from the data obtained from those tests, estimation of E/A properties for different types of samples from the compression data should be avoided and the compression data are effective only among the same type of samples. With the high-speed impact tests, plastic foams and hollow-shaped plastics showed excellent head protection properties. Foamed plastics, which can be easily applied to interior trim parts, are focused on and some typical plastic foams are additionally tested under various conditions. Comparison of those test results to actual vehicle tests, design guidelines in applying plastic foams to head protection trims are introduced as final conclusion. [A] For the covering abstract, see IRRD 896528.
The Sea Scheldt comprises the brackish (Belgian-Dutch border to Burcht) and fresh water part (Burcht to Ghent) of the macrotidal Scheldt estuary. The port of Antwerp is situated in the brackish part of the river. Brackish harbour regions are considered particularly susceptible to introductions, because the diversity of native species is usually low and the import rate of new species by ballast water is high. Canals, inland navigation and active introduction are other possible ways for colonisation. Although we have no specific research program for exotic species in the Sea Scheldt and its tidal tributaries, they are regularly encountered, e.g. during the monitoring campaigns for benthic infauna, as by-catch in the monitoring campaigns for migratory fish, on artificial substrates used for monitoring glass eel migration or on buoys. We present a non exhaustive list of 27 alien macrobenthic species (belonging to Oligochaeta, Polychaeta, Gastropoda, Crustacea and Diptera) that we encountered in the intertidal or subtidal zone since 1993. The tanaid Sinelobus stanfordi was found for the first time in Europe (Van Haaren & Soors, in prep.) The isopod Synidotea laevidorsalis is new for northwest Europe (Soors et al., submitted). Our list confirms the susceptibility of the brackish zone to alien species (19 out of 27 species), but the fresh water part also counted 13 aliens. Five species occur in both brackish and fresh water. Specific research, especially on epifauna and hard substrates, undoubtedly will reveal more alien taxa and further extend the range of the currently known taxa.
The mechanism of axial drifting of weldment on welding turning rolls was investigated. The simulation test for influential element has been carried out as well. The results show that axial drifting is caused by unparallel between the axis of roller and weldment resulting in axial force. When the helical angle λ between rolls and weldment is from 1°to 6°, the tanλ is linearly related to axial drifting speed v. Increase of number of deflected rollers causes non-linear increase of v. The angle of λ makes more effect on speed v than what the angle of deflection does. The turning speed of weldment is proportion to axial drifting speed v. The dead weight of weldment has little effect on speedv.
In this paper we apply the ideas from recent works on Student Activity Problems in proposing a theorem on some Kirkman type problems. That is, we find that for any prime number $p geq 3$ it is possible for a school teacher to take $p^2$ school girls on a walk each day of the $p+1$ days, walking with $p$ rows of $p$ girls each, in such a way that each pair of girls walk together in the same row on exactly one day.
Learning and experiments are aimed at the improving of students skills and ability of comprehensive engineering applications. Aimed at the limiation of experiments before, the merit of the establishing comprehensive experiment weeks for mechatronics were introduced in this paper. Not only the mircro electronics technology experiments, the electric device and PLC technology experiments as well as NC technology experiments which were related to in the weeks, but also the examination and tutorship to the students were reviewed. Establishing comprehersive experiment weeks for mechatronics is a good way to improve students skill and capability.
In recent years,The Economic and Trade Cooperation between Heilongjiang Province and the Far East Area of Russia had a development.But,it still has some problems.At the same time,both of the two countries' leaders changed,so is the Far East area.With the opportunities like new government's attention,Russia's enter into WTO,the happening of APEC,tourist year between China and Russia,we can improve the economic and trade cooperation between Heilongjiang province and the Far East area of Russia.
The trial enrolled 38 patients with chronic HCV-infection and Sjogren's syndrome (mean age 44.3 +/- 13.7 years). Biopsy of the minor salivary glands (MSG) was made in 20 patients. Polymerase chain reaction was used to study 20 MSG biopsies, 38 samples of native saliva for HCV-RNA. Saliva samples were also studied for Herpes virus DNA (EBV, CMV, HHV-VI type). All the patients with VHC appeared to have signs of xerostomia, 24 (63.2%) patients had xerophthalmia. MSG pathohistological changes were found in 19 (95%) patients. In the majority of cases (86.9%) they were characterized by mild infiltration and advanced fibrosis. HCV-RNA was found in the saliva of 23 (57.5%) patients, in MSG tissue--in 9 (39.1%) patients. HCV-RNA detection in the saliva did not depend on the degree of viremia, viral RNA in MSG correlated with viral load. EBV and HHV-VI, HHV-VI only and EBV were detected only in 7 (18.4%), 10 (26.3%) and 6 (15.8%) patients, respectively. Xerostomia occurred with the same rate (26.1 and 31.3%) in patients with and without herpes viruses in the saliva. Detection rate for HCV-RNA in the saliva was not related with viremia degree. Sjogren's disease symptoms in CHC patients did not depend on the presence or absence of DNA of herpes viruses in the saliva.
The research is aimed to find out metabolic product rumen fluid of sheep, whether given silage feed withlactobacillus sp suspension and yeast nor without lactobacillus sp suspension.Twelve male sheep age one year were divided into four treatments. The treatments were as followed P0 King Grass 35%, Rice Straw 35%, Concentrate 30%, Molasses and Water, P1 King Grass 35%, Rice Straw 35%,Concentrate 30%, Lactobacillus suspension, P2 King Grass 35%, Rice Straw 35%, Concentrate 30%, Molasses andSaccaromyces cerevicea, P3 King Grass 35%, Rice Straw 35%, concentrate 30%, Lactobacillus suspension andSaccaromyces cerevicea.Feed was given in three weeks, then rumen fluid sampling were done six hours post feeding, then pH, NAmonia,VFA (asetat, propionate, butirat) concentration examinations by chromatography gas.The result showed that pH and N-Amonia rumen fluid there is no different between treatments, but P2 and P3shows the highest level of propionate and butirat
In this paper we want to claim the place that Agatha Christie should have in Juvenile Literature. We will begin describing the advantages of detective novels as reading material for teenagers and young people. Next we will analyze Christie's characteristic writing style and her adequacy to this target group. We will finish selecting one of her works written in 1969, Hallowe'en Party and we will justify her penetration capacity in the juvenile world.
Sustainability standards for biofuel production calculated via life cycle accounting (LCA) require a certain reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions relative to gasoline. Recently it has been shown that LCA gives biased results and should be extended to incorporate indirect land use change (iLUC). We show that even including iLUCs, LCA is still biased and distorted because it is based on GHG emission and uptake calculations, which assume economic values only if (i) the environmental price of carbon is constant over time and (ii) the social discount rate (SDR) equals zero. We offer a sustainability standard free of these restrictions, expressed in terms of a range of SDRs and a maximal GHG payback period. Applying our methodology to Brazilian and U.S. data, we find that in Brazil conversion to biofuel production of two land types is genuinely sustainable, i.e., satisfies our sustainability standard, whereas in the United States no land type satisfies our criterion. Furthermore, the social value of CO2e savings by having the ethanol production from 12.8 million hectares of U.S. corn be produced in Brazil instead may be as high as $817.7 bil.
We study a model for anisotropic singlet pairing in A 3 C 60 , using a realistic model for the Fermi surface in a hypothesized orientationally-ordered doped crystal. Anisotropic solutions are studied by combining numerical solutions to the gap equation in the low-temperature phase with a Landau expansion near the mean field critical temperature. We focus on a class of three-dimensional nodeless d-wave solutions to the model, which exhibit a fully developed gap everywhere on the Fermi surface, but non-BCS temperature dependence of the order parameter in the condensed state, a relatively large value of the low-temperature gap, 2∆/kT c , and non-BCS structure in the quasiparticle spectrum near the gap.
FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to a multi-step method of treating peroxide solutions for reuse or recycling. Treatment of a peroxide solution includes collecting a primary peroxide solution which includes hydrogen peroxide or peroxy acid and hydrogen peroxide; adding a hydrogen peroxide-reducing enzyme to the primary peroxide solution; adding a peroxide compound reducing agent to the primary peroxide solution, where there is at least 0.1 part of peroxide compounds broken down by the enzyme per 1 part of peroxide compounds broken down by the reducing agent. A treated peroxide solution is then obtained as a result of adding an enzyme and a reducing agent. EFFECT: use of the group of inventions efficiently reduces the content of peroxide compounds in peroxide solutions without significantly increasing the content of overall dissolved dry substances. 21 cl, 4 dwg, 9 tbl, 8 ex
BACKGROUND Percutaneous transcatheter closure is an alternative strategy to traditional conventional surgical repair for ruptured sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (RSVA). The immediate and follow-up results of transcatheter occlusion in 13 patients were reported.   METHODS From February 2004 to June 2009, a total of 13 patients (9 males, 4 females), ages 18-38 years, were involved in the report. The diagnosis of RSVA was made based on a combination of several imaging modalities. None of the patients had other associated congenital heart disease, and all underwent local anesthesia. Transthoracic echocardiography was used during the procedure. All patients received aspirin (100 mg/day) and clopidogrel (75 mg/day) for a 6-month period after the procedure. Enalapril (5-20 mg/day) was administered to the patients with heart failure and/or cardiac dilatation. Chest radiography, electrocardiogram, and transthoracic echocardiography were undertaken at intervals of 1, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months during the follow-up.   RESULTS The size of the duct occluder selected was up to 1-3 mm larger than the maximal diameter of the RSVA opening site. The devices were successfully deployed without any complications. On follow-up, no severe arrhythmia occurred; there was no device embolization, residual shunt, RVOT obstruction, new aortic regurgitation, or rupture site. Compared with the preoperative results, the cardiothoracic ratio and left ventricular were significantly decreased in the patients with cardiac dilatation (0.54 ± 0.05 vs 0.50 ± 0.04, P<.05 and 54.11 ± 2.32 vs 50.11 ± 2.47 mm, P<.01, respectively).   CONCLUSIONS Transcatheter closure is a safe and effective alternative in the treatment of RSVA. The mid-term follow-up outcomes are good.
Clopidogrel is a thienopyridine class antiplatelet agent used to inhibit blood clots in coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease and cerebrovascular disease.The drugs works by irreversibly inhibiting a receptor called P2Y12, an adenosine diphasphate(ADP) chemoreceptor on platelet cell membranes. Adverse effect includes hemorrhage, severe neutropenia, and thrombic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP).which is important in activation of platelets and eventual cross-linking by the protein fibrin 1. The method is developed and validate by using ULTRON ES-OVM column (150 x 4.6mm,5 µm) containing Buffer :Acetonitrile mobile phase in (75 : 25) . Theflow rateissetat1.0ml/minuteandtheinjectionvolume is 10μl. Theruntimeof clopidogrel was 15.0 min. Thelinearityofmethodis 0.50-150.60μg/ml,thecorrelation coefficientisfoundtobe0.9999. EluentsweremonitoredbyUV- detectorat220nm. The method was validated as per ICH guideline for various parameters like precision, linearity, accuracy, rugged- ness and robustness.
The author of the article puts the question of transition to the third generation standards, it concerns especially the disciplines of agrarian slant; the problem being inadequately taken into consideration when designing curricula. Agrarian industry is one of the vitally important branches being in need of experts with informational-communicative knowledge. In view of it the author proposes to change today's curricula in informatics and to introduce themes, examples and tasks taking into account the specificities of the theme in question.
A fundamental requirement for any network simulation environment is the realistic forwarding of packets from a source to a destination in the simulated topology.The routing decisions will be affected by topology changes.In almost all current simulators,all the nodes know the topology changes instantaneously,which is obviously unrealistic.The model of dynamic routing was presented and analyzed.Further an approach was proposed to compute the time needed for each node to know the topology changes,and dynamic MTree_Nix routing mechanism was presented,which maintains static routing table and a message queue of topology changes,and looks up routing states according to the known time of different changes.Experimental results show that our approach can improve the realism of dynamic routing in network simulation,with high simulation efficiency.
This study examines the war and violence through the memories of a village people in Yeonggwang-gun, Chonnam During Korean war, the village folks divided and massacred each other, simply, because of the differences of their socio-economic status and/or their ideological background. Among them, naturally, there are a lot of memorial differences in their narratives and empirical evidences. So, this article analyses the difference of memorial contents and narratives, between the person who experienced the war as a simple spectator and who underwent the war as a victim or a prey. That is, It is concerned with the social and political context in which 'forgetting' or 'avoidance of remembering' is an important part of the creation of shared identity, on the one hand, and which 'remembering' or 'never-forgetting' becomes a realm of individual's life, on the other hand. This raises a number of questions about the relationship between 'individual' memory and 'collective' amnesia, on the experience of war and violence.
This document describes a novel learning algorithm that classifies "bags" of instances rather than individual instances. A bag is labeled positive if it contains at least one positive instance (which may or may not be specifically identified), and negative otherwise. This class of problems is known as multi-instance learning problems, and is useful in situations where the class label at an instance level may be unavailable or imprecise or difficult to obtain, or in situations where the problem is naturally posed as one of classifying instance groups. The algorithm described here is an ensemble-based method, wherein the members of the ensemble are lazy learning classifiers learnt using the Citation Nearest Neighbour method. Diversity among the ensemble members is achieved by optimizing their parameters using a multi-objective optimization method, with the objectives being to maximize Class 1 accuracy and minimize false positive rate. The method has been found to be effective on the Musk1 benchmark dataset.
We study how the recent housing boom and bust affected college enrollment during the 2000s. We exploit cross-city variation in local housing booms, which improved labor market opportunities for young men and women. We find that the boom substantially lowered college enrollment, with effects concentrated at two-year colleges. The decline in enrollment during the boom was generally reversed during the bust; however, attainment remains persistently low for particular cohorts, suggesting that reduced educational attainment is an enduring effect of the recent housing cycle. We estimate that the housing boom explains roughly 30 percent of the recent slowdown in college attainment. (JEL J24, I21, E24) * A prior version of this paper circulated as “Housing Booms, Labor Market Outcomes and Educational Attainment”. We thank the editor and four anonymous referees for their comments. We are grateful to Tom Davidoff, Edward Glaeser, Matthew Gentzkow, Michael Lovenheim, Ofer Malamud, Atif Mian, Enrico Moretti, Emily Oster, Amir Sufi, and seminar participants at the Columbia, Maryland, Northwestern, University of Chicago, the University of Houston, University of Illinois at Chicago, the AEA Annual Meetings, Yale-SOM, NYU, Princeton, University of British Columbia, UC-Berkeley, and New York Federal Reserve for helpful comments. We thank Dave Deming, Fernando Ferreira, and Chris Mayer for generously sharing data. We thank Vishal Kamat, Pinchuan Ong, Mariel Schwartz, David Toniatti, Haiyue Yu, and Dan Zangri for excellent research assistance. We gratefully acknowledge the Initiative on Global Markets at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business for financial support. Hurst thanks the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of British Columbia, and Notowidigo thanks the Einaudi Institute for both financial support and hospitality while working on this project. † kerwin.charles@gmail.com, Harris School, University of Chicago and NBER ‡ erik.hurst@chicagobooth.edu, University of Chicago Booth School of Business and NBER § noto@northwestern.edu, Northwestern University and NBER
This is the fifth edition of the widely used differential diagnosis of internal medicine in German language by the well-known Swiss clinician. In this book, the analysis of the leading symptoms is used in the discussion of diagnostic problems. After an introduction of general aspects, the different symptoms are discussed is successive order. Etiologic classification of diseases is applied wherever possible and where etiology is known. However, the author's remark is well taken that differential diagnosis cannot be classified purely by pathologic physiological aspects, since this is not known in many instances. Excellent illustrations help to understand the text and guide the reader in visualization of the described problems. The book is comprehensive and describes also rarities such as carcinoid of the digestive tract leading to endocardial fibroelastosis and right heart failure. However, even in a book of outstanding completeness such as this one, one may find that some symptoms
The purpose of this article is to analyze freight transportation rates in Brazil. The broad database available allows a detailed investigation by mode, type of cargo, distance and market segment. The results confirm the theoretical references revisited in terms of the spectrum of variation found in rates, in spite of the competitive forces that prevail. The impact of the dominant trucking mode on the pricing possibilities of the rail and inland water modes are discussed. The freight rate functions estimated also confirm the importance of nonlinearity and of cross-effects of variables such as distance and diesel prices. BIBLIOGRAFIA BAUMOL, W. J., VINOD, H. D. An inventory–theoretic model of freight transport demand. Management Science, Providence, v. 16, n. 7, p. 413–421, Mar. 1970. BEILOCK, R., GARROD, P., MILKLIUS, W. Freight charges variations in truck transport markets: price discrimination or competitive pricing. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1986. BOYER, K. Principles of transportation economics. New York: Addison-Wesley, 1997. CAIXETA–FILHO, J. V. Sistema de informacoes de fretes para cargas agricolas: concepcao e aplicacoes. In: CAIXETA–FILHO, J. V., GAMEIRO, A. Sistemas de gerenciamento de transportes. Sao Paulo: Ed. Atlas, 2001. CASTRO, N. de. Substituicao entre modo de transporte e armazenagem e suas implicacoes. Revista Brasileira de Armazenamento, 1984 e Anais do V Encontro da Sociedade Brasileira de Econometria, 1984. CASTRO, N., RODRIGUES, B. Modelo de custos rodoviarios. Facc/UFRJ, 1998, mimeo. CHIANG, S. J. W. Economies of scale and scope in multiproduct industries: a case study of the regulated U.S. trucking industry. Cambridge, Mass.: Massachusets Institute of Technology, 1981 (Tese de Ph.D.). CHIANG, S. J. W., FRIEDLAENDER, A. F. Output aggregation, network effects, and the measurement of trucking technology. The Review of Economics and Statistics, Amsterdam, v. 66, n. 2, p. 267–282, May 1984. CORREA Jr., G. Principais determinantes do preco do frete rodoviario para o transporte de soja em graos em diferentes regioes brasileiras: uma analise econometrica. Esalq/USP, 2001 (Dissertacao de Mestrado). DESENVOLVIMENTO RODOVIARIO S. A. (DERSA). Fundamentacao social e economica das estrategias do PDDT: precos, custos e subsidios no transporte de carga. NGT/Consult, 2002 (Relatorio Tecnico). DE VANY, A., SAVING, T. Product quality, uncertainty and regulation: the trucking industry. American Economic Review, v. 67, n. 4, 1977. 189 Formacao de precos no transporte de carga MEYER, J. R., PECK, M., STENANSON, J., ZWICK, C. The economics of competition in the transportation industries. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1959. SAMUELSON, R. Modelling the freight rate structure. MIT, 1977 (CTS Report, 77–7). TEIXEIRA FILHO, J. L. L. Modelos analiticos de fretes cobrados para o transporte de carga. IME, 2001 (Dissertacao de Mestrado). WILSON, G. W. On the output unit transportation. Land Economics, Madison, v. 35, p. 266– 276, Aug. 1959. WILSON, W., WILSON, W., KOO, W. Modal competition in grain transport. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, Sep. 1988. WINSTON, C., CORSI, T., GRIMM, C., EVANS, C. The economic effects of surface freight deregulation. Washington, D. C.: The Brookings Institution, 1990. WYCKOFF, D. Factors promoting concentration of motor carriers under deregulation. Transportation Research Forum, 1974. (Originais recebidos em abril de 2002. Revistos em junho de 2002.)
A METHODOLOGY FOR THE DESIGN OF AN INTEGRA FED AIR STRIPPING/BIOFILTRATION PROCESS TO CLEAN CONTAMINATED AQUIFERS by Pothitos Ioannis Stamatiadis This thesis deals with the conceptual design of an integrated air stripping/biofiltration process for cleaning aquifers contaminated with volatile organic pollutants. In this technology, the pollutant is transferred from the aquifer to an air stream which is subsequently treated in a biofilter. The work presented here is an effort to develop a design methodology for the integrated process and suggests a general, quantitative approach which can be used in preliminary technology evaluation. This methodology involves relatively simple equations for the stripping process and detailed (oftentimes complex) models for biofiltration under conditions of continuous variation of the properties of the polluted airstream which is fed to the biofilter. In this thesis, conventional biofilters were considered. These units have a porous organic support for the biofilms and do not involve supply of nutrients to the organisms through a liquid phase. The air stripping process was considered to be either under equilibrium distribution conditions for the pollutant between the aquifer and the air sparged through it, or under conditions deviating from equilibrium. This deviation was expressed through the use of a fraction of the Henry's constant. The proposed methodology was applied to eight different situations (case studies). These involved differences in the equilibrium distribution of the pollutant, and the number and extent of the time periods in which the total remediation time is divided. This division is proposed for maintaining relatively constant pollutant concentrations to the inlet of the biofilter over an extended period of time. Sample calculations have been performed assuming that a constant volume aquifer is contaminated with toluene. The results show that the integrated process can be designed based on predictive engineering models, and that the size of the required biofilter bed and the time frame for decontamination of the aquifer can be very reasonable. A METHODOLOGY FOR THE DESIGN OF AN INTEGRATED AIR STRIPPING/BIOFILTRATION PROCESS TO CLEAN CONTAMINATED AQUIFERS by Pothitos Ioannis Stamatiadis A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Environmental Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering January 1997
The invention relates to a pre-dispersing masterbatch particle of liquid rubber chemicals and a preparation method thereof. The compound comprises a first pre-mixture, a second pre-mixture and an optional processing agent, wherein the first pre-mixture comprises a liquid vulcanizing agent and white carbon black; the second pre-mixture comprises rubber base materials, EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) resins, a lubricant, a dispersing agent, processing oil and an inorganic filler; and the optional processing agent comprises a lubricant, processing oil and a coupling agent. The invention also relates to a preparation method of the pre-dispersing masterbatch particle of the liquid rubber chemicals. The process is simple, and the product dispersibility is good, thus the method is beneficial to theabsorption in the blending process and ensures the optimum activity of the effective components, the blending time is reduced, and the defects of delaying the blending process caused by the differentpolarities of the liquid assistant and rubbers.
Determining the way to make a reclamation project with many excavation areas or borrow areas, and several pieces of dredging equipment at minimum costs takes too much time to do by hand. A linear programming application is made to support the allocation of excavation areas and pieces of equipment to reclamation areas. Such an application was already available at HAM, but it could only be used in limited cases. The newly developed application can be used not just for allocation optimisation of soil in reclamation projects, but also for allocation optimisation in dredging projects aswell as a mix ofthe two as well. This application is a linear model of the cost items in a project. Preconditions areadded to the model for limits to available sand, limits to project duration, limits imposed byworking methods and options for working in joint ventures. The optimisation application can beused for obtaining the cheapest working method while making a tender, or while executing a project. The model is implemented in an executable and a reliable solver is included to calculate optimal solutions. A simple shell is made in Microsoft Excel that provides an interface familiar to the user. The program is tested for stability and speed. The program is also tested on a few projects to establish its practical value. By introducing an execution step 1 , the new optimisation program can be used for complete projects while planning preconditions can be included. Once a project has been cast in the model, it can be used for rapid calculation of different scenarios. In most cases, working methods obtained by optimisation proved to be cheaper than working methods obtained by traditional methods. Some additions can be made in the future. Options to generate input with Monte Carlo simulation can be included to the shell or in the executable. Time can be saved and mistakes can be avoided if the large amount of data is stored in a database system. A tool can be developed which represents the solution in some graphical form for easier interpretation and comparison. Chapter 2 deals with the problem and goal definition of this project. The optimisation model cannot be used in all types of projects. Chapter 3 describes in what cases and how to use the optimisation model. Chapter 4 Explains Why optimisation is chosen for achieving the objective of this thesis. The aspects of dredging processes that have an influence on the costs are described in section 5. Section 6 describes how a new model is made with the old model, tjur7^2 as a starting point. Section 7 explains Why it is advisable to resort to commercial software for solving the model. The experience obtained from three projects is described in section 8. Chapter 9 summarises the conclusions drawn from developing and testing the optimisation tool. The actions that have to be taken to finish the development and evolve the program "Optimise" into a tool with automated analysis, are written in section 10.
Music in the Digital Age: An Analysis of Declining Revenue in the U.S. Recorded Music Industry Ward M. Reesman Director: Dr. Michael Allgrunn, Ph.D. At its height, the U.S. recorded music industry brought in annual revenue of $20 billion. Since the turn of the 21 century, there has been a dramatic decline in recorded music revenue, to a level of $7.6 billion in 2016. What has been the cause of this sharp decline? In this paper, I hypothesize that technological advancement and the rise of music piracy via file-sharing technologies have been the primary instruments of this decline. I find empirical evidence that technological advancement is associated with downward pressure on recorded music revenue but find ambiguous results to the impact of music piracy. I reconcile these findings with a summary of a growing expanse of literature that suggests on net, music piracy has a negative impact on aggregate recorded music revenue, though the literature is inconclusive as to the magnitude of this effect. I conclude with suggestions of future research directions to determine the full effects of digitization on musician and consumer welfare.
Although polygraph test has been widely used in China′s judicial practice,the existing laws do not regulate it.There are no norms on test personnel as well as the admissibility rules,which leads to the disorder of polygraph application and holdback of the technology in judicial proceedings.The paper analyses the value of evidence and the weight of proof from the canonical analysis and suggests that the polygraph conclusion can be used as evidence in the criminal procedure.
Submitted for the MAR12 Meeting of The American Physical Society Graphene Nano-Electrodes for DNA Sequencing: an Ab initio Perspective R.H. SCHEICHER, J. PRASONGKIT, A. GRIGORIEV, Uppsala University, Y. HE, M. LIU, Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, R. AHUJA, Uppsala University — The proposal was made that a graphene nanogap could be used to probe the transverse conductance of individual nucleotides in DNA to rapidly identify the associated base sequence. Experimentally, the characteristic drop in ionic current associated with translocation events of DNA passing through a graphene nanopore was measured. Using first-principles methods, we evaluated the performance of two graphene nano-electrodes configurations for nucleobase identification. In the first study, Nano Lett. 11, 1941 (2011), we investigated the electronic transport properties of the four nucleotides when located in a graphene nanogap by employing density functional theory and the non-equilibrium Green’s function method. In particular, we determined the electrical current variation at finite bias due to changes in the nucleotides orientation. Our second study, Adv. Funct. Mater. 21, 2674 (2011), utilized molecular dynamics simulations in conjunction with electronic transport calculations to explore specifically the effect of the hydrogenated graphene edges on the translocating DNA. It is found that edge-hydrogenated graphene electrodes facilitate the temporary formation of weak H-bonds with suitable atomic sites in the nucleotides. R. H. Scheicher Uppsala University Date submitted: 01 Dec 2011 Electronic form version 1.4
Objective To establish a method for quantitative determination of the moisture content in Pogostemon cablin(Blanco) Benth by near-infrared spectroscopy and make a rapid test.Methods Moisture contents of 142 samples were determined by a vacuumc drying method.The quantitative detest model for moisture content in Pogostemon cablin(Blanco) Benth was established by using multiplicative signal correction(MSC),near-infrared spectroscopy pretreated with first-derivative and partial least squares method.Results The internal cross-validation determination coefficient was 0.968 67,with corrected mean-square error as 0.241,predicted mean-square deviation as 0.308,and internal cross-validation mean square error as 0.430 in the created calibration model.Conclusion This quantitative model by near-infrared spectroscopy is steady,accurate and reliable,which can be applied to rapid determination of moisture content in Pogostemon cablin(Blanco) Benth.
The results of theoretical analysis for the transmission loss and the acoustic energy flux in a duct with different by-pass length and cross section have been verified by the experiments in the mentioned paper.There exists more noise reduction by using this type of duct with a by-pass for mono-frequency noise, 1 / 3 octave frequency band noise and white noise. Moreover,the frequency band of noise reduction is much wider.Meanwhile for experimental data processing the "average mothed"presented in the paper is better than the previous"three point method".
We have prepared polycrystalline Fe and amorphous Tb(FeCo) films using both dc diode‐ and magnetron‐sputtering techniques. Magnetic properties and aging characteristics of these films were measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer and an automatic torque magnetometer. Film morphologies were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The magnetic and aging characteristics are closely correlated to the film morphology. It was also found that different sputtering methods can be tailored to produce a similar film morphology. Among the sputtering parameters, the Ar pressure during deposition at room or lower temperature strongly influences the film morphology.
We studied epidemiological data to determine the magnitude of problem, identify risk group and factors related to injuries. The data was collected from individual registered information of all injured workers who claimed and received fund from Office of Workmenus Compensation Fund (OWCF), Social Security Office during January 1 – December 31, 1993. There were 165,042 employees registered to QWEF and 7,493 injured employees who claimed and received fund. The morbidity rate was 4.5 per 100 workers year. According to industrial type, the highest morbidity rate was construction industry (52.8 per 100 workers), followed by marble related industry (44.7 per 100) and basic metal industry (10.3 per 100). Male to female radio of all injured workers often occurred during Monday to Saturday,8.00 a.m. to 16.00 P.m.. The leading type of incidents/ exposures was being hit by moving objects (25.2%) , foreign body entering in to eye (18.5%), struck by objected (18.2%), and contacted with manpowered handtool (17.8%). Forty seven of the injuries among injured workers resulted in four principal nature of injuries and related parts : superficial injury of eyes (18%), cut or laceration of fingers (12.1%), contusion of fingers (10.4%), and back muscle strain (5.4%). Almost ninety percent of all injured workers attended hospitals. For work related fatalities, the fatal injury rate for all industries of all combined was 13.9 per 100,000 workers which was highest in the construction industry (527.2 per 100,000 workers). Male to fatality ratio was 3.6:1. The three leading causes of death wer motor vehicle related deaths (39.1%), asphyxia (17.4%), and falls from scaffolds (13.0%). The construction industry should be the first priority for solving problem. The results indicated that machine operators, laborers, metal trade workers, and handicrafts were risk groups and problems of fingers and eyes injuries need to be solved in urgent.  Further study is needed to determine prevention and measures and provide task – specific data. These data should be able to indentify risk factors associated with specific injury events so that effective interventions can be developed.
BACKGROUND Antagonists of platelet-activating factor (PAF) reduce myocardial postischemia reperfusion injury when given before the onset of ischemia. However, the effects of PAF antagonists when administered at a clinically modelled time (during ischemia but before reperfusion) are controversial. Moreover, the extended survival (eight day) and the characteristics of scar formation after treatment with PAF antagonists have not been investigated.   OBJECTIVES To determine the therapeutic potential of PAF antagonist TCV-309 for the treatment of regional myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury; and to determine the effects of TCV-309 on cardiovascular recovery, evolution of scar formation and survival eight days after a myocardial infarction treated with reperfusion.   ANIMALS AND METHODS Swine underwent regional myocardial ischemia for 60 mins by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, followed by reperfusion for eight days. The treated group (n=7) received PAF antagonist TCV-309 (0.1 mg/kg) 45 mins after ligation; the untreated group (n=7) received vehicle only.   RESULTS Untreated animals experienced significantly (P<0.001) lower systemic arterial blood pressure during the reperfusion period than animals treated with TCV-309. Furthermore, untreated animals required significantly more (P<0.01) antiarrhythmic and inotropic support. Only two of seven animals in the untreated group survived, which was significantly different (P<0.05) from the six of seven treated animals that survived for eight days. Morphometric analyses did not show differences between groups in the characteristics of scar formation following reperfusion for eight days.   CONCLUSIONS PAF antagonist TCV-309 improves survival and reduces cardiovascular dysfunctions associated with regional myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury when administered at a clinically modelled time.
Kierkegaard's Attack upon "Christendom" was aimed at the established church in Denmark. Since the Episcopal Church often has a fantasy of establishment, this essay explores the implications of Kierkegaard's book for the American church. Kierkegaard first criticizes the preaching and the public worship of the Danish Church. In response to this situation Kierkegaard emphasizes the difficulty of becoming a Christian and living the Christian life. He argues that leniency has led to the abolition of Christianity in Denmark and calls for rigor in these matters. The author describes his own experience of leniency in several dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Then the works of Ruth A. Meyers and the Standing Liturgical Commission on Christian initiation which treat these issues are examined. Finally, Kierkegaard's later works are seen as predicting the horrors of the twentieth century and Kierkegaard scholar Howard A. Johnson's interpretation of this for President Roosevelt are recounted. Kierkegaard's Attack upon "Christendom" was aimed at the established Lutheran church in Denmark in 1854. The Episcopal Church in the United States has always trailed clouds of glory from its origin in the established Church of England; witness the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, known as the Washington National Cathedral and the site of major national memorial services. The current mission statement of the Cathedral states that it "barkens to the Cathedral founders' intent that it be the spiritual home for the United States." It also states that one of the goals of the Cathedral is to be "a national treasure symbolizing the role of faith in America." Also there is St. John's Episcopal Church on Lafayette Square across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, known as "the Church of the Presidents." Then there is the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine of the Episcopal Diocese of New York with "the longest aisle in Christendom," thus firing a shot across the bow of St. Peters Basilica in Rome in which the lengths of other large cathedrals, such as St. Paul's in London, are marked by brass plates in the floor, but not, of course, St. John the Divines whose plate would be several yards out in front. There are also the original and long-term Episcopal chaplaincies at the national Army and Navy training institutions at West Point and Annapolis. Finally there is the Episcopal Saint Grotlesex (St. Paul's, Croton, Middlesex) and Andover-Exeter, Harvard- Yale route to high posts in the U. S. government exemplified in the careers of Henry Cabot Lodge, Franklin D. Roosevelt, McGeorge Bundy, Dean Acheson, Cyrus Vanee, and many others. This also applies to iiigh posts in business, law, the arts, and media. A modest and reverse version of this sense of establishment is found in the account of novelist Curtis Sittenfeld that at the age of five she had watched the marriage of Diana and Prince Charles on TV. Then she told her parents that she would like to marry a prince some day and asked what steps she might take to achieve this. Her father responded, "That would not be possible, since we are not Episcopalians."1 These factors point to a tendency toward a fantasy of establishment among some Episcopalians. Furthermore, this fantasy refers to the idea that the Episcopal Church is for people who are the most intelligent, cultured, and wealthy, and "at ease in Zion," rather than to its being the church for all people in the nation, which is what establishment really means.2 Of course the Danish church was in fact established, with clergy paid by the government, while the Episcopal Church is established only in the fantasies of its clergy and members. The established churches of Europe are in decline, and this is also true of the Episcopal Church. In 1963 John A. Gates published a book entitled Christendom Revisited: A Kierkegaardian View of the Church Today, in which he argues that Kierkegaard's criticisms of the Danish church of his day "were just and . …
Background and significance: The rapidly aging population increases the incidence of age-related disease. Biological age can be accelerated by factors, such as smoking and poor diet. Telomeres, which cap ends of chromosomes, are markers of biological aging. Critically short telomeres induce cellular replicative senescence. Senescent cells are not capable of regeneration and are associated with many human age-related diseases; therefore, it is beneficial to develop a related assay for use in aging rat models. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop an assay to measure telomere length in rat cells as a marker of biological age. Methods and results: This study was performed using endothelial cells from the lungs of young (3 month) and old (24 month) Fischer 344 rats at PD4 and PD3, respectively. Telomere length in young rat cells was longer compared to old rats (p < 0.05; Students t –test). Cells from were then cultured sequentially to age cells and the modified protocol was again employed. Analysis by two-way ANOVA of telomere length showed significant differences (p < 0.01) between rat age, extent of sequential sub-culturing, and interaction effects. These results support successful modification a human telomere length assay for use in aging rat studies.
Microbial fuel cell(MFC) was a tool for generating electrical currents via oxidizing organic compounds by using microorganisms as a biocatalyst. It was an effective approach to alleviate energy and environmental problems in the future,because it can convert chemical energy directly to electrical energy with biomass reactions,with higher energy conversion efficiency. This paper reviewed the new advances of electrogenesis microorganism species application, electrode materials and their modifications in MFC. The main developing directions and problems in this field were analyzed. The screening and mutagenesis of electrogenesis microorganisms to the tolerance of different organic substrates,the development of high efficiency and low price electrode materials and the construction of easy scale-up model of MFC were the focuses of research. The development of MFC should be focused on the scale-up of reactor in wastewater treatment,hydrogen production,electrochemical synthesis and biosensor,and determination of the operation parameters and models.
Abstract In this paper we review a specific use of the dico form: its use as autonymous marker. From a corpus of Latin texts (from the archaic period to the Flavian Age), we try to determine if this use is correlated to specific linguistic configurations. After reminding that the dico form could be used in the self-quotation with different values (over-enunciative and autonymous) often connected with the morphosyntactic form of the quoted speech, we study more specifically the linguistic conditions of emergence of the dico form as autonymous marker and review different criteria: contextual, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic. In the last part of this paper, we propose to focus our attention on two particularly relevant phenomena: the autodiaphonic repetitions and the case particularities of the word used in autonymy with dico.
Objective To investigate the distribution and the constitution of the Malassezia genus in the dandruff of married couples and the c oincidence of the Malassezia species between the husbands and their wives,especially in the couples who always share the same comb in their daily lif e.Methods Each dandruff sample collected from 114married couples was divided into three parts and inocu lated in Leeming and Notman medium,Dixon mediumand the mediumcontaini ng rapeseed oil.The yeasts obtained fromthe cultures were identified based on the biochemical and morphological characteristics.The duration from i noculation of dandruff to the primary colony development of Malassezia genus and the species constitution o f Malassezia were compared among above three medi a.The relationship between the severity of the dandruff and the rate of isolation of the Malassezia species was also studied.Results Among 228persons,Malassezia was isolated from153persons' dandruff(67.11%).There was a correlation between the positive rate of cultivation and the severity of dandruff.Totally 5species were identified from 459strains of the genus Malassezia obtained from three kinds of media me ntioned above,including M.sympodialis(33.33%),M.globosa(25.05%),M.restricta(15.47%),M.furfur (13.73%)and M.obtusa(12.42%).No species difference was noticed i n the three kinds of culture media,bu t the colony of Malassezia grew faster in the medium containing rapeseed oil(average 5.95days)than the other two media.One species from the same dandruff sample was isolated in three media in 129persons(56.58%),while 24persons(10.53%)isolated two species.The positive cultivation rate of Malassezia from the dandruff of the couples who s haring the same comb (64.00%)was higher than that of the others(20.51%).Among the couples those who had the s ame species(35.96%)of Malassezia was obviously higher than those who h ad different species(13.16%).The species identity was 50.67%in those who shared the sam e comb,which was higher than in those who did not(7.69%).Conclusion The major species of Malassezia in dandruff are M.sympodialis and M.globosa.The consistency of the Malassezia species isolated in the couples,esp ecially in the couples sharing the sa me comb is higher than that of the other cou-ples.These pathogens may be spread f rom person to person by dandruff,thr ough household utensils,such as com b.
Training of high-quality applications and technical personnel is a basic task in higher vocational colleges,strengthening teaching quality monitoring system is the basic guarantee of the quality of personnel training,and supervision of teaching is the important part of the teaching quality monitoring system.To fully play the role of teaching supervision and guidance,we must realize the importance of working,build scientific teaching supervision team,improve the methods of teaching supervision.
Research in discrete choice modelling techniques has taken for granted the effects of choice set size in discrete choice experiments. Methodologically, the current state of practice is for researchers to strive to minimise the level of cognitive burden in a choice experiment at all costs, primarily with the goal of improving the statistical efficiency of modelling procedures and other measures of model fit. Furthermore, many of these methodological studies seek to make inferences about individual consumer behaviour using between-subjects designs. Concurrently, market researchers and transport planners are interested in how to model consumer behaviour in real world contexts which are characterised by varying levels of choice complexity. Prior research has not answered the question of how choice set size affects consumer decision making processes. Cognitive psychologists and behavioural economists have long argued that decision making processes are driven by two cognitive systems; System 1 and System 2. These two systems describe how decision makers may fail to optimally maximise their utility from seemingly intuitive choices. The research presented in this thesis explores these possibilities using a within-subjects design discrete choice experiment which systematically varies the number of alternatives presented to consumers in a public transport context. Conditional multinomial, mixed, and factor analytic specifications of logistic regression are estimated which show how attribute importance, preference heterogeneity and attribute trade-off strategies change as dependent on choice set size. The factor analytic model presented here is a brand new way to model latent sources of variation in consumers’ choice behaviour that has not been before seen in the literature. The models specified here show that as choice set size changes, the patterns of correlation with a latent factor can change significantly. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
This paper investigates the trends and the influencing factors of IFAD’s project disbursement performance over the past 20 years. Based on data from 577 projects in 111 countries, the study finds that disbursement of funds are often delayed and time-consuming. Using econometric analysis, the study assesses the internal and external factors affecting the amount and timeliness of disbursements, and provides important lessons on how international financial institutions such as IFAD can better monitor and manage this important aspect of their development effectiveness.
The invention relates to a tunnel surface defect positioning method and positioning system. The tunnel surface defect positioning method comprises the following steps that in an image collection region of the inner wall of a tunnel, a plurality of mileage piles used for marking the tunnel surface mileage are arranged on the surface of the tunnel in the tunnel extending direction; the image of the tunnel surface is collected in the tunnel extending direction, and the tunnel surface image collected in one continuous collection period includes the image of at least one mileage pile; on the basis of the collected tunnel surface image, the mileage piles and the defects in the tunnel surface image are recognized; the mileage pile closest to the defect is used as the basis for determining the position of the tunnel surface defect on the surface of the tunnel. The invention also discloses the tunnel surface defect positioning system.
A novel and facile sample preparation method was developed for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aqueous sample solution using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([C4MIM] [PF6]) - filled semipermeable membrane. For24 hrs extraction of naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, 2-chloronaphthalene, phenanthrene, the result showed that the extraction efficiency, correlation coefficient (R2) and RSD (n=5) were in the range of 67-102 %, 0.9870-0.9962, and 2.1-5.3 %, respectively.
The problem of rf plasma heating has been studied recently by many investigators. Under actual experimental conditions, with the microwave energy fed to the plasma by means of loops and waveguides, an extremely broad spectrum of oscillations over m and k/sub z/ can be excited. In this case, because of the resonant nature of the absorption, the fraction of the energy which is transferred to the plasma can turn out to be small. A numerical analysis now shows that for effective plasma pumping it is necessary to carefully choose both the oscillation frequency and the geometry of the transmitting antennas.
The passage of the Wagner (National Labor Relations) Act of 1935 represented an unprecedented effort to guarantee American workers basic labor rights-the rights to organize unions, to provoke meaningful collective bargaining, and to strike. Previous attempts by workers and government administrators to realize these rights in the workplace met with extraordinary, often violent, resistance from powerful industrial employers, whose repressive measures were described by government officials as a system of "industrial terrorism." Although labor scholars have acknowledged these practices and paid some attention to the way they initially frustrated labor rights and influenced the jurisprudence and politics of labor relations in the late 1930s and early 1940s, the literature has neither adequately described the extent and intensity of this phenomenon nor fully explored its effects. This Article remedies that shortcoming. Focusing on three industries where the practice of industrial terrorism was especially well developed and its influence especially pronounced, this Article shows how the practitioners of industrial terrorism and their allies in Congress were able to turn the legacy of violence and disorder, which they authored by their violent resistance to the Wagner Act, into the basis of an extraordinary counterattack on labor rights. It shows how this attack culminated in 1947 with the enactment of the profoundly reactionary Taft-Hartley Act and remade the landscape of American labor relations.
A simple structured tunable negative refractive index (n) metamaterial (TNIM) has been designed, fabricated and tested in a Q-band rectangular waveguide. The structure consists of one slab of single crystalline scandium-doped barium hexaferrite (Sc-BaM), aligned parallel to two rows of periodic copper wires. The magnetic field tunable passband is measured indicating the occurrence of negative n. The centre frequency of the 5 GHz wide passband, having a transmission peak of −13 dB, is shifted linearly from 40.9 to 43.9 GHz by varying the bias field (H) from 4.0 to 7.0 kOe. The impact of ferrite volume factor (FVF) of the Sc-BaM slab upon the performance of the TNIM composite has been studied qualitatively. A tradeoff effect is illustrated in which the desirable negative permeability (μ) of the ferrite is offset by the detrimental impact of its dielectric property in suppressing the negative permittivity (ε) of the nearby plasmonic wires.
Advances in biotechnologies rapidly increase the number of molecules of a cell which can be observed simultaneously. This includes expression levels of thousands or ten-thousands of genes as well as concentration levels of metabolites or proteins. Such Profile data, observed at different times or at different experimental conditions (e.g., heat or dry stress), show how the biological experiment is reflected on the molecular level. This information is helpful to understand the molecular behaviour and to identify molecules or combination of molecules that characterise specific biological condition (e.g., disease). This work shows the potentials of component extraction algorithms to identify the major factors which influenced the observed data. This can be the expected experimental factors such as the time or temperature as well as unexpected factors such as technical artefacts or even unknown biological behaviour. Extracting components means to reduce the very high-dimensional data to a small set of new variables termed components. Each component is a combination of all original variables. The classical approach for that purpose is the principal component analysis (PCA). It is shown that, in contrast to PCA which maximises the variance only, modern approaches such as independent component analysis (ICA) are more suitable for analysing molecular data. The condition of independence between components of ICA fits more naturally our assumption of individual (independent) factors which influence the data. This higher potential of ICA is demonstrated by a crossing experiment of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale Cress). The experimental factors could be well identified and, in addition, ICA could even detect a technical artefact. However, in continuously observations such as in time experiments, the data show, in general, a nonlinear distribution. To analyse such nonlinear data, a nonlinear extension of PCA is used. This nonlinear PCA (NLPCA) is based on a neural network algorithm. The algorithm is adapted to be applicable to incomplete molecular data sets. Thus, it provides also the ability to estimate the missing data. The potential of nonlinear PCA to identify nonlinear factors is demonstrated by a cold stress experiment of Arabidopsis thaliana. The results of component analysis can be used to build a molecular network model. Since it includes functional dependencies it is termed functional network. Applied to the cold stress data, it is shown that functional networks are appropriate to visualise biological processes and thereby reveals molecular dynamics.%%%%Fortschritte in der Biotechnologie ermoglichen es, eine immer grosere Anzahl von Molekulen in einer Zelle gleichzeitig zu erfassen. Das betrifft sowohl die Expressionswerte tausender oder zehntausender Gene als auch die Konzentrationswerte von Metaboliten oder Proteinen. Diese Profildaten verschiedener Zeitpunkte oder unterschiedlicher experimenteller Bedingungen (z.B. unter Stressbedingungen wie Hitze oder Trockenheit) zeigen, wie sich das biologische…
Existing method of landuse classification using aerial photographs or field survey requires relatively higher amount of time and cost due to necessary manual work. Especially in urban area where the pattern of landuse is densely aggregated, a landuse classification using satellite image is more complex. In this background, this study proposes a landuse classification method to utilize 1:1,000 digital topographic data and IKONOS satellite image. To prove the possibility of this method, the method was applied to Seoul metropolitan area. The results shows the total accuracy of approximately 95% and 14 landuse classes extracted. Based on the results from the pilot study, this method is applicable to landuse classification in urban area.
This study treats of three poetes of the post-surrealist generation, andre du bouchet, jacques dupin and philippe jaccottet. The title is designed to indicate the immediacy first of all. Against a certain tendency of surrealisme who favoured the " image " (poetic and visual) as its synonym, these poets (and yves bonnefoy who also faced the annihilation of every ideolgy with the war) recognized the necessity of return to the real, the material, as the solid ground at the very root of the imaginary world. Their mouvement of return was such radical that they called into question the representation itself, on the imaginary, verbal and even political level. But their ultimate desire to attain the real not yet represented, the material not yet reduced to the form is definitely unrealizable. In trying to keep away the representation from their language, they will find an unimaginable dimension which can futher be real, concrete and even shattering : the material or psychic reality which can never be represented. This trail to go beyond the representation cause the searing contradiction in the language, proving the division of the subject, understood as the corporal and linguistic unity. In the course of this study, we underlined, through the psychoanalytic, phenomenologic and linguistic approaches, the rehabilitation of the conception of the subject and therewith the lyricisme, and the increased importance that theses poetes give to the unaccountable otherness. This theme and associated others are reflected differentely in the style and the landscape of each poet. We started from du bouchet, whose refusal of image was perhaps the most radical, and then passed on to dupin who, on the contrary, exploit the fiction. We placed jaccotett at the end to see the return to selected images and to the new relationship, which is the beginning of the + passage ;.
This essay examines the statutory share of inheritance in the Swedish inheritance system. In Sweden, the statutory share of inheritance means that a deceased person are forced by law to leave half of his or hers property to his or hers direct heirs (children, children’s children etcetera). The interests that legitimate the statutory share of inheritance are being examined and compared to the interests for abolishing the system. The main focus is on the direct heirs right to inheritance, but the interests of other heirs or prospective heirs are also included.    The statutory share of inheritance is a well-established law that has existed since the Middle Ages. The current regulation was laid down in law in the year 1857 and has, in essence, not been changed since. This essay focuses on the development with connection to the system during the 20th and 21st century. There have been a lot of discussions among both politicians and lawyers regarding to keep or to abolish the current regulation. The main motives during the 20th century for keeping the current law has been the direct heirs right to inherit and the wish to create justice between the deceased persons children.    Those who wish to abolish the system believe that the current regulations are out-dated and that there are other interests, for example spouse’s legal inheritance status, that needs to be meet instead. Even thought there are a lot of people who criticise the system, it seems that most people still want to keep the current regulations. To abolish the law of statutory share of inheritance will mean that radical changes need to be undertaken throughout the legal inheritance system.
There are considerable evidences that growth factors are involved in the regulation of ovulation rate and oviductal development in birds. This study was conducted to investigate the association of early egg productivity with serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in Korean Native Ogol Chicken (KNOC). Whole blood was collected from KNOC at the age of 20, 30, and 40 weeks. Serum IGF-I concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay. Chicks were divided into high and low groups, based on egg production and IGF-I concentration until 40 weeks of age. IGF-I was significantly higher at 30 and 40 weeks of age in high egg production group compared to that of low egg production one (P$lt;0.05). This result indicates that serum IGF-I and number of egg production have a positive association and implies the regulation of egg production by IGF-I in KNOC. Further studies will need to understand the endocrine mechanism of egg production to describe the endocrine regulators in KNOC.
Mock examinations have over the years played an important role In the Kenyan Education System at all levels from Primary to Teacher Training Colleges. It has been viewed as a strong indicator of the leamer's performance in the final national examinations administered by the national examining body, Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC). A learner who performs below average in Mock examination, normally administered in the term preceeding the term for national examinations, is expected to perform minimally in the final national examinations. The Mock examinations have for some time generated a lot of debate in the education sector. They have been associated with strikes in secondary schools and also viewed as a cash cow for teachers in secondary schools especially in Lugari district. But learners who do poorly in these examinations do not necessarily pass well in the final examinations and vice versa. For the last five years, Mathematics, English and Kiswahili compulsory subjects have continued to perform minimally in the Mock examinations, yet performance in KCSE examinations in some schools has been above average in these subjects. To what extend then is mock performance a predictor of the final results? This study therefore seeks to establish the correlation between performance in Mock examinations and the final results in national examinations. A correlation research design will be used for this study. This design is appropriate for assessing the degree of relationship that exists between two or more variables at any given time. The population of study will be all learners, compulsory subjects' teachers, headteachers and examination in-charge teachers in Lugari District. The accessible population will be Headteachers, compulsory subjects' teachers and form four students in the sampled schools who have completed form four in the past 5 years and the current form four students. Out of this number, 209 of the students who have completed form four in the last five years (20082012) and 20% of the current form four students in 20 secondary schools, in the district will be randomly sampled for this study. Both County, District Mixed Day and Boarding Schools will be sampled since all schools undertake Mock and KCSE examinations. Schedule of interview will be used to collect views from respondents in the sampled schools. A data sheet will be used to record the sampled student's scores in Mock compulsory subjects and KCSE examinations for the period stated. Data analysis will be done using qualitative and quantitative data analysis method. SPSS version 10.0 computer programme will be used to determine the correlation. The analyzed data will be presented in frequency tables, percentages, pie-charts, bar graphs, line graphs and correlation tables. It is expected that the results of this study will give new dimensions of Mock examinations in the current education system. v
In addition to producing results in the form of more effective discourse and ultimately, greater public acceptance, the pilot projects will generate a great deal of information. It is essential that this information will be collected in a standardised format across the four pilot projects, in order that the data generated be of a comparable form and quality. IIASA has draft a common data protocol based on iterative discussions with other consortium partners.
Suitable stabilization conditions obtained for continuous chaotic systems are generalized, in this paper, to discrete-time chaotic systems. The proposed ap- proach, leading to these conditions for complete synchronization, anti-synchronization and hybrid synchronization phenomena studies, is based on the use of state feedback and aggregation techniques for stability and stabilizability studies associated with the Benrejeb arrow form matrix for system description. The results, easy to use, are successfully applied for two identical 3D generalized H enon maps.
The paper investigates the effectiveness of the median voter as a decisive agent in the process of redistribution. According to the previous literature, it tests several assumptions finding interesting results: The positive relation between inequality and redistribution is confirmed, but the median voter theorem seems not to be the driving force of this mechanism. Even if some results support the median voter hypotheses, many others go in the opposite direction. Moreover, results are in support of the presence of a political bias toward rich classes, particularly in non established democracies. Finally, the elasticity of redistribution to poor classes to their income has decreased over the last decade, suggesting a reduction of the policies in support of low income individuals.
feature of all of the problems discussed in this paper is that, in their initial formulation, they have a large num­ ber of elements with different names, and for this reason the problems seem to be difficult. However, the first attempts to solve the problems give the necessary heuristic information for simplification of the problem description and a reduction in the number of different names for the ele­ ments. We could say that the desire to cut down the number of names is a "global idea', but the choice of names and the algorithm of naming are contained in the first attempts. It is important to stress that the reduced description obtained is not always useful for the solution of the original problem, but it turns out to be useful for some of such problems. This paper shows that local attempts to begin to solve a problem can be very useful, as sometimes they let one simplify the pro­ blem description and thus facilitate the solution of the original problem. We feel that each time some heuristic is formulated (for instance, "try to occupy and to keep the center" in chess), it is formulated not because we know how to solve the total problem (how to win in chess), but as a result of studing some local subproblems. Of course, as this heuristic is formulated on the basis of some local consideration, its usefulness for the whole problem should be separately proved (theo­ retically or experimentally). One of the most interesting problems showing the importance of a good representa­ tion is the "Tough But" problem.1.2 The problem, briefly, is to prove the impossibi­ lity of fully covering a chessboard, with two diagonally opposite squares removed, using domino pieces. The black/white colo­ ring of the board leads to the simple solution. One could reason that the successful coloring of the board in this case is simply an "insight" which is a rather natural thing for a person familiar with the chess-Qoaro. from hie childhood. Here we will try, however, to look at this matter from a different point of view and to show how one could "make a guess" about the board coloring, without appeal to purely human experience. The difficulty of the Tough Nut problem in its initial formulation lies in the fact that one is given with the board description simply as a two-dimensional field || C ij)| , …
Acknowledgements. List of Contributors. 1. Too Sick to Work? Social Security Reforms in Europe for Persons with Reduced Earnings Capacity: Introduction S. Devetzi, S. Stendahl. 2. The European Social Model and Reforms of Incapacity Benefits E. Eichenhofer. 3. Incapacity for Work: A National Legal Concept with Cross-National Functions T. Erhag. 4. Extra Capacity in the Labour Market? ESA and the Activation of the Sick and the Disabled in the UK N. Harris, S. Rahilly . 5. The New Dutch Disability Benefits Act: The Link between Income Provision and Participation in Work F. Pennings. 6. The Complicated Made Simple? The Reinfeldt Government's 2006 - 2010 Reforms of Swedish Social Security Protection for Those with Reduced Capacity for Work S. Stendahl. 7. Long-Term Incapacity Benefits in Germany S. Dunn . 8. The Notion of Incapacity in German Social Security Law and the Interrelation between Unemployment and Invalidity H.-J. Reinhard. 9 . Comparing Legal Reforms and Legal Strategies S. Devetzi, S. Stendah l. 10. Conclusions: Reforms of Incapacity Benefits Systems in Europe S. Devetzi. Index.
Generalized pustular psoriasis (PPG) is a systemic, rare, and life-threatening desease if not treated in time. Genetic mutations involved in its pathogenesis have been described. Clinically it is characterized by the presence of multiple sterile pustules, accompanied by erythroderma. It can be triggered by drugs, viruses or bacterial infections, even by pregnancy. First and second line treatment may not be effective in some patients. In this article, a case of psoriasis difficult to manage is described.
Objective:To evaluate the clinical effect of 3M Vitrebond— a light-cure glass ionomer liner/base.Methods:We selected 184 deep various teeth.3M Vitrebond was used for indirect pulp capping in study group,and a conventional Calcium Hydroxide Cavity Lining Material-Dycal,was used as control.All the cavities in both groups were restored with 3M Filtek Z250 at last.All teeth were rechecked after one week and six months.Results:3M Vitrebond showed some advantages of both the lessened pulp irritating reaction and esthetics compared with Dycal(P0.05).Conclusion:3M Vitrebond is fit for indirected pulp capping of deep caries,and is worth recommendation.
In this paper,water,soil and crops were investigated and analyzed systematically in a typical solid waste's dumping and unpacking site of eastern Zhejiang Province,China. On the basis of the investigation,impact degree of wastewater irrigation on contents of polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) in soils was discussed deeply. The contents of PCBs in the soils of wastewater irrigation area were predicted through a mathematical model built. The results showed that contents of PCBs in the soil,water,sediment and crops were all in a high level,which impaired ecological security. Based on the results of factor analysis and comparative analysis,the impact degree of wastewater irrigation on the PCBs pollution of soil was significant,which contributed PCBs of 67.3% to the soil. If the current irrigation mode was constant,the PCBs contents of soil in the wastewater irrigation area would increase drastically,whose contents would be doubled after fifty years.
The prototype of a new design of a 30 MeV H/sup -/ cyclotron for isotope production in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium) is described. The original magnet design combines the advantages of compact and separated sector cyclotrons and requires less than 7 kW of electric power. The ions are produced in an external multicusp ion source biased at 30 kV, and injected axially. The two 30 degrees dees, supported on half-wavelength vertical resonators are connected at the center. The RF frequency is 65 MHz, and the power for 50 kV dee voltage is 5 kW for one cavity. The cyclotron operation will be fully automatic, using a high-level programmable controller. The magnetic field shimming is completed.
concurrent reactive system은 일반적으로 매우 많은 다른 행동들(different behaviors)을 보여 주기 때문에 설계하기가 어렵다. 또한 한 시스템에서의 구성 요소들 간에 상호작용을 함으로 전체 시스템의 상태를 나타낸다면 전체 상태는 각 구성 요소의 상태들의 곱으로 나타내지므로 복잡도는 지수의 곱으로 나타내 질 것이다. 따라서 단순한 테스트로는 시스템 특성의 정확성을 검증하기 위해 모든 상태를 확인할 수 없다. 본 논문에서는 concurrent system의 고전적 문제인 dining philosophers problem을 상징적 기호 표현 방법을 이용해서 그 시스템의 정확성을 검증하고 또한 상태 공간 폭발 문제-상태 공간의 크기가 시스템에서 구성요소의 복잡도와 수가 동시에 지수적으로 증가하는 문제-를 어떻게 해결할 수 있는가를 제시한다.
The invention relates to a method for preparing a thermoelectric material of a ternary diamond structure. The method comprises the steps of: raw material preparation, heat-preservation reaction, annealing treatment, spark plasma sintering and the like. In the invention, by applying a fusion-process preparation technology, rapid spark plasma sintering and other methods and controlling technological parameters, the method for preparing the thermoelectric material of the ternary diamond structure is realized and has the advantages of simple and convenient technology, short flow time, high feasibility and good thermoelectric performance, and the thermoelectric material of the ternary diamond structure, prepared with the method provided by the invention, has favorable thermoelectric performance and can be used as a p-type thermoelectric material. The method has the characteristics of simplicity, strong operability, low cost, good industrial prospect and the like.
Regular attendance is often seen as an important factor in school success. Students who are chronic non-attenders receive fewer hours of instruction; they often leave education early and are more likely to become long term unemployed, homeless, caught in the poverty trap, dependent on welfare, and involved in the justice system. High rates of student absenteeism are believed to affect regular attenders as well, because teachers must accommodate non-attenders in the same class. It has been suggested that chronic absenteeism is not a cause of academic failure and departure from formal education, but rather one of many symptoms of alienation from school. Chronic absenteeism, truancy and academic failure may be evidence of a dysfunctional relationship between student and school, suggesting that schools need to be more student-centred and supportive of students with different needs. This argument is supported by research that highlights significant associations between student background factors, poor attendance, and early school leaving.
This paper is a preliminary investigation of parents' views and expectations of the quality of kindergarten education in Singapore . Specifically, it looks at the relationships between type of kindergarten chosen and socio-economic status of parents. Other variables explored include the quality of trainers, parental expectations and satisfaction and academic record of the kindergarten setting. It also looks at the impact of childrearing values and beliefs among the Malay, Chinese and Tamil ethnic parental groups on both parental expectations and choice of kindergartens. Based on a sample of 437 parent clients from 10 kindergarten centers, the study found that parents generally from all ethnic groups, place a high value on kindergarten education. Good facilities, qualified staff and an academic-oriented program were taken as indicative of a high quality kindergarten center. The type of kindergarten was found to have some mediation effect on the level of quality parents expect of kindergarten education. There was no significant relationship linking parental views, distance and cost of kindergartens. Parental expectations were also higher from the higher socio-economic status group who rate cognitive, social skills and discipline training as important features. The implications of the findings with reference to advising parents and trainers and recommendations for further research are discussed.
While considerable advances have been made in estimating high-dimensional structured models from independent data using Lasso-type models, limited progress has been made for settings when the samples are dependent. We consider estimating structured VAR (vector auto-regressive models), where the structure can be captured by any suitable norm, e.g., Lasso, group Lasso, order weighted Lasso, sparse group Lasso, etc. In VAR setting with correlated noise, although there is strong dependence over time and covariates, we establish bounds on the non-asymptotic estimation error of structured VAR parameters. Surprisingly, the estimation error is of the same order as that of the corresponding Lasso-type estimator with independent samples, and the analysis holds for any norm. Our analysis relies on results in generic chaining, sub-exponential martingales, and spectral representation of VAR models. Experimental results on synthetic data with a variety of structures as well as real aviation data are presented, validating theoretical results.
The Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Good Health, Second Edition is the authoritative A-to-Z guide to all aspects of nutrition and maintaining a healthy diet. Thoroughly updated, it examines the latest advances in the field, including revised government guidelines and requirements - like the new folate enrichment laws - and new research - for example, the discovery of a link between colon cancer and preserved meats but not fresh meats. Concise and extensively cross-referenced, It is the perfect one-stop guide to the often-confusing mass of nutritional information available today. More than 2,500 entries provide the essential information readers will want to know about nutrition and good health. Covering food ingredients such as vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins; the health benefits and dangers of foods; diseases and health disorders related to nutrition; processed foods and their side effects; the link between certain foods and cancer; food allergies; eating disorders; and much more, this edition is comprised of approximately 30 percent of new material, including several new appendixes.
Keywords: chinese immigrant family, mothers-daughters relationship, individual psychology, generational gap, The Joy Luck Club Chinese immigration to America has taken place since a long time ago because of the World War II. Chinese immigrants bring their new hopes in getting the better lives in America. Unfortunately, not all of the Chinese immigrants can get better lives because they have to face the different culture, language, society, and lifestyle. Those differences later on cause the gap between mothers as the first generation and daughters as the second generation of Chinese immigrant. The novel entitled The Joy Luck Club points out the generational gap through the characters’ individual psychology. The research employs psychological approach in order to reveal more informations focusing on the subject being studied. This approach directs the discussion to use psychology theory to analyze and interpret the data. In this case, the psychology theories are focused on the generational gap which appears because of the different perspectives of mothers and daughters in the Chinese immigrant families. The study reveals that there are different perspectives from mothers as the first-generation Chinese immigrants who still have the Chinese thought and the daughters as the second-generation Chinese immigrants who have already been influenced by the American culture because of the society around them and from their psychological condition in shaping the identity development of the secondgeneration Chinese American. Their different psychological conditions create a gap in their relationship and bring them to the crucial situation. To some extent, it is suggested for the next researcher to conduct a study by comparing The Joy Luck Club with other novels which are also written by Amy Tan. By using the comparative study, hopefully the next researcher can find out how Amy Tan builds the conflicts based on the psychological conditions of the characters in her novels.
Inflammation of lungs is often related with the tuberculosis and convulsions are associated with the long term therapy of first line anti tubercular agents. Here in this present study an attempt has been made to synthesize the derivatives possesses all three activities. An efficient synthetic method has been established for the synthesis of new 2-Pyrazoline derivative. The synthesized compounds were evaluated for anti tubercular, anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory activity. The observed increase in activities are attributed to the presence of 2-CH 3 , 4-NH 2 in phenyl ring at 5-position of pyrazoline ring of newly synthesized compounds.
In this study,we isolate and identify Colletotrichum from snap bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.),and screen anthracnose resistant resources from these varieties.The results show that the pathogenic bacterium separated by morphology and molecular identification is Colletotrichum.Leaves at seedling stage and pods at matured stage of 48 bean varieties were soaked in liquid of Colletotrichum.We found that in seedling stage 44 varieties were resistant,4 varieties were susceptible,and among which 1 variety was highly susceptible.In matured period,40 varieties were resistant,and 8 varieties were susceptible,and among which 3 varieties were highly susceptible.Correlation analysis was made by taking disease severity index of leaves and pods through SPSS software as varable force.The result shows resistances at seedling stage and maturing stage have very significant correlation.The related coefficients are Kendall:0.315,Spearman:0.411.
When I first started teaching at Charlottesville High School (CHS), it was like teaching at two schools: half the day I spent teaching honors classes composed of mostly white students from highly educated, well-to-do families, and the rest of the day I spent teaching non-honors classes where most students were young people of color from poor families. Because there was only one high school serving Charlottesville, Virginia, a small but highly diverse city in the Shenandoah Mountains, the school contained many students from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite the impressive diversity, segregation was pervasive since students worked and socialized solely with others in their own academic tracks. Like many other schools across the country with similar make-up and structure, all one had to do was peer through the doorway of any classroom in the hallway and observe the racial demographics to discern whether the class was on a non-honors or honors track. Tracking is a practice where schools divide students into different categories based on their previous achievements or potential for learning. Tracking produces different levels of classes, from low
A new design method of fuzzy and PID hybrid controller is proposed by utilizing the advantages of both fuzzy and PID controls and their mutual compensation.This method combines fuzzy and PID controls in parallel and smooth control during switching is guaranteed by executing the change using fuzzy inference.Simulation results prove that the hybrid controller has better control performance than PID controller and fuzzy controller.
An experimental study was conducted of the cold state flow field characteristics of a pulverized coal burner under two different air entry versions, namely, air tangential entry and end face air prewhirl entry. Test results indicate that the end face prewhirl entry of air can lead to a considerably enhanced symmetry and uniformity of axial speed distribution of the burner flow field. Furthermore, from the perspective of flow field distribution the integration of primary and secondary air into one stream of end face prewhirl flow entry will be more contributive to the rational distribution of flow field than in the case of single axial entry of primary air.
Wheat germ, a highly nutritive part of wheat kernels, is separated during milling as a by-product. In this study, wheat germ was used to supplement cakes. Different levels of the germ (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%) at different particles sizes (280, 585, 890 and 1,195 µm) were added to a cake recipe. The results showed that with increasing the germ level and particle size, batter consistency and density of the cakes increased significantly, while the height of the cakes decreased. With increasing the germ level and its particle size, the crumb became slightly yellow while the crust color and the textural parameters (TPA test) remained unaffected. Determination of the sensory attributes of the samples showed that the particle size was negatively correlated with the crumb color and texture of the cakes, while other sensory parameters remained unaffected. In general, 15% of germ was the highest level and 280 µm was the most suitable particle size (as recognized by the panelists) for the production of an appropriate germ cake.
A parametric study on the shapes of bobsleigh bumpers has been performed to reduce the aerodynamic drag. Effects of geometric parameters, such as leading angle of leading bumper, the ratio of minimum width to maximum width of leading bumper, the ratio of leading bumper length to trailing bumper length, trailing angle of trailing bumper, and the ratio of bumper height to installation location of bumper from the bottom of bobsleigh, on the aerodynamic performance of the bobsleigh were estimated using 3-D Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The turbulence was analyzed using the shear stress turbulence model. Reynolds number based on the hydraulic diameter of the external flow channel was in the range of 150,000~1,000,000. Numerical results for drag coefficient were validated compared to experimental data. Ranges of the five geometric parameters were determined according to the rule of Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobaganning. The aerodynamic performance of the bobsleigh sled was most sensitive to the leading angle of leading bumper and the ratio of minimum width to maximum width of leading bumper.
Objective The study aims to discuss the efficacy of transureteroscopic pneumatic lithotripsy(TPL) in the treatment of upper segmental ureteral calculi(UC).Methods The clinical data from 113 cases of patients with upper segmental ureteral calculi treated by TPL were retrospectively reviewed.Results Among the 113 cases,96 cases were treated in situ successfully with a recover rate of 84.9%,while 3 cases required open surgery and 14 cases had the stones moving up into the kidneys.By employing the adjuvant extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy(ESWL),the total stone-removal rate reached 100% on 1 month post treatment.Conclusion Treating UC with TPL was characterized by high safety,more economical approach,high efficacy,rapid recovery and other advantages.The therapeutic outcome of post-treatment adjunctive ESWL was also excellent,especially for the patients had underwent failed ESWL for twice or more before the treatment.In case that the hospital was not qualified to perform percutaneous renal surgery,TPL could still be used as one of the efficacious approaches.
Terahertz (THz) imaging is applied to characterize a hybrid fiber-reinforced composite laminate subjected to low-velocity impact in this study. The hybrid fiber-reinforced composite laminate comprises unidirectional glass/epoxy and carbon/epoxy plies with a cross-ply stack pattern, shown in Fig.1. Both impact-induced intraand inter-laminar damages are successfully detected, and the damage evolution throughout the thickness is also evaluated. The interaction between the THz polarization and carbon-fiber orientation is investigated in detail. Inter-laminar damage at the interface (delamination) and the intra-laminar damage close to the same interface are differentiated via polarization-resolved imaging, as shown in Fig.2. With a parameter fitting method based on multiple regression analysis, delamination is characterized quantitatively. THz Cand B-scan images clearly exhibit the propagation of the damage from the top to the bottom surface in three dimensions.
OBJECTIVE To observe the therapeutic effect of painless festering moxibustion on knee osteoarthritis and to probe into a new therapy.   METHODS Thirty-four cases of knee osteoarthritis were treated with painless festering moxibustion at the best moxibustion part close to the knee joint. The internationally acknowledged knee joint function rating scale (percentage method) including such indexes as pain, walking, joint flexion mobility, instability, engorgement, stair activity and twist-locking before and after treatment was used for assessment of the therapeutic effect.   RESULTS Ten cases were cured, 14 cases were markedly effective, 9 cases were effective and 1 cases was ineffective, with a total effective rate of 97.060%.   CONCLUSION Painless festering moxibustion has an obvious therapeutic effect on knee osteoarthritis.
This study aims to identify environmental perceptions of primary school fourth grade students. The population of this study, which is designed as a descriptive survey model, consists of 97 male and 142 female 239 fourth grade students who are attending public primary schools in Kocaeli Province in the second term of 2018-2019 academic year. Data of research were evaluated by content analysis and descriptive analysis methods. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated by inter-rater reliability formula and Cohen’s Kappa Coefficient. According to the findings of the research, inter-rater reliability was high and acceptable in both statistics. Fourth grade students created 45 different and acceptable metaphors about the environment. These metaphors were analyzed in terms of their common features and were collected under 5 different conceptual categories. It was revealed that fourth grade students mostly referred to the environment with the metaphors of ‘Life’, ‘Home’, ‘Paradise’, and that students’ perceptions of the environment are related to a good world. The majority of students perceived the concept of ‘Environment’ as ‘Environment as Expression of Vitality’. As a result of research, in the process of teaching environmental issues, it can be said that emphasizing that ‘Environment as a Liveliness Expression’, factor of environment supporting the vitality can increase the rate of educational access on environmental issues.
This research has been intended to find out the effects of member participation, management guilty, and Government Roles on Cooperatives performance, both the effect of the combination of those variables as well as the effect of individual variables are observed. Path analysis is used intensively in this study. This research was conducted in Buleleng regency, Cooperatives for samples taken were there those who have been concussed as KUD’S Mandiri. The members of KUD’s taken ware (n = 950) and the KUD’s management staff ware (n = 65) taken from the KUD’s for samples based on the term of the proportional allocation. Experiment using parth Analysis has show that, each of the variables (members Participation, the Management’s and of the Government’s roles) have positive effect and significant on the performance of the KUD’s.
Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy with thallium-201 was performed in fifty-four patients after internal mammary artery (IMA) graft to the left descending coronary artery to determine the influence of the flow rate in the IMA on myocardial perfusion after the procedure. The flow rate in the IMA was 40 to 200 ml/minute (mean 103 +/- 26.6 ml/min). Myocardial perfusion after IMA surgery was good in 44 patients (82%). There was a correlation between IMA flow rate and surgical results. Only 53% of patients with IMA flow rates below 100 ml/min to atmosphere showed good myocardial perfusion.
This Legal Scholarship Symposia Articles is brought to you for free and open access by TU Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Tulsa Law Review by an authorized administrator of TU Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact daniel-bell@utulsa.edu. Recommended Citation Lewis D. Solomon, & Donald B. Mitchell Jr., The Development of Synthetic Fuels: A Legal and Policy Analysis, 17 Tulsa L. J. 375 (1981).
Techniques are provided for initializing, maintaining, updating and recovering secure operation within an integrated system. The techniques, which employ a data access control function within the integrated system, include authenticating by a current level of software a next level of software within an integrated system. The authenticating occurs before control is passed to the next level of software. Further, an ability of the next level of software to modify an operational characteristic of the integrated system can be selectively limited via the data access control function. Techniques are also provided for initializing secure operation of the integrated system, for migrating data encrypted using a first key set to data encrypted using a second key set, for updating software and keys within the integrated system, and for recovering integrated system functionality following a trigger event.
The spatial and vertical structure of the water currents and its relationship with the tidal cycles were studied using current meters in the Gulf of Nicoya. In the upper gulf, the vertical marine current differences increase as the depth increases. The water column at the station near Chira Island (upper gulf) shows the smaller changes in currents and in temperature. The flow at the station between San Lucas Island and Puntarenas (middle gulf) is the most stratified in this region. Currents with magnitudes over 100 cm/seg were measured during spring tides. Changes in the lags of the surface and bottom tidal flows were measured on the order of 100 minutes. In general, in this upper region the flows are toward the head of the gulf when the tide is flooding and toward the mouth when the tide is ebbing. In the lower gulf the circulation is more complex. Along an axis between Tárcoles and Negritos Islands, changes of velocity vectors are identified between surface and bottom. The current rotates in a different way in the water column in this region and their patterns cannot be explained only by the tidal cycles predicted for Puntarenas. These results demonstrate that the spatial and vertical variation of the marine currents of the Gulf of Nicoya is not only related to the thermohaline structure, but also to the tidal cycles and tide ranges that take place in this estuary.
In this paper I start with an overview over the different paradigms emerged over the last decades in HCI. I introduce the paradigm of cultural computing based on concepts like Kansei Mediation. It is an ambitious challenge to compare Eastern and Western cultures. One of the main challenges will be to measure the user’s experience, in particular for sub- or even unconscious cognitive and body functions. An overview of already available measuring approaches is provided, and some preliminary conclusions are drawn.
Colonoscopy and Barium contrast studies continue to be the techniques of choice for the evaluation of mucosal lesions in Crohn's disease. However, these techniques have limited capacity for demonstrating the transmural and extramural extension of the disease. Although ultrasound, CT, and MRI cannot detect early lesions, these techniques satisfactorily show parietal and extraparietal changes caused by the disease, thus complementing the information provided in conventional studies. These three techniques enable the evaluation of the pathological segments, the presence of stenosis and dilatation, and extramural disease (fibrofatty proliferation, fistulae, phlegmons, and abscesses). This information is essential for classifying each patient into one of the three subtypes of Crohn's disease (inflammatory, stenotic, or fistulating). These techniques also enable the evaluation of signs that indicate inflammatory activity (hyperemia, wall enhancement, and increased mesenteric vascularization), and this information, together with the subtype, will determine the treatment. Ultrasound, CT, and MRI should be included in the complete evaluation of the patient with Crohn's disease, together with clinical examination, laboratory tests, and conventional imaging studies. We review the role of ultrasound, CT, and MRI in the diagnosis and evaluation of Crohn's disease, describing patient preparation and examination protocols, as well as the findings in these three techniques. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of each of these techniques and their current clinical roles in this context.
As the key element of the gyrostats,the single crystal fiber has a wide application in the fields of aerospace,electricity and casting.For the upper limit of the tested temperature is continuously increasing(2000 ℃),a optical system for preparing zirconia crystal optical fiber based on LHPG is proposed,which can prepare the zirconia crystal optical fiber to measure the higher temperature.The basic structure and characteristics of the system are introduced and the parameters of the system are analyzed.The system has been simulated through the ZEMAX optical software.The results show that the system meets the design requirements and it has the advantages of good symmetry,high efficiency,nice uniformity of energy distribution.This provides theoretical basis for the preparation of high temperature zirconium oxide single crystal optical fiber.
This report presents findings from several different clinical research trials which aim to reduce neonatal mortality. Findings from the TERMPROM clinical trial reveal that expectant management and labor induction led to less maternal infection and greater patient acceptance of operative term-delivery among women with prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) in 1996. In preterm PROM clinical trials the use of antibiotics after premature rupture of membranes led to prolonged pregnancy and reduced maternal and neonatal infections. The US Centers for Disease Control recommends intrapartum antibiotic use against group B streptococcal infection in their guidelines for management of pregnancy. A study by Von Kries finds that parenteral administration of vitamin K was not associated with decreased neonatal or childhood cancer. The author is hopeful that new findings of a decline in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) might mean a decline in hemorrhagic disease of the newborn. Parents are urged not to let their infants sleep in a prone position not to overheat them and not to expose them to smoking. Recent findings from Fleming suggest that SIDS is also associated with infants sleeping on their sides or with head covers rather than on their backs. Findings from the United Kingdoms Collaborative Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) trial reveal that ECMO represents a viable treatment for severe disorders of cardiopulmonary transition. Trials with other methods of treatment also showed positive results. Findley finds the use of a natural surfactant successful in treating meconium-aspiration syndrome. Synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) was more successful than conventional and nonsynchronized IMV. Studies are ongoing in the evaluation of antibiotic therapy for preterm labor nitric oxide for persistent fetal circulation and liquid ventilation for severe respiratory failures.
Identifying the preferences of a given user through elicitation is a central part of multi-criteria decision aid (MCDA) or preference learning tasks. Two classical ways to perform this elicitation is to use either a robust or a Bayesian approach. However, both have their shortcoming: the robust approach has strong guarantees through very strong hypotheses, but cannot integrate uncertain information. While the Bayesian approach can integrate uncer-tainties, but sacriﬁces the previous guarantees and asks for stronger model assumptions. In this paper, we propose and test a method based on possibility theory, which keeps the guarantees of the robust approach without needing its strong hypotheses. Among other things, we show that it can detect user errors as well as model misspeciﬁcation.
A preliminary theoretical and experimental study was conducted on internal wave modes and their weak nonlinear resonant interaction in a nonlinearly stratified fluid . An asymptotical solution of the modes and a dispersion relation of internal waves in a stratified fluid with density profile similar to that in our experiment were obtained theoretically . The resonant-interaction mechanism to 2nd order approximation is also discussed . The resonant interaction of the 3rd and 4th mode internal waves excited by the unstable 1st mode wave is analyzed on the basis of data obtained by conductivity probes. The resonant-interaction condition, , is examined . It is shown that the resonant instability increases with pycnocline thickness and wave maker driving frequency .
In this paper,via applying the method of ANP,the evaluation system on innovative technical ability is founded and the relative weight of each guide line is gained.By the evaluation system,the innovative technical ability of six provinces(Beijing,Shuanghai,Guangdong,Sichuan and Shanxi) is appraised.Five aspects(knowledge innovation,knowledge fluxion,innovative technical ability of corporation,technical innovation circumstance,the economic effect on technical innovation ability) of the six provinces are studied comparatively.Research results provide quantitative basis for policy and layout on science and technology of the East and West China.
This manual describes best practice for producing high-value flooring products from coconut ‘wood’—or cocowood. It meets international standards for flooring products and accounts for the recognised, specific, local conditions of the Pacific Islands. The information is intended for operators skilled in timber processing, who need to work with the unusual properties of cocowood, and specifies where cocowood processes differ from standard practice for timber. For other processes, refer to the relevant standards set by the importing country. These technical guidelines are based on the research outcomes of the ACIAR project, 'Improving value and marketability of coconut wood'.    The manual is divided into three chapters. Each chapter adds to different aspects of primary and secondary processing.    Chapter 1 provides an overview of the best practice steps for harvesting and processing cocowood. There is also a glossary of terms specifically associated with processing cocowood and a section on managing processing risks.    Chapter 2 covers cocowood’s unique properties and how they relate to critical processing techniques. This is followed by sections that set out the processing methods in more detail, explaining why these practices are essential when working with cocowood.    Chapter 3 provides more information, including contacts, current timber standards and some useful publications.
Fluid inclusions in the gold-bearing quartz veins at the Um Rus area are of three types: H2O, H2O-CO2 and CO2 inclusions. H2O inclusions are the most abundant, they include two phases which exhibit low and high homogenization temperatures ranging from 150 to200℃ and 175 to 250℃, respectively. The salinity of aqueous inclusions, based on ice melting, varies between 6.1 and 8 equiv. wt% NaCl. On the other hand, H2O-CO2 fluid inclusions include three phases. Their total homogenization temperatures range from 270 to 325℃,and their salinity, based on clathrate melting, ranges between 0.8 and 3.8 equiv. wt % NaCl.CO2 fluid inclusions homogenize to a liquid phase and exhibit a low density range from 0.52 to0.66 g/cm3. The partial mixing of H2O-CO2 and salt H2O-NaCl fluid inclusions is the main source of fluids from which the other types of inclusions were derived. The gold-bearing quartz veins are believed to be of medium temperature hydrothermal convective origin.
Objective To investigate the effects of transfection of the pcDNA3+TGF-β1 with or without pAT_ 153+IGF-1 on rabbit chondrocytes proliferating and synthesizing TGF-beta1,IGF-1 and collagen Ⅱ. Methods Monolayer culture of rabbit articular chondrocytes was infected with recombinant rat gene pcDNA3+TGF-beta1,and co-transfected by pcDNA3+TGF-beta1,pAT_ 153+IGF-1.The synthesis of TGF-beta1,IGF-1,and type II collagen was examined by in situ hybridization,immunohistochemistry,immunofluoroscopy,flow cytemeter and ~3H-TdR radiolabeling. Results The expression of TGF-beta 1,IGF-1 and type II collagen was increased in transfection groups (P 0.05).The co-transfection could elevate TGF-beta 1,IGF-1 and type II collagen synthesis beyond the levels of recombinant pcDNA3+TGF-beta 1 (P 0.05).The chondrocytes ratio at stage S in different groups was respectively 5.6%, 33.4% and 40.1% respectively. Conclusion Transfer of TGF-beta1 and IGF-1 genes to articular chondrocytes can greatly increases proliferation and synthesis of chondrocytes ex vivo.The co-transfection can provoke a more increase in the synthesis of TGF-beta 1,IGF-1 and type Ⅱ collagen than pcDNA3+TGF-beta 1 transfection,so it may be more useful to osteoarthritis therapy.The results encourage the further development of gene therapy for osteoarthritis.
The invention relates to a film coating agent for an extract medicament solid preparation, which comprises the following components in parts by weight: 30-60 parts of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, 5-30 parts of plasticizer and 2-30 parts of stearic acid. The invention also relates to a preparation method of the film coating agent, which comprises the following steps of: (1) weighing the hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, the plasticizer and the stearic acid in parts by weight; and (2) adding the hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, the plasticizer and the stearic acid into a high-speed shearing machine and uniformly mixing the materials at the speed of 350-600 rpm to prepare a coating agent finished product. The coating agent is safe and non-toxic, and can form a hydrophobic molecular layer on the surface of a medicament for inhibiting the adsorption and osmosis of steam on the surface of a coating film, thereby reducing the moisture absorbing rate of a medicament coating tablet and preventing the damping and hardening of the medicament and medicament efficiency loss; meanwhile, the coating film has strong flexibility, and the coating quality is stable; and the preparation method has the outstanding advantages of high production efficiency, low energy consumption, favorable application performance of coating agent finished products, and the like.
This report presents the results of an investigation of the performance of the Chemical Kinetics Shock tube at the Indian Institute of Science. The one-dimensional Lagrangian code L1d of Jacobs (1998) has been used to simulate the tube at several operating conditions. The conditions have different shock tube filling pressures, resulting in different shock speeds and different tube lengths, resulting in different dwell times. The simulations have been performed both with and without viscous effects simulated in the tubes. At the lowest shock tube filling pressure condition, the shock tube operates in an overtailored mode and it is undertailored at the higher filling pressure conditions. The results show that viscous effects, which lead to attenuation of the primary shock and heat loss from the test gas to the tube walls, result in an increasing p5 pressure during the test time. The viscous effects are more dominant at the condition with the lowest filling pressure (highest primary shock speed). A simulation run for 50 ms after diaphragm rupture or the configuration with a long driver tube shows that the test gas is periodically re-compressed by reflections of waves along the driver and shock tubes. The recompressions become sequentially weaker and thus the test gas temperature and pressure are never raised to as high levels as for the primary compression.
For the popular second-order conic program (SOCP) formulation of AC optimal power flow (OPF) in a radial network, this paper first shows that it does not have the strong duality property in general. Then, through a series of restrictive reformulations, we derive a set of closed-form sufficient conditions on network parameters that ensure its strong duality. Numerical studies on IEEE 33-bus, 69-bus test networks and two real-world distribution systems confirm that non-negligible duality gaps do exist in this SOCP formulation, and also demonstrate the validity of the proposed sufficient conditions on closing the duality gap. Our results provide an analytical tool to ensure the strong duality of the SOCP power flow formulation and to support algorithm developments for its complex extensions.
Background. Over 36% of Americans are obese. It is estimated that, by year 2030, 51% of the population will be obese. With the increased prevalence of co-morbidities associated with obesity, it is important to gain control of this disease. Method. The aim of this project was to implement the 2013 American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines, and the Obesity Society Guidelines for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults in order to identify those patients who require treatment for obesity and provide them with appropriate resources. The primary interventions are to provide color-coded cards to help identify patients with obesity, provide a behavior-monitoring calendar to patients with obesity, and provide referrals to appropriate patients. The number of referrals made and the documentation of obesity treatment were monitored during weekly chart reviews to evaluate effectiveness. Results. Throughout the implementation period, all three healthcare providers in the clinic increased the frequency of documentation of obesity interventions and a total of three referrals were made. This demonstrates the implementation of the obesity guidelines was appropriate and increased the healthcare providers’ awareness of obese patients and their unique healthcare needs. Implications for Practice. Due to obesity being such an ubiquitous disease, it is imperative that primary care clinics develop a strategy to combat this chronic illness. The onus falls on the primary care providers to educate patients, manage and treat the disease, and evaluate effectiveness, making it essential that all clinics have a strategy to identify obesity and an approach to treat it. IMPLEMENTATION OF OBESITY GUIDELINES 8 With its vast array of accompanying illnesses, obesity has become a burden on the American healthcare system. These co-morbidities can include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, just to name a few. While healthcare tries increasingly hard to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in all patient populations, it remains a major concern, both for the health of patients and the United States healthcare system. It has become imperative that healthcare providers are well-versed on appropriate treatment modalities for patients who are obese, and can understand when a patient requires more specialized attention, such as a referral to a dietician, nutritionist, behavioral health specialist, or bariatric surgeon. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (2012) has a Grade B recommendation for all adults to be screened for obesity. Healthy People 2020, a government initiative to identify nationwide health improvement priorities and increase public awareness, set a goal to increase the number of primary care visits, with documented obesity education, provided to those with a BMI greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2017). The target is to “increase the proportion of physician office visits made by adult patients who are obese that include counseling or education related to weight reduction, nutrition, or physical activity” to 31.8% , an increase from 28.9% in 2007 (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2017). A study by Finkelstein et al. (2012) showed that by the year 2030, 51% of the general population will be obese; approximately 9% will be severely obese. The prevalence of obesity is growing, and the prevalence of co-morbidities and rising healthcare costs is greatest in the obese population (Dee et al., 2014). The co-morbidities mentioned above—cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer—also contribute to the rising cost of healthcare, both in dollars and in productivity (Dee et al., 2014). It is estimated that obesity and obesity-related illnesses have an IMPLEMENTATION OF OBESITY GUIDELINES 9 annual impact of $2 trillion globally (Jordan & Harmon, 2015). In the United States alone, researchers have projected that, by the year 2018, healthcare costs related to obesity will reach $344 billion and, by the year 2030, will account for approximately 16-18% of the annual healthcare costs by (Jordan & Harmon, 2015). While there are outside contributing factors to obesity, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is paramount, making the promotion of and education on appropriate and necessary lifestyle changes invaluable (Jordon & Harmon, 2015). Compliance and adherence by the providers to guidelines, and the patient’s compliance and adherence to the lifestyle changes necessary, are documented as problems and are, perhaps, the biggest governable factors that affect obesity. Therefore, the importance of providing and documenting education by the primary care provider is paramount. Statement of the Problem Obesity continues to contribute to numerous co-morbidities, increase the risk of death, and exponentially increase the cost of healthcare, while patients do not adhere to necessary lifestyle changes and do not have access to appropriate resources to aid in personalizing a weight loss plan that will be successful and beneficial. Dee et al. (2014) describe direct and indirect healthcare costs related to obesity. Direct costs are calculated by totaling expenditures related to inor out-patient visits and pharmaceutical costs. Obesity can also aggrandize healthcare costs in the form of time and productivity, referred to as indirect costs. While difficult to compute, it is possible to monetize indirect costs such as the amount of time and efficiency lost due to a lack of physical ability or stamina, absenteeism, presenteeism (a loss of productivity in the workplace despite being present), early retirement, or premature death. These additional costs are believed to be more extensive than the direct healthcare costs associated with obesity; however, as BMI IMPLEMENTATION OF OBESITY GUIDELINES 10 increases, so does the cost of healthcare. Similarly, other diseases contribute to the overall state of the country’s health. In order to mitigate this well-documented obesity problem in America, an active lifestyle with an appropriate diet remains a change that must be made by the patient in order to successfully achieve a healthy weight (Hood et al., 2016). This lifestyle is comprised of a wellbalanced diet with portion control, increased water intake, regular exercise, and routine followup with the primary care provider to monitor weight loss progress (Hood et al., 2016). It has been well-documented in the literature that a decrease in sugar-sweetened beverages, combined with an increase in water intake, is beneficial and can aid in weight loss (Pan et al., 2018). Treatment can also include referrals to appropriate specialists, including nutritionists, dieticians, behavioral health specialists, and bariatric surgeons. The American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (AHA), and The Obesity Society (TOS) have published specific guidelines on when and how to aid patients in weight loss and when a referral to outside entities are necessary. However, these guidelines are not always strictly adhered to, due to a lack of understanding and the multiple options available for defining and treating obesity. This is a two-fold problem prevalent throughout the entire primary care setting, attributed to the inconsistencies in diagnostic criteria currently being utilized and the various guidelines available for treatment (Ritten & LaManna, 2017). Diagnosis is one problem factor. There is a multitude of disease-staging systems used to score obesity in different stages. Ritten and LaManna (2017) describe the multiple methods for determining obesity, including body mass index (BMI), hip, neck, and waist circumference, and adiposity; in some situations, these may be used in tandem with other variables. The Cardiometabolic Disease Staging System, the Edmonton Obesity Staging System, and King’s IMPLEMENTATION OF OBESITY GUIDELINES 11 Obesity Staging System are three examples of the options available to determine if a patient is obese, each one determining obesity in a different way. The Food and Drug Administration Classification of Obesity, which will be used for the purpose of this project, uses the patient’s BMI to determine obesity (see Table 1) (Ritten & LaManna, 2017). Table 1 Definitions of Obesity Class BMI (kg/m2) Overweight 25<30 Class I Obesity 30<35 Class II Obesity 35<40 Class III Obesity ≥ 40 The second factor contributing to the lack of obesity treatment in the primary care setting is the plethora of algorithms and treatment suggestions available to choose from. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Obesity both offer evidence-based treatment guidelines for obesity. While the goals of weight loss and resolution of co-morbidities are commonalities amongst the different guidelines, the recommendations of each guideline vary slightly (Ritten & LaManna, 2017). Furthermore, weight loss goals can be different, depending upon the presence of specific co-morbidities. For example, the American Diabetes Association offers specific treatment for obese patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus; the AACE, TOS, and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) offer lifestyle guidelines for those patients in the perioperative stages of bariatric surgery (Ritten & LaManna, 2017). With a plethora of definitions and treatment guidelines to choose from, PCPs can become confused or overwhelmed by the number of options available. This leads to inaction by the provider. Knowing this promulgates the understanding that a single definition of obesity and a single IMPLEMENTATION OF OBESITY GUIDELINES 12 guideline must be chosen by the clinic for the diagnosing and treatment of this chronic disease based on the population being treated and the educational needs of the clinic. Assessment
One of the central questions of developmental neuro­ biology concerns how the diversity and specificity of individual neurons are generated during embryonic development. One major component of neuronal diver­ sity is the complex axonal morphology of individual neurons, largely generated early in development and in­ timately involved in the ability of neurons to find their correct synaptic targets. By a process of precise pathfinding, growth cones find the appropriate neurons or muscle cells, often by traveling long distances along stereotyped routes that involve a series of cell-specific choices and turns. Growth cone motility, as described from cell culture experiments, involves three phases: extension, adhe­ sion, and contraction (Bray 1982; Letourneau 1982). Growth cones extend numerous fingerlike filopodia, approximately 0.1 /im in diameter and up to 50 /tm or more in length. These filopodia radiate in many direc­ tions from the growth cone, transiently exploring their environment. Some of the filopodia contact other cell surfaces or extracellular basement membranes; they strongly adhere to some of these surfaces but their adhesion to others is much weaker. Filopodia are retracted in a contractile cycle. If adhesion is weak, the filopodium is retracted; if, however, its adhesion is strong, then tension in that direction is increased during the contractile cycle and the leading tip of the growth cone advances toward the point of attachment (Bray 1982; Letourneau 1982). Thus, the key to understand­ ing the diverse and specific choices made by growth cones during embryogenesis involves in large part un­ derstanding the behavior, environment, and selective adhesion of their filopodia as they make cell-specific decisions. We would like to understand how the growth cones of different neurons, confronted with the same environ­ ment, make different and stereotyped choices. Such di­ vergent choices by growth cones imply both hetero­ geneity in their cellular environment and heterogeneity in their responses to that environment. We would like to know what cellular and molecular cues in an embryo influence the choices made by individual growth cones, and how these growth cones are determined by their mitotic ancestry and earlier cell interactions to respond to those cues. Our strategy has been first to examine, and then to manipulate, the cellular environment of identified growth cones during embryonic develop­
FIELD: antenna. SUBSTANCE: invention "Quartz ceramics antenna fairing of a missile and the method of its production" refers to the construction and technology of manufacturing of antenna fairings of rockets made from ceramic materials, more precisely from quartz ceramics. Presented technical solution, including a shell of porous quartz ceramics, strengthened and hermetically sealed with an organopolymer and bonded to a metal frame from an invar alloy using a sealant, consists in the following: shell is a resonant structure with a thickening of the wall in the fastening zone of the frame by 15-45% in comparison with the radio-transparent zone in order to increase the strength and heat-shielding properties of the shell and to increase the axial thickness of the toe inside the shell to (0.3-1.0)λ - of the working wavelength of the antenna to improve the fairing, entirely made from quartz ceramics with a density of 1.97-2.01 g / cm 3 , bending strength of not lower than 50 MPa after hardening and sealing the inner and outer surfaces with an organopolymer for a total thickness (depth) of not more than 0.1λ. Method for manufacturing the rocket's antenna fairing includes forming a ceramic semi-finished part by slip casting in a gypsum form from an aqueous silica glass slip with SiO content 2 of not less than 99.9% at a moisture content of 13-16% of a polydisperse grain composition with a particle size in the range of 0.1-500 μm, sintering of the shell according to the regime, excluding the formation of cristobalite in the material to a density of 1.97-2.01 g / cm 3 , after which it is machined with a diamond tool to the specified parameters and the wall thickness with a thickening in the zone of the frame and sock, as well as the deposition and impregnation of the porous shell with an organopolymer, for example TMFT, MFSS-8, on the inner surface and fluoroplastic or silicone enamels on the outer surface to a total thickness of not more than 0.1λ. EFFECT: proposed technical solution provides obtaining antenna fairings of missiles with improved radio technical and strength characteristics. 2 cl, 2 dwg
Powdered oil was used to replace milk powder in mixed acidic milk and an appropriate amount of calcium lactate was added to make a powdered oil beverage of fig. The results showed that the stability of the beverage was satisfactory when 9.5% fig fruit juice, 8% sugar,0.18% citric acid, 0.12% lactic acid, 4.8% powdered oil, 0.1% calcium lactate, 0.11% monoglyceride, 0.1% CMC and 0.05% xanthan gum were mixed.
Program KRASH has several features which can be used effectively to evaluate crashworthiness capability of vehicles during the initial stages of a design. Conceptually the program is designed to define the general behavior of structure and to provide data which can be utilized to assess chances of occupant survivability during a severe crash environment. While KRASH currently contains one measure of injury potential (Dynamic Response Index, DRI), the data obtained from KRASH are more useful as input to more complex seat-occupant-restraint system models. Since the program utilizes simplified and approximate representations of structure, it best can be described as a preliminary design tool.
Election is one of the important aspects of democration in a country, because through a general election, the implementation of sovereignty can be implemented well, yet it needs to be well planned, controlled, supervised. Related to supervision, thus formed supervisory committe of general election regulated by law no 10 year 2008 about the general election of DPD, DPR, and DPRD. The supervisory of the implementation of general election according to the law no 10 year 2008, is performed by Badan Pengawas Pemilu (Bawaslu) in the central, Supervisory Committe in province, and district, sub-district, field, and overseas. The aims of this research are to percieve and analyse the implementation of surveillance of general election by Supervisory Committe of legislative election 2014 in Marpoyan Damai sub-district, Pekanbaru. This study is expected to be used as reference material for development, improvement, and as well as performance monitoring especially for the next Supervisory Committes of general election in order to achieve desired goal and as the input to determine policies related to surveillance in the development of existing organizations. In the result of this study is found that overall implementation of legislative election 2014 in Marpoyan Damai sub-district had not been fuctioning effectively. It can be seen from the the first step of implementation of supervisory process until the last step of the implementation of the election. Technical factor such as the delay of the formation of Supervisory Committe in district, sub-district, and field in Pekanbaru, thus equipping of the duties and authority of the Supervisory Committee delayed that will result in unmonitored of 3 (three) stages of election 2014 in Pekanbaru. Administrative factor such as there was no techinal guidance and clear instruction for the Supervisory Committes, hence they did not performed well in supervising. Beside, secretariat of the Supervisory Committe who boarded the secreatiat of KPU lead to disturbance of the indepence of Supervisory Committes. Key words: supervisory, election, legislative.
The instantaneous surface temperature and unsteady heat flux of the piston crown, ring groove and land are measured and analyzed. It was found that (ⅰ) the instantaneous surface temperature of the valve pocket, in the piston crown, is higher than that of the center of the crown and the instantaneous surface temperature at the edge of the crown is lowest; (ⅱ) the instantaneous surface temperature at the top-ring groove and land varied similarly to that of the piston crown, which are influenced by the behaivor of the piston ring; (ⅲ) the distributions of the heat flux are not coincided with the wall surface temperature, which are depended on the flame distance, combustion condition, behavior of the piston ring and the state of cooling, etc.
Objective The effects of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) on cellular immunologic function of patients with breast cancer were studied. Methods Twenty five patients with breast cancer were treated by the TIL that were isolated from tissue of tumor. T cell subgroups and natural killer cell (NK cell) activity of peripheral blood, the levels of serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL 2R) were assayed before and after treatment. Results CD 3, CD 4, CD 4/CD 8 and NK cell activity were ascended obviously, and CD 8, sIL 2R were descended obviously after the treatment of TIL. Conclusion TIL can enhance the cellular immunologic function of patients with breast cancer.
Sets can be visualized in various ways and settings. An important  distinction between techniques is based on whether the elements  have a spatial location that is to be used for the visualization; for  example, the elements are cities on a map. Strictly adhering to such  location may severely limit the visualization and force overlay, intersections  and other forms of clutter. On the other hand, completely  ignoring the spatial dimension omits information and may hide spatial  patterns in the data. In this abstract, we present ongoing research  on a method that is in between spatial and nonspatial visualizations.  The main idea is to schematize (move) the spatial locations onto  concentric circles, to improve the visualization of the set system  while roughly maintaining spatial structure.
The content of proteins and nucleic acids and activity of acid and alkaline proteases, RNases, phosphatases and alpha-amylase were studied in the gum and alveolar bone or rats at the age of 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. It is found that a degree of periodontal atrophy strongly and directly correlates with the age of rats. The concentration of DNA and RNA in alveolar bone and of RNA in gum decreases with the age. The hydroxyproline content of periodontal tissues continuously increases till the age of 18th month and then considerably decreases. The activity of trypsin-like proteases, cathepsins and alkaline RNase in periodontal tissues increases reaching the maximum at the age of 6-18 months, and the activity of alkaline phosphatase decreases in the process of aging.
Flash memory, which replaces hard disk recently, has different physical characteristics with hard disk. For the performance of flash memory based storage system, many researches over OS and file system layers has been doing. In this paper, we propose the architecture of flash memory based storage which uses information of page invalidation when file deletion occurs from upper layer. Also, we evaluate the performance of proposed system. Proposed system effectively increases IO performance by using page invalidation information to block merge and wear leveling algorithms.
will and me how shakespeare took over my life is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our books collection hosts in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the will and me how shakespeare took over my life is universally compatible with any devices to read.
MicroRNA is a single-stranded RNA, consisting of about 22 nucleotides in length. It has been found that microRNAs play roles in development and cellular processes. It can be classified as oncogenic and tumor suppressor factors. For microRNA expression in cancer, it has been found that the expression levels of oncogenic microRNAs are increased, whereas tumor suppressor microRNAs are decreased. Therefore, microRNAs can possibly be a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis. In cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), it was shown that miR-21 expression level was significantly increased in CCA tissues when compared to normal bile ducts. Moreover, there are many reports that microRNAs can be secreted from cells and found in blood circulation. In gastric cancer, the concentration of miR-106b was analyzed in plasma. It was found that the concentration of miR-106b was significantly higher in plasma taken from gastric cancer patients than that of healthy controls. Plasma microRNAs are resistant to RNase activity. In prostate cancer, it was found that serum levels of miR-141 could be differentiated patients with metastatic prostate cancer from healthy controls. The measurement of tumor derived microRNAs in serum or plasma may be a new approach for the biomarker in blood-based diagnosis of human cancer.
This paper reports on the systematic electromechanical characterization of a new three-axial force sensor used in dimensional metrology of micro components. The silicon based sensor system consists of piezoresistive mechanical stress transducers integrated in thin membrane hinges supporting a suspended flexible cross structure. The mechanical behavior of the fragile micromechanical structure is analyzed for both static and dynamic load cases. This work demonstrates that the silicon microstructure withstands static forces of 1.16 N applied orthogonally to the front-side of the structure. A statistical Weibull analysis of the measured data shows that these values are significantly reduced if the normal force is applied to the back of the sensor. Improvements of the sensor system design for future development cycles are derived from the measurement results.
Understanding nutrient content and biomass accumulation is important for fertilization schemes, harvesting management, and sustainable plantation management to meet demands on timber and fuel. In this study, biomass and nutrient accumulations were studied for Prunus arborea trees of 1- to 5-years old. Medium-sized trees were sampled to collect biomass and representative samples were collected for nutrient (N/nitrogen, P/phosphorous, and K/potassium) analysis. The results indicated that power function was best fitted for a relationship between age and dry biomass of individual trees. While the polynomial pattern was best fitted for the relationship between ages and ratios of below- to above-ground biomasses with the lowest ratio of 21% in trees of between 3- and 4-years old. Among the four analyzed organs, N, P and K contents were highest in leaves and lowest in the stem. While that in branches and roots were similar. In leaves, N and K contents were 0.4–1.48%, while P contents were 0.10–0.36%. In stems, N and K contents were 0.15–0.61%, while P contents were 0.01–0.21%. It is concluded that low P contents may indicate the P deficiency in the site, leading to fertilization requirements. While N and K application may not be necessary. Remaining leaves in the site at logging may partly compensate soil nutrients from high leaf biomass (up to 26% total biomass) and the highest nutrient contents (up to 1.48%).
By setting several examples of governance project,this article introduces the actual working situationes and effects of using Lime Method to solve the problem of zincic concentrated Phosphorus Wastewater while producing washing machines.The result shows that in the process of producing washing machines,we can use lime method to deal with zincic concertrated phosphorus wastewater.The rate of phosphate removal is above 99%;the zinc particle removal is between 94.7% and 97.9%;and the water reaches the standard of GB8978-1996.
This paper presents the results of ultrasonically guided percutaneous fine needle biopsy in 85 cases with suspected space-occupying lesions of the lung, pleura and mediastinum. The results was positive in 97.6% (83/85), and the accurate diagnostic rate 98.8% (82/83). The incidence of pneumothorax was only 2.4%. The authors believe that this method has the advantages of being simple and easy in operation with high diagnostic rate and few complications.
The invention relates to the field of geotechnical engineering detection and test, in particular to an underground continuous wall leakage detection method. The method is characterized in that the inner side and the outer side of an underground continuous wall are each provided with multiple test holes; resistivity detection is conducted on two adjacent test holes in the same side in sequence before and after foundation pit dewatering, and the resistivity profiles between the two adjacent test holes are worked out according to the detection result; the resistivity profiles of the same position before and after foundation pit dewatering are compared, if it is found that low-resistance abnormality exists in the resistivity profile after foundation pit dewatering compared with the resistivity profile before foundation pit dewatering, it is judged that leakage occurs to the position, corresponding to the low-resistance abnormal resistivity profile, of the underground continuous wall. The underground continuous wall leakage detection method has the beneficial effects that the amount of collected data is large, the detection resolution ratio is high, sensitivity to the resistivity difference is high, and a good effect is achieved on the aspect of ground wall leakage detection; and leakage detection can be conducted on a certain segment of the underground continuous wall at a time, and meanwhile, no influence on the structural body of the underground continuous wall is generated.
This article considers and systematizes the existing methods, types, techniques and ways of personnel analysis and evaluation and presents recommendations on their application in the practice of personnel management in an educational organization. The information obtained through the evaluation procedures significantly expands and qualitatively enriches the personnel database and allows for the continuous monitoring of personnel's conditions, whose task is to provide managers with prompt access to information and to make reasonable managerial decisions. With a large variety of systems for personnel analysis and evaluation, when choosing an appropriate system or developing a unique internal organizational evaluation system in practice, one should pay special attention to its compliance with other systems of personnel management – motivation, compensation, career planning, vocational training, etc. Such compliance will allow the administration to achieve a synergistic effect as well as to avoid conflicts and contradictions. When determining the methods of personnel evaluation in an educational organization, one should proceed from the RESUMEN: Este artículo considera y sistematiza los métodos, tipos, técnicas y formas existentes de análisis y evaluación de personal y presenta recomendaciones sobre su aplicación en la práctica de la gestión del personal en una organización educativa. La información obtenida a través de los procedimientos de evaluación amplía y enriquece de forma cualitativa la base de datos de personal y permite el monitoreo continuo de las condiciones del personal, cuya tarea es brindar a los gerentes acceso rápido a la información y tomar decisiones gerenciales razonables. Con una gran variedad de sistemas de análisis y evaluación de personal, al elegir un sistema apropiado o desarrollar un sistema de evaluación organizacional interno único en la práctica, se debe prestar especial atención a su cumplimiento con otros sistemas de gestión de personal: motivación, Formación profesional, etc. Este cumplimiento permitirá a la administración lograr un efecto sinérgico así como evitar conflictos y contradicciones. Al determinar los métodos de evaluación del personal en una organización educativa, uno debe proceder de los objetivos de esta organización objectives of this organization and the immediate task of evaluation. The chosen evaluation system should also comply with the culture of an educational organization. The information and methodological base of an educational organization created on the basis of the proposed classification will make it possible to evaluate and analyze not only the professional and competence level of individual employees, structural subdivisions and personnel, but also to conduct a dynamic analysis of the development of the personnel management system in each organization.
China's policies on foreign capital,with a focus on the incentive ones,have made China one of the biggest absorbers of FDI in the world.However,there is a lack of balance between the regional developments.This paper uses the Game Theory to analyze the reasons for the uneven distribution of foreign capital among different regions in China.It also points out that the west and east regions should adopt different policies on the introduction of investment.There should also be cooperations between different areas under the government's guidance.
This paper discusses an economical water treatment technique in a mariculture recirculating system.Mechanical filtration for solid waste,foam fractionation for suspended solid,ozone disinfection,biofilm for nitrification,trickling filtration for gas waste,use of shell to adjust pH and oxygenation by a combination of an oxygen cover and an oxygen tank were studied.A new biological media was tested in the system.The water quality after treatment was as follows,COD2.8 mg/L,SS7.2 mg/L,NH 30.02 mg/L,the bacteria concentration is lower than that of nature seawater,the average yield is 29.92 kg/m2,the survival rate is 95.39%.
China's environment for inward FDI is undergoing profound changes. An accurate assessment of China's international competitiveness on attracting inward FDI is important to identify the point for improving the inward FDI environment in China. Using FDI attraction index, FDI Potential Index and FDI contribution index and applying the standardized methods, this paper sets up an international competitiveness index system of inward FDI and utilizes the data of 25 countries and regions to make a comprehensive survey of the competitiveness of China's inward FDI. On this basis, this paper proposes a way to enhance China's international competitiveness on attracting FDI.
A lighting device for a vehicle, provided with a first lighting means for projecting light in the direction of travel of the vehicle, a second lighting means capable of projecting light in a lighting pattern different from that of the first lighting means, and a control means which, when the vehicle is guided by a path guide means so as to advance along a recommended path to a destination, controls the second lighting means so that the second lighting means projects light in the direction of the recommended path in the lighting pattern different from that of the first lighting means.
Characteristic of the concept of digital coding is the hypothesis that the physical signals are simply carriers of symbols with the physical transformations of signals being part of data processing operations. Correspondingly, measurement systems that use digital signals are metrologically characterized by identifying the main sources of uncertainty/error found in the data acquisition and the data processing subsystems.
Localized current layers are a natural consequence of the interaction of the solar wind with the earth’s magnetic ﬁeld. In particular, ﬁeld-aligned currents dynamically link the active magnetotail to the auroral ionosphere. Within these currents there may develop small-scale phenomena such as density-gradient or shear-driven instabilities, or electron solitary structures and micro-turbulence which may profoundly inﬂuence the larger-scale dynamics of the system. The Basic Plasma Science Facility (BaPSF) at UCLA oﬀers a unique opportunity to model magneto/heliospheric phenomena, including current sheets. We present measurements from laboratory experiments of an electron current sheet which is several ion-gyroradii thick by up to ten Alfv´en wavelengths along the ﬁeld(1cm by 20m). The current sheet leads to a depletion of the background plasma, forming a ﬁeld-aligned density depression. Drift-Alfv´en waves are spontaneously excited and drive cross-ﬁeld particle transport which relaxes the density gradient and modulates the current ﬂow. We will also present initial results of small-scale electric ﬁeld spikes within the current sheet using specially fabricated dipole probes with separation on the order of the Debye length—here 13 microns. These measurements are motivated by the observation of electron solitary structures throughout the magnetosphere.
An overview of microprogramming and of the methods and tools available for microprogramming is given. A review is given of the language MPLS130, a high level language for microprogramming the Data General Eclipse S/130. Next, a progress report on an implementation effort for this language is given. Finally a summary is made of further work to be done and some concluding remarks are made about the language.
The problem concerns processes having jumps, since it seems more and more clear that models in finance should take jumps into cons "ideration. Tkaditionally, such models with jumps rely on Poisson or compound processes, as in [11], [3] and [4]. However, more recently some financial models have been proposed, that allow for an infinite number of jumps in finite time intervals, such as the variance gamma model of [10] and $[9|$ , the hyperbolic model of [7], the pure jump model of $[5|$ and the finite moment $ log$ stable process of [6]. These models can capture both small and frequent jumps, as well as large and inhequent ones. Since the qual "itat "ive propert "ies and the mathematical analysis of models with finitely many jumps deeply differ from those of models with infinitely many jumps, it seems appropriate to develop some methods wh "ich can d "iscriminate between the two types of models.
Abstract : The Secretary of the Navy has ordered the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to reduce energy usage. This study explores how to optimize placement and size of a non-intrusive waste heat recovery device for energy recovery in exhaust ducts. Additionally, it explores the effect that a device has on the exhaust infrared signature by analyzing the change in the bulk temperature at the exhaust outlet. Optimal device placement and size is dependent on duct geometry, external heat transfer coefficient, and flow characteristics, namely Reynolds number. Infrared signature intensity reductions of 1 14% are only achievable with unpractically long thermoelectric generator devices and high external heat transfer coefficients. Doubling the external heat transfer coefficient increases heat recovery by 15 30% for low Reynolds number flows (104) and 75 90% for high Reynolds number flows (105106). In low Reynolds number flows (104), device position can account for a 75% change in energy recovery whereas high Reynolds number flows (106) have unexpected areas of higher heat transfer. Position changes can increase heat recovery 10 70%, while increasing device size may only marginally improve results. Identifying local maxima for heat transfer, especially in high Reynolds number flows (106), is counterintuitive because of unexpected recirculation zone effects.
HIV-1 replication is a dynamic process influenced by a combination of viral and host factors. The HIV-1 matrix protein p17 is a structural protein critically involved in most stages of the life cycle of the retrovirus. It participates in the early stages of virus replication as well as in RNA targeting to the plasma membrane, incorporation of the envelope into virions and particle assembly. Besides its well established functions, p17 acts as a viral cytokine that works on preactivated--but not on resting--human T cells promoting proliferation, proinflammatory cytokines release and HIV-1 replication after binding to a cellular receptor (p17R). Thus, p17 might play a key role in the complex network of host- and virus-derived stimulatory factors contributing to create a favourable environment for HIV-1 infection and replication. Here, we present a brief overview of the functions played by the matrix protein p17 in the HIV-1 life cycle and summarize the current understanding of how p17 could contribute to the pathogenesis of HIV-1 disease.
One of the catalysts that led to the creation of such various digital service units was the inability to deliver an operational HealthCare.gov website on time in late 2013. This failure was symptomatic of a broader federal challenge in delivering large-scale IT projects. A post-mortem assessment found that the government’s existing IT expertise did not reflect private-sector industry practices, and that there was a gap between the needs of program managers and the technical capacity available to implement large projects effectively. A key contributing factor was that over three-quarters of the current IT budget for the federal government is earmarked to maintain outdated legacy IT systems. Consequently, this leaves little room to exploit the potential for adopting innovative technology approaches and capacities.
Fusion welding (FW) has been the greatest importance in metal industry application,  until today the weld itself still gives significant problems such as porosity and  incomplete joint penetration due to the manually handled process. In the present work,  FW of ASTM A516 grade 70 carbon steel was characterised in terms of macrostructure,  microstructure, hardness, elemental composition, and common internal defects using  radiography testing. Fatigue endurance of Manual Metal Arc (MMA), Metal Inert Gas  (MIG) and Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welded joints were investigated and discussed.  Moreover, the assessment of the effectiveness of shot peening in improving fatigue life  of FW have been analysed. The results show that the shot peening process greatly  improved fatigue strength by removing surface concentration, shifted and closing the  discontinuity such as porosity into the internal area. It was seen that the effect of shot  peening and skimming process improved the fatigue life of fusion weld (at 190 MPa  stress level), it is approximately 78% increase in fatigue life cycles for MMA peened skimmed joint, 94% increase for MIG peened skimmed joint and 90% increase for TIG  peened skimmed joint. Based on the observations, the good correlation achieved  between the experimental data and previous research suggests that TIG peened  skimmed joints shows the greatest quality compared to MMA and MIG regarding to its  controllable and cleanest method that can produce high quality weld with low defects.  Finally, the findings from this research give the manufacturer better option in joining  metals in order to increase their product performance and safety.
Datalog is the fusion of Prolog and Database technologies aimed at producing an efficient, logic-based, declarative language for databases. This fusion takes the best of logic programming for the syntax of Datalog, and the best of database systems for the operational part of Datalog. As is the case with all declarative languages, optimisation is necessary to improve the efficiency of programs. Semantic optimisation uses meta-knowledge describing the data in the database to optimise queries and rules, aiming to reduce the resources required to answer queries. In this thesis, I analyse prior work that has been done on semantic optimisation and then propose an optimisation system for Datalog that includes optimisation of recursive programs and a semantic knowledge management module. A language, DatalogiC, which is an extension of Datalog that allows semantic knowledge to be expressed, has also been devised as an implementation vehicle. Finally, empirical results concerning the benefits of semantic optimisation are reported. CR Categories H.2.0 [Database Management]: General; H.2.2 [Database Management]: Physical Design-access methods; H.2.4 [Database Management]: Systemsquery processing; 1.2.3 [Artificial Intelligence]: Deduction and Theorem Provinglogic programming; resolution; 1.2.8 [Artificial Intelligence]: Problem Solving, Control Methods and Search-heuristic methods; plan execution; formation; generation
Multi-layered gelatin films were used for the preparation of diagnostic membranes to measure blood glucose concentration. Diffusion rates of glucose through multi-layer gelatin films were monitored to obtain blood-glucose level by using glucose dehydrogenase and diaphorase. The effects of coating edge distance, enzyme quantities, film thickness, and outside temperature on the maximum diffusion rates of glucose were examined.
This study employs the PROMETHEE method, as one of the most popular and widely used multicriteria decision methods, in country risk assessment of the 15 transition countries, from New EU members group and from The Balkans group. Comparative analysis of results is done for 2000 and 2004. Country risk analysis involves the assessment of the performance of countries considering their economic and socio-political characteristics. It is defined from a combination of a set of diversified factors, which can be categorized into two major criteria groups: (1) economic and financial indicators that describe the current economic condition of the countries, their future economic prospects, as well as their business environment and (2) socio-political indicators that describe the social and political stability of the countries. The complexity of country risk assessment process has necessitated the construction of country risk assessment model based on multi-criteria decision methods.
The primary purpose of this document is to assist in planning a network of monitoring sites for measuring particulate matter. The measurements will conform to the new PM10 standard, which replaces the former total suspended particulate (TSP) standard. As a secondary objective, this document will aid in understanding the relationship between PM10 measurements and the quality of air that is sampled. The information contained here will prove useful to both air quality surveillance personnel and the users of air quality monitoring data. In this document, the siting process is viewed dynamically.
What Next for the European Parliament? Suggests what the MEPs elected in June 1999 should be doing to strengthen the future of European parliamentary democracy. Drawing on his unique research into the parliament's use of its existing powers, Andreas maurer suggests a programme of reform to the working conditions, rules and procedures od the parliament as well as to the European Parliamet's conduct of the critical relationship withnthe Council and Commision. maurer's work is based on a detailed study of the co-decision, cooperation and consultation procedures in whch ithe parliament finds itself involved. The battle for control of executive authority ibn the European Union is highlighted. The author points out the deficiencies as well as strengths of the present set-up, and makes proposals about how the parliament's enhanced powers under the Treaty of Amsterdam can best be exploited. No parliamentarian, official or journalist can afford to be without this manual of good practice for the European Parliament.
Object To investigate the effect of low molecular weight heparin combined with compound salvia miltorrhiza injection on acute ischemic cerebral stoke. Method 124 patients with acute ischemic cerebral stoke were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in treatment group (n=62) were treated by combination of compound salvia miltorrhiza injection and low molecular weight heparin. Patients in control group (n=62) were treated only by compound salvia miltorrhiza injection. The therapeutic effect and the changes of hemorrheology in both groups were observed and compared. Results The total effective rate in treatment group (87.10%) was markedly higher than that in control group (69.35%, P0.05). After treatment the indexes of hemorrheology in treatment group were significantly decreased, as compared with those in control group (P0.05). Conclusion Low molecular weight heparin combined with compound salvia miltorrhiza injection was effective in treating acute ischemic cerebral stoke.
In order to analyze the influence on the change rule of peak stress,peak strain and elastic modulus of concrete by different cyclic loading histories and strain rates.The uniaxial compression characteristic test of concrete cylinder specimens,due to cyclic loading histories with the strain rates ranging from 10-5,10-4,10-3/s was carried out.Experimental results showed that dynamic uniaxial compressive strength of concrete increased significantly with the increase of strain rate;the peak strain of concrete deceased with the increase of cycle load frequency under the same strain rate and cycle amplitude;the peak strain of the concrete had a trend of increase in general with the increase of strain rate in the same cycle loading history conditions;the change rule of elastic modulus of concrete had no obvious change due to train rate and cyclic loading history vibration frequency in the same cycle loading history conditions.
The correlations between the situation indicators (peak time of ingoing, last length of peak period, and moth quantity in peak period) of rice leaf roller in Yixing, Yandu and Jingjiang of Jiangsu Province and the grid monthly sea surface temperature (SST) of west Pacific were analyzed by statistical method, and the correlation maps were produced by using GRADS software. The regions in which the SST was significantly correlated with the situation indicators were identified, and the SST at these regions, which was processed by optimization correlation technique, was used as the predictor to set up the long-term models for predicting the situation indicators of rice leaf roller during its immigration period in the three regions. The results showed that the immigration time of rice leaf roller in each of the regions was highly correlated with the SST in that region, and the duration of immigration peak was well correlated with the SST of west Pacific. The correlations between moth amount and SST were significant and stable, and showed some seasonality. Model calibrations indicated that the agreements between outputs from all models and observations were statistically significant (alpha = 0.01), and model validations demonstrated the applicability of the models developed in this study in predicting the situation indicators of rice leaf roller. These models were capable of predicting the possible occurrence situation of rice leaf roller one to two months in advance, being of significance in the prevention and control of rice leaf roller, suitable management of rice production, reduction of pesticide pollution, and protection of environment.
A new cell line (CCA) was established from a human embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. It showed an "early" myogenic differentiation pattern: vimentin expression was found in 100% of cells, desmin in about 40% and myosin of the embryonic isoform in about 5%. Class I HLA expression on CCA cells was undeterctable but was greatly increased by in vitro treatment with human recombinant interferon-gamma and only marginally increased by human recombinant tumour necrosis factor-alfa. CCA cell line was tumorigenic in nude mice after either subcutaneous or intramuscular injection; macroscopic spontaneous metastases were not detected. The ability to induce metastatic nodules in the lungs was found when CCA cells were injected intravenously in cyclophosphamide-pretreated nude mice and, at low frequency, in untreated nude mice.
In this paper, a production process system simulation of the automobile relay switch manufacturing factory is studied. The status of the present production system is inspected first, and the modified model is simulated next. To inspect the effect of the process parameter change, a simulation program is developed using PROMODEL simulation software plus the EXCEL VBA and Active X Automation function. Using the developed simulation program, user can find the best production condition and alternatives on the production capacity, number of workers, and inspection status considering the defective ratio of the product. The feasibility of the new alternatives is compared with the present system using statistical method.
Followed with the reforms of employment structures,employment environments and employment systems,the employment situation is more and more complicated,and lead to the fact that the total unemployment shows a tendency to soar,the problems of employment and reemployment are shown out.Should adjust the employment structure in a more cost-effective manner,relieve the pressure of employment,build the good undertaking environment,promote the elasticity of obtaining employment,improve the unified labour market in urban and rural areas,in order to prevent employment environment from getting worse and worse.
Fukushima nuclear accident will give great impact on energy structure adjustment of each country and international climate cooperation.In short and medium term,some countries are likely to tighten their nuclear power industry,increase the proportion of fossil energy,and be reluctant to make a vigorous reduction commitment.The dilemma of international climate cooperation may persist.In the long term,human beings perhaps will have to pursue nuclear power security to maintain energy security and climate security simultaneously.
In situ straining tests in high purity α-Fe thin-foils at low temperatures have demonstrated that crystalline defects, called dislocations, have a jerky type of motion made of intermittent long jumps of several nanometers. Such an observation is in conflict with the standard Peierls mechanism for plastic deformation in bcc crystals, where the screw dislocation jumps are limited by inter-reticular distances, i.e. of a few Angstroms. Employing atomic-scale simulations, we show that although the short jumps are initially more favorable, their realization requires the propagation of a kinked profile along the dislocation line which yields coherent atomic vibrations acting as traveling thermal spikes. Such local heat bursts favor the thermally assisted nucleation of new kinks in the wake of primary ones. The accumulation of new kinks leads to long dislocation jumps like those observed experimentally. Our study constitutes an important step toward predictive atomic-scale theory for materials deformation.
Article contains reflections on limited possibilities that media companies have in reaching out to the users out of their natural readers group. Article bases on the conception of filter bubbles coined by Eli Pariser, that is describing the phenomenon of limiting access to information by algorithms automatically sorting the priorities of information on the basis of behavioral history of individual Internet user. Article presents results of analysis of media content available via Google search engine to the group of Internet users with various socio-political views. Following researching techniques were used in the research: poll; qualitative data analysis; literature analysis. Research results made it possible to describe limitations that media managers are facing with increasing the reach of their media websites. Article presents the way that filter bubbles are affecting not only the public debate limitations but as well methods used to manage media companies with special emphasis on marketing activities of specific media organizations.
Pulpose : MRI examination gives radio frequency(RF) pulses to the whole body, even though it visualizes only a partial area in detail. This might have harmful effects on patients rise as the RFs are absorbed into the patients’ body causing heating and temperature rise. In this paper, we examined the effectiveness of RF shielding fibers and customized RF protective clothing which can block the RF from being absorbed into the patients’ body. Materials and Methods : Phantom experiments were performed using a cylindrical fluid phantom in order to investigate whether the RF shielding fibers can completely block the RF. Also, clinical experiments were performed based on the phantom tests using customized RF protective clothing. MRI scanning was performed on a 3.0T MRI scanner (Ingenia, Philips Healthcare, The Netherlands). Each of T1, T2 and T2 fat saturated images were acquired using a 16channel anterior coil. The degree of an aliasing artifact and the signal suppression were evaluated using a measurement program. The statistical significance of the parametric data was determined using a t test to verify if there was a significant difference between before and after the application of the RF shielding fibers and RF protective clothing. Results : In the phantom experiment, both of the aliasing artifacts and the signal suppression of the scanned area were decreased by 98.94% after applying the RF shielding fibers. This meant that the RF shielding fiber completely blocks the RF, so that it did not react with the human body. The result of phantom test was identical to the clinical experiment results. In clinical experiment, the degree of signal suppression and aliasing artifact were both decreased by 95.89% after applying the customized RF protective clothing. In conclusion, the results showed that the RF shielding fibers and customized RF protective clothing of this study directly improved the heating problem of MRI by completely blocking the RF which was harmful to the human body and frequently encountered in clinical environment. Conclusion : The RF protection clothing made with RF shielding fibers proposed in this study can prevent the interaction between the RF and the human body. This can reduce the risk of SAR being exceeded due to temperature rise within the human body. Therefore, it was proved that the RF shielding fiber proposed in this study is the best alternative to reduce the risks on human body caused by the RF applied to the patient’s whole body.
In this study it has been demonstrated that magnetic and chemisorptive techniques can be used to characterize metal speciation in catalysts such as Co/ZSM-5. In particular, the amounts of ion-exchanged cobalt and cobalt external to the zeolite can be estimated. These measurements enable one to intepret the catalytic activity and selectivity of the catalyst. In our attempts to introduce cobalt in cationic form in ZSM-5 we have used a temperature of 90/sup 0/C for exchange with aqueous cobalt nitrate solution. It appears that 0.9 wt % Co can be introduced into ZSM-5 of SiO/sub 2//Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ = 38 under these circumstances. Co/ZSM-5 samples that were prepared by impregnation at room temperature with cobalt nitrate solution, showed approximately 2.2 wt % Co to be in a form not reducible to metallic cobalt. In earlier work the Co/ZSM-5 samples were subsequently washed with water to yield samples that contained 1.4 to 1.7 wt % Co. It is hence possible that exchange at temperatures lower than 90/sup 0/C would yield samples containing more than 0.9 wt % Co in ion-exchanged form. It is shown in this study that Co/sup 2 +//ZSM-5 can be back-exchanged and reduced to yield metallic cobalt supported onmore » H-ZSM-5. Chemisorption measurements are currently being carried out to determine the degree of dispersion of such samples. The back-exchanged samples are catalytically active in synthesis gas conversion. The method of back-exchange should be generally applicable for preparing metal-zeolite catalysts where it is desirable to free the zeolite of metal cations in order to restore the acidity to its original strength, and to have the metal on the exterior of the zeolite crystallites in a highly dispersed, catalytically active form. 14 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.« less
Lean buffering is the smallest buffer capacity, which is necessary and sufficient to ensure the desired production rate of a manufacturing system. Literature offers methods for designing lean buffering in production systems with identical machines. The current paper extends these methods to serial production lines with nonidentical machines, assuming that they obey the exponential reliability model. For two-machine lines, exact formulas for lean buffering are derived, while for longer lines estimates are obtained. These results can be useful for production line designers and production managers to maintain the required production rate with the smallest possible inventories. Note to Practitioners-In production systems with unreliable machines, operation with no-buffers (i.e., JIT) leads to low throughput. Very large buffers lead to high throughput but undesirable quality and economics properties. So, which level of buffering is good? This is the question addressed in this paper. The good level of buffering is addressed in terms of line efficiency, i.e., the fraction of the maximum of the throughput, which is acceptable for the system. For example, assume that the desired line efficiency is 0.9 (i.e., 90% of the maximum throughput is viewed as satisfactory). Under such an assumption, this paper offers methods for calculating the smallest (i.e., lean) level of buffering, which guarantees the desired throughput, provided that uptime and downtime of the machines are distributed exponentially with arbitrary mean time to failure and mean time to repair.
Many thanks for the opportunity to respond to the letter by Kaijser and colleagues on our original article entitled 'Differentiating stage I epithelial ovarian cancer from benign ovarian tumours using a combination of tumour markers HE4, CA125, and CEA and patient's age'. We thank the group from Leuven for their comments and commend the authors for their long-standing commitment to develop ovarian cancer prediction tools.  The group of authors from a highly reputable European centre of excellence in gynaecological oncology believes that ultrasound is superior to serum biomarkers.
Applied General Equilibrium models of trade failed to predict the sectoral changes in trade volumes following the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement. These models utilized a representative flrm framework and used econometric estimates for the elasticities of substitution between home and foreign goods. I take a difierent approach on both fronts, modeling plants as heterogeneous and calibrating the elasticities to match estimated markups in each sector. I introduce these features by adapting a Hopenhayn (1992) model of plant entry and exit and embed this in a multisector trade model. The resulting model is very similar to Melitz (2003), but I focus on quantifying the efiects of trade liberalization on trade ∞ows and industrial structure. I calibrate the model using trade data between the United States and Canada before their Free Trade Agreement and evaluate the model’s performance using later data. By successively shutting down various features of the model, I isolate the contribution of each. I flnd that calibrating the elasticities to markups improves the flt between model predictions and data signiflcantly, from weighted correlations which are negative to values of 0.36. Incorporating plant heterogeneity and industrial data improves the weighted correlation to 0.77.
Previous studies have shown that cGMP increases mitochondrial biogenesis (MB). Our laboratory has determined that formoterol and LY344864, agonists of the b2-adrenergic and 5-HT1F receptor, respectively, signal MB in a sGC-dependent manner. However, the pathway between cGMP and MB produced by these pharmacological agents in renal proximal tubule cells (RPTC) and the kidney, has not been determined. We show that treatment of RPTC with formoterol, LY344864, or riociguat, an sGC stimulator, induces MB through protein kinase G (PKG), a target of cGMP, and p38, an associated downstream target of PKG and a regulator of PGC-1α expression in RPTC. We also examined if p38 plays a role in PGC-1α phosphorylation in vivo. L-Skepinone, a potent and specific inhibitor of p38α and p38β administration to naïve mice inhibited phosphorylated PGC-1α localization in the nuclear fraction of the renal cortex. Taken together, we have demonstrated a pathway, sGC/cGMP/PKG/p38/PGC-1α, for pharmacological induction of MB and the importance of p38 in this pathway.
Mechanism of lipid transport in blood serum and bile are considered. The main place in interaction of these lipid-transporting systems belongs to endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes. The main mechanisms of lipid accretion in the liver with alimentary protein deficiency are established to be a disturbance in the formation of the very low-density lipoproteins and inhibition of cholesterol oxidation into bile acids. The latter is caused by a disturbance in the substrate supply of the given process simultaneously with a decrease in the content of microsomal monooxigenases. It is shown that changes in the motor regime may be the factor determining the diet composition. So, the prolonged hypokinesia necessitates an increase in the portion of animal proteins, which intensifies the processes of cholesterol oxidation in microsomes and lowers the level of atherogenic blood serum lipoproteins.
Asphalt Concrete Wearing Course (AC-WC) Pavement is located at the upper layer indirect contact with the vehicle wheel, rain and sunshine. This condition causes the pavement layer AC-WC susceptible to damagecaused by traffic loads, the influence of water and the hot sun as stripping. Currently, much effort has beendone such as the use of hydrates lime as an additive to improve the durability of the AC-WC pavement from damage. However, this study tries to use hydrates lime as a filler material in view of its influence onstripping resistance of AC-WC pavement. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the use of hydrates lime as a filler material to stripping resistance of AC-WC pavement. The test have been done on each percentage of hydrat lime: 0%, 25%, and 50%. Testing of AC-WC pavementto stripping  resistance using Immersion Compression Test to obtain the Index of Residual Strength (IRS)AC-WC pavement. Value of the residual strength index is an indicator of stripping resistanceof asphalt pavement. Testing of Immersion Compression Test using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) atthe test temperature is 250C. Testing of Immersion Compression Test conducted for each percentage ofhydrate lime on the condition of Optimum Asphalt Content. The results of the study found that the use ofhydrat lime as a filler material can affect the stripping resistance of AC-WC pavement. This is indicated bythe increased value of the IRS pavement using hydrates lime as a filler material than without the use ofhydrate lime. The study also found that the IRS maximum value is 96.03% in the hydrat lime content of 25% and aminimum value of 94.48% IRS on the hydrate lime content of 50%. Keywords: Stripping resistance, hydrate lime, IRS
ABSTRACT: This review article presents evidence for prenatal biochemical communication involving the mother, the placenta, and the prenate, and calls for prenatal intervention for at-risk dyads. The concept of prenatal biochemical communication is based on the view that the develoment of the self starts prenatally and is continuous and incremental. The study of prenatal programming has led to an understanding that the prenate and mother reciprocally influence each other via the placenta, which also provides many of its own contributions to the biochemistry of pregnancy, and that these effects may have long-range consequences in determining the course of adult health. Recent research has expanded this understanding to include the biochemicals associated with emotions and their transmission between the prenate and the mother, mediated by the placenta. After briefly touching on prenatal stress, which has been extensively studied, the review focuses on recent studies of maternal depression and PTSD. Hyperactivity, which may be a generic marker of prenatal stress response, is also briefly considered. The review concludes with a call for prenatal intervention for at risk mother-prenate dyads. KEY WORDS: Biochemical communication, prenatal programming, pregnancy, maternal depression, PTSD, prenatal intervention. INTRODUCTION Psychological research has historically framed questions concerning the influence of the caregiver's emotions on the child in terms of the child's postnatal experience. More recently, however, evidence has been accumulating that the mother's responses in the prenatal environment play a significant role in the development of the child, both pre- and postnatally. This paper examines the accumulating psychobiological evidence for prenatal physiological transmission of maternal emotional traits to the prenate. The research presented highlights the possibility of, and the need for, early intervention with at-risk individuals. After a summary of the arguments for the incremental development of the self beginning in the prenatal period, and hence for prenatal learning, evidence will be reviewed for the transmission of maternal biological markers for depression and PTSD to the prenate, increasing the prenate's risk for those disorders. In addition, the effects of maternal stress will be briefly reviewed, as well as evidence for fetal hyperactivity in response to various stressors. A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Scholars from disciplines as diverse as neurobiology, developmental psychoneuroendocrinology, and psychoanalysis have expressed the notion that the sense of self exists prenatally, in some early, inchoate form (Bion's proto-mind, Winnicott's psyche-soma, Damasio's mammalian proto-self) (Bianchedi et al., 1997; Damasio, 1999, pp. 16-19, 154-156; Winnicott, 1958, p. 191), quite different from the reflexive, self-aware, cognitive, verbal self that is often implied in discussions of the development of the self. These scholars also believe that this early self develops in interaction with its environment. Just as the postnatal development of the brain's neural pathways is seen as shaped by experience during and after birth (Schore, 2001a, 2001b, 2001c, 2003a, 2003b), learning also occurs prenatally: "Study of the prenatal ontogenesis of behavior suggests that the mind will emerge in an immature form and that stimulation received in utero, and the behavior emitted, will play an important role in the development of the fetus" (Hepper & Shahidullah, 1994); although the experiences may be different from our classic understanding of learning (for example, habitual washes of hormones from the mother's emotions that result in long-term, possibly lifelong, changes to the prenate's response patterns). Rather than verbal and cognitive, this learning is nonverbal, probably biochemical as well as neural, and is stored as cellular or procedural rather than explicit memory. The development of a sense of self can be viewed as being like an everexpanding sphere, starting with the prenatal psyche-soma and the physiological core of hormonal and other exchanges between prenate/ infant and mother, adding new layers as the infant/child continues to develop new capabilities (emotional/limbic maturity, ego and selfawareness, awareness of others, cognition, boundaries, somatic awareness, etc. …
The invention discloses a refractory insulation material for extrusive cable. The cable insulation material comprises the following raw materials by weight portion: 100 portions of methylvinylsilicone rubber, 0.15 to 2 portions of coupling agent, 30 to 40 portions of fume silica, 40 to 50 portions of ultramicro mica powder, 2 to 4 portions of constitution controller and 0.5 to 2 portions of vulcanizer. The methylvinylsilicone rubber is taken as the base material. The refractory insulation material with the added refractory high temperature-resisting high insulation material of the ultramicro mica powder has the advantages of extrudability, high temperature resistance, softness, abrasion resistance and no water absorption, overcomes the defect that a common mica tape is out of service after water absorption, overcomes the defect that the mica tape is incapable of lapping a soft conductor with a small cross section, and overcomes the defect that the mica tape is not easily, flatly, evenly and closely lapped and is easy to wrinkle and break. Furthermore, the cable made by the refractory insulation material can pass the A-grade fire test authorized by national standards.
The automatic management strategy of oil burners in opposed wall firing boiler is introduced.In order to insure symmetrical heat radiation of boiler,the cross principium and the inhibitive increase principium are put forward to limit the startup of each burner.The concept of layer is suggested to guarantee the system working in gear when some burners break down,and the management logic of layer startup and shutdown is developed accordingly.The selective program structure is introduced through setting the delay time and the pulse width of the serving command in order to implement the burner automatic startup and shutdown at the same layer.The control strategy of automatically increasing and decreasing oil burners is put forward by utilizing the changing of the oil pressure during boiler ignition,load ascending and dropping.
The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a fixed dose combination of telmisartan 40 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg in adult Indian patients with mild to moderate hypertension. A prospective, multicentric, open-label, non-comparative, phase IV study was conducted. A total of 353 patients of either sex, between 18- 65 years of age with supine blood pressure (BP) levels of systolic BP (SBP) of 140-200 mmHg and diastolic BP (DBP) of 95-114 mmHg were included. After a placebo run-in period of 2 weeks, each patient received a fixed dose combination of telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide (40mg/12.5mg) once daily, for 8 weeks. Supine BP was assessed at the end of every 2 weeks. Tolerability and safety were assessed by physical examination, laboratory parameters and evaluation of adverse events. A total of 339 patients completed the study with 14 drop-out cases because of loss to follow-up. There was a significant fall (p<0.05) in both the SBP and DBP starting from the second week as compared to the baseline. Mean SBP had a significant reduction of 23.55 mmHg (15.0%) and 27.79 mmHg (18%) at the end of 6th and 8th week respectively, compared to baseline values. Mean DBP had also had a significant reduction of 12.51 mmHg (12.6%) and 15.17 mmHg (15.3%) at the end of 6th and 8th week respectively, compared to baseline values. This combination was well tolerated with only 3.9% of the total cases reporting mild adverse events like fatigue, dizziness, nausea, diarrhoea etc. The laboratory values were within normal limits. Fixed dose combination of telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide (40 mg/12.5 mg) once daily has a significant therapeutic effect and a good tolerability profile in adult Indian patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
Purpose To report the use of preserved pericardium tissue in the treatment of scleral melt associated with uveal prolapse secondary to Wegener's granulomatosis. Wegener's granulomatosis may initially present with ophthalmic findings including scleral melting with uveal prolapse. In order to preserve the globe and treat this potentially fatal disease, prompt diagnosis, surgical correction of uveal prolapse, and subsequent immunosuppressive therapy are imperative. If advanced scleral melt associated with uveal prolapse is present, pericardium grafting with conjunctival advancement is a useful technique. Methods Case report of a 70-year-old white female who initially presented with a unilateral sderal melt associated with uveal prolapse involving 6 clock hours of the surgical limbus. Emergent pericardium grafting of the involved limbus with conjunctival advancement performed to correct the endangered globe. Laboratory data including sedimentation rate, cANCA, computerized tomography of the chest, and urinalysis confirmed the diagnosis of Wegener's granutomatosis. Results After pericardium grafting and immunosuppressive therapy the patient returned to baseline visual acuity, the sedimentation rate normalized, and the pulmonary lesions and renal failure resolved. The patient has been followed for 3 years since the initial diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis and there has been no recurrence. Conclusions To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first report using processed pericardium to emergently treat scleral melt associated with uveal prolapse, thereby allowing preservation of the globe. In addition to management of the scleral melt, systemic evaluation and treatment with immunosuppressive therapy are necessary.
Natural disaster insurance is the most effective economic instruments of post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction.Studies have shown that as long as the region is large enough to take the mandatory insurance policy,and establish a scientific mechanism for risk diversification and insurance patterns,natural disaster insurance is feasible.By building from the potential victims(the insured),direct insurance companies,reinsurance companies,capital markets and government risk protection fund established in series five of the main mechanisms of risk diversification and insurance models,the use of expectations of mutual benefit principle to establish the appropriate series mathematical model of the insurance presented a relatively new scientific method of calculating insurance premiums.This is proved completely feasible through evidence.
The reaction pathway of n-butane selective oxidation to maleic anhydride (MA) over vanadium phosphorous oxide (VO)2P2O7 catalysts was systematically probed using in situ transient Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier-Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) in high temperature/high pressure chamber. The unsaturated and saturated noncyclic carbonyl species were determined to be intermediates in n-butane selective oxidation to MA. Furan was detected on the surface of the (VO)2P2O7 catalysts in 1-butene, 1,3-butadiene selective oxidation. It was deduced that furan ring was cleaved to form unsaturated noncyclic carbonyl species before its conversion to MA. Based on these results and in comparison with the literature, a simplified scheme of the reaction network structure can be proposed for n-butane selective oxidation to maleic anhydride.
The relationship between diadochokinetic rate and accuracy, reading, rate, and sentence intelligibility in Cantonese speakers with Parkinsonism Abstract This study examined the relationship between nonspeech tasks (DDK rate and DDK accuracy) and speech tasks (reading rate and sentence intelligibility) in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD). Eleven speakers with PD, aged between 43 and 78, served as speaker subjects. DDK rate and DDK accuracy were analyzed using perceptual and acoustical analysis. Reading rate was analyzed by calculating syllables per second. For the sentence intelligibility, six naive listeners orthographically transcribed sentences. The results showed a moderate correlation between DDK accuracy (as measured perceptually) and sentence intelligibility, and a moderate correlation between perceptual and acoustic measures of DDK accuracy All other coixelations between DDK rate, reading rate, sentence intelligibility and DDK accuracy (perceptual and acoustic) were nonsignificant. It appeared that the nonspeech tasks (DDK rate and DDK accuracy [as measured acoustically]) were not a very good predictor of speech tasks, at least for sentence intelligibility and reading rate. of the findings are discussed. prolongations and diadochokinetic and reading rates.
The study of the nutrition-beverage of expelling lead was carried out in 30 Sprague-Dawley rats in 3 randomly set groups(A,B,C)for 3 months.The results suggest that the nutrition-beverage of ex- pelling lead was capable of decreasing the lead level in blood,liver and kidney.Compared with group B,the excretion of lead in feces and urin is high in group C(P0.01).It had no influence on Zn, Cu and Fe in liver,kidney,brain and tibia,and alse no influence on the excretion of Fe,Zn in feces and urin.It was significantly effective in restoring the lead induced body weight losses.Through the field trial of 2 months,the test was done on group T and control group C,which were composed of 34 and 24 workers exposed occupationally to lead.The results show that in group T,the average concentration of blood lead reduced by 0.39μmol/L(P0.05)and the excretion of lead in urin was obviously less.The Cu,Zn level in the blood and urin showed no change.The level Hb of group T was higher than in group C.The increment of activity of blood δ-ALAD in group T was also significant(P 0.01),when compared with that of the group C.It is evident that the nutrition-beverage of ex- pelling lead has a great practical value in preventing people from lead intoxication.
Cross sections for a variety of particles produced from a 16-GeV proton beam collision with target protons are calculated directly for specified momenta and angles. These results are compared with Monte Carlo calculations for particle production cross-sections: the Sanford-Wang cross-section formula and the Sanford-Wang cross-section fomula plus kinematic reflection. Some of these particles decay near the target, forming cloud daughter particles. Monte Carlo distributions of cloud pions from the decay K/sub short//sup 0/ ..-->.. ..pi../sup +/..pi../sup -/ and cloud muons from ..pi../sup +/ ..-->.. ..mu../sup +/nu are calculated. The trajectories of random rays of cloud particles, which result from a decay within and pass through a specified beam pipe, are traced back to the target plane and plotted. The beam pipe is 1 m long and 20 cm in diameter. There is an elliptical aperture that is 20 cm horizontally and 2 cm vertically. Cloud particles are constrained in angle, less than 100 mrad with respect to the horizontal axis and less than 10 mrad with respect to the vertical axis.
Introduction: Work satisfaction experienced by physicians and nurses correlates positively with patient satisfaction. There appear to be no studies that focus on the satisfaction of physicians and nurses working together within a multidisciplinary cancer team. Our aim was to evaluate the experiences and differences in work satisfaction of the medical specialists, residents and nurses at a fast track clinic (FTC) for patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Methods: A novel questionnaire was developed based on structured interviews. The questionnaire was sent to all physicians and nurses (n=77) who worked at the FTC. Answers were given on a 5-point Likert scale. Data were analysed using non-parametric tests. Results: The questionnaire was answered by 73 respondents (95% overall response rate). Overall satisfaction with the working conditions of our fast track outpatient clinic was high for all groups, although residents reported a higher emotional strain than specialists. The importance of a multidisciplinary one day diagnostics outpatient clinic was invariably rated as high to very high by all. Conclusion: Working in a multidisciplinary patient-centred fast track outpatient clinic for gastrointestinal malignancies was considered an important addition to modern healthcare according to the involved physicians and nurses.
Within Prometeo Project, the Faculty of Company Administration (FADE) of the Chimborazo’s Higher School (ESPOCH), initiated your first steps for the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) like the model of university management. The objectives of project are to implement BSC in the FADE and in its six schools. In order to develop the work, theories of authors Robert Kaplan and David Norton in relation to BSC were taken into account. Comparative and analysis methods with other experiences in the university management were used. Finally, was implemented BSC and the operating control in the FADE was propitiated.
A polyaniline/polycarbonate membrane impregnated with a receptor molecule di-tert-butylcyclohexano-18C6 (DtBuCH18C6) was employed as an electrochemical sensor for Sr I I ion in nitric acid medium. Behavior of the molecular device was studied as a function of variables like oxidation potential, crown ether concentration and nitric acid concentration. The sensor response was linear in the limited Sr I I concentration range of 1 x 10 - 1 0 to 1 x 10 - 9 M, beyond which a saturation effect was observed.
Diseases and conditions associated with tissues of the body, including but not limited to tissues in the eye, can be effectively treated, prevented, inhibited, onset delayed, or regression caused by administering therapeutic agents to those tissues. Described herein are liquid formulations which deliver a variety of therapeutic agents, including but not limited to rapamycin, to a subject for an extended period of time; liquid formulations which form a non-dispersed mass when placed in an aqueous medium of a subject; non- dispersed mass-forming liquid formulations which form a gel or gel-like substance in an aqueous medium; liquid formulations, comprising a therapeutic agent and a plurality of polymers; and methods for delivering therapeutic agents to a subject for an extended period of time using the liquid formulations. The liquid formulation may be placed in an aqueous medium of a subject, including but not limited to via intraocular or periocular administration, or placement proximate to a site of a disease or condition to be treated in a subject. A method may be used to administer rapamycin to treat or prevent angiogenesis, choroidal neovascularization, or age-related macular degeneration, or wet age-related macular degeneration in a subject. The liquid formulations may comprise rapamycin or other therapeutic agents.
This paper reviews the problem of scope and coverage of the national current bibliographies in the second half of the 20 th century. In the first part, UNESCO's and IFLA's (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) recommendations are compared to findings and trends that selected inquiries presented in researches covering scope and the coverage discovered in current national bibliographies during 1970's and 1990's. In the second part, the problem of the selection and coverage of electronic publications and resources for national current bibliographies is widely described. Emphasis is given on the possibilities of inclusion of web publications, especially in the context of recommendations from early 1980's. Some recent projects and their recommendations are reviewed and some research findings about inclusion of electronic material in current national bibliographies are given. Finally, this paper gives some visions of the worldwide electronic bibliography as a main bibliographic resource in the world of electronic publication.
Thank you very much for reading histopathology specimens clinical pathological and laboratory aspects. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their favorite books like this histopathology specimens clinical pathological and laboratory aspects, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of tea in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some malicious virus inside their computer.
Objective To further illustrate the immunostimulating activity of the nucleosides containing thiazolidin-4-one ring,and evaluate the potential value as a drug.Methods The influence of thiazolidin-4-one derivates CH1a,CH2a,CH1b or CH2b on the proliferation of spleen lymphocyte treated by mitogens(ConA,LPS) was observed by cytology experiment in vitro.Using mice ELISA kit,the levels of the cytokines,such as interleukin-4(IL-4),IL-2,and interferon-γ(IFN-γ) were detected from the supernatant of cell cultures.All test indexes were compared with pidotimod.Results CH1a,CH2a,CH1b or CH2b significantly promoted proliferation of Con A-induced T cells at certain concentrations,as compared with pidotimod(P0.01).CH1b and CH2b significantly enhanced proliferation of LPS-induced splenocytes as compared with pidotimod(P0.01).CH1a and CH2a did not significantly increase the proliferation of LPS-induced splenocytes(P0.05).As compared with Con A alone or pidotimod,a combination of Con A and CH1a,CH2a,CH1b or CH2b significantly increased the levels of IL-2 and IL-4 secretion(P0.01).CH1a,CH2a and pidotimod significantly increased the secretion level of IFN-γ(P0.01),while CH1b and CH2b had no effects on IFN-γ secretion.Conclusion The nucleoside containing thiazolidin-4-one ring(CH1a,CH2a,CH1b and CH2b) have certain activity of immunostimulating in mice and hold a potential as immunomodulators.
The use of herbal remedies have assumed a global dimension, which has culminated in their use in the treatment of various dental ailments in both developed as well as developing countries. The major advantages of herbs are safety, easy availability, increased shelf life, cost effectiveness and lack of microbial resistance. In dentistry, because of the cytotoxic reactions of most of the medicaments used and their inability to eliminate bacteria from dentinal tubules, trend of recent medicine is to use biologic medication extracted from natural plants. Seeds, leaves, stems, bark, roots, flowers, and extracts of all of these have been used in herbal drugs. The strength of the herbal drugs varies based on the genetic distinction, growing conditions, timing and method of harvesting, revelation of the herbs to air, light and dampness, and type of conservation of the herbs. These traditional medicinal plant extracts or phytochemicals inhibit the growth of oral pathogens, reduce the development of dental plaque and reduce the symptoms of oral diseases. Herbs with medicinal properties are used to prevent and treat diseases and to support health and healing.
The utility model relates to a small-diameter upward-moving sealing device of a casing damage well. The small-diameter upward-moving sealing device of the casing damage well resolves the problem that at present no effective device for upward-moving sealing is provided for various casing damage wells. The small-diameter upward-moving sealing device of the casing damage well is characterized by comprising a tail pipe (5), wherein the lower end of the tail pipe (5) is connected with a starting taper (6), the upper end of the tail pipe (5) is connected with a releasing device (2), and a drillable bridge plug (3) is connected outside the tail pipe (5) between the starting taper (6) and the releasing device (2) in a sleeved mode. The small-diameter upward-moving sealing device of the casing damage well is capable of effectively carrying out upward-moving sealing on various casing damage wells, and brings convenience to development of a casing damage injection well of an oil field.
Water infiltration to buried waste is the prime problem of concern in designing waste disposal units for the humid areas. Conventional compacted clay layers (resistance layer barriers) have been subject to failure by subsidence and by permeability increases bought about by plant roots. A clay barrier with a rock cover without plants is being investigated. Also a combination of a resistive layer overlying a conductive layer is being investigated. Laboratory studies indicate that this approach can be very effective and field evaluations are underway. However, it must be noted that subsidence will negate the effectiveness of any buried layer barriers. A surface barrier (bioengineering management) has been evaluated in the field and found to be very effective in preventing water entry into waste disposal units. This surface barrier is easily repairable if damaged by subsidence and could be the system of choice under active subsidence conditions. 5 refs., 20 figs.
The interdependence among the strong-motion amplitude, earthquake magnitude and hypocentral distance has been established (Parvez et al. 2001) for the Himalayan region using the dataset of six earthquakes, two from Western and four from Eastern Himalayas (Mw = 5.2-7.2) recorded by strong-motion networks in the Himalayas. The level of the peak strong motion amplitudes in the Eastern Himalayas is three fold larger than that in the Western Himalayas, in terms of both peak acceleration and peak velocities. In the present study, we include the strong motion data of Chamoli earthquake (Mw=6.5) of 1999 from the western sub-region to see whether this event supports the regional effects and we find that the new result fits well with our earlier prediction in Western Himalayas. The minimum estimates of peak acceleration for the epicentral zone of Mw=7.5-8.5 events is Apeak=0.25-0.4 g for the Western Himalayas, and as large as APeak=l-0 1.6 g for the Eastern Himalayas. Similarly, the expected minimum epicentral values of Vpeak for Mw=8 are 35 cm/s for Western and 112 cm/s for Eastern Himalayas. The presence of unusually high levels of epicentral amplitudes for the eastern subregion also agrees well with the macroseismic evidence (Parvez et al. 2001). Therefore, these results represent systematic regional effects, and may be considered as a basis for future regionalized seismic hazard assessment in the Himalayan region. Many metropolitan and big cities of India are situated in the severe hazard zone just south of the Himalayas. A detailed microzonation study of these sprawling urban centres is therefore urgently required for gaming a better understanding of ground motion and site effects in these cities. An example of the study of site effects and microzonation of a part of metropolitan Delhi is presented based on a detailed modelling along a NS cross sections from the Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) to Sewanagar. Full synthetic strong motion waveforms have been computed using the hybrid method, a combination of modal summation and finite difference techniques, for the earthquake source of July 15, 1720 (MMI=IX, M=7.4), and mapped all along the cross section. The response spectra ratio (RSR), i.e. the response spectra computed from the signals synthesized along the laterally varying section normalized by the response spectra computed from the corresponding signals, synthesized for the bedrock reference regional model, have been determined as well.
The application of heat pump systems in a clothes dryer was studied. First, the refrigeration capacity of the heat pump evaporator system is used to cool air and dehumidify it, and then the low moisture content air passes through the condenser and is heated to a high temperature and low relative humidity level. At last, the air enters the drum to dry the clothes. The heat pump clothes dryer takes full use of the heat and the refrigerating output, reducing the energy consumption with a high drying effect. The theoretical analysis of the heat pump clothes dryer was conducted in this paper and the test rig was also set up for the experiment. The main parts of the test rig include a drying drum, a fan, an evaporator, a condenser and a compressor. The power consumption of the clothes dryer, the refrigerant temperature and pressure, the air temperature and relative humidity and other parameters were tested in the experimental process. The direct-exhaust model and semi-enclosed model of the heat pump clothes dryer were tested in the experiment. Based on the analysis and comparison of data from the experiment, it could be concluded that the Specific dehumidification Energy Consumption (SEC) of the heat pump clothes dryer is 1.22 kWh/kg on the condition that the ambient temperature is 20°C, the relative humidity 60% and the fresh air ratio 49%. Compared with the 1.847 kWh/kg of electrical heating type clothes dryer, the energy saving is about 35%. Analysis of the varying pattern of the drying effect in different stages of the whole drying process showed that improving the SEC of the drying in initial and later stage is an effective way to reduce the energy consumption of the clothes dryer. In addition, changing the performance and drying effect of the heat-pump system by varying the air-volume flow, was analyzed.
It introduces the energy saving measures of RHF design of certain plant which combines the regenerative and conventional combustion heat supply technologies,using air pre-heater to recover waste heat,meanwhile,saving energy through regenerative burning automation control,furnace profile structure and lining,ect.The test result of energy consumption and heating quality after full production can meet its expected targets.The billets are heated evenly,with less burning loss,which proves the energy saving technology adopted by this RHF to be successful.
Applications of circularly polarized x-rays are becoming increasingly important. A major use is in x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). With this technique, the magnetic, chemical and physical properties of systems which contain magnetic or paramagnetic atoms can be studied. The Advanced Light Source (ALS), a 3rd generation synchrotron light source, has several beamlines which are operating or are under construction which employ XMCD. This paper highlights some of these applications, including studies of magnetic materials, where XMCD can determine the element specific magnetic moments in systems having giant moments or colossal magnetoresistance. Investigations of biomolecules have also been performed, studying the structure and spin state of transition metal centers in metalloproteins. New beamlines and other applications such as magnetic microscopy are also discussed.
ABSTRACT Alteration and abnormal epigenetic mechanisms can lead to the aberration of normal biological functions and the occurrence of several diseases. The histone deacetylase (HDAC) family of enzymes is one of the prime regulators of epigenetic functions modifying the histone proteins, and thus, regulating epigenetics directly. HDAC1 is one of those HDACs which have important contributions to cellular epigenetics. The abnormality of HDAC is correlated to the occurrence, progression, and poor prognosis in several disease conditions namely neurodegenerative disorders, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, chemotherapy resistance, and survival in various cancers. Therefore, the progress of potent and effective HDAC1 inhibitors is one of the prime approaches to combat such diseases. In this study, both regression and classification-based molecular modelling studies were conducted on some AR-42 derivatives as HDAC1 inhibitors to elucidate the crucial structural aspects that are responsible for regulating their biological responses. This study revealed that the molecular polarizability, van der Waals volume, the presence of aromatic rings as well as the higher number of hydrogen bond acceptors might affect prominently their inhibitory activity and might be responsible for proper fitting and interactions at the HDAC1 active site to pertain effective inhibition.
Radiotherapy is a common treatment option for malignant tumors. The use of magnetic resonance imaging in radiotherapy is increasing world-wide and sets additional requirements on the image quality compared to diagnostics applications. Thereby, the overall goal of the present project was to develop and implement a structured image quality assurance approach for MRI in radiotherapy. Specific aspects studied was the image quality, spatial accuracy and spin-lattice relaxation time quantification. Measurements using three different phantoms were performed at the positron emission tomography magnetic resonance (PET/MR) scanner at Norrlands Univeristy Hosptial, Umea. The image quality was evaluated using the American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom and its accompanying tests. ACR phantom measurements were performed once or twice daily throughout the project. The results from the ACR tests were implemented in an automatic analysis program and displayed on a website, accessible from the hospital network. The image quality was found to be constant over time and within acceptance values. Furthermore, the spatial distortion was quantified using a large field of view (FOV) phantom and a spatial analysis program supplied with the phantom. A method to study the reproducibility of the distortion was developed and the distortion in the PET/MR scanner was mapped in different images planes. The image distortion was shown to be reproducible and less than 1 mm inside a volume of 20x20x20 cm3 around the magnetic isocenter, which corresponds to a FOV used in target delineations images. However, outside this volume larger distortions than 2 mm was observed. In order to evaluate the quantification of the spin-lattice relaxation time two methods were evaluated, variable flip angle (VFA) and two point inversion recovery spin echo (IRSE) using the Test object 5 (TO5) phantom. Large variations in the quantification was observed using the VFA method compared to the two point IRSE method when performing phantom measurements. Unfortunately, the two point IRSE method was not adequate when used in head exams in the clinical practice.
p-Chloromethyl styrene (p-CMS) is a new industrial monomer and is attractive for both science and industry. In this paper, many important physicochemical data including IR, UV, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, MS of the monomer and TGA, solubility parameter of the polymer are shown. On the basis of explored kinetic results, the equation Rp= K[AIBN]0.5[ p-CMS]1.5 is proposed to express the initial overall rate of the polymerization of p-CMS in the presence of AIBN as an initiator. In the light of the results from TGA, an inference that the thermodegra-dation seems to be the main reaction during the thermal decomposition of poly-p-CMS in nitrogen is given.
Effect of various insecticides on basal and calmodulin (CaM) activated adenylate cyclase activity was studied in solubilized rat brain nuclear and P2 fractions. Our earlier experiments indicated that plictran, chlordecone and other insecticides affect the calcium transport across cell membranes. The present experiments were designed with the assumption that these compounds might exert their neurotoxic action by interfering with CaM (a calcium receptor protein) regulated processes. We have used detergent solubilized adenylate cyclase for our studies, since membrane bound form is not sensitive to externally added CaM. CaM significantly elevated the adenylate cyclase activity in both the fractions and a maximum stimulation of 97% in nuclear fraction and 50% in P2 fraction was observed with 1 microgram of CaM. All the insecticides studied inhibited both basal and CaM activated adenylate cyclase activity in nuclear and P2 fractions to a different extent. A significant inhibition was observed at 0.05 microM and higher concentrations of plictran. Chlordecone and toxaphene inhibited both basal and CaM activated adenylate cyclase in a concentration dependent manner. Although dieldrin and aldrin inhibited basal adenylate cyclase in a concentration dependent manner, they did not exhibit a similar pattern on CaM activated adenylate cyclase. Of all the insecticides studies, chlordecone is more potent in inhibiting both basal and CaM activated adenylate cyclase which is in agreement with the greater neurotoxic action of this compound. These results indicate that all the insecticides studied are potent inhibitors of detergent solubilized adenylate cyclase, and might exert their neurotoxic differential action by interfering with CaM regulated events in central nervous system.
Objective: To find out the developmental characteristics and influencing factors of subjective wellbeing in medical college. Methods: A total of 426 medical college students who were sampled randomly from Guangdong were assessed with satisfaction with life scale and positive affect and negative affect scale. The data showed that: 1) profession and personal family economic income can influence SWB; 2) locus of control influences SWB; 3) the 3 dimensions of E (extraversion), N (neuroticism) and O (openness to experience) in the big five-factor model of personality are important influenced factors of SWB.
Research results show that polymers are subjected to the long-term impacts of various factors after they were injected into the underground,and their structures and properties have changed greatly.In this paper,the producted sewage was exemplified from the production well W7-4 in Bohai Jinzhou 9-3 oil field after polymer flooding.Subsequently,the influences of the produced polymer concentration and remaining oil saturation on oil displacement efficiency were quantitatively evaluated based on the comprehensive analysis of the reservoir geologic characteristics and the observation of polymer molecular morphology with an environmental scanning electron microscope(ESEM),thereby provided guidance for the reutilization of polymer-contained sewage.ESEM photos show that the residual polymer assumes the reticular structure.In addition,evaluation experimental results revealed that polymer-contained sewage flooding can increase the oil displacement efficiency by 1.5%-5% than the common sewage flooding and the efficiency increases with the residual polymer concentration.the higher the remaining oil saturation,the larger the oil displacement efficiency.
Selective bilateral renal artery embolization was performed in 5 patients because of severe hypertension not responding to conventional medical treatment, in two patients on repeated dialysis; severe nephrotic syndromes with chronic renal insufficiency in the three other patients. A significant drop in blood pressure occurred in only two of the hypertensive patients, about 40 days after embolization. Bilateral surgical nephrectomy was required in the other patient because of persistence of residual vascularization and high RAP. Excellent results were obtained in the 3 patients with a nephrotic syndrome, with disappearance of proteinuria and anuria following the embolization. For this method to be effective, the arterial obliteration has to be complete and definitive. When symptoms persist or there is a relapse, especially in the cases with hypertension, a repeated arteriographic examination and complementary embolization has to be envisaged. Further experience with this method is necessary in order to compare the results with those obtained after bilateral surgical nephrectomy. Medical treatment with agents toxic to the tubules, in cases of the nephrotic syndrome, has apparently not produced the results expected. The relative simplicity of this embolization procedure has to be underlined, together with the fact that it is free from major complications when performed by surgeons trained in its use, on the condition that purification be carried out immediately following embolization.
It is generally agreed that all present diagnostic cardiac methods including echocardiography, nuclear medicine, and coronary arteriography have significant limitations. Nuclear cardiology provides excellent diagnostic sensitivity using small amounts of radioactive tracers, but it currently lacks the spatial fidelity needed to differentiate many anatomic structures in the heart. CT complements the capabilities of these alternative imaging modalities. Computed tomography offers accurate reconstruction of the whole myocardium with far greater spatial and density resolution in three dimensions. CT may eventually find its most important and clinically useful application in the diagnosis and management of heart disease.
Representative test mock-ups and flaws are important part of reliable qualification. Ideally, the qualification mock-ups should contain a sufficient number of various flaws to cover variation in natural flaws and to give a reliable picture of the capabilities of the inspection and its variability. However, providing sufficient mock-ups and flaws is technically challenging and costly. The challenge of providing representative mock-ups is common for all qualifications. This project verified a novel method and software to modify inspection data and to produce new virtual test specimens for data analysis. Further, objective was to get more data to increase the basis for a reliable decision in the performance of inspection qualification activities. The software is able to modify data and signals both from Ultrasonic and Eddy Current techniques, and to be used on different mechanized inspection and tube inspection systems. The project investigated, if it is possible to produce new test specimens, flaws or grading units, both with and without defects, in test block data files to be used in training and qualification of personnel. The aim was also to improve the statistics and confidence level based on an increased number of flaws. For this purpose it is necessary to have the possibility to modify flaw shape and size within a certain tolerance to get a reliable probability of detection (POD) curve. The project also show a technique that could be used to design blind test blocks or defects in a test block where defect signals are taken from an open one. This will have an positive impact on the costs of producing new test blocks. M or e in fo a bo ut th is a rt ic le : ht tp :// w w w .n dt .n et /? id = 22 67 7
AIM OF STUDY To review the incidence, morbidity and mortality of Meconium Aspiration Syndrome (MAS). To identify possible predictors of MAS in newborns with thick meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF) at delivery.   METHODOLOGY Case records of babies with MSAF delivered in Singapore General Hospital from 1.1.1991 to 31.12.1993 were studied retrospectively.   RESULTS In the study period, 1,893 babies (15% of live births) had MSAF and 174 babies (1.4% live births) developed MAS. The incidences of MAS in newborns with light, moderate and thick MSAF were 0.3%, 5.8% and 61% respectively. Complications associated with MAS were metabolic acidosis (52%), air leak syndrome (2%), persistent pulmonary hypertension (2%) and hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (0.5%). The mortality rate of babies with MAS was 2%. Newborns with thick MSAF were more likely to develop MAS if they were males, small-for- gestational-age, had fetal distress and meconium was sucked from the trachea at birth.   CONCLUSION Vigilant perinatal monitoring of high risk babies with MSAF and proper resuscitation at birth would help reduce the incidence of MAS and its associated complications.
Ulrich Specks, Peter A. Merkel, Philip Seo, Robert Spiera, Carol A. Langford, Gary S. Hoffman, Cees G.M. Kallenberg, E. William St. Clair, Swati Tole, Paul Brunetta, Shuyi Shen, Nadia Tchao, Barri J. Fessler, Lisa Webber, Linna Ding, Lourdes P. Sejismundo, Kathleen Mieras, Deborah J. Phippard, Adam Asare, Noha Lim, David Ikle, Brett Jepson, Alice Lail, Mark Mueller, Nancy B. Allen, Fernando Fervenza, Duvuru Geetha, Karina Keogh, Eugene Y. Kissin, Paul A. Monach, Tobias Peikert, Coen Stegeman, Steven R. Ytterberg, John H. Stone for the RAVE-ITN Research Group
Objective:To probe into relation between repairing methods of hand wound and hand function.Methods:89 cases of flap with hilum used for skin grafting on the wound of hand have been studied,each follow_up time of which is more than half a year.According to the seven items evaluating the effect of flap put forward to by professor Wang Shu_huan,we design ten marks evaluation.Results:The best is 26 cases.The better is 42 cases.The normal is 17 cases.The worse is 4 cases. Conclusion:The dorsal skin of hand is to pretect tendon,bones,or others,so its flap has worse effect than S _ shaped abdominal flap and inguinal flap.The repairing of finger wound is aimed to restore the sense,so the effect of flap of adjoining fingers,dorsal flap of first metacarpal,lateral flap of fore finger,majior thenal flap is relatively sound.Chest flap has less effect on the avulsed wound of the whole finger.Flap used for repairing the wound between the first finger and second finger is required to be slack and not too thick,orelse it hinder the anti podal action.
Most of the X-ray sources are X-ray binaries (XRBs). These systems consist of pairs of objects where a compact star, either a neutron star or, more rarely, a black hole, is capturing material from an orbiting companion star. The infalling material is accelerated by the intense gravitational field of the compact star and heated to millions of degrees, producing a luminous X-ray source. The Chandra observations reveal that at least ten of the XRBs in M51 are bright enough to contain black holes. In eight of these systems the black holes are likely capturing material from companion stars that are much more massive than the Sun.
Equipped with a hybrid system of a hybrid vehicle as a drive source, at the time (S100: Yes) while depressing the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, the engine torque is maintained constant and that the torque control by the motor is transmitted to the driving wheels output is reduced, so that the recovery of the hybrid vehicle driving force when released to reduce the output to rise higher than the engine torque by the motor torque response, the hybrid system having an engine and a motor.
The correctness of most computations in an embedded real-time application depends not only on the logical value but also on the time at which the results are produced. Examples of such applications include automotive systems, process control applications, aerospace applications, multimedia streaming, etc. Since the mid-1970s, various algorithms have been developed to schedule their real-time tasks without violating their timing constraints. In recent years, it has become apparent that next generation of embedded real-time systems must also deal with additional challenges such as power and thermal management constraints of modern day integrated circuits (IC). In this tutorial, we will discuss several models of real-time applications, introduce the different notions of real-time guarantees, review of scheduling algorithms with different real-time guarantees for single and multi-core systems, including algorithms that deal with emerging challenges such as processor’s power and thermal constraints.
In the space of the world’s resignification, we welcome the fruitful transdisciplinary meeting with our friend and colleague Marius Costel Esi, whose volume „Demarcatie si identitate intr-o abordare transdisciplinara a nivelurilor de realitate” has been published at the prestigious Didactica si Pedagogica Publishing House from Bucharest. The current volume doesn’t represent a simple exegesis to the volumes of Basarab Nicolescu and Stefan Lupascu. The author aims to investigate in the horizon of transdisciplinarity, the issue of bounderies and identity in the epistemologic horizon of metatheoretical unification of knowledge. Taking the red line a bit further, we notice in the relationship between boundaries and identity a bold emphasis on the issue of the relationship between Ego and Alterity which deconstructs Alterity in Same and Other. Alterity is no longer an antropological one however, or visibly ontological, but a gnoseological one, built in our own knowledge. The issue of the levels of reality is one of great actuality, being a promising opening towards the onto-gnoseological and semiological unification of knowledge. In the distinction philosophy – science, the horizons of knowledge are being blurred, opening beyond the bounderies of each discipline towards the areas of transparency to knowledge, which unifies the levels of reality.
On the Difficulties of Imagining a Better Society: Images of the Outsider in American Law and Culture - Can Free Expression Remedy Deeply Inscribed Social Ills? Judges' Misjudgements Why Do We Tell the Same Stories? Law, Reform, Critical Leadership and the Triple Helix Dilemma. On the Difficulty of Hearing What Our Prophets Are Saying: The Imperial Scholar - How to Marginalize Outsider Writing Gathering with the Like-Minded - Symposium Battles Pornography and Harm to Women - "No Empirical Evidence". Why We Always Embrace Moderate Solutions (Or Saviours): "Our Better Natures" - A Revisionist View of the Public Trust Doctrine in Environmental Theory Shadow Boxing - An Essay on Power. Supreme Court (and Other) Rhetoric - How the Way Powerful Institutions Talk Can Devalue and Marginalize Outsider Groups: Scorn and Imposition - How We Use Language, Consciously or Unconsciously, to Derail Reform.
Discuss the interrupt mechanism of the device driver under Windows CE.net,and study how to realize the driver and installation of PCL-839 driver control card under Windows CE.net OS.PCL-839 driver adopts single-layer stream driver,and development of its driver involves realization of address mapping and the interrupt mechanism,realization of the stream driver,as well as installation of the driver,etc.
The purpose of this report is to evaluate the capacity of the state agencies in charge of generating statistical information, to manage said information. The main source of information used for this task is the State of Yucatan. The objectives of the study are to adapt the existing survey to the state level for the development of an integrated information system; apply the survey to the identified producers of information, and analyze the results; revise and complete the available Inventory of Statistical Operations; and write this report. It is divided into seven parts, preceded by a summary. After presenting the objectives and background, section 4 covers the methodology of the task. Section 5 is an inventory of statistical operations. Section 6 comments on why the inventory did not take place. Section 7 presents the results of the survey to 35 agency participants. The report ends with conclusions and recommendations, followed by annexes.
In this thesis, we examine the effect of relay memory on the capacity of two types of relay channels.  In the first part of the thesis, we present a parallel relay channel model. Under this particular model, intermediate processing at the relays is distributed and cooperative. We derive the capacity by making use of the direct relation between capacity and estimation theory. We show that the capacity of the channel under distributed relay processing by a Kalman filter and that of the channel under optimal relay processing are equal. Using a one dimensional (1D) Kalman filter, processing at individual relays requires infinite memory, assuming that the channel is subject to inter-symbol interference (ISI). For a channel with ISI, we show that a two dimensional (2D) Kalman filter allows the memory for processing at individual relays to be finite.  In the second part of the thesis, we present a serial relay channel model. Under this particular model, one section of the channel is coupled with the next by a memoryless relay. Assuming the channel is subject to energy constraints and finite end-to-end noise power, we show that the capacity tends to infinity asymptotically in the number of relay stages. Given a finite number of relay stages, finding maximum mutual information subject to energy constraints alone is difficult. Thus, in addition to energy constraints, we propose entropy constraints. We give an explicit upper bound to capacity, assuming the channel is subject to the proposed set of constraints on the channel input as well as the relay outputs. We illustrate the use of our upper bound numerically and contrast it versus several lower bounds. Next, we relax the memoryless restriction, thus allow coding and decoding at the relays. We show two trade-offs concerning the length of relay memory and the number of relay stages. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is an optimization technique that allows to measure efficiency of decision making units in terms of transformation of inputs (assets) into outputs (value). DEA has been applied to various areas of management, including financial analysis. In this paper, DEA is used in order to measure the efficiency of 39 individual Moroccan firms listed in the Casablanca Stock Exchange. Efficiency is computed based on panel data covering the period 2008- 2011, using several financial indicators and ratios listed in the literature.
The purpose of this research was to investigate the preference sensibility to kindergarten uniform design according to the coloration of bodies, sleeves, and pants of kindergarten uniforms. The method of this research was used as a stimuli and response scales, it was made as a design between subjects. Sets of 100 stimuli and a response scale (5 point semantic) were used as experimental materials. The stimuli were 100 color pictures manipulated with the combination of 5 colors (red, yellow, blue, gree, and purple) and 3 tones (vivid, light, and dark) for tone on tone coloration and tone in tone coloration using a computer simulation method. The subjects were 216 people 5-7 age kindergarten students. The coloration of bodies/sleeves exerts effect on the tone on tone preference sensibility of kindergarten uniforms significantly. And preference sensibility was higher when the coloration of bodies/sleeves was vivid and light tone. It showed that the color of sleeves influenced on the preference sensibility of tone in tone coloration and the preference sensibility was higher in the case of yellow, green and blue color sleeves compared to red and purple ones. Boys showed higher preference sensibility in the blue and green tone on tone coloration and girls showed higher preference sensibility in the red and purple tone on tone coloration. The range of preference sensibility to tone in tone coloration was broader in the case of girls compared to boys. Color, tone and coloration positions used in the kindergarten uniforms design was a major factor which determining the preference sensibility and this study is important in the fact that the difference in the preference sensibility was identified depending on the coloration method. To present kindergarten uniforms considered in the aesthetic aspect as well as emotional and psychological aspect, it is necessary to understand the preference tendency of the early childhood. The results of this study will be used as a basis for the development of kindergarten uniform designs.
Leishmaniasis is on the increase in Venezuela (ca 30,000 new cases per year) due to deterioration in health management, increased risk groups among inmunosuppressed individuals and increased human penetration into the ecological habitats of sandfly vectors. An STD2-funded project (1989-1992) focused on the Andean state of Táchira, which showed the highest annual index of new cases (ca 200-250). The project aimed at contributing to vector/parasite identification through a combination of molecular and well established field techniques: Newly developed molecular methods distinguished among Lu. spinicrassa, Lu. youngi and Lu. townsendi. These three species of the Verrucarum group are sympatric in the Northeast of the state and could be successfully identified by CHA, DNA probes and RAPD. A Le. braziliensis specific KDNA probe used with squash blots indicated that Lu. spinicrassa is the main vector and that Le. braziliensis is the main parasite species in Táchira state, Venezuela. PCR and the Le. brasiliensis specific DNA probe, schizodemes, isoenzymes and polyclonal antibodies agreed as taxonomic criteria for classification of Leishmania isolated from parasitologically confirmed cases in Tachira. Considerable degree of antigen heterogeneity in Venezuelan Le. braziliensis complex and Le. mexicana complex isolates from Tachira suggests multiple candidate antigens for improving the specificity of immunological diagnosis. The methods developed and tested in Táchira state should be valuable in order to help solving other outstanding epidemiological problems such as following of the epidemiological impact of intervention and vector control measures in highly endemic areas. Future work (STD3 funded, 1993-1996) aims to apply these molecular techniques to a vector control pilot study in Lara state, an area showing the highest incidence of new cases in the country.
The aim of this study was to assess three-dimensional distortion in cast full-arch, screw-retained titanium implant frameworks. A conventional commercial laboratory one-piece casting was used implementing the lost-wax technique. Five wax patterns were fabricated on a die-stone cast poured from a plaster impression of a five-implant brass analog. A reflex microscope was used to determine the three-dimensional casting error. Significant differences were found in distortion between wax patterns and castings, which, given the need to keep within 150 microm of misfit for passivity, were larger than the wax frameworks by between 416 and 477 microm. The greatest distortion occurred at the terminal implant abutments and in the vertical dimensions, but the distortion was inconsistent, indicating its three-dimensional nature. It is doubtful whether any conventionally cast titanium framework can be made to the degree of accuracy required to fit passively on its abutments because of the multiple variables inherent in this process.
Submitted for the DNP13 Meeting of The American Physical Society Why baryons are Yang-Mills magnetic monopoles, validated by nuclear binding energies and proton and neutron masses JAY R. YABLON, MIT alumnus — Evidence is summarized from four recent papers that baryons including protons and neutrons are magnetic monopoles of non-commuting Yang-Mills gauge theories: 1) Protons and neutrons are “resonant cavities” with binding energies determined strictly by the masses of the quarks they contain. This is proven true at parts-per million accuracy for each of the 2H, 3H,3He, 4He binding energies and the neutron minus proton mass difference. 2) Respectively, each free proton and neutron contains 7.64 MeV and 9.81 MeV of mass/energy used to confine its quarks. When these nucleons bind, some, never all, of this energy is released and the mass deficit goes into binding. The balance continues to confine quarks. 56Fe releases 99.8429% of this energy for binding, more than any other nuclide. 3) Once we consider the Fermi vev one also finds an entirely theoretical explanation of proton and neutron masses, which also connects within experimental errors to the CKM quark mixing angles. 4) A related GUT explains fermion generation replication based on generator loss during symmetry breaking, and answers Rabi’s question “who ordered this?” 5) Nuclear physics is governed by combining Maxwell’s two classical equations into one equation using non-commuting gauge fields in view of Dirac theory and Fermi-Dirac-Pauli Exclusion. 6) Atoms themselves are core magnetic charges (nucleons) paired with orbital electric charges (electrons and elusive neutrinos), with the periodic table itself revealing an electric/magnetic symmetry of Maxwell’s equations often pondered but heretofore unrecognized for a century and a half. Jay R. Yablon MIT alumnus Date submitted: 20 Jun 2013 Electronic form version 1.4
In order to solve the problem of random ness and fuzziness in slope engineering, based on the reliability analysis, a fuzzy probability method is presented to evaluate the stability of a slope and the fuzzy probability of slope failure is obtained. The effect of type sand some parameters of subord inate function on the fuzzy probability is also discussed. The calculation results showed that the subord inate functions of descending normal type and guard-up type are better than others because they can re-flect well the fuzziness of slope failure, the fuzzy probability is more rasonable and the larger of the variation of the function Z, the smaller of the effect of types of subordinate function on the fuzzy probability Pf .
Heidegger's most important philosophical thinking is Being has been forgotten by modern people. When he comes to the question of Modernity, he lists its feature in five fields such as Science, Technology, Art, Culture and God. In which the most important view is the critics on the property of the Matter. Heidegger has a deep insight on each point. The art has been given a weighty responsibility to help people return to the proper road to Being.
Silver pheasant Lophura nycthemera is wide spread in south China and Indochina with totally 15 subspecies. The plumage colors in upper body of the adult males were polymorphic among the subspecies. The geological isolation (i.e. rivers,strait and unsuitable habits) shaped its partial continuous and holistic separate pattern of distribution on intraspecific level. According to our widely examination of specimens (262 specimen from all of 15 subspecies) on the plumage color and measurements,with literature review on the nomination history and geographical distribution of all subspecies,we grouped the subspecies into dark morph group and pale morph group. Moreover,we discovered that some assumed subspecies do not deserve the status of subspecies due to the overlap of morphological traits and absence of unambiguous geological limits. Further,we pointed out the necessity of phylogeographic study to clarify the intraspecies taxonomy and evolution of plumage color of this pheasant.
Objective To study the epidemiological features of nurse workplace violence in hospitals. Methods A retrospective analysis was carried out on hospital nurses from four different cities in Guangdong Province. Results Among the 3 319 nurses investigated, 2 085 have been subjected to workplace violence in the last 12 months preceding the survey with a rate of 62.82%, accounting for 62.07% of psychological violence and 15.06% of physical violence respectively. In exceptional cases, a few nurse victims ended up crippled or raped (including not accomplished). Most workplace violence happened in accident and emergency departments and inpatient departments, where the nurse stations and the wards were the main places. One third of workplace violence happened during night shift. Male nurses were more vulnerable to workplace violence than female. Those victims aged 40 years below were at greatest risk. Media were thought playing an important role in violence prevention and control. Conclusions Seriousness of nurse workplace violence in hospitals entails necessity of taking comprehensive measures. Hospitals, government and media are expected to work together for violence prevention and control.
As the remnant of ancient oceanic crust, ophiolite is extremely important to reconstruct the framework of ancient ocean and continent. There are several ophiolite belts in Northern Xinjiang, assuming planar distribution, and they are generally related to different faults since Paleozoic in the outcrops. This paper presents a systematic study of geochemistry and geochronology of the gabbro, diabase and basalt of ophiolite collected from different regions in Northern Xinjiang. The intermediate and basic rocks in ophiolite show similar patterns in primitive mantle-normalized REE and trace elements diagrams with MORB and different from IAT, indicating that the ophiolite may be formed in mid-ocean ridge. Their Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions also show that they have mid-ocean ridge environment affinity. Additionally, their Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic ratios are similar respectively, suggesting the same source area, and they also have positive epsilon Nd values(4.40 ∼ 8.04), which indicates they likely originate from the depleted mantle. The previous and the author’s researches show that the forming time of ophiolite in Northern Xinjiang is early Paleozoic, but 40Ar/39Ar ages of gabbro, diabase and basalt are in the range of 396∼ 226Ma (mainly from 350 to 250Ma), and no ages of early Paleozoic are gained. Moreover, this time coincides with the timing of late Paleozoic post-collisional plutonism, indicating the ophiolite in Northern Xinjiang was reworked by the late thermal events. The ophiolite widely exposed in Northern Xinjiang have similar characteristics of occurrence, lithologic association and isotopes in spite of diverse special features, which indicates that a relatively uniform and integrated source region has existed in Northern Xinjiang since Paleozoic. It is likely to infer that this source region is related with the long lasting remnant oceanic basin and the related lithosphere since Paleozoic in North Xinjiang.
The present invention relates to when melting the glass raw material, nickel sulfide (NiS) raw material composition of soda-lime-based glass can be effectively suppressed from being generated. Present in soda-lime-based glass sulfide nickel (NiS) foreign material is Na Thus, to reduce the formation of NiS by reaction between Ni and S, or melt when it is possible to complete destruction. Soda-lime-based glass, nickel sulphide, vitrification reaction, metal oxides, chlorides, sulfates, nitrates
In the name of the information society and international competitiveness, governments are promoting the production of highly trained labour and R&D activities. During the 1990s, the number of PhDs has increased rapidly in all OECD countries. This book offers an overview of European postgraduate expansion and the problems relating to it in the eight countries — Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom — which, co-ordinated by the Finnish Research Unit for the Sociology of Education (RUSE), have established a European Postgraduate Network.    The country reports show that, despite the notable differences in the scale and practice of national postgraduate systems, the basic rationale for the development of graduate schools is similar. In any case, the trend towards overall harmonisation is gaining ground in European higher education. Now it is time to ask: could the American graduate school model that has been imitated in Europe revive the old Humboldtian tradition of learning through research?
Therapists' bias may influence the assessment of treatment results even when the procedure purports to be a blind one. The authors advocate the employment of an independent assessment team (IAT) as an alternative to the classical double blind technique. They feel the IAT serves as an additional control over therapist bias and permits the use of modified double blind procedures in a variety of research situations.
ySubdepartment of Environmental Technology, Department of Agrotechnology and Food Science, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The NetherlandszAquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands§Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, Wageningen UR, Ijmuiden, The Netherlands(Submitted 7 June 2012; Returned for Revision 1 August 2012; Accepted 9 September 2012)Abstract—Additionofactivatedcarbon(AC)tosedimentshasbeenproposedasamethodtoreduceecotoxicologicalrisksofsediment-boundcontaminants.ThepresentstudyexplorestheeffectivenessofgranularAC(GAC)inextractingpolycyclicaromatichydrocarbon(PAH) from highly contaminated sediments. Four candidate GAC materials were screened in terms of PAH extraction efﬁciencyusing single-step 24-h GAC extractions, with traditional 24-h Tenax extraction as a reference. Subsequently, sorption of native PAHsto the best performing GAC 1240W (0.45–1.70mm) was studied for sediment only and for GAC–sediment mixtures at differentGAC–sediment weight ratios, using 76-mm polyoxymethylene (POM) passive samplers. Granular AC sorption parameters for PAHswere determined by subtracting the contribution of PAH sorption to sediment from PAH sorption to the GAC–sediment mixture. Itappears that the binding of PAHs and the effectiveness of GAC to reduce sediment porewater concentrations were highly dependentontheGAC–sedimentmixingratioandhydrophobicityofthePAH. DespitetheconsiderablefoulingofGACbyorganic matterandoil,50 to 90% of the most available PAH was extracted by the GAC during a 28-d contact time, at a dose as low as 4%, which also is afeasible dose in ﬁeld-scale applications aimed at cleaning the sediment by GAC addition and removal. Environ. Toxicol. Chem.2013;32:304–311. # 2012 SETACKeywords—Sorption Sediment remediation Granular activated carbon Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsINTRODUCTION
This paper designed a survey scale about the learning performance on the university E-Learning platform,and tested its reliability and validity in the quasi-survey,before it was administrated to investigate the effectiveness of Blackboard. Findings revealed the factors infl uencing learning performance on the platform, and strategies were proposed to enhance the teaching quality and achieve the educational objectives.
There has been carried out the preliminary medical-biological analysis and preliminary mathematical processing of the medical statistics data, covering children morbidity in the Murmansk region as well as a number of geophysical and meteorological parameters. There have been identified disease classes for which it is expedient to perform an analysis of the correlation between the environmental factors and the children population health. For groups aged 26 there has been found a mean correlation with meteoparameters and no correlation with a number of geophysical indices. However, no unambiguous conclusions as to the cause-effect relations could be drawn at this stage of studies, as the contribution value of either factors varies considerably under various character of diseases.
The grafting polymerization of styrene on micron-sized silica gel particles was performed in solution polymerization system with the manner of "grafting from",and grafting particles PSt/SiO_2 were obtained.Chloromethylation reaction for the polystyrene grafted on silica gel particle surfaces was allowed to be carried out by using a novel chloromethylation reagent,1,4-bis(chloromethoxy)butane(BCMB),and chloromethylated polystyrene-grafted silica gel particles,CMPS/SiO_2,were prepared and these composite particles also can be called as "composite-type chloro-sphere".The grafting degree of PSt/SiO_2 was analyzed with thermaogravimetric analysis(TG),and the morphology of PSt/SiO_2 particles was examined with scanning electron microscope(SEM).The chemical structure and composition of CMPS/SiO_2 particles were characterized using infrared spectrum(FTIR) and Volhard method.The effects of various factors on the chloromethylation reaction of PSt/SiO_2 were mainly examined.The experimental results show that the method for preparing the composite-type chloro-sphere CMPS/SiO_2 in this study not only is environmentally friendly,but also is easy to be controlled.Various factors,such as reaction time,solvents,catalysts and their used amount and the use level of BCMB will influence the preparation of the composite particle CMPS/SiO_2 greatly.The effects of these factors exhibit in two aspects:(1) they affect the chloromethylation degree of CMPS/SiO_2;(2) they inhibit or accelerate the Friedel-Crafts crosslinking reaction between polystyrene macromolecular chains grafted on the surfaces of silica gel particles.The CMPS/SiO_2 with about 16 wt% of chlorine content(based on the grafted polystyrene) can be prepared when the reaction was carried out at room temperature for about 8 h using CH_2Cl_2 as solvent and SnCl_4 as catalyst.
French glassmaker Arc International is one of the world's largest tableware glass manufacturers. Today, Arc International is active on five continents and recorded turnover of ?1.3 billion in 2008. It recently appointed Guillaume de Fougieres as Chairman of the Board, a move that is intended to help turnaround the company's operational profitability in a demanding global economic climate. Leanne Dennehy reports from Arc International's headquarters in Arques, France.
Production of new and basic recipes of modified construction mixes entails creation of modern equipment, where the main process of the technological one is mixing. A number of rheological components is in quantity from 0.05 to 0.5%, while the powders from source components differ on the size of particles (from fractions of a micron to 5 mm) and density (from 0.1 g/cm up to 4.0 g/cm ). In order to produce qualitative 33 multicomponent mixtures with specified characteristics can be implemented by designingof mixers using the mechanism of deformation of thin-walled elements, which organize motion control of components of the mixture and relevant to them, running processes of mixing materials. Installed, identified and analyzed the theoretical expression of the inertia load, inner strength, functional parameters and their extremes,which occur in arbitrary sections of a variable working chamber as a result of its deformation depending on the size of the technological eccentricity.
Batch isothermal adsorption experiments were conducted in the laboratory to investigate the adsorption behavior of strontium on 3 quartz sands with different wettability.The adsorption data were evaluated by Freundlich model and Langmuir model respectively.Results showed that the wettability of quartz sand had great effect on strontium adsorption.Quartz sand with strong wettability was superior to that with poor wettability on strontium adsorption.Both the Freundlich and Langmuir model fitted the adsorption data very well,while Langmuir model provided better correlation for ordinary quartz sand and hydrophilic ones,and Freundlich model was more accurate when describing the adsorption behavior of strontium on hydrophobic quartz sand.
The complete adventures of the well-loved clerical sleuth, collected in one brilliant volume. Shabby and lumbering, with a face like a Norfolk dumpling, Father Brown makes for an improbable super-sleuth. But his innocence is the secret of his success: refusing the scientific method of detection, he adopts instead an approach of simple sympathy, interpreting each crime as a work of art, and each criminal as a man no worse than himself. This complete edition brings together all of the Father Brown stories, including two not previously available in Penguin: 'The Donnington Affair', in which Chesterton rises to the challenge of solving a murder-mystery half written by someone else (Max Pemberton), and 'The Mask of Midas', which was found in Chesterton's papers after his death. It also includes an introduction and notes by Michael D. Hurley. G.K. Chesteron was born in 1874. He attended the Slade School of Art, where he appears to have suffered a nervous breakdown, before turning his hand to journalism. A prolific writer throughout his life, his best-known books include The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904), The Man Who Knew Too Much(1922), The Man Who Was Thursday (1908) and the Father Brown stories. Chesterton converted to Roman Catholicism in 1922 and died in 1938. Michael D. Hurley is a Lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of St Catharine's College. He has written widely on English literature from the nineteenth century to the present day, with an emphasis on poetry and poetics. His book on G. K. Chesterton was published in 2011.
Joint Parametric Modeling and Estimation of Time to Cancer Recurrence and Disease Stage at Recurrence by Olga V. Marchenko Chair: Robert W. Keener A clinical trial with bladder cancer patients who went through surgery and were followed up for tumor recurrence was used as motivation for this research. The surgery was conducted on patients with an early bladder cancer stage. During the follow-up, patients were evaluated for cancer recurrence at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and at about 5 year visits unless they had cancer recurrence in between visits or died prior to a scheduled visit. One of the main objectives of the study was to evaluate the time to cancer recurrence. At the time of cancer recurrence, the disease stage was also evaluated. The stage of the cancer at recurrence significantly impacts future treatment and quality of life. Therefore, modeling and analyzing the time to cancer recurrence and the stage at recurrence jointly makes more sense than an analysis based on the time to recurrence alone. In our research, we describe a model for the joint distribution of time to recurrence and cancer stage at recurrence that accounts for the recurrence caused by the cancer cells surviving treatment or surgery, and for the recurrence caused by spontaneous carcinogenesis. First, we proceeded with a continuous follow-up assumption using
Abstract : Part of the META II project. IBM is developing a cyber-physical modeling language with associated tool-chains demos. Language divides into three parts - Models Of Computation integration, Contracts and Variability Modeling package. All language constructs are given precise semantics to allow formal systems definition, reasoning and wide range of analyses, including hybrid (cyber-physical) simulation and formal verification. The work is being done with the assistance of Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli (UC Berkeley), Advanced Laboratory for Embedded Systems (ALES - Rome, Italy) and United Technologies Research Center.
Quantum computation has recently emerged as one of the most exciting approaches to constructing a faulttolerant quantum computer. Quantum information is stored in states with multiple quasiparticles, which have a topological degeneracy. Topological quantum computation is concerned with two-dimensional many body systems that support excitations. The lack of periodicity in the Fibonacci series MQW results in strong emission. Anyons are elementary building block of quantum computations. When anyons tunneling in a double-layer system can transition to an exotic non-Abelian state and produce Fibonacci anyons, which are powerful enough for universal topological quantum computation (TQC).Here we theoretically studied the resonant and exotic behavior of Fibonacci Superlattice by using unified analytical transfer matrix methods and hence Fibonacci anyons. This Fibonacci anyons can build a quantum computer which is very emerging and exciting field in today’s Nanophotonics and quantum computation.
Clean Development Mechanism(CDM) will enable China not only to promote the fulfillment of the goals of energy efficiency and emission reduction,but also to introduce the advanced energy-saving and environmentally friendly technologies related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into China from developed countries.CDM could also boost the global efforts to mitigate the climate change.China has great advantages in the development of CDM projects.By so doing,the CDM would offer extremely strong support to the efforts of the Chinese Government to fulfill its goals of energy efficiency and emission reduction set by the 11th Five Year Plan.Governments at all levels and relative enterprises should become familiar with the application procedure for the CDM projects.As an important guarantee,the legal system related to the promotion of CDM projects in China should be improved to meet the new challenge.
Background: Although postharvest diseases of citrus fruit are traditionally managed by synthetic fungicides, some postharvest pathogens have developed resistance against certain fungicides. Materials and Methods: To develop alternatives to synthetic fungicides, asymptomatic mandarin fruit (cv. Kinnow) were stored under cold storage (4 o C) for 21 days and ambient storage (20 o C) for 9 days, respectively. Results: Penicillium digitatum, Penicillium italicum, Lasiodiplodia theobroame, Alternaria citri and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were isolated from rotten and decayed fruit after storage. Pathogenicity assay revealed that all of thess species were pathogenic to Kinnow mandarin fruit. Five different food additives [sodium ethylenediamine-tetraacetic-acid (EDTA), copper sulfate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate and boric acid] were evaluated for symptom suppression in vitro . Subsequently, one best dose (250 mM) of sodium EDTA and copper sulfate was evaluated in vivo against postharvest disease development on Kinnow mandarin fruits. Both sodium EDTA and copper sulfate inhibited mycelial growth and postharvest decay incidence, reduced fruit weight loss, and maintained soluble solids, titratable acidity, and ascorbic acid content more effectively for 8 days under ambient conditions. Conclusion: Thus, sodium EDTA and copper sulphate may have potential for use as environmentally safe alternatives against postharvest diseases of Kinnow mandarin fruit.
Hierdie artikel ondersoek die aktiwiteite van die nie-regeringsektor van die Suid-Afrikaanse omgewingsbeweging tussen die United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm) in 1972 en die Aardeberaad (Rio de Janeiro) in 1992. Nieregerings-omgewingsorganisasies het gedurende hierdie periode geleidelik wegbeweeg van hul oorwegende bewarings-gebaseerde omgewingsagendas wat apolities en hoofsaaklik belangrik was vir blankes, na 'n omgewingsagenda wat teen die laat 1980's hoogs emosioneel, polities gelaai en rasse inklusief was. Die twintig jaar onder bespreking word ingedeel in drie periodes: 1972-1982 waartydens die blanke bewaringsagenda die dominante omgewingsagenda was; 1982-1988 waarin die nie-regeringsektor geleidelik begin beweeg het na 'n agenda gebaseer op omgewingsgeregtigheid, en 1988-1992 wat gedomineer is deur hoogs politiese en emosionele omgewing-struggles teen verskeie omgewingsprobleme in Suid-Afrika. End This article examines the activities of the non-governmental sector of the  South African environmental movement between the United Nations  Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm) in 1972 and the Earth  Summit (Rio de Janeiro) in 1992. During this period non-governmental  environmental organisations in South Africa gradually moved away from its  predominantly conservation-based environmental agenda that was apolitical  and important mostly to white people, to an environmental agenda that, by  the late 1980s, was highly emotive, politically charged and racially inclusive.  The twenty years under discussion is divided into three periods: 1972-1982  during which time the white conservation agenda dominated; 1982-1988 in  which the non-governmental sector gradually started to move towards an  environmental justice agenda, and 1988-1992 which was dominated by  highly political and emotive environmental struggles against various  environmental problems in South Africa. End
We use a new staggered grid Chebyshev spectral multidomain method to solve three of the Workshop benchmark problems. The method defines solution unknowns at the nodes of the Chebyshev Gauss quadrature, and the fluxes at the nodes of the Chebyshev Gauss-Lobatto quadrature. The Chebyshev spectral method gives exponentially convergent phase and dissipation errors. The multidomain approximation gives the method flexibility. Using the method, we solve problems in Categories 1 and 5 of the benchmark problems.
In order to investigate the effect of humidity on laminar burning velocity(S), the effect of humidity on the combustion reaction and radiation intensity was studied, taking account of dilution gases such as CO/sub 2/ and Ar which has the approximately identical characteristics to exhaust gas circulation(EGR) gas used to prevent NOx discharge from engines. According to the heat reaction theory, mean specific heat(C) of mixture, mean molecular weight(M) and adiabatic flame temperature(T) etc. were said to affect S but from experimental results, the effect of M and C could be ignored, compared with the effect of T. The relationship between S and H/sub 2/O, Ar of CO/sub 2/% in mixture of diluted gases was clarified. The effect of H/sub 2/O on S was mainly caused by changes of T. The effect of radical C/sub 2/, CH and OH on radiation intensity was similar to that of H/sub 2/O and Ar and the effect of H/sub 2/O on combustion was found only to be the physical effect. (10 figs, 12 refs)
Caye Caulker is an island in transition, from harboring a small population of fishermen to a large population  operating guest houses, restaurants, and stores to support a lucrative tourism industry. An unavoidable effect of this  urbanization was a degradation of natural ecosystems.  Since 2005 the authors have been making an inventory of the flora of Caye Caulker. This has resulted in a guide to  the flora to help local citizens and tourists identify plants which grow on the island (Rietsema and Beveridge,  2010). We found about 270 different plant species, most of them native to Belize or Central and northern South  America, but also a good many species are from other continents such as Asia, Africa and Australia.  In this paper the authors will describe what happened to plant habitats and diversity as an example of what one can  expect when a human society interferes with and replaces the natural environment on a mangrove island.
Hamilton-Jacobi equations and other types of partial differential equations of the first order are dealt with in many branches of mathematics, mechanics and physics. As a rule, functions vital for the considered problems are not smooth enough to satisfy these equations in the classical sense. Thus, there arises the need to introduce a notion of a generalized solution and to develop theory and methods for constructing these solutions. This text presents an approach to partial differential equations that can be considered as a non-classical method of characteristics, according to which the generalized solution (the minimax solution) is assumed to be flow invariant with respect to the so-called characteristic inclusions. The research on minimax solutions employs methods of the theory of differential games, dynamical optimization and nonsmooth analysis. At the same time, this research has contributed to the development of these new branches of mathematics. The book is intended as a self-contained exposition of the theory of minimax solutions. It includes existence and uniqueness results, examples of modelling and applications to the theory of control and differential games.
A method, performed in an electronic device, for connecting to a target device is disclosed. The method includes capturing an image including a face of a target person associated with the target device and recognizing an indication of the target person. The indication of the target person may be a pointing object, a speech command, and/or any suitable input command. The face of the target person in the image is detected based on the indication and at least one facial feature of the face in the image is extracted. Based on the at least one facial feature, the electronic device is connected to the target device.
The comprehensive study of defects influence on the viscoelastic properties of rubber blend is presented. Results of the finite element method (FEM) are qualitatively compared with those of experimental ones. The results of dynamic Young's modulus measurements show the clear influence of macro defects on viscoelastic behavior of the sample as a whole. Presentation of measurements results of forced oscillations of the rubber blend in phasal space gives interesting inspirations for technological applications.
A single intravenous injection of four hypothalamic releasing hormones-corticotropin-, growth hormone-, gonadotropin- and thyrotropin-releasing hormones-was administered to normal subjects. Except for the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level, a statistically significant increase in all anterior pituitary hormone levels occurred. Transient flushing was the only consistent side effect. In the same persons, results were compared with those obtained with insulin-induced hypoglycemia and a single-dose overnight metyrapone test. Growth hormone and cortisol responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia were similar but prolactin increment was less than that obtained by the peptide injection. ACTH increments from both tests were substantially less than those obtained by the overnight metyrapone test. We conclude that pituitary function can be effectively studied in normal subjects by the combination of a metyrapone test with a triple bolus of growth hormone-, thytropin- and gonadotropin-releasing hormones, but not by a quadruple bolus of the hypothalamic peptides. Compared with insulin-induced hypoglycemia, this approach yields more information with fewer side effects.
The purpose of the present work was to investigate the innovative self-assembling system, "beads", prepared by continuously shaking alpha-cyclodextrin and soybean oil without the use of organic solvents and surfactants at room temperature. Berberine hydrochloride previously dissolved in soybean oil was chosen as a model drug to explore the shape, structure, drug loading and in vitro release of beads. The particle size and drug loading of berberine hydrochloride-loaded beads were (2.25 +/- 0.23) mm and (67.02 +/- 0.64) microg x g(-1), respectively. Confocal microscopy showed that the core-shell structure of beads could contain poorly water soluble drugs or lipophilic drugs in the lipid core. The drug release rate and cumulative releases of beads were both higher than those of raw medicine of berberine hydrochloride in simulated intestinal fluid. These results suggested that beads were the novel and potential lipid-based drug delivery system for lipophilic or poorly water soluble traditional Chinese medicine.
The age composition, growth parameters, spawning season, sex ratio, length at first sexual maturity and fecundity of the goldband goatfish (Upeneus moluccensis) caught in Iskenderun Bay in the eastern Mediterranean Sea were investigated. Females and males made up 51.6% and 48.4%, respectively, of the particular population of the species. The total length of females ranged from 7.0 cm to 20.5 cm, and of males from 7.0 cm to 17.8 cm. The length (L) - weight (W) relationships for males and females were estimated as W = 0.0118*L2.99 and W = 0.0097*L3.00, respectively. The age data derived from otolith readings were used to estimate the growth parameters of the von Bertalanffy equation. The estimated parameters were L infinity = 25.19 cm, K = 0.197 and to = -1.002. The maximum age was 7 for females and 6 for males. The 2-year age group was dominant in the pooled data. Males and females matured at a total length of 11 cm. The monthly values of the gonadosomatic index indicated that spawning occurred mainly between June and September. The fecundity (F) - length relationship was logF = -1.732 + 5.39logL (r = 0.82).
The necessity for low-cost and user-friendly medical diagnostics has an impact on the development of innovative Lab-On-Chip technologies for in-vitro point-of-care diagnostic testing. The Philips Minicare I-20 platform for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction is such a system that provides precise, quantitative and fast results. The system is based on controlled movement of magnetic nanoparticles where the Troponin analyte is captured on the antibody coated particle and the detection is optical. In this way, the scheme supports quantitative results of Troponin in the patient’s drop of blood. Nevertheless, the efficiency of analyte biochemical binding is strongly dependent on the homogeneity of the reagents within the matrix, which, due to the low Reynolds numbers inside the microfluidic chip, is inefficient. The aim of our research is to solve this mixing problem by developing novel approaches to reach homogeneity of reagents to achieve high precision handheld diagnostics, in which we make use of the “magnetic infrastructure” of the system. In this report, we focus on the effect of the chip geometry of the microfluidic processing and detection chamber, in combination with optimized magnetic actuation protocols, on the overall mixing efficiency of the reagents. To investigate this, we carry our dedicated experiments with a unique magnetic actuation set-up, and we perform microscopic fluid flow characterization. It is expected that smart geometrical chip designs can positively affect active mixing and achieve homogeneity.
Mobile devices and applications are becoming increasingly present in everyday life and they represent an important success factor in business. Through this work we aim to provide end users a significant increase in the level of contextual information using the Android platform for mobile appli- cation development. The idea of the ""Where?"" application is based on a collaborative architecture involving actors from the business (pharmacies, banks, restaurants, hospitals, etc.) and the end users as primary beneficiaries of the system. In essence, the user needs a service that will be able to locate the best deal to suit its contextual and temporal and spatial availability of the service provider. The proposed new architecture and the application have the possibility to integrate into a single system the local customer needs and business opportunities, directing the beneficiary to the most appropriate lo- cation, taking into account the custom criteria.
Submitted for the MAR06 Meeting of The American Physical Society Radial Thickness Profiles of Spincoated Thickness Gradient Films MONIKA MICHALEK, BERNIE NICKEL, JOHN DUTCHER, University of Guelph — By dropping a polymer solution onto a spinning substrate at a position displaced from the axis of rotation, one can produce a film in which the thickness increases with increasing radial distance (thickness gradient film). Since each film contains a continuous range of thickness values, one can track subtle changes in the physical properties with film thickness by using a local probe of the film properties. We have used two such local probes, focused ellipsometry and atomic force microscopy, to measure the radial thickness profiles. We have also developed a simple, fluid flow model that describes the dependence of the polymer film thickness on radial distance from the axis of rotation. A detailed comparison between the measured and calculated radial thickness profiles will be discussed. John Dutcher University of Guelph Date submitted: 30 Nov 2005 Electronic form version 1.4
Melt water samples collected continuously from 29 August to 3 September 2009 in the Baishui Glacier No. 1 at elevation of 4750 m were analyzed for pH, conductivity, delta18O and inorganic ions. The results showed that the pH had obvious diurnal variations and was increased slightly by the influence of precipitation. The dissolution of alkaline soluble salts in the dust was the main reason for the increase of melt water conductivity; the value of delta18O was relatively low in strong ablation period and high in slight ablation period. Different from other research areas, the concentrations of Na+, K+, which were influenced by lithological and marine water vapor, were higher than that of Mg2+ in the study area; HCO3- and Ca2+ accounted for more than 80% of total ions in snow and ice melt water, indicating that the ions mainly came from limestone and the melt water was a typical carbonate solution; The content of melt water had an obvious daily change with temperature change, but the response amplitudes were different; Monsoon transport, local rock lithology, human industrial and agricultural activities were the main sources of inorganic ions and the deciding factors of the ion composition in the Baishui Glacier No. 1.
While there already exist randomized subspace Newton methods that restrict the search direction to a random subspace for a convex function, we propose a randomized subspace regularized Newton method for a non-convex function. In our proposed algorithm using a modified Hessian of the function restricted to some random subspace, with high probability, the function value decreases even when the objective function is non-convex. In this paper, we show that our method has global convergence under appropriate assumptions and its convergence rate is the same as that of the full regularized Newton method. Furthermore, we can obtain a local linear convergence rate under some additional assumptions, and prove that this rate is the best we can hope when using random subspace.
Higher education has a key role in the new knowledge society. In Europe there are over 4,000 higher education institutions of which 3300 are in EU27 countries and over 20 million students. EU countries' governments and higher education institutions are in a continuous process of finding ways to create better conditions for studies considering the very important role that higher education plays in the economic development of a country. This article presents an overview of the main statistical indicators which monitors achievements in higher education in EU27 countries during 2011 and 2012, revealing large differences still exist between the EU27.
Trials of water and N fertilizer coupling on soybean's leaf area index,height,dry matter accumulation,pod growth and water use efficiency was carried out under field experiment and drip irrigation.Results showed that the impact of the nitrogen fertilizer on leaf area index and dry matter accumulation in soybean is greater than that of water,and their effects are positive.The effect of water and nitrogen interaction is positive too.In addition,when the application amounts of N,P and K are 108.33 kg/hm2,90 kg/hm2 and 75 kg/hm2 respectively,water use efficiency will reach maximum,i.e.0.582 kg/m3.
Background: One stage primary resection and anastomosis of left sided colonic obstruction with on-table antegrade colonic lavage is in vogue, to reduce the risk of postoperative infective complications and anastomotic dehiscence. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the safety of single-stage resection and anastomosis for acute left-sided colonic obstruction due to acute sigmoid volvulus, without intra operative colonic lavage.   Material & Methods: This study was conducted in a consecutive series of patients admitted to our department with acute sigmoid volvulus. Patients with perforation and peritonitis at presentation were excluded from the study. Emergency resection was performed by consultant grade surgeon, followed by primary anastomosis without on-table colonic lavage, after a manual decompression. The data obtained was analyzed.   Results: A total of 83 patients underwent resection and primary anastomosis of acute sigmoid volvulus. Four patients presented with gangrenous bowels, which were resected and primary anastomosis performed. One patient had caecal volvulus in addition to sigmoid. He had double resection and primary anastomosis. Post-operatively there were 7 superficial wound infections, 3 required surgical drainage. Death or clinical anastomotic failure was not recorded in the series. Mean hospital stay was 9.3 days.   Conclusion: Our results suggest that resection of acute sigmoid volvulus and primary anastomosis after decompression is a safe procedure.
This chapter on genome plasticity of influenza viruses discusses the current knowledge of viral factors. Influenza viruses have caused devastating pandemics and epidemics in the past, and they continue to be a major health problem causing a huge economic burden worldwide. Thus, it is important to understand the characteristics of influenza viruses and to elucidate the extensive interplay between virus and host. Besides the eight structural proteins, influenza A virus encodes the three nonstructural proteins NS1, NEP, and PB1-F2. Influenza viruses pose a major problem for human health and thereby cause a substantial economic burden. The influenza pandemics which occurred in the past century share the fact that new subtypes of influenza A viruses were introduced into the human population. There are two classes of US Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs against influenza: inhibitors of the ion channel M2 and NA inhibitors. The first group comprises the adamantanes, rimantadine and amantadine, which act by inhibiting the viral ion channel M2 and thereby block the step of uncoating during virus entry. It becomes clear that circulating influenza viruses need to be closely monitored for resistance to the available drugs. Within the same host species genetic polymorphisms may occur and influence the ability of the virus to use the host proteins. For influenza viruses to survive, they need to be transmitted from host to host. The development of reverse genetics techniques has greatly advanced understanding of the virus and its replication cycle.
The invention relates to a plastic mass with at least one polymer, at least one organic starting compound is at least one ceramic material and at least one glass material to form a glass-ceramic with the ceramic material comprising a glass and / or a raw material of the glass, characterized in that the glass has a having glass transition point Tg which substantially corresponds to a decomposition temperature Tz of the organic starting compound. Preferably the starting organic compound is a polyorganosiloxane. By thermal decomposition of the polyorganosiloxane is a porous skeleton of silicon dioxide, in the liquid at the decomposition temperature gas is infiltrated forms. Furthermore, a dense, mechanically stable layer of Glaskermaik formed. This layer is electrically insulating, so that a function of a cable is retained in the event of a fire. Therefore, the plastic material for electrical insulation fire vulnerable products, such as cable or domestic appliances, is used.
The present research aims to validate through expert judgement a project to reform Article 238 of the general regulations of the Organic Law on Land Transport, Traffic and Road Safety of Ecuador. This reform project is focused to contribute to guarantee the right of defense of the persons who commit traffic infractions that have been detected by means of photo-radar, by establishing the notification of the infraction in the established time, by some written communication means of greater circulation at national level with the plates of the vehicle causing the traffic infraction. The experts consulted by the Delphi method agree in validating the relevance of the proposed reform.
The objective of the present study was to compare the content and medical practice activities of residency-trained (RT) to nonresidency-trained (NRT) family physicians in North Carolina. Interviews and patient ambulatory encounter information were collected from 41 RT physicians and 44 NRT physicians. Significant differences between physicians were found in practice location, number of patient encounters per week, patient age distributions, and rank orders of the ten most frequent diagnosis clusters. The RT physicians tend to work longer hours and see fewer patients, and they are more likely to perform obstetric and pediatric services. Both groups treat a broad range of the patient population, with RT serving more pediatric patients and NRT seeing more geriatric patients.
Objectives: o study the molecular mechanisms of Azilsartan on modulation of PPAR&ggr; protein expression and to investigate the effect of selective antagonist Gw9662 on the cardioprotective action of Azilsartan in IR – induced myocardial infarction in rat Methods: Wistar rats were randomized to receive vehicle, Azilsartan (10 mg/kg/day, orally), PPAR-&ggr; antagonist GW9662 (1 mg/kg/day, i.p) both for 28 days. On 29th day, excluding sham group, left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion was performed for 45 min followed by 1 h of reperfusion. Haemodynamic, biochemical, histopathological, ultrastructural, immunohistochemical (Bax, caspase-3 and Bcl-2 protein), TUNEL positivity, infarct size and western blot studies were performed. Results: Azilsartan pretreatment significantly ameliorated IR injury by maintaining cardiac function, normalizing oxidative stress, and preserving morphological alterations. Furthermore, there was a decrease in the level of inflammatory markers (TNF-&agr;, IL-6, and NF &kgr;B), inhibition of active JNK and p38 proteins, and activation of ERK1/ERK2, a prosurvival kinase. Additionally, it also attenuated apoptosis by reducing the expression of proapoptotic proteins (BaxandCaspase3), TUNELpositivecells, and increased level of antiapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2) Western blot analysis showed that Azilsartan treatment enhanced PPAR-&ggr; expression, whereas GW9662 decreased it in myocardium Conclusion: In addition to the class effect of ARBs, Azilsartan has a beneficial effect in I/R injury in partly because of activation of PPAR-&ggr;.
The riprap rolling bedding which is adopted as the foundation of concrete retaining wall and applied in the flood control dyke of Jiulonghu reach of Ganjiang River in Shengmi town is introduced. It is better than the earth-rock foundation in the narrow construction ground and river side. It can save the investment and shorten the construction period. And the economic and social benefit is obtained. It can be referred for the similar projects.
Abstract In northwestern New Mexico’s San Juan Basin, shelf siltstone and mudstone enclose offshore-bar sandstones. Successively younger offshore bars appear landward at progressively higher stratigraphic levels and eventually transgress older beach sandstones. These relationships are based principally on data from 21 core holes with supplementary conventional well data and are illustrated on a cross section extending 15 miles northeast from outcropping Gallup sandstone. The offshore bars are elongated approximately parallel with the distant beach shoreline, have no contiguous landward equivalents but grade seaward into shelf siltstone and mudstone, and are composed of parallel beds that are imbricated both seaward and downcurrent. Except where churned by burrowing organisms, the beds internally consist of high-angle cross laminae that dip parallel with the length of the bar. The offshore bars presumably formed on a shelf at a break in slope more than 12 miles seaward from the laterally equivalent beaches. The water depth was apparently 200 feet or more, and the depositing currents flowed approximately parallel with the distant shoreline. No modern counterparts of this type of sandstone body are known to the writer.
This contribution to the Common Knowledge symposium “Peace by Other Means” rereads the works of J. R. R. Tolkien as a study of pyrrhic victory. It argues that the origin of Tolkien’s cycle of tales is inseparable from his experience of World War I, which ended in anomie and widespread fear of the coercive power of modern society. The price of the victory over evil, in these tales, is disenchantment. Tolkien is the first author to imagine disenchantment on a near-global scale, using literal disenchantment as a metaphor for a kind he could expect his readers to know firsthand. Like disenchantment, this-worldly evil, centralized in a single figure such as Mordor, is a twentieth-century idea, an emanation of totalitarianism: the transformation of Elves into orcs is a horror that only our knowledge of the Nazi death camps and the Soviet gulag has equipped us to imagine. If disenchantment is the price of victory over absolute evil, few would doubt that it was worth paying—within the framework of the tales. For the far future of Middle-Earth, however, the implications are less benign. The Elves accept their fate and either dwindle or depart. But the orcs, personifying disenchantment in its most radical and terrifying form, are routed but not all killed, and they do not depart.
Graduation thesis(design) of vocational Pharmacy adult undergraduates is important progress to meet the training and raising higher technical and practical talentsneed.Therefore,this article makes an elementary study on how to jointly instruct the students to do the thesis work for professional teachers and school teachers.The authors establish an effective way to culture modern talents of Pharmacy basing on the adult education model combining industry,school learning and research by which the excellent results are got.At the same time,the paper puts forward new graduation education pattern of adult students on the basis of social needs and development.
The invention relates to agents which are based on a homogenous, aqueous phase containing at least one active substance from the class of the quaternary compounds, ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymers and ammonium nitrate. Additional active substances can be incorporated. The homogenous phase is stabilised with ammonium nitrate. The invention also relates to use of these products as bioregulators.
Invariable price is about 70 percent in selling cost after product designing finalization,so the product design is vital to selling cost.The value engineering method was used to the tractor's door assembly design during product planning,detailed design and production-manufacturing,and the original intention of improving efficiency,cutting down waste,saving resources and decreasing costs is achieved through less procedure,simplified product specification and furthest reducing wastage.
Metabolomics is an emerging approach in the systems biology field. An untargeted strategy, which is not driven by any preliminary assumption, aims to define changes in the whole metabolome, which occur at the specific state in cells, tissues, or whole organism (Moco and Buescher, 2023). This allows to state new hypotheses and may direct the research into a new and often unexpected course. Despite the excellent advances that were made in the last decade, some improvements are still required at each stage of the untargeted metabolomics workflow. Themain aim of this Research Topic is to unveil novel techniques and tools in the field of untargeted metabolomics, focusing on their applications. The aspects covered by this papers Research Topic include the use of unconventional sample for untargeted metabolomics (Buszewska et al.), interesting analytical approaches for the sample measurement (Filipiak et al., Mojsak et al., Jensen-Kroll et al.), innovative data analyses (Shaver et al.), novel approaches increasing confidence in metabolite annotation (Barrero-Rodríguez et al., Traquete et al.) and applications (Małachowska et al., Lackner et al.). Buszewska et al. have reported the results of study aimed to develop and optimize the sample preparation procedure for ejaculate samples. The optimized method was applied for the untargeted metabolomics of seminal fluid samples derived from prostate cancer patients. Finally, the metabolic signatures of seminal fluid, urine and plasma samples were determined with the use of two complementary analytical techniques: GC-EI-QqQ/MS and LC-ESITOF/MS and subsequently compared. Filipiak et al. have investigated the clinical strains of K. pneumonia (KPN) isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage specimens collected from mechanically ventilated patients to reveal, whether bacterial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) observed in model experiments with reference strains could be relevant for wild pathogens as well. For analytical measurements, the headspace samples frombacteria cultures were collected at seven time points onmultibed sorption tubes and analyzed by GC-MS to follow the dynamic changes in VOC concentrations. Altogether 32 VOCs were released by susceptible and 25 VOCs by resistant strain, amongst which 2pentanone, 2-heptanone, and 2-nonanone were significantly higher for carbapenem-resistant KP. OPEN ACCESS
Through analyzing existing problems in agricultural commodity e-commerce,five models were put forward,including information releasing service model,network purchase transaction model,electronic store transaction model,logistics integration transaction model and third-party transaction platform model.From the angle of e-commerce,effects of internet of things,RFID and wireless sensor network technology application on the development of agricultural commodity e-commerce were introduced.
With the development of the democratic legal system construction in our country,the perfection of the supplemental system of the criminal illegal exclusionary rules is required.In order to carry out a thorough research on the perfection of the supplemental system of the criminal illegal evidence exclusionary rules,it is necessary to not only base on our national conditions but also absorb and refer to the successful experience of other countries and regions,and thus offer effective guidance for the judicial practice in our country.
Efficiency appraisal of the companies existing in automotive industry is an important not only for the researchers, but also for the financial managers and also investors because it can reduce the risk of investment, noticeably. In these situations, investors need information to facilitate the investing process. One of the ways that can be used in this regard is evaluation and ranking of the companies. With using data envelopment analysis. Data Enveloping Analysis is one of the scientific methods that calculate the performance using a mathematical basis. Data Enveloping Analysis, a non-parametric method is a peripheral (radial) criterion for performance evaluation in primary model of data enveloping analysis a complete ranking of the Determining Units. the goal of the study is to do a comprehensive appraising and ranking of the companies in Automotive Industry and Manufacturing the Parts in order to selected input and output parameters using non-parametric approach into two categories of efficient and inefficient and the companies they are inefficient in this research and in the result advices was said to other companies for achieving point of efficient. Finally, among the selected companies in the automobile manufacturing industry, Zamyad Automobile Manufacturing Company with the efficiency score of 1, was determined efficient and became selected as the model company for other companies. Among the selected companies Niroo Moharekeh Company showed the poorest performance and took the tenth rank among the selected companies.
In general, solving or analyzing nonilinear dynamical equations is very difficult and requires special techniques. To avoid these difficulties, systems are generally linearized in an attempt to predict their begavior. These linearized equations, however, may not predict true system behavior. Therefore, the nonlinear dynamical analysis using bifurcation theory may become a fundamental framework in understanding nonlinear situation in power systems. In this paper, we propose a systematic procedure based on a bifurcation theory to analyze nonlinear behaviors in power systems. We show usefulness of our procedure by applying 3-bus model system. In addition, we consider nonlinear model of SMES and verify the effect of SMES in power system's nonlinear behaviors.
A new mathematical model of the local kinetic characteristic E = f(i,τ) of nickel oxide electrode NiOOH/Ni(OH) 2 is presented. An object of the analysis is a flat crystal of an active substance of the ”h” thickness which models a particle in the limits of “2h” size. A mathematical model of the processes is based on the conception concerning the potential and polarization as the functions of protons concentration in the superficial layer of a crystal. Polarization shall be considered as a sum of concentrated, activated and ohmic components. A concept of coefficients of protons activity and proton vacancies of a crystal lattice is used. The electrode potential during discharge is determined by changing superficial concentration of protons. A diffusion coefficient, speed of protons electromigration and specific resistance of a solid phase are changed within a thickness of the crystal according to the change of protons concentration and coefficients of activity. Distribution of protons concentration is determined by numerical decision of one-dimensional sum of diffu-sional and electromigration transference.
To identify suitable sites in the Republic of South Africa for short-, medium- and long-term implementation scenarios for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, geographical information system (GIS) technology was used by the researchers. An area was assumed suitable if it receives a satisfactory amount of annual irradiation; is close enough to suitable transmission substations; the transmission lines feeding these substations adhere to certain criteria; the area is flat enough; there are sustainable water sources close by; and it has a suitable landuse. For immediate implementation, various sites near substations in the provinces of the Free State-, Northern Cape- and North West- in South Africa were identified. DNI-levels at sites in the Northern Cape, for instance, reached levels of up to 2900 kWh/m 2 /a. In the medium-term, a number of high-voltage transmission line- and substation projects that are currently under development or construction in the Northern Cape will strengthen the energy grid in this province significantly, and will substantially increase the viable CSP-areas. It will further increase the current generation limit of the transmission system in the Northern Cape from 1129 MW to an estimated figure up to 3000 MW. For long-term planning, several additional areas were identified that are not currently viable. In this scenario it is assumed that low-water consumption technologies, such as the Brayton Cycle Central Receiver, will become commercially viable.
BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to determine the utility of 18F-FDG-PET for evaluating the presence and the extent of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM), for disease surveillance/recurrence detection and for evaluating response to therapy.   METHODS We retrospectively analyzed clinical and imaging data of 60 MPM patients (34 women and 26 men, mean age 53.6 y, range 18-80 y) who had multiple 18F-FDG-PET/CT or PET scans (18F-FDG scans) at various stages of the disease.   RESULTS Eleven patients had baseline pretreatment scans and all 11 scans showed 18F-FDG avid diffuse, nodular or mixed disease distribution patterns characteristic of MPM. Four patients out of eleven had an early post-treatment 18F-FDG scan (<6 months) and all scans were accurate in determining response to treatment. Forty-nine patients with a history of treated MPM without baseline scans had multiple disease surveillance 18F-FDG scans. Their initial 18F-FDG scans had an accuracy of 82% and positive predictive value of 83% and negative predictive value of 80% for the detection of disease presence and disease-free state, respectively. For fifteen patients with a true negative 18F-FDG scan, a second follow-up scan accurately detected disease recurrence or absence of recurrence in all cases. Metastatic or remote nodal disease was more common in the biphasic histopathologic subtype group while pleural disease was predominantly seen in the epithelial MPM group. No relationship was found between the uptake pattern and the histopathologic subtype.   CONCLUSION 18F-FDG-PET is a valuable imaging modality in the pre-surgical evaluation and management of MPM and further prospective studies are warranted.
The aim was to assess the relative importance of cochlear mechanical dysfunction, temporal processing deficits, and age for hearing-impaired listeners to understand supra-threshold speech in noise backgrounds. 68 hearing-aid candidates took part in the study. Intelligibility was assessed for speech-shaped noise (SSN) and reversed two-talker masker (R2TM) backgrounds. Behavioural estimates of cochlear gain loss and residual compression from a previous study were used as indicators of cochlear mechanical dysfunction. Temporal processing abilities were assessed using frequency modulation detection thresholds. Age, audiometric thresholds, and the difference between audiometric thresholds and cochlear gain loss were also included in the analyses. Stepwise multiple linear regression models of intelligibility were designed to assess the relative importance of the various factors for speech intelligibility. Results showed that (1) cochlear gain loss was unrelated to intelligibility; (2) residual cochlear compression was related to intelligibility in SSN but not in R2TM backgrounds; (3) temporal processing was strongly related to intelligibility in R2TM backgrounds and much less so in SSN backgrounds; (4) age per se hindered intelligibility. We conclude that all factors affect speech intelligibility but their relative importance varies across masker backgrounds.
In recent years, the studies carried out for dissemination of conservation and reduced tillage technologies have been gaining in importance in our country as well as the world. The lack of suitable sowing machine is one of the most important factors hindering the dissemination of conservation tillage methods. In this study, the no-till sowing machines manufactured in our countries was evaluated according to technical properties. As a result of the research, it was observed that only a few companies have manufactured the no-till sowing machine. According to the examination of catalogs and user manuals, these machines are found to be possible classified under two groups, which are the precision notill sowing machine to sown the anchor crops such as cotton, corn, sunflower and the narrow-line no-till sowing machine to plant the crops such as wheat, fodder crops. It was observed that disc-type opener was used in the majority of the manufactured no-till planter and the precision no-till planters had coulters and row cleaners to clean and loosen the soil in front of the furrow openers. Besides, the planters mounted on rotorvator, disc-harrow and chisel plough was observed to be manufactured. Some manufacturers optionally marketed the combination of coulter and row cleaners.
The development of drug tolerance and dependence are thought to be associated with gene expression. Our studies showed that the binding activity of nuclear factors to several DNA sequences is altered by long-term treatment with methamphetamine, cocaine and morphine: 1) the binding activity of AP-1 increased markedly in the mouse brain after administration of methamphetamine and cocaine, 2) CRE-binding activity was decreased by chronic morphine treatment in the amygdala complex, cerebral cortex and hypothalamus of the mouse brain, and 3) the binding activity of single-stranded CRE binding proteins was decreased by chronic morphine treatment in the mouse cerebellum. These data suggest that the changes of DNA binding proteins can be involved in the development of drug tolerance and dependence.
The present study has aimed at identifying the impact of the transformational leadership on organizational change management at Jordan Ahli Bank.To achieve the objectives of the study, a standard questionnaire was adopted, adjusted and distributed to the population of the study which consisted of the branches' managers at Jordan Ahli Bank, their numbers were 50 managers, 44 questionnaires have been returned with 84% response rate. The present study has shown that transformational leadership dimensions (idealized influence, inspirational motivation , intellectual stimulation , individualized consideration and empowerment) are affecting organizational change management at the structural , technological and people level at Jordan Ahli Bank from the branches managers perspective at Jordan Ahli Bank .
This study was designed to investigate the correlation between physiological variables and health profiles of the older adults in nursing home. The subjects for this study were seventy two(male：25, female：47) healthy elderly people who were the members of seniors` tower in song-do hospital, didn`t have any problems in participating in this study exercise program. All the measured data were represented by mean(M) and standard deviation(SD) using version 6.12 SAS package. The pearson correlation method to determine the correlation coefficients between physiological variables and Nottingum health profiles. The 5% level of significance was used as the critical level for acceptance of hypotheses for the study. The following results were obtained from this study. 1) The energy level showed significant positive correlation with VO2max, maximal heart rate, and knee muscular function. 2) The pain level showed significant negative correlation with WHR, but showed positive correlation with VO2max, maximal heart rate, exercise time, and right knee muscular function. 3) The social isolation level showed significant positive correlation with the maximal heart rate. 4) The emotion level did not show significant correlation with the physiological variables. 5) The physical mobility level showed significant negative correlation with WHR, but positive correlation with VO2max, maximal heart rate, knee muscular function, and trunk muscular function. 6) The sleep level showed significant negative correlation with %body fat, but showed positive correlation with the lean mass. 7) The sum of Nottingum health profiles showed significant negative correlation with WHR, but positive correlation with VO2max, maximal heart rate, and right knee extensor muscle. But the correlation coefficents of all variables were low. In conclusion, physiological factors and physiological dimensions(energy, physiological mobility, sleep, and pain) are correlated.
ABSTRACT Designed to aid in learning the main ideas of the agribusiness concept, this document answers the following questions, treating each answer in a separate explanatory section: (1) What is the meaning of the terms "agriculture" and "agribusiness"? (2) What is the relationship of agriculture and agribusiness? (3) What is involved in tracing an agricultural product from origin to consumption? (4) What were the major contributors to the development of agribusiness? (5) How did the development of agribusiness occur? and (6) What are the essential components of agribusiness activity? Diagrams are included to supplement the text. A bibliography is appended. (SH)
In recent years,the ecological footprint model was applied to many more and more sustainable development of regional economy in the quantitative study,it can reflect the image of human economic activities impact on the extent of the ecological environment.In this paper,based on the data from Yan'an City Statistical Yearbook 2001-2006,using of the model and calculated the ecological footprint of Yan'an,and an analysis of the conclusions was carried.Results showed that Yan'an ecological footprint is much larger than the demand for eco-supply,development was carried is unsustainable.Finally,several suggestions were put forward for sustainable development.
Three dimensional reactive flow in a complex annular combustor of Capstone 30 kW micro gas turbine was studied numerically using SIMPLE algorithm.The κ e turbulence model,and the EBU Arrhenius turbulent combustion model were applied to predict the real combustion flow in the combustor.The extended Zeldovich NO x formation mechanism was used to calculate NO x emissions from combustion.The numerical results revel the effect of combustion organizing in a lean fuel pre mixed annular combustor on the combustor performance,and the influence of flow control plate on the combustion flow and the NO x distribution at Combustor exit.The present study is helpful to the combustor design of micro gas turbine with high combustion efficiency,combustion stability,and ultra low NO x emissions.
Introduction The 1990s saw substantial increases in the value of international trade in goods and services, in foreign direct investments (FDI), and in cross border mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Even so, there is a striking difference between the changes in the extent to which trade and FDI were regulated throughout the 1990s and the extent of regulatory oversight of M&A transactions. By and large, trade barriers fell and restrictions on FDI were reduced. In contrast, governmental oversight of M&A expanded as the number of nations with merger review laws increased. Counts vary, but at least 50 jurisdictions had some type of merger review law in 1999, according to the FINAL REPORT of the United States International Competition Policy Advisory Committee (ICPAC). Given these developments appear to go against the general trend
The present study aims to investigate whether science process skills and efficient laboratory use are significantly correlated with the university students’ basic chemistry course achievement. The Questionnaire for Student Opinions on their Scientific Process Skills was used to determine the extent to which science process skills that were taught in laboratory applications from the students’ perspective. The Efficient Laboratory Attitude Scale was employed to assess whether they used laboratories effectively. And the students’ course achievement scores were measured by using the Science Achievement Test. The sample consisted of 180 university students who took the general chemistry course at a state university in the second semester of the academic year 2006–2007. A positively significant and linear relationship was found between science process skills taught in laboratory applications and efficient laboratory use of the students; between their efficient laboratory use and their achievement in the course; and between their science process skills and achievement in the course.
The phenomenon of quantum steering in bipartite quantum systems can be reduced to the question of whether or not the first party can perform measurements such that the conditional states on the second party can be explained by a local hidden-state model. Clearly, the answer to this depends on the measurements which the first party is able to perform. We introduce a local hidden-state model explaining the conditional states for all generalized measurements on Bell-diagonal states of two qubits. More precisely, it is known for the restricted case of projective measurements and Bell-diagonal states characterized by the correlation matrix $T$ that a local hidden-state model exists if and only if ${R}_{T}=2 ensuremath{ pi}{N}_{T} left|det(T) right| ensuremath{ ge}1$, where ${N}_{T}$ is defined by an integral over the Bloch sphere. For generalized measurements described by positive operator-valued measures we construct a model if ${R}_{T} ensuremath{ ge}6/5$. Our work paves the way for a systematic study of steerability of quantum states with generalized measurements beyond the highly symmetric Werner states.
Our purpose in the present paper is to present a brief overview of the relatively new paradigm of self-stabilization to provide fault tolerance in distributed systems. Stabilizing algorithms are optimistic in the sense that the distributed system may temporarily behave inconsistently but a return to correct system behavior is guranteed in finite time while traditional robust distributed algorithms follow a pessimistic approach in that it protects against the worst possible scenario which demands an assumption of the upper bound on the number of faults.
Management of assets is a management about stuff or inventory located on an office or agencies certain where goods on inventory it should be in the data and arranged. Assets village as assets active managed by institutional village can achieve independence of the village. Independence village in the sense of the village has initiative, the ability to, and the collective to manage assets village donate on prosperity and welfare. Through the management of assets village, the village can be helpful in the provision of public services and develop assets belonging to local and assets together as a source of living economy.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relapse rate after treatment of a twice weekly intermittent chemotherapy during continuation phase in the patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in two years period after completion of chemotherapy.   METHODS The patients with drug susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis treated with 2HRZE/4H2R2 under the supervision by the pharmacists or the patients treated with 2HRZE/4HR by self-administration were followed-up for two years after completion of chemotherapy.   RESULTS A total number of 135 pulmonary tuberculosis patients were treated with 2HRZE/4H2R2, 3 of 135 discontinued this intermittent treatment, and 11 of 135 completed chemotherapy was excluded from the relapse analysis, 105 out of the remaining 121 were followed-up for more than 6 months. On the other hand 240 patients were treated with 2HRZE/4HR, 37 out of 240 were excluded from the analysis, 147 of the remaining 203 were followed-up for more than 6 months. The relapse rate of this intermittent chemotherapy 1.89/100 person-year was similar to the relapse rate 1.86/100 person-year among 147 treated with daily regimen by self-administration. This difference was not statistically significant (z = 0.36, P = 0.14).   CONCLUSION As regards relapse rate, this 2HRZE/4H2R2 regimen is effective and useful for the expansion of DOT, and it should be expanded nationally in Japan.
The utility model provides a forming combined tool, which comprises two forming tool bodies and a gasket, wherein the two forming tool bodies can be used in a matched manner, and the gasket for adjustment is positioned between the two matched forming tool bodies. Each forming tool body includes a base and forming blades; a shaft hole is arranged in the middle of each base; the forming blades are evenly distributed on the periphery of each base; each shaft hole is mounted on a rotary shaft of a processing machine tool; and processing needed by different specifications is realized by changing the distance between the two forming tool bodies by means of increasing or decreasing the gasket, so that the height of the gasket can be adjusted according to the thickness of actual processing materials, forming processing can be performed when the needed size is realized, and a line component with moulds on two sides can be processed once by making full use of the multi-angle and concentric circle combination characteristics of the tool. Moreover, cutting force is vertically even, smoothness of products is improved, operating efficiency and product quality are improved effectively, abrasion of the machine tool is also decreased, electric energy and human resources are saved, manufacturing cost is reduced, mechanical batch production of the products is realized, and the forming combined tool can be widely applied to processing machine tools such as millers, planers or the like.
INTRODUCTION We report a case of Lemierre's syndrome.   CLINICAL PICTURE A previously healthy 36-year-old woman presented with a 2- to 3-month history of fever, cough, dyspnoea and sore throat, which had worsened in the week prior to presentation. Computed tomography of the thorax showed multiple bilateral cavitating lesions and a right-sided hydropneumothorax with mediastinal shift. Blood cultures grew Fusobacterium and Bacteroides species.   TREATMENT Broad-spectrum antibiotics were commenced, a chest drain was inserted, and the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit due to worsening respiratory failure.   OUTCOME Despite intensive supportive care with broad-spectrum antibiotics, aggressive fluid resuscitation and high-dose inotropic support, the patient developed acute renal failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation and intractable shock, and succumbed 8 days later.   CONCLUSIONS Although this condition is uncommon, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with pulmonary cavitating lesions, especially in the context of fever and rigors preceded by a sore throat.
There is provided a method of programming a smart card, said smart card comprising a secure element and a microcontroller unit which is connected to said secure element, the method comprising: (a) the secure element receives a firmware image from a host device; (b) the secure element validates the firmware image; (c) the secure element forwards the firmware image to the microcontroller unit if the firmware image is valid; (d) the microcontroller unit receives the firmware image from the secure element; (e) the microcontroller unit extracts firmware from the firmware image; and (f) the microcontroller unit installs the firmware in a memory unit of said smart card. Furthermore, a corresponding computer program product and a corresponding programmable smart card are disclosed.
Indications for and results of bilio-digestive shunt are discussed and basic stages described. The data refer to non-cancerous pathology of the bile ways. It is concluded that the operation should always be carried out in the first instance (comparatively high intracholedochic pressure values, moderate dilatation of the main bile way, calculosis of the papilla) and not just at reoperation. This convinction is backed up by the very low operative mortality, the good long-term results and the operation's comparatively easy performance.
The utility model relates to an angle transmission and clutch direct-connecting device, belonging to power transmission equipment which is particularly suitable for road engineering machineries. The angle transmission and clutch direct-connecting device comprises a machine shell, a clutch component, a shifting fork, a driving tapered gear, a main shaft, a driven tapered gear, a driven tapered gear shaft and an outer pump interface. The angle transmission and clutch direct-connecting device is characterized in that: the clutch component, the driving tapered gear and the outer pump interface are directly connected by the main shaft, and an outer pump interface spline is arranged at the tail end of the main shaft and is connected with an outer pump; the main shaft is connected with an engine by a shaft joint, the driven tapered gear is driven by the main shaft and the driving tapered gear to form an angle shape, and a belt wheel is inlayed on the driven tapered gear shaft. The angle transmission and clutch direct-connecting device has the effects of simple installation, precision assembling, compact structure, wide application range, low entire cost and the like.
The authors used an original method to study the general and regional function of the left ventricle of the heart in patients in the late-term periods after complicated reconstructive operations and mitral valve prosthetics. In patients of the second group increased volumes of the heart were maintained, diminished left ventricular ejection fraction and marked disorders of function in the basal segments were revealed which the authors believe to be caused by excision of the chordo-papillary++ apparatus of the mitral valve and firm fixation of the fibrous ring by the cuff of the prosthesis. These disorders were not encountered in patients who underwent reconstructive interventions which in the presence of the appropriate indications should be the operations of choice because they facilitate fuller restoration of left ventricular function in the late-term periods after surgery.
In competitive authoritarian regimes, formal democratic institutions and periodic elections are sponsored by the authoritarian ruler, but voting outcomes are sometimes manipulated to prevent government turnover. In this paper, I investigate the conditions under which a unified opposition might decide to challenge the official election outcome, the conditions under which the authoritarian incumbent might find it profitable to manipulate the election outcome, as well as the conditions under which voters might decide to vote strategically for their least-preferred alternative in order to help avoid a costly post-electoral conflict. I find that the incumbent's decision about whether to commit fraud or acknowledge the true election outcome, as well as the opposition's decision about whether to contest or accept official election results, depends on the opposition's knowledge about the occurrence of fraud, as well as on the likelihood of successful collective action against the regime. Fears of post electoral violence may lead incumbent or opposition supporters to vote strategically for their least preferred alternative, and the probability that they do so depends on their expectations about the opposition's reaction to official election results.
Nonlinear changes of the refractive index are observed by electromagnetic interaction of laser light with germanium nanoparticles. Self-phase modulated optical fringes are used to reveal the nonlinear optical response of germanium nanoparticles at the wavelength of 514.5 nm. The intensity dependence (photo-induced) and size dependence of the refractive index are studied using self-phase modulation of the laser beam. The optical fringe patterns, which are observed due to photo-induced refractive indices, are found to depend on the size of the nanoparticle. The Drude model is also utilized to explore the origin of the photo-induced refractive index of the germanium nanoparticles. It is found that photo-excited electrons contribute appreciably to the nonlinear changes of the refractive index.
OBJECTIVES Biomechanical modelling of the forces acting on a median sternotomy can explain the mechanism of sternotomy dehiscence, leading to improved closure techniques.   METHODS Chest wall forces on 40 kPa coughing were measured using a novel finite element analysis (FEA) ellipsoid chest model, based on average measurements of eight adult male thoracic computerized tomography (CT) scans, with Pearson's correlation coefficient used to assess the anatomical accuracy. Another FEA model was constructed representing the barrel chest of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Six, seven and eight trans-sternal and figure-of-eight closures were tested against both FEA models.   RESULTS Comparison between chest wall measurements from CT data and the normal ellipsoid FEA model showed an accurate fit (P < 0.001, correlation coefficients: coronal r = 0.998, sagittal r = 0.991). Coughing caused rotational moments of 92 Nm, pivoting at the suprasternal notch for the normal FEA model, rising to 118 Nm in the COPD model (t-test, P < 0.001). The threshold for dehiscence was 84 Nm with a six-sternal-wire closure, 107 Nm with seven wires, 127 Nm with eight wires and 71 Nm for three figure-of-eights.   CONCLUSIONS The normal rib cage closely fits the ellipsoid FEA model. Lateral chest wall forces were significantly higher in the barrel-shaped chest. Rotational moments generated by forces acting on a six-sternal-wire closure at the suprasternal notch were sufficient to cause lateral distraction pivoting at the top of the manubrium. The six-sternal-wire closure may be successfully enhanced by the addition of one or two extra wires at the lower end of the sternotomy, depending on chest wall shape.
This paper proposes a multicast traffic grooming scheme for efficient resource utilization in wavelength- division multiplexing (WDM) mesh networks. This Light-Tree Division -Adjacent Node Component based Grooming scheme (LTD-ANCG) is based on the idea of dividing a light-tree into smaller sub-light-trees. It improves the efficiency of resource utilization and lowers the optical- electronic-optical (OEO) conversion overhead. We use computer simulations to evaluate the performance of the scheme. Our simulations demonstrate that compared with existing algorithms, the new scheme significantly reduces the request blocking probability but can be implemented with very reasonable electronic processing.
ARTHUR F. BURNS ASSUMED the Chairmanship of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on February 1, 1970 and held that post until January 31, 1978. (He was Acting Chairman from February 2, 1978 to March 8, 1978.) In analyzing monetary policy under Burns I will concentrate on monetary policy itself and will not discuss Burns' influence with respect to fiscal and incomes policies. However, on occasion some discussion of Burns' role in nonmonetary areas will be required in order to understand monetary policy itself. My major message is that monetary policy under Burns was qualitatively very similar to monetary policy under his predecessor, William McChesney Martin, but that quantitatively the Burnsian policy was worse. As background for this conclusion I have read the Minutes of Federal Open Market Committee' for 1969-1972, the FOMC Policy Record and Annual Reports for the entire period since World War II, and Burns' and other Federal Reserve statements before Congress. To support my conclusion I will refer to these materials from time to time and will offer some simple statistical evidence. My discussion is organized as follows. First, the simple facts of money growth and its variability under Burns will be examined. The next subject is that of policy implementation under Burns. Additional sections are devoted to three topics I find especially interesting-the effects of wage-price controls on monetary policy, the 1974-75 recession, and money growth targets under House Concurrent Resolution 133 passed in 1975. A final section contains my concluding comments. Before proceeding, two caveats are in order. First, my knowledge of monetary policy is primarily that of an outsider who has carefully followed Federal Reserve affairs through publically available materials. As an employee of the Federal Reserve for part of the period being examined, and later as a Federal Reserve consultant, I have had access to some, but not much, inside information. Not being an insider, my interpretations of certain events may well be faulty. My second caveat is that I have no way of knowing the extent to which certain Federal Reserve actions should be attributed to Burns. Burns was clearly a strong Federal Reserve Chairman, but there must surely have been occasions when his positions were bent away from his own preferences by others in the System. Because it is not always easy to determine the extent of Burns' responsibility for particular Federal Reserve actions, I will tend to refer to the "Federal Reserve's policy" rather than to "Burns' policy," especially when discussing events after
This article is devoted to a review of the formation of the theoretical foundations of the modern generation of regionalism. In the article, the authors tried to provide an overview of the publications of foreign and Russian researchers on modern theories of regionalism, examined the evolution of theoretical approaches to the study of regionalism, and also tried to identify the main trends and niches in the development of regional studies abroad and in Russia. The current practice of regional development requires the development of new theoretical and methodological approaches to their study. There is a wide variety of different integration forms in modern world. There is an overlapping membership of a large number of states in various regional structures, and a supplement of formal interstate interactions at the regional level with expanding stable informal and private ties. Besides the formation of regional cooperation in various fields take place, and, finally, the intensification of direct relations between interstate unions of different regions and the creation of transcontinental blocks of cooperation. All of the above is a complex multi-level structure that is gradually developed in the evolution process of regionalism. The purpose of this article is to determine the theoretical foundations of the modern generation of regionalism, its problem field and the difficulties in its study. As a result, the authors came to the conclusion that modern regionalism is a multidimensional, eclectic approach to the study of various forms of regional ties, taking into account not only regional but also global contexts, the formation of the theoretical and conceptual foundations of which has not yet been completed.
MOST STUDIES in the theory of growth assume that goods and factor markets clear sufficiently fast that they can always be considered in equilibrium, and the principal interest has been in the convergence of 'equilibrium' paths to steady state growth. With a few exceptions, very little attention has been given to discovering how the aims and behavioral patterns of the different economic agents interact in the various markets, and what the consequences of this interaction are for the long-run growth of the economy. The principal aim of this paper is to examine a range of models where the economy is not always in equilibrium and to see how (under various possible specifications of market behavior) these differ from those conventionally studied. The first section of the paper describes the main elements of the models to be considered. In the second section, we examine a simple disequilibriumii model where planned investment is not necessarily equal to planned savings, although full employment is still assumed to be maintained. This latter assumption is relaxed in Section 3, where we consider a model in which there is disequilibrium in both product and labor markets. This model incorporates a lagged adjustment of employment and a number of assumptions about wage determiniation. Finally in Section 4, we examine a model in which there is cost inflation. The impetus to write this paper came largely from an early article on this subject by F. H. Hahn [2] and the models we discuss are basically a development of those presented by him. We should also refer to the work on monetary growth models by H. Rose, J. L. Stein and others (for a survey of this work, see Stein [8]).2 These authors have considered some of the consequenlces of disequilibrium, but their primary concern has been with comparative dynamics rather than with questions of stability. Our paper represents a rather different (and complementary) approach in that it is principally concerned with the real side of the economy and in its emphasis on the stability of steady state growth.
Disorders of thyroid function as well goiters are not uncommon in Myanmar, and individuals with these medical problems are frequently seen initially by general practitioners rather than specialists.  Hence, guidelines for the recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of thyroid disorders which are developed by a multidisciplinary panel of experts are essential, not so much for standardization of management but to ensure the delivery of excellent, evidence-based, locally applicable, equitable and patient-centered care for people with disorders of thyroid function. This document is a summary of the guidelines for the management of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism in the outpatient, as well as for subclinical thyroid disorders, and special circumstances, such as thyroid emergencies (thyroid storm and myxedema coma) and thyroid diseases during pregnancy.
The kinetics and thermolability of platelet MAO were studied in twenty-three women during and after pregnancy. The maximal velocity of the enzyme (Vmax) was significantly reduced during pregnancy, whereas the apparent, Michaelis constant (Km) was unaltered. The initial velocity of the enzyme (vo) was significantly lowered during the pregnant period compared to after delivery. However, when the enzyme activity was determined in the presence of autologous plasma, no significant difference in deaminating activity between the two occasions could be detected. This was caused by a significantly increased activating capacity of the plasma collected during the pregnant period, expressed as the ratio of MAO activity determined in the presence and absence of plasma. Moreover, pregnant women showed an increased thermal stability of the platelet MAO compared to non-pregnant women.
Owing to their large relatively thermal conductivity, peculiar, nonhydrodynamic features are expected to characterize the acousticlike excitations observed in liquid metals. We report here an experimental study of collective modes in molten nickel, a case of exceptional geophysical interest for its relevance in earth interior science. Our result shed light on previously reported contrasting evidences: In the explored energy-momentum region, no deviation from the generalized hydrodynamic picture describing nonconductive fluids is observed. Implications for high frequency transport properties in metallic fluids are discussed.
Background: Mr Darryl Elliot was convicted for the murder of Amelia Bowmar on the evidence of doctors who alleged Amelia was a victim of the Shaken Baby Syndrome because ofthe presence of a subdural haematoma, swelling of the brain with ischaemic changes and haemorrhagic contusions in the cortex of the right and left superior frontal gyri of the brain. The brain and spinal cord showed evidence of old and recent injury which the doctors attributed to “Non-accidental Injury”. Method: To prove that the allegation of murder was false the results of the blood tests were analyzed. Result:It is shown that the child had evidence of abnormal coagulation of blood, liver dysfunction and hypoinsulinaemia following mandated MMR vaccine administered a few days prior to the onset of symptoms. Conclusion:The Laboratory results prove the presence of vaccine induced Tissue Scurvy which would account for all the lesions found on the child.
Information-Centric Networking (ICN) provides great potential to promote the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) due to its multicast nature and mobility support. However, the stateful forwarding peculiarity introduces new varietal attacks named Interest Flooding Attacks (IFA), which is stealthy but destructive for the resource-limited IoT devices. In this paper, we propose a lightweight BLoom-filter based Attack Mitigating (BLAM) mechanism to reduce the detecting memory cost, while guaranteeing both the detecting accuracy and delay. Specifically, each IoT node employs a small Bloom filter to check attack behaviors instead of the traditional memory-consuming operations, i.e., recording malicious requests. Bloom filter values by hashing the published data names with a set of hash functions, are encapsulated and distributed via a new message named Ba-NACK. Based on this design, two specific schemes are further proposed for the attack detecting and Bloom filter updating. We formulate the memory cost minimum problem and theoretically analyze that BLAM can reduce the memory cost. We also implement BLAM in a realistic network testbed to evaluate its performance. The results show that BLAM reduces the memory cost by 78.6%, and reduces the delay from millisecond to microsecond with slight sacrifice of the accuracy by 0.4% compared with other state-of-the-art mechanisms.
Even though an effective cost-based query optimizer is of utmost importance for the efficient evaluation of XQuery expressions in native XML database systems, such a component is currently out of sight, because former approaches do not pay attention to the latest advances in the area of physical operators (e. g., Holistic Twig Joins and advanced indexes) or just focus only on some of them.  To support the development of native XML query optimizers, we introduce an extensible cost-based optimization framework that integrates the cutting-edge XML query evaluation operators into a single system. Using the well-known plan generation techniques from the relational world and a novel set of plan equivalences---which allows for the generation of alternative query plans consisting of Structural Joins, Holistic Twig Joins, and numerous indexes (especially path indexes and content-and-structure indexes)---our optimizer can now benefit from the knowledge on native XML query evaluation to speed-up query execution significantly.
Abstract The present work aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of overall survival (OS)-related genes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and to develop a nomogram for clinical use. Transcriptome data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were collected to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ccRCC patients with OS > 5 years (149 patients) and those with <1 year (52 patients). In TCGA training set (265 patients), seven DEGs (cytochrome P450 family 3 subfamily A member 7 (CYP3A7), contactin-associated protein family member 5 (CNTNAP5), adenylate cyclase 2 (ADCY2), TOX high mobility group box family member 3 (TOX3), plasminogen (PLG), enamelin (ENAM), and collagen type VII α 1 chain (COL7A1)) were further selected to build a prognostic risk signature by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model. Survival analysis confirmed that the OS in the high-risk group was dramatically shorter than their low-risk counterparts. Next, univariate and multivariate Cox regression revealed the seven genes-based risk score, age, and Tumor, lymph Node, and Metastasis staging system (TNM) stage were independent prognostic factors to OS, based on which a novel nomogram was constructed and validated in both TCGA validation set (265 patients) and the International Cancer Genome Consortium cohort (ICGC, 84 patients). A decent predictive performance of the nomogram was observed, the C-indices and corresponding 95% confidence intervals of TCGA training set, validation set, and ICGC cohort were 0.78 (0.74–0.82), 0.75 (0.70–0.80), and 0.70 (0.60–0.80), respectively. Moreover, the calibration plots of 3- and 5 years survival probability indicated favorable curve-fitting performance in the above three groups. In conclusion, the proposed seven genes signature-based nomogram is a promising and robust tool for predicting the OS of ccRCC, which may help tailor individualized therapeutic strategies.
This paper presents two‐dimensional and unsteady RANS computations of time dependent, periodic, turbulent flow around a square block. Two turbulence models are used: the Launder–Sharma low‐Reynolds number k–ε model and a non‐linear extension sensitive to the anisotropy of turbulence. The Reynolds number based on the free stream velocity and obstacle side is Re=2.2×104. The present numerical results have been obtained using a finite volume code that solves the governing equations in a vertical plane, located at the lateral mid‐point of the channel. The pressure field is obtained with the SIMPLE algorithm. A bounded version of the third‐order QUICK scheme is used for the convective terms. Comparisons of the numerical results with the experimental data indicate that a preliminary steady solution of the governing equations using the linear k–ε does not lead to correct flow field predictions in the wake region downstream of the square cylinder. Consequently, the time derivatives of dependent variables are included in the transport equations and are discretized using the second‐order Crank–Nicolson scheme. The unsteady computations using the linear and non‐linear k–ε models significantly improve the velocity field predictions. However, the linear k–ε shows a number of predictive deficiencies, even in unsteady flow computations, especially in the prediction of the turbulence field. The introduction of a non‐linear k–ε model brings the two‐dimensional unsteady predictions of the time‐averaged velocity and turbulence fields and also the predicted values of the global parameters such as the Strouhal number and the drag coefficient to close agreement with the data. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE) is a neurological emergency that results from thiamine deficiency. It is most commonly associated with chronic alcohol consumption but can result from any cause of impaired thiamine absorption or dietary intake. The classic triad of ophthalmoparesis, ataxia, and altered sensorium is rarely seen in toto, and while certain radiographic findings strongly correlate with the disease, one should have a low threshold to suspect (and promptly treat) patients in order to mitigate the risk of morbidity and mortality. However, atypical presentations can result in delayed or missed diagnoses. In this report, we describe a case of severe non-alcoholic WE associated with atypical brain Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) manifestations of both cortical diffusion restriction and intracranial hemorrhage, which have previously been associated with poor outcomes. Early treatment with high-dose parenteral thiamine resulted in rapid improvement in ocular motility and reversal of MRI abnormalities, and on long-term follow up, the patient had made a marked functional improvement. This case highlights the importance of recognizing these unusual imaging features of WE in a patient with a compatible clinical syndrome in order to make a timely diagnosis and initiate treatment, as there is potential for a good clinical outcome despite these imaging findings.
The potential of several peripherally substituted [6.3.1] helicenes to serve as linear actuators was investigated using molecular dynamics calculations. Reversible extension upon ionization of pendant functionality was observed in three of four cases. The largest extensions were obtained for molecules with amino groups or ionized phosphate groups attached directly to the helical backbone (extensions of 176 ± 4% and 184 ± 4%, respectively). Electrostatic forces and swelling drive the actuation.
During the time of Imam Hanafi, there was a spreading of false hadiths, so he was very careful about it, so that when there is a case that is not found in the Qur'an or s h ahi h hadith, one of the methods used is istihsān, unlike Imam Syafi 'i which in its time is increasingly widespread of personal groups and groups that refused against sunnah, so people when it prefers to use the mind rather than the nas h , the social influence makes Imam Shafi'i harder in terms of purifying the primary teachings of Islam namely the Qur'an and sunnah, thus limiting the use of reason and reason, including the good presumption in deciding a case on the basis of reason and lust. This is the background why Imam Hanafi accepted istihsān and on the contrary Imam Shafi'i refused.
SUMMARY There is an urgent need to develop effective AIDS prevention programs to assist high-risk individuals to change their behavior. This article describes an office-based intervention program for out-of-treatment injection drug users (IDUs) and crack cocaine users recruited from street settings in a major urban area. The relationships of program elements to key aspects of the Health Belief Model and Social Learning Theory are discussed, as are operational considerations of working with this population in a non-treatment setting.
The effect of 280 nm irradiation on a family of synthetic DNA hairpins possessing an alkane linker connecting a six-base pair stem having a single T-T step located at different positions within the hairpin has been investigated. A single adduct assigned to the product of 2+2 dimerization is obtained except in the case of a T-T step located adjacent to the linker, in which case both 2+2 and 6-4 adducts are obtained. The efficiency of dimerization is similar for three hairpins having a T-T step located within the duplex interior. Lower efficiency is observed for a T-T step located at the open end of the hairpin and in T overhangs, whereas higher efficiency is observed for the T-T step adjacent to the linker and in a single T bulge. The context-dependence of dimerization efficiency is discussed.
Although the latent structure of various eating disorders has been explored in previous studies, no published studies have examined the latent structure of theoretically relevant variables that have been shown to cut across eating disorder diagnoses. The current study examined 3 such variables (dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness) among undergraduate women using the taxometric method. The 5 items from the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire's Dietary Restraint subscale were used as dietary restraint indicators, whereas items from the Eating Disorders Inventory Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness subscales were used as indicators of body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, respectively. As hypothesized, MAXCOV (maximum covariance) and MAMBAC (mean above minus below a cut) analyses suggested that all 3 variables are dimensional; therefore, individuals with high levels of reported dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness appear to differ in degree, but not in kind, from those with lower levels. Implications for prevention, assessment, classification, and treatment are discussed.
BACKGROUND Hepatitis B virus infection is one of the major world health problems. Epigallocatechin-3 gallate is the major component of the polyphenolic fraction of green tea and it has an anti-viral, anti-mutagenic, anti- tumorigenic, anti-angiogenic, anti-proliferative, and/or pro-apoptotic effects on mammalian cells. In this study, our aim was to investigate the inhibition of HBV replication by epigallocatechin-3 gallate in the Hep3B2.1-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line.   MATERIALS AND METHODS HBV-replicating Hep3B2.1-7 cells were used to investigate the preventive effects of epigallocatechin-3 gallate on HBV DNA replication. The expression levels of HBsAg and HBeAg were determined using ELISA. Quantitative real-time-PCR was applied for the determination of the expression level of HBV DNA.   RESULTS Cytotoxicity of epigallocathechin-3-gallate was not observed in the hepatic carcinoma cell line when the dose was lower than 100 μM. The ELISA method demonstrated that epigallocatechin-3 gallate have strong effects on HBsAg and HBeAg levels. Also it was detected by real-time PCR that epigallocatechin-3 gallate could prevent HBV DNA replication.   CONCLUSIONS The obtained data pointed out that although the exact mechanism of HBV DNA replication and related diseases remains unclear, epigallocatechin-3 gallate has a potential as an effective anti-HBV agent with low toxicity.
Twenty-three children two months to 11 years old were treated with sulbactam/ampicillin or sulbactam/penicillin. Eleven had urinary tract infections (UTI), eight had pus-forming cervical adenitis, and four had lobar pneumonia. Pathogens were isolated from 18 patients: Escherichia coli from 10, Staphylococcus aureus from seven, and Klebsiella pneumoniae from one. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin or penicillin alone. Sulbactam (50 mg/kg per day) plus ampicillin (1:2 or 1:3 ratio) or penicillin (1:1.2 or 1:1.8 ratio) was given by intravenous bolus injection at 6-hr intervals for four to 11 days (mean duration, nine days). All pathogens were eradicated during treatment. Two patients with UTI relapsed after completion of treatment; the isolates were resistant to the combination. Clinical response was rapid and consistent with bacteriologic findings. Twenty-two of 23 children had a favorable clinical response. No systemic or local adverse effects were recorded. One child had eosinophilia and another had neutropenia at the end of treatment. Four children had slight and transient increases in hepatic transaminases. These results indicate that sulbactam/ampicillin may prove safe and effective for the treatment of non-life-threatening pediatric infections.
Mobile devices with 3G/4G networking often waste energy in the so-called "tail time" during which the radio is kept on even though no communication is occurring. Prior work has proposed policies to reduce this energy waste by batching network requests. However, this work is challenging to apply in practice due to a lack of mechanisms. In response, we have developed DelayDroid, a framework that allows a developer to add the needed policy to existing, unmodified Android applications (apps) with no human effort. This allows such prior work (as well as our own policies) to be readily deployed and evaluated. The DelayDroid compile-time uses static analysis and bytecode refactoring to identify method calls that send network requests and modify such calls to detour them to the DelayDroid run-time. The run-time then applies a policy to batch them, avoiding the tail time energy waste. DelayDroid also includes a cross-app communication mechanism that supports policies that optimize across multiple apps running together, and we propose a policy that does so. We evaluated the correctness and universality of the DelayDroid mechanisms on 14 popular Android apps chosen from the Google App Store. To evaluate our proposed policy, we studied three DelayDroid-enabled apps (weather forecasting, email client, and news client) running together, finding that the DelayDroid mechanisms combined with our policy can reduce 3G/4G tail time energy waste by 36%.
The yields of modern intensive varieties of buckwheat in arid regions are highly susceptible to adverse hydrothermal growing conditions. The selection of optimal compositions and technologies for using modern agrochemicals that provide an adaptogenic effect and a favourable vegetation regime of plants can be an effective way to stabilize the grain production of this warm-loving but the drought-resistant crop. Scientists have poorly studied these issues and the issues of efficient use of mineral nutrition resources in buckwheat. They studied the responsiveness of buckwheat varieties, that differ in the morphological and biological characteristics of plants, to the foliar application by Yara concentrated complex water-soluble fertilizers containing macroand microelements.The data obtained indicate the presence of varietal specificity, which manifests itself to varying degrees of plant responsiveness to foliar application in the formation of leaf area, grain yield and quality indicators of the crop. The authors made conclusions about the preferred dates for foliar application with the studied Yara complex micronutrient fertilizers. When the foliar application of microelements in the phase of the beginning of grain formation, the K-850 cultivar had the highest yield and the best quality parameters of grains. For the K-899 cultivar, the application in the russeting phase was most effective for grains and affected the best plumpness of the grains. The more powerful morphological potential of Batyr plants was not realized by an adequate increase in yield for the performed feeding. The authors observed a slight tendency to decrease the crude protein content in grains during the foliar application which is probably due to the inverse correlation of this trait with the formation rate of the organic mass of plants.
Transportation system is an important part of the municipal solid waste management system, and also requires substantial investment and operational costs after the landfill. The further of the service route and the more the number of trucks ritation then the greater the operational costs to be incurred. Transportation system in the research location uses two methods, namely Hauled Container System/HCS (4 units) and Stationary Container System/SCS (19 units), each with 6 m³ capacity. Armroll truck activity analysis found that one time ritation takes an average of 2.72 hours and the average amount of ritation is 3 rit / day. The operational cost required for the armroll truck is 13.433.68 IDR / m³ / day. The result of dump truck activity analysis obtained the average time in one ritation is 4.77 hours, with the amount of ritation of 2 rit / day. Operating cost for dump truck is 25.400.1 IDR / m³ / day so HCS method with armroll truck is more effective than SCS method with dump truck, although the number of units is less in the research location, this is due to the investment cost of the carosery which is slightly larger than the dump truck.
It has been recognized for about 50 years that the addition of polymer to motor oil will result in shear-dependent viscosity at relatively low shear stress. This shear-thinning can be shown to reduce the elastohydrodynamic film thickness and there has been an expectation of a reduced film in hydrodynamic lubrication as well. The expected associated increase in the journal bearing wear, however, has not been observed. The load-supporting benefit of the elastic properties contributed by the polymer has been used as an explanation for the success of the polymer blended oils in this application. The available measurements of elasticity in the form of normal stress differences have been inconclusive regarding their contribution to load support. These measurements have all been at atmospheric pressure, however, and at a very high shear rate. The oil in the load-carrying region of a bearing is at elevated pressure and the elevated pressure may enhance the elasticity. A new experimental technique for the measurement of elasticity in oils at elevated pressure was developed. A Weissenberg rheogoniometer of the parallel plate, torsional flow type has been miniaturized and placed in a 350-MPa pressure vessel. This is essentially a parallel face thrust washer that can support a load unrelated to the usual viscous action. The load capacity due to the liquid elasticity vanishes for low-molecular-weight liquids of the same viscosity. The device has been validated with an NIST non-Newtonian standard reference material and the preliminary measurements on commercial multigrade oils clearly show the effect of elevated pressure. The possibility exists to provide additional load support without a viscous frictional penalty.
This article studies the distributed observer-based event-triggered bipartite tracking control problem for stochastic nonlinear multiagent systems with input saturation. First, different from conventional observers, we construct a novel distributed reduced-order observer to estimate unknown states for the stochastic nonlinear systems. Then, an event-triggered mechanism with relative threshold is introduced to reduce the burden of communication. In addition, the bipartite tracking controller is proposed for stochastic multiagent systems by using fuzzy logic systems and the backstepping approach. Meanwhile, it is proved that the designed method can guarantee that all the signals in the closed-loop systems are bounded in probability, and the distributed consensus tracking errors can converge to a small neighborhood of the origin via the Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, a simulation example is given to prove the effectiveness of the designed scheme.
COVID-19 pandeamic has affected people all over the world. COVID-19 may manifest with different severity in different people, however, it predominantly affects respiratory system. Symptoms may vary from sore throat and cough to shortness of breath and damaged lungs. This work focusses on developing a smart system for early detection of COVID-19 based on cough sounds and machine learning algorithms. Such a system would be easily accessible and may provide initial screening for detection of COVID-19. Moreover, cough sounds may be recorded by the person on smartphone avoiding the need for visiting a hospital or testing facility and getting exposed to the disease during the pandeamic. First, the duration of cough sound is determined in the recorded audio signal using thresholding. Then, statistical features are extracted for cough sound and normalized. Finally, the performance of 10 different machine learning algorithms are compared for automatic detection of COVID-19. The proposed stacked ensemble of machine learning models yields the best performance, with an accuracy of 79.86% and area under region of convergence curve of 0.797 for cough sounds of new patients.
The FPGAs architectures allow the overlap between execution and reconfiguration. Indeed, fractions of the application can be configured at the same time that others fractions of the application can be executed. This approach is called partially reconfiguration that used for partially reconfigurable FPGAs. The partially reconfiguration approach can be used to fit a large application into the FPGA device by partitioning the application over time. At each partition, set of tasks are configured and other sets of tasks are executed. This partitioning over time of execution and configuration of tasks is achieved so that the latency of the application is optimal. In this paper, we introduce a time partitioning and a design flow approach for partially reconfigurable systems.
OBJECTIVE To examine the value for money of including peritoneal dialysis (PD) or hemodialysis (HD) into the universal health insurance scheme of Thailand.   METHODS A probabilistic Markov model applied to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients aged 20 to 70 years was developed to examine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of palliative care versus 1) providing PD as an initial treatment followed by HD if complications/switching occur; and 2) providing HD followed by PD if complications/switching occur. Input parameters were extracted from a national cohort, the Thailand Renal Replacement Therapy Registry, and systematic reviews, where possible. The study explored the effects of uncertainty around input parameters, presented as cost-effectiveness acceptability frontier, as well as the value of obtaining further information on chosen parameters, i.e., partial expected value of perfect information.   RESULTS Using a societal perspective, the average ICER of initial treatment with PD and the average ICER of initial treatment with HD were 672,000 and 806,000 Baht per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained (52,000 and 63,000 purchasing power parity [PPP] US$/QALY) compared with palliative care. Providing treatments for younger ESRD patients resulted in a significant improvement of survival and gain of QALYs compared with the older aged group. The cost-effectiveness and cost-utility ratios of both options for the older age group were relatively similar.   CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that offering PD as initial treatment was a better choice than offering HD, but it would only be considered a cost-effective strategy if the social willingness-to-pay threshold was at or higher than 700,000 Baht per QALY (54,000 PPP US$/QALY) for the age 20 group and 750,000 Baht per QALY (58,000 PPP US$/QALY) for age 70 years.
Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) have been attracted significant research during the last few years. The primary medium access control (MAC) technique of 802.11 is called distributed coordination function (DCF). DCF is a carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme with binary slotted exponential backoff. This paper proposes a new Markov model to analyze the CSMA/CA protocol and average packet delay. This model covers the finite load condition and saturation condition. The close agreement between the theoretical results and simulation results using NS-2 under reaffirms the accuracy of the analytical model.
We experimentally demonstrate the relation of Raman coupling strength with the external bias magnetic field in degenerate Fermi gas of 40K atoms. Two Raman lasers couple two Zeeman energy levels, whose energy splitting depends on the external bias magnetic field. The Raman coupling strength is determined by measuring the Rabi oscillation frequency. The characteristics of the Rabi oscillation is to be damped after several periods due to Fermi atoms in different momentum states oscillating with different Rabi frequencies. The experimental results show that the Raman coupling strength will decrease as the external bias magnetic field increases, which is in good agreement with the theoretical prediction.
Modern digital phased array radars contain a large number of antenna elements, transmit/receive modules, to change the direction of the overall antenna to achieve fast beams canning. The performance of the digital Transmit/Receive Modules (digital T/R modules) mainly drives the performance of the phased arrays radar and electronic warfare applications. High power amplifier (HPA) chain is the key component in T/R modules for S band phased array antenna. HPA with high power, high efficiency, small size and wide bandwidth are critical enablers for the widespread application of digital T/R modules. In This presentation, a broadband, high power, high power-density chip amplifier in S-band is successfully developed with GaN HEMT power chips. The GaN power Chips amplifier was developed with a method of integrating power combining impedance matching. The performances tests of the amplifiers are carried out, the amplifier is tested under the conditions of 300 μ s pulse width and 10% duty cycle. The results tested show that within 30% relative bandwidth the pulse output power is greater than 200W and A drain and power added efficiency of 45% are obtained. The presented PA is promising for application in Modern digital phased array radars. Compared with traditional HPA, the performance of radar T/R modules can be improved by using the GaN power chips in output power, efficiency, reliability, size and weight.
India is a country with more than 67% of its population (947 million) residing in rural areas and 33% in urban areas (472 million) as of 2020. Therefore, health of the people living in rural India is very important for its future development plans, economy and growth. Here, we analyse the rural air quality using satellite measurements of NO2 in India, as the sources of NO2 are well connected to the industrial and economic uplift of a nation. Our analyses for the rural regions show distinct seasonal changes with the highest value (2.0 × 1015 molecules per cm2) in winter and the lowest in monsoon (1.5 × 1015 molecules per cm2) seasons. About 41% of the total NO2 pollution in India is from its rural sources, but 59% of the urban sources were focused in the past studies. In addition, around 45% of the rural NO2 pollution is due to road transport, whereas more than 90% of it in urban India comes from the power sector. Our assessment shows that the NO2 exposure in rural regions is as serious as that in urban areas, indicating the need for more effective reduction of population exposure and protection of public health. Henceforth, this study reveals that rural India is gradually getting polluted from its nearby regions as well as from the new sources within. This is a big concern for the public health of the large rural population of India.
A  semimicroscopic analysis of a set of experimental data of elastic α + 12C scattering was performed at several laboratory energies. The  Woods-Saxon parameters were adjusted to obtain the best χ2 fit to the scattering data. The energy systematics of  the positions of Airy minima was constructed, and it was shown that their  positions depend linearly on the inverse center of mass energy. The parameters  of the model potential have been determined unambiguously. It has been shown  that the energy dependence of the volume integrals satisfies the dispersion  relation and agrees well with the results obtained within a phenomenological  analysis. Also, it has been shown that the found positions of the Airy minima  satisfy the rule of the quadratical dependence of the position of the Airy  minima on the reduced mass of the colliding nuclei.
Neuropathic pain is the most difficult type of pain to control, and patients lose their motivation for the purposive pursuit with a decrease in their quality of life. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis, we demonstrated that blood oxygenation level-dependent signal intensity was increased in the ipsilateral nucleus accumbens (N.Acc.) following peripheral nerve injury. microRNAs are small, noncoding RNA molecules that direct the post-transcriptional suppression of gene expression, and play an important role in regulating synaptic plasticity. In this study, we found that sciatic nerve ligation induced a drastic decrease in the expression of miR200b and miR429 in N.Acc. neurons. The expression of DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a), which is the one of the predicted targets of miR200b/429, was significantly increased in the limbic forebrain including N.Acc. at 7 d after sciatic nerve ligation. Double-immunolabeling with antibodies specific to DNMT3a and NR1 showed that DNMT3a-immunoreactivity in the N.Acc. was located in NR1-labeled neurons, indicating that increased DNMT3a proteins were dominantly expressed in postsynaptic neurons in the N.Acc. area under a neuropathic pain-like state. The results of these analyses provide new insight into an epigenetic modification that is accompanied by a dramatic decrease in miR200b and miR429 along with the dysfunction of “mesolimbic motivation/valuation circuitry” under a neuropathic pain-like state. These phenomena may result in an increase in DNMT3a in neurons of the N.Acc. under neuropathic pain, which leads to the long-term transcription-silencing of several genes.
Some pneumatic systems require to measure the differentiated value of pressure with high resolution and high response. In former research, we have developed a pressure differentiator which is constituted of an isothermal chamber, a flow channels which make a laminar flow condition, pressure sensor and a diaphragm type differential pressure gauge. In this research, in order to reduce the number of the sensing elements and improve the resolution of the pressure differentiator while keeping the high dynamic characteristics, new pressure differentiator using micro fabricated hot wire anemometer is proposed and fabricated. Firstly, the principle of the new pressure differenctiator is discussed. Then, principle, fabrication process and characteristics of the micro hot wire anemometer. Finally, the results of performance tests are shown. The results indicate the high performance of the developed sensor.
The generation of cooling system plays an important role in injection molding design. A conformal cooling system can effectively improve molding efficiency and product quality. This paper provides a generic approach for building conformal cooling channels. The centrelines of these channels are generated in two steps. First, we extract conformal loops based on geometric information of product. Second, centrelines in spiral shape are built by blending these loops. We devise algorithms to implement the entire design process. A case study verifies the feasibility of this approach.
Infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of diarrhea among travelers and residents of developing countries. ETEC produces either a heat-stable toxin or a heat-labile toxin, or both, encoded by plasmid-borne ST and LT genes, respectively. Diagnosis of infection with this subclass of E. coli can be performed with oligonucleotide hybridization probes; however, the sensitivity and specificity of this method are insufficient. A nonradioactive multiplex PCR assay that provides a sensitive and specific method for detecting the presence of either or both toxin genes has been developed. A simple procedure that removed inhibitors of the PCR while efficiently releasing ETEC DNA from stool specimens for subsequent amplification was used. The results for samples from a human volunteer study of ETEC infection indicated that this method of sample preparation results in greater clinical sensitivity than conventional total nucleic acid extraction and ethanol precipitation. Detection of ETEC by a multiplex PCR assay in stool specimens directly processed with a glass matrix and chaotropic solution had greater sensitivity than culture.
Although the role of motivation has been emphasised in knowledge-sharing literature, traditional motivation theories, such as self-determination theory (SDT), have not been actively used as a research framework in knowledge-sharing research. The purposes of this study are twofold. The first objective is to propose a model, based on SDT, to test the effect of the three basic psychological needs – perceived competence, perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness – on knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The second objective is to explore the effects of familiarity and anonymity on the basic psychological needs to better understand individuals’ knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities. The results show that perceived competence and perceived relatedness influence knowledge-sharing behaviours in virtual communities; however, perceived autonomy does not influence knowledge-sharing behaviours; familiarity influences positively perceived competence and perceived relatedness, and anonymity influences negatively perceived autonomy and perceived relatedness.
The preparation and characterization of silica-alumina pillared clays have been studied. The formation and aging of hydroxy-alumina oligocations followed by reaction with Si(OEt)(4) have been studied in order to obtain hydroxy-SiAl oligocations. Two solutions of Al-13 (Keggin cation) containing an OH/Al mole ratio equal to 2 have been used in the preparation of the hydroxy-silica-alumina solutions: solution A aged at room temperature for 48 h, and solution B aged at 393 K: for 4 h. Different Si/Al ratios (0, 0.5, 1, and 2) and Al/clay ratios (7, 11, and 22 mM Al (g of clay)(-1)) have been used to obtain clays with different accessibility and acidic properties. The Al/clay ratio played an important role in the properties of the samples obtained. Micropore size distributions obtained with the Horvath-Kawazoe approach confirmed the existence of two sizes of micropores for samples (solution A or B) with a Si/Al less than or equal to 1. On the other hand, measurable differences in the micropore distributions were observed when the Al/clay ratio was varied. The acidity of hydroxy-alumina and hydroxy-silica-alumina pillared clays observed is mainly Lewis type, but the nature of the acid sites detected by pyridine adsorption seems to be independent of Si/Al ratio.
I. Introduction 61 II. Binding of Small Molecules to DNA 62 A. Covalent Binding 62 B. Reversible (Noncovalent) DNA-Binding Agents 65 III. DNA-Metal Ion Complexes 67 A. Platinum Complexes 70 B. Other Metal Ions 73 IV. DNA-Protein Complexes 74 A. Introduction 74 B. ESI-MS of DNA-Protein Complexes 76 C. ESI-MS Analysis of Proteolytic Products of DNA-Protein Complexes 79 D. ESI-MS of Ternary DNA-Protein-Ligand Complexes 80 V. Conclusions 80 Abbreviations 81 References 81 --Interactions of DNA with drugs, metal ions, and proteins are important in a wide variety of biological processes. With the advent of electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI), mass spectrometry (MS) is now a well-established tool for the characterization of the primary structures of biopolymers. The gentle nature of the ESI process, however, means that ESI-MS is also finding application for the study of noncovalent and other fragile biomolecular complexes. We outline here the progress, to date, in the use of ESI-MS for the study of noncovalent drug-DNA and protein-DNA complexes together with strategies that can be employed to examine the binding of small molecules and metal complexes to DNA. In the case of covalent complexes with DNA, sequence information can be derived from ESI-MS used in conjunction with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and/or enzymatic digestion. MS/MS can also be used to probe the relative binding affinities of drugs that bind to DNA via noncovalent interactions. Overall, the work in this area, to date has demonstrated that ESI-MS and MS/MS will prove to be valuable complements to other structural methods, offering advantages in terms of speed, specificity, and sensitivity. (c) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
There has been a resurgence of interest in the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders (1). The application of a mild direct current across the scalp has been shown to shift the membrane potential of superficial neurons and to modulate spontaneous neuronal activity that can produce subthreshold changes in the excitability of targeted cortical regions. In animals, anodal stimulation of the cortical surface has been associated with facilitation of an unconditioned response and improved learning (2), while in humans, anodal stimulation has increased excitability measures of the motor and visual cortex, improved motor learning, decreased response latencies and increased verbal fluency (3). Direct current is generated using a device that supplies a constant singlephase current. This current is transmitted through conductive rubber electrodes applied to the skin. The electrodes are smeared with a conductive ion-based medium or soaked in saline solution allowing the current to flow. Typically, sustained cortical excitability for periods of up to several hours after the stimulation has ceased is achievable by administering several minutes of tDCS in the range of 1–2 mA intensity. At these low current intensities, many subjects perceive a sensory sensation at the site of application, and often this sensation is more intense over the anode. However, despite the use of low stimulus intensities, it is not uncommon for tissue damage (in the form of a burn) to occur fromDCS, even at low current values and in the absence of any specific complaints from subjects. The exact mechanism by which these burns occur is not understood; however, it is thought to relate to the electrical resistive properties of skin more so than the actual stimulating current (4,5). As such the focus of this issue of Brain Bytes is a discussion of themechanisms involved in tissue damage sustained by DCS.
Power spectral, correlation, and coherency analyses have been made for selected periods of Pioneer 6 interplanetary magnetic field data for the frequency range of 5 x 10/sup -4/ to 1.6 x 10/sup -2/ Hz. The periods are chosen for times when the mean field was either radial or perpendicular to the heliocentric radius. At such times, some of the interpretive ambiguities which arise from the convection of the magnetic field by the solar wind are removed, and the field fluctuations can be understood in terms of the spatial dependence of wave or static structures. Results from the power spectral and coherency analyses for the radial field periods indicate the existence of constant-magnitude Alfven waves propagating along the field as well as magnetosonic waves propagating obliquely to the mean field. No evidence for a significant component of circularly polarized Alfven waves is found. Our results also rule out some magnetic field models which have been widely used in cosmic ray studies. Differences in the spectral slopes and power levels for magnetic field fluctuations parallel and transverse to the mean field indicate that the radial field indicate that the radial periods cannot be approximated by isotropic magnetic field fluctuations while the perpendicularmore » periods are not fit by the 'slab' model. All periods are consistent with a superposition of Alfven waves and magnetosonic waves with less than one quarter of the power in the magnetosonic waves as in Alfven waves. Finally, autocorrelation analysis for the radial periods indicates that the correlation length for transverse magnetic fluctuations between discontinuities is 2--6 x 10/sup 10/ cm. (AIP)« less
We present a new analytical direct parameter-extraction methodology for obtaining the small-signal equivalent circuit of HBTs. It is applied to cryogenically operated SiGe HBTs as a means to allow circuit design of SiGe HBT low-noise amplifiers for cooled radio astronomy applications. We split the transistor into an intrinsic transistor (IT) piece modeled as a Pi-topology, and the quasi-intrinsic transistor (QIT), obtained from the IT after that the base resistance (Rb) has been removed. The relations between Z-Y-parameters of the IT and QIT are then established, allowing us to propose a new methodology for determining Rb. The present extraction method differs from previous studies in that each of the model elements are obtained from exact equations that do not require any approximations, numerical optimization, or post-processing. The validity of this new extraction methodology is demonstrated by applying it to third-generation SiGe HBTs operating at liquid-nitrogen temperature (77 K) across the frequency range of 2-22 GHz.
Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess dietary habits and related factors among type 2 diabetic mellitus patients for designing an effective nutrition intervention. Materials and Methods: A descriptive–analytical study was performed on 480 diabetic patients referred to four selected teaching hospitals affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) in Tehran for a period of nine months in 2012. Patients’ dietary habits were measured by a 51-item self-report instrument with four general questions about dietary habits and four subscales reflecting domains including general diabetes information (12 items), planning, shopping for, and preparing meals (6 items), eating meals (17 items), and family influence on dietary habits (12 items). The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS software version 11.5. Results were considered significant at a conventional P < 0.05 level. Results: Mean age of the participants was 59.96 ± 11.53 years. Mean scores in the domains were (53.72 ± 19.83), (57.31 ± 23.82), (52.27 ± 12.13), and (64.72 ± 14.3), respectively. Family influence on dietary habits was highlighted as the most important domain in the dietary habits instrument. Study results revealed that there was a significant association between the four domains and socioeconomic and some variables related to dietary habits such as dietary self-management, planned healthy lifestyle and attending diabetes educational programs. Discussion: The important role of family on dietary habits among type 2 diabetic patients highlighted the role of perceived social support from the family. The results of the sociodemographic variables stressed the necessity of tailoring specific intervention programs accordingly.
Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is the neuromuscular water channel that is also expressed at the basolateral membranes of other cell types in kidney, stomach, and lung. In skeletal muscle, AQP4 is found at the sarcolemma of fast-twitch fibers and its function is strictly correlated with the glycolytic metabolism. In the central nervous system, AQP4 is expressed at the basolateral membranes of ependymal cells, and is highly concentrated at the glial end-foot processes surrounding blood vessels and forming the glia limitans, as well as at the nonend-foot glial processes of the granule cell layer in the cerebellum. AQP4 plasma membrane organization is different from other aquaporins (AQPs). AQP4 is expressed as two major polypeptides called M1 and M23. These two isoforms form heterotetramers appearing in the plasma membrane as intramembrane particles (IMPs) observable by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Such tetrameric organization is common to all other AQPs. In the case of AQP4, however, multiple IMPs further aggregate to form structures called orthogonal arrays of particles (OAPs). The relative abundance of M23 and M1 in vivo is the major determinant for the formation of OAPs of different sizes. The function of AQP4 aggregation into OAPs under normal conditions is still not completely understood. Interestingly, there are several reports indicating that OAPs are involved in different neuromuscular diseases. In particular, the OAP-related diseases that have attracted more attention are Duchenne muscular distrophy and, more recently, neuromyelitis optica, the two pathological conditions in which OAPs are involved in completely different ways. WIREs Membr Transp Signal 2013, 2:143–154. doi: 10.1002/wmts.86        Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.        For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
A series of CuxCe1-xO2-x/SBA-15/cordierite (x = 0-1) catalysts were prepared. The activity of the catalysts for CO combustion was evaluated. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Deactivation behavior of the catalysts for the catalytic combustion of CO was investigated. The results show that all of the catalysts retained the SBA-15 mesoporous structure. It is proposed that deactivation of the catalysts is associated with the increase of the Cu+ and the decrease of the Cu2+ in the catalysts.
Questions  What are the effects of abandonment on plant diversity in semi-natural grasslands? Do the effects of abandonment on taxonomic and functional diversity vary along environmental gradients of climate and soil?    Location  West and mid-Norway.    Methods  Plant composition was surveyed in 110 subplots of 4 m2 in 14 sites across grazed and abandoned semi-natural grasslands. Climate data were extracted and soil composition analysed. To reduce the number of explanatory variables and deal with collinearity, we performed PCA. Data on the plant species vegetative height (H), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), specific leaf area (SLA), seed mass (SM) and number of seeds per plant (SNP) for 175 species were extracted from the LEDA database. Measures of plant diversity (species richness, CWM of functional traits and functional diversity (evenness and range)) were calculated for each subplot. To estimate the effects of abandonment on plant diversity and examine how these effects are moderated by gradients in soil and climate, we fitted mixed models to the data including site as a random effect.    Results  Species richness in the subplots was lower in abandoned semi-natural grasslands, especially on more calcareous soils. CWM H, LDMC and SM were higher in abandoned semi-natural grasslands. CWM LDMC was only higher in the driest subplots. The ranges in H, SLA and SM, as well as evenness in LDMC were also higher in abandoned semi-natural grasslands,but the range in LDMC was lower.    Conclusions  It is important to assess both taxonomic and functional diversity to understand ecosystem processes. The species pool in ecosystems influenced by a long history of intermediate grazing includes a high proportion of low stature, grazing-tolerant plant species. Abandonment of extensive land-use practices will cause a decline in taxonomic diversity (plant species richness) in such systems due to increased abundance of plants with high stature that outcompete the lower, grazing-tolerant plants. This process is predominant especially if moisture, soil fertility and pH are at intermediate levels. Changes in species communities due to abandonment will also influence ecosystem functioning, such as nutrient turnover and fodder production resilience.
CD23 and FMC-7 are normal B-cell antigens used during diagnostic immunophenotyping of suspected lymphoproliferative disorders, but the diagnostic usefulness of antigenic expression patterns of simultaneous 2-color staining and flow cytometric analysis has not been reported. We evaluated the FMC-7 and CD23 expression pattern in 201 cases of B-cell lymphoma from tissue biopsy specimens by multiparameter flow cytometry. The CD23-/FMC-7+ pattern was the most common pattern in large cell, mantle cell, and marginal zone lymphomas. The CD23 and FMC-7 antigen, along with the CD5 coexpression pattern, permitted accurate classification of all 71 cases of small lymphocytic, mantle cell, and marginal zone types of lymphoma. The widest variation of patterns was with follicular cell lymphoma, although most cases expressed the CD23 +/-/FMC-7+ pattern (+/-, partial or minor subset expression). The CD23 and FMC-7 antigen expression pattern was predictive of subtypes in more than 95% of lymphoma cases and could narrow the differential diagnosis in the remaining cases. We conclude the flow cytometric CD23/FMC-7 expression pattern achieved by dual staining facilitates accurate and reproducible classification of B-cell lymphomas and has diagnostic usefulness.
The relative composition of stable carbon isotopes, delta(13)C, was determined in flag leaves and grain of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv Albis) grown in open-top field fumigation chambers and exposed to different O(3) levels during the growing season. The aim of the study was to establish exposure-response relationships for the radiation-weighted seasonal mean O(3) concentration and delta(13)C (relative deviation of the (13)C/(12)C ratio) values of the two plant parts. Samples were collected at harvest in 1986, 1987, and 1988. With increasing O(3) concentration, delta(13)C values increased (became less negative) proportionally. Year to year delta(13)C differences at equivalent O(3) concentrations were small. The shift in delta(13)C caused by O(3) was more pronounced in grain than in leaves. According to models of (13)C discrimination in C(3) plants, these results indicate increasing limitation of photosynthesis by CO(2) diffusion relative to limitation by carboxylation with increasing O(3) exposure. This conclusion is not in agreement with results from gas exchange analysis. Water use efficiency in green flag leaves tended to decrease with increasing O(3), indicating a dominating effect of O(3) on CO(2) carboxylation.
AbstractThis study deals with the constitutional and legal references that adopted by theconstitutional judge during his determination of the constitutionality of laws, in considerationthat the constitution is the supreme law within the legal system of the political system, Andthe rest laws must be identical with it, to keep the constitutional rules and principles stipulatedtherein on the one hand, and to maintain its supreme on other hand. This congruence andconsistency requires the existence of a constitutional and legal reference It is entrusted withoverseeing the constitutionality of laws, protecting the rights and freedoms enshrined by theconstitutional legislator through the constitutional document.The study reached several results, the most important of which is that the constitutionaljudge's references differ according to the nature of the political system and the foundations onwhich it is based, even if the goal is to protect the constitution, rights and freedoms, and tocontrol the balance between the constitutional powers within the political system.The practice of the constitutional judiciary for its competencies is based on a set ofreferences, including the constitutional document, the preamble of the constitution, regulationlaws, principles and objectives that have constitutional value , in addition to the "judicialprecedents" that produced by the constitutional judiciary in previous experiences.It also concludes from The jurisprudence of the constitutional judiciary that there is respectfor the hierarchy of legal rules, so that the lower rule may not contradict the supreme rule, outof respect for the principle of the supremacy of the constitution over the rest of the laws, whichforms the basis for overseeing the constitutionality of laws, and respect for the constitutionaland legal legitimacy.Key words:Constitutional judiciaryThe control on the constitutionality of laws.References of the constitutional judge in control on the constitutionality of laws.     الملخصتناولت هذه الدراسة المرجعيات الدستورية والقانونية المعتمدة من طرف القاضي الدستوري أثناء بته في دستوريةالقوانين، على اعتبار أن الدستور هو القانون األسمى داخل المنظومة القانونية للنظام السياسي، وأن باقي القوانين يجب أنتكون متطابقة معه، حفاظا على القواعد والمبادئ الدستورية المنصوص عليها فيه من جهة، وحفاظا على سموه من جهةثانية، هذا التطابق والتناسق يقتضي وجود مرجعية دستورية وقانونية يناط بها أمر الرقابة على دستورية القوانين، حمايةللحقوق والحريات التي كرسها المشرع الدستوري من خالل الوثيقة الدستورية.وتوصلت الدراسة لعدة نتائج أهمها أن مرجعيات القاضي الدستوري، تختلف حسب طبيعة النظام السياسي والمرتكزاتالتي ينبني عليها، وإن كان الهدف هو حماية الدستور والحقوق والحريات وضبط التوازن بين السلطات الدستورية داخلالنظام السياسي.ممارسة القضاء الدستوري الختصاصاته، تستند على مجموعة من المرجعيات، منها الوثيقة الدستورية، مقدمة الدستور،القوانين التنظيمية، المبادئ واألهداف ذات القيمة الدستورية، اضافة إلى "السوابق القضائية" التي أنتجها القضاء الدستوريفي التجارب السابقة.يستنتج كذلك من خالل اجتهادات القاضي الدستوري أن هناك احترام لتدرج القواعد القانونية، بحيث ال يجوز للقاعدةاألدنى أن تخالف القاعدة األسمى، احتراما لمبدأ سمو الدستور على باقي القوانين، والذي يشكل أساس الرقابة على دستوريةالقوانين، واحتراما للشرعية الدستورية والقانونية.الكلمات المفتاحية:- القضاء الدستوري.- الرقابة على دستورية القوانين.- مرجعيات القاضي الدستوري في الرقابة على دستورية القوانين.
Abstract The {100} platelets in natural type IaA/B diamonds have been examined by spatially resolved electron-energy-loss spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Nitrogen concentrations were determined for platelets of four different stones. The nitrogen concentration was observed to vary from diamond to diamond and to be less than required by previous nitrogen platelet models, but more than required by a pure carbon platelet model. A new model for the platelet, which agrees with the present and previous data, has been developed. Image simulations from the model are shown to correspond to HRTEM 〈110〉 images of the platelets.
Background In this article, clinical satisfaction and radiological results are discussed in a series of patients where the iliac wings participate in dynamic stabilization. Dynamic stabilization is an effective alternative surgical treatment method, especially in clinical pictures that go with pain due to minor instabilities. Practically the unique surgical instrument used in multilevel instabilities is the Dynesys system. The most important drawback of the Dynesys system is that the S1 screws become loose in time. In this article, our aim is to find solution to S1 insufficiency by extension of the system to the iliac wings. Methods Nineteen patients (eight females, 11 males) with a mean age of 54.16 were included in the study. Patients had multilevel (level 2 and above) instability, iliac wings were included in the stabilized segments, and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used for patient follow-up. Results First year results showed a significant improvement in VAS and ODI. Regarding the complications, infection developed in one patient, loosening in the proximal iliac wing in one patient, and both S1 and iliac proximals in one patient, but no clinical findings were encountered. Conclusion When more than two levels of dynamic systems are used in chronic instability, especially in the elderly patients, S1 screws are loosened. In these patients, if the iliac bones are also included in stabilization, this problem is solved successfully. However unfortunately, Dynesys system does not have a screw suitable for the iliac bones.
This paper describes a new methodology for characterizing the electrical behavior and soft error rate (SER) of CMOS and SiGe HBT integrated circuits that are struck by ions. A typical engineering design problem is to calculate the SER of a critical path that commonly includes several circuits such as an input buffer, several logic gates, logic storage, clock tree circuitry, and an output buffer. Using multiple 3D TCAD simulations to solve this problem is too costly and time-consuming for general engineering use. The new and simple methodology handles the problem with ease by simple SPICE simulations. The methodology accurately predicts the measured threshold linear energy transfer (LET) of a bulk CMOS SRAM. It solves for circuit currents and voltage spikes that are close to those predicted by expensive 3D TCAD simulations. It accurately predicts the measured event cross-section vs. LET curve of an experimental SiGe HBT flip-flop. The experimental cross section vs. frequency behavior and other subtle effects are also accurately predicted.
The recent discovery of a chemokine receptor, fusin (fusin/CXCR-4), as the long-sought human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) coreceptor opened an entirely new field of aquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) research on mechanisms of viral entry, tropism and pathogenesis. It was soon followed by the identification of the chemokine receptor CCR-5 as the major macrophage-tropic (M-tropic) HIV-1 coreceptor and the demonstration that other chemokine receptors, CCR-3 and CCR-2b, also may serve as coreceptors, albeit at somewhat lower efficiency. Very recently it was demonstrated that the mechanism of the coreceptor function involves the formation of a complex on the cell surface between the HIV-1 envelope, the primary receptor CD4 and the coreceptor. Thus the prevention of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated fusion by the chemokines RANTES, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) and MIP-1 beta, as well as by the recently identified fusin/CXCR-4 ligand, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) could be explained by disruption of that complex. Interestingly, the identification of the HIV-1 coreceptor CCR-5 not only provided new insights into the mechanisms of viral entry and tropism, but also may help in explaining why some people with genetic alterations in CCR-5 are protected from HIV-1 infection.
This article critically evaluates the development and impact of a new online ‘dance practice’ service in a rural creative hub Remote. The research asks: ‘How does entrepreneurial placemaking contribute to the evolution of rural creative hubs during the COVID-19 pandemic?’ To answer this question, the article critically evaluates the business activities of one artisan entrepreneur, applying placemaking and resilience. Using a case study strategy, this research employs online qualitative research. Creative hub development is explained as a result of ‘entrepreneurial placemaking’, forming the main contribution of this article. This term subsumes multi-layered exchanges. ‘Entrepreneurial placemaking’ is conceptualised as continuous becoming, and illustrated by Remote’s adaption processes to lockdown phases. Remote is turned into a stage for digital placemaking during the COVID-19 lockdown via the ‘open dance practice’ service provided by a performance dance artist. Findings highlight that to enact entrepreneurial placemaking, creative professionals need to draw upon adaptive capacity, which includes the ability to develop exchange relationships and business-related digital skills. Peer-learning is a recommended solution for developing such digital skills across artist entrepreneurial communities. This article contributes to the ongoing conversation on the role of creative hubs for socio-economic development foregrounding the activities of hub users.
The reinvestigation of two allyl zinc compounds, parent bis(allyl)zinc [Zn(C(3)H(5))(2)] (1) and 2-methallyl chloro zinc [Zn(C(4)H(7))Cl] (2), revealed two new coordination modes in the solid state for the allyl ligand, viz cis- and trans-μ(2)-η(1):η(1). These results call for modification of the conventional interpretation of zinc-allyl interactions. Computational results indicate that the classical η(3)-bonding mode of the allyl ligand is not favored in zinc compounds. A rare case of a zinc-olefin interaction in the dimer of [Zn(η(1)-C(3)H(5))(OC(C(3)H(5))Ph(2))] was found in the monoinsertion product of 1 with benzophenone.
In kagome metal CsV_{3}Sb_{5}, multiple intertwined orders are accompanied by both electronic and structural instabilities. These exotic orders have attracted much recent attention, but their origins remain elusive. The newly discovered CsTi_{3}Bi_{5} is a Ti-based kagome metal to parallel CsV_{3}Sb_{5}. Here, we report angle-resolved photoemission experiments and first-principles calculations on pristine and Cs-doped CsTi_{3}Bi_{5} samples. Our results reveal that the van Hove singularity (vHS) in CsTi_{3}Bi_{5} can be tuned in a large energy range without structural instability, different from that in CsV_{3}Sb_{5}. As such, CsTi_{3}Bi_{5} provides a complementary platform to disentangle and investigate the electronic instability with a tunable vHS in kagome metals.
The spectral properties of the ambient illumination provide useful information about time of day and weather. We study the perceptual representation of illumination by analyzing measurements of how well people discriminate between illuminations across scene configurations. More specifically, we compare human performance to a computational-observer analysis that evaluates the information available in the isomerizations of the cones in a model human photoreceptor mosaic. Some patterns of human performance are predicted by the computational observer, other aspects are not. The analysis clarifies which aspects of performance require additional explanation in terms of the action of visual mechanisms beyond the isomerization of light by the cones.
This paper studies the problem of sharing demand forecast information in a closed-loop supply chain with the manufacturer collecting and remanufacturing. We investigate two scenarios: the “make-to-order” scenario, in which the manufacturer schedules production based on the realized demand, and the “make-to-stock” scenario, in which the manufacturer schedules production before the demand is known. For each scenario, we find that it is possible for the retailer to share his forecast without incentives when the collection efficiency of the manufacturer is high. When the efficiency is moderate, information sharing can be realized by a bargaining mechanism, and when the efficiency is low, non-information sharing is a unique equilibrium. Moreover, the possibility of information sharing in the make-to-stock scenario is higher than that in the make-to-order scenario. In addition, we analyze the impact of demand forecasts’ characteristics on the value of information sharing in both scenarios.
The goal of the Web Service Composition (WSC) problem is to find an optimal composition of web services to satisfy a given request using their syntactic and/or semantic features. In this paper, in particular, we study the Quality of Services (QoS)-driven WSC problem to optimize service quality criteria, e.g., response time and/or throughput. We propose a novel solution based on Learning-based Depth First Search (LDFS). Given a set of web service descriptions including QoS information and a requirement web service, we reduce the QoS-driven WSC problem into a planning problem on a state-transition system. We then find the optimal solution for the problem using a dynamic programming based on LDFS which recently has shown a promising result.
Quiescent human lymphocytes were damaged in two different ways, both producing toxic oxygen radicals: xanthine oxidase plus hypoxanthine (XOD/HYP), or gamma-rays. Under conditions where DNA synthesis was reduced to 10-20% of control, inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribosyl)polymerase (ADPRP, an enzyme that becomes activated in the presence of DNA strand breaks) allowed lymphocytes to recover completely when the damage was caused by XOD/HYP, but they did not affect DNA synthesis of irradiated cells. However, a protective effect of ADPRP inhibitors was observed with irradiated lymphocytes receiving doses greater than or equal to 50 Gy. Unscheduled DNA synthesis was Unscheduled DNA synthesis was significantly increased when lymphocytes were damaged by high radiation doses in the presence of ADPRP inhibitors. We suggest that ionizing radiation does not stimulate poly(ADP-ribose) synthesis in lymphocytes at doses that impair lymphocyte DNA synthesis by 80-90%, while ADPRP may be involved in the repair of DNA lesions occurring at higher radiation doses.
Despite the ubiquitous use of social media platforms by people of all ages, there is limited synthesis of evidence on their effect on family connectedness. This systematic review assesses the quantitative evidence around relationship between social media use and family connectedness. We searched articles published between January 2010 and April 2020. Nine of the 14 included studies examined the effect of social media on parent-child communication, while the rest explored the effect on broader family relationships. Overall evidence is mixed, highlighting some aspects of social media use that may strengthen family connectedness, while others that may negatively impact meaningful interactions within families. This review illustrates the complex nature of this research domain with limited consensus on how to measure family connectedness in context of social media use. We discuss the limitations of the studies and the greater need for high-quality research in the fast-paced world of social media.
Recent improvements in field-portable analytical equipment allow accurate on-site measurement of VOCs present in air at concentrations of less than 0.1 parts per million volume (ppmv). The objective of this project is to determine if the use of these instruments for vapor-phase measurements of headspace in a monitoring well can serve as a reliable and accurate method for monitoring volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in groundwater under equilibrium conditions. As part of a comprehensive research project investigating the utility of this proposed monitoring method, the authors have completed a laboratory validation study to identify instruments and sample-collection methods that will provide accurate measurement of VOC concentrations in groundwater. This laboratory validation study identified two field-portable instruments (a gas chromatograph and a photoionization detector) with sufficient sensitivity to measure VOCs in groundwater at concentrations below typical monitoring standards (i.e., 1 to 5 μg/L). The accuracy and precision of these field instruments was sufficient to satisfy typical data-quality objectives for laboratory-based analysis. In addition, two sample-collection methods were identified that yield vapor-phase samples in equilibrium with water: direct headspace sampling and passive diffusion samplers. These sample-collection methods allow the field instruments (which measure VOC concentrations in vapor-phase samples) to be used to measure VOC concentrations in water. After further validation of these sample-collection methods in the field, this monitoring method will provide a simple way to obtain accurate real-time measurements of VOC concentrations in groundwater using inexpensive field-portable analytical instruments. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Chitosan is a carbohydrate polymer derivative of chitin which presents in shell of crustaceans. This biopolymer is a non toxic and environmentally friendly, considered as a plant growth stimulator in some plant species. The present study investigates the effects of chitosan and media types on multiplication and genetic stability of Phalaenopsis gigantea protocorm-like bodies (PLBs). PLBs were inoculated in liquid New Dogashima Medium (NDM) and Vacin and Went (VW) supplemented with various concentrations of chitosan (0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg/L). The highest PLB multiplication was observed on VW and NDM supplemented with 10 mg/L chitosan with mean number of PLBs 177 and 147, respectively. Chitosan promoted the formation of juvenile leaves and the highest number was observed in NDM supplemented with 20 mg/L chitosan with mean number of 66 leaves after 8 weeks of culture. Genetic stability was assessed among mother plant and secondary PLBs after 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks of culture in liquid media. 8 out of 10 ISSR markers produced a total of 275 clear and reproducible bands with mean of 6.9 bands per primer. The secondary PLBs produced during sub-culturing process of chitosan treated liquid culture were genetically uniform and similar to mother plant.
The following question of V. Stakhovskii was passed to us by N. Dolbilin [4]. Take the barycentric subdivision of a triangle to obtain six triangles, then take the barycentric subdivision of each of these six triangles and so on; is it true that the resulting collection of triangles is dense (up to similarities) in the space of all triangles? We shall show that it is, but that, nevertheless, the process leads almost surely to a flat triangle (that is, a triangle whose vertices are collinear).
The randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used in the development of a fingerprinting (typing) and identification protocol for Legionella strains. Twenty decamer random oligonucleotide primers were screened for their discriminatory abilities. Two candidate primers were selected. By using a combination of these primers, RAPD analysis allowed for the differentiation between all different species, between the serogroups, and further differentiation between subtypes of the same serogroup. The usefulness of RAPD analysis was also evaluated with outbreak-related clinical and environmental isolates previously typed by the restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. RAPD analysis proved to be as accurate as other genotypic methods, reproducible, and highly discriminatory and is a valuable new alternative to traditional fingerprinting and identification of Legionella species and strains.
This paper mainly describes an orientation control scheme of a vision-based autonomous vehicle by means of fluorescent lamps on the ceiling. The long shape of a fluorescent lamp makes this control possible. First, we propose the method that discriminates a fluorescent lamp from the other light sources and gives the distance and the angle between the vehicle and the fluorescent lamp. Then, the errors of the detected distance and angle are estimated and it is found that they are small enough to control the vehicle. Lastly, experimental results of the vehicle navigation are shown. The vehicle can move along the fluorescent lamp array or in a certain direction from the fluorescent lamp array. These two types of vehicle motion give the autonomous vehicle more flexibility to decide the vehicle's path in factories.
Abstract The mass spectra at 70 eV and lower energies of eight pairs of 2,4,7-trioxa-3-phospha-3R-3-thiono bicyclo (4.4.0) decanes, epimeric at phosphorus, have been examined in detail. Beside specific fragmentations typical of the exocyclic substituents, common processes are observed for all compounds. The principal fragmentation routes involve loss of RPO2S group with single and double hydrogen rearrangements, leading to carbon containing ions of high intensity. Differences between the mass spectra of each pair of diastereoisomers are noted and rationalized in terms of the geometrical orientation of the P[dbnd]S bond. Les spectres de masse (70 eV et basse energie) de huit paires de R-3 thiono-3 trioxa-2,4,7 phospha-3 bicyclo (4,4,0) decanes, epimeres au niveau du phosphore, ont ete etudies en detail. A cote de fragmentations typiques de la nature du groupe exocyclique, on note un certain nombre de coupures communes a tous les composes. Les principaux processus de fragmentation mettent en jeu la perte du...
Abstract The evaluation of cardiac endocrine function by means of automated robust assays has permitted the introduction of a cheap and powerful clinical tool. Plasma concentration of B-type-related natriuretic peptides is a marker of either hemodynamic or neurohormonal stress on the heart and has been validated within the diagnostic and prognostic domain in patients with suspected or ascertained heart failure, mostly in the in-hospital setting. Evidence is growing, supporting an out-of-hospital use, namely in primary care. Its implementation in this setting in screening programs and diagnostic algorithms might contribute to decrease the apparent disparity between the general practitioner and the specialist approach to disease management. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:1533–42.
Deferred products are classic in nature and should be adapted into the contemporary Islamic financial system. Thus, there arises a need to determine how far the importance of deferred products are implemented according to the contemporary circumstances in Malaysia. This is to ensure that deferred products, as in controversial products such as ῑnah, play a role in the syariah context and at the same time be competitive in the banking industry and Islamic finance. This study analysed deferred products as a form of a conventional frame from a hilah aspect and discussions related to theories on hiyal that have an effect on deferred products, which fulfil current and local needs as well as comply with the maqaṣid al-shariah framework in Islamic finance. This qualitative study obtained data through a document analysis. The findings showed that the use of hiyal in deferred products should follow a streamed-lined or uniform hiyal according to maqaṣid al-shariah.
Ordered structures of poly(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl α-fluoroacrylate) (P17FF), poly(α-chloroacrylate) (P17FC), poly(methacrylate) (P17FM) and poly(acrylate) (P17FA) were investigated by X-ray diffraction, DSC and polarizing microscopic observations. At room temperature, both P17FF and P17FC prefer the layered structure of single-layer packing of the fluoroalkyl side chains, while P17FM contains both single-layer and double-layer packing, and P17FA forms double-layer packing. As temperature increases, particularly in P17FF and P17FC, there was observed a structural rearrangement of the single-layer packing to double-layer one accompanied by melting of the side chain crystallites, which may come from an intermolecular interaction between the main chains caused by polar effect of the α-substituents.
The stimulation technique has gained much importance in the performance studies of Concurrency Control (CC) algorithms for distributed database systems. However, details regarding the simulation methodology and implementation are seldom mentioned in the literature. One objective of this paper is to elaborate the simulation methodology using SIMULA. Detailed studies have been carried out on a centralised CC algorithm and its modified version. The results compare well with a previously reported study on these algorithms. Here, additional results concerning the update intensiveness of transactions and the degree of conflict are obtained. The degree of conflict is quantitatively measured and it is seen to be a useful performance index. Regression analysis has been carried out on the results, and an optimisation study using the regression model has been performed to minimise the response time. Such a study may prove useful for the design of distributed database systems.
The speech transmission index is examined for a system of “speaking tubes” within a home in the Avon Hill neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Designed in 1888 by noted Boston architects Henry Hartwell and William C. Richardson, the Shingle Style home was both wired for electricity and outfitted with piping for gas. An electronic paging system was used to summon servants, but when aural communication was necessary, the speaking tube system was used for inter-floor communication. This paper examines the measured STI for the speaking tubes which remain in the home within the context of simple passive waveguide sound propagation. The paper also provides a quantitative evaluation of this pre-electroacoustic technology as it appeared in several fashionable homes of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Anaerobic bacteria from the colon of laboratory mice were enumerated and isolated using strict anaerobic techniques. Direct microscopic counts revealed 4.4 X 10(10) organisms in each gram (wet weight) of colon contents. Actual cultural counts averaged 3.2 X 10(10) organisms, which was 73% of the direct microscopic count. The tentatively identified genera were Bacteroides, Eubacterium, Fusobacterium, Lactobacillus, Peptostreptococcus, and Propionibacterium. Strains of Fusobacterium, Lactobacillus, Peptostreptococcus, and Propionibacterium were biochemically homogeneous. Strains of Bacteroides and Eubacterium, on the other hand, were biochemically heterogeneous and were subdivided into several distinct groups. The data indicate that many of the isolates are different from previously described species of the respective genera and may belong to new species.
An adaptive antenna is proposed; it is composed of a dipole antenna above a ground plane and two electromagnetic band gap (EBG) metallic structures. It has been found that EBG structures are a good way to create adaptive antennas working in the microwave region. A rigorous analysis of this antenna is efficiently performed using the method of moments, leading to the determination of antenna radiation patterns when one or more metallic rows are removed from the EBG structures.
The electrical response of muscle to repetitive nerve stimulation was studied in patients with various myotonic disorders. A decrementing response was a common but not invariable finding, and was unrelated to the severity or diagnosis. The decrement either continued throughout the period of stimulation or “leveled off,” sometimes being followed by an increment. If it occurred at low rates of stimulation, a greater decrement occurred at higher rates, usually after a shorter latent period. It was not related consistently to the presence of weakness, but in patients with myotonia congenita it was more conspicuous and elicited by lower rates of stimulation when transient weakness was a feature of the history.
Abstract : Attached is the Phase I report of the DSB Task Force on Enabling Joint Force Capabilities. For the current effort, the Task Force was charged with recommending ways to enhance the capabilities of our joint forces as quickly as the component forces can respond. The central theme of the task force is the challenge of ensuring that our forces are structured, equipped, and trained to come together quickly for effective joint force operations. Given the magnitude of this challenge, we divided our effort into two phases: Phase I concentrates on the following main points: 1. Helping identify specific characteristics and examples of organizations that could be capable of accepting responsibility and accountability for delivering the capability with needed responsiveness, and 2. Reviewing and understanding the current state of assigned responsibilities and accountability for joint capabilities to quickly bring combat forces together and focus them on joint objectives across a wide spectrum of possible contingencies. Phase II will concentrate on recommending further steps to strengthen the joint structure ability to quickly respond with effective joint force operations with integrated Service- and Agency-provided force capabilities.
In the first of his letters ex Ponto (vv. 51–58) Ovid mentions the confession of sins practised in the religion of Isis by the faithful (in the presence of a priest?). One man, seated before the altar of the goddess (Isiacos focos, v. 52), confessed that he had offended her divinity (numen violasse fatentem, v. 51); a second, deprived of his sight in punishment for some similar crime, went along the public road crying out that he had merited the castigation (se meruisse, v. 54). Ovid affirms that he had seen all this with his own eyes (vidi ego, v. 51). It may be that his vidi ego is purely rhetoric. Confession of sins, however, was certainly practised in Egypt ab antiquo, as is proved by a group of Theban inscriptions of the epoch of the XlXth Dynasty (about 1300 B.C.) dedicated to various divinities, amongst whom is a local goddess assimilated to Isis-Hathor. Moreover, ophthalmia was very common in Egypt.
Abstract Identifying mechanisms of population change is fundamental for conserving small and declining populations and determining effective management strategies. Few studies, however, have measured the demographic components of population change for small populations of mammals (<50 individuals). We estimated vital rates and trends in two adjacent but genetically distinct, threatened brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations in British Columbia, Canada, following the cessation of hunting. One population had approximately 45 resident bears but had some genetic and geographic connectivity to neighboring populations, while the other population had <25 individuals and was isolated. We estimated population‐specific vital rates by monitoring survival and reproduction of telemetered female bears and their dependent offspring from 2005 to 2018. In the larger, connected population, independent female survival was 1.00 (95% CI: 0.96–1.00) and the survival of cubs in their first year was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.62–0.95). In the smaller, isolated population, independent female survival was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.64–0.93) and first‐year cub survival was 0.33 (95% CI: 0.11–0.67). Reproductive rates did not differ between populations. The large differences in age‐specific survival estimates resulted in a projected population increase in the larger population (λ = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.04–1.13) and population decrease in the smaller population (λ = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.72–0.95). Low female survival in the smaller population was the result of both continued human‐caused mortality and an unusually high rate of natural mortality. Low cub survival may have been due to inbreeding and the loss of genetic diversity common in small populations, or to limited resources. In a systematic literature review, we compared our population trend estimates with those reported for other small populations (<300 individuals) of brown bears. Results suggest that once brown bear populations become small and isolated, populations rarely increase and, even with intensive management, recovery remains challenging.
enforcement, I am amazed at the narrow-sighted approach given to disaster planning by our federal, state, and municipal governments in light of the lessons learned at the Federal Building in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center in Manhattan. In an effort to profess preparedness and ease public concern, officials have put these plans together with the best of intentions. Still, these plans lack the details necessary to ensure successful outcomes when put into action. All disaster planning must begin on the local level and then extend outward to include federal support because all disasters are, in fact, local occurrences. In any type of disaster, the first 15 to 30 minutes are critical in determining the public safety response. During this period, available manpower is limited to on-duty personnel; therefore, each responder needs to thoroughly understand their role if the incident is to be kept from spiraling out of control. Moreover, each responder must be trained so that their response is second nature. Wellintentioned actions by mistrained or untrained personnel can turn the disaster into a career-ending event for those responsible for the actions of all the players. Local governments need to focus on the most likely scenario of disaster that could occur in their community and then establish a plan of action around that type of incident. Take, for example, a community located on a major highway used each day by thousands of vehicles, including tanker tractor-trailers hauling potentially deadly chemicals. If released into the open atmosphere, these chemicals become lethal clouds. To complicate matters, nearby are a middle school, a high school, and a nursing home/elderly housing facility. On a weekday when school is in session, the three facilities have a combined population of 5,000 persons. In this scenario, local government officials would first need to inventory which services they can realistically provide in the first 15 to 30 minutes versus what tasks must be performed during the entire incident period. The first major hurdle (except in major cities) will be garnering sufficient manpower to control the incident so that it does not begin to mushroom out of control. Contain and control are the first priorities that local government needs to address. Local planning needs to include roles for all municipal employees, not just public safety personnel. In a disaster, all available manpower is needed. Government employees from all service areas should be assigned tasks based on their skills and abilities. In emergencies, public safety dispatchers need to be free to deal with such situations. Why not assign clerical personnel from the municipal government to answer nonemergency telephone calls or to deliver communications equipment and supplies between the storage facility and the Incident Command Center. At the time a disaster occurs, every municipal employee on duty should have a clearly defined role and responsibility. Mutual aid from neighboring communities,
In Germany, midwives are involved in extensive antenatal and postnatal care. As health professionals, they can play a key role in strengthening health literacy (HL) of parents on how to prevent chronic allergic diseases in their children. The objective of this study is to explore midwives’ perspectives regarding HL-sensitive counselling in early childhood allergy prevention (ECAP). Twenty-four qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with midwives, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Only a small number of study participants were aware of HL as a concept. However, most of these use screening and counselling strategies which consider individual information needs and which support parental HL. HL sensitivity in counselling is largely based on the midwives’ “gut feelings” and counselling experience, rather than on formal education. The midwives were largely aware of evidence-based ECAP recommendations; however, allergy prevention was not seen as a stand-alone topic but as part of their general counselling on infant feeding and hygiene. They found parents to be more open to receiving complex prevention information during antenatal counselling. In order to strengthen midwives’ roles in HL-sensitive ECAP counselling, their formal education should provide them with explicit HL knowledge and counselling skills. ECAP should be an inherent part of antenatal care.
Human vaults are intracellular ribonucleoprotein particles believed to be involved in multidrug resistance. The complex consists of a major vault protein (MVP), two minor vault proteins (VPARP and TEP1), and several small untranslated RNA molecules. Three human vault RNA genes (HVG1–3) have been described, and a fourth was found in a homology search (HVG4). In the literature only the association of hvg1 with vaults was shown in vivo. However, in a yeast three-hybrid screen the association of hvg1, hvg2, and hvg4 with TEP1 was demonstrated. In this study we investigated the expression and vault association of different vault RNAs in a variety of cell lines, including pairs of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells. HVG1–3 are expressed in all cell lines examined, however, none of the cell lines expressedHVG4. This probably is a consequence of the absence of essential external polymerase III promoter elements. The bulk of the vault RNA associated with vaults was hvg1. Interestingly, an increased amount of hvg3 was bound to vaults isolated from multidrug-resistant cell lines. Our findings suggest that vaults bind the RNA molecules with different affinities in different situations. The ratio in which the vault RNAs are associated with vaults might be of functional importance.
Magnetic critical scattering has been observed by resonant-enhanced X-ray diffraction at the transition to the incommensurate antiferromagnetic phase of neptunium arsenide. The observed critical behaviour is significantly different to that observed with conventional neutron scattering techniques. Our analysis suggests that the critical scattering is composed of two components, the sharper of which may be related to the surface or be a result of long-range order nucleated by impurities.
Several efforts have been made to use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) for medical and dental education and surgical support. The current methods still require users to wear devices such as a head-mounted display (HMD) and smart glasses, which pose challenges in hygiene management and long-term use. Additionally, it is necessary to measure the user’s inter-pupillary distance and to reflect it in the device settings each time to accurately display 3D images. This setting is difficult for daily use. We developed and implemented a novel anatomy education method using a spatial reality display capable of stereoscopic viewing with the naked eye without an HMD or smart glasses. In this study, we developed two new applications: (1) a head and neck anatomy education application, which can display 3D-CG models of the skeleton and blood vessels of the head and neck region using 3D human body data available free of charge from public research institutes, and (2) a DICOM image autostereoscopic viewer, which can automatically convert 2D CT/MRI/CBCT image data into 3D-CG models. In total, 104 students at the School of Dentistry experienced and evaluated the system, and the results suggest its usefulness. A stereoscopic display without a head-mounted display is highly useful and promising for anatomy education.
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, an obligate anaerobe normally found in high concentrations in the human colon, is one of the few colon bacteria that can ferment host mucopolysaccharides such as chondroitin sulfate. Previously, we found that a directed insertional mutation in the gene that codes for the chondroitinase II gene of B. thetaiotaomicron did not affect growth on chondroitin sulfate despite the fact that chondroitinase II accounts for 70% of the total cellular chondroitinase activity. Thus, the chondroitinase II gene did not seem to contribute significantly to growth on chondroitin sulfate when the bacteria were grown in laboratory medium. To determine whether this enzyme is important for bacteria growing in the intestinal tract, we tested the ability of a strain that does not produce chondroitinase II to colonize the intestinal tracts of germfree mice and to compete with wild-type B. thetaiotaomicron. The mutant used in these experiments carried a 0.5-kilobase deletion in the chondroitinase II gene and was constructed so that, unlike the original insertion mutant, it contained no exogenous DNA. The deletion mutant colonized the intestinal tracts of germfree mice at the same levels as the wild type. When a mixture of the deletion mutant and wild type was used to colonize germfree mice, the percent wild type, measured by colony hybridization with the deleted 0.5-kilobase fragment as the hybridization probe, did not rise to 100% even after periods as long as 9 weeks. In most experiments, the percent wild type did not rise significantly above the percent in the original mixture.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
This article mainly focused on cropping pattern in different farm size: a case study of Madathukulam block of Tiruppur district in Tamil Nadu. Relevant field data have been collected from cropping pattern in different farm size for one crop year. The survey period was reported as normal agriculture year (2010–11). Three stage stratified random sampling technique was adopted to select the block, villages and cultivators of Madathukulam block in Tiruppur district. The stages of agricultural development i.e., traditional intermediate or modern in the study area would be worthwhile to consider the distinction among them. A traditional stage implied a way of living rather than a business proposition where production was subsistence oriented. The produce being mainly intended for family consumption. The input used in such situation i.e., crop varieties, seed, labour, fertilizer etc., was chosen mainly on the basis of what the farmer and his family likes and owns. In these circumstances, there was very little of market orientation or consequences of prices cost and returns. At the other extreme, a modern agriculture would imply careful selection of enterprises, crop varieties, fertilizers and pesticides by procuring them largely from the market. The bulk of the produce in such a case has to be sold in the market at a profit in order to obtain cash needed for purchasing inputs from the market. In modern agriculture, necessarily there was evidence of selectivity and careful decision making.
Abstract Multidisciplinary field investigations courses offer exciting alternatives to traditional learning. They offer a more holistic view of Earth and an opportunity for students to experience the relationships between all of the different elements instead of just one individual segment. We designed a multidisciplinary field investigations course for upper division students of the earth sciences. The course provides an opportunity for geology, environmental science, environmental studies, and geography students to collaborate on projects while learning about the interconnections between geology and geography as they shape unique landscapes. We use the field investigations courses that we have taught in the Greater Yellowstone region, Pacific Northwest, and Southwest United States as case studies to demonstrate the advantages of combining disciplines into a single course. We collected voluntary course evaluations from the student participants of these courses to evaluate the course and learn the benefits of field experiences in the geosciences. These data along with faculty experience and observation suggest that a holistic approach in undergraduate field courses broadens student experiences, enhances peer-based and collaborative learning, builds team-working skills, and fosters a curiosity about the natural environment.
Motivated by ultrahigh‐dimensional biomarkers screening studies, we propose a model‐free screening approach tailored to censored lifetime outcomes. Our proposal is built upon the introduction of a new measure, survival impact index (SII). By its design, SII sensibly captures the overall influence of a covariate on the outcome distribution, and can be estimated with familiar nonparametric procedures that do not require smoothing and are readily adaptable to handle lifetime outcomes under various censoring and truncation mechanisms. We provide large sample distributional results that facilitate the inference on SII in classical multivariate settings. More importantly, we investigate SII as an effective screener for ultrahigh‐dimensional data, not relying on rigid regression model assumptions for real applications. We establish the sure screening property of the proposed SII‐based screener. Extensive numerical studies are carried out to assess the performance of our method compared with other existing screening methods. A lung cancer microarray data is analyzed to demonstrate the practical utility of our proposals.
Abstract ? The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential impact of climate change on the occurrence of grapevine downy mildew in Brazil. Seedlings containing four to six leaves were sprayed with a sporangia suspension containing 105 sporangia per milliliter. After spraying, the seedlings were subjected to temperatures of 26, 28, 29.1, 30.4, and 31.8°C for 24 hours. The percentage of diseased leaf area and the latent period were evaluated. Maps of the geographic and temporal distribution of the disease were made considering the monthly average of the mean air temperature and leaf wetness duration for the reference climate or climate normal (1961?1990) and the future climates (2011?2040, 2041?2070, and 2071?2100), considering the A2 and B1 gas emission scenarios, designed by the Intergovernamental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Favorability ranges were set and used in logic functions of the geografical information system (GIS) to generate monthly maps for grapevine downy mildew. Rising temperatures interfered with the grapevine downy mildew infections, reduced the disease severity, and increased the latent period. Future climate scenarios indicate a reduction of favorability of downy mildew in Brazil, with variability in the different grape producing regions. Resumo - O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial impacto das mudancas climaticas na ocorrencia do mildio da videira no Brasil. Mudas com quatro a seis folhas foram pulverizadas com uma suspensao de esporângios de 105 esporângios por mililitro. Apos a pulverizacao, as mudas foram submetidas as temperaturas de 26, 28, 29,1, 30,4 e 31,8°C, por 24 horas. Avaliaram-se a percentagem da area foliar doente e o periodo latente. Elaboraram-se mapas de distribuicao geografica e temporal da doenca com as medias mensais da temperatura media do ar e da duracao de periodo de molhamento foliar do clima de referencia ou normal climatologica (1961?1990) e climas futuros (2011?2040, 2041?2070 e 2071?2100), nos cenarios de emissao de gases B1 e A2, projetados pelo Painel Intergovernamental sobre Mudancas Climaticas (IPCC). Foram estabelecidas faixas de favorabilidade, utilizadas nas funcoes logicas no sistema de informacoes geograficas (SIG) para a geracao de mapas mensais para o mildio. O aumento da temperatura interferiu na infeccao do mildio da videira, diminuiu a severidade da doenca e aumentou o periodo latente. Os cenarios climaticos futuros sao indicativos de reducao da favorabilidade do mildio no territorio brasileiro, com variabilidade para as diferentes regioes produtoras de uva.
The quest to repurpose metformin, an antidiabetes drug, as an agent for cancer prevention and treatment, which began in 2005 with an observational study that reported a reduction in cancer incidence among metformin users, generated extensive experimental, observational, and clinical research. Experimental studies revealed that metformin has anticancer effects via various pathways, potentially inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. Concurrently, multiple nonrandomized observational studies reported remarkable reductions in cancer incidence and outcomes with metformin use. However, these studies were shown, in 2012, to be affected by time-related biases, such as immortal time bias, which tend to greatly exaggerate the benefit of a drug. The observational studies that avoided these biases did not find an association. Subsequently, the randomized trials of metformin for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and as adjuvant therapy for the treatment of various cancers, advanced or metastatic, did not find reductions in cancer incidence or outcomes. Most recently, the largest phase 3 randomized trial of metformin as adjuvant therapy for breast cancer, which enrolled 3,649 women with a 5-year follow-up, found no benefit for disease-free survival or overall survival with metformin. This major failure of observational real-world evidence studies in correctly assessing the effects of metformin on cancer incidence and outcomes was caused by preventable biases which, surprisingly, are still prominent in 2022. Rigorous approaches for observational studies that emulate randomized trials, such as the incident and prevalent new-user designs along with propensity scores, avoid these biases and can provide more accurate real-world evidence for the repurposing of drugs such as metformin.
The foodproof ® Salmonella Detection Kit was previously validated in the Performance Tested Methods SM program for the detection of Salmonella species in a variety of foods, including milk powder, egg powder, coconut, cocoa powder, chicken breast, minced meat, sliced sausage, sausage, smoked fish, pasta, white pepper, cumin, dough, wet pet food, dry pet food, ice cream, watermelon, sliced cabbage, food dye, and milk chocolate. The method was shown to be equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Adrninistration's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (FDA-BAM) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service's Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook reference culture procedures. In the first Emergency Response Validation (ERV) extension study, peanut butter was inoculated with S. enterica. ser Typhimurium. For the low inoculation level (1.08 CFU/25 g), a Chi-square value of 2.25 indicated that there was no significant performance difference between the foodproof Salmonella Detection Kit and the FDA-BAM reference method. For high-level inoculation (11.5 CFU/25 g) and uninoculated control, there was 100% agreement between the methods. In the second ERV extension study, peanut butter was inoculated with S. enterica. ser Typhimurium. For both inoculation levels (0.1 and 0.5 CFU/25 g by most probable number), Chi-square values of 0 indicated that there was no significant performance difference between foodproof Salmonella Detection Kit and the FDA-BAM reference method.
Objective: Data on longitudinal seizure outcome after hemispherectomy in children are limited. This study explores the posthemispherectomy longitudinal seizure outcome and its predictors. Methods: We reviewed 186 consecutive children who underwent hemispherectomy between 1997 and 2009 at our center. Clinical, EEG, imaging, and surgical data were collected. Seizure outcome data were collected via a structured questionnaire by contacting families (n = 125) or from the medical records at last follow-up (n = 58). Results: Of 186 patients, 3 were lost to follow-up; 13 seizure-free patients with new-onset nonepileptic spells were excluded. Perioperative complications were not collected. There was no mortality. At a mean follow-up of 5.3 years (±3.3 years), 112 of 170 children (66%) were seizure-free (Engel class 1a). In 58 patients with seizure recurrence, 8 had late remission and 16 had >90% reduction. Overall, at last follow-up, 136 patients (80%) were either seizure-free or had major improvement. Using survival analysis, the estimated probability of seizure freedom after hemispherectomy was 78% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 75%–81%) at 6 months, 76% (95% CI = 73%–79%) at 1 year, 71% (95% CI = 68%–74%) at 2 years, and 63% (95% CI = 59%–67%) at 5 years. On multivariate analysis, bilateral PET abnormalities (risk ratio = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.02–5.85) and acute postoperative seizures (risk ratio = 7.03, 95% CI = 3.07–15.9) independently predicted seizure recurrence. Conclusions: The long-term seizure-free rates after hemispherectomy remained stable at 63% at 5 years and beyond. This study will assist in better candidate selection for hemispherectomy, presurgical counseling, and early identification of surgical failures.
Russia and Ukraine are seemingly on different trajectories. Even as some of the excitement generated by the Orange Revolution fades amidst disagreements, recriminations, and betrayals by the political parties that were behind it, Ukraine is still a functioning, albeit messy, electoral democracy. Meanwhile, Russia has moved away from even the most basic standard of democracy. At a time when Russia and Ukraine are on divergent paths, it is useful to look back on a time when the two countries were at similar crossroads and to consider the factors that led to different paths being followed. The crossroad in question is the reelection campaigns of the first post-Soviet presidents for both countries-Boris Yeltsin in Russia and Leonid Kravchuk in Ukraine.Yeltsin and Kravchuk shared many similarities. They came from analogous backgrounds and their careers in some ways paralleled each other. They became leaders of their home republics under Mikhail Gorbachev, which put them in a position to become president of their newly independent countries when the Soviet Union collapsed. Even the timing of their elections was similar.The parallels continued once they were in office. Both faced significant opposition from their respective country's parliament, although they differed greatly in their responses to this opposition. Kravchuk compromised whereas Yeltsin used the military. Both saw their popularity drop as their terms wore on. A second significant difference between them, and the one that is this article's focus, is how their first term ended. Yeltsin won reelection in a tainted election while Kravchuk was defeated. This made Kravchuk a rarity among post-Soviet leaders. Of the fifteen "first presidents" of Soviet successor states, only Kravchuk and Mircea Snegur of Moldova were defeated in direct elections.1An examination of these two individuals' reelection campaigns can shed light on the role of political leaders in the democratization process. Some argue that leaders, particularly of newly established countries, can have a significant impact on democratic development. John Dryzek and Leslie Holmes noted this importance, particularly in the post-Soviet world:Post-communist societies often lack not only civil society . . . but also the institutions, civic traditions, and culture of compromise that can make liberal democracy work, and can avoid a slide into political chaos and/or dictatorship. In this light the key to democratic consolidation is effective state leadership committed to democratic and constitutional principles.2A president's approach to the prospect of leaving power can have a tremendous impact on democratization. Of all the precedents established by first presidents, few may be more important. An initial leader agreeing to participate in a competitive election (or more to the point, allowing an election to be competitively contested by the opposition) can create political pressure on subsequent leaders to take similar steps. There is no way to test this, but the question is still worth asking-would the public pressure on Viktor Yanukovych in 2004 have been as great without the example of what Kravchuk did in 1994? This pressure can come from other political elites, who have embraced democratic rule of law, and from the public more generally. Likewise, when a first president leaves office because of constitutionally mandated term limits, it makes it very difficult for a later leader to ignore those limits.Thomas M. Nichols called the peaceful passing of power from a leader to an opponent "a defining moment in the life of a young democracy."3 Ukraine has passed this democratic milestone; Russia has not. Those who put a great deal of emphasis on leaders in democratization would argue that Ukraine passed the milestone because of Kravchuk's actions. One issue that has bedeviled those who emphasize the role of leaders is the extent to which leaders have autonomy. To say Kravchuk is responsible for Ukraine peacefully transfering power to an opponent assumes that had he acted differently, the end result could have been different. …
Summary A series of novel 1-alkyl-4-(4-substituted aryl/heteroaryl)-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a] quinazolin-5(4H)-ones were synthesized by the cyclization of 2-hydrazino-3-(4-subst. aryl/heteroaryl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one with various carbon donors. The starting material, 2-hydrazino-3-(4-subst. aryl/heteroaryl) quinazolin-4(3H)-one, was synthesized from 4-subst. arylamine/ heteroarylamine by a novel innovative route. When tested for their in vivo H1-antihistaminic activity on conscious guinea pigs, all the test compounds protected the animals from histamine induced bronchospasm significantly, whereby the compound 1-methyl-4-(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a] quinazolin-5(4H)-one (II) was found to be more potent (percent protection 71.43 %) when compared to the reference standard, chlorpheniramine maleate (percent protection 71 %). Compound II showed negligible sedation (8 %) when compared to chlorpheniramine maleate (25 %). Hence it could serve as prototype molecule for further development as a new class of H1-antihistamines.
The radar cross section (RCS) of passive calibration targets is relatively low, which leads to a commensurate increase in the uncertainty of the radar's calibration. To address this deficiency, an active radar calibration (ARC) target was developed, which was mounted on a small remote controlled tri‐copter and used for radar calibration. Results are presented for this relatively small, light weight and cost effective airborne ARC, which is suitable for the calibration of a ground to air RCS measurement system. The static RCS characteristics of the airborne ARC target were measured in a compact range and compared to outdoor measurements with the ARC target mounted on the tri‐copter. The airborne capability of the calibration target was used to reduce the effects of multi‐path and clutter. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1041–1044, 2016
The electricity demand due to the increasing number of EVs presents new challenges for the operation of the electricity network, especially for the distribution grids. The existing grid infrastructure may not be sufficient to meet the new demands imposed by the integration of EVs. Thus, EV charging may possibly lead to reliability and stability issues, especially during the peak demand periods. Demand side management (DSM) is a potential and promising approach for mitigation of the resulting impacts. In this work, we developed an autonomous DSM strategy for optimal charging of EVs to minimize the charging cost and we conducted a simulation study to evaluate the impacts to the grid operation. The proposed approach only requires a one way communicated incentive. Real profiles from an Austrian study on mobility behavior are used to simulate the usage of the EVs. Furthermore, real smart meter data are used to simulate the household base load profiles and a real low voltage grid topology is considered in the load flow simulation. Day-ahead electricity stock market prices are used as the incentive to drive the optimization. The results for the optimum charging strategy is determined and compared to uncontrolled EV charging. The results for the optimum charging strategy show a potential cost saving of about 30.8% compared to uncontrolled EV charging. Although autonomous DSM of EVs achieves a shift of load as pursued, distribution grid operation may be substantially affected by it. We show that in the case of real time price driven operation, voltage drops and elevated peak to average powers result from the coincident charging of vehicles during favourable time slots.
Abstract The kinetics of band formation has been followed during the relaxation of anisotropic solutions of poly(n-hexylisocyanate) in toluene previously subjected to a shear rate, for a time ts. There is a threshold at low, or ts, below which bands do not appear (formation time t b→ ∞). Past the threshold, t s decreases with either or t s, and eventually bands are seen immediately after stopping the flow (tb = 0). However, for still larger particularly for the more viscous solutions and when the flowing solution is well oriented, tb may increase again. The results are similar to those already reported for hydroxypropylcellulose in water and support a previous suggestion for the origin of the banded texture.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) encompass secreted membrane vesicles of varied sizes, including exosomes (−30–200 nm) and microvesicles (MVs) that are ∼100–1,000 nm in size. EVs play an important role in autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine signaling and are implicated in myriad human disorders including prominent retinal degenerative diseases, like age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Studies of EVs in vitro using transformed cell lines, primary cultures, and more recently, induced pluripotent stem cell derived retinal cell type(s) (e.g., retinal pigment epithelium) have provided insights into the composition and function of EVs in the retina. Furthermore, consistent with a causal role of EVs in retinal degenerative diseases, altering EV composition has promoted pro-retinopathy cellular and molecular events in both in vitro and in vivo models. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the role of EVs in retinal (patho)physiology. Specifically, we will focus on disease-associated EV alterations in specific retinal diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the potential utility of EVs in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for targeting retinal diseases.
It is clear that with mixtures of eigenfunctions of various I-values arbitrary r/r' values can be obtained. However, if the experimental value 4 is con6rmed, the most plausible explanation would be that the final pion state is a pure I=1 state of the special form Nx. Besides supporting the selection rule (1), this would indicate that the interaction responsible for the 7 decay is symmetric in the momenta, or coordinates, of the three pions. This implies no restriction for the spin and parity of the r meson. (It may be mentioned, though, that for a vof type 1+ the simplest interaction gives I=0 because of momentum conservation, ' but by inserting suitable relativistic invariants as factors, nonvanishing symmetric functions I can be constructed even in this case. Particularly simple functions can be set up if the r is 0, or 3+.s) As a consequence of the symmetry of I, pions of all charges must have the same energy spectrum and the same angular correlations. The density distribution in the Dalitz circle7 should be invariant under rotations by 120' (besides being by definition symmetric about the vertical axis). Insofar as the experimental data presently available indicate a more or less isotropic distribution, ' our conclusion is not contradicted by the observations, but with improved statistics a more sensitive test will become possible. ' M. Gell-Mann and A. Pais, Proceedings of the Glasgow Conference, 1954 (Pergamon Press, London, 195S). i G. Takeda (to be published). ~ R. W. Birge et al. , Proceedings of the Pisa Conference, T955, Nuovo Cimento (to be published); D. M. Ritson, et al. (to be published). i R. H. Dalitz, Proc. Phys. Soc. (London) A66, 710 (1953). ' Introduce Geld operators: i8„(r= 1 ~ ~ 4) for the pseudovector T~ and q ~ (n = 1,2,3= isotopic spin index) for the n.. A simple interaction yielding a final state I= 1 would be J'dhiP„8, (i~i—ilats) X &~q~, but this is not symmetric in the 3 pions; actually r/r'=1 in this case. Straight symmetrization gives zero because ~vttt'v =0. The corresponding interactions are:
in general terms, the book offers a handy guide to Colombian history. Although conspicuously deficient in maps, it is particularly useful for its chronological table and bibliographical essay. While it may seem a little premature to produce a dictionary of Colombian history for English readers when there is so little available in English to stimulate dieir curiosity, in terms of the criteria which he sets out Dr Davis has provided a reference work which is a useful addition to Colombian historiography.
Yin noted the requirement for social workers to provide ‘supportive, empowering and strengths-based (resilience building) services’ and asked ‘when the workers themselves are burning out … do we provide the same for them?’. Many researchers have since explored this question, seeking explanations as to how some social workers survive and thrive and others are lost to the profession. The authors of this small exploratory study were interested in exploring practitioners’ understanding of resilience. A qualitative approach was employed to explore practitioner views about what contributed to their own resilience, augmented by data gathered in interviews with those providing supervision to students. Findings suggest a conceptual framework incorporating three aspects of resilience: core attributes within the individual, the practice context and a series of mediating factors. Participant accounts suggested a multifaceted and dynamically balanced awareness of resilience that highlighted the relational and contextual characteristics of their experience. This article reports one significant theme emerging from the study; namely that supervision and collegial support are recognised as vital in the nurturing of practitioner resilience.
Most modern products need be designed to operate without failure for years, decades, or longer. The traditional approach to reliability design and analysis is based on commercial reliability models or the knowledge from the company's designer. Because the traditional reliability design and analysis method is not relevant to product design parameters, it has inherent limitations. So it does not solve the problem about higher reliable product. In order to achieve higher reliable product, a new reliability design and analysis method need be investigated during the product development lifecycle. At the same time, in today's context of global competition, manufacturers are facing greater challenges than ever before. Customers demand more complex and reliable products to be developed with shorter lead times and more cost effectiveness; Environmental and regulatory constraints as well as market expectations demand more efficient product behavior. In order to provide the customer with equipment that works when needed and continues operating for a defined period of time, manufacturers need to better understand materials and process conditions, and their effects on product reliability. Finding new reliability design and analysis method to address the challenges that we face during the product development lifecycle is needed. In this paper, first, using the geometric data, material data and structure data provided by the geometric digital prototype of the product, we analyses the component reliability of the product by structure simulation based on physics of failure theory. Then taking the results of structure simulation as inputs to the functional digital prototype and digital performance prototype, we analyze the product reliability by functional simulation. It is shown that this new reliability design and analysis method can enhance the product reliability by addressing the root cause mechanisms and driving forces responsible for product failures.
The fishing industry in Europe has been subjected to a range of national, international and, under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, supranational systems of management. With overfishing still rife and conflict between fishermen commonplace, none of these systems has yet provided a politicalgeographical structure within which fishery resources are effectively managed . Therefore, the idea of devolving greater management responsibility to regional or local bodies such as Producer's Organisations (POs) is gaining ground . This paper introduces an additional regional dimension into the debate by examining whether the transnational "Atlantic Arc" concept has the potential to facilitate greater cooperation and Jess conflict among rival national groups of fishermen operating off the EU's western shores .
The interaction between a large wave and a coastal structure is studied with a three-dimensional (3D) Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) model. The role of protecting barriers (dikes and seawalls) to mitigate the force and moment exerted on the structure is analyzed in terms of the dike height and the distance from the dike to the structure. The existence of different propagation modes (different ways for the water to surpass the protection barrier) has been identified. In general, the flow is split into two parts: one overtopping the barrier and the other one flowing around it. The interaction between both the parts of the fluid is shown to be responsible of the force and moment exerted on the coastal structure.
Background:Acute kidney injury is a common occurrence in intensive care unit patients with a reported incidence of 11–67% and is associated with an increased risk of death. In other patient populations, erythrocyte transfusion has been associated with increased risk of adverse outcomes including sepsis, multisystem organ dysfunction, and death. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of erythrocyte transfusion on the development of acute kidney injury. Methods:This was a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data that used propensity matched transfused and nontransfused patients. Propensity matching was done using semiparsimonious logistic regression. McNemar test for nonindependent data sets was used to compare groups. Results:Four hundred two patients from a trial on fluid management in patients with acute lung injury were matched. 38% of transfused patients had a rise in creatinine the day after transfusion compared with 33% of their nontransfused matches (P = 0.315). By day 7, creatinine had increased in 51% of transfused patients compared with 52% in nontransfused patients (P = 0.832). The incidences of renal risk, injury, and failure were 39 (19%), 27 (13%), and 11 (5%) in the transfused group and 38 (19%), 24 (12%), and 11 (5%) in the nontransfused group, P = 1.00, 0.785, and 1.00, respectively. Conclusions:Transfusion of erythrocytes to patients with acute lung injury had no effect on the development of acute kidney injury.
Carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film-based devices are expected to have better uniformity and reproducibility compared with single-tube devices due to statistical averaging. In this work, thin film resistors (TFR) were prepared from CNT dispersions and their nonuniformity estimated by multipoint, two-terminal resistance (TTR) measurements. I-V measurements were done for determining the nature of metal-CNT contact. For estimation of contact resistance, transmission line measurements (TLM) were carried out. Reduction of CNT-TFR nonuniformity was achieved using di-methyl formamide (DMF). Scanning electron microscopy and electrical measurements imply that DMF improves debundling of single-walled nanotubes, reduces the resistance and improves homogeneity of subsequently prepared thin films.
SUMMARY  Maintaining one, two or three suckers per rootstock in plantain (Musa spp.) populations of 2000, 1600 and 1333 per hectare were evaluated for sustained yield in the orchard for three harvest cycles. The yield per plantain for the plant crop was not significantly affected by either population density or the number of suckers maintained. However, the total yield significantly increased with the increased plantain population per hectare.    The yield per plantain decreased in the first and subsequent ratoon crop harvests as the original plantain population per hectare doubled or tripled when two or three suckers were maintained respectively per rootstock. Although the total yield per hectare was significantly higher when two or three suckers were maintained per rootstock, the individual bunch weight and the fingers significantly decreased to an unacceptable size to the consumers. Establishment of orchards at 1600 plantains per hectare with two suckers maintained per rootstock in subsequent cycles produced consistently good quality marketable fingers and sustained high yield.
The thermocapillary flow in liquid bridges is investigated numerically. In the limit of large mean surface tension the free-surface shape is independent of the flow and temperature fields and depends only on the volume of liquid and the hydrostatic pressure difference. When gravity acts parallel to the axis of the liquid bridge the shape is axisymmetric. A differential heating of the bounding circular disks then causes a steady two-dimensional thermocapillary flow which is calculated by a finite-difference method on body-fitted coordinates. The linear-stability problem for the basic flow is solved using azimuthal normal modes computed with the same discretization method. The dependence of the critical Reynolds number on the volume fraction, gravity level, Prandtl number, and aspect ratio is explained by analysing the energy budgets of the neutral modes. For small Prandtl numbers (Pr = 0.02) the critical Reynolds number exhibits a smooth minimum near volume fractions which approximately correspond to the volume of a cylindrical bridge. When the Prandtl number is large (Pr = 4) the intersection of two neutral curves results in a sharp peak of the critical Reynolds number. Since the instabilities for low and high Prandtl numbers are markedly different, the influence of gravity leads to a distinctly different behaviour. While the hydrostatic shape of the bridge is the most important effect of gravity on the critical point for low-Prandtl-number flows, buoyancy is the dominating factor for the stability of the flow in a gravity field when the Prandtl number is high.
The murine anti-neuroblastoma monoclonal antibodies 15/7 and 19/1/4 should be tested for specific radiolocalization of neuroblastoma by immunoscintigraphic imaging of this tumour growing in mice. Radioiodination of both antibodies was done by chloramine-T method resulted in an immunoreactivity of 75%. The calculated specific activity varied from 51.1 to 126.2 kBq/microgram IgG. In each case, about 500 kBq of labeled antibodies were intraperitoneally injected into human neuroblastoma (SK-N-MC, SK-PN-DW and IMR 5) xenografted severe complete immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Whole-body scintigraphy was performed daily by a scintiscanner to localize the tumour site. After last scanning principal organs were removed and their I-131-uptake was determined by measuring the impulse rate. The best scintigrams were done with I-131-19/1/4 at the second day after antibody injection. Radioconjugates were accumulated at highest in the tumour at the third day after application of 15/7 and 19/1/4 with a tumour uptake of 0.4 and 2.2 per cent of injected dose per gram (%ID/g), respectively. The 15/7-moAbs was accumulated approximately 9-fold higher in the SK-N-MC and SK-PN-DW grafts than in principal organs, whereas the tumour/non-tumour-ratio of the 19/1/4 moAb was 3:1. The results indicate the efficacy of these two neuroblastoma antibodies in radiolabelling and their usefulness for tumour imaging of neuroblastoma engrafted SCID-mice.
This paper presents a novel evaluation study of the Cloud Computing technology, with a focused emphasis on the Cloud Storage mechanisms and the way they are affecting the progress of the present Cloud Services. Considering the exponential growth of the user data and its impact on the Cloud Storage infrastructure, this work provides two major contributions through comprehensive performance evaluations. Firstly, it proposes a unique 10-point performance evaluation framework for existing Cloud Storage infrastructure and applies it for evaluating six major Cloud Storage Service Providers currently in the market. Secondly, it presents a detailed insightful assessment of eighteen most popular Cloud Storage Hardware vendors with respect to the storage technologies being implemented by them. In conclusion, it takes stock of the current trends on optimizing storage infrastructure for Cloud Computing and predicting future research possibilities in this rapidly growing technology.
Mothers of 56 children under 2 years old taking phenobarbitone and mothers of 55 children taking phenytoin recorded on questionnaires changes they had noted in the children's behaviour 3 and 9 weeks after starting the drug. Severe behavioural disturbance was noted by many, but the pattern and incidence was similar to that recorded by the mothers of 50 children starting a placebo, and we attribute it to the effect of a recent hospital admission. There was a small improvement in the behaviour of 20% of children who had been taking phenobarbitone for a year when they stopped it, but in this age group the disturbance caused by phenobarbitone did not appear to have been great.
PURPOSE To analyze the components of the acoustic signal of swallowing using a specific software.   METHODS Fourteen healthy subjects ranging in age from 20 to 50 years (mean age 31 ± 10 years), were evaluated. Data collection consisted on the simultaneous capture of the swallowing audio with a microphone and of the swallowing videofluoroscopic image. The bursts of the swallowing acoustic signal were identified and their duration and the interval between them were later analyzed using a specific software, which allowed the simultaneous analyses between the acoustic wave and the videofluoroscopic image.   RESULTS Three burst components were identified in most of the swallows evaluated. The first burst presented mean time of 87.3 milliseconds (ms) for water and 78.2 for the substance. The second burst presented mean time of 112.9 ms for water and 85.5 for the pasty substance. The mean interval between first and second burst was 82.1 ms for water and 95.3 ms for the pasty consistency, and between second and third burst was 339.8 ms for water and 322.0 ms for the pasty consistency.   CONCLUSION The software allowed the visualization of three bursts during the swallowing of healthy individuals, and showed that the swallowing signal in normal subjects is highly variable.
In recent years, centroid-based document classifiers receive wide interests from text mining community because of their simplicity and linear-time complexity. However, the traditional centroid-based classifiers usually perform less effectively for Chinese text categorization. In this paper, we tackle the problem by developing a new way to calculate the class-specific weights for each term in the training phase; in the testing phase, the new documents are assigned to the centroid to which the document is most similar based on the weighted distance measurement. The experimental results demonstrate that the accuracy of our algorithm outperforms the traditional centroid-based classifiers, as well as outstanding efficiency compared with the Support Vector Machine (SVM) based classifiers for Chinese text categorization.
In the present paper low frequency moire fringe patterns are used as secure numerical code generator. These moire patterns are experimentally obtained by the superposition of two sinusoidal gratings with slightly different pitches. The Bi 12 TiO 20 photorefractive crystal sample is used as holographic medium An optical numerical base was defined with patterns representing 0,1 and -1 digits like bits. Then, the complete set of these optical bits are combined to form bytes, where a numerical sequence is represented. The results show that the proposed numerical code could be used as standard numerical identification in robotic vision or in transmition of security numerical keys.
We investigate interannual coupling between the rotating elastic Earth and the ocean during the 1986–1987 El Nino. We find the E-W component of the ground tilt at the Esashi Earth Tides Station up toward the east about 50 milliarc seconds (mas), a rise of sea level about 5 cm at Chichijima and Oshima in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, and an increase of ∼1 cm in the very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) baseline distance between Kashima (Japan) and Kauai (Hawaiian Islands) as well as the residual length of day (LOD) changes of ∼50 μs during the 1986–1987 El Nino. The residual LOD is derived from elimination of changes in atmospheric angular momentum. Our discussions are based on the coupling between torsional motions of the elastic Earth and reflection of the eastward traveling equatorial Kelvin waves at the eastern boundary of the Pacific Ocean. These equatorial waves exchange the momentum and the axial and zonal component of vorticity with the elastic Earth. During the 1986–1987 El Nino, reflection of the Kelvin wave is expected to excite torsional motions and to couple with differential zonal rotation in the elastic Earth and to generate anomalies of ∼1.6 μs in LOD. The differential zonal rotation due to the torsional motion can produce the same order of the magnitude of changes in the VLBI baseline distance between Kashima and Kauai. Variations of the E-W component of the tilt cannot be explained by torsional motion. We infer that the midlatitude Rossby waves are generated in the central Pacific Ocean. This conclusion is consistent with sea level changes at Chichijima and Oshima and changes of the tilt at Esashi.
Women's garments and the fabrics therein were analysed and characterized. Garments were grouped into garment assemblies, 60 of which were burned on Minnesota Woman, a thermally-instrumented mannequin. Second and third degree burn injuries were calculated using Henriques' tissue damage factor. From 0 to 90% of the mannequin surface area equipped with sensors received second or third degree burn injury. A hazard index was developed based on degree of injury and the speed with which the injury occurred. Fabric and garment parameters found to be of importance in determining the hazard deduced from the mannequin tests were fabric weight, fibre content, and garment type and fit. A hazard rating was developed based on these parameters. Comparison of the hazard rating and the hazard index values indicated that this must be considered to be an exploratory, first stage attempt to develop a relatively simple method for rating the flammability hazard of apparel.
Passage of a catheter through an arterial wall (over a guide wire) by the Seldinger technic (1) is sometimes difficult and occasionally impossible. This may be because of a deeply positioned artery or a thickened, arteriosclerotic arterial wall or a combination of the two. Under these circumstances application of downward external force on the catheter shaft at skin level may cause “buckling” of the catheter above the point of arterial puncture, thus preventing its passage into the artery (Fig. 1). This is most apt to occur when catheters and guide wires of relatively small diameter are used. Catheter materials of a flexible nature add further to the problem of insertion into a deeply positioned or thick-walled artery. In this situation, a more rigid catheter or a surgical enlargement of the opening between the skin and artery is necessitated, and during such maneuvers bleeding around the guide wire constitutes a problem. A simple solution is provided by a forceps-like instrument composed of two long, sle...
This discussion paper seeks to provoke thoughts about cancer research in general, and why breast cancer in particular is not yet “curable”. It asks the question – are we looking at the disease in the right way? Should we regard cancer as a progressive state, which is part of aging? Should we tailor treatment to “reset” the system or slow progression rather than try using toxic and aggressive therapy to kill every cancer cell (and sometimes also the patient)? The thesis is presented that we need to revisit our fundamental beliefs about the disease and then ask why we cling to beliefs that clearly are no longer valid. The paper also questions the role of ethics boards in hampering research and discusses the concept that breast cancer is an industry with vested interests involving profiteering by preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic players. Finally, the paper suggests some ways forward based on emerging concepts in system biology and epigenetics.
Talking about Alzheimer’s disease (AD) on a biochemical level needs to highlight the molec‐ ular „corpus delicti“: the amyloid or senile plaques [1]. These plaques are extracellular fibrillar deposits in the cortex and hippocampus mainly composed of a single proteinaceous com‐ pound, the Aβ peptide comprising predominantly 40 or 42 amino acid residues (Aβ40, Aβ42) [2]. The Aβ peptides originate by sequential ectodomain shedding and regulated intramem‐ brane proteolysis (RIP) of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), a type I integral membrane protein highly expressed in neurons including synaptic compartments. The responsible proteases, the famous βand γ-secretase respectively, have been reviewed in detail and will not be part of this paper [3, 4]. Since the cloning of APP 25 years ago, more than 9,000 publi‐ cations (about one per day!) are listed for this protein in the PubMed database indicating its pivotal position in the amyloid cascade hypothesis [5], which constitutes the widely accepted pathogenic cascade ultimately leading to AD. While some years ago the plaques themselves were thought to be the primary cause of disease, it is nowadays well recognized that soluble Aβ oligomers are responsible for many of the neurotoxic properties causing memory dys‐ function and finally dementia.
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among event image, destination image, event satisfaction, and behavioral intention by merging the fields of sport tourism and event management. The participants were runners of the 2012 Kaohsiung International Marathon (N = 401). The instrument comprised 4 sport- or tourism-related scales concerning event image, destination image, event satisfaction, and behavioral intention. The questionnaires were distributed at the final destination point of the marathon (the Kaohsiung National Stadium) on February 5, 2012. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that (a) the hypothesized model fit the data appropriately; (b) event image was positively related to event satisfaction; (c) event satisfaction was positively related to behavioral intention; (d) event image was positively related to destination image, and (e) destination image was positively related to behavioral intention. The results indicated that high levels of event image increase event satisfaction and destination image, thus enhancing behavioral intention. The researchers suggest that event managers develop managerial strategies to enhance various function areas of an event and runner event experience, to increase the level of service quality through personnel training, to establish effective information channels, and to optimally arrange event logistics. In addition, tourism promoters should improve the overall tourism quality of Kaohsiung and strengthen its destination attraction to encourage runners to revisit Kaohsiung in the near future.
In this study, we evaluated the effects of seven oligosaccharides on the growth rate and stress tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum ZLP001 in vitro, and the potential synbiotic effects of the most effective oligosaccharide [fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS)] and L. plantarum ZLP001 on the growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, fecal microbiota, and serum immune index in weaning piglets. Most oligosaccharides were utilized as carbohydrate sources by L. plantarum ZLP001, but we observed obvious differences in the bacterial growth depending on oligosaccharide type and concentration. Oligosaccharides and glucose significantly alleviated the decrease in L. plantarum ZLP001 viability in artificial gastric fluid, whereas none of the sugars affected viability in artificial intestinal fluid. FOS and galacto-oligosaccharide significantly improved the viability of L. plantarum ZLP001 under heat stress (65°C for 15 and 30 min). FOS and SBOS also significantly increased the viability of L. plantarum ZLP001 in response to cold stress (4°C for 30 and 60 days). On the basis of the findings of in vitro experiments, we selected FOS for in vivo studies. Eighty-four weaned piglets were randomly assigned to one of the following groups: control (basal diet, no additives), freeze-dried L. plantarum ZLP001 (4.2 × 109 CFU/g, 2 g/kg diet), FOS (5 g/kg diet), and combination (0.2% L. plantarum ZLP001 + 0.5% FOS). Body weight and feed consumption were recorded for determinations of the average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed-to-gain ratio (F/G). On day 28, fresh fecal samples were collected to evaluate the apparent digestibility of nutrients and microbiota, and serum samples were collected to determine the immune status. L. plantarum ZLP001 plus FOS significantly increased ADG and decreased the F/G ratio compared with the no-additive control. The combination treatment also increased the apparent nutrient digestibility of dry matter and crude protein. Compared with the control and single supplementation, the combination treatment had a significant regulatory effect on the intestinal microbiota, as evidenced by increases in Lactobacillus spp. and a decrease in Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, the combination treatment increased the concentrations of serum IFN-γ and IgG. In conclusion, FOS can be utilized well by L. plantarum ZLP001 and can be combined with it as a potential synbiotic that shows synergistic effects in weaning piglets.
Thin films of BaFCl:Eu with photostimulable luminescence (PSL) were grown by vapor deposition. For substrate temperatures at or below 350 °C, films were optically transparent and exhibited higher resolution in x-ray imaging than a commercial, particulate PSL phosphor screen, when luminescence was stimulated by scanning with a focused HeNe laser. Although post annealing films in a hydrogen atmosphere at 600–900 °C increased their PSL signal, which was relatively weak in as-deposited films, annealing reduced imaging resolution, apparently because of an increase in optical scattering of the focused laser. The implications of hydrogen annealing for the PSL mechanism are also discussed.
Everyday millions of data is to be transmitted at distinct channels for various purposes and there will be chances of third person interruption in that transmission data. So, to solve the problem of third party interruption the digital watermarking is the suitable solution by whom we cover our host image with some watermarked image. Here define a novel algorithm for watermarking for gray images based on DCT and 2DWT. We further by using grey images concept than we apply red component on DCT and blue and green component on 2DWT for better result on hiding the data towards the watermarking images for better robustness. The experiment further results that the watermarking is robust to common signal processing concluding various results on compression, by adding furthermore noise and attacks for better quality of results.
The manner in which rights should be classified and the various classes defined have been discussed the world over for many generations. This fundamental problem of conceptual jurisprudence has challenged the acumen of many scholars; but to avail. Yet it is vital to find a suitable test of distinction not only for the sake of theoretical thinking but also for the needs of daily practice. Thus, how shall we decide to what extent we are legally bound to respect another person's right? How does such a right arise? How is it transferred? When does it expire? And how shall we know what law is applicable in all these matters? Is it the law of property or the law of obligation? Is it the law governing the place where some piece of property is situated or the law under which the right was created? To answer these questions it will often be necessary to find out in what category the right considered belongs.
Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is a primary T-cell lymphoma that preferentially involves the subcutaneous tissue. SPTCL is restricted to primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma expressing the αβ T-cell receptor (TCR) phenotype [1]. Recent studies have demonstrated that lymphoma cells express certain chemokine receptors, and that they are associated with the pathology and clinical behaviour of cutaneous lymphoma [2]. Herein, we report a case of SPTCL and present an immunohistochemical [...]
Ideal MHD restricts both the current and the pressure which can be stably confined in a Tokamak. A pressure profile optimisation is carried out for a variety of equilibria, which include JET and INTOR-like plasmas, in order to obtain the maximum β which can be stably confined at constant current. The current is limited to a value corresponding to a safety factor slightly above 2 at the plasma surface. A simple scaling law is found that fits well all the cases and which predicts a linear rise of 3 with the current.
Objective To investigate the role of modified Seldinger technique combined with vascular ultrasonography in the placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) in patients with breast cancer undergoing postoperative chemotherapy.Methods Totally 120 patients with breast cancer undergoing postoperative chemotherapy were equally divided into the observation group and the control group using the table of random number.In the observation group,PICC were placed using the modified Seldinger technique combined with vascular ultrasonography; in the control group,the PICC were placed using the traditional blind puncture technique.The success rate of first puncture,success rate of first placement,and the incidences of mechanical phlebitis and thrombosis were compared between two groups.Results The success rate of first puncture,success rate of first placement,and the incidences of mechanical phlebitis were 91.67％,100％,and 3.33％,respectively,in the observation group and 76.67％,86.67％,and 45％,respectively,in the control group (P =0.0061,P =0.0434,and P ＜ 0.0001).However,no significant difference was found on the incidence of thrombosis between the two groups (P =0.1187).Conclusion Modified Seldinger technique combined with vascular ultrasonography is efficient and safe for PICC placement for patients with breast cancer undergoing postoperative chemotherapy.    Key words:  Seldinger technique;  Vascular ultrasonography;  Peripherally inserted central catheter;  Chemotherapy;  Breast cancer
THREE ESSAYS ON STRATEGIC RISK TAKING Krista Burrill Lewellyn Old Dominion University Director: Dr. William Q. Judge The three essays that comprise this dissertation collectively explore strategic risk taking. The dissertation is underpinned by the notion that corporate executives take strategic risks not randomly, but based on the expectation that outcomes are more likely to be positive rather than negative. Each essay examines how and why decision makers come to vary in their cognitive evaluation of the acceptability of strategic risk taking. Essay 1 draws from the approach/inhibition theory of power, to explore how power not only provides the means for CEOs to exert their risk preferences, but actually affects what the risk preferences are. Power is theorized to influence CEO cognitions, such that there is a prevailing focus on the upsides of strategic risk taking and a tendency to underestimate the downsides, increasing the proclivity to engage in such actions. Focusing on upsides as opposed to downsides is also evoked in explaining why stock options induce risk taking, thus the possibility that there are interaction (complementary or substitutive) effects with CEO power is also explored in a sample of firms listed in the S&P 1500 from 20032007. Essay 2 uses the behavioral agency model, to examine how the risk bearing attributes of specific CEO compensation elements affect the decision to engage in cross-border acquisitions. This subsequently increases the proclivity to engage in cross-border acquisitions. Moderating effects of managerial discretion are also evaluated. The
malaria prophylaxis among Afrcians this may occur more often unless advice is given on continuing antimalarials on leaving endemic regions. Of the 11 Europeans, seven had falciparum infection acquired in Africa (six) or South America (one). All seven had taken inadequate prophylaxis and only three continued taking antimalarials on returning to the U.K., one for as long as 24 days. The recommended duration of prophylaxis after leaving a malarious area is at least four and preferably six to eight weeks,2 and the importance of this demanding regimen should be explained to visitors to the tropics. Another point in this group was the unreliability of some hardened tropical travellers in taking antimalarials. A merchant marine officer on a regular West Africa run for years had never taken them. A British nurse working in Uganda stopped prophylaxis whenever she came home on regular leave. An engineer who made frequent trips at short notice to Africa indicated that his prophylaxis was very erratic. Finally, one should note the unnecessary delay in diagnosing five of the seven potentially fatal falciparum infections in this series. Antibiotics were given to three for suspected "flu." Another was diagnosed as "flu" by her brother, a doctor, but no blood film was taken for several days. The fifth, who had returned from Central Africa one week previously, developed diarrhoea and was admitted to a general hospital two days later and transferred the next day to this hospital with suspected typhoid. By then 23% of her red blood cells were parasitized and she later died in renal failure (the only death in the group). It cannot be too strongly emphasized that malaria must be excluded in all patients from endemic areas presenting with "flu" or other ill-defined symptoms.-I am, etc.,
Commercial Guar Gum, a galactomannan polysaccharide, was purified by the use of two subsequent methods, including precipitation with Fehling solution in order to eliminate protein impurities. The protein content (3.6%) was totally removed. Glutaraldehyde cross-linked gels were prepared with purified (GGP) and unpurified gum (GGU). The viscosity of the gels is similar to that of Hylan G-F 20, a commercial substitute of hyaluronic acid, used in viscosupplementation in human osteoarthritis. Guar Gums (gel and solution) were injected intra-articularly into the knee joints of rats subjected to experimental OA and the effect in hypernociception and cells influx measured. GGU promoted hypernociception and cell influx in naive rats. GGP was innocuous to naive rats and inhibited hypernociception, both as a gel or solution, to the same extent as Hylan G-F20. GGP promotes analgesia in OA due to its carbohydrate component.
Land managers in southern California have speculated that prescribed burning could reduce the soil erosion generated by catastrophic wildfires. A unique opportunity to test this notion arose when a wildfire swept over an ongoing field experiment measuring hillslope erosion from a prior prescribed burn. Results indicate that 1) fire severity may directly affect erosion response, 2) postfire hillslope erosion levels may return to normal within three years, and 3) prescribed fire may reduce the erosion produced by subsequent wildfires. These results suggest that prescribed fire may be an effective sediment management tool in southern California chaparral brushfields.
BACKGROUND This is an updated version of the original Cochrane review published in Issue 3, 2010.Patients with a primary brain tumour often experience depression, for which drug treatment may be prescribed. However, these patients are also at high risk of epileptic seizures, cognitive impairment and fatigue, all of which are potential side effects of antidepressants. The benefit, or harm, of pharmacological treatment of depression in brain tumour patients is unclear.   OBJECTIVES To assess the benefits and harms of pharmacological treatment of depression in patients with a primary brain tumour.   SEARCH METHODS We updated the search to include the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 10), MEDLINE to October 2012, EMBASE to October 2012 and PsycINFO to October 2012. We searched the British Nursing Index, LILACS, PSYNDEX, the NHS National Research Register, the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination's Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE) and Web of Knowledge (covering Science Scisearch, Social Sciences Citation Index and Biological Abstracts) for the original review (to July 2009). In the original review we also handsearched Neuro-oncology, the Journal of Neuro-oncology, the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry and the Journal of Clinical Oncology (July 1999 to June 2009) and wrote to all the pharmaceutical companies manufacturing antidepressants for use in the UK.   SELECTION CRITERIA We searched for all randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled clinical trials, cohort studies and case-control studies of any pharmacological treatment of depression in patients with a histologically diagnosed primary brain tumour.   DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS No studies met the inclusion criteria.   MAIN RESULTS We found no eligible studies evaluating the benefits of any pharmacological treatment of depression in brain tumour patients.   AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS No high-quality studies have examined the value of pharmacological treatment of depression in patients with a primary brain tumour. RCTs and detailed prospective studies are required to inform the effective pharmacological treatment of this common and important complication of brain tumours. Since the last version of this review none of the new relevant studies have provided additional information to change these conclusions.
Corrosion of reinforcement is one of the most common causes of deterioration in reinforced concrete bridges. Anchorage, prior to shear and bending moment resistance, is the main uncertainties in the evaluation of the structural behavior of corroded reinforced concrete bridges. Thus, to assess the remaining load-bearing capacity of deteriorated existing bridges, models to estimate the remaining bond and anchorage capacity are needed. Most of our knowledge on the structural behavior of corroded reinforced concrete structures is based on experimental investigations of artificially corroded concrete specimens. In this study, the anchorage capacity of naturally corroded steel reinforcement was investigated experimentally. The test specimens were taken from edge beams of a bridge, Stallbackabron, in Sweden. Since the dimensions and the amount of reinforcement were given on beforehand, it was only the test set-up which could be chosen freely. A test set-up consisting of a four point bending test indirectly supported with suspension hanger was considered to be the best alternative with the least disturbance and influence of the natural damages. Detailed design was done by using a non-linear finite element method. It was seen that the edge beams needed to be strengthened with transverse reiforcement, else they would have failed in a local failure at the suspension hole or in shear. The technique adopted for the strengthening was an internal mounting of steel reinforcement using epoxy as adhesive. The bond and anchorage behavior was examined in tests through measurements of applied load, free-end slip and mid-span deflection. A first test showed that additional measures were needed to ensure anchorage of the strengthening bars. In subsequent tests, they were therefore anchored at the top of the beam with hexagonal nuts and flat steel plates. In two following tests, the beams failed in a splitting induced pull-out failure, i.e. anchorage failure was achieved as wanted.
Starting a private practice can be on one hand the most exciting step you will take in your career, on the other hand it can be at the same time the most intimidating one. First of all, take the time to really think through what you want your work schedule and surroundings to be like and then set up your office the way it will work best for you. You may not get every item on your wish list right away, but do not be afraid to try to set it up just the way you want. Build a healthy network of collaborative clinicians around your practice. Your colleagues can be a great source of referrals to your practice. And without refferals, it is difficult to maintain sufficient patient turnout. That is also why a big part of private practice is marketing. If you want to establish and develop a successful business, you must sell yourself and your practice. Beside your role as a clinician, you will also be running a business. If you seek out some private-practice coaching, you might save a lot of time. Private practice can be wonderful, it is not for everyone. Some therapists find being in a solo private practice very tiring and lonely. For some psychiatrists, the ideal is actually a group practice that has therapists, counsellors, social workers and psychologists so that supervision can be done from a multidisciplinary perspective. Disclosure of interest The author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) intestinal disease is associated with the pathological manifestation mucoviscidosis, which is the secretion of tenacious, viscid mucus that plugs ducts and glands of epithelial-lined organs. Goblet cells are the principal cell type involved in exocytosis of mucin granules; however, little is known about the exocytotic process of goblet cells in the CF intestine. Using intestinal organoids from a CF mouse model, we determined that CF goblet cells have altered exocytotic dynamics, which involved intrathecal granule swelling that was abruptly followed by incomplete release of partially decondensated mucus. Some CF goblet cells exhibited an ectopic granule location and distorted cellular morphology, a phenotype that is consistent with retrograde intracellular granule movement during exocytosis. Increasing the luminal concentration of bicarbonate, which mimics CF transmembrane conductance regulator-mediated anion secretion, increased spontaneous degranulation in WT goblet cells and improved exocytotic dynamics in CF goblet cells; however, there was still an apparent incoordination between granule decondensation and exocytosis in the CF goblet cells. Compared with those within WT goblet cells, mucin granules within CF goblet cells had an alkaline pH, which may adversely affect the polyionic composition of the mucins. Together, these findings indicate that goblet cell dysfunction is an epithelial-autonomous defect in the CF intestine that likely contributes to the pathology of mucoviscidosis and the intestinal manifestations of obstruction and inflammation.
Background: Maternal exposure to kitchen fuel smoke may lead to impaired fetal growth. Objective: To study the effect of exposure to various kitchen fuels on birth weight. Methodology: Study type: Retrospective analytical. Study setting: Hospital based. Study Subjects: Mothers and their newborns. Inclusion Criteria: Mothers registered in first trimester with minimum 3 visits, non-anemic, full-term, and singleton delivery. Exclusion Criteria: History of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH), Diabetes Mellitus (DM), tobacco chewers or mishri users. Sample size: 328 mothers and their new-borne. Study period: Six months. Study tools: Chi-square, Z-test, ANOVA, and binary logistic regression. Results: Effect of confounders on birth weight was tested and found to be non-significant. Mean ± SD of birth weight was 2.669 ± 0.442 in Liquid Petroleium Gas (LPG) users (n = 178), 2.465 ± 0.465 in wood users (n = 94), 2.557 ± 0.603 in LPG + wood users (n = 27) and 2.617 ± 0.470 in kerosene users (n = 29). Infants born to wood users had lowest birth weight and averagely 204 g lighter than LPG users (F = 4.056, P < 0.01). Percentage of newborns with low birth weight (LBW) in wood users was 44.68% which was significantly higher than in LPG users (24.16%), LPG + wood users (40.74%) and in kerosene users (34.48%) (Chi-square = 12.926, P < 0.01). As duration of exposure to wood fuel increases there is significant decline in birth weight (F = 3.825, P < 0.05). By using logistic regression type of fuel is only best predictor. Conclusion: Cooking with wood fuel is a significant risk-factor for LBW, which is modifiable.
A survey conducted at the New York University Dental Center demonstrated that significant differences exist between patients who are ready participants in research efforts and those who require the more persistent attention of the researcher. In addition, patients who were questioned while in treatment emphasized different reasons for selecting a dental school for treatment than did those patients who were interviewed prior to beginning treatment. The importance of collecting data from a truly random sample of patients is stressed and elaborated with reference to the marketing implications of the results. Strategies for patient recruitment and retention require knowledge that is complete and does not suffer from systematic absences in the data base. Careful data collection methods are described and advocated.
A source model trained on source data and a target model learned through unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) usually encode different knowledge. To understand the adaptation process, we portray their knowledge difference with image translation. Specifically, we feed a translated image and its original version to the two models respectively, formulating two branches. Through updating the translated image, we force similar outputs from the two branches. When such requirements are met, differences between the two images can compensate for and hence represent the knowledge difference between models. To enforce similar outputs from the two branches and depict the adapted knowledge, we propose a source-free image translation method that generates source-style images using only target images and the two models. We visualize the adapted knowledge on several datasets with different UDA methods and find that generated images successfully capture the style difference between the two domains. For application, we show that generated images enable further tuning of the target model without accessing source data. Code available at https://github.com/houyz/DA_visualization.
The edible coating is biodegradable and sustainable packaging has come into attention since the past few decades as an effort to reduce packaging waste. On a landmark fruit, the edible application layer is used to reduce the occurrence of loss of moisture, improve appearance, acts as a barrier to the exchange of gases, as well as having functions as an antifungal and antimicrobial. In addition to extending shelf life can be eaten these many layers are used such as it does not endanger human health, can be eaten as well as easy to untangle nature.  One of the natural ingredients that can be used such as a layer of edible is Aloe Vera. From the results obtained that the weight without warming treatment gel stored at cool temperatures is relatively constant, while to gel without or with the treatment of warming that is stored at room temperature a little decline. The reduction drastic invisible on the gel with the saved warming treatment in cold temperatures. Aloe gel good shaped pieces that are stored at room temperature has decreased the weight but that is stored on the cold temperatures are relatively stable. The aloe vera gel with warming and stored at cool temperatures until day 5 relatively stable, as seen from the variable weight shrinkage, color, pH, viscosity, and moisture content. While the gel is stored at room temperature decrease began day 2. Aloe Vera gel should be stored at cool temperatures with a sealed container. The best characteristics of Aloe Vera gel that treatment with sorbitol can extend the shelf life strawberry fruit. edible coating base on Aloe gel can be applied at post-harvest handling fruits.
BACKGROUND The predominant mechanism of early failure of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) after coronary bypass remains unclear, so angioscopy was used to identify the morphological changes.   METHODS AND RESULTS Of the 31 SVGs assessed 15 had both yellow plaque and thrombi, whereas in the remaining 16 SVGs the intima was clear white. The serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was significantly higher in the diseased SVG group. Eight patients of the normal SVG group were prescribed ticlopidine, compared with only 1 from the diseased SVG group (p=0.015).   CONCLUSIONS This is the first direct demonstration of yellow plaque and/or thrombosis in SVGs by intravascular angioscopy. In addition to the importance of prescribing statins, it might be vital to also add ticlopidine to aspirin therapy.
Recently, crowdsourcing-based content delivery networks (CDN) emerge as a promising technology that can distribute massive video content to a vast number of Internet users by crawling bandwidth and storage resources from Internet end devices. Any ordinary Internet users with excessive resources can be recruited into such systems as mini-servers. Different from edge servers equipped with dedicated resources in traditional CDNs, the resource of a single mini-server is scarce and volatile that can vary severely with time, since its bandwidth is shared by many different applications. How to build a robust high performance crowdsourcing-based CDN system has attracted contributions from both academia and industry, but how to solve the drawback caused by unstable uploading bandwidth is still a challenging problem. So far, a prevalent methodology is to migrate the strategies implemented by traditional CDNs into crowdsourcing-based CDN systems based on the fact that these two kinds of systems share many similarities. In this paper, our argument is that the content delivery time can be reduced by replicating coded content on mini-servers (which is almost useless for edge servers in traditional CDNs) to enable downloading users to automatically adapt their downloading progress with oscillating bandwidth capacity from different mini-servers. Theoretical model is created to derive the performance improvement (evaluated in term of average file downloading time) achieved by our strategy, which is further validated via simulation. This paper not only provides system designers a more efficient content replication solution, but also can push forward the development of the crowdsourcing-based CDNs.
Conclusions A cytopathogenic virus inducing large intranuclear inclusions like those occurring in salivary gland virus disease has been isolated from the tissues of each of 2 infants. In both cases the virus has been propagated serially in cultures of human fibroblasts derived from uterine tissue. The distinctive cytopathogenic effects and the apparent species specificity of the 2 viruses, together with the isolation of each of the viruses from human tissue which contained the characteristic inclusions of salivary gland virus disease are substantial evidence that these viruses are strains of the human salivary gland virus.
The impact of communication structures on the robustness and performance of distributed computing systems is discussed. Communication structures are categorized as (1) point-to-point, (2) bus, and (3) multistage switching. The most significant networks that have been proposed are discussed. Networks are compared with respect to (1) connectivity, (2) diameter, (3) average distance, (4) diameter in the presence of faults, (5) extensibility (ease of adding or deleting processors), and (6) ease of routing in the presence of faults. Some attempts directed at achieving near optimality for each of these six factors are discussed. A strategy for designing good networks with respect to all of these factors is suggested. Attempts to predict the real-time robustness of systems are reviewed and commented on and the power and consistency of metrics associated with such attempts are discussed. The impact of communication structures is discussed with respect to fundamental fault-tolerant objectives, such as diagnosis and disconnection of faulty units and establishment of a logical link between units not connected by a physical link. Current trends and suggested trends in communication network research are commented on. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a common retinal complication associated with diabetes. Adverse changes in the retinal blood vessels lead to loss of vision without any symptoms. Diabetic retinopathy is frequent, blinding complication of the patient with high blood sugar levels that characterize diabetes. Automatic Recognition of DR lesions like Exudates, in digital fund us images can contribute to the diagnosis and screening of this disease. The Exudates present in the macula which is the center portion of the retina is called maculopathy or macular edema. In this approach, an automatic and efficient method to detect diabetic maculopathy which is a severe stage of Diabetic Retinopathy, is proposed. The real time retinal images were obtained from a nearby hospital. The retinal images were pre-processed via. Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE). The preprocessed color retinal images are subjected to Top Hat Transform and Bottom Hat Transform. The Macula which is the darkest region was obtained. To classify the preprocessed image into Exudates and Non-Exudates, a set of features based on color and texture were extracted. Classification was done using support Vector Machine This method appears promising as it can detect the severity of the disease.
With the rapid development of wireless and mobile network, traditional access control mechanisms face the new security risk that access data at any place may lead the leakage of the confidential data or bring new attack to the server. Location based access control is proposed to authorize user by consideration the location information of the user. In this paper, a novel indoor access control system is presented to protect the data security in mobile storage device. An Active tag is embedded into the storage device to implement location based access control. We make use of the limited penetration of RF signal to build the security zone, and get user's location information from the tag and the reader. In order to protect the system and carry out authorization, an authenticate protocol is proposed. The protocol can ensure the anonymity of the tag, and protect the confidential of the data to prevent spoofing attack and replay attack. More important, our system can authorize the user according to user's location information.
Subjects rated the perceived fairness of equitable and inequitable payments to either themselves or another while they were made either self-aware (by confronting their images in a mirror) or not self-aware. When not-self-aware, overpayment to oneself was perceived as being more fair than overpayment to a similar other, and underpayment to oneself was perceived as being more unfair than underpayment to a similar other. Among subjects who were made self-aware, however, the egocentric bias were not evidenced; subjects perceived all inequities as being equally unfair, regardless of whether these affected oneself or another. This evidence provides support for the heightened importance of internal standards offairness induced by the self-aware state.
OBJECTIVES to evaluate the clinical significance of the steal phenomenon following femoro-femoral bypass, and whether the addition of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) to the established examinations of the donor iliac artery can improve the prediction of patients who will develop steal.   DESIGN prospective study.   MATERIAL AND METHODS twenty-eight patients, aged 73 (50-81) years, scheduled for femoro-femoral bypass surgery in the period from 1994 to 1997, had the donor iliac artery examined by single-plane arteriography, duplex scanning, IVUS and femoral-artery blood pressure measurements (FABP)+/-papaverine. Three patients were excluded due to simultaneous thromboendarterectomy (TEA) of the donor iliac artery. The clinical stage and the ankle-brachial index (ABPI) were measured pre-, postoperatively and prospectively 1, 6, 12 and 24 months after discharge.   RESULTS two patients developed clinical steal, while an additional five had a measurable (>0.1) decline in the donor ABPI postoperatively, but no symptoms (subclinical steal). The clinical stage of the donor limb did not deteriorate further during the follow-up period (median 8 months) in these seven patients. The decline in donor ABPI correlated with the FABP and the IVUS measurements, but not to duplex scanning or arteriography. FABP after papaverine injection and IVUS examination showed equal sensitivities and and specificities.   CONCLUSION a clinical steal phenomenon following femoro-femoral bypass surgery seems relatively uncommon, although a subclinical steal is more frequent. Both can be predicted by FABP or IVUS. Further follow-up is required to evaluate whether subclinical steal has any consequences in the long term.
Both 17p and 5q allelic losses appear to be involved in the pathogenesis or progression of many human solid tumors. In colon carcinogenesis, there is strong evidence that the targets of the 17p and 5q allelic losses are TP53, the gene encoding p53, and APC, respectively. It is widely accepted that 5q allelic losses precede 17p allelic losses in the progression to colonic carcinoma. The data, however, supporting this proposed order are largely based on the prevalence of 17p and 5q allelic losses in adenomas and unrelated adenocarcinomas from different patients. We investigated the order in which 17p and 5q allelic losses developed during neoplastic progression in Barrett esophagus by evaluating multiple aneuploid cell populations from the same patient. Using DNA content flow cytometric cell sorting and polymerase chain reaction, 38 aneuploid cell populations from 14 patients with Barrett esophagus who had high grade dysplasia, cancer or both were evaluated for 17p and 5q allelic losses. 17p allelic losses preceded 5q allelic losses in 7 patients, both 17p and 5q allelic losses were present in all aneuploid populations of 4 patients, and only 17p (without 5q) allelic losses were present in the aneuploid populations of 3 patients. In no patient did we find that a 5q allelic loss preceded a 17p allelic loss. Our data suggest that 17p allelic losses typically occur before 5q allelic losses during neoplastic progression in Barrett esophagus.
Polystyrene properties are influenced by ring motions in side groups. The main chain conformation and interaction with the surroundings dominate the ring rotations. It is known that shear flow affects linear chain conformation and molecular distribution. However, shear-induced variations in the ring rotations have yet to be studied. This study presents a shear flow system of polystyrene via non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The free energy barrier of the phenyl ring rotations was obtained from the distribution of angle χ between the ring and main chain based on the Boltzmann distribution law. The results showed that the barrier height approaches a constant value at a shear rate less than 1010 s− 1, but decreases with an increase in shear rate higher than 1010.5 s− 1. Furthermore, the radial distribution function and potential energies were compared. Remarkably, the shear flow reduced the bond vibrations of the phenyl rings, but increased the separation between intermolecular particles. Hence, a smaller cavity is necessary for the rings to rotate once but more volume is occupied by the rings. The smaller volume obtained via main chain motions needed to construct the cavity lowers the energy barrier height at shear rate higher than 1010.5 s− 1.
Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of treating intraventricular hemorrhage by mini-invasive drainage and preventing hydrocephalus by infusing the drugs to lumber cistern.Methods 7 patients were treated with mini-invasive drainage and with infusing the drugs to lumber cistern.We observed the therapeutic effect.Results There were better consciousness's recover,ICP's reducing and cerebrospinal fluid's clearing in the patients.There was not hydrocephalus.Conclusion Mini-invasive drainage combining infusion of the drugs to lumber cistern is an effective therapeutic method for treating intraventricular hemorrhage and preventing hydrocephalus.
AddAB and RecBCD-type helicase-nuclease complexes control the first stage of bacterial homologous recombination (HR) – the resection of double strand DNA breaks. A switch in the activities of the complexes to initiate repair by HR is regulated by a short, species-specific DNA sequence known as a Crossover Hotspot Instigator (Chi) site. It has been shown that, upon encountering Chi, AddAB and RecBCD pause translocation before resuming at a reduced rate. Recently, the structure of B.subtilis AddAB in complex with its regulatory Chi sequence revealed the nature of Chi binding and the paused translocation state. Here the structural features associated with Chi binding are described in greater detail and discussed in relation to the related E.coli RecBCD system.
We discuss several coherent nonlinear optical phenomena that occur in active quantum-cascade (QC) structures that support both laser action and, at the same time, nonlinear self-conversion of laser light into coherent radiation at other frequencies. In other words, the laser field serves as an intracavity optical pump for a desired nonlinear optical process. In such systems, resonant absorption of the pump field is overcome by laser gain, and giant resonant nonlinearities of the intersubband transitions can be fully exploited. The proposed approach holds promise to extend the operating wavelength of QC lasers to the spectral regions where they become less efficient, constrained by material limitations, or operate only at cryogenic temperatures. It may also lead to the development of new broadly tunable injection-pumped sources. We review recent development in this research direction including the demonstration of the Raman injection laser.
In the printing process for technical reports presently used at Bendix Kansas City Division, photographs are reproduced by pasting up PMT halftone prints on the artwork originals. These originals are used to make positive-working plastic plates for offset lithography. Instructions for making good-quality halftone prints using Eastman Kodak's PMT materials and processes are given in this report. 14 figures.
The concept of Johnson's dynamic κ(ω) permeability is analyzed. It is noted that κ(ω) includes the effects of both viscous force correction and mass coupling in Biot's theory. A comparison is made between κ(ω) and its counterpart in Biot's formulation κB(ω). It is shown that the difference between the two functions is slight if β ≈ 64 α∞/m. Numerical examples show that the borehole acoustic guided waves decay more slowly for a formation of larger tortuosity.
All professions accept as central in their educational purpose the development in students of some degree of competence for the performance of professional functions. The organization and communication of knowledge for use is the distinguishing characteristic of a professional school. All professions, therefore, provide students, at some point in their educational programs, with experience in working with the clientele served by the profession. Granted considerable difference in the kind and degree of skill required for the various professions, a puzzling question calls insistently for some kind of logical explanation or answer as one reviews the wide range of educational arrangements that have been devised for the application of knowledge in professional practice. Why is there such a marked difference in the amount and
Nowadays smart terminals become increasingly multitudinous and popular. And because various sensors are embedded in them, the variety of applications in smart terminals is largely expanded. The information is widely used and valued in serious systems, such as date sensed by sensors, context of device's parameters and information inputted by users. Context awareness in smart terminals means more to us now. This paper proposes a new context awareness system based on self-adaptive ness and describes the interactive process. It considers how to draft conflict resolution mechanism based on the rule database updated by user's need. The usage of this context awareness system can be tightly combined with self-adaptive ness in smart terminals.
Despite tremendous advances in neuroscience research, it is still unclear how neuronal representations of sensory information give rise to the contents of our perception. One of the first and also the most compelling pieces of evidence for direct involvement of cortical signals in perception comes from electrical stimulation experiments addressing the middle temporal (MT) area and the medial superior temporal (MST) area: two neighboring extrastriate cortical areas of the monkey brain housing direction-sensitive neurons. Here we have combined fMRI with electrical stimulation in a patient undergoing awake brain surgery, to separately probe the functional significance of the human homologs, i.e., area hMT and hMST, on motion perception. Both the stimulation of hMT and hMST made it impossible for the patient to perceive the global visual motion of moving random dot patterns. Although visual motion blindness was predominantly observed in the contralateral visual field, stimulation of hMST also affected the ipsilateral hemifield. These results suggest that early visual cortex up to the stage of MT is not sufficient for the perception of global visual motion. Rather, visual motion information must be mediated to higher-tier cortical areas, including hMST, to gain access to conscious perception.
Pointcuts in aspect-oriented programming languages specify runtime events which cause execution of additional functionality. Hereby, pointcuts typically have a pattern-based static component selecting instructions whose execution triggers an event, e.g., a pattern that selects method-call instructions based on the target method's name. Current implementations realize identification of matching instructions by examining all instructions in the executed program and matching them against all patterns found in the program's pointcuts. But such an implementation is slow. An optimized implementation is therefore highly desirable in runtime environments which support the dynamic deployment of aspects; slow pattern evaluation invariably causes a slowdown of the entire application.  The patterns used in pointcuts as well as the signatures against they are matched, i.e., method, constructor, and field signatures, are well structured. We present two case studies that survey patterns and signatures actually occurring in the wild. From the resulting data we derive several heuristics that can drive pattern-evaluation optimizations, both by creating indexes over the relevant instructions and by optimizing the order in which the sub-patterns are evaluated.
Human alveolar macrophages (AMs) were recovered from the lungs of healthy nonsmokers (NS) or smokers of tobacco (TS), marijuana (MS), or crack cocaine (CS) and challenged in vitro with Staphylococcus aureus. AMs from NS and TS exhibited potent antibacterial activity that correlated with the production of nitric oxide (NO) and induction of NO synthase without the requirement for priming with exogenous cytokines. In contrast, AMs from MS and CS exhibited minimal antibacterial activity and failed to produce NO unless primed with additional cytokines. These results confirm that NO plays a significant role as an effector molecule used by normal human AMs, but this capacity is suppressed in AMs from MS and CS because of a lack of intrinsic cytokine priming.
The extraction of a video object contour, called "rotoscoping" in cinematographic post-production, is usually performed manually and frame by frame. Semi-automatic algorithms have been proposed to reduce the load of this task. However, they classically use region information and are usually based on a notion of homogeneity of the object. This homogeneity description might be difficult to establish and, consequently, the tracking may be not precise enough. The proposed method relies on the analysis of some temporal trajectories of salient points, or keypoints, called tracks. The main contribution of this paper is the local estimation, both spatially and temporally, of the contour motion from these tracks. The proposed method seems accurate, robust to outliers, and allows local deformation. Moreover, it can deal with partial occlusions.
We report on the results of a recent experiment at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory investigating fast electron propagation in cylindrically compressed targets; a subject of interest for fast ignition. This experiment was performed within the framework of the road map of HiPER (the European High Power laser Energy Research facility Project). Protons accelerated by a ps-laser pulse are used to radiograph a 220 µm diameter, imploded with ∼200 J of laser light (1 ns λ = 0.53 µm) in four symmetrically incident beams. Results are also compared with those from hard x-ray radiography. Detailed comparison with 2D radiation hydrodyamics simulations is performed with the aid of a Monte Carlo code adapted to describe plasma effects. Finally, a simple analytical model is developed to estimate the performance of proton radiography for given implosion conditions.
The importance of community in primary health care (PHC) is evident in the role of community participation and in the types of programs that are routinely implemented (community health-worker [CHW] programs, community clinics, community-based disease-control programs). Few health care providers and program administrators, however, have considered the meaning of community. Instead, they frequently impose their own definition of community and assume that it corresponds to local realities. This is problematic because target populations may have different ideas about what a community is and how it functions. When disparate ideas of community exist, they can affect the implementation of PHC programs, leading to low rates of acceptance, participation, and utilization. Using two examples, a community clinic in El Alto, Bolivia, and a CHW program in Rio Branco, Brazil, this article discusses some of the problems that arise when local definitions of community do not correspond to programmatic definitions.
Catheter ablation for symptomatic and drug-resistant atrial fibrillation is considered as the main acquired cause of pulmonary vein stenosis in adults. Controversy currently exists about the optimal treatment approach of this entity. Stenting seems to achieve lower vessel restenosis rates than isolated balloon angioplasty. However, these techniques are not exempt from complications. We present a case of spontaneous massive haemothorax presenting as a late complication of stent implantation in a patient with pulmonary vein stenosis.
International Paramedic Practice (IPP) is a welcome addition to those existing institutions and activities that are contributing to the international development of the paramedic profession. It will provide an opportunity to share frontline experiences and present research evidence among those paramedics who share a desire to provide the best possible care to patients and improve outcomes. The online journal will encourage debate and discussion beyond our own countries and institutions, it will seek to broaden our professional horizons, and encourage innovation and reform. To achieve these lofty aims, paramedics and others associated with the profession need to build and disseminate a body of knowledge that is based on robust evidence, combined with informed debate and discussion (Tippett et al, 2003; Snooks et al, 2008). International journals can make important contributions to this process through their role as places of scholarly exchange where practitioners and researchers can challenge readers to look at other ways of doing things, to consider different ways of thinking about problem situations, and to suggest how improvements might be implemented. One observation of paramedics, ambulance services and our professional associations, is that they can sometimes fall into the temptation of thinking that the best and only approach when confronted with challenges is to do more of the same and to ignore or dismiss other options. For example, should we consider whether efforts to reduce response times through
Two W/n-GaAs Schottky diodes A and B were fabricated by sputtering using a RF power of 300 watt. The B diode was thermally treated at 390/spl deg/C for 90 min. in Ar atmosphere. The temperature dependence of the characteristic diode parameters such as the rectification ratio (/spl gamma/), ideality factor (n) and reverse saturation current (I/sub 0/) was established from the current-voltage (I-V) measurements performed in the temperature range 300-380 K on the as-deposited and thermally annealed diodes A and B, respectively. In the range of our experiments, the values of n varied over 1.86-1.43 in the as-deposited diode A and 1.11-1.32 in the thermally annealed diode B. More over, the room temperature value of /spl gamma/ in the thermally annealed diode was 500 times greater than that in the as-deposited diode. These fact indicated that the non-ideal character in the forward I-V characteristics was much more pronounced in the diode A than in the diode B. The thermionic emission (TE) and generation-recombination (GR) mechanisms contributed to the forward current transport in both the diodes, however, the GR to TE current ratio was 500 times smaller in the annealed diode B than in the diode A indicating that the TE and GR mechanism controlled the forward current in the diodes B and A, respectively. In the diode annealed at 390 C, the temperature dependence of the barrier height (/spl phi//sub bo/) calculated from TE reverse saturation current was described by the relation /spl phi//sub bo/=(0.87/spl plusmn/0.01)-(5.4/spl plusmn/2.3)/spl times/10/sup -4/ T. Since, the TE current contribution in the diode A was very small compared to the total current, the /spl phi//sub bo/ value in the as-deposited diode could not be determined precisely.
Image fusion represents an important tool for remote sensing data elaborations. This technique is used for many purposes. Very often it is used to produce improved spatial resolution. The most common situation is represented by a pair of images: the first acquired by a multispectral sensor with a pixel size greater than the pixel size of the second image given by a panchromatic sensor (PAN). Starting from these images fusion produces a new multispectral image with a spatial resolution equal, or close, to that of the PAN. Very often fusion introduces important distortions on the pixel spectra. This fact could compromise the extraction of information from the image, especially when using an automatic algorithm based on spectral signature such as in the case of image classification. In this work we present the analysis of two fusion methods based on multiresolution decomposition obtained using the 'a tròus' algorithm and applied to a pair of images acquired by Thematic Mapper (TM) and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)-1C-PAN sensors. The methods studied are also compared with two classical fusion methods, the intensity, hue and saturation (IHS) and standardized principal components (SPC). Fused results are studied and compared using various tests including supervised classification. Most of the tests used have been extracted from literature regarding the assessment of spatial and spectral quality of fused images. This study shows that the methods based on multiresolution decomposition outperform the classical fusion methods considered with respect to spectral content preservation. Moreover, it is shown that some of the quality tests are more significant than others. The discussion of this last aspect furnishes important indications for data quality assessment methods.
Objective: Accurate measurement of blood pressure (BP) remains a fundamental step in diagnosing and managing hypertension. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of office BP measurement using an automated office blood pressure (AOBP) device (BpTRU®) performed in a 5-minute cycle.  Participants and methods: 117 consecutive patients (mean age 55 ± 17 years, 60% women) referred for management of hypertension over a nine-month period are included in this study. BP readings with the BpTRU® device (BP recorded five times in five minutes), mean awake ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), and routine BP readings taken in the patient’s primary care physician (PCP) office were compared.  Results: Average of 5 BP readings for mean blood pressure using the AOBP device was similar to the mean awake ABP (systolic BP 133 ± 4 mmHg vs.135 ± 3 mmHg; (p = 0.2) and diastolic BP 80 ± 2 mmHg vs. 79 ± 2 mmHg; (p = 0.7)). Both systolic AOBP and awake ABP values were significantly lower than the systolic BP recorded in PCP office (144 ± 5 mmHg) (p < 0.001). The coefficient of correlation between the systolic/diastolic AOBP and the average of awake ABP (r = 0.70/0.72) was highly significant (p < 0.001). With the AOBP device, the first systolic reading was significantly higher than the average of the 2nd to 6th systolic readings (141 ± 2 mmHg vs. 133 ± 4 mmHg, p < 0.001).  Conclusion: BP measurement performed with the AOBP device in a 5-minute cycle more accurately measures BP in a physician office setting when compared to single BP measurement. Relying on the1st BP measurement or a single reading may lead to over estimation of BP.
Evidence for the important role of the potent oxidant peroxynitrite in peripheral diabetic neuropathy and neuropathic pain is emerging. This study evaluated the contribution of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) to diabetes-induced nitrosative stress in peripheral nerve and dorsal root ganglia, and peripheral nerve dysfunction and degeneration. Control and nNOS-/- mice were made diabetic with streptozotocin, and maintained for 6 weeks. Peroxynitrite injury was assessed by nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP-ribose) immunoreactivities. Peripheral diabetic neuropathy was evaluated by measurements of sciatic motor and hind-limb digital sensory nerve conduction velocities, thermal algesia, tactile allodynia, and intraepidermal nerve fiber density. Control nNOS-/- mice displayed normal motor nerve conduction velocity and thermal response latency, whereas sensory nerve conduction velocity was slightly lower compared with non-diabetic wild-type mice, and tactile response threshold and intraepidermal nerve fiber density were reduced by 47 and 38%, respectively. Both diabetic wild-type and nNOS-/- mice displayed enhanced nitrosative stress in peripheral nerve. In contrast to diabetic wild-type mice, diabetic nNOS-/- mice had near normal nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP-ribose) immunofluorescence in dorsal root ganglia. Both diabetic wild-type and nNOS-/- mice developed motor and sensory nerve conduction velocity deficits and thermal hypoalgesia although nNOS gene deficiency slightly reduced severity of the three disorders. Tactile response thresholds were similarly decreased in control and diabetic nNOS-/- mice compared with non-diabetic wild-type mice. Intraepidermal nerve fiber density was lower by 27% in diabetic nNOS-/- mice compared with the corresponding non-diabetic group, and by 20% in diabetic nNOS-/- mice compared with diabetic wild-type mice. In conclusion, nNOS is required for maintaining the normal peripheral nerve function and small sensory nerve fibre innervation. nNOS gene deficiency does not protect from development of nerve conduction deficit, sensory neuropathy and intraepidermal nerve fiber loss.
Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains a clinical and public health challenge in Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of M. tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in patients from five selected health facilities in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. The HIV serostatus and the CD4+ count of seropositive individuals were also determined. Using a combination of Zhiel Neelsen staining and WHO approved GeneXpert MTB/Rif device for M. tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance, the presence of M. tuberculosis in sputum samples was detected and confirmed. A total of 346 samples were analysed, out of which M. tuberculosis was detected in 91 (26.3%) samples and rifampicin resistance in 6 (6.6%) of the positive samples. HIV prevalence was found to be 46.8%, HIV and TB co-infection 39.6%, while 83.3% of the rifampicin resistance was from HIV positive cases. Tuberculosis was found to be decreasing with increase in CD4 count. Statistically, there was a significant relationship (P 0.05) between gender, occupation and age with TB was observed. Our results show that tuberculosis still remains endemic in Nasarawa state with a high prevalence of HIV and that the confluence of HIV and tuberculosis increased the rate of rifampicin resistance. Provision of Tuberculosis diagnostics with the capacity to detect TB drug resistance beyond rifampicin is highly recommended.
This article reports on the development of usability engineering recommendations for next-generation integrated interoperable medical devices. A model-based hazard analysis method is used to reason about possible design anomalies in interoperability functions that could lead to use errors. Design recommendations are identified that can mitigate design problems. An example application of the method is presented based on an integrated medical system prototype for postoperative care. The AAMI/UL technical committee used the results of the described analysis to inform the creation of the Interoperability Usability Concepts, Annex J, which is included in the first edition of the new ANSI/AAMI/UL 2800-1:2019 standard on medical device interoperability. The presented work is valuable to experts developing future revisions of the interoperability standard, as it documents key aspects of the analysis method used to create part of the standard. The contribution is also valuable to manufacturers, as it demonstrates how to perform a model-based analysis of use-related aspects of a medical system at the early stages of development, when a concrete implementation of the system is not yet available.
Pure murine colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) was assessed for its effects in vivo in mice pretreated seven days earlier with a sublethal dosage of cyclophosphamide. The multipotential (CFU-GEMM), erythroid (BFU-E), and granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitor cells in these mice were in a slowly cycling or noncycling state. Intravenous administration of 20,000 units of CSF-1 to these mice stimulated the hematopoietic progenitors into a rapidly cycling state in the marrow and spleen within three hours. Significant increases in absolute numbers of marrow and spleen CFU-GM and spleen BFU-E and CFU-GEMM were also detected. No endotoxin was detected in the CSF-1 preparation by Limulus lysate assay, and treatment of CSF-1 at 100 degrees C for 20 to 30 minutes completely inactivated the in vitro and in vivo stimulating effects. The effects of CSF-1 were not mimicked by the in vivo administration of 0.1 to 10 ng Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide. These results suggest that the effects of CSF-1 in vivo were not due to contaminating endotoxin or to a nonspecific protein effect. CSF-1 did not enhance colony formation by BFU-E or stimulate colony formation by CFU-GEMM in vitro, thus suggesting that at least some of the effects of CSF-1 noted in vivo are probably indirect and mediated by accessory cells.
Potent anti-tumor activity of blocking stromal Dll4 in ovarian xenograft models Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) is an emerging anticancer target given its predominant tumor vasculature expression and its role in regulating angiogenic sprouting. We have previously demonstrated that pharmacological blockade of the Dll4-Notch axis results in an excessive production of aberrant non-functional tumor vessels, and these changes were associated with reduced tumor growth. Using VelocImmune® mice, we identified a fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody, termed REGN421/SAR153192, which binds human Dll4 and potently neutralizes Notch signaling. REGN421 treatment caused potent and dose-dependent inhibition of a number of human tumor xenografts grown in immunodeficient mice engineered to express human Dll4. In the current study, we found that REGN421 treatment of ovarian xenograft models produces potent anti-tumor effects that are dependent on targeting Dll4 in the tumor stroma as opposed to tumor cell-expressed Dll4. In particular, REGN421 treatment (2.5 mg/kg, once weekly) of humanized Dll4 mice bearing established subcutaneous TOV-112D or intraperitoneal A2780 human tumor xenografts resulted in growth inhibition of 86% and 83%, respectively. The inhibition of ovarian tumor growth by REGN421 was associated with a marked increase in tumor vascular structures but reduced vascular perfusion, consistent with the function of Dll4 as a regulator of angiogenic sprouting. Similar anti-tumor effects were observed by strictly targeting stromal Dll4 with a mouse Dll4-specific surrogate antibody REGN1035 in SCID mice bearing OVCAR3 tumors. In contrast, the specific blockade of tumor cell-expressed human Dll4 did not exhibit any appreciable anti-tumor activity, indicating the lack of tumor growth-promoting autocrine Dll4-Notch tumor cell signaling in these models. Finally, the combined treatment of Dll4 antibody with the anti-VEGF agent ziv-aflibercept (VEGF Trap) resulted in enhanced anti-tumor effects and virtually the complete suppression of intraperitoneal A2780 tumor growth, suggesting clinical benefit for the combined blockade of VEGF and Dll4 in ovarian cancer. These studies lend further support for the therapeutic targeting of Dll4 as a promising new angiogenesis-based anticancer strategy in ovarian cancer, both as a single agent and in combination with anti-VEGF agents. Citation Format: Frank Kuhnert, Guoying Chen, Gavin Thurston. Potent anti-tumor activity of blocking stromal Dll4 in ovarian xenograft models. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5091. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5091
Using atomic scale interfaces consisting of slabs of the same materials, we study the relationship between adhesion and static friction. The work of separation, which is a measure of adhesion, and the spatial variation of the interface potential energy along the sliding direction are computed for both commensurate and incommensurate Al2O3/Al2O3 interfaces, and incommensurate smooth and rough Al/Al interfaces. These values are compared with the predicted static friction stress resulting from constant force and constant velocity molecular dynamics simulations. Simulation results show that static friction is not determined by the absolute value of adhesion. Rather, it is determined by the change of potential energy along the sliding direction.
Today, soft computing is a field that is used a lot in solving real-world problems, such as problems in economics, finance, banking... With the aim to serve for solving the real problem, many new theories and/or tools which were proposed, improved to help soft computing used more efficiently. We can mention some theories as fuzzy sets theory (L. Zadeh, 1965), intuitionistic fuzzy set (K Atanasov, 1986). In this paper, we introduce a new notion of support-intuitionistic fuzzy (SIF) set, which is the combination a intuitionistic fuzzy set with a fuzzy set. So, SIF set is a directly extension of fuzzy set and intuitionistic fuzzy sets (Atanassov). Then, we define some operators on support-intuitionistic fuzzy sets, and investigate some properties of these operators.
ABSTRACT A study was conducted to compare four gravimetric methods of measuring fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations in air: the BGI, Inc. PQ200 Federal Reference Method PM2.5 (FRM) sampler; the Harvard-Marple Impactor (HI); the BGI, Inc. GK2.05 KTL Respirable/Thoracic Cyclone (KTL); and the AirMetrics MiniVol (MiniVol). Pairs of FRM, HI, and KTL samplers and one MiniVol sampler were collocated and 24-hr integrated PM2.5 samples were collected on 21 days from January 6 through April 9, 2000. The mean and standard deviation of PM2.5 levels from the FRM samplers were 13.6 and 6.8 μg/m3, respectively. Significant systematic bias was found between mean concentrations from the FRM and the MiniVol (1.14 μg/m3, p = 0.0007), the HI and the MiniVol (0.85 μg/m3, p = 0.0048), and the KTL and the MiniVol (1.23 μg/m3, p = 0.0078) according to paired t test analyses. Linear regression on all pairwise combinations of the sampler types was used to evaluate measurements made by the samplers. None of the regression intercepts was significantly different from 0, and only two of the regression slopes were significantly different from 1, that for the FRM and the MiniVol [β1 = 0.91, 95% CI (0.83–0.99)] and that for the KTL and the MiniVol [ = 0.88, 95% CI (0.78–0.98)]. Regression R2 terms were 0.96 or greater between all pairs of samplers, and regression root mean square error terms (RMSE) were 1.65 μg/m3 or less. These results suggest that the MiniVol will underestimate measurements made by the FRM, the HI, and the KTL by an amount proportional to PM2.5 concentration. Nonetheless, these results indicate that all of the sampler types are comparable if ~10% variation on the mean levels and on individual measurement levels is considered acceptable and the actual concentration is within the range of this study (5–35 μg/m3).
A series of papers over the past decade [the most recent being L. Ingber, Phys. Rev. A 44, 4017 (1991)] has developed a statistical mechanics of neocortical interactions (SMNI), deriving aggregate behavior of experimentally observed columns of neurons from statistical electrical-chemical properties of synaptic interactions, demonstrating its capability in describing large-scale properties of short-term memory and electroencephalographic systematics. This methodology also defines an algorithm to construct a mesoscopic neural network, based on realistic neocortical processes and parameters, to record patterns of brain activity and to compute the evolution of this system. Furthermore, this algorithm is quite generic, and can be used to similarly process information in other systems, especially, but not limited to, those amenable to modeling by mathematical physics techniques alternatively described by path-integral Lagrangians, Fokker-Planck equations, or Langevin rate equations. This methodology is made possible and practical by a confluence of techniques drawn from SMNI itself, modern methods of functional stochastic calculus defining nonlinear Lagrangians, very fast simulated reannealing, and parallel-processing computation.
Technology scaling leads to significant faulty bit rates in on-chip caches. In this work, we propose a methodology to mitigate the impact of defective bits (due to permanent faults) in first-level set-associative data caches. Our technique assumes that faulty caches are enhanced with the ability of disabling their defective parts at cache subblock granularity. Our experimental findings reveal that while the occurrence of hard-errors in faulty caches may have a significant impact in performance, a lot of room for improvement exists, if someone is able to take into account the spatial reuse patterns of the to-be-referenced blocks (not all the data fetched into the cache is accessed). To this end, we propose frugal PC-indexed spatial predictors (with very small storage requirements) to orchestrate the (re)placement decisions among the fully and partially unusable faulty blocks. Using cycle-accurate simulations, a wide range of scientific applications, and a plethora of cache fault maps, we showcase that our approach is able to offer significant benefits in cache performance.
Effects of environmental factors such as ewe age, season of exposure, and time from lambing to exposure on fertility were evaluated using records on 1,084 Dorset ewes in the STAR accelerated lambing system. The STAR program consisted of five 30-d concurrent breeding and lambing periods per year beginning on January 1, March 15, May 27, August 8, and October 20. Fertility in the flock changed in a cyclic and predictable fashion during the year. Changes in prolificacy were less consistent but also tended to show cyclic variation. Matings that occurred within the typical breeding season (August, October, and January) were more fertile than those occurring in March and June. However, fertility also varied with the age of the ewe and the time since the ewe's last lambing. Except in June, fertility at the first postpartum mating increased as ewes aged. In March and June matings, adult ewes that had just weaned lambs were less fertile than ewes that had failed to conceive in the previous season and therefore had longer postpartum intervals. However, in October and January, ewes that had just weaned lambs were more fertile. A matrix of expected pregnancy rates, or probabilities of fertility, was constructed using a mixed GLM to describe the combined effect of season, ewe age, and time since lambing on ewe fertility in accelerated lambing.
After the World War II, about 300.000 Italian people abandoned Istria and Dalmatia, which were annexed by Yugoslavia, and moved to Italy. The exodus is tied to the atrocities committed by the Slaves forces, the so called foibe massacres. Today the memory of these events is growing, mainly in its public-institutional representations, and a number of initiatives are organized to remember the exiles. Knowledge and awareness of the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus, however, are limited to a minority of the population; the story is often told in an one-sided way and memory lends itself to political (and unfair) uses. The exodus is sometimes mentioned within the public discourse about the current migration flows, but, generally, memory is used to reject immigrants, and not to welcome them. Remembrance, indeed, is mainly cultivated by right-wing groups, which oppose the arrivals of foreigners. Moreover, the associations of Istrian-Dalmatian exiles, generally, do not use the memory of their exodus to favor the reception of immigrants. The article analyzes how the memory of the Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is connected to the current migration flows. Main sources of the work are printed and online newspapers, as well as the Proceedings of the Italian Parliament.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of sexual attitude among the elderly to their sexual life while exploring the moderating effect of general characteristics in the relationship between sexual attitude and sexual life. Methods: A descriptive research design was used. The subjects were 322 married elderly from four silver centers in Seoul and Gangwon-do. Aging Sexuality Attitude Scale developed by White (1982) was used to examine sexual life status and general characteristics of the subjects (gender, age, academic background, religion, economic status, and residential type). For data analysis, x 2 -test, t-test, and ANOVA were conducted. Since the dependent variable of sexual life is a binary variable, hierarchical logistic regression was implemented. Results: There were 180 people (55.9%) who had a sexual life. Depending on gender (x 2 =35.03, p<.001), academic background (x 2 =29.45, p<.001), and economic status (x 2 =7.36, p=.025), the subjects showed significant difference in terms of sexual life. Regarding sexual attitude, the subjects showed significant difference depending on gender (t=-5.47, p<.001), age (t=-2.31, p=.021), academic background (t=5.16, p<.001), economic status (F=3.17, p=.043), and sexual life status (t=4.99, p<.001). Conclusion: It is important to devise the sex education program in consideration of gender, age, and academic background that showed moderating effects.
Background: In 2009, pandemic H1N1 influenza caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. We describe the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of children and adolescents hospitalized for 2009 H1N1 infections in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from April 2009 to August 2009. Methods: We conducted retrospective chart reviews of hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 infections. Data on financial burden associated with these infections were obtained and analyzed. Results: A total of 75 children hospitalized for 2009 pandemic H1N1 infections were identified; the median age was 5 years (range, 2 months–19.2 years); 56% were males; 56% were Non-Hispanic Blacks; and 75% had at least one underlying medical condition. Twenty-four percent had only upper respiratory symptoms. Bacterial coinfections occurred in 1.3%. All but one patient received antivirals, 80% of patients received antibacterials, 18.6% were admitted to the intensive care unit, 6% required mechanical ventilation, 2.6% required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and 2.6% died. The total charges incurred for H1N1 influenza hospitalizations were $4,454,191, with individual charges being highest for children >12 years of age. Conclusions: The majority of children with pandemic H1N1 influenza-associated hospitalizations had uncomplicated illness despite the frequent presence of high-risk conditions in our patient population. Laboratory-confirmed 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza hospitalizations resulted in substantial health care and economic burden during the first wave of the pandemic in spring 2009.
Abstract Only one species of the Hymenoptera Apoidea Anthophila is native to Iceland: Bombus jonellus (Kirby, 1802). A second species, Andrena tarsata Nylander, 1848, is mentioned by Schmiedeknecht (1882–1884), but there is reasonable doubt of an existence in Iceland. Four bumblebee species were introduced: B. hortorum (Linnaeus, 1761), first detection in 1959; B. lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761), first detection in 1979; B. hypnorum (Linnaeus, 1758) and B. pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763), first detections in 2010. Furthermore B. terrestris (Linnaeus, 1761) was introduced for tomato pollination in greenhouses (after 2002). Personal observations in 2014 yielded the result of large extensions of B. lucorum primarily in the north-east region of Iceland. The distribution of all bumblebee species in Iceland is summarised, their taxonomical status, habitat preferences, special adaptations and colonisation history are discussed. Based on a differential evaluation, probable trends of their future development are examined. Global warming effects may reduce B. jonellus populations and promote those of introduced Bombus species. B. lucorum may expand in many regions of Iceland far from settlements, but also into cultivated and settlement areas. B. hortorum is restricted to settlement areas with gardens (preferring long-tubed flowers), but B. lucorum will compete strongly with B. hortorum. B. hypnorum is also restricted to settlement areas, due to special nesting behaviour. The further development of B. pascuorum is likely to be positively supported by global warming effects and competitive effects. B. terrestris seems to be not adapted to live outside greenhouses in Iceland.
To determine the shape of a radiation beam aperture a margin is typically applied to the clinical target volume (CTV) to yield the planning target volume (PTV), and the aperture is then determined from the projection of the PTV onto the aperture plane. This margin accounts for setup variability and organ motion originating from respiration or other physiologic processes. The use of either a uniform margin, or alternatively one which takes into account only the expected magnitude and direction of target motion, fails to account for the three-dimensional nature of the target; such a method neglects the volumetric effect of target shape on the fractional target volume irradiated when the target shifts partially out of the aperture. A mathematical framework is developed to analyze and illustrate the consequences of irradiating an irregular target shape in the presence of target motion. The effect of target shape on volume coverage is demonstrated for selected cases involving conventional BEV aperture design techniques. The volumetric implications of target shape are considered from two complementary points of view. The first involves transformation into a "displacement space," which isolates the volumetric effect of the shape of the target allowing it to be studied independently of the probability distribution of target motion. The second point of view combines the effects of the 3D target shape and the probability distribution of motion in a manner independent of beam direction to yield a 3D "target distribution." The two points of view represent distinct starting points for computation of the expected value of fractional target volume coverage in the presence of target motion. In certain cases it may be beneficial to (1) employ "target distributions" for the target and normal tissues in place of the conventional static PTV and, (2) include the aperture shape, on equal footing with parameters such as beam weights and energies, into a quantitative optimization process explicitly accounting for uncertainties in the position of the target volume and critical structures.
One of the most challenging and recurring problems when modeling plasmas is the lack of data on the key atomic and molecular reactions that drive plasma processes. Even when there are data for some reactions, complete and validated datasets of chemistries are rarely available. This hinders research on plasma processes and curbs development of industrial applications. The QDB project aims to address this problem by providing a platform for provision, exchange, and validation of chemistry datasets. A new data model developed for QDB is presented. QDB collates published data on both electron scattering and heavy-particle reactions. These data are formed into reaction sets, which are then validated against experimental data where possible. This process produces both complete chemistry sets and identifies key reactions that are currently unreported in the literature. Gaps in the datasets can be filled using established theoretical methods. Initial validated chemistry sets for SF6/CF4/O2 and SF6/CF4/N2/H2 are presented as examples.
In biological suspensions light scattering is done mainly by the contribution of the suspended cells. A main challenge in describing light diffusion is to produce an analytical expression that accurately expresses the multiple light scattering anisotropy. The Henyey-Greenstein phase function embedded in the RWMCS code was used to describe single scattering on Red Blood Cells in suspension. The results of the simulation, containing multiple light scattering, are used to verify the predictions of two new effective phase function recently published. The results show a good agreement in the small RBC concentration range.
Polypyrrole–polystyrene (PPy–PS) composite hollow microspheres with a dry-plum-like morphology were prepared via pseudo-multicomponent heterophase polymerization in an aqueous dispersion system. The monomers of pyrrole (Py) and styrene (St) were simultaneously added into the reactor with the existence of azodiisobutyronitrile. The oxidization polymerization of Py was first initiated by the addition of ammonium persulfate, and the radical polymerization of St was subsequently initiated by the elevated temperature. Finally, composite micron-sized spheres were obtained with hierarchical structures. The microspheres are hollow inside, with PPy nano-particles bound by a PS matrix for the building of the wall-shell. The decoration of tiny PPy particles at the surface leads the microspheres to be an effective adsorbent to isolate Cr(VI) ions from water. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm result of the microspheres agree well with the pseudo-second-order rate model and Langmuir isotherm mode, respectively.
Generic medicines have become essential contributors for governments in their effort to contain public health care budgets. Therefore, market access of generic medicines should be made possible immediately after expiry of the patent protecting the originator medicine. Generic medicines can only enter the market when the patent on the originator medicine is expired and when a marketing authorisation and pricing and reimbursement approval have been obtained from the national competent authorities. Arguments on patent validity or patent infringement which result in litigation before national courts, backlogs in national approval systems, defensive patenting strategies (‘evergreening’), patent linkage and third-party interventions during the process of marketing authorisation and pricing and reimbursement are well-documented causes for delayed market access of generic medicines. The establishment of a unitary European Union patent together with a unified and specialised patent litigation system, the reduction of backlogs in national agencies, avoiding third-party interventions as much as possible and automatic approval of pricing and reimbursement status upon marketing authorisation approval of the generic medicines are just a few examples of policies which could enhance market access of generic medicines in the European Union. This article aims to provide an overview of the regulatory framework regarding market access of generic medicines in the European Union and lists the hurdles which impede market access. Recommendations to enhance market access of generic medicines round off this article.
Background/Aim: There are several factors, such as race, age, sex, and geographical variations, associated with renal stone formation. Although it is known that the prevalence of urolithiasis in Japanese children is low, the reason remains obscure. We hypothesize that the low prevalence of urolithiasis is associated with the urinary calcium excretion. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of hypercalciuria in Japanese children. Methods: This investigation is a population-based school survey. A group of 529 healthy Japanese children was screened for hypercalciuria by measurement of the urinary Ca/Cr ratio using the morning fasting urine. In addition, the urinary Na/Cr ratio was also calculated for each subject. Results: Hypercalciuria regarded as an urinary Ca/Cr value of more than 0.17 was noted only in 3 out of 529 children (0.6 %), while most cases (494/529, 93.4%) demonstrated hypocalciuria (urinary Ca/Cr <0.05). The mean urinary Ca/Cr value was 0.024 in all subjects combined. Linear regression analysis revealed a positive direct correlation between urinary Ca/Cr and Na/Cr values (rs = 0.14, p < 0.01). The urinary Ca/Cr ratio was not related to age in either sex. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that the prevalence of hypercalciuria in Japanese children is low as compared with other countries, even though absorptive hypercalciuria and dietary hypercalciuria might be missed in this setting. This low prevalence of hypercalciuria may be associated with the lower prevalence of urolithiasis in Japanese children. As it is suggested that a low dietary intake of calcium and sodium may play some role in the low urinary calcium excretion, a randomized, controlled study comparing the efficacy of different modes of therapy, such as a low-calcium diet and/or a low-salt diet, might provide valuable information for the prevention of urolithiasis.
The heating of the plasma confined in active regions of the solar corona is caused by the dissipation of magnetic stresses induced by the photospheric motions of the loop footpoints. The aim of the present paper is to analyze whether solar coronal heating is dominated by slow (DC) or rapid (AC) photospheric driving motions. We describe the dynamics of a coronal loop through the reduced magnetohydrodynamic equations and assume a fully turbulent state in the coronal plasma. The boundary condition for these equations is the subphotospheric velocity field that stresses the magnetic field lines, thus replenishing the magnetic energy that is continuously being dissipated inside the corona. In a turbulent scenario, energy is efficiently transferred by a direct cascade to the microscale, where viscous and Joule dissipation take place. Therefore, for the macroscopic dynamics of the fields, the net effect of turbulence is to produce a dramatic enhancement of the dissipation rate. This effect of the microscale on the macroscale is modeled through effective dissipation coefficients much larger than the molecular ones. We consistently integrate the large-scale evolution of a coronal loop and compute the effective dissipation coefficients by applying a closure model (the eddy-damped, quasi-normal Markovian approximation). For broadband power-law photospheric power spectra, the heating of coronal loops is DC dominated. Nonetheless, a better knowledge of the photospheric power spectrum as a function of both frequency and wavenumber will allow for more accurate predictions of the heating rate from this simple model.
These studies were conducted to compare the local cellular proliferation patterns in the rat tibia during distraction osteogenesis with those during nondistracted fracture healing. Bone specimens from distraction osteogenesis and nondistracted fracture groups were analyzed 2, 10, and 20 days after surgery. Proliferation was determined by metabolic labeling with [3H]thymidine and by immunocytochemistry with an antibody to proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Videomicroscopy was used to count the cells staining positively within specified regions. The number of cells incorporating [3H]thymidine was positively correlated (r2 = 0.78) with the number of proliferating cell nuclear antigen positive cells on alternating serial slides. At day 2, the latter cells were largely confined to the bone marrow and periosteum in both groups, and the cell numbers per mm2 were also equivalent. At days 10 and 20, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen positive cells predominated in both the proximal and distal primary matrix front zones in the distraction osteogenesis group. In contrast, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen positive cells in the nondistracted fracture group were scattered throughout the healing area. Significantly more of these cells were in the primary matrix front zones than in any location within the nondistracted fracture‐healing area. The number of these cells in the bone marrow adjacent to the surgical area declined from day 2 to day 10 in both groups. The results suggest that (a) proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunostaining is a reliable indicator of cycling cells; (b) by day 10, distraction osteogenesis is characterized by a zone‐specific pattern of proliferating cells; and (c) distraction osteogenesis prolongs the stimulation of proliferation within the gap after fracture.
The thermoelectric power (TEP) measurements in thin ytterbium and samarium films over the thickness range 500 AA to 1250 AA are reported. The TEP is found to be thickness dependent and increases with film thickness in both cases. The thermopower of ytterbium reaches a constant value of 19 mu V degrees C-1 for film thicknesses greater than 900 AA, and for samarium its value becomes almost zero for all thicknesses greater than 1100 AA.
An unprecedented stereoselective C(sp3)–H functionalization enabled Ugi-azide (CH-Ugi-azide) reaction is reported. This novel reaction produces α-tetrazolyl N-heterocycles directly from N-heterocycles without involving pre-functionalization/pre-oxidation steps. Importantly, the stereoselective reaction involving chiral amines or chiral isocyanides allowed the expeditious syntheses of nucleoside analogs and α-tetrazolyl pyrrolidine in enantioenriched form.
In this paper, the case for the conservation of plants that have arisen in cultivation is provided and the mechanisms for extinction discussed, with examples. The approach to cultivated plant conservation over the past 30 years is reviewed and a basis for revising that approach explained. A new, far more comprehensive and rigorous method for prioritisation is proposed. This has been developed for the Plant Heritage Threatened Plants Project.
Within the background of the global economy, the authors evaluate competition among domestic firms, and ascertain impact on the domestic pharmaceutical industry. This paper analyzes the industry's structure, conduct and performance to show that the pharmaceutical industry did not escape the effects of free trade areas and global competition, despite the general view that it is a high-profit industry. The U.S. government aided the industry in the areas of lengthening of patents life, allowing mergers, and the negotiation of international property rights. Also, firms have come to embrace increased rivalries in the areas of non-price tactics. We found small firms reacting to a leader, such as Merck, previous R&D and advertising outlays, and that they find a haven in the area of generics rather then basic research. The industry embraces an array of price strategies, relating to generics and the lack of information about prices at home, and unfair competition from abroad, an area where the government could play a larger role. Several hypotheses based on the literature have been advanced to ascertain these results.
Biodiesel synthesis from nonedible oils, which offer excellent potential as sustainable feed stock, is highly energy-intensive and slow operation, because it requires considerable processing due to higher initial acid values and due to the fact that the reaction is mass-transfer-controlled. The present work reports the intensification of synthesis of biodiesel from the high-acid-value Nagchampa oil using sonochemical reactors. The synthesis process is a two-step method of esterification in the presence of homogeneous acid catalyst followed by transesterification using an alkaline (KOH) catalyst. The synthesis has also been attempted using conventional methods of reflux for analyzing the degree of intensification. With an objective of avoiding possible saponification reaction in the transesterification based on use of an alkaline catalyst, the acid value of oil was reduced from 18.4 mg KOH/g of oil to 1.4 mg KOH/g of oil, using the first-stage esterification method. The reduction in the acid value allows f...
Valuable research works are getting wasted by publishing them in so called, fake journals (pseudo journals, hijacked or predatory journals). Fake journals are the journals which do not perform peer review or minimal language editing in the name of peer review. Unaware of negative consequences of publishing in fake journals, budding or novice academician/clinician/researcher continue to fall prey for them. Present scenario, forced them to get their valuable research published for promotion, pay hike, academic or research reputation, etc. But, they boast themselves by publishing them in fake journals with fake metrics. By making publication in fake journals, only the publishers make profit and pseudo enhance the bio-data of novice academician. It is becoming a big business. In this short communication, we have highlighted the most common prevalent issue among the novice or budding academician.
Enantioselective separation of racemic 1-phenethanol via hydrogen bonding interactions is realized in two enantiomorphous robust metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with permanent porosity for high hydrogen uptake and reversible guest exchange function through a single-crystal-to-single-crystal fashion, which opens a new route toward enantioselective separation by employing low-cost homochiral MOFs containing only achiral building blocks.
end of the spectrum be muell shortened II B will be classed with blues instead of reds. Whom are we to reject by this test? If we reject all thle (so-called) partially red and green blind, we shall reject many persons who are practically competent. If we only reject the (so-called) completely red or green blind, we shall allow mnany persons who are dangerously colour blind to officiate as signalmen. A person with central scotoma will escape detection if examined by this test. The red end of the spectrum may be considerably shortened, so much so that a person may scarcely be able to distinguish red from black. It is obvious that this will not prevent himn from matchling a light-green wool with other green wools. Many colour-blind persons will escape detection by this test. It is possible to instruct a red-greeni colour blind so as to enable him to pass througl the test wvith ease. 3. Naming Colours.-A method of testing in which a candidate is asked to name a number of coloured objects taken at random is a very ineflicient and uncertain method of testing. If the examiner were experienced, and eould choose his colours, he might test in this way, but under any circumstances the method is tedious. 4. Titin Colours.-The method of employing twini colours is useless, because there are different varieties and degrees of colour blindness. 5. Tests in wtihich the C,mnplementary CIlour has a Part.-Tests of this description have very little value; they are nmore likely to detect the ignoraint than the colour blind. The colour sense is diminished in the colour blinid, but not to such a degree as to prevent them from seeing complemerntarv colours.
People with intellectual disability should have access to life-long learning opportunities that help them to acquire essential knowledge and skills. Due to poverty, they may be unable to access basic products and services such as telephones, television and the Internet. Unequal access to technology has created a digital divide. However, information and communication technology can help people with intellectual disability in the interaction with the external environment. The objective of this research was assessing iOS apps quality for people with intellectual disability using Mobile App Rating Scale. Apps included for evaluation needed to be educational, in Spanish and free to download. A systematic search was conducted with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in Apple App Store, finding a total of 958 apps. After filtering, a total of 42 apps were considered for evaluation using Mobile App Rating Scale. The research identified seven apps with good quality, with scores over 4. Due to moderately correlation of subjective customer ratings of Apple App Store with Mobile App Rating Scale score, customer rating is an unreliable indicator of app quality. The results of this research can help therapists and parents to choose the right app for people with intellectual disability.
Life science companies often seek guidance on whether certain current or proposed activities fall within the Hatch-Waxman safe harbor, which exempts from infringement the making, using, offering to sell or sale within the US, or the importation into the US, of “a patented invention … solely for uses reasonably related to the development and submission of information under a Federal law which regulates the manufacture, use, or sale of drugs …”. In 2005, the US Supreme Court provided some clarity as to the scope of this safe harbor. In Merck KGaA v. Integra Lifesciences I, Ltd, the Court held that the exemption from infringement can reach certain preclinical experiments, outlining one test by which such preclinical experiments can be shown to be sufficiently ‘reasonably related’ to FDA submission as to qualify for the safe harbor. On remand of the case from the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals added further explanatory detail. In late 2008, however, much of that hard-won clarity was lost when the Court of Appeals, in Proveris Scientific Corp. v. Innovasystems, Inc., addressed the ‘patented invention’ language of the statutory exemption, and articulated a two part test that is, in the opinion of the authors, unnecessary, unwarranted and unworkable.
Introduction Protease activated receptors (PARs) form a distinct group of G-protein coupled receptors with key roles in several pathophysiological processes including inflammation and atherothrombotic disease. This study aimed to investigate the effects of oxidative stress on PAR biology in human endothelial cells. EA.hy926 cells were investigated as an endothelial cell model and subsequently the effect of tert-butylhydroperoxide (tert-BHP) as an oxidative stressor was investigated in terms of PAR expression and activation. Methods Effects of thrombin, PAR-activating peptide and tert-BHP treatments on EA.hy926 PAR expression were determined by qRT-PCR and activity was assessed by Western blotting for pERK1/2. Results Both primary HUVECs and EA.hy926 expressed PAR1–3 and thrombin caused a rapid increase in PAR1 and PAR3 gene expression. PAR1 and PAR2 activating peptides caused significant increases in PAR1 and, to a lesser extent, PAR3. Induction of PAR2 via PAR2 activating peptide was not observed.PAR4 activating peptide caused time-dependent increases in PAR1–3. PAR activity increased with PAR activating peptide treatment, however there was no clear relationship between activity and expression of PARs mRNA. Repeated exposure to sub-cytotoxic concentrations of tert-BHP, 1 hr daily for 3 days, caused significant increases in PAR1 and PAR3 expression in EA.hy926 cells. Conclusions HUVEC PAR expression could be modelled in EA.hy926s. Induction of PAR gene expression in EA.hy926 cells was induced by activating peptides and thrombin. Increased PAR1 expression was often mirrored by increased PAR3 expression suggesting possible crosstalk. EA.hy926 cells treated with tert-BHP under conditions that induce stress-induced premature senescence, displayed significant increases in PAR1 and PAR3 gene expression. Further investigation is required to determine if this increased expression is due to redox changes alone and/or due to induction of a senescence phenotype.
The College of Aboriginal Education was set up in March 1973 within the Torrens College of Advanced Education, Adelaide, to provide an opportunity for adult Aboriginal people to continue their education in areas meaningful to them. It offers a highly individualized twelve month course which emphasizes the development of positive self concepts, an understanding of society and the development of positive attitudes to it, and the finding of satisfying employment. The students come from a wide range of backgrounds and include both tribal and non-tribal people. At present 45 students are enrolled. The staff includes both Aboriginals and Euro-Australians. The College makes use of a large number of part-time teachers, many of whom are Aboriginal, while other people, including both Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals expert in their own field, are brought in from time to time.
In order to improve the performance of obstacle avoidance of mobile robot in an unknown obstacle environment, ultrasonic sensors and fuzzy logic are used to research on the obstacle avoidance for mobile robot. There are a lot of disadvantages of traditional fuzzy logic obstacle avoidance, such as large number of rules and large amount of computation. And robots can't be successful to avoid obstacles through the large curve. To solve the problem, different weights are given to different distance and the effective obstacles searching box is added to the range of obstacle searching area. As a result, the efficiency of obstacle avoidance for mobile robot is improved and the mobile robot can successfully avoid obstacles through the large turning. Through the LabVIEW simulation experiments, the proposed method can make the mobile robot successfully avoid obstacles. Compared with the traditional fuzzy logic obstacle avoidance algorithm, the success rate of the improved obstacle avoidance algorithm is improved by 45% $ sim$ 60%.
This article reviews five major recent works on the phenomenon of the administration of territory by international actors. Covering both legal and policy elements of the works, it delves into how the scholars treat the purported legitimacy deficit often associated with this activity. It then addresses the authors’ approaches to the key international law questions, including the legal status of internationally administered territories, the legal basis for administration, the legal framework governing administrators’ acts, and, finally, the accountability of the international actors involved.
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) has become an important technique for determining the three-dimensional (3D) structure of biological macromolecules. Since 1985, it has been used to determine the structures of approximately 8,000 proteins, 1,000 DNA/RNA complexes and 180 protein/nucleic acid complexes (http://www.pdb.org/pdb/ statistics/holdings.do). At first, NMR was limited to relatively small and soluble proteins or protein domains. The study of large proteins was hindered by the presence of overlapping large peaks in the NMR spectra. This has been in part alleviated by the introduction of isotope (2H, 15N, 13C) labeling and multidimensional (3D, 4D) experiments (Sattler et al., 1999). By using these techniques, it is now possible to study proteins up to 40 kDa. For instance, the 3D solution structure of the maltodextrin-binding protein (41kDa) has been recently solved using NMR (Madl et al., 2009; Figure 1A). Comprehensive NMR studies of integral membrane proteins in solution have long been impaired by substantial problems of sample preparation, including the inability to produce sufficient quantities of isotopically labelled protein as well as the difficulties associated with the limited thermal stability, sample heterogeneity and short lifetimes of such proteins. However, NMR allows investigation of the very conformational mobility that to a large extent interferes with the process of crystallization of membrane proteins. Thus, by focusing on proteins with a sufficient expression yield and screening sample and detergent conditions in a microtiter-plate format, it has been possible to determine 71 structures of integral membrane proteins corresponding to 49 unique proteins (http://www.drorlist.com/ nmr/MPNMR.html). The first NMR structure determination of a detergent-solubilized seven-helix transmembrane (7TM) protein, the phototaxis receptor sensory rhodopsin II (pSRII) from Natronomonas pharaonis, was recently reported to illustrate that NMR can provide structures of large membrane proteins (Gautier et al., 2010; Figure 1B). The challenge is now to apply similar techniques to the study of other 7TM proteins, including G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) that represent the most important class of targets for current therapeutic agents. These proteins can only be
Do people's policy preferences toward outgroups in intractable conflict consistently correspond with political ideology? To what extent are policy-related cleavages between the political right and left in such contexts fueled by moral conviction and emotions? Analyses of a survey of Jewish-Israelis (N = 119) conducted immediately after a war between Israelis and Palestinians revealed little to no ideological differences in acceptance of “collateral damage,” support for retribution, or support for compromise when positions about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict were devoid of moral fervor. Those on the left and right endorsed polarized policy preferences only when their positions about the conflict were held with moral conviction. Presence or absence of guilt about harm to Palestinians mediated the effects of moral conviction on policy preferences in this context. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The object of this paper is the study of a periodic structure formed by identical mufflers or expansion chambers by a new method called ”Interface Response Function” or ”Green’s Function”. This method is very well known in solid physics but remains unrecognized in acoustics. The objective is to investigate the acoustic attenuation performance of expansion chamber by developing analytical expressions. The present work focuses on the acoustic characteristics of wave transmission and the band structure across a cell and then to the entire network. The effect of the discontinuity between two waveguide is not taken account. The theoretical analysis is for a one-dimensional rigid waveguide. It is reported that the viscothermic effect is ignored.The object of this paper is the study of a periodic structure formed by identical mufflers or expansion chambers by a new method called ”Interface Response Function” or ”Green’s Function”. This method is very well known in solid physics but remains unrecognized in acoustics. The objective is to investigate the acoustic attenuation performance of expansion chamber by developing analytical expressions. The present work focuses on the acoustic characteristics of wave transmission and the band structure across a cell and then to the entire network. The effect of the discontinuity between two waveguide is not taken account. The theoretical analysis is for a one-dimensional rigid waveguide. It is reported that the viscothermic effect is ignored.
BACKGROUND Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) improves liver function tests and prolongs survival in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The dose of 10- 15 mg/kg/day used in the large trials has largely been based on that used for gallstone dissolution. The only dose-response study of UDCA in PBC suggested that a dose of 8 mg/kg/day was the most efficacious. However, disease stage of the patients was not known, higher doses of UDCA were not tried and there was no 'washout period' between the different doses. The aim of this study was to determine the optimum dose of UDCA in early-stage PBC (stage 1 and 2).   METHODS Twenty-four biopsy-proven early-stage PBC patients (one male, 23 female) received five doses of UDCA (0, 300, 600, 900, 1200 mg/day) each for 8 weeks with 4-week washout periods between doses. Symptoms (pruritus, fatigue, diarrhoea) were assessed on a four-point scale (none, mild, moderate, severe). Liver function tests (LFTs) were performed using conventional methods, and serum bile acids were measured using gas liquid chromatography.   RESULTS The dose of 900 mg/day produced the greatest enrichment of UDCA in serum bile acids; although there was no difference in the enrichment of UDCA between the different doses. There was a trend towards normalization of the abnormal LFTs in a dose-dependent manner (for y-glutamyl transferase (yGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT) and IgM). Multi-factorial analysis showed that UDCA treatment, irrespective of dose, was significantly better than placebo for all the variables. The 900 and 1200 mg doses were better than both 300 and 600 mg using yGT and total bilirubin as variables, better than 300 mg using ALP and IgM as variables, and better than 600 mg using albumin as a variable. No variables showed a significant difference between 900 and 1200 mg.   CONCLUSION The optimum dose of UDCA is 900 mg/day (equivalent to 13.5 mg/kg/day).
This study examined the relationships among self-esteem, body image, and health-related behaviors of 267 female and 156 male first-year college students. Data were collected in 23 classrooms. Instruments included a demographic sheet, the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale, the Weight and Appearance Visual Analogue Scales, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, and a measure of physical fitness/health-related behaviors. Self-esteem was consistently related to body image dissatisfaction for women, and women consistently exhibited a more negative body image than did men. Even when both men and women were consistent exercisers, the women had poorer body image. Finally, for both men and women, more positive physical fitness/health-related behaviors were positively related to self-esteem and body image.
The role of hindgut microorganisms in the nutrition of stream detritivores was evaluated by examining the production, transport, and utilization of acetate derived from hindgut microbial fermentation. Incubations of detritivore hindguts demonstrated linear rates of acetate production in Tipula abdominalis and Pycnopsyche guttifer (i.e., 14.4 and 19.4 μmol/g hindgut, respectively). In T. abdominalis, in vivo transport of acetate from the hindgut proceeded rapidly with 45% of the hindgut acetate transported in 1 hr. Hemolymph acetate was rapidly metabolized (i.e., within 4 hr) to tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates, indicating typical routes of aerobic respiratory metabolism. Overall, acetate produced within the hindguts of these detritivores could account for approximately 5-16% of larval respiratory demand.
It has been known for a long time that antibiotics are capable of altering bacterial surfaces, resulting in morphological changes that can be detected by electron microscopy (2); however, more subtle alterations at the molecular level may be undetectable at the ultrastructural level. Certain antibiotics disturb the metabolism and processing of bacterial surface components (59, 71), whereas others disorganize the bacterial surface architecture (36, 39). Regardless of the mechanism of action, the induced surface changes can influence the strength of the attractive and repulsive forces responsible for bacterial surface interactions with molecules and cells in the environment. These interactions are important in the early stages of bacterial pathogenesis, that is, attachment to mucosal surfaces and invasion, and perhaps also during subsequent steps of the infectious process (5, 14, 15, 18, 38). Adhesins are ligand molecules that are located on the surfaces of pathogenic bacteria and that endow the organisms with the ability to bind specifically to complementary receptors on the mucosal surfaces of the susceptible host. Many studies have provided evidence that the expression and specific function of adhesins can be affected by concentrations of antibiotics that are unable to completely inhibit bacterial growth in vitro (sub-MICs; reviewed in references 13 and 66). These observations raise the possibility that sub-MICs of antibiotics may prevent the infectious process by inhibiting the mucosal attachment step (8, 64). Although many in vitro experiments have shown an effect of antibiotics on adhesion, only a few have been designed to define the molecular events involved. Because of the complexity of the microbe-drug-host interaction, interpretations concerning the effect of antibiotics on bacterial adhesion have been difficult. In this article, we review this topic, relating the known sites of action of various classes of antibiotics which perturb protein synthesis (31, 71) with what is known about the molecular mechanism of bacterial adhesion. Other antimicrobial agents are reviewed elsewhere (65). The concepts described in this review will be highlighted by examples referring only to the better-characterized adhesin-receptor systems, the paradigm being the type 1 fimbria-mediated adhesion of Escherichia coli to mannosylated receptors on eucaryotic cells. We emphasize technical aspects when necessary to reconcile apparent contradictions between different studies. A synopsis of the reviewed studies is shown in Table 1. The effectiveness of antibiotics that inhibit protein synthe-
The catalytic fragmentation of hydrophobic proteins by polyoxometalates (POMs) requires the presence of surfactants in order to increase the solubility of the protein. Depending on the nature of the surfactant, different effects on the kinetics of protein hydrolysis are observed. As the molecular interactions between the POMs and surfactants in solutions have been scarcely explored, in this study, the interaction between the catalytically active Keggin polyoxometalate [Zr(α-PW11O39)2]10− and four different surfactants—sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), dodecyldimethyl(3-sulfopropyl)ammonium (Zw3-12), dodecyldimethyl(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium (CHAPS), and polyethylene glycol tert-octylphenyl ether (TX-100)—have been studied in aqueous media. The effect of polyoxometalate on the self-assembly of surfactant molecules into micelles and on the critical micellar concentration (CMC) has been examined by fluorescence spectroscopy and diffusion ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY).
This paper describes what I have learned over the last fifteen years in my role as an applied organizational and medical anthropologist. It describes the triad of change-loss-grief in the life of countless workplace organizations in the United States and how an applied anthropologist might be of help to traumatized organizations (Hormann and Vivian 2005). Specifically, it addresses how one can be an engaged anthropologist both within organizations and in writing about organizational life. When in the fall of 2007 Dr. Satish Kedia invited me to submit a proposal for a panel or paper on organizational grief, he was the second or third Society for Applied Anthropology program chair to extend this invitation in recent years. Given the current state of the American economy, I can only conclude that the idea of the topic resonated with them and at this moment is terribly timely (Geoghegan 2006).
Two senile individuals with dysphagia developed lipoid pneumonia subsequent to the administration of methenamine mandelate (Mandelamine) suspension, 250 mg methenamine mandelate/teaspoon. Methenamine suspension forte (double strength) contains oil of sesame (USP) and hydrogenated castor oil. Methenamine mandelate suspension contains these two ingredients plus champagne cider oil. Methenamine mandelate should be given to dysphagic patients in the form of crushed tablets mixed with semisolid food.
The authors present the first case of a pure osteosarcoma arising in a long-standing uterine leiomyoma along with a literature review of all heterologous sarcomas arising in uterine leiomyoma. Most cases present with abnormal vaginal bleeding and symptoms related to a rapidly enlarged pelvic mass in postmenopausal women with a long-standing history of uterine leiomyoma. The histological finding of the case in this study revealed a relatively well-circumscribed tumor with a peripheral ring of leiomyoma and a central osteosarcoma. The case in this study further supported a possible pathogenesis involving the p53 gene. The prognosis may be better with low-stage tumor; however, cases with advanced stages, larger tumor size at presentation, and histological type of epithelioid angiosarcoma had poorer prognosis despite aggressive therapy.
Nano-crystalline Yttrium iron garnet (Y3Fe5O12) phase was prepared at various sintering temperature by the usual ceramic method. X-ray diffraction studies indicated the presence of cubic single phase when sample sintering at 1400 o C for 12 hours. The Mossbauer spectra indicate the presence of Fe 3+ in (A) site and (D) site and the ratio of the two peak area ID/IA equal 1.58 for sample sintered at 1400 o C. A dielectric measurement shows that the sample sintered at 1300 o C has higher conductivity. The difference in dielectric behavior is due to factors such as ceramic density, the change of microstructure shape, and presence of mixing phases with difference ratio for sample sintered at 1100 o C and 1300 o C and pure cubic phase for sample sintered at 1400 o C.
In Morocco, through the finding of the Casablanca population-based registry, all cancers are estimated at 35000 new cases par year and 3.2% are aged less or equal 20 years [1]. In our centre, we treated patient from Casablanca region and the half south of Morocco and we treated children and adults in the same unit. During ten years (2004–2014), we’ve irradiated 5510 children that represented 4% of all patients. The most frequent tumour were the CNS tumours (20.7%) followed by lymphoma (20.7%) specially Hodgkin disease in 75% of all lymphoma. The bone sarcoma was noted in 17.9% and the carcinoma and the epithelial tumours were 16%. We needed anaesthesia for the simulation and the treatment (for all the sessions) in 1% of all cases. We started using conformational radiation therapy since 2008. The locally stages were noted in 75% correlated with the delay of diagnosis. All children were treated by the 2 linear accelerators during all the day especially during the morning. The median time to start radiation was more than 1 month in 68% and 12% more than 3 months. We used the SIOP recommendations and all cases were discussed during the multidisciplinary paediatric oncology committee of the hospital. More time was necessary for the treatment planification since the CT simulation, dosimetry and given radiation.
Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascularrenal morbidity and mortality and all‐cause mortality. It is a highly significant problem for African Americans; about 30% of all deaths in this population are attributable to hypertension. Compared with whites, hypertension in African Americans is more prevalent, occurs earlier in life, is more severe, and is more often associated with target organ injury such as left ventricular hypertrophy and other cardiovascular complications. Only 25% of all African Americans with hypertension and fewer than 50% of those receiving drug treatment attain a blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg. These control rates are some‐what less than in white Americans. Enhanced awareness and understanding of the epidemiologic patterns of hypertension, other cardiovascular risk factors, risk‐factor control rates, and factors influencing these control rates should lead to better approaches to riskfactor control. This most likely would result in a reduction of cardiovascular disease complications.
Background: Infectious complications remain an important cause of morbidity/mortality following SOT. Brincidofovir (BCV), a nucleotide analog active in vitro against all major human pathogenic dsDNA viruses, is in Phase 3 development for CMV prevention in HCT. Over 400 patients (pts) have received BCV for serious or life-threatening infections with dsDNA viruses under compassionate use (Study CMX001-350, clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT01143181 or under emergency INDs).
The two most dreaded complications of traumatic hyphema, secondary glaucoma and blood staining of the cornea are much more likely to occur if there is further hemorrhage after the initial bleeding episode. Hence, any means of preventing this renewed bleeding would be a great boon to ophthalmologist and patient alike. In this paper evidence is presented that in conjugated estrogens we may have at our disposal such an agent. Rationale The preparation conjugated estrogenic substances (Premarin)* I.V. was used first to control uterine bleeding. 1-7 Its hemostatic action was attributed to endometrial regeneration. But Jacobson 8-12 felt that the mechanism of action involved more than this well known estrogenic effect. He believes that spontaneous hemorrhage (sudden, unexpected and unexplained bleeding) and excessive bleeding for which no cause can be found are related to the endogenous estrogen level and possibly to a vascular toxin. He has treated these conditions with parenteral
Building on a recently developed plane‐wave model for Newtonian fluids, this work studies the acoustic radiation force (ARF) in soft tissues generated by an ultrasound beam, modulated by a transient modulation envelope whose dominant frequency (relative to that of the ultrasound carrier) is on the order of the Mach number. Following earlier treatments of the featured “narrow‐beam” problem, the analysis focuses on the spatio‐temporal distribution of the ARF in the focal region and approximates the tissue’s constitutive response by a non‐linear thermo‐viscoelastic model. In situations involving “low‐frequency” beam modulation, the usual time‐averaging procedure, which works for stationary (non‐modulated) beams, is unfortunately not applicable for the resulting mean acoustic quantities still oscillate at the frequency of ultrasound. To deal with the problem, the asymptotic analysis bisects the time variable into a “fast” and “slow” component which frees the “fast” time averages of the acoustic quantities from undesirable rapid oscillations. The results demonstrate that the well‐known formula for the ARF in a focal region is, for the problem of interest, appended by an additional term that is linear in the “slow”‐time derivative of beam intensity. Selected results are included to highlight the effect of beam modulation on the spatio‐temporal distribution of the ARF.
Abstract Nowadays high-tonnage drawing presses need a controlled cushion so that the force is controlled during the drawing process. Although with a classic force control algorithm, consisting of a non-linear feedforward loop and a closed loop PID control, the results are normally quite good, there are times when tuning up is difficult and performance diminishes significantly at high rates. A new force control has therefore been developed applying sliding mode techniques, which is more robust than the previous control, especially in problem cases.
Aim: In this study, the association between temperament and character inventory (TCI) subscores and depression scores, and possible changes in temperament dimensions after treatment were explored.  Methods: 54 major depressive patients diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria were enrolled and naturalistic antidepressant treatments were prescribed to the patients. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and TCI were administered during enrollment and after three months of treatment. Patient group was composed of 31 remitted patients and compared with 75 healthy controls.  Results: Comparison of TCI scores of pre-treatment patient group and the control group demonstrated that harm avoidance, self-directedness, and cooperation subscale scores of patients were significantly different from controls (p=0.001, p=0.001 and p=0.001 respectively). The difference between patients and controls persisted even after the treatment. There was no significant difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment TCI outcomes of the patient group (P>0.05).  Conclusion: Our findings indicate that harm avoidance, cooperativeness, and self directedness dimensions are not state-related in MDD patients.
The phylogenetic information content of five nuclear genes encoding amino acid sequences was assessed on the basis of their character support of well-established "test" phy? logenies and their ability to recover these phylogenies using parsimony methods. The five genes encode dopa decarboxylase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, RNA polymerase ll (largest subunit), elongation factor-2, and elongation factor-la. The analyses employ the unambiguously alignable portions of all available animal sequences for these genes, representing a range of divergence times from about 10 to >550 million years ago. Separate analyses, including character mappings on the test phylogenies and, when different, on the most-parsimonious trees, were performed with nucleotides separated by codon position and with amino acids. Pairwise sequence divergences were calculated for all comparisons and are related to character information content. Amino acid and most nucleotide character sets recovered the test phylogenies, although with varying degrees of support, homoplasy, and resolution, confirming that these genes contain substantial phylogenetic information. An estimate is provided of the time span over which each character set in each gene will prove phylogenetically most informative. These genes should prove widely useful for systematics. (Nuclear genes; animals; character sets; sequence diver? gences; concordance studies.)
Progress in the development of LED technologies has reached a state which justifies the replacement of lighting with traditional light sources, not only in new buildings but also in existing, older ones. One of such replacements was used as an example of a lighting flicker study presented in this paper. The results of initial measurements indicated that Rapid Voltage Changes (RVCs) are the cause of light flicker. The procedure was introduced and described in this paper to provide the necessary actions to mitigate the light flicker in LED lighting. In order to fulfil this task, the source of locally induced voltage fluctuations has to be identified. A method of identification was developed and a multi-function office printer was identified as the source of RVCs. Using a less sensitive LED driver, changing the connection point of the interfering device, and improving the electrical installation were considered as a set of possible solutions. Laboratory measurements have shown significant sensitivity of the LED driver to RVCs. The identified source of voltage disturbances was confirmed by a simulation of supply voltage variation in the presence of such device in Matlab Simulink with the use of digital flickermeter.
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), first described in 1976, is the gold standard for the management of large kidney stones, with stone-free rates as high as 95% in contemporary literature. Colonic injuries during PCNL are a rare complication with an estimated incidence of 0.3%-0.5%. However, given the high morbidity incurred and the necessity of prompt operative intervention, it is imperative that practitioners have a low suspicion threshold for such injuries, particularly in those patients with altered or complex anatomy. This case series addresses peri- and postoperative outcomes of colon perforation during PCNL in patients with complex anatomy and reviews the technical challenges of surgery with potential methods to avoid injury in the future. Herein we review three instances of colonic injuries and their subsequent management to highlight both the presentation and the optimal management of these rare occurrences.
The design of a clock data recovery (CDR) circuit is the most challenging part of building a high-speed optical transceiver because of the complexity of this block. In this dissertation, the design of a half-rate high speed CDR is described, following a top-down design procedure. VHDL-AMS, which is the acronym of the VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language) for Analog and Mixed-Signal, is used to implement the behavioral model of the whole system in the early and mid-stage of the design process. As both wireless and optical communications systems move towards high-data rate application, low noise high frequency voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) are becoming more important in the design of the receiver and transmitter blocks. Ring oscillator has long been perceived as capable of permitting easy implementation and occupying smaller die area as compared with its inductor-capacitor (LC) counterparts. Ring oscillator is also well known to be able to cover a wide tuning range, and to generate quadrature signals, by simply using even-number of differential delay stages. In this dissertation, the design and experimental results of two novel ring oscillators are described. One of the proposed VCO attains the high speed and wide tuning range with acceptable noise level by using push-pull inverter as the secondary input of the multipleloop ring oscillator. Experimental results prove the capability of the VCO to operate at i ATTENTION: The Singapore Copyright Act applies to the use of this document. Nanyang Technological University Library
In this paper, I select three ‘Am I pretty or ugly?’ YouTube videos and examine the feedback associated with each video, organizing it into five themes to reveal how feedback functions as a postfeminist disciplinary strategy. Aside from reifying hegemonic understandings of raced and classed femininities, (hetero)sexual desire and the meanings of agency within US frameworks of girl power, the feedback also reveals some of the pressures facing girls today.
Interlayer excitons (IXs) in two-dimensional (2D) heterostructures provide an exciting avenue for exploring optoelectronic and valleytronic phenomena. Presently, valleytronic research is limited to transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) based 2D heterostructure samples, which require strict lattice (mis) match and interlayer twist angle requirements. Here, we explore a 2D heterostructure system with experimental observation of spin-valley layer coupling to realize helicity-resolved IXs, without the requirement of a specific geometric arrangement, i.e., twist angle or specific thermal annealing treatment of the samples in 2D Ruddlesden-Popper (2DRP) halide perovskite/2D TMD heterostructures. Using first-principle calculations, time-resolved and circularly polarized luminescence measurements, we demonstrate that Rashba spin-splitting in 2D perovskites and strongly coupled spin-valley physics in monolayer TMDs render spin-valley-dependent optical selection rules to the IXs. Consequently, a robust valley polarization of ∼14% with a long exciton lifetime of ∼22 ns is obtained in type-II band aligned 2DRP/TMD heterostructure at ∼1.54 eV measured at 80 K. Our work expands the scope for studying spin-valley physics in heterostructures of disparate classes of 2D semiconductors.
A neutron bang time and burn history monitor in inertial confinement fusion with fast ignition are necessary for plasma diagnostics. In the FIREX project, however, no detector attained those capabilities because high-intensity X-rays accompanied fast electrons used for plasma heating. To solve this problem, single-crystal CVD diamond was grown and fabricated into a radiation detector. The detector, which had excellent charge transportation property, was tested to obtain a response function for intense X-rays. The applicability for neutron bang time and burn history monitor was verified experimentally. Charge collection efficiency of 99.5% ± 0.8% and 97.1% ± 1.4% for holes and electrons were obtained using 5.486 MeV alpha particles. The drift velocity at electric field which saturates charge collection efficiency was 1.1 ± 0.4 × 10(7) cm/s and 1.0 ± 0.3 × 10(7) cm/s for holes and electrons. Fast response of several ns pulse width for intense X-ray was obtained at the GEKKO XII experiment, which is sufficiently fast for ToF measurements to obtain a neutron signal separately from X-rays. Based on these results, we confirmed that the single-crystal CVD diamond detector obtained neutron signal with good S/N under ion temperature 0.5-1 keV and neutron yield of more than 10(9) neutrons/shot.
This paper analyzes and compares one central and one distributed optimization method applied to complex city districts embedded in a hierarchical architecture. We define a complex city district by the coexistence of residential, nonresidential, and industry. The proposed methods are for offline, day-ahead optimization for operation planning purposes of, e.g., electrothermal heating systems. This paper analyzes how this way city districts may provide flexibility for demand response purposes. The optimization objective is the matching of supply and demand on system level by maximizing the usage of renewable energy generation. We provide quantitative and qualitative results to compare the performance of the algorithms and their potential for providing flexibility.
An FR4 printed planar monopole antenna element for use in the automobile roof top shark fin application is proposed in this paper. This antenna element covers the LTE frequency band from 698MHz to 2700MHz and will be part of a larger $2 times 2$ MIMO system. Physical constraints of a shark fin style antenna are considered in this design. Numerical simulation of the antenna design using FEKO is performed in order to verify the design parameters. Results show a VSWR of less than 3 is achieved in higher frequency band and a VSWR of less than 4 is achieved in lower frequency band.
Organic farmers are facing problems in finding the right buyers, resulting in high transaction costs (TCs). This study considers the integration of smallholder organic farmers in vertically coordinated supply chains and factors influencing them. The article draws transaction costs economics (TCE) to develop a model explaining potential TC attributes influencing farmer’s decision to participate in supermarket supply chains (SMSC) compared to spot market (SM) in Karnataka, India. This article uses data collected from 127 smallholder organic farmers through face-to-face interviews to identify factors that significantly influence the farmer’s decision. A binary logistic regression model was employed within the TC framework. Seven TC attributes were evaluated on farmer’s decision. The results revealed that farmers have a strong marketing preference towards SMSC. Attributes such as pre-arranging price, quantity, frequency, and access to market information and finance have significant positive influence on farmer’s decision to participate in SMSC. However, attribute payment mechanism has a negative influence. Furthermore, there are significant differences between SMSC and SM supplying groups with reference to variables distance to the market, the general state of the road and age. The results have a policy and managerial implication towards the development of organic food market in the Karnataka state, India.
A novel, fully variational three‐dimensional finite element formulation for the modeling of locally embedded strong discontinuities at finite strains is presented. The proposed numerical model is based on the Enhanced Assumed Strain concept with an additive decomposition of the displacement gradient into a conforming and an enhanced part. The discontinuous component of the displacement field which is associated with the failure in the modeled structure is isolated in the enhanced part of the deformation gradient. In contrast to previous works, a variational constitutive update is used. The internal variables are determined by minimizing a pseudo‐elastic potential. The advantages of such a formulation are well known, e.g. the tangent stiffness matrix is symmetric, standard optimization algorithms can be applied and it represents a natural basis for error estimation and mesh adaption. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
This paper is concerned with the performance output regulation problem for a wave equation with input delay and unmatched disturbance. Firstly, in the case of time delay, the input delay term is translated into a first-order hyperbolic equation and we obtain a cascade system. By applying the method of auxiliary trajectory, the unmatched disturbance is compensated and eliminated. Then, we design a state feedback controller. Meanwhile, with the measured error signal, we construct an observer for the cascade system. Based on the observer, an error feedback controller is developed by replacing the states with their estimations. By using Lyapunov functional method, we also prove the regulation error goes to zero exponentially. Thus, the problem of output tracking is solved for the wave equation in despite of input delay and unmatched disturbance. Finally, the numerical simulations are presented to validate the theoretical results.
Background: Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair has been proven to be a safe and effective procedure for groin hernias. In recent years, many of the tertiary centers in Nepal have started performing laparoscopic hernia repair. With the availability of resources and the facilities, the laparoscopic repairs for inguinal hernias are going to be more accessible in near future in Nepal. The aim of this study was to compare the intraoperative events and postoperative complications of transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) and totally extraperitoneal (TEP) techniques of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repairs.Methods: Out of 56 patients, 30 underwent TAPP and 26 TEP repairs for primary unilateral inguinal hernias and were prospectively analyzed. Patient demographics, past medical and surgical history, intraoperative, and postoperative events were recorded. Patients were followed-up for two years.Results: Demographic parameters were comparable in both the groups. The difference in mean operating time was statistically significant (longer in the TAPP group). Intraoperative events such as port-site bleeding and peritoneal tear were comparable in both groups. The immediate postoperative complications like skin ecchymosis, cord hematoma, and scrotal edema were comparable in both repairs.  Immediate postoperative pain was significantly lesser in TEP repair whereas the hospital stays and time to return to the normal physical activity were comparable in both groups.Conclusions: Both TAPP and TEP laparoscopic techniques are safe and effective for inguinal hernia repair. However, there are few advantages of TEP repair such as shorter duration of surgery and less postoperative pain.
Among anodic (electro-oxidative) aromatic substitution reactions there is a specific group of reactions involving direct nucleophilic replacement of hydrogen atom at the aromatic ring, or S NH (An) reactions. These reactions occurring via an intermediate s + complex represent a versatile type (the hydrogen atom that is easily removed as a proton) of S NH reactions, on the one hand, and are somewhat similar to aromatic electrophilic substitutions, on the other hand.
Background: pediatric blood transfusion has many potential risks as infections with transmissible disease carried by the donor and transfusion-related acute lung injury which can be decreased by sufficient nursing interventions. Aim to audit and re-audit nursing care for children receiving blood transfusion. Design: descriptive research design was used. Subjects and Method: Sample: This study included all nurses' and nursing supervisors. Setting: the study was conducted in hematology unit, blood transfusion center, pediatric intensive care unit and emergency unit at Assiut University Children Hospital. Subjects: the study consisted of 70 pediatric nurses (No=70). Tools: A structured observational check-list was used by the researchers to assess nurses' performance about care of children receiving blood transfusion. Re-auditing was performed after giving guidelines to all study research. Results: the majority of nurses had unsatisfactory level of performance before giving brochure and had satisfactory performance level during re-auditing. Conclusion: Auditing nursing care for children receiving blood transfusion was revealed improved nurses' performance after distribution the designed nursing brochure. Recommendation: application of Job Training programs on regular basis suggested improving and updating nurses' performance related to blood transfusion among children.
The synthesis of diverse substituted indole structures on solid supports is described. The immobilization of nitrobenzoic acid onto Merrifield resin and the subsequent treatment with alkenyl Grignard reagents delivered indole carboxylates bound to solid supports. In contrast to results in the liquid phase, ortho,ortho-unsubstituted nitroarenes also delivered indole moieties in good yields. Subsequent palladium-catalyzed reactions (Suzuki, Heck, Sonogashira, Stille) delivered, after cleavage, the desired molecules in moderate to good yields over four steps. The scope and limitations are presented.
The initial presentation of multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) featured cross-validation to mitigate over-fitting, computationally efficient searches of the epistatic model space, and variable construction with constructive induction to alleviate the curse of dimensionality. However, the method was unable to differentiate association signals arising from true interactions from those due to independent main effects at individual loci. This issue leads to problems in inference and interpretability for the results from MDR and the family-based compliment the MDR-pedigree disequilibrium test (PDT). A suggestion from previous work was to fit regression models post hoc to specifically evaluate the null hypothesis of no interaction for MDR or MDR-PDT models. We demonstrate with simulation that fitting a regression model on the same data as that analyzed by MDR or MDR-PDT is not a valid test of interaction. This is likely to be true for any other procedure that searches for models, and then performs an uncorrected test for interaction. We also show with simulation that when strong main effects are present and the null hypothesis of no interaction is true, that MDR and MDR-PDT reject at far greater than the nominal rate. We also provide a valid regression-based permutation test procedure that specifically tests the null hypothesis of no interaction, and does not reject the null when only main effects are present. The regression-based permutation test implemented here conducts a valid test of interaction after a search for multilocus models, and can be applied to any method that conducts a search to find a multilocus model representing an interaction.
A key problem in development of heavy liquid metal cooled nuclear energy and transmutation reactors is the corrosion of structural and fuel cladding materials in contact with the liquid metal. Lead and lead bismuth attack unprotected steel surfaces by dissolution of the metallic components into the liquid metal. It is common understanding that oxide scales on the surface provide the best protection against dissolution attack. However, at temperatures above 500°C austenitic steels suffer from severe dissolution attack, while martensitic steels form thick oxide scales, which hinder heat transfer from the fuel pins and which may break off and eventually lead to a blocking of the coolant channel. Above 500°C steels have to be protected by stable, thin oxide scales. A well understood measure is alloying of stable oxide formers into the surface. Al has shown its ability to form such oxide scales. In the range of 4–10 wt% Al on the surface a stable thin alumina scale is formed by Al diffusion to the surface and selective oxidation. The alumina scale grows only very slowly and prevents migration of oxygen into the steel as well as migration of steel components onto the surface. A number of corrosion experiments showed the good protective behaviour of Al scales in LBE with 10−6 wt% oxygen up to 650°C and for exposure times up to 10000 h. Alloying Al into the surface was done by diffusion processes and also by pulsed electron beam (GESA) melting of a thin surface layer on which Al or an Al containing alloy was precipitated before. This presentation gives an overview on investigations of the steel behaviour in HLM environment carried out to explore their suitability for systems with Pb/LBE coolants. Results of experiments with static and flowing LBE are discussed. The behaviour of steels examined and their respective application ranges are described. Part of the presentation deals with protective barrier development on the steel surface by alloying of Al and its effect on the corrosion resistance. Furthermore the influence of parameters like stresses in the cladding wall, creep behaviour, different flow velocities of the LBE and changing temperatures and oxygen concentrations in LBE is discussed.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Along with the COVID-19 pandemic, urgent needs for medical and specialized products, especially personal protective equipment, has been overwhelming. The conventional production line of medical devices has been challenged by excessive global demand, and the need for an easy, low-cost and rapid fabrication method is felt more than ever. In a scramble to address this shortfall, manufacturers referred to additive manufacturing or 3D printing to fill the gap and increase the production line of medical devices. Various previously/conventionally fabricated designs have been modified and redesigned to suit the 3D printing requirement to fight against COVID-19. In this perspective, various designs accommodated for the current worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 are discussed and how 3D printing could help the global community against the current and future conditions has been explored.
A set of two differential equations has been formulated to model the behaviour of metastable particle density under constant electric field conditions in a weakly ionized plasma in which the metastable particles can 'self' regenerate. In the present case the self-regeneration occurs indirectly through the production of secondary electrons at the cathode surface by metastable particle impact, the secondary electrons then travelling across the gap space, under the influence of the constant electric field, to produce further metastable particles. Previously this problem has been approached by first solving the diffusion equation in the non-regenerative situation in which the eigenmodes are simple sinusoidal functions, and the decay times obtained are those applicable to no regeneration. The decay rates of the metastable particle density in the regenerative case are then obtained by various iterative procedures involving assumptions about the form of the metastable species' decay. No specific form for the eigenmodes of the actual physical system under consideration can be obtained by this method. The present approach takes a more physically significant and fundamental view by obtaining the eigenmodes and decay rates of the actual physical system under consideration directly from the set of coupled differential equations. The set of differential equations is solved by assuming that the transit time of the electrons is very fast compared with the average lifetime of the metastable particles in the gap space. In most cases, the solution for the metastable particle density equation can be written as an infinite sum of terms, each of which consists of the product of an exponentially decaying part and a spatial eigenmode, which remains constant in form during the decay period. Under certain conditions, however, some of the eigenfunctions and their decay rates can become complex. In this case pairs of complex eigenmodes can be combined to form real terms, although the decay of these terms is not a simple exponential one. Forms for the metastable particle density, the individual metastable particle eigenmodes and their corresponding decay rates have been obtained under the various conditions outlined above. The metastable particle density is then used to predict the theoretical form of the decay of current in a typical pre-breakdown nitrogen discharge, which is then compared with the experimentally obtained current.
Decades of reading research have led to sophisticated accounts of single-word recognition and, in parallel, accounts of eye-movement control in text reading. Although these two endeavors have strongly advanced the field, their relative independence has precluded an integrated account of the reading process. To bridge the gap, we here present a computational model of reading, OB1-reader, which integrates insights from both literatures. Key features of OB1 are as follows: (1) parallel processing of multiple words, modulated by an attentional window of adaptable size; (2) coding of input through a layer of open bigram nodes that represent pairs of letters and their relative position; (3) activation of word representations based on constituent bigram activity, competition with other word representations and contextual predictability; (4) mapping of activated words onto a spatiotopic sentence-level representation to keep track of word order; and (5) saccade planning, with the saccade goal being dependent on the length and activation of surrounding word units, and the saccade onset being influenced by word recognition. A comparison of simulation results with experimental data shows that the model provides a fruitful and parsimonious theoretical framework for understanding reading behavior.
It is shown that the flux distribution in the air gap of a synchronous machine consists of a series of component distributions that are simple harmonic wave trains, either stationary or moving at constant velocities. Methods are suggested for determining the effects of slots and the saturation of the magnetic circuit on the magnitudes of these component distributions. Expressions for the voltage generated and the power developed thereby are given. The theory is applied to the operation of a three-phase synchronous machine under different conditions of load, both qualitatively and quantitatively. A table of comparative calculated field currents is appended.
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure has been linked to numerous adverse health effects, with some disadvantaged subgroups bearing a disproportionate exposure burden. Few studies have been conducted to estimate the exposure and inequality of different subgroups due to a lack of adequate characterization of disparities in exposure to air pollutants in urban areas, and a mechanistic understanding of the causes of these exposure inequalities. Based on a long-term series of PM2.5 concentrations, this study analyzed the spatial and temporal characteristics of PM2.5 in 31 provincial capital cities of China from 2000 to 2016 using the coefficient of variation and trend analyses. A health risk assessment of human exposure to PM2.5 from 2000 to 2016 was then undertaken. A cumulative population-weighted average concentration method was applied to investigate exposures and inequality for education level, job category, age, gender and income population subgroups. The relationships between socioeconomic factors and PM2.5 exposure concentrations were quantified using the geographically and temporally weighted regression model (GTWR). Results indicate that the PM2.5 concentrations in most of the capital cities in the study experienced an increasing trend at a rate of 0.98 μg m−3 per year from 2000 to 2016. The proportion of the population exposed to high PM2.5 (above 35 μg m−3) increased annually, mainly due to the increase of population migrating into north, east, south and central China. The higher educated, older, higher income and urban secondary industry share (SIS) subgroups suffered from the most significant environmental inequality, respectively. The per capita GDP, population size, and the share of the secondary industry played an essential role in unequal exposure to PM2.5.
Layout Design Rules have been scaled very aggressively to enable the 7nm technology node without EUV. As a result, achieving acceptable performance and yield in High Volume Manufacturing (HVM) has become an extremely challenging task. Systematic yield and parametric variabilities have become quite significant. Moreover, due to overlay tolerance requirements and diminishing process windows, reliability risks due to soft shorts/leakages and soft opens for both FEOL and BEOL have also increased to a critical level. Introduction of EUV at the second wave of 7nm and 5nm will not help significantly due to increased detectivity and significant increases in Local Edge Roughness. New characterization techniques are necessary to identify the yield and reliability risks. After reviewing the evolution of design rules and classifying the yield and reliability risks, we will present examples from Design-For-Inspection™ (DFI™) and the novel VarScan methodology to "detect the undetectable" defects and characterize variability for both FEOL and BEOL 7nm and below technologies.
Typhoon Morakot struck central and southern Taiwan on August 8, 2009, and the high rainfall intensity and accumulated rainfall-induced several floods, landslides, and debris flows. In this study, the destructive debris flow caused by Typhoon Morakot in the Sha-Xinkai gully of the Liouguei District in southern Taiwan was selected as a case study for analysis. A two-dimensional model (FLO-2D software) was used to simulate debris flow. First, hydrological and geomorphological data were collected on the debris flow event and the rheological properties of slurry collected from the field were analyzed. Next, the relationship between debris flow discharge and water flow discharge was obtained. The simulation results for the deposited area and depth were then compared to aerial photos taken during a field investigation. Finally, the bulked coefficient of discharge and the resistant parameters used in the model were presented. The results showed that the maximum deposited depth in the debris flow inundated area was over 6 m; the maximum velocity, 6.6 m/s; and the deposited volume, almost 1,000,000 m 3 . The simulated deposition depth and inundation area matched the results from the field investigation reasonably well. In this study, the parameters and processes needed for the simulation of landslide-induced debris flows were proposed to provide a reference for hazard zone mapping and debris flow hazard mitigation.
Injuries occurring to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) of the knee often occur with associated damage to the structures of the posterolateral corner, specifically the popliteus tendon (POP) and the popliteofibular ligament (PFL). During PCL reconstruction, it is often necessary to concurrently repair damage to the POP or PFL, with the intent of reducing external rotation of the tibia. This biomechanical study compared the efficacy of POP and PFL reconstructions in reducing external rotation and also compared differences in graft tensioning protocols when reconstructing these structures. Using a fresh frozen human cadaveric knee, external rotation in response to an external tibial torque and PCL graft tension forces were measured during a full range of motion. Both POP and PFL reconstructions were performed on the knee and compared individually with respect to external rotation in the same knee with the POP and PFL sectioned. Additionally, both the POP and PFL were reconstructed using two protocols: tensioning at 30 degrees of flexion allowing the knee to rotate freely and tensioning at 30 degrees with the knee locked in neutral rotation. We found the following: First, the POP and PFL reconstructions each were found to reduce the external rotation of the knee when compared to the knee without these structures intact. Second, both POP and PFL reconstructions produced similar reductions in external rotation. Finally, the two different tensioning protocols led to no significant differences in tension forces experienced by the PCL, but tensioning the graft in locked neutral rotation led to a greater amount of external rotation over the full range of motion.
The lack of capacity to respond to peaking has appeared in most provincial power grids of China. Hydropower, regarded as one of ideal power sources for shaving peak and adjusting frequency, plays a significant role in the operation of power grids in China. In this paper, a classified load allocation model for hydropower stations has been proposed and the load demands, regulation capacity and its spatial position are considered. The objective is to minimize the variance of remaining load, subjected to generation bounds, maximum ramp power generation constraints and forbidden zone restrictions. The model is solved by different load-shedding methods depending on the classification of the stations. The proposed model and method have been applied to the Guizhou Power Grid to make day-ahead quarter-hourly power generation schedule. The simulation results show that the method can provide rational power generation schedules responding to the peak loads. Furthermore, the advantages of the proposed method are confirmed by the comparison with the observed values.
The human Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) lies within the short arm of chromosome 6 and is responsible for the production of Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA). The HLA genes are the most polymorphic genes in the human genome, encoding over 13000 allelic variants. Our laboratories are involved in HLA tissue typing of patients, their relatives and volunteer donors for the Italian Bone Marrow Register. During HLA-A high resolution typing of our Caucasian bone marrow volunteer donors, we found a sequence largely homologous to A*02:01 with a mutation at position 367 a C instead of a T. This mutation results in a coding change from Tyrosine to Histidine in exon 3 (codon 99 TAT→CAT). This allele was then submitted to the WHO Nomenclature Committee via the IMGT/HLA Database for naming and was assigned the official name A*02:548.
Holonic manufacturing and multi-agent paradigms are suitable to support the actual challenges of flexible manufacturing systems, due to their decentralisation, modularity and autonomy features. The formal specification assumes a critical role in order to understand and synthesise those complex systems. The Petri nets formalism is adequate to model and validate the dynamic behaviour, but present weak points when the system contains many instances of the same component, since the model grows (structure and components) in a non-controllable manner. The use of high-level Petri nets, allows to reduce this complexity, by compressing the representation of states, actions and events, to overcome the identified limitations and to support more complex and bigger coordination scenarios. We present a formal specification of the ADACOR product holons using high-level Petri nets and the associated formal validation of the model.
The Eulerianand Lagrangian-mean flow fields induced around a 'vertical' critical surface for a planetary wave propagating latitudinally are discussed by using a simplified model of horizontal wave guide on a beta-plane. It is shown that the Eulerian-mean meridional stream function *F (not zonal mean part of geostrophic stream function * ) is forced by a delta-function-like divergence of the Reynolds stress. This *E-equation is solved on the basis of the result of classical hydrodynamics for the critical layer problem (e.g., Lin, 1967; Lindzen and Tung, 1978), as done also by Matsuno and Nakamura (1979) for the problem of vertical propagation. It is shown that the Eulerian-mean flow fields are confined in the extent given by the Rossby radius of deformation divided by 2*. Particularly, it is noted that the mean zonal acceleration consists of two parts; one is the easterly acceleration concentrated on the critical surface and is associated with no meridional circulation, and the other is the acceleration due to the Coriolis force acting on the wave-induced mean meridional circulation. The latter acceleration is directed toward west in the mid-level and toward east in the upper and the lower layers. It is also shown that the mean vertical flow is discontinuous at the critical surface and has a four sector structure with upward (downward) branch in the southern (northern) side of the surface in the upper layer, and the flow is reversed in the lower layer. The mean meridional circulation consists of two circulations, opposite to each other, in the upper and the lower layers. Finally, it is shown that the Lagrangian-mean flow fields have the same structure as the Eulerian-mean ones. This is because the second order fields are induced by the divergence of Reynolds stress only, different from the case of vertical propagation (cf. Matsuno and Nakamura, 1979).
Bidirectional coupling systems for electricity and natural gas composed of gas units and power-to-gas (P2G) facilities improve the interactions between different energy systems. In this paper, a combined optimization planning method for an electricity-natural gas coupling system with P2G was studied. Firstly, the characteristics of the component model of the electricity-natural gas coupling system were analyzed. The optimization planning model for the electricity-natural gas coupling system was established with the goal of minimizing the sum of the annual investment costs and the annual operation costs. Based on the established model, the construction statuses for different types of units, power lines, and pipelines and the output distribution values for gas units and P2G stations were optimized. Then, the immune algorithm was proposed to solve the optimization planning model. Finally, an electricity-natural gas coupling system composed of a seven-node natural gas system and a nine-node power system was taken as an example to verify the rationality and effectiveness of the model under different scenarios.
This paper uses the findings of a recent study of professional women returning to work after a career break. It critically examines their return to work following attendance of a European funded updating course, and evaluates the initiative in terms of job and career success in terms of the women’s own perceptions. The study showed that the majority of women resumed work following the updating programme, but not necessarily at a level commensurate with their qualifications and experience, nor in their original professional area. Paradoxically, the respondents did not always see this as a negative outcome, and a large proportion of them attributed their successful return to completion of the professional updating course. The paper concludes by suggesting that a traditional female career model has not only continued relevance for women, but may be increasingly relevant to men. This presents a challenge to both policy makers and course providers.
By examining a number of linguistic phenomena, this article shows how some grammatical occurrences in standard Slovenian can be explained through one’s own local dialect. The natural coexistence of dialect and standard language and their comparisons facilitate a better comprehension and use of Slovenian in general. A key component of literacy is therefore closely connected to encouraging conscious awareness and consequently proficient use of one’s own dialect, other regional variants, and standard Slovenian.
Objectives: To evaluate of the effectiveness of rehabilitation in patients following mandibulectomy and free fibula flap reconstruction with further endosteal implants. The patient cohort consisted of 27 patients years (14 males and 13 females) with lower jaw defects due to resection for tumors, were reconstructed with fibula-free flaps in a 6-year period (2015-2020). All patients underwent a thorough clinical laboratory, radiological examination according to a generally accepted scheme. Patients were evaluated by preoperative and postoperative outcome using computed tomography scan evaluation. The surgical procedure included: Segmentar resection of the lower jaw, reconstruction with fibula free flap. The implants were evaluated with measures of Resonance Frequency Analysis (RFA) during the follow-up periods using Osstell Mentor at time of implant placement, after 3 months. The mean RFA recordings of all 134 implants were 65 ISQ at implant placement respectively 73 ISQ after 3 months. After 4-6 months of healing, 152 dental implants were placed in non-irradiated fibular bone. Dental prosthetic rehabilitation was performed after 3-4 months of submerged healing. Patients had received implant-bridge and hybrid denture that provided ideal facial balance and occlusion. Postoperative clinical and radiographic controls were made regularly, the criteria for implant success were assessed. With dynamic observation, clinical and radiological indices were stable, of the 152 implants installed, 2 failed to osseointegrate and 5 after years of loading (peri-implantitis). Success rate of implants 5 years after was 96.1%. Conclusion: The reconstruction of the lower jaw defects after ablation of tumors with fibular flaps is a reliable method with good long-term results. In all 27 patients, fibula flaps provided adequate bone stock for implant placement. Implants placed in the reconstructed areas were demonstrated to integrate normally. The results showed that implant treatment is effective to improve patients’ masticatory efficiency and an acceptable quality of life to the patient.
The present invention provides a manipulator apparatus including a plurality of joints for driving with high precision and high efficiency, and a medical device system including the monipulator apparatus. The manipulator apparatus includes a manupulator with a plurality of joints; a parameter storing portion for storing joint parameters; a trajectory inputting portion for inputting, as a trajectory plan, trajectories for moving a distal end of the manipulator from a current position and attitude to a target position and attitude; and a trajectory setting portion for setting a joint angle trajectory for each joint providing a largest available force from among joint angle trajectories which allow movement to the target position and attitude with a minimum number of driven joints based on a largest available force parameter for the each joint stored in the parameter storing portion and the trajectory plan.
ABSTRACT. Carvalho V.A., Cardoso Filho F.C., Rios F.P.B., Lima C.E., Muratori M.C.S. & Keller K.M. [Coliforms and Salmonella spp. in ground meat comercialized at Teresina, PI.] Coliformes e Salmonella spp. em carne moida comercializada em Teresina, PI. Revista Brasileira de Medicina Veterinaria, 33(1):32-36. 2011. Departamento de Morfofisiologia Veterinaria, Universidade Federal do Piaui, Campus Universitario Ministro Petronio Portella, Teresina, 64049-550, PI, Brasil. E-mail: chrismuratori@uol.com.br The ground meat stands out among the meat products because it is well accepted by the consumers, for its convenience and affordability. The grind of the meat may favor the contamination and the multiplication of a greater quantity of microorganisms, due to the increased of the contact surface, being the food most exposed to contamination. This study investigated the hygienic and sanitary conditions in ground meat sold in Teresina, PI. To analyze the quality of ground meat, 30 samples were collected from six shops located in different geographical areas of Teresina city, PI. The method used was of the most probable number (MPN) for coliforms at 35 and 45o C and the research of Salmonella spp. There were variations among markets for coliforms enumeration at 35oC. It was checked that all samples were contaminated with coliforms at 35o C, with values ranging from 1.36 to 3.38 MPN/ g in log10 (x+1). The sampling places “B” and “F” had the lowest level of contamination. The six shops studied did not differ in coliforms at 45oC. It was observed that 93% of ground meat samples were contaminated by these bacteria, ranging from 0.30 to 3.08 MPN / g in log10 (x+1). In just one settlement was possible to isolate Salmonella spp. from one (20.0%) sample among five collected in the sampling place “B”, representing a danger to the public health. The hygienic and sanitary conditions of ground beef sold in Teresina are variable, it is possible to isolate coliforms at 35o C and 45o C and Salmonella spp.
The invention relates to a toilet system (1) for receiving and removal of human excreta with a receiving space (4) for the exudates are discharged into the same and a discharge line (3), which is connected to the receiving space, wherein the toilet system both as usable toilet seat as well as a urinal, and wherein a device (12, 13) is provided by means of the receiving space can be enlarged in the height direction at least partially, so that the receiving space can serve as a urinal. This device is integrated in a further aspect of the invention in a toilet lid toilet seat arrangement.
The cross sections for the diffractive scattering of hadrons on nuclei are calculated in the two-channel approximation of multiple scattering theory. In contrast to the standard Glauber approach, it is not assumed that the nucleon scattering profile is a Gaussian or that the Regge radius of the hadron is small compared to the nuclear radius. The AGK Reggeon diagrammatic technique is used to calculate the topological cross sections and the cross sections for coherent and incoherent diffractive dissociation and quasielastic scattering. The features of hadron-nucleus scattering at superhigh energies are discussed.
Statins and angiotensin Ⅱ receptor blocker(ARB) possess an additional cardiovascular protective activity independent of reduction of both cholesterol and blood pressure.Recent research has show that statins positively correlate with endothelial progenitor cells(EPCs),and it suggested that EPCs may play an important role in enhancing vascular regeneration and reendothelialization of vascular injuries.However,the beneficial effects on EPCs after ARB are yet to be clearly established.
The invention discloses a small distortion large vision field stereo endoscope object lens structure. The small distortion large vision field stereo endoscope object lens structure comprises a direct vision endoscope and a strabismus endoscope, wherein the direct vision endoscope sequentially comprises protection glass, a first negative lens, a second negative lens, a parallel flat board, a flat convex lens and a subsequent glued lens group along a light spreading direction, and the strabismus endoscope sequentially comprises protection glass, a first negative lens, a second negative lens, a parallel flat board, a turning prism, a flat convex lens and a subsequent glued lens group along the light spreading direction. The small distortion large vision field stereo endoscope object lens structure has an ingenious structure, the two negative lenses are in front of a diaphragm, the first negative lens is a flat concave negative lens, the second negative lens is a convex concave negative lens, the two negative lenses are organically combined, system distortion can be corrected through optimization design, so large vision field small distortion endoscope optics systems can be designed out, the first negative lens and the second negative lens are respectively glued to the parallel flat board, the technology is good, positioning precision is high, the sealing technology is improved, and assembly and adjustment cost is reduced.
Prolonged incubation with 25 microM homocysteine acid led to initial suppression of the synaptic transmission, which in 6 out of 12 cases was followed by the restoration of the population spike to values 63% from the control. In the rest of experiments, a transient decrease of the population spike amplitude was observed during wash-out of homocysteine acid. Such a pattern suggests that synaptic transmission has special mechanisms for adaptation to increasing concentrations of the excitatory amino acids which are potentially damaging.
Oxypanamine is a polycyclic alkaloid of undetermined structure obtained as an air oxidation product of panamine, the latter being a new alkaloid isolated from the seeds of Ormosia panamensis. Oxypanamine is believed to have an N-oxide functional group. In dogs it produces prolonged reduction of systemic blood pressure, elevated pulmonary artery pressure, bronchoconstriction, increased hematocrit, cutaneous erythema and urticaria, effects which ensue following a latent period of 30 to 120 seconds after i.v. injection. Tachyphylaxis to all of these actions is prominent Similar actions were observed in cats, guinea pigs and a chicken but not in rabbits or one monkey. The hypotensive action in dogs is not prevented by atropine or hexamethonium by bilateral section of the vagus and carotid sinus nerves or by spinal cord destruction, nor is it due to adrenergic or ganglionic blockade. Intra-arterial injections of oxypanamine produce no direct increase in femoral artery blood flow in doses less than those which lower blood pressure when given i.v. Large intra-arterial doses produce a prolonged, delayed increase in flow simultaneously with a fall in systemic arterial pressure. It is concluded that the delayed vasodilatation occurs after the oxypanamine reaches the systemic circulation and is, therefore, an indirect action. No significant positive or negative cardiac inotropic actions were observed in canine heartlung preparations or in dogs with intact circulatory systems in which cardiac contractile force was measured directly with a strain gauge arch. No efects on the ECG were observed except at the lethal dose, and the changes noted then were attributed to anoxia. Oxypanamine produces neuromuscular blockade in dogs and chickens similar to the caused by d-tubocurarine. On the basis of a rabbit head-drop assay oxypanamine was found to be about ⅛ as active as d-tubocurarine. Ganglionic blockade can be demonstrated with very high doses of oxypanamine in dogs and cats maintained under artificial respiration. Oxypanamine produces other action in dogs such as piloerection, mild sedation, ataxia and potentiation of barbiturate anesthesia. However, no sedation or potentiation of hexobarbital was observed in rats. A conmparison of the actions of oxypanamine, panamine, N-methylpanamine and the N-oxide of N-methylpanamine has been made. The importance of the presumed N-oxide functional group for both histamine-like and neuromuscular blocking actions is emphasized.
How does the Supreme Court of Canada explain its own role in the resolution of religious freedom cases under the Charter? I argue here that we may understand the Court’s jurisprudence in this area as relying on three non-exclusive narratives of its institutional identity: the neutral manager of a volatile public, the defender of minorities, and the defender of the state. As others have argued, the overarching contemporary narrative is that of manager. I suggest that the other two narratives are contained within this larger one. They are called upon to explain the exercise of managerial discretion in one way or the other. Sometimes, the Court presents all three narratives together, but they are often in tension. The defender of minorities cannot often be the defender of the state, and a court that advocates too strongly on behalf of either a minority or the state can compromise its appearance of neutrality. Which narrative will carry the day in a given case can seem to be a product of prevailing social attitudes, making the future of religious freedom jurisprudence uncertain, despite apparently clear tests for rights infringement and the justification thereof.
Key Word : Descriptive Study, Conjunction, and Mastery  Every student has a different capability to master what he/she studies  especially in learning conjunction. Some of the students feel that conjunction is  not difficult material because they can distinguish the functions of conjunction.  There are also students who feel that it is a difficult material. It is important to  know whether the students have mastered in using conjunction or not. So, this  research is conducted to know how the mastery of the fourth semester students of  English Education of IAIN Surakarta and what kinds of difficulties that students  usually face in using conjunction.  The subject of the research is class H of the fourth semester students of  English Education of IAIN Surakarta in the academic year of 2015/2016 that  consists of 37 students. The researcher uses test and interview to collect the data.  The researcher used descriptive qualitative research to describe the students’  mastery in using conjunction. The using of conjunction will be described in  details in this research based on the result of the students test. The researcher  analyzes, identifies, and writes a mistake of the students’ examination test and  correct the answers based on conjunctions rules. The researcher used  methodological triangulation by combining the instruments (test and interview),  so the risk of obtaining limited data will be minimized and the validity of the  result will be increased.  Based on the result of the research, there are 13 students who have good to  excellent cappabilities in using conjunction, 10 students who have average to  good cappabilities in using conjunction , 9 students who have poor to average  cappabilities in using conjunction, and 5 students who have poor cappabilities in  using conjunction. So, the students’ capabilities are average to good in using  conjunction mastery because they get the average of 65 score. Based on the  finding of the analysis, most of the students still have difficulty in using  correlative conjunction. There are 14 students who have difficulty in using  correlative conjunction. It can be seen from the error that they made in their test.  The students have less understanding about the functions of conjunction itself.  Some of the students still cannot understand about the context of sentence. There  is still repetation of words in combining the sentence using conjunction.
SUMMARY  Hirsutella thompsonii, a moniliaceous fungus pathogenic to mites, grew and sporulated on sterilised wheat bran. The effects of environmental factors were studied on the fungus grown on potato-dextrose-agar (PDA). The fungus was mesothermophilic. Growth, sporulation and conidial germination were best at 25o-30 oC. Conidia kept at 37 oC for 5 days on PDA died, but those held at 5 oC germinated upon a subsequent removal to 25 oC. Almost all conidial germ tubes survived an 8 h exposure to 3–5% r.h. and to 60% r.h., but subsequently the former grew poorly at 100% r.h. H. thompsonii sporulated equally well in continuous darkness or light, and produced typical chlorinous to light olive-green mycelium and conidia under all conditions. A 2 h exposure of naked mycelium and conidia (which have melanised walls) to u.v. irradiation failed to kill the fungus.
This paper provides information on the use of herbal remedies prepared from 16 species of angiosperms by the tribal and rural people of Bankura district (West Bengal) for the treatment of their urinary ailments like haematuria, incontinence of urine with dropsy, renal disorder with lumbago and swelling of feet (oedema), pain in urinary bladder due to urine retention and renal calculi (stone). These herbal remedies being very simple and highly effective deem consideration for therapeutic proving and further development of patient friendly medicines against renal disorders.
Providing high-speed computation can be obtained in the encoding process and reduction encoding device, a program and a data processing method, wherein a lower limit value for the range and performs left shift operation until the range exceeds a predetermined value and in accordance with a left shift encoding section performs encoding of the lower limit value before the operation comprising: a bit position specifying portion configured to bit position closest to MSB first logic value indicating the specified range; shift amount specifying section, based on the bit position, Since the left shift specified range about to exceed a predetermined value before the shift amount; decision part for deciding whether there is more than a shift amount of free space in the extension area data having a predetermined bit length, wherein the data is added to the extension area MSB side of the lower limit value, wherein the data bit left shift operation by the carry from the lower value; and extension data encoding portion for, when free space does not exist, the data encoded by the left shift operation is stored in an extended data area.
Innovation is the essence of art designing.In the developing field of modern artistic designing education,the scientific and reasonable application of innovative thinking can broaden greatly the thought on the development of disciplines and specialities and guide practice constructively forward.At the same time,creative thinking is the basic quality that outstanding designers should have.It is also the fundamental guarantee for creative designing.This article analyzes several factors that effect creative thinking development from the perspective of the art design subject and discusses some methods of cultivating creative thinking in art designing major.
The objective of this study was to examine the morphological changes of buffalo sperm interaction between oocytes cytoplasmic and intracytoplasmic sperm,morphological development of sperm following intracytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI).At 13 h after ICSI,59.4% of the sperm head swelled and 18.8% of sperm shown partial decondensation.At 16 h and 19 h after ICSI,3.2% and 40.0% of oocytes had male pronucleus,while 71.9% and 90.3% of oocytes had formed female pronucleus at 13 h and 16 h after ICSI.At 19 h after activation treatment with ionomysin and 6-dimethylaminopurin,91.3% of ICSI oocytes activated(containing one or one more pronuclei),40.0% of ICSI oocytes shown normal fertilization(containing one male pronucleus and one female pronucleus),and 52.5% of them had double pronuclei.Pretreatment of spermatozoa with 5 μmol/L dithiothreitol(DTT) could promote the decondensation of sperm after ICSI(30.9% vs 12.7%,P0.05),but did not affect the pronuclear formation(33.3% vs 32.7%,P0.05).These results indicate that formation of female pronucleus is faster than that of male pronucleus,DTT can promote sperm decondensation but have no effect on the pronuclear formation.
In this paper,a new model WESC2D( Two-Dimensional Water Environmental Simulation Code) using an orthogonal curvilinear grid system is developed for the impact study of pollutants discharged into the lower reach of Ganjiang River. The model development is based on the eutrophication principle of the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program( WASP) model and the Eulerian-Lagrangian alternating direction implicit( ELADI) scheme. The model convection terms are solved by the Eulerian-Lagrangian method based on the bilinear interpolation and sub-grid scale method. The simulation of WESC2D is compared to the analytic solution to the problem of simple concentration peak transport,and to the field measurement of dissolved oxygen from the lower reach of Ganjiang River. The dynamic relationship between the pollution loads and the water quality at sewage outlets along the reach is also examined. Results show that the simulation of WESC2D agrees well with the analytical solution at a substantially reduced numerical cost compared to that of using the general Eulerian-Lagrangian Method( ELM). The new model WESC2D provides an important tool for the study on the relationship between the pollution loads and the water quality in the lower reach of Ganjiang River.
Hemoglobin Hammersmith, a rare, unstable hemoglobin variant, was diagnosed in a 9‐year‐old Japanese girl. She presented with the typical manifestations of this disorder, including neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, followed by progressive hepatosplenomegaly, jaundice, and bilirubinuria. Because of severe hemolytic anemia, she received transfusions of red blood cells every 3 to 4 weeks. However, she underwent splenectomy at the age of 4 years and has continued to be in partial remission without requiring further transfusions. DNA sequence analysis of the polymerase chain reaction‐amplified β‐globin gene revealed a point mutation (T → C) in the second nucleotide of the 42nd codon of the β‐globin chain (β 42(CD1) Phe → Ser). Pediatric Blood Cancer 2006;47:839–841. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is a major new piece of European framework legislation. REACH represents a consolidation of over 40 directives and regulations which governed the manufacture and use of chemical substances in the EU prior to the adoption of the new Regulation on 18 December 2006. This article provides an overview of key points that downstream users should consider when preparing for REACH. It is written from the perspective of food and drink manufacturers and draws on examples of activity undertaken by the UK Food and Drink Federation and the broader EU food and drink manufacturing industry in preparing for the requirements of the new Regulation. However, the need to assess the impact of REACH and communicate effectively within the supply chain will be of equal importance to all industry sectors using chemical substances and preparations in a downstream capacity.
Objective:To examine the effects of personality on Psychological intervention in Patients with Ovarian Cancer.Methods:60 inpatients accepted psychological intervention including educational intervention and progressive muscle relaxation for two months from the second chemotherapy.Before intervention,patients completed questionnaires including Hamilton Depression rating Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety rating Scale(HAMA),Eysenck Personality Questionnaire(EPQ) and T lymphocyte subsets(CD+3,CD+4,CD+8,CD+4/CD+8)were measured with Alkaline Phosphatase Anti Alkaline Phosphatase(APAAP)technique at baseline assessment.Analysize the relationship of motion,immunity function and different personality.Emotion and T lymphocyte subsets were measured with the same method in all patients after psychological intervention.Compare the change of emotion and immunity function of different personality patients.Results:The more scores of N,the more anxiety and depression of the patients,the low scores of E,the more anxiety of the patients.Extroversion and introversion had negative correlation with anxiety after intervention.Conclusion:we should consider Extroversion and introversion when we do psychological intervention.Introversion patients accepted psychophysical intervention more easily.
The present study is an attempt to evaluate the current status of Urban Cooperative Banks in the Indian banking system. For this, secondary data is used. This study revealed that the UCBs are facing a number challenges. Over the years, urban cooperative banks have registered a significant growth in term of branches, district covered, ATMs installed and extension counters but profitability indicators of UCBs have deteriorated. All return on equity, return on assets and net interest margin have fallen. They have very less total market share. NPAs of the UCBs are increasing. The study suggests that in order to face the challenges, the urban cooperative banks may follow some of the suggestions like a good corporate governance, professional board of directors, regular meetings, trained and motivates staff, upgraded infrastructure, latest technology, better customer services in term of cost, quality and variety, fee based services, suitable risk and liquidity management skills, responsibilities and accountability, transparency, self regulation and self discipline etc.
Fairness has become an important topic in machine learning. Generally, most literature on fairness assumes that the sensitive information, such as gender or race, is present in the training set, and uses this information to mitigate bias. However, due to practical concerns like privacy and regulation, applications of these methods are restricted. Also, although much of the literature studies supervised learning, in many real-world scenarios, we want to utilize the large unlabelled dataset to improve the model’s accuracy. Can we improve fair classification without sensitive information and without labels? To tackle the problem, in this paper, we propose a novel reweighing-based contrastive learning method. The goal of our method is to learn a generally fair representation without observing sensitive attributes. Our method assigns weights to training samples per iteration based on their gradient directions relative to the validation samples such that the average top-k validation loss is minimized. Compared with past fairness methods without demographics, our method is built on fully unsupervised training data and requires only a small labelled validation set. We provide rigorous theoretical proof of the convergence of our model. Experimental results show that our proposed method achieves better or comparable performance than state-of-the-art methods on three datasets in terms of accuracy and several fairness metrics.
Background: The wait time to see a physician in US emergency departments (EDs) is increasing and may differentially affect patients with varied insurance status and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Methods: Using a stratified random sampling of 151 999 visits, representing 539 million ED visits from 1997 to 2006, we examined trends in the percentage of patients seen within the triage target time by triage category (emergent, urgent, semiurgent, and nonurgent), payer type, and race/ethnicity. Results: The percentage of patients seen within the triage target time declined a mean of 0.8% per year, from 80.0% in 1997 to 75.9% in 2006 (P.001). The percentage of patients seen within the triage target time declined 2.3% per year for emergent patients (59.2% to 48.0%; P.001) compared with 0.7% per year for semiurgent patients (90.6% to 84.7%;P.001). In 2006, the adjusted odds of being seen within the triage target time were 30% lower than in 1997 (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.89). The adjusted odds of being seen within the triage target time were 87% lower (odds ratio, 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.15) for emergent patients compared with semiurgent patients. Patients of each payment type experienced similar decreases in the percentage seen within the triage target over time (P for interaction=.24), as did patients of each racial/ ethnic group (P=.05). Conclusions: The percentage of patients in the ED who are seen by a physician within the time recommended at triage has been steadily declining and is at its lowest point in at least 10 years. Of all patients in the ED, the most emergent are the least likely to be seen within the triage target time. Patients of all racial/ethnic backgrounds and payer types have been similarly affected.
Objective To provide suggestions for effective human resources management of hospital. Methods Questionnaire and statistic analysis was used during the discussion. Results From the point of the position,the turn over rate of nursing was highest( 47. 92%). From the perspective of education background,undergraduate degree took up 42. 36% while college degree took up 36. 11%. And the turnover rate of employees whose work time lasts for 1 to 3 years was highest( 38. 19%). Primary title took up to 79. 17%; The main reasons for employee turnover were family issues( 33. 33%) and outside job opportunities( 31. 25%). Conclusion The main turnover group is the primary title employee,especially the nursing. This requires more humanistic care and better career planning on the current employees to ensure the stability of our talents.
Discusses spatial transformation techniques for multidimensional image registration. Examples from brain mapping are given. The authors illustrate the problem by reviewing point matching, which is the 'gold standard' in this area. The point matching formulation is not adequate for all applications, and they describe various extensions and generalizations. One important issue is multi-set registration, others are more general nonlinear models, as well as the problems of registration on the basis of intensity data and when the geometrical objects to be registered are curves, surfaces, or volumes. This leads to many interesting problems that deserve further study. Finally, the authors discuss the accuracy in registration.
The three plays in this volume, composed between 1672 or 1673 and 1675, demonstrate Dryden's versatility and inventiveness as a dramatist. "Amboyna", a tragedy written to stir the English to prosecute the Third Dutch War, describes the destruction by the Dutch of English trading posts on two Indonesian islands. Regarded in its time as sensationalist, it is really a dignified drama that decries violence. "The State of Innocence", termed an opera, is a rhymed version of Milton's "Paradise Lost". Though never performed or set to music, it became one of Dryden's most widely read dramas. "Aureng-Zebe", the last and generally considered the best of Dryden's rhymed heroic plays, portrays the rise to power of Mogul emperor Aureng-Zebe (1618-1707).
The Hungary Incident,was a political incident in the Hungary People's Republic.After careful study of the incident,we can find that the political interference and economic mode control of USSR leaders exert important influence.The two military interferences bring nothing but harm.The interference of USSR has it its international communism.But we cannot deny that USSR leaders deal with international relations and inter-party relations by giving its interests the first priority.
Throughout Western Europe investment in transport infrastructure has been failing to keep up with demand. The result has been congestion, environmental damage and the slowing down of economic growth. Some countries have consistently invested more than others in transport, and some forms of transport have found it easier than others to attract finance, leading to patterns of investment which are not always consistent with policy objectives. This book looks at how each mode of transport, road, rail, sea, air, urban and inland waterways, is organised and funded in Continental Western Europe. It analyses differences in economic geography, culture, and business history, but also highlights common trends such as the decentralisation of responsibility to regional authorities, the expanding role of the European Commission, the requirement for more infrastructure to be self-financing, and the increasing involvement of the private sector.
Existing software transactional memory (STM) implementations often exhibit poor scalability, usually because of nonscalable mechanisms for read sharing, transactional consistency, and privatization; some STMs also have nonscalable centralized commit mechanisms. We describe novel techniques to eliminate bottlenecks from all of these mechanisms, and present SkySTM, which employs these techniques. SkySTM is the first STM that supports privatization and scales on modern multicore multiprocessors with hundreds of hardware threads on multiple chips. A central theme in this work is avoiding frequent updates to centralized metadata, especially for multi-chip systems, in which the cost of accessing centralized metadata increases dramatically. A key mechanism we use to do so is a scalable nonzero indicator (SNZI), which was designed for this purpose. A secondary contribution of the paper is a new and simplified SNZI algorithm. Our scalable privatization mechanism imposes only about 4% overhead in low-contention experiments; when contention is higher, the overhead still reaches only 35% with over 250 threads. In contrast, prior approaches have been reported as imposing over 100% overhead in some cases, even with only 8 threads.
The purpose of paper is to explore the diversity of bank boards as an innovative tool to reduce the effects of the global crisis and as a beginning of long-term sustainable development. The expectations from the diversifying boards are mainly related to improving the quality of decisions, methods of risk management and remuneration of executive directors. The recommended character within the EU for diversity in boards by profession, nationality and gender passed into national policies and corporate practices in the case of Bulgarian banks. The results of the paper reveal that board diversity in Bulgarian banks exceeding those of the EU. The diversity on profession is predominantly; the diversify on nationality has lowest dynamics due to the subordination of Bulgarian banks in European banking groups; and the gender diversity is easiest to measure and difficult to prove motives for diversification. In parallel with the introduction of a diversity of boards, which is acceptable to study, is put the issue of economic and social effects of diversity on the boards.
Nanosized silica is nitrided at different temperatures up to 1200°C by the reaction with gaseous ammonia. The nitridation degree of silica is determined as a function of time. After a nitridation time of 119 h and a temperature of 1200°C the mass fraction of nitrogen in the nitrided sample was found to be 35.4%. This corresponds to the stoichiometric formula SiO 0 . 1 8 N 1 . 2 1 . It could be shown that the progressive nitridation of the samples is accompanied by a decrease of the specific surface area. The different degree of nitridation can be followed by IR spectroscopical investigations. Several absorption bands of silica and the nitrided species can be detected in dependence of nitridation time. EPR spectroscopical investigation of irradiated samples provide information about the bonding in the samples. Furthermore, a relation between the concentration of defect centers and the degree of nitridation is found. The process of nitridation is also determined by X-ray diffraction measurements. It was shown to be possible to separate the diffraction patterns of SiO 2 , Si 2 ON 2 and Si 3 N 4 . This separation could be established by NMR spectroscopy. Thus it was possible to follow the development of the mentioned three species in dependence of nitridation time. A phenomenological consecutive reaction scheme describes the time dependent appearance of the three species well.
Many cities in the Asia-Pacific region serve as financial centres in their respective national jurisdictions or local areas. Noting that most were engaged in efforts to become premier international financial centres (IFCs) in competition with one another, the Korea National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (KOPEC) convened an international conference in Seoul, Korea in October 2007 to examine the prospects for success for seven such financial centres (Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo and Wellington), weigh the costs and benefits of such competition for local economies as well as the region as a whole, and derive implications for cooperation among the regional governments. The present volume consists of case studies and commentaries presented at the conference as well as the synthesis report, which draws conclusions from those papers and commentaries. One of those conclusions is that, given the power of scale economies as well as the lack of integration of the financial markets in the region, none of the regional financial centres, even Hong Kong, Singapore or Tokyo, considered alone represents a meaningful rival to London or New York, the two existing global financial centres. The synthesis report thus argues for regional cooperation to integrate all those financial centres into an Asia-Pacific IFC network. It further argues that the present global financial crisis presents a major opportunity for regional governments to create such an IFC network that will challenge London and New York in quality as well as quantity of international financial business while helping the latter two overcome the current global crisis. This would open the path towards a stable and resilient Asia-Pacific financial community, with the constituent regional economies no longer vulnerable to the problems of the so-called original sin and double mismatch.
This paper describes field of boiler making, basic parts of boiler plant and manufacturing processes for boiler superheater. First chapter describes examples of boiler types, boiler fuel and working medium.  Second chapter of paper describes main components of boiler power plant, materials that are used for manufacturing.  Third chapter describes application of processing by separating the particles method in boiler making. Technology of cutting, turning, milling, drilling and grinding are described in this chapter.  Fourth chapter is based on observation inside production lines inside of „Đuro Đakovic Termoenergetska postrojenja d.o.o.“ and it describes production process for boiler superheater.
In my thesis, I focus on a group of children with special needs - the gifted children, who are blind or visually impaired. I was interested in what characteristics they have, how to help them develop their talent and whether our educational system is adequate for them. The goal of my thesis is mainly to point out that talent can occur in different groups of children, including children with visual impairment. Furthermore, I would also like to point out that it is harder to identify gifted visually impaired children because of their deficit and lack of knowledge on the topic of giftedness in the educational staff.  The research part of my thesis consists of a study of two case studies and a short questionnaire for mobile teachers. I came to the conclusion that in our educational system, children with visual impairment can be identified as gifted only if educated in elementary schools, where such detection exists. Such cases are very rare, due to small size of population in question. Lack of knowledge on the field of giftedness in blind and visually impaired children and the insufficient education of teachers on this topic is the main reason for the current situation. Problems arise when trying to determine intelligence in blind or visually impaired children, because at this time there are no proper tests which can be used to determine the overall intellectual functioning.  In the future more attention should be devoted to identify talent among all groups of children more systematically. To achieve this goal, teachers need additional training to successfully identify these children.
Saithe (Pollachius virens L.) were starved for 66 days at 10 degrees C and activities of aryl sulfatase, acid proteinase, beta-glucuronidase, RNAase and acid phosphatase measured in homogenates prepared from fast and slow myotomal muscles. In fed fish, hydrolase activities were generally higher in slow than fast muscles. With the exception of acid proteinase activity in slow muscle, the activities of all the lysosomal enzymes increased by 70 to 100% during starvation. In general, there was a proportionally larger increase in the hydrolase activities in fast than in slow muscle. In a second experiment, fish were starved for 74 days, and refed for up to 52 days. The increases in aryl sulfatase and acid proteinase activity produced in fast muscle with starvation were found to be rapidly reversed by refeeding. Lysosomal enzyme activities in fish sampled after 10 days refeeding were not significantly different from fed controls. Membrane fractions enriched in aryl sulfatase activity were prepared from the fast muscle of 66-day starved fish. These were capable of degrading both myosin heavy chains and actin to lower molecular weight peptides at acid (pH 5.0), but not at neutral pH. The results suggest a role for lysosomal enzymes in the breakdown of myofibrillar proteins during starvation.
The invention relates to a microelectronic sensor device for manipulating a sample in an exchangeable carrier (111), for example for optically detecting target particles (1) in a sample liquid that is provided in a sample chamber (2) of the carrier (111). The microelectronic sensor device comprises a number of n > 1 magnetic field generators (141-143), e.g. electromagnetic coils, with which magnetic fields can be generated in a target region (110). A control unit (150) is provided that can determine and evaluate the mutual coupling or the self-inductance of the magnetic field generators and/or signals from magnetic field sensors attached to the carrier with respect to the presence and/or state of a carrier (111) in the target region (110). In this way, the control unit (150) can for example detect if the carrier (111) is correctly positioned in the sensor device and/or where a magnetically interactive substance (1, 120) is located.
The t-distribution is a very usual distribution for several test statistics because a normal distribution is frequently assumed as underlying model. Even in some tests based on robust statistics, such as the test based on the sample trimmed mean, a t-distribution is used as distribution for the standardized sample trimmed mean if the underlying model is normal. Nevertheless, it is necessary a deeper understanding of the behaviour of these kind of tests and the computations of their key elements, such as the p-value and the critical value, with small samples, when the underlying model is close but different from the normal distribution. In this paper we obtain good analytic approximations with small samples, of the p-value and the critical value of a t-test (i.e., a test with a t-distribution for the test statistic under a normal model), studying its behaviour when the underlying distribution is close but different from the normal model. We conclude the paper studying some robustness properties of t-tests.
This study aims at analyzing how far the discrepancy happened between the ideal implementation of authentic assessment based on Curriculum 2013 and the real implementation at SMA in Bali. This study used mix-methods approach. The subjects in this study were English teachers of SMA in Bali while the objects were the discrepancy of authentic assessments’ implementation in Curriculum 2013. The data in this study was collected by implementing some methods such as observation and administering questionnaires by using instruments such as observation sheet and questionnaires. Then, the data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results show that in general, the discrepancy happened at moderate and high category at the implementation of self assessments, performance assessments, project assessments, and portfolio assessments in class X, XI, and XII at English subject matter. It can be concluded that discrepancy of authentic assessments’ implementation happened during English subject matter in the implementation of K-13.
The invention relates to a tap changer for a least one master and a control winding having power transformer, with a selection (20) and a tap selector (18) having at least one tap selector contact (29, 30). The fine selector (18) has in addition to the fine selector contact (29, 30) at least one independently of this actuated auxiliary switch (24) with at least one auxiliary switching element (26, 28) contacted by which taps of the regulating winding at least substantially arc-free. This makes it possible to largely carry out gas-free with switching operations of the tap changer.
Neither the Real-time Transport Protocol security (RTP) nor the Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP) key management mechanisms is adequate, the complexity of SRTP based on Data gram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) is too high to reduce the scope of use, so this paper designs a real-time encrypted transport mechanism, using DTLS to achieve key management and negotiating encryption algorithms. Extend the DTLS, and then achieve encryption of RTP based on the DTLS and packaging transmission. To be compared in the particular case, the method, under certain safety requirements, is better suited for the high efficiency transmission network. The mechanism provides a good foundation for real-time multipath transmission.
This short-term project report discusses the development process carried out for the planning, designing, simulation, fabrication and testing of2.4 GHz Bandpass Filter by using Micorstrip Technologies. For the project we applied modular approach and used parallel-coupled lines filter topology. We used various value-aided software tools such as MATLAB (V 7.0) a CAD (V 10), Microwave Office (2003), visual Systems (2003) to enhance the design process. We conducted puff simulations in order to categorize the specifications for a filter to be fabricated either by hand or by using a milling machine.  For desired results based on simulation analysis, we chosen Quick Circuit Milling machine and CAD tools to fabricate the filter simulated. The measurements of the filter  characteristics and the effect of manufacturing tolerance on filter losses also analyzed. Subsequently it was found that a manufacturing tolerance of 1 % could have a very  significant effect on filter losses. We determined optimal parameters and analyzed specifications for BPF fabrication. For the optimal result, three samples were fabricated  with the help of Microwave Office tools. Among them we chose the best one by measuring the response of the filter with vector network analyzer. Both experimental and  calculated results were compared. Subsequently it was verified that the measured results provided better performance than calculated results for the 2.4 BPF designed. The report also insights the basic design problem encountered during the project such as the evaluation of the physical dimensions of the microstrip lines. The band pass filter designed can be used at the output of the oscillator to take out the required frequency or  at the input of the receiver and the amplifier to pass the required frequency.
This is the only book that introduces students to the statistical methods of criminology and criminal justice, and shows how they are actually used. Each detailed yet accessible chapter combines instruction in statistical analysis with investigations of key research questions in the field; for example, what are the causes of crime? Useful at both the introductory and intermediate levels, the text contains in-depth coverage of descriptive statistics, including graphical displays of data and exploratory data analysis, along with bivariate and multivariate analyses. Emphasis is placed equally on calculation and interpretation.
The invention discloses a three-layer coextrusion plastic fertilizer packaging bag. The bag comprises an inner layer plastic film, a middle layer plastic film and an outer layer plastic film and is prepared through a three-layer coextrusion film blowing technology, wherein the raw material of the inner layer plastic film is selected from polyethylene (PE); and raw materials of the outer layer and middle layer plastic films are selected from mixtures of polypropylene (PP), the PE and a propylene-based elastomer. The PP and the propylene-based elastomer exist in the outer layer and middle layer materials, and the inner layer material is the PE, so the compatibility between the PP and the PE is improved, thereby the packaging bag prepared in the invention has a higher heat-sealing peeling strength than bags prepared from other PP-PE coextrusion films, has an enhanced packaging fastness, an enhanced seal moisture resistance and an enhanced heat-sealing pollution resistance, and allows shelf lives of products stored in the bag of the invention to be longer than that of products stored in plastic woven packaging bags; the bag of the invention has the advantages of good heat resistance, good tensile strength and good creep resistance, can adapt to high loading temperatures and does not deform when stacking is carried out after hot loading; and the bag of the invention is lighter than three-layer coextrusion PE film bags with a same thickness, so the bag of the invention can be widely applied to the packaging industry, and is especially suitable for fertilizer packaging.
The interreligious prayer for peace and justice which Pope John Paul II initiated in Assisi in 1986 filled many with enthusiasm and caused storm of criticism. Some talked about the beginning of a new era in interreligious dialogue, others accused the Pope of syncretism and weakening of the Christian identity. In this article an attempt is made to assess theologically the prayer meetings in Assisi from the perspective of the official statements of the Magisterium Ecclesiae on interreligious dialogue and of recent developments in the theology of religions. The author focuses primarily on the teaching of John Paul II, who repeatedly referred to this issue after the first prayer meeting in Assisi. The Pope drew particular attention to the Holy Spirit present in every authentic prayer. Precisely this communion in the Holy Spirit - that precedes the ecclesial communion aimed at by the missionary activities of the Church - is the most serious theological argument in favor of the prayer meetings of Christians and non-Christians. Differences between religions, however, do not allow to make a common prayer. Therefore the Pope pointed out that the main reason for being in Assisi was not to pray together but „to be together in order to pray“. Thus one should distinguish between interreligious and multireligious prayer (Assisi). Some theologians, such as J. Dupuis, suggest taking a step towards interreligious prayer. This practice, however, could open a way to syncretism and blurring of Christian identity.
Non-volatile memory technologies (NVMs) are promising candidates as the next-generation main memory due to high scalability and low energy consumption. However, the performance bottlenecks, such as high write latency and low cell endurance, still exist in NVMs. To address these problems, frequent pattern compression schemes have been widely used, which however suffer from the lack of flexibility and adaptability. In order to overcome these shortcomings, we propose a well-adaptive NVM write scheme, called Dynamic Frequent Pattern Compression (DFPC), to significantly reduce the amount of write units and extend the lifetime. Instead of only using static frequent patterns in existing FPC schemes, which are pre-defined and not always efficient for all applications, the idea behind DFPC is to exploit the characteristics of data distribution in execution to obtain dynamic patterns, which often appear in the real-world applications. To further improve the compression ratio, we exploit the value locality in a cache line to extend the granularity of dynamic patterns. Hence DFPC can encode the contents of cache lines with more kinds of frequent data patterns. We implement DFPC in GEM5 with NVMain and execute 8 applications from SPEC CPU2006 to evaluate our scheme. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy and efficiency of DFPC.
The aim of this research was to determine the basic properties of Dendrocalamus asper and its suitability as raw material for manufacture of composite panels. For this purpose, macroscopic characteristics and physical properties such as specific gravity, shrinkage and swelling, and water uptake were studied. The results show that some of the macroscopic characteristics change at different positions along the bamboo culm. Outer internode diameter and wall thickness gradually decrease with the culm height. The internode length increases from the bottom to the middle part and further decreases toward the top. The tissue volume of internodes decreases from the bottom to the top. All physical properties vary with the culm height. The specific gravity increases with culm height; the dimensional stability in the radial direction and water uptake are highly related to specific gravity. The dimensional stability lengthwise is more stable than crosswise. The study shows that D. asper has superior physical properties, which are comparable to those of some softwood and hardwood species. It should therefore be promoted as a substitute for wood in the manufacturing of structural composite lumber like Oriented Strand Board or Oriented Strand Lumber.
In small quantities, selenium can be beneficial to most organisms. At higher concentrations, however selenium almost always becomes toxic. In recent years, this problem has manifested itself in the form of agricultural run-off in farmlands in the west. This research sought to quantify at what concentration selenium began to have a lethal effect and the maximum concentration in which any brine shrimp could remain alive. Experimentation began with hatching brine shrimp and letting them grow for about eight days. They were then divided into groups with two or three hundred in each. A measured amount of sodium selenate was added to each group with the exception of the control group. After eight days, the number of live shrimp was counted. It was found that a general negative linear relationship existed between the number of remaining live shrimp and the concentration of selenium. The best estimate of the concentration at which no shrimp can live is between 15mg/liter and 16mg/liter.
Abstract The frequency and amplitude dependences of the dynamic Young's modulus and loss factor of polystyrene (PS) and polyethylene (PE) foams usable for impact sound isolation in floating floors, measured at room temperature, in the frequency range of 100-3000 Hz, and in the range of strain amplitude of 10 -5 -10 -2 respectively, are given in the paper. It is shown that the frame loss factor of the PS and PE foams is low (∼0·01 and ∼0·1, respectively), and that of the foam sheets including air is also low (∼0·1). The frame dynamic Young's modulus of both foams slightly increases with frequency. The dynamic behaviour of the foams is linear up to the strain amplitude of about 10 -3 , above which the dynamic Young's modulus decreases, whereas the loss factor increases with increasing strain.
Agriculture continues to be an important sector of Indian economy, though its share in the gross domestic product (GDP) has declined from about 50 per cent in early-1950s to 14 per cent in 2011-12. Employment in agriculture has also shown a decline, albeit slowly, and presently it accounts for 52 per cent of the country’s total labour force. The declining share of agriculture in GDP and employment is consistent with the theory of economic development. However, a faster and sustainable growth in the sector remains vital for creation of jobs, enhancing incomes, and ensuring food security. India has 140 million hectares of net cropped area, next only to that of the USA. Similarly, India’s irrigated area (63.26 Mha net and 86.42 Mha gross) is also the second largest in the world, next only to China. The country is well-endowed with natural resources and diverse climatic conditions, and much of the land in India can be double cropped. Traditionally, crop production has accounted for over four-fifths of the agricultural output, but over the past two decades or so the situation has changed dramatically. The share of livestock in the agricultural production has risen sharply and now accounts for close to 30 per cent of the total agricultural output. Overall, the composition of agricultural output has gradually been shifting towards high-value crops and animal products, especially milk. The performance of agricultural sector has been quite impressive, making the country self-reliant in food. The country has even started exporting some food products. This performance is due largely to green revolution. During the Eleventh Five-Year Plan, the agriculture and allied sector has registered an average annual growth rate of 3.6 per cent, slightly lower than the target of 4.0 per cent, but higher than the average annual growth rate of 2.4 per cent attained during the Tenth Plan. This improved performance in recent years is also credited to the impressive growth in capital formation in the sector. The gross capital formation in agriculture and allied sector has more than doubled in the past 10 years with an average annual growth of 8.1 per cent. As per the latest Agricultural Statistics at a Glance (2012), India is the world’s largest producer of pulses, milk, many fresh fruits and vegetables, major spices, select fresh meats, select fibrous crops such as jute, several staples such as millets and castor oil seed. India is the second largest producer of wheat and rice, groundnut, fruits, vegetables, sugarcane, and cotton. India is also the world’s third largest producer of cereals, rapeseed, tea, tobacco, eggs, several dry fruits, and roots and tuber crops.
Experimental and theoretical aspects of the laser pump depletion characteristics in an optical fiber due to stimulated Raman scattering, and stimulated Brillouin scattering were studied. A review is presented of research in fiber transmission accompanied by stimulated scattering. Results of experimental work with tunable dye lasers and argon lasers are presented. The spectral profiles of the laser pump and its transmitted light through the fiber are given.
The geological vestige and landscape are important components of cultural and natural heritage of human history. As a kind of unregenerated resources which record abundant practical information about Earth history, the geological vestige resources are of high scientific and social value. Therefore we should pay attention to the solutions of problems existing in the protection of geological vestige resources, properly handle the contradictions of exploitation and utilization with the environmental protection of the geological vestige resources and properly adjust the relations between the tourism and protection in the geological vestige regions, thus enforcing the protection of geological vestige rescources.
The United States has a long-standing interest in the political events of South Asia. This research focuses specifically on U.S. foreign policy toward the Islamic nations of this region, Pakistan and Afghanistan (Referred to as Islamic South Asia). This research examines a variety of primary and secondary sources in an effort to understand the historical context and theoretical framework of U.S. policy. It has been suggested by scholars that the age of realism has come to and end. This study seeks to verify this claim. Does realism provide the theoretical base necessary for policy success in Islamic South Asia? If it does, then can it continue to serve as the theoretical guide in the post-Cold War era? U.S. policy actions and the logic supporting them are examined in an effort to critique realism and to assess the policy toward this region. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the continued use of the realist theory is substantiated, based on its record of past policy successes and failures. One of the core arguments against realism is that the level of analysis is too rigid, thus failing to iii recognize internal constraints in state affairs. Of the many internal issues facing a state, none outweigh the role of culture within the social context of this region. This is exemplified in the case studies of the three most pivotal events influencing U.S. policy. Having examining the foundation and application of the realist based policies toward the region, this study will then evaluate the success or failure of U.S. policy. This evaluation is based on an analysis of the stated goals compared to the results of policy actions. Considering the dangers on the horizon, this research also offers several guidelines for creating a more successful long-term strategy toward Islamic South Asia. Having already witnessed the collapse of the state in Afghanistan and the potential for state failure in a nuclear Pakistan, the concerns relating to this region are extensive. Weapons of mass destruction, environmental crisis, and social instability are just few of the problems addressed in this study. The variety of potential disasters emanating from this region makes this region and U.S. policy towards it a paramount concern.
The invention relates to a method for processing fly ash used for a circulating fluidized bed, which comprises the following steps: dissolving fly ash from the circulating fluidized bed out by hydrochloric acid, filtering to obtain filter residue and a leaching liquid; adjusting pH value of the leaching liquid to 1.5-3.5 by ammoniacal liquor, deposing, filtering to obtain the filter residue and a filtrate, washing filter residue, drying to obtain a compound of iron; adjusting the pH value of the filtrate after extracting iron to 3.8-5.2 by the ammoniacal liquor, deposing, filtering to obtain the filter residue and the filtrate, washing filter residue, drying to obtain aluminium hydroxide, further calcining to obtain metallurgy alumina; adding magnesium oxide in an ammonium chloride solution after extracting aluminium and performing ammonia distilling and hydrolysis reactions to obtain hydrogen chloride gas, ammonia gas and magnesium oxide. According to the invention, stepwise extraction of useful elements such as aluminium, silicon and iron in fly ash can be realized, cycle utilization of the materials can be realized, process is simple, cost is low, and the method opens new approach for high value utilization of fly ash from the circulating fluidized bed.
The purpose of this study was to establish the optimal surgical treatment in patients with a Giant Cell Tumour (GCT) involving the acetabular bone. The surgical outcome in 10 patients with GCT involving the acetabular bone was reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 in which 5 patients were primarily treated by curettage, and group 2, in which 5 patients were treated by resection and pelvic reconstruction. In group 1, local recurrence occurred in two cases. The functional outcome was excellent or good in 4, and poor in one case. There were no recurrences in group 2, in which the functional outcome was excellent or good in 4 and poor in one patient. The optimal surgical treatment modality should be based upon the tumour extension. Tumours located primarily in the ischiopubic region and not extending proximally beyond the supra-acetabular line can be adequately treated by extended curettage while those with further proximal extension are better treated by en-bloc resection. However, the possible complications of the different methods of pelvic reconstruction should always be considered.
A 58-yr-old man with hypothyroidism and sleep apnea syndrome was studied to determine the cause of the nocturnal obstructive apnea and oxygen desaturation. Control studies showed free thyroxine (T4) concentration of 0.7 ng/dl (normal, 0.8 to 2.3 ng/dl), and thyroid-stimulating hormone of 32 microIU/ml (normal, less than 12 microIU/ml). Weight, pulmonary function, arterial blood gases, minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production ratio (VE/VCO2), and the ventilatory response to exercise (delta VE/delta VCO2) were normal. Episodes of obstructive apnea (4 per hour during non-REM (NREM) and 10 per hour during REM) and oxygen desaturation (9 per hour during NREM and 11 per hour during REM) were common during sleep. Oxygen saturation ranged between 72 and 99% and 70 and 97% during NREM and REM sleep, respectively. Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) therapy for 4 wk caused a reduction in awake PaCO2 (38 to 33 mm Hg), and an increase in VE/VCO2 (17%), mouth occlusion pressure (50%), and AVE/VCO2 (23%). During sleep, apneas were completely eliminated and only one episode of oxygen desaturation occurred. L-thyroxine therapy for 2 months after a placebo period caused an awake isocapnic hyperpnea with no change in PaCO2 and VE/VCO2 despite a 23% increase in VE. Mouth occlusion pressure increased 37% but delta VE/delta VCO2 was unchanged. Obstructive apnea and oxygen desaturation during sleep were completely eliminated with L-thyroxine. The patient noted completed relief of symptoms with both MPA and L-thyroxine. We concluded that the sleep apnea syndrome was the presenting manifestation of hypothyroidism in this patient and was solely responsible for his symptoms and disability.
The paper discusses embedding steel pole in clayey soil rather than using the conventional fixed steel base over concrete foundation. Test have shown this method to be favorable in absorbing the energy resulting from vehicle-steel pole crash. This definitely reduces fatalities and injuries that occur in automobile accidents. Further research on crashworthiness of vehicle-steel pole impact is underway to include child and driver's dummy in both frontal and side impact to obtain more reliable results.
OBJECTIVE To investigate DNA ploidy and immunoexpression of Ki-67 and p53 as predictivefactors in cases of superficial urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) treated with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG).   STUDY DESIGN Samples were obtained from 66 patients with UCC (pTa grade 3 or high grade and pT1 independent of grade or with concomitant carcinoma in situ) before and after intravesical BCG treatment. DNA ploidy analysis (ploidy balance, degree of hyperploidy and aneuploidy, proliferation index) was done by static cytometry. Ki-67 and p53 were analyzed immunohistochemically in paraffin-embedded tissue, and their quantification was carried out using an image analysis system.   RESULTS During a mean follow-up of 63.8 months, 31 of the 66 patients developed recurrent tumors (46.9%). DNA ploidy analysis showed that ploidy balance as well as degree of hyperploidy and aneuploidy were not statistically different between recurrent and nonrecurrent tumors. Only proliferation index was statistically significant between recurrent and nonrecurrent tumors. No statistically significant difference was observed in the percentage of Ki-67- and p53-positive cells between primary tumors that recurred and those that did not.   CONCLUSION These findings suggest that only proliferation index has predictive value for recurrence and progression in UCC treated with BCG.
A method for assessing the concentration of an immunosuppressant drug in a human blood sample comprising the steps of: (a) combining a composition extraction reagent comprising at least 50% by volume of DMSO, a glycol having two to six carbon atoms, and 30 mM to 75 mM of a metal salt of zinc with a human blood sample and water to form an extract test sample; (B) combining at least one antibody or protein capable of binding to an immunosuppressant drug with the extract of the test sample to form an assay mixture, wherein the immunosuppressant drug is selected from the group consisting of sirolimus, tacrolimus, everolimus , zotarolimus and cyclosporine; (C) incubating the assay mixture under conditions suitable for complex formation between the antibody and the immunosuppressant drug conditions, if any, that is present in the sample and is immunologically reactive with the antibody; and (d) detecting the presence of any complex formed.
Objective To observe the effects of remifentanil pretreatment on the brain tissue malondialdehyde(MDA)concentration and superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity in rats induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(CIR) so as to investigate cerebral protection mechanism of remifentanil. Methods A total of 54 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups(n=18 each): sham operation group(Sham), ischemia-reperfusion group (IR), and remifentanil pretreatment group(Rem). Four-vessel occlusion was used to establish the global cerebral ischemia reperfusion model in the study groups .An acute experimental cerebral ischemia rats model induced for 15 minutes, all groups were further divided into 3 subgroups according to the reperfusion time (6,12 and 24 h) to test the brain tissue MDA concentration and SOD activity, to observe the morphological changes of rat cerebral by optical microscope. Results Compared with the Sham group, the MDA concentration in the rat brain tissue signifi cantly increased in IR group(P0.05) , SOD activity signifi cantly decreased (P0.05); Compared with the IR group, the MDA concentration in the rat brain tissue in Rem group remarkably decreased (all P0.05), while the SOD activity obviously increased (all P0.05). Conclusion Remifentanil pretreatment shows an neuroprotective effect against ischemia reperfusion brain injury, the mechanism of protection may be related to inhibiting the injury of free radicals.
The present study is part of a PH. D. Thesis about essence and resin plants for therapeutic use. Seven out of eighty nine plants reviewed in the thesis can be applied in Veterinary Science. Our work focuses on these seven plants. This work deals with a twosided issue: drugs and the researchers who have investigated their use in Veterinary therapy from the 16th century to up the 19th century. The basis for this study is the analysis of the medical and pharmaceutical bibliography of each period. The structure of the study is fundamentally chronological.
Objective To analyze the pathogenesy and mutation of X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) 1 gene in XLRS families, and to provide the theory basis in directing gene diagnosis. Methods The mutation of XLRS1 gene code in two XLRS families were detected and screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA direct sequence determination. Results Pro193Ser mutation was detected in family 1. Conclusion Pro193Ser mutation could be found in XLRS families, which can be used for genetic consultation and prenatal gene diagnosis.
This investigation has been carried out to obtain fundamental informations of the dynamic and transport properties related to the design of a gas-liquid two-phase bubble column. According to the experimental results overall volumetric absorption coefficient, , increased with decreasing submergence-diameter ratio in the stagnant liquid layer. Absorption efficiency was improved as geometrical parameters such as the number of holes on the perforated distributor was increased and/or the hole diameter was decreased. In the present investigation, the liquid phase resistance to mass transfer was proved dominant and it was suggested that a gas chamber be adequately installed below the perforated distributor to minimize the axial forced circulation of liquid. These experimental results may be utilized for the distributor and column design and may also provide a basis for a further investigation of dynamic phenomena of mass and heat transfer in scale up with or without chemical reaction involved.
Abstract : Rats were exposed to 90 PSIG on an 80:20 helium-oxygen gas mixture and decompressed on two different schedules, designed to produce moderate and severe bends. Serum samples were obtained immediately after the dive and analyzed for lipid distribution, serum lactic dehydrogenase, lipoproteins, haptoglobin, glucose, and lactate. The results of these determinations are discussed in relation to decompression sickness. (Author)
To solve the problems of wheel tread damages of railway wagons,a dynamic detecting system was developed and a new method for locating wheel tread peeling and flat spots was presented.Firstly,the wheel tread gray-image was preprocessed for smoothing denoising.Secondly,image edge detection was implemented with combination of the stationary wavelet transform and Canny algorithm and the tread region of the wheel was found on the basis of the width of the standard wheel.Finally,considering the different features of peeling and flat spots,approximate locating of peeling spots was achieved by block segmentation and the seed filling algorithm,and then precise locating of peeling spots was achieved by the Canny and tracking methods,also the locating method of wheel tread flat spots was proposed on the basis of searching of tread edge lines.Experimental results show that at the 0.5 km/h~10 km/h running speed of railway wagons,the correctness rate of peeling locating comes to 96.7% with 3 mm precision and the correctness rate of flat spot locating comes to 97.8%,thus satisfying the requirements of dynamic detection on site.
The utility model provides a near-bit while-drilling inclinometer. The near-bit while-drilling inclinometer is characterized by being composed of a ground information processing device, an MWD inclinometer, a short near-bit measurement joint, a short near-bit receiving joint and a short MWD receiving joint; the short MWD receiving joint is installed in an MWD inclinometer system and a magnetic signal conversion device of the short MWD receiving joint is arranged within a magnetic induction transmitting coil range of the short near-bit receiving joint; the MWD inclinometer is arranged at the upper end of the near-bit while-drilling inclinometer; the short near-bit measurement joint is installed between a drill bit and a screw through threads; the short near-bit receiving joint is installed between the screw and a non-magnetic drill collar through threads. The short near-bit measurement joint and the short near-bit receiving joint cross a small gap of the screw to achieve wireless communication and data are transmitted to the short near-bit receiving joint through slurry. A metal wall penetrating wireless communication mode is adopted in the short near-bit receiving joint, reference data measured by the short near-bit measurement joint and reference data measured by the short near-bit receiving joint are transmitted to the short MWD receiving joint, and finally the reference data needed for real-time drilling are transmitted to the ground information processing device through MWD inclinometer.
This collection introduces 'community therapy' which has been developed in Brazil to respond to various forms of social suffering and 'psychic misery'. The collection includes an introduction to the history, key tasks, and stages of a community therapy gathering; a description of one example of a community therapy meeting; and a brief exploration of how ideas from narrative therapy have been introduced into community therapy practices.
Maximal 0.5-Hz and cone 30-Hz ERG responses were recorded from 19 patients showing a Laurence-Moon-Bardet-Biedl (LMDD) phenotype. Off-line averaging of 80 to 100 iterations was routinely performed. When needed, our previously described low-noise techniques and off-line fast Fourier transform procedures were used. The maximal ERG response was non-detectable in 52.6% of cases. About half of the recordable signals were below 5% of the lower normal amplitudes. Cone 30-Hz ERGs were measurable in 64.7% of cases. Of these, 63% of tracings were below 5% of the lower normal range. In most cases no dystrophic pattern was definable, due to severe reduction of both signals. Statistical analyses showed no correlation between ERG amplitudes and residual visual field areas. Clinical and electroretinographic observations suggest that retinopathy in most LMBB patients is a widespread form of degeneration, initially affecting rods but rapidly involving cones as well. However, there are also cases with a clear-cut cone-rod pattern, with fairly well preserved maximal ERG responses. The lack of correlation between maximal ERG responses and visual field residual areas, different from non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients, could be related either to a low reliability of visual field testing in LMBB patients or to mechanisms accounting for the ongoing retinal degeneration in LMBB syndrome that are different from those of pure RP. Variable findings are in line with the documented genetic heterogeneity of the syndrome.
A tilting module suspension (1) for a wheeled vehicle (200) including at least two wheels (2, 3) arranged on a common axle, said module comprising a suspension system adapted to support said at least two wheels allowing tilting said at least two wheels, said module comprising a rigid frame (17) adapted to be attached firmly to the chassis of said vehicle (200) and pivotally supporting a tilting arm (14) further including said means module hydraulic actuator (101, 102) interposed pivotally between said rigid frame (17) and said swing arm (14) so ​​that actuation of said hydraulic actuating means to place a force on said swing arm (14) is exercised and basculandose said rigid frame (17) together with said at least two wheels, characterized in that said rocker arm (14) includes at least a first and a second arm portion (14l, 14r) and in that said hydraulic actuating means comprise at least one first hydraulic actuator (102) adapted to exert a force on said first arm portion (14l), and a second hydraulic actuator (101) adapted to exert a force on said second arm portion (14r).
There exist different methods of identifying malware, and widespread method is the one found in almost every antivirus solution on the market today; the signature based ap- proach. This approach uses a one-way cryptographic function to generate a unique hash of each file. Afterwards, each hash is checked against a database of hashes of known mal- ware. This method provides close to none false positives, but this does also mean that this approach can only detect previously known malware, and will in many cases also provide a number of false negatives. Malware authors exploit this weakness in the way that they change a small part of the malicious code, and thereby changes the entire hash of the file, which then leaves the malicious code undetectable until the sample is discovered, analyzed and updated in the vendors database(s). In the light of this relatively easy mit- igation for malware authors, it is clear that we need other ways to identify malware. The other two main approaches for this are static analysis and behavior based/dynamic ana- lysis. The primary goal of such analysis and previous research has been focused around detecting whether a file is malicious or benign (binary classification). There has been comprehensive work in these fields the last few years. In the work we are proposing, we will leverage results from static analysis using machine learning methods, to distin- guish malicious Windows executables. Not just benign/malicious as in many researches, but by malware family affiliation. To do this we will use a database consisting of about of 330.000 malicious executables. A challenge in this work will be the naming of the samples and families as different antivirus vendors labels samples with different names and follows no standard naming scheme. This is exemplified by e.g. the VirusTotal online scanner which scans a hash in 57 malware databases. For the static analysis we will use the VirusTotal scanner as well as an open source tool for analyzing portable executables, PEframe. The work performed in the thesis presents a novel approach to extract and construct features that can be used to make an estimation of which type and family a malicious file is an instance of, which can be useful for analysis and antivirus scanners. This contribution is novel because multinominal classification is applied to distinguish between different types and families.
A rapid and simple high performance thin layer chromatographic method has been developed for the standardization and quantification of withanolide A from an herbal oral thin film (OTF). HPTLC profile was developed using Toluene: Ethyl acetate: Formic acid (8:4:0.6) as a mobile phase and evaluated on the basis of different parameters. The Rf values of withanolide A was found to be 0.23. The total peak areas of the withanolide A and the corresponding peak areas of different formulations were compared and withanolide A were estimated as 2.25mcg. The limit of detection and limit of quantification was found to be 30ng/spot and 80ng/spot. The percent recovery was found to be well within the limit of 98 to 102%.The present study rationalizes the use of different withanolide A formulations profiles for ascertaining the identity, purity and strength of the different withanolide A formulations and also for generating data which may be use in setting up of these herbal formulations by evaluating these formulations on the basis of various parameters. The method was found to be simple, reliable, accurate and precise in accordance with ICH guidelines.
In the paper, on the basis of 54 observations the incidence of early adhesive intestinal obstruction, its diagnosis and operative treatment are discussed. In case of jejunal overfilling a modified I. D. Zhitnjuk enterostomy is recommended, the lessens the danger of the operative wound contamination, accelerates an insertion of a drainage tube in the intestinal lumen and provides an opportunity to accomplish continuous suction both during the process of intestinal drainage and in the postoperative period.
The issue of rural religious is the most important factor in the process of the construction of socialism new rural. How to make the rural religious population to meets the need of the construction of harmonious socialism and boosts the pace of socialism new rural construction This paper have given a new way from the aspect of social psychology and rural culture. That is:take the policy of people-first, communicate with people as to smooth the pressure which would be tense in the period of social system transition. So that we can lead a healthy intention of rural religious people and build up they confident in the social conversion. Therefore, a new relationship would be settled, which can stimulate the social civil system building and construct the harmonious socialism.
The study investigated the effectiveness of Brainwriting and Cort 5 Thinking Creativity Techniques in Fostering Life Skills Acquisition among Nigerian undergraduates. The study adopted was 3 by 2 pre-test, post-test factorial quasi experimental design. One hundred respondents (50, students from Tai Solarin University of Education_(TASUED) and 50 from Olabisi Onabanjo University. (OOU) participated in the study. Frequency Count, t-test statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data collected from the study. Five(5) hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that 46.5% of the respondents, make use of occupational skills as their Life Skills Assessment Scale 16 respondent, representing 16.2% make use of educational skill 6.1% prefer Home-based skill, 14.1% choose Social skills 2% of the respondent, prefer personal development skills and portable skill respectively while 7% prefer collaborative skills. Based on these findings, it was therefore recommended that teachers should employ different teaching methodologies in developing different skills in their learners. Secondly, the learners should be encouraged to exercise their mind on productive thinking through creativity thinking techniques like brain writing and cort 5 thinking strategy. It is concluded that brain writing and cort 5 thinking strategy are capable of boosting the thinking capability of the learner, this is done through persistent and persevering sense of achievement and attainment. It encourages students to think about what they might already know about a topic to be studied, and the follow- up discussion it helps to foster student's prior knowledge as well as engaging their interest in the subject to be studied.
The utility model relates to a power transformer anti-theft alarm device using GSM short messages, which relates to a power transformer anti-theft alarm device by which alarming message can be transferred through a GSM network in the method of Chinese character short messages. The utility model solves mainly the technical problems of the existing power transformer anti-theft alarm device, such as limited communication distance, short stand-by time after power-off, difficulty in concealment, difficulty in the memorization of alarming message codes. The utility model is composed of a monolithic computer system circuit 3 which serves as a core, a voltage detecting circuit 2, a sensor interface circuit 1 and a data communication interface circuit 4. The utility model has the advantages that the size is small; the concealment is easy; the standby working time can be more than 4 days after power-off; the alarm can be received with a common GSM mobile phone, the alarm communication distance can reach all the area covered by the GSM network in China, and movable receiving function is provided; the operation and maintenance costs of the overall system is low; the utility model can also be used for the anti-theft work of other electric appliances or safe boxes (doors).
The special treated(ST) companies which went to market between 2004 and 2008 were defined as companies with financial crisis.Compared with contrast samples,the financial health companies with similar capital structures,a financial alarm model that based upon Logistic model could be founded by using stepwise regression of hypothesis tests,which picked 7 out 86 financial targets as the financial alarm's indicator.And case analysis of listed companies in Shandong was carried out based on this alarm model.
Self is the central issue in personality psychology research. Cross-culture research and the brain mechanism research is a future tendency in the research of self. The paper reviewed more than a hundred year of research of self in the world. It pointed out that there existed four perspectives, namely: psychoanalytic perspective, phenomenological perspective, cognitive behaviorism perspective, and sociocultural perspective, and that there were two major categories of research, namely: research of "I"and research of "Me". Currently there are four main problems in self research: (1) lack of a synthetic study in self research; (2) there are much more research of "Me" than research of "I"; (3) the brain mechanism research is limited to cognition; and (4) insufficient attention to the study of indigenous conceptions of self.
This paper established a radiated immunity testing system of electronic device in Reverberation Chamber.The influence of different work modes to the experimental results was investigated.Representative medical equipment was experimented when the RC addresses mode stirred and mode tuned.Repeatability and reproducibility of these testing methods were investigated by repeating the test with different stirred rates.The experimental results demonstrated that the interference thresholds of mode stirred were lower than mode tuned;and care should be taken during continuous mode stirring that the tuner rotation speed was important.With the speed of tuner rotation increase,the interference thresholds decrease.
Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is one the most problematic invaders in South Africa invading forest edges, sand dunes, and shorelines by forming impenetrable thickets. Lantana camara invasions degrade natural biodiversity, reduce the value of land and consequently it has been a target for biological control, over the last 50 years in South Africa. Studies that have reported on chemical profile of Lantana camara have been conducted around the world but not in South Africa. Hence, the first aim of the current study was to identify the chemical baseline of L. camara varieties in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Recent studies have shown that feeding by one of the agents released against L. camara, Falconia intermedia (Distant) (Hemiptera: Miridae), induces anti-herbivory response through increased leaf toughness and trichome density. A preliminary study conducted also reported the production of volatile chemicals by one variety, Whitney Farm, due to feeding by the mirids. Therefore, the second aim was to determine the induced changes in chemical compounds of L. camara varieties after feeding by F. intermedia. A third aim was to determine the effect these chemical compounds have on the behaviour of F. intermedia. To identify the chemical baseline of L. camara varieties, the essential oils of four L. camara varieties (East London, Port Alfred, Whitney Farm and Heather Glen) were analysed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and that resulted to the identification of 163 constitutive and 75 induced chemicals across the varieties tested. Lantana camara varieties showed different chemical classes but were highly dominated by terpenes. A great variation in the number of constitutive chemical compounds was found in all the varieties. There were 56 constitutive chemical compounds in the Whitney Farm variety, 41 in the East London variety, 36 in the Heather Glen variety and 30 in the Port Alfred variety. The Whitney Farm variety had the highest number (22) of unique constitutive chemicals identified when compared with other varieties. This indicates the chemical distinctiveness of the Whitney Farm variety from the other varieties. In the varieties tested, there were common chemical compounds identified in constitutive and induced (discussed below) states of the plants such as caryophyllene, hexane, naphthalene, copaene and a-caryophyllene. Besides naphthalene, the majority of chemical compounds in South African L. camara varieties were similar to compounds that have been identified across the world, suggesting that they are closely related. The expression of naphthalene in these varieties may be due to changes in the chemicals expressed over evolutionary time as predicted by the Novel Weapons Hypothesis. Amongst the varieties, a great variation in chemical compounds and their concentrations was shown in the induced states of the plants. The concentration of constitutive caryophyllene ranged from (3.13 - 15.7) %, to (4.02 - 11.10) % after feeding. The concentration of constitutive hexane ranged from (6.13 - 71.19)…
And the antenna is disclosed that is used for radio frequency identification system, the antenna is a reference ground, an antenna feeder, and is electrically coupled to the antenna supplying HF and the mid one of UHF signals, the primary patch antenna element to the field transmit and receive with It includes a field transmitting and receiving one or more additional patch antenna elements -, HF and send one of the UHF signal and to receive respectively electrically coupled to the edge of the primary patch antenna element HF and one of the UHF broadband signals imide. One or more additional patch antenna elements provide a gain increase of HF and UHF signals.
An apparatus and a method for measuring a walking distance are provided to determine a mounting position thereof according to whether a walking is detected based on an output signal from a gyro-sensor. An apparatus for measuring a walking distance includes a walking detector(32), a mounting position detector(34), and a walking distance estimator(36). The walking detector is supplied with outputs from an accelerator(20) and a gyro-sensor(40) and detects walking with an acceleration signal and an angular signal from the gyro-sensor. The accelerator is capable of detecting acceleration on at least two axes. The gyro-sensor outputs an angular velocity on roll, pitch, and yaw axes. A mounting position detector determines the position of a portable terminal based on the walking detection. The walking distance estimator estimates the walking distance using coefficient of walking distance estimation parameter which is different according to the position of the portable terminal.
The objective of this work is to gather data and information to assist DOE in responding to the NRC recommendation on hot gas cleanup by performing a comprehensive assessment of hot gas cleanup systems for advanced coal-based Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and Pressurized Fluidized Bed Combustion (PFBC) including the status of development of the components of the hot gas cleanup systems, and the probable cost and performance impacts. The scope and time frame of information gathering is generally responsive to the boundaries set by the National Research council (NRC), but includes a broad range of interests and programs which cover hot gas cleanup through the year 2010. As the status of hot gas cleanup is continually changing, additional current data and information are being obtained for this effort from this 1996 METC Contractors` Review Meeting as well as from the 1996 Pittsburgh Coal Conference, and the University of Karlsruhe Symposium. The technical approach to completing this work consists of: (1) Determination of the status of hot gas cleanup technologies-- particulate collection systems, hot gas desulfurization systems, and trace contaminant removal systems; (2) Determination of hot gas cleanup systems cost and performance sensitivities. Analysis of conceptual IGCC and PFBC plant designs with hot gas cleanup have been performed. The impact of variations in hot gas cleanup technologies on cost and performance was evaluated using parametric analysis of the baseline plant designs and performance sensitivity.
The filter assembly (600) comprises a dielectric filter (300) and a shield (500) disposed around the dielectric filter. The latter can be surface-mounted on a circuit board and comprises at least one notch (426, 432) formed to extend along a side surface (324) thereof. The shield is integrally formed from two sheets (506, 512) made of a material absorbing electromagnetic waves, which are interconnected by a shoulder forming a right angle so as to fit over both sides (318, 306) of the dielectric filter. One or more protruding teeth (542, 548) respectively associated with the notch or notches (426, 432) from the point of view of the number and the position, extend beyond an end surface of one of sheets (512) of the shielding so as to come into fitting engagement with a corresponding notch formed on the filter. Placing the shield around the dielectric filter before carrying out the tuning of the filter, and openings (530 and 536) are provided in the shield to allow access to the dielectric filter and therefore its tuning after installation of the shield.
A sentence system is a way how to give a punishment. Legislative policy that reflected in regulation product still give an impression of giving priority to many kinds of condemns on sentence system. On the other hand, prison’s sentence, jail, and fine were kinds form of sentence that decided most. Nowadays, in Indonesia, I we predicted from the evelopment of sentence’s law, especially the specific sentence regulation out of KUHP, here is an inclination on the usage of double track system that is the balancing usage of sentence and acting punishment. In this thesis, the writer took the statement problem, how the sentence system of money laundering based on basic idea of double track system theory? It was taken because money laundering is one of secular crime.  Nowadays, this crime had been increasing in many kinds of field, start from intensity field until that sophisticated. Consequently, that money laundering can inhibit the country’s development in social aspect, economic aspect, and cultural aspect In this thesis the writer took a statement of problem that was: how the sentence system of money laundering based on basic idea of double track system theory. Descriptive qualitative research design was used in this thesis was collecting the material as much as possible, which is related to the problem and then makes an analysis in order to get the relevant conclusion.  Based on the research analysis and the discussion, there were secondary data from juridical normative sentence that determined on constitution No.15 on 2002 that changed by constitution No.25 on 2003 about money laundering criminal act. Therefore, the writer concluded that sentence system about money laundering on constitution No.15 on 2002 that changed by constitution No.25 on 2003, was not totally used both punishment sentence and act punishment. The position of both punishments were on balance position, that was related to a fact that faultfinding and suffering elements (from sentences: jail, fine, and prison) and building element (from act punishments: the cancellation of business permission/ corporation dissolution accompany with liquidation). Therefore, sentence system about money laundering on constitution No.15 on 2002 that changed by constitution No.25 on 2003 which is following the double track system was the balancing in forms of jail and fine, while act punishment was given to the law corporation subject in the form of the cancellation of business permission/ corporation dissolution accompany with liquidation.
Modern German has introduced a large number of anglicisms for economic, cultural, linguistic and other reasons. Most of these anglicisms are found in the fields of computer technology and advertisement. Substantives are the most important of these loanwords.Simple substantives come from English words whose first letters are capitalized. Compound substantives often contain hyphen and are mostly provisional. The loan verb is made up of an English stem and a German derivative affix while most of the loan adjectives are directly borrowed and need to have a termination.
The invention relates to a restoration construction method for an in-service oil gas pipeline which encounters with the collapse and destruction of a worked-out section, and relates to the technical field of pipeline systems. The restoration construction method comprises the following steps of: 1) preparing construction; 2) performing Redi positioning on the pipeline, and laying the pipeline; 3) cleaning an operating zone and excavating a pipe ditch artificially; 4) releasing the stress of the pipeline; 5) measuring coordinates of a pipeline body and arranging a stress monitoring device at the key position of the pipeline body; 6) analyzing the stressed condition of the pipeline, and determining a pipe section to be lifted and calculating the lifting height of the pipeline; 7) distributing hanging points, and performing ultrasonic detection on key weld joints; 8) determining the single-pass lifting height of each hanging point; 9) lifting the pipeline for multiple times, and detecting the internal condition of the key weld joints and stress values at key positions of the pipeline for multiple times; 10) retesting the scale height of the pipeline; 11) ramming and filling gaps at the pipe bottom; 12) releasing the hanging points; 13) performing the ultrasonic detection on the weld joints; 14) repairing cuts of an anticorrosive coating; and 15) restoring the pipeline.
Hypothesis / aims of study Each year a large number of patients undergo radiation treatment for various pelvic malignancies. Irradiation of the pelvic region results in bladder inflammation and dysfunction. Cystitis or its likelihood develops increasing the incidence of bladder cancer, restricting radiation treatment for bladder tumors and limiting the allowable radiation dose for treating other pelvic malignancies.
This paper examines the occurrence of seiches inside the Split harbor (Adriatic Sea). The measurements indicating the seiche periods were carried out with the pressure gauge placed near the harbor entrance. Spectral analysis of the data suggests a resonant behavior appearing in front of the harbor, that covers the periods between 7.7 and 28.5 min. The seiches were documented to occur at the periods of 6.5, 3.0, 1.6 and 1.15 min, and were verified by the barotropic 2D numerical model. In addition, two model runs were executed: the first one with the present topography and the second one with the nautical marina removed (built in 1972). The comparison should quantify the influence of the marina on the seiche characteristics. Namely, the leading seiche modes of 7.1-min and 5.0-min periods, calculated for the present topography, were probably joined in the 6.2-min mode before 1972. On the other hand, the numerical model showed that the 3.0-min seiche mode keeps its period, having the maximum amplitude at the north end of the harbor calculated for both runs. Finally, the seiches may endanger the navigation near the entrance and within the marina during the enhanced seiche episodes.
Objectives. Because the AVOXimeter uses dis- posable cuvettes and makes its measurements directly in whole blood without ¢rst hemolyzing the sample, it does not need the care and maintenance that conventional co-oxi- meters require, it operates faster than conventional co-oxi- meters, and it is less expensive. Therefore, the objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the precision and linearity of the AVOXimeter's measurements of total hemoglobin con- centration and oxyhemoglobin saturation; (2) to assess its long-term stability and thus the required interval for re- calibration; (3) to determine whether measurements can be made without anticoagulants; and (4) to assess the feasibility of storing blood samples in the disposable cuvettes. Methods. Measurements made by the test instrument were compared with those of conventional co-oximeters or with stand- ardized hemoglobin solutions. Blood samples were also col- lected with and without heparin to determine whether anti- coagulation is necessary. Results. Our tests con¢rmed the speci¢ed precision of 0.3 g/dl for total hemoglobin and 0.5% for oxyhemoglobin. The results also showed that these meas- urements were linear when compared with a conventional co-oximeter, and they were consistent with the speci¢ed accuracy of 0.45 g/dl for total hemoglobin and 1% for oxy- hemoglobin. Weekly checks with control solutions showed that the instrument holds its calibration for a year or more. Although treating syringes with heparin caused dilution errors, heparin did not aiect the measurements when dilution was avoided. When blood samples were placed in disposable cuvettes and read repeatedly at1-min intervals for 20 min, the readings drifted appreciably away from the original value. This drift occurred so slowly that readings taken at the ¢rst and second minute after the cuvette was ¢lled were within 1 or 2% of the original reading. Conclusions. In our experi- ence, the test instrument was simple and easy to operate. It met the speci¢cations for precision and accuracy, its measure- ments were highly linear, and it maintained a stable calibra- tion for one year. If the cuvettes are ¢lled as soon as blood is drawn, anticoagulation is unnecessary. However, the cuvettes should be read with1min of ¢lling the cuvette.
Objective To study the effects of Vitamin E(VE)on the lipid peroxidation and Nerve Conduction Velocity(NCV)of rabbits exposed to lead(Pb). Methods 24 rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups(Pb group(Ⅰ),Pb+VE group(Ⅱ)and control group).Ⅰ and Ⅱ group rabbits drank water of 0.1% lead acetate freely for 8 weeks,Ⅱ group rabbits were still given 2?mg/kg VE ih,2 times a week.Control group rabbits drank no Pb water and had no VE treatment.At the end of the experiment,the thigh NCV,Malondialdehyde(MDA)and Total-Superoxide Dismutase(T-SOD)in plasma and brain were mearsued. Results The NCV of Ⅰ group were significantly decreased(P0.01)than those of the control and Ⅱ groups.There were significantly negative correlation between NCV and plasma or brain SOD(r values:-0.408,-0.464,P0.05),but the differences of SOD or MDA among the groups were still insignificant in statistically. Conclusion Lead poisoning can decrease NCV,which has a relationship with the level of lipid peroxidation.The effects of lipid peroxidation may be the mechanism of peripheral neuropathy induced by lead poisoning.VE can alleviate the harmful effects of lead by its anti-oxidation and improving the function of peripheral nerves.
Growing interest in mindfulness practice is a worldwide phenomenon that is gaining traction within the field of education. This traction adheres to the current state of play in which increasing external performance demands sideline equity concerns and compound stressors that threaten individual, interpersonal and social well-being. Mindfulness-based initiatives in curriculum, professional development and research point to promising possibilities for responding effectively to these demands in ways that can improve personal and interpersonal well-being in schools. This article introduces the reader to the notion of mindfulness as a concept and as a practice; and provides a brief survey of the emerging field of mindfulness in education, particularly in Australia and North America. It offers resources for, and invites readers to consider, how they might establish and bring their own mindfulness practice into the classroom; and to consider the potential of mindfulness in education for achieving equity through equanimity.
Objective:To summarize clinical application of free anterolateral thigh flap(FATF) combining with vastus lateralis flap(VLF).Methods:Bilobed flap made from FATF and VLF were used to treat 8 cases of soft tissue lession in hands or foot.The immediate coverage of muscle flaps was performed by a meshed split-thicknss skin graft.The thigh donor site was closed directly.The vascular pedicles of biloved flap were anastomosed end-to-end to recipient site vascular. Results:All bilobed flaps were survived completely with satisfactory clinical results.One muscle flap developed minor necrosis at distal tip site of skin graft,but the wound healed gradually with daily wound dressings exchanging.A hematoma at donor site was observed in lpatient but without obviously functional disturbance.Conclusion:The blood supply of bilobed flap is nourished from quadriceps artery of femur.Bilobed flap has the advantage of sufficient blood supply,vessle anatomical location constancy,long vascular pedicle and easily obtaining,so it is suitable to repair soft tiussue lession in hands and foot.
The toxicology of an original Soviet antidepressant inkasan-3-methyl-8-methoxy-3H, 1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyrazino [1,2,3-ab] beta-carboline hydrochloride was studied in different types of experimental animals (mice, rats, rabbits, dogs). It was established that the drug is less toxic than imipramine. The toxic manifestations (seizures, stereotypy) seen in dogs receiving high doses of inkasan for a long time are likely to be linked with a stimulating component that characterizes the drug action on the central nervous system.
A method and system are described for multi-stage cooling of a system, such as a computer system, and a high thermal dissipating object, such as a CPU, to minimize acoustic noise generated by the cooling system. The method includes causing at least one fan in a system to operate at high speeds during a first stage, and reducing the speed of at least one fan during an intermediary stage. The system includes a high thermal dissipating object, a heat sink connected to the high thermal dissipating object, a first fan to direct airflow on a main section of a heat sink during a first stage, and a second fan to direct airflow on an extended section of the heat sink. Optionally, a final stage may be entered into where all fans are shut off.
Advances in the surgical management of ventricular tachyarrhythmias have been dramatic in recent years. Seriously ill patients, with or without ventricular aneurysms, who have medically refractory ventricular tachyarrhythmias may be candidates for intraoperative electrophysiologic mapping with surgical excision and/or cryoblation of the foci of their arrhythmias. In properly selected patients current techniques may offer success rates in excess of 90%. We report two cases of patients who have undergone such a procedure with excellent results. Indications for and results of surgical management are discussed.
One embodiment relates to a dual-empty filter monochromator. First bin filter while focusing the electron beam in the first plane in a second plane placed parallel to the electron beam. The slit opening and thereby be able to pass the electrons of the electron beam having an energy within the energy range of blocking the electrons of the electron beam having energy outside the energy range. Second bin filter is a first plane while the focusing to the electron beam in parallel to the second plane placed parallel to the electron beam. Other embodiments, aspects and features are also disclosed.
The Major Intrinsic Protein (MIP) is a large family of integral membrane proteins with six putative transmembrane domains conserved throughout evolution. Members of this family have been identified in many organisms, ranging from bacteria to mammals. Functional data has been reported for some members of the different subfamilies (Chrispeels and Agre, 1994; Agre et al., 1995). There are MIPs that are thought to constitute relatively simple but selective channels for a variety of ions or small uncharged molecules. In the case of the bacterial glycerol facilitator GlpF, it has been shown that it facilitates glycerol, other polyhidric alcohols, urea and glycine uptake into E. coli (Maurel et al., 1994). For the bovine prototype MIP26, there is data showing that it serves as voltage-dependent anion channel (Ehring et al., 1990). Other MIP members have been shown to facilitate transport of water in plants and animals which are known as aquaporins (Chrispeels and Agre, 1994; Chrispeels and Maurel 1994). Different subfamilies have been identified by sequence comparisons which allows to distinguish animal and plant genes and that may help to recognize different functions of MIPs (Yamada et al., 1995). Interested in the function of proteins involved in water or solutes transport, we isolated a member of the MIP gene-family from common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) using as probe a pea cDNA encoding a putative turgor responsive MIP (Guerrero et al., 1990). The sequence analysis of the putative PvMip-1 indicated that it can be classified within the subfamily of plant MIP genes encoding aquaporins. Northern-blot analysis showed that the PvMip-1 transcript is present in roots, leaves and stems. In spite of the high homology with the pea turgor responsive PsMip-7a cDNA, drought and ABA treatments do
The article presents the intermediate outcomes of a phase of a larger study devoted to the impact of historical falsifications and myths on the consciousness, socio-cultural identity and behavior of contemporary Russian youth. Falsification of history leads to a distortion of historical consciousness and the destruction of the identity of the Russian nation. This problem can be seen as a threat to national security. Empirically, our study was based on a questionnaire survey of the opinions of Moscow students in accordance with the selected set. The sample set included 1000 respondents from Moscow University for the Humanities, the National Institute of Business, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, and G. V. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. The survey results showed that the historical consciousness of contemporary youth and their attitude to Russia’s past is formed in a stochastic and non-systemic manner.
The world pattern is the relatively steady structure or system formed as a result of competition of all kinds of main powers of the world in a particular period.Since the 20th century,the world pattern has had three great changes:from Europe-centered pattern to the two-polar pattern,to multi-polar pattern.Today's world pattern is still being formed.Its basic structure is "one superpower and several major powers".Its development trend is "multipolarization".Its main feature is that "one superpower" coexists with "several major powers",that the overall detente of the world situation coexists with the regional turbulence,that it is an arduous task to oppose hegemonism and terrorism and that the trend of economic globalization and regionalization is becoming increasingly apparent.Rising in the peaceful way will be China's role orientation in the future world pattern.It is the only way for China's development.
The invention relates to a high-current baffleless magnesium electrolytic tank. The relative positions of the cathode and the anode and the height of an electrolyte liquid surface of the high-current baffleless magnesium electrolytic tank are optimized, the electric field, the thermal field, the magnetic field and the flow field of the interior of the 300-400 kA high-current magnesium electrolytic tank are analyzed by using numerical calculation, and the tank voltage of the baffleless magnesium electrolytic tank can be effectively lowered through optimizing the relative positions and the sizes of the cathode and the anode. Compared with the domestic prior art, the optimized electrolytic tank has the advantages that the tank voltage of the optimized electrolytic tank can be lowered by about 0.1 V, and the energy-saving effect of the magnesium electrolytic tank is very obvious when the current is in the range of 300 to 400 kA.
OBJECTIVES Different methods for evaluation of nuclear atypia and proliferative activity were compared in fifty cases of breast cancer.   METHODS Beneath histopathologic grading, ploidy of the stem cell line and S-phasefraction were measured by flow cytometry. Ki67-index was determined immunohistochemically and by image cytometry on smears grade of malignancy and 2cDI were measured.   RESULTS Only Ki67-index was correlated with histopathological grading. The various proliferative indices (Ki67-index, S-phase-fraction, 2cDI) were not correlated. Between image- and flow-cytometric DNA-analysis significant differences were found.   CONCLUSIONS With the immunohistochemical determination of Ki67-index in conjunction with image-cytometry a morphologic control of the material investigated is possible. So in comparison with flow-cytometry a more differentiated analysis can be performed.
We present a comprehensive study of electro-optical frequency mapping (EOFM) and probing (EOP) on NAND and NAND-like structures with different sizes. Our main objective was to find out, if it is possible to detect single dysfunctional transistors in a NAND structure smaller than the laser spot just by means of the optical signal. We further investigate the impact of parasitic laser voltage signals at different spots / material compositions in the area of the active devices and the dependence of optical signals on different pulse modes of the active devices. We also use phase mode to identify short-time effects within the pulse period and phase shifts between signals at different spots. Additionally, we observe electrical pulse phase shift and focus dependency of laser voltage signals. As we believe that the signal difference between the use of a super luminescence diode (EOFM/EOP) and a laser (LVI/LVP) as light source is relatively small, we will henceforth use the more common terms “LVI” and “LVP”.
We obtained an 844 bp Bg1II fragment from an Rb cDNA clone and inserted it into the expression vector pWR-13 to construct an Rb gene expression plasmid. When the Rb Bg1II fragment was fused in-frame into pWR-13, it was operated by a Lac Z promoter and produced a fusion protein which consisted of expressed Rb protein and a small peptide from Lac Z. The recombinants were transformed into E. coli with the CaCl2 method, screened by in situ hybridization, and restriction mapped. Total cellular protein of transformed clones was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Commassie blue staining. The sense clones showed a unique band at 28,000. On Western blot, this band specifically reacted with 125I-labelled antibody against synthetic Rb peptide. This protein comprised more than 5% of total bacterial protein.
Congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia is a rare disease with reported incidence ranging from1140000 to 1250000 live birth. It is one of the most challenging problems in paediatric orthopaedics. It is characterized by segmental osseous defect resulting in deformities of tibia and                   spontaneous fractures which progresses to nonunion.The etiology is unknown. In 50 of the cases it is associated with neurofibromatosis .The pathologic process of the disorder is the growth of abnormal fibromatosis like tissue within the periosteum. Various modalities of treatment are available like bone grafting with intramedullary nail or rod fixation,              vascularised bone grafting, illizarovs technique and rarely amputation. We report a case of 3 years old female child having congenital pseudoarthrosis of left tibia ( Boyds type 3 ) with no prior history of any surgical treatment. Introperatively, cystic lesion of left tibia was completely excised and fibular shortening with ipsilateral fibular cancellous bone grafting was done. Post operatively deformity of left leg corrected. Twelve months later radiograph showed bony union with acceptable functional out come and no refracture.Futher followup is needed and implant to be removed. It is shown that              intramedullary k wire fixation with fibular shortening with          fibular cancellous bone grafting could be a least expensive treatment of congenital pseudoarthosis of tibia.
The main role of dispersed short discrete fibers as a reinforcement for concrete is to prevent formation of shrinkage cracks, their spreading in the structures and increasing resistance of concrete to high temperatures. The plasma treatment of polypropylene (PP) fibers was discussed as a method that leads to the increasing of surface freee energy of polypropylene, accordingly better adhesion between the fibers and cement matrix. The plasma treatment improved the surface wetting properties of PP fibers. The three point bending test confirmed the improving of the mechanical performances of concrete with plasma treated fibers as a reinforcement.
The data of combined application of low invasive intervention on bilious tree were analyzed in 63 patients with the obstructive jaundice and cholangitis. An indication for operation and the option of performing multilevel drainage were validated in patients with the obstruction of bile-excreting system and cholangitis. The technique of percutaneous intraluminal biopsy of hepaticocholedoch with atherectomic camera was supposed. The data obtained allow the application of given approach during the treatment of patients with the severe stage of the disease.
The purpose of this experiment was to explore the potential mechanisms of effects of structure changes on functions in rats' ovary and uterus during progressive increasing training load and recovery courses.Scan electron microscope were used to observe the tissue ultrastructure.The major results were than the shape,integrity and conjunction of epithelium were markedly changed in ovarian.The epithelium of endometrium may find that the microvilli on cells decreased from lightness to seriousness,which indicated synthesizing function was inhibited,and cell mature was restrained,so that endometrium were in diestrus.These changes were consistent in lower sex hormones level,estrous cycle dysfunction in the same phase.The structure changes of rats' ovary and uterus were progressively recovered after 4 estrous cycles rest.
Li/Ge(111)-3×1 표면의 구조를 고찰하기 위해, Ge 3d core-level 광전자 스펙트럼을 분석하였다. Curve fitting을 통하여 스펙트럼에서 bulk Ge 3d peak에 해당하는 peak의 양쪽에 각각 하나씩의 표면 성분이 있음을 확인하였다. Li/Ge(111)-3x1 표면의 core-level spectrum에서의 두 표면 peak의 존재와 그 위치는 같은 금속에 의해 유도된 Si(111)-3×1의 경우와 유사하며, 이는 두 표면의 구조에서의 유사성을 시사한다. Li/Ge(111)-3×1 표면의 core-level 광전자 스펙트럼에서 보이는 두 개의 표면 성분의 존재와 위치는 알칼리 금속으로부터 유도되는 Si(111)-3×1의 구조 모형으로 제안된 honeycomb-chain 모형과 잘 일치한다.
Water present invention by spraying water in a state where it is recirculated combustion gas is re-intake and recompression in a cylinder block immediately following the 4-stroke due to combustion of the fuel, and 4-stroke due to combustion of the fuel, which is injected 4 stroke due to vaporization of and volume expansion are repeated alternately about 8-stroke internal combustion engine for generating power in high efficiency. 8-stroke internal combustion engine according to the present invention, by rotating the crankshaft vertical reciprocating motion of the piston is transmitted by the connecting rod, cylinder block and for generating rotational power; coupled to an upper portion of the cylinder block on one side is connected an intake manifold which is opened and closed by the intake valve, the other side the cylinder head and exhaust manifold which is opened and closed by the exhaust valve are connected; arranged on the upper side of the cylinder head, it is linked to the rotation of the crankshaft is rotated, the intake cam for driving the intake valve and a first cam shaft which is formed integrally; arranged on the upper side of the cylinder head, is rotated by being interlocked with rotation of the crank shaft, thereby driving the exhaust valve a second camshaft exhaust cam are integrally formed; the cylinder head Is installed in a water injection means for injecting water into the interior of the cylinder block; arranged on the upper side of the cylinder head, is rotated by being interlocked with the rotation of the first cam shaft, actuate the water injection means a third cam shaft which water injection operating mechanism is provided; the intake manifold and the combustion gas bypass pipe connecting the exhaust manifold; is installed on the intake manifold, the connected to the combustion gas bypass pipe gas mixture or air or re intake of the intake or combustion gases air selectively with the combustion gas inlet means for adjusting; is installed on the exhaust manifold, is connected to the combustion gas bypass pipe to selectively exhaust or recirculation of combustion gas a combustion gas exhaust means for adjusting the; including. .FIELD 1
Since the 1980s,the research of Mudan's poetry over-emphasizes the influence of the western poetry,employing willingly the notions of the later to nominate Mudan's poetry,while ignoring some complex problems concerning how Mudan's poetry received the influence of the western poetry and neglecting the uniqueness and subjectivity of Mudan's poetry themselves.Moreover,the recent disputes about Mudan's "non-China" elements also ignore the problems addressed above,over-emphasizing the importance and value of the so-called traditionary culture resources,swamping then into a breed-determining critique.Thus,it is necessary to return to the Mudan's poetry and get a comprehensive understanding of the immanent relationship of the subjectivity of Mudan's poetry and the western literature influence and intercultural communication,meditating once again the subjectivity and Richness of Mudan in a system of "world poetry".
In this paper, the author generalizes the development of DEM(DEM) and the principle and method to extracting topographic structure. Based on the need of watershed non-point source pollution simulation research, and under the support of GIS software and the technology of non-point source model SWAT, the author delaminates the DEM of the north of the Miyun reservoir in Miyun county, and form the HRUs. Finally, the author set forth the utilization of DEM in the research of non-point source pollution at three aspects: threshold value in DEM delimitations to watershed hydrological analysis.
As generally, Natural's flow two phases (solid-liquid) had different to one phase, because of this different and also a lot of using in industrial were cases of attention the researchers. A lot of attempting were doing for determine different influence parameter on properties this kind current. One of these effective parameters is exist suspended particle and settelability in this flow and they become cause change flow velocity that with use of equations hydrodynamic and mathematical models can prediction in flows include complex, homogeny and heterogenic. In this research delta lab model or river model used for the investigation of effect suspended particle and deposits. These matters include clay soil, windy sand and suspended particle. The model in scale laboratory investigating by different change parameters for example particle concentration and also compare by Zamarin, Latishenko, three layer model Doron and hydrodynamic Rutherford equation. Results of show that in the suspended particles concentration almost of 300 mg/lit prediction flow velocity by used the model Doron and hydrodynamic Rutherford equation is same approximates. Also coefficients effective suspended particle on velocity is twixt 1.05-1.27.
The GlueX experiment will employ a linearly polarized 9 GeV tagged photon beam incident on a liquid hydrogen target to search for exotic states in the light meson spectrum. Optimized for this purpose, the detector has a highly uniform acceptance over nearly 4p solid angle, with high efficiency for both neutral and charged final state particles. An overview of the physics motivation and detector design will be given.
According to a class of uncertain time-delay discrete systems,the sliding mode control problem is discussed.The delay of the system is time varying and the uncertainty is unmatched.The uncertainty is transferred into the matched part and the unmatched part by a nonsingular matrix transformation,the unmatched uncertainty is needed to satisfy the norm bounded condition.The sliding mode controller satisfied the hitting condition is designed by variable structure control method which make the state of the system hit the sliding mode surface in finite time and stay on it subsequently,so the system can derive stable sliding mode.The conservative feature is overcome in the traditional sliding mode control approach which needs matched uncertainty.
In agent-based computational finance(ACF),finance market is treated as a complex adaptive system and agent-based approach is used to bottom-up model the process where the micro interactions between individuals lead to macro features of market.The agent-based computational model is simulated on the computer to probe into the complex dynamics of finance market by the roots.As a new study pattern,ACF not only contains the traditional finance theories,but its simulation results show statistic features similar to actual time series.This paper introduces ACF's background,research course,current state and possible trends in the future.
ISDS는 외국인투자자가 투자유치국의 법규 및 규제로 인해 투자에 손실을 입게 되는 경우, ICSID나 UNCITRAL 중재규칙에 의한 국제중재를 통해 구제를 받을 수 있는 시스템으로 FTA 등에서 외국인투자자 보호를 위한 매우 필수적인 조항이다. 그러나, ISDS 조항은 한미 FTA 비준 당시 상당한 논란이 되었었고, 현재 한국정부가 약속했던 대로 다시 미국과의 협상을 위한 준비 중에 있다. 지난 수십 년간 국제사회에서는 상당히 많은 ISDS이 발생하였었고, 당사자들은 높은 중재비용, 절차지연, 정치적 이슈화 등 ISDS의 폐해에 대해서 토로하기 시작하면서, 남미 국가들을 중심으로 ISDS에 대한 강한 거부감이 표출되었다. 더구나, 일부 중재판정에서 나타나기 시작한 중재판정의 불일치 및 오류 등은 중재판정의 상소기구 도입에 관한 주장으로 이어졌고, 상소기구 도입에 관한 여러 연구들이 진행되었다. 그러나, ISDS 상소기구 도입은 기존의 투자중재 시스템의 단점을 보완할 수 있는 일부 장점이 있음에도 불구하고, ICSID 협약, 뉴욕협약 등 현존하는 국제법 체계의 변화를 요구하는 다소 실현 불가능한 사안으로 받아들여졌다. 이에, 몇몇 국가들은 BIT 및 FTA에 분쟁 당사자들 간 대화와 협의에 의해 최선의 합의점을 도출하기 위한 조정제도의 도입을 시도하였다. 또한, IBA 등 ISDS 관련 국제기구에서는 ISDS 조정제도를 활성화하기 위한 조정규칙의 제정을 추진하였고, 일부에서는 조정제도가 단지 권고사항이 아닌 강제적 절차로서 ``조정전치주의``를 도입해야 한다고 주장하였다. 투자조정제도는 현재로서는 단지 ``제안``에 불과하나 이 제도가 잘 마련되어 적절히 활용이 된다면 투자자와 투자유치국 정부 모두에게 이익이 될 것이며, 또한, 완성도 높은 투자조정제도는 현행 투자중재제도의 단점을 보완하기 위한 좋은 대안이 될 수 있을 것이다. 투자조정제도가 현행 ISDS 시스템의 문제점들을 해결할 수 있는 만능의 제도는 아니나, 한미 FTA ISDS 재협상을 위한 현재의 상황에서 우리가 취할 수 있는 최선의 대안 중 하나는 될 수 있을 것이다.
This study carried out fast walking exercise in 8 weeks and investigated the effect of elderly women’s blood lipids. The results are listed below. TC, TG in blood lipids showed that fast walking exercise in 8 weeks, the smaller decrease and HDL-C showed the smaller increase. Also, LDH, CPK in blood lipids show that fast walking exercise in 8 weeks, the smaller increase. It shows positive effect for blood lipids and blood’s improvement. Taken together, 40 minutes per day, 4 times per week, fast walking exercise in 8 weeks show positive improvement in blood lipids for elderly women’s maintain good health.
As a result of the great biological diversity of the cultivated vegetable crop species, there are many different methods of vegetable production, each with its own accompanying growing technology. The intensive development of vegetable growing that began in 1975 triggered a parallel development of research closely tied with the needs of vegetable production. Today vegetable production takes the forms of year-round field production intended for various types of processing, field production intended for the fresh market, intensive garden production, and indoor vegetable production. Research conducted as part of developing environmentally-friendly ways of field vegetable production has resulted in the development of methods for the mechanized covering of soil with black biodegradable foil, while early vegetable production is carried out by covering the plants with materials known as agrotextiles, in which case the best results are achieved by combining mulching and direct covering of plants. Indoor vegetable production has gone through the largest amount of technical and technological change and is a form of industrial vegetable production on different substrates using controlled and programmed mineral nutrition as well as microclimate regulation using different materials for light and temperature regulation. The importance of vegetables comes not only from their role as food and medicine (as a medicinal supplement and part of folk medicine) but also from their aesthetic value, as today they are part of horticultural management of gardens and green spaces. For each of the above methods of growing, an adequate cultivar range was tested and the quality of the end product and its nutritive value were monitored. Growing of a larger number of vegetable crop species and the use of secondary products of crop growing has led to the development of environmentally-friendly growing methods, which are part of sustainable development. The transition from conventional to sustainable production leads through production based on principles of good agricultural practice (GAP). All research results are important for the development of different production technologies. Today, they are the most important segments of modern technologies, including the GIS system of precision satellite-guided production, which, along with the use of the latest technical solutions, must guarantee economic gain and environmental safety.
1Steganography is a science of hiding messages into multimedia documents. A message can be hidden in a document only if the content of a document has high redundancy. Although the embedded message changes the characteristics and nature of the document, it is required that these changes are difficult to be identified by an unsuspecting user. On the other hand, steg analysis develops theories, methods and techniques that can be used to detect hidden messages in multimedia documents. Many different carrier file formats can be used, but digital images are the most popular because of their frequency on the internet. For hiding secret information in images, there exists a large variety of steganography techniques some are more complex than others and all of them have respective strong and weak points. Different applications may require absolute invisibility of the secret information, while others require a large secret message to be
The objective of this study is to investigate whether the application of Task Based Instruction significantly improves the students achievement in reading comprehension especiallynarrative text. This study was conducted by using classroom action research. The subject of this research was the students in SMP Muhammadiyah 4 Medan especially class VIII which consisted of 32 students. The research was conducted in two cycles. The first cycle consisted of three meetings and the second cycle consisted of three meetings. The instrument for collecting the quantitative data wasmultiple choiceand the instruments for collecting qualitative data were interview sheet, observation sheet and diary notes. Based on the analysis, students achievement is improved in every test of reading comprehension especiallynarrative test. In test I, the mean score was 53.13. In test II in cycle I, the mean score was 73.59. In test III in cycle II, the mean score was 83.28. Based on the interview sheet, observation sheet and diary notes, it was found that the teaching learning process ran well. The students were more active and enthusiastic working in group based on diary notes and interview sheet. It was found that Task Based Instruction can improve the students achievement in reading comprehension especiallynarrative text.
SUMMARY The pharmacokinetics of IV’-nitrosonomicotme (NNN jand 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-l-butanone (NNK) in the Syrian golden hamster, the CD-1 mouse, and the baboon were compared to the pharmacokinetics in the Fischer rat. The formation and biological half-life of 4-(methylnitrosamino)1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL), the major metabolite of NNK, was also studied in these animal species. The biological half-life of NNN in these 4 animal species ranged from 0.24 h to.3.06 h, that of NNK from 0.21 h to 0.43 h and NNAL from 0.48 h to 2.9 h. The pharmacokinetic data obtained in the baboon suggest that treatment with NNN and NNK causes an enzyme induction which accelerates the rate of elimination of these compounds.
BACKGROUND: One of main targets of prenatal diagnosis is Down's syndrome. Biochemical and sonographic markers together are efficient. The use of a single marker has not shown the same efficiency, although it has not been sufficient evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To shown results of PAPP-A as a single marker in first pregnancy trimester. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective, cross-sectional and random study, which evaluated 400 women with biochemical marker PAPP-A in the first pregnancy trimester. RESULTS: PAPP-A detected a true positive case (0.3%), 28 false positive cases (7.0%) and 371 true negative cases (92.8%), there were no false negative cases. Between 9 to 11 weeks, rate of false positives fluctuated between 5.5 and 6.7%, in 12th week it was 1.2% and in 13th week 18.2%. PAPP-A has 95.1% of specificity (weeks 9 to 12) and 82.2% of maternal age. DISCUSSION: A 5% of false positive rate is acceptable for prenatal diagnosis markers. It has been reported that PAPP-A is less discriminatory at 10 weeks of gestation. In this study the rate fluctuated between 6 and 7% (weeks 9 to 11), which increased at 13th week. Markers with low false positive rate stimulate the use of prenatal screening. CONCLUSIONS: The use of combined markers: biochemical (free fraction of beta-hGC, PAPP-A) and sonographic, are most recommendable in the first trimester of the pregnancy because of them low rate of false positives. PAPP-A can be used as a single marker between 9 to 11 weeks; false positive cases must be studied with combined markers.
This field study investigated whether either of two ambient sounds would improve objective sleep (via actigraphy), subjective sleep report, or morning psychomotor performance among 28 adults with self-described disturbed sleep. Nights 1 and 4 were soundless baseline and washout, respectively. On Nights 2 and 3 and 5 and 6, participants listened to double-blind counterbalanced paired nights of novel Sound A and a commercially available Sound B. Compared to baseline and washout, participants reported fewer awakenings during both Sound A and Sound B; actigraphically measured sleep was affected by Sound B but not Sound A. “Improvements” in sleep during the second exposure night probably reflect an increase in homeostatic sleep drive from sleep disturbance on the first exposure night. Differences between sounds were accounted for by user volume settings. Neither sound led to differences in psychomotor performance.
In order to clarify the surge mechanism,the experiment was carried out on the vaneless diffuser centrifugal compressor that was used by turbocharger.The experiment results indicate that the surge frequency is related to not only the volume of discharge pipeline but also the rotating speed of compressor.The surge frequency is reduced with the increase of rotating speed.The critical mass flow is increased with the increase of discharge pipeline volume and has linear increasing relation with rotating speed.For the system with larger pipeline volume,the mass flow of exiting surge area is noticeably higher than that of entering surge area.
Using corn starch as raw material,3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride as reaction reagent,thecold water soluble cationic starch of high degree of substitution was prepared and applied in cell separation by red Aspergillus fermentation.The results showed that:The cationic starch DSof 0.331in red Aspergillusfermentation adding amount was 3g/(100ml),stirring and natural settling for 2h,the settlement volume was minimum,then settling bacteria by filter press,the filtrate obtained was the largest;compared with the existing separation process adding 1g/(100ml)polyacrylamide,the sedimentation volume reduced by 25ml,filtrate volume increased by 15ml,which effectively accelerated the solid-liquid separation in fermentation liquid,and was more conducive to the red Aspergilluspigment extraction and purification.
We study the connection between certain many-valued con- texts and general geometric structures. The known one-to-one correspon- dence between attribute-complete many-valued contexts and complete ane ordered sets is used to extend the investigation to -lattices and class geometries. The former are identified as a subclass of complete ane ordered sets, which exhibit a close relation to concept lattices which are closely tied to the corresponding context. The latter can be related to complete ane ordered sets using residuated mappings and the notion of a weak parallelism.
The comparison of the three primary standards of 3G mobile telecommunication,which may be adopted in China,is given in this paper from many aspects,such as the spectrum assignment,the channel bandwidth,the adjusting mechanism for user data rate and so on.The results are given at last:WCDMA standard should be postponed to employ:TD-SCDMA standard is more suitable for the personal communication system;perhaps cdma2000 and 1x EV-DO standard should be selected to construct the 3G networks in China.
The relational database model was defined in the 1970‟s and is the dominating database type today. The main difference between data from a relational database and a hierarchical data structure is that the relational database stores records in tables. The records have no particular order, but can include links in terms of relationships with other records. A hierarchical structure organizes data in the form of a tree structure and can for an example be found in organizational structures in which different levels involves different responsibilities. If the data stored in a relational database is to be presented in a hierarchically, a conversion of the data structure is required. The intention of this paper is to describe how such a conversion can be performed. To investigate the conversion methods, case studies has been conducted on the basis of a specific organization‟s hierarchical structure. Web based prototypes were developed in Silverlight to evaluate the conversion of a hierarchical structure, based on the organization that was represented in a relational database. Existing tools were used in order to extract data from a database and transfer data in a client-server architecture. The result is a framework for the conversion of relational data into hierarchical structure and describes the process step by step. A conversion process includes the design of the database source, extraction and transfer of data to a web client and the algorithm for performing the conversion into a tree structure.
Titanium alloys have been considered during the last several years as an alternative to steel and flexible (non-bonded) pipe for deepwater applications. Titanium alloys offer some distinct technical advantages for such applications, such as low elastic modulus, high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent general and localized corrosion resistance, and high fatigue resistance in air and in seawater. However, a major consideration in the suitability of titanium for extended subsea service is its potential susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement in seawater under exposure to cathodic protection potentials intended for neighboring steel components. This paper examines the susceptibility of several titanium alloy grades to hydrogen embrittlement, and highlights potential mitigation measures. Selected laboratory and field test data and a preliminary predictive model are presented as part of the discussion. It is concluded that proper alloy grade selection, and use of suitable mitigation measures are key to successful use of titanium alloys in extended subsea service.
Objective To analyze radiological characteristics of periosteal reactions in chondroblastoma, and discuss the diagnostic value. Methods Thirty-nine cases with chondroblastoma of long bone were examined with x-ray and CT. The periosteal reactions were paid more attention. Results Of 39 cases, The periosteal reactions were found in 24 cases. Which of 8 cases was located on the metaphysis the both sides in plain film, around the cortical bone on CT, widespread. In 5 cases, periosteal reaction and the cortical bone break place had a gap distance; in 3 cases it was located the cortical bone break place opposite side. Very widespread periosteal reaction was found in 5 cases, and assumed the irregular widespread lace shape change on CT. The periosteal reaction was accompanied by the swelling of soft tissue in 7cases. Conclusion Periosteal reaction of chondroblastoma is high in rate, diverse in shape, widespread, not symmetric with the benign bone focus. This sign has the important value to the diagnosis and the differential diagnosis of chondroblastoma.
Abstract : One purpose of the diversion is to reduce salinities in the Biloxi Marshes by 2 to 8 parts per thousand (ppt) in order to improve oyster productivity. A range of monthly salinities has been identified as the desired product of the project. Those salinities, called the Chatry salinities in this report, consist of a narrow band of 'optimum' salinities and a somewhat wider band of 'range limits.' A time varying, three dimensional numerical model of the estuary was constructed using the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers TABS-MD modeling system. The modeled area included Lakes Maurepas, Pontchartrain, and Borgne, Biloxi Marshes, and a portion of Chandeleur Sound plus connecting waterways of Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), Inner Harbor Navigation Canal, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, Chef Menteur, and The Rigolets. All major tributary freshwater flows were simulated, as were tides at the Gulf of Mexico boundary and winds. The model computed instantaneous water levels and current velocities and salinities in three spatial dimensions throughout the area modeled. The model was verified to satisfactory reproduce hydrodynamic behavior observed in the natural system in 1982 and 1994. Four conditions were modeled for April through August of a typical year: a Base condition with no diversion, Plan RT with freshwater diversions up to 20,000 cfs, Plan MBP5 with freshwater diversions up to 8,500 cfs, and Plan LBCl, with no freshwater diversions but with the connections between the MRGO and Lake Borgue closed. The numerical model results were used to construct a simple regression equation that relates Biloxi Marsh salinities at a point to freshwater flows from the natural tributaries plus the diversions. The equation was then used to develop other diversion schedules that offered various salinity reduction scenarios.
An increasing number of multinational insolvencies has created a need for coordination among national courts. The idea of 'modified universalism' has gathered broad support as an approach to that coordination. That approach requires identification of one jurisdiction as the site of the 'main' proceeding through which the coordination may be done, but that requirement in turn creates the risk of forum shopping. The problem of claiming main status for a proceeding commenced in an inappropriate forum is addressed by a test: the main proceeding is located in the jurisdiction of the 'centre of main interests' of the debtor (COMI). Inevitably, a debate has arisen about the proper application of the COMI test. This paper asserts that the key factor in that debate should be the public interest in insolvency cases. That assertion is part of the larger debate concerning the goals of bankruptcy law, whether to serve the purely private purposes of the parties directly involved or to achieve important public goals as well.
Some of the important contributions of Einstein and their impact on advancements of science for the next hundred years since 1905, have been briefly outlined. The paradox in the scientist of the century versus his academic excellence has also been touched upon vis-a-vis contradictions in his personal bias and life. Comments have also been made as regards knowledge of West with the wisdom of the East - converging in Einstein, the visionary.
During the period from December 1 1963 through July 20 1964 221 women have received IUDs: 111 Birnberg bows No. 3 and 110 Lippes loops No. 2. Endometrial brush smears (Papanicolaou stain) were made before insertion of the device in 100 unselected patients of the group; 76 of these have had a 2nd brush smear of the endometrial cavity taken after the device has been in the uterus for 4 months. (The remaining 24 patients have not yet attained the 4-month period.) Final smears will be taken of the 100 patients when the device has been in utero 1 year. No significant smear changes have been noted to date. Additional observations amont the 221 patients include: 1 pregnancy (now in progress) with the Birnberg bow either in situ or lost without knowledge; 2 spontaneous expulsions of the Lippes loop - both reinserted 1 retained and 1 expelled a 2nd time; 2 cases of cervical carcinoma in situ (initial Papanicolaou smear confirmed by biopsy) leading to hysterectomy; and 2 removals for medical reasons (1 dysmenorrhea and 1 persistent metrorrhagia).(Full text)
The project of the “Roma Tre Law Review” is different from the American attitude. It is quite uncommon for an Italian law review to identify itself with a specific institution. Generally, journals and reviews have a thematic imprinting, being originally associated with one or more specific topics, a discipline, or a methodology. In the most egregious cases, they represent the vehicle of a peculiar cultural project. Invariably, however, they stem out of the efforts of a web of scholars or practitioners, who tend to be bound only by common intellectual interests. Also, in the majority of cases law reviews are published by commercial publishers, which are usually established in the form of for-profit corporations. The Roma Tre Law Review aims to break with this tradition, , on two main grounds: 1) it is conceived as the spin-off of an institution and not of a group of scholars or practitioners. 2) it is published “ in house ” by a non-profit organization.
Nurses and other healthcare providers have little research to guide them on specific interventions and attitudes which expedite the attainment of rehabilitation outcomes by spinal cord injured (SCI) individuals and their successful return to the community (Fuhrer, 1994; Whiteneck, 1994). Acquisition of knowledge is required during rehabilitation to learn self-care and decision-making which is essential to long term survival following SCI. However, skills that patients and families are able to accomplish in rehabilitation are often not able to be translated into the home environment (White & Holloway, 1990). The process of learning self-care and decision-making needs to be more clearly elucidated, so more effective interventions can be designed which can improve problem-solving and lead to enhanced well-being and quality of life. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the meaning, process and consequences of caring during rehabilitation from the perspective of the SCI individual. This paper will report on the findings from one research question: How is the process of a developing caring relationship perceived by SCI individuals during rehabilitation? The theoretical foundation of caring for this study was synthesized from philosophical, ethical, feminist, and nursing literature. A purposive sample of adults with traumatic SCI were interviewed at least once during their initial rehabilitation stay. Twenty interviews were conducted with fifteen participants at various times during their rehabilitation stay over a six month period. The core category of "getting back together" or reintegration of self, which was the major work of rehabilitation, was accomplished with nurses and therapists who were perceived as caring. The process of a developing caring relationship was conceptualized, from participants' descriptions in three phases: learning the other, learning what I need to know, and letting me find out. During each phase reciprocal behaviors occurred between the patient and the caregiver resulting in intermediate outcomes, which facilitated movement to the next phase. Consequences of these caring relationships were: well-being, self-care, autonomy, independence, and hope. Caring by rehabilitation professionals was perceived by SCI individuals as central to recovery and to a positive attitude toward disability.
As globalization has replaced modernization as a paradigm of contemporary change,it calls for a reconceptualized modernity,that I describe as "global modernity." Globalization differs from modernization by relinquishing a Eurocentric teleology to accommodate the possibility of different historical trajectories in the unfolding of modernity.It brings into modernity the voices,experiences and cultural legacies of others.Thus,a single modernity breaks into multiple and alternative modernities."Multiple modernities" suggests a global multiculturalism,and seeks to contain challenges to modernity by conceding the possibility of culturally different ways of being modern.It may signify either the proliferation of modernities,or its universalization.Global modernity as a contemporary condition is marked not by the disintegration of modernity,but by its reconfiguration around a global center,albeit of necessity an absent center.
The present invention relates to a method for operating a power system, in particular a current network of a water vehicle, the power system is connected to a battery device for intermediate storage of energy, wherein the battery device has a plurality of batteries, and that a first part of the battery is operated in a hold mode, in wherein the battery part for receiving excess energy from the power supply can be charged while a second battery part is operated in a discharge mode in which the sub battery can be discharged to deliver additional energy into the power grid. Further, the invention relates to a power supply system, in particular for a watercraft with a power supply system which is connected to a battery device for intermediate storage of energy, wherein the battery device has a plurality of batteries, and is configured such that a first part of battery is operable in a loading mode, in which the partial battery for receiving excess energy from the power supply can be charged while a second battery part is operable in a discharge mode in which the sub-battery for delivering additional energy is discharged into the power grid.
A tire / wheel assembly (4) assembly, comprising: Ping Heng weight determination step (S7), the phase of the maximum point of RFV and RRO is the minimum point is assumed wherein the wheel (1) and the tire (2) It will match the same, and the weight and position of the mass of the tap (2) of the static imbalance, according to the determined additional static imbalance weight and position of the focus quality of the wheel (1) and the tire Ping Heng weight (3) on the wheel weight and additional locations; Ping Heng weight additional step (S8), wherein in accordance with the determined weight and the additional position Ping Heng weight (3) attached to the wheel (1); assembling step (S9), wherein the wheel by making uniform the phase of the maximum point of RFV and RRO is the minimum point (1) and the tire (2) of the wheel (1) and the tire (2) assembled together.
Objective To study the method for determination of pentachlorophenol(PCP) in water by headspace solid phase microextraction(SPME) gas chromatography. Methods Pentachlorophenol in water samples was extracted using optimized SPME technology, separated by SE30 chromatographic column and the content of pentachlorophenol in water was determined by electron capture detector (ECD) under the conditions: adjusting water samples to pH 2.0, to maintain an agitating equilibrium concentrations at 60 ℃ for 40 min, headspace absorption for 10 min using extraction head holding polyacrylic ester-coated microfiber (0.83 μm in thickness), desorption at 280 ℃ for 3 min. Results The detection limit of the method was 0.13 μg/L. The correlation coefficient r=0.999 was noticed in range of pentachlorophenol concentrations 0-12 μg/L. When adding standard material of pentachlorophenol at concentrations of 1 μg/L, 6 μg/L, 10 μg/L, the recovery rates were 88.9%-105.0%, 88.9%-102.8% and 98.0%-99.5% respectively and the RSD were 4.9%-8.4%, 3.1%-8.5% and 4.0%-5.4%(n=6)respectively. Conclusion The method was simple, sensitive, stable and without solvent pollution, which was an ideal method for determination of pentachlorophenol in water.
OK432, a heat- and penicillin-treated lyophilized powder of a low virulent Su strain of Streptococcus pyogenes, was injected into the perilymphatic space of guinea pigs in order to determine the kinetics of exudation of inflammatory cells into the cochlea over a 7-day period. OK432 induced exudation of many neutrophils and Asialo GM1-positive cells into the scala tympani. The numbers of these cells peaked on the first day after OK432 treatment, and then gradually decreased. Four days after treatment very few of either of these types of cells were observed in the scala tympani. Asialo GM1-positive cells were confirmed to be activated macrophages. In ears treated with physiological saline or with the additive included in OK432 in control studies, no notable changes in the inner ear were recognized. These findings suggest that the inner ear can undergo induction of macrophage rapidly exudation by OK432 treatment as has previously been observed for other organs.
Abstract : Whether the North American opossum, Dipelphis virginiana, has a natural resistance to envenomation by 12 species of snakes from the families Crotalidae, Viperidae, Elapidae, and Hyprophidae was studied. Challenge of the anesthetized opossum was by actual snakebite or intravenous injection of 4 to 20 times the dose known to be lethal to susceptible mammals. Some animals that survived the snakebite were given venom intravenously 40 to 90 minutes after the bite. Heart and respiratory rate, EKG, and blood pressure were monitored for 2 hours after envenomation, and surviving animals were observed for signs of poisoning for 30 days. The opossum survived the venom of the following snakes of the Crotalidae family: eastern diamondback rattlesnake, western diamondback rattlesnake, copperhead, cottonmouth moccasin, Mexican copperhead, and Central American mossasin. It died when challenged with the venom of the Indian cobra, Chinese cobra, coral snake, cape cobra, puff adder, and sea snake.
This addresses representation of the table semantics for the cross-context information exchange. The tables we consider have an arbitrary cells structure represented in a machine-readable format. For example, tables can be contained in electronic documents, such as a spreadsheet or a web-page, and, typically, they are not accompanied by semantics enabling their automatic interpretation. In spite of the existing variety of formalisms for representation of the table semantics, most of them they are fairly inefficient in terms of the user efforts required for the semantic annotation. We outline a new approach to the lightweight representation of the table semantics. We stay on the interpretation level that provides the inference of the semantics of atomic data items of a table from a description of data groups expressed by the syntax of the table. We expect that, in the future, implementation of our approach can reduce the complexity and volume of the table semantics required for the cross-context information exchange, as well as the user efforts aimed at annotating tabular data.
All development activities undertaken by the Government or by private  companies, cannot be separated from the need for land. To fullfill the needs of  land for such development can use land owned by the State, State land and land  rights owned by individuals or legal entities. Due to the limited State land and  land owned by the State, then often the fulfilment of the needs of the land for  development is done using land owned by individuals or legal entities.  Surabaya, as the second largest city in Indonesia has been doing development to  increase their people welfare. The main concern of the Government is to improve  the quality of public facilities, such as expansion of the road in order to reduce  traffic congestion. The traffic is one of the problems faced by large urban cities. In  this case the Government intend to minimize the traffic in Surabaya by building  the frontage road.
Procedural law is defined as that body of legal rules which prescribes the procedure to be followed when a substantive or material rule of law requires enforcement or where such a rule has been transgressed and redress is needed. It is thus accessory to substantive law. Whereas the substantive law defines legal rights, duties and remedies, adjective law deals with the 'enforcement of these rights duties and remedies'. In other words, in assessing the procedural and practice rules which have been established by the courts, the main question is whether the interpretation of those rules has led to effective dispensation of justice.
Bleomycin is considered to be a useful model compound for studying environmental carcinogenesis, due to its broad spectrum of DNA damaging properties. In addition, bleomycin is a useful antitumor drug because of its cytotoxic properties. To investigate the influence of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine and its metabolites glutathione and cysteine on bleomycin-induced DNA damage and more importantly to gain insight into the biological relevance of such damage, PM2 DNA was exposed to Cu(2+)-bleomycin in the presence and absence of the thiols N-acetylcysteine, glutathione and cysteine. It was found that the presence of these thiols led to a considerable enhancement of bleomycin-induced single- and double-strand breaks and a concomitant decrease in the biological activity of PM2 DNA in a dose-dependent way. A similar observation was made when ascorbic acid was used. Bleomycin showed no DNA damaging activity when PM2 DNA was pretreated with the strong Fe ion chelator desferal and its activity was strongly inhibited by the addition of Cu2+ ions or under hypoxic (N2) conditions. Cu(2+)-bleomycin under our conditions is not active by itself, but most probably after binding to DNA exchanges Cu2+ for Fe3+ bound to DNA. Fe(3+)-bleomycin is then reduced to Fe(2+)-bleomycin, a process potentiated by the added antioxidants, and subsequently activated by O2. The contribution to biological inactivation of bleomycin alone or in the presence of ascorbic acid is only approximately 15%. The contribution to lethality in the presence of thiols is higher. These results indicate that ascorbic acid only enhances the DNA damaging properties of bleomycin, whereas the thiol compounds in addition influence the type of DNA damage. The remainder of the biological inactivation is probably caused by double damage, such as single-strand breaks with closely opposed alkali-labile sites or base damage.
In this paper,the development process,synthesis mechanism and application status of mesoporous molecular sieves are briefly introduced.The analysis of mesoporous molecular sieves related patents at home and abroad are focused,including the annual distribution of the patent applications,technology life cycle,main competition of the assignee,technology focus,etc..The results show that the domestic develop trend of mesoporous molecular sieves is similar to that of the global.However,there is still a certain gap with leading technology multinational companies for foreign technical mastery.The preparation and industrial production of mesoporous molecular sieve materials with high hydrothermal stability and catalytic activity are still the R D priorities and difficulties.
Taking Langya Mountain hydropower station for an example,the thermal state similarity model test of the dome in generator floor is discussed.Based on similarity theory and similarity number of heat Archimedes,the similarity scales of experimental model are established.Based on the different vents numbers,air temperature,velocity,ways of ventilation and exhaust ways,the change of velocity and temperature field distribution in generator floor are analyzed.The results show that the air flow distribution is uniform when the air-conditioning cold is supplied and the fans for the ventilation are working;the wind velocity meets requirements and the temperature is effectively reduced.
The authors report a series of sixty-seven cases of fracture of the corpus cavernosa, 2 of which were associated with partial rupture of the urethra. Most of the fractures (61 cases) were due to a deliberate manipulation of the erect penis. A coital "faux pas" was only reported in 6 cases. Early surgical treatment, drainage of the haematoma and suture of the corpus cavernosa prevented cicatricial fibrosis, curvature of the penis and distal flaccidity interfering with erection.
2008年開始引發的全球金融海嘯，各產業皆嚴重受創，至2010年經濟復甦後，國內外車廠競相加碼投資新穎、省油之電動車款以搭上車市回溫的成長期。各汽車業者如何藉由旗下車款的品牌個性吸引消費者青睞進而提高其購買意願?無不使出渾身解數。台灣消費者在選擇車輛品牌主要的考量因素是否受到品牌個性一致性及涉入程度的影響為本研究欲探討課題，期望提供業者在制定行銷策略與經營方向時的參考依據。  本研究參考前五大國產車廠及其熱銷品牌，作為測試消費者對於汽車品牌個性看法的依據。最後選定三大品牌的熱銷車種作為本研究的研究標的，即TOYOTA CAMRY、TOYOTA ALTIS、HONDA CR-V以及FORD FOCUS這四款車型，作為本研究的汽車品牌研究對象。選定任職新竹科學園區企業人員、交通大學管理學院一般生、在職生、中央大學碩博士生以及在營服役青年等多元背景消費大眾，發放問卷，共回收219份問卷，有效問卷為207 份。使用統計套裝軟體SPSS 12.0 為資料分析工具，並採用敘述性統計、相關分析、F檢定、T檢定、變異數分析與迴歸分析等統計方法，在5%或 1%顯著水準中得出下列研究結果:「品牌個性一致性」對「購買意願」有正向影響。且「涉入程度」對「品牌個性一致性」與「購買意願」間關係有中介效果。
At the beginning of a longitudinal study to evaluate the use of Village Health Workers (VHW) to collect vital statistics at the grassroot, 100 out of a total of 342 house-hold heads were randomly selected and interviewed. Information on births, child deaths, attitude to registration, and some factors militating against successful registration of vital statistics at the grassroot were inquired into and is discussed. There were a total of 6 stillbirths and 100 deaths in children (aged 0-14 years) in the last 5 years following the training of VHW for the community. Only 4 (3.4%) of these deaths wee officially registered. The top 4 causes of death in the children were febrile convulsion, malaria fever, measles and acute respiratory tract infection (ARI). Thirty six percent of the household heads felt reporting of deaths in children was unnecessary and 63.1% of children had birth certificates. Only 14% of the respondents had marriage certificates and out of a cumulative total of 43 divorces, only 21 had divorce certificates. Ignorance, poverty, traditional beliefs, lack of motivation and reduced accessibility to registration centres are major hindrances to successful registration of vital statistics at the grassroot.
Vital to the development of urban tourism are capital cities. According to Hall (2002: 235) “capital cities are an important component of the national fabric of almost every country in the world yet, surprisingly, very little has been written about their tourism significance.” Capital cities provide an administrative base of government operations that create spin off effects for business travel. National capital cities also provide the setting for the nation’s culture, history and democracy and can therefore attract significant numbers of school excursions for students. National capitals also hold major national institutions that are significant for tourism as well as preserving national heritage and culture (Therborn, 1996).
For adjusting the volume of the negative pressure within a cartridge system (52) in pressure, the method comprising the following steps: a) determining a pressure value (4) at different points of time, these pressure values ​​are used for the a pressure volume (52) in the measure, and store the pressure value is determined, b) determining a maximum (12) and a minimum value (14), c from the stored pressure value) from the maximum value (12 ) and the minimum value (14) determining a difference value (16), D) the difference (16) are compared, and e with a predetermined first boundary value) when said difference (16) is greater than the predetermined first boundary value is determined, the activation of a pump (56) for withdrawing fluid from the volume (52).
The article assumes that the expression “comparative relativism”—the title of the Common Knowledge symposium in which the essay appears—is neither tautological nor oxymoronic. Rather, the author construes the term as an apt synthetic characterization of anthropology and illustrates that idea by means of four quotations, taken from authors as different as Richard Rorty and David Schneider, Marcel Mauss and Henri Michaux. The quotations can be said to “exemplify” anthropology in terms that are interestingly (and diversely) restrictive: some of them amount to extrinsic negations of anthropology that would paralyze it; others suggest intrinsic negativities that would propel it. All of the passages chosen evoke the idea of belief, which is profoundly implicated, in all possible senses (and especially the worse ones), in the majority of arguments that connect the themes of anthropology, comparison, and relativism.
1. Do R, Xie C, Zhang X, Männistö S, Harald K, Islam S, Bailey SD, Rangarajan S, McQueen MJ, Diaz R, Lisheng L, Wang X, Silander K, Peltonen L, Yusuf S, Salomaa V, Engert JC, Anand SS; INTERHEART Investigators. The effect of chromosome 9p21 variants on cardiovascular disease may be modified by dietary intake: evidence from a case/control and a prospective study. PLoS Med. 2011;8:e1001106. 2. Lloyd-Jones DM, Hong Y, Labarthe D, Mozaffarian D, Appel LJ, Van Horn L, Greenlund K, Daniels S, Nichol G, Tomaselli GF, Arnett DK, Fonarow GC, Ho PM, Lauer MS, Masoudi FA, Robertson RM, Roger V, Schwamm LH, Sorlie P, Yancy CW, Rosamond WD; American Heart Association Strategic Planning Task Force and Statistics Committee. Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: the American Heart Association’s strategic Impact Goal through 2020 and beyond. Circulation. 2010;121:586–613.
tomary to analyze the occupational and wage aspects of discrimination as if they were logically separate and their effects additive.1 In this paper the two aspects are treated in a unified way, through the development of a model which marries the wage differential approach of Becker [1] to the approach emphasizing the "crowding" effects of occupational segregation originally noticed by Edgeworth[3] and developed by Bergmann [2]. The result allows a clearer view of the distri-
The invention discloses a three-dimensional visual operation system for operating rooms comprising a general control device; an endoscope which is connected with the general control device; a display which is connected with the general control device and is used for displaying the content photographed by the endoscope and for surgeons to watch; a lighting device which is connected with the general control device; a movable camera device which is connected with the general control device; a three-dimensional operation display screen which is connected with the general control device, wherein the three-dimensional operation display screen is provided with a picture in picture module, the operating room site content photographed by the movable camera device can be displayed in the three-dimensional operation display screen, the three-dimensional operation display screen is provided with a switch module for switching display contents in the picture in picture module. The three-dimensional visual operation system for operating rooms facilitates direct broadcast and is convenient for medical communication and real-time interaction.
This paper assesses the roles played in the adoption of agro-tourism activities in Norway by socio-demographic factors, the financial situation of the farm household, and the productive orientation and physical location of the farm. Rural tourism activities in Norway fall into two broad categories: (a) licensing of fishing and hunting rights and (b) letting of rooms on the farm, huts and cabins, and the provision or direct selling of food to travellers. The results of the analysis indicate that factors such as the size and the location (rural or semi-rural) of the farm play a statistically significant and more important role in the decision to license fishing and hunting rights than in the development of other agro-tourism activities on the farm. On the other hand, socio-demographic factors, such as the presence of a female partner in the household and the age of the main farm operator, play a statistically significant role in the adoption of onfarm agro-tourism activities.
At signalized intersections where approach speeds are 56 km/h (35 mph) or higher, drivers face a "dilemma zone." If the yellow signal comes on while the driver is in this zone, a decision to stop may result in a rearend collision or a sideswipe. The opposite decision, to go through the intersection, might produce a right-angle accident. For such an intersection, the traffic engineer needs to select a detector-controller configuration that will (a) detect an approaching vehicle before it enters the dilemma zone and either (b) extend the green signal to provide safe passage through the zone or else (c) end the green signal when the vehicle is still upstream of the dilemma zone and thereby provide adequate stopping distance. A major research project examined in detail a number of advanced detector-controller designs. The resulting design manual has systematically integrated into a single publication the available knowledge on the subject. This paper condenses the author's contribution to the design manual, elaborates on certain points incompletely treated by it, and proposes a new configuration. Current knowledge of dilemma-zone boundaries is reviewed, a classification of controllers and detectors and a taxonomy of detector-controller configurations are provided, and research data on the effectiveness of green-extension systems are summarized. The proposed new configuration uses a basic, actuated, nonlocking controller; 25-m (85-ft) long, delayed-call loop detector at the stopline; and two extended-call detectors upstream to give protection to the dilemma zone. /Author/
Lead storage in teeth was evaluated by examining the lead concentration in deciduous teeth of 32 children whose habits of pica and state of lead exposure had been studied when they were between 1 and 3 years of age. Concentratios of lead in their teeth depended on the reported amount of paint or plaster intake and the duration of exposure. The mean dental concentration of lead in exposed children was significantly higher than the mean value in 36 controls, who presumably did not have undue exposure to lead. A difference in dental lead concentration related to living area was noted. The significant difference in lead content of teeth between the two groups, even though the concentrations of lead in blood at 8 years of age were similar, emphasizes the importance of dental lead measurments for retrospective studies of lead exposure.
The present invention was added crosslinked silicone polysiloxane least one crosslinked silicone coating on the base material, and hydrochloride A method for producing a release sheet comprising a hydrosilylation catalyst, a release paper wherein the silicone coating is treated with a compound that is effective as a catalyst dokje for hydrosilylation catalyst It relates to a process for producing the same. The invention also relates to the use of a compound that is effective as a catalyst dokje for hydrosilylation catalyst for processing the silicone coating present on the release paper so as to control the release paper, and the peel strength that can be obtained according to the method, the a release paper by using a silicone coating can be separated from the top-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive composition.
Objective: To study the mechanism on the change of hyperammoniemia after eradication therapy of helicobacter pylori infection in patients with liver cirrhosis.Method:56 cases which were positive of helicobacter pylori and hyperammoniemia were divided into therapy group and control group.The former were eradicated helicobacter pylori infection with ten-day sequential therapy.The latter were not treated with helicobacter pylori,the rest therapies were the same.The levels of blood ammonia,IL-8,IL-18,TNF-α were detected after one month.Result:The levels of blood ammonia,IL-8,IL-18,TNF-α were lower in therapy group and after treatment,IL-18 ccorrelated positively with blood ammonia,r=0.581,P0.05.There was no correlation between IL-8 and blood ammonia,P0.05.TNF-a is correlated positively with blood ammonia,r=0.446,P0.05.Conclusion:The eradication of helicobacter pylori is effective to lower blood ammonia in patients with liver cirrhosis hyperammonia.Maybe IL-18 and TNF-α participate the process.
A new composite material capable of removing the organic molecules from an aqueous solution is obtained by in situ polymerization of (4 -vinylpyridine (4VP) in the bleaching clay (BC, bentonite) as carrier. 4VP monomer is inserted into the inter-space bentonite chloride using N dodecylpyridinium (DPC) as surfactant intercalating reagent, three composite samples (BCP1, BCP2, and BCP3) were prepared varying the initial amount of DPC. Moreover again composite was prepared by introduction of poly (4 -vinylpyridine octyl bromide) [P4VP C8Br X] different percentages quaternization into bentonite for obtened [bentonite/ poly (4 -vinylpyridine octyl bromide)]. thermogravimetric analysis (TGA ) shows a good stability of both types of materials at high temperatures. Fourier transform infrared ( FTIR ) analysis and X-ray diffraction (DRX ) analysis shows clearly that is actually polymerized 4VP and adsorbed on bentonite , also the copolymer in the organo-clay media [P4VP C8Br -X] . Good efficiency to remove toluene from the aqueous solution is demonstrated by the adsorption kinetics. Therefore, the organic modified clay leads to a hydrophobic modification of properties of these composite materials BCPX (X = 1, 2, 3) and [P4VP C8Br -X].
Asteroid and cometary impacts on planetary bodies are a natural, ongoing residual process that remind us of solar system genesis and evolution. Established spacefaring countries are currently working on plans to engage the world community of nations in dealing with this threat that has already caused recent havoc in the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia.    Defending our home planet against hazardous asteroids and comets is a very high priority issue because a high energy impact by larger objects has the potential to literally wipe out large population centers, decimate flora and fauna, upset our fragile climate and cause incalculable damage to critical physical infrastructure. So it is imperative that we prepare to defend our home planet, especially since new technologies allow us to do so. Space systems and allied technologies must play a key role in planetary defense. However the advanced systems and technologies to be employed will also require unprecedented cooperation and coordination among nations that can only be achieved using state of the art information and communication networks that are maturing right now. Global involvement and innovative and agile organizations, creative structures in policy making and governance are a prerequisite for agile action that is necessary for effective response.    Since asteroid or comet impact poses a global threat, like climate change, Planetary Defense aspires to all humanity. Technologies are maturing that can be commissioned to mitigate this threat. It is imperative that we find ways to integrate all peoples and nation states in this global endeavor. Nations and their space agencies are currently joining forces to examine the problem.    The International Space University (ISU) Space Studies Program (SSP) will hold its 28th summer session at the Ohio University, Athens, Ohio between June 08 and August 07, 2015. Over a hundred highly qualified graduate and post graduate students as well as young space professionals in leadership roles selected from a large pool of candidates from various space agencies around the globe will once again come together to study space exploration in a interdisciplinary, intercultural and international environment, with experts informing them on all aspects of space activity. They will explore the future of space activity and create innovative concepts for all the world to engage in and share. One of the team projects selected for this session is planetary defense.    This paper and presentation will report on the findings and recommendations of the 2015 ISU SSP Planetary Defense team project.
The forthcoming Eastern Enlargement of the EU will trigger static and dynamic effects. Due to the heterogeneous regional structure of the acceding states, the effects are bound to be asymmetric. It applies in particular to relatively large and regionally diversified economies as Poland. The membership in the European Union will affect general development patterns both at the aggregate and regional level. It is also likely to induce regional convergence or divergence. The experience of the 1990s shows that economic transformation and gradual economic integration have led to a significant rise in regional inequalities in Poland. The accession to the EU is bound to increase regional inequalities further at least in short to medium run which will constitute a major challenge for both supranational and national equalization-oriented regional policy. Furthermore, the likelihood of convergent regional development in Poland is rather questionable even in the long run.
In article on the basis of data of the literature and results of own researches of the author the analysis of existing methodical approaches to research of working capacity is lead. The characteristic of three basic approaches is led to research of working capacity ergometric, physiological and power, brief historical data about development of scientific representations within the limits of each of these approaches are cited. Classification of tests for an estimation of various aspects of working capacity in view of their reserving for the characteristic of power is offered, to capacity or profitability of this or that energy source.
Although the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on pain and inflammation are similar to the activation effects of formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2/ALXR) mediated by pro-resolving substances, the involvement of this receptor in the antihyperalgesic effect of EA had not yet been investigated. Objective: To evaluate the involvement of the peripheral and spinal FPR2/ALXR receptor in the antihyperalgesic effect induced by low-frequency EA in an animal model of persistent peripheral inflammation. Methods: Swiss male mice (30 to 40 g) underwent intraplantar (i.pl.) injection with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Mechanical hyperalgesia was assessed by the von Frey test. The animals were treated with EA (in SP6 and ST36 acupoints) or BML-111 (an analog of lipoxin A4 [LXA4]) for 5 consecutive days. In the analysis of the mechanism of action the mice were treated on the first and fifth day. The edema was evaluated on the fourth day after CFA by measuring the thickness of the paw. Intraplantar (i.pl.) and intrathecal (i.t.) administration of the FPR2/ALXR receptor antagonist (WRW4) or naloxone were performed on the first and fifth day after CFA. Expression of the FPR2/ALXR receptor in the paw and spinal cord was performed on the second day after CFA by the Western Blotting technique. Results: EA and BML-111 reduced mechanical hyperalgesia. Daily treatment for 4 consecutive days with EA or BML-111 did not reduce paw edema. The i.pl. or i.t. pre-treatment of animals with WRW4 or naloxone prevented the antihyperalgesic effect induced by EA or BML-111. The CFA i.pl. injection increased FPR2/ALXR receptor expression in the paw, but not in the spinal cord. Treatment of animals with EA or BML-111 did not alter FPR2/ALXR receptor expression in the paw or spinal cord, although animals treated with EA or BML-111 when pretreated with WRW4 had lower FPR2/ALXR receptor expression in the spinal cord. However, lower expression of the FPR2/ALXR receptor in the paw was evidenced only in animals pretreated with WRW4 that received EA treatment. Conclusion: Treatment with EA or BML-111 reduced mechanical hyperalgesia, but not edema, and this effect might be mediated by activation of peripheral and central FPR2/ALXR receptor.
Rat hearts perfused with 32Pi were made hypoxic by perfusion with medium gassed with N2/CO2 (19:1). There was a rapid decrease in tension development (25% of control within 40 s), but little change in the frequency of contraction, time to peak tension, or rate of relaxation. The phosphorylation of troponin-I, C-protein and myosin P-light chain was unaffected by 5 min of hypoxia, whereas the proportions of glycogen phosphorylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase in the active form increased slowly. When aerobically perfused hearts were challenged with a bolus (70 pmole) of D,L-isoprenaline, there was a large increase in contractile force, cyclic AMP concentration, phosphorylation of troponin-I and C-protein and activation of phosphorylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase. Hypoxia for 5 min caused a slight, progressive decrease in the response to isoprenaline of force, cyclic AMP and activation of phosphorylase and pyruvate dehydrogenase. In contrast, there was a larger decrease in the phosphorylation of troponin-I and C-protein, suggesting that the activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase towards the contractile proteins may be impaired by hypoxia. The phosphorylation of myosin P-light chain was unaltered by any condition. The response to hypoxia is compared to that of ischaemia, where a complete loss of the response to isoprenaline occurs after 5 min.
Activity ofD-lactate dehydrogenase (D-LDH) was shownnotonlyincell extracts fromMegasphaera elsdenii grown on DL-lactate, butalsoincell extracts fromglucose-grown cells, although glucose-grown cells contained approximately half asmuchD-LDHasDL-lactate-grown cells. Thisindicates thattheD-LDHofM.elsdenii is aconstitutive enzyme.However, lactate racemase(LR)activity was present inDL-lactate-grown cells, butwas notdetected inglucose-grown cells, suggesting that LRisinduced bylactate. Acetate, propionate, andbutyrate wereproduced similarly frombothD-andL-lactate, indicating thatLR canbeinduced bybothD-andL-lactate. Theseresults suggest that theprimary reasonfortheinability ofM.elsdenii toproduce propionate fromglucose isthatcells fermenting glucose donotsynthesize LR,whichisinduced bylactate.
A reliable method for bleach-based alcohol oxidation has been developed. Use of sodium bisulfate as the acid additive in the reaction mixture eliminates the various problems associated with acetic acid, which has commonly been used for this type of oxidation. By conducting the reaction in an ethyl acetate/water two-phase reaction mixture, efficient reaction occurs at room temperature, and the workup is straightforward. This more reliable version of the well-known transformation has been successfully performed by thousands of second-year undergraduate organic chemistry students over the last several years.
The present invention describes a method for predicting a health-state indicative of the presence of ovarian cancer (OC). The method measures the intensities of specific small organic molecules, called metabolites, in a blood sample from a patient with an undetermined health-state, and compares these intensities to those observed in a population of healthy individuals and/or to the intensities previously observed in a population of confirmed ovarian cancer-positive individuals. Specifically, the present invention relates to the diagnosis of OC through the measurement of vitamin E isoforms and related metabolites. The method enables a practitioner to determine the probability that a screened patient is positive or at risk for ovarian cancer.
A mean field calculation of the two dimensioinal three band Hubbard models based on a Mori-projection operator formalism, which is called the projection operator mean field (POMF) approximation, is presented. The results are compared with those of the Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations. We find that the POMF results agree very well with those of the QMC. Then we use the parameters determined by the constrained density functional method to study the CuO2 plane by POMF. We find an antiferromagnetic insulating ground state with band gap and magnetic moment given by 1.97 eV and 0.65 μB, and a satellite peak around 13 eV below Fermi level. All these results agree with experiment. The effect of doping on the solutions is discussed.
We are dimly aware that the facial expression recognition is influenced by camera angles and light angles. Although several studies have investigated each factor of them, little research considered the effects of camera and light directions simultaneously. In this paper, rating experiment was conducted for the neutral faces of photograph that were changed in horizontal and vertical angles of cameras and lights. The participants rated the strength of expressions appeared on the neutral faces about 6 basic emotions. Total rating index was defined as the whole sum of the values that was supposed to be an indicator of the total effects. From the analysis of the indexes, the camera angles had a larger effect than the light angles. However, the analysis for each term indicated that camera and light angles had different effects on the strength of recognized facial expressions.
Teachers distance training based on network is a completely new form of education,quite different from the traditional teachers training.The traditional training model of centralism imparts and teachers imparts can't any longer meet the needs of variety,dynamic and specialization.It is inevitable to construct an open teachers training model whose main body is teachers by applying modern distance education means.Teachers distance training has the characteristics of the opening in training contents,of flexibility,learning autonomy and collaboration,teaching and learning interaction,and studying exploration and action.
Fundamentals of Human-Computer InteractionGesture and Sign Language in Human-Computer InteractionHuman-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2019Human-Computer Interaction. New TrendsInteraction DesignHumanComputer Interaction -INTERACT 2011Human-Computer Interaction: Interaction Modalities and TechniquesHuman-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2015BrainComputer Interface SystemsHuman-Computer Interaction. Theories, Methods, and Human IssuesHuman–Computer InteractionHuman-Computer Interaction. Interaction in ContextAffective InteractionsHuman-Computer Interaction. Interaction Design and UsabilityHuman-Computer Interaction. Design and User ExperienceHaptic Human-Computer InteractionAffect and Emotion in HumanComputer InteractionHuman-Computer Interaction Theories, Methods, and ToolsUniversal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Applications and ServicesHuman-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and ServicesHumanComputer Interaction. User Interface Design, Development and MultimodalityHuman-Computer Interaction: Towards Mobile and Intelligent Interaction EnvironmentsHuman-Computer Interaction. Interacting in Various Application DomainsGesture-Based Communication in Human-Computer InteractionIntelligent Human Computer InteractionComputer Human InteractionHuman-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2017Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Design for All and EInclusionHuman-Computer Interaction: Users and ApplicationsGesture and Sign Language in HumanComputer InteractionUniversal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Intelligent and Ubiquitous Interaction EnvironmentsGesture-Based Communication in Human-Computer InteractionComputer Vision in Human-Computer InteractionVisualization in Human-Computer InteractionHuman-Computer Interaction INTERACT 2009Human-Computer Interaction. Ambient, Ubiquitous and Intelligent InteractionUniversal Access in Ambient Intelligence EnvironmentsHuman-Computer Interaction. Recognition and Interaction TechnologiesHuman-Computer Interaction Advanced Interaction, Modalities, and TechniquesHuman-Computer Interaction. Multimodal and Natural Interaction
Characteristics and correlates of simultaneous sedative-alcohol use among alcohol and non-medical sedative users" (2010). Objective: This study examined the characteristics and correlates of past 12-month simultaneous sedative-alcohol use (SSAU) in a community sample (N=167) reporting non-medical use of sedatives. Sample: For the present analysis, 167 participants who reported non-medical sedative use for more than 5 days in the past 12 months, and use of alcohol in the past 12 months, were included.
Objective To observe the immune regulatory effect of Marasmius androsaceus (MA) polysaccharide in normal mice. Methods The experimental mouse was injected with high,middle,and low dosages of marasmius androsaceus polysaccharide(5,10,20 mg·kg-1·d-1) in the abdomen (i.p.) ,and the comparison group was given the same volume of saline water i.p. once a day. After treatment for 14 consecutive days,the blood cell count instrument was used to measure the mice hemogram,the phagocytic function of peritoneal macrophage and the ability of carbon granular clearance were observed.,the ability of the spleen lymphocytes proliferation was tested by MTT,and the hemolysin production test was used to evaluate the influence of MA polysaccharide on specific humoral immunity in mice. Results Marasmius androsaceus polysaccharide at middle and high dosages can increase the number of lymphocytes and moncytes in normal reference,enhance the phagocytic function of peritoneal macrophage,promote the carbon granular clearance,accelerate the proliferation of T lymphocyte,enhance the specific humoral imnune function. Conclusion Marasmius androsaceus polysaccharide has certain potentiating effect on the phagocytic function and immunity regulation.
China economic growth has got slowed down and Taiwan social environment has changed. What is more,the relationship between China Mainland and Taiwan has become complicated and uncertain after‘nine in one'election. In this new situation,how to deepen the economic cooperation between Fujian and Taiwan is worth discussing. This paper describes the important results of economic cooperation between Fujian and Taiwan since2008,and sums up the main problem during this phase and analyzes its causes,then explores how the new situations will be faced by Fujian and Taiwan.In the end,we will give some suggestions. Facing the adjustment of economic structure and social system in each side of the Straits,and the fierce competition from other different regions of China,Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries,improving infrastructure,increasing human capital,promoting cultural integration,enhancing service consciousness,and implementing preferential policies are necessary in order to deepen the economic cooperation between Fujian and Taiwan. But the most critical is to develop local economy and social civilization.
Introduction: Aging implies an increase in morbidities which requires medical treatment and may result in the use of multiple medications. Polymedication (≥ 5 medications) is associated with risk of loss of quality of life and negative health outcomes and is a risk of independent mortality. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between polymedication and quality of life in the elderly in the municipality of Palhoca, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Method: a cross-sectional study of 135 elderly patients enrolled in the UBS Family Health Strategy. A complementary questionnaire was applied with sociodemographic, clinical data, comorbidities and number of medications in use. To measure quality of life, Whoqol-bref and Whoqol-old were applied. Analysis by SPSS 18.0, with the chi-square association test or Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test and correlation p <0.005. Results: Polymedication was observed in 55.6%. There was statistical significance (p <0.001) between polymedication and hypertension (RP = 2.85, CI 1.59-5.09), diabetes (RP = 2.31, CI 1.58-3.36), arthritis (RP = 1.60-2.69), cardiovascular diseases (OR = 2.29, CI 1.61-3.26), and history of falls (RP = 1.651, CI 1.129-2.414). The correlation was negative and significant in the four WHOQOL-BREF domains and with the total WHOQOL-OLD score (-0.284) with p = 0.003. Conclusion: The quaternary prevention should be worked out since the medical training so that health professionals are aware and carefull about the risks of hypermedication in the elderly population.
World health organization (WHO) described health as a “State of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely are absence of disease or infirmity”. This definition is subsuming individual and curative and rehabilitation dimensions. The present paper attempt to interpret the right to health care, in terms of Community Development Programmes and health problems and the methods for preventing and controlling them: promotion of food supply and proper nutrition: and adequate supply of safe water and basic sanitation: maternal and child health care, immunization against major infection diseases: prevention and control of locally endemic diseases: appropriate treatment of common diseases and provision of essential drugs. According to 2011 census India consists 41 per cent of children population. The paper is based on primary data. Random sampling is selected for the study.
The application for patient medical rehabilitation at foundation of the disability children palembang is a software to process patient medical rehabilitation data by foundation of the disability children palembang. Therapist can input patient data, disability history, disability status, present, planning data, patient status, transaction without writing in the book. Therapist can also work easier and reponsible. This data processing applications of medical rehabilitation patiens at the foundation of the disability children palembang is a built by using PHP programming language and MySQL database this data processing application can help therapist is job become easier in input input patient data, disability history, disability status, present, planning data, patient status, transaction until become a report
Acetylcholine (ACh) hyperpolarized the rat diaphragm muscle fibers by 4.5 +/- 0.8 mV (K0.5 = = 36 +/- 6 nmol/l). The AC-induced hyperpolarization was blocked by d-tubocurarine and ouabain in nanomolar concentrations. This effect of ACh was not observed in cultured C2C12 muscle cells and in Xenopus oocytes with expressed embryonic mouse muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) or with neuronal alpha 4 beta 2 nAChR. In membrane preparations from the Torpedo californica electric organ, containing both nAChR and Na, K-ATPase, 10 nmol/l ouabain modulated the binding kinetics of the cholinergic ligand dansyl-C6-choline to the nAChR. These results suggest that in-sensitive alpha 2 isoform) and nAChR in a state with high affinity to Ach and d-tubocurarine may form a functional complex in which binding of ACh to nAchR is coupled to activation of the Na, K-ATPase.
In North Africa political strife is replacing population growth as the main reason for migration. If the Europeans especially the French do not take a hand in sorting out the Algerian problem they are likely to pay the price. Already police on the Italian island of Lampedusa say they caught and repatriated more than 6000 illegal immigrants in 1994. By European estimates tens of thousands of illegal immigrants make their way each year via Tunisia to Italy and on to France or Germany. Yet population growth rates in Algeria Morocco and Tunisia have been falling steadily since the 1970s according to INED the Paris-based National Institute for Demographic Studies. The populations number 28 million in Algeria 26 million in Morocco and 9 million in Tunisia. More than half the populations are younger than 25 keeping population growth rates high. Every other young Algerian is unemployed and many emigrate to Europe in search of jobs. In Algerias ongoing civil war more than 30000 people have been killed since late 1992 which has led to falling levels of investment and even fewer jobs. Between 1975 and 1980 the annual population growth rates in Algeria and Morocco respectively were 3.1% and 2.4%. In 1995 they were estimated to be 2.2% and 2%. Algerian women with no education have an average of slightly more than 7 children each. Women with secondary or higher education bear fewer than 4 children. In the 1960s 85% of Algerian women and almost all Moroccan and Tunisian women could not read or write. In 1995 more than half of Algerian and around 40% of Tunisian women are literate. Algeria embarked on a family planning program only 13 years ago. From 1983 to 1989 the total fertility rate dropped from more than 6 to 4.6 and to 4.4 in 1995.
This paper presents the experimental implementation of sensorless direct torque control of an induction motor based electric vehicle. In this case, stator flux and rotational speed estimations are achieved using an extended Kalman filter. Experimental results on a test vehicle propelled by a 1-kW induction motor seem to indicate that the proposed scheme is a good candidate for an electric vehicle control.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic debilitating problem with increasing incidence and long term complications such as diabetic nephropathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy etc. These complications are mainly a consequence of macro vascular and micro vascular damages of the target organs. The magnitude of the complications of diabetes is related to its duration. Less has been known about the after effects of diabetes on lungs. So this work was carried out to know the relation between duration of diabetes and lung volumes and capacities in Type 2 DM patients. The presence of an extensive micro vascular circulation and abundant connective tissue in the lungs raises the possibility that lung tissue may be affected by Microangiopathy process and non-enzymatic glycosylation of tissue proteins, induced by chronic hyperglycemia, there by rendering the lung a “target organ” in diabetic patients.  This is a cross-sectional study, the test group were Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients (n=50) with duration of 2-35 years, the control group were staff of Narayana medical college (n=50). Written consent was obtained from them. The following lung function parameters were recorded: Forced Vital Capacity ( FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second (FEV 1 ), Forced Expiratory Volume percent (FEV 1 /FVC %), Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), Forced Expiratory Flow 25-75% ( FEF 25-75% ), Maximum Voluntary Ventilation (MVV). The mean FVC, FEV 1 , PEFR, FEF 25-75 %, MVV values are low in diabetics compared to controls (p value <0.001) and the parameters showed significant negative correlation with duration of diabetes. Key words: Chronic hyperglycemia, Diabetes mellitus, Microangiopathy, Micro vascular circulation, Pulmonary function tests
This paper presents a modal analysis of the head-neck system, achieved using human volunteer subjects. The experimental impact device consisted of a pendulum which frontally impacted the forehead of a seated volunteer. Acceleration and frequency of the head were measured. Mathematical frequency analysis was performed. A three dimensional representation was obtained by including the spatial dimension, to show the deformed mode shapes of the neck: extension and translation modes. For the covering abstract see ITRD E121180.
Objective: To compare the visual event-related potential P300 between the Han and the Uighur patients with neurosis. Method: 97 cases of neurosis patients (48 Han and 49 Uighur) were served as neurosis group,and 99 healthy adults (45Han and 47 Uighur) as control group. The visual event-related potential P300 was tested in all the people. Results: The Han and Uighur people showed no significant differences in latencies of target N2,target P3 and amplitudes of target P3,non-target P2 in both the neurosis group and control group (all P 0. 05) . Compared with the control group,the latencies of target N2、target P3 were prolonged significantly and amplitudes of target P3,non-target P2 were reduced significantly in the neurosis group (all P 0. 05) . Conclusion: There are no significant differences in visual event-related potential P300 between the Han and Uighur patients with neurosis,but the neurosis patients were different on visual event-related potential P300 indices from normal.
Inaugural Lecture.- Imaginado Creatrix: The Creative versus the Constitutive Function of Man, and the Possible Worlds.- I / The A Prior.- Welcoming Remarks.- Life-world and A Priori in Husserl's Later Thought.- The Transcendental A Priori in Husserl and Kant.- The Affective A Priori.- Special Contribution to the Debate: The Life-World and the A Priori - Opposites or Complementaries?.- Special Contribution to the Debate: The A Priori of Taste.- Consciousness and Action in Ingarden's Thought.- The A Priori in Ingarden's Theory of Meaning.- Discussion.- II / Activity and Passivity of Consciousness.- The Activity of Consciousness: Husserl and Bergson.- Problems of Continuity in the Perceptual Process.- The A Priori Moment of the Subject-Object Dialectic in Transcendental Phenomenology: The Relation-ship between A Priori and Ideality.- Special Contribution to the Debate: Passivity and Activity of Consciousness in Husserl.- III / Phenomenology and Nature.- Sense-Experience: A Stereoscopic View.- Freedom, Self-Reflection and Inter-subjectivity or Psychoanalysis and the Limits of the Phenomenological Method.- Discussion.- Constitution and Intentionality in Psychosis.- Scientific Information Function and Ingarden's Theory of Forms in the Constitution of the Real World.- Discussion.- Complementary Essays.- Le platonisme de Husserl.- Art, Imagination, and the A Priori.
Children who are acquiring writing skills oscillate between conventional and non-conventional spellings, when they need to spell the letter ‘a’, predominantly in two specific contexts: when said letter appears in the beginning of a word or when it works as a definite article in nouns phrases. Assuming that this oscillation suggests uncertainties about how to spell the orthographic word, in this research paper, the goal was to investigate, on two children’s journey, which linguistics aspects would be determining the emergence of the non-conventional segmentations involving the letter ‘a’. We used a corpus consisting of 101 textual productions that were written by these two children throughout four years. The analysis showed that syntactic, semantic, morphological and phonological aspects all contribute to the emergence of non-conventional segmentations involving the letter ‘a’.
Objective To contrast the image qualities and the display percentage of vessel branches in cerebral angiography by two techniques, namely, Digital Subtraction CT Angiography (DSCTA) and Dual Energy Subtraction CT Angiography (DECTA). Methods 40 patients were divided averagely into Group A and Group B. All of them underwent head CTA exam, employing Somaton Definition Dual-Source CT of Siemens. The patients in Group A were under the mode of single tube and single energy by DSCTA, meanwhile the patients in Group B were under the mode of dual tube and dual energy by DECTA. Then the image quality of two groups and the display percentage of main vessels and branch were contrasted. Results 18 patients out of 20 in Group A succeeded in subtraction while 2 cases failed because of patients′ motion. The rate of success was 90%; 20 patients in Group B did subtraction successfully and the achievement ratio was 100%; there was no great difference on cerebral main vessels and branches which displayed in image between two groups. But the image quality of group A was superior to that of Group B. Conclusion As the development of dual-source CT′s hardware and software, DECTA Cerebral Angiography will be applied widely in clinic.
Sensory reeducation is very important. Many methods are used but it is difficult to assess their efficiency. Besides the routine methods we are using the gnostic rings which have on their periphery 5 symbols: a letter = A, a number = 3, a geometrical figure = a circle, a rough surface and a smooth convex surface. The symbols of the rings are in 3 different sizes (1.5 - 1 and 0.5 cm). The gnostic rings have 3 advantages: 1) they allow a precise evaluation in percentage. 2) they require an important brain effort, 3) they may be kept in the pocket and used several times during the day.
Leisure tourism is the inevitably choice of the development of tourism industry in the 21st century,and also is the transformation and innovation of tourism.The ecological culture and folk culture resources are rich in Guizhou minorities area,and there are many natural advantages on the development of leisure tourism.The development of leisure tourism in Guizhou minorities area is an important way to build new socialist countryside,and is an important means to promote economic development.This article explores the way of the current development of leisure tourism in the theoretical perspective of the sustainable tourism and ecological tourism in Guizhou minorities area,analyses problems existing in the current development of guizhou tourism industry,and puts forward the countermeasures of development in the future on the industry planning and management,industrial interaction and development,leading enterprises cultivating,and so on.
The two earliest inhalers devised for the administration of ether anaesthesia in the U.K. (Hooper's and Squire's apparatus) both incorporated the bottom part of a Nooth's apparatus. This, which was once a household object, is now remembered only as a footnote in one or two specialist histories, and Nooth himself, who was a most distinguished and respected medical man in his day, is almost completely forgotten. Yet there are many aspects of Nooth's life that are of great interest, and his apparatus was one of the very first to be designed to produce, for medicinal purposes, what may inclusively be called carbonated waters; and, surprisingly, there are strong links of coincidence between the histories of artificial mineral waters and of anesthesia, and the personalia involved in each.
This article examines the general tort law governing liability for torts committed by others and compares it to the law of indirect infringement for patents, copyrights, and trademarks. There are a number of circumstances in which the law imposes liability for torts committed by other persons. Liability is imposed on an aider and abettor who gives substantial assistance or encouragement to another person’s commission of a tort, provided the aider and abettor actually knows the other person’s conduct is tortious. Liability is also imposed on a party who induces another person to commit a tort if the inducer either knows or should know of circumstances that would make the conduct tortious. In addition, liability is imposed on a party who permits another person to commit torts on the party’s premises or with the party’s instrumentalities if the party knows the other person is acting or will act tortiously. The law of indirect infringement for patents, copyrights, and trademarks originally developed out of the general tort law, but it has diverged from the general tort law in various ways. Since direct infringement is a statutory tort, liability should not be imposed for indirect infringement when the general tort law would not impose liability for other types of torts committed by other persons, unless there are sound reasons for treating infringement differently than other types of torts. Consequently, the general tort law may provide insight as to how unsettled issues in the law of indirect infringement should be resolved. In addition, identifying differences between the general tort law principles and the law of indirect infringement reveals questionable case law that should be reexamined. TABLE OF CONTENTS
With the help of data mining for university asset information,university management and decision can be made scientifically.To address the problem,a novel approach for mining association rules based on rough set theory is presented.It uses the conditional information entropy attributes reduction algorithm based on SQL language to reduce attributes,and applies the improved Apriori algorithm to mine association rules.Experimental results show that the approach can be easily realized taking advantage of database query language and is more efficient.It provides a better method by which rough set theory is used in university asset data mining.
Taking University of Virginia as an example, the author describes and analyzes the educational environments in American universities mainly from the following three aspects: the beautiful environment inside and outside campus, the advanced artificial environment as embodied in teaching buildings, libraries and facilities, and the teaching environments including curriculum development and teaching methodology. The author concludes the article with the hope that Chinese universities will learn from American universities and make all efforts to create excellent educational environments for students.
With the availability of high-density marker maps and cost-effective genotyping, genomic selection(GS) methods  may provide faster genetic gain than can be achieved by current selection methods based on phenotypes and the  pedigree. Many schemes have been proposed for continuous traits, but methods for threshold traits are still scarce.  Accuracies for breeding values were investigated for a typical dairy cattle breeding setting by using genomic and  classic methods. Here we investigate some of the factors driving the accuracy of genomic selection, namely marker  numbers and heritability. In classic method, we estimated true breeding value(TBV) using ASReml from univariate  analysis model for threshold traits. Marker characteristics and linkage disequilibrium were obtained by simulation  to achieve a mutation drift balance. Six generations with only genotypes were generated to examine accuracy  changes rate over time. With h2= 0.05, accuracies for genomic and classic path ranged from 0.22 to 0.45 and 0.15  to .035 respectively. For genomic and classic methods with h2= 0.30, accuracies varied from 0.27 to 0.61 and 0.22  to 0.44 respectively. With h2= 0.80, accuracies for genomic and classic approaches ranged from 0.21 to 0.73 and  0.36 to .055 respectively. Results showed accuracies of breeding value by genomic selection were sufficiently high to  implement dairy selection schemes testing in which case a data time-lag of two to three generations may be present.  Using traditional method for estimating TBV resulted in reduced accuracies compared with direct genomic  selection.
Financial Management (FM) is a key component in the development process, ensuring accountability and efficiency in the management of public resources and promoting private investment and growth. Middle and North Africa (MNA) FM's focus is on engaging with MNA countries' systems and working closely with counterparts and other partners to build in-country capacity as we work to ensure the financial integrity of our operations. A critical pillar of the regional FM strategy is to enhance our countries' capacity to comply with international accounting and auditing standards. MNAFM also plays a key role in cross-cutting issues of importance to the region, including governance and anti-corruption and the critical issue of FM harmonization.
The article reports threshold ranges and detection limits for the screening of tetracyclic benzodiazepines (adinazolam, alprazolam, brotizolam, estazolam, loprazolam, midazolam, triazolam and many metabolites) using the EMIT-st and TDx system (FPIA). In most cases, the cross reactivities of the two systems are comparable, but there are also remarkable differences. Detection limits are mainly in the range between 0.2 and 0.5 mg/l but, in some cases, the limits are also considerably higher. The within-day precision is 1.1% (TDx) and 16.5% (EMIT-st); day-to-day precision is 4.7% (TDx) and 12.6% (EMIT-st), respectively.
Objective To survey the prevalence,incidence,treatment measures and the untreated rate of convulsive epilepsy in Gaomi City.Methods 850 900 people in Gaomi City were investigated with convulsive epilepsy patient screening diagnosis table developed by Ministry of Health by the method of cluster screening.Firstly,in-home survey was conducted by training-qualified medical professionals assisted by rural doctors from each village.Then the enrolled cases were rediagnosed and related informations were registered by the technical director team of Gaomi City Epilepsy Prevention Demonstration Projects.Moreover,detailed surveys were conducted on all patients with epilepsy with self-designed general questionnaire for patients with epilepsy.Results The census rate was 100% by a complete census on the total population of 850 900 people in Gaomi.A total of 640 patients with convulsive epilepsy were found by June 30,2011.The prevalence of convulsive epilepsy in Gaomi City is 75.21/100 000.Male patients accounted for 53.43%,and females 46.56%.The incidence was 4.94/100 000.The untreated rate was 36.73%.Conclusion The prevalence and incidence of convulsive epilepsy in Gaomi City are lower than other areas in China.Compared with results of other surveys,the untreated rate in this survey is lower.However,it is still as high as 36.73%.
EURL ECVAM Rodent In Vitro Intrinsic Clearance Database Description: The rodent In Vitro Intrinsic Clearance database is an ExcelTM workbook and includes rodent (mouse, rat) in vitro intrinsic clearance rates derived with in vitro methods using rodent S9 fraction, hepatocytes, or microsomes. There are 8648 entries for approximately 6100 unique chemicals. The database has been compiled by ARC Arnot Research and Consulting Inc (Toronto, Canada) for EURL ECVAM (Joint Research Centre, F.3; contract number: CCR.F.C931336.X0) applying quality criteria as outlined in the spreadsheets.
Little attention has been paid to the role of cross culture in predicting audiences' attendance intention. Therefore, this study was primarily designed to identify the cultural difference in two groups (Chinese audience and foreign audience) pertaining to the perception of service quality, satisfaction and future attendance intention and their relationships at an international tennis event in China. The results indicated that the Chinese audience evaluated service quality and overall satisfaction significantly higher than the foreign audience. Among eleven service quality factors, Grandstand Environment and Official Website services were the most influential factors of satisfaction perceived by Chinese audiences; while, Content of Game and Parking services were significantly related to the satisfaction perceived by foreign audiences. Content of Game in the Chinese group and Grandstand Environment in the foreign group were significantly associated with future attendance intention. Our data suggest that the sports managers and marketers must establish and implement different strategies that are designed specifically to target local and foreign audiences that attend a mega sporting event while providing an attractive and entertaining game for both groups as the key to success.
Over 20 species of fungi, i ncluding several pathogens of crucifers, have been found in association with hypertrophies of the inflorescence Istasheads) and stem and pod blisters produced on turnip rape (Brassica campestris) , wild mustard (g. ~ kaber) and false f lax (Camelina microcarpa) by the white rust fungus, Albuqo cruciferarum. The most prevalent associates of Albuqo were Peronospora parasitica, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium roseum Acuminatum' and 'Equiseti' , Alternaria raphani, g. brassicae and cladosporium sp. Most of these were recovered on agar media followinq surface disinfestation of the hypertrophied tissue. Very few Albuqo infected tissues failed to yield some secondary invaders, and five occasionally were isolated from a single staghead. The possible significance of these associations is discussed.
We consider the well known  emph{Least Recently Used} (LRU) replacement algorithm and analyze it under the independent reference model and generalized power-law demand. For this extensive family of demand distributions we derive a closed-form expression for the per object steady-state hit ratio. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first analytic derivation of the per object hit ratio of LRU that can be obtained in constant time without requiring laborious numeric computations or simulation. Since most applications of replacement algorithms include (at least) some scenarios under i.i.d. requests, our method has substantial practical value, especially when having to analyze multiple caches, where existing numeric methods and simulation become too time consuming.
Nowadays,automated stereoscopic warehouse has been widely used in logistics,storage and other fields.The stacker which is used for goods storing and delivering is one of the important equipments for automated warehouse.This article analyzes the working condition and performance requirements of the stacker and on this basis,proposes the scheme of controlling the stacker motor with frequency converter.And the specific method for Schneider ATV71 frequency converter's controlling 3D motor of the stacker is introduced in detail.
Background: Eyestrain (asthenopia) is symptoms caused by excessive efforts of the vision system in less than perfect conditions to get the sharpness of vision. Excessive usage of computer may increase the risk of eyestrain beside caused by factors such as working equipment and duration. This study needs to be conducted to determine the relation between the level of knowledge about the negative impact of long-term computer use with the incidence of eyestrain.  Methods: This study was a non-experimental research that is quantitative with cross sectional design. The subjects of this study was 70 people aged 30 to 60 years old of UMY employees. The research data obtained by questionnaires filled out by the respondents to identify the characteristics, the level of knowledge and eyestrain subjectively.  Results: From 70 respondents, eyestrain occured in 47 respondents (67,1%). Statistical analysis of knowledge level of UMY employee with the incidence of eyestrain using chi-square test shows the p value = 0,087 (p>0,05).  Conclusion: There was no significant relation between the knowledge level of UMY employee with the incidence of eyestrain with p=0,08 (p>0,05).
The operation of the real property market will inevitable impact on the ability of an urban region to exploit, maintain or create competitive advantage and thus its ability to generate high and sustainable economic growth relative to its competitors. In the past decade the ability to retain and attract advanced services has been a key dynamic of urban growth and development in both primary and secondary cities. Thus a built environment which is equipped to meet the accommodation needs of such activities becomes a key pre-requisite for growth. A key issue relates to the very problematic nature of the markets supply side adjustment. This reflects the complexity of the process through which new space is created and the necessity within this to satisfy a significant range of legitimate and sometimes conflicting interests. The institutional capacity of a local property market to deliver new space will inevitably play a role. Adjustment is further complicated by issues of path dependency in the urban build environment. Buildings once created have market implications which may in certain circumstances last hundreds of years. The urban built environment is inevitably locked-in by its past history with the timing of previous development cycles influencing both the timing and supply of future developing opportunities Combined all these factors ensure that there will always be an unavoidable mismatch between accommodation requirements and the characteristics of the stock which is actually provided. This mismatch manifests itself in terms of pricing with markets exhibiting persistent problems of over and under pricing which distort market responses with the consequent over and under production of space. Using a broadly institutional economics approach to markets (DiArcy 2006) this paper attempts to further our understanding of the role played by property markets as determinants of urban economic development through a comparative case study analysis of recent office development activities in the central areas of two contrasting British urban regions n Manchester and Reading. This has two principal objectives. The first is to use the case study analysis as a mechanism for furthering our understanding of how the production of office space is driven by a complex combination of factors related to the institutional structure and capacity of local property markets interacting with wider market circumstances. As a result emphasis is placed on the characteristics of the players involved, both private and public n or some combination of both, their objectives, the respective policy and market contexts, and finally issues of path dependence as determinates of development opportunity. A second objective is to provide a critical assessment of the potential contribution of urban restructuring strategies based on central area office renewal as an effective contributor to urban growth and development. The paper concludes with a consideration of the contribution of the analysis to furthering our understanding of the role played by property markets as both facilitators and inhibitors of urban development and provides some suggestions for future research.
A plasma sprayed dual density ceramic abradable seal system for direct application to the HPT seal shroud of small gas turbine engines. The system concept is based on the thermal barrier coating and depends upon an additional layer of modified density ceramic material adjacent to the gas flow path to provide the desired abradability. This is achieved by codeposition of inert fillers with yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to interrupt the continuity of the zirconia struture. The investigation of a variety of candidate fillers, with hardness values as low as 2 on Moh's scale, led to the conclusion that solid filler materials in combination with a YSZ matrix, regardless of their hardness values, have a propensity for compacting rather than shearing as originally expected. The observed compaction is accompanied by high energy dissipation in the rub interaction, usually resulting in the adhesive transfer of blade material to the stationary seal member. Two YSZ based coating systems which incorported hollow alumino silicate spheres as density reducing agents were surveyed over the entire range of compositions from 100 percent filler to 100 percent YSZ. Abradability and erosion characteristics were determined, hardness and permeability characterized, and engine experience acquired with several system configurations.
In 1985-1988, 993 serum samples of dogs from Southern Bavaria and 408 samples from Northern Bavaria and from several Lands of the Federal Republic of Germany were tested for antibodies against the serovars canicola, icterohaemorrhagiae, grippotyphosa, bratislava, pomona, saxkoebing, sejroe and hardjo by using the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). 683 seras (48.75%) out of altogether 1401 samples showed a reaction against one up to seven serovars. The mostly low canicola- and icterohaemorrhagiae titers, having been proved in over 30% of the samples, can be put down to the fact, that usually the dogs had been vaccinated. Most frequently titers were found with the serovars grippotyphosa and bratislava--in Southern Bavaria 28.3%, in Northern Bavaria and other Lands of the Federal Republic of Germany 18.6%. The prevalence of titers against serovar saxkoebing, with or without a reaction against other serovars out of homologous and heterologous serogroups, reach up to 3.2% in sendings coming from Southern Bavaria and in other sendings up to 6.1%.
doi: 10.1074/jbc.M605584200 originally published online October 5, 2006J. Biol. Chem.€2006, 281:36652-36661.€ Access the most updated version of this article at doi: 10.1074/jbc.M605584200 € Find articles, minireviews, Reflections and Classics on similar topics on the JBC Affinity Sites.Alerts: €€ •€ When a correction for this article is posted •€ When this article is cited Click here to choose from all of JBC's e-mail alerts€ http://www.jbc.org/content/281/48/36652.full.html#ref-list-1 This article cites 47 references, 39 of which can be accessed free at
Purpose Meningitis is among the most common infections affecting the central nervous system. It can be difficult to determine the exact pathogen responsible for the infection and patients are often treated with empiric antibiotics. This study was conducted to identify the most common clinical characteristics of enteroviral meningitis in children and evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for early detection of an enterovirus. Methods We analyzed the medical records of children admitted to Korea University Medical Center and diagnosed with meningitis on the basis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and RT-PCR from CSF and other samples from January 2010 to August 2013. Results A total of 333 patients were enrolled and classified into four groups based on diagnosis: enteroviral meningitis (n=110), bacterial meningitis (n=23), other viral meningitis (n=36), and unknown etiology (n=164). Patients with bacterial meningitis were younger than those in the other groups (P<0.001). Pleocytosis in CSF was similar across all groups. Of patients in the enteroviral meningitis group, 92.7% were diagnosed based on RT-PCR findings. Mean length of hospital stay for patients with enteroviral meningitis was 6.08 days, which was significantly shorter than that for patients with meningitis of bacterial etiology (19.73 days, P<0.001). Conclusion Diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis before viral culture results are available is possible using RT-PCR. Accurate diagnosis reduces the length of hospital stay and helps to avoid unnecessary empiric antibiotic treatment.
Detailed understanding of the electrochemical behavior of specific crystal facets in battery devices can only be obtained when a single type of crystal orientation interfacing the electrolyte can be synthesized. This can be achieved by epitaxial thin film technology. Most studies on LiMn2O4 thin films have investigated polycrystalline samples, while only limited research has been performed on single crystalline thin films [1-5]. Characterization of epitaxial thin films has previously been focused on the structural properties, only few reports have shown electrochemical properties by clear redox peaks and discharge capacities around 125 mAhg with clear plateau regions in the (dis-)charge curves [3-5]. A study by Hirayama et al. concluded from surface X-ray diffraction measurements that a solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) was present on both (111) and (110) surfaces, although the (110) surface was less stable and indicated a higher Mn dissolution [2]. Unfortunately, the actual electrochemical performance was only studied for LiMn2O4 thin films grown on (111)-oriented SrTiO3 substrates [3,4]. Here, we will show that by structural engineering of stable, epitaxial LiMn2O4 thin films the electrochemical properties can be controlled and enhanced as compared to polycrystalline samples. By changing the crystal orientation of the single crystalline Nb:SrTiO3 (0,5wt%) substrate ((100), (110) and (111)) we can control the specific orientation of the LiMn2O4 thin film and, therefore, the cathode surface towards the adjacent electrolyte. We demonstrate the realization of epitaxial cathode thin films exhibiting high capacity >90% of theoretical limit, fast (dis)charging rates of 1-20C and excellent cyclability over hundreds of cycles. All three crystal orientations showed similar high electrochemical performance without any significant capacity fading, indicating the realization of perpetual behavior ideal for battery devices.
Abstract:Miracles are not only not denied by the rabbis, but are taken and understood by them as divinely intended and significant. They are interpreted literally as heavenly signs and messages exceedingly louder, clearer, and simpler than God's spoken or written word. Divine miracles are by nature neither subtle nor understated. Their sheer unpredictability and jolting abruptness command the attention of those who witness them to the intervening immediacy of their message. And yet, while fully aware and cognizant of their significance and divine import, the rabbis are known to flatly reject miracles in ways they would never reject a verse. The classical example, to which this article is devoted is the widely cited rabbinic legend of the "oven of Akhnai"—a story that, I argue, holds a key to the Talmud's unique theological and religious enterprise. However, to understand it as such requires attending first to another widely cited Talmudic legend, on which, the article argues, the story of the oven builds, and with which it boldly contends—to the equally well-known account of the foundational dispute between the Houses of Hillel and Shammai, and their infamous heavenly resolution.
Ask the average person, “Who was Socrates and what did he do?” and you are likely to get the following response: Socrates was a old philosopher who bothered people with questions and was ultimately put to death. Almost twenty-five hundred years after placidly drinking the hemlock, what we remember Socrates for is his habitual questioning, his demand to live an examined life. The figure of Socrates is in ordinary discourse synonymous with his method — the Socratic method.
A new type of maize mitochondrial genome has been identified in the male fertile (normal) inbred line A188. It has been named NA (N in the A188 nuclear background). In comparison to previously described maize mitochondrial genomes, it is classified as a new type since the genome contains unique DNA sequences and unique sets of repeated sequences, and has a unique organization. This brings the number of the maize mitochondrial genome types to five of which three are the cytoplasmic male steriles cmsT, cmsC and cmsS and of which two are the male fertile types NA (in this report) and NB (the previously characterized normal genome in the B37 nuclear background).
Manufacturers have long wished for a tool that would permit remote monitoring and control of manufacturing operations. The combination of the Java programming language with the worldwide reach of the Internet now promises a solution to this problem. Java's scalability, portability, and platform independence allow remote monitoring and control applications ("applets") to run on any web browser. Java applets eliminate the need to build custom hardware/software when implementing remote monitoring and control systems. Any browser can be configured to display graphical representations of the plant or process and to annotate the image with real time data; thus, any Internet-enabled computer is a potential control station (assuming security concerns are satisfied). This gives rise to the concept of "virtual engineers" or "remote engineers" who, armed with real-time plant information, can optimize machine setting or process control parameters, and troubleshoot problems before they escalate.
The paper presents a discussion of the relationship among social subjects, language, technology and socialparticipation based on findings from a recent research project in which two college students from different class, gender and ethnic backgrounds had their digital and non digital literacies investigated. Proceeding from Actor-Network Theory, the study takes each of the subjects as both the focal actor of a local translation corresponding to their subjectivities, and a peripheral actor enrolled in global translations corresponding to the various literacies in which they participated. A vignette from one of the referred cases is presented upon which an alternative, post-social approach to the notions of participation, emancipation and digital inclusion is proposed that might subsidize the design and evaluation of educational and digital inclusion initiatives based on digital information and communication technologies.
This article analyzes the nature and essence of the design, its determinants, identify the factors that influence both the process and the outcome. Ontological essence of design and problem field of its existence determine its role in the socio-cultural life of the community. The dualism of design is seen as a catalyst urgency and relevance of its decisions. The design reflects the material and spiritual needs of society, object-spatial environment has an impact on social behavior of human, on trends of social processes. Projected and simulated quality objects of design make it possible to manage social processes and are an expression of trends of social development, in particular, ecologization.
The receptor for the stem cell factor encoded by the c-kit proto-oncogene is expressed by a number of epithelial cells including thyrocytes. Since malignant transformation may be associated with loss of this receptor (melanoma and breast cancer), we have analyzed its expression in benign (38 cases) and malignant (31 cases) thyroid lesions. While low levels of c-kit are expressed in normal thyroids and in 60% of benign lesions, the receptor is undetectable in 60 and 90% of the follicular and papillary carcinomas, respectively. Northern blot analysis from surgical specimens of carcinomas and from carcinoma cell lines has demonstrated a lack of specific c-kit transcripts. These findings indicate that the c-kit receptor may be involved in the growth control of thyroid epithelium and that this function may be lost following malignant transformation.
In Britain, ‘Chalara dieback’ (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus) was first confirmed in native ash in autumn 2012. Within just five years it has become widespread across the country and severe impacts are now evident in some woods. This article describes some of the changes occurring in Bradfield Woods National Nature Reserve (TL933575) as a result of the disease. The wood has a documented history of coppicing stretching back to the 13th century (Rackham, 2003). The wood is managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust and, in addition to its function as a nature reserve, acts as a demonstration site for other woodland owners and managers. Approximately 90% of the area is managed as coppice with standards. The coppice is cut on approximately a 25 year rotation with much of the wood sold for firewood. The main coppice species are ash (Fraxineus excelsior), hazel (Corylus avellana), alder (Alnus glutinosa), birch (Betula spp.), sallow (Salix spp.) and field maple (Acer campestre). Ash contributes up to 40% of the coppice stools in individual coppice coupes (Fuller & Rothery, 2013) and many of the stools are ancient with massive woody bases. Ash dieback clearly has the potential to drive enormous changes in the canopy and understorey structures of the wood, as well as altering the tree species composition. Developing an understanding of how the wood responds to the disease will help to inform future management decisions both at Bradfield Woods and other ancient mixed coppiced woods.
Report presenting a wind-tunnel investigation to determine the effect of lowering the wing from the top of the fuselage to the bottom of the fuselage on the longitudinal characteristics of a wing-fuselage and a wing-fuselage-tail combination with the horizontal tail at various heights above the plane of the wing. The effects of wing height on the longitudinal characteristics of the model were small.
This thesis consists of two literature reviews followed by three empirical chapters that examined the relationship between chronic sleep restriction and obesity. Chapter 2 reviewed available research data and presented a theoretical model linking chronic sleep restriction to obesity. This model hypothesises that chronic sleep restriction contributes to obesity by altering energy regulatory hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. It was also argued that factors such as poor mental health, medication use and long work hours contribute to chronic sleep restriction at a population level, and could have implications for improving sleep. This model provides a sound theoretical framework, which was used to guide the subsequent empirical chapters. In chapter 3, the key methodological limitations of previous studies examining the relationship between chronic sleep restriction and obesity were outlined. Methodological recommendations for future research were then provided to facilitate a more complete understanding of how chronic sleep restriction and obesity are linked in the general population. Chapter 4 tested a path model linking chronic sleep restriction to obesity in 325 adults aged 18 to 87 years, based on the theoretical framework provided in chapter 2 and the methodological recommendations listed in chapter 3. The results indicated that short sleep durations and age were associated with obesity, whilst age, uncomfortable sleep environments, irregular sleep/wake cycles and poor mental health were associated with short sleep durations. However, the results also identified potential environmental, behavioural and psychological determinants of chronic sleep restriction that could be targeted in the future treatment and prevention of obesity. Chapter 5 examined the relationship between three dimensions of sleep quality as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and obesity in 262 adults aged 18 to 35 years. Short sleep durations and increased levels of daytime dysfunction (e.g., sleepiness) were associated with obesity, whilst irregular bedtimes, noisy environments, discomfort and depression were the major factors associated with poor sleep quality. These factors could play a role in obesity interventions that target sleeping patterns and need to be further investigated. Finally, chapter 6 examined the effects of two nights of seep restriction on energy expenditure and neuroendocrine hormones involved in energy balance regulation in ten healthy male adults. The results indicated that sleep restriction led to an increase in ghrelin and a reduction in PYY, which corresponded with increased hunger and reduced satiety. The results also suggested that energy expenditure declined with sleep restriction. These results suggest that sleep restriction could contribute to obesity by altering energy expenditure and the hormonal regulation of food intake. The findings from this thesis therefore suggest that chronic sleep restriction contributes to the development of obesity by altering key pathways identified in chapter 2. The identification of possible determinants of chronic sleep restriction has potential applications for the treatment and prevention of obesity. For example, the factors identified in chapters 4 and 5 could be targeted as a way to promote healthy sleep durations, and could be effective in improving the efficacy of existing interventions for obesity. PUBLICATIONS FROM THE THESIS Published Manuscripts Magee, C.A., Iverson, D.C., Huang, X., & Caputi, P. (In Press). A Link between Chronic Sleep Restriction and Obesity: Methodological Considerations. Public Health, 10.1016/j.puhe.2008.05.010. Manuscripts under Review Magee, C.A., Caputi, P., Iverson, D.C., Huang, X., & Humpel, N. (Submitted). A Path Model linking Short Sleep Durations and Obesity in Adults. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. Magee, C.A., Caputi, P., Iverson, D.C., & Huang, X. (Submitted). The Relationship between Multiple Dimensions of Sleep Quality and Obesity. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. Magee, C.A., Iverson, D.C., Caputi, P., & Huang, X.F. (Submitted). A Preliminary Investigation of the Effects of Short-Term Sleep Restriction on Energy Regulatory Hormones and Metabolic Rate. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Magee, C.A., Huang, X., Iverson, D.C., & Caputi, P. (Submitted). The Link between Chronic Sleep Restriction and Obesity: A review of the underlying causal mechanisms. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. THE WORK PRESENTED IN THIS THESIS HAS UNDERGONE PEER REVIEW FROM THE
Seven triterpenoid saponins such as oleanolic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, hederagenin 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, chikusetsusaponin IVa, udosaponin A, salsoloside C, udosaponins F and C were isolated from the aerial parts of Aralia continentalis, among which two 28-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl esters of oleanolic acid and hederagenin are isolated for the first time from this plant. These results suggested that the chemical components of Korean Dokwhal are practically identical to those of Japanese Udo supporting the chemotaxonomical point of view.
The corrosion resistance of blowout preventer material was studied by low temperature gas multicomponent infiltration technique. Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen were infiltrated into the material in this paper. The phase construction and micro-structure of alloying layer were investigated by XRD and SEM. The corrosion resistance of penetrating layer and original material was discussed by electrochemical method in 1.0mol/L HCl solution. The experimental results show that alloying infiltration layer contains Oxide, Nitride and Carbide, and the Nitride is primary. The thickness of alloying infiltration layer is about 30 . The penetrating layer has much better corrosion resistance than original material, multiplied about three times. The corrosion rate is also lower than the original sample. These properties have important significance to blowout preventer material, and it will has the broad application prospect.
The paper aims to lead the reader to explore a dimension of learning to learn little-known: non-formal learning. In recent years, pedagogical research has sought to interpret the characteristics of non-formal learning, through researches and publications, to understand in particular the possible effects on education, training and work. Therefore the paper intends to analyze nonformaldimension focusing on jobs and skills required in the near future, then presenting some findings emerged from a focus group that involved PhD students and PhDs from different Universities.
University library,which is one of three important pillars of university,shoulders the heavy responsibility of serving the teaching,scientific research and practice lesson of university and is the key for university's existence and development.And the service for readers is the forefront work of the library,and all the collection,arrangement and development of the literatures in the library are carried out around the service for readers.This paper expounds some problems existing in the service for readers of the library of higher vocational college,and puts forward some measures for doing well the service for readers.
Hoarding looks weird and is often cruelly parodied on television, where shows suggest that the solution to a compulsive desire to keep stuff is simply a matter of heroically chucking it out. But for those of us studying and working with people who hoard, it’s clear that for most of them this isn’t enough – not even close. It’s a bit like trying to help someone with depression, for example, by asking them to simply smile and get better.
Translation, as a complex phenomenon, includes several components which could be broadly divided into linguistic and cultural ones. Linguistic components relate to the linguistic competence of the translator (familiarity with the given language codes, ability to transfer content from one such code to another, skill to observe translational problems and to solve them etc), whereas the cultural components in general imply sensitivity to different cultural patterns as well as comprehensive general knowledge and knowledge related to specific fields. Due to the complexity of these components, the process of translation often includes both cultural and linguistic problems and dilemmas; one of such dilemmas, and a very significant one, is related to the translator’s decision to borrow a lexeme or a phrase from the source language (with or without adaptation) instead of trying to find (or create) its translation equivalent in the target language. In our contemporary environment, with English being modern lingua franca , this problem is specially pronounced, particularly in certain fields like, for example, fashion, marketing, sports etc. Having these assumptions in mind, the presentation would discuss examples related to the translation from English into Serbian, trying to point out the cases when borrowing may appear to be a correct solution and when not. Finally, the presentation would provide comments on possible cultural and linguistic components which play a part in making such choices in translation.
The relation between the property and type of dampening solution and dilute water hardness is introduced, property index (such as pH value, specific conductivity, and surface tension)of dampening solution formulated with water with various hardness is tested through experiment. The experiment shows that water hardness has closest relation with specific conductivity, the property change of dampening solution should be controlled and monitored through checking the specific conductivity, water hardness for formulating the solution is 8°,the maximum must not exceed 12°.
Introduction: Hirsutism is one of the most common endocrine disorders and considering the impact of epilepsy on the function of endocrine system and reproductive hormon, this study was performed with aim to determine and compare the frequency and intensity of hirsutism in women with and without epilepsy. Methods: This cross-sectional and comparative study was performed on 338 women aged 18-35 years with and without epilepsy in 2016. Ferriman-Gallwey modified scoring scale was used for hirsutism scoring in three area subsed of above the lip, lower abdomen and thighs. A score of â�¥4 was considered as hirsutism. Data was analyzed by SPSS software (version 21) and Chi-square test. PResults: There was significant difference between two groups of with and without epilepsy in terms of frequency and intensity of hirsutism (P<0.002). Also, significant relationship was found between hirsutism and menstrual irregularityincluding menorrhagia, metrorrhagia and or menometrorrhagia and also emotional disorders such as anxiety and stress (P<0.001). Conclusion: The frequency and intensity of hirsutism was higher in women with epilepsy compared to women without epilepsy. Also, the frequency of irregular menstruation and emotional disorders was higher in women with epilepsy and in women with hirsutism. The studyâ��s young cases indicates the need to pay more attention to this findings in patients who are of reproductive age.
The vascular network of the anterior part of the middle and inferior temporal gyri consists of four vascular layers of which the third and fourth have the densest capillary network of the same density. There are all types of arteries in this cortex form A1 to A6 as well as all types of veins from V1 to V5. Fountain-like arteries usually branch into five to six terminal recurrent branches; we have found that there are about two of them in each serial section. The middle temporal visual area has the same features of the vascular network as the above mentioned gyri with one difference only: there are at least six fountain-like arteries in each serial section. The increased number of these arteries might point to a greater sensitivity of this area to hypoxic conditions. The tangential sections of these areas reveal the existence of vertically-oriented vascular units with a centrally located venous vessel surrounded by arterial rings.
Taxonomical analyses of mycobacteria were performed by using multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MEE). The studies showed that the mycobacteria tested advantageously could be differentiated on species level. The MEE method could also be used for subspecies differentiation, but the method seemed less well suited than some other methods for this purpose. The results are discussed in relation to MEE analyses of other microorganisms.
The invention relates to a method or a device for determining a value representing the brake circuit pressure. According to the process which takes place in the device, the brake circuit pressure is determined for both a build-up of pressure which occurs especially independently of the driver, and a drop in pressure. In the case of a build-up of pressure taking place independently of the driver, the pumping characteristics of the pump delivering the brake fluid are taken into account in determining the brake circuit pressure, said pumping characteristics being detected by means of detecting elements. In the case of a drop in pressure, the brake circuit pressure is determined in accordance with a value which represents the anticipated brake circuit pressure after the pressure drop.
An electrosurgical wand. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are electrosurgical rods include an elongated housing including a handle end and a distal end, a first outlet port at the distal end of the elongated housing, a first active electrode is made of conductive material, which is disposed at the distal end of the elongated housing a first neutral electrode of conductive material disposed in the first fluid line, and a suction opening at the distal end of the elongated housing, which is connected in fluid communication with a second liquid conduit has.
BACKGROUNDS/AIMS Occult HBV infection is characterized by the presence of HBV infection with undetectable HBsAg. This study was carried out to find out the frequency of HBV infection in HBsAg- negative patients.   METHODS Fifty-six HBsAg-negative patients including 17 anti-HCV positive patients were evaluated. Patients were grouped according to their serological status; group A (anti-HBc+, anti-HBs-, n=16), B (anti-HBc+, anti-HBs+, n=26), and C (anti-HBc-, anti-HBs+/-, n=14). DNA was extracted from frozen liver biopsy specimen, and HBV DNA level was measured with real-time PCR.   RESULTS Overall frequency of detectable intrahepatic HBV DNA was 34% (19/56). The frequency was 56% (9/16) in group A, 31% (8/26) in group B and 14% (2/14) in group C (P=0.01). Intrahepatic HBV DNA levels were as follows; 2,010 +/- 6,660 copies/mg in group A, 6,180 +/- 29,530 copies/mg in group B and 350 +/- 1,220 copies/mg in group C. The frequency of occult HBV infection was not increased in anti-HCV positive patients.   CONCLUSIONS Intrahepatic HBV DNA is frequently detected in anti-HBc positive, HBsAg-negative patients, although the concentration is low.
We report three patients with metastases to the ENT-region mimicking a primary malignant tumour. A 36-year-old woman presented with vertigo, sudden hearing loss, partial facial palsy and headaches. CT scan suggested a meningioma or an acoustic neuroma. Histological examination of the neoplasm removed surgically showed a metastasis from an amelanotic melanoma. A 38-year-old woman with nodules in the tongue had dysphagia. The history revealed that she had been treated successfully with chemotherapy for a carcinoma of the uterine cervix one year ago. Histological examination of a tongue biopsy showed a metastasis from the uterine carcinoma. The primary tumour was in complete remission. The third patient was treated for recurrent epistaxis. Physical examination showed a tumour in the right nasal cavity. A CT scan showed a tumour of the ethmoid cells and of the maxillary sinus, protruding into the nose. Histology and immunohistology proved a metastasis from a primary carcinoma of the liver. Ultrasound and CT scan of the liver confirmed the diagnosis.
The Commonwealth is in danger of letting its commitments to both the agenda of democracy and rights, and  the agenda of development, become sterile and vacuous. The argument that has been raging over creating a  Commissioner for Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights reflects a dysfunctional organisation, stuck in an outdated North-South stand-off, crying out for creative leadership. Here, Richard Bourne argues that the Commonwealth Secretariat must build consensus, and galvanise governments to take practical ownership of the values that, in the new Commonwealth Charter, they will be claiming to promote. When few leaders spend time thinking how to use their Commonwealth networks, it is the job of the Secretary General to show them.
The ideal drug delivery system delivers drug at rate dictated by the need of the body over the period of treatment and it channels the active entity solely to the site of action. Niosomes are non-ionic surfactant vesicles obtained on hydration of synthetic nonionic surfactants, with or without incorporation of cholesterol or other lipids. They are vesicular systems similar to liposomes that can be used as carriers of amphiphilic and lipophilic drugs. Niosomes are promising vehicle for drug delivery and being non-ionic, it is less toxic and improves the therapeutic index of drug by restricting its action to target cells. This systemic review article deals with preparation methods, characterizations, factors affecting release kinetic, advantages, and applications of niosomes.
Our universities are transiting from the elite higher educational institutions to the popular institutions. However, the university is more and more far away from its original appearance and increasingly closing to the administrative agency, and its past functions as academic palace are disappearing gradually. Many universities are not busying constructing the subjects but building the houses, and are eager for quicker success and instant benefit on teaching and scientific research, and it is not surprised for them only to pursue the quantity and scale but to neglect the quality and level. A lot of presidents are lack of educational thoughts and are ignorant of educational rules. So it is extremely necessary for our higher education to restore the universities.
In the process of urban terrain building,the density of elevation points is often too thin to meet the requirements of building terrain,so must be interpolated.This paper puts forward the method of Frame Terrain Modeling which constructs the high precision terrain modeling without densification of elevation points.It also takes 3D virtual campus simulation of Shandong Normal University based on Multigen Creator/Vega as an example.The result proves the technical route reasonable and feasible.
Western corn rootworm (WCR) is a new pest of maize in Europe, as well as in Croatia. Previous research showed that chemical control of larvae is necessary in some cases to prevent feeding damage. In order to establish the efficacy of different insecticides and proper application methods, investigations were conducted between 1998-2002. Efficacy of 13 active ingredients applied at 33 different rates against WCR larvae in 15 field trials was investigated. Insecticides were applied at two times: at planting and cultivation. Planting-time insecticides were applied as seed treatments, as banded sprays and as granules in a 15 cm wide band, or for some insecticide as in-furrow treatments. Cultivation-time insecticides were applied as banded sprays and as granules in a 15 cm wide band. After application, the insecticides were lightly incorporated in the soil. The average root damage rating on untreated plots in 1998 was 1.65 which was below the economic threshold. In all other years average root ratings on untreated plots were over the economic threshold: 2.97 in 1999, 3.28 in 2000, 2.35 in 2001, and 2.95 in 2002. The majority of the insecticides significantly reduced root damage ratings below the economic threshold. Root damage ratings on treated plots varied from 1.11-1.3 in 1998, from 1.69-2.69 in 1999, from 1.75-2.56 in 2001, and from 1.63-2.09 in 2002. Test results showed that the application of the most frequently used soil insecticides can reduce the damage caused by WCR larvae, but the methods and terms of application should be based on the equipment and organizational possibilities of producers.
Tony Yap is a leading Australian contemporary dance performer who grew up in Malaysia. From mid-2002 he has collaborated with designer/dramaturg Michael Pearce and Musicians/Composers Madeleine Flynn and Tim Humphrey in an Arts Research project, funded by Arts Victoria, investigating the Taoist trance tradition of his childhood in Malaysia. The resulting translation from a traditional religious practice into contemporary performance has allowed a unique ‘devotional’ form to emerge. The paper will report on the relationship that has emerged between the dancer and the musicians during the process. This relationship showed itself during performances as a shifting pattern that phased between convergence, parallelism and independence. The relationship formalised into patterns of cross-modal dissonance and consonance between the dancer and the  musicians. Two techniques were prominent in the process. The first technique – firstly, the distillation of sound objects within a framework that merged music with visual design, and secondly, the technique of ‘dynamic immersion’. The first technique combined the ‘traditional’ aesthetic of elemental sound instruments with a contemporary ‘western’ performance setting. The second technique was realised through the acute and dynamic tuning of the acoustic space. The limited realisation of dynamic immersion created a surface of sound that was flexible and responsive to the dancers’ actions. The immersive environment not only responded to the dancer but also acted on him.
Abstract : Technological progress in a number of areas to include aerodynamics, micro- electronics, sensors, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), micro-manufacturing, and more, is ushering in the possibility for the affordable development and acquisition of a new class of military systems known as micro-air vehicles (MAV) MAVs are a subset of uninhabited air vehicles (UAV) that are up two orders of magnitude smaller than the manned systems that permeate our contemporary life, Recent advances in miniaturization may make possible vehicles that can carry out important military missions that heretofore were beyond our reach or could only be attained at great risk or resource expenditure. These missions will be possible if MAVs can fulfill their potential to attain certain attributes to include: low cost, low weight, little to no logistical "footprint," mission versatility, range, endurance, stealth, and precision. A review of the literature in this area indicates that the military potential of this emerging field remains on the "technological push" side of the equation with little to no "requirements pull" from the user community. Accordingly, concepts of operations deriving from the war fighting community - particularly the United States Air Force (USAF) - are sparse. At a higher level, the potential of micro-air vehicles opens up new possibilities in the formulation of military strategies that require investigation. This paper provides an outline of the contemporary technological dimension of MAVs and contemplates how they might be used to enhance Air Force operations.
Its difficult to argue that the Provmce of West Kalimantan (WK) IS one of the areas that ex1st 1n produc1ng smoke in the event of drought. Combustion is not only done on the fariT] but also 1n residential areas. EnVIronmental clearrup act1vit1es done by the people in the dry seaso~ is always followed by combustion activities; ranging from household waste burn to grass o r bush burn Thus simultanously, make smoke become a problem not only for the people of West Ka limantan, but also for people 10 neighboring countries. But then, the plantation and forestry sector IS considered as the main culprit of the onset of the smoke and be prolonged paradox Not only W Kwho became 1ndustnal smoke in the Southeast Asian region. There are still as many as 13 prov inces were equally strong existence with WKr in producing smoke There are NAD, North Sumatra, We& Sumatra, R1au, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung Jamb1 South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, South Kalimantal'  East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. Existence smog was not only due to the absence of local regulations o n the prohibition of burning, but also not touching the interests of farmers in deve loping palm oil that owned by the people. When the government issued prohibit burn policy, the industrial estates will obey that regulation, but not for the people. When the local regulation is not accommodating the interests of farmer~ the burning activity is become a smart choice to reduce the production costs and this phenomenon Will be occurs along t1me and never be ending. In the localleve~ 1t tu rns out the re are people who do not apply the f1res 1n the1rplantat1on actiVIties. There IS a custom concept successfully applied on an ongoing basis into the plantation business by a local group 1n West Kalimantan. Apparent ly, it could be put as the good pract ices of local communities, can be developed to in1t1ate Indonesia Without smog in the next drought.
A FINE INTERGROWTH OF TETRATAENITE AND ANTITAENITE. J. I. Goldstein, R. J. Reisner, D. G. Rancourt, K. Lagarec, and R. B. Scorzelli, College of Engineering, University of Massachusetts, 125 Marston Hall, Amherst MA 01003, USA, Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5, Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Rua Xavier Sigaud 150, 22290-180 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (scorza@cat.cbpf.br).
Position sensitive detector(PSD),which has several excellent performances—short response time,high position resolution and large response range of spectrum,is a new type of position sensitive detecting devices.The structure and the operational principle of the PSD are introduced.The expressions of the function of position coordinate and the block diagram of relevant output signal detection circuit are given.The application of PSD in measurement of shafts elevation changes on steam-turbine generator sets is investigated.Not only the factors affecting measurement accuracy are analyzed,but also the solving method is proposed.And an example of detecting elevation is provided.The test results indicate that the elevation measurement system based on 2D PSD is stable and its detecting data is reliable.
Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) techniques are used to accurately measure the distance from ground stations to retroreflectors on satellites and the moon. SLR is one of the fundamental techniques that define the international Terrestrial Reference Frame (iTRF), which is the basis upon which we measure many aspects of global change over space, time, and evolving technology. It is one of the fundamental techniques that define at a level of precision of a few mm the origin and scale of the ITRF. Laser Ranging provides precision orbit determination and instrument calibration/validation for satellite-borne altimeters for the better understanding of sea level change, ocean dynamics, ice budget, and terrestrial topography. Laser ranging is also a tool to study the dynamics of the Moon and fundamental constants. Many of the GNSS satellites now carry retro-reflectors for improved orbit determination, harmonization of reference frames, and in-orbit co-location and system performance validation. The GNSS Constellations will be the means of making the reference frame available to worldwide users. Data and products from these measurements support key aspects of the GEOSS 10-Year implementation Plan adopted on February 16, 2005, The ITRF has been identified as a key contribution of the JAG to GEOSS and the ILRS makes a major contribution for its development since its foundation. The ILRS delivers weekly additional realizations that are accumulated sequentially to extend the ITRF and the Earth Orientation Parameter (EOP) series with a daily resolution. Additional products are currently under development such as precise orbits of satellites, EOP with daily availability, low-degree gravitational harmonics for studies of Earth dynamics and kinematics, etc. SLR technology continues to evolve toward the next generation laser ranging systems as programmatic requirements become more stringent. Ranging accuracy is improving as higher repetition rate, narrower pulse lasers and faster detectors are implemented. Automation and pass interleaving at some stations is already expanding temporal coverage. Web-based safety keys are allowing the SLR network stations to range to optically vulnerable satellites. Some stations are experimenting with two-wavelength operation as a means of better understanding the atmospheric refraction and with very low power laser to improve eye-safety conditions. New retroreflector designs are improving the signal link and enable daylight ranging. Dramatic improvements have also been made with lunar ranging with the new APOLLO Site in New ?Mexico, USA and the upgraded lunar station "MEO" in Grasse,
After lower extremity injury, only half of the injured athletes return to their pre-injury sports level. Even though functional performance tests are often used to make return to sport decisions, it is unknown whether functional performance is associated with return to performance after such injuries. The aim of this systematic review was to identify, critically appraise, and analyze studies that investigated the association of functional performance tests with return to performance after lower extremity injuries in athletes participating in high-impact sports. MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL were systematically searched for relevant studies. Articles were independently screened by two authors and data were obtained from each included study using a data extraction form. Two authors independently scored methodological quality using the Quality In Prognosis Studies tool. A qualitative best evidence synthesis was conducted. Eight studies reported the association of functional performance with return to performance after lower extremity injuries, involving 1,246 athletes after anterior or posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. No studies were found on the association of functional performance with return to performance for lower extremity injuries other than after anterior or posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. All included studies had a high risk of bias. Two studies found significant but small associations for selected hop tests after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Low evidence of association between functional performance and return to performance was present after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction for the triple hop for distance, the 6-meter timed hop, the side hop in female athletes, and for the combination of the single and crossover hop for distance. In athletes after posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, the vertical jump showed a significant but small association with return to performance. There is no high-quality evidence that functional performance is associated with return to performance after lower extremity injuries in athletes practicing high-impact sports. Low quality evidence suggests small associations after anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. No evidence exists for lower extremity injuries other than after anterior or posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Therefore, research on functional performance associated with return to performance is recommended in high-quality prospective cohort studies including athletes with any type of lower extremity injury.
The utility model provides a resistivity measuring device, comprising an object loading platform, a feeding conveyor, a probe module, a probe position adjusting mechanism, a rotating machine and a controller, wherein the object loading platform is used for loading a measured product; the object loading platform is arranged on the feeding conveyor, and the feeding conveyor comprises a feeding guide wheel set used for transversely moving the object loading platform; the probe module is used for testing the resistance of the measured product; the probe position adjusting mechanism is arranged on the feeding conveyor and connected with the probe module for lifting and longitudinally moving the probe module; the rotating machine is connected with the feeding conveyor for conveying the measured product from a feed end to a discharge end, and the rotating machine can adjust the conveying direction of the measured product on the rotating machine; and the controller is electrically connected with the feeding conveyor, the probe module, the probe position adjusting mechanism and the rotating machine, respectively. Therefore, the resistivity measuring device provided by the utility model can be used for automatically detecting the resistivity, improving the measuring efficiency and reducing the manpower cost.
This study examines the materials and design implications regarding the use of solid breeding materials with respect to compatibility with structure and coolant, tritium processing, chemical and radiation stability and thermal-hydraulics. Four solid breeding materials considered, viz., Li/sub 7/Pb/sub 2/, Li/sub 2/O, Li/sub 2/SiO/sub 3/ and LiAlO/sub 2/, are representative of the metallic and ceramic compounds available. The major design problems regarding the use of solid breeding materials relate to the limited range of operating temperatures acceptable for tritium release and chemical stability or compatibility. The allowable ranges of breeder temperatures for which in-situ tritium recovery is potentially viable are evaluated for the candidate breeding materials.
Themes of the 23rd Annual International Association of School Librarianship conference included "Traditional Literacy," "The Current Status of Libraries," "Literacy in a Technological World," and "Preserving Cultural and Historical Literacy." The following papers were presented at the conference: (1) "Bunko: Private Mini-Libraries for Children in Japan," (Satoru Takeuchi); (2) "Literacy for the School Librarian," (Anna E. Altmann); (3) "The State of the World's School Libraries," (Diljit Singh); (4) "Young Adult Reading Habits in Ukraine," (Christine Sochocky); (5) "Literacy Without Libraries: Promoting Literacy Among School Children in Nigeria," (Virginia W. Dike); (6) "Picking a Winner: Children as Judges and Evaluators of Picture Books--the Irma S. and James H. Black Award," (Linda Greengrass); (7) "Libraries Alive: Promoting Libraries and Literature," (Suzette Boyd); (8) "A Transformation in Teacher Education: or How Can Disadvantaged Teachers Become Information Literate," (Sandra Olen); (9) "Using Editorial Cartoons in the Curriculum to Enhance Visual (and Political) Literacy," (Susan Steinfirst); (10) "Preschool Partnerships: School and Public Library Cooperation to Facilitate School Readiness," (Barbara Immroth and Viki Ash-Geisler); (11) "Enhancing Information Literacy Skills Across the Curriculum," (Marlene Giguere et al.); (12) "Curriculum-Enhanced MARC (CEMARC): A New Cataloging Format for School Librarians," (Catherine Murphy); (13) "Emerging Technologies: Applications and Implications for School Library Media Centers," (Kathleen W. Craver); (14) "Students Becoming Life-Long Users: Vision Becoming Reality," (Judith A. Garlow); (15) "Research in Teacher-Librarianship and the Institutionalization of Change," (Ken Haycock); (16) "Children's Literature and the Holocaust," (Martin Goldberg); (17) "The Selection, Evaluation, and Integration of Culturally Authentic Texts: A Case for Making the On-Line Catalog Reflect Parallel Culture," (Teri S. Lesesne and Sylvia Hall-Ellis); (18) "The Classroom Library Project in South Africa," (Sophia le Roux); (19) "Incorporating Oral History into the Curriculum," (Loriene Roy); (20) "Incorporating Oral History into the Curriculum: A Pathfinder," (Hilary Craiglow); (21) "Literacy and the Inner City Children," (Jack Stack); and (22) "Looking at Britain's National Curriculum for English: Promoting Long Established Children's Fiction and Stories from a Variety of Cultures and Traditions," (Helga B. Visscher). (SWC)
The relevancy of the formulated questions transcends the sympathy or dislike that the EZLN movement engenders in us. The economic viability of the claims of this movement is questioned, as is the archetectonic coherence of some neozapatista speeches about State, markets, productivity, and human rights. The author suggests that effective support for the historically excluded social groups must be investigated along three lines: productivity, markets, and sanitation (including reproductive health).
This dissertation contributes to the literature on the relationship between political constraints and fiscal policy outcomes. In the first two chapters, we focus on the level of detail of a government’s budget, analyzing two budgetary institutions, the number of line-item appropriations and the number of appropriation bills. In the third chapter, we investigate commodity tax competition between two countries that differ in size and transportation cost. Finally, in the fourth chapter, we analyze investments in a state’s fiscal capacity, letting public goods accumulate. In Chapter 1, we analyze a budget’s level of detail, focusing on the number of line-item appropriations. The executive authority receives the right for discretionary spending via appropriation bills approved by the legislative authority. An appropriation bill is composed of line-item appropriations that restrict the allocation of the authorized budget. We take Baron and Ferejohn (1989) as a starting point to develop a model of legislative bargaining in which two legislators decide on the number of line-item appropriations, choosing between oneand two-item budgets, and on the provision of two public goods. A trade-off between flexibility and commitment emerges in choosing the number of line-item appropriations. While a low probability of polarization between legislators leads to a one-item budget, a high probability of polarization leads to a two-item budget. Moreover, a high probability of polarization between legislators increases government spending. We extend our model to analyze the line-item veto right and flexible line-item appropriations. In Chapter 2, we continue to investigate a budget’s level of detail, concentrating
The newvariety tests under medium cultivation to observe the characteristics of 8 newmelon varieties introduced in recent years were conducted. The results showed that the average fruit weight is the important factor to affact the yileds when the planting density and the number of the bearing fruits are basically uniform. The yields of Rock Star and Roze were hogher than the CK- 1( Green Honey) at distinguish level of α=0.05. Syron reach the remarkable level. Pure White and Latin, the smooth skin varieties, produced more than the CK- 2(Elizabeth)at extremely remarkable level, and Cupid reached the remarkable level. The characteristics ofthose melons were evaluted.
High-speed data communications networks are transforming the operations, services, and roles of libraries. While the installation of the physical network is often the focus of activity, the administrative and political issues are, in fact, fundamental. For libraries to participate in and influence the development of networks, building new partnerships has proven to be an effective strategy. This paper describes the use of this strategy in the development of the Utah Education Network. This participation is essential if libraries are to take full advantage of the technologies and to ensure that networks reflect the fundamental values of the profession.
For the influence of skew horizontal adit construction on the main tunnel lining structure,the Tianhengshan highway tunnel engineering of Harbin by-pass city expressway is taken as an example and the actual measurement and 3D finite element simulation are adopted to study the deformation regularity and the stress characteristics of main tunnel lining structure during the horizontal adit construction stage.The research results are shown as follows:(1) the construction of horizontal adit leads the main tunnel lining near intersection to occurre deformation and stress concentration,and the influence range in acute angle side of intersection is 1.82D(D is main tunnel span),in obtuse angle side of intersection is 1.32D;(2) the lining deformation mainly is arch settlement, and secondly is side wall expansion;(3) the excavation of horizontal adit destroys the original arch effect of main tunnel,so as to create the stress concentration on the lining at the intersection;(4) with the excavation depth increment of horizontal adit,the deformation and stress of the main tunnel lining structure gradually decrease and tend to be stable;(5) The safety factors of main tunnel lining structural strength are greater than design values of 2.0 on both sides of the intersection;(6) the deformation and stress concentration at the intersection acute angle side are greater than that of the obtuse angle side,but the safety factor of the former is less than that of the latter.The research results can be used as reference for the design and construction of other similar engineering.
Introduction: There are many techniques for cesarean sections that each of them has different outcomes. Some clinicians advocate close and some advocate open the visceral and parietal peritoneum. There was different idea about this subject and decided to compare some short term outcomes of two different techniques, closure versus non closure visceral and parietal peritoneum during cesarean section.  Methods: This randomized double- blind controlled trial was conducted on 80 term pregnant women who underwent for first elective cesarean section in Amir-Almomenin hospital in semnan, Iran from October 2011 to December 2012. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. In one group parietal and visceral peritoneum were closed (control group) and in second group both layers were left open (study group). All cases underwent cesarean section with spinal anesthesia and the surgery was performed by the same surgeon. The severity of pain was measured over the first 24 hours after operation by visual analogous scale and the dosage of analgesic use, the bowel transit time and wound infection during first week after operation were assessed and compared in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 and chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Wilkinson, t-test and repeated measures ANOVA tests. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.  Results: The pain score (p<0.001), the mean usage of analgesic over 24 hours (p=0.012) and bowel transit time (p= 0.001) in non-closure group was significantly less than closure group. But wound infection was similar in both groups(p= 1).  Conclusion: The technique of non-closure of peritoneums has some short term postpartum benefits such as less post operation pain, less amount of analgesic use and more rapid bowel transit time.
X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) experiments on artificial pits of 316L stainless steel were carried out to study the oxidation state and speciation of alloying elements in the pit solution. It was confirmed that the oxidation states of Fe, Cr and Ni are 2+, 3+ and 2+, respectively. Ni(H (_2 )O) (_6 ) (^{2+} ) was found to be the main solution species through the pit with no evidence of any Ni-Cl complexes. However, for iron and chromium, hexa-aquo ions (Fe(H (_2 )O) (_6 ) (^{2+} ) and Cr(H (_2 )O) (_6 ) (^{3+} )) were found near the pit mouth with chloro complexes close to the dissolving metal surface.  The chemistry of molybdenum species in artificial pits of 316L stainless was investigated and the molybdenum oxidation state was found to be 3+. There was no evidence of any Mo(VI) polymolybdates, which have previously been proposed to explain the beneficial effects of Mo on the corrosion resistance of 316L stainless steel. High resolutions measurements did not detect any different molybdenum species adjacent to the salt film.  XANES measurements on titanium artificial pits showed a presence of TiCl (_4 ), titanium oxides (rutile and anatse) and metal fragments that were generated during the electrochemical dissolution process. X-ray fluorescence and XANES were also carried out to study the titanium distribution and species in human tissues extracted from the vicinity of failed knee, BAHA (bone-anchored hearing aid) and dental implants. Metal fragments and titanium oxides (rutile and anatase) were found in the tissues. In addition, XANES was carried out on neutrophil cells that had been cultured in the presence of anatase. In one case, a spectrum of rutile was found, suggesting the cells may be able to convert anatase to rutile.
The Initial Manned Lunar Outpost (IMLO) is proposed as the initial permanent base for manned activities on the Moon. The study concentrated on identifying the equipment, support systems, and initial base configuration necessary to accomplish the various science, industrial and exploration activities planned. The primary concepts of the MLO were the use of hard modules for habitation areas creating a flexible, modular transportation system; designing a multi-functional vehicle; and using an overhead radiation protection system. The transportation system, dubbed the Lunar Mobile Surface Transport System (LMSTS), carries the hard modules to the surface of the moon and provides a method to move them to the desired location through the use of interchangeable pallets. The avionics pallets are changed-out with wheel and hitch pallets, transforming the LMSTS into a "tractor trailer" used with the Multi-Functional Vehicle (MFV). The modules are placed under the Regolith Support Structure (RSS) which provides a stable environment and radiation protection for the entire base. The overhead structure was chosen over simply burying the modules to provide a study on the advantages and disadvantages of this type of system. The advantages include easy access to the exterior of the modules, providing a protected area for vehicles and equipment used in EVA, and creating an area of constant temperature. Disadvantages include a need for prefabrication of structural components, including the preconstruction and construction phases of the initial MLO. The design approach taken considered existing and near-term materials and technology only, without the consideration of possible future building technologies.
Objective: To explore the changes of lymphocyte subsets in children with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura( ITP).Methods: The changes of lymphocyte subsets in 85 patients with ITP and 33 heathy people were detected by flow cytometry. Results:The percentages of CD3+and CD4+and the ratio of CD4 / CD8 in ITP group were lower than those in control group( P 0. 01),and the difference of CD8+lymphocyte between two groups was not statistically significant( P 0. 05). Compared with the control group,the number of CD19+and CD16+CD56+lymphocytes in ITP group increased and decreased,respectively,the differences of whose between two groups were statistically significant( P 0. 01). Conclusions: The disorder of lymphocyte subsets is one of the immune mechanism of ITP occurrence in children. Correcting disorder will be conducive to the treatment.
To overcome limitations faced by nondestructive testing equipment and technology for detecting axis and dowel axis of large Game Equipment without its disassembling,according to the using characteristic of this kind of accessory,and using the experience of domestic and overseas research results for reference,small-angle longitudinal wave probe is used to detect in both end surface of the shaft.By doing same sample and a lot of experiments and according to the length and side surface dimension of the detected shaft,the probe kind,parameter (frequency,angle,shape)and applicable scope were deduced for ultrasonic test method.The feasibility research on detecting surface horizontal crack flaw on axis by using small-angle longitudinal wave probe showed that flaws in shaft accessories could be detected by using ultrasonic test without them being disassembled.
Knowledge-based systems (KBS) are capable of representing all forms of knowledge: declarative, procedural and heuristic. However, emphasis to date has been focused on simulating the design heuristics (shallow knowledge) of human experts. This paper describes an innovative modelling technique that couples both deep and shallow knowledge in problem-solving algorithms to technically integrate the conceptual and detailed design phases for flexible, rigid and interlocking-segmental pavements. Design systems produced by the modelling approach can assist both novice and senior designers; and teachers in their presentation of undergraduate courses. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see IRRD abstract no. 492019.
THIS ARTICLE DESCRIBES HOW WHEEL LOAD SURVEYS AND VISUAL COMMODITY SURVEYS ARE CARRIED OUT IN NEW ZEALAND. THE RESULTS OF THESE SURVEYS ARE USED IN FORMULATING A PAVEMENT DESIGN PROCEDURE ON AN EQUIVALENT DESIGN AXLE (E.D.A.) BASIS, WHICH RELATES THE C.B.R. OF THE SUBGRADE TO THE TOTAL E.D.A. LOADING ON THE ROAD DURING ITS DESIGN LIFE TO GIVE THE DEPTH OF PAVEMENT REQUIRED. THE E.D.A. VALUE FOR ANY AXLE LOAD IS GIVEN BY ((WEIGHED AXLES LOAD)/STANDARD DESIGN AXLE LOAD)) 3.85. THE EXPONENT OF 3.85 IS THE SHELL EQUIVALENCY; THIS PARTICULAR EQUIVALENCY DIFFERS SLIGHTLY FROM THAT CALCULATED BY OTHER AUTHORITIES AND TENDS TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECTS OF OVERLOADING. EQUIVALENCIES FROM THE MOSCOW INSTITUTE OF HIGHWAY ENGINEERING COINCIDE ALMOST COMPLETELY WITH THE EXPERIMENTAL DATA OF THE AASHO ROAD TESTS. /AUTHOR/
The Arctic Ocean is changing severely since one decade. Extremely low ice coverage in late summer has been recorded since 2007 with a new minimum in 2011. The zone of the receding ice edge is known for its high primary productivity in polar waters, but depending on light and nutrient availability productivity in the ice can also be high. We don’t know yet what the influence of less ice will be for the future Arctic Ocean ecosystem. Several scenarios are under discussion. Chlorophyll a is a measure of biomass standing stock of phytoplankton and can give information on surface as well as depth distribution of autotrophic biomass in the ocean. Chlorophyll a measurements also serve as ground truth data used to validate productivity estimates by remote sensing from space.  Here we present a data set obtained since 1991 during several cruises carried out on RVs Polarstern, Lance & Maria S Merian to the Fram Strait, Greenland Sea and to the central Arctic Ocean including Laptev and Kara Seas. Almost every year samples have been taken from at least six different depth horizons within the upper 100 meters of the water column in the Fram Strait and Greenland Sea. During five expeditions sampling has been carried out to the central Arctic Ocean between the years 1993 and 2011. The plankton of distinct depth samples has been filtered onto glass-fibre filters and chlorophyll a concentrations were analyzed with a fluorometer and/or a photometer as a measure of phytoplankton standing stock.  Here we will focus on the seasonality and interannual variability in the chlorophyll a distribution. A comparison of spring, summer and fall in-situ data show highest values in April and May decreasing towards summer. In fall, only a small fraction of the chlorophyll a concentrations measured reach values above 1 µg L-1, most concentrations were below 0,1 µg L-1 in Greenland Sea and Fram Strait. Whereas highest values above 10 µg L-1 have been recorded in the Kara Sea in the vicinity of Ob and Yenisei, lowest chlorophyll a concentrations were found in the ice-covered Arctic Ocean (< 0,5 µg L-1). In the future, data obtained in-situ will be compared with data retrieved by satellites to gain a broader view of the biomass distribution of phytoplankton in the entire Arctic Ocean. Some first examples will be shown. Shifts in chlorophyll a concentration patterns can partly be attributed to variations in sea-ice distribution and eventually to climate changes. Long-term trends in chlorophyll concentration patterns reveal slight alterations in biomass in the investigated regions of the Arctic Ocean. This can be the result of differences in productivity possibly leading to changes in trophic interactions, and in sequestration efficiency of CO2 in the ocean.
In 360 samples of colostrum and 36 samples of blood of warmblood mares, the concentration of immunoglobulin G (IgG) was evaluated in the post partal period with an ELISA and the results were compared to values obtained with 2 field methods--refractometry and colostrometry. A significant correlation (p < 0.0001) was determined between ELISA and colostrometry (r = +0.88) and between ELISA and refractometry (r = +0.93). So both field-methods seem suitable for evaluation of the colostral IgG-concentration in mares. Further the kinetic of the IgG concentration in colostrum, the volume of colostrum and the total amount of IgG was measured in the 12 hours post partum (p.p.) in each half udder of 36 mares of different parity. Immediately p.p. primiparous mares have a greater mean concentration of IgG (68 mg/ml) than multiparous mares (51 mg/ml). However, multiparous mares have a mean colostral volume of 1020 ml whereas, in primiparous mares, a mean volume of 527 ml was determined within the first three hours p.p. As a result of this the total amount of IgG was lower in primiparous (31.5 g) than in multiparous mares (48.5 g). A significant decrease of IgG concentration was measured in multiparous mares in the 1.5 hours following partum versus 3 hours in primiparous mares. The mean IgG concentration in the blood serum of the 36 mares immediately p.p. was 13.4 +/- 3.6 mg/ml. No significant correlation was observed between values of IgG concentration in the blood and in the colostrum of the mares.
The reproductive characteristics of the land snail Helix aspersa were investigated under artificial conditions in ten populations exposed to contrasting selective pressures in their natural environments. Two of them were studied for two different years. Significant geographic variation was detected not only in fecundity (clutch number, clutch size significantly related to shell size) but also in the timing of mating and egglaying. Thus, seasonal adjustments (breeding season and duration), related to the geographic location of populations, seemed to be partially preserved under uniform laboratory conditions
A morphological characterization in situ of Capsicum spp was made in 13 localities in the state of Tabasco, Mexico, during 2004 and 2005. The objective was to sample and identify different morphotypes of chilli pepper which grow under wild and cultivated conditions. Eleven chilli pepper morphotypes were found. Most of them were wild (Amashito, Corazon de pollo, Muela, Garbanzo, Garbanzo raro and Desconocido) and corresponded to C. annuum. Another morphotype was half wild (Picopaloma) and corresponded to C. frutescens. The remaining morphotypes corresponded to C. annuum and C. chinenese. Data were analyzed with multivariate statistics. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that 88% of total morphological variation was explained with the four principal components. This analysis grouped the wild morphotypes in one group and the commercial morphotypes in another one. Cluster analysis (CA) allowed classification of the morphotypes in contrasting groups; clustering occurred primarily because of the manner in which morphotypes were growing under cultivated or wild conditions. As a result, commercial morphotypes formed a different group than wild morphotypes. In other words, in general, grouping of morphotypes was similar to that when PCA was used. Using either PCA or CA, Color of anthers, Flower position and Fruit width were the variables which most participated in clustering of the morphotypes.
The building of a conservation-oriented government is the inevitable demand of the development for conservation culture.At present,we are facing much difficulty in the building of such a government.So,what we should do in order to accelerate the process of the building of such a government is to take conservation administration as one of the government's core functions,take effective measures to control pollution,perfect the pattern of local conservation administration which multiple main bodies take part in and is dominated by the government,deepen reform of the government's administration system making integration effect on conservation administration.
Objective:To explore the effects of different postures under continuing pressure on local skin blood perfusion and temperature.Methods:The skin blood perfusion and temperature changes of50volunteers at the posture of supine,right lateral and semi-recumbent under remained pressure were determined.Results:The skin blood perfusion was declined and the temperature was elevated under remained pressure showing significant difference comparing with the baseline values(Pboth0.05).Conclusion:Continuous pressure has significant effect on local skin blood perfusion and temperature under suggesting that strengthening local care and eliminate pressure ulcers risk factors would be helpful for bedridden patients.
In this work we present a new approach, which we call MISFIT, to fitting functional data models with sparsely and irregularly sampled data. The limitations of current methods have created major challenges in the fitting of more complex nonlinear models. Indeed, currently many models cannot be consistently estimated unless one assumes that the number of observed points per curve grows sufficiently quickly with the sample size. In contrast, we demonstrate that MISFIT, which is based on a multiple imputation framework, has the potential to produce consistent estimates without such an assumption. Just as importantly, it propagates the uncertainty of not having completely observed curves, allowing for a more accurate assessment of the uncertainty of parameter estimates, something that most methods currently cannot accomplish. This work is motivated by a longitudinal study on macrocephaly, or atypically large head size, in which electronic medical records allow for the collection of a great deal of data. However, the sampling is highly variable from child to child. Using the MISFIT approach we are able to clearly demonstrate that the development of pathologic conditions related to macrocephaly is associated with both the overall head circumference of the children as well as the velocity of their head growth.
The conceptual shift in the expectations of wireless users towards multimedia andgroup-oriented computing has a significant impact on todays networks in terms of needfor mobility, quality of service (QoS) and multicast routing. Mobile ad hoc networks can provide users with these features. However, it is imperative for them to combine QoS andmulticast routing strategies in order to utilize the wireless medium efficiently.This work defines the ad hoc QoS multicast (AQM) routing protocol, which achievesmulticast efficiency by tracking the availability of resources for each node within its neighbourhood. Computation of free bandwidth is based on reservations made for ongoingsessions and the requirements reported by the neighbours. The QoS status is announced atsession initiation and updated periodically to the extent of QoS provision. Nodes areprevented from applying for membership if there is no QoS path for the session. When nodes wish to join a session with certain service requirements, a three-phase processensures that the QoS information is updated and used to select the most appropriate routes.The allowed maximum hop count of the session is taken into account in order to satisfy thedelay requirements of the multimedia applications. To cope with the continuous nature of streaming multimedia, AQM nodes check the availability of bandwidth within theirneighbourhood not only for themselves but within a virtual tunnel of nodes. Objectionqueries are issued prior to reservation to avoid excessive resource usage due to allocationsmade by nodes which cannot detect each other directly. A priority queue determines thetransmission order of data packets according to their traffic classes to support even those applications with more stringent QoS requirements. AQM evolves the initial multicast treeinto a mesh during data flow to improve robustness. New performance metrics areintroduced to evaluate the efficiency of AQM regarding the satisfaction level of session members. Simulation results show that, by applying novel QoS management techniques,AQM significantly improves multicast efficiency for members as well as for sessions. (Less)
The paper pointed out the regulative scope of cleaner production including the area of consumption by analysing the meaning of cleaner production and consumption. The content of Promotion Law on Cleaner Production of the People's Republic of China reflects the new trend that cleaner production is extending from the area of production to that of consumption . The paper discussed the necessity and feasibility of the new trend , and finally pointed out the related systems, measures and significance with the analysis of the specific provisions.
We consider a system of d coupled non-linear stochastic heat equations in spatial dimension 1 driven by d -dimensional additive space-time white noise. We establish upper and lower bounds on hitting probabilities of the solution { u ( t , x ) } t ∈ R + ,x ∈ [0 , 1] , in terms of respectively Hausdorﬀ measure and Newtonian capacity. We also obtain the Hausdorﬀ dimensions of level sets and their projections. A result of independent interest is an anisotropic form of the Kolmogorov continuity theorem.
Bidding for library book supply is the purchase mode that is adopted by libraries at the most and will be carried out in the long run.This is an innovated way to purchase library materials.However,there are still some problems that can be identified;for example,quality of library collection is not guaranteed,service of supplier is not satisfactory;reader satisfaction needs to be improved By analyzing the existing problems,this paper suggests that libraries shall play a leading role in the process of purchase,improve the tender procedures,enhance quality control,and ensure that book purchase is legitimate and standardized.
A cross-sectional study of hydatid disease was carried out in Assela Municipal Abattoir, East Arsi Zone in central Ethiopia during October, 2012 to March, 2013 in order to determine the prevalence rate of bovine hydatidosis and factors associated with the spread of disease, & the economic losses attributed to organs condemnation. The durable intent of the study was to make information available for the accomplishment of apposite control measures to trim down the transmission of hydatid disease. A total of 384 cattle of different age groups selected, and 170 (44.27%) of them were harboring cysts. The infection rate among different age groups were, statistically, significant ( P <0.05). Proportion of 30.42%, 21.20%, and 10.60% cysts were small, medium, and large sized respectively, and 37.79% calcified cysts. Sterile, fertile and viable cysts represent 38.25%, 23.96% and 14.29%, correspondingly. Higher rate of cyst calcification confirmed in liver than in the lungs. 20,570.68 (Twenty thousand five hundred seventy birr & sixty eight cents) was confirmed as direct annual economic losses from organ condemnation. Keywords : Bovine hydatidosis, Prevalence, Economic, Assela, Ethiopia
The utility model discloses a device for testing the foaming performance of a foaming agent, comprising a case body, a heating and foam-forming part and a gas-forming amount detecting part, wherein the gas-forming amount detecting part comprises a communicating pipe, a fixed part, a movable fixed part, a down-up moving mechanism, a test pipeline, a differential pressure transmitter and a controller; liquid is filled in the communicating pipe; the outer rings of two single pipes of the communicating pipe are respectively sleeved at the fixed part and the movable fixed part; one of the single pipes of the communicating pipe is fixed on the outer wall of the case body by the fixed part, and the other one is fixed in a loosing way by the movable fixed part; the down-up moving mechanism is connected with the movable fixed part; the single pipe fixed by the fixed part, the heating and foam-forming part and the differential pressure transmitter are connected by the test pipeline; the single pipe fixed by the movable fixed part is communicated with air; and the controller is connected with the differential pressure transmitter, the down-up moving mechanism and the heating and foam-forming part. The device has the advantages of reasonable structure, scientific principle, high test automation and the like.
Kaurenic acid is a substance with interesting biological properties. In the present study the hemisynthesis of the glycosidic esters of 15a-hydroxy-ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid, 15a-acetoxy- ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid and 15- oxo- ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid is described. The esters were obtained through reaction of the silver salt of the acids with a-D-glucopiranose tetracetyl bromide in dry bencene. The carbohydrate esters were then treated with ammonia in dry methanol to remove the protecting acetate groups. The structure of the carbohydrate esters was established by uni- and bi-dimensional NMR experiments.
Preliminary results are reviewed on the outcome of patients treated within two randomized studies with either p(60) + Be-neutrons or photons. Since April 1987 67 patients have been treated of which twelve have been included in a randomized study on head and neck cancer and 40 on pelvic cancer. The clinical treatment planning is presented in detail and discussed. The results presented are considered to be very preliminary, so that no attempt has been made to analyse and discuss them in detail.
This thoroughly researched and clearly written compendium of available statistical information on China provides reliable information, careful explanations, useful guides to further research,and a full bibliography. An exhaustive compilation of national and provincial statistics on mainland China from 1949 to 1959, this book covers every facet of the Communist Chinese economy and presents the most comprehensive coverage available of statistical data on China from this period. Based on data obtained directly from Chinese sources, this book is the first attempt to provide Western readers with a reliable reference on the economy of mainland China.
The Scheduled Relaxation Jacobi (SRJ) method is a viable candidate as a high performance linear solver for elliptic partial diﬀerential equations (PDEs). The method greatly improves the convergence of the standard Jacobi iteration by applying a sequence of M well-chosen overrelaxation and underrelaxation factors in each cycle of the algorithm to eﬀectively attenuate the solution error. In previous work, optimal SRJ schemes (sets of relaxation factors) have been derived to accelerate convergence for speciﬁc discretizations of elliptic PDEs. In this work, we develop a family of SRJ schemes which can be applied to solve elliptic PDEs regardless of the speciﬁc discretization employed. To achieve favorable convergence, we train an algorithm to select which scheme in this family to apply at each cycle of the linear solve process, based on convergence data collected from applying these schemes to the one-dimensional Poisson equation. The automatic selection heuristic that is developed based on this limited data is found to provide good convergence for a wide range of problems.
The invention relates to an intelligent driving device for electromagnetic valve response characteristic testing. The intelligent driving device comprises a single-chip microcomputer control circuit, an opto-isolator circuit, a working power supply, a drive circuit, a release loop and an electromagnetic valve loop. A single-chip microcomputer is set, so that simple man-machine interaction is carried out in a button and nixie tube display manner; and a control driving mode is set, so that different electromagnetic valve motion commands are output by the single-chip microcomputer, and the electromagnetic valve motion execution voltage is formed through the drive circuit for opto-isolation and power amplification. A system of the intelligent driving device is simple and reliable, and convenience is brought to operation of a tester; in addition, through the structure that the drive circuit is combined with the electromagnetic valve loop and the release loop, accurate testing points of the response current and voltage are provided; and application shows that the device is safe and reliable, and the driving requirement of electromagnetic valve response characteristic checking and testing is met.
We consider the question of determining the probability of triangle count deviations in the Erd H{o}s-R 'enyi random graphs $G(n,m)$ and $G(n,p)$ with densities larger than $n^{-1/2}( log{n})^{1/2}$. In particular, we determine the log probability $ log mathbb{P}(N_{ triangle}(G) ,> , (1+ delta)p^3n^3)$ up to a constant factor across essentially the entire range of possible deviations, in both the $G(n,m)$ and $G(n,p)$ model. For the $G(n,p)$ model we also prove a stronger result, up to a $(1+o(1))$ factor, in the non-localised regime. We also obtain some results for the lower tail and for counts of cherries (paths of length $2$).
A process for producing a fresh cheese concentrate, in particular quark concentrate, in which a. as by means of a centrifuge, in particular as a nozzle separator (1), first separation means formed curd into an aqueous phase and a solids concentrate, the cheese curd is separated off, b. selected from the centrifuge (1) curd derived downstream solid-bowl screw centrifuge (14) is directed into one of the first centrifuge, where more whey from the curd is separated off and the cheese curd is further concentrated.
On the basis of microprocessor's principle and the direct digital synthesis technology,the Sine signal generator was designed,using the microprocessor AT89C51 chip as master controller,through Hardware circuit's production and Software programming.The signal source can output stable and adjustable sine wave in 1 KHz to 20 MHz range,through the direct digital synthesis technology made a sine signal source which step value can be adjusted arbitrarily,and used 12864 LCD to display output.
A study was conducted in October 2006 in the Charleston, South Carolina area to test the movements of three different buoy line types to determine which produced a preferred profile that could reduce the risk of dolphin entanglement. Tests on diamond-braided nylon commonly used in the crab pot fishery were compared with stiffened line of Esterpro and calf types in both shallow and deep water environments using DSTmilli data loggers. Loggers were placed at intervals along the lines to record depth, and thus movements, over a 24 hour period. Three observers viewed video animations and charts created for each of the six trial days from the collected logger data and provided their opinions on the most desirable line type that fit set criteria. A quantitative analysis (ANCOVA) of the data was conducted taking into consideration daily tidal fluctuations and logger movements. Loggers tracking the tides had an r2 value approaching 1.00 and produced little movement other than with the tides. Conversely, r2 values approaching 0.00 were less affected by tidal movement and influenced by currents that cause more erratic movement. Results from this study showed that stiffened line, in particular the medium lay Esterpro type, produced the more desirable profiles that could reduce risk of dolphin entanglement. Combining the observer’s results with the ANCOVA results, Esterpro was chosen nearly 60% of the time as opposed to the nylon line which was only chosen 10% of the time. ANCOVA results showed that the stiffened lines performed better in both the shallow and deep water environments, while the nylon line only performed better during one trial in a deep water set, most probably due to the increased current velocities experienced that day. (58pp.)(PDF contains 68 pages)
Underarm bracing can prevent 25° to 40° curves in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) from progressing to the point where surgery may be indicated [2, 7]. While the main goal of bracing for AIS is to prevent the need for surgery, the study by Cheung and colleagues [1] provides the best evidence so far that curve regression can sometimes occur. The authors found that some scoliosis curves may be partially reversed with bracing, and that, in some patients, reversal of vertebral wedging may occur at the apical vertebrae of major curves, which implies that the vertebrae were sufficiently relieved of axial load to allow recovery of their native growth potential. This is an important and rather exciting finding because it definitively demonstrates that bracing may potentially reverse one of the primary elements of the spine deformity which constitutes scoliosis [6]. In the current study, patients wore a brace for mean 3.8 years and SRS 22r scores were better for those who experienced correction. Notably, the authors’ practice setting is a dedicated scoliosis clinic including an orthotist who fits their patients with customized braces, a physical therapist who assists with exercise training and a psychologist [1]. A multidisciplinary team such as theirs could potentially influence patient perceptions and behavior. While many have an orthotist immediately available, few, if any scoliosis practices have immediate access to a psychologist and a therapist. Cheung and colleagues [1] also found that the benefits of bracing were not dependent on sex. This is an important and new finding because no previous studies have unequivocally demonstrated brace efficacy in males. Where Do We Need To Go?
FIELD: organic chemistry. SUBSTANCE: products: derivatives of uracil of the formula (I) where R 1 - trifluoromethyl or pentafluoroethyl group; R 2 - methyl, amino-group; Q represents one of the following group Q 1 -Q 3 where R 3 - hydrogen atom, methyl; R 4 , R 5 and R 6 each independently means C 1 -C 4 -alkyl unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, C 3 -C 4 -alkenyl unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, C 3 -C 4 -alkynyl, C 1 -4-alkoxy, C 1 -C 3 -alkyl; X - hydrogen or fluorine; Y - oxygen or sulfur atom. Condition: Q means Q 3 then R 2 - methyl, and also intermediate products for synthesis of uracil derivative. Herbicide composition has uracil derivatives at concentration 0.05-5.0 kg/ha, special additions, weed plants were treated with uracil derivatives at the dose 0.002-1 kg/ha. Synthesized compounds were used for chemical protection of plants. EFFECT: increased effectiveness of herbicides. 28 tbl
Nowadays, a lot of inverted pendulum robots have been developed. The complexity of the dynamical control systems is increased and they are advanced toward autonomous inverted pendulum robots. When the controllers are designed, the software MATLAB/Simulink is often used. It is well known that it is a very useful tool to design and analyze motion control systems. However, it is not always useful to express huge or multifunctional systems. At that time, System Modeling language (SysML) is known as a useful tool for that system design. Then it seems the usage of the both tools are useful. In order to develop the inverted pendulum robots in practice, we need multi-stand points for the real time systems. We have to study the both of them and investigate how to fill the gap. This paper introduces our requirement, overview of inverted pendulum robot system, hardware configurations, and map the balancing control using observer based control from Simulink model to SysML models. Furthermore, SysML is a guideline to define the interconnection between functions and combine them together.
Channelization and embankment of rivers has led to major ecological degradation of aquatic habitats worldwide. River restoration can be used to restore favourable hydrological conditions for target processes or species. This study is based on rarely available, detailed pre- and post-restoration hydrological data collected from 2007–2010 from a wet grassland meadow in Norfolk, UK. Based on these data, coupled hydrological/hydraulic models were developed of pre-embankment and post-embankment conditions using the MIKE-SHE/MIKE-11 system. Fine-scale plant and chemical sampling was conducted on the floodplain meadow to assess the spatial pattern of plant communities in relation to soil physicochemical conditions. Simulated groundwater levels for a 10-year period were then used to predict changes in plant community composition following embankment-removal. Hydrology was identified as the primary driver of plant community composition, while soil fertility was also important. Embankment removal resulted in widespread floodplain inundation at high river flows and frequent localised flooding at the river edge at lower flows. Subsequently, groundwater levels were higher and subsurface storage was greater. The restoration had a moderate effect on flood-peak attenuation and improved free drainage to the river. Reinstatement of overbank flows did not substantially affect the degree of aeration stress on the meadow, except along the river embankments where sum exceedance values for aeration stress increased from 0 m weeks (dry-grassland) to 7 m weeks (fen). The restored groundwater regime may be suitable for more diverse plant assemblages. However the benefits of flooding (e.g. propagule dispersal, reduced competition) may be over-ridden without management to reduce waterlogging during the growing season, or balance additional nutrient supply from river water. The results from this study suggest that removal of river embankments can increase river-floodplain hydrological connectivity to form a more natural flood-pulsed wetland ecotone, which favours conditions for enhanced flood storage, plant species composition and nutrient retention.
Objective To observe the jiaweiweiguanjian antibiotic-associated diarrhea,the clinical effect of Kidney-Yang Deficiency Spleen. Methods Respiratory and ICU hospital inpatients in the past year,36 cases of antibiotic-associated diarrhea,asdthenic splenonephro-yang were randomized to treatment group,18 cases of the jiaweiweiguanjian treatment,the control group to be metronidazole,jinshuangqi treatment were observed in patients with the clinical therapeutic effect. Results In the treatment group was significantly higher efficiency. Conclusion jiaweiweiguanjian treatment for asdthenic splenonephro-yang antibiotic-associated diarrhea with a good clinical effects.
We describe a patient with a lesion on the nose, which clinically seemed a filiform wart; when the histological examination was performed we diagnosed a verruciform xanthoma. Looking at the literature we saw that the clinical diagnosis of this lesion had never been possible. Moreover, the histopathology always showed a peculiar pattern: a very dense infiltrate of foamy cells which completely removed the upper dermis and stopped at the basis of the rete ridges. Hyperlipemia was found in no cases, when specific tests were performed. Most cases reported were in the oral cavity. Age, sex and race do not seem to be relevant. The etiology of this lesion is unknown. Authors always discuss the pathogenesis, i.e. whether the first damage responsible for the formation of the foamy cells is in the epidermis or in the dermis. Other hypothesis have been suggested. Nevertheless, the majority of the Authors agree about the histiocytic origin of the xanthoma cells.
The study presents the results of a research on the frequency of infection with Enterobius vermicularis in different urban and rural human populations, conducted by Zoology Department of Podlaska Academy in Siedlce between 1998 and 2006. Since 2001, samples from one examinee were collected seven times. On the basis of the seven tests, a table of the frequency of infection and the efficiency of its detection was presented. The study indicates the populations in which all the infected were detected earlier than after the seventh test. It also presents the results of family infection examination (there were two groups of the examined: A--only children, B--children as well as parents): out of 125 families 47 (37.6%) were infected. The author concluded that the method of taking pinworm samples should be standardized to the Graham method with the samples collected on seven consecutive days, and that whole families should be examined wherever one person is detected to be infected.
New hallucinogenic drugs of abuse, known generically as "spice" and "bath salts," have become readily available in the United States. Spice is one of many names that refers to a variety of synthetic cannabinoids that act on the body in a way similar to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). A large and complex variety of synthetic cannabinoids, most often cannabicyclohexanol, JWH-018, JWH-073, or HU-210, are used in an attempt to avoid the laws that make cannabis illegal, making synthetic cannabis a designer drug. Bath salts, on the other hand, is one of many names for a group of cathinone-containing hallucinogens that produces sympathomimetic effects in its users. Both have become popular among those seeking chemical euphorias with decreased chance of detection. Consequently, both have become a problem for maintaining mentally fit Soldiers, unit readiness, and morale in the US armed forces.
OBJECTIVE:To study the patterns of the expressions of E-cad, VEGF and PCNA in gallbladder carcinoma,adenoma and chronic cholecystitis, and explore the correlation of E-cad, VEGF and PCNA expressions with gallbladder carcinoma.METHODS:Studies were performed in 41 samples of gallbladder carcinoma, 14 cases of gallbladder adenoma and 10 cases of chronic cholecystitis with immunohistochemistry.RESULTS:The positive rate of VEGF (33/41) in gallbladder carcinoma was significantly higher than rates of gallbladder adenomas and chronic cholecystitis, F=24.831,P=0.000, the PCNA LI in gallbladder carcinoma was significantly hingher than rates of gallblcdder adenomas and chronic cholecystitis, H=19.030, P=0.008. The positive rate of E-cad (18/41)in gallbladder carcinoma was significant lower than rates of gallbladder adenomas and cholecystitis, F=8.286, P=0.008. Three-year survival rate was significantly lower in gallbladder carcinoma with VEGF(6/25) and PCNA (1/16)over expression, F=16.151,P=0.000, and three-year survival rate in the patients with E-cad positive tumors (9/16) was higher than that of those with negative tumors ( 1/15 ), F=12.511,P=0.001.CONSLUSIONS:The expression of E-cad, VEGF and PCNA are significantly different among gallbladder carcinoma, adenoma and chronic cholecystitis. Therefore, benign or malignant gallbladder tumor may be distinguished by detecting the expressions of E-cad, VEGF and PCNA, and they would be valuable for predicting prognosis of gallbladder carcinomas.
A semantic annotation of business processes with concepts from ontology has become necessity in service provisioning. There have been few work on semantically labeling business processes in terms of ontology that formalizes business process structure, business domains etc. However, dynamic behavior of a process cannot be captured by such means as ontology languages are not suitable for specifying behavioral semantics. In this work, we propose a method for labeling and specifying business processes by using hybrid programs as the knowledge representation formalism. The formalism of hybrid programs integrates normal programs (using the parlance of logic programming) with ontology specified in OWL-DL (semantic web standard).
In 1905, Japan shocked the world by becoming the first Asian nation to defeat a western country on the field of battle since Genghis Khan and the Mongols. They simultaneously commanded the attention of the military medical community by claiming to be the first combatant force to suffer fewer deaths from disease than from enemy action. Given the recent, disease-ridden medical debacle of the Spanish-American War, American military medical reformers used Japan's achievements as a model for the US Army Medical Department (AMEDD) to emulate. (1) After briefly defining Japan's said success, this essay reviews the failures of the AMEDD in the Spanish American War. It then highlights how Japan, fighting less than a decade later, appeared to achieve dramatically different results. I conclude first by proving Japan's medical victory fictitious and then by showing how AMEDD reformers nonetheless used the narrative of success to advance their own agenda in modernizing the department.
It has been demonstrated in a variety of circumstances that there cxists a reciprocal relationship between the discharge rates of simple and complex spikes in Purkinje cell firing rate activity. Demer et al. demonstrated this again in the cat flocculus.' They stimulated climbing fibers near the inferior olive in the lightly anesthetized cat while recording from the flocculus and showed that as they evoked complex spikes, at an increasing rate from 1 to 10 Hz, the simple-spike ratc of Purkinje cells, normally about 23 Hz, decreased steadily to zero. At a stimulus rate of 7 Hz, 87% of the Purkinje cells, in their study, showed no simple-spike discharges at all. This situation presents an interesting opportunity. With no simple spikes and the complex spikes artifically clamped at, say, 7 Hz, no useful signal can possibly emergc from the flocculus. This situation should constitute a functional flocculectomy. If motor learning in the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) is stored by long-term depression of synapses between parallel T fibers and Purkinje cell dendrites, such learning should be abolished if the Purkinje cells are prevented from sending any meaningful signal to any motor target. We tested this idea.
Changes introduced in Information Society demand that regulations adapt to new reality. Intellectual property is one of the most affected fields, due to technical media availability that allow users to reproduce creations protected by copyright. We can add to this situation, software development and peer to peer platforms. These make it easier to interchange files between individuals. To stop these practices, Legislator thinks of setting a control for file swapping in the Internet by service suppliers without judicial authoriza334 José Justo Megías Quirós tion. This constitutes an attack against fundamental rights that protect user’s
This paper models a set of temporal filters biologically plausible and their hardware implementation, being these filters the first processing stage from a robust neuromorphic motion estimation system. After designing and implementing the filters is constructed a confidence measure which modules the estimation density data using the previously implemented architecture. The global system is examined using several stimuli and error metrics showing a good behavior of the system implemented. This system has many applications regarding tracking, pattern recognition, robotics and real-time signal processing.
Using Path Integral Molecular DynamiUsing Path Integral Molecular Dynamics simulations we examine isomerization paths involving collective proton transfers in [H2O]5 and [H2O]8 clusters at cryogenic conditions. We focused attention on combined effects derived from solvation and nuclear quantum fluctuations on the characteristics of free energy barriers and relative stabilities of reactants and products. In particular, we analyzed two different processes: the first one involves the exchange of donor-acceptor hydrogen bond roles along cyclic moieties, whereas the second one corresponds to charge separation leading to stable [H3O]+[OH]- ion pairs. In the first case, the explicit incorporation of quantum tunneling introduces important modifications in the classical free energy profile. The resulting quantum profile presents two main contributions, one corresponding to compressions of O-O distances, and a second one ascribed to nuclear tunneling of the light protons. Solvation effects promote a moderate polarization of the cyclic structures and a partial loss of concertedness in the collective modes, most notably, at the onset of tunneling. Still, the latter effects are also sufficiently strong to promote the stabilization of ion pairs along the classical trajectories. Contrasting, the explicit incorporation of nuclear quantum fluctuations brings charge separated configurations marginally stable. As such, the latter states could be also regarded as short-lived intermediate states along the reactive exchange path.
At the end of the second year of activity and after having completed the first steps in the development of its main goals, the project "INCEPTION Inclusive Cultural Heritage in Europe through 3D Semantic Modelling" is now facing different challenging actions starting from already developed advancement in 3D data capturing. Semantic modelling for Cultural Heritage buildings in H-BIM environment and the development of the INCEPTION platform for deployment and valorisation of enriched 3D models will allow accomplishing the main objectives of accessing, understanding and strengthening European cultural heritage. In this direction, the approach and the methodology for semantic organization and data management toward H-BIM modelling will be presented, as well as a preliminary nomenclature for semantic enrichment of heritage 3D models. According to the overall INCEPTION workflow, the H-BIM modelling procedure starts with documenting user needs, including experts and non-experts. The identification of the Cultural Heritage buildings semantic ontology and data structure for information catalogue will allow the integration of semantic attributes with hierarchically and mutually aggregated 3D digital geometric models for management of heritage information. CCS Concepts •Computing methodologies → Graphics systems and interfaces; •Applied computing → Architecture (buildings); •Software and its engineering → Software libraries and repositories;
The pressure of the international community is growing due to the increase in domestic carbon dioxide generation. The government is trying to reduce the carbon emission throughout transportation, industry and construction. In particular, construction sector is expected to increase carbon dioxide generation and the government has a greater interest. The government is utilizing energy performance indicators and building energy efficiency rating to reduce carbon emission in buildings. However, the energy usage of the buildings evaluated by two evaluation methods had a big difference. Thus, the construction sector, machinery sector, electricity sector and renewable energy sector of energy performance indicators were selected as applicable items in building energy efficiency rating. The standard model was chosen as a medium-sized building targeting the buildings with building energy efficiency rating of level 1.The buildings with individual heating of gas boilers and with individual air-conditioning of absorption chillers were selected. They were modeled based energy performance indicators' lowest score and each item correlation in energy performance indicators was analyzed. The analysis was relatively small in saving rate for the construction sector but significant for the machinery sector and electricity sector.
A cytological study of the cerebrospinal fluid from 25 patients with acute leukemias and five patients with malignant lymphomas (Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) has been performed. All patients had clinical manifestations of central nervous system involvement at the time of lumbar puncture. Cytological abnormalities were observed in 13 out of the 30 samples examined (positivity: 44 percent). The group of 17 patients with lymphoblastic leukemia accounted for the highest cytological positivity (12 our of 17 cases --70.5 percent--). Cerebrospinal fluid from eight patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia and from four patients with Hodgkin's disease was normal. Numerous cell atypias were found in a case of lymphocytic lymphoma. The importance of systematic cytological study of the cerebrospinal fluid in patients with leukemia in order to prevent recurrences and to control intrathecal administration of cytostatics and/or radiotherapy is stressed.
Most of the Mediterranean members of the family Tetraodontidae are non-native to the region, and include species of both Atlantic and Indo-Pacific origin. Anthropogenic activities are synergistically causing the populations of these non-native species to expand, causing ecological and economical losses in the Mediterranean Sea. The current study evaluated the morphological and the genetic characteristics of six Tetraodontidae species collected from the Mediterranean Sea. Two mitochondrial sequences, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the control region were studied covering over 1400 bp from each specimen, with Lagocephalus sceleratus and L. suezensis exhibiting the lowest intraspecific divergence, while Torquigener flavimaculosus exhibited the largest intraspecific divergence. Comparative analyses of the current data with other publically available COI data show the need to further evaluate species diversity of Tetraodontidae not only in the Mediterranean but also in their native range. Filling knowledge gaps for improved taxonomic identification of species is essential to accurately track these species and their populations in the Mediterranean and beyond.
2004년 7월에 항공법 개정안이 발표되었는데 그 주요 제안이유는 현행 "항공법"중 그 내용이 객관적이고 독립적인 항공사고 조사분야를 "항공사고조사에 관한 법률"로 분법하고, 최근 항공안전 강화추세에 따라 빈번하게 개정되고 있는 국제민간항공 조약 부속서의 표준 및 권고사항에 신속하게 대처할 수 있도록 그 근거규정은 법률로 정하고 세부기술적인 사항은 하위법령에서 정하도록 하며, 그 간 제도운영과정에서 나타난 일부 미비점을 보완하려 하고 있다. 이러한 항공법 개정의 변화과정에 대한 논의와 외국의 항공법 체계와 국내항공법의 체계비교를 통하여 국내항공법의 개정 변화에 대한 추이를 살펴보고자 한다. 본 조사 결과 대부분 국가가 항공법과 항공사고조사법을 분리하고 있기 때문에 현행 항공법을 "항공법"과 항공사고조사법으로 분법하려는 추진방향을 세운 것처럼 생각된다. 현행 항공법에서는 권리제한이나 의무부과, 인허가 관련 기본적인 사항만 정하고 나머지 세부적인 사항은 국제기준의 변경에 신속히 대응할 수 있도록 하위법령에서 정할 수 있도록 근거를 마련하는 방향으로 가닥을 잡아가고 있다. 이러한 흐름에 맞추어 국제표준과 항공선진국으로서의 위상에 걸맞고 급변하는 세계항공운송의 흐름에 순행하는 항공법을 제정하는 지혜를 모아야 할 것이다. 【The Reform Aviation Act of 2004 that which devided the basic aviation act and the act related aviation accident investigation announced in July 2004. The purpose of this study is to review standards and recommendations of Annexes for International Civil Aviation Convention and CFR of FAA in USA, Aviation Act of Japan, Civil Aviation Act of Australia, Aeronautics Act of Canada, Air Navigation Act of Singapore. and then after these review, we tried to compare them with Korean Aviation Law, Enforcement Decree, Regulations related their system. At the result of this study, we find out many advanced countries divided into basic Aviation act and accident investigation act. finally we have suggested mid and longtern plan and implementation which applicable to set up domestic aviation law system.】
Plant successions in sandy deserts result in the development of Haloxylon communities and stabilization of sand dunes (barkhans). Weakly developed sandy soils under these communities perform important ecological functions. They are characterized by the formation of a humus horizon that contains a significant amount of salts owing to the regular input of Haloxylon leaves enriched in sodium and calcium chlorides, sulfates, and bicarbonates; a thin (2-10 cm) subhumus horizon becomes enriched in available nutrients. A tendency toward the accumulation of silt and clay particles is identified in these horizons.
The present article discusses a system approach to solving traffic problems in large cities in Russia, where traffic jams become more and more frequent. A complex of measures is described, which, if implemented systematically, will help efficiently improve the traffic situation, in particular: 1) increase in the throughput transport capacity of city streets and roads (using the entire width of the road for traffic, bringing the lanes' width to the values corresponding to the traffic velocity, using modern traffic-light regulation methods, sustaining the road usage coefficient at the value 0.7-0.8); 2) preventing massive violations of traffic rules (video monitoring, reforming the supervision authorities), 3) considering traffic requirements in urban development policies (altering urban development priorities), 4) increase in the quality of public transport operation (creating transportation hubs, introduction of separate traffic lanes and priority at crossroads, decrease in the loading of automobiles during the rush hour). It is emphasized that the desirable result can only be achieved through an integrated approach towards the above-listed measures, as implementation of just some of them, but not all, will not help to eliminate traffic jams.
To compare the sensivity of different methods used to detect the agents of viral diseases in olive trees, totaly 375 samples of leaves, fruits and flowers were collected from olive trees in Aydin, Balikesir and Izmir provinces and for further studies, 27 samples were selected from 375 ones as a one representative sample from each of counties in these provinces. The existence of 9 viral agents in these samples was checked by RT-PCR while the detection of 4 viruses was done with DAS-ELISA. When the juice from the samples was inoculated to certain test plants, they did not produce any symptoms. It was found that all samples were infected with the any of viruses entitled Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Cherry leafroll virus (CLRV), Strawberry latent ringspot virus (SLRSV) and Cucumis mosaic virus (CMV) by RT-PCR while ArMV was present in only 5 samples in DAS-ELISA. Moreover, all samples in this study were free from Olive latent-1 virus (OLV-1), Olive latent-2 virus (OLV-2), Olive latent-3 virus (OLV-3), Olive latent ringspot virus (OLRSV) and Olive leaf yellowing-associated virus (OLYaV) by RT-PCR. The results of RT-PCR showed that the samples from 3 trees having virus-like symptoms were infected with a virus and on the contrary, 24 samples from the trees which were determined to be infected with viruses did not demonstrated any virus symptoms. In conclusion, it was concluded that RT-PCR was the most sensitive method in the detection of the viruses in olive trees at this moment and has the potential usage on the applications of quarantine and certification programs in safety.
Purpose Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 has been widely implicated in human glaucoma pathology. The purpose of this study was to determine the source of TGF-β2 in aqueous humor (AH) and its relationship with intraocular pressure (IOP) in an inherited large animal model of glaucoma. Methods Sixty-six glaucomatous cats homozygous for LTBP2 mutation, and 42 normal cats were studied. IOP was measured weekly by rebound tonometry. AH was collected by anterior chamber paracentesis from each eye under general anesthesia, and serum samples collected from venous blood concurrently. Concentrations of total, active and latent TGF-β2 in AH and serum samples were measured by quantitative sandwich immunoassay. For comparisons between groups, unpaired t-test or Mann Whitney test were used, with P < 0.05 considered significant. The relationships between TGF-β2 concentrations and IOP values were examined by Pearson's correlation coefficient and generalized estimating equation. Results IOP and AH TGF-β2 concentrations were significantly higher in glaucomatous than in normal cats. AH TGF-β2 showed a significant, robust positive correlation with IOP in glaucomatous cats (r = 0.83, R2 = 0.70, P < 0.0001). Serum TGF-β2 did not correlate with AH TGF-β2 and was not significantly different between groups. TGF-β2 mRNA and protein expression were significantly increased in local ocular tissues in glaucomatous cats. Conclusions Enhanced, local ocular production of TGF-β2 with a robust positive association with IOP was identified in this spontaneous feline glaucoma model, providing a foundation for preclinical testing of novel therapeutics to limit disease-associated AH TGF-β2 elevation and signaling in glaucoma.
In the article the present day foreign policy problems of the Russian Federation against the Latin America countries, especially Brazil that considered to be a «rising-up giant», are being analyzed. The political relations are being analyzed from the mid-nineties, when the national interest approach and sovereignty started to prevail in the Russian foreign policy, and during 2000, when the policy of Brazil itself changed and it was associated with «left turn»
The invention discloses a method for preparing hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin, which comprises the steps of etherification, neutralization, decoloring, nanofiltration, resin purification, and spray drying. The method of the invention is small in pollution, and the yield in weight is more than 80 percent; meanwhile, the product prepared by using the method of the invention is narrow in substituted ratio range and low in impurity content, and can be used as a pharmaceutic adjuvant.
The present invention relates to a hollow wood type golf club with improved mass properties by limiting the allowable weight and minimum structural mass increases. Club head striking face, and a crown portion having a sole portion, a skirt portion, and the total surface area. Hosel portion is joined to the club head in order to connect the shaft to the club head. Crown portion has a main crown portion and the sub crown portion, the main crown portion has a larger surface area than the sub crown portion is located relatively vertically downward to the sub crown portion. The main crown portion has a substantially concave curved surface, the sub crown portion has a generally convex curved surface as the main crown portion is inverted with respect to result in sub crown portion. The main crown portion is inclined upward from the heel of the club head until the toe. Top surface form of the club head is a hyperbolic.
ABSTRACT The purpose of this research  to analysis influence of workwomen income of infolmal trade toward family income (study cases of the retail trade in Inpres Air Haji Market, sub-district Linggo Sari Baganti). The type of this research is descriptive quantitative that used primer data. This research had done in Inpres Air Haji market, sub-district Linggo Sari Baganti on January 2014. The population in this research was retailer women with amount the sample 105 peoples where the technique of collecting the sample was. Simple random sampling. The tool to analysis the data in this research used econometric approach with multiple regression equation. The result of study showed that the variable length of education (X 1 ), the of hours work of repiler women (X 3 ) and the namber of family dependents (X 4 ), in partial have positive influence and significance toward woman’s retailer income in Inpres Air Haji market, Sub-district of Linggo Sari Baganti, where as variable of age (X 2 ) in partial haven’t significance influence toward woman’s retailer income Inpres air Haji market, Sub-district Linggo Sari Baganti. In general, all variables were researched have significance influence toward woman retailer in Inpres Air Haji market, Linggo Sari Baganti. This, the income of repiler income have positive red significance offocr on family income in  Inpres Air Haji market, Linggo Sari Baganti. Keywords: workwomen income, length education, age, hours worked, namber family.
The invention provides an in-situ electrochemical test device for simulating acid rain corrosion. The device comprises a liquid storage tank (1), an environment simulating box (4), a control cabinet (12), an electrochemical working cabinet (8) and a computer which are connected in series, wherein a multi-jet nozzle (3) of the liquid storage tank (1) extends to a position above a bracket (7) in the environment simulating box (4), an input end of the electrochemical working cabinet (8) extends to a position above the bracket (7) in the environment simulating box (4), an output end of the electrochemical working cabinet (8) is connected with the computer. When the in-situ electrochemical test device for simulating acid rain corrosion is in use, at least two samples to be tested are used as electrodes (6) and are respectively connected with the input ends of the electrochemical working cabinet (8), and thus the in-situ electrochemical test can be fulfilled. The in-situ electrochemical test device has the following advantages: (1) the instantaneous corrosion rate of acid rain can be obtained; (2) various acid rain corrosion processes can be simulated; (3) a corrosion test in an acid rain environment can be implemented; and (4) the device is simple in structure, low in cost, convenient to operate and easy to maintain.
AIM To study the relation between INSR in erythrocytes and in target tissues. METHODS A diabetes model was induced by injection of streptozocin (iv 50 mg·kg -1 ) in rats, and the INSR constants in erythrocytes, liver and skeleton muscle were determined with radioreceptor assay within 8 weeks. RESULTS INSR in erythrocytes and in target tissues were correlated ( r 0 805, P 0 05), and the correlativity of INSR between erythrocytes and liver ( r 0 934, P 0 01) was better than that between erythrocytes and skeleton muscle. CONCLUSION The INSR alteration in erythrocytes of ST 2 rats synchronously reflected the change in target tissues(liver and skeleton muscle), which gave us a new clinical possibility to monitor the proceeding degree of diabetes mellilus. KEY WORD Insulin receptor; radioreceptor assay; erythrocyte; liver; skeleton muscle
Being engaged in any occupation is human being's main activity of existence. The classification of occupations and its historical development is closely related to shaping the history of intelligence, spirits and morals. Therefore, occupying activities have an important effect on vocational humanizing, which is with no end, but it's easier to stress excessively to one sideness of technique, skill. So we have to let humans pay attention to the value of spirits, try to struggle for the view of the vocational humanizing itself repeatedly. As a result, we can develop our creativity and a better understanding of the vocation duties, realize the sublime mission.
A middle vehicle frame telescoping mechanism of a commercial vehicle transporting semitrailer is characterized in that a transporting platform comprises front vehicle frames and rear vehicle frames which are arranged on the left side and the right side, each front vehicle frame and the corresponding rear vehicle frame which are located on the same side are connected via a sliding mechanism, the front vehicle frames and the rear vehicle frames are fixed via connecting devices at set positions to form the transporting platform, slide grooves are arranged on the front vehicle frames, and the rear vehicle frames are inserted in the slide grooves to form the sliding mechanisms; and connecting pins of the connecting devices are simultaneously inserted into positioning holes on side surfaces of the slide grooves of the front vehicle frames and positioning holes of the rear vehicle frames, so that the front vehicle frames and the rear vehicle frames are fixed to form the transporting platform. The middle vehicle frame telescoping mechanism has the advantages that the transporting platform can stretch and retract according to actual service conditions, when the transporting platform needs to stretch to be longest, the vehicle frames also stretch to be longest and then are fixed during transporting, and when short articles are conveyed or the transporting platform does not load with anything, the vehicle frames can retract to be shorter or shortest and then are fixed. Besides, when the vehicle frames are shortened, bottom plates of the front and rear vehicle frames match with each other to form a bottom plate structure, the transporting platform can carry more articles, and accordingly the commercial vehicle transporting semitrailer is multipurpose.
A new clustering algorithm, Mahalanobis clustering, is proposed as an improvement on traditional K-means clustering. We present applications of this method to both AVO classification and seismic reservoir parameter estimation using multiple attributes. In the latter application, we use the radial basis function neural network (RBFN) with centres, and apply Mahalanobis clustering to find the cluster centres that are used in the training of the network. We also show that this method allows us to improve the estimate of the covariance matrix parameters used in the general form of the RBFN approach.
In this paper we describe the first in vitro response to the liver alloantigen F. The anti-F response serves as a valuable model for autoimmune phenomena since priming appropriate strains of mice (responders) with allogeneic but not syngeneic type F leads to autoantibody production. The in vitro system is based on the proliferation of T cells, from mice primed in vivo with F, when coincubated with splenic adherent cells (SAC) prepulsed with F in vivo. The system displays two important correlates of the in vivo antibody response to F:1.T cells from mice primed with syngeneic F do not proliferate when incubated with SAC prepulsed with syngeneic F and 2. Mice that do not make antibody responses to allo F in vivo (DBA/2) do not show in vitro proliferative responses. These findings indicate that the proliferative assay is a good in vitro model for the F response.
Fumarase (EC 4.2.1.2) catalyzes reversible interconversion of malate and fumarate. It is usually associated with the tricarboxylic acid cycle in mitochondria, although the cytosolic form has also been detected. We investigated the expression of two fumarase genes and activities of the mitochondrial and cytosolic isoforms of fumarase in maize (Zea mays) scutellum during germination. Both isoforms were purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. The cytosolic form had low optimum pH (6.5) and high affinity to malate (Km 5 μM) when compared with the mitochondrial form (optimum pH 7.0, Km 50 μM). The cytosolic form was strongly activated by Mg(2+) and even more by Mn(2+) , whereas the mitochondrial form was moderately activated by Mg(2+) and Mn(2+) was less effective. The highest fumarase activity in scutellum and a high expression of the gene encoding the cytosolic form were observed during the maximal activity of the glyoxylate cycle. In leaves, the localization of fumarase is only mitochondrial and only one fumarase gene is expressed. It is concluded that the function of cytosolic fumarase in maize scutellum can be related to metabolism of succinate formed in the glyoxylate cycle.
The thesis entitled, “ANALYSIS TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE government AUTONOMOUS DECENTRALISED OF THE PROVINCE OF SUCUMBIOS" CORRESPONDING TO THE PERIOD 2013 - 20124", Was conducted in compliance with the prerequisites to obtaining the title of Engineer in Accounting audit, CPA - CPA Auditor at the Universidad National de Loja, thus conforming to the Rules of Academic System in force.  The analysis to the financial statements of the Government Autonomous Decentralized of the province of Sucumbios, was made based on the fulfillment of the objectives, such as: make the respective analysis of the financial statements through the horizontal and vertical method, for which were utilized materials, methods and techniques, for the purpose of make an analysis comparative of financial statements, in order to make a comparative analysis of financial statements using relative study of each of the accounts that make up both the Statement of Financial Position and Income Statements, during the periods under review, also was applied, the respective financial indicators as they are: self-sufficiency, autonomy, dependence, effectiveness, efficiency and financial solvency with which available the Government Autonomous Decentralized of the Province of Sucumbios, which allowed to know real way the true financial position of the aforementioned entity.  As a result and product of research can make known favorable and unfavorable situations that arise in their assets, liabilities and equity as well as in its income and expenses giving rise to the implementation of corrective measures by formulating conclusions in the which evidence the lack of financial analysis previously carried out and mismanagement of economic resources, for the which arise recommendations to improve the appropriate use of economic resources and thus be able avoid problems that might affect the economic and financial stability of the institution under study and finally managed to deliver to the legal representative of the institution, a report of the results with the sole purpose of that your representative can know the economic situation and through it take the corrective measures with the purpose of improving economic management of the institution and to can offer an efficient service to the community.
The liver plays a key role in drug and xenobiotic metabolism. The probability of detecting the toxicity of unknown chemicals in vitro is therefore highest in liver cell cultures. In culture however, enzymes involved in xenobiotic metabolism are preferentially degraded within one to two days. In order to improve this situation, investigations were focused on the maintenance of a tissue-like oxygen tension and the maintenance of xenobiotic metabolism by means of heterotypic cell cultures. In conventional culture dishes, as a function of cell density, the oxygen diffusion is delayed and depleted. Using teflon membrane culture dishes, a stable, incubator-controlled, tissue like oxygen tension of 4% and 13% O2 respectively, was achieved. In co-cultures of hepatocytes, the auxiliary cells selected from livers of 10 day old rats maintained the liver cell-specific cytochrome P-450 dependent aldrin epoxidase up to one week, to 40% of the original value. The analysis of cellular DNA and protein content in hepatocytes by flow cytometry revealed specific ploidy shifts inducible by low oxygen tension, by fetal calf serum, by phenobarbital and dimethylsulfoxide. Chemically induced alterations in ploidy might be an indicator to detect compounds which interfere with growth and differentiation of hepatocytes in culture.
Author(s): Prasad, Priya April | Advisor(s): Gonzales, Ralph | Abstract: As innovations in healthcare delivery systems and electronic medical records (EMR) data capture develop, the methods employed to evaluate interventions disseminated to improve the quality and efficiency of patient care should evolve as well. Through my dissertation work I have explored methods and strategies to employ when developing a responsible healthcare quality improvement (QI) evaluation in three separate domains. The first chapter of my dissertation focuses on assessing the effect of an intervention to identify and manage sepsis through a retrospective cohort study at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. The analysis revealed that the UCSF sepsis bundle was associated with a 31% decreased risk of in-hospital mortality across hospital units (adjusted incidence rate ratio 0.69, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.53, 0.91) and the adjusted number needed to treat was 15 (CI 8,69). In the second chapter of my dissertation, I present a review of the causal inference framework in the setting of interrupted time-series analysis and apply it to the formation of an analysis plan for a multidisciplinary intervention implemented at UCSF Medical Center to decrease the use of packed red blood cell transfusions. The third chapter of this work focuses on developing a metric to measure timely access to ambulatory specialty care in a cohort of nearly 60,000 UCSF primary care patients. I explored associations between population-level weekly ambulatory specialty care access defined three ways and the rate of population-level weekly poor health outcomes. Based on unadjusted Poisson analysis, there were correlations identified between poor outcomes and timely access to care in some specialties and the results provide a springboard for future exploration of metric performance and adjustment.As a body of work, my dissertation illustrates the breadth of the field of healthcare QI, providing evidence to support the continued evolution of robust methods for evaluation of interventions that will improve the quality, safety, and value of healthcare delivered nationally and globally.
High speed multiple-unit trains will be the perfect solution for passenger transportation in many countries. The conditions for this type of train are discussed and compared with other types of high speed transportation systems. Computers have made it possible to perform theoretical studies and simulations of the running of railway vehicles on a track with irregularities. Bogie design with different types of primary suspension and wheel profile are important parameters for good running characteristics and low maintenance costs. By tilting the car body it is possible to increase the speed through a curve approximately 40% with comfort preserved for the passengers. An accelerometer in the leading bogie is used to give a signal for required tilting angle. Passenger service with high-speed trains demands high power transmission through lightly-loaded axles to minimise track stresses.
Problems on modeling the supercavitation processes in relation to the shape and dimensions of supercavities, formation and maintenance of them are considered in the article. Necessary dimensionless parameters responsible for the considered process: the cavitation number a, the Froude number Fr, and the Weber number We are established. A procedure of modeling with simultaneous maintaining similarity by the cavitation and the Froude numbers is considered. Recommendations on the scale effect reduction are given. Special issues of gas entrapment by supercavity from the two-phase flow with gas bubbles and hydro-acoustical phenomena in supercavitation are also considered in the article.
This book is the outcome of a long cooperation between Australian, Japanese, and Indonesian scholars in the field of Indonesian language and discourse. Previously, books in Japanese (Moriyama and Shiohara 2009) and Indonesian (Moriyama and Budiman 2010) had already been published by the same editors. Some of the chapters in this current English-language edition are revised translations of the earlier volumes. The book is divided into 12 chapters and a very interesting Introduction by Keith Foulcher, on “Fluid Transitions in an Era of Reform.” As one of the most accomplished scholars in the field of Indonesian literary and textual studies, Keith Foulcher situates in this chapter the actual contributions to this volume within the greater context of the drastic shifts in Indonesian intellectual discourse since 1998. It was not only new domestic freedom of expression after the downfall of President Suharto, but also Indonesia’s now much more intense exposure to the global flow of information that Foulcher identifies as the main reasons for the fundamental shifts. As if the editors wanted to illustrate the drastic changes that took place with the reformasi movement in 1997 and 1998, interestingly, the slot of the very first chapter is then given to Untung Yuwono’s contribution on “Swear-Words in Contemporary Indonesian Youth Slang.” The examples and the discussion in the chapter illustrate aptly some of the atmosphere of the grassroots movement that the reformasi once was. Manneke Budiman’s analysis of “Foreign Languages and Cosmopolitanism in Contemporary Indonesian Fiction” builds more on the second theme developed in Foulcher’s Kyoto University
ceramics pre-pared by a single-sintering process is investigated. It is foundthat both the oxidizing annealing temperature and time showsingnificant influences on multifunction. The characteristicsof grain and grainboundary are analysed by means of ACimpedance spectroscopy while the equivalent circuit is present-ed. The mechanism of grain semiconducting and grain-boundary insulating is also discussed.
Substituted into by the synthesis of lithium nickel oxide, the addition of sintering aid in the sintering material, lithium nickel oxide is a crystal growth promotion at a lower temperature than the sintering temperature required due to obtain a desired crystal growth, crystal of the element contributing to the structural stability It is promoted. Further, the deformation or the oxygen deficiency of the crystal at the time of synthesis can be suppressed, it is possible to provide the excellent charge and discharge characteristics and, excellent in cycle characteristics of lithium ion secondary battery.
The Myotonic Dystrophy Kinase (DMK) gene has been cloned and shared homology to serine/threonine protein kinases. Overexpression of this gene in stably transfected mouse myoblasts has been shown to inhibit fusion into myotubes while myoblasts stably transfected with an antisense construct show increased fusion potential. These experiments, along with data showing that the DM gene is highly expressed in muscle have highlighted the possibility of DMK being involved in myogenesis. The promoter region of the DM gene lacks a consensus TATA box and CAAT box, but harbours numerous transcription binding sites. Clones containing extended 5{prime} upstream sequences (UPS) of DMK only weakly drive the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) when transfected into C2C12 mouse myoblasts. However, four E-boxes are present in the first intron of the DM gene and transient assays show increased expression of the CAT gene when the first intron is present downstream of these 5{prime} UPS in an orientation dependent manner. Comparison between mouse and human sequence reveals that the regions in the first intron where the E-boxes are located are highly conserved. The mapping of the promoter and the importance of the first intron in the control of DMK expression will be presented.
The present article suggests that expressions of Japanese identity may be more malleable and receptive to international influences than is usually thought. Through a study of the evolution of images printed on Japanese banknotes and of the political processes behind that evolution, the article shows Japanese state elites consciously following international models of identity content. In partic ular, it describes the shifts in Japanese banknote iconography in the early 1980s and again in the early 2000s as the product of a drive for conformity with the iconographie norms of European currencies. The state has been the main pro tagonist in this story, but for a full accounting of the magnitude and pace of iconographie change on the yen, it is necessary to unpack the "black box" of the state.
Collagen gels hold great promise in the field of tissue engineering as collagen is highly biocompatible, biodegradable, abundant in nature and it provides an optimum environment for tissue regeneration and restoration of normal tissue function. However, collagen hydrogels have poor mechanical strength due to low collagen proportion and thus are not capable of substituting native tissue without special treatment. The latter usually involves methods that impart some degree of cytotoxicity and impede optimal regeneration. In this study, hyper-hydrated collagen gels were concentrated without using any method that reduces cellular activity. Gels were left to self-compress in a laterally confined manner for a considerable period of time to expel excessive interstitial fluid and to transform to relatively concentrated collagen sheets. These collagen constructs may be seeded with cells and constitute an excellent starting material for building a tissue. The main goal of the study is to create and mechanically characterise self-compressed collagen gels, identifying the mechanical effect of expelling fluid by taking into account their two-phase nature. Plastically compressed collagen gels of three different concentrations were tested under unconfined ramp hold compression assuming biphasic theory. A finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the experiment and analyse results by numerically fitting a solution to experimental data. The FE model was fitted to the experimental results using a numerical iteration algorithm to predict the values of material parameters. The collagen matrix was modelled as a neo-Hookean material, isotropic and homogeneous. Permeability of collagen gels was assumed to follow the strain dependency of Lai and Mow (1980). Collagen samples were also tested under dynamic loading to explore the frequency dependence of phase lag (?), storage and loss modulus. Results indicate that after confined self-compression for 18 hours, collagen density of gels increased almost 10 times, Young’s modulus ranged from 0.76-1.1kPa and zero-strain hydraulic permeability decreased from 51 to 21 mm4/Ns with increasing collagen content. The FE model coupled with the optimisation algorithm can detect differences in material parameters among gels of different collagen concentration and can reveal the poromechanics during loading. Further, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed a profound increase of phase lag (?) and dynamic modulus with increasing frequency. The present work is the first work that studies the mechanical properties of concentrated collagen gels using biphasic theory. It constitutes a strong base from which more complex constitutive behaviour can be applied to the FE model. Although, the collagen concentration method via confined self-compression that was adopted did not result in collagen constructs strong enough to substitute native tissue, further compression of those materials in a laterally confined controllable manner could increase collagen density and mechanical properties, even in the range of body tissues.
Over the last fifteen years, the interest in nonlin ear time series models has been steadily increasing. Univariate time-series models may not w rk successfully if they restrict only to linear functions of past observations. The same past may well contain useful information for the present and future if the depen dence is nonlinear. Among nonlinear functions we shall consider the simplest of the fam ily of heteroscedastic models the autoregressive conditional heteroscedastic or ARCH model that is based on the conditional variance structure. This model was firs t applied by Engle (1982) to estimate the variance of U.K. Inflation. The aim of this art icle is to find out whether ARCH models should also be applied to quarterly time series of the Portuguese Imports (escudos) for the period 1976 – 2004.
Populations that utilize deep water running (DWR) are described in Chapter I. A review of the literature concerning maximal and submaximal responses during DWR, shallow water running and swimming is presented in Chapter II. The protocols to elicit maximal responses during DWR and treadmill running (TMR), subject characteristics, and statistical methods employed are described in Chapter III. The results, presented in Chapter IV, indicate that the DWR protocol is a reliable test for eliciting peak oxygen consumption and heart rate. Furthermore, the metabolic responses during DWR are lower than TMR. Chapter V discusses factors which might limit maximal responses during DWR. Chapter VI contains suggestions for further research. Raw data are presented in Appendix A.
Objective:To observe the effect of the acupoint massage combined with TCM foot bath on rehabilitation of patients with zoster sequela neuralgia.Methods:80 patients who suffered from the pain of zoster sequela neuralgia were randomly divided intothe observation group with 40 cases and control group with 40 cases.Two groups were given the basic treatment and nursing.The observation group was added the acupoint massage,which was implemented on the neuralgia pain region,and the TCM foot bath.The treatment course was lasted 30 days Results:In observation group,the frequency and degree of the pain,and its impact on the sleep,were significantly lower than that in control group(P 0.01),and the curative effect was better than that of the control group(P 0.01),and there was no any adverse reaction.Conclusion:The treatment of acupoint massage combined with traditional Chinese medicine foot bath nursing can effectively relieve patients with zoster sequela neuralgia.What is more,the treatment is simple to operation,there was no any adversereaction,the patient is willing to accept,and it has a positive effect on the rehabilitation of patients.
In Yanyuan County,geology complexity and steep slop development with heavy rainfall caused many geological hazard,including land slides,debris flows and land collapse.Based on investigation data in the county,the authors analyzed,the geological hazards distribution characteristics,and formation condition of all kinds of geological hazards.These analyses will offer scientific foundation for the geological hazards control measures.
How can you know something that cannot be seen, heard, tasted, touched or smelled? The question applies most obviously to things like rights, justice or freedom because they do not seem be as easy to locate or describe as things that can be known by the senses. Part of the point of positivism was that under certain conditions they can. To Auguste Comte (1798–1857), the movement's founder, it was possible to have as positive a knowledge of rights, justice or freedom as whatever was needed to know a cat or a mat. Positivism could, therefore, have as much to do with morality as with epistemology and as strong a concern with values and beliefs as with facts and certainty. The resulting capacity to move seamlessly between the external and the internal and from the physical to the moral was one reason why, together with the word “sociology,” the other word that came to be associated most widely and durably with positivism was another of Comte's coinages, “altruism.” Positivism, in short, was the science—or knowledge—of altruism.
Online shopping is shopping products electronically. In today's busy schedule of people where both genders of society are working, majority of the society is shopping online on Amazon, Flipkart, E-Bay etc. this study is based on finding out the most prominent method of payment out of offline and online methods including debit card, credit card e-wallet, net banking etc. where offline method promises delivery of product, online methods are giving advantage of discount and cash back offers. After demonetization, a significant shift has been identified from cash on delivery to digital platform acceptability among consumers.
This compendium on Europe's military situation is written by leading analysts of military studies representing every major nation of Europe. Also included are three overview chapters that set the tone for this volume. These chapters--Martin Shaw on the evolution of a "common risk" society, Christopher Dandeker on the military in democratic societies, and Wilfried von Bredow on the re-nationalization of military strategy--provide an introduction to the work. Although the Cold War is now two decades removed from Europe, the challenges of transition to new defense systems and institutional structures still confront those who plan the future for military establishments. The country studies as well as the final analysis of the trends and probable future developments in Europe should be required reading throughout the national security structure for politicians and decision makers seeking to understand the dilemmas facing European militaries and the societies they defend. The chapters cover a wide range of nations. Jean Callaghan, Christo Domoztov, and Valery Ratchcev examine the Bulgarian armed forces after the 1997 elections and Marie Vlachova and Stefan Sarvas review civil-military relations in the Czech Republic. Janos Szabo studies the defense sector in Hungary. Adriana Stanescu sees Romania as a case of delayed modernization. Vladimir Rukavishnikov studies the military in post-communist Russia. Paul Klein and JUrgen Kuhlmann review the German armed forces in the context of a peace dividend. Bernard Boene and Didier Danet consider France and the post draft situation. Marina Nuciari and Giuseppe Caforio consider the Italian military in a democratic context. Jan van der Meulen and his colleagues look upon the Netherlands military as a case study in post-modernization. The final contribution summarizes lessons learned in assessing the contemporary civil-military complex.
As a wide forbidden band,ZnO is a direct band gap semiconductor,which has been widely used because of its superiorities of luminance,piezoelectricity,electrical conductivity,gas sensitivity,photocatalysis and so on. ZnO with the advantages such as the wide resource,low cost,nontoxic and harmless property,as well as various methods of preparation gets much attention. This paper summarizes the experimental survey and characteristics of the preparation of ZnO,providing suitable preparation method for researchers to choose according to specific needs. Moreover,the main application of nanometer ZnO is introduced.
Recent years have witnessed the emergence and rapid growth of pervasive computing technologies such as mobile ad hoc networks, radio frequency identification (RFID), Wi-Fi etc. Many researches are proposed to provide services while hiding the computing systems into the background environment. Trust is of critical importance to protect service integrity & availability as well as user privacies. In our research, we design a trust-supportive framework for heterogeneous pervasive devices to collaborate with high security confidence while vanishing the details to the background. We design the overall system architecture and investigate its components and their relations, then we jump into details of the critical components such as authentication and/or identification and trust management. With our trust-supportive framework, the pervasive computing system can have low-cost, privacy-friendly and secure environment for its vast amount of services.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the operation for controlling a shift gear, which is required by cyclists, without impairing the advantage of the shift gear. SOLUTION: A controller consists of a supporting body 3, which is fixed to a handle bar 1 of a bicycle, a rotor 7, which is attached to the supporting body 3 in a rotatable manner and which is provided with a means 8 for winding a flexible cable 15 for the speed change control, a gear 12, which has a plurality of stable positions of the rotor 7, corresponding to various speed ratios and which is fixed to the rotor 7, an indicating means, which is supported by the supporting body 3 and which is constituted of at least one of elastic elements which can be engaged with a blade among teeth of the gear 12, and a pair of ratchet devices, which are linked with the rotor 7 and controlled by the two control levers 10, 11 in order to rotate the rotor 7 in the two directions. The controller is also provided with the rotor 7 for winding the flexible cable for controlling the speed change gear and a spring means 9 to be inserted in between the rotor 7 and the supporting body 3.
The "Two Promoting and One Accelerating" Strategy is launched by the Provincial Committee of the CPC and the Provincial Government in the historical leap of Guizhou.The promotion of investment is crucial in the realization of this strategy.However,unfavorable factors including disadvantaged natural condition,insufficient fundamental construction,undeveloped market economy and weak soft-environment construction still exit.Therefore,it is necessary to seize the opportunity,obtain more support in national policy,make good use of the policies,and establish a service-oriented government.
An absorbent garment, comprising a retaining portion for waste, comprising a front (22) and a back (24) and first and second leg openings (52), a waist opening (50) and a crotch region (26) between the front (22) and the back (24) Are defined; and a plurality of elastic members (58) arranged around the leg openings (52) around are bonded to the absorbent garment, wherein the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) around each leg opening (52) around is asymmetric with respect to the front face (22) and the back (24), wherein the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) in said crotch region (26) is narrower than the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) on the front side of the leg openings (52), and wherein the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) on the back of the leg openings (52) is narrower than the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) in said crotch region (26) of the leg openings (52) wherein the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) on the front side of the leg openings in a range from 0.51 to 1.5 cm, the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) in the crotch region of 0.26 to 0.50 cm, and the spacing between the bonded elastic members (58) on the back of the leg openings in a range from 0 to 0.25 cm.
The level of TNF-α and EGF are determined before and after subepidermal contraceptive implant in thirty women cases for discussing the effects of subepidermal contraceptive implant on levels of TNF-αand EGF. The results indicate that the level of TNF-α after subepidermal contraceptive implant increase obviously, and the levels of EGF decrease, but no noticeable distinctness. Subepidermal contracetive implant has some effects on the levels of some cytokines.
The species in Gemellides-Heteropela pleux can be distinguished by means of the biometrical analysis of specimens from the Oligocene and Miocene of the Central Paratethys using k-means clustering, discriminant analysis and stepwise regression. Gemellides bullatus (Franzenau) occurs only in Lower Oligocene and it is characterized mainly by appearance of the aperture on the spiral side of the test. Heterolepa dutemplei (Orbigny) changes gradually in the analysed time interval: number of chambers in the whorls decrease, lobate outline of the test appears and sutures become more straight. Morphometrical variability is not connected with changes of paleoenvironment: smaller tests have been observed only in hyposaline environment.
1.0 INTRODUCTION The increasing of human population has increased the need for food supply. This with the need for quality fish protein has increased the demand for fish and fish products. The global consumption of fish and derived fish products has generally increased during recent decades (Wim et al., 2007). The cage aquaculture sector has grown very rapidly during the past 20 years and is presently undergoing rapid changes in response to pressures from globalization and growing demand for aquatic products in both developing and developed countries. It has been predicted that fish consumption in developing countries will increase by 57 percent, from 62.7 million metric tons in 1997 to 98.6 million in 2020 (Delgado et al., 2003). In Malaysia, government agricultural policy is actively encouraging investment in aquaculture, and there has been increasing number of marine and brackish water aquaculture operations. Total fish production from aquaculture has increased from 100 thousand tons in 1997 to 200 thousand tons by 2006 (MOF, 2007).
Objective To study the preparation of thermosensitive hydrogel methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) grafted chitosan(mPEG-grafted chitosan) and its chemical and physical properties are to be determined. Methods A chemical cross-linking was used to synthesize mPEG-g-chitosan copolymer.The samples molecular changes were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR).The grafting ratio of the copolymers was surveyed and evaluated by thermogravimetric analyzers(TGA).Hydrogel solution was prepared by making the copolymer dissolve in PBS,and gel temperature and time was examined by rheometer.Results The experimental results showed that the grafting rate increased with increase of the mPEG/chitosan,and decreased as NaCNBH_3/mPEG molar ratio increased within a certain range.Its sol-to-gel transition was at 25℃,and the gel time was about 16 minutes.The gel intensity increased with the increasing temperature.Conclusion The mPEG-g-chitosan copolymer hydrogels with good properties are prepared by chemical crosslinking method.The hydrogels are liquid sol at room or low temperature,and solid gel at body temperature,which provides a suitable carrier for the safe incorporation and controlled release of many bioactive protein drugs.
This paper formulates and solves the optimal stopping problem for a loan made to one’s self from a tax-advantaged retirement account such as a 401(k), 403(b), or 457(b) plan. If the plan participant has access to an external asset with a higher expected rate of return than the investment funds and indices that are available within the retirement account, then he must decide how long to wait before exercising the loan option. On the one hand, taking the loan quickly will result in many years of exponential capital growth at the higher (external) rate; on the other hand, if we wait to accumulate more funds in the 457(b), then we can make a larger deposit into the external asset (albeit for a shorter period of time). I derive a variety of cuto rules for optimal loan control; in general, the investor must wait until he accumulates a certain amount of money (measured in contributionyears) that depends on the disparate yields, the loan parameters, and the date certain at which he will liquidate the retirement account. Letting the horizon tend to in nity, the optimal (horizon-free) policy gains in elegance, simplicity, and practical robustness to di erent life outcomes. When asset prices and returns are stochastic, the (continuous time) cuto rule turns into a “wait region,” whereby the mean of terminal wealth is rising and the variance of terminal wealth is falling. After his sojourn through the wait region is over, the participant nds himself on the mean-variance frontier, at which point his subsequent behavior is a matter of personal risk preference.
Algorithm for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) appears to be excellent in security, efficiency, and flexibility, so the importance of its hardware implementation is obvious. The advantage of using FPGA architecture to design a cryptographic chip is presented in the paper, which is based on the characteristics of algorithm for AES. The design of en/decryptographic module is described in detail. Software simulation is made by Quartus II. And synthesis re-sults are summarized.
The aim of this in vitro trial was to evaluate the marginal seal and adaptation of gold onlays according to the instrumentation used to prepare the bevels, the quality of margins (as cast vs. polished in the laboratory) and two different finishing procedures (burnishing during or after setting of the cement). For that purpose, 25 freshly extracted human molars were restored with onlays using standardized preparation and fabrication methods. The marginal adaptation of the cemented onlays was evaluated using replicas and scanning electron microscopy. The marginal seal was evaluated on sample sections after a dye infiltration test. In order to improve the marginal fit of gold onlay restorations, it can be recommended to: use diamond burs (Intensiv no. 32 and 37) to prepare the bevels finish and polish restorations in the laboratory except for areas with access to clinically burnish, and polish the margins after setting of the cement.
The current article is designed to provide school counselors an understanding of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The causes, characteristics, and treatment approaches are presented with examples focusing on school-related issues. The article concludes with a discussion about the role that the school counselor can take in helping the child with OCD to have a successful school experience. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 3 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the School Counselor School counselors play a very important role in the educational process. While specific duties may vary from school to school depending upon student age level and population need, their overall function in all settings is to facilitate the optimal growth of each child (U. S. Department of Education, 1991). Unfortunately, history has demonstrated that population-specific barriers have sometimes restricted the achievement of this goal for students. In fact, it was not until the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 that children with disabilities were insured access to appropriate education (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004). Federal laws have been written with regulations that not only describe the obligations that teachers have in making reasonable accommodations for these children, but also provide implicit and explicit counselor responsibilities for helping to establish and maintain equal access in the educational system. For example, the regulations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 indicate that students with disabilities are “not [to be] counseled toward more restrictive career objectives than are nonhandicapped students with similar interests and abilities” (U.S. Office for Civil Rights, 2007, 34 C.F.R. Part 104.37). It is easy to see how this mandate can be implicitly expanded to include an advocacy role within the school system to help insure that students with disabilities are neither foreclosed from opportunities for which they are capable nor restricted from appropriate participation in the classroom. With these goals in mind, counselors might serve as consultants to teachers, support personnel for students, and sources of referral for parents. As members of child study teams, they might also find themselves in key Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 4 positions to give input about the directions to pursue with children in the general student body who are exhibiting difficulties. Informal classroom adaptations might be a sufficient way to handle a variety of challenges students and teachers confront. However, students with obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD) would qualify for a legally protected educational plan under either Section 504 or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when the OCD interferes with learning. The 504 plan is designed to provide reasonable accommodations for those students who do not need special education services (U.S. Office for Civil Rights, 2007). When OCD is so disabling as to necessitate special education and related services, a more detailed individualized education plan (IEP) would be developed through IDEA (Department of Education, 2006). Counselors might find themselves serving as members of multidisciplinary teams that create and implement either of these educational plans. In addition, they might be included in the IEP itself as providers of related services designed to assist the student in benefiting from special education. It is, consequently, clear that the counselors’ input within the school life of children and adolescents with disabilities can be wide-ranging. However, carrying out some of these responsibilities may be quite challenging for some counselors given the inconsistent level of disability-related training that exists across school counselor preparation programs (Milsom, 2002; Wood Dunn & Baker, 2002). The dearth of articles concerning obsessive-compulsive disorder in education and school counseling journals is, perhaps, reflective of the paucity of such training for school personnel, in general. A survey of representatives from all Obsessive Compulsive Foundation affiliates across the country underlines the need in this area Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 5 (Wertlieb, 2006). Once considered to be very rare, researchers have recently found that the prevalence of OCD is quite significant, that being 1% among prepubescent children and up to 4% among adolescents (Carter & Pollock, 2000). The purpose of the current article is to provide the school counselor with a general overview of obsessivecompulsive disorder as well as its potential causes. There will be a discussion of the common characteristics with examples of how this disorder may manifest itself in relation to school. Treatment approaches will be discussed along with suggestions for the role that the school counselor can take in addressing the needs of the student with OCD. General Overview of OCD The person who is clinically diagnosed with OCD is characterized as having obsessions, compulsions or a combination of both. Nearly all children with OCD demonstrate the combination (McCracken, 2005). Obsessions involve intrusive thoughts, impulses, or images that persist to the degree of causing anxiety or distress. In contrast, compulsions are the repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing) or mental acts (e.g., counting to oneself, praying, silently repeating words) that are done to prevent or reduce anxiety or distress. Compulsions are generally impelled by the person’s obsessions since the compulsive actions or thoughts ameliorate the intense anxiety. While adults typically realize that their obsessions and compulsions are not rational, children often do not have the same degree of insight (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), especially prior to adolescence (Geller et al., 2001). It is important to differentiate between developmentally normal rituals and those that are OCD-based. Ritualistic routines are a common occurrence among toddlers; and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 6 changes in such routines are difficult, especially in relation to bedtime, mealtime, and bathtime. In fact, it may not be until about age eight or nine that bedtime rituals disappear. Playtime is also characterized by rituals during the early years. It is not unusual, for example, for a preschooler to repeatedly line up trains or other toys in a specific manner. Such solitary play eventually transitions into a significant amount of ritually-based collective play. The elaborate rules and rhymes that young elementaryschool-aged children use as they engage in such games as jump rope and hopscotch resemble the behaviors that might be observed in someone with OCD. While the outward appearance is similar, their processes are quite distinct. Normal rituals are thought to help children learn to master anxiety and develop social skills. They do not create anxiety themselves. In contrast, rituals associated with OCD are distressing, time consuming, and interfere with normal functioning (Leonard, Goldberger, Rapoport, Cheslow, & Swedo, 1990). An individual with OCD might attempt the same ritual over and over again, getting more and more frustrated and distressed if he or she feels that it has not been done exactly as it should. Sometimes the person with OCD brings other people into the ritual to confirm that the acts were done ‘just so.’ Age of Onset and Duration of Illness OCD has been reported in children as young as two years of age (Carter & Pollock, 2000). However, the most likely time of onset is either between the ages of 8 and 11 or approximately age 21. There is a clear gender difference in incidence during the prepubescent years with boys outnumbering girls two to one. The distribution becomes approximately equal across gender after puberty (Farrell, Barrett, & Piacentini, 2006). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 7 Most researchers have concluded that youths who are diagnosed with OCD can expect their disorder to be chronic in nature. However, a recent meta-analysis of 22 longitudinal studies raises questions about this generalization. The researchers concluded that long-term persistence of OCD may be lower than initially believed. They found that less than half of the individuals taking part in the studies had fully symptomatic OCD upon follow-up. Age of onset was one of the factors found to be a good predictor of persistence level with earlier onset being more typical of greater OCD persistence. As might be expected, poorer initial treatment response was also found to be a predictor. The same effects seemed to be evident for both males and females. The authors caution, however, that additional studies need to be done to replicate these findings since ongoing treatment was not taken into account in the results and the time period for patient follow-up ranged from one to 15.6 years (Stewart et al., 2004). Causes of OCD OCD was once considered solely psychogenic in origin. However, there is increasing evidence that it is a neurobiological dysfunction with genetic underpinnings (Hemmings & Stein, 2006; Hudziak et al., 2004). Studies focusing on the inheritability of OCD have revealed that up to 18% of individuals affected have relatives with clinical or subclinical symptoms (Towbin & Riddle, 2002). Despite the recognition of this strong genetic component, the actual means of genetic transmission is complicated and has not yet been determined (Hemmings & Stein, 2006). In fact, the genetic mechanism behind OCD seems to vary between subgroups of individuals. Unlike the majority of children, there is a subset of youngsters who are thought to acquire OCD as a consequence of an autoimmune response to a streptococcal infection (Swedo, Leonard, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder 8 & Rapoport, 2004; Towbin & Riddle, 2002). It is thought that this autoimmune response occurs due to a genetic predisposition (Arnold & Richter, 2001; Dale & Heyman, 2002). A genetic vulnerability may also relat
Differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) can be used to describe the evolution of many interesting and important systems in a variety of disciplines. Common examples include multibody systems as an aspect of mechanical engineering, biomechanics, or robotics; Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible fluid dynamics; and Kirchoff’s laws from electrical engineering applications. Most of these problems present particular analytical and numerical difficulties due to the algebraic constraints that distinguish DAEs from ordinary differential equations. This thesis involves the implementation of two recent numerical methods for solving DAEs: the Sequential Regularization Method (SRM) and the related Predicted Sequential Regularization Method (PSRM). The resulting implementation breaks new ground by the addition of automatic step-size control code to the SRM. This is an important step in the evolution of the SRM/PSRM from experimental code to useful software. It is shown that although all DAEs can be converted into ODEs, it is usually not desirable to do so because the numerical stability of the system is undermined in the process. The techniques of regularization and stabilization are discussed as they play an important role in the SRM/PSRM. The derivation of the SRM/PSRM and the associated algorithms are covered in some detail. The implementation is discussed including a section on how to use the software to solve additional problems. The theoretical orders of the SRM and PSRM are tested on several problems with known solutions. Finally, comparisons are made between existing SRM codes and the new implementation as well as experimental comparisons between the SRM and PSRM.
With the materials of Jiangxi red-heart variety and 2nd generation improved variety of Cunninghamia Lanceolata,planting density test which contained the levels of 2500 plants·hm-2,3086 plants·hm-2,3472 plants·hm-2 was carried out.The result showed that these 2 varieties grew fast in the young age stage.The average annual growth of tree height,DHB and volume was at least 0.98m,1.4cm and 0.004584m3,separately.And,there were no differences in growth and volume between the 2 varieties.So,they could be used for plantation as fast-growing varieties.Planting density had no effects on stocking of 2 varieties,but had negative correlation with growth.Under 25 strains hm2 planting density,the average growth was optimal,3086 strains hm-2 was second.But from the aspects of raising output per unit area and wood form quality,the density of 3086 plants·hm2 could be used when the two varieties were used for plantation.It could shorten the canopy cycle and the production costs.So that,the sustainable use of different diameter timber was achievable.
The increase in population in India and other developing countries has made the task of urban planning and management difficult, which in turn makes solid waste management more complex. Municipal solid waste generated in India is disposed mostly in open dumps, which form a menace to the ambient environment. There are no sanitary landfills in operation in Chennai Metropolitan Development Area, but solid wastes from Chennai city are dumped at Perungudi and Kodungaiyur located on the South and North of the City respectively. Identification of landfill sites for solid waste disposal becomes a critical management issue and therefore the selection should be based on a number of considerations. The ultimate purpose of most GIS projects is to combine spatial data from diverse sources, in order to describe and analyse interactions, to make prediction with models and to provide support for decision-makers. Fuzzy logic can be applied to overlay operations in GIS, when combining values for the same location or cell from several layers, a fuzzy AND operation takes the minimum of all fuzzy values for that location. Conversely, the fuzzy OR operation takes the maximum of the fuzzy values for particular location. The main objective of this study is to identify sites for solid waste disposal based on different overlay operations of various maps and their classes prepared.
The invention discloses a quick measurement method of Zr, Ce, La, Pr, Nd, Ba, Mg and Al in an automobile catalyst, wherein the method comprises the steps of (1) sample dissolution: weighing 0.1 g of a uniformly-prepared catalyst sample (being not more than 150 meshes), placing the catalyst sample in a polytetrafluoroethylene digestion pot being 30 ml in volume, adding 12 ml of HCl, 3 ml of HNO3, 2 ml of H2O2 and 0.5 ml of HF and rotationally closing the cover, placing the digestion pot in a drying box at a constant temperature of 150 DEG C, dissolving the catalyst sample for 12 h, taking the digestion pot out and cooling the digestion pot to room temperature, opening the digestion pot and moving all the contents therein into a 200 ml beaker through distilled water, evaporating the liquid on an electric furnace until the volume is reduced to 20 ml, moving the liquid to a 100 ml volumetric flask through a 10% HCl solution, diluting the liquid to a constant volume and uniformly mixing the liquid; and (2) under selected instrument conditions, measuring the contents of Zr, Ce, La, Pr, Nd, Ba, Mg and Al through ICP-AES.
Cisplatin is highly effective in treating a variety of cancers [ 1] but both inherited and acquired tumoral cell resistance seriously limits its applications [2]. Anticancer drugs are widely used in suitable combinations in order to improve their action [3]. In the cell, associations of two or more drugs may exhibit synergistic, antagonistic or addictive effects. Synergistic, antagonistic or additive type of interaction occurs when the cytotoxicity of the drug combination is respectively greater, lower, or equal to the sum of the cytotoxicity of individual drugs. Complexes of copper(II) with 1,10-ortho-phenanthroline (phen) are also endowed with cytotoxic and antitumoral effects being capable of cleaving DNA and improving nuclease activity [4]. Recently, we prepared a series of new copper(II) complexes, containing two phen units and N,N’-substituted-imidazolidine-2-thione as auxiliary ligands [5]; these compounds are characterized by a high chemical stability coupled with a high cytotoxic activity against mouse neuroblastoma as well as human hematologic and solid tumor-derived cell lines [6]. In this work we propose a new approach to search for optimal combination of the two compounds for which maximum synergy is observed, by using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and the Experimental Design (ED). The studied compounds are reported in Table 1. We prepared 40 mixtures of copper complex and cisplatin and measured the corresponding cytotoxicity against CCRF-CEM T-leukaemia cell lines. A neural network was used to model experiments and then to predict the cytotoxicity values on the whole working space. The values so obtained were corrected for the pure additive effect, putting in evidence the synergistic effect. In Figure 1a and 1b the calculated and corrected response surfaces for the C1-cisplatin system respectively, are shown. ED-ANN can be considered as a new, efficient and fast method to search for synergy of drug mixtures and/or even for new drugs.
BACKGROUND Rectal bleeding is common, but it is still unclear which patients require investigation to exclude serious pathology, although it is known that colectoral cancer is very rare under the age of 40 years. Few studies have examined all patients presenting to their primary health physician rather than screening whole populations.   AIM The aim of this study was to investigate the view that all patients over the age of 40 who present to their general practitioner with rectal bleeding should undergo investigation by colonoscopy to rule out serious pathology, regardless of symptomatology.   METHOD A prospective study was carried out of 99 consecutive patients over 40 years presenting with rectal bleeding to 17 general practices in Newcastle upon Tyne.   RESULTS Serious pathology was detected by colonoscopy in 44.4% of patients. The diagnoses were: colorectal carcinoma, eight cases (two Dukes' grade A, two Dukes' grade B, four Dukes' grade C); one or more polyps, 25 cases (in 17 cases at least one polyp was 5 mm or greater in diameter); inflammatory bowel disease, 11 cases. In the remaining 55 patients, bleeding was associated with diverticular disease (16 cases) and haemorrhoids (28 cases). No cause was found in 11 patients. This high rate of pathology may be partly caused by selection of cases for referral by the general practitioner, despite efforts to minimize this. Three symptoms as elicited by the colonoscopist were found to be significantly associated with serious disease: blood mixed with stool (P < 0.001); change in bowel habit (P < 0.005); and the presence of abdominal pain (P < 0.025). However, symptoms elicited on primary presentation were less helpful and symptoms changed significantly between consultation with the general practitioner and colonoscopy.   CONCLUSION All patients over the age of 40 years presenting with rectal bleeding should be referred for flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. Symptoms are unhelpful in deciding who requires investigation.
Drawing on a sample of 726 non-clinical adolescents (aged 17-18 years) from high schools in Ankara/ Turkey, this study investigated the interacting relationships between Turkish adolescents’ university plans and personal capital variables such as gender, school achievement, self-esteem, anxiety/depression, goal setting, course attendance and family atmosphere such as parental supporting, parental monitoring, parental separation and socio-economic capital variables, such as family income, parental education parental occupation, family size, and cultural capital such as parental expectations for university attendance. Findings suggest that gender, school achievement, family size, parental university expectations and preparatory courses are significant predictors for educational demands of adolescents. Key words : Turkish students, university enrolment plans, family structure, social capital, economic capital, cultural capital personal capital
Land mobile satellite systems (LMSS) are to be implemented in several parts of the world providing a wide-coverage communication system. Propagation experiments have been carried out in order to characterize the channel and help in designing the system and equipment. The amplitude characteristic is usually the main objective of these experiments, because channel availability and margins are determined by it. However, phase characteristics are important for designing the receiver carrier synchronizer, and to determine the feasibility of coherent communications in this channel. Phase characteristics of the signal received in an LMSS propagation experiment are described. The experiment was carried out in the framework of PROSAT-II of ESA. The effect of several propagation factors on the phase sequences have been analyzed both in time and frequency domains, showing the implications for system and receiver design.
This thesis presents a Q-methodological study which examines the subjective experiences of employees concerning feedback in their working place. The thesis seek to answer the following research question: "What does employees in organizations need of feedback from others, and how does feedback affect their work?" The research question will be answered by using theories from counseling science, such as theories about feedback, relational theory, communication theory and theory about the human mindset. The empirical data is collected through a Q-survey with 20 research participants from different arenas in working life. They were asked to sort 36 statements in a given pattern on the basis of how much they agreed or disagreed with them. The sample of statements was constructed based on a design developed from the chosen theory. Through their Q-sort the participants are giving a subjective picture of their own experience on the current theme. The empirical data is then rotated by use of factor analysis, and grouped together in two factors that are describing two relatively correlative views on feedback. Factor 1: "We have to see constructive criticism as a source that enables me to develop" and factor 2: "Praise and security enables me to develop". It appears that factor 1 needs constructive criticism to develop and wants it as a part of the working environment. Their experience of the intention behind the feedback is however, important for their interpretation of it. Factor 2 focuses on that feedback has a personal significance for them, and they also want constructive feedback as a part of their working environment. Praise seems to be very important for security and development for factor 2, and the relation between sender and receiver seems to have impact on their interpretation of the feedbacks meaning. The findings are discussed in the context of relevant theory after the abductory principle. The findings conclude that for both factors feedback is regarded as an important part of the work environment, and acts as a tool for development.
In Malta, the health system is hybrid, with similarities to both UK system and the US system, where the National Health Service is supplemented by private practice. This is widely performed either as a primary job or as a supplement to a government salary. This article reviews unfavourable secular trends in Maltese fertility, births, marriages, separations, single parenthood and loans incurred after marriage, and relates them to (equally unfavourable in terms of private practice) escalating numbers of paediatricians working in private practice. Overall, future prospects appear bleak for private practice in this branch of medicine, with a dwindling patient pool being shared by an ever-increasing number of paediatricians. The only identifiable factor that may mitigate is the potential for more private health insurance uptake. This must be coupled with a movement to improve the perception of a substantial proportion of the public that facilities are poorer in the private health sector than in the NHS service. Since Malta is a developed, EU country, these results may (cautiously) be extrapolated to other, larger developed countries.
In this study I will examine the negotiation of multiple identities in the   Maronite Community of Cyprus which comprises four villages in the occupied   territories (Kormakiti, Asomatos, Karpashia, Agia Marina) and a large number   of displaced population in the area of Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol, and   especially the extent to which some identities are negotiable, while others   are not. I will analyze the concept of collective identity in relation to   religious and ethnic factors (Maronite, Arab origin vs the Orthodox Cypriots   of Greek origin), differences within the community in relation to language   (use of a particular Arabic dialect only by the inhabitants of Kormakiti,   while other villages speak the Greek-Cypriot dialect) and a deliberate   identification with Lebanon through Catholicism and similarities in history.
In this paper developments towards a portable sensor system for the detection of benzene, toluene and xylene for screening are described. The monitoring system is based on the resonant photoacoustic technology. As light sources NIR laser diodes are used. The resonator is of cylindrical shape with diameter 2R=5 cm and total length L=10 cm and is operated in its first azimuthal mode. The acoustical wave is detected by an electret microphone. For the detection of toluene vapor and xylene vapor a wavelength of 910 nm exciting the 3rd overtone vibration of the alkyl CH-bonds was used. The sensitivity is 3.5 mg/L in air for toluene and 2.5 mg/L in air for xylene. Detection at the first overtone of the CH-stretching vibrations with a wavelength of 1.67 μm has a sensitivity of 70 μg/L for benzene, of 100 μg/L for toluene and 160 μg/L for xylene. For the detection of water vapor a 1.31 μm NIR laser diode was used. Water concentrations down to 0.5 mg/L in air could be measured.
Purpose. To identify gaps in assistive technology (AT) research and solutions, with a focus on wheeled mobility. Methods. Literature review. Results. AT researchers have identified a need to move beyond determining whether a device works well in the laboratory or is perceived favorably by users. The vital next step in AT research is to determine the effects of AT when used for day-to-day activities by typical consumers. Four challenges affect AT research on everyday mobility: the heterogeneity of the population using AT, the environments in which AT is used, and the devices themselves; the dependency of empirical research on objective data for valid causal inference; the need for detailed information to capture the interaction between the person, the device, and the environment in which it is used; and the extent to which success or failure of AT is dependent on the personal perspectives of the individual using the device. These challenges are being addressed by AT researchers through use of new measures, novel data collection methods, and by linking quantitative with qualitative data. Conclusions. AT researchers are adapting traditional research designs and analytic methods to examine that effects of AT on everyday life.
We examined the inhibitory effect of a histamine 4 receptor (H4R) antagonist (JNJ7777120) on CCL17 and CCL22 chemokine production by human monocyte‐derived Langerhans cells (MoLC) in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and healthy controls (HC). We confirmed the significantly higher production of both CCL17 and CCL22 in the MoLC of AD patients compared with HC. The H4R antagonist significantly inhibited the production of both CCL17 and CCL22 in the MoLC of AD patients. With regard to TLR2‐signaled enhancement, peptidoglycan (PGN)‐enhanced production of CCL17 and CCL22 by MoLC was inhibited by the H4R. Immunoblotting analysis demonstrated that phosphorylated p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase was induced by PGN and that this enhancement was attenuated by the application of the H4R antagonist. These data indicate that H4 signaling modulates the production of T‐helper 2 chemokine in MoLC and contributes to chronic inflammation in AD patients. Our data suggest a possible novel therapeutic approach using a H4R antagonist in the treatment of patients with AD.
Regenerative braking used in hybrid electric vehicle can recover energy while braking, which can improve the driving distance of electric vehicle. As commercial vehicles trend to large tonnage, the power of vehicle retarding is greater than the power of vehicle driving. It is hard to ensure that braking stability of the automotive only relies on regenerative braking, which influences traffic safety. This research combines regenerative brake and eddy current retarder. It can extend retarding time by sharing the brake torque of eddy current retarder using the regenerative brake. Meanwhile the regenerative brake supplies electric power for eddy current retarder and it will improve the energy efficiency of system. This paper aimed at target type vehicle that is 8 ton new energy commercial vehicles, and established the regenerative brake model and eddy current retarder model, and then combined vehicle running conditions for the system simulation. The simulations revealed that combined auxiliary brake has steady performance under each working condition and meet torque demands of auxiliary brake as well as obviously extend retarding time of traditional eddy current retarder. This system achieves the closed loop of energy and is both compact-sized and energy-saving.
Lateral (or transverse) information at either the exit pupil or the focal plane has been used in optical testing for quite some time[1]; however, aberrations can also be measured by using longitudinal intensity information. Geary and Peterson [2] showed that for an unobscured system, spherical aberration can be determined by taking an intensity scan along the optic axis near paraxial focus. In this paper, we describe how the same technique can be applied to systems containing a central obscuration and how the technique can be used to determine the location of paraxial focus. We also investigate the effects of coma and astigmatism. Experimental results demonstrate good agreement with theoretical predictions.
The study aimed at exploring factors that most influence colorectal cancer (CRC) age standardized mortality ratio (ASMR) among Korean women, as reported in previous studies. The factors used the data of 250 municipalities from the Korean Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) from 2010 to 2018. In the exploratory survey, over 70% of women aged 65 and above died of colorectal cancer. After investigating the existing literature and theories, 250 regions were classified into hot and cold spots according to age standardized mortality ratio (ASMR). The Nearest Neighbor Index (NNI), Moran’s I index and The Durbin-Watson test were also utilized. The ASMR’s regional cluster analysis showed that the inland areas were the hot spots and the cold spots were in the southwest coastal areas. The result also showed the differences in dwellers’ lifestyles between these two regions as well as the mean difference between the two. In addition, there was no significant difference in ASMR for breast cancer, CRC deaths, and agricultural product shipments between the two regions. In the multiple regression model, CRC mortality, diabetes, and CRC age standardized incidence ratio (ASIR) were analyzed as major influencing factors, demonstrated a significant result with 30.6% by examining the adjusted R-squared. However, this study showed that factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, abdominal obesity, breast cancer, and food consumption indicated to have less influence on the occurrence of CRC. The aging rate, amount of food consumption, seafood production, livestock product shipments, and drinking rate were higher in the cold spot than in the hot spot.
Academicians knowledge sharing behaviour and social intelligence plays an essential role in enhancing their teaching and learning performance. Nevertheless, empirical studies that link these concepts are scarce. This paper aims to examine the influence of knowledge sharing behaviour and social intelligence on teaching and learning performance among academicians in Malaysian Private Universities. A questionnaire-based survey was carried out among academicians in the School of Business from seven Malaysian private universities in the Klang Valley area. The survey yielded 318 responses. The results were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 22 for Windows software.Specifically, the relationship between (1) knowledge sharing behavior and teaching and learning performance (2) social intelligence and teaching and learning performance and (3) social intelligence and knowledge sharing behaviour are being proposed in this study. Moreover, this study is expected to contribute to the following: (1) Malaysian Private Universities in the formation of an ideal model for academicians, (2) body of knowledge, specifically in the field of teaching and learning performance in Malaysian Private Universities and (3) literature in human resources pertaining to knowledge sharing behavior, social intelligence and teaching and learning performance.
Supported by the examination of specimens from the entire range and by the analysis of type specimens and the diagnosis of individual names, morphological and genetic studies of the Plagiothecium curvifolium complex resulted in the conclusion that this taxon should be recognized as four separate taxa. In addition to P. curvifolium s.str., there is a variety that is proposed as a new combination–P. curvifolium var. recurvum; resurrection of the forgotten P. decursivifolium; and the description of a new species–P. imbricatum. The features that distinguish individual taxa focus primarily on: plant size; arrangement of leaves on the stem; the symmetry, dimensions, shape, concavity and folding of leaves; cell length; serration of the leaf apex; the shape of the decurrencies; the length of the sporophyte and the shape of the operculum. For all described taxa, the distribution, ecological preferences, key to their identification and detailed photographic documentation have been provided.
which deprived Cuba of about $4 billion in annual economic assistance. Without that aid, the capacity to import shrank by about 75%. The economy went into a tailspin, losing 35-50% of GDP between 1989 and 1993 (but not 60% in a single year, as Schwab asserts on p. 71). To keep domestic production going as best it could, Cuba used scarce foreign exchange to import fuel and raw materials. There simply was no money for consumer goods, even such basics as food and medicine. The Cubans were not prevented from buying necessities by the U.S. embargo; Europe would have sold them most of these goods if they could have paid for them (albeit at higher cost). The structural cause of the crisis lies in Cuba's failure to diversify the economy away from sugar because of its role in the "socialist division of labor." When the socialist bloc disappeared, Cuba was left with an inefficient industry producing for a world sugar market characterized by a long-term decline in prices. The solution has been a major shift into tourism, which now surpasses sugar as producer of hard currency. The U.S. embargo has certainly impeded Cuba's ability to adjust. The U.S. travel ban limits the potential of the Cuban tourist industry; U.S. trade prohibitions raise the shipping costs to Cuba of buying and selling bulk commodities; and U.S. threats of litigation have probably limited the flow of foreign direct investment to the island. But the embargo is a hindrance, not the cause of Cuba's problems. By blaming the embargo for everything, Schwab misses the most interesting issue facing contemporary Cuba. Can a small country that is dependent on the international market (and therefore must organize its economy "efficiently" by market standards) maintain the sort of social and economic egalitarianism that has been a hallmark of the Cuban revolution? Schwab clearly admires the Cuban government's efforts to provide for basic social and economic needs, and he agrees with the notion that these are fundamental human rights at least on a par with political rights and liberties. He takes a less defensible step, however, when he counterposes socioeconomic rights to political ones, arguing that there is a necessary tradeoff between them. Elsewhere, Schwab has written critically of "Western" notions of human rights that give priority to political liberty at the expense of socioeconomic conditions. Here, he argues that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is essentially an expression of Western cultural chauvinism "imposed" on the Third World (p. 6). He quotes approvingly the Cuban government's argument that the exercise of individual rights must be subordinated to the common good and can be legitimately restricted when "their use would lead to the erosion of the goals of the revolution" (p. 8). Left unanswered is the question of who defines the common good and by what authority. The goals of the revolution have gone through many twists and turns in the forty years since Castro's barbudos (bearded ones) rode triumphantly into Havana. How long can a government continue to claim a mandate to rule based upon a political uprising that occurred before most Cubans alive today were born? Even more troubling is Schwab's insistence that socioeconomic rights and political rights are inherently in conflict. "If economic and social rights are primary within the context of what is good for the group as a whole . . . then individual political and civil rights, which conflict with the paramountcy of the larger group, must be denied" (p. 113). He makes no analytic case for this, other than to insist that since Western notions of political liberty emerged from the development of capitalist society, they had to be abandoned when Cuba rejected capitalism (pp. 59-60). By this facile logic, socialist democracy is an oxymoron; socialism requires authoritarianism. If we have learned anything from the failed socialist experiments of the twentieth century, we ought to have learned that without real democratic accountability, governments—even those that begin with the best intentions—end up serving their own interests rather than the public's. Descending from the theoretical to the practical, Schwab argues that the Cuban government's intolerance of dissent is due largely to a siege mentality instilled by forty years of conflict with the United States. Castro sees in every dissident a plot by Washington to overthrow the revolution. Governments seeking an excuse to repress their opponents always look for a foreign enemy to blame, but never has a government had such a perfect foil as Washington provides for Fidel Castro. Over the years, the United States has invaded Cuba, conducted paramilitary sabotage, tried to assassinate Castro, and, of course, maintained an economic embargo with the explicit purpose of bringing down the government. Cuban dissidents themselves report that when U.S.-Cuban relations relax a bit, they enjoy more political space, and when relations sour, they suffer. Schwab acknowledges that not every Cuban dissident is an agent of the CIA, and he argues that the Cuban government ought to allow greater political freedom, a recommendation that reveals he is not entirely convinced by his own argument that socialism and democracy are incompatible. Still, the chapter entitled "Political Dissent" focuses more on the machinations of Washington and the Cuban exile community than it does on dissidents in Cuba. It demonstrates why Castro feels threatened, but it does not explore the current intellectual ferment in Cuba as its well-educated population grapples with how to modify the socialist model in order to survive in a capitalist world. Schwab concludes with speculations about Cuban politics after Fidel, which are entertaining but, like all such ruminations, should not be taken too seriously. What happens after Fidel depends on how and when he departs, neither of which is predictable. Schwab expects a smooth transition to a government that will remain socialist. "Fidel Castro's political visage will always be retained and will morally disallow the United States from attaining the dominant and oppressive role it held . . . prior to the revolution" (p. 186). Whether this wishful thinking will hold up despite the power of international markets remains to be seen. Ironically, as Cuba rejoins the global system, the embargo is the one thing that prevents the mammoth U.S. economy from engulfing Cuba, as it did before 1959. Without the embargo, trade with the United States would quickly dwarf trade with every other partner, investment from U.S. firms (including Cuban-American firms) would dwarf investments from elsewhere, and tourists from the United States would dwarf the numbers from Canada and Western Europe. Today, the principal threat to national sovereignty and social welfare is not the U.S. embargo but Cuba's subordination to the rigors of international markets; not the political whims of Washington, but the impersonal demands of global capitalism.
Growth of American eels, Anguilla rostrata (Lesueur), sampled in saltwater bays and adjacent fresh- water ponds in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, was estimated by otolith annulus back-calculation, and related to salinity of growth habitat as determined using otolith strontium:calcium ratios. Eels resident in salt water grew on average in length 2.2 times faster than freshwater residents and increased in weight 5.3 times faster than freshwater residents. Previous findings of superior American eel growth rate in brackish water are thus extended to full-strength salt water. Freshwater residents took an estimated 2.4 times longer than saltwater residents to reach the silver eel stage. The extended time to maturation of eels reared in fresh water increases their vulnerability to fisheries and to bio-accumulation of contaminants. Freshwater eel populations should be managed more conservatively than those in saline waters. The increase in eel growth with salinity suggests that rearing in brackish or salt water could improve growth rates in eel aquaculture.
BACKGROUND To improve the biological control agent (BCA) efficacy, stress factors threatening the microorganisms viability during spray application need to be determined. The effect of spray mixture temperature and exposure time on Trichoderma harzianum T 22 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens QST713 viability were tested. Concurrently the combined effect of mechanical and thermal stress effect on BCAs viability were tested at two initial spray mixture temperatures (14°C and 25°C) by simulating a spray application using airblast sprayers featured by different tank capacity and a spray liquid circuit (without and with hydraulic agitation system). To assess the BCA microorganisms viability, spray mixture samples were collected at time intervals along trials and plated to count the colony forming units (CFU).   RESULTS The critical temperature threshold that inhibited BCA viability was 35°C with 30 min of exposure. The sprayer type, the initial temperature of the spray mixture and the temperature increment during the trials significantly decreased the number of the CFU recovered. When simulating a spray application, the spray mixture temperature increasing rate was mainly determined by the residual amount of spray mixture in the tank. Even if the tank capacity does not substantially affect the final temperature reached by the spray mixture, the higher residual spray mixture in bigger tanks can expose the BCA for a longer time to critical temperatures.   CONCLUSIONS Experimental trials allowed to identify the effect of factors affecting the viability of tested BCA, providing information about the actual chance to guarantee the biological efficacy of BCA treatments. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Most providers have experienced increased documentation demands with the use of electronic health records (EHRs). We sought to identify efficiency strategies that providers use to complete clinical documentation tasks in ambulatory care. Two observers performed ethnographic observations and interviews with 22 ambulatory care providers in a U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Observation notes and interview transcripts were coded for recurrent strategies relating to completion of the EHR progress notes. Findings included: the use of paper artifacts for handwritten notations; electronic templates for automation of certain parts of the note; use of shorthand and phrases rather than narrative writing; copying and pasting from previous EHR notes; directly entering information into the EHR note during the patient encounter; reliance on memory; and pre-populating an EHR note prior to seeing the patient. We discuss the findings in the context of distributed cognition to understand how clinical information is propagated and represented toward completion of a progress note. The study findings have important implications for improving and streamlining clinical documentation related to human factors workload management strategies.
As social, environmental and economic challenges grow across the world, the imperative for managing, measuring and maximising impact has never been greater. With growing evidence of increasing inequality and climate change there is a critical need to adjust economic growth models to embrace inclusiveness and sustainability. Companies and institutional investors are recognising that social and environmental factors can influence a company's bottom line in both positive and negative ways, and therefore are important elements in business, markets and competition. However, to address the growing environmental and societal challenges as well as make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), more focus is needed on actions and investments that seek measurable positive impact that result in increased well-being of stakeholders. A plethora of new frameworks and tools has been developed to measure societal and environmental factors. To date, these efforts have served as complements to existing economic models. For public and private actors to be able to make more effective resource allocation decisions, these broader sets of measures need to be integrated into existing accounting and economic models. Over the past several years, there has been growing momentum for action. There has also been a recognition that no organisation or sector can tackle these challenges alone. Business, government and civil society need to collaborate to take action that can have the urgently needed impact at scale.
The mothership and drone routing problem (MDRP) considers the routing of a two-vehicle tandem. The larger vehicle, which may be a ship or an airplane, is called the mothership; the smaller vehicle, which may be a small boat or unmanned aerial vehicle, is called the drone. We assume that there exists a set of target locations T. For each t in T, the drone must launch from the mothership, visit t, and then return to the mothership to refuel. The drone has a limited range of R time units. In the MDRP, we assume that both mothership and drone operate in the “open seas” (i.e., using the Euclidean metric). We also introduce the mothership and infinite-capacity drone routing problem (MDRP-IC), where a drone launches from the mothership and visits one or more targets consecutively before returning to the mothership. Our exact approach uses branch and bound, where each node of the branch-and-bound tree corresponds to a potential subsequence of the order of target visits. A lower bound at each node is given by solving a second-order cone program, which optimally chooses a launch point and landing point for each target in the subsequence. A set of heuristics that also uses a second-order cone program as an embedded procedure is presented. We show that our schemes are flexible to accommodate a variety of additional constraints and/or objective functions. Computational results and interesting variants of the MDRP and MDRP-IC are also presented.
Wavelet is a basis function used in wavelet transformation. The wavelet transformation is a strong tool, and widely used in the signal processing purposes. However, the universality of application of a particular wavelet is still restricted. Here, we have presented a novel wavelet that can be used with better performance than many of the existing wavelet family members. The new wavelet satisfies the basic properties of wavelet, and a summary of the proposed wavelet shows that it is symmetric and mesokurtic with zero mean, contains large number of vanishing moments, and can be efficiently used both for continuous and discrete type wavelet transformations with exact reconstruction of signals. The new wavelet demonstrates better performance in the analysis of biological data sets, and a similar improvement is expected when analysing many other statistical data in different sectors.
Exposure to metals elicits a wide range of adverse effects including cancer, renal failure, neurological disorders, pulmonary fibrosis, and liver damage in animals and humans. Mammalian cells respond to metal challenges by eliminating the metals, antagonizing their effects, and repairing damaged tissues. The metal‐activated transcription factor 1 (MTF1) mediates the induction of metallothioneins (MT1 and 2) and other protective proteins/enzymes in response to toxic metals. The mechanism of MTF1 activation by metals has not been well understood. We analyzed the interaction between arsenic (As) and MTF1 for Mt1 induction. Arsenic potently induces Mt1 mRNA expression in many mammalian cells. Induction is dependent upon functional MTF1 as induction is lost in Mtf1 knockout (KO) cells but is restored upon reconstitution with Mtf1. Induction requires the binding of MTF1 to the metal response elements of endogenous Mt1. Induction is markedly enhanced by cycloheximide. Phenylarsine oxide (PAO), which covalently binds to vicinal protein cysteine thiol groups, induces Mt1 with a magnitude of higher potency than that of arsenic. PAO affinity beads effectively pulls down the carboxyl half of MTF1 (MTF1321–675) by binding to a cluster of five cysteine residues near the terminus. Preincubation with As, Cd, Co, Ni, Ag, Hg, and Bi blocks pull‐down of MTF1321–675 by PAO beads in vitro and in vivo, indicating binding of the metal inducers to the same C‐terminal cysteine cluster as PAO. Finally, deletion of the cysteine cluster or mutation of the cysteine residues abolishes or markedly reduces the transcription activation activity of MTF1 and the ability of MTF1 to restore Mt1 induction in Mtf1 KO cells. Our findings demonstrate that the C‐terminal cysteine cluster of MTF1 plays a critical role in metal sensing, activation of MTF1, and transcription of Mt1 through metal‐cysteine thiol interaction.
African Journal of Nephrology (AJN) has completed a full year of operation as a web-based journal. After addressing a few teething problems, the journal is now running smoothly. I wish to thank reviewers, readers and the members of the editorial board for having participated in this endeavour. On behalf of the editorial board, I wish to thank all colleagues who have chosen to submit their valuable work to our journal. A special welcome and thanks to contributors who have submitted their manuscript in French, with an English abstract. They ensure that AJN remains a representative vehicle for nephrology research output in Africa. Volume 20, for the year 2017, has now given way to Volume 21, which will include publications throughout the year 2018. As a tribute, I wish to summarize few highlights of Volume 20. The story of the African Association of Nephrology (AFRAN) by Prof Rashad Barsoum, the founding president of AFRAN, is a very good record of the development of nephrology in Africa. The review of renal physiology in patients with potassium disorders by Prof Mitch Halperin and the review of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis by Prof John Feehally are excellent updates of the two topics. Original articles and case reports from contributors from various African regions are testament to the active production of nephrology knowledge in Africa. Finally, congress proceedings of the AFRAN Congress in March 2017 in Yaounde (Cameroon) and of the Southern African Transplantation Society Congress in September 2017 in Durban (South Africa) are excellent records of high quality nephrology meetings in Africa. As we are continuing to digitize and preserve our past, I wish to invite everyone to read our archive of publications. I urge everyone who may have copies of old AJN issues or manuscripts that are missing in the archive, to forward them to us to ensure that we make all our past papers available online. In the beginning, AJN started as a newsletter, published by the late Prof Salma Suleiman of Sudan. To complete the AJN archive, we hope to include the past newsletters as a tribute to the late Prof Suleiman. We urge anyone having any copies of the newsletter to forward it to AJN. As in Volume 20 in 2017, Volume 21 will consist of a single issue and include all publications for 2018. They will be added throughout the year as they are accepted for publication. We should expect exciting reviews by experts as in our previous volumes as well as special articles. For our legacy project that was started by Prof Rashad Barsoum, first AFRAN President, we will request the subsequent AFRAN presidents to each submit a review of the period of their tenure. As in the past, we expect to publish original articles as well as interesting case reports, and we encourage regional and national societies to submit the abstracts from their conference proceedings for publication. Finally, I wish to take this opportunity to express my best wishes for the year 2018 to all contributors, reviewers and readers. Alain G Assounga Editor-in-Chief
INTRODUCTION Minimally invasive periodontal procedures have been reported to produce excellent clinical results. Visualization during minimally invasive procedures has traditionally been obtained by the use of surgical telescopes, surgical microscopes, glass fibre endoscopes or a combination of these devices. All of these methods for visualization are less than fully satisfactory due to problems with access, magnification and blurred imaging.   CLINICAL INNOVATION A videoscope for use with minimally invasive periodontal procedures has been developed to overcome some of the difficulties that exist with current visualization approaches. This videoscope incorporates a gas shielding technology that eliminates the problems of fogging and fouling of the optics of the videoscope that has previously prevented the successful application of endoscopic visualization to periodontal surgery. In addition, as part of the gas shielding technology the videoscope also includes a moveable retractor specifically adapted for minimally invasive surgery.   DISCUSSION The clinical use of the videoscope during minimally invasive periodontal surgery is demonstrated and discussed.   CONCLUSION The videoscope with gas shielding alleviates many of the difficulties associated with visualization during minimally invasive periodontal surgery.
Objective: Since 1992, the sport of quad rugby has gained increasing popularity in Germany. This has led to the desire to record reference parameters of func-tional efficiency. Investigation: Thirteen male, quadriplegically handicapped quad rugby players from the German league took part in the investigation. The maximum functional efficiency (W) and speed (m/s) with associated heart rate and lactate values were 45.4 ± 6.9 W, 124.0 ± 19.0 bpm, 4.07 ± 1.09 mmol/L using the arm crank. On the frictionless roller, the values were 2.17 ± 0.48m/s, 133.0 ± 19.1 bpm, 3.91 ± 1.42 mmol/L. In the field test, the values were 3.01 ± 0.64m/s, 142.1 ± 27.5 bpm, 5.63 ± 3.05 mmol/L. Comparison of the heart rate and lactate parameters at the arm crank and on the frictionless roller under maximum load revealed significantly higher heart rate (p = .037) with no sig-nificant differences in lactate (p = .660; n = 13). Conclusion: Health assess-ments in quad rugby are possible using arm crank and frictionless roller ergometry. The essential requirement for being encouraged to make use of performance assessments is that they are carried out as specific as possible with respect to the type of sport involved.
Background Internalizing and externalizing problems account for over 75% of the mental health burden in children and adolescents in the US, with higher burden among minority children. While complex interactions of multilevel factors are associated with these outcomes and may enable early identification of children in higher risk, prior research has been limited by data and application of traditional analysis methods. In this case example focused on Asian American children, we address the gap by applying data-driven statistical and machine learning methods to study clusters of mental health trajectories among children, investigate optimal predictions of children at high-risk cluster, and identify key early predictors. Methods Data from the US Early Childhood Longitudinal Study 2010–2011 were used. Multilevel information provided by children, families, teachers, schools, and care-providers were considered as predictors. Unsupervised machine learning algorithm was applied to identify groups of internalizing and externalizing problems trajectories. For prediction of high-risk group, ensemble algorithm, Superlearner, was implemented by combining several supervised machine learning algorithms. Performance of Superlearner and candidate algorithms, including logistic regression, was assessed using discrimination and calibration metrics via crossvalidation. Variable importance measures along with partial dependence plots were utilized to rank and visualize key predictors. Findings We found two clusters suggesting high- and low-risk groups for both externalizing and internalizing problems trajectories. While Superlearner had overall best discrimination performance, logistic regression had comparable performance for externalizing problems but worse for internalizing problems. Predictions from logistic regression were not well calibrated compared to those from Superlearner, however they were still better than few candidate algorithms. Important predictors identified were combination of test scores, child factors, teacher rated scores, and contextual factors, which showed non-linear associations with predicted probabilities. Conclusions We demonstrated the application of data-driven analytical approach to predict mental health outcomes among Asian American children. Findings from the cluster analysis can inform critical age for early intervention, while prediction analysis has potential to inform intervention programing prioritization decisions. However, to better understand external validity, replicability, and value of machine learning in broader mental health research, more studies applying similar analytical approach is needed.
This is the first review describing all the quinoxaline–benzimidazole rearrangements as a whole and the new quinoxalinone–benzimidazol(on)e rearrangements in particular when exposed to nucleophilic rearrangements for the synthesis of various biheterocyclic motifs. The scope of the rearrangements is illustrated by way of numerous examples of their application, and in doing so, the review contains over 131 references and covers all of the literature, from the first report of the rearrangement of 2,3-diphenylquinoxaline by Ogg and Bergstrom in 1931 up to more recent examples in the past few years. The mechanisms for the selected transformations are also discussed.
The sweet potato root, a potent source of starch which is being considered as an efficient alternative for fuel ethanol production in recent times. The starchy substrate needs to be subsequently dextrinized and saccharified so as to enhance the utilization of its carbohydrates for ethanol production. In the present investigation, acid-enzyme process was conducted for the dextrinization and saccharification of sweet potato root flour (SPRF). The best optimized condition for dextrinization was achieved with an incubation period of 60 min, temperature 100 oC and 1M HCl. However, for saccharification, the best result was obtained with an incubation of 18 h, pH 4, temperature 65 oC and 1000 U concentration of Palkodex®. After the dextrinization process, maximum concentrations of total sugar and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) [380.44 ± 3.17 g/kg and 13.28 ± 0.25 mg/g, respectively] were released. Nevertheless, after saccharification, 658.80 ± 7.83 g/kg of total sugar was obtained which was about 73% more than that of dextrinization. After successful dextrinization and saccharification, the structural, chemical and elemental analysis were investigated using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrophotometer (EDXRF), respectively. Effective hydrolysis was demonstrated in thin layer chromatography (TLC) where the HCl was able to generate monomeric sugar such as glucose and maltose. On the other hand, only glucose is synthesized on the mutual effect of HCl and Palkodex®. The SEM findings indicate that the rough structure of both dextrinized and saccharified sample was gained due to the vigorous effect of both acid and enzyme subsequently. The saccharified SPRF when subjected to fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Zymomonas mobilis separately, it was observed that Z. mobilis produced more stretching vibration of –OH than S. cerevisiae, which evidenced the better production of bioethanol. Additionally, evaluation of the influence of S. cerevisiae and Z. mobilis through elemental analysis revealed upsurge in the concentrations of S, Cl, Ca, Mn, Fe and Zn and decline in the concentrations of P, K and Cu in the fermented residue of S. cerevisiae and Z. mobilis, however, Z. mobilis showed little more variation than that of S. cerevisiae.
This article deals with questions related to financing and investment, focusing the problem of innovation financing at both the conceptual and the practical levels. At first, the paper discusses some concepts that are useful for explaining the necessity of promoting investments in science, technology and innovation. The emphasis is on how the concepts of finance and funding should be considered in order to better understand the process of creating capital to promote investment. At the practical level, the article uses such concepts to discuss policy-making aimed at the activities of innovation, with a special focus on less developed countries.
Introduction: Wunderlich syndrome (WS) is a rare potentially lethal condition characterized by acute spontaneous nontraumatic subcapsular and perirenal haemorrhage. Classically presents with acute flank pain, flank mass and hypovolemic shock. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is the modality of choice for evaluating WS. The etiologies of WS are widespread with renal neoplasms and vascular pathologies comprising most of the cases. This original research article provides an account on the various etiologies and the role of MDCT in evaluating them. Material and methods: This was a retrospective study over a period of 2 years in patients who underwent computed tomography of the abdomen. 92 patients with renal subscapular hematoma were detected and analysed for their respective causes. Results: On correlation with clinical history of trauma and iatrogenic causes, 7 cases of spontaneous non-traumatic renal subcapsular haemorrhage were identified from the 92 cases in this study. With the aid of MDCT the cause for haemorrhage in each of these patients were elucidated. Conclusion: Computed tomography plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of patients with Wunderlich syndrome. The typical imaging findings of the various causes of WS and the knowledge of this entity is required for prompt diagnosis and management.
examiner was a specialist in ultrasound. Examinations lasted 30–45 minutes. Reasons were: wanting to know the gender (1), early scan to see if the pregnancy was normal due to earlier negative experiences (4), to get 3DUS not offered at the clinical setting (3), have an examination by a physician due to anxiety for fetal anomalies (3). All women were relieved after the examination and received written information that was signed and they could go back to see the results. Those who had done a 3DUS were amazed by the quality of the images and had shown them to family and friends. Those who had 2DUS were satisfied by the quality but had not shown the pictures in the same way. Conclusions: Reasons for nonmedical ultrasound were not only to get ‘‘keepsake’’ images but also to get more information from the examiner which the women felt they were denied in the clinical setting. The quality of the images was generally considered to be better in the nonmedical ultrasound and information given was better in all cases with written and signed results.
Based on the static spherically symmetric solutions of the generalized theory of gravitation it is found that electric and magnetic charges are two fundamental constants of integration and that the corresponding electric, magnetic, and gravitational fields are regular everywhere only if the magnetic charge $ mathfrak{g} ensuremath{ ne}0( ensuremath{ sim}{10}^{18}e)$. The magnetic charge $ mathfrak{g}$ assumes an infinite spectrum of values and is an invertible function of mass. For magnetic charge $ mathfrak{g}=0$, the solutions reduce to the Nordstr "om solution of general relativity in the limit of large $r$. The theory leads to elementary particles of finite self-energy [$ ensuremath{ Delta}( ifmmode pm else textpm fi{}E)=m{c}^{2} ensuremath{-} frac{{(2{ mathfrak{g}}_{0})}^{2}}{{l}_{0}}$] and binding energy. The structure of an elementary particle which is due to the existence of finite $ ifmmode pm else textpm fi{} mathfrak{g}$ consists of a magnetically neutral core of matter containing a distribution of magnetic charge density in stratified layers of sharply decreasing magnitude and alternating signs so that magnetic monopoles associated with a long-range field do not exist. As a consequence of the general covariance of the theory the surfaces of zero magnetic charge density in the particle core have an indeterminacy. These facts lead to a mass spectrum for elementary particles. In addition to charged electric and magnetic currents, the theory yields an electrically neutral current and the corresponding fields. The neutral current and the corresponding neutral field are the classical counterparts of the vacuum polarization in quantum electrodynamics. For every positive-energy solution there exists also a negative-energy solution with the corresponding electric charge. For $ mathfrak{g}=0$, the volume integral of the neutral current density diverges. The asymmetry of Maxwell's equations with regard to the absence of a magnetic current can be understood because the neutral and charged magnetic currents and the neutral part of the electric current are localized in the core of the elementary particle. Furthermore, the theory yields two lengths of the dimensions of ${10}^{ ensuremath{-}25}$ and ${10}^{ ensuremath{-}15}$ cm which could serve to differentiate between leptonic and hadronic processes. The presence of negative-energy solutions along with positive-energy solutions points to a large-scale symmetry with respect to a distribution of matter and antimatter in the universe.
In this paper we describe a new hardware/software partitioning approach for embedded reconfigurable architectures consisting of a general-purpose processor (CPU), a dynamically reconfigurable datapath (e.g. an FPGA), and a memory hierarchy. We have developed a framework called Nimble that automatically compiles system-level applications specified in C to executables on the target platform. A key component of this framework is a hardware/software partitioning algorithm that performs fine-grained partitioning (at loop and basic-block levels) of an application to execute on the combined CPU and datapath. The partitioning algorithm optimizes the global application execution time, including the software and hardware execution times, communication time and datapath reconfiguration time. Experimental results on real applications show that our algorithm is effective in rapidly finding close to optimal solutions.
Subject area          Marketing, International Business, Strategy, Packaging, Promotion.          Study level/applicability          Graduate students.          Case overview          This case is recommended to master's students studying consumer behaviour, products strategy, brand activation and international business. Practitioners in the food industry, design and advertising industry may also find this case interesting. Policymakers looking at mobility of products across borders may also consider this case interesting.          Expected learning outcomes          This paper explains the role of packaging in brand and product strategy; describes how packaging can give a competitive advantage in the fast-moving consumer goods category; relates consumer insights to strategy using packaging to achieve market objectives like penetration, market share increase, engagement and loyalty.          Supplementary materials          Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
ABSTRACT We characterized two additional membrane transporters (Fur4p and Dal4p) of the nucleobase cation symporter 1 (NCS1) family involved in the uptake transport of pyrimidines and related molecules in the opportunistic pathogenic yeast Candida lusitaniae. Simple and multiple null mutants were constructed by gene deletion and genetic crosses. The function of each transporter was characterized by supplementation experiments, and the kinetic parameters of the uptake transport of uracil were measured using radiolabeled substrate. Fur4p specifically transports uracil and 5-fluorouracil. Dal4p is very close to Fur4p and transports allantoin (glyoxyldiureide). Deletion of the FUR4 gene confers resistance to 5-fluorouracil as well as cross-resistance to triazoles and imidazole antifungals when they are used simultaneously with 5-fluorouracil. However, the nucleobase transporters are not involved in azole uptake. Only fluorinated pyrimidines, not pyrimidines themselves, are able to promote cross-resistance to azoles by both the salvage and the de novo pathway of pyrimidine synthesis. A reinterpretation of the data previously obtained led us to show that subinhibitory doses of 5-fluorocytosine, 5-fluorouracil, and 5-fluorouridine also were able to trigger resistance to fluconazole in susceptible wild-type strains of C. lusitaniae and of different Candida species. Our results suggest that intracellular fluorinated nucleotides play a key role in azole resistance, either by preventing azoles from targeting the lanosterol 14-alpha-demethylase or its catalytic site or by acting as a molecular switch for the triggering of efflux transport.
We present results of dynamic and fast switching of birefringence in a photochromic liquid-crystalline system as a function of the sample temperature. The system consists of photochromic molecules of 4-heptyl-4′-methoxyazobenzene showing a liquid-crystalline nematic state close to room temperature. An experiment of dynamic birefringence switching was done in optical Kerr-effect set-up, where for the sample excitation, a picosecond-pulsed laser was used. Measurements were done for different temperatures of the sample in the liquid-crystalline nematic phase. We have proposed a mathematical model of dynamic, fast, and fully reversible birefringence changes. Theoretical estimations and experimental results have shown very good agreement.
The problems arising in the use of finite-difference approximation in a situation when an analytical solution is very difficult or impossible to obtain are investigated. This paper describes the generation of fuzzy inference system based on the CART (classification and regression tree) method. The resulting fuzzy system was used to determine the parameters of the oil reservoir to the well test after tuning parameter. Computational experiments are used to demonstrate the applicability of the fuzzy system for non-linear regression analysis.
The authors discuss the design, development, qualification, and future of magnetic-disk technology used on combat aircraft. Model 8400 series magnetic disks have successfully demonstrated the viability of Winchester technology in harsh environments and dispelled the notion that all hard disks are delicate vulnerable devices. The authors describe the technology underlying the success of these systems as well as testing associated with qualification. Other topics include system accuracy, declassification, and performance growth.<<ETX>>
The ability to display exogenous molecules or nanomaterials on the surface of cells holds great potential for biomedical applications such as cell imaging and delivery. Numerous methods have been well established to enhance the display of biomolecules and nanomaterials on the cell surface. However, it is challenging to remove these biomolecules or nanomaterials from the cell surface. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reversible display of supramolecular nanomaterials on the surface of living cells. The data show that DNA initiators could induce the self-assembly of DNA-alginate conjugates to form supramolecular nanomaterials and amplify the fluorescence signals on the cell surface. Complementary DNA (cDNA), DNase, and alginase could all trigger the reversal of the signals from the cell surface. However, these three molecules exhibited different triggering efficiencies in the order cDNA > alginase > DNase. The combination of cDNA and alginase led to the synergistic reversal of nanomaterials and fluorescent signals from the cell surface. Thus, this study has successfully demonstrated a method for the bidirectional display of supramolecular nanomaterials on the surface of living cells. This method may find its application in numerous fields such as intact cell imaging and separation.
Abstract: The paper reviews the state of implementation of one of the most relevant mechanisms of payments for environmental services (PES) in the forestry sector: the systems of payments for water-related forest services. Three water services with economic relevance are analyzed with reference to the Italian context: hydropower generation, tap-water supply and mineral water use by industry. Using the consolidated definition of PES as a basis for the analysis and considering the regulatory framework on water, we compared the three water-related services to describe the strengths and weaknesses in environmental services provision. From the analysis we deduced that pure PES schemes do not exist in the water sector in Italy, while PES-like schemes driven by public authorities have a relatively long and consolidated tradition, but need to be better oriented and more widely implemented in order to compensate the providers of the services.
Multiple computational models exist that leverage the idea that some codons are “preferred” to others when producing functional proteins. In this work, we aim to address the following two questions: (i) do proteins have similar codon usage subprofiles?, (ii) if so, can they be associated to specific Gene Ontology (GO) terms? To answer these questions, we analyze two different data sets E. coli and S. cerevisiae (yeast). For both, we use codon usage profiles that have been linked to protein co-translational folding and perform unsupervised clustering. Significantly, our clusters determine biologically meaningful patterns consistent with previously published observations. Our results suggest that codon patterns have potential to be incorporated into more complex deep learning-inspired frameworks in future work to better understand and predict functional protein production in a cell.
Through self-built English and Chinese corpora, this paper tries to compare the differences and similarities of the use of hedges. With the help of SPSS and AntConc software, we can get that there are obvious differences and similarities in different scales of the two corpora. The result can be analyzed from two aspects. One is from linguistic perspective and the other one is from cultural differences. The result of the study can provide reference for thesis writing standards to reduce the phenomenon of negative transfer of mother tongue in essay writing. Meanwhile, it makes us to have a better understanding between Chinese and western culture. Keywords—hedges; English-Chinese corpora; scales; differences; similarities
Animal models have been broadly used in the study of pathophysiology and molecular and neurochemical pathways in neuropsychiatric diseases. Different approaches have used both consanguineous and non-consanguineous mice models to model behavioral patterns associated with the maniac spectrum. However, the disadvantages of validating clinical and experimental protocols have hindered the replication of these studies. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of using consanguineous lines and non-consanguineous stocks in mice animal models for the study of mania and its subtypes are discussed. Additionally, new experimental alternatives to advance the pathogenesis and pharmacogenetics of mania using animal models are proposed and analyzed
A ship in seaway is always prone to roll motion. For the safety of personnel, ship and cargo it is essential to optimize the roll damping properties of the hull shape in order to prevent exceeding roll angles. Therefore, a tool for the prediction of roll damping is an important requirement during the design phase of ship hulls.The objective of this study is to use regression analysis and numerical simulation of roll motion to develop an analytic expression for the determination of roll damping. The development procedure starts with a variation of several hull shape parameter that influence the roll damping. For each of the parameter variants, a numerical roll simulation is conducted and the according roll damping coefficients are determined by time series analysis. Finally, regression analysis is applied to the computed results in order to derive a mathematical model that allows to determine the roll damping coefficient depending on the hull shape parameter.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
A low power consumption digital processing circuit with large dynamic range and low noise density for micromachined capacitive accelerometer is proposed. To reduce the power consumption, the sampling rate and the number of logic units used are analyzed. We lower the sampling rate to 2.5 MHz that is only 1/16 of previous scheme. At this frequency, the dynamic range is still as high as 120 dB that has been tested, while the dynamic power is as low as 5.4 mW that is only about 1/16 of previous scheme. To reduce the amount of logic units, we adopt square-wave demodulator instead of sinusoidal demodulator (realized by coordinate rotation digital computer algorithm). The entire digital processing circuit with square-wave demodulator uses 577 slice registers, about 1/10 of the circuit with sinusoidal demodulator. The dynamic power is even reduced to 0.54 mW. Most of all, almost no additional noise is added into this circuit, and the output noise density is as low as 0.01 mg/√Hz.
Melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin disease due, in large part, to its propensity to metastasize. We have examined the effect of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) on melanoma cancer cell migration and the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects using highly metastasis-specific human melanoma cell lines, A375 and Hs294t. Using in vitro cell invasion assays, we observed that treatment of A375 and Hs294t cells with GSPs resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of invasion or cell migration of these cells, which was associated with a reduction in the levels of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression and prostaglandin (PG) E2 production. Treatment of cells with celecoxib, a COX-2 inhibitor, or transient transfection of melanoma cells with COX-2 small interfering RNA, also inhibited melanoma cell migration. Treatment of cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, an inducer of COX-2, enhanced the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, a protein of mitogen-activated protein kinase family, and subsequently cell migration whereas both GSPs and celecoxib significantly inhibited 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate -promoted cell migration as well as phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Treatment of cells with UO126, an inhibitor of MEK, also inhibited the migration of melanoma cells. Further, GSPs inhibited the activation of NF-κB/p65, an upstream regulator of COX-2, in melanoma cells, and treatment of cells with caffeic acid phenethyl ester, an inhibitor of NF-κB, also inhibited cell migration. Additionally, inhibition of melanoma cell migration by GSPs was associated with reversal of epithelial-mesenchymal transition process, which resulted in an increase in the levels of epithelial biomarkers (E-cadherin and cytokeratins) while loss of mesenchymal biomarkers (vimentin, fibronectin and N-cadherin) in melanoma cells. Together, these results indicate that GSPs have the ability to inhibit melanoma cell invasion/migration by targeting the endogenous expression of COX-2 and reversing the process of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
Ohmic losses of a coaxial cavity gyrotron with outer corrugation are investigated. The results show that the averaged ohmic loss densities of the inner and outer conductors have similar changes along with the axial direction of the gyrotron; whereas averaged ohmic loss densities of the outer conductor are more than the inner conductor; the outer slot depth and width cause greatly the averaged ohmic loss densities of the corrugation bottom and the corrugation period of outer conductor, and averaged densities of ohmic losses on the inner conductor are almost unaffected.
Trichoscopy is hair and scalp dermoscopy using a handheld dermoscope or polarized light video microscope. This article shows the revised trichoscopic algorithm for common hair loss diseases. For the algorithm for cicatricial alopecia, loss of orifices, micropustules and/or hair tufting with six or more hairs should be carefully observed. When loss of hair orifices cannot be seen in the hair loss area, diagnosis as noncicatricial alopecia is established. Among noncicatricial alopecia, alopecia areata is most commonly encountered and should be mainly considered for differential diagnosis. Therefore, the first check point is yellow dots, black dots or broken hairs. The hallmark of androgenetic alopecia and tinea capitis is hair diameter diversity (≥20%) and comma hairs, respectively. Hair shaft abnormalities can be diagnosed from the characteristics of trichoscopy reported until now.
Summary In Britain, Irish people have continually been excluded from the discourse of anti discriminatory social work theory. The main reason for this centres on the dominant tendency to exclusively centre on 'race' and visible difference. Recent policy documents in relation to social work with children and families illustrate the fact that Irish people are omitted in discussions seeking to promote culturally appropriate services. Concep tually this approach is founded on implicit ideas about British identity and erroneously suggests that white ethnicities are homogeneous, unified and clearly demarcated from a (new) black presence. Historically, ideas associated with 'the problem family' can be related to the racialization of Irish people. Archival research examining responses to unmarried mothers travelling to Britain to have 'illegitimate' babies adopted also high lights how Irish women have been subject to exclusionary social care practices. Whilst rejecting an essentialist conceptualization of Trishness', the article goes on to suggest that the mainstream and hegemonic discourse on 'race' needs to take specific account of Irish people and other minority ethnicities not identifying as 'black', particularly during a period of globalization and new migration into Britain by refugees and asylum seekers.
Extramammary Paget's disease of the lower female genito-urinary system is an uncommon neoplasm with a high rate of recurrence. A 52-year-old white female with a history of extramammary Paget's disease, originally excised in 1985 by skinning vulvectomy and who had multiple recurrences, including two in a vaginal graft and with extension to the urethra and the uterine cervix, in 1992 underwent an anterior pelvic exenteration for control of the disease process. Standard surgical management for extramammary Paget's disease without invasion or without an underlying adenocarcinoma is simple or skinning vulvectomy. However, because the disease commonly recurs, diffuse involvement may require more extensive surgery including pelvic exenteration in extraordinary cases.
I will state the theorem which is the subject of this paper: If I is a bounded plane continuum possessing only one complementary domain and f is an orientation preserving homeomorphism of the plane leaving I invariant, then I will contain a point fixed under f. This theorem was first proved by Cartwright and Littlewood in [1] and since Hamilton and Newman have obtained an as yet unpublished proof based on the Brouwer plane translation theorem. It is the object of this paper to give a further proof, followed by some comments on the case of an orientation reversing transformation. The substance of this proof is contained in a paper [2] of L. E. J. Brouwer in 1910 in which that author gives a proof of the fixed point theorem for a "circular continuum" (which in fact appears to be a circle, at any rate it is locally connected). Let us suppose that f has no fixed point on I. Then there will exist b > 0 such that every point of I moves a distance at least 2b under f. We may then choose E > 0 such that every point within - of I moves a distance at least b under f. We now need a construction which involves two lemmas. LEMMA l. There exists a polygon H, whose interior complementary domain Hi contains I and lies within - of it while every point of H can be joined to some point of I by an arc in H of diameter less than b. Consider the domain D1 consisting of those points which are within 2E of I. Only a finite number of interior complementary domains of D1 can contain
Since the 1980s, the emergency nurse practitioner (ENP) role has evolved as increasing socioeconomic pressures and changing government policy have led to new working practices in emergency departments. Similarly, a lack of consensus regarding educational support for ENPs and the regulation of ENP training, mean that variations remain in the scope of practice, role description and academic requirements for ENPs.   AIM To explore ENPs' perceptions of their changing role, including their educational requirements and whether their training needs are being met.   METHOD This qualitative phenomenological study examined the views of six ENPs using semi-structured interviews.   FINDINGS The study identified four themes: inadequate protected time for continuing professional development (CPD); importance of senior medical support in role expansion and CPD; inconsistent educational preparation for expanded roles; and the ENPs' perceived reasons for role expansion. Although all the participants stated that it was challenging to find time for CPD when working in busy clinical environments, this was regarded as less important than the positive effect of senior medical support for advanced roles.   CONCLUSION Over the past three decades, the ENP role has become well established, which has led to increased confidence, and the development of collaborative ways of working, among ENPs and their colleagues. However, while ENPs have embraced the challenges of their changing role, educational support has not been consistent. There are still disparities in ENPs' scope of practice, expectations of the role between services, and the educational preparation required to undertake the role.
The relationship between concentrations of ALA-U and Pb-S for two groups of workers is reported. The first group consisted of workers from a telephone company, and the second, of workers from battery factories with average Pb-S equivalent to 17.3 (g/dl (6.2-39.4) and 61.5 (g/dl (41.1-91.0), respectively. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utilization of ALA-U levels as a screening test for different levels of lead in blood by means of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and of spectrophotometry. A significant correlation was found between measured ALA and levels of blood lead (R = 0.739 - first group; R = 0.902 - second group; p < 0.001). The validity of ALA-U test to evaluate different levels of lead in blood was also studied. By using ALA levels of 3mg/g creatinine as a threshold to detect levels of lead in blood equal to or higher than 20 (g/dl, the test results, for the workers in the first group, showed sensibility of 92% and specificity of 90%. In both groups, the false positives as well the false negatives were lower than 10% which was enough to validate the test.
Background: Many computerized tomography (CT) scans ordered after-hours from the emergency department (ED) at our institution required a discussion between the emergency physician (EP) and radiology resident (RR), leading to workflow inefficiency. Aim Statement: The aim was to improve workflow efficiency and provider satisfaction, and reduce CT turnaround time, without significantly affecting CT utilization within six months. Measures & Design: We created a new workflow by creating an electronic list of ED CT requests that RRs monitor. RRs protocolled all requests and only called the ED physician for more details when required. The intervention was implemented in a stepwise fashion via plan-do-study-act cycles. An electronic survey measured qualitative outcomes, and quantitative outcomes were analyzed via statistical process control (SPC) charts and other statistical methods. Evaluation/Results: Survey response was high (76% EP, 79% RR). Most EPs and RRs felt more efficient (96.3%, 73.3%), RRs felt fewer disruptions (83.3%), and most EPs felt that scans were done faster (84.1%). We analyzed CT turnaround times and utilization using SPC charts and segmented regression analyses. Turnaround time trended to improvement (33 mins vs 29 mins on weekdays [WD], 37 mins vs 33 on weekends [WE]), but was not statistically significant. There was background rising CT utilization over time (+0.7 and + 1.9 CT/100 ED visits/year on WD and WE, respectively, p < 0.0005), but the intervention itself did not cause a significant change. The total number of pages to RR (a measure of workflow disruption) decreased significantly on the WDs (23 vs 19 pages, p = 0.0011), but not on WE (79 vs 75 pages, p = 0.1663). However when adjusting for number of scans ordered, there was a decrease in paging rates (0.73 vs 0.54 pages per scan ordered on WD [p < 0.00005], 3.24 vs 2.63 pages per scan ordered on WE [p = 0.0012]). Discussion/Impact: Our intervention led to improved work satisfaction and perceived efficiency experienced by both EPs and RRs. It did not statistically significantly affect imaging turnaround times or utilization rates. Our project shows that calling for preapproval of imaging studies does not seem to provide any benefit in our setting.
Objective: This paper outlines the development of the Resource Team, an innovative service delivery model supporting clinical services at the Inner North Brisbane Mental Health Service, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Health Service District. The team aims to provide a base for specialist mental health support staff, improve knowledge management and support the development of meaningful community partnerships. Method: Development of the team included a literature review and consultation with internal and external stakeholders. From this, the objectives, roles and functions of the team were clarified and disseminated to stakeholders. Results: The team currently encompasses 12 positions and has initiated a number of programs and service developments. These include improved IT management of clinical resources and the development of partnerships with the community and non-government sectors. Conclusions: The Resource Team effectively coordinates specialist clinical support positions, addresses knowledge management issues and facilitates meaningful engagement with the community and non-government sectors. The model could easily be applied in other mental health and general health services.
This study examines how sampled Chinese and U.S. third and fourth grade students (N China = 167, N US = 97) understand the commutative, associative, and distributive properties. These students took both pre- and post-tests conducted at the beginning and end of a school year. Comparisons between students’ pre- and post-tests within and across countries indicate different learning patterns. Overall, Chinese students demonstrate a much better understanding than their U.S. counterparts. Among these properties, the associative and distributive properties appear to be most challenging, especially for the U.S. students. By the end of grade 4, some Chinese students demonstrate explicit understanding of the associative and distributive properties across tasks; almost no U.S. students achieve a comparable level of understanding on these properties. Student understanding in different contexts also reveals cross-cultural differences. Chinese students tend to reason upon concrete contexts for sense-making, which is rare with U.S. students. Finally, the Chinese student sample shows clear growth of understanding across grades, but this is not seen in the U.S. sample. This understanding gap between the two countries is found to dramatically increase over time. Implications are discussed.
The growing penetration of mechanical engineering through information technology has led to considerable advantages. The resulting discipline that expresses the tight integration of mechanics, electronics, control and software engineering is called mechatronics. Therefore, designing mechatronic systems is a complex as well as an interdisciplinary task. Added to that, developing a new mechatronic product takes a lot of time due to the iterative exchange loops between the designers, the manufacturing engineers and other specialists, which subsequently increase the development cost. Hence, continuous and effective communication and cooperation between developers from various fields during the entire development process is necessary. In this context, we propose an approach based on the integration of the set-based concurrent engineering principles with the system engineering methodology for the design of complex mechatronic systems, taking into consideration the production system constraints in the early design stages. The goal of this approach is to reduce the iterative exchange loops between different participants, which in turn minimize the cost and time required to develop a mechatronic product.
Industrial feed various harmful heavy metals which contaminant not only soil but also water resources. There are at least 20 heavy metals which cannot be damaged. In this Case, removal of Chromium (VI) from the synthetic wastewater has been investigated by using Tea Waste adsorbent as a useful natural adsorbent. The Case was performed using experiments with synthetic waste water having Cr (VI) in higher concentration. The adsorption experiments were carried out under different conditions of solution pH, contact time and dose. The result shows that the tea waste adsorbent has good removal efficiency. About 92% Cr removal was achieved by using 0.6 gm adsorbent for wastewater initial concentration 10 ppm. The adsorption process reached equilibrium within 40 minutes of the contact time with maximum adsorption at 7 pH.
We show how localization and smoothing techniques can be used to establish universality in the bulk of the spectrum for a fixed positive measure /x on [? 1,1]. Assume that ji is a regular measure, and is absolutely continuous in an open interval containing some point x. Assume moreover, that /z' is positive and continuous at x. Then universality for /x holds at x. If the hypothesis holds for x in a compact subset of (?1,1), universality holds uniformly for such x. Indeed, this follows from universality for the classical Legendre weight. We also establish universality in an Lp sense under weaker assumptions on fi.
Cytokinins are N6 substituted adenine derivatives that affect many aspects of plant growth and development, including cell division, shoot initiation and growth, leaf senescence, apical dominance, sink/source relationships, nutrient uptake, phyllotaxis, and vascular, gametophyte, and embryonic development, as well as the response to biotic and abiotic factors. Molecular genetic studies in Arabidopsis have helped elucidate the mechanisms underlying the function of this phytohormone in plants. Here, we review our current understanding of cytokinin biosynthesis and signaling in Arabidopsis, the latter of which is similar to bacterial two-component phosphorelays. We discuss the perception of cytokinin by the ER-localized histidine kinase receptors, the role of the AHPs in mediating the transfer of the phosphoryl group from the receptors to the response regulators (ARRs), and finally the role of the large ARR family in cytokinin function. The identification and genetic manipulation of the genes involved in cytokinin metabolism and signaling have helped illuminate the roles of cytokinins in Arabidopsis. We discuss these diverse roles, and how other signaling pathways influence cytokinin levels and sensitivity though modulation of the expression of cytokinin signaling and metabolic genes.
Background Indigenous Peoples are subject to marginalisation, and experience systematic disadvantage in relation to health outcomes. Human development initiatives may help determine whether, and how, Indigenous Peoples are able to be agents of their own development and improve their health and well-being. This scoping review protocol outlines a process for synthesising the existing evidence that has applied the capability approach (CA) to Indigenous People’s health and/or well-being. Methods and analysis A mixed-method scoping review is proposed including academic peer-reviewed publications and grey literature. Screening inclusion criteria will include Indigenous populations, using the CA approach to conceptualise health and/or well-being, and be available in English, Spanish, French or Portuguese. Publications that meet these criteria will undergo data extraction. Qualitative and quantitative data will be thematically and descriptively analysed and interpreted. Ethics and dissemination The proposed scoping review does not involve collecting data directly from Indigenous Peoples but will be based on previous research conducted within Indigenous settings. The current protocol and the proposed scoping review incorporate aspects of community involvement to guide the research process. This scoping review constitutes the first phase of a wider participatory action research project conducted with the Indigenous Kankuamo Peoples of Colombia. The findings of this review will be reported to local partners, published in a peer-reviewed journal and an executive summary will be shared with wider stakeholders. Within the wider project, the review will be considered alongside primary data to inform the development of tools/approaches of mental health and well-being for the Kankuamo communities.
In this article, an overview of low-cost robots, discussing basic characteristics, applications, and motivation for future success, is presented. The importance of low-cost robots can be recognized by the fact that they can be available everywhere at different levels of cost and complexity. Therefore, the aim of this article is to suggest the use of low-cost robots both for teaching and investigation to any teacher or researcher in any institution with the possibility to achieve significant results. Particular attention has been addressed to research and teaching activities in university institutions with the aim to stress the fundamental role of engineers' formation in robotics by using low-cost robots with novel solutions. Examples of a successful activity using low-cost robots have been illustrated as those developed at the Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics (LARM), Cassino, Italy.
Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L.) is the most widely consumed citrus fruit in Côte d'Ivoire. They are rich in bioactive compound. Also, their peels or flavedo rejected during consumption have a high content of polyphenols, flavonoids, and essential oils. However, in Côte D'Ivoire, studies are limited to the characterization of orange peel (Citrus sinensis). Our study therefore aims to determine the phytochemical composition of herbal teas obtained from the orange peel (Citrus sinensis) in order to contribute to their valorisation as herbal teas. The Citrus sinensis zests were collected in Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) in Adjamé community. An herbal tea was produced and subjected to phytochemical and physicochemical tests. The results showed that the moisture content of the different batches varies from 14.13±0.41 to 7.2%±0.2; the oven-dried batches showed the lowest value. In addition, the ash content remains statistically different between batches. The herbal teas studied had an Original Research Article Assamoa et al.; EJNFS, 12(9): 116-125, 2020; Article no.EJNFS.58111 117 average ash content of 6.53%. The pH values negatively correlated to acidity range from 3.92±0.2 to 3.21±0.15. Also, these herbal teas contain several secondary metabolites such as polyphenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins and saponins. This study shows that herbal teas made from orange peel contain several phytochemicals including antioxidants. In addition, their high ash content suggests a high mineral content. Therefore, orange peels can be used in the form of herbal teas as a dietary supplement.
The reliability of temperature controlled crystal oscillator designs can be improved through process optimization and controlling key process variables. Industry demands for a highly reliable TCXO combines the need for the frequency accuracy of complex oscillator designs with long-term reliability. A project intended to improve the long-term reliability focused on key process steps of oscillator thick film substrate assembly including design layout, solder application, solder reflow, and component circuit tuning. The project starting point was an oscillator design statistically capable of meeting the customer's requirements. Design layouts were evaluated to minimize unbalanced or abnormal component stresses. The solder application and solder reflow process points were closely evaluated through a design of experiments to provide the most robust construction. Component circuit tuning is a common practice in TCXO and OCXO products. Because of the manual nature of component selecting it is difficult to maintain quality control. Focused reliability testing, along with accelerated life testing verified or identified product and process improvements. Optimization was measured through a quantifiable increase of performance during qualification tests, accelerated life test, test to failure, and ultimately field performance. Selecting the correct test method to measure meaningful reliability improvement was a key element in the project. Test to failure and accelerated life tests identified reliability optimization opportunities on parts that successfully passed all required qualification tests
Abstract EPR investigations have been carried outboth in the first and second harmonic modes on the organic ferromagnet (NBu4)2Mn2[Cu(opba)]3 with Tc = 22 K. The data was collected in the temperature range 300 – 15 K. At temperatures much higher than Tc (T ≥ 100 K), the spectrum consists of a single line at g = 2.00 exhibiting Curie behaviour. Upon cooling below 100 K, the line shows strong temperature dependent g - shift in resonance field to higher value by 50 G at 15 K. This is taken as evidence for the onset of uncompensated antiferromagnetic spin correlations well above Tc. Evidence was also obtained for spin fluctuations which got slowed down with lowering of temperature. The correlation time at 15 K is greater that 10−10 sec.
This article examines the role of an aesthetics of memorialization in symbolic reparations for victims of gross violations of human rights. By looking at the production, aesthetics and reception of the Ojo que Llora (Eye that Cries), a memorial cited as a symbolic reparation by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of Castro Castro v Peru (2006), the authors investigate tensions around concepts of ‘victim’, ‘perpetrator’, and the blurring of the lines between those two categories. In doing so, the article considers how the Ojo que Llora came to embody varying definitions of victim, perpetrator, and the human as these came into tension across legal, political, social, and aesthetic fields.
for quadruped, walking on irregular terrain may produce undesired instantaneous impact with ground and make robot unstable. To cope with the problem, in this paper, the active impedance algorithm is proposed. By one leg the laying of quadruped robot movement can be divided into three states, swing period, landing period and support period, and in different state in guarantee the foot end desired trajectory tracking accuracy according the virtual compliant leg model to choose the appropriate impedance Parameter. Experiment on the single leg was dropped from a height of 15cm onto the ground for two types of impedance variations (linear impedance and nonlinear impedance) in different landing period. The experiments have proved that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the instantaneous force when contacting with the ground under the premise of ensuring the tracking accuracy of the foot end trajectory, so as to achieve compliant foot-fall.
Measurements are presented from a two-beam structure with several bolted interfaces in order to characterize the nonlinear damping introduced by the joints. The measurements (all at force levels below macroslip) reveal that each underlying mode of the structure is well approximated by a single degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system with a nonlinear mechanical joint. At low enough force levels, the measurements show dissipation that scales as the second power of the applied force, agreeing with theory for a linear viscously damped system. This is attributed to linear viscous behavior of the material and/or damping provided by the support structure. At larger force levels, the damping is observed to behave nonlinearly, suggesting that damping from the mechanical joints is dominant. A model is presented that captures these effects, consisting of a spring and viscous damping element in parallel with a four-parameter Iwan model. As a result, the parameters of this model are identified for each mode of the structure and comparisons suggest that the model captures the stiffness and damping accurately over a range of forcing levels.
Square wave adsorptive stripping voltammetry (SWAdSV) of nickel and cobalt at wall-jet electrodes in a continuous flow system has been evaluated. Characteristics and advantages relative to differential pulse adsorptive stripping voltammetry (DPAdSV) in continuous flow systems are explored. Under optimized experimental conditions, sensitivity is approximately a factor of ten higher than DPAdSV, and onenanomolar detection limits are achieved. Solution deoxygenation is unnecessary and sample throughput is increased.
No wonder you activities are, reading will be always needed. It is not only to fulfil the duties that you need to finish in deadline time. Reading will encourage your mind and thoughts. Of course, reading will greatly develop your experiences about everything. Reading augustus h strong and the dilemma of historical consciousness is also a way as one of the collective books that gives many advantages. The advantages are not only for you, but for the other peoples with those meaningful benefits.
Introduction Clozapine, the antipsychotic of choice for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, has a narrow therapeutic range and high interpatient variability in the dose-response relationship. Serum clozapine levels are essential both for therapeutic dosing and to monitor adherence. Use of venepuncture and prolonged result turnaround times with standard laboratory based methods for drug monitoring together contribute to the suboptimal use of clozapine. Objectives A novel portable point-of-care (POC) device has been developed to measure whole blood clozapine concentrations using an automated homogenous immunoassay. It is as accurate and reliable as standard laboratory methods but only requires a drop of blood obtained by finger prick and can produce a result in minutes. We pioneered clozapine POC testing in the acute inpatient setting during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We report on the use of POC clozapine testing in the management of 4 acutely psychotic patients with treatment resistant schizophrenia. Results POC testing offered a more practical, less invasive and quicker alternative to conventional methods for monitoring of clozapine levels. Near immediate availability of clozapine levels expedited clinical decisions and helped ensure safe clozapine prescribing to severely unwell patients in a time of crisis. By facilitating patients’ early safe discharge from hospital, clozapine point of care testing also reduced length of hospitalisation. Conclusions Point of care monitoring of other psychotropic medications in addition to clozapine brings about the prospect of personalised precision medicine for patients with severe mental illness, both in the acute setting and in the community.
A performance and time efficient 2.1D sketch extraction from a given monocular image is proposed in a global optimization framework that exploits the divided rectangles (DIRECTs) but otherwise extracted by heuristic global optimization methods, like genetic algorithms, particle swarm evolution algorithms, and simulated annealing. An appeal of these algorithms is that they are guaranteed to yield the global minimum in probability one sense. The flip side of these algorithms is that they are usually time consuming and also may not reproduce the results consistently. Contrastingly, the currently proposed in this paper, we formulate 2.1D sketch extraction using DIRECT algorithm, which not only apparently aims at providing the better global minimum but as a deterministic approach. Further, the extraction of 2.1D sketch are found to yield comparatively better than the results obtained by the hybrid differential evolution algorithm [1]. Interestingly, the proposed algorithm is superior since it takes far less computations in converging to either same global minimum or far better global minimum value that gives a 2.1 D sketch extraction.
We study the joint assortment planning and inventory management problem, where stock-out events elicit dynamic substitution effects, described by the Multinomial Logit (MNL) choice model. Special cases of this setting have extensively been studied in recent literature, notably the static assortment planning problem. Nevertheless, the general formulation is not known to admit efficient algorithms with analytical performance guarantees prior to this work, and most of its computational aspects are still wide open.In this paper, we devise the first provably-good approximation algorithm for dynamic assortment planning under the MNL model, attaining a constant-factor guarantee for a broad class of demand distributions, that satisfy the increasing failure rate property. Our algorithm relies on a combination of greedy procedures, where stocking decisions are restricted to specific classes of products, and the objective function takes modified forms. We demonstrate that our approach substantially outperforms state-of-the-art heuristic methods in terms of performance and speed, leading to a revenue gain of 6% to 10% on synthetic instances. In the course of establishing our main result, we develop new algorithmic ideas that may be of independent interest. These include weaker notions of submodularity and monotonicity, shown sufficient to obtain constant-factor worst-case guarantees, despite using noisy estimates of the objective function.
Flow thermolysis of strictamine (1) generated two of the predictable rearrangement products, resulting from [1,5]-sigmatropic shifts: akuammicine (2) and indolenine 9. Besides formation of these two compounds, a quite different pathway gave rise to a novel rearrangement leading to indole 6, with the framework of the natural alkaloid ngouniensine (19). Rearrangement to the ngouniensine skeleton became the major pathway when the akuammicine derivatives 10, 12, and 17 were submitted to thermolysis, generating compounds 11, 13 + 15, and 18, respectively. These results allowed us to assign the absolute configuration of (-)-ngouniensine (19) (3R,20R) and that of (-)-epingouniensine ((-)-21) (3R,20S).
We studied the effects of the new amino acid solution MRX-III on the nutritional status and nitrogen metabolism of rats with chronic renal failure (CRF) in comparison with those of a general amino acid solution (MPR-F). The essential amino acids/non-essential amino acids ratio was 3.21 for MRX-III and 1.09 for MPR-F. Rats with CRF, induced by 7/8 renal ablation, were divided into 6 groups of 8 rats each receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) containing MRX-III or MPR-F at a non-protein calorie/nitrogen ratio (Cal/N) of 300, 600 or 900 for 7 d. The rats were infused with test solutions containing the same amounts of non-protein calories. The cumulative nitrogen balance, as a nutritional index, in the MRX-III group was significantly higher than that in the MPR-F group at the Cal/N of 600 or 900, and the plasma albumin level at the Cal/N of 300. The plasma transferrin levels at the Cal/N of 900 in the MRX-III groups were significantly higher than those in the corresponding MPR-F groups. At all Cal/N, the MRX-III groups showed low levels of blood urea nitrogen and urinary excretion of ammonia and urea nitrogen as compared with the MPR-F groups at the same Cal/N. The plasma amino acid concentration profiles in the MRX-III groups after TPN showed greater similarity to that in the Normal group as compared with the profiles in the corresponding MPR-F groups. No aggravation of renal failure was observed in any TPN groups during TPN. These results indicate that, in rats with CRF undergoing hyperalimentation, the effects of MRX-III on the nutritional status and nitrogen metabolism are superior to those of the general amino acid solution, MPR-F. It is suggested that MRX-III could safely provide adequate amounts of nitrogen during hyperalimentation.
INTRODUCTION One of the causes of impaired antioxidant response in patients with type 1 diabetes might be decreased expression of mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD).   OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of MnSOD on transcript and protein levels in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) from patients with type 1 diabetes and analyze its association with microvascular complications.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The MnSOD expression was assessed in PMNLs from 46 patients with type 1 diabetes and 12 age- and sex -matched healthy subjects. The study group was divided into 2 subgroups: with and without microvascular complications. The MnSOD expression on the transcript level was evaluated by real -time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, while that on the protein level by Western blot analysis.   RESULTS A significant increase in the MnSOD transcript level was observed in all patients with diabetes with and without microvascular complications (P = 0.01, P = 0.02, respectively). The MnSOD protein level was higher in patients without microvascular complications compared with those with complications and the control group (P = 0.05, P = 0.03, respectively). The MnSOD expression was positively correlated with fasting plasma glucose and total cholesterol levels both at the transcript level (r = 0.4, P <0.05 for both correlations) and at the protein level (r = 0.3 and r = 0.4, respectively, P <0.05).   CONCLUSIONS Although an increased MnSOD transcript level in patients with type 1 diabetes suggests enhanced antioxidant mobilization in all diabetic patients, decreased levels of the MnSOD protein in PMNLs from patients with microvascular complications compared with those without complications indicates that patients with microvascular complications may have impaired antioxidant response.
The filling of carbon nanotubes, which vary in diameter and morphology, is directly observed by molecular dynamics computer simulation with a potential model which thermodynamically favors a four-coordinate bulk crystal structure. Inorganic nanotube (INT) structures form which are based on percolating hexagonal nets. For small carbon nanotube diameters the filling is shown to proceed via an "internal wetting" mechanism, which depends on the internal carbon nanotube area rather than the free volume. Both single- and double-walled INTs are predicted to form. The atomistic formation mechanisms are discussed and an intermediate structure identified. The INT structures, including the observed intermediate, are discussed by reference to a simple energy landscape. The formation energetics are discussed in terms of a simple analytical model which combines the INT strain energy and the tube-tube interactions. An effective phase diagram, which predicts the INT morphologies as a function of carbon nanotube diameter, is derived and discussed with respect to the analytical model.
This paper will focus on a commercial process for making decisions on the selection of the type of variable rate irrigation or even if variable rate irrigation makes sense for a particular field. Included will be examples of specific fields and a comparison of the projected benefits, costs and payback of different types of variable rate irrigation. Data from the 2011 season will be presented to support the decision process. In addition various tools will be reviewed for comparing variable rate irrigation choices and selection.
Mutations in the PRRT2 (proline-rich transmembrane protein 2) gene have been identified as the main cause of an expanding spectrum of disorders, including paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia and benign familial infantile epilepsy, which places this gene at the border between epilepsy and movement disorders. The clinical spectrum has largely expanded to include episodic ataxia, hemiplegic migraine, and complex neurodevelopmental disorders in cases with biallelic mutations. Prior to the discovery of PRRT2 as the causative gene for this spectrum of disorders, the sensitivity of paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia to anticonvulsant drugs regulating ion channel function as well as the co-occurrence of epilepsy in some patients or families fostered the hypothesis this could represent a channelopathy. However, recent evidence implicates PRRT2 in synapse functioning, which disproves the “channel hypothesis” (although PRRT2 modulates ion channels at the presynaptic level), and justifies the classification of these conditions as synaptopathies, an emerging rubric of brain disorders. This review aims to provide an update of the clinical and pathophysiologic features of PRRT2-associated disorders.
Cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated in several diseases and antioxidants are known to protect the body from this damage. Antioxidants thus, have gained significant importance in human health. The search for effective, non-toxic natural compounds with antioxidant activity has intensified in recent years. Mycelia of a number mushrooms have recently been successfully used for the development of novel pharmaceutical products. We examined the aqueous-ethanol extract of cultured mycelia of the morel mushroom, Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers. (Morchellaceae) for its ability to scavenge super oxide, hydroxyl, nitric oxide, 2,2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radicals as well as for inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The extract efficiently scavenged all these radicals and also inhibited lipid peroxidation. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay indicated the hydrogen donating capacity of the extract. The pulse radiolysis studies using ABTS and carbonate radical (CO3•-) showed that the extract significantly carried out the decay of these radicals in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, the investigation showed that the morel mushroom mycelium is an excellent source of antioxidants which are capable of imparting protection at different levels. The findings suggest the potential therapeutic use of morel mushroom, M. esculenta mycelia as an efficient antioxidant.
Pulse transit time (PTT) has been widely studied as an index of blood pressure (BP) changes. In recent years, some prototypes of PTT-based wearable BP measurement devices have been developed, which can relieve users from the discomfort caused by the inflating cuff used in auscultatory and oscillometric BP measurement techniques. However, in the common practice for PTT detection, multi-site sensor implementation on human body is required, making it difficult for the integration of wearable devices. Since multi-wavelength (MW) photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals carry blood pulsation information of different blood vessels embedded in different skin depths, the time difference between different wavelength PPG signals collected at the same body site can be treated as a special PTT on a short length of blood vessels beneath the skin. In this work, the time difference between MW PPG, denoted as PTT_MW, was explored to track BP changes as a substitute of infrared (IR) PTT_EP. (PTT_EP is the time interval between electrocardiogram (ECG) and IR PPG.) Ten healthy adult subjects participated in the experiment, and their continuous BP, ECG and fingertip MW PPG signals generated from blue, green, yellow and IR light were recorded after 2-minute static handgrip exercise at 33% maximal voluntary contraction. The results showed that the correlation between Systolic BP (SBP) and IR-Blue PTT_MW (|r|= 0.52) was comparable to the correlation between SBP and IR PTT_EP (|r|= 0.59). Moreover, we optimized the wavelength combination of PTT_MWs for each subject and found the average value of optimal correlation between SBP and PTT_MW reached 0.76, which was significantly (p<;0.01) higher than the correlation between IR PTT_EP and SBP. This study reveals that the time difference between MW PPG can be potentially used as PTT for cuffless BP measurement with its unique advantage in simple sensor implementation at only one body site.
The effect of NO2 exposure and human susceptibility to respiratory virus infection was investigated in a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trial conducted in an environmentally controlled research chamber over 3 yr. Healthy, nonsmoking, young adult volunteers who were seronegative to influenza A/Korea/82 (H3N2) virus were randomly assigned to breathe either filtered clean air (control group) or NO2 for 2 h/day for 3 consecutive days. The NO2 concentrations were 2 ppm (Year 1), 3 ppm (Year 2), and 1 or 2 ppm (Year 3). Live, attenuated cold-adapted (ca) influenza A/Korea/82 reassortant virus was administered intranasally to all subjects immediately after the second exposure. Only one of the 152 volunteers had any symptoms; this person had a low grade fever. Pulmonary function measurements and nonspecific airway reactivity to methacholine were unchanged after NO2 exposure, virus infection, or both. Infection was determined by virus recovery, a fourfold or greater increase in serum or nasal wash influenza-specific antibody titers, or both. The infection rates of the groups were 12/21 (2 ppm NO2) versus 15/23 (clean air) in Year 1, 17/22 (3 ppm NO2) versus 15/21 (clean air) in Year 2, and 20/22 (2 ppm) and 20/22 (1 ppm) versus 15/21 (clean air) in Year 3. Each group exposed to 1 or 2 ppm NO2 in the last year became infected more often (91%) than did the control group (71%), but the differences were not statistically significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
In the past decade, defective DNA repair has been increasingly linked with cancer progression. Human tumors with markers of defective DNA repair and increased replication stress have been shown to exhibit genomic instability and poor survival rates across tumor types. Here we utilize-omics data from two independent consortia to identify the genetic underpinnings of replication stress, therapy resistance, and primary carcinoma to brain metastasis in BRCA wildtype tumors. In doing so, we have defined a new pan-cancer class of tumors characterized by replicative instability (RIN). RIN is defined by genomic evolution secondary to replicative challenge. Our data supports a model whereby defective single-strand break repair, translesion synthesis, and non-homologous end joining effectors drive RIN. Collectively, we find that RIN accelerates cancer progression by driving copy number alterations and transcriptional program rewiring that promote tumor evolution. Statement of Significance Defining the genetic basis of genomic instability with wildtype BRCA repair effectors is a significant unmet need in cancer research. Here we identify and characterize a pan-cancer cohort of tumors driven by replicative instability (RIN). We find that RIN drives therapy resistance and distant metastases across multiple tumor types.
UBV photometry of approximately 200 stars in the faint anticenter cluster, Berkeley 21, was obtained primarily with the Kron electronic camera. Analysis of the color--magnitude and two-color diagrams indicates that Be21 is a highly reddened (E (B-V) approx.1.0) cluster resembling clusters found in the Magellanic Clouds. Since the Magellanic Clouds are known to be metal poor with respect to the Galaxy, the results suggest that objects located at large galactocentric radii may be quite metal deficient, in agreement with recent theoretical models of the chemical evolution of the Galaxy. The cluster exhibits an ultraviolet excess of about 0.3 mag, which supports the idea that the cluster is metal poor. Estimates of the distance modulus place the object 10--15 kpc from the sun, that is, 20--25 kpc from the galactic center.
This paper explores the ways in which the engineering educators may contribute in upgrading the high school science education of this country. The engineering educators should cooperate with their colleagues in the school of education in revising the present pre-and in-service teacher training programs as well as participate in the revision of the existing science texts. Most of the science texts are geared toward abstract mathematical concepts but lack examples on the practical applications of these principles. The science teachers often find their background and training deficient in explaining to the students as to how one can use the fundamental principles in a real world situation.
Ketambe Research Station is one of the oldest and most complete stations in the world which has abundant biodiversity. The Dipterocarpaceae is one of the family identified as growing in the forest area of Ketambe Research Station. Ecologically, Dipterocarpaceae has several limiting factors for its growth and distribution and the most determining factors are soil factors and climate. Dipterocarpaceae is also known as nest and source of food for orangutans, namely Shorea spp. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research that aims to determine the population structure of Dipterocarpaceae species in Ketambe Research Station. The method used Quadrat Sampling Technique. Theplacement of the sampling plot was randomly carried out in 25 plots with an area of 1 ha. The result showed that there were three species of Dipterocarapaceae found in this station i.e., Parashorea lucida, Shorea johorensis and Hopea dryobalanoides. Based on the population structure pyramid, P. lucida will survive and develop in the future S. johorensis and H. dryobalanoides, on the other hand, are estimated to decrease or hardly survived in the future.
ABSTRACT Mental health issues among young people have received increasing attention in Norway as more are diagnosed with and report mental health problems. In this study, we focus on the personal and social recovery processes of young people with mental health difficulties. The aim of the study was to explore how young people and parents experience collaboration with a community-based mental health outreach team around recovery processes, using a narrative analysis. Three topics from the findings are discussed: relationships and collaborations built on the service user’s goals, closeness and distance in professional helping relationships, and comprehension of professionalism.
Hyperglycemia in hospitalized patients has been shown to increase both morbidity and mortality, regardless of the presence of preexisting diabetes. In order to achieve recommended glycemic goals, many patients require the use of intravenous insulin therapy in the critical care setting. Following the publication of a landmark trial evaluating the benefits of intensive insulin therapy in critically ill patients, a worldwide increased effort to achieve strict glycemic control has ensued. Maintaining blood glucose levels between 80 and 110 mg/dL has been shown to improve outcomes such as mortality and infectious complications in critically ill patients, while also decreasing length of hospital stay and healthcare expenditures. However, achieving strict glycemic control has proven to be a challenge for many institutions, partly due to the prevalence of hypoglycemia. As demonstrated by studies which have been terminated prematurely due to increased risk for hypoglycemic episodes, the benefits versus risks of intensive insulin therapy must be weighed carefully. Patients receiving continuous infusions of insulin require close monitoring, which may increase workload for intensive care unit staff. In an effort to balance the risks and benefits of intensive insulin therapy, many hospitals are incorporating standardized protocols and using an interdisciplinary approach toward patient care.
ABSTRACT Scavenging birds can provide ecosystem services to pastoralists by contributing to the breakdown of animal carcasses that can harbour and spread disease. However, these benefits have yet to be quantified in Australia. We monitored rabbit carcasses using motion-sensor cameras to identify beneficial avian scavengers across four landscape types (forest, riparian, fields with large isolated trees, and open fields) on a pastoral property in north-central Victoria. We quantified the ecosystem service of carcass breakdown by measuring the per cent weight loss of carcasses exposed to scavenging birds compared to carcasses excluded from birds. Seven of the twenty-four bird-accessible carcasses were attacked by raptors in 2014, and three in 2015. When a raptor attacked a carcass, there was a significantly higher median per cent weight loss of the carcass (16.67%, interquartile range (IQR) = 8.33–100.0) compared with sites where no bird attacks occurred (6.65%, IQR = 3.03–12.06). Our results indicate that raptors are major contributors to carcass breakdown in grazing landscapes and may potentially contribute to reducing the spread of diseases such as blowfly strike and leptospirosis. Maintaining key habitat features for these species (e.g. large isolated trees) is essential for raptor conservation and maximising the ecosystem services they provide.
Abstract In plants, several dsRNA-binding proteins (DRBs) have been shown to play important roles in various RNA silencing pathways, mostly by promoting the efficiency and/or accuracy of Dicer-like proteins (DCL)-mediated small RNA production. Among the DRBs encoded by the Arabidopsis genome, we recently identified DRB7.2 whose function in RNA silencing was unknown. Here, we show that DRB7.2 is specifically involved in siRNA production from endogenous inverted-repeat (endoIR) loci. This function requires its interacting partner DRB4, the main cofactor of DCL4 and is achieved through specific sequestration of endoIR dsRNA precursors, thereby repressing their access and processing by the siRNA-generating DCLs. The present study also provides multiple lines of evidence showing that DRB4 is partitioned into, at least, two distinct cellular pools fulfilling different functions, through mutually exclusive binding with either DCL4 or DRB7.2. Collectively, these findings revealed that plants have evolved a specific DRB complex that modulates selectively the production of endoIR-siRNAs. The existence of such a complex and its implication regarding the still elusive biological function of plant endoIR-siRNA will be discussed.
We compare the dynamic hedging performance of the deterministic local volatility function approach with the implied/constant volatility method. Using an example in which the underlying price follows an absolute diffusion process, we illustrate that hedge parameters computed from the implied/constant volatility method can have significant error even though the implied volatility method is able to calibrate the current option prices of different strikes and maturities. In particular the delta hedge parameter produced by the implied/constant volatility method is consistently significantly larger than that of the exact delta when the underlying price follows an absolute diffusion. In order to compute a better hedge parameter, accurate estimation of the local volatility function in a region surrounding the current asset price is crucial. We illustrate that a suitably implemented volatility function method can estimate this local volatility function sufficiently accurately to generate more accurate hedge parameters. Hedging using this volatility function for the absolute diffusion example leads to a smaller average absolute hedging error when compared with using the implied/constant volatility rate. When comparing the hedging performance in the S&P 500 index option market as well as the S&P 500 futures option market, we similarly observe that the delta hedge parameter from the implied/constant volatility method is typically greater than that using the volatility function approach. Examination of the hedging error reveals that using a larger delta factor greater than that of the true volatility yields more positive
The exploration of novel and proficient materials through simple, large-scale and green synthesis routes for the detection of precise levels of organophosphate insecticides in real physical systems of soil and water is a predominant concern of researchers. In light of this, we introduced a sensitive and eminently selective electrochemical sensor probe for oxyparathion (OP) based on sonochemically designed 2D samarium molybdate nanoplatelets (γ-Sm3(MoO4)3; SmM NPs). The sonochemically synthesized SmM NP catalyst was systematically investigated with respect to the crystal structure, textural morphologies, and physicochemical characteristics by XRD, Raman, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, and XPS analysis. The fabricated electrode was employed for detection and determination through different voltammetric techniques. The SmM NP fashioned screen-printed carbon electrode (SmM NPs/SPCE) demonstrated potentially superior electrocatalytic activity towards OP detection with a lower detection limit, widespread linear amplitude range and good sensitivity of 0.002 μM, 0.01–692 μM, and 0.54 μA μM−1 cm−2, correspondingly. Moreover, other interfering materials, such as inorganic species, biological compounds and nitro-group-containing OPPTs and drugs, have no influence on the detection of OP. Besides, SmM NPs/SPCE has also been utilized for OP detection in soil and actual groundwater samples and displayed excellent sensing abilities.
Studies on mammalian pre-mRNA splicing: connections to transcription and cancer Charles J. David This thesis presents two separate pieces of work pertaining to pre-mRNA splicing in mammalian cells. The first part examines the regulation of the alternative splicing of the PKM gene in cancer cells, while the second part investigates the physical connections between the transcriptional apparatus and splicing factors. Cancer cells uniformly alter key aspects of their metabolism, including their glucose usage. In contrast to quiescent cells, which use most of their glucose for oxidative phosphorylation when oxygen is present, under the same conditions, most of the glucose consumed by cancer cells is converted to lactate. This phenomenon is known as aerobic glycolysis, and is critical for cancer cell growth. The pyruvate kinase isoform expressed by the cell is a key determinant of glucose usage. Pyruvate kinase in most tissues is produced from the PKM gene, which is alternatively spliced to produce to produce the PKM1 or PKM2 isoforms, which contain exons 9 or 10 respectively. Adult tissues express predominantly the PKM1 isoform, which is universally reverted to the embryonic PKM2 isoform in cancer cells. PKM2 expression promotes aerobic glycolysis. In Chapter 3, I describe a mechanism by which cancer cells promote switching to PKM2. We show that PKM exon 9 is flanked by binding sites for the RNA-binding proteins hnRNP A1/A2 and PTB. These proteins bind to exon 9 and repress its inclusion in the mRNA, resulting in PKM2 production. Additionally, we show that hnRNP A1/A2 and PTB are all overexpressed in cancers in a way that precisely correlates with the expression of PKM2. Finally, we show that the oncogenic transcription factor c-Myc promotes PKM2 expression by transcriptionally upregulating the genes encoding hnRNP A1/A2 and PTB. In the second part of my work, presented in Chapter 5, I examine the coupling of transcription and splicing. The RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain (CTD) plays an important role in ensuring that pre-mRNA transcripts are efficiently spliced, most likely through interactions between splicing factors and the CTD. We have established a biochemical complementation system that has facilitated the identification of a splicing factor that binds to the CTD. Surprisingly, purification of the factor revealed it to be a complex containing U2AF65 and the Prp19 complex, two central splicing factors that had not previously been shown to interact. This complex is functional: I present evidence that the two factors can only activate splicing of the IgMA3 pre-mRNA when they are engaged in a complex. I go on to show that U2AF65 binds directly to the CTD, and this interaction stimulates the RNA binding of U2AF65.
As we go into the new millennium, there is renewed hope among American Indians for a better life. However, in viewing the statistics regarding American Indians and chemical dependency, we realize the situation is not improving. In fact, American Indians enter chemical dependency treatment at a disproportionately higher rate than the general population. This study utilizes qualitative research as well as culturally appropriate research methodology to examine how chemical dependency came to the Oyate (people). It will examine the relationship between the unacceptable high rates of alcoholism in Indian Country and federal Indian policy. It will look at the human face of federal Indian policy and how that may have influenced the language, culture, and spirituality of Indigenous Peoples as it relates to chemical dependency. Nascent Indigenous researchers long have pointed out the fact that federal Indian policy influenced the current predicament of the chemically dependent American Indian. This study will offer a theory on the dynamic nature of this relationship, and how it affects Indigenous Peoples.
ABSTRACT This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of salvinia (Salvinia minima) in accumulating nitrogen and phosphorus under different imitating eutrophic environments. Nitrogen concentrations of 1.0 (control), 10.0, and 100 mg/l and phosphorus concentrations of 0.1 (control), 1.0, and 10.0 mg/l were used in this study. Plants were grown under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 2°C with a light intensity of 120 μmol/m2/s, and a 14 hr photoperiod. Salvinia's growth, expressed as frond production and plant fresh weight doubling time, was significantly increased with increasing nitrogen concentration from 1.0 mg/l to 100.0 mg/l in the growth media. The increase in growth rate was independent from the variation in phosphorus concentrations. However, the highest growth rate was obtained for days 1 through 7 when the levels of both nitrogen and phosphorus were elevated 100 fold (100 mg/l N and 10.0 mg/l P) from that of control treatments. This treatment also resulted in the highest photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll α and b content, carotenoids and anthocyanins concentrations. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentration did not influence soluble sugar (SS) accumulation. Starch and total-nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) accumulation was significantly lower in treatments receiving elevated levels of nitrogen or phosphorus when compared to the control. The highest uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus into plant tissues resulted when both nutrients were elevated 100 fold (100 mg/l N and 10.0 mg/l P) and were higher at day 14.
Chronic intermittent high-dose treatment with N-methyl-β-carboline-3-carboxamide (FG 7142) leads to kindling accompanied by reduction in γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor function, whereas chronic continuous administration may result in behavioural effects in the opposite direction from those of acute FG 7142. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of continuous administration of low doses of FG 7142 on the response to an acute challenge dose of FG 7142 in an ethologically based model of anxiety. Rats treated continuously for 14 days with FG 7142 delivered by osmotic minipump at a rate of 1.2-1.5 mg/kg/day showed sensitisation to the anxiogenic effects of a challenge dose of FG 7142 (6 mg/kg), as measured in the elevated plus-maze. This was not accompanied by any change in benzodiazepine/GABA receptor coupling, as assessed by the 'GABA shift'. These results indicate that continuous low-dose treatment with FG 7142 can elicit sensitisation to the behavioural effects of FG 7142, but that this is unlikely to be mediated by changes in benzodiazepine/GABA receptor coupling.
As a novel approach for tracing interstellar magnetic fields, the Velocity Gradient Technique (VGT) has been proven to be effective for probing magnetic fields in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM). In this work, we verify the VGT in a broader context by applying the technique to a molecular cloud interacting with the supernovae remnant (SNR) W44. We probe the magnetic fields with the VGT using CO, HCO+, and H I emission lines and make comparison with the Planck 353 GHZ dust polarization. We show that the VGT gives an accurate measurement that coheres with the Planck polarization especially in intense molecular gas emission regions. We further study the foreground’s contribution on the polarization that results in misalignment between the VGT and the Planck measurements in low-intensity molecular gas areas. We advance the VGT to achieve magnetic field tomography by decomposing the W44 into various velocity components. We show that W44’s velocity component at v ∼ 45 km s−1 exhibits the largest coverage and gives best agreement with Planck polarization in terms of magnetic field orientation.
A variable-temperature reflectance difference spectroscopy study of GaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy at low-temperature GaAs (LT-GaAs) shows that the Fermi level is mostly determined by the point defects in samples annealed at below 600 °C and can be shifted by photoquenching the defects. The Fermi level is otherwise almost temperature independent, leading to an estimated width of the defect band of 150 meV in the as-grown sample. For LT-GaAs annealed at 850 °C, the Fermi level is firmly pinned, most likely by the As precipitates.
La1−x(Ca, RE)xVO3 (0x1) composition-spread films were fabricated successfully by Combinatorial Pulsed Laser Deposition (CPLD). The structures and thermoelectric (TE) properties of the films were evaluated paralelly by Con- current X-ray Diffraction (CXRD) and Multi-channel Thermoelectric Measurement systems respectively. The CXRD (200) peaks of the composition-spread films changed linearly, which indicated that the composition-spread films formed solid solu- tion in the whole composition range (0 x 1). The effects of oxygen content and the substitutions of Ca and rare earth (RE: Ce, Nd, Eu) ions on TE properties of LaVO3 were also analysed respectively. There was little change in the Seebeck coefficients of LaVO3 films grown at different growth temperatures, while the resistivity decreased with the enhance of the growth temperatures. The largest power factor (0.7 μW/cm K 2 )o f LaVO3 film was obtained at 800 ◦ C, while the valence of vanadium ion changed from 3+ to 2+ because of the lack of oxygen. With the increase of the content of Ca 2+ ions, the valence of vanadium ion changed from 3+ to 4+, which was responsible for the decrease of TE properties in La1-xCaxVO3 system. The substitution of RE (Ce, Nd, Eu) ions for La ions changed not only Seebeck coefficient but also resistivity, but power factor (α) was not increased obviously. In La1-xCexVO3 system, La ion took 3+, and Ce ion took 3+ although Ce 4+ was stable in theory, which caused the valence of V ion not changed as expected from 3+ to 2+. The reason may be that the size of Ce 3+ ion is similar to that of La 3+ ion, so Ce takes the valence of 3+ easily in LaVO3.
This study was conducted to minimize the period of using rotifer in rearing percula clownfish larvae from newly hatched to 30 days. Artemia nauplii was used to replace rotifer when the larvae reached 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 days after hatching (DAH). The results showed that larvae fed with Artemia nauplii starting from 7 DAH achieved the highest specific growth rate in standard length (4,02%/day). The later the starting point of weaning was, the lower the larval specific growth rate was. The lowest specific growth rate was at 13 DAH (3.21%/day; P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the specific growth rate among the weaning times at 5, 9 and 11 DAH (P > 0.05). Similarly, the starting points of weaning times had no significant effects on larval survival rate, ranging from 39,6 - 48,2% (P > 0.05). The results of this study helped reduce the period of using rotifer in rearing the clownfish larvae which contributes to the improvement of larval performance in artificial reproduction of this species.
Excited state lifetimes of C60/toluene solution and C60 films macromolecular were measured by pump-probe method. Relation between optical switching effect of material and pulse width of pumping field is briefly described. It is found that the faster switching speed of light is, the triplet state lifetime is shorter. A He-Ne laser, as a probe, passed through the sample in the pump-probe experiment. All-optical switching effect was realized. Changing the optical power of the pumping field, switching response of the sample and modulation depth were investigated. In certain experimental conditions, relation between transmission through the sample and response were measured by an oscilloscope. Triple state lifetime of the molecule is speculated. The result showed that C60/toluene solution and C60 film have a fast response time. They would be utilized in some applications, such as optical switches, photonic devices.
The digitization of the media, their software and hardware combination of computers and the development of networks and their dissemination have made distance learning the subject of research, implementation of practical and scientific reflection once again. Those actions are promoted not only by the development of ICT, but also by progressive globalization, demographic changes and economic and cultural challenges. The scientific discourse is also a part of Polish experiences. The previous treatment of the subject of this paper were historical in nature, fragmentary or were descriptions of individual experiments and experiences of individual universities. Presented approach has not only a synthetic character, but also provides an outline of the original, the Polish concept of teaching – blended learning.
Queen-worker caste polyphenism in social insects is a prime example for developmental plasticity. Most of what we know about caste development comes from studies of the honeybee, in which female caste is determined during larval development and workers retain functional ovaries. The ant genus Cardiocondyla is one of only few genera in which complete worker sterility has evolved, so that adult workers completely lack reproductive organs. In C. obscurior, queen- and worker-destined individuals are distinct in their development by late-embryogenesis, and castes can be distinguished in a non-invasive manner from this stage onwards. This provides the opportunity to investigate the degree of flexibility in caste development in a species with early caste determination. Using topical juvenile hormone treatment, a method known to influence caste determination and differentiation in some species, we investigated whether hormone manipulation affects the development and growth of queen and worker-destined late-stage embryos and larvae, as well as of early-stage embryos which cannot yet be distinguished by caste. We found no effect of hormone treatment on female caste ratios or body sizes in any of the treated stages, even though individuals reacted to heightened hormone availability with increases in the expression of krüppel-homolog 1, a conserved JH first-response gene. In contrast, hormone treatment resulted in the emergence of significantly larger males. These results show that in C. obscurior, early, presumably maternal caste determination leads to irreversible and highly-canalized caste-specific development and growth.
Nanoflower is anticipated to become a very smart material due to its unique properties such as high surface to volume ratio. A hydrothermal method was used in this study to prepare the zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflower and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The average particle size of the ZnO nanoflower was calculated as 21nm according to the Debye-Scherrer formula. The SEM result gives the surface morphological information of the ZnO nanoflower, which confirms the formation of the ZnO nanoflower. The ZnO nanoflower was dispersed in PDMS and coated onto cotton fabric to get the superhydrophobic fabric. The hydrophobicity was determined by measuring the water contact angle by the Sessile drop method and it was observed that coated fabrics have the highest contact angle, 140⁰ at 0.5% ZnO nanoflower concentration. The present study offers a method of fabrication of superhydrophobic cotton textile using ZnO nanoflower/PDMS polymer nanocomposites.
Members of the Actinomyces genus are non-spore-forming, anaerobic, and aerotolerant Gram-positive bacteria that are abundantly found in the oropharynx. They are the causative agents of actinomycosis, a slowly progressing (indolent) infection with non-specific symptoms in its initial phase, and a clinical course of extensive tissue destruction if left untreated. Actinomycoses are considered to be rare; however, reliable epidemiological data on their prevalence is lacking. Herein, we describe two representative and contrasting cases of cervicofacial actinomycosis, where the affected patients had distinctively different backgrounds and medical histories. Identification of the relevant isolates was carried out using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry; antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using E-tests. Cervicofacial actinomycoses are the most frequent form of the disease; isolation and identification of these microorganisms from relevant clinical samples (with or without histological examination) is the gold standard for diagnosis. The therapy of these infections includes surgical debridement and antibiotic therapy, mainly with a penicillin-derivative or clindamycin.
Stationary solutions for the cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation modeling Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) confined in three spatial dimensions by general forms of a potential are studied through a perturbation method and also numerically. Note that we study both repulsive and attractive BECs under similar frameworks in order to deduce the effects of the potentials in each case. After outlining the general framework, solutions for a collection of specific confining potentials of physical relevance to experiments on BECs are provided in order to demonstrate the approach. We make several observations regarding the influence of the particular potentials on the behavior of the BECs in these cases, comparing and contrasting the qualitative behavior of the attractive and repulsive BECs for potentials of various strengths and forms. Finally, we consider the nonperturbative where the potential or the amplitude of the solutions is large, obtaining various qualitative results. When the kinetic energy term is small (relative to the nonlinearity and the confining potential), we recover the expected Thomas-Fermi approximation for the stationary solutions. Naturally, this also occurs in the large mass limit. Through all of these results, we are able to understand the qualitative behavior of spherical three-dimensional BECs in weak, intermediate, or strong confining potentials.
Objective  To evaluate the clinical safety of the collagen nerve scaffold with longitudinally oriented microchannels in bridging peripheral nerve defect.      Methods  Five patients with 8 peripheral nerve defects of 18 to 30 (mean, 23.8) mm in length were involved in the pilot study and treated from July, 2017 to March, 2018, including 6 digital nerves and 2 medial antebrachial cutaneous nerves. The defects were repaired with the collagen nerve scaffold with longitudinally oriented microchannels independently developed. Routine therapy of prophylactic systemic antibiotics but no immunosuppressive drugs was given to all patients post-operatively. All patients were followed-up by regular review in the outpatient department combined with WeChat and telephone. The clinical safety of the nerve scaffold was preliminarily evaluated through observing the condition of the healing of the local wound and the whole body. The blood routine examineation and biochemical test were detected. The statistical analysis of the measurement data was performed by the analysis of variance of repeated measurement data, and the difference was statistically significant when P<0.05.      Results  All patients were followed-up for 7 to 15 months (average, 10 months). No adverse events such as infection, allergy, damage of liver and kidney function occurred. The operative incisions healed primarily, with no redness, exudation and rupture in the local area. There was no systemic symptoms such as fever, nausea, vomiting, skin itching, etc. The results of blood routine tests and biochemical tests were normal. The data of tests was compared, and the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).      Conclusion  The preliminary study shows that it is clinically safe to bridge peripheral nerve defects with the collagen nerve scaffold with longitudinally oriented microchannels.      Key words:  Collagen nerve scaffold with longitudinally oriented microchannels; Peripheral nerve; Nerve defect; Safety
Ten new formyl-phloroglucinol-terpene meroterpenoids, eucalypglobulusals A-J (1-10), and ten known analogues were isolated from  Eucalyptus globulus fruits. The structures of 1-10 were determined by spectroscopic analysis, while their absolute configurations were established using calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. Eucalypglobulusal A was assigned as a new formyl-phloroglucinol-terpene meroterpenoid with a rearranged sesquiterpene skeleton, and an aldol condensation between C-3 and C-5 of the germacrene C moiety was proposed to be a key step in its putative biosynthetic pathway. Eucalypglobulusal F exhibited cytotoxicity against the human acute lymphoblastic cell line (CCRF-CEM) with an IC50 value of 3.3 μM, while eucalypglobulusal A, eucarobustol C, macrocarpal A, macrocarpal B, and macrocarpal D exhibited DNA topoisomerase I (Top1) inhibition. The compounds eucalypglobulusal A and macrocarpal A act as Top1 catalytic inhibitors and delay Top1 poison-mediated DNA double-strand damage.
This article substantiates the guaranteeing number of rice harvesters in the main technological link of the harvesting and transport complex, sets out the methodology and presents the calculated dependences of determining the rational number of rice harvesters, taking into account the accepted guarantee probability, which reduces the need for agricultural machinery and the cost of mechanized work. The article is recommended for agricultural specialists, scientists, teachers, graduate students, undergraduates and students of agricultural universities in the field of “Agricultural Engineering”.
We present the temperature dependent magnetization, M(T), and the resistivity, ρ(T), of EuCu2Ge2 and EuCu2Si2 in single crystalline form. The EuCu2Ge2, which is synthesized in single-crystalline form, shows two different magnetic transitions in M(T) at TMc=8.5 K and TMab=4 K depending upon the magnetic field orientation. On the other hand, the ρ(T) reveals only one transition at T=4 K as a sudden drop of the ρ(T) without any noticeable change at T=8.5 K. For the EuCu2Si2, M(T) shows a two step antiferromagnetic transition at TN1≈10 K and TN2≈4 K, which is smeared out under H⩾1 T, probably due to field induced spin orientation. The transition at TN2 is also manifested as a decrease in ρ(T) due to loss of magnetic scattering. Interestingly, another exotic transition is found at T=2 K in ρ(T) data. The ρ(T) values rapidly increase by two orders of magnitude from ρ=20 μΩ cm at T=2 K and reach ρ=5 mΩ cm at T=0.5 K, which is similar to a metal–insulator transition.
The formation of the pre-metastatic niche (PMN), which precedes the establishment of tumor lesions, plays a critical role in cancer recurrence and metastasis. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), a critical liver stromal cell component, can be induced to facilitate metastasis by modeling liver PMN formation. In the present study, activated HSCs were observed in the peritumor non-cancerous liver tissues (PNLT) colorectal adenocarcinoma liver metastasis (CRALM), and the density of activated HSCs was higher in PNLT compared with that in normal liver tissues (NLT). High density of activated HSC in the PNLT was positively associated with the number of tumor liver metastases (P=0.036), maximum diameter of liver metastases (P=0.002), and recurrence following synchronous radical resection (P=0.003). High density of activated HSCs in the PNLT was identified as a significant and independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (HR, 2.083; 95% CI, 1.504–2.885; P=0.016) and overall survival (HR, 2.039; 95% CI, 1.312–3.169; P=0.019). Functionally, in vitro assays revealed that activated HSCs facilitated colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRA) cells to colonize the liver. Molecularly, it was demonstrated that the pro-recurrence of activated HSCs depended on paracrine hepatic growth factor. Taken together, the present results showed that high density of activated HSCs in the PNLT was an independent predictor for CRALM recurrence following resection, and they exerted their roles via their effect on CRA cell recruitment and proliferation by paracrine HGF.
The discovery of the biological activity of 9-cis-retinoic acid raises questions as to its mode of biosynthesis. A simple mechanism involves the direct isomerization of all-trans-retinoic acid to 9-cis-retinoic acid. It is shown here that bovine liver membranes, but not supernatant fractions, can isomerize all-trans-retinoic acid into 9-cis-retinoic acid and 13-cis-retinoic acid. The concentration of 9-cis-retinoic acid generated approaches its equilibrium concentration, which is determined here to be approximately 15%. However, the isomerization process could not be shown to be saturable, and is first-order in all-trans-retinoic acid in the concentration range measured (8.3 nM to 3 microM). Isomerization reactions measured using bovine liver microsomes appear to be mediated by thiol groups, as they can be blocked by group-specific thiol-blocking reagents such as N-ethylmaleimide. It is interesting to note that the non-stereospecific behaviour observed here mimics what is observed when all-trans-retinoic acid is applied to cells. Finally, significant formation of 9-cis-retinoids was not found when the reaction was carried out with liver microsomes and either all-trans-retinol or all-trans-retinal.
A method for directional control of shift selectivities of speckle-multiplexed holograms with a diffuser whose diffusion angle varies with the diffusion direction is proposed to enhance the tolerance of recorded holograms to repositioning error in holographic storage. The directional dependence and controllability of shift selectivities of holograms are experimentally investigated using various diffusers. By retrieving 50 speckle-multiplexed holograms with deliberate deviations from the original recording position and by measuring bit error rate, it is also confirmed that the tolerance to repositioning error is improved.
Engineers involved in bridge, culvert, and highway design often need to know the magnitude and frequency of flood discharge from small streams where the drainage basin is urbanized. The results of a C-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey provide methods for estimating flood magnitudes for selected frequencies on small streams draining urban areas in Tennessee. A total of 22 rainfall-runoff sites located in basins with drainage areas of 0.21 to 24.3 square miles in size and in municipalities with populations between 5,000 and 100,000 were used to derive regionalized flood-frequency equations. Impervious area, measured from recent aerial photographs, ranged between 4.7 percent and 74.0 percent of the basin. The equations were derived by multiple regression analyses of synthetic floodfrequency estimates, derived from a rainfallrunoff modeling procedure, versus physical basin characteristics and a precipitation factor. These equations can be used to estimate the magnitude of future floods with recurrence intervals of 2 to 100 years on ungaged urbanized streams in Tennessee. One equation for each recurrence interval applies statewide. Flood-frequency estimates for stations used in the analyses and example computations demonstrating application of the regression equations to urban streams in Tennessee are given in the report. INTRODUCTION Engineers involved in bridge, culvert, and highway design often need to know the magnitude and frequency of annual peak discharge from small streams draining urban areas. City planners also need this information for flood insurance studies and for proper flood-plain management and development. The purpose of this report is to provide equations for estimating the magnitude and frequency of annual floods along urban streams in Tennessee with drainage areas from 0.21 to 24.3 mi2. However, these equations do not apply to streams where the magnitude of peak flow is affected significantly by temporary in-channel storage or overbank detention storage. The results presented in this report consist of equations derived by regression analysis of synthetic estimates of T-year (annual) floods versus physical basin characteristics and a precipitation factor. Prior to this statewide urban hydrology study, methods of estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods in the metropolitan areas of Nashville and Memphis were derived by Wibben (1976) and Neely (1984), respectively. Estimating methods for rural basins statewide were derived by Randolph and Gamble (1976). This study extends the previous urban studies and provides methods of estimating flood magnitudes and frequencies for urban areas statewide. The above methods for Memphis and Nashville should be used for those cities. Wibben (1976) indicated that the T-year floods from the gaged urban basins in Nashville were not significantly larger than those from rural basins. Consequently, regional equations for estimating peak runoff from rural basins (Randolph and Gamble, 1976) should be reliable estimators of T-year floods from urban basins in Nashville within the size and development range of his study. The data for this study were collected under a cooperative program with the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Appreciation is expressed to the Tennessee Department of Transportation for providing aerial photographs of the urban basins in this study. The relation of flood-peak magnitude to the probability of occurrence, or recurrence interval, is referred to in this report as a flood-frequency relation. As applied to annual floods, recurrence interval is the average interval of time between exceedances of the indicated flood magnitude. For example, a flood with a lo-year recurrence interval may be expected to be equaled or exceeded on the average of once in lo-years or, stated another way, a flood that has a 1 in 10 chance of occurring in any given year. However, the fact that a flood of this magnitude occurs in any given year does not reduce the probability of a flood of equal or greater magnitude occurring within the same year, or in consecutive years.
The present immunohistochemical study provides the first evidence of the presence of calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) in the epidermis of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Annelida, Oligochaeta) a lower invertebrate. The entire epidermis was labelled for calmodulin which is in agreement with its ubiquitous occurrence. Immunopositivity for calbindin D28K was limited to mucous cells, while that for S-100 protein was present only in neuroendocrine-like small granular cells. Finally, labelling for parvalbumin was specifically present in the subcutaneous nerve plexus. S-100 protein is considered to be a marker of neuroendocrine cells, at least in lower invertebrates such as Annelida. Although calbindin D28K is considered to be a marker of these cells in vertebrates, the same function cannot be attributed in Lumbricus terrestris. However, we can conclude that S-100 protein, as a regulatory protein, is phylogenetically older than calbindin D28K. We assume that the latter has an autoregulatory function in secretory processes. In agreement with previous data, we suggest that small granular cells exert a paracrine action in osmoregulatory and secretory processes.
Lakoff and Johnson’s (1980) pioneering work claimed that human beings think metaphorically, thereby initiating a remarkable revival of the scholarly interest in this queen of tropes. This interest reigned at first primarily among linguists. Since then, however, metaphor research has considerably broadened beyond the investigation of its verbal manifestations. Varieties involving visuals, specifically, are attracting much attention. This chapter sketches dimensions of metaphor pertaining to the medium of film. After a short historical positioning of cinematic metaphor within the wider field, key terms (target, source, mapping) are defined and explained. Central issues pertaining to metaphor in film (mode, creativity, embodiment, genre, diegetic versus nondiegetic source domain) are addressed, providing film scholars with tools for analysis. The discussions are enlightened by some examples.
The study looks at the cause-and-effect relationship between the level of Internet access and distribution, the country's development rate and the foundations for e-commerce development and economic growth, considering ebusiness as a general concept that covers forms of business transactions conducted remotely using information - telecommunication systems, which causes the participants of such relations to have rights and obligations of property character which are carried out by e-way with the help of global computer the Internet or any other information network, covering not only the sales and sales operations related to online sales and order processing, but also the support of the processes of creating demand for products and services, meeting the changing needs more comfortably for consumers as well as for manufacturers, as well as automation of administrative functions, improvement of information exchange between partners and all counterparties, stakeholders, in order to automate business processes to optimize costs and increase economic in the context of globalization and integration. The research methodology is based on theoretical developments and scientific tools, including methods of dynamic series construction, comparative and economic analysis, allows to systematize and determine trends of ecommerce development for further economic development. The source of the survey data is the UNCTAD ecommerce development index level and its components in Ukraine, published by UNCTAD, taking into account the period 2015-2018, as well as e-commerce development data in the world. The ways of solving problems of taking into account modern trends of development of e-commerce are generalized. It is proved that the demand and supply for goods and services is established directly on the Internet, changing the traditional mechanism of sale of goods, the choice of which is made directly on the Internet, where transactions and payments are made. It has been proven that the development of technologies and information networks not only revolutionized communication, but also significantly influenced a number of economic processes related to business development. Trends of continuous growth of sales on the Internet and a share of mobile shopping are revealed, the basic innovative trends of development of e-commerce are established
For theoretical study and engineering application, it is necessary to provide an accurate and simple dynamical model to simulate the multibody mechanical systems with clearance joints and it is also the subject of this article. Based on Lagrange equations of the first kind, a different numerical methodology, the length and rotation angle of the clearance joints are looked as independent coordinates for the first time, is presented in detail. The slider-crank mechanism, with a single or double adjustable revolute clearance joints, is used as a numerical model. A test rig and a simulink model, fully in accordance with the numerical model, are used to measure the velocity, displacement, and acceleration. The numerical results tally with experimental and simulink results reveal that the new methodology, presented in this paper, provides a correct approach to build the dynamical equations of mechanism with clearance joints. Lyapunov exponent is used to analyze the motion status, chaotic or periodic, of the slider. Based on data points, mean absolute deviation (MAD) is applied to judge the dynamical errors, displacement, velocity, and acceleration, of the slider due to clearance joints. With the help of Lyapunov exponent and MAD, the results indicated that various clearance sizes and drive speeds can change the dynamical behaviors of the slider, which is complex but can be predicted in some way.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether hypohydration reduces skeletal muscle endurance and whether increased H+ and Pi might contribute to performance degradation. Ten physically active volunteers (age 21-40 yr) performed supine single-leg, knee-extension exercise to exhaustion in a 1.5-T whole body magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) system when euhydrated and when hypohydrated (4% body wt). 31P spectra were collected at a rate of one per second at rest, exercise, and recovery, and were grouped and averaged to represent 10-s intervals. The desired hydration level was achieved by having the subjects perform 2-3 h of exercise in a warm room (40 degrees C dry bulb, 20% relative humidity) with or without fluid replacement 3-8 h before the experiment. Time to fatigue was reduced (P < 0.05) by 15% when the subjects were hypohydrated [213 +/- 12 vs. 251 +/- 15 (SE) s]. Muscle strength was generally not affected by hypohydration. Muscle pH and Pi/beta-ATP ratio were similar during exercise and at exhaustion, regardless of hydration state. The time constants for phosphocreatine recovery were also similar between trials. In summary, moderate hypohydration reduces muscle endurance, and neither H+ nor Pi concentration appears to be related to these reductions.
A new computer vision-based method is proposed for concrete crack detection in tunnel structures using multi-spectral dynamic imaging (MSX). The MSX images were collected from a tunnel in the University of Manitoba, Canada. A total of 3600 MSX images (299 × 299 pixels) were used to train the modified deep inception neural network (DINN), and an additional 300 MSX images (299 × 299 pixels) were employed for validation purposes. The MSX images were examined by the trained neural network for concrete crack detection. The main purpose of this research was to examine the potential of the neural network to distinguish between noise and concrete surface cracks in the MSX images. A fully connected layer and a softmax layer were added to the DINN network in the transfer learning section to reduce the network computation cost. The proposed network used green bounding boxes to detect the portions with cracks in the MSX images. A training accuracy of 95.5% and a validation accuracy of 94% were achieved at 1600 iterations. The optimum training steps obtained from the training and validation were used for testing purposes. The robustness of the trained network was evaluated using an additional 96 MSX images (640 × 480 pixels). A maximum testing accuracy of 94% was recorded when the prediction probability was limited to 90%.
AIM To investigate the influence of diameter and taper of root canals on the effectiveness of ultrasonic irrigation to remove artificially placed dentine debris from simulated uninstrumented extensions in simulated root canals.   METHOD Three groups of standard canals were cut in resin blocks using either size 20, .04 taper ProFile instruments, size 20, .06 Greater Taper (GT) rotary instruments or size 20, .08 GT instruments, respectively. Each resin block was then split longitudinally through the canal, forming two halves. In one canal wall, a standard groove 4 mm in length was cut 2-6 mm from the apical end of the canal, to simulate uninstrumented canal extensions. Each groove was filled with dentine debris mixed with 2% NaOCl to simulate a situation when dentine debris accumulates in the uninstrumented canal extensions. Each canal was reassembled by joining the two halves of the resin block by means of wires and sticky wax. In each canal ultrasonic irrigation was performed for 3 min using 2% NaOCl as irrigant. Before and after irrigation, images of each half of the canal with a groove were taken using a microscope and a digital camera, after which they were scanned into a PC as TIFF images. The quantity of dentine debris in the groove was evaluated using a scoring system: the higher the score, the larger the amount of debris remaining. The score data were analysed by means of Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-tests.   RESULTS After ultrasonic irrigation, the debris score for the size 20,.04 taper group was significantly higher than that for the size 20,.06 group (P = 0.040) and the size 20,.08 group (P = 0.006) groups. However, no significant difference was found between the size 20,.06 and the size 20,.08 groups (P = 0.320).   CONCLUSION In simulated plastic root canals, the diameter and taper of root canal influenced the effectiveness of ultrasonic irrigation to remove artificially placed dentine debris.
Abstract Livestock are important elements of many agro-ecosystems. Their contributions to the livelihoods of their keepers (many of whom are among the world's poor) are often manifold - food, fibre, transport, agricultural inputs, socio-cultural roles, etc. If well managed, livestock can also contribute to wider ecological and landscape services. Diverse roles and production environments have, over millennia, led to the development of great genetic diversity among the world's livestock. Livestock biodiversity has always been dynamic, new breeds have emerged and others have disappeared as environments and societies have changed. At present, however, production systems are changing at an unprecedented rate, driven inter alia by surging demand, pressure on natural resources, and technological developments. This rapid change threatens livestock diversity - 20 % of breeds are classified as at risk. It also underscores the importance of retaining a broad portfolio of genetic resources to facilitate adaptation to new challenges - climate change and emerging diseases are among the most prominent. Agricultural biodiversity is increasingly prominent on international agendas; its “special nature” is recognized by the Convention on Biological Diversity which has a programme of work in this field. A key development in 2007 was the adoption of the Global Plan of Action for Animal Genetic Resources at a conference organized by FAO. The Global Plan of Action - the outcome of an extended international process of reporting, analysis and negotiation - covers four priority areas: characterization, inventory and monitoring; sustainable use and development; conservation; and policies, institutions and capacity-building. The task facing the international community is now to implement the Global Plan of Action through concrete action.
The research shows how managers can plan a successful integration process following a merger and acquisition. Presents a series of frameworks which discuss understanding value creation in mergers and acquisitions, selecting the right strategy and managing the integration process; drawn largely from research studies and interviews made to managers with experience in leading integration processes of financial services companies in Europe, Latin America and USA. Concludes that, by following the key drivers framework described, managers can turn the integration process into a successful project, and academics can focus their post-merger research having into account the opinion of managers.
1. Alexander, P. and Smith, L. F., Proc. Int. Wool Tex. Res. Conf. Australia Vol. B. p. B56 (1955), 2. Asquith, R. S. and Watson, P. A., Unpublished work (1964). 3. Chibnall, A. C., Mangan, J. L., and Rees, M. W:, Biochem. J. 68, 111 (1958). , 4. Corfield, M. C. and Robson, A., Biochem. J. 59, 62 (1955). 5. Corfield, M. C., Robson, A., and Skinner, B., Biochem. J. 68, 348 (1958). 6. Gillespie, J. M., O’Donnell, I. J., Thompson, E. O. P., and Woods, E. F., J. Textile Inst. Trans. 51, T703 (1960). 7. Haylett, T., Joubert, F. J., Swart, L. S., and Louw, D. F., Textile Res. J. 33, 639 (1963). 8. Leach, S. J. and Parkhill, E. M. J., Proc. Int. Wool Tex. Res. Conf. Australia Vol. C, p. C92 (1955). 9. Milton, R. F. and Waters. W. A., "Methods of Quantitative Microanalysis," London, Edward Arnold Ltd., 1955, p. 576.’ 10. Parnas, I. K. and Wagner, R., Biochem. Z. 125, 253 (1921). 11. Van Slyke, D. D., J. Biol. Chem. 83, 425 (1929).
Reduced 3-thionicotinamide--adenine dinucleotide (sNADH) is shown to be fluorescent, with an emission maximum at 510 nm when excited in the region of the absorption maximum (398 nm), and with a very low quantum yield, (3.4 +/- 0.5) x 10(-4). The interaction between sNADH and octopine dehydrogenase was investigated by ultraviolet-difference spectroscopy and fluorescence. Some surprising fluorescence features were found when sNADH was bound to the enzyme in the presence of D-octopine, as follows. (a) There is an unusually high enhancement of the dinucleotide fluorescence (by at least a factor of 100) attended by a 40-nm blue shift of the emission maximum. (b) The protein fluorescence is quenched almost completely. (c) The bound coenzyme analog undergoes a photoreaction, which proceeds differently from that occurring the free form. These features appear to be unique to the octopine.sNADH complex, as for example they are not present when sNADH is bound to horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, or when NADH is bound to octopine dehydrogenase. The possible origin of these fluorescence features is discussed. Binding and kinetic studies were carried out with sNAD and sNADH. It was found that sNAD neither binds nor acts kinetically as a coenzyme. sNADH exhibits relatively good binding, with Km and Ki values close to those of the natural coenzyme, but the turnover number is 460 times smaller than that with NADH. The kinetic consequences of these findings are discussed. The sNADH dissociation constants were determined as a function of temperature, and appear to be practically temperature-independent in the range 10--40 degrees C. It seems thus, in agreement with previous studies, that the interaction between octopine dehydrogenase and coenzymes proceeds athermically, regardless of the structure, affinity, and chemical reactivity of the coenzyme. The possible biological and chemical meaning of this finding is discussed.
We have developed a new and portable apparatus for making absolute measurements of the acceleration due to the Earth's gravity. We use the method of free fall, and interferometrically determine the acceleration of a freely falling cube corner. In the design and development of this instrument, particular attention was paid to those aspects which would affect its performance in the field. The resulting instrument, we believe, provides a viable new tool for the study of tectonic motions. The system is very small; it can be transported in a small van and requires only two hours for assembly. A high rate of data acquisition is available; if necessary, a single measurement can be made every two seconds. Further, we have made a concerted effort to detect and (we hope) eliminate systematic errors. The results of extensive tests indicate that the achievable accuracy for g is about six parts in 109. This instrument therefore provides a sensitivity to vertical motions (e.g., of the Earth's crust) as small as 2 cm.
summary  A newly detected coumestan was found to accumulate in roots of soybean (Glycine max. L., var. Amsoy 71), after infection by a vesicular arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungus (Glomus intraradices, Schenck & Smith) and very strongly in nodules after nitrogen application. This coumestan was identified as a 3,9 dihydroxy 10 (γ,γ-dimethylallyl) coumestan called isosojagol. Three other associated isoflavonoids were analysed: glyceollin I, coumestrol and daidzein. Nitrogen application decreased the concentration of these three compounds in roots, particularly in non-mycorrhizal soybeans, whilst their concentration in nodules was not significantly affected. VA mycorrhizal infection decreased the accumulation of all the compounds analysed in nodules, although the fungus was never observed inside the nodule, but increased their accumulation in roots.
EFT systems offer businesses and individuals a new set of alternatives for conducting their financial transactions. As with any new product or service, success will depend on consumer acceptance in the marketplace. In seeking this success, EFT has to contend with three barriers: regulation, economies of scale, and consumer attitudes. None of these barriers are insurmountable, but they are all sufficiently serious that potential service providers must take them into account in their planning.
Among the most fascinating, yet comparatively little-advanced, problems in the realm of the geophysical sciences is the complete understanding of all the influences that the Sun exerts upon our planet and its life. These influences are exerted largely through the radiation from the Sun intercepted by the Earth; the determination of the nature and amount of this radiation and its distribution over the Earth, and the investigations of its effects, are comprised in the general subject of actinometry.
The term Akashic Records originates from the Indian word Akasha, which gained a new meaning after its adoption by the Theosophical Society. The first part of the text explains the origin of the concept of both Akasha and the Akashic Records. The article argues that the transformation was influenced by elements from philosophy and physics, as well as by the Christian doctrine of predestination. The final part of the article then describes an example of how concepts similar to the Akashic Records still appeared in the 20th century.
In rat liver hypo-osmotically treated mitochondria, 2-mercaptoacetate inhibits respiration induced by palmitoyl-CoA, octanoate or butyryl-CoA only when the reaction medium is supplemented with ATP. Under this condition, NADH-stimulated respiration is not affected. In liver mitochondrial matrix, the presence of ATP is also required to observe a 2-mercaptoacetate-induced inhibition of acyl-CoA dehydrogenases tested with palmitoyl-CoA, butyryl-CoA or isovaleryl-CoA as substrate. As the oxidation of these substrates is also inhibited by the incubation medium resulting from the reaction of 2-mercaptoacetate with acetyl-CoA synthase, with conditions under which 2-mercaptoacetate has no effect, 2-mercaptoacetyl-CoA seems to be the likely inhibitory metabolite responsible for the effects of 2-mercaptoacetate. Kinetic experiments show that the main effect of the 2-mercaptoacetate-active metabolite is to decrease the affinities of fatty acyl-CoA dehydrogenases towards palmitoyl-CoA or butyryl-CoA and of isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase towards isovaleryl-CoA. Addition of N-ethylmaleimide to mitochondrial matrix pre-exposed to 2-mercaptoacetate results in the immediate reversion of the inhibitions of palmitoyl-CoA and isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenations and in a delayed reversion of butyryl-CoA dehydrogenation. These results led us to conclude that (i) the ATP-dependent conversion of 2-mercaptoacetate into an inhibitory metabolite takes place in the liver mitochondrial matrix and (ii) the three fatty acyl-CoA dehydrogenases and isovaleryl-CoA dehydrogenase are mainly competitively inhibited by this compound. Finally, the present study also suggests that the inhibitory metabolite of 2-mercaptoacetate may bind non-specifically to, or induce conformational changes at, the acyl-CoA binding sites of these dehydrogenases.
Abstract The collective depression now afflicting social workers is attributed to profound frustration in all aspects of their work. Since Seebohm, social workers have been trapped in an industrial style management framework, which is utterly unsuited to their motivation and to the nature of their professional task. Meeting the needs of disturbed clients imposes severe stresses on social workers-even those whose own personality difficulties are no greater than average.
Existing antivirus technology depends on extracting signatures. They are inefficient on detecting diverse forms of computer viruses, especially new variants and unknown viruses. Inspired by biological immune system, a virus detec- tion model based on artificial immune and key-signatures extraction is proposed. This model adopt TF-IDF Algorithm to extract virus ODNS from virus DNA parts on code level, and on gene level these virus ODNs are matched by slither win- dow to form virus candidate gene library and normal candidate gene library; then distinguish these gene through negative selection algorithm to generate a detecting virus gene library; Last on the testing procedure level, use a cosine similarity algorithm to estimate the testing procedure relevant to virus. To identify most of new variants and camouflage viruses, virus polymorphism is considered. Different unsteady length genes compose a virus, and a r-adjustable match rule based on RCB r-chunks is adopted to extract virus detecting library, which can mostly present virus signatures. In order to make full use of effective information and fully taking the advantages of relevance between virus genes, in procedure phase, suspicious programs are analyzed in contrast to the detecting gene matching technique, which leads to a fairly level false and positive rate.
Renal allografts were exchanged between unrelated mongrel dogs after previous sensitization with skin and kidney grafts from the same donors. Rapid rejection of the renal allografts was associated with the accumulation of platelets and leucocytes in the peritubular and glomerular capillaries but fibrin deposition was not demonstrated. Heparin infusion delayed but did not prevent the rejection process.
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) platforms are typically run in electron ionization (EI) mode for mass spectral matching and metabolite annotation. With the advent of high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), soft ionization techniques such as chemical ionization (CI) may provide additional coverage for compound identification. We evaluated NIST SRM 1950 pooled plasma reference sample using a HRGC-MS instrument [GC-Orbitrap-MS with electron ionization (EI), positive chemical ionization (PCI), and negative CI (NCI) capabilities) for metabolite annotation and quantification to assess the suitability of the platform for routine discovery metabolomics. Using both open source and vendor workflows, we validated the spectral matches with an in-house spectral library (Wake Forest CPM GC-MS spectral and retention time libraries) of EI-MS and CI-MS/MS spectra obtained from chemical standards. We confidently [metabolomics standards initiative (MSI) confidence level 2] identified 263, 93, and 65 metabolites using EI, PCI, and NCI modes, respectively, of which 270 metabolites (64%) were validated using our Wake Forest CPM GC-MS spectral libraries. When compared to published LC-MS-based efforts using the same NIST SRM 1950 plasma sample, there was only 17% overlap between the two platforms. In addition, the metabolomics analysis of community approved standard human plasma demonstrated the ability of EI- and CI-MS modes of analysis using a HRGC-MS platform to enable reproducible and interoperable spectral matching.
Planar bootlace lenses are frequently used as beamforming networks (BFN) in EW and surveillance systems. They are also being considered for use as low signal level BFN to generate multiple simultaneous beams from low Earth orbiting satellites. The attractions here are the low profile, light weight and compact packaging properties of lens-based BFN. In a previous paper by Chan and Wallace (1990), the design of single-port excited lens was treated. For broadband operation, the single-port excited lens suffers from large ripple level in the power distribution across the array ports as well as high insertion loss at the low end of the operating band. This is caused by the small electrical size of the ports surrounding the lens' cavity. It should be pointed out that the port width must be kept less than half a guide wavelength at the highest operating frequency to maintain a dominant mode only condition at the feed ports. Otherwise the multi-moded ports would exhibit drop-outs in the power transmission response at certain frequencies in the band. To increase the effective port width, two adjacent ports may be combined with an in-line 3 dB hybrid while maintaining single-mode operation in each port. This is the type of lens we examine.<<ETX>>
Caring for a child with a serious or life-limiting illness presents many challenges for families and health care providers. Through that experience (and, many times, as it ends), parents are compelled to find and make meaning from their ultimate loss and the many losses along the way. In this Advocacy Case Study, we describe the experiences that led a bereaved mother to seek to harness the insights from her own family’s loss to help support other families facing the challenges and complexities of a child’s serious illness. Her family initially established a family foundation to advocate for palliative care. She later partnered with her family’s general pediatrician and the American Academy of Pediatrics to educate providers and bring parent voices to health care provider discussions. This work eventually led to the development of the Courageous Parents Network, a nonprofit focused on making these parent and provider voices widely available to families and providers through a Web-based collection of videos, blogs, podcasts, and printable guides. Through these insights, the organization addresses feelings of isolation, anxiety, and grief. In addition, these voices illustrate the power and benefits of the growing acceptance of pediatric palliative care practices. Important lessons learned through these efforts include: (1) the power of stories for validation, healing, and understanding; (2) opportunity to extend the reach of pediatric palliative care through provider education and skill-building; (3) critical importance of the parent–provider advocacy collaboration; and (4) necessity of market testing and continuous improvement.
Nonlinear quantum positron-acoustic (QPA) waves are investigated for the first time, within the theoretical framework of the quantum hydrodynamic model. In the small but finite amplitude limit, both deformed Korteweg-de Vries and generalized Korteweg-de Vries equations governing, respectively, the dynamics of QPA solitary waves and double-layers are derived. Moreover, a full finite amplitude analysis is undertaken, and a numerical integration of the obtained highly nonlinear equations is carried out. The results complement our previously published results on this problem.
In view of the problems of large overshoot and large oscillation frequency in   current furnace temperature control, based on the development of intelligent   control theory, expert control, fuzzy control and neural network control in   intelligent control theory are combined with PID control. The intelligent   PID control algorithm is used to carry out numerical simulation and   experimental research on these several control algorithms. The results show   that the adjustment effect of the intelligent PID control algorithm is   significantly better than the traditional PID control algorithm. Among them,   the fuzzy self-tuning PID control algorithm and the fuzzy immune PID control   algorithm are feasible in the application of furnace temperature control.   The neural network PID control algorithm It also has good development and   application potential.
Abstract : The issue faced in this symposium was how to ensure that behavioral science research ultimately serves the Navy's primary mission. Given that a basic objective of Navy R&D laboratories is to generate a technology base that is both useful and used, there must always be a close link between R&D products and operational requirements. However, even more than this, there must be clear understanding of how R&D products can be directed at targets of opportunity in the user organizations and successfully implemented. These areas remain an ongoing challenge for both Navy R&D laboratories and the operational community. The intent of this conference was to have a diverse group of researchers, managers, and headquarters managers discuss the issues associated with improving research transition. The issues included both the transition through the 6.1 to 6.4 arenas as well as the transition of mature technologies into user organizations. Although the focus was the manpower, personnel, and training areas, many of the issues are generic to a spectrum of R&D efforts.
Traumatic injury is the leading cause of mortality in patients under 50. It is associated with a complex inflammatory response involving hormonal, immunologic, and metabolic mediators. The marked elevation of cytokines and inflammatory mediators subsequently correlates with the development of posttraumatic complications. The aim was to determine whether elevated cytokine levels provide a predictive value for orthopedic trauma patients. A prospective cohort study of patients with New Injury Severity Score (NISS) > 5 was undertaken. IL‐6, IL‐8, IL‐10, and migration inhibitory factor levels were measured within 24‐h of presentation. Demographic covariates and clinical outcomes were obtained from the medical records. Fifty‐eight patients (83% male, 40 years) were included. Addition of IL‐6 to baseline models significantly improved prediction of pulmonary complication (LR = 6.21, p = 0.01), ICU (change in R2 = 0.31, p < 0.01), and hospital length of stay (change in R2 = 0.16, p < 0.01). The addition of IL‐8 significantly improved the prediction of acute kidney injury (LR = 9.15, p < 0.01). The addition of postinjury IL‐6 level to baseline New Injury Severity Score model is better able to predict the occurrence of pulmonary complications as well as prolonged ICU and hospital length of stay.
Only minimal quantities of ingested and normally secreted solutes and water are excreted in the stool. This near 100% bioavailability means that the diet and kidneys are relatively more important determinants of solute, water and acid-base balance than the intestine. Intestinal bioavailability is based on excess transport capacity under normal conditions and the ability to adapt to altered or abnormal conditions. Indeed, the regulatory system of the intestine is as complex, segmented and multi factorial as in the kidney. Alterations in the rate and intestinal site of absorption reflect this regulation, and the diagnosis and treatment of various clinical abnormalities depend on the integrity of intestinal absorptive processes. However, the basis for this regulation an bioavailability are uncertain. Perhaps they had survival value for mammals, a phylogenic class that faced the twin threats of intestinal pathogens and shortages of solutes and water.
With the intelligent development of urban traffic, accurate and efficient access to available parking spaces is essential to solve the increasingly difficult problem of parking difficulties. Therefore, this paper proposes a deep convolutional neural network parking occupancy detection algorithm based on non-local operation. For the image characteristics of parking spaces, non-local operations are introduced, the similarity between distant pixels is measured, and the high-frequency features of the edges are directly obtained. The local details are obtained by using small convolution kernels, and the network is trained in an end-to-end manner. In the experiment, the network structure is optimized by setting different convolution kernel sizes and non-local module layers. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional texture feature-based parking space occupancy detection algorithm, the proposed algorithm has significant advantages in both prediction accuracy and generalization performance of the model. At the same time, compared with the currently widely used convolutional neural network based on local feature extraction, the algorithm also has great advantages. In real scenes, the algorithm also has high precision and has practical application value.
The profits and benefits offered by Virtual Reality technology had drawn attention of professionals from several scientific fields, including the power systems', either for training or maintenance. For this purpose, 3D modeling is evidently pointed out as an imperative process for the conception of a Virtual Environment. Before the complexity of Hydroelectric Power Plants and Virtual Reality's contribution for the Industrial area, planning the tridimensional construction of the virtual environment becomes necessary. Thus, this paper presents modeling techniques applicable to several hydroelectric structures, aiming to optimize the 3D construction of the target complexes.
South Sudan experienced a resurgence of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in the 1990s. In 1997 in Tambura County, public health officials combined standard mass screening and treatment techniques for infected persons with an additional component-trapping the vectors of the disease. The intent of this integrated approach was to lower the number and concentration of the tsetse flies that spread the disease while reducing the level of infection in the human population to make the likelihood of transmission extremely low. Because the trapping project depends on village participation (making, setting, and maintaining the traps), village volunteers and their neighbors learned more about the causes and prevention of sleeping sickness and became much more willing to participate in serosurveys and to seek treatment.
Key Points NK cells with unique receptor repertoires predominate at iNK, tNK, and mNK stages. High interdependencies of NK cell receptor expression at the iNK stage were found. In MHC-I–deficient mice, activating Ly-49 receptor expression is underrepresented. Visual Abstract Previous studies of NK cell inhibitory Ly-49 genes showed their expression is stochastic. However, relatively few studies have examined the mechanisms governing acquisition of inhibitory receptors in conjunction with activating Ly-49 receptors and NK cell development. We hypothesized that the surface expression of activating Ly-49 receptors is nonrandom and is influenced by inhibitory Ly-49 receptors. We analyzed NK cell “clusters” defined by combinatorial expression of activating (Ly-49H and Ly-49D) and inhibitory (Ly-49I and Ly-49G2) receptors in C57BL/6 mice. Using the product rule to evaluate the interdependencies of the Ly-49 receptors, we found evidence for a tightly regulated expression at the immature NK cell stage, with the highest interdependencies between clusters that express at least one activating receptor. Further analysis demonstrated that certain NK clusters predominated at the immature (CD27+CD11b−), transitional (CD27+CD11b+), and mature (CD27−CD11b−) NK cell stages. Using parallel in vitro culture and in vivo transplantation of sorted NK clusters, we discovered nonrandom expression of Ly-49 receptors, suggesting that prescribed pathways of NK cluster differentiation exist. Our data infer that surface expression of Ly-49I is an important step in NK cell maturation. Ki-67 expression and cell counts confirmed that immature NK cells proliferate more than mature NK cells. We found that MHC class I is particularly important for regulation of Ly-49D and Ly-49G2, even though no known MHC class I ligand for these receptors is present in B6 mice. Our data indicate that surface expression of both activating and inhibitory Ly-49 receptors on NK cell clusters occurs in a nonrandom process correlated to their maturation stage.
The reformed pension system in the Republic of North Macedonia has created an interest based on three poles: legal, financial and social. Therefore, the paper aims to provide not only overview of the North Macedonian pension legislative, the model of financing of the reformed pension system but also to take into account the social character of the pension system. Following the basic European values and the interception of the EC recommendations that were underline in the last 10 years for North Macedonia, the country remains moderately prepared in this area. The rapidly increased expenditure on pensions and the efforts to improve the legal, institutional and social framework on the North Macedonian pension system became new burden for the Public Pension Fund. Therefore, the sustainability and the efficiency of the contemporary pension system is under question mark. This paper will explore the major challenges and opportunities that were foster by the new pension reforms from the reconstructed pension system. The one-pillared based system (Pay As You Go system– based on principle of generation solidarity,) has become system based on three pillars (fully funded mandatory pension insurance and fully funded voluntary pension insurance). Regarding the legal and financial aspects of the reformed pension system, there will be three areas of research emphasis: delayed transfer of funds from the state pension insurance fund to private funds, the procedures for supervising voluntary pension insurance schemes and the limits on investing in non-domestic securities. These three aspects resulted in a breach of the legislation on the management of deposits in Republic of North Macedonia, and they were not in line with the acquis under Financial Services Chapter that consists mostly of legal arrangements concerning with capital markets, insurance (including individual pension systems) and banking sectors. This is why they found their place in the annual reports (for 2015, 2016 and 2018) of the European Commission on the Republic of North Macedonia in negative connotation. Analysis of the legislation, as well as comparing the legislation with EU recommendation, is expected to answer the question if our country is complying with the recommendations. The paper will be based on a legal, comparative, analytical and synthetic method that will provide a multidisciplinary approach in acquiring knowledge and in delivering results that will be of relevance to all involved stakeholders (future pensioners, pension funds, central and decentralized government).
According to Malcolm Fraser, a former Prime Minister of Australia, "life was never meant to be easy." The Buddha agreed, famously stating that "All life is pain." The daily experiences of most of us might confirm this: effort, work, "forcing it," "pushing on," and the anxiety induced by our constant performative tip-toeing through the world, all connote a drain on our reserves physical, emotional, cognitive that modern life appears to impose.
Plasmonic structural colors originate from the interaction between light and metallic nanostructures. Rapid development in nanofabrication and characterization of plasmonic structures provides an efficient way to control light properties at subwavelength scale, which can generate plasmonic structural colors. Here we introduce several representative plasmonic nanostructures which can generate visible structural colors, including nanogratings, perforated metallic films, metal-insulator-metal resonators, dynamically tunable color generators and perfect absorbers. We highlight the properties of plasmonic colors and discuss the intrinsic plasmonic resonance mechanisms. Plasmonic structural colors have the advantages such as ultra-small patterns and rapid response of external change, which are believed to offer a promising future in high-resolution color displays and real-time colors controlling.
Kidneys of anesthetized rats were perfused with digitonin to extract cytosolic proteins of glomerular podocytes so that the remaining intracellular structures could be examined by three‐dimensional stereo high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). Cytoskeleton, consisting of microtubules and intermediate filaments, was preserved with each applied concentration of digitonin. High concentrations of digitonin (1.0 mg/ml) produced a corrugated appearance in plasma membranes likely due to the formation of digitonin‐cholesterol complexes. At 1.0 mg/ml digitonin, the Golgi complex became vesicularized, and mitochondria were well extracted and their ultrastructure preserved. Lower concentrations of digitonin (0.1 and 0.2 mg/ml) were less disruptive to both the plasma membrane and the Golgi complex. Mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, coated vesicles, nuclear membrane, and chromatin were well preserved. Extraction with digitonin, at the optimal concentration and perfusion time, simultaneously maintains both the cytoskeleton and membranous organelles inside the cell and provides a method to elucidate the interactions between these two components. Furthermore, digitonin extraction should preserve antigenic sites, thereby allowing the localization of intracellular proteins by backscattered electron imaging of immunogold labels in the scanning electron microscope. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
E-learning content creation is not an easy task, but its evaluation is even more complex. In order to evaluate if the content is adequate to the studentspsila needs, it would be helpful to know how the student assimilated the learning content, how he/she reacted to it and the period of time spent on the learning object. Besides, considering the different cognitive features of learning and the possibility of adjusting the didactic content, it could help teacherpsilas evaluation in an available online course. This work describes a monitoring system (Msys) able to track the level of utilization of studentpsilas activities, and presents summarized and comparative results to the teacher and to the student. This paper describes how the MSys tool was created using current standards on digital content construction, defining functional requirements of interface to its development, presenting a proof-of concept and how it could be integrate to online learning systems, providing benefits to the teacherpsilas evaluation.
The zooplankton diversity was studied in four stations at the Madduvalasa reservoir from June 2014 to May ’15 and forty five species were identified. Among eight groups, the diversity of Rotifera comprises of 17 species (21.37%), Cladocera 8 (16.44%), Copepoda 5 (17.28%), Ostracoda 2 (15.21 %), Protozoa 3 (12.24%), Crustacea 9 (11.26%), Mollusca 1 species (01.60%) respectively along with fish larvae and eggs (04.61%). The monthly and group wise zooplankton density analyzed and found that the number was higher during summer, followed by monsoon and lowest during winter. Key-words: Copepoda, Madduvalasa reservoir, Monthly variation, Rotifera, Zooplankton -------------------------------------------------IJLSSR----------------------------------------------INTRODUCTION Plankton is one of the most favourable food items for many aquatic organisms; almost all the fishes at their larval stages depend on it and some of them exclusively feed on zooplankton. They invariably form an integral component for fresh water communities and contribute to biological productivity [1] . In the last two decades, much attention has been paid in tropical countries towards the study of biology, ecology and toxicology of zooplankton due to their important role in rapidly emerging concepts in environmental management like Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Zooplankton is good indicator of the changes in water quality because they are strongly affected by environmental conditions and respond quickly. The study of zooplankton is necessary to evaluate the fresh water reservoir in respect to their ecological and fishery status . The Zooplankton community fluctuates according to physicochemical parameters of the environment, especially Rotifer species change with biotic factors [3] . Zooplankton is the link between phytoplankton and fish; hence, their qualitative and quantitative studies are of great importance. Access this article online Quick Response Code Website: www.ijlssr.com DOI: 10.21276/ijlssr.2017.3.1.4 MATERIALS AND METHODS Study Area: Sri Gorle Sriramulu Naidu Madduvalasa reservoir is present in the Madduvalasa village of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, India (Fig. 1). Samples were collected from four stations of the above reservoir i.e., S1: Narendra puram, S2: Vangara, S3: Kottisa and S4: Gudivada agraharam. Fig. 1: Madduvalasa reservoir (18° 35' 30''N Latitude and 83° 37' 20'' E longitude) Collection of sample, preservation and identificationZooplankton samples were collected randomly with plankton net (bolting silk mesh size 25μ) on monthly basis from June 2014 to May 15, between 9.00 to 10.00 am. 100 lit of surface water was sieved through the plankton net and transferred to plastic containers and 4% Research Article (Open access) Int. J. Life Sci. Scienti. Res., VOL 3, ISSUE 1 Copyright © 2015-2017| IJLSSR by Society for Scientific Research under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International License Page 772 formalin was added for preservation; density [4] and the diversity of zooplankton was studied by Lackey’s drop count method under light microscope. The total number of zooplankton present in a litre of water sample calculated by using the following formula: N = n × v / V Whereas, N = Total no. of organisms/ lit of water filtered, n = Number of organisms counted in 1 ml of sample, v = Volume of concentrate plankton sample (ml), V= Volume of total water filtered through (L) The systematic identification of plankton was made by using standard keys of various authors . Biodiversity: The statistical calculation on biodiversity of zooplankton was studied using the formula of ShannonWiener diversity index and Menhinick’s index [11-12] which was calculated as follows: 1: Shannon Wiener diversity index Shannon-Wiener index denoted by H = SUM [(pi) × ln(pi)] Whereas, SUM = summation pi = proportion of total sample represented by species i Divide no. of individuals of species i by total number of samples S = number of species = species richness Hmax = ln(S) Maximum diversity possible E = Evenness = H/Hmax 2: Menhinick’s index Menhinick’s index (d1) = S / /N Where, d1 = Menhinick’s index S = total number of species. N = total number of organism (density) RESULTS In the present study, diversity and monthly availability of zooplankton in Madduvalasa reservoir were analyzed and given in Table 1. Forty five species were identified in four stations, which consist of rotifera, cladocera, copepoda, ostracoda, protozoa, crustacea, mollusca along with fish larvae and fish eggs. Table 1: Check list of Zooplankton species at Madduvalasa reservoir, Srikakulam dt. Group Family Species Rotifera Brachionidae Brachionus angularis (Gosse,1851) Brachionus calyciflorus (Pallas, 1766) Brachionus caudatus (Haner, 1937) Brachionus diersicornis (Daday, 1883) Brachionus plicatelis Brachionus quadridentata (Hermann, 1783) Keratella cochlearis (Gosse,1851) Keratella tropica (Apstein, 1907) Lecanidae Lecane lunaris (Ehrenberg,1982) Lacane monostyla (Daday, 1897) Gastropodidae Gastropus minor (Rousselet 1892) Asplanchnidae Ascomorpha ovalis (Begendal, 1892)
Human malignant infantile osteopetrosis (arOP) is a genetically heterogeneous autosomal recessive disorder of bone metabolism. The TCIRG1 gene, encoding the a3 subunit of the vacuolar proton pump, which mediates the acidification of the bone/osteoclast interface, is responsible for more than one‐half of the arOP patients. We performed genetic analysis of TCIRG1 in 55 arOP patients including 25 new cases and identified nine novel mutations. The two most frequent mutations, c.1674–1G>A (aberrant splicing: r.1674_1884del) and c.2005C>T (protein variation: p.Arg669X), found in 17 and 16 alleles, respectively, constituted 30% of all TCIRG1 abnormalities. They both originated in Northern Europe, p.Arg669X quite recently from West Flanders, Belgium. As substitutions in splicing regulatory sequences represented a large portion (40%; 44 alleles) of the TCIRG1 variations, we developed a functional splicing assay to distinguish between polymorphic variants and disease‐causing mutations. Three intronic nucleotide substitutions flanking the splice sites (c.117+4A>T; c.1673+5G>A; and c.504–8G>A) were studied using hybrid minigenes and an abnormal processing of the transcripts was demonstrated in all cases. Cotransfection experiments with complementary U1 snRNAs performed in c.117+4A>T and c.1673+5G>A mutations showed that only in the first case was the defect at the 5′ splice site corrected, indicating that mutations near the invariant GT donor sites are mechanistically different. These findings indicate the feasibility of the hybrid minigene approach to detect splicing defects, particularly in patients in whom the RNA is not available. In addition, the present results suggest that modified U1 snRNAs may represent a new therapeutic strategy for arOP patients with a U1 snRNP‐dependent splicing defect. Hum Mutat 24:225–235, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
THE great economic changes of the past 20 years and the accompanying political upheavals have made it increasingly apparent that we are living in the midst of what may be called an era of profound historical change, the ultimate consequences of which no one can now foresee. It is therefore incumbent upon us as the inheritors and transmitters of civilization to study in as fundamental terms as our intelligence makes possible, the nature of and the reasons for the business, economic, engineering, and political problems and tendencies which are shaping our fortunes and our destinies. Whether our individual activities are devoted to manufacturing, mining, farming, banking, trade, or the professions, we all are vitally affected by current trends and all interested in having a more efficiently functioning economic system.
Ever increasing demand for cloud adoption is prompting researchers and engineers around the world to make cloud computing more efficient and beneficial for cloud service providers and users. Cloud computing brings profits for all when the cloud infrastructure is used efficiently, and its services are made affordable to businesses of all scales. Managing cloud data center incurs a significant cost, which includes investing in IT infrastructure at the beginning and data center management costs for power, repair, space, and so on at later stages. The power costs are contributing to a significant share in overall data center management costs, and saving in power consumption can help reduce management costs for data center owners. This paper proposes an efficient context-aware adaptive heuristic-based solution for the virtual machine (VM) placement optimization in the heterogeneous cloud data centers. The proposed VM placement technique takes into the account of physical machine characteristics and load (peak and non-peak) conditions in the heterogeneous data centers to save power and also improve performance efficiency for data center owners. The experiments conducted with real cloud workloads and also synthetic workloads against a well-known adaptive heuristic-based technique indicate significant performance improvements and energy saving with our proposed solution.
Water tables in the Netherlands have been greatly lowered in recent decades, largely in order to favour agricultural activities. Drought and increased nitrate (NO3-) leaching from agricultural land lead to oxidation of iron-sulphide (FeSx) in the subsoil, resulting in increased sulphate (SO42-) concentrations in the groundwater. In addition, increased atmospheric sulphur (S) deposition and leaching of SO42- from agricultural land have increased SO42- concentrations in the groundwater. Attempts to retain groundwater in desiccated wetlands by simply damming drainage ditches have resulted in greatly increased retention times of the water, die-back of the original vegetation and massive development of algae and lemnids in summer. In order to determine whether stagnation of SO42--rich groundwater plays an important role in eutrophication, nine bottomless enclosures were placed in the sediment of an open water body to block the supply of groundwater. Na2SO4 was added to three enclosures twice a year to simulate a minimised input of SO42--rich groundwater. In addition NaCl was added to three enclosures, while three enclosures were left untreated. (Pore) water quality and vegetation development were compared with those at seepage-fed sites outside the enclosures. The results show that stagnating SO42--rich groundwater led to increased SO42- reduction in the sediment, resulting in phosphate (o-PO43-) mobilisation from the sediment and eutrophication of the water layer, due to the interference of S2- with the iron-phosphorous cycle. This was accompanied by massive growth of common duckweed (Lemna minor) and filamentous algae and a decreased growth of broad-leaved pondweed (Potamogeton natans). The consistently high input of SO(4)2- via seepage did not lead to eutrophication. The results indicated that SO42- reduction rates at sites fed by seepage were very low. This was probably caused by the consistently high input of Fe and NO3- via the groundwater, which prevents reduction of SO42- by providing energetically more favourable electron acceptors. In fens with stagnating groundwater, Fe and NO3- will be rapidly depleted, stimulating SO42- reduction resulting in development of toxic S2- concentrations and eutrophication of the water layer.
Recently, EEG gains much interests due to its applicability for people to communicate directly with computers without detouring motor output. This study was designed to address this issue if EEG can be successfully used to predict limb movement. It was found that ordinary people appeared to show significant difference in brainwaves between right hand (foot) and left hand (foot) movement. Lateral asymmetry was also found to interact significantly with EEG. Further research is urged with refined method to provide more useful insights into EEG-based BCI.
Born out of a concern for the world, this philosophy of artefact makes a case for a particular way of making. It is a search for things which mediate between ourselves and the earth. It is a search for those things which allow us to dwell, for things that anchor our belonging. It is a search for things which are formed from a principle which is a-cultural, a-historical, formed from something deep within us. Moreover it is an explanation; better still a belief about what we are about. I am not going to talk about poetry or literature per se. I will be talking about poetry as the springing point from which I will talk about our works. I will look at the nature of things. The things we make mediate between the earth and ourselves in some way. In each things we make we can read our relationship to the earth, or non-relationship as the case may be in our present alienating world. These things gather the earth and ourselves together and make sense by our willing. For anything to be born into the void, the distance between us and the earth there must be an idea, a thought. We concretise those images in the thing, to be anchored and made real. In creating these things we have the power to bring to the thing values we consider worthwhile. This essay will be a case for those values which allow belonging to occur, which makes dwelling possible. To return to poetry, or rather the poetic let us look at language for a time. In ordinary language we use naming to make the world understandable and precise. We can begin to communicate reality through this naming. Thus language anchors our existence and is tied to the things by this act of naming. Poetry, however, transcends this connection. It brings about meaning through the juxtaposition of different things. It creates its meaning by association and by metaphor (translation), bringing it alive in another way. It becomes a thing in itself. It stands on its own, outside of ordinary language; it mediates between reality and us. It is not tied to a thing as a name is, rather it brings earth and humanity together, it mediates just as a thing does. It becomes a living thing in its own right revealing for us the earth and us to the earth. And so to architecture that is truth; an architecture that echoes and mirrors reality, illuminates its existence and allows for dwelling. In a way this is a search for truth via the artefact. Dwelling depends on belonging which in turn depends on reality and our knowing of it, particularly as truth. I hope to show a way which lies beneath our false constructions to achieve that which has been elusive, a sense of belonging in order that I might find ground upon which I can truly build.
A long-overlooked Mamluk bridge spanning the W?d? al-Hasi (Na?al Shiqma) between Gaza andMajdal (Ashqelon) was built at the behest of Sultan Baybars about 1270, as mentioned by ?Izz al-D?n Ibn Shadd?d in his Ta?r?khal-M?lik al-??hir. It was also noted in a variety of travel accountsspanning the 17th through 19th centuries and it was even photographed in the 1880s. Later itbecame a point of interest during the Great War when it was shelled by the British Navy as partof the Third Battle of Gaza, yet it survived to be repaired. Since it was on an important road evenin 1948, it was destroyed by a unit of Palmach in an attempt to impact infrastructure. The bridgeis one of the smallest of the six known Baybars bridges, yet it fully fits with the technologicalcharacteristics of the other examples.
Gas turbine engine casing accelerometer measurements are dominated by frequencies equal to the rotor speed multiplied by the number of rotor blades in a given stage. It is hypothesized that the casing accelerometer measurements contain information about the blades themselves, including blade position and geometry. The present study investigates the potential of using processed turbine engine fan casing accelerometer measurements to predict changes in the position and geometry of the rotating blades. Computational, analytical, and experimental results show that a statistically detectible change in case vibration occurs in the presence of a single bent or short rotor blade.
The stability of the (100) MoS2 surface has been studied using periodic DFT calculations taking into account various parameters such as the temperature and the partial pressure ratios of H2 and H2S present in the surrounding atmosphere. It appears that the sulfur coverage of the surface is strongly dependent on the H2/H2S ratio and that under working conditions, the most stable surface does not contain any coordinately unsaturated sites (CUS). Direct comparisons with experimental literature data such as EXAFS or TPR measurements show a good agreement between calculations and these experiments. The second part of the study deals with the behavior of hydrogen on the surfaces. The endothermic dissociation always leads to Mo−H and S−H groups. This implies that hydrogen is not stable on the MoS2 surface unless at very high pressure or very low temperature. Furthermore, H2 dissociation on the surface will not lead to the formation of CUS.
The original histomorphological diagnoses in a series of 34 mycotic lesions from 23 patients with haematological malignancies were re‐evaluated by immunohistochemistry. A panel of antibodies was used to identify the agents of aspergillosis, candidosis, fusariosis, scedosporiosis (pseudallescheriosis), and zygomycosis. Apart from improving the diagnosis of aspergillosis, candidosis, and zygomycosis, the application of immunohistochemistry also disclosed three lesions of aspergillosis which had been overlooked during the original screening. It is concluded that the use of immunohistochemistry for the diagnosis of common opportunistic mycoses will not only increase diagnostic specificity, but will also reveal more tissue infections than the conventional histomorphological examination of traditionally stained sections. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This study investigates whether other comprehensive income (OCI) reported in the statement of comprehensive income (one of the main financial statements after the adoption of K-IFRS) predicts a firm’s future performance. Using the quarterly data of Korean listed companies, we examine the association between OCI estimates and future earnings. First of all, we find that OCI is positively associated with earnings in both 1- and 2-quarter ahead, supporting the predictive value of OCI. When we break down OCI into its individual components, our results suggest that the net unrealized gains/losses on available-for-sale (AFS) investment securities are positively associated with future earnings, while the other components (e.g., net unrealized gains/losses on valuation of cash flow hedge derivatives) present insignificant results. In addition, we investigate whether the reliability in OCI estimates enhances the predictive value of OCI to predict future performance. We find that the predictive ability of OCI, in particular the net unrealized gains/losses on available-for-sale (AFS) investment securities, becomes more pronounced when firms are audited by the Big 4 audit firms. Overall, our study suggests that information content embedded in OCI can provide decision-useful information that is helpful for the prediction of future firm performance.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various retainer designs on the characteristics of stress distribution and vertical dislodgment of the denture base. A mandible simulation model of unilateral distal-extension missing teeth (three teeth from the second premolar to the second molar) was used in this study. A conical crown, Akers clasp, and double Akers clasp were used as retainers.The results were as follows:1. The conical crown retained denture produced significantly less stress distribution and vertical dislodgment of the denture base than the two clasp designs.2. The conical crown retained denture produced the most intense stress on the apical and distal surfaces of the most distal abutment, while the double Akers clasp design produced the least stress.3. The Akers clasp design produced less load distribution of the denture base and greater vertical stress of the abutment tooth than the double Akers clasp design.4. The bilateral denture design produced less load distribution of the denture base and greater vertical stress of the abutment tooth.5. On condition of the bilateral denture design including clasps with a proximal plate, stress and load distribution were similar to those of the conical crown retained denture.
The article traces the mission imperatives of the two groups responsible for the establishment and ongoing development of the Anglican Church in New Zealand. Beginning in 1814 with the Church Missionary Society, initially a vulnerable fledgling Anglican missionary presence, the CMS was to impact irrevocably upon indigenous Maori. Theirs was ostensibly a “civilizing” mission. Approximately three decades after the CMS, the colonial Anglican Church arrived replete with its substantial wealth and political patronage. Theirs was indisputably a “colonizing” mission, one that ultimately disenfranchised the CMS and, by implication, those within the Maori church or Te Hahi Mihinare. Beginning around 1984, the Anglican Church attempted to redeem its unjust colonial past by reviving the original promise of gospel-based partnership relationships. This article explores the effect upon the church's mission of using political solutions to resolve historic ecclesial injustices.
To the Editor: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have been becoming the most widely used medications for the management of many acid-associated peptic disorders, such as peptic ulcer and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Although PPIs are considered to be safe for long-term use, one important concern referring to a possible link between PPI-induced hypergastrinemia and gastrointestinal cancers have been raised. PPIs may cause an obvious reduction in gastric acid secretion. This hypochlorhydria leads to a 2 to 6-fold increased secretion of serum gastrin from the G cells in gastric antrum. Gastrin is likely to have growth-promoting effects on the development of colorectal cancer (CRC). But the voices from clinical studies were controversial. The effect of PPIs on the risk of CRC remains unclear so far. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic literature search of following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Search terms included ‘‘proton pump inhibitor (s),’’ ‘‘omeprazole,’’ ‘‘lansoprazole,’’ combined with ‘‘cancer(s),’’ ‘‘neoplasm(s),’’ or ‘‘malignancy (ies).’’ The studies included in this meta-analysis could be either randomized controlled trails (RCTs) or observational studies (case-control or cohort) that evaluated the association between exposure to PPIs and the risk of CRC. Articles were excluded if there was insufficient published data for determining an estimate of odds ratio (OR) and a confidence interval (CI), or if the full text could not be found. Given that quality scoring in meta-analysis of observational studies is controversial, we did not intend to assess the methodologic quality of the primary studies. All data were independently abstracted by 2 reviewers with standardized data abstraction tool. Disagreements in data extraction were resolved by consensus, referring back to the original article. The statistical process was performed according to the guidelines proposed by the Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology group. ORs with 95% CIs were calculated using Review Manager 4.2. Statistical heterogeneity was measured using the Q statistic (P<0.05 was considered representative of significant statistical heterogeneity). The potential for publication bias was assessed by using the Begg rank correlation method and the Egger weighted regression method (P<0.05 was considered representative of statistically significant publication bias). Without RCTs and cohort studies, 4 independent case-control studies met the predefined inclusion criteria. All these 4 studies, including about 100,000 participants, evaluated exposure to PPIs and risk of CRC and were controlled for potential confounding factors (age, sex, body mass index, smoking, H2-receptor antagonist use, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/ aspirin and statin use, etc). PPI use was statistically significantly associated with an increase in the risk of CRC assuming a fixed-effects model (OR=1.37; 95%CI=1.28-1.47), but not statistically significant assuming a random-effects model (OR=1.19; 95% CI=0.90-1.57). When heterogeneity is present (P<0.01), the random-effects model is considered to be more appropriate than a fixed-effects model, resulting in wider intervals and a more conservative estimate of treatment effect. The result showed that PPI use was not significantly associated with an increased risk of CRC. The Begg’s as well as the Egger’s tests revealed no relation between the estimate of OR and study size, existence of an important selection or potential publication bias in our results is unlikely to occur. Nevertheless, there were some limitations to our meta-analysis. RCTs are considered to provide the best evidence on the effects of any intervention. But only 4 case-control studies were found in this meta-analysis and the strength of evidence might be not stronger enough. Further more, most of the studies included in this study had an intervention and follow-up time <5 years, which could be thought as a short period—compared with the latency time for at least 10 years between the initiation and the clinical detection of a cancer. The shorter the follow-up time is, the bigger effect of potential leading time bias is. In summary, the result of our study does not support the hypothesis that PPIs may increase the risk of CRC for a short-term use under usual doses for management of peptic ulcer disease. However, we cannot rule out an increase associated with higher doses of PPIs. Thus, it will be important to continue more high quality studies with longer follow-up time.
ABSTRACT Sightings of killer whales (Orcinus orca) are increasing in the eastern Canadian Arctic, but trends in the western Arctic have not been thoroughly examined. We summarise killer whale observations from the Canadian Beaufort Sea, primarily from traditional ecological knowledge interviews and group workshops conducted in 1993 and 2006–2007. After correcting for duplicative reports, we documented 31 observations occurring from the 1940s to 2000s (18 of the 31 observations could be attributed to a particular decade whereas others could not). Killer whales are rare in the Canadian Beaufort Sea, with only 1–5 reported sightings per decade since the 1940s (median = 3). In 1993 only 15% of Inuvialuit hunters in three communities had observed them, including some sightings in Alaska. Recent mapping workshops (2006–2007) collected only eight sightings from 128 participants in all six regional communities. Local observations indicate no apparent increase in killer whale presence in the western Canadian Arctic. Sightings were widely distributed across the region, although concentrated in the Mackenzie Delta area with few to the east. Killer whales are annually observed as far north as Barrow, Alaska, but do not appear to make regular eastward movements and are rare in Canadian waters.
The logarithmic number systems (LNS) have long been used in arithmetic to simplify processes such as: multiplication to addition, division to subtraction, and powers to multiplication, etc. A difficult problem may arise from the accuracy of conversion during the processing operations and a very large number of product terms should be generated if a look-up table is realized by a ROM. In some cases, it may be impossible to use such a large capacity ROM (say, 2/sup 24//spl times/24) if no partitioned scheme is used. This paper presents a four-partition conversion scheme in order to be implemented by small sized ROMs. It can generate better results and higher speed conversion comparing with previous methods for two- or three-partition schemes. This algorithm can also be used in conversion of antilogarithms.
Using hedonic models, we analyze the effects of proximity and noise on housing prices in neighborhoods near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport during 1995-2002. Proximity to the airport is related positively to housing prices. We address complications caused by changes over time in the levels and geographic distribution of noise and by the fact that noise contours are measured infrequently. A general decline in noise boosted housing prices during 1995-2002. After accounting for proximity, house characteristics, and demographic variables, houses in noisier areas sold for less than houses subjected to less noise. Also, the noise discount is larger during 2000-2002 than 1995-1999.
Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract High-dose radiation exposure results in hematopoietic and gastrointestinal acute radiation syndromes followed by delayed effects of acute radiation exposure, which encompasses multiple organs, including heart, kidney, and lung. Here we sought to further characterize the natural history of radiation-induced heart injury via determination of differential protein and metabolite expression in the heart. We quantitatively profiled the proteome and metabolome of left and right ventricle from non-human primates following 12 Gy partial body irradiation with 2.5% bone marrow sparing over a time period of 3 wk. Global proteome profiling identified more than 2,200 unique proteins, with 220 and 286 in the left and right ventricles, respectively, showing significant responses across at least three time points compared to baseline levels. High-throughput targeted metabolomics analyzed a total of 229 metabolites and metabolite combinations, with 18 and 22 in the left and right ventricles, respectively, showing significant responses compared to baseline levels. Bioinformatic analysis performed on metabolomic and proteomic data revealed pathways related to inflammation, energy metabolism, and myocardial remodeling were dysregulated. Additionally, we observed dysregulation of the retinoid homeostasis pathway, including significant post-radiation decreases in retinoic acid, an active metabolite of vitamin A. Significant differences between left and right ventricles in the pathology of radiation-induced injury were identified. This multi-omic study characterizes the natural history and molecular mechanisms of radiation-induced heart injury in NHP exposed to PBI with minimal bone marrow sparing.
The Virtual Mission Operations Center - Collaborative Environment (VMOC-CE) intent is to have a central access point for all the resources used in a collaborative mission operations environment to assist mission operators in communicating on-site and off-site in the investigation and resolution of anomalies. It is a framework that as a minimum incorporates online chat, realtime file sharing and remote application sharing components in one central location. The use of a collaborative environment in mission operations opens up the possibilities for a central framework for other project members to access and interact with mission operations staff remotely. The goal of the Virtual Mission Operations Center (VMOC) Project is to identify, develop, and infuse technology to enable mission control by on-call personnel in geographically dispersed locations. In order to achieve this goal, the following capabilities are needed: Autonomous mission control systems Automated systems to contact on-call personnel Synthesis and presentation of mission control status and history information Desktop tools for data and situation analysis Secure mechanism for remote collaboration commanding Collaborative environment for remote cooperative work The VMOC-CE is a collaborative environment that facilitates remote cooperative work. It is an application instance of the Virtual System Design Environment (VSDE), developed by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Systems Engineering Services & Advanced Concepts (SESAC) Branch. The VSDE is a web-based portal that includes a knowledge repository and collaborative environment to serve science and engineering teams in product development. It is a "one stop shop" for product design, providing users real-time access to product development data, engineering and management tools, and relevant design specifications and resources through the Internet. The initial focus of the VSDE has been to serve teams working in the early portion of the system/product lifecycle - concept development, proposal preparation, and formulation. The VMOC-CE expands the application of the VSDE into the operations portion of the system lifecycle. It will enable meaningful and real-time collaboration regardless of the geographical distribution of project team members. Team members will be able to interact in satellite operations, specifically for resolving anomalies, through access to a desktop computer and the Internet. Mission Operations Management will be able to participate and monitor up to the minute status of anomalies or other mission operations issues. In this paper we present the VMOC-CE project, system capabilities, and technologies.
Listening is a language skill that assists the students to  comprehend spoken language. However, listening is often neglected at  schools in Indonesia due to the system of school curriculum in which  listening to oral English is the skill least taught at school. As a result,  listening becomes a difficult language skill for the students, especially  vocational school students. There are many factors that students have to  cope with in order to comprehend spoken English. To achieve a certain  level of listening comprehension, students have to master micro and  macro skills as mentioned in Brown’s taxonomy in listening  comprehension.  This study proved that there were four major factors that hindered  students’ ability in listening comprehension: sounds, vocabulary,  grammatical awareness and pragmatic differences. It was concluded that  the main cause of the students’ inability to comprehend spoken language  was micro skills, which happened to the students at low level, especially  recognition of word sounds. Accordingly, micro skills should be  introduced to enrich students’ knowledge of language.
The effect of the inclusion of particulate barriers in point-plane samples of polyester resin is investigated. The increase in lifetime as the particle size was increased is found to be only indirectly related to the particle size. The increase in lifetime is found to be due to a layer of compressive strain at the resin/barrier interface. This strain can be reduced by annealing or by destroying the adhesive bond between particle and resin. A similar discovery had been made with the inclusion of woven fibre barriers having a range of mesh size and thread diameter. When aluminium oxide particles are added to the fabric barriers, the resistance of the fabric to treeing is greatly enhanced. In addition to the improved treeing resistance, the addition of aluminium oxide also increases the thermal conductivity of the insulation, allowing higher equipment ratings to be achieved.
Aims and objectives: We conducted this study to evaluate the role of glutamine supplemented total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in severe acute pancreatitis. Methods: Forty patients with severe acute pancreatitis admitted at Rajendra institute of medical Sciences ,Ranchi, over a period of one year( July 2012 to June 2013) were randomly divided into two therapeutic groups. Patients in group 1( 19 in no) and group 2 (21 in no.) were treated with standard TPN and glutamine supplemented TPN respectively. Patients were assessed for nutritional parameters, the incidence of complications, mortality, length of hospital stay(LOS) and length of TPN. Results: Majority of patients were male in both groups(60 % in group 1 vs. 62% in group 2) and the average age of presentation was also same(41.13+ 4.46 years in group 1 vs.39+3.96 years in group 2). Gall stone was the most common etiological factor followed by alcohol. The incidence of complications in group 1 was much higher(40.25%) than those in group 2 (30%). Mortalities for group 1 and 2 were 15.78 %(3/19) and 9.52%(2/21) respectively. The length of hospital stay in group 1(21.08+2.80days) was longer than those of group 2 (19.33+2.62 days). The length of TPN was alsolonger in group 1 (14.47+2.72 days) than those of group 2 (10.56+2.21 days). Conclusion: Glutamine supplemented TPN did not significantly decrease the mortality or rate of complications but it reduced the number of hospital days admission and duration of TPN. Further studies with large number of patients is needed in Indian setting.
Inteins are protein-splicing domains present in many proteins. They self-catalyze their excision from the host protein, ligating their former flanks by a peptide bond. The C-terminal residue of inteins is typically an asparagine (Asn). Cyclization of this residue to succinimide causes the final detachment of inteins from their hosts. We studied protein-splicing activity of two inteins with atypical C-terminal residues. One having a C-terminal glutamine (Gln), isolated from Chilo iridescent virus (CIV), and another unique intein, first reported here, with a C-terminal aspartate, isolated from Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans (Chy). Protein-splicing activity was examined in the wild-type inteins and in several mutants with N- and C-terminal amino acid substitutions. We demonstrate that both wild-type inteins can protein splice, probably by new variations of the typical protein-splicing mechanism. Substituting the atypical C-terminal residue to the typical Asn retained protein-splicing only in the CIV intein. All diverse C-terminal substitutions in the Chy intein (Asp345 to Asn, Gln, Glu, and Ala) abolished protein-splicing and generated N- and C-terminal cleavage. The observed C-terminal cleavage in the Chy intein ending with Ala cannot be explained by cyclization of this residue. We present and discuss several new models for reactions in the protein-splicing pathway.
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of health loss and health sector economic burdens in high-income countries. Unemployment is associated with increased risk of CVD, and so there is concern that the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic will increase the CVD burden. Aims: This modeling study aimed to quantify health loss, health cost burden and health inequities among people with CVD due to additional unemployment caused by COVID-19 pandemic-related economic disruption in one high-income country: New Zealand (NZ). Methods: We adapted an established and validated multi-state life-table model for CVD in the national NZ population. We modeled indirect effects (ie, higher CVD incidence due to high unemployment rates) for various scenarios of pandemic-related unemployment projections. Results: We estimated the CVD-related heath loss in NZ to range from 23,300 to 36,900 HALYs (health-adjusted life years) for the different unemployment scenarios. Health inequities for M[a]ori (Indigenous population) were 3.7 times greater compared to non-M[a]ori (49.9 vs 13.5 HALYs lost per 1000 people). Conclusions and policy implications: Unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cause significant health loss and health inequities from CVD in this high-income country. Prevention measures should be considered by governments to reduce this risk, including job creation programs and measures directed towards CVD prevention.
Abstract A postal questionnaire was sent to trained and untrained nursing staff working in both locked and community units catering for people with intellectual disabilities who showed challenging behaviour. It was found that there was no difference in the attitude of staff working in locked as compared to community units; however, trained staff had a more positive attitude to their word than untrained staff. The aim of this study was to investigate the variance in attitudes of care staff who work with people with a learning disability and display challenging behaviour in community-based homes and those in secure settings. This study also examines restraints used, its effectiveness and how staffs feel using them, as well as investigates how staff feel when dealing with challenging behaviour and the type and prevalence of injuries among staff working in these environments. A total of 71 participants completed a questionnaire investigating their attitudes towards challenging behaviour. The participants were made up of qualified nurses and nursing assistants working with people with intellectual disabilities who displayed challenging behaviour in both community and secure settings. The questionnaire was quantitative in nature and was made up of a range of questions and a Likert scale which measured staff attitudes. The data show that the qualified staff had a significantly more positive attitude towards people with a learning disability who displayed challenging behaviour than nursing assistants. There was no difference in attitude between staff working in community based placements and those in secure environments. This study also found that nursing assistants were more likely to receive injuries as part of their job role with over 70% of the staff having received such injuries. Just over 31% of the total staff had been injured during the past month between 1 and 4 times. A positive attitude towards to the use of restraints was revealed, with 69% feeling that they were useful and 70% saying that they were important for the safety of others. In conclusion, the study highlights the differences between the qualified and nursing assistants, which suggests that a better package of training made available for nursing assistants would be encouraged so that they have a better understanding of this area. Previous research has highlighted that training in this area improves understanding, and it is these staff who are the main caregivers for this population; thus, it is important that they receive the best care available. Challenging behaviour has been shown to be a large part of their job role, so it is paramount that staff are educated to deal with it appropriately.
In our previous study, we proposed a method for judging whether the user is gazing at a semi-transparent virtual object or real objects behind it in augmented reality environments. This paper shows that the accuracy of our method can be improved by selecting the optimal thresholds for the fixation detection. Fourteen participants experienced a virtual reality environment in which there were a transparent subway map and buildings behind it in the distance of 2 m and 15 m away from each participant, respectively. As a result, the accuracy of our method has achieved 88.3 % and improved by 13.8 percentage points from the previous 74.5 %.
The National Seismic Code of Armenia was in force since 1994. It contained some provisions regarding the seismic isolation of buildings. However, they were not sufficiently detailed, and this caused barriers for further development of seismic isolation systems in Armenia. Elaboration of a separate chapter dedicated to the seismic isolation of buildings was needed. It was only in 2004 that the works on revision and preparation of the new edition of the National Seismic Code started. This became a good opportunity for addressing the issue again. Moreover, the extensive implementation of seismic isolation technologies especially by the private companies provided a good basis for the inclusion of a separate chapter on seismic isolation of buildings in the mentioned new edition of the Code. The proposal was finally accepted by the RA Ministry of Urban Development and for the first time in the history of development of Seismic Codes in Armenia a Chapter 10 “Seismic isolation of buildings and structures” was included in the Armenian National Seismic Code RABC II-6.02-2006 [1] and was adopted by the Government of Armenia in 2006. The main provisions of this Chapter 10, which consisted of five parts, were described by the author earlier in [2]. Later, when the “Map of Seismic Zonation of the RA Territory” was revised, there was a need to also revise the mentioned Code in force including the Chapter 10. This work started in 2019. The author of this paper is the co-author of the revised Code as a whole. However, together with participating in writing of several parts of the Code he, particularly, prepared the latest edition of the Chapter X named “Buildings and Structures with Base isolation Systems”. The works on the revised Code were accomplished in 2020.
Recommended Citation Brancaleone, Matthew P.; Talarcio, Maria K.; Boucher, Laura C.; and Onate, James A. (2019) "Differences in Static postural Control Performance Between Athletes who are Hearing and Athletes who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing," Journal of Sports Medicine and Allied Health Sciences: Official Journal of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association: Vol. 5 : Iss. 1 , Article 1. DOI: 10.25035/jsmahs.05.01.01 Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/jsmahs/vol5/iss1/1
Research has begun to elucidate that persons with mental illness become involved in the criminal justice system as a result of criminality and not merely because of their mental illness. This study aims to clarify the similarities and differences in criminal thinking and psychiatric symptomatology between persons with mental illness who are and are not criminal justice involved. Male and female (n = 94) participants admitted to an acute psychiatric facility completed measures to assess criminal thinking (i.e., Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles and Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified) and psychiatric symptomatology (Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-Third Edition). In addition to the inpatient sample, 94 incarcerated persons with mental illness from a previously conducted study were selected based on their match with the current sample on several key demographic and psychiatric variables. The results of this study indicated that hospitalized persons with mental illness with a history of criminal justice involvement evidenced similar thinking styles to persons with mental illness who were incarcerated. Persons with mental illness without criminal justice involvement evidenced fewer thinking styles supportive of a criminal lifestyle than the incarcerated sample. Furthermore, the persons with mental illness sample with no history of criminal justice involvement showed significantly lower levels of psychopathology shown to be risk factors for criminal justice involvement (e.g., antisocial personality, drug dependence, alcohol dependence). These findings have implications for offender-type classification, development of targeted treatment interventions, and program placement.
Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for fluoroquinolone resist-ance (QR) among ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae causing nosocomial infections. The study was conducted in Laikon General Hospital in Athens, Greece, during the period January 2004 - January 2005. Epidemiological and clinical data were collected from the medical charts of the patients diagnosed with nosocomial infections due to an ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae. QR was 60% among the 84 ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates. Infection from QR-ESBL bacteria was associated with increased hospital stay (p=0.028); QR-ESBL bacteria were isolated later during hospitalization than fluoroquinolone suscep-tible (QS)-ESBL (p=0.089); factors associated with QR were immune-deficiency (p=0.047), previous use of carbapenems (p=0.08) and fluoroquinolones (p=0.067), and admission to the Transplantation Unit (p=0.047). In addition, QR-ESBL bacteria were more likely to be resistant to co-trimoxazole (p<0.001), gentamicin (p=0.054) and tobramycin (p=0.004). Logistic regression analysis indicated that admission to the transplantation unit was an independent risk factor for infection due to a QR-ESBL isolate. Results of this study question ciprofloxacin's usefulness as a valid alternative to carbapenems in our hospital for the treatment of infections due to ESBL-producing bacteria. In addition strategies for addressing the QR-ESBL situation should focus on limiting fluoroquinolone and carbapenem consumption and emphasize on barrier precautions in patients with longer hospitalization, immunosuppression, or admission to the transplantation unit.
Hydroxyapatite (HAP) coatings are applied on metallic implant materials to combine mechanical properties of metallic material with bioactivity abilities of HAP ceramic. In this study, HAP coatings with additions of Si and Mg are proposed to be deposited on Ti6Al4V substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. Chemical bonding, morphology, topography and corrosion resistance in simulated body fluids (SBF) of the coatings were investigated. Additionally, mechanical and biological properties of the coatings were evaluated. It was found that the addition of Si and Mg does not influence the formation of a HAP phase. All the coatings exhibited smooth surface and uniform growth, without defects or cracks. Both hardness and elastic modulus of the coated samples decrease with Mg addition in the HAP-Si structure. Both Mg and Si addition into HAP coatings were found to enhance the corrosion resistance of the Ti6Al4V alloy in the SBF solution. Coatings with low Mg content exhibited better corrosion performance. All the coatings investigated were biocompatible, as demonstrated by SaOS-2 bone cell attachment and growth. However, cell proliferation and morphology were inferior on samples with the highest Mg content.
Robots are expected to play a much more active role in our daily lives in the near future. Since there are large differences in social aspects between short-term interaction in a laboratory and long-term interaction in real life, it is imperative to conduct experiments with a robot that interacts with people every day in their real daily lives to develop such robots in the future. Jijo-2 (Matsui et al., 1997) was developed as an office-conversant robot that informs people where a person is, guides them to a room, and so on. Also, a museum guiding robot (Burgard et al. 1998) has been developed. They both interacted with people on a daily basis, and their interactions were designed to achieve tasks such as providing information about a person, guiding a visitor to a room, or explaining displays. However, communication is not just for achieving tasks but also for building social relationships. For example, when people chat with others, there may be no explicit intention to exchange information; it is just conversation. Although such kinds of interaction without explicit intention might seem unnecessary, we think they increase familiarity which serves as the basis of smooth communication to achieve tasks. This means we will prefer the robot most familiar to us when encountering two robots that are functionally identical. We call such an interaction that increases familiarity and facilitates communication “social interaction.” Our interest is in how to realize such interactions in a robot and what makes an interaction a social one. To investigate these issues it is necessary to perform experiments in daily life environments. For the first step of our research, we have developed a human-sized version of Robovie, Robovie-IV. Robovie-IV features interaction abilities including voice chats, which are intended to be “social interactions.” Using Robovie-IV we conducted an experiment in which it interacted with people in their daily life in our office environment for six months. This chapter is arranged as follows. In Section 2, we discuss how to implement daily interactions between a human and a robot, and then in Section 3 we discuss the requirements for a robot to carry out everyday communication. In Sections 4 and 5 respectively we briefly introduce the hardware and software architecture of Robovie-IV. Section 6 outlines the implementation of the base software for the daily interaction, and
The benefits and efficacy of control programs for herds infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) have been investigated under various contexts. However, most previous research investigated paratuberculosis control programs in isolation, without modeling the potential association with other dairy diseases. This paper evaluated the benefits of MAP control programs when the herd is also affected by mastitis, a common disease causing the largest losses in dairy production. The effect of typically suggested MAP controls were estimated under the assumption that MAP infection increased the rate of clinical mastitis. We evaluated one hundred twenty three control strategies comprising various combinations of testing, culling, and hygiene, and found that the association of paratuberculosis with mastitis alters the ranking of specific MAP control programs, but only slightly alters the cost-effectiveness of particular MAP control components, as measured by the distribution of net present value of a representative U.S. dairy operation. In particular, although testing and culling for MAP resulted in a reduction in MAP incidence, that control led to lower net present value (NPV) per cow. When testing was used, ELISA was more cost-effective than alternative testing regimes, especially if mastitis was explicitly modeled as more likely in MAP-infected animals, but ELISA testing was only significantly associated with higher NPV if mastitis was not included in the model at all. Additional hygiene was associated with a lower NPV per cow, although it lowered MAP prevalence. Overall, the addition of an increased risk of mastitis in MAP-infected animals did not change model recommendations as much as failing to consider mastitis at all.
Plagiarism and cheating have become very serious problems in schools and colleges alike. Cheating can be seen as any action that violates the rules for administering a test. Cheating can take a wide variety of forms and may involve any of the stakeholders in the testing process, including candidates, their teachers, and those responsible for administering the test. Cheats may be motivated by material rewards such as access to life chances or by personal needs such as competitiveness or a lack of self-confidence. Whatever the cause, teachers, examination boards, and their agents clearly have a responsibility to discourage cheating on their tests and to minimise it wherever possible. This chapter argues that cheating directly puts into question the validity of a test. Any single examination score obtained by fraudulent means is not valid; it cannot be interpreted as a fair reflection of a candidate's abilities. Results obtained through cheating have a negative impact on the validity of scores obtained by other candidates. When access to university places or employment opportunities is limited, the candidate who succeeds through fraud denies these opportunities to others. Where cheating is seen to be widespread, even honestly obtained test results may lose credibility and certificates become devalued. The discussion begins by defining the concept of cheating and plagiarism, and examining the context under which they happen and what is at stake. The chapter then looks at the reasons underlying this increasingly widespread phenomenon and explores cultural issues around it, before focusing on psychometric techniques for the detection of cheating in various forms. The chapter ends with a review of the standards for the prevention of cheating, and reports on various measures to control this phenomenon and on the punishment policies put in place as deterrent mechanisms to minimize its impact.      Keywords:    Assessment evaluation;  Assessment methods;  Language teaching;  Statistical analysis
I have always been impressed by the first book of Augustine's Confessions where the writer takes his distance from the classical education he has received during his youthful years.1 Had I to choose, he states, between words as tools of learning how to read and write and words understood as signifiers of distracting fables, I would not hesitate to stress my priorities according to my minimal needs. Literacy is the end-result of the graspable effect of the process of learning; literature, experienced as the distorted and evasive mirror of my responsibility in a universe created by God, is the dangerous itinerary toward dissipation and defeat. What, indeed, should count for the salvation of my soul are not Aeneas' wanderings (errores) I was compelled to learn by heart as they are registered in Virgil's poem, but my own errors; not Dido's death I was witnessing with moved participation, but the death of my soul destroyed by lack of love for the true God.2 And Augustine goes on to observe that the curtains hanging at the entrance of schools where literature is taught are not symbols honoring the secrecy of the poetic world but veils concealing errors ("At enim vela pendent liminibus grammaticarum
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind, yet it is the second leading cause of death from an infection worldwide today. In the absence of epidemiological data, TB in children was not considered significant and research efforts did not prioritise this group. More recently, there has been renewed interest in childhood TB, leading to improved understanding of the fundamental differences between children and adults in relation to both TB infection and disease. Children with TB infection have a high risk of rapid progression to disease which leads to challenges in diagnosis but also offers the opportunity to investigate biomarkers for infection, progression and protection. This review discusses the most relevant advances in the understanding of epidemiology, diagnosis and prevention of children with TB. It also highlights challenges and research priorities in childhood TB, which include better diagnostic tests, accurate correlates of protection and an improved vaccine.
Seasonal and diurnal patterns of NH,+ and NO,- uptake were determined for Lake Kinneret phytoplankton. Nanoplankton generally, but not always, had a higher uptake of NH,+ and NO,than did net plankton. Ammonium was always taken up preferentially and the phytoplankton had lower apparent affinity constants (K,) for this ion than for N03-. However, during the annual dinoflagellate bloom of Peridinium (February-May), when ambient levels of NH,+ were low and those of N03- were high, a considerable portion of the total N flux was derived from NO,-. The observed daily fluctuations of specific uptake rates for both NH;’ and NOJ- can be partially explained by changes in light intensity. The finding that N03- was utilized by the dinoflagellates implies that control of the amounts of this nutrient, which is predominantly supplied from watershed sources, could be important in limiting eutrophication in Lake Kinneret.
Because of current structural problems of criminology in Germany it is worthwhile to look abroad. Therefore, this article contains a brief description of the situation in Great Britain and the work at the Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University. It becomes obvious that criminology in GB is stronger than in Germany. As a consequence, various proposals for the future development of German criminology are derived. These address the relation between criminology and law, flexible faculty structures, continuing education in criminology, criminology outside universities, and the unity of the discipline.
This article presents a qualitative case study of a transnational activist network (TAN) to protect the endangered Grenada Dove that achieved measurable success in the 1990s and then reformed in the 2000s when a planned resort complex and new law allowing the privatization of public lands renewed threats to the dove habitat. Unlike many of the success stories of TAN influence, this case questions the long-term efficacy of TANs engaged in political contestation over biodiversity conservation in small, economically dependent democracies. Findings suggest that when TANs participate directly in political contestation over national development policy, they do amplify the voices of local activists but lose influence and cohesion when engaged in domestic-level political contestation against alliances of elected officials and transnational corporations, especially when powerful and popular politicians, responding to exogenous economic shocks, link their “sustainable” development priorities to foreign direct investment and competitiveness in global markets.
This investigation used a multiple probe design to evaluate the use of a constant time delay procedure in a small group instructional arrangement. Two pairs of two students (i.e., dyads) with moderate mental retardation were taught domestic and vocational chained tasks. Tasks for each dyad were divided so that one student of the dyad was taught the first part of the task, and the other student was taught the second part. Interactions between members of each dyad were specifically prompted so that students delivered both antecedent (i.e., attentional cue) and consequent (i.e., reinforcement) events to their dyad member. Students observed each other learning their respective parts of the task and then were assessed on their ability to perform both parts of the task (i.e., the part taught directly and the part taught to the other member of the dyad). The results indicate that (a) constant time delay was effective in teaching chained tasks in dyads, and (b) all students learned a substantial amount of the tasks that they were not directly taught but that they observed being taught to the other member of their dyad. These findings are discussed in terms of designing effective and efficient instruction for students with moderate handicaps.
10 This study used a multi-dimensional text modeling technique, latent semantic analysis 11 (LSA), to examine questions of authorship within the biblical book Isaiah. The 12 Deutero-Isaiah hypothesis, which cites significant lexical and semantic differences within 13 Isaiah as evidence for tripartite authorship, is well supported among biblical scholars. This 14 quantitative textual analysis explored authorship and contextual semantics of Isaiah through 15 LSA by examining the cosine vector relatedness between and across chapters and proposed 16 authors. Because of the general semantic asymmetry across Isaiah, it is reasonable to 17 conclude that a portion of Isaiah’s semantic change is the result of multiple authorship. 18 Further, our analysis helps demonstrate how statistically focused psycholinguistic work may 19 be used to answer seemingly philosophical or subjective questions in other research fields. 20
Experiments were performed in order to investigate the cellular damage when asbestos particles were added to rat peritoneal macrophages in vitro. At short time after the addition of naked chrysotile, amosite or crocidolite to the cell culture the considerable amounts of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were released into the medium lacking serum and the content of acid soluble nucleotide in the cells decreased. Also C14-leucine incorporation into the cell protein was decreased by the addition of chryso- tile, crocidolite or amosite. Naked crocidolite and amosite decreased the lactic acid production after 24 hr incubation. But, when serum coated chrysotile, crocidolite or amosite were added to the macrophages the lactic dehydrogenase in the medium in- creased in small amount only after more prolonged incubation. Serum coated asbestos had no effect on the lactic acid production and C14-leucine uptake into cell protein of macrophages in the medium lacking serum, nor naked asbestos had any effect in the medium containing serum.
FIGURE. Two-dimensional echocardiography. Parasternal short-axis view shows dilated left coronary artery ostium (10 mm; Z score >10) (arrow). A n 18-month-old boy presented with history of 1 episode of generalized tonic-clonic seizure and loss of consciousness lasting for 5 minutes, 2 hours prior to the presentation. He also had highgrade fever, up to 102°F for the past 2 days. At presentation, he was playful, active, and without any postictal drowsiness, meningeal signs, or focal deficit. Systemic examination was unremarkable. Investigation revealed normocytic, normochromic anemia (hemoglobin 8.7 g/dL), thrombocytosis (platelet count 684,000/μL), normal leukocyte count (6700/μL), and normal blood sugar and electrolytes. Even after 48 hours, high-grade fever persisted without any definite clinical focus, except faint erythematous macular rash on trunk and extremities. He had elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (55 mm in the first hour) and C-reactive protein (190 mg/dL). His serum procalcitonin, urine examination, blood culture, cerebrospinal fluid examination, and cranial imaging were normal.Workup for other etiologies of fever including malaria, rickettsia, and enteric fever were noncontributory. He was started on intravenous ceftriaxone. He continued to have fever on day 10 of the illness. Kawasaki disease (KD) was suspected in view of fever with rash and thrombocytosis and lasting more than 5 days and nonresponsiveness to intravenous antibiotics. His serum triglyceride level was high (284mg/dL) and 2-dimensional echocardiography showed dilated left coronary artery ostium with normal ejection fraction (Fig.). He was started on intravenous immunoglobulin (2 g/kg over 48 hours) along with oral aspirin. He became afebrile after 2 days of intravenous immunoglobulin. Neurological complications in KD are rare, and aseptic meningoencephalitis is the most commonly reported complication. However, febrile seizurewithout any evidence of meningoencephalitis as presenting symptom inKD is extremely rare. In a large series, neurological complications were found in only 6 (1.1%) of 540 cases. Of these 6 children, 4 had lower motor neuron facial palsy, and 2 had aseptic meningoencephalitis. Of 217 KD patients at Nishi-Kobe Medical Centre in Japan, studied between 1994 and 2004, only 1 child (0.46%) had febrile seizure. Three other clinical studies in Japan included 155, 540, and 177 children, and only 1 study found a single case of febrile seizure in a 5-year-old boy. Meta-analysis of all these studies estimated a very low incidence (0.18%) of febrile seizure in KD. This incidence is unexpectedly low, compared with incidence of febrile seizure in general population of children younger than 5 years. On the other hand, Yoshikawa and Abe found that 2 of 177 children with KD had seizures, but both of them had aseptic meningitis. Similar findings were demonstrated in another clinical study, which reviewed seizure characteristics of 7 children with KD. Five of 7 patients had seizure clustering, 4 had
We have investigated the crystal structure of Ca(BD4)2 by combined synchrotron radiation X-ray powder diffraction, neutron powder diffraction, and ab initio calculations. Ca(BD4)2 shows a variety of structures depending on the synthesis and temperature of the samples. An unknown tetragonal crystal of Ca(BD4)2, the beta phase has been solved from diffraction data measured at 480 K on a sample synthesized by solid-gas mechanochemical reaction by using MgB2 as starting material. Above 400 K, this sample has the particularity to be almost completely into the beta phase of Ca(BD4)2. Seven tetragonal structure candidates gave similar fit of the experimental data. However, combined experimental and ab initio calculations have shown that the best description of the structure is with the space group P4(2)/m based on appropriate size/geometry of the (BD4)tetrahedra, the lowest calculated formation energy, and real positive vibrational energy, indicating a stable structure. At room temperature, this sample consists mainly of the previously reported alpha phase with space group Fddd. In the diffraction data, we have identified weak peaks of a hitherto unsolved structure of an orthorombic gamma phase of Ca(BD4)2. To properly fit the diffraction data used to solve and refine the structure of the beta phase, a preliminary structural model of the gamma phase was used. A second set of diffraction data on a sample synthesized by wet chemical method, where the gamma phase is present in significant amount, allowed us to index this phase and determine the preliminary model with space group Pbca. Ab initio calculations provide formation energies of the alpha phase and beta phase of the same order of magnitude (delta H < or = 0.15 eV). This indicates the possibility of coexistence of these phases at the same thermodynamical conditions.
The Centre for International Finance and Regulation and UNSW Australia jointly funded this research under CIFR Project T20. The Centre for International Finance and Regulation is funded by the Commonwealth and NSW Governments and is supported by other Consortium members. The research question for this project was ‘What are the optimal competition law and policy settings that should apply to the financial services sector?’The research question was driven by two Australian Government inquiries which will affect competition policy in the financial services sector: the Financial System Inquiry chaired by David Murray and the Competition Policy Review, chaired by Professor Ian Harper.The project has three objectives. The first is to investigate the nature of competition in certain sectors of the financial markets. Meeting this objective will provide Australian evidence on which decisions as to the competitive settings in the sector can, or should be, adjusted.The second is to consider the mechanisms by which competition in the financial services sector can be promoted. This includes an analysis of the approaches used on an international basis for the promotion of competition in financial services. Meeting this objective will provide evidence on which decisions as to allocation of responsibility for promoting competition can be made. The third is to consider the sector-specific competition settings in the financial sector, including the balance between competition and stability. As the global financial crisis did not provide Australia with direct experience of the practical limitations of this balance, the work investigates theoretical approaches and international experience. Meeting this objective will provide evidence for appropriate policy settings if there are to be any sector-specific competition policy exemptions.Research.
In this study, differences in the protein content and functional and physicochemical properties of four varieties of egg white (EW) were studied by adding 4–10% sucrose or NaCl and then heating them at 70 °C for 3 min. According to a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, the percentages of ovalbumin, lysozyme and ovotransferrin rose with an increase in the NaCl or sucrose concentration; however, the percentages of ovomucin and ovomucoid decreased. Furthermore, the foaming properties, gel properties, particle size, α-helixes, β-sheets, sulfhydryl groups and disulfide bond content also increased, whereas the content of β-turns and random coils decreased. In addition, the total soluble protein content and functional and physicochemical properties of black bone (BB) chicken and Gu-shi (GS) EWs were higher than those of Hy-Line brown (HY-LINE) and Harbin White (HW) Ews (p < 0.05). Subsequently, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the changes in the EW protein structure in the four varieties of Ews. As the aggregations increased, the functional and physicochemical properties decreased. The protein content and functional and physicochemical properties of Ews after heating were correlated with the concentration of NaCl and sucrose and the EW varieties.
A design system of GaAs standard cell LSIs using 0.5- mu m MESFETs is presented. This design system is intended to be used to design LSIs whose operating speed is from several hundred MHz to several GHz. A basic gate is DCFL (direct coupled FET logic), and the delay time is less than 25 ps. The library includes 40 cells and 8 I/O buffers which are designed to be compatible with ECL 10 K, TTL (transistor-transistor logic), CMOS, and GaAs. Using this design system, an LSI was fabricated, and its performance was evaluated. The results of the evaluation show that the error in postlayout simulation is under 10%.<<ETX>>
This work investigates the use of oxygen plasma (O2) treatment, applied as an inductively coupled plasma, to control the thickness and work function of a MoS2 layer. Plasma-etched MoS2 exhibited a surface roughness similar to that of the pristine MoS2. The MoS2 field effect transistors fabricated using the plasma-etched MoS2 displayed a higher n-type doping concentration than that of pristine MoS2. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to analyze chemical composition to demonstrate the minimum level of chemical reactions occurred upon plasma treatment. Moreover, Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements were conducted to probe the changes in the work function that could be attributed to the changes in the surface potential. The measured work functions suggest the modification of a band structure and n-doping effect after plasma treatments that depended on the number of MoS2 layers. This study suggests that the O2 plasma can control the layer number of the MoS2 as well as the electronic properties of a MoS2 film.
Crime in Literature addresses the issues of crime and crime control through the reading of several classical literary works. It is not a work of literary criticism, but a book written by a sociologist who reads fiction sociologically.    Vincenzo Ruggiero's wide-ranging study takes in several authors, including Hugo, Dostoevsky, Camus, Cervantes, Mann and Zola, and addresses themes such as organized crime, the links between crime and drugs, political and administrative corruption, concepts of deviancy, and the criminal justice process.    Ruggiero recounts Alessandro Manzoni's La colonna infame, drawing provocative parallels between the way the authorities in Milan dealt with the devastating plague of 1630 and the ways in which contemporary law incessantly seeks new “plague spreaders” in order to legitimize its own operations.    Accessible to the general reader, Crime in Literature offers an original and thought-provoking survey that will be of interest to sociologists and criminologists as well as cultural and literary theorists.
BACKGROUND Bronchial hyperresponsiveness, a risk factor for asthma, consists of a heightened bronchoconstrictor response to a variety of stimuli. The condition has a heritable component and is closely related to serum IgE levels and airway inflammation. The basis for these relations is unknown, as is the mechanism of genetic susceptibility to bronchial hyperresponsiveness. We attempted to define the interrelation between atopy and bronchial hyperresponsiveness and to investigate the chromosomal location of this component of asthma.   METHODS We studied 303 children and grandchildren of 84 probands with asthma selected from a homogeneous population in the Netherlands. Ventilatory function, bronchial responsiveness to histamine, and serum total IgE were measured. The association between the last two variables was evaluated. Using analyses involving pairs of siblings, we tested for linkage between bronchial hyperresponsiveness and genetic markers on chromosome 5q31-q33, previously shown to be linked to a genetic locus regulating serum total IgE levels.   RESULTS Serum total IgE levels were strongly correlated (r = 0.65, P < 0.01) in pairs of siblings concordant for bronchial hyperresponsiveness (defined as a > or = 20 percent decrease in the forced expiratory volume in one second produced by histamine [threshold dose, < or = 16 mg per milliliter]), suggesting that these traits are coinherited. However, bronchial hyperresponsiveness was not correlated with serum IgE levels (r = 0.04, P > 0.10). Analyses of pairs of siblings showed linkage of bronchial hyperresponsiveness with several genetic markers on chromosome 5q, including D5S436 (P < 0.001 for a histamine threshold value of < or = 16 mg per milliliter).   CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that a trait for an elevated level of serum total IgE is coinherited with a trait for bronchial hyperresponsiveness and that a gene governing bronchial hyperresponsiveness is located near a major locus that regulates serum IgE levels on chromosome 5q. These findings are consistent with the existence of one or more genes on chromosome 5q31-q33 causing susceptibility to asthma.
The two components of the force acting on a clean almost spherical bubble rising near a plane vertical wall in a quiescent liquid are determined experimentally. This is achieved by using an apparatus in which a CCD camera and a microscope follow the rising bubble. This apparatus allows us to measure accurately the bubble radius, rise speed and distance between the bubble and the wall. Thereby the drag and lift components of the hydrodynamic force are determined for Reynolds numbers Re (based on bubble diameter, rise velocity U, and kinematic viscosity ν) less than 40. The results show the existence of two different regimes, according to the value of the dimensionless separation L* defined as the ratio between the distance from the bubble centre to the wall and the viscous length scale ν/U. When L* is O(1) or more, experimental results corresponding to Reynolds numbers up to unity are found to be in good agreement with an analytical solution obtained in the Oseen approximation by adapting the calculation of Vasseur & Cox (1977) to the case of an inviscid bubble. When L* is o(1), higher-order effects not taken into account in previous analytical investigations become important and measurements show that the deformation of the bubble is significant when the viscosity of the surrounding liquid is large enough. In this regime, experimental results for the drag force and shape of the bubble are found to agree well with recent theoretical predictions obtained by Magnaudet, Takagi & Legendre (2002) but the measured lift force tends to exceed the prediction as the separation decreases.
In this note, we give a simple 2 approximation for the active time problem - we are given a set of pre-emptible jobs, each with an integral release time, deadline and required processing length. The jobs need to be scheduled on a machine that can process at most g distinct job units at any given integral time slot, in such a way that we minimize the time the machine is on i.e the active time. Our algorithm matches the state of the art bound obtained by a significantly more involved LP rounding scheme.
The study was designed to investigate the antioxidant and antitoxicological potential of                    Sesamum indicum Linn seed (benni seed) oil on hypercholesterolemic rat. Albino rats weighing between 120-130 g were divided into two groups, group 1, was fed with normal rat diet(normal control), groups 2 was fed 1% cholesterol and 20% soya bean oil for 3 weeks to induce hypercholesterolemic state. Group 2 was later divided into groups 2, 3 and 4, group 2 was untreated, groups 3 and 4 were later fed with 5% and 10% Sesamum indicum L. seed oil incorporated in normal rat diet for another 6 weeks respectively. Significant (P<0.05) increase in lipid peroxidation (TBARs) and reduction in superoxide dismutate (SOD) and catalase (CAT) was observed in the liver of the hypercholesterolemic rats as compared to the normal control. At the same time, the oxidative stress causes significant (P<0.05) increase in serum level of Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) of hypercholesterolemic rats.  Administering Sesamum indicum Linn seed oil significantly reduced (P<0.05), serum ALT, AST, ALP and lipid peroxidation, elevated the level of SOD and CAT in the liver of Sesamum oil treated hypercholesterolemic rats.  These findings indicate that Sesamum indicum Linn seed oil show possible prevention of hepatic stress by high cholesterol and free radical mediated oxidative stress in cells of experimental hypercholesterolemic rats.
By use of nuclear-γ-ray-resonance spectroscopy (NGRS), we have investigated the structure and dynamic and electronic properties of impurity states localized in the grain-boundary (GB) core and regions of nanometer-sized-polycrystalline palladium adjacent to it. It is shown that during diffusive introduction of 57 Co into nanometer-sized-polycrystalline Pd, the atomic probes populate two discrete states: substitutional sites in the Pd lattice and interstitial-like positions in the GB core
We consider symmetron model in a generalized background with a hope to make it compatible with dark energy. We observe a ``no go'' theorem at least in case of a conformal coupling. Being convinced of symmetron incapability to be dark energy, we try to retain its role for spontaneous symmetry breaking and assign the role of dark energy either to standard quintessence or F(R) theory which are switched on by symmetron field in the symmetry broken phase. The scenario reduces to standard Einstein gravity in the high density region. After the phase transition generated by symmetron field, either the F(R) gravity or the standard quintessence are induced in the low density region. we demonstrate that local gravity constraints and other requirements are satisfied although the model could generate the late-time acceleration of Universe.
Control of sexually transmitted infection (STI) remains challenging in most regions; Latin America (LA) is no exception. The Latin American and Caribbean Association for the Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections (ALAC-ITS)1 implemented a survey to collect information on STI programmes in the region.  This paper highlights some important sexual behavioural trends from recently published literature and presents key results of the survey of STI programmes, identifying weaknesses, strengths and opportunities for STI control in LA.  ALAC-ITS developed a survey to assess reporting, epidemiology and organisational aspects of STI programmes. The survey was distributed in November 2007 by email to the directors of the national STI programmes in 20 ALAC-ITS member countries. The following 19 countries returned the survey: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela. Haiti did not respond. The data analysed were shared and validated at a meeting in March 2008, with representatives from 18 national STI programmes, ALAC-ITS, and international agencies. In addition, we have updated information on some countries with data from the national STI programmes and ALAC-ITS members. Data related to syphilis have been published.2 We have complemented the data presented with literature review.  ### Sexual behaviour in LA  A recent analysis of sexual behaviour around the world revealed that age at first sexual intercourse in LA varies from a median of 16.5 to 17.5 years for men and 15.5 to 17.5 years for women.3 …
SUMMARY    Apple latent viruses were eliminated from, the tips of apple shoots by exposure to a temperature of 36 °C for various periods. The length of treatment needed to eliminate a particular virus differed from plant to plant, but viruses were always inactivated in the same order: first chlorotic leaf spot, followed by stem pitting and finally Spy decline. Quince plants developed sooty ring-spot and bark necrosis when inoculated with buds from some heat-treated apple clones infected with Spy decline virus. Only chlorotic leaf spot virus was transmitted to herbaceous hosts by sap extracts from apple leaves, petals and fruits, and returned from herbaceous plants to apple. This virus, isolated from either apple or cherry, caused a dark green mottle on peach leaves.
Can you tell us something about the conditions under which you made your film: time, material means, financial means, personnel, etc.? Since our goal was to create a cinema not conditioned by the system, a free cinema, a decolonized cinema, a class cinema, a militant cinema involved ideologically and politically in and for the revolution, we had to provide for ourselves the economic resources, the means of production that would permit us to make a film just as freely as a writer producing an ideological essay. With the major difference that a writer, when he writes, doesn't have to lay out much money, whereas the film-maker is profoundly tied to the economic conditions of his work.
Objective: To review the potential for diagnostic difficulties and overlap in a number of symptoms of somatoform disorders and symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol and drugs, and to review epidemiologic, family, and clinical studies addressing comorbidity between somatoform and substance use disorders. The comorbidity between somatoform disorders and substance use disorders has rarely been studied. Methods: Symptoms of somatoform disorders and substance withdrawal were compared. A PubMed-based literature review was conducted. Results: Somatoform and withdrawal symptoms overlap considerably. Few studies, however, have addressed comorbidity between somatoform and substance use disorders. Although results are inconsistent, a number of studies suggest that an association exists. Conclusion: More research on this type of comorbidity is warranted because the associations may be stronger than generally assumed. Such research should address methodological problems to produce studies with clearer findings. ECA = Epidemiologic Catchment Area; USD = undifferentiated somatoform disorder; SSI = Somatic Symptom Index; SSI4,6 = Somatic Symptom Index, 4 symptoms (men) and 6 symptoms (women).
Background Surveillance of the clinical morbidity of malaria remains key for disease monitoring for subsequent development of appropriate interventions. This case study presents the current status of malaria morbidities following a second round of mass distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) on Ukerewe Island, northwestern Tanzania. Methods A retrospective review of health-facility registers to determine causes of inpatient morbidities for every admitted child aged <5 years was conducted to ascertain the contribution of malaria before and after distribution of LLINs. This review was conducted from August 2016 to July 2018 in three selected health facilities. To determine the trend of malaria admissions in the selected facilities, additional retrospective collection of all malaria and other causes of admission was conducted for both <5- and >5-year-old patients from July 2014 to June 2018. For comparison purposes, monthly admissions of malaria and other causes from all health facilities in the district were also collected. Moreover, an LLIN-coverage study was conducted among randomly selected households (n=684). Results Between August 2016 and July 2018, malaria was the leading cause of inpatient morbidity, accounting for 44.1% and 20.3% among patients <5 and >5 years old, respectively. Between October 2017 and January 2018, the mean number of admissions of patients aged <5 years increased 2.7-fold at one health center and 1.02-fold for all admissions in the district. Additionally, approximately half the households in the study area had poor of LLIN coverage 1 year after mass distribution. Conclusion This trend analysis of inpatient morbidities among children aged <5 years revealed an upsurge in malaria admissions in some health facilities in the district, despite LLIN intervention. This suggests the occurrence of an unnoticed outbreak of malaria admissions in all health facilities.
In nature, fruit, vegetable, leaves, flowers and algae contain several dyes which can be easily extracted and employed in dye sensitized photoelectrochemical cells. In this contribution, the most significant advances made in the search for efficient and convenient natural sensitizers are reported through meaningful examples and case studies.   To date, selected chlorophyll derivatives, raw anthocyanine and betalain extracts are the most successful natural sensitizers, resulting in the generation of monochromatic photon to current conversion yields exceeding 60%. Maximum overall conversion efficiencies above 2% under simulated sunlight have been achieved, which is comparable to that of natural photosynthesis. Finding appropriate additives for improving VOC without causing dye degradation might result in a further enhancement of cell performance, making the practical application of such systems more suitable to economically viable solar energy devices for our society.
To perform computationally efficient concurrent multiscale simulations of biological macromolecules in solution, where the all-atom (AT) models are coupled to supramolecular coarse-grained (SCG) solvent models, previous studies resorted to modified AT water models, such as the bundled-simple point charge (SPC) models, that use semiharmonic springs to restrict the relative movement of water molecules within a cluster. Those models can have a significant impact on the simulated biomolecules and can lead, for example, to a partial unfolding of a protein. In this work, we employ the recently developed alternative approach with a dynamical clustering algorithm, SWINGER, which enables a direct coupling of original unmodified AT and SCG water models. We perform an adaptive resolution molecular dynamics simulation of a Trp-Cage miniprotein in multiscale water, where the standard SPC water model is interfaced with the widely used MARTINI SCG model, and demonstrate that, compared to the corresponding full-blown AT simulations, the structural and dynamic properties of the solvated protein and surrounding solvent are well reproduced by our approach.
There does not appear to be any evidence that other GP phthalates pose higher-level risk than DEHP. There is evidence that a very significant fraction of GP phthalate production capacity is devoted to turning out products which may have about the same carcinogenic potency as DEHP, and that another significant fraction of that capacity is devoted to turning out products with less potency. Public and private risk control choice takers considering this family of products need to be aware of this evidence, its limitations, and the means for upgrading certainty.
Castleman's disease of the hyaline vascular subtype is an uncommon lesion; experience with fine‐needle aspiration (FNA) of this tumor is limited to rare case reports. We describe the cytologic, flow cytometric, and immunohistochemical findings in two cases initially sampled by FNA. Two females, aged 40 and 26 yr, were found incidentally to have an oropharyngeal and a mediastinal mass, respectively. Neither complained of systemic symptoms, and both had a normal routine laboratory workup. FNA followed by surgical excision in both cases was consistent with Castleman's disease of the hyaline vascular type. In the appropriate clinical context, a mature small lymphoid population associated with larger atypical cells, which are consistent with follicular dendritic cells, can be suggestive of Castleman's disease. Confirmation of a polytypic B‐cell population by flow cytometry, supported by immunohistochemistry, is very helpful. However, definitive distinction from Hodgkin's lymphoma on FNA is probably not possible. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;21:57–60. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Accountability is a very important topic for computer and networking systems. It helps to answer questions such as, “What happened?” and, “Who did it?” These two questions are also related to forensics; however, forensics normally tries to answer these questions by adding some human factors (such as a guess or an instinct due to missing evidence, as well as human involvements) under the available system. Accountability, on the other hand, can only be achieved by significantly improving the current system with the result that forensics becomes trivial in an accountable system. Furthermore, each entity in the system must be held responsible for its activities. In order to provide accountability, a better logging system is necessary so that not only their activities but also their relationships may be captured. To this end, our previous work proposed a novel logging mechanism, flow-net methodology, for accountability. In this paper, we extend the flow-net methodology and present its design and implementation in wireless networks. We also evaluate the performance of flow-net and compare it with that of audit log files. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Abstract. Heat waves are among natural hazards with the most severe consequences for human society, including pronounced mortality impacts in mid-latitudes. Recent studies have hypothesized that the enhanced persistence of atmospheric circulation may affect surface climatic extremes, mainly the frequency and severity of heat waves. In this paper we examine relationships between the persistence of the Hess-Brezowsky circulation types conducive to summer heat waves and air temperature anomalies at stations over most of the European continent. We also evaluate differences between temperature anomalies during late and early stages of warm circulation types in all seasons. Results show that more persistent circulation patterns tend to enhance the severity of heat waves and support more pronounced temperature anomalies. Recent sharply rising trends in positive temperature extremes over Europe may be related to the greater persistence of the circulation types, and if similar changes towards enhanced persistence affect other mid-latitudinal regions, analogous consequences and implications for temperature extremes may be expected.
A detailed study on the changes in aerosol phys- ical and optical properties during fog events were made in December 2004 at Hissar (29.13 N, 75.70 E), a city located in the Indo-Gangetic basin. The visible aerosol optical depth was relatively low (0.3) during the initial days, which, how- ever, increased (0.86) as the month progressed. The increas- ing aerosol amount, the decreasing surface temperature and a higher relative humidity condition were found favoring the formation of fog. The fog event is also found to alter the aerosol size distribution. An increase in the number con- centration of the nucleation mode (radius<0.1µm) particles, along with a decrease in the mode radius showed the for- mation of freshly nucleated aerosols. In the case of accu- mulation mode (0.1µm<radius<1.0µm) an increase in the mode radius was observed showing the hygroscopic and co- agulation growth of particles. The observed aerosol optical depth spectra are model fitted to infer the aerosol components which are further used to compute the aerosol radiative forc- ing. The top of the atmosphere forcing is found to increase during foggy days due to large backscattering of radiation back to space. It is also shown that during foggy days, as the day progresses the RH value decreases, which reduces the forcing value while the increasing solar elevation increases the forcing value. Thus the fog event which prolongs longer into the daytime has a stronger effect on the diurnally av- eraged aerosol radiative forcing than those events which are confined only to the early morning hours.
In this paper an attempt to determine the relationship between the electrical resistivity and the tensile strength and hardness of cast iron of carbon equivalent in the range from 3.93% to 4.48%. Tests were performed on the gray cast iron for 12 different melts with different chemical composition. From one melt poured 6 samples. Based on the study of mechanical and electro-resistive determined variation characteristics of tensile strength, hardness and resistivity as a function of the carbon equivalent. Then, regression equations were developed as power functions describing the relationship between the resistivity of castings and their tensile strength and hardness. It was found a high level of regression equations to measuring points, particularly with regard to the relationship Rm=f(ρ). The obtained preliminary results indicate the possibility of application of the method of the resistance to rapid diagnostic casts on the production line, when we are dealing with repeatable production, in this case non variable geometry of the product for which it has been determinated before a regression equation.
Measuring the interfacial stress between robots and objects is a prerequisite for robots to finish complicated works. In general, the interfacial stress is the 3-D interfacial stress which not only couple with the vertical normal interfacial stress but also the parallel shear interfacial stress. It is very important to develop a method to decouple the 3-D interfacial stress. This paper presents a measurement method that was able to decouple the measurement of the 3-D interfacial stress components. To implement the method, a 3-D interfacial stress sensor was fabricated based on graphene foams and superelastic materials. A high-resolution multichannel resistance measurement circuit was developed, and experiments were carried out with 3-D stress simulation equipment. The results showed that the sensor was capable of measuring z-direction normal stress at a range of 0–21 kPa with a sensitivity of 0.029 kPa−1 and x- and y-direction shear stresses at a range of 0–12.5 kPa with sensitivities of 0.020, 0.019, 0.018, and 0.019 kPa−1, and the measurement circuit was capable of measuring a range of  $100 , , Omega -100 , , textsf {M} Omega $  with a resolution of 1%. This method can be utilized in robots to decouple the measurement of the 3-D interfacial stress components.
In the biorefining process, polyols are important intermediates, and the oxidation of polyols toward other value added products is of great significance. This work describes a green and facile biosynthesis method for the preparation of Ag/ZrO2 catalyst for selective oxidation of 1,2-propanediol (a typical polyol). Cinnamomum comphora (CC) leaf extract was employed as the reducing and capping agent for the preparation of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) with the assistance of microwave irradiation. The main reducing agents were identified as polyphenols by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis of CC extracts before and after reaction. After electrostatic adsorption, the NPs were anchored onto the support ZrO2. The Ag/ZrO2 catalysts were found with good dispersity and showed excellent activity toward selective oxidation of 1,2-propanediol. The effects of the preparation conditions on catalyst activity were studied; the optimal condition was obtained (microwave time of 4 min, CC concentration of 12 g/L and...
In pancreatic β-cells, the predominant voltage-gated Ca2+ channel (CaV1.2) and K+ channel (KV2.1) are directly coupled to SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein (SNAP) receptor) proteins. These SNARE proteins modulate channel expression and gating and closely associate these channels with the insulin secretory vesicles. We show that KV2.1 and CaV1.2, but not KV1.4, SUR1, or Kir6.2, target to specialized cholesterol-rich lipid raft domains on β-cell plasma membranes. Similarly, the SNARE proteins syntaxin 1A, SNAP-25, and VAMP-2, but not Munc-13-1 or n-Sec1, are associated with lipid rafts. Disruption of the lipid rafts by depleting membrane cholesterol with methyl-β-cyclodextrin shunts KV2.1, CaV1.2, and SNARE proteins out of lipid rafts. Furthermore, methyl-β-cyclodextrin inhibits KV2.1 but not CaV1.2 channel activity and enhances single-cell exocytic events and insulin secretion. Membrane compartmentalization of ion channels and SNARE proteins in lipid rafts may be critical for the temporal and spatial coordination of insulin release, forming what has been described as the excitosome complex.
Container-based virtualization has gradually become a main solution in today‘s cloud computing environments. Detecting and analyzing anomaly in containers present a major challenge for cloud vendors and users. This paper proposes an online container anomaly detection system by monitoring and analyzing multidimensional resource metrics of the containers based on the optimized isolation forest algorithm. To improve the detection accuracy, it assigns each resource metric a weight and changes the random feature selection in the isolation forest algorithm to the weighted feature selection according to the resource bias of the container. In addition, it can identify abnormal resource metrics and automatically adjust the monitoring period to reduce the monitoring delay and system overhead. Moreover, it can locate the cause of the anomalies via analyzing and exploring the container log. The experimental results demonstrate the performance and efficiency of the system on detecting the typical anomalies in containers in both simulated and real cloud environments.
The common digital fingerprinting encryption algorithm has problems such as the code character is too long and the calculation is complicated, etc. Besides, the fingerprints generated are mostly meaningless binary sequence with bad intuition and no practical value. In this paper, a new type of digital fingerprinting encryption algorithm based on QR code is put forward, and experiments prove that this algorithm has sound resistivity to conspiracy attack and could trace the conspiracy user effectively.
Of 12 adult patients with high‐grade soft tissue sarcoma receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and at risk for 36–84 months, 9 (75%) remain metastasis free and 10 (83%) have adequate local disease control with limb preservation. This is significantly better (P > 0.015) than a comparable “historic” control of 48 previously treated patients. The results correlate well with the few similar studies reported.
Background: Soil transmitted helminths (STH) remain a global public health concern in spite of occasional dosing campaigns. Aims: To determine baseline prevalence and intensity of STH infection in east Guatemalan school children, and describe the associated epidemiology of anemia, stunting, and wasting in this population. Setting and design: Ten schools in Izabal province (eastern Guatemala) were identified, and 1,001 school children were selected for this study. Half of the schools were used as clinical testing sites (blood and stool). Materials and Methods: Anthropometric measures were collected from all children. Over 300 children were tested for anemia and 229 for helminth infection. Ova and parasite specimens were examined via Direct, Kato Katz, and McMaster techniques. Hemoglobin was measured from venipuncture following the hemacue system. Statistical analysis: Correlation between infection intensities and growth indicators were examined. Chi Square or t tests were used for bivariate analysis. Multiple logistic regression was performed on significant variables from bivariate techniques. Results: Over two-thirds of school children were positive for infection by any STH. Prevalence of Hookworm was 30%; Ascaris, 52%; and Trichuris, 39%, most as low-intensity infection. Over half of the children were co-infected. In bivariate analysis, anemia was significantly associated with polyparasitism. Conclusions: For a Guatemalan child who experiences a unit decrease in hemoglobin, one expects to see a 24% increase in the odds of being infected with STH, controlling for age, sex, lake proximity, and growth characteristics. Infection with more than one STH, despite low intensity, led to a significant decrease in hemoglobin.
Recent studies have shown that streamer growth in condensed matter is related to the occurrence of electrical and light pulses. These pulses are actually the same as those referred to as partial discharges. Based on these and other observations, it is shown that partial discharges are manifestations of electrical breakdown occurring within streamers (trees or bushes) that represent low-density regions within the dielectric and which start at the metal/dielectric interface. In the absence of streamers, trees or bushes, no partial discharges have been detected, thus providing experimental support for the authors' conclusions. The significance of these findings is discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical significance.<<ETX>>
We experimentally characterize the compression efficiency of Multiview Video Coding (MVC) techniques in Wireless Multimedia Sensor network (WMSN) composed of multiple video cameras with possibly overlapping field of views. We derive an empirical model that predicts the compression efficiency as a function of the common sensed area (CSA) between different camera views. We show that the CSA depends not only on geometrical relationships among the relative positions of different cameras, but also on several object-related phenomena, e.g., occlusions and motion, and on low-level phenomena such as variations in illumination. We then apply the model to a WMSN, where we create clusters based on the CSA as estimated by exchanging local data. Based on this estimates, we form clusters and measure the resulting transmission rate. Numerical simulation results show that building clusters based on a CSA criterion can bring significant performance gains in terms of bandwidth efficiency. The herein presented promising results pave the way for clustering optimization taking into account different networks constraints and conditions.
Large infusions of a 10% solution of dextran of molecular weight 40,000 were given to dogs during 3 min using a specially designed apparatus. The initial expansion of plasma volume was about twice the volume of solution injected. Plasma volume then fell rapidly (with a half life of about 2 hr), more rapidly than the fall in dextran concentration (half-life of about 4.5 hr). Fluctuations in plasma volume and protein concentration were repeatedly observed during the return towards normal values. At 5 to 6 hr renal excretion accounted for 40% of the infused dextran, about 20% was intravascular and the remaining 40% was presumably extravascular. No dextran was found in the cerebrospinal fluid.
AVS2 is the new generation of video coding standard developed by the Audio Video Coding Standard Working Group of China. Similar to HEVC, a flexible partition structure is adopted to improve coding performance in AVS2. For intra coding, a coding unit (CU) is recursively split into sub CUs based on the quad-tree structure. CUs should be further split into prediction unit (PU) with various square or non-square shapes. All these processes increase encoding complexity dramatically. In this paper, a fast intra coding algorithm for CU partition and PU partition is proposed to reduce the complexity in AVS2 intra coding. Specifically, the statistical analysis model between texture complexity and partition mode is established. According to the model, an adaptive online-offline threshold selection algorithm is proposed to determine the early skipping and early termination in CU and PU level. Experimental results show that the proposed fast intra coding algorithm achieves more than a 54% encoding time reduction on average with only a 0.77% BD-rate increase under all-intra configuration for the AVS2 reference software RD18.0.
Janus particles (JPs) self-assembled by a typical small organic gemini surfactant in water were reported by us. After the addition of a small amount Noyori-type organometallics to an organic solvent, these gourd-shaped JPs became new nanostructures, such as nanotubes (NTs), nanoribbons (NRs), and new types of JPs. Significant changes in specific rotation occurred on the solution-like samples, triggered by chiral organometallics in 20 μL of ethyl acetate. Almost all of these organometallics-triggered nanostructures can be conveniently detached and reversed within 5 min due to the easy-phase separation of ethyl acetate from the emulsion and the chemical-selective unstable binding between the organometallics and carbonate group on the surfactant.
Despite melanocytes are the key players in vitiligo, a continuous cross‐talk between epidermal and dermal cells may strictly affect their functionality, in both lesional skin and non‐lesional skin. Focusing on this interplay, we have reviewed existing literature supporting evidence on cellular and functional alterations of surrounding epidermal keratinocytes, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and fibroblasts in the underlying dermal compartment that may contribute to melanocyte disappearance in vitiligo. We have also examined some clinical and therapeutic aspects of the disease to sustain the non‐exclusive involvement of melanocytes within vitiligo. As a result, a different and more complex scenario has appeared that may enable to provide better understanding about origins and progress of vitiligo and that should be considered in the evaluation of new treatment approaches.
This paper presents a counter-based digital CDR. For frequency acquisition, frequency direction is determined by comparing the number of edges of input data and recovered data. And for fine frequency acquisition, FLL gain is reduced by counting the number of times as the direction signal changes. The proposed digital CDR is designed and simulated in a 28nm CMOS technology and consumes 6.5mW in 1V supply voltage with 10Gb/s input data.
Micromouse is a small autonomous electronic-mechanical robot, which is able to navigate through an unknown maze from the start to the destination. The main challenge for micromouse is to work out the maze after searching, find the optimum path for the shortest fast-run time and control the robot to win. Flood-fill algorithm is used in this project to develop a solver which is able to help the robot for finding the ‘best’ route from the starting position to the ‘goal’, maze solving result shows the correctness.
The shock wave in one-dimensional bead chain is studied numerically. When the shock wave arrives, the bead velocity oscillates around the piston velocity. It is found that the shock front is composed of several solitary waves and the limitation of the maximum bead velocity is 2 times the piston velocity in the limiting case where the initial overlap is zero. If the initial overlap is not zero, then the maximum bead velocity is less than 2 times the piston velocity but larger than the piston velocity. As the initial overlap increases from zero to the finite value, the shock velocity depends on not only the piston velocity but also the initial overlap. The crossover of the dependence of the shock velocity on the piston velocity from the zero initial prestress to the finite value is obtained in the present manuscript. It is an improvement of the results presented in Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 058001 (2012)10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.058001. In other words, the dependence of the shock velocity on the parameters of the granular materials is given.
The effects of K. africana fruit (Lam. Benth), family bignoniaceae, were investigated on the sperm quality of C. gariepinus , (mean body weight, 396.05±7.04). Five diets with crude protein of 40% were formulated with different inclusion levels of K. africana powder. D1 (control) has 0 g/kg of the powder, while D2, D3, D4 and D5 has 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg of the K. africana powder. A total of 120 C. gariepinus were randomly distributed in triplicate into 15 concrete tanks (2×2×1.5m) at stocking density of 8 fish per tank and constant water level of 1m was maintained in the experimental tanks. The tank contained pond water (PH ? 7.2, oxygen? 4.3 mg/l, temperature? 26. 2 0 C). The fish were fed at 3% of body weight twice a day between 8.00-9.00 am and 4.00-5.00 pm for a period of 90 days. The qualities of the milt were assessed by aid of microscope and by fertility tests. The male brood fish fed 100 g/kg had significantly higher (P 9 sperm/m), % motility (92%), fertilization ability (90.88±1.03), lower milt volume ( 1.45±0.71) and motility duration of (39.00±1.4). However, significant differences were not observed in the length and weight of the testes among the diet groups (p>0.05). The results of the study has shown that K. africana fruits possess promising pro-fertility which can be exploited in fish seeds production and 100 g/kg of K. africana based diet was the best tolerance level of inclusion, which could give satisfactory and efficient result on the sperm quality and fertility of C. gariepinus Key words : Kigelia africana , sperm quality, fertility, Clarias gariepinus .
Brandenburger and Stuart (1996) identified coalitional games as a means of providing precise notions of value to evaluate strategic opportunities. In this paper, we show how coalitional game theory can be utilized to operationalize these approaches. In particular, we demonstrate the importance of considering full competitive interactions (rather than simply added value) when applying coalitional game theory and also how this can be employed to provide insights into the workings of an existing economic activity as well as to suggest ways that the activity might be altered to a firm's advantage. We illustrate with an application in which an innovator considers whether to commercialize a new technology.
The effect of a consultant pharmacist on medication use in an institution for the mentally retarded was studied. One year after hiring the consultant pharmacist and the implementation of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care at institution A, a previous medication survey was repeated for 715 patients. Medication use at a nearby mental retardation institution (institution B) with 1049 patients was surveyed once. The overall percentage of patients receiving antipsychotics or anticonvulsants in institution A was not different in the two surveys. There was a significant increase in the percent of patients receiving single drug entities in the second survey (for antipsychotics, 4.9% versus 9.1%; for anticonvulsants, 2.7% versus 15.1%). The use of long-term medications decreased from 76.1% to 56.8% of the population, and the use of individual antipsychotic agents changed significantly. The survey at institution B, a similar facility with less direct pharmacy involvement, showed significantly more use of antipsychotics than at institution A (34.2% versus 16.8%) and fewer patients receiving no long-term medications (29.2% versus 43.2%). The results suggest that the direct clinical involvement of skilled pharmacists in cooperation with other health professionals can significantly alter the patterns of medication use in a long-term care facility for the mentally retarded.
Introduction: Hypospadias is one of the most common congenital anomalies of the penis. Different methods of hypospadias management are described in the literature. We try in this study to evaluate the national trends and to compare them with international practices. Materials and Methods: A multiple choice survey was distributed among a sample of national practitioners using a weblink between September and December 2017. It included questions about participants demographics, number of cases operated on per year, perioperative care and preferences, long-term follow-up, and complications. Data were analyzed and compared with international practices. Results: Results of 47 practitioners were evaluated and analyzed in this study. The majority of the participants were pediatric urologists (48.9%) and from the central province (44.7%). Most of the participants prefer to operate on patients between the ages of 1 and 2 years (48.9%) and operate at ≥20 cases per year (76.6%). Tubularized incised plate (TIP) is the preferred technique for distal penile hypospadias repair whereas staged repair is preferred for proximal cases. All participants use a form of a second layer and a stent for their repairs. The majority reported an overall complication rate of ≤10% for distal penile hypospadias (76.1%) and >10% for proximal penile cases (59.6%). Conclusion: This study helped us identify national trends in hypospadias management, which were comparable to the international trends. TIP repair is the preferred technique for distal penile hypospadias repair whereas staged repair is preferred for more complex proximal variants. Although data in this study come from reports of personal experience, it can serve as a backbone for the future prospective studies on this topic.
In this article, we describe a miniaturized and adjustable microstrip wideband bandstop filter (BSF) with inductive coupling for ultrawideband (UWB) applications, which is fabricated on a Teflon substrate with a dielectric constant of 2.54. The simulated and measured results of the wideband BSF are determined to be in good agreement, demonstrating the 10‐dB bandwidth to be 3.78 GHz (54.8%) from 8.82 to 5.04 GHz, an insertion loss (S21) of −31.65 dB, and a minimum return loss (S11) of −0.34 dB at 6.9 GHz in the experimental results. To estimate the EM simulation results, an equivalent circuit is built for the practical realization. The advantages of the wideband BSF design are size reduction, wideband rejection, higher insertion loss, low cost, and light weight. An adjustable bandwidth can be achieved by adjusting an inner capacitive open loop for implementation in the UWB system. The physical dimension of the designed BSF occupied the size of 0.398λg × 0.316λg. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:1901–1904, 2015
Measuring release rates using compendial systems, especially for sparingly soluble compounds, often produces complex results with less than desired precision and lacks relevance to key formulation or biological parameters. A flow-through approach was used by focusing on convective diffusion and controlling certain key physical-chemical factors. Results are presented for an automated multisample flow-through system that displays significant advantages over compendial (1) stirred and (2) flow-through systems. Advantages include precision, physicochemical, and in vivo relevance, along with analytical and formulation sensitivity. The convective diffusion/dissolution process was also simulated by using finite element modeling with predictions agreeing with measurements to within a few percent.
A two-step system is presented to improve prediction of telemarketing outcomes and to help the marketing management team effectively manage customer relationships in the banking industry. In the first step, several neural networks are trained with different categories of information to make initial predictions. In the second step, all initial predictions are combined by a single neural network to make a final prediction. Particle swarm optimization is employed to optimize the initial weights of each neural network in the ensemble system. Empirical results indicate that the two-step system presented performs better than all its individual components. In addition, the two-step system outperforms a baseline one where all categories of marketing information are used to train a single neural network. As a neural networks ensemble model, the proposed two-step system is robust to noisy and nonlinear data, easy to interpret, suitable for large and heterogeneous marketing databases, fast and easy to implement.
An accurate assessment of evapotranspiration (ET) is crucially needed at the basin scale for studying the hydrological processes and water balance especially from upstream to downstream. In the mountains, this term is poorly understood because of various challenges, including the vegetation complexity, plant diversity, lack of available data and because the in situ direct measurement of ET is difficult in complex terrain. The main objective of this work was to investigate the potential of a Two-Source-Energy-Balance model (TSEB) driven by the Landsat and MODIS data for estimating ET over a complex mountain region. The complexity is associated with the type of the vegetation canopy as well as the changes in topography. For validating purposes, a large-aperture scintillometer (LAS) was set up over a heterogeneous transect of about 1.4 km to measure sensible (H) and latent heat (LE) fluxes. Additionally, two towers of eddy covariance (EC) systems were installed along the LAS transect. First, the model was tested at the local scale against the EC measurements using multi-scale remote sensing (MODIS and Landsat) inputs at the satellite overpasses. The obtained averaged values of the root mean square error (RMSE) and correlation coefficient (R) were about 72.4 Wm−2 and 0.79 and 82.0 Wm−2 and 0.52 for Landsat and MODIS data, respectively. Secondly, the potential of the TSEB model for evaluating the latent heat fluxes at large scale was investigated by aggregating the derived parameters from both satellites based on the LAS footprint. As for the local scale, the comparison of the latent heat fluxes simulated by TSEB driven by Landsat data performed well against those measured by the LAS (R = 0.69, RMSE = 68.0 Wm−2), while slightly more scattering was observed when MODIS products were used (R = 0.38, RMSE = 99.8 Wm−2). Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that (1) the TSEB model can be fairly used to estimate the evapotranspiration over the mountain regions; and (2) medium- to high-resolution inputs are a better option than coarse-resolution products for describing this kind of complex terrain.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been making incessant efforts to promote tourism in order to attain the avowed objective of economic diversification and growth. It has organised a number of events, including the oft-quoted Dubai Shopping Festival, to attract tourists in the UAE. The festival has been a prime mover behind tourism marketing, taking advantage of the perceived positive international business image enjoyed by the country far and wide. Using survey data, an attempt is made in this study to analyse the perceptions of first-time visitors and of those repeating their visits to the festival and other related events and sites in the UAE. The results provide interesting insights into an assessment of festival tourism provided by the tourists for policy makers willing to expand the tourism sector in the vibrant and diversifying economy of the UAE. The study shows that tourist perception in the UAE is multidimensional, in line with conventional wisdom, and highlights that it is influenced by all the festival tourism-related facilities and environment.
ABSTRACT Panaeolus sphinctrinus, Panaeolus papilionaceus, and Coprinus friesii are described as producers of ligninolytic enzymes. P. papilionaceus andP. sphinctrinus both produced a laccase. In addition,P. sphinctrinus produced a manganese peroxidase. C. friesii secreted a laccase and two peroxidases similar to the peroxidase of Coprinus cinereus. The purified laccases and peroxidases were characterized by broad substrate specificities, significant enzyme activities at alkaline pH values, and remarkably high pH optima. The two peroxidases of C. friesii remained active at pH 7.0 and 60°C for up to 60 min of incubation. The peroxidases were inhibited by sodium azide and ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA), whereas the laccases were inhibited by sodium azide andN,N-diethyldithiocarbamic acid. As determined by native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing, all three fungi produced laccase isoenzymes.
Dry season vegetable irrigation system plays a key role in the economics of Nigeria as a basic source of food, income, and employment generation especially in the off-season of rainfall agriculture. This diagnostic study was embarked upon to assess the different irrigation systems to better understand the characteristic problems and needs. This article reports on some general information on irrigation systems that are useful to project planners, agencies and policy makers. Results indicate that farmers are frequently faced with low stream flow, conveyance of water from source to farm site as well as sources of water drying up. Majority of the farmers whom are illiterates lacks basic knowledge of crop-water requirement, irrigation scheduling and skills in maintaining and operating irrigation systems. These affect the productivity of the systems, as the crops are either over- or under-irrigated, leading to wastages of the little available water. Recommendations are made that could enhance the farmers’ productivity and increase their farm hectares in order to meet the growing demand for vegetables especially during the off season.           Key words: Irrigation systems, management practices, dry season, vegetable production, urban-peri-urban, Nigeria.
Since recent findings suggest a relationship between reduction in adipose tissue blood flow (ATBF) and metabolic or vascular complications in obese patients (Ob-pts), increase in ATBF may be considered as a further goal in the treatment of obesity, besides fat mass reduction. Therefore, this preliminary study aimed at assess subcutaneous ATBF and vasomotion in morbidly obese patients and whether sustained weight loss induced by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) affects the same parameters. Using laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and spectral Fourier analysis, subcutaneous ATBF was measured and subcutaneous ATBF oscillations (ATBF-O) were analyzed - within three frequency intervals related to vasomotion - in 16 Ob-pts, before and about one year after RYGB, and in 10 lean, healthy control subjects (CS). Before RYGB, Ob-Pts showed an important reduction in subcutaneous ATBF compared to CS (4.8 ± 2.7 PU vs 79.9 ± 34.5 PU, respectively; p < 0.0001), as well as higher normalized power spectral density (N-PSD) values of subcutaneous ATBF-O, - related to vasomotion. One year after RYGB, sustained weight loss in Ob-pts was associated with a slight but significant increase in subcutaneous ATBF (10.0 ± 6.6 PU, p < 0.05) and with almost complete normalization in N-PSD values of ATBF-O, related to vasomotion, compared to before RYGB. The slight subcutaneous ATBF increase, we observed in Ob-pts after sustained weight loss, moves toward a desirable goal. This finding suggests verifying whether an even more sustained weight loss in Ob-pts could determine a greater increase in subcutaneous ATBF and/or, more importantly, it could also determine a significant increase in visceral ATBF.
Belot, Earman, and Ruetsche (1999) dismiss the black hole remnant proposal as an inadequate response to the Hawking information loss paradox. I argue that their criticisms are misplaced and that, properly understood, remnants do offer a substantial reply to the argument against the possibility of unitary evolution in spacetimes that contain evaporating black holes. The key to understanding these proposals lies in recognizing that the question of where and how our current theories break down is at the heart of these debates in quantum gravity. I also argue that the controversial nature of assessing the limits of general relativity and quantum field theory illustrates the significance of attempts to establish the proper borders of our effective theories.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) tools have the potential to improve health equity. However, many historically underrepresented communities have not been engaged in AI/ML training, research, and infrastructure development. Therefore, AIM-AHEAD (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity) seeks to increase participation and engagement of researchers and communities through mutually beneficial partnerships. The purpose of this paper is to summarize feedback from listening sessions conducted by the AIM-AHEAD Coordinating Center in February 2022, titled the “AIM-AHEAD Community Building Convention (ACBC).” A total of six listening sessions were held over three days. A total of 977 people registered with AIM-AHEAD to attend ACBC and 557 individuals attended the listening sessions across stakeholder groups. Facilitators led the conversation based on a series of guiding questions, and responses were captured through voice and chat via the Slido platform. A professional third-party provider transcribed the audio. Qualitative analysis included data from transcripts and chat logs. Thematic analysis was then used to identify common and unique themes across all transcripts. Six main themes arose from the sessions. Attendees felt that storytelling would be a powerful tool in communicating the impact of AI/ML in promoting health equity, trust building is vital and can be fostered through existing trusted relationships, and diverse communities should be involved every step of the way. Attendees shared a wealth of information that will guide AIM-AHEAD’s future activities. The sessions highlighted the need for researchers to translate AI/ML concepts into vignettes that are digestible to the larger public, the importance of diversity, and how open-science platforms can be used to encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration. While the sessions confirmed some of the existing barriers in applying AI/ML for health equity, they also offered new insights that were captured in the six themes.
Modified nucleosides are formed at the post-transcriptional stage by chemical modification of normal nucleosides within the ribonucleic acid (RNA). These modified nucleosides cannot be reutilized or further degraded, but they are excreted in the urine as intact molecules. The elevated levels of modified nucleosides in the urine samples have served as potential cancer biomarkers in many studies. Although different analytical techniques have been reported for determining nucleosides levels, they are practically difficult to use as a routine tool for early cancer screening. In this paper, a novel method was developed to separate and quantify 10 nucleosides--adenosine, cytidine, guanosine, uridine, inosine, xanthosine, pseudouridine, N(2)-methylguanosine, 1-methyladenosine, and N(2),N(2)-dimethylguanosine--in urine samples using capillary electrophoresis with an ultraviolet (UV) detector (abbreviated as CE-UV) at a wavelength of 254 nm. A 50 microm (i.d.) x 38 cm (effective length) fused silica capillary was used for the separation, and a borate-phosphate buffer containing 25 mM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) at pH 9.50 was used as a background electrolyte. The separation was performed at 15 kV under reverse polarity and completed within 10 min. The linear range of the analytes was 5.0-500 micromol/L, and the limit of detection was <2.0 micromol/L. The effects of pH, buffer concentrations, CTAB concentration, and the operation voltages on the separation and quantification of the modified nucleosides were also investigated. The technique developed in this study is much simpler and faster, compared to previous studies, and can be used to quantify modified nucleosides in urine samples.
Stable lead isotopes have been measured from copperalloy castings dating from the late first millennium AD to the 19 th Century from Igbo Ukwu, Ife, Jenne, Marandet, Ma'aden Ijâfen, Benin, the Lower Niger sites on the Forcados and Cross Rivers, the Andoni Creek and Apapa, and from Jebba, Tada and Owo. More recent ethnographic specimens from West Africa were also examined as well as a number of African ores. We conclude that the earliest metals (copper, tin, and perhaps lead) came from African sources, but that Northern Europe became the main source of supply early in the second Millennium, initially by trade across the Sahara, but also by the coast from around the middle of the second Millennium.
Research into the phosphoproteome targeted by mitotic kinases reveals insight into the coordination of the activity of these kinases during cell division. Phosphoproteomic analysis of mammalian or yeast cells arrested in mitosis provides a comprehensive view of how phosphorylation contributes to this process, and the research highlighted in this issue implicates previously unrecognized players in this complex process of cell division. Analysis of substrate selectivity and the motifs targeted by specific kinases suggests that cells combine negative and positive site selection, along with spatial segregation, to ensure that the multiple kinases that participate in mitosis find their proper targets. Because alterations in the activities of these kinases can lead to uncontrolled cell proliferation and because of their essential roles in regulating cell division, these kinases are the targets of anticancer therapeutic agents. The research highlighted in this issue not only provides rich data sets for future investigation but also has the potential to lead to the development of new treatments aimed at reining in uncontrolled cell proliferation.
The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Pet Robot is a combination of various fields of computer science. This paper showcases the various functionalities of our AI Pet. Most of the functionalities showcased use the immage processing modules made available through OpenCV. The pet robot has various features such as emotion recognition, follow routine, mini-game etc. This paper discusses the mini-game aspect of the robot. The game has been developed by using VGG16 convolutional network for identification of the action performed by the user. To improve the accuracy we have made use of background subtraction which gives removes all the unwanted objects from the background and gives a simple cutout of the users hand.
Friedel-Crafts resins were prepared by reacting chloroacetyl chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane and dichloromethane with m-xylene using carbon disulfide as solvent and anhydrous AlCl3 as catalyst. The resins were characterized by IR spectra and number average molecular weight measured by vapour pressure osmometry. The thermal properties were studied by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. All the resins were tested for their microbial activity against Pseudomonas fluorescens, Bacillus subtilis and Aspergillus niger. The results show that most of the resins can be used as biocides.
Vertical entrainment of nutrients and phytoplankton from the subsurface layers in autumn – winter is a cause of the surface phytoplankton bloom in the Black Sea in winter. Relationship of the winter heat flux and the sea surface temperature (SST) with the integral and surface phytoplankton biomass is assessed based on a series of simulations performed due to a 1D-biogeochemical model. The results show that during severe winters, intensity of phytoplankton bloom is 50% higher than that in warm winters. Winter entrainment of nutrients influences the phytoplankton biomass in the subsurface layer in summer, namely, after cold winters its maximum value exceeds the analogous one after warm winters by ≈30%. In-situ data is used to estimate the relation between the upper mixed layer depth and density, and the integral concentration of nitrates and phosphates in various regions of the basin. It is revealed that growth of the upper mixed layer density from 1014.0 to 1014.2 kg/m3 results in increase of the integral concentration of nutrients in the upper layer by 2–2.5 times in the center and on the periphery of the basin; and when the density value achieves 1014.5 kg/m3 the integral concentration becomes higher by 4–5 times. Thus the upper mixed layer density serves a good indicator of intensity of the nutrients inflow to the sea upper layers. Impact of winter cooling upon the upper mixed layer density is investigated using the model and in-situ data. It is shown that density equal to 1014.2 kg/m3 is achieved in the basin center at SST 7.5–8° C, and on the sea periphery – at 6.5° C. The maximum density value 1014.8 kg/m3 is recorded in the center of the sea (depth exceeds 2000 m) at SST < 5.5° C. During the same atmospheric conditions, the vertical nutrient transport is different in various regions of the Black Sea, which can affect the spatial features of bloom intensity in the basin.
The synthesis of novel phenyl ethynylene macrocycles with intraannular flexible chains is described. Some of these macrocycles are found by polarised optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry to be liquid crystals with nematic mesophases. The influence of the number, length and type (polarity) of the intraannular substituents on mesophase behaviour is discussed and additional design principles are proposed for these macrocycles with an inverted structure for mesophase behaviour to be observed, based on the experimental results, previous work and computer simulation data.
Thalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVT) neurons exhibit a postburst apamin-resistant slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP) that is unique to midline thalamus, displays activity dependence, and is abolished in tetrodotoxin. Analysis of the underlying sI(AHP) confirmed a requirement for Ca(2+) influx with contributions from P/Q-, N-, L-, and R subtype channels, a reversal potential near E(K)(+) and a significant reduction by UCL-2077, barium or TEA, consistent with a role for K(Ca) channels. sI(AHP) was significantly reduced by activation of either the cAMP or the protein kinase C (PKC) signaling pathway. Further analysis of the sAHP revealed an activity-dependent but Ca(2+)-independent component that was reduced in high [K(+)](o) and blockable after Na(+) substitution with Li(+) or in the presence of quinidine, suggesting a role for K(Na) channels. The Ca(2+)-independent sAHP component was selectively reduced by activation of the PKC signaling pathway. The sAHP contributed to spike frequency adaptation, which was sensitive to activation of either cAMP or PKC signaling pathways and, near the peak of membrane hyperpolarization, was sufficient to cause de-inactivation of low threshold T-Type Ca(2+) channels, thus promoting burst firing. PVT neurons are densely innervated by orexin-immunoreactive fibers, and depolarized by exogenously applied orexins. We now report that orexin A significantly reduced both Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent sI(AHP), and spike frequency adaptation. Furthermore orexin A-induced sI(AHP) inhibition was mediated through activation of PKC but not PKA. Collectively, these observations suggest that K(Ca) and K(Na) channels have a role in a sAHP that contributes to spike frequency adaptation and neuronal excitability in PVT neurons and that the sAHP is a novel target for modulation by the arousal- and feeding-promoting orexin neuropeptides.
Abstract Consumption taxes have an important place in the tax systems of modern states. They provide a large amount of revenue for the state budget. However, they are generous, but they are very regressive. It is a bad characteristic. The regressivity problem of the tax burden implies that the consumption tax is burdensome for the population with lower income. They pay similar tax rate as people with high income. The aim of this paper is to point to the existence of the problem of regressivity in underdeveloped and developed countries. This paper analyses the possibilities of reducing this problem in order to satisfy the principle of fairness in taxation.
Objective To investigate the cause,treatment and prevention of delayed gastric emptying (DGE) after operation for esophageal carcinoma.Methods The clinical data of 13 cases with DGE after operation for esophageal carcinoma were analyzed retrospectively.Results DGE occurred at 10th day after operation.10 cases with functional delayed gastric emptying(FDGE) recovered after conservative treatmeut.3 cases with mechanical delayed gastric emptying(MDGE) were given surgical treatment.Conclusions The anatomical displacement of stomach may be the main cause of DGE.DGE is also related to vagus nerve and postoperative inadequate gastrointestinal decompression.Clinical symptoms,X-ray barium meal radiography and gastroscopy examination are the important diagnostic method.Conservative treatment should be the first choice for FDGE.The use of some gastro-intestinal prokinetic drugs may have a beneficial effect on FDGE.Once the diagnosis of MDGE is established,surgical treatment should be performed as early as possible.The fully preoperative preparation,the precise and concise techniques in operation and postoperative appropriate management may decrease the occurrence of DGE.    Key words:  Stomach Neoplasms ;  Postgastrectomy syndromes ;  THERAPY
Abstract:  Few studies have attempted to quantify the reduction or document the floristic composition of forests in Madagascar. Thus, we focused specifically on deforestation and plant diversity in Madagascar's eastern littoral community. We used a data set of approximately 13,500 specimen records compiled from both historical and contemporary collections resulting from recent intensive inventory efforts to enumerate total plant species richness and to analyze the degree of endemism within littoral forests. Change in littoral forest cover from original to current extent was estimated using geographical information systems tools, remote sensing data (satellite imagery and low‐elevation digital photography), and environmental data layers. Of the original littoral forest only 10.3% remains in the form of small forest parcels, and only 1.5% of these remaining fragments are included within the existing protected‐areas network. Additionally, approximately 13% of Madagascar's total native flora has been recorded from these forests that originally occupied <1% of its total land surface, and over 25% of the 1535 plant species known from littoral forests are endemic to this community. Given the ongoing pressure from human settlement along Madagascar's eastern coast, protection of the remaining forest fragments is critical for their survival. Fifteen of the largest intact littoral forest fragments we identified, collectively representing 41.5% of remaining littoral forest, are among priority sites recommended to the government of Madagascar for plant conservation and incorporation into the protected‐areas network.
We study charged massless fermionic perturbations in the background of $4$-dimensional linear dilaton black holes in Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton theory with double Liouville-type potentials. We present the analytical fermionic quasinormal modes, whose Dirac equations are solved in terms of hypergeometric functions. We also discuss the stability of these black holes under the charged fermionic perturbations.
An approach that integrates service discovery with the Internet Engineering Task Force session initiation protocol to support service discovery of private services across a collaborative session is presented. Embedding the service discovery protocol within a session protocol facilitates the discovery of private services in a safe and controlled manner. Access to services is managed by defining local scopes that are shared among participants in the collaborative session. The fundamentals of the approach are presented using a simple two-party scenario and further extended by describing the approach using both central and peer-to-peer collaborative scenarios. Finally, the feasibility of the approach is demonstrated through a proof-of-concept demonstration of the sharing of Bluetooth services located in a private wireless personal area network across a telephone conversation
A recent PCR-test developed for identification of Aphanomyces astaci , the organism responsible for crayfish plague, provided false positives for Aphanomyces frigidophilus , Aphanomyces repetans , and some Saprolegnia spp. Real-time PCR showed that with the designed primers, A. astaci and A. frigidophilus cannot be distinguished. The results of this study show that this particular crayfish plague PCR-test ought to be improved and that molecular-based techniques need to be contrasted to histological evidences and disease history.
A sensitive specific radioimmunoassay was developed to measure antibodies against BCG antigen 60, a prominent antigenic component of BCG bacilli which cross-reacts with similar components in many mycobacterial species including Mycobacterium leprae and M tuberculosis. A lepromatous serum pool had anti-BCG-60 activity with a titre of 10(5) and the tuberculoid pool a titre of 10(4). Testing of individual sera showed striking variations within groups of patients with lepromatous and tuberculoid leprosy. In five of the 20 tuberculoid leprosy sera the anti-BCG-60 activity was above the median for the lepromatous group. The current view that antibody formation against mycobacterial antigens is very low in tuberculoid leprosy thus no longer appears to be tenable. Sera from eight patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis also showed a striking variation in anti-BCG-60 content, and the median value of this group was even higher than in those with lepromatous leprosy.
Recent discoveries of cellular generation of exosomes, small (∼ 30 – 100 nm) complex lipid membrane structures which encapsulate and transport proteins, RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) have provided new insight in how cells within organisms communicate. These discoveries will likely have a major impact on the treatment of disease, with cancers and neurological diseases as evident targets. Exosomes provide a major medium of intercellular communications and thereby, there being a potential by altering communications and instructions for protein production, we can employ exosomes to treat diseases. We now have an opportunity to treat neurological disease by modifying intercellular communication networks. Recent work demonstrating that the therapeutic benefit provided by stem cells for the treatments of stroke and traumatic brain injury depend on their generation and release of exosomes provides a foundation for exosome-based therapy. Cell-free exosomes have also been recently employed to effectively treat stroke and brain trauma. The content of exosomes, particularly their miRNA cargo which can concurrently impact the post-transcriptional regulation of many genes, can be regulated. We are at the cusp of capitalizing on this important means of intercellular communications for the treatment of diseases, such as cancers and neurological diseases, among many others.
Most of the biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) found in filamentous fungi are silent under standard laboratory cultivation conditions due to the lack of expression triggering stimuli, representing a considerable drawback in drug discovery. To access the full biosynthetic potential of these microbes, studies towards the activation of cryptic BGCs are essential. Histone acetylation status is an important regulator of chromatin structure which impacts in cell physiology and, therefore, expression of biosynthetic gene clusters in filamentous fungi. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone acetyl-transferases (HATs) are responsible for maintaining and controlling this process under different cell conditions. In this study, clr3, a gene encoding a histone deacetylase in Penicillium brasilianum was deleted and associated phenotypic and metabolic changes evaluated. Results indicate reduced growth under oxidative stress conditions in the Δclr3 knockout strain. Also, the production of several secondary metabolites including austin-related meroterpenoids, brasiliamides, mycotoxins such as verruculogen and penicillic acid, as well as cyclodepsipeptides was reduced in the Δclr3 strain when compared to wild-type strain. Accordingly, addition of epigenetic modulators responsible for HDAC inhibition such as suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) and nicotinamide (NAA) to P. brasilianum growth media also culminated in reduction of secondary metabolite production. Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MSI) was applied to compare metabolite production and spatial distribution on the colony. Results suggest that Clr3 plays an important role in secondary metabolite biosynthesis in P. brasilianum, thus offering new strategies for regulation of natural product synthesis by assessing chromatin modification in P. brasilianum.
The 1936 Hull-Alfaro treaty, which fulfilled New Deal pledges to Panama, represented also the impact of Panamanian nationalism. For thirty years following the 1903 isthmian revolution, Panama remained a subject of American Canal policy. In 1921, for instance, the Panamanian government hurried troops to the Costa Rican boundary in order to compel a favorable decision in a long-standing border dispute. The Department of State, however, had decided that Panamanian military action against Costa Rica was unjustifiable. Arguing that hostilities between Panama and Costa Rica endangered Canal security, a warning was sent to Panama City, followed by the cruiser Sacramento. This act of “gunboat diplomacy” was castigated throughout Panama, but the Panamanian government withdrew its troops. Similarly, Panamanians voiced charges of economic domination, even exploitation, by arguing that the Canal failed to satisfy the republic's commercial aspirations. In 1903, Panamanians had welcomed military intervention by the United States on the grounds that it would be followed by technological intrusion capable of building the canal. By the late 1920's, however, it was obvious to many Panamanian critics that the profits of the isthmian waterway were returned to the United States. The American government strictly limited the operation of Panamanian merchants inside the Canal Zone. Moreover, the more desirable positions in Zone employment, the so-called “gold roll” jobs, were invariably meted out to Americans. Those Panamanians who found employment in the Zone were usually grouped with imported West Indian Negroes on the “silver roll,” a term referring to unskilled positions. Racial antagonism between West Indians and Panamanians resulted from economic competition.
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of pathological vaginal discharge and to describe risk factors associated with pregnant women. All women living in the city of Rio Grande, Southern Brazil, who gave birth in 2010 were included in the study. A standardized questionnaire was administered to collect information on demographic, reproductive, and health-related factors and morbidity during pregnancy. The chi-square test was used to compare proportions, and multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance was performed. Of the 2,395 women studied, 43% had pathological vaginal discharge during pregnancy. The adjusted analysis showed that younger women of lower socioeconomic condition, those with a past history of abortion, vaginal discharge in a previous pregnancy, and treated for depression, anemia, and urinary tract infection during their current pregnancy, were more likely to have pathological vaginal discharge. Vaginal discharge during pregnancy was highly prevalent in the sample studied calling for proper risk factor management at the primary care level.
The preventive effects of regular exercise on obesity-related health problems are carried over to the non-exercise detraining period, even when physical activity decreases with aging. However, it remains unknown whether regular childhood exercises can be carried over to adulthood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of long-term childhood exercise and detraining on lipid accumulation in organs to prevent obesity in adulthood. Four-week-old male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats were used as obese animals. OLETF rats were allocated into sedentary and exercise groups: exercise from 4- to 12-week-old and detraining from 12- to 20-week-old. At 12-week-old immediately after the exercise period, regular exercise completely inhibited hyperphagia, obesity, enlarged pancreatic islets, lipid accumulation and lobular inflammation in the liver, hypertrophied adipocytes in the white adipose tissue (WAT), and brown adipose tissue (BAT) whitening in OLETF rats. Additionally, exercise attenuated the decrease in the ratio of muscle wet weight to body weight associated with obesity. Decreased food consumption was maintained during the detraining period, which inhibited obesity and diabetes at 20-week-old after the detraining period. Histologically, childhood exercise inhibited the enlargement of pancreatic islets after the detraining period. In addition, inhibition of lipid accumulation was completely maintained in the WAT and BAT after the detraining period. However, the effectiveness was only partially successful in lipid accumulation and inflammation in the liver. The ratio of muscle wet weight to body weight was maintained after detraining. In conclusion, early long-term regular exercise effectively prevents obesity and diabetes in childhood, and its effectiveness can be tracked later in life. The present study suggests the importance of exercise during childhood and adolescence to inhibit hyperphagia-induced lipid accumulation in metabolic-related organs in adulthood despite exercise cessation.
Computational enzyme design has been successfully applied to identify new alternatives to natural enzymes for the biosynthesis of important compounds. However, the moderate catalytic activities of de novo designed enzymes indicate that the modeling accuracy of current computational enzyme design methods should be improved. Here, high-throughput molecular dynamics simulations were used to enhance computational enzyme design, thus allowing the identification of variants with higher activities in silico. Different time schemes of high-throughput molecular dynamics simulations were tested to identify the catalytic features of evolved Kemp eliminases. The 20 × 1 ns molecular dynamics simulation scheme was sufficiently accurate and computationally viable to screen the computationally designed massive variants of Kemp elimination enzymes. The developed hybrid computational strategy was used to redesign the most active Kemp eliminase, HG3.17, and five variants were generated and experimentally confirmed to afford higher catalytic efficiencies than that of HG3.17, with one double variant (D52Q/A53S) exhibiting a 55% increase. The hybrid computational enzyme design strategy is general and computationally economical, with which we anticipate the efficient creation of practical enzymes for industrial biocatalysis.
A 69-year-old woman was seen in the eye clinic of the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital [OOUTH], Sagamu, south-west Nigeria, with irritation in the right eye due to a vascular nasal pterygium, but asymptomatic in her left eye. Examination revealed dilated and tortuous conjunctival and episcleral vessels in her left eye with no apparent cause. She later developed secondary glaucoma in that eye. A diagnosis of left idiopathic dilated episcleral vein with secondary open angle glaucoma [Radius Maumenee syndrome] was made. She was treated both medically and surgically. This rare case in an African woman is presented in order to highlight the possibility of secondary vascular glaucoma in a patient with chronic redness of the eye without symptoms of discomfort or allergy. Keywords : idiopathic, dilated episcleral veins, secondary glaucoma, Nigeria Nigerian Journal of Ophthalmology Vol. 16 (1) 2008: pp. 20-22
Split liver transplantation (SLT) is clearly beneficial for pediatric recipients. However, the increased risk of biliary complications in adult recipients of SLT in comparison with whole liver transplantation (WLT) remains controversial. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and clinical outcome of biliary complications in an SLT group using split extended right grafts (ERGs) after ex situ splitting in comparison with WLT in adults. The retrospectively collected data for 80 consecutive liver transplants using ERGs after ex situ splitting between 1998 and 2007 were compared with the data for 80 liver transplants using whole liver grafts in a matched‐pair analysis paired by the donor age, recipient age, indications, Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease score, and high‐urgency status. The cold ischemic time was significantly longer in the SLT group (P = 0.006). As expected, bile leakage from the transected surface occurred only in the SLT group (15%) without any mortality or graft loss. The incidence of all other early or late biliary complications (eg, anastomotic leakage and stenosis) was not different between SLT and WLT. The 1‐ and 5‐year patient and graft survival rates showed no statistical difference between SLT and WLT [83.2% and 82.0% versus 88.5% and 79.8% (P = 0.92) and 70.8% and 67.5% versus 83.6% and 70.0% (P = 0.16), respectively]. In conclusion, ERGs can be used safely without any increased mortality and with acceptable morbidity, and they should also be considered for retransplantation. The significantly longer cold ischemic time in the SLT group indicates the potential for improved results and should thus be considered in the design of allocation policies. Liver Transpl 15:730–737, 2009. © 2009 AASLD.
In presence of L-asparagine, effective substances in caramelized sugar were primarily glucose and fructose; isomerization of glucose/fructose was observed after autoclaving (120°C, 20 min, pH 7.2). Glucose and fructose were 63 to 24 in caramelized glucose and 12 to 44 in caramelized fructose. Apparent dissociation constants were: glucose 2.2 × 10−4, fructose 1.3 × 10−4, L-asparagine 2.2 × 10−4. Hydroxymethylfurfural and maltol were not effective. Aging and heat activation of spores contributed to germination, especially for response to L-asparagine and/or fructose, but not glucose. The initiation mechanism was distinguishable from the L-alanine system in requirement for aging, heat activation of spores and response to inhibitor. L-AS-paragine could be partially replaced by NH4+, but not by L-glutamine.
The heterogeneity of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) leads to mixed clinical outcomes. We collected 92 regions of interest from 41 biopsies of patients with untreated NPC and obtained their transcripts using GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) technology. Spatial heterogeneity was determined by measuring the expression of marker genes in tumor cell-enriched (PanCK-expressing), immune cell-enriched (CD45-expressing), and normal epithelial (Endo) regions. We screened 16 prognostic markers in tumor cell-enriched regions and 4 prognostic markers in immune cell-enriched regions. The levels of CD8+ T follicular helper T cells, activated NK cells, and M0 macrophage contents were higher in tumor cell-enriched regions than in immune cell-enriched regions. Conversely, plasma cell and M2 macrophage levels were lower. The follicular helper T cells in tumor cell-enriched regions were negatively correlated with resting NK cells and positively correlated with activated NK cells. In immune cell-enriched regions, this relationship was reversed. We also explored the heterogeneity of HLA gene families, immune checkpoints, and metabolism-related genes in the three regions. In tumor cell-enriched regions, we obtained 19 prognosis-related metabolism genes via univariate cox analysis. We used multiplex immunofluorescence to verify the elevated expression of SLC8A1 and MDH1 in immune cell-enriched regions and tumor cell-enriched regions, respectively, both of which were associated with prognosis of NPC. In conclusion, we explored the spatial heterogeneity of the NPC tumor environment and found specific diagnostic and prognostic markers that can be used to differentiate tumor cell-enriched regions from immune cell-enriched regions in NPC.
Spectra of hydrogenlike atoms embedded in a Debye plasma are investigated. The state energies and the transition rates are studied using a fully relativistic formalism based on the Dirac equation. The effect of the plasma is described by introducing an exponential screening to the nuclear Coulomb potential (the Debye screening). Systematic trends with respect to both the nuclear charge and the screening parameter are observed for all calculated quantities. The pattern of splittings of ns(1/2), np(1/2) and np(3/2) is modified in a specific way due to the combined relativity and plasma effect. The transition rates decrease with an increase of the Debye parameter as well as with an increase of Z.
Social loafing refers to the tendency for individuals to reduce their own personal input when performing as part of group. This phenomenon may be problematic if it exists in educational contexts, given a current emphasis on group collaborative classroom activities. The present study investigated whether social loafing existed in a collaborative educational task, employing groups of three and eight participants. The results indicated that individuals working within the smaller groups were more productive than those working in larger groups, consistent with the social loafing hypothesis. Future research should determine whether the detrimental effects on students' collaborative performance attributable to social loafing are justifiable in terms of gains accrued in other (e.g. interpersonal) domains.
Kinetic studies of the interaction of [Cr(OH2)6]3+ with phthalic acid have been carried out at 30, 35, and 40 °C, the hydrogen-ion concentration ranging from 0.25 × 10–3 to 3.16 × 10–3 mol dm–3. The variation of the pseudo-first-order rate constant (kobs.) with [H+] and ligand concentration indicates a mechanism based on ion-pair formation. The reaction is believed to be of the associative-interchange (Ia) type. Activation parameters calculated by the Eyring equation are ΔH‡= 93 kJ mol–1 and ΔS‡=–5 ± 2 J K–1 mol–1 for the formation of [Cr(OH2)5(O2CC6H4CO2)]+, and ΔH‡= 94 kJ mol–1 and ΔS‡=–2 ± 1 J K–1 mol–1 for the formation of [Cr(OH2)(O2CC6H4CO2H)]2+.
The preparation of metallic tracks on non-conductive or semi-conductive substrates is attracting a strong scientific interest due to its useful applications in integrated circuit technology and its potential for miniaturization. The selective metallization on dielectric substrates can be carried out via laser-assisted direct writing techniques These involve processes such as thermally induced deposition, surface modification for subsequent electroless deposition as well as photocatalysis-mediated deposition among others [1]. Furthermore, a well-known methodology for producing metal tracks onto polymeric substrates is the so-called laser direct structuring (LDS) technology and is widely used for producing molded interconnect devices (MIDs). Conventional LDS uses polymeric materials loaded with a small amount of metallic compound (e.g. Pd particles) which after laser ablation can be released for catalyzing a further electroless plating process. Organometallic complexes based on palladium (Pd2+), copper (Cu2+) [2] as well as metal oxide composites of copper−chromium oxide (CuOCr2O3) or antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) [3] have been used as catalyst sources for LDS technology in the last years. The active material is finely dispersed in the polymeric matrix and can be chemically modified by laser ablation in order to play a role as catalyst in a subsequent electroless deposition process. However, although the LDS method offers flexibility and freedom for 3D patterning design, the addition of those special additives (catalyst sources) is required in order to make the polymeric material suitable for LDS. This paper will discuss a simple methodology for patterning metal tracks onto the polymeric substrate polybutylene terephthalate (PBT). The selective metallization process consists of three main steps: (1) surface patterning and activation with picosecond-laser pulses in a dry processing environment; (2) treatment of the substrate in PdCl2 seeding solution, and (3) selective metallization of the substrate via electroless copper deposition. It was found that, besides a significant surface roughening, the use of ultra-short laser pulses promoted the chemical modification of the polymeric surface in a manner that the surface acquires the ability to reduce Pd-ions into metallic Pd clusters during a subsequent treatment in PdCl2 solution. The laser parameters as well as the concentration and the temperature of the PdCl2 solution were investigated and correlated with the surface morphology, the formation of Pd clusters as well as with the characteristics of the copper layers. The copper features were homogeneous and exhibited well defined geometries. Moreover, the adhesive properties of the copper structures were investigated. Tape tests showed that the copper structures exhibited good adhesion to the PBT substrate and this is ascribed to the high roughness obtained via laser patterning. The copper layers exhibit low electrical resistivity values and therefore show great potential for applications in electronic devices even with 3D complex geometries. References: [1] J.H.-G. Ng, M.P.Y. Desmulliez, M. Lamponi, B.G. Moffat, McCarthy, H. Suyal, C. Walker, K. Prior, D.P. Hand, A direct-writing approach to the micro-patterning of copper onto polyimide, Circuit World. 35 (2009) 3–17. [2] M. Huske, J. Kickelhain, J. Muller, G. Eber, Laser supported activation and additive metallization of thermoplastics for 3D-MIDs, Proc. 3rd LANE. (2001) 1-12. [3] J. Zhang, T. Zhou, L. Wen, Selective Metallization Induced by Laser Activation: Fabricating Metallized Patterns on Polymer via Metal Oxide Composite, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 9 (2017) 8996–9005. Figure 1
An algorithm using compressive sensing to blindly detect frequency hopping signals corrupted by white Gaussian noise is presented. The samples obtained through compressive sensing effectively maintain structures and information of the original signal, so detection tasks of the original signal could be solved by directly processing the sampling values. The algorithm is based on the difference in numerical characteristics of sampling values. According to the different characteristics of the expectation of sampling values under different hypothesis, detection is accomplished by using the deviation of the actual sampling values from the expectations under corresponding hypothesis as criterion. Without reconstructing the frequency hopping signal itself, hopping frequencies can be estimated with a tiny number of measurements by compressive sensing algorithm. Simulation results have proved that the proposed algorithm is adequate to the environments in which signal-to-noise ratio is higher than -6dB. Meanwhie, compared with other traditional algorithms, the proposed algorithm greatly reduces the amount of data and complexity, and significantly reduced the detection time.
Efficient 3'-end processing of cell cycle-regulated mammalian histone premessenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs) requires an upstream stem-loop and a histone downstream element (HDE) that base pairs with the U7 small ribonucleoprotein. Insertions between these elements have two effects: the site of cleavage moves in concert with the HDE and processing efficiency declines. We used Xenopus oocytes to ask whether compensatory length insertions in the human U7 RNA could restore the fidelity and efficiency of processing of mouse histone insertion pre-mRNAs. An insertion of 5 nt into U7 RNA that extends its complementary to the HDE compensated for both defects in processing of a 5-nt insertion substrate; a noncomplementary insertion into U7 did not. Yet, the noncomplementary insertion mutant U7 was shown to be active on insertion substrates further mutated to allow base pairing. Our results suggest that the histone pre-mRNA becomes rigidified upstream of its HDE, allowing the bound U7 small ribonucleoprotein to measure from the HDE to the cleavage site. Such a mechanism may be common to other RNA measuring systems. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of length suppression in an RNA processing system.
The idea of doping and chemical substitutions for bridge molecules is one of promising techniques to control the transport properties and engineering of molecular devices. In the present article, we extend this concept and propose the use of internal substitutions to detect the mechanism of ballistic and inelastic transport through molecular junctions. By performing first-principles transport calculations for several internally substituted systems, we show systematic pathway analysis of tunneling electrons and vibronic states as well as electron−phonon couplings on bridge molecules. The correlation of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) and Raman spectroscopy is also discussed.
Discusses the problems involved when foreign investors decide to try and involve themselves in the US market. US and local income taxes are involved and investors must be apprised of this and the need to sign the appropriate agreements, models of which are enclosed herein. Looks at organization and purpose, minority protection and equal ownership. Concludes that very careful legal planning is required for a successful business relationship.
Semantic processing is one of the most compelling and ambitious objectives in today's Natural Language Processing. Beingabletoprocessandunderstandtextatthemachinelevelcanpotentiallyenablepowerfulapplicationslikesemantically-aware statistical machine translation and semantic information retrieval, thereby having the potential to change the lives of everyday computer users. In this paper I present a manifesto for the multilingual semantic processing of text. I illustrate the research vision that is pursued in my research group at the Sapienza University of Rome and describe the most recent results obtained. In the last part of the paper I outline a likely future for multilingual semantic processing focusing on the current directions and successes and highlighting on the major obstacles that make this task so hard.
In pantomime the Dame and comics, and to a lesser extent the immortals, are positioned between the world of the audience and the world of the story, interacting with both, forming a link between the two, and constantly altering the distance thus created between audience and performance. This position allows these characters to exist both within and without the story, to comment on the story, and reflexively to draw attention to the theatricality of the pantomime event. In this article, Millie Taylor concludes that reflexivity and framing allow the pantomime to represent itself as unique, original, anarchic, and fun, and that these devices are significant in the identification of British pantomime as distinct from other types of performance. Millie Taylor worked for many years as a freelance musical director in repertory and commercial theatre and in pantomime. She is now Senior Lecturer in Performing Arts and Music Theatre at the University of Winchester. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Conference on Arts and Humanities in Hawaii (2005), and an extended version will appear in her forthcoming book on British pantomime. Her research has received financial support from the British Academy.
Abstract Background: There is no study that has conducted a review or meta-analysis investigating a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention to patients with COVID19, with the aim of improving their psychological health. Therefore, in order to provide new evidence-based medical evidence for clinical treatment, we undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of CBT in relieving patients’ psychological distress and improving quality of life during the COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: Seven electronic databases including Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, Wanfang Data, Scopus, Science Direct, Cochrane Library will be searched in April 2021 by 2 independent reviewers. For search on PubMed, the following search terms will be used: “COVID-19, 2019 Coronavirus Disease, 2019-nCoV, cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, cognitive behavioral treatment.” In order to achieve a consistency (at least 80%) of extracted items, the data extractors will extract data from a sample of eligible studies. The outcomes include any rating scale describing stress, mood, and quality of life. Review Manager software (v 5.4; Cochrane Collaboration) will be used for the meta-analysis. Two independent reviewers will assess the risk of bias of the included studies at study level. Any disagreements will be discussed and resolved in discussion with a third reviewer. Results: The results of our review will be reported strictly following the PRISMA criteria. Conclusions: The review will add to the existing literature by showing compelling evidence and improved guidance in clinic settings. OSF registration number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/DCRPJ. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval and patient consent are not required because this study is a literature-based study. This systematic review and meta-analysis will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
In 1915, forty years after the original Ku Klux Klan disbanded, a former farmer, circuit preacher, and university lecturer named Colonel William Joseph Simmons revived the secret society. By the early 1920s the KKK had been transformed into a national movement with millions of dues-paying members and chapters in all of the nation's forty-eight states. And unlike the Reconstruction-era society, the 1920s-era Klan exerted its influence far beyond the South. In The Rise of the Ku Klux Klan, Rory McVeigh provides a revealing analysis of the broad social agenda of 1920s-era KKK, showing that although the organization continued to promote white supremacy, it also addressed a surprisingly wide range of social and economic issues, targeting immigrants and, particularly, Catholics, as well as African Americans, as dangers to American society. In sharp contrast to earlier studies of the KKK, which focus on the local or regional level, McVeigh treats the Klan as it saw itself-as a national organization concerned with national issues. Drawing on extensive research into the Klan's national publication, the Imperial Night-Hawk, he traces the ways in which Klan leaders interpreted national issues and how they attempted-and finally failed-to influence national politics. More broadly, in detailing the Klan's expansion in the early 1920s and its collapse by the end of the decade, McVeigh ultimately sheds light on the dynamics that fuel contemporary right-wing social movements that similarly blur the line between race, religion, and values.
Objectives: To validate the diagnostic performance of Hepa-Index in predicting different stages of hepatic fibrosis in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Methods: Hundred treatment naïve chronic hepatitis C Egyptian patients were prospectively enrolled between June 2014 and January 2015. They were subjected to: platelet count, alpha-2-macroglobulin (α2-MG), total bilirubin, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), total cholesterol, liver biopsy and histopathological staging of hepatic fibrosis according to METAVIR scoring system. Hepa-Index was calculated according to the formula: Hepa-Index=exp (-0.021 x platelet +1.65 x α2-MG+0.2 x total bilirubin + 0.026 x GGT -1.215 x total cholesterol) / (1+exp (-0.021 x platelet + 1.65 x α2-MG + 0.2 x total bilirubin +0.026 x GGT -1.215 x total cholesterol). Results: Hepa-Index correlates positively with the stage of hepatic fibrosis. Cut off values of Hepa-Index were: 0.2 for predicting significant hepatic fibrosis (≥F2 METAVIR), 0.3 for severe hepatic fibrosis (≥F3 METAVIR) and 0.4 for cirrhosis (F4 METAVIR). Hepa-Index was able to detect significant fibrosis with sensitivity of 69.4%, specificity of 76.3% and AUROC of 0.803. Hepa-Index was also able to detect severe hepatic fibrosis with sensitivity of 79.2%, specificity of 64.5% and AUROC of 0.783 and cirrhosis with sensitivity of 81.8%, specificity of 68.5% and AUROC of 0.744. Conclusion: Hepa-Index is a good non-invasive biomarkers panel that can be used for non-invasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients.
Ecker, Grimus and Neufeld proposed a model of spontaneous CP violation with the neutral flavor conservation. They found eight kinds of phenomenologically acceptable KM matrices with four generations and discussed qualitative features of them. In this paper, we further investigate their properties, such as the number of the independent parameters, the form of KM matrices. Then; we construct the Wolfenstein·type parametrization of th~se KM matrices and give a quantitative analysis of them. We found that four of them are excluded because of no CP or too small violation or predicting too small value of (KL)Cb. ResultantIy, four kinds of KM matrices in EGN model survive from our evaluation.
In this paper we consider the relationships between effects of toxicants on population growth rate (r) and the individual‐level traits (survival and reproduction) contributing to it by examining population dynamics theory and by reviewing the experimental work that has been carried out in this context. There was no consistent pattern in terms of which individual‐level traits were most or least sensitive to toxicant exposure, and it is therefore impractical to select traits for ecotoxicological testing on this basis. Although percent changes in several of the individual‐level traits showed significant overall correlations with percent changes in r, changes in any single trait could explain no more than about one‐half of the percent change in r. Our conclusion is that r is a better measure of responses to toxicants than are individual‐level effects, because it integrates potentially complex interactions among life‐history traits and provides a more relevant measure of ecological impact.
Compared with other optimization algorithm quantum algorithm is a distinctive type for its intervention and powerful parallel computing power and parallel optimization capabilities which enables it to solve combinatorial optimization problems. Quantities of researchers cast problems to its applications and parameters settings. In this paper, we use quantum algorithm to Qos constrained multicast routing problem with uncertain parameters constrained optimization and design a dynamic rotation gate which can adjust the choice probability according to the evolutionary process and guarantee the correct direction and avoid the pre-mature phenomenon. The algorithm is compared to PBIL algorithm because both of these two algorithms are based on probability strategy. The result to simulation examples shows the quantum algorithm based on dynamic rotation gate is powerful to solve such optimization problems and the design of dynamic rotation gate is reasonable and effective.
Using the methods of the small parameter of nonlinear mechanics, the formulas for determining the parameters of the pendulum auto-balancer were obtained in the article. Conditions for the stability of the auto-balancing process of the unbalanced rotor, fastened in the housing on the elastic supports, were also found. It is established that the stable operation of the auto-balancer can be implemented in the angular velocity ranges of the rotor due to the choice of the stiffness characteristics of the elastic supports. Keywords—Housing, Rotor, Auto-balancer, Pendulum, Stability, Elastic supports)
Modified atmosphere (MA) packaging combined with antibrowning agents could preserve the quality of fresh cut pears. The aim of this work was to determine the combined effect of calcium propionate (PCa), ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), cysteine (CIS) and citric acid (AC) on respiration rate, total phenols content, antioxidant capacity and sensory properties of fresh cut pears. The control showed the lowest respiration rate during storage at 5°C. All treatments showed an increase of CO2 production, which might be related to the 12 expected deterioration of fresh cut pears, development of senescence and increased microbial growth. The total phenols content varied from 1.47 to 2.49 mg GAE·gfw−1. After 1 day at 5°C, the total phenols content of all treatments was reduced, especially in those fresh cut pears treated with PCa + EDTA + CIS + AC by 67% as compared to fresh peeled fruit (2.65 mg GAE·gfw −1). The antioxidant capacity of fresh cut pears treated with PCa + EDTA + CIS + AC and PCa + EDTA + CIS showed a higher antioxidant capacity (1.13 and 1.04 mg trolox eq·gfw −1, respectively) in comparison to the control (0.58 mg trolox eq·gfw −1) after day 1 of storage, even though this value was reduced by around 0.9 mg trolox eq·gfw−1 in comparison to the freshly peeled pear. The application of antibrowning agents and calcium propionate maintain the bacterial growth below the maximum levels allowed by Chilean regulation and reduced the typical flavour of pears. The chosen commercial film achieved high CO2 and low O2 levels although neither off–flavour nor off–odour was found along storage.
This article reports on a 2008 online survey about library services to the poor conducted by the American Libarary Association (ALA) Office for Literary and Outreach Services (OLOS) committee. The survey is precedent to the preparation of an ALA action agenda for library work with poor persons that is going to occur through 2009‐10. Though limited in its scope and participation, the survey results do suggest many of the persistent issues that are involved in the development of successful library services for poor persons.
Unraveling the reaction mechanism behind the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a crucial step for advancing the development of efficient and selective electrocatalysts to yield valuable chemicals. To understand the mechanism of zinc electrocatalysts toward the CO2RR, a series of thermally oxidized zinc foils is prepared to achieve a direct correlation between the chemical state of the electrocatalyst and product selectivity. The evidence provided by in situ Raman spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray diffraction significantly demonstrates that the Zn(ii) and Zn(0) species on the surface are responsible for the production of carbon monoxide (CO) and formate, respectively. Specifically, the destruction of a dense oxide layer on the surface of zinc foil through a thermal oxidation process results in a 4-fold improvement of faradaic efficiency (FE) of formate toward the CO2RR. The results from in situ measurements reveal that the chemical state of zinc electrocatalysts could dominate the product profile for the CO2RR, which provides a promising approach for tuning the product selectivity of zinc electrocatalysts.
Wildfire-influenced air masses under regional background conditions were characterized at the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (∼2800 m a.s.l.) in summer 2019 to provide a better understanding of the aging of biomass burning organic aerosols (BBOAs) and their impacts on the remote troposphere in the western United States. Submicron aerosol (PM1) concentrations were low (average ± 1σ = 2.2 ± 1.9 μg sm-3), but oxidized BBOAs (average O/C = 0.84) were constantly detected throughout the study. The BBOA correlated well with black carbon, furfural, and acetonitrile and comprised above 50% of PM1 during plume events when the peak PM1 concentration reached 18.0 μg sm-3. Wildfire plumes with estimated transport times varying from ∼10 h to >10 days were identified. The plumes showed ΔOA/ΔCO values ranging from 0.038 to 0.122 ppb ppb-1 with a significant negative relation to plume age, indicating BBOA loss relative to CO during long-range transport. Additionally, increases of average O/C and aerosol sizes were seen in more aged plumes. The mass-based size mode was approximately 700 nm (Dva) in the most oxidized plume that likely originated in Siberia, suggesting aqueous-phase processing during transport. This work highlights the widespread impacts that wildfire emissions have on aerosol concentration and properties, and thus climate, in the western United States.
Background Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is related to increased inflammatory processes. The effects of resistance exercise on inflammatory biomarkers in T2DM are controversial. Our purpose was to determine the effectiveness of resistance exercise on inflammatory biomarkers in patients diagnosed with T2DM. Methods We searched four databases until September 2021. We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of the effects of resistance exercise on inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein [CRP], tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, and interleukin-10) in patients with T2DM. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted to determine the standardized mean difference (SMD) and the raw mean difference (MD) for CRP. Results Thirteen RCTs were included in the review, and 11 in the meta-analysis for CRP. Lower CRP levels were observed when resistance exercise was compared with the control groups (SMD=–0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], –0.37 to –0.02). When conducting the MD meta-analysis, resistance exercise showed a significant decrease in CRP of –0.59 mg/dL (95% CI, –0.88 to –0.30); otherwise, in the control groups, the CRP values increased 0.19 mg/dL (95% CI, 0.17 to 0.21). Conclusion Evidence supports resistance exercise as an effective strategy to manage systemic inflammation by decreasing CRP levels in patients with T2DM. The evidence is still inconclusive for other inflammatory biomarkers.
INTRODUCTION PhytoLab (PL) is a service laboratory and is part of the nature network of the MBGroup in Vestenbergsgreuth. PL has comprehensive experience of herbal products and is specialised in product development, analysis of herbal starting materials and their preparations as well as regulatory affairs concerning herbal medicinal products. PL compiles marketing authorisation procedure dossiers, with functions which include project co-ordination, method development and validation, stability testing, biopharmaceutical investigations, organisation of pre-clinical and clinical studies and writing of expert reports on efficacy, safety and quality of herbal products. PL has over 150 skilled employees, including 30 scientists with degrees in Pharmacy, Chemistry, Food Chemistry, Biology or Medicine.
Gene D. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., the founding Editorin-Chief of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (AJGP) passed away on November 7, 2009, at the young age of 65 years. Gene was a trail blazer, a visionary leader, and a pioneer in the field of geriatric psychiatry for more than 30 years. As a researcher, educator, clinician, administrator, and advocate older people, he worked for better understanding of the biopsychosocial processes of aging and helped to shift the emphasis in gerontological research from the problems of people as they age to the potential they can realize. Gene was one of the founders of geriatric psychiatry in the United States and shared his in-depth knowledge of the phenomena occurring in the brain aswe age and their effects on cognitive and psychosocial development. In 1978, Gene and a small group of other leaders in the field met to form the first national group on geriatric psychiatry, creating the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, now 2,000 members strong. In 1992, plans were made to start a new journal for this organization. There was unanimity among the leaders that the best person to head this important venture would be Gene. His personal stature and inspiring leadership led to the AJGP being listed in MEDLINE in 1996, and its growth has never stopped ever since. When Gene stepped down from the editorship in 2001, the journal had become an internationally known publication in geriatric psychiatry. Gene’s interest in research on aging went farther back into his early life. As a high school student, he
The work of Robert Alexy is closely associated with the “principle theory”. For Alexy himself, the principle theory represents the heart of his theoretical work, around which most of his publications are organized. In Alexy’s work, and in the work of his students, the label “principle theory” suggests theoretical unity. Despite this impression of unity, the principle theory is far more multilayered and multifaceted than the “unitary” label would suggest. The critique of Alexy’s principle theory, which is the topic of this article, has two objectives. First, I distinguish between the different types of theory which have found refuge under the unitary label. By clarifying the different theoretical aspirations pursued by proponents of the principle theory, I systematize these different theoretical and doctrinal efforts which are often not clearly separated in the debate. The critique aims to offer a framework within which to situate the different arguments and criticisms, so that it becomes clearer which type, level or aspect of principle theory the argument is about. This is the constructive part of the critique. Second, the critique aims to evaluate the theoretical and doctrinal positions and achievements of the various principle theories on each of the levels identified. This analysis is for the most part critical. The claim is that the principle theory is wrong on most counts and misunderstands itself by confusing the different levels of its theoretical and doctrinal aspirations. At its origins, as put forward by Josef Esser and Ronald Dworkin in the framework of a theory about the concept of law, it has its merit in rejecting the simplifications of positivist theories of adjudication. A defense of the role of specifically legal principles in the process of adjudication against arguments to the contrary from Larry Alexander and Ken Kress is offered. But the acceptance of legal principles does not entail a validity relation between the law and morality as supported by Alexy. As a theory of norms, the principle theory fails in its effort to claim a structural difference between rules and principles. It also fails as a methodological theory that reduces adjudication to subsumption under rules or the balancing of principles. It misunderstands itself when it is conceived as a doctrinal theory especially of fundamental rights as it is developed in Alexy’s main work “A Theory of Constitutional Rights”. The most promising aspect of Alexy’s principle theory could be its contribution to a more comprehensive theory of legal argumentation.
With the rapid growth in the usage of social networks worldwide, uploading and sharing of user-generated content, both text and visual, has become increasingly prevalent. An analysis of the content a user shares and engages with can provide valuable insights into an individual's preferences and lifestyle. In this paper, we present a system to automatically infer a user's interests by analysing the content of the photos they share online. We propose a way to leverage web image search engines for detecting high-level semantic concepts, such as interests, in images, without relying on a large set of labeled images. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our system through quantitative and qualitative results on data collected from Instagram.
The combination of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and biomass gasification is a potentially attractive technology for the production of clean and renewable energy. However the impact of tars, formed during biomass gasification, on the performance and durability of SOFC anodes has not been well established experimentally. This paper reports on the comparison between thermodynamic predictions and experimental measurements of carbon formation arising from the steam reforming of 15 g/Nm3 benzene as a model biomass gasification tar over two commercially available nickel-based SOFC anode materials, Ni/YSZ (yttria-stabilized zirconia) and Ni/CGO (gadolinium-doped ceria). Parallel experiments were performed using 60:40 wt % NiO/YSZ and 50:50 wt % NiO/CGO powders as catalyst material, and the degree of carbon formation was examined by temperature-programmed oxidation. The addition of steam reduced carbon formation on both materials, with Ni/CGO showing slightly more carbon formation compared to Ni/YSZ. This could ...
Objective: The study is aimed at verifying the main determinants of GDP growth in Scandinavian countries with special regard to scientific progress.  Research Design & Methods: The theoretical part presents economic growth models (Romer learning-by-doing model and McMahon endogenous growth model). In the empirical study, they were verified on the example of Scandinavian countries. For this purpose, multiple regression analysis was used. Models have been developed to explain GDP per capita (as a measure of development) using variables determining work, human and physical capital. The variables included especially determinants of education, scientific development and new technologies.  Findings: The study showed that the economic growth of Scandinavian countries is strongly associated not only with the development of factors mentioned in classical growth models (referring to scientific progress) but also the others, e.g. witch increase of medium and high-tech exports as % of manufactured exports in Sweden and Denmark. Moreover, it was indicated that scientific progress plays a particularly important role in the economic growth in these countries.  Contribution & Value Added: The study provides current confirmation of theoretical models of economic growth for highly developed countries, where education and human capital are very important in the context of their development. Also, key determinants constituting the economic development of these countries were indicated. Similar verification may be used in the future for medium-developed and developing countries.
This article examines three texts published between 1775 and 1840 that attempt to model an ideal reading of the Anglican liturgy and to render it on the printed page, exploring the ways in which elocutionary instruction, acting theory and accounts of public worship intersect within them through the figures of inscription and incorporation. Reflecting on the choice of the famous actor David Garrick as an exemplary reader in the two later texts, and drawing on the work of Jacques Derrida and Judith Butler, it discusses how and why these texts attempt to regulate competing ideas regarding the concepts of performance, embodiment, and assembly. The argument is made that although prescriptive in their demands, to varying degrees these texts acknowledge their own insufficiencies, and recognise not merely the difficulty of the task of transposing oral performance to a series of textual signs, or of accounting for the nature of devout worship, but also a more fundamental excess and irreducibility in the constitution of the self.
Demanding on higher data rate in wireless commu- nications, femto-cell has been proposed to implement that with a low cost. The femto-cell can be realized by deploying a femto- base-station connected to the core network via a wired-backhaul. Through the wired-backhaul, a downlink and uplink data packets are delivered to the femto-base-station and the core network, respectively. Although the femto-cell with a low transmission power has a small cell coverage, co-channel interference prob- lem between macro-cell and femto-cell has been an important research issue to deploy the femto-cell in the real world since the femto-cell reuses the macro-cell spectrum. As a solution to the co-channel interference problem, we propose a new time-division-duplex (TDD) frame structure called reversed-pair frame (RPF). The RPF consists of two TDD frames with a reversed order of downlink and uplink. Using the RPF and a wired-backhaul-delivered downlink data, capacity enhancement can be achieved through a simple interference mitigation process. We evaluate the performance of the RPF through analyzing the capacity of the two-user case, which is applied to multi-user case. The results show that adopting the RPF in a OFDMA femto-cell systems greatly enhances the uplink capacity of both the macro- cell and the femto-cell, and even downlink capacities of them than using the conventional TDD frame.
Teachers are essential factors in educational reform. In Shenzhen, STEM education has become popular and problem-based learning (PBL) is a common pedagogical approach adopted in science courses in primary schools, while few studies integrate PBL and STEM education to facilitate teachers to implement STEM education. Considering the mature development of PBL in science education in Shenzhen primary schools, the combination of PBL and STEM education may effectively improve teachers' readiness for STEM education. To attain a broad and in-depth understanding of the readiness of primary science teachers, the study uses mixed methods to investigate the cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of 31 science teachers' readiness. The instruments included the questionnaire and teachers' interview form based on Abdullah et al. (2017)'s related framework of three aspects. Descriptive analysis and the inductive thematic network approach were applied in quantitative data and qualitative data respectively. The results showed that science teachers were best ready in the cognitive aspect (average 3.43) and relatively less ready (average 3.07) in the behavioral aspect. The affective aspect was found with the lowest readiness among these three aspects (average 2.92). Even if the level of cognitive readiness and behavioral readiness was high, the low affective readiness teachers did not have the confidence to implement STEM education with PBL in class. This study also found that the support from parents and schools became the key factors influencing teachers' affective readiness.
Abstract Objectives The finding of alternative medicine for malarial treatment still has become a substantial demand. The plant is one of the potential sources of drugs, among other natural sources. Artocarpus species showed great potential as the antimalarial source. This study aims to obtain active antimalarial fractions from Artocarpus sericicarpus stem bark. Methods Stem bark of A. sericicarpus was extracted by ultrasonic-assisted extraction method using n-hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol as solvents. Fractionation of dichloromethane extract was conducted by open column chromatography using octadecyl silica as a stationary phase and gradient acetonitrile-water as a mobile phase. The antimalarial activity was determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain. Results A. sericicarpus n-hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol extracts were showed antimalarial activity with an IC50 value of >4, 2.11, and >4 μg/mL, respectively. Fractionation of dichloromethane extract was obtained 13 fractions. Seven of the 13 fractions tested showed antimalarial activity. Fraction-6 performed the highest inhibition with an IC50 value of 1.53 ± 0.04 μg/mL. Phytochemistry screening revealed that Fraction-6 contains flavonoid, polyphenol, and terpenoid compounds that can take a role in its antimalarial activity. Conclusions A. sericicarpus contains antimalarial substances mainly in Fraction-6, which strongly inhibited the growth of P. falciparum. The flavonoid, polyphenol, and terpenoid compounds were identified in Fraction-6, which need to be further isolated to obtain and elucidate the active antimalarial compounds.
The synthesis and properties of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) containing 2'- O -(trifluoromethyl)adenosine (2) are described. 2'- O -(Trifluoromethyl)adenosine (2) or N 6-(benzoyl)-2'- O -(trifluoromethyl)adenosine (6) was obtained in 22 or 32% yield by treating 2'- O -[(methylthio)thiocarbonyl]-3',5'- O -(1,1,3, 3-tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl)(TIPDS)adenosine (4) or N 6, N 6-(dibenzoyl)-2'- O -[(methylthio)thiocarbonyl]-3',5'- O -(TIPDS)-adenosine (5), respectively, with pyridinium poly-(hydrogen fluoride) in the presence of 1,3-dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin. Nucleoside 2 was incorporated into DNA hexadecamers. ODNs that contained 2 reduced the thermal stability of duplexes with their complementary DNAs but increased the thermal stability of duplexes with their complementary RNAs. Furthermore, ODNs containing 2 were slightly more resistant to snake venom phosphodiesterase than an unmodified ODN.
We employed J;H and Ks photometry from the 2MASS Catalogue to study the embedded star clusters in the nebulae NGC 2327 and BRC 27 locate in the molecular cloud Canis Majoris R1. We made use of colour- colour and colour-magnitudes diagrams of the sample objects in conjunction with those of the Trapezium cluster which was used as a template, together with theoretical isochrones. The fundamental parameters were derived for the clusters. The distances found for NGC 2327 and BRC 27 were 1.2 kpc which are compatible with previous distances for the complex. The estimated ages are based mostly on the number of stars with anomalous colours, supposedly of types Herbig AeBe and T Tauri. Both embedded clusters have ages of1.5 Myr. The results suggest the birth of a physical pair of star clusters in CMaR1.
Geoprocessing assists activities in which it is necessary to visualize georeferenced data. This requires using a Geographic Information System (GIS). The most important free GIS applications are uDig and terraView. However, these applications are available in desktop platform, a fact that restricts the information access and difficults the data sharing. This paper therefore presents the EMAPI, an open source GIS developed in web platform, which combines the features found in major available GIS applications. E-MAPI is based on GeoServer, a free maps server to develop customized Webmapping solutions, and OpenLayers, a JavaScript library used to display maps and other geospatial information in dynamic web pages. Index Terms - geoprocessing, Geoserver, GIS, OpenLayers.
Entities such as mechanical assemblies are recursive when they contain other assemblies at a lower level of detail. In this paper we show how recursive CAD entities can be manipulated using an extended projection function. The new function finds nested sub-entities within entities that are modeled as trees of aggregations and generalizations. It allows these sub-entities to be found using expressions that are independent of the complexity of an entity's data structure. We describe the new function, its relationship to the transitive closure function, and its implementation in a CAD database system.
This work presents a vector repetitive control scheme for three-phase systems, based on the generalized delayed signal cancelation transform. Three proposed control structures are presented, allowing to regulate a family of harmonic components (nk+m, k Z), where the negative harmonics indicate negative-sequence components. Differently from most repetitive controllers, distinct negative- and positive-sequence components can be regulated. A stability evaluation is presented. Experimental results are shown in order to validate the proposed control scheme and demonstrate its good performance when applied to a three-phase active power filter.
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 led to a widespread lockdown that restricted human activities, particularly land, air, and maritime traffic. The "quietness" on land and ocean that followed presents an opportunity to measure an unprecedented reduction in human-related seismic activities and study its effect on the short-period range of ambient noise cross-correlation functions (NCFs). We document the variations in seismic power levels and signal quality of short-period NCFs measured by four seismographs located near Canadian cities across the pandemic-defined timeline. Significant drops in seismic power levels are observed at all the locations around mid-March. These drops coincide with lockdown announcements by the various Canadian provinces where the stations are located. Mean seismic power reductions of 24% and 17% are observed near Montreal and Ottawa, respectively, in eastern Canada. Similar reductions of 27% and 17% are recorded in western Canada near Victoria and Sidney, respectively. None of the locations show full recovery in seismic power back to the pre-lockdown levels by the end of June, when the provinces moved into gradual reopening. The overall levels of seismic noise during lockdown are a factor of 5-10 lower at our study locations in western Canada, relative to the east. Signal quality of NCF measured in the secondary microseism frequency band for the station pair in western Canada is maximum before lockdown (late February-early March), minimum during lockdown (mid- late March), and increased to intermediate levels in the reopening phase (late May). A similar pattern is observed for the signal quality of the eastern Canada station pair, except for a jump in levels at similar periods during the lockdown phase. The signal quality of NCF within the secondary microseism band is further shown to be the lowest for the western Canada station pair during the 2020 lockdown phase, when compared with similar time windows in 2018 and 2019.
The Wizard-of-Oz method has been around for decades, allowing researchers and practitioners to conduct prototyping without programming. An extensive literature review conducted by the authors revealed, however, that the re-usable tools supporting the method did not seem to last more than a few years. While generic systems start to appear around the turn of the millennium, most have already fallen out of use. Our interest in undertaking this review was inspired by the ongoing re-development of our own Wizard-of-Oz tool, the Ozlab, into a system based on web technology. We found three factors that arguably explain why Ozlab is still in use after 15 years instead of the two-three years lifetime of other generic systems: the general approach used from its inception; its inclusion in introductory HCI curricula, and the flexible and situation-dependent design of the wizard's user interface.
In normal tissues or tumors, cells have extensive opportunities for adhesion to their neighbors. This state is mimicked by dense cell cultures. In this review, we integrate some recent findings on a key signal transducer, STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription-3), whose activity is dramatically increased following cadherin-mediated cell to cell adhesion. Cadherin engagement, favored in dense cell cultures, causes a dramatic increase in total Rac/Cdc42 protein levels through inhibition of proteasomal degradation, which is followed by activation of IL-6 and STAT3. The cadherin/Rac/IL-6/STAT3 axis offers a potent survival signal that is a prerequisite for neoplastic transformation, as well as normal tissue function.
We consider rate and power adaptations for homogeneous data traffic in the uplink of direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) cellular systems, where the transmission power and the transmission rate of each data user are adapted in accordance to the random activities of users and varying data traffic. The performances in terms of data throughput, average packet delay and average power consumption, are analyzed and compared between adaptive rate and power control schemes. In the rate-adaptive system, the received power of each data user is fixed while the transmission rate is dynamically adjusted to maintain a target bit energy-to-equivalent noise spectral density ratio (E/sub b//N/sub e/). On the other hand, in the power-adaptive system, the transmission rate is fixed and the received power is adapted to maintain the target E/sub b//N/sub e/. Analytical results show that the rate-adaptive scheme provides a significant power gain and lower average packet delay over the power-adaptive scheme for the data users to achieve the same throughput.
Glyoxalase I from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) purified by affinity chromatography on S-hexylglutathione-Sepharose 6B was characterized and compared with the enzyme from rat liver, pig erythrocytes and human erythrocytes. The molecular weight of glyoxalase I from yeast was, like the enzyme from Rhodospirillum rubrum and Escherichia coli, significantly less (approx. 32000) than that of the enzyme from mammals (approx. 46000). The yeast enzyme is a monomer, whereas the mammalian enzymes are composed of two very similar or identical subunits. The enzymes contain 1Zn atom per subunit. The isoelectric points (at 4 degrees C) for the yeast and mammalian enzymes are at pH7.0 and 4.8 respectively; tryptic-peptide ;maps' display corresponding dissimilarities in structure. These and some additional data indicate that the microbial and the mammalian enzymes may have separate evolutionary origins. The similarities demonstrated in mechanistic and kinetic properties, on the other hand, indicate convergent evolution. The k(cat.) and K(m) values for the yeast enzyme were both higher than those for the enzyme from the mammalian sources with the hemimercaptal adduct of methylglyoxal or phenylglyoxal as the varied substrate and free glutathione at a constant and physiological concentration (2mm). Glyoxalase I from all sources investigated had a k(cat.)/K(m) value near 10(7)s(-1).m(-1), which is close to the theoretical diffusion-controlled rate of enzyme-substrate association. The initial-velocity data show non-Michaelian rate saturation and apparent non-linear inhibition by free glutathione for both yeast and mammalian enzyme. This rate behaviour may have physiological importance, since it counteracts the effects of fluctuations in total glutathione concentrations on the glyoxalase I-dependent metabolism of 2-oxoaldehydes.
Background There is unequal access to health care in Australia, particularly for the one-third of the population living in remote and rural areas. Video consultations delivered via the Internet present an opportunity to provide medical services to those who are underserviced, but this is not currently routine practice in Australia. There are advantages and shortcomings to using video consultations for diagnosis, and general practitioners (GPs) have varying opinions regarding their efficacy. Objective The aim of this Internet-based study was to explore the attitudes of Australian GPs toward video consultation by using a range of patient scenarios presenting different clinical problems. Methods Overall, 102 GPs were invited to view 6 video vignettes featuring patients presenting with acute and chronic illnesses. For each vignette, they were asked to offer a differential diagnosis and to complete a survey based on the theory of planned behavior documenting their views on the value of a video consultation. Results A total of 47 GPs participated in the study. The participants were younger than Australian GPs based on national data, and more likely to be working in a larger practice. Most participants (72%-100%) agreed on the differential diagnosis in all video scenarios. Approximately one-third of the study participants were positive about video consultations, one-third were ambivalent, and one-third were against them. In all, 91% opposed conducting a video consultation for the patient with symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction. Inability to examine the patient was most frequently cited as the reason for not conducting a video consultation. Australian GPs who were favorably inclined toward video consultations were more likely to work in larger practices, and were more established GPs, especially in rural areas. The survey results also suggest that the deployment of video technology will need to focus on follow-up consultations. Conclusions Patients with minor self-limiting illnesses and those with medical emergencies are unlikely to be offered access to a GP by video. The process of establishing video consultations as routine practice will need to be endorsed by senior members of the profession and funding organizations. Video consultation techniques will also need to be taught in medical schools.
This paper presents a novel spatial-spectral classification method for remotely sensed hyperspectral images. First of all, a multiscale representation technique based on random projection, referred as random multiscale representation (RMSR), is proposed to extract the spatial features from the given scene. The idea behind RMSR is to properly model the spatial characteristics comprised by each pixel vector and its neighbors by some criteria computed at all reasonable scales, and then compress the implicit high-dimensional spatial features by using a very sparse measurement matrix that approximately preserves the salient spatial information. The entire process is explicitly performed by computing simple criteria (i.e., the first two moments) at rectangular scales of random bands, according to the nonzero entries of the sparse measurement matrix. Subsequently, a composite kernel framework is utilized to balance the extracted spatial features and the original spectral features in the classifier. Our proposed method is shown to be effective for hyperspectral image classification purposes. Specifically, our experimental results with hyperspectral images collected by the airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer and the reflective optics spectrographic imaging system demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method as compared to other state-of-the-art spatial-spectral classifiers.
Abstract Objective To compare the occurrence of spontaneous cerebral emboli and venous to arterial circulation shunts in patients with Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia and controls without dementia. Design Cross sectional case-control study. Setting Secondary care old age psychiatry services, Manchester. Participants 170 patients with dementia (85 with Alzheimer's disease, 85 with vascular dementia) and 150 age and sex matched controls. Patients on anticoagulant treatment, patients with severe dementia, and controls with marked cognitive impairment were excluded. Main outcome measures Frequencies of detection of spontaneous cerebral emboli during one hour monitoring of the middle cerebral arteries with transcranial Doppler and venous to arterial circulation shunts by a transcranial Doppler technique using intravenous microbubbles as an ultrasound contrast. Results Spontaneous cerebral emboli were detected in 32 (40%) of patients with Alzheimer's disease and 31 (37%) of those with vascular dementia compared with just 12 each (15% and 14%) of their controls, giving significant odds ratios adjusted for vascular risk factors of 2.70 (95% confidence interval 1.18 to 6.21) for Alzheimer's disease and 5.36 (1.24 to 23.18) for vascular dementia. These spontaneous cerebral emboli were not caused by carotid disease, which was equally frequent in dementia patients and their controls. A venous to arterial circulation shunt indicative of patent foramen ovale was found in 27 (32%) Alzheimer's disease patients and 25 (29%) vascular dementia patients compared with 19 (22%) and 17 (20%) controls, giving non-significant odds ratios of 1.57 (0.80 to 3.07) and 1.67 (0.81 to 3.41). Conclusion Spontaneous cerebral emboli were significantly associated with both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. They may represent a potentially preventable or treatable cause of dementia.
The use of technical proposal tendering has been expanding recently with the aim of effecting cost reduction, quality enhancement, technological development and value realization centered on multifunctional administrative cities, innovation cities, and the Yongsan relocation project. In line with the increasing interest towards life cycle cost improvement measures as an important evaluation category concerning technical proposal tendering, efforts in preparing measures that can execute the security of credibility and objective evaluation concerning architectural life cycle cost are being made. However, problems such as lack of applicable cases of design development and detail design, distortion of initial construction costs concerning the original plan, combination of constant price and current price, the ambiguity of the calculation standards between tendering corporations, inaccuracy of terms, and insufficient compositional formats concerning life cycle improvement measures are being cited. Accordingly, this study sought to propose a measure to improve the compositional guidelines, format, and standards so that a systematic life cycle cost evaluation can be executed for the reliable distinction of each participating corporation, enhanced credibility and objective evaluation of the life cycle cost improvement measure for technical proposals.
Objective To evaluate the results of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of the great saphenous vein (GSV) using one versus two 20 s energy cycle treatment in the proximal 7 cm segment of the GSV. Methods All patients who underwent RFA of the GSV from 1 May 2013 to 30 September 2013 in eight of our vein centers were included. Duplex ultrasound scans (DUSs) were performed prior to treatment on all patients and 2–3 days, and 1 month after procedure. Demographic data, GSV diameters, and other relevant data were recorded. Clinical, Etiologic, Anatomic, Pathologic (CEAP) classification and Venous Clinical Severity Scores (VCSSs) were determined prior to ablation and one month later. Patients who developed endovenous heat induced thrombosis (EHIT) were followed till resolution. Results A total of 205 patients had one cycle treatment (group A) and 204 had two cycle treatment (group B). The two groups were comparable in their demography, CEAP classification, and VCSS scores. The rate of failure of ablation and incidence of EHIT were also not significantly different. The incidence of complications was low, <5% in both groups and all were minor. Conclusion Two cycle treatment of the proximal GSV for vein ablation does not improve the success rate of vein closure in the short term, compared to one cycle treatment. It also does not increase the risks of DVT, EHIT, major bleeding, and other complications. However, we do not know at what diameter two cycles may be superior to one cycle.
A STUDY of the records of cases of ovarian pregnancy shows that there are many points of interest on which very divergent opinions have been formed. It is surprising to find that the frequency of the occurrence of ovarian pregnancy is not yet known. Those who have analy3ed the records, as will be shown later in this paper, differ as to the number of cases which justify their being included in the category of ovarian pregnancy. Great difference of opinion is recorded as to whether or not decidual reaction occurs in the ovary. The frequency of the presence of a corpus luieum of pregnancy in the rermant of ovaiy, and the :actors cletermining Its preservation, are still unknown. The aetiologtcai factors governing th-. occurrence of ovariar, pregnancy, and the finer details of the implantation of the avuni are still uncertain. It is in order to aid in the determination of these facts that this case of ovarian pregnancy is reported.
Abstract Zinc delta-doped GaAs and pseudomorphic GaAs/In} 0.2 Ga 0.8 As heterostructures grown by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapour deposition have been demonstrated. The influence of delta-doping period and spacer thickness on two-dimensional hole gas concentrations and hole mobility was studied. From secondary-ion mass spectroscopy and Hall measurement, we conclude that zinc delta-doping can form an excellent abrupt profile (full-width at half maximum is of 10 nm) and offer a high two-dimensional hole gas sheet density (as high as 1 × 10 13 cm −2 ) By adopting a strained InGaAs material as the active channel and by carefully modulating the spacer layer thickness, one can obtain a significantly enhanced hole mobility.
Abstract Objective. We propose 2 Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities–enabled pharmacovigilance algorithms, MetaLAB and MetaNurse, powered by a per-year meta-analysis technique and improved subject sampling strategy. Matrials and methods. This study developed 2 novel algorithms, MetaLAB for laboratory abnormalities and MetaNurse for standard nursing statements, as significantly improved versions of our previous electronic health record (EHR)–based pharmacovigilance method, called CLEAR. Adverse drug reaction (ADR) signals from 117 laboratory abnormalities and 1357 standard nursing statements for all precautionary drugs (n  = 101) were comprehensively detected and validated against SIDER (Side Effect Resource) by MetaLAB and MetaNurse against 11 817 and 76 457 drug-ADR pairs, respectively. Results. We demonstrate that MetaLAB (area under the curve, AUC = 0.61 ± 0.18) outperformed CLEAR (AUC = 0.55 ± 0.06) when we applied the same 470 drug-event pairs as the gold standard, as in our previous research. Receiver operating characteristic curves for 101 precautionary terms in the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities Preferred Terms were obtained for MetaLAB and MetaNurse (0.69 ± 0.11; 0.62 ± 0.07), which complemented each other in terms of ADR signal coverage. Novel ADR signals discovered by MetaLAB and MetaNurse were successfully validated against spontaneous reports in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database. Discussion. The present study demonstrates the symbiosis of laboratory test results and nursing statements for ADR signal detection in terms of their system organ class coverage and performance profiles. Conclusion. Systematic discovery and evaluation of the wide spectrum of ADR signals using standard-based observational electronic health record data across many institutions will affect drug development and use, as well as postmarketing surveillance and regulation.
DNA mixtures represent challenging samples that are rarely amenable to direct DNA sequence analysis and many of the strategies available to separate mixtures are both labor and time intensive. Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography is an accurate and rapid approach for the detection and scoring of mutations. It can also be used to separate DNA mixtures. The technique relies on the chromatographic separation of crosshybridization products to isolate the individual components of a mixture. By eliminating secondary amplification and excessive manipulation prior to sequencing, denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography can streamline the analysis of conditions ranging from somatic mosaicism, microchimerism and mitochondrial heteroplasmy to evidentiary material containing mixtures of DNA encountered in forensic investigations.
Herbarial specimens of 37 species of subgenus Phlegmacium were examined using the method of thin-layer and paper chromatography. The species of sections Amarescents, Scauri and Fulvi were found to contain more compounds fluorescent in UV light than thosse of the remaining sections. When comparing the R f of stains appearing in chromatograms with the standards - emodin, chrysophanol, antrachinone and direin-it was noted that small amounts of emodin may be found in fruit bodies of Cortinarius elegantior Fr. only.
4 Cheongsong Agriculture Technology & Extension, Cheongsong 763-803, Korea Abstract: A controlled atmosphere (CA) regimen was optimized during 3 consecutive harvest seasons as the basis of practical modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) storage for quality maintenance and extension of storage potential of fresh Ligularia fischeri leaves. Leaves were harvested in April or May and forced-air cooled to 4°C before punch-hole MAP (control, where gas concentrations were same as air) and CA treatments. CA regimens adjusted stepwise during 3 experimental years were: 1 and 3% O2, respectively combined with 5 and 10% CO2 in the first year, 3% O 2 fixed in combination with 0, 2.5, and 5% CO2 in the second year, and 3% O2 fixed in combination with 2.5 and 5% CO2 in the third year. In the first year, higher incidence of black discoloration was observed with the reduction of respiration under 10% CO 2 CA conditions regardless of O2 levels at 1 or 3%. In the second and third year, the incidence of the disorder seemed not to be clearly relevant to CA conditions showing slightly higher incidence only after 4- or 5-week storage + 5-day shelf life. Although texture and appearance quality were maintained better under the 3% O 2 + 2.5% CO 2condition after 4-week storage + 5-day shelf life, effects of CA on the extension of storage period was slight. Overall results indicated that Ligularia fischeri leaves are very susceptible to CO2 injury. CO2 concentration should be adjusted below 2.5% for safe and effective CA or MAP storage to maintain quality even during short-term storage.
We demonstrate experimentally the effect of compression of femtosecond laser pulses in thin (a few micrometers) one-dimensional photonic crystal. We show that the compression effect is reasonably described by the linear dispersion properties of the photonic crystal itself and the quadratic dispersion approximation cannot be efficiently used for the description of interaction of the femtosecond laser pulses with the thin photonic crystal. For given parameters of the femtosecond pulse it leads to the existence of the optimal dimension of the photonic crystal from the point of view of the compression efficiency. Due to the wide spectral width of the femtosecond laser pulses the high-order dispersion effects play an important role in pulse propagation in photonic crystals and as a result the pulse compression occurs for both positive and negative signs of chirp of the incoming femtosecond pulses.
A new technique for adjusting the step-size of the LMS algorithm is introduced. The proposed method adjusts the step-size sequence utilising the kurtosis of the estimation error, reducing therefore performance degradation due to the existence of significant Gaussian-distributed noise. The algorithm's behaviour is analysed and equations regarding the evolution of the weight-error correlation matrix and stability of the algorithm are established. The obtained theoretical results are shown to agree well with the experimental ones. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed algorithm compared to that of LMS and other existing time-varying step-size algorithms is found superior in terms of tracking speed and steady-state error.
This is a three-part study of dream-experiences and their existential reality in the life-world of the Yagwoia of the Papua New Guinea highlands. The focus is on a single conjugal couple, their life-trajectory, and the articulation of their bond as specifically expressed in their dreams. In the first instalment is presented the general cosmo-ontological background of Yagwoia dreaming and the fundamental dialectics of the contra-sexual self-identity of the couple manifest in their oneiric encounters. The second part explores the intrinsic relationship between dreaming and the practice of gambling which in the Yagwoia life-world is a domain of men's homo-social participation in the self-generative life-death flow of the world-body at large. In this aspect, Yagwoia gambling exhibits its true characteristic as an extension and modification of the male-exclusive domain of hunting, warfare, and the ceaseless in-/ex-corporation of the cosmic life-death flow. The third part continues to explore this cosmic dialectics in the context of the death of the woman and its impact on her man through the period of mourning. The study as a whole presents a cosmo-poetic ethnography of the Yagwoia dream life developed through the systematic long-term field-work grounded in phenomenology and psychoanalysis.
We present the upgrade and present status of the ultrasmall-angle x-ray scattering (USAXS) beamline BW4 at the Hamburg Synchrotronstrahlungslabor. In order to extend the accessible scattering vector range, new small-angle setups have been established, making use of the high flux and small divergence of BW4. In standard transmission geometry using a beam size of B=400×400μm2 (horizontal×vertical), typical small-angle resolution ranges from dmax=90to650nm, depending on sample-to-detector distance. Additionally a new microfocus option has been established. This microfocus option allows reducing the sample size by one order of magnitude. Using parabolic beryllium compound refractive lenses, a new standard beam size of B=65×35μm2 (horizontal×vertical) can be provided. The μ-SAXS resolution is as high as dmax=150nm. Using μ-SAXS in combination with grazing incidence (μ-GISAXS) on a standard noble metal gradient multilayer, we prove the feasibility of μ-GISAXS experiments at a second generation source.
For effective stimulation with tDCS, spatial focality of induced electrical field(EF) and current density(CD) is one of the important factors to be considered. Recently, there have been some studies to improve the spatial focality via different types of electrodes and their new configurations: some improvements using ring electrodes were reported over the conventional pad electrodes. However, most of these studies assumed isotropic conductivities in the head. In this work, we have investigated the effect of tissue anisotropy on the spatial focality of tDCS with the 4 + 1 ring electrode configuration via a 3-D high-resolution finite element(FE) head model with anisotropic conductivities in the skull and white matter. By examining the profiles of the induced EF from the head models with isotropic and anisotropic conductivities respectively, we found that the spatial focality of the induced EF significantly drops and get diffused due to tissue anisotropy. Our analysis suggests that it is critical to incorporate tissue anisotropy in the effective stimulation of the brain via tDCS.
Veterinary practice owners have a list of requirements, qualities, and needs they are looking for in a new associate. New graduates have the same type of list and it important to consider the wants and needs of the new graduate that you are targeting for the practices open position. There is data being prepared that examines what is most important to the new graduate as they begin to search for their first veterinary job after graduation.
This essay focus on the second language learning styles of a L2 learner, utilizing Learning style survey, designed by Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L.Oxford and Julie C.Chi, and self-designed interview. The data have indicated that the learner's learning style remained relatively constant throughout his time in language studying, but it would change in different environment, in different stages of learning English. And his learning style is related to his reading. This essay is organized as follows. Section 2 gives a brief overview of learning styles. In section 3, it proposes research questions that would be investigated in this report. And section 4 and 5 provide methodology and information of participant. Section 6 presents the data and results. And section 7 considers these results with previous findings. Section 8 concludes this report.
This study is a preliminary analysis of part of a major longitudinal multidisciplinary program examining psychopathology in young people with intellectual disability. The aim is to assess potential behavioural risk factors for injury in a representative community sample of 571 children and adolescents aged 4–18 years in 5 health regions in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Results show the prevalence of potential injury risk behaviours to be significantly higher in the study group than for young people representative of the general community. Sex differences in prevalence of these behaviours in the study group appear minimal. Behavioural injury risk patterns in the study group tend to reflect those seen in younger aged children in the general community. These findings suggest that children and adolescents with intellectual disability display behaviours which may increase their risk for injury.
In Southern California in 2010, there were 76 declared disasters of which the majority were in Southern California, for this reason and at the request of our clinical partners, when West Coast University (WCU) started its nursing program in 2008, it recognized the need to have a course in disaster management. With nursing being the largest of the health professions, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) recognized the need to incorporate disaster nursing in its new Baccalaureate Nursing standards. The Disaster Management course was developed in concert with other parts of the curriculum such as Leadership, Physical Assessment, Critical Care courses to help students focus their assessment and intervention skills to prepare them to be future responders. The disaster management course is delivered in both didactic and hands on format including online Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) modules, disaster drills, guest lecturers and field trips. Students are also introduced to many volunteer opportunities and are trained to be disaster ready once they are needed. Students are excited and ready to volunteer at various organizations before graduation such as the American Red Cross, the Medical Volunteer Program and the Disaster Medical Assistance Teams. Since WCU has new campuses, the students have been instrumental in implementing a new disaster plan for our facilities, including developing flyers, videos and conducting disaster drills. We have received feedback from our clinical partners that our students are better prepared than their current emergency staff in regards to disaster management and to that end we plan to work with our clinical partners to translate our class into an online course so their staff can be trained on disaster management.
The Economic Crisis in Recent Portuguese Literature: Cases of 2011 and 2013  This essay aims to analyse A instalacao do medo and Indice medio de felicidade, two novels about the social and emotional effects of the most recent economic crisis, which began in 2008. Both are examples of how the Portuguese art was influenced by that crisis as well as of some relevant transformations occurring in Portuguese contemporary literature.
By immunization of rabbits with discelectrophoretically purified rubredoxin-reductase from Ac. calcoaceticus an antiserum against this enzyme was prepared. The antiserum was monospecifical to a diaphoretic activity, which had a RF-value identical with the rubredoxin-reductase-RF value. It has been shown by discelectrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, OUCHTERLONY technique and kinetic investigations that crude extracts of bacteria grown on C16, malate, succinate or acetate contain rubredoxin-reductase. By the LAURELL technique we demonstrated that the amount of the enzyme is nearly independent of the carbon source. There are only differences during the different growth phases.
This article documents and interprets the uses of the past unfolded during the dictatorship established from 1955 in Argentina, after the fall of Peronism. The analytical perspective involves observing the way in which the past ended up being a key resource in the legitimation of a new political order and the characterization of enemies, in order to offer new interpretations of history, rescuing, as well as resignifying, the heroes of the national past. The study is oriented from a speciically local perspective, investigating the discourses, practices and representations of the past that can be found in the city of Rio Cuarto, Cordoba, Argentina during the political process that sought to “deperonize” the public space and restore the liberal matrix of the country´s political and historical culture. The methodology involved the exegesis of journalistic primary resources, qualitatively characterizing the discursivity of the time period. As a result of the analytic study of the uses of the past found, it is possible to observe how the different key agents of riocuartense politics, culture and education, established a series of cognitive, argumentative and symbolic uses of the past, in order to accomplish the task of sculpting social memory for the new political order: attemping to reestablish the memory of the liberal nation, in pedagogical and intense opposition to Peronism.
Abstract Within the Spoorzone Delft project, a two-phased tunnel execution process is being carried out to create a new four-track railway tunnel. This tunnel will replace the existing two-track railway viaduct that splits the heart of the city into two halves. In order to maintain railway traffic at any moment, the two-track eastern tunnel tube is to be established first. Once the railway traffic uses this tunnel, the existing viaduct can be demolished and the execution of the western tunnel tube—once again comprising two tracks—can be started. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, the viaduct was heavily deformed during the execution of work on the eastern tunnel tube. To ensure the remaining lifetime of the viaduct until the time the railway traffic can be diverted through the eastern tube, a series of actions had to be taken. With the immediate implementation of a train traffic speed reduction combined with primary strengthening works, the contractor borrowed time to investigate further necessary measures. Causes of the deformations were defined. Additional strengthening of the structure was performed, which led to the withdrawal of the temporary speed reduction. Finally, the existing execution methods were adapted and applicable mitigating measures were installed in case additional deformations would occur. The existing monitoring was upgraded on the basis of an assessment of the structural condition of the viaduct. The paper focuses on the whole design and investigation process that took place, combining structural as well as geotechnical aspects, which resulted in a well-defined execution sequence and an elaborate monitoring program with narrow bandwidths between upper and lower deformation boundaries.
We present low resolution near-infrared spectroscopy of an unbiased sample of 24 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs), selected from samples previously observed spectroscopically in the mid-infrared with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). Qualitatively, the near-infrared spectra resemble those of starbursts. Only in one ULIRG, IRAS 04114-5117E, do we find spectroscopic evidence for AGN activity. The spectroscopic classification in the near-infrared is in very good agreement with the mid-infrared one. For a subset of our sample for which extinction corrections can be derived from $ mathrm{Pa alpha}$and $ mbox{$ mathrm{Br gamma}$}$, we find rather high $ mathrm{Pa alpha}$luminosities, in accordance with the powering source of these galaxies being star formation. $ mathrm{[FeII]}$ emission is strong in ULIRGs and may be linked to starburst and superwind activity. Additionally, our sample includes two unusual objects. The first, IRAS F00183-7111, exhibits extreme $ mathrm{[FeII]}$ emission and the second, IRAS F23578-5307, is according to our knowledge one of the most luminous infrared galaxies in $ mbox{$ mathrm{H_2}$}$ rotation-vibration emission.
Different asbestos types and milled asbestos cement were inoculated intraperitoneally into mice. Mesenteric tissue (appendices epiploicae) was examined by transmission electron microscopy at different intervals between 2 h and 3 weeks after exposure to asbestos. As early as 2 h after asbestos administration, the investigated tissues exhibited focal mesothelial cell loss barring the basement membrane, which at some points was even disrupted. Severe cell damage, obviously caused by the mineral fibers, was discernible in the remaining mesothelial cells. At a later stage, the whole peritoneal sheet underwent inflammatory and diffuse fibrotic processes. The early surface irritation is due to the mechanical influence of the penetrating asbestos fibers. The results confirm our previously published findings with the scanning electron microscope that asbestos has distinct fibrogenic properties.
It was a large basement of an apartment house in north Tel Aviv, which was used as a meeting place for Emunathe Zionist orthodox women's organization. When I entered the room, leaving outside a sunny February morning, it was already crowded with some 60 women who had come for their weekly lesson. Most of them were elderly. A few were wearing wigs, some had kerchiefs, but the majority did not cover their heads. We were about to discuss my book, Educated and Ignorant: Ultraorthodox Jewish Women and Their World , and I was nervous. It was easier to present the book to a nonorthodox audience people eager to hear the stories behind the long sleeves and under the wigs of ultraorthodox women. Some were disappointed when I related my refusal to look into very private, intimate matters, but they found comfort in other aspects sufficiently "exotic" to the unfamiliar ears of non-orthodox Jewish Israelis. During the discussions that followed these presentations, I usually found that their ears and hearts were never entirely alien to the subject. Many people in the audience came from an orthodox background and were seeking to warm themselves near the rhythm and aroma of their "old world," contemplating again its relevance to their current lives. There were parents of ba' alei teshuva (nonreligious Jews who become observant) who were brought to the subject by their children's choice, bouncing between anger, sorrow and guilt, and seeking to understand. Others met ultraorthodox men and women every day as doctors, social workers, civil
New thermal-latent metal catalyst such as tetrakis (lauorate) titanium (LPTi) was designed and synthesized based on a lauroyl peroxide and titanium. The synthetic method is simple with one step reaction. LPTi structure was confirmed by FT-IR analysis, also nano-sized structure of LPTi confirmed using SEM-EDX. LPTi is thermal-latent metal catalyst including titanium that not only promotes urethane synthesis reaction but also increases the dissociation rate of blocked isocyanate. As a result of quantitative analysis of NCO (%) through back titration, when LPTi was added, NCO (%) increased from 2.34% to 3.24%. LPTi can be used as an excellent catalyst for urethane reaction by reducing the polymerization time by about 30% compared to no catalyst. LPTi can be applied to the electronic polymer synthesis.
Abstract. Accrual Based Regime Adoption in The Indonesian Public Sector. A global trend indicates the emerging role of the private style reporting system as a part of New Public Financial Management reform in the public sector in developed and emerging economies. This study documents that the Indonesian goverments policy to formally adobt an accrual accounting reporting for the public sector in 2003 was part of wider public financial reform imposed by international donor communities and domestic aspiration as a means to strengthen the accountability, transparency and efficiency of public sector operation. Drawing from empirical data issued by the Goverment Institutions (e.g the State Audit Board) and the experience of a municipal goverment in implementing the new reporting system and other relevant information, the institutionalization of the new goverment reporting system in Indonesia has been encountered with a number critical issues: local goverments have been positioned as the passive adopter of the accounting regime against the decentralization policy, the low level of compliance to reporting standarts, the lack of using financial information for managerial purposes, and the emerge of an illegal practice as an unintended outcome of the public financial management reform. This paper concludes with practical recomendation and suggestion for future studies.
Neurodevelopmental risks for Bipolar Disorder David Freedman This dissertation aims to add to the growing literature on the risks and mechanisms in early life that may be associated with later bipolar disorder (BP), expanding the understanding of when and why divergences from typical developmental course occur in BP, if they do. To do so, it utilizes prospectively obtained, serologically documented prenatal biomarkers and clinically documented prenatal and perinatal risk factors, as well as premorbid measures of neurocognitive functioning, in a well-defined birth cohort followed up for BP. This offers a unique opportunity to test some of the evidence as to whether BP is a neurodevelopmental illness. The first paper is a systematic literature review of the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of BP. This review focuses on three developmental time points: prenatal and perinatal exposures, premorbid and prodromal symptom development, and neurocognitive functioning prior to onset. The second paper focuses on two specific putative prenatal and perinatal risk factors for BP: T. gondii and oxytocin to induce labor. The third paper assesses cognition, using both the BP case-control study and the full birth cohort to assess risks for BP and the potential that cognitive impairment reflects a mediator or endophenotype of later BP. Taken as a whole, the findings suggest support for the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of BP and indicate some potentially specific risks for BP.
There are diverse controversial and contradictory models about the geological history of the Caribbean region. Some issues such as the origin of the Caribbean plate, the nature of basement of the Caribbean basins and the regional tectonics, have been in discussion during decades. There are disperse and punctual studies across the Caribbean. Application of seismic stratigraphy in regional seismic lines across the Colombian, Sinu Offshore and Sinu-San Jacinto basins suggests a stratigraphic continuity between these regions. A chronostratigraphic chart of the Colombian and Sinu Offshore basins based on stratal terminations and seismic facies was proposed. Seven stratigraphic stages were identified in the Colombian, Sinu Offshore and Sinu-San Jacinto basins, which, also, have been recognized across the Caribbean region. First stratigraphic stage was characterized by continental to restricted marine deposition during a Triassic/Jurassic rifting. Second, third and fourth stages correspond with deposition of a wide carbonate platform in the Cretaceous, sandy carbonate platform during the Paleocene and carbonate and coarse-grained fluvial sedimentation during the Eocene, respectively. Another stage was characterized by rising of base level and deep-water deposition (turbidites and pelagic/hemipelagic sediments) during the Oligocene. The Early to Middle Miocene was characterized by shallow marine to fluvial sedimentation during falling base level, which was controlled by episodic events of tectonic inversion. During the Late Miocene to recent, the sedimentation consisted of terrigenous coarse-grained deposits. Stratigraphic relationships between these zones, suggest a shared geological history between the Caribbean and northern South America. The geologic continuity founded in this study is easily explained by the model of an in situ origin for the Caribbean plate.
In a globally networked learning environment (GNLE), 16 students at a university in Sweden and 17 students at a university in the United States exchanged peer-review comments on drafts of assignments they prepared in English for their technical communication classes. The instructors of both sets of students had assigned the same projects and taught their courses in the same way that they had in the previous year, which contrasts with the common practice of having students in partnering courses work on the same assignment or on linked assignments created specifically for the GNLE. The authors coded the students’ 816 comments according to their focus and orientation in order to investigate the possible differences between the comments made by the L2 students in Sweden and those made by the L1 (English as a second language) students in the United States, the possible impact of peer reviewing online, and the influence of the instructors’ directions on the students’ peer-reviewing behavior.
Many factors must be considered in establishing safe ratings for overhead copper line conductors. Most important is the low-temperature annealing and loss of strength of the hard-drawn copper itself. Others are the effect of atmospheric conditions and line location relative to structures and topographical features tending to obstruct the wind. The actual construction details of the line, such as ground clearances, conductor splices, and connectors are pertinent, as are the policies of the personnel responsible for maintaining the line. This paper attempts to show how these factors can be evaluated to establish operating ratings, indicating how readily available data can be utilized, pointing out the lack of completely satisfactory data on other points. Procedure is stressed rather than results, as the influence of local conditions upon many of the factors precludes publication of ratings which are entirely safe to apply without careful investigation of the effect upon the particular copper conductors to which they are to be applied.
In this paper we discuss transforming the newly created Capstone course in Computer Information Systems (CIS) at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester (UNHM) to mentor students in developing problem solving skills by immersing them in a real world research environment. UNHM is a commuter college, representing a non-traditional educational setting with a majority of students holding day jobs thus having limited free time. We use Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) as the field of research, a cutting edge, complex and challenging technology that has a very appealing hands on nature where students can see tangible results of their work. Students learn to decompose problems, find solutions, self organize and establish leadership roles based on their skill sets and interests. This gives a unique opportunity to observe and guide the learning process that students use to solve a challenging research problem from that of a traditional external project oriented Capstone course where only milestones and end goals are seen. By exposing students to research, the goal of this project is to pique their interest in science and furthering their education beyond the undergraduate experience.
Tourism is a general business with operations related to accommodation, food and beverage, travel, and entertainment industries. The performance measurement for each tourism sector is different. To define a system of indicators to analyze the performance of each tourism sectors for tourism enterprises, a study was conducted with the particiaption of 200 tourism enterprises in Vietnam in the following fields: accommodation, food and beverage, travel and entertainment from January to March 2021 through survey questionnaires, in-depth telephone interviews and descriptive statistical methods for analysis. Research results have shown that tourism enterprises are very interested in performance analysis indicators, but they have not known which indicators to choose for analysis and how the analysis can be conducted accordingly. On that basis, the study has proposed a system of performance analysis indicators for each tourism sector, including accommodation, food and beverage, travel and entertainment for tourism enterprises to apply and analyze at their places.
Lithogenic sediment input to the Cariaco Basin on the eastern Venezuelan shelf is controlled by small mountainous rivers (SMRs). The Cariaco Basin is also an area of high phytoplankton productivity as a result of strong Trade Wind‐driven coastal upwelling. Characterizing the sources that supply particulate organic carbon (POC) to the deep Cariaco Basin is important for interpreting the paleoclimate record stored in its sediments. We measured suspended POC in the four main rivers draining into the Caraiaco Basin, the Tuy, Unare, Neveri, and Manzanares, between September 2008 and September 2009 and conducted basin‐wide oceanographic cruises in September 2008 (rainy season) and March 2009 (upwelling season). Riverine concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and POC in the four rivers were comparable to observations made in similar tropical SMR systems (POC was between 0.3–2 mg C l−1; DOC was between 100–300 μM). Within the basin, the geochemical composition of surface particles and bottom nepheloid layers (BNLs) changed with season. During the rainy season, the isotopic composition of both surface particles and BNL was characteristic of continentally derived material (δ13Corg, approximately −30 to −26‰), while during upwelling, the composition shifted to values more typical of marine sources (δ13Corg, approximately −24 to −20‰). SMRs represent an important component of the global carbon budget, which are often overlooked in ocean carbon budgets and also in paleoclimate studies of coastal environments.
In this paper, a novel approximation that allows exploitation of the full potential of logarithmic multiplication is proposed. More specifically, the proposed approximation is quantified in terms of mean square error (MSE) and compared to a competitive recent publication. Subsequently, an LSTM network is used as an illustrative test case and the proposed approximation is validated in terms of the accuracy of the netowrk. It has been shown that for short data wordlengths, the proposed approximation can achieve small loss values, for the particular LSTM network. Finally, the circuit implementation of the logarithmic multiplier is synthesized in a 28 nm standard-cell library. Results show reduced hardware complexity for similar loss values on the specific LSTM network.
The development of the current monitoring system technology has undergone very rapid development so that the better monitoring function can help humans to better guarantee the performance of a system that will be observed / monitored. With the existence of monitoring technology it is expected to reduce the damage factor of the tool which of course will require very large costs, increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the system by giving feedback in real time to the system.In this study will discuss the use of the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) system on Vessels to Improve Engine Performance and Integrated Engine Operation Control. This refers to the conditions of the engines on a warship that have various systems equipped with their respective sensors which will then provide a value as input to the WSN system, and overall these inputs will be processed according to the specifications contained in each engine , to get the output decision that will be given as feedback to the engines to be able to increase effectiveness and efficiency and avoid damage that can occur suddenly without warning if it is not equipped with the monitoring system. The research results show that the Implementation of Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) on Vessel Engines to Improve Engine Performance and Engine Operation Control can be relied on reliably in combat operations so that the crew ship products can be applied in various military operations.
Molasse strata on the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent and modern Indus delta-submarine fan sediments in the northern Indian Ocean were derived from the Himalaya. Earliest molasse sedimentation started around the late Paleocene, soon after formation of the early Himalayan orogenic highlands. However, turbidite sedimentation of the modern Indus fan did not begin until the early Miocene, and occurred even later on the Bengal fan in the modern Indian Ocean. Paleogene deltaic and flysch sediments that are missing from the Indian Ocean are preserved as the Khojak Formation in the Katawaz basin and the Makran area, Pakistan. This implies that the Katawaz remnant ocean was the main depocenter of early Himalayan marine sediments prior to deposition in the Indian Ocean, the Neogene depocenter. The Katawaz remnant ocean, a southwestern extension of the Neo-Tethys, was closed by the end of early Miocene time and the Paleogene delta-flysch sediments were incorporated into the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.
Point-contact Andreev-reflection spectroscopy measurements were performed in SmFeAsO_(1−x)F_x polycrystals with x=0.09 (Tc~42 K) and x=0.20 (Tc~52 K). In all cases the experimental conductance curves reproducibly exhibit low-energy peaks and higher-energy shoulders (at 4-6 and 16-20 meV, respectively, for x=0.20), which indicate the presence of two nodeless superconducting gaps. While the single-band Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model can only reproduce a small central portion of a given conductance curve, the two-gap one accounts remarkably well for the shape of the whole experimental dI /dV vs V curve. The fit of the normalized curves gives Delta_1(0)=6.15+-0.45 meV and Delta _2(0)=18+-3 meV for x=0.20, while for x=0.09 the values Delta_1(0)=4.9+-0.5 meV and Delta_2(0)=15+-1 meV are obtained. In all cases, both gaps close at the same temperature and follow a BCS-like behavior
Objectivew To investigate venous histopathology of chronic venous insufficiency and varicose patients (C2). Methods Retrospective review of venous histopathology of 52 patients (13, 8, 2, and 28 were C2, C4, C5 and C6). Results The intimal thickness, intimal fibrosis, total thickness and intimal/total thickness ratio were highest in venous clinical severity score 0, 1 chronic venous insufficiency (no or minimal varicosity) follow by Venous Clinical Severity Score 2,3 chronic venous insufficiency (trunkal varice) and C2 veins (mean intimal thickness 62, 36, 26 µm, mean intimal fibrosis 74%, 72%, 65%, mean total thickness 184, 159, 133 µm, mean intimal/total thickness ratio 0.32, 0.20, 0.21). The statistical significances were found when comparing intimal thickness, intimal fibrosis, intimal/total thickness ratio and total thickness of Venous Clinical Severity Score 0, 1 chronic venous insufficiency veins and C2 veins. The medial changes are relatively constant among groups. Conclusion Compared with C2 vein, the intimal changes in chronic venous insufficiency venous wall differ, particularly in the VCSS 0, 1 chronic venous insufficiency.
Energy has an innate anthropogenic (human) dimension. Human beings are central to the theme of energy generation and its final consumption. Energy generation and its distribution as a resource governs every aspect of human life on a daily basis. This element necessitates critical understanding of demand aggregation and profiling across socio-cultural systems. The requirement of energy in terms of quantity and quality is emphatically embedded in the socio-cultural ethos of an end-user, the socio-cultural setting of which one is a part. Understanding this aspect is critical for scheduling the supply of energy. Policy issues related to demand side management arise from lack of understanding of behavioural issues of consumers. It stems from community alienation, in planning for generation, transmission and distribution of power. Any techno-economic mega system for power generation is embedded in local socio-cultural systems that comprise all beneficiaries, close or remote. The rural energy landscape needs to be located in different geo-climatic zones and physiographic (physical attributes of landforms such as plateaus, plains, hills, valleys, deserts, islands, etc.) divisions. The study provides an empirical approach for rural energy demand aggregation, drawn from specific socio-cultural system in India.
A novel Schiff base fluorescence probe (HL) was synthesized by the condensation of salicylaldehyde and an 8-aminoquinoline derivative. This probe acts as a "turn-on" dual selectivity fluorescence probe for Zn2+ and Al3+ ions, providing different colors and detection limits (DL) of 11.5 and 23.5 nM, respectively. Moreover, when Zn2+ and Al3+ co-exist, HL exhibits a preference for Al3+ by displacing Zn2+ from the HL-Zn2+ complex, realizing a dual-channel signal output for Al3+. The HL-Al3+ system could further discern F- by a "turn-off" fluorescence response with a DL of 86.0 nM. Furthermore, the probe HL was capable of monitoring intracellular Al3+, Zn2+ and F- in living PC12 cells in vitro through fluorescence imaging, which proved its value in potential in vivo applications.
The growing global demand for soybeans due to its different uses and by-products, as well as its use in the diet of several livestock species, is forcing the industry to seek alternative protein sources. Environmental concerns related to huge volumes of poultry manure serve as a warning for the choice of more sustainable production systems. Thus, the current review investigates the processing of an insect meal as an alternative protein source to feed broilers. The five desirable features in the selection of insect species proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) show that the high productivity of biomass, feed conversion efficiency and the organic waste conversion capacity from poultry farms is aided by the use of larvae from housefly and black soldier fly species. Brazilian production of such insects is possible due to climatic and environmental conditions and has the potential to supply part of the protein demands of the Brazilian poultry industry when raised in controlled environments. The prevalence of tropical climatic conditions and the possible use of organic waste from poultry farms as substrate can mitigate some environmental issues as well as generate income to smallholder farms prevailing in this activity.
Highly efficient solution‐processed blue thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) devices are developed by designing soluble blue TADF emitters. The solubility and emission color could be managed by introducing F as an electron withdrawing unit instead of CN. Two soluble blue TADF emitters are synthesized and show a high external quantum efficiency of 20.0% with a color coordinate of (0.16,0.26), and it is the best quantum efficiency reported in solution‐processed TADF devices. The device performances of the solution‐processed blue TADF devices are comparable to those of vacuum‐processed blue TADF devices.
Background Health in early life is crucial for health later in life. Exposure to air pollution during embryonic and early-life development can result in placental epigenetic modification and foetus reprogramming, which can influence disease susceptibility in later life. Objectives: The aim of this paper was to investigate the placental adaptation in the level of global DNA methylation and differential gene expression in the methylation cycle in new-borns exposed to high fine particulate matter in the foetal stage. Study design This is a nested case-control study. We enrolled pregnant healthy women attending prenatal care clinics in Tehran, Iran, who were residents of selected polluted and unpolluted regions, before the 14th week of pregnancy. We calculated the regional background levels of particle mass- particles with aerodynamics diameter smaller than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and 10 μm (PM10)—of two regions of interest. At the time of delivery, placental tissue was taken for gene expression and DNA methylation analyses. We also recorded birth outcomes (the new-born’s sex, birth date, birth weight and length, head and chest circumference, gestational age, Apgar score, and level of neonatal care required). Results As regards PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations in different time windows of pregnancy, there were significantly independent positive correlations between PM10 and PM2.5 in the first trimester of all subjects and placental global DNA methylation levels (p-value = 0.01, p-value = 0.03, respectively). The gene expression analysis showed there was significant correlation between S-adenosylmethionine expression and PM2.5 (p = 0.003) and PM10 levels in the first trimester (p = 0.03). Conclusion Our data showed prenatal exposures to air pollutants in the first trimester could influence placental adaptation by DNA methylation.
This study conducted a questionnaire survey to understand citizen cognition of the stray dog issue in Taipei. This study collected and analyzed 480 effective responses regarding demographic factors, and the cognition and attitudes toward the stray dog issue in Taipei from respondents with or without watching the film Twelve Nights. This work revealed two key findings. First, the respondents' gender, age, education level, and occupation were strongly related to their cognition and attitudes toward stray dogs. Second, the movie Twelve Nights significantly raised the social concern and awareness toward stray dogs issue.
Copper mining, the central axis of Chile’s economic development, produces a large number of tailings, which become a potential environmental risk. This study aims to evaluate the mechanical properties resulting from the making of Portland cement mixtures with tailings as aggregates so that they can be eventually used in paving stones for building inactive tailings dams. Tailings coming from two dams at a concentration plant located in Taltal (Chile) were used. Currently, Dam 1 is inactive, while Dam 2 is active. The tailings samples obtained from both dams were granulometrically characterized by sieving. In addition, pH, humidity, Eh, and mineralogical assays (sulfides, oxides, sulfates, carbonates, phosphates, and silicates) were measured. The fines content of the tailings from Dams 1 and 2 with a sieve size of N°200 ASTM were 76.2% and 29.6%, respectively. Therefore, owing to their high percentage of fines, they cannot be as used as concrete aggregates. Aggregates must contain a maximum percentage of fines so that mortars and concrete can meet Chilean standards. In this paper, to comply with a 7% and 15% fines content lower than 0.075 mm, tailings materials were mixed with conventional aggregates containing very little fines. In addition, a reference mixture was made with only tailings aggregates with and without a superplasticizer additive. To measure the mixtures of cement, aggregates, and tailings, bending and compression strength assays were made of the specimens after a 28-day curing, according to the Chilean standard. The results of the study show that the addition of only part of the tailings to the mixture increases bending strength by 26% and compression strength by 180% compared with the reference mortar, with a fines content lower than 0.075 mm in the 7% mixture, thus allowing paving stone manufacture with tailings materials. In addition, it was possible to increase the workability of the reference mixture by using superplasticizers as additives.
The main goal of this paper is to investigate distributed dynamic programming (DP) to solve networked multi-agent Markov decision problems (MDPs). We consider a distributed multi-agent case, where each agent does not have an access to the rewards of other agents except for its own reward. Moreover, each agent can share their parameters with its neighbors over a communication network represented by a graph. We propose a distributed DP in the continuous-time domain, and prove its convergence through control theoretic viewpoints. The proposed analysis can be viewed as a preliminary ordinary differential equation (ODE) analysis of a distributed temporal difference learning algorithm, whose convergence can be proved using Borkar-Meyn theorem and the single time-scale approach
The aim of this study is to examine the effect of human error on industrial accidents. One hundred and seventy-eight fatalities and 99 serious accidents were classified according to Rasmussen's SRK model. Of accidents, 84-94% were due mainly to human error. Most of the errors were skill-based, next came rule-based errors and then knowledge-based errors. The type of error was analyzed by age, work experience and work tasks of the victims. The results showed that the SRK model is suitable for analyzing accidents in industrial work using rather simple technology.
Three series of porous lanthanide metal-organic coordination polymers, namely [Cu(bpy)Ln(3)(ip)(5)(Hip)(H(2)O)] [Ln = Er (1a), Y (1b), Eu (1c); bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine, H(2)ip=isophthalic acid], [Cu(3)(bpy)(2)Ln(2)(ip)(6)(H(2)O)(5)] [Ln = Yb (2a), Gd (2b), Tb (2c)], and [Cu(3)Ln(2)(ip)(6)] [Ln = Eu (3a), Gd (3b)] have been synthesized hydrothermally by the reaction of the combination of 3d-4f metal centers and N-/O-donor ligands. X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that polymers 1a-c and 2a-c, as well as 3a, b are isomorphous in structure. Polymers 1a-c consist of 3D alpha-Po networks based on a inorganic rod-shaped secondary building units (SBUs) of {Er(6)Cu(2)(bipy)(2)(O(2)C)(11)} which are 27.03 A in length. Polymers 2a-c also contain 3D alpha-Po networks, constructed from shorter (14.79 A) but similarly rod-shaped SBUs of {Yb(2)Cu(3)(bpy)(2)(O(2)C)(12)}. The structure also contains hydrogen-bonded (H(2)O)(6) chains which can be reversibly dehydrated/rehydrated. Polymers 3a, b contain metal carboxylate substructures which have 2D (6,3) topologies; these layers are bridged by the ip(2-) ligands to give an overall 3D network which contains two sorts of cavities. This series of Ln-Cu coordination polymers are further characterized by antiferromagnetic behavior.
to draw out a defense, an argument for it from the claimant. Such a situation could be internalized, someone reason­ ing with himself over an issue, or we could imagine more than two people involved, but the exchange between two persons, a questioner and an answerer, a challenger and a respond­ ent, is paradigmatic. We call these basic dialectical situations. Since argu­ ments are generated in dialectical situations, various methods of argu­ ment analysis, in particular tree dia­ grams, are appropriate for investiga­ ting the "products" of dialectical exchanges. But there is a more intimate connection betwe.en dialectical situa­ tions and argument analysis. Certain paradigm questions which may arise are central to motivating a particularly interesting tree system for argument analysis.
Cotton is the most important commercial fiber crop of India since time immemorial. Its productivity however, has made little progress since independence. The severe incidence of bollworm complex owes major responsibility for the low cotton productivity in the country. The initial success with 4th generation synthetic pyrethroids in the early 1980’s for control of bollworms in cotton was lost with gradual resistance development to these pesticides. The costly and partially successful pest management practices made cotton farming uneconomical. The development of cotton hybrids with a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) by Monsanto enabled the plant to produce toxins to defend against bollworms attack. The Bt cotton hybrids were commercialized in USA in 1996 and subsequently introduced to Central and Southern cotton zones of India in 2002 with the grant of permission for cultivation of three Bt cotton hybrids. Subsequently in 2005, six Bt cotton hybrids were approved for cultivation in North cotton zone. Recent region-specific studies in India have found that Bt hybrids improved yields by 45-87 per cent (AICCIP, 2007).
We identified the monohydride phase Si(001)2×1:H and the dihydride phase Si(001)1×1: :2H by angle resolved electron energy loss profiles and I–V curves of 00-beam. For the 2×1:H-saturated surfaces, S3 transition from back bond surface state was observed although S1 transition from dangling bond surface state disappeared. For the 1×1: :2H surface, S2 and S3 transitions from back bond surface states completely disappeared but S1 transition was observed. We clearly distinguished hydrogen induced loss peaks for the two surfaces: the peaks were at 8 eV for the 2×1:H surface and at 7 eV for the 1×1: :2H surface.
This paper presents an insertion algorithm for maintaining a binary search tree with minimal internal path length. The insertion algorithm maintains minimal internal path length by displacing keys when necessary, in an inorder fashion, until a vacant position is found in the last incomplete level of the tree. The algorithm produces trees that are optimal for searching while exhibiting a runtime behavior that is between logarithmic and linear in the number of nodes in the tree, with linear time being its worst-case behavior.
Extended Internet Group Management Protocol (EIGMP), which allows us to efficiently utilize channel streams being broadcasted for other viewers in shared networks, was recently proposed to reduce the Channel Change Response Time (CCRT). This involves a cross-layer approach to implement. In this paper, we propose a method to implement EIGMP in Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GEPON) by modifying its Media Access Control (MAC) and IP layers. With the proposed method, each ONU can control Ethernet frames encapsulating IP packets for the EIGMP by using Logical Link Identifier (LLID) in the MAC layer according to the Channel Mapping Table (CMT). Analysis shows that the proposed method can reduce the CCRT by up to 9.4% in comparison with the traditional IPTV system by assuming that a selected channel is being broadcasted for other users through the same fiber.
BACKGROUND In Parkinson's disease (PD) an axial deficit is common and expressed as trunk rigidity. Objective quantification of trunk rigidity is not part of routine clinical care of PD patients, although the subjective rating of rigidity may substantially differ between examiners. METHOD We compared the trunk performance of 19 akinetic-rigid PD patients (Hoehn & Yahr scale: 2-3, UPDRS motor score: 25.5 ± 10.7 during best „on”) and matched healthy control subjects (C) with 3D kinematics and surface electromyography (sEMG). RESULTS In PD we found significantly reduced trunk amplitudes in sagittal, frontal and transversal planes (p < 0.001) with also significantly higher movement variability in all directions (p < 0.001). PD patients had reduced muscle activity (sEMG amplitude) in the erector trunci muscle and abdominal external oblique muscles on both sides. None of the biomechanical data correlated with the daily levodopa medication. CONCLUSION The 3D trunk kinematic and sEMG may represent a useful and easy handling tool for clinicians and therapists to quantify and objectively evaluate trunk function in PD patients. The absence of a levodopa effect on axial trunk performance suggests that neural circuits distinct from those controlling tone in the extremities may control axial tone.
Present work experimentally investigates the scope of utilizing granular blast furnace slag (GBFS) in concrete exposed to high temperature. Six series of concrete mixes of Grade M20 including control mix were prepared by replacing natural sand with GBFS in 10, 30, 50, 70 and 100% by weight. Sustainability of GBFS concrete for normal weather condition was ensured by preliminary investigation on mechanical strength for various GBFS concrete mixes at various ages. Later, fire durability of the concrete was evaluated by residual compressive strength, weight loss and surface observation of heat cured specimen through necked eye. Cube compressive strength improves by 2.15-6.31% while cylindrical compressive strength of concrete mix with 30% GBFS marginally improves at all ages. Split strength increases up to 2.9-8.07% up to 50% GBFS replacement while flexure strength increases by 0.81-7.0% at 30% with respect to all the age of curing at room temperature. Residual compressive strengths were 57.3, 55.89 and 54.46 % for 30, 50 and 70% GBFS concrete mixes at 600°C. Surface cracks in specimen were observed after 500°C which continued to grow with the increase in temperature. Furthermore, test results indicate the improvement in the properties of concrete with the incorporation of GBFS even though it exposes to high temperature.
Background and aims The application of thoracic wall blocks for breast surgery has been expanded from adjunctive analgesia to the primary anesthetic technique for challenging cases1 not suitable for general anesthesia (GA). We describe a case of local anesthetic toxicity due to a serratus fascial plane block intended as the primary anesthetic technique for breast surgery. Methods 41 year old female with dilated myocardiopathy (estimated left ventricular ejection fraction of 40%), severe mitral insufficiency, moderate pulmonary hypertension, and left humerus osteosarcoma requiring limb amputation and multiple reconstructive surgeries involving the scapular girdle and ipsilateral pectoral region. She was scheduled for bilateral extraction of breast prostheses including pectoral mobilization and capsulotomy for spontaneous implant rupture. Results Anesthetic plan was regional anesthesia via ultrasound guided bilateral serratus plane and bilateral pectoral nerve blocks (PECS I) with sedation in order to avoid using GA. Left side ultrasound showed cephalad displacement of anatomic landmarks of pectoral muscles, but block was performed uneventfully. 15 minutes after regional anesthesia delivery, the patient developed symptoms of local anesthetic neurotoxicity without cardiac symptoms, requiring intravenous lipid emulsion and supportive measures. Conclusions Although regional anesthesia via fascial block can be a useful anesthetic technique for breast surgery, adequate analysis of individual risk factors for local anesthetic toxicity should be taken into account to prevent adverse events,2 in this case the preexisting anatomic alterations. Therefore, we suggest that regional anesthesia as the primary anesthetic technique for breast surgery in high risk patients should be discussed by a multidisciplinary team to improve outcomes.3
We are pleased to announce the inauguration of The James Joyce Checklist Online, a collaboration between the JJQ and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center at the University of Texas. At present, the online version compiles the contents of all Checklists dating back to 1996, complete retrospective indexing for the JJQ back to its inception in 1963, and citations to numerous books and articles and the contents of other Joyce journals for a total of over eighteen thousand items. The URL for the online Checklist is <http://research. hrc.utexas.edu/jamesjoycechecklist/>. We invite your comments and suggestions. The small army of contributors to this issue’s Checklist includes Iris Bruderer-Oswald, Zelma Catalan, Tim Conley, Will Goodwin, Michael Groden, Judith Harrington, K. P. S. Jochum, Jacques Pourcher, Franca Ruggieri, Fritz Senn, Lissette Szwydky, Jolanta Wawrzycka, and Andreas Weigel. Our thanks to all. Please send contributions to your bibliographer at W329 Pattee, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, or via e-mail to uxb5@psu.edu. The following abbreviations apply throughout: D 2: Deming’s Bibliography of James Joyce Studies, 2d ed. S-C: Slocum and Cahoon’s Bibliography of James Joyce, 1882-1941. CC: Current JJ Checklist.
BY 1944, over a hundred thousand women in Oregon held jobs created because of World War II. Over 0,000 worked in the shipyards and chemical depots; at least 78,000 joined the Women’s Land Army; and  signed up with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS). Several hundred Oregon women were ordered from their homes and incarcerated in detention camps on the state’s borders, a result of Executive Order 9066, which identified Japanese Americans as potential enemy aliens and incarcerated over 117,000 people on the West Coast. At least one Oregon woman spent the war as a U.S. spy in the Philippines, and others were in charge of destroying secret military documents shipped to the Port of Portland. Several more worked the night shift at a twentyfour-hour child-care center on Swan Island in the Willamette River. One Portland woman took a break from her job at the Kaiser Shipyards to compete in a national welding contest in Mississippi; she came in second. Oregon women joined millions of women across the country who found meaningful employment in warrelated industries. In addition, about 0,000 women nationally joined the U.S. armed services, serving in support positions around the world. Over three million took part in agricultural work organized by the Department of Agriculture, and over eighteen million worked in defense and related industries. Hundreds of thousands more engaged in other forms of unpaid labor, such as organizing bond drives,
Deposition of fibrillar amyloid β (Aβ) in senile plaques is a pathological signature of Alzheimer’s disease. However, senile plaques also contain many other components, including a range of different proteins. Although the composition of the plaques can be analyzed in post-mortem tissue, knowledge of the molecular details of these multiprotein inclusions and their assembly processes is limited, which impedes the progress in deciphering the biochemical mechanisms associated with Aβ pathology. We describe here a bottom-up approach to monitor how proteins from human cerebrospinal fluid associate with Aβ amyloid fibrils to form plaque particles. The method combines flow cytometry and mass spectrometry proteomics and allowed us to identify and quantify 128 components of the captured multiprotein aggregates. The results provide insights into the functional characteristics of the sequestered proteins and reveal distinct interactome responses for the two investigated Aβ variants, Aβ(1–40) and Aβ(1–42). Furthermore, the quantitative data is used to build models of the structural organization of the multiprotein aggregates, which suggests that Aβ is not the primary binding target for all the proteins; secondary interactions account for the majority of the assembled components. The study elucidates how different proteins are recruited into senile plaques and establishes a new model system for exploring the pathological mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease from a molecular perspective.
Abstract Applying the polythermal method the coexistence region of three liquid phases in an ethanediol-nitroethane-cyclohexane-methanol system has been found for several temperatures. From this the temperature and composition of the tricritical point has been determined as T TCP = 37.5 ± 1°C and mass fraction :x ethanediol = 0.09 ± 0.01, x nitroelhane = 0.45 ± 0.01 x cycelohcexane = 0.40 ± 0.02, x methanol = 0.060 ± 0.005. The point at which, for a given polytherm, the transition from a two-phase to a three-phase region takes place at the highest temperature is identified as the critical end-point. Functions of temperature versus heights of menisci separating the individual phases have been determined for selected values of concentration.
Droplet growth is examined in a water-in-oil type emulsion where the droplets are subjected exclusively to viscous and dielectrophoretic forces. The latter are produced by the interaction of the droplets with an otherwise uniformly imposed electric field. Theoretical considerations are presented as a basis for understanding and interpreting the experiments. An emulsion consisting of deionized water droplets in a silicone oil of specific gravity I is subjected to a uniform 60 Hz, ac electrostatic field. Initially, the droplets are fairly monodisperse with mean diameters of approximately 25 , sm. The changes in droplet size distributions with time are examined with a laser diffraction system for water volume fractions ranging from 0.001 to 0.1 and applied fields ranging from 52 to 520 kVm-1. The average droplet size increases exponentially with time; we examine the exponent's dependence on average field strength and droplet volume fraction.
Pulse parameter optimization is a key element in reaching higher drilling rates in the production of Emitter Wrap Through (EWT) solar cells. Manufacturing of these cells relies on fast laser drilling of silicon wafers. In order to create a cost case for EWT manufacturing, not only the drilling rate, but also the investment costs and cost of ownership have to be taken into account. In this aspect using fewer lower power lasers with a capability to maximize energy efficiency in drilling is an important factor.Master Oscillator Power Amplifier fiber laser concept allows for independent adjustment of pulse width, energy and temporal shape. This capability can be exploited for improving the drilling process efficiency. Combined with a FPGA controller, one can drill holes at unprecedented speeds. It was shown that a single hole can be drilled through a 210 µm silicon wafer using less than 3 mJ of energy; consequently 6,250 holes per second could be drilled using 18.2 W laser power. The results were compared to q-switched lasers by mimicking the shape of a high peak power q-switched pulse.Pulse parameter optimization is a key element in reaching higher drilling rates in the production of Emitter Wrap Through (EWT) solar cells. Manufacturing of these cells relies on fast laser drilling of silicon wafers. In order to create a cost case for EWT manufacturing, not only the drilling rate, but also the investment costs and cost of ownership have to be taken into account. In this aspect using fewer lower power lasers with a capability to maximize energy efficiency in drilling is an important factor.Master Oscillator Power Amplifier fiber laser concept allows for independent adjustment of pulse width, energy and temporal shape. This capability can be exploited for improving the drilling process efficiency. Combined with a FPGA controller, one can drill holes at unprecedented speeds. It was shown that a single hole can be drilled through a 210 µm silicon wafer using less than 3 mJ of energy; consequently 6,250 holes per second could be drilled using 18.2 W laser power. The results were compared to ...
Peer assessment refers to the students with the similar academic level of learning achievement or knowledge background. During a learning activity of typical peer assessment, in order to have more meaningful peer feedback, students must have sufficient evaluation professional degree. Therefore, it is necessary to train students how to write in a meaningful text and constructive comments. Besides, this student will also receive review comments for his/her work from other peers in the same group, then the student can correct his/her work according to the comments, thereby peer assessment can also promote cognitive growth and learn capabilities of the student. Traditionally, students use pens and papers to join the peer assessment activities. Today, due to the booming of Internet and technological advances in technology, peer assessment activities had be moved on the Internet platform called Networked Peer Assessment, which has many advantages, such as, ensuring anonymity, enabling teachers to monitor learning and review process, performing the process not limited by time and space. Moreover, in the networked peer assessment activity, the most critical factor in the success of improving learning achievement is the quality of peers' comments. But, the students maybe lack of expertise knowledge of the learning object, such that the students do not have enough abilities to give proper, useful and constructive comments for peers' works. Therefore, this paper proposed an Individual Evaluation Professionalism supplemented by adaptive level recommendation mechanism for comment quality achievements, learning quality achievements and peer assessment validity on Networked Peer Assessment. Research subjects were two classes selected from a junior high school in Taiwan; one as the experimental group were provided by the proposed assisted mechanism with the networked peer assessment, the other one as control group were treated by the typical networked peer assessment. The results showed that: (1) There were significant differences between the experimental group and the control group in the learning effectiveness; (2) the learning attitudes of students participated in the network peer assessment activities with assisted assessment guide were a positive affirmation.
This paper describes the use of functional models in a participatory design process to facilitate user involvement in complex system design. The particular case study presented here is the design of Future Internet-enabled farming system to address the global food chain challenges. Taking an end-user perspective during the development of systems and infrastructures in order to assist people in their work and everyday lives sets new challenge for complex system design. In extending the use of functional models by adopting the human factors engineering perspective, we show how future practice was made tangible and subject to the value estimations of a variety of end-user groups. In the food chain related development project, functional models facilitated the creative agency of the food chain actors and enabled a participatory design process in which the agricultural engineers and the food chain actors collaborative worked on a vision of future farming.
Vision based Posture Recognition has a potential to be a natural and power full tool supporting efficient institutive interface for HCI. This has motivated many researchers in computer vision based analogy interpretation of Gait Recognition as a very active research area. In this paper a survey of recent Human Gait Recognition System is presented, The purpose of this review is to introduce a visual interpretation of Gait Recognition as mechanism of interaction to identify the human in the application of Biometric Authentication.
Designing a templating strategy for directing mesopore growth along different crystallographic directions is essential for fabricating two- or three-dimensional single-crystalline mesoporous zeolites. However, so far, mesopores formed in MFI zeolites by soft templates have mostly been generated by disrupting growth along the b axis; generating mesopores by disrupting growth along the a axis is rare. Herein, a single-crystalline mesoporous MFI zeolite (SCMMZ) with sheet-like mesopores layered along the a and b axes was synthesized using a triply branched surfactant with diquaternary ammonium groups connected to 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene by a six- and eight-carbon alkyl chain (TPB-6 and 8). The sheet-like mesopores were embedded in the MFI framework and were retained even after calcination. Molecular mechanics calculations provided evidence of low binding energy configurations of the surfactant that directed the growth of straight and zigzag channels along the b and a axes, respectively. The formation of nanosheets was attributed to the geometric matching of the arrangement of the aromatic groups to the zeolite framework.
The recent evaluation of Spanish researchers regarding Transfer of Knowledge has shown how activities that could help in closing the gender gap in STEM areas are penalized in the evaluation. The results have been very disappointing and, from their publication, one could have the impression that, first, Spanish researchers do not achieve more than a mediocre result in transferring the research to the society; second, female researchers are even less capable of transferring knowledge in a profitable, beneficial way; and third, those activities that do not involve a high economic impact, either on the Society or on the research institutions, do not count for promotion or the consideration of prestige of researchers in this research aspect. However, a close examination of the results with the help of a questionnaire elaborated by researchers belonging to a Spanish feminist association show that the very bad results could in fact be due to the intricate call and the low preparation of the evaluation committees in gender aspects, as well as the immature process in general. The conscious analyses of the results with the help of 513 respondents may help in enriching the next calls, avoiding a second disastrous result, and encouraging female researchers to contribute for advancing towards an equal society, even if no economic values are directly derived from their research.
We propose a migration technique for the deposition of the top dielectric mirror in the fabrication of planar microcavities containing a fragile molecular active layer. Our goal is to preserve the active material during this deposition step. The technique is validated by the fabrication of a passive cavity, showing a quality factor similar to that achieved by a conventional monolithic approach. The migration technique is then used to fabricate a perovskite-based organic–inorganic microcavity for emission in the strong coupling regime. Polariton emission lines are well resolved at room temperature, and efficient polariton relaxation toward the lowest energy polariton states is achieved using the migration method.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: There are no published cases of anastomotic urethroplasty in children less than one-year of age. Boys with a high imperforate anus have a recto urethral fistula. They are initially managed by Colostomy. The fistula usually occurs at the prostatomembranous junction. The trend is to perform a single stage posterior sagittal posterior anorectopexy (PSARP) with pull through and closure of fistula after the child is fit for surgery. Inadvertent injury to urethra during fistula repair may result in traumatic obliteration of the posterior urethra. The aim was to evaluate our outcomes of posterior urethroplasty in these cases. METHODS: A prospective database was maintained of infants with urethral injury. Amongst 1,307 cases of PFUDD, we managed 5 boys with posterior urethral injury after PSARP from 2012 to 2018. Follow up ranged from 6 months to 3 years. One of them was operated in a Live workshop, which video we wish to present. Iatrogenic injury was noticed after PSARP by the primary surgeon. Suprapubic catheter was inserted for retention of urine. Surgery was planned once the boy was 10Kg in weight. Evaluation was done using retrograde urethrogram (RGU) and voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) along with endoscopy from above and below. Urethroplasty was performed early to avoid complications from long-term suprapubic drainage and promotion of physiological voiding. RESULTS: 5 boys aged less than one year had iatrogenic posterior urethral injuries. All of them were born with a high imperforate anus and recto urethral fistula. PSARP was complicated by posterior urethral transection resulting in an obliterated urethra. This was initially managed with a supra-pubic catheter followed by anastomotic urethroplasty. 4 boys required crural separation and inferior pubectomy. All 5 boys had an uneventful recovery with only one requiring a laser direct vision internal urethrotomy of an annular stricture. One boy has some incontinence which is related to the poor bladder neck function. CONCLUSIONS: Iatrogenic urethral injuries are rare in infants but can occur in PSARP. It is challenging to perform Crural separation, inferior pubectomy in a infant. Expert management can offer early physiologic voiding in such subgroup of patients. Source of Funding: none
The backbone infrastructure for providing carrier-class services, such as a wavelength-switched optical network (WSON), usually involves equipment from multiple vendors. For intelligent path control in the WSON, it is highly desirable to introduce a unified generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) control plane, which is beneficial for reducing the operational cost and facilitating the dynamic service recovery. However, the interoperability issue of GMPLS-enabled WSON among multiple vendors has not been investigated to date, preventing its wide deployment in an actual operational scenario. Accordingly, in this paper, we experimentally present a highly resilient WSON with a multivendor interoperable GMPLS control plane. We successfully verify the interworking of the GMPLS control plane and wavelength-switching equipment from multiple vendors, and experimentally present dynamic wavelength path control and dynamic lightpath recovery from single-link failures that occur at different times and multiple link failures that occur simultaneously on a multivendor WSON testbed with both control and data planes. To the best of our knowledge, the interoperability trial of GMPLS-controlled WSON is a world first.
This paper introduces the latest status of our undergoing project aiming at reliable communications by heterogeneous wireless networks. This project is one of the new Research and Development (R & D) projects in Japan to attain the efficient use of the precious and scarce radio spectrum resources. A test-bed facility has been developed and their features, specifications and some experimental results are also described. Our project focuses on cooperative heterogeneous wireless networks to improve the reliability of the radio communication links while ensuring efficient use of radio spectrum resources.
Understanding bacterial transport through subsurface porous media is critical both for characterizing contamination of drinking-water bodies and designing successful bioremediation strategies for contaminated sites. There has been much effort devoted to studying bacterial and colloidal transport in porous media, where the black box approach has been used to predict transport phenomena based on input and output parameters. Recently, flow cells and micro-models have been used to visualize colloidal transport in porous media to simulate bacterial transport. However, additional factors such as bacterial random motility, chemotaxis (directed migration toward a contaminant source), attachment-detachment, growth and decay influence bacterial transport phenomena and need to be quantified and considered carefully in order to predict bacterial transport accurately. The aim of this study is to quantify the role of chemotaxis in bacterial transport through a two-dimensional micromodel with a contaminant source. In this study a novel bi-layer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-fluidic device was fabricated using photolithography and soft lithography techniques to simulate contamination of groundwater due to leakage from an underground storage tank. This device consists of a porous channel through which a bacterial suspension is flown and another channel for injecting contaminant into the porous channel. The device facilitates visualization of both bacteria and a chemical tracer flowing through porous media and is therefore useful in determining their mutual spatial distribution in porous media. The study focuses on studying enhancement of contaminant mixing in porous media due to the presence of bacterial motility. FITC (fluorescein isothiocyanate) was used as a tracer and changes in the fluorescence intensity profiles at different locations downstream from the injection point was used to evaluate the enhancement in the contaminant mixing. Results indicate a two-fold increase in the effective dispersion coefficient of FITC in the presence of bacteria. This device may also be used for determination of Escherichia. coli HCB33 (wild type) chemotaxis toward L-aspartic acid by imaging bacterial and contaminant (tracer) flow at different cross-sections downward of the injection point. Data obtained from this study will fit into the advection-dispersion equation with an additional term form chemotaxis, to calculate chemotactic sensitivity parameters in the microfludic device.
1563 Background: Meningiomas constitute circumscribed intracranial tumours of limited resectability. Adjuvant therapy is applied for growth control of incompletely resected tumours. However, radiotherapy is limited for tumours in certain locations due to the presence of adjacent radiosensitive neural structures. In such cases, chemotherapy is mandatory for tumour control, but hitherto used chemotherapy protocols showed unsatisfactory therapeutic effects.   METHODS In order to develop new approaches based upon angiogenetic properties, we analysed systematically tumour vascularization in a set of 26 recurrent or inoperable meningiomas of 13 patients using the endothelial cell marker anti-CD34 for immunostaining. We determined microvessel density (MVD) within the tumour area with the highest vessel density by counting all anti-CD34 immunostained vessels at a magnification of x 200 within an examination area of 0.25 mm2 using an eye grid. Further, we analysed expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) at the messenger RNA and protein levels.   RESULTS MVD ranged from 22 to 149 vessels/standard area with a median of 50.5. Focal or widespread expression of VEGF messenger RNA was detectable in 17/19 analysed samples and VEGF protein expression was observed in all tumour samples. Clinically, the time to recurrence of tumours with high ( ≥ 50.5) MVD ( 28.4 months) was significantly shorter as compared to tumours with low MVD ( 72.1 months; p = 0.0136).   CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate that MVD may influence the progression of meningiomas. Due to the expression of VEGF messenger RNA and/or VEGF protein in all tumour samples, anti-VEGF strategies may exert a beneficial therapeutic effect in progressive meningiomas. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
We present an empirical 3-D user satisfaction model dealing with quality of service (QoS) in 2.5/3G wireless data networks. An OSI-based hierarchical framework is proposed, with mappings between performance attributes of adjacent network layers in a wireless environment. This concept is effectively a data-centric variant of a voice-service mean opinion score (MOS) to quantify user-perceived QoS, albeit in a multidimensional sense. The proposed approach is validated with a comprehensive 166-participant experiment encompassing the relationships between the top three levels of the framework: User-perceived, application- and Internet protocol (IP)-layer QoS. Finally, a wireless access technology mapping method is synthesised, aimed at giving engineers and application developers insight into the approximate bounds of an application's user-level performance for a given access technology.
Relatives and peers of Barton Childs know their man and his bibliography; e.g. the initial descriptions of ketotic hyperglytoday they celebrate his Howland Award. But there are others cinemia, written when he and Nyhan were on the faculty together who might well say: Barton who? That they could do so, identifies at Hopkins. In recent years, his questing intellect has examined a man who "has shunned glamor and self-importance7'-to use the impact of genetic counseling and genetic screening on indihis own phrase about the late Harry Gordon, an earlier recipient viduals and families; and before retirement, he had ventured of the Howland Award. Yet Dr. Childs is surely not that unperceptively and imaginatively into the genetics of behavior, known. The Society invited him to launch its Centennial Symchoosing reading disabilities as his probe into these murky waters. posium last year (on May 13, 1988) knowing who it needed for It is of passing interest that his research was supported by the the job. On that day, however, there were almost certainly more same RO-1 grant for 30 consecutive years-surely something of persons in the audience making their first acquaintance of Barton a record in the art of getting and holding an NIH grant. Childs than there were of those who knew him well. That fact The specific research is as varied and solid as any could wish. indicates the need here of some biography. Yet it is the larger view that commands even greater respect. The barest outline-and that is all Barton will tolerate-finds Childs has used particular observations to develop and supply a him: born in 1916; graduated B.A. from Williams College in more universal view of health and disease. Few, if any, have a 1938; M.D. from Johns Hopkins in 1942; on active military duty better understanding of the biologic basis of disease in man. Like overseas from 1943 to 1946; thereafter completing his pediatric Socrates, he has been asking questions that discomfit us. His training at the Harriet Lane; then joining the Faculty of Johns questions are as likely to be about the patients who have disease Hopkins; appointed Markle Scholar (for 5 y) in 1953; remaining as about the diseases they have. They cover a lot of ground: Why at Hopkins until his retirement in 1981-at which time he was is there a deviant sex ratio for sepsis and meningitis in the honored with Emeritus Professorships in both Pediatrics and modem North American newborn? Why are the most obvious Biology. The tempo of his work at the "place of business," as he genetic diseases also "pediatric diseases"? What do we mean by calls it, is no different today than when he was a full-time genetic heterogeneity? Can we treat-meaning cure-a patient professor in two faculties. That could mean he is rather dormant with a genetic disease? as expected of retired folk, or that he remains active as ever. The His papers in this vein are not always comfortable reading: evidence gathered by those who monitor this sort of thing, and they amaze by their immense scholarship, they temper our selfonly evidence will do for Barton Childs, favors the latter view: esteem by showing what we do not know. At the same time, Barton is busy thinking and he will bear evidence of that, I am these articles inspire: they indicate research and experiments yet certain, in his acceptance speech. to be done; they inform; they shake us out of intellectual ruts; What has he done to merit nomination? To answer this simple and they are written in a prose style that pleases. If I could escape question is not a simple undertaking. Barton is one of those who temporarily to a desert island to escape intrusions, I would take has lived the rather lonely life of a pioneer. But he will be some of Barton's writings with me: Genetics and metabolism, remembered by thoughtful students of medical science long after The E. Mead Johnson Award Address (I); The genetic origin of his achievements have conferred on him the anonymous imsome sex differences among human beings (2); Genetic heteromortality that is the lot of most great men. The achievements geneity (3); Garrod's conception of chemical individuality (4); A are properly ascertained by applying to his career two aphorisms place for genetics in health education and vice versa (5); Human attributed to Immanuel Kant: behaviour genetics (6); Persistent echoes of the nature-nurture What can I know? argument (7); A biologic point of view-(for its amusing invoOn the basis of that knowledge, what ought I do? cation of the snail darter controversy) (8); One approach to What Barton Childs knows constitutes more about human scientific literacy (in the context of his abiding interest in eduand medical genetics than most of us, his supporters, probably cation) (9); The causes of hypertension (for its unusual insight know together. Dr. Childs began to know a lot about medical on how to investigate the causes of a common disease) (10) and and human genetics 30 years ago, in the same year Watson and the vindication of those ideas in a recent paper on a DNA marker Crick announced the structure of the DNA molecule. Barton for essential hypertension in a rat model (I 1); and recently, his was a Fellow of the Commonwealth Fund at the Galton Labospirited adumbration of the place for molecular genetics in ratory, University College, London in that year. His work then, medicine (12). After rereading this or any other sample of almost and in the years following, earned for him the E. Mead Johnson four decades' worth of medical and human genetics according to Award for Pediatric Research in 1959. The sustained excellence Childs I would be inspired to return as quickly as possible to my of his broad view of human and medical genetics later brought own place of business, and to work with renewed energy and him the Allan Award from the American Society of Human enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Barton Childs is still at work doing what Genetics in 1973, and its Presidency in 1976. he does best: applying his mind to the problems of medicine. As A series of papers on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deevidence on any day of the week one will find the manuscript ficiency yielded a landmark, and now classic, paper in 1963. This for his magnum opus on Medical Genetics growing in form; and famous study done with Ron Davidson and Harold Nitowsky, this month, his book (with Scriver) on Archibald Garrod's Inborn was the first to give evidence of the Lyon hypothesis at the Factors in Disease was published by Oxford Press. molecular level. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency If through reading we can partially answer the question "what was not his only interest and there are other famous papers in does Childs know?" we can then ask: "what did he do with that
Two antipsychotic agents, oxypertine and haloperidol, were both found to be in vitro inhibitors of bovine pineal hydroxy-indole-O-methyltransferase. A series of indolealkylpiperazines structurally related to oxypertine was evaluated for inhibitory activity with the enzyme. The most potent inhibitor of this study, 1-(2-chlorophenyl)-4-[2-(5,6-dimethoxy - 3 - indolyl)ethyl]piperazine, exhibited a mixed-type inhibition. The possible mode of binding of these inhibitors to the enzyme was discussed.
In capability-based systems the possession of a capability is sufficient authority to invoke the object it designates; requests can only be made if one holds the appropriate capability. Therefore, every request for access to an object is legitimate. Possession of a capability is like pre-authorized access privilege. Security policies enforced by capability systems have nothing to do with invoking capabilities, and have everything to do with the control of their propagation.
When looking for background information about a specific disease, or evidence to support a particular clinical intervention, most clinicians undertake some form of literature searchl ,2. Typically this involves a visit to the nearest medical library where you can either struggle through the bound volumes of Index Medicus or, more likely, use the library's CD-ROM databases. Either method depends upon the library being accessible (open), the CD-ROM workstations being available, and you having the time to visit. If these conditions are not met, or if you would prefer to search a range of medical databases from the comfort of your own workstation, at a time that is convenient to yourself, you can access these databases, free of charge, via the Internet. In part 1 of this two-part article, I will look at the three most popular medical databases namely, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and EMBASE. Part 2 will focus on other useful bibliographic databases including PsychINFO, BIOETHICSLINE and CancerLit.
Understanding protein-ligand interactions is a critical step in rational drug design/virtual ligand screening. In this work we applied the AMMOS_ProtLig software for post-docking optimization of estrogen receptor alpha complexes generated after virtual ligand screening protocol. Using MOE software we identified the ligand-receptor interactions in the optimized complexes at different levels of protein flexibility and compared them to the experimentally observed interactions. We analyzed in details the binding sites of three X-ray complexes of the same receptor and identified the key residues for the protein-ligand interactions. The complexes were further processed with AMMOS_ProtLig and the interactions in the predicted poses were compared to those observed in the X-ray structures. The effect of employing different levels of flexibility was analyzed. The results confirmed the AMMOS_ProtLig applicability as a helpful postdocking optimization tool for virtual ligand screening of estrogen receptors.
2378–80. 4 Ezzedine H, Baele P, Robert A. Bacteriologic quality of intraoperative autotransfusion. Surgery 1991; 109: 259–64. 5 Sugai Y, Sugai K, Fuse A. Current status of bacterial contamination of autologous blood for transfusion. Transfusion and Apheresis Science 2001; 24: 255–9. 6 Feltracco P, Michieletto E, Barbieri S, et al. Microbiologic contamination of intraoperative blood salvaged during liver transplantation. Transplantation Proceedings 2007; 39: 1889–91. 7 Bowley DM, Barker P, Boffard KD. Intraoperative blood salvage in penetrating abdominal trauma: a randomized, controlled trial. World Journal of Surgery 2006; 30: 1074–80.
The conference series BIOMATH is an established multidisciplinary meeting forum for scientist from different disciplines and from different countries and continents, who develop and apply mathematical and computational tools to study  phenomena in the broad fields of life sciences. It follows a tradition  of scientific meetings on biomathematics held at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences since 1990s, ...
This paper responds to recent postcolonial geographical scholarship that sets forth transformative agendas in order to create more cosmopolitan theoretical projects within the discipline. For many geographers the challenges they face are located within not only their own disciplinary parameters, but also those of other specific research communities within which their work situates them. By bringing geography and area studies into productive conversation, this paper explores the tensions between negotiating one's academic voice, position and responsibility within geography as well as within a specific area studies community. More specifically, as a UK-based geographer I reflect on some of my own fairly unremarkable, yet extremely awkward, encounters during the course of scholarly praxis in Sri Lanka in order to raise questions over the spatialities of responsibility and political engagement in such academic praxis. I seek to theorize the chasms that open in such awkward encounters between notionally situated ‘local’ and ‘foreign’ scholars respectively and, in particular, develop ways of engaging and reorienting those chasms in ways that might enable the production of theoretically rich, yet richly contextualized postcolonial knowledges committed to the site of one's scholarly praxis – not just to the advancement of a more cosmopolitan theoretical project within geography.
A set of basic static predicates, ‘in itself, ‘existing through itself, ‘free’, and others are taken to be (at least) extensionally equivalent, and some consequences are drawn in Parts A and ? of the paper. Part C introduces adequate causation and adequate conceiving as extensionally equivalent. The dynamism or activism of Spinoza is reflected in the reconstruction by equating action with causing, passion (passive emotion) with being caused. The relation between conceiving (understanding) and causing is narrowed down by introducing grasping (λαμβ?νω) as a basic epistemological term. Part D, ‘The road to freedom through active emotion’, introduces a system of grading with respect to the distinctions introduced in the foregoing, including ‘being in itself, ‘freedom’, etc. Active emotions are seen to represent transitions to a higher degree of freedom, the stronger and more active ones being the more conducive to rapid increase in degree of freedom. Elementary parts of the calculus of predicates are used in ...
Incorporating risk in the decision-making process has been shown to lead to significant performance improvement in optimal control and reinforcement learning algorithms. We construct a temporal-difference risk-sensitive reinforcement learning algorithm using the exponential criteria commonly used in risk-sensitive control. The proposed method resembles an actor-critic architecture with the ‘actor’ implementing a policy gradient algorithm based on the exponential of the reward-to-go, which is estimated by the ‘critic’. The novelty of the update rule of the ‘critic’ lies in the use of a modified objective function that corresponds to the underlying multiplicative Bellman’s equation. Our results suggest that the use of the exponential criteria accelerates the learning process and reduces its variance, i.e., risk-sensitiveness can be utilized by actor-critic methods and can lead to improved performance.
A description of scalar waves scattered off a Schwarzschild black hole is discussed in terms of complex angular momenta. In the new picture the scattering amplitude is split into a supposedly smooth background integral and a sum over the so-called Regge poles. It is proved that all the relevant Regge poles (the singularities of the S-matrix) must be situated in the first quadrant of the complex -plane. We also show that the S-matrix possesses a global symmetry relation , which makes it possible to simplify considerably the background integral. Finally, a formal basis for actual computations of Regge poles and the associated residues is outlined.
In this work an embedded system is designed which implements MPEG-2 LAN transmission of CVBS or S-video signal. The hardware consists of three parts. The first is digitization of analog inputs CVBS or S-video (Y/C) from TV or VTR sources. The second is MPEG-2 compression coding primarily performed by a MPEG-2 1chip audio/video encoder. Its output is MPEG-2 system PS/TS. The third part includes data stream packing, accessing LAN and system control based on an ARM microcontroller. It packs the encoded stream into Ethernet data frames and accesses LAN, and accepts Ethernet data packets bearing control information from the network and decodes corresponding commands to control digitization, coding, and other operations. In order to increase the network transmission rate to conform to the MEPG-2 data stream, an efficient TCP/IP network protocol stack is constructed directly from network hardware provided by the embedded system, instead of using an ordinary operating system for embedded systems. In the design of the network protocol stack to obtain a high LAN transmission rate on a low-end ARM, a special transmission channel is opened for the MPEG-2 stream. The designed system has been tested on an experimental LAN. The experiment shows a maximum LAN transmission rate up to 12.7 Mbps with good sound and image quality, and satisfactory system reliability.
Non-fermenting gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB) including Pseudomonas species, Acinetobacter species, Burkholderia species, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia species, are emerging as an important causes of blood stream infections (BSI) world-wide particularly immune compromised patients with haematological malignancies and patients admitted in intensive care unit (ICUs) (Ramphal et al., 2008). The organisms are ubiquitous in nature particularly in soil and water in the hospital environment, they may International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 01 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
Abstract Objectives: We aim to examine what factors are predictive of loneliness incidence from a life course perspective and whether predictors differ between women and men based on a nationally representative longitudinal dataset in China. Method: A total of 5,043 older adults aged 65 or above from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey who were not lonely in the 2008 wave were included in the analysis. Logistic regression models were applied to examine what factors in the 2008 wave predicted loneliness incidence in the 2011 wave. Analyses were also stratified by gender to examine gender differences. Results: Older ages and self-rated poor health increased the odds, whereas receiving one or more years of schooling, rural-urban migration, living with family members, having a white-collar job, having a good family economic status, being currently married, having a higher resilience and social support decreased the odds of loneliness incidence. We also found gender differences: socioeconomic factors were significant only for older men, whereas self-rated health, resilience, and social support were significant only for older women. Conclusion: This study offers insights into disentangling the complexity of factors associated with loneliness incidence in Chinese older adults from a life course perspective and from a gendered perspective.
The world today is facing the problem of ever-increasing level of pollution of water bodies. The seriousness of this problem calls for specialized attention to predict future trend. Data mining is the most popular technique for handling huge amount of geo-spatial data. The variety and size of information to be processed for proper trend analysis towards water quality management makes the use of data mining concepts all the more relevant. This paper summarizes the on-going researches involving data mining applications in this area. The applications have been observed to use the techniques of ANN, Fuzzy, or GIS modeling for feature-wise classification of water pollutants. The parameters need to be clustered depending upon their area of application. The respective advantages of each model in classifying the parameters have been identified. The authors have arrived at a set of parameters best suited for analyzing the effect of pollutants on the river Churni, an effluent of the river Bhagirathi.
We have calculated the A-factors A2 for the addition of Cl to ethylene and its chlorinated derivatives using transition state theory, and the rate constant ka for the decomposition of the activated chloroalkyl radicals ACl* formed in reaction (2) at 308–406°K and pressures from zero to infinity by the Marcus-Rice theory. The calculated values are compared with experimental values. The agreement is within an order of magnitude. The calculated values of ka are low for the least substituted ethylenes, agree well with experimental values for trichloroethylene, and are high for tetra-chloroethylene. The calculated values of A2 are low except for C2H4 and C2Cl4. We conclude that more theoretical work is required to enable models used in calculation to be chosen less arbitrarily, and more experimental work to provide precise values of ka over a much wider range of pressure than has been used to date. More work is also required to validate the strong collision assumption.
Purpose: A Phenomenological study was conducted to investigate the experiences of infertile women who had an unsuccessful in vitro fertilization(IVF) attempt and the structure of these experiences was identified in a socio-cultural context. Method: In-depth interviews were done with five participants from Nov. 1997 to Feb. 1998. Data was recorded and analyzed by Colazzi's method. Result: Significant statements were extracted from the data resulting in 4 themes and 11 concepts. The concepts were: 'lack of information', 'unable to anticipate the outcome', 'reaffirmation of need', 'financial strain', 'emotional suppression', 'change of social relationships', 'physical fatigue', 'blaming oneself or God', 'trying different ways', 'famous place shopping', and 'praying to God'. The significant themes of the participants' experiences with IVF emerged as: "uncertainty", "burden", "blaming" and "vigorous desire". Conclusion: The results indicate that the care of infertile women with an unsuccessful IVF attempt should be based on a deep understanding of their personal experiences. Also, information on alternative choices should be offered and supported.
The effects of inhibition of endogenous prostaglandin synthesis on the release of norepinephrine from sympathetic nerves and on postjunctional adrenergic responsiveness were studied in isolated canine left circumflex coronary arteries. In rings, suspended for isometric tension recording and contracted with prostaglandin F2α, transmural electrical stimulation caused frequency-dependent relaxations, which were blocked by propranolol and augmented by indomethacin. In superfused strips, previously incubated with [3H]norepinephrine, electrical stimulation (2 Hz) increased the overflow of tritiated neurotransmitter; indomethacin did not influence basal or evoked [3H]norepinephrine overflow. Exogenous norepinephrine caused relaxations in rings contracted with prostaglandin F2α, but increases in tension in potassium-depolarized tissues which could be abolished by phentolamine; isoproterenol induced relaxations in both cases. Indomethacin significantly augmented the relaxation in response to exogenous norepinephrine (during contractions with prostaglandin F2α) and reversed norepinephrine-induced contractions (during potassium-depolarization) into relaxation. Other cyclooxygenase inhibitors had comparable effects. In the presence of propranolol, indomethacin did not diminish contractions evoked by norepinephrine in depolarized rings. Relaxations induced by sodium nitroprusside or acetylcholine during contractions caused by prostaglandin F2α or potassium chloride were not affected by indomethacin. The augmentation of β-adrenergic responsiveness by indomethacin was abolished by exogenous prostacyclin. The prostacyclin synthetase inhibitor tranylcypromine and exogenous prostaglandin E2 depressed β-adrenergic responsiveness. Indomethacin did not affect the facilitatory action of phosphodiesterase inhibition on β-adrenergic relaxation. The data suggest that endogenous prostaglandins (most probably prostacyclin and prostaglandin E2) exert a “braking” effect on β-adrenergic responsiveness in coronary arterial smooth muscle.
We read with great interest Psotka and Teerlink’s1 recent review on the role of ivabradine in the treatment of chronic heart failure. A year after the US Food and Drug Administration granted approval for the use of ivabradine to decrease hospitalization from heart failure, the authors have evaluated the results from the major clinical trials on ivabradine. They conclude that, despite the overall superiority of β-blockers in managing heart failure, ivabradine can reduce heart failure hospitalization in selected patients with high resting heart rates (≥75 bpm) and a reduced ejection fraction who are already treated with a maximized guideline-based therapy.  The authors also point …
The mean blood pressure (BP) can be accurately estimated from indirect measurements of brachial artery pressure, i.e. mean BP = diastolic BP + 1/3 pulse pressure. Although this equation has been used as a surrogate of mean systemic pressure, it is unknown whether this approximation can be validly applied to distal vascular beds. Therefore we determined the accuracy of this method as an estimate of the mean pressure in distal arteries by measuring finger BP with the Finapres device in 16 normotensive and 12 hypertensive subjects. The "calculated" and measured values of mean BP were compared when subjects were resting and during manoeuvres which aimed to alter the shape of the pulse waveform. Although closely correlated with the measured value, the "calculated" resting mean BP was systematically greater (+2.7+/-0.7 mm Hg, p<0.001). Additionally, the rise in the mean pressure produced by infusion of phenylephrine, an alpha1-adrenoceptor stimulant (16.0+/-1.5 mm Hg) was underestimated by the calculation (13.1+/-1.5 mm Hg, p<0.05). Of even greater concern was that calculating the mean pressure during infusion of isoprenaline (a beta-adrenergic stimulant) suggested the mean pressure had increased by 5.8+/-1.6 mm Hg when it had actually fallen (-2.1+/-2.4 mm Hg, p<0.001 vs. the measured value). Thus, calculating the mean BP from Finapres measurements roughly approximates the measured value when subjects are at rest. However, this estimation becomes inaccurate when pulse wave dimensions are altered, and is probably unsuitable for assessing the acute effects of vasoactive drugs, in particular vasodilators, on BP.
Background: Avascular necrosis (AVN) of the talus is a painful condition leading to destruction of the ankle-hindfoot complex. Moderate outcomes and high complication rates are reported in small numbers of advanced disease treated with tibiotalocalcaneal fusion, which has the additional disadvantage of sacrificing both the ankle and subtalar joints. The blood supply of the talus is tenuous, and open procedures risk further talar collapse by disrupting extraosseous vessels. This article reports the outcome of arthroscopic ankle fusion for late-stage AVN of the talus. Our hypothesis was that arthroscopic ankle fusion would relieve symptoms of advanced talar AVN, prevent collapse of the talus, and preserve the subtalar joint. Methods: A cohort study was performed on 16 patients with talar AVN treated with arthroscopic ankle fusion. Our primary outcome was fusion rate. Secondary outcomes included perioperative complications, ongoing pain, and further operative intervention. All radiologic investigations were reported independently by a senior radiologist. The average age of the patients was 53.5 years. The presumed causes of talar AVN were steroids, trauma, hematologic disorders, and alcoholism. The etiology was unknown in 7 patients. One patient was lost to follow-up. Results: Clinical and radiologic fusion at the ankle joint was confirmed in 15 of 15 available patients. Thirteen patients reported resolution of pain at follow-up. Three patients had ongoing pain and underwent a subsequent successful subtalar fusion. Conclusions: Arthroscopic ankle fusion was a safe and reliable treatment of symptomatic advanced talar AVN. It was a minimally invasive procedure with minimal complication rate, preserving the talus and sparing the subtalar joint. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series.
Thirteen curcuminoids (1–13) were isolated from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa. Among them, 1,5‐dihydroxy‐1,7‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐4,6‐heptadiene‐3‐one (1), 1,5‐dihydroxy‐1‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenyl)‐7‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐4,6‐heptadiene‐3‐one (2), 1,5‐dihydroxy‐1‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐7‐(4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxyphenyl)‐4,6‐heptadiene‐3‐one (3), and 3‐hydroxy‐1,7‐bis‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐6‐heptene‐1,5‐dione (4) are new compounds, and 1‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐7‐(3, 4‐dihydroxyphenyl)‐1, 6‐heptadiene‐3, 5‐dione (5) is isolated from natural sources for the first time. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic analyses, especially 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. The 13C NMR data and complete 1H and 13C NMR assignments of some known compounds are reported for the first time. In addition, the errors of 1H and 13C assignments reported in the literature were corrected. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
to trnnsniit tlie thoirghts that occur to him, together with the rest of the nonverbal ingredients, give shape to ;I repertoire of behaviors called "styles." When Liberniari refers to the fiict that :a patient tias certain c1i;ir;icteristics in his style itlong with ;I certain number of stylistic subconiponents, he implies that the analysand has specific qualities iti his transference link that ;allow 11s to deduce that he has transferred certain transference fantasies, hut not others. 'The patient will incorporate and evaluate these fantasies and respond to u s in specific tvays, but not in others. In turn, we analysts idso have ;I group of repertoires and conibinations of the patient's material, and we have ;iv;iilable a specific nuniber .of capacities and restrictions within our own syntactic resources that we can transmit to the analysand in our interpretation of what we know about him, which, inadvertently, he has revealed t o US. 'I'his book condenses ii fertile and original investigation into the dialogue between the patient and the rinalyst carried out over a period of more than two t!ec;itles. In my opinion, this investigation--which encompasses aspects of the theory of communication and linguistics-constitutes one of the most valuable contributions to ia better understanding not only of the psyclioanalytic dialogue, but also to the theory atid practice of psyclioanalysis itself.
This paper examines the role of caches, burials, and mortuary offerings as forms of inalienable wealth in the lower Rio Verde valley of Pacific coastal Oaxaca, Mexico. Interred in socially meaningful places, bodies and objects were removed from circulation but remained integral to interactions among the living, acquiring “situational” inalienability. Tracing the history of caching and burial practices over the course of the later Formative period (400 B.C.E.–C.E. 250), we argue that these buried inalienable possessions were important elements of identity creation and also served both to establish and to undermine hierarchical social relations during the process of political centralization.
The opioid crisis is one of the largest public health problems in the history of the United States. Prescription drug monitoring programs (“PDMPs”)—state databases containing the records of all prescriptions for controlled substances written in the state—have emerged as a means to track opioid prescribing and use. While PDMPs are typically used as a tool for physicians to inform their prescribing practices, many states also permit law enforcement to access PDMPs when investigating controlled substance distribution, often without prior judicial approval. Such law enforcement use of PDMPs raises serious questions of patient privacy. The Fourth Amendment protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy and has been interpreted to require law enforcement have probable cause and a search warrant before infringing upon an individual’s reasonable expectation of privacy. Several courts have held that patients have no reasonable expectation of privacy, or a severely diminished expectation of privacy, in their prescription drug records held in PDMPs. As support, courts rely on the third-party doctrine because the information is disclosed to physicians and then held by the state; the highly regulated nature of the prescription drug industry; and the statutory framework of the Controlled Substances Act. Such analysis disregards patients’ expectation of privacy in their personal health information, the confidentiality in the physician-patient relationship, and the resulting patient incentives not to seek care. Therefore, this Article argues that law enforcement must have probable cause and a search warrant to access PDMPs because the exceptions to the Fourth Amendment’s probable cause and warrant requirements do not apply.
Summary In this paper the applicability of Girshick's sequential procedure in the analysis of epidemiological data is considered. Data are analysed under the assumption that the epidemics can be described by certain Markov processes. the general population of healthy individuals. Such models have constant parameters which determine the expected rate of occurrence of new cases for any given number of existing infectives. The question that naturally arises is how to estimate the parameters of the model. After having chosen an actual epidemic which is assumed to be operating similarly to the given model, two options are available. The investigator can either seek to construct statistical esti- mates for the parameters, which are based on the data for the entire epidemic, or he can con- struct a sequential test which uses (hopefully) only the initial data in order to estimate the parameters. Such sequential tests can be used most effectively in comparing the behaviour of two epidemics which occur simultaneously. These methods have been rarely used by epidemio- logists.
Supplier selection in industry is a cross-functional, group decision-making problem, frequently solved by a non-programmed decision-making process, and involving long-term commitment for a company. During recent years, how to determine suitable suppliers in the supply chain has become a key strategic consideration. However, the nature of these decisions usually is complex and unstructured. Especially, some decision-making data is undefined, vague and fuzzy data. Especially the determination of weight for supplier selection is very difficult. Considering these circumstances, in this paper, at first we transform the triangular fuzzy numbers into crisp date, and then we use the BP neutral networks to calculate the weight of indexes for supplier selection, the weight we obtained is reliable and reasonable, considering the suitability of grey correlation analysis for supplier selection problem, we use the grey correlation analysis to select the best supplier, Finally, an empirical study is conducted to demonstrate the procedure of the proposed system and identify the suitable supplier.
Sound transmission and scattering properties in higher‐order modes across the tee‐junction of a rectangular duct used in ventilation and air‐conditioning system were investigated numerically and experimentally. High‐sound transmission of the fundamental mode and higher‐order modes across the main duct is observed at eigen‐frequencies of the main duct. The resonance of branch modes is suppressed by the weak modal coupling of the branch‐modes and the traveling wave in the main duct at or very close to the eigen‐frequencies of the sidebranch, which results in high‐sound transmission of the fundamental mode and higher‐order modes across the main duct and excitation of the branch modes at higher frequencies. Increases in sound scattering into higher‐order mode are found when the non‐planar or longitudinal branch‐mode excited. In the case of co‐excitation of the longitudinal branch‐mode and non‐planar branch‐modes, a broader band‐stop action in sound transmission has been observed. The results of numerical simu...
The LISA International Science Team Working Group on Data Analysis (LIST‐ WG1B) is sponsoring several rounds of mock data challenges, with the purpose of fostering development of LISA data‐analysis capabilities, and of demonstrating technical readiness for the maximum science exploitation of the LISA data. The first round of challenge data sets were released at this Symposium. We describe the models and conventions (for LISA and for gravitational‐wave sources) used to prepare the data sets, the file format used to encode them, and the tools and resources available to support challenge participants.
The oestrogen‐induced luteinising hormone (LH) surge is evident in male primates, including humans, whereas male rodents never show the LH surge, even when treated with a preovulatory level of oestrogen. This suggests that the central mechanism governing reproductive hormones in primates is different from that in rodents. The present study aimed to investigate whether male Japanese monkeys conserve a brain mechanism mediating the oestrogen‐induced LH surge via activation of kisspeptin neurones. Adult male and female Japanese monkeys were gonadectomised and then were treated with oestradiol‐17β for 2 weeks followed by a bolus injection of oestradiol benzoate. Both male and female monkeys showed an oestrogen‐induced LH surge. In gonadectomised monkeys sacrificed just before the anticipated time of the LH surge, oestrogen treatment significantly increased the number of KISS1‐expressing cells in the preoptic area (POA) and enhanced the expression of c‐fos in POA KISS1‐positive cells of males and females. The oestrogen treatment failed to induce c‐fos expression in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) kisspeptin neurones in both sexes just prior to LH surge onset. Thus, kisspeptin neurones in the POA but not in the ARC might be involved in the positive‐feedback action of oestrogen that induces LH surge in male Japanese monkeys, as well as female monkeys. The present results indicate that oestrogen‐induced activation of POA kisspeptin neurones may contribute to the LH surge generation in both sexes. The conservation of the LH surge generating system found in adult male primates, unlike rodents, could be a result of the capability of oestrogen to induce POA kisspeptin expression and activation.
A probabilistic model is presented for the phase durations in binocular rivalry experiments. The hypothetical construct of inhibition or reaction inhibition is used to account for the length of the successive phases of left-eye dominance and right-eye dominance. In accordance with Hull's Postulate X.B. it is assumed that the inhibition increases linearly at rate a1 during periods of left-eye dominance and decreases linearly at rate a0 during periods of right-eye dominance. Two different versions of the proposed model are presented: the beta and the Bessel inhibition models. Inhibition fluctuates between the boundaries 0 and 1 in the beta inhibition model and between -infinity and +infinity in the Bessel inhibition model. The transition rates lambda1(t) for switches from a state of left-eye dominance to a state of right-eye dominance, and lambda0(t) for switches from a state of right-eye dominance to a state of left-eye dominance depend on inhibition: lambda1(t)=l1 (Y(t)), lambda0(t)=l0(Y(t)), where l1 is a non-decreasing function and l0 is a non-increasing function. In the beta inhibition model l1(y)=c1/(1 - y) and l0(y)=c0/y. In the Bessel inhibition model l1(y)=u1e(y) and l0(y)=u0/e(y). Special attention is given to the derivation of the expectation of the stationary phase durations.
Abstract This paper reports results of a joint study between ESA and the University of Leicester on worst-case analysis of NDI control laws for an industrial standard Reusable Launch Vehicle. Multiple performance objectives over a particular phase of the atmospheric re-entry are considered simultaneously in the analysis, yielding valuable information about the trade-offs involved in satisfying different clearance criteria. Two different multiobjective optimisation algorithms are employed to identify the pareto front of the multiple performance objectives. In the initial analysis, a fast, elitist, evolutionary multiobjective optimisation algorithm known as nondominated sorting genetic algorithm(NSGA-II) is employed. A hybrid multi objective optimisation algorithm which adaptively switches between three different strategies such as NSGA-II, differential evolution and the metropolis algorithm, is also developed and applied to the clearance problem. The results of our analysis show that the proposed optimisation-based approach has the potential to significantly improve both the reliability and efficiency of the flight clearance process for future re-entry vehicles.
Radiative heat transfer with and without conduction in a differentially heated 2-D square enclosure is analyzed. The enclosure with diffuse gray boundaries contains radiating and/or conducting gray homogeneous medium. Radiatively, the medium is absorbing, emitting and scattering. On the south boundary, four types of discrete heated regions, viz., the full boundary, the left one-third, left two third and middle one third, are considered. In the absence of conduction, distributions of heat flux along the south boundary are studied for the effect of extinction coefficient. In the presence of conduction, distributions of radiation, conduction and total heat fluxes along the south boundary are analyzed for the effects of extinction coefficient, scattering albedo, conduction–radiation parameter, and south boundary emissivity. Effects of these parameters on centerline temperature distribution are also studied. To assess the performance of three commonly used radiative transfer methods, in all cases, the radiative transfer equation is solved using the discrete ordinate method (DOM), the conventional discrete ordinate method (CDOM) and the finite volume method (FVM). In the combined mode problem, with volumetric radiative information known from one of the three methods, viz., DOM, CDOM, and FVM, the energy equation is solved using the finite difference method (FDM). In all cases, the results from FDM-DOM, FDM-CDOM, and FDM-FVM are in good agreement. Computationally, all three sets of methods are equally efficient.
Addition of normal human neutrophils and the neutrophil stimulant, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), caused perfusate thromboxane (TXB2) elevations, pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) increases, and lung weight gains in isolated perfused rat lungs. Addition of PMA and neutrophils that do not generate O2 metabolites from a patient with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) - or addition of PMA and normal neutrophils with the purported O2 metabolite scavenger, dimethylthiourea (DMTU) - also caused PAP increases but did not cause perfusate TXB2 elevations or lung weight gains in isolated lungs. In parallel, mixtures of normal neutrophils and PMA made hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentrations in vitro which exceeded concentrations found in mixtures containing PMA and CGD neutrophils or mixtures containing PMA, normal neutrophils, and DMTU. TXB2 levels were not detectable in mixtures containing normal neutrophils and PMA in vitro. Our results indicate that neutrophil-derived O2 metabolites contribute to perfusate TXB2 elevations and lung weight gains but not PAP increases in isolated perfused rat lungs.
This paper found that the concepts of innovation capital are related to management performance, thereby supporting our hypothesis. Similar results are also obtained with two stage regression, which uses instrumental variables of corporate governance. The results demonstrate that independent directors have influence on innovation capital and management performance. This paper finds the coefficient of value-added innovation capital is negatively related to the grwth rate by return on assets and positively related to total production in two stages least square method. The results also show that Agency cost are reversal with innovation variables such as research and development expenditure are more accurate than personal contribution rate in measuring innovation capital. We therefore suggest a new measurement to estimate market performance using cross-sectional analysis, with the renew method to calculate the capital required to be redesigned.
Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the eruption stage of the lower first permanent molar and dental plaque acidogenicity. Socio-economic status (SES), gender, and oral hygiene condition were also variables considered. Material and methods. 230 children between 6 and 8 years of age were recruited from one public and one private primary school with different SES in Lima, Peru. Clinical examinations were performed to assess lower first permanent molar eruption stage, plaque acidogenicity, and oral hygiene condition. Bivariate associations were analyzed through chi-square tests and the variable interactions were analyzed through a hierarchical log-linear analysis with backward elimination. Results. 21.8% of the population had highly acidogenic plaque, 34.3% acidogenic plaque, and 43.9% non-acidogenic plaque. Of the lower first permanent molars, 46.1% were fully erupted, whereas 53.9% were partially erupted. According to the final log-linear model, children with fully erupted molars and non-acidogenic plaque are less frequent in low than in high SES. Also, the frequency of children with partially erupted molars and acidogenic to highly acidogenic plaque is higher in males than in females. Finally, fully erupted molars and non-acidogenic plaque are more frequent in children with good hygiene than in children with moderate to poor hygiene. Conclusions. Association between eruption stage of the lower first permanent molar and plaque acidogenicity was not significant in a bivariate context. However, in a multivariate context, socio-economic status, oral hygiene condition, and gender had an impact on the association between the two main variables.
We propose a novel detection method for noncoherent synchronization (signal acquisition) in multi-access UWB impulse radio (IR) networks. It is designed to solve the IUI (inter-user interference) that occurs in some ad-hoc networks where concurrent transmissions are allowed with heterogeneous power levels. In such scenarios, the conventional detection method, which is based on correlating the received IR signal with a template pulse train (TPT), does not always perform well. Our proposal has similar complexity as the conventional method. We evaluate its performance with the line of sight (LOS) office indoor channel model proposed by the IEEE P802.15.4a study group and find that the improvement is significant.
Herpetic keratitis is a common condition which can produce severe complications. The pattern of disease created by the virus depends on an interaction of virus and host mediated mechanisms. The changes in the epithelium are a consequence of the cytopathic effect of the virus and are related directly to virus replication. Changes produced in the stroma are due to inflammatory mechanisms initiated by the presence of virus antigens. The treatment of epithelial disease is aimed at reducing virus replication. The treatment of stromal disease is directed towards suppressing inflammation without increasing virus replication. Various anti-viral agents are available and each has a different mechanism of action and properties which make each anti-viral agent more suitable in particular situations. Many clinical trials have been conducted which indicate the place of anti-viral agents. The management of stromal disease is more complicated and less information is available from clinical trials to indicate the best possible method of treatment.
Background: Marital separation and divorce can be the most unpleasant event in the adult’s life, and families will be hurt by divorce event. The prevalence of divorce has been increased in last decades. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the divorce cause among the divorce seeking men and women in Qazvin, Iran. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 572 (400 women and 172 men) subjects who requested for divorce and were referred to divorce and marriage office of Qazvin province during 3 month in 2009. Data were collected by self – administered questionnaire, interviewing subjects and using Likert scale. Data were analyzed by Chi- Square test and Mann-Whitney (SPSS version 16). Results: The participants of the study included 400 women (26.5±7.4 years) and 172 men. In view points of women the primary wrong mate selection was main cause of divorce (59.8%), but the men believed that the families and relatives interference was the main reason for separation (43.7%). Among the respondents, mean score of “dependency to their families” and “unmet emotional needs” were 3.44±1.6 and 3.86±1.4 respectively. In addition mean score of infertility among men and women were 1.37±1.0 and 1.29±0.9 respectively. Conclusion: Wrong mate selection, unmet emotional needs, families’ interference, and “dependency to families” are more important factors than traditional factors which are sexual or physical factors.
The regular and fine sampling along the time axis is common, whereas good spatial sampling is often more expensive or prohibitive and therefore is the main bottleneck for seismic resolution. We generalize missing data interpolation, a special case of data regularization, as a basis pursuit problem and use a Bregman iteration with seislet transform for recovering missing data. The seislet transform employs antialiasing dip pattern to handle aliasing information, which utilizes the scale-invariance property of prediction-error filters (PEFs). Bregman iteration provides the practical interpolation characteristics such as fast iteration convergence and reasonable interpolating result. Benchmark synthetic and field data tests confirm the effectiveness of the proposed iterative algorithm.
Abstract The study evaluated the drinking water quality from 45 public schools in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. Water samples were harvested from two different points at each school: the first one, drinking fountain used by students (n=45) and the second, kitchen faucet (n=45), comprising 90 samples. The samples were submitted to analysis according to current legislation, such as: dosage of free chlorine; colony counts of heterotrophic bacteria; presence of total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli. In addition, an enterococci analysis was also included as a complementary microbiological indicator of fecal contamination. The isolated strains of enterococci were identified and submitted to an antibiotic susceptibility test. In relation to the legal parameters, 35.5% (n=16) of the 45 schools evaluated did not meet the quality water standards set by the Brazilian legislation. Although none of the 90 samples exhibited the presence Escherichia coli, 6.6% (n=6) of the analyzed samples presented enterococci contamination. Regarding the antibiotic susceptibility test, the isolated strains demonstrated a similar behavior, became resistant to six antibiotics and had intermediate sensitivity to one (Streptomycin) of the nine antibiotics tested. The drinking water destined for human consumption in the public schools may pose health risks for students since the fecal contamination by enterococci was confirmed, and it could be observed that the water may be a source of genes from bacteria resistant to antimicrobials. This study reinforces the importance of monitoring complementary microbiological indicators to assure water quality, seeing that fecal contamination was detected only when alternative parameters were inserted, emphasizing the relevance of including microbiological indicators beyond what the legislation requires to evaluate the drinking water more effectively and to safeguard public health.
In writing urban history, a history that assumes that space matters, the challenge is to properly acknowledge influences emanating from multiple geographical scales. An appropriate balance has to be struck between events and decisions occurring at the regional, national, and global scales and those happening within the city. Write too little about the former and these factors become “black boxes” with little meaning for the reader. Write too much about them and the story shifts to higher levels, and local actions and conditions become mere epiphenomena. Consequently, the whole purpose for writing about “the urban” is defeated. Sociologist of science John Law1 has proposed that we think of this problem as involving a choice between two types of complexity, one romantic and the other baroque. Romantic complexity asks us to believe that the world is built from the bottom up, with each activity or condition lower down making sense only as it comes together with others above it. We look to the higher scales for the forces that shape what occurs beneath them. Baroque complexity is its opposite; the world exists in the proverbial “grain of sand.” If we want to know how things happen, we look down. There, we find everything that we need to make social science knowledge. From this baroque perspective, globalization, neoliberalism, modernization, urbanization, and war take on meaning only when they settle into a specific landscape.
In this contemporary life, television becomes an effective media of the da’wa or proliferation. The flourishing some of Islamic programs also effects to the order of the religious public life in Indonesian society. Using the descriptive analytical research, this essay investigates the process of religious proliferation program who become popular in society. It is started from the objective of some television channel to show “ kuliah subuh ”, a religious speech from an expert people that understand about Islamic religion or ustad after the dawn. Then the writer tries to find an effect of the media especially television to the audiences from the message of the program and their daily life expressions. Finally, “ kuliah subuh ” appears as a mediated religion which produces certain effects on religion in order to adapt it to television formats. It make the birth of transformations and paradoxes within the institutional model of religiosity.
In reply Unfortunately, Wright begs his central question. Few would deny that the personal values, beliefs, and attitudes of physicians are most important to the way they treat their dying patients. But what precisely are these values, beliefs, and attitudes? And is it enough that they are personal, as Wright asserts? It is not unheard of that personal attitudes, even personal values, are modified beyond recognition by institutional attitudes and values. I believe, and the data concur, that the endemic inadequacy of education in the care of the dying is indicative of institutional attitudes and values, speaking far more persuasively than any exceptional physician educators, relying upon their individual beliefs, can. That being the case, the conclusion is inescapable. Something in the way of effective education requires fundamental institutional beliefs against which individuals—teachers and students—can resonably test, confirm, change, and refine their personal beliefs. Fortunately, the growing clinical appreciation of
Q (1) What are the effects on the social and communication skills of a person with developmental disability when intervention is implemented by a familymember? (2) Are differential effects of family-implemented social and communication intervention related to participant characteristics? (3) Do person-centered, adult-led, or other family-member-led approaches result in different effect size estimates? (4) What are the effects of family-implemented intervention on social play behaviors, joint attention, verbal or recognizable words, and Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) use?
We present a method for correcting real-word spelling errors using the Google Web 1T n-gram data set and a normalized and modified version of the Longest Common Subsequence (LCS) string matching algorithm. Our method is focused mainly on how to improve the correction recall (the fraction of errors corrected) while keeping the correction precision (the fraction of suggestions that are correct) as high as possible. Evaluation results on a standard data set show that our method performs very well.
The book under review (hereafter CC) has the same title as the classic undergraduate level text by Ross (2002), which just goes to show that you can’t tell a book by its title. The preface of the book claims that it can be used for a twosemester course taught to undergraduates. In my mind, however, the book falls someplace between books by Ross (2002), Pitman (1993), and others that really are suitable for an undergraduate audience, and measure-theoretic expositions of the subject. CC does not introduce measure theory (though the axiomatic treatment of probability is done via sigma algebras of events). However, the emphasis is on mathematical formalism and rigor rather than on applicability. As evidence of this, there are no appendix tables included for use in doing various probability calculations, and not one single picture of a normal density curve appears.
Purpose: JDA58 (NSC 741282), a “combi-molecule” optimized in the context of the “combi-targeting concept,” is a nitrosourea moiety tethered to an anilinoquinazoline. Here, we sought to show its binary epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/DNA targeting property and to study its fragmentation in vitro and in vivo. Experimental Design: The fragmentation of JDA58 was detected in cells in vitro and in vivo by fluorescence microscopy and tandem mass spectrometry. EGFR phosphorylation and DNA damage were determined by Western blotting and comet assay, respectively. Tumor data were examined for statistical significance using the Student's t test. Results: JDA58 inhibited EGFR tyrosine kinase (IC50, 0.2 μmol/L) and blocked EGFR phosphorylation in human DU145 prostate cancer cells. It induced significant levels of DNA damage in DU145 cells in vitro or in vivo and showed potent antiproliferative activity both in vitro and in a DU145 xenograft model. In cell-free medium, JDA58 was hydrolyzed to JDA35, a fluorescent amine that could be observed in tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. In tumor cells in vitro or in vivo, or in plasma collected from mice, the denitrosated species JDA41 was the predominant metabolite. However, mass spectrometric analysis revealed detectable levels of the hydrolytic product JDA35 in tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: The results in toto suggest that growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo may be sustained by the intact combi-molecule plus JDA35 plus JDA41, three inhibitors of EGFR, and the concomitantly released DNA-damaging species. This leads to a model wherein a single molecule carries a complex multitargeted-multidrug combination.
Expression profiling by cDNA-AFLP is commonly used to display the transcriptome of a specific tissue, treatment or developmental stage. In this paper, cDNA-AFLP has been used to study transcripts expressed in segregating populations from Arabidopsis thaliana and potato (Solanum tuberosum). The genetic differences between the offspring genotypes are thus visualized as polymorphisms in the transcriptome. We show that polymorphic transcripts can be used as genetic markers and allow the construction of a linkage map. The resulting map shows that, in contrast to genomic markers, the transcriptome-derived markers did not cluster in particular areas of the chromosome, and that cDNA-AFLP markers are targeted specifically to transcriptionally active regions. The cDNA-AFLP markers used in mapping are derived from DNA polymorphisms in transcripts, rather than differences in expression regulation. The high potential of transcriptome markers as opposed to (anonymous) genomic markers for applications in genetic analyses, marker-assisted breeding and map-based cloning is discussed.
Eighteen male lambs (initial weight 30±1.3 kg and 5-6 months) were used in this experiment to study the effect of energy levels on the performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass traits. Total experimental period was 90 days. The animals were allotted into 3 groups, 6 animals per each. The first group was fed a medium energy (ME) diet (3.20 Mcal/kg diet), while the second group fed on diet contained high energy (HE) level ( 3.50 Mcal/kg diet) and the third group fed on low energy (LE) diet ( 2.90 Mcal/kg diet). All diets contained 14.70% crude protein in dry matter. The average daily feed intake was affected significantly (P
Abstract We have observed, in a commercial aqueous polyacrylic ester dispersion, a shear thickening phenomenon that exhibits time-dependent rheological behavior. The critical shear rate γ c for the shear thickening transition varies with volume fraction, temperature, pH, and particle size distribution, in a manner which indicates that the phenomenon is associated with a reversible shear-induced colloidal order–disorder transition. However, we find that, in the shear thickening region, the rheology may also evolve with time. Our observations suggest that the time-dependence is caused by the temporary formation of particle clusters at high shear rates.
Abstract Deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) in left‐sided breast cancer radiotherapy is a technique to reduce cardiac and pulmonary doses while maintaining target coverage. This study aims at evaluating an in‐house developed DIBH system. Free‐breathing (FB) and DIBH plans were generated for 22 left‐sided localized breast cancer patients who had radiation therapy (RT) after breast‐conserving surgery. All patients were treated utilizing an in‐house laser distance measuring system. 50 Gy was prescribed, and parameters of interest were target coverage, left anterior descending coronary artery, (LAD) and heart doses. Portal images were acquired and the reproducibility and stability of DIBH treatment were compared to FB. The comparing result shows there is a significant reduction in all LAD and heart dose statistics for DIBH compared to FB plans without compromising the target coverage. The maximum LAD dose was reduced from 43.7 Gy to 29.0 Gy and the volume of the heart receiving >25 Gy was reduced from 3.3% to 1.0% using the in‐house system, both statistically significant. The in‐house system gave a reproducible and stable DIBH treatment where the systematic error ∑, and random error σ, were less than 2.2 mm in all directions, but were not significantly better than at FB. The system was well tolerated and all patients completed their treatment sessions with DIBH.
The rectangular elements in magnetoimpedance (MI) configuration with a specific nanocomposite laminated structure based on FeNi and Cu layers were prepared by lift-off lithographic process. The properties of such elements are controlled by their shape, the anisotropy induced during the deposition, and by effects associated with the composite structure. The characterizations of static and dynamic properties, including MI measurements, show that these elements are promising for sensor applications. We have shown that competition between the shape anisotropy and the in-plane induced anisotropy of the element material is worth taking into account in order to understand the magnetic behavior of multilayered rectangular stripes. A possibility of the dynamic methods (ferromagnetic and spin-wave resonance) to describe laminated planar elements having a non-periodic modulation of both structure and magnetic parameters of a system is demonstrated. We show that the multilayered structure, which was originally designed to prevent the development of a “transcritical” state in magnetic layers and to reach the required thickness, also induces the effects that hinder the achievement of the goal, namely an increase in the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy energy.
Reducing the radiation dose in computed tomography (CT) is highly desirable but it leads to excessive noise in the projection measurements. This can significantly reduce the diagnostic value of the reconstructed images. Removing the noise in the projection measurements is, therefore, essential for reconstructing high-quality images, especially in low-dose CT. In recent years, two new classes of patch-based denoising algorithms proved superior to other methods in various denoising applications. The first class is based on sparse representation of image patches in a learned dictionary. The second class is based on the non-local means method. Here, the image is searched for similar patches and the patches are processed together to find their denoised estimates. In this paper, we propose a novel denoising algorithm for cone-beam CT projections. The proposed method has similarities to both these algorithmic classes but is more effective and much faster. In order to exploit both the correlation between neighboring pixels within a projection and the correlation between pixels in neighboring projections, the proposed algorithm stacks noisy cone-beam projections together to form a 3D image and extracts small overlapping 3D blocks from this 3D image for processing. We propose a fast algorithm for clustering all extracted blocks. The central assumption in the proposed algorithm is that all blocks in a cluster have a joint-sparse representation in a well-designed dictionary. We describe algorithms for learning such a dictionary and for denoising a set of projections using this dictionary. We apply the proposed algorithm on simulated and real data and compare it with three other algorithms. Our results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms some of the best denoising algorithms, while also being much faster.
Copperdoping zinc sulfide nanoparticles (ZnS:Cu–NPs) were synthesized and subsequently in the presence of ultrasound waves were immobilized on activated carbon (ZnS:Cu–NPs–AC). This nanocomposite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. This material was used for ultrasound-assisted adsorption of methyl orange (MO) and sunset yellow (SY) dyes in single solution, and obtained results were compared with each other. It has been demonstrated that the removal percentage can be improved by the combination of ultrasonication and adsorption processes. The best pH searched via one factor-at-a-time method was found to be 5.0 for each dye. Subsequently, initial concentration of dyes (mg L–1), amount of ZnS:Cu–NPs–AC (g) and sonication time (min) influence on dyes’ removal percentage were studied by central composite design combined with desirability function. Desirability scores of 0.9086 and 0.9441 correspond to maximum removal percentage of 97.37% and 86.54% was found for MO and SY, respectively. These predictive models were attained at 6.64 and 12 mg L–1 of MO and SY concentration, 0.018 and 0.029 g of ZnS:Cu–AC and 4.0 and 4.5 min of sonication time for MO and SY, respectively. The adsorption rate well fitted by pseudo-second order for two dyes, while adsorption capacity according to the Langmuir model as best equilibrium isotherm for MO and SY was found to be 44.65 and 50.54 mg g–1, respectively. The comparison of obtained results shows that ZnS:Cu–NPs–AC has better performance for SY toward MO adsorption.
In spite of the high quality of exchange-correlation energies Exc obtained with the generalized gradient approximations (GGAs) of density functional theory, their xc potentials vxc are strongly deficient, yielding upshifts of ca. 5 eV in the orbital energy spectrum (in the order of 50% of high-lying valence orbital energies). The GGAs share this deficiency with the local density approximation (LDA). We argue that this error is not caused by the incorrect long-range asymptotics of vxc or by self-interaction error. It arises from incorrect density dependencies of LDA and GGA exchange functionals leading to incorrect (too repulsive) functional derivatives (i.e., response parts of the potentials). The vxc potential is partitioned into the potential of the xc hole vxchole (twice the xc energy density ϵxc), which determines Exc, and the response potential vresp, which does not contribute to Exc explicitly. The substantial upshift of LDA/GGA orbital energies is due to a too repulsive LDA exchange response potential vxresp (LDA) in the bulk region. Retaining the LDA exchange hole potential plus the B88 gradient correction to it but replacing the response parts of these potentials by the model orbital-dependent response potential vxresp (GLLB) of Gritsenko et al. [Phys. Rev. A 51, 1944 (1995)], which has the proper step-wise form, improves the orbital energies by more than an order of magnitude. Examples are given for the prototype molecules: dihydrogen, dinitrogen, carbon monoxide, ethylene, formaldehyde, and formic acid.
Human body detection is a fundamental research problem where computer vision could be applied. This research area has wide applications including surveillance, search and rescue missions. Building an effective human body detector framework under wide ranges of weather, lighting and environmental conditions is a challenge task. A variety of sensors and optimisation algorithms are proposed. This paper aims to review the human body detection methodology conducted by the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), and the future research for the UAV search and rescue applications.
The regio- and stereospecificity exhibited by reaction of aflatoxin B1 8,9-epoxide with DNA as well as the efficiency of reaction are remarkable and suggests that a specific orientation of bound epoxide facilitates formation of the transition state leading to guanine N7 adducts. We have compared aflatoxins B1 and B2 with aflatoxins G1 and G2 as to their binding with calf thymus DNA, d(ATGCAT)2, d(GCATGC)2, and plasmid pBR322. Aflatoxins B1 and B2 contain a cyclopentenone ring fused to the lactone ring of the coumarin. They have similar DNA association constants and intercalate with B-DNA, as demonstrated by NMR analysis of association with d(ATGCAT)2 and d(GCATGC)2, alteration of pBR322 electrophoretic mobility, and flow dichroism using linearly oriented calf thymus DNA. The less planar delta-lactone ring of aflatoxins G1 and G2 reduces DNA binding affinity by approximately 1 order of magnitude. Nevertheless, binding studies with d(ATGCAT)2 and d(GCATGC)2 suggest that aflatoxins G1 and G2 also bind B-DNA by intercalation. To establish the existence of a relationship between the association of these aflatoxins with DNA and adduct formation induced by aflatoxin epoxides, we compared the yield of guanine N7 adduct from aflatoxin B1 8,9-epoxide and from aflatoxin G1 9,10-epoxide at three concentrations of calf thymus DNA. As DNA concentration is decreased, two observations are made: (1) the number of adducts formed by either aflatoxin B1 8,9-epoxide or aflatoxin G1 9,10-epoxide is reduced with a concomitant increase in formation of the respective dihydrodiols, and (2) the ratio of adducts formed by aflatoxin G1 9,10-epoxide to those formed by an equivalent concentration of aflatoxin B1 8,9-epoxide decreases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
This paper proposes a purely passive method for inferring a congestion map of a network. The congestion map is computed using the congestion markings carried in existing traffic, and is continuously updated as traffic is received. Consequently, congestion changes can be tracked in a real-time fashion with zero traffic overhead. Unlike active congestion reporting methods, our novel passive method is more robust during periods of congestion because there are no congestion report messages that could be lost and existing congestion is never aggravated. Our solution has several applications ranging from informing IP fast re-route algorithms and traffic engineering schemes to assisting in inter-domain path selection.
Rhinitis may be classified as infectious (purulent), seasonal allergic, perennial allergic, perennial nonallergic (vasomotor) and nasal polyps. Pharmacotherapy can be local or systemic. A variety of compounds are available, including alpha adrenergic agonists, mast cell stabilizing agents, Beta-2 agonists, antihistamines, cholinergic antagonists and corticosteroids. In terms of histamine receptors, H1 receptors predominate in the epithelium and glands but both H1 and H2 receptors are present in nasal blood vessels. Trigeminus-reflex mediated nasal secretions, can be treated by parasympatholytic drugs.
By 15 June, 82% of the catch of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar kelts had been taken from the middle part of River Teno, northern Scandinavia. The median date of capture was 4 June for males and 8 June for females. Salmon of 1-4 sea-winters (SW) of both sexes survived spawning to return to sea as kelts. Among males, 1 SW kelts were caught earliest in the spring and 3 SW latest, but among females 4 SW were earliest, then 3 SW and finally 1 and 2 SW. There were 17 river and sea-age combinations among the kelts compared with 23 among the ascending salmon. The smolt age distribution and the mean smolt age differed significantly only between female 2 SW ascending salmon (3.97 years) and kelts (4.14 years). The proportion of 1 SW females was higher and that of 3 SW males lower among kelts than among ascending salmon. The proportion of males among 1 SW ascending salmon was 80% but among kelts only 57%. Similarly, the proportion of males among 3 SW fish was 21% for ascending salmon but only 7% for kelts. Hence overwinter mortality was higher among males. Male and female kelts of 1 and female kelts of 2 SW had a greater mean length than ascending salmon in corresponding groups indicating a better survival of larger fish within an age group. Grilse ascend rivers after most kelts have left, but the main catch of ascending 2-3 SW salmon takes place concurrently with kelts leaving the river, inadvertently targeting kelts in the fishery.
ABSTRACT Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem, autoimmune inflammatory disease which can affect any organ, including the gastrointestinal tract. Lupus enteritis is one of the manifestations of gastrointestinal involvement in SLE patients. However, it is exceedingly rare that lupus enteritis is the sole initial presentation of SLE. A 12-year-old Thai girl who had had recurrent abdominal pain for 2 months with no other signs of SLE on initial presentation is described. A single-balloon enteroscopy demonstrated segmental erythema of the proximal and mid-jejunum. Histopathology demonstrated active enteritis and submucosal vasculitis. On the basis of evidence of intestinal vasculitis, autoimmune profiles were performed; the results supported the possibility of SLE. She subsequently developed leucopenia, lymphopenia and an oral ulcer, leading to a robust diagnosis of SLE. Her clinical condition improved dramatically with prednisolone. Even though lupus enteritis is rare, it can be the initial presentation of SLE. In young adolescent girls with recurrent abdominal pain, the possibility of lupus enteritis should be borne in mind.
We have demonstrated that an active enzyme can be expressed on the surface of a bacteriophage. The gene encoding alkaline phosphatase from Escherichia coli was cloned upstream of gene 3, which encodes a minor coat protein of the filamentous bacteriophage, fd. A fusion protein of the correct size was detected from viral particles by Western blotting. Ultrafiltration confirmed that the enzyme fusion behaves as part of a larger structure as would be expected of an enzyme fused to a viral particle. Both wild-type alkaline phosphatase (Arg166) and an active site mutant (Ala166) expressed in this way retain catalytic activity and have qualitatively similar kinetic properties to free enzyme. Values were obtained for Km of 72.7 and 1070 microM respectively whilst relative kcat for the mutant was 36% of that for wild-type. Phage particles expressing alkaline phosphatase were bound to an immobilized inhibitor (arsenate-Sepharose) and eluted with product (20 mM inorganic phosphate). In this way, the functional enzyme is co-purified with the DNA encoding it. This may permit a novel approach to enzyme engineering based on affinity chromatography of mutant enzymes expressed on the phage surface.
play a more active role in patient education, for which purpose it would be necessary to have a greater knowledge of the medical treatment and care of patients. In this regard, as we were unsure of whether nurses had an adequate knowledge of the pharmacology required for the medical treatment of cardiovascular diseases or not, we conducted a questionnaire survey of nurses working in cardiology and cardiovascular surgery wards. The departments of pharmacy and nursing collaborated on administering the questionnaire, which asked questions concerning the contraindications and precautions of medicines used in such treatment. Correct response rates were 92%, 83%, 90%, 90% and 95%, for carvedilol, carperitide, digoxin, amiodarone and dopamine, respectively. It is essential for nurses working in cardiology to have a perfect knowledge of the points targeted by the questionnaire because they concerned the basic pharmacology of medicines regularly used. This was particularly so forCarvedilol, a ƒÀblocker, which was frequently used for ischemic heart disease as well as chronic heart failure. The nurses may not have had a sufficient knowledge of the pharmacology of the drugs targeted by the questionnaire because there were limited opportunities for them to acquire it in the course of their work. The results of our questionnaire indicated that pharmacists need to provide the optimum amount of drug information to nurses. We also feelthat it may be necessary to draw up educational programs for them in collaboration with physicians and senior nurses.
OSB can occur in the absence of an obvious contiguous source of infection. When a patient has persistent unilateral headache, elevated ESR, and radiographic evidence of a lytic skull-base lesion, the clinician should consider OSB as a potential diagnosis. A baseline gallium scan should be obtained before biopsy, since surgery or trauma can also produce positive results on radionuclide scans. Technetium-phosphate bone scans should also be performed before any surgical manipulation. However, positive results from a gallium or technetium scan in this setting are not conclusive evidence of infection. At biopsy, the otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon should consider sending a specimen to the microbiology department for culture in addition to the specimen sent for routine pathologic study; this procedure could minimize delay in diagnosis. Establishing the diagnosis in these patients without obvious contiguous infection can be difficult, demanding perseverance and an appropriate index of suspicion. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, intravenous antibiotic therapy should begin immediately. The duration of therapy must be individualized; patients may require from 4 weeks to several months of treatment. Response to therapy is indicated by resolution of symptoms, normalization of ESR, and reversal of abnormalities on radionuclide scans. Serial gallium scans are particularly useful in following response to treatment.
This paper presents a hybrid rotor position estimation for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) over wide speed range. At zero and low speeds, a rotor position error compensation scheme is proposed to improve the performance of high frequency signal injection method. This includes the incorporation of system modeling and Kalman filtering to improve the estimation performance during transient. At medium and high speeds, a novel yet simple approach called direct scaling is presented to estimate the rotor position. The two methods are combined in a hybrid scheme and implemented for position control of PMSM drive. Simulation results demonstrate the improvements in the high frequency signal injection method during steady state and transient conditions. The performance of the hybrid sensorless motor drive for wide speed range is also tested via simulations. The obtained results show the effectiveness of the proposed methods over the entire speed range.
The JONES monoclonal antibody has been immunocytochemically associated with regions of the developing rat brain where cell and axon migrations are occurring (Mendez-Otero et al., 1986, 1988). In the present study the antigens recognized by the JONES antibody were analyzed in a variety of brain regions and at developmental ages selected to correspond to the preceding immunocytochemical observations. In accordance with earlier results from retina, JONES binding could not be detected in SDS gels from developing brain. Binding of the antibody was, however, prominent in chloroform/methanol extracts of the same tissues, and it was completely removed from tissue sections by brief chloroform/methanol form/methanol treatment. Enzymatic analyses of chloroform/methanol extracts indicated that the JONES epitope was sensitive to neuraminidase but insensitive to proteases. Overlay assays on developed high-performance thin-layer chromatographic plates (HPTLC) indicate that in all regions the JONES epitope resides on 2 or 3 ganglioside bands, depending on the age examined. These bands migrate between ganglioside standards GD 1a and GM2 on HPTLC plates and have been designated GJ1, GJ2, and GJ3, with the higher number designating the more rapidly migrating species. Occasionally, additional bands migrating in the range of polysialogangliosides were observed. The pattern of expression of GJ species was studied in forebrain, retina, and cerebellar tissue taken from embryonic day 18 (E18), postnatal day 0 (P0), P7, P14, and adult animals. Both region-specific differences in the relative prominence of each band and stage-specific differences in the total amount of the JONES gangliosides were detected. The stage- specific differences in the amount of JONES antigens are well correlated with the developmental periods of maximal cell migration in each region. While the JONES gangliosides are most prominent in forebrain before birth, in they are most prominent during the first 2 postnatal weeks. In cerebellum, JONES antigen expression is more pronounced during the 2 periods of cell migration in this tissue. In retina, the more rapidly migrating GJ3 band was the most prominent band at all stages examined, and this same band is retained in the adult. In cerebellum and forebrain GJ3 is also the most pronounced band during development. However, in contrast to the retina, the more slowly migrating GJ1 band is retained in adult forebrain and cerebellum. A variety of non-brain tissues have also been examined for the presence of the JONES antigens.
Convolution, recurrent, and attention-based deep learning techniques have produced the most recent state-of-the-art results in multiple sensor-based human activity recognition (HAR) datasets. However, these techniques have high computing costs, restricting their use in low-powered devices. Different methods have been employed to increase the efficiency of these techniques; however, this often results in worse performance. Recently, pure multi-layer perceptron (MLP) architectures have demonstrated competitive performance in vision-based tasks with lower computation costs than other deep-learning techniques. The MLP-Mixer is a pioneering pureMLP architecture that produces competitive results with state-of-the-art models in computer vision tasks. This paper shows the viability of the MLP-Mixer in sensor-based HAR. Furthermore, experiments are performed to gain insight into the Mixer modules essential for HAR, and a visual analysis of the Mixer’s weights is provided, validating the Mixer’s learning capabilities. As a result, the Mixer achieves F1 scores of 97%, 84.2%, 91.2%, and 90% on the PAMAP2, Daphnet Gait, Opportunity Gestures, and Opportunity Locomotion datasets, respectively, outperforming state-of-the-art models in all datasets except Opportunity Gestures.
Objective—Despite studies implicating superoxide anion–producing oxidases in atherosclerosis, their characteristics, expression, and regulation in cells of lesions are poorly understood. We examined the following: (1) whether cytochrome b558–dependent NAD(P)H oxidase–phox peptides are expressed by intimal smooth muscle cells (iSMCs) and macrophages of human aortic atherosclerotic lesions and their regulation and (2) whether cytochrome b558–dependent NAD(P)H oxidase represents a major NAD(P)H oxidase in iSMCs. Methods and Results—Using a combination of immunochemical and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction procedures, we demonstrate that p22phox and gp91phox (cytochrome b558) expression in normal intima was restricted to a quarter of the iSMCs. In fatty streaks, a similar fraction of iSMCs expressed cytochrome b558, whereas macrophages also expressed low levels of p47phox and p67phox. In fibrofatty lesions, the majority of iSMCs expressed the cytochrome b558 subunits; p67phox was also detected. Macrophages and macrophage-derived foam cells expressed the 4 phox subunits that constitute superoxide-producing cytochrome b558–dependent NAD(P)H oxidase. These were upregulated by transforming growth factor-&bgr;1 and interferon-&ggr;. Aortic lesions also expressed Thox1 and Nox4, and although their expression also increases with lesion severity, their expression is less frequent than that of gp91phox. Conclusions—In human aortic fibrofatty lesions, a cytochrome b558–dependent NAD(P)H oxidase appears to be a major iSMC and macrophage oxidase whose expression is upregulated by cytokines.
In this cross-sectional survey the Attitude Towards Plagiarism (ATP) questionnaire was administered to 100 PhD students to measure their attitudes towards plagiarism. The results showed that the students had low scores for positive attitudes and subjective norms, but moderate scores for negative attitudes towards plagiarism. Additional courses on plagiarism should be introduced in PhD studies to promote responsible research practices in Serbia.
In this work we describe a theoretical investigation of the ethene polymerization reaction catalyzed by a bulky cationic α-diimine Ni(II) complex. We employed the combination of density functional theory (DFT) and molecular mechanics (MM), within the ONIOM approach, to evaluate the structures and energies involved on the most representative reactions observed on ethene polymerization, using the Brookhart catalytic system. All intermediates and transition state structures along these elementary steps were treated as representatives of the polymerization process. We discuss the conformation of the ligands around the active site along the polymerization reaction steps, the coordination angle of the coordinated olefin, p-complexes, and branch formation of the growing chain during the polymerization process.
Globin synthesis studies are useful in the analysis of thalassemia syndromes. We have applied globin synthesis and free alpha-chain pool studies of peripheral blood to characterize hematologic disorders where alpha- or beta-thalassemia was present in combination with HbS or HbC. In 60 non-thalassemic controls, the beta/alpha specific activity ratio was 1.01 +/- 0.06 (SD). In three patients with HbS-beta0-thalassemia, the (betas + gamma)/alpha ratios were 0.48-.067. In four patients with HbSS-alpha-thalassemia, the (BETAS/ALPHA RATIO was 1.26 +/- 0.18 (1.13- 1.53). The radioactive free alpha-chain pool in three patients with HbS- beta0-thalassemia was elevated (35.1%-53.0%), while three patients with HbSS-alpha-thalassemia had decreased free radioactive alpha-chain pools (3.2%-6.4%); both were significantly different from the mean (15.1% +/- 2.6%) of the 17 iron-sufficient controls. Simultaneous studies of the fraction of newly synthesized alpha chain contained in the free alpha- chain pool in peripheral blood and bone marrow demonstrated that this fraction was larger in peripheral blood than in marrow, and that the differences between thalassemia patients and controls previously found in bone marrow using these methods were also present in peripheral blood. The results indicate that even when family studies are not possible, patients with HbS in combination with alpha- or beta0- thalassemia can be differentiated from those with homozygous sickle cell disease by globin synthesis and free alpha-chain pool studies using peripheral blood.
As a novelist preoccupied with the sexualized gothic conventions haunting Irish fiction since the eighteenth century, Bowen persistently turns to the fraught concept of British and Irish women's consent during periods of twentieth-century political violence. This article considers Bowen's use of gothic tropes of consent in The Last September (1929) as well as a more sustained engagement with the Irish gothic, citizen-subjecthood, and the political valence of consent in her WWII thriller, The Heat of the Day (1948). It argues that in formulating consent in relation to knowledge, and in articulating the necessarily contractual nature of consent, Bowen seeks to define the ethics of individual rights and responsibility during and after World War Two.
The performance of 42 patients with relapsing remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis was compared with that of 24 age-, education-, and gender-matched control subjects on a battery of neuropsychological tests known from previous studies to be sensitive to the impairments of patients with chronic progressive (CP) multiple sclerosis. Like CP patients, RR patients exhibited deficits on tests of information-processing speed, verbal fluency, and problem solving, and on recall measures of anterograde and remote memory. Although a few patients were mildly dysnomic, the RR patients were not generally impaired on visual confrontation naming and they did not exhibit perseverative responding on verbal fluency measures. The pattern of neuropsychological deficits exhibited by RR patients closely approximates the profile observed in other subcortical dementias and does not contain the features of cortical dementia evident in some CP patients. The impairment of RR patients on cognitive tests were less severe than those observed in CP patients in our previous studies. Differences in the age of patients in the CP and RR groups did not account for group differences in the severity of cognitive impairments, but differences in disease duration or severity of disability, as well as disease course, could explain why CP patients exhibit more serious cognitive disturbances than RR patients.
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria are known to enhance the growth and antioxidant activity of several plants. However, the effects of such rhizobacteria on Geum aleppicum, a plant with pharmacological potential in Korea are unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of Pseudarthrobacter sp. NIBRBAC000502770 treatment (100 mL/pot, every two weeks for 55 days), in the form of culture medium, 100−fold diluted culture, culture supernatant, and pelleted cells resuspended in water, on the growth, antibacterial activity and flavonoid content of G. aleppicum. The NIBRBAC000502770 strain showed high indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content of 461.81 μg∙mL−1. The dry weight of the roots was significantly higher in the supernatant, diluted culture, and pellet-treated plants compared to that in the control plants. Additionally, the plant height, root length, leaf length, leaf width, chlorophyll content, biomass, and dry weight of the shoot were highest in the pellet-treated plants. Further, methanol extracts of pellet-treated plants showed significantly high flavonoid content compared to that in the control plants (28 mg∙g−1 vs. 7.5 mg∙g−1) and exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and negative bacteria. These results demonstrate the beneficial effects of Pseudarthrobacter sp. NIBRBAC000502770 on the growth and flavonoid content of G. aleppicum.
Intestinal malrotationis a spectrum of congenital midgut abnormalities due to failure of proper rotation of the gut around the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Meckel’s diverticulum is another congenital abnormality that represents the remnant of the omphalomesenteric duct at the antimesentric border of the distal ileum. Usually concurrence of these abnormalities is rare and most importantly its presentation in an adult is worth mentioning. Here we described a case of concurrent intestinal malrotation with Meckel's diverticulum presenting as an emergency in an adult. CASE REPORT
ABSTRACT Emerging environmental norms gain strength and diffuse more quickly when scientific evidence of harm is consolidating, when activism is intensifying, and when political and corporate resistance is relatively weak. The anti-microbead norm – that plastic microbeads should be removed from personal care products – has been gaining global influence since 2012; witness the upsurge in anti-microbead activism, public concern, voluntary corporate phasedowns and governmental bans. By 2018, the world was on track to eliminate microbeads from ‘rinse-off’ products within a decade, reducing microplastics flowing into oceans by 1–2%. This confirms the power of environmental norms, but how and why this phaseout is occurring – unequally across jurisdictions, with firms creating loopholes, missing deadlines and limiting the scope of reforms – also reveals innate weaknesses of bottom-up, ad hoc norm diffusion as a way of improving marine governance. These weaknesses are heightened when economic stakes are high, solutions are complex and costly, authority is fragmented across jurisdictions and corporate resistance is strong.
This article explores how people living in areas of Burma/Myanmar affected by armed conflict (Karen populations in the southeast) and natural disaster (Cyclone Nargis in the Irrawaddy Delta) understand “protection” and act to minimize risks and protect themselves, their families, and communities. What do vulnerable people seek to protect, and how do they view the roles of other stakeholders, including the state, non-state actors (armed and political groups), community-based organizations, and national and international aid agencies? Are these viewed as protection actors, or sources of threat—or a mixture of both?
This study aims to determine the amount of production and business acceptance  of clove nurseries CV. Nurhafiza in Pulias village ogodeide district tolitoli regency. The time of the study was conducted in November to December 2018. The determination of the data collection method was derived from primary data and secondary data and the analysis used was the break even point (BEP). The result showed that the principal return point value was reached during the production of 3,922 trees . this means that the production of 3,922 clove nursery business CV. Nurhafiza in pulias village, Ogodeide Tolitoli Regency, was not profitable and did not lose or TR=TC.  Break even point revenue is Rp. 15.689.990, which means that at Rp. 15. 689.990, CV. Nurhafiza in Pulias Village , Ogodeide Tolitoli Regency, was not profitable and did not lose or TR=TC.
Abstract Sexual and gender minority patients have historically experienced high rates of inappropriate and low-quality care, disrespect, and discrimination in health care settings, as well as significant health disparities. Obstetricians and gynecologists can take action on multiple fronts if they wish to improve the quality of care for their sexual and gender minority patients. Examples include improving their relationships with sexual and gender minority patients and family members by purposefully reflecting upon individual and team biases, engendering empathy for sexual and gender minority patients, and creating effective working health care partnerships with them. They can also take steps to improve their cultural competency by improving their knowledge base about sexual orientation and gender identity, using welcoming language and creating health care environments that signal to sexual and gender minority patients that they are welcomed and understood. This article documents multiple suggestions and resources that health care teams can use to improve the health and health care of their sexual and gender minority patients.
Introduction: In select patients with systolic heart failure, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to improve quality of life, exercise capacity, ejection fraction (EF), and survival. Little is known about the response to CRT in patients with right bundle branch block (RBBB) or non‐specific intraventricular conduction delay (IVCD) compared with traditionally studied patients with left bundle branch block (LBBB).
A delta-sigma modulator is effectively utilized as a PWM pattern generator for high-frequency switching mode inverters. However, in the case that it is applied for voltage source chopper type DC-DC converters, it is noted that the significant features cannot be achieved and implemented. The authors propose a novel delta-sigma modulation circuit which alters a quantized feedback signal to a continuous signal of a DC-DC converter output. If the ripple voltage of the input side DC source exists in practice, a fluctuation in the feedback signal is produced. As a result, the proposed delta-sigma modulator has the inherent nature of spread spectrum. Furthermore, the delta-sigma modulated converter circuit can be considered as an error amplifier, and automatic amplitude control characteristics will be implemented in this converter.
QR (Quick Response) codes are frequently used with progress of the Internet and introducing the QR decoding function in the cellar phone. A bar code shows an individual identification number (ID) by this number fundamentally. As the amount of information encoded by one-dimensional bar codes is limited, two-dimensional bar codes have been developed. This paper presents the dotted picture multiplexing method over the QR coding and the evaluation of the redundancy characteristics of the QR coding is also described. The prototype of the QR Editor for making the QR code with the dotted pictures, are made and the dotted pictures are confirmed by the cellar phone barcode.
Classification of a brain tumor is a critical step in the design of computer-aided diagnosis systems for Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI) analysis. This work presents an efficient algorithm to classify a tumor in brain MRI images using statistical-based features and deep neural network. Data, within the region of interest, is transformed into two-dimensional discrete Gabor filter and wavelet transform. These filters are combined in this algorithm as directional transformation methods for utilizing all information in all orientations of the MRI input image. MRI Features are extracted based on the first and second order statistics from both domains. Two types of neural network classifiers are employed: Stacked Sparse Autoencoder (SSA) and Softmax Classifier (SMC). Two regularization functions are used in the training of the SA, sparsity regularization and L2-weight regularization. Sparsity regularization controls the firing of the neurons in the hidden layer, whereas L2-weight regularization reduces the effect of the overfitting and improves the performance of the SA. Two datasets are used to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The first dataset consists of 3,064 of T1-weighted MRI slices with three kinds of tumors: Pituitary, Glioma, and Meningioma. The second dataset consists of 200 MRI slices with low-grade and high-grade Glioma tumor collected from the BRATS dataset. The performance of the proposed algorithm is validated using the experimental results in terms of accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity compared to the existing algorithms. For the first dataset, the accuracy obtained is 94.0%, the sensitivity of Meningioma, Glioma, and Pituitary is 87.44%, 97.29%, and 94.27%, respectively, and the specificity of Meningioma, Glioma, and Pituitary is 98%, 96.89%, and 96.78%, respectively. For the BRATS dataset, the accuracy, the specificity, and the sensitivity achieved are 98.8%, 100%, and 100%, respectively.
The paper analyzes the relationships among acid–base interactions in various oxide systems and their thermodynamics. Extensive data on enthalpies of solution of binary oxides in oxide melts of several compositions, obtained by high-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry at 700 and 800 °C, are systematized and analyzed. Oxides with low electronegativity, namely the alkali and alkaline earth oxides, which are strong oxide ion donors, show enthalpies of solution that have negative values greater than −100 kJ per mole of oxide ion. Their enthalpies of solution become more negative with decreasing electronegativity in the order Li, Na, K and Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba in both of the commonly used molten oxide calorimetric solvents: sodium molybdate and lead borate. Oxides with high electronegativity, including P2O5, SiO2, GeO2, and other acidic oxides, dissolve more exothermically in the less acidic solvent (lead borate). The remaining oxides, with intermediate electronegativity (amphoteric oxides) have enthalpies of solution of between +50 and −100 kJ/mol, with many close to zero. More limited data for the enthalpies of solution of oxides in multicomponent aluminosilicate melts at higher temperature are also discussed. Overall, the ionic model combined with the Lux–Flood description of acid–base reactions provide a consistent and useful interpretation of the data and their application for understanding the thermodynamic stability of ternary oxide systems in solid and liquid states.
Bias in genetic evaluations has been a constant concern in animal genetics. The interest in this topic has increased in the last years, since many studies have detected overestimation (bias) in estimated breeding values (EBV). Detecting the existence of bias, and the realized accuracy of predictions, is therefore of importance, yet this is difficult when studying small data sets or breeds. In this study, we tested by simulation the recently presented method Linear Regression (LR) for estimation of bias, slope, and accuracy of pedigree EBV. The LR method computes statistics by comparing EBV from a data set containing old, partial information with EBV from a data set containing all information (old and new, a whole data set) for the same individuals. The method proposes an estimator for bias (Δpˆ), an estimator of slope (bpˆ) and 3 estimators related to accuracies: the ratio between accuracies (ρˆw,p), the reliability of the partial data set (accp2ˆ), and the ratio of reliabilities (ρp,w2ˆ). We simulated a dairy scheme for low (0.10) and moderate (0.30) heritabilities. In both cases, we checked the behavior of the estimators for 3 scenarios: (1) when the evaluation model is the same as the model used to simulate the data; (2) when the evaluation model uses an incorrect heritability; and (3) when the data includes an environmental trend. For scenarios in which the evaluation model was correct, the LR method was capable of correctly estimating bias, slope, and accuracies, with better performance for higher heritability [i.e., corr(bp,bpˆ) was 0.45 for h2 = 0.10 and 0.59 for h2 = 0.30]. In cases of the use of incorrect heritabilities in the evaluation model, the bias was correctly estimated in direction but not in magnitude. In the same way, the magnitudes of bias and of slope were underestimated in scenarios with environmental trends in data, except for cases in which contemporary groups were random and greatly shrunken. In general, accuracies were well estimated in all scenarios. The LR method is capable of checking bias and accuracy in all cases, if the evaluation model is reasonably correct or robust, and its estimations are more precise with more information (e.g., high heritability). If the model uses an incorrect heritability or a hidden trend exists in the data, it is still possible to estimate the direction and existence of bias and slope but not always their magnitudes.
Integrating behavioral health into primary care can improve access to behavioral health and patient health outcomes. We used 2017-2021 American Board of Family Medicine continuing certificate examination registration questionnaire responses to determine the characteristics of family physicians who work collaboratively with behavioral health professionals. With a 100% response rate, 38.8% of 25,222 family physicians reported working collaboratively with behavioral health professionals, with those working in independently owned practices and in the South having substantially lower rates. Future research exploring these differences could help develop strategies to support family physicians implement integrated behavioral health to improve care for patients in these communities.
The immune system sustains a continuous dialogue with the endogenous microbial communities residing at the mucosal surfaces, mediated by many factors, including IgA, the most abundant antibody isotype. In PNAS, Xiong et al. (1) explore the role of a B cell-specific factor in regulation of IgA secretion in the gut.  IgA is crafted and secreted by plasma cells residing mostly in the lamina propria (LP) of the intestinal villi. Once released into the gut lumen, IgA coats bacterial surfaces and regulates the maintenance and function of the microbiota (2). In turn, the microbiota primes and fine-tunes immune cell function, affecting how the host responds to environmental stimuli. The generation and maintenance of the “pool” of IgA at the mucosal surfaces is critical for immune homeostasis. IgA deficiency disturbs the composition of the gut microbiota, leading to allergies, autoimmunity, and other inflammatory diseases in mice and humans (3).  Synthesis of T cell-dependent, adaptive IgA is a regulated, stepwise process requiring ( i ) activation of IgM+ B cells in the germinal center of Peyer’s patches to switch to IgA+, directed by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID); ( ii ) migration of IgA+ cells to the intestinal LP, directed by integrins and chemokines; ( iii ) differentiation of plasmablasts into IgA+ plasma cells capable of secreting large amounts of protein; and ( iv ) transport of IgA across the LP epithelium into the gut lumen. Humans secrete an extraordinary amount of IgA each day (40 mg/kg body weight) (3). However, T cell-independent, innate IgA can also be generated from other innatelike B cells, such as those residing in the peritoneal cavity (3). These alternative pathways are characterized by their relative speed and the polyreactivity of the resulting IgA. T cell-independent antibody appears within hours, bridging the lag time between the innate immune responses mediated by …   [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: sidonia.fagarasan{at}riken.jp.   [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Professors teaching individual differences in the Organizational Behavior class have three duties to their students. First is to impart some degree of knowledge as to how people differ in the areas of personality traits, needs, skills, knowledge, abilities and other characteristics. Second is to teach the value of being able to predict individual behavior for such purposes as job placement and group formation. Usually a discussion of such characteristics will lead class members to question the validity of tests used to measure such characteristics and how the information from these tests is applied in the organization. The third duty of the instructor, then, is to achieve the dual goal of discussing the dangers in using test scores to predict behavior while at the same time impressing on students the importance of developing valid measures of such characteristics. It is destructive to leave students either with the idea that tests are infallable or that tests are not to be trusted. It is important that we strive to give our students a better understanding of the validation process and the value of a validated test over the invalidated observations and opinions of interviewers and managers. With this in mind, we have developed a two session lesson plan for fulfilling the goals described above. Session One teaches about individual differences and is similar to a process used by Lowman, Parker and Dodge (1982), except that it uses a short instrument entitled the &dquo;Self Image&dquo; which was developed for this purpose (Oliver, 1982). The second session deals with some of the dangers of using test scores to predict behavior. Session One: The Self Image (50 minutes)
The movement and degradation of [14C]-atrazine were studied in undisturbed soil columns (15 × 60 cm) taken manually from a field with no previous pesticide history. The experiment was conducted indoors under controlled temperature conditions. Three weeks after application of [14C]-atrazine (2.2 kg a.i. per hectare) to the soil surface, the columns were leached at weekly intervals for 12 weeks. Approximately 1.2% of the applied 14C was recovered in the leachate over the 12-week period, which corresponds to an atrazine (plus degradation products) concentration of 7.6 μg/L. On completion of the last leaching event, the columns were cut into 10-cm increments and analyzed for [14C]-atrazine and degradation products. Seventy-seven percent of the 14C applied to soil columns remained in the upper 10 cm and included primarily atrazine (9%) and soil-bound residues (57%). Deethylatrazine was the predominant degradation product in the top 10 cm (3.6%). Other degradation products were found in the top 10 cm at relative concentrations of deisopropylatra-zine > hydroxyatrazine > didealkylatrazine > deethylhydroxyatrazine > deisopropylhydroxyatra-zine. Uncharacterized polar metabolites in the top 10 cm accounted for 6% of the applied 14C. Atrazine, deethylatrazine, and deisopropylatrazine were found at all depths. In addition, didealkylatrazine was detected to the 50-cm depth, hydroxyatrazine to the 30-cm depth, and deethylhydroxyatrazine to the 20-cm depth.
Venit, James S. (2013), The Scope of EU Judicial Review of Commission Merger Decisions, in: Philip Lowe und Mel Marquis (Hg.), European Competition Law Annual 2010. Merger Control in European and Global Perspective, Oxford u.a., S. 113-129. Weitbrecht, Andreas (2008), From Freiburg to Chicago and Beyond: The First 50 Years of European Competition Law, European Competition Law Review, Vol. 29, S. 81-88. Wood, Diane P. (2009), Square Pegs in Round Holes: The Interaction between Judges and Economic Evidence, Competition Policy International, Vol. 5, S. 50-64. Wurmnest, Wolfgang (2012), Marktmacht und Verdrängungsmissbrauch, 2. Auflage, Tübingen.
This paper presents a design method of data-dependent filters that uses simplified fuzzy inference. Since the antecedents of fuzzy inference can comprise several local characteristics (i.e., observation values), it is possible for the fuzzy filter to adjust its weights to adapt to local image data. the tuning of membership functions and fuzzy rules of the proposed filter results in a least mean square (LMS)-like algorithm. Thus, local characteristics can be increased for the proposed fuzzy fiter optimally. This paper, introduces a new observation value (calculated from local statistics) into the proposed filter. the proposed filter changes filter behavior according to the local properties of signals and provides good noise attenuation in all regions of image, including detail regions, while still preserving the details.
Abstract Background The connection between migraine aura and headache is poorly understood. Some patients experience migraine aura without headache, and patients with migraine aura with headache commonly experience milder headaches with age. The distance between the cerebral cortex and the overlying dura mater has been hypothesized to influence development of headache following aura. We tested this hypothesis by comparing approximated distances between visual cortical areas and overlying dura mater between female patients with migraine aura without headache and female patients with migraine aura with headache. Methods Twelve cases with migraine aura without headache and 45 age-matched controls with migraine aura with headache underwent 3.0 T MRI. We calculated average distances between the occipital lobes, between the calcarine sulci, and between the skull and visual areas V1, V2 and V3a. We also measured volumes of corticospinal fluid between the occipital lobes, between the calcarine sulci, and overlying visual areas V2 and V3a. We investigated the relationship between headache status, distances and corticospinal fluid volumes using conditional logistic regression. Results Distances between the occipital lobes, calcarine sulci and between the skull and V1, V2 and V3a did not differ between patients with migraine aura with headache and patients with migraine aura without headache. We found no differences in corticospinal fluid volumes between groups. Conclusion We found no indication for a connection between visual migraine aura and headache based on cortico-cortical, cortex-to-skull distances, or corticospinal fluid volumes overlying visual cortical areas. Longitudinal studies with imaging sequences optimized for measuring the cortico-dural distance and a larger sample of patients are needed to further investigate the hypothesis.
Initial transient behavior of a tall-building-model due to a strong near-source earthquake has been studied based on the numerical simulation using the code MSC. Dytran. It was found that stresses occurred in the initial transient stage exceeded the yield stress of material in many columns, in the case of elastic-plastic building model, and that those exceeded the tensile strength of material in many columns, in the case of elastic building model. Through discussing on the dynamic properties of the structural material with the rate dependency of strain hardening rate of the material, the possibility to be occurred the brittle fracture of column even at strain rate in the range of 0.1∼1 s-1 was pointed out. These results show very possibility that a high stress sufficient to lead the initiation of damage such as local fracture and crack can be reached in some parts of the tall-building-model due to a strong near-source earthquake.
This paper reports the processes by which an interdisciplinary research project overcame the usual problems of antagonism among disciplines and succeeded in introducing a number of social innovations into a community. In terms of the experience five "principles" of successful social innovation are suggested: (a) the principle of maximum investment, (b) the principle of co-optation, (c) the principle of egalitarian responsibility, (d) the principle of research as creative play, and (e) the principle of ideological research leadership. A high degree of staff involvement is made possible by a relaxation of superego prohibitions against novelty and originality, by allowing maximum feasible participation of all project personnel, and by providing realistically wide but unambiguous boundaries and limits. Under these conditions the research group may take on certain of the emotionally charged, proselyting characteristics of a small social movement and may have an impact on the community out of all proportion to its size.
The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences between child-care facilities and kindergartens towards the need for foodservice support by Center for Child-Care Foodservice Management (CCFSM). For this study, questionnaires were sent out from August of 2008 to April of 2009 to directors of 1,478 child care facilities and 299 kindergartens in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do via postal service. A total of 267 questionnaires were usable with 203 (13.7%) of child-care facilities and 64 (21.4%) of kindergartens. Statistical data were analyzed by SPSS 15.0 for descriptive analysis and t-test. For political and administrative support, government funding for foodservice was the highest need and hiring nutritionists was significantly different by type of facility (p < 0.01). Both child-care facilities (4.29) and kindergartens (4.41) demanded the balanced menu from CCFSM. There were significant differences of “information about food material sanitation management” (p < 0.05), “hygiene safety management method according to working process” (p < 0.05), “hygiene safety management method of foodservice facilities and equipment” (p < 0.05). In education and training contents from center, “types and methods to manage foodservice facilities and equipment” for directors, “dietary education by age” for teachers, and “the rules of personal sanitation and working process” and “gas, electricity and fire prevention” for culinary workers had the highest mean score of requirements. (Korean J Community Nutr 16(6) : 730~739, 2011)
The evaluation of a new chemical entity for use in pediatric populations, while normally a development afterthought, can be successfully accomplished early in a clinical program by careful foreplanning utilizing available development program tools. Compassionate use programs provide an excellent framework for the collection of safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic data in pediatric populations. The conduct of formal pharmacokinetic studies in children may proceed in parallel with pediatric efficacy studies, if appropriately designed and staged. Additional collection of meaningful and predictive pharmacokinetic specimens may be accomplished in children without the need for repeated phlebotomy. Careful selection of target populations for pharmacokinetic research in children may expedite rapid drug development of pediatric indications. Utilizing these techniques, a pediatric clinical development program may be prosecuted with minimal prior adult data and synchronous with the overall clinical development program.
Thin sedimentary interbeds within the Kirkpatrick Basalt (Jurassic) of Antarctica harbor exquisitely preserved ‘soft-bodied’ organisms that lived in and around shallow freshwater lakes of the time, some of which were hydrothermally influenced. In the hottest pools, associated with magmatic vents, unusual carbonates were apparently precipitated by Archaea extremophiles adapted to living near active lava flows. In cooler lakes more distant to the vents, fine siliciclastic sediments record other communities of spinicaudatan (“conchostracan”) and notostracan crustaceans, larval insects, fishes, and ostracodes much of which may have been sustained by microbial mats, which are also well preserved in the deposits. Along the lake-edge, carbonized leaves, peat or coal, and silicified logs are often found in association with paleosols. Notably, evidence of carnivory, a primary taphonomic filter, is essentially lacking in these sediments. Exceptional preservation of non-biomineralized or lightly skeletonized organisms, therefore, reflects the original diversity of non-biomineralized or lightly skeletonized organisms present.
In 2005, the government of Kuwait finished the amendment process of Election Law No. 35 the Year 1962 which gives more space and opportunity for Kuwaiti women to participate actively in politics by becoming a member of the legislative body of the government. This situation clearly shows a positive vibe and prospect of woman’s acknowledgment in Kuwait politics. Moreover, it also signals the gender representation awareness in Kuwait. However, the practice is not as smooth as it seems as there is a lot of hindrance in the process which comes from the woman and also from the Kuwait society and culture. This paper will examine the journey of gender representation in Kuwait politics. Qualitative methods and library research will be used to support the analysis. In the later stage, it can be known that the gender representation in Kuwait politics are still undeveloped regardless of affirmation from the government’s regulation.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate Metabolic syndrome (MetS) as a risk factor of Prostate cancer (PC) in patient undergone to repeat trans-rectal prostate biopsy (PB). METHODS: Between May 2010 and October 2018 a prospective cohort study was carried out by enrolling patients underwent to repeat biopsy for persistence of clinical suspicious of PC: PSA≥ 4 ng/ml, suspect digital rectal examination findings, more than three biopsy cores with High Grade Prostatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia (wHGPIN). PSA≥20 ng/ml was the main exclusion criteria. PB was performed by six months of the initial one. A 12-14 core prostate biopsy template was used in both biopsies. MetS was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. A binary logistic model was computed to assess risk factors of PC on re-biopsy. A nomogram was generated to predict PC. Accuracy was evaluated using the L-ROC RESULTS: Overall 309 patients aged 67.6±7.7 years were enrolled. Mean BMI was 27.5±3.4, mean prostate volume was 53.7±24.8cc. An initial diagnosis of chronic prostatitis, ASAP and HGPIN were respectively reported in 231 (74.8%), 9 (2.9%) and 69 (22.3%) patients, while 141 (37.0%) patients had a diagnosis of MS. Repeat biopsy diagnosed 96 (31.1%) cancers, 3 (1%) ASAP, 62 (20.1%) HGPIN, 142 (46.0%) benign lesions. Among cancers, 71 (74%) were Gleason Score (GS)=6 and 25 (26%) GS≥7. No significative difference was found regarding median PSA on initial and repeat biopsy, 6.9ng/ml IQR 5.2-8.2 Vs 6.6ng/ml IQR 4.3-11.2, p>0.05. On univariate analysis, MS (OR 1.6 CI 1.03-2.78, p=0.03), AGE (OR 1.05 CI 1.01-1.08, p=0.003) and wHGPIN (OR 3 CI 1.7-5.2, p=0.01) were the only independently risk factors of PC on repeat while PSA (0.9 0.82-0.98 p=0.21) and PSA density (OR 0.15 0.1-1.82 p=0.13) were not. MS diagnosis was the only risk factor able to predict a GS ≥7 cancer: OR 3 CI 1.17-8.07 p=0.02. On multivariate analysis the model including age, MS and wHGPIN was able to predict GS ≥7 (LROC 0.82) with a net benefit in the range of probability between 10% an 45% (figure 1). CONCLUSIONS: In our patients MetS was an independent predictor of PC and particularly of high grade PC, confirming the importance of evaluating metabolic factors in patients at risk of prostate cancer. Our model if validated and could be used to reduce the number of unnecessary biopsy in patients with a previous negative biopsy. Figure. No caption available. Source of Funding: None
Children living in resource-limited settings often suffer from multiple micronutrient deficiencies (MMD). However, there lacks evidence on the correlates of MMD in young children. We investigated the role of diets, water, sanitation and hygiene practice, enteric infections, and impaired gut health on MMD in children at 24 months of age using data from the multi-country MAL-ED birth cohort study. Co-existence of more than one micronutrient deficiency (e.g., anemia, iron, zinc, or retinol deficiency) was considered as MMD. We characterized intestinal inflammation by fecal concentrations of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neopterin (NEO) measured in the non-diarrheal stool samples. Bayesian network analysis was applied to investigate the factors associated with MMD. A total of 1093 children were included in this analysis. Overall, 47.6% of the children had MMD, with the highest prevalence in Pakistan (90.1%) and lowest in Brazil (6.3%). MMD was inversely associated with the female sex [OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.92]. A greater risk of MMD was associated with lower vitamin C intake [OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.48, 0.94] and increased fecal concentrations of MPO [OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.51]. The study results imply the importance of effective strategies to ameliorate gut health and improve nutrient intake during the early years of life.
Hepatic expression of the liver-type pyruvate kinase (L-PK) gene is induced at the transcriptional level by increased carbohydrate metabolism in the rat. The carbohydrate response of the L-PK gene requires sequences from -171 to -124, which encompass adjacent major late transcription factor (MLTF)-like and hepatic nuclear factor (HNF)-4 binding sites. Neither site alone is capable of conferring a response, prompting us to explore the mechanism of synergy between the MLTF-like factor and HNF-4. Spacing requirements between the two factor binding sites were tested by generating a series of mutations that altered the distance between these sites. Surprisingly, all of the constructs with spacing mutations were capable of responding to elevated glucose when introduced into primary hepatocytes. Thus the glucose response does not depend on the rigid phasing of the MLTF-like and HNF-4 factors, suggesting that the factors binding to these two sites do not interact directly with each other. Substitution or inversion of the PK HNF-4 site abrogated the response to glucose and also significantly suppressed the promoter activity under non-inducing conditions. We conclude that the MLTF-like factor and HNF-4 co-operate functionally to maintain the basal activity, as well as the carbohydrate responsiveness, of the L-PK gene. A mechanism other than co-operative DNA binding is responsible for the synergism.
The main particularities of sulfonate groups hydration, water molecule and alkaline metal cation translation mobility as well as ionic conductivity were revealed by NMR and impedance spectroscopy techniques. Cation-exchange membranes MSC based on cross-linked sulfonated polystyrene (PS) grafted on polyethylene with ion-exchange capacity of 2.5 mg-eq/g were investigated. Alkaline metal cation hydration numbers (h) calculated from temperature dependences of 1H chemical shift of water molecule for membranes equilibrated with water vapor at RH = 95% are 5, 6, and 4 for Li+, Na+, and Cs+ ions, respectively. These values are close to h for equimolar aqueous salt solutions. Water molecules and counter ions Li+, Na+, and Cs+ diffusion coefficients were measured by pulsed field gradient NMR on the 1H, 7Li, 23Na, and 133Cs nuclei. For membranes as well as for aqueous chloride solutions, cation diffusion coefficients increased in the following sequence: Li+ < Na+ < Cs+. Cation and water molecule diffusion activation energies in temperature range from 20 °C to 80 °C were close to each other (about 20 kJ/mol). The cation conductivity of MSC membranes is in the same sequence, Li+ < Na+ < Cs+ << H+. The conductivity values calculated from the NMR diffusion coefficients with the use of the Nernst–Einstein equation are essentially higher than experimentally determined coefficients. The reason for this discrepancy is the heterogeneity of membrane pore and channel system. Ionic conductivity is limited by cation transfer in narrow channels, whereas the diffusion coefficient characterizes ion mobility in wide pores first of all.
First identified as a proteolytic enzyme inhibitor, a2-macroglobulin (azM) has assumed new importance because of the nature of its cellular receptor and its potential role as a transport protein for growth factors and other agents. Most of the receptor interactions and transport functions of a2M, however, depend on prior reaction with proteinases, and an understanding of proteinase binding remains at the heart of azM physiology. The general features of the proteinase reaction are understood, but a complete description has so far been elusive-a general rate equation has not been obtained and, in some cases, the number and the nature of the intermediates are unknown. The mechanism of binding of proteinases to azM is unusual; the active site of the proteinase remains free and, in this way, the mechanism is very different from that of the classical proteinase inhibitors such as the serpins’” or the plant and pancreatic inhibitors! However, the small protein inhibitors and a2M have one feature in common: they contain a reactive site, referred to as the “bait” region in azM, with a susceptible peptide bond that provides a target for the proteinase. In the case of the serpins or plant inhibitors, the reaction at this site stops before proteolysis is complete. A stable complex is formed that, in most cases, is a distorted tetrahedral inte~mediate.~ For azM, on the other hand, bait region cleavage is successful and the active site of the bound proteinase remains free. Proteinase binding occurs through amide bonds between its lysyl amino groups and a glutamyl residue of the unique thioester bond of a2M (equation 1) and through conformational changes that sterically encapsulate (“trap”) the proteinase. Although free to react with small substrates and inhibitors, the active site of the bound proteinase is prevented by the steric constraints of the trap from reaction with large protein substrates or protein inhibitors:
Traditional hardware security primitives such as physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are quite vulnerable to machine learning (ML) attacks. The primary reason is that PUFs rely on process mismatches between two identically designed circuit blocks to generate deterministic math functions as the secret information sources. Unfortunately, ML algorithms are pretty efficient in modeling deterministic math functions. In order to resist against ML attacks, in this letter, a novel hardware security primitive named neural network (NN) chain is proposed by utilizing noise data to generate chaotic NNs for achieving authentication. In a NN chain, two independent batches of noise data are utilized as the input and output training data of NNs, respectively, to maximize the uncertainty within the NN chain. In contrast to a regular PUF, the proposed NN chain is capable of achieving over 20 times ML attack‐resistance and 100% reliability with less than 39% power and area overhead.
To improve productivity of assembly in cell production, human robot collaboration is introduced. In the collaboration, robot manipulator supports human operators by handing over an assembly part in the assembly process. However, when the human operator works coexisitently with the moving robot in close distance, it might induce high stress to the operator. This paper studies on strain measurement caused by the hand-over motion of an industrial robot, and discuss design criterions of the robot arm motion when working with a human operator. Several basic stresses are experimentally measured: motion speed at robot's movement, motion trajectory and so on. Experimental results indicated following two points. First, low motion speed (less than 500[mm/s]) or non-straight motion is preferred to design hand over motion which induce low mental strain. Second, it is recommended for a human operator to be notified of robot motion speed before it moves to avoid mental strain.
INTRODUCTION ageing is accompanied by impairments in immune responses due to remodelling of the immune system (immunesenescence). Additionally, a decline in habitual physical activity has been reported in older adults. We have recently published that specific features of immunesenescence, such as thymic involution and naïve/memory T-cell ratio, are prevented by maintenance of a high level of physical activity. This study compares immune ageing between sedentary and physically active older adults.   METHODS a cross-sectional study recruited 211 healthy older adults (60-79 years) and assessed their physical activity levels using an actigraph. We compared T- and B-cell immune parameters between relatively sedentary (n = 25) taking 2,000-4,500 steps/day and more physically active older adults (n = 25) taking 10,500-15,000 steps/day.   RESULTS we found a higher frequency of naïve CD4 (P = 0.01) and CD8 (P = 0.02) and a lower frequency of memory CD4 cells (P = 0.01) and CD8 (P = 0.04) T cells in the physically active group compared with the sedentary group. Elevated serum IL7 (P = 0.03) and IL15 (P = 0.003), cytokines that play an essential role in T-cell survival, were seen in the physically active group. Interestingly, a positive association was observed between IL15 levels and peripheral CD4 naïve T-cell frequency (P = 0.023).   DISCUSSION we conclude that a moderate level of physical activity may be required to give a very broad suppression of immune ageing, though 10,500-15,000 steps/day has a beneficial effect on the naïve T-cell pool.
Dolabella auricularia are found in the waters of Indo - Pacific and has active compound in health, which until now is still limited information about nutritional content from sea hare. The aim of this research were to determine morphometric and chemical characteristic D. auricularia which includes the proximate, amino acids, fatty acids and minerals. The composition of fatty acid were measured by gas chromatography (GC), amino acids were measured by high performanced liquid chromatography (HPLC), and mineral was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The sea hare contained 9 essential amino acids and 6 non essential amino acids. The highest essential amino acid was arginine (1.61%) while the highest non essential amino acids was glycine (3.02%). Sea hare contained 26 fatty acids such as saturated fatty acids 5.33%, monounsaturated fatty acids 2.11% and polyunsaturated fatty acids 4.10%. The high mineral was calcium 68100 mg/kg.
Human speech and musical sounds contain complex spectral and temporal modulations. Speech intelligibility, perception of melody, and identification of source characteristics (e.g., speaker gender or musical timbre) depend on spectrotemporal modulations but can be surprisingly robust to drastic spectral and temporal degradations. We systematically explored which restricted spectral and temporal modulations are essential to the perception of complex sounds. Degraded sentences and musical sounds were obtained by a novel modulation filtering procedure performed on the sound spectrogram. Temporal modulation filtering smeared the amplitude envelope by removing changes above particular Hz. Spectral modulation filtering smeared the spectral energy across frequency bands by removing changes above particular cyc/kHz. We further complemented this low‐pass filtering with more specific notch‐filtering. Speech intelligibility, gender recognition and musical instrument identification were assessed in psychophysical experiments. We determined that spectral modulations below ∼3.75 cyc/kHz, and temporal modulations between 1 and 7 Hz are essential for speech comprehension. Gender identification however required the presence of higher spectral modulations. Similarly the timbre and pitch of instruments was affected differentially by notch filters in these two regions of the modulation spectrum. Our research could be used to guide the design of optimal signal processing in hearing aids and cochlear implants.
This paper discusses the development of freedom of speech regulation in the Moroccan legal system.   It especially looks at the intersection of legal texts in the context of new media use. While it highlights that Internet regulation is still an understudied subject, it sheds light on the Moroccan legal apparatus and how it has responded to the growing challenges of new media use. Through an assessment of the myriad of intersecting codes and bills that apply to new media and affect freedom of expression in particular, it demonstrates how the existing and developing new media regulation tends to impact the growth and the enjoyment of the full potential of the Internet through continuous "chilling effects". To demonstrate the probability of these chilling effects, a sample of a dozen historical legal cases is presented to substantiate how the judicial system is reproducing the legal atmosphere that characterized the practice of freedom of expression in traditional media. Keywords : new media, Morocco, freedom of expression, chilling effects.
Machine learning is now playing important role in robotic object manipulation. In addition, force control is necessary for manipulating various objects to achieve robustness against perturbations of configurations and stiffness. The au-thor's group revealed that fast and dynamic object manipulation with force control can be obtained by bilateral control-based imitation learning. However, the method is applicable only in robots that can control torque, while it is not applicable in robots that can only follow position or velocity commands like many commercially available robots. Then, in this research, a way to implement bilateral control-based imitation learning to velocity-controlled robots is proposed. The validity of the proposed method is experimentally verified by a mopping task.
This work describes non-invasive observations of dynamic thermal lensing in an end-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser. Measurements were obtained with a nanoscale optical ruler created using chromatic aberrations, pinholes, dispersive gratings, and position-sensitive detectors. This study reports on variations in thermally induced oscillations and on underdamping behavior in the regime of high pump power. Dynamic data related to the thermal behavior can be used to study the balance between driving forces (pumping and thermal stresses) and damping losses (cooling and output coupling). The non-invasive nature of the proposed scheme along with its sub-100-nm axial resolution, sub-millisecond time resolution, and simple configuration makes it widely applicable for studying heat-related phenomena within laser crystals. The preliminary results show that such non-invasive methods could be used to detect thermally induced nanoscale deformations in integrated circuits, high-power optoelectronic devices, and optical devices with high-power illumination.
A 2-year-old male Thoroughbred was evaluated for multiple firm, raised nodules of the maxilla and mandible that had been present since 6 months of age. The horse was evaluated as a yearling with a final histologic diagnosis of fibrosarcoma. As a 2-year-old, the colt made a loud upper airway sound and was agitated after strenuous exercise. Results of upper airway endoscopy indicated severe narrowing of the nasal passages and pharynx with normal resting function. Radiography revealed multiple circular bony lesions in the mandible, maxilla, multiple long bones, and cervical vertebrae. Biopsy specimens of the left mandible and right facial bone were obtained. A diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma with extensive metastatic bone formation was made on the basis of histologic features and the immunohistochemical staining properties of the biopsy specimens. Because of the diffuse distribution of the lesions, prognosis was guarded; 4 years after diagnosis, the horse had not pursued an athletic career.
Stomata density is an important parameter that is used to analyze the environmental stress to plants, especially water stress [1–3]. The objective of this paper is to estimate leaves stomata density of Populus euphratica using remote sensing image processing technology, i.e., object-oriented classification, and to analyze ecological significance about stomata density change. The 18 samples were selected in the study area (the lower reaches of Heihe River). Leaves stomata images were obtained by a microscope (Leica DM6000 B). First stomata images were classified based on object-oriented classification method. And then, the classified images are imported into ArcGIS for calculating stomata pixel value and cells of standard stomata, which are used to calculate the number of stomata on one image. Stomata density can be obtained by dividing the stomata number with the image area. Finally, a batch program was made using R language code to deal with a lot of images. The results show that: the method in the study has high efficiency and accuracy to obtain leaves stomata density. There are variation of stomata density in 18 samples, ranging from 76.7 stoma·mm−2 to 139.4 stoma·mm−2 average value 105 stoma·mm−2. With the increase of water stress, the stomata density expresses fluctuant change, from decrease to increase to decrease.
PMCs are a budding issue having both the psychiatry and gynecology-related symptoms with adverse social consequences. It is an affective disorder occuring in the luteal phase (the time between ovulation to the onset of menstrual bleeding) of the menstrual cycle (MC). PMCs range from mild mood fluctuations, called Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) to severe mental and physical disturbances, called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). The exact aetiology of PMCs is largely under-explored. Its diagnosis and management are often difficult. The present article is a short review of current PMCs-research (its aetiopathology, diagnosis and management) with tentative research proposals.
It is not hard to agree with Johns's complaints about sterile and jejeune orthodoxy and to applaud his choice of the colonial counterexample, but that does not mean this book can be warmly recommended. For one thing, his intended audience is not made clear. Professionals would find the central theme familiar; students, toward whom his first book was explicitly directed, might find the discussion enlightening. Yet for students there is danger because Johns accepts a great deal of disparate scholarship uncritically. He rummages around in the literature for quotations to make his points; the argument is one long appeal to authority and the citations copious and lengthy, making the book a hard read. Except for the choice of topic—colonial trade history—there is no originality or fresh evidence, nor much reflection on the merits and legitimate uses of standard trade theory. Although a cut-and-paste summary such as this has definite pedagogical value because of its basic conception and healthy iconoclasm, any pretense to original scholarship would be unjustified.
Trait-based approaches have become increasingly successful in community ecology. They assume that the distribution of functional traits within communities responds in a predictable way to alterations in environmental forcing and that strong forcing may accelerate such trait changes. We used high frequency measurements of phytoplankton to test these assumptions. We analyzed the seasonal and long-term dynamics of the community trait mean within a multi-dimensional trait space under alternating multifactorial environmental conditions. The community trait mean exhibited a distinct recurrent annual pattern that reflected minor changes in climate, herbivory and nutrients. Independent of early spring conditions, the community trait mean was repeatedly driven into a narrow confined area in the trait space under pronounced herbivory during the clear water phase. The speed of movement was highest at the onset and the relaxation of such strong unidirectional forcing. Thus, our data support the conceptual framework of trait-based ecology that alterations in environmental conditions are systematically tracked by adjustments in the dominant functional trait values and that the speed of trait changes depends on the kind and intensity of the selection pressure. Our approach provides a sensitive tool to detect small functional differences in the community related to subtle differences in forcing.
The work in this dissertation is divided into two areas: (1) the determination of models that adaquately describe the system for control purposes from experimental input-output data and (2) the use of these models in a direct digital control scheme to control the system. The entire study was done on an IBM 7040 computer including the generation of the experimental data. ■ One of the methods used to identify the deterministic portion of the system was quasilinearization. Starting with an initial trial solution to the differential equations the problem is formulated as a sequence of linear problems whose solution converge to the non-linear solution. This method correctly identified the parameters in a dy­ namic model including dead time up to third order from input-output data. The order of the equation for which quasilinearization will be successful is limited by the fact that only .one state variable is observed and the others must be calculated. The number of calculations and thus the computer running time for this particular problem was greatly reduced by defining the state variables in terms of the change in the parameters and by using the model equation instead of the funda­ mental solutions to update the output and its derivatives. The para­ meter space in which convergence will occur for this particular prob­ lem was demonstrated to be increased by the incorporation of Marquardt's method into quasilinearization or by using only a portion of the step
Triplet formation pathways in 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and its hydroxy derivative, 1-hydroxyanthraquinone (HAQ), are studied theoretically. Dynamics simulations on the model singlet-triplet potential energy surfaces within the linear vibronic coupling framework are performed to elucidate possible internal conversion (IC) and intersystem crossing (ISC) pathways in these molecules. An ultrafast IC decay from the "bright" S4 to S1 followed by efficient ISC via S1-T4 and S1-T5 pathways fosters a high triplet quantum yield (ΦT = 0.90) in AQ. In HAQ, a new nonradiative channel of "barrierless" excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) opens up and competes with the IC decay to S1 upon photoexcitation to the "bright" S2. Extremely fast ESIPT on S2 reduces the efficiency of triplet formation via possible ISC pathways involving S1 and S2, resulting in a low ΦT (=0.17).
Cervical cancer accounts for 21.7% of all cancer deaths in the sub-Saharan Africa with a case fatality rate of 68%. Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health has adopted cervical cancer screening (CCS) using visual inspection with acetic acid or Lugol’s iodine (VIA/VILI) and cryotherapy treatment for precancerous lesions as the preferred screening and treatment strategy. Using the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment Framework, our study documents our experience during the development, piloting and roll-out of the APIN Public Health Initiatives (APIN)-developed VIA Visual Application (AVIVA) for CCS using the VIA method in 86 APIN-supported health facilities across 7 states in Nigeria. Between December 2019 and June 2022, with the aid of 9 gynaecologists and 133 case finders, a total of 29 262 women living with HIV received VIA-based CCS and 1609 of them were VIA-positive, corresponding to VIA positivity rate of 5.5%. Over the 30 months duration and the 5 phases of CCS scale-up, AVIVA development and expansion, a total of 1247 cases were shared via the AVIVA App (3741 pictures), with 1058 of such cases undergoing expert review, corresponding to a reviewer rate of 84.8%. Overall, the use of the AVIVA App improved both the VIA-positive and VIA-negative concordance rates by 16 percentage points each (26%–42% and 80%–96%, respectively) from baseline to the end of the study. We concluded that the AVIVA App is an innovative tool to improve CCS rates and diagnostic precision by connecting health facility staff and expert reviewers in resource-limited settings.
Following the work of Chen, Roll, and Ross (Journal of Business, 59, 383–403, 1986), there has been considerable work examining the influence of macroeconomic state variables on the excess returns of REITs. While most of the previous research has focused on the examination of equity REITs, this paper examines the three broad classification of REITs: equity, mortgage, and hybrid. This exploratory study identifies the response of REIT excess returns to unexpected changes in the broader stock market, real output growth, inflation, term structure of interest rates, default risk, and the federal funds rate using the generalized impulse response analysis.
The development of GABAergic interneurons in feline striate area and extrastriate areas was tracked by single and double labeling immunohistochemistry using antibodies to GABA and to molecular markers which identify subpopulations of GABAergic neurons in adult mammalian neocortex; i.e., neuropeptide Y, somatostatin, and the calcium-binding proteins parvalbumin and calbindin. The density of GABA-ir neurons was relatively constant during development and among visual areas. By contrast, most of the GABA-subpopulations increased in the cortex of visual areas during postnatal development, and thus the proportion of GABA-ir neurons which also expressed another molecular marker increased during development. By the end of the first postnatal month, the neurotransmitter phenotypes of the neocortical GABAergic neurons are mature.
Several polynuclear Pt(II) chelates with biogenic polyamines were synthesized and screened for their potential antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity in different human cancer cell lines. To gather information regarding the structure-activity relationships underlying their biological activity, the complexes studied were designed to differ in geometrical parameters such as the nature of the ligand and the number and chemical environment of the metal centers. Distinct effects were found for different cell lines and different structural characteristics of the complexes; chelates II, III, and IV displayed specificity toward the HeLa and HSC-3 epithelial-type cells, while V, VI, and VII were clearly more effective against the THP-1, MOLT-3, and CCRF-CEM leukemia cell lines. The toxicity of these Pt(II) complexes on noncancer cells was, in all cases, found to be reversed upon drug removal.
Identifying subgroups of high-risk individuals can lead to the development of tailored interventions for those subgroups. This study compared two multivariate statistical methods (logistic regression and signal detection) and evaluated their ability to identify subgroups at risk. The methods identified similar risk predictors and had similar predictive accuracy in exploratory and validation samples. However, the 2 methods did not classify individuals into the same subgroups. Within subgroups, logistic regression identified individuals that were homogeneous in outcome but heterogeneous in risk predictors. In contrast, signal detection identified individuals that were homogeneous in both outcome and risk predictors. Because of the ability to identify homogeneous subgroups, signal detection may be more useful than logistic regression for designing distinct tailored interventions for subgroups of high-risk individuals.
This paper is regarding the helicopter flight control law design for the handling quality performance. MIL-F-83300 and ADS-33E specification is used of the helicopter flight handling quality and to meet these requirements, ACAH type controller is required. This paper described the ACAH type controller design and performance evaluations. Helicopter dynamics first developed as nonlinear dynamics including rotor dynamics and then linear model was extracted from hovering to forward flight mode using trim condition. Control law used the model following to meet the handling qualities, the simple inverse model as feed forward gain, decoupling logic and phase model to decouple the axes, and linear model to calculate the coefficients. Handling quality evaluation used the matlab based Conduit tool and verified that Level 1 requirement is satisfied.
This paper compares three different types of a turbine-converter-expander combination with respect to the exergetic efficiency. Converter stands for a combustion chamber, a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell and a reactor in which a chemical process is carried out. The exergy losses for the first examples are 22%. The exergy losses for the other two examples can be reduced by 50 and 10 to 80%, respectively. The calculations were done by means of an in-house developed process simulator. It is concluded that the integration of utilities in chemical processes can realize a substantial reduction of both energy and exergy loss. This paper was presented at the ECOS'00 Conference in Enschede, July 5-7, 2000
AbstractA research program was initiated to develop a nonferrous reinforcement system for concrete bridge decks using continuous fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars and discrete, randomly distributed polypropylene fibers. This hybrid system may eliminate problems related to corrosion of steel reinforcement while providing requisite strength, stiffness, and desired ductility, which are shortcomings of the FRP reinforcing system in plain concrete. This paper presents the results of a part of this research program [i.e., the long-term bond behaviors of this FRP/fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) hybrid system]. Bond durability for the FRP/plain concrete system that served as a reference is also reported. Test results indicated that ultimate and design bond strength experienced noticeable degradation when exposed to combined environmental conditioning, including freeze-thaw cycles, high temperature (60°C), and deicing salt solution. Test results showed that bond durability significantly improved owing to the res...
The Grammar of Institutions, or Institutional Grammar, is an established approach to encode policy information in terms of institutional statements based on a set of pre-defined syntactic components. This codebook provides coding guidelines for a revised version of the Institutional Grammar, the Institutional Grammar 2.0 (IG 2.0). IG 2.0 is a specification that aims at facilitating the encoding of policy to meet varying analytical objectives. To this end, it revises the grammar with respect to comprehensiveness, flexibility, and specificity by offering multiple levels of expressiveness (IG Core, IG Extended, IG Logico). In addition to the encoding of regulative statements, it further introduces the encoding of constitutive institutional statements, as well as statements that exhibit both constitutive and regulative characteristics. Introducing those aspects, the codebook initially covers fundamental concepts of IG 2.0, before providing an overview of pre-coding steps relevant for document preparation. Detailed coding guidelines are provided for both regulative and constitutive statements across all levels of expressiveness, along with the encoding guidelines for statements of mixed form -- hybrid and polymorphic institutional statements. The document further provides an overview of taxonomies used in the encoding process and referred to throughout the codebook. The codebook concludes with a summary and discussion of relevant considerations to facilitate the coding process. An initial Reader's Guide helps the reader tailor the content to her interest.  Note that this codebook specifically focuses on operational aspects of IG 2.0 in the context of policy coding. Links to additional resources such as the underlying scientific literature (that offers a comprehensive treatment of the underlying theoretical concepts) are referred to in the concluding section of the codebook.
AbstractElectrocoagulation is one of the most efficient and convenient techniques for the elimination of several types of pollutants. Its efficiency has been validated for numerous industrial effluents (food, mechanical, textiles, paper industries, etc.). This paper deals with the treatment of dairy wastewater in Algeria by electrocoagulation using aluminum electrodes. The experiments were conducted in a small continuous reactor at laboratory scale. Turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were followed continuously during the startup period and at steady-state, where as BOD5 (five-day biological oxygen demand), greases, and phosphorus were analyzed punctually at steady state using the better operating conditions. The effect of operational parameters, such as current density, initial pH, inlet flow rate, and the temperature of waste water, were examined to optimize the effectiveness of the treatment. A satisfactory reduction of 98% of the turbidity and 90% of the COD were obtained for the optimal condit...
Objective Antiretroviral regimens containing the fusion inhibitor enfuvirtide (ENF) are associated with sustained viral suppression and immunological benefit. However, local injection site reactions (ISR) occur in the majority of patients. The aim of this study was to determine the pathogenesis of ISRs. Methods Injection sites were evaluated prospectively from 30 min up to 15–30 days post-injection in ENF-experienced (Cohort I) and ENF-naive patients (Cohort II) during the first 2 weeks of therapy. Four to five injections were given in rotating abdominal sites by a nurse using a standardized technique and were rigorously evaluated. Results Reactions were observed in 80–100% of patients; the majority of the reactions were mild to moderate, generally appeared within 24–48 h post-injection, and pain, induration and erythema were the most common clinical signs. Whereas most patients experienced ISRs, the overall prevalence in Cohort II was low (35% maximum). Punch biopsies of injection sites in Cohort I consisted primarily of mixed lymphocytic infiltrates with eosinophils and neutrophils. Injection vehicle (ENF buffer minus ENF) and reduced volume (2x0.5 ml ENF [45 mg] versus 1.0 ml [90 mg] ENF) were investigated in Cohort II. Fewer reactions appeared with vehicle and pain was absent with the smaller injection volume. Pathology was indistinguishable between ENF, vehicle and normal tissue in Cohort II patients. Conclusion These results suggest that injection technique, injection volume and peptide may influence ISR to ENF.
BACKGROUND Glucagon-like peptide 2 (GLP-2) is a peptide hormone derived from the proglucagon gene expressed in the intestines, pancreas and brain. Some previous studies showed that GLP-2 improved aging and Alzheimer's disease related memory impairments. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, and to date, there is no particular medicine reversed PD symptoms effectively.   OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate neuroprotective effects of a GLP-2 analogue in the 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) PD mouse model.   METHODS In the present study, the protease resistant Gly(2)-GLP-2 (50 nmol/kg ip.) analogue has been tested for 14 days by behavioral assessment, transmission electron microscope, immunofluorescence histochemistry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blot in an acute PD mouse model induced by MPTP. For comparison, the incretin receptor dual agonist DA5-CH was tested in a separate group.   RESULTS The GLP-2 analogue treatment improved the locomotor and exploratory activity of mice, and improved bradykinesia and movement imbalance of mice. Gly(2)-GLP-2 treatment also protected dopaminergic neurons and restored tyrosine hydroxylase expression levels in the substantia nigra. Gly(2)-GLP-2 furthermore reduced the inflammation response as seen in lower microglia activation, and decreased NLRP3 and interleukin-1β pro-inflammatory cytokine expression levels. In addition, the GLP-2 analogue improved MPTP-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in the substantia nigra. The protective effects were comparable to those of the dual agonist DA5-CH.   CONCLUSION The present results demonstrate that Gly(2)-GLP-2 can attenuate NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation and mitochondrial damage in the substantia nigra induced by MPTP, and Gly(2)-GLP-2 shows neuroprotective effects in this PD animal model.
Savolitinib is an oral MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with demonstrated preliminary efficacy in several cancer types. Previous pharmacokinetics assessments showed that savolitinib is rapidly absorbed but there are limited data on the absolute bioavailability and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of savolitinib. This open‐label, two‐part, phase 1 clinical study (NCT04675021) used a radiolabeled micro‐tracer approach to evaluate absolute bioavailability and a traditional approach to determine the ADME of savolitinib in healthy male adult volunteers (N = 8). Pharmacokinetics, safety, and metabolic profiling and structural identification from plasma, urine, and fecal samples were also assessed. Volunteers received a single oral savolitinib 600 mg dose followed by intravenous 100 μg of [14C]savolitinib in Part 1 and a single oral 300 mg [14C]savolitinib dose (≤4.1 MBq [megabecquerel] [14C]) in Part 2. Following Part 1, absolute oral bioavailability was 69%, the median time of maximum observed concentration was 3.5 hours, and the mean terminal half‐life was 6.1 hours. Following Part 2, 94% of the radioactivity administered was recovered, with 56% and 38% in urine and feces, respectively. Exposure to savolitinib and metabolites M8, M44, M2, and M3 accounted for 22%, 36%, 13%, 7%, and 2%, respectively, of plasma total radioactivity. Approximately 3% of the dose was excreted as unchanged savolitinib in urine. Most savolitinib elimination occurred via metabolism by several different pathways. No new safety signals were observed. Our data show that the oral bioavailability of savolitinib is high and the majority of savolitinib elimination occurs via metabolism and is excreted in the urine.
Selection of main circuit and modulation algorithm are the key technology in SSSC. This paper proposes one main circuit structure for SSSC which is based on single phase cascaded inverters and coupling transformers by comparing with several typical main circuit structures, considering the standards for choosing main circuit such as function realization, high capability, redundancy design, efficient modulation algorithm and so on. The authors have deduced the modulation strategy for single phase on the basis of nonorthogonal coordinates according to basic circuit theory, which makes it possible for multilevel SVPWM to be applied to the modulation of single phase inverter in SSSC. Finally, the electric magnetic transient model is built depending on EMTDC/PSCAD and MATLAB by calling the modulation algorithm realized by MATLAB into EMTDC/PSCAD. As the simulation results shown, the power flow can be effectively controlled by SSSC which adopts the proposed main circuit structure and modulation algorithm. The validity of the modulation algorithm is further proved by experiment.
The formation of pairs of perfect absorption associated with phase singularities in the parameter space using the hybridized structure constructed with a metallic nanoparticle array and a metallic film is promising to enhance light-mater interactions. However, the localized plasmon resonances of the array possess strong radiative losses, which is an obstacle to improve the performances for many applications. On the contrary with the subwavelength array hybridized structure, this study shows that by enlarging the lattice spacing, the oscillator strength of the nanoparticles can be enhanced with the formation of surface lattice resonance, thereby leading to similar but much narrower pairs of perfect absorption due to the interactions with the Fabry-Pérot cavity modes. Furthermore, when the surface plasmon polariton mode shift to the same spectral range associated with the enlarged lattice spacing, the coupling and mode hybridization with the surface lattice resonance result in an anticrossing in the spectra. Although the resonance coupling does not enter the strong coupling regime, the quality factors (∼ 134) and near-field enhancements (∼ 44) are strongly enhanced for the hybridized resonance modes due to the effectively suppressed radiative losses compared with that of the localized plasmon resonances, which make the hybridized structure useful for the design of functional nanophotonic device such as biosensing, multi-model nanolasing, and high-quality imaging.
Corporations realize that environmental compliance represents a significant percentage of total manufacturing costs. Increasingly, they are also realizing the fact that pollution is a process inefficiency that needs to be addressed proactively-not a necessary cost of business to be dealt with at the end of the manufacturing cycle. By integrating its pollution prevention programs with a total quality environmental management concept, The Foxboro Company has obtained extraordinary results in its efforts to cut pollution and manufacturing costs and, thus, improve organizational performance.
This paper deals with experiments and calculations performed in order to investigate the influence of the electromagnetic hardening of payloads in a railgun. This is a complex task: besides the large amplitudes of the in-bore magnetic fields due to the pulsed current, the exit of the projectile from the muzzle and the consequences of plasma arcs have to be considered. At the muzzle the magnetic induction can drop from several Teslas to zero within some microseconds, leading to very high induced voltages and electric fields in the metallic parts of the projectile. On the other hand, the electric contact established by solid armatures tends to develop into electric arcs at high velocities during the launch. These plasma arcs as well as the closing switch transients of the railgun circuit are a source of electromagnetic radiation in a broad spectral range. Some electronic devices were selected and tested with static setups corresponding to the previous conditions. In a first phase a series of static railgun experiments (no projectile movement) was performed. In a second phase, static experiments simulating the muzzle exit conditions were carried out. Finally, the influence of electromagnetic waves emitted during railgun experiments on electronic devices was investigated, using a static setup with a conventional spark gap.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the solar shading performance of louver shading materials. Regression analysis is used to compare the potential performance of horizontal and vertical louver shading materials. Results show that louver shading is not suitable for north facing windows and has little improvement of shading performance in south orientation. For east windows in the west orientation, horizontal louver shading performs well only in summer. Horizontal and vertical shading materials have similar shading performance in summer and winter.
Cashew that has "Brazil" as its origin was originally introduced into India by Portuguese in the 16th century. It could also be called the 'Gold Mine' of the wasteland. Cashew scientifically knows as Anacardium occidentale L., and often referred as wonder nut is the most processed and globally traded nut. Thus it has the greatest potential to empower farmers, rural women and rural youth by creating various employment opportunities in the processing sector. It also has the greatest potential to create foreign International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 7 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
Abstract:This article builds on longue durée global historiography to identify the role of imperial translation projects in culture and political economies, clarifying how these economies rest on control of women and labour. To do so it develops the concept of inter-imperiality based on recent historical data and then considers The 1001 Nights as a case study. Highlighting the political allegory embedded in the translation tales of the frame-text, this article shows how literature and translation have taken shape within inter-imperial economies and how authors have shrewdly commented on these economies. Arguing that global literary histories would benefit from further attention to the co-formed empires and economies of the first millennium, it also proposes further rethinking of periodization and vocabularies, including of the so-called medieval and modern epochs.
Given the history of race relations in the United States, and the history of cross-racial services in mental health, it is not surprising that problems frequently occur when White clinicians work with Black clients. From the perspective of social influence theory, it appears that the Black client may understandably question the expertness, trustworthiness and attractiveness of the White clinician. Unless the clinician's and client's perception of each other change, early termination, or an unsuccessful clinical relationship may be anticipated. A number of educational, process and policy objectives may be undertaken by White clinicians committed to improving their interpersonal relationships with Black clients.
Precambrian geochronology of India is now known with greater precision because of the dating of samples carefully se lected , in respect of geological consideration and set up, from several areas in the pas t decade. Vestiges of older nuclei dating more than 3000 m.y. have been identified in southern, eastern and western India. The Charnockite-Khonda­ lite supergroup (c.2900-2600 m.y.) is now considered to be older than the Dharwar super­ group; the Eastern Ghats (sensu stricto) rocks are now considered belonging to the Charnoc­ kite-Khondalite supergroup proper but with impress of event s at 1650 m.y. and 1400 m.y . a t about the same time as events in Cuddapah Basin, Nellore Schist Belt and Amgaon group. The Aravalli, Bailadila, Bengpal and Iron Ore groups are correlated wi th the Dharwar and range in age from c.2500-<:.2000 m.y. The Delhi supergroup appears to be coeval with the lavas of the Gwalior 'series'. Vindhyan sedimentation which started at c.1400 m.y. continued into Cambrian (?) un­ like the Cuddapah supergroup where sedimentation ended by about 1300 m.y. The success­ ively younger dates for the mobile belts from south to north, with respect to the southern nucleus, indicates a migration of geosynclin es in the same direction. The Satpura 'group' despite valid e.vidences for it s aboliti on as a supergroup appears to indicate the reactivation of the Narmada-Son lineament at 950/ 1000 m.y. in part or eastern India. The manifestation of carbonatite and anorogenic granites dating 725 m.y. in southern India, high-level granites in western India, dating 730 m.y., Mylliem granite at 765 m.y. in eastern India and carbona­ tite in Rajasthan at 960 m.y. appear to be rel ated to reacti vat ion of lineaments in these areas at these dates. The overprint of minera I ages at c.500 m.y. along th e east coast is also suggest­ ive of activity of lineaments but further studies are necessa ry to confirm this view.
Abstract A 37-year-old yellow-crowned Amazon parrot (Amazona ochrocephala) and a 20-year-old red-lored Amazon parrot (Amazona autumnalis) each presented with a large mass localized on the lateral neck. With the first bird, there was no evidence of signs of pain or discomfort, and the bird prehended and swallowed food normally. The second bird showed signs of mild upper-gastrointestinal discomfort. Results of an ultrasound examination and aspiration of the mass on each bird revealed a cystic structure. A computed tomography performed on the second bird revealed a large polycystic mass connected to the pharynx by a lateral tract. During surgical resection, both masses were found to originate from the subpharyngeal area. Based on topography and the histopathologic and immunohistochemical results, the masses were determined to be a second branchial cleft cyst for the first case and a second branchial pouch cyst for the second case. In addition, a carcinoma was present in situ within the epithelium of case 1, and the cyst in case 2 was secondarily infected. Branchial cysts are uncommonly diagnosed in veterinary and human medicine. These 2 cases are the first documented in parrots and appear similar to second branchial cysts reported in adult humans.
The Representing Self—Representing Ageing initiative has been funded by the ESRC as part of the New Dynamics of Ageing cross-council research program. It has consisted of four projects with older women using visual research methods and participatory approaches to enable women to articulate their experiences of aging and to create alternative images of aging. Complex research processes were utilized. Innovative methods included the use of art elicitation, photo diaries, film booths, and phototherapy.
During unexpected infectious disease outbreaks, public health agencies must make effective use of limited resources. Vaccine distribution may be delayed and staggered through time, as underscored by the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic. Using a mathematical model parametrized with data from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, we found that optimal allocations of vaccine among people in different age groups and people with high-risk conditions depends on the schedule of vaccine availability relative to the progress of the epidemic. For the projected schedule of H1N1 vaccine availability, the optimal strategy to reduce influenza-related deaths is to initial target high-risk people, followed by school-aged children (5--17) and then young adults (18--44). The optimal strategy to minimize hospitalizations, however, is to target ages 5--44 throughout the vaccination campaign, with only a tiny amount of vaccine used on high-risk people. We find that optimizing at each vaccine release time independently does not give the overall optimal strategy. In this manuscript, we derive policy recommendations for 2009 H1N1 vaccine allocation using a mathematical model. In addition, our optimization procedures, which consider staggered releases over the entire epidemic altogether, are applicable to other outbreaks where not all supplies are available initially.
In the history of high pressure neutron science, the most crucial technical progresses would be the developments of Paris-Edinburgh cell in ISIS, pulsed neutron spallation source in UK. They now permit in situ high pressure and high/low temperature neutron scattering studies for both crystals and amorphous materials. In this article, from the practical point of view, a short introduction for the principle of time-of-flight neutron scattering method, data calibration methods for structure analysis with some previous studies are shown. Also, the required improvements and future prospects to the technique are proposed.
Fair value accounting forces institutions to revalue inventory whenever a transaction occurs. An institution that faces a balance sheet constraint may have incentives to suspend trading in Level 3 assets (traded on opaque over-the-counter markets) in order to avoid such marking-to-market. This keeps the book valuation artificially high, relaxing the balance sheet constraint. But, the institution loses direct control of the risk of its position. Solving this "real options" problem, the institution will report profits as they occur but delay reporting losses. A regulator trying to control risk imposes fines for balance sheet manipulation and capital requirements. Both these tools can increase risk-taking and balance sheet manipulation. Audits in comparision generally decrease risk-taking but may be costly to the regulator. The model provides predictions on the distribution of a bank's trading gains in illiquid markets. The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com., Oxford University Press.
Sildenafil is an active substance that has already been approved by FDA for human use. It is known to be an active compound for the treatment of sexual dysfunction in men. Some encouraging results have been published concerning the treatment of infertility with sildenafil in women, but there is no pharmaceutical preparation available. Therefore, various formulations were prepared and the most suitable sildenafil release was found to be with the sildenafil-containing suppositories prepared using Eudragit RS100 and Witepsol H15. The vaginal insert with EVAC 210 polymer containing sildenafil has also provided sildenafil release for a longer period.
Colchicine is an alkaloid compound from Gloriosa superba which has potential to be developed as a mutagenic agent for plant breeding. The concentration of colchicine produced by plantis affected by different environmental conditions. This research used samples which were obtained from two locations: Sukoharjo, Central Java (collected on December 2016 until January 2017) and Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta (collected on May 2017). The colchicine concentration in G. superba seeds need to be quantified to ensure the application dose. Solvent used for extracting colchicine from G. superba seed is ethanol 70%. Thin Layer Cromatography-densitometry using Chloroform:diethylamin (9:1) as a mobile phase was used to determine colchicine concentration before validated using selectivity, accuracy, precision, and linearity parameter. The results showed that the colchicine concentration in G. superba seeds from Sukoharjo was 30,81 mg/ml and from Gunungkidul was 57,92 mg/ml when measured with densitometer on maximum wavelength 371 nm.
In Brazil's Middle West Region, there is a scarcity of granular natural material to be used in subbase and base layers of urban asphalt pavements. As most urban roads to be paved have a low volume of traffic, it becomes necessary to define alternatives for the pavements’ construction that have technical and economic feasibility. In this paper, laboratory studies were conducted with traditional and non-traditional materials available in the region, such as superficial fine soil found in abundance, crushed rock, quarry waste, hydrated lime and gravel. With the mixtures that showed better results in the laboratory, an experimental asphalt pavement was constructed to evaluate the performance of the structure made with different materials. During construction and after two years, the pavement was monitored by field tests. The results showed that the studied mixtures present technical feasibility and can be used in substitution for materials traditionally used.
The purpose of this study is to explain the mechanism of the variation of regional populations by a model. Economic factors which affect the variation of regional population were chosen as the variables of the model. The structural form of the model consists of four equations. One of the four equations was derived from a “utility function of migration” proposed in this paper. The reduced form of this model was applied to the data of Japan for two periods of time 1960-1965 and 1965-1970. When the model applied to the data, four types of boundary lines of regions were used. The reduced form was successfully applied to all the data for the two periods of time, obtained from the four types of boundary lines of regions.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of videoconferencing exercise interventions for people with chronic diseases. Design Systematic review incorporating meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed, Cinahl, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus. Eligibility criteria The current literature was searched following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Trials analysing participants with chronic disease undergoing aerobic and/or resistance exercise training over videoconferencing, with exercise capacity and/or quality of life outcomes were included. Meta-analyses were conducted for between-group comparisons of exercise capacity and quality of life. Risk of bias was analysed using the Downs and Black quality checklist and the certainty of evidence with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Results Thirty-two trials were included in this review, of which 12 were comparator trials. Small–moderate between-group (videoconferencing vs comparator) effects favouring videoconferencing were seen for studies using a non-exercising comparator for exercise capacity (standardised mean difference (SMD)=0.616, 95% CI 0.278 to 0.954; p=<0.001) and quality of life (SMD=0.400, 95% CI 0.099 to 0.701; p=0.009). Small effects favouring videoconferencing were observed for studies using an exercising comparator for quality of life (SMD=0.271, 95% CI 0.028 to 0.515; p=0.029) and exercise capacity (SMD=0.242, 95% CI 0.059 to 0.426; p=0.009). Moderate risk of bias was identified for included studies (16.3±3.6/28), with GRADE certainty ratings of ‘low’ (quality of life) and ‘moderate’ (exercise capacity). Session attendance was 70% and was reported in 23 trials. No serious adverse events relating to videoconferencing were found. Nine trials documented the total number of technical issues that occurred in 17% of the sessions. Positive satisfaction outcomes were associated with ease of access and usefulness of technology. Conclusion In patients with chronic disease, videoconferencing exercise interventions appear to be feasible and effective for improving exercise capacity and quality of life. More robust methodology is needed in future studies to improve the certainty of the evidence. PROSPERO registration number CRD42020191243.
The central circadian pacemaker in mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is important for daily as well as seasonal rhythms. The SCN encodes seasonal changes in day length by adjusting phase distribution among oscillating neurons thereby shaping the output signal used for adaptation of physiology and behavior. It is well‐established that brief light exposure at the beginning and end of the day, also referred to as “skeleton” light pulses, are sufficient to evoke the seasonal behavioral phenotype. However, the effect of skeleton light exposure on SCN network reorganization remains unknown. Therefore, we exposed mice to brief morning and evening light pulses that mark the time of dawn and dusk in a short winter‐ or a long summer day. Single‐cell PER2::LUC recordings, electrophysiological recordings of SCN activity, and measurements of GABA response polarity revealed that skeleton light‐regimes affected the SCN network to the same degree as full photoperiod. These results indicate the powerful, yet potentially harmful effects of even relatively short light exposures during the evening or night for nocturnal animals.
The authors present a model for the study of the synchronization between coupled limit-cycle oscillators. This model is motivated by the recent observations that revealed the existence of synchronization in the firing patterns of neural cells. The study is based on a particular coupling architecture where all the oscillators are coupled to a comparator unit that feeds back to each oscillator the mean value of the total phase. The various regimes of this model are analysed in the presence of non-uniform external driving.
Indonesian J Pharm 31(2), 2020, 69-77 | DOI: 10.14499/indonesianjpharm31iss1pp69 indonesianjpharm.farmasi.ugm.ac.id Copyright © 2019 THE AUTHOR(S). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) QuEChERS and C18 as solid phase extraction sorbent ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography -ultraviolet-visible method for determination of nine parabens in cosmetics products
The origin of Li deficiency in films grown by laser ablation of single-crystal LiNbO3 targets in a buffer gas has been investigated by analyzing the stoichiometry of the deposited films as a function of the following parameters: the distance target-substrate, the nature of the buffer gas (He, O2, and Ar) and the deposition configuration. The results show that significant Li losses are related to scattering processes during the expansion regime which are higher the higher the mass of the gas species. The results show that the Li content of the films can be enhanced by setting the substrate either at distances larger than the plume length or in a configuration in which the substrate is not facing the target.
Interlineage communication within a cancer microenvironment can augment cancer cell behaviour and impact response to therapy. Patient-derived cancer organoids provide an opportunity to explore cancer cell biology, however it is a major challenge to generate a complex cancer microenvironment in vitro. Here, we established a stromal tumoroid culture system modeling pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) that reconstitutes multilineage interactions between cancer, endothelial, and fibroblast cells and recapitulates several aspects of primary tumors. Whole-mount immunohistochemistry on cleared tumoroids reveals organized vessel, desmoplastic fibroblast, and glandular cancer cell phenotypes that emerge over time. Time-course scRNA-seq measurements show that tumoroid formation activates fibroblasts, altering the extracellular matrix (ECM) composition and inducing cancer cell signal-response signatures and metabolic state change. Comparison between tumoroids with normal or cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) reveals different ECM compositions, as well as differential effects on cancer cell behaviors and metabolism. We identify Syndecan 1 (SDC1) and Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) as receptor and metabolic nodes involved in cancer cell response to CAF signals, and blocking SDC1 disrupts cancer cell growth within the tumoroid. Tumoroids from multiple PDAC patients revealed co-existence of subpopulations associated with classical and basal phenotypes, and CAF-induced migration behaviors emerged in certain patient tumoroids. Comparisons between patient tumoroids revealed a multigene migration signature that develops over time reflecting a stress response mechanism that correlates with worse clinical outcome. Altogether, stromal tumoroids can be used to explore dynamic and reciprocal interactions between cancer, CAF and endothelial cell states, and our data provides new inroads into the discovery of personalized pancreatic cancer therapies.
Author’s Abstract. Researchers find that the successful implementation of information systems that span organizational boundaries enhances competitive advantage. However, the process by which networks of design and construction firms implement boundary-spanning technological changes remains poorly understood. In this paper I explore the implementation of threedimensional computer-aided design tools in 26 design and construction organizations. I analyze empirical data collected over a 7-month period to induce a set of antecedent constructs that enable the evolution from “printed sets of plans” to “virtual model” boundary objects. The findings highlight the importance of addressing regulative, technological, work, and organizational issues at the interfaces between design and construction firms when implementing boundary-spanning technological changes.
In this paper, we consider the relation between $p > 1$ and critical dimension of the extremal solution of the semilinear equation      $ beta  Delta^{2}u- tau  Delta u= frac{ lambda}{(1-u)^{p}}  mbox{in} B$,  $0  $u= Delta u=0  mbox{on}  partial B$,      where $B$ is the unit ball in $R^{n}$, $ lambda>0$ is a parameter, $ tau>0,  beta>0,p>1$ are fixed constants.  By Hardy-Rellich inequality, we find that when $p$ is large enough, the critical dimension is 13.
Phenological development, biomass production and the related growth characteristics of rice (cv Akihikari) in canopy were measured over the entire growth period under different CO2 concentrations and air temperature regimes in temperature gradient chambers (TGCs), in order to clarify the effects of anticipated global climate change on rice production. The TGC is a plastic tunnel with the dimensions of 26m in length, 2.05m in width and 1.7m in height in which air was ventilated at varying rates to created a 4°C temperature gradient along its longitudinal axis. Two TGCs were used for this experiment; one was kept at ambient CO2(c350 μLL-1) concentration and the other at 690 μLL-l throughout the entire growth period. CO2×temperature treatmets were applied to potted rice plants displaced in TGC at the density of 20 hills m-2 in 1991, and on transplanted plants on soil bed in TGC at 25 hills m-2 in 1992. In both years, a sufficient amount of nutrition was applied in split. The nearly doubled CO2 concentration (690 μLL-1) accelerated phenological development of rice toward heading with more pronounced effects at higher temperatures. The number of days to heading of elevated CO2 plants at 30°C was 11% less than that of ambient CO2 plants. The elevated CO2 concentration remarkably promoted both total and productive tiller numbers, whereas it gave a negligibly small effect on plant height. Also, the clevated CO2 concentration gave minor effects on leaf area index except at the initial growth stage, coinciding with the previous workers' results. The elevated CO2 concentration markedly promoted crop dry matter production, on which temperature appeared to give negligibly small effects. The relative enhancement rate by the doubled CO2 on crop dry weight at maturity was estimated to be 24% as average over the entire temperature range (26∼30°C) in both years. The insensitive temperature response in the enhancement rate was contrary to previous workers' results. This is considered to be due to previous workers' results being based on largely isolated plants where radiation might less limit the growth than in the present experiment in the canopy condition.
A system with unequal populations of up and down fermions may exhibit a Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) phase consisting of a periodic arrangement of domain walls where the order parameter changes sign and the excess polarization is localized. We find that the LO phase has a much larger range of stability in a lattice compared to the continuum; in a harmonic trap, the LO phase may involve 80% of the atoms in the trap, and can exist up to an entropy s approximately 0.5k(B) per fermion. We discuss detection of the LO phase (i) in real space by phase-contrast imaging of the periodic excess polarization; (ii) in k space by time-of-flight imaging of the single-particle and pair-momentum distributions; (iii) in energy space from the excess density of states within the gap arising from Andreev bound states in the domain walls.
This paper describes the techniques that the program transformation system CURARE uses to restructure Lisp programs for concurrent execution in multiprocessor Lisp systems and discusses the problems inherent in producing concurrent programs in a flexible and dynamic programming language such as Lisp. CURARE's overall organization is similar to other program restructuring systems: it detects potential conflicts between statements in a program, then transforms the program to improve its concurrent performance, and finally inserts synchronization to ensure the program's concurrent behavior. However, the language and programs that CURARE transforms are very different from the FORTRAN programs that are the traditional targets of program restructuring and so CURARE requires new algorithms and approaches, which are described in this paper.
When chemical disinfection is performed before or after desalination, a number of harmful compounds are formed. Thus, efforts have been directed toward developing alternative methods for water disinfection. In this study, seven nanoparticles (NPs) were evaluated for disinfecting water produced from reverse osmosis and multi-stage flash desalination plants. The tested NPs were silver, copper, silver-copper, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide, and carbon nanotubes. The antimicrobial activity of the NPs was investigated by batch studies in desalinated water samples spiked with E. coli, Enterobacter, Salmonella, and Enterococci. The Chick-Watson model was fitted to the inactivation data to evaluate the kinetic constant for each combination of NPs, water type, and indicator bacteria. The results indicated that silver and silver-copper NPs have the highest disinfection efficiency among the tested NPs. Among the bacteria, Enterobacter (strain TPC129) appears to be the most inactivated, while Enterococci (strain NCTC775) seems to be the least influenced by the NPs. Variations in the chemical characteristics of the tested water samples appeared to cause noticeable differences in the antibacterial efficacies of copper and magnesium oxide NPs, but not in those of the other NPs.
Most of the phosphorus (P) in cereal grains is in the form of phytic acid, a potent inhibitor of iron absorption that cannot be digested by monogastric livestock or humans. High phytate content in staple crops contributes to the high incidence of iron deficiency in developing countries. Low phytic acid (lpa) maize mutants are seen as a potential strategy to improve iron bioavailability, but they have poor seed quality. Our objective was to develop both low and high phytic acid maize populations using recurrent selection, and to compare agronomic qualities and iron bioavailability of these two types of maize, as well as compare them with lpa mutant maize. Three cycles of selection were carried out in two broad-based synthetic populations, BS11 and BS31. Our research found that recurrent selection produced a significant difference in phytic acid content between the high and low BS11 populations (P 0.05). The BS11LPA maize population had improved germination relative to lpa mutant inbred lines (13-16%, P 0.05).
A solution of the principal boundary value problem of physical geodesy is made using spherical harmonics for the global approach and gravity reduction by an integral equation for the local studies, all in a compatible system. This procedure should be unique. In the normal application gravity is reduced to the reference sphere (ellipsoid) which coincides with mean sea level. For a computation of the vertical deflection a final gravity reduction is made to a reference surface through the actual point. An “isometric” gravity anomaly is introduced. The isostatic, Bouguer and Rudzky anomalies are interpreted in a new way. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1969.tb00460.x
Discrimination of buried exploded ordnance by inversion of electromagnetic data requires accurate sensor positioning. There are many contaminated areas were dense forest or significant topographic variation reduces accuracy or precludes use of standard geo-location methods, such as satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS) and laser tracking systems (e.g., Robotic Total Station, RTS), as these rely on line of sight. We propose an alternative positioning system that is based on a beacon principle. The system was developed to survey with the Man-Portable Vector (MPV) EMI sensor. The magnetic moment of the MPV transmitter can be detected at a relatively large distance. The primary field is measured from a portable base station comprised of two vector receivers rigidly attached to either ends of a 1.5 meter horizontal boom. Control tests showed that relative location and orientation could be recovered with centimeter positional and one degree angular accuracy within a 3-4-meter range and 60-degree aperture (relative to boom transverse direction), which is more than sufficient to cover any UXO anomaly. This accuracy level satisfies commonly accepted positional requirement for discrimination. The beacon positioning system can facilitate classification of munitions in any man-trafficable area and was successfully deployed at a field demonstration.
The writing style is a unique characteristic of a human being as it varies from one person to another. Due to such diversity in writing style, handwritten character recognition (HCR) under the purview of pattern recognition is not trivial. Conventional methods used handcrafted features that required a-priori domain knowledge, which is always not feasible. In such a case, extracting features automatically could potentially attract more interests. For this, in the literature, convolutional neural network (CNN) has been a popular approach to extract features from the image data. However, state-of-the-art works do not provide a generic CNN model for character recognition, Devanagari script, for instance. Therefore, in this work, we first study several different CNN models on publicly available handwritten Devanagari characters and numerals datasets. This means that our study is primarily focusing on comparative study by taking trainable parameters, training time and memory consumption into account. Later, we propose and design DevNet, a modified CNN architecture that produced promising results, since computational complexity and memory space are our primary concerns in design.
In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm for matching sketches with face-photo images. The proposed system extracts face photo from the database based on a query sketch drawn by an artist by using discriminating information present in the facial regions represented as histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) feature descriptor. From the training set consisting of photo-faces, HOGs features are extracted and stored as knowledge base. Given, an artist sketch, HOGs of the sketch are computed and are compared against the knowledge base by applying KNN classifier for retrieval of best matching photo face. In our study we have considered face photos of frontal pose with normal lighting and neutral expression. No occlusions in the photo are assumed. Experiments are conducted on CUHK student database of face sketches and photos.
Anxiety is widely conceptualized as a state of heightened distress, arousal, and vigilance that can be elicited by potential threat (1, 2). When extreme or pervasive, anxiety can be debilitating (3). Anxiety disorders are among the leading cause of years lived with disability, afflicting ;300 million individuals annually (3). In the United States, nearly 1 in 3 individuals will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime, diagnoses and service utilization are surging among young people, and direct health care costs exceed $40 billion annually (3–6). Yet existing treatments are inconsistently effective or are associated with significant adverse effects, underscoring the urgency of developing a clearer understanding of the underlying neurobiology (7, 8). Perturbation and recording studies in rodents and monkeys have begun to reveal the specific molecules and microcircuits that control defensive responses to a variety of threats (9), but the relevance of these discoveries to the complexities of the human brain and human anxiety is unclear. Human neuroimaging research provides an opportunity to address this translational conundrum. Clinical studies of anxiety have leveraged a variety of experimental challenges—from aversive photographs and other symptom provocations to threat conditioning and trauma recall paradigms—to identify aspects of brain function that discriminate individuals with pathological anxiety from control subjects. Preclinical human studies of anxiety have taken a different tack and narrowly focused on tracing the circuits normatively engaged by the anticipation of potential threat in nominally healthy samples. Preclinical studies are essential for understanding how anxiety normally works, free from the confounders, comorbidities, andsequelaeofpsychiatricdisease and treatment. They provide a translational bridge to mechanistic studies in animals, which also tend to focus on adaptive behavioral responses (e.g., freezing) to threat.Andbecause they capture symptoms and intermediate phenotypes—such as subjective feelings of anxiety—that cut acrossdisorders, human preclinical studies provide a unique opportunity to develop transdiagnostic biomarkers (10, 11). While clinical and preclinical studies both provide valuable clues about the neural underpinnings of anxiety, as the literature has grown, it has become increasingly difficult to integrate the two veins of research into a unified conceptual framework. In this issue of the Journal, Chavanne and Robinson (12) provide the most comprehensive coordinate-based metaanalysis of anxiety-related functional neuroimaging research in over a decade (13), focusing on studies of emotion perception and provocation (156 studies with 693 preclinical participants, 2,554 case subjects, and 2,348 control subjects). Their clinical meta-analyses included patients with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, specific phobia, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and mixed anxiety diagnoses. Preclinical analyses included coordinates culled from a variety of unpredictable or uncertain threat studies (e.g., threat of shock).Notably, the authorshave made their rawdata (https://osf.io/9s32h) andmeta-analytic maps (https://neurovault.org/collections/6012) freelyavailable, facilitating a range of applications by other investigators. The publication of Chavanne and Robinson’s report provides an opportunemoment to take stock ofwhatwehave learned from 20 years of anxiety-related neuroimaging research and to identify the most fruitful next steps. Chavanne and Robinson show that clinical anxiety is associatedwith heightened reactivity in an extended subcorticocortical circuit. Subcortically, this encompasses several regions implicated in animal models of anxiety, including regions of the amygdala, anterior hippocampus, and periaqueductal gray (9). The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST)—another key player in animal models of anxiety that has only recently begun to attract the attention of the psychiatric imaging community (9, 14)—was also evident in secondary analyses that excluded medicated patients. In the cortex, Chavanne and Robinson show that clinical anxiety is associated with elevated reactivity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex,midcingulate cortex, and anterior insula. Collectively, these observations replicate and extend Etkin and Wager’s influential 2007 neuroimaging meta-analysis (13), which identified heightened amygdala and insula reactivity as a potential “final common pathway” for pathological anxiety. A key feature of Chavanne and Robinson’s report is the systematic analysis of preclinical studies of anxiety. This revealed a circuit encompassing many of the regions identified Chavanne and Robinson provide the most comprehensive coordinatebased meta-analysis of anxiety-related functional neuroimaging research in over a decade, focusing on studies of emotion perceptionandprovocation.
LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) has very big importance industrially and is used for milk preservation, fermentation and cheese, yogurt, and kefir and butter milk. Species from the Gram Positive bacteria group are used which includes the genera Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Lactococcus, Streptococcus and Pediococcus. They can be recognized from their fermentative ability and they are enriching nutrients, improving organoleptic attributes, improving food safety and also provide health benefits.1‒4
One of the main mechanisms that control particle movement is the turbulent diffusion by which the particles in the turbulent boundary layer migrate to the surface under the influence of random flow fluctuations. Theoretical approaches to particle dispersion use random walk models to represent the effect of turbulent fluctuation velocity on particle movement. As a consequence, the turbulence model has a significant effect on the particle trajectory. Particle sticking probability, on the other hand depends upon the particle impact velocity. Moreover, the wall shear stress that is calculated from the turbulence model is the main cause of particle detachment from the surface.In this work, the effect of turbulence models on particle dispersion, deposition on turbine blade surfaces and detachment from the surfaces is studied. Two turbulence models have been tested: the Renormalization Group (RNG) k-e model and the standard k-e model. The near-wall region is solved by two different models: the standard wall function and the two-layer zonal model.It is found that the RNG k-e model with the two-layer zonal near-wall model is the more appropriate turbulence model for particle deposition. It is also concluded that the standard wall function should not be used when solving the flow field near the wall for particle deposition. The reason is that this method does not give the detailed solution of the flow near the wall that is very important for deposition models.Copyright © 2000 by ASME
REFERENCES I. Goldberg LI,Murphy MB. Dopamine. In:Messerli PH,ed,Cardiovasculardrug therapy. Philadelphia: WE Saunders, 1990:1072-82. 2. Bivins BA, RappRP, Griffen WO,Blouin R, Bustrack J. Dopaminephenytoin interaction: a cause of hypotension in thecritically ill. Arch Surg1978;113:245-9. 3. Tatro DS. Drug monographs. In:Tatro DS,ed.Drug interaction facts. 2nd ed.Facts andcomparison division. StLouis: JB Lippincott, 1990:7 J6.
Linear and nonlinear dynamics of localized disturbances in laminar incompressible two- and three-dimensional boundary layers was investigated using the temporal direct numerical simulation. Laminar base profiles were computed with a Runge-Kutta block-structured finite volume software package. The time evolution of localized disturbances have been computed using the periodical model in stream- and spanwise directions. Pseudospectral methods were applied for the space discretization of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. All stages of time-evolution of the disturbances from linear to nonlinear (saturated) stage were examined, turbulent velocity profiles and r.m.s. velocity fluctuations have been computed at saturated stages.
Most children growing up in contemporary homes in post-industrial countries use digital media as part of everyday literacy activities, such as to connect with distant family and friends, watch their favourite programmes, play games and find information. However, conceptualizations of the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) have not yet adapted to the implications of these comparatively new practices for young children’s knowledge about literacy or the ways in which they negotiate affectively intense relationships in digital networks. Furthermore, the digital activity of very young children aged 0-3 years and the diversity of print and digital technologies they use remain under-researched. Reporting on detailed case studies of a two-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl in England, which formed part of an EU-wide qualitative study of 0-3-year-olds’ digital literacy practices at home, we problematise the relevance of conventional definitions of the HLE for contemporary homes. Building on nascent research in this field, we argue for the need to reconceptualise the HLE as a digitally networked space, with porous boundaries that enable the very youngest children to negotiate affectively intense relationships and express meaning across diverse modes and media as they connect with distant others in a digitally mediated world.
In the present study, the catalytic effect of  Na2CO3 on the pyrolysis of sorghum leaves and stalks was evaluated in the temperature range of 20 to 800 °C at three heating rates using thermogravimetric analysis coupled to Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA-FTIR). The results were adjusted with the nth-order reaction model, the isoconversional method, and the distributed activation energy model (DAEM). The latter model fits properly with three pseudo components to the first derivative thermogravimetry curves. The kinetic parameters calculated for the activation energy and pre-exponential factor are in the range of 159 to 195 kJ/mol, and 5.16E+13 to 5.13E+14 s-1, respectively. The analysis of the IR spectra allowed us to identify compounds such as, CO2, H2O, CH4, CO, HCN, C4H4O, HCOOH, and CH3COOH as the gases evolved during thermal decomposition. Moreover, the thermogravimetric curves show that the addition of sodium carbonate as a catalyst decreases the peak temperatures of the pyrolysis process of sorghum residues, and reduces the activation energy associated with the lignin and hemicellulose pyrolysis processes of the sorghum leaves and stems.
Diffuse infiltrative gliomas are adjudged to be the most common primary brain tumors in adults and they tend to blend in extensively in the brain micro-environment. This makes it difficult for medical practitioners to successfully plan effective treatments. In attempts to prolong the lengths of survival times for patients with malignant brain tumors, novel therapeutic alternatives such as gene therapy with oncolytic viruses are currently being explored. Based on such approaches and existing work, a spatio-temporal model that describes interaction between tumor cells and oncolytic viruses is developed. Conditions that lead to optimal therapy in minimizing cancer cell proliferation and otherwise are analytically demonstrated. Numerical simulations are conducted with the aim of showing the impact of virotherapy on proliferation or invasion of cancer cells and of estimating survival times.
This article brings new approach exploiting fuzzy logic optimization of data transfer in fast WDM optical networks. In order to reach effective optimization, control system evaluates several link parameters and finds the most appropriate data transfer path. In a WDM network, each available link disposing several wavelengths is considered. Not only basic link state parameters are considered in the control system, but also additional parameters like current utilization and maximum available capacity over a link or wavelength. Proposed optimization model highly increases overall network throughput, providing higher efficiency for telecommunication providers.
The purpose of this test procedure is to safely operate the Fuel Retrieval System (FRS) and Integrated Water Treatment System (IWTS) with specific fuel canisters, and show that canisters containing fuel can be retrieved from the canister queue, decapped in the Canister Decapper, loaded into the Primary Clean Machine (PCM) for fuel cleaning, fuel sorted on the Process Table, then loaded back into fuel canisters and relocated in Basin Storage. Additional Data are collected during this test, beyond that collected during production operations. These data support qualifying the cleaning performance of the PCM, assessing the quantity of scrap generated during the cleaning, and evaluating the impact of fuel retrieval operations on the Basin water quality. The additional data collected primarily consist of weighing fuel and scrap at selected points in the operation, as well as photographing fuel and scrap as it is processed. The time to perform operations is also monitored for comparison with design predictions. Water quality data are collected to establish a base line to predict the effectiveness of equipment design for control of contamination and visibility during production operation.
1. The anthrone reaction has been investigated with a range of naturally occurring hexoses and pentoses. 2. The course of colour production varies widely with different sugars, and the test is much less sensitive for pentoses than for hexoses. 3. Sugar mixtures give results agreeing closely with those expected from the colour production of the individual sugars. Under the conditions used here there is no evidence of serious interaction of hexoses and pentoses. 4. For the estimation of soluble sugars in plant extracts the method yields results comparable with those obtained with the copper reagent, but includes the sugars of stable glycosides which may constitute a large proportion of the soluble carbohydrates in some plant tissues. Used in conjunction with chromatographic identification, the anthrone method is of particular value when limited quantities of tissue are available. We are indebted to Mr J. B. Pridham for assistance with chromatographic analyses, and to Prof. M. Skene and Dr L. Hough for helpful criticism of the manuscript.
According to Goodman1, one important advantage of his Structure of Appearance over Carnap's Aufbau is that his is a nominalist, whereas Car nap's is a platonist, construction. Superficially, it is clear enough why Good man should say this: Carnap employs set-theory, whereas Goodman allows himself only mereology. One object of this paper is to show that this super ficial impression is rather misleading?that closer comparison of the two books reveals that each has a claim to be regarded as the more nominalist. Another aim is to show that Goodman takes his book to be quintessentially nominalist partly because his conception of nominalism is somewhat eccen tric. And a third aim is to show that when nominalism is understood in Good man's fashion it is difficult to see what the motivation for it is; more specifically, that Goodman's arguments for his version of nominalism are not compelling. I shall begin with a brief exposition of each book, and then proceed to some comparative remarks, as a preliminary to arguing in detail for the three theses stated above.
A three-stage 'problem-oriented' approach to cultural adaptation of the Basic Conversation Skills Module (BCSM) was applied with patients having schizophrenic or affective disorders in Bulgaria. The adaptation proceeded through: (1) identification of possible problems in the initial process of training; (2) a social validation stage for statistical verification of these problems in a broader social context; and (3) refining the components of the training process and testing the revised version of the BCSM with a second group of patients. The study revealed the cultural specificity of two conversational behaviors: 'opening lines' for starting a conversation and 'making self-disclosure'. The utility of the adapted BCSM in Bulgaria was highlighted. The proposed procedure seems suitable for adaptation of similar psychosocial rehabilitation programs from one culture to another.
In this paper, we study the energy efficiency of small-cell on/off control schemes in which small-cells turn on when the number of active users reaches a certain threshold value called on-threshold. In particular, we derive analytical formulas for various performance metrics such as expected small-cell power consumption, average consumed energy per transmitted bit, expected energy saving, and energy saving probability. Moreover, we show that the expected small-cell power consumption strictly decreases with increased on-threshold value and derive a mathematical expression for the optimal on-threshold value that minimizes the average consumed energy per transmitted bit. With simulation results, we not only verify the validity of the analytical results but also discuss how the theoretical results can be used in system performance evaluation and optimization. We believe that many of the results in this paper can be used in practical small-cell network design and operation.
Aims To assess inhibitory processes and the ongoing event-related potential (ERP) activity of offspring of alcoholics (OA) during a Go/No-Go task, with the purpose of characterizing possible psychophysiological endophenotypes for alcohol-dependent vulnerability.   Short summary EEG recordings and ERP measurements of young adults with positive and negative family history of alcoholism where obtained while they performed a Go/No-Go task to assess inhibitory processes. Offspring of alcoholics showed a different ERP pattern compared to the control group and exerted greater effort than the control group.   Methods ERP measurements were obtained by electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings of 65 participants divided into two groups: one group of 30 subjects with positive family history of alcoholism and a control group of 35 subjects with negative family history of alcoholism. They performed a Go/No-Go task, where each individual was required to classify visual stimuli by colour (Go) and inhibit their response to a No-Go signal.   Results OA have higher P3 amplitudes during the Go condition in all of the regions analysed and higher No-Go P3 amplitudes than control subjects in the frontal region. Unlike controls, OA have no differences between the P3 amplitudes across conditions.   Conclusions The absence of differences between the P3 Go and No-Go observed in the OA group can be interpreted as a possible alteration related with inhibition, in a way that they may need to recruit similar resources for inhibitory and classificational processes for both conditions. Therefore, the P3 component may be considered as a useful endophenotype and a vulnerability marker to develop addictive behaviour.
Today, we live in a child-conscious society. We have seen the evolution of numerous child welfare programmes by the traditional agencies and are currently observing a proliferation of new and varied plans through recently developed agencies such as the Children's Commission. Supported by the possessive liberal-individualism in social thought, these policies and programmes purport to secure each child's individual material and emotional well-being so that he or she can develop into a well-reared, industrious and respectable community member. The trouble is that very few people seem to have considered the effects that such individualistic programmes have on our community as a whole. What are the overall objectives of child welfare programmes today? What are the values that determine policies? Are these policies and programmes flexible enough in the light of changing social values and cultural conditions? It is the purpose of this paper to raise questions about the objectives of child-welfare policies and to suggest that they may need to change their disposition towards highly individualistic programmes to an approach that emphasizes clearly established community perspectives.
A methodology to determine the oxidation numbers of every atom in a chemical structure is arrived on in-silico basis. This method involves a structure markup system developed in XML, where the electron environment of every atom is encoded explicitly. The calculation of oxidation number is achieved automatically through a structure editor, ChemEd utilizing the electronegativity attributes of every atom in the structure markup.
Preeclampsia (PE) is a severe hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, and one of the causes is the dysfunction of extravillous trophoblast cells (EVTs). In this study, we analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data of placentas from PE patients and the sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) heterozygous knockout mouse model, which exhibited typical PE-like symptoms. We identified 134 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with similar trends in EVTs of PE patients and in parietal trophoblast giant cells (P-TGCs) of Sirt1-/- (HO) placentas from Sirt1+/- (HE) pregnant mice. Interestingly, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that 134 overlapping genes were related to the MAPK signaling pathway. We validated several DEGs using immunofluorescence at the protein level. Finally, we selected CD74 for further experiments, which showed a decrease in EVTs of PE patients and in P-TGCs of Sirt1-/- placentas from Sirt1+/- pregnant mice. Additionally, cell proliferation assays and transwell assays showed that the proliferation and invasion abilities were decreased in CD74 knockdown HTR8/SVneo cells using lentivirus transfection, which can be improved by adding the SIRT1 agonist SRT1720 or metformin, an agonist of the MAPK signaling pathway. Importantly, the expression of CD74 can be positively regulated by SIRT1. These data suggest that CD74 plays an important protective role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway, which can be regulated by SIRT1.
New mutants of Neurospora crassa having the ufa phenotype have been isolated. Two of these mutants, like previously identified ufa mutants, require an unsaturated fatty acid for growth and are almost completely blocked in the de novo synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. The new mutations map to a different chromosomal location than previously characterized ufa mutations. This implies that at least one additional genetic locus controls the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids in Neurospora.
In this paper we discuss how to precisely reconstruct porous media 3D model and simulate the fluid flow in the porous media. Considering the characteristics of the porous media's fault slice images, we present a contour extraction algorithm and based on the extracted contour we acquire the sandwich fault images. We modify the original MC algorithm with bounding box technology to accelerate the running speed, and the modified MC algorithm run faster when the pores are far away from each other. Current boundary treatment methods like boundary force method, ghost particle method and virtual boundary layer method, when dealing with complex boundaries, they will have to compute much on putting external particles. For resolving this problem, we propose a new method, and it handles the complex boundary very well. We use this new method to simulate the flow in porous media and analyse how the structure of porous media influence flow.
TODAY, more than ever, the nation's scientists are assuming responsibilities in political and civic affairs. With science and technology entering every phase of our economy and national and international politics, this trend is a natural one. Decades ago, it might have seemed strange to have a famous chemist leave his field of study to head a famous university and later to become the U. S. High Commissioner to Western Germany and still more recently Ambassador. Today, such an appointment is accepted as being quite natural. For many years there have been awards to chemists and chemical engineers for notable contributions to their own fields. The AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, for example, grants or administers almost twoscore of these. Several years ago it was felt that an award should be established to recognize outstanding public service by a member of the ACS who is a U. S. citizen. The award was established in 1952 and is ...
Monocytes from moderately eosinophilic individuals secrete material that enhances the cytotoxic activity of eosinophils against antibody‐coated schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni. This material is not a single substance, but can be fractionated into several active components of different size and different charge. Gel filtration of mononuclear cell supematants separated the eosinophil‐activating activity into a major component of molecular mass of 40 kDa and a minor component of molecular mass of < 10 kDa. The major component exhibited further heterogeneity on fractionation by high performance liquid chromatography. The bulk of the eosinophil‐activating activity could be separated from both colony‐stimulating factor (CSF)α activity and from tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activity. However, human recombinant CSFα (GM‐CSF), human recombinant TNF and rabbit tumor necrosis serum all had eosinophil‐activating activity when tested against schistosomula. Eosinophils were not activated by interleukin 1, interleukin 2, interferon‐α, lipopolysaccharide or phorbol myristate acetate.
BACKGROUND LncRNA urothelial cancer-associated 1 (lncRNA-UCA1) is highly expressed in bladder cancer tissues and cells. However, the molecular mechanism by which lncRNA-UCA1 modulates bladder cancer cell migration and invasion remains to be elucidated.   OBJECTIVE We determine the role of lncRNA-UCA1 in regulating aggressive phenotypes of bladder cancer cells.   METHODS Using a quantitative PCR, we quantified the expression of lncRNA-UCA1 in bladder cancer tissue specimens collected from 46 patients. Luciferase activity and Pearson correlation were performed to analyse the interaction among UCA1, let-7e and HMGA2. Western blot detected protein expression. Cell viability, migration and invasion were determined by CCK-8, scratch, transwell assays and apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Also we set experiment in vivo to explore the role of UCA1 in bladder cancer.   RESULTS LncRNA-UCA1 is highly expressed in bladder cancer tissues. In cellular experiments, let-7e mimic reduced the luciferase activity in bladder cancer cells treated with the pGL3-basic vector expressing HMGA2 and also inhibited the expression of HMGA2 in bladder cancer cells. Mechanically, delivering plasmid DNA encoding UCA1 (pcDNA-UCA1) was shown to significantly restrain the activity of let-7e, thereby increasing the expression of HMGA2. Knockdown of UCA1 by siRNA or elevated expression of let-7e decreased the proliferative, migratory and invasive potential in bladder cancer cells, along with promoted apoptosis. Importantly, let-7e mimic was found to induce the apoptosis in bladder cancer cells after UCA1 knockdown. For in vivo analysis, we observed that let-7e mimic could decrease the growth of tumor xenografts in mice with subcutaneous injections of siRNA against UCA1.   CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate a lncRNA-UCA1/let-7e/HMGA2-dependent mechanism in bladder cancer and support lncRNA-UCA1 as a promising therapeutic target for bladder cancer.
The main objective of this dissertation is to gain a better understanding of the effect of flow field heterogeneity on aggregation and breakage phenomena in colloidal suspensions. To compare flow fields with substantially different distributions of the hydrodynamic stress, numerous aggregation experiments are conducted in various stirring devices (stirred tank and Taylor–Couette-type devices). In doing so, for each device various stirring intensities are applied. In these experiments, dilute suspensions of destabilized polystyrene particles are used as model colloidal systems. This data can be employed for scale-up and design of stirring devices, that are used for the processing of particulate materials. In order to monitor aggregation experiments (and for their subsequent analysis), it is necessary to characterize the resulting aggregate populations. Therefore, appropriate measurement techniques are explored and, if necessary, improved. This involves a comparative study of focused beam reflectance with small-angle light scattering using ceramic beads, as well as aggregation experiments with polystyrene particles of different sizes monitored on-line by small-angle static light scattering combined with the analysis of images obtained off-line from confocal laser scanning microscopy. For the theoretical consolidation of the experimental results and to enable their better interpretation, a large number of artificial aggregates of varying compactness are created computationally and analyzed with respect to their geometrical and light scattering properties. If destabilization of colloidal dispersions is desired, a coagulant (usually salt) is added. As the salts coagulation efficiency strongly depends on the valency of its ions, highervalent salts are preferred in industrial applications. However, scientific literature on colloidal stability and its modeling mostly treats cases with mono-valent salt. Hence, another objective of this work is to provide experimental data on the stability of a model colloidal system (polystyrene particles with carboxylic surface groups) in the presence of a divalent salt (magnesium chloride) in order to validate a generalized model for colloidal stability.
The interplay between olfactory activity and cholinergic modulation remains to be fully understood. This report examines the pattern of cholinergic innervation throughout the murine main olfactory bulb across different developmental stages and in naris-occluded animals. To visualize the pattern of cholinergic innervation, we used a transgenic mouse model, which expresses a fusion of the microtubule-associated protein, tau, with green fluorescence protein (GFP) under the control of the choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) promoter. This tau-GFP fusion product allows for a remarkably vivid and clear visualization of cholinergic innervation in the main olfactory bulb (MOB). Interestingly, we find an uneven distribution of GFP label in the adult glomerular layer (GL), where anterior, medial, and lateral glomerular regions of the bulb receive relatively heavier cholinergic innervation than other regions. In contrast to previous reports, we find a marked change in the pattern of cholinergic innervation to the GL following unilateral naris occlusion between the ipsilateral and contralateral bulbs in adult animals.
Background The significant lifestyle changes that occurred during the lockdown period associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may have had many potential adverse effects on children, in particular, sedentary screen exposure among children, including those with developmental disorders. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate and compare the screen time and outdoor activity time of children with typically development (TD) and those with developmental disorders during and before the emergence of COVID-19, and identified the risk factors related to screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A total of 496 children were surveyed via online questionnaires. Parents or/and children filled in the online questionnaire, including basic characteristics, screen time, outdoor activity time, and other related factors. The Statistical Product and Service Solutions software was used to analyze all data. Results Children spent less time outdoors (t=14.774, P<0.001) and more time on electronic screens (t=−14.069, P<0.001) during the lockdown period of COVID-19, compared to the periods before COVID-19. Age (P=0.037), pre-COVID-19 screen time (P=0.005), screen time used for learning/education (P<0.001), screen time of siblings (P=0.007), and use of screen devices as electronic babysitters (P=0.005) were risk factors for screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic, while restrictive use of electronic devices by parents (P<0.05) was a protective factor. The screen time of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was significantly longer than children with TD before COVID-19 pandemic, but there is no statistical difference during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions During the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s screen exposure time increased, and outdoor activities decreased significantly. This represents a significant challenge, and we should focus our efforts on managing children’s screen time and promoting healthier lifestyles, including children with typical development, as well as those with developmental disorders.
OBJECTIVE A hospital-based case-control study was conducted to identify characteristics of women at high risk of developing cervical cancer with special reference to sexual behavior in Korea.   METHODS Histologically confirmed cases of invasive cervical cancer were selected from the Department of Gynecology, Seoul National University Hospital between September 1992 to May 1995 (n = 203). Women with normal pap smear tests and women free of past history of any malignancies were regarded as controls (n = 827). Information on risk factors were collected by both a self-administered questionnaire and a direct interview.   RESULTS Uterine cervical cancer risk was higher in women with a less educated spouse (Ptrend = 0.0003), women with a family history of cervical cancer (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.20., 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-4.01), women of shorter height (Ptrend = 0.02), women with early age at first full term pregnancy (Ptrend = 0.0005), and women who have had multiple full term pregnancies (Ptrend = 0.006) by the multiple linear logistic analysis. Particularly noteworthy was a significant decreasing trend in the adjusted OR with the age at first sexual intercourse increasing (Ptrend = 0.002) after adjusting the number of sexual partners. The husband's indecent sexual history showed a borderline significance (Ptrend = 0.07).   CONCLUSIONS This study confirmed that the risk factors of cervical cancer in Korea are similar with those found in other countries.
This study was implemented to investigate the effect of Milk Collection Centers, MCC, as a major intervention affecting milk production system. Four villages were selected in the Nubaria area; two of which have collection centers and the other did not. A hundred farmers from the 4 villages (25 each) was randomly selected and interviewed and information was collected in a semi-structured questionnaire. Results indicated the significant impacts on different parameters of the system including production resources (number of paid labor and their salaries, more land holding areas, cropping pattern and herd structure). Farmers in villages with MCC tend to increase area cultivated with forages for providing animal feeds and prefer of keeping more buffalo, as their fat-rich whit milk is customer-preferred. Framers in villages with MCC pay more attention to the feeding of their animals e.g. giving more concentrates and silage, as well as to producing cleaner milk utilizing machine milking and practice milking in separate places out of barns. These practices are paid off in terms of increasing milk productivity and price of milk, and therefore the total income from dairy production. Paralally farmers also targeted genetic improvement practices, i.e. utilization of AI, instead of natural mating. These findings indicate the need of spreading the MCC over all villages in the reclaimed area, as well as, old delta lands, in order to improve the dairy production system and increasing farm income. In spite of the fact that the studied villages have been assumed to be for newly graduates, the majority of interviewed farmers were not graduates; rather they were old farmers from the delta who purchased those lands from the graduates. This situation of graduates selling their lands, instead of settling needs more investigation to identify reasons behind and means of solving such a problem.
A new mathematical approach based on a generalized concept of the scattering matrix of radar objects is developed to describe the reflection properties of a nonlinear object interacting with polarization waves. This approach involves finding a matrix transformation between the elements of matrix columns which would be invariant to different expansions of the complex vector describing an incident wave. The required invariance is provided by a transformation relating square-law forms of incident wave components with reflected wave components.<<ETX>>
Abstract:We studied the relation between light climate and growth strategies in canopy species Fagus crenata and Acer mono, and subcanopy species Carpinus cordata, to evaluate if differences in growth strategy can contribute to coexistence of shade-tolerant tree species. The study was carried out in the Ogawa Forest Reserve in central Honshu, Japan. For saplings of each species, we analyzed the relation between growth patterns and tree-size and light-environment factors. All three species had higher growth-rates in higher light levels, but an increase in light level affected growth rates differently in the three species. Acer mono had the highest growth rates, and was most affected by annual variation in the environment, probably temperature and duration of sunshine. Fagus crenata had lower growth rates and showed little annual variation in growth. Only Fagus crenata showed response in the 90–100% canopy-cover range. Carpinus cordata had intermediate growth rates, and crown size and growth rate were not m...
Synopsis: The brittle fracture surfaces of the isothermally transformed high carbon steel (0.7%•Ž) were investigated. The various microstructures which were lamellar pearlite, degenerate pearlite, upper bainite, lowere bainite, and martensite were obtained based on the TTT diagram. The brittle fracture surfaces were prepared by Charpy impact test at—-196•Ž. The direct correspondences between the brittle fracture surfaces and the microstructures were carried out in scanning electron microscope. The mode of quasi-cleavage surfaces was closely related to the decomposition of austenite to ferrite. The crystallographic orientation of the cleavage plane was determined as {100} by means of facet pit technique and goniomicroscope. The fracture facets of pearlite, degenerate pearlite, upper bainite and lower bainite corresponded to the domains in which the crystallographic orientation difference in respect to the cleavage surface {100} were small. Such the domains on the other hand, were not seen in the case of martensite. It seemed that the martensite plates itself formed the fracture facet. From this point of view, there was a great difference in fracto-
In the figural response item format, proficiency is expressed by manipulating elements of a picture or diagram. Figural response items in architecture were contrasted with multiple-choice counterparts in their ability to predict architectural problem-solving proficiency. Problem-solving proficiency was measured by performance on two architecture design problems, one of which involved a drawing component, whereas the other required only a written verbal response. Both figural response and multiple-choice scores predicted verbal design problem solving, but only the figural response scores predicted graphical problem solving. The presumed mechanism for this finding is that figural response items more closely resemble actual architectural tasks than do multiple-choice items. Some evidence for this explanation is furnished by architects' self-reports, in which architects rated figural response items as "more like what an architect does" than multiple-choice items.
Germination of light-requiring seeds may be induced by very brief exposure to sunlight during soil disturbance through the very-low fluence (VLF) mode of phytochrome action. We studied the effect of soil water availability after cultivation on the photoinduction of seed germination in two important weed species, Datura ferox andChenopodium album. In daily-irrigated plots, seedling density was 1- to 4-fold greater in plots cultivated during daytime than in those tilled at night. In contrast, when plots were not irrigated soon after tillage and rainfall was excluded, no significant differences were observed between seed germination in daytime vs night-time cultivated plots, although seedling emergence in night-time cultivated plots was higher than in non-cultivated controls. The average critical value of soil water potential required for the expression of VLF-induced germination was higher than –0.5 MPa (at 3-cm depth during the 6 d following cultivation). Dark germination was less sensitive to decreasing soil moisture than light-induced seed germination. The promotive effect of the light signal perceived by the seeds during daytime cultivation is maintained for several days (ca 6) in drying soil, even though laboratory data suggest that the far-red-light absorbing form of the phytochrome inducing the VLF photoresponse is unstable, disappearing in less than 24 h. These results reveal the complexity of interactions between the light signal and other environmental factors that control seed germination under natural conditions.
This paper assesses the relative contributions of the different systems of pay determination in the private sector and the public sector toward the changing level of wage inequality and the gender pay ratio in the UK. The greater centralisation of pay arrangements in the public sector compared with the private sector in the UK suggests that public sector employment may have acted to offset the widening wage inequality seen in recent years, as well as making an important contribution to the increase in women's relative average earnings compared to men. This issue is addressed by drawing on unpublished occupational hourly earnings data from the New Earnings Survey and applying decomposition of the Theil index of wage inequality to analyse both static and dynamic trends. The change in wage inequality for the period 1986 to 1995 primarily reflected the change in wage dispersion within the private sector, and the narrowing of the gender pay gap among the public sector workforce was an important factor in explaining the overall improvement in women's relative earnings. The paper argues that the relatively centralised pay arrangements in the public sector, compared with the private sector, played an important role in slowing the increase in wage inequality and narrowing the gender pay gap. As such, future policies to decentralise pay determination in the UK public sector may exacerbate the increasing level of wage inequality and reverse women's recent relative pay improvements.
Male reproductive success is influenced by competitive interactions during precopulatory and postcopulatory selective episodes. Consequently, males can gain reproductive advantages during precopulatory contest competition by investing in weaponry and during postcopulatory sperm competition by investing in ejaculates. However, recent theory predicts male expenditure on weaponry and ejaculates should be subject to a trade‐off, and should vary under increasing risk and intensity of sperm competition. Here, we provide the first comparative analysis of the prediction that expenditure on weaponry should be negatively associated with expenditure on testes mass. Specifically, we assess how sexual selection influences the evolution of primary and secondary sexual traits among pinnipeds (seals, sea lions, and walruses). Using recently developed comparative methods, we demonstrate that sexual selection promotes rapid divergence in body mass, sexual size dimorphism (SSD), and genital morphology. We then show that genital length appears to be positively associated with the strength of postcopulatory sexual selection. However, subsequent analyses reveal that both genital length and testes mass are negatively associated with investment in precopulatory weaponry. Thus, our results are congruent with recent theoretical predictions of contest‐based sperm competition models. We discuss the possible role of trade‐offs and allometry in influencing patterns of reproductive trait evolution in pinnipeds.
Introduction I. Targets 1. Projectiles, Fire and Defended Areas 2. International Law on Projectiles Prior to the First World War 3. Between the Wars 4. The Second World War 5. The Nuremberg Trials and the 1949 Geneva Conventions 6. Between 1949 and 1977 7. The 1977 Additional Protocol 1 to the Geneva Conventions 8. From 1980 to the New Century II. Starvation 1. The Beginnings of Siege, Blockade and Scorched Earth 2. From the Enlightenment to the Twentieth Century 3. The First World War 4. The Second World War 5. After 1945 6. Two New Conventions and the Additional Protocols 7. Scorched Earth Between 1980 and the Twenty-first Century 8. Starvation in War Between 1980 and the Twenty-first Century III. Occupation 1. T he First Literate Civilisations 2. Ancient Israel 3. T he Greeks 4. T he Romans 5. T he Middle Ages 6. Forward from the Renaissance 7. The Enlightenment 8. International Humanitarian Law Emerges 9. Two Bad Decades 10. The First World War 11. The Armenian Genocide 12. Between the Wars 13. The Second World War 14. Examining the Killing of Civilians at Nuremberg 15. The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 16. The 1949 Convention (IV) Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War 17. Between 1949 and 1977 18. The 1977 Additional Protocols and the 1979 Hostage Convention 19. Between Pol Pot and Saddam Hussein 20. The Wars of the 1990s 21. The International Criminal Court and its Aftermath IV. Property 1. Beginnings 2. The Greeks and the Romans 3. The Dark Ages 4. The Crusading Period 5. The High Middle Ages and the Renaissance 6. The Reformation and Early Enlightenment 7. The Nineteenth Century 8. The First Half of the Twentieth Century 9. The Second World War 10. Forward From 1954 11. Realigning the Last Decades of the Twentieth Century Conclusion 1. Targeting Civilians 2. Is Starvation a Restricted Method of Warfare? 3. Are the Practices in Times of Occupation, with Particular Regard to Genocide, Reprisals and Rape Better or Worse than in the Past? 4. Is Property Safe from Pillage and Unnecessary Destruction?
Neuropathic pain refers lesions or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system either in the periphery or centrally. Examples of neuropathic pain include painful polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and post-stroke pain. Clinically, neuropathic pain is characterized by spontaneous ongoing or shooting pain and evoked amplified pain responses after noxious or non-noxious stimuli.neuropathic pain is treated as a ‘blanket condition’ in this guideline regardless of its aetiologies, unless there is valid and robust clinical and health economics evidence that shows the clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness of a particular treatment for a specific neuropathic pain condition. Management of neuropathic pain requires an interdisciplinary approach, centeredaround pharmacological treatment. A better understanding of neuropathic pain and in particular of the translation of pathophysiological mechanisms into sensory signs will lead to a more effective and specific mechanism-based treatment approach. Received: 12-022016
Background:The importance of past adverse experiences is increasingly recognized in patients with rheumatic disease. Objective:The objective of this study was to study the association of physical, verbal, and sexual abuse in patients with rheumatic disorders as compared with healthy volunteers. Methods:In this case–control study, 500 new patients attending an outpatient rheumatic clinic were interviewed from September 1, 1999, to August 31, 2001. A total of 187 patients with 3 diagnoses were selected: 58 had fibromyalgia (FM), 74 rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and 55 patients with soft tissue rheumatic disease (STRD). All selected patients were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain information regarding demographics and history of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. A group of 187 healthy control subjects were also included, matched for sex and age. Results:The prevalence of abuse was significantly more common in the rheumatic disease group than in the control group (48.1% versus 15%, P < 0.001). The prevalence of abuse among the groups was as follows: 70.7% of patients with FM reported abuse (24.3% verbal, 60.9% physical, and 14.8% sexual), 35.1% of patients with RA had a history of abuse (42.3% verbal, 30.7% physical, and 0% sexual), whereas 41.8% of patients with STRD reported abuse (43.4% verbal, 43.4% physical, and 0% sexual). When comparing the 3 groups, patients with FM showed a higher prevalence of abuse (P < 0.05). The abuse was usually longstanding (range, 1–10 years), and most abusers were close family members. Conclusion:Abuse, both physical and psychologic, was significantly increased in our rheumatic disease population, especially in patients with FM. Further studies are needed to fully establish its role. Questions about abuse may provide important information relative to care of our patients.
The Bayley Scales are carefully constructed norm-referenced measures for assessing the development of infants and toddlers, ages 1 month to 3 years 6 months. Originally developed by Dr. Nancy Bayley and published in 1969, the Second Edition of the Bayley Scales (BSID-II) was published in 1993, and a third edition (Bayley-III) was released in 2006. The description that follows focuses on the Bayley-III, developed by the staff of the Psychological Corporation with advice from a panel of outside experts, consultants, and reviewers. The administration manual states that Bayley-III “maintains the original nature and purpose of the Bayley Scales as envisioned by its author, Nancy Bayley” (Bayley, 2006a, p.1).      Keywords:    infant development;  developmental assessment;  cognitive assessment;  motor assessment;  language assessment;  social-emotional assessment;  adaptive behavior assessment
The Automation Technology Branch of NASA Langley Research Center is developing a research capability in the field of artificial intelligence, particularly as applicable in teleoperator/robotics development for remote space operations. As a testbed for experimentation in these areas, a system concept has been developed and is being implemented. This system, termed DAISIE (Distributed Artificially Intelligent System for Interacting with the Environment), interfaces the key processes of perception, reasoning, and manipulation by linking hardware sensors and manipulators to a modular artificial intelligence (AI) software system in a hierarchical control structure. Verification experiments have been performed: one experiment used a blocksworld database and planner embedded in the DAISIE system to intelligently manipulate a simple physical environment; the other experiment implemented a joint-space collision avoidance algorithm. Continued system development is planned.
To defend themselves against invading pathogens plants utilize a complex regulatory network that coordinates extensive transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming. Although many of the key players of this immunity-associated network are known, the details of its topology and dynamics are still poorly understood. As an alternative to forward and reverse genetic studies, chemical genetics-related approaches based on bioactive small molecules have gained substantial popularity in the analysis of biological pathways and networks. Use of such molecular probes can allow researchers to access biological space that was previously inaccessible to genetic analyses due to gene redundancy or lethality of mutations. Synthetic elicitors are small drug-like molecules that induce plant defense responses, but are distinct from known natural elicitors of plant immunity. While the discovery of some synthetic elicitors had already been reported in the 1970s, recent breakthroughs in combinatorial chemical synthesis now allow for inexpensive high-throughput screens for bioactive plant defense-inducing compounds. Along with powerful reverse genetics tools and resources available for model plants and crop systems, comprehensive collections of new synthetic elicitors will likely allow plant scientists to study the intricacies of plant defense signaling pathways and networks in an unparalleled fashion. As synthetic elicitors can protect crops from diseases, without the need to be directly toxic for pathogenic organisms, they may also serve as promising alternatives to conventional biocidal pesticides, which often are harmful for the environment, farmers and consumers. Here we are discussing various types of synthetic elicitors that have been used for studies on the plant immune system, their modes-of-action as well as their application in crop protection.
Gilbertiodendron (Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae) is an endemic tropical African genusof ca. 30 species, most of which are trees of primary forest. The highest concentration of species andmorphological variation is found in the Guineo-Congolian region, particularly in Gabon. One of thosespecies is G. grandistipulatum, which is easily recognized by its stipules (up to 18 cm long) and flowers(adaxial petal up to 12.5 × 14 cm). The taxonomy, habitat and distribution of G. grandistipultaum arediscussed, extending its known distribution to Congo.
This paper describes the advantages that can be obtained in ac/dc conversion, when an innovative four-quadrant converter, named synchronous active front-end (SAFE), is employed. The modular system, which increases the availability of the power delivering, can also be designed in order to obtain an improvement of the mission reliability. The reliability of single-AFE topology and the one of a SAFE are here compared. Based on the classical reliability prediction method, this contribution gives a design criteria of the optimum number of the parallel-connected converters and of their switching frequency, in order to match the reliability constrains.
A hypoxic microenvironment leads to cancer progression and increases the metastatic potential of cancer cells within tumors via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stemness acquisition. The hypoxic response pathway can occur under oxygen tensions of < 40 mmHg through hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), which are considered key mediators in the adaptation to hypoxia. Previous studies have shown that cellular responses to hypoxia are required for EMT and cancer stemness maintenance through HIF-1α and HIF-2α. The principal transcription factors of EMT include Twist, Snail, Slug, Sip1 (Smad interacting protein 1), and ZEB1 (zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1). HIFs bind to hypoxia response elements within the promoter region of these genes and also target cancer stem cell-associated genes and mediate transcriptional responses to hypoxia during stem cell differentiation. Acquisition of stemness characteristics in epithelial cells can be induced by activation of the EMT process. The mechanism of these phenotypic changes includes epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin remodeling, and microRNAs. Increased expression of EMT and pluripotent genes also play a role through demethylation of their promoters. In this review, we summarize the role of hypoxia on the acquisition of EMT and cancer stemness and the possible association with epigenetic regulation, as well as their therapeutic applications.
A method is described to calculate vibration due to electromagnetic forces for rotating electric machines. This method can calculate the frequency response of vibration due to higher harmonics of electromagnetic forces. The usefulness of this method is verified through the agreement between calculated and measured results for a three-phase/four-pole induction motor. The authors also calculate the complicated dynamic behavior caused by eccentricity, that is, the difference of the stator axis and the rotor axis.
The magnetic properties of ferromagnetic Ni thin films grown on a Cu(001) single crystal are modified by the growth of a NiO overlayer, as well as by the voltage application through the NiO/Ni interface. A spin reorientation transition from in-plane to perpendicular magnetization is induced with increasing NiO thickness, and the coercive field significantly increases by further growth of the NiO overlayer. The remanent magnetization of the films is found to be modulated by the voltage application. Moreover, a small exchange-bias effect arising from the ferromagnetic–antiferromagnetic interaction at the interface is observed, and the amplitude of the effect is modified by the applied voltage.
We induced a variety of star-shaped oscillating droplets by using deionized water and different kinds of hot surfaces. We explained the generating mechanism of Leidenfrost stars with standing wave theory, and we discussed several factors that influence the oscillation such as evaporation, plate materials, plate temperature and plate roughness. Finally, we concluded that in order to easily induce more stable stars and more modes, one should choose a plate with a higher thermal conductivity, smooth surface and chemical stability. This topic is well adapted for organizing a teaching process including demonstration, observation and verification in classroom experiments because of this fascinating phenomenon and the interesting mechanism behind it.
Double‐stranded (ds) DNA fragments over a wide size range were successfully separated in blended polymer matrices by microfluidic chip electrophoresis. Novel blended polymer matrices composed of two types of polymers with three different molar masses were developed to provide improved separations of large dsDNA without negatively impacting the separation of small dsDNA. Hydroxyethyl celluloses with average molar masses of ∼27 kDa and ∼1 MDa were blended with a second class of polymer, high‐molar mass (∼7 MDa) linear polyacrylamide. Fast and highly efficient separations of commercially available DNA ladders were achieved on a borosilicate glass microchip. A distinct separation of a 1‐kb DNA extension ladder (200–40 000 bp) was completed in 2 min. An orthogonal design of experiments was used to optimize experimental parameters for DNA separations over a wide size range. We find that the two dominant factors are the applied electric field strength and the inclusion of a high concentration of low‐molar mass polymer in the matrix solution. These two factors exerted different effects on the separations of small dsDNA fragments below 1 kbp, medium dsDNA fragments between 1 and 10 kbp, and large dsDNA fragments above 10 kbp.
Genipin is a protein cross-linking agent extracted from Gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides Ellis) fruits. This fruit has conventionally been used as a Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammation and jaundice and as an edible colorant in oriental countries. Uncoupling protein (UCP)-2 is a member of the family of uncoupling proteins, which are anion transporters positioned in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Genipin has been shown to have hepatoprotective activity, acting as an effective antioxidant and inhibitor of mitochondrial UCP2, and is also reported to exert significant anticancer effects. In this review, the author presents the latest progress of genipin as an anticancer agent and concisely describes its various mechanisms of action. In brief, genipin inhibits UCP2 to attenuate generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to ROS/c-Jun N-terminal kinase-dependent apoptosis of cancer cells. Genipin also increases the tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteases (MMP)-2, a kind of tumor promoter in a variety of cancers, as well as induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in in vitro and in vivo models. These findings suggest that genipin can serve as a promising novel antitumor agent that could be applicable for chemotherapy and/or chemoprevention for cancers.
Aortic valve atresia with interruption of the aortic arch is an extremely rare anomaly; only eleven cases of this anomaly have been reported to date. In the absence of additional sources of blood flow to the ascending aorta, aortic valve atresia with interruption of the aortic arch is fatal. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first case of a live birth with aortic valve atresia and interrupted left aortic arch (type B) without evidence of an aorticopulmonary communication or ductal supply to the native ascending aorta. Instead, blood flow to the native aortic root was derived from a persistent right embryonic dorsal aorta.
This study considers how sustainable consumption practices are brought into relationship with other things, people, and ideas that inhabit the social space of consumers. The analysis of 10 existential phenomenological interviews reveals that self-confessed green consumers acknowledge a similar understanding of environmental degradation but experience sustainable consumption differently. For some, the practice requires hardship and is experienced as a daily struggle. For others, sustainable consumption naturally occurs as part of their social life. The concept of personhood helps understand the informants' contrasted roles, rules, and symbolics of sustainable consumption. The findings highlight that sustainable consumption is integral to the same social and cultural system that enables people to relate to one another and that promoting categories of green consumers and criteria for their sustainable identity may contradict with a range of activities that are regarded as normatively important to our current consumer culture and central to our personhood.
texts (such as 1 Cor 6:9-11). In this, Countryman is consistent with his earlier writing, where he opines that even bestiality, polygamy, and pornography (and possibly sex with prostitutes) are not necessarily contrary to the gospel (see Dirt, Greed, and Sex). There is much about this book to celebrate, including its insistence that the interpreter never masters the text, never controls it, and must always be ready to be surprised by it. And the author appeals to conservatives and liberals alike to be called to task by the text. At the same time, conservatives are clearly “those who know too much about God” and who depend on biblical theology more than on “the tradition of spirituality.” One reads of “heterosexists” but not “homosexists”; one reads of the “gospel” and metanoia (“repentance”) but never finds either word defined. Finally, although there is a strong call for those who reject and those who accept homosexual relations as compatible with the gospel to accept one another and to continue in fellowship, there is no hint of how actual denominational policy regarding ordination and ministerial leadership can accommodate these two groups.
Climate change has impacted all phenomena in the hydrologic cycle, especially extreme events. GCMs (general circulation models) are used to investigate climate change impacts but because of their low resolution, downscaling methods are developed to provide data with high enough resolution for regional studies from GCM outputs. The performance of rainfall downscaling methods is commonly acceptable in preserving average characteristics, but they do not preserve the extreme event characteristics especially rainfall amount and distribution. In this study, a novel downscaling method called synoptic statistical downscaling model is proposed for daily precipitation downscaling with an emphasis on extreme event characteristics preservation. The proposed model is applied to a region located in central Iran. The results show that the developed model can downscale all percentiles of precipitation events with an acceptable performance and there is no assumption about the similarity of future rainfall data with the historical observations. The outputs of CCSM4 GCM for two representative concentration pathways (RCPs) of RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5 are used to investigate the climate change impacts in the study region. The results show 40% and 30% increase in the number of extreme rainfall events under RCP4.5 and RCP 8.5, respectively.
The aerodynamic noise resulting from the subsonic flow over a flat rigid plate at zero incidence has three origins. “Surface” noise due to fluctuating surface pressure is postulated to vanish by the author's image argument, except near the edges of the plate, where it is more appropriately called edge noise. Of dipole nature, its acoustic power depends on the velocity raised to between the fourth and fifth power, and consequently is to be expected to be of prime importance at low enough speeds. The contribution from fluctuating shear stresses is likely to be much smaller and so has been neglected. Quadrupole radiation takes place from from the turbulence of the boundary layer, producing layer noise and also from the turbulent wake, producing wake noise. Together, the latter two are suggested to have a spectrum with a single peak, bounded by slopes like f2 and f−7/4. Their noise power depends on nearly the eighth power of velocity, so is of increasing importance with speed. Analytical details rest on simil...
The results presented in the work were obtained in the studies of the features and zonality of water-dissolved gases within the boundaries of the oil-and-gas bearing sediments of the Nadym-Taz interfluve. Methane-containing waters with total gas saturation from 0.3 to 5.7 l/l and average CH4 content from 95.5 vol.% in the Aptian-Albian-Senomanian complex to 83.3 vol.% in the Lower and Middle Jurassic complex are developed in the region. With an increase in the depth, an increase in the content of homologues ΣHС (C2H6, C3H8, C4H10, C5H12 and C6H14) occurs from 1.34 vol.% in the Aptian_Albian-Senomanian complex to 11.67 vol.% in the Lower and Middle Jurassic complex. The maximal concentrations of ΣHС up to 30 vol.% were revealed in the lower part of the Neocomian complex in the marginal waters of oil deposits. An increase in CO2 content and a regular decrease in the ΣHС/N2 ratio from 96 in the Aptian-Albian-Senomanian complex to 52 in the Lower and Middle Jurassic complex are observed with an increase in the depth.
Objectives: Polygonatum kingianum is a medicinal herb used in various traditional Chinese medicine formulations. The polysaccharide fraction of P. kingianum can reduce insulin resistance and restore the gut microbiota in a rat model of aberrant lipid metabolism by down regulating miR-122. The aim of this study was to further elucidate the effect of P. kingianum on lipid metabolism, and the roles of specific miRNAs and the gut microbiota. Key findings: P. kingianum administration significantly altered the abundance of 29 gut microbes and 27 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). Several aberrantly expressed miRNAs closely related to lipid metabolism were identified, of which some were associated with specific gut microbiota. MiR-484 in particular was identified as the core factor involved in the therapeutic effects of P. kingianum. We hypothesize that the miR-484-Bacteroides/Roseburia axis acts as an important bridge hub that connects the entire miRNA-gut microbiota network. In addition, we observed that Parabacteroides and Bacillus correlated significantly with several miRNAs, including miR-484, miR-122-5p, miR-184 and miR-378b. Summary: P. kingianum alleviates lipid metabolism disorder by targeting the network of key miRNAs and the gut microbiota.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the most important virulence and antigenic components of Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis. LPS diversity in B. pseudomallei has been described as typical, atypical or rough, based upon banding patterns on SDS-PAGE. Here, we studied the genetic and molecular basis of these phenotypic differences. Bioinformatics was used to determine the diversity of genes known or predicted to be involved in biosynthesis of the O-antigenic moiety of LPS in B. pseudomallei and its near-relative species. Multiplex-PCR assays were developed to target diversity of the O-antigen biosynthesis gene patterns or LPS genotypes in B. pseudomallei populations. We found that the typical LPS genotype (LPS genotype A) was highly prevalent in strains from Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia, whereas the atypical LPS genotype (LPS genotype B) was most often detected in Australian strains (∼13.8%). In addition, we report a novel LPS ladder pattern, a derivative of the atypical LPS phenotype, associated with an uncommon O-antigen biosynthesis gene cluster that is found in only a small B. pseudomallei sub-population. This new LPS group was designated as genotype B2. We also report natural mutations in the O-antigen biosynthesis genes that potentially cause the rough LPS phenotype. We postulate that the diversity of LPS may correlate with differential immunopathogenicity and virulence among B. pseudomallei strains.
This article explores the creation process and the subsequent meaning development of vibrators within a framework consisting of various theories of material culture. The conceptual scheme is based on the view that four underlying junctures of meaning creation and vibrator consumption, namely (1) vibrators as a medical implement, (2) vibrators as a household appliance, (3) vibrators as a liberating political object and (4) vibrators as a post-feminist ‘toy’, interact to (re)produce and change the meaning of this sexually imbued product. First, existing research is reviewed on the history and consumption of vibrators, and findings are synthesized concerning product functions. Theories of material culture and product meaning are then incorporated as a means to gain ontological and epistemological insights into the nature of this sexual product. Finally, a framework is presented that builds on these foundational theories, including a discussion of its benefits for the sociology of consumption. The article concludes that the meaning of vibrators can be seen as being intricately bound up with processes of social movements, individual interpretation and identity politics as well as with historical, economic and cultural phenomena.
INTRODUCTION Although laparoscopic liver resection (LLR) has developed rapidly, its usefulness for the treatment of large tumors is less clear, due to concerns about compromising oncological principles and patient safety. The purpose of this study was to explore the feasibility and safety of LLR for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a tumor size larger than 5 cm.   PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 2007 to December 2014, we performed LLR in 45 patients with HCC with a tumor size ≥5 cm. Perioperative outcome, tumor recurrence, and overall patient survival were analyzed.   RESULTS Median age was 60 years (interquartile range [IQR] 52-68) and 64.4% (29/45) were male. Seven patients (15.6%) had larger than 10 cm of HCC. No operative deaths occurred and six of the laparoscopic procedures were converted to open resection (conversion rate 13.3%). Median operation time was 365 minutes (IQR 277-443) and median estimated blood loss (EBL) was 400.0 mL (IQR 275-600). There was no R1 or R2 resection and median resection margin was 19.0 mm (IQR 8.0-33.0). Complications above Clavien-Dindo classification grade III occurred in four patients (8.9%). The median overall follow-up time was 10.7 month (range 1.1-62.1). One-year recurrence free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were 86.0% and 95.5%, and 3-year RFS and OS were 70.7% and 86.0%.   CONCLUSION LLR appears safe and feasible in patients with HCC with a tumor size larger than 5 cm. Expansion of indication for LLR in patients with HCC may be considered.
Neuroscientist Maxwell Bennett and philosopher Peter Hacker defend the need to eradicate the mereological fallacy of cognitive neuroscience. This fallacy attributes to the parts of an animal psychological predicates that make sense only when applied to the whole animal. In contrast, philosopher Daniel Dennett argues that it is possible to explain behavior and cognitive abilities by applying the Intentional Stance (IS) to the brain, a stance that attributes increasingly simple psychological capacities to increasingly less intelligent homunculi. So, among other things, taking the intentional stance requires i) attributing psychological predicates to the brain and its parts, and ii) gradually replacing psychological predicates with non-psychological predicates. If the criticism of Bennett and Hacker is accepted, these requirements lead to two dilemmas. According to the first, the intentional stance would be inapplicable or fallacious: because (i) it implies incurring in the mereological fallacy, and to deny (i) is equivalent to rejecting the intentional stance. The horns of the second dilemma are dualism and explanatory vacuity: (ii) can be interpreted in a dualistic sense because it presupposes the distinction between psychological and non-psychological predicates; however, failing to respect (ii) generates an infinite regress. In this article I intend to show that both dilemmas are resolved by focusing on the details of the relationship between the intentional stance and the design stance.
This study describes a simple and easy-toimplement method to determine the pressure drop in industrial pipes with non-uniform roughness and helical ribs in the case of laminar flow. The effects of the pipe geometrical parameters on the laminar flow regime are discussed. The proposed method of solution and the accuracy of the numerical calculation are shown by the computed results. Keywords—industrial pipe; helical ribs; laminar flow; pressure drop
Soeiology was first introduced into the Indian Universities some forty years ago; in I9I9 in the University of Bombay (by Patrick Geddes, who was suceeeded as head of the department, in I924, by G. S. Ghurye) and in I 92 I in the University of Lucknow, where Radhakamal Mukherjee became head of a department of economics and sociology. It was also taught, in this early period, in the department of anthropology of Calcutta University. But the discipline grew very slowly thereafter. In Lueknow, sociology had only a minor place in the currieulum and until the I940'S there was no separate paper in the subject in the B.A. degree and only one paper in the M.A. degree. In Bombay, sociology had from the outset a more important place and made some advances; there were four sociology papers in the M.A. degree, and after I924 it became possible to take the degree entirely in sociology by submitting a thesis. Later changes established sociology as an independent subject for both M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The University of Bombay became, in fact, the centre of sociological studies in India, and it was there that many of the older generation of university teachers reeeived their first training. The failure to develop is to be seen, however, not only in the fact that sociology did not establish itself as an independent discipline outside Bombay, but also in the character of sociological thought and research. Mueh of the theoretical writing was devoted to presenting speculative schemes of social evolution, and it was remote from the major intelleetual controversies of the times. Empirieal research, which was on a small scale, was almost entirely descriptive and largely confined to the sphere of social work (or 'social problems' in the narrow sense). Several reasons might be adduced to account for this lack of progress; but there are two which seem partieularly important. In the first place, Indian sociology, like other disciplines, was intellectually dependent upon the British Universities, and since academic sociology in Britain itself 98
Abstract Geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites can provide useful proxy sources of moisture data and diabatic heating. It is shown that the use of this information during data assimilation leads to improved precipitation in the tropics and has the potential to minimize spinup in the model. Furthermore, the use of moisture initialization leads to improved agreement between the model and observed precipitation during the early stages of model integration.
The problem of an effective behavior learning of autonomous robots is one of the most important tasks of the modern robotics. In fact, it is well known that the learning to optimize actions of autonomous agents in a dynamic environment is one of the most complex challenges of the intelligent system design. In this paper, we propose a hybrid approach integrating fuzzy logic system with genetic algorithm for high-level skills learning of robots within the RoboCup simulation soccer domain. Through the experiments, we found that the proposed method has good property of computation efficiency and also has a good advantage applied to the environment of RoboCup.
A compared study on deposition condition in corrugated tube predicates that flow parameters (inlet velocity and mass flow rate of particles) influence fouling deposition with numerical simulation method. The particulate fouling of calcium carbonate/water is selected as medium. The results show that: in the boundary layer of the corrugated tube, as radial velocity changes rapidly, the particles effected by dominate drag force descend to accretion. The effect of inlet velocity and concentration of particles are decisive. As the inlet velocity increases, the accretion rate occur negative changes. In contrast, the effect of concentration is positive.
Models play a central role in the assessment of software non-functional properties like performance and reliability. Models can be used both in the initial phases of development to support the designer decisions and at runtime to evaluate the impact of changes in the existing software. However, being abstraction, the models include per-se a certain degree of uncertainty. Nevertheless, often this aspect is neglected and models are used beyond their capabilities. Recognising the presence of uncertainties and managing them, would increase the level of trust in a given software model. In this paper we exploit a recently defined taxonomy that classifies the different types of uncertainties and we define a method that, starting from a given model, helps in recognising the existence of uncertainty, in classifying and managing it. We show the method at work on an example application considering the performance of the application as target non-functional property.
Previous studies have shown that isocaloric modifications in the type of lipids in the diet alter the nutrient uptake and lipid composition of the intestinal brush border membrane. In this study adult rats were fed for 2 weeks isocaloric semisynthetic diets with triglycerides enriched with either saturated (S) or polyunsaturated (P) fatty acids. Enterocyte microsomal membranes (EMMs) were isolated from along the jejunal villus. The activity of delta 5-desaturase was higher in the upper than in the lower portions of the villus, and was greater in P than in S. The activity of delta 9- and delta 6-desaturases did not vary along the villus or with changes in dietary S or P. The two predominant EMM phospholipids were phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, and these did not vary along the villus or with changes in diet. The major EMM fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine were 16:0, 18:0, 18:2 omega 6, and 20:4 omega 6; none of the individual fatty acids varied along the villus or with diet, although minor changes in fatty acid classes were observed. Thus, alterations in dietary lipids modify the activity of delta 5-desaturase in the EMMs collected from the upper portion of the villus, but this does not result in the expected changes in fatty acids in the EMM phospholipids.
Chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is an inflammatory and neuropathic pain disorder characterized by the involvement of the autonomic nervous system with sensory, autonomic, motor, skin, and bone changes. At present, universally accepted consensus criteria for CRPS are not yet established, despite the diagnostic criteria proposed by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). Various hypotheses for the pathophysiology of CRPS have been proposed; as a result, current therapeutic modalities are varied. General epidemiological data on CRPS are necessary for effective management. However, recent data on the epidemiology of CRPS in Korea are scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and other epidemiological features of CRPS in the general population in Korea. In this study on the epidemiology of CRPS in Korea, population-based medical data acquired from 51,448,491 subscribers to the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) from 2011 to 2015 were analyzed, including the incidence, distribution by the CRPS type, regional distribution, monthly distribution, medical costs, and healthcare resource-utilization. The findings indicated that the incidence of CRPS in Korea was 29.0 per 100,000 person-years in 2015 and was correlated with patient age and sex. CRPS types included type I (63%) and type II (37%); moreover, the number of individuals with CRPS I have shown a growing trend since 2011. There was no monthly distribution, but there was regional variation according to the province. The medical departments managing CRPS I the most were orthopedics, internal medicine, anesthesiology and pain medicine, in order; however, patients with CRPS spent more money per visit in the departments of rehabilitation medicine, and anesthesiology and pain medicine. The incidence rate of CRPS in Korea was 29.0 per 100,000 person-years with an increasing trend, which was correlated with patient age in the 70s and female sex. CRPS type I was more common than CRPS type II; in addition, constant increase in medical expenses, regional imbalance, and differences in medical expense among medical specialties should be considered for early management of patients to reduce the disease burden in Korea. Sharing of knowledge about the diagnostic criteria of CRPS are also needed.
The study was carried out to assess the contribution of farm tree on the household economy of the users of Kankali Community Forest in Chitwan, Nepal. Household survey, focus group discussion and key informant survey were used to get primary information. Stratified random sampling was used to select sample households on the basis of wealth class. A total of 200 households were taken for interview. People’s dependence on fuel wood was found high. Rich people had more trees on their farm land as compared to medium and poor people. Farm trees were mostly used for fodder purpose and less for timber, fuel wood and fruits. Contribution of non-farm sources (salary, business, remittance, wage, etc.) to household economy was high (86.6%) followed by farm source (agriculture/livestock) (9.5%), forest (2.5%) and farm trees (1.3%). Percentage contribution of non-farm, agriculture/livestock and farm tree sources was more for rich households as compared to medium and poor households. Forest resource was a greater source of income for medium households than other two categories. Rich class households prefer to collect more timber, fuel wood and fodder from forest, medium households prefer to collect more grass, sand, mud and wild vegetables while poor people collect more poles, wild fruits and bamboo/rattan as compared to other classes of households. The perception of the people was found positive towards having farm tree and its importance to household economy though the percentage share of farm tree income for household economy was least.
Process monitoring of microinjection molding (µ-IM) is of crucial importance in understanding the effects of different parameter settings on the process, especially on its performance and consistency with regard to parts' quality. Quality factors related to mold cavity air evacuation can provide valuable information about the process dynamics and also about the filling of a cavity by a polymer melt. In this paper, a novel experimental setup is proposed to monitor maximum air flow and air flow work as an integral of the air flow over time by employing a microelectromechanical system gas sensor mounted inside the mold. The influence of four µIM parameters, melt temperature, mold temperature, injection speed, and resistance to air evacuation, on two air flow-related output parameters is investigated by carrying out a design of experiment study. The results provide empirical evidences about the effects of process parameters on cavity air evacuation, and the influence of air evacuation on the part flow length.
Enthusiasm abounds about the potential of artificial intelligence to automate public decision-making. The rise of machine learning and computational text analysis together with the proliferation of digital platforms has raised the prospect of “robo-judging” and “robo-administrators.” From a human rights perspective, the reaction has been mixed, and on balance negative. Optimists herald the possibilities of democratizing legal services and making decision-making more predictable and efficient. Critics warn, however, of the specter of new forms of social control, arbitrariness, and inequality. This essay examines the concerns over the turn to automation from the perspective of two international human rights: the rights to social security and a fair trial. It argues that while the critiques deserve a full hearing, they should be evidence-based, informed by an understanding of “technological systems,” and cognizant of the trade-offs between human and machine failure.
Background and Purpose— In 2006, the American Heart Association recommended that carotid revascularization generally occurs within 2 weeks of stroke based on data from 2 trials of carotid endarterectomy (CEA). We aimed to determine whether the time between stroke and CEA or carotid artery stenting (CAS) has decreased and whether the proportion of procedures occurring within 14 days has increased. Methods— Using validated International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes and administrative claims data from nonfederal hospitals in CA, FL, and NY, we identified patients with ischemic stroke who underwent CEA or CAS within 90 days of an ischemic stroke from 2005 to 2013. Our outcomes were the number of days between stroke and CEA/CAS and the proportion of patients undergoing CEA/CAS within the recommended 14-day period. We assessed temporal trends using nonparametric correlation, the &khgr;2 test for trend, and logistic regression. Results— We identified 16 298 patients with ischemic stroke who underwent CEA/CAS within 90 days. The time from stroke to CEA/CAS decreased from 25 days (interquartile range, 5–48 days) in 2005 to 6 days (interquartile range, 3–17 days) in 2013 (P<0.001). The proportion of patients who underwent CEA/CAS within 14 days of stroke increased from 40% (95% confidence interval, 37%–43%) in 2005 to 73% (95% confidence interval, 71%–76%) in 2013 (P<0.001). These temporal trends remained significant after adjustment for patient demographics and comorbidities. Conclusions— Since 2005, revascularization for symptomatic carotid disease has been occurring progressively sooner after ischemic stroke.
This paper is based on a case study of female migrants working in construction-the second largest industry in India and one which employs almost 30 million people, approximately 30 percent of which are women, many of them migrants. In this paper, we extend beyond an empirical description of female migrant workers in the field of construction, considering the subjective and nuanced realities linked to women's lived experiences as migrants. The study is based on interviews of 110 female construction workers who have migrated from various regions of India to the city of Delhi. An in-depth, qualitative exploration of these women's lives and perceptions captures some of the more latent risks and rewards associated with both migration and work in the informal sector. Specifically, the results shed light on how strong societal norms may actually prevent women from acknowledging or articulating the true reasons for their migrations.
Different atrioventricnlar (AV) conduction disturhances are easily recognized on the surface ECG. Mobitz type II AV block, especially in the presence of an abnormal QRS complex, is generally considered to indicate delay in the distal conduction system and a risk of total AV block. A 75-year-oId male was sent to our department in the prospect of prophylactic implantation of a permanent pacemaker because of asymptomatic Mobitz type II AV block in the presence of a right bundle branch block [RBBB] of the conducted beats and frequent blocked atrial premature beats. The surface ECG (Fig. 1) showed sinus rhythm of 90 beats/min with 2 :1 AV block. There was a complete RBBB. Is this, based upon the above mentioned information, a clear-cut case for a permanent pacemaker? Is there any value of an additional electrophysiological study?
From November 1972 to October 1974 190 patients of the ‘Urologische Klinik der Stadt. Krankenanstalten Karlsruhe’ with urethral strictures were treated by internal urethrotomy under endoscopic control with the modified urethrotome from Stortz/Germany. This is a report about short-time results (2–14 months) after treatment. The method is very simple and the effect is controlled by endoscopy. In the first 44 patients we used general or lumbal anaesthesia. In the last patients only local anaesthesia by lnstillagel installation into the urethra was used. The short-time results were excellent in 66.8%. We believe that this method points out a new direction in the surgical treatment of urethral strictures.
In this paper, we describe the design and evaluation of a PC cluster system in which IEEE 1394 is applied. Networks for parallel cluster computing require low latency and high bandwidth. It is also important that the networks be commercially available at low cost. Few network devices satisfy all of the above requirements. However, the IEEE 1394 standard provides a good compromise for fulfilling these requirements. We have used IEEE 1394 devices, which support a 400 Mbps data transfer rate, to connect the nodes of a PC cluster system which we have designed and implemented. We have implemented two communication libraries. One is a fast communication library called CF for IEEE 1394. The other is a MPI layer library on the CF library. Experimental results show that CF achieves a 17.2 microsecond round‐trip time. On application benchmarks, the system was considerably faster than TCP/IP over Fast Ethernet. Even though the system was constructed at very low cost, it provides good performance. Using the IEEE 1394 standard is thus a good solution for low‐cost cluster systems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We investigate the optical bistability and multistability behaviors in a closed three-level  Lambda-type atomic system. By adding a sideband on either hand of the transitions which are originally coupled by a coherent control field and a coherent probe field to disturb the two-photon resonance, bistability occurs due to two-channel interference. Increasing the sideband Rabi frequency leads to the switching from bistability to tristability. When the sideband simultaneously couples with both hands, we can easily obtain quadrastability.
Introduction: Mycophenolic acid (MPA) plasma concentrations are highly variable on standard-dose mycophenolate mofetil therapy. At creatinine clearances below 25 mL/min, MPA clearance increases as a result of a higher nonprotein-bound fraction. Patients with delayed graft function (DGF) after renal transplantation are exposed to low total MPA concentrations, when risk of rejection is highest. This study investigated the influence of DGF on MPA exposure and on clinical outcome. Methods: Adult renal transplantation patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil, corticosteroids, and either microemulsified cyclosporine (n = 459) or tacrolimus (n = 371) participated in a randomized controlled trial (the Fixed-Dose Concentration-Controlled [FDCC] Study). Abbreviated MPA areas under the curve (AUCs) were obtained on Day 3, Day 10, Week 4, and Month 3, to calculate MPA AUC(0-12). Free MPA AUC values were available for a subgroup of patients (n = 269). Results: The overall incidence of DGF was 187 of 830 (23%) and did not differ between cyclosporine-treated (24%) and tacrolimus- (21%) treated patients. The incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection at 12 months was significantly higher in patients with DGF (13.8% versus 21.4%). Patients with DGF had significantly lower dose-corrected MPA AUC on Day 3 and Day 10. Free MPA fraction and dose-corrected free MPA AUC were significantly higher in patients with DGF, from Day 3 until Month 3. The total number of patients with at least one opportunistic infection was significantly higher in patients with DGF (33.2%) compared with patients without DGF (25.8%) (P = 0.048). Patients with DGF developing opportunistic infections did not have higher total MPA AUC nor higher free MPA AUC compared with those without opportunistic infections. Conclusion: Patients with DGF have significantly lower dose-corrected MPA AUC in the first month after renal transplantation, presumably as a result of enhanced MPA clearance on account of the elevated MPA free fraction. Because patients with DGF have a higher rate of acute rejection and lower MPA exposure, higher dosing of mycophenolate mofetil in such patients may improve outcome. However, the already increased incidence of opportunistic infections in patients with DGF is a concern.
A process for the value addition of solid waste from two-phase olive oil extraction or "alperujo" that includes a hydrothermal treatment has been suggested. In this treatment an autohydrolysis process occurs and the solid olive byproduct is partially solubilized. From this water-soluble fraction can be obtained besides the antioxidant hydroxytyrosol several other compounds of high added value. In this paper three different samples of alperujo were characterized and subjected to a hydrothermal treatment with and without acid catalyst. The main soluble compounds after the hydrolysis were represented by monosaccharides xylose, arabinose, and glucose; oligosaccharides, mannitol and products of sugar destruction. Oligosaccharides were separated by size exclusion chromatography. It was possible to get highly purified mannitol by applying a simple purification method.
Interactive digital image processing package (IDIPP) is a general purpose image processing package built upon two requirements: user friendliness and easy integration of new processing modules. To satisfy these requirements, a special graphical user interface (GUI), made of elements easily manipulated through a set of high level tools, was designed. The availability of these tools allows the addition of new processing modules with very little effort. Around this interface, several image processing modules have been developed. This paper describes the user interface structure and the developed image processing modules.
Hydrodistillation of the stem bark of Enantia chlorantha Oliv. and of Xylopia staudtii Engl. & Diels from Cameroon gave yellowish coloured oils in 0.2% yeild. The composition of the essential oils was determined by mean of capillary gas chromatogrphy and mass spectrometry. The volatile oils from the two species were found to be similar and very complex Oxygenated sesquiterpenes constitute more than 70% of the two samples, among which three epoxides (1,5-epoxysalvial-4(14)-ene, β-caryophyllene epoxide, humulene epoxide), spathulenol and α-cadinol are the most prominent.
We investigate the effects of the cooling of intrusive and extrusive igneous bodies on the temperature history and surface heat flow of the Parana Basin. The Serra Geral igneous event (130-135 Ma) covered most of this basin with flood basalts. Associated with this event numerous sills and dykes intruded the sediments and basement, and extensive underplating may have occurred in the lower crust and upper mantle beneath the basin. We develop an analytical model of the conductive cooling of tabular intrusive bodies and use it to calculate temperatures within the sediments as a function of time since emplacement. Depending on the thickness of these igneous bodies and the timing of sequential emplacement, the thermal history of a given locus in the basin can range from a simple extended period of higher temperatures to multiple episodes of peak temperatures separated by cooling intervals. The cooling of surface flood basalts, sills and dykes is capable of maintaining temperatures above the normal geothermal gradient temperatures for a few hundred thousand years, while large-scale underplating may influence temperatures for up to 10 million years. We conclude that any residual heat from the cooling of the Serra Geral igneous rocks has long since decayed to insignificant values and that present-day temperatures and heat flow are not affected. However, the burial of the sediments beneath the thick basalt cap caused a permanent temperature increase of up to 50 degrees C in the underlying sediments since the beginning of the Cretaceous.
After 35 years of its original description, Rissoa cruzi Castellanos & Fernandez, 1974 is first recorded in southern Brazilian waters. An analysis of both shell and radular characteristics indicated that R. cruzi does not conform to its current generic assignment. Based on shell characters, R. cruzi is placed in the genus Alvania Risso, 1826. A comparison with other rissoids from the same region is also provided.
The effect of a single dose of paracetamol (1 g) on plasma concentrations of the oral contraceptive steroids ethinyloestradiol (EE2) and levonorgestrel (LNG) has been studied in six healthy female volunteers. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC0-24) of EE2 was significantly increased following paracetamol administration by 22% (control 2221 +/- 291; following paracetamol, 2702 +/- 452 pg ml-1 h; mean +/- s.d.; P less than or equal to 0.05). The greatest effect was evident in the time period 0-3 h. There was a significant decrease in the AUC of EE2-sulphate after paracetamol (7736 +/- 3791 pg ml-1 h) compared with control (13161 +/- 4535 pg ml-1 h; P less than or equal to 0.05). Plasma concentrations of LNG were unaltered by concurrent paracetamol administration. We conclude that the administration of a single 1 g dose of paracetamol causes an increase in plasma concentrations of EE2 as a result of a reduction in the sulphation of the steroid. This interaction may be of clinical significance in women on oral contraceptive steroids who regularly take paracetamol.
Smart grid has emerged as an option-loaded, efficient replacement of the out-of-date power grid infrastructure. However, with the introduction of smart grid systems and the many benefits that they bring along, we now face new security vulnerabilities. This paper offers a survey of intrusion detection in smart grid and aims to analyse the existing approaches and methods proposed thus far, in trying to tackle security vulnerabilities within smart grid systems.
Thirty-eight children with soft-tissue venous malformations (VMs) were treated with percutaneous injection of a new fibrosing agent (Ethibloc). The technique, results, side effects, and complications are detailed. Direct puncture of the VM allows evaluation of the draining venous system and direct injection of Ethibloc. This procedure alone or associated with surgery led to achievement of good or excellent results in 74% of the cases (complete cure in 50%), with minimal side effects and no major complications.
This essay looks at the interconnections between the cultural industry of popular romance and best-selling novels set in an Irish historical context. In particular, it examines two best-selling novels by North American author Karen Robards, which have not yet been examined in academia: Dark of the Moon (1988) and Forbidden Love (2013; originally published in 1983). Although this small selection constitutes only a preliminary study of an expanding popular genre, it is my hope that it will serve as a relevant example of how Ireland is exoticised in the transnational cultural industry of romance. Drawing on several studies on popular romance (Radway 1984; Strehle and Carden 2009; and Roach 2016), and on specific sources devoted to the study of historical romance, in particular when set in exotic locations (Hughes 2005; Philips 2011; Teo 2012; 2016), I intend to demonstrate how these novels by Karen Robards follow the clichés and conventions of the typical romances produced in the 1980s. As I show, the popularity that Robards’ novels still enjoy reflects the supremacy of the genre and the wide reception of this kind of fiction in the global market.Keywords: Cultural industry; popular romance; Irish context; market.
Abstract. Quantifying image quality without reference is still a challenging problem, especially when different distortions affect the observed image. A no-reference image quality assessment (NR-IQA) metric is proposed. It is based on a fusion scheme of multiple distortion measures. This metric is built in two stages. First, a set of relevant IQA metrics is selected using a particle swarm optimization scheme. Then, a support vector regression (SVR)-based fusion strategy is adopted to derive the overall index of image quality. The obtained results demonstrate clearly that the proposed approach outperforms the state-of-the-art NR-IQA methods. Furthermore, the proposed approach is flexible and could be extended to other distortions.
No art that is not understood by the people can live or ever did live a single generation. – Frank Norris Our American professors like their literature clear and cold and pure and very dead. – Sinclair Lewis It is so hard to be clear. Only a fool is willfully obscure. – John Steinbeck The press … is the watchdog of civilization, and the watchdog happens to be … in a chronic state of rabies. – Henry James In both his time and ours, the stylistically complex novelist Henry James has served as the literary intellectual's bulwark against the crudities and the lowbrow nature of popular culture and the popular press that James came to loathe. James' views about the press were reflected in his recondite literary philosophy and his opaque writing strategies. But they also grew out of personal experience. In 1875, the youthful James had arranged to be a correspondent on manners, people, and the arts for the New York Tribune during his travels to Europe. But his editor, Whitelaw Reid, didn't like the lengthy and discursive style of James' “letters” and wrote to him that they should be more “newsy” and written less on “topics too remote from popular interests to please more than a select few of our readers.” An offended James ended the relationship, writing back: “I am afraid I can't assent to your proposal … I know the sort of letter you mean – it is doubtless the proper sort of thing for the Tribune to have … I am too finical a writer and I should be constantly becoming more ‘literary’ than is desirable.”
Evaluation of the quality of genomic “data products” such as genome assemblies or gene sets is of critical importance in order to recognize possible issues and correct them during the generation of new data. It is equally essential to guide subsequent or comparative analyses with existing data, as the correct interpretation of the results necessarily requires knowledge about the quality level and reliability of the inputs. Using datasets of near universal single‐copy orthologs derived from OrthoDB, BUSCO can estimate the completeness and redundancy of genomic data by providing biologically meaningful metrics based on expected gene content. These can complement technical metrics such as contiguity measures (e.g., number of contigs/scaffolds, and N50 values). Here, we describe the use of the BUSCO tool suite to assess different data types that can range from genome assemblies of single isolates and assembled transcriptomes and annotated gene sets to metagenome‐assembled genomes where the taxonomic origin of the species is unknown. BUSCO is the only tool capable of assessing all these types of sequences from both eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. The protocols detail the various BUSCO running modes and the novel workflows introduced in versions 4 and 5, including the batch analysis on multiple inputs, the auto‐lineage workflow to run assessments without specifying a dataset, and a workflow for the evaluation of (large) eukaryotic genomes. The protocols further cover the BUSCO setup, guidelines to interpret the results, and BUSCO “plugin” workflows for performing common operations in genomics using BUSCO results, such as building phylogenomic trees and visualizing syntenies. © 2021 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Project managers need timely feedback on the quality of development products to monitor and control project progress. Inspection is an effective method to identify defects and to measure product quality. Objective and subjective models can be used to estimate the total number of defects in a product based on defect data from inspection. This paper reports on a controlled experiment to evaluate the accuracy of individual subjective estimates of developers, who had just before inspected the document, on the number of defects in a software requirements specification. In the experiment most inspectors underestimated the total number of defects in the document. The number of defects reported and the number of (major) reference defects found were identified as factors that separated groups of inspectors who over- or underestimated on average.
A lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD) is mandatory for celiac disease (CD) but has poor compliance, justifying novel strategies. We found that wheat flour transamidation inhibited IFN-γ secretion by intestinal T cells from CD patients. Herein, the primary endpoint was to evaluate the ability of transamidated gluten to maintain GFD CD patients in clinical remission. Secondary endpoints were efficacy in prevention of the inflammatory response and safety at the kidney level, where reaction products are metabolized. In a randomized single blinded, controlled 90-day trial, 47 GFD CD patients received 3.7 g/day of gluten from nontransamidated (12) or transamidated (35) flour. On day 15, 75% and 37% of patients in the control and experimental groups, respectively, showed clinical relapse (P = 0.04) whereas intestinal permeability was mainly altered in the control group (50% versus 20%, P = 0.06). On day 90, 0 controls and 14 patients in the experimental group completed the challenge with no variation of antitransglutaminase IgA (P = 0.63), Marsh-Oberhuber grading (P = 0.08), or intestinal IFN-γ mRNA (P > 0.05). Creatinine clearance did not vary after 90 days of treatment (P = 0.46). In conclusion, transamidated gluten reduced the number of clinical relapses in challenged patients with no changes of baseline values for serological/mucosal CD markers and an unaltered kidney function.
This paper describes the results of the monitoring, by total station and photogrammetric surveys, of the movements of a slow compound rock slide from failure in 2003 to December 2006. During this period the head moved downwards more than 21m. Whilst the rate of displacement is declining slightly year on year, for much of the time the landslide mass is accelerating and then decelerating in surges. Evidence is presented of some correspondence between the timing of the surges and the seasonal rainfall pattern. It is inferred from surface observations that the failure involves sliding at the head and in the upper main body of the landslide on joints roughly orthogonal to the foliation, which dips at a shallow angle into the slope. In the central toe zone the landslide slides up and out on the foliation. The failure, which occupies an area of about 8.5ha, has reactivated major pre-existing faults which run obliquely through the landslide mass. QMS Quartz Mica Schist Unit GS Graphite Schist Unit ABC geological faults; T1 T2 T3 transverse cracks 1P1, 2A etc total station survey markers points used in the photogrammetric adjustment + survey c eck poi ts survey targets Figure 1 Outline of the landslide superimposed on a simplified geological map of the site; and survey points. GS
In this article, I suggest a new typology for the stability of a political system, differentiating policy stability from government stability. I argue that it is when a system is policy-stable that we expect to see a stable and efficacious government. Even when a government change occurs, the policy preferences of the new government are likely to be similar to those of the previous one and we don't expect to see radical policy changes. I go on to show the conditions of policy stability by building a formal model of coalition formation among social groups, assuming a society is made up of social groups with distinctive policy preferences. I show political and social conditions under which stability is likely by studying power distributions among the social groups and the preferences they have over politically salient issues under which a certain set of policies can be stably implemented. In the first part of this article, the government is assumed to have no direct control over societal resources. In the second part, I examine an alternative model in which the government holds direct control over societal resources of its own. I apply the model developed here to the examples of Spain and Sweden throughout this article.
A presente pesquisa trata sobre as questoes de uso e ocupacao da margem direita do rio Jauru, no bairro Beira Rio na cidade de Porto Esperidiao - Mato Grosso. Os procedimentos metodologicos utilizados foram: o trabalho de campo para caracterizacao da area, identificacao dos tipos de uso com registros escritos e fotograficos e a pesquisa quali-quantitativa com questionario semi-estruturado. Neste contexto, foi identificado o uso e ocupacao desordenado e inadequado, o que, contribui com o aumento dos impactos ambientais no rio, tais como, retirada da vegetacao, assoreamento, poluicao das aguas e erosao marginal. Cabe salientar que, o uso intenso e processo de ocupacao, ocorrem em Area de Preservacao Permanente (APP), sendo area de uso restrito. A B S T R A C T This research is about the issues of use and occupy of the right bank of Jauru River at Beira Rio neighborhood in Porto Esperidiao - Mato Grosso. The methodological procedures used were: field work to characterize the area, identifying patterns of use with written and photographic records and qualitative and quantitative research with semi-structured questionnaire. In this context, it was identified cluttered and inadequate of the use and occupation, which contributes to increase environmental impacts on the river, such as removal of vegetation, siltation, pollution of waters and marginal erosion was identified. It is worth mentioning that the intensive processes and occupations occur in Permanent Preservation Area (APP), with a restricted use. Keywords: water resources , urban area , Environmental Education .
In recent times, concerns over fossil fuel consumption and severe environmental pollution have grabbed attention in marine vessels. The fast development in solar technology and the significant reduction in cost over the past decade have allowed the integration of solar technology in marine vessels. However, the highly intermittent nature of photovoltaic (PV) modules might cause instability in shipboard microgrids. Moreover, the penetration is much more in the case of utilizing PV panels on ships due to the continuous movement. This paper, therefore, presents a frequency sharing approach to smooth the effect of the highly intermittent nature of PV panels integrated with the shipboard microgrids. A hybrid system based on an ultra-capacitor and a lithium-ion battery is developed such that high power and short term fluctuations are catered by an ultra-capacitor, whereas long duration and high energy density fluctuations are catered by the lithium-ion battery. Further, in order to cater for the fluctuations caused by weather or variation in sea states, a battery energy storage system (BESS) is utilized in parallel to the dc-link capacitor using a buck-boost converter. Hence, to verify the dynamic behavior of the proposed approach, the model is designed in MATLAB/SIMULINK. The simulation results illustrate that the proposed model helps to smooth the fluctuations and to stabilize the DC bus voltage.
Where did the moon come from? For 3 decades, planetary scientists have agreed that it happened something like this: While the solar system was still forming, a body the size of Mars struck Earth a glancing blow that reduced both to rubble. The cloud of debris reformed itself into the modern Earth and moon. This "giant impact" theory neatly explained why the rocks Apollo astronauts brought back from the moon closely resembled rocks on Earth—or so it seemed at first. Actually, recent computer models show, such a collision wouldn9t have scrambled the two bodies together enough to explain the similarity. Meeting last month in London to discuss the problem, scientists agreed that the origin of the moon must have been messier and more complicated than anyone had assumed.
In Greco-Roman times there were many ways of honouring a person of high importance. For example, certain dignitaries of the empire were honoured with lights which were carried before them. Lights appear as symbols of office at least in the Notitia dignitatum {c. A.D. 405–425). In other instances portraits of persons of noble birth were placed on a table surrounded by candles burning on candelabras. The use of lights for honouring a person can be traced back to the illumination in sanctuaries, common during ceremonies of cult, achieved by various means such as torches, candles and lamps.
he wanted to suppress. His troubled legacy is mirrored in two contradictory current preoccupations: national identity and the politics of ethnicity, on the one hand, and globalization and the politics of the new world order, on the other (pp. 204, 210, 216). Through an appraisal of Taylor's "The Politics of Recognition" (in Amy Gutmann, ed., Multiculturalism and "The Politics of Recognition," 1992), H.D. Forbes critiques current understandings of authenticity and the politics of difference in light of Rousseauian political psychology. He argues that Rousseau differs from "liberals like Taylor . . . [and] more 'postmodern' partisans of difference" in that he rejects internal ethnic diversity as incompatible with the "basis of good politics" and denies the authenticity of an identity based on "dialogical relations" (pp. 238-40). The volume concludes with three essays from Steven Kautz, Arthur Melzer, and Clifford Orwin that examine three contemporary problems or issues: privacy versus community, sincerity, and compassion, respectively. While Kautz offers a critical analysis of "a formidable contemporary Rousseauian, Richard Rorty" (p. 249), Melzer and Orwin provide characteristically meticulous explorations of some aspects of the rich Rousseauian analysis of the self that serve to elucidate the current creeds of sincerity or authenticity and compassion. The contributors acknowledge the influence of Allan Bloom, a well-known interpreter and translator of Rousseau, on their understanding of Rousseau (pp. ix). According to the editors, the common thread uniting these essays is Rousseau's famous diagnosis of the "bourgeois," namely, ourselves, as the locus of modernity's ailments. As almost every contributor tells us, the bourgeois—other-directed, alienated, weak, and insincere—suffers from division or disunity between inclination and duty, from the problem of "human wholeness." Charges of human hypocrisy and of internal contradiction, however, are much older than Rousseau, even if because of him society is now understood to be the cause. Furthermore, Rousseau himself is quite willing to concede that the bourgeois is not necessarily discontented or pained by his disunity. That is, questions persist regarding "wholeness" as the ground of Rousseau's critique of modernity, though some of the contributors point to Melzer's outstanding endeavor to settle this issue (The Natural Goodness of Man, 1990). Greater discussion by the contributors regarding the precise character of "wholeness" or of the purported damage suffered by we modern liberal democrats according to Rousseau, therefore, would have been welcome; in a way, though, this is an obviously unfair request, given the complexity of the issue and the format of the book.
Aiming at the problem of tag conflict in the RFID system, an improved algorithm based on dynamic framed slotted ALOHA algorithm is proposed. In this algorithm , when the recognition of a frame length is still not finished, according to the existing conflict timeslot and free timeslot inside of frame, frame length can adjusted in advance, furthermore a new frames recognition process is began, which can improve the recognition efficiency of the existing algorithm, increase throughput. The performance simulation experiment shows that the improved algorithm has more advantage than dynamic slotted ALOHA algorithm.
Localized structures experimentally observed in nonlinear optical systems are frequently single peak structures of high emitted intensity sitting on a lower intensity background. However, generic theoretical works in unidimensional systems clearly show that single peak localized structures are only one of the numerous possible localized solutions, with the others being localized patterns including an arbitrary number of maxima. We demonstrate experimentally the coexistence of several of these states in a cavity soliton laser and show the dependance of the associated bifurcation diagram on the control parameters.
Currently, only mass‐spectrometry (MS) microscopy brings a quantitative analysis of chemical contents of tissue samples in 3D. Here, the reconstruction of a 3D quantitative chemical images of a biological tissue by FTIR spectro‐microscopy is reported. An automated curve‐fitting method is developed to extract all intense absorption bands constituting IR spectra. This innovation benefits from three critical features: (1) the correction of raw IR spectra to make them quantitatively comparable; (2) the automated and iterative data treatment allowing to transfer the IR‐absorption spectrum into a IR‐band spectrum; (3) the reconstruction of an 3D IR‐band matrix (x, y, z for voxel position and a 4th dimension with all IR‐band parameters). Spectromics, which is a new method for exploiting spectral data for tissue metadata reconstruction, is proposed to further translate the related chemical information in 3D, as biochemical and anatomical tissue parameters. An example is given with oxidative stress distribution and the reconstruction of blood vessels in tissues. The requirements of IR microscopy instrumentation to propose 3D digital histology as a clinical routine technology is briefly discussed.
The effect of pressure on the structure and reorientational motion of molecules in orientationally disordered (OD) crystalline phase of cubane has been investigated in detail using variable shape molecular simulations in constant-pressure constant-temperature ensemble. Complete orientational ordering occurs at a pressure of 1.0 GPa and the OD phase transforms to an orientationally ordered phase at this pressure. The transition is associated with a kink in the variation of structural parameters such as cell parameters, unit-cell volume, and interaction energy. This transition is also associated with an anomaly in specific heat. Above this transition pressure, the structural quantities display only smaller changes with further increase in pressure. The structure of high-pressure orientationally ordered (HPOO) phase has been characterized using radial distribution functions and orientational distribution function. From detailed analysis of the structure of HPOO phase we conclude that it is isostructural with low-temperature orientationally ordered phase. The OD phase has four times larger compressibility than the HPOO phase.
Advances in manufacturing and emerging technologies in miniaturization and reduction of power consumption have proven to be a pivotal point in mankind's progress. The once advanced machines that occupied entire buildings and needed hundreds of engineers to be operated are now shadowed by the smart cellular phones we carry in our pockets. With the advent of the Internet and proliferation of wireless technologies, these devices are now extremely interconnected. Enter the nascent era of Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable devices, where small embedded devices loaded with sensors collect information from its surroundings, process it and relay it to remote locations for further analysis. Albeit looking harmless, this nascent technologies raise security and privacy concerns. In this talk, we pose the question of the possibility and effects of compromising one of such devices. Concentrating on the design flow of IoT devices, we discuss some common design practices and their implications on security and privacy. We present the Google Nest Learning Thermostat as an example on how these practices affect the resulting device and the potential consequences to user security and privacy. We will then introduce design flow security enhancement methods through which security will be built into the device, a major difference from traditional practices which treat security as an add-on property implemented at post-fabrication stage.
Effective drugs and strategies for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (2-DM) are urgently required. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the mechanism underlying microRNA (miR)-6835-3p regulation of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) expression and the miR-6835-3p/AdipoR1 signaling pathway in pancreatic islet cells. In addition, the potential anti-diabetes effect of miR-6835-3p on insulin secretion was investigated. Luciferase activity analysis was performed to evaluate how miR-6835-3p targets the 3′-untranslated region of AdipoR1. The SU.86.86 and MIN-6 cell lines were co-cultured with or without miR-6835-3p inhibitors or mimics, and the insulin secretory functions of these cell lines were then determined. Luciferase reporter analysis revealed that AdipoR1 was a direct target of miR-6835-3p. In addition, miR-6835-3p overexpression suppressed the mRNA and protein expression levels of AdipoR1 in the SU.86.86 and MIN-6 cell lines. Furthermore, miR-6835-3p exerted negative effects on insulin secretion in SU.86.86 and MIN-6 cells, which were mediated by regulating AdipoR1 expression. AdipoR1 was a direct target of miR-6835-3p; therefore, inhibition of AdiopR1 expression may reduce insulin secretion and may be considered a key regulator of insulin secretion. The results of the present study suggested that targeting AdipoR1 with miR-6835-3p inhibitors may be a potential strategy for promoting glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, and thereby, may be an effective treatment for type 2-DM.
Recent phylogenetic studies have revealed the major role played by the uplift of the Andes in the extraordinary diversification of the Neotropical flora. These studies, however, have typically considered the Andean uplift as a single, time-limited event fostering the evolution of highland elements. This contrasts with geological reconstructions indicating that the uplift occurred in discrete periods from west to east and that it affected different regions at different times. We introduce an approach for integrating Andean tectonics with biogeographic reconstructions of Neotropical plants, using the coffee family (Rubiaceae) as a model group. The distribution of this family spans highland and montane habitats as well as tropical lowlands of Central and South America, thus offering a unique opportunity to study the influence of the Andean uplift on the entire Neotropical flora. Our results suggest that the Rubiaceae originated in the Paleotropics and used the boreotropical connection to reach South America. The biogeographic patterns found corroborate the existence of a long-lasting dispersal barrier between the Northern and Central Andes, the “Western Andean Portal.” The uplift of the Eastern Cordillera ended this barrier, allowing dispersal of boreotropical lineages to the South, but gave rise to a huge wetland system (“Lake Pebas”) in western Amazonia that prevented in situ speciation and floristic dispersal between the Andes and Amazonia for at least 6 million years. Here, we provide evidence of these events in plants.
The Heat Stress Index was an early model for the assessment of heat stress. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for required sweat rate is the current generation of heat balance methods for occupational heat stress. The method assumes cotton clothing and works adequately for cotton/polyester blends. To extend the usefulness of the model, the thermal characteristics of a variety of commercially available and prototype protective clothing ensembles have been determined for application in the ISO method. The fundamental principle for assessing thermal characteristics of work clothing is establishing the critical environmental conditions in which test subjects were just able to maintain thermal equilibrium. Critical conditions were found for warm, humid conditions; hot, dry conditions; intermediate conditions of temperature and humidity; and/or moderate conditions in which metabolic rate was increased to a limiting thermal load. Typically, five subjects at each condition for each ensemble were used. Metabolic rate, average skin temperature, and the environmental conditions (air temperature and vapor pressure) were noted at the critical conditions, and the total insulation was estimated for each ensemble. From these values, the total evaporative resistance, the clothing factor for dry heat exchange (CFcl), and the clothing factor for evaporative cooling (CFpcl) were determined. When compared with reports of others on thermal characteristics the results agreed when pumping factors and clothing wetness were considered. The result was higher than expected values for CFcl and lower values for CFpcl.
Multifunctional surfaces with reversible wetting characteristics are fabricated utilizing end-anchored polymer chains on hierarchically roughened surfaces. Temperature- and/or pH-responsive surfaces are developed that exhibit reversible and controllable wettability, from the "parahydrophobic" behavior of natural plant leaves all the way to superhydrophilic properties in response to the external stimuli. For this purpose, dual scale micro/nanoroughened surfaces were prepared by laser irradiation of inorganic surfaces (Si wafers) utilizing ultrafast (femtosecond) laser pulses under a reactive gas atmosphere. End-functionalized polymer chains were anchored onto those surfaces utilizing the "grafting to" method; poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAM, and poly(2-vinylpyridine), P2VP, were used for the formation of monofunctional as well as mixed brushes. The surfaces exhibit "parahydrophobic" behavior in the hydrophobic state (high temperature and/or high pH), with high static contact angles (∼120°) and high water adhesion (∼30° contact angle hysteresis), whereas they show superhydrophilic behavior in the hydrophilic state (low temperature and/or low pH). The surfaces were tested for their wettability under repetitive cycles and found to be stable and reproducible.
Co-delivery of gene and drug therapies for cancer treatment remains a major goal of nanocarrier research. In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were used to co-deliver siRNA and doxorubicin (Dox) for redox-controlled release. The present nanocarrier (MSNs-SS-siRNA@Dox) has mesoporous silica cores that can be loaded with Dox, while siRNA connects to the core surface by disulfide linkage and plays a gatekeeper role. Disulfide linkages were also utilized to target intracellular GSH, and their cleavage led to the release of Dox and siRNA. Release of siRNA and Dox was correlated with GSH concentrations, and rapid release at 10 mM GSH reflected reductive cleavage of intermediate disulfide linkages. Subsequent experiments using an in vitro Dox delivery and release assay indicated that MSNs-SS-siRNA@Dox significantly enhanced the accumulation of Dox in cells compared with that after treatment with free Dox. Moreover, MSNs-SS-siRNA@Dox has sufficient efficiency to knock down target protein expression. More importantly, MSNs-SS-siRNA@Dox displayed great potential for tumor targeting and achieved satisfactory therapeutic effects on tumor growth inhibition in vivo. In summary, the present nanoparticles may provide an effective strategy for the design and development of controlled release and co-delivery of siRNA and drugs for cancer therapy.
Some studies showed analysis of fetal DNA in maternal plasma had been introduced as a new method for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis. Fetal sexing is possible at 8th week of pregnancy, using maternal blood sample testing. The aim was providing a rapid, reliable and non-invasive  method for sexing of bovine fetuses. Maternal blood samples were collected from 38 pregnant cows during the 8th-38th w of gestation. Plasma was obtained by centrifugation and DNA was extracted by phenol-chloroform method from 350 􀁺L maternal plasma. Two primer pairs for bovine amelogenin, Y-encoded, and testis-specific protein gene were used to amplification three fragments; 260 bp (Y-encoded, testis-specific protein gene), 341 and 467 bp (Y and X chromosome amelogenin gene). The polymerase chain reaction has been optimized for fragments amplification. The 467 bp fragment was detected in all samples. The 341 and 260 bp fragments were detected in 24 of 38 plasma samples of cows with male fetuses. The sensitivity and specificity of test was 100% with no false negative and positive results. The results showed that phenol-chloroform method was a simple and sensational to isolation fetal DNA in maternal plasma. The polymerase chain reaction is a favorable noninvasive method for bovine fetal sexing.
An a priori model is developed to assess the heat effects during gas-phase (H2S/H2) sulfiding of a CoOMoO3/γAl2O3 hydroprocessing catalyst in a small fixed-bed reactor. The model satisfactorily predicts the observed maximum temperature rise and the speed of the traveling exotherm. It is found that the amount of heat released can be of sufficient magnitude to cause significant hot spotting and local starvation of H2S, both of which need to be avoided for desired catalyst performance. With this model, parametric studies were made to optimize the sulfiding operation. It is expected that the model can be used to guide catalyst synthesis research and to scale up laboratory/pilot-plant sulfiding procedures.
The authors examined the relation of constitutional factors and sun exposure to risk of basal cell carcinoma of the skin (BCC) in a prospective cohort of 44,591 predominantly Caucasian US male health professionals, 40-75 years of age and free of cancer at enrollment in 1986. During 8 years of follow-up, 3,273 cases of self-reported BCC were documented. The following variables were each associated with an elevated risk of BCC: having red hair; green, hazel, or blue eyes; a tendency to sunburn; and north European ancestry. The lifetime number of blistering sunburns was also positively associated with BCC risk (p trend < 0.0001). Compared with men who as teenagers had been outside less than once a week, men who had been outside weekly (relative risk (RR) = 1.30; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 1.47) and daily (RR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.24, 1.63) had an elevated risk of BCC. Living in a region of residence with high solar radiation as an adult was also associated with an increased risk of BCC (RR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.36, 1.60), whereas living in such a region only in childhood did not increase BCC risk. These results confirm the role of constitutional factors and suggest that adult sun exposure increases BCC risk.
Cr Schottky amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photodiodes with a configuration of Cr/a-Si:H tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), where Cr is negatively biased with respect to ITO in contrast to the conventional bias direction, were characterized to provide simple and stable sensor elements for economical linear image sensors. It was found that the barrier height of the Cr/a-Si:H junction is sufficiently high (0.89 eV) to prevent electron injection and that the junction is thermally stable. The transport properties of holes propagating in the a-Si:H layer were largely improved by a few parts per million boron doping, and as a result saturation of the photocurrent was achieved. A contact-type ISO A4, 8-dot/mm linear range sensor was fabricated using the Cr Schottky photodiode array. The sensor showed excellent characteristics for use in G3 facsimile. >
ABSTRACT Background: Childhood emotional neglect (CEN) confers a great risk for developing multiple psychiatric disorders; however, the neural basis for this association remains unknown. Using a dynamic functional connectivity approach, this study aimed to examine the effects of CEN experience on functional brain networks in young adults. Method: In total, 21 healthy young adults with CEN experience and 26 without childhood trauma experience were recruited. The childhood trauma experience was assessed using the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ), and eligible participants underwent resting-state functional MRI. Sliding windows and k-means clustering were used to identify temporal features of large-scale functional connectivity states (frequency, mean dwell time, and transition numbers). Result: Dynamic analysis revealed two separate connection states: state 1 was more frequent and characterized by extensive weak connections between the brain regions. State 2 was relatively infrequent and characterized by extensive strong connections between the brain regions. Compared to the control group, the CEN group had a longer mean dwell time in state 1 and significantly decreased transition numbers between states 1 and 2. Conclusion: The CEN experience affects the temporal properties of young adults’ functional brain connectivity. Young adults with CEN experience tend to be stable in state 1 (extensive weak connections between the brain regions), reducing transitions between states, and reflecting impaired metastability or functional network flexibility.
A field note that reflected the artists' experience of the city and the making of art through an activity at the L.A. River. Author/Artist Bio Erin Payne is a L.A.-based artist who received her MFA from Claremont Graduate University in 2011. Her work has recently been shown at West Los Angeles College through a collaboration with First Street Gallery Art Center in Claremont, California. She also recently completed a residency at Side Street Projects in Pasadena with Summercamp’s 'ProjectProject'.
Transmembrane proteins affect vital cellular functions and pathogenesis, and are a focus of drug design. It is difficult to obtain diffraction quality crystals to study transmembrane protein structure. Computational tools for transmembrane protein topology prediction fill in the gap between the abundance of transmembrane proteins and the scarcity of known membrane protein structures. Their prediction accuracy is still inadequate: TMHMM, the current state-of-the-art method, has less than 52% accuracy in topology prediction on one set of transmembrane proteins of known topology. Based on the observation that there are functional domains that occur preferentially internal or external to the membrane, we have extended the model of TMHMM to incorporate functional domains, using a probabilistic approach originally developed for computational gene finding. Our extension is better than TMHMM in predicting the topology of transmembrane proteins. As prediction of functional domain improves, our system's prediction accuracy will likely improve as well.
Abstract New digital reality as a spectrum of technologies and experiences that digitally simulate and extend reality in one way or another across different human senses has received considerable attention in recent years. In particular, we have witnessed great advances in mixed reality (MR) technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology, which provide enormous potential for application domains like training, simulation, education, entertainment, health, and sports. However, also other forms of digitally enhanced reality (XR) supports novel forms of immersion and experiences while generating, visualizing and interacting with digital content either displayed in fully-immersive virtual environments or superimposed into our view of the real world, and will significantly change the way we work, travel, play, and communicate. Consequently, we face dramatic changes in interactive media creation, access, and perception. In this special issue, we solicit work that addresses novel interaction design, interfaces, and implementation of new digital reality in which our reality is blended with the virtuality with a focus on users’ needs, joy, and visions.
We present an extended microcanonical Lanczos method (MCLM) for a direct evaluation of the diffusion constant and its frequency dependence within the disordered Anderson model of noninteracting particles. The method allows to study systems beyond $10^6$ sites and we present results for diffusion in hypercubic lattices in $ d = 3- 7$ dimensions. Below the transition to localization, where we confirm dynamical scaling behaviour, of interest is a wide region of incoherent diffusion, similar to percolating phenomena and to interacting many-body localized systems.
A new facile solution method for the synthesis of high quality lead selenide (PbSe) nanocrystals with controllable size and shape was developed. A Pb–stearate complex and oleylamine–selenium (OLA–Se) were used as new precursors to prepare monodispersed nanocrystals instead of the traditional lead oxide (PbO) and trioctylphosphine–selenium (TOPSe). Both of the lead and chalcogenide precursors used in this method are inexpensive and air-stable, which largely reduces the cost of the reaction and simplifies the synthetic process. Five different shapes including quasi-spherical, cubic, octahedral, cuboctahedral and star shaped monodispersed PbSe nanocrystals were obtained, and the particle size can be easily tuned from ∼18 nm to ∼50 nm by varying the amount of oleic acid (OA) while keeping the amount of oleylamine (OLA) fixed. Oleic acid based growth orientation and shape evolution mechanism in double stabilizer surfactants was investigated in detail. The etching of PbSe nanocrystals was also observed when they were dispersed in toluene containing excessive amine over time, the etching process of oleylamine occurred on particle surfaces, and a new framework composed of nanorods formed around the nanocrystals. An ITO–PbSe–Al device based on a film of PbSe nanocrystals was constructed. The dark steadystate I–V characteristics of the films before and after ligand exchange revealed a broad prospect for the use of PbSe nanocrystals in light detection and infrared solar cells.
Recently, remarkable progress has been made in the field of endovascular treatment, and endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion has been an effective and therapeutic option. However, there is no randomized control trial as to superiority of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke compared to the standard treatment including intravenous rt-PA. Inclusion criteria for the performance of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke will need to be defined more precisely, and high rates of fast recanalization will be needed in future. We expect the evidence that endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion is superior to standard treatment by the detailed images of the brain, more strict indications and novel endovascular devices such as percutaneous transluminal mechanical thrombectomy devices.
1. Early transplanting of seedlings resulted in the production of rice plants with greater total tiller and leaf number, greater total leaf area, leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina, greater height, greater total fresh weight yield and yield of grain than late transplanting. 2. Early transplanting reduced the number of days from seeding to ear emergence. 3. Deep transplanting favoured greater leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina and greater maximum tiller number and reduced the percentage tiller mortality. 4. Deep placement of fertilizer resulted in the production of plants with greater tiller and total leaf numbers, greater height, greater total leaf area, leaf area per shoot and per leaf lamina and greater total fresh weight and grain dry weight than surface placement. 5. Deep placement of fertilizer hastened the time of ear emergence of late transplanted seedlings. 6. The practical significance of these findings is that early transplanting of seedlings (30 days old), shallow transplanting, and deep placement of fertilizer will lead to greater yield of the rice variety BG 79.
Adolescents and Young Adults With a “Rare” Cancer: Getting Past Semantics to Optimal Care for Patients With Germ Cell Tumors SARA J. STONEHAM, JULIET P. HALE, CARLOS RODRIGUEZ-GALINDO, HA DANG, THOMAS OLSON, MATTHEWMURRAY, JAMES F.AMATRUDA, CLAIRE THORNTON, G. SURENARUL, DEBORAHBILLMIRE,MARKKRAILO,DANSTARK, AL COVENS, JEANHURTEAU, SALLY STENNING, JAMES C. NICHOLSON, DAVID GERSHENSON, A. LINDSAY FRAZIER Children’s and Young Persons Cancer Services, University College London Hospital Trusts, London, United Kingdom; Department of PaediatricOncology,RoyalVictoria Infirmary,NewcastleuponTyneHospitals trust,NewcastleuponTyne,UnitedKingdom; Departmentof Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Children’s Oncology Group,Monrovia, California,USA; DepartmentofPediatricOncology,Children’sHealthcareofAtlanta,EmoryUniversity,Atlanta,Georgia, USA; Department of Paediatric Oncology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA; Department of Pathology, Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast Health Trust, Belfast, United Kingdom; Department of Pediatric Surgery, Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom; Riley Hospital for Children, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Department of Medical Oncology, St. James’s Institute of Oncology, St. James University Hospital, Leeds, United Kingdom; Department of Gynecology Oncology, University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, Ontario, Canada; Department of Gynecologic Oncology, North Shore University Health System, Evanston, Illinois, USA; Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit, London, United Kingdom Disclosures of potential conflicts of interest may be found at the end of this article.
Increased sediment yields associated with land disturbances pose a serious threat to Caribbean coral reefs due to their sensitivity to terrigenous sediment inputs. On St. John in the US Virgin Islands, unpaved roads are responsible for increasing sediment delivery rates into coastal waters by up to nine times above background (undisturbed watershed conditions). Hence, there is a need to implement and test cost-effective erosion mitigation strategies to protect these ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to (1) design and implement a simple unpaved road erosion control strategy, (2) collect empirical data to test the effectiveness of this mitigation strategy in reducing erosion, and (3) compare the empirical data to predictions based on a locally derived empirical model and the US Forest Service's X-Drain model. The erosion-control design consisted of five cemented cross drains that directed runoff into a paved ditch and onto a rip-rap protected outlet. Sediment production rates were measured with a sediment trap during the pretreatment (July of 1998 to November of 1999) and posttreatment (September of 2003 to September of 2005) periods. The mean posttreatment sediment production rate was 7.4 kg mm−1 (414 lb in−1) of rainfall, or 30% of the mean pretreatment rate (24.3 kg mm−1 [1,360 lb in−1]). Reductions in sediment yield rates were not influenced by differences in precipitation patterns, as the lower posttreatment rates were associated with slightly higher rainfall intensities than during the pretreatment period. This study showed that the establishment of five cemented cross drains and a paved ditch resulted in a 70% reduction of sediment yields rates, and this is attributed to three factors: (1) the protective cover provided by the new paved surfaces, (2) a decrease in runoff erosive energy over the road surface, and (3) the development of a coarse-textured, and thus more resistant, road tread surface. The locally developed road erosion model and the X-Drain model underestimated mean erosion during the pretreatment period by 40% and 19%, respectively. In contrast, observed posttreatment rates were within 3% to 6% of those predicted by both models. The results of this study have stimulated the application of similar erosion control methods in other parts of St. John and should encourage widespread road mitigation throughout the rest of the US Virgin Islands and the Caribbean wherever the application of more costly alternatives are not economically feasible or desirable.
Although the complement system has been implicated in liver regeneration after toxic injury and partial hepatectomy, the mechanism or mechanisms through which it participates in these processes remains ill-defined. In this study, we demonstrate that complement activation products (C3a, C3b/iC3b) are generated in the serum of experimental mice after CCl4 injection and that complement activation is required for normal liver regeneration. Decomplementation by cobra venom factor resulted in impaired entry of hepatocytes into S phase of the cell cycle. In addition, livers from C3-deficient (C3−/−) mice showed similarly impaired proliferation of hepatocytes, along with delayed kinetics of both hepatocyte hyperplasia and removal of injured liver parenchyma. Restoration of hepatocyte proliferative capabilities of C3−/− mice through C3a reconstitution, as well as the impaired regeneration of C3a receptor-deficient mice, demonstrated that C3a promotes liver cell proliferation via the C3a receptor. These findings, together with data showing two waves of complement activation, indicate that C3 activation is a pivotal mechanism for liver regeneration after CCl4 injury, which fulfills multiple roles; C3a generated early after toxin injection is relevant during the priming of hepatocytes, whereas C3 activation at later times after CCl4 treatment contributes to the clearance of injured tissue.
Engineering design methodology recommends designing a system as follows: start with an unambiguous specification, partition the system into blocks, specify the functionality of each block, design each block separately, and glue the blocks together. Verifying the correctness of an implementation then reduces to a local verification procedure. We apply this methodology for designing a provably correct, modular, IEEE-compliant floating point unit. First, we provide a mathematical, and hopefully unambiguous, definition of IEEE Standard 754 (1985) which specifies the functionality. The design consists of an adder, a multiplier and a rounding unit, each of which is further partitioned. Our floating point unit design deals with the detection of exceptions and trapped overflow and underflow exceptions as an integral part of the rounding unit. Our abstraction level avoids bit-level arguments while still enabling the addressing of crucial implementation issues such as delay and cost.
Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is a widespread signal transduction pathway in multicellular organisms. It participates the transportation of ion and other micromolecular signal transduction transmitter. The role of GJIC is to adjust the process of cell growth, cell multiplication and differentiation, and any change in GJIC will obviously affect the tumorigenesis. The carcinoma of large intestine is one of the most common cancers in human beings. Recent investigation indicated that the carcinogenesis of large intestine is the consequence of multiple genes, procedures and stages, including oncogene activation, anti-oncogene deactivation, lost control of DNA transcription and DNA injuries, etc. The final appearance of cell transformation, caused by any reason, is the lost control of cell cycle as well as the limitless proliferation of cells. In this article, we reviewed the recent research progress on the roles of GJIC and connexin in the carcinogenesis of large intestine.
PT. Adigas Jaya Pratama is a company that distributes various products of Pertamina, which focus on delivering LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) to the distributors. There are still various problems occurred in term of service level agreement (SLA), which in many case merely based on promise, while at the same time there are also the incapability of monitoring and checking for updating items in the inventory and the storages. Meanwhile, the process of handling customer complaints often causes the decreasing in the level of satisfaction and loyalty to the services provided. To overcome these problems, the solution made must take explicit concern to the harmony between business and information technology aspects. It is necessary to design an enterprise architecture (EA) with the TOGAF framework to provide a suitable blueprint for the development of sales and service function that can present respective ability for the company to have well performance leading to the growth and profit. This research provide the respective artefacts from every design stage including preliminary phase to the migration planning, which is expected to be applied in accordance with the business needs of the company to provide solutions for the existing problems.
Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA(Dated: December 21, 2013)We proof the Perelomov identity for arbitrary 2D lattices using Fourier transformation. Wefurther generalize it to situations where the origin does not coincide with a lattice site, and wherethe form of the exponential factor is reminiscent of magnetic wave functions in uniaxial rather thansymmetric gauge.
Four long fiber thermoplastic resin matrices, nylon 6, polypropylene, polyethylene terephtalate, and styrene maleic anhydride, containing differing amounts of long fiber glass reinforcement, were tested for notched lzod impact strength over the temperature range of 22 to −32°C. The fiber dominant performance of the long fiber materials is evidenced by increasing impact values with corresponding increases in weight percent fiber content. No apparent ductile/brittle transition in the fracture mode was observed for the long fiber materials that were tested
Tsujikawa and colleagues have presented a new technique for performing enteros− copy, namely “single−balloon enterosco− py” (SBE) [1]. This technique expands our endoscopic possibilities of exploring and treating diseases of the small bowel. A SBE technique may also be useful to in− vestigate the colon or perform endo− scopic retrograde cholangiopancreatog− raphy in patients with Roux−en−Y anato− my [2, 3]. Yamamoto et al. described the technique of double−balloon enteroscopy (DBE) in 2001 [4]. Both DBE and SBE have replaced push enteroscopy as the methods of choice for performing deep small−bowel investigation and for carry− ing out endoscopic interventions within the small intestine. Both SBE and DBE, like push enteroscopy, use the principle of the push−and−pull technique: the en− doscope is advanced (pushed), then the overtube is slid towards the tip of the en− doscope, and then both endoscope and overtube are pulled back, hence “push and pull”. When using SBE and DBE, the major fac− tor governing the depth of insertion of the enteroscope is the presence of the balloon on the distal end of the flexible overtube. The overtube stabilizes the in− testine, preventing it from bending or looping. Most importantly, the inflated balloon prevents the intestine from slid− ing forward, keeping it “shortened”. This allows the endoscopist to push firmly on the enteroscope, effectively transmitting forces to the distal end of the endoscope, and hence permitting the advance of the enteroscope deeper into the small intes− tine without looping or stretching of the proximal intestine [1,4]. Although DBE has also been called “push−and−pull en− teroscopy”, we believe that, based on the above explanation of the basic technical aspects of these procedures, a unifying term for both SBE and DBE should be “balloon−assisted enteroscopy” (BAE). References 1 Tsujikawa T, Saitoh Y, Andoh A et al. Novel single−balloon enteroscopy for diagnosis and treatment of the small intestine: pre− liminary experiences. Endoscopy 2008; 40: 11 ± 15 2 May A, Nachbar L, Ell C. Push−and−pull en− teroscopy using a single−balloon technique for difficult colonoscopy. Endoscopy 2006; 38: 395 ± 398 3 Mönkemüller K, Fry LC, Bellutti M et al. ERCP using single−balloon instead of double−bal− loon enteroscopy in patients with Roux−en− Y anastomosis. Endoscopy 2008; DOI: 10.1055/s−2007−966949 4 Yamamoto H, Sekine Y, Sato Y et al. Total en− teroscopy with a nonsurgical steerable dou− ble−balloon method. Gastrointest Endosc 2001; 53: 216± 220
LOREX (LORandite EXperiment) is a geochemical experiment addressing the solar (pp) neutrino flux for the period of 4.3 Ma from the reaction 205Tl + ve → 205Pb + e- with an unprecedentedly low threshold (52 keV) for solar pp-neutrino capture. A decisive step for this purpose is getting the precise, background-corrected ratio of 205Pb/205Tl in lorandite (TlAsS2). This report presents the status of major challenges being addressed, in particular the determination of the paleo-depth of lorandite, including the eroded layer over 4.3 Ma, as well as the choice of appropriate techniques for extraction, separation and quantitative determination of the ultra-low 205Pb concentration in the extracted lorandite samples.
In various forms of shock, TRH is equivalent to naloxone in reversing the hypotension and improving the survival rate. The present findings indicate that in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), TRH has another naloxone-like effect in antagonizing the antihypertensive response to clonidine and alpha-methyldopa. When given during the hypotensive response to alpha-methyldopa, both naloxone and TRH produce a pressor response. While this effect of naloxone is blocked by prazosin, the effect of TRH is not influenced by prazosin or hexamethonium but is inhibited by a vasopressin pressor antagonist. This suggests that the pressor response to naloxone is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system, whereas the similar action of TRH is independent of sympatho-adrenomedullary functions and it is mediated by vasopressin.
OBJECTIVES The Pain Treatment Satisfaction Scale (PTSS) was developed in a Western context for evaluating patients' satisfaction with pain treatment. Although the instrument was shown to possess good psychometric properties, its reliability and validity among ethnic Chinese has not been examined. This article reports the translation of the English-language version of the PTSS into Traditional Chinese Cantonese (ChPTSS) and the preliminary examination of the reliability and concurrent predictive validity of the ChPTSS.   METHODS A total of 201 Chinese patients with chronic pain completed the ChPTSS, the Chronic Pain Grade questionnaire, the mental health questions of the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), and questions assessing sociodemographic and pain characteristics.   RESULTS All ChPTSS scales demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach's αs ranging from 0.77 to 0.90, and they all correlated with two criterion measures, mental health quality life (QoL) and pain disability, in expected directions. Results of hierarchical multiple regression models showed that the ChPTSS scales predicted concurrent mental health QoL (F(6,191) = 5.20, P < 0.001) and pain disability (F(6,189) = 4.20, P < 0.01). "Side Effects" emerged as the only significant independent predictor in both models (mental health QoL: std β = -0.31, P < 0.001; pain disability: std β = 0.25, P < 0.01).   CONCLUSION Our results offer preliminary evidence for the reliability and concurrent predictive validity of the ChPTSS, which can be applied in Cantonese speaking context.
We proposed a method for enhancing the planar orientation of reactive mesogen (RM) molecules by means of anisotropic plasma treatment. Anisotropic surface plasma, of which energy density is dependent on the azimuthal angle, was generated by column-shaped ceramic electrodes. The anisotropic plasma was discharged on the surface of a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) alignment layer before the rubbing process began. The contact angle of the surface was increased from 12° to 83° after plasma treatment, indicating a hydrophobic property of the surface. From the atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurement, it was found that the grain size of the PVA layer was reduced and that the grooved patterns were formed provided that the plasma direction was parallel to the rubbing direction of the surface. Consequently, the planar orientation was enhanced, and the in-plane retardation of the photo-polymerized RM films increased when the parallel plasma was treated on the surface.
In the twentieth century, images have played a crucial role in the construction and reproduction of political power. Yet German historians have only recently begun to pay serious attention to the politics of images. The five books under review here show that visual power has operated in two major ways: first, through the production and circulation of the ‘right images’ of any specific historical event or period, which is the subject of almost all the works discussed here; and second, through the direct observation and surveillance of subjects considered by state authorities to constitute some kind of threat, as in the use of photography by the East German Stasi analysed in Karin Hartewig's pioneering study, Das Auge der Partei. What makes those who produce and circulate images believe that they will achieve the desired effect? Is it the subject, the style, the medium or the genre? Does it matter where and how viewers encounter images? Do officially approved pictures still contain messages that may allow viewers to read them in subversive ways? Does the attempt to control images actually promote the viewer's visual desire to see what has not been shown in the ‘right pictures’? These are some of the central questions which the books reviewed here address.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of international differences in supply chain management (SCM) perspectives and practices, by comparing perceptions of Scandinavian and American supply chain managers.Design/methodology/approach – The survey focused on the definition of SCM, along with facilitators of and barriers to SCM implementation. A four‐page questionnaire was designed and sent by mail. After follow‐ups, 23 Scandinavians and 104 Americans returned completed questionnaires.Findings – While many similarities were found between Scandinavians and Americans, several differences were also identified. Both groups have adopted broad, multiple function perspectives on SCM; and both groups perceive SCM implementation to be slower and more difficult than expected. Two differences are the Americans' greater concern about incompatible systems and implementation costs as barriers to SCM, compared to the Scandinavians.Research limitations/implications – The study is based on relatively...
Water hydraulic technology, an ideal green technology, attracts great attention in the field of power transmission & control technology. In this technology, natural water or sea water is used to replace mineral oil as working fluid in hydraulic circuits, with the great advantages of fireproofing, environment protection, safety, and with lower price. The paper introduces the changing process of the working fluid between water and the mineral oil after a brief review of the development of hydraulic technology, summarizes the achievements in the research of water hydraulic technology in China and other countries, analyzes the current technological problems such as friction and wear in components and the vibration noise in hydraulic systems, and it also discusses the application and prospect of the water hydraulic technology in the coal mine production systems, such as hydraulic support, gas drainage, and so on.
Background: Adverse experiences during childhood and recent stressful life events are each associated with women's reduced well-being and poorer health during pregnancy. Few studies, however, have focused upon pregnant women's social well-being, and inclusion of both independent variables in the same analysis is rare. This study focuses upon adverse experiences during childhood as well as recent life events in relationship to four aspects of social well-being: social support, couple aggression for partnered women, neighborhood safety, and food insecurity. Materials and Methods: A diverse community sample of 176 pregnant women completed questionnaires during their third trimester. A cross-sectional design was used that included retrospective reports of childhood experiences, as well as reports of recent life events and current well-being. Results: Adverse experiences during childhood were uniquely associated with couple aggression (β = 0.206, p = 0.026) and lower neighborhood safety (β = −0.185, p = 0.021). Recent stressful life events were uniquely associated with lower social support (β = −0.247, p = 0.001) and greater food insecurity (β = 0.494, p = 0.000). For social support and food insecurity, there was a significant indirect pathway from adverse childhood experiences through recent stressful life events. Adverse child experiences and recent stressful life events did not interact. Conclusions: A life-course perspective that considers women's experiences across their life span is critical for use by both researchers and health practitioners. Adverse childhood experiences and recent stressful life events are important for understanding social features of pregnant women's daily lives.
Beamforming and precoding/combining are techniques aimed at processing multiantenna signals at the transmitter and/or at the receiver of a wireless communication system. While they have been routinely used to improve performance in current and previous generations of mobile communications systems, they are expected to play a more fundamental role in 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) cellular systems, whose functionalities have been defined in the first phase of 3GPP 5G standardization process. Besides operating in traditional cellular sub-6 GHz frequency band, 5G NR has been natively designed also to work in the higher millimeter-wave (MMW) band. At lower frequencies, multiantenna techniques for 5G NR are mainly refinements of those originally designed for 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE). On the contrary, to cope with the peculiarities of MMW scenarios, such as the larger number of antenna elements, the more directional transmission, and the higher path loss values, new dynamic, user-specific, and computationally-efficient multiantenna solutions and procedures have been incorporated in 5G NR specifications. In particular, since multiantenna techniques for 5G NR generally need detailed channel state information (CSI), a complete redesign of the set of reference signals and procedures used for CSI acquisition and reporting was carried out. 5G NR is continuously evolving and new features will be added, while the existing ones will be enhanced in the second phase of 5G standardization, with emphasis on reduction of CSI overhead, robustness against spatial correlation among channels, unconventional transmission methods, and software-based reconfigurable antennas.
Abstract Availability of integrase strand transfer inhibitors created interest in determining whether their use would decrease persistently infected cell numbers. This study hypothesized that adding raltegravir (RAL) to standard antiretroviral therapy (ART) would decrease human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected CD4+ T cells more than standard combination ART. This was a pilot, randomized study comparing open-label standard triple ART to standard triple ART plus RAL over 96 weeks in ART-naive adults with early HIV infection. The primary objective was to compare quantity and trajectory of HIV DNA. Eighty-two persons were referred. A diverse set of reasons precluded the enrollment of all but 10. Those who enrolled and completed the study had an estimated median duration of HIV infection of 74 days at ART start. The groups had similar baseline characteristics. The RAL group had more rapid first phase plasma HIV RNA decay (0.67 log10 copies/mL/day) than with combination ART (0.34 log10copies/mL/day), p = 0.037. Second phase HIV RNA decay, residual viremia, cell-associated RNA, HIV DNA, CD4+ T-cells with replication-competent virus, and 2LTR circle levels did not differ between groups. Among those with entry plasma HIV RNA levels above the median, 2LTR circles were significantly lower over time than in those with lower entry HIV RNA levels (p = 0.02). Our results suggest homogeneity of responses in cell-associated RNA, HIV DNA, CD4+ T-cells with replication-competent virus, and 2LTR circles with early HIV in both ART groups. The kinetics of 2LTR DNA did not reflect the kinetics of plasma HIV RNA decline following ART initiation.
The cosmopolitan cultural behaviors employed by war films and teleplays in the reconstruction of national traumatic memories are worthy of understanding and respect. However, in present-day China, the quantity of Anti-Japanese War films and teleplays is abnormally high, and their values deeply enmeshed in a radical nationalism. The result is a general trend towards a “carnival of vengeful images.” Given the potential harms implicit in this situation, the question of just what kind of war narratives are appropriate for the contemporary circumstances of globalization should receive serious attention and reconsideration from society at large.
Aging is defined as the functional loss of tissues and organs over time. This is a biological, irreversible, progressive, and universal process that results from genetic and environmental factors, such as diet, physical activity, smoking, harmful alcohol consumption, and exposure to toxins, among others. Aging is a consequence of molecular and cellular damage built up over time. This damage begins with a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, thus increasing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Neuronal, functional, and structural damage can be explained by an imbalance among free radicals, reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, and antioxidants, which finally lead to oxidative stress. Due to the key role of free radicals, reactive oxygen species, and reactive nitrogen species, antioxidant therapy may reduce the oxidative damage associated with neurodegeneration. Exogenous antioxidants are molecules that may help maintain the balance between the formation and elimination of free radicals, thus protecting the cell from their toxicity. Among them, polyphenols are a broad group of secondary plant metabolites with potent antioxidant properties. Here, we review several studies that show the potential role of polyphenol consumption to prevent, or slow down, harmful oxidative processes linked to neurodegenerative disorders.
Hand geometry is one among the first biometrics to find practical use across an assortment of real-world security applications. A hand geometry based recognition system works by acquiring the image of a hand to determine the geometry and metrics namely the finger length, width and other attributes. Some of the existing hand geometry biometrics systems measure different parameters for efficient recognition. An important aspect of geometry based approach is the assumption that an individualpsilas hand does not drastically change after a certain age. Most of the existing systems use more number of attributes to describe a hand of which some like finger width may slightly vary over time. Including such attributes in the process of distance metric will notably reduce the accuracy of the system during practical implementation. So, we consider only some of the selected attributes which will not change significantly over short periods of time. Several segmentation algorithms were used in the process of extracting different kinds of features from the hand image. In this paper we present a model for hand geometry based human recognition. The paper proposes and uses some distinct features that enhance the accuracy of the recognition. In our previous work we successfully implemented a simple and very fast algorithm for hand image segmentation employing filtering, edge detection and region labeling techniques and arrived at comparable segmentation results. This technique has been employed to segment the hand images. In addition to the above, we propose the usage of some distinct features, which would enhance hand recognition much more precisely.
Transport is an inseparable part of the life of all citizens. At the beginning of the year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. Individual states have taken strict measures to prevent its spread among the population. Due to this fact, the government of the Slovak Republic has issued restrictions on the closure of public spaces (schools, shopping centres, restaurants, bars, etc.). These restrictions have had an impact not only on the economic activity of the population but also on their mobility in the form of reduced traffic. This is due to the drastically reduced mobility associated with the coronavirus, such as commuting trips and extremely limited leisure opportunities. Reduced mobility of the population (reduction of the number of vehicles in the traffic flow) can bring positive effects not only on overloaded road network (increased vehicle speed, lower flow) but also on the environment (reduction of noise, emissions, etc.). This article aims at finding out what effect the measures taken had on the quality of traffic flow. The quality of movement was examined in the form of the flow and speed of vehicles on one of the busiest first-class road sections. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the state of the restrictions. The results show that after the introduction of measures against the spread of coronavirus, the intensity and speed of vehicles in the measured section decreased.
This chapter describes the current situation of entrepreneurship in Haiti and the main obstacles entrepreneurs face in that country. It looks at entrepreneurship from a comparative-economics perspective (stressing quantitative variables) and from an anthropological perspective (stressing qualitative research). The chapter presents some case studies from the city of Jérémie and offers policy recommendations.
Abstract Objective: Sustained immune activation leads to cognitive dysfunctions, depression-, and anxiety-like behaviours in humans and rodents. It is modelled by administration of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to induce expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines that then activate indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO1), the rate-limiting enzyme in the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism. Here, we ask whether chronic IDO1 inhibition by 1-methyl-tryptophan (1-MT, added at 2 g/l in the drinking water) or chronic inhibition of tryptophan 2,3 dioxygenase (TDO2), another enzyme capable of converting tryptophan to kynurenine, by 680C91 (15 mg/kg per os), can rescue LPS-induced (0.83-mg/kg intraperitoneally) anxiety and cognitive deficits. We also investigate the acute effects of 680C91 on serotonergic, dopaminergic, and kynurenine pathway metabolites. Methods: We examined LPS-induced deficits in trace fear conditioning and anxiety in the light–dark box and elevated plus maze (EPM) in group-housed C57Bl6/N mice. Kynurenine pathway metabolites and monoamine levels were measured via high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: Chronic blockade of IDO1 with 1-MT did not rescue cognitive deficits or abrogate the anxiogenic behaviour caused by LPS despite a decrease in the brain kynurenine:tryptophan ratio. However, 1-MT by itself demonstrated anxiolytic properties in the EPM. Acute and chronic inhibition of TDO2 elevated brain levels of tryptophan, while chronic inhibition of TDO2 was unsuccessful in rescuing cognitive deficits and abrogating the anxiety caused by LPS. Conclusions: In line with previous studies, we show that LPS administration induces anxiety and cognitive dysfunctions in mice that however were not reversed by chronic blockade of IDO1 or TDO2 at the doses used.
Prolonged high-frequency stimulation of cutaneous nerves can result in paraesthesiae that begin 20 to 30 s after the end of the train and last for 5 to 10 min. In the present experiments the effects of such stimulation on the excitability of human cutaneous afferents and on their refractory and supernormal periods were measured to determine whether these changes could explain the postactivation paraesthesiae. Attention was focused on the axons of lowest threshold (1.0-1.5 T) in the compound sensory action potential evoked by stimulating the digital nerves of the index or middle fingers. Repetitive activation produced two opposing effects on the excitability of low-threshold cutaneous afferents. Following stimulus trains of short duration (1-5 min) the dominant effect was a long-lasting decrease in excitability, such that the amplitude of a test afferent volley was always less than before stimulation. With these trains, no subject experienced paraesthesiae. For 10 min after stimulus trains lasting longer than 7 to 12 min the dominant effect was an increase in excitability such that the amplitude of the test volley was greater than before stimulation. Within this interval, following such trains, subjects experienced paraesthesiae. The extent and duration of supernormality induced by a supramaximal conditioning stimulus were greatly increased by stimulation for 1 min. Following stimulation for 10 min, the degree of supernormality of the enhanced test volley was much the same as before stimulation, but was inappropriately high for the size of the test volley. The sum total of the excitability change and the change in supernormality resulted in a larger potential after stimulation, whether the train lasted 1 min or 10 min. It is concluded that the postactivation changes in axonal excitability could predispose the most excitable axons to generate ectopic impulses and, thereby, to produce paraesthesiae.
This paper examines the identification of the parameters of the Doyle-Fuller-Newman electrochemistry-based Lithium-ion battery model from voltage and current cycling data. The battery used in this study has a lithium iron phosphate cathode chemistry intended for high-power applications such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The variables optimized for model identification include parameterizations of the model's anode equilibrium potential, cathode equilibrium potential, and solution conductivity. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize these model parameters against experimental data. The resulting identified model fits two experimental data sets used for system identification, as well as separate validation data sets corresponding to five different vehicle drive cycles. These drive cycles simulate the current a battery would undergo while used in a plug-in hybrid vehicle battery pack. The accuracy of the parameters is investigated using various validation data sets. This is believed to be the first attempt at fitting nearly all of the parameters and functions in the DFN model simultaneously using only voltage and current data. Computational logistics of using a genetic algorithm to identify 88 parameters of an electrochemistry-based model for 7.5 hours of cycling data are discussed. In addition, a detailed analysis of local parameter identifiability is presented.
indicates the extent to which the movies have consistently quoted or borrowed from other musicals, but what she offers here is an account of generic development rather than a history which relates the movies to anything outside themselves. It is almost as if, as well as describing the musical's rejection of reality and work in favour of fantasy and entertainment, she has concurred in its choice, however conservative she regards that choice as being. As the films celebrate entertainment, Feuer at times seems to be celebrating the films' ingenuity in outwitting modernist critics. That impression, which does less than justice to the density of her analysis, is to an extent exacerbated by the book's format. Surprisingly for an ex-dissertation, it lacks both a bibliography and an index, while the pages they might have occupied are rather less usefully taken up with an abundance of not always necessary illustrations. It is unfortunate that so substantial a contribution to its subject as The Hollywood Musical should be marred by such flaws in its presentation, but it is perhaps more unfortunate that its argument should lack a final stage that would explore more closely the cultural conservatism Feuer identifies in the celebration of entertainment and romantic love. Woll's book illustrates that there are relations to be established between the musical and the external world, but while Feuer employs a more sophisticated methodology by which connections could be made, she herself stops short of making them. For a book of its brevity, to propose that it take on a further subject area might be expecting too much. But the case the book wishes to make would seem to require it, since without a demonstration of the musical's conservatism, Feuer's claim that it represents a challenge to modernism rests on theoretical assertion rather than evidence.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) opens the door for schools to develop ways to incorporate measures of social-emotional learning in their accountability systems. For those who have been advocating for a more nuanced set of indicators in state accountability systems, this opportunity was widely praised. For strict accountability hawks, such language represents a slippery slope. If schools are free to factor in measures that can’t be reliably tested, they worry that it creates an opening for all kinds of bad behavior by schools.
A new and rapid method for the laboratory diagnosis of measles, using the fluorescent antibody technique applied to nasopharyngeal secretions is described. The reliability of the method was best shown by correlation with clinical diagnosis, which gave an overall agreement of 95% in 53 cases of typical clinical measles and 72 control children. Correlation with results of tissue culture and serology was also good, though these methods are in practice too infrequently successful to be used as the main standards of reliability. The antiserum used for immunoflorescence showed no cross-reactivity with other viruses. Viruses could be identified by the fluorescent antibody technique from 4 days before to 10 days after the onset of the rash in a high proportion of cases. The wider applications of this method include rapid diagnosis of measles before the rash has appeared; in cases where clinical diagnosis is in doubt, especially in dark-skinned children, or when the illness has been modified by previous vaccination; prevention of cross-infection by early detection of measles; and investigation of the immune response and its relationship to nutritional status.
To the Editor:  With read with interest the article by Dacey et al reporting on the long-term outcomes of patients after coronary artery bypass grafting having undergone open or endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH). Use of EVH was associated with a significant reduction in long-term mortality and a nonsignificant increased risk of repeat revascularization.1  Current evidence shows that EVH provides advantages in terms of wound healing and the incidence of wound infections when compared with the open conventional technique. Endoscopic vein harvesting results in better cosmetics, reduced postoperative pain, and analgesia consumption, quicker postoperative mobilization, and a shorter length of hospital stay. However, there is an ongoing …
Platelet count (PLT) mean platelet volume (MPV) and plateletcrit (PCT) were determined for 117 Landrace x Large White piglets aged 3-21 days; counts were performed with an automated blood cell counter (ABX Pentra 120). Reference values were estimated following the guidelines of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) and the International Committee for Standardization in Haematology (ICSH). The calculated central 95% reference limits for PLT was 49.9-516.2 x 10(9)/1, for MPV 6.71-9.91 fl and for PCT 0.009-0.395%. When observations are divided into three age groups (about 1 week each) there is an increase in mean PLT count and PCT in 2-week piglets, and a decrease in MPV from the first to the third week of life. These reference values provide guidelines for interpreting for experimental and clinical observations, as well as for monitoring of the health status of similar aged piglets determined using automated impedance-light focusing methodology.
SUMMARY    A key step in many earthquake source inversions requires knowledge of the geometry of the fault surface on which the earthquake occurred. Our knowledge of this surface is often uncertain, however, and as a result fault geometry misinterpretation can map into significant error in the final temporal and spatial slip patterns of these inversions. Relying solely on an initial hypocentre and CMT mechanism can be problematic when establishing rupture characteristics needed for rapid tsunami and ground shaking estimates.        Here, we attempt to improve the quality of fast finite-fault inversion results by combining several independent and complementary data sets to more accurately constrain the geometry of the seismic rupture plane of subducting slabs. Unlike previous analyses aimed at defining the general form of the plate interface, we require mechanisms and locations of the seismicity considered in our inversions to be consistent with their occurrence on the plate interface, by limiting events to those with well-constrained depths and with CMT solutions indicative of shallow-dip thrust faulting. We construct probability density functions about each location based on formal assumptions of their depth uncertainty and use these constraints to solve for the ‘most-likely’ fault plane.        Examples are shown for the trench in the source region of the Mw 8.6 Southern Sumatra earthquake of March 2005, and for the Northern Chile Trench in the source region of the November 2007 Antofagasta earthquake. We also show examples using only the historic catalogues in regions without recent great earthquakes, such as the Japan and Kamchatka Trenches. In most cases, this method produces a fault plane that is more consistent with all of the data available than is the plane implied by the initial hypocentre and CMT mechanism. Using the aggregated data sets, we have developed an algorithm to rapidly determine more accurate initial fault plane geometries for source inversions of future earthquakes.
This paper describes a Coastal Water Camera System (CWCS) that provides the wide field of view, high spatial resolution and high SNR imaging spectroradiometry at ultraviolet (UV) through near infrared (NIR) wavelengths needed to meet challenging requirements for coastal water measurements from polar sun synchronous orbit (SSO). CWCS uses a flexible, modular architecture that can be scaled to fit within a wide range of mission resource constraints. CWCS includes 12 spectral bands selected from across a 375-960 nm spectral range. CWCS delivers the high spatial resolution (~50 m), high SNR (>775 in ~100 m pixel) UV-NIR measurements across a wide (~540 km) swath needed for effective coastal water imaging.
Purpose – This paper considers the changes in the nature of the public house sector in the UK.Design/methodology/approach – Profiles the changing nature of the public house sector using published reports and current literature. Comments on the emerging trends and the impacts that they are having on the UK public house sector.Findings – Reveals that many of the old‐style licensees have not been able to adapt to new trading circumstances and are preparing to leave the industry.Practical implications – Indicates that pub‐owning companies need to recruit a different type of lessee or tenant in the future, characterized by a dynamic sales presence, able to continually generate incremental improvements in pub income.Originality/value – Reviews the changing characteristics of the UK public house sector.
Objective: For many literature review tasks, including systematic review (SR) and other aspects of evidence-based medicine, it is important to know whether an article describes a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Current manual annotation is not complete or flexible enough for the SR process. In this work, highly accurate machine learning predictive models were built that include confidence predictions of whether an article is an RCT. Materials and Methods: The LibSVM classifier was used with forward selection of potential feature sets on a large human-related subset of MEDLINE to create a classification model requiring only the citation, abstract, and MeSH terms for each article. Results: The model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.973 and mean squared error of 0.013 on the held out year 2011 data. Accurate confidence estimates were confirmed on a manually reviewed set of test articles. A second model not requiring MeSH terms was also created, and performs almost as well. Discussion: Both models accurately rank and predict article RCT confidence. Using the model and the manually reviewed samples, it is estimated that about 8000 (3%) additional RCTs can be identified in MEDLINE, and that 5% of articles tagged as RCTs in Medline may not be identified. Conclusion: Retagging human-related studies with a continuously valued RCT confidence is potentially more useful for article ranking and review than a simple yes/no prediction. The automated RCT tagging tool should offer significant savings of time and effort during the process of writing SRs, and is a key component of a multistep text mining pipeline that we are building to streamline SR workflow. In addition, the model may be useful for identifying errors in MEDLINE publication types. The RCT confidence predictions described here have been made available to users as a web service with a user query form front end at: http://arrowsmith.psych.uic.edu/cgi-bin/arrowsmith_uic/RCT_Tagger.cgi.
Forging the Golden Urn is the first monograph in English dedicated to the Golden arguably the most cited yet least studied institution in the history of the Qing’s engage-ment with The Golden a to help identify the reincarnation of a trülku by means of a lottery. A trülku is a being that can designate its own rebirth by virtue of extraordinary Buddhist cultivation, as well as a central figure in the monastic, social, and economic life of a local Buddhist society. While the most commonly known examples of trülku are the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, on whose lineages contemporary polemics on the Golden Urn have concentrated, Oidtmann’s book draws our attention to the device’s much wider appli-cation in identifying lesser known yet locally important trülku in the Buddhist societies in Qing Inner Asia.
A family of [Pt(II)(diimine)(dithiolate)] complexes of general formula [Pt{X,X'(CO(2)R)(2)-2,2'-bipyridyl}(maleonitriledithiolate)] (where X = 3, 4, or 5 and R = H or Et) have been synthesized, spectroscopically and electrochemically characterized, and attached to a TiO(2) substrate to be tested as solar cell sensitizers. A single-crystal X-ray structure showing a large torsion angle between the bipyridyl rings was determined for [Pt{3,3'(CO(2)Et)(2)-2,2'-bipyridyl}(maleonitriledithiolate)].MeCN. The effect of changing the position of the bipyridyl substituents from 3,3' to 4,4' and 5,5' is discussed with reference to structural and electronic changes seen within the different members of the family of molecules. The first UV/vis/NIR spectroelectrochemical study of complexes of this general formula is discussed. All three complexes (where R = H) were tested as solar cell sensitizers, with the 3,3'-disubstituted bipyridyl complex giving an intermediate dye loading value but superior photovoltaic performance to those of the other two. The performance of this sensitizer is then compared with that of a well-known Ru polypyridyl sensitizer, the ditetrabutylammonium salt of [RuL(2)(NCS)(2)] (L = 2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylato), commonly called N719.
Functional shift of the mandible in transversal malocclusion in almost all cases lead to severe an esthetic and functional impairment. As a result, the later of the treatment of adult patients with severe and formed by deformation of the maxillofacial area with marked facial asymmetry become a orthodontist big problem, because not bring the expected results, and ultimately does not satisfy neither the patient, nor the doctor. Often requires a complex of bone-reconstructive surgery in conjunction with orthodontic rehabilitation, which is fraught with complications.
The human G-leukocyte antigen (HLA-G) molecule is a non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule. The pertinence of HLA-G has been investigated in numerous studies which have sought to elucidate the relevance of HLA-G in pathologic conditions, such as autoimmune diseases, cancers, and hematologic malignancies. One of the main goals of the current research on HLA-G is to use this molecule in clinical practice, either in diagnostics or as a therapeutic target. Since HLA-G antigens are currently considered as immunomodulatory molecules that are involved in reducing inflammatory and immune responses, in this review, we decided to focus on this group of antigens as potential determinants of progression in autoimmune diseases. This article highlights what we consider as recent pivotal findings on the immunomodulatory function of HLA-G, not only to establish the role of HLA-G in the human body, but also to explain how these proteins mediate the immune response.
Series Introduction Preface Contributors Introduction: Exploitation of Conventional and Industrial Microorganisms Yoshikatsu Afurooka Regulation and Safety of Recombinant Microorganisms Fusao Tomita Contributions of Recombinant Microbes and Their Potential Arnold L. Demain, Akira Kimura, and Atsuhiko Shinmyo Pharmacologically Active Agents and Health Care Overproduction of Heterologous Proteins in Escherichia coli Hisashi Yasueda and Hiroshi Adatsui Extremely Efficient Protein Secretion System in Bacillus brevis Shigezo Udaka and Hideo Yamagata Secretory Production of Homologous and Heterologous Proteins by Recombinant Streptomyces: What Has Been Accomplished? Istvan Afolnar Antibiotics Produced by Streptomyces Host-Vector Systems Afasanori Sugiyama Lactam Antibiotics Produced by Genetically Engineered Filamentous Fungi T. Vichitsoonthonkul, Y. W. Chu, H. S. Sodhi, and G. Saunders Heterologous Protein Production by Yeast Host-Vector Systems Satoshi Harashima Glutathione and Its Derivatives: Produced by Recombinant Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Kousaku Afurata Recombinant Microbial ADP-Ribosylating Toxins of Bordetella pertussis, Vibiro cholerae, and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli: Structure, Function, and Toxoid Vaccine Development W. Neal Burnette, Witold Cieplak, Jr., Harvey R. Kaslow, Rino Rappuoli, and Elaine I. Tuomanen Recombinant Antigens as Components of a Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine Andrew J. Makoff, Ian G. Charles, and Neil F. Fairweather Escherichia* coli Producing Recombinant Antibodies Andreas Pliickthun Antibody Produced by Using Escherichia coli Expression Systems Tatsuro Shibui and Kenji Nagahari Enzyme Production Fundamental Aspects of Secretory Enzyme Production by Recombinant Microbes Noboru Takizawa, Mitsuo Yamashita, and Yoshikatsu Murooka Escherichia coli Secretion Vector Using the kil Gene Toshiaki Kudo Thermostable Enzymes Produced by Recombinant Mesophilic and Thermophilic Bacteria Tadayuki Imanaka Enzymes Used for Recombinant DNA Technology Produced by Recombinant Microbes Bunsei Kawakami Starch-Processing Enzymes Produced by Recombinant Bacteria Hideo Yamagata and Shigezo Udaka Starch-Processing Enzymes Produced by Recombinant Yeasts and Fungi I chiro Yamashita Microbial Lipase: Structure and Production Yuji Shimada, Akio Sugihara, and Yoshio Tominaga Enzyme Production by Recombinant Aspergillus David B. Archer Cellulases, Xylanases, and Their Genes from Bacteria Kyo Shimada, Shuichi Karita, Kazuo Sakka, and Kunio Ohmiya Yeast as Source for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Proteins Annie De Baetselier-Van Broekhoven Improvement of Useful Enzymes by Protein Engineering Tadayuki Imanaka Production of Food and Beverages Amino Acids: Genetically Engineered Serratia marcescens Saburo Komatsubara Host-Vector Systems for Amino Acid-Producing Coryneform Bacteria Konosuke Sano Fermented Milk Products: Genetic Improvement of Dairy Lactobacilli Takashi Sasaki Vinegar: Genetic Improvement of Acetobacter and Gluconobacter Masahiro Fukaya Alcoholic Beverages: Genetic Improvement of Yeasts Kenichi Shimizu, Yoichi Yokomori, and Kazuyoshi Kitano Fish Growth Hormones: Production and Application of Recombinant Hormones Seiji Sugimoto and Seiga ltoh Approaches to Hybridization and Applied Genetics by Protoplast Fusion: Koji-Molds and Mushrooms Kihachiro Ogawa Detection of Pathogenic Bacteria in Foods by Using Recombinant DNA Techniques Hau-Yang Tsen Microbes Used in Agriculture Agrobacterium and Plant Genetic Engineering Masami Sekine and Atsuhiko Shinmyo Basic Analysis of Bacillus subtilis NB22 and Its Application to Biological Control Makoto Shoda and Takashi Ano Genetic Engineering on Bacillus thuringiensis Insecticidal Proteins Keiko Nakamura Filamentous Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes: Development of Host-Vector Systems Kazuo Shishido Cyanobacteria and Algae Takashi Yamada Associative Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria in the Rhizosphere of Rice Takeshi Uozumi Fuels, Chemicals, and Waste Treatment Strain Improvement of Zymomonas mobilis for Ethanol Production Hideshi Yanase, Nobuo Kato, and Kenzo Tonomura Ethanol Production by Genetically Improved Clostridium Naotaka Kurose and Kenzo Tonomura Alcohol Production by Genetically Improved Yeast Toshihiko Ashikari and Hajime Yoshizumi Hydrogen Production by Photosynthetic Bacteria and Microalgae Kazuhisa Miyamoto Heterologous Gene Expression in C1 Compound-Utilizing Yeasts Gerd Gellissen Industrial Chemicals: Enzymatic Transformation by Recombinant Microbes Masahisa Ikemi Genetically Engineered Microorganisms Exploitation for Biocleaning of Coal: A Countermeasure to Acid Rain Jun-ichi Koizumi Degradation of Recalcitrant Synthetic Chemical Products: Genetic Engineering in Pseudomonads Masao Fukuda Current Advances in Methane Fermentation Toshihide Kakizono and Naomichi Nishio Appendix: Cloning Vectors Commonly Used for Recombinant Microorganisms Mitsuo Yamashita Index
The aim of this study was to investigate of the effect on thermal and residual stresses of parabolic temperature loading in a thermoplastic composite disc. It was reinforced by steel-fibers as unidirectional for radial direction. The finite element method (FEM) was used to estimate the thermal elastic, elasto-plastic, and also the residual stress distributions in the selected model of the composite disc. Consequently, the thermal stress analysis was carried out using ANSYS finite element software. The temperature loading was selected to vary parabolically from inner surface to outer surface along the radial sections. Different values of it were effected in the disc model. Thermal loading was chosen from 80°C to 120°C. Because of the composite disc having different thermal expansions in radial and tangential directions, thermal stresses were produced in it by the applied thermal loadings. The values of the tangential stress components both elastic and elasto-plastic solutions were higher than the radial stress components. Besides, the residual stress components were calculated using elastic and elasto-plastic solution results. The results obtained showed that the magnitude of thermal and residual stresses considerably increased parabolic temperature loadings.
Treating relationships has become the hallmark of increasing numbers of therapists in the last decade. The interest in the field of marriage and and family counseling is also reflected by the mushrooming number of theoretical and empirical publications. This paper reviews some of the conceptual and programmatic trends that are occurring and also highlights several of the trends in evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment.
Abstract Changes in tissue nutrient concentrations and surface phosphatase activities of eight moss species were measured over one year in terrestrial and semi-aquatic environments on Widdybank Fell, Upper Teesdale National Nature Reserve, northern England. Rates of phosphatase activity in apical regions of moss shoots differed markedly between species, but were generally greatest in the winter and least in the summer in most species. Mean values for phosphomonoesterase activity (µmol para-nitrophenol g-1 d.wt h-1) ranged from 18.2 for Polytrichum commune to 85.8 for Palustriella commutata var. falcata. Mean phosphodiesterase activity ranged from 3.1 for Polytrichum commune to 86.2 for Hylocomium splendens. In contrast, tissue nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations remained relatively constant throughout the year. Phosphatase activities were negatively correlated with tissue phosphorus concentration for several species, although few relationships were detected between ambient nutrient concentrations and phosphatase activity, tissue nitrogen, or tissue phosphorus concentration. These results demonstrate that phosphatase activities can provide a sensitive indicator of nutrient stress in terrestrial and semi-aquatic mosses, notably in the ectohydric Hylocomium splendens. However, further studies at sites with a wide range of nutrient levels are required to determine whether the technique can be used to indicate ambient nutrient status.
Electronic registration has been a remarkable Ontario achievement. For it, Ontario converted millions of properties from registry to land titles. The Ontario 40-year rule governed this, but Ontario, wisely used a streamlined process. Sadly, the conversions led to a political interpretation of that rule. Ramsay is an outstanding example of the Ontario Court of Appeal's judicial interpretation. Rights of way have become a lightning rod for fundamental questions about the Ontario land registration systems. This original 2014 article shows fully how the conversions affected rights of way.
This study investigates the constraint-force driven control problem of virtual coupling. To solve the constraint force, the explicit equation of vehicle motion with equality constraints is established using the Udwadia–Kalaba approach. First of all, this study introduces a brief overview of virtual coupling concepts in the European Railway Traffic Management System and some scenes of virtual coupling. The control method is proposed to enable the mechanical system to follow the designed constraint. Moreover, the dynamic model for virtual coupling problem is established. Second, combined with the dynamic model, the equation constraint is designed to make the rail vehicle movenment reach the control objective. By solving the equation based on the Udwadia–Kalaba approach, the control inputs that can render the vehicle to move along the desired trajectory. Third, numerical simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in virtual coupling problem.
A 20O-WORD OR LESS FACTUAL SUMMARY OF MOST SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION. IF DOCUMENT INCLUDES A SIGNIFICANT BIBUOGRAPHY OR LITERATURE SURVEY, MENTION IT HERE.) The Polymers Division recently sponsored an industry workshop on polymer composite processing with participation by 24 organizations representing the automotive, electronics, aerospace, marine, construction and material supplier sectors of U.S. industry. The meeting was designed to update and expand on the results of an earlier meeting which identified the most promising processing methods for the future and the technical and scientific barriers that currently hinder the use of these methods. The attendees strongly advised that pressure molding and liquid molding are the most important processing methods for the future. The industry’s present inability to control resin flow and fiber orientation were considered the most important technical barriers, while process monitoring and the measurement and control of fiber-matrix adhesion were also deemed important. The recent workshop was also asked to identify the most important issues in the performance of composites. Two topics, impact damage and environmental attack, were selected as critical to performance by all industry sectors. The results of the workshop will be used to guide the development of the NIST composites program. 12.
Evidence is established for the existence of alternative metabolic routes of N-oxidation of NN-dimethylaniline in rabbit liver microsomal fraction. One pathway involves the participation of two types of cytochrome P-450 with different sensitivities towards heat. Both types may represent distinct haemoprotein species or two physical forms of a single pigment. The other pathway is represented by the mixed-function amine oxidase. The enzyme lacks NADPH dehydrogenase activity and is insensitive to treatment with 2-bromo-4'-nitroacetophenone and steapsin: it catalyses N-oxidation of imipramine, trimethylamine and NN-dimethylaniline in molar proportions considerably different from those of the cytochrome P-450-supported reactions. Cytochrome P-450 is estimated to account for the formation of at least 50-60% of the total NN-dimethylaniline N-oxide formed in the intact rabbit liver microsomal fraction, the remainder arising from the action of the mixed-function amine oxidase.
Significance: Jamison and co-workers present a photoredox-catalyzed hydrocarboxylation of styrenes using CO2 and pentamethylpiperidine (PMP). The reactions are performed in flow (tR = 8 min) to provide the anti-Markovnikov adducts in moderate to good yields with high degrees of chemoand regioselectivity. Functional group tolerance and preliminary mechanistic investigations are disclosed. Comment: This method offers a complementary approach to metal-catalyzed hydrocarboxylation reactions of styrenes, which often afford the corresponding Markovnikov adducts. Metal catalysis has recently been used to affect hydrocarboxylation reactions of simple olefins (M. Gaydou, T. Moragas, F. Juliá-Hernández, R. Martin J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 12161). A similar substrate expansion to simple alkyl olefins would bolster the synthetic capacity of this methodology. + CO2 R1
Helminths are multicellular eukaryotic invertebrates with complex life cycles and development. Nematodes (roundworms) and platyhelminths (flatworms) are 2 groups of helminths that colonize the interior of humans. The nematodes include most of intestinal wormsand the filarial worms, whereas the platyhelminths include the flukes, such as the schistosomes, and the tapeworms [1]. Unlike other pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, or protozoa, helminths do not proliferate within their final hosts and the worm burdens in individual hosts depend on the number of initial parasites.
A combined computational and infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopic investigation shows that protonated d-(+)-biotin, formed in the gas phase by ESI-MS, acquires a folded structure with proton bonding between the ureido and valeryl carbonyls, and that only a single conformer of such a structure predominates. A uniform frequency vs distance correlation function is proposed for the O(+)-H···O and N-H···O bonds involved in the folded conformers of O2'-protonated d-(+)-biotin in the gas phase which, therefore, depends exclusively on the corresponding geometric parameters.
This brief Symposium Essay comments on Professor Kate Litvak's Article, The Price of Stability: Default Penalties in Venture Capital Partnership Agreements. Litvak organizes her Article around the concept that it is helpful to characterize contract default penalties as put options. Using a sample of 37 venture fund agreements, Litvak sets the harshness of the default penalty as her dependent variable. She then runs regressions against several independent variables: fund size, fund number, fund vintage year, amount of carry, and so on. Litvak finds a relationship between fund governance and the harshness of default penalties. More precisely, she finds a relationship between her proxies for the need for contractual protections against agency costs and the size of one possible contractual protection: default penalties for failing to answer a capital call. As agency costs (and the need for contractual protections) decrease, contractual penalties increase. The threat of capital withdrawal, she concludes, is a useful contractual tool to reduce agency costs between investors and low-quality venture capitalists. I argue in this Essay that while it is conceptually accurate to characterize contract default penalties as put options, it is not especially helpful to do so. Practical considerations force Litvak to exclude an important element from her model; the cost to an investor's reputation when it fails to heed a capital call. To draw any useful conclusions, Litvak should account not only for the nominal penalty written in the contract, but also the real world penalty of never being allowed to invest in venture capital again. The reputation cost varies depending on the clientele of the fund. Pension funds, university endowments, and other repeat players care deeply about their reputations, while some individuals and corporate investors might be indifferent. And so the variation in contract default penalties might, in fact, be more strongly predicted by a clientele effect that she does not, and for practical purposes, cannot measure. In my mind, then, Litvak fails to make a persuasive case that governance considerations really have the effect she suggests. Moreover, Litvak's theory does not seem to comport with recent real world experience: the lemming-like answering of VC capital calls following the NASDAQ crash of March 2000.
Efficient enzymatic resolutions are reported for the preparation of new eight-membered ring-fused enantiomeric β-amino acids [(1R,2S)-9 and (1S,2R)-9] and β-lactams [(1S,8R)-3, (1R,8S)-3 (1S,8R)-4 and (1R,8S)-7], through asymmetric acylation of (±)-4 (E > 100) or enantioselective hydrolysis (E > 200) of the corresponding inactivated (±)-3 or activated (±)-4 β-lactams, catalyzed by PSIM or CAL-B in an organic solvent. CAL-B-catalyzed ring cleavage of (±)-6 (E > 200) resulted in the unreacted (1S,8R)-6, potential intermediate for the synthesis of enantiomeric anatoxin-a. The best strategies, in view of E, reaction rate and product yields, which underline the importance of substrate engineering, are highlighted.
The New Jersey Educational Computer Network (NJECN) is working to establish a Faculty Intern Program, the purpose of which is to bring faculty into a direct support role for academic computing. Creation of this program is motivated by several factors: (1) the small size of the central support staff relative to the user community; (2) the lack of discipline expertise among the central staff; and (3) the traditional lack of reward structure for those faculty engaged in instructional computing.  We anticipate that by funding faculty for limited periods of time to develop and document instructional materials, we will be able to shift the role of evaluating and promoting instructional computing applications from the central staff to those people with the appropriate discipline expertise. In addition, the program will provide a vehicle for faculty publications and professional development.
It is likely that many musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the result of a gradual accumulation of damage that results from a process of fatigue failure. Studies on the mechanical responses of cadaveric materials to loading provide much of our knowledge of the properties of human tissues and should be of considerable interest to the ergonomist. The purpose of the present investigation was to perform Weibull analyses on data provided in fatigue failure studies of human extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and human lumbar motion segments to evaluate the reliability and fatigue life when these materials are loaded at various levels of their ultimate strength.
Ostrich farming is a new field of livestock production in Egypt and still in its infancy stage in comparison to the poultry industry. Parasitism is considered as a potential health problem hindering the development of ostrich production resulting in economic losses. Feathers and fresh faecal samples were collected from 26 farmed ostriches and examined microscopically for external and internal parasites. Three species of ectoparasites ; Gabucinia bicaudata (3.85%) , Dermoglyphus pachycnemis (3.85%) , Struthiolipeurus struthionis (3.85%) and four species of internal ones; Strongylid egg " Libyostongylus sp. or Codiostomum sp." (3.85%) , Cryptosporidium sp. (15.38%) Eimeria sp. (3.85%) , Balantidium struthionis (7.69%) were recorded and identified. Dermoglyphus pachycnemis was reported for the first time in farmed ostrich in Egypt.
Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a rare neuromuscular disorder typically characterised by early contractures, slowly progressive muscular wasting, and life-threatening heart conduction disturbances, which can develop into a cardiomyopathy. Some severe neonatal cases have also been identified. There is a wide intrafamilial and interfamilial clinical variability. Genetically, X-linked recessive (EMD1 and EDMD6), autosomal dominant (EMD2, EDMD4 and EDMD5) and autosomal recessive (EMD3) forms can be distinguished. By molecular genetic methods, EDMD can be associated with mutations in the STA (emerin gene symbol), LMNA (lamin A/C gene symbol), SYNE (nesprin gene symbol)1, SYNE2 and Four and a Half LIM Domain 1 (FHL1) genes. Female carriers of the X-linked forms may manifest with cardiac symptoms but heterozygous carriers of the autosomal forms do not show symptoms. Only approximately 46% of unrelated EDMD patients have a mutation in known genes pointing to further genetic heterogeneity in EDMD. The molecular pathogenesis is unresolved, but there is evidence for gene expression changes via altered nuclear signalling and for reduced resistance of muscles to physical damage during contraction.        Key Concepts:        Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a neuromuscular disorder recognised clinically by three features: early contractures, a characteristic pattern of muscle wasting and cardiac conduction defects.          EDMD was originally described as an X-linked disorder, later found to be caused by mutations in the STA gene encoding a nuclear membrane protein, emerin.          Molecular genetic analysis allows precise subtyping of EDMD into X-linked forms (STA and FHL1 associated), autosomal dominant forms (LMNA, SYNE1/SYNE2 associated) and an autosomal recessive form (LMNA associated).          Wide clinical variability of EDMD and clinical overlap with other clinical entities frequently require consideration of patients not completely fulfilling the EDMD diagnostic criteria for molecular genetic differentiation in STA, LMNA, SYNE1/SYNE2 and FHL1.          Digenic pathogenesis has been observed including LMNA/STA, LMNA/DES and SYNE1/SYNE2.          In most cases, EDMD mutations affect proteins located in the nuclear membrane where they interact with each other.          Many patients do not have mutations in genes identified so far, so further genes are expected to be involved in the pathogenesis of EDMD.              Keywords:    Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy;  contractures;  cardiomyopathy;  STA;  SYNE;  FHL1;  emerin;  lamin A/C;  nesprin;  nuclear membrane
Background— Studies on ischemic heart disease (IHD) incidence in individuals with celiac disease (CD) are contradictory and do not take small intestinal pathology into account. Methods and Results— In this Swedish population-based cohort study, we examined the risk of IHD in patients with CD based on small intestinal histopathology. We defined IHD as death or incident disease in myocardial infarction or angina pectoris in Swedish national registers. In 2006 to 2008, we collected duodenal/jejunal biopsy data on CD (equal to villous atrophy; Marsh 3; n=28 190 unique individuals) and inflammation without villous atrophy (Marsh 1 to 2; n=12 598) from all 28 pathology departments in Sweden. A third cohort consisted of 3658 individuals with normal mucosa but positive CD serology (Marsh 0, latent CD). We found an increased risk of incident IHD in patients undergoing small intestinal biopsy that was independent of small intestinal histopathology (CD: hazard ratio [HR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 1.28; 991 events; inflammation: HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.39; 809 events; and latent CD: HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.87 to 1.50; 62 events). Celiac disease (HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.40) and inflammation (HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.52) were both associated with death resulting from IHD, whereas latent CD was not (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.34 to 1.50). Conclusions— Individuals with CD or small intestinal inflammation are at increased risk of incident IHD. We were unable to show a positive association between latent CD and incident IHD.
Youth experiencing homelessness have seldom had the opportunity to contribute to conversations about policies and practices that impact their day-to-day lives. Brinegar highlighted middle level education research’s contribution to the lack of representation of the voices of youth from marginalized perspectives. Where opportunities lack, dominant narratives persist. The word homeless often conjures deficit-laden images of ineptitude and unintelligence. This qualitative humanizing research study worked with one participant, AJ, who created maps and other identity artifacts as a means of illuminating his funds of identity that were then analyzed using Creswell and Poth’s data analysis spiral. Though results showed AJ to be a young adolescent with multiple funds of identity, the purpose of this article is to present how AJ draws great strength and purpose from his identity as a creator, despite transience between schools, who leverages technology for his personal and academic benefit. These results describe a young adolescent whose resilience and funds of identity transcend dominant narratives surrounding homelessness and point to opportunities for educator support in curriculum development and school-level policy.
We report on infrared supercontinuum (SC) generation in step-index fluoroindate-based fiber by using an all-fiber laser source. In comparison to widely used ZBLAN fibers for high-power mid-infrared (MIR) SC generation, fluoroindate fibers have multiphoton absorption edges at significantly longer wavelengths and can sustain similar intensities. Recent developments highlighted in the present study allowed the production of fluoroindate fibers with MIR background loss of 2 dB/km, which is similar to or even better than ZBLAN fibers. By using an all-fiber picosecond laser source based on an erbium amplifier followed by a thulium power amplifier, we demonstrate the generation of 1.0 W infrared SC spanning over 2.25 octaves from 1 μm to 5 μm. The generated MIR SC also exhibits high spectral flatness with a 6 dB spectral bandwidth from 1.91 μm to 4.77 μm and an average power two orders of magnitude greater than in previous demonstrations with a similar spectral distribution.
Background noise can interfere with and influence acoustic communication behavior. Signal interference is dependent on the amplitude and spectral characteristic of background noise, which varies over space and time. The likelihood of signal interference is greater when background noise is concentrated within the same frequency bands of an animal’s vocalization, but even a partial masking effect can elicit signaling behavior modification. Relative to a rural landscape, background noise in an urban landscape is disproportionately comprised by anthro- pogenic sound, which fluctuates in amplitude throughout the day and occurs primarily in low frequencies (0–2 kHz). In this study, we examined if urban-rural differences in vocal activity patterns exist in a species Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli that communicates above the frequency range of anthropogenic noise (2–8 kHz). We tested whether vocal activity patterns changed in relation to sound in the high or low frequency bands within and between urban and rural locations. Automated acoustic recording devices (ARDs) continuously recorded throughout the morning song chorus, 0500 to 1,100 h, during the 2014 breeding season in San Francisco (urban) and Marin (rural) Counties, CA. Supervised learning cluster analysis was used to quantify vocal activity by totaling the number of songs. In general, vocal activity was greater in urban locations com- pared to rural locations. However, within rural and urban study sites, we found vocal activity decreased where low frequency noise levels were higher. There was not a relationship between vocal activity and high frequency, biotic sound. In both urban and rural locations, low frequency noise levels increased through the morning, while vocal activity remained relatively consistent. Our results demonstrate how patterns of vocal activity can change with low frequency, abiotic noise, even when there is no direct spectral overlap with the acoustic signal.
The visual system is a source of sensory information that perceives environmental stimuli and interacts with other sensory systems to generate visual and postural responses to maintain postural stability. Although the three sensory systems; the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems work concurrently to maintain postural control, the visual and vestibular system interaction is vital to differentiate self-motion from external motion to maintain postural stability. The visual system influences postural control playing a key role in perceiving information required for this differentiation. The visual system’s main afferent information consists of optic flow and retinal slip that lead to the generation of visual and postural responses. Visual fixations generated by the visual system interact with the afferent information and the vestibular system to maintain visual and postural stability. This review synthesizes the roles of the visual system and their interaction with the vestibular system, to maintain postural stability.
In general, the manufacturing industry relies more on machine-based processes. However, in certain activities, human labor is still needed due to the limitations of the machine function, as humans are faster than the machine. However, the activities using human muscle power are at risk of postural stress and early work fatigue. Work fatigue will affect work performance and productivity. The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), which do not consider work attitude, will result in inconvenience at work and complaints on body parts and decreased performance. Besides, it also causes the inability to meet production targets so that employees cannot reach the maximum wage, and the company suffers losses. The redesign of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is needed to make people as the center of all improvement activities. The design used in this study was treatment by subject design . The results showed that there were differences (p <0.05) between pre- and post-intervention results, Decreased postural stress complaints (moment of compressive force) in posture 1 (7.31%), posture 2 (23.09%), and posture 3 (4.74%). In comparison, the reduction of work fatigue was obtained from 81.26±10.85 to 70.87±3.68 (12.78%). After the implementation of ergonomic-based SOPs, there was an increase in employee income by 25.23% or (IDR 2,068,091/month) and an increase in company profits (IDR 51,702,286/month). The implementation of ergonomic-based SOPs was able to reduce postural stress, fatigue, and to increase employee income and company profits.
It is estimated that 80% of SARS-CoV-2 patients have olfactory disturbances and many also have dysgeusia or ageusia   (an interruption or loss of taste, respectively) or changes in chemesthesis, the ability to perceive irritants by TRP   receptors. Anosmia (loss of sense of smell) and dysgeusia been termed 'sentinel symptoms'. Anosmia and ageusia   represent a real health risk and can also cause nutritional deficits'. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in the oral cavity   could cause changes in the production or quality of saliva, contributing to the symptoms of taste loss. Since the   activation of TRPs by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) contributes to inflammation and pain, research is focusing on   several biological mediators related to TRPs and oxidative radicals that could help the development of treatments for   pain itself and some COVID related symptoms.  Recent studies have found that Nuclear Factor Erythroid-Related Factor 2 (NRF2) is a transcription factor that   regulates cellular defence against toxic and oxidative insults. Compounds that can activate or induce NRF2 include   garlic H2S polysulphides, cinnaldehyde in cinnamon, polyphenols in green tea, curcumin, a polyphenolic compound   found in curcuma, piperine, an alkaloid found in black pepper, and glucoraphanin found in broccoli.   In addition, there is a substantial electrophilic interaction between NRF2, TRPA1 and TPV1 that results in their   desensitisation. TRPV1 receptors enter a refractory state (commonly called desensitisation) that leads to inhibition of   receptor function as repeated stimulation leads to a progressive reduction in their response. To counteract some of   the effects induced by SARS-CoV-2, a rapid desensitisation of TRPs by certain foods is therefore proposed which   could reduce the severity of symptoms (including cough, loss of taste and smell) and provide new therapeutic   strategies.
One hundred sixty-nine patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia are reported and compared with the 62 patients reported in 1983. Prompt recognition of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and immediate cessation of heparin administration lowered the complication and death rates from 61% (38/62) to 22.5% (38/169) and from 23% (14/62) to 12% (21/169), respectively. Platlet count and duration of heparin administration were not useful in predicting the outcome of the heparin-induced thrombocytopenia syndrome. Patients who received heparin in therapeutic doses were at higher risk for developing complications than were patients receiving lower doses of heparin. Platelet aggregation tests became negative as early as 7 days after discontinuation of heparin but persisted as long as 28 months. Heparin reexposure (2 days to 34 months after positive aggregation studies) was uneventful in 13 of 15 patients, whereas two patients suffered devastating thrombotic complications. Five patients continued to receive heparin despite positive platelet aggregation tests. The serious complications suffered by two of these five patients illustrate the necessity to discontinue heparin as soon as the diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is established.
We have studied the effect of polypeptide concentration on the helix–coil transition of poly(γ‐benzyl L‐glutamate) (PBLG) in both dichloroacetic acid (DCA) and DCA–chloroform (CHF) mixtures. In agreement with other reports, we find the van't Hoff transition enthalpy to be strongly dependent on PBLG concentration. Also, an apparent effect of polypeptide concentration was noted on the transition temperature; however, corrections for finite PBLG concentration on the mole fraction of DCA seem to remove this effect. In order to explain our data, as well as some calorimetric data in the literature, we consider the transition free energy and enthalpy as a sum of three partial terms. These represent the thermodynamic parameters associated with: (1) conformational changes of the polypeptide, e.g. formation or disruption of intramolecular hydrogen bonds; (2) binding by the strong acid to the nonhelical segments of the polypeptide; (3) an overall (weak) interaction of the polypeptide with the nonbound solvent giving rise to dilution parameters that are dependent on the polypeptide conformation. The latter effect is generally ignored, since it is assumed that solvent interactions, other than specific binding, are similar for both the helical and the nonhelical conformation. Striking effects of water (small amounts) and solution aging on the formation of PBLG helices was observed. Water, as expected, acts as a helicogenic solvent when combined with DCA. The processes occurring during solution aging are not known, although the net effect is to stabilize the helical conformation. Finally, we present some rather unique thermally induced transitions of concentrated PBLG (about 200 mg/ml) in DCA. At low temperatures the soluble randomly coiled conformation is present. Heating produces first an isotropic gel, followed at higher temperatures by an isotropic solution consisting of about 70% α‐helicity.
Market actors have already recognised the effects of different pollution sources on the surrounding real estate; however, in the Central European environment, both appraisers and non-professionals are highly unsure of how to determine the value of the deterioration caused. In this article we are to classify the available methods described in international literature and to introduce the preconditions for their utilisation. Many options and methods are available to specialists; it is advised to avail of them as soon as possible, in the interest of estimating the economic effects as well as ensuring a solution to any subsequent disputes.
Abstract Six field trials were conducted in two streams to compare the survival, growth, movement, and distribution of young-of-year Assinica strain and Temiscamie strain brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis 15–91 d after stocking. No consistent differences between strains in recovery after stocking or in growth were detected; however, movement and distribution within streams differed consistently between strains. Approximately four Temiscamie to one Assinica fish moved downstream 2–15 h after stocking. At the conclusion of five trials, the strains were dissimilarly distributed within streams (distribution was not assessed in the sixth trial): a large proportion of Assinica fish were found in the most upstream section of the streams, whereas a large proportion of Temiscamie fish were found in the most downstream section. These differences in movement and distribution may be related to the origins of the strains in large lake systems in Quebec, where spawning occurs in inlet and outlet streams. Assinica fish,...
As the ubiquitous force of globalization further erodes the nation-state and political activity increasingly focuses on global issues, there is renewed attention to models of global citizenship. Social problems, redefined as global problems, complicate local, national, and global boundaries. For instance, international trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) undermine the capability of many nation-states to develop and implement their own policies. Julie Andrzejewski and John Alessio write, “A small group of global elites and corporations continue to benefit from systems of extracting natural resources and concentrating wealth which were established during colonial and neocolonial periods. Indeed, they are currently in the process of restructuring the world from nation-states into a global economic system to facilitate faster, more efficient resource extraction and cheaper labor for even greater profits at the expense of the environment and human lives.” Undeniably, globalization is a complex and multidimensional phenomena socially constructed to exasperate tensions between local and global dynamics. As a result, discussions of citizenship become more complex and convoluted. Within this context, education is called on to prepare young people for multiple and evolving forms of citizenship, exercised at different levels and across the different dimensions of their lives (ecological, economic,
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the most important staple food crop of the world. Rice belongs to family Gramineae (Poaceae), chromosome number 2n = 24 (n=12) and basic chromosome number x=5(Due to meiotic irregularity in chromosome number 2). The cultivated rice belongs to genus Oryza and there are about 24 species of rice distributed in tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Out of these, most International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 2 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
We investigated the protective effects of curcumin on propanil-induced alterations in biochemical indices in blood and liver of male Wistar rats. The study consisted of four treatment groups, with six animals each, designated as control, propanil (20mg/kg), curcumin(50 mg/kg), and curcumin (50 mg/kg) + propanil (20 mg/kg). Rats were administered their respective doses orally, every other day, for 28 days. Propanil administration elicited significant (P < 0.001) increases in plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activities, by 24% and 56%, respectively, compared to the control. Treatment with propanil elevated bilirubin, creatinine, and total cholesterol levels in rats, but these were not significant relative to controls. Administration of propanil to rats significantly (P < 0.001) increased lipid peroxidation levels. However, catalase activity, vitamin C, and reduced glutathione levels were significantly reduced. Exposure to propanil did not produce any significant changes in packed cell volume, neutrophils, and leukocyte counts. The supplementation of curcumin attenuated the adverse effects of propanil intoxication by reducing lipid peroxidation levels and restored the levels of serum enzymes and reduced glutathione. The present study showed that propanil increased oxidative stress and altered some biochemical parameters in the rats but curcumin could afford some protection to attenuate propanil-induced toxicity in the liver.
Alternative sources of protein for lactating cows were evaluated in this study with respect to intake, digestibility, milk yield and milk composition. Eight multiparous Holstein/Gyr cows were simultaneously distributed in two 4 × 4 latin squares. Each experimental period lasted 21 days (14 days for adaptation and seven days to collect data and samples). Three protein sources, cottonseed meal, semi-integral soybean meal and corn steep liquor were evaluated and soybean meal was used as a control. When the corn steep liquor was used, lower intakes of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and total digestible nutrients were observed compared with soybean meal. Animals that consumed corn steep liquor had a lower milk yield than those fed soybean meal, and no treatment effect on the milk fat content was detected. Animals that consumed cottonseed meal and corn steep liquor had a lower fat yield than those fed soybean meal. Feeding with semi-integral soybean meal decreased the milk protein percentage compared with soybean meal. Nutrient digestibility was lower for cows fed diets with corn steep liquor, except for crude protein digestibility, which was higher for animals fed cottonseed meal and semi-integral soybean meal compared with those fed soybean meal. Based on the dry matter intake, milk yield and milk components, soybean meal can be replaced with semi-integral soybean meal.
Male genitalia are among the fastest evolving morphological characters, and at a general level sexual selection seems to be involved. But experimental determination of the functions of many remarkable genitalic elaborations is very rare. Here we present the first study to address experimentally the adaptive function of a male genital structure that is not involved in sperm transfer. Females of the orb-weaving spider Argiope bruennichi are sexually cannibalistic and polyandrous. The male increases his paternity by obstructing the female's insemination duct with a fragment of his complex genitalia (embolus tip). We manipulated males by detaching another species-specific structure, the median apophysis spur, and found that the spur promotes breakage of the embolus tip inside the female duct, but does not affect the probability and duration of copulation. These data are novel in that they suggest that a genitalic structure which does not transfer sperm nevertheless evolved in the context of sperm competition.
This article rethinks media and mediation in light of medium theory. It does so through the analysis of the alarming potential brought by the reenactment of Orson Welles’s “The War of the Worlds” radio broadcast in Portugal in 1958. Locally branded as “A Invasão dos Marcianos” (“The Invasion of the Martians”), the article associates the alarming nature of the broadcast with the structure of fear of an attack from communist Russia in the context of Cold War paranoia under the right-wing regime of Salazar as well as in light of the impending revelation of the third secret of Fátima. Conceiving medium theory as a methodology with which to see through into the elements that constitute the medium as such, this article proposes to reconceptualize media as a distinctive space-time zone, a rhythmic middle, through which to call up associated temporalities of governance in Portugal (and elsewhere) over the course of the twentieth century.
We have extended our earlier work on the validity of the angle-dependent line-of-centres (ADLOC) model in two ways. First, we have obtained a new effective ϕ-dependent barrier height, by inverting quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) data calculated for a fixed angle of attack, ϕ. Secondly, we have allowed the collision diameter, D, to depend on ϕ, by assuming that D(ϕ) is an ellipse. The two parameters A and B of the ellipse are used to least-squares fit the ADLOC cross-sections to QCT excitation functions for the F + H2(v= 0, j= 0) and H + F2(v= 0, j= 0) reactions. Two additional angle-dependent barrier heights have also been employed in these calculations. For both reactions, excellent fits of the ADLOC model to the QCT cross-sections are obtained at all energies. However, the values of A and B can differ significantly, depending on the angle-dependent barrier height that is used.
Biologics have dramatically changed breast cancer treatment, and trastuzumab has been an essential treatment drug for HER2-positive breast cancer. The introduction of trastuzumab biosimilar offers the potential to deliver long-term cost savings plus efficiencies for healthcare systems in Japan. The goal of biosimilar development is to demonstrate comparability to the original biologic with a different development concept from that of the original biologic. Hence, a better understanding of the biosimilar itself is urgently needed for appropriate adoption and the integration of trastuzumab biosimilars into oncology clinical practice by all stakeholders. This article focuses on the current situation of biosimilars and future perspectives in Japan by using the trastuzumab biosimilar as an example.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is one of the most important techniques for ocean monitoring. Azimuth ambiguities are a real problem in SAR images today, which can cause performance degradation in SAR ocean applications. In particular, littoral zones can be strongly affected by land-based sources, whereas they are usually regions of interest (ROI). Given the presence of complexity and diversity in littoral zones, azimuth ambiguities removal is a tough problem. As SAR sensors can have a repeat cycle, multi-temporal SAR images provide new insight into this problem. A method for azimuth ambiguities removal in littoral zones based on multi-temporal SAR images is proposed in this paper. The proposed processing chain includes co-registration, local correlation, binarization, masking, and restoration steps. It is designed to remove azimuth ambiguities caused by fixed land-based sources. The idea underlying the proposed method is that sea surface is dynamic, whereas azimuth ambiguities caused by land-based sources are constant. Thus, the temporal consistence of azimuth ambiguities is higher than sea clutter. It opens up the possibilities to use multi-temporal SAR data to remove azimuth ambiguities. The design of the method and the experimental procedure are based on images from the Sentinel data hub of Europe Space Agency (ESA). Both Interferometric Wide Swath (IW) and Stripmap (SM) mode images are taken into account to validate the proposed method. This paper also presents two RGB composition methods for better azimuth ambiguities visualization. Experimental results show that the proposed method can remove azimuth ambiguities in littoral zones effectively.
Abstract Purpose: Management of patients presenting for various nonspecific complaints without clear neurological abnormalities and with normal ventricular size remains highly controversial. We intended to share our rationale for surgical treatment of patients who show symptoms of transient increase of intracranial pressure owing to the presence of the cyst. Materials and methods: We have retrospectively analyzed 28 cases of patients who presented without Parinaud syndrome nor ventricular enlargement and underwent pineal cyst removal in our centre between 2007 and 2015. We analyzed patients’ age, sex, symptoms, preoperative cyst size, perioperative course, treatment outcome and neurologic status at discharge and at follow-up visits 4 and 12 months afterwards. Results: Main complaints included paroxysmal headaches, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, syncope and transient depression of consciousness. Mean age of patients was 31 years (17–55); there were 24 females and 4 males. Mean cyst diameter was 17 mm (10–26). Decision about surgical treament was based on signs of transient increases of intracranial pressure. All patients underwent complete cyst excision via midline suboccipital craniotomy and infratentorial supracerebellar route. Short-lasting perioperative neurological signs (notably upgaze palsy) were noted in 22 cases and uniformly resolved within the observation period of 12 months. Conclusion: Abnormal neurological findings and ventricular enlargement are not indispensable to justify surgical treatment of pineal cysts. Judicious selection of surgical candidates based predominantly on clinical grounds can lead to excellent operative results.
CommonsenseQA is a task in which a correct answer is predicted through commonsense reasoning with pre-defined knowledge. Most previous works have aimed to improve the performance with distributed representation without considering the process of predicting the answer from the semantic representation of the question. To shed light upon the semantic interpretation of the question, we propose an AMR-ConceptNet-Pruned (ACP) graph. The ACP graph is pruned from a full integrated graph encompassing Abstract Meaning Representation (AMR) graph generated from input questions and an external commonsense knowledge graph, ConceptNet (CN). Then the ACP graph is exploited to interpret the reasoning path as well as to predict the correct answer on the CommonsenseQA task. This paper presents the manner in which the commonsense reasoning process can be interpreted with the relations and concepts provided by the ACP graph. Moreover, ACP-based models are shown to outperform the baselines.
Today's textbooks convey the deceptive impression that chemistry developed in a rational and orderly process with discoveries following one upon another in a vertical progression—an impression that tends to classify Fischer's achievement as a matter-of-fact historical development. This misconception does not consider the instances of serendipity invariably involved, and entirely fails to appreciate the human endeavor, the intellectual struggle of the dedicated researcher, and the forging force of his personality that eventually led to this key insight. The hundredth anniversary of Fischer's classical piece of work provides a welcome opportunity not only to highlight its paramount importance for the development of carbohydrate chemistry, and of organic chemistry in general, but to trace the creative processes underlying this fundamental discovery, the thought patterns at a conceptual level, and the constructive reasoning that eventually led to it. Their understanding and appreciation is essential for emulating Fischer's achievement in a modern context.    Die Geschichte einer Wissenschaft ist diese Wissenschaft selbst, J. W. von Goethe
Two cases of cerebral echinococcosis in children emphasize the need to consider the Echinococcus in the differential diagnosis of children with CNS signs and symptoms. One patient died because of delay in seeking medical attention. The other is now a 22-year-old college student with no evidence of recurrence more than five years after removal of Echinococcus cysts from both brain and liver. The newer modalities available for diagnosis are discussed. Therapy with mebendazole is reviewed; this relatively new, highly effective anthelmintic is well tolerated and has been apparently highly effective in a small number of cases.
Neutron stars, spotted as pulsars by radio telescopes and x-ray satellites, contain matter up to ten times denser than atomic nuclei, thus providing a high-pressure environment in which numerous subatomic particle processes are expected to compete with each other and novel phases of matter - like the quark-gluon plasma being sought at the most powerful terrestrial particle colliders - could exist. This article aims at exploring the possible existence of quark matter inside neutron stars and pointing out the fingerprints by means of which this novel phase of matter could register itself in the observed pulsar data. The detection of such matter in neutron stars would help to clarify how quark matter behaves, and give a boost to theories about the early universe as well as laboratory searches for the production of quark matter in heavy-ion colliders.
ABSTRACT We make a first attempt at distinguishing an information-carrying visual signal by comparing visual characteristics of American Sign Language to everyday human motion, to identify what clues might be available in one but not in the other. The comparison indicated significantly higher fractal complexity in sign language across tested frequency bands (0.01–15 Hz), as compared to everyday motion. A comparison of our results with other work showing high fractal complexity in the speech signal allows us to suggest the underlying properties of linguistic signals which allow babies to “tune into” a specific channel, or modality, during language acquisition.
OBJECTIVE Intraoperative stimulation has emerged as a crucial adjunct in neurosurgical oncology, aiding maximal tumor resection while preserving sensorimotor and language function. Despite increasing use in clinical practice of this stimulation, there are limited data on both intraoperative seizure (IS) frequency and the presence of afterdischarges (ADs) in patients undergoing such procedures. The objective of this study was to determine risk factors for IS or ADs, and to determine the clinical consequences of these intraoperative events.   METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed for patients undergoing awake craniotomy (both first time and repeat) at a single institution from 2013 to 2018. Hypothesized risk factors for ADs/ISs in patients were evaluated for their effect on ADs and ISs, including tumor location, tumor grade (I-IV), genetic markers (isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase [MGMT] promoter methylation, chromosome 1p/19q codeletion), tumor volume, preoperative seizure status (yes/no), and dosage of preoperative antiepileptic drugs for each patient. Clinical outcomes assessed in patients with IS or ADs were duration of surgery, length of stay, presence of perioperative deficits, and postoperative seizures. Chi-square analysis was performed for binary categorical variables, and a Student t-test was used to assess continuous variables.   RESULTS A total of 229 consecutive patients were included in the analysis. Thirty-five patients (15%) experienced ISs. Thirteen (37%) of these 35 patients had experienced seizures that were appreciated clinically and noted on electrocorticography simultaneously, while 8 patients (23%) experienced ISs that were electrographic alone (no obvious clinical change). MGMT promoter methylation was associated with an increased prevalence of ISs (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.2-7.8, p = 0.02). Forty patients (18%) experienced ADs. Twenty-three percent of patients (9/40) with ISs had ADs prior to their seizure, although ISs and ADs were not statistically associated (p = 0.16). The presence of ADs appeared to be correlated with a shorter length of stay (5.1 ± 2.6 vs 6.1 ± 3.7 days, p = 0.037). Of the clinical features assessed, none were found to be predictive of ADs. Neither IS nor AD, or the presence of either IS or AD (65/229 patients), was a predictor for increased length of stay, presence of perioperative deficits, or postoperative seizures.   CONCLUSIONS ISs and ADs, while commonly observed during intraoperative stimulation for brain mapping, do not negatively affect patient outcomes.
Gene therapy is a novel and promising treatment strategy for brain diseases. Yet, its development is largely obscured by various in vivo transport hurdles, especially the special BBB structure of brain. Developing an ingenious delivery vehicle can provide a great solution. Conventional vehicles for brain gene delivery are viral and non-viral vectors. With inherent superiority of gene transfection, researches on viral vectors are mainly focused on problems of brain cell targeting and global brain delivery. Non-viral vectors are more studied for better brain cell entrance either directly delivered to brain or systemically delivered to the body. Novel vehicles are cell vehicles (genetically engineered or nanoparticle- carrying cells) and exosomes. They exhibit distinct and unique features compared to viral and non-viral vectors. This review gives a summarization of current advances in these four kinds of brain gene vehicles. The merits and demerits of them are also pointed out respectively. We are hoping to give a clue to the future development direction of vehicles for brain gene delivery.
SYNOPTIC ABSTRACTIssues and problems in the control and management of fisheries systems have given rise to an extensive literature of applied management science models and methods. This paper surveys and classifies this literature into areas according to the major problems confronted in fisheries applications. Widely used management science methods are presented and key publications annotated. Finally, the bibliography presents an extended list of management science research in fisheries.
Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), which is widely used in men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer, has been shown to be associated metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and osteoporosis. However, the effect of ADT on cardiovascular (CV) mortality remains controversial.  Now, investigators have performed a meta-analysis of eight randomized trials involving men with unfavorable-risk, nonmetastatic prostate cancer to determine …
Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer with significant morbidity and mortality. Recently, numerous studies demonstrated that microRNAs are emerging as diagnostic biomarkers for bladder cancer. Specific miRNA profiles have been identified for several samples from patients with bladder cancer. MicroRNAs are noncoding RNA molecules of approximately 23 nucleotides that play important roles in multiple steps during the progression of bladder cancer. Here, we review the expression profiles of miRNAs and their biological functions, regulation, and clinical implications in bladder cancer. Either downregulation or upregulation of miRNAs occurs in bladder cancer through epigenetic changes or defects of the biogenesis apparatus. Deregulation of miRNAs is involved in cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, proliferation, metastasis, drug resistance, and other functions in bladder cancer. A number of miRNAs, have been associated with tumor type, stage, or patient survival, and miRNAs might be developed as diagnostic or prognostic markers. A better understanding of the roles of miRNAs in bladder cancer will shed light on the molecular mechanisms of bladder cancer.
The paper presents a mathematical model of prognostic factors in breast cancer, accomplished for a determined period of 60 months. The study was conducted on a group of patients selected from all of the patients with breast cancer treated in the Clinic of Oncology-Radiation of Emergency Hospital “St. Spiridon” Iasi in a period of 3 years. Survival data specific for each prognostic factor was processed, from which resulted the survival curves at 5 years. Each resulting curve was approximated by a polynomial function. The prognostic score model, determined through the multifactorial analysis, assigns each patient a characteristic function of survival, with the possibility of calculating a specific value for a time moment selected as the reference.
Two lines of evidence strongly suggest that immunization for cholera should be given orally, aiming to evoke a protective sIgA response in the small intestine. First, the infection is superficial. Ingested Vibrio cholerae adhere to the small bowel mucosa, multiply, and release a protein enterotoxin that acts directly on mucosal cells to cause fluid secretion. Secretory antibody [mostly sIgA] is the only immunologic effector known to act at the mucosal surface or within the gut lumen, where these events can be interrupted. Second, an enteric mucosal sIgA response is probably best stimulated by locally applied antigen. Immature B-cells precommitted to synthesis of IgA are especially numerous in gut-associated lymphoreticular tissue' and are efficiently exposed to luminal antigens by a specialized mucosal antigen sampling mechanism? By contrast, parenteral immunization is usually inefficient at evoking mucosal sIgA responses, and may actually suppress them? Some progress toward a practical oral cholera vaccine has been made using live avirulent mutants of V. cholerae or nonliving antigens, but a product combining safety, efficiency, and efficacy has not been achieved. Among the antigens produced by V. cholerae, cholera toxin (CT), or its derivatives, have been most extensively studied as immunizing materials. Cholera toxin is a potent mucosal immunogen; small amounts applied to intestinal mucosa cause vigorous local sIgA-antitoxin responses and protect experimental animals against oral
25 patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma previously treated with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid for advanced disease, were treated with mitomycin C 8 mg/m(2) i.v. bolus on day 1, adriamycin 40 mg/m(2) i.v. bolus on day 1, and lonidamine 150 mg per os t.i.d. starting one day before chemotherapy and stopping 2 days after the end of chemotherapy. Treatment was repeated every 4 weeks. All patients had previous surgery and systemic chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and folinic acid given as first line chemotherapy for metastatic tumor. Sites of disease included liver, lung, nodes, abdomen, and bone. All enrolled patients were evaluable for objective response. Only one patient, affected by rectal carcinoma, showed a partial response (4%) which lasted 5.8+ months. No complete response was seen. Stable disease was recorded in 4 cases (16%) with a mean duration of 4.6+ months. All remaining patients had progressive disease. Median overall survival was 8.7+ months. Toxicity was significant. Grade 3 thrombocytopenia was seen in 8 cases (32%), and grade 3 leukopenia in 5 cases (20%). Grade 3 vomiting was observed in 9 patients (36%). The combination of mitomycin C, adriamycin and lonidamine is not effective in the treatment of metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma resistant to 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. These data suggest that lonidamine is not able to potentiate antineoplastic activity of chemotherapeutic drugs in humans and its use in colorectal cancer should be avoided since it has no or little impact on response rate and survival.
The high-resolution imaging spectroscopy remote sensing mission EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program, enmap.org) will cover the spectral range from 420 nm to 2450 nm with a spectral sampling distance varying between 5 nm and 12 nm. A smile effect, which is a spectral shift across the swath, of at most 0.2 pixels is expected. The OHB System AG realizes the satellite with the hyperspectral push-broom imager and the on-board characterization equipment including a doped sphere for spectral calibration. The Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is responsible for the operational in-flight calibration and realizes the fully-automatic on-ground processors including methods for smile correction. A smile correction taking the spectral calibration into account as well as a simplified atmospheric compensation will be analyzed.
Photoemission investigations of quasi-one dimensional materials reveal the unconventional electronic properties of these systems. The normal state spectra are incompatible with a Fermi liquid description, and exhibit features consistent with the Luttinger liquid scenario, which describes correlated fermions in 1D. Specific surface effects,, and the tendency to defect-induced localization in these systems, may considerably influence the measured spectral properties.
DNA ligase deficiency is shown to induce generalized mutator activity in E. coli. This mutator activity is unaffected by 3 mug/ml of chloramphenicol but is abolished both in lig-recA double mutants and by incubation with 20 mug/ml of chloramphenicol. Dna ligase deficiency is also shown to reactivate ultraviolet light-irradiated phage lambda and T7 and to increase both spontaneous and ultraviolet light-induced mutagenesis in phage lambda, all of which are abolished in lig-recA strains. Interaction occurs between the molecular events of mutagenesis induced by ultraviolet irradiation and those induced by DNA ligase deficiency. These observations suggest a common pathway, coordinately expressed with the inducible repair mode, that is responsible for mutagenesis.
Introduction: The sphenoid sinus is a central skull cavity situated inside the sphenoid bone as a twin structure, separated by a complete bony septum. The aim of the study to measure the length, width, and height of human sphenoid sinus through dissection compared to CT scan images in different age groups of both genders. Methods: A prospective study of 360 human bodies including 110 dissected cadavers and 250 individuals with CT scan images during a period from January 2019 to February 2020. Results: In male cadavers, the mean value of length was (24.8±4.2) and (23.6±3.8) mm for right and left sides, while for females was (24.5±3.7) and (25.3±4.1) mm. Whereas, for CT cases were (25.4±3.1), (27.2±4.1), (21.3±4.2), and (24.4±3.8) mm respectively. Otherwise, the width was (15.8±3.2) and (19.2±4.5) mm for right and left sides in male cadavers; but for females was (18.2±3.8) and (22.7±3.7). In comparison to CT cases, were (19.6±4.1), (20.4±4.7), (17.3±5.2), and (19.2±5.6) mm respectively. In male cadavers, the height was (21.4±3.1) and (26.8±2.8) mm for right and left sides, while for females was (13.8±3.3) and (19.6±3.1) mm. Whereas, for CT cases were (16.7±2.5), (18.2±2.7), (14.6±2.9), and (15.8±3.3) mm respectively. Conclusion: Findings of both methods yield accurate anatomic sinus views, which may determine the age, gender, and race of alive or dead individuals.
The biology underlying craniosynostosis remains unknown. Previous studies have shown that the underlying dura mater, not the suture itself, signals a suture to fuse. The purpose of this study was to develop an in vitro model for cranial-suture fusion that would still allow for suture-dura interaction, but without the influence of tensional forces transmitted from the cranial base. This was accomplished by demonstrating that the posterior frontal mouse cranial suture, known to be the only cranial suture that fuses in vivo, fuses when plated with its dura in an organ-culture system. In such an organ-culture system, the sutures are free from both the influence of dural forces transmitted from the cranial base and from hormonal influences only available in a perfused system. For the cranial-suture fusion in vitro model study, the sagittal sutures (controls that remain patent in vivo) and posterior frontal sutures (that fuse in vivo) with the underlying dura were excised from 24-day-old euthanized mice, cut into 5 x 4 x 2-mm specimens, and cultured in a chemically defined, serum-free media. One hundred sutures were harvested at the day of sacrifice, then every 2 days thereafter until 30 days in culture, stained with H & E, and analyzed. A subsequent cranial-suture without dura in vitro study was performed in a similar fashion to the first study, but only the calvariae with the posterior frontal or sagittal sutures (without the underlying dura) were cultured. Results from the cranial-suture fusion in vitro model study showed that all sagittal sutures placed in organ culture with the underlying dura remained patent. More importantly, the posterior frontal sutures with the underlying dura, which were plated-down as patent at 24 days of age, demonstrated fusion after various growth periods in organ culture. In vitro posterior frontal mouse-suture fusion occurred in an anterior-to-posterior direction but in a delayed fashion, 4 to 7 days later than in vivo posterior frontal mouse-suture fusion. In contrast, the subsequent cranial-suture without dura in vitro study showed patency of all sutures, including the posterior frontal suture. These data from in vitro experiments indicate that: (1) mouse calvariae, sutures, and the underlying dura survive and grow in organ-culture systems for 30 days; (2) the local dura, free from external influences transmitted from the cranial base and hormones from distant sites, influences the cells of its overlying suture to cause fusion; and (3) without dura influence, all in vitro cranial sutures remained patent. By first identifying the factors involved in dural-suture signaling and then regulating these factors and their receptors, the biologic basis of suture fusion and craniosynostosis may be unraveled and used in the future to manipulate pathologic (premature) suture fusion.
It is important in any discussion of heritage to distinguish the practice of heritage in everyday life from what has sometimes been labeled the "heritage industry." Barbara Kirschenblatt- Gimblett (1998) has suggested that the heritage industry serves to revive and protect those elements of the past that "are no longer viable," and are obsolete and abandoned. In other words, their status as an inheritance has become ambiguous because they have for one reason or another been given up, stolen, or otherwise forgotten. Accordingly, ownership of such relics (tangible or not) can revert at least partly to those who take the trouble to claim them- the heritage professionals, tourism planners, museum curators, and even anthropologists and archaeologists who claim a new value for the past on the basis of their needs in the present. I consider this to be public heritage (Chambers 2006) and it is certainly the most common sense of heritage used in our time. Public heritage derives from a close association with histo...
Fatigue and cachexia are common symptoms of advanced disease that have a significant impact on quality of life for palliative care clients. Management of cachexia and fatigue is often overlooked, but growing understanding of the multidimensional nature of fatigue and muscle wasting has led to interest in a model of care based on multimodal therapy that has been successfully implemented in specialized multidisciplinary hospital-based clinics in the oncology/palliative care setting. This article reports on an innovative incorporation of features of this model into a client-centred, interdisciplinary programme that aims to manage the effects of cachexia and fatigue and to improve quality of life for palliative care clients in their home setting. This Cachexia and Fatigue Management Programme (CFMP) involves the use of an anti-inflammatory agent, high protein intake, and an individually tailored resistance exercise regimen to counteract muscle wasting and fatigue. The article provides an overview of the role of multimodal therapies in the management of cachexia and fatigue before moving on to discuss the development of the CFMP, its features, and potential benefits for palliative care clients, caregivers, and health services.
With the aim of a better understanding of both cationic distribution and magnetic properties of the uniaxial SrFe 12-x Cr x O 19 hexagonal ferrites, Mossbauer spectroscopy, neutron diffraction and high field magnetization measurements have been carried out. The Cr3+ions occupy the octahedral sites of the M structure with a preference hierarchy within them. The magnetic measurements, together with the deduced cationic distribution, indicate that some sublattices have a random spin canting around the c-axis.
Abstract Vasectomy is the surgical procedure used for male contraception. Traditionally, operative success has been established by the issue of a laboratory report stating the achievement of azoospermia. The purpose of this study is to establish if this is an achievable or realistic status and if a change to the current best practice would provide an acceptable and cost-effective alternative. In principle, human fecundity is complex and measured in probabilities, which is inconsistent with the implied absolute requirement to establish the complete absence of spermatozoa.
Continuous O₂, consumption measurements of goldfish acclimated to 20°C were carried out at a constant O₂ concentration. The diurnal activity pattern was found to disappear in complete darkness, which resulted in a constant (resting) metabolic rate. After exposure to diferent anoxia periods the excess O₂ consumption was quantified. Short exposures up to 3 h did not result in a significant O₂ debt. However, starting from 4 h anoxia a linear increase of the O₂, debt was observed. Repayment of the O₂, debt lasted up to 24 h. There is a striking resemblance between the ethanol excretion by goldfish and the anoxia-induced O₂ debt, which suggests that the O₂, debt is related to recovery of the glycogen pools.
Congenital disorders, cancer, trauma, or other conditions of the genitourinary tract can lead to significant organ damage or loss of function, necessitating eventual reconstruction or replacement of the damaged structures. However, current reconstructive techniques are limited by issues of tissue availability and compatibility. Physicians and scientists have begun to explore tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies for repair and reconstruction of the genitourinary tract. Tissue engineering allows the development of biological substitutes which could potentially restore normal function. Tissue engineering efforts designed to treat or replace most organs are currently being undertaken. Most of these efforts have occurred within the past decade. However, before these engineering techniques can be applied to humans, further studies are needed to ensure the safety and efficacy of these new materials. Recent progress suggests that engineered urologic tissues and cell therapy may soon have clinical applicability.
A wide range of engineering industrial applications require both the thermal and optical efficiencies of the system to be maximized with a reasonable low penalty for the friction factor and subsequently low losses in pressure. Among the family of concentrated solar power systems, parabolic trough collectors (PTCs), which have recently received significant attention, face similar challenges. The current work presents an extensive review of the PTC systems comparing recent and past technologies, which are widely being used to improve and enhance the thermal and optical efficiencies. Furthermore, the techniques used for single and two‐phase flow modeling in numerical simulations, design variables, and experimental processes have been discussed in detail. The article also presents different numerical methods and analytical approaches of implementing the nonuniform solar distribution with different design parameters. Four main technologies are comprehensively addressed to effectively enhance the thermal performance of the PTCs; changing working heat transfer fluids, replacing the working fluids by nanofluids (single and hybrid) that have higher thermal–physical properties than those of base working fluids, inserting different tabulators with various design configurations, and finally combining the advantages of nanofluids and swirl generators in the same application. The article also critically summarizes the studies investigating the enhancement of thermal performance: use of novel design of PTCs and passive heat transfer enhancement techniques. Finally, a wide range of numerical and experimental studies are proposed for the future work related to the aforementioned main technologies.
This research explored progression to higher education (HE) courses from 14–19 diplomas in the West Yorkshire region of the UK. Sixteen HE tutors involved in admitting undergraduates across a range of institutions and subjects were interviewed. There was little evidence to support the fear that the courses would have less status than A levels because of their vocational associations. Where reservations existed they were more complex than this. Tutors working on courses relating to social care valued the diploma's emphasis on generic academic skills and work experience. Those delivering highly focused vocational courses or academic courses requiring prior subject‐specific knowledge were more cautious. The main barriers to securing full commitment from tutors were the breadth of study options within the diplomas, which left tutors unclear about the knowledge and skills candidates would acquire, and tutors' limited understanding of the diplomas.
This case report describes a rare instance of bilateral optic papillitis associated with histologically and bacteriologically proven tubercular osteomyelitis of the right sphenoid and temporal bone of the orbit in a 30-year-old woman. This case also highlights the usefulness of computerized axial tomography of the orbits, skull, and paranasal sinuses to evaluate optic neuritis and its pathophysiology in the event of no obvious cause or contributing systemic disease.
To improve efficiency of a coil winding machine, the speed of winding the wire is increased. Then the some problems occur with increasing the wire winding speed. For example, the wire is broken or stretched too much. This paper has a discussion a control of the wire tension to avoid these situations. At first, we set a tension device at the initial position. If the tension arm moves from the original position, we control an angle of the arm to keep an original position by moving the drive motor. As a result, the angle of arm and the tension of wire are kept at specified value with small error. By the simulation, we confirm effectiveness of the proposed controller.
INTRODUCTION: The use of incorrectly cleaned or disinfected hospital's equipment can also pose an infection risk and may contribute to the dissemination of microorganisms Generally, stethoscopes are not considered a main infection risk, but the stethoscope is the most-used medical tool in the world A new light-emitting diode (LED) disinfection option has recently been introduced by the LED industry We wanted to determine where and when this new disinfection system would be useful in reducing contamination and whether any specific type of patient would benefit more from the use of this device METHODS: The evaluation was conducted using a multidisciplinary approach and has provided an analysis of the 7 domains recommended by EUnetHTA (Health problem and current use of the technology, technical characteristic, clinical effectiveness, safety, economic evaluation, organizational aspects, ethical aspects) RESULTS: We observe the use of sthethoscope while delivering routine care in three different intensity of care departments on at least one hour every week for three months Between one patient and another, a disinfection or cleaning procedure is never performed by most operators We collected 248 samples from different departments to evaluate the efficacy of a new device We observed a reduction in the bacterial load in 70% of the cases after using the UV-C LED device DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This device could be useful in encouraging the adoption of good hygiene practices and could reduce the risks associated with the treatment of infections The tool has proved to be particularly useful in the intensive care unit
Major economic, technological and demographic forces are combining to influence the ways in which the very structures of people's lives are changed by the work they do. The major defining features of life course, including patterns of entry to and exit from work, are shifting, as is the very nature of jobs and careers. In this multidisciplinary collection of essays, forty-eight social scientists from seven countries examine changes in the organization of work and their impact on people at various stages of the life course. In seeking to consolidate and advance life course theory, the four editors of this volume have sought out and encouraged a wide range of approaches to life course theorizing, methodologies, and research designs. The contributing scholars examine the influence of economic, technological, and demographic forces on public, corporate, and union policies concerning the organisation of work. The topics covered include: education, labour market change, and transitions in the earlier and middle stages of the working life course; later life transitions in relation to the restructuring of work, and retirement transitions; and various aspects of the relationship between individual biography and social structure, with close attention to gender and family issues over the life course.
On the basis of the unified calculation of the thermal shifts of R1 line, R2 line and ground-state-splitting transition probabilities of direct and Raman processes have theoretically been calculated. The thermal broadenings of R,R′ and B line-groups for ruby, by taking into account all the levels and admixtures of wavefunctions within d3 electronic configuration and all the ΓM in electron-phonon interaction,the transition probabilities of direct and Raman processes have theoretically been calculated, The thermal broadenings of R,R′ and B line-groups have successfully been interpreted in terms of the direct and Raman processes of acoustic phonons. The theoretically predicted transition probabilities are in good agreement with the experimental ones.
AIMS: To study various factors responsible for visual outcome after cataract surgery in complicated cataract secondary to uveitis. SETTINGS AND STUDY DESIGN: A Retrospective, Clinical study was carried out at tertiary eye care center in central Maharashtra from Jan. 2002 to Jan. 2007 which included 60 eyes of 52 patients. METHODS AND MATERIAL: It was a retrospective study of patients with uveitis undergone cataract surgery between Jan. 2002 to Jan. 2007, at Shri Ganapati Netralaya, Jalna. It included patients of all age groups, both genders, diagnosed of complicated cataract due to uveits subjected to cataract surgery with IOL implantation and detailed preoperative and postoperative -UCVA, BCVA, SLE, and Fundus evaluation with at least 3 months follow up. Follow up was on 1'st post-operative day, 1 week post-operative, 1 month post-operative and 3 months postoperative. We excluded patients with complicated cataract other than uveitic origin, post-operative follow up less than 3 months and patients with ocular diseases other than uveitis. TESTS APPLIED: Paired & Unpaired t-test. RESULTS: 1) Visual acuity: BCVA (>6/12 in 43(71.67 %) eyes. 2) TYPE OF SURGERY: ECCE+IOL,(3) SICS+IOL,(5) SICS+AV(1) PE+IOL.(51) 3) Type of IOL used: PMMA,(46) HSM,(2) Acrylic.(11) 4) Postoperative complications:CME-1(1.66%), Recurrence of Uveitis-9(15%), PCO:19(31.66%), Posterior synaechie: 3 (5%, Hyphema:-2 (3.33%), Hypotony:-4 (6.66%), Secondary Glaucoma:-2 (3.33%) RD:-1 (1.66%). CONCLUSIONS: 1) Visual outcome after cataract surgery in complicated cataract is statistically significant (P<0.0001) in our study. 2) The best technique of surgery remains Phacoemulsification with in-the-bag IOL implantation of PCIOL. 3) Use of pupil dilating technique's (Iris hook, Sphincterotomy) is helpful in making adequate size capsulorrhexis and thereby reducing post-operative complications like anterior capsular opacification & capsular phimosis. 4) The most important predictor of successful cataract surgery in our study was meticulous control of preoperative inflammation followed by regular follow up after cataract surgery.
In accordance with the requirements of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 413.3B, “Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets,” safety must be integrated into the design process for new or major modifications to DOE Hazard Category 1, 2, and 3 nuclear facilities. The intended purpose of this requirement involves the handling of hazardous materials, both radiological and chemical, in a way that provides adequate protection to the public, workers, and the environment. Requirements provided in DOE Order 413.3B and DOE Order 420.1B, “Facility Safety,” and the expectations of DOE-STD-1189-2008, “Integration of Safety into the Design Process,” provide for identification of hazards early in the project and use of an integrated team approach to design safety into the facility. This safety design strategy provides the basic safety-in-design principles and concepts that will be used for the Advanced Test Reactor Reliability Sustainment Project. While this project does not introduce new hazards to the ATR, it has the potential for significant impacts to safety-related systems, structures, and components that are credited in the ATR safety basis and are being replaced. Thus the project has been determined to meet the definition of a major modification and is being managed accordingly.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Drought is a major environmental constraint affecting growth and production of Coffea canephora. Selection of C. canephora clones has been largely empirical as little is known about how clones respond physiologically to drought. Using clones previously shown to differ in drought tolerance, this study aimed to identify the extent of variation of water use and the mechanisms responsible, particularly those associated morphological traits. *   METHODS Clones (14 and 120, drought-tolerant; 46 and 109A, drought-sensitive, based on their abilities to yield under drought) were grown in 120-L pots until they were 12-months old, when an irrigation and a drought treatment were applied; plants were droughted until the pressure potential (psi(x)) before dawn (pre-dawn) reached -3.0 MPa. Throughout the drought period, psi(x) and stomatal conductance (g(s)) were measured. At the end of the experiment, carbon isotope ratio and parameters from pressure-volume curves were estimated. Morphological traits were also assessed. *   KEY RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS With irrigation, plant hydraulic conductance (K(L)), midday psi(x) and total biomass were all greater in clones 109A and 120 than in the other clones. Root mass to leaf area ratio was larger in clone 109A than in the others, whereas rooting depth was greater in drought-tolerant than in drought-sensitive clones. Predawn psi(x) of -3.0 MPa was reached fastest by 109A, followed progressively by clones 46, 120 and 14. Decreases in g(s) with declining psi(x), or increasing evaporative demand, were similar for clones 14, 46, and 120, but lower in 109A. Carbon isotope ratio increased under drought; however, it was lower in 109A than in other clones. For all clones, psi(x), g(s) and K(L) recovered rapidly following re-watering. Differences in root depth, K(L) and stomatal control of water use, but not osmotic or elastic adjustments, largely explained the differences in relative tolerance to drought stress of clones 14 and 120 compared with clones 46 and 109A.
n this issue ofJAGS, Brennen and colleagues provide one of I the first published series of cases of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus/enterococci (VRE) isolated from residents in a long-term care facility (LTCF).'.' However, VRE has been a well-described clinical problem in the setting of nosocomial infection^."^ Bacteremia caused by VRE is associated with a high mortality rate.' Moreover, patients who have VRE bacteremia appear to have a poorer prognosis than patients with blood stream infections with vancomycin-sensitive enterococci.6 In large part, this poor clinical outcome with VRE infections is a result of the unavailability of effective antibiotics against the organism and the severe clinical condition of the patient. Risk factors for VRE infection include severe underlying illness, immunosuppression, advanced age, requirement of intensive care unit treatment, prolonged hospitalization, surgical interventions, and previous exposure to antibiotics, especially vancomycin, third-generation cephalosporins, and antianaerobic Interestingly, in a recent report of 89 nonhospitalized patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who were receiving longterm antibiotic therapy but only one patient each receiving a cephalosporin or antianaerobic agent there were no cases of rectal colonization with VRE." Enterococci were previously classified as streptococci of the Lancefield group D. There are two major pathogenic species in humans, Enterococcus fueculis and E. fuecium, with occasional infections caused by E . duruns. Rarely, infections are caused by E. uvium; E . gullinarum is generally nonpathogenic to humans. E. fueculis is the most commonly isolated Enterococcus spp. from infections, including the vast majority of cases of enterococcal endocarditis, a disease of older However, E . fuecium seems to infect more severely ill patients, compared with E . fueculis, and is associated with a higher mortality rate.I3 Not surprisingly, VRE strains are found more frequently in E. fuecium than in other species of enterococci. Until recently, enterococci were typically susceptible to glycopeptides, i.e., vancomycin and teicoplanin, the latter drug not being commercially available in the United States. Glycopeptide-resistant enterococci are phenotypically grouped or classified as VanA, VanB, and VanC; for practical purposes VanC is not clinically relevant because it involves E . gullinarum. VanA enterococci are resistant to both vancomycin and teicoplanin and VanB strains are resistant to vancomycin but susceptible to teicoplanin.' Resistance to glycopeptides occurs through a genetic abnormality that affects synthesis of the cell wall. Glycopeptides bind to cell wall precursors ending in alanine-alanine, which is produced by the enzyme alanine-alanine-1iga~e.I~ VRE strains have an enzyme that is slightly different from alanine-alanineligase, called VanA ligase (or simply VanA), which synthesizes alanine-lactate. Vancomycin and teicoplanin cannot bind to cell wall precursors with alanine-lactate. Unfortunately, the glycopeptide resistance genes are often carried on DNA, such as transposons and plasmids, which can be spread easily from one organism to another.
This article explores the relationship between nature and society. Aspects of the ancient world, the middle Ages, modernity and modernity are studied systematically and philosophically. philosophical explanation of the relationship between nature and society provides a deeper understanding of the ecological situation. By solving these environmental problems, we will be able to systematically and objectively understand and evaluate ourselves. Recently, the interaction of nature and society in the scientific literature is considered by many scientists as a separate material process. Its special laws do not correspond to either the laws of the development of nature, or the laws of the development of society. The dialectical connection between society and nature has a long history. It may have existed from the earliest days of human development that these stages were repeated at every stage of the historical process. People can consciously set goals for themselves or consciously not change their attitude towards nature. In the relationship between man and nature, nature was viewed as an object for man in all historical periods and is still divided. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the ecological situation in various regions of the world has been deteriorating. Today, our ecological situation is deteriorating significantly every year.
The incidence of pancreatic cancer, the incidence rate of physicians in a given area, the sensitivity and specificity of morphological (ERCP, CT, sonography), cytological and serological (CEA, alpha-fetoprotein, POA, R-nase, LAI, CA 19-9) examination methods were used (taking the cities of Ulm and Hannover as basis) for calculating that a general practitioner, or a practising internist, may be able to diagnose a case of pancreatic cancer about 3-4 times during his professional career, and at the most once only one early cancer. There is at present no screening method. Diagnosis of an early cancer entirely free from any symptoms, is a mere coincidence. When the first uncharacteristic complaints become manifest, the pancreatic cancer is already 3 to 5 years old; usually, it can then no longer be classified as an early cancer.
Neurons, the basic unit of nervous system, are highly polarized cells with unique physiological functions. Mitochondrial dynamics are critical to neurons, involving fission and fusion, transport and distribution, synthesis and degradation. Mitochondrial transport helps maintain local energy supply. Mitochondrial long-distance movements are facilitated by their coupling to microtubule-based transport via the transport complex. The core component of this complex is mitochondrial Rho GTPases Miro. In this review, we focus on the Miro's role in mediating mitochondrial transport in neurons and its relation to neurological diseases.      Key words:  Miro GTPases; Neurons; Mitochondrial transport; Neurological diseases
The purpose of this study was to examine acute gastrointestinal tract (GIT) toxicity caused by the pure enantiomers of ibuprofen in male Wistar rats. A 2 2 2 factorial design in which rats were randomly divided into eight experimental groups and a control group was used. They were dosed with the sustained release microsphere and conventional suspensions of ibuprofen enantiomers at 20 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg dose levels. Bethanechol chloride (5 mg/kg), a cholinomimetic agent, was administered 30 min after dosing to induce gastric irritation. Animals were euthanized at different time intervals up to 48 hr postdosing followed by excision of stomach and intestinal tract. Blood samples also were collected during this study by cardiac puncture and stereospecifically analyzed. Tissues were examined for lesions and hemorrhages macroscopically (75 magnification) using top and bottom illumination. Macroscopic evaluation of the tissue samples revealed significant differences in the GIT toxicity caused by S- and R-ibuprof...
In the case of three parametrically interacting beams of light, one beam (the pump beam) is usually known. In addition, it is often assumed that one or both of the other two beams are bounded by resonators, which simplifies the problem considerably. We present a variational method which can be used when the above assumption is not fulfilled, and we apply this method to the theory of the backward-wave parametric oscillator. Diffraction determines the operating point of such an oscillator, and also the angular part of the complex eigenvalue (which is just the phase mismatch Δk) has a discrete spectrum.
Quantitative Structure-Activity relationship (QSAR) attempt statistically to relate the physico-chemical properties of a molecule to its biological activity. A QSAR analysis was performed on the toxicities of up to 75 organic chemicals to two aquatic species, Photobacterium phospherum (known as the Microtox test), and the fathead minnow. To model the toxicities 49 physico-chemical and structural parameters were produced including measures of hydrophobicity, molecular size and electronic effects from techniques such as computational chemistry and the use of molecular connectivity indices. These were reduced to a statistically more manageable number by cluster analysis, principal component analysis, factor analysis, and canonical correlation analysis. The de-correlated data were then used to form relationships with the toxicities. All the techniques were validated using a testing set. Some good predictions of toxicity came from regression analysis of the original de-correlated variables. Although successful in simplifying the complex data matrix, principal component analysis, factor analysis, and canonical content analysis were disappointing as predictors of toxicity. The performance of each of the statistical techniques is discussed. The inter-species relationships of toxicity between four Commonly utilised aquatic endpoints, fathead minnow 96 hour IC50, Microtox 5 minute EC50, Daphnia magna 48 hour IC50, and Tetrahymena pyriformis 60 hour IG50, were investigated. Good relationships was found between the fathead minnow and both T. pyriformis and D. magna toxicities indicating that these species could be used to model fish toxicity. The outliers from individual relationships were assessed in order to elucidate if any molecular features may be causing greater relative toxicity in one species as compared to another. It is concluded that in addition to the intrinsic differences between species, the greater length of the test time for any species may result in increases bioaccumulation, metabolism, and detoxification of certain chemical classes. The relationships involving fish toxicity were moderately improved by the addition of a hydrophobic parameter.
Gas cycling is generally considered a much less efficient oil-recovery mechanism than waterflooding. However, recoveries from some fields have been exceptionally high as a result of gas cycling. Recovery from the Pickton Field, for example, was calculated to be 73.5% of the stock-tank oil originally in place. In evaluating pressure maintenace projects, determining how much of the recovery is due to displacement by gas, and determining how much is due to vaporization of the immobile oil in the flow path of the cylced gas is very difficult. Even though most of the oil is recovered by displacement, the success of a project may depend on the amount of oil vaporized.
A computer study of recording loss due to a yaw-angle (skew) is discussed. Use of yaw-angle when writing on a medium enhances non-linear distortion in the recorded magnetization on the track center as well as on the track edges, resulting in the reduction in signal output. The degree of the reduction is strongly influenced by the magnetic properties of the recording medium and writing conditions (write head gap-length, spacing between head and medium, etc.). An isotropic medium and narrow spacing recording with a narrow gap head is preferable for reducing the yaw-angle loss.
In this study, highly neutralized, highly porous, and ultralight polymeric aerogels prepared from aqueous colloidal suspensions of chitosan (CS) and chondroitin sulfate (ChS) nanocomplexes, formulated as quasi-equimolar amounts of both, are described. These aerogels were designed as healing agents under the inspiration of minimizing the amount of matter applied to wounds, reducing the electrostatic potential of the material and avoiding covalent cross-linkers in order to decrease metabolic stress over wounds. Aerogels synthesized under these criteria are biocompatible and provide specific properties for the induction of wound healing. They do not affect neither the metabolic activity of cultured 3T3 fibroblasts nor the biochemical parameters of experimental animals, open wounds close significantly faster and, unlike control wounds, complete reepithelialization and scarring can be attained 14 days after surgery. Because of its hydration abilities, rapid adaptation to the wound bed and the early accelerator effect of wound closure, the CS/ChS aerogels appear to be functional inducers of the healing. Previous information show that CS/ChS aerogels improve wound bed quality, increase granulation tissue and have pain suppressive effect. CS/ChS aerogels are useful as safe, inexpensive and easy to handle materials for topical applications, such as skin chronic wounds. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2464-2471, 2018.
CONTEXT The prevalence of cryptorchidism (CO) has increased during the past few decades in several countries, and this event has primarily been ascribed to the estrogenic effects of environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs). Little is known, however, about the role of genetic susceptibility to EEDs in this phenomenon.   OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine whether CO is associated with a specific haplotype of the gene for estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1) that mediates the estrogenic effects of EEDs.   DESIGN This was a case-control study.   SETTING The study was performed at the National Research Institute and University Hospitals.   SUBJECTS Sixty-three cryptorchid males, aged 1-13 yr, and 47 control males, aged 4-12 yr, were studied.   INTERVENTION After genotyping 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms widely distributed in the greater than 300-kb genomic sequences of ESR1, haplotype analysis was performed.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Identification of a specific ESR1 haplotype associated with CO was the main outcome measure.   RESULTS A haplotype block was identified for an approximately 50-kb region encompassing single nucleotide polymorphisms 10-14 in the 3' region of ESR1 in both groups. The frequency of the estimated AGATA haplotype within the block was higher in the patients than in the control males (34.0% vs. 21.3%; P = 0.037), and the association of this haplotype with CO phenotype was significant in a recessive mode (P = 0.0060). The homozygosity for this haplotype was identified only in the patients, and the frequency of the homozygotes was significantly different between the two groups (10 of 63 vs. zero of 47; P = 0.0042).   CONCLUSIONS The association of CO with homozygosity for the specific ESR1 haplotype suggests the relevance of genetic susceptibility to EEDs in the development of CO.
It was seen that composites constituted of functionalized single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) dispersed in a reactive ethylene terpolymer (RET) matrix possess a complex dielectric permittivity an order of magnitude larger than composites composed of pristine SWNTs and two orders of magnitude larger than functionalized multiwalled nanotube-RET composites. We seek to understand such an enhancement, both in terms of uniform nanotube dispersion and through a parallel resistor-capacitor model. We subsequently show that the ac electrical conductivity is a good predictor of the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of nanocomposites.
The resent multiboson measurements from CMS are interpreted in terms of constraints on anomalous triple and quartic gauge couplings. Presented at EPS-HEP 2015 European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics 2015 CMS LHC Run 1 Multiboson Interactions Review Senka Duric∗ (on behalf of CMS collaboration) University of Wisconsin-Madison E-mail: senka.duric@cern.ch We present the multiboson interaction measurements performed by the CMS collaboration using Run 1 data taking period at LHC. Anomalous triple and quartic gauge couplings are measured in diboson and triboson production channels at the center-of-mass energy of 7 and 8 TeV. Resulting limits on anomalous neutral triple and anomalous quartic gauge couplings are the best world limits, while limits on anomalous charged triple gauge couplings are competitive with results from LEP experiments. The European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics 22–29 July 2015 Vienna, Austria
Acoustic trauma risk for athlete shooter is huge. Continuous exposure to firearms may further increase the risk of acoustic trauma. Continuous exposure causes damage to hair cells in the cochlea that cause cochlear dysfunction and will increase the hearing threshold. The aim of this study was to determine the difference of hair cell damage in cochlea which can cause cochlear dysfunction due to acoustic trauma after shooting practice based on duration and frequency of training. There was no statistically significant difference in audiogram results between the first group and the second group (Mann-Whitney U Test, p<0.05). The distortion product of otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) showed a significant difference between the first group and the second group (Mann-Whitney U Test, p<0.05). Different test results on audiogram and DPOAE between right and left in each group showed no significant difference (Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, p<0,05). There was a significant difference in the incidence of hair cell damage in cochlea with the duration and frequency of training.
There is a shortage of intervention strategies for children with behavior disorders which incorporate both home and school influences. To address this need, a service delivery model was evaluated for public school children (Pre-K through G2) who were at risk for educational failure on account of behavior problems, family dysfunction, and poverty and social disadvantage. Interventions based on eco-behavioral principles were delivered by home-visitors in consultation with clinical child psychologists. A primary goal of all treatment plans was to enhance parent-teacher communication. Children in the experimental group (N = 34) showed overall improvement (as judged by parents) and decreases in targeted problems (as reported by teachers and parents), relative to control students (N = 15). The program decreased the number of children placed in special education. There was indication that better communication between home and school related to academic improvement. The protocol provides a possible behavioral con...
Dr. Lucien Rubinstein is best remembered for his significant contributions to the field of neuropathology, particularly in the classification of nervous system tumors. His accomplishments in basic neuro-oncology and in the formulation of diagnostic principles reflected a unique talent for synthesizing fundamental clinicopathological concepts based on skillful diagnostic investigation and a thorough understanding of neurobiology. Dr. Rubinstein was the leader in the establishment of cell cultures from central nervous system (CNS) tumors. He meticulously analyzed both light and electron microscopic features of CNS tumors, recorded his findings, and patiently drew sketches to be shared generously with his colleagues and students. As a pioneer in neuropathology, in his work Dr. Rubinstein set the foundation for many enduring concepts in neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, neurology, and basic tumor biology.
To increase the productivity of agricultural crops, a growth method based on the physiological information of plants is required. In recent years, there is an increased demand for methods of minimally invasively measuring physiological information from plants. In this study, we propose a novel single-probe heat-pulse microsensor for minimally invasive measurement of water transportation (sap flow velocity) in plant shoots based on the fundamental conduction–convection principles of heat transport. The proposed sensor comprises a resistance temperature detector and a filament heater on a probe. We verified the performance of the sensor using thermal analysis and fabricated a sensor using microelectromechanical system technology. Finally, we demonstrated the feasibility of minimally invasive measurement of water transportation (measurement range: approximately 0–4 mm/s) in plant shoots.
The difference in thermal stability of F- and H- in 1111-type iron based superconductors, allows selective hydrogen elimination from non-superconductive CaFeAsF0.8H0.2 by thermal annealing. The analyzed chemical composition of the resulting samples indicates that incorporated hydrogen was selectively eliminated by thermal annealing at 553 K for 72 hours. The resulting hydrogen-eliminated sample shows bulk superconductivity with Tc = 29 K. This technique may be used for indirect electron doping for AeFeAeF (Ae; alkali-earth metal) iron based superconductor described by CaFeAsF1-xHx => CaFeAsF1-x + xe- + 1/2xH2.
An effective and ecological method for liberation of pectin-derived oligosaccharides (POS) from sugar beet pulp (SBP) was developed using enzymatic and microorganism-mediated biomass conversion. The POS may be applied in the production of prebiotic feed additives. Various yeast strains were screened for their capacity for protein synthesis and monosaccharide assimilation. Combined yeast cultivation and pectin hydrolysis were found to be an effective method of producing prebiotics. Separate enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation of SBP resulted in the release of 3.6 g of POS per 100 g d.w., whereas the yield of POS acquired after the combined process was 17.9% higher, giving 4.2 g of POS per 100 g d.w. Introducing the yeast into the process improved hydrolysis performance due to lower enzyme inhibition by mono- and disaccharides. The prebiotic effect of the POS was assessed by in vitro fermentation using individual cultures of gastrointestinal bacteria. The POS in the SBP hydrolysate effectively promoted the growth of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria. A large increase in adherence to Caco-2 cells in the presence of POS was noted for beneficial Lactobacillus brevis strains, whereas pathogenic bacteria and yeast (C. albicans, C. lusitanie, C. pelliculosa), responsible for infections in breeding animals, showed much weaker adhesion.
Five cationic iridium(III) complexes with fluorinated cyclometalating tetrazole ligands [Ir(dfptrz)2L]+, where Hdfptrz = 5-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-2-methyl-2H-tetrazole and L = 2,2'-bypiridine (1F), 4,4'-ditert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine (2F), 1,10-phenantroline (3F), 4,4'-bis(dimethylamino)-2,2'-bipyridine (4F), and tert-butyl isocyanide (5F), were prepared following a one-pot synthetic strategy based on a bis-cyclometalated solvato complex obtained via silver(I)-assisted cyclometalation, which was then reacted with the proper ancillary ligand to get the targeted complexes. The X-ray crystal structures of 2F and 4F were determined, showing that the tetrazole ligands are in a trans arrangement with respect to the iridium center. Electrochemical and photophysical properties, along with density functional theory calculations, allowed a full rationalization of the electronic properties of 1F-5F. In acetonitrile solution at 298 K, complexes 1F-3F, equipped with bipyridine and phenanthroline ligands, exhibit strong vibronically structured luminescence bands in the blue region with photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) in the range 56-76%. This behavior is radically different from the nonfluorinated analogues reported previously, which emits in the green region from 3MLCT excited states. 4F shows relatively strong emission (PLQY = 40%) of charge transfer character centered on the amino-bipyridine ancillary ligand, whereas the emission of 5F is very weak (PLQY = 0.6%), further blue-shifted and attributed to the lowest ligand-centered (3LC) triplet state of the tetrazolyl cyclometalated moiety. A similar photophysical behavior is observed in PMMA at 298 K, whereas in a 77 K matrix, all of the compounds are strong emitters. This novel fluorinated phenyl-tetrazole cyclometalating ligand provides the corresponding iridium(III) complexes with a combination of excited-state energy and redox potentials that make them very promising as photoredox catalysts.
Curcumin is a multitherapeutic agent with great therapeutic potential in central nervous system (CNS) diseases. In the current study, curcumin was encapsulated in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) for the purpose of increasing brain accumulation. The preparation processes have been optimized using experimental design and multiobjective optimization methods. Entrapment efficiency of curcumin in SLNs and NLCs was found to be 82% ± 0.49 and 94% ± 0.74, respectively. The pharmacokinetic studies showed that the amount of curcumin available in the brain was significantly higher in curcumin-loaded NLCs (AUC0-t = 505.76 ng/g h) compared to free curcumin (AUC0-t = 0.00 ng/g h) and curcumin-loaded SLNs (AUC0-t = 116.31 ng/g h) ( P < 0.005), after intravenous (IV) administration of 4 mg/kg dose of curcumin in rat. The results of differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction showed that curcumin has been dispersed as amorphous in the nanocarriers. Scanning electron microscopy images confirmed the nanoscale size and spherical shape of the nanoparticles. The DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging study indicated that preparation processes do not have any significant effect on the antioxidant activity of curcumin. The results of this study are promising for the use of curcumin-loaded NLCs in more studies and using curcumin in the treatment of CNS diseases.
The results of an experimental investigation into the performance of scarfed nozzles are presented. This investigation was conducted to establish the range of applicability of a performance prediction model. Factors that influence the applicability of the model are the presence of three-dimensional flow and/or boundary-layer separation. The influence of these factors on the performance of scarfed nozzles was experimentally investigated by statically firing specially designed solid rocket motors that employed various scarfed nozzle configurations. The data from these firings were used to determine applicability limits for the performance model. The results of the test program and the applicability limits obtained are presented.
Objective: To investigate the application efficacy of the "classification of external branch of superior laryngeal nerve (EBSLN)" combined with intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) in the dissection of EBSLN for protecting the nerve from injuery, compared with ligation of branches of the superior thyroid vessels without attempts to visually identify the nerve. Methods: A prospective randomized controled study was performed in our center. Patients subjected to thyroidectomy from January 2017 to June 2019 were randomly divided into 2 groups, patients in experimental group underwent thyroidectomy and "classification of EBSLN" with IONM to dissect EBSLN, and patients in control group received synchronous surgery without attempts to visually identify the nerve. The anatomical subtypes of EBSLN in experimental group were recorded. The voice handicap index 10 (VHI-10) score was evaluated and the movement of bilateral vocal cords was examined by laryngoscope before surgery, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery, respectively. SPSS 26.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis. Results: Among the 1 377 EBSLN from 827 patients (317 males and 510 females, aged 24-58 years old), 691 EBSLNs in experimental group and 686 EBSLNs in control group. Totally 98.3% of EBSLNs in experimental group were identified by IONM including 16.4% (113/691) for type Ⅰ, 21.3% (147/691) for type Ⅱa, 31.4% (217/691) for type Ⅱb, 10.4% (72/691) for type Ⅲa, 3.9% (27/691) for type Ⅲb, 16.6% (115/691) for type Ⅲc. There was no statistical significance difference in baseline data between 2 groups (all P>0.05). All patients were followed up for more than 6 months. The postoperative nerve injury rate of experimental group was significantly lower than that of control group (1.2% vs. 7.5%, χ²=12.659, P<0.001), and the VHI-10 scores and laryngoscope results of experimental group were better than those of control group in three follow-up visits (P<0.001). With postoperative laryngoscope examination, 3 patients in the experimental group and 23 patients in the control group showed vocal cord relaxation, bilateral oblique asymmetry and other phenomena, which were considered as the results of permanent injury. Other patients with symptoms were relieved to varying degrees during the follow-up, and their symptoms were considered as the results of temporary injury. Conclusion: IONM combined with "classification of EBSLN" can reduce significantly the risk of EBSLN injury in thyroidectomy, which is better than direct ligation of branches without attempts to visually identify the nerve.
In this paper, we study the homogenization of a diffusion problem in a highly heterogeneous composite medium formed by two constituents separated by an imperfect interface, where both the temperature and the flux exhibit jumps. The presence of the flux jump leads to a modified stationary Barenblatt model. Besides, we discuss two different geometrical settings, providing a mathematical justification for a physical phenomenon which is explained by the connectivity properties of the constituents.
Despite the availability of numerous effective antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), about one-third of patients with epilepsy continue to have frequent seizures during treatment. There are some factors that have been repeatedly identified as potential predictors of refractory epilepsy. There are several researches to understand the mechanisms of drug-resistance in literature. Drug-resistant epilepsy is often a chronic problem, associated with increased psychosocial and physical morbidity. Identifying clinical predictors for pharmaco-resistant epilepsy early in the course of the disorder may be important for directing patients to an effective non-pharmacologic treatment, such as surgery, ketogenic diet or vagus nerve stimulation.
The target uses of large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) systems are spreading. It takes a lot of time to build a good LVCSR system specialized for the target domain because experts need to manually segment the corpus of the target domain, which is a labor-intensive task. In this paper, we propose a new method to adapt an LVCSR system to a new domain. In our method, we stochastically segment a Japanese raw corpus of the target domain. Then a domain-specific language model (LM) is built based on this corpus. All of the domain-specific words can be added to the lexicon for LVCSR. Most importantly, the proposed method is fully automatic. Therefore, we can reduce the time for introducing an LVCSR system drastically. In addition, the proposed method yielded a comparable or even superior performance to use of expensive manual segmentation
Moisture damage is one of the common causes of asphalt pavement failure in moisture presence. To reduce this damage, different additives such as lime, liquid anti stripping, etc. is conventionally added to mix. In this study, the effect of nano hydrated lime (Nano-HL), on the moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures was investigated by applying surface free energy principals, indirect tensile strength and resilient modulus tests. The asphalt specimens were prepared with granite aggregate and neat bitumen of 60/70 penetration grade containing 0%, 3% and 6% Nano-HL by bitumen weight. The results of this study indicate that modification of bitumen with Nano-HL decreases the acidic component of surface free energy and increases its basic components. So these changes improve the adhesion between the bitumen and aggregate. Also, cohesion free energy of bitumen is improved by an increase in a nonpolar component of bitumen. Furthermore, the results of the indirect tensile strength test and resilient modulus test indicate that the addition of Nano-HL in mixtures causes an increase in ITS and Mr values of modified HMA. On the other hand, the de-bonding energy of bitumen-aggregate for bitumen modified with this Nano material was decreased. This led to an increased resistance to moisture damage. Review History: Received: Revised: Accepted: Available Online:
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has the highest risk of complication of any endoscopic procedure routinely performed by gastroenterologists or surgeons. Adverse events are inevitable when performing ERCP, and one must learn to manage these appropriately when they occur. One avenue for a successful outcome after a complication of ERCP is to follow the "5R model" of management: recognize, react, reach out, repent, and revisit. Several case studies are used as examples of intervention after complication, especially after retroperitoneal perforation. The literature is briefly reviewed in some areas, and I draw upon my own experience extensively in others. If there is a sixth R in the model it would be to "rejoice" when a patient is successfully managed and is finally sent home in good health.
Phthalates (diesters of phthalic acid) are widely used as plasticizers and additives in many consumer products. Laboratory animal studies have reported the endocrine-disrupting and reproductive effects of phthalates, and human exposure to this class of chemicals is a concern. Several phthalates have been recognized as substances of high concern. Human exposure to phthalates occurs mainly via dietary sources, dermal absorption, and air inhalation. Phthalates are excreted as conjugated monoesters in urine, and some phthalates, such as di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), undergo secondary metabolism, including oxidative transformation, prior to urinary excretion. The occurrence of phthalates and their metabolites in urine, serum, breast milk, and semen has been widely reported. Urine has been the preferred matrix in human biomonitoring studies, and concentrations on the order of several tens to hundreds of nanograms per milliliter have been reported for several phthalate metabolites. Metabolites of diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl- (DBP) and diisobutyl- (DiBP) phthalates, and DEHP were the most abundant compounds measured in urine. Temporal trends in phthalate exposures varied among countries. In the United States (US), DEHP exposure has declined since 2005, whereas DiNP exposure has increased. In China, DEHP exposure has increased since 2000. For many phthalates, exposures in children are higher than those in adults. Human epidemiological studies have shown a significant association between phthalate exposures and adverse reproductive outcomes in women and men, type II diabetes and insulin resistance, overweight/obesity, allergy, and asthma. This review compiles biomonitoring studies of phthalates and exposure doses to assess health risks from phthalate exposures in populations across the globe.
Thesis is in the field of power electronic devices. They operate in power conversion system as power switches able to impose the ON/OFF condition. A power device present two macroscopic areas: 1) active area; 2) termination area. The first one is responsible of conduction during the On-state of the device; while the second one mainly contributes to withstand the voltage rate during the Off-state condition. The actual trend of power devices tends to a technological scaling to increase the switching frequency and reduce the costs. As consequence, the percentage of the die area occupied by the termination is even more growing since its dimension is related to the voltage rate. This introduce the necessity to develop new termination design able to sustain the same voltage rate with a reduced consumption of area. At the same time, the new designs must also guarantee the required standard in term of reliability and ruggedness consolidated in classical designs. The scaling has also effects on the active area, where current density is even more growing leading to reliability problem from the thermal point of view. The design of new termination structure, as well as, reliability analysis of the active area have been the main focus of my third year research activities.  Two new termination structure have been designed by means of 2D TCAD simulations. The new design realize an improvement of the classical Junction Termination Extension (JTE) technique to sustain a voltage rate of 1.2 kV. JTE design offers the possibility to considerably reduce the occupation of area but present great limitations in term of reliability. JTE needs of optimizing a low-doped P-region to maximize the breakdown voltage of the device. The critical point is that the breakdown voltage is strongly affected by the doping profile of the low-doped region. The breakdown stability is guaranteed only around the optimal value of the doping concentration. A deviation from the optimal value of about 7-8% already produces an inacceptable degradation of the breakdown capability. Since technological process can be subjected to fluctuation or/and contamination of external impurity able to modify the doping profile have led the JTE design to be less attractive for industry. In my activity two innovative two innovative JTE-based terminations have been presented providing a well precise optimization methodology to maximize the breakdown voltage. Both designs have been developed in order to increase the reliability of the device guaranteeing the breakdown stability in a wide range of doping concentration of the low-doped P-region. The first one design exploits the action of a special passivation layer named SIPOS; while the second one is made combining both JTE and a classical Floating Filed Ring technique. The performances of both terminations are than compared with that an advanced Floating Field Ring structure appropriately optimized. Termination ruggedness has been evaluated by means of Unclamped Inductive Switching simulations as the capacitance of power absorption until the failure event. Therefore, current crowding phenomena occurring in avalanche condition are deeply analyzed together with its relation with the Negative Differential Resistance branch on the I-V avalanche curve. During the third year I spent three months period to the Franhoufer Institute (ISIT). My research was focused on aspects regarding technological process of power devices. During this period I realized an emulation process flow of a Floating Field Ring termination for a 600V Punch-Through IGBT.  The reliability of the active area was analyzed by means of Short-Circuit test. It is an industrial test able to evaluate the capacitance of power absorption during the Short-Circuit condition of a device. During the Short-Circuit, the device is driven in conduction at high voltage and the current is limited only by the internal resistance. The influence of design parameters on the Short-Circuit capability of a FS-IGBT device has been analyzed. A commercial device has been experimentally characterized by means of static curves tracker, Inductive Load Switching test and Short-Circuit test. The Short-Circuit capability analysis was led with a simulation approach by means of 3D TCAD electro-thermal simulations. The physical models of the elementary cell of the IGBT device have been calibrated to fit the characteristics of the commercial device at different temperatures. An innovative design has been proposed to increase the Short-Circuit capability
The number of pirate attacks on ships has tripled in the past decade, putting piracy at its highest level in modern history. This article discusses modern piracy, highlighting the link between piracy and terrorism. Today's pirates are often trained fighters aboard speedboats equipped with satellite telephones and global positioning systems. They are often armed with automatic weapons, antitank missiles and grenades. Most disturbingly, piracy on the high seas is becoming a key tactic of terrorist groups. Many of today's pirates are maritime terrorists with an ideological bend and a broad political agenda. This nexus of piracy and terrorism is especially dangerous for energy markets: most of the world's oil and gas is shipped through piracy-infested waters. In recent years, terrorists have targeted pipelines, refineries, pumping stations and tankers. Sixty percent of the world's oil is shipped by slow and cumbersome tankers. While land targets are relatively well protected, the sea routes that connect Western and Asian economies with the Middle East are more vulnerable than ever. The war on terrorists at sea will require a long-term effort that focuses not only on ways to fight terror at sea, but on how to cushion the economic blow in case of a major disruption of oil traffic. Projects designed to bypass dangerous chokepoints are also important.
Local thrombolysis or rapid transfer for primary angioplasty for patients presenting with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction to hospitals without angioplasty facilities I. SCOTT,1,2 J. CHAN,3 C. ARONEY2,4 and G. CARROLL5 1Internal Medicine Department and Clinical Services Evaluation Unit, and 3Clinical Pharmacology Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital, 2University of Queensland, 4Coronary Care Unit, Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland and 5School of Rural Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
Seesaw mechanism provides a natural explanation of light neutrino masses through suppression of heavy seesaw scale. In inverse seesaw models the seesaw scale can be much lower than that in the usual seesaw models. If terms inducing seesaw masses are further induced by loop corrections, the seesaw scale can be lowered to be in the range probed by experiments at the LHC without fine tuning. This talk, presented by X-G He, discuss models constructed in a recent preprint by us (arxiv:201207.6308) in which neutrino masses are generated at two loop level through inverse seesaw mechanism. These models also naturally have dark matter candidates. Although the recent data from Xenon100 put stringent constraint on the models, they can be consistent with data on neutrino masses, mixing, dark matter relic density and direct detection.
Efforts to find the magnetic monopole in real space have been made in cosmic rays and in particle accelerators, but there has not yet been any firm evidence for its existence because of its very heavy mass, ∼1016 giga–electron volts. We show that the magnetic monopole can appear in the crystal momentum space of solids in the accessible low-energy region (∼0.1 to 1 electron volts) in the context of the anomalous Hall effect. We report experimental results together with first-principles calculations on the ferromagnetic crystal SrRuO3 that provide evidence for the magnetic monopole in the crystal momentum space.
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In this paper, the authors discuss the load characteristics of a steel factory containing a DC arc furnace. In order to reduce the cost, the arc furnace works during the off-peak period. While the furnace is in operation, the variation of active power and reactive power is quite large. In order to understand the load characteristics, the statistics method is used. The result shows that the large amount of reactive power variation is the main reason of voltage fluctuation. Although the DC arc furnace is operated in constant MVA mode, there is still obvious reactive power variation. A 12-pulse configuration and harmonic filters can reduce the harmonics generated by the DC furnace.
Despite the recent advancement in NLP research, cross-lingual transfer for natural language generation is relatively understudied. In this work, we transfer supervision from high resource language (HRL) to multiple low-resource languages (LRLs) for natural language generation (NLG). We consider four NLG tasks (text summarization, question generation, news headline generation, and distractor generation) and three syntactically diverse languages, i.e., English, Hindi, and Japanese. We propose an unsupervised cross-lingual language generation framework (called ZmBART) that does not use any parallel or pseudo-parallel/back-translated data. In this framework, we further pre-train mBART sequence-to-sequence denoising auto-encoder model with an auxiliary task using monolingual data of three languages. The objective function of the auxiliary task is close to the target tasks which enriches the multi-lingual latent representation of mBART and provides good initialization for target tasks. Then, this model is fine-tuned with task-specific supervised English data and directly evaluated with low-resource languages in the Zero-shot setting. To overcome catastrophic forgetting and spurious correlation issues, we applied freezing model component and data argumentation approaches respectively. This simple modeling approach gave us promising results.We experimented with few-shot training (with 1000 supervised data points) which boosted the model performance further. We performed several ablations and cross-lingual transferability analyses to demonstrate the robustness of ZmBART.
It is found that four-symbol 6-codes of length t = 3n can be composed for odd n 0. Consequently new families of Hadamard matrices of orders 4tw and 20tw can be constructed, where w is the order of Williamson matrices. Introduction. An Hadamard matrix Hn = (hij) of order n is an n X n matrix with entries 1 or -1 such that HnHT = nIn, where In is the n X n identity matrix and T indicates the transposed matrix. In Hn, row vectors vi = (hil, hi2, ... , hin) are orthogonal, i.e. vi vj = En 1 hikhjk = 0, i $4 j. Hn exists only if n = 1, 2, or 4k. A sequence of vectors V = (vk)n (v1, v2,..., vn)4 where vk is one of m orthonormal vectors il, i2, ...i, or their negatives, is said to be an m-symbol 6-code of length n, if (I) v(j) = 0 for j $4 0, where v(j) Vk . Vk+j is the nonperiodic auto-correlation function of V. Another characterization of V = (vk)n being an m-symbol 6-code is that its associated polynomial V(z) _ Ekv=1 VkZZ,m 1 Pj(z)ij, where Pj(z) = EZn pjkzk-1, 1 0) will be called Turyn base sequences for length 2m + p (abbreviated as TBS(2m + p)) if they satisfy (3) u(j) + w(j) + x(j) + y(j) = 0 for j 7$ 0. Condition (3) is also equivalent to 1U12 + IW12 + IX12 + lYl2 = 2(2m + p) for any z E K. If TBS(2m + p): U, W; X and Y exist, then TS(2m + p) can be formed (cf. [1]) as follows: I (U' + W, 0), I (U W, 0), I (O', X + Y), and I (O', X Y), where o = 0m (the sequence of zeros of length m) and O' = 0m+p. THEOREM. Let U = (Uk)m+p, W = (Wk)m+p; X = (Xk)m and Y (Yk)m be TBS(n) for n = 2m + p. Then the following are TS(3n): 2 Q = (U+W,X+Y;O/,O;(U W)*,O), 2 R -(U W, X =Y; O' O; (U + W) O), (4) 2 1 S = -(0', 0; U + W, -(X + Y); 0', (X -Y)*) 2 1 T = (?' 0; U WI (X Y); O', (X + Y)*) 2 or Q = ((U W)*,O;U+W,X+Y;O',O), 2 R = -(-(U+ W)*,;U -W,X -Y;O',O), (5) 2 1 S =2(0', (X Y)*;O',O ; U+W w (X+ Y)) 2 1 T = (?'' (X + Y)*; O', O; U W (X Y)), 2 where A* (aN, aN-1, .. ., a,) is the reverse of A = (a,, a2, .. ., aN). LEMMA. Let a, b, c and d be polynomials with real coefficients in z E K. And lete =a+b+c, f =a -b+d,g =a -c -d, andh =b -c+d. Then IeI2 + If 12 + 1g12 + Ihi2 = 3(aI2 + IbI2 + Ic12 + IdI2) for any z E K. The Lemma can be proved easily by straightforward computations and by observing that IpI2 = pp', where p' = p(z-1) for any z E K. PROOF OF THEOREM. Let a = U, b = -zn-mX, C = z2n-my* , and d = -z2nW* in the Lemma. Then as sequences, e = (U, -X; O', -Y*), f = (U,X;O',0; W*), g = (U,0;O',Y*;W*) and h = (0, X;O',Y*; W*). Consequently g* = (W, Y; O', 0; U*) and h* = (-W, Y; O', -X*; 0'). In case (4), we have Q = (f +g*)/2, R = (f g*)/2, S = zn(e-h*)/2, and T = zn(e+h*)/2. By noting that IzI = 1 and Ip*12 p12 since Ip*(z)I = Ip(z-')I, we obtain IQI2 + 2This neat form of case (4), which contains less *'s than my original one, was suggested by R. J. Turyn. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.57 on Mon, 08 Aug 2016 04:56:54 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
Human papillomavirus (HPV)‐mediated oncogenesis confers increased sensitivity to radiotherapy and HPV head and neck cancer is associated with improved patient outcomes. As such, management of HPV‐related head and neck cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach that balances maximizing locoregional control with minimizing treatment‐related toxicity. We highlight considerations in radiation dose and target delineation, as well as considerations for chemoradiation, postoperative radiotherapy, and single modality, definitive radiotherapy.
With the rapid development of online learning, users have more and more diverse ways to learning. The advantage of online learning is that the e-learners' behaviors can be completely recorded in the log events. So learning analytics can be made on these data. More than 500 freshmen used Moodle to study our "C program" course each year. So a large number of learning data have been collected. How to make analysis of the data is very meaningful. In this paper, we focused on analyzing characteristics both the learning behaviors and the nonintellectual factor of e-learners, such as emotion. We aimed to find the main factors which influence learner's achievements. These factors might be submit time of programs, login times, the frequency of assignment view, etc. Based on the analysis, we adopted The Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and Felder & Solomon Learning Styles and Strategies surveys to obtain e-learner's emotion and learning style in a certain period of time or currently. Then we made the correlation analysis between e-learner's emotion, learning style and their achievements. The experimental results made a verification that positive emotion has a great influence on the user. And also the learning enthusiasm of visual learners is obviously higher than that of verbal learners.
Asian cultivated rice Oryza sativa L. was domesticated from its wild ancestor, O. rufipogon. During domestication, the cultivated rice lost its seed-shattering behaviour. Previous studies have shown that two major quantitative trait loci (QTLs; qSH1 and sh4) are responsible for the seed-shattering degree. Here, we produced introgression lines carrying non-functional alleles from O. sativa ‘Nipponbare’ at the two major QTLs in the genetic background of wild rice O. rufipogon W630, and examined the effects of the two QTLs on seed shattering and abscission layer formation. The introgression lines, with Nipponbare alleles at either or both loci, showed complete or partial abscission layer formation, respectively, indicating that other unknown loci might be involved in enhancing seed shattering in wild rice. We detected a single QTL named qSH3 regulating seed-shattering degree using an F2 population between Nipponbare and the introgression line carrying Nipponbare alleles at the two QTLs. Although we generated an introgression line for qSH3 alone, no effects on seed shattering were observed. However, a significant effect on seed-shattering degree was observed for the introgression line carrying Nipponbare alleles at qSH3 and the two QTLs, suggesting an important role of qSH3 on seed shattering in coordination with the two QTLs.
We consider a periodic array of graphene nanoribbons under the action of a strong dc electric field ${E}_{0}$ and an external electromagnetic excitation with the frequency $ ensuremath{ omega}$ and the lateral wave vector $q$. Solving the quasiclassical Boltzmann kinetic equation and calculating the surface dynamic conductivity ${ ensuremath{ sigma}}_{2 text{D}}(q, ensuremath{ omega},{E}_{0})$ and the absorption coefficient of such a system we show that the real part of the conductivity and the absorption coefficient may become negative under certain conditions. Physically this corresponds to the amplification of the electromagnetic waves at the expense of the energy of the direct current source. The results are discussed in connection with experiments on the surface acoustic waves and on the Smith-Purcell-type graphene-based terahertz emitter.
In this chapter, the authors provide a selective overview of studies published between 2000 and 2018 that assessed effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and mindfulness for anger and violence in individuals with mild intellectual disability‐borderline intellectual functioning. They also review studies that have evaluated programmes for training staff members who are involved in the treatment of clients with ID who present with anger problems and violence. The main reasons for this choice are that both treatments actively promote self‐regulation, that they can be implemented both in settings with high or low staff ratios that they may be used in clients showing low‐frequency yet severe aggression and violence, and that they are commonly implemented in forensic services for individuals with ID. These results, however, need to be replicated by other independent researchers before conclusions may be drawn on whether mindfulness is an evidence‐based practice for aggression in individuals with ID.
This article discusses key findings from a preliminary review of a nursing care delivery model implemented in Winnipeg, Manitoba, by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority Home Care Program in 2014. Results suggest that the model is generally seen positively by staff but challenging to implement, given established administrative practices. To meet future demands on the healthcare system, home care programs need policies and procedures that empower nurses to perform as true community health nurses.
Abstract Ferroptosis, a programmed cell death discovered in recent years, is an iron-dependent lipid peroxidation accumulation. Unlike other modes of cell death (autophagy, necroptosis, pyroptosis, cuproptosis, etc.), ferroptosis has unique morphological characteristics and plays an important role in a variety of diseases. In recent years, there has been great progress in the study of ferroptosis. Studies have found that ferroptosis is associated with acute lung injury (ALI), a condition with a high mortality rate and limited treatment options. This paper summarizes the mechanism of ferroptosis from the perspectives of iron metabolism, lipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and glutathione metabolism. It also discusses the research progress of ferroptosis in ALI in order to find new directions for the prevention and treatment of this condition.
Extract: Blood sugar and plasma free fatty acids (FFA), immunoreactive insulin (IRI), and growth hormone (GH) responses to a protein-glucose meal were determined in normal infants and those with marasmus and marasmic kwashiorkor. Among the normal subjects, fasting blood sugar (BS), peak BS and IRI, and the IRI/BS ratio tended to decrease as age increased. Peak IRI was at least 13 μU/ ml above fasting in 21 of 24 infants. Fasting GH levels were high, 38.5 ± 13.6 (SD) and 26.3 ± 14.0 ng/ml, in the two youngest groups (under 1 year) and were comparable with those of the late newborn period. They were slightly lower, 20.8 ± 22.1, in those 12.5–18.5 months of age. Suppressions of FFA and subsequent rebounds were in close temporal relation to BS and IRI peaks and lows, but not the GH levels. GH was promptly suppressed by the meal, and in most infants secondary elevations were seen.Untreated marasmic infants had normal or low BS, correspondingly normal or low IRI, markedly elevated FFA (1,821 ± 588 μEq/liter), and GH levels comparable with those of the control subjects. There was some delay in BS elevation and disappearance and poor insulin release after the meal, with only two of nine having elevations of at least 13 μU/ml. The BS elevations and IRI responses, however, were adequate to block FFA release. GH levels were poorly suppressed by the meal but some infants had further elevations, possibly in response to protein. After partial rehabilitation, fasting BS and FFA and BS elevations after the meal were normal. A slight improvement in insulin release was apparent. Fasting GH levels and responses to the meal were normal.Fasting, minimally treated children with marasmic kwashiorkor (MK) had normal or low BS, normal or low IRI, normal FFA, and probably normal GH levels. There was considerable delay in BS elevation, moderately delayed glucose disappearance, and very poor or immeasurable insulin release after the test meal; FFA and GH were poorly suppressed. After partial rehabilitation, fasting BS was normal, FFA levels were low (630 ± 163 μEq/l), IRI was still low, BS elevations and disappearance improved, IRI responses modestly improved, and GH responses were normal.Speculation: Metabolic and hormonal responses of malnourished infants to a test meal may be appropriate for survival but not for renewed growth of lean body mass.
Thi article aims to analyses the numerous denominations and orientations adopted for studies that map subject areas of studies, while it also assesses and synthesizers search outcomes showing methodological evidence. The studies used for this analysis were selected from journals by Capes. The analysis considered mainly Education articles; however, some Medical studies were also included given studies of this sort originated in the Medical subject area. Therefore, several studies in that area have better level of detail and clearer methodological specification allowing better characterization of each of the denominations. This article allowed consideration of the existence of different nomenclatures for the same sort of study, sometime seven in the same subject area; another development is that various different computer applications are used by researchers when executing this sort of investigation. However, value and credibility accredited to a research study rely essentially on the transparence and methodological rigour employed by the researcher.
TSC‐22 is a highly conserved member of a novel family of transcription factors, that is a direct target of transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) in osteoblastic cells. We have investigated the expression of TSC‐22 in detail during mouse development using in situ hybridization. We detected strong expression of TSC‐22 in the embryo proper first at embryonic day 8.5 (E8.5), in the primitive heart, intermediate mesoderm and the neural tube. The dynamics of the TSC‐22 distribution in the neural tube was particularly striking, with ubiquitous expression rostrally and restriction to neural tissue nearer the floor plate more caudally; between E8.5 and E9.5 the zone of restricted expression extended rostrally. At later stages of development, TSC‐22 was detected in the mesenchymal compartment of many tissues and organs, including the lung, trachea, kidney, stomach, intestine, tooth buds, and in precartilage condensations. Furthermore, TSC‐22 was highly expressed in the floor plate itself and notochord, and the endothelium lining the blood vessels, in particular the major arteries. Many of these sites have been proposed previously as possible TGF‐β target tissues; the results imply that TSC‐22 may also be a direct TGF‐β target gene during mouse embryogenesis. Experiments on TSC‐22 expression in embryoid bodies of embryonic stem (ES) cells expressing dominant negative TGF‐β binding receptors initially supported this hypothesis. However, examination of somatic chimeras derived from these same mutant ES cells at nominal E9.5 showed that TSC‐22 expression in the heart and neural tube was still detectable despite obvious phenotypic abnormalities. We therefore propose that although TSC‐22 may be a direct target of TGF‐β in late development, other factors are likely to be major regulators of expression at earlier stages. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
There has been less difficulty with the incorporation of religion into the study of art, not because the critical problem is either different or easier but because the task is defined historically, in terms of what people actually have done in using art in their religious activities. Such studies, in fact, should constitute the bedrock of the discipline, if the study of religion and art has any hope of developing into a recognizable scholarly field. Even so, the theoretical problem is no better treated than in the attempts to relate art to religion. The solution to these difficulties is not so simple as finding some new and superior mode of criticism; the restless succession of critical theories and methods in literary criticism should be sufficient warning against that process as a way out. The solution, rather, lies deeper, in an examination of the paradoxes and the dilemmas of the modern mind. We have not yet learned how to live with, work with, what we have learned about the workings of the mind and of the human organism in general. The solution to our problem may be more open to us if we learn how to take seriously what we now know about the world of the human. Brief summaries are usually caricatures; they are often indispensable. I
Treatment of castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) continues to represent a major urooncological challenge due to tumor heterogeneity and the inevitable development of therapy resistance. Although androgen deprivation therapy retains an important role in the management of CRPC, recent evidence suggests that a broader spectrum of therapeutic targets may improve patient response and delay development of advanced disease. Genome-wide analyses have identified four major signaling nodes that are most frequently altered in prostate cancer: i) the androgen receptor (AR); ii) the PI3K pathway; iii) the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathway; and iv) the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) signaling pathway. Extensive crosstalk and redundancy exists between these signaling pathways, which underscores the need for combination therapies. There are several novel AR pathway inhibitors currently in clinical use. Clinical trials are being performed on single-agent PI3K inhibitors with some success in tumors with genetically altered PI3K components. MEK/ERK inhibitors are also in clinical trials and the importance of pRB inactivation in prostate cancer is becoming more widely recognized. A greater understanding of the effects of single agent therapy on compensatory signaling pathway activation that can potentially thwart antitumoral responses is urgently needed and will provide additional insight into the mechanism of therapy resistance and how to further delay the progression to lethal disease.
We investigated the role of the gold nanoparticles functionalized with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP–AuNPs) on the innate immune response against an acute infection caused by Vibrio anguillarum in an in vitro immunological nonmammalian next-generation model, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. To profile the immunomodulatory function of PVP–AuNPs (0.1 μg mL−1) in sea urchin immune cells stimulated by Vibrio (10 μg mL−1) for 3 h, we focused on the baseline immunological state of the donor, and we analysed the topography, cellular metabolism, and expression of human cell surface antigens of the exposed cells, as well as the signalling leading the interaction between PVP–AuNPs and the Vibrio-stimulated cells. PVP–AuNPs are not able to silence the inflammatory signalling (TLR4/p38MAPK/NF-κB signalling) that involves the whole population of P. lividus immune cells exposed to Vibrio. However, our findings emphasise the ability of PVP–AuNPs to stimulate a subset of rare cells (defined here as Group 3) that express CD45 and CD14 antigens on their surface, which are known to be involved in immune cell maturation and macrophage activation in humans. Our evidence on how PVP–AuNPs may stimulate sea urchin immune cells represents an important starting point for planning new research work on the topic.
The occurrence of spontaneous miniature potentials at the neuromuscular junction of the rat has been described in a previous paper (Liley, 1956a). In that paper reference was made to the frequent observation of spontaneous large 'miniature' potentials with amplitudes several times the modal value of a series of potentials and, at one junction, calculations showed that more of these large potentials occurred than could be accounted for by the random coincidence of the 'unitary' miniature potentials. The present paper deals with a further investigation of this phenomenon. It would seem paradoxical to designate potentials whose amplitudes may reach 12 mV as 'miniature' potentials; hence, in this paper, such potentials will be referred to as 'giant potentials'. In distinction, 'miniature potentials' will refer to the 'unitary' spontaneous potentials.
ABSTRACT This paper reports on the factors associated with non-fatal urban-road accident severity. Data on accidents were gathered from the local traffic police in the City of Palermo, one of the six most populated cities in Italy. Findings from a mixed-effects logistic-regression model suggest that accident severity increases when two young drivers are involved, road traffic conditions are light/normal and when vehicles crash on a two-way road or carriageway. Speeding is more likely to cause slight or serious injury even when compared to a vehicle moving towards the opposite direction of traffic. An accident during the summer is more likely to result in a slight or serious injury than an accident during the winter, which is in line with evidence from Southern Europe and the Middle East. Finally, the severity of non-fatal accident injuries in an urban area of Southern Europe was significantly associated with speeding, the age of the driver and seasonality.
Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry) has announced its 2016 prize winners, including JeanMarie Tarascon (Coll ge de France; Premio Catal n-Sabatier), and Frank W rthner (University of W rzburg; Premio Elhuyar-Goldschmidt); these prizes were already featured in this section.[1] Pedro J. P rez (Universidad de Huelva) has been awarded the “Medalla de Oro de la RSEQ”, which is the highest honor that the society presents. Per z, who was featured here when he won the Homogeneous Catalysis Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry,[2a] was honored for distinguished work in the area of homogeneous catalysis and unreactive C H activation. He has reported in Angewandte Chemie on iron and manganese catalysts for the selective functionalization of arene Csp2 H bonds.[2b] P rez is on the Editorial Board of the European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry. Henk J. Bolink, Sergio Castill n, Ram n Mart nez-M Çez, Paolo Melchiorre, and Juan J. Novoa are the winners of the “Premios a la Excelencia Investigadora”, which are presented for outstanding research. Henk J. Bolink (Universitat de Val ncia; UV) carried out his PhD (completed in 1997) with Georges Hadziioannou at the University of Groningen. After working at DSM and Philips, he joined the UV in 2003. Bolink s current research interests include inorganic/organic hybrid materials such as transition-metal complexes and perovskites and their integration into LEDs and solar cells. He is co-author of a recent report in the European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry on iridium-containing blue emitters.[3] Sergio Castill n (Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona) studied at the Universidad de Zaragoza, where he completed his PhD (supervised by Enrique Melendez and Jaume Vilarrasa) in 1981. From 1982–1984, he carried out postdoctoral work with Gabor Lukacs at the CNRS Institut de Chimie des Substances Naturelles in Gif-sur-Yvette. In 1984 he joined the faculty at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, where he is currently Professor Organic Chemistry. Castill n s research focuses on developing new methods of enantioselective synthesis of sphingolipids and glycosphingolipids that target the inhibition of SK1 and SK2, and on asymmetric catalysis, including ligand design, catalytic systems (such as nanocatalysts), and processes (such as the aziridination of dienes). He has reported in the European Journal of Organic Chemistry on a ruthenium pincer complex for the asymmetric reduction of ketones.[4] Ram n Mart nez-M Çez (Universitat Polit cnica de Val ncia; UPV) studied at the UV where he carried out his PhD (completed in 1990) with Pascual Lahuerta. He subsequently joined the faculty at the UPV, where he has been Professor of Inorganic Chemistry since 2002. He was also visiting professor at the University of Cambridge from 1993–1994. Mart nez-M Çez and his group are interested in the design of chemosensors and probes for cations, anions, and neutral species of environmental and biological interest and the development of gated materials for sensing and on-command delivery applications for cell targeting and imaging. He has reported in Chemistry—A European Journal on silica mesoporous nanoparticles capped with self-immolative gates.[5] Mart nezM Çez is Co-Chair of the Editorial Board of ChemistryOpen and is on the International Advisory Boards of Chemistry—An Asian Journal and ChemPlusChem. Paolo Melchiorre (Instituto Catal n de Investigaci n Qu mica (ICIQ), Tarragona) studied at the Universit di Bologna, where he worked with Achille Umani-Ronchi and Pier Giorgio Cozzi for his PhD (completed in 2003). After postdoctoral research with Giuseppe Bartoli in Bologna (2003– 2006), he was made assistant professor there in 2007. He was made research professor and group leader at the ICIQ in 2009. Melchiorre s research interests involve the discovery and mechanistic elucidation of enantioselective organocatalytic and photochemical processes that address unsolved problems in synthetic methodology. He has reported in Angewandte Chemie on asymmetric photoorganocatalysis.[6] Melchiorre is on the Academic Advisory Board of Advanced Synthesis & Catalysis and the International Advisory Boards of ChemCatChem and ChemPhotoChem. Juan J. Novoa (Universitat de Barcelona; UB) studied at the UB, where he completed his PhD (supervised by Luis M. Tel) in 1981. He subsequently carried out postdoctoral work with Ram n Carb at the Instituto Qu mico de Sarri , Barcelona (1981–1982) and with Michael A. Robb at Queen Elizabeth College London (1983). He then returned to the UB, where he was made Professor of Physical Chemistry in 1997. Novoa s research is focused on the theoretical study of the properties and crystal packing of materials of technological interest, with particular emphasis on moleculebased magnets. His report on long, multicenter bonds in radical anion dimers was featured on a cover of Chemistry—A European Journal.[7] Rub n D. Costa, Mart n FaÇan s-Mastral, Guillermo M nguez Espallargas, and S lvia Osuna are the recipients of the “Premios a J venes Investigadores”, which are awarded to acknowledge excellent work by early-career researchers. Rub n D. Costa (Friedrich-Alexander-Universit t Erlangen-N rnberg; FAU) studied at the UV, where he completed his PhD (supervised by Enrique Ort and Henk J. Bolink). From 2011– 2014, he was a postdoctoral researcher at with Dirk M. Guldi at the FAU, where he is currently a Angewandte Chemie News
From 1965 to 1997, 49 patients were diagnosed and treated for intracranial ependymoma at one institution. Tumor location was infratentorial in two thirds, and pathology was low grade in 38 patients (78%). Gross total resection of the primary tumor was achieved in 21 (43%). Thirty-six patients received adjuvant radiotherapy; the entire neuraxis was treated in 14, whole brain in 10, and local field only in 12. Median follow-up was 9.6 years (range, 2–33 years). The 5-, 10-, and 15-year overall survival rates were 71.4%, 63.5%, and 63.5% for craniospinal radiotherapy, 60.0%, 60.0%, and 40.0% for whole brain radiotherapy, and 80.8%, 64.6%, and 64.6% for local field radiotherapy (p = 0.88). The 5-, 10-, and 15-year local control rates were 60.3%, 54.4%, and 48.9%. The prognostic factors for a better local control rate were gross total resection (p = 0.021) and low grade histology (p = 0.031). Seventeen of 43 (39.5%) M0 patients did not respond to treatment; all had local failure and 4 also had a spinal relapse. Spinal relapse developed in 3 of 31 (10%) M0 patients who did not receive spinal radiotherapy, whereas 1 of 12 (8%) who had spinal radiotherapy did not respond to treatment in the spine. The results of this study indicate that local radiotherapy is sufficient for M0 patients with intracranial ependymoma.
Introduction This study aims to assess the impacts of COVID-19 pandemics among university students in Malaysia, by identifying the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among them and their respective predictors. Methodology An online cross-sectional study was conducted via non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Data were collected on sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, COVID-19 related influences. Mental health status was assessed with depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21). Results 388 students participated this study (72.4% female; 81.7% Bachelor’s student). The prevalence of moderate to severe depression, anxiety and stress among university students are 53.9%, 66.2% and 44.6%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that the odds of depression were lower among students who exercise at least 3 times per week (OR: 0.380, 95% CI: 0.203–0.711). The odd ratio of student who had no personal history of depression to had depression, anxiety and stress during this pandemic was also lower in comparison (OR: 0.489, 95% CI: 0.249–0.962; OR: 0.482, 95% CI: 0.241–0.963; OR: 0.252, 95% CI: 0.111–0.576). Surprisingly, students whose are currently pursuing Master study was associated with lower stress levels (OR: 0.188, 95% CI: 0.053–0.663). However, student who had poorer satisfaction of current learning experience were more likely to experience stress (OR: 1.644, 95% CI: 1.010–2.675). Limitations It is impossible to establish causal relationships between variables on mental health outcomes, and there is a risk of information bias. Conclusion The prevalence of mental health issues among university students is high. These findings present essential pieces of predictive information when promoting related awareness among them.
We propose that negative absolute temperatures in ultracold atomic clouds in optical lattices can be used to simulate quantum systems in new regions of phase diagrams. First we discuss how the attractive SU(3) Hubbard model in three dimensions can be realized using repulsively interacting 173-Yb atoms, then we consider how an antiferromagnetic S=1 spin chain could be simulated using spinor 87-Rb or 23-Na atoms. The general idea to achieve negative absolute temperatures is to reverse the sign of the external harmonic potential. Energy conservation in a deep optical lattice imposes a constraint on the dynamics of the cloud, which can relax toward a T<0 state. As the process is strongly non-adiabatic, we estimate the change of the entropy.
Oriented strandboard (OSB) is a wood-based composite product with the largest market share for residential and commercial construction. Reliable in-line nondestructive evaluation devices are needed to rapidly determine OSB panel moisture content (MC) and specific gravity (SG) after hot pressing. In this report a radio frequency (RF) scanning technique was used to evaluate the MC and SG of OSB. RF scanning apparatuses were built to test OSB specimens at various MC and SG levels. Statistical models of the results were generated with the multiple linear regression method for estimating OSB MC and SG. The results indicated that the MC and SG of OSB can be estimated using RF responses in using voltage attenuation and signal phase shift.
Nanoparticle (NP) display potentially offers a new way to both stabilize and, in many cases, enhance enzyme activity over that seen for native protein in solution. However, the large, globular and sometimes multimeric nature of many enzymes limits their ability to attach directly to the surface of NPs, especially when the latter are colloidally stabilized with bulky PEGylated ligands. Engineering extended protein linkers into the enzymes to achieve direct attachment through the PEG surface often detrimentally alters the enzymes catalytic ability. Here, we demonstrate an alternate, hybrid biomaterials-based approach to achieving directed enzyme assembly on PEGylated NPs. We self-assemble a unique architecture consisting of a central semiconductor quantum dot (QD) scaffold displaying controlled ratios of extended peptide-DNA linkers which penetrate through the PEG surface to directly couple enzymes to the QD surface. As a test case, we utilize phosphotriesterase (PTE), an enzyme of bio-defense interest due to its ability to hydrolyze organophosphate nerve agents. Moreover, this unique approach still allows PTE to maintain enhanced activity while also suggesting the ability of DNA to enhance enzyme activity in and of itself.
PURPOSE This study is part of a general search for the anatomical bases of the severe mental retardation syndrome caused by prenatal irradiation. More specifically, it seeks reasons for the high radiosensitivity of a white matter area, the cingulum of the corpus callosum.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Pregnant primiparous Wistar rats were exposed to X-rays at 12, 13, 14 or 15 days of gestation (E12, E13, E14 or E15) with single low doses of 180 mGy. A high dose of 500 mGy was given at E15 for a complementary study. The brains of the female offspring were collected at 1 and 3 months of age. The affinity of osmium tetroxide for the white matter was used to recognize and quantify cingulum areas in a series of coronal sections made at different positions along the antero-posterior axis of the brains.   RESULTS A 180 mGy dose of X-rays caused an atrophy of the cingulum; the effect was particularly significant in the 1-month-old brains after an exposure at E13 or at E14, and increased in the 3-month-old animals exposed at E15. The axonal size distribution was unchanged in the 3-month-old cingulums treated with 500 mGy at E15.   CONCLUSIONS The atrophy of the cingulum is due to a loss of axons, which are abundant in this area. As a consequence of axon loss, a reduction of the postnatal myelination enhances the volumetric decrease of the cingulum at 3 months of age.
Faults affecting the automotive engines can potentially lead to increased emissions, increased fuel consumption or engine damage. These negative impacts may be prevented, or at least alleviated, if faults can be detected and isolated in a timely manner. The US Federal and State regulations dictate that automotive engines operate with an On-Board Diagnosis (OBD) system to enable the detection of faults resulting in increased emissions. In this paper, we survey and discuss the different aspects of fault detection and diagnosis in automotive engine systems. The paper aims to describe some of the efforts made in the academia and industry on the fault detection and isolation for a variety of component faults, actuator faults, and sensor faults in automotive engines using various data-driven and model-based methods.
Purpose To identify risk factors for recurrent thromboembolic events (RTEs) and define the optimum duration of treatment with tinzaparin in patients with superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) of the lower limbs. Materials and Methods A total of 147 consecutive patients with significant SVT were treated with subcutaneously administered tinzaparin. The composite primary endpoint of the study was RTE, deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) at 120 days. Patients were stratified into group A, where patients received a variable dose of tinzaparin for up to 60 days (n=98), and a subsequent group B-ext, where patients received a standardized intermediate dose of tinzaparin (n=49) for 90 days. Results RTEs occurred in 15/147 patients (10.2%), including recurrent SVT (n=10), DVT (n=4) and fatal PE (n=1). RTEs were less frequent in group B-ext (0% vs. 15.3% for group A, P=0.004), a difference that remained significant at the one-year follow-up. Clinically extensive SVT was an independent predictor for RTEs (hazard ratio, 5.94; 95% confidence interval, 2.05–17.23; P=0.001, Cox regression). Predictors or DVT or PE in group A included clinically extensive SVT (P=0.004), absence of local pain (P=0.023) and the ultrasound findings of superficial axial vein thrombosis (any, P=0.006 or isolated, P=0.036) and multiple thrombosed superficial venous sites (P<0.001). Conclusion An extended three-month regimen of tinzaparin in patients with SVT of the lower limbs is more effective than a shorter course and may be desirable in patients with risk factors.
Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Toric implantable contact lens in correcting high myopic astigmatism. Methods: A 44-year-old woman's uncorrected visual acuity was 0.08 in the right eye and 0.125 in the left eye. The refractive errors of her eyes were -11.75Dsph. : -5.0Dcyl.axis 3° in the right eye and -1.0Dsph.: -3.0Dcyl.axis 178° in the left eye. Her best corrected visual acuity was 0.5 in the right eye and 1.0 in the left eye. Toric implantable contact lenses were implanted in both eyes without any no intra-operative complications. Results: Six months after surgery, her uncorrected visual acuities were 0.8 in the right eye and 1.0 in the left eye. The refractive errors were -0.5Dsph. : -0.5Dcyl.axis 120° in the right eye and -0.25Dsph. : -1.5Dcyl.axis 13° in the left eye. The best corrected visual acuity was 1.0 in the both eyes. In these eyes, there was no cataract or spike of intraocular pressure. Conclusions: High myopic astigmatism can be corrected with a one-stop operation to implant toric implantable contact lenes.
Recent interest in synthetic emulsion products has shifted from mass-produced solid materials to specialty products such as paints, adhesives, and binders. High solid content latices are typically prepared in industrial practice, and used for coatings and adhesives. These latices offer definite advantages for most of the commercial applications, for example, low shipping costs and less energy to remove water. One of the major difficulties encountered in the preparation of these latices is the increase in viscosity once a certain value of the particle volume fraction is achieved. It is well known that this increase in the viscosity is due to the effect of particle–particle interactions and the formation of complex flow elements, which become crucially important when the volume fraction of the dispersed phase approaches the maximum packing density. The preparation of polymer emulsions with broad particle size distribution is an area of considerable industrial interest. High solid content, good filmformation characteristics, and improved mechanical and rheological properties can be obtained from polymer emulsions with broad particle size distribution. The polymer emulsions with broad size distribution have higher maximum packing concentration of polymer particles than that with monodisperse rigid spheres. Usually, semibatch and multiple-shot processes are the most common techniques for preparation of this type of latex to ease the extensive heat of polymerization by controlling the reaction rate. Inevitably, carefully controlled addition of monomers is required as well as use of sophisticated controlling devices. Molecular weight is lower than that of the batch process. High solid content emulsion copolymerization of styrene, butyl acrylate, and methacrylic acid has been carried out, and polymer latices with a multimodal particle size distribution (PSD) prepared by introducing additional surfactants during the semicontinuous emulsion polymerization. Bimodal and trimodal PSD polymer latices can be obtained by this method, and the secondary generation of particles is greatly affected by the nature and the amount of additional surfactants, as well as the moment at which they are introduced. High solid content ( 65%), low viscosity, and coagulum-free latices have been obtained through the secondary nucleation of polymer particles, and a minimum in viscosity was observed when the weight fraction of the large particles was around 80%. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 2478– 2483, 2002Correspondence to: S. Omi (omi@cc.tuat.ac.jp).
The syndrome of thrombotic microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia is rare and almost all the cases reported have been in adults. Very few cases occurring in childhood have been reported and the youngest recorded case was 22 months old (Craig and Gitlin, 1957). We report the clinical and pathological details and the response to treatment of a child aged 21 months, who was seen at the Austin Hospital, Melbourne.
This paper addresses network survivability for IPTV multicast transport in Carrier Ethernet networks. The impact of link failures is investigated and suggestions for intelligent multicast resilience schemes are proposed. In particular, functions of the multicast tree are integrated with the Carrier Ethernet transport layer, thereby optimizing the protection path with regards to delay and Quality of Experience (QoE). The proposed schemes are evaluated both through simulations and testbed experiments. Results clearly show the benefit of the integrated multicast scheme and illustrate a trade-off between recovery path length, recovery time, number of branch nodes and operational complexity. The integrated approach therefore shows significant potential to increase the QoE for IPTV users in case of network failures and recovery actions.
OBJECTIVE As intensive care unit bed capacity doubled due to COVID-19 cases, nursing leaders created a prone team to support labor-intensive prone positioning of patients with COVID-related acute respiratory distress syndrome. The goal of the prone team was to reduce workload on intensive care teams, standardize the proning process, mitigate pressure injuries and turning-related adverse events, and ensure prone team safety.   METHODS Staff were trained using a hybrid learning model focused on prone-positioning techniques, pressure injury prevention, and turning-related adverse events.   RESULTS No adverse events occurred to patients or members of the prone ream. The prone team mitigated pressure injuries using prevention strategies. The prone team and intensive care unit staff were highly satisfied with their experience.   CONCLUSION The prone team provided support for critically ill patients, and team members reported feeling supported and empowered. Intensive care unit staff were highly satisfied with the prone team.
A lot of malicious information such as rumours are hidden in the massive data flow in social online networks. Once this type of malicious information spreads, it could affect social stability in severe cases. This paper introduces the concept of trusted regulator to select key nodes, and we propose a method to hinder the rapid spread of malicious information by blocking accounts and publishing clarification, so that the external disturbances from the chosen nodes and the malicious information could fight against each other. Local control strategy is applied to the propagation of malicious information. Specifically, we first introduce the SIMRT model and an importance indicator based on edge weight, then we propose the reverse intervention algorithm based on the importance indicator. Experiment results on different data sets show that the proposed algorithm can effectively suppress the spread of malicious information.
Abstract Impacts of atmospheric mean zonal flows on equatorial and subequatorial waves are examined using the generalized Laplace tidal equation, a horizontal structure equation that explicitly includes the effect of horizontal divergence on disturbances via the Lamb parameter e = (2Ωa)2/(ghe). Two important consequences of the mean zonal flow profile are the excitation of barotropically unstable waves associated with a reversed meridional gradient of potential vorticity and the excitation of inertially unstable waves related to anomalous potential vorticity values. Investigations show that both types of instabilities occur in realistic wind fields of the upper troposphere around 200 hPa. The barotropically unstable waves are divided into weakly divergent waves located in the middle latitudes and the more important class of strongly divergent waves located at the equatorward flank of the jet stream in the subtropics. The strongly divergent inertially unstable waves are identified by equatorially trapped w...
OBJECTIVE: To analyze doctoral dissertation abstracts of a graduate program in nursing. METHODS: This exploratory study was conducted in December, 2005. The doctoral dissertation abstracts were evaluated using criteria set by the NBR 6028/1990 of the Brazilian Association of Technical Norms on a 12-item scale. The analysis was conducted with the GraphPad Prism software. RESULTS: Sixty five doctoral dissertations were defended between February 2001 and December 2005. Among these dissertations, 38.98% consisted of topics in public health. Abstracts published in 2005 had higher score in the ABNT scale (c2=6.84, p=0.008). Scores were transformed into grades, which led to 61% of approval. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study might contribute to faculty and student's reflections on the quality of doctoral dissertation abstracts, which must meet established NBR/ABNT criteria.
We present a statistical analysis of the ultraviolet emission lines of cataclysmic variables (CVs) based on ≈ 430 ultraviolet spectra of 20 sources extracted from the International Ultraviolet Explorer Uniform Low Dispersion Archive. These spectra are used to measure the emission-line fluxes of N V, Si IV, C IV, and He II and to construct diagnostic flux ratio diagrams. We investigate the flux ratio parameter space populated by individual CVs and by various CV subclasses (e.g., AM Her stars, DQ Her stars, dwarf novae, nova-like variables). For most systems, these ratios are clustered within a range of ~1 decade for log Si IV/C IV ≈ -0.5 and log He II/C IV ≈ -1.0 and ~1.5 decades for log N V/C IV ≈ -0.25. These ratios are compared to photoionization and collisional ionization models to constrain the excitation mechanism and the physical conditions of the line-emitting gas. We find that the collisional models do the poorest job of reproducing the data. The photoionization models reproduce the Si IV/C IV line ratios for some shapes of the ionizing spectrum, but the predicted N V/C IV line ratios are simultaneously too low by typically ~0.5 decades. Worse, for no parameters are any of the models able to reproduce the observed He II/C IV line ratios; this ratio is far too small in the collisional and scattering models and too large by typically ~0.5 decades in the photoionization models.
The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) has been increasing over the years and is one of the leading causes of deaths in the Indian population. While women may have a lower risk of CVD, as compared to men, during the early phases of life, it has been determined that in the later stages of life, more number of women suffer from CVD as compared to men. Moreover, women might also experience disproportionately high mortality due to CVD. Obesity is among one of the most important reasons underlying greater burden of CVD in women. The problem of obesity is continuously growing even in developing countries like India and is more common in females and urban populations. Females are particularly prone to weight gain because of certain bodily changes which they have to go through during their life span. Obesity is associated with several risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, which increase the risk of CVD. Additionally, obesity also leads to various other health problems such as uterine cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, and breast cancer. Accordingly, prevention and management of obesity is an important health goal and diet plays an integral role in this. Diets rich in foods with high glycemic index (GI), high sodium content and low fruit and vegetable intake have been correlated with greater risk of CVD. Therefore, foods with low GI should be incorporated in the diets. In general, diets rich in dietary fiber have been associated with lower plasma cholesterol levels. Adequate intake of dietary fiber, phytochemicals, and antioxidants such as polyphenols, isothiocyanates, carotenoids, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and folates in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables offer cardioprotective benefits.
A consortium of petroleum companies in Malaysia is currently embarking on a project to develop oil and gas reserves offshore Sabah, Malaysia in Teluk Kimanis. Oil transport pipeline will be installed to transport hydrocarbons from the offshore platform to the plant located near the coast of Kimanis. It is anticipated there will be suspension of solids in the sea during the installation of the pipelines and offshore trenching activities. There were concerns that the suspended solids (SS) generated from these activities might cause negative impact to the marine ecosystem in Pulau Tiga Marine Park, for which an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is needed for mitigation. This paper presents a brief exposition of this EIA study, with particular reference to model simulations on hydrodynamic regimes and SS in the Teluk Kimanis. Model simulations show that the SS plumes are visible only in the immediate vicinity of the SS release location, within a radius of 3-4 km. Hence, there is no possibility that the released SS will ever reach the Pulau Tiga Marine Park, which is located at more than 20 km away. Further, the SS concentration generated in the vicinity of the pipeline trenching will quickly decay to low levels one day after the discharge is discontinued.
In the past, the research on complaints mainly focused on employee-employer dichotomy, focusing on the impact of employee complaints on employee performance. But in the actual work, front-line service workers and consumers have a lot of service contacts. If consumers witness complaints from front-line service workers, what impact will it have on corporate brand attitude? Based on the third-party perception perspective and the theory of moral justice, with perception of corporate morality as the mediating variable, this paper verifies that perceived corporate controllability by first-line service employees’ complaints can significantly affect consumer brand attitude, and introduces the boundary condition of perceived employee complaints. When perceived employee complaints are health factors, the more controllable the first-line service employees’ complaints are perceived. The higher the perceived corporate ethics, the lower the consumer brand attitude. When perceived employee complaints are motivating factors, there is no difference in the impact of perceived corporate controllability and low perceived employee complaints on consumer brand attitude. The paper examines the impact of corporate controllability on consumers perceived by the complaints of front-line service employees witnessed by consumers. It also studies the spillover effect of employee complaints from the perspective of third-party perception, which has important guiding value for guiding the management of front-line service employees and sustainable development.
Your leader (arq 6/1, p3) correctly concluded that the latest round of the UK Government’s Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) results are the best yet overall for those departments in universities that include the subject of architecture. But we are in danger of misinterpreting this complex set of results as a result of some other more emotive and unclear arguments. Let me take the process apart slightly in order to clarify. In the RAE, universities choose to report their research to a number of panels which deal with large subject areas. One of those panels is the Built Environment, which includes architecture along with landscape, building, construction and a number of other related subjects. Most of the universities who submitted architectural research did so to this panel, though a significant number chose to submit to the panel for Art and Design. Of course all the panels work together and refer work to each other for advice. A submitting university may also require a panel to cross refer to another panel. However, many of the submissions included work in other aspects of the Built Environment or of Town and Country Planning (an associated panel). The grades awarded then are not for ‘architecture’ but for the submission made. In fact universities group their submissions in research clusters some of which might be architectural and some not. It is difficult to discuss this in detail without breaking the confidence that members of the panel are rightly expected to keep. In her letter (arq 6/1, p5) referred to in the leader, Christine Hawley talks about the ‘demise of the architecture schools’ as if they were discrete entities in RAE terms. She infers that the results relate specifically to architecture. Just because a university has an architecture department we should not assume that the largest research cluster in their submission was an architectural one! So far only members of the panels know what work was submitted by any one university. Christine Hawley only knows for sure what was submitted by her own university in addition to work which was ‘architectural’. She goes on to argue that any disappointment that might be felt in schools of architecture about the results is then also either entirely or largely due to a lack of appreciation of any design work submitted. By inference we are led to believe that good results were never due to a contribution from design-based research. I do not know on what evidence this argument is constructed. A further confusion arises because Universities are allowed to choose how many staff to submit in the RAE. Again although a letter attached to the grade indicates (eg 5A or 3B) the proportion who were submitted, this is incomplete information. Further confusions arise because the grades are not awarded to individuals no matter how distinguished they may be, but for the submission as a whole which may include some rather less distinguished individuals. Again the grades are not awarded for lifetime achievements but can only relate to the work submitted which was conducted within the review period. For all these reasons grades may not always match expectations. However some evidence is available. That evidence shows that from 1996 to 2001 the submissions which included architecture showed two universities losing a grade and ten gaining a grade with two universities gaining two grades. This does not look like a ‘demise’. This set of results is in fact even better than the average for the Built Environment as a whole. This suggests that although there is understandably some localized disappointment, the schools of architecture have made considerable progress in research terms. Some of that research is in the form of design and some is not. Some of that research was published in refereed journals, some in professional journals and some in books. Some was in the form of exhibitions and some in web-sites. Some was presented at conferences and so on. I write here not as an apologist for the RAE but in order to explain that the results may not represent quite what they are sometimes painted to. I have my own views on the strengths and weaknesses of the RAE system as it is currently operated, but it is not appropriate to express those here. I wholeheartedly agree with both the leader and Christine Hawley that a more thorough and informed debate should be held about the role, organization and support of research in our field. I look forward to contributing to that debate. Frank Duffy was clear during his presidency of the RIBA that the knowledge base of the architectural profession must be nurtured. Sadly, I am not sure his ideas have been followed by actions in Portland Place. arq is itself a significant step forward and its Editor warmly congratulated for his staunch efforts. Meanwhile readers may be amused to know that, between the
It has been claimed that a raised blood lead level is a common finding among mentally retarded children and that this is of aetiological significance. One hundred and twenty-three mentally handicapped children of uncertain aetiology, 24 with mongolism, and 73 controls have been examined for lead intoxication. The results indicate that the three groups do not differ significantly as regards blood lead levels and no definite evidence of either acute or chronic lead poisoning has been obtained. This study does not suggest that these mentally backward children have been particularly at risk from lead poisoning, and emphasizes the limited value of an isolated estimation of the blood lead level. These conclusions do not depend on whether 36 or 50 jkg. of lead per 100 ml. of blood is regarded as the upper limit of normal. However, if a value is found which is above the accepted level for the population in a particular area, this is an indication for further investigation, but not necessarily for treatment.
While many differences in hippocampal anatomy have been described between species, it is typically not clear if they are specific to a particular species and related to functional requirements or if they are shared by species of larger taxonomic units. Without such information, it is difficult to infer how anatomical differences may impact on hippocampal function, because multiple taxonomic levels need to be considered to associate behavioral and anatomical changes. To provide information on anatomical changes within and across taxonomic ranks, we present a quantitative assessment of hippocampal principal cell populations in 20 species or strain groups, with emphasis on rodents, the taxonomic group that provides most animals used in laboratory research. Of special interest is the importance of adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) in species-specific adaptations relative to other cell populations. Correspondence analysis of cell numbers shows that across taxonomic units, phylogenetically related species cluster together, sharing similar proportions of principal cell populations. CA3 and hilus are strong separators that place rodent species into a tight cluster based on their relatively large CA3 and small hilus while non-rodent species (including humans and non-human primates) are placed on the opposite side of the spectrum. Hilus and CA3 are also separators within rodents, with a very large CA3 and rather small hilar cell populations separating mole-rats from other rodents that, in turn, are separated from each other by smaller changes in the proportions of CA1 and granule cells. When adult neurogenesis is included, the relatively small populations of young neurons, proliferating cells and hilar neurons become main drivers of taxonomic separation within rodents. The observations provide challenges to the computational modeling of hippocampal function, suggest differences in the organization of hippocampal information streams in rodent and non-rodent species, and support emerging concepts of functional and structural interactions between CA3 and the dentate gyrus.
In the pharmacological, biotechnological and medical sciences, numerous billions of dollars are spent annually on basic and clinical research and development to better understand and promote global health. These funds support scientific, clinical and administrative salaries, chemicals, instruments and consumables, preclinical research and clinical trials, laboratory infrastructure and numerous other essential costs in relation to multiple research projects undertaken across different laboratories around the globe, as science – like disease - knows no borders. Small and large scientific advances are continuously being made across areas, but how does one optimally combine and focus them to maximize their united impact on disease management. The goal of this special issue of Current Pharmaceutical Design (CPD) is to aid medical research in this endeavor by providing articles to overview current progress and future perspectives focused towards management strategies for diverse diseases. Particular challenges facing numerous laboratories are those that involve laboratory bench to clinical bedside translation in the path of successful drug discovery. Are there ways to tailor and optimize this across disorders; are there guidelines that best should be followed? Authors of this special issue were invited to generate a review article appropriate to describe technologies with potential value across diseases to provide a guiding light to identify courses of action and procedures for clinically translatable research that can both advance the success rate and shorten the timeline to support a treatment to positively impact public health goals, globally. In this part B special issue of CPD, Islam et al. review the role of natural products in relation to the management of thrombosis-associated disorders. Besides genetic influences, there are several acquired and environmental risk factors dominating thrombotic diseases. A considerable number of natural products showing antithrombotic activities (antiplatelet, anticoagulant and fibrinolytic) with no apparent or minimal adverse effects have been reported. In their article, several natural products used as antithrombotic agents that encompass medicinal plants, vegetables, fruits, spices and edible mushrooms have been recently discovered to impact key target sites (thrombogenic components, factors and thrombotic pathways), and are described. Importantly, the side effects, limitations and the
Endothelial dysfunction accompanies suboptimal glucose control in patients with diabetes mellitus. A hallmark of endothelial dysfunction is a deficiency in production or bioavailability of vascular nitric oxide (NO). Here we demonstrate that acute exposure of human endothelial cells to glucose, at levels found in plasma of diabetic patients, results in a significant blunting of NO responses to the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) agonists bradykinin and A-23187. Monitoring of NO generation by purified recombinant bovine eNOS in vitro, using amperometric electrochemical detection and an NO-selective porphyrinic microelectrode, showed that glucose causes a progressive and concentration-dependent attenuation of detectable NO. Addition of glucose to pure NO solutions similarly elicited a sharp decrease in NO concentration, indicating that glucose promotes NO loss. Electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry, using negative ion monitoring, directly demonstrated the occurrence of a covalent reaction involving unitary addition of NO (or a derived species) to glucose. Collectively, our findings reveal that hyperglycemia promotes the chemical inactivation of NO; this glucose-mediated NO loss may directly contribute to hypertension and endothelial dysfunction in diabetic patients.
This paper reports a degenerate four-wave mixing effect in Fe-doped LiNb03 crystal at low laser power (He-Ne laser, λ=6328?). The experimetal curves about intensity of conjugate wave vs. irradiate time at different pump power is given. The phase-compensated property of the conjugate wave was examined, and the phase distortion image was corrected by means of this property. The experimental results obtained agree with the theory.
Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained for this study. This study was HIPAA compliant. The purpose of this study was to visualize the movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) noninvasively by using an unenhanced magnetic resonance imaging technique. A time-spatial labeling inversion pulse (SLIP) technique was applied to label, or tag, CSF in a region of interest. The tagged CSF was clearly visualized at inversion times of 1500-4500 msec after pulse labeling in both intracranial and intraspinal compartments. Noninvasive visualization of CSF movement, including bulk and turbulent flow, in normal (n = 7) and altered (n = 2) physiologic conditions was possible by using the unenhanced time-SLIP technique.
This is a narrative review, largely of randomized trials on the impacts of probiotics. It concludes that evidence for beneficial effects of selected probiotics in the prevention of gastrointestinal disorders is limited mainly to acute gastroenteritis, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, infantile colic and necrotizing enterocolitis.  However, there is no broad consensus to recommend the use of probiotics in the prevention of these conditions, mainly because of the different designs used in different studies, resulting in limited evidence for specific strains, dosages and indications. More well-designed studies utilizing standardized methodologies are needed before recommendations can be proposed. At this stage, there is insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of probiotics in infants and children for the prevention of gastro-intestinal disorders.
Aim: The upper jaw transverse deficit is certainly one of the most common clinical issues in the orthodontic field. It can be due to skeletal or dental factors, and its etiology may be both genetic and environmental. Rapid maxillary expanders (RMEs) are certainly the most effective appliance for upper transverse deficiency correction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes that occurred in the mandibular arch during treatment with RMEs in growing subjects by analyzing tridimensional lower digital casts. Materials and Methods: The study group (SG) consisted of 20 subjects (10 M, 10 F; mean age 9.4 ± 2.8 years old) randomly selected at the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Rome, “Tor Vergata”. The inclusion criteria were negative posterior transverse interarch discrepancy ≥ 4 mm, mixed dentition phase with first permanent molars erupted, and prepubertal skeletal maturation stage (CS1-2), evaluated on a lateral radiograph through the Cervical Vertebral Maturation method. The SG was compared to an untreated control group (CG) of 20 subjects (10 M, 10 F, mean age 8.7 ± 2.3 years old) enrolled with the same inclusion criteria. The SG was treated by using RMEs. Dental casts of the lower arch were taken at two different times (T0–T1 = 6 months). All the dental casts were scanned with an OrthoXscan (Dentaurum 6mmbh E Co., Ispringen, Germany) and twenty points on the mandibular arch were digitized using Viewbox software. A Student t-test was used to compare the means of the quantitative variables associated with the effect of the device over time T0 and T1. Results: The results show a statistically significant increase (p < 0.05) in the intercanine and the intermolar diameters between the times T0 and T1 when compared to the CG. Conclusions: Rapid maxillary orthopedic expansion may achieve an increase in mandibular intercanine and intermolar diameter.
Cumulus clinopyroxenes in the Shergotty and Zagami meteorites suggest crystal fractionation occurred, possibly by gravitative settling. Numerical models of this process in a nonconvecting environment argue that the small phenocrysts can segregate only under extreme conditions of cooling time or gravitational field strength. Since textures indicate that cooling time was not excessive, a large (planetary) g is required by these models, in agreement with other suggestions that the shergottite parent body may be Mars. Other calculations indicate that it is extremely difficult to produce the observed textures in a convecting environment, unless crystal setting occurred in a quiescent zone at the bottom of the magma chamber.
It is known that solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation to human skin causes photo-aging, including increases in skin thickness and wrinkle formation and reduction in skin elasticity. UV radiation induces damage to skin mainly by superfluous reactive oxygen species and chronic low-grade inflammation, which eventually up-regulate the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In this study, the super-critical carbon dioxide extract from flowers and buds of Chrysanthemum indicum Linnén (CISCFE), which has been reported to possess free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory properties, was investigated for its photo-protective effect by topical application on the skin of mice. Moreover, CISCFE effectively suppressed the UV-induced increase in skin thickness and wrinkle grading in a dose-dependent manner, which was correlated with the inhibition of loss of collagen fiber content and epidermal thickening. Furthermore, we observed that CISCFE could obviously decrease UV-induced skin inflammation by inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β [IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α), alleviate the abnormal changes of anti-oxidative indicators (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase), and down-regulate the levels of MMP-1 and MMP-3. The results indicated that CISCFE was a novel photo-protective agent from natural resources against UV irradiation.
A model intervention for academic persistence and motivation of African American and Latino high school students is provided in this article. The authors provide a theoretical and practical description of The Educational Navigation Skills Seminar (TENSS) as a demonstration of an educational persistence intervention. By reviewing the higher education literature four protective factors (e.g., self-concept, alienation, realistic self-appraisal, and help-seeking strategies) were developed into a curriculum of navigation skills. The authors suggest that pre-college programs should provide "affective based" educational navigation skills to prepare African American and Latino high school students, who are seeking to be the first in their families, to attain higher education.
Practice Problem: Patients’ experiences at hospitals are multidimensional, and their satisfaction with the service is linked to the quality of patient care provided. In evaluating the quality of care of a hospital, the nursing handoff of patients, and the engagement efforts of healthcare staff is an important element of patient satisfaction. PICOT: In adult medical-surgical patients, does the implementation of nursing bedside handoff reports, compared to the current method of nursing practice desk handoff reports, improve patient satisfaction scores by 10% within two months? Evidence: After reviewing 103 articles, 12 were relevant to this project, and included observation of an acute care setting and a focus on patient satisfaction. Intervention: The patients’ satisfaction and experience in the medical-surgical unit were measured by assessing the pretest and posttest evaluations with the Bradley inpatient (I-PAHC) and outpatient (O-PAHC) questionnaire. Outcome: The results of the paired sample t-test revealed that patients’ satisfaction levels with nurses (t (25) =-4.606, p < .05) and satisfaction levels with physicians (t (25) = -6.024, p < .05), both significantly improved after the intervention. In a regression model examining the relationship between the postintervention measure of nurse satisfaction and the overall hospital rating score, no clinical significance was noted between the two variables (R = 0.128, F (1, 24) = 3.538, p > .05). Conclusion: The project illuminated the need to continue educating nurses bi-annually to sustain the hospital's practice change and improve patient satisfaction. Time for more interprofessional collaboration should be provided for staff to be able to balance their time between bedside care and other tasks to learn evidence-based techniques related to patient satisfaction.
In this article, a simple 2D finite element model is proposed for computing the RMS electric field strength generated by overhead power lines. The model it is implemented in FEMM 4.2, a high quality, open source finite element software for solving low frequency electromagnetic problems, for the particular case of a 110 kV single-circuit overhead power line. The results obtained with this model there are analyzed and then compared to those obtained by analytical calculations, revealing a very good agreement. The proposed FEMM 4.2 model it is primarily intended to assess the compliance with the electric field exposure limits established by health regulations, but other applications are also possible.
Phylogenetic and genetic relationships among 10 North American Armillaria species were analysed using sequence data from ribosomal DNA (rDNA), including intergenic spacer (IGS-1), internal transcribed spacers with associated 5.8S (ITS + 5.8S), and nuclear large subunit rDNA (nLSU), and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Based on rDNA sequence data, the nLSU region is less variable among Armillaria species than the ITS + 5.8S and IGS-1 regions (nLSU < ITS + 5.8S < IGS-1). Phylogenetic analyses of the rDNA sequences suggested Armillaria mellea, A. tabescens and A. nabsnona are well separated from the remaining Armillaria species (A. ostoyae, A. gemina, A. calvescens, A. sinapina, A. gallica, NABS X and A. cepistipes). Several Armillaria species (A. calvescens, A. sinapina, A. gallica, NABS X and A. cepistipes) clustered together based on rDNA sequencing data. Based on the isolates used in this study, it appears that techniques based on IGS-1, ITS + 5.8S, and/or D-domain/3' ends of nLSU are not reliable for distinguishing A. calvescens, A. sinapina, A. gallica and A. cepistipes. However, AFLP data provided delineation among these species, and AFLP analysis supported taxonomic classification established by conventional methods (morphology and interfertility tests). Our results indicate that AFLP genetic markers offer potential for distinguishing currently recognized North American Biological Species (NABS) of Armillaria in future biological, ecological and taxonomic studies.
Nitro-fatty acids (NO2-FAs), generated from the interaction of unsaturated fatty acids and nitric oxide (NO)-derived molecules, have been recently proposed to act as mediators of cell signaling in plant systems. Following in this line, the endogenous occurrence and modulation throughout plant development of nitro-linolenic acid (NO2-Ln) and nitro-oleic acid (NO2-OA) suggest a key role of these molecules in initial development stages. In addition, NO2-Ln content significantly rises in different stress situations like wounding, salinity, cadmium or low temperature. Interestingly, NO2-Ln induces the expression of the genes mainly related to abiotic stress such as different members of the heat shock response (HSR) family genes, and antioxidant enzymes like ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and methionine sulfoxide reductase B (MSRB). The promoter regions of NO2-Ln-induced genes are also involved mainly in stress responses. All these findings confirm that NO2-Ln is involved in plant defense processes against abiotic stress conditions via the induction of the chaperone network and antioxidant systems. NO2-Ln signaling capacity lies mainly in its electrophilic nature and allows it to mediate a reversible post-translational modification called nitroalkylation, which is capable of modulating the protein function. NO2-Ln is a NO donor that may be involved in NO-signaling events and is able to generate S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), the major reservoir of NO in cells and a key player in NO-mediated abiotic stress responses. Given this background, this review describes the current state of the art regarding the essential role of NO2-FAs as signaling mediators in development and abiotic stress processes.
Working as a theatre artist, thinking as a theatre theorist, one question eternally recurs for me: In this age of performance, what is the place of live, European-style theatre? Why still do it? Can it go somewhere new and worthwhile? Nobody engaged in the art of making theatre can honestly claim to have objectivity when dealing with these questions; they are by nature questions that situate themselves at the most hotly contested precinct of our art: its foundation, its continued existence, its place in the larger world. Terry Eagleton said of literary theory what could well be said of dramaturgy:
Previous studies have suggested that regulation of the enzymes of ammonia assimilation in human colonic Bacteroides species is coordinated differently than in other eubacteria. The gene encoding an NAD(P)H-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase (gdhA) in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli by mutant complementation from the recombinant plasmid pANS100. Examination of the predicted GdhA amino acid sequence revealed that this enzyme possesses motifs typical of the family I-type hexameric GDH proteins. Northern blot analysis with a gdhA-specific probe indicated that a single transcript with an electrophoretic mobility of approximately 1.6 kb was produced in both B. thetaiotaomicron and E. coli gdhA+ transformants. Although gdhA transcription was unaffected, no GdhA enzyme activity could be detected in E. coli transformants when smaller DNA fragments from pANS100, which contained the entire gdhA gene, were analyzed. Enzyme activity was restored if these E. coli strains were cotransformed with a second plasmid, which contained a 3-kb segment of DNA located downstream of the gdhA coding region. Frameshift mutagenesis within the DNA downstream of gdhA in pANS100 also resulted in the loss of GdhA enzyme activity. Collectively, these results are interpreted as evidence for the role of an additional gene product(s) in modulating the activity of GDH enzyme activity. Insertional mutagenesis experiments which led to disruption of the gdhA gene on the B. thetaiotaomicron chromosome indicated that gdhA mutants were not glutamate auxotrophs, but attempts to isolate similar mutants with insertion mutations in the region downstream of the gdhA gene were unsuccessful.
Magnetotelluric (MT) measurements were made on a profile across the Trans-Hudson orogen in 1992 as part of the Lithoprobe transect. The present study includes analysis of results from a 300 km-long section of the profile in which allocthonous Paleoproterozoic juvenile terranes and arc rocks of the western Trans-Hudson orogen have been juxtaposed against the Archean Sask craton. Impedance tensor decomposition of data from the 40 MT sites in the area indicates a geoelectric strike of N28°E. Two-dimensional inversion of the data using a non-linear conjugate gradient algorithm provided images of the resistivity structure. Resistivity images reveal that the crust of the Sask craton is relatively resistive (>2000 Ω·m). In contrast, the rocks of the Flin Flon belt, Glennie domain, and La Ronge domain are mostly relatively conductive (<1001000 Ω·m). In the east of the study area, the images suggest that the Tabbernor fault juxtaposes more conductive rocks of the Glennie domain in the west against more resistive ...
Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and Fourier transform Infrared spectrometer were used to study the effect of γ irradiation dose on free volume and microstructure of polystyrene-block-butadiene diblock copolymer, respectively. Based on the free volume classic model of Eldrup and examonation of the correlation between their results, the model of γ irradiation effect on cross-linking and degradation of SB is established. Thermal gravity analysis was used to study thermal stability of SB at various irradiation doses to reveal the relationship between thermal stability and micro-structure changes.
We have proposed the notion of timbre saliency as the attention-capturing quality of timbre. The definition of saliency requires an object to stand out with respect to its surroundings, implying dissimilarity between the object and its neighbors. What then might be the relationship between timbre saliency and timbre dissimilarity? A classic timbre dissimilarity experiment and a timbre saliency experiment were carried out with 20 participants on the same set of stimuli. Multidimensional scaling revealed a two-dimensional dissimilarity space. Using the features obtained from the Timbre Toolbox [Peeters et al. (2011), J. Acoust. Soc. Am., 130, 2902-2916], the first dimension shows a high correlation with spectral centroid [r(13)=.845, p<.0001] and spectral spread [r(13)=.855, p<.0001], both based on the ERB-FFT model spectrum, and the second with the attack time [r(13)=-.692, p=.004] and power spectral crest [r(13)=.732, p<.005]. This confirms spectral centroid and attack time as two major acoustic correlate...
Pterostilbene is a highly researched molecule due to its bioactivity. However, its hydrophobicity limits its application. For this reason, researchers have sought to encapsulate pterostilbene (namely, in oil-in-water emulsion) to increase its availability. Studies are lacking when it comes to the effects of pterostilbene and its concentration at the oil/water interface. This paper discusses the effects of oil types, storage temperature, and pterostilbene concentration on the stability of the emulsions, as well as the interactions between encapsulated pterostilbene and the oil and water phases. Results showed that pterostilbene is present at the oil/water interface, affecting the interfacial tension and consequently the droplet size. It was also shown that encapsulation efficiency is affected by the storage temperature and oil type. Finally, it was proven that, according to oil types and storage temperature, the stability of pterostilbene to light is affected.
In complex socio-technical systems such as construction projects, the lean emphasis on waste reduction can contribute to the depletion of necessary slack for managing unexpected variability. This risk is amplified by the absence of a solid lean theory on slack and on how to manage the trade-off between slack and efficiency. Furthermore, lean focuses on managing slack in terms of time and inventories. Thus, a broader approach that accounts for a wide variety of slack resources is necessary. In this paper, the complexity science ́s and lean ́s views of slack are laid down and compared based on eleven criteria. Commonalities and conflicts between both approaches are identified, and proposals for future research related to slack management in lean complex systems are presented.
Most of the scholarship on teaching children’s literature has focused on teaching fiction in university literature courses (Bedford & Albright, 2011; Butler, 2006). While there is a vast literature associated with online teaching dating back more than 20 years (e.g., Palloff & Pratt, 2005), and there is increasing use of online teaching in university contexts (Rapanta et al., 2020), there are very few published descriptions or analyses of the online teaching of children’s literature.  In this article we document and discuss the development of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to be delivered in mid-2021 focusing on picturebooks developed at a university, in partnership with a popular MOOC provider. The development of the MOOC is analysed with respect to supporting the presence of the educators, creating clarity in the delivery of the content, providing spaces for reflection and interaction, and generating human connections in an online environment. These features are linked to the notion of storytelling (Bietti, Tilston & Bangerter, 2019). The contribution of picturebooks to supporting these aspects of effective online teaching is also discussed.
SummaryThis paper reports on the development of a new apparatus for the pneumatic reduction of intussusception and describes the results of the first clinical trials of the ‘Coloflator’. A high flow insufflator used for advanced laparoscopic surgery was modified by the manufacturers, at the suggestion of the senior author, to evaluate its use for pneumatic reduction of intussusception. Initial biomechanical trials of a prototype machine were conducted in 1994, leading to a final finished product, which has been in clinical trials since 1995. Preliminary clinical trials with this machine have only been completed in 30 patients, with successful reduction of intussusception in 21 (70%). The pneumatic reduction of intussusception has been further simplified by the development of a Coloflator specifically designed for this purpose. This is a direct spin-off from recent technological advances made in high-flow laparoscopic insufflators. By incorporating all the refinements achieved with the latest generation of...
Abstract CeO2 has been prepared by thermal decomposition of CeCl3·7H2O at 550°C. Commercial CeO2 has also been used for the sake of comparison. Powder samples have been characterized by X-ray diffraction and BET surface area determination. The point of zero charge (pzc) has been measured by potentiometric titration using KNO3 as a supporting electrolyte. Irrespective of the source, CeO2 has been found to possess the same pzc at 8.1 ± 0.1. Titration data have been used to estimate the working surface and the inner layer capacitance. Depending on source, the surface charge density varies greatly, being much higher for CeO2 obtained by thermal decomposition. The apparent inconsistency has been attributed to difference in hydrophobicity of the oxide surface, a "porous" double layer being probably present on thermal CeO2 samples.
Using simple models for the form of the pressure strain terms in the heat and moisture flux transport equations, it is shown that the magnitude of the heat and moisture flux depends on the cross-correlation coefficient of the temperature and humidity fluctuations. When the temperature and humidity fluctuations are weakly correlated it is shown that the coefficient of eddy conductivity may be significantly different from the coefficient of moisture eddy diffusivity.
Abstract : EIGHT GROUPS OF SUBJECTS PERFORMED A CONTINUOUS TRACKING AND PROCEDURAL TASK UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS OF AUDITORY PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK DURING TRAINING (8 days) and rehearsal (3 days). Four degrees of auditory cueing were used during training by varying (in size) the stepwise relationship between intensity of noise and amount of tracking error in three amounts plus a control condition of random noise. Two rehearsal conditions were used to complete the factorial arrangement-feedback similar to training versus random feedback. Rehearsal occurred 14 days after the completion of training and a transfer test to the medium-noise condition was conducted 14 days following the last rehearsal session for all groups. Transfer performance was found to be significantly related to feedback specificity during training (medium specificity was inferior to either high or low specificity), while the rehearsal variable had no statistical effect on performance with any performance metric. (Author)
We have found that a polypyrrole (PPy) film with anisotropy of conductivity and morphology bends in a regular direction and reverts during redox cycles. That is, the anisotropic PPy film acts as an actuator or a “bending machine”. The PPy film can be prepared electrochemically as a fiber in a slender Teflon pipe. The response speed of the PPy fiber actuator depends on the speed and amount of dopant insertion and extraction; namely, it becomes faster when the reduction potential is more negative or the electrolyte concentration is higher. The bending behavior strongly depends on the type of supporting salt in the electrolyte solutions, suggesting that cation transport into and out of PPy plays a key role in the bending behavior and that the size of the cation is also a critical factor. A bending behavior mechanism based on cation insertion and extraction, as well as on the anisotropic volume change upon doping/undoping, is proposed.
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a low-grade sarcoma seldom seen in the vulva with only 29 cases reported. We present the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of 13 such cases seen in our institution over a period of 29 years (1978 to 2007). Patient age ranged from 23 to 76 years (mean, 46 y). Twelve patients had a vulvar mass. One patient presented with a pigmented skin lesion. Tumor size ranged from 1.2 to 15 cm (median, 4 cm). Microscopically, all the cases showed typical features of DFSP. In 1 case, myxoid changes were also noted; 3 cases showed fibrosarcomatous transformation. Of interest, in 7 of our 13 cases, a variety of diagnoses, such as cellular dermatofibroma, cellular leiomyoma, neurofibroma, low-grade leiomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma, low-grade malignant schwannoma, desmoplastic melanoma, cellular neurofibroma, and low-grade malignant peripheral nerve sheet tumor were initially considered. All 11 cases tested for CD34 were positive, whereas 7/9 cases, 8/9 cases, and 9/9 cases were positive for PDGFR-α, PDGFR-β, and c-abl, respectively. All patients were initially treated with excisional biopsy, wide local excision, or radical vulvectomy. Local recurrences occurred in 7 cases. One patient also developed distant metastases. All recurrences were treated surgically; 1 patient also received chemotherapy and radiotherapy and another received imatinib (Gleevec). Follow-up data ranging from 2 to 444 months was available for all patients. Nine patients had no evidence of disease, 2 patients were alive with disease, 1 patient had died of disease, and 1 patient had died of other causes. DFSP affects women of a wide age range and has a propensity to recur locally. The frequent expression of PDGFR-α, PDGFR-β, and c-abl in these cases agrees with the findings of other investigators and supports the use of imatinib (Gleevec) in cases that are recurrent or not amenable to surgery.
Recently the RFID system, which can recognize multiple tags simultaneously through wireless communication, is emerging as a new technology that can replace the barcode system. Furthermore, related industries are carrying out active research on tags and authentication protocols with guaranteed security that are widely applicable to logistics, distribution, etc. The present study proposes a protocol with enhanced security by introducing the concept of RBAC to the authentication protocol, and a method with lower security for effective mass authentication. The proposed method is advantageous in that it guarantees security against spoofing attack, traffic analysis, replay attack, etc. based on hash function.
Healthy brain aging is a major determinant of quality of life, allowing integration into society at all ages. Human epidemiological and animal studies indicate that in addition to lifestyle and genetic factors, environmental influences in prenatal life have a major impact on brain aging and age-associated brain disorders. The aim of this review is to summarize the existing literature on the consequences of maternal anxiety, stress, and malnutrition for structural brain aging and predisposition for age-associated brain diseases, focusing on studies with human samples. In conclusion, the results underscore the importance of a healthy mother-child relationship, starting in pregnancy, and the need for early interventions if this relationship is compromised.
MicroRNAs play an important role in the regulation of cancer migration, invasion and metastasis. Patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) have a high incidence of early relapse and metastasis; however, the molecular basis for metastasis and recurrence in these individuals remains largely unknown. Herein, we demonstrate that miR-136 is an anti-invasive microRNA in TNBC and suppresses mesenchymal invasion and metastasis. Our results demonstrated that miR-136 was downregulated in TNBC and negative correlated with the WHO grades. However, RASAL2 was identified as a functional target of miR-136, and was overexpressed in TNBC and correlates with pathological grades. Moreover, overexpression of RASAL2 in a breast cancer cell line rescued miR-136-mediated cell migration and invasion. In conclusion, these results indicate that the miR-136/RASAL2/MET axis act as a suppressor of TNBC metastasis.
Circulatory and ventilatory measurements were made during the course of 66 cardiac catheterizations in 20 unanesthetized Jersey calves, age two hours to eight weeks. The salient findings were: 1. The pulmonary arterial pressure was high during the first two to three hours of extra-uterine life (up to 80 mm Hg) and it decreased rapidly (30 to 40 mm Hg) during the next nine to ten hours. 2. The pulmonary ventilation appeared good, judging by the active appearance of the calves, the volumes of respired air, the arterial blood gases, and the ventilatory response to hypoxia. 3. The pulmonary blood flows in these calves were not higher in the first hours of life than on subsequent days, and there was little contribution to the pulmonary blood flow by a left to right shunt through the ductus arteriosus. 4. Hypoxia, if severe, could increase the pulmonary arterial pressure to systemic levels on the day of birth, but not in older calves. 5. Pulmonary vasoconstriction sometimes followed puncture of the aorta or other procedures in calves less than twelve hours old. The lability of the pulmonary blood vessels during the first hours of extra-uterine life suggested that large changes in pulmonary vascular tone also occur in utero.
The new ethnographic methodology that acknowledges the subjectivity inherent in humans studying humans and embraces inter-disciplinarity has created exciting possibilities for researchers investigating the human condition as it is manifested in everyday and domestic culture. This paper discusses some of the theoretical and practical issues involved in a particular application of this new ethnography as two researchers from obsensibly different modes of inquiry - ethnography and visual arts - undertook a study into the quality of life of a small group of older Italo-Australians. The paper discusses the methodology used and the experiences that arose from the collaboration between an anthropologist and a photo-documentist.
The present tragedy of the unemployed technical professional—although no greater than that of the unemployed blue collar worker—is receiving a lot of attention these days on Capitol Hill. A slew of bills has been presented aimed at ‘retraining’ scientists and engineers for new jobs in new areas of employment outside aerospace and defense; other proposals would give loans and grants to workers and localities to ease the impact of economics. The hearings on these bills have called forth a litany of heralds of a new day for professionals who will now turn their energies toward problems of the environment, urban development, poverty, and other questions whose answers may or may not be technology-intensive.
Multi-voltage technique is an effective way to reduce power consumption. In the proposed voltage domain programmable (VDP) technique, high and low voltage domains applied to logic gates are programmable. The different voltage domains allow the chip performance and power consumption to be flexibly adjusted during circuit operation. In this proposed internal of the chip technique, the power switches possess the feature of flexible programming after chip manufacturing. The video decoder test chip proof of this novel methodology has 55% power reduction with good power-performance management mechanism.
Microfluidic VLSI (mVLSI) biochips help perform biochemistry at miniaturized scales, thus enabling cost, performance and other benefits. Although biochips are expected to replace biochemical labs, including point-of-care devices, the off-chip pressure actuators and pumps are bulky, thereby limiting them to laboratory environments. To address this issue, researchers have proposed methods to reduce the number of offchip pressure sources, through integration of on-chip pneumatic control logic circuits fabricated using three-layer monolithic membrane valve technology. Traditionally, mVLSI biochip physical design was performed assuming that all of the control logic is off-chip. However, the problem of mVLSI biochip physical design changes significantly, with introduction of on-chip control, since along with physical synthesis, we also need to (i) perform on/off-chip control partitioning, (ii) on-chip control circuit design and (iii) the integration of on-chip control in the placement and routing design tasks. In this paper we present a design methodology for logic synthesis and physical synthesis of mVLSI biochips that use on-chip control. We show how the proposed methodology can be successfully applied to generate biochip layouts with integrated on-chip pneumatic control.
Threshold voltage drift from Bias Temperature Instability is known to be a reliability concern for SiC MOSFETs. Negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) results from positive charge trapping at the gate dielectric interface and is more problematic in SiC due to the higher interface trap density. Turning SiC MOSFETs OFF with negative voltages to avoid Miller coupling induced cross-talk can cause $V_{TH}$ shifts in periods with long standby duration and high temperatures. This paper proposes a novel test method for BTI characterization that relies on measuring the shoot-through current and charge during switching transients. The method exploits the Miller coupling between 2 devices in the same phase and uses the shoot-through current from parasitic turn-ON to monitor $V_{TH}$. Standard techniques require the use of static measurements (typically from a parameter analyzer or a curve tracer) to determine the threshold voltage shift. These conventional methods can underestimate the $V_{TH}$ shift since the recovery from charge de-trapping can mask the true extent of the problem. The proposed methodology uses the actual converter environment to investigate the $V_{TH}$ shift and should therefore be of more interest to applications engineers as opposed to device physicists. Furthermore, it avoids the problem of $V_{TH}$ recovery and is therefore more accurate in $V_{TH}$ shift characterization.
In this study, nitrogen-doped microporous carbons, with potential use as capturers for CO2, were synthesized directly from two new benzoxazines (BZCN and BZPh)—prepared from two phenols (phenol and 4-cyanophenol, respectively), CH2O, and 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenoxy)benzene (TPhA)—through thermal curing, carbonization, and KOH activation. FTIR and NMR spectroscopy confirmed the corresponding chemical structures; temperature-dependent FTIR spectroscopic and DSC analyses revealed the thermal curing behavior of the ring opening polymerizations of these two new benzoxazine monomers. Of the two benzoxazines, the nitrile-functionalized benzoxazine BZCN, derived from 4-cyanophenol, exhibited—after thermal curing, carbonization, and KOH activation—enhanced thermal properties, cross-linking density, and CO2 capture, based on thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. Analyses using Raman spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, the BET method, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy provided information about the microporous structures and surface areas of these two highly ordered microporous N-doped carbon materials.
The LHC is the highest energy particle collider in the world. The LHCb experiment is one of the four main experiments at the LHC. Between 2015 and 2018 it collected 5.4 fb¯1 of data at a centre of mass energy of 13 TeV. In this thesis, the cross-section for tt‾ μeb production is measured using this data set. The study of this measurement is a test of the predicting power of Standard Model theory and also contributes to constraining future predictions of proton interactions. A selection scheme is developed to reduce the expected contributions from a number of backgrounds and improve the purity of the final state. The finnal measurement, σtt¯, represents the cross-section of the production of top quark pairs decaying to a muon, electron and b-jet, where the ρτ of each object is above 20 GeV, the lepton pseudorapidities are between 2 and 4.5, and the b-jet pseudorapidity is between 2.2 and 4.2. The result is: σtt¯ = 117±10(stat.) ±15(syst.)±5(lumi.)pb where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second is systematic and the third is due to the luminosity determination. Comparisons are made with theoretical predictions calculated from POWHEG and aMC@NLO and the measurement is seen to be in good agreement. A feasibility study of the measurement of the WW production cross-section is also performed. While the measurement will be possible at LHCb in the near future, it is not feasible with the current data set, due mainly to the limited statistics available. It is predicted that a significant measurement of this cross-section will be possible by the end of LHCb Run-III.
Abstract A performance model of a semi-implicit limited-area atmospheric model is developed, and the parallel scalability is analyzed. Both a direct and an iterative method are studied for the implicit part of the atmospheric model. These methods have been implemented in a parallel message passing version of the limited-area model HIRLAM (High Resolution Limited Area Model), and numerical experiments are in good agreement with the performance model. The percentage of the total elapsed time for the full model taken by the implicit algorithms is not significantly higher on a parallel system in comparison with vector systems. The experiments indicate that when the number of processors increases, the problem size can increase at a rate that almost maintains a constant number of operations per processor and yet still results in an elapsed time below a prescribed upper limit.
Four new species of the coral-associated gobiid genus Gobiodon were discovered in the Red Sea. Although several of these species are common not only in the Red Sea but also in the Indian and western Pacific Ocean, they have not been described before. Detailed descriptions of the four species are based on morphological and molecular genetic (mitochondrial 12s and 16s rRNA) investigations. The new species, like most species of the genus, lack scales and have species-specific life colouration. Gobiodon bilineatus sp. nov. is the closest relative to G. quinquestrigatus (Valenciennes) and of G. sp. D (Munday et al.), and has five distinct, blue lines on the head as juveniles and subadults, which disappear in adults, and which are often uniformly orange-red with two distinct, vertical blue lines through each eye. Gobiodon irregularis sp. nov. has been confused with the former new species in the past, and is closely related to G. oculolineatus Wu, but is unmistakable in live colouration. Juveniles are characterised by a transparent body, red bars on the head with bluish to greyish interspaces, and irregular red lines and dots on the nape and dorsally on the body. Adults are usually uniformly brown or green-brown, with only remnants of the bars through the eye and below the orbit. Gobiodon ater sp. nov. is a small, entirely black species and can be easily confused with other black species, although it is genetically clearly distinct from G. ceramensis Bleeker and its black relatives. Gobiodon fuscoruber sp. nov. is likely to be the closest relative of G. ater sp. nov., but is uniformly reddish-brown or brown, has bright median fin margins (at least in the Red Sea), and grows considerably larger than G. ater. It has been genetically determined that G. fuscoruber sp. nov. is identical with an Indian Ocean/western Pacific species that has been called G. unicolor Castelnau by several authors. However, examination of the holotype of G. unicolor, including the original description, revealed that the type species and original description are clearly different from the species frequently called G. unicolor. The holotype resembles G. histrio (Valenciennes) and the name G. unicolor must therefore be considered a junior synonym of G. histrio. As a consequence, a new name for this species is provided.
A direct torque control (DTC) strategy based on observing stator flux linkage for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) was investigated. Traditional DTC can adjust the torque and flux linkage just with only 8 basic voltage space vectors. It has rapid dynamic response, but, it also has the shortcomings: ripple of torque and current, variable switching frequency, and poor performance while low speed. Therefore, a PI controller was used instead of the hysteresis controller and switching table in traditional DTC. The voltage space vector prognosticated by the error of torque for compensating the error of flux linkage is deduced. With space vector modulation (SVM), the error between the estimated and the referenced of stator flux linkage and torque will be accurately compensated by the synthesized voltage space vector. The simulations and experiments verified that compared to DTC of PMSM, DTC-SVM is capable of keeping the excellent dynamic response, also evidently reducing the torque ripple and effectively improving the steady state performance.
Arising out of the National Offender Survey for the Australian Law Reform Commission this paper presents the views of a sample of incar cerated Federal offenders towards the institution and personnel of Legal Aid. Such views are placed within the offender's assessment of the criminal justice system as being essentially malleable and illu strates diverse sources of sentencing disparity. Contextualising the views of Federal offenders by reference to the views of 250 state offenders, the paper presents an assessment of Legal Aid as an institution whose purpose is betrayed by deficiency in attitude as distinct from competence of personnel. The criticism of Legal Aid extended by the respondent population is merely an extension of the assessment they extend to the legal profession generally.
This essay is intended to shed some light on the question of how we should interpret legal texts - particularly statutes, although my remarks here should have some implications for other statute-like enactments, such as administrative regulations and statute-like provisions in written constitutions. My starting point will be a discussion of textualism in Antonin Scalia’s Tanner Lecture on Human Values, delivered at Princeton University on March 8 and 9, 1995. In that lecture, Scalia attempts to distinguish between two forms of textualism, what we might call strict textualism and reasonable textualism. Strict textualism follows the words of the text even when their application to the facts of the case are absurd and clearly outside the statute’s intent. Reasonable textualism, Scalia’s proposed alternative, was intended as a means of avoiding the absurdity possible when judges behave as strict textualists, but without letting the judiciary off the leash of its constitutional mandate, which Scalia and other textualists believe will occur if textualism is abandoned altogether.    I intend to advance the argument that the distinction between strict and reasonable textualism is incoherent, because the focus on legal enactments qua texts is wrongheaded. My primary analytical frame will be work in the philosophy of language and action theory on the interpretation of actions and speech acts more generally. My presupposition is that, to an important extent, we can treat the promulgation of a statutory text much like we can treat any other writing or verbalization which uses language in an attempt to do something in the world. The promulgation of a statute is the primary form of action by which a legislature attempts to exercise its constitutionally derived authority to do something to the background life of the political community - to get people to do something, refrain from doing something, change the way they do something, or the like. Strict textualism, on my view, is an attempt to interpret this action completely apart from its context, divorcing the speech act from its status as an action, and thereby rendering it unintelligible. The problem, as I see it, is that Scalia’s reasonable textualism is undertheorized insofar as it attempts to distinguish itself from strict textualism. We may understand, as a matter of common sense, that a criminal statute which punishes “using a gun in the commission of a felony” is not intended to cover situations where the gun is being used as a paperweight, hammer, or means of barter exchange, as opposed to as a weapon. However, this is no more than a somewhat commonly shared intuition, unsupported by rational argument, until we stop viewing the statute as a text to be pulled off the shelf and studied with a magnifying glass, as opposed to an action to be historically contextualized and interpreted in the way that we have no choice but to interpret any other action or utterance in order to render it intelligible: in light of the most plausible purposes that the action is undertaken, within the context in which it is undertaken. Thus, Scalia was right to reject strict textualism, but he was in error to believe he could abandon strict textualism and still remain a textualist, at least as strong a textualist as he intended to be. If this is true, textualism is a sort of category mistake as a theory of textual interpretation; if it is to be defended, it is to be defended as something else entirely, as something we do instead of faithfully interpreting the text, because, say, we do not trust judges to correctly and faithfully interpret past speech acts in their own native languages. This is a coherent view, but it’s a sufficiently strong one that it should be interpreted in those terms, and not in the terms that The text is the law, and it is the text that that must be observed.”
2 Abstract: A d escriptive cross sectional study was carried out to assess certain management and health practices in some selected poultry establishments in Ilorin, Kwara state with the view to improving poultry production. Structured questionnaires were distributed via the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Kwara state chapter. The mean age of respondents was 47.93(±12.397) years. Majority (60.5%) of the respondents were large holder farmers with greater than 200 birds; Deep litter (48.7%) was the most practiced management system. Almost half 48.5% of the respondents administered all the recommended vaccines. Commercial feed was the most widely used (68.4%). Veterinarian (39.5%) and Retail Vendors (39.5%) were the source of poultry stock. About 35.1% did not use any form of protective clothing on farms. About 36.8% of respondents disposed waste by use as manure. 42.1% of respondents routinely consulted Veterinarian. Coccidiosis reported by about one third (33.3%) of respondent was identified as the most common disease outbreak followed by IBD (24.2%) and NCD (21.2%). Veterinary clinic (35.1%) and fellow farmer (32%) were the most important source of information on poultry. The Chi-square analysis revealed management system (p<0.0001) and number of birds kept (p<0.006) significantly determined the method of waste disposal while age (p<0.0001), Length of being in profession (p<0.03) and Number of birds kept (p<0.0001) determined the reasons for Veterinary consultation. The study gave an overview of the type of management system in Ilorin. Recommendations are therefore made for strengthening of PAN as well as improve biosecurity as a means of disease prevention.
Several external hardware upgrades have been developed for the APOGEE Spectrographs as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-V (SDSS-V) to improve their radial velocity (RV) precision from a floor of 100-200 m/sec to approx. 30 m/sec. The upgrades include: (1) Back Pressure Regulator (BPR) systems to stabilize the internal instrument LN2 tank boil-off pressure, lessening induced movement of the APOGEE optical bench; (2) Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) calibration sources to improve wavelength calibration; and (3), the use of octagonal core fiber segments in the fiber train to improve radial scrambling. We discuss the fabrication, commissioning, and early performance of these upgrades.
Recession, crisis of the welfare state, unemployment and a desire to affirm the dignity of one's own professional skills were reasons for the creation of neo-entrepreneurship in the social and health care sector in Finland. A total of 371 private social and health care sector entrepreneurs responded to the survey conducted by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES). These companies are not attempting to compete with care offered by the local authorities but to offer alternative options. The companies in question were rest homes, sheltered housing units, etc. The social and health care sector entrepreneurs were researched both statistically and descriptively. In the majority of cases the companies were started up by persons who left employment in the public sector out of a desire to set up their own innovative and multidisciplinary service. Some of the entrepreneurs started up on their own while unemployed or under threat of unemployment. The entrepreneurs emphasised autonomy, creativity and the search for professional and psychological growth and satisfaction as their reasons for starting up their own company. They worked longer hours and were paid less than those in similar jobs in the public sector. However, they still considered entrepreneurship the right choice and also recommended it warmly to others.
Several recent works in scientiﬁc machine learning have revived interest in the application of neural networks to partial differential equations (PDEs). A popular approach is to aggregate the residual form of the governing PDE and its boundary conditions as soft penalties into a composite objective/loss function for training neural networks, which is commonly referred to as physics-informed neural networks (PINNs). In the present study, we visualize the loss landscapes and distributions of learned parameters and explain the ways this particular formulation of the objective function may hinder or even prevent convergence when dealing with challenging target solutions. We construct a purely data-driven loss function composed of both the boundary loss and the domain loss. Using this data-driven loss function and, separately, a physics-informed loss function, we then train two neural network models with the same architecture. We show that incomparable scales between boundary and domain loss terms are the culprit behind the poor performance. Additionally, we assess the performance of both approaches on two elliptic problems with increasingly complex target solutions. Based on our analysis of their loss landscapes and learned parameter distributions, we observe that a physics-informed neural network with a composite objective function formulation produces highly non-convex loss surfaces that are difﬁcult to optimize and are more prone to the problem of vanishing gradients.
BACKGROUND Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis is a major cause of stroke and yet there are currently no proven effective treatments for it. The SAMMPRIS trial, comparing aggressive medical management alone with aggressive medical management combined with intracranial angioplasty and stenting, was prematurely halted when an unexpectedly high rate of periprocedural events was found in the endovascular arm. The goal of our study is to report the immediate and long-term outcomes of patients with ≥ 70 % symptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis treated with balloon angioplasty and stent placement in a single centre.   PATIENTS AND METHODS This is a retrospective review of 37 consecutive patients with 42 procedures of ballon angioplasty and stenting for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (≥ 70 % stenosis) treated between 1999 and 2012. Technical success (residual stenosis ≤ 50 %), periprocedural success (no vascular complications within 72 hours), and long-term outcomes are reported.   RESULTS Technical and periprocedural success was achieved in 90.5 % of patients. The within 72 hours periprocedural stroke/death rate was 7.1 % (4.8 % intracranial haemorrhage), and the 30-day stroke/death rate was 9.5 %. Thirty patients (81 %) had clinical follow-up at ≥ 6 months. During follow-up, 5 patients developed 6 ischemic events; 5 of them (17 %) were ipsilateral. The restenosis rate was 27 %, and the retreatment rate was 12 %.   CONCLUSIONS Our outcomes of the balloon angioplasty/stent placement for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis are better than those in the SAMMPRIS study and compare favourably with those in large registries and observational studies.
A new electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor with automated ST analysis and display capability has been developed to assist healthcare professionals identify the site and severity of acute ischemic changes. The monitor displays the changes as a 3D image of the heart in real time. The underpinning assumption is that images are easier to interpret than ECG traces. We describe here the features of two functions of the monitor, the ischemia detection and imaging function (IF). The ischemia detection function was validated using the European ST-T database, and was found to have a sensitivity of 85% and positive predictivity of 93%. Fifty doctors took part in the evaluation of the new IF and the results showed an increase in their median proficiency to diagnose ischemia from 50% to 100% and an increase in their certainty of the diagnosis from 65% to 80%. The time to reach a diagnosis for eight ECGs, dropped from 15 to 9 min.
New nonlinear-optical materials for electro-optic and all-optical signal processing applications have been investigated. Inorganic glassy materials are good candidates because of their high transparency and high chemical and thermal stabilities.1 In general, the optical nonlinearity of glasses are small. However, glass is potentially useful as a matrix for organic compounds with high optical nonlinearities. Recent developments of the sol-gel process in glass preparation have made it possible to introduce thermally dissociative compounds into a glassy matrix.2 This is the first report of experimental results on nonlinear-optical phenomena for the organic-inorganic materials prepared by the sol-gel method.
Abstract A mobile exposure and air pollution measurement system was developed and used for on-freeway ultrafine particle health effects studies. A nine-passenger van was modified with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration system that can deliver filtered or unfiltered air to an exposure chamber inside the van. State-of-the-art instruments were used to measure concentration and size distribution of fine and ultrafine particles and the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO), black carbon (BC), particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fine particulate matter (PM2.5) mass, and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) inside the exposure chamber. This paper presents the construction and technical details of the van and air pollutant concentrations collected in 32 2-hr runs on two major Los Angeles freeways, Interstate 405 (I-405; mostly gasoline traffic) and Interstate 710 (I-710; large proportion of heavy-duty diesel traffic). More than 97% of particles were removed when the flow through the filter box was switched from bypass mode to filter mode while the vehicle was driving on both freeways. The filtration system thus provides a great particulate matter exposure contrast while keeping gas-phase pollutant concentrations the same. Under bypass mode, average total particle number concentration observed inside the exposure chamber was around 8.4 × 104 and 1.3 × 105 particles cm-3 on the I-405 and the I-710 freeways, respectively. Bimodal size distributions were consistent and similar for both freeways with the first mode around 16–20 nm and the second mode around 50–55 nm. BC and particle-bound PAH concentrations were more than two times greater on the I-710 than on the I-405 freeway. Very weak correlations were observed between total particle number concentrations and other vehicular pollutants on the freeways.
A stimulated emission cross section gradient of an Nd:YVO4 laser at the 4F3/2–4I11/2 transition has been shown on the basis of an input–output characteristic. In this study, a diode-end-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser has been achieved for variation of the temperature over the range 15–35 °C. The stimulated cross section gradient revealed by this method is (−6.67 ± 0.28) × 10−21 cm2 °C−1, with an average change with respect to the reference for the stimulated emission cross section of (−0.486 ± 0.022)% °C−1. This is in good agreement with the result obtained by a spectroscopic method taking into account the error attributed during experimental work.
Magnetoelastic effects due to internal stress strongly influence the magnetic properties of thin ferromagnetic films. Here we propose a method to create a tensile stress state, isotropic along the plane of the film, which superimposes on the intrinsic stress (also normally isotropic). Thus the study of the effects of deposition or epitaxial stresses onto anisotropy properties of thin films becomes feasible. As an application, magneto-optical polar Kerr hysteresis loop measurements have been carried out on Ni films electroplated on elastic bronze substrates; the magnetoelastic anisotropy created reduces the total in-plane anisotropy field of about 20% for a radial deformation of 3/spl middot/10/sup -3/, around 100 times the saturation magnetostriction of bulk Ni.
Pelagic zooplankton samples from Lake Biwa, Japan, collected monthly since 1971, were analyzed for biomass and body size structure. Our aim was to clarify the relative effects of food availability and global warming vs. top‐down control by fish predation on long‐term trends. Annual mean biomass and density‐weighted body size were calculated and compared with water temperature, total phosphorus (TP), as a proxy of food amount, and catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis), as a proxy of planktivorous fish predation pressure. Mean water temperature above 20 m increased by 0.94°C. TP increased until 1974 and then decreased until 1985, becoming stable after that. Ayu CPUE increased until 1987 and then declined. The study period can be divided into two nutritional phases: a high TP phase (1971–1985) and a low‐stable TP phase (1986–2010). Five zooplankton taxa, Eodiaptomus japonicus, Cyclopoida spp., Daphnia spp., Bosmina longirostris, and Diaphanosoma orientalis, were continuously dominant. Annual mean total crustacean biomass varied from 0.3 to 3.6 g dry weight m−2, slightly decreasing until 1993 but increasing thereafter. Generalized linear models showed that annual mean body sizes were affected by temperature and CPUE, whereas annual mean biomass was affected by TP and CPUE. These had no effect during the high TP phase, whereas only CPUE affected both traits during the low‐stable TP phase. We concluded that zooplankton biomass and body size long‐term trends were mostly influenced by fish predation and that eutrophication and global warming impacts might be affected by top‐down control.
There is an increased interest in e-tailing research in the literature, along with the development of new technologies and e-tailing platforms based on consumer and industry perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine the periodic changes within the content of e-tailing literature.,The data set of this study includes academic papers cited in the Web of Science, which was published between 2000 and 2017. In this context, a co-word analysis was conducted using SciMat software based on the keywords, including “online retailing,” “e-tailing,” “e-store,” “online store,” “e-tail” and “online retail,” found in the titles of published academic articles.,In this study, three different periods of the e-tailing study field were examined, major and emerging themes for each period were determined with a comparative bibliometric analysis. In this regard, consumer acceptance, choice and satisfaction were found as the major themes in the conceptualization of e-tailing research.,Understanding the transition from traditional marketing channels to online channels is an essential factor for retailers as well as consumers’ use and the acceptance of new technologies. This study contributes to the effective execution of the e-tailing systems.
In the scientific literature, the prognostic equations of the productivity of phytocenoses have a local nature – this fact can be explained by the absence of a single unit of measure for all variables composing the equation. The result of this approach is the refusal to find one model that describes the general regularity of changes in the physiological processes of plants due to climatic changes. The productivity of phytocenoses is the result of the “soil-plant-climate” relationship. In the previous studies, the author presented a thermodynamic approach to climate analysis; a methodology has been developed for determining the volumetric heat content of soils, and the thermodynamic approach to assessing plant productivity is proved in the current study. For this purpose, the concepts of the heat content of phytomass and the heat content of the aerotope (unit of measure - kJ / kg of dry air) were introduced, and from this point of view the dependence of physiological parameters is based not on various combinations of external meteorological parameters, but on the corresponding integral indicators of the heat content of the leaf and aerotope for conditions of different density and plant height. The heat content of the phytomass was taken as the heat content of the air space bordering the lamina. Introduction of these concepts simplified the analysis of the multifactorial effect of meteorological elements on plant productivity. The capability of a thermodynamic approach to assess the productivity of phytocenoses as a result of the relationship of plants with the environment is demonstrated, as evidenced by the high degree of correlation dependence of the studied parameters. The possibility for describing the “soil-plant-climate” system in a single energy system is substantiated, provided that an assessment of the productivity of phytocenoses is introduced from the point of view of net primary productivity, measured in energy units (Joule).
Biplots are useful tools to explore the relationship among variables. In this paper, the specific regression relationship between a set of predictors X and set of response variables Y by means of partial least-squares (PLS) regression is represented. The PLS biplot provides a single graphical representation of the samples together with the predictor and response variables, as well as their interrelationships in terms of the matrix of regression coefficients.
This paper describes the identification of HRP-2 foot's dynamics. It is expected that a humanoid robot will work in the same environment as man. For that purpose, safety of operation is important. Although a simulator is used for confirming safe conditions of operation, an error may arise in a dynamic parameter by the robot of a simulator, and an actual robot. In this paper, it identified about the viscoelasticity of the sole bush for impact absorption at the time of the walk of humanoid robot HRP-2. We used some simple active motions and composed these motions. We identified parameter using composed motions. We finally compare the identified parameters using the experimental results and simulator results.
We describe a patient who developed transient and moderately severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count nadir 35 x 10(9)/L) after the transfusion of plasma. Using the technique of direct radioimmunoprecipitation, we showed that during the thrombocytopenia episode, the patient's platelets had IgG specifically bound to the glycoprotein (GP) Ia/IIa complex. Indirect radioimmunoprecipitation using serum from the plasma donor confirmed that anti-HPA-5b (anti-Zava) was the cause of GP Ia/IIa sensitization. The relatively mild thrombocytopenia, compared with passive alloimmune thrombocytopenia caused by anti-HPA-1a (anti-P1A1), may reflect the low copy number of HPA-5 compared with HPA-1. Direct radioimmunoprecipitation permits the detection of the GPs carrying the known platelet alloantigen systems, and this study suggests that this technique can be used to diagnose passive alloimmune thrombocytopenia.
This paper aims to examine the bureaucratic pathology of waste management in Sinjai Regency as well as the government's efforts to deal with the pathology that occurs. The type of research used in this research is qualitative which will provide a factual picture of the research objectives. The results showed: the form of pathology found, namely Disfunctions of bureaucracy and Mal-Administration of the government structurally must implement waste management policies, namely the facilities and infrastructure must comply with regulations and the performance of officers who should run according to their duties and functions Efforts that must be made by the government, namely guidance and supervision of the regulations that have been set and contained in the regional regulations of Sinjain Regency number 10 of 2017 must be maximized. The efforts made by the Sinjai Regency government in overcoming the form of bureaucratic pathology faced in the implementation of hygiene policies, namely the lack of guidance, such as education on awareness of cleanliness to the public and supervision of people who are still littering in any place carried out at every level of government starting from the Regency level, the District level to the village level.
Pain is a common symptom in older people. It is possible that pain is underreported in older persons due to an incorrect belief that it is an inevitable part of aging. Opioid analgesics are potent medications, with confirmed efficacy for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. These drugs are commonly used in older persons. However, there is insufficient evidence regarding safety of opioids in older patients. One of the reasons for this is the lack of randomized, controlled clinical trials. People of advanced age often have comorbidites and use other prescription drugs, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) compounds, thus making them more suceptible to the risk of interactions with opioids. Significant pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes that occur with advancing age increase the risk of adverse effects of opioids. There are also some discrepancies between guidelines, which recommend the use of lower doses of opioids in older patients, and the findings in the literature which suggest that pain is often undertreated in this age group. It seems that there are significant variations in the tolerability of different opioid analgesics in older people. Morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, and buprenorphine are still the preferred evidence-based choices for add-on opioid therapy for these patients. However, the safety and efficacy of other opioids in older patients, especially if comorbidities and polypharmacy are present, is still questionable. This review addresses the most important aspects of the use of opioids in older persons, focusing on pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, adverse effects, and interactions.
Abstract Four experiments were conducted using a total of 1480 broiler strain cockerels to determine the effect of particle size and source of calcium on chick weight and tibia ash. The particle sizes of the test calcium sources obtained from oyster shell and limestone were defined as 6–8, 16–20, 40–50, 100–140, and 270–Pan on a passed-retained basis using the U.S.B.S. sieve series. Non-screened samples of oyster shell, limestone and a mined marine source were also tested. No consistent differences in growth rate and percent tibia ash were observed between oyster shell and limestone when the particle size of these supplements was equal. Increased weight gains were obtained with the medium and fine particle sizes (U.S.B.S. 16–Pan) as compared to the larger sizes (U.S.B.S. 6–8). Tibia ash was significantly increased when the particle size of the calcium supplement was medium (U.S.B.S. 40–50) as compared to the ash values obtained by feeding either the smallest (U.S.B.S. 270–Pan) or largest (U.S.B.S. 6–8) particle sizes. Screen analyses of commercial limestone, oyster shell and the mined marine calcium source revealed that the commercial oyster shell was a larger sized material than either limestone or the mined marine source tested in this study. Increased tibia ash was obtained by feeding the commercial oyster shell product which verifies the need for a medium particle size (16–50) in the chick’s diet. These data indicate calcium utilization by the chick is dependent upon the particle size of the calcium supplement. It appears desirable to use a medium to fine (U.S.B.S. 16–Pan) particle size calcium supplement in chick diets when considering both chick weight and percent tibia ash.
Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Background and Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of multicomponent functional maintenance initiatives (MFMIs) on functional outcomes and adverse events associated with functional decline among acutely hospitalized older adults. Data Sources: Studies were sourced from OVID Medline, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, and PEDro databases from inception to April 15, 2020, and their bibliographies. Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials were included if they investigated multicomponent interventions comprising more than one nonpharmacological intervention targeting physical functional decline and another shared risk factor for geriatric syndromes in acutely hospitalized medical or nonelective surgical patients 65 years and older. Data Extraction: Two reviewers independently assessed for eligibility, extracted data, and conducted risk of bias assessments. Data Synthesis: Eight studies involving 5534 patients were included. Multicomponent functional maintenance initiatives did not appear to confer significant effects on functional status, length of stay, or 30-day hospital readmissions; however, clinical heterogeneity limited meta-analysis for some specific functional outcomes. Patients who did not receive MFMIs were more likely to be discharged to a nursing staff facility (odds ratio = 1.53; 95% confidence interval, 1.23 to 1.90). No effect of MFMI on all-cause mortality was observed, and adverse events were rare and unlikely attributed to nonpharmacological interventions. Conclusions: Data from a small number of studies suggest MFMIs reduce the likelihood of discharge to a nursing staff facility in acutely hospitalized older adults; however, this effect may not be driven via improvements in physical function. Standardized evaluation methods to determine MFMI effectiveness appear indicated to assist decision-making regarding their implementation in clinical practice.
BACKGROUND In Italy, Mesothelioma Registries (MRs) have been established by law for the epidemiological surveillance of occupational cancers. MRs collect information about asbestos exposure of incident cases, through interviews. In the Emilia-Romagna region, MR was implemented in 1996 and extended its network of health professionals who report suspected mesothelioma in 2001 and 2007.   OBJECTIVES This study evaluated the impact of the extension of the network on MR sensitivity and timeliness.   METHODS Mesothelioma cases were analysed in three subsequent periods: 1996-2001 (before any network extension), 2002-2007 (after first extension) and 2008-2014 (after second extension). Sensitivity was evaluated by the proportion of cases directly reported by the network out of the total number of incident cases; reporting and interview timeliness were assessed by median times between diagnosis and, respectively, reporting and interview. Pleural mesothelioma reporting timeliness was also evaluated by use of quantile regression models, stratified by diagnostic certainty and adjusted by sex and age.   RESULTS Sensitivity increased from 79.4% (1996-2001), to 89.0% (2002-2007) and to 91.4% (2008-2013). For mesothelioma with diagnostic certainty, we recorded considerably reduced reporting times from the 50th percentile on, whereas for uncertain mesothelioma relevant reductions were observed also in the lower percentiles. A reduced time to interview was observed too, which was more significant for uncertain cases. The proportion of patients directly interviewed increased from 33.5% (1996-2001), to 39.1% (2002-2007), to 49.5% (2008-2014).   CONCLUSIONS The extended network improved the MR sensitivity and allowed shorter reporting and interview times and more frequent patient interviews, thus improving accuracy of exposure definition.
Vorticity is one of the most important dynamic flow variables and is fundamental to the basic flow physics of many areas of fluid dynamics, including aerodynamics, turbulent flows and chaotic motion. We report on the direct measurements of fluid flow vorticity using a beam with orbital angular momentum that takes advantage of the rotational Doppler shift from microparticles intersecting the beam focus. Experiments are carried out on fluid flows with well-characterized vorticity and the experimental results are found to be in excellent agreement with the expected values. This method allows for localized real-time determination of vorticity in a fluid flow with three-dimensional resolution.
Laser etching of green state LTCC is a useful rapid prototyping and precision manufacturing process. Laser etching allows selective removal of screen printed conductor layer, producing patterns with higher precision than conventional screen printing. Its usefulness for rapid prototyping is due to elimination of time consuming screen preparation process. The etching is performed using a near UV (355 nm), pulsed laser. The process is characterized by three parameters: laser power, pulse frequency, and etching speed. From the practical standpoint, we are interested in finding a combination of parameters which allows for achieving required etching depth at the maximum etching speed. We present an empirical mathematical model relating etching depth to process parameters, allowing to theoretically determine optimum processing parameters for a specified etching depth.
Training Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) incrementally is a particularly urgent problem, because real-world graph data usually arrives in a streaming fashion, and inefficiently updating of the models results in out-of-date embeddings, thus degrade its performance in downstream tasks. Traditional incremental learning methods will gradually forget old knowledge when learning new patterns, which is the catastrophic forgetting problem. Although saving and revisiting historical graph data alleviates the problem, the storage limitation in real-world applications reduces the amount of saved data, causing GNN to forget other knowledge. In this paper, we propose a streaming GNN based on generative replay, which can incrementally learn new patterns while maintaining existing knowledge without accessing historical data. Specifically, our model consists of the main model (GNN) and an auxiliary generative model. The generative model based on random walks with restart can learn and generate fake historical samples (i.e., nodes and their neighborhoods), which can be trained with real data to avoid the forgetting problem. Besides, we also design an incremental update algorithm for the generative model to maintain the graph distribution and for GNN to capture the current patterns. Our model is evaluated on different streaming data sets. The node classification results prove that our model can update the model efficiently and achieve comparable performance to model retraining. Code is available at https://github.com/Junshan-Wang/SGNN-GR.
The main objective of this work is to present a methodology for development of regenerative braking system hydraulic model that can be used to estimate the master cylinder pressure, master cylinder travel position, normal open valve fluid flow, normal open valve cross-sectional area, normal close valve fluid flow, normal close valve cross-sectional area, accumulator fluid flow and brake caliper fluid flow. According to the above hydraulic model calculation, the cooperation between regenerative braking system generator and ABS hydraulic braking control will be smooth and the arbitration strategy can be designed. Through the simple hydraulic model, the entire brake circuit of ABS can be derived easily.
BACKGROUND Women with phenylketonuria (PKU) not treated prior to conception can have a pregnancy that results in serious fetal damage. In this report, factors associated with preventing unplanned (and hence late treated) pregnancies are described.   METHODS Subjects included 60 phenylketonuric women and two comparison groups composed of female acquaintances and diabetic women. All were interviewed and administered tests of intelligence, general well-being, knowledge, and personality.   RESULTS Thirty-five percent of the sexually active women with PKU used contraception only sporadically. The variables that best predicted reported frequency of birth control use were the extent to which women felt social support to use contraception (r = .64) along with positive attitudes about birth control (r = .66) and knowledge of family planning (r = .43). For the comparison groups, a different pattern of variables predicted contraceptive use, with locus of control figuring most prominently for the diabetics (r = .39) and social support for birth control being most important for the acquaintances (r = .46).   CONCLUSIONS As more girls with PKU enter childbearing ages, there will be an increased need for specific programs that address psychosocial factors in maternal PKU.
In this review we present our experience of retained second twin, at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The data are based on a review of all records of twin deliveries that occurred between 1 January 1979 and 31 December 1987. Retained second twin was defined as a birth in which the interval between the deliveries of the first and second twin exceeded 30 min. There are 787 twin deliveries during the 9 years of the study. In 108 (14070) of these, there was retained second twin. Among the 108 cases of retained second twin, 101 (94070) were unbooked patients admitted as emergencies. Ninety-three (86070) mothers were 20-39 years old and 73 (68070) were para 1-4, while 14 (13070) were nullipara. The gestational age at delivery was at term (37 + weeks) in 60 (56070) cases while 48 (44070) were preterm. The birth weight of the babies ranged from 600 to 3750 g. Twelve (11070) babies weighed less than 1500g, 43 (40070) weighed 1500-2499 g and 53 (49070) weighed 2500 g or more. The mode of deliverywas by spontaneous vaginal delivery in 46 (43070) cases, caesarian section in 40 (37070), breech extraction in 10 (9070), assisted breech delivery in eight (7070), forceps in three and vacuum extraction in one. The indications for caesarian sectionweretransverselie(18); shoulder presentation/ hand prolapse (18); ruptured uterus (2); breech presentation (1) and cord presentation (1). The intrapartum complications associated with retained second twin included intrauterine fetal death (38070), malpresentation (34070), fetal distress (13070), abruptio placentae (8070), compound presentation (5070) and cord prolapse (4070). There were 52 Tropical Doctor, October 1990
Scientists depend on complex computational systems that are often ineliminably opaque, to the detriment of our ability to give scientific explanations and detect artifacts. Some philosophers have suggested treating opaque systems instrumentally, but computer scientists developing strategies for increasing transparency are correct in finding this unsatisfying. Instead, I propose an analysis of transparency as having three forms: transparency of the algorithm, the realization of the algorithm in code, and the way that code is run on particular hardware and data. This targets the transparency most useful for a task, avoiding instrumentalism by providing partial transparency when full transparency is impossible.
This study presents a comparative evaluation of three real-time imaging-based approaches for the prediction of optically active water constituents as chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), turbidity, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and reservoir water colour. The imaging models comprise of Landsat ETM+-visible and NIR (VNIR) data and EyeOnWater and HydroColor Smartphone sensor apps. To estimate the selected water quality parameters (WQP) from Landsat ETM+-VNIR, predictive models based on empirical relationships were developed. From the in situ measurements and the Landsat regression models, the results from the remote reflectances of ETM+ green, blue, and NIR independently yielded the best fits for the respective predictions of Chl-a, turbidity, and SPM. The concentration of Chl-a was derived from the Landsat ETM+ and HydroColor with respective Pearson correlation coefficients r of 0.8977 and 0.8310. The degree of turbidity was determined from Landsat, EyeOnWater, and HydroColor with respective r values of 0.9628, 0.819, and 0.8405. From the same models, the retrieved SPM was regressed with the laboratory measurements with r value results of 0.6808, 0.7315, and 0.8637, respectively, from Landsat ETM+, EyeOnWater, and HydroColor. The empirical study results showed that the imaging models can be effectively applied in the estimation of the physical WQP.
To make sense of our ever-changing world, our brains search out patterns. This drive can be so strong that the brain imposes patterns when there are none. The opposite can also occur: The brain can overlook patterns because they do not conform to expectations. In this study, we examined this neural sensitivity to patterns within the auditory brainstem, an evolutionarily ancient part of the brain that can be fine-tuned by experience and is integral to an array of cognitive functions. We have recently shown that this auditory hub is sensitive to patterns embedded within a novel sound stream, and we established a link between neural sensitivity and behavioral indices of learning [Skoe, E., Krizman, J., Spitzer, E., & Kraus, N. The auditory brainstem is a barometer of rapid auditory learning. Neuroscience, 243, 104–114, 2013]. We now ask whether this sensitivity to stimulus statistics is biased by prior experience and the expectations arising from this experience. To address this question, we recorded complex auditory brainstem responses (cABRs) to two patterned sound sequences formed from a set of eight repeating tones. For both patterned sequences, the eight tones were presented such that the transitional probability (TP) between neighboring tones was either 33% (low predictability) or 100% (high predictability). Although both sequences were novel to the healthy young adult listener and had similar TP distributions, one was perceived to be more musical than the other. For the more musical sequence, participants performed above chance when tested on their recognition of the most predictable two-tone combinations within the sequence (TP of 100%); in this case, the cABR differed from a baseline condition where the sound sequence had no predictable structure. In contrast, for the less musical sequence, learning was at chance, suggesting that listeners were “deaf” to the highly predictable repeating two-tone combinations in the sequence. For this condition, the cABR also did not differ from baseline. From this, we posit that the brainstem acts as a Bayesian sound processor, such that it factors in prior knowledge about the environment to index the probability of particular events within ever-changing sensory conditions.
The protein kinase C (PKC) family represents an important group of enzymes whose activation is associated with their translocation from the cytosol to different cellular membranes. In this study, the spatial distribution of PKC-α, -δ and -ε in rat liver epithelial (WB) cells has been examined by Western blot analysis after subcellular fractionation. Cytosolic, membrane, nuclear, and cytoskeletal fractions were obtained from cells stimulated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), angiotensin II (ANG II), or epidermal growth factor (EGF). PMA caused most of the PKC-α, -δ and -ε initially present in the cytosol to be transported to the membrane and nuclear fractions. In contrast, both ANG II and EGF induced only a minor translocation of PKC-α to the membrane fraction but caused a statistically significant membrane-directed movement of PKC-δ and -ε. Translocation of PKC-δ and -ε to the nucleus induced by ANG II and EGF was transient and quantitatively smaller than that induced by PMA. PKC-δ and -ε were present in the cytoskeleton of resting cells, but although PMA, ANG II, and EGF caused some changes in their content, these were variable, suggesting that the cytoskeleton fraction was heterogeneous. PKC depletion inhibited ANG II-induced mitogenesis and the sustained activation of Raf-1 and extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK). However, although PKC depletion inhibited EGF-induced mitogenesis, the maximum EGF-induced activation of the ERK pathway was only slightly retarded. We hypothesize that PKC-δ and -ε are involved in mitogenesis via both ERK-dependent and ERK-independent mechanisms. These results support the notion that specific PKC isozymes exert spatially defined effects by virtue of their directed translocation to distinct intracellular sites.
A study was conducted to assess organoleptic, biochemical and microbiological quality aspects of recommended values for dried fish. Microbial load, on the other hand, ranged from 0.95 × 10 4 to 1.9 × 10 5 CFU/g indicating varying levels of viable bacteria in those products while no coliform bacteria were detected in these samples. These data provide valuable information on these highly relished dried fish for domestic consumers in order to choose them based on their quality aspects.
Abstract. The Mesozoic mecopteran family Mesopsychidae has attracted extensive attention by their long proboscis that is presumably associated with pollination of early gymnosperms. Three previously reported species of Lichnomesopsyche Ren, Labandeira, and Shih, 2010 from the Middle–Upper Jurassic Haifanggou Formation at Daohugou (Inner Mongolia, northeastern China) display distinct resemblances in wing venation, so that their classification, based on currently described characters, remains elusive. Herein, we describe and figure exquisitely preserved male genital structures of L. gloriae Ren, Labandeira, and Shih, 2010, L. daohugouensis Ren, Labandeira, and Shih, 2010, and L. prochorista Lin et al., 2016, which can be used for defining and recognizing the three species. Our discovery indicates that the male genitalia are the major critical structures for species-level classification of the peculiar genus Lichnomesopsyche. Details of the maxillary palps and legs of L. gloriae and L. daohugouensis are also described.
Growing evidence supports that amyloid β (Aβ) oligomers are the major causative agents leading to neural cell death in Alzheimer's disease. The polyphenol (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) was recently reported to inhibit Aβ fibrillization and redirect Aβ aggregation into unstructured, off-pathway oligomers. Given the experimental challenge to characterize the structures of Aβ/EGCG complexes, we performed extensive atomistic replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations of Aβ1-42 dimer in the present and absence of EGCG in explicit solvent. Our equilibrium Aβ dimeric structures free of EGCG are consistent with the collision cross section from ion-mobility mass spectrometry and the secondary structure composition from circular dichroism experiment. In the presence of EGCG, the Aβ structures are characterized by increased inter-center-of-mass distances, reduced interchain and intrachain contacts, reduced β-sheet content, and increased coil and α-helix contents. Analysis of the free energy surfaces reveals that the Aβ dimer with EGCG adopts new conformations, affecting therefore its propensity to adopt fibril-prone states. Overall, this study provides, for the first time, insights on the equilibrium structures of Aβ1-42 dimer in explicit aqueous solution and an atomic picture of the EGCG-mediated conformational change on Aβ dimer.
1Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Regional Hospital of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland, 2Sleep and Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Regional Hospital of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland, 3Grenoble Institute of Neurosciences, University Grenoble Alpes, La Tronche Cedex, France and 4Neurology Department, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
1 The sustainable use of forest resources requires an understanding of the influence of site conditions and forest health on both pest species and those species providing ecosystem services such as pollination and decomposition. 2 The beetle family Cerambycidae is diverse and contains both pest and nonpest species, with many species performing such ecosystem services. 3 We predicted that as hardwood tree productivity decreased, the proportion of pest Cerambycidae present would increase at a site. We used site index as a measure of hardwood tree productivity. 4 The proportion of species that were pests did not change with productivity because the abundance of both pest and nonpest species increased with declining productivity. 5 The findings of the present study have implications for both managing pest species and conserving the biodiversity of nonpest species.
Introduction: Rheumatic heart disease has top position in the category of non-communicable diseases especially in developing countries, where people have low income and unhygienic food and it is up to 200000 premature deaths worldwide every year. Aims and objectives: The main objective of the study is to analyse the quality of life in patients with rheumatic heart disease in Pakistan. Material and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in DHQ hospital, Mandi Bahauddin during October 2018 to February 2019. The data was collected from 50 patients with rheumatic heart disease. The data was collected through a questionnaire. In collection of data many socio-demographic variables and findings on prevalence were assessed, like sampling techniques, special care in data sorting and protocol of screening. Results: The data was collected from 50 patients of both genders. Most of the patients have facing multiple risk factors. Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease detected through cardiac auscultation was 14.6 per 900 patients (95% CI 1.2-5.0) and through echocardiography. The mean age of cases was 33.77±12.19 years and that of the controls was 34.66±12.38 years. The lowest differences although significant were seen for emotional well-being (240.93 vs. 282.00), social functioning (101.33 vs. 122.00) and health change. Conclusion: It is concluded that rheumatic heart disease imposes a substantial burden on QoL. Anyhow the regions, where population are more educated and aware about risk factors have better diagnosis and quick treatment of rheumatic heart disease.
Abstract ― Flame-retardant cotton fabrics were prepared by UV curing of ph otocurable aqueous formulations of pho-sphorous-containing methacrylate monomers and 2-hydroxy-2-methy l-1-phenyl-1-propanone as flame retardants and a photoinitiator respectively, which is an environmentally friendly and energy-s aving process. The characterization of the UV-coated cotton fab ric was made by ATR, TGA and limited oxygen index measurement. UV c ured coating onto cotton fabrics reduced the first thermal decomposition temperature and mass loss as well as increase in the amount of char residue compared with the untreated cotton fabric presumably due to modified thermal decomposition process . The LOI values up to 28.5 and 27.2 were obtained by the UV curing of MMEP and TMEP respectively. The treatment was durable to five laundering cycles, which was more prominent in the case of trifunctional TMEP treatment. Keywords: cotton, flame retardancy, UV curing, LOI, MMEP, TMEP〈연구논문(학술)〉 자외선 경화형 인계 단량체를 이용한 면직물의 방염가공
After antigen capture, dendritic cells (DC) migrate into T cell–rich areas of secondary lymphoid organs, where they induce T cell activation, that subsequently drives B cell activation. Here, we investigate whether DC, generated in vitro, can directly modulate B cell responses, using CD40L-transfected L cells as surrogate activated T cells. DC, through the production of soluble mediators, stimulated by 3- to 6-fold the proliferation and subsequent recovery of B cells. Furthermore, after CD40 ligation, DC enhanced by 30–300-fold the secretion of IgG and IgA by sIgD− B cells (essentially memory B cells). In the presence of DC, naive sIgD+ B cells produced, in response to interleukin-2, large amounts of IgM. Thus, in addition to activating naive T cells in the extrafollicular areas of secondary lymphoid organs, DC may directly modulate B cell growth and differentiation.
Effective micropropagation system via somatic embryognesis was established for a Phytophthora resistant Aralia elata cultivar. Different kinds of growth regulators were needed to induce embryogenic callus with different explant sources. When leaf explants were used, a combination of 2,4-D, TDZ and L-glutamine was needed, whereas when petiole and root explants needed only 1.0 mg/L 2,4-D. Embryogenic callus induction rate under the optimum culture condition was 75.0%, 67.0% and 83.0% from leaf, petiole and root segment, respectively. Somatic embryo germination and plantlet conversion rate appeared to be influenced greatly by various osmoticums. More than 90% of embryos germinated when treated with sucrose, glucose and maltose. However, the highest conversion rate (72%) was recorded on medium with 2% sucrose only. The converted plantlets grew normally on 1/2MS basal medium, were acclimatized on artificial soil mixture and survived more than 95% in the greenhouse condition. The results suggest that the species can be clonally propagated through in vitro culture system via somatic embryogenesis.
To elucidate the possible role of plasminogen activator (PA) in spermatogenesis and spermiation in mammals, we studied the hormonal regulation of PA secretion in cultured rat and mouse seminiferous tubules during defined stages of spermatogenesis. Results indicated that: (1) under basal conditions, segments of rat seminiferous tubules released primarily urokinase-type PA (uPA) at all stages of the cycle. The highest level of PA secretion occurred at stages VIIab, VIIcd and VIII. FSH, 8-bromo cyclic AMP and forskolin (FK) stimulated PA secretion, predominantly tissue-type PA (tPA). (2) In contrast, mouse seminiferous tubules secreted only tPA under basal conditions. In the presence of 50 microM MIX, seminiferous tubules at stages VII and VIII secreted higher levels of both types of PA than at the other stages. Both tPA and uPA secretion was enhanced by addition of FSH and FK to the organ culture media. (3) Segments of both rat and mouse seminiferous tubules at stages IX-XII in which the sperm residual bodies are absorbed into the Sertoli cells were also very sensitive to the addition of FSH to the organ culture. These results suggest that tPA in rat and mouse testes may play an essential role in the process of spermatogenesis and spermiation as well as in sperm residual body absorption.
The experiment comprising 30 okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) genotypes were grown and analysed for yield and its attributing traits at the Department of Vegetable science, Kumarganj, Faizabad during Zaid (2011) period. All the characters studied showed a wide range of variation. The variability for yield among the accessionsevaluated was also remarkable. The magnitude phenotypic coefficient of variation was higher than genotypic coefficient of variation for all traits. Both phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) were high for plant height (11.10 and 10.60, respectively). Fruit weight exhibited low value of GCV (2.31) and PCV (4.74) and likely to show less response under selection. High heritability (91.3) with high genetic advance (26.74) was recorded for plant height, whereas, ridges per fruit had high heritability (97.0) with moderate genetic advance (18.45). This study aimed to evaluate okra genotypes for variability with a view to providing information on the development of high yielding genotypes to meet the growing food demand of the populace.
We investigated the role of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a powerful anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant enzyme, in modulating cigarette smoke (CS)-induced mucus secretion. In both rats and mice, 5-day CS exposure increased HO-1 expression and activity, mucus secretion, MUCIN 5AC (MUC5AC) gene and protein expression, and local inflammation, along with up-regulation of dual oxidase 1 gene expression and both the activity and phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, which is involved in MUC5AC induction. Pharmacological induction of HO-1 prevented these actions and inhibition of HO-1 expression by a specific siRNA potentiated them. In French participants to the European Community Respiratory Health Survey II (n = 210, 30 to 53 years of age, 50% males) exposed to CS, a significant increase in the percentage of participants with chronic sputum was observed in those harboring at least one allele with a long (GT)(n) in the HO-1 promoter gene (>33 repeats), which is associated with a low level of HO-1 protein expression, compared with those with a short number of (GT)n repeats (21.7% versus 8.6%, P = 0.047). No such results were observed in those who had never smoked (n = 297). We conclude that HO-1 has a significant protective effect against airway mucus hypersecretion in animals and humans exposed to CS.
Spherical evolution (SE) is a relatively innovative algorithm. It transforms the original hypercube search into a spherical search. By this novel search style, SE expanded the search range. Sine cosine algorithm (SCA) creates multiple initial random candidate solutions and requires them to fluctuate outwards or towards the best solution using a mathematical model based on sine and cosine functions, which demonstrates that this algorithm can avoid local optima. In this article, we introduce SCA to enhance the convergence ability of SE. The experiment results on CEC2017 benchmark functions indicate the effectiveness of this hybridization, suggesting that the algorithm proposed is able to explore different regions of a search space, avoid local optima, converge towards the global optimum, and exploit promising regions of a search space during optimization effectively.
Novel composite hydrogels based on poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/polyacrylamide pseudo-interpenetrating polymer networks (pIPNs) and magnetite were prepared via in situ precipitation of Fe3+/Fe2+ ions within the hydrogel structure. The magnetite formation was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, and the size of the magnetite crystallites was shown to depend on the hydrogel composition: the crystallinity of the magnetite particles increased in line with PAAM content within the composition of the pIPNs. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed an interaction between the hydrogel matrix, via the carboxylic groups of polyacrylic acid, and Fe ions, which strongly influenced the formation of the magnetite articles. The composites’ thermal properties, examined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), show an increase in the glass transition temperature of the obtained composites, which depends on the PAA/PAAM copolymer ratio in the pIPNs’ composition. Moreover, the composite hydrogels exhibit pH and ionic strength responsiveness as well as superparamagnetic properties. The study revealed the potential of pIPNs as matrices for controlled inorganic particle deposition as a viable method for the production of polymer nanocomposites.
Introduction: Acute Myocardial injury defined by increased troponin I level is associated with poor in-hospital outcomes and cardiovascular complications in patients with COVID-19. The current study was designed to determine the implications and clinical outcome of myocardial injury in COVID-19. Methods: This retrospective study included hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Myocardial injury was defined by high sensitivity Troponin I (hs-TNI)≥26ng/l. Cardiac biomarkers, inflammatory markers and clinical data were systemically collected and analyzed. Hazard ratio for in-hospital mortality and logistic regression for predictors of acute myocardial injury were analyzed. Results: Of the 1821 total patients with COVID-19, 293(16.09%) patients died and 1528 (83.91%) patients survived. Patients who died had significantly higher association with presence of cardiovascular risk factors, severe CTSS ( CT severity score ) and myocardial injury as compared to survived group. 628 (34.5%) patients had evidence of myocardial injury and they had statistically significant association with cardiovascular risk factors, in-hospital mortality, procalcitonin; higher hospital, and ICCU stay. We found significant hazard ratio of diabetes (HR=2.66, (CI:1.65-4.29)), Severe CT score (HR=2.81, (CI:1.74-4.52)), hs-TNI≥26 ng/l (HR=4.68, (CI:3.81-5.76)) for mortality. Severe CTSS score (OR=1.95, CI: 1.18-3.23, P=0.01) and prior CVD history (OR=1.65, CI:1.00-2.73, P=0.05) were found significant predictors of myocardial injury in regression analysis. Conclusion: Almost one third of hospitalized patients had evidence of acute myocardial injury during hospitalization. Acute myocardial injury is associated with higher hospital and ICCU stay, mortality, higher in-hospital infection which indicates more severe disease and the poor in-hospital outcomes.
Abstract Background: Neuromodulation is emerging as a new therapeutic field towards treatment of neurological disorders through advances in medical devices. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is one such neuromodulatory device that has received increasing interest as a tool for modulating cortical excitability that influence motor activity in both normal and diseased population. However, the therapeutic effect of rTMS varies depending on stimulation frequency, intensity, pulse trains, duration, etc. Our previous studies had already demonstrated that higher frequency of 10 Hz was effective in improving the motor activity of spastic CP patients. Objective: This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of different rTMS pulses on gross motor performance of spastic CP patients. Method: Thirty spastic CP patients were divided equally into three groups P1500, P2000 and P2500 with mean age (in years) 7.7 ± SD4.4, 6.8 ± SD5.3 and 7.2 ± SD5.1 respectively. Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) was employed as an outcome measure to assess the motor performance. Constant rTMS frequency of 10 Hz was delivered to each participant but the number of stimulation pulse varied according to the groups; which were 1500, 2000 and 2500 pulses for P1500, P2000 and P2500 group respectively. rTMS therapy of 15 minutes duration was followed by physical therapy of 30 minutes daily for 20 days. Result: Statistical analysis of pre versus post GMFM scores of different groups revealed significant result (p < .001) and the improvement in functional motor activity was 2.33% in P1500, 3.58% in P2000 and 5.17% in P2500 group. Interpretation: The result demonstrated modulatory effect of rTMS pulse by improving motor function of spastic CP patients.
This paper studies the air pressurization problem caused by a partially pressurized transient flow in a reservoir-pipe system. The purpose of this study is to analyze the performance of the rigid column model in predicting the attenuation of the air pressure distribution. In this regard, an analytic formula for the amplitude and frequency will be derived, in which the influential parameters, particularly, the driving pressure and the air and water lengths, on the damping can be seen. The direct effect of the driving pressure and inverse effect of the product of the air and water lengths on the damping will be numerically examined. In addition, these numerical observations will be examined by solving different test cases and by comparing to available experimental data to show that the rigid column model is able to predict the damping. However, due to simplified assumptions associated with the rigid column model, the energy dissipation, as well as the damping, is underestimated. In this regard, using the backward Euler implicit time integration scheme, instead of the classical fourth order explicit Runge–Kutta scheme, will be proposed so that the numerical dissipation of the backward Euler implicit scheme represents the physical dissipation. In addition, a formula will be derived to calculate the appropriate time step size, by which the dissipation of the heat transfer can be compensated.
Background: Sports are a major cause of concussions, and little is known about the symptom experience and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children who remain symptomatic for over 3 months following such head injuries. Methods: A cross-sectional study of children aged 10-18 years was performed who were referred to the Neurosurgery Clinic at our centre following a head injury. Symptom experience was measured using the modified Concussion Symptom Scale, and HRQL was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). The Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT) was administered to assess neurocognitive and neurobehavioural sequelae. Results: Symptoms with the highest mean symptom scores on a Likert scale of 0-6 in 35 children at the time of assessment included headaches (3.1), poor concentration (2.7), memory problems (2.1), fatigue (2.1) and sensitivity to noise (2.0). Compared with normative data, children in this study had ImPACT summary scores between the 28th and 38th percentiles and a comparably low Cognitive Efficiency Index score. Mean scores for females were consistently statistically significantly lower (p < 0.05) than for males across all of the HRQL domains. Trouble falling asleep and memory problems explained 62% of the variance in the PedsQL total scores. Conclusions: Children continue to experience many symptoms at least 3 months following sport-related head injuries that significantly impact their HRQL and neurocognitive abilities.
Researchers across many disciplines seek to understand how misinformation spreads with a view toward limiting its impact. One important question in this research is how people determine whether a given piece of news is real or fake. In the current article, we discuss the value of signal detection theory (SDT) in disentangling two distinct aspects in the identification of fake news: (a) ability to accurately distinguish between real news and fake news and (b) response biases to judge news as real or fake regardless of news veracity. The value of SDT for understanding the determinants of fake-news beliefs is illustrated with reanalyses of existing data sets, providing more nuanced insights into how partisan bias, cognitive reflection, and prior exposure influence the identification of fake news. Implications of SDT for the use of source-related information in the identification of fake news, interventions to improve people’s skills in detecting fake news, and the debunking of misinformation are discussed.
Ce3+/Tb3+/Sm3+ co-doped phosphate glasses were prepared by melt quenching method. The full colors including blue, green and reddish orange emitting were observed simultaneously in the photoluminescent spectra of the glasses at 377 nm excitation, and the combination of these three emitting allows the realization of white light emitting. The CIE chromaticity coordinate (x=0.339, y=0.331) of the emission from the glass is close to the standard white-light illumination (0.333, 0.333). Moreover, the tunable luminescent color and chromaticity parameters could be realized by varying the content of Tb4O7 dopant in the glass composition, which is promising fluorescent materials for white light emitting diodes applications.
The reform of the education and training system in the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as raising it to the level of developed countries, is being paid great attention as a priority direction of the state policy. Now it is known to everyone that the system of continuous education and training has become a decisive and important factor in the development of innovation in harmony with the modern requirements of any state. In this article highlights of modern educational technologies and innovative activity of teacher in higher education system.
Memory is fundamentally important to everyday life, and memory loss has devastating consequences to individuals and society. Understanding the neurophysiological and cellular basis of memory paves the way for gaining insights into the molecular steps involved in memory formation, thereby revealing potential therapeutic targets for neurological diseases. For three decades, long-term potentiation (LTP) has been the gold standard synaptic model for mammalian memory mechanisms, in large part because of its long-lasting nature. Here, the authors summarize the characteristics of LTP persistence in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, comparing this with other hippocampal subregions and neocortex. They consider how long LTP can last and how its persistence is affected by subsequent behavioral experiences. Next, they review the molecular mechanisms known to contribute to LTP induction and persistence, in particular the role of new gene expression and protein synthesis and how they may be associated with potential structural reorganization of the synapse. A temporal schema for the processes important for consolidating LTP into a persistent form is presented. The parallels between the molecular aspects of LTP and memory strongly support the continuation with LTP as a model system for studying the mechanisms underlying long-term memory consolidation and retention.
The content of the present paper aims at seeking faster speed and lower cost methods for characterizing granular objects in general, and cereal grains in particular. The approach is based on simultaneous cross-combined optical and impedimetric sensing techniques in the MHz range, applied to flowing streams so as to determine real-time 3D morphological characterization of single objects. The main advantages of the proposed approach rely on the high discriminatory capacity of the object classes and on the high degree of parallelism, capable of processing large amounts of material on production lines. The use of integrated electronic systems also allows high operative speed, easy calibration and flexibility to the required classification features.
To investigate the anti-diabetic properties of chebulic acid (CA) associated with the prevention of methyl glyoxal (MG)-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells, INS-1 cells were pre-treated with CA (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μM) for 48 h and then treated with 2 mM MG for 8 h. The effects of CA and MG on INS-1 cells were evaluated using the following: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay; glyoxalase 1 (Glo-1) expression via Western blot and enzyme activity assays; Nrf-2, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 protein expression via Western blot assay; reactive oxygen species (ROS) production assay; mRNA expression of mitochondrial dysfunction related components (UCP2, uncoupling protein 2; VDAC1, voltage-dependent anion-selective channel-1; cyt c, cytochrome c via quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR; mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP); adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis; glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) assay. The viability of INS-1 cells was maintained upon pre-treating with CA before exposure to MG. CA upregulated Glo-1 protein expression and enzyme activity in INS-1 cells and prevented MG-induced ROS production. Mitochondrial dysfunction was alleviated by CA pretreatment; this occurred via the downregulation of UCP2, VDAC1, and cyt c mRNA expression and the increase of MMP and ATP synthesis. Further, CA pre-treatment promoted the recovery from MG-induced decrease in GSIS. These results indicated that CA could be employed as a therapeutic agent in diabetes due to its ability to prevent MG-induced development of insulin sensitivity and oxidative stress-induced dysfunction of β-cells.
Aims. On October 24, 2007 the comet 17P/ Holmes underwent an outburst that was extraordinary in both duration and size. We attempted to determine the cause of the outburst by acquiring and analyzing high resolution spectra of the comet. Methods. On two nights, October 25 and December 2, we acquired four high resolution spectra in the visible range at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in La Palma. The oxygen lines intensity ratio was estimated for the observation performed on October 25, and computed for the observation performed on December 2. Results. Many emission lines were detected in the spectra, most of them attributable to C2 ,N H 2, CN and CH. The atomic O green line and one of the red doublet lines were detected in a spectrum acquired on October 25. All the three atomic O lines were detected in a spectrum acquired on December 2. The value obtained for the first night, 0.1 ± 0.11, implies that the H2O molecule was the main parent of the emission lines, while the value obtained for the second night, 0.3 ± 0.1, implies that the main parent was CO or CO2 instead than H2O. Conclusions. Our results imply that in the days around the outburst the water production was exceptionally high for that heliocentric distance. By December, however, the behavior of 17P/ Holmes had returned to that of a comet orbiting at 2.6 AU from the Sun, in which state the activity is probably sustained mostly by gases more volatile than water, such as CO and CO2.
Airborne vehicles are gaining traction in research fields and in bringing it for commercial use. Multi-rotors for payload transport is one of the highly researched topics. In this paper, a hexacopter was prototyped based on commercially available components in the market and dynamic analysis was performed with constraints derived from ideal conditions, such as neglecting the effect of air resistance. The experiment shows the flight of the hexacopter to be stable with and without payload attached to it. Also, various computer vision methods were explored to detect and identify waypoints, in the form of gates, for the hexacopter to follow during its flight mission. The detection mechanism employed is HSV mask based filtering on input image and performing moment calculation on the extracted contour to determine the center of the gates. Localization of the drone with respect to the environment is performed with a monocular visual SLAM method known as ORBSLAM2.
The attributes influencing the decision-making process in planning transportation of goods from selected facilities locations in disaster zones are considered. Experts evaluate each candidate for humanitarian aid distribution centers (HADCs) (service centers) against each uncertainty factor in q-rung orthopair fuzzy sets (q-ROFS). For representation of experts’ knowledge in the input data for planning emergency service facilities locations a q-rung orthopair fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) approach is developed. Based on the offered fuzzy TOPSIS aggregation a new innovative objective function is introduced which maximizes a candidate HADC’s selection index and reduces HADCs opening risks in disaster zones. The HADCs location and goods transportation problem is reduced to the bi-criteria problem of partitioning the set of customers by the set of service centers: 1) Minimization of opened HADCs and goods transportation total costs; 2) Maximization of HADCs selection index. Partitioning type transportation constraints are also constructed. Our approach for solving the constructed bi-criteria partitioning problem consists of two phases. In the first phase, based on the covering’s matrix, we generate a new matrix with columns allowing to find all possible partitioning of the demand points with the opened HADCs. In the second phase, using the generated matrix and our exact algorithm we find the partitioning –allocations of the HADCs to the centers corresponded to the Pareto-optimal solutions. The constructed model is illustrated with a numerical example.
Chromatographic fingerprinting provides effective technical means for quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine. In this work, a novel multi-wavelength fusion column fingerprint was obtained by intelligent selection of chromatographic peaks from different wavelengths, which displayed the maximum peak area information under the optimal wavelength at the same retention time. Here, the Gardenia jasminoides root was selected as a sample. The multi-wavelength fusion column fingerprint graph of the Gardenia jasminoides root was constructed from five wavelengths (203 nm, 210 nm, 238 nm, 250 nm and 330 nm). The peak capacity, peak resolution, the number of common peaks and similarity were used to evaluate the performance. The 19 batches of Gardenia jasminoides root were classified into three categories with clear distinction between origin categories based on the multi-wavelength fusion column fingerprint combined with chemometrics, including hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis. Nine markers of variation that led to differences between batches were screened by orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis. This study demonstrated that the classification model based on the multi-wavelength fusion column fingerprint was better than that on a single-wavelength, and the fusion fingerprint was suitable for the identification and quality control of traditional Chinese medicine with more comprehensive chemical composition information and more accurate prediction ability.
In this article we explore the links between return migration, belonging and transnationalism among migrants who returned from the Netherlands to northeast Morocco. While transnationalism is commonly discussed from the perspective of a receiving country, this study shows that transnationalism also plays a vital role in reconstructing post-return belonging. Return migration is not simply a matter of ‘going home’, as feelings of belonging need to be renegotiated upon return. While returnees generally feel a strong need to maintain various transnational practices, the meanings they attach to these practices depend on motivations for return, gender and age. For former (male) labour migrants, transnational practices are essential for establishing post-return belonging, whereas such practices are less important for their spouses. Those who returned as children generally feel uprooted, notwithstanding the transnational practices they maintain. The amount of agency migrants are able to exert in the return decision-making process is a key factor in determining the extent to which returnees can create a post-return transnational sense of home.
The rapid fixation of phosphorus fertilizers in soil with a high content of calcium carbonate requires efficient management methods for phosphorus fertilization, especially as regards the time of application. For this purpose, a field experiment was carried out in the summer season of 2006/2007 in the experimental farm of the Soils Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Egypt to evaluate the best time for phosphorus fertilization to cowpea on Egyptian alluvial soil. The results showed that adding half the recommended phosphorus fertilization rate at sowing and the other half before the first irrigation was the best treatment to enhance phosphorus fertilizer use efficiency, contributing to an increased uptake of phosphorus by cowpea, reflected in the higher phosphorus concentration in the grains. Increased phosphorus uptake also caused an increase in the nitrogen and potassium concentrations in cowpea grains, whereas the zinc and iron concentrations decreased.
Methotrexate has been of proven value in the management of patients with severe psoriasis. Its long‐term use, however, can be complicated by progressive hepatic damage which has necessitated regular liver biopsies. We have looked into the efficacy of liver ultrasonography as a non‐invasive screening procedure to select those patients who may be developing liver changes. Eighty‐seven investigations on 82 patients were performed, comparing liver ultrasound results with liver biopsy. Eight of these showed a degree of hepatic damage which was sufficient to indicate cessation of methotrexate, and all of these were detected by ultrasonography. Our results indicate that patients whose last liver biopsy was normal could be allowed an extended interval between biopsies provided their intervening ultrasound scans remained normal.
The functions of local government are gradually increased in delivering of public services. The services related with social municipality are added on these funtions in recent years. It is difficult for local government with limited resource to achieve these functions up to the mark which consisted of social assistance and social welfare. In this regard, providing voluntary participation in local services plays an important role, especially in fullfilling the services in the field of social municipality. In this study, the importance and necessity of voluntary participation in terms of social municipality is emphasized and legal and application framework of voluntary participation in local level in Turkey is analysed and proposals about its development are put forward.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of creatine (Cr) supplementation (5 g/day) in Huntington’s disease (HD). Methods: A 1-year double-blind placebo-controlled study was performed in 41 patients with HD (stage I through III). At baseline and after 6 and 12 months, the functional, neuromuscular, and cognitive status of the patients was assessed by a test battery that consisted of 1) the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS), 2) an exercise test on an isokinetic dynamometer to assess strength of the elbow flexor muscles, 3) a maximal exercise test on a bicycle ergometer to evaluate cardiorespiratory fitness, and 4) a test to assess bimanual coordination ability. Following the baseline measurements, the subjects were assigned to either a creatine (n = 26) or a placebo group (n = 15). Results: Scores on the functional checklist of the UHDRS (p < 0.05), maximal static torque (p < 0.05), and peak oxygen uptake (p < 0.05) decreased from the start to the end of the study, independent of the treatment received. Cognitive functioning, bimanual coordination ability, and general motor function (total motor scale, UHDRS) did not change from baseline to 1 year in either group. Conclusion: One year of Cr intake, at a rate that can improve muscle functional capacity in healthy subjects and patients with neuromuscular disease (5 g/day), did not improve functional, neuromuscular, and cognitive status in patients with stage I to III HD.
Municipal solid waste (MSW) consists mainly of several recyclable materials such as paper and cardboard. Inside the educational institutes, especially universities, MSW is generated from several facilities including offices and cafeterias. Without an effective management program, solid waste can have detrimental impacts on the environment. This paper aims to assess the solid waste management practices followed at the main campus of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), Dammam – Saudi Arabia.,The MSW samples were collected from different sources inside the IAU campus such as the college buildings (such as the teaching rooms and staff offices), the administrative buildings and services buildings (e.g. the main library, the photocopying center, the restaurant and cafeteria) at least one time per week during a full academic term (January–May) of the academic year 2017–2018. The collected MSW samples were segregated into seven categories, and the net amount of each category and the overall weight of the MSW were determined once every week. The MSW samples were characterized for physical and chemical properties including moisture, carbon and ash contents. Food product waste (FPW) of the main university restaurant was studied separately.,Data on the composition of MSW samples revealed that 80% of wastes were recyclable, 19% as compostable materials, while only 1% of the materials were a non-recyclable waste. More than 73% of the recyclable materials include paper and plastic warranting dire need of an effective solid waste management program. The highest value of FPW was recorded for the breakfast meal.,Most of the waste generated from the university campus was recyclable type that needs to be handled carefully to avoid its mixing with other types of the waste stream. Waste characterization is an important tool that helps in understanding the amount and pattern of waste generation. It can be used as a decision-making tool for implementing sustainable waste management programs for universities.
Leaves (1986) from elm hybrids ('Pioneer', 'Homestead', '970') previously fumigated in open-top chambers with ozone or with charcoal-filtered air (CFA) were evaluated for water and nitrogen content or were fed to adult elm leaf beetles (ELB), Xanthogaleruca = (Pyrrhalta) luteola (Muller), to determine host suitability for beetle fecundity and survivorship. ELB females fed ozone-fumigated leaves laid significantly fewer eggs than females fed CFA-fumigated leaves. Leaf nitrogen or water content was unaffected. Hybrid '970' (1988) was fumigated with CFA or with ozone concentrations to determine effects on ELB fecundity, leaf consumption, and survivorship. Significantly fewer eggs were laid at the higher concentration of ozone. Because higher levels of ozone are found in urban areas and because municipalities often replace American elms, Ulmus americana L., with Dutch elm disease-resistant elm hybrids that are susceptible to ELB defoliation, it is important to explore the relationships between ozone sensitivity of elm and susceptibility to ELB herbivory before recommending replacement use of these elms to municipal arborists. The study was conducted to determine whether ozone pollution influences host quality of elm for ELB and how ELB fecundity, leaf consumption rate, and survivorship are affected.
This study sought to discover if the means by which research was presented could influence teachers’ attitudes towards research. Survey and interview methodologies were used in the study. Findings included participants’ feeling that video may not provide the details that teachers would need to put the findings of the study into practice. They also indicated that follow-up professional learning would be required after video viewing. Participants’ level of accuracy regarding the findings of written or video research reports was low, at about 50% accuracy. While the group receiving the YouTube version of the study almost exclusively stated a high likelihood to access research presented in this format again, the group who received the written version of the study was not enthusiastic towards accessing written research in the future. It was not clear whether format has a notable influence on tendencies to use research to support professional learning and practice. As our information consumption tendencies trend towards mediums that promote rapid consumption, researchers should be aware that their work might be made more effectively available to young teachers by being presented in the format of a video, such as those hosted on YouTube.
Opportunistic fungal infections like invasive candidiasis and aspergillozis have high mortality rate particularly in immunosupressive patients. The rate of therapy success with antifungal agents is usually low. Although immunotherapy methods have been developed to increase the host response against antifungals, there has been a need for new antifungal therapeutic agents in the treatment of invasive aspergillozis and other opportunistic fungal infections. Mycoviruses are the viruses that specifically infect fungi. The use of mycoviruses in the treatment of invasive fungal infections has not been suggested yet. However, as mentioned in this review, the researches about the use of mycoviruses as a therapeutic agent have been still carried on. Mycoviruses have no infectivity as free particules. Many of them have RNA genome. They are classified as: Fungi containing "double stranded (ds) RNA, ds DNA or single stranded RNA". Although most of them are found in plant pathogenic fungi, they are also found in human pathogenic fungi. In most of the mycoviruses identified up to now, dsRNA genome are present. Mycoviruses that can be pathogenic for human and carrying dsRNA genome have been classified as Partitiviridae, Totiviridae, Chrysoviridae, Reoviridae and Hypoviridae. A part of mycoviruses may not cause any sign of infection in fungal host. The other part of mycoviruses causes hypovirulence or lethal effect. When hypovirulence occured in fungi, the observed effects are the decrease in pigmentation, mycelium formation, asexual sporulation, growing rate and the loss of fertility. The transfer of mycovirus to fungi may occur by intracellular or extracellular way. The transfer of genetic content to fungi occurs in two way: transformation and transfection. In both ways, there is a need for a spheroblast that has no cell wall. There are various scenarios about mycoviruses for the their use in the treatment. In the first scenario, the transfer of selective mycovirus is ensured by extracellular way, and then the binding of mycovirus to target fungus by genetic modifications is aimed. The second scenario is about the use of mycovirus as a vector for genetic transformation. In fact, this method is applied by using toxins in fungal diseases of plants. In addition, the production of lethal antibodies or peptides derived from antibodies obtained from toxin-coding cytoplasmic dsRNA mycovirus toxins may be a new therapeutic approach. It has been claimed that these derivatives may be used as parentheral therapeutic agents against human pathogenic fungi including Candida albicans. In this review article, the importance of mycoviruses in mycology has been discussed.
The observed variation in amplitude versus offset (AVO) in CDP gathers has been used by explorationists as a tool to help in the determination of fluid content and lithology. Picking the correct seismic line that properly images the zone of interest is one of the most important steps leading to a successful AVO analysis. Three essential aspects need to be considered when picking the seismic line: 1. the orientation of the line to the structure, 2. adequacy of acquisition parameters, and 3. seismic data quality. In this paper we will primarily examine the question of picking the line that correctly images the zone of interest. A three dimensional dome model and two marine examples will be used to demonstrate the potential problems that the interpreter and processing geophysicists will encounter when picking the seismic line to perform an AVO analysis on. Review of both the CDP stack and migrated sections can avoid picking a line that does not image the zone of interest. INTRODUCTION Most interpreters make their subsurface geological interpretations using time-migrated seismic sections. However when performing an AVO study we need to analyze pre-stack common-midpoint (CMP) gathers. Therefore it is necessary to accurately locate prospective events on unmigrated CMP stack sections. It is also important to use unmigrated stack sections when selecting lines for AVO analysis where the orientation of the available lines run oblique to the structural dip. In this case even if pre-stack migration has been performed on the data it is still necessary to use unmigrated stack sections to pick the correct line location. MODEL STUDY A three dimensional dome structure was built and two seismic lines were generated based on normal incidence ray tracing (Fig. 1). If the zone of interest is located at the top of the dome, line 2 (Fig. 1, 2) can be used for AVO study because normal incidence ray tracing shows that the line will properly image the crest of the dome. The event AA' (Fig. 1) sits on the flank of the dome. From the map view (Fig. 2) seismic line 3 goes through AA' and might initially be picked to perform an AVO analysis on. But Fig. 1 shows that the event AA' is actually imaged by line 1, which is down dip (or south) of line 3. Line 1 should be used in the AVO analysis of event AA' instead of line 3.
What impacts would minimum capital requirements have on mutual institutions lacking the ability to raise equity capital? Can the response of credit unions to capital controls be explained by internal member bonding? The imposition of capital controls on credit unions by the Australian Financial Institutions Commission is studied as a Box-Tiao time series quasi-experiment. Time series intervention and trend analyses are performed on a sample of 150 credit unions over the period 1987 to 1997, together with cross-sectional regressions of the estimated responses. The results demonstrate that the capital controls had a significant impact on credit union behavior. Consistent with theoretical expectations, the response of individual credit unions is found to be a function of initial capital levels and internal member bonding.
Stretchable conductive nanocomposites have been intensively studied for wearable bioelectronics. However, development of nanocomposites that simultaneously feature metal-like conductivity (> 100,000 S/cm) and high stretchability (> 100%) for high-performance skin-mountable devices is still extremely challenging. Here we present a material strategy for such a nanocomposite by using local bundling of silver nanowires stabilized with dual ligands (i.e., 1-propanethiols and 1-decanethiols). When the nanocomposite was solidified via solvent evaporation under a highly humid condition, the nanowires in the organic solution are bundled and stabilized. The resulting locally-bundled nanowires lower contact resistance while maintain their percolation network, leading to high conductivity. Dual ligands of 1-propanethiol and 1-decanethiol further boost up the conductivity. As a result, a nanocomposite with both high conductivity of ∼ 122,120 S/cm and high stretchability of ∼ 200% is obtained. Such superb electrical and mechanical properties are critical for various applications in skin-like electronics, and we herein demonstrated a wearable thermo-stimulation device. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
In this technical note we investigate the interplay between structure and dynamics of Chemical Reaction Networks by exploiting the formalism of Petri Nets. More specifically we point out how decomposition of a network into smaller concurrent subunits may affect systems dynamics. We show in the case of State Machine Decomposable Nets (SMD nets) that under some additional topological conditions none of the chemical species involved will tend to disappear in the course of the reaction. From a purely Petri Net theoretic point of view, we present novel modular conditions to guarantee that supports of minimal P-semiflows coincide with minimal siphons of a net.
The title hydrated molecular salt, 2C12H9N2 +·C14H6O8S2 2−·6H2O, consists of 1,10-phenanthrolinium (phen-H+) cations, anthraquinone-1,5-disulfonate (AQDS2−) anions, which occupy a centre of inversion, and water molecules of crystallization. In the crystal, a supramolecular network structure is formed via N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak C—H⋯O and π–π stacking interactions [centroid–centroid distances = 3.651 (6) and 3.545 (8) Å].
The excess in cosmic-ray positrons and electrons observed by PAMELA, ATIC, PPB-BET and Fermi can be explained by dark matter decay or annihilation. On the other hand, the negative results from CDMS II and XENON direct detections of dark matter put an upper limit on the elastic-scattering cross section between dark matter and nucleon. We adopted model-independent approaches to study dark matter in cosmic-ray electrons, gamma-ray, relic density, direct detection experiments and LHC. We studied the distribution of the cosmic-ray electron flux observed at the Earth and found that it can reflect the initial energy spectrum of electrons generated from dark matter decay or annihilation even after propagation. We also derive constraints on the decay rate of dark matter into various two-body final states using Fermi and HESS gamma-ray data. We found that the μ+μ- or τ+τ- final state is favored in order to simultaneously explain electron excess and meet all gamma-ray constraints. Finally, we examined various tree-l...
culating ADM was increased after renal transplantation (1). We investigated when ADM plasma level elevated during kidney transplantation. Materials and Methods: We studied 7 ASA 2–3 adult patients (age 24–55) undergoing living-related renal transplantation in Hokkaido University Hospital. We measured ADM concentrations after inducing anesthesia (T0), just before reperfusion (T1), just after reperfusion (T2), 1 hour after reperfusion (T3), and at the end of surgery (T4). Repeated measures ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. Results: Data (mean SD) are shown in Table.
The photoconductivity generation mechanism and photoconductive gain in internal photoemission infrared detectors have been studied. A simple model is proposed and it shows that the photoconductive gain of internal photoemission detectors is less than but close to unity and independent of the number of the emitter layers, while the current responsivity is proportional to the number of emitter layers. The results, in good agreement with the experiments, are contrary to those of quantum-well photodetectors due to the different photocarrier generation mechanisms between the quantum-well photodetectors and internal photoemission detectors.
Automotive embedded systems are going through a major change, both in terms of how they are used and in terms of software and hardware architecture. Much more powerful and rapidly evolvable hardware is expected, paralleled by an accelerating development rate of the control software. To meet these challenges, a software standard, AUTOSAR, is gaining ground in the automotive field. In this work, experiences from porting AUTOSAR to a high performance embedded system, Raspberry Pi, are collected. The goal is both to present experience on the process of AUTOSAR porting and to create an AUTOSAR implementation on a cheap and widely accessible hardware platform, making AUTOSAR available for researchers and students.
A parallel reconstruction method, based on an iterative maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm, is developed to provide fast reconstruction for digital tomosynthesis mammography. Tomosynthesis mammography acquires 11 low-dose projections of a breast by moving an x-ray tube over a 50° angular range. In parallel reconstruction, each projection is divided into multiple segments along the chest-to-nipple direction. Using the 11 projections, segments located at the same distance from the chest wall are combined to compute a partial reconstruction of the total breast volume. The shape of the partial reconstruction forms a thin slab, angled toward the x-ray source at a projection angle 0°. The reconstruction of the total breast volume is obtained by merging the partial reconstructions. The overlap region between neighboring partial reconstructions and neighboring projection segments is utilized to compensate for the incomplete data at the boundary locations present in the partial reconstructions. A serial execution of the reconstruction is compared to a parallel implementation, using clinical data. The serial code was run on a PC with a single PentiumIV 2.2GHz CPU. The parallel implementation was developed using MPI and run on a 64-node Linux cluster using 800MHz Itanium CPUs. The serial reconstruction for a medium-sized breast (5cm thickness, 11cm chest-to-nipple distance) takes 115 minutes, while a parallel implementation takes only 3.5 minutes. The reconstruction time for a larger breast using a serial implementation takes 187 minutes, while a parallel implementation takes 6.5 minutes. No significant differences were observed between the reconstructions produced by the serial and parallel implementations.
When we generate knowledge, we initially have no knowledge and acquire it by observing data one by one. We memorize the raw data when the number of observed data is small and generate general knowledge when it becomes large. To simulate this learning process, we proposed a learning model with switching several knowledge representation and reasoning methods. In this model, the time when to switch is decided with the fixed rules. These rules are considered to be meta-knowledge because they control the learning process. In this paper, we propose a method acquiring the meta-knowledge for deciding the time of switching knowledge representation or reasoning method. For learning of the meta-knowledge, the correct answers can not to be given but just the evaluation of the learning process. We use Q-learning, therefore, a method of reinforcement learning. In the simulation, we apply the method to the iris plant data to acquire the meta-knowledge. The system with the acquired meta-knowledge has smaller number of rules than the old method for the similar rate correctly classified.
The development of technology in the transportation sector is increasingly advanced, many renewable innovations are continuously being developed. Various studies have been carried out to find the best solution for finding new innovations. The management of LLDPE plastic waste and cigarette filters into a modified asphalt mixture is an example of a renewable technology. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of adding LLDPE plastic waste and cigarette filters into the modified asphalt mixture, with a variation of 20% LLDPE and cigarette filters 5%, 10%, 15%. The results showed that the addition of the mixture to the modified asphalt, there was a decrease in the value of Stability, MQ, VIM, VMA, VFB, and Flow.
To the Editor.— The article entitled "The Dominance of Scientific English" by Robertson and Robertson 1 is of interest. The plea for a single scientific English may be a good one, but each "language" developed by a process more complicated than a simple "split," as is generally the case, and languages once "split" scarcely ever reunite. The one standard scientific English will never be a reality. In fact, the problem may be how long the standard American English will remain "standard." It is being observed in our American educational system that fewer and fewer people learn to read at an advanced level. Many reasons are given, but rarely or never discussed is the simple fact that people throughout history have generally had a hankering for reading their spoken language and an aversion for reading foreign languages, including dialects that are not their spoken dialect. As painful as it may be
The thermopower and the thermomagnetic power at low temperatures (4.5 to 77 K) is investigated in AsxSb1-x (x ⩽ 0.3) alloys. Peculiarities of the thermopower are observed, which are associated with the dragging of electrons by phonons. In magnetic fields B > 5 T the Shubnikovde Haas type quantum oscillation of the thermomagnetic power is displaid. It is established, that the AsxSb1-x (x ⩽ 0.2) alloys are semimetals, and the overlapping of the energy extrema of L electrons and H holes increases, when arsenic is added to alloys.        [Russian Text Ignored]
As previous studies of obesity in survivors of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have primarily been conducted among non-Hispanic white survivors or children treated on older protocols, our objective was to describe the prevalence and correlates of overweight status among an ethnically diverse population of pediatric ALL survivors, largely treated with more contemporary therapies. We evaluated the overweight/obesity status of pediatric ALL survivors (n=406) followed in the Texas Children’s Cancer Center between 2004 and 2014. Survivors were classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese on the basis of their body mass index at their most current follow-up visit. Our results showed that Hispanic ethnicity (39% of the subjects) was associated with being overweight (adjusted odds ratio=1.88; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-3.14) or obese (adjusted odds ratio=2.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.59-5.06) at follow-up, even after adjusting for cranial radiotherapy (CRT) exposure. Body mass index z-score at diagnosis was also associated with overweight/obesity at follow-up. In addition, there was a statistically significant interaction between younger age at diagnosis and CRT, indicating that younger age at diagnosis was associated with obesity among patients who received CRT. These findings may help identify pediatric ALL patients that are at increased risk of being overweight or obese after treatment.
In this paper, we construct a stochastic differential equation for the quantum evolution of the large-scale or coarse-grained (>causal horizon) scalar field (inflaton) in de Sitter space that is valid to all orders in (h/2..pi..). This quantum Langevin equation is the equivalent of the Wigner equation for quantum probability distributions. We show that in general quantum fluctuations are associated with multicomponent multiplicative non-Gaussian Markovian noise. However, to order (h/2..pi..) this noise becomes simple white noise. This is the origin behind the observations of Linde, Starobinsky, and Vilenkin that the large-scale quantum evolution of the inflaton is similar to Brownian motion. In addition, we show that Starobinsky's Langevin equation arises from our quantum Langevin equation as an order-(h/2..pi..)--slow-rolling approximation. Finally we compute the random-number distribution associated with noise of the quantum Langevin equation. We conclude that the Wigner description based on quasiprobability distributions is probably more useful computationally than the quantum Langevin equation.
Christmas in Purgatory by Burton Blatt (1966) and Willowbrook by Geraldo Rivera (1972) brought the secret, locked, back wards of state institutions for the severely handicapped out into the open-into newspaper headlines, in fact. Burton Blatt denounced institutional care in his pictorial essay which showed the forgotten children, young adults, and others living in deplorable conditions in state institutions. The
Direct observation of the behaviour of individual inorganic fullerenes (IF)‐MoS2 nanoparticles in a sliding interface is essential for the understanding of the influence of the intrinsic characteristics of the nanoparticles on their lubrication mechanisms, when they are used as additives in lubricant oil. In this work, in situ transmission electron microscopy sliding tests were performed on two different types of MoS2 nanoparticles synthesised by two different methods. It is shown that the IF‐MoS2 nanoparticles having perfect structure with a high crystalline order and without defects are able to roll and to slide under the combined effect of pressure and shear stress, whereas the IF‐MoS2 nanoparticles containing many defects exfoliate immediately in the same conditions to deliver MoS2 layers covering the mating surfaces. A link between these results, the lubrication mechanisms of the nanoparticles and their tribological properties at the macro‐scale was established, proving that the lubrication mechanisms of fullerenes depend on their intrinsic characteristics. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In this paper we propose an architecture aimed for reducing the latency of network access authentication based on the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP). The architecture is based on the design of a new EAP method for which a standalone authenticator is used, and does not require any change to the EAP specification or the specifications of EAP lower-layers such as IEEE 802.11 and IEEE 802.16e. We also show
A simple oil/water/surfactant model is used to study the self-assembly of surfactants. The model contains only the most obvious elements: oil and water do not mix, and a surfactant is an amphiphilic molecule, i.e. one side of the molecule likes oil but dislikes water, the other side likes water but dislikes oil. Computer simulations on large oil/water/surfactant systems were performed on a network of 400 transputers using a parallel molecular dynamics algorithm. The simulations yield a complete micellar size distribution function. Furthermore, we observe (equilibrium) dynamical processes such as the entering of single surfactants into micelles, single surfactants leaving micelles, the fusion of two micelles, and the slow breakdown of a micelle.
Elevated levels of bacteria within fresh extended boar semen are associated with decreased sperm longevity, therefore reducing the fertility of a semen dose. The objective of this study was to characterize the bacterial communities using 16S rRNA sequencing in fresh extended boar semen samples and relate the prevalence and diversity of the microbial population to sperm quality parameters 1) between studs, 2) between pooled and single-sire doses, and 3) over a 5-day period. Eight single-sire (n = 4 per stud) and eight pooled (n = 4 per stud) non-frozen extended semen doses were obtained from two boar studs (A and B). Pooled doses were the composite of the boar's ejaculates used in single-sire doses. Doses were subsampled for 5 days post-collection. Ten negative controls of each pooled dose (n = 2) and single-sire dose (n = 8) remained sealed until the last day. Microbiome analysis was achieved by examining the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene of flash-frozen samples. Two evaluators determined the average sperm motility and agglutination (0: no adhesion to 3: >50% adhesion) by averaging their estimates together at 10 random locations per slide. Stud A had greater sperm agglutination (1.6 vs. 1.0 ± 0.1; P < 0.01) than stud B. Sperm motility decreased over the 5-day period (P < 0.01) and tended (P = 0.09) to be greater in stud B than A (67.4% vs. 61.5% ± 0.02%). Compared with stud A, stud B had a greater relative abundance of Proteobacteria (60.0% vs. 47.2% ± 1.5%; P < 0.01) and a lower relative abundance of Firmicutes (22.5% vs. 31.9% ± 1.4%; P < 0.01). Moreover, stud A had a greater relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (6.3% vs. 5.3% ± 0.4%; P < 0.01) and Actinobacteria (11.5% vs. 10.1% ± 0.5%; P = 0.05) than stud B. Differences were found in alpha diversity for both Chao1 (P < 0.01) and Shannon (P < 0.01) diversity indexes between days 2, 3, 4, and 5 post-collection to day 1. For beta diversity, unweighted UniFrac metric on days 2, 3, 4, and 5 post-collection differed from those on day 1 (P < 0.01). There were significant correlations between sperm motility and relative abundance of Prevotella (r = -0.29), Ruminococcus (r = -0.24), and Bacteroides (r = -0.32). Additionally, there were significant correlations between sperm motility and Chao1 (r = -0.50) and Shannon's index (r = -0.36). These results demonstrate that differences in bacterial communities over time and between boar studs can be associated with variation in sperm quality.
Objectives: To evaluate all the coincidence cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and myasthenia gravis (MG). Methods: We performed web-based research of the overlapping incidence of GBS and MG in studies occurring from 1982 to 2016 and restricted to the English language. Results: Among 15 cases, an elevated CSF protein level without pleocytosis was found in 10 cases (66.7%); reduced nerve conduction was found in 13 cases (86.6%); a positive repetitive nerve stimulation test occurred in 11 cases (73.3%); anti-AChR antibodies were found in 13 cases (86.6%); anti-GQ1b antibodies were found in 6 cases (40%); a positive edrophonium chloride test was present in 10 cases (66.7%); and a co-occurring thymoma or thymectomy occurred in 4 cases (26.6%). The MG co-occurred with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) in 8 cases and with Miller Fisher Syndrome in 5 cases. Treatment in the assessed cases included pyridostigmine (10 cases), prednisolone (7 cases), intravenous immunoglobulin (9 cases), plasmapheresis (3 cases), combined intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis in one case, and immunosuppressive drugs in 2 cases (azathioprine). Functional outcome was mentioned in 13 patients. The prognosis was favorable in 8 of the 15 recorded patients (Hughes 0-1), and 2 cases resulted in death. Conclusion: Although comorbidity of GBS and MG is extremely rare, early recognition of this combination of inflammation of peripheral nerves and the neuromuscular junction is of great importance for both initial treatment and a better prognosis.
Chance played a great role in the entire first part of the Iberian conquest of the continent nowadays known as America. Among the many plays of destiny, the first and crucial one was that Columbus by chance (and by mistake of calculations) found the Antilles, while he was sailing towards Cathay and Cipango. The encounter with what was perceived more and more clearly as a new land of considerable dimensions confronted the Spanish rulers with a totally new situation, which they began to face with strategies that were sometimes contradictory, but always following from the political and military experience they had gained in the phase of European expansion and consolidation. In Late Medieval Europe, the concept of empire was linked to an idealized line of succession dating back to the Holy Roman Empire. However, it was precisely the fall of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire, with the conquest of Constantinople by Mehmed ii in 1453, that elicited the need to open new roads from the West to the Indies. The kings of Spain were inspired by the Roman imperial model when they had to face the abyss of the unknown. The governors and governances of the New World colonies were the equivalents of the Roman governors in the imperial provinces. Likewise, the main base of territorial domination was the founding of cities, which acted as military as well as symbolic bastions of the nascent Spanish imperial expansion. The cities of the new colonies were built with inspiration in the ideal model of the orthogonal Greek-Roman city, in a new Renaissance version that placed the cathedral church and the Plaza Mayor at the center of the urban grid. However, the models of Spanish imperial domination and the ideal plans of the cities to be founded in the New World, so clearly conceived in theory, were reshaped and transformed when confronted with the reality of the new lands, that is, with the indigenous peoples who inhabited it and with the environment so different from that of Europe. Santa María de la Antigua del Darién is a paradigmatic case since it is the first Castilian city founded on the American continent. We do not know the
BACKGROUND Concentration of care has been promoted as fostering superior outcomes. This study was undertaken to determine if the concentration of care is occurring in Florida for a pancreaticoduodenectomy, and if so, is it having a salutary effect.   METHODS The data for a pancreaticoduodenectomy were obtained from the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration for three 3-year periods:1992-1994, 2001-2003, 2010-2012; data were sorted by surgeon volume of pancreaticoduodenectomy during these periods and correlated with post-operative length of stay (LOS), in-hospital mortality and hospital charges (adjusted to 2012 dollars).   RESULTS Relative to 1992-1994, in 2010-2012 46% fewer surgeons performed 115% more pancreaticoduodenectomies with significant reductions in LOS and in-hospital mortality, and higher charges (P < 0.001 for each). From 1992-1994 to 2010-2012 there was an 18-fold increase in the number of pancreaticoduodenectomies by surgeons completing ≥ 12 per year (n = 45 to n = 806, respectively). During 2010-2012, the more frequently surgeons performed a pancreaticoduodenectomy, the shorter LOS, the lower in-hospital mortality, the greater the likelihood of discharge home and the lower the hospital charges (P < 0.03 for each).   CONCLUSIONS Over the last 20 years, the concentration of care has occurred in Florida with substantially fewer surgeons undertaking many more pancreaticoduodenectomies with dramatic improvements in LOS and in-hospital mortality, albeit with increased hospital charges.
On the basis of white-light interferometry with spectrally integrated detection and Fourier transform (FT) analysis, we demonstrate a novel technique for measuring the spectrally-resolved absolute phase difference between orthogonal optical modes with milliradian precision. The phase difference is evaluated from a nonlinear beat signal, occurring in the phase spectrum when independent interferograms, formed by individual modes, are recorded simultaneously. Although scanning white-light FT interferometry is a linear technique in general, the nonlinear beat signal is due to spectral amplitude variations in each mode. These proof-of-principle absolute phase difference measurements were carried out with polarization and spatial fiber modes.
Factors influencing the integration of occupational therapy services in rural school systems are reviewed in this paper. Differences between urban and rural populations are defined and methods of successfully developing new allied health programs in public schools are discussed. A thorough understanding of the rural educational system and local community is necessary for occupational therapists to provide optimal service delivery.
Limbs and supporting structures of an organism experience a full weight of its own when it lands from water, because neutral buoyancy in the aquatic habitat will be no longer available in the terrestrial world. Metamorphosis of anuran amphibians presents a good research model to examine how this transition from non‐loading to weight‐loading affects development of motor capacity at the time of their first emergence on land. Our video analysis of the transitional anurans, Rana catesbeiana, at Gosner stage 46 (the stage of complete transformation) demonstrated that the take‐off speed increased 1.23‐fold after the first six hours of weight‐loading on the wet ground. It did not increase further during the following three days of loading, and was close to the level of mature frogs with different body mass. During development of larvae in deep water with no chance of landing through metamorphosis, both tension and power of a hindlimb anti‐gravity muscle increased 5‐fold between stages 37 and 46. However, the muscle contractility increased more rapidly when the larvae could access the wet ground by their natural landing behavior after stages 41–42. Muscle power, one of major factors affecting locomotory speed, was 1.29‐fold greater in the loaded than in the non‐loaded larvae at the transitional stage. Thus, weight‐loading had a potentially significant effect on the elevation of motor capacity, with a similar extent of increment in locomotory speed and muscle power during the last stages of metamorphosis. Such a motor adjustment of the froglets in a relatively short transitional period would be important for effective ecological interactions and survival in their inexperienced terrestrial life.
In order to elucidate how the degradation of individual components affects the state of the photovoltaic inverter as a whole, we have carried out SPICE simulations to investigate the voltage and current ripple on the DC bus. The bus capacitor is generally considered to be among the least reliable components of the system, so we have simulated how the degradation of bus capacitors affects the AC ripple at the terminals of the PV module. Degradation-induced ripple leads to an increased degradation rate in a positive feedback cycle. Additionally, laboratory experiments are being carried out to ascertain the reliability of metallized thin film capacitors. By understanding the degradation mechanisms and their effects on the inverter as a system, steps can be made to more effectively replace marginal components with more reliable ones, increasing the lifetime and efficiency of the inverter and decreasing its cost per watt towards the US Department of Energy goals.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1. Aerosol therapy is indicated when thick viscous mucopurulent secretion occurs in bronchopulmonary disease. 2. Its action and limitations in such cases is discussed, including the need of a liquefying aerosol. 3. In severe and chronic disease, an aerosol containing liquid, detergent and a mucolytic chemical is the efficient approach. 4. A new aerosol solution containing Tergitol 08 (sodium 2-hexylethyl sulfate) 0.125 per cent, potassium iodide 0.1 per cent in water is described. 5. A series of 96 patients with severe bronchopulmonary disease was treated by this aerosol solution. No irritation of mucous membranes or toxicity was noted. 6. Clinical results are reported: Excellent in 66, good in 30, fair none, no improvement, none. 7. This aerosol solution appears to be definitely beneficial in bronchopulmonary disease with thick viscous mucopurulent secretion.
Urban elites across early modern Europe practised a variety of playful activities that extolled martial virtues. In Siena under the Medici grand dukes, nobles played at war for an urban audience, and celebrated those among them who had experienced the real thing. Tuscan cities staged mock-combat games of mazzoscudo, organized jousts and assembled cavalcades of mounted honour-guards whose regalia evoked chivalric themes. These festivities contrasted ever more strikingly with a Counter-Reformation of decency, while the aristocracy demilitarized culturally, as well as professionally. If warlike cultures practised more warlike sports, Italian states and society as a whole demilitarized in the course of the late seventeenth century, and these pageants waned in consequence.
Bone is difficult to image using traditional histopathological methods, leading to challenges in intraoperative pathological evaluation that is critical in guiding surgical treatment, particularly in orthopedic oncology. In this study, we demonstrate that a multimodal quantitative imaging approach that combines stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy, two-photon fluorescence (TPF) microscopy, and second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy can provide useful diagnostic information regarding intact bone tissue fragments from surgical excision or biopsy specimens. We imaged bone samples from 17 patient cases and performed quantitative chemical and morphological analyses of both mineral and organic components of bone. Our main findings show that carbonate content combined with morphometric analysis of bone organic matrix can separate several major classes of bone cancer-associated diagnostic categories with an average accuracy of 92%. This proof-of-principle study demonstrates that quantitative multimodal imaging and machine learning-based analysis of bony tissue can provide crucial diagnostic information for guiding clinical decisions in orthopedic oncology. Moreover, the general methodology of morphological and chemical imaging combined with machine learning can be readily extended to other tissue types for tissue diagnosis in intraoperative and other clinical settings.
Translocation is defined as the movement of living organisms from one area for free release in another. Throughout the world, increasing numbers of native and exotic species are translocated every year. Most of these movements involve native mammals, birds and fish, and are made by private and national wildlife agencies to augment existing populations, usually for sporting purposes. The translocation of endangered species, often to reintroduce them into a part of the historical range from which they have been extirpated, has also become an important conservation technique. The success of potentially expensive, high-profile wildlife translocation projects depends to a large extent on the care with which wildlife biologists and their veterinary advisers evaluate the suitability of the chosen release site, and on the ability of the translocated animals to colonise the area. The veterinary aspects of reintroduction projects are proving to be of extreme importance. There are already instances of inadequate disease risk assessment resulting in expensive failures and, worse still, the introduction of destructive pathogens into naive resident wildlife populations. In this paper, some of the disease risks attending wildlife translocation projects are described and suggestions are made for the development of systematic procedures to reduce these risks both at the source of the founder animals and at the proposed release site.
guishes his personal evolution and the form that Critical Theory should take today from the positions of its founders, Adorno and Horkheimer.1 This &dquo;revision&dquo; has been undertaken under the double pressure of the new tasks imposed by a profoundly changed socio-economic environrr’ent2 and by &dquo;postmodern&dquo; philosophical and sociological theories, whose ideological impact threatens to supplant the influence of Critical Theory, which was practically uncontested fifteen or twenty years ago, not only in France and the USA but also in the Federal Republic of Germany itself. At the very least they represent a challenge to Critical Theory. 3 Given the combative vigour of his not always nuanced polemical statements and the tenacity with which in his successive works4 he seeks to reformulate the grounding of modern reason in order to reaffirm its &dquo;normative content&dquo; and binding nature (Verbindlichkeit), it is not an exaggeration to say that Jurgen Habermas has taken up this challenge. He does not want to be the continuer of Critical Theory because that has become impossible, but neither does he want to be its liquidator (NU209), for what is involved, as he sees it, is the fate of enlightenment, the express theme of the two programmatic texts of 1937 of Marcuse and Horkheimer. At issue, however, is the question how far his &dquo;engagement for reason&dquo;, in the form it has taken in the Theory of Communicative Action, can confront the new stage of the dialectic of enlightenment which is the postmodern condition.
The purpose of this article is to gain an insight into the effects of practicing short, frequent, and structured reflection breaks interspersed with the learning material in a computer-based course. To that end, the study sets up a standardized control trial with two groups of secondary school pupils. The study shows that while performance is not affected by these embedded “reflection rituals,” they significantly impact time on task and perceived learning. The study also suggests that the exposure to such built-in opportunities for reflection modifies the engagement with the content and fosters the claimed readiness for application of a similar reflective approach to learning in other occasions.
130 autobiographies from sixth grade children from public countryside schools of the state of Morelos, Mexico, were analyzed (66 male students and 64 female students). Taking as a reference the expected learning “Write an autobiography” which is part of “Text production” competence, from the official curriculum. The autobiographies were analyzed in two levels, as academic achievement (formal level) and as a psychological interaction (functional level). Within the first level, it was observed that only the 23.8% achieved all the curricular standards established. In the functional level of analysis, it was found that the children tend to refer more frequently to events from their scholar activities than from their family life. Furthermore, it was found that the curricular standards of the autobiography and the diversity of events referred by the children do not correlate, which suggests that the official curricular standards must be reviewed with the purpose to include a functional dimension in teaching  autobiographical writing competence.
INTRODUCTION  In recent years, pain protocols for pectus excavatum (PE) have incorporated cryoanalgesia through thoracoscopic approach. Since 2019, ultrasound-guided percutaneous cryoanalgesia (PCr) has been applied at our institution, either on the same day as the Nuss procedure or 48 hours before surgery. We carried out a preliminary retrospective review of patients with PE in whom PCr prior to surgery was performed at our institution between 2019 and 2021.   MATERIALS AND METHODS  Two groups were evaluated: PCr on the same day (PCrSD) and PCr 48 hours before surgery (PCr48). Despite PCr, patients were treated with "patient-controlled analgesia" (PCA) with opioids for at least 24 hours, switching to conventional intravenous analgesia and oral analgesia in the following days. Demographic, clinical-radiological variables, PCA opioid use, pain grade according to the visual analog scale (VAS), and length of stay (LOS) were compared between the groups. A total of 20 patients were included (12 with PCrSD and 8 with PCr48), without significant differences in demographics or clinical-radiological variables. The overall median time of PCr was 65 minutes (55-127), with no differences between the groups.   RESULTS  PCr48 group presented with significantly lower median number of hours of continuous PCA (24 vs. 32 hours; p = 0.031), lower median number of rescue boluses (11 vs. 18; p = 0.042), lower median VAS in the early postoperative hours (2 vs. 5.5; p = 0.043), and lower median LOS (3.5 vs. 5 days).   CONCLUSION  PCr performed 48 hours prior to surgery is more effective in terms of PCA requirements, VAS, and LOS when compared with cryoanalgesia on the same day.
The initial search procedure in WCDMA is used to identify the scrambling code used by the base station that has the lowest path loss coefficient of the received signal, among all the other base stations. Before this action, the slot synchronization, frame synchronization and code-group identification must be performed. This paper deals with an optimized algorithm for the initial search procedure performed by a mobile station every time when it wants to access network services in UMTS. We have focused on the second step of the initial search procedure: frame synchronization and code-group identification. The algorithm minimizes the acquiring time of the scrambling code group, further used for identify the scrambling code of the selected base station.
Long-term care hospitals are postacute care facilities for patients requiring extended hospital-level care. These facilities are reimbursed by Medicare under a prospective payment system with a short-stay outlier policy, which results in substantially lower payments for patients discharged before a diagnosis-related group-specific short-stay threshold. Using Medicare data, we examined the impact of the short-stay policy on lengths-of-stay and Medicare reimbursement among patients in long-term care hospitals who require prolonged mechanical ventilation. After accounting for case-mix and facility-level differences, we found that discharges for reasons other than death in the period 2005-10 were most likely to occur on the day of or immediately after the short-stay threshold; this held true regardless of facility ownership. In contrast, live discharges in 2002—the year before the prospective payment system started phasing out cost-based payment—were evenly distributed around the day that later became the short-stay threshold. Our findings confirm that the short-stay outlier payment policy created a strong financial incentive for long-term care hospitals to time patient discharges to maximize Medicare reimbursement. The results suggest that the new very-short-stay policy implemented in December 2012 could have a similar effect.
A new method for measuring circular dichroism (CD) is described, based on a transient grating and using spatially modulated right and left circularly polarized light (the TG-CD method). The effects of the optical properties of a sample, e.g., linear dichroism (LD), linear birefringence, circular birefringence, and also of time resolution, sensitivity and solvents are discussed. It is shown that LD, which could be produced by pre-excitation for a time-resolved CD measurement, may introduce errors in the measurment of CD.
Delay is inevitable in digital-controlled system and the delay will change system phase-frequency characteristic, thus affecting system stability. The system stability of inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL)-type grid-connected inverter with single-loop control based on inverter-side current and single-loop control based on grid-side current is analyzed both in continuous and discrete domains. The influence of delay time on system stability is systematically studied. A delay time control method that is capable of adjusting delay time is further proposed to improve system stability. The proposed delay time control method is applied in the experiment, making an unstable system to be stable, and verifies the analysis result and proposed method.
Abstract The purpose of this paper is o analyze the three hypotheses of corporeality in the Blagian lyrical and to demonstrate that they coagulate around the authentic substance of the ego, which tries to suppress or diminish them from the tax, from limits to becoming one with the spirit of this world. By canceling them, they actually become consistent and participate in the modernist lyrical ceremonial.
Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of different dosage regimens of levosimendan in elderly patients with severe heart failure. Methods: Thirty-two patients 75 years or older were randomly divided into a loading dose group (16 cases) in which levosimendan was maintained at 0.1 μg·kg(-1)·min(-1) for 24 h after loaded with 6 μg/kg, and a maintenance dose group (16 cases) with same schedule without loading dose. The amino-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) before and after treatment was detected. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), stroke volume (SV), stroke volume index (SVI) by echocardiograph were monitored. Adverse events, the length of stay in ICU and 28-day mortality were recorded. Results: The NT-proBNP level in loading group after treatment was 1 950 (922,6 481)ng/L, which was improved than that before treatment [4 018(2 716,9 637)ng/L, P<0.05]. The result was similar in maintenance group [1 390 (599,3 297)ng/L vs. 4 576 (2 681,10 682)ng/L, P<0.05]. LVEF in loading group before and after treatment was (39.4±8.8) % vs. (48.9±9.2) % respectively, while in maintenance group it was (40.4±8.8) % vs. (48.7±12.0) % (both P<0.05). SV were also improved after treatment in both groups compared with baseline levels (P<0.05). NT-proBNP started to decline on day 3 in the loading group, while on day 7 in the maintenance group. SVI recovered on day 14 in the loading group [ (29.4±6.5) ml/m(2) vs. (27.3±6.7) ml/m(2),P<0.05], while it did not change much in the maintenance group. There was no significant differences as to the length of stay in ICU [ (11.1±4.4) d in loading group vs. (9.6±3.5) d in maintenance group] and 28-day mortality rates were comparable (2/16 in loading group vs. 1/16 in maintenance group) . The adverse events were 7 vs. 2 cases in loading group and maintenance group respectively, which were mild and all alleviated. Conclusion: The application of levosimendan only with maintenance dose improves cardiac function in very elderly patients with severe heart failure. Adverse events are mild and manageable.
This article is supported by the inquiry "Mexican Food Consumption" Tex-Mex "in the Metropolitan Area of ​​the City of Cali. A case analysis ”was promoted based on a mixed approach, where sociodemographic variables were examined and calculated; the peculiarities of consumers such as: individual and parental precedents for the consumption of Tex-Mex food, purchase motivations, consumption patterns and the abandonment of consumption towards products, the different forms of consumption where consumption patterns were investigated, means of consumption, customs and habits of consumers; In addition, economic, educational, family and health problems. This research is based on sociodemographic variations and certain particularities of consumers. Through 84 interviews with users of the Buffet Mexican Buffet franchises, which were located in different establishments of this brand; to those who were administered a semi-structured interview, the result of a pilot test and corroborated by experts, the results were analyzed in the INFOSTAT Software, where they prevailed: that men predominate as the main consumers of Tex-Mex food, particularly single and without children, aged between 14 and 45, with university studies, most of them located socioeconomically in the middle stratum and with family precedents of second degree of consanguinity and affinity, promoting the consumption of this type of food at an early age, between 14 and 21 years approximately, where a history of Tex-Mex food consumption is displayed.
Abstract The article explores the 1950 ‘Ambassador's Agreement’ (named after US Ambassador Lewis Douglas) about establishing long-term US air bases in the UK. During the discussions British representatives expressed resentment of American pressure and were concerned about the expense that developing the bases for American purposes might entail. There were even fears that Washington might use the airfields to launch an atomic bomb attack on the USSR without regard to the views of the UK government. The British consented to providing the bases because they wanted to enmesh the US further in UK and Western European defence. For their part American negotiators had wanted to further US atomic strategy without delay. Although the agreement imposed no restriction on the use of the airfields, some US officials believed that in a crisis the UK government might try to prevent them being used for atomic bombing missions.
Objectives To assess pulmonary function and functional capacity in children and adolescents with mild or moderate idiopathic scoliosis who were included in a rehabilitation programme, and to observe some of their physical activity behaviours. Methods Forty children (aged 9–17 years) with mild or moderate idiopathic scoliosis (patients) and 40 sex- and age-matched healthy controls were included in the study. Physical activity behaviours (hours of time spent at a desk and at a computer, hours of competitive and non-competitive practice of exercise per week) were recorded. Patients were assessed before beginning rehabilitation and 12 weeks after an exercised-based programme by spirometry and functional capacity testing (6-minute walk test). Results All respiratory and functional capacity parameters were significantly increased after physical therapy compared with before beginning physical therapy in patients. However, there were still differences between patients and controls in all assessed parameters after therapy. Children and adolescents who were diagnosed with scoliosis spent a longer time at a computer, and had reduced regular and competitive physical exercise compared with controls. Conclusions In children and adolescents with mild/moderate idiopathic scoliosis, pulmonary parameters and functional capacity are improved after 12 weeks of supervised physical therapy.
Background: Vision is the most important special sense in human being. Normal vision is essential for normal physical, mental, psychological development and education. About 30% of blind population of India lose their eyesight before the age of 20 years and many of them are under 5 when they become blind. Methods: The present study is a cross sectional study of children aged 6 to 15 years from Schools in the rural area within 30 kilometers surrounding Khammam, India during september 2012 to March 2014. Results: Conjunctival abnormalities had the highest prevalence rate (4.36%) followed by Refractive errors (2.04%), Lid Abnormalities (1.35%), Corneal Abnormalities (1.02%), Squint (0.70%), Posterior segment abnormalities (0.51%), Amblyopia (0.32%), Colour vision abnormalities (0.28%) and lens abnormalities (0.23%). Conclusion: Our study is one of the few studies to be conducted in this rural setup. This Study gives us benchmark data for comparing future studies in Khammam district and also helps in providing valuable information for proper planning and conduction of future school based health programs.
TC21 alloy is a new alpha–beta damage tolerance titanium alloy with high strength and high toughness. Little work has been done in the field of machinability analysis since this alloy was developed. The cutting forces and tool wear in high-speed milling of TC21 alloy with physical vapor deposition ((Ti, Al)N-TiN)-coated carbide tools under different cutting conditions were investigated in this article. The results showed that the cutting force component F x was more dominant of the three components, and the cutting forces presented an increasing trend with the tool wear progress, which in turn deteriorated the cutting condition and accelerated the tool failure progress. The major tool wear modes in high-speed side-milling TC21 alloy with coated carbide were adhesion and chipping on the rake face along with chipping and transverse crack on the flank face. Moreover, there was obvious nose depression from both the rake face and the flank face. Chipping along the flank and rake faces was identified as the main factor responsible for the failure of the coated carbide tools during the milling of titanium alloy TC21.
We report the first results from the Hubble Infrared Pure Parallel Imaging Extragalactic Survey, which utilizes the pure parallel orbits of the Hubble Space Telescope to do deep imaging along a large number of random sightlines. To date, our analysis includes 26 widely separated fields observed by the Wide Field Camera 3, which amounts to 122.8 arcmin2 in total area. We have found three bright Y098-dropouts, which are candidate galaxies at z ≳ 7.4. One of these objects shows an indication of peculiar variability and its nature is uncertain. The other two objects are among the brightest candidate galaxies at these redshifts known to date (L>2L*). Such very luminous objects could be the progenitors of the high-mass Lyman break galaxies observed at lower redshifts (up to z ∼ 5). While our sample is still limited in size, it is much less subject to the uncertainty caused by “cosmic variance” than other samples because it is derived using fields along many random sightlines. We find that the existence of the brightest candidate at z ≈ 7.4 is not well explained by the current luminosity function (LF) estimates at z ≈ 8. However, its inferred surface density could be explained by the prediction from the LFs at z ≈ 7 if it belongs to the high-redshift tail of the galaxy population at z ≈ 7.
We investigated the use of water as a tool by presenting five orangutans (Pongo abelii) with an out-of-reach peanut floating inside a vertical transparent tube. All orangutans collected water from a drinker and spat it inside the tube to get access to the peanut. Subjects required an average of three mouthfuls of water to get the peanut. This solution occurred in the first trial and all subjects continued using this successful strategy in subsequent trials. The latency to retrieve the reward drastically decreased after the first trial. Moreover, the latency between mouthfuls also decreased dramatically from the first mouthful in the first trial to any subsequent ones in the same trial or subsequent trials. Additional control conditions suggested that this response was not due to the mere presence of the tube, to the existence of water inside, or frustration at not getting the reward. The sudden acquisition of the behaviour, the timing of the actions and the differences with the control conditions make this behaviour a likely candidate for insightful problem solving.
Along with Ernest Hemingway, William Saroyan, winner of a Pulitzer Prize in drama for "The Time of Your Life" and an Academy Award for the screenplay of "The Human Comedy," was the most well-known American writer of the 1930s and 1940s. Lawrence Lee and Barry Gifford heard Saroyan's story first-hand from Carol Matthau, the wife he rejected; the son and daughter he alternately smothered and pushed away; and colleagues like Artie Shaw, Celeste Holm, and Lillian Gish. Their revelations bring new depth to Saroyan's riveting story.
In humans, which neural volleys strongly activate the reciprocal Ia inhibitory interneurones have not been clarified via the corticospinal tract or from the muscle spindles. We examined the inhibition from the corticospinal tract and antagonist group Ia fibres to alpha motoneurone pools using the combined method of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and the standard H-reflex technique. The test stimulus for the forearm H-reflex and the conditioning stimulus to antagonist muscle afferents were applied to the median and radial nerves, respectively. The transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied noninvasively over the left motor cortex. The radial nerve conditioning strongly suppressed the H-reflex rather than the transcranial magnetic stimulation. Transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced inhibition was disinhibited by the conditioning stimulus applied to the median nerve. To estimate the Subliminal inhibition produced by the transcranial magnetic stimulation, we used the following method: the radial nerve conditioning was altered among several different intensities, while transcranial magnetic stimulation intensity was fixed at that for which transcranial magnetic stimulation-induced inhibition was observable. A minor subliminal inhibition was observed. These results suggest that the corticospinal excitatory inputs to reciprocal Ia inhibitory interneurones in the human wrist are very weak relative to those of the originating group I muscle afferents.
We examined whether selective activation of mGlu4 metabotropic glutamate receptors attenuates 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced nigrostriatal damage in mice. C57BL mice were treated with a single dose of MPTP (30 mg/kg, i.p.) preceded, 30 min earlier, by a systemic injection of the mGlu4 receptor enhancer N-phenyl-7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxamide (PHCCC). PHCCC was injected either subcutaneously in cremophor EL or intraperitoneally in saline containing 50% DMSO. PHCCC treatment (3 or 10 mg/kg) significantly reduced MPTP toxicity, as assessed by measurements of the striatal levels of dopamine and its metabolites and by tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine transporter, and glial fibrillary acidic protein immunostaining in the corpus striatum and substantia nigra. In another set of experiments, a higher cumulative dose of MPTP (80 mg/kg divided into four injections with 2 h of interval) was injected to mGlu4−/− mice and their Sv129/CD1 wild-type controls. A higher dose was used in these experiments because Sv129/CD1 mice are less sensitive to MPTP toxicity. Systemic administration of PHCCC was protective in wild-type mice but failed to affect nigrostriatal damage in mGlu4−/− mice. Finally, unilateral infusion of PHCCC in the external globus pallidus protected the ipsilateral nigrostriatal pathway against MPTP toxicity. These data support the view that mGlu4 receptors are potential targets for the experimental treatment of parkinsonism.
in confirmed otosclerosis included dehiscent fallopian canal and dehiscent high-lying jugular bulb. Conclusion and Clinical Significance The study pro-vides us insight into various causes of conductive hearing loss behind an intact tympanic membrane with no previous history of ear discharge. The advantage of endoscopic exploratory tympanotomy was clear view of middle ear anatomy and aiding as an excellent teaching tool. A0020: Cholesteatoma of the External Auditory Canal: Review
Part 1 Museums - an economic perspective performance indicators - promises and pitfalls sight, disability and the museum planning for visitors cultural imperialism? reflections on the social and economic impact of the fortress of Louisbourg, Canada. Part 2 Augustus Pitt rivers and the typological museum idea the elepe's beadwork - a question of legitimacy. Part 3 Reviews - the video "Building New Audiences for Museums" "Children's Clothes" "Picturing Power" Taiwan, its natural history and its new natural science museum the crisis of representation in museums - the exhibition, "The Spirit Sings" the GREM conference, Montreal 1990 call for papers for forthcoming volumes.
This study presents an innovative group project‐based approach to teaching mechatronics. Mechatronics is a complex, highly technical and multidisciplinary field involving the design and manufacture of integrated products. Mechatronics course at the undergraduate level is rapidly increasing across the world. Most courses require student teams to design a product. The complexity of student projects can make administration of mechatronics courses extremely difficult. Students develop both practical and theoretical understanding of mechatronics while working on group projects. They also develop the interpersonal and communication skills needed to work in a multi‐disciplinary field. This study describes a group project‐based approach for enabling teams of students to complete mechatronics projects. A set of heuristic guidelines is also proposed. At the National Changhua University of Education in the Department of Industrial Education and Technology, this approach has yielded high student satisfaction and achievement. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 20: 93–102, 2012
Adhesion formation is a major source of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the reduction of postoperative adhesion formation would be of clinical benefit. Various modalities have been shown to reduce adhesion formation, including fibrinolytic enzymes, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and barriers that reduce the apposition of sites of potential adhesion formation. This study examined the ability of a phospholipase A2 inhibitor, anti-inflammatory peptide 2 (antinflammin), to reduce the formation of intraperitoneal adhesions in two rabbit models of adhesion formation. In the sidewall model, antinflammin was administered via Alzet miniosmotic pump for the entire postoperative interval, and there was a dose-dependent reduction in the area of the sidewall injury that was involved in adhesions to the cecum and the bowel. In the double uterine horn model, antinflammin was administered via Alzet miniosmotic pump to the area of injury for either 1, 2, 3, or 7 days. Administration of antinflammin for as little as 24 h after surgery significantly reduced the extent of adhesion formation. Administration of the peptide for longer periods of time did not further increase the reduction in adhesion formation. These studies clearly demonstrate that postoperative administration of antinflammin to the site of injury reduced the formation of postoperative adhesions in two animal models.
As the prognosis of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is constantly improving with advances in systemic therapies (immune checkpoint blockers and new generation of targeted molecular compounds), more attention should be paid to the diagnosis and management of treatments-related long-term secondary effects. Brain metastases (BM) occur frequently in the natural history of NSCLC and stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) is one of the main efficient local non-invasive therapeutic methods. However, SRT may have some disabling side effects. Brain radiation necrosis (RN) represents one of the main limiting toxicities, generally occurring from 6 months to several years after treatment. The diagnosis of RN itself may be quite challenging, as conventional imaging is frequently not able to differentiate RN from BM recurrence. Retrospective studies have suggested increased incidence rates of RN in NSCLC patients with oncogenic driver mutations [epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutated or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive] or receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The risk of immune checkpoint inhibitors in contributing to RN remains controversial. Treatment modalities for RN have not been prospectively compared. Those include surveillance, corticosteroids, bevacizumab and local interventions (minimally invasive laser interstitial thermal ablation or surgery). The aim of this review is to describe and discuss possible RN management options in the light of the newly available literature, with a particular focus on NSCLC patients.
Thermocouples with ferromagnetic thermoelements (iron, Alumel, Nisil) are used extensively in industry. We have observed the generation of voltage spikes within ferromagnetic wires when the wires are placed in an alternating magnetic field. This effect has implications for thermocouple thermometry, where it was first observed. For example, the voltage generated by this phenomenon will contaminate the thermocouple thermal emf, resulting in temperature measurement error.
Aim: We examined the possibility of the detection of arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AF) based on the analysis of a measured pulse wave signals recorded by the newly developed “watch type” plethysmograph (HC1). Methods: HC1 and 24-hour Holter ECG were recorded simultaneously for 66 outpatients during 24 hours and the data were analyzed. Frequency domain analysis and time domain analysis were applied for the detection of AF. RR interval, frequency power (0.25–0.5 Hz), and coefficient of variation were measured. The rate of detection of AF and the duration of AF were evaluated based on those parameters. Results: AF was detected in 13 patients among 66 patients by 24-hour Holter ECG. The rate of detection of AF by HC1 was 81.3%. In addition, the difference between both methods for the duration of AF was 10–60 minutes. Most of the reason why AF could not be detected by HC1 caused by the incorrect measurement due to the body movement. Conclusions: AF detection by HC1 could be acceptable in clinical setting. Future clinical application for other arrhythmias by HC1 also can be expected.
The aim of the paper is to explore the relations between economic inequality and social welfare staring from the assumption that causality goes from economic inequality to social welfare. Standard methodological framework of economic science was enhanced with interpersonal function of individual welfare so the effects of economic inequality of the level of social welfare can be considered. It was demonstrated that there is no unequivocal theoretical conclusion and that differences in the preferences among people should be empirical considered for more insights. The analysis of the consequences of economic inequality to economic growth, i.e. dynamics of social welfare, demonstrated that there are numerous mechanisms of causality with the countervailing effects. The most important mechanism by which inequality speeds-up economic growth is based on the increased saving and invents rates, and the most important mechanism by which it slows-down growth is based on decreasing investments in human capital. Accordingly, there is no unequivocal theoretical conclusion also in this case. Nonetheless, modern growth theory has demonstrated that that the most dangerous economic growth is inequality of the treatment of economic agents, i.e. discrimination and exclusion, as that kind of inequality creates substantial allocative inefficiency.
As a significant component of the multi-level capital market in China, the New Third Board Market plays an important role in promoting the financing of small and mediumsized enterprises. For the enhancement of the liquidity of the New Third Board Market, the market maker system was formally introduced in 2014. In this paper, the channels of action of the market maker system were analyzed, and the market maker system is believed to be able to effectively improve the market's liquidity by reducing transaction costs, price discovery and competitive market makers. This paper also puts forward that positive measures should be taken from the following three aspects: market makers, investors and regulators. Keywords—Market maker system; Transaction cost; Price discovery; Liquidity
Background: The Blue bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus) is regarded as one of the biggest antelopes in Asia and safeguarded beneath the IUCN since 2003 and under safeguard of ‘Schedule III’ of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. This study focused on the detailed gross morphometrical study of mid thoracic ribs of Blue Bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus).Methods: The present morphometrical study was carried out in six specimens of adult Blue bull (Boselaphus tragocamelus) of either sex. The measurements of various parameters of ribs were taken with the help of weighing machine, thread, scale and digital Vernier’s calliper. Result: It was found that the average diameter of the head of the fourth rib was found to be 2.56±0.01 cm in adult Blue bull. Further, it was measured as 2.53±0.01 cm in females that was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than that of males, where it was found to be 2.59±0.01 cm. The average cranio-caudal diameter of the cranial articular facet of the head of 5th rib was found to be 0.97±0.01 cm in adult Blue bull. Further, it was measured as 0.95±0.02 cm in females that was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than that of males, where it was found to be 1.00±0.01 cm. The average diameter of the tubercle of sixth rib at the dorso-ventral aspect was found to be 1.66±0.01 cm in adult Blue bull. Further, it was measured as 1.64±0.02 cm in females that was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than that of males, where it was found to be 1.69±0.02 cm. Similarly, the average minimum length of the neck of sixth rib at the cranial aspect was found to be 0.68±0.01 cm in adult Blue bull. Further, it was measured as 0.65±0.02 cm in females that was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than that of males, where it was found to be 0.70±0.01 cm. The average diameter of vascular groove of seventh rib at the proximal aspect was found to be 0.56±0.01 cm in adult Blue bull. Further, it was measured as 0.52±0.01 cm in females that was significantly less (P less than 0.05) than that of males, where it was found to be 0.60±0.01 cm.
Objective We previously demonstrated that when the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is transiently blocked by an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) in young spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), this results in a prolonged blood pressure decrease and protection against target organ damage. Aldosterone is an essential hormone in the RAS, and contributes to pathologic remodeling. Thus, part of the protective effects of the ARB may be due to inhibition of aldosterone-mediated effects. To test this hypothesis, in young SHR, we compared the effectiveness of transient treatment with the mineralocorticoid receptor blocker spironolactone with those obtained by the ARB losartan. Methods SHR were transiently (i.e. between 4–8 weeks of age) treated with spironolactone (SHR-Spiro: 1 mg/kg per day), losartan (SHR-Los: 20 mg/kg per day) or saline. Rats were followed up until week 72 of age and cardiovascular parameters were repeatedly assessed by echocardiography, radiotelemetry of blood pressure and 24-h urine collection. End-point measurements included direct left ventricular contractility and relaxation, as well as cardiac and renal histomorphology. Results Transient spironolactone treatment reduced blood pressure up to 36 weeks of age and cardiac and renal collagen deposition and tubular atrophy up to 72 weeks of age compared to untreated SHR. Pulse pressure was higher in SHR-Spiro compared to SHR-Los. Cardiac hypertrophy, albuminuria and glomerulosclerosis were not attenuated in SHR-Spiro compared to untreated SHR up to 72 weeks of age, whereas the effects in SHR-Los were ameliorated. Conclusions Although transient spironolactone treatment leads to prolonged blood pressure reduction and reduced collagen deposition, long-term organ protection only partially exists. Thus, transient spironolactone treatment is less effective than transient losartan treatment.
The main objective of this study is to investigate the physicochemical changes of the co-composting Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) with partially treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) in pilot scale. The partially treated POME from anaerobic pond was sprayed onto the shredded EFB throughout the treatment. The composting materials were turned over one to three times per week for aeration. Temperature and oxygen were monitored at different depths of the composting piles. Parameters such as C, N, pH, nutrients, heavy metals and total bacteria count were also determined. The temperature was increased up to 58.5Â°C at day three of treatment, after that fluctuated between 50 to 62Â°C and then decreased in the latter stage of the process. The pH of the system (7.75-8.10) did not vary significantly during the treatment period while moisture content was reduced from 65-75% to about 60% at the end of the treatment. The initial C/N ratio of 45 was significantly reduced to 12 after 60 days of composting. The final cured compost contained a considerable amount of nutrients (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur and iron) and trace amounts of manganese, zinc, copper. In addition, very low levels of heavy metals were detected in the compost. The number of bacteria involved in the composting process was decreased at the end of the composting period. The results obtained indicated that pilot scale of co-composting EFB with partially treated POME gave acceptable quality of compost and ease in operation. The compost product may useful in palm oil plantation as fertilizer and soil amendment.
We are the midst of a climate emergency requiring urgent climate action that is as yet unforthcoming both on the scale and at the speed needed. This article considers this current state of inaction and how we might understand the processes of attitudinal and behavioural change needed through the emotional framework of loss. These issues are further explored through the additional lens of the year 2020, a year of tumultuous social change created by the COVID�19 pandemic. The article draws parallels with and looks to learn from the ways in which the collective loss experienced as a result of COVID�19 may offer a sense of hope in the fight not just against climate change but for climate justice. The article argues that appropriate leadership that guides widespread climate action from all is best sought from those groups already facing the loss of climate change and therefore already engaged in climate-related social action and activism, including youth and Indigenous peoples.
Sodium styrene sulfonate (SSS) and N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) are grafted into poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) film using γ-radiation techniques. SSS could be co-grafted successfully with DMAEMA, although it is difficult to be grafted solely into PVDF films. Through subsequent protonation process, an amphoteric ion exchange membrane (AIEM) is synthesized facilely and environmentally benignly. The degree of grafting (DOG) increases with absorbed dose and levels off at 40 kGy. Micro-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirm the existence of the designed units and quaternization of DMAEMA units in the grafted films. The quaternization and grafting occurring at the same time makes it a unique way to synthesize quaternized AIEM in one step. Finally, an AIEM with a DOG of 43% is assembled in the vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) system, and the VRFB maintains an open circuit voltage higher than 1.4 V after placed for 85 h, which is much longer than that with Nafion117 membrane. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 5194–5202
We develop a many-body theory for the properties of exciton-polaritons interacting strongly with a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of exciton-polaritons in another spin state. Interactions lead to the presence of a two-body bound state, the bi-exciton, giving rise to a Feshbach resonance in the polariton spectrum when its energy is equal to that of two free polaritons. Using the minimal set of terms to describe this resonance, our theory recovers the main findings of two experiments probing interaction effects for upper and lower polaritons in a BEC. This strongly supports that Feshbach physics has indeed been realized, and we furthermore extract the energy and decay of biexciton from the experimental data. The decay rate is predicted to be much larger than that coming from its dissociation into two free polaritons indicating that other decay channels are important.
Presentation of Patient (March 18, 1942): Mrs. D. (Case No. U81,690), a divorcee, aged 49, was referred to the clinic on Feb. 24, 1942, because of menorrhagia and metrorrhagia of four months' duration. In 1934, following thyroidectomy for Graves' disease at a local hospital, she had a convulsion and was found to have tetania parathyreopriva. She was satisfactorily treated with parathormone (0.5 c.c. every other day), calcium, vitamin D, and thyroid substance. Although she had occasional paresthesias, no further convulsions or cramps occurred. She entered this hospital three weeks ago on the Gynecological Service, where uterine fibroids were discovered and a'diagnostic curettage was done. The pathologic report has not yet been issued. In order to produce an artificial menopause 1,500 millicuries of radium were inserted. When Dr. Brainerd saw the patient in consultation, he noted coarseness of hair, dryness of skin, and bilateral 2 + Chvostek and Trousseau signs. The patient had hypochromic anemia, with hem...
We propose a generalizable natural language interface that allows users to provide corrective instructions to an assistive robotic manipulator in real-time. This work is motivated by the desire to improve collaboration between humans and robots in a home environment. Allowing human operators to modify properties of how their robotic counterpart achieves a goal on-the-fly increases the utility of the system by incorporating the strengths of the human partner (e.g. visual acuity and environmental knowledge). This work is applicable to users with and without disability. Our natural language interface is based on the distributed correspondence graph, a probabilistic graphical model that assigns semantic meaning to user utterances in the context of the robot’s environment and current behavior. We then use the desired corrections to alter the behavior of the robotic manipulator by treating the modifications as constraints on the motion generation (planning) paradigm. In this paper, we highlight four dimensions along which a user may wish to correct the behavior of his or her assistive manipulator. We develop our language model using data collected from Amazon Mechanical Turk to capture a comprehensive sample of terminology that people use to describe desired corrections. We then develop an end-to-end system using open-source speech-to-text software and a Kinova Robotics MICO robotic arm. To demonstrate the efficacy of our approach, we run a pilot study with users unfamiliar with robotic systems and analyze points of failure and future directions.
Estimating the available bandwidth in IEEE 802.11-based multihop wireless networks is a very difficult task due to the medium sharing among contending nodes and collisions between hidden stations. Several methods have been proposed so far for these networks to compute the available bandwidth on wireless links. If some recent solutions such as ABE and IAB now take into account collisions and their impact on the mean backoff, none considers the packet retransmissions due to collisions although these retransmissions have an impact on the available bandwidth. In this article, we propose a new available bandwidth estimation for multihop wireless networks called RABE (Retransmission-based Available Bandwidth). This method integrates the average number of retransmission attempts in the available bandwidth estimation. RABE is evaluated by simulation and the obtained results show that RABE can achieve a mean error ratio of 17% in comparison with the real measurement. Furthermore, RABE is at least two times more accurate than ABE and ten times more accurate than IAB.
We use the vector model of spinning particle to analyze the influence of spin-field coupling on the particle’s trajectory in ultrarelativistic regime. The Lagrangian with minimal spin-gravity interaction yields the equations equivalent to the Mathisson-Papapetrou-Tulczyjew-Dixon (MPTD) equations of a rotating body. We show that they have unsatisfactory behavior in the ultrarelativistic limit. In particular, three-dimensional acceleration of the particle becomes infinite in the limit. Therefore, we examine the nonminimal interaction through the gravimagnetic moment and show that the theory with is free of the problems detected in MPTD equations. Hence, the nonminimally interacting theory seems a more promising candidate for description of a relativistic rotating body in general relativity. Vector model in an arbitrary electromagnetic field leads to generalized Frenkel and BMT equations. If we use the usual special-relativity notions for time and distance, the maximum speed of the particle with anomalous magnetic moment in an electromagnetic field is different from the speed of light. This can be corrected assuming that the three-dimensional geometry should be defined with respect to an effective metric induced by spin-field interaction.
Root canal segmentation on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images is difficult because of the noise level, resolution limitations, beam hardening and dental morphological variations. An image processing framework, based on an adaptive local threshold method, was evaluated on CBCT images acquired on extracted teeth. A comparison with high quality segmented endodontic images on micro computed tomography (µCT) images acquired from the same teeth was carried out using a dedicated registration process. Each segmented tooth was evaluated according to volume and root canal sections through the area and the Feret’s diameter. The proposed method is shown to overcome the limitations of CBCT and to provide an automated and adaptive complete endodontic segmentation. Despite a slight underestimation (−4, 08%), the local threshold segmentation method based on edge-detection was shown to be fast and accurate. Strong correlations between CBCT and µCT segmentations were found both for the root canal area and diameter (respectively 0.98 and 0.88). Our findings suggest that combining CBCT imaging with this image processing framework may benefit experimental endodontology, teaching and could represent a first development step towards the clinical use of endodontic CBCT segmentation during pulp cavity treatment.
The authors have developed a new method of applying the microwave cavity perturbation technique that allows one to measure simultaneously real and imaginary conductivity decays. They report here results of afterglow decay measurements for air and N2 excited by an intense e-beam pulse. From these data, they calculate electron densities and electron temperatures using exact expressions for the conductivities. The electron density decays for laboratory and synthetic air are approximately 10 and 40 times longer than predicted based on electron attachment for humid and dry air, respectively. Ambipolar diffusion coefficients and dissociative recombination rates measured at low pressures are inconsistent with previous results because the deduced electron temperatures are much higher than values used in previous studies. The decays in humid air appear to be dominated by ion conductivity.
This work presents a computation tool for the calculation of wind instrument input impedance in the context of linear planar wave propagation with visco-thermal losses. The originality of the approach lies in the usage of a specific and simple 1D finite element method (FEM). The popular  Transfer Matrix Method (TMM) is also recalled and a seamless formulation is proposed which unifies the cases cylinders vs. cones. Visco-thermal losses, which are natural dissipation in the system, are not exactly taken into account by this method when arbitrary shapes are considered. The introduction  of an equivalent radius leads to an approximation that we quantify using the FEM method. The equation actually solved by the TMM in this case is exhibited. The accuracy of the two methods (FEM and TMM) and the associated computation times are assessed and compared. Although the TMM is more  efficient in lossless cases and for lossy cylinders, the FEM is shown to be more efficient when targeting a specific precision in the realistic case of a lossy trumpet. Some additional features also exhibit the robustness and flexibility of the FEM over the TMM. All the results of this article  are computed using the open-source python toolbox OpenWind.
INTRODUCTION: Heart diseases are the prominent human disorders that have significantly affected the lifestyle and lives of the victims. Cardiac arrhythmia (heart arrhythmia) is one of the critical heart disorders that reflects the state of heartbeat among individuals. ECG (Electrocardiogram) signals are commonly used in the diagnostic process of this cardiac disorder. OBJECTIVES: In this manuscript, an effort has been made to employ and examine the performance of emerging Swarm Intelligence (SI) techniques in finding an optimal set of features used for cardiac arrhythmia diagnosis. METHODS: A standard benchmark UCI dataset set comprises of 279 attributes and 452 instances have been considered. Five different SI-based meta-heuristic techniques viz. binary Grey-Wolf Optimizer (bGWO), Ant Lion Optimization(ALO), Butterfly optimization algorithm (BOA), Dragonfly Algorithm (DA), and Satin-Bird Optimization (SBO) have been also employed for the same. Additionally, five novel chaotic variants of SBO have been designed to solve the feature selection problem for diagnosing a cardiac arrhythmia. Different performance metrics like accuracy, fitness value, optimal set of features and execution time have been computed. CONCLUSION: It has been observed from the experimentation that in terms of accuracy and fitness value of cardiac arrhythmia, the SBO outperformed other SI algorithms viz. bGWO, DA, BOA, and ALO. Additionally, BOA and ALO seem to be the best fit when the emphasis is on dimension size only.
Research on well-being in adults has developed quite rapidly in recent years, but not on research in child well-being particularly within school context. This article aimed to review: (a) the definition of student well-being and b) measurement of student well-being. The review involved articles published in 2007-2017. The conclusions of this literature review are (a) the definitions used to explain student well-being are based on several approaches, namely mental health, hedonistic and eudaimonic, (b) several aspects that construct the student well-being at school namely dominant positive emotions, school satisfaction, negative emotions, social relations and engagement to school. These findings can provide recommendations for measurement construction and school evaluation related to student well-being.
It is discussed that the principle of indentation-flattening compound deformation (IFCDT) and parameter definition. The characteristics and stress state and strain state of IFCDT had been analyzed. Influence factors and influence laws on plastic deformation force had been analyzed. The calculation geometry model of mechanical parameters of IFCDT had been established. The model of deformation force of IFCDT had been given. The calculated results are in agreement with that of experimental, and the relative error is less than 19.4%.
Computational visual attention modeling is a topic of increasing importance in machine understanding of images. In this paper, we present an approach to refine a region based attention model with eye tracking data. This paper has three main contributions. (1) A concept of fixation mask is proposed to describe the region saliency of an image by weighting the segmented regions using importance measures obtained in the Human Visual System (HVS) or computational models. (2) A Genetic Algorithm (GA) scheme for refining a region based attention model is proposed. (3) An evaluation method is developed to measure the correlation between the result from the computational model and that from the HVS in terms of fixation mask.
Learning accurate drug representations is essential for tasks such as computational drug repositioning and prediction of drug side effects. A drug hierarchy is a valuable source that encodes knowledge of relations among drugs in a tree-like structure where drugs that act on the same organs, treat the same disease, or bind to the same biological target are grouped together. However, its utility in learning drug representations has not yet been explored, and currently described drug representations cannot place novel molecules in a drug hierarchy. Here, we develop a semi-supervised drug embedding that incorporates two sources of information: (1) underlying chemical grammar that is inferred from chemical structures of drugs and drug-like molecules (unsupervised) and (2) hierarchical relations that are encoded in an expert-crafted hierarchy of approved drugs (supervised). We use the Variational Auto-Encoder (VAE) framework to encode the chemical structures of molecules and use the drug-drug similarity information obtained from the hierarchy to induce the clustering of drugs in hyperbolic space. The hyperbolic space is amenable for encoding hierarchical relations. Both quantitative and qualitative results support that the learned drug embedding can accurately reproduce the chemical structure and recapitulate the hierarchical relations among drugs. Furthermore, our approach can infer the pharmacological properties of novel molecules by retrieving similar drugs from the embedding space. We demonstrate that our drug embedding can predict new uses and discover new side effects of existing drugs. We show that it significantly outperforms comparison methods in both tasks.
The thermodynamics of the native<-->A state and native<-->unfolded transitions for ubiquitin have been characterized in detail using the denaturants methanol and guanidinium chloride (Gdn.HCl) both separately and in combination. Gdn.HCl destabilizes the partially folded alcohol-induced A state such that the effects of alcoholic solvents on the native<-->unfolded transition can be investigated directly via a two-state model. The combined denaturing effects of methanol and Gdn.HCl appear to conform to a simple additive model. We show that ubiquitin folds and unfolds cooperatively in all cases, forming the same "native" state; however, the thermodynamics of the N<-->U transition change dramatically between alcoholic and Gdn.HCl solutions, with folding in aqueous methanol associated with large negative enthalpy and entropy terms at 298 K with a gradual falloff in DeltaC(p) at higher methanol concentrations, as previously reported for the N<-->A transition (Woolfson, D. N., Cooper, A., Harding, M. M., Williams, D. H., and Evans, P. A. (1993) J. Mol. Biol. 229, 502-511.). Both the N<-->U and the N<-->A transitions are enthalpy driven to a similar extent. We conclude that under these conditions van der Waals interactions in the packing of the nonpolar protein core, which is common to both the N<-->U and the N<-->A transitions, appear to drive folding in the absence of entropic effects associated with release of ordered solvent (hydrophobic effect). Solvent transfer studies of hydrocarbons into alcoholic solvents, with and without Gdn.HCl, are consistent with a large enthalpic driving force for burial of a nonpolar surface, with a linear dependence of protein stability (DeltaG(N)(<-->)(U)) on cosolvent concentration reflected in a similar linear dependence of hydrocarbon solubility. The data demonstrate that the hydrophobic effect is not a prerequisite for specific stabilization of the native state or the A state and that van der Waals packing of the nonpolar core appears to be the dominant factor in stabilization of the native state.
SUMMARY 1)Seventeen patients with tuberculous empyema complicating artificial pneumothorax were treated with PAS. 2)The effect of aminacyl on closed empyemata can be generally considered as satisfactory, although it differs in degree from one case to another. 3)Complete cure, through resorption of the effusion occurred in a small percentage (4 in 11 cases), but more rapidly than through the usual therapeutic methods. 4)The effect on fistulae is not satisfactory judging from our three cases. 5)Better results may be obtainable when the drug is available for larger and more frequent doses.
Synaptic vesicles are key organelles in neurotransmission. Their functions are governed by a unique set of integral and peripherally associated proteins. To obtain a complete protein inventory, we immunoisolated synaptic vesicles from rat brain to high purity and performed a gel‐based analysis of the synaptic vesicle proteome. Since the high hydrophobicity of integral membrane proteins hampers their resolution by gel electrophoretic techniques, we applied in parallel three different gel electrophoretic methods for protein separation prior to MS. Synaptic vesicle proteins were subjected to either 1‐D SDS‐PAGE along with nano‐LC ESI‐MS/MS or to the 2‐D gel electrophoretic techniques benzyldimethyl‐n‐hexadecylammonium chloride (BAC)/SDS‐PAGE, and double SDS (dSDS)‐PAGE in combination with MALDI‐TOF‐MS. We demonstrate that the combination of all three methods provides a comprehensive survey of the proteinaceous inventory of the synaptic vesicle membrane compartment. The identified synaptic vesicle proteins include transporters, soluble N‐ethylmaleimide‐sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs), synapsins, rab and rab‐interacting proteins, additional guanine nucleotide triphosphate (GTP) binding proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, and proteins modulating synaptic vesicle exo‐ and endocytosis. In addition, we identified novel proteins of unknown function. Our results demonstrate that the parallel application of three different gel‐based approaches in combination with mass spectrometry permits a comprehensive analysis of the synaptic vesicle proteome that is considerably more complex than previously anticipated.
The effect of food on fecundity and its distribution during the life of Acarus siro L. was studied. In addition, the effect of repeated matings, of age of females and males, of parental age and of sex ratio on the fecundity of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schr.) was studied.        Nutrition affects the total fecundity and its distribution in A. siro. The highest fecundity of T. putrescentiae females occurred when mating occurred more than once a week. The fecundity of ageing virgin females decreases gradually with delays in the time of the first mating. The effect of male's age is not significant until the age of 60 days onwards. Females descending from 100-day-old parents showed 25% lower fecundity than females from young parents.        Density of males above the sex ratio 1:1 diminishes the fecundity of females molested by males. The higher the number of the males in the cage per female, the lower their fecundity.
Dr. Aiswariya Satheesh MD(Ayu) Assistant Professor, Department of Rachana Sharira, K.J.Institute of Ayurveda and Research, Savli, Vadodara, Gujarat. ...................................................................................................................... Manuscript Info Abstract ......................... ........................................................................ Manuscript History Received: 05 April 2020 Final Accepted: 07 May 2020 Published: June 2020 Acharya Shusruta, Charaka and Vagbhata mentioned Shareerasthana separately in their respective samhitas; for giving importance to the knowledge of RachanaSharira.Physicians who wants to become perfect in the field of science of life must be perfect in the science of Human Anatomy.Every organ in the body is important in its own way. Among those,Sense organs play a crucial role.According to Ayurveda,Jihwa is an Indriya among Panchendriya.Indriyas are capable in perceiving their objects only when they are supported by mind, through which the knowledge is perceived or memorized.The human sense organs contain receptors that relay information through sensory neurons to appropriate places within the nervous system.A healthy tongue is essential for the physical fitness as well as for the social fitness of an individual.
The grid voltage of commercial utility power source in Japan and USA is 100 rms, but in China and European countries, it is 200 Vrms. In recent years, in Japan 200 Vrms out putted single phase three wire system begins to be used for high power applications. In 100 Vrms utility AC power applications and systems, an active voltage clamped quasi-resonant inverter circuit topology using IGBTs has been effectively used so far for the consumer microwave oven. In this paper, presented is a half bridge type voltage-clamped high-frequency inverter type AC-DC converter using which is designed for consumer magnetron drive used as the consumer microwave oven in 200 V utility AC power system. This zero voltage soft switching inverter can use the same power rated switching semiconductor devices and three-winding high frequency transformer as those of the active voltage clamped quasi-resonant inverter using the IGBTs that has already been used for 100 Vrms utility AC power source. The operating performances of the voltage source single ended push pull type inverter are evaluated and discussed for consumer microwave oven. The harmonic line current components in the utility AC power side of the AC-DC power converter operating at ZVS-PWM strategy reduced and improved on the basis of sine wave like pulse frequency modulation and sine wave like pulse width modulation for the utility AC voltage source.
Abstract Measurements of steady-state photoconductivity for hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) have been carried out at pressures up to 14 GPa and at room temperature. The ratio of photoconductivity to darkconductivity [sgrave]p/[sgrave]D decreases with increasing pressure. The activation energy for photoconductivity Ep, which is 0.25 eV at ambient pressure, decreases with increasing pressure at the rate -7 meV/GPa. These resultls are discussed with change in density of states.
The appearance of hair plays an important role in people's overall physical appearance and self‐perception. With today's increasing life expectation, the desire to look youthful plays a bigger role than ever. The hair care industry has become aware of this and also more capable to deliver active products that are directed toward meeting this consumer demand. The discovery of pharmacological targets and the development of safe and effective drugs also indicate strategies of the drug industry for maintenance of healthy and beautiful hair. Hair aging comprises weathering of the hair shaft and aging of the hair follicle. The latter manifests as decrease of melanocyte function or graying, and decrease in hair production in androgenetic and senescent alopecia. The scalp is also subject to intrinsic or physiologic aging and extrinsic aging caused by external factors. Intrinsic factors are related to individual genetic and epigenetic mechanisms with interindividual variation. Prototypes are familial premature graying and androgenetic alopecia. Extrinsic factors include ultraviolet radiation and smoking. Experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that oxidative stress plays a role in skin and hair aging. Topical anti‐aging compounds for hair include humefactants, hair conditioners, photoprotectors, and antioxidants. Current available treatment modalities with proven efficacy for treatment of androgenetic alopecia are topical minoxidil, oral finasteride, and autologous hair transplantation. In the absence of another way to reverse hair graying, hair colorants are the mainstays of recovering lost hair color. Topical liposome targeting for melanins, genes, and proteins selectively to hair follicles are under current investigation.
The optimal reserve price in the independent private value paradigm is generally expressed as a functional of the latent distribution of private signals, which is by nature unobserved. This feature has limited the implementation of the optimal reserve price in practice. In this article, we consider first-price auctions within the general affiliated private values paradigm. We show that the seller's expected profit can be written as a functional of the observed bid distribution. We propose a semiparametric extremum estimator for estimating consistently the optimal reserve price from observed bids. As an illustration, we consider the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) wildcat auctions.
A Seattle University senior engineering design team evaluated the treatment performance of a point-of-use microfiltration-ultraviolet light (MF-UV) drinking water treatment system and of an ultrafiltration (UF) unit. The MF-UV system reduced turbidity by 70 percent and inactivated 100 percent of E.coli from model water. The UF system removed 100 percent of all turbidity and bacteria. The combined MF-UF-UV treatment system can provide up to 33,120 liters of water per day and meet basic human water needs at an annual cost of approximately US$0.80 per capita. To maintain safe water quality during transport and storage, on-site generated chlorine can be added to the MF-UF-UV treated water. The team evaluated the performance of a chlorine generator and confirmed that chlorine testing strips were excellent surrogates for the N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) colorimetric method. Public-private partnerships may be required to ensure long-term sustainability of these drinking water treatment systems in the developing world.
ABSTRACT The meaning of life is never straight to us humans. At different turns of life, we perceive different meanings that are offered to us by our own lives. Near one’s death, professional disaster, enmity, family suffering, and fears for life all have their own dimensions. Nevertheless, when summing up, they seem to revolve around the same central themes again and again. In this article, we tried to offer the insights that we found from some very significant and traumatic events of our own lives through the spectacles of our theory—“Death and Adjustment Hypotheses.” Our life is always important; so is our peace and safety. But when we lose our values, we lose everything. It is often that we try to live through our offspring; however, it is our morality and humane values that can ultimately save them from the traumas of life and see them meaningfully through life and death as transcendental beings.
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine whether initial shock index (SI) was independently associated with the requirement for massive transfusion (MT) in emergency department (ED) patients with primary postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). A retrospective cohort study of ED patients with primary PPH was performed at a university-affiliated, tertiary referral center between January 2004 and May 2012. Patients were classified to two groups: MT group (patients who received ≥10 U of packed red blood cells within 24 h of ED admission) and non-MT group (patients who received <10 U). Variables of the two groups were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses. A total of 126 patients were included in this study. Of these patients, 26 (20.6%) were included in MT group and 100 (79.4%) in non-MT group. Patients in MT group had significantly lower blood pressure and higher heart rate compared with patients in non-MT group (P < 0.01). Initial SI was significantly higher in MT group than in non-MT group (1.3 vs 0.8, P < 0.01). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, initial SI and heart rate were the only variables associated with the requirement for MT, with an odds ratio of 9.47 (95% confidence interval, 1.75–51.28; P < 0.01) and 1.06 (95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.09; P < 0.01), respectively. In conclusion, initial SI was independently associated with the requirement for MT in ED patients with primary PPH. Routine calculation of initial SI can help clinicians to identify patients who may benefit from timely and appropriate use of MT to improve clinical outcomes.
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase interacting multifunctional proteins (AIMPs) has recently been considered a novel therapeutic targets in several cancers. In this publication we report the development of novel 2-am inophenylpyrimidines as new AIMP2-DX2 inhibitors. In particular, aminophenylpyrimidine 3 exhibited not only promising in vitro and vivo potency, but also exert-ed selective inhibition of H460 and A549 cells and AIMP2-DX2, rather than WI-26 cells and AIMP2. Aminophenylpyrimidine 3 offers possible therapeutic potential in the treatment of lung cancer.
Keith Negus’ definition of mediation to describe the way that radio, television and the written press interact with popular music production, consumption and understanding. In the chapter dedicated to the ‘public’ of popular music, Philippe Le Guern and Hugh Dauncey present one of the only moments of ‘unison’ between the two channels of this book. While Le Guern describes the importance of Bourdieu’s theory of distinction in thinking about the consumers of popular culture as well as some new concepts and ways of thinking opened up since 2000, Dauncey presents an academic survey of three of the most common ways of thinking about music fans. The last chapter is about ‘scenes’ and looks at some local musical practices from the perspective of their relationships to a specific place. Guibert presents three examples of French cities where a ‘scene’ has developed, while Josie Robson – the only woman represented in the book – presents a feminist perspective on the Sheffield music scene. This book is a technology of spacing that, even while questioning some preconceived notions about popular music studies, contributes to the affirmation of a certain national specificity through the compiled literature and the claim of some differences of contexts. It is also about the spacing of popular music studies through the constant reference to (or absence of) necessary international connections (read: USA as the ‘international’ other). The journeys of some of the musical products and the analytical concepts across borders – from the French context over to the UK and then back to France (or in the other direction) – are surprisingly absent except for a very few mentions, as are references to the many interrelations between the two realities, giving the reader a sense that they are living completely separate from each other with almost no interaction. While presenting some disparities between the two channels represented, the stereophonic construction of this book represents an excellent introduction for students to the body of popular music studies in France and to some of the larger issues from the popular music studies literature of the UK. A special mention should also be made of Emmanuel Parent who translated all the works from the UK scholars into French – something which is all too rare an activity.
Background Both coronary artery disease (CAD) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are associated with inflammation. However, whether and which leukocytes can predict the presence and extent of CAD in patients with DM has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of leukocyte and its subsets counts with the severity of CAD in patients with DM. Methods and Findings Three hundred and seventy-three diabetic patients who were scheduled for coronary angiography due to typical stable angina pectoris were enrolled in this study. They were classified into the three groups according to tertiles of Gensini score (GS, low group <8, n = 143; intermediate group 8∼28, n = 109; high group >28, n = 121). The relationship between the leukocyte and its subsets counts with the severity of CAD were evaluated. The data indicated that there were significant correlations between leukocyte and neutrophil counts with GS (r = 0.154 and 0.156, respectively, all P<0.003 for Pearson's correlation). Similarly, area under the receivers operating characteristic curve of leukocyte and neutrophil counts were 0.61 and 0.60 respectively (95%CI: 0.55–0.67, all P = 0.001) for predicting high GS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that leukocyte count was an independent predictor for high GS patients with DM (OR = 1.20, 95%CI 1.03–1.39, P = 0.023) after adjusting for conventional risk factors of CAD. Conclusions Compared with its subsets, leukocyte count appeared to be an independent predictor for the severity of CAD and the optimal cut-off value for predicting high GS (>28 points) was 5.0×109 cells/L in diabetic patients.
Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA  Patient-derived xenografts and cell lines have been the underpinning of functional characterization and drug discovery efforts in cancer. The use of these models is often under the assumption that these systems are renewable, faithful representations of original progenitor tumor cell populations. To test this assumption, we performed whole exome (92X median coverage) and genome sequencing (36X median coverage) analysis of cell line and patient-derived mouse xenografts (PDXs) originating from 7 neuroblastoma patients. Data are from1 primary tumor, 3 PDXs, and 15 neuroblastoma cell lines cultured from tumor, bone marrow, or blood. The cell lines consisted of 4 pre-/post-therapy pairs and 3 pairs established and maintained in either hyperoxia (room air i.e. “standard” cell culture) or physiologic (bone marrow hypoxia = 5%) oxygen. 7 lymphoblastoid or fibroblast cell lines were used as matched normals to identify somatic mutations. Subclonal population structures were inferred from somatic mutation calls calibrated for copy number state and tumor purity.  In all cell lines and xenografts, we observed 1-2 additional subclonal populations, primarily supported by deep coverage from exome sequencing. In nearly every case, we observed shifts in the proportional representation of genetic subclones and many subclones showed additional mutations not evident in the progenitor tissue or cancer line derived in parallel. Comparison of three cell line pairs established in bone marrow level hypoxia versus room air found only ∼40% of coding mutations in each line were shared (average 82 mutations per line), suggesting significant genetic impact of growing tumor cells in the two different culture conditions. Matched PDXs from these cases had only ∼17% of coding mutations shared across all three models. The greatest genetic similarity was seen between paired cell lines established from tissue obtained pre-/post-therapy from the same patient (36 coding mutations shared, 14 private to diagnosis and 13 private to progression). However, a second pre/post-therapy cell line pair did not share any coding mutations, although they did have 585 non-coding mutations in common (of 4,033 and 2,480 in each line), assuring that the relapse was derived from a diagnostic tumor clone. These results highlight a need for comprehensive subclonal analysis of human cancer laboratory models to better inform design and interpretation of biological and preclinical therapeutic studies.  Citation Format: Maya Schonbach, Arnavaz Danesh, Jeff Bruce, Tito Woodburn, Tanja Davidsen, Leandro Hermida, Patee Gesuwan, Jaime Guidry Auvil, Oliver Hampton, David Wheeler, Julie Gastier-Foster, Malcolm Smith, Daniela Gerhard, John M. Maris, Patrick Reynolds, Trevor J. Pugh. Fidelity of subclonal representation in human neuroblastoma-derived cell line and patient-derived xenograft models: A report from the NCI-TARGET project. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 484. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-484
Tannins have received considerable attention from animal nutritionists as potential agents for modifying ruminal fermentation patterns, or for exploring new feed resources. This group of secondary plant compounds is defined by their ability to form complexes with proteins. A widely accepted method for assaying the biological activity of extracted tannins is the precipitation of bovine serum albumin. The protein carries a radioactive label (125I) to allow direct quantification from the precipitate. Tannin-protein complexes dissolve in sodium dodecylsulfate solution. A dot-blot assay for protein determination, which is based on the reversible binding of a fluorochrome, benzoxanthene yellow, to the protein spots and is not disturbed by the presence of detergents, can replace the radioactive method by a fluorimetric measurement. A novel alternative to the last part of the dot-blot assay is to scan the stained protein spots in situ using a video camera and computer image analysis. Several filter sets were tested and, within a concentration range of 0.1-2.0 mg protein/ml, each of them yielded results identical to the original method while the time required was only 30 % of the working time consumed by the original procedure. The modified dot-blot assay should be applicable to the evaluation of tannin activity in all shrub and tree foliages considered as animal feed.
Soranus of Ephesus, a famous Greek physician and polymath, one of the most lucid authors of so called ‘Methodist Sect’, who lived in Rome in the 2 nd  century, composed a treatise that was unique for his time, ‘Gynekology’ (“Gynaikeia”), in four volumes; that treatise had been a bible of obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics in Europe till 17 th  century. One third of this treatise is dealing directly with a child. Especially important and distinctive are the achievements of Soranus not only as an obstetrician but also as a unique Greco-Roman pediatrician, neonatologist and, in certain degree, as a perinatologist. Soranus expremely thoroughly for his time described case management from the conception until weaning (severing the navel cord, baby’s clothes, baby care, swaddling etc.), the rules of breastfeeding and symptoms of some diseases of newborn children. The attention he paid to the little child is unique for both Greco-Roman culture and medicine. Soranus might well have used the midwives’ lore and transformed it from the point of view of rational medicine into the medicine practiced by males, keeping the best of it. He described conception, prevention of spontaneous abortion, severing the navel cord, the first baby’s hygienic procedures, bath, massage, breastfeeding, some children diseases; he also gave the characteristics of newborn’s vitality, which can be compared with modern Apgar score, i.e. he was considering the problems that are nowadays in the focus of perinatologists and neurologists. In this respect, his gigantic figure stands alone not only in the field of Greco-Roman medicine, but also medieval medicine with no rivals.
Speaking from his widely respected expertise in the field of social justice, the author illustrates several ways in which the word “peace” has been understood in modern Catholic theology since Vatican II. From within this varied background, he singles out two elements indispensable for peace in today’s global society and then relates peace in this sense to the issue of the use of armed force in the contemporary international world.
A quantum dot connected to metallic leads is represented by the single impurity Anderson model (SIAM). The properties of SIAM are critically dependent on the position of the impurity level with respect to the Fermi level and the strength of hybridization (width of the impurity DOS). We have calculated the electrical conductivity for such a system. The dot level can be split by the presence of either a magnetic moment inside the dot (magnetic quantum dot, which is experimentally realized)or by an external magnetic field or by a structural distortion (Jahn‐Teller distortion). We have calculated the conductivity in such cases also.
OBJECTIVE To detect the expression pattern of raf-1 kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) samples and to explore its clinical significance in OSCC metastasis.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot assay were conducted to detect the expression of RKIP in OSCC tissues and cells. The relationship between RKIP expression and OSCC clinicopathological characteristics was statistically analyzed. Transwell assay, wound healing assay, and Western blot were used to detect the influence of RKIP on the metastasis ability of OSCC cells.   RESULTS RKIP was significantly downregulated in OSCC samples. Low expression of RKIP predicted high incidence of metastasis in OSCC patients. In vitro experiments demonstrated that overexpression of RKIP could significantly inhibit invasion and migration abilities of OSCC cells.   CONCLUSIONS RKIP was a novel factor involved in OSCC progression, which was a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the patients.
This paper presents a novel self-synchronized audio watermarking algorithm especially robust to re-sampling attack based on the frequency centroid. Thanks to the steady property of the audio centroid, each sub-band which carries the centroid of one audio frame is performed with DCT, and the scrambled watermark bits are embedded into DC component. The experimental results show that the proposed audio watermarking scheme is not only inaudible, but also robust against various common signal processing, especially the re-sampling attack. Compared with the existing feature- based watermarking schemes, the proposed scheme can be applicable to the various types of audio signals. Furthermore, the synchronization is implemented without using additional synchronization information.
1917 and 1918 campaigns, from Vimy to the Hundred Days, and Granatstein uses these and other events to explore the elite reputation of Canadian troops. But this is not simply heroic history, and there is no shying away from some of the war’s controversies, like the killing of prisoners in battle or executions by firing squad for various military offences. First World War experts will have their quibbles with the weighting of various parts of the book, but hard choices must always be made in overviews. That said, the emphasis of Hell’s Corner is on the firing line, and a more balanced book would have provided greater insight into the home front experience. The abrupt ending also fails to fully explore the impact of the war on Canada. Attractively presented and evocatively written, Hell’s Corner will be read across the country. Granatstein’s forty years of academic experience, authorship of more than fifty books, and willingness to dig out new research, makes him an ideal historian to incorporate the latest scholarship into this popular history. Indeed, one could argue that unless academic historians begin to offer more popular histories, we run the risk of embracing the slow abdication of historical knowledge to lessqualified journalists or writers. This book may not change First World War historiography, but perhaps its greatest contribution is an example to historians on how to reconnect Canadian history to those interested in their collective past. TIM COOK Canadian War Museum
The model for description of one-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystals based on anisotropic porous silicon is proposed. The finite difference technique is applied for the scattering matrix parameter computation. Reflectance spectra for two orthogonal polarizations of the incident plane wave are calculated. The dependence of the shift of the spectral position of the photonic band gap edges on the orientation of the optical axis of the structure with respect to the incidence plane of s- or p-polarization incident plane wave is studied.
Inhalational anesthetics have demonstrated cardioprotective effects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Clinical studies in cardiac surgery have supported these findings, although not with the consistency demonstrated in experimental studies. Recent investigations have questioned the advantages of inhalational over intravenous anesthetics with respect to cardiac protection. Ketamine has been shown to be comparable with sufentanil, and has even demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties. Dexmedetomidine has been established as a sedative/anesthetic drug with analgesic properties, and has also demonstrated myocardial protective effects. In this retrospective observational study, the influence of ketamine-dexmedetomidine-based anesthesia (KET-DEX group; n=17) on the release of cardiac biomarkers was compared with that of sevoflurane-sufentanil-based anesthesia (SEVO group; n=21) in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting. Compared with the SEVO group, the KET-DEX group exhibited significantly reduced cardiac troponin I (2.22+/-1.73 vs. 3.63+/-2.37 microg/l; P=0.02) and myocardial fraction of creatine kinase (CK-MB) levels (12.4+/-10.4 vs. 20.3+/-11.2 microg/l; P=0.01) on the morning of the first postoperative day. Furthermore, cardiac troponin I release, evaluated as the area under the curve, was significantly reduced in the KET-DEX group (32.1+/-20.1 vs. 50.6+/-23.2; P=0.01). These results demonstrate the cardioprotective effects of ketamine-dexmedetomidine anesthesia compared with those of sevoflurane-sufentanil anesthesia.
The real part of the relative permittivity ε'r as well as the dielectric loss as represented by ε''r for the compounds (CH2)n(NH3)2MCl4−xBrx (where x = 0, 2, n = 2, 3 and M = Cu, Co) have been measured. The measurements were carried out as a function of temperature and frequency. Both ε'r and ε''r show the same relaxation phenomena which involves large reorientable dipoles in the total polarization. The phase transition observed at ~312K for ε'r and ε''r is expected from the variation in the spacing between the adjacent metallic layers arising from the increase in the number of carbon atoms and/or introducing the Br− ions in the out of plane position.
Introduction: due to the inefficiency of social participation practices in science, contemporary science policy discourses seek innovative models to increase public participation and cooperation between governments and the public. This is because, socially innovative practices can increase citizen participation in a more appealing way. The present study aims to implement socially innovative practices to increase social participation in the Strategic Transformation of Science and Technology Article.Method: This research is carried out in three steps (description, challenge-finding and solution presentation). First, after interviewing the experts and using the thematic analysis technique, the framework for social participation in science and technology in macro documents was extracted and then calibrated using Fuzzy Delphi to reach theoretical saturation. Subsequently, in the challenge-finding phase, the text of the Strategic Transformation of Science and Technology Article was evaluated using the quantitative content analysis technique. In the third step, after reviewing the views of people familiar with social participation solutions in science and technology, a number of solutions were identified.Findings: The various components found in the evaluation of social participation in macro documents of science and technology, include: 1. direct reference to social participation, 2. indirect reference to social participation, 3. objectives pursued by social participation, 4. instruments for the realization of social participation and 5. tools used by stakeholder to encourage social participation. The results showed that social participation in science and technology were not adequately addressed in this document, and finally, according to research findings, 25 innovative social solutions were suggested to solve the challenges.Discussion: According to research results, one of the main priorities in science and technology programs should be the promotion of the individual’s awareness which in turn leads to social participation in science and technology. Several studies point out social innovation as one of the ways to achieve this.
Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is synthesized by bacteria under stressful environmental conditions and acts by a variety of mechanisms to promote cell survival. While the kinase that synthesizes polyP (PPK, encoded by the ppk gene) is well known, ppk transcription is not activated by environmental stress and little is understood about how environmental stress signals lead to polyP accumulation. Previous work has shown that the transcriptional regulators DksA, RpoN (σ54) and RpoE (σ24) positively regulate polyP production, but not ppk transcription, in Escherichia coli. In this work, we examine the role of the alternative sigma factor RpoN and nitrogen starvation stress response pathways in controlling polyP synthesis. We show that the RpoN enhancer binding proteins GlnG and GlrR impact polyP production, and uncover a new role for the nitrogen phosphotransferase regulator PtsN (EIIANtr) as a positive regulator of polyP production, acting upstream of DksA, downstream of RpoN and apparently independently of RpoE. However, neither these regulatory proteins nor common nitrogen metabolites appear to act directly on PPK, and the precise mechanism(s) by which polyP production is modulated after stress remain(s) unclear. Unexpectedly, we also found that the genes that impact polyP production vary depending on the composition of the rich media in which the cells were grown before exposure to polyP-inducing stress. These results constitute progress towards deciphering the regulatory networks driving polyP production under stress, and highlight the remarkable complexity of this regulation and its connections to a broad range of stress-sensing pathways.
A technique of automated and efficient thermal-structural processing of truss structures that interfaces the finite element and finite difference method was developed. The thermal-structural analysis tasks include development of the thermal and structural math models, thermal analysis, development of an interface and data transfer between the models, and finally an evaluation of the thermal stresses and displacements in the structure. Consequently, the objective of the developed technique was to minimize the model development time, in order to assure an automatic transfer of data between the thermal and structural models as well as to minimize the computer resources needed for the analysis itself. The method and techniques described are illustrated on the thermal/structural analysis of the Space Station Freedom main truss.
Five populations of the indigenous perennial grass Danthonia caespitosa Gaud. were selected from widely separated sites along a north-south transect in south-eastern Australia. The sites, spanning the latitudinal range (31° to 42° S.) for the species, extended from a hot semiarid environment in the north to a cool and moist temperate environment in the south. Two experiments, to assess the extent of intraspecific variability in response to different tempera- ture regimes, were conducted in naturally lit temperature-controlled glasshouses in the Ceres phyto- tron. All populations had a similar temperature optimum for growth of between 20.7 and 267°C (mean daily temperature), typical for temperate species. Rates of tillering, rates of leaf appearance, and leaf blade lengths and widths differed among populations and showed considerable phenotypic plasticity with respect to temperature. At all temperatures the growth rate of populations generally declined with increasing latitude of origin. A detailed analysis of growth rates showed that differences between populations in final weight could largely be accounted for by variability in mean relative growth rates. Northern populations in general had a higher net assimilation rate and leaf weight ratio than southern populations. The adaptive significance of these physiological and morphological differences between populations is discussed in relation to habitat characteristics and the distributional range of the species. It is concluded that along the latitudinal and climatic gradient there has been no significant change in temperature optima for growth but there has been natural selection resulting in higher growth rates of northern populations.
Background Preterm birth (PB), defined as birth occurring at less than 37 weeks of gestation, is a leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity in the world. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the socio-demographic characteristics and etiological factors associated with preterm birth and consequent adverse perinatal outcomes retrospectively at a tertiary care hospital. Methods A single-centre retrospective observational study was conducted in the department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Fakir Mohan Medical College & Hospital, Balasore, Odisha, India, from April 2019 to March 2020. Data were retrieved from the antenatal ward admission register, case files, theatre records, and neonatal care unit records and reviewed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe data. Chi-square test and student’s t-test were used to find significance of difference between variables. Results The incidence of preterm birth in the study population was 5.52%. The mean gestational age of preterm deliveries was 34.39 ± 1.92 weeks. The bulk of the women hailed from a rural background and belonged to the lower socioeconomic strata. About 47.29% of the women were nulliparous and spontaneous preterm birth was noted in 70.40%. Premature rupture of membranes (PROM), anaemia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preeclampsia, and eclampsia were the most common adverse pregnancy conditions prevalent in these women. Preterm deliveries comprised 31.21% of all neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admissions. Respiratory distress syndrome, birth asphyxia, neonatal sepsis, and jaundice were the most common complications. Neonatal death occurred in 51 (9.21%) preterm infants with birth asphyxia being the commonest cause of such deaths. Maternal factors and adverse neonatal outcome variables were compared between the spontaneous and iatrogenic/medically indicated preterm birth groups. Preeclampsia, IUGR, and cesarean section were more significantly associated with the iatrogenic group. Conclusion Our study provides a general overview of the associated etiological factors and perinatal health concerns associated with preterm birth in a rural/semi-urban setting in Eastern India. The findings might provide essential data for taking steps toward the prevention and management of preterm birth from a developing country’s perspective.
Coherent vortex structures are formed in the late wakes of towed spheres for all values of the internal Froude number, F≡2U/ND∈ [10, 240] (U is the body speed, D its diameter, and N is the buoyancy frequency). The eventual emergence of the long-lived and stable pattern of alternating-signed patches of vertical vorticity is characteristic of all towed-sphere wakes, from those dominated by internal lee waves at F=1, to initially fully turbulent early wakes at F[ges ]4. At late times, the local Froude number is always low, and a characteristic stratified wake structure and dynamics result. These wakes have high mean wake defect velocities compared with non-stratified wakes, but the decay rates of energy and enstrophy are similar. Experimental evidence is presented for the existence of an intermediate non-equilibrium (NEQ) regime with very low decay rates of kinetic energy, that precedes the late wake. The NEQ regime is the period when the initial turbulence reorganizes under the increasingly (relative to the decaying turbulent kinetic energy) powerful influence of the background density gradient, accompanied by conversion of potential to kinetic energy as the wake turbulence collapses. The stable long-lived late-wake structure that eventually emerges has a high degree of order and coherence that reflects the initial wake instability. A universal curve for the energy decay of all stratified drag wakes at high Froude and Reynolds numbers is proposed.
ABSTRACT Oral focal mucinosis (OFM) is a rare connective tissue disorder that is characterized by the excessive production of hyaluronic acid due to myxoid degeneration of submucosal connective tissue. The disorder typically presents as an asymptomatic nodule or mass in the gingiva or hard palate, and OFM of the tongue is even more unusual. In this report, we present a case of OFM on the tongue in a 72-year-old female patient who presented with a symptomatic lump that had been growing for 6 months on the dorsum of her tongue. The patient reported discomfort and pain while speaking and swallowing, and the lump was visually apparent on examination. OFM is a benign condition that does not have any specific clinical or radiographical features that distinguish it from other more common oral lesions, such as lipoma or fibroma. Therefore, histopathological examination is essential for a definitive diagnosis. The management of OFM typically involves surgical excision of the lesion. In this case, complete surgical removal of the lesion under general anesthesia was performed, and the patient was followed up for 10 months postoperatively. During the follow-up period, there was no evidence of recurrence, and the patient reported significant improvement in her symptoms. In conclusion, OFM is a rare connective tissue disorder that can occur in the oral cavity. Although OFM of the tongue is even rarer, it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of oral lesions. Histopathological examination is essential for definitive diagnosis, and surgical excision is typically the preferred treatment modality.
Using low energy electron microscopy we observe that Pd deposited on Ru only attaches to small sections of the atomic step edges surrounding Pd islands. This causes a novel epitaxial growth mode in which islands advance in a snakelike motion, giving rise to labyrinthine patterns. Based on density functional theory together with scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron microscopy we propose that this growth mode is caused by a surface alloy forming around growing islands. This alloy gradually reduces step attachment rates, resulting in an instability that favors adatom attachment at fast advancing step sections.
As continually testified in the practice of homeopathy, there is an inextricable relationship between the law of similars and potentization. When administered in an untreated state, toxic substances will have a toxic affect on patients, regardless of whether their symptom complex corresponds with that of the particular poison. Similarly, after potentization, the denatured substance retains its healing properties only when administered according to the law of similars. When the simile principle is disregarded, the altered substance is completely ineffective. This paper draws on the alchemical notion of sickness and healing for a theoretical framework with which to understand the relationship between the law of similars and the process of potentization. Demonstrating the way in which the alchemical insights that Paracelsus carried into his medical practice illuminate the efficacy of homeopathy, this paper exposes the hermetic influences of Hahnemann's “discovery” of potentization.
Obesity and metabolic syndrome are increasing dramatically worldwide, contributing to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. There are currently few safe and efficacious therapeutics for obesity and most strategies are focused on appetite suppression. Thyroid hormones reduce adiposity via increased metabolic rate, but unfortunately they cause large changes in metabolic rate and direct cardiac acceleration, making them useless for treating obesity. Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) work as transcription factors and two subtypes exist: TRalpha and TRbeta. TRalpha mediates tachycardia and much of the metabolic rate effect, while TRbeta mediates cholesterol and TSH lowering effects of thyroid hormones. TRbeta activation modestly increases metabolic rate such that a therapeutic window of 5-10 fold increases in metabolic rate can be seen without tachycardia. This was initially studied in TRalpha(1)(-/-) mice. Recent structure activity work has resulted in the discovery of several TRbeta selective thyromimetics such as KB-141. Studies with KB-141 show that it has a 10-fold window in which therapeutic increases in metabolic rate are seen without tachycardia or cardiac hypertrophy. This agent lowers cholesterol in rats and primates. In primates, KB-141 causes significant weight and cholesterol reduction in addition to the independent risk factor Lp(a). These effects were seen without any effect on heart rate, unlike thyroid hormone (T(3)). Further work with TRbeta selective agents is warranted and recent work suggests the possibility of developing compounds that selectively penetrate different tissues which may have an even more desirable therapeutic window. Selective thyromimetics, therefore, may be useful as adjunctive therapy to appetite suppressants along with exercise and diet restriction.
During stroke, cells in the infarct core exhibit rapid failure of their permeability barriers, which releases ions and inflammatory molecules that are deleterious to nearby tissue (the penumbra). Plasma membrane degradation is key to penumbral spread and is mediated by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are released via vesicular exocytosis into the extracellular fluid in response to stress. DIDS (4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulphonic acid) preserves membrane integrity in neurons challenged with an in vitro ischemic penumbral mimic (ischemic solution: IS) and we asked whether this action was mediated via inhibition of MMP activity. In cultured murine hippocampal neurons challenged with IS, intracellular proMMP-2 and -9 expression increased 4–10 fold and extracellular latent and active MMP isoform expression increased 2–22 fold. MMP-mediated extracellular gelatinolytic activity increased ∼20–50 fold, causing detachment of 32.1±4.5% of cells from the matrix and extensive plasma membrane degradation (>60% of cells took up vital dyes and >60% of plasma membranes were fragmented or blebbed). DIDS abolished cellular detachment and membrane degradation in neurons and the pathology-induced extracellular expression of latent and active MMPs. DIDS similarly inhibited extracellular MMP expression and cellular detachment induced by the pro-apoptotic agent staurosporine or the general proteinase agonist 4-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA). Conversely, DIDS-treatment did not impair stress-induced intracellular proMMP production, nor the intracellular cleavage of proMMP-2 to the active form, suggesting DIDS interferes with the vesicular extrusion of MMPs rather than directly inhibiting proteinase expression or activation. In support of this hypothesis, an antagonist of the V-type vesicular ATPase also inhibited extracellular MMP expression to a similar degree as DIDS. In addition, in a proteinase-independent model of vesicular exocytosis, DIDS prevented stimulus-evoked release of von Willebrand Factor from human umbilical vein endothelial cells. We conclude that DIDS inhibits MMP exocytosis and through this mechanism preserves neuronal membrane integrity during pathological stress.
An effective approach to compensate the positioning errors in a spherical near field - far field transformation for long antennas is proposed in this work. It relies on a nonredundant sampling representation of the electromagnetic fields assuming the antenna under test as enclosed in a cylinder ended in two half spheres and employs the singular value decomposition method to evaluate the near-field data at the points fixed by the nonredundant representation from the irregularly spaced ones. Once these data have been recovered, those needed by a near field - far field transformation with spherical scanning are efficiently evaluated by using an optimal sampling interpolation algorithm. Numerical tests assessing the effecttiveness of the proposed approach are shown.
The Chapter focuses on the importance of Value Co-Creation as a major Corporate Principle behind successful Corporate Governance practice of an organization. This chapter besides emphasizing on the trend of Innovation and Participatory Management as the success mantra for every business organization, also focuses on the role of Public Relations as a major means to achieve this Corporate Principle. To describe the growing trend of today’s service sector industries giving more importance to Value Co-Creation as an emerging concept in Business, Marketing and Innovation Management and Public Relations becoming one of the most sought after functions in an organization towards the achievement of Stakeholder Participation and Stakeholder Satisfaction, the Chapter makes a detail study of the Public Relations Office of a very renowned hospital of global repute and its contribution in building relations with the stakeholders of the hospital leading to its smooth functioning and generation of Value Co-Creation.
We review the implications of having a nontrivial matter component in the Universe and the potential for detecting such a component through the matter power spectrum and integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect. We adopt a phenomenological approach and consider the mysterious dark energy to be a cosmic fluid. It is thus fully characterized, up to linear order, by its equation of state and its speed of sound. Whereas the equation of state has been widely studied in the literature, less interest has been devoted to the speed of sound. Its observational consequences come predominantly from very large scale modes of dark matter perturbations $(kl0.01h{ mathrm{Mpc}}^{ ensuremath{-}1}).$ Since these modes have hardly been probed so far by large scale galaxy surveys, we investigate whether joint constraints can be placed on those two quantities using the recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuations measurements by the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe as well as the recently measured CMB large scale structure cross correlation. We find only a tentative 1 sigma detection of the speed of sound, from CMB alone, ${c}_{s}^{2}l0.04$ at this low significance level. Furthermore, the current uncertainties in bias in the matter power spectrum preclude any constraints being placed using the cross correlation of CMB with the NRAO VLA Sky Survey radio survey.
We report a simple and efficient transformation of thiol and thiocarbonylthio functional groups to bromides using stable and commercially available brominating reagents. This procedure allows for the quantitative conversion of a range of small molecule thiols (including primary, secondary and tertiary) to the corresponding bromides under mild conditions, as well as the facile chain-end modification of polystyrene (PS) homopolymers and block copolymers prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. Specifically, the direct chain-end bromination of PS prepared by RAFT was achieved, where the introduced terminal bromide remained active for subsequent modification or chain-extension using classical atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). This transformation sets the foundation for bridging RAFT and ATRP, two of the most widely used controlled radical polymerization (CRP) strategies, and enables the preparation of chain-end functionalized block copolymers not directly accessible using a single CRP technique.
Abstract A mild silver-mediated oxidative cyclization of acrylamides has been developed by using alkyl trifluoroborates as radical precursors. It proceeds through a tandem radical addition/cyclization process, in which two new carbon-carbon bonds were formed. This protocol allows reliable and practical access to build the skeleton of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles in moderate yields, the readily available starting reagents, broad substrate scope and mild reaction conditions are the characteristic features of this protocol. Graphical Abstract
IN the previous article I have considered Hume's theory of knowledge and may now proceed to his treatment of morals. My chief aim will be to show how Hume finds in the facts of the moral life convincing confirmation of his naturalistic view of reason, and so is enabled to develop an ethical theory in complete harmony with his general philosophy. Up to a certain point Green states very fairly the connexion between Hume's view of reason in his theory of knowledge and his account of its function in his ethics. " Reason, constituting no objects, affords no motives. 'It is only the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey thein.' . . . It is the clearness with which Hume points out that, as it cannot move, so neither can it restrain action, that in this regard chiefly distinguishes him from Locke. The check to any passion, he points out, can only proceed from some counter-motive, and such a motivo reason, 'having no original influence,' cannot give." 1 But, since Green has ignored Hume's doctrine of natural belief, and therefore has interpreted him as a thorough-going associationist, he very naturally treats as an inconsistency Hume's theory of the disinterested passions. Hume, he asserts, is constrained by his principles to explain all action as due to pleasure and pain. " Hume's system has the merit of relative consistency. He sees that the two sides of Locke's doctrine-one that thought originates nothing, but takes its objects as given in feeling, the other that the good which is the object of desire is pleasant feeling-are inseparable. Hence he decisively rejects every notion of rational or unselfish affections, which would imply that they are other than desires for pleasure. . . . But here his consistency stops. The principle which forbade him to admit any object of desire but pleasure is practically forgotten in his account of the sources of pleasure, and its being so forgotten is the condition
Background Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (nCRT) has become the standard of care for esophageal cancer patients prior to esophagectomy. However, the optimal timing for surgery after completion of nCRT remains unclear. Methods A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent esophagectomy with cervical anastomosis for esophageal cancer at a single institution between January 2000 and June 2015. Patients were categorized into 3 cohorts: those who did not receive nCRT prior to esophagectomy (no nCRT), those who underwent esophagectomy within 35 days after nCRT (≤35d), and those who underwent esophagectomy more than 35 days after nCRT (>35d). Results A total of 366 esophagectomies were performed during the study period, and 348 patients met the inclusion criteria. Anastomotic leaks occurred in 11.8% of all patients included in the study (41 of 348). Within each cohort, anastomotic leaks were detected in 14.7% of patients (17 of 116) in the no nCRT cohort, 7.3% (13 of 177) in the ≤35d cohort, and 20.0% (11 of 55) in the >35d cohort (p=0.020). Significant differences in the occurrence of anastomotic leaks were observed between the no nCRT and ≤35d cohorts (p=0.044), and between the ≤35d and >35d cohorts (p=0.007). Conclusion Esophagectomy with cervical anastomosis within 35 days of nCRT resulted in a lower percentage of anastomotic leaks.
This chapter employs a cross-theory perspective by combining the four theories of agency theory, resource-dependent theory, resource-based theory, and knowledgebased theory, intending to explore the impact of inter-organizational strategic alliance on organizational value-based decision-making model and intellectual capital. Drawing the related variables upon making the literature review, analysis and inference, it infers 18 propositions and builds up a conceptual model. As a result, it is found that different formation factors of inter-organizational strategic alliance not only have significanty impact on an agency problem, but also have positive or negative impact on core resource and core knowledge strategic alliance. It is also found that IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING This chapter appears in the book, Computational Economics: A Perspective from Computational Intelligence edited by Shu-Heng Chen, Lakhmi Jain & Chung-Ching Tai © 2006, Idea Group Inc. 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Suite 200, Hershey PA 17033-1240, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com ITB11873 Reducing Agency Problem 291 Copyright © 2006, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of Idea Group Inc. is prohibited. when there is an inter-organizational agency problem, it will further increase the agency cost, and impact on the organizational value-based decision of interorganizational strategic alliance in the future. Furthermore, the authors hope that researchers understanding through the governance mechanisms of inter-organizational core resource alliance and core knowledge strategic alliance are more matured, it will be more effective to prevent the appearance of agency problem and reduce agency cost and will be more helpful to the increase of organizational intellectual capital and the creation of organizational value. INTRODUCTION As there is a tendency towards global economization, many researchers are concerned about the issue of inter-organizational strategic alliance. First, when citing resource-dependent theory to study the issue of strategic alliance, Boyd (1990) found that when external environment uncertainty is raised, an inter-organizational merger is encouraged, ensuring the acquisition of rare resource. Second, the problem of how an organization uses the mechanism of strategic alliance to increase asset return ratio, reduce cost and raise organizational efficiency can be studied from a transaction cost perspective (Hennart, 1988; Oliver, 1991; Williamson, 1981). Third, some researchers adopt the perspective of strategic behavior theory to explore how the mechanism of interorganizational strategic alliance increases organizational competitive advantage (Davlin & Bleackley, 1988; Kanter, 1990; Porter, 1990). Fourth, the perspective of unified theory has been taken to integrate internalization theory, market failure and transaction cost theory, proving organizational strategic alliance to be the best choice of business operation model (Contractor, 1990). Fifth, from the perspective of network theory, some researchers explore how an organization merges with other organizations through network relationship alliance so as to obtain competitive advantage (Jarill, 1988; Johanson & Mattson, 1987). After literature reviews related to inter-organizational strategic alliance can be derived, it is clearly understood that most of the researchers have agreed with the argument that if an organization adopts appropriate strategic alliance, it is helpful to the reduction of operation cost, enlargement of economic scale, development of new product, acquisition of low capital cost, increase of profit and after-tax earnings, and improvement of financial performance (Auster, 1989; Contractor & Lorange, 1988; Souder & Nassar, 1990). Besides, strategic alliance enables the development of new market and new product, and the increase of market share and sales growth ratio in terms of marketing performance (Badaracco, 1991; De La Sierra, 1995; Harrigan, 1987). Furthermore, through the resource integration and synthetic organizational development of strategic alliance, an organization can undertake some general research and development (R&D) projects, obtain new knowledge or new technology and increase its competitive capability (De La Sierria, 1995; Gulati, 1999; Harrigan, 1987; Porter, 1990). As we know, most of the researchers in the past agreed with the argument that strategic alliance can improve an organizational performance. But after examination of the evolution indicator of strategic alliance performance from the literature, this chapter finds that most of the literature uses either subjective or objective methods to measure the strategic performance. Thus, many controversial arguments on this issue are found: 16 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the product's webpage: www.igi-global.com/chapter/reducing-agency-problemimproving-organizational/6792?camid=4v1 This title is available in InfoSci-Books, Business Intelligence, Business-Technology-Solution, InfoSci-Business Technologies, Business, Administration, and Management, InfoSci-Business. Recommend this product to your librarian: www.igi-global.com/e-resources/libraryrecommendation/?id=1
Microorganisms are widely used in various beneficial applications, including food, pest control, bioremediation, biodegradation, biofuel processes, and plant symbiosis and growth stimulation. This book provides an overview of the available methodology for safety assessments of microorganisms, including determination of their infectivity and whether they produce toxic or sensitizing substances. Also covered are the regulatory systems in risk assessment and management of microbial products, quarantine legislations, international treaties, the importance of public risk perception and risk reduction behavior.
PURPOSE We modeled retropulsion during holmium:YAG lithotripsy on the conservation of momentum, whereby the force of ejected fragment debris off of the calculous surface should equal the force of retropulsion displacing the stone. We tested the hypothesis that retropulsion occurs as a result of ejected stone debris.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Uniform calculous phantoms were irradiated with holmium:YAG energy in air and in water. Optical fiber diameter and pulse energy were varied. Motion of the phantom was monitored with high speed video imaging. Laser induced crater volume and geometry were characterized by optical coherence tomography. To determine the direction of plume laser burn paper was irradiated at various incident angles.   RESULTS Retropulsion was greater for phantoms irradiated in air versus water. Retropulsion increased as fiber diameter increased and as pulse energy increased (p <0.001). Crater volumes increased as pulse energy increased (p <0.05) and generally increased as fiber diameter increased. Crater geometry was wide and shallow for larger fibers, and narrow and deeper for smaller fibers. The ejected plume propagated in the direction normal to the burn paper surface regardless of the laser incident angle.   CONCLUSIONS Retropulsion increases as pulse energy and optical fiber diameter increase. Vector analysis of the ejected plume and crater geometry explains increased retropulsion using larger optical fibers. Holmium:YAG lithotripsy should be performed with small optical fibers to limit retropulsion.
Squamous cell carcinomas of the oesophagus are a completely different entity from adenocarcinomas in regard to their aetiopathology, tumour biology, co-morbidity, operative risk, and prognosis. For superficial squamous cell carcinomas, the risk of a relevant lymph node metastatisation already exists from the mucosal infiltration level m3 onward, and thus oncological resection is indicated. Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy is the international standard for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma. The early-response should be determined. Non-responders must be identified early, and a salvage operation with a justifiable operative risk should be carried out. Due to its high complete response rate, definitive radiochemotherapy is an option especially for squamous cell carcinomas of the upper third of the oesophagus and for patients with a high operative risk, even though local tumour control is significantly better after surgical therapy. Due to the success of definitive radiochemotherapy, the question is being asked increasingly, whether surgical resection after neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy will still be necessary in the future or whether radiochemotherapy alone can attain similar results for relapse-free survival and total survival. Surgical therapy should always be carried out in a specialised high volume centre with low morbidity and mortality. Future research will focus on predictors of the histopathological response, in order to possibly more accurately avoid surgical morbidity in patients with complete pathological responses after multimodal therapy.
Lipid transfer particle (LTP) is a high-molecular-weight, very high-density lipoprotein known to catalyze the transfer of lipids between a variety of lipoproteins, including both insects and vertebrates. Studying the biosynthesis and regulation pathways of LTP in detail has not been possible due to a lack of information regarding the apoproteins. Here, we sequenced the cDNA and deduced amino acid sequences for three apoproteins of LTP from the silkworm (Bombyx mori). The three subunit proteins of the LTP are coded by two genes, apoLTP-II/I and apoLTP-III. ApoLTP-I and apoLTP-II are predicted to be generated by posttranslational cleavage of the precursor protein, apoLTP-II/I. Clusters of amphipathic secondary structure within apoLTP-II/I are similar to Homo sapiens apolipoprotein B (apoB) and insect lipophorins. The apoLTP-II/I gene is a novel member of the apoB/large lipid transfer protein gene family. ApoLTP-III has a putative conserved juvenile hormone-binding protein superfamily domain. Expression of apoLTP-II/I and apoLTP-III genes was synchronized and both genes were primarily expressed in the fat body at the stage corresponding to increased lipid transport needs. We are now in a position to study in detail the physiological role of LTP and its biosynthesis and assembly.
An experimental system has been constructed which enables on‐line measurements of phosphorus‐31 (31P) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra for growing bacterial suspensions under anaerobic or aerobic conditions. A sample stream from a laboratory bioreactor is circulated to the NMR sample chamber in a gas exchange system which permits maintenance of aerobic conditions for high‐cell‐density cultures. 31P NMR spectra with resolution comparable with those obtained traditionally using dense, concentrated, nongrowing cell suspensions can be obtained at cell densities above 25 g/L with acquisition times ranging from 14 to 3 minutes which decline as cell density increases. This system has been employed to characterize the changes in intracellular state of a stationary phase culture which is subjected to a transition from aerobic to anaerobic conditions. Both intracellular NTP level and cytoplasmic pH are substantially lower under anaerobic conditions. Also, the system has been employed to observe the response of a growing culture to external addition of acetate. Cells are able to maintain pH difference across the cytoplasmic membrane at extracellular acetate concentrations of 5 and 10 g/L. However, acetate concentrations of 20 g/L cause collapse of the transmembrane ΔpH and sharp reduction of the growth rate of the culture. The experimental configuration described should also permit NMR observations of many other types of microbial cultures and of other nuclei. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
In order to analyze an elliptical light wave, we must find its state of polarization which is completely determined by three parameters, i.e., the direction (azimuth), the form (ellipticity), and the sense of the ellipse described by the light vector. In this paper a survey is given of the direct and indirect methods used for the measurement of the magnitudes of the three parameters. First, a mathematical treatment, which uses the calculus of quaternions, of the state of polarization for special cases will give the background to the theories of the methods discussed.
For a relativistic Birkhoffian system, the Lie symmetry and Hojman conserved quantity are given under infinitesimal transformations. On the basis of the invariance of relativistic Birkhoffian equations under infinitesimal transformations, Lie symmetrical transformations of the system are constructed, which only depend on the Birkhoffian variables. The determining equations of Lie symmetry are given, and a Hojman conserved quantity is directly obtained from Lie symmetry of the system. An example is given to illustrate the application of the results.
Backgroud: Kidney injury of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) contributes to major mortality of SLE. To explore biomarkers is necessary for diagnosing and supervising SLE-related kidney injury. However, few effective biomarkers can be used for it.    Methods: Apriori algorithm of association rules was employed to identify laboratory biomarkers related to SLE-related kidney injury. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify its risk factors, and spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between biomarkers and disease activity of SLE-related kidney injury.    Finding: Ten biomarkers were identified by association rule mining. Among them, triglyceride, lactic dehydrogenase and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase were significantly higher, and hemoglobin and hematocrit were significantly lower in the patients of SLE with kidney injury compared to that without kidney injury. Furthermore, triglyceride was an independent risk factor for SLE-related kidney injury. Triglyceride level was positively correlated with urine protein and P-CAST and it was negatively correlated with albumin and IgG. The area under the receiver operating characteristic analysis for triglyceride was 0.72 in SLE-related kidney injury. The cutoff value of triglyceride for diagnosing SLE-related kidney injury was 1.84mmol/L. In addition, higher levels of triglyceride were found at the time of onset of renal disease (p=0.048).    Conclusion: Triglyceride may be a biomarker for diagnosing SLE-related kidney injury.    Funding Statement: This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundations of China (grant number 81960388), Longyuan Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talents (grant number No. 9, 2020, Organization Department of Gansu Province).    Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.    Ethics Approval Statement: The study protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University (No. LDYYLL201731).
Intracranial lipoma is an uncommon entity. A rare type of tumor in the internal auditory canal (IAC) and the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) is lipoma. There are a few case reports in the literature related to intravestibular lipoma. Herein, we report a case of lipomas within the cerebellopontine angle and vestibule of the inner ear in a patient with tinnitus and dizziness. The patient was evaluated with a 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. MRI and CT showed the masses in the left CPA and the left IAC. These lesions were hyperintense on both T1- and T2 weighted images and showed no enhancement after gadolinium administration. Conservative management was suggested. Histopathological diagnosis is rarely necessary with the widespread use of magnetic resonance imaging. Considering significant morbidity during resection, conservative follow-up is the best approach for CPA and IAC lipoma.
Corporate venture capital (CVC) is a valuable strategic tool associated with numerous innovative outcomes. However, less is known about whether CVC investing creates value for the investing (or parent) firm. Drawing from the attention–based view and contingency theory, we suggest that an increase in firm value from CVC investing is contingent on attentional mechanisms that discipline the selection of new investment opportunities. We posit that increases in firm value associated with CVC investing accrues to firms adopting specific operational structures and operating in particular environmental contexts. We find support for our research model in a sample of 95 companies between 2000 and 2008.
The growth of transplanted carcinomas originating in a gonadectomized C3H male mouse was much faster in intact male mice than in intact or gonadectomized females. Administration of 17beta-estradiol or testosterone propionate in pellets resulted in a marked acceleration of the carcinoma growth in intact female mice. Progesterone and deoxycorticosterone acetate exerted no influence on the carcinoma growth. Neither gonadotropins (pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin plus human chorionic gonadotropin) nor ACTH accelerated the growth. In contrast, cortisone acetate in pellets markedly reduced the growth rate of carcinoma transplants when administered simultaneously with the transplantation. Cortisone acetate also arrested the growth-accelerating effect of 17beta-estradiol on transplanted carcinomas.
Cholesterol and triglycerides, important lipid constituents of cell, are essential to carry out several vital physiological functions. Lipids might be associated with cancers because they play a key role in the maintenance of cell integrity. The pathway for cholesterol synthesis may also produce various tumorigenic compounds and cholesterol serves as a precursor for the synthesis of many sex hormones linked to increased risk of various cancers. In some malignant diseases, blood cholesterol undergoes early and significant changes. The mechanism for the link between cancer and cholesterol remains controversial. The dates from studies are confusing because both hypolipidemia and hypercholesterolemia might be connected with malignancy. Not only cancers but also antineoplastic therapies have an influence on lipid profile. There are also dates suggesting that antihyperlipemic drugs might nfluenced malignancy.
The paper presents the average bit error rate (BER) of a maximal ratio combining (MRC) two-dimensional (2D)-RAKE receiver in correlated frequency selective Nakagami fading environments in the presence of multiple co-channel interferences. A closed-form expression of the simple approximated probability density function for the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) is derived for the receiver with multiple correlated antennas and multiple RAKE branches in arbitrary fading environments. The effects of spatial and temporal diversity order, angular spread, antenna spacing, average multi-path strength and fading severity on the performance of the MRC 2D-RAKE receivers are all illustrated.
Engineering ceramics possess unique combinations of physical, chemical, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. Consequently, many exciting new applications for the ceramic materials have emerged over the past several decades. Among the major commercial applications for these materials are: passive electronics; optronics/photonics; piezoceramics; mechanical; biomaterials; refractories; electrochemical and transparencies. This chapter provides a brief overview of how ceramics are processed and the ramifications of processing on properties. Next, a short discussion of the special issues that one encounters in mechanical design with brittle materials is presented. The chapter reviews several of the engineering applications of ceramics and glasses, which discuss some of the specific combinations of properties that have led design engineers to the selected material(s), follow. It provides how to obtain information on materials sources. Future growth in advanced ceramics utilization will be driven by organic growth in many existing applications and by expansion into new ones.      Keywords:    brittle materials;  ceramic materials;  engineering applications;  mechanical design;  passive electronics;  piezoceramics
Abstract Soybean DAS‐68416‐4 was developed by Agrobacterium tumefaciens‐mediated transformation to express the aryloxyalkanoate dioxygenase‐12 (AAD‐12) protein, conferring tolerance to 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D) and other related phenoxy herbicides, and the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (PAT) protein, conferring tolerance to glufosinate ammonium‐based herbicides. The molecular characterisation data and bioinformatics analyses did not identify issues requiring further assessment for food/feed safety. The agronomic and phenotypic characteristics tested revealed no relevant differences between soybean DAS‐68416‐4 and its conventional counterpart, except for ‘days to 50% flowering’. The compositional analysis identified no differences requiring further assessment, except for an increase (up to 36%) in lectin activity in soybean DAS‐68416‐4. Such increase is unlikely to raise additional concerns for food/feed safety and nutrition for soybean DAS‐68416‐4 as compared to its conventional counterpart and the non‐GM reference varieties. There were no concerns regarding the potential toxicity and allergenicity of the two newly expressed proteins, and no evidence that the genetic modification might significantly change the overall allergenicity of soybean DAS‐68416‐4. Soybean DAS‐68416‐4 is as nutritious as its conventional counterpart and the non‐GM reference varieties. There are no indications of an increased likelihood of establishment and spread of occasional feral soybean DAS‐68416‐4 plants, unless these are exposed to the intended herbicides. The likelihood of environmental effects resulting from the accidental release of viable seeds from soybean DAS‐68416‐4 into the environment is therefore very low. The post‐market environmental monitoring plan and reporting intervals are in line with the intended uses of soybean DAS‐68416‐4. The GMO Panel concludes that the information available addresses the scientific comments of the Member States and that soybean DAS‐68416‐4, as described in this application, is as safe as its conventional counterpart and the tested non‐GM reference varieties with respect to potential effects on human and animal health and the environment in the context of the scope of this application.
We report on the strong bolometric response of doped stannic oxide single crystals to submillimeter radiation. As confirmed up to 120 kG, the magnetic field dependence of the bolometric response is negligible. The bolometer responsivity at zero frequency has been evaluated from the load curve and compared with the corresponding data of the Ge bolometer. The new detector has been used successfully in a magnetic field to detect the electron cyclotron resonance in InSb.
Background and Aims: Risk Stratification has an important place in cardiac surgery to identify high-risk cases and optimally allocate resources. Hence various risk scoring systems have been tried to predict mortality. The aim of the present study was to validate the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II) in Indian cardiac surgical patients. Methods: After obtaining ethics committee clearance, data on EuroSCORE II variables were collected for all patients >18 years undergoing on-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve surgery and mixed (CABG + valve) procedures between January 2011 and December 2012. Mortality prediction was done using the online calculator from the site www.euroscore.org. The calibration of the EuroSCORE II model was analysed using the Hosmer–Lemeshow test and discrimination was analysed by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) and calculating area under the curve (AUC). The analysis was done in the total sample, CABG, valve surgery and in mixed procedures. Results: The overall observed mortality was 5.7% in the total sample, 6.6% in CABG, 4.2% in valve surgeries and 10.2% in mixed procedures whereas the predicted mortality was 2.9%, 3.1%, 2.4%, 5.1% in total sample, CABG, valve surgery and mixed procedure, respectively. The significance (P value) of Hosmer–Lemeshow test was 0.292, 0.45, 0.56 and 1 for the total sample, CABG, valve surgery and mixed procedure, respectively, indicating good calibration. The AUC of ROC was 0.76, 0.70, 0.83 and 0.78 for total sample, CABG, valve surgery and mixed procedure, respectively. Conclusion: Mortality of the sample was under-predicted by EuroSCORE II. Calibration of the EuroSCORE II model was good for total sample as well as for all surgical subcategories. Discrimination was good in the total sample and in the mixed procedure population, acceptable in CABG patients and excellent in valve surgeries.
Abstract The anthracnose disease caused by Colletotrichum species is well-known as a major plant pathogen that primarily causes fruit rot in pepper and reduces its marketability. Thirty-five isolates representing species of Colletotrichum were obtained from chili fruits showing anthracnose disease symptoms in Chungcheongnam-do and Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. These 35 isolates were characterized according to morphological characteristics and nucleotide sequence data of internal transcribed spacer, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase, and β-tubulin. The combined dataset shows that all of these 35 isolates were identified as C. scovillei and morphological characteristics were directly correlated with the nucleotide sequence data. Notably, these isolates were recorded for the first time as the causes of anthracnose caused by C. scovillei on pepper in Korea. Forty cultivars were used to investigate the pathogenicity and to identify the possible source of resistance. The result reveals that all of chili cultivars used in this study are susceptible to C. scovillei.
Somewhere between the journal issue with diverse contents and the specialist monograph lies the essay collection, usually born in a welter of enthusiasm that the concerns of a coterie of researchers are coming of age. Scholars often take the opportunity to develop interesting lines of research at the periphery of their principal concerns, or to publish an excerpt from a longer line of investigation. Both can individually be valuable. But such volumes often implicitly pose a question: do the contributions together denote a common concern, or is the volume's title a flag of convenience? The editors’ argument for the unity of this particular volume is that medical films and television can and should be considered as a distinct genre.    Martin Pernick, who did so much to open the eyes of medical historians to the value of studying films with The black stork (1996), elegantly opens the volume with his reflections on the interrelations of these two subjects in the early twentieth century. This impressively compact contribution illustrates the ways in which medical films were products of their age, exemplifying “a highly technological romanticism”. Two further contributions focus on health education films. John Parascandola's essay is about the tension between moral and medical discourse in US Public Health Service VD films, ostensibly from the Second World War, though ranging back to the Great War. This account, structured around extended summaries of half a dozen films, nicely illustrates the universal features of health education film production, and also what is specific to VD. Leslie Reagan's contribution is an entirely successful fusion of medical and film history, built around a case study of Breast self-examination, a 1950 health education film, compared with a film for physicians, Breast cancer, the problem of early diagnosis (1949), both made by the American Cancer Society. Here the films were integral parts of the medical ideology of personal responsibility for health.    Lisa Cartwright's essay on Alexander Mackendrick's 1952 Ealing Studios film Mandy strains at the edge of the volume's concerns, belying the volume's subtitle by discussing a British film, and taking us into the deep waters of psychoanalysis and feminist film theory. The Mandy of the title is a mute child who learns to speak; Cartwright interprets this as the “struggle to articulate ‘the word’ as a literal expression of the female subject's emergence into the public sphere” (pp. 134–5).    Nancy Tomes explores the interwar “conscious recruitment and deployment of famous people to promote public awareness of specific diseases” (p. 36). But in none of her five examples was a major film crucial to the public's understanding of the disease in question. In both of the cases where biopics were made—Pride of the Yankees (1942) about Lou Gehrig and Rhapsody in Blue (1945) about Gershwin—the disease was underplayed. If this rather undercuts the thrust of the essay, it demonstrates the need to look at media other than film to understand the cultural presence of disease. The RKO biopic Sister Kenny (1946) is the main subject of Naomi Rogers’ highly readable essay. This variant on the Hollywood heroic doctor movie, unlike the others in the cycle, featured a living female protagonist who was not only in conflict with the medical establishment, but also took part in the making of the film. Vanessa Northington Gamble compares two films about black physicians made in a brief postwar fashion for “race problem” movies, Lost boundaries (1949) and No way out (1950). Certainly a sensitive study of the issues, this essay seems at times only incidentally to be concerned with medicine.    A comparison of the factors affecting the cinematic representation of animal and human experimentation is the focus of Susan Lederer's essay. The impact of anti-vivisectionists was such that the depiction of animal experimentation was much more constrained than that of heroic humans. In the volume's only excursion into science fiction, Valerie Hartouni's essay, despite its opaque language, provides an interesting and well-contextualized discussion of the implications of the genetic technologies represented in Gatacca (1997). Notwithstanding the dystopian fears of such fantasies, she argues that social technologies of law and public policy really define personhood, not bioscience.    Joseph Turow and Rachel Gans-Boriskin's chapter is an elegant discussion of the establishment and career of the dominant formula in medical television dramas in which heroic and authoritative doctors preside in high technology hospitals. They show how the politics of health care budgets have only latterly begun to be shown in their plotlines. Rather problematically in the midst of even-handed historical accounts, Paula Treichler's contribution on an HIV/AIDS storyline in the soap opera General Hospital starts with a call to arms demanding “effective mass media education and intervention efforts in health and medicine” (p. 93). The essay ends with a question about whether the storyline succeeded. As her case study is largely descriptive of series episodes, I slightly missed a discussion of whether the storyline was designed to be educational.    The editors have created a book that acts as a sampler for a range of approaches to films and medicine. Not all types of medical and health film are considered, and a select range of approaches is exemplified, but this will be a valuable collection for scholars to take out of the library (its price is likely to deter student purchases). But does it establish the editors’ contention that medical films and television constitute a genre? I am not convinced; they are certainly not a genre in the sense estab-lished within film studies that westerns or Carry on films are. What the volume shows is that medicine is the subject of a wide variety of films of different genres. The chapters bear this out: Sister Kenny, for example, is a biopic, the VD films are health education films, and General Hospital is a soap opera. But there is another way of looking at this; it is not so significant that medical moving pictures are not a genre as that those who write about them are not yet a community with shared approaches and concerns. At the moment this diversity is a strength, but an edited volume is a difficult type of publication to bring about the rapprochements and focus that would tease out the similarities and differences that would enable secure generalizations to be made. In that sense, the study of these image artefacts has indeed come of age, but it has not yet reached maturity.
Nefazodone is an antidepressant medication which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of major depressive disorder in 1994. This article summarizes the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, adverse effects, and drug interactions of nefazodone as well as its administration and dosing schedule. The potential efficacy of nefazodone in treating anxiety, premenstrual syndrome, chronic pain conditions, and sleep disturbances also is summarized. Nefazodone has a favorable side effects profile which makes it an attractive alternative option for patients who withdraw from treatment when they develop adverse effects to other available antidepressants.
This paper examines the nature of learning cultures in English Further Education (FE), as revealed in the Transforming Learning Cultures in FE (TLC) research project. In it, we describe four characteristics of a generic FE learning culture: the significance of learning cultures in every site; the significance of the tutor in influencing site learning cultures; the often negative impact of policy and management approaches; and the ever‐present issue of course status. We go on to different types of learning cultures within FE related to the degrees of synergy and conflict between the multiple influences on learning in those sites. In general, sites with greater synergy have more effective learning, pointing to valuable new ways to further improve learning. However, such synergy is sometimes difficult to achieve, and brings further problems in its train. It is important to separate out judgments about learning effectiveness, from equally important ones about learning value. The conceptions of the latter varied from site to site, and were often contested.
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are ~22 base pair long RNAs that play important roles in regulating gene expression. Understanding the transcriptional regulation of miRNA is critical to gene regulation. However, it is often difficult to precisely identify miRNA transcription start sites (TSSs) due to miRNA-specific biogenesis. Existing computational methods cannot effectively predict miRNA TSSs. Here, we employed deep learning architectures incorporating Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) techniques to detect miRNA TSSs in regions of accessible chromatin. By testing on benchmark experimental data, we demonstrated that deep learning models outperform support vector machine and can accurately distinguish miRNA TSSs from both flanking regions and intergenic regions.
Characterization of the spatiotemporal distribution of soil volumetric water content (θ) is fundamental to agriculture, ecology, and earth science. Given the labor intensive and inefficient nature of determining θ, apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) measured by electromagnetic induction has been used as a proxy. A number of previous studies have employed inversion algorithms to convert ECa data to depth‐specific electrical conductivity (σ) which could then be correlated to soil θ and other soil properties. The purpose of this study was to develop a spatiotemporal inversion algorithm which accounts for the temporal continuity of ECa. The algorithm was applied to a case study where time‐lapse ECa was collected on a 350 m transect on seven different days on an alfalfa farm in the USA. Results showed that the approach was able to map the location of moving wetting front along the transect. Results also showed that the spatiotemporal inversion algorithm was more precise (RMSE = 0.0457 cm3/cm3) and less biased (ME = −0.0023 cm3/cm3) as compared with the nonspatiotemporal inversion approach (0.0483 cm3/cm3 and ME = −0.0030 cm3/cm3, respectively). In addition, the spatiotemporal inversion algorithm allows for a reduced set of ECa surveys to be used when non abrupt changes of soil water content occur with time. To apply this spatiotemporal inversion algorithm beyond low induction number condition, full solution of the EM induction phenomena can be studied in the future.
We present single-epoch black hole mass (MBH) estimators based on the rest-frame ultraviolet (UV) Mg ii 2798 Å and optical Hβ 4861 Å emission lines. To enlarge the luminosity range of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we combine the 31 reverberation-mapped AGNs with relatively low luminosities from Bahk et al., 47 moderate-luminosity AGNs from Woo et al., and 425 high-luminosity AGNs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The combined sample has a monochromatic luminosity at 5100 Å in the range erg s−1, over the range 5.5 < log(MBH/M⊙) < 9.5. Based on the fiducial mass from the line dispersion or FWHM of Hβ paired with the continuum luminosity at 5100 Å, we calibrate the best-fit parameters in the black hole mass estimators using the Mg ii line. We find that the differences in the line profiles between Mg ii and Hβ have significant effects on calibrating the UV MBH estimators. By exploring the systematic discrepancy between the UV and optical MBH estimators as a function of AGN properties, we suggest adding a correction term in the equation for the UV mass estimator. We also find a ∼0.1 dex bias in the MBH estimation due to the difference in the spectral slope in the range 2800–5200 Å. Depending on whether the selection of MBH estimator is based on either line dispersion or FWHM and either continuum or line luminosity, the derived UV mass estimators show ≳0.1 dex intrinsic scatter with respect to the fiducial Hβ-based MBH.
The paper deals with the problem of the first marriage of the Serbian king  Stephen Uros II (Milutin), mentioned by the Byzantine author George  Pachymeres, with the aim to reinforce the existing thesis that it was a  marriage with a Serbian noble Helen, concluded in the 1270-ies, but divorced  soon after he came to the Serbian throne in 1282. It also provides an  overview of the nature and character of that marriage and the possible  reasons why it was dissolved and declared invalid.
To facilitate preschoolers’ emotional development, it is useful to have a developmentally and culturally appropriate measure of emotion knowledge. The Affect Knowledge Test (AKT), a widely used measure of emotion knowledge, has been previously used with diverse cultural groups, including Japanese preschoolers, despite scarce reliability and validity information. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to conduct field tests of the Japanese-translated version of the AKT and a preliminary psychometric evaluation of the measure with Japanese preschoolers. Initial analyses of the Japanese-translated version of the AKT showed that the emotion recognition scale had a low internal consistency and subscales were hardly correlated with each other. After emotion faces used in the AKT were modified based on the interdependent cultures’ attention bias in emotion decoding, both reliability and construct-related validity were improved to satisfactory levels. These findings highlight the importance of cross-cultural adaptation of measures and demonstrate preliminary validity evidence for future adaptation of the AKT with Japanese preschoolers.
Studies were conducted in microdissected rat terminal inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD) segments to determine whether agents that activate the phosphoinositide signaling pathway regulate osmotic water permeability independent of the action of vasopressin. Water was withheld from the rats for 24 h before the experiments, a procedure that yields a stably high osmotic water permeability in isolated perfused terminal IMCDs in the absence of vasopressin. In the present studies, the vasopressin-independent osmotic water permeability was sustained at approximately 300 microns/s for at least 90 min. We used the cholinergic agent carbachol (10-100 microM) to activate the phosphoinositide pathway. This agent has previously been reported to increase the hydrolysis of inositol phospholipids in IMCD cells without altering adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate production. In preliminary studies, we demonstrated (using fura 2) that carbachol transiently increases intracellular calcium and that this response was blocked by atropine, confirming that muscarinic receptors are coupled to activation of the phosphoinositide signaling pathway in these cells. In the absence of vasopressin, both carbachol (10 microM) and phorbol myristate acetate (1 nM) inhibited osmotic water permeability by 40-50% within 10 min. These effects were partially blocked by calphostin C, an inhibitor of protein kinase C. These results demonstrate that activation of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and/or activation of protein kinase C markedly inhibits osmotic water permeability in isolated perfused IMCD segments, even in the absence of prior stimulation by vasopressin.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common types of gastrointestinal malignancy. Traditional therapeutic options for CRC exhibit a limited effect. Adoptive cellular therapy has emerged as a new treatment strategy for CRC. Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells. Specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) activated by DCs pulsed with tumor lysate have been reported to be a safe and promising treatment approach for CRC. However, the antitumor effect of specific CTLs remains limited. The low immunogenicity of tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) is the main reason for this limited therapeutic effect. In the present study, α-gal epitopes were synthesized on the CRC cell line SW620 to increase the immunogenicity of TAAs. DCs were pulsed with α-gal-expressing tumor lysate and CTLs were activated by these DCs. The cytotoxicity of CTLs was measured in vitro. The results demonstrated that DCs pulsed with α-gal-expressing tumor lysate can increase the frequency of CD3+CD8+ CTLs and natural killer T cells, increase the level of tumor necrosis factor-α produced by CTLs and enhance the cytotoxicity of CTLs against tumor cells. Therefore, this novel approach may be an effective treatment strategy for patients with CRC.
In this paper a new approach to 3D HMI suited to Java platform is presented. The technique described is based on Java3D package (rendering package) and a VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) Java loader which creates a bridge between the CAD system and the rendering engine. The new approach is step-by-step demonstrated on a real Furuta pendulum HMI. Moreover, it is shown that after adding a simulation core containing the pendulum model one gets an interactive virtual reality laboratory which can be simply embedded into a web page as the Java applet. Such applet can be even stored at some embedded control device with built in web server. The authors believe that the presented technique will be applicable in both academic and industrial sphere.
Microglia have been recognized as macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS) that are regarded as a culprit of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, microglia have been considered as a cell that should be suppressed for maintaining a homeostatic CNS environment. However, microglia ontogeny, fate, heterogeneity, and their function in health and disease have been defined better with advances in single-cell and imaging technologies, and how to maintain homeostatic microglial function has become an emerging issue for targeting neurodegenerative diseases. Microglia are long-lived cells of yolk sac origin and have limited repopulating capacity. So, microglial perturbation in their lifespan is associated with not only neurodevelopmental disorders but also neurodegenerative diseases with aging. Considering that microglia are long-lived cells and may lose their functional capacity as they age, we can expect that aged microglia contribute to various neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, understanding microglial development and aging may represent an opportunity for clarifying CNS disease mechanisms and developing novel therapies.
The new Euphorinae genus, Notioperilitus Belokobylskij, gen. nov., with type species Perilitus morabinarum Blackith, 1967, from Australia, a parasitoid of adult Orthoptera in the subfamily Morabinae, is described and illustrated. Its taxonomic position and biological peculiarities are discussed. Additionally, modern generic positions (in Centistoides van Achterberg 1992, and Marshiella Shaw 1985 respectively) are proposed for two Malagasy species described by Granger (1949), Centistes ophthalmicus Granger, 1949 and Microctonus madecassus Granger, 1949, which are illustrated. A lectotype of Microctonus madecassus Granger is designated.
Indoor object localization can enable many ubicomp applications, such as asset tracking and object-related activity recognition. Most location and tracking systems rely on either battery-powered devices which create cost and maintenance issues or cameras which have accuracy and privacy issues. This paper introduces a system that is able to detect the 3D position and motion of a battery-free RFID tag embedded with an ultrasound detector and an accelerometer. Combining tags' acceleration with location improves the system's power management and supports activity recognition. We characterize the system's localization performance in open space as well as implement it in a smart wet lab application. The system is used to track real-time location and motion of the tags in the wet lab as well as recognize pouring actions performed on the objects to which the tag is attached. The median localization accuracy is 7.6cm -- (3.1, 5, 1.9)cm for each (x, y, z) axis -- with max update rates of 15 Sample/s using single RFID reader antenna.
Here, we report the draft genome sequences of avian Chlamydia abortus genotype G2 strain 15-49d3, isolated from mallard, and genotype 1V strain 15-58d44, isolated from magpie in Poland. The total genome assembly lengths are 1,140,139 bp and 1,158,207 bp, respectively. ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequences of avian Chlamydia abortus genotype G2 strain 15-49d3, isolated from mallard, and genotype 1V strain 15-58d44, isolated from magpie in Poland. The total genome assembly lengths are 1,140,139 bp and 1,158,207 bp, respectively.
Building hardware visual experiment environment (VEE) by software technic is an efficient way to improving the efficiency of computer hardware teaching and experiment design. This paper based on the computer principle & interface technology curriculum CAI, the concept and features of VEE is presented at first, and then some principles and tactics are summarized in building VEE. The implementation of VEE for computer principle & interface technology curriculum shows the efficiency and practicality of VEE technology in CAI system.
Previous studies have shown Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) as a risk factor for development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. However, controversies remain as to whether these changes are consequences of the associated obesity or OSA itself results in endocrine and metabolic changes, including impairment of insulin sensitivity, growth hormone, secretion inflammatory cytokines alterations, activation of peripheral sympathetic activity, and hipothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, that may predispose to vascular disease. Furthermore many cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, are strongly associated with OSA. In this article, we will review the evidence and discuss possible mechanisms underlying these links and the pathophysiology of OSA morbidities.
In case of limited data, the system performance of speaker recognition decreased significantly. To resolve this problem, it designed fuzzy kernel entropy vector quantization with sectional set to train speakers' models and make identification decision in high-dimensional feature space. Entropy function can make the algorithm have clear physical meaning and avoid the unsuitable choose of fuzzy weighted exponent. Sectional set method was used to modify the membership function, which can improve the convergence speed and recognition rate. Experimental results show that for about 5s of training and 1s of testing data, the performance of proposed method are 95.95%.
Purpose – This paper aims to provide details of the role that lasers play in manufacturing processes. Design/methodology/approach – Following an introduction, this paper first considers laser technologies used in welding, cutting and drilling. Techniques which add material or modify material’s properties, namely, pulsed laser deposition, laser cladding, heat treatment and laser peening are then discussed. A number of specific applications are cited and finally, brief conclusions are drawn. Findings – This paper shows that many laser-based processes are used to conduct a range of critical functions in the automotive, electronics, aerospace, power generation, medical and other industries. Originality/value – This paper illustrates the importance of lasers in a diversity of manufacturing processes.
One of the important roles of the airport, the facilities for passenger service improvement, is becoming increasingly advanced. Therefore, the passengers who use the airport are making effort to provide comfortable, pleasant and timely service. As the number of passengers in the airport increases, the complexity and waiting time become longer. For this reason, foreign airports prefer unmanned counters rather than manned counters in order to streamline airport procedures. We have developed a simulator to use these unmanned counters more efficiently.
Introduction: Low-energy laser photostimuation has been reported to affect the proliferative phase of wound healing and stimulate macrophages. Light-emitting diodes (LED) are an efficient, inexpensive source of low energy photons. We propose that LED therapy will stimulate macrophage production of VEGF and NO.    Methods: Serum-starved RAW 264.7 cells (5 × 105cells/ml) were treated with or without LPS (10 ng/ml) and IFN-gamma (100 Units/ml) for 24 hours. Cells were divided into groups: 1) control – no LED, 2) 670 nm, 3) 730 nm, 4) 880 nm, and 5) combination (880 nm/730 nm/670 nm) at 4 J/cm2 per wavelength. Twenty-four hours post-LED, conditioned media was analyzed for VEGF (ELISA) and nitrites (Greiss assay). Proliferation was assessed using BrDU incorporation. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-test.    Results: In serum-starved cells, proliferation was unchanged by LED. VEGF and nitrite levels were increased in groups 4 (VEGF = 1057.1 +/− 100.3 pg/ml; nitrites = 11.13 +/− 0.79 uM) and 5 (VEGF = 1148.9 +/− 88.5 pg/ml; nitrites = 10.72 +/− 1.03 uM) compared to control (VEGF = 812.2 +/− 94.8 pg/ml; nitrites = 7.32 +/− 1.92 uM). LPS/IFN decreased proliferation 25 percent at all wavelengths compared to control + LPS/IFN (p < 0.01). Nitrite and VEGF levels were markedly elevated in all five LPS/IFN-treated groups with no appreciable intergroup differences.    Conclusions: LPS/IFN stimulation resulted in maximally elevated levels of nitrites and VEGF, possibly masking the effects of LED. Serum-starved RAW 264.7 cells responded to LED treatment at 880 nm and combined wavelengths with increased VEGF and NO production. These results suggest that LED treatment at 880 nm and 880 nm/730 nm/670 nm may upregulate the production of pro-angiogenic factors by macrophages in the wound bed.
Background: The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) certification and maintenance of certification (MOC) programs strive to provide the public with guidance about a physician's competence. This study summarizes the literature on the effectiveness of these programs. Method: A literature search was conducted for studies published between 1986 and April 2013 and limited to ABMS certification. A modified version of Kirkpatrick's 4 levels of program evaluation included the reaction of stakeholders to certification, the extent to which physicians are encouraged to improve, the relationship between performance in the programs and nonclinical external measures of physician competence, and the relationship of performance in the programs with clinical quality measures. Results: Patients' and hospitals' value of board certification and physician participation in MOC are high. Physicians are conflicted as to whether the effort involved is worth its value. Self‐reported evidence shows improvement in knowledge, practice infrastructure, communication with patients and peers, and clinical care. Certification performance is generally related to nonclinical external measures such as types of training, practice characteristics, demographics, and disciplinary actions. In general, physicians who are board certified provide better patient care, albeit the results have modest effect sizes and are not unequivocal. Conclusions: Certification boards should continuously try to improve their programs in response to feedback from stakeholders, changes in the way physicians practice, as well as the growth in the fields of measurement and technology. Keeping pace with these changes in a responsible and evidence‐based way is important.
The recruitments for ISIS have been going on in Pakistan for the past more than 3 years, but the Foreign and the Interior Ministries of Pakistan have been constantly denying the presence and activities of ISIS in Pakistan. Law Enforcement agencies have very recently arrested many people from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi and Sialkot who were associated with ISIS networks. Men have been recruited as jihadis or mujahids and women as jihadi wives to provide sexual needs of fighters who are fighting in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Many women, impressed and convinced through brainwashing with the concept of Jihad-Bil-Nikah, got divorce from their Pakistani husbands and went to marry a Mujahid of ISIS for a certain period, came back gave birth to the child of Mujahid, and remarried their former husband. Some decide to continue that marriage for rest of their lives. All of this is being done to obtain worldly wealth and later eternal life in Heaven because ISIS is paying something around RS. 50,000 to 60,000 per month to every warrior, which is a hefty amount for an unemployed youth suffering in unemployment, poverty and inflation here in Pakistan, which is ruled by corrupt ruling elite for the past 68 years and masses only got poverty for being true Muslims and patriot Pakistanis. Most secret and law-enforcement agencies have behaved like a silent bystander to the activities of ISIS in the country. Is this an unofficial channel of providing soldiers to provide the Saudi demands for fighters to fight on behalf of Saudi armies in Yemen and Syria?.
Objective. Total antioxidant capacity in serum is determined by the total mass of antioxidant substances and the antioxidant capacity per unit mass (average activity). The purpose of this study was to develop a method to determine the mass of antioxidant substances and average activity in human serum. Methods. Specimens of serum were collected from 100 subjects each from two different age groups: over 75 years old and 20–40 years old. The test serum was diluted into a series of concentrations, following which standard oxidation agents (KMnO4 for potassium permanganate method and I2 for iodimetry) were added to each concentration of serum, and the absorbance of the mixture (optical density, OD) was measured. The OD value and logarithm of dilution factor (lgT) at the end of the titration were obtained, from which the lgT could be considered as mass of antioxidant substances (M). Total antioxidant capacity (Ta) was calculated with the equation Ta = 100/(OD1 + 2 ∗ OD2 + 2 ∗ OD3 + 2 ∗ OD4 + OD5), and average activity (A) was calculated as A = Ta/M. Results. The potassium permanganate method generated similar results to the iodimetric method. Compared with the younger group, total antioxidant capacity in the over-75-year age group was found to be significantly reduced, along with a decrease in the mass of antioxidant substances and average activity levels in human serum. Conclusions. The approach described in this paper is suitable for determining the average activity and mass of antioxidant substances in human serum.
INTRODUCTION On account of the non-specific antigen employed, the question is ever present whether conditions other than syphilis will give positive Wassermann reactions. Such conditions have been reported from time to time. As early as 1908 Eichelberg 1 reported positive reactions in a series of scarlet fever cases. Marchildon 2 reported positive results in one case of appendicitis, one case of cancer and two cases of typhoid. Weil and Braun 3 reported positive results in cases of sepsis, cancer, typhoid, phthisis, typhus and diabetes. Wechselmann and Meier 4 and many others have reported positive results in leprosy. Boehm 5 and Reinhard 5 reported cases of malaria and beriberi with positive Wassermann reactions. Halberstaedter, Mueller and Reiche 6 have reported positive results in measles (nine cases), in varicella (five cases) and in pertussis (14 cases). Treuber 7 has reported one case of lymphosarcomatosis in which was found a positive Wassermann reaction. Semon
A CE method employing a dual system of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and ionic liquids (ILs) has been developed for the simultaneous enantioseparation of four azole antifungals for the first time. In this study, three different types of ILs were employed as modifiers and among them dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride was found to be the most effective. The effects of the concentration, cations, and anions of ILs on the enantioseparation were investigated. With the developed dual system, all the enantiomers were well separated in resolutions of 3.8, 3.5, 2.8, and 2.5 for miconazole, econazole, ketoconazole, and itraconazole, respectively. The interactions between dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride and HP-β-CD were also studied using a neutral polyacrylamide coated capillary and (1) H NMR spectroscopy to further explore the synergistic effect involved. It was found that ILs improved the enantioseparation not only by changing the EOF, but also by interactions with HP-β-CD that could change its ability of forming inclusion complex with the enantiomers.
The evaluation of questioning skills among 200 first-grade Ss (100 advantaged and 100 disadvantaged) on the question-asking activity of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking utilized an 11-category system of classification for analysis. A comparison of the categories indicate that the disadvantaged Ss seem to be at a lower developmental level of question-asking skills than their advantaged counterparts.
Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is one of the most widely used treatment modalities for a broad range of disorders, including otolaryngologic indications such as Meniere’s disease and sudden hearing loss. We present a case of a vertiginous attack following SGB for the management of Meniere’s disease. A 31-year-old female, suffering from Meniere’s disease, underwent repeated right side SGBs with 6 ml of 1% mepivacaine after negative aspiration tests for blood. The eleventh block was performed in the usual manner. Several seconds after injection, she showed agitation, anxiety, nystagmus, and left-sided tinnitus. Two minutes later, her tinnitus and nystagmus were resolved. Fifteen minutes after injection, she experienced acute onset of severe vertigo, nausea, and vomiting. However, her symptoms were gradually alleviated within two hours.
ObjectivesBoth statins and renin–angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors inhibit atherosclerotic progression and reduce cardiovascular events. However, it remains unclear whether combination therapy of RAS inhibitor with statin could inhibit plaque progression more than statin alone. MethodsUsing 64 multislice computed tomography, vessel wall areas (VWAs) and total vascular areas of the left main trunk (LMT) and proximal right coronary artery (RCA) and the thoracic descending aorta (TDA) were determined in patients with coronary artery disease before and after 2.0-year treatment with atorvastatin and candesartan (n=20) or with atorvastatin alone (n=16), although these patients had been treated with the combination therapy or statin alone at the study enrollment. Plasma levels of high sensitive C-reactive protein, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2&agr; were determined at the baseline. ResultsThere were no significant differences in low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein, matrix metalloproteinase-9, or urinary 8-iso-prostaglandin F2&agr; levels between the two groups. Two years later, total vascular areas of TDA and RCA increased significantly in the atorvastatin group but not in the combination group. Moreover, increases in VWAs were less in the combination group than in the atorvastatin group in TDA (3.6±23.1 vs. 28.6±25.5 mm2, P=0.004), RCA (−1.6±1.6 vs. 0.6±2.5 mm2, P=0.005), and left main trunk (−0.9±3.5 vs. 1.3±2.4 mm2, P=0.095). Biomarker levels at the baseline did not affect the progression of VWA. ConclusionCombination therapy of RAS inhibitor with statin is more effective than statin alone in inhibiting atherosclerotic progression of coronary arteries and the aorta in patients with coronary artery disease.
We propose an innovative meteorological radar, which uses reduced number of spatiotemporal samples without compromising the accuracy of target information. Our approach extends recent research on compressed sensing (CS) for radar remote sensing of hard point scatterers to volumetric targets. The previously published CS-based radar techniques are not applicable for sampling weather since the precipitation echoes lack sparsity in both range-time and Doppler domains. We propose an alternative approach by adopting the latest advances in matrix completion algorithms to demonstrate the sparse sensing of weather echoes. We use Iowa X-band Polarimetric (XPOL) radar data to test and illustrate our algorithms.
A 77-year-old man presented with an asymptomatic mediastinal mass, incidentally detected by computed tomography. Chest auscultation revealed no murmur. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) revealed bilateral coronary pulmonary artery fistulae (CPAFs). The right CPAF connected the conus branch to main pulmonary artery (MPA) through a small aneurysm. The left CPAF contained a large aneurysm with multiple fistulae from the left anterior descending artery, MPA, and aortic arch (Figure 1). Coronary angiography also showed bilateral CPAFs (Figure 2, Videos 1 and 2). Cardiac catheterization determined the pulmonary to systemic blood flow ratio of 1.2, and single-photon emission computed tomography revealed a normal coronary flow reserve. CPAFs are rare and
AUTHoRS' REPLY,-Doctors specialising in accident and emergency work are justifiably frustrated at seeing patients die from hypovolaemia through lack of immediately available operative surgical expertise. Attempts at chest compression, intravenous infusion, and drug therapy are hopelessly ineffective in cases of cardiac arrest from trauma. Our claim was intended as a counsel of perfection, though both ofus have practical experience ofthe techniques stated (not, we confess, with any remarkable success). But with training and experience immediate thoracotomy and internal cardiac compression can, we know, be successful. Indeed Champion has reported a 37% rate for restoration of blood pressure in 81 cases of trauma presenting tothe Washington Hospital Center without vital signs.' Such results can be obtained only by improving the immediate resuscitative service in the emergency department. With the widespread knowledge ofconventional cardiopulmonary resuscitation, internal cardiac massage has become an underused technique. It remains a valuable manoeuvre in appropriate circumstances. The recently published standards and guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiac care ofthe American Heart Association list the following among the indications for open chest/heart compression: cardiac arrest associated with penetrating chest trauma, cardiac tamponade, crushed chest injury when the chest cannot be stabilised laterally, cardiac arrest secondary to ruptured aortic aneurysm when cardiopulmonary bypass is immediately available, and cardiac arrest secondary to severe hypothermia.2 We agree that the procedure of cross clamping the aorta is controversial and may be dangerous in unskilled hands. Perhaps a more useful means of gaining control of major bleeding might be direct manual pressure applied to the vessel. However correct, our statement may have been too forceful. If it highlights deficiencies in the organisation and delivery of trauma care and encourages managers ofaccident units to review their services for the immediate salvage of the critically injured then we do not regret its publication.
As Stephen Harkins [1] recently noted, “Aging has come of age.” Persons over age 85 are the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States and, associated with this rapid change, enormous challenges to the healthcare system are emerging. Among the many medical and psychiatric conditions that are known to be particularly prevalent in older persons is the experience of persistent pain. Epidemiological evidence suggests that persistent pain may be present in a range of one quarter to more than one half of persons over age 65 [2]. Furthermore, research has documented a high rate of functional disability attributable to persistent pain, and a growing number of published articles report on a variety of putative mechanisms or at least correlates (e.g., depression, self-efficacy) of disability in this population [3,4].  In this issue, the article by Debra Weiner and her colleagues is the …
Malaysia faces many challenges in the development of wind energy as it is located in areas with slower wind speeds. Malaysia is located on the equator line where land and sea breezes can affect the wind regime. The wind does not blow uniformly and fluctuates by month and area. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine the potential of the latest wind power in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia which is located at latitude 5° 23' N and longitude 103° 06' E. by using Weibull Distribution method. The wind data used in this study was obtained from the Malaysian Meteorological Department. The daily wind speed pattern for the year 2017 can be seen that it has a corresponding pattern where it shows high wind speed at the beginning and end of the year. The wind speed frequency is also variable for the winds of the Northeast Monsoon and is almost constant during the south monsoon of the Southwest Monsoon and the Transition Monsoon. Overall, the potential for wind power in Kuala Terengganu is not too large. The annual average for 2017 is 2.01 m/s only. Wind power is high during the Northeast Wind Monsoon season.
In this work, a flat dielectric graded refractive index lens is presented as an interesting and easy-to-build alternative to implementing an Impulse Radiating Antenna (IRA), in order to replace the conventional parabolic metal dish. The equal-time approach is applied in the lens’ design stage to obtain the desired plane wavefront, required in IRA applications. Time-domain, full-wave simulation results of the complete antenna system are presented and discussed.
Infrared spectral properties of silicate grains in interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) were compared with those of astronomical silicates. The approximately 10-micrometer silicon-oxygen stretch bands of IDPs containing enstatite (MgSiO3), forsterite (Mg2SiO4), and glass with embedded metal and sulfides (GEMS) exhibit fine structure and bandwidths similar to those of solar system comets and some pre-main sequence Herbig Ae/Be stars. Some GEMS exhibit a broad, featureless silicon-oxygen stretch band similar to those observed in interstellar molecular clouds and young stellar objects. These GEMS provide a spectral match to astronomical "amorphous" silicates, one of the fundamental building blocks from which the solar system is presumed to have formed.
Accurate reconstruction of the surface roughness is of high importance to various areas of science and engineering. One important application of this technology is for remote monitoring of open channel flows through observing its dynamic surface roughness. In this paper a novel airborne acoustic method of roughness reconstruction is proposed and tested with a static rigid rough surface. This method is based on the acoustic holography principle and Kirchhoff approximation which make use of acoustic pressure data collected at multiple receiver points spread along an arch. The Tikhonov regularisation and generalised cross validation technique are used to solve the underdetermined system of equations for the acoustic pressures. The experimental data are collected above a roughness created with a 3D printer. For the given surface, it is shown that the proposed method works well with the various number of receiver positions. In this paper, the tested ratios between the number of surface points at which the surface elevation can be reconstructed and number of receiver positions are 2.5, 5, and 7.5. It is shown that, in a region comparable with the projected size of the main directivity lobe, the method is able to reconstruct the spatial spectrum density of the actual surface elevation with the accuracy of 20%.
The impact of continuous hemofiltration (CHF) using a polyacrylonitrile membrane on the kinetics of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and their inhibitors (soluble TNF receptors [sTNFrI, sTNFrII], interleukin-1 receptor antagonist [IL-1Ra]) was assessed in nine oliguric patients suffering from systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Blood and plasma flow (Qb, Qp), sieving coefficient (SC), plasma and ultrafiltrate clearances (Kp, Kuf), and plasma extraction rates (ERp) were calculated at different time points using standard formulas. No significant improvement of hemodynamics or gas exchange was noted following HF but a significant increase in serum bicarbonate occurred after 24 h (P < 0.05). TNF alpha was detected in plasma from all patients (153 +/- 2.3 pg/mL [mean +/- SEM]). None of the patients had detectable IL-1 beta levels. High levels of the TNF receptors (sTNFrI 20.338 +/- 2.431 pg/mL; sTNFrII 17.839 +/- 2.630 pg/mL) and IL-1Ra (19.775 +/- 3.943 pg/mL) were found in all patients. Upon initiation of hemofiltration (HF), the mean individual sTNFrI/TNF alpha ratio amounted to 269 +/- 84.6 and the sTNFrII/TNF alpha ratio to 249 +/- 91.8. Mean ultrafiltrate volume (Vuf) was 11.8 +/- 0.4 L/day. Appreciable sieving of IL-1Ra (SC 0.45 +/- 0.10), but not of the other cytokines, was noted (SC TNF alpha, sTNFrI, sTNFrII < 0.09). Despite minimal Kuf of TNF alpha, sTNFrI, and STNFrII (Kuf < 0.8 mL/min), appreciable Kp was noted, suggesting that membrane adsorption occurs (Kp approximately 8 mL/min). There was a nonsignificant increase of the ratios between both TNF receptors and TNF alpha across the filter (sTNFrI/TNF alpha ratio [pre] 231 +/- 37.9 versus [post] 312 +/- 75.3); sTNFrII/TNF alpha ratio [pre] 211 +/- 42.1 versus [post] 291 +/- 79.3). Appreciable Kp of IL-1Ra was noted (Kp 17.3 +/- 1.61 mL/min), which was only in part due to Kuf (4.0 +/- 0.86 mL/min). There was a significant decrease of IL-1Ra levels across the membrane, both overall ([pre] 20.223 +/- 2.282 versus [post] 16.637 +/- 2.039 pg/mL; P < 0.01) and at different time points (P < 0.01). Only for IL-1Ra was significant extraction from plasma noted (ERp 26 +/- 6.0%). Plasma levels of TNF alpha, sTNFrI, sTNFrII, and IL-1Ra were not altered by 24 h of CHF. In conclusion, both cytokines and cytokine inhibitors can be removed from the circulation, either by convective transport or by membrane adsorption. Using low-volume HF (Vuf approximately 12 L/day), no impact on cytokine plasma levels nor the patients hemodynamics or gas exchange was noted. The appreciable SC of IL-1Ra (0.45), however, suggests that HF with high(er) UF volumes (> 50 L/day) may be able to achieve reductions in plasma levels of some peptide (anti)mediators. However, whether this aspecific elimination of both mediators and antimediators may alter the clinical course in critically ill patients remains to be investigated.
Background: High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality. Japan has traditionally had higher levels of measured blood pressure than many Western countries, and reducing levels of hypertension has been a major focus of Japanese health policy over recent decades. In the West, hypertension is strongly associated with sociodemographic and behavioral (smoking and body mass index, BMI) factors; studies of the association between sociodemographic factors and biological indicators have not been fully explored in the elderly population of Japan using nationally representative survey data. Objective: To describe hypertension prevalence rates with increasing age and to examine the link between sociodemographic and behavioral factors (including age, gender, education, residence, smoking, and BMI) and measures of blood pressure and overall hypertension in the Japanese population aged ≥68 years. Methods: Data were collected in 2006 during the fourth wave of the Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging, a nationally representative sample of those ≥68. The analytic sample includes 2,634 participants. Pulse pressure, systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, as well as hypertension, were regressed on sociodemographic and behavioral factors. Results: There is no significant difference in the prevalence of overall hypertension by age for men and women from ages 68-69 to 90+. Higher BMI and older age were linked to higher blood pressure and higher chance of having hypertension. More years of education and being female were associated with a lower likelihood of measured hypertension. Smoking, rural residence, and living alone were not significantly associated with the outcome measures. Conclusion: The increase in hypertension with higher BMI raises concerns about future health in Japan as BMI increases. The lack of a relationship between smoking and any measure of blood pressure or hypertension is an indicator that smoking may have different effects in Japan than in other countries. Because there is no effect of living alone on blood pressure, compliance with drug regimes may not be enhanced by living with others in Japan.
Shallow geothermal energy reserves are abundant and widely distributed in Shandong Province. Vigorously developing and utilizing shallow geothermal energy will play a significant role in improving energy pressure in Shandong Province. The energy efficiency of ground source heat pumps is closely related to geological and other conditions. However, few studies on geothermal exploitation and utilization have been affected by economic policies. This article will investigate the operation of shallow geothermal engineering in Shandong Province, summarize the current number of operating projects, calculate the engineering annual comprehensive performance coefficient (ACOP), analyze the size characteristics of different cities, and analyze their correlation with economy and policy. Through research, it is found that the number of shallow geothermal energy development and utilization is significantly positively correlated with socioeconomic level and policy orientation, and has a relatively small relationship with ACOP. The research results provide a basis and suggestions for improving and optimizing the energy efficiency coefficient of geothermal heat pumps and promoting the development and utilization of shallow geothermal.
Hereditary Haemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT, Osler–Weber–Rendu syndrome) exemplifies diseases which have catalysed advances in the understanding of fundamental pathophysiological mechanisms. The hallmark of HHT is the development of abnormal blood vessels, involving the lung in approximately 50% of cases. This chapter will focus on the molecular mechanisms that underlie their generation. While not all clinical problems in HHT can be directly attributed to the presence of abnormal vessels, the emergent data suggesting non-vascular sequelae of the underlying gene mutations are beyond the scope of this chapter.
Tetrakis(bithienyl)methane and tetrakis(terthienyl)methane have been synthesized from tetrakis(2-thienyl)methane by use of Suzuki-Miyaura coupling as a key reaction. Their trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives are also synthesized. X-ray analysis reveals that each oligothiophene moiety tends to adopt anti-conformations and show relatively small torsion angles between the adjacent thiophene rings. While the longest absorption maxima of these tetrakis(oligothienyl)methanes exhibit only a slight bathochromic shift compared to the corresponding linear oligothiophene derivative, tetrakis(bithienyl)methane and its TMS derivative exhibit an appreciable red-shift in their fluorescence spectra. The intramolecular interaction between thienyl groups of tetrakis(2-thienyl)methane is supported by DFT calculation.
Key traits of unicellular species, such as cell size, often follow scale-free or self-similar distributions, hinting at the possibility of an underlying critical process. However, linking such empirical scaling laws to the critical regime of realistic individual-based model classes is difficult. Here, we reveal new empirical scaling evidence associated with a transition in the population and the chlorophyll dynamics of phytoplankton. We offer a possible explanation for these observations by deriving scaling laws in the vicinity of the critical point of a new universality class of non-local cell growth and division models. This "criticality hypothesis" can be tested through new scaling predictions derived for our model class, for the response of chlorophyll distributions to perturbations. The derived scaling laws may also be generalized to other cellular traits and environmental drivers relevant to phytoplankton ecology.
We read with interest the article by Gollard et al., who reviewed their experience with Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). Although we believe the authors did excellent work in their clinicopathologic studies, we would like to point out a major hallmark of MCCs that was not mentioned by the authors. Patients with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma may present with metastasis to the skin even before the primary lesion is detected; thus it is important to distinguish these latter tumors from primary MCC for obvious treatment decisions. Because both entities are indistinguishable based on routine histologic examination, the use of cytokeratin 20 antibodies via immunohistochemical techniques is extremely helpful in establishing the diagnosis of MCC because this marker is extremely sensitive and very specific for the detection of MCC. Therefore, as demonstrated by Chan et al., positivity for cytokeratin 20 in a small cell carcinoma of uncertain origin is a strong predictor of MCC.
Classically recognized as the cutaneous stretch receptors associated with the slowly adapting type II (SAII) primary afferents, Ruffini corpuscles have rarely been reported in the skin, despite numerous histologic investigations. Electrophysiological recordings of the primary afferents in humans suggest that SAII fibers represent approximately 15% of the myelinated mechanosensitive axons in the peripheral nerves innervating the volar surface of the hand. In the present study, an analysis of glabrous skin was conducted in human donors to assess the distribution of Ruffini and Ruffini‐like corpuscles in the distal phalanx of the index finger. Only one presumptive Ruffini corpuscle was found in the skin processed for double immunofluorescence labeling with antibodies against protein gene product 9.5 and neurofilament 200‐kDa subunit. Based on their relatively scattered distributions, we conclude that very few SAII primary afferents are likely to terminate as Ruffini corpuscles in human glabrous skin. J. Comp. Neurol. 456:260–266, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ABSTRACT We report a case of intraoperative orbital haemorrhage as a complication of endoscopic sinus surgery performed under general anaesthesia. Initial unilateral complete visual loss occurred, but recovered due to accurate and early diagnosis combined with urgent surgical intervention. This patient’s case is reported to illustrate the importance of early recognition of clinical signs and how a stepwise approach to management can result in a favourable visual outcome. Moreover, the mechanisms and pathophysiology of visual loss due to orbital haemorrhage following endoscopic sinus surgery are discussed.
High speed Schlieren photography is a reliable means of visualizing small changes of refractive index resulting from density differences within a transparent media. Schlieren techniques are frequently used for investigating the aerodynamics of high velocity projectiles to confirm the formation of shock waves on leading edge surfaces so that optimum design performance can be achieved. Traditionally this type of investigation would have been undertaken using film cameras, however, improvements in image quality provided by the rapid development of intensified silicon based sensors and associated electronics has offered a reliable alternative, without the inherent difficulties in quantitative data extraction. The development of a high resolution sixteen image electronic camera system provides the researcher with versatile recording system that can be used to capture detailed image sequences at framing rates up to two hundred million pictures per second. The number of information points is maintained, irrespective of framing rate, making it ideal for recording the complexity of detail available from these sensitive Schlieren techniques. The high resolution images, which are displayed within twenty seconds of capture, flexibility of operation, and comprehensive analysis software provide fast reliable access to experimental data.
This paper deals with the detection of blurred images that may eventually be captured by a drone. The embedded system should be able to measure the amount of blur affecting the images in order to decide whether to acquire the scene again or not. For this purpose, we have developed a simple model based on Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) associated to Support Vector Machine Classifier SVM, to classify images into three categories and thus detect strongly, moderately and slightly blurred images. The proposed system has been tested on 550 images captured by a drone. The obtained results are very conclusive.
In identifying controls on rock slope form a distinction is made between: (1) rock slopes with joints which dip steeply out of a cliff and hence are subject to mass failure of the rock mass above a critical joint; and (2) rock slopes with inclinations which are either in equilibrium with the mass strength of their rocks, or have profiles which will develop towards strength equilibrium as cross joints open. In the first class of slope, stability results not just from the basic frictional resistance of the rock but also from the frictional roughness along the critical joint and from the normal stress acting across that joint. Stability may be reduced by weathering and loss of strength of the joint wall rock. As a result of normal stress variations with depth, induced by overburdens, high cliffs which are not undercut have a concave profile. The second group of slopes includes those with inclinations controlled at the scale of individual joint blocks, buttressed slopes and those on unjointed rock masses. Buttressed and unjointed rock masses develop towards a condition of mass strength equilibrium as cross joints open. Strength equilibrium slopes may be recognized by application of a rock mass strength classification proposed for geomorphic purposes. Eleven propositions are formulated which identify controls on rock slope development and some consequences of these controls.
Chemical analyses of 167 typical specimens indicate that about 95 percent of the intrusive rocks of the central Sierra Nevada contain more than 79 percent normative Ab + An + Or + Qz. If the composition of the lower continental crust is similar to or slightly more felsic than andesite, as seems likely, the system NaAlSi 3 O 8 -CaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 -KAlSi 3 O 8 -SiO 2 -H 2 O provides an excellent chemical model for testing various schemes of fusion of the lower crust and crystallization of the resulting magmas. From consideration of this system in conjunction with field and petrographic data, we conclude that the intrusive rocks are best explained by repeated episodes of equilibrium fusion corresponding to magmatic sequences defined by field, petrologic, chemical, and geochronologic data. Fractional crystallization of the crystal-liquid mush generated by equilibrium fusion, coupled with periodic upward or lateral movement of the less crystallized central part of the magma, would produce the characteristic mafic to felsic sequence of intrusion; each mafic to felsic sequence corresponds to a separate equilibrium fusion event. In contrast, a close approach to fractional fusion of the lower crust is inadequate for obtaining most of the plutonic rocks, because rock compositions capable of being produced by this process do not match those observed. Normal amounts of conductive heat from the mantle and from radioactive decay in the crust may have been capable of causing fusion in the deepest parts of a thickened crust under the central part of the Sierra Nevada without the aid of a transient heat source from the mantle, but would have been inadequate where the crust was thin in the western Sierra Nevada. However, upward transport of andesitic and basaltic magmas generated along a Mesozoic subduction zone dipping beneath the Sierra Nevada would have provided sufficient additional heat to make fusion of the lower crust unavoidable. This implies that a major portion of the present batholith must have been derived from the lower crust.
Heat induces Hsp70.1 (HSPA1) and Hsc70 (HSPA8) to form complex detergent insoluble cytoplasmic and nuclear structures that are distinct from the cytoskeleton and internal cell membranes. These novel structures have not been observed by earlier immunofluorescence studies as they are obscured by the abundance of soluble Hsp70.1/Hsc70 present in cells. While resistant to detergents, these Hsp70 structures display complex intracellular dynamics and are efficiently disaggregated by ATP, indicating that this pool of Hsp70.1/Hsc70 retains native function and regulation. Hsp70.1 promotes the repair of proteotoxic damage and cell survival after stress. In heated fibroblasts expressing Hsp70.1, Hsp70.1 and Hsc70 complexes are efficiently disaggregated before the cells undergo-heat induced apoptosis. In the absence of Hsp70.1, fibroblasts have increased rates of heat-induced apoptosis and maintain stable insoluble Hsc70 structures. The differences in the intracellular distribution of Hsp70.1 and Hsc70, combined with the ability of Hsp70.1, but not Hsc70, to promote the disaggregation of insoluble Hsp70.1/Hsc70 complexes, indicate that these two closely related proteins perform distinctly different cellular functions in heated cells.
The title compound, C8H9NO3, is the zwitterionic form of d-(−)-4-hy­droxy­phenyl­glycine. The plane of the hy­droxy­benzene ring is inclined at an angle of 88.89 (5)° to the best-fit plane through the five non-H atoms of the amino­acetate substituent. In the crystal, N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link adjacent mol­ecules, forming a three-dimensional network. Weak C—H⋯π inter­actions are also observed.
IN THEIR study of quaternary ammonium compounds, Burns and Dale 1 found that tetraethylammonium chloride (TEAC) had a nicotine-like action but was void of either a curare-like or muscarine-like action. The more recent studies of Acheson and Moe 2 showed the action of tetraethylammonium chloride to be one of blockade of the cholinergic ganglions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. After administration of tetraethylammonium chloride the effects of preganglionic stimulation are abolished but not the effects of postganglionic stimulation or of drugs with a peripheral action. According to Loewi, 3 the mechanism of autonomic blockade by tetraethylammonium chloride still remains to be explained. The generalized autonomic ganglion blockade produced by this drug results in a transient fall in systemic blood pressure and an increase in both peripheral blood flow and skin temperature. These effects, due to the removal of vasoconstrictor tone by action on the sympathetic ganglions, suggested the
In this paper we present a technological approach to support individual and cooperative interactions in collaborative learning environments. We designed and implemented prototype applications that allow to interact with a shared display by means of infrared-enabled mobile phones. The aim is to develop a technique to decouple personal and presentation devices. An experimental evaluation, based on a survey carried out with students from our university, is presented
Chisholm and Fung claim that our method of estimating conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) in recruitment is systematically biased, and present an alternative method that shows no latitudinal pattern in CNDD. We demonstrate that their approach produces strongly biased estimates of CNDD, explaining why they do not detect a latitudinal pattern. We also address their methodological concerns using an alternative distance-weighted approach, which supports our original findings of a latitudinal gradient in CNDD and a latitudinal shift in the relationship between CNDD and species abundance.
The effect of the electron-electron interaction on the delocalization of electron wavefunctions is investigated when the atoms are packed to form solids. The authors propose a one-dimensional square-well potential model which contains two parameters; V for the well depth and U for the electron correlation energy. When the interatomic distance is reduced from the atomic limit, instead of forming the Bloch states, the electron correlation effect breaks the translational symmetry and therefore prevents a complete delocalization of the electrons. In the one-electron picture, it can be viewed as each electron occupying an impurity state. Since the electron correlation energy and the electron screening depend on the 'impurity' state wavefunctions, the problem is solved self-consistently. The authors have investigated the localization of electrons, the electron correlation energy, the electron screening strength, the band narrowing effect and the U/W (W is the bandwidth) ratio to show a transition from the atomic model to the band model. It is found that the sharpness of the transition depends on the correlation energy, while the outset of the transition is determined by the strength of the atomic potential.
The clinical efficacy of shitei decoction for the treatment of hiccups in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy was retrospectively investigated. The control group was treated with metoclopramide. The clinical efficacy was assessed based on complete remission (hiccups disappeared within 2 days of administration of shitei decoction or metoclopra-mide), remission (hiccups disappeared > 3 days after the administration of shitei decoction or metoclopramide), and no effect (hiccups did not disappear after the administration of shitei decoction or metoclopramide and required other drugs to be added to the shitei decoction or metoclopramide). Among the 85 patients treated with shitei decoction, 43 had complete remission, 35 had remission, and 7 had no effect. Conversely, among the 19 patients treated with metoclopramide, 5 had complete remission, 8 had remission, and 6 had no effect. Compared with metoclopramide, shitei decoction was found to be significantly more effective. Thus, these data suggest that shitei decoction is effective for the treatment of hiccups in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
Suicidal ideation (SI), a significant predictor of suicide, is associated with sleep disturbance, which is seldom assessed using stringent diagnostic criteria and validated sleep instruments in community samples. Cross-sectional data, including sleep diaries and validated instruments, from 767 community adults were used to identify variables associated with SI and subsequently entered into a regression model to predict SI. Suicidal ideation was endorsed by 9.3% of the sample. This group differed from non-ideators on several variables, but only insomnia diagnosis, depression severity, and hypnotic medication use predicted SI. Findings confirm an association of insomnia with SI using stringent criteria and controlling for depression. If treating insomnia is a conceivable pathway to reduce SI, the apparent risk posed by hypnotics may limit treatment options.
Dent & Harris (1951) differentiated classical cystinuria with increased excretion of lysine and arginine from other conditions in which the urinary excretion of cystine is increased as part of a generalized amino aciduria. Harris, Mittwoch, Robson & Warren (1955) studied the genetics of the disorder and proposed that the affected families should be classified as ‘recessive ’ or ‘ incompletely recessive ’, there being no detectable abnormality in the presumably heterozygous individuals in the former group whereas the heterozygous members of the ‘incompletely recessive ’ families have detectable abnormalities in their excretion of cystine and/or the basic amino acids. Harris & Robson (1955) also concluded on the basis of genetic evidence that recessive cystinuria includes more than one genetic entity but that incompletely recessive cystinuria is genetically homogeneous. Rosenberg ‘and his colleagues classified cystinuric patients into types I, I1 and I11 on the basis of the ability of the patients’ jejunal mucosa to transport isotopically labelled amino acids in witro (Rosenberg & Segal, 1965; Rosenberg, Durant & Holland, 1965; Rosenberg, Downing, Durant & Segal, 1966). Type I cases correspond to recessive cystinuria and types I1 and I11 are subgroups of incompletely recessive cystinuria. Studies of the renal clearance of amino acids have also demonstrated heterogeneity in the disease. Thus, some patients have cystine clearance values which are signikantly greater than the simultaneously measured glomerular filtration rate, whereas in other patients the cystine clearance and glomerular filtration rate are approximately equal (Crawhall, Scowen, Thompson & Watts, 1967). Heterogeneity could be due to cystinuria including more than one patho-physiological entity which available diagnostic methods are not sufficiently sensitive to separate. Alternatively the condition might be a single genetic entity and the apparent heterogeneity might be due to different degrees of expression of the single defect. Crawhall, Saunders & Thompson (1966) studied the amino acid excretion by a small number of cystine stone formers and their parents. They concluded that arginine excretion was increased in the subjects who were homozygous for the abnormal gene causing cystinuria, but not in the corresponding heterozygotes. They also suggested that an increased lysine excretion was sometimes the only feature which differentiates cystinuria heterozygotes from normal subjects. In the present work, the excretions of cystine and the basic amino acids have been studied in cystine stone formers, their parents and in normal subjects. The cystine stone formers are regarded as being homozygous and their parents as heterozygous for the cystinuria gene. The results obtained for these three groups of subjects are compared with one another and with those obtained for the other blood relatives of the stone formers in order to determine if the members of the latter group could be classified as cystinuria homozygotes, heterozygotes or normal on * Present address : Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. t Address after 1st January 1970: Medical Research Council, Clinical Research Centre, Northwick Park,
Methanol is an attractive option for storage and transportation of chemical energy. In thiscontext, methanol steam reforming is being considered as an interesting route for hydrogenproduction, since it can take place at lower temperatures in comparison with reforming of otherorganic compounds. Copper-based catalysts are considered as reference catalysts for methanolsteam reforming because they combine high activity and selectivity towards hydrogen production.On the other hand, cobalt-based catalysts have not been studied extensively for this reaction.The present work refers to the investigation of cobalt–manganese catalysts prepared throughpyrolysis of the corresponding fumarate or gluconate salts in the reaction of methanol reforming.The corresponding catalysts were prepared either by pyrolysis of the salts under inert gas flow inthe temperature range of 500-700oC or via oxidative treatment of the salts at 500oC.Catalysts characterization was performed by in situ XRD, BET, SEM and TPR techniques.It was found that mixed cobalt-manganese fumarate salts are useful precursors leading to catalystswith different structure depending on the type of surrounding atmosphere during activation.Activation in air leads to formation of CoMn spinel oxides, while activation in inert gas(pyrolysis) leads to structures containing metallic cobalt, MnO and residual carbon. Controlledoxidation of pyrolyzed samples leads to surface oxidized materials, which get reduced at muchlower temperatures compared to spinels.Combination of in-situ XRD, H2-TPR and methanol-TPR has led to identification of thevarious stages of catalyst reduction. These are: surface reduction, spinel reduction to (Co2+,Mn2+)O and reduction of Co2+ to Co0. It was also found that catalysts produced by pyrolysis arealmost fully reduced. The specific surface area of catalysts prepared from pyrolysis of fumaricsalts was ~200 m2 g-1 regardless of pyrolysis temperature, while the specific surface area of preoxidizedcatalysts was significantly lower in then range 16-34 m2 g-1.Methanol steam reforming products were CO, CO2, H2, while CH4 was also produced withselectivity less than 4%. Increase of cobalt loading leads to increase of methanol conversion, whilepre-oxidized catalysts get activated in the presence of the reaction mixture. Pyrolyzed catalysts aremore active than pre-oxidized ones and lead to product distributions according to thermodynamicpredictions at high reaction temperatures. Addition of potassium does not influence catalyticactivity but improves CO2 selectivity. Experimental findings indicate that methanol is initiallydecomposed to CO and H2 followed by the water-gas shift reaction.CO, H2, CO2, H2O and CH3OH adsorption was studied by TPD. No significant adsorption ofCO was observed on the catalysts following exposure to CO at room temperature, and this was~ vi ~also confirmed by FTIR. CO2 adsorption, on the other hand, was significant showing both weakand strongly-bound states. Hydrogen adsorption was found to be activated leading to both weakand strongly bound species on metallic cobalt and MnO. Water adsorption on pyrolyzed catalystsat 300oC is dissociative with simultaneous hydrogen production. Methanol TPD showed moleculardesorption at low temperatures and methanol decomposition towards CO and H2 at temperatureshigher than 125oC. CO2 desorption is also noticed at temperatures higher than 225oC. CO2originates either from CO oxidation with lattice oxygen or from the Boudouard reaction.Temperature programmed surface reaction of methanol in the absence of water shows initialadsorption of methanol at 30-90oC and methanol decomposition at temperatures higher than250oC. CO2 production is also observed at 250-350oC with simultaneously CO decrease. COproduction increases again above 350oC with simultaneously CO2 decrease. For highly reducedcatalysts CO2 production is attributed to the Boudouard reaction. When water is present, methanoldecomposition is accompanied by the WGS reaction, while carbon formation is prevented and thereaction activation energy decreases by 15-20 kJ mol-1.
This research has consisted of measurements at atmospheric temperatures of the absolute intensities, air-broadened half-widths, and pressure-induced shifts of isolated infrared spectral lines, and highly accurate spectral absorption coefficients (or cross-sections) of certain continua or pseudo-continua, of several infrared-active atmospheric trace gases. The experiments have subsequently been refined by receiving guidance from several members of the ARM Science Team as well as from other people who are active world-wide in satellite-borne, aircraft-borne, balloon-borne, and other atmospheric remote sensing campaigns. The laboratory data are obtained at low temperatures relevant to the atmosphere using cryogenically cooled absorption cells, the high-resolution({approximately} 0.0016 cm{sup {minus}1}) of a Fourier transform spectrometer and, when warranted, the ultra-high spectral resolution ({approximately} 10{sup {minus}4} cm{sup {minus}1}) of a tunable diode laser spectrometer. In the case of the absorption-coefficient (or cross-section) measurements, pressure and temperatures are selected to correspond to those of the atmospheric layers. The authors have measured spectral absorption coefficients, which are also known as absorption cross-sections, k{sub {nu}} (cm{sup {minus}1} atm{sup {minus}1}), in the 9 and 11 {micro}m bands of CFC-11 (CFCl{sub 3}) and CFC-12 (CF{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}), the 7.62, 8.97, and 12.3 {micro}m bands of HFCF-22 (CHClF{sub 2}), and the 10.6 {micro}m bands of SF{sub 6}.
The basic processes of transmission and switching are cheaper for multiplex digital signals than for their voice-frequency equivalents, and introduce little or no impairment of the message. Conversion between analogue and digital signals introduces much of the cost and almost all of the impairment in a p.c.m. communication system. The long-term plan for a telephone administration should therefore be to introduce an integrated digital network in which only a minimum number of conversions and reconversions is required: ideally only one per connection. Transmission between exchanges should use multiplex p.c.m. and switching of concentrated traffic should be digital (either analogue or electromechanical). A planned transition from present practices towards a digital network is possible, because the partial use of p.c.m. is technically and economically beneficial provided that the applications be carefully chosen. Junction transmission, trunk transmission, tandem switching, group selection in terminal exchanges and integration over limited areas are considered. A digital network whose main traffic is telephony can also carry other messages such as telegraph and data.
Abstract Extreme weather events (EWEs) are expected to increase in stochasticity, frequency, and intensity due to climate change. Documented effects of EWEs, such as droughts, hurricanes, and temperature extremes, range from shifting community stable states to species extirpations. To date, little attention has been paid to how populations resist and/or recover from EWEs through compensatory (behavioral, demographic, or physiological) mechanisms; limiting the capacity to predict species responses to future changes in EWEs. Here, we systematically reviewed the global variation in species’ demographic responses, resistance to, and recovery from EWEs across weather types, species, and biogeographic regions. Through a literature review and meta‐analysis, we tested the prediction that population abundance and probability of persistence will decrease in populations after an EWE and how compensation affects that probability. Across 524 species population responses to EWEs reviewed (27 articles), we noted large variation in responses, such that, on average, the effect of EWEs on population demographics was not negative as predicted. The majority of species populations (80.4%) demonstrated compensatory mechanisms during events to reduce their deleterious effects. However, for populations that were negatively impacted, the demographic consequences were severe. Nearly 20% of the populations monitored experienced declines of over 50% after an EWE, and 6.8% of populations were extirpated. Population declines were reflected in a reduction in survival. Further, resilience was not common, as 80.0% of populations that declined did not recover to before EWE levels while monitored. However, average monitoring time was only two years with over a quarter of studies tracking recovery for less than the study species generation time. We conclude that EWEs have positive and negative impacts on species demography, and this varies by taxa. Species population recovery over short‐time intervals is rare, but long‐term studies are required to accurately assess species resilience to current and future events.
The capacity degradation mechanism of the Ti-V-based hydrogen storage electrode alloys was systematically investigated from the viewpoint of intrinsic/extrinsic degradation for the first time. The oxidation/corrosion of the active components and the appearance of the irreversible hydrogen were found to be the two dominating intrinsic factors for the cycling capacity degradation of the Ti-V-based electrode alloys, rather than the segregation and dissolution of the main hydrogen absorbing element V, the loss of which had some effect on the degradation of its discharge capacity but not dominating. The extrinsic degradation of the electrode alloys was mainly caused by the pulverization of the alloy particles, the increase of the contact resistance between particles, and the reaction resistance on surfaces during charge/discharge cycling. In the meantime the pulverization of the alloy particles accelerates the oxidation/corrosion of the active components, which further promotes the formation of the oxide layer and decreases the reaction speed. The decay of the apparent discharge capacity of the Ti-V-based electrode alloys is jointly affected by these factors.
The article concerns the responsibility of financial institutions, primarily banks, for sustainable development and pro-ecological activities. The aim of the presented study is to identify the scope of activities of financial institutions in the field of sustainable development. What roles could banks have in contributing to sustainable development by offering socially responsible financial products? The authors conducted both quantitative research on a random group of Polish managers and a Delphi study on a group of several dozen experts, former members of the government, and bank presidents. The main results of the research indicate a 78% support among Polish managers for the activities of enterprises in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. More than 60% of the experts surveyed said that offering socially responsible financial products by banks is a growing trend in the economy. Moreover, two-thirds of the study’s participants think that such products are to be characterized by lower fees and margins than other standard financial products. Examples of the most frequently mentioned and expected products include those related to the development of green energy and eco-innovations or waste disposal. The results of the conducted research clearly indicate the need for financial institutions or banks to offer socially responsible financial products, which should become a part of their development strategies.
The costs of health care continue to increase rapidly and steeply in the United States. One area of great expense is that of intensive care units (ICUs). The causes of inflation have not been addressed effectively. ICU resources could become stretched such that they may no longer be available. This paper discusses some of the ethics and concerns behind decision making when providing ICU services in the United States. In particular, the use of electronic records with decision making tools, risk-analysis methods, and documentation of patient wishes for extraordinary care may help with better utilization of resources in the future.
We present new O(n3) algorithms to compute very accurate singular value decompositions of Cauchy matrices, Vandermonde matrices, and related "unit-displacement-rank" matrices. These algorithms compute all the singular values with guaranteed relative accuracy, independent of their dynamic range. In contrast, previous O(n3) algorithms can potentially lose all relative accuracy in the tiniest singular values.
The EMBRACE (European Model for Bioinformatics Research and Community Education) web service collection is the culmination of a 5-year project that set out to investigate issues involved in developing and deploying web services for use in the life sciences. The project concluded that in order for web services to achieve widespread adoption, standards must be defined for the choice of web service technology, for semantically annotating both service function and the data exchanged, and a mechanism for discovering services must be provided. Building on this, the project developed: EDAM, an ontology for describing life science web services; BioXSD, a schema for exchanging data between services; and a centralized registry (http://www.embraceregistry.net) that collects together around 1000 services developed by the consortium partners. This article presents the current status of the collection and its associated recommendations and standards definitions.
Mutations in the dnaQ gene, which encodes the proofreading ε‐subunit of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, lead to a mutator phenotype caused by enhanced error rates during DNA replication. In this paper, we studied the influence of ssb mutations on the dnaQ49 mutator, because of the involvement of SSB protein in DNA replication. We found that the ssb‐113 mutation suppresses the mutator phenotype of dnaQ49. The suppression effect resulted from an enhanced expression of the dnaQ49 allele as determined by experiments with gene fusions. S1 nuclease analysis revealed that the increased dnaQ expression is based on transcriptional activation of the dnaQP2 promoter. This seems to be the consequence of an increased DNA supercoiling in the ssb‐113 mutant, which also influenced further functions that are sensitive to alterations in DNA supercoiling. These results support the hypothesis that the expression of the ε‐subunit of DNA polymerase III may additionally be modulated by DNA supercoiling, and suggest a possible role for DNA topology in mutagenesis.
Importance Of youths diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, many develop microvascular complications by young adulthood.   Objective To review the evidence on benefits and harms of screening children and adolescents for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).   Data Sources PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and trial registries through May 3, 2021; references; experts; literature surveillance through July 22, 2022.   Study Selection English-language controlled studies evaluating screening or interventions for prediabetes or type 2 diabetes that was screen detected or recently diagnosed.   Data Extraction and Synthesis Dual review of abstracts, full-text articles, and study quality; qualitative synthesis of findings.   Main Outcomes and Measures Mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, diabetes-related morbidity, development of diabetes, quality of life, and harms.   Results This review included 8 publications (856 participants; mean age, 14 years [range, 10-17 years]). Of those, 6 were from the Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study. No eligible studies directly evaluated the benefits or harms of screening. One randomized clinical trial (RCT) (TODAY; n = 699 adolescents with obesity; mean age, 14 years) comparing metformin, metformin plus rosiglitazone, and metformin plus lifestyle intervention reported that 2 youths with recently diagnosed diabetes developed kidney impairment (0 vs 1 vs 1, respectively; P > .99) and 11 developed diabetic ketoacidosis (5 vs 3 vs 3, respectively; P = .70). One RCT of 75 adolescents (mean age, 13 years) with obesity with prediabetes compared an intensive lifestyle intervention with standard care and reported that no participants in either group developed diabetes, although follow-up was only 6 months. Regarding harms of interventions, 2 RCTs assessing different comparisons enrolled youths with recently diagnosed diabetes. Major hypoglycemic events were reported by less than 1% of participants. Minor hypoglycemic events were more common among youths treated with metformin plus rosiglitazone than among those treated with metformin or metformin plus lifestyle intervention in TODAY (8.2% vs 4.3% vs 3.4%, P = .05). In 1 study, gastrointestinal adverse events were more commonly reported by those taking metformin than by those taking placebo (abdominal pain: 25% vs 12%; nausea/vomiting: 17% vs 10%; P not reported).   Conclusions and Relevance No eligible studies directly evaluated the benefits or harms of screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. For youths with prediabetes or recently diagnosed (not screen-detected) diabetes, the only eligible trials reported few health outcomes and found no difference between groups, although evidence was limited by substantial imprecision and a duration of follow-up likely insufficient to assess health outcomes.
Bionanocomposites employing natural polysaccharides such as alginate and nanoclays, e.g., bentonite, are a promising alternative to developing stabilized biocatalysts used in the pharmaceutical industry due to their physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and nontoxicity. Mechanical parameters such as swelling ratio, compressive strength, and fracture frequency were optimized, favoring scale-up. Moreover, storage stability and reusability of the biocatalysts were improved by more than 90 % compared with control conditions. In addition, immobilized lactic acid bacteria were used in the bioprocess scale-up to obtain floxuridine, showing a high productivity per gram of biocatalyst.
Unique morphologies of rod and cone photoreceptor presynaptic terminals permit the formation of synapses onto interneurons during retina development. We integrated multiple “omics” datasets of developing rod and S-cone-like photoreceptors and identified 719 genes that are regulated by NRL and CRX, critical transcriptional regulators of rod differentiation, as candidates for controlling presynapse morphology. In vivo knockdown of 72 candidate genes in the developing retina uncovered 26 genes that alter size and/or positioning of rod spherules in the outer plexiform layer. Co-expression of seven cDNAs with their cognate shRNAs rescued the rod presynapse phenotype. Loss of function of four genes in germline or by an AAV-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 strategy validated RNAi screen findings. A protein interaction network analysis of the 26 positive effectors revealed additional candidates in the NRL/CRX-regulated presynapse morphology-associated gene network. Follow-up knockdowns of two novel candidates support the proposed network. Our studies demonstrate a requirement of multiple components in a modular network for rod presynapse morphogenesis and provide a functional genomic framework for deciphering genetic determinants of morphological specification during development. Author Summary The relationship between neuronal morphology and function has been recognized for over 100 years. However, we still have poor understanding of genes and proteins that control morphogenesis of a specific neuron. In the current study, we address this connection between gene expression and neural morphology by identifying and knocking down a subset of expressed genes in rod photoreceptors. We ascertained a number of candidate genes controlling photoreceptor pre-synaptic terminal morphology, which is necessary for its connection with second-order neurons in the retinal circuit. Furthermore, we have curated a more plausible network of genes, either identified in our study or predicted, that are enriched for processes underlying photoreceptor morphogenesis. We suggest that our work will provide a framework for dissecting genetic basis of neuronal architecture and assist in better design of cell replacement therapies for retinal degeneration.
This review is aimed at providing basic and current knowledge about possible mechanisms and nutritional applications of essential oils (EOs) for food animals. Public concern on the excessive use of antibiotics in livestock production has started extensive research to find safe and efficient options. EOs extracted from aromatic plants are known to have a range of biologically active properties that can be applied to modern animal production. Primarily, EOs possess anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and digestion enhancing effects as they improve digestive enzymes, improve feed conversion ratio, modulate ruminal fermentation, add antioxidant properties, and underpin animal immunity. The dietary supplementation of EOs demonstrated as a simple and proficient approach to enhance the performance of livestock. However, mechanisms involved in enhancing animal performance, modulating ruminal fermentation, and microflora are still unclear. Moreover, limited information is available regarding interactions among feed, EOs, and gut ecosystem of animals. EOs could be used as nutraceuticals with possible commercial applications in modern animal nutrition such as antimicrobials, antioxidants, growth promoters, and immunomodulators, alternatives to chemical feed additives. This knowledge encourages further investigations about EOs to realize their full potential and build up their standard use in livestock production.
The growing demand for nanophotonic devices has driven the advancement of nanotransfer printing (nTP) technology. Currently, the scope of nTP is limited to certain materials and substrates owing to the temperature, pressure, and chemical bonding requirements. In this study, we developed a universal nTP technique utilizing covalent bonding-based adhesives to improve the adhesion between the target material and substrate. Additionally, the technique employed plasma-based selective etching to weaken the adhesion between the mold and target material, thereby enabling the reliable modulation of the relative adhesion forces, regardless of the material or substrate. The technique was evaluated by printing four optical materials on nine substrates, including rigid, flexible, and stretchable substrates. Finally, its applicability was demonstrated by fabricating a ring hologram, a flexible plasmonic color filter, and extraordinary optical transmission-based strain sensors. The high accuracy and reliability of the proposed nTP method were verified by the performance of nanophotonic devices that closely matched numerical simulation results.
This paper looks at four distinct, business web sites developed between 1994 and 1996. The four sites described in this study are an environmental activist site (Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project), a small business (Bengal Cats), an EDI provider (Loren Data Corporation) and a cybermall (CyberTown). Short case descriptions of the four web sites are given. Details about the original and eventual purpose of the site, the current business utility and the site success are discussed. The four cases are described in terms of popular marketing models to gain insight to the business potential of the Internet.
Potato mop-top furovirus (PMTV) RNA 3 encodes the 20 kDa coat protein and a larger readthrough protein of 67 kDa. The readthrough protein is expressed by suppression of the amber stop codon which terminates the coat protein gene. A 21 kDa C-terminal fragment of the readthrough protein was doned, fused to glutathione S-transferase and expressed in E. coli. An antiserum prepared against purified fusion protein was used in ELISA to detect the readthrough protein in extracts of PMTV-infected leaves. Immunogold labelling studies showed that the readthrough protein was located near one extremity of some of the virus particles.
Palicourea rigida H.B.K. (Rubiaceae), a medicinal species commonly known as douradinha, has wide distribution across ecosystems in Central and South America. This species exhibits seed dormancy delaying germination until optimal conditions for seedling growth and development are in place. While dormancy ensures species survival, it also presents a technical problem for developing P. rigida’s plant production program. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate if secondary metabolites present in seeds influence the seed dormancy of P. rigida. Mature fruits were harvested from the native habitat, in the savanna region of the State of Minas Gerais during February 2009, 2010 and 2011. The content of phenolic compounds in the seed of P. rigida was measured, and the allelopathic effects were assessed using the germination of lettuces as model to detect phytotoxicity. The P. rigida seeds geminated at rates varying between 7% and 31% with a Seed Germination Index (SGI) of 0.09. Data suggest that the phenolic compounds present in the seeds may be responsible for seed dormancy.
The Raman properties of triangular photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are analyzed in order to design a fiber for Raman amplification with enhanced performances. By casting the Raman intensity propagation equations, the Raman effective area and the Raman gain coefficient are introduced - two meaningful parameters that take into account the overlap between the pump and signal profiles. The behavior of these two parameters is examined in silica PCFs as a function of the geometrical characteristics of the triangular lattice. The numerical results show that a proper design of the hole diameter and the spacing between air holes can minimize the Raman effective area and maximize the Raman gain coefficient. The paper then focuses on PCFs with a germania-doped core. It is found that, for a given PCF cross section and dimension of the doped region, the Raman gain coefficient increases linearly with germania concentration. Moreover, by enlarging the doped region, it is discovered that a PCF with a germania-doped area internally tangent to the first ring of air holes has a maximum Raman gain coefficient. Finally, the calculated values of the Raman gain coefficient are compared with those of other highly nonlinear fibers presented in the literature, showing that a well-designed triangular PCF can significantly improve Raman gain performance.
Abstract Fire tests of fireproof and non-fireproof curtains were conducted to investigate the cooling performance of the proposed water film system. The experimental results showed that although commercial fireproof curtains without a water film system had good flame resistance, they had limited heat resistance. The maximum temperature on the unexposed surface of the tested commercial fireproof curtains without a water film system reached 693 °C, and the curtains failed in 30 min. In the cases of curtains with a water film system, the temperature of the unexposed surface was able to remain below 45 °C for the fireproof curtain and 55 °C for the non-fireproof curtain. The integrity of both curtains was conserved for the entire 60-min test duration. Using the proposed water film system, the heat resistance and fire integrity of curtains were greatly improved.
Complement receptor type 1 (CR1) (CD35; C3b/C4b receptor) is a transmembrane protein of many haematopoietic cells. Once cleaved, soluble complement receptor type 1 (sCR1) exerts opposite effects as a powerful inhibitor of complement. This study addressed both the question of whether sCR1 was found in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) of normals and patients with various inflammatory disease, and its possible origin. In this retrospective study covering specimen and clinical data of 124 patients with acute and chronic inflammatory lung pathologies, BAL supernatants were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique for sCR1. Correlations were made between the sCR1 levels obtained and the constituents of BAL. Human alveolar macrophages were cultivated in order to determine their secretory capacity of sCR1. Alveolar macrophages from normal subjects were shown to release sCR1 in vitro. In addition, sCR1 was present in BAL of normal controls and was significantly increased in acute inflammatory lung diseases such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), bacterial and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, as well as in chronic inflammatory diseases such as interstitial lung fibrosis and sarcoidosis. In BAL of ARDS, bacterial, and P. carinii pneumonia, there was a good correlation between sCR1 and the absolute neutrophil counts. In sarcoidosis, a correlation was found with BAL lymphocyte counts. Serum sCR1 was not increased in patients compared to controls. Soluble complement receptor type 1 (sCR1) is found in the bronchoalveolar lavage in health as well as in acute and chronic inflammatory disease. Alveolar macrophages are capable of releasing sCR1 in vitro and may be the main physiological source of sCR1 in the alveoli. The good correlation between sCR1 and the absolute neutrophil or lymphocyte numbers in bronchoalveolar lavage of inflammatory diseases suggests a predominant role of leucocytes for the release of sCR1 in such conditions. The release of this inhibitor of complement may be crucial to control and reduce complement activation and thus prevent lung injury.
In nuclear power plants, it is essential to design the various safety and safety related systems and components of the plant in such a manner that they maintain their structural integrity as well as serve their functional performance during a seismic event. The pre-operational seismic walk-through helps in ensuring the installation of various seismic supports as per design intent, identifying the areas where supports are inadequate, identifying the interaction concerns between the systems of various safety classes and locating the various undesired loose, untied / unanchored components, tools, etc. used during the construction activity. A detailed procedure for the pre-operational seismic walk-through of the NPPs was therefore, prepared. Since the types and locations of seismic supports for the various systems and components of the plant had been already reviewed, the major emphasis during the walk-through was laid on their proper installation.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
The complex stage in building expert system is knowledge acquisition from domain experts and translated it to representation approach in knowledge base of expert system. In this paper we present an automatic way to extract knowledge from domain experts directly and converted it to facts and rules in knowledge base for rule-based expert system using intelligent agent. That means, the construct of proposed system consists of three steps, in first step we are construct a Diagnosis Domain Tool for Expert System (DDTES) (a piece of software which contains the user interface, inference engine and a format for declarative knowledge in knowledge base). Secondly we are construct Knowledge Acquisition Agent (KAA) able to interview with domain experts to extract problem solving knowledge in specific diagnosis domain and converted it to production rules in knowledge base. Finally we captured complete rule-based expert system from combination the results of two previous steps which can works and produce advices in that domain. The proposed (DDTES) and (KAA) are implemented and executed by using Visual Prolog programming language Ver.7.1.
The origin of non-additivity in hydrogen bonds (H-bonds), usually termed as H-bond cooperativity, is investigated in H-bonded linear chains. It is shown that H-bond cooperativity originates solely from classical electrostatics. The latter is corroborated by comparing the H-bond cooperativity in infinitely-long H-bonded hydrogen cyanide, 4-pyridone and formamide chains, assessed using density functional theory (DFT), against the strengthening of the dipole-dipole interaction upon the formation of an infinite chain of effective point-dipoles. It is found that the magnitude of these effective point-dipoles is a consequence of mutual polarization and additional effects beyond a polarizable point-dipole model. Nevertheless, the effective point-dipoles are fully determined once a single H-bond is formed, indicating that quantum effects involved in H-bonding are circumscribed to nearest-neighbor interactions only; i.e. in a linear chain of H-bonds, quantum effects do not contribute to the H-bond non-additivity. This finding is verified by estimating cooperativity along the dissociation path of H-bonds in the infinite chains, using two empirical parameters that account for polarizability, together with DFT association energies and molecular dipoles of solely monomers and dimers.
Recently, fluid filled electrostatic machines have demonstrated specific and volumetric torque density that hold promise to be competitive with electromagnetic machines in niche applications. These demonstrations of variable elastance (dual of reluctance) machines were non-optimized from an electrostatics perspective as their geometry was heavily constrained due to manufacturability. Higher performance electromechanical power conversion for electrostatics requires optimal geometric design. This paper proposes a semi-analytical method incorporating conformal mapping techniques with finite element (FE) analysis to optimize a variable elastance electrostatic machine in a low speed direct drive applications. As a proof of concept, an optimized geometry was built using additive manufacturing, specifically stereolithographic 3D printing, to circumvent geometry constraints. By building the machine from plastic plated with conductor, it is lightweight with improved torque density. This manufacturing approach suggests that a machine can be injected molded or cast in a single step. Experimental results support both the design and manufacturing approaches and the resulting machine is benchmarked against previous work.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint pathology that has become a predominant cause of disability worldwide. Even though the origin and evolution of OA rely on different factors that are not yet elucidated nor understood, the development of novel strategies to treat OA has emerged in the last years. Cartilage degradation is the main hallmark of the pathology though alterations in bone and synovial inflammation, among other comorbidities, are also involved during OA progression. From a molecular point of view, a vast amount of signaling pathways are implicated in the progression of the disease, opening up a wide plethora of targets to attenuate or even halt OA. The main purpose of this review is to shed light on the recent strategies published based on nanotechnology for the early diagnosis of the disease as well as the most promising nano-enabling therapeutic approaches validated in preclinical models. To address the clinical issue, the key pathways involved in OA initiation and progression are described as the main potential targets for OA prevention and early treatment. Furthermore, an overview of current therapeutic strategies is depicted. Finally, to solve the drawbacks of current treatments, nanobiomedicine has shown demonstrated benefits when using drug delivery systems compared with the administration of the equivalent doses of the free drugs and the potential of disease-modifying OA drugs when using nanosystems. We anticipate that the development of smart and specific bioresponsive and biocompatible nanosystems will provide a solid and promising basis for effective OA early diagnosis and treatment. This article is categorized under: Diagnostic Tools > In Vivo Nanodiagnostics and Imaging Implantable Materials and Surgical Technologies > Nanotechnology in Tissue Repair and Replacement.
Effective use of educational technologies by teachers in classrooms has come into prominence as the integration of technology into educational settings in todays world is considered as an inseparable part of an effective teaching. Besides, recent teacher training curriculums too emphasize the use of teaching strategies including technology to enhance student achievements. For this reason, it is decided to design a research focusing on to the use of an educational technologies based triadic teaching approach in teaching some environment-related subjects (global warming, ozone layer, air pollution, acid rains) of the science curriculum with 30 prospective science teachers through the special teaching methods course. The triadic teaching approach is comprised of internetweb based online research, poster preparation process activities and mini symposium activities steps. In order to establish the effect of the triadic teaching approach in selected environment-related subjects to meaningful learning of students, a pre and post word association test has applied, concept network maps of prospective teachers were drawn performed with them to collect their opinions on the triadic teaching approach. Findings of the study revealed that the triadic teaching approach has contributed to meaningful learning and ability of utilizing educational technologies of prospective teachers.
Reported herein is a visible-light-induced sulfonation of α-trifluoromethylstyrenes with sodium sulfinates, which provides a series of α-trifluoromethyl-β-sulfonyl tertiary alcohols. This new synthetic protocol is enabled by a charge-transfer complex between oxygen and sulfinates, featuring broad substrate scope and scalability. Excellent functional group compatibility and chemoselectivity render this method suitable for sulfonation of pharmaceutically relevant molecules. In the presence of D2O, deuteriotrifluorinated products were also obtained, further demonstrating the flexibility and synthetic potentials of this strategy.
In “Wrist sensor reveals sympathetic hyperactivity and hypoventilation before probable SUDEP,” authors Picard et al. reported probable sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in a 20-year-old man wearing a smartwatch that recorded wrist motion via 3-axis accelerometer and electrodermal activity. They suggest, based on the extremely elevated peri-ictal electrodermal response (EDR) recorded by the smartwatch at the time of death, that the reported case supports autonomic dysfunction and severe postictal cerebral dysfunction as SUDEP mechanisms.
Access to affordable fresh food is an ongoing challenge for underserved urban neighborhoods across the United States. Several are designated food deserts with no access to a full-service grocery store within a one-mile radius. The Urban Food Hubs of the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) exemplify the University’s commitment to building capacity in the food desert neighborhoods of Washington D.C. The four components of the Urban Food Hubs are food production, food preparation, food distribution, and waste and water recovery (http://www.udc.edu/category/causes). They are designed to not only provide access to fresh food, but also to create jobs, improve public health, mitigate water management problems, and create urban resiliency. The contributions in economic, social/cultural, and physical/environmental impacts, and the five pillars of economic development that track the broader impacts of urban capacity building are described here. The Urban Food Hubs demonstrate the investment metropolitan universities could make to ensure the long-term economic, social, and environmental health of each community. The model is scalable and replicable in other metropolitan areas including those that experience high pressure on land-use and those experiencing decline.
This research aims to establish a software Programmable Logic Controller (software PLC) solution on the EtherCAT fieldbus environment to comply with Microsoft Windows operating system as an industrial network backbone. Utilizing a built-up socket and its open architecture, the study develops the network backbone based on an underlying open-source code to provide an open and standardized reference architecture which IEC 61131-3 and EtherCAT specifications can be followed-up. A system was thus developed. With the developed system, the integrity of the development was tested using the ST language, which is a standard part defined in the international IEC 61131-3 specifications, to demonstrate that the software PLC concept based on EtherCAT can be realistically embedded finally. The successful embedding meets the standards of IEC 61131.
Potential solid organ transplant recipients broadly sensitized to HLA have long wait times, low transplant rates and poor outcomes. The new kidney allocation system has improved access to the most highly sensitized recipients; however, their long‐term outcomes are unknown. Emerging data suggest that memory B cell repertoire is broader than the plasma cell repertoire, therefore, despite refinements in anti‐HLA antibody detection technology, donor‐specific HLA‐ specific memory B cells may in fact be present in some, if not most, highly sensitized recipients with no detectable donor‐specific antibodies. In addition, new findings have underscored the heterogeneity in memory B cell generation, and in the signals that determine memory versus plasma cell fate during primary antigen encounter, as well as memory B cell differentiation upon antigen reencounter into plasma cells or reentry into germinal centers to subsequently emerge as higher affinity and class‐switched plasma cells. Thus, heterogeneity memory B cells generation may affect the efficacy of specific immunomodulation during the recall response. We propose that the ability to quantify donor‐specific B cell in transplant recipients is urgently required to provide insights into the mechanisms of sensitization and recall, and for the early detection of acute and chronic AMR.
Bahasa Indonesia has two types of pronouns: bound pronouns and free pronouns. The entanglement of its form is not only based on the contraction that occurs in the full words that cause the occurence of simple clitics, but it is also prominent to review the entanglement based on the syntactic structure and its prevalence. The problem is on the justification of this on the justification of this linguistic unit. If a linguistic unit has been justified as a bound pronoun is indeed a free form (free pronoun), and certain syntactic environtment will enable the free pronoun to be clitic. Therefore, the simple paper will attempt to analize the entanglement of pronouns based on phonological characteristics and syntactic analysis.
An approximate expression of thermal diffusion coefficient in a multi-component mixture was derived by using isotopic approximations to ordinary diffusion coefficients and thermal diffusion factors. The result is the same as an expression of the thermal diffusion coefficient, of which validity was ensured numerically before, in terms of binary thermal diffusion factors and binary diffusion coefficients.
Olmesartan-induced enteropathy is an underreported phenomenon, first described in 2012. While olmesartan’s antihypertensive properties were confirmed early on, its association with a sprue-like enteropathy was subsequently noted. Although this association has been reported with olmesartan, there have been few reports of this association with other angiotensin-receptor blockers. We present a case of a 79-year-old male who presented with diarrhea, weight loss, jaundice, and transaminitis. Further history revealed that he had been taking olmesartan 40 mg daily for hypertension. Workup of his diarrhea and jaundice included duodenal and liver biopsies revealed findings consistent with a sprue-like enteropathy and an autoimmune hepatitis-like pattern. On discontinuation of olmesartan, his 1-month follow-up revealed significant improvement in his clinical status as well as his liver function tests. Olmesartan is an effective antihypertensive medication; however, physicians must be mindful of its side effect of causing a sprue-like enteropathy and liver injury. Patients should be counseled on discontinuing olmesartan, and they should be started on an alternative therapy for hypertension.
For patients with chronic non-reconstructible limb ischemia (chronic CLI), spinal-cord stimulation (SCS) has been advocated for the treatment of ischemic pain and prevention of amputation. The present clinical report was performed to evaluate the long-term effects of SCS on limb survival. A retrospective review was performed of 21 patients who had undergone SCS between December 1997 and July 2002 due to chronic CLI. The impulse generator used was the Itrel device (Medtronic, Inc). All conventional methods for revascularization and improvement of microcirculatory blood flow had been performed prior to SCS treatment. Patient selection was performed by clinical examination, pulse volume records, Doppler ankle/brachial measurements, angiography, and thoracic spine and lumbar spine x-ray. Since July 2000, additional TcpO2 measurements at the dorsum of the foot have been performed. SCS implantation was performed as a one-stage procedure in all cases. Patients are followed up to 57 months. Of 21 patients with chronic CLI, 20 (95%) were available for follow-up investigations. Four patients died one to fifteen months after implantation due to acute renal failure or myocardial infarction (19%). Major amputation could be avoided in 15 (71%) of 21 patients. Two electrode dislocation, one pulse-generator dislocation, and one wire disconnection occurred; no other complications were observed. SCS represents a safe and effective therapy for patients with chronic non-reconstructible critical limb ischemia.
The determination of multi-target strike value of unmanned combat platform is investigated for the precondition of realizing autonomous decision and attack of unmanned combat platform. By using the linear simplification and scale method, the quantitative assessment result on targets attack value of land battle unmanned platform is presented from the aspects of direct threat and indirect threat, target relative characteristics, environmental characteristics, etc. The quantitative results can provide data support for the multi-target strike sequencing and the rational use of firepower of the unmanned combat platform.
Since China's reform and opening up, with the rapid development of our country economy, people living standard rise, the progress of science and technology as well, Modern surveying and mapping technology plays a very important role in both subject theory, technical level and in terms of application scope, have taken place in the larger changes, to solve the problem of social development and the national economy. In this paper for the application and development of surveying and mapping technology is also discussed and prospected.
Membrane technology is playing an increasingly important role in modern life and global sustainable development. Despite significant achievements in membrane science, single-function membranes whose trans-membrane permeation cannot respond to environmental stimuli remain the most widely used. This is in contrast to the "smart" properties of natural cell membranes, whose environmental-stimuli-responsive channels regulate trans-membrane permeability. Inspired by this natural prototype, membrane scientists have devoted great effort to developing smart gating membranes that respond to artificial stimuli, to expand the application of membrane technology. Smart gating membranes can be prepared by using chemical or physical methods to load smart materials, acting as valves, onto porous substrates. The smart materials allow the control or self-regulation of membrane surface characteristics and/or permeation properties, including hydraulic permeability and diffusional permeability. To meet a growing number of technology needs, a wide range of smart gating membranes have been designed and fabricated: thermo-responsive, pH-responsive, molecular-responsive, light-responsive, magnetic-responsive, ion-strength-responsive, redox-responsive, electro-responsive, and hygro-responsive. Molecular-recognition smart membranes, which are among the most exciting and attractive stimuli-responsive smart gating membranes, have superbly low energy consumption and high efficiency. They are able to respond to specific molecules, and have myriad applications in controlled release, chemical or biological separations, water treatment, and tissue engineering. This review briefly introduces the design and application of three types of molecular-recognition smart membranes with different recognition mechanisms: host-guest, coupling, and chelation. Recent progress in the emerging applications of molecular-recognition smart membranes is also highlighted. This review provides valuable information and guidance for rational design of novel molecular-recognition membranes and intensification of membrane processes.
The CoRoT space telescope observed nearly 160 000 light curves. Among the most outstanding is that of the young, active planet host star CoRoT-2A. In addition to deep planetary transits, the light curve of CoRoT-2A shows strong rotational variability and a superimposed beating pattern. To study the stars that produce such an intriguing pattern of photometric variability, we identified a sample of eight stars with rotation periods between 0.8 and 11 days and photometric variability amplitudes of up to 7.5 %, showing a similar CoRoT light curve. We also obtained high-resolution follow-up spectroscopy with TNG/SARG and carried out a spectral analysis with SME and MOOG. We find that the color dependence of the light curves is consistent with rotational modulation due to starspots and that latitudinal differential rotation provides a viable explanation for the light curves, although starspot evolution is also expected to play an important role. Our MOOG and SME spectral analyses provide consistent results, showing that the targets are dwarf stars with spectral types between F and mid-K. Detectable Li i absorption in four of the targets confirms a low age of 100-400 Myr also deduced from gyrochronology. Our study indicates that the photometric beating phenomenon is likely attributable to differential rotation in fast-rotating stars with outer convection zones.
The double-deficit hypothesis (Wolf, M. and Bowers, P.G. (1999) The double-deficit hypothesis for the developmental dyslexias. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91, 415-438) proposes that deficits in phonological processing and rapid automatized naming (RAN) are separable sources of reading dysfunction. Further, the double-deficit hypothesis predicts that the presence of deficits in both phonological processing and RAN have an additive negative influence on reading performance above and beyond that of a single deficit. The purpose of this study was to examine the additive nature of phonological awareness (PA)- and RAN-deficits on written language skill in children with reading disabilities (RD). Concurrent relationships between PA, RAN, and written language skills were examined in 476 children with RD, ranging in age from 8 to 18 years of age. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that PA and RAN skill have an additive effect on a majority of the reading and spelling measures. When participants were classified into three deficit subtypes based on the double-deficit model (i.e. phonological-, rate-, and double-deficit), comparisons across the subtypes confirmed that individuals with double-deficits performed below the single-deficit groups on both subtyping variables (RAN and PA) and all measures of written language. When the double- and single-deficit groups were matched on the subtyping variable (i.e. double- and rate-deficit groups matched on RAN and double- and phonological-deficit groups matched on PA) differences between the double- and rate-deficit groups remained in non-word reading, whereas differences between the double- and phonological-deficit groups remained in timed word recognition and reading comprehension. These results support an additive model in which RAN-deficits primarily affect tasks that require speeded/fluent response, and PA-deficits primarily affect tasks that emphasize phonological processing skill. Results are also presented that illustrate several statistical problems associated with the formation of deficit groups by dichotomizing the RAN and PA variables.
The architecture of an image analysis system called MESSIE (Multi Expert System for Scene Interpretation and Evaluation) is presented. This system reasons from geometric models which are represented by four concepts (geometry, radiometry, context, and function). The aim is to find the class instances from the generic models which are present in the scene. The necessity of having a hierarchic and opportunistic method of solving the problem of interpretation is shown. In a first step, MESSIE tries to detect salient objects. Then, using characteristics of salient objects and knowledge about the context of objects, MESSIE tries to confirm the object hypothesis and to infer new objects in the scene. The domain used to develop MESSIE is aerial imagery interpretation. Results on the detection of roads and buildings in suburban images are given.<<ETX>>
The scattering of high‐frequency underwater sound (λ≪waveheight) from the sea surface is described in terms of two mechanisms: (1) conventional scattering theory for a rough surface with normally distributed slopes appears to predict adequately the backscattering at incidence near normal; (2) a rather low population of near‐surface resonant bubbles would suffice to explain the behavior at angles near grazing. The two effects are used to interpret the experimental surface‐scattering data at high frequencies for all angles of incidence. [Hudson Labs. Columbia Univ. Informal Doc. No. 55.] [Work supported by the U. S. Office of Naval Research.]
Ophthalmologist consultation has an important role in the examination of pregnant women. In some cases, his conclusion can play a decisive role in choice of delivery method. Obstetricians-gynecologists rely on ophthalmologist opinion for determining the severity of preeclampsia; it affects the treatment tactics and the life of mother and child. Examination of a pregnant woman has a number of characteristics, with regard to them, 3 groups of patients, which can be identified: the first group — Physiological pregnancy without ophthalmological pathology. The second group: Physiological pregnancy with eye pathology in the anamnesis: myopia, peripheral choriovitreoretinal dystrophy; retinal detachment, vitreous body, vascular membrane, etc. Third group — Pathologically flowing pregnancy with pathology resulting from pregnancy: pre-eclampsia, anemia, diabetes and others pregnant. In physiological pregnancy without ophthalmological pathology, the most common physiological changes are increased pigmentation around the eyes, ptosis, a decrease of conjunctival capillaries, changes of cornea sensitivity and thickness, and, consequently, a change in refraction with a myopic shift, a decrease of tolerance to contact lenses, a decrease intraocular pressure, hemeralopia. It is necessary to differentiate the physiological feature of pregnancy, which include, in particular, the shift of refraction to the myopia, from pathological manifestations such as retinal angiopathy, macular edema, central serous chorioretinopathy and others. An important aspect is the  identification of potentially dangerous conditions of laser retina coagulation no later than 34 weeks of gestation with considering the possibility of rheumatogenic retinal detachment and dystrophic changes in the delivery. This procedure can allow avoiding operative delivery in the second group of patients. Timely detection of angiospasm on fundus in patients with pre-eclampsia from the third group, will make the right choice in the tactics of managing a pregnant woman. Carrying out the minimum instillation medication regime, especially in the first trimester of pregnancy, will make it possible to reduce the negative impact of therapy on the mother and child
The Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology is given to individuals who have made sustained and enduring contributions to international cooperation and the advancement of knowledge in psychology. The 2018 award winner is Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, "for her tremendous global contributions and impressive achievements in the area of prevention science." Her award citation, biography, and a selected bibliography are presented here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Temperature-dependent bimodal size evolution of InAs quantum dots on vicinal GaAs(100) substrates grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) is studied. An abnormal trend of the evolution on temperature is observed. With the increase of the growth temperature, while the density of the large dots decreases continually, that of the small dots first grows larger when temperature was below 520degC, and then there is a sudden decrease at 535degC. Photoluminescence (PL) studies show that QDs on vicinal substrates have a narrower PL line width, a longer emission wavelength and a larger PL intensity.
We present a method for determining the ideality factor of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by using the measured photovoltaic characteristics. The relation between the short-circuit current and the open-circuit voltage is obtained as the incident power of a laser diode emitting at 405 nm is varied, which is used to determine the ideality factor of the LED. From the photovoltaic measurements, the ideality factors of a blue and a green LED are determined to be 1.16 and 1.78, respectively. The ideality factors obtained by using the photovoltaic measurement are found to be much smaller than those obtained by using the I–V curve without illumination, which is believed to result from the different carrier generation and transport mechanisms. Investigating the photovoltaic characteristics of GaN-based LEDs is expected to provide insight into the origin of the high diode ideality factor in GaN-based devices.
The communication of innovation through online media is a subject that has not been studied much. This article examines the communications of Spanish companies that have received grants for their Research, Development and Technological Innovation (R&D&I) projects from the Centre for Industrial Technological Development (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial, CDTI). The companies that received funding in January 2016 are reviewed and an analysis performed of the quantitative and qualitative content of the websites and blogs for the subsequent 2 years has been. We have observed whether the companies communicate their innovations, if so, how, and whether they are complying with their communication obligations. Our conclusions indicate that the communication is insufficient, dispersed and not homogeneous. The regulations should better specify in which section the information should be published and which elements it should consist of, in order to improve transparency.
In consideration of the toxicity and high migration capacity of plasticizers, the possibility to obtain flexible PVC via chemical modification of PVC was investigated for feedstock recycling. In this work, some Cl atoms of PVC were substituted with fragments of the common plasticizer DINP (diisononyl phthalate) in the presence of K2CO3 (potassium carbonate) or DIEA (N,N-diisopropylethylamine), and the simultaneous elimination of PVC was suppressed. 1H NMR (1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and 1H–1H COSY (1H–1H correlation spectroscopy) were used to evaluate the substitution while a novel method of calculating the substitution and elimination ratios was developed using a combination of 1H NMR and elemental analysis. A maximum substitution rate of 35.7% was achieved using thiophenol as a nucleophile in the presence of DIEA, while the corresponding elimination of HCl was just 4.4%. In addition, the thermal stability of the modified PVCs was very close to that of pure PVC, which suggested that the main characteristics of PVC were preserved. Moreover, the Tg values of all the modified PVCs were less than that of PVC, which means it is feasible to improve the plasticity of PVC via substituting some Cl on PVC with DINP moieties. Therefore, an alternative approach for feedstock recycling of PVC by chemical modification was developed in this work.
Food industry companies, functioning in an ever-changing and uncertain environment, look for ways to increase their competitiveness, including the improvement of effectiveness and efficiency of the implemented food safety management systems. Directions that can be used for this purpose are provided by the PN-EN ISO 9004:2010 standard. In the first part of the elaboration presented the requirements for the food safety management system included in the PN-EN ISO 22000:2006, and then the guidance of the PN-EN ISO 9004:2010 standard for providing the enterprise management system in order to achieve a sustained success in the turbulent environment. Followed by compared the guidelines and requirements of these two standards in order to evaluate the possibility of their combined use in the food industry enterprises. Next presented this guidelines of the PN-EN ISO 9004:2010 standard, which have no references to the requirements of the PNEN 22000:2006, and are discussed how they can be helpful for enterprises in the food chain in the process of improvement of effectiveness and efficiency of the implemented food safety management systems
Background Tislelizumab is an anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody engineered to minimize binding to Fcγ receptors. It has been used to treat several solid tumors. However, its efficacy and toxicity, and the predictive and prognostic value of baseline hematological parameters in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer (R/M CC) receiving tislelizumab remain unclear. Methods We reviewed 115 patients treated for R/M CC with tislelizumab from March 2020 to June 2022 in our institute. The antitumor activity of tislelizumab was assessed using RECIST v1.1. Associations between the baseline hematological parameters and efficacy of tislelizumab in these patients were analyzed. Results With a median follow-up of 11.3 months (range, 2.2–28.7), the overall response rate was 39.1% (95% CI, 30.1–48.2) and the disease control rate was 77.4% (95% CI, 69.6–85.2). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 19.6 months (95% CI, 10.7 to not reached). The median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade occurred in 81.7% of the patients and only 7.0% of the patients experienced grade 3 or 4 TRAEs. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that the level of pretreatment serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was an independent risk factor for the response (complete or partial response) to tislelizumab and the PFS of R/M CC patients treated with tislelizumab (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.002, respectively). R/M CC patients with elevated baseline CRP levels had a short PFS (P = 0.0005). Additionally, the CRP-to-albumin ratio (CAR) was an independent risk factor for the PFS and OS of R/M CC patients treated with tislelizumab (P = 0.001 and P = 0.031, respectively). R/M CC patients with an elevated baseline CAR had short PFS and OS (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0323, respectively). Conclusions Tislelizumab showed promising antitumor activity and tolerable toxicity in patients with R/M CC. The baseline serum CRP levels and CAR showed potential for predicting the efficacy of tislelizumab and the prognosis of R/M CC patients receiving tislelizumab.
The curricula which produced successful clinical engineers for the 1970s and early 1980s must be significantly enhanced to ensure the continued value of this engineering professional to the hospital management team. The technical skills, biological foundations and familiarity with patient care which formerly served as the guarantee for clinical engineering success, must today be complemented by strong interpersonal skills, management expertise and financial acumen. A successful clinical engineering curriculum must simultaneously prepare the prospective clinical engineer to function as a knowledgeable engineering resource and as an effective participant on an interdisciplinary healthcare management team.
Abstract There are gaps in existing understanding of fungal pellet growth dynamics. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphological characterization of the biomass organization of Termitomyces pellets for seven species: T. microcarpus (TMI1), T. albuminosus (TAL1, TAL2), T. striatus (TSTR), T. aurantiacus (TAUR), T. heimii (THE1, THE2), T. globulus (TGLO) and T. clypeatus (TCL1, TCL2, TCL3, TCL4, TCL5). We assessed the utility of SEM for morphological and structural characterization of Termitomyces spp. in three dimensional (3D) pellet form to identify ideal pellet morphology for industrial use. Typological classification of Termitomyces species was based on furrows, isotropy, total motifs and fractal dimensions. The pellets formed were entangled and exhibited highly compacted mycelial mass with microheterogeneity and microporosity. The mean density of furrows of Termitomyces species was between 10,000 and 11,300 cm/cm2, percentage isotropy was 30−80 and total motifs varied from 300 to 2500. TGLO exhibited the highest furrow mean density, 11243 cm/cm2, which indicated a compact, cerebroid structure with complex ridges and furrows, whereas TAL2 exhibited the lowest furrow density. TMI1a exhibited a high percentage isotropic value, 74.6, TSTR exhibited the lowest, 30.9. Total motif number also was used as a typological classification parameter. Fractal values were 2.64−2.78 for various submerged conditions of Termitomyces species. TAL1 exhibited the highest fractal dimension and TAL2 the lowest, which indicates the complexity of branching patterns. Three-dimensional SEM image analysis can provide insight into pellet micromorphology and is a powerful tool for exploring topographical details of pellets.
Black rot is limiting the production of sweet cherries in Italy. Dark brown to black patches and sunken lesions on fruits are the most common symptoms of Alternaria black rot on sweet cherry fruits. We isolated 180 Alternaria spp. from symptomatic cherry fruits ‘Kordia’, ‘Ferrovia’, and ‘Regina’ harvested in Northern Italy, over three years, from 2020 to 2022. The aim was to identify and characterize a selection of forty isolates of Alternaria spp. based on morphology, pathogenicity, and combined analysis of rpb2, Alt-a1, endoPG and OPA10-2. The colonies were dark greyish in the center with white margins. Ellipsoidal or ovoid shaped conidia ranging from 19.8 to 21.7 μm in length were observed under a microscope. Based on the concatenated session of four gene regions, thirty-three out of forty isolates were identified as A. arborescens species complex (AASC), and seven as A. alternata. Pathogenicity was evaluated on healthy ‘Regina’ sweet cherry fruits. All the tested strains were pathogenic on their host. This study represents the first characterization of Alternaria spp. associated with black rot of cherries in Italy and, to the best of our knowledge, it is also the first report of AASC as an agent of black rot of sweet cherries in Italy.
Background: Learning may be defined as the ability to alter behavior on the basis of experience. Memory is the process of remembering what has been learnt. Memory loss is the first symptom to manifest in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Currently, the drugs used in Alzheimer’s are either associated with side effects or they lack disease modifying effect. Ashwagandha is a rasayana (rejuvenative) and possesses antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity (free radicals are produced during the initiation and progression of AD). Hence, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the learning and memory enhancing effect of protein extract of Withania somnifera in Wistar albino rats. Methods: In the present study, Wistar albino rats were given 200mg/kg dose of protein extracts of Withania somnifera orally along with scopolamine (i.p) for 14 days. Rats were subjected to elevate plus maze and passive avoidance testing on 14th day to evaluate learning. Same models were repeated on 15th day to evaluate retention (memory). The results were compared with the negative control group treated with scopolamine only and positive control group treated with scopolamine and piracetam. Results: Significant learning and memory enhancement was observed with the protein extract of Withania somnifera as compared to negative and positive control groups with p value <0.05. Conclusions: We conclude that the protein extract of Withania somnifera is having learning and memory enhancing activity in Wistar albino rats.
Ultraviolet (UV)-durable superhydrophobic nanocomposite thin films have been successfully fabricated on aluminum substrates by embedding cobalt stearate (CoSA)-coated TiO2 nanoparticles in a hydrophobic polymethylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) matrix (PMHS/TiO2@CoSA) using the sol–gel process. When compared to the sharp decrease of water contact angle (WCA) on the superhydrophobic PMHS/TiO2 thin films, the PMHS/TiO2@CoSA superhydrophobic thin films exhibited a nearly constant WCA of 160° under continuous UV irradiation for more than 1 month. The designed scheme of the TiO2@CoSA core–shell structure not only increased the hydrophobic properties of the TiO2 nanoparticle surface but also confined the photocatalytic efficiency of TiO2 nanoparticles. A plausible model has been suggested to explain the UV-durable mechanism of the superhydrophobic nanocomposite thin films based on PMHS/TiO2@CoSA. Furthermore, the elongated lifetime in the exposure of the solar light imparts this superhydrophobic nanocomposite thin film with potential practical applications where UV-resistant properties are emphasized including corrosion-resistant building walls, anti-icing airplanes, self-cleaning vehicles, and so forth.
Various morphological and functional parameters of peripheral nerves and their vascular supply are indicative of pathological changes due to injury or disease. Based on recent improvements in optoacoustic image quality, the ability of multispectral optoacoustic tomography, to investigate the vascular environment and morphology of peripheral nerves is explored in vivo in a pilot study on healthy volunteers in tandem with ultrasound imaging (OPUS). The unique ability of optoacoustic imaging to visualize the vasa nervorum by observing intraneural vessels in healthy nerves is showcased in vivo for the first time. In addition, it is demonstrated that the label‐free spectral optoacoustic contrast of the perfused connective tissue of peripheral nerves can be linked to the endogenous contrast of hemoglobin and collagen. Metrics are introduced to analyze the composition of tissue based on its optoacoustic contrast and show that the high‐resolution spectral contrast reveals specific differences between nervous tissue and reference tissue in the nerve's surrounding. How this showcased extraction of peripheral nerve characteristics using multispectral optoacoustic and ultrasound imaging could offer new insights into the pathophysiology of nerve damage and neuropathies, for example, in the context of diabetes is discussed.
Abstract Aim Although manual adjustment of automatic cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) matching may improve the target coverage in certain points of interest, concerns exist that this may lead to dosimetric uncertainties which would negate the theoretical benefit of this approach. The objective of this study is to evaluate the dosimetric impact of manual adjustments made after automatic bony registration on CBCT in prostate patients. Methods A total of 50 CBCT datasets of ten high-risk prostate cancer patients were randomly chosen. Each CBCT dataset was registered three times. Method (A): Automatic registration, Method (M1): Manual adjustment carried out by two experienced radiation therapists, Method (M2): Manual adjustment carried out by different radiation therapists with varying levels of experience. The clinical target volume (CTV), planning target volume (PTV), the bladder and the rectum were subsequently contoured on each CBCT dataset by a radiation oncologist blinded to the registration methods. The absolute difference of various dosimetric parameters were then analysed and compared with the original planning doses. A comparison of the three matching methods employed was also carried out. Results There was a statistically significant difference in the magnitude of move taken in the inferior superior direction between M1 and M2 method. There were no significant differences observed in any of the dosimetric parameters examined in relation to the rectum, bladder or CTV. The only significant difference observed was the volume of PTV covered by the prescription isodose (95%) which was statistically significant lower in method A compared with both M1 and M2. There was no difference observed between M1 and M2 methods. The mean duration of the automated registration and subsequent analysis was 64 seconds compared with 91 seconds for automated registrations which included the additional manual adjustment. Findings CBCT-based manual adjustments of automated bony-based registrations during the image-guided radiotherapy verification of prostate cancer patients can improve PTV coverage without impacting negatively on the doses received by the organs at risk. This strategy is associated with a small increase in overall treatment time.
Glia-promoting factors (GPFs) are peptides of the central nervous system which accelerate the growth of specific glial populations in vitro. Although these factors were first discovered in the goldfish visual system (Giulian, D., Y. Tomozawa, H. Hindman, and R. Allen, 1985, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 83:4287-4290), we now report similar peptides are found in mammalian brain. The cerebral cortex of rat contains oligodendroglia-stimulating peptides, GPF1 (15 kD) and GPF3 (6 kD), as well as astroglia-stimulating peptides, GPF2 (9 kD) and GPF4 (3 kD). The concentrations of specific GPFs increase in brain during periods of gliogenesis. For example, GPF1 and GPF3 are found in postnatal rat brain during a peak of oligondendroglial growth while GPF2 and GPF4 are first detected at a time of astroglial proliferation in the embryo. Stab wound injury to the cerebral cortices of rats stimulates astroglial proliferation and induces marked elevations in levels of GPF2 and GPF4. Our findings suggest that two distinct classes of GPFs, those acting upon oligodendroglia and those acting upon astroglia, help to regulate cell growth in the developing and injured central nervous system.
In this paper, a scheme is presented for approximating solutions of non linear degenerate parabolic equations which may contain discontinuous solutions. In the one-dimensional case, following the idea of the local discontinu ous Galerkin method, first the degenerate parabolic equation is considered as a nonlinear system of first order equations, and then this system is solved us ing a fifth-order finite difference weighted essentially nonoscillatory (WENO) method for conservation laws. This is the first time that the minmod-limiter combined with weighted essentially nonoscillatory procedure has been applied to the degenerate arabolic equations. Also, it is necessary to mention that the new scheme has fifth-order accuracy in smooth regions and second-order accuracy near singularities. The accuracy, robustness, and high-resolution properties of the new scheme are demonstrated in a variety of multidimen sional problems.
An experimental Video Tracking System has been developed by the Aviation Research and Development Service of the FAA for use in the control of aircraft operating in Transition-Terminal areas. This system communicates directly with a generalpuropse digital computer and is capable of generating and controlling 50 analog video trackers which can operate in either a Track-While-Scan or Rate-Aided mode. Additionally, the system provides aircraft position information to the computer for mathematical calculations of aircraft position errors, and processes computer-derived information for presentation on Plan Position Data Displays for controller use.
1ICREC Research Program, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Science Research Institute, Badalona, Spain 2Heart Institute (iCor), Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Badalona, Spain 3CIBER Cardiovascular, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain 4Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain 5Departament de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
An upgraded TASISpec setup, with the addition of a veto DSSD and the new Compex detector-germanium array, has been employed with the gas-filled recoil separator TASCA at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung Darmstadt, to study flerovium (element 114) decay chains. The detector upgrades along with development of new analytical techniques have improved the sensitivity of the TASISpec setup for measuring α-photon coincidences. These improvements have been assessed with test reactions. The reaction 48Ca+206,207Pb was used for verification of experimental parameters such as transmission to implantation DSSD and target-segment to α-decay correlations. The reaction 48Ca+ nat Hf was used to produce several short-lived nuclei with multiple-α decay chains to investigate pile-up event deconvolution.
Adult males of Locusta migratoria migratorioides (R. & F.) had an oxygen consumption of 120 mm 3 g -1 h -1 at 15°C and 988 mm 3 g -1 h -1 at 37°C, although respiratory quotient in fed insects (0.83) did not alter over this temperature range. Starvation or starvation and desiccation reduced the respiratory quotient from 0.83 to 0.77 indicating a shift in metabolism from carbohydrates towards fats. It is shown that the amount of biologically useful energy produced (in the form of ATP) remains the same, and that a shift from carbohydrate to fat metabolism requires the depletion of a smaller weight of food reserve. The shift is counterproductive in terms of metabolic water production, as only 0.28 mg g -1 h -1 water is produced in starved or desiccated locusts compared with 0.35 mg g -1 h -1 in fed animals.
Indirect firing of combined Brayton and Rankine cycles has been considered as a means of utilizing solid fuels such as wood or coal for power generation. Combined cycles utilizing indirect firing offer potentially higher efficiencies than conventional direct fired Rankine cycles. Many thermodynamic alternatives exist for indirect firing; however, technical, economic, and commercial barriers must be overcome for each of these alternatives. This paper reviews several of the options for indirect fired cycles and considers the factors affecting their application to power generation systems.Copyright © 1984 by ASME
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a robust method to address the problem of license plate recognition of Ontario on the basis of an illumination compensation technique and intelligent character recognition algorithm. To foster our aim, we firstly frame the input video from into stream of images the database. We then apply our pre-processing and local normalization algorithms to remove the noise and variance of lighting conditions. The image registration is utilized for the plate segmentation and feature construction. The improved cross correlation and D-Isomap analysis are used separately for final stage in character recognition. The experimental results demonstrate a significant performance improvement achieved by the proposed methods.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with an elevated risk for seizures that may be fundamentally connected to cognitive dysfunction. Supporting this link, many mouse models for AD exhibit abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) activity in addition to the expected neuropathology and cognitive deficits. Here, we used a controllable transgenic system to investigate how network changes develop and are maintained in a model characterized by amyloid β (Aβ) overproduction and progressive amyloid pathology. EEG recordings in tet-off mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein (APP) from birth display frequent sharp wave discharges (SWDs). Unexpectedly, we found that withholding APP overexpression until adulthood substantially delayed the appearance of epileptiform activity. Together, these findings suggest that juvenile APP overexpression altered cortical development to favor synchronized firing. Regardless of the age at which EEG abnormalities appeared, the phenotype was dependent on continued APP overexpression and abated over several weeks once transgene expression was suppressed. Abnormal EEG discharges were independent of plaque load and could be extinguished without altering deposited amyloid. Selective reduction of Aβ with a γ-secretase inhibitor has no effect on the frequency of SWDs, indicating that another APP fragment or the full-length protein was likely responsible for maintaining EEG abnormalities. Moreover, transgene suppression normalized the ratio of excitatory to inhibitory innervation in the cortex, whereas secretase inhibition did not. Our results suggest that APP overexpression, and not Aβ overproduction, is responsible for EEG abnormalities in our transgenic mice and can be rescued independently of pathology.
This chapter develops an antisymmetric view of linearization, along the general lines of Kayne’s antisymmetry theory. A general alternative to earlier accounts of the Final-Over-Final Condition is developed based on Chomsky’s Labelling Algorithm, in particular the proposal that functional heads may vary in their capacity to autonomously label their categories. We propose that ‘weak’ functional categories lack this capacity, and trigger roll-up of their complement in order to effect this. Furthermore, a general version of the Strict Cycle is proposed which is also central to ‘generalized Universal 20 effects’. Finally, we formulate the parameter hierarchy for word-order variation (or, more precisely, for the roll-up movement which is a major determinant of word order across languages) in terms of the labelling-driven account of roll-up. We discuss both how the nature of the macro-, meso-, and microparameters making up that hierarchy can be deduced, and some of the empirical results.
Four types of boost converters are designed and fabricated and their operational characteristics are analyzed using experimental results. Soft-switching boost converters are designed to satisfy the condition of input voltage 170-265 Vac, output voltage 400 Vdc, output current 5 A, output power 20 W-2000 W, and unit power factor. In addition, parameter values are designed so that system operation can be compared under the similar conditions. The efficiency of the combined inductor soft-switching boost converter was 97.63 % at full load and it was better than that of the other boost converter types. The combined inductor soft-switching converter has simple circuit construction, low switching loss and low EMI resulting from the switching noise, and harmonic distortion.
Abstract. Increasing evidence suggests that sensory stimulation not only changes the level of cortical activity with respect to baseline but also its structure. Despite having been reported in a multitude of conditions and preparations (for instance, as a quenching of intertrial variability, Churchland et al., 2010), such changes remain relatively poorly characterized. Here, we used optical imaging of voltage-sensitive dyes to explore, in V4 of an awake macaque, the spatiotemporal characteristics of both visually evoked and spontaneously ongoing neuronal activity and their difference. With respect to the spontaneous case, we detected a reduction in large-scale activity (cortical extent>1  mm) in the alpha range (5 to 12.5 Hz) during sensory inflow accompanied by a decrease in pairwise correlations. Moreover, the spatial patterns of correlation obtained during the different visual stimuli were on the average more similar one to another than they were to that obtained in the absence of stimulation. Finally, these observed changes in activity dynamics approached saturation already at very low stimulus contrasts, unlike the progressive, near-linear increase of the mean raw evoked responses over a wide range of contrast values, which could indicate a specific switching in the presence of a sensory inflow.
INTRODUCTION Between January 1999 and December 2000, 125 patients in Lima, Peru were enrolled in individualized treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Hypokalemia was observed to be an important adverse effect encountered in this cohort.   OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors associated with the development and persistence of hypokalemia during MDR-TB therapy, and to review the incidence and management of hypokalemia in patients receiving MDR-TB therapy.   METHODS A retrospective case series of 125 patients who received individualized therapy for MDR-TB between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2000.   RESULTS Among 115 patients who were screened for electrolyte abnormalities, 31.3% had hypokalemia, defined as a potassium level of < 3.5 mEq/L. Mean serum potassium at time of diagnosis was 2.85 mEq/L. Diagnosis of low serum potassium occurred, on average, after 5.1 months of individualized therapy. Multivariate analysis of risk factors for this adverse reaction identified two causes: administration of capreomycin, and low initial body weight. Normalization of potassium levels was achieved in 86% of patients.   CONCLUSIONS Electrolyte disturbance was frequently encountered in our cohort of patients with MDR-TB. Successful screening and management of hypokalemia was facilitated by training the health-care team in the use of a standardized algorithm. Morbidity from hypokalemia can be significant; however, effective management of this side effect is possible without sacrificing MDR-TB treatment efficacy.
Abstract Congenital heart defects (CHD) are one of the utmost birth defects present in the neonatal after birth and a big challenge for the researchers to identify the structural abnormality during the antepartum period. An algorithm is presented here to identify the presence of CHD through foetal phonocardiographic (fPCG) signals. The recorded fPCG is decomposed using Daubechies4 wavelet with sub-level threshold to remove the noise in the signal. The Shannon energy is used to identify the different peaks of signals and then S1 and S2 according to the intervals between adjacent peaks. The signal is segmented into four important parts: S1, S1S2, S2 and S2S1. The FFT is used to identify the frequency component present in four segments which in turn indicates the presence of pathological murmur that may turn into CHD. The algorithm is tested on 25 samples with accuracy rate 88% in identifying the presence of a murmur.
A low loss transmission line is one of key elements for realization of sub THz band collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostics in large fusion devices. This paper reports transmission tests of corrugated waveguides with 300 GHz band gyrotron power. Two types of corrugated waveguide are considered. One is 1.25 inch corrugated waveguide. The other is 3.5 inch corrugated waveguide already installed in the Large Helical Device (LHD) for electron heating with lower frequency gyrotrons. At first, transmission test with existing 1.25 inch waveguides was carried out. This waveguide is not optimized for 300 GHz band and substantial attenuation along waveguides was observed. A theoretical analysis explaining the large attenuation is performed.
This paper presents a new algorithm based on Honey-Bee Mating Optimization (HBMO) to estimate harmonic state variables in distribution networks including Distributed Generators (DGs). The proposed algorithm performs estimation for both amplitude and phase of each harmonics by minimizing the error between the measured values from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) and the values computed from the estimated parameters during the estimation process. Simulation results on two distribution test system are presented to demonstrate that the speed and accuracy of proposed Distribution Harmonic State Estimation (DHSE) algorithm is extremely effective and efficient in comparison with the conventional algorithms such as weight Least Square (WLS), Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Tabu Search (TS).
AbstractIn this paper, we obtained the 1-soliton solutions of the (2+1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation and the Camassa–Holm–KP equation. By using a solitary wave ansatz in the form of sechp function, we obtain exact bright soliton solutions and another wave ansatz in the form of tanhp function we obtain exact dark soliton solutions for these equations. The physical parameters in the soliton solutions are obtained nonlinear equations with constant coefficients.
Objective To investigate the clinical value of high frequency ultrasonography with E-flow imaging in the evaluation of fingertip's microcirculation changes in patients with systemic sclerosis(SSc).Methods Twenty-four SSc patients and 29 healthy subjects were involved.High frequency ultrasonography with E-flow imaging was used to observe the configuration and distribution of digital arteries in the last segment of left and right middle finger.Peak systolic velocity (PSV),end diastolic velocity (EDV),mean velocity(MV),vascular resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index(PI) of digital palmar propria arteries,nail bed arteries and finger ventral arteries were measured.Results In control group,rich blood supply was revealed within the fingertips.Digital palmar propria arteries,nail bed arteries and finger ventral arteries and their small branches were displayed clearly and continuously by E-flow imaging.While in SSc patients,the definition and continuity of fingertip's small vascular flow images were not as good as that in the control group,with the distribution of blood flow markedly reduced.compared with the control group,PSV,EDV and MV of digital palmar propria arteries,nail bed arteries,finger ventral arteries were decreased in SSc group(P＜0.01),but both RI and PI were increased(P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences between left and right fingertip's arteries index in normal control group (P＞0.05).But PSV,EDV and MV of left digital palmar propria arteries in SSc group were higher than that of the right(P＜0.05),whose differences bear statistic significance.Conclusions High frequency ultrasonography with E-flow imaging is sensitive and reliable to reflect fingertip's microcirculation changes and provide a new method to assess microvascular changes in SSc patients.    Key words:  Ultrasonography; Scleroderma,systemic; Fingers; Microcirculation; E-flow imaging
Background: Maternal mortality was one of indicator in the successful development sector. Maternal Mortality rate in Central Java Province in 2016 was 109.65 per 100,000 live births, decreased in 2017 by 88.5 per 100,000 live births (475 cases), and decreased again in 2018 by 78.6 per 100,000 live births (421 cases). At the same time Semarang city also get decreased. There has been a decreased in cases, 23 cases in 2017 to 19 cases in 2018. The aim of this study was to describe antenatal care services in Puskesmas Genuk. Methods: This study was qualitative and quantitative descriptive research. The design of this research was sequential explanatory designs. The population in this study was pregnant woman and Midwife in Puskesmas Genuk Semarang city and were collected by use purposive sampling. The Researcher collect the data use Indepth interview and analyze the result. Results: The Result of this study showed that Midwifery were dominated in middle age (30 year old) and experience more than tenth years (10 years). Midwives knows detail about counseling at ANC services, but have not yet applied the sequences or principles of counseling in carrying out counseling according to the ability of the research subject and according to the needs of the patient. Pregnant mother were classified in diffrents type of risk and they were remember the counceling from Midwife and can answer the question relate to it. Conclusion: All the Midwife were know about giving advice through counceling method, but they still need to use the principal practice in delivering service.
Little is known about fine scale neural dynamics that accompany rapid shifts in spatial attention in freely behaving animals, primarily because reliable indicators of attention are lacking in standard model organisms engaged in natural tasks. The echolocating bat can serve to bridge this gap, as it exhibits robust dynamic behavioral indicators of overt spatial attention as it explores its environment. In particular, the bat actively shifts the aim of its sonar beam to inspect objects in different directions, akin to eye movements and foveation in humans and other visually dominant animals. Further, the bat adjusts the temporal features of sonar calls to attend to objects at different distances, yielding a metric of acoustic gaze along the range axis. Thus, an echolocating bat’s call features not only convey the information it uses to probe its surroundings, but also provide fine scale metrics of auditory spatial attention in 3D natural tasks. These explicit metrics of overt spatial attention can be leveraged to uncover general principles of neural coding in the mammalian brain.
BACKGROUND/AIMS Good dietary habits, fluid intake, and regular exercise are considered to ease defecation although very few cases of chronic constipation can be managed through these approaches alone. Good defecation habits are recommended to avoid chronic constipation; however, the literature regarding this remains scarce. In this paper, we aimed to assess the association of bad habits concerning defecation, such as postponing, reluctance, or avoiding defecation anywhere but at home, with chronic constipation.   MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional observational study including subjects from a tertiary hospital taskforce. In total, 415 of 910 eligible subjects were randomly selected. A cluster of questionnaires easy to understand and fill out was distributed. The questionnaires included queries regarding demographic data; past medical history; the presence of constipation; and dietary, other lifestyle, and defecation habits. The Rome III criteria for chronic constipation were also recorded.   RESULTS In total, 24.3% of the subjects considered themselves constipated, and 26.5% fulfilled the Rome III criteria for constipation. There were obvious differences in constipation prevalence by sex (men 5% vs. women 31%). Fiber-rich diet, fluid intake, and exercise habits were not related to constipation. Defecation habits significantly correlated with the presence or absence of constipation: regular schedule (OR 0.39; CI 95% 0.23-0.67), persistently postponing defecation (OR 1.94; CI 95% 1.13-3.34), or avoiding defecation anywhere but at home (OR 2.38; CI 95% 1.4-4.1).   CONCLUSION Compared with dietary habits, behavioral aspects surrounding defecation are more related to chronic constipation. Our results indicate that the modification of these bad habits may be the first step in chronic constipation treatment.
Previous investigators have employed the concept of bolus tracking using either spin echoes or gradient echoes. In this paper we introduce two methods of bolus tracking using planar‐and volume‐selective stimulated echoes. The planar method employs a selective 90° rf pulse which tags all spins in a particular plane. At a time τ1, later, a nonselective 90° rf pulse is employed, followed after a time r2, by another nonselective rf pulse. Only spins which experience all three rf pulses form a stimulated echo at time τ1 after the third rf pulse. A balanced pair of flow‐compensated dephasing (crusher) gradients further ensures that the stimulated echo is due only to the effect of all three rf pulses while minimizing flow dephasing. The first part of this gradient pair is applied after the initial rf pulse in the first τ1 period to dephase the tagged spins. The second part of this gradient pair is applied after the third rf pulse to rephase the spins. Since the plane of the excited slice is orthogonal to the readout direction, flowing spins are imaged in an angiographic manner as they inove away from the excited slice. A modification to this basic sequence excites only a small volume. In this manner, the suppression of stationary spins is effected by volume‐selective excitation. In both the planar‐and the volume‐selective techniques, the excited spins undergo T1 and T2 relaxation during the τ1 period but only T1 relaxation in the τ2 period. In blood, where T1 is much greater than T2, keeping τ as short as possible minimizes signal loss due to T2 dephasing. These methods demonstrate increased sensitivity compared to similar bolus tracking methods using either spin echoes or gradient echoes. © 1989 Academic Press, Inc.
Introduction The incidence of traumatic cervical spine fractures (CS-fx) in the general population is largely unknown. Former published data describe the incidence in different subpopulations, such as trauma center patients, head injury patients, osteoporotic patients, and military populations. Norway is a small country in Northern Europe with 5 million inhabitants. All acute traumatic cervical spine injuries are treated in government- owned public health care. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidences of CS-fx and of open surgical fixation of CS-fx in the Norwegian population. Material and Methods The Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) is an administrative database that contains activity data from all Norwegian government-owned hospitals and outpatient clinics. Reporting to NPR is mandatory and linked to the funding of health services. The diagnoses and procedures are coded according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) and the NOMESCO Classification of Surgical Procedures (NCSP), respectively. We retrieved information on all CS-fx between 2009 and 2012 from the NPR. Updated information on the date of death is included through routine linkage to the General Register Office. Results Between 2009 and 2012, a total of 2,963 patients had one or more CS-fx. The median age was 54 years, and 69% of the patients were male. The incidence of CS-fx was 15.0/100,000/year. A total of 19% of the patients were treated with open surgery, resulting in an estimated incidence of 2.9/100,000/ year for surgery for CS-fx in the Norwegian population. The 1- and 3-month mortality rates were 4 and 6%, respectively. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first registry-based study of the epidemiology of CS-fx in a general population. Our estimate of the incidence of CS-fx in the total Norwegian population was 15/100,000/year. The incidence of open surgery for CS-fx in the Norwegian population was estimated to be 2.9/100,000/year.
This annex presents 1996 standard readmission clause that is intended specifically for incorporation into mixed agreements on a case-by-case basis. The clause inserted a preamble recital declaring prevention and control of illegal immigration as one of the primary objectives of the agreement, and three standardised provisions into the main body of the agreement.Keywords: 1996 standard readmission clause; mixed agreements
Abstract This prospective study was designed to investigate whether anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels are associated with the presence of multiple pronuclei in zygotes as well as with the ovarian response, fertilization rate and pregnancy outcome in ICSI cycles. A total of 413 patients undergoing ICSI cycles were included in the study. The assessment included 3084 MII oocytes. Serum AMH measurements were performed at the first initial presence of the patient. The outcome measures were the presence of multiple pronuclei (PN), a number of retrieved oocytes, number of mature/immature oocytes, fertilization rate and clinical pregnancy. Obtained results showed a statistically significant correlation between AMH levels and maternal age, the number of follicles, the number of cumulus-oocyte complexes, mature and immature oocyte, fertilization rate and pregnancy rate. Linear regression analysis showed that AMH significantly correlates with the presence of multiple pronuclei in the zygote. The further analysis confirmed that the number of zygotes with the presence of multiple pronuclei increased when AMH levels were higher. This is the first examination of the prognostic value of the serum AMH on the presence of multiple pronuclei in the zygote and our data in the preliminary study suggest that AMH levels could be used as a predictive marker.
This paper describes the experimental procedures used and finite element analyses performed at the mesoscale for an indirect tensile (IDT) strength test of an Asphalt Concrete-25 Marshall specimen. The mesoscale test specimen was a three-phase composite material composed of aggregate, asphalt mastic, and void. The test results demonstrate that digital image technology combined with a finite element numerical analysis model can be used to simulate the mesoscopic damage process of asphalt concrete in an IDT test. A contactless optical system with a strain measurement accuracy of 50  was used and was a suitable method for experimentally verifying the mesoscopic strain measurements. Although the optical method provided results that were always slightly higher than those of the mesoscopic finite element method (FEM) analysis, the optical microstructure test results showed reasonably good agreement with those obtained from the FEM. Both the experimental and FEM results demonstrate that the mastic binder and interface are locations of weakness during the growth and propagation of crack damage in asphalt concrete. The study results demonstrate that the visual mesoscopic FEMs used can be an effective means for further research on the strength mechanisms of asphalt concrete at the mesoscale.
All of us present restrictive mechanisms to stop eating, but they are functional. After meals, food is sent to the gut because hunger, a life-threatening condition, is resolved in the gut and not in the stomach. Just after eating a considerable amount of food, gut signals slow down the gastric emptying (like a sink with a clogged drain) so that the next (not the previous) portions can be stored there. As the storage capacity is limited, at a certain point, gastric pressure is high and the meal has to be finished. Observe that restriction appears only later in the eating process and not after the first bite. This is a functional restriction. A mechanical restriction is static and is an obstacle for the passage of food after the very first spoonful. A narrow anastomosis, a ring, and a band are mechanical restrictions and not physiological. Mechanical restrictions limit ingestion; functional restrictions limit stocking. Metabolic surgery can provoke an earlier functional restriction and avoid a mechanical restriction. This is a major difference, a significant progress, and it demands changes.
Abstract Two crystalline compounds based on the Zn-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin building block have been prepared and structurally analysed by x-ray diffraction in order to ellucidate the characteristic supramolecular aggregation modes of this functionalized metalloporphyrin moiety. Crystals of the 1:1 complex with sec-phenethyl alcohol (1) are monoclinic, space group I2/a (No. 15), a = 14.420(1), b = 24.678(2), c = 33.688(2) A, β = 90.03(2)°, Dc = 1.082 g/cm3, Z = 8, R = 0.080 for 3053 data. Those of the 1:3 complex with dimethylsulphoxide (2) are monoclinic, space group P21/n (No. 14), a = 14.881(1), b = 8.986(2), c = 37.550(3) A, β = 94.21(1)°, Dc = 1.444 g/cm3, Z = 4, R = 0.093 for 4200 data. The two compounds consist of nearly square-pyramidal five-coordinate metalloporphyrin species, molecules of the sec-phenethyl alcohol (in 1) and dimethylsulphoxide (in 2) linking to the metal center at the axial site. In 2, two additional molecules of dimethylsulphoxide associate through H-bonds to the termin...
Flicker detection thresholds were assessed for 10 participants with CRT screens of varying luminance, size, viewing angle eccentricity, and ambient illumination. The test conditions were selected to span the range of typical office applications. Under the test conditions, CRT refresh rate was manipulated using a psychophysical method of limits procedure to estimate the 50% Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF) threshold. Results indicate that CFF increases with increasing display luminance, ambient illumination, and display size. CFF also increases with increasing eccentricity up to about 30 degrees of visual angle. These findings confirm and extend previous research and provide a coherent database for development of quantitative image quality models for use by display designers and for display ergonomics technical standards.
Capsule formation is believed to have a significant role in bacterial virulence. To examine the possible involvement of capsular polysaccharide (CP) from Staphylococcus aureus in the pathological mechanisms associated with staphylococcal infections, we investigated the influence of respiratory activity on type 5 CP production by S. aureus grown in the presence of various concentrations of dissolved oxygen or nitrate. The effects of several metabolic inhibitors (arsenite, cyanide, azide, trimethylamine N-oxide, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide, and 2,4-dinitrophenol) were also tested. The metabolism of the bacteria was estimated by measuring their reductive capacity and by monitoring the pH and concentrations of fermentation products. Type 5 CP was always produced by S. aureus during the exponential phase of growth under all culture conditions tested. In contrast, post-exponential-phase CP production appeared to be strictly dependent on the respiratory activity. Since post-exponential-phase CP production contributes at least two-thirds of the total CP obtained, the influence of S. aureus respiration on CP production might be of some importance in the process of infection.
The effects of morphology and exchange on N.M.R. relaxation times in agarose gels are interpreted within a unified theoretical framework based on the generalized Bloch equations. By acknowledging the spacial dependence of the N.M.R. parameters it is shown how the relaxation behaviour depends on the distance scale characterizing the heterogeneity of the gel. If this distance scale is sufficiently small to allow complete diffusive averaging we recover the traditional results based on the Bloch-McConnell equations describing relaxation in a homogeneous system. This is the case for fresh agarose gels which show monoexponential relaxation and has been widely interpreted in terms of the rapid exchange of protons between populations of ‘free’ and ‘bound’ water. Conversely, if the distance scale characterizing the heterogeneity is sufficiently large to prevent complete diffusive averaging our model predicts multiexponential relaxation. This is the case with the transverse magnetization in agarose gels that have b...
This article describes the set up of the Brazilian urban housing policy in the last decade (from 2005 to 2015). To this end, one must place the scales of urban policy within the existing federative arrangement, against the backdrop of the debate on decentralization of the Brazilian State’s social public policies. Here, the political situation during the setting of the National System of Social Interest Housing (SNHIS) with its near-namesake Fund (FNHIS) through Federal Law 11124 of 2005 is recovered, moving the urban policy up to a new federative agreement. The Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) and My Home, My Life (MCMV), which respectively start in 2007 and 2009, put an end to SNHIS and move the urban policy to a new level, with a massive allocation of funds which outdoes FNHIS and are cut off from the urban policy then being structured.
The polarization frequency of free radical solution in Overhauser geomagnetic sensor determines the quality of the Larmor precession signal generated by the sensor. To obtain the polarization frequency accurately, a test apparatus was designed in this paper, which can overcome existing problems in the presently used apparatuses, such as lower resolution, complex operation, etc. The proposed apparatus adopts a high-resolution direct digital synthesis as the controllable radio frequency (RF) signal source. Meanwhile, an analog-to-digital converter synchronization acquisition technology combined with a normalization approach is proposed, which effectively solves the problem of the uneven amplitude-frequency characteristic in the range of 50 MHz-100 MHz. Moreover, the apparatus is integrated by adopting the RF power and applying the weak signal amplifier as an auxiliary measurement channel. The equivalent circuit of the sensors resonant cavity was simulated, and the efficiency curve of the adjustable capacitors to the resonant frequency and the quality factor were obtained. The simulated results were further verified by testing the resonance cavity characteristics of a commercial Overhauser geomagnetic sensor under different conditions. Furthermore, the relationship between the polarization degree of the free radical solution and RF excitation power and time were also obtained. The testing methods and results were given, and the experimental data were analyzed. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed apparatus can measure the polarization frequency of the free radical solution, the bandwidth, and the quality factor, accurately. Furthermore, it can be used for the determination of the polarization power and time during the design process for an Overhauser magnetometer.
Switching interface circuits employed with piezoelectric energy harvesters can increase the electrical damping considerably over that achievable with passive rectifiers. We show that a piezoelectric harvester coupled to certain types of switching circuits becomes a Coulomb-damped resonant generator. This allows analysis of such harvester systems within a well-known framework and, subject to practical constraints, allows the optimal electrical damping to be achieved. In the piezoelectric pre-biasing technique, the Coulomb damping is set by a pre-bias voltage whose optimal value is derived as a function of piezoelectric harvester parameters.
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), such as hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS), have seen widespread adoption as components of tissue engineering scaffolds because of their potent bioactive properties and ease of chemical modification. However, modification of the biopolymers will impair biological recognition of the GAG and reduce the bioactive properties of the material. In this work, we studied how the degree of thiolation of HA and CS, along with other key hydrogel design parameters, affected the physical and bioactive properties of the bulk hydrogel. Although properties, such as the HA molecular weight, did not have a major effect, increasing the degree of thiolation of both HA and CS decreased their biorecognition in experimental analogues for cell/matrix remodeling and binding. Furthermore, combining HA and CS into dual polymer network hydrogels also modulated the physical and bioactive properties, as seen with differences in gel stiffness, degradation rate, and encapsulated cell viability.
In these few years, telecommunication appliances, for example cellular mobile telephone and mobile computer, have been becoming smaller and lighter. In addition they have been equipped with higher performances. Stepping with that progress, the technologies about integrated circuits, electrical components, battery and display devices that are used in those equipment mentioned before have been developing successfully. In the field of multi-layer printed wiring board, many efforts have been made to drill smaller size via holes in order to minimize the size of wiring pattern. Especially laser micro drilling technology that has been expected to be able to overcome the conventional mechanical drilling technology has been spread rapidly into the factory mainly in Japanese market since 1996. As a result, the typical size of the via hole diameter has become 100 to 200 micrometer from 300-400 micrometer and the structure of multi-layer has been changed from through-hole structure to inner via hold structure. Laser micro hole drilling technology nowadays including the ALIVH, which is the name of the printed wiring board that Matsushita has developed, and the survey of the next generation laser drilling technology will be presented.
The location of adenosine triphosphatase in the brain has been studied in rapidly frozen-dried cerebral tissues of the Wistar rat. It is found that adenosine triphosphatase is an almost exclusively nuclear enzyme. Two tissue fractions of the cerebrum were separated, so that one sample was made up of vascular elements, and the other of neural elements. The two fractions were then studied for their adenosine triphosphatase activity, and compared with the histochemical findings. The two tissue fractions were found not to differ in the absence of bivalent cations. When Ca++ were added to the cerebral vascular suspension, ATPase activity was increased approximately 15 times, and only 3 times in the presence of Mg++. Conversely, the addition of Mg++ increased the ATPase activity of the neural fraction 200%; whereas, Ca++ was responsible for a 60% increase. This fact was detectable microscopically when Ca++ was found to intensify vascular nuclear staining, and Mg++ to increase the neuronal and glial nuclear staining. The results, histochemical and biochemical, are mutually confirmatory.
The impact of total ionizing dose (TID) is reported on irradiated capacitorless metastable dip RAM (MSDRAM) cells, built in a planar SOI technology. The memory window shifts toward more negative voltages at higher doses. The unconventional gate current peak measured in MSDRAM cells decreases with dose and disappears at 500 krad(SiO2) for these devices. The retention time of the 0-state decreases with dose, with the greatest decrease for memory cells programmed with high back-gate voltages. The trapped charge in the 400-nm buried oxide changes the potential in the body and interferes with the ability to store a 0-state. The irradiated cells exhibit higher drain currents while reading the 1-state. This increase of the drain current is enhanced for longer programming times.
The growing ability of the US to kill with impunity in war has prompted some to question whether such advantage challenges the moral justifications for inter-combatant violence. This scholarship, however, has yet to properly clarify both the explicit and tacit role of reciprocal risk within this moral determination. A systematic explanation is needed of the function of risk in the right to kill in war. This article engages with the in bello component of the Just War Tradition to determine: first, the role of reciprocal risk in the moral justifications for killing in war; and, second, the extent to which these justifications may be challenged within conditions of radical asymmetry, exemplified today by the unmanned aerial vehicle exclusive violence of the US. The first three sections of this article each review an account of Just War: conventionalism, revisionism and contractarianism. It is argued that the coherence of each of these moral accounts, particularly in terms of the permissiveness of inter-combatant violence, is grounded in an assumption of collective reciprocal risk. Radically asymmetric conditions of battle render ambiguous what would otherwise be a morally unproblematic use of military violence. This article will conclude by highlighting how this challenge manifests in practice, through analysis of the ongoing unmanned aerial vehicle exclusive violence of the US. The radical differentials of physical risk that characterise this violence threaten to erode the capacity of the US to interpret and apply standard judgements of Just War theory against those it targets.
Biodegradation is a mild and efficient way to protect humans and animals from mycotoxins. However, microbes and enzymes are susceptible to environmental change, lack of stability and reusability. In this work, three peroxidase-like metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), as artificial substitutes of natural peroxidase, are used for aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) removal, demonstrating strong removal ability for AFB1 and anti-interference ability towards other substances. There are distinct adsorption and catalytic properties among those MOFs that are mainly due to the differences in structure and Fe ion active sites. Then we immobilized those MOFs into ultrafiltration membranes to form a multifunctional membrane (i.e., filtration, adsorption and catalysis) for AFB1 removal with good reusability that can be operated in simultaneous adsorption/catalysis or adsorption followed by catalysis/regeneration modes. Physicochemical analysis and animal experiments showed that the degradation products are probably several low-carbon substances whose toxic groups are cleaved.
Recognising the problems besetting companies with storage difficulties the David Martin Group (headquarters at Colnbrook) has started to provide storage space for the high‐tech sector of its client list, including names like Wang, Honeywell and Digital. Every document passing through the Group's system is processed by computer to eradicate tariff and record discrepancies. The service helps the client in two ways by supplying specialised warehousing under controlled conditions and by having products packaged and ready to move when the client wants.
In this study we have used a tetrahedral oligopyridine and four different fluoroiodides to obtain three-dimensional (3D) nanoporous halogen-bonded cocrystals. Many of the halogen-bonded cocrystals reported to date are one-dimensional chains or two-dimensional sheet-like structures; these new cocrystals possess multiple channels of 300–800 A3 volume per unit cell. The extended 3D channels can be designed by varying the molecular structure of the halogen bond donor and were found to occupy 20–40% of the unit cell volume. The N···I distances in our cocrystals are ∼80% of the sum of the van der Waals radii of the nitrogen and iodine atoms, and the N···I–C angles are nearly linear. Noncovalent stacking (π–π) interactions as well as H-bonding to solvents were also observed in some of the cocrystals. The supramolecular structures obtained in this study are effectively derived out of different donor–acceptor XB interactions, solvent and other noncovalent interactions. The weak nature of halogen bonds as well as t...
A dedicated computed tomography system was used to acquire transaxial images of the distal radius to assess trabecular bone structure in vivo. We segmented trabecular bone from the marrow and soft tissue background by postprocessing the image with a region grow and skeletonization step. From the processed image we assessed the integrity of the bone by examining the continuity of its trabecular network and by determining the area of the holes comprising its marrow space. The continuity of the bone imaged was assessed by a proposed connectivity index (CI) and the size of the marrow spaces was assessed by calculating a mean hole area (H(A)) in the bone cross-section. Repeat measurements revealed that the intra-subject variability in CI and H(A) was small (CV < 6%). Both CI and H(A) were sensitive enough to reflect differences in structure at the head of the radius and at several sites along its shaft. We tested the diagnostic value of assessing bone structure at the distal end of the radius by measuring trabecular bone density, CI and H(A) in a mixed group of 26 subjects, nine of whom had suffered a wrist fracture. We found that a trabecular bone density threshold of 116 mg cm-3, corresponding to two standard deviations below the mean density in the 17 non-fractured subjects, separated fractured from non-fractured subjects with a sensitivity of 22% and a specificity of 100%. A CI threshold of -4.7 doubled the sensitivity (44%) and maintained the 100% specificity. An H(A) threshold of 4.5 mm2 achieved a sensitivity of 89% and a specificity of 94%. This increased sensitivity achieved by our indices suggests that an in vivo assessment of trabecular bone structure can contribute significantly to the identification of persons at risk of fracture.
Classical refrigeration using vapor compression has been widely applied over the last decades to large-scale industrial systems, with few known applications to the microelectronics cooling field, due to the small size limitation. The present study proposes an efficient mechanical refrigeration system to actively cool the electronic components populating a printed circuit board in high-power microelectronics system. The proposed system includes several miniaturized components - compressor, evaporator, condenser - part of a refrigeration system designed to fit the smaller scale power electronics. The system is thermally optimized to reach high COP (coefficients of performance). An array of micro-channels is used for the evaporator/condenser units. A previous study indicated that the R-134s refrigerant provides the best COP/feasibility ratio, while being the most suitable for microelectronics applications (Phelan et al., 2004). The present study develops an analytical model of the proposed small scale vapor compression refrigerator using the R-134a refrigerant. The refrigeration system is thermally optimized for cooling powers ranging from 20 - 100W, with the COP of the system reaching values up to 4.5. In the final section of the study, the efficiency of the proposed system is further compared to existing active cooling techniques using thermoelectric coolers (TEC). The advantages of the proposed system are highlighted, establishing a baseline performance vs. size relationship for vapor-compression refrigerators, to serve as the basis for comparison for future miniaturized refrigeration systems
After his departure into exile in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte became the object of a veritable popular cult, in which his memory as a warrior, ruler, and upholder of the values of the French Revolution was celebrated-first by Bonapartist and Jacobin republican groups under the Restoration, then (after 1830) by the official institutions of the July Monarchy and the Second Empire. The Napoleon cult also flourished in literature, notably in the works of Balzac, Stendhal and Hugo.' The political and intellectual significance of this cult has generally been downplayed. French historians have tended to argue that the Napoleon cult was an ideologically heterogeneous phenomenon, and that while its public and popular manifestations were impressive (especially between 1815 and 1848), its impact on French political culture was not significant. There is also growing controversy about the depth and density of the cult, both among social groups and in the intellectual realm; a recent study has thus cast doubt on the real extent of the imperial cult among former soldiers of the Grande Armee.2 French liberals are another group generally thought to have remained aloof from the cult. There is, it is true, much evidence of
Two of the previously presented N-body simulations of galaxy clustering are analyzed in terms of the detailed dynamical and morphological properties of their binaries, groups, and clusters. The analysis is closely analogous to the studies of groups among bright Zwicky catalog galaxies by Turner and Gott. The simulated groups, particularly those in the ..cap omega../sub 0/=0.1 and n= -1 model, resemble the observed groups. The models provide complete (position, velocity, mass) information on group and field ''galaxies'' identified using the Turner and Gott surface density enhancement procedure. These data are used to assess the validity of the membership assignments, the influence of non-Hubble motions on descriptions of the clustering, the accuracy and stability of various M/L estimators, the significance of field galaxies, and the statistical properties of binary systems.
Few phenomena have been more disruptive to West European politics and society than the accumulative experience of post-WWII immigration. Against this backdrop spring two questions: Why have the immigrant-receiving states historically permitted high levels of immigration? To what degree can the social and political fallout precipitated by immigration be politically managed? Utilizing evidence from a variety of sources, this study explores the links between immigration and the surge of popular support for antiimmigrant groups; its implications for state sovereignty; its elevation to the policy agenda of the European Union; and its domestic legacies. It argues that post-WWII migration is primarily an interest-driven phenomenon that has historically served the macroeconomic and political interests of the receiving countries. Specifically, it is the role of politics in adjudicating the claims presented by domestic economic actors, foreign policy commitments, and humanitarian norms that creates a permissive environment for significant migration to Western Europe.
We study the H2 photodissociation regions around OB stars in primordial gas clouds whose virial temperatures are between a few hundred and a few thousand Kelvin. In such small objects, a single O star can photodissociate a mass equal to that of the cloud itself. As a result, the clouds deplete their molecular coolant and cannot cool in a free-fall time, and subsequent star formation is totally quenched. This indicates that stars do not form efficiently in small objects and that these objects contribute little to the reionization of the universe.
There is currently a global increase in women being diagnosed with melanoma during their childbearing years. Many women are delaying motherhood and pregnancy, and starting their families later in life, after completing education and establishing careers. As melanoma incidences increase with age, more women could be faced with developing melanoma before or during pregnancy. Therefore, midwives play an intrinsic role in proving information and education regarding sun safety for themselves, their newborns and families.
We have previously demonstrated an increased DNA copy number and expression of IGF1R to be associated with poor outcome in Wilms tumors. We have now tested whether inhibiting this receptor may be a useful therapeutic strategy by using a panel of Wilms tumor cell lines. Both genetic and pharmacological targeting resulted in inhibition of downstream signaling through PI3 and MAP kinases, G1 cell cycle arrest, and cell death, with drug efficacy dependent on the levels of phosphorylated IGF1R. These effects were further associated with specific gene expression signatures reflecting pathway inhibition, and conferred synergistic chemosensitisation to doxorubicin and topotecan. In the in vivo setting, s.c. xenografts of WiT49 cells resembled malignant rhabdoid tumors rather than Wilms tumors. Treatment with an IGF1R inhibitor (NVP-AEW541) showed no discernable antitumor activity and no downstream pathway inactivation. By contrast, Wilms tumor cells established orthotopically within the kidney were histologically accurate and exhibited significantly elevated insulin-like growth factor–mediated signaling, and growth was significantly reduced on treatment with NVP-AEW541 in parallel with signaling pathway ablation. As a result of the paracrine effects of enhanced IGF2 expression in Wilms tumor, this disease may be acutely dependent on signaling through the IGF1 receptor, and thus treatment strategies aimed at its inhibition may be useful in the clinic. Such efficacy may be missed if only standard ectopic models are considered as a result of an imperfect recapitulation of the specific tumor microenvironment.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a dreadful disease with a poor prognosis and poses heavy health burden worldwide. Developing effective methods to identify high-risk individuals is urgently needed for preliminary screening before endoscopy. The novel non-endoscopic device has the potential advantages of low cost, simple operation, and minimal invasiveness. Approximately 90% of participants can swallow the device successfully with high safety profiles, and sufficient esophageal exfoliated cells can be collected for cytological examination and biomarker detection. Cytological examination based on the device combined with trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) protein or DNA methylation examinations could effectively screen Barrett's esophagus-associated dysplasia and early esophageal adenocarcinoma, but large prospective studies are needed to further validate the diagnostic value of this device to improve the quality of evidence. Although the device-based cytological examination in combination with biomarker detection holds promise in the early screening of esophageal squamous dysplasia and early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, related research is still in its infancy, and there is still a lack of sufficient evidence for population screening in China. Active research into the application of this novel non-endoscopic device in EC screening and early diagnosis is of great significance for optimizing EC screening strategies and improving the early diagnosis of EC.
Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) of the kidney, a rare neoplastic disease of high malignancy with a tendency towards early metastasis, affect young adults (26-30 years) irrespective of the gender. Differential diagnosis from other renal tumors is very important for an effective therapy. Herein, we report on a 24-year-old male patient with a renal tumor consisting of small, round cells, and summarize the diagnostic procedures that establish the diagnosis of PNET. Light microscopy revealed not only areas containing small, round cells forming rosettes and pseudorosettes, but also areas containing spindle cells. Expression of CD 99 in combination with neural markers, such as NSE, was detected by immunohistochemistry, and further evidence of neural differentiation was provided by electron microscopy. Image cytometry revealed a peridiploid DNA-stemline. A reciprocal translocation of the chromosomes 11 and 22 [t(11;22)(q24;q12)] with expression of a EWS/FLI-1 fusion transcript was demonstrated by molecular pathology. Using these methods, the diagnosis of PNET was firmly established, and the tumor was treated by surgical resection and subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy. Eighteen months after therapy, the patient is in excellent health condition without any evidence of tumor recurrence.
Wireless ad hoc networks are resource constrained, infrastructureless peer to peer networks where nodes are responsible for performing routing activity for other nodes to establish end to end communication. Due to limited resources (energy and bandwidth), in certain networks, nodes may behave selfishly and not forward packets for other nodes. Many cooperation enforcement mechanisms are proposed in literature to enforce packet forwarding on resource constrained nodes, and are shown to perform better than the defenseless dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol under their own set of assumptions. However, they do not consider the effect on network lifetime and energy consumption. Here we analyse routing overhead, end to end packet delivery ratio (PDR), and per packet energy cost of DSR and a representative set of cooperation enforcement mechanisms using various network scenario to show that in absence of infrastructure support cooperation enforcement mechanisms in their present form are not effective in dealing with node selfishness.
Tumour-associated hormonal products areonly one example oftumour-associated antigens. Nonetheless they serveasanexcellent modelforthelarger subject, andprovide thebestdocumented andearliest recog- nized examples ofthereleaseby tumoursofsubstances notnormally synthesized bytheir tissue oforigin. There areseveral reasonsfortheir early recognition: theproduction of biologically active hormones often causesclinically obvious effects; assayprocedures havebeendeveloped formany peptide andother hormones; methodshavebeenevolved fortheir extraction andpurification; and,finally, thestructure ofmany hormones hasbeenelucidated, enabling detailed comparisonwith tumourhormonalproducts. Theearliest report ofectopic hormoneproduction was thatofBrown(1928), whonoted theassociation ofan oat-cell carcinoma ofthebronchus withbila- teral adrenal hyperplasia ina woman whopresented withhirsutism anddiabetes mellitus. Morethan30 yearslater, HolubandKatz(1961) demonstrated the presence of adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH)-like
evidence against his misrepresentation of my thesis. Having oversimplified my thesis, Ch'eng proceeds to dismiss it as both tautological and overblown. I may claim too much or too little for the eighteenth century as "early modern," but how can I defend myself against the contradictory charge that I do both at once? The reviewer took special offense at my first chapter, which was written primarily for the nonspecialist. I believe his charge that I reintroduce "generally familiar secondary literature, especially in English," can only be applied in fairness to that first chapter. Ch'eng is far more accurate and detailed in his discussion of what I did not do than he is in describing what I did. In lamenting my failure to delve more deeply into social history, he ignores the bulk of my book, which discusses Rulin waishi from a variety of intellectual perspectives. I agree with Ch'eng that "rigorous research and finer analysis are in order," but there is much to be said for simple accuracy in a book review.
Background: Breast cancer tissue is sensitive to hypofractionation. This is an analysis of patients treated with hypofractionated protocols since 2009, at our tertiary cancer center. Methods: Details of breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant hypofractionated external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) from January 2009 to December 2014 were retrieved and analyzed. Results: One thousand seven hundred and eighty patients received adjuvant EBRT during this period. Three hundred and eight were offered hypofractionated schedule. One hundred and eighty-eight had modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and 120 had breast conservation surgery (BCS). Dose was 40 Gy in 15 fractions to chest wall/breast, and tumor bed boost of 10 Gy in 5 fractions, where indicated, using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT). Electrons were used in 159 and photons in 149. Single en face electron field was used for chest wall in MRM patients, and tangential photon beams for the whole breast. Patients on follow-up were assessed for locoregional recurrence, chest wall, breast or ipsilateral upper limb edema, brachial neuralgia, local skeletal events, pulmonary and cardiac symptoms, and cosmetic results. Two developed chest wall recurrence, one each in electron and photon arms. No skeletal, cardiac, or pulmonary adverse events were recorded. About 13.6% had arm edema, which was staged according to the International Society of Lymphology lymphedema staging, as Stage I-7.8%, Stage II-3.9%, and Stage III-1.9%. Twenty-six treated with electrons had arm edema. Increased incidence of arm edema in MRM patients could be attributed to combined surgical and radiation morbidity. Five-year overall survival was 81.9%. Conclusion: Hypofractionation is an accepted cost-effective standard of care in adjuvant breast radiation. Single en face electron field is well tolerated, and 3DCRT planning ensures homogeneous chest wall coverage, respecting dose constraints to organs at risk.
ABSTRACT The current state of forensic anthropology is evaluated by a limited cross-section of active practitioners from across Canada. The number of specialists undertaking casework in this area of forensic science is growing, as are expectations of the quality of our work from death investigative agencies nationally. However, the majority of forensic anthropologists in Canada are university-based and inadequately supported by their administrative units in terms of secure lab facilities and finances. Federal and Provincial funding agencies that could support research in this field and assist with creating infrastructure to meet emerging expectations of standards of forensic practice are by and large not doing so. Across Canada, unevenness of standards of training, practice and support reflects a lack of appreciation of forensic anthropology by society as a whole, as well as by funding agencies and the legal community. It also reflects the willingness of individual forensic anthropologists to accept this neglect and under-valuation of their work, likely because of a professional commitment to the task which they accept as a social responsibility. It is recommended that a national consensus of standards of practice, facilities and training be achieved among forensic anthropologists so as to place pressure on federal funding agencies in Canada to support forensic anthropology adequately in the future.
Abstract Objective Spontaneous preterm deliveries (PTDs) have been consistently associated with maternal vascular complications. We aimed to investigate an association between PTD and subsequent maternal ophthalmic morbidity. Study Design In this population-based cohort study, we included all singleton deliveries occurring between 1988 and 2013. We excluded women with known ophthalmic disease. The exposure was at least one pregnancy with PTD. Outcomes included different maternal ophthalmic morbidity. The cumulative incidence and adjusted hazard ratios were assessed using a Kaplan–Meier survival curve and Cox hazards models. Results Of the 105,018 patients included, 17,600 (16.7%) delivered preterm. Patients with a history of PTD (both induced and spontaneous) had higher rates of ophthalmic complications (odds ratio [OR]: 2.12; confidence interval [CI]: 1.6–2.7; p < 0.001), specifically diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma (OR: 4.79 and 2.48, respectively). A linear association was found between the number of previous PTDs and ophthalmic complications (0.2% for no PTD; 0.4% for one PTD; 0.6% for two or more PTDs; p < 0.001) and for early and late PTD (p < 0.001). A Cox model revealed an independent association between PTD and ophthalmic complications (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.6–2.9). Conclusion A history of PTD is an independent risk factor for ophthalmic morbidity.
The complex computing systems employed by governments, corporations, and other institutions are frequently targeted by cyber-attacks designed for espionage and sabotage. The malicious software used in such attacks are typically custom-designed or obfuscated to avoid detection by traditional antivirus software. Our goal is to create a malware detection system that can quickly and accurately detect such otherwise difficult-to-detect malware. We pose the problem of malware detection as a multi-channel change-point detection problem, wherein the goal is to identify the point in time when a system changes from a known clean state to an infected state. We present a host-based malware detection system designed to run at the hypervisor level, monitoring hypervisor and guest operating system sensors and sequentially determining whether the host is infected. We present a case study wherein the detection system is used to detect various types of malware on an active web server under heavy computational load.
We currently work on the implementation of an integrated prototype system that provides "all around" automatic visual obstacle sensing for a Daimler-Benz test car. Most of the machine vision techniques being used have been developed within the European PROMETHEUS programme and a number of other research projects carried out by the authors and other affiliates of their institutions. This includes robust symmetry measuring, neural net-based adaptive object detection and tracking, and inverse-perspective stereo image matching and robust scale estimation in time.
According to Vallicella's 'Relations, Monism, and the Vindication of Bradley's Regress' (2002), if relations are to relate their relata, some special operator must do the relating. No other options will do. In this paper we reject Vallicella's conclusion by considering an important option that becomes visible only if we hold onto a precise distinction between the following three feature-pairs of relations: internality/externality, universality/particularity, relata-specificity/relataunspecificity. The conclusion we reach is that if external relations are to relate their relata, they must be relata-specific (and no special operator is needed). As it eschews unmereological complexes, this outcome is of relevance to defenders of the extensionality of composition. © 2008 Editorial Board of dialectica.
BACKGROUND CompactDry™ Yeast/Mold Rapid (YMR) is a ready to use dry media sheet using a chromogenic medium with selective agents for the enumeration of yeasts and molds in a variety of food products after incubation at 25 ± 1 °C for 3 days. The method is certified as AOAC Performance Tested MethodSM 092002.   OBJECTIVE The CompactDry YMR method was validated for a matrix extension to cannabis flower through the AOAC Emergency Response Validation process.   METHODS The performance of the CompactDry YMR was compared to Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol (DRBC) agar for the enumeration of yeasts and molds in cannabis flower. Matrix data were normalized by log10 transformation and performance indicators included repeatability, difference of means (DOM), and inclusivity/exclusivity.   RESULTS The results demonstrated that the CompactDry YMR method is equivalent to the DRBC agar method at 72 hours of incubation. In the independent laboratory validation study, there was no significant difference in detection, enumeration, or repeatability between the CompactDry YMR method and DRBC agar at 72 hours. Eighteen inclusivity and 16 exclusivity strains specific to cannabis plant materials that were not evaluated in the original CompactDry YMR method validation were tested in this study. All inclusivity organisms produced typical colonies on the CompactDry YMR. The two exclusivity bacterial strains that showed growth on CompactDry YMR at 72 hours were inoculated at a high concentration.   CONCLUSION CompactDry YMR is equivalent in performance to traditional culture media detection methods of yeasts and molds. Highlight: CompactDry YMR will streamline dried cannabis flower testing.
Binkofski, F., Buxbaum, L.J. (2012). Two action systems in the human brain. Brain and language, in press. Borghi, A.M., Riggio, L. (2009). Sentence comprehension and simulation of object temporary, canonical and stable affordances. Brain Research, vol. 1253, pp. 117-128 Eickhoff, S. B., Stephan, K. E., Mohlberg, H., Grefkes, C., Fink, G. R., Amunts, K., Zilles, K. (2005), A new SPM toolbox for combining probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps and functional imaging data. NeuroImage, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 1325-1335. Eickhoff, S.B., Laird, A.R., Grefkes, C., Wang, L.E., Zilles, K., Fox, P.T. (2009), Coordinate‐based activation likelihood estimation meta‐analysis of neuroimaging data: a random‐effects approach based on empirical estimates of spatial uncertainty. Human Brain Mapping, vol. 30, no. 9, pp. 2907‐2926. Gibson, J.J. (1979), The ecological approach to visual perception. Houghton Mifflin, Boston. Laird, A.R., Eickhoff, S.B., Kurth, F., Fox, P.M., Uecker, A.M., Turner, J.A., Robinson, J.L., Lancaster, J.L., Fox, P.T. (2009a), ALE meta-analysis workflows via the brainmap database: progress towards a probabilistic functional brain atlas. Frontiers in neuroinformatics, vol. 3, no. 23. Pisella, L., Binkofski, F., Lasek, K., Toni, I., Rossetti, Y. (2006), No double-dissociation between optic ataxia and visual agnosia: multiple sub-streams for multiple visuo-manual integrations. Neuropsychologia, vol. 44, no. 13, pp. 2734-2748. Rizzolatti, G., Luppino, G., Matelli, M. (1998), The organisation of the cortical motor system: new concepts. Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, vol. 106, pp. 283–296. Rizzolatti, G., Matelli, M. (2003), Two different streams form the dorsal visual system: anatomy and functions. Experimental brain research, vol. 153, no. 2, pp.146-157. Thill, S., Caligiore, D., Borghi, A.M., Ziemke, T., Baldassarre, G. (2013), Theories and computational models of affordance and mirror systems: an integrative review. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 37, no. 3, pp. 491-521. Turkeltaub, P.E., Eickhoff, S.B., Laird, A.R., Fox, M., Wiener, M., Fox, P. (2012), Minimizing within-experiment and within-group effects in activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses. Human Brain Mapping, vol. 33, pp. 1-13. Young, G. (2006), Are different affordances subserved by different neural pathways? Brain and Cognition, vol. 62, pp. 134–142. 1 • The concept of affordances was first introduced by the ecological psychologist James J. Gibson (1979) to indicate properties the environment provides to acting organisms which are relevant for a goal.
The present research evaluated the possibility of the Social and Economic Efficiency Principle to serve as an interpretive theoretical matrix, in the scope of international trade, for a desirable transition from Free Trade to Fair Trade model. The study considered the social phenomenological diversity, especially from the point of view of the Economic Analysis of Law. In addition, a panorama of foreign trade was drawn, pointing out difficulties and challenges. The research method used was hypothetical-deductive, the studies were bibliographical. Regarding the ends, the research was descriptive and explanatory. The results were presented in the form of texts.
Abstract Lymphangiography as a diagnostic procedure dates back to the 1950s and was widely performed for several decades until being supplanted by other advanced imaging techniques. With the advent of thoracic duct embolization to treat chylothorax, Constantin Cope ushered in a transition from lymphangiography as a diagnostic procedure to a precursor for lymphatic intervention. Subsequently, technical modifications and applications of lymphatic embolization to other medical conditions have greatly expanded the scope and application of lymphangiography and lymphatic intervention. Although there is increasing familiarity with lymphatic interventions, few interventionalists have performed a high enough volume to be aware of potential complications and their management. Potential complications of lymphangiography and those encountered while performing lymphatic interventions are discussed along with approaches to minimize their risk and management strategies should they occur.
The NCCN Best Practices Committee, which is composed of senior physician, nursing, and administrative leaders from NCCN Member Institutions, evaluated the status of cancer center operations after 1 year of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two major initiatives stood out: the increase in the utilization of network sites, and the gains made in telemedicine operations and reimbursement. Experts from NCCN Member Institutions participated in a webinar series in June 2021 to share their experiences, knowledge, and thoughts on these topics and discuss the impact on the future of cancer care.
Synthesis of stereoregular DNA methylphosphonates has been accomplished for homo-oligomers, but remains a formidable problem for oligomers of a defined antisense target sequence. In this work, four trimer and tetramer deoxynucleoside methylphosphonates of mixed sequence (dACA, dCCAA, dAGGG, and dGCAT) were prepared by block coupling of diastereomerically pure dimers with either monomers or other diastereomerically pure dimers. These oligomers were separated chromatographically into individual diastereomers, and the configurations of the chiral methylphosphonate linkages were assigned. Three types of methods were used to assign configuration of a new methylphosphonate linkage: preparation of the same diastereomer through multiple synthetic pathways, base hydrolysis, and acid hydrolysis. Hydrolysis of the diastereomerically pure oligomers into component dimers and monomers was followed by chromatographic comparison with control dimers of known configuration. In all cases studied, oligomers with R configurations displayed faster elution from silica gel than did oligomers with the respective S configuration. NMR spectra of individual diastereomers of dACA were studied, revealing characteristic differences in chemical shifts which may prove useful in configurational assignments of longer oligomers. Thus, these data provide a methodological basis for synthesis and configurational assignment of longer methylphosphonate oligomers to use as antisense probes.
7-([(2Z)- 2-(2-amino- 1,3-thiazol- 4-yl)- 2-methoxyiminoacetyl]amino)- 8-oxo- 3[(2S)-oxolan- 2-yl]- 5-thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene-2-carboxylic acid (cefovecin) is an antibiotic of the cephalosporin class . In silico binding free energy of six analogous structurally diverse cefovecin with Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipase were determined using Patchdock and Firedock softwares. The bonding interactions were also studied. The binding energy of cefovecin was -44.30 kcal/mol. The free binding energies of COOH, COCH3, CH3, NO2, CF3 and NH2 analogues were -44.30, -43.55, -39.49, -43.40, -30.25 and -44.18 Kcal/mol respectively. All the monosubstituted analogues showed lower negative values than the non substituted cefovecin. These lower negative values indicate that that the reactions are feasible. Their inhibition is lower compared to cefovecin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipase. The modes of bonding of six analogous structurally diverse cefovecin with Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipase were attributed to hydrogen bonding and steric interaction.
type="main"> Auditors incur a loss of credibility and/or status or litigation costs only when investors recognise audit failures. In this respect, auditors may be concerned about an increase in market-perceived risk even though the total amount of audit risk is constant. Consistent with this reasoning, I find that auditors increase audit effort in response to increases in market-perceived information risk. This suggests that the expected costs of audit failures are a function of investors’ recognition, and thus increased market-perceived risk causes auditors to become more concerned about their audit failures and to increase audit effort. Further, this study shows that audit effort is effective in reducing market-perceived information risk, suggesting that auditors contribute to the information environment.
Agates of Paleoproterozoic volcanics (2100−1920 Ma) within the Onega Basin (Karelian Craton, Southeast Fennoscandia) were studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry XRF, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and C-O isotope analysis. Agate mineralization is widespread in the lavas gas vesicles, inter-pillow space of basalts, picrobasalts, basaltic andesites, as well as agglomerate tuffs. Agates are characterized by fine and coarse banding concentric zoning; moss, spotted, veinlet, and poor-fancy texture types were identified. Agate mineralization is represented by silicates, oxides, and hydroxides, carbonates, phosphates, sulfides, and sulfates. Among the silica minerals in agates only chalcedony, quartz and quartzine were found. The parameters of the quartz structure according to the X-ray diffraction data (well-develops reflections (212), (203), (301), large crystallite sizes (Cs 710–1050 Å) and crystallinity index (CI 7.8–10.3) give evidence of multi-stage silica minerals recrystallization due to a metamorphic (thermal) effect. The decreasing trend of trace element concentration in the banded agates from the outer zone to the core suggests a chemical purification process during crystallization. C-O isotope characteristic of agate-associated calcite reflects primary magmatic origin with the influence of hydrothermal activity and/or low-thermal meteoric fluids. Agates were formed under low PT-parameters and related to hydrothermal activity on the first stage of Svecofenian orogeny within 1780−1730 Ma. Thus, it can be believed that the temporal gap between continental flood basalts outflow and agate formation is about 190 Ma.
This review assesses the impact of climate change on lake water resources in Sub-Saharan Africa(SSA). Two significant global water features with immense contribution to agriculture and socio-economic development of the region were analysed. Lake Victoria is the world second largest freshwater lake and Lake Chad the largest endoreic basin. These two great water bodies have been affected drastically by climate change and human influence. A significant shrinkage on Lake Chad was experienced with a decrease in water stored from in 1960s to less than  in 2005. This effect abruptly receded Lake Chad from 25,000Km 2 in the 1960s to 1350Km 2 in 2005; while Lake Victoria experienced continual fluctuations from over a century; with evaporation rates varying between 1370mm to 1600mm, 90% of water loss which leads to peak fluctuation occurring in 1961. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v36i2.42
A 31-year-old woman with papillary carcinoma of the thyroid with right cervical lymph nodal metastasis underwent total thyroidectomy with modified radical neck dissection. At follow-up 6 weeks after surgery, she had not developed clinical features of hypothyroidism and her thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was within normal limits. Further evaluation including technetium scintigraphy of the thyroid and MRI of the chest confirmed thyroid tissue, thyrothymic thyroid rest (TTR), in the superior mediastinum. The patient's TSH elevated well after reoperation of TTR. She underwent radioiodine ablative therapy and suppressive thyroxine therapy as per the protocol for well-differentiated thyroid cancer follow-up. The clinical importance of these embryological rests of thyroid tissue, especially in the management of thyroid malignancies, is discussed in this report.
In the two years since the last SPIE meeting on this topic there has been much activity in both ground and space based interferometry. I review those developments, I also summarize the Strawman Science Proposal prepared by the Space Interferometry Science Working Group as a gauge for evaluating the AIM instrument proposals. I then review the recent discovery of the disk structure in M106 using radio interferometry. As an example of where we want to go with optical interferometry, the M106 case argues for infrared capabilities, significant fields of view, and the availability of auxiliary instruments, e.g. spectrographs, in the imaging focal plane.
Buildings are typically equipped with a number of elements and devices (such as windows, blinds, luminaires, radiators, and fans) to control indoor environmental conditions. The availability, effectiveness, and usability of control devices and their human interfaces constitute arguably an essential aspect of built environments quality and performance. We refer to this aspect as buildings’ indoor-environmentally relevant “ecological valency” (EV) or the “affordance”. It can be interpreted as a descriptor of buildings’ responsiveness toward inhabitants’ needs and requirements. Despite its critical importance, there is currently a lack of systematic evaluation or certifications procedures for objective characterization of indoor environments’ EV as related to the availability and effectiveness of control devices and their human interfaces. The present contribution explores thus the potential for designing and implementing formal procedures toward measurement and certification of indoor environments’ EV.
Subtalar (peritalar) dislocation is an uncommon injury of the foot in which the subtalar and the talonavicular joints are dislocated simultaneously. 1-7,10-16 Its incidence has been estimated to be approximately 1% of all dislocations 7,12,14 and fewer than 2% of all major joint dislocations.4 Most often, the foot is dislocated medially to the talus, although lateral, anterior, and posterior dislocations can also occur. 16 The patient in this report sustained the medial type of this injury twice in the same foot.
Abstract— Meteor science, aeronomy, and meteoritics are different disciplines with natural interfaces. This paper is an effort to integrate the chemistry and mineralogy of collected interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), micrometeorites, and meteorites with meteoric data and with atmospheric metal abundances. Evaporation, ablation, and melting of decelerating materials in the Earth's atmosphere are the sources of the observed metal abundances in the upper atmosphere. Many variables ultimately produce the materials and phenomena we can analyze, such as different accretion and parent‐body histories of incoming extraterrestrial materials, different interactions of meteors with the Earth's middle atmosphere, meteor data reduction, and complex chemical interactions of the metals and ions with the ambient atmosphere. The IDP‐like and unequilibrated ordinary chondrite matrix materials are reasonable sources for observed meteoric and atmospheric metals. The hypothesis of hierarchical dust accretion predicts that low, correlated refractory element abundances in cometary meteors may be real. It implies that the CI or cosmic standard is not useful to appreciate the chemistry of incoming petrologically heterogeneous cometary matter. The quasi steady‐state metal abundances in the lower thermosphere and upper mesosphere are derived predominantly from materials with cometary orbital characteristics and velocities such as comets proper and near‐Earth asteroids. The exact influence of atmospheric chemistry on these abundances still needs further evaluation. Metal abundances in the lower mesosphere and upper stratosphere region are mostly from materials from the asteroidal belt and the Kuiper belt.
A comparison of active smart structure - piezoelectric control system and aerodynamic active systems for vibration alleviation and elastic mode damping of a military aircraft structure is presented. The vibration alleviation systems which are operative at flight in turbulence or during maneuvers at high incidence corresponding to severe buffeting conditions are under investigation by DASA as a part of research study on advanced aircraft structures. The active systems for elastic mode damping are designed as digital systems to provide vibration alleviation and have an interface to the flight control system (FCS) or are directly part of the FCS. The sensor concept of all different systems is the same as the sensor concept used for the FCS with the corresponding benefits of redundancy and safety. The design of systems and the comparisons of system properties are based on open and closed loop response calculations, performed with the dynamic model of the total aircraft including coupling of flight mechanics, structural dynamics, FCS dynamics and hydraulic actuator or piezo-actuator dynamics. Aerodynamic systems, like active foreplane and flap concepts, rudder and auxiliary rudder concepts, and piezoelectric systems, like piezo interface at the interconnection fin to rear fuselage and integrated piezo concepts are compared. Besides the essential effects on flexible aircraft mode stability and vibration alleviation factors system complexity and safety aspects are described.
Composition effect on the phase morphology in polyethylene (PE) with polyamide (PA) blends was investigated by pattern analysis of scanning electron micrographs. The average diameter denoted as dg is defined to discuss the morphology of the blends and further, different fractal dimensions, DM and DN, were introduced to characterize the phase morphology. Scale function SN(r) and SM(r) are defined to study the selfsimilarity of the phase morphology. The plots of SN(r)/SN(r)m (the maximum of SN(r)) versus r/rm (the maximum of r) and SM(r)/SM(r)m (the maximum of SM(r)) versus r/rm showed the selfsimilar formation of the phase pattern. Furthermore, we calculated the fractal dimension D of different PE/PA blends. The results showed that the fractal dimension was an effective parameter to describe the spacial distribution of dispersed particles. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Hemophilia B (HB) is caused by mutations in the human gene F9. The mutation type plays a pivotal role in genetic counseling and prediction of inhibitor development. To help the HB community understand the molecular etiology of HB, we have developed a listing of all F9 mutations that are reported to cause HB based on the literature and existing databases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Hemophilia B Mutation Project (CHBMP) mutation list is compiled in an easily accessible format of Microsoft Excel and contains 1083 unique mutations that are reported to cause HB. Each mutation is identified using Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) nomenclature standards. The mutation types and the predicted changes in amino acids, if applicable, are also provided. Related information including the location of mutation, severity of HB, the presence of inhibitor, and original publication reference are listed as well. Therefore, our mutation list provides an easily accessible resource for genetic counselors and HB researchers to predict inhibitors. The CHBMP mutation list is freely accessible at http://www.cdc.gov/hemophiliamutations.
We discuss the size of the determinants, which appear in the determinant formulae of the relative class numbers of cyclotomic function ﬁelds. These are the determinants of integer symmetric matrices, whose entries are 0 or 1. We show that, for a smaller characteristic, the determinants are signiﬁcantly large (in the absolute value) compared to the determinants of randomly generated such matrices, while for a larger characteristic, it is not the case. We explain why this happens by comparing some upper bounds.
Over the past 2 years, the results of large clinical trials have fundamentally changed the clinical practice of stroke care in several different ways. Perhaps the greatest advances have occurred in stroke prevention, where we now have a wider array of anticoagulants to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation and we have confirmation from 2 large studies that medical therapies are more effective at stroke prevention than endovascular and surgical procedures for patients with intracranial atherosclerotic disease and internal carotid occlusion, respectively. However, new technological improvements have advanced endovascular techniques for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) to the point where we are on the verge of determining whether intra-arterial treatments may actually improve outcome. We discuss the highlights of several important articles during the past 2 years that have advanced the field in emerging therapies for stroke.  Although no major advances have yet led to the approval of novel thrombolytic agents for AIS, the long awaited placebo-controlled IST-3 trial on IV t-PA for AIS was finally completed. IST-3 is the largest thrombolysis trial ever involving >3000 patients, confirming once again the benefits of IV t-PA and that, in unselected patients, alteplase is most effective in the 3-hour time window.1 The study supports the long-held notion that selected criteria are needed to identify patients who would benefit in time windows beyond 3 hours from symptom onset. In this respect, Parson et al,2 conducted a phase IIB trial in which alteplase was compared with tenecteplase in patients who had a large artery occlusion and a perfusion lesion at least 20% greater than the infarct core on computed tomographic perfusion. Tenecteplase was associated with better reperfusion and better clinical outcomes compared with alteplase.2 …
Numerous researchers have described problems encountered during the construction and performance of a building that result from inadequate site investigations (SI). The type and coverage of in-situ tests can significantly affect the quality of SI results. The aim of this study is to explore the amount and methods of SI in Estonia during the last eleven years. Site investigations data from 92 private and public buildings were collected and analyzed. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were adopted to identify the most commonly used in-situ and laboratory methods according to different soil types and building height. The impact of the SI contractor was analysed as well. It was found that the costs of investigations constituted approximately 0.1% of the building tender cost for two-to six-storey buildings. Almost half of the SI contractors were designers too. Regardless of the contractor of SI and the soil type, the extent of SI was always similar. The majority of the investigations were conducted only in one stage. Dynamic probing was the most frequent in-situ testing method. The amount and quality of SI was found to be too low for a reliable and optimum design.
We have recently reported that salivary gland cells express the lymphatic endothelial cell marker podoplanin. The present study was aimed to immunohistochemically investigate the expression of the myoepithelial cell marker α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) on podoplanin-positive cells in mouse parotid and sublingual glands, and to elucidate podoplanin localization in salivary gland myoepithelial cells by immunoelectron microscopic study. The distribution of myoepithelial cells expressing podoplanin and α-SMA was examined by immunofluorescent staining, and the localization of reaction products of anti-podoplanin antibody was investigated by pre-embedded immunoelectron microscopic method. In immunohistochemistry, the surfaces of both the mucous acini terminal portion and ducts were covered by a number of extensive myoepithelial cellular processes expressing podoplanin, and the immunostaining level with anti-podoplanin antibody to myoepithelial cells completely coincided with the immunostaining level with anti-α-SMA antibody. These findings suggest that podoplanin is a salivary gland myoepithelial cell antigen, and that the detection level directly reflects the myoepithelial cell distribution. In immunoelectron microscopic study, a number of reaction products with anti-podoplanin antibody were found at the Golgi apparatus binding to the endoplasmic reticulum in the cytoplasm of myoepithelial cells between sublingual gland acinar cells, and were also found at the myoepithelial cell membrane. These findings suggest that salivary gland myoepithelial cells constantly produce podoplanin and glycosylate at the Golgi apparatus, and transport them to the cell membrane. Podoplanin may be involved in maintaining the homeostasis of myoepithelial cells through its characteristic as a mucin-type transmembrane glycoprotein.
Researchers in Sweden developed and assessed radioimmunoassays of estrone and estradiol in human and bovine peripheral plasma. An antibody against estradiol-17-beta-succinyl-bovine-serum-albumin was employed. Without any previous treatment the antibody was diluted in .1% phosphate buffer to 1:150000. Estrone and estradiol fractions were separated with Sephadex LH-20 chromatography. In both women and cows highly accurate and precise measurements of estrone and 17-beta-estradiol were obtained. In the pregnant cow estrone levels could be measured with a rapid technique which omitted the chromatographic step. In the pregnant cow the predominant free estrogen in the peripheral plasma was estrone. In the 34 normal menstrual cycles observed in women a well defined midcycle estrogen peak always occurred; the luteal phase was less pronounced.(Authors modified)
Objective To determine whether offering self sampling of cervicovaginal material for high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is an effective screening method for women who do not attend regular cervical screening programmes. Design Cohort study (the PROHTECT trial). Settings Noord-Holland and Flevoland regions of the Netherlands, December 2006 to December 2007, including 13 laboratories, gynaecologists, and more than 800 general practitioners. Participants 28 073 women who had not responded to two invitations to the regular cervical screening programme: 27 792 women were assigned to the self sampling group and invited to submit a self collected cervicovaginal sample for HPV testing; 281 were assigned to the recall control group and received a second re-invitation for conventional cytology. Intervention Women with a positive result on the high risk HPV test on their self sample material were referred to their general practitioner. Women with abnormal results on cytology were referred for colposcopy. Women with normal results on cytology were re-evaluated after one year by cytology and high risk HPV testing and referred for colposcopy if either result was positive. Main outcome measures Attendance rate in both groups and yield of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade II/III or worse (≥CIN II/≥CIN III) in self sampling responders. Results The compliance rate in the self sampling group was significantly higher than in the control group (crude 26.6% v 16.4%, P<0.001; adjusted 27.5% v 16.6%, P<0.001). The number of detected ≥CIN II and ≥CIN III lesions in self sampling responders was 99 (1.3%) and 76 (1.0%), respectively. Self sampling responders who had not participated in the previous round of screening (43%) had increased relative risks of ≥CIN II (2.04, 95% confidence interval 1.27 to 3.28) and ≥CIN III (2.28, 1.31 to 3.96) compared with self sampling women who had been screened in the previous round (57%). Conclusions Offering self sampling by sending a device for collecting cervicovaginal specimens for high risk HPV testing to women who did not attend regular screening is a feasible and effective method of increasing coverage in a screening programme. The response rate and the yield of high grade lesions support implementation of this method for such women. Trial registration ISRCTN45527158.
Abstract Scholars have sought to explain how and why developing countries establish anti-corruption agencies by examining the strength of national and international institutions, particularly political institutions and actors, international donors and civil society. This article argues that these explanations are inadequate and that explaining the nature of anti-corruption reform in developing countries requires accounting for the transnational technical anti-corruption assemblage. This assemblage comprises individuals, ideas and things that reinforce technical solutions to corruption. This article examines the case of anti-corruption reforms in Solomon Islands during and after the international Regional Assistant Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) intervention (2003–2017). It shows that parliamentarians passed anti-corruption reforms despite declining pressure from donors, relatively weak civil society and wavering political commitment. The article suggests a transnational coalition of national and international actors and objects helped establish and maintain a technical anti-corruption assemblage. Through exclusionary practices, this assemblage helped maintain the technical and apolitical nature of anti-corruption reform. Findings provide insights into the effectiveness of anti-corruption ‘policy transfer’ in Solomon Islands and other developing countries.
Process variations are of great concern in modern technologies. Early prediction of their effects on the circuit performance and parametric yield is extremely useful. In today's microprocessors, custom designed transistor level macros and memory array macros, like caches, occupy a significant fraction of the total core area. While block-based statistical static timing analysis (SSTA) techniques are fast and can be used for analyzing cell based designs, they cannot be used for transistor level macros. Currently, such macros are either abstracted with statistical timing models which are less accurate or are analyzed using statistical Monte-Carlo circuit simulations which are time consuming. In this paper, we develop a fast and accurate flow that can be used to perform SSTA on large transistor and memory array macros. The delay distributions of paths obtained using our flow for a large, industrial, 45 nm, transistor level macro have error of less than 6% compared to those obtained after rigorous Monte-Carlo SPICE simulations. The resulting flow enables full-chip SSTA, provides visibility into the macro even at the chip level, and eliminates the need to abstract the macros with statistical timing models.
A review of the mechanical characterization carried out on welded API X70 steel, and other related steels are presented in this paper. The major problems facing pipeline network are failures demonstrated in form of leaks, ageing, ruptures and explosions. However, corrosion-induced failure also occurs in pipelines that are installed in harsh environments such as seawater. The research works under review considered the welded joints of the API X70 pipelines to be a more critical region than the base metal. The mechanical properties of the welds examined include tensile strength, hardness, and Charpy impact absorbed energy. The experimental methods used to characterize the work that are reviewed include scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and ThermoARL optical emission spectroscopic analysis. Welding technique such as submerged arc welding (SAW) and Manual metal arc (MMA) and parameters used in producing welds are also discussed briefly. Discussion of seawater environment is also presented. It is important to mention that most of the works reported in the literature are those that considered weldments that are exposed to ambient air while just a few considered welds exposed to the corrosive environment such as seawater. Therefore, this review concludes with the need for more research to determine more empirical data on the effect of seawater on mechanical properties of welded API X70.
A diversity of tasks use language models trained on semantic similarity data. While there are a variety of datasets that capture semantic similarity, they are either constructed from modern web data or are relatively small datasets created in the past decade by human annotators. This study utilizes a novel source, newly digitized articles from off-copyright, local U.S. newspapers, to assemble a massive-scale semantic similarity dataset spanning 70 years from 1920 to 1989 and containing nearly 400M positive semantic similarity pairs. Historically, around half of articles in U.S. local newspapers came from newswires like the Associated Press. While local papers reproduced articles from the newswire, they wrote their own headlines, which form abstractive summaries of the associated articles. We associate articles and their headlines by exploiting document layouts and language understanding. We then use deep neural methods to detect which articles are from the same underlying source, in the presence of substantial noise and abridgement. The headlines of reproduced articles form positive semantic similarity pairs. The resulting publicly available HEADLINES dataset is significantly larger than most existing semantic similarity datasets and covers a much longer span of time. It will facilitate the application of contrastively trained semantic similarity models to a variety of tasks, including the study of semantic change across space and time.
Designing computing equipment for a computer laboratory is not easy. In a class in a computer laboratory, it is not unusual that all students do the same thing simultaneously. Tremendous traffic is on the network and heavy load is on the file server or the web server at that time. In order to design the equipment, it is useful if we can have performance data which is acquired in a real class. And it is more useful if we can compare the performance data of various kind of equipment which is acquired by doing the same operations in a real class. In order to acquire such kind of data, we are developing a benchmark test tool for distributed systems. This tool records real operations by users on computing equipment and it acquires its performance data. The tool can replay the same operations on different computing equipment. The tool can also let every computer doing the same thing simultaneously. In order to compare the performance data of various kind of computing equipment, this tool is in Java. So it is platform independent. We show the structure of the tool and the experiment of the usage of the tool.
Sequence-specific noncovalent helix-helix interactions between transmembrane (TM) segments in proteins are investigated by incorporating selected TM sequences into synthetic peptides using the construct CKKK-TM-KKK. The peptides are of suitable hydrophobicity for spontaneous membrane insertion, whereas formation of an N-terminal S-S bond can bring pairs of TM helices into proximity and promote their parallel orientation. Using the propensity of the protein to undergo thermally induced α-helix → β-sheet transitions as a parameter for helix stability, we compared the wild type and mutant (V29A and V31A) bacteriophage M13 coat proteins with their corresponding TM peptide constructs (M13 residues 24–42). Our results demonstrated that the relevant helix-helix tertiary contacts found in the intact proteins persist in the peptide mimics. Molecular dynamics simulations support the tight “two in-two out” dimerization motif for V31A consistent with mutagenesis data. The overall results reinforce the notion of TM segments as autonomous folding domains and suggest that the generic peptide construct provides a viable reductionist system for membrane protein structural and computational analysis.
This research focuses on the long empty cutting path problem during the laser cutting process by employing an improved proximity method to establish the starting point set in complex closed graphics. Specifically, this work improves the particle swarm algorithm and proposes the Levy Flight, power function, and Singer map employed particle swarm optimization (LPSPSO) to avoid the disadvantages of the standard particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Specifically, the comprehensive prospect-regret theoretical model evaluation value is used as the fitness value to guide the algorithm’s evolution and adaptively adjust the parameters in the LPSPSO algorithm, including the inertia weight power function, the learning factors, and the chaotic random number based on the Singer chaotic map. Additionally, the Levy flight is introduced to disturb the particles and prevent local optimization. This is achieved by adjusting the Levy flight threshold based on the distance between the particles to prevent the Levy flight from starting prematurely and increasing the calculation burden. To verify the performance of the LPSPSO algorithm, it was challenged against three state-of-the-art algorithms on 22 benchmark test instances and a laser cutting problem, with the results revealing that the LPSPSO algorithm has a better performance and can be used to solve the empty length of the laser cutting path problem.
Background: Tamsulosin is an α-1A-specific blocker which induces selective relaxation of ureteral smooth muscle with subsequent inhibition of ureteral spasms and dilatation of the ureteral lumen and facilitates stone expelling. Objectives: In this study we aimed to assess the efficacy of tamsulosin for improving the success rate of ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS) for lower ureteral stones. Patients and Methods: In a prospective study by a randomized controlled clinical trial, which was performed from June 2008 to December 2010, we enrolled one hundred and forty-two subjects and eventually 102 patients completed the clinical trial. All the patients underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy with the pneumatic wolf lithotripsy. The patients were randomly divided into 2 groups: the study group including 52 patients, received tamsulosin with our traditional treatment (hydration and analgesic when required), and the control group with 50 patients who received placebo with traditional treatment. The number of colic episodes, lower urinary tract symptoms, analgesic dosage, and days of spontaneous passage of the stones through the ureter were recorded in a diary after lithotripsy. Results: The results showed that tamsulosin treatment group had low expulsion time (P = 0.011), low urinary tract symptoms, least analgesic needs and low adverse effects, all with statistically significant differences comparable with the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Administration of α-1A-specific blocker reduced analgesic dosage and colic episodes and rate of adverse effects after ureteroscopic lithotripsy of lower ureteral stones and decreased gravel expulsion time after URSL.
The current growth of the service sector in global economies is unparalleled in human history. Even large manufacturing firms are seeing dramatic shifts in percent revenue derived from services. The growing dynamism of the automotive sector, the enlargement of markets, the changes in the strategic position of suppliers, the introduction of new rules and the diffusion of the internet have great impact on manufacturer's after sales configuration. Considering the complexities in Automobile Service Centre (ASC), a model is developed for the variables affecting the performance of ASC and studies the interrelationship among the variables. Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) is used as tool for the present study and structural relationship model has been developed. Driving elements are also found using MICMAC analysis. The present research provides innovative business models for product service system design. The study will help the managers of ASC in developing the policies for improvement in performance of ASC.
It is increasingly acknowledged that stresses can resonate across the boundaries between ecosystems. Salt marshes, vast areas shaped by ocean-shore interactions, constitute prime examples of ecosystems where multiple stress factors arising from one ecosystem act on the local community of another ecosystem. Although it is generally recognized that zonation of plant communities on salt marshes is strongly affected by marine stress factors associated with frequent flooding (salinity, anoxia), it is largely unknown what the isolated and interacting effect are of these different stresses. This calls for experiments to disentangle the relative effects of these single and interacting multiple stresses. In this study, we determined the single and interacting effects of two main abiotic stress factors on salt marshes: salinity and anoxia (as a result of flooding) and one biotic stress factor: soil compaction (as a result of livestock grazing) on the growth of the twelve dominant salt marsh plant species, using a full-factorial experiment. To link the experimental work to distributions of natural plant communities along a natural stress gradient, we related our experimental results to observed plant species distributions on a salt marsh that is exposed to all these three stresses. Whereas salinity strongly affected ten species with two high-marsh species not surviving the highest salinity levels whereas anoxia only consistently affected growth of four species. Interestingly, we observed no synergistic effect of anoxia and salinity in salt marsh plants. Moreover, we observed a trade-off between the amount of aerenchyma and mechanical strength, indicating that species vary in their resistance to soil compaction. Overall, our results suggest that salinity is a major determinant of plant species composition on the salt marsh, followed by anoxia. The importance of soil compaction depends on salt marsh elevation: on the low marsh, increased oxygen supply by aerenchyma seems to outweigh resistance against mechanical stress whereas on the anaerobe low marsh, the reverse applies. Using the experimental data to predict cover of plant species in the field, our results suggest that the combination of plant responses to the various stresses may be a powerful predictor for explaining the plant composition on the salt marsh.
The objective of this study is to analyze life cycle energy and CO2 emission profiles by employing an input–output analysis method for urban houses in major cities of Indonesia. Two surveys investigating building material inventory and household energy consumption within individual houses were conducted in Bandung in 2011 and 2012. The results show that, if reused and recycled materials were assumed to be zero, the averaged embodied energy for simple, medium and luxurious houses in Bandung was larger than that for their respective houses in Jakarta. Overall, the average annual energy consumption of all samples in Jakarta was approximately 20.6 GJ, which is 5.0 GJ larger than that in Bandung. In terms of life cycle energy, the operational energy accounted for 79%–86% and 69%–81% of the total for respective houses in Jakarta and Bandung. The profiles of life cycle CO2 emissions are similar to those of energy. The results of the scenario analysis prove that the promotion of reusing/recycling is important to reduce building material inputs/waste and their corresponding embodied energy. It is also important to reduce the use of air-conditioning for operational energy in the future by adopting passive cooling techniques wherever possible.
Two hundred and sixty eight DNA sequences (hypervariable region 1 of the mitochondrial control region) were obtained from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in 19 natural populations within the range of the easternmost subspecies,P. t. schweinfurthii. Methods of phylogenetic reconstruction were applied at both the haplotype and population levels. Chimpanzee haplotypes do not sort into location-specific clades on any haplotype trees, indicating that the subspecies is free of major phylogeographic subdivisioning. Trees of populations in which geographic structure was imposed on the data lacked phylogenetic resolution in that interpopulational relationships were poorly supported statistically. These results indicate either a near simultaneous origin for the chimpanzee populations sampled, or an obscuring of interpopulational phylogenetic relationships by gene flow. In contrast, area cladograms of the forests from which chimpanzees were sampled (constructed using lists of endemic taxa) were robust and statistically well-supported. Chimpanzee population history is apparently decoupled from the history of the forests which the populations inhabit. Eastern chimpanzee data are also used to draw phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary comparisons to humans.
Four 7-meter prototype solar collectors with pumps, valves, piping, insulation, controls, and other components to simulate a portion of the collector field planned for the Shenandoah Solar Total Energy system were installed and tested in a quadrant of Sandia Laboratories' Mid-temperature Solar System Test Facility located at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Operating conditions for the quadrant test loop duplicated those that are to be experienced at Shenandoah. These tests provided useful information relative to the adequacy of the mechanical and structural design of the collector, the insulating quality of the various materials investigated, the pipefield design, the receiver design, the tracking system, and the reflector surface. The results confirmed that some design areas were satisfactory and emphasized the need for alternatives in others. Alternatives were instituted where time permitted, and tests were repeated. Results confirmed efficiency numbers derived from analysis of the design.
A delay-combining reception scheme for DCSK communications system over a multipath fading channel is proposed. BER performance of the scheme is analyzed theoretically and simulated. The results indicate that in comparison with the original DCSK communication system, the one with delay-combining reception has better BER performance. When the delays of reception paths are different, the BER performance are almost the same. When equal gain combining is adopted for the reception paths, the scheme achieves the best BER performance. The theoretical upper bound of the BER performance decreases with the increase of the number of reception paths.
Optical absorption spectra of poly(thienylenevinylene) (PTV) conjugated polymers are measured at room temperature in spectral range 400 to 800 nm. A dominant peak located at 575 nm and a prominent shoulder at 614 nm are observed. Equilibrium atomic geometries of PTV conjugated polymers are studied by first principles density functional theory (DFT). Electron energy structure is obtained through self-consistent solution of eigen energy problem using ab initio ultrasoft pseudopotentials and generalized gradient approximation method. This is a non traditional approach for complex organic systems which is shown to be very promising especially for optical simulations. Linear optical absorption is calculated within Random Phase Approximation (RPA) picture. By comparative analysis of experimental and theoretical data it is demonstrated that dominant contribution to the optical excitations of PTV in visible spectral range are related to the delocalized electrons within the polymer chains. Obtained optical data together with equilibrium geometry analysis indicate that interchain interactions substantially effect electronic structure and optical absorption of PTV conjugated polymers.
Braille painting which Niken Larasati’s artwork is one of the visual art medium for learning children, especially those with special needs (diffable), but this work can also be enjoyed by all people. The medium used is cowhide carved and color. The basic principle of this work is the creation of a child's world that is filled with joy, innocence, excitement packed in play activities. This work as a form of education to children with sensitivity to sensory owned by touching, feeling, speech, movement, and even combine elements of science in it as counting activities. In addition, children are required to interact with and respond to a group of playmates, natural conditions, verbal strength training, even rough motoric and fine motoric. Contextual studies using educational theory Humanistic by Abraham H. Maslow, and finding textual studies using the theory of Nature Ecofeminism by Susan Griffin. This type of research is qualitative to understand the phenomenon or text that occurs on the object study such behavior, perception, motivation, and other actions holistic, descriptive on the specific context of natural and utilize natural methods.
Few-shot relation extraction (FSRE) aims at recognizing unseen relations by learning with merely a handful of annotated instances. To more effectively generalize to new relations, this paper proposes a novel pipeline for the FSRE task based on adaptive prototype fusion. Speciﬁcally, for each relation class, the pipeline fully explores the relation information by concatenating two types of embedding, and then elaborately combine the relation representation with the adaptive prototype fusion mechanism. The whole framework can be effectively and efﬁciently optimized in an end-to-end fashion. Experiments on the benchmark dataset FewRel 1.0 show a signiﬁcant improvement of our method against state-of-the-art methods.
The automatic or semi-automatic construction of ontology has become a research topic of interest in recent years. This paper describes a mechanism for constructing domain specific ontologies automatically based on web data and generic ontology. Firstly, we employ the hierarchical agglomerative clustering(HAC) algorithm, clustering web pages hierarchically and resulting in a binary tree. Then an algorithm is proposed, which selectd from the binary tree the significative nodes as topics implying concepts of domain interests. Lastly, the Chinese generic ontology, HowNet, is introduced to evolve the topics (together with their hierarchical structures) into domain ontology. We experiment our method in the field of computer hardware based on web pages collected from Chinese BtoC web sites. An in-depth discussion on the experiment results is also given.
This paper investigates the attitude control problem of a quad‐rotor unmanned helicopter. In response to adverse factors, including the lumped disturbance, inertia parameter uncertainties, and the partial loss of rotation effectiveness, an adaptive compensation control strategy combining the terminal sliding mode technique and the input shaping method is proposed. Specifically, a group of updating laws using an adaptive mechanism is added to adjust the control strategy in a manner conductive to attitude stability and performance preservation in the presence of adverse factors. The key features of the proposed control strategy are that it is independent from the knowledge of actuator faults, and adaptive compensation control is achieved without the need for online identification of rotor failure. The finite time convergence and stability of the attitude tracking errors are proved by using Lyaponov's method. Finally, the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
OBJECTIVE To cost adult intensive care by determining inputs to production, resource consumption per patient, and total cost per intensive care unit (ICU) stay.   DESIGN Prospective cost-accounting analysis of each patient stay in the ICU, over a 1-yr period.   SETTING An 11-bed, medical/surgical adult ICU, in a 932-bad urban teaching hospital.   PATIENTS All patients' admissions to an adult ICU over a 1-yr period, excluding those patients admitted solely for repeat hemodialysis.   INTERVENTIONS None.   MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS Demographic information was collected, including age, gender, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, primary reason for ICU admission, operative (elective and emergency) and nonoperative status, ICU length of stay, and ICU outcome. Direct patient care costs were accounted to individual patients whose care generated those costs, and indirect patient care costs were averaged over all patients in the ICU on a daily basis. Costs were collected for human (nursing, medical, professional, and support staff) and capital (laboratory, diagnostic imaging, supplies, drugs, and equipment) resources. Cost information was available on 690 patients (43% female, 57% male). Cost/day/patient was $1,508 +/- 475 (1992 Canadian dollars) and the average cost per ICU stay was $7,520 +/- 11,606. Median cost/stay for all patients was $2,600. Cost per ICU stay was < $5,000 in 68% of patients, with an ICU survival rate of 85%. High cost was not a marker for poor survival. There was no relationship between age and cost categories. Across most diagnoses, cost/ day/patient was remarkably constant, approximating $1,500/day/ patient at existing labor rates.   CONCLUSIONS In order to develop strategies aimed at cost containment, it is first necessary to undertake a thorough examination of cost drivers. This detailed cost-accounting study determined inputs to production, resources consumed by individual patients, and costs incurred during ICU stay.
We present a study of OB associations, identified by objective means, in seven spiral galaxies observed with the Hubble Space Telescope as part of the Key Project on the distance scale. The properties of the associations, including their size distribution and average diameter, and the luminosity function of their brightest stars, do not vary significantly among galaxies, even for changes in Hubble type. These findings support previous suggestions about the existence of similarly sized elementary cells of star formation in galaxies, and the conclusion, obtained by others with more extensive data, that the upper stellar mass function does not vary significantly. The data suggest that the average number of stars in associations changes with morphological type, confirming previous studies of the integrated magnitudes of OB associations in H II regions.
Objective Network analysis is an emerging tool for the study of complex systems. In the current report, the cascade of physiological and neurological changes following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) was modelled as a complex system of interacting parameters. Graph theoretical analysis was then applied to identify parameters at critical topological junctions of the network, which may represent the most effective therapeutic targets. Methods Correlation matrices were calculated using a combination of Pearson, polyserial and polychoric regressions among 50 variables collected from 120 participants (38 male; mean age 51 years) included in the CONSCIOUS-1 trial. Graph theoretical analysis was performed to identify important topological features within the network formed by the interactions among these variables. Non-parametric resampling was applied to determine thresholds for significance. Results Several critical network hubs were identified, including the incidence of delayed ischaemic neurological deficit (DIND), anaemia and hypoalbuminaemia/hypoproteinaemia. While not significant hubs, World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS) score and use of rescue therapy had widespread connections within the network. Patient sex and history of hypertension also strongly clustered with other variables. A subnetwork (module) was also identified, which was related to neurological outcomes including WFNS score, angiographic vasospasm, DIND, use of rescue therapy and hydrocephalus. Interpretation Using graph theoretical analysis, we identify critical network topologies following SAH, which may serve as useful therapeutic targets. Importantly, we demonstrate that network analysis is a robust method to model complex interactions following SAH. Trial registration number URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Identifier: NCT00111085.
A constrained feedback control strategy designed on the basis of a simplified electrochemical–thermal model is considered for the fast and healthy charging of a lithium-ion battery cell. The constraints ensure avoidance of side reactions and operating modes that yield premature aging (healthier charging). They are enforced through a reference governor approach, hence requiring a low computational burden. A systematic approach is presented for model identification and control law design. The method is first validated on a detailed battery simulator based on the Doyle–Fuller–Newman model combined with a thermal model. Next, it is validated experimentally through battery-in-the-loop long-term aging campaigns, and the results show that the charging time is reduced by 22% while simultaneously ensuring a longer lifetime (26% less capacity degradation) compared to a 2C constant-current/constant-voltage (CCCV) approach. Compared to recommended C/2 CCCV, our method charges the battery 70% faster and degrades it similarly despite more demanding operating conditions.
We find exact D-brane configurations in the Nappi-Witten background using the boundary state approach and describe how they are related by T-duality transformations. We also show that the classical boundary conditions of the associated sigma model correspond to a field dependent automorphism relating the chiral currents and discuss the correspondence between the boundary state approach and the sigma model approach.
Dear Editor, We have read with interest the paper by MezonesHolguin et al., 2014 [1] recently published in this journal, reporting the cost effectiveness estimates for pneumococcal conjugated vaccines (PCVs) in Peru. After careful examination of the analysis, we identify some methodological inconsistencies, which we believe would make this study insufficient for decision making. A detailed discussion of these concerns is presented below.
We review the concept of space-based computing and its combination with semantics into triple-space computing. Comparing this concept with existing technology we conclude that applying triple-spaces to Web service technology does not result into something fundamentally new to the architecture of Web services: we argue that this is an application of the concepts of binding and discovery which in contrast are fundamental aspects of the architecture of Web services.
This study critically examines the Wisconsin Standards for Social Studies for elementary grades with the goal of understanding what global content is present and how teachers can engage these standards through a critical global perspective. We conducted a textual analysis of the standards using Subedi’s decolonizing frameworks and Andreotti’s critical global citizenship education. We found few explicit references to global topics in the early grades, and identified additional possibilities. We provide multiple examples to implement critical global perspectives in elementary social studies classrooms.
A novel orally bioavailable renin inhibitor, DS-8108b (5), showing potent renin inhibitory activity and excellent in vivo efficacy is described. We report herein the synthesis and pharmacological effects of 5 including renin inhibitory activity in vitro, suppressive effects of ex vivo plasma renin activity (PRA) in cynomolgus monkey, pharmacokinetic data, and blood pressure-lowering effects in an animal model. Compound 5 demonstrated inhibitory activities toward human renin (IC50 = 0.9 nM) and human and monkey PRA (IC50 = 1.9 and 6.3 nM, respectively). Oral administration of single doses of 3 and 10 mg/kg of 5 in cynomolgus monkey on pretreatment with furosemide led to dose-dependent significant reductions in ex vivo PRA and sustained lowering of mean arterial blood pressure for more than 12 h.
I have been able by means of a simple duodenal catheter to obtain for the first time access to the duodenum in the living infant. This has enabled me to investigate the secretion of the upper part of the small intestine. This catheter is, in brief, merely a Nelaton soft rubber catheter No. 14 (F). That I actually do reach the intestine is proved by X ray photographs which I show. The present report concerns solely newborn infants, which had never obtained any nourishment. I have found some interesting conditions not only as concerns intestinal secretions but also regarding the secretion of the gastric juice. It is noteworthy that there have been no previous investigations in this regard; in fact I have been able to find note of only one test of the gastric secretion of the newborn before it has been given food. I found that in almost all cases hydrochloric acid is present in the stomach of these newborn infants whether they are examined one half hour or twenty hours after birth. The hydrochloric acid varies from 1/2 cu. cm. to about 7 cu. cm., and is not in direct proportion to the age of the child. This hydrochloric acid is not stimulated merely by the passage of the tube, for it was obtained within a minute or two after the catheter was introduced. It, therefore, must have another origin. I believe that it is a reflex due to the sucking of the tube. The longer the catheter is kept in the stomach the more juice is obtained; in one hour 14 cu. cm. was obtained; in an hour and 50 minutes 17 cu. cm. This gastric juice has an acidity on an average of about 50.
during craniosynostosis repair could allow a fatal asystole. Cushing’s reflex can be seen after skin closure. It has been recommended that ICP be recorded in cases of craniosynostosis as it helps in deciding whether patients should undergo surgery (10). Our observations have important repercussions for the clinical plan in craniosynostosis repair, including those in small children. It is imperative to assess subtle cardiovascular changes, in particular hypertension coupled with tachycardia/bradycardia, as quickly as possible in order to alert the surgeon. This case shows that seeking and identifying a Cushing reflex, together with continuous monitoring of arterial and ICP and surgical maneuvers is a reliable and valuable adjunct to existing monitoring techniques during craniosynostosis repair. In addition, this case is an example of brain herniation in the absence of clinical intracranial hypertension. Demet Dogan Erol M D Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, School of Medicine, Kocatepe University, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey (email: demetdoganerol@mynet.com)
We have prepared silver-loaded gallium oxide (Ag/Ga 2 O 3 ) photocatalysts by the solution plasma method (SPM) and impregnation method (imp), and investigate the eﬀects of the chemical states and the size of the Ag nanoparticles on their photocatalytic activities. The photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 with water proceeds over all the Ag/Ga 2 O 3 photocatalysts to produce CO, however the CO production rates decrease during photocatalytic reaction. Measurements of UV-VIS diﬀuse reﬂectance spectra, XANES spectra and TEM images reveal the followings: the Ag oxide nanoparticles in the as-prepared Ag/Ga 2 O 3 (imp) samples exist and their size distribution is wide from 5 to 10 nm. They become a lot of metallic nanoparticles by UV light-irradiation, and become larger particles with the size of ca. 20 nm during the photocatalytic reaction. On the other hand, the Ag nanoparticles in the as-prepared Ag/Ga 2 O 3 (SPM) samples are metallic with the size of less than 10 nm. The size does not change under UV light irradiation, while become larger particles during the photocatalytic reaction as similar to the case of the Ag/Ga 2 O 3 (imp) samples. Such small metallic Ag nanoparticles with the size of 5-10 nm are suitable for CO production. However, they aggregate during the reaction for 5 h to degrade the photocatalytic activity.
The complete molecule of the title compound, C24H28N4O4, is generated by crystallographic inversion symmetry. The ethyl side chain is disordered over two sets of sites in a 0.57 (4):0.43 (4) ratio. The dihedral angles between the methylidene group and the phenyl ring and ester side chain (major conformation) are 7.61 (8) and 86.95 (8)°, respectively. In the crystal, molecules are linked via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming corrugated sheets lying parallel to (010).
PurposeThis study prospectively assessed the value of sequential fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) scans for predicting the response of locally advanced rectal cancer to neoadjuvant chemoradiation. MethodsFifty consecutive patients with locally advanced rectal cancer were enrolled. The treatment consisted of concurrent chemoradiation, which included preoperative 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy and pelvic radiation (4500 to 5040 cGy); this was followed 8 weeks later (median: 55 d) by surgery with a curative intent. All the patients underwent FDG-PET/CT before and 5 weeks later (median: 35 d) after the completion of chemoradiation. We evaluated the measurements of the FDG uptake [maximum standardized uptake values (SUVmax)] and the percentage of SUVmax difference [(response index (RI)] between the prechemoradiation and postchemoradiation FDG-PET/CT scans. ResultsAfter chemoradiation, 32 of 50 patients (64%) were classified as responders according to the tumor regression grade, which is based on the ratio of fibrosis to residual cancer (tumor regression grade 3-4). For all the patients, the mean prechemoradiation SUVmax was 14.8, and this was significantly higher than the mean SUVmax value of 6.1 at postchemoradiation (P< 0.001). The mean RI was significantly higher in the responders than that in the nonresponder patients (62.6% vs. 31.2%, P = 0.001). The following parameters were obtained using a RI cutoff of 53.0% for defining a response to therapy: 75.0% sensitivity, 73.2% specificity, 82.8% positive predictive value, and 61.9% negative predictive value. ConclusionsThe FDG-PET/CT parameters, and especially the RI, may be best for assessing the neoadjuvant chemoradiation response of locally advanced rectal cancer and these values can potentially assist physicians for planning the optimal treatment.
In this work, we present a self-powered electronic reader (e-reader) for point-of-care diagnostics based on the use of a fuel cell (FC) which works as a power source and as a sensor. The self-powered e-reader extracts the energy from the FC to supply the electronic components concomitantly, while performing the detection of the fuel concentration. The designed electronics rely on straightforward standards for low power consumption, resulting in a robust and low power device without needing an external power source. Besides, the custom electronic instrumentation platform can process and display fuel concentration without requiring any type of laboratory equipment. In this study, we present the electronics system in detail and describe all modules that make up the system. Furthermore, we validate the device’s operation with different emulated FCs and sensors presented in the literature. The e-reader can be adjusted to numerous current ranges up to 3 mA, with a 13 nA resolution and an uncertainty of 1.8%. Besides, it only consumes 900 µW in the low power mode of operation, and it can operate with a minimum voltage of 330 mV. This concept can be extended to a wide range of fields, from biomedical to environmental applications.
The possibility of a “post-antibiotic era” in the 21st century, in which common infections may kill, has prompted research into radically new antimicrobials. CO-releasing molecules (CORMs), mostly metal carbonyl compounds, originally developed for therapeutic CO delivery in animals, are potent antimicrobial agents. Certain CORMs inhibit growth and respiration, reduce viability, and release CO to intracellular hemes, as predicted, but their actions are more complex, as revealed by transcriptomic datasets and modeling. Progress is hindered by difficulties in detecting CO release intracellularly, limited understanding of the biological chemistry of CO reactions with non-heme targets, and the cytotoxicity of some CORMs to mammalian cells.
In this paper, the study of polarimetric optimization techniques for Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR) applications is analyzed. This work has been carried out in the framework of deformation map retrieval on landslides. A large number of landslides occur on vegetated areas with a poor density of temporal coherent scatterers, which are characterized by a fast decorrelation at X-band. The objective of the techniques proposed in this paper is to increase the number of temporal coherent scatterers to improve the robustness of the DInSAR algorithms exploiting the polarimetric capabilities of data. The relationship between optimum coherences and its corresponding phase quality in terms of DInSAR application is analyzed using Ground-Based SAR zero-baseline fully-polarimetric data.
One of the main tasks in implementing the foundations of state policy in the field of a healthy lifestyle of the population is the formation of optimal nutritional status and the preservation of public health. In this regard, issues of a comprehensive self-assessment of health by the population are becoming particularly relevant. The aim of the research was to identify the degree of commitment of the population to a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a balanced diet and the presence of physical activity, as well as the relationship between the respondents' lifestyle and the presence of non-communicable diseases. Material and methods. A random survey of the adult population of the Rybno-Slobodsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan has been conducted. In total, 2346 respondents aged 21 to 74 (women - 71.7%, people with higher education - 33.2%) took part in the survey. For this study, a questionnaire was developed to identify the attitude of the population to a healthy lifestyle (HLS), which included questions regarding the physical activity of respondents, their commitment to healthy eating and diet, the existence of pernicious habits (drinking, smoking), and the presence of noncommunicable diseases. In the framework of this article, two factors were analyzed: the population's commitment to a balanced diet and physical activity, as well as the relationship of these factors with the presence of non-communicable diseases among respondents. Results and discussion. Data analysis showed that 18.8% of women and 14.1% of men always adhere to healthy eating and proper diet. Women are more committed to healthy eating than men (p<0.001). Regularly (2-3 times a week), 21.4% of women and 18.1% of men are engaged in exercise (a sport or physical activity), that is only 20.6% of respondents (p<0.001). The percentage of people committed to healthy nutrition was almost equal, both in the group of those with and without cardiovascular diseases (CVD) (19.5 and 17.4%, respectively). Among people who regularly engage in physical activity and sports (2-3 times a week), 27.5% of respondents have CVD, while among those who do not engage in exercise, 64.2% of individuals have CVD (p<0.001). Among those who adhered to a balanced diet, gastrointestinal diseases were observed in 14.1% of the respondents, while among the respondents who did not adhere to healthy eating, gastrointestinal diseases were observed in 83.7% (p<0.001). Conclusion Among respondents who adhere to healthy eating and diet and physical activity, non-communicable diseases and stress are less common (according to the respondents' answers). The results of a self-assessment (questionnaire) of public health can be used to develop targeted program of treatment and preventive measures to build community commitment in the Rybno-Slobodsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan to healthy lifestyle.
Beesly was not only friendly with Marx, but was well acquainted with his circle. He knew Lafargue, he got to know Engels, and there were mutual acquaintances, such as Eugene Oswald. Among workmen, he was not only the friend of Odger, Applegarth and Lucraft, but was on close terms with such working-class confidants of Marx as Jung and Eccarius, and to a lesser extent with Dupont. In the sixties he was a familiar figure, not only in the offices of the Carpenters and Joiners, the London Trades Council or the Bee-Hive, but was also at home in the “Golden Ball” where the most radical of London's workmen talked with continental revolutionaries over a clay pipe and a pot of beer. Here one could get the flavour of European proletarian politics: that other “World of Labour” in whose ideals Beesly was as deeply interested as he was in those of English trades unionism. Indeed, for many years he expressed his desire for the amalgamation of trade unionism – with its implicit recognition of the priority of social questions—, and proletarian republicanism – with its generous enthusiasm and its larger view.
It is shown that Markov chains in describing k-nary interacting particles of d different types approximate (in the continuous state limit) Markov processes on having pseudo-differential generators with symbols p (x,ξ) depending polynomially (degree k) on x. This approximation can be used to prove existence and non-explosion results for the latter processes. Our general scheme of continuous state (or finite-dimensional measure-valued) limits to processes of k-nary interaction yields a unified description of these limits for a large variety of models that are intensively studied in different domains of natural science from interacting particles in statistical mechanics (e.g. coagulation-fragmentation processes) to evolutionary games and multidimensional birth and death processes from biology and social sciences.
Two monooxygenases MO1 (NADH dependent) and MO2 (NADPH dependent) isolated from Ps. putida NCIMB 10007 [grown on (+)-camphor] have been utilized as biocatalysts in Baeyer–Villiger oxidations. The former enzyme oxidized the racemic ketones 9, 10 and 14 into the optically active lactones 15–17. The ketone 9 is not oxidized by MO2 but the ketones 10 and 14 gave the optically active lactones 16 and 17. Whole-cell preparations of Ps. putida degraded the ketone 9 but transformed the racemic ketones 10 and 14 into the optically active lactones 16 and 17. All the lactones possess the same absolute configuration: 1S, 5S, 6R. (+)-MO1 [the isozyme which metabolizes (+)-camphor], oxidized the ketone 10 but not the ketone 9. Conversely, (–)-MO1 [the isozyme which metabolizes (–)-camphor], catalysed the oxidation of the ketone 9 but not the ketone 10. Co-factor recycling was effected using dehydrogenase enzymes in preparative-scale experiments. The optically active lactone 17 is an intermediate in the synthesis of compound 5, an important precursor of azadirachtin 6.
A one-dimensional, rectangular-co-ordinate, kinetic-ion fluid-electron model with a self-consistent treatment of anomalous resistivity is used to investigate ion reflection by imploding magnetic pistons for parameters of the University of Maryland High Voltage Theta Pinch. The model explains qualitatively several experimental features not explained by a previous two-fluid model, notably the high-energy ions (Ti≃10 keV) and low-density compression (n/n0≃10), both caused by reflected ions. The model shows that ion reflection increases with initial density and ion temperature, and that fewer ions are reflected if the initial field is in the same direction as the applied piston field (parallel bias), rather than i n the opposite direction (antiparallel bias). The model also shows, for parameters considered, that the reflected ion beam is not thermalized by the ion-ion cross-field instability.
ABSTRACT The author examined the effectiveness of 2 fluency-oriented reading programs on improving reading fluency for an ethnically diverse sample of second-grade students. The first approach is Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction (S. A. Stahl & K. Heubach, 2005), which incorporates the repeated reading of a grade-level text over the course of an academic week. This approach to reading is scaffolded by expert readers. The other approach is Wide-Reading Instruction (M. R. Kuhn, 2005), which also utilizes scaffolding by expert readers, but 3 different grade-level texts are read repeatedly each academic week. The results indicate that both Fluency-Oriented Reading Instruction and Wide-Reading Instruction are useful schemes for reading instruction with ethnically diverse second-grade students.
Three-phase multipulse ac-dc converters are extensively used for improving power quality to reduce harmonics in ac mains and ripples in dc output. This paper deals with different topologies of Low Voltage High Current (LVHC) multipulse ac-dc converter for low voltage high current applications. The performance of these converters is investigated and compared in view of power quality aspects, and suitability to Low Voltage High Current (LVHC) applications. Simulation results of twelve pulse converters of various topologies are analysized. 24-pulse converter with primary series connected zigzag and secondary star satisfy the requirements of IEEE-519-1992 standard for maintaining good quality of power at utility as well as consumer end.
The Iwakura embassy's encounter with Hamilton Fish at the State Department in 1872 is far more than a quaint but insignificant episode in the relations between Japan and the United States and deserves resurrection from the footnotes of history. The two sides, much to the surprise of both, met in a long, drawn-out series of trying and painful interviews, stretching from mid-March to the end of July, to argue and then attempt to revise the terms of Japan's 1858 treaty of friendship and commerce with the United States. This confrontation marks the proper, though halting, beginning of the treaty revision movement in Meiji diplomatic history and also illustrates the Grant administration's policy, or more accurately, cluster of attitudes toward East Asia during the early period of post-Civil War expansionism.
Room-temperature Ti/Al ohmic contact on undoped AlGaN/GaN heterostructure was demonstrated through surface treatment using N 2 inductively coupled plasma. The specific contact resistivity was reduced from Schottky behavior to 1.02 X 10 - 4 Ω cm 2 by the treatment. Increases in Ga-N binding energy and production of metallic Ga and Al conducting layers were found at the treated surface. This indicates that N vacancies, acting as donors for electrons, were produced at the treated surface, resulting in a shift of the Fermi level to near the conduction band, via the formation of ohmic contact.
The progressive transition from Excimer to EUV lithography is driving a need for flatter and smoother photomasks. It is proving difficult to meet this next generation specification with the conventional chemical mechanical polishing technology commonly used for finishing photomasks. This paper reports on the application of sub-aperture CNC precessed bonnet polishing technology to the corrective finishing of photomask substrates for EUV lithography. Fullfactorial analysis was used to identify process parameters capable of delivering 0.5 nm rms surface roughness whilst achieving removal rates above 0.1 mm3/min. Experimental results show that masks pre-polished to 300~600 nm P-V flatness by CMP can then be improved down to 50~100 nm P-V flatness using the automated technology described in this paper. A series of edge polishing experiments also hints at the possibility of increasing the quality area beyond the 5 mm defined in the official EUV photomask specification.
Airway self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) were initially studied in malignant airway obstruction; however, their use in benign airway diseases has become progressively more frequent. This may be explained by their ease of insertion compared with silicone stents, which require rigid bronchoscopy for insertion. While initial experience with SEMS in benign disease suggested efficacy and promising short-term safety profile, long-term follow-up revealed significant complication rates. In addition to a high complication rate, the management of these complications is made more difficult by the semipermanent nature of these devices. Reported complications include infection, granulation tissue formation, stent migration, stent fracture, airway perforation and fistula formation, as well as extension of the initial injury, potentially eliminating other therapeutic options such as surgical resection. Therefore, SEMS should only be used in nonmalignant large airway disease as a last resort for patients in whom other endoscopic methods, including silicone stents and dilations, as well as surgical options have failed or are technically not feasible.
Main shaft system includes a main shaft, bearings and driving medium. The performance of main shaft system has important influence on the machining quality and the productivity of machine tool. It is the important factors that affect job performance. Main shaft supporting structure, support number and support position all affect main shaft system. The impact of these factors on the main shaft system was reflected in aspect of dynamic and static characteristics.
The Water Framework Directive establishes that the river basin management plans must have a summary of the pressures and impacts of human activities, such as agriculture, on the chemical and quantitative status of groundwater bodies. In order to identify those areas where a potential impact from agricultural activities on groundwater bodies exists, but currently lacking groundwater monitoring data, a methodology was developed that combines the use of gross nitrogen balance values with the results of a specific vulnerability assessment index. A farm management efficiency parameter is added, to identify the factors that contribute to nitrogen use efficiency and to assess the near-future scenarios. This methodology allows the identification of significant pressures that may be responsible for a groundwater body failing good status where there is no representative monitoring network.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) with the so-called 532nm greenlight laser is an accepted treatment modality for non-neurogenic lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to prostate enlargement. Conflicts of interest (COIs) and industrial sponsorship (IS) have been shown to have a significant impact on the favourability of study results. The aim of the current study was to evaluate outcomes of comparative studies on PVP as a function of COIs and IS. METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched for records in English language. Comparative studies (randomized controlled trials [RCTs] and non-randomized comparative studies [NRCSs]), in which PVP was one treatment modality, were considered eligible. Sponsorship assessment distinguished between IS and non-industrial sponsoring. Two reviewers screened all abstracts and full-text articles independently. Disagreement was resolved either by discussion or by reference to a third independent reviewer. Favorability of outcome was evaluated on a binary scale (PVP-favourable versus PVP-unfavourable) by two independent board-certified urologists external to the remaining study team. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. RESULTS: In total, 749 records were screened after manual deduplication. Of these, 286 articles were eligible for full-text screening. Full-text analysis identified 65 studies (25 RCTs [38%], 40 NRCSs [62%]). The majority of the studies mentioned the absence/presence of potential COIs (78%). In contrast, a sponsorship statement was only found in 29% of the investigations. Our analysis identified 56 conflicted authors. In 24 (37%) studies at least one COI was declared (range 1 to 18). Interestingly, searching the author lists of all included studies a second time for more occurrences of the 56 conflicted authors led to the identification 36 initially undeclared COIs in a total of 6 studies. Fifty-six (86%) and 9 (14%) of all included studies were rated as PVP-favourable and PVP-unfavourable, respectively. Among PVP-favourable studies, we could identify both a higher proportion of COI (39% vs. 32%) and IS (7% vs. 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Within the field of comparative PVP literature, COIs are not only highly prevalent but also more frequent in studies reporting PVP-favourable outcomes. IS was exclusively found in PVP-favourable studies. A majority of all RCTs and NRCSs on PVP mention the absence/presence of potential COIs. However, a sponsorship statement was identifiable in only about one third of all studies. Source of Funding: none
A catalogue of 1228 taxa (1185 ascolichens, 3 basidiolichens and 40 lichenicolous fungi) found in Andalusia is afforded. The catalogue is based on bibliographic references and on MACB herbarium specimens. Of them, 11 are new records in Andalusia, 122 in Cordoba province, 1 in Granade province, 3 in Huelva province, 2 in Malaga province and 1 in Seville province. We propose the exclusion of 74 old references, because of the lack of any confirmation
The intestinal sucrase-isomaltase (SI) complex is a glycoprotein of the small intestine brush border membrane that plays an important role in the final degradation of carbohydrate. To clone the chicken SI, we employed reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Agarose gel electrophoresis of the PCR products exhibited one amplified band of approximately 800 bp. The fragment was extracted from the gel and sequenced. The cDNA sequence of the chicken SI is 786 bp in length and exhibits 99% identity at the nucleotide level to the Homo sapiens SI mRNA. Using our cDNA as a probe, Northern analysis revealed a transcript of approximately 6.0 kb in chicken jejunum and ileum tissues.
Abstract Little scholarly research has paid attention to the collective impact of contracting out on local financial condition. Contracting out can enhance a fiscal state by allowing local officials for more buying power with lower service costs as well as less long-term liabilities. Beyond prior research on the effect of contracting in a service, this research offers evidence that higher levels of contracting out spending improve local financial condition regarding budget solvency and long-run solvency. However, external suppliers can deteriorate financial condition. The findings show that the improvement of budget solvency does not materialize at a certain level of contracting out spending, but this is not the case for long-run solvency. The expectation of financial condition improvement may rely on the degree to which practitioners deliver public services through contracting out. Thus, local officials may want to decide levels of contracting out services strategically.
Background: Breast augmentations are commonly performed aesthetic surgical procedures. As the breast is a changeable structure, the ideal location of an implant would be a plane that can adjust to the dynamic changes of the breast. We present a modified dual-plane technique for breast augmentation using the fascia for thin patients. Methods: Between June 2014 and June 2015, 27 patients with small breasts underwent breast augmentation using the modified dual-plane technique. The average age was 29.4 years (range, 20–41 y). The mean body mass index was 18.9 kg/m2 (range, 17.6–20.4 kg/m2). Results: The mean size of the implant was 288.9 ml (range, 255–360 ml) on the right side and 281.6 ml (range, 255–360 ml) on the left side. All the patients returned to daily-life activities within 1 week. There have been no complications during minimum follow-up periods of 18 months. The mean follow-up was 25.6 months (range, 18–36 mo). Conclusions: Visible, palpable implants and rippling after breast augmentation with implants are relatively common problems. Our modified dual-plane technique with the serratus anterior fascia can reduce visible rippling and yields a natural-looking breast, especially in thin patients.
Spacecraft and groundbased observations of the atmospheres of solar system objects have provided a definition of their present characteristics and have yielded clues about their past history. Table 1 presents a summary of our current knowledge of the atmospheric properties of all the planets, except Pluto, and several satellites. The masses of these atmospheres range from the very miniscule values for the Moon, Mercury, and Io, to the more substantial values for the Earth, Venus, Mars, and Titan, to the very large values for the giant planets, where the atmosphere constitutes a significant fraction of the total planetary mass. The compositions of these atmospheres encompass ones dominated by rare gases (the Moon and Mercury), ones containing highly oxidized compounds of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur (the outer three terrestrial planets and Io), and ones with highly reduced gases (Titan and the giant planets). What factors account for this enormous diversity in properties?
The antigenic, biological, and chemical properties of 24 selected Changuinola serogroup viruses were examined. The viruses tested were chloroform-resistant, and they were lethal to newborn hamsters after intracerebral inoculation. The prototype Changuinola virus strain (BT-436) replicated in mosquito and sandfly cell cultures. In complement-fixation tests, the viruses were broadly cross-reacting and indistinguishable; but by neutralization test at least 12 distinct serotypes were identified, and by PAGE of double-stranded RNA 22 distinct profiles were found. These data suggest that the Changuinola serogroup may be comprised of a large number of genetically different viruses. A brief review of the natural history of Changuinola serogroup viruses is also given.
OBJECTIVE The aim of this systematic review was to identify clinical outcomes following kidney transplantation associated with periodontal status.   MATERIAL AND METHODS A systematic review was conducted and included cross-sectional, case-control, or cohort studies published until August 2018 from PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Science Direct, and CENTRAL. The research was carried out using the following descriptors: "kidney transplantation," "chronic renal failure," "periodontal diseases," "periodontitis," "chronic periodontitis," "gingival hyperplasia," and "gingivitis." The outcomes comprised the clinical transplantation variables. Two independent reviewers extracted the data and assessed the quality of the studies using Newcastle-Ottawa scale.   RESULTS The electronic search revealed 1,063 potentially relevant studies. We selected 114 articles for reading the full text. Therefore, six studies met the inclusion criteria: one case-control, three cross-sectional, and two cohort studies. All studies showed low risk of bias. The findings suggest that the periodontal status may be associated with the largest left ventricular mass, greater carotid thickness, graft rejection, lower graft survival, and a higher mortality rate within 60 months among kidney transplant recipients.   CONCLUSION The findings of this systematic review indicate that there is an association between periodontal status and worsening of graft function and systemic health among kidney transplant recipients.
Heavy elements with Z≥30 are made by neutron capture reactions during stellar He burning and presumably in supernovae. This contribution deals mainly with the slow neutron capture (s) process which is responsible for about one half of the abundances in the mass region between Fe and Bi. The slow time scale implies that the reaction path of this process involves mostly stable isotopes which can be studied in detail in laboratory experiments. The neutron time of flight (n_TOF) facility at CERN is a neutron spallation source, its white neutron energy spectrum ranges from thermal to several MeV, covering the full energy range of interest for nuclear astrophysics, in particular for measurements of the neutron capture cross section required in s‐process nucleosynthesis. This contribution gives an overview on the astrophysical program made at n_TOF facility, the results and the implications will be considered.
Abstract This paper describes an approach to predict the road course with actual measured radar objects combined with an “Adaptive Cruise Control"-System. In the presented algorithm, the objects are divided into four classes: static right of the road, static left of the road, dynamic on the actual lane and dynamic on the opposite lane. On the basis of this classification and some filter methods, the objects of each class are connected by a “Bezier Spline”-Function. For the final road prediction a weighted average of the four actual “Bezier-Splines” is calculated. Compared with other road prediction systems like vision-only approaches, our system is resistant to weather influences and hardly or non visible road markings. Real road tests under various conditions have shown the effectiveness of this approach.
Herlyn–Werner–Wunderlich syndrome (HWWS) is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by uterus didelphys with blind hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis. Usually, such patients present with dysmenorrhea shortly after menarche, increasing pelvic pain and a palpable mass due to the obstructed hemivagina. Interestingly in the present case, the patient had her menarche seven years ago, but dysmenorrhea started only 1-year back. She never sought medical help previously as she was mostly asymptomatic all through the years. It was only after she conceived and got investigated for antenatal concerns that she was found to have HWWS. A tortuous history and an unusual clinical presentation made this case an interesting one.
In presence of inter-fractional anatomical changes, clinical benefits are anticipated from image-guided adaptive radiotherapy. Nowadays, cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging is mostly utilized during pre-treatment imaging for position verification. Due to various artifacts, image quality is typically not sufficient for photon or proton dose calculation, thus demanding accurate CBCT correction, as potentially provided by deep learning techniques. This work aimed at investigating the feasibility of utilizing a cycle-consistent generative adversarial network (cycleGAN) for prostate CBCT correction using unpaired training. Thirty-three patients were included. The network was trained to translate uncorrected, original CBCT images (CBCTorg) into planning CT equivalent images (CBCTcycleGAN). HU accuracy was determined by comparison to a previously validated CBCT correction technique (CBCTcor). Dosimetric accuracy was inferred for volumetric-modulated arc photon therapy (VMAT) and opposing single-field uniform dose (OSFUD) proton plans, optimized on CBCTcor and recalculated on CBCTcycleGAN. Single-sided SFUD proton plans were utilized to assess proton range accuracy. The mean HU error of CBCTcycleGAN with respect to CBCTcor decreased from 24 HU for CBCTorg to  −6 HU. Dose calculation accuracy was high for VMAT, with average pass-rates of 100%/89% for a 2%/1% dose difference criterion. For proton OSFUD plans, the average pass-rate for a 2% dose difference criterion was 80%. Using a (2%, 2 mm) gamma criterion, the pass-rate was 96%. 93% of all analyzed SFUD profiles had a range agreement better than 3 mm. CBCT correction time was reduced from 6–10 min for CBCTcor to 10 s for CBCTcycleGAN. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of utilizing a cycleGAN for CBCT correction, achieving high dose calculation accuracy for VMAT. For proton therapy, further improvements may be required. Due to unpaired training, the approach does not rely on anatomically consistent training data or potentially inaccurate deformable image registration. The substantial speed-up for CBCT correction renders the method particularly interesting for adaptive radiotherapy.
Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is a highly sensitive technique to study the thermotropic properties of many different biological macromolecules and extracts. Since its early development, DSC has been applied to the pharmaceutical field with excipient studies and DNA drugs. In recent times, more attention has been applied to lipid-based drug delivery systems and drug interactions with biomimetic membranes. Highly reproducible phase transitions have been used to determine values, such as, the type of binding interaction, purity, stability, and release from a drug delivery mechanism. This review focuses on the use of DSC for biochemical and pharmaceutical applications.
By exploiting the breathing behavior of nanopores, we have studied for the first time the dependency of the guest-induced proton conductivity of an interpenetrated CuI metal-organic framework (CuI -MOF, [1]) on various guest molecules. Proton conductivities of over 10-3  S cm-1 under humid conditions were induced by a series of guest molecules, namely N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, diethylamine, 1,4-dinitrobenzene, nitrobenzene, pyridine, and 1H-1,2,4-triazole. A detailed investigation of the guest-incorporated complexes revealed that low-energy proton conduction occurs under humid conditions through the Grotthuss mechanism in [1⊃NB] and through the vehicle mechanism in the rest of the complexes. Single-point energy computations revealed considerable stabilization upon guest encapsulation. To the best of our knowledge, [1] represents the first example in which considerably high protonic conductivity is triggered upon the facile incorporation of small molecules of such a variety. The investigation portrayed herein may be a stepping stone towards the rational design of proton-conducting materials for practical applications.
The purpose of this paper is to present research on the effects of postpartum depression (PPD) on mothers, fathers, and children that point to a re-conceptualization of PPD as a mental health condition that affects the whole family. As such, the objectives of this paper are to discuss: (1) the incidence and effects of PPD on mothers and fathers; (2) common predictors of PPD in mothers and fathers, and (3) the effects of PPD on parenting and parent-child relationships, and (4) the effects of PPD on children's health, and their cognitive and social-emotional development. Finally, the implications for screening and intervention if depression is re-conceptualized as a condition of the family are discussed.
Background/Objectives: The Engineering Unit Conversion (EUC) is essential for Process monitoring and control in Chemical or power plants. Digital data has to be converted back to natural form like temperature, pressure etc. Methods/Statistical Analysis: All received natural data and parameters are converted to digital domain for easy processing. This EUC does this operation to get back the values in the natural (physical) form. The complete C program for implementing EUC is developed using "Turbo C" compiler. It is validated with the known data and qualified for Temperature, Pressure&Flow parameters. Findings: For unit conversion complex methods are being used, it is to be eradicated through this application. Applications: This software
Abstract Only a few European population-based studies on the epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are available to date. This study aims to broaden the epidemiological knowledge of traumatic experiences (TEs), PTSD, and comorbid mental conditions in a representative German sample (N = 2510). The Composite International Diagnostic Interview list of traumatic events, the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 as well as PHQ-15 were used in this survey. Main results were low frequencies of TEs (24%) and PTSD (2.9%). Older participants (>60 years) reported significantly more TEs and more posttraumatic symptoms, whereas there was no significant difference in PTSD prevalence. A third of the subjects diagnosed with PTSD were found positive for depressive syndromes, and 27% were found positive for somatization syndrome. The results show that TEs and posttraumatic symptoms are frequent in senior citizens and thus have to be considered when treating older patients with mental health conditions.
In this paper, by means of the Lie-Trotter operator splitting method, we have presented a new unified approach not only to rigorously derive Kirk’s approximation but also to obtain a generalisation for multi-asset spread options in a straightforward manner. The derived price formula for the multi-asset spread option bears a great resemblance to Kirk’s approximation in the two-asset case. More importantly, our approach is able to provide a new perspective on Kirk’s approximation and the generalization; that is, they are simply equivalent to the Lie-Trotter operator splitting approximation to the Black-Scholes equation.
This study aimed to explore the protective effect of Shenfu on the hemodynamics and gut integrity in a porcine model of hemorrhagic shock. Hemorrhagic shock was induced in 32 domestic pigs with a rapid bleeding via the arterial sheath to a mean arterial pressure of 40 mm Hg within 10 min. Animals with hemorrhagic shock were then randomly assigned into the negative control group (n=8), receiving neither blood transfusion nor drug treatment; the blood transfusion group, in which animals were given blood transfusion alone; the saline group, in which animals were blood transfused and resuscitated with saline (3 mL/kg); and the Shenfu group, in which animals received blood transfusion and resuscitation with Shenfu (3 mL/kg). Blood tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-ɑ) and interleukin-6 were measured using ELISAs. Tissue levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), Na+/K+-ATPase, Ca++ATPase, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) were determined using respective quantitation kits. Fluid resuscitation with Shenfu significantly improved HR, CI, and MAP of pig with hemorrhagic shock, which was accompanied with mitigation of tissue damages in intestinal epithelium. Blood TNF-ɑ was reduced in the Shenfu group. Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 expression in intestinal tissues were elevated and decreased, respectively, in pigs treated with Shenfu. Notably, treatment with Shenfu suppressed oxidative stress markers MDA, MPO, and FABP2 in the intestine. Oppositely, SOD, Na+/K+-ATPase and Ca++ATPase levels in intestinal tissues were promoted by Shenfu treatment. Shenfu demonstrates significant protective effect on the hemodynamics and gut epithelium of pigs with hemorrhagic shock.
The petunia gene, ZPT2-3, encodes a Cys2/His2-type zinc finger protein. Here, we describe the expression of ZPT2-3 in response to various stresses and the effects of ZPT2-3 overexpression in transgenic petunia. Mechanical wounding induced accumulation of ZPT2-3 transcript, and the activity of ZPT2-3::luciferase was conferred by the 1668-bp ZPT2-3 upstream sequence, both locally and systemically. This induction was mediated by a jasmonic acid (JA)-dependent and ethylene-independent pathway. ZPT2-3 expression was also induced by cold, drought, and heavy metal treatments. The same ZPT2-3 promoter sequence showed similar responsiveness to wounding, cold, drought, and JA treatments in Arabidopsis when investigated in a beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene, indicating conservation of similar signaling pathways between the two plant species. ZPT2-3 functioned as an active repressor in a transient assay using Arabidopsis leaves. Constitutive overexpression of ZPT2-3 in transgenic petunia plants increased tolerance to dehydration. These results demonstrate the involvement of ZPT2-3 in plant response to various stresses, and suggest its potential utility to improve drought tolerance.
Water-soluble copolymers of cis-butenedioic acid (MA) with sodium methallylsulfonate (SMAS) were prepared in aqueous solution using potassium persulfate (KPS) as the initiator. The effects of reaction conditions (e.g., monomer concentration, initiator concentration, monomer fractions and pH, reaction temperature and times, etc.) on the copolymerization were also studied. The results showed that higher conversion could be obtained under suitable conditions (see Figs. 1–5). The copolymers were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy. The ratios of infrared absorbances at 1585 cm−1 (carboxyl absorption) and 1048 cm−1 (sulfonic group absorption) were used to de-termine the composition of poly(MA-co-SMAS). The reactivity ratios were calculated by Kelen–Tudos method and Fineman–Ross method. Both the chemical analysis and the scanning electron micrographs showed that the copolymer has an excellent antiscaling effect on calcium carbonate.
Context Thirteen new randomized, controlled trials are available since a 1999 meta-analysis of antithrombotic agents for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. Contribution This updated meta-analysis shows that, compared with placebo, adjusted-dose warfarin reduces stroke risk by 64% (6 trials) and antiplatelet agents reduce stroke risk by 22% (8 trials). Meta-analysis of 12 trials shows that adjusted-dose warfarin is more effective than antiplatelet therapy, but it doubles the risk for major extracranial and intracranial hemorrhage. However, absolute rates of these adverse events were only 0.2% per year. Implication Additional trials are unlikely to substantially change current estimates of the effectiveness of vitamin K antagonists and antiplatelet agents in stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. The Editors Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation is an important cause of disabling stroke whose incidence can be reduced by using antithrombotic prophylaxis. Our meta-analysis of the initial 16 randomized clinical trials that tested antithrombotic therapies for stroke prevention included approximately 10000 participants (1). Since then, 13 randomized trials that included 18140 additional patients with atrial fibrillation have been reported (Table 1 [231]). Results of single, relatively small trials are sometimes difficult to interpret and often conflict, and meta-analysis is useful to assess the totality of trial evidence. We present an updated meta-analysis of all currently available randomized trials that extends observations about the efficacy and safety of antithrombotic therapies for preventing stroke in patients who have atrial fibrillation. Table 1. Randomized Trials of Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients with Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation* Methods Search and Selection Process We identified unconfounded randomized trials that tested long-term (12 weeks) use of antithrombotic agents in patients who had nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. We did a computerized search of the OVID and MEDLINE databases (from 1966 to March 2007, unrestricted by language) and of the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register and queried investigators working in the field (1). Trials that included patients who have prosthetic cardiac valves or mitral stenosis were not considered; double-blind and open-label trial designs were eligible. Two physician-reviewers independently extracted data from published sources and determined whether the trials met the inclusion criteria. Disagreements were resolved by joint review and consensus. We included 29 of 41 randomized trials that tested antithrombotic therapies in patients who had atrial fibrillation (Table 1), including 2 trials that reported results for subgroups of patients with atrial fibrillation from a larger number of patients without atrial fibrillation (13, 18). We identified 4 randomized trials that are ongoing (3234) or have not been published (Appendix Table 1) and excluded 8 randomized trials: 5 in which the treatment duration averaged 3 to 8 weeks (3539), 1 in which the results for the subset of patients who had atrial fibrillation were not reported separately (40), 1 that included patients who had mitral stenosis (41), and 1 because of potential confounding in which 51% of randomly assigned participants were excluded from the reported analysis because of ill-defined nonadherence (42). The 5 short-term trials were considered only in the safety analyses (3539). Appendix Table 1. Unpublished or Ongoing Randomized Trials of Antithrombotic Therapies for Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation* Data Extraction Two physician-reviewers independently extracted data from published sources regarding methodological features, the number of treated patients, total follow-up exposure, and the occurrence of the following 5 outcomes according to the intention-to-treat paradigm: all stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic), ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhage, all-cause mortality, and major extracranial hemorrhage. Disagreements were resolved by joint review and consensus. The criteria for each outcome were those used by the individual trial. The fraction of participants with strokes who had neuroimaging or autopsy that reliably distinguished between ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke varied and was not consistently reported. Consequently, all stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic) was chosen as the primary outcome. Undefined strokes in patients who did not have neuroimaging were considered ischemic. Intracranial hemorrhages included subdural hematomas and were considered with all strokes; transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) were not considered. Data Synthesis Two physician-reviewers abstracted key methodological features for each trial (Appendix Table 2). Intention-to-treat results were used for the main analyses. Primary prevention refers to patients without previous stroke or TIA. Secondary prevention refers to patients with previous stroke or TIA. Three trials (11, 14, 23) that combined aspirin with very low, fixed doses of warfarin that did not substantially prolong international normalized ratios (INRs) were considered with those that tested aspirin alone because of the negligible effect of warfarin at these dosages (4345). Appendix Table 2. Key Methodological Features of the 29 Included Randomized Trials* Meta-analyses of the trial results are presented as relative risk reductions and absolute risk reductions for treatment groups compared with control groups. To estimate relative risk reduction, the combined odds ratio was computed by assuming a random-effects model (DerSimonian and Laird method) (46), and the estimate was then subtracted from 1. The absolute risk reduction is a weighted estimate of the difference in annualized event rates (46). Before estimating risk reduction, we tested the assumption of the statistical homogeneity of the treatment effect (across trials and within a specific scenario) by using the QL statistic for the relative odds scale or the QW statistic with unequal weights for the absolute risk scale (46). Lack of homogeneity across trials precluded estimation of the overall treatment effect as noted, and the exact P value was reported for all analyses in which the P value was less than 0.20. We computed estimates of relative risk reduction in individual trials by subtracting the estimated odds ratio from 1. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant; all tests and CIs were 2-sided. Calculations were done by using MedCalc for Windows, version 9.2.0.2 (MedCalc Software, Mariakerke, Belgium), and SPSS software (SPSS, Chicago, Illinois). Role of the Funding Source This study was not funded. Results Twenty-nine published randomized trials included 28044 patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (Table 1). Methodological features varied; larger trials were more thoroughly reported and were of higher quality (Appendix Table 2). Nine trials were double-blind designs to compare antiplatelet therapy (2, 5, 8, 13, 18, 20) and anticoagulation therapy (6, 7, 24) with control or with each other. Only outcomes during assigned treatment were published for 4 relatively small trials (13, 26, 30, 31). Total follow-up exposure was approximately 42450 patient-years (mean follow-up, 1.5 years per patient). The average age of the patients was 71 years, and 35% were women. Most trials were done in Europe (16 trials, 7390 patients) (2, 8, 9, 1218, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 31) or North America (7 trials, 8349 patients) (47, 10, 11, 24), 2 were done in Japan (986 patients) (19, 26), 1 was done in China (704 patients) (30), and 3 were intercontinental (10615 patients) (22, 28, 29). Eight studies enrolled more than 1000 patients; the average number of patients was 423 (range, 45 to 916 patients) in the remaining studies. Most trials studied oral vitamin K inhibitors or aspirin in varying dosages and intensities, but other anticoagulants (low-molecular-weight heparin, ximelagatran, and dabigatran) and other antiplatelet agents (clopidogrel, dipyridamole, indobufen, and triflusal) were also tested. There were 3003 participants assigned to placebo or control groups in 12 trials. The average stroke rate for these untreated participants was 13% per year in trials that were restricted to those who had previous stroke or TIA (secondary prevention trials) and 4.1% per year for those in primary prevention trials. Adjusted-Dose Warfarin Compared with Placebo or No Treatment To our knowledge, no new trial data have been added since our 1999 meta-analysis (1), and abridged results are reported here. In 6 randomized trials, 2900 participants (mean age at study entry, 69 years; 29% were women; and 20% had previous stroke or TIA) were included who had had 186 strokes during a mean follow-up of 1.6 years per participant (Table 2 [2, 48]). The mean achieved INR ranged from 2.0 to 2.6 among patients who were assigned warfarin in the 5 primary prevention trials (2 were double-blinded) and was 2.9 in the only secondary prevention trial. The average stroke rate was 4.5% per year for primary prevention and 12% per year for secondary prevention among patients assigned to the placebo or control groups. Table 2. Adjusted-Dose Warfarin Compared with Placebo or No Treatment* According to meta-analysis, adjusted-dose warfarin was associated with a 64% (95% CI, 49% to 74%) reduction in stroke (Table 2 and Figure, top). When we considered trials that stratified stroke severity, 60% of strokes were disabling and reductions in disabling (60%) and nondisabling (60%) strokes with anticoagulation therapy were similar. The absolute risk reduction in all strokes was 2.7% per year (number needed to treat [NNTB] for 1 year to prevent 1 stroke was 37) for primary prevention and 8.4% per year (NNTB, 12) for secondary prevention. When only ischemic strokes were considered, adjusted-dose warfarin was associated with a 67% (CI, 54% to 77%) relative risk reduction. Figure. Relative effects of antithrombotic t
This paper presents an improved wire-to-plate type plasma reactor for remediation of flue gas containing NO x /SO 2 , in which a nozzle electrode for injection of de-NO x additive was installed in the front of wire electrodes to enhance the production of de-NO x radicals. The experimental results indicate that additive activated by corona plasmas could effectively increase NO x removal in a wire-plate type reactor; positive corona plasmas performed better when taking both the removal rates and the energy cost into consideration, under appropriate condition de-NO x rate increased over 10% when C 3 H 6 was activated by positive corona plasmas.
Objective  To explore the clinical application of transcranial doppler ultrasonography (TCD) in severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI)post decompressive craniectomy.      Methods  A retrospective study was conducted on 58 patients with sTBI who were admitted to Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit of Tangdu Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University From January 2015 to October 2016. All patients underwent hematoma evacuation, decompressive craniectomy and placement of intracerebral pressure (ICP) probe. The parameters of cerebral blood flow including mean velocity (Vmean), end of diastolic (Vedv) and pulsatility index (PI) in sTBI patients were measured by TCD post operation to assess the cerebral blood supply.      Results  The trend of Vmean and Vedv manifested U-shaped mode during the next 7 days, reaching the lowest levels [(72.5±22.6) cm/s and (43.6±19.8) cm/s, respectively] on day 3. There was significant difference in the value of Vmean between day 3 and day 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 (all P<0.05). There was significant difference in the value of Vedv between day 3 and day 1, 2, 6, 7 (all P<0.05). The trend of pulsatility index (PI) and intracranial pressure (ICP) showed parabolic shape during the next 7 days, reaching the highest level [(1.5±0.7) and (17.2±4.5)mmHg, respectively] on day 4. Significant difference was observed in ICP between day 4 and day 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 (P<0.05). The incidence of cerebral hyperemia showed the trend of declining during the next 7 days. There was significant difference in cerebral hyperemia between day 1 and day 5, 6, 7 (all P<0.05). The incidence of cerebral ischemia was up to 36.2% (12/58) on day 4, and it was significantly higher than that on day 1 (P<0.05). The incidence of cerebral vasospasm showed the rising trend and reached the highest level (15.5%) on day 6, which had significant difference compared with the incidences on day 1, 2 and 3 (all P<0.05).      Conclusion  TCD, as a noninvasive, portable, easy-to-use monitoring tool, could help effectively evaluate postoperative changes of cerebral hemodynamics in patients with sTBI.      Key words:  Craniocerebral trauma; Ultrasonography, doppler, transcranial; Decompressive craniectomy
We consider a mesoscale model for nano-sized metaparticles (MPs) composed of a central sphere decorated by polymer chains with laterally attached spherocylinder. The latter mimics the mesogenic (e.g., cyanobiphenyl) group. Molecular dynamics simulations of $100$ MPs reveal the existence of two novel morphologies: $ textrm{uCol}_ mathrm{h}$ (hexagonal columnar arrangement of MPs with strong uniaxial order of mesogens collinear to the columns axis) and $ mathrm{wCol}_ mathrm{h}$ [the same arrangement of MPs but with weak or no liquid crystalline (LC) order]. Collinearity of the LC director and the columnar axis in $ textrm{uCol}_ mathrm{h}$ morphology indicates its potentially different opto-mechanical response to an external perturbation as compared to the columnar phase for the terminally attached mesogens. Preliminary analysis of the structures of both phases is performed by studying the order parameters and by visualisation of the MPs arrangements. Different mechanisms for the mesogens reorientation are pointed out for the cases of their terminal and lateral attachment.
Image classification has been an interesting research issue in multimedia content analysis due to the wide applications. In this paper, we observe that images can be classified (or annotated) in two ways: i) Classify by some main object, ii) Classify by multiple objects with their relations. These two types of images usually exist concurrently in real-life image databases. Although a number of image classification methods have been propose, they can only handle one certain type of images well and fail to deal with both types of images correctly at the same time. In this paper, we propose a hybrid image classification method, namely "CBROA" (Classify By Representative Or Associations), that can effectively classify both types of images at the same time. CBROA integrates the decision tree and association rules mining method in an adaptive manner with construction of a virtual semantic ontology. Experimental results show that CBROA outperforms other classification methods in terms of classification accuracy in classifying mixed types of images.
Looking at the enormous hydro-electric  potentials of  Arunachal Pradesh, the power may be developed as industry and a  substantial  revenue  can be earned by selling the power to other states  of  the  country. If once, these hydro potentials are fully harnessed, it must turn the fate of the territory and serve the larger interest of the country. At the same time, the   fund   spent   by the government to function the diesel generators will be saved and the pollution created by them will be stopped.                            So far Arunachal economy is concerned, the consumption of commercial energy is a recent phenomenon. The consumption of commercial energy under industrial sector is at its lowest ebb. By and large, the industrial units are considerably small, where the use of manual labour is prominent. In some of the small scale industrial units and medium scale ones, the commercial energy is consumed. But such consumption accounts for insignificant quantity. During recent years, the use of commercial energy is noticed to have picked up. But the magnitude of the consumption of commercial energy under agricultural sector may be termed still insignificant.
Purpose Fixed-combination medications can benefit patients requiring multiple agents to lower their intraocular pressure (IOP), but combining agents with complementary mechanisms of action is challenging if their dosing frequency differs. This study compares in vivo pharmacokinetic and ocular tolerability of bimatoprost 0.01% ophthalmic solutions dosed once or twice daily. Reports of twice-daily dosing in glaucoma patients are also reviewed. Methods New Zealand White rabbits were administered bimatoprost 0.01% monotherapy or fixed-combination bimatoprost 0.01%/brimonidine 0.1%, once or twice daily in both eyes for 4 days. Ocular tissues were harvested and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The pharmacokinetic parameters calculated included maximum observed concentration, time to maximum concentration, and area under the concentration-time curve. Results Due to extensive metabolism, bimatoprost concentration was below the quantitation limit by 1 hour post-dose in all samples. Bimatoprost acid exposure, however, could be measured up to 6–8 hours post-dose and was similar in the aqueous humor and iris-ciliary body (pharmacological site of action) of animals treated once or twice daily with either bimatoprost 0.01% or fixed-combination bimatoprost 0.01%/brimonidine 0.1%. Increasing dosage frequency in rabbits did not raise the incidence of drug-related conjunctival hyperemia (most common adverse event associated with bimatoprost use in humans), suggesting comparable ocular tolerability of the once- and twice-daily regimens for each formulation. Conclusion Bimatoprost 0.01% administered once or twice daily as monotherapy and in fixed-combination with brimonidine 0.1% in rabbits show similar pharmacokinetic profiles of bimatoprost acid, especially in the iris-ciliary body. Key findings from previous clinical studies suggest that by varying the concentration of benzalkonium chloride (a preservative with corneal penetration-enhancing properties), formulations of bimatoprost 0.01% can be administered once or twice daily. These findings support development of bimatoprost 0.01%-based fixed-dose combination therapies administered twice daily for patients who require multiple adjunctive medications to control their IOP.
While it has been contended that the intervocalic tap/trill contrast has been lost in many Spanish varieties, maintenance of this phonemic contrast has been attested via segmental duration rather than the number of lingual contacts. The present paper investigates the neutralization of the intervocalic rhotic contrast in emerging, bi-dialectal speakers of Northern Belizean Spanish, an understudied variety of contact Spanish with innovative patterns of rhotic distribution. Acoustic analysis of data from 10 adolescent speakers from Orange Walk, Belize showed that in the elicited, oral production data, speakers were able to more consistently maintain their native Spanish variety's intervocalic tap/retroflex approximant phonemic contrast. However, in an effort to phonetically switch to a more standard variety of Spanish in the read-aloud task, speakers' overgeneralization of the tap led to neutralization of the tap/trill contrast and partial loss of their native Spanish variety's intervocalic phonemic contrast.
A series of substituted analogues based on the novel 2,3-dihydro-6-hydroxypyrimido[2,1-f]purine-4,8(1H,9H)-dione ring system have been synthesized and shown to exhibit antiinflammatory activity in the adjuvant-induced arthritis rat model (AAR). The activity exhibited by the pyrimidopurinediones in this model of chronic inflammation is comparable to that of their previously studied 2-oxo congeners, the 6-hydroxypyrimido[2,1-f]purine-2,4,8-(1H,3H,9H)-triones, the best of which show potency levels approximately equal to that of naproxen. On the basis of its potency in the AAR assay, 9-benzyl-2,3-dihydro-1,3-dimethyl-6-hydroxy-7-(3-methyl-2-butenyl) pyrimido-[2,1-f]purine-4,8(1H,9H)-dione was selected for further evaluation and found to exhibit cyclooxygenase inhibitory activity in the in vitro rat neutrophil model. With respect to side-effect liability, this prenylated derivative has been shown to be devoid of gastric ulcer inducing potential, as well as the ocular toxicity observed previously with the 2-oxo series.
IntroductIon Gilberto Freyre is traditionally identified, along with other important commentators of the 1930s, with one of the major turning points in Brazilian thought, moving towards a greater commitment to historical and sociological objectivity and to the critique of Brazil’s social formation. His work has also been recognised as belonging to a lineage of authors who, after the rise of the Republic, devoted themselves to the historical review of the social and political formation of the colony and the Empire. Thus Ângela de Castro Gomes (2000) suggests that, without denying the major theoretical and methodological innovation introduced by Freyre in his interpretation of Brazil’s colonial legacy in Casa-grande & senzala (translated into English as The masters and the slaves), his work displays similarities with the collective endeavour of diverse historians active during the first decades of the Republican experiment – concentrated especially at the IHGB (Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro) – to rethink the nature of historiographic work and the use of historical methods and sources that went beyond an attempted Republican mythological reconstruction of the Brazilian past. Viewed from a political angle, Freyre has recently been situated within a conservative culturalist line of Brazilian thought, opposed to the modernization promoted both by statist nationalism and by liberal cosmopolitanism (Lynch, 2017). The first work by Freyre to have an impact on Brazilian social thought was Casagrande & senzala, published in 1933, in which the author accounts for the forma-
This article examines the dynamics of remilitarization of 21st century Philippine society. It discusses the context of this continuing militarization and the avenues through which the Philippine military influences the civil society. It also looks into the process of militarization and demilitarization in Philippine political history from 1972 to 1998, and particularly observes the remilitarization of Philippine society in the early 21st century. This militarization is attributed to the AFP's assumption of a leadership role in the government overall efforts to rid the country of insurgencies by 2010. Despite its pervasive influence, however, the AFP is constrained by four factors from assuming a dominant role in Philippine polity-1) the military's reluctance to expand its current functions, 2) the existence of countervailing political institutions that keep military influence at bay; 3) the Philippines' vibrant civil society, and 4) the country's security relations with the U.S. In conclusion, the article asserts that the Aquino Administration's pressing political challenge is to reverse the process of militarization by changing the context of Philippine civil-military relations. This requires the AFP-touted as the most ill-equipped among Southeast Asian ill-equipped armed forces-taking a back seat in the counter-insurgency campaign, and concentrating on its long overdue arms modernization program.
Maternal thyroid dysfunction is associated with perturbed fetal brain development and neurological deficits in adulthood in rat and human. To investigate whether these effects occur secondary to placental dysfunction, c- fos and c- jun expression in placenta from normal (euthyroid) and moderately hypothyroid rat dams were investigated by Northern hybridization analysis. In normal placenta, c- fos expression increased by 74 per cent between 16 and 21 days of gestation (dg) whereas c- jun expression declined by 46 per cent. Moderate maternal hypothyroidism depressed placental c- fos expression by 32 per cent at 19 dg, but elevated c- fos and c- jun expression by 139 and 86 per cent, respectively, at 21 dg. Maternal hypothyroidism may therefore induce c- fos/c- jun -related placental dysfunction, but only relatively late in gestation when fetal thyroid function is already established.
ABSTRACT Butyrate is a preferred energy source for colonic epithelial cells and is thought to play an important role in maintaining colonic health in humans. In order to investigate the diversity and stability of butyrate-producing organisms of the colonic flora, anaerobic butyrate-producing bacteria were isolated from freshly voided human fecal samples from three healthy individuals: an infant, an adult omnivore, and an adult vegetarian. A second isolation was performed on the same three individuals 1 year later. Of a total of 313 bacterial isolates, 74 produced more than 2 mM butyrate in vitro. Butyrate-producing isolates were grouped by 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The results indicate very little overlap between the predominant ribotypes of the three subjects; furthermore, the flora of each individual changed significantly between the two isolations. Complete sequences of 16S rDNAs were determined for 24 representative strains and subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Eighty percent of the butyrate-producing isolates fell within the XIVa cluster of gram-positive bacteria as defined by M. D. Collins et al. (Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 44:812–826, 1994) and A. Willems et al. (Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 46:195–199, 1996), with the most abundant group (10 of 24 or 42%) clustering with Eubacterium rectale, Eubacterium ramulus, and Roseburia cecicola. Fifty percent of the butyrate-producing isolates were net acetate consumers during growth, suggesting that they employ the butyryl coenzyme A-acetyl coenzyme A transferase pathway for butyrate production. In contrast, only 1% of the 239 non-butyrate-producing isolates consumed acetate.
Because the analysis of risky choice in agriculture and rural resource management is important but difficult, we argue that there is a need for some agreed principles on how to proceed. This paper is intended as a first step to this end. We start with the proposition that the importance of risk aversion has generally been exaggerated relative to the task of finding better ways to deduce relevant and reliable probabilities. Getting better probabilities demands careful thought, drawing on what is known about the pitfalls and on evolving insights into better ways of proceeding. Our aim is to stimulate a debate leading to a clearer consensus about better practice in these matters.
Background/Aims: Thyroid disease is a common comorbidity in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), but historical studies have multiple limitations. We assessed thyroid abnormalities in a large cohort of children with DS. Methods: Retrospective records review from a single institution. Calculated prevalence of common thyroid abnormalities and associations with common comorbidities. Results: Among 508 patients, 120 (24%) had a thyroid-related diagnosis, the majority having elevated thyrotropin treated with levothyroxine. A Kaplan-Meier estimate projects that 50% have thyroid disorder by adulthood, with 20% of hypothyroidism diagnosed before the age of 6 months. When tested, approximately 50% had positive antithyroid antibodies, though this rate was 100% in overt hypothyroidism. There was no association between congenital or acquired hypothyroidism and common comorbidities. Conclusion: Thyroid disease in DS is more common and occurs earlier than in the general population, and is often transient. Thyroid disease is unrelated to gender, obesity, or other comorbidities. Apart from overt hypothyroidism, much of hypothyroidism in DS appears unrelated to autoimmunity; we recommend checking of antithyroid antibodies only in select cases. An additional screen for thyroid disease between the newborn screen and the 6-month well-child visit will detect early cases of hypothyroidism who passed their newborn screen.
The goal of this article is to contribute to the elaboration of a socio-anthropology of the sexualities in an epistemological perspective by setting forward some theoretical guidelines I have been adopting in my present research project. I propose the notion of "culture of sexualities" like a system that focuses on the socio-cultural and historical construction of sexualities in relation with the global culture's internal logic in each given society. It includes biological sex, social sex, gender problematics, sexual identities, sexual roles, sexual orientations, and social stereotypes in its inter-relations and in connection with social and historical changing. I also give attention to the relations between the "sexual" and the "non sexual" sociabilities ("homosocial" or "heterosocial") and to the importance of sexualities' social imaginary in the elaboration of a relativist and constructivist approach.
We introduce the concept of Rokhlin dimension for actions of residually finite groups on $ text{C}^{ ast }$ -algebras, extending previous such notions for actions of finite groups and the integers by Hirshberg, Winter and the third author. We are able to extend most of their results to a much larger class of groups: those admitting box spaces of finite asymptotic dimension. This latter condition is a refinement of finite asymptotic dimension and has not previously been considered. In a detailed study we show that finitely generated, virtually nilpotent groups have box spaces with finite asymptotic dimension, providing a large class of examples. We show that actions with finite Rokhlin dimension by groups with finite-dimensional box spaces preserve the property of having finite nuclear dimension when passing to the crossed product $ text{C}^{ ast }$ -algebra. We then establish a relation between Rokhlin dimension of residually finite groups acting on compact metric spaces and amenability dimension of the action in the sense of Guentner, Willett and Yu. We show that for free actions of infinite, finitely generated, nilpotent groups on finite-dimensional spaces, both these dimensional values are finite. In particular, the associated transformation group $ text{C}^{ ast }$ -algebras have finite nuclear dimension. This extends an analogous result about $ mathbb{Z}^{m}$ -actions by the first author to a significantly larger class of groups, showing that a large class of crossed products by actions of such groups fall under the remit of the Elliott classification programme. We also provide results concerning the genericity of finite Rokhlin dimension, and permanence properties with respect to the absorption of a strongly self-absorbing $ text{C}^{ ast }$ -algebra.
Design-Build (DB) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts are the two types of public-private-partnerships that are widely used in the region that are aimed in this study. The objectives of this study were to analyze and compare DB and BOT projects in terms of project costs and durations. In order to analyze and compare Design-Build (DB) and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) projects, this study collected data by means of convenient random sampling, from construction projects built by five ministries of Republic of Turkey. Statistical tests were conducted to determine if the metrics related to cost and schedule were significantly different from each other in these two types of projects. The findings of this study will help the public agencies decide what delivery method is best for their projects in terms of controlling costs and schedule. Results show that DB projects outperform BOT projects in terms of cost and schedule. The results of this research will enable governments to become more familiar with comparisons between DB and BOT distribution methods, and the findings will help the ministries to choose swhich delivery method is suitable for use on a project-based.
Most in silico biomarker discovery methods are based on a single disease data modality. However, they often fail to identify and understand the relationships between different biomarkers emerging from various data types. Heterogeneous multimodal analysis methods facilitate the integration of multiple disease-related data resources, allowing us to gain a more accurate understanding of the mechanisms involved in a disease. Multimodal biomarkers resulting from such integrated analyses are complementary and robust and enable a holistic understanding of the disease. In this study, we proposed a novel neural network model that integrates and analyzes data from tissue transcriptomics, protein-protein interactions, and gene functional annotation resources. We employed a network-based approach by constructing a heterogeneous knowledge graph consisting of different biomedical entities and their inherent relationships. In addition, we utilized contextualized gene features mined from the biomedical literature. Our multimodal framework accurately predicts the differential activity of genes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Evaluation experiments were performed to determine the benefits of implementing the multimodal approaches. We also employed transcription factor enrichment analysis (TFEA) to validate the learned features. Finally, the gene clusters identified using multimodal gene features in IPF were found to be biologically relevant and meaningful.
The evolving nature of the WWW necessitates to constantly adapt Web applications to new requirements, audiences, and client devices. However, as a given adaptation concern (e.g., device dependency) is typically deeply intertwined with different parts of the underlying application, it becomes difficult to adjust a Web-based system's adaptive behavior to a new requirement. In this paper, we provide an aspect-oriented view on adaptation engineering within the AMACONT framework. By separating the specification of adaptation from the underlying application in the form of so-called adaptation aspects, we can thus easily add new or modify existing adaptation concerns on demand. We also present an extension of our graphical authoring tool AMACONTBuilder, allowing Web engineers to intuitively incorporate adaptation aspects into Web applications.
In realizing early childhood that can develop the potential of early childhood required the existence of planning, organizing, implementation, and control ling . This paper was library research. The result obtained indicate that PAUD learning activities consist of Teaching and Learning Activities, Reviewing the Education Calendar, and Learning Schedule Arrangements. Guidelines for learning organization are concerned on defining developmental stages, capacity indicators, defining the concept of knowledge introduced, setting themes, developing learning activities, preparing tools and materials. Learning planning strategy should pay attention to SKH (Daily Activities Unit) and SKM (Weekly Activities Unit). The curriculum should be structured by considering the differences which is appeared in society , then learners can recognize the diversity of soci al life. The setting of learning class is organized according to the school ’ s vision and mission. The teacher ’s teaching activities start from welcoming the students in front of the school gate, carry out the learning, take the students to the front of the gate until the child is picked up by their respective parents. Early childhood learning activity is in the form of learning while dancing or moving; Drawing/coloring while learning; and memorize the word while clapping. Keywords: Learning Organizarion; PAUD; The Potential of Early Childhood
Comprehensive statistics are hard to come by, but anecdotal evidence suggests mold infestation is an extensive problem in Native American tribal housing. At the Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the Oglala Lakota Housing Authority has reportedly estimated that 75% of homes may be contaminated with mold. A 2010 Montana State University study of 406 homes on reservations throughout the state identified visible mold growing in the bathrooms of more than a third.1 And the Associated Press reported in 2001 that at least 320 homes in a single housing development on North Dakota’s Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation were contaminated with mold, two-thirds of them so severely that they had to be destroyed.2    Mold has long been a concern for most of Alaska’s 225 federally recognized tribes, notes Ruth Etzel, a pediatrician and professor of epidemiology at the University of Wisconsin, who previously was medical director of research at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. “When we talk to tribal leaders, the thing that comes up over and over again in Alaska is mold,” she says. Mold is also common, though perhaps less pervasive, in tribal homes in warmer climes including California, Arizona, and New Mexico.        Architect Daniel Glenn and colleagues at Arizona State University built a model sustainable home in Nageezi, New Mexico. The model home incorporates design elements of the traditional Navajo hooghan, such as passive solar temperature control and thick ...            Archival photograph shows a Navajo hooghan, c. 1906. These structures of wood and packed earth are traditionally situated with the door facing east to receive the sunrise.        Exposure to indoor mold has been strongly linked to asthma symptoms and hypersensitivity pneumonitis in sensitive people as well as wheeze, cough, and upper respiratory tract symptoms. There also is evidence exposure may contribute to asthma development, lower respiratory illness, mucous membrane irritation, immune diseases, neurologic and gastrointestinal problems, skin symptoms, shortness of breath, and lung bleeding among infants.3    Asthma and other respiratory illnesses are prevalent among Alaska Native and American Indian people. In 2010 the prevalence of asthma in Native adults was 10.5%, compared with 7.8% in white adults and 10.5% in black adults.4 Among Native children, asthma prevalence in 2004–2005 was 9.9%, compared with 7.9% in whites and 12.9% in blacks (more recent data are unavailable).5    A convergence of housing-related factors may be partly to blame for increased disease risks among Native peoples, including poorly designed and constructed homes, poverty, overcrowding, insufficient indoor ventilation, and use of wood-burning stoves. These factors can contribute to increased concentrations of an array of indoor air pollutants, each with its own suite of health effects: mold and mildew, volatile organic compounds,6 formaldehyde (in furniture and treated wood), radon,7 particulate matter, asbestos, lead and mercury (in paint dust), and carbon monoxide.8    But if housing is a problem, it may also be a solution. Tribes across the country are now working—often independently, but increasingly in a collaborative matter—to build healthier homes that employ sustainable, locally sourced, and often natural materials. These homes operate efficiently and passively, taking advantage of warmth from the sun and cooling from shade and wind, and they respond to local climate. They also promote cultural customs for holistic health and draw on traditional building techniques and designs.        Members of the Pinoleville Pomo Nation helped build modern, wood-framed homes in Ukiah, California. The breathable wall systems—which consist of straw bales and adobe-like cob, covered with a finish layer of clay-based plaster—prevent ...            The straw bales in the Pinoleville Pomo homes not only provide excellent insulation but also pay homage to the traditional use of tule, from which the Pomo created numerous items including shelters, boats, and household goods. In this archival photograph, ...        In recent years, the trend has garnered support from federal programs including the Tribal Green Building Initiative9 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which offers technical assistance to tribal leaders, and the Sustainable Construction in Indian Country Program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),10 which offers both guidance and funding opportunities. As it grows, the movement could be a boon for healthy living throughout tribal communities.
BACKGROUND Older people with rheumatoid arthritis are confronted with a variety of chronic stressors on a daily basis. Living with rheumatoid arthritis means learning to cope with physical limitations, fatigue, losing mobility and independence, pain, uncertainty and role changes related to periods of exacerbation and remission. There is a paucity of literature that addresses the stress and coping processes over time for older people who have had rheumatoid arthritis since midlife.   AIM The purpose of this study was to identify and describe, at three points in time and over two 6-month intervals, the illness-related stressors perceived by older people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis since midlife; their stress-related emotions and the coping strategies they used to manage the illness-related stressors.   METHODS A longitudinal, descriptive design was used to assess older people's perceptions of illness-related stress, their stress emotions and the coping strategies used to manage the illness-related stressors. Findings. The majority of participants most frequently identified physical limitations as their illness-related stressors, harm as the stress emotion they experienced, and use of confrontive coping strategies to manage the stress associated with rheumatoid arthritis.   CONCLUSIONS The findings provide nurses with a better understanding of the experiences, emotions and coping strategies used by older people to manage the adversity of rheumatoid arthritis in daily living.
The phytotoxicity of herbicides on crops is a major dilemma in agricultural production. Fortunately, the emergence of herbicide safeners is an excellent solution to this challenge, selectively enhancing the performance of herbicides in controlling weeds while reducing the phytotoxicity to crops. But owing to their potential toxicity, only a tiny proportion of safeners are commercially available. Natural products as safeners have been extensively explored, which are generally safe to mammals and cause little pollution to the environment. They are typically endogenous signal molecules or phytohormones, which are generally difficult to extract and synthesize, and exhibit relatively lower activity than commercial products. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt rational design approaches to modify the structure of natural safeners. This paper reviews the application, safener effects, structural characteristics, and modifications of natural safeners and provides insights on the discovery of natural products as potential safeners in the future.
This paper proposes an approach to constituting crease patterns, the unfolded origami models, by using skeletons obtained from 2-D images such as handwriting sketches. Firstly, we describe a method for constructing a data structure which represents all the parts of an origami model and their relationships based on an extracted skeleton, and then give an algorithm for constituting a crease pattern using this data structure. To show the validity of proposed method and algorithm, we finally demonstrate how a crease pattern is generated and how a origami model is actually realized using some real illustrations taken from a origami drill book.
This book could serve as a text and as a reference; it has a different presentation style. The author states, for example, a theorem, a rule, a remark or a definition, followed by an example. Examples are an important part of the presentation and should be read for continuity; they are an important component of understanding. The opening paragraph on the back cover arouses the readers interest, with questions such as, ”Why is the truth table for logical implication so unintuitive? Why are there no recipes to design proofs? Where do these numerous mathematical rules come from? What issues in logic, mathematics and computer science still remain unresolved? In what ways are we going to use this material?” The book is divided in two parts; Part A is titled Theory and Part B Applications. It has a five and a half page bibliography, and a 13 page extensive index. I checked with the publisher for errata and solutions, none are available for the book. Some symbols used in the book are not listed in the index page. Most symbols in the index page have a description, but some do not.
Because the fault character signal frequency is very close to fundamental wave frequency during the analysis of induction motor rotor winding fault based on the frequency of stator current, though in practical application, there is only signal spectrum in very small frequency range need to be taken into account, high resolution is demanded in the range, therefore the traditional base-band FFT is difficult to analyze the fault character component of induction motor rotor winding effectively. In this paper, the application of zoom FFT to identify the fault character signal of motor is discussed, the fundamental principle of zoom FFT based on multiple modulations and its application method is analyzed. Simulation calculation and practical engineering test have indicated that zoom FFT technique based on multiple modulations can identify the nice frequency structure of a certain band and extract the character signal in stator current under induction motor rotor winding fault effectively.
The presence of increased air bubble in the lumina of esophagus on a chest CT scan may be associated with esophageal disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the appearance of air bubbles on chest CT scan and gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). In this case-control study, thirty-two patients with endoscopically proved GERD and 32 subjects without GERD underwent chest computed tomography (CT) scanning. Esophageal dilatation (ED) was defined as the presence of air bubbles greater than 10 mm in the supra ventricle (SV) and ventricle (CV), and air bubbles >15 mm in the ventricle to the lower esophageal sphincter (V-LES). The results were compared between the two groups. The GERD patients included 16 (50%) males with a mean age of 58.5±11.2 years and the control group included 17 (54.8%) males and 14 (45.1%) females with a mean age of 66.7±10.5 years. There was a significant relationship between the presence of GERD and esophageal dilation (ED) in the V-LES sections on the CT scan (P=0.002). The mean size of the air bubbles in the V-LES section was 11.73 mm in the case group in comparison to 4.32 mm in the control group (P<0.001).  The size and location of the air bubbles in the esophagus can vary and be important. The possibility of GERD increases in the presence of esophageal dilation on CT scan.
This work is based on analysis of publications devoted to the problem of surgical approach to treatment of acute pancreatitis over the last 30 years. The main aim of this review is to identify the key steps of evolution of surgical approach to treatment of infected pancreatic necrosis and also to determine the most promising approach among existing methods. The analysis of the most modern clinical recommendations adopted in different countries of the world, as well as the search for such problems, the solution of which will be the main task of world medical science in the near future, is carried out. It has been established that medical communities of different countries give preference to minimally invasive methods of debridement: percutaneous and transluminal endoscopic drainage. According to the most advanced recommendations, the method of choice for surgical treatment of infected pancreatic necrosis is transluminal endoscopic drainage, with inefficiency – percutaneous puncture drainage. The main idea that defines the search vector for treatment methods for the disease is the recognition of the fact that all surgical approaches are aimed at achieving one goal – removing the maximum possible volume of necrotic masses with minimal damage to surrounding tissues. Only a method that satisfies both requirements can be recognized as leading.
We have made a topological study of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization maps by simulating the AMiBA experiment results. A ACDM CMB sky is adopted to make mock interferometric observations designed for the AMiBA experiment. CMB polarization fields are reconstructed from the AMiBA mock visibility data using the maximum entropy method. We have also considered effects of Galactic foregrounds on the CMB polarization fields. The genus statistic is calculated from the simulated Q and U polarization maps, where Q and U are Stokes parameters. Our study shows that the Galactic foreground emission, even at low Galactic latitude, is expected to have small effects on the CMB polarization field. Increasing survey area and integration time is essential to detect non-Gaussian signals of cosmological origin through genus measurement.
Background: The use of computer navigation (CN) is expanding in direct anterior (DA) total hip arthroplasty (THA). In this study, we investigated the use of a noninvasive, fluoroscopic-based, CN technology suite on operative outcomes in a single surgeon DA THA practice. Hypothesis: Computer-navigated DA THA decreases leg length discrepancy (LLD) variation and fluoroscopic radiation dose without adding operative time compared to the traditional overlay (OL) technique. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on a total of 109 primary DA THA patients, with 58 in the CN and 51 in the OL group. Outcome metrics were postoperative LLD, radiation dose per case, and operative time. Statistical analysis was completed with Mann-Whitney U tests for differences between the means for LLD, radiation dose, and operative time. Results: No difference was observed in postoperative LLD between the CN (average: 1.8 mm) and OL (average: 1.9 mm) groups (p = 0.458). A significant reduction in average radiation dose (mGy) per case within the CN group (8.17 ± 6.09 mGy) compared to the OL group (13.17 ± 7.75 mGy) (p < 0.02) was observed. The average operative time in the CN group was 80 ± 18 minutes compared to 120 ± 32 minutes in the OL group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: There was no difference in LLD between the two groups. The addition of CN into a DA THA practice decreased both average radiation dose and operative time when compared to the standard OL technique.
Some laboratory experiments are described which were designed to elucidate the cause of spontaneous ignition phenomena occurring when air is admitted to solvent-impregnated carbon adsorption beds. Four types of carbon have been used, together with two organic solvents, ethanol and benzene. The experimental results show no evidence of heterogeneous catalysis by elementary carbon of the oxidation of these substrates. They suggest, on the other hand, that the phenomenon is generally due to exothermic reaction between carbon and oxygen which is strongly catalysed by any metal oxide impurities present; the resulting rapid and considerable increases of temperature enable homogeneous reaction to occur between the solvent and oxygen, leading to spontaneous ignition.
This paper presents a comparative analysis of the routes to employment taken by administrators of discretionary exceptional needs payments within social assistance in Britain and the Netherlands and questions assertions that administrators seek out their ‘occupations because of their potential as socially useful roles’ (Lipsky 1980). Empirical data illustrates that whilst Dutch administrators had often purposely embarked on a previous course of study and a subsequent career in ‘helping people’, British administrators had often come from a bureaucratic background and had, as they saw it, ‘ended up’ as Social Fund Officers, having mostly perceived the Civil Service as a means to helping themselves get a secure career. The paper concludes that, when asked to make the same kinds of decisions about (the sometimes complex exceptional needs of) social assistance beneficiaries, the two sets of workers came equipped to deal with their stressful occupations with quite different personal resources, which may be thought to impact on their understandings of poverty and the nature of social assistance dynamics.
In this paper a complete Matlab-Based-Model of a high resolution second-order multi- channel incremental A-to-D-Converter is presented. The A-to-D-Converter model includes the most relevant non-idealities for future transistor- level implementation. The reference technology used for the model is the 90nm CMOS node. The analog part of the A-to-D-Converter will be implemented by switched-capacitors integrators, so that the passive components and MOS transistor matching parameters are included in the Model. CMOS Process deviation is also taken into account, since the Matlab-Based model has the feature to set the Opamp finite dc-gain and bandwidth. External slew-rate limitation is also modeled in the Opamp. The system complies with the overall specifications of the biomedical systems and combines the advantages of oversampling with resolution improvement thanks to an extended-counting-based technique. The final simulations results validate the model, with a signal-to-noise-distortion ratio of 92.1 dB within a 500 kHz bandwidth at a 16 MHz sample frequency.
Beginning teachers continue to exit the classroom in alarming numbers, despite numerous recruitment and retention strategies. High teacher turnover rates result in a deficit of quality teachers and instruction; a loss of continuity and commitment; and time, attention, and funds devoted to recruitment versus support. The purpose of this empirical inquiry of teacher retention issues is to better understand the leadership styles of principals who lead schools that have low attrition and transfer rates. Through the use of semistructured interviews with 12 principals, as well as focus group interviews with 4 to 6 new teachers (i.e. teachers with 1 to 3 years of experience) at each of the 12 schools (n = 61), data were triangulated, and some common characteristics and successful strategies that principals use to support and retain teachers were identified and analyzed through the lens of professional learning communities. Findings indicate that the following principals are retaining teachers at a rate higher than that of their peers: principals with a keen awareness of issues affecting new teachers; principals with a proactive versus reactive approach in supporting new teachers; and principals with a commitment to professional growth and excellence for themselves their students, and their teachers (new and veteran alike).
In 1996, an international consortium was established to determine the sequence of the 26 Mb Plasmodium falciparum genome. Six years later, the genome sequence was published with an estimation of 5,268 genes. However, 60% of these predicted genes encode hypothetical proteins that share little or no sequence similarity with proteins from other organisms. Elucidation of function using traditional forward and reverse genetic techniques with these hypothetical P. falciparum genes is proving challenging and time consuming. As a result, high-throughput genomic and proteomic techniques have emerged as important tools to elucidate gene function more rapidly and cost-effectively. Despite the major challenges posed by the wealth of data generated by high-throughput genomics and proteomics, we have developed methods to optimize the analysis of these large data sets. Here, we describe how we interpret the data to generate biologically relevant conclusions, which will improve the general understanding of the biology of the malaria parasite as well as lead to the identification of new promising targets for drug and vaccine developments.
The school nurse is often the first person with whom a student may discuss untoward health symptoms and concerns. Being cognizant of the clinical features of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) will help the nurse alleviate some of the student’s anxiety. Due to misunderstandings and misconceptions about POTS, family and peers may disbelieve a student who is experiencing symptoms. Displaying compassion and support will help the student understand that someone does believe his or her symptoms. As the student’s advocate, the school nurse will champion a plan for the student’s health and safety in the academic environment.
Rules guide and constrain participants' actions as they participate in any educational activity. This ethnographically driven case study examines how organizational rules—the implicit and explicit regulations that constrain actions and interactions—influence children to use science in the experiential educational activity of raising 4-H market animals. Observations, interviews, and artifacts gathered are interpreted using Dewey's (1938) theory of an experiential continuum, with a focus on how social control in the form of explicit organizational rules influenced the children to use science. This study provides examples of two explicit organizational rules, market animal weight restrictions and record book rules, and analyzes the influence of these rules on bringing science into the children's 4-H experience. This study provides evidence that children involved in 4-H are influenced by organizational rules to incorporate skills and processes of science into their actions.
In this article I look at how "special" education thought and practice can act as a barrier to inclusion in early childhood education for children with disabilities and their families. I suggest that changes in thought and practice are necessary if early childhood education is to progress inclusion for all children and families. Inclusion in education is about identifying and removing the barriers that get in the way of a child's full acceptance, participation, and learning, so that all children receive high-quality, inclusive early educational experiences (Ballard, 1999a; Booth & Ainscow, 2002). In this article I examine the issue of how early childhood education includes or excludes disabled children. I suggest that one of the most significant barriers that disabled children and their families face in accessing early childhood education involves the belief system of special education. In relatively recent times early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand has determined that it has a commitment to all children. This is evident in Te Whariki, which promotes inclusiveness and aspirations for all children "to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society" (Ministry of Education, 1996b, p. 9), and in government policy, which supports all children's and their families' rights to an early childhood education that is non-discriminatory and inclusive (Minister for Disability Issues, 2001; Ministry of Education, 1996a, 1998; New Zealand Government, 1993, 1998). The belief system of special education, however, reinforces the idea that disabled children are "special"; they are different, and therefore require different treatment. Special education has been part of education in New Zealand and elsewhere for a considerable period of time and has been provided either as separate treatment within mainstream education or in segregated centres and schools. It is typically accepted as a normal and appropriate approach to issues of disability. I suggest the belief system and the language of special education are barriers to disabled children's inclusion in early childhood education. Constructing children as special In many settings children with disabilities are typically constructed as "special" children, having "special educational needs" and therefore in need of a "special" education. However, literature and research on inclusive education and disability highlights that the language of special needs may act as a powerful barrier to the development of inclusion in education (Barton, 1997; Booth & Ainscow, 2002; Corbett, 1996). This is because labelling children as having special needs communicates and reinforces particular beliefs about the nature of disability as a function of individual impairment. What is evident is that this language maintains the idea that there are "two kinds of student and two kinds of education, one special and the other typical, ordinary, not 'special"' (Ballard, 1999a, p. 167). Special is a term that constructs the disabled child as different, as "the other", as having significantly different curriculum and teaching needs, and as belonging elsewhere (MacArthur, Dight, & Purdue, 2000; MacArthur, Purdue, & Ballard, 2003). Removing the language of special needs from centres is not an easy task because this vocabulary is firmly embedded in the legislative and policy framework of mainstream early childhood education (Ministry of Education, 1996a, b, c, 1998, 2005; New Zealand Government, 1993, 1998). The language of special needs is part of daily discourse in many early childhood settings and influences a variety of practices. Oliver (1988) states that: ... the definition of special educational need which still dominates today is one that sees it as an individual problem. …
Oxygen is an important factor in the wine aging process, and the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) is the parameter of the wood that reflects its oxygen permeation. OTR has not been considered in the cooperage industry yet; however, recent studies proposed a nondestructive method for estimating the OTR of barrel staves, but an efficient method to combine these staves to build barrels with a desired OTR is needed to implement it in the industry. This article proposes artificial intelligence methods for selecting staves for the construction of barrel heads or bodies with a desired target OTR. Genetic algorithms were used to implement these methods in consideration of the known OTR of the staves and the geometry of the wine barrels. The proposed methods were evaluated in several scenarios: homogenizing the OTR of the actual constructed barrels, constructing low-OTR and high-OTR barrels based on a preclassification of the staves and implementing the proposed method in real cooperage conditions. The results of these experiments suggest the suitability of the proposed methods for their implementation in a cooperage in order to build controlled OTR barrels.
Miniaturised microstrip-line-fed slot antennas with ring-shaped metallic strips for dual-band and broadband operations are investigated and verified in this study. The proposed designs implemented on a 0.8-mm FR-4 substrate show that the ring-shaped metallic strips and the feeding structure yield multiple resonant modes, achieving 66.3% size reduction. The proposed dual-band design reveals two operating bandwidths (12.4 and 46.5%) at the central frequencies of 2445 and 4813 MHz, respectively. The broadband design indicates the maximum bandwidth of 2511 MHz (69.6%) at 3606 MHz. This large operating bandwidth is obtained by choosing suitable combinations of feeding structure and multi-ring slot shapes. Simulated and experimental investigations are clearly conducted to understand their behaviours and optimise them for dual-band and broadband operations.
Much the same as life, death is a natural phenomenon. In fact, every living entity, including the being writing this article and the one reading the same will one day be clenched by the frosty hands of the grim reaper. It is perplexing to imagine consequences after death. Is it just darkness? Or is there life after death as in most religious beliefs? This uncertainty of event possibly led humankind to desire immortality of our current physical form. A state where our mind can predict, although very inaccurately, what might occur. And yes consider this, “What if we cannot die?” Difficult to imagine, isn‟t it? It may be incomprehensible for many of us to ideate life without death; that is to live for eternity. Possibly because the lifespan of our species is in general less than a century, evolution might have shaped our intellect to consider only such a limited scale of time. It would be very possible to provoke philosophical arguments on what constitute mortality and immortality, so, let us try to be more scientific than be philosophical. Now let us give an effort to understand what mortality and immortality biologically means. Hayflick defined biological mortality as “the death of an organism or the termination of its lineage” and immortality as “the indefinite survival of a single organism or of a replicating population regardless of molecular turnover”. 1 Thus, in the current context, we shall turn our interest to the level of both single organisms and on replicating populations. Many stories and tales throughout ages had depicted great number of individuals who were deemed immortals. Say for example the Greek gods like Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, etc., and the rather infamous Count Dracula, the vampire who, in stories was known to feed on hominids aqueous physiological constituents comprising of erythrocytes, leukocytes, thrombocytes, plasma and others; or more simply, blood. Well, the point is these are the immortal beings in such Article General
An important factor having an impact on the condition of machine parts is their surface topography. For instance, in the production of a molded element in casting or injection molding processes, the surface topography of the molding cavity has a significant impact on the surface condition of the product. An analysis of the wear of a mold made with the PolyJet technique was performed in this work, and we examined the surface topography using the stylus method after casting a wax model of the turbine blade. The surface topographies showed a gradual degradation of the mold cavity surface. After the manufacture of 40 castings, there was a significant deformation of the microstructure of the mold cavity. The maximum height value (Sz) parameter had the most dynamic change from 18.980 to 27.920 μm. Its growth dynamics are mainly influenced by maximum peak height (Sp) rather than the maximum pit height (Sv) parameter. In the case of the root mean square height (Sq) and arithmetic mean height (Sa), their gradual increases can be seen from 2.578 to 3.599 μm and from 2.038 to 2.746 μm. In the case of the value of the skewness (Ssk) parameter, a small positive skew was observed. As for the kurtosis (Sku) values, the distributions are clearly leptokurtic.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the increased dose near the skin from an electromagnetic surface beacon transponder, which is used for localization and tracking organ motion. The bolus effect due to the copper coil surface beacon was evaluated with radiographic film measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. Various beam incidence angles were evaluated for both 6 MV and 18 MV experimentally. We performed simulations using a general‐purpose Monte Carlo code MCNPX (Monte Carlo N‐Particle) to supplement the experimental data. We modeled the surface beacon geometry using the actual mass of the glass vial and copper coil placed in its L‐shaped polyethylene terephthalate tubing casing. Film dosimetry measured factors of 2.2 and 3.0 enhancement in the surface dose for normally incident 6 MV and 18 MV beams, respectively. Although surface dose further increased with incidence angle, the relative contribution from the bolus effect was reduced at the oblique incidence. The enhancement factors were 1.5 and 1.8 for 6 MV and 18 MV, respectively, at an incidence angle of 60°. Monte Carlo simulation confirmed the experimental results and indicated that the epidermal skin dose can reach approximately 50% of the dose at dmax at normal incidence. The overall effect could be acceptable considering the skin dose enhancement is confined to a small area (∼1 cm2), and can be further reduced by using an opposite beam technique. Further clinical studies are justified in order to study the dosimetric benefit versus possible cosmetic effects of the surface beacon. One such clinical situation would be intact breast radiation therapy, especially large‐breasted women. PACS number: 87.53
The author presents findings of an attempt by a primary school in Cyprus to implement a policy on partnerships that encourages parents to work with their children in school. Before the introduction of the school policy, student attainment was similar to that of students at a primary school that did not introduce a partnership policy. Six months after the partnership policy was implemented, students at the experimental school had higher attainment in each core subject. In a value-added analysis of the educational progress of students at the experimental school in each of the 3 core subjects, the author found that all students had improved the quality of their academic work in Greek language, social science, and mathematics, irrespective of socioeconomic background. An examination of parent and student attitudes toward school policy revealed that both groups developed positive attitudes toward the partnership policy. Moreover, parents claimed that their classroom visits contributed significantly to improved teacher communication and to student behavior at home. Implications for development of research and evaluation on partnerships are reported.
With the increasing of the business carried by the power wireless private network and the continuous development of the new network technology, the problems in the traditional mode of power wireless private network are becoming more and more obvious. In order to solve the problems such as poor business service quality, low system throughput, and fairness problems in the uplink resource scheduling process of power wireless private network, a dynamic uplink resource scheduling algorithm is proposed on the basis of Software Defined Optical Network (SDON). By studying the business characteristics of the uplink transmission of power wireless network, the priority of the service is evaluated before the resource scheduling is carried out. According to the characteristics of OFDM resource allocation and the numerical control separation and programmable feature of SDON, different scheduling methods are designed for different services. Simulation analysis shows that this algorithm can effectively improve the system throughput, guarantee QoS, and improve the transmission performance of different services.
The aim was to understand the experience resulting from pregnancy interrupted by the premature birth of the baby requiring hospitalization in the Neonatal Unit. It is a phenomenological investigation with a Heideggerian framework, undertaken in December 2010 – May 2011, through interviews held with seven mothers whose children were hospitalized in the neonatal unit of a teaching hospital. In relation to the fact of having a pre-term baby who needed to be hospitalized, the women indicated pregnancy-related health problems which led to the premature birth, and want to understand what is happening. Furthermore, they continue to be frightened even when they are accustomed to their child’s hospitalization. As a result, it is necessary to make possible a dialogic relationship and a relationship of support for the mothers so that they may develop strategies for reestablishing the bond with the baby and the care for the specific demands posed by prematurity.
Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni) emit multiple-note alarm calls to terrestrial predators that vary in acoustic structure according to the eliciting stimulus. The characteristics of the predator that are salient with respect to alarm call variation, however, are poorly understood. Although the behavior of predators has been shown to influence alarm call production in other species of ground-dwelling sciurids, the degree to which sciurid alarm calls describe physical characteristics of predators has not been addressed independently of the effects of variation in predator behavior. The effect of variation in the size and shape of the eliciting stimulus was studied by presenting silhouette models to a colony of prairie dogs and recording the alarm calls that were elicited. Discriminant function analysis on 7 variables measured from spectrograms revealed that the alarm calls differed with respect to silhouette. These results suggest that information with respect to stimulus size and shape is encoded in prairie dog alarm calls.
Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare systemic disease. Its mechanism has been unclear for yeas. Recently, it has been reported that the deficiency of ADAMTS 13 (a disintegrin-like domain, and metalloprotease, with thrombospondin type1 motif 13) activity cause TTP. Congenital TTP (Upshaw-Schulman syndrome: USS) is caused by ADAMTS 13 gene mutation and secondary TTP is caused by anti-ADAMTS 13 antibody. Only five families of USS have been reported in Japan, previously. Here, we report a case of USS patient who has gene mutations. Case report: On 23 weeks of gestation, a Japanese pregnant woman was pointed out thrombocytopenia (8.2 x 10E7/mL), and was diagnosed as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. On 31 weeks of gestation, she developed headache, vomiting, high grade fever, disorientation and additional vanishing fetal movement. Unfortunately, intrauterine fatal death was confirmed. The diagnosis of TTP was confirmed, plasma exchange, the administration of methylprednisolone, dipyridamole and high-dose intravenously immunoglobulin was started. She has recovered day by day and the stabilization of platelet count was obtained. Her ADAMTS 13 activity on admission day was lower than detection limit ( ADAMTS 13 gene mutations were analyzed by DNA sequencing. Patient has compound heterozygote mutations; R193W from father and A606P from mother. Sister has Q606A too, and brother has normal gene. Conclusion: Clinical signs of TTP are often masqueraded as a simple thrombocytopenia until 20-30 weeks of gestation. USS is a life threatening disease to both mother and fetus, an early diagnosis is critical. Therefore, pregnant women developed thrombocytopenia need to be determined ADAMTS 13 activity routinely.
Data cleaning based on similarities involves identification of "close" tuples, where closeness is evaluated using a variety of similarity functions chosen to suit the domain and application. Current approaches for efficiently implementing such similarity joins are tightly tied to the chosen similarity function. In this paper, we propose a new primitive operator which can be used as a foundation to implement similarity joins according to a variety of popular string similarity functions, and notions of similarity which go beyond textual similarity. We then propose efficient implementations for this operator. In an experimental evaluation using real datasets, we show that the implementation of similarity joins using our operator is comparable to, and often substantially better than, previous customized implementations for particular similarity functions.
Iron overload disorder (IOD) in critically endangered Sumatran (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) and black (Diceros bicornis) rhinoceros is an over-accumulation of iron in organs which may exacerbate other diseases and indicate metabolic disturbances. IOD in rhinos is not well understood and diagnostics and therapeutics are limited in effectiveness. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs capable of altering protein synthesis. miRNA expression responds to physiological states and could serve as the basis for development of diagnostics and therapeutics. This study aimed to identify miRNAs differentially expressed among healthy rhinos and those afflicted with IOD or other diseases (“unhealthy”), and assess expression of select miRNAs to evaluate their potential as biomarkers of IOD. miRNAs in serum of black (n = 11 samples; five individuals) and Sumatran (n = 7 samples; four individuals) rhinos, representing individuals categorized as healthy (n = 9), unhealthy (n = 5), and afflicted by IOD (n = 3) were sequenced. In total, 715 miRNAs were identified, of which 160 were novel, 131 were specific to black rhinos, and 108 were specific to Sumatran rhinos. Additionally, 95 miRNAs were specific to healthy individuals, 31 specific to unhealthy, and 63 were specific to IOD individuals. Among healthy, unhealthy, and IOD states, 21 miRNAs were differentially expressed (P ≤ 0.01). Five known miRNAs (let-7g, miR-16b, miR-30e, miR-143, and miR-146a) were selected for further assessment via RT-qPCR in serum from black (n = 61 samples; seven individuals) and Sumatran (n = 38 samples; five individuals) rhinos. let-7g, miR-30e, and miR-143 all showed significant increased expression (P ≤ 0.05) during IOD (between 1 and 2 years prior to death) and late IOD (within 1 year of death) compared to healthy and unhealthy individuals. miR-16b expression increased (P ≤ 0.05) in late IOD, but was not different among IOD, healthy, and unhealthy states (P > 0.05). Expression of miR-146a increased in IOD and late IOD as compared to unhealthy samples (P ≤ 0.05) but was not different from the healthy state (P > 0.05). Selected serum miRNAs of black and Sumatran rhinos, in particular let-7g, miR-30e, and miR-143, could therefore provide a tool for advancing rhino IOD diagnostics that should be further investigated.
Ultraviolet lasing by optically pumping from BeMgZnSe quantum well laser structures on GaP(001) substrate was demonstrated using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The lasing wavelength was 373 nm at 13 K. The threshold power density at 13 K was 415 kW/cm2. In addition, the characteristic temperature from 13 to 90 K was 87 K. The lasing was confirmed up to 130 K. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Fitting distributed-feedback (DFB) laser models to data is a difficult process that is time consuming and often inaccurate. Having a good initial estimate of the facet parameters greatly reduces the time required by a fitting routine. If the general effects of laser parameters are well known, fitting routines do not have to be overly complicated to obtain a best fit. It is also very important to fit to spectra from both facets simultaneously and over a wide bandwidth for quick, accurate, and nondegenerate results.
Purpose Loss of residual renal function (RRF) is associated with an increased risk for peritoneal dialysis (PD) technique failure and patient death. We wished to determine which factors were associated with PD technique failure and patient mortality once urine output had fallen to <100 mL/day. Methods We followed 183 PD patients who lost RRF and who had measurements taken at that time of PD small solute clearances, ultrafiltration volume, PD transport status and multiple frequency bioelectrical impedance assessments (MFBIA) of extracellular water (ECW). Results Results: 119 (65%) patients had PD technique failure or died during a median follow-up of 20.8 (10.5–36) months. This group had more men (58.8% vs. 31.9%, p = 0.011), and were older 57.9 ± 14.7 vs. 49.3 years (p = 0.002). These patients had a higher median C-reactive protein 5.5 [4.8–8.2] vs (5.0 [2–6] p = 0.013), and greater comorbidity (Davies grade 1 [0–1] vs. 0[0–1], p<0.001, and a higher ratio of ECW/TBW (0.45 ± 0.07 vs 0.42 ± 0.04, p<0.001). There were no differences in icodextrin usage, small solute clearance or ultrafiltration volumes. On multivariate Cox regression, ECW excess was significantly associated with PD technique failure and patient survival (β 1.09, p<0.001 and β1.17, p = 0.005), respectively. Conclusions Loss of urine output requires PD to provide both adequate solute clearances and volume control. We found that PD technique failure and patient death were associated with ECW excess. Prospective interventional studies are required to determine whether correction of volume status improves PD patient outcomes.
In this paper, for the first time, we study the impact of self-heating on the statistical variability of bulk and Silicon-on-insulator FinFETs designed to meet the requirements of the 14/16-nm technology node. The simulations are performed using the Gold Standard Simulations atomistic simulator GARAND using an enhanced electrothermal model that considers the impact of the fin geometry on the thermal conductivity. In the simulations, we have compared the statistical variability obtained from full-scale electrothermal simulations with the variability at uniform room temperature and at the maximum or average temperatures obtained in the electrothermal simulations. The combined effects of line edge roughness and metal gate granularity are considered. The distributions and the correlations between key figures of merit, including the threshold voltage, ON-current, subthreshold slope, and leakage current are presented and analyzed.
Abstract The Late Devonian Strathbogie batholith is a 1500 km2, semi-contiguous mass of undeformed, peraluminous monzogranite and syenogranite in SE Australia. The rocks are S-type and contain abundant igneous cordierite. Internal variations within the batholith have been investigated here by systematic fieldwork guided by modern concepts of granite batholith structure, combined with geophysical and geomorphological data. Important field parameters include the outcrop character and abundance of tors and pavements, feldspar phenocryst size and abundance, groundmass grain size, the textures, grain sizes and abundances of quartz, cordierite, garnet and biotite, and the presence or absence of tourmaline, vugs and enclaves. Mapping has been supplemented with aeromagnetic data to define the external boundaries of this essentially non-magnetic batholith, but these data cannot be used to delineate internal structures. The K-Th-U distribution, from airborne radiometric surveys, was found to assist in sub-division of the batholith, and the digital elevation model formed the basis of an interpretation of batholith structure, including lineaments. Some parts of the batholith have quite distinctive field characteristics and are interpreted as discrete plutons (e.g. the Kerrisdale and Lightning Ridge plutons). Broad trends in feldspar phenocryst abundance and the presence of tourmaline and vugs (miarolitic cavities) indicate an upper contact (roof) of the batholith in the northwest. Cordierite is ubiquitous, most rocks contain a few percent of biotite, there is widespread accessory garnet, and tourmaline is present within the inferred near-roof zones. The field-based approach described here offers a method for mapping large batholiths without resorting to grid sampling and the accumulation of vast sets of whole-rock analyses. This field-based method is especially applicable in cases where there are no obvious pluton boundaries, such as internal wall-rock screens or contacts exposed on glacial pavements. The field approach records outcrop- and district-scale variations, and many textural and mineralogical features that would be omitted in any map based only on geochemistry.
It has been well established that long non‑coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial mediators in a diverse range of diseases, including atherosclerosis. The present study aimed to examine the molecular mechanisms underlying the association between steroid receptor RNA activator (SRA) and atherosclerosis. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, western blot analysis and luciferase assays were performed to examine interactions among SRA, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and peroxisome proliferator‑activated receptor (PPARγ), and the effect of resveratrol (RSV) on the levels of SRA, ATGL and PPARγ. ELISA was performed to determine the effects of SRA and RSV on the production of inflammatory‑associated cytokines. The results showed that knockdown of the expression of SRA by transfecting HUVECs with short hairpin RNA‑SRA inhibited the production of ATGL and PPARγ. A plasmid coding SRA RNA, but not the SRAP protein, attenuated the luciferase activity of the ATGL promoter. PPARγ had no effect on the luciferase activity driven by the ATGL promoter in the absence of rosiglitazone, whereas the luciferase activity of the ATGL promoter was elevated in the presence of rosiglitazone. This effect was eliminated by SRA. SRA enhanced the production of inflammatory‑associated cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor‑α, interleukin‑6, monocyte chemotactic protein‑1 and intercellular adhesion molecule‑1; however, the promoting effect of SRA was eliminated by RSV. RSV increased the expression of ATGL and PPARγ, but not that of SRA. RSV distinctly and concentration‑dependently upregulated the luciferase activity of ATGL, compared with that in the cells without RSV treatment, whereas treating with rosiglitazone inhibited the effect of RSV on the luciferase activity of ATGL. The present study examined the roles of SRA in atherosclerosis, and the effects of changes in SRA and ATGL on inflammatory cytokines and HUVEC dysfunction.
Using the public data from the Herschel wide-field surveys, we study the far-infrared properties of optical-selected quasars from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Within the common area of ∼172 deg2 , we have identified the far-infrared counterparts for 354 quasars, among which 134 are highly secure detections in the Herschel 250 &mgr; m ?> band (signal-to-noise ratios ≥5). This sample is the largest far-infrared quasar sample of its kind, and spans a wide redshift range of 0.14 ≤ z ≤ 4.7. Their far-infrared spectral energy distributions, which are due to the cold-dust components within the host galaxies, are consistent with being heated by active star formation. In most cases (≳80%), their total infrared luminosities as inferred from only their far-infrared emissions ( L IR ( cd ) ?> ) already exceed 1012 L ⊙ ?> , and thus these objects qualify as ultra-luminous infrared galaxies. There is no correlation between L IR ( cd ) ?> and the absolute magnitudes, the black hole masses or the X-ray luminosities of the quasars, which further support that their far-infrared emissions are not due to their active galactic nuclei. A large fraction of these objects (≳50%–60%) have star-formation rates ≳300 M ⊙ ?> yr−1. Such extreme starbursts among optical quasars, however, is only a few percent. This fraction varies with redshift, and peaks at around z ≈ 2. Among the entire sample, 136 objects have secure estimates of their cold-dust temperatures (T), and we find that there is a dramatic increasing trend of T with increasing L IR ( cd ) . ?> We interpret this trend as the envelope of the general distribution of infrared galaxies on the (T, L IR ( cd ) ?> ) plane.
Palliative care is referred to a set of programs for patients that suffer life-limiting illnesses. These programs aim to maximize the quality of life (QoL) for the last stage of life. They are currently based on clinical evaluation of the risk of 1-year mortality. The main aim of this work is to develop and validate machine-learning-based models to predict the exitus of a patient within the next year using data gathered at hospital admission. Five machine-learning techniques were applied using a retrospective dataset. The evaluation was performed with five metrics computed by a resampling strategy: Accuracy, the area under the ROC curve, Specificity, Sensitivity, and the Balanced Error Rate. All models reported an AUC ROC from 0.857 to 0.91. Specifically, Gradient Boosting Classifier was the best model, producing an AUC ROC of 0.91, a sensitivity of 0.858, a specificity of 0.808, and a BER of 0.1687. Information from standard procedures at hospital admission combined with machine learning techniques produced models with competitive discriminative power. Our models reach the best results reported in the state of the art. These results demonstrate that they can be used as an accurate data-driven palliative care criteria inclusion.
WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Artificial intelligence (AI) is freely available, responds to very basic text input (such as a question) and can now create a wide range of outputs, communicating in many languages or art forms. AI platforms like OpenAI's ChatGPT can now create passages of text that could be used to create plans of care for people with mental health needs. As such, AI output can be difficult to distinguish from human-output, and there is a risk that its use could go unnoticed. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Whilst it is known that AI can produce text or pass pre-registration health-profession exams, it is not known if AI can produce meaningful results for care delivery. We asked ChatGPT basic questions about a fictitious person who presents with self-harm and then evaluated the quality of the output. We found that the output could look reasonable to laypersons but there were significant errors and ethical issues. There are potential harms to people in care if AI is used without an expert correcting or removing these errors. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: We suggest that there is a risk that AI use could cause harm if it was used in direct care delivery. There is a lack of policy and research to safeguard people receiving care - and this needs to be in place before AI should be used in this way. Key aspects of the role of a mental health nurse are relational and AI use may diminish mental health nurses' ability to provide safe care in its current form. Many aspects of mental health recovery are linked to relationships and social engagement, however AI is not able to provide this and may push the people who are in most need of help further away from services that assist recovery. ABSTRACT: Background Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly used and discussed in care contexts. ChatGPT has gained significant attention in popular and scientific literature although how ChatGPT can be used in care-delivery is not yet known. Aims To use artificial intelligence (ChatGPT) to create a mental health nursing care plan and evaluate the quality of the output against the authors' clinical experience and existing guidance. Materials & Methods Basic text commands were input into ChatGPT about a fictitious person called 'Emily' who presents with self-injurious behaviour. The output from ChatGPT was then evaluated against the authors' clinical experience and current (national) care guidance. Results ChatGPT was able to provide a care plan that incorporated some principles of dialectical behaviour therapy, but the output had significant errors and limitations and thus there is a reasonable likelihood of harm if used in this way. Discussion AI use is increasing in direct-care contexts through the use of chatbots or other means. However, AI can inhibit clinician to care-recipient engagement, 'recycle' existing stigma, and introduce error, which may thus diminish the ability for care to uphold personhood and therefore lead to significant avoidable harms. Conclusion Use of AI in this context should be avoided until a point where policy and guidance can safeguard the wellbeing of care recipients and the sophistication of AI output has increased. Given ChatGPT's ability to provide superficially reasonable outputs there is a risk that errors may go unnoticed and thus increase the likelihood of patient harms. Further research evaluating AI output is needed to consider how AI may be used safely in care delivery.
Cancer mortality ensues from metastatic growths. Cancers use two strategies to allow for this unrelenting expansion. The first way is that early metastases are often cryptic or dormant, being invisible to both innate suppressive actions and undetected clinically. Second, both the micrometastases and later clinically lethal growths are resistant to therapies, whether standard chemotherapies, targeted biologics, or even immunotherapies. These two modes of resistance necessitate new approaches to treatments if we are to eliminate mortality from solid tumors. However, to develop such therapeutic strategies, we first need to better understand the cellular behaviors and molecular events that enable the resistances. Herein, we present a comprehensive model of changing methods of avoidance and resistance that occur during tumor progression, and doubly confound treatment by mixing survival strategies throughout the continuum creating moving targets. Melanoma is presented as the model cancer, as it is being targeted by all three types of agents for disseminated disease, with breast and prostate cancer as two other key carcinomas. Impact statement Cancers kill mainly because metastatic disease is resistant to systemic therapies. It was hoped that newer targeted and immunomodulatory interventions could overcome these issues. However, recent findings point to a generalized resistance to elimination imparted by both cancer-intrinsic and -extrinsic changes to provide survival advantages to the disseminated tumor cells. Here, we present a novel conceptual framework for the microenvironmental inputs and changes that contribute to this generalized therapeutic resistance. In addition we address the issues of experimental systems in terms of studying this phenomenon with their advantages and limitations. This is meant to spur studies into this critical aspect of tumor progression that directly leads to cancer mortality.
Pathology of Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema. By B. E. HEARD. Pp. 136, illustrated. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1969. £4. Renal Stone Research Symposium. Edited by A. HODGKINSON and B. E. C. NORDIN. Pp. 332, illustrated. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1969. £3 10s. Biologically Active Aminesfound in Man. By F. FRANZEN and K. EYSELL. Pp. 244, illustrated. Oxford: Pergamon Press, 1969. Price not given. Recent Advances in Orthopaedics. Edited by A. G. APLEY. Pp. 401, illustrated. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1969. £7. Functional Pathology of the Human Adrenal Gland. By T. SYMINGTON. Pp. 551, illustrated. Edinburgh and London: E. & S. Livingstone, 1969. £10. Pathology Annual, Vol. 4, 1969. Series editor, S. C. SOMMERS. Pp. 344, illustrated. London: Butterworths, 1969. £5 15s. Disorders of Carbohydrate Metabolism. Edited by G. K. MCGOWAN and G. WALTERS. Proceeding of Symposium organized by The Association of Clinical Pathologists. Pp. 82, illustrated. London: British Medical Association, 1969. £1 10s. Biochemistry. By S. P. DATTA and J. H. OTTAWAY. Pp. 424, illustrated. London: Bailliere,Tindall& Cassell, 1969. £1 10s. Geriatrics and the General Practitioner Team. By M. K. THOMPSON. Pp. 127. London: Bailliere, Tindall & Cassell, 1969. £1. Progress in Mental Health. Edited by HUGH FREEMAN. Proceedings of the Seventh International Congress on Mental Health. Pp. 346. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1969. £3. Workshop on Artificial Finger Joints. Edited by J. S. CALNAN and P. J. L. HOLT. Proceedings of the First International Workshop held at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, April 1969. Pp. 110, illustrated. London: British Medical Association, 1969. £1 10s. Supplement to Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, Vol. 28, No. 5. Experience with Human Heart Transplantation. Edited by H. A. SHAPIRO. Pp. 290, illustrated. Durban: Butterworths, 1969. £6 15s. Proceedings of the First South African International Ophthalmological Symposium. Edited by M. H. LuNz. Pp. 374, illustrated. London: Butterworths, 1969. £7. Homeostatic Regulators. Edited by G. E. W. WOLSTENHOLME and J. KNIGHT. Ciba Foundation Symposium. Pp. 327, illustrated. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1969. £3 15s. Gas Chromatography in Biology and Medicine. Edited by R. PORTER. Ciba Foundation Symposium. Pp. 213, illustrated. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1969. £3. Mutation as Cellular Process. Edited by G. E. W. WOLSTENHOLME and M. O'CONNOR. Ciba Foundation Symposium. Pp. 244, illustrated. London: J. & A. Churchill, 1969. £3. Simpson and Syme ofEdinburgh. By J. A. SHEPHERD. Pp. 288. Edinburgh and London: E. & S. Livingstone, 1969. £2 10s. Hormonal Contraception. By J. HALLER. Pp. 288, illustrated. Translated from the second German edition. Los Altos, California: Geron-X, 1969. $12.00. The Control of Chemotherapy. Edited by P. J. WATT. Pp. 109, illustrated. Edinburgh and London: E. & S. Livingstone, 1969. £1 10s. Hypochromic Anaemia. By L. J. WITTS. Pp. 126, illustrated. London: William Heinemann, 1969. £1 5s. Lighting and Seeing. By R. G. HOPKINSON. Pp. 120, illustrated. London: William Heinemann, 1969. £1 15s. The Human Thymus. By G. GOLDSTEIN and I. R. MACKAY. Pp. 352, illustrated. London: William Heinemann, 1969. £4.
For exploration of unknown terrestrial environments, it is typically assumed that robots possess sophisticated controllers which can sense important aspects of the terrain (gaps, obstacles, slippery surfaces). However, robust sensing of such conditions is not yet possible in harsh environmental conditions. Biological systems, including plant roots and snakes, are impressive in their ability to use diverse growth and movement strategies to penetrate and explore heterogeneous terrain. Such systems avoid becoming trapped, despite lacking full terrain state information. We are particularly interested in how circumnutation - an endogenous circular pattern exhibited by the tip of a growing root - facilitates penetration and exploration. To discover principles by which robots can gain root-like capabilities, we constructed a planar, pneumatically driven soft-bodied robot, which grows from the tip like a plant root and can bend in 2D space by oscillating the inflation pressure of series pneumatic artificial muscles (sPAMs) arranged on its two sides. We demonstrate that 2D tip oscillation improves the robotic roots ability to penetrate a heterogeneous environment, tested in a lattice of rigid cylinders distributed evenly on a square board. Systematic variation of initial robot positions revealed that the non-oscillating tip strategy led to an increased probability of becoming pinned to obstacles (and preventing growth), while the oscillating tip penetrated the lattice significantly further. The results show that without closed loop control, oscillatory movements of a leading surface of a growing structure enable robust navigation in a heterogeneous environment; closed loop control strategies layered on top of such passive mechanisms could lead to novel strategies for exploratory and search-and-rescue robotics.
Aging is an enormously complicated process. Despite a great many of theories (among them “Program Theories”, “Combined Theories”, “Damage Theories”, “Inflamm-Aging”, “Garb-Aging” and the “Rising Deleteriome”), so far there is none which is able to explain this phenomenon satisfactorily and completely. A different approach to address the complexity of aging is to characterize the major “Hallmarks of Aging”. These are genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion and an altered intercellular communication. From research on these hallmarks, new avenues were opened on how to interfere with the aging process. Some of these possible therapeutic interventions are described here too.
ABSTRACT Water shortage risk assessment is full of uncertainty. Hence a water shortage assessment model was developed based on the variable fuzzy set, which reasonably identifies the relative membership degree and function of simple index and standard interval of each level. The model is used to assess water shortage risks in the Yangtze River Delta (which comprises the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing) and in the Capital-area of China (including the cities of Beijing and Tianjin). Results show that the proposed model rationally determines the membership grade in the range of rankings for all related indicators. More importantly, the proposed model is flexible and adaptable for diagnosing water shortage risks for different ecological conditions.
The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade regulates proliferation, differentiation, and survival in multicellular organisms. Scaffold proteins regulate intracellular signaling by providing critical spatial and temporal specificity. The scaffold protein MEK1 (mitogen-activated protein kinase and ERK kinase 1) partner (MP1) is localized to late endosomes by the adaptor protein p14. Using conditional gene disruption of p14 in mice, we now demonstrate that the p14–MP1-MEK1 signaling complex regulates late endosomal traffic and cellular proliferation. This function its essential for early embryogenesis and during tissue homeostasis, as revealed by epidermis-specific deletion of p14. These findings show that endosomal p14–MP1-MEK1 signaling has a specific and essential function in vivo and, therefore, indicate that regulation of late endosomal traffic by extracellular signals is required to maintain tissue homeostasis.
The theory for disordered itinerant ferromagnets developed in a previous paper is used to construct a simple eﬀective ﬁeld theory that is capable of describing the quantum phase transition from a ferromagnetic metal to a ferromagnetic insulator. It is shown that this transition is in the same universality class as the one from a paramagnetic metal to a paramagnetic insulator in the presence of an external magnetic ﬁeld, and that strong corrections to scaling exist in this universality class. The experimental consequences of these results are discussed.
Abstract Cloud observations from 124 surface stations for 12.00 hours G.M.T. for the 20 day period 22 July to 10 August 1983 have been compared with retrievals made using the cluster technique of Desbois et al. from METEOSAT radiances measured at 11.30hours G.M.T. The location, France and southern Britain, and time period, summer 1983, were selected to coincide with one of the regions designated for special study in the validation phase of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP). Total and low cloud amounts were compared. For total cloud amount 29 percent of the retrievals were fully in agreement with the surface observations and 64 per cent of differences were within ± 1 okta. In the case of low cloud, 33 per cent agreed fully and 64 per cent of the differences were within ± 1 okta. It must be noted that many of these successes (55 per cent in the total cloud amount and 71 per cent in the low cloud amount) were for cases of totally clear or totally cloudy skies and often when only o...
Objectives Hammer drills are used extensively in commercial construction for drilling into concrete for tasks including rebar installation for structural upgrades and anchor bolt installation. This drilling task can expose workers to respirable silica dust and noise. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effects of bit wear on respirable silica dust, noise, and drilling productivity.   Method Test bits were worn to three states by drilling consecutive holes to different cumulative drilling depths: 0, 780, and 1560 cm. Each state of bit wear was evaluated by three trials (nine trials total). For each trial, an automated laboratory test bench system drilled 41 holes 1.3 cm diameter, and 10 cm deep into concrete block at a rate of one hole per minute using a commercially available hammer drill and masonry bits. During each trial, dust was continuously captured by two respirable and one inhalable sampling trains and noise was sampled with a noise dosimeter. The room was thoroughly cleaned between trials.   Results When comparing results for the sharp (0 cm) versus dull bit (1560 cm), the mean respirable silica increased from 0.41 to 0.74 mg m-3 in sampler 1 (P = 0.012) and from 0.41 to 0.89 mg m-3 in sampler 2 (P = 0.024); levels above the NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 0.05 mg m-3. Likewise, mean noise levels increased from 112.8 to 114.4 dBA (P < 0.00001). Drilling productivity declined with increasing wear from 10.16 to 7.76 mm s-1 (P < 0.00001).   Discussion Increasing bit wear was associated with increasing respirable silica dust and noise and reduced drilling productivity. The levels of dust and noise produced by these experimental conditions would require dust capture, hearing protection, and possibly respiratory protection. The findings support the adoption of a bit replacement program by construction contractors.
In terms of the total energy of a ferromagnet and the Landau–Lifshitz equation, the nonlinear surface spin waves in a ferromagnet with pure nonuniform exchange anisotropies are studied. It is found that the nonlinear dispersion relation for these waves is modified by the nonuniform exchange anisotropy comstants, and the nonlinear excitation appears as surface magnetic solitons localized near the surface of a crystal. A two-dimensional nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the spin–wave envelope is obtained and the conditions for the existence of a single soliton solution are discussed.
NAMI-A (imidazolium trans-imidazoledimethylsulfoxidetetrachlororuthenate, ImH[trans-RuCl4(DMSO)Im]) is a new ruthenium compound active against lung metastasis of solid metastasizing tumors. We have tested this compound in mice with Lewis lung carcinoma or MCa mammary carcinoma in order to compare the effects on primary tumor and lung metastases with possible alterations of cell cycle distribution of tumor cells. We have also investigated whether there were unequal tissue accumulations of the compound itself at different dose levels ranging from 17.5 to 70 mg/kg/day given for six consecutive days. NAMI-A caused a reduction of metastasis weight larger than that of metastasis number; we explain this finding as the capacity of NAMI-A to selectively interfere with the growth of metastases already settled in the lungs. However, this specificity is not simply related to a larger concentration of NAMI-A in the lungs than in other tissues. Following i.p. treatment, NAMI-A rapidly disappeared from the peritoneal cavity; its low blood concentration may be caused by rapid renal clearance. These data provide further evidence for a selective anti-metastasis effect of the ruthenium complex NAMI-A. The reduction of lung metastasis is followed by a significant prolongation of the host's life-time expectancy, indicating a therapeutic benefit of NAMI-A on lung metastases from solid tumors.
Traditional minimum variance distortionless response (MVDR) has been widely used in digital beamforming, while due to its high side lobe and degraded performance in mismatch scenarios, several strategies have been proposed to increase its robustness, such as, Diagonal Loading (DL) and eigenspace-based beamformers etc. Recently, a convex optimization method has been proposed for increasing the robustness of array beamforming against signal mismatch situations. In this paper, a new beamformer is proposed by applying the virtual array extending technique into the convex optimization approach. The proposed beamformer which is robust in mismatch scenarios narrows the mainlobe and suppresses the sidelobe greatly. Finally, simulation results illustrate that the proposed beamformer has good performance in mismatch scenarios.
Paragangliomas are rare tumors that may present with cranial neuropathies when located along the skull base. Supratentorial paragangliomas are less likely to secrete catecholamines but should be worked up, nonetheless. We highlight a case of a female in her fourth decade found to have a petroclival lesion following initial presentation that included one month of tooth pain, dysphagia, diplopia, hoarseness and right hemifacial hypoesthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain demonstrated a T2 hyperintense lesion favored to be a petroclival meningioma. Pre-operative angiography demonstrated a hypervascular tumor. She underwent a combined presigmoid craniotomy with posterior petrosectomy performed by both neurosurgery and neuro-otology. Pathology demonstrated paraganglioma. She had small volume residual tumor and is planned for continued outpatient radiotherapy. Paragangliomas should be on the differential for skull base lesions. Management paradigm involves multidisciplinary care and a combination of surgical resection and post-operative radiation. In this paper, we discuss underlying pathophysiology as well as appropriate workup and management.
Analysis of total field magnetic data, together with other geophysical evidence has led to the following conclusions concerning the structure and stratigraphy of late Precambrian Keweenawan rocks that underlie and border the northern part of Lake Superior:(1) The uppermost few hundred feet of the Osler Volcanic Series has a normal remanent magnetization. The normally magnetized mafic flows are separated from older, reversely magnetized ones which form the bulk of the Osler Series, by a thin zone of felsic igneous rocks with unknown magnetic polarity. The upper mafic unit appears from aeromagnetic data to outcrop on some of the outer islands at the mouth of Nipigon Strait, and represents the lowest part of a normally magnetized volcanic sequence that lies offshore, beneath the waters of Lake Superior.(2) The contact between the upper mafic unit and older rocks of the Osler Series is a stratigraphic rather than a faulted one. Aeromagnetic data show that mafic volcanics above and below this contact have the ...
1086 Background: The approved capecitabine (X) regimen in MBC is 1,250 mg/m2 bid, d1-14 q21d (Xint). However, dose modifications are often required primarily for hand-foot syndrome and diarrhea. Therefore we designed an alternative regimen aimed to reduce the severity of these side effects while maintaining the total cumulative dose and efficacy of X.   METHODS The primary objective was to show non-inferiority of X 800 mg/m2 bid, d1-21 q21d (Xcont) to Xint in terms of 1-year PFS rate. Secondary endpoints included response rate (RECIST), PFS, duration of response, OS, and safety (NCI CTCAE v2.0). Assuming median PFS of 5 months and 2-sided α=0.05, 176 evaluable patients (pts) will be needed to give 80% power. Pts are ineligible if they have received >2 chemotherapy regimens for MBC or prior X, or if they have HER2-positive MBC or symptomatic CNS metastases. Treatment is continued until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or refusal. Dose interruption/reduction is implemented if pts experience grade 2-4 clinically relevant adverse events.   RESULTS The current interim analysis includes the first 60 pts, with median age 55 years (range 33-79) in the Xcont arm and 67 years (range 34-88) in the Xint arm. 26% and 14%, respectively, were hormone receptor negative. Prior chemotherapy included a taxane in 48% vs 52% and an anthracycline in 65% vs 76%, respectively. X was given as first-line chemotherapy in 48% and 38% of pts, respectively. Median duration of treatment was 7 cycles for Xcont vs 6 cycles for Xint. Dose reduction was required in 10% of cycles in each arm. Toxicity led to treatment discontinuation in 1 vs 8 pts, respectively. Activity and safety results at interim analysis are summarized below (Table).   CONCLUSIONS Xcont and Xint seem similarly active in MBC in this interim analysis. Xcont appeared slightly better tolerated. The study will continue recruiting additional pts. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Abstract Posterior cranial vault distraction is recognized as a viable initial approach to patients with syndromic craniosynostosis. It offers advantages to initial anterior vault surgery and to traditional 1-stage advancements. Reports of posterior vault distraction have thus far focused on the use of standard titanium distractors. We present a case of posterior vault distraction with resorbable distraction devices, obviating the need for a second surgery and anesthetic for distractor removal. Distraction was performed successfully without complications or device-related issues.
In the title molecule, C14H9BrO3S, the the prop-2-en-1-one (enone) fragment is close to planar [C—C—C—O = 2.5 (7)°] and it subtends dihedral angles of 12.5 (3) and 5.3 (4)° with respect to the thiophene and benzene rings, respectively. The dihedral angle between the aromatic ring systems is 12.60 (18)°. Two C—H⋯O interactions help to consolidate the non-centrosymmetic crystal packing, which features undulating (100) sheets incorporating C(11) and C(12) chain motifs.
A study to assess the fish species composition and abundance was conducted over a six month period covering the post flood and dry seasons in the lower reaches of the White Volta River at Yapei, Ghana. Data was taken from fish landings at three main landing sites. Species were sorted and identified according to standard identification keys for the fresh and brackish water fishes of West Africa. Abundance was calculated as weight of a species/weight of total catch 100. Fifty two (52) species belonging to sixteen (16) families were encountered during this six months period of study. Alestes baremoze was the most abundant species. It made up 80.6kg of the total of 462kg of fish caught during the period of study, and thus representing 17.5%. It was followed by Brycinus leuciscus (58.3kg, representing 12.6%) and Brycinus nurse (27.6 kg, representing 6.0 %). All the three top species were semi pelagic omnivorous fish belonging to the family Alestidae which was also the most abundant family in all the landing sites. Alestidae which is a family of six species made up 42.2% of all catches. Synodontis eupterus was the least abundant species. Throughout the period of study, only 0.02kg of Synodontis eupterus was encountered and measured. The family Tetraodontidae which has a single genus; Tetraodon, represented in West African fresh and brackish waters was the least abundant.
Many embedded applications demand processing of a seemingly endless stream of input data in real-time. Productive development of such applications is typically carried out by synthesizing software from high-level specifications, such as data-flow graphs. In this context, we study the problem of inter-actor buffer allocation, which is a critical step during compilation of streaming applications. We argue that fine-grain analysis of buffers' spatio-temporal characteristics, as opposed to conventional live range analysis, enables dramatic improvements in buffer sharing. Improved sharing translates to reduction of the compiled binary memory footprint, which is of prime concern in many embedded systems. We transform the buffer allocation problem to two-dimensional packing using complex polygons. We develop an evolutionary packing algorithm, which readily yields buffer allocations. Experimental results show an average of over 7X and 2X improvement in total buffer size, compared to baseline and conventional live range analysis schemes, respectively.
A priori error estimates for the local projection (LP) stabilization applied to convection-diffusion-reaction equations are generally based on the coercivity of the underlying bilinear form with respect to the LP norm. We show that the bilinear form of the LP stabilization satisfies an inf-sup condition in a stronger norm that is equivalent to that of the streamline upwind/Petrov-Galerkin method. As a consequence, we get some insight into the stabilization mechanism of Galerkin discretizations of higher order.
We consider stationary incompressible Navier‐Stokes flows in an exterior domain ℝ3 $  bar  Omega $, where Ω ⊂ ℝ3 is bounded and open. Under the assumption that the velocity at infinity is non‐zero, we present a variational problem in BR $  bar  Omega $ such that a solution of this variational problem approximates the given exterior flow. The error associated with this approximation is estimated in terms of R, among other quantities. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
In this paper, we develop a new active contour model for image segmentation using adaptive flows. This active contour model can be derived from minimizing a limiting form of the Mumford-Shah functional, where the segmented image is assumed to consist of piecewise constant regions. This paper is an extension of an active contour model developed by Chan-Vese. The segmentation method proposed in this paper adaptively estimates mean intensities for each separated region and uses a single curve to capture multiple regions with different intensities. The class of imagery that our new active model can handle is greater than the bimodal images. In particular, our method segments images with an arbitrary number of intensity levels and separated regions while avoiding the complexity of solving a full Mumford-Shah problem. The adaptive flow developed in this paper is easily formulated and solved using level set methods. We illustrate the performance of our segmentation methods on images generated by different modalities.
This study aims to examine the effect of Corporate Governance and Company Characteristics on the quantity of Environmental Disclosure. The population of this study is mining companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) for the period 2016-2018. Research samples of 32 companies with 96 units of analysis were taken based on purposive sampling. This study used multiple linear regression analysis technique with the IBM SPSS 21 program. The results of the regression analysis show that the proportion of independent commissioners, educational background of president commissioner, firm age, and firm size have effect on the quantity of environmental disclosure. Meanwhile, board size is proven not to have a significant effect on the quantity of environmental disclosure.
A technique to design narrowband signature waveforms for asynchronous code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems is proposed. These waveforms are specifically tailored for a class of near-far resistant multiuser detectors, They are strictly time-limited, satisfy a root mean square (RMS) bandwidth constraint, and provide a prescribed worst-case near-far resistance. The optimization criterion is either the maximum worst-case pairwise near-far resistance (NFR), or the maximum worst-case pairwise asymptotic multiuser efficiency (AME) of an L-shot decorrelating detector over all relative delays of users. These signal sets are shown to be immune to synchronization errors as well by using slope constraints of partial cross-correlations over relative delays. Complex signature waveforms are also considered. It is shown that "chipless" waveforms provide a substantial increase in performance in near-far situations over their chip-based counterparts using the same transmission bandwidth.<<ETX>>
We have fabricated a functional prototype of an ultralight power converter tile; a modular building block for a space-based solar power system. The tile is $ sim 10 mathrm  times 15$ cm in area, and weighs $ sim 1.5$ kg/$ text{m}^{ mathbf {2}}$. It comprises a photovoltaic (PV) solar energy collector, a radio-frequency (RF) power converter, and an array of transmission antennas. The PV collector subassembly utilizes $ sim 15 mathrm {x}$, 1D parabolic trough reflective concentrators with triple-junction (3J) solar cells. It has areal mass of $ sim 0.8$ kg/$ textbf{m}^{ mathbf {2}}$, 74% optical efficiency, and a peak specific power of $ sim 230 mathrm {W} /$kg. We demonstrated wireless power transmission over a distance of $ sim 50$ cm in our lab. Analysis of the sources of mass and inefficiency suggest a path towards achieving dramatically higher performance with future designs.
SUMMARY. A biomechanical assessment is one aspect of podiatry. It involves two main modes of examination: dynamic and static. Aspects of the static mode are described with particular emphasis on the foot. The static mode includes both open and closed kinetic chain examinations. Each part of the lower extremity is evaluated with reference to the planes of the body. In open chain examination specific techniques have been developed to evaluate the quality and range of motion of the foot joints. The foot is held in a standardised position which simulates the midstance period of the gait cycle. The position and function of the subtalar joint is considered particularly influential in the foot. For this reason the method of manipulating the patient's subtalar joint into the 'neutral position' is important. In closed chain examination, posture is evaluated in both 'relaxed' and 'neural' stance positions. Dynamic and static biomechanical examination data has to be interpreted with reference to the primary complaint and a full medical history, together with specific information concerning footwear and the habitual locomotor functional needs of the patient. Copyright 1997 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.
Laser projector has many advantages of high brightness, high resolution and small size, but the huge drawback of image degradation called speckle which generated by coherence of laser and roughness of surface interrupts their general use. There are many methods to reduce speckle pattern, but they need effective optical systems to realize display to the far field with huge volume. We designed speckle reduction element by using microlens with controlled curvature to reduce spatial coherence. Vibration element was also applied to reduce temporal coherence which considered response time of eye. Designed element was fabricated by simple reflow method and imprinting method. From the results, the fabricated element performed 48.33% of speckle reduction efficiency and 41.29% of optical efficiency with a single doublet lens.
This paper presents a design framework for the design and production of a sculptural installation which combines sound experimentation with 3D modelling and digital fabrication. This paper’s aim is to make a two-fold contribution. On one hand, it describes the design framework as a support tool for practitioners in their exploration of sound-informed geometries through 3D modelling and digital fabrication. On the other hand, it informs educators on key aspects for combining sound, 3D modelling, and digital fabrication within educational curricula and in their students’ design processes. The framework was tested during a workshop where participants produced and fabricated 3D objects informed by sound patterns they created. After describing the design process, the final installation and its shape grammars, as well as participant experiences during the design process, the paper concludes with a discussion on how the design framework can be useful for practitioners and educators.
This paper reviews available plastic encapsulated microcircuit (PEM) reliability prediction models including the CNET, Thomson-CSF and RAC model. We examine the RAC (Reliability Analysis Center) model in detail, as it is the only usable model that considers the accelerating effects of temperature and humidity on PEM failures. Our intention is to provide constructive criticisms and propose amendments. We agreed with the assumptions made by the RAC model: types of packaging do not affect PEM failure rate; and a single activation energy of 0.8 eV may be adequate for different IC logic families. However, we feel that the RAC model should incorporate a term for EOS/ESD failures as they constitutes a high percentage (up to 43%) of IC failures. The RAC model should set an upper limit of 130/spl deg/C and 99% RH when using Peck's model to model temperature/humidity acceleration so as to avoid violating physics-of-failure considerations. It should consider treating microprocessor and memories as two different classes of devices due to the vast differences in their reliability as indicated by some literatures. We question if the reliability growth rate can be projected without restrictions. There should also be clearer indications of what constitutes "best commercial practices"-a prerequisite to apply the model.
We thank Professor Loonen for the attention given to our article and the detailed critique. Movement disorders associated with antipsychotic drug exposure are among the most common conditions referred to movement disorders specialists, both in outpatient and inpatient settings. Hence, our subcommittee approached this work with longstanding clinical experience of the challenges in assessing these symptoms. Unlike what Loonen states, our article does not suggest replacing the term “dyskinesia” with “stereotypy” but, rather, to introduce in the nomenclature terms that indicate well-defined hyperkinetic phenomena. At present, “dyskinesia” is often used as a passepartout word that may encompass different phenomena, including stereotypies. Supporting the occurrence of new-onset antipsychoticassociated movement disorders in clinical trials, a proportion of which occur acutely, an overview and meta-analysis of Cochrane reviews that focused on acute parkinsonism, dystonia, akathisia, and tremor yielded, respectively, upper limits of prevalence estimate ranges of 29%, 15%, 16%, and 28%. As stated by Loonen, acute antipsychotic-associated dystonia and other movement disorders require rapid intervention. Rather than minimizing the need for rating instruments applicable also to acute movement disorders, the need for rapid treatment corroborates it. Furthermore, even if for some movement disorders (eg, akathisia) acute and tardive counterparts are phenomenologically similar, the need to intervene rapidly justifies swift and efficient rating of acute forms through the adaptation of preexisting instruments or even the development of new instruments. We were surprised to read Professor Loonen’s concerns around the quality of article selection. Both publications on the validation study of the Schedule for the Assessment of Drug-Induced Movement Disorders (SADIMoD) as well as the study by Knol and colleagues were cited in the supplementary file of our article (see references 73, 74, and 64 in that document), which contains a detailed analysis of each rating instrument. The criteria for recommendations that we used are those adopted in several publications commissioned by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Clinical Outcome Assessments Scientific Evaluation Committee. The “suggested” recommendation for the SADIMoD stems from its not having been applied by authors different from its developers, the length of administration, and some limitations of its psychometric profile. Regarding the comment on the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale, again we express clearly in the supplementary file that the total severity is conventionally the sum of the scores of items 1 to 7 and refer to the publication of supplementary instructions to score the first seven items. Its widespread use in psychiatric patients and acceptable psychometric properties justified our recommendation. We also agree on some important limitations, such as limited internal consistency and its being weighted toward facial dyskinesia, to which Professor Loonen’s pertinent suggestion to score dyskinesia severity separately during activity and at rest should indeed be added. Finally, we believe that the persisting divide in movement disorders nomenclature between neurologists and psychiatrists is both dangerously confusing and anachronistic. We were therefore glad to find Professor Loonen in agreement with our advocating for a collaborative effort of neurologists and psychiatrists in revising the nomenclature and classification of antipsychotic-associated movement disorders as well as in planning further psychometric work on existing rating instruments. In this collaborative spirit, we think that our systematic review and critique represents a consultation source that will aid future work to harmonize the screening and assessment of antipsychotic-associated movement disorders.
In this paper a new HEMT structure is proposed by replacing the barrier layer of a conventional AlGaN/GaN HEMT with InAlN material. InAlN/GaN HEMTs can obtain substantially higher polarization-induced two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) of the order of 1014 cm-2 at the heterointerface. The spontaneous polarization in Al0.3Ga0.7N/GaN HEMT is 0.017C/m2 while for the proposed In0.17Al0.83N/GaN HEMT is 0.047C/m2. This large difference in spontaneous polarization results in higher 2DEG density at the heterointerface. The large band offset with respect to GaN, results in the formation of a deep quantum well which leads to better carrier confinement at the heterointerface. The confinement of electrons in the quantum well or 2DEG leads to very high speed and high power device as it doesn't significantly suffer from large scatterings. Therefore, in this paper the 2DEG interface charge density and its transport characteristics have been carried out by self-consistent solution of Schrödinger and Poisson's equations.
Human telomeres are composed of tandem arrays of TTAGGG repeats with many variant repeats at the proximal ends. Comparison of the interspersion of variant and TTAGGG repeats between alleles can be used to study telomere instability, but the difficulty in identifying chromosome-specific sequences close to the start of autosomal telomeres has hampered such investigations. A chromosome end, including a telomere and adjacent sequence, that is polymorphic for its presence or absence in unrelated individuals has been identified. The telomere-adjacent DNA shows strong homology (92-99%) to sequences, including two expressed sequence tags, that are usually located in subterminal regions of human chromosomes but not adjacent to telomeres. Since this chromosome end arose, it has relocated at least once. In Caucasians, it forms the telomere of approximately 6% of 16q and 2% of 16p chromosome arms. The mechanism of relocation is unknown but must have involved the telomere-adjacent DNA rather than the telomere itself, as copies on 16p and 16q share the same telomere-adjacent sequence. The interspersion patterns of TTAGGG with TGAGGG, TTGGGG and non-amplifying repeat sequences revealed extensive allelic variation, such that 47 different alleles were observed among the 50 alleles mapped. Closely related alleles differ by small changes in copy number at blocks of adjacent like repeats, as seen at the Xp/Yp pseudoautosomal telomere. Such differences are compatible with a model in which the majority of mutations arise by intra-allelic mechanisms, in individuals hemizygous for a single copy of the chromosome end.
A brownmillerite SrFeO2.5 thin film grown on a SrTiO3(001) substrate contained an a-axis-oriented single-crystalline domain near the substrate and multiple domains with three orthogonal orientations. When the film was reduced with CaH2, it changed topotactically to a homogeneous c-axis-oriented infinite-layer structure, SrFeO2. A brownmillerite SrFeO2.5 thin film grown on a SrTiO3(111) substrate and treated with CaH2 at 250 °C also changed to (111)-oriented SrFeO2 with an infinite-layer structure. During reduction at low temperatures, the framework of the perovskite-structure stays intact, some oxygen atoms are removed from it, and others are rearranged.
Background: Anterior pituitary hormone dysfunction may be an important feature of long-term morbidity in survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The hypothalamic-pituitary structures are vulnerable to damage following head injury. Therefore, pituitary dysfunction, which may be detected months or years after injury, is now well recognised as a long-term consequence of TBI in adults. In contrast, little is known about this potential complication in children and adolescents. This article reviews the available paediatric data, which show that hypopituitarism may occur after both mild and severe TBI, although there is little published data on its incidence or prevalence within this age group. A recent analysis of the KIGS (Pfizer International Growth Study database) highlights very few registered cases of TBI-related growth hormone deficiency, suggesting that this may be either an uncommon or an overlooked phenomenon. Prospective studies will be needed to determine the incidence, natural history and response to hormone replacement of post-TBI-induced hypopituitarism in children. Conclusions: Given the critical role of anterior pituitary hormones in the regulation of growth and pubertal and neurocognitive development in childhood, early detection of hormone abnormalities is vital. A multidisciplinary approach to follow-up and endocrine assessment is required for the long-term management and rehabilitation of children and adolescents who survive moderate to severe head injury.
Fisher’s “Nile” example is a classic which involves a bivariate random variable ( X, Y ) having a joint probability density function given by f ( x, y ; θ ) = exp( − θx − θ − 1 y ), 0 < x, y < ∞ , where θ > 0 is a single unknown parameter. We develop bounded-length conﬁdence interval estimations for P θ ( X > a ) with a preassigned conﬁdence coeﬃcient using both purely sequential and two-stage methodologies. We show: (i) Both methodologies enjoy asymptotic ﬁrst-order eﬃciency and asymptotic consistency properties; (ii) Both methodologies enjoy second-order eﬃciency properties. After presenting substantial theoretical investigations, we have also imple-mented extensive sets of computer simulations to empirically validate the theoretical properties.
The aim of the paper is the evaluation of appropriateness of different ways for the measurement and reporting of different groups of biological assets. There are two possible ways of their measurement – cost and fair value. The substance of all kinds of biological assets differs significantly, especially for plants and animals. The single way for measurement of all kinds of biological assets is not satisfactory. The most significant difference is observable between bearer plants and biological assets in the form of living animals. The authors took into account a majority of factors influencing quality of individual ways of measurement, and evaluated the application of the above‑mentioned methods for representatives of both kinds of biological assets (apple orchard and dairy cows). The results of the study proved that the historical cost is the suitable way of bearer plants measurement, while the fair value measurement is more suitable for measurement of living animals.
Chitosan, a naturally derived polymer, has been shown to possess antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties; however, little is known about the effect of chitosan on the immune responses and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities in normal mice. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether chitosan has an effect on the immune responses and GOT, GPT and LDH activities in mice in vivo. BALB/c mice were divided into four groups. The negative control group was treated with a normal diet; the positive control group was treated with a normal diet plus orally administered acetic acid and two treatment groups were treated with a normal diet plus orally administered chitosan in acetic acid at doses of 5 and 20 mg/kg, respectively, every other day for 24 days. Mice were weighed during the treatment, and following the treatment, blood was collected, and liver and spleen samples were isolated and weighted. The blood samples were used for measurement of white blood cell markers, and the spleen samples were used for analysis of phagocytosis, natural killer (NK) cell activity and cell proliferation using flow cytometry. The results indicated that chitosan did not markedly affect the body, liver and spleen weights at either dose. Chitosan increased the percentages of CD3 (T-cell marker), CD19 (B-cell marker), CD11b (monocytes) and Mac-3 (macrophages) when compared with the control group. However, chitosan did not affect the phagocytic activity of macrophages in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, although it decreased it in the peritoneal cavity. Treatment with 20 mg/kg chitosan led to a reduction in the cytotoxic activity of NK cells at an effector to target ratio of 25:1. Chitosan did not significantly promote B-cell proliferation in lipopolysaccharide-pretreated cells, but significantly decreased T-cell proliferation in concanavalin A-pretreated cells, and decreased the activity of GOT and GPT compared with that in the acetic acid-treated group,. In addition, it significantly increased LDH activity, to a level similar to that in normal mice, indicating that chitosan can protect against liver injury.
HIV/AIDS epidemic remains among the most significant challenges to public healthcare systems worldwide . There are approximately 50,200 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in Nepal among the total 33 million PLHAs . Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a significant cause of death and disability, especially in developing countries. Studies have shown that there is a bidirectional link between Mental illness and HIV/AIDS. However, mental illnesses are under detected in HIV/AIDS care settings. In spite of a good financial support from international partners, PLHA in Nepal do not receive necessary psychiatric services. Psychiatric illness in patients with HIV/AIDS has been associated with negative health behaviors and poorer clinical outcomes. This article, therefore, aims to highlight this issue among the stakeholders by reviewing the research on the topic in Nepal and making them aware of the need to DOI:  http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jpan.v2i2.9718  J Psychiatrists’ Association of Nepal Vol.2, No.2, 2013 6-10
The following observation seems to be of interest to neurologists as well as to surgeons: H. D., a boy aged 7 years, started complaining of headaches and vomiting one and a half years before the present admission. In the course of the following few weeks equilibrium disorders appeared. The neurologic examination revealed in the erect position and while walking moderate ataxia with no evident lateralization and bilateral nystagmus. The ophthalmoscope revealed bilateral edematous papillae of 2 diopters which rapidly reached 3 diopters. On the basis of these findings a cerebellar tumor, probably situated in the vermis, was diagnosed and operation recommended. On operation (Professor Vincent of Paris) a medullary blastoma was found in the midline of the cerebellum. The greatest part of the tumor was removed. After this the boy received several roentgen treatments. Following the operation the general symptoms of cerebral compression disappeared completely and the ataxia has greatly
The electrical behavior of NaNbO3 ceramic samples with different relative densities was investigated by ac impedance spectroscopy in a range of 13 MHz to 10−3 Hz between 400° and 800°C in dry air. Measurements were performed during heating and cooling cycles. The Nyquist impedance diagrams of dense sodium niobate exhibit only one semicircle representing the grain contribution with depression angles as small as 1°, indicating a high homogeneity of the specific electrical properties. In the case of porous samples, the data reveal an additional low-frequency semicircle related to microstructure. For all studied samples, the Arrhenius conductivity plots show a change in the activation energy around 640°C, attributed to the tetragonal-cubic phase transition. The electrical conductivity of porous samples appears to be higher than that of dense ones.
Peroxisomal deficiency disorders, which are genetically transmitted, are assumed to be expressed in all cells, and the use of cultured skin fibroblasts for diagnosis and research is based on this assumption. We describe four unrelated patients, three boys and a girl, with clinical, biochemical and microscopic evidence of a peroxisomal disorder whose livers display mosaicism, that is, parenchymal cells with peroxisomes are adjacent to cells without peroxisomes. After discussing the possible origin of these mosaics, we examine the influence of the environment on the expression of peroxisomes in adult rat hepatocytes in primary monolayer and three-dimensional culture. In this model the expression of peroxisomes varies between cells and depends upon the culture conditions.
Abstract : This research memorandum seeks criteria for evaluating interdiction operations against illegal drugs flowing into the U.S. Six candidate measures of effectiveness (MOEs) are subjected to a structured assessment process that tests them for key attributes. All six evaluate real-world operations. Some of the MOEs are shown to have potential for evaluating hypothetical operations explored through war games, exercises, and simulations. The assessment process itself offers a ready-made standard for testing additional candidate MOEs.
In this paper, we propose two enhancements to a statistical machine translation based approach to grammar correction for correcting all error categories. First, we propose tuning the SMT systems to optimize a metric more suited to the grammar correction task (F- score) rather than the traditional BLEU metric used for tuning language translation tasks. Since the F- score favours higher precision, tuning to this score can potentially improve precision. While the results do not indicate improvement due to tuning with the new metric, we believe this could be due to the small number of grammatical errors in the tuning corpus and further investigation is required to answer the question conclusively. We also explore the combination of custom-engineered grammar correction techniques, which are targeted to specific error categories, with the SMT based method. Our simple ensemble methods yield improvements in recall but decrease the precision. Tuning the custom-built techniques can help in increasing the overall accuracy also.
The biometrical and biological aspects of phenotypical associations between blood groups and diseases are discussed with a brief historical reference to the work done in this field. The statistical methods for studying this subject are described in detail and the present status of knowledge of the associations between the ABO blood groups and tumors is outlined. Current hypotheses as to the biological significance of these associations are discussed with special reference to the immunological analogy hypothesis, taking into account the most recent findings on the distribution of group-specific substances in the organism.
Some rheological properties were investigated for poly (vinyl alcohols) in dimethylsulfoxide solutions over a wide range of molecular weight and concentration. Basic properties of the storage modulus G' (ω) and the loss modulus G" (ω) were similar to the previous results of other polymer solutions. The frequency-temperature and and the frequency-concentration superposition methods were applied to the data and the concentration dependence of the characteristic relaxation time, τ, and the steady shear compliance, Je, were determined: τ∝C3, Je-1∝C0.6 (C
This study was conducted to examine the gene-expression changes that might contribute to enhanced osteogenesis after low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) exposure. Bone marrow cells were obtained from the femora of rats and were suspended in an osteogenic medium to prepare cell cultures. After the cultures were established, test cultures were exposed to LIPUS through the base of the cell-culture plates for 15 min/day on Days 3-9 (LIPUS group). Control cultures were not exposed to LIPUS, but were otherwise treated identically to the LIPUS group. On Day 10, total RNA was extracted from both sets of cultures and hybridized to microarray slides, and the obtained datasets were analyzed. Real-time PCR was used to confirm the microarray analysis results. Cell-proliferation assays and Sirius Red staining were performed on Days 4, 7 and 10, and Alizarin Red S staining was performed on Days 10, 14 and 21. Markers for differentiated osteoblasts and osteocytes and genes encoding collagen-related molecules and cell-adhesion factors were upregulated in the LIPUS group on Day 10. Cell proliferation was lower in the LIPUS group than in the controls on Day 7. Sirius Red staining in the LIPUS group was significantly higher than in the controls on Day 10, and the cell areas stained with Alizarin Red S were significantly larger in the LIPUS group than in the controls on each day of the experiment. Thus, LIPUS exposure increased the gene expression of extracellular matrix factors and promoted the differentiation of osteoblast-like cells into osteocytes in an in vitro cell culture model.
Vertical survey uncertainty presented a challenge for the development of a thin oil column by horizontal ERD wells in the Chayvo field off the northeast coast of Sakhalin Island, Russia. A novel technique was developed to reduce uncertainty by using a well-established pressure vs depth gradient from a vertical offset well as an independent, constant vertical depth reference. Pressures were acquired in aquifers above the target reservoir and the well landing depths were adjusted to match the measured pressure gradient with the reference pressure gradient. A near-horizontal pilot hole was drilled on the first development well to establish the oil-water and gas-oil contacts and confirm the target landing depth for the subsequent production wells. This technique reduced the vertical uncertainty between wells and improved the ability to land wells as close as possible to the desire depth within the oil column.
A method is described for determining the horizontal field of velocity and velocity gradients in the Bolivian Andes in the vicinity of the Bolivian orocline, using the following data: (1) space-geodetic measurements of crustal motions; (2) the style, distribution, and rate of late Miocene-Quaternary folding and faulting; and (3) paleomagnetic measurements of rigid body rotations about a vertical axis. These data were analyzed in a network of 26 triangles which spanned the Bolivian Andes by solving the velocity gradient compatibility equations between adjacent triangles, subject to the input data constraints. This yielded 120–140 linear equations to constrain 108 unknowns, making the problem moderately overdetermined. A series of experiments were carried out with different combinations of the input data to determine the best fit, in the least squares sense, field of Quaternary horizontal velocities and velocity gradients. The azimuths of velocity vectors in the high Andes are subparallel to both the relative plate convergence vector and the symmetry axis of the Bolivian orocline, with magnitudes relative to stable South America in the range 7–17 mm yr−1, accommodating up to 30% of the relative plate convergence. However, the azimuths of velocities along the range front are nearly orthogonal to the range, with a component of distributed range-parallel dextral or sinistral shear within the Eastern Cordillera and Altiplano. The horizontal velocity field requires bending about a vertical axis of both limbs of the Bolivian orocline. The field of horizontal dilatation, assuming homogeneous deformation of the entire crustal thickness, requires vertical velocities of material points up to 2.5 mm/yr in the sub-Andean zone, decreasing to <0.1 mm/yr farther east in the Eastern Cordillera and Altiplano. The direction of maximum gradients of buoyancy stress, determined from the field of gradients of appropriate combinations of velocity gradients, using a thin sheet model of viscous flow, are broadly parallel to the direction of maximum topographic gradients in the Eastern Cordillera, providing support for the idea that the bulk behaviour of the Bolivian lithosphere is fluid-like. A comparison of these gradients with buoyancy stress gradients calculated from crustal thickness contrasts, suggest that the bulk lithospheric viscosity is in the range 0.5–1.0×1022 Pa s; gradients of velocity gradients along the eastern margin of the Bolivian Andes can be interpreted in terms of marked gradients of viscosity, with viscosity increasing toward the Brazilan shield in the cratonic core of South America. Buoyancy stresses calculated from crustal thickness contrasts, calibrated with the crustal thicknesses at the changeovers from thrust to strike-slip or normal faulting, suggest that the average lithosphericscale deviatoric stresses are in the range 7–15 MPa.
The aerodynamic noise and drag are associated with the flow structures and the unsteady behavior of the vortex causes the wind noise. However, litter attention has been paid to the complex vortical structures around externally mounted car mirror from the measured data. In this paper the turbulent structure of mirror wake has been experimentally investigated. The flow structures of the mirror wake were first visualized by the smoke-wire technique. The shedding vortices that are produced by two side of the mirror edge were clearly visualized. Then the instantaneous velocity fields were measured using PIV technique at Reynolds number of 6300. Instantaneous and mean streamlines, vorticity contours and Reynolds stresses were examined. The separation bubble and the region of the reverse flow behind the mirror were observed.
Energy production still relies considerably on fossil fuels, and the building sector is a major player in the energy consumption market, mainly for space heating and cooling. Thermal bridges (TBs) in buildings are very relevant for the energy efficiency of buildings and may have an impact on heating energy needs of up to 30%. Given the high thermal conductivity of steel, the relevance of TBs in lightweight steel framed (LSF) components could be even greater. No research was found in the literature for evaluating how important the size and shape of steel studs are on the thermal performance of LSF building elements, which is the main objective of this work. This assessment is performed for the internal partitions and exterior façade of load-bearing LSF walls. The accuracy of the numerical model used in the simulations was verified and validated by comparison experimental measurements. Three reference steel studs were considered, six stud flange lengths and four steel thicknesses were evaluated, and five flange indentation sizes and four indent filling materials were assessed, corresponding to a total of 246 modelled LSF walls. It was concluded that the R-value decreases when the flange length and the steel studs’ thickness increases, being that these variations are more significant for bigger flange sizes and for thicker steel studs. Additionally, it was found that a small indentation size (2.5 or 5 mm) is enough to provide a significant R-value increase and that it is preferable not to use any flange indentation filling material rather than using a poor performance one (recycled rubber).
This study provides theory and field evidence on the social process of hardening soft accounting information to make it persuasive for planning organizational change. Accounting information intended to support organizational change is often soft, that is, there is lack of interpersonal agreement about its quality. For example, employees can lack agreement about the quality of accounting information (e.g., activity-based costing) because the information is constructed from subjective information obtained from interviews and surveys. This information can contain unintentional errors as well as intentional distortions that are intended to avoid revealing embarrassing inefficiencies and/or to resist painful organizational change. We use concepts from applied game theory and social psychology to identify from the accounting literature four multi-person games that may be played to harden soft accounting information. These hardening games are characterized in terms of payoffs, players, the comparability of soft accounting information, and the rules of the games that are expected to emerge. We interpret the field evidence as indicating that the hardening games that emerge depend on who the players are and the comparability of their soft accounting information. In addition, we provide evidence on how the rules of the games that harden the information emerge from the players’ social interactions. Finally, we provide evidence on how an organization learns by trial-and-error how to harden soft accounting information by changing the players and the comparability of the soft accounting information.
Purpose: To evaluate the Monitor Unit calculation algorithm in Eclipse proton therapytreatment planning.Method and Materials: The Eclipse (Varian) treatment planning system is commissioned for eight double scattering options, i.e. eight range modulator and second‐scatterer combinations. When supplying the commissioning beam data in cGy/MU, Eclipse calculates the Monitor Units delivering the prescribed dose. We compare this calculated output to measurements in water for fields of varying range and modulation width. The output variation with source‐to‐skin distance as well as with aperture size is investigated. To evaluate the effect of the range compensator and target inhomogeneities on the delivered dose, clinical plans are recalculated in a water phantom — both with and without range compensator — and the dose‐per‐MU in the normalization point is compared to measurement. Results: Eclipse creates the spread‐out Bragg peak by adding the individual pristine peaks according to their weight and position as defined in the user‐supplied range‐modulator wheel file. The observed output strongly depends on the range modulator wheel layout. By optimizing the file in combination with the user‐supplied output for the pristine peaks a good agreement with the measured output is obtained. The agreement is best for small modulation width and worsens continuously with increasing modulation width, especially for the options with a higher range. The Eclipse dose decreases with source‐to‐skin distance as expected, but the measured decrease in output with aperture diameter is underestimated. Conclusion: The accuracy of the Eclipse output calculation depends strongly on the accuracy of the beam data supplied. Optimizing the beam data to minimize the difference between planned and measured output typically leads to an agreement within ±5%.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are Zn2+-endopeptidases that seem to play an important role in chronic inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system by disrupting the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and mediating the destruction of myelin components. We therefore investigated the influence of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α on the expression and activation of several MMPs in human cerebral endothelial cells (HCEC). HCEC constitutively express MMP-2 and MMP-3 mRNA, but only MMP-3 is upregulated on mRNA and protein level after TNF-α stimulation. MMP-9 and MMP-12 mRNA could only be detected under inflammatory conditions. Furthermore, MMPs are involved in shedding of cell surface molecules. We therefore investigated the influence of MMPs on the release of soluble adhesion molecules using marimastat, a specific broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor and other protease inhibitors like aprotinin or leupeptin. Only marimastat inhibited the TNF-α mediated release of sVCAM-1 in the supernatants of HCEC. Western blot results of culture supernatants supported the time dependent release of the complete extracellular portion of the VCAM-1 molecule. These data suggest that MMPs produced by HCEC are actively involved in the shedding of soluble adhesion molecules at the BBB.
Abstract Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, continuously exposed to 6 mg/L (ppm) nitrite and intraperitoneally injected with Aeromonas hydrophila had lower bacterial median lethal doses (LD50) than control fish. The clearance rate of injected A. hydrophila was reduced in fish chronically exposed to 5 mg/L (ppm) nitrite. Flexibacter columnaris infections occurred spontaneously in channel catfish exposed to 5 mg/L (ppm) nitrite for 7 days. None of the control fish became infected with F. columnaris.
ABSTRACT Elastomer components are often subjected to periodic loading conditions during service. Elastomer parts are used because of their large extensibility and significant damping characteristics, where the latter originate from inelastic material features. Combined with cyclic loading conditions, the inelastic properties of the material yield mechanical energy dissipation, its transformation to thermal energy, and heat buildup in the elastomer component. The experimental and numerical understanding of the thermo-mechanical coupling of elastomers is a prerequisite to predict the temperature rise in elastomer components. In this contribution, experimental and numerical investigations on cyclically loaded dumbbell-shaped elastomer components are addressed. A thermo-mechanical material model representing finite nonlinear viscoelasticity and a temperature- and deformation-dependent heat capacity is used within the finite element method to compute the heat buildup in the dumbbell-shaped elastomer components...
This paper presents the design of the CASPER1 middleware architecture that enables the implementation of real-time QoE-driven service management. More in detail, we thoroughly describe the new modules, methods and functionalities that need to be integrated into the network providers' infrastructure, according to CASPER. Based on this architecture, future virtualized networks can provide a closed-loop feedback environment that can act autonomously to maintain high levels of QoE with minimal human intervention. This is achieved via the proposed “QoE orchestrator”, which is responsible for implementing the QoE related logic.
The implementation of the revised Lisbon strategy and new strategic document Europe 2020 require establishment of a general framework for effectiveness of a modern economy, based on high quality research and innovative products, instruments for marketization and good balance between the interests of consumers and owners, facilitating free circulation of knowledge. Technology transfer has some evident advantages and strengths. It comprises of various actors and building up of specific elements which play different roles in the transferring process. The technology transfer possesses an ability to deal with complexity of the innovation system, etc. However, there are still many deficits as barriers in effective and competitive economy such as insufficient knowledge of the opportunities for commercialization of inventions and difference in IP management approaches implemented by the industry and research organizations, etc. Technology transfer is a unique element of the innovation system aiming to overcome shortcomings of the system and to create a sustainable link between research and business communities. Technology transfer is a milestone for establishment of new types of relationships with the businesses, providing modern IPR knowledge and commercializing innovative technologies. Favorable legislation targeted at technology transfer is a prerequisite, and a new attitude towards IP rights is required, in a broad sense - a proactive role in innovation by managing IPR from research is needed.
Enzyme-free DNA strand displacement process is often practical when detecting miRNAs expressed at low levels in living cells. However, the poor kinetics, tedious reaction period, and multicomponent system hamper its in vivo applications to a great extent. Herein, we design a branch-shaped trapping device (BTD)-based spatial confinement reactor and applied it for accelerated miRNA in situ imaging. The reactor consists of a pair of trapped probe-based catalyzed hairpin assembly (T-CHA) reactions attached around the BTD. The trapping device naturally offered CHA reactions a good spatial-confinement effect by integrating the metastable probes (MHPa and MHPb) of the traditional CHA with the four-branched arm of BTD, which greatly improved the localized concentration of probes and shortened their physical distance. The autonomous and progressive walk of miRNA on the four-arm nanoprobes via T-CHA can rapidly tie numerous four-arm nanoprobes into figure-of-eight nanoknots (FENs), yielding strong fluorescence that is proportional to the miRNA expression level. The unique nanoarchitecture of the FEN also benefits the restricted freedom of movement (FOM) in a confined cellular environment, which makes the system ideally suitable for in situ imaging of intracellular miRNAs. In vitro and in situ analyses also demonstrated that the T-CHA overall outperformed the dissociative probe-based CHA (D-CHA) in stability, reaction speed, and amplification sensitivity. The final application of the T-CHA-based four-arm nanoprobe for imagings of both cancer cells and normal cells shows the potential of the platform for accurately and timely revealing miRNA in biological systems.
Abstract The combination of multiple classifiers, commonly referred to as a classifier ensemble, has previously demonstrated the ability to improve classification accuracy in many application domains. As a result this area has attracted significant amount of research in recent years. The aim of this paper has therefore been to provide a state of the art review of the most well-known ensemble techniques with the main focus on bagging, boosting and stacking and to trace the recent attempts, which have been made to improve their performance. Within this paper, we present and compare an updated view on the different modifications of these techniques, which have specifically aimed to address some of the drawbacks of these methods namely the low diversity problem in bagging or the over-fitting problem in boosting. In addition, we provide a review of different ensemble selection methods based on both static and dynamic approaches. We present some new directions which have been adopted in the area of classifier ensembles from a range of recently published studies. In order to provide a deeper insight into the ensembles themselves a range of existing theoretical studies have been reviewed in the paper.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition characterized by a loss of joint cartilage and is a major cause of disability in Canada, with an estimated CN$195 billion annual cost. Knee OA leads to persistent pain and loss of function, and treatment goals primarily focus on symptom relief and retention of function. Intra-articular hyaluronic acid (IAHA) has therapeutic benefits, and numerous recently published meta-analyses (MAs) and commentaries have highlighted new evidence on the role of IAHA therapy for knee OA. A diverse, multidisciplinary group of specialists met independently in closed sessions to review findings from eight MAs with literature search end dates no earlier than 2012 to address controversies surrounding IAHA therapy for mild-to-moderate knee OA within the Canadian treatment context. Outcomes from a total of eight MAs were reviewed, and consistent and statistically significant improvements in pain, function and stiffness up to 26 weeks were found with IAHA therapy compared with IA placebo or controls, regardless of MA size or trial quality. These findings are in line with those of a Cochrane review, another recent systematic review and patient satisfaction survey. Overall, three MAs reported outcomes based on molecular weight (MW), with the two reporting effect sizes showing significantly improved pain outcomes for higher compared with lower MW HAs. Recent evidence suggests that HA therapy is well tolerated with no increased risk of serious adverse events compared with placebo and the full therapeutic effect of IAHA therapy appears to have considerable clinical importance, consisting of the combined IA placebo and HA therapeutic effects. IAHA therapy is a well-tolerated and effective option for patients with mild-to-moderate knee OA failing first-line pharmacological therapy.
A 5'-end-labeled DNA restriction fragment was treated with the nonprotein chromophore of neocarzinostatin under anoxia in the presence of dithiothreitol, conditions known to maximize formation of chromophore-deoxyribose adducts. Under conditions where unmodified DNA was digested to completion, chromophore-treated DNA was highly resistant to digestion by exonuclease III plus the 3'----5' exonucleolytic activity of T4 DNA polymerase and partially resistant to digestion by exonuclease III plus snake venom exonuclease. The electrophoretic mobilities of the products of exonucleolytic digestion suggested that (i) digestion by exonuclease III or T4 polymerase terminated one nucleotide before the nucleotide containing the adduct, (ii) the remaining nucleotide directly adjacent to the adduct (3' side) could be removed by snake venom phosphodiesterase, but at a slow rate, (iii) the covalently linked chromophore decreased the electrophoretic mobilities of the digestion products by the equivalent of approximately three nucleotides, and (iv) adducts formed under anaerobic conditions occurred at the same nucleotide positions as the strand breaks formed under aerobic conditions (primarily at T and, to a lesser extent, A residues). The close similarity in sequence specificity of adducts and strand breaks suggests that a common form of nascent DNA damage may be a precursor to both lesions. A chromophore-induced free radical on C-5' of deoxyribose, subject to competitive fixation by addition reactions with either oxygen or chromophore, is the most likely candidate for such a precursor. The base specificity of adduct formation does not reflect the reported base specificity of neocarzinostatin-induced mutagenesis, suggesting that lesions other than adducts may be responsible for at least some neocarzinostatin-induced mutations, particularly those occurring at G X C base pairs.
Deposition of Barium Titanate (BaTiO3) thin films used Chemical Solution Deposition (CSD) method and prepared with spin coater. BaTiO3 is doped with lanthanum, 1%, 2%, and 3%. The thermal process use annealing temperature 900°C and holding time for 3 hours. The result of characterization with x-ray diffraction (XRD) equipment show that the addition of La3+ doped on Barium Titanate caused the change of angle diffraction.The result of refine with GSAS software shows that lanthanum have been included in the structure of BaTiO3. Increasing mol dopant La3+ cause lattice parameter and crystal volume become smaller. Characterization result using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipment show that grain size (grain size) become smaller with increasing mole dopant (x) La3+. The result of characterization using Sawyer Tower methods show that all the samples (Barium Titanante and Barium Titanate doped lanthanum) are ferroelectric material. Increasing of mole dopant La3+ cause smaller coercive field and remanent polarization increases.
In this paper a complete load analysis of a residential hall of CUET in Bangladesh is performed, and a roof top solar PV System is designed. At first the load of this building is estimated, and a complete daily load profile is developed. Using the estimated load profile, the size of solar array and other components are estimated. After that, a complete system is designed connecting the components of estimated rating and size. Additionally, an optimization of system is performed using HOMER. Furthermore, the dynamic response of the proposed system is analyzed using Simulink, MATLAB and based on this response essential control and protection schemes are incorporated with the system. The effectiveness of these schemes is also verified by MATLAB simulation.
Atraumatic spinal cord injuries can be due to inflammatory, vascular, and nutritional etiologies. Due to progression from these causes, the identification and initiation of appropriate treatment are of significant importance. This article explores a case of copper deficiency myeloneuropathy in a patient initially thought to have an inflammatory transverse myelitis. The lack of response to antirheumatologic interventions prompted an extensive workup consistent with copper deficiency. This case stresses the importance of evaluating nutritional causes of myeloneuropathy.
To study the impact sensitivity and damage effect of PTFE-matrix energetic materials, PTFE-matrix specimens and liners were prepared by molding-vacuum sintering to carry out drop-hammer and impact experiments. The results show that the two metal additives contributed to reducing the impact sensitivity of Al/PTFE. The energy release level of Al/Ni/PTFE and Al/W/PTFE with the same metal content was different at different drop heights. In addition, the collision process, black burning marks and carbon indicate that the energetic liner reacted during the impact process. All perforations were petal-shaped holes because of better radial expansion effect of products. The seven groups of energetic liners can penetrate 3 mm steel plate. The Al/W/PTFE liner with volume fraction of 5% W had the strongest reaming capacity due to its higher strength and density than Al/PTFE liner. The 3 mm steel plate with low strength failed prematurely and the impact energy did not initiate the Ni-Al intermetallic reaction because of low sensitivity of Al/Ni/PTFE. Therefore, the energy release of Al/Ni/PTFE was lower than that of Al/W/PTFE. Only Al/Ni/PTFE liner with volume fraction of 15% Ni can penetrate 10 mm steel plate due to its higher strength and density compared with Al/PTFE and other Al/Ni/PTFE liners. But different with Al/W/PTFE liners, the energy released by the reaction of Al/PTFE initiated the Ni-Al combination, which greatly increased the energy release of the Al/Ni/PTFE and provided better damage effect. The damage effect of reactive materials on target is affected by its strength, density and energy release.To study the impact sensitivity and damage effect of PTFE-matrix energetic materials, PTFE-matrix specimens and liners were prepared by molding-vacuum sintering to carry out drop-hammer and impact experiments. The results show that the two metal additives contributed to reducing the impact sensitivity of Al/PTFE. The energy release level of Al/Ni/PTFE and Al/W/PTFE with the same metal content was different at different drop heights. In addition, the collision process, black burning marks and carbon indicate that the energetic liner reacted during the impact process. All perforations were petal-shaped holes because of better radial expansion effect of products. The seven groups of energetic liners can penetrate 3 mm steel plate. The Al/W/PTFE liner with volume fraction of 5% W had the strongest reaming capacity due to its higher strength and density than Al/PTFE liner. The 3 mm steel plate with low strength failed prematurely and the impact energy did not initiate the Ni-Al intermetallic reaction because o...
Observational results on GRO J1655−40 are reported, based on the X-ray spectra obtained with the PCA and the HEXTE on-board RXTE during its 1996–1997 outburst. By referring to the 40–150 keV X-ray luminosity, L40–150, six typical spectra were selected and analyzed. When L40–150 is sufficiently below ∼ 5× 1036erg s−1 (assuming a distance of 3.2 kpc and an isotropic emission), the 3–150 keV PCA/HEXTE spectra are well described by a standard spectral model consisting of an optically-thick disk spectrum and a power-law tail. When L40–150 exceeds 5× 1036 erg s−1, the standard model fails to reproduce the joint spectrum, due to a mild turn-over in the HEXTE spectrum. Successful fits are recovered when the power-law component is replaced by a broken powerlaw model with the break energy at ∼ 40 keV, or by an exponentially cutoff power-law model with the cutoff energy at 190–300 keV. The fits are further improved by employing a thermal Comptonization component, wherein the electron temperature and optical depth of the Compton cloud are estimated to be 70–85 keV and 0.45–0.65, respectively. These results provide strong evidence for the existence of thermal high-energy electrons, and reconfirm the picture of strong disk Comptonization.
Abstract The synthesis and characterization of cobalt(II), nickel(II), copper(II), zinc(II) and cadmium(II) chelates containing 1-anthranyl-4-phenyl-3-semicarbazide (APSC) and/or 1-anthranyl-4-phenyl-3-thiosemicarbazide (APTSC) are reported. The chelates have been characterized on the basis of elemental analyses, spectra (NMR, IR, visible), magnetic moments, conductivities and molecular weight measurements. The values of molar conductivities in DMP or DMSO indicate the non-ionic nature of all metal chelates. A tetrahedral structure is proposed for the Ni(II) chelates, square-planar for the Cu(II) chelates and tetrahedral or octahedral for the Co(II) chelates according to the data of magnetic measurements and electronic spectra. The ligands (APSC, APTSC) behave in a bidentate manner toward the metal ions, but with different coordination sites. 1HNMR spectra of the ligands and the diamagnetic chelates are discussed. The chelates have a monomeric or a polymeric nature.
Onion (Allium cepa L.) seed production has long been plagued with yield problems because of lack of pollination by the honey bee, Apis mellifera L. To attempt to attract more pollinators to the onion seed production field, honey bees were conditioned to associate onion floral odor components with a reward. Isolated nucleus hives of honey bees were fed 30% sucrose solutions scented with a 0.2% solution of onion floral odor compounds. After feeding on these solutions for 6 wk, bees were not found to prefer onion flowers to two competing food sources, carrot and alfalfa flowers, at the 5% significance level. However, there was an overall trend indicating a change in honey bee behavior, with fewer "trained" bees visiting alfalfa and carrot and more visiting onion. Thus, it may be possible to alter honey bee behavior with preconditioning but probably not to a degree that would be economically significant.
Salvador Allende came to power on November the 4th 1970, inaugurating a series of structural reforms in the Chilean economy and society. In this context, the agrarian reform, which begun in 1962, became central to the new government. The 21st December 1970, it issued the decree 481 to create the Farmers National Council, responsible for channeling the demands of this sector. In parallel, the Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria, inspired by the Cuban Revolution radicalized the reform through the creation of the Movimiento Campesino Revolucionario, which controlled the peasants councils in the province of Cautin to implement its agricultural policy, at least until the military coup that ended the project.
Abstract A review and analysis of the vision‐training procedures were carried out over a period of 2 years at State University of New York (SUNY), University Optometric Center by 20 staff optometrists on 28 patients exhibiting divergence excess strabismus using models proposed by Flax and Greene. Training included motility, accommodative rock, fusion, antisuppression, and stereoscopic skills by a variety of techniques and devices. Patients who exhibited smaller pretraining angles of deviation, increased maturity, and greater motivation responded most successfully to treatment. The results achieved in this study compare favorably with those obtained by traditional orthoptic procedures.
Kirchhoff theory is developed for the backscattering strength and bistatic scattering strength of a finite rough surface whose roughness is characterized by an isotropic power‐law wavenumber spectrum W1(κ) = β1κ T. Two nondimensional parameters are found that govern these scattering strengths. These are ζ≡κa and β≡β1aγ − 4, where a is the radius of the block. First, the general influence of ζ and β on both the backscattering strength and the bistatic scattering strength is discussed. Then, the theoretical backscattering strengths are compared with individual realizations at 20, 40, and 80 kHz of target strengths of submerged ice blocks of different radii, cut from undeformed first‐year ice in the Arctic. For this comparison, the particular strength and exponent of W1(κ) have been determined from field measurements of undeformed first‐year ice. Data and theory show that the smooth surface form function for this finite surface does not describe the diffraction pattern observed and predicted at high frequenc...
Some recent atmospheric noise measurements in the vlf range have been made in Canada by the Defence Research Telecommunications Establishment of the Defence Research Board. The amplitude of the mean logarithmic power (mlp) of atmospheric noise on a frequency of 10 kilocycles has been measured at Ottawa, Ontario (Latitude 45.4° N, Longitude 75.9° W), over a period of one year, beginning in October, 1955. The mlp atmospheric noise amplitude has also been measured in the sub-Arctic regions of Canada at Churchill, Manitoba (Latitude 58.8° N, Longitude 94.2° W), on a frequency of 107 kc for the period December, 1955 to August, 1956. A brief description of the equipment used to obtain these measurements is described. The results of the measurements are presented in the form of a graphical analysis showing the hourly median variations. These measurements are compared with previous measurements made in Canada, and with the estimated values of the National Bureau of Standards, and CCIR predictions of July, 1956.
Background and Aim: In limited-resource settings pediatric asthma patients experience a significant increase of unscheduled and emergency department visits. Parents can be involved in the complex effort of treatment and management. The aim of our study was to document outcome of a structured parental involvement in management of asthmatic children. Material and Methods: Prospective 12 months study of patients with persistent asthma. Were included children with uncontrolled asthma [ACT child score below 19] and frequent visits in Emergency Department in previous year. Both parents and children were educated in basic inhalation technique [video-training] and were provided a written-action plan. A sub-group were trained to use PIS [Pulmonary Index Score] to evaluate severity of exacerbation and treatment response. They were provided as a rescue-option before an ED unscheduled visit the option to be tele-monitored by a specialist. Short video of clinical status was evaluated by an expert and further options were discussed. Non-responders were presented in ED. Results: In 2014 were 880 ED visits of 296 patients. 54 children were included in study [18.2%] – 16 in monitoring group and 38 as controls. Patients had similar demographics [average age 5.6 years] and had male predominance [68.8% vs 71.1% in controls]. 2 vs 16 children in control group had more than 1 visit to ED in 2014. Odds-ratio to have an unscheduled ED visit was 0.1964 in tele-monitoring group [p 0.0483, 95% CI 0.039 – 0.9881]. Conclusion: Tele-monitoring and simple clinical scoring systems can decrease the burden of unscheduled ED visits for asthmatic children, in low-resource settings.
Families of children with rare and undiagnosed conditions face many psychosocial and logistical challenges that may affect their approach to decisions about their child’s care and their family’s well-being. As genomic sequencing (GS) is increasingly incorporated into pediatric diagnostic workups, assessing the family-level characteristics that shape the experience of pediatric GS is crucial to understanding how families approach decision-making about the test and how they incorporate the results into their family life. We conducted semi-structured interviews with parents and other primary caregivers of pediatric patients who were evaluated for a suspected genetic condition and who were recommended to have GS (n = 20) or who had recently completed GS (n = 21). We analyzed qualitative data using multiple rounds of thematic analysis. We organized our thematic findings into three domains of factors that influence the family-level experience of GS: (1) family structure and dynamics; (2) parental identity, relationships, and philosophies; and (3) social and cultural differences. Participants conceptualized their child’s family in various ways, ranging from nuclear biological family to support networks made up of friends and communities. Our findings can inform the design and interpretation of preference research to advance family-level value assessment of GS as well as genetic counseling for families.
HIV-1 protease (PR) is the viral protein responsible for virion maturation, and its mechanisms of action remain incompletely understood. PR is dimeric and contains two flexible, symmetry-related flaps which act as a gate to inhibit access to the binding pocket and hold the polypeptide substrate in the binding pocket once bound. Wide flap opening, a conformational change assumed to be necessary for substrate binding, is a rare event in the closed and bound form. In this study, we use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and advanced MD techniques including temperature-acceleration and string method in collective variables to study the conformational changes associated with substrate unbinding of both wild-type and F99Y mutant PR. The F99Y mutation is shown via MD to decouple the closing of previously unrecognized distal pockets from substrate unbinding. To determine whether or not the F99Y mutation affects the energetic cost of wide flap opening, we use string method in collective variables to determine minimum free-energy mechanism for wide flap opening in concert with distal pocket closing. The results indicate that the major energetic cost in flap opening is disengagement of the two flap-tip Ile50 residues from each other and is not affected by the F99Y mutation.
We explore the star-forming properties of late-type, low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies. The star-forming main sequence ( – ) of LSB dwarfs has a steep slope, indistinguishable from unity (1.04 ± 0.06). They form a distinct sequence from more massive spirals, which exhibit a shallower slope. The break occurs around , and can also be seen in the gas mass—stellar mass plane. The global Kennicutt–Schmidt law ( – ) has a slope of 1.47 ± 0.11 without the break seen in the main sequence. There is an ample supply of gas in LSB galaxies, which have gas depletion times well in excess of a Hubble time, and often tens of Hubble times. Only of this cold gas needs be in the form of molecular gas to sustain the observed star formation. In analogy with the faint, long-lived stars of the lower stellar main sequence, it may be appropriate to consider the main sequence of star-forming galaxies to be defined by thriving dwarfs (with ), while massive spirals (with ) are weary giants that constitute more of a turn-off population.
The optical nonlinear absorption (NLA) property of multilayer graphene was investigated by Z-scan technique with picosecond laser pulse of 532-nm wavelength. Graphene samples were fabricated by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with different number of layers, which were 1-, 8-, and 16-layer. The dependence of NLA coefficient α(I) on number of layers was investigated under the laser intensity of 7-80 GW/cm2. The results showed that α(I) increased as the number of layer increased, and decreased as the laser intensity increased. Nonlinearities of graphene were mainly caused by saturable absorption (SA) effect. The 1-, 8-, and 16-layer graphene exhibited SA nonlinearity. However, reversed SA (RSA) nonlinearity was observed for 16-layer graphene only. The RSA was resulted from two-photon absorption due to layer stacking-induced bandgap opening, confirmed by the α(I) measurement. The RSA may reduce the stability of mode-locking and therefore, it suggests that the lower layer stacking in CVD fabricated graphene is preferable to use as saturable absorbers in laser mode-locking.
Simple Summary Notch1 and EGFR are two surface receptors activating different cellular processes in cancer cells. EGFR, harboring activating mutations, drives unlimited cell proliferation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and treatment of tumors with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) results in growth arrest and cell death. On the other hand, Notch1 plays a key role in the loss of epithelial characteristics and the concomitant acquisition of mesenchymal traits and invasive potential of tumor cells. Interestingly, high levels of Notch1 are associated with the resistance to EGFR TKIs. Here, we evaluated the mechanisms by which Notch1 causes resistance of NSCLC to EGFR TKIs, and provided evidence that high levels of activated Notch1 induce a decrease of EGFR, by modulating the activity of the promoter of the EGFR gene. Therefore, blocking the Notch1 pathway in tumors treated with EGFR inhibitors would prevent EGFR downregulation, maintaining drug sensitivity. Abstract Notch1 plays a key role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and in the maintenance of cancer stem cells. In the present study we tested whether high levels of activated Notch1 in oncogene-driven NSCLC can induce a reversible shift of driver dependence from EGFR to Notch1, and thus causing resistance to EGFR inhibitors. Adherent cells (parental) and tumor spheres (TS) from NSCLC H1975 cells and patient-derived CD133-positive cells were tested for EGFR and Notch1 signaling cascade. The Notch1-dependent modulation of EGFR, NCID, Hes1, p53, and Sp1 were then analyzed in parental cells by binding assays with a Notch1 agonist, DLL4. TS were more resistant than parental cells to EGFR inhibitors. A strong upregulation of Notch1 and a concomitant downregulation of EGFR were observed in TS compared to parental cells. Parental cell exposure to DLL4 showed a dose-dependent decrease of EGFR and a simultaneous increase of NCID, Hes1, p53, and Sp1, along with the dislocation of Sp1 from the EGFR promoter. Furthermore, an enhanced interaction between p53 and Sp1 was observed in TS. In NSCLC cells, high levels of active Notch1 can promote a reversible shift of driver dependence from EGFR to Notch1, leading to resistance to EGFR inhibitors.
Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is the most frequently described subtype of paroxysmal dyskinesias.The precipitating factor is usually sudden movement or startle.Clinically, PKD cases suffer involuntary movements including unilateral or bilateral chorea, athetosis, dystonia or ballismus, with preserved consciousness.Family history is commonly noted in idiopathic PKD, but sporadic cases are also reported.Familial PKD is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion with incomplete penetrance.To date, 2 loci 16p11-q12 and 16q13-q22 have been mapped to PKD, although a 3rd locus is also suspected.PRRT2, which was located in 16p12.1, was recently identified as causative gene of PKD.However, culprit genes in the other 2 loci remain to be investigated.The potential mechanism of PKD remains largely unclear and the role of mutant PRRT2 in the pathogenesis of PKD is still unknown.In this review, the recent advances of PKD were summarized and hypothesis regarding the mechanisms of PKD was put up, which may make significant contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of PKD.      Key words:  Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia; Causative gene; PRRT2
In this paper, we study the joint Laplace transform of the sticky Brownian motion on an interval, its occupation time at zero and its integrated process. The perturbation approach of Li and Zhou [The joint Laplace transforms for diffusion occupation times, Adv. Appl. Probab. 45 (2013) 1049–1067] is adopted to convert the problem into the computation of three Laplace transforms, which is essentially equivalent to solving the associated differential equations with boundary conditions. We obtain the explicit expression for the joint Laplace transform in terms of the modified Bessel function and Airy functions.
Abstract: Thromboelastography (TEG) provides a global assessment of hemostasis and fibrinolysis and has broad applications to identify and monitor coagulation dysfunction in veterinary patients. Although alpacas are susceptible to a wide variety of coagulopathies, the assessment of TEG has not been reported in clinically healthy alpacas to date. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the analytical performance of recombinant human tissue factor (rhTF)– and kaolin-activated TEG and to establish reference intervals for TEG parameters (reaction [R] and clotting [K] times, angle [α], maximum amplitude [MA], and shear elastic modulus [G]) in healthy, adult alpacas. Kaolin and rhTF-activated TEG were performed using citrated whole blood samples from 20 clinically healthy, nonpregnant, adult Huacaya alpacas each after 30 min of sample storage at room temperature. Six individuals of a related species, dromedary camels, were also sampled for comparative purposes. All data were presented descriptively, assessed for normality, and compared using either independent-sample t tests or Mann-Whitney U tests, with P ≤ 0.05 considered significant. Reference intervals were calculated using a robust method and Box-Cox–transformed data. Mean TEG values (reference intervals) were determined for rhTF-activated TEG as follows: R 6.99 min (3.41–12.71), K 3.43 min (1.61–6.42), α 48.51° (27.21–67.38), MA 52.05 mm (21.53–65.92), and G 5.71 kdyn/cm2 (1.87–9.60), while mean values (reference intervals) for kaolin-activated TEG included R 7.72 min (4.48–11.43), K 4.24 min (2.03–9.20), α 45.06° (23.66–64.20), MA 52.18 mm (33.49–66.63), and G 5.78 kdyn/cm2 (NR–9.66). None of the measured TEG values differed significantly between activators, suggesting that activator choice may have a limited effect on TEG parameters in healthy alpacas. TEG results in alpacas were comparable to those of dromedary camels. These results will thus provide a useful starting point in the evaluation of hemostasis in adult camelids.
Users and resources in a system are defined subjects and objects separately and abstractly by a mandatory access control mechanism. Both subjects and objects are endowed with security levels. The computer′s security on basis of the operating system, and the operating system is the basic software of a computer. We present a model of security operating system. As we know the operating system has many security disables. But after the research on current security of Linux OS, this paper using access controlling, auditing and LPT designs a generalized security operating system. The design principles of security architecture and three basic security models: confidentiality, integrity, and privilege control models are discussed, respectively. Three novel security models and new security architecture are proposed. And this model was able to satisfy the standard of security operating system.
Abstract Although CD8+ T lymphocytes are present in human decidua throughout pregnancy, albeit as a minor population in early pregnancy, their role in normal pregnancy is largely unknown. The present study aimed to characterize their effector phenotype, including cytolytic activity, cytokine profile, and capacity to affect placental invasion. CD8+ lymphocytes were positively selected from normal early pregnancy decidua (7–14 wks gestational age). Decidual CD8+ T lymphocytes were studied using standard and redirected chromium release assays to investigate natural killer cell-sensitive cytotoxicity and cytotoxicity that requires T-cell receptor signal transduction respectively, multiplex cytokine analysis to analyze cytokine production, and a placental explant invasion model to assess the effect of soluble products of decidual CD8+ T lymphocytes on trophoblast invasion. Decidual CD8+ T lymphocytes exhibited cytolytic ability against P815 target cells (mean % Specific Chromium Release at effector:target ratio of 32:1 [SCR32] of 32.7 ± 5.8) and against K562 target cells (mean SCR32 of 20.3 ± 0.5). Phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P)-stimulated decidual CD8+ T lymphocytes produced high levels of both interferon gamma and interleukin (IL) 8, and low levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (CSF2), IL1B, IL2, IL6, IL10, IL12, and tumor necrosis factor; these did not vary with gestational age. IL4 was undetectable. Decidual CD8+ T lymphocyte supernatants increased the capacity of extravillous trophoblast cells to invade through Matrigel compared with the PHA-P control. These findings suggest that decidual CD8+ T cells can display cytolytic activity, do not evoke a predominant local intrauterine Th2 type cytokine environment, and may act to regulate invasion of extravillous trophoblast cells into the uterus, a crucial process for normal uteroplacental development.
Purpose— Much has transpired since the last scientific statement on pediatric stroke was published 10 years ago. Although stroke has long been recognized as an adult health problem causing substantial morbidity and mortality, it is also an important cause of acquired brain injury in young patients, occurring most commonly in the neonate and throughout childhood. This scientific statement represents a synthesis of data and a consensus of the leading experts in childhood cardiovascular disease and stroke. Methods— Members of the writing group were appointed by the American Heart Association Stroke Council’s Scientific Statement Oversight Committee and the American Heart Association’s Manuscript Oversight Committee and were chosen to reflect the expertise of the subject matter. The writers used systematic literature reviews, references to published clinical and epidemiology studies, morbidity and mortality reports, clinical and public health guidelines, authoritative statements, personal files, and expert opinion to summarize existing evidence and to indicate gaps in current knowledge. This scientific statement is based on expert consensus considerations for clinical practice. Results— Annualized pediatric stroke incidence rates, including both neonatal and later childhood stroke and both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, range from 3 to 25 per 100 000 children in developed countries. Newborns have the highest risk ratio: 1 in 4000 live births. Stroke is a clinical syndrome. Delays in diagnosis are common in both perinatal and childhood stroke but for different reasons. To develop new strategies for prevention and treatment, disease processes and risk factors that lead to pediatric stroke are discussed here to aid the clinician in rapid diagnosis and treatment. The many important differences that affect the pathophysiology and treatment of childhood stroke are discussed in each section. Conclusions— Here we provide updates on perinatal and childhood stroke with a focus on the subtypes, including arterial ischemic, venous thrombotic, and hemorrhagic stroke, and updates in regard to areas of childhood stroke that have not received close attention such as sickle cell disease. Each section is highlighted with considerations for clinical practice, attendant controversies, and knowledge gaps. This statement provides the practicing provider with much-needed updated information in this field.
The predominant pyridine alkaloid in modern tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is Nicotine. However, with the existence of a class of Nicotine demethylases, a large proportion of Nicotine will be converted into Nornicotine during leaf senescence. Identification of Nicotine demethylases in modern tobacco is important, since Nornicotine will be nitrosated into N'-nitrosonornicotine (NNN), which exhibit carcinogenic properties in laboratory animals and is harmful for human heath. Although many efforts have been performed to identified, no comprehensive analysis was carried out for the subfamily of Nicotine demethylases. In this work, we performed a phylogenetic and comparative analysis for Nicotine demethylases with their highly homologs. A single and conserved mutation of W->C will prohibit the activity of Nicotine demethylases. Thus, the proportion of Nornicotine could be dramatically decreased if all Nicotine demethylase were single mutated by transgenic manipulation. Our results provide an insightful and solid foundation for further experimental design.
For purposes of this paper, we define "Personally identifiable information" (PII) as information which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity either alone or when combined with other information that is linkable to a specific individual. The popularity of Online Social Networks (OSN) has accelerated the appearance of vast amounts of personal information on the Internet. Our research shows that it is possible for third-parties to link PII, which is leaked via OSNs, with user actions both within OSN sites and elsewhere on non-OSN sites. We refer to this ability to link PII and combine it with other information as "leakage". We have identified multiple ways by which such leakage occurs and discuss measures to prevent it.
Summary The main library Web pages representing Yahoo!'s list of the “100 Most Wired Colleges” were analyzed for accessibility to people with disabilities. Forty of the pages were judged accessible using Bobby, the online automated service developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology. Frequencies of accessibility errors, recommendations, questions, tips, and browser compatibility errors are provided. The study found no relationship between accessibility of the library home pages and indicators of institutional resources, as represented by Yahoo! ranking (computer resources), Association of Research Libraries composite ranking (extent of library resources), and Carnegie Classification (range and extent of academic and research resources). Guidelines for accessible Web pages and an Adaptive PC Computer Workstation are included.
Abstract Background: A high velocity, low amplitude thrust manipulation (HVLAT) is an intervention commonly used in the treatment of patients with spinal pain. Recent studies have reported on the possible neurophysiological effects of this technique which may be pertinent to the therapeutic value of these procedures. However, few studies have examined the temporal neurophysiological nature of a HVLAT beyond the immediate effects. Objectives: The purpose of this review is to summarize the literature on the temporal neurophysiological effects of a single HVLAT in patients with spinal pain. Methods: A systematic search of English articles was conducted using MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PEDro. Additional studies were identified with a hand search of the references of relevant articles. Search terms included spinal manipulation, chiropractic manipulation, osteopathic manipulation, spinal adjustment, cervical manipulation, lumbar manipulation, sacroiliac manipulation, neck pain, back pain, and sacroiliac pain. Quality scoring of the included articles was based on the Newcastle–Ottawa criteria. Results: Of the 478 articles identified, five articles ultimately met inclusion criteria into this review. These studies were of moderate to high quality. In all, follow-up measures after a single HVLAT were taken within a 30-minute to 5-hour period. Conclusion: In the absence of concurrent intervention, the neurophysiological effects seen after administration of a HVLAT were observed to be immediate in nature, with a return to baseline or reduction in effect noted at follow-up. Future studies examining the mechanisms of HVLAT should include dedicated follow-up periods to establish the temporal changes related to these techniques.
Exaggerated airway narrowing in response to bronchoconstricting stimuli is a characteristic feature of asthmatic subjects. It is unknown whether the site of airway narrowing differs in asthmatic subjects from that observed in normal subjects. Increased airway wall thickness has been suggested as a contributing cause for airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma, based on histologic measurements. We measured airway wall thickness and the site and magnitude of airway narrowing in response to inhaled methacholine in normal subjects and in patients with mild to moderate asthma using high resolution computed tomography (HRCT). After a comparable decrease in FEV1, there were no differences in the site or magnitude of airway narrowing for any category of airway size in asthmatic subjects and normals. However, the results show that the smaller airways of the asthmatic subjects are significantly thickened and that the airway wall area does not change after bronchoconstriction whereas it decreases in normal subjects. We conclude that airway wall thickening and the lack of a change in airway wall dimensions following bronchoconstricting stimuli could contribute to exaggerated airway narrowing in asthma.
BACKGROUND Previous studies have reported possible predictors of drug-eluting stent thrombosis (ST), but data for Asians are relatively limited. This study was performed to elucidate clinical predictors of ST in Koreans.   METHODS AND RESULTS From May 2003 to May 2007, consecutive patients presenting with ST were enrolled from 10 cardiovascular centers in Korea. They were compared with 2,192 controls (3,223 lesions) who had received percutaneous coronary intervention with at least 6 months of follow-up without ST. On multivariate analysis, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as initial diagnosis, drug-eluting stents (DES) in-stent restenosis (ISR), low ejection fraction (EF), small stent diameter, left anterior descending artery intervention, and young age were independent predictors of total ST. When divided into early (ST within 30 days of index procedure) and delayed ST (ST after 30 days of index procedure), low EF, small stent diameter, DES ISR and AMI as initial diagnosis were universal risks for both early and delayed ST. The time from antiplatelet agent discontinuation to ST occurrence was significantly shorter in late compared with very late ST.   CONCLUSIONS Predictors of ST may be slightly different for early vs. delayed ST. However, low EF, small stent diameter, DES ISR lesion, and AMI as initial diagnosis were universal risk factors for both early and delayed ST cases. The relationship between antiplatelet agent discontinuation and ST occurrence seems stronger in late compared with very late ST.
Resident physicians from a pediatric academic training program developed a hospital-wide research project in an effort to enhance their residency research experience. In this model, residents themselves assumed primary responsibility for each stage of a large prospective clinical research study. The project, which was integrated successfully into the residency program, enabled a large group of residents, with mentorship from a dedicated faculty member, to benefit from a structured clinical research experience while providing the flexibility necessary to meet the demands of a busy residency curriculum. Careful topic selection with a well-defined end point, faculty involvement, resident collegiality, and institutional support were factors identified by study leaders as central to the success of this model.
High-frequency loss is a common hearing impairment and several methods of recoding speech have been developed to make better use of low-frequency residual hearing. An important application of these devices is to help the deaf person articulate correctly by providing him with usable auditory feedback of his own speech production. In one such device, /s/ and /sh/ sounds are replaced by low-frequency pulse trains which are clearly distinguishable, even to those having limited, low-frequency residual hearing. A pilot study showed this device to be of value in teaching severely hard-of-hearing children to articulate these sounds correctly. For the totally deaf, communication must involve some other modality. A simple, practical device is the experimental visual-tactile telephone which contains a voice-operated light and special tactile transducer for monitoring the speech signal. A key is provided for transmitting messages by some mutually agreed upon code. Another means of communication which may overcome some of the difficulties of Morse-code transmission is to spell out the message on the dial of a conventional Touch-Tone telephone. An experimental system for using a Touch-Tone set in this way is currently being evaluated. Since as many as three letters are assigned to each button, a simple code is necessary for identifying the transmitted symbol. One press indicates the first letter, two rapid presses the second letter, and three rapid presses the third. At the receiving end, the corresponding buttons on the dial are illuminated and the message can be decoded mentally. With additional circuitry, a simple decoding unit may be used to provide a visual indication of the transmitted symbols. Transmission speeds of 8 to 10 words per minute are typically obtained after 1 to 2 hours practice.
Surname distribution may be used as a substitute for quantitative information on the genetic structure of human populations due to panmictic deviations. This study analysed the isonymic structure of the Argentine Northwest (ANW) populations. Surname distribution of 2 576 548 voters (year 2001) in the 117 departments of the region was analysed. Fisher's α and coefficient of random relationship by isonymy were estimated. A dendrogram of the 117 departments was constructed from the matrix of Euclidean distances. In general, α values found were lower than country averages, while kinship values were higher. Ten clusters were identified showing a spatial distribution closely related to geographic characteristics, means of communication, and location of economic activities of the region. The resulting pattern could be basically characterized by grouping the departments into two large clusters: (a) Those located in the centre of the region, which include the provincial capitals, presented greater diversity of surnames and a lower degree of kinship. (b) Those located in the regional periphery showed greater isolation and kinship. Isonymic parameters estimated agree with the demographic characteristics of populations, historical antecedents of population settlement and ANW geographic features.
This paper presents a simple, yet effective facial feature descriptor based on evolutionary synthesis of different local texture patterns. Unlike the traditional face descriptors that exploit visually-meaningful facial features, the proposed method adopts a genetic programming-based feature fusion approach that utilizes different local texture patterns and a set of linear and nonlinear operators in order to synthesize new features. The strength of this approach lies in fusing the advantages of different state-of-the-art local texture descriptors and thus, obtaining more robust composite features. Recognition performance of the proposed method is evaluated using the Cohn-Kanade (CK) and the Japanese female facial expression (JAFFE) database. In our experiments, facial features synthesized based on the proposed approach yield an improved recognition performance, as compared to some well-known face feature descriptors.
The urate‐binding α1–2 globulin has been isolated from human plasma in a highly purified state. The isolation procedure was based upon anion exchange chromatography of the plasma macromolecular fraction on DEAE‐Sephadex columns followed by ammonium sulphate precipitations and preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The urate‐binding α1–2 globulin is a rod‐shaped glycoprotein with a molecular weight of 67000 as determined by dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and an isoelectric point of pH 4.6. In the presence of 6 N urea and mercaptoethanol respectively the protein does not split into subunits indicating that it might represent a single polypeptide chain. The urato‐binding α1–2 globulin contains 12.1% of carbohydrates including galactose, mannoso, galactosamine and sialic acid. The amino acid composition of the protein does not differ significantly from what is found in other plasma proteins except for the presence in automatic amino acid analysis of an hitherto unidentified compound. Further work is required in order to determine the number of binding sites for uric acid on the protein molecule.—The urate‐binding α1–2 globulin does not seem to be identical to any previously characterized protein from human blood.
This study aimed at assessing the clinical outcomes of the Single Flap Approach (SFA) with the additional use of Low-level laser therapy (LLLT). The defects were treated as per the principles of SFA, whereby 20 defects received only SFA (control group) and 20 defects received additional LLLT for bio stimulation/bio modulation (test group). Stable primary closure of the flaps was obtained with vertical internal mattress sutures. Plaque indices (FMPS), clinical attachment levels (CAL), probing pocket depth (PPD), and gingival bleeding scores (FMBS) were calculated at baseline, and at the 3rd and 6th months in both groups. An EHI score of 1 was observed at all sites except for two, where a score of 2 in the control group at week 2 was observed. In the test group, the PPD reduction at 6 months was 3.60 ± 0.95 and in the control group it was 3.75 ± 0.91 mm. CAL gain at 6 months was 2.70 ± 1.36 mm and 3.45 ± 1.2 mm in the test group and showed no statistical significance. These data suggested the positive effect of LLLT over CAL gain; thus, LLLT may be combined with SFA to potentially enhance the early wound healing and higher clinical outcomes in terms of increase in CAL and decrease in PPD.
First, we question restricting lifestyle advice and treatment to patients with hypertension “confirmed” by ambulatory and/or home monitoring. Trials clearly demonstrate benefits in high risk patients with office blood pressure (BP) < 140/90 mmHg, andmost such patients are likely to have had ambulatory BP < 130/80 mmHg and home BP < 135/85 mmHg had such measurements been taken. Not treating those who would benefit will of course increase cardiovascular burden, and this is a considerable missed opportunity, as so many cardiovascular events in a population occur among high risk individualswithmoderate elevations of BP.
Normal volunteers (28 women), 20-45 years old, completed tests of visuospatial ability, verbal fluency, and language lateralization, and the midsagittal surface areas of the splenium, isthmus, midregion, and genu of the corpus callosum were measured from inversion recovery magnetic resonance images. Multivariate statistics were used to analyze patterns of correlations. Verbal fluency correlated positively with the area of the splenium and with the area of a posterior callosal factor defined largely by the splenium. The posterior callosum, particularly the splenium, also correlated negatively with language lateralization. There were no other consistent brain-behavior relationships. These results are relevant to understanding factors involved in the development of cognitive characteristics that show sex differences and to understanding the neural basis of language lateralization and verbal abilities.
Subenergy unitarity methods are used to analyze the vacuum-to-three-pion matrix element of the axial-vector current. The isobar expansion together with dispersion relations in the isobar subenergy variables provides a representation which describes the interactions among the three final pions in the 1/sup +/ and 0/sup -/ states. Linear integral equations in a single variable are obtained for the isobar amplitudes. The coupled system of epsilon..pi.. and rho..pi.. channels is considered. A phenomenological viewpoint is adopted from which a modular picture of the isobar amplitudes emerges. The amplitudes are products of process-dependent factors and so-called resolvents common to any process with the same final state. Integral equations for the resolvents are obtained and solved by means of a basis-function method. The solutions in the 1/sup +/ state exhibit a remarkable fluctuation as a function of the three-pion mass when this variable is near the region of the A/sub 1/ resonance. The possible impact of this effect on the experimental A/sub 1/ situation is briefly discussed.
CONTEXT The prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) associated with mutations in the TSH receptor gene (TSHR) has not been established.   OBJECTIVE We examined the frequency of TSHR mutations among patients with permanent primary CH and in the general population in Japan.   SUBJECTS AND METHODS We enrolled 102 patients with permanent primary CH [70 with "moderate to severe CH" (TSH, >or=10 mU/liter) and 32 with "mild CH" (TSH, 5-10 mU/liter)], who were identified through newborn screening among 353,000 newborns born in Kanagawa prefecture from October 1979 to June 2006. These subjects were tested for TSHR mutations by PCR-based direct sequencing. We further characterized molecular functions of identified mutant TSHRs in vitro.   RESULTS We found three patients with moderate to severe CH who had biallelic mutations in TSHR and three patients with mild CH who had monoallelic mutations. Observed mutations included one previously characterized mutation (p.R450H) and three uncharacterized mutations (p.G132R, p.A204V, and p.D403N). In vitro experiments confirmed loss of functions of these four mutants. Among four mutations, p.R450H was particularly frequent: six of nine mutant alleles harbored p.R450H. All six alleles with p.R450H commonly carried a minor single nucleotide polymorphism, suggesting a founder effect. We estimated the prevalence of biallelic TSHR mutations to be 4.3% (three in 70) in Japanese patients with moderate to severe CH, and 1 in 118,000 (three in 353,000) in the general Japanese population.   CONCLUSIONS In Japan, TSHR mutations are relatively common among patients with CH, and a founder mutation (p.R450H) accounts for about 70% of mutants.
In recent years, several approaches to develop computer aided diagnosis systems for dementia have been proposed. The purpose of this work is to measure the advantages of using not only brain images as data source for those systems but also some psychological scores. To this aim, we compared the accuracy rates achieved by systems that use psychological scores beside the image data in the classification step and systems that use only the image data. The experiments show that the formers achieve higher accuracy rates regardless of the procedure carried out to analyze the image data.
This work presents the first experimental evaluation of the Floating Content (FC) communication paradigm in a campus/large office setting. By logging information transfer events we have characterized mobility patterns, and we have assessed the performance of services implemented using the FC paradigm. Our results unveil the key relevance of group dynamics in user movements for the FC performance. Surprisingly, in such an environment, our results show that a relatively low user density is enough to guarantee content persistence over time, contrarily to predictions from available models. Based on these experimental findings, we develop a novel simple analytical model that accounts for the peculiarities of the mobility patterns in such a setting, and that can accurately predict the effectiveness of FC for the implementation of services in a campus/large office setting.
PURPOSE To study the effect of combined corneal epithelial scrape and contact lens wear treatment on regression in eyes with symptomatic overcorrection after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) or PRK retreatment.   METHODS Fifteen eyes had corneal epithelial scrape with a scalpel followed by soft contact lens wear for approximately 1 month. Eight of the eyes were treated 3-4 months after the laser procedure, and seven eyes were treated >4 months after laser treatment. Fifteen eyes that had the same level of PRK correction and monitored during the same interval after PRK were used as matched control eyes.   RESULTS Epithelial scrape was performed for mean spherical equivalent (SE) of +1.1+/-0.4 diopters (D) (range, +0.50 to +1.75 D) at mean 6.1+/-3.2 months after PRK or PRK retreatment. The SE in these eyes was +0.5+/-0.6 D (range, -0.25 to +1.25 D) 3 months after epithelial scrape and +0.4+/-0.5 D (range, -0.75 to +1.25 D) 6 months after scrape. The change in scraped eyes at 3 and 6 months compared to before scrape was statistically significant (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The change in mean SE at 6 months after scrape (-0.7+/-0.5 D) was significantly different than the change noted in matched control eyes that were not scraped (-0.1+/-0.2 D) over the same interval after the PRK or PRK retreatment procedure. The change in SE at 6 months after epithelial scrape was greater for the eyes scraped 4 months or less (mean, 3.6+/-0.5 months) after PRK (-0.9+/-0.3 D) than eyes scraped >4 months (9.0+/-2.6 months) after PRK (-0.4+/-0.5 D). This difference approached statistical significance (p = 0.06).   CONCLUSIONS Epithelial scrape and soft contact lens treatment for symptomatic overcorrection after PRK may induce regression and is more likely to be effective when performed <4 months after the primary PRK or PRK retreatment procedure.
Change orders are inevitable in most construction projects. The conventional change order practice is usually associated with 2D drawings and various paper-based documents, which cannot illustrate the existing and altered building conditions efficiently. This often leads to misinterpretation and miscommunication among project participants. In addition, cost and schedule information, which is basic inputs for analyzing the impact of change orders, is usually scattered and poorly organized resulting in difficulties in retrieving it. The evaluation of cost and schedule impacts is often subjective and unsystematic contributing to construction disputes. Building information modeling (BIM) is widely used in modern construction projects. BIM is a promising construction information management tool, which can address the aforementioned challenges. In this paper, we develop the BIM-Integrated System for Evaluating the Impacts of Construction Change Orders (BIM-ISICO), which can systematically analyze three main impacts of a change order: physical conditions, schedule, and cost. The BIM-ISICO assists users in observing and visualizing the effect of a change order on building conditions systematically via 3D BIM models. The system can also evaluate the impacts of such change order on project cost and schedule. It establishes a new paradigm of delay and cost analysis by minimizing subjectivity and providing the auditing trails of change orders. To demonstrate its efficacy and practicality, the system is applied to an actual 18-story building project for analyzing the impact of a construction change order. The system can successfully assess and report all three aspects of change order impacts. These results can mitigate the conflicts between the project owner and the contractor about the construction claims resulting from change orders.
Ceils in tissue culture are particularly suited to electron microscopy because of their tendency to flatten out to extreme thinness on a flat surface. Porter et al. (1) were the first to recognize this and to develop a technique, using plastic-coated coverflips as a substrate, by which undisturbed cultures of tissue cells could be fixed and transferred to specimen grids of the electron microscope. These basic procedures have since been used by a number of investigators in the study of many different cell types (2-6). The polyvinyl formal, "formvar" films used in these procedvres, though giving satisfactory end results, have some disadvantages. Slides or coverflips coated with plastic cannot be sterilized by autoclaving or dry heat, but require exposure in special containers to ultraviolet radiation or sterilizing vapors. The use of alcoholic solutions for preservation or fixation of the cells is limited, since they sometimes cause the films to adhere so firmly to the glass that subsequent removal without damaging the ceils becomes difficult. In addition, the films often break or develop holes which can be seen in the micrographs. Attempts to use silicone vapor and other films in place of the plastic have generally been unsuccessful (5). Although thin sectioning has almost entirely superseded the observation of cultured cells in situ, in some types of experiments the latter technique is still desirable, for example in the study of the cytotoxic effect of antibodies. The use of carbon film as a specimen support has become widespread since its introduction by Bradley (7). The results of our investigations on the use of the carbon film as a substrate for the electron microscopy of cultured ceils form the basis for this report. New, 3 x I inch glass slides were polished with lens tissue and coated with carbon essentially according to Bradley (7), but with no parting layer. A commercial evaporator and carbon holder were used I. After they were coated, the slides were placed, carbon side up, on 7 ram. glass rod supports in 145 mm. covered culture dishes--approximately
Executing a set of control loops over a shared multi-hop (wireless) control network (MCN) requires careful co-scheduling of the control tasks and the routing of sensory/actuation messages over the MCN. In this work, we establish pattern guided aperiodic execution of control loops as a resource-aware alternative to traditional fully periodic executions of a set of embedded control loops sharing a computation and the communication infrastructure. We provide a satisfiability modulo theory–based co-design framework that synthesizes loop execution patterns having optimized control cost as the underlying scheduling scheme together with the associated routing solution over the MCN. The routing solution implements the timed movement of the sensory/actuation messages of the control loops, generated according to those loop execution patterns. From the given settling time requirement of the control loops, we compute a control theoretically sound model using matrix inequalities, which gives an upper bound to the number of loop drops within the finite length loop execution pattern. Next, we show how the proposed framework can be useful for evaluating the fault tolerance of a resource-constrained shared MCN subject to communication link failure.
In this paper, we have studied a construct code recognition system using a neural network according to an image process taking the DOT classification code stamped on a tire surface. It happened that sometimes characters of the code were distorted at the edge by diffused reflection and two adjacent characters take the same label, being very sensitive to illumination used for recognizing them on the tire. Thus, this paper would propose the algorithm for tire code being conscious of these properties and prove the efficiency of the algorithm with a simulation. Also, we have suggested a MCBP network composing of multi-linked recognizers for the efficient identification of the DOT code as the tire classification code. The MCBP network extracts the projection value for classifying each character's region after taking out its projection on the X and Y axes, processes each character by taking a 7 × 8 normalization. We have improved the accuracy by 3% through the MCBP network and post-process comparing the DOT code database. This approach finally results in the improvement of the learning time to 60% and the recognition rate goes up to 95% from 90%, better than with Back Propagation with post-processing. It has also attained greater rates of tire recognition at 98%.
Abstract AbstractObjective: Restoration of lost dentition in the severely atrophic posterior maxilla has been successfully treated with various sinus augmentation techniques such as using bone grafts and bone substitutes are frequently used to enable placement of dental implants. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether sinus membrane elevation and the simultaneous insertion of titanium implants without additional grafting material constitute a valid technique for bone augmentation of the maxillary sinus floor.Material and methods: A 35-year-old female patient evaluated with lost dentition in the left posterior maxilla. Preoperative cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) were taken to guide the surgery. The sinus lift was performed and two implants were placed simultaneously in the residual subantral bone. The collected peripheral venous blood was applied to support the sinus membrane over the implant apex. Computed tomography (CT) was performed after 6 months healing period.Results: Comparisons of pre- and postoperative CT radiography clearly demonstrated new bone formation and new sinus floors were found within the compartment created by the sinus membrane elevation procedure. All implants remained stable during the healing period in clinical evaluations therefore definitive fixed prosthesis inserted. Conclusion: The case report showed that sinus membrane elevation without the use of bone graft material was found to be a predictable technique for bone augmentation of the maxillary sinus floor.
This study investigates the secrecy performance of a hybrid satellite-terrestrial relay network (HSTRN) in the presence of multiple eavesdroppers, where the satellite link undergoes Shadowed-Rician fading, while the terrestrial link follows Rayleigh fading. The authors suppose the direct link between the satellite and the intended user is unavailable due to heavy shadowing and adopt a multi-antenna relay using either a decode-and-forward (DF) or an amplify-and-forward (AF) protocol to assist the transmission. By employing perfect channel state information of each link at the relay, the authors first apply receive maximal ratio combining beamforming (BF) and transmit zero-forcing BF schemes to obtain the output signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of the intended user and eavesdroppers. Then, based on the Meijer-G function and the moment generating function, the authors derive the analytical expressions of the ergodic secrecy rate for the considered HSTRN for both DF and AF protocols. Finally, Monte-Carlo simulations are conducted to validate the theoretical performance analysis and reveal the effects of certain representative parameters on the system secrecy performance.
The market for biogenic and synthetic alternatives to leather is increasing aiming to replace animal-based materials with vegan alternatives. In parallel, bio-based raw materials should be used instead of fossil-based synthetic raw materials. In this study, a shoe upper leather and an artificial leather, and nine alternative materials (Desserto®, Kombucha, Pinatex®, Noani®, Appleskin®, Vegea®, SnapPap®, Teak Leaf®, and Muskin®) were investigated. We aimed to compare the structure and technical performance of the materials, which allows an estimation of possible application areas. Structure and composition were characterized by microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy, the surface properties, mechanical performance, water vapor permeability, and water absorption by standardized physical tests. None of the leather alternatives showed the universal performance of leather. Nevertheless, some materials achieved high values in selected properties. It is speculated that the grown multilayer structure of leather with a very tight surface and a gradient of the structural density over the cross-section causes this universal performance. To date, this structure could neither be achieved with synthetic nor with bio-based materials.
Purpose The Mid-German Sepsis Cohort (MSC) aims to investigate mid-term and long-term functional disabilities in sepsis survivors from intensive care unit (ICU) discharge until 1 year after. Secondary, post-acute mortality and morbidity, health-related quality of life and healthcare utilisation will be investigated. Participants The MSC comprises adult (aged ≥18 years) patients who were treated for (severe) sepsis or septic shock on ICU. The participants were recruited between 15 April 2016 and 30 November 2018 from five German centres. Three thousand two hundred and ten patients with sepsis were identified, of which 1968 survived their ICU stay and were eligible for enrolment in the follow-up cohort. Informed consent for follow-up assessment was provided by 907 patients (46.1% of eligible patients). Findings to date The recruitment of the participants for follow-up assessments and the baseline data collection is completed. Incidence of sepsis was 116.7 patients per 1000 ICU patients. In this cohort profile, we provide an overview of the demographics and the clinical characteristics of both the overall sepsis cohort and the ICU survivors who provided informed consent for follow-up assessment (907 out of 1968 ICU survivors (46.1%)). Future plans The follow-ups are conducted 3, 6 and 12 months after ICU discharge. Another yearly follow-up up to 5 years after ICU discharge is pursued. Several cooperation and satellite projects were initiated. This prospective cohort offers a unique resource for research on long-term sequelae of sepsis survivors. Trial registration number German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS00010050).
In preparation for a study of the relative oral bioavailability of polychlorinated dibenzo-p -dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in soils (typically containing less than 1 ppb 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin [TCDD] toxic equivalents [TEQ]), the background concentrations of PCDD/Fs and selected polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured in liver and adipose tissue from female Sprague-Dawley rats and juvenile swine after 30 d of ingesting laboratory chow. The measured concentrations of TCDD and other PCDD/Fs in rat livers were severalfold less than previously reported in the literature for control (unexposed) laboratory rodents. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs and selected PCBs in livers of swine were three- to fourfold lower than those reported for rats. The lower concentrations found in this study compared to previous findings may be due to inadvertent laboratory contamination in previous studies or to declining levels of PCDD/Fs in laboratory feed, which parallel the declines in emissions, general environmental levels, and human food and tissue levels of PCDD/Fs.
The rapid development of autonomous ground vehicle technologies (AV) and the recent proliferation of unmanned aerial system (UAS) applications motivate the search for appropriate solutions ensuring safe and effective navigation of such autonomous platforms in any operational environment and condition, including situations where air and ground platforms share the same space. Because of the easy availability and efficiency of GNSS (Global Navigation satellite System) for civilian use, GNSS positioning has been widely used in a large variety of consumer applications, in particular in mobile devices and, in fact, it has become an enabling technology for many applications, allowing positioning and navigation of ground and aerial platforms almost everywhere. Since reliable GNSS signal reception cannot be guaranteed in urban and vegetated areas as well as when signals are subject to unintentional and intentional interferences, the provision of alternate and complementary positioning solutions has been of high interest for a long while. One of the applicable techniques is the use of collaborative navigation (CN), where platforms navigating in close vicinity can share navigation information and a joint navigation solution can potentially provide better individual navigation solutions for all platforms. In this work we investigate the feasibility and performance of CN in areas where ground and airborne vehicles operate in the same space. A field test, including multiple ground vehicles and drones was conducted to acquire experimental data to assess accuracy, robustness and accuracy of CN in a simulated intersection area. Initial results of this research work are reported.
T HE SEARCH FOR VALID ANALOGIES between the structure of language and the structure of other aspects of culture is an important part of modern anthropological thought. Recent students of this problem seem to fall into two general groups: (1) those followers of Whorf who, in a variety of ways, are seeking congruencies between the language and the cultural values, perceptions, or practices of some particular society, and (2) those who, like Pike, are attempting to formulate unified theories of the structure of human behavior within which language appears as a special, though central, case (Pike 1954-1960). The present paper is in the latter tradition. I shall suggest several analogies between language structure and social structure. These analogies have elsewhere led to the formulation of descriptive statements of the structural units of a community and the relationships among these units.2 Fundamental to this undertaking is the proposition that all linguistic forms (morphemes, morphological and syntactic structures, etc.) constitute a sub-class of the more general category cultural forms. Following Redfield's definition of culture as "conventional understandings, manifest in act and artifact" (1941: 132), I propose to define a cultural form as:
Radiated Emission non-compliance at vehicle-level is an EMC challenge for supplier design engineers and ultimately for automotive OEM validation team. However, infrequently an undesirable situation may result due to the complexity of RF Interference environment of modern vehicles. The vehicle level radiated emission compliance validation is extremely complex and costly and not suitable for troubleshooting. As a result, component-level radiated emission specifications of automotive sector demands stringent pass/fail limit requirements and is viewed as one of the most difficult design challenges for EMC engineers. The modern vehicle is abundantly rich in noise source with a large number of electrical and electronic components interacting via sensors and vehicle communication networks. In this paper, we describe a vehicle-level radiated emission non-compliance, critical engineering observations and sensible data collections at vehicle test site, complying with time and budget constraints. Hence the mitigation techniques applied at the supplier laboratory to resolve the radiated emission failure without requiring additional retest iterations at vehicle-level are described.
We present the case of a 67-year-old male patient with a past history of previously resected T3 right adrenocortical carcinoma and T3N1 signet ring cell adenocarcinoma of the stomach who presented with recurrence of gastric cancer in the form of a large solitary mass in the right abdomen. He was treated with ECX (epirubicin, cisplatin and capecitabine) chemotherapy and multivisceral resection. This recurrence pattern is the first such description in the literature, and we discuss the controversies and arguments in favour of offering surgical resection.
In a cellular system, if there are too many data users in a cell, which we refer to as a hot cell, data may suffer large delay, and system's quality of service (QoS) may degrade. A dynamic channel-allocation scheme assigns more channels to those hot cells under centralized control (CC). In mobile-assisted data forwarding (MADF), we add an ad-hoc overlay to the fixed cellular infrastructure and special channels-called forwarding channels-are used to connect users in a hot and its surrounding cold cells without going through the hot cell's base station. The forwarding-channel management in MADF is done by the mobile units themselves to relieve the load on the CC. We find that, using MADF, under a certain delay requirement, the system performance can be greatly improved.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with chronic hemolysis and painful episodes. Pregnancy accelerates sickle cell complications, including prepartum and postpartum vasoocclusive crisis, pulmonary complications, and preeclampsia or eclampsia. Fetal complications include preterm birth and its associated risks, intrauterine growth restriction, and a high rate of perinatal mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pregnancy outcomes in patients with SCD who underwent planned preventive red blood cell exchange (RBCX).
The term “shoe” covers a wide range of products made from various materials. Organic solvents (OS) are components of various products such as the adhesives which are used in many industries. The shoe industry consumes large amounts of adhesives. This chemical risk assessment (CRA) is to validate the hypothesis of decreasing gradient of RA craft enterprises to industrial enterprises through the semi-industrial. The simplified methodology CRA of INRS was applied. For each chemical, a hazard class is assigned based on the sign, and then the potential exposure class is determined according to parameters “quantity and frequency of use”. Our RA process is complete with ambient measurements for solvents to which employees are most frequently exposed. Adhesives being constituted as solvent mixture, we have conventionally used an exposure index which is compared with the limit values. The simplified method CRA of INRS was chosen because it is one of the reference methods in RA established from the Kinney model. If these atmospheric samples and toxicology tests were made for the first time in the shoe industry in Sfax, they concerned a sample of companies of the three shoe manufacturing processes preceded by a preliminary RA with poststudy and inventory of products handled.
Users of extended range HF (3 to 30 MHz) radar and communication systems employing the ionosphere desire signal reception at incidence angles near-grazing to the local earth tangent. For vertical polarization, the vanishing received fields at low incidence angles over dielectric earth may be increased by using large ground screens. In this paper a ground-screen formulation based on scattering techniques is developed. The ground screen is viewed as a scatterer in free space, excited by a plane wave. A Fresnel image wave is added to establish the air-earth interface. Formulations are developed for the semi-infinite screen and for the circular-cylinder surface segment screen. The semi-infinite screen is representative in performance to a round screen of radius equal to the distance from the edge of the semi-infinite screen at which the field is computed or measured. For a ground screen on a hill the cylindrical segment is appropriate. Computations for a simulated earth were made and corroborated by experimental simulation with scale models. Improvements in field strength of 7 to 14 dB or more can be achieved with large screens over no screen. "Relatively small" tilted or raised flat screens, and cylindrical segment screens, can give improvements equal to very large flat screens on the earth.
OBJECTIVE: Congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) are the leading cause of chronic renal disease in childhood. Abnormal intrauterine conditions as well as genetic disorders play role in CAKUT development. We evaluated antenatal factors in CAKUT. MATERIAL and METHODS: The study and control groups included 140 CAKUT cases and 140 children without urinary malformation, respectively. Both groups were compared for antenatal (gestational period, prematurity, oligohydramios, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, accompanying malformation, in vitro fertilization), maternal (age, body weight at pregnancy onset, weight gain during pregnancy, systemic disease, smoking, alcohol, medications) and familial (consanguinity, renal disease, urinary malformation) parameters. RESULTS: The study group had a shorter gestational period (38.8±2.9 vs. 39.5±0.9 week, p=0.004), but higher prematurity (9.3% vs. 0.7%, p=0.001), parity (≥2 parity 57.9% vs. 41.4%, p=0.006), oligohydramnios (6.4% vs. 0%, p=0.002), accompanying malformation (15.7% vs. 5.7%, p=0007), weight gain in pregnancy (18.8±2.9 vs. 18.1±2.8 kg, p=0.047) and familial renal disease (7.9% vs. 2.1%, p=0.028) rates. In vitro fertilization was present in only two cases in the study group. CONCLUSION: Weight gain in pregnancy and increased parity may be risk factors for CAKUT. Population-based studies are needed to determine the role of subfertility. KEy wORDS: CAKUT, Maternal weight, Parity, Risk factors, Subfertility
It is well known that the thermodynamic characteristics of thin fluid films significantly differ from those for the same fluid in the bulk condition. Particularly, the pressure in film differs from the bulk value on a quantity, which depends on the film thickness. The film thickness during the evaporation process will directly determine heat transfer and fluid flow in the evaporating thin-film region. A unique experimental system was constructed to investigate the effect of heat flux on the film thickness in the evaporating thin-film region. The film thickness near the interline region was measured using one-spot thin-film analyzer F20. Temperatures at the liquid–vapor interface near the interline region were measured using the MIKRON infrared camera. Experimental results show that as the input power increases the film thickness near the interline region decreases, which is similar to the theoretical prediction.
The results of some specimen size effect experiments on technical grade transformer oil are reported. Four electrode areas (1.77, 8.19, 37.9 and 177 cm2) and four gap spacings (0 .215 0.464, 1.0 and 2.15 mm) were investigated using a fast ramp (5.5 x 1012 V.cm-1.sec-1) and an ac ramp (12 kV. cm-1.sec-1). Whilst the results are in general agreement with weak link theories, it is suggested that physical specimen size factors play a significant part. Examples of physical size factors are spark conditioning, electrode profile, and liquid motion.
Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) can act as an autocrine growth factor for hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) cells. The TNF produced by the malignant clone may also inhibit normal haematopoiesis thereby contributing to the cytopenias observed in patients with the disease. We have studied the effects of infusing a murine monoclonal anti‐TNF antibody in three patients with HCL. In two patients receiving 0.5mg of antibody/kg on alternate days for 12 d, the drug was well tolerated. The third patient received 2 mg/kg on alternate days and developed symptoms of serum sickness by day 9. In two patients with severe B‐lymphocytopenia, circulating CD19 and CD20 positive, B‐cells were restored to normal, the majority of which were negative for the HCL‐associated marker CDllc. B‐lymphocyte recovery was associated with a rise in serum immunoreactive IL‐6 and with an early rise in immunoreactive TNF. These short courses of anti‐TNF MAb treatment had modest effect on the tumour burden, producing a reduction in splenomegaly in one patient. Exploration of the effects of more prolonged administration of higher dose anti‐TNF antibody will only be feasible when less immunogenic MAbs are available.
Sediment transport in cobble‐boulder rivers consists mostly of fine sediment moving over a coarse, immobile bed. Transport rate depends on several interrelated factors: boundary shear stress, the grain size and volume of fine sediment, and the configuration of fine sediment into interstitial deposits and bed forms. Existing models do not incorporate all of these factors. Approaches that partition stress face a daunting challenge because most of the boundary shear is exerted on immobile grains. We present an alternative approach that divides the bed into sand patches and interstitial deposits and is well constrained by two clear end‐member cases: full sand cover and absence of sand. Entrainment from sand patches is a function of their aerial coverage. Entrainment from interstices among immobile grains is a function of sand elevation relative to the size of the immobile grains. The bed‐sand coverage function is used to predict the ratio of the rate of entrainment from a partially covered bed to the rate of entrainment from a completely sand‐covered bed, which is determined using a standard sand transport model. We implement the bed‐sand coverage function in a morphodynamic routing model and test it against observations of sand bed elevation and suspended sand concentration for conditions of nonuniform fine sediment transport in a large flume with steady uniform flow over immobile hemispheres. The results suggest that this approach may provide a simple and robust method for predicting the transport and migration of fine sediment through rivers with coarse, immobile beds.
A novel optical fiber sensor using a mesh microbend optical fiber sensor to measure the perioperative heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) frequency signals was developed by our team. The feasibility of the sensor was evaluated in 10 infants in the perioperative period. We used traditional algorithms, such as Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) and Wavelet Transformation (WT) to remove the noise and extract the features of the acquired HR and RR signals. However, the nonlinear fitting abilities of those traditional algorithms failed to completely remove the noise hence it was difficult to extract the features effectively. In this paper, we propose a deep learning model EMD-LSTM-CNN (ELC) to process both HR and RR based on Long Short Term Memory (LSTM), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Empirical Modal Decomposition (EMD) methods. The trend term is extracted by EMD from HR and RR. The CNN and LSTM are applied to extract features and process them respectively. The experimental results show that the deep learning model has a better result compared with the traditional FFT and WT algorithms. The proposed model demonstrates compliance with the current standard physiological monitoring method in measuring non-stationary vibration signals such as HR and RR, which promises potential clinical applications in the future.
Vibrationally resolved REMPI and ZEKE spectra of acetanilide are presented with assignments based on CASSCF/cc-pVDZ ab initio calculations and symmetry considerations of different methyl rotor states. ZEKE spectra selectively recorded via intermediate rotor states of a particular symmetry allow us to directly measure the splittings of the 0a1 and 1e rotor levels in the S0 state. Methyl group rotational features in the REMPI and ZEKE spectra are assigned from a simulation of methyl internal rotor levels in a one-dimensional model using a periodic V3−V6 potential, and barrier heights for methyl group rotation are extracted for the S0, S1, and D0 states. Additional vibrational features corresponding to displacements of the amide group and side-chain are identified and analyzed by comparison to formanilide which was studied previously (Ullrich, S.; et al. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2001, 3, 5450; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2002, 41, 166).
During the course of work on corpus-luteum extracts being carried out in this laboratory, it seemed advisable to study the details of the endometrium of the rat during pseudopregnancy and pregnancy, to see if this animal might not be substituted for the rabbit as a test animal for the potency of these extracts. We (Corner and W. M. Allen, '29; T'v. M. -411en and Corner, '30) have shown that corpus-lnteum extracts may be made which produce in the castrated female rabbit the progestational proliferation characteristic of early pregnancy and that these extracts will maintain pregnancy to term in pregnant rabbits whose ovaries were removed eighteen hours after a normal mating. However, the use of the rabbit for routine testing of the extract seemed extravagant if the rat possibly could be substituted. The one drawback to the use of the rat, however, was the absence from the literature of definite descriptions of the histological structure of the endometrium during pregnancy and, especially, pseudopregnancy. The vaginal changes have been carefully studied, but, since some at least of the specific effects of the corpus luteum in the rabbit and guinea-pig are to be found in the
Network-analysis literature is rich in node-centrality measures that quantify the centrality of a node as a function of the (shortest) paths of the network that go through it. Existing work focuses on defining instances of such measures and designing algorithms for the specific combinatorial problems that arise for each instance. In this work, we propose a unifying definition of centrality that subsumes all path-counting based centrality definitions: e.g., stress, betweenness or paths centrality. We also define a generic algorithm for computing this generalized centrality measure for every node and every group of nodes in the network. Next, we define two optimization problems: k-Group Centrality Maximization and k-Edge Centrality Boosting. In the former, the task is to identify the subset of k nodes that have the largest group centrality. In the latter, the goal is to identify up to k edges to add to the network so that the centrality of a node is maximized. We show that both of these problems can be solved efficiently for arbitrary centrality definitions using our general framework. In a thorough experimental evaluation we show the practical utility of our framework and the efficacy of our algorithms.
Context. In recent years, several numerical studies have been done in the field of the stability limit. Although, many of them included the analysis of asteroids or planets, is not possible to find in the literature any work on how the presence of a binary star could affect other possible configurations in a three-body problem. In order to develop this subject we consider other structures like Oort Clouds in wide binary systems. Regarding the existence of Oort Clouds in extrasolar systems there are recent works that do not reject its possible existence. Aims. The aim of this work is to obtain the stability limit for Oort Cloud objects considering different masses of the secondary star and zero and non-zero inclinations of the particles. We improve our numerical treatment getting a mathematical fit that allows us to find the limit and compare our results with other previous works in the field. Methods. We use a symplectic integrator to integrate binary systems where the primary star is m1 = 1 M and the secondary, m2, takes 0.25 M and 0.66 M in two sets of simulations S 1 and S 2. The orbital parameters of the secondary star were varied in order to study different scenarios. We also used two different integration times (one shorter than the other) and included the presence of 1000 to 10 000 massless particles in circular orbits to form the Oort Cloud. The particles were disposed in four different inclination planes to investigate how the presence of the binary companion could affect the stability limit. Results. Using the Maximum Eccentricity Method, emax, together with the critical semimajor axis acrit we found that the emax criteria could reduce the integration times to find the limit. For those cases where the particles were in inclined orbits we found that there are particle groups that survive the integration time with a high eccentricity. These particle groups are found for our two sets of simulations, meaning that they are independent of the secondary mass. We also find for the co-planar case that the numerical value of the stability limit for retrograde orbits is higher than those found for prograde orbits. These results are in agreement with several published studies. Finally, the results obtained in this work allow us to build a numerical expression depending of the mass ratio, e2 and ip to find acrit, which can be compared with other recent works in the field.
Cognitive factors can strongly influence mothers’ well-being. Maternal beliefs about societal expectations, role identity, maternal confidence, and concern about being a good or bad parent threaten maternal well-being, especially if these beliefs are irrational, inflexible, and strict. Moreover, they can negatively influence the critical time of returning to work after maternity leave. As stated by the conservation of resources theory, people may become more irrational when their resources are exhausted, with detrimental effects on individual well-being. To protect and enhance well-being, working mothers should draw upon additional resources, including their organizational contexts. In this regard, a key figure is the supervisor, whose positive behaviours and stable support can improve working mothers’ well-being and facilitate their effective return to work after maternity leave. This study aims at examining the relation between the rigidity of maternal beliefs and well-being (namely, general health, job satisfaction, and job performance), hypothesizing the mediation effect of perceived supervisor support during return to work after maternity leave. The Rigidity of Maternal Beliefs Scale, the measure for Supervisors to Support Return to Work, and the General Health Questionnaire were used together with a two-item measure for examining job performance and a single-item measure for measuring job satisfaction. The questionnaire was completed by 216 mothers. We tested the hypotheses by means of structural equation models with latent variables, using the Lisrel 8.80 software. Findings show that rigidity of maternal beliefs is associated with perceived supervisor support during return to work, which, in turn, is associated with working mothers’ general health, job satisfaction, and job performance. Consequently, perceived supervisor support during return to work totally mediates the relations between the rigidity of maternal beliefs and the outcomes considered. Results underline the centrality of supervisor perceived negative behaviors in sustaining working mothers after the long-term leave, when irrational beliefs regarding motherhood threaten their well-being. Practical implications for HR management are discussed.
PURPOSE NHS Blood and Transplant Tissue and Eye Services provide a serum eye drop (SED) service to patients suffering from severe dry eye syndrome. Currently SED are dispensed using an automatic closed filling system (TF) manufactured by Meise Medizintechnik (Germany). An improved version (ATS) has recently been introduced by Meise, based on patient feedback on the TF system. ATS vials are easier to open, with a more secure, tamper evident closure and a better quality nozzle.To evaluate the suitability of ATS vials, a validation protocol, previously developed for TF vials, was repeated. It comprised assessment of their integrity following simulated storage and transport, and the stability and sterility of SED stored in them.   METHOD Firstly, a process simulation assessment was performed using bovine serum. Vials were filled, and frozen to -80oC. They were then removed from frozen storage and checked for damage, before being put into transport containers and shipped on a round-trip journey to simulate delivery to patients. On return the vials were thawed and the integrity of each vial checked visually and by application of a standard force.Subsequently a shelf-life study was carried out using three batches of human SED. The vials were initially frozen to -80oC, then stored for set time points of 1, 3, 6 and 12 months in a standard domestic freezer set at 20oC (to mimic a home freezer). At each time point, 10 vials were thawed and examined for integrity, and the sterility and stability of the contents. Stability was assessed by measuring serum albumin concentrations and sterility by testing for presence of microbial contamination, under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.   RESULTS No vial damage or leakage was found at any time point in the ATS vials. No microbial contamination was detected, and no change in albumin levels was detected in SED throughout the storage period.   CONCLUSION This study has demonstrated that the ATS vials are suitable for provision of SED for clinical use to patients. Feedback is now being gathered from a patient focus group relating to usability of the vials.
A novel coding scheme is proposed for applications over wireless microsensor networks to meet both wireless link bandwidth and node energy constraints. First, an analysis is performed on the energy efficiency of coding schemes in wireless microsensor networks. Based on this analysis, we devise a power aware coding scheme, called EESPIHT which exploits the spatio-temporal correlation of multiple sensor readings. It is also made resilient to channel errors: it selects an error correcting code based on source coding information and transmission power so that energy dissipation is minimized. Experimental results on a LINUX implementation and simulation results based on OPNET using field data sets show that the proposed scheme can reduce energy on communication by more than 60% and maintain a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain of 24 dB or better compared to the non-coded case.
Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is a leading evidence-based treatment for those eating disorders in which binge eating is a feature. This article begins with a consideration of the rationale for using IPT to treat patients with eating disorders. This is followed by a review of the evidence supporting its use and a brief description of treatment including an illustrative clinical case vignette. The article closes with a discussion of possible future directions for research on IPT for eating disorders. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message IPT for eating disorders (IPT-ED) closely resembles IPT for depression and primarily focuses on current interpersonal problems. It is well suited for helping patients to address interpersonal difficulties which appear to be maintaining the eating disorder.
243 Chronic Expanding Hematoma: Mystery or Misnomer? In a recent issue of AJR , Hwang et al. [1] described a unique pathologic process named as chronic expanding hematoma. As they correctly pointed out, most patients, particularly Japanese patients, developed a lesion in chronic tuberculous empyema [1–5]. Although long-standing growing hematoma has frequently been reported in patients with no history of hemophilia or other hemorrhagic diatheses, the concept of “chronic expanding hematoma” has been criticized. Bleeding episodes caused by vascular lesions of tuberculosis have been well described [6–8]. Aneurysm of the pulmonary artery may occur in the tuberculous cavities and may bleed massively (Rasmussen’s aneurysm) [8]. Thrombosis also occurs in branches of the pulmonary artery around the tuberculous foci (endarteritis obliterans), and the occlusion of pulmonary circulation results in the development of collateral systemic circulation through bronchial, intercostal, and other arteries in the chest wall [6]. Such collateral circulation may become the site of recurrent bleeding [9, 10]. Arteriographically, hypervascularity and enlarged vessels are common findings, and pseudoaneurysm is also seen in a small number of patients [9]. Aneurysms in unusual sites, including the internal mammary artery and aorta, have been reported [11, 12]. Vascular changes in chronic tuberculous empyema have been investigated at pathology and on CT scans [13, 14]. Increased vascularity and even angiomalike changes have been found in the empyema wall [14] (Fig. 1). In addition, we occasionally see active bleeding during percutaneous biopsy through the empyema. However, in the literature dealing with chronic expanding hematoma, the descriptions of the vascular changes are deficient, and in particular, arteriographic findings have not been documented [1–5, 15, 16]. Chronic expanding hematomas may also occur in the extremities [3, 15, 16]. Preexisting conditions including infection, history of surgery, or episodes of trauma are involved in most reported cases, but information on the arteriographic assessment is not available. Autonomic growth of subdural hematoma due to neomembrane formation by blood breakdown products has been shown experimentally [17], but it is not certain whether it is the main cause of extracranial hematoma formation. It is easier to accept hemorrhage due to vascular complications of chronic tuberculous infection as cause for a growing hematoma rather than primary chronic expanding hematoma, particularly for those who are familiar with chronic tuberculous infection. The possibility of a vascular complication of a preexisting condition, if one is present, should be considered for treatment of a growing hematoma. Shigeru Ehara Iwate Medical University School of Medicine Morioka 020-8505, Japan
Abstract Parent–offspring conflict theory hypothesizes that interests of offspring and parents are asymmetrical in key contexts including the offspring’s mating strategies and mate preferences. Evidence supports this hypothesis and documents these asymmetries in humans. However, offspring in East Asia have mate preferences and mating strategies that are in significantly greater harmony with their parents’ preferences about their mating choices as compared with offspring elsewhere in the world. The paper hypothesizes that the Confucian virtue of filial piety (xiao 孝) was designed and disseminated in order to benefit parents by enabling them successfully to extract more resources out of their offspring than is expected given either data from parent–offspring conflict theory or data from cross-cultural studies of mate preferences and mating strategies. The results of this project mark an early step in building a stable interdisciplinary platform from which to more accurately observe and appraise the unappreciated, awe-inspiring influence of Confucianism.
Scientific problems dealing with the processing of large amounts of data require efforts in the integration of proper services and applications to facilitate the research activity, interacting with high performance computing resources. Easier access to these resources have a profound impact on research in neuroscience, leading to advances in the management and processing of neuro-anatomical images. An ever increasing amount of data are constantly collected with a consequent demand of top-class computational resources to process them. In this paper, a HPC infrastructure for the management and the processing of neuro-anatomical images is presented, introducing the effort made to optimize and integrate specific applications in order to fully exploit the available resources.
The ‘allergic march’ is a term used to describe an individual's progress from one clinical manifestation of allergy to another, with age. Not all sensitized children will join the allergic march, but it appears that individuals who do not join the allergic march have a greater risk of displaying symptoms of allergic disease in adulthood. Consequently, there is a need for early diagnosis of allergy in children. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody quantification is increasingly used for this purpose. However, rather than making a diagnosis based on single positive IgE antibody results only, it may be more efficient to test a profile of airborne and food allergens and use the sum of IgE antibody concentrations ≥3.5 kUA/l in combination with the number of allergens that elicit positive results tests. Allergic diseases often co‐exist in patients, and the combination of several exposures at a given time (the allergen load) is related to disease severity. Therefore, a reduction of the allergen load is a key to successful treatment.
A three-dimensional numerical model has been developed to simulate the motion of electrons inside the duct of a vacuum arc metal source. It is found that electrons will travel back and forth along the center axis inside the duct tube. This phenomenon of electron oscillation can be explained by the combined effects of the electric and magnetic fields. The electron oscillation will increase the charge state of the positive ions and the ions will gain more energy. Due to the influence of electron oscillation, the plasma throughput of the duct will be different from that of a duct under the influence of only the magnetic field. This finding should be taken into account when designing metal arc sources and optimizing their performance.
Large language models (LLMs) have achieved signiﬁcant performance in many ﬁelds, such as reasoning, language understanding, and math problem-solving, and are regarded as an important step to artiﬁcial general intelligence (AGI). However, the sensitivity of LLMs to prompts remain a major bottleneck for their daily adoption. In this paper, we take inspiration from psychology and propose EmotionPrompt to explore emotional intelligence to enhance the performance of LLMs. Our EmotionPrompt operates on a remarkably straightforward principle: the incorporation of emotional stimulus into prompts. Experimental re-sults demonstrate that our EmotionPrompt, using the same single prompt templates, signiﬁcantly out-performs the original prompt and Zero-shot-CoT in both zero-shot and few-shot settings on eight tasks with diverse models: ChatGPT, Vicuna-13b, Bloom, and Flan-T5-large. Furthermore, Emotion-Prompt was observed to improve both the truthfulness and informativeness. We believe that Emo-tionPrompt heralds a novel avenue for exploring interdisciplinary knowledge for interaction between humans and LLMs.
Shear thickening is a non-Newtonian flow behavior characterized by the increase of viscosity with the increase in applied shear rate. Due to this remarkable property of shear thickening fluid (STF), it has received extensively attention in armor protection fields. Through a process of impregnation, the STF in body armor has allowed further enhancement without hindering the flexibility of fabrics, which has led to the development of the concept of liquid body armor. In this paper, the STFs were prepared by mechanical stirring of silica nanoparticles dispersed in liquid polyethylene glycol. The rheological properties of as-prepared STFs were tested. Aramid and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fabrics were soaked in STF/ethanol solution to make STF/fabric composites. Knife quasi-static penetration tests were performed on the neat fabrics and STF/fabric composite targets for engineered knife on areal density basis. The results showed that compared with the neat fabrics, the STF impregnated fabrics exhibited better penetration resistance without affecting the fabric flexibility.
I examine the concept of the community field to identify the structures, elements, and processes that generate improved capacity for community action. I conduct analysis of interlocking leadership among local organizations and recent community action in three Midwestern communities to determine the structure and attributes of the community field. I use findings from community poster research to anticipate and guide interpretation of the different network structures found in each community. A community field is identified in the communities with pyramidal and coalitional structures. Inclusive, coordinating networks, institutions with stockpiled resources, and the existence of local planning processes are some of the community field-like structures and processes I identify. The findings have implications for future rural community research and practice, including support for increased use of network analysis as a diagnostic tool for community development
Oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common subtypes of oral cavity cancer involving the oral cavity. worldwide, associated with high morbidity and mortality. A study by the International Agency for research on oral cancer has reported that the incidence of oral cancer in India may increase from 1 million to more than 1.7 million from 2012 to 2035.  Aims: A prospective study over 2 years was designed to assess the clinical presentation, age and gender most commonly affected, site, and histopathological variant.  Settings and Design: Prospective Study, Descriptive Data, Cross-Sectional Design.  Methods and Material: A detailed questionnaire was designed to assess the incidence of oral cancer over a period of 2 years among patients visiting Government Medical College and General Hospital, Nizamabad, Telangana. A total of 118 patients with suspected Oral Cancer were screened and their biopsies performed.  Statistical analysis used: Descriptional Analysis of Data.  Results: 69 were males (58.47%) and the rest 49 (41.53%) were females. Major incidence was noted in the 5th decade of life. Clinical presentation varied from the ulcer (54.2%), swelling (20.5%), ulcer and swelling (11.8%), and swelling of the neck along with ulcer in primary site (13.5%). 49.2% of the patients presented with a lesion in the tongue making it the highest prone site. 94% of the patients were diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma followed by 4% as verrucous carcinoma and 2% as sarcoma.  Conclusions: The incidence of oral cancer is low in Nizamabad District. The presentation of oral cancer is similar to other regions. Males have a higher rate of incidence as compared to females. Tongue remains to be the site with the highest incidence which correlates with similar findings in other regions of the world.
Objectives: To identify predictors of operative and postoperative mortality and of functional reversibility after aortic valve replacement (AVR) in patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Methods and results: Between 1990 and 2000, 155 consecutive patients (mean (SD) age 72 (9) years) in New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart failure functional class III or IV (n  =  138) and with LV ejection fraction (LVEF) ⩽ 30% underwent AVR for critical AS (mean (SD) valve area index 0.35 (0.09) cm2/m2). Thirty day mortality was 12%. NYHA class (3.7 (0.6) v 3.2 (0.7), p  =  0.004), cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) (0.63 (0.07) v 0.56 (0.06), p < 0.0001), pulmonary artery systolic pressure (63 (25) v 50 (19) mm Hg, p  =  0.03), and prevalence of complete left bundle branch block (22% v 8%, p  =  0.03) and of renal insufficiency (p  =  0.001) were significantly higher in 18 non-survivors than in 137 survivors. In multivariate analysis, the only independent predictor of operative mortality was a CTR ⩾ 0.6 (odds ratio (OR) 12.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.4 to 27.4, p  =  0.002). The difference between preoperative and immediate postoperative LVEF (early-ΔEF) was > 10 ejection fraction units (EFU) in 55 survivors. In multivariate analysis, CTR (OR 5.95, 95% CI 3.0 to 11.6, p  =  0.006) and mean transaortic gradient (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.1, p < 0.05) were independent predictors of an early-ΔEF > 10 EFU. During a mean (SD) follow up of 4.6 (3) years, 50 of 137 (36%) 30 day survivors died, 31 of non-cardiac causes. Diabetes (OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.4 to 6.0, p  =  0.003), age ⩾ 75 years (OR 2.6, 95% CI 2.1 to 4.5, p  =  0.004), and early-ΔEF ⩽ 10 EFU (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94 to 0.97, p  =  0.01) were independent predictors of long term mortality. Among 127 survivors, the percentage of patients in NYHA functional class III or IV decreased from 89% preoperatively to 3% at one year. The decrease in functional class was significantly greater in patients with an early-ΔEF > 10 EFU than patients with an early-ΔEF ⩽ 10 EFU (p  =  0.02). In addition, the mean (SD) LVEF at one year was 53 (11)% in patients with an early-ΔEF > 10 EFU and 42 (11)% in patients with early-ΔEF ⩽ 10 EFU (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Despite a relatively high operative mortality, AVR for AS and severely depressed LVEF was beneficial in the majority of patients. Early postoperative recovery of LV function was associated with significantly greater relief of symptoms and longer survival.
Background Despite the discovery of the p.V617F in JAK2, the molecular pathogenesis of some chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms remains unclear. Although very rare, different studies have identified CBL (Cas-Br-Murine ecotropic retroviral transforming sequence) mutations in V617FJAK2-negative patients, mainly located in the RING finger domain. In order to determine the frequency of CBL mutations in these diseases, we studied different regions of all CBL family genes (CBL, CBLB and CBLC) in a selected group of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. We also included V617FJAK2-positive patients to check whether mutations in CBL and JAK2 are mutually exclusive events. Design and Methods Using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography, we screened for mutations in CBL, CBLB and CBLC in a group of 172 V617FJAK2-negative and 232 V617FJAK2-positive patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms not selected for loss of heterozygosity. The effect on cell proliferation of the mutations detected was analyzed on a 32D(FLT3) cell model. Results An initial screening of all coding exons of CBL, CBLB and CBLC in 44 V617FJAK2-negative samples revealed two new CBL mutations (p.C416W in the RING finger domain and p.A678V in the proline-rich domain). Analyses performed on 128 additional V617FJAK2-negative and 232 V617FJAK2-positive samples detected three CBL changes (p.T402HfsX29, p.P417R and p.S675C in two cases) in four V617FJAK2-positive patients. None of these mutations was found in 200 control samples. Cell proliferation assays showed that all of the mutations promoted hypersensitivity to interleukin-3 in 32D(FLT3) cells. Conclusions Although mutations described to date have been found in the RING finger domain and in the linker region of CBL, we found a similar frequency of mutations in the proline-rich domain. In addition, we found CBL mutations in both V617FJAK2-positive (4/232; 1.7%) and negative (2/172; 1.2%) patients and all of them promoted hypersensitivity to interleukin-3.
Nickel is a contact allergen causing Type I and Type IV hypersensitivity, mediated by reagins and allergen-specific T lymphocytes, expressing in a wide range of cutaneous eruptions following dermal or systemic exposure. As such, nickel is the most frequent cause of hypersensitivity, occupational as well as among the general population. In synoptic form, the many effects that nickel has on the organism are presented to provide a comprehensive picture of the aspects of that metal with many biologically noxious, but metallurgically indispensable characteristics. This paper reviews the epidemiology, the prognosis for occupational and non-occupational nickel allergic hypersensitivity, the types of exposure and resulting immune responses, the rate of diffusion through the skin, and immunotoxicity. Alternatives toward prevention and remediation, topical and systemic, for this pervasive and increasing form of morbidity are discussed. The merits and limitations of preventive measures in industry and private life are considered, as well as the effectiveness of topical and systemic therapy in treating nickel allergic hypersensitivity.
Most species exist as subdivided ex situ daughter population(s) derived from a single original group of individuals. Such subdivision occurs for many reasons both natural and manmade. Traditional British and Irish pony breeds were introduced to North America (U.S.A. and Canada) within the last 150 years, and subsequently equivalent breed societies were established. We have analyzed selected U.K. and North American equivalent pony populations as a case study for understanding the relationship between putative source and derived subpopulations. Diversity was measured using mitochondrial DNA and a panel of microsatellite markers. Genetic signatures differed between the North American subpopulations according to historical management processes. Founder effect and stochastic drift was apparent, particularly pronounced in some breeds, with evidence of admixture of imported mares of different North American breeds. This demonstrates the importance of analysis of subpopulations to facilitate understanding the genetic effects of past management practices and to lead to informed future conservation strategies.
This study reports the development of selected indicators affecting changes in food quality and safety of selected long-life canned (Szeged goulash, canned chicken meat, pork pâté, canned tuna fish) and dehydrated (instant goulash soup) food during a two-year storage experiment at four different temperatures. The storage temperatures were selected to represent Arctic (−18 °C), temperate (5 °C), subtropical (25 °C) and tropical (40 °C) climatic zones where such food is likely to be stored during, for example, humanitarian and military missions. Microorganism amounts below the detection limit (p < 0.05), regardless of the storage temperature (p ≥ 0.05), were monitored in canned samples. The contents of dry matter, fat and proteins did not change during storage, regardless of the storage temperature (p ≥ 0.05). During the 24-month storage, all food showed an increase in the level of ammonia (p < 0.05) and the TBARS-value (p < 0.05), whereas the rate of increase in both parameters was significantly higher at higher storage temperatures (p < 0.05). The losses of individual amino acids during storage ranged from 5% rel. calculated on the amino acid contents in Month “0” up to 15% rel. (p < 0.05). With storage temperatures above the freezing point, the hardness values decreased with the increase in the storage temperature (p < 0.05) and prolongation of the storage period (p < 0.05). Moreover, with temperatures of −18 °C, the development of hardness, measured as the “decrease rate”, was significantly higher compared to the absolute values.
This article is a review highlighting the current role of preventive immunization in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Clinical, pathogenic, and epidemiological aspects supporting the preventive immunization were described in the article. Different approaches and results of different vaccination schedules according to the respiratory pathogens were also analyzed. Based on this analysis, the authors developed the optimal schedule of preventive vaccination. Published results confirm the efficacy of vaccination against respiratory infections in CF patients not only as a preventive measure but as an important part of combined therapy of this disease. This is an attractive approach to improve the efficacy of the treatment and survival of CF patients.
The recent research and development on mine drainage published in 2017 was summarized in this review. In particular, this review was focused on three main aspects: 1) mine drainage and its environmental impact, 2) prediction and prevention, and 3) treatment technologies. The first section covers physiochemical characterization, microbiological characterization, and environmental impacts. The second section includes mine drainage prediction and prevention. The final section focuses physiochemical treatment, biological treatment, passive treatment, and beneficial uses of mine drainage and treatment wastes.
This study investigates the role of supervisory support for assisting the EFL student teachers to perform better during practicum. It also aims at identifying the barriers of effective supervision during teaching practicum. The study adopts the qualitative research design using a multiple case study. Semi-structured interviews are developed to collect data from four student teachers and their supervisors during their teaching practices at local secondary schools in Yemen. Four emerging themes are developed from the thematic analysis of the data including the supervisory support on lesson planning, teaching strategies, classroom management and the number of observations. The findings reveal that the participating student teachers received insufficient support and guidance from their panel supervisors which limit their pedagogical practices during practicum. The findings also highlight some barriers to effective supervision due to some restrictions. The study provides practical implications for EFL teacher education program administrators and developers to reconsider the supervision plan so as to contribute towards professional teaching practices at schools during practicum in Yemen.
Objective: To describe a cluster of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) in northern France. PSP has not been reported in geographical, temporal, or occupational clusters. A unit of Neurology and Neurogeriatrics opened in 2005 at the Centre Hospitalier de Wattrelos, serving the population of Wattrelos and Leers (combined population 51,551) and parts of neighboring towns. For most of the 20th century, this area was a center for chromate and phosphate ore processing, textile dyeing, and tanning. Significant industrial waste persists close to residential areas. Methods: From 2005 to 2014, 92 patients with PSP at Centre Hospitalier de Wattrelos were identified and studied. Detailed residential data were available in the medical records. Eighty cases have had magnetic resonance head scanning and 60 have died, of whom 13 have been examined neuropathologically. Results: The ratio of observed to expected PSP incidence over the period 2005 to 2012 was 12.3 (95% confidence interval: 7.4–35.9). Mean onset age was 74.3 years. The Richardson syndrome/PSP-parkinsonism ratio was 43%/42%. Four other phenotypes each occurred in 2% to 5%. Onset was gait/balance difficulty in 52%. None of the 92 affected patients were relatives and 7 were of North African ancestry. MRI was compatible with a clinical diagnostic of PSP in all cases. Histopathologic examination confirmed neurofibrillary degeneration and tufted astrocytes in all autopsied cases. Western blots revealed a typical tau 4R doublet. The tau H1 haplotype occurred in 95.8% of cases' chromosomes. Conclusions: We have identified a cluster of PSP in a geographical area with severe environmental contamination by industrial metals.
Recently, second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescent imaging has been widely applied in biomedical diagnosis, due to its high spatiotemporal resolution and deep tissue penetration. In contrast to the “always on” NIR-II fluorescent probes, the activatable NIR-II fluorescent probes have specific targeting to biological tissues, showing a higher imaging signal-to-background ratio and a lower detection limit. Therefore, it is of great significance to utilize disease-associated endogenous stimuli (such as pH values, enzyme existence, hypoxia condition and so on) to activate the NIR-II probes and achieve switchable fluorescent signals for specific deep bioimaging. This review introduces recent strategies and mechanisms for activatable NIR-II fluorescent probes and their applications in biosensing and bioimaging. Moreover, the potential challenges and perspectives of activatable NIR-II fluorescent probes are also discussed.
The aim of this in vitro study was to explore light transmission through an individually formed fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) post compared with two prefabricated FRC posts. Three different glass FRC posts from different manufacturers were used: two groups included prefabricated glass FRC posts (RelyX and GC Fiber Posts) and one group consisted of individually formed E-glass FRC posts with semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) polymer matrix (everStick Post). Various lengths of posts and lightprotected cylinders were made. The specimens were light-polymerized on the test tray of a light radiance testing device (MARC Resin Calibrator). Light transmission in the direction of fibers was registered. Light transmission decreased with increasing post length (p≤0.001; ANOVA) up to 12 mm in all post groups. The individually formed FRC post showed highest light transmission in all cylinder lengths (p<0.001) compared to prefabricated FRC posts, which could benefit polymerization of post material and luting cement.
The use of building information modelling (BIM) is increasingly popular and results in the BIM model becoming the central data source in a construction project. The information available in BIM is hard to use because it lacks interoperability. This paper assesses every strategy to share data from BIM in order to support a life cycle assessment (LCA) for a whole building at every step of the BIM model design. Every open file format concerning the BIM is analyzed to determine if one file format can fulfill the data requirements of an LCA. Among all of these file formats, IFC is the best-known and most detailed format. An in-depth analysis of the IFC data schema and syntax is performed to determine whether the construction industry requires a specific file format for LCA purposes or whether one of the existing open file formats can be used as a data source. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Budapest University of Technology and Economics & Diamond Congress Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Creative Construction Conference 2019.
Ostrich production facilities expanded exponentially in the United States, leading to crowded conditions and new disease states that required close examination and, occasionally, surgical intervention. Manual restraint was usually inadequate and often dangerous to both the ostrich and the handler, and necessitated chemical immobilization. Few repeatable anesthetic techniques have been established for ostriches. This report describes a predictable general anesthetic technique for ostriches.        Seven adult, domesticated ostriches (three male; four female), estimated to weigh 99.2 ± 6.2 kg (mean ± SEM) were hand injected with 0.2 mg kg−1 midazolam and 0.4 mg kg−1 butorphanol IM in the mid-dorsum. Sedative effects were evident and anesthesia was induced 34.13 ± 1.88 minutes after sedation with ketamine (8.69 ± 0.51 mg kg−1 IV in the right jugular vein), followed by intubation and isoflurane anesthesia under controlled ventilation (PaCO2 35–45 mm Hg, 4.7–6 kPa) for surgery (proventriculotomy, n = 6; neck laceration, n = 1). The laceration subject required a second anesthesia one month later. Temperature, ECG, pulse oximetry, blood gases, exhaled gases and arterial blood pressures were monitored and supported. To assess inhalant anesthetic requirement a simple step-down, step-up method (10–20% change) was applied, maintaining a given end-tidal isoflurane (ETISO) concentration for a minimum of 15 minutes during surgical stimulation and observing gross purposeful head movement. Movement was noted at ETiso 1.69 ± 0.11% at the first step-down approach (n = 8), 1.66 ± 0.09% (n = 5) at the second and 1.78 ± 0.06 (n = 4) at the third. Body temperature at instrumentation was 37.2 ± 0.3 °C and dropped to 35.8 ± 0.5 °C by the end of the procedure. Time from induction to start of the step-down analysis was 80.9 ± 20.0 minutes with a total anesthesia time of 268.3 ± 37.4 minutes. In recovery ETISO for head movement was 0.48 ± 0.06%. This movement was followed immediately by 5 mg butorphanol IV, and provided 14.4 ± 2.3 minutes before the next head movement. The second movement was followed immediately by naloxone (0.01 mg kg−1 IV) and minimal delirium in recovery.        A relatively controlled, repeatable method for anesthesia of domesticated ostriches was established.
Melia azedarach (Meliaceae) is known locally as mindi, gringging, renceh, or cakra-cikri is known to have pharmacological properties. The leaves contain flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin that have anticancer activity. The objective of this research is to evaluate the potency of Melia azedarach leaves ethanolic extract as anticancer by inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Cytotoxic effect was analyzed by Brine Shrimp Lethality Test (BSLT) and cell viability (MTT) methods using Chang human normal liver cells and A549 human lung cancer cells. Antiproliferative effect of the extract was analyzed by cell direct calculation method using hemacytometer. The leaves were extracted with ethanol 96% by maceration method. Phytochemical investigation showed that the extract contains flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, and steroids. Assay of BSLT showed that crude ethanolic extract of M. azedarach has a cytotoxic effect with LC50 value of 63.98 µg/mL, which is an indication for very potential bioactive compund as anticancer. Consistent with BSLT assay, cell viability (MTT) assay showed that this extract was able to reduce cell viability with IC50 values of 299.22 µg/mL on Chang cells and 130.56 µg/mL on A549 cancer cells. As control, Curcuma zedoaria extract at 75 µg/mL reduced A549 cells viability to 38.8%, which was equivalent to the effect of M. azedarach extract at 50 µg/mL. These data suggest that Melia azedarach extract is potentially more bioactive than Curcuma zedoaria extract. This result is supported by the ability of the extract (5 µg/mL) to inhibit A549 cells proliferation as much as 73.53%.
We developed a method for fabricating crystalline whispering gallery mode cavities based on laser-heated pedestal growth. We fabricated sapphire cavities and obtained a Q factor of 1.6 × 104 with a cavity whose radius was about 120 μm. We showed numerically that the cross sectional shape of the cavity is sensitive to the cavity Q, and we controlled it by changing the growth condition in the molten zone, without significantly degrading the crystal structure.
The up-conversion luminescence composite NaYF4:Er3+/TiO2 is prepared using the sol—gel method. The specimen has good crystallinity and two shapes, i.e., viereck and round, while the sizes of viereck and round particles are both micron-sized. The TiO2 has an anatase structure, while the NaYF4 has a hexagonal phase, which can be hardly obtained through the common sol—gel method. Due to the big particle size and the high crystallinity of pure NaYF4:Er3+, the composite has a small specific surface area that is less than Degussa P25 TiO2. The NaYF4:Er3+/TiO2 composite shows several emission peaks at 211, 237, and 251 nm under the excitation of 388 nm, at 395 nm and 411 nm under the excitation of 500 nm, and at 467, 481, 492, and 508 nm under the excitation of 570 nm.
Background: Patients satisfaction is increasingly being recognized as a central element in monitoring quality of health care services; the assessment of which may offer ways of optimizing health care delivery and preventing waste of medical resources. This study was designed to assess satisfaction and its determinants among patients attending governmental primary health care clinics. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of patients attending two governmental clinics in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire and stratified random sampling with equal allocation was adopted to select a significant number of patients of equal gender representation. Results: A total of 200 patients participated in the study, 71% were 21-40 years old with equal gender distribution, 77% were Saudis, 72.5% were satisfied with the services provided. The only factor that had a significant impact on overall satisfaction was the waiting time between registration and consultation, with those waiting over 30 minutes more often reporting to be dissatisfied with the service provided. (p=0.002). Conclusion: Overall, participants were satisfied with the services they received. However, those who had longer waiting time between registration and consultation showed higher rate of dissatisfaction.
Background: Malnutrition has been associated with increased perioperative morbidity and mortality in orthopedic surgery. This study was designed with the hypothesis that preoperative hypoalbuminemia, a marker for malnutrition, is associated with increased complications after hand surgery. Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 208 hand-specific Current Procedural Terminology codes was conducted with the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 2005 to 2013. In all, 629 patients with low serum albumin were compared with 4079 patients with normal serum albumin. The effect of hypoalbuminemia was tested for association with 30-day postoperative mortality, and major and minor complications. Results: Hypoalbuminemia was independently associated with emergency surgery, diabetes mellitus, dependent functional status, hypertension, end-stage renal disease, current smoking status, and anemia. Patients with hypoalbuminemia had a higher rate of mortality, minor complications, and major complications. Conclusions: Hypoalbuminemia is associated with an increased risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing hand surgery. As such, increased focus on perioperative nutrition optimization may lead to improved outcomes for patients undergoing hand surgery.
In order to explore the dew condensation phenomenon, the experiment was settled. Getting use of poplar stick during the growing period of 2015(from the end of the Apr. to the middle of the Nov.) in suburb of Changchun City as ground monitors. Through using software of SPSS 19.0 to analyze the data. The conclusion shows that, meteorological factors are closely related to the strength of dew condensation, the dew condensation strength is positively correlated with the relative humidity, dew point temperature, the outdoor temperature and the wind chill, negatively correlated with wind speed, irrelevant with the air pressure.
A concrete slab edge will tend to curl up when it is subjected to a negative temperature gradient extending through the slab thickness. The tendency to curl up can induce tensile stresses on the top of slab as the pavement is restrained by its weight or other factors. At present in cement concrete pavement design in China the total stress as a result of load stress plus temperature stress results in transverse crack from the bottom to top of the slab is the only transverse crack considered. In recently many researchers have noticed top-down cracks in concrete pavement slab, and the top-down cracking has been observed in China through coring. Therefore, in order to understand the influences of coupling curling and loading stress on slab cracking, the single slab resting on elastic foundation with frictionless interface is simulated by finite element model (FEM). In FEM the axle load positions from an edge of the slab to another edge are considered and the negative temperature gradients are considered also. From the calculated results when a negative temperature gradient is combined with an axle load, high tensile stress will occur on the top of slab, so top-down cracking will occur. Therefore, in concrete pavement design the top-down cracking in concrete pavement should be considered in the design.
This paper tries to explore the intelectual Islamic dynamic in South Kalimantan through the studies on many influences that become the genealogic root of Islam in this region, and then through the religious literatures that referenced by the intelectual of religious elite and the tipology of thought’s product that emerged for more than two centuries. Here, the writer uses the history of social-intelectual approach with based on the written text. This writing tells us that the genealogical root, intelectual reference, and the tipology of religious thought which was producted actually part of the trend of intelectual muslim dynamic which commonly spreaded in Nusantara and Southeast Asia.
Unsupervised domain adaptation is one of the challenging problems in computer vision. This paper presents a novel approach to unsupervised domain adaptations based on the optimal transport-based distance. Our approach allows aligning target and source domains without the requirement of meaningful metrics across domains. In addition, the proposal can associate the correct mapping between source and target domains and guarantee a constraint of topology between source and target domains. The proposed method is evaluated on different datasets in various problems, i.e. (i) digit recognition on MNIST, MNISTM, USPS datasets, (ii) Object recognition on Amazon, Webcam, DSLR, and VisDA datasets, (iii) Insect Recognition on the IP102 dataset. The experimental results show our proposed method consistently improves performance accuracy. Also, our framework can be incorporated with any other CNN frameworks within an end-to-end deep network design for recognition problems to improve their performance.
The gene expression programs that establish and maintain specific cell states in humans are controlled by thousands of transcription factors, cofactors, and chromatin regulators. Our understanding of the DNA elements and regulators that control gene expression programs has advanced considerably in the last year. I will describe new insights into the roles that these elements and regulators play in global gene control during normal development and in various diseases. These insights provide opportunities for the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics.  Disclosures: Young: Syros Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Enzon Pharmaceuticals: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees.
AbstractCompression experiments in which plastically deformed austenite is allowed to transform to bainite have revealed that bainite, like martensite, is susceptible to mechanical stabilisation. The overall transformation kinetics becomes slower and the maximum attainable fraction of bainite decreases in deformed austenite. This is because the motion of the transformation interface is hindered by the accumulated debris of dislocations in the austenite. The number density of nucleation sites is increased in deformed austenite, resulting in a more refined microstructure. Severe deformation eventually leads to a recovery in the maximum attainable fraction of bainite because of the corresponding increase in nucleation site density.MST/3148
The Jahn-Teller effect has been investigated for strong coupling between a triply degenerate electronic state and a triply degenerate vibrational mode (T*t). Analytic expressions have been derived for the lowest energy levels for finite but large coupling constant k, and calculation of the splitting between these levels have been obtained. Splitting between the lowest T and A states agrees well with Caner and Englman's (see abstr. A23249 of 1966) fit of their numerical data.
McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) is a human genetic disorder caused by a mutation that constitutively activates the G(s)α subunit by abolishing GTP hydrolysis. MAS patients suffer from a range of endocrinopathies as well as polyostotic fibrous dysplasia of bone. We previously identified an intragenic suppressor of the MAS mutation in a yeast system, which substituted two residues in the GTP-binding site of Gpa1: L318P and D319V to suppress the constitutive activity of an R297H mutation, corresponding to the human F222P, D223V, and R201H mutations respectively. To extend these studies, the human GNAS gene was subjected to site-directed mutagenesis. Constructs expressing the MAS mutation (R201H), the MAS mutation plus the mutations homologous to the yeast suppressors (R201H, F222P/D223V), or the yeast suppressor mutation alone (F222P/D223V) were transfected into HEK293 cells, and basal and receptor-stimulated cAMP levels were measured. Expression of R201H increased the basal cAMP levels and decreased the EC(50) for hormone-stimulated cAMP production. These effects were dependent on the amount of R201H protein expressed. R201H, F222P/D223V abolished the constitutive activity of the MAS mutation and caused responses to hormone that were not different from those measured in cells expressing WT G(s)α. Interestingly, F222P/D223V behaved similar to R201H in causing increases in basal cAMP production, thus demonstrating constitutive activity. Substitution of another acidic (E) or polar (N, T, and G) amino acid at position 223 caused no suppression of R201H activity, while substitution of a second nonpolar amino acid (A) at this position partially suppressed, and the larger polar I residue completely suppressed the effects of R201H.
Cys38 and Cys280 of p66/p51 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT) can be converted to Ser without affecting enzyme function. We have exploited this feature to construct and purify “monocysteine” RT derivatives for site-specific modification with the photoactivable cross-linking agent, p-azidophenacyl bromide. Acylation of a unique cysteine residue introduced at the extreme C terminus of the p66 subunit (C561) with an azidophenacyl group allowed us to probe contacts between residues C-terminal to α-helix E′ of the RNase H domain and structurally divergent nucleic acid duplexes. In a binary complex of RT and template-primer, we demonstrate efficient cross-linking to primer nucleotides −21 to −24/−25, and template nucleotides −18 to −21. Cross-linking specificity was confirmed by an analogous evaluation following limited primer extension, where the profile is displaced by the register of DNA synthesis. Finally, contact with a DNA primer hybridized to an isogenic RNA or DNA template indicates subtle alterations in cross-linking specificity, suggesting differences in nucleic acid geometry between duplex DNA and RNA/DNA hybrids at the RNase H domain. These data exemplify how site-specific acylation of HIV-1 RT can be used to provide high resolution structural data to complement crystallographic studies.
The capacity of certain yeast strains to flocculate is important to the brewing industry. So is the determination of the flocculation characteristics of a yeast strain. In this study we subdivided the flocculation characteristics into three phenomena. A proposal for the most suitable method to quantify each phenomenon is given. For this, four parameters (bond strength, floc size, settling rate and number of single cells) that serve as a measure to these phenomena have been studied. Next to this, attention is payed to the influence of environmental conditions (temperature, calcium concentration, pH and the hydrodynamic conditions during the test) on the result of the test. During this part of the study the flocculence of the yeast cells was constant, so the effect of the yeast on the results of the test is excluded. It turned out that the temperature of the medium and the hydrodynamic conditions during the test most strongly influence floc formation. Next to this, medium viscosity is important if the flocculation characteristics are quantified via settling experiments.
Dairy starter cultures that contain Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus (Str. thermophilus) and/or Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus capable of producing slime are of commercial interest. However, there is no information on the amount and chemical composition of polysaccharides produced by these lactic bacteria in fermented skim milk. Several publications give the chemical composition of lactic bacteria exopolysaccharides (Groux, 1973; Tamime & Robinson, 1978; Oda et al. 1983; Schellhaass, 1983; Manca de Nadra et al. 1985; Cerning et al. 1986, 1988; Giraffa & Bergere, 1987; Doco et al. 1989a, b) produced in milk culture but only Giraffa & Bergere (1987), Cerning et al. (1988) and Doco et al. (1989a, b) report the amount of polysaccharide from Str. thermophilus excreted by the bacteria during the fermentation process. This information is very important with regard to the improvement of body and texture of yogurt that these polysaccharides can provide. In this way Cerning et al. (1988) described a direct relationship between the viscosity of the fermented skim milk treated with Str. thermophilus and the amount of polysaccharide produced by these bacteria. In this paper we describe a method for the rapid isolation and measurement of amounts of Str. thermophilus polysaccharide by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique.
We have demonstrated that the pattern recognition toll-like receptors (TLR) 2&4 are upregulated during pregnancy in human cervical epithelium. We sought to determine whether oestradiol (E2) alters the immunological responses of cultured human ecto-cervical epithelial cells (HECECs) to the ligands of TLR2 (peptidoglycan, PGN) and TLR4 (lipopolysaccharides, LPS). Methods and Material Fresh ectocervical tissues were collected from hysterectomy specimens, epithelia isolated and cultured after collagenase and trypsin digestion, cell purity being validated by immunofluorescence. The expression of TLRs 2&4, and E2 receptor genes (ERs α&β) were demonstrated by flow cytometry and RT-PCR respectively. HECECs were co-incubated with varying E2 concentrations (0.1, 1, 10, 100 nM) and PGN (50 μg/ml) or LPS (100 ng/ml) for 10 min, 2 hrs and 18 hrs. Cytokines were assayed in supernatant fluid by Cyto-Bead Array. Result In response to PGN, HECECs co-incubated with E2 released lower levels of IFN-γ, IL-6 and IL-8, whilst after 18 hrs, RANTES expression increased to low E2 but decreased to high E2. In response to LPS, HECECs co-incubated with E2 demonstrated increased expression levels of IL-10, IL-12p70, RANTES and TNFα at 10 min and 2 hrs. IL-6 and IL-8 levels increased at 2 hrs but were suppressed or unchanged after 18 hrs. Markedly increased levels of RANTES were detected after 18 hrs, an effect obtunded by culturing HECECs in E2. Discussion The complex immunomodulatory effects of E2 on cultured HECECs appear to vary with bacterial ligands and duration of exposure, suggesting direct non-genomic vs. genomic mechanisms. The resulting cytokine profiles may contribute to cervical remodelling during pregnancy.
Analysis of data of 6931 patients with cutaneous melanoma seen at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich between 1977 and 1998 identified 36 patients in whom cutaneous melanomas developed during childhood or adolescence (age <18 years). Clinical courses of all patients and histopathologic characteristics of the lesions were reviewed. Seventeen patients were boys and 19 patients were girls. The median ages of the boys and girls were 15 and 16 years, respectively (range, 2-17 years). Thirty-one patients presented with nonmetastatic primary melanomas and 5 patients presented with metastatic melanoma. Forty-seven percent of the primary lesions were associated with a nevus (22% with congenital nevi and 25% with acquired nevi). Tumor thickness ranged from 0.24 to 7.0 mm, with a median of 1.29 mm (mean, 1.67 mm). All patients with primary melanomas received surgical therapy; patients with metastatic disease received chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or both. Relative 5-year survival was 87.5% for the group of patients younger than 18 years. Similar to experience in adult patients, survival strongly correlated with tumor thickness and clinical stage at the time of diagnosis. The data emphasize that a high index of suspicion for cutaneous melanoma is needed by clinicians assessing melanocytic lesions in children and adolescents for early diagnosis. Reduction of the melanoma mortality rate in children and adolescents will be achieved through identification of patients at increased risk.
Pyrazoloquinolinones (PQs) are a versatile class of GABAA receptor ligands. It has been demonstrated that high functional selectivity for certain receptor subtypes can be obtained by specific substitution patterns, but so far, no clear SAR rules emerge from the studies. As is the case for many GABAA receptor targeting chemotypes, PQs can interact with distinct binding sites on a given receptor pentamer. In pentamers of αβγ composition, such as the most abundant α1β2γ2 subtype, many PQs are high affinity binders of the benzodiazepine binding site at the extracellular α+/γ2− interfaces. There they display a functionally near silent, flumazenil-like allosteric activity. More recently, interactions with extracellular α+/β− interfaces have been investigated, where strong positive modulation can be steered toward interesting subtype preferences. The most prominent examples are functionally α6-selective PQs. Similar to benzodiazepines, PQs also seem to interact with sites in the transmembrane domain, mainly the sites used by etomidate and barbiturates. This promiscuity leads to potential contributions from multiple sites to net modulation. Developing ligands that interact exclusively with the extracellular α+/β− interfaces would be desired. Correlating functional profiles with binding sites usage is hampered by scarce and heterogeneous experimental data, as shown in our meta-analysis of aggregated published data. In the absence of experimental structures, bound states can be predicted with pharmacophore matching methods and with computational docking. We thus performed pharmacophore matching studies for the unwanted sites, and computational docking for the extracellular α1,6+/β3− interfaces. The results suggest that PQs interact with their binding sites with diverse binding modes. As such, rational design of improved ligands needs to take a complex structure-activity landscape with branches between sub-series of derivatives into account. We present a workflow, which is suitable to identify and explore potential branching points on the structure-activity landscape of any small molecule chemotype.
Hypoparathyroidism and pseudohypoparathyroidism are rare endocrine disorders, characterized by low serum calcium due to inappropriate parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels or resistance to its action. There is little epidemiological information regarding chronic hypoparathyroidism in Russia. This study aims to build a registry database of Russian patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism who were referred for hospital treatment in order to conduct initial analysis of clinical presentations and hospital management. The Italian registry model was taken to be able to integrate our data in the future. Two hundred patients with hypoparathyroidism (n = 194) and pseudohypoparathyroidism (n = 6) were enrolled over 2 years (2017–2019). The most frequent cause of hypoparathyroidism was neck surgery (82.5%, mostly females), followed by idiopathic hypoparathyroidism (10%), syndromic forms of genetic hypoparathyroidism (4.5%) and forms of defective PTH action (3%). Calcium supplements and alfacalcidol were prescribed in most cases. However, a minority of patients (n = 6) needed to receive teriparatide as the only way to maintain calcium levels and to prevent symptoms of hypocalcemia. Consequently, substitution treatment with parathyroid hormone should be available in certain cases of hypoparathyroidism. This database will be useful to estimate the potential requirement for recombinant PTH in Russia and standards for clinical and therapeutic approaches.
We report a novel nanoformulation for targeted drug delivery which utilizes nanophotonics through the fusion of nanotechnology with biomedical application. The approach involves an energy-transferring magnetic nanoscopic co-assembly fabricated of rhodamine B (RDB) fluorescent dye grafted gum arabic modified Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle and photosensitive linker by which dexamethasone drug is conjugated to the magnetic nano-assembly. The advantage offered by this nanoformulation is the indirect photo-triggered-on-demand drug release by efficient up-converting energy of the near-IR (NIR) light to higher energy and intraparticle energy transfer from the dye grafted magnetic nanoparticle to the linker for drug release by cleavage. The synthesized nanoparticles were found to be of ultra-small size (13.33 nm) and are monodispersed in an aqueous suspension. Dexamethasone (Dexa) drug conjugated to RDB–GAMNP by photosensitive linker showed appreciable release of Dexa by photo-triggered response on exposure to radiation having a wavelength in the NIR region whereas no detectable release was observed in the dark. Photo-triggered response for the nanoformulation not bearing the rhodamine B dye was drastically less as less Dexa was released on exposure to NIR radiation which suggest that the photo-cleavage of linker and release of Dexa mainly originated from the indirect excitation through the uphill energy conversions based on donor–acceptor model FRET. The promising pathway of nanophotonics for the on-demand release of the drug makes this nanocarrier very promising for applications in nanomedicine.
Changes in shape of 1D profiles of small-single-crystal Bragg reflections have been examined in terms of the shapes of the components which, convoluted together, generate the profile. In most practical cases, operational features require truncation of the angular scan range of measurement and the conventional linear formula for scan range, ω = a + b tan θ, is then not strictly valid. A more appropriate relationship involves a combination of root mean square (RMS) and linear (LIN) forms, ω = [(p′)2 + (q′ tan θ)2]1/2 + (p′′ + q′′ tan θ) where p′ is associated with the leading and trailing edges of the distribution of the combined θ-invariant components and p′′ with its plateau width while q′ is associated with the leading and trailing edges of the distribution of the wavelength component and q′′ with the separation of its outer peaks if there are more than one. For operational purposes, this relationship can be substituted with adequate precision by ω = [c2 + (d tan θ)2]1/2, but the parameters c and d do not then have a simple relationship to the θ-invariant and θ-variant components. Use of a conventional linear formula when a RMS one is the relevant one can mean that, in the lower θ range, the estimate of integrated intensity will be too high and, in the higher θ range, it will be too low, so that, with increasing θ, a positive then a negative systematic error is introduced and not merely a negative error as the conventional interpretation of truncation holds. The conclusions of the present analysis are tested against experimental data where the conventional treatment for truncation failed [Eisenstein & Hirshfeld (1983). Acta Cryst. B39, 61-75]. For the estimation of integrated intensity, and hence of structure factors, which are consistent over the operational range of θ, a RMS formula for the scan range is advisable.
Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA  Introduction  Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in American men, resulting in 32,000 deaths annually. Challenges for the management of PCa include the inability to distinguish indolent from aggressive and untreatable castration-resistant PCa. These challenges can be addressed by understanding the molecular basis of cancer initiation and progression. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is widely used for screening, diagnosing and monitoring of PCa, although it is also elevated in other disorders and therefore lacks specificity and sensitivity. Alternative splicing is a common mechanism used in nature to enhance protein diversity. Alternative splicing of the PSA gene produces at least 15 transcripts of 0.7-6.1 kb (Heuze-Vourc'h et al 2003). Several variants of PSA have been reported and are shown to be differentially expressed in PCa compared to normal prostates or to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).  Here we describe the identification of four variants of PSA with the potential to improve on the specificity of the PSA test.  Material and Methods  Human prostate cDNAs were from cryopreserved prostate tissues collected after radical prostatectomies and have been described previously (Mubiru et al. 2004). PCR was carried out using primers that amplify the complete PSA mRNA and also those specific for the most common splice variant (Heuze-Vourc'h et al. 2001). The PCR products were inserted into the PCR2.1-TOPO vector (Life Technologies) and sequenced.  Results  We identified four novel splice variants of the PSA gene.  View this table:          Results also indicate that some transcripts are differentially expressed in tumors compared to non-tumors.  References  1.Mubiru JN, et al. (2004). Gene 327: 89-98.  2.Heuze-Vourc'h N, et al. (2003) Eur J Biochem 270: 706-714.  3.Heuze-Vourc'h N, et al. (2001) Eur J Biochem 268: 4408-4413.  Citation Format: Alice S. Yang, Thushari Alahapperuma, James N. Mubiru, Magdalena Garcia-Forey, Robert E. Shade. PSA splice variants and their expression in prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 2347. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-2347
Zafar R., Khan F.A. & Zahoor M. 2017. In vivo amelioration of aflatoxin B1 in broiler chicks by magnetic carbon nanocomposite. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 37(11):1213-1219. Department of Chemistry, University of Malakand, Chakdara, Dir Lower, 18800 KPK, Pakistan. E-mail: mohammadzahoorus@yahoo.com In this study an Iron oxide/carbon nanocomposite from maize straw was prepared and was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR, TG/DTA and Surface area analyzer. The adsorbent was fed to different groups of poultry birds along with aflatoxin B1. Different physiological and blood parameters were monitored in order to study the efficacy of the prepared adsorbent for binding of aflatoxin B1 in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens. It was found that adsorbent at dose of 0.3%/ kg feed was highly effective in detoxifying aflatoxin B1 in gastrointestinal tract of poultry birdswith no harmful effects. The high doses given to groups E and F; 0.4% and 0.5% respectively showed slight variation in tested parameters from group A. No negative symptoms associated with the use of activated carbon as previously reported were observed for the adsorbent under study.
Introduction to Electronics: H. A. ROMANOWITZ and R. E. PUCKETT (2nd edition, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1976,531 pp., cloth £7.95, paperback £5.00) This book, the second edition of a volume originally published in 1968, is clearly intended for freshers commencing a first degree course. An initial chapter on circuit concepts is followed by a treatment of diodes, junction and field effect transistors. Further chapters cover the thermionic valve small signal, power, and special purpose amplifiers, modulation and detection, electronic power conversion, and integrated circuits. The book is really an introduction to basic circuit techniques rather than electronics. There is a disturbing lack of material in any depth on semiconductor fundamentals. Another severe gap is the virtual omission of digital electronics. The brief sections on device fundamentals betray a lack of understanding on a number of occasions. One such example occurs on p. 369 where it is stated that 'an operational amplifier is a d.c, amplifier having very high gain that is often designed using differential amplifier stages to establish high input and low output impedance'. Another instance of a different kind occurs on p. 95 where the authors say that 'in general, silicon units cost much more than comparable germanium units'. This last statement is a pointer to the real weakness of this book. Instead of catering for the electronics of to-day, the authors have produced a text which is dated in content and outlook. The thread of antiquity runs through its pages, reaching an unmistakable peak on pages 373 to 377, where the tuned amplifier is explained with the aid of two circuit diagrams containing triodes. Only the chapter on electronic power conversion, with its good treatment of the silicon controlled rectifer, has a contemporary look about it. Even the final chapter on integrated circuits, which is largely a pedestrian account of process technology, ends up with two solitary dated circuits. To sum it all up: one cannot put new wine into old bottles. L. J. HERBST, Head ofDepartment ofElectrical, Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Teesside Polytechnic.
ing an invisible universal from manifest particulars parallels and carries to completion the process that the facade is supposed to initiate in the viewer's mind. Bocchi leaves us, as it were, before the facade but a facade dematerialized and transformed by eloquence, distilled to its single most potent idea. And he leaves us where every orator must: before the freedom and responsibility of action. 83 Bocchi mentions eight such herms, the first six in three pairs; the collections in which he places them are the same as those identified by Orsini. After the mention of each pair, his text is interrupted by a single line in italics; in the case of the herms of Publius Valerius Publicola and Plato in the collection of Achille Maffei (p. 84): "Hermae Valesi et Platonis ponendae sunt". These lines certainly encourage the reader to visualize the herms, and lead up to the final revelation that the text is the literary simulachrum of an actual monument. They are thus a most reductive device for an effect Bocchi had, in his earlier writing, invested great care in achieving (FRANGENBERG, op. cit. [see note 81], esp. pp. 135-143). It may be that the lines are instructions to the printer for the placement of illustrations that were never used: such illustrations would have had the purpose of proving to critics the existence of ancient precedents for the herms of the Palazzo Valori.
This paper presents a study of a program designed to address challenges in writing English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) (Dearden, 2015; Flowerdew, 2016) at the University of Iceland, where EMI programs continue to expand appreciably. Nordic and international exchange students enrolled in EMI humanities programs are fluent in conversational English and informal writing but lack disciplinespecific writing competencies for tertiary study in English. A program which operationalizes targeted core writing competencies was developed to improve writing in a single semester. The program design drew on research investigating the needs of competent L1 writers (Lavelle & Guarino, 2003) and of L2 writers in the Nordic countries (Arnbjörnsdóttir & Ingvarsdóttir, 2015; Hellekjær, 2009). Based on preand post-surveys and students’ reflections, this study examines the extent to which the new academic writing approach and curriculum met the semester goals of transitioning students to thesis-driven writing and developing a sense of autonomy for future writing assignments. The pre-study revealed that 10 years of EFL writing instruction developed students’ awareness of the principles of academic writing, yet they failed to apply them when writing in the disciplines. The postdata analysis and reflections revealed increased genre awareness, greater writer efficacy and autonomy, and improved academic writing.
The ultrastructure of the parathyroid glands (PTG) of magnesium (Mg)-treated golden hamsters exposed to centrifugation at 1.2 G for 7 days was compared to that of the control, Mg-treated or centrifuged groups. In the PTG of the Mg-treated group exposed to centrifugation, the Golgi apparatus increased compared with that of the Mg-treated group, but was similar to that of the control and centrifuged groups. The cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER) increased compared with that of the Mg-treated group and decreased compared with that of the centrifuged group, but was the same as that of the control group. There were no significant differences among the 4 groups with regard to lysosomes, large vacuolar bodies, lipid droplets and secretory granules. These observations suggest that the rER is sensitive to centrifugation compared with the Golgi apparatus and more importantly the inhibitive effect of Mg on the synthesis of the hamster parathyroid hormone is enfeebled by centrifugation at 1.2 G.
Murray’s Comb-fingered Gecko, Stenodactylus affinis (Murray, 1884): During a night survey on 16 May 2007 at the Jahra East Outfall, JEO (29 21’N, 47 44’E), two individuals were found and photographed. Later visits indicated that it was the dominant gekkonid species in the area near the outfall, between bushes of Nitraria retusa. JEO is a sabkha salt flat habitat where wastewater flows into the sea at Kuwait Bay. The sabkha is occasionally inundated at extreme high tide with mostly wastewater, creating the habitat where these Geckos are found. Five individuals were captured and examined: average snout-vent length 53 mm, tail 30 mm, rostral and first upper labial scales reaching nostril, nostrils not projecting forward (Fig. 3). All showed two preanal pores separated by 4–7 small scales and cloacal tubercles in a single row, though two individuals showed a second, reduced, row. The tail was covered by 6–8 dark bands. There were four dorsal transverse dark bars on the body, but in two specimens these were integrated to become two short bars. There were two pale vertical bars on lips, the second being just under the eye, and a number of pale spots on flanks. This is the first record for the Arabian Peninsula. Previously, this species was only known from south-eastern and central Iraq, and in Iran from south-eastern Khuzestan and southern Fars Provinces (LEVITON et al. 1992, ANDERSON 1999). It may extend further south along the Arabian Gulf into the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
The purpose of this article was doing a report case of an aphasic client subjected to speech therapy in the clinic of a Speech Pathology and Audiology course of a federal university. The studied subject is a male patient, aged 68, treated in the clinic since May 2009. His therapeutic process was analyzed up to December 2010. The client suffered an ischemic stroke in the left cerebral hemisphere, on January 2009, when suddenly presented mutism. After the evaluations, the therapist concluded that the client presented "aphasia, compromising the oral and the writing expression, caused by ischemic stroke". So, the treatment plan was created. Since the start of therapy, significant linguistic changes could be observed in the client. A primary factor for the satisfactory recover was the quick search for the speech treatment (15 days after the stroke), because there is a degree of spontaneous recovery in aphasic clients. But, the good results are minimal without the adequate therapy. Only one month after the beginning of the therapy, the client improved substantially his vocabulary. Despite the injury area is extensive and fundamental to the language, it was observed very positive results with the therapy. So, we believe that the early speech therapy contributed a lot to the linguistic recover, since the client communicate satisfactorily, if we consider the great extension of his injury.
Approximately 1 in 4 individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States is coinfected with the hepatitis C virus. Both conditions increase the risk for the development and progression of kidney disease. The effect, however, of coexisting HIV and hepatitis C infection on the spectrum and progression of kidney disease is not well known. To compare the clinical features, histopathologic kidney diagnoses, and proportion of individuals progressing to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), we reviewed the clinical records of HIV-infected individuals with and without hepatitis C coinfection who underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous kidney biopsies between February 7, 1995, and March 30, 2009.Of the 249 HIV-infected individuals included in this study, 58% were coinfected with hepatitis C. Coinfected individuals were older (mean age, 46 ± 7 vs. 44 ± 10 yr, respectively; p < 0.01) and more likely to have used illicit drugs (85% vs. 14%, respectively; p < 0.01) compared to HIV-infected individuals without hepatitis C. HIV-associated nephropathy was the most common histopathologic diagnosis in both groups. Immune-complex glomerulonephritides (ICGNs), including lupus-like nephritis, postinfectious glomerulonephritis, membranous glomerulopathy, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy, and nonspecific ICGNs, occurred more frequently in individuals coinfected with hepatitis C than in those not coinfected (22% vs. 11%, respectively; p = 0.02). Although the proportion of those who died was similar between the 2 groups, hepatitis C coinfection was independently associated with a greater risk of progression to ESKD (hazard ratio, 1.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.99; p = 0.02).The current study demonstrates that coinfection with hepatitis C in individuals infected with HIV predisposes these individuals to immune-complex glomerulonephritides and is associated with increased risk of ESKD in the biopsied population.Abbreviations: CI = confidence interval, eGFR = estimated glomerular filtration rate, ESKD = end-stage kidney disease, HAART = highly active antiretroviral therapy, HIV = human immunodeficiency virus, HIVAN = HIV-associated nephropathy, HR = hazard ratio, ICGN = immune complex glomerulonephritis, MPGN = membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis.
The conductivity of short-period GaAs/AlAs superlattices at the electrical domain formation was studied at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures. The evolution of tunneling current at sweep-up and sweep-down of the bias was investigated. The step-like decrease in current at some threshold voltage was referred to moving domain formation. The current hysteresis and periodic maximums was observed in the electric domain regime. The hysteresis was explained by the changes of electrical domain regimes along with boundary conditions. The origin of current maximum is discussed.
We will show model-based localization results at 8-16 kHz using a single hydrophone in several shallow water environments, with successful tracking out to 3 km. It is very difficult to produce accurate replicas of the field at these high frequencies, due to sensitivity to small bathymetric features, surface motion (waves), and water column fluctuations. To reduce this sensitivity, we match the envelope of the field in the time domain, using the Bellhop ray-tracing model to calculate replicas. At these high frequencies, ray tracing is a viable approach. SignalEx tests have been conducted in a variety of shallow water coastal environments to relate acoustic communications performance to oceanographic conditions. A fixed receiver and a transmitter drifting out to minimum detectable ranges were used. Waveforms to probe the channel in the 8 to 16 kHz band were transmitted at regular intervals. These signals were initially used to study the channel and subsequently to test our source localization algorithms. Working in the time domain enables the fluctuations to be directly observed as changes in the times of arrival. After aligning a sequence of probe pulses on the stabler initial arrivals, the pattern of fluctuations in the amplitudes and arrival times of the later arrivals can be observed. These fluctuations cause mismatch between the data and the replicas with which the data is being correlated. We will present measurements of the time-varying channel response and source localization results from a shallow water site off the coast of La Jolla in San Diego, California.
Abstract Male Sirex noctilio Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) form leks in the upper canopy where mating occurs and have an orange abdominal segment not present in females. This study used field trapping studies in South Africa to examine the impact of stimuli (primarily visual) associated with male S. noctilio on the capture of conspecific females. Although we observed that traps baited with dead males (simulated leks) captured more females than unbaited traps, traps baited with a synthetic blend of host volatiles captured more female S. noctilio than traps baited with dead males. Additionally, dead males provided no additive effect on trap catch when combined with the host volatile lure regardless of the simulated lek size or if males were alive or dead. These results are the first to experimentally confirm an effect of a conspecific, and potentially mating related, visual stimulus on the behavior of S. noctilio. There appears to be limited potential for improvement of existing S. noctilio trapping methods by the addition of male decoys as deployed in this study.
IPO (initial public offerings) has been characterized by a lack of publicly available information. In the offerings process, financial statement disclosures are especially critical to the market price-setting process (Neill et al. 1995). In this paper, we examine the accounting methods choices accompanying the initial public offerings of 100 companies that listed at Jakarta Stock Exchange for 1994-1999 periods. Using regression analysis, the methods choice of the sample firms are examined with regard to the company initial offering proceeds. Accounting choice is viewed as a means by which issuers may affect the proceeds of the initial offering. We hypothetized that the issuers with accounting methods result in larger income and asset values (income-increasing methods), has higher initial proceeds than the issuers using income decreasing methods. The accounting methods that we examined are accounting method for inventory valuation and depreciation methods. Other independent variable, which included in the research model are equity book value and ownership signal. Our result indicate no positive association between the initial proceeds from an offering and the selection of accounting methods that result in larger income and asset values. The result is not consistent with the hypotheses of Neill et.al (1995) study, which indicate a marginally positive association. Keywords: IPO, income-increasing methods, income-decreasing methods.
We tested the ability of nine monoclonal antibodies (MAb) against human apolipoprotein-A-I (apoA-I), the 28.3-kDa major apoprotein of high density lipoproteins (HDL), to inhibit its photoaffinity labeling with [125I]T4. Two forms were evaluated: isolated lipid-free apoA-I (Sigma or Calbiochem) and lipid-complexed apoA-I [HDL2, (density, 1.063-1.125 g/ml) and HDL3 (density, 1.125-1.210 g/ml)]. After labeling with 0.5 nM [125I]T4 in the presence of MAb or normal mouse IgG, the products were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and subsequent densitometric quantitation of radioactivity associated with the 28.3-kDa band. Group I MAbs, namely those having epitopes in the N-terminal portion of apoA-I, include MAb 16 (epitopes at residues 1-16), 4 and 14 (residues 1-86), and 18 (residues 98-105); group II includes MAbs 7,10, 15, and 17 (epitopes at residues 87-148); group III includes MAb 9 (residues 149-243). All group I MAbs inhibited [125I]T4 binding to isolated apoA-I with this order of potency: MAb 16 (-50% to -61%) greater than MAb 14 (-37% to -41%) greater than MAb 4 (-27% to -33%) greater than MAb 18 (-19% to -27%). In the case of lipid-associated apoA-I, the pattern of hierarchy was variable, presumably related to the known markedly polydisperse nature of HDL, but a constant feature, in contrast to the case of isolated apoA-I, was that MAb 4 was more potent than MAb 14. Group II MAbs gave less than 3% inhibition in both isolated and lipid-complexed apoA-I. Group III MAb 9 either failed to inhibit or gave 18-27% inhibition (one preparation each of HDL2 and HDL3). We conclude that the T4 site of apoA-I is in the N-terminal domain of apoA-I, closer to the epitope for MAb 16 than to that for MAb 18, and that conformational changes occurring when apoA-I is associated with lipids in the HDL particle alter the spatial relationship between some epitopes and the T4 site. Our definition of the T4 site of apoA-I is consistent with another set of data showing that heparin failed to inhibit [125I]T4 binding to isolated apoA-I. Heparin is known to interact with clusters of basic residues, and these residues are concentrated in the midregion of apoA-I.
ABSTRACT The Solitary Tinamou (Tinamus solitarius) is endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Little information is available about this bird species because of its low conservation priority and cryptic habits. Hunting and habitat loss are the main threats to the species, which is regionally threatened in southern and southeastern Brazil. We used camera traps installed along unpaved roads, at edges with roads, and in the forest interior in one of the last large remnants of the lowland Brazilian Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil to determine daily and seasonal activity patterns of the Solitary Tinamou. We obtained 256 records between June 2005 and December 2013 (sampling effort = 14,316 cameras-day). Solitary Tinamous were mainly observed away from roads, confirming the tendency of the species to occur more frequently in areas with greater canopy cover. Our data confirmed that photoperiod may influence daily activity patterns of the Solitary Tinamou, as the duration of daylight differs among the seasons. The species showed a total of 16 hrs of daily activity during the wet season with two main activity peaks during the day (0500 and 1800) and an intervening smaller peak (1300). During the dry season, the species showed a shorter duration of daily activity (13 hrs), and the activity peaks occurred either 2 hrs later or 1 hr earlier. Despite the difference in daily activity patterns between seasons, the number of records obtained was proportional to the sampling effort at each season, and the records were not correlated with climatic variables. The species was most often recorded between August and January, a time span that coincided with its reproductive period. It was less often recorded between March and May, a finding that could be related to the timing of the post-nuptial molting period. Our data serve to enhance current knowledge of activity patterns of T. solitarius and may be used in future studies relating temporal niche partitioning by the Solitary Tinamou with other frugivores or between the species and its predators.
Objective: To determine whether the association between overall survival (OS) and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in breast cancer patients varies with tumor subtype and anatomic extent of pathologic complete response (pCR). Background: pCR after NACT predicts improved OS in breast cancer, but it is unclear whether pCR limited to the breast or axilla is also associated with OS. Methods: Women with cT1-3/cN0-1 breast cancer diagnosed in 2010 to 2014 who underwent surgery following NACT were identified in the NCDB and divided into 4 subtypes based on reported hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate OS. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with post-NACT response, defined as upstage (yp stage>clinical stage); no change (clinical stage = yp stage); overall (breast+axilla, ypT0N0), breast-only (ypT0N1/N1mic), or node-only (ypT1-3N0) pCR. Results: Of 33,162 identified patients, 20,265 experienced overall pCR (n = 6370, 19.2%), breast-only pCR (n = 494, 1.5%), node-only pCR (n = 1133, 3.4%), no stage change (n = 9641, 29.1%), or upstage (n = 2627, 7.9%). Compared with no stage change, breast-only pCR was associated with improved OS in triple-negative disease [hazard ratio = 0.58, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.37–0.89], and node-only pCR was associated with improved OS in both triple-negative (hazard ratio = 0.55,95% CI = 0.39–0.76) and HR+/HER2− disease (hazard ratio = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.33–0.89). For patients achieving overall (breast+axilla) pCR, unadjusted 5-year OS was 0.94 (95% CI = 0.93–0.95), with no difference between patients who were cN0 (hazard ratio = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93–0.96) or cN1 (hazard ratio = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.92–0.96) at diagnosis. Conclusions: In node-positive patients, pCR limited to either the breast or axilla predicts survival for select receptor subtypes. In patients achieving pCR in both the breast and axilla, survival is driven by response to NACT rather than presenting cN stage.
The temperature and magnetic-field dependence of the components of the conductivity and resistivity tensors are calculated with the quantum corrections due to the weak localization effect and electron-electron interaction taken into account in the diffusion and ballistic regimes. The corrections to the conductivity from the weak localization and electron-electron interaction and also the influence of spin and oscillation effects are taken into account by a renormalization of the transport relaxation time of the electron momentum, with the result that the Drude conductivity becomes temperature dependent. A calculation of the components of the conductivity and resistivity tensors is carried out with the use of the theoretical values of the parameters of the theory of quantum corrections, which are determined solely by the values of the carrier density and mobility of a particular sample. The results of the calculation are compared with experimental results for two-dimensional n-InGaAs∕GaAs structures with d...
In this study, we conduct a numerical experiment of the single 5MW NREL wind turbine and compare the performance of various vortex core identification for the wake behind the wind turbine. In the kinetic analysis of wind turbine, 20% velocity deficit at 200 s is observed, showing wake which contains tip vortex near blade tip and rotor vortex at the center of the wind turbine. Time series of velocity and turbulent intensity show numerical simulation converge to a quasi-steady state near 200 s. In the comparison between methods for vortex identification, λ 2 -method has good performance in terms of tip vortex, rotor vortex, vortex during its cascade process compared to vorticity magnitude criteria, Δ -method. We conclude that λ 2 -method is suitable for vortex identification method for wake visualization.
Long delays in the diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and in receiving advanced therapies signify a critical unmet need. Little is known about delays or treatment patterns in Central Eastern European (CEE) countries.To describe patient time to diagnosis of and its treatment patterns in CEE and the US.Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey of rheumatologists in Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Ukraine (Sept–Dec 2019) and US (Jun–Aug 2018) via physician-completed patient record forms. In consecutive patients with a physician-reported diagnosis of AS, rheumatologists recorded patient demographics, clinical features, time to first consultation and diagnosis and treatment history. Data were compared for CEE vs US using t-test for independent samples (continuous outcomes) and Fisher’s exact test (categorical outcomes). Low rates of HLA-B27 and sacroiliitis at diagnosis may reflect combining non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis under the diagnosis of AS in real-world practice.209 physicians (121 CEE; 88 US) provided data for 1363 patients (876 CEE; 487 US). While some demographic differences existed between regions, estimated prevalence of HLA-B27 in patients with AS was the same between US and CEE. Not all patients were stated to have sacroiliitis at diagnosis (Table 1). Time to first consultation and time to diagnosis were longer in CEE, with more patients experiencing a delay due to another condition initially being diagnosed (Table 2). At diagnosis a similar proportion of patients in CEE and US were prescribed NSAIDs, with higher use of csDMARDs in CEE. bDMARDs were more commonly prescribed at diagnosis in the US, with increased usage continuing after diagnosis (Figure 1).Table 1.Patient demographic and clinical characteristicsCEE(n=876)US(n=487)P value*Demographic characteristicsAge, mean (SD)45.4 (12.7)46.4 (14.1)0.21 (TT)Male, n (%)6319 (72.0)344 (70.6)0.62 (FE)BMI, mean (SD)25.9 (4.1)27.4 (4.5)<0.01 (TT)Full time employment, n (%)460 (53.9)342 (70.8)<0.01 (FE)Caucasian, n (%)853 (97.4)393 (80.7)<0.01 (FE)Clinical features at diagnosisHLA-B27 positive, n (%)592 (67.6)329 (67.6)1.00 (FE)Inflammatory back pain, n (%)712 (82.0)369 (76.7)0.02 (FE)Sacroiliitis identified by X-ray, n (%)598 (68.9)272 (56.5)<0.01 (FE)Back pain >3 months, n (%)427 (49.2)225 (46.8)0.46 (FE)Physician perceived severity, n (%)0.02 (FE)- Mild69 (8.7)20 (5.1)- Moderate414 (52.1)233 (59.1)- Severe312 (39.2)141 (35.8)*Statistical test legend: TT=t-test; FE=Fisher’s Exact.Table 2.Patient diagnosis journeyCEE(n=876)US(n=487)P value*Time from first symptoms to first consultationα, mean months (SD)27.7 (53.7)18.5 (57.1)0.02 (TT)Time from first consultationαto diagnosis, mean months (SD)17.8 (48.6)6.0 (13.2)0.02 (TT)Reasons for delayβ, n (%)- Other condition initially diagnosed108 (33.3)9 (11.8)<0.01 (FE)- Waiting for referral to correct HCP69 (21.3)22 (28.9)0.17 (FE)- Needed test conducting to confirm diagnosis100 (30.9)21 (27.6)0.68 (FE)*Statistical test legend: TT=t-test; FE=Fisher’s exact;αFirst consultation with any healthcare professional about AS symptoms;βDelay defined as >3 months from first consultation to diagnosis.Time to diagnosis was three times longer in CEE vs the US. Despite similar prescription of NSAIDs at diagnosis in US and CEE, a greater proportion of patients currently received NSAIDs and csDMARDs in CEE, while bDMARD use in the US was greater. This suggests different treatment approaches and differences in medication access across the regions.Tatiana Korotaeva Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Consultant of: Abbvie, BIOCAD, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Novartis-Sandoz, Pfizer, UCB, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, BIOCAD, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Novartis-Sandoz, Pfizer, UCB, Oluwaseyi Dina Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Elizabeth Holdsworth Employee of: Adelphi Real World, Lara Fallon Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Gary Milligan Employee of: Adelphi Real World, Sophie Meakin Employee of: Adelphi Real World, Lisy Wang Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Radu Serban VASILESCU Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Joseph C Cappelleri Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Atul Deodhar Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, GSK, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB
In commonly employed models for 2D topological insulators, bulk gapless states are well known to form at the band inversion points where the degeneracy of the states is protected by symmetries. It is thus sometimes quite tempting to consider this feature, the occurrence of gapless states, a result of the band inversion process under protection of the symmetries. Similarly, the band inversion process might even be perceived as necessary to induce 2D topological phase transitions. To clarify these misleading perspectives, we propose a simple model with a flexible Chern number to demonstrate that the bulk gapless states emerge at the phase boundary of topological phase transitions, despite the absence of band inversion process. Furthermore, the bulk gapless states do not need to occur at the special $k$-points protected by symmetries. Given the significance of these fundamental  textit{conceptual} issues and their wide-spread influence, our clarification should generate strong general interests and significant impacts. Furthermore, the simplicity and flexibility of our general model with an arbitrary Chern number should prove useful in a wide range of future studies of topological states of matter.
Emulsification is a crucial technique for mixing immiscible liquids into droplets in various industries, such as food, cosmetics, biomedicine, agrochemistry, and petrochemistry. Quantitative analysis of the stability is pivotal before the utilization of these emulsions. Differences in X-ray attenuation for emulsion components and surface relaxation of the droplets may contribute to X-ray CT imaging and low-field NMR spectroscopy as viable techniques to quantify emulsion stability. In this study, Pickering (stabilized solely by nanoparticles) and Classical (stabilized solely by low molecular weight polymers) nanoemulsions were prepared with a high-energy method. NMR and X-ray CT were employed to constantly monitor the two types of nanoemulsions until phase separation. The creaming rates calculated from NMR match well with the results obtained from X-ray CT. Furthermore, we show that Stokes' law coupled with the classical Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner theory underestimates the creaming rate of the nanoemulsions compared to the experimental results from NMR and X-ray CT imaging. A new theory is proposed by fully incorporating the effects of Pickering nanoparticles, hydrocarbon types, volume fraction, size distribution, and flocculation on the droplet coarsening. The theoretical results agree well with the experimentally measured creaming rates. It reveals that the attachment of nanoparticles onto a droplet surface decreases the mass transfer for hydrocarbon molecules to move from the bulk aqueous phase into other droplets, thus slowing the Ostwald ripening. Therefore, Pickering nanoemulsions show a better stability behavior compared to Classical nanoemulsions. The impacts of hydrocarbon and emulsification energy on the stability of nanoemulsions are reported. These findings demonstrate that the stability of the nanoemulsions can be manipulated and optimized for a specific application, setting the stage for subsequent investigations of these nanodroplets.
Epitaxial heterostructures constructed from the thermoelectric cobalt Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin films and SrTiO3 as well as SrTi0.993Nb0.007O3 substrates were fabricated by pulsed-laser deposition. The scanning transmission electron microscopy results confirm that the heterostructures are epitaxial, with sharp and coherent interfaces. The temperature-dependent electrical transport properties and the Hall effects were systematically investigated. The Bi2Sr2Co2Oy/SrTi0.993Nb0.007O3 p-n heterostructure exhibits good rectifying current-voltage characteristics over a wide temperature range. A strong photovoltaic effect was observed in the Bi2Sr2Co2Oy/SrTi0.993Nb0.007O3 heterostructure, with the temperature-dependent photovoltage being systematically investigated. The present work shows a great potential of this new heterostructures as photoelectric devices.
An increasing population as a result of urbanization brings with it the need for an urban regeneration process. This process is particularly crucial to ensure that elderly people with limited mobility are able to meet their own needs as well as participate in the social dynamics of the city. Depending on their mobility, the accessibility capability of elderly people is one of the key dynamics of the urban planning process, and accessibility is particularly important for elderly people with regard to covering their needs. The aim of this study was to examine the capability of elderly people, whose needs are typically neglected in the urban planning process, in accessing spatial services in Nigde, a city located in the Central Anatolian region of Turkey. The literature was reviewed to identify areas frequented by elderly users, as well as the level of accessibility of such areas. A survey was then conducted to determine the level of importance attached by the elderly to the accessibility of these spatial services. Based on the fi ndings of the survey, a spatial analysis was conducted for the city using the Geographical Information System (GIS), and accessibility impact areas were identifi ed. The inadequacies of urban areas in Nigde were identifi ed, and various recommendations were proposed in order to resolve them.
A symposium held at the CIBA Foundation in April 1996 discussed recent research on the relationship between enteroviruses and the onset of insulin‐dependent (Type 1) diabetes mellitus. New data were presented and discussed concerning the frequency of viral infection in the probands and mothers of children with diabetes and the immune responses associated with candidate viruses. Further evidence was presented but yet more is needed to look at the role of viruses in the pathogenesis of IDDM and the mechanisms by which it might occur.
Sweet syndrome (acute, febrile, neutrophilic dermatosis) is characterized by the acute onset of an eruption of painful nodules or erythematous or violaceous plaques on the limbs, face and neck. These symptoms are accompanied by fever. The diagnostic features include histopathological findings of dermal neutrophilic infiltration without leukocytoclastic vasculitis or peripheral blood leukocytosis. Sweet syndrome is associated with infection, malignancies, autoimmune disease, pregnancy, and drugs. Patients with Sweet syndrome demonstrate a complete and rapid response to systemic steroid administration. Recently, a distinct variant of Sweet syndrome was reported, termed “histiocytoid Sweet syndrome”, in which the infiltration of myeloperoxidase-positive histiocytoid mononuclear cells are observed (in contrast to the infiltration of neutrophils). The other clinical features are similar to those of classic Sweet syndrome. Pediatric Sweet syndrome is uncommon, and the histiocytoid type is even rarer. To date, four cases of histiocytoid Sweet syndrome have been reported in children. Herein, we describe a case of histiocytoid Sweet syndrome in an otherwise healthy 10-year-old boy with no underlying systemic disease in whom non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug treatment was successful.
Western blotting methods have been used to assess the specificity of polyclonal antibodies raised against Bacillus globigii spore and vegetative cell preparations. None of the antibodies studied were completely species‐specific in their recognition of spore surface epitopes. One polyclonal serum recognized several spore surface epitopes and demonstrated limited cross‐reaction with the spore surface of the near‐neighbour species B. subtilis. A second polyclonal serum, raised against aged spore antigens, recognized damaged spore epitopes primarily. Both of these antibodies also cross‐reacted with vegetative cell epitopes present in all four Bacillus species (B. globigii, B. subtilis, B. cereus and B. anthracis) studied.
We report here the effects of chain stiffness and surface attachment on the effective interactions between polyelectrolyte-grafted colloidal particles in monovalent salt obtained using Monte Carlo simulations. Our approach involves computation of the distance-dependent potential of mean force between two polyelectrolyte-grafted colloidal particles treated at a coarse-grained resolution. Two chain stiffnesses, flexible and stiff, and two surface attachment modes, free and constrained, at low grafting densities are examined. PMF calculations across a range of surface and polyelectrolyte charge allows us to map out the strength and extent of the attractive and repulsive regime in the two-dimensional charge space. We observe striking differences in the effects of chain stiffness between the two modes of attachment. When the chains are freely attached, the stiff-chains colloids exhibit a marginal reduction in the attraction compared to their flexible-chain counterparts. In contrast, when the chains are attached in a constrained manner, the colloids with stiff chains exhibit a significantly stronger attraction and a broader attractive regime compared to flexible-chain colloids. These differences in the effects of stiffness between the two attachment modes are explained in terms of differences in the energetic and entropic forces balancing adsorption of chains at their own surface versus chain extension to mediate bridging interactions across two particles. Our results thus underscore the importance of surface attachment of chains and its proper accounting in computational and experimental studies and suggests the mode of chain attachment as an additional control parameter for modulating intercolloid interactions for applications such as stabilization of colloidal systems and bottom-up self-assembly of nanostructures.
A short cut review was carried out to establish whether a normal CT scan within 6 h of onset of a severe, sudden onset headache can be used to rule out a subarachnoid haemorrhage. Four studies were directly relevant to the question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are tabulated. The clinical bottom line is that a CT scan performed on a third generation scanner with thin slices, reported by a radiologist experienced in reporting CT brain scans, within 6 h of onset of the headache can be used to rule out a subarachnoid haemorrhage.
To clarify the bronchoscopic findings in metastatic spread to the bronchi, we analyzed the records of 65 cases of metastatic pulmonary disease in which fiberoptic bronchoscopy had been done. Forty-five patients (69.2%) had abnormal bronchoscopic findings. These patients could be divided into three groups, according to bronchoscopic findings and route of metastatic spread to the bronchi: endobronchial metastasis (n=15), bronchial involvement (that is, direct extension to the bronchi from adjacent metastatic foci, n=15), and lymphangitis carcinomatosa (n=15). Breast cancer and colon cancer were common in cases of endobronchial metastasis, and the bronchial tumor often presented as a polypoid or nodular lesion covered with necrotic material. Submucosal swelling with an irregular margin and narrowing of the bronchial lumen were seen in cases of bronchial involvement. In conclusion, each type of primary extrapulmonary tumor is associated with characteristic endobronchial findings of pulmonary metastases such as endobronchial metastasis and bronchial involvement, which should be discriminated if possible, because of their different metastatic process.
The external loading of 14 lakes in the Wielkopolska National Park was calculated, including nitrogen and phosphorus loads from point, diffuse and dispersed sources, precipitation and recreation. The basic source of nitrogen and phosphorus for most lakes in the Park is the export of diffuse pollution from the catchment area. Only four lakes are contaminated by sewage, which accounts for 0.1–61.2% of total nutrient loading. Annual unit area loads of phosphorus and nitrogen estimated for each lake were 2–51 times higher than Vollenweider’s critical loading levels. Estimated mass loading and annual unit area loads of nutrients for each lake were compared with lake water quality, expressed as the trophic state index. Analysis of the physico-geographical structure of the catchment area and natural resistance of lakes to external input of nutrients allowed us to assess the role of the catchment in the deterioration of water quality and to indicate the protective measures required.
The abundance of glycerol as the side product of biodiesel has motivated researches on glycerol utilization as a feedstock for more valuable products. This research presents the possibility of producing polyester (glyptal), which is a widely used coating material, from glycerol by esterification using phthalic anhydride. Esterification reaction of phthalic anhydride and glycerol to produce glyptal can be catalyzed by Lewis acid provided by either homogeneous or heterogeneous catalyst. This study compared the performance of activated zeolite as heterogeneous catalyst in the esterification of glycerol and phthalic anhydride with the performance of p- toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) as homogeneous catalyst. The reactions were carried out in laboratory scale batch reactor. The kinetics was modeled using Step Growth Polymerization Model. The rate constant obtained from experimental data fitting on the model was correlated with temperature by Arrhenius equation. Both activated zeolite and PTSA exhibited Arrhenius behavior. Based on the comparison of the Arrhenius constants of the reaction catalyzed by each of the two different catalysts, PTSA performed better in term of lower activation energy. Nevertheless, this result did not suggest that activated zeolite was failed. The activated zeolite was successful to make the reaction happen. To reach the same performance as the homogeneous PTSA, the activated zeolite needs to be improved with respect to its cation exchange capacity and also the operational consideration such as the amount of zeolite added per volume of reaction and the intensity of mixing to minimize the diffusion resistance surrounding the zeolite particles.
This case study focuses on the economic and legal issues affecting a region or community as a result of potential railroad line abandonment. Railroad line abandonment, where rail service is being discontinued over a rail line or segment of a line, is becoming an increasing common practice in the United States. The loss to an affected community or a region can have significant economic and social consequences, especially when the rail line to be abandoned represents one of the principal modes of transportation into and out of the affected area. This can limit future growth and the marketing of an area to potential entrants. This case study analyzes the specific steps required by the railroad and interested parties in the rail line abandonment process as well as alternative arrangements to abandonment. It concludes by analyzing the economic issues related to alternative uses of railroad right-of-way, including its use as a rail trail. This case study offers students the opportunity to analyze the various economic and legal issues involved and develop alternative plans from both the perspective of the railroad as well as the affected community or region.
A diabetic lady in her 40s was referred to surgical oncologists with epigastric pain associated with vomiting. Computed Tomography (CT) Abdomen with contrast demonstrated a mass arising from the head of the pancreas with the absence of dorsal pancreas, confirmed on magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatography (MRCP). A core needle biopsy was done, and the tumor was revealed to be a solid pseudopapillary epithelial neoplasm. She underwent sub-total pancreatectomy preserving the duodenum and ventral pancreas as there was adequate free margin; however due to the tumor abutting the anterior wall of the portal vein, it was resected, and reconstruction was done using a peritoneal graft. The patient made a good recovery without any significant post-operative events.
Among aortic dissections, three-channeled aortic dissection, in which two parallel false lumens are present, is relatively rare. We surgically treated 26 patients with this type of dissection, they accounted for 7.4% of all 349 patients with aortic dissection surgically treated between 1978 and May 1997. Their ages ranged from 24 to 77 years (mean 45 years). The male/female ratio was 1:1. Marfan's syndrome was present in 15 patients and Bentall's-type operation had been performed in 12 patients. Pain at different times was observed in 19 patients. For preoperative diagnosis, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were useful. The morphology of the 1st and 2nd false lumens was Stanford type A + type B in 11 patients, type B + type B in 12, type A + type A in 2, and localized abdominal dissection in 1. Reentry of the second false lumen was observed in only 3 patients. Descending aortic replacement was performed in 13 patients, thoracoabdominal aortic replacement in 6, ascending aortic replacement in 3, and others in 4. Seven patients died in the hospital. There were 4 late deaths during follow-up for 10–158 months (mean, 58 months). When pain recurred in patients with aortic dissection, three-channeled dissection should be suspected. The incidence of this dissection is high in patients with Marfan's syndrome.
This work introduces a rate allocation method for the transmission of pre-encoded JPEG2000 video over time-varying channels, which vary their capacity during video transmission due to network congestion, hardware failures, or router saturation. Such variations occur often in networks and are commonly unpredictable in practice. The optimization problem is posed for such networks and a rate allocation method is formulated to handle such variations. The main insight of the proposed method is to extend the complexity scalability features of the FAst rate allocation through STeepest descent (FAST) algorithm. Extensive experimental results suggest that the proposed transmission scheme achieves near-optimal performance while expending few computational resources.
The effects of soybean-derived sterylglucoside (SG) on the fluidity of liposomal membrane composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) were investigated compared with those of soybean-derived sterol (SS) and cholesterol (Ch) using an electron spin resonance spectrometer. Three kinds of liposomes were prepared in the molar ratio of DPPC/X=7/4, where X is SS, Ch or SG. The fluidity close to the polar head groups increased with an increase of temperature in the DPPC membrane containing SS, Ch and SG in the range 35 to 45 degrees C. Those near the hydrophobic end changed with an increase in temperature in liposomes containing SS, Ch and SG, which had a fluidizing effect on the DPPC membrane below the transition temperature (Tm, 41.9 degrees C) and a condensing effect over the Tm. The fluidizing effects of these compounds around 37 degrees C near the polar head group and the hydrophobic end increased in the following order: Ch < SG < or = SS and SS < Ch < SG, respectively. SG increased the fluidity of liposomal membrane dramatically above the Tm (35.4 degrees C). These results suggest that the high fluidity close to the hydrophobic end of the liposomal membranes around 37 degrees C, the decrease of Tm, and the sigmoidal nature of fluidity vs. temperature are important factors in the effectiveness of liposomes containing SG as a carrier of drugs.
Temperature-dependent exciton recombination in asymmetrical ZnCdSe/ZnSe double quantum wells is studied by recording photoluminescence spectra and photoluminescence decay spectra. The exciton tunnelling from the wide well to the narrow well and the thermal dissociation of excitons are two factors that influence the exciton recombination in this structure. In the narrow well, both of the two processes decrease the emission intensity, whereas, in the wide well, these two processes have contrary influences on the exciton density. The change of the emission intensity depends on which is the stronger one.
In this paper lossless compression with polar codes is considered. A polar encoding algorithm is developed and a method to design the code and compute the average compression rate for finite lengths is given. It is shown that the scheme achieves the optimal compression rate asymptotically. Furthermore, the proposed scheme has a very good performance at finite lengths. Both the encoding and decoding operations can be accomplished with complexity O(N log N) where N denotes the length of the code.
Background COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 and has a wide range of symptoms. While Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a common comorbidity in COVID-19 patients, it is the main comorbidity in non-surviving COVID-19 patients. Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a cytokine that has been correlated with severity and mortality in COVID-19 patients, but its role in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity and its relationship with NLR and CRP as markers of inflammation are not yet fully understood. Objective To investigate the correlation between IL-8, NLR, and CRP in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Integrated Infectious Disease Installation of Dr. Saiful Anwar Malang Hospital from June to November 2021 using consecutive sampling. IL-8 was measured using the ELISA method with Legendmax® Human IL-8. NLR was measured using flow cytometry, while CRP was measured using the immunoturbidimetric method with Cobas C6000®. Patient outcomes were obtained from medical records. Results A total of 124 research subjects participated in the study. IL-8 and CRP levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity, and were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) in non-surviving COVID-19 patients. Overall, there was a positive correlation between IL-8 and CRP (r = 0.58, p < 0.05). There was also a positive correlation between IL-8 (r = 0.58; p < 0.05), NLR (r = 0.45, p < 0.05), CRP (r = 0.54, p < 0.05) and mortality in COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity. The presence of DM comorbidity increased IL-8 levels and aggravated inflammation in COVID-19 patients, thereby increasing the risk of mortality. Conclusion IL-8, CRP and NLR levels were higher in non-surviving COVID-19 patients with DM comorbidity, indicating that they could serve as good predictors of poor outcomes in this patient population.
Study Design. A retrospective review of patient records with recent clinical and radiologic assessment was conducted. Objective. To evaluate the long-term results of fully segmented hemivertebrae treated by convex fusion combined with instrumented concave subcutaneous distraction. Summary of Background Data. Convex fusion has been described for the treatment of hemivertebrae in children, whereas distraction without fusion has been shown to enhance spinal growth. No long-term follow-up studies have combined these two methods. Methods. Between 1986 and 1994, six consecutive patients (5 males and 1 female) with hemivertebrae located at T11 or T12 underwent convex anterior and posterior fusion as well as concave subcutaneous distraction without fusion. Results. The mean age at surgery was 3.4 years. The mean follow-up period was 10.8 years (range, 8–14 years). There was a mean improvement of 41% in the coronal deformity, from a mean angle of 49° before surgery to 29° at the latest follow-up assessment. In four of the cases, this correction was achieved immediately after surgery and did not significantly change despite repeated distraction. The kyphosis improved in three cases, remained unchanged in one case, and deteriorated in two cases. In these two cases, an adjacent wedge vertebra contributed to the kyphotic deformity. Conclusions. Although growth-mediated correction was seen in only two cases, this procedure could be recommended for children with severe deformities and decompensation in the lower thoracic spine. It is safer than hemivertebra excision, with less risk of spinal cord injury. The concave distraction produces immediate improvement in the coronal balance, such that there is no need to wait for uncertain growth-mediated correction in patients who undergo convex fusion only.
Reduction of pressure loss in ventilation systems can be achieved by changing the shape of the airflow region and smoothing the boundary surfaces. The installation of special profiling components inside a straight shaped part of ventilation duct is the simplest way to reduce the coefficient of local resistance and pressure loss. For the best result under given conditions, the shape optimization problem must be formulated and solved. In this paper, we use the open source code software and numerical methods to study the optimal-shaped drag reduction components in elbow ventilation ducts. Computational Fluid Dynamics is used to predict the flow fields and the drag reduction effect. After the validation of flow model against existing experimental results, a detailed study has been conducted to shape optimization of removable profiled components. The optimization problem is parameterized by a small number of structural variables, which are the coordinates of the control points of the splines that form the contours of the flow region. Total pressure loss coefficient is selected as the objective function for optimization. A genetic algorithm is used as an optimization method. The results reveal that the removable profiled drag reduction component can reduce the resistance in ducts by 60%-80%.
Because interruption of blood flow to the testicle for even a few hours can result in the loss of the spermatogenic capacity of this organ, testicular torsion is considered a surgical emergency. Scrotal scintigraphy is a well-established, readily available, highly accurate technique for evaluating individuals with scrotal pain. While intrascrotal photopenia is classically associated with torsion, and increased activity with inflammation, from time to time unusual scintigraphic patterns are encountered that may confound the interpretation of the study. We recently encountered just such an interpretive dilemma in a patient subsequently found to have both hydrocele and epididymitis, but no evidence of testicular torsion
A quaternary carbon center containing an oxindole motif is constructed via NHC-catalyzed transition-metal and aldehyde-free intermolecular Heck-type alkyl radical addition initiated annulation. This redox-neutral protocol also features a simple procedure, broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance and could be smoothly amplified to a gram scale. The mechanism study shows that the reaction possibly undergoes two folds of SET processes with an NHC radical cation intermediate involved.
The specific heat of has been measured over the wide temperature range from 3.5 K to 200 K. Only one anomaly, indicating the phase transition driven by the cooperative Jahn-Teller effect, has been found, at . The phonon specific heat has been estimated and subtracted from the heat capacity measured. The Schottky anomaly originating from the population of the lowest two doublets of the dysprosium ions, and the -anomaly connected with the Jahn-Teller phase transition have been described theoretically using the molecular-field approximation. Satisfactory agreement between experimental points and theoretical dependences calculated using the material parameters known from the literature was obtained.
Background The aim of this study was to investigate whether frequent drinking, use of drugs with addiction potential and the possible combination of frequent drinking and use of prescribed drugs with addiction potential were associated with all-cause mortality in older adults. Methods We used data from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT3 2006–08), a population-based study in Norway. A total of 11,545 (6,084 women) individuals 65 years and older at baseline participated. We assessed frequent drinking (≥ 4 days a week), occasional drinking (i.e. a few times a year), never drinking and non-drinking in the last year. Drugs with addiction potential were defined as at least one prescription of benzodiazepines, z-hypnotics or opioids during one year for a minimum of two consecutive years between 2005 and 2009. This information was drawn from the Norwegian Prescription Database. The main outcome was all-cause mortality with information drawn from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. Follow-up continued until death or latest at 31 December 2013. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate all-cause mortality since date of study entry and exact age at time of death was unknown. Results The adjusted logistic regression analyses showed that frequent drinking was not associated with all-cause mortality compared to occasional drinking. Men who reported to be never drinkers and non-drinkers in the last year had higher odds of mortality compared to those who drank occasionally. Use of prescribed drugs with addiction potential was associated with increased mortality in men, but not in women. No association was found between the possible combination of frequent drinking and use of prescribed drugs with addiction potential and mortality. Conclusion Neither frequent drinking nor the possible combination of frequent drinking and use of prescribed drugs with addiction potential were associated with all-cause mortality in older women and men. Use of prescribed drugs with addiction potential was associated with higher odds of mortality in men. This finding should lead to more caution in prescribing drugs with addiction potential to this group.
The aetiological agent of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) is an orthomyxo-like virus with a negativestranded RNA genome consisting of eight segments (Dannevig, Falk & Namork 1995; Falk, Namork, Rimstad, Mjaaland & Dannevig 1997; Mjaaland, Rimstad, Falk & Dannevig 1997). The ISA virus (ISAV) constitutes the only member of the Isavirus genus (Kawaoka, Cox, Haller, Hongo, Kaverin, Klenk, Lamb, McCauley, Palese, Rimstad & Webster 2005). ISA was first observed in Norway in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. (Thorud & Djupvik 1988). The disease has caused considerable economic loss to the Norwegian salmon farming industry and has also been reported from Scotland (Rowley, Campbell, Curran, Turnbull & Bryson 1999) and from the eastern coast of North America (Bouchard, Keleher, Opitz, Blake, Edwards & Nicholson 1999; Lovely, Dannevig, Falk, Hutchin, MacKinnon, Melville, Rimstad & Griffiths 1999). Clinical signs of ISA include anaemia and leucopenia, exophthalmos, haemorrhages, ascites, petechiae in viscera, and congestion of the liver, spleen and gut (Evensen, Thorud & Olsen 1991). The cumulative mortality in infected salmon farms may reach 100% over several months. Natural outbreaks of ISA have been observed only in Atlantic salmon, but the virus was detected from apparently normal individuals in other species including coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum), (Kibenge, Garate, Johnson, Arriagada, Kibenge & Wadowska 2001) and brown trout, Salmo trutta L. (Raynard, Murray & Gregory 2001). ISAV was also isolated from coho salmon showing jaundice in a Chilean fish farm (Kibenge et al. 2001), and ISAV was subsequently considered as one of the aetiological agents (Smith, Larenas, Contreras, Cassigoli, Venegas, Rojas, Guajardo, Perez & Diaz 2006). No mortality was recorded in experimentally infected adult Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), brown trout, chum, Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum), chinook, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), and coho salmon, and steelhead trout, O. mykiss (Snow, Raynard & Bruno 2001; Rolland & Winton 2003). When injected with ascitic fluid from infected salmon, sea trout, S. trutta, did not develop clinical signs of ISA apart from an abnormal haematocrit (Nylund & Jakobsen 1995). However, ISAV could replicate in this species, and blood samples were successfully used to infect Atlantic salmon. Furthermore, it was recently reported that the injection of ISAV NBIS A01 or 810/9/99 induced low mortalities in juvenile rainbow trout (Kibenge, Kibenge, Groman & McGeachy 2006). These observations suggested that ISAV is able to replicate Journal of Fish Diseases 2007, 30, 631–636
Abstract It has been suggested that the sign of charge acquired by a riming graupel pellet during ice crystal interactions depends on its surface state being negative when it is evaporating and positive when growing by vapor diffusion. Experiments were conducted to determine the surface states of riming cylinders in two previous laboratory studies of thunderstorm electrification. Calculations of the heat balance of the simulated graupel pellets are considered in terms of experimental measurements of the charge transferred under similar conditions. The results show that the contribution from in-cloud supercooled droplets is not always adequate to enable the graupel surface to grow by vapor diffusion in all laboratory cloud conditions where it acquires a net positive charge. It is suggested that factors such as the vapor fields around droplets freezing on its surface and the shape and surface roughness of the graupel may play important roles in determining the surface state and hence the overall sign of the...
In the title complex, [Cu(C7H4NO4)2] 2C2H6OS, the Cu atom is situated on an inversion centre and is N,O-chelated by two monoanionic 4-carboxypyridine-2-carboxylate ligands in a slightly distorted square-planar coordination geometry. The dimethyl sulfoxide solvent molecules and Cu complex molecules are linked by O—H O hydrogen bonding. In addition, C—H O contacts and – interactions [centroid– centroid distance = 3.590 (1) Å] occur.
This study determine the contact time, pH, and the optimum concentration of the solution of copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) from skin the plantain (musa sapientum). Advances in the industry today resulted in many human activities that caused increasing impact of the pollution on surrounding of the environment. Environmental pollution by heavy metals being a serious problem along with increasing the use of heavy metals in the industry. The method used in this study was a laboratory experiment using colorimeter. The results showed that the adsorption of copper and iron on the plantain bark influence a time variation of Cu and Fe occurred in the 60 minute and 30 minute (99.64% and 99.54%); variation of pH for Cu and Fe occurrs in pH 4 and pH 3 (99.62% and 99.58%) and variation of concentration for Cu and Fe occurred at 20 ppm and 1 ppm (80.74% and 96.81%), respectively.
To keep competitive in the new dynamic market having more requirements in product various and delivery date, manufacturing companies need to make systems that not only response to market rapidly but also ensure delivery on time. Reconfigurable manufacturing system is a new paradigm to enhance the ability to response to the market rapidly and improve the performance rate. Capacity scalability is an important feature for reconfigurable manufacturing system. The effectiveness of an RMS depends on production scheduling and the time to reconfigure. According to the theory of constrains, bottleneck is the main factor to hinder the development of a manufacturing system. So the schedule and the adjustment of production capacity for bottleneck are really important in improving a manufacturing system performance. This paper focuses on the scheduling of bottleneck which can adjust production capacity and develops a model to solve this type problem. An adaptive genetic algorithm is used to solve the model. The aim of the problem is to find out the best schedule and device production capacity. Finally, an example is used to validate the results of the model and its solution procedure.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease with a high prevalence among older people. To date, the pathogenesis of the disease and the link between muscle function and OA is not entirely understood. As there is no known cure for OA, current research focuses on prevention and symptomatic treatment of the disorder. Recent research has indicated that muscle weakness precedes the onset of OA symptoms. Furthermore, several studies show a beneficial effect of land-based aerobic and strengthening exercises on pain relief and joint function. Therefore, current research focuses on the possibility to employ exercise and sports in the prevention and treatment of OA.
Abstract The Supercontainer design is the preferred option for the underground disposal of high level nuclear waste in Belgium. It consists of a carbon steel overpack surrounded by a thick concrete buffer. In this high alkaline environment and under normal conditions (without the ingress of aggressive species), the carbon steel overpack will be protected by a passive oxide film, which is believed to result in very low uniform corrosion rates. The backbone of the RD&D strategy, which aims to provide confidence that the integrity of the overpack will be maintained at least during the thermal phase, is based on demonstrating that each localised corrosion mechanism (e.g. pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion and stress corrosion cracking), other than uniform corrosion, cannot take place under the high pH conditions prevailing within the Supercontainer (the ‘exclusion principle’). This paper gives an overview of the status of the RD&D programme related to the anaerobic uniform corrosion of the carbon steel overpack. The outcome of the modelling efforts simulating the evolution of various parameters (temperature, pH, degree of saturation, corrosion potential and composition of aggressive species) that can potentially influence the corrosion processes, over geological timescales, is addressed.
To flesh out the principles of dynamic interactionism presented by Reynolds et al. (2010), we discuss traditional approaches to the psychology of tyranny and oppression. We argue that models which place personality and situational factors in opposition, together with those which combine these elements mechanically, signally fail to capture the dynamism that is characteristic of tyrannical systems. We identify four aspects of this dynamism. These suggest that individual differences (a) draw people towards particular contexts, (b) are given meaning by salient social identities, (c) are transformed by intense group experiences and (d) become most potent when representative of group identity.
Background Administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) often causes small intestinal ulcers in patients, but few effective drugs are currently available to manage such serious adverse events of NSAIDs. Li-Zhong decoction (LZD), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is commonly prescribed for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-ulcerogenic activity of LZD on indomethacin- (IND-) induced duodenal ulcer in rats. Mechanistic studies of action of LZD were focused on involvement of TLR-2/MyD88 signaling pathway. Methods Fifty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly and evenly divided into five groups: normal control, ulcer control (IND, 25 mg/kg), IND + esomeprazole (ESO, 4.17 mg/kg), and IND + low and high doses of LZD (3.75 and 7.50 g/kg). Macroscopic and histopathological examinations were performed for evaluation of ulcer index (UI), curative index (CI), and microscopic score (MS). Levels of duodenal inflammatory biomarkers and cytoprotective mediators including interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α (TNF- Results Gross and microscopic examinations of the IND-treated rats revealed severe duodenal hemorrhagic necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, villus destruction, and crypt abscess, while LZD-treated rats manifested these pathological events to a markedly lesser degree. LZD significantly decreased UI and MS, increased CI, preserved the integrity of the villus and crypt, and normalized the tissue architecture of the duodenum of rats. The elevated TNF-α (TNF- Conclusions Our data demonstrate that LZD protects the duodenal mucosa from IND-caused lesions, which is at least partially attributable to the interaction of its potential cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory mechanisms together with enhancement of the mucosal immunity through TLR-2/MyD88 signaling pathway.
In this paper we study some examples of non-degenerate and degenerate cuspidal loops in planar systems. A cuspidal loop is a codimension-three homoclinic orbit given by the intersection of the separatrices of an equilibrium of cusp type. Using a Dulac map analysis and asymptotic expansions we study the stability in the neighbourhood of a cusp point. As a first example we consider an enzyme-catalysed reaction model exhibiting a non-degenerate cuspidal loop. All the codimension-one and-two homoclinic bifurcations present in the unfolding of the corresponding cuspidal loop are found in such a realistic model. Finally, the unfolding of a codimension-five Bogdanov-Takens bifurcation is analysed. A degenerate codimension-four cuspidal loop appearing in this system is located on a non-degenerate cuspidal loop curve, and part of the unfolding of such singularity is shown.
Deterministic chemical stacking of two-dimensional materials with controlled symmetry is a synthetic chemistry challenge that deserves attention. It is plausible that depending on the angle of stacking the material properties of the assembly could be tuned. Herein, we report 30° twisted stacking of two-dimensional nanosheets of a hexagonal assembly of organic ligand-stabilized Cu nanoclusters formed through a Zn2+-mediated complexation reaction. Electron diffraction in transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of regions of dodecagonal symmetry with the apparent loss of translation symmetry. Photoluminescence measurements indicated the formation of the stacked assembly in the liquid medium. The as-synthesized twisted stacking structure exhibited superior delayed photoluminescence and chemical stability─in the presence of molecular iodine─as compared to the hexagonal crystal. The discovery can lead to a bright future in exploring new chemical and physical properties through the design of stacked assemblies of luminescent or other materials.
Polycrystalline Zn–Mn–O samples with nominal manganese concentration x = 0.01 and 0.10 were synthesized by a solid state reaction route using (ZnC2O4·2H2O)1−x and (MnC2O4·2H2O)x. Thermal treatment of the samples was carried out in air at temperatures of 673, 773 and 1173 K. The samples were investigated by x-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis, transmission electron microscopy, magnetization measurements and electron paramagnetic resonance. Room temperature ferromagnetism is observed in Zn–Mn–O samples with x = 0.01 thermally treated at low temperatures (673, 773 K). It seems that the ferromagnetic phase could originate from interactions between Mn2+ ions and acceptor defects incorporated in the ZnO crystal lattice during the thermal treatment of the samples.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have markedly changed the landscape of cancer therapy. By re-invigorating the immune system against tumors, ICI provide novel therapeutic options for a broad variety of malignancies, including many gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. However, these therapies can also induce autoimmune-like side effects in healthy tissue across the body. One of the most common of these side effects is ICI-mediated colitis and diarrhea (IMC). Here, we review the incidence and risk of IMC in ICI therapy, with a focus on what is known regarding IMC in patients with GI malignancies. We also discuss data available on the use of ICI and risk of IMC in patients with pre-existing inflammatory bowel disease, as these patients may have increased risk of IMC due to their underlying intestinal pathology.
Adenosine and ATP are excitatory neurotransmitters involved in the carotid body (CB) response to hypoxia. During ageing the CB exhibits a decline in its functionality, demonstrated by decreased hypoxic responses. In aged rats (20–24 months old) there is a decrease in: basal and hypoxic release of adenosine and ATP from the CB; expression of adenosine and ATP receptors in the petrosal ganglion; carotid sinus nerve (CSN) activity in response to hypoxia; and ventilatory responses to ischaemic hypoxia. There is also an increase in SNAP25, ENT1 and CD73 expression. It is concluded that, although CSN activity and ventilatory responses to hypoxia decrease with age, adjustments in purinergic metabolism in the CB in aged animals are present aiming to maintain the contribution of adenosine and ATP. The possible significance of the findings in the context of ageing and in CB‐associated pathologies is considered.
For relatively small molecules, the biogenesis of functional mature tRNAs is an amazingly complicated process. All tRNAs are transcribed initially as precursors containing 58 leader and 38 trailer sequences that must be removed by processing. Pre-tRNAs also undergo a complex set of base modifications that are carried out by a series of enzymes that recognize specific features of tRNA structure. In addition, eukaryotic tRNAs have CCA added to their 38 ends by a specialized nucleotidyltransferase. A subset of eukaryotic pre-tRNAs also contain intervening sequences, which are removed by a dedicated set of tRNA splicing enzymes. Lastly, tRNAs must be exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and must undergo aminoacylation to participate in protein synthesis. Although the basic features of the tRNA biogenesis pathway have been appreciated for at least a decade, work in a number of laboratories over the last several years has resulted in several novel and unexpected insights into this complex process. For example, it was revealed recently that tRNAs are recognized and exported to the cytoplasm by a specialized export receptor, and that recognition by this export receptor is part of a quality control mechanism that ensures that incompletely processed and mutant RNAs will be retained in the nucleus. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that certain of the various tRNA processing steps take place in discrete subcellular compartments, such that at least some steps of the tRNA biogenesis pathway are spatially as well as temporally ordered. The eukaryotic tRNA biogenesis pathway is best understood in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, primarily due to the ease of combining genetics with biochemistry in this organism. However, virtually all components that have been identified in yeast have counterparts in higher cells, as would be expected for such a highly conserved process. Therefore, in this review, we emphasize recent results from yeast but also draw upon data from both prokaryotes and higher eukaryotic species. We provide an update on what is presently known about the processing events and paths taken by eukaryotic tRNAs following termination of transcription, culminating in their export to the cytoplasm. For more extensive descriptions of the enzymology of end-maturation, nucleotide modification, and tRNA splicing, see the following excellent reviews: Hopper and Martin (1992); Westaway and Abelson (1995); Grosjean et al. (1997); and Abelson et al. (1998).
Today, the 'obesity pandemic' is one of the biggest health issues around the world. Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), a hypothalamic neuropeptide, is one of the most potent, central stimulators of feeding and it also attenuates energy expenditure. Inhibitions of the MCH receptor, the melanin-concentrating hormone receptor-1 (MCHR1), has attracted considerable attention as a potential anti-obesity drug, during the last decade. Now, there are a large number of MCHR1 antagonists, pharmacological tools and clinical drug candidates that can provide clues to develop new structures with high potency and good pharmacokinetic profile. The function of MCHR1 in energy homeostasis, obesity, metabolic syndrome, mood disorders and inflammatory bowel disease is discussed. Relevant clinical trials and patent background information of the MCHR1 antagonists over the last 4 years are also reviewed.
Nowadays, there is an enormous amount of study about the semantic Web, especially regarding one specific technology: semantic Web services. However, to be widely adopted by users and to succeed in real-world applications, semantic Web services development must catch up with mainstream software trends. As has already occurred with traditional Web services, Web development should be adapted to support the systematic development of the new components required by applications involving semantic Web services. In this paper we present, through a case study, an approach for developing semantic Web services. This approach is based on the extension of MIDAS, a model-driven methodology for Web Information Systems development.
Thermoelastic damping and fluid damping may collectively affect the resonant behaviors of silicon resonators. A finite element model is developed to predict the characteristics of the out-of-plane reso- nance, and the results are verified by experiments. The implementation of the perturbation method leads to an eigenvalue equation, from which the resonant frequency and the quality factor can be evaluated. The fluid damping problem is formulated by augmenting the governing equation with a linear damping term, whose coefficient is inversely determined from the experimental correlations. With the incorporation of the fluid damping term, the computational prediction achieves a good agreement with the experiment. The same method can also be extended to study the in-plane vibration of beam resonators. © 2009 Society of Photo-Optical In-
Type 1 diabetes is a challenging disease that is largely managed with the use of insulin. The risk of hypoglycemia, side effects of weight gain, and high glucose variability associated with insulin use have prompted researchers to explore additional therapies to treat this condition. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a class of medications that lower glucose in type 2 diabetes patients independent of insulin action, and have been studied for use in the type 1 diabetes population. Sotagliflozin is an SGLT2 inhibitor that demonstrates a unique binding affinity for the SGLT1 receptor. A total of three phase III clinical trials (inTandem1, inTandem2, and inTandem3) were conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sotagliflozin in type 1 diabetes. A modest hemoglobin A1C reduction of 0.3–0.4% was observed, with secondary benefits of reduced glucose variability, reduced insulin dosage, and positive weight loss effects. Overall there was a reduction in the risk of severe hypoglycemia with sotagliflozin, but a higher rate of ketone formation and risk of diabetic ketoacidosis was observed, along with increased mycotic infections and volume depletion effects.
The author of this work is to be commended on the frankness with which she recounts its beginnings. She arrived in Iran in the fall of 1978 prepared to study silver-engravers. She had learned Persian. Then the Islamic revolution and she was forced to shift her sights. In the end, she studied Iranians in Israel. This reviewer wishes Dr. Pliskin had provided a fuller account of what she found in Israel of how she learned the language, of how fluent she felt herself to be, etc. Such an expanded introduction would have provided valuable material on her own countertransferenceB essential in one who purports to study the countertransference of Israeli psychiatrists. This material is all the more important since the book rests on the argument that Israeli psychiatrists are biased or prejudiced, or at the very influenced by countertransferential issues in their work with Iranian patients. Furthermore, all doctors she dealt with were Israeli; all patients, Iranian. Methodologically, it would have been wise to interview Iranian doctors Israeli patients as well.
Since the theme of this paper is the Indication of society in mass civilization and moral literature, it is essential to probe into the words ‘Society’ and ‘Civilaization’. The height of culture is civilization and society is a group of people with an identity living in the same place permanently. The experts who stady civilization propose from main characteristics of civilization. They are the objective of reaching an aim, appreciative actions, moral values and an understanding of humanity. All these from characters are dealt with deeply in Thirukkural. And this becomes the focus of this paper.     Key Words:  Civilization, Culture, Society, Tamil Ethical Literature, Thirukkural.     ஆயவுச சுருககம:  ‘நாகரிகப பொருணமையும நதி இலககியமும காடடும சமுதாயம’, எனும தலைபபில இககடடுரை அமைவதால தொடககததில நாகரிகம, சமுதாயம ஆகிய பொருணமைகளை விளககப படுததுவதாக உளளது. நாகரிகம எனபது பணபாடடின உசசஙகளாகக காணபபடுகினறது. சமுதாயமோ ஒரு மககள கூடடம ஓர அடையாளததில திரணடு ஒரு குறிபபிடட இடததில நிரநதரமாக வாழும நிலையைச சொலவதாக உளளது. நாகரிகம அடைநத சமுதாயம எனபது நானகு முககியக கூறுகளுககு முதனமை அளிததிருகக வேணடும எனபது நாகரிகவியளாலரகளின கருததாக உளளது. அநநானகு கூறுகளாவன இலககை அடையும நோககு, போறறததகக செயலகள, நனநெறிக கூறுகள, மனிதரகளிடையே புரிநதுணரவு மிகக தொடரபு ஆகியவைகளாகும. இநநானகு கூறுகளையும நதி இலககியஙகளுள முதனமையாகக கருதபபடும திருககுறளின வழி நினறு விளககுவதாகவே அமைகினறது. இநநானகு கூறுகளையும விஞசக கூடிய செயதிகள திருககுறளில இடமபெறறுளளமை இககடடுரையின விளைவாக முனவைககபபடடுளளன.  குறிபபுச சொறகள:  நாகரிகம, பணபாடு, சமுதாயம, தமிழ நதி இலககியம, திருககுறள.
Capsule gene (cps) expression, which normally occurs at low levels in Escherichia coli lon+ cells, increased 38-fold in lon+ cells carrying a Tn10::delta kan insertion mapping to 24 min on the E. coli chromosome. Null mutations in rcsA, rcsB, or rcsC abolished the effect of the Tn10::delta kan insertion. Sequencing of both sides of the Tn10::delta kan insertion localized the insertion to the previously reported mdoH gene, which encodes a protein involved in biosynthesis of membrane-derived oligosaccharides (MDOs). A model suggesting that the periplasmic levels of MDOs act to signal RcsC to activate cps expression is proposed.
Optimal Defense (OD) theory predicts that the within-plant allocation of secondary metabolites that function as defenses will be positively correlated with the fitness value of particular plant parts. Here, we experimentally examine this prediction by ex- ploiting our understanding of the mechanisms of wound-induced nicotine production in Nicotiana sylvestris (Solanaceae) to manipulate the patterns of nicotine allocation and to determine their fitness consequences. In two perturbation experiments conducted over three stages of ontogeny (rosette, elongation, and flowering), we wounded or removed leaves of different ages (young, mature, or old) and determined the effects on nicotine allocation (whole-plant and within-plant) and fitness (lifetime viable seed production). OD theory predicts that, as leaves age and their fitness value decreases, the allocation of defense to particular leaves and the fitness consequences of their removal should be positively cor- related. We found that (1) leaf removal results in a significant decrease in seed mass at the elongation stage, but not at the rosette or flowering stages; (2) the relative value of leaves decreases from young and mature to old leaves; (3) leaf damage significantly increases the whole-plant nicotine contents of rosette-stage plants, but not of elongation- or flowering- stage plants, and after damage, younger leaves are more heavily defended than older leaves at the elongation and flowering stages; and (4) regardless of ontogenetic stage, plants distribute nicotine among leaves in accordance with their relative fitness value, thus sup- porting OD theory predictions. Leaf value increases after N fertilization at the flowering stage, but is not changed if adjacent leaves are removed at earlier growth stages. Moreover, plants are capable of sending their root-synthesized nicotine to specific leaves after damage; at the elongation stage, the new and young leaves receive greater proportional allocations of nicotine than other leaves. The cessation of significant whole-plant nicotine inductions at later stages in ontogeny is not due to the root's decreased ability to respond to the plant's wound signal, jasmonic acid (JA) with increased nicotine biosynthesis, but rather to the decline in a leaf's sensitivity to wounding and in its ability to export JA from the leaves to roots. Ontogeny has profound effects on the use of this induced defense. Plants mount systemic nicotine inductions at the rosette stage that rely on large increases in de novo nicotine synthesis, switch to the selective targeting of nicotine to the new and young leaves at the elongation stage without large increases in de novo nicotine synthesis, and allocate to reproductive structures, but not leaves, at the flowering stage. These changes are consistent with the predictions of OD theory.
Abstract Retinoids are one of the most effective drugs in inducing complete or prolonged remission of severe acne vulgaris, but the adverse reactions associated with the use of them are raising a concern about the potential effect of these drugs on internal organs function such as the kidney. The aim of this review is to comprehensively gather data about isotretinoin, both potential adverse and beneficial effects on the kidney based on the current experimental and clinical findings. Very few studies, including five case reports, described that systemic oral isotretinoin within usual doses (40 mg/day or 0.5 mg/kg⁄day) within 1 to 4 months of treatment might be associated with different types of renal dysfunctions. These include acute interstitial nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and hematuria with dysuria. The adverse reactions of systemic isotretinoin on the kidney and urinary system are unlikely and rare. In contrast, six experimental studies demonstrated the beneficial effects of either oral or parenteral low- (2 or 5 mg/kg/day) or high- (10, 20, 25, 40 mg/kg/day) dose isotretinoin on the kidney in the rat models of glomerulonephritis, obstructive nephropathy or allograft nephropathy. The nephroprotective functions of isotretinoin in these studies were attributed to its anti-proliferative, anti-fibrotic, and anti-inflammatory actions. However, clinical studies are warranted to elucidate the possible beneficial effects of isotretinoin in preventing or attenuating kidney injury in different settings.
This article provides an overview of recent developments and applications of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanosensors and nanoreporters in our laboratory for use in biochemical monitoring, medical diagnostics, and therapy. The design and fabrication of different types of plasmonics-active nanostructures are discussed. The SERS nanosensors can be used in various applications including pH sensing, protein detection, and gene diagnostics. For DNA detection the 'Molecular Sentinel' nanoprobe can be used as a homogenous bioassay in solution or on a chip platform. Gold nanostars provide an excellent multi-modality theranostic platform, combining Raman and SERS with two-photon luminescence (TPL) imaging as well as photodynamic therapy (PDT), and photothermal therapy (PTT). Plasmonics-enhanced and optically modulated delivery of nanostars into brain tumor in live animals was demonstrated; photothermal treatment of tumor vasculature may induce inflammasome activation, thus increasing the permeability of the blood brain-tumor barrier. The imaging method using TPL of gold nanostars provides an unprecedented spatial selectivity for enhanced targeted nanostar delivery to cortical tumor tissue. A quintuple-modality nanoreporter based on gold nanostars for SERS, TPL, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and PTT has recently been developed. The possibility of combining spectral selectivity and high sensitivity of the SERS process with the inherent molecular specificity of bioreceptor-based nanoprobes provides a unique multiplex and selective diagnostic modality. Several examples of optical detection using SERS in combination with other detection and treatment modalities are discussed to illustrate the usefulness and potential of SERS nanosensors and nanoreporters for medical applications.
Background: Excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG) during pregnancy can lead to adverse outcomes for the mother and/or the new-born. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of EGWG as well as its effect on pregnancy outcomes amongst pregnant women at the health district of Dschang in Cameroon. Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted from January to June 2019 and targeting all consenting pregnant women in Dschang District Hospital. They were administered a prepared questionnaire followed by their body mass index measurements for times at the beginning and the end of gestation to measure GWG. Logistic regression was used to determine the association of the EGWG to some particular pregnancy outcomes, adjusting for other factors with significance set at 5%. Results: A total of 400 women were included in this study with a mean age of 27±5years, 59.2% being married and 34.8% still being students. Also it was noted that 24.8% of these women were obese while 25.3% had EGWG. Furthermore, EGWG was independently associated to prolonged labour (aOR=2.4; CI: 1.3-4.6; p value=0.007), genital tract laceration (aOR=2.0; CI: 1.0-3.8; p value=0.036) and foetal macrosomia (aOR=7.3; CI: 3.5-15.2; p value<0.001). Conclusions: The prevalence of EGWG was high and it was associated with prolonged labour, genital tract laceration and foetal macrosomia. There is thus the need to improve the awareness of these women on EGWG as well as a constant follow up all through gestational period so as to regulate their GWG. The above measures will help to reduce occurrence of these complications, and consequently reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.
Based on the instantaneous space vector variables of the induction motor and control vector models, this paper presents a digital simulation of the direct stator flux and torque instantaneous space vector controllers of a VSI-fed-induction-motor. The voltage-source inverter commutation strategy is based on the control actions of one stator flux hysteresis controller and one electromagnetic torque hysteresis controller. A switching table is derived from these controllers, that select the optimum inverter output voltage vectors, to obtain a rapid torque response. The instantaneous value of the stator flux space vector, and the region in the /spl alpha//spl beta/ domain, to which this instantaneous flux vector belongs, together with the instantaneous value of the electromagnetic torque are directly computed from the output vector voltages and currents of the VSI feeding the induction motor. These stator flux and electromagnetic torque instantaneous values are professed in their respective hysteresis controller to logically determine the switching pulses to the voltage source inverter.
Ever increasing multi-drug resistance by Plasmodium falciparum is creating new challenges in malaria chemotherapy. In the absence of licensed vaccines, treatment and prevention of malaria is heavily dependent on drugs. Potency, range of activity, safety, low cost and ease of administration are crucial issues in the design and formulation of antimalarials. We have tested three synthetic ozonides NAC89, LC50 and LCD67 in vitro and in vivo against multidrug resistant Plasmodium. In vitro, LC50 was at least 10 times more efficient inhibiting P. falciparum multidrug resistant Dd2 strain than chloroquine and mefloquine and as efficient as artemisinin (ART), artesunate and dihydroartemisinin. All three ozonides showed high efficacy in clearing parasitaemia in mice, caused by multi-drug resistant Plasmodium chabaudi strains, by subcutaneous administration, demonstrating high efficacy in vivo against ART and artesunate resistant parasites.
Although the majority of extant primates are described as "quadrupedal," there is little information available from natural habitats on the locomotor and postural behavior of arboreal primate quadrupeds that are not specialized for leaping. To clarify varieties of quadrupedal movement, a quantitative field study of the positional behavior of a highly arboreal cercopithecine, Macaca fascicularis, was conducted in northern Sumatra. At least 70% of locomotion in travel, foraging, and feeding was movement along continuous substrates by quadrupedalism and vertical climbing. Another 14-25% of locomotion was across substrates by pronograde clambering and vertical clambering. The highest frequency of clambering occurred in foraging for insects, and on the average smaller substrates were used in clambering than during quadrupedal movement. All postural behavior during foraging and feeding was above-substrate, largely sitting. Locomotion across substrates requires grasping branches of diverse orientations, sometimes displaced away from the animal's body. The relatively low frequency of across-substrate locomotion appears consistent with published analyses of cercopithecoid postcranial morphology, indicating specialization for stability of limb joints and use of limbs in parasagittal movements, but confirmation of this association awaits interspecific comparisons that make the distinction between along- and across-substrate forms of locomotion. It is suggested that pronograde clambering as defined in this study was likely a positional mode of considerable importance in the repertoire of Proconsul africanus and is a plausible early stage in the evolution of later hominoid morphology and locomotor behavior.
One of the most important assets that differentiate two organizations is its Human Resources, each a unique combination of KSAs (Knowledge, Skills & Abilities). Human resources being most important assets of any organization act as source of competitive advantage. It has become essential for the organizations to find a way to take advantage of all available manpower for the purpose of sustainment and further growth. A successful approach to any task requires combining both rational and emotional behavior. Therefore, the organization must make a deliberate effort to reach out at both levels. Only motivation does not work here, it is very important to inculcate a sense of oneness among the employees for the organization's mission and vision. This could be only possible only when their efforts could be successfully converted into commitment. To achieve this end, employee engagement is a very powerful tool available to the employers.
The impedance distribution and characteristics of microgrid system tend to be complicated because of the diversification of DGs types and uncertainty in accessing to microgrid, which not only affects the operational performance of the microsource with conventional control method, but also the stability of the microgrid system. To deal with the uncertainty of line impedance, a feeder power-flow control strategy of microsource inverters based on line impedance real-time estimating is proposed in this paper. The feeder impedance of the microsource is estimated with the extended Kalman filter algorithm, so the distribution factor of feeder reactive power can be adjusted accordingly. The simulation and experimental results show that the distributions of the feeder reactive power flow of the microsource could be optimized using the proposed control strategy, and the voltage stability of the microgrid system could be improved.
This proposal reports a study examining the impact of the online discussion design on adult students' perceptions of online learning and their online interaction performance. Specifically, in this causal-comparative study we collected data with surveys and the content analysis of online discussion scripts to explore the learning impact of online discussion types (instructor-led versus student-led), the discussion grouping design (class-wide, group discussions, versus the integrated), and the computer-mediate communication (CMC) environment (asynchronous versus hybrid). The study indicated that the online discussions that were student-led and integrating class-wide and group forums predicted higher learning satisfaction and deeper learning for adult students.
Stable colloidal suspensions of fullerene C60 and C70 in water are readily accessible by mechanical grinding a mixture of fullerene and p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene and/or imidazolium zwitterion followed by ultrasonication on the addition of water. The yellow and brown solutions for C60 and C70 respectively contain nano-arrays of fullerenes (40 to 130 nm in diameter) covered by a sheath of sulfonated calixarene, sulfonated imidazolium zwitterions or supermolecules of these two moieties.
Objectives: Discounting of costs in health-related economic evaluation is generally regarded as uncontroversial, but there is disagreement about discounting health benefits. We sought to explore the current recommendations and practice in health economic evaluations with regard to discounting of costs and benefits. Methods: Recommendations for best practice on discounting for health effects as set out by government agencies, regulatory bodies, learned journals, and leading health economics texts were surveyed. A review of a sample of primary literature on health economic evaluations was undertaken to ascertain the actual current practice on discounting health effects and costs. Results: All of the official sources recommended a positive discount rate for both health effects and costs, and most recommended a specific rate (range, 1% to 8%). The most frequently specified rates were 3% and 5%. A total of 147 studies were reviewed; most of these used a discount rate for health of either 0% (n = 50) or 5% (n = 67). Over 90% of studies used the same discount rate for both health and cost. While 28% used a zero rate for both health and cost, in 64% a nonzero rate was used for both. Studies where the health measure was in natural clinical units (direct) were significantly more likely to have a zero discount rate. Conclusion: The finding that 28% of studies did not discount costs or benefits is surprising and concerning. A lower likelihood of discounting for benefits when they are in natural units may indicate confusion regarding the rationale for discounting health effects.
Author(s): Chivukula, RS; Christensen, ND; Coleppa, B; Simmons, EH | Abstract: We present the details of a deconstructed model that incorporates both Higgsless and top-color mechanisms. The model alleviates the tension between obtaining the correct top quark mass and keeping Δρ small that exists in many Higgsless models. It does so by singling out the top quark mass generation as arising from a Yukawa coupling to an effective top Higgs which develops a small vacuum expectation value, while electroweak symmetry breaking results largely from a Higgsless mechanism. As a result, the heavy partners of the SM fermions can be light enough to be seen at the LHC. After presenting the model, we detail the phenomenology, showing that for a broad range of masses, these heavy fermions are discoverable at the LHC. © 2009 The American Physical Society.
The Condong Terestrial Island is one of the island belong to tourist area, Pasir Putih, in Rangai village. bThis island has a natural vegetation and become conservation area for all living things.One of them is the long tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis),or the crab-eathing macaques.The objective of this research is to know about the number and the population density of long tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) at Condong Terestrial Island. The research has been done fromJanuary 16thto February 5th 2012. This research was using concentrated method. Data was collected by visiting the existence of long tailed macaques. Population of longtailed macaques was calkulated by noting the time and the number of individuals admitted at any point of observation, the number of crab-eating macaques in and out at any poin wast recorded on tally sheets to avoid repetition of the calculation. The observation was conducted during the daytime started from 6am to 6pm. The result of this research shown that the total number of this long tailed macaques is about 140 individu with population density is about 28 ekor per hectare.
Signal processing on graphs is an emerging field studying signals in irregular domains, and has been applied to many applications such as sensor networks and recommendation systems. In this paper, a novel method for the recovery of time-varying spatial signal based on graph is proposed. A graph is established according to the spatial position of the signal. Unlike the previous works, the smoothness of the temporal differential signal on the graph rather than the smoothness of the signal itself is used to help reconstruction. Two experiments of real-world are conducted. The first experiment of sea surface temperature data shows that the proposed algorithm achieves less reconstruction error than other algorithms, and the second experiment of sensor network data demonstrates the rationality and superiority of the proposed algorithms from intuition.
We report on a curing study of Probimide 32, a preimidized polyamide-imide. The polymer was in a solution of N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) and xylene and was spun cast or doctor-bladed to form films for study. The films were cured by drying under a variety of conditions to effect solvent removal. We characterized the effects of cure by thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Index of refraction was measured by waveguide prism coupling. Although the polymer did not require postprocessing thermal closure of its imide group, the physiochemical makeup of the system, and consequently, the properties of the Probimide 32 films, were highly dependent upon the curing temperature and environment. The properties/thermal stability improved as residual solvent was driven from the films. In the films hard baked at 300°C, the extent of thermally induced crosslinking was substantially greater in air-cured films than in nitrogen-cured films. The crosslinking markedly affected the properties and relaxation behavior of the material. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 1113–1126, 1997
Low ambient temperatures or food shortages are known to induce some normally endothermic mammals and birds (principally hummingbirds and goatsuckers) to enter torpor, a strategy that allows animals to reduce metabolism and hence body temperature as a means of saving energy. The goatsuckers (Caprimulgidae) are of special interest in this respect because several species are known to use torpor (Reinertsen 1983) and one, the common poorwill (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii), can allegedly hibernate (Jaeger 1948; 1949), the only avian species thought to do so. Recent studies of free-ranging poorwills indicate that torpor is used regularly outside the breeding season (Brigham 1992; Csada and Brigham 1994) and on occasion by incubating or brooding birds (Kissner and Brigham 1993). In laboratory studies, Lasiewski and Dawson (1964), induced captive common nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) to enter torpor by starving them. However, only one of four birds that entered torpor survived a drop in body temperature below 25° C. Firman et al. (1993) found no evidence for the use of torpor by free-ranging nighthawks during a summer with exceptionally cold wet weather, when torpor is most likely to occur. While acknowledging that a lack of evidence does not prove these birds cannot use torpor, Firman et al. (1993) concluded that it was highly unlikely they did so under natural conditions. Here we report two observations of free-ranging nighthawks that appear to have entered torpor. During an early morning (between 0600 and 0700 PST) bird survey in the last half of June, 1985, KHM encountered what he first thought was a dead nighthawk at about 1000 m asl, approximately 16 km southwest of Merritt, British Columbia (120°55' W, 50°01' N). The site had been selectively logged, producing a relatively open canopy. The air temperature was approximately 4° C. An upright head position indicated that the bird (a female) was alive. The bird did not move when touched and although the nighthawk was not picked up, its dorsal surface was cold to the touch. On a return visit to the site several hours later, the bird was not present. In August 1986 at about 1600 MST, PCJ found a nighthawk on the ground within 3 m of the edge of a small unnamed lake about 2 km from Bragg Creek, Alberta (114°34' W, 50°55' N; 1300 m asl). The day was unseasonably cold with an ambient temperature of approximately 5° C and a strong wind from the north. The bird (sex unknown) was cold to the touch. It was definitely alive but made no attempt to escape when picked up. It was quickly returned to the roosting spot and was gone the next morning. Although both birds apparently moved following the initial observations, we cannot rule out the possibility that they were taken by predators as opposed to rewarming and flying away. There was no physical evidence (e.g., feathers) to suggest predation even though the plumage of this species is easily removed (R.M. Brigham unpub. data). Therefore we conclude that the likely intances of torpor observed were of a facultative nature (spontaneously reversible) and not pathological. We must therefore reconsider the conclusion that free-ranging nighthawks do not use torpor (Firman et al. 1993). Although the use of this energy-saving strategy by these birds is likely rare, as suggested from laboratory data by Lasiewski and Dawson (1964), we think it likely that at least under some conditions, nighthawks can allow their body temperatures to fall below normal levels. Apparently they can rewarm either passively in sunshine or by active metabolism to normal body temperature. As a result of this, Hickey's (1993) conclusion that whippoor-wills (Caprimulgus vociferus) do not use torpor, may also have to be revisited.
Department of Pharmacology, J.K.K.M.M.R.F College of Pharmacy, B. Komarapalayam-638183, T.N, India. Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, Gokula Krishna College of Pharmacy, Sullurpet-524121, Nellore Dist, A.P, India. Department of Pharmacology, J.K.K.M.M.R.F College of Pharmacy, B. Komarapalayam-638183, T.N, India. Department of Biotechnology, Gokula Krishna College of Pharmacy, Sullurpet-524121, Nellore Dist, A.P, India.
An adaptation of a finite size particle code has been used to predict the saturated output of gyrotron amplifiers operating in the TE01 mode. The initial laboratory frame code solves for the self-consistent axial variations of the electromagnetic field along with the trajectories of several thousand arbitrarily distributed finite size beam particles. Weakly varying guide wall profiles can be prescribed along with absorbing regions which have the same output match characteristics as the real device. Since the fields are solved using Fourier transforms, the addition of a k-space dependent absorption term to Maxwel's equations can simulate the effect of frequency selective wall loss. The saturated bandwidths of TE0l amplifiers similar to ones being developed at Hughes Electron Dynamics Inc. and the Naval Research Laboratory arc determined for several current and magnetic field settings. Simulations reveal that for operation near grazing incidence and largo beam powers, unwanted oscillations near cutoff are o...
Ankle sprains are frequent injuries that occur among people of all ages. Ankle sprains constitute approximately 15% of all sports injuries, and are the most common traumatic emergencies. Without proper treatment and rehabilitation, a more severe sprain can weaken the ankle, making it more likely for new injures, and leading to long-term problems. In this work, we present an inertial measurement units (IMU)-based physical interface for measuring the foot attitude, and a graphical user interface that acts as a visual guide for patient rehabilitation. A foot-mounted physical interface for ankle rehabilitation was developed. The physical interface is connected to the computer by a Bluetooth link, and provides feedback to the patient while performing dorsiflexion, plantarflexion, eversion, and inversion exercises. The system allows for in-home rehabilitation at an affordable price while engaging the patient through active therapy. According to the results, more consistent rehabilitation could be achieved by providing feedback on foot angular position during therapy procedures.
Cardiff entered the cricket record books on 8 July 2009 as Glamorgan's headquarters hosted the first-ever Test Match on Welsh soil, with England meeting Australia in a gripping opening encounter in the Ashes series. Although the match was drawn, Glamorgan CCC and Wales were the winners as the Club successfully achieved their long-held dream of hosting a Test. The stadium and the leafy walkways leading to the parkland ground, were full of signs reminding everyone that, for the first time in Ashes history, a Test Match had come to the Principality. This paper explores how Glamorgan CCC established themselves as Wales’ representatives in first-class cricket, besides cultivating over time their unique Celtic identity in the English County Championship. Indeed, the Welsh county was created in 1888 with bold ambitions and attention is also paid to how the Club – when still only a Minor County – had made an abortive bid to the MCC to host a match in the 1905 series against Australia. Financial problems during the twentieth century prevented Glamorgan from making a further bid for Test cricket, but following support in the twenty-first century from both the Welsh Assembly and the City Council, the creation of the Club's permanent headquarters in the Welsh capital city, and Cardiff's burgeoning reputation for hosting high-profile sporting events, the lofty dreams of the early pioneers were finally realized.
The conviction that ‘Shakespeare is philosophical’ gives shape to Edinburgh Critical Studies in Shakespeare and Philosophy, a series of scholarly monographs that ‘push back against the critical orthodoxies of historicism and cultural studies’ (pp. xi-xii). The proposition that there is something important to be gained by reading Shakespeare’s Roman plays ‘as if Shakespeare were a historian’ (p. 11) animates Patrick Gray’s recent contribution to that series, Shakespeare and the Fall of the Roman Republic: Selfhood, Stoicism, and Civil War (2019). What is to be gained, according to Gray, is the knowledge that
This study addresses the issues of assessing and factoring in the effect of uncertainty growth on the possible performance of projections and their allowable errors. Relying on projects of nuclear power plants and combined cycle power plants as a case study, we assess the dependence of their economic performance indicators on possible changes in the conditions of their future operation in a given year. To assess the effect of the range and nature of input data uncertainty on the projections of the development of regional energy supply systems, we proposed a methodological toolkit that combines optimization with the Monte Carlo simulation. Its application to one of the options for commissioning new power plants in European Russia enabled us to estimate the possible response of the average and marginal cost of electricity in this aggregated region to the broadening of the uncertainty range of the gas price. We note that the assessment and comparison of the possible error of projected indicators with the requirements for their accuracy in making priority investment and other decisions facilitate the justification of the acceptable complexity of employed models and projection methods.
The oil palm is an economic crop that has gained worldwide recognition due to its importance. Produce such as the stem, fruits, and leaves contain phytonutrients and antioxidants that are mediators of cellular functions and a cure for various ailments. The oil palm plantations receive inputs of elements from natural and anthropogenic sources. However, while some of the elements are beneficial, they may be toxic at high concentrations. The quality of ground water is important due to the possible uptake of trace and major elements by the oil palm. In this study, the concentrations of fifteen elements in ground water from oil palm plantations in southern Nigeria were measured. The inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) was the instrument of choice because of its multielemental capabilities. The study revealed that of the trace elements, the highest concentrations were obtained for lead (Pb) (0.090–10.29 mg/L), while the lowest concentrations were obtained for cadmium (Cd) (0.119–0.391 mg/L). The concentration of the metals were compared with water quality standards established by the World Health Organization in 2011.
To effectively solve the problem of semantic similarity between concepts, the existing concept semantic similarity computation methods were studied and an improved concept semantic similarity computation algorithm based on domain ontology was put forward. In the process of computing concept semantic similarity the algorithm not only considered the basic relationships but also the custom relationships between concepts. In addition, the algorithm also took into account the concept of properties, and the concept of instance impact on semantic similarity computation. All these measures make the effectiveness of the algorithm in computing concept semantic similarity improved. The example showed that in the aspect of concept semantic similarity computation the proposed algorithm is more effective than the existing algorithms. Introduction To the problem of concept semantic similarity computation the domestic and foreign scholars have carried on the related research and achieved some results. Richardson determined the weights of the concept according to the node density, depth and strength and then commutated the semantic similarity between concepts based on the weights [1]. Yuhua Li used concept depth, density and length between concepts to construct a nonlinear function, and then used this function to commutate semantic similarity between concepts[2].Lin-tao Lv presented a computing concept similar model based on context[3].Literature[4] proposed a concept semantic similarity computation method based on the number of the concept properties. According the upper and lower relationship between concepts and other relationship Jie Chen gave a new computation method[5].Mei-rong Yang proposed a concept of semantic similarity computing model based on the main similarity between concepts[6] etc. The above semantic similarity computation algorithms only considered certain aspects of the impact semantic similarity. That make the algorithms to achieve good results in certain applications. So an improved semantic similarity computation algorithm was proposed. The algorithm took into account the basic relationships between concepts, custom relationships between concepts, the properties of the concept, the instances of the concept and other factors influencing in the process of computing the semantic similarity between concepts. That effectively improved the algorithm's effectiveness and versatility.
Student activity trajectory analysis and attendance management are the important content of the management of university students. In view of the existing situation of low efficiency and high cost, it is necessary to design a smart management system based on Internet of things technology. Using the radio frequency identification technology and wireless sensor network technology to capture the trajectory of the students' activities, it can provide analysis data for the student attendance management system. The student attendance management system based on Internet of things can record and analyze students' activities trajectory, and grasp real-time dynamics of students. The system is conducive to improve the quality of teaching and management of students.
Electrostatically actuated resonant microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors have gotten significant attention due to their geometric simplicity and broad applicability. In this paper, nonlinear responses and dynamics of the electrostatically actuated MEMS resonant sensors under two-frequency parametric and external excitations are presented. The presented model and methodology enable simulation of the steady-state dynamics of electrostatic MEMS undergoing small motions. Response and dynamics of the MEMS resonator to a combination resonance are studied. The responses of the system at steady-state conditions and their stability are investigated using the method of multiple scales. The results showing the effect of varying the dc bias, the squeeze film damping, cubic stiffness, and ac excitation amplitude on the frequency response curves, resonant frequencies and nonlinear dynamic characteristics are given in detail. Frequency response, resonant frequency and peak amplitude are examined for variation of the dynamic parameters involved. This investigation provides an understanding of the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of microbeam-based resonant sensors in MEMS
YSZ based anode supported solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were prepared, and two cells with different electrolyte thicknesses were connected in series for the simulation of a cell-imbalanced fuel cell stack. Pure YSZ cells in a series connection exhibited a rapid degradation when a thick electrolyte cell was operated under a negative voltage. On the other hand, ceria added-YSZ cells in a series connection were stable under similar operating conditions, and the power density and impedance were about the same as those before tests. The improved stability was due to the reduction of internal partial pressure in the electrolyte by locally increasing the electronic conduction. Thus, we propose a new protection method, i.e., the local addition of ceria in the YSZ electrolyte, to extend the lifetime of a cell-imbalanced SOFC stack.
This work aims to develop and build a well designed two wheeled vehicle with specific features. Certain mechanical issues are discussed for a well designed mechanical prototype. The prototype is designed so as to be able to carry and move a payload in a vertical direction while maintaining a balanced condition of the vehicle on two wheels. Considering the various positions, speeds and different sizes of a payload, carried by the vehicle, while maintaining the entire vehicle balanced is the main anxiety of the vehicle design. An approach for modeling the system to characterize its dynamic behavior is also presented.
Four years after the construction of an artificial tidal flat in Osaka Bay, Japan, the food web structure was analyzed using stable isotope ratios of nitrogen and carbon. The nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ15N) ranged from 8.8±0.3‰ in Chondrus giganteus f. flabellatus (macroalga) to 15.2‰ in Repomucenus beniteguri (fish), whereas the carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13C) ranged from -18.6±0.2‰ in POM (particulate organic matter) to -10.5±1.1‰ in Ulva sp. (macroalga). The food web structure of the artificial tidal flat was estimated to be composed of three trophic levels. Moreover, it was thought that fishes inhabiting this ecosystem are dependent on POM and macroalgae (and/or benthic microalgae) for their carbon source, whereas crustaceans and mollusks are likely to be dependent on macroalgae (and/or benthic microalgae), not on POM. These results indicate that the food web structure of the artificial tidal flat resembles those of natural estuaries along the Japanese coasts. A temporal analysis of the food web structure of an artificial tidal flat and a comparison of such a structure to that of closely situated natural tidal flats using stable isotope analysis will contribute significantly to the evaluation of the structure and function of artificial tidal flats.
The marine red algae Asparagopsis armata is an invasive species gaining competitive advantage by releasing large amounts of toxic compounds to the surrounding invaded area. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of this invasive seaweed on marine invertebrates by exposing the common prawn Palaemon elegans and the marine snail Gibbula umbilicalis to the exudate of this seaweed. The seaweed was collected and placed in a tank for 12 h in the dark in a 1:10 ratio. Afterwards the seawater medium containing the released secondary metabolites was collected for further testing. Lethal and sublethal effects of A. armata were investigated. Biochemical biomarker responses associated with energy metabolism (lactate dehydrogenase, LDH; electron transport system activity, ETS; lipid, protein and carbohydrate content) were analysed. The biomarker responses showed physiological status impairment of invertebrates after exposure to low concentrations of this algal exudate. The highest concentrations of exudate significantly increased lipid content in both organisms. In the shrimp, protein content, ETS, and LDH were also significantly increased. By contrast, these parameters were significantly decreased in G. umbilicalis. A behavioural impairment was also observed in G. umbilicalis exposed to A. armata exudate, reducing feeding consumption. These results represent an important step in the research of natural toxic exudates released to the environment and prospective effects of this seaweed in invaded communities under increasing global change scenarios.
Facial expressions are important in people’s daily communications. Recognising facial expressions also has many important applications in the areas such as healthcare and e-learning. Existing facial expression recognition systems have problems such as background interference. Furthermore, systems using traditional approaches like SVM (Support Vector Machine) have weakness in dealing with unseen images. Systems using deep neural network have problems such as requirement for GPU, longer training time and requirement for large memory. To overcome the shortcomings of pure deep neural network and traditional facial recognition approaches, this paper presents a new facial expression recognition approach which has image pre-processing techniques to remove unnecessary background information and combines deep neural network ResNet50 and a traditional classifier-- the multiclass model for Support Vector Machine to recognise facial expressions. The proposed approach has better recognition accuracy than traditional approaches like Support Vector Machine and doesn’t need GPU. We have compared 3 proposed frameworks with a traditional SVM approach against the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF) Database, the Japanese Female Facial Expression (JAFFE) Database and the extended Cohn-Kanade dataset (CK+), respectively. The experiment results show that the features extracted from the layer 49Relu have the best performance for these three datasets.
This thesis discusses how to form a popular account in social media Instagram done by people from non-artists and not prominent figures in Indonesia. This research uses qualitative research model with descriptive phenomenology method. Participants are three common people who are not artists or figures. Through the foundation on the creation of popular accounts from the general public, this research questioned how to create a popular account in Instagram Social Media. This study produced 4 (four) ways to form popular accounts and increase followers in social media Instagram. These four ways are Consistency, Creating Characteristic Content, Repost, and Giving Expectations to Followers. Research has revealed that informants have no motive for popular. Consistency of account owners in delivering compelling and characteristic content is a more effective way to attract new followers
The search for technical and economic feasibility of waste recycling in the production chain of construction meets the new requirements of the sector to promote an integrated economic growth to social and environmental needs. The increasing consumption of plasterboard sheets brings along the problem of generation of gypsum waste, where the lack of research and incorrect disposal can result in the discharge of generated waste to landfills or irregular dumps, in most cases, without control or estimate of volume. In this work, using a recycling process comprised of grinding and calcining the residue of plasterboard sheets, the physical and mechanical properties of recycled gypsum from the drywall sheets were determined. The results showed the feasibility of recycling because after rehydration it was possible to mold solid specimens using only the gypsum waste, demonstrating that it is possible to recycle a product that today is merely discarded in the environment.
This paper discusses the concept of “property” rights in an interdisciplinary perspective (Law and Economics) in order to compose an analytical conceptual framework to issues related to appropriability involved in public goods (PG) and common pool resources (CPR) analysis. Firstly, we discuss the differences between legal and economic concepts of property rights, trying to integrate economic and legal analytical elements: a right is an opportunity for current or future uses of an asset that is guaranteed by legal system (an enforceable power to maintain the control over economic opportunities). Although economists may not be concerned if some opportunity is guaranteed (or not) by law, nor whether its entitlement is made by means of property or by some other kind of right, these differences also matter for economic analysis. To deal with this question, we need to open the “black box” of the so called “property” rights: a) identifying and analyzing the different ways in which rights are entitled – from a legal perspective (Hohfeld) and in the footsteps of studies analyzing the economic relevance of the differences between property and possession, or property, liability and inalienability (Calabresi and Melamed); b) breaking down the concept of property rights in many faculties and analyzing them as a bundle of rights (Schlager and Ostrom).By way of conclusion, we discuss the possibilities of integrating these approaches and explore some of the implications of the study. From a public policies perspective, a more detailed understanding may assist in policy formulation (e.g., to break down and assign specific rights to different holders etc.), and designing new forms of entitlements, or even the creation of new "assets" that could become the subject of rights.
The United States first imposed economic sanctions against Iran in 1979, and they have been more or less in effect in various ways until now. During this period while Iran has claimed that embargoes have been in vain, Washington has insisted on using this foreign policy tool to force Tehran to change its attitude. This paper examines the direct impact of economic sanctions on Iran's non-oil trade for the purpose of demonstrating whether or not these sanctions have been effective. A modified "gravity model" of bilateral trade flows is utilized which adjusted specific variables to more precisely portray Iran's unique economic situation. The panel analysis incorporates available data, covering the period from 1977 to 2006, drawn from sampling of 42 trading partners of Iran. In order to test the effect of sanctions, this study uses both the extensive and moderate sanctions as two dummy variables influencing the slope coefficient. The result shows that the extensive and moderate embargoes have had significant impacts on Iran's non-oil trade so far; however, this is not the case for the limited blockades. In conclusion despite being statistically significant, real evidence indicates that the trade sanctions have had little meaningful impact on the direction of the Iranian government's foreign policy. Therefore, politically, it could be concluded that sanctions have been in vain; but, economically, this article categorizes the multilateral boycotts, holding all other factors constant, as an ultimately successful initiative.
This article argues that modern finance should be an important object of attention. Particularly worthy of study are three demarcations: the changing disciplinary boundary of economics, the distinction between private and public knowledge, and the legal and cultural demarcation between legitimate trading and gambling. The balance between what Barnes calls N-type (natural kind) and S-type (social kind) terms in finance is different from, for example, that in physics, but that is no criticism of finance theory: the activities of those who disbelieve finance theory’s efficient market hypothesis probably make the hypothesis more true. The case of Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing theory is drawn on to argue that the loops of self-reference intrinsic to S-terms seem predominantly performative: they increase the truth of finance theory’s typical assumptions. S-loops in the financial markets do not always promote stability, however, as is shown here by a case study of the fate of the hedge fund, Long-Term Capital Management.
This article, in examining gender and justice, seeks to examine the relationship between feminist theory and social work. Specifically it reviews writings on social work ethics and suggests that little attention has been paid to feminist scholarship that resonates with social work practice. Focusing primarily on community care, it demonstrates how debates within feminism have become more complex and have problematized understandings of both care and justice. It argues that for social work it is unhelpful to dichotomize justice and care; we should aspire to just social work practice.
Assortative mating refers to the tendency of two partners' characteristics to be matched in a systematic manner, usually in the form of similarity. Mating with a similar partner has profound implications at the species, societal, and individual levels. This article provides a comprehensive review of research on couple similarity since 1980s. The review begins with the general patterns and trends observed in couple similarity on a range of domains including demographic variables, physical/physiological characteristics, abilities, mental well-being, habitual behaviors, attitudes, values, and personality. Next the bulk of the review focuses on analyses of 4 mechanisms leading to similarity: initial active choice, mating market operation, social homogamy, and convergence. Specific future research avenues are outlined to improve understanding of these mechanisms. Finally, the review discusses genetic, social, and psychological consequences of couple similarity.
In this chapter on knowledge, truth, epistemology and logic, N. Rescher remarks that, in opposition to the process oriented view of things, Western thought has been dominated by a static and substantialist view of truth and knowledge. Philosophical or scientific inquiry should provide us with true facts about the world, the world as it is, and not the world as it is said to be. And the world as it is is a world of processes. Whitehead already noted that the tacit assumption of a necessary static spatio-temporal and physical form of order had hampered Western philosophy although the evolution of science had not shown that there was such a necessity. In contrast, process has to be understood through the interweaving of data, form, transition, and issue into new data which characterize each unit of fact. If process is fundamental to actuality, each ultimate individual fact must be describable as process. We follow and illustrate several of N. Rescher's suggestions and remarks about language, logic and mathematics before focusing on the question of time and motion, following the lead of natural philosophy, from Newton to Whitehead and Milne. In this chapter on knowledge, truth, epistemology and logic, Rescher remarks that, in opposition to the process oriented view of things, Western thought has been dominated by a static and substantialist view of truth and knowledge. Philosophical or scientific inquiry should provide us with true facts about the world, the world as it is, which is a world of processes, and not the world as it is said to be. 1 This is a recurrent theme in N. Rescher's philosophy. See, for example, CI.
New histamine derivatives characterized by a (substituted) aryl, heteroaryl, benzyl, or heteroarylmethyl substituent in the C2 position of the imidazole ring have been prepared from appropriate imidates or amidines, respectively, and 2-oxo-4-phthalimido-1-butyl acetate (1). The compounds were screened as potential H1 receptor agonists on the isolated guinea pig ileum. The 3-halogenated 2-phenylhistamines (halogen = Br (35) and I (36)) were equipotent with histamine, while 2-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)histamine (2-[2-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-1H-imidazol-4-yl]ethanamine (39)) was significantly more potent than histamine (39: pD2 = 6.81, relative activity = 128%). The 2-substituted histamine analogues were partial H1 receptor agonists on the endothelium-denuded isolated guinea pig aorta with pEC50 values generally smaller than observed on the guinea pig ileum, but the rank order of potency was found to be similar. The contractile effects on guinea pig ileum and aorta, respectively, could be blocked concentration-dependently by the H1 receptor antagonist mepyramine, yielding KB values for mepyramine in the nanomolar range. In vitro compounds 35 and 39 bound to [3H]mepyramine-labeled guinea pig cerebellar membranes with a pKi of 6.1 and 5.9, respectively. However, upon iv administration, 35 (3-100 mg/kg) and 39 (3-300 mg/kg) failed to inhibit the binding of [3H]mepyramine to mouse cerebral cortex in vivo, thereby indicating that these histamine derivatives are not able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. In functional in vitro studies on histamine H2, H3, and other neurotransmitter receptors the selectivity of 39 was found to be 2138 (H1:H2), > 64 (H1:H3), 1000 (H1:M3), 105 (H1:alpha 1), 708 (H1:beta 1), and 71 (H1:5HT2A). Thus compound 39 is the most potent and selective H1 receptor agonist reported so far. These results make meta-substituted 2-phenylhistamines, especially 2-(3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)- and 2-(3-bromophenyl)histamine (39 and 35, respectively) valuable experimental tools for the selective stimulation of histamine H1 receptors and the study of H1 receptor-mediated functions.
A liquid unsaturated fatty alcohol containing only slight amount of conjugated diene impurities was obtained by the selective hydrogenation of industrial oleyl alcohol, originally taken frompalm kernel oil through the use of a copper-chromium-mangane oxide catalyst, followed by fractional distillation and steam distillation. The liquid unsaturated alcohol thus obtained was improved with respect to suppression of odor and color impairment possibly arising from degradation. Additionally, the cloud point was kept low.
Dominant trends in today's IT research such as service orientation and cloud computing will enable novel business information systems, called Emergent Systems. However, the introduction of Emergent Systems will have a significant impact and pose challenges relating to requirements engineering. In this position paper we propose and describe the so-called SoMBRERO framework that aims to address practical problems in the area of requirements engineering that will arise during the development process of future information systems. Furthermore, we provide a research agenda that guides our ongoing work to address research questions in this area.
Moving objects tracking is  one of the most used categories in the realm of machine vision that has  attracted attention of so many researchers in recent decades. Video  tracking has various applications in military industries, protective systems  and machine vision. Target tracking algorithms vary according to their usages.  In this paper, it has  been attempted to discuss and analyze mobile target tracking techniques and algorithms in Marine.
The paper establishes a designed propose technique for reconfigurable fault-tolerant controllers applied on a flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) power system. A traditional power system stabilizer (PSS) of the generator excitation system and a controller of the thyristor-controller series capacitor (TCSC) are considered. Good operation of both controllers delivers the required dynamic performance of the system. However, faulty condition signifies a degraded control signal of one controller at a time. The designed scheme proposes that the parameters of one controller switch to some predetermined values if the other controller is faulty with any degradation percentage. Preserving definite settling time of the dynamic response is guaranteed against continual degradation of either controller as the design is implemented by Kharitonov theorem and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The proposed design represents an indirect adaptive PSS. Results represent distinct effectiveness of the proposed design in keeping the desired system performance under sound and different faulty conditions.
This study aims at experimentally analysing and assessing the performance of a wastewater source heat pump system (WWSHP) in cooling mode, which was installed at Yasar University, Izmir, Turkey through exergetic and thermoeconomic (exergoeconomic) analysis methods. Within this context, first, conventional exergy analysis was performed based on the actual experimental data, where exergy efficiencies, destructions and relative irreversibilities of each element were determined to indicate improvements. Then, these results were combined with the cost data of the system to make exergoeconomic analysis. Functional exergy efficiencies of the entire system and the WWSHP were obtained to be 7.56% and 11.77%, respectively. The compressor had the biggest relative irreversibility, which was followed by the fan-coil. The exergoeconomic factor values of the condenser, WW heat exchanger (WWHE) and fan-coil unit were lower than 0.5, indicating that the exergy destruction costs associated with these components were higher than the capital investments.
A new approach for the construction of indoles employing the air- and moisture-stable reagent Cp2TiCl2 is described. The key steps involved are (1) the intermolecular insertion reactions of an olefin and a titanocene-stabilized benzyne complex and (2) the Pd-catalyzed aryl amination reaction. The simplicity and availability of the requisite starting materials give the method a broad scope for the preparation of polysubstituted indoles.
1. The literature reporting the use of acetylcholine in the treatment of psychiatric conditions is reviewed.  2. The design of a controlled study, to test the efficacy of the recently introduced modified method for the treatment of neuroses is described.  3. Results of treatment in 55 cases are reported.  4. Evidence that two groups of 18 cases are comparable is presented.  5. Results of the treatment of one of these groups with intravenous acetylcholine and the other with intravenous distilled water under identical conditions are reported.  6. On the evidence that almost identical results were obtained in the two groups, and that results in the control group compare with those previously obtained by the authors and others when using acetylcholine, it is suggested that acetylcholine has no specific therapeutic effect in the treatment of neurosis.
A direct phosphorylation screening of a rice cDNA library resulted in isolation of 35 BIP clones encoding brassinosteroid receptor kinase (BRI1)-interacting proteins. Among the candidate substrates for BRI1, two clones were found to encode similar proton pump interactor proteins homologous to Arabidopsis PPI1, which was reported to interact with a regulatory region of plasma membrane H+-ATPase. The rice proton pump interactors BIP103 and BIP131 contained 627 and 621 amino acids, respectively, with carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic region characteristic of tail-anchored proteins. Northern blotting analysis indicated that mRNAs for both interactors increased significantly after brassinolide treatment of lamina joint cells, which are especially sensitive to exogenous brassinosteroids.
For large fusion magnet applications it has been suggested that the Nb/sub 3/Sn superconductor strand be chrome plated to reduce the sintering tendency and to increase the electrical resistance between the strands. Unfortunately, this chrome plating appears to degrade the RRR after the reaction heat treatment. In addition to the normal Nb/sub 3/Sn material with a barrier separating the copper stabilizer from the rest of the conductor, materials have been made with a second barrier close to the surface. One had 10% and the other 20% by volume of copper on the outside of this external barrier. The variation of the RRR of chrome-plated lengths of these material has been explored for a range of different heat treatments and their significance to TPX and ITER magnets is discussed.<<ETX>>
BACKGROUND Recent attention to the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke prevention has emphasised the need to support the use of existing pharmacotherapy through available services and resources, in preference to using the new, more expensive, novel oral anticoagulants. In this regard, general practitioners (GPs) are at the core of care.   AIMS To survey Australian GPs regarding their approach to managing AF, particularly in relation to stroke prevention therapy, and to identify the range of services to support patient care.   METHODS A structured questionnaire, comprising quantitative and qualitative responses, was administered to participating GPs within four geographical regions of NSW (metropolitan, regional, rural areas).   RESULTS Fifty GPs (mean age 53.74±9.94 years) participated. Most (98 per cent) GPs regarded themselves as primarily responsible for the management of AF, only referring patients to specialists when needed. However, only 10 per cent of GPs specialised in "heart/vascular health". Most (76 per cent) GPs offered point-of-care international normalised ratio (INR) testing, with 90 per cent also offering patient support via practice nurses and home visits. Overall, key determinants influencing GPs' initiation of antithrombotic therapy were: "stroke risk"/"CHADS2 score", followed by "patients' adherence/compliance". GPs focused more on medication safety considerations and the day-to-day management of therapy than on the risk of bleeding.   CONCLUSION Australian GPs are actively engaged in managing AF, and appear to be well resourced. Importantly, there is a greater focus on the benefits of therapy during decision-making, rather than on the risks. However, medication safety considerations affecting routine management of therapy remain key concerns, with patients' adherence to therapy a major determinant in decision-making.
Familial partial lipodystrophy, Dunnigan type (FPLD; Mendelian Inheritance in Man #151660), is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by loss of s.c. fat from the extremities and trunk since puberty and predisposition to insulin resistance and its complications. However, for lack of recognition of affected men, previous studies could not ascertain any gender differences in phenotypic expression. Therefore, anthropometric variables and prevalence of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and atherosclerotic vascular disease were compared among 17 postpubertal men and 22 women with FPLD from eight pedigrees. All individuals completed a questionnaire, and fasting blood was analyzed for glucose, insulin, and lipoprotein concentrations. Both affected men and women had similar patterns of fat loss. Compared with the affected men, women had higher prevalence of diabetes (18% and 50%, respectively; P = 0.05) and atherosclerotic vascular disease (12% and 45%, respectively; P = 0.04) and had higher serum triglycerides (median values, 2.27 and 4.25 mmol/L, respectively; P = 0.02) and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (age-adjusted means, 0.94 and 0.70 mmol/L, respectively; P = 0.04). The prevalence of hypertension and fasting serum insulin concentrations were similar. In conclusion, women with FPLD are more severely affected with metabolic complications of insulin resistance than men. These observations raise the possibility that women with generalized and regional obesity may also have more severe metabolic sequelae of insulin resistance.
Nanostructured hybrid materials made of guest ions and a polyampholytic self-assembled copolymer are here synthesized. Their lamellar organization results from hydrophobic interactions between the copolymer alkyl side chains. Longer side chains improve the organization of hybrids what makes them more attractive to be used as a template for the preparation of sophisticated catalysts. However, they also enhance the hydrophobicity of the copolymer what complicates the synthesis of such hybrids. Dodecyl side chains appear as a compromise that enables to prepare well organized hybrids without sacrificing the copolymer capacity to link ions.
In a previous cross-sectional study of feline chronic renal failure (CRF), metabolic acidosis was identified in 52.6 per cent of animals with severe renal failure (plasma creatinine concentration >400 micromol/litre). The aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether metabolic acidosis preceded or accompanied a deterioration in renal function in cats with CRF. Data were analysed from 55 cats with CRF that had been followed longitudinally for at least four months. Twenty-one cases showed deterioration in renal function over the period of the study, as evidenced by significant rises in their plasma creatinine concentrations and decreases in bodyweight. In five of the 21 cases, acidaemia accompanied the deterioration in renal function. Only one of these cats had evidence of metabolic acidosis before renal function deterioration. One other case developed metabolic acidosis without a rise in plasma creatinine concentration. These data suggest that biochemical evidence of metabolic acidosis does not generally occur until late in the course of feline CRF.
Machiavellianism has been studied extensively over the past 40 years as a personality characteristic that shares features with the manipulative leadership tactics Machiavelli advocated in The Prince. We introduce a new model of Machiavellianism based in organizational settings that is multidimensional, incorporating aspects not previously included in Machiavellianism scales. Our model consists of 3 factors: maintaining power, harsh management tactics, and manipulative behaviors. The results of 3 studies are summarized, discussing the development of these 3 factors and how they relate to individual-difference and organizational variables. jasp_643 1868..1896
Abstract Background: The role of socioeconomic position (SEP) as an effect modifier of the association between asthma exacerbations and outdoor air pollution remains unclear. Objective: To identify and summarize the evidence regarding SEP as an effect modifier of the association between asthma exacerbations and outdoor air pollution in children. Methods: We conducted searches in five electronic databases from January 1950 to June 2015 with no language restriction. Observational studies involving children, measuring any non-biological outdoor air pollutant exposure, resulting in any asthma-related health service use, and reporting measures of effect by individual or aggregated SEP measures were included. Results: Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies reported on hospitalizations, three on emergency department visits, one on ambulatory visits, and one on repeat hospital visits. Six studies identified differential effects of the effect of air pollution on asthma outcomes by SEP with stronger effects for children with a low SEP level; however, the analysis of interaction between air pollutants and SEP was significant in one study of asthma hospitalizations only. The differential effect was reported using individual and aggregated SEP measures. Conclusion: This review reveals that there is weak evidence of SEP as an effect-modifier of the association between air pollution and children’s asthma exacerbations. While stronger negative effects on asthma-related hospitalizations occur for children living in a lower SEP, the sample size of some of the original studies limited the statistical assessment of the modification effect.
There has been increasing interest in naturalizing habitats for captive primates in zoos and other primate facilities during the last decade. At present, there are at least six multimillion-dollar facilities of this type in design or under construction. This paper briefly reviews the recent history of this approach and the rationale behind it. Factors which contribute to the maintenance of successful plant growth in indoor and outdoor primate exhibits are also discussed. Other habitat enrichment concepts are suggested to provide habitats which strongly contribute to the mental and physical well-being of captive primates.
Cutaneous feedback from the hand could assist with coordination between the arms and legs during locomotion. Previously we used a reduced walking model of combined arm and leg (ARM&LEG) cycling to examine the separate effects of rhythmic arm (ARM) and leg (LEG) movement. Here we use this same paradigm to test the modulation H-reflexes with and without interlimb cutaneous conditioning evoked by stimulating a nerve innervating the hand (superficial radial, SR). It was hypothesized that both ARM and LEG would contribute significantly to suppression of H-reflex amplitude during ARM&LEG. We also predicted a conservation of interlimb cutaneous conditioning during movement and an interaction between arm and leg rhythmic movement control. Subjects were seated in a recumbent ARM&LEG cycle ergometer and maintained a low-level soleus contraction for all tasks. H-reflex amplitude was facilitated by cutaneous conditioning evoked by stimulation of the SR nerve. H-reflex amplitudes were taken from recruitment curves and included modulation of 50% H max and H max. The suppressive effect of arm was less than that for LEG and ARM&LEG, while suppression during LEG and ARM&LEG were generally equivalent. For H-reflexes conditioned by cutaneous input, amplitudes during ARM&LEG instead were in between those for ARM and LEG modulation. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant contribution for arm only in trials when SR stimulation was used to condition H-reflex amplitudes. We suggest that there is a measurable interaction between neural activity regulating arm and leg movement during locomotion that is specifically enhanced when cutaneous input from the hand is present.
THE Emergency Medical Service Systems Act of 1973 became Public Law 93-154 on Nov 16, 1973. It promises to have a significant impact on the future practice of medicine. This law adds a section to the Public Health Services Act of 1944 (PL 78-410), "to provide assistance and encouragement for the development of comprehensive area-wide emergency medical systems." These systems are defined as the arrangement of personnel, facilities, and equipment for effective coordination and delivery in an appropriate geographical area of health care services under emergency conditions by a public or a nonpublic or private entity which has the authority and resources to provide effective administration. The law demands that a local plan be developed, and it provides monies for feasibility and planning studies, initial establishment of operational systems, expansion of acceptable existing systems, and researches in emergency medical techniques and devices. It mandates local planning that will include consumers,
Abstract Organisms with external fertilization are often sperm limited, and in echinoids, larger eggs have a higher probability of fertilization than smaller eggs. This difference is thought to be a result of the more frequent sperm‐egg collisions experienced by larger targets. Here we report how two components of egg target size, the egg cell and jelly coat, contributed to fertilization success in a selection experiment. We used a cross‐sectional analysis of correlated characters to estimate the selection gradients on egg and jelly‐coat size in five replicate male pairs of the sand dollar Dendraster excentricus. Results indicated that eggs with larger cells and jelly coats were preferentially fertilized under sperm limitation in the laboratory. The selection gradients were an average of 922% steeper for egg than for jelly‐coat size. The standardized selection gradients for egg and jelly‐coat size were similar. Our results suggest that fertilization selection can act on both egg‐cell and jelly‐coat size but that an increase in egg‐cell volume is much more likely to increase fertilization success than an equal change in jelly‐coat volume. The strengths of the selection gradients were inversely related to the correlation of egg traits across replicate egg clutches. This result suggests the importance of replication in studies of selection of correlated characters.
The invention discloses a deposited carbon cleaning agent for an internal-combustion engine, which relates to an environmentally-friendly, safe and resource saving carbon deposit cleaning agent and comprises the following matters: 5 to 16 weight percent of polyoxyethylene ether surfactant, 5 to 10 weight percent of emulsifier, 0 to 5 weight percent of inorganic alkali, 0 to 4 weight percent of corrosion inhibitor and 65 to 90 weight percent of water. In the invention, the polyoxyethylene ether surfactant is used to soften the deposited carbon to make the attached deposited carbon loose and deformed; the emulsifier makes liquid penetrate the contact parts between the deposited carbon and parts easily, so that the deposited carbon can be stripped and the softening and cleaning effects of the product on the deposited carbon stains are improved; the inorganic alkali can decompose part of lipoid substance in the deposited carbon, so the cleaning effect is improved; and the corrosion inhibitor can reduce the corrosion of the parts in the cleaning process. The cleaning agent has excellent washing effect on deposited carbon on parts made of various materials. The cleaning agent uses water as a solvent instead of toxic solvent such as benzenes, phenol aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbon. The prepared deposited carbon cleaning agent for the internal-combustion engine has the advantages of low cost, high detergency, quick deposited carbon removal and good effect.
The paper presents a picture of the spatial location of the U.S. videogames industry as a broad range of clusters of different sizes, none of them dominant, then uses a variety of qualitative evidence (including interview and ethnographic) to illustrate a theory of how these variegated clusters have emerged and continue to persist, each in their own right. In effect, our main findings are that videogame clusters do not operate as other creative industry clusters, as described by the recent theories of buzz applied to other creative industries, nor by conventional linkage arguments (either to suppliers or financier-distributors). Rather, the in-house nature of the work, coupled with means of distantiated work, have allowed studios in clusters or outside of clusters to continue to work at a distance from their preferred publishers, and vice versa. In the end, this might be ascribed to the need to deal with lead creative human capital wherever it emerges and persists. The findings point out the importance of maintaining a heterogeneous view of creative industries and their construction: both organizationally, and spatially as clusters. JEL codes: O18, O14, 1 Explaining the Spatial Organization of Creative Industries: The Case of the US Videogames Industry
The utility model discloses a novel sucking and diffusing dirt separator, which comprises an inlet pipe, a capacity expansion cavity and an outlet pipe, wherein an angle of 90 degrees is formed between the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe; a fine mesh starting filter screen cylinder is arranged in the capacity expansion cavity; a detachable stainless steel filter screen is sleeved outside the fine mesh starting filter screen cylinder; and a water current guide vane is arranged in the water outlet pipe. By integrating the traditional reducing short tube, an elbow, a sucking port diffuser and other pipe fittings into a dirt separator system, the dirt separator dispenses with the elbow and the reducing tube, occupies a smaller space, has low cost and favorable filtering effect, effectively reduces the resistance drop of the sucking pipeline system, improves the effective carvitation allowance, reduces the damage to a pump impeller caused by nonuniform water current and the vibration caused by the damage, and prolongs the service life of the pump.
Objective To explore the effects of scene simulation teaching method in the clinical teaching of surgical nutri- tion among associate nursing students. Methods The 138 nursing students who practiced in the Heze Municipal Hospital were divided into two groups. Scene simulation teaching method was used in the observation group and traditional teaching method was used in the control group. The teaching effects of the two methods were compared. Results The examination scores on theory knowledge,nutrition nursing skills,and the comprehensive operation ability of the observation group were higher than the control group (P0.01);91.67% of the students in the observation group liked to participate in the scene simulation practice; nursing students in the observation group had better nutritional care skills and more confidence in future employment. Conclusion Scene simulation teaching method can enhance the surgical nutrition teaching effects. It is practical and wel- comed by the nursing students.
Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism. By Daniel Byman. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 375 pp. $30 ($18.99, paper). Until the mid-1990s, international terrorism was generally considered to be statesponsored. At one extreme, terrorist organizations motivated by communist ideology were receiving support from the USSR. The Soviets regarded these organizations as proxies - an inexpensive tool to promote the superpower's interests all over the world and in conflict areas in particular. Such affiliated organizations could both challenge Soviet enemies and preserve and promote Soviet dominance and influence in conflict areas. For other states, such as Iran, Syria, and Libya, terrorism was considered a low-risk tool that could achieve various goals inexpensively in both the international and regional arenas. Global jihadi terrorism, however, highlighted by the atrocity of the 9/1 1 attacks, may be a sign of the growing decline in the importance of state-sponsored terrorism. After the attacks of 9/11, Al-Qaeda's organization was less hierarchical, much more amorphous, and seemingly disintegrated. Al-Qaeda was paving the way toward a complex, global jihadi network constructed out of allied organizations, local and independent networks, and indoctrinated individuals. This network is characterized by loose connections between network nodes and a lack of strict hierarchy, concrete decision-making processes, or efficient command and control systems. In his important book, Deadly Connections: States that Sponsor Terrorism, Byman, senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, reassesses the role states play in the realm of terrorism, arguing that their importance has not been diluted but strengthened. Even AlQaeda, Byman stresses, relied heavily on states, first working with the Islamist regime in Sudan and then becoming closely intertwined with Afghanistan's Taliban in 1996. Investigations of the September 1 1 attacks suggest that an operation of such scale and lethality would have been far more difficult to execute had Al-Qaeda lacked its haven in Afghanistan. According to Byman, there are many different reasons why states support terrorists. Among them, he explains that terrorists offer alternative means for states to influence thenneighbors, topple a hostile adversary regime, counter U.S. hegemony, or achieve other aims of state. Support for terrorism is cheaper than developing conventional military capabilities, and it allows states to influence events far beyond their borders. Supporting terrorists can also serve a broader range of regime objectives from the domestic to ideological. From the organization's perspective, terrorists enjoying state support are far less vulnerable in the face of countermeasures initiated by a target regime. The victim state is less capable of delivering a knockout blow to the terrorist group, disrupting logistics, discrediting its cause, or otherwise defeating it. This is why terrorist groups receiving state support usually flourish, becoming more deadly and less vulnerable to arrest or disruption. One of the most important contributions Byman makes is to show the need to distinguish between different levels of state involvement in terrorism. By grouping all states actions with regard to terrorism in a single category, he argues, we ignore different motivations and cannot craft effective solutions. Byman offers six categories of state support to terrorism: * Strong supporters - highly committed to the terrorist groups and able to offer significant resources; * Weak supporters - states with few resources to offer support; * Lukewarm supporters - those that favor the terrorists or their cause in general but do little to advance it directly; * Antagonistic supporters - states that seek to control the group or weaken its cause; * Passive supporters - those that turn a blind eye to their activities, usually because many people in their society favor the group; and * Unwilling hosts - a state that is too weak to stop the terrorists within its borders. …
Based on the literature,investigation and interviews,the article researches into the present situation of the social physical training instructors in the cities of Jiangsu Province.It has been shown that within the technical degree structure,the instructors with the national degree and first degree occupy a very small proportion while there is a quite larger number of non-professional instructors with older age and lower educational level.Other phenomena include,the frequency for the instructors to train is inversely proportional to the degree they possess,and their instruction places are ofthen dispersed and seldom fixed.In accordance with these existing problems which have restricted the implementation of the plan "Health Building of All People",this article puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions on how to keep a sustainable development for the work of the social physical training instructors in Jiangsu Province.
The formation ages and the growth rates of polymetallic nodules in the Eastern Pacific were studied using geochronologic methods of uranium series, acemization reaction of aspartic acid and the strotium isotop ( + {87 }Sr/ + {86 }Sr) After combining with the information of geology, climate and environment changes, it was concluded that the formation of the manganese nodules was closely related to the Antarctic Bottom Water (ABW) The polymetallic nodules in the East Pacific were gradually formed after Oligocene The main formation stages were Early Miocene, Middle Miocene and Late Pliocene respectively The growth rates of the polymetallic nodules were of the magnitude of 10 + {-6 } mm/a Affected by the different environment aspects at different time, the growth rates appeared to be of the characteristics of steps and leaps
We consider a class of two-player zero-sum stochastic games with finite state and compact control spaces, which we call stochastic shortest path (SSP) games. They are undiscounted total cost stochastic dynamic games that have a cost-free termination state. Exploiting the close connection of these games to single-player SSP problems, we introduce novel model conditions under which we show that the SSP games have strong optimality properties, including the existence of a unique solution to the dynamic programming equation, the existence of optimal stationary policies, and the convergence of value and policy iteration. We then focus on finite state and control SSP games and the classical Q-learning algorithm for computing the value function. Q-learning is a model-free, asynchronous stochastic iterative algorithm. By the theory of stochastic approximation involving monotone nonexpansive mappings, it is known to converge when its associated dynamic programming equation has a unique solution and its iterates are bounded with probability one. For the SSP case, as the main result of this paper, we prove the boundedness of the Q-learning iterates under our proposed model conditions, thereby establishing completely the convergence of Q-learning for a broad class of total cost finite-space stochastic games.
The synchronic patterns and outcomes of relationship building between fans and fan objects have received much attention in fan studies. Instead of taking an overly presentist view, as historical research on fandom often has done, this research treats fan participation—the construction of fan–object relationships—as a sociohistorical practice, highlighting the longitudinal transformations of fandom in specific social contexts. Drawing on oral history and autobiography among animation-comics-games (ACG) lovers, we examine changes in media practices, participation, and identification since the 1990s in a Chinese context. We argue that in the evolution of ACG fandom, the significance of mass media has not resided in forming new fan practices or fan–object relationships. Rather, mass media have played a role in changing the forms and meanings of the embodiment of the imaginary and the affective relationships between fan and object. The shifting embodiments provide fans with hints of situated experiences and priority of meanings regarding being-in-the-fandom.
Various crop residues can be used in producing Oyster mushrooms either as main substrates or in combinations with supplements. Yield response is determined by the type of crop residue and production practice used. Two factorial experiments were performed to evaluate the mycelium vigor and biological efficiency (BE) of Oyster mushroom produced on composted cotton residues, maize stover and wheat straw substrates enriched with either sunflower seed cake or pigeon pea hulls. Yield improvement were observed in both pigeon pea and sunflower seed cake supplemented treatments with the highest mycelium vigor (91.65%) and biological efficiencies (106.65%) observed, whilst the control treatments had 71.1% mycelium vigor and 27.6% biological efficiency. Mycelium growth and biological efficiency were satisfactory with the use of either supplement. Contribution of flushes to total yield was improved with addition of either supplement with up to 70% contribution in pigeon pea supplemented cotton residues. Supplements were equally effective for improving the performance of Oyster mushroom in almost all the substrates used. Composting of the substrates was beneficial in cotton residues and wheat straw substrates with biological efficiency of 145.7 and 28.2% respectively compared to their controls (32.3 and 5.3 respectively). It was concluded that both supplement can be used to enhance production and composting was not beneficial with maize stover. Keywords : biological efficiency, compost, mycelium vigor, pigeon pea, sunflower seed cake International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 2 (1) 2008 pp. 72-80
1. Washed-cell suspensions of Escherichia coli, incubated at the optimum pH of 6.4 and with a saturating substrate concentration of approx. 10mm, convert dl-1-aminopropan-2-ol into aminoacetone at a rate of approx. 4.0mmumoles/mg. dry wt. of cells/min. at 30 degrees . 2. Mg(2+), Mn(2+), Co(2+), Zn(2+), Ca(2+), K(+) and NH(4) (+), as sulphates, and EDTA have no effect on this rate, although Cu(2+) inhibits and Fe(2+) activates to some extent. 3. Conditions of growth markedly affect the rate of aminoacetone production by cell suspensions. 4. Dialysed cell-free extracts of E. coli exhibit 1-aminopropan-2-ol-dehydrogenase activity, the enzyme having optimum activity at pH7.0, a requirement for NAD(+) and K(+), and a K(m) for the amino alcohol substrate of 0.8mm, calculated for a single enantiomorph. 5. Under optimum conditions 1-aminopropan-2-ol dehydrogenase forms aminoacetone at rate of approx. 3.0mmumoles/mg. of protein/min. at 37 degrees . The enzyme is only slightly inhibited by dl-3-hydroxybutyrate and dl-2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl-amine. 6. l-Threonine-dehydrogenase activity is exhibited by both whole cells and cell-free extracts. Whole cells produce aminoacetone from l-threonine more slowly than they do from dl-1-aminopropan-2-ol, whereas the situation is reversed in cell-free extracts. Both kinetic evidence, and the fact that synthesis of 1-aminopropan-2-ol dehydrogenase, but not of threonine dehydrogenase, is repressed by compounds such as glucose and pyruvate, provide evidence that the amino alcohol is oxidized by a specific enyme. 7. The metabolic role of 1-aminopropan-2-ol dehydrogenase is discussed.
Objective To study the micro-tech conservative operations for all kinds of tubal pregnancy.Methods We conducted micro-tech conservative operations,cutting open Fallopian tube and umbrella-end plastic operation for 36 women with tubal pregnancy.Results Under the micro-tech conservative operations,all the Fallopian tube were not obstructed any more.The pregnancy in womb afterward was 83.33%,and no patient got the tubal pregnancy again. Conclusions If tubal pregnancy can be diagnosed in the early phase,tubal repair and plastic with micro-tech may be the first conservative operations.
Objective To investigate the association between A80C polymorphism in exon 1 of tumor necrosis factor-β (TNF-β) gene and essential hypertension (EH) in Chinese Han population. Methods The A80C polymorphism in exon 1 of TNF-β gene was analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) in 122 patients with EH and 202 healthy controls. Results The genotype distribution and alleles frequencies of A80C polymorphism were not significantly different between the two groups (P0.05). However,further subgroup analysis showed that the genotype distribution of A80C polymorphism was significantly different between EH group and control group in females (P0.05). The odds ratio of EH in females carrying CC genotype compared with A allele carriers was 2.27 (95% CI:1.111-4.656). Allele frequency was not significantly different between the two subgroups (P0.05). Serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C) levels in female EH patients carrying CC genotype were significantly higher (P0.01). Conclusions A80C polymorphism in exon 1 of TNF-β gene might be associated with the development of hypertension in Chinese female Han population,especially in those carrying CC genotype.
In e-commerce, the accounting information system is carried out through Internet. This article points out that network accounting expands the accounting calculation and financial management from the inside of an enterprise to the outside. At the same time, it discusses how to carry out long-distance report, long-distance inquiry and long-distance monitor so as to perfect the traditional accounting. In general, the article makes some research on how to construct the internal control system to suit the network finance.
Regression testing verifies that functioning of web applications remains after modifications in the web services. With the aim to find a base for the future study in collaboration of academia with the industry, a survey paper on evaluation and comparison of regression testing techniques has been conducted. There are total twenty papers identified for this survey. Overview of the regression testing techniques presented by researchers is evaluated for the test selection. None of the technique has been found to be clearly superior as results depend upon the several factors.
This dissertation deals with court-executive relations in post-authoritarian Argentina (1983-2006). Specifically, I analyse Supreme Court behaviour in highly sensitive cases to determine whether the tribunal has cooperated with or obstructed the government’s policy preferences in three key policy areas: human rights, economic emergency and pensions. This innovative type of approach – i.e., focusing on a small number of highly sensitive decisions – allows me to concentrate on cases that are genuinely important for the government or, more precisely, for the country’s political administration. There are cases that are significant for the State apparatus but irrelevant for the president (thinking of politicians as self-interested actors). My research uses a rational choice approach to courts, underscoring the strategic nature of judicial behaviour. This vision of judges provides a more accurate account of judicial-executive relations by bringing politics into the study of courts. By focusing exclusively on attitudes and apolitical jurisprudence, other visions take for granted the institutional context. Political stability, for example, cannot be assumed in many developing democracies. My findings indicate that the Argentine Supreme Court has consistently avoided obstructing the president’s policy preferences. Such behaviour is motivated by strategic considerations: judges are risk-averse actors that avoid clashing with the executive. For most of the time, the Supreme Court has operated under unified government, which increases the chances of being punished for anti-government decisions. Two other factors also account for the court’s risk-averse behaviour. First, procedural rules grant the Supreme Court wide discretion over its docket. The tribunal has used such discretion to strategically select the timing of its decisions. Second, recurrent democratic breakdowns have repeatedly led to attacks against the court, such as impeachment, irregular dismissals, and/or enlargements. Third, politicians exert broad control of judicial promotions, allowing them to block the careers of independent, courageous judges that act as a check on political power.
The scientific research method as a whole of modern aesthetics principle and the system of scientific subjective thought have positive guided function and applied value for modern aesthetics design.Contemporary Interior design is the entirety design to strive for a balance between the aesthetics principle and the practical principles.The unity of science and subjectivity is its value objectives and the highest pursue.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) have complementary operational characteristics. To have the benefits of these systems and to overcome their disadvantages, GPS and INS are integrated together to provide accurate position, velocity, and attitude. In this paper, a novel technique based on Co-active Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (CANFIS) is proposed to implement GPS/MEMS-INS integration. The proposed CANFIS is constructed of the neural network adaptive capabilities and the fuzzy logic qualitative approach. The performance of the CANFIS is examined. In fact, this is extremely difficult to achieve if the Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) based inertial sensors are involved in the integrated INS/GPS system due to their relatively high measurement noise. CANFIS is used to model the operation of the MEMS sensors so as to reduce the integrated system’s errors. Experimental results were reached and are outlined in this paper. The results of the study are highly promising and suggest that CANFIS modeling is a more flexible and enhanced alternative to the corresponding conventional models approach in combating MEMS errors.
Around 125,000 people volunteer in hospices each year in the UK, and due to the predicted increase in the UK ageing population within the next 20 years (AgeUK, 2016), the recruitment and retention of volunteers is crucial in the future development of palliative care. To date, there is a distinct lack of literature regarding the experiences of hospice volunteers. Therefore, the present qualitative study aims to (a) explore how hospice volunteers’ experiences have influenced their perceptions of palliative care; (b) identify the potential stressors experienced by volunteers and the way in which they cope and adapt; and (c) provide recommendations for the hospice with regards to improving well-being and role satisfaction in volunteers. Six hospice volunteers were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews were analysed from an interpretative phenomenological framework. Three master themes were identified: 1) psychosocial constructs of death and dying; 2) protection of self; and 3) self-esteem. The analysis revealed that volunteers experienced mortality salience, which stemmed from society’s perceptions of death and dying. This was demonstrated as a perceived role hierarchy within certain areas of the hospice. The way in which volunteers cope with the confrontation of mortality varied dependent upon their levels of self-esteem. Further research into hospice volunteers is discussed and improvements regarding emotional support and staff communication are explored.
The Slim Floor System as an alternative plan floor-to-floor height reduction system in steel frame of high-rise buildings was proposed. The objective of this study is the design development of the slim floor systems that can be suitable for the effective domestic construction and the test to evaluate flexural performance of continuous composite slabs reinforced with semi-slim floor system. A total of 8 two-span continuous slabs with fixed-ends were tested. Main parameters were the planed shapes of support beam, slab thickness, haunch length, amount of top bar in negative moment region and shear stud.
By means of literature review and investigation, the present condition of sports development in Wenzhou City is researched. It has found out that people's sport awareness is keeping enhanced in Wenzhou City and great development has been made in competitive sports, mass sports and sports industry. However, some problems are still existing in sports development and some countermeasures and suggestions on further development of sports in Wenzhou city are put forward.
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This work represents an interdisciplinary effort to investigate microbiological and chemical manganese (Mn) cycling in drinking water systems using concepts and tools from civil and environmental engineering, microbiology, chemistry, surface science, geology, and applied physics. Microorganisms were isolated from four geographically diverse drinking water systems using selective Mn-oxidizing and -reducing culture media. 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that most are bacteria of the Bacillus spp. (i.e., Bacillus pumilus and Bacillus cereus). These bacteria are capable of performing Mn-oxidation and -reduction under controlled laboratory conditions. Pseudo-first order rate constants obtained for microbiological Mn-oxidation and -reduction (aerobic and anaerobic) of these isolates ranged from 0.02 0.66 days -1 . It is likely that spores formed by Bacillus spp. protect them from chlorine and other disinfectants applied in drinking water systems, explaining their ubiquitous presence. A new method was developed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to identify Mn(II), Mn(III), and Mn(IV) on the surfaces of pure oxide standards and filtration media samples from drinking water treatment plants. A necessary step for the comprehensive analysis of Mn-cycling in drinking water systems is to characterize the chemical properties of filtration media surfaces. Analyses of filtration media samples show that, while Mn(IV) was predominant in most samples, a mixture of Mn(III) and Mn(IV) was also identified in some of the filtration media samples studied. The use of both the XPS Mn 3s multiplet splitting and the position and iii shape of the Mn 3p photo-line provide added confidence for the determination of the oxidation state of Mn in complex heterogeneous environmental samples. XPS was applied to investigate Mn(II) removal by MnOx(s)-coated media under experimental conditions that closely resemble situations encountered in drinking water treatment plants in the absence and presence of chlorine. Macroscopic and spectroscopic results suggest that Mn(II) removal in the absence of chlorine was mainly due to adsorption, while in the presence of chlorine was due to oxidation. Mn(IV) was predominant in all the XPS analyses while Mn(II) was detected only in samples operated without chlorine. Future research should apply XPS under different experimental conditions to understand the specific mechanisms affecting Mn(II) removal by MnOx(s)-coated media.
Currently, Lighting systems have undergone improvements with its convergence with information technology. However, compared to the developments in Night-Scape lighting, designers are facing difficulties in having efficient access to information. Also, the cost and time it takes to undergo research for benchmarking previous cases is exceptionally high. Thus, this study will investigate the current trend of luminaire, and Night-Scape lighting in buildings, Street furniture, and signboards that has incorporated IT techniques from domestic and abroad. From these findings, the research aims to establish a database composition that categorizes luminaire and its different applications.
We live in a culture that depends on technologies to record our behavior and coordinate our actions with billions of other connected people. In this computational culture, humans and machines continue to perpetuate deep-seated injustices. Our abilities to observe and intervene in other people’s lives also allow us to govern, forcing us to ask how to govern wisely and who should be responsible. In this dissertation, I argue that to govern wisely, we need to remake largescale social experiments to follow values of democracy. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, I spent time with hundreds of communities on the social news platform reddit and learned how they govern themselves. I designed CivilServant, novel experimentation software that communities have used to evaluate how they govern harassment andmisinformation. Finally, I examined the uses of this evidence in community policy deliberation. As we develop ways to govern behavior through technology platforms, we have an opportunity to ensure that that the benefitswill be enjoyed, questioned, and validated widely in an open society. Despite common views of social experiments as scarce knowledge that consolidates the power of experts, I show how community experiments can scale policy evaluation and expand public influence on the governance of human and machine behavior. Thesis Supervisor: Ethan Zuckerman Title: Associate Professor of the Practice Program in Media Arts and Sciences
Throughout the Member States of the European Union, economic policy debate has centred on the terms of corporate financing, and in particular on whether the companies of each country have sufficient equity to compete in a single market. Moreover, faced with the risk of corporate insolvency, credit institutions consider a certain equity level to be one of several indicators of creditworthiness. Given this situation and within the framework of the work of the European Committee of Central Balance Sheet Offices, Germany, Austria, Spain, France and Italy and the second General Directorate of the European Commission invited a working group , to compare the f-inancial autonomy of European industriel companies. This study covered the period 1991 to 1993 and examined several issues. Do corporate equity levels vary according to the country ? Do these levels vary according to company size, regardless of the country? Do small companies have a specific position in each country? This study is based on an evaluation of corporate solvency, given that equity is used by companies and their financial partners to control risk exposure. After a brief reminder of the role of equity, the study sums up the research conducted since the publication in 1958 of the paper by Modigliani and Miller and gives a critical analysis of the empirical findings of intenational comparisons. All such research must begin by identifying and solving the financial and statistical methodological problems inherent to comparisons of the financing conditions of different countries. The work conducted gives rise to clear conclusions. - Corporate equity levels vary from country to country. These differences are at least partially related to variations in taxation, bankruptcy regulations, the organization of the banking system, the relationship between banks and companies and the financing practices of each country. - An overall analysis is insufficient and must be complemented by an analysis by company size. - The situation of the companies in each country can not be evaluated without taking into account financial requirements. - In France, regardless of the size of the company, the share of equity in overall financial resources appears larger than in other countries. Moreover, the difference between the equity of small and medium-sized companies and that of large corporations is narrower than in Germany or Austria. It should also be noted that this company classification is relatively recent in France.
AIM To establish a fast,sensitive and specific analysis of amlodipine in human plasma and to study pharmacokinetics of amlodipine besilate tablets in healthy volunteers.METHODS Amlodipine was extracted from serum and separated with the mobile phase consisting of acetonitrilewater-formic acid(80∶20∶0.5).A Finnigan TSQ tandem mass spectrometer equipped with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source was used as detector and operated in the positive ion mode.Diphenhydramine was used as internal standard.Amlodipine plasma concentrations were analyzed by LC-MS/MS using selected reaction monitoring(SRM) in 18 healthy Chinese male volunteers.RESULTS The standard curve was linear over the range of 0.2-16.0 μg·L-1 of amlodipine in human serum.The limit of quantification was 0.2 μg·L-1 of serum.The within-day and between-day precision studies showed good reproducibility with coefficients of variation less than 10% for all the analytes.After a single oral dose of 10 mg amlodipine,the following pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained:tmax was(8.2±2.2)h,ρmax was(5.01±2.17) μg·L-1,t12 was(48.8±24.2)h,AUC0→t was(196±53.0)μg·h·L-1,AUC0→∞ was(243±89.3)μg·h·L-1.CONCLUSION The method is sensitive,convenient and proved to be suitable for the clinical investigation of amlodipine pharmacokinetics.
Abstract Dent’s disease is characterized by manifestations of proximal tubule dysfunction including hypercalciuria, kidney stones, proteinuria, rickets and progressively declining kidney function. The diagnosis is based on the presence of low-molecular-weight proteinuria, hypercalciuria and at least one of the following: nephrocalcinosis, kidney stones, haematuria, hypophosphataemia or renal insufficiency. Dent’s disease is a hereditary condition that is caused by variants in the CLCN5 gene or the OCRL1 gene and affects only males. Herein, we report on two brothers who were found to have a previously reported disease-causing variant in the CLCN5 gene. One sibling had nephrocalcinosis, proteinuria and hypercalciuria, whereas the other sibling was asymptomatic and had normal laboratory findings.
The invention relates to a video image defogging method based on self-adapting allowance and belongs to the field of video image processing. The method includes: building a single-frame image foggy day degradation model, estimating a rough transmission picture by aid of dark channel prior, obtaining a refined transmission by aid of a guide filter, judging whether images contain a large bright area, obtaining the rectified transmission picture and restoring a fog-free image. The method is applicable to video images with basically unchanged scenes like vide monitoring and video images with dynamically changing scenes, and can be widely applied to outdoor monitoring, remote sensing, intelligent transportation and other aspects.
The invention discloses a foldable saw cutting machine with a safety device. The saw cutting machine includes a base unit, a saw platform, a saw cutting unit and a safety switch unit; the saw platformcan rotate and is installed on the base unit and provided with a shaft base, the shaft base is provided with an axis and a locating part, and the safety switch unit includes an operating part installed on one operating end of the saw cutting unit, a clamping part installed on a rotating part and a flexible connector connected between the operating part and the clamping part. When a power source of a driver of the saw cutting unit is enabled, the saw cutting unit stays in a working state, and one saw web of the saw cutting unit forms a working included angle with a working surface of the saw platform; when the operating part is operated, the power source of the driver cannot be enabled, and the flexible connector drives the clamping part to relatively detach relative to the locating part;the saw cutting unit can be changed from the working state to a folded state, and therefore the purpose of safe folding operation can be achieved.
In view of the demands of safety and security for active power filters operation in power system, the simulation model of active power filter in power system is built up by using software EMTDC/PSCAD and the dynamic operating characteristics of active power filter are simulated when power system is in various types of short-circuit faults; and the transients of APF in short-circuit faults are analyzed. Based on the over-current through IGBT, a novel over-current protection scheme is proposed. The current of shunt APF will be limited within the permitted range during the faults by IGBT driving pulses cutting, and the shunt APF will be continually effective in compensation with its ability. The simulation proves the effectiveness of this scheme.
This report describes the results of an investigation of energy use in museums, considering their special relative humidity, temperature and lighting requirements. The report also includes an energy consumption data base for more than 50 institutions across New York State, and identifies specific opportunities for energy conservation in ten different museums. The project includes a study of potential funding sources to which museums can apply for financing energy conservation measures. Sources of technical assistance and information are also identified. The benefits to be derived from an energy audit and conservation program are emphasized in the report, and a methodology for a self-audit which could serve as a first step in initiating an overall energy conservation program is provided.
The invention discloses a surface shape registration method based on a ricci flow. The method comprises the steps that a closing surface is parameterized according to an improved ricci flow method firstly; the closing surface is mapped to a spherical surface; in addition, an energy variation condition of the ricci flow is recorded in a computation process; a multi-scale ricci flow energy matrix is established, and then subjected to laplace transformation; a laplace matrix of the multi-scale ricci flow energy matrix is computed; multi-scale feature points based on ricci energy are extracted according to the laplace matrix; furthermore, global ricci flow energy are combined with local feature points; a registration equation is established; a plurality of various surfaces are subjected to registration on a spherical surface domain by utilizing the registration equation; registration results are mapped to the original surface finally; and the whole registration process is accomplished. With the adoption of the method, the computation time in a parameterization process is shortened; global attributes are effectively combined with local features; and the accuracy of the registration is improved.
The change process undertaken at Logan City Council has four key aspects - starting position, decision process, implementation and outcomes. Logan Works was facing decreasing potential workloads due to reducing capital works programs, increasing resource costs and the Council's desire to use a balance of day labour and contracts. The review process examined current operations, options for change and recommended a course of action. The option chosen was to retain the Unit and enhance performance. The outcomes are a stronger focus on Branch functions, defined service agreements, improved costing and reporting systems, productivity enhancements, cost savings and a revitalised, multi-skilled workforce.
A frontis the projection on the plane of a legendrian immer- sion of a circie in the space of the contad elements of that plane. 1 analyse the symmetries of a generic front with respect to the group generated by the invo- lutions reversing the orientation of the plane, the orientation of the preimage dicte and tSe coorientation of the contact plane. 1. GENERIC FRONTS A planar frontis tlie projection to R2 (with coardinates x, y) of a legendrian curve. A legendrian curve is the image of a C'-immersion of S' in the space M3 (with coardinates x, y, «mod2r) for cooriented fronts, (modir) for noncooriented fronts) of the contact elements of the plane, with its natural contact structure
Introduction From Reformism to Interest Group Pluralism: The Relevance of the Non-Brahman Movement for an Understanding of Contemporary Maharashtra by Jayant K. Lele Maharashtra Dharma and the Nationalist Movement in Maharashtra by Rajendra Vora Pre-Ambedkar Untouchable Liberation Movement in Maharashtra by Uttam Bhoite Deshabhakta: The Leaders of the Italian Independence Movement in the Eyes of Marathi Nationalists by E. Fasana Bhau Mahajan and his Prabhakar, Dhumketu and Dnyan Darshan: A Study in Maharashtrian Response to British Rule by J.V. Naik The Bombay Chronicle: Competing Images of Division and Unity in the Indian Nationalist Movement, 1920-30 by Milton Israel Dr George Buist of the Bombay Times: A Study of the Self-Proclaimed Messianism of an Anglo-Indian Editor, 1840-57 by Aroon Tikekar The Discourse from the Other Side: Perceptions of Science and Technology in Western India in the Nineteenth Century by J. Masselos Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar and the Academic Renaissance in Maharashtra by R.N. Dandekar Vishnu Moreshwar Mahajani and Nineteenth-Century Antecedents to Keshavsut by Philip Engblom Agarkar, Apte, and the Kanitkars by I.M.P. Raeside An Overview of the Reformist Movement in Maharashtra with Special Reference to Lokahitvadi and Gopal G. Agarkar by Pratibha Bhattacharya The Passage from Hinduism to Christianity: The Case of Baba Padmanji by H. Kotani Pundita Ramabai and Social Reform in Maharashtra by Meera Kosambi Three Letters of Govind Babaji Joshi on Inter-jati Marriage in Nineteenth-Century Maharashtra by N.K. Wagle Contributors Index.
Objective To explore whether (2-[[(1,1-dimethylethyl)oxidoimino]-methyl]-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine) (TBN) can protect retinal ganglion cells against acute high intraocular pressure injury. Methods We used anterior chamber puncture to rapidly increase intraocular pressure to 70 mmHg in rats and continue to infuse for 60 min, resulting in retinal ischemia and death of retinal ganglion cells. After acute high intraocular pressure injury in rats, TBN (70 mg/kg body weight) or the equal volume of NS was administered by intraperitoneal for four consecutive days. Results The results showed that the density of retinal ganglion cells was significantly decreased after acute high intraocular pressure injury, and TBN treatment significantly increased the survival rate of retinal ganglion cells. Conclusion TBN may serve as a potential candidate to treat glaucoma.
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was the longitudinal comparison of % f-PSA in patients before radical prostatectomy and after PSA relapse. Is % f-PSA a consistent tumor specific parameter or does this ratio change during untreated tumor progression?   MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study 41 out of 420 patients with untreated increasing PSA-progression (> 0.5 ng/ml) were analysed. Patients with neoadjuvant or adjuvant hormonal therapy were excluded. T-PSA were f-PSA were analyzed by Immulite DPC (Diagnostic Products Coop., CA) and Abbott Axsym (Abbott Park, Il, USA).   RESULTS Pre-operative % f-PSA ratio was 10.6% (range 4.6-22%; Std. dev.: 4.9); T-PSA concentration was 26.4 ng/ml (range 5.5-10.2 ng/ml Std. dev.: 20.3). In men with PSA relapse after radical prostatectomy % f-PSA ratio was 14.73% (range 2.2-4.5% Std. dev.: 9.7). Repeated post-operative % f-PSA measurements resulted in 12.94% f-PSA (range 2.7-3.8% Std. dev.: 9.9%) with a regression of R = 0.57. All men with pre-operative elevated % f-PSA (> 15%) had post-operative elevated % f-PSA.   CONCLUSIONS The data indicates that post-operative % f-PSA is a constant tumor specific parameter in men with untreated PSA relapse after radical prostatectomy. Post-operative % f-PSA was higher compared with pre-operative % f-PSA concentrations. No correlation with Gleason score or pathological stage was found.
The feasibility of simultaneous determination of trace iodine,bromine,selenium and arsenic in geological samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was investigated. The signal response of different anion species in different solution mediums was assessed. It is shown that in nitric acid solution the ion signal intensity of I - is much higher than that of IO - 3 and IO - 4. In addition,the observed I - signal in nitric acid solution is not stable. The results from the experiments also show that weak acid solution or ammonia solution is a suitable medium for determination of these elements and addition of ammonia solution is a effective way in eliminating the memory effect from iodine and bromine.
The electron density profiles derived from the EFW and WHISPER instruments onboard the four Cluster spacecraft reveal small-scale density irregularities inside the plasmasphere and at its outer boundary, the plasmapause. We review statistics of the plasmapause position and thickness, as well as statistics of these density structures. We focus on a particular plasmasphere crossing on 11 April 2002, with several density irregularities, as well as two plasma tails, observed by Cluster on the legs of the inbound and outbound passes. We derive the density gradient vectors from simultaneous density measurements by the four spacecraft. We determine also the normal velocity of the surface of these irregularities, assuming they are planar boundaries, from the time delays between density structures in the four individual density profiles. These new observations yield novel insights about (1) the dimensions of plasma irregularities across and parallel to magnetic field lines, (2) the dynamics of these small-scale structures, (3) their bulk velocities, and (4) their position and distribution as a function of the magnetic local time (MLT) and the geomagnetic conditions (as determined by Kp).
Objective To summarize the neurosurgical method and experience of cervical neuromas.Methods The surgical findings of 51 cases of cervical neuromas in last 12 years were reviewed retrospectively.A part of the cases were treated with microsurgical technique.Results Complete resection was achieved in all cases,and neurological status was improved after surgery.Conclusions Complete resection with good neurological results can be achieved by using appropriate approaches,microsurgical techniques,preservation of the cervical nerve root and spinal cord,stability of the cervical spines should be attached to importance by the neurosurgeons.
In an attempt to understand the relationships between different cryptographic assumptions, a large amount of research has been done to prove certain primitives imply the others. Of these proofs, the vast majority are "black-box": the security arguments treat the assumed primitive as an oracle with the required security properties---and thus can be thought of as a black-box---relative to which the new primitive is constructed. Due to the limited number of known non "black-box" tools and their relative inefficiency, an inability to give a black-box construction of one primitive from another provides strong evidence that such a construction will be difficult to find, or will be too inefficient to implement. In this thesis two results showing the limitations of black-box proofs are given.  In trying to provide formal evidence that composition has a security increasing property, we ask if the composition of non-adaptively secure permutation generators necessarily produces adaptively secure generators. We show the existence of oracles relative to which there are non-adaptively secure permutation generators, but where the composition of such generators fail to achieve security against adaptive adversaries. Thus, any proof of security for such a construction would need to be non-relativizing. This result can be used to partially justify the lack of formal evidence we have that composition increases security, even though it is a belief shared by many cryptographers.  Next, we show the existence of oracles relative to which semantically secure public-key encryption primitives (PKEP) exist, but relative to which a large class of black-box constructions are not secure against chosen-ciphertext attacks. The class of constructions has the natural property that the constructed decryption algorithm does not need to query the encryption algorithm of the semantically secure system. This provides the first evidence that there may be no black-box constructions of PKEP secure against chosen ciphertext attacks from semantically secure PKEP. This second result is in a model where all parties are computationally unlimited, but limited in their queries to oracles. As a result, black-box constructions are not strictly ruled out, but have strong complexity theoretic implications ( P≠NP ).
Embedded system is a practical course,combined with professional features of computer science and technology in School of Mathmatics and Computer Science of Fujian Normal University.It proposed a layered,multi-faceted three-dimensional model of practice teaching,explored diverse forms of practical teaching embedded system.This model greatly mobilized the enthusiasm of students and initiative,to effectively improve their practical ability,practice teaching in colleges and universities in the embedded system is an effective method.
Magnetic resonance imaging represents today the most important tool in neuroradiology for both clinical practice and research. MRI allows imaging of the human body in 2 or 3 dimensions with variable tissue contrast. The natural diffusion of tissue protons can now be used as a supplementary contrast mechanism. Different MRI techniques can be used to obtain clinically useful diffusion-weighted images. These techniques all require the use of strong gradient pulses in order to obtain the diffusion contrast. In the current article, the most important physical principles of diffusion measurement are presented. After a short introduction into the basic physical principles, we will present the prerequisites and limitations of clinically relevant applications today. Finally a few select examples of clinical use of these techniques in the acute diagnosis of stroke will be presented.
Most contemporary scholars recognize the importance of media for our society: media, in fact, not only affect users’ perceptions of social reality and the way societal norms and values are created (Gunter, 1988), but at the same time their content is mediated by how society perceives itself. Analyzing movie and TV contents can therefore allow an insight into common representations of social problems. Our research takes into consideration the concept of domestic violence to see how it is conveyed through movies and how the audience perceives it. A qualitative analysis using SPAD was applied to 100 synopses of movies that the Internet Movie Database lists with the tag “domestic violence”. The 100 movies were chosen using a popularity criterium based on users votes. The results shows that movie synopses depict domestic violence in a stereotypical way: a recurring domestic environment and familiar figures are always involved. Instead, no emotional elements are added to the plot nor are explicit descriptions of violent acts. Cinematographic narrations, then, seem to adopt and express representations that are mostly based on common sense.
The automation of the extraction of road from high-resolution satellite imagery is a very active topic in the photogrammetry and remote sensing community. The paper introduces a method of semiautomatic extraction of road from high-resolution satellite images that have good accuracy and interactive performance. We focus on appreciate algorithm to reduce the data error. The paper has opened up new opportunities for the full automation of the extraction of road from high-resolution satellite imagery.
The effective removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions in a batch system using of low-cost biosorbent rind of Orange (Citrus sinensis), (L.) Osbeck was studied. The FTIR study of acid treated biosorbent showed that the possibility of availability of function groups such as hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxylic etc. The SEM represents a porous structure with large surface area. The effects of operational factors including solution pH, biosorbent dose, initial Cr (VI) concentration, contact time and temperature were studied. The optimum solution pH for Cr (VI) biosorption by biosorbent was 2.0 with the optimal removal 71.01 %. The adsorbent dose 5 mg/ml was enough for optimal removal of 73.91 %. The equilibrium was achieved after 150 minutes of contact. The equilibrium data were well described by typical Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Kaganer-Redushkevich (DKR) and Temkin adsorption isotherms. Sorption equilibrium exhibited better fit to Langmuir isotherm (R = 0.9986) than Freundlich isotherm (R = 0.9153), Temkin isotherm (R = 0.8903) and Dubinin-Kaganer-Redushkevich (DKR) isotherm (R = 0.7413). The maximum adsorption capacity determined from Langmuir isotherm was found to be 10.7411 mg per g of biosorbent. Furthermore, to determine the adsorption mechanism, a detailed analysis has been conducted by testing kinetic models such as pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich equation and Weber & Morris intra-particle diffusion rate equation. Results clearly indicates that the pseudosecond-order kinetic model was found to be correlate the experimental data strongest than other three kinetic models. Thermodynamic study revealed that the biosorption process was spontaneous, endothermic and increasing randomness of the solid solution interfaces. The rind of Orange (Citrus sinensis), (L.) Osbeck used successfully for removal of Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions, can be used very promisingly for industrial wastewater treatment. K e y w o r d s
Bayesian Network has provided a convenient frame structure to express causal relationship, by regarding influence diagramas a special Bayesian Network, then the value of each decision variable is imposed externally to meet the goals, rather than derive fromdetermination probability of father node. Using influence diagram to describe the node types of directed acyclic graph has been studied, which includes Decision nodes, Chance nodes andValue node.Agent itself is also an environmentalmodel, variable (V E) is the belief of node in environment, utility node (UE) denotes the self-preference of Agent, which is the objective defined by multi-Agent self-organizing system.
Objective: The limited diagnostic accuracy of the exercise treadmill test (ETT) in women with chest pain has promoted more costly stress imaging in this population. We hypothesized that non-ECG variables of ETT could enhance the utility of ETT in women. Methods: We evaluated ETT in women referred for chest pain from 9/96 to 10/03 who had a normal electrocardiogram and no cardiovascular disease (CVD). Longterm course (all-cause mortality) and CVD morbidity (myocardial infarction, heart failure, revascularization, stroke) was analyzed in relation to ETT results. Results: ETT were analyzed in 1,000 women (53.5 ± 10.8 y.o., 24-85). Follow-up was 6.4 ± 2.4 yr, mortality = 2.4% (0.4%/yr), morbidity = 7.9% (1.2%/yr), mortality + morbidity = 9.8% (1.5%/yr). Diagnostic ETT (≥85% maximum predicted heart rate [MPHR]) was achieved in 96.1% (961/1000). ETT was negative (NEG) (<1.0 mm horizontal ST↓ [ST↓]) in 79.1% (791/1000); positive (POS) (≥1.0 mm ST↓) in 17.0% (170/1000); nondiagnostic (ND) (no ST↓, <85% MPHR) in 3...
There are a method for torque-neutral switching a rechargeable internal combustion engine (20), with a suction pipe (26), a plurality of cylinders and a shiftable in particular electrically driven compressor (18), (from a first engine operating condition to a second engine operating condition and a relevant control unit 22 ) disclosed. In the first engine operating state, the internal combustion engine (20) is operated in a charged state without the switchable compressor (18). The transition from the first to the second engine operating condition is the intake valves and / or exhaust valves to be shut down at least one of the cylinders. In the first engine operating state in a plurality of clocks immediately before closure of the inlet valves and / or during which the internal combustion engine (20) is throttled to the pressure build-exhaust valves, the switchable compressor (18) is at least temporarily switched in. Thus, an additional pressure build-up in the intake manifold (26) is produced at least partially from the switchable compressor (18). The intake valves and / or exhaust valves of the at least one cylinder are closed in the second engine operating condition.
The invention has already been substituted with secondary amines including imidazole-benzopyran derivative, a method of manufacturing the same, and relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them, benzo of the invention pyran derivative functional protection for the neovascularization inhibitory action, ischemic heart, neuroprotective action, represented by the antioxidant activity of lipid peroxidation-inhibiting effect anticancer agent, rheumatoid arthritis therapeutic agent, can be used as a therapeutic agent, such as diabetic retinopathy, a cardioprotective agent, neuron protective agent, an antioxidant, such as oxidative stress, ischemia-reperfusion, and related diseases and the protector of the organization can be used as a therapeutic agent.
The focus of this study is to look into how residential developments in Cheonan and Asan, influence the population and industrial structures of the cities as a whole and on the old downtown areas of each over time. The research approach adopted in this study includes demographics, location quotient and GIS program. The conclusion drawn from analysing changes in population and locational changes of industries are as follows; first, for both cities, population increased around new downtown areas rather than around existing ones, thus creating changes in the spatial structure. Second, there is a difference between Cheonan and Asan in the aspect of quality and quantity of industries. In the downtown area of Cheonan, high levels of urban industry decreased in some areas after the establishment of new downtown areas, but they still showed competitiveness. On the other hand, the downtown area of Asan showed stagnation and decline in general industries with a few exceptions, which indicates a large amount of potential for the development of the city to be absorbed by Cheon-an and its new towns. Third, manufacturing industries are declining while the general functions of industries are growing due to the increase in population and 국토지리학회지 제46권 4호, 2012 (415~427) * 이 논문은 인하대학교의 지원에 의하여 연구되었음. ** 인하대학교 도시계획전공 박사과정(Graduate Student, Department of Urban Planning, Inha University, sangmin0201@gmail.com) *** 인하대학교 사회과학부 행정학과 교수(Professer, College of Social Science, Inha University, byun@inha.ac.kr) **** 인하대학교 도시계획연구소 연구원(Researcher, Center for Urban Planning, Inha University, polo5519@hanmail.net)
Massive ovarian edema is a rare condition characterized by marked enlargement of one or both ovaries as a result of accumulation of edema fluid in stroma. It is a benign lesion and is generally seen in young females between 6-33 years of age. Our aim is to remind that massive ovarian edema should be considered in the differential diagnosis especially in young patients to avoid aggressive treatment. Our patient was a 17-year-old female who was admitted to our hospital with complaints of irregular menstruation and right groin pain for the last 3 months. There was no remarkable finding in the physical examination. ‘Sex-cord stromal tumor (luteinized thecoma)’ could not be excluded in the intraoperative frozen section. The diagnosis was reported as ‘massive ovarian edema’ with routine examination. Pathological evaluation is required because of the difficulty of differentiating these lesions from malignant lesions with radiological methods in the pre-operative period. Although it is a rare lesion, clinicians and pathologists should consider it in the differential diagnosis to avoid aggressive treatment.
Introduction. Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) is a common retinal vascular condition that results in intraocular inflammatory changes. Ultra wide field fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) is a retinal imaging device that can capture peripheral retinal findings. The purpose of this study was to look for peripheral findings in the fellow eye of patients with BRVO using UWFFA. Methods. Retrospective imaging review of patients diagnosed with BRVO that had both eyes imaged with UWFFA. Images were graded for peripheral findings in other quadrants of the same eye as well as in all quadrants of the fellow eye. Results. Of 81 patients, 14 (17%) patients had late vascular leakage in a quadrant other than the BRVO distribution. Five (6%) findings were in the same eye, 8 (10%) findings were in the fellow eye, and 1 (1%) finding was in both the same eye and the fellow eye. Of these 14 patients, 11 (80%) patients had hypertension. Conclusion. Late peripheral retinal leakage in the fellow eye of patients with BRVO was detected in this cohort of patients with UWFFA. This novel finding may represent underlying systemic inflammation, hypertension, or bilateral BRVOs.
The purpose of this study is to present proper VE application methods to euly design phases. Since VE methodology is more effective on early stage of design phase, the study focused on application of VE methodology in early stage of design process. With the examination of past studies, obstacles of VE application in domestic construction industry are defined. To solve these problems, this paper presents (1) subdivision of VE execution time, (2) an appropriate VE targeting method for construction industry, (3) a resonable and practical function analysis process, and (4) modified design-VE job plan.
The carboxylatopentaarnminecobalt {ID) ions derived from pyridine-2-, and pyridine-3-carboxylates bind, Ni(II) and Cu(II) to form binuclear species. The kinetics of reversible formation of the binuclear species (NH3)5Co02C-(2/)pyNiH (Py=CSH4N) was investigated by stopped-flow technique at 1O-35°C, lNi:' 11= 0.005-0.05; and J= 0.3 mol dm'. The kuo,.values fitted 10 the relationship kobs= krKeq[NF+V (1 + Kc~ [Ni2 +j) consistent with the reaction Scheme NSC002CCsH4N2+ + Ni(OH2)r /0; ••• NSC002CCsH4NNi(OH2)~~' NsCo02CCsH4NNi(OH2)1+. This is in contrast to the reversible complexation of Ni(ll) with the pyridine-3-analogue under comparable condition for which chelation step is not involved. The resulting binuclear complexes of pyridine-2-carboxylato complex promoted aquation at the cobalt (Ill) centre (NH1)sCo02C-(2)pyMtn+2!+~O(NH3)SCoOH;+ + py(2 )C02Mn+ the effect of the metal ions being in the order Cu2+ > Ni2+. The rate data for dissociation of binuclear species as well as catalytic activities of the metal ions in promoting water for carboxylate substitution at the cobalt (Ill) centre are consistent with the fact that the metal ions are chelated by pyridine-nitrogen and cobalt (III) bound carboxylate group of pyridine-2carboxylate.
A mobile terminal and a file browsing method implemented by the mobile terminal are disclosed, comprising: a scanning module scans the files in the mobile terminal and acquires correlative information of each file in the mobile terminal; an indexing module establishes a global index list according to the correlative information of the files; and a browsing module classifies and displays the files according to the file types in the global index list while searching a target file. According to the technical solution, the target file can be quickly and conveniently found from the mobile terminal.
Self‐selection into treatment and self‐selection into the sample are major concerns of VAA research and need to be controlled for if the aim is to deduce causal effects from VAA use in observational data. This paper focuses on the methodological aspects of VAA research and outlines omnipresent endogeneity issues, partly imposed through unobserved factors that affect both whether individuals chose to use VAAs and their electoral behavior. We promote using Heckman selection models and apply various versions of the model to data from the Swiss electorate and smartvote users in order to see to what extent selection biases interfere with the estimated effects of interest.
PURPOSE: A non-volatile memory apparatus and an operation method thereof are provided to store five-bit data in a pair of memory cells, thereby improving data storage capacity compared to a two-bit data storage case. CONSTITUTION: A non-volatile memory apparatus includes a memory array(110), operation circuit groups(130,140,150,160,170,180), and a control circuit(120). A memory cell block comprises memory cells connected to word lines. The operation circuit group is comprised in order to perform a read operation or a program operation of the memory cells. The control circuit controls the operation circuit group in order to select a threshold voltage level of a selected memory cell among an elimination level and five program levels according to inputted data.
The CAN bus is a kind of field bus with high trade-off between performance and price which meets the international standard, and it plays a more and more important role in the automatic control area. GPRS is a kind of public wireless network which covers the largest area in our country at present. Combining the advantages of them both, this paper puts forward a model to realize remote detection and communication. The model has a wide practical value.
The invention discloses a preparation method of a vanadium-base SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) catalyst for purifying tail gas of a diesel vehicle. The preparation method comprises the following steps: dissolving an anchoring dispersing agent into deionized water, uniformly stirring, adding a vanadium source and a tungsten source, and stirring until the vanadium source and the tungsten source are dissolved, wherein the anchoring dispersing agent is selected from one or more of polyoxyethylene octylphenol ether, citric acid, tartaric acid, polyacrylic acid and hydrogen peroxide; adding a titanium source while stirring, and ageing; adding a bonding agent, and uniformly stirring, so as to obtain catalyst slurry; finally, coating a carrier by the catalyst slurry, and drying and roasting, so as to obtain the vanadium-base SCR catalyst. The preparation method has the beneficial effects that the anchoring dispersing agent is added in a preparation process of the vanadium-base SCR catalyst, so that a 'one-pot procedure' preparation process of the vanadium-base SCR catalyst is realized, the technological process is shortened, the production cost is lowered, and the prepared vanadium-base SCR catalyst has good activity, durability and stability and a wide application prospect.
Introduction: The long-term risks for incident hypercholesterolemia (HC) have not been quantified by sex in AA men and women. Methods: We conducted an individual-level pooled analysis of participants from The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities and The Framingham Offspring Studies with baseline prevalence and follow-up data on HC and lipid-lowering medications. Hypercholesterolemia was defined as a total cholesterol level > 240mg/dL or the use of lipid-lowering medications on ≥2 consecutive examinations. We quantified the long-term risk for HC using competing risk models to assess incidence from age 55 years (y) though 70y to 85y, adjusted for baseline prevalence and competing risks of death. Analyses were stratified by race and sex. Results: There were 11,341 White and 2,828 AA participants (55% and 63% female, respectively) included in the analysis. At an index age of 55y the mean (SD) BMIs in White and AA (men/women) respectively were: 27.8(4.1)/26.9 (5.6) and 28.1(5)/31.3(6.7)Kg/m2. Baseline prevalence rates of HC were not substantially different across race and sex groups. White women had the highest risks for the development of HC, with long-term risks as high has 63% through age 80y. AA men had the lowest risks for hypercholesterolemia through at 70y. Conclusions: The burden of HC is substantial across all race groups, with the highest risks found in white women. Aggressive surveillance and early preventive efforts against HC are needed across all race and sex groups.
The problem of elder drivers experiencing impariments that diminish their driving abilities raises serious concerns for public health and safety. Although this is an important health problem, existing state practices are inadequate in several respects and impose unnecessary negative social, economic, health, and psychological consequences for many of the elder drivers whose driving privileges are restricted or terminated.This article uses the approach of Therapeutic Jurisprudence to examine these issues by focusing attention on the antitherapeutic consequences of existing rules and practices. Therapeutic jurisprudence provides a useful complement to public health strategies for dealing with these issues. We seek to balance the public health needs of the community with the desire to minimize the negative consequences that existing practices pose on the psychological wellbeing of elder drivers and their families. We propose a comprehensive solution based on the Social Ecology of Health model augmented by principles and approaches of therapeutic jurisprudence. This model, which we call the Safe Driving Center, combines screening and assessment, remedial/rehabilitation interventions, education and training, individual and family counseling, and a comprehensive community-based approach for dealing with the problem preventatively. Whenever possible, the center will seek to persuade impaired elder drivers voluntarily to cease or restrict their driving by offering inducements and alternative transportation solutions.
The occurrence of salts in water, the principle of salt balance, and the effects of salts on plants are examined. It is suggested that water becomes essentially valueless for irrigation when its electrical conductivity approaches 7.5 millimhos per cm, and the term degradation ratio is proposed to express the equivalence of a saline water to good quality water. Degradation of water quality in a river system with progress downstream may be inevitable, but the bypass, regulatory, watershed management, and conveyance and distribution techniques to control this degradation are explored.
Our studies of protocol biopsy studies have shown that normal allograft histology can not be assumed by crude tests of renal function such as the serum creatinine concentration, and that there is a high prevalence of subclinical rejection in the first 6 months post-transplant (7, 13-17). The apparent ability of urine MR and IR spectra to reliably identify patients with normal allograft histology, if confirmed in a larger database, will preclude the need for a protocol biopsy in approximately 20-50% of patients. Conversely, finding urine MR or IR spectra characteristic of subclinical rejection would provide the opportunity for early treatment. The clear separation between patients with normal histology from those with subclinical rejection can be attributed to the use of the whole urine spectrum to develop the classifiers. Additional advantages of using MR or IR spectra of urine as a diagnostic tool compared to the biopsy include simplicity (i.e. no processing is required), low cost, rapid turnaround (i.e. < 15 minutes/sample), and, particularly, low risk, thus allowing for repetitive sampling. The ability to non-invasively diagnose acute inflammation in the kidney would be of great assistance in the post-transplant monitoring of renal transplant patients. Indeed, by following subclinical inflammation as detected in the MR/IR spectra it will be possible to tailor the intensity of the immunosuppression to the inflammatory status of the graft, thus minimising the risks of both insufficient and excessive immunosuppression. Furthermore, by following subclinical inflammation, as detected in the MR/IR spectra, it will be possible to test the hypothesis that subclinical rejection (i.e. persistence of its MR/IR spectral classifier) is a surrogate marker for the development of chronic rejection.
The spontaneous abortion rate in singleton pregnancies with sonographically proven heart activity between 5 and 13 weeks was analysed. Up to 15 weeks 8.6% of 395 patients miscarried. The abortion rate was higher in pregnancies with a gestational age < 9 weeks (12.5%), a maternal age > or = 35 years (15.5%) and vaginal bleeding (16.3%). The correlation of the abortion rate with these factors has to be taken into account when the prognosis of an individual gestation or the risk of invasive procedures is determined.
For the design of wastewater treatment plants with enhanced biological phosphorus removal and simultaneous removal of nitrogen a calculation model is proposed. The model includes only a small number of variables, which can be measured in routine analysis. Two versions of the model are described in detail. The calculation model has been verified with independent data from five full-scale wastewater treatment plants in Germany
Lignite lithotypes from "Maritza-East" deposit, i.e. humovitrain, xylain, liptain and humoclarain, the initial forms and products after subsequent bitumen extraction and alkaline hydrolysis in 15% KOH solution were studied by thermochemolysis (pyrolysis in the presence of methylation reagent tetramethylammonium hydroxide, TMAH). The GC-MS instrument was connected "on-line" and vaporized species were methylated and analyzed. Three main groups of products were registered: lignin-derived phenol derivatives with strong quaiacyl structure dominance (Gymnospermae contribution); aliphatic acids, methyl esters with strong "even"-numbered preponderance (terrestrial input classically attributed to higher plant wax esters); lignin-derived phenol derivatives bearing carboxyl group in the side-chain (lignin residue transformed in coalification). The thermochemolysis confirmed some previously registered features of lithotypes: (i) high contribution by Gymnosperms to coal-forming community and total lack of syringic units (Angiosperms). The modest participation of Gramineae in lithotypes organic matter was demonstrated by the low content of coumaryl structures. A peculiarity in the program is the high content of methylated polysulphides not unequivocally explained.
Cloning apoptosis-related novel genes is a key to further understanding of apoptosis mechanism and the biology process of germ cells, and is of momentous significance on clarifying physiological and pathological process of spermatogenesis. To rapidly attain human novel gene full-length cDNA sequence, the gene-specific primers and the vector-specific primers were designed for nested PCR, and draft human genome searching was performed to rapidly identify the TSARG2 (GenBank accession number AY040204) 5' end from a human testis cDNA library, by using a cDNA fragment (GenBank accession number BE644542) as an electronic probe, which was significantly changed in cryptorchidism and represented a novel gene. Furthermore, a mouse homologue of this gene was identified (GenBank accession number AF395083) by lab on-line. TSARG2 with a 1 233 bp length was composed of 6 exons and spanned about 115 kb of genomic DNA, The putative protein encoded by this gene was 305 amino acid with a theoretical molecular weight of 34 751 dalton and did not share significant homology with any known protein in databases. TSARG2 was expressed in many tissues and mapped to chromosome 4q33-34.1 by database analyses. Therefore, we propose that nested-PCR and draft human genome searching are rapid, sensitive, accurate and efficient method for isolating gene 5' end, even full-length gene from cDNA library.
Compression coating is one of the strategies for delivering drug to the colon based on Gastrointestinal PH & transit time concept. The main aim of these formulations to develop rapidly disintegrating Zaltoprofen core tablets compression-coated with a mixture of time dependent hydrophilic swellable polymer HPMC K 15 and PH responsive soluble polymer Chitosan & Guar gum in different ratios. The effect of proportion of HPMC, Chitosan and Guar gum in the coat on premature drug release in upper part (Stomach and small intestine) of GIT & the amount of drug release in colon target area was studied. The formulations are carried out by using Direct Compression method. Sodium starch Glycolate used for rapid disintegration. FTIR used for Drug-Polymer Interaction studies. The prepare tablets were evaluated for hardness, thickness, friability, invitro disintegration, In-Vitro Dissolution and In-Vitro kinetic study. The F2 Batch Guar gum gives better result than other formulations.
The necessity is substantiated and the efficiency is evaluated in relation with the reform of healthcare that was undertaken after the beginning of the social-and-economic instability in the Republic of Tajikistan. Multiple purpose-oriented and national programs were appropriately elaborated in accordance with the world practice requirements. However, the understaffing and inadequate financing as well as a low standard of information support and of taken measures could bring about just minimal results.
In an effort to keep pace with increasing employment opportunities and demand for qualified and well-trained personnel, there has been an increase in the number of educational institutions offering hospitality management programmes in India. Investment in education in hospitality management courses will play a critical role in providing the human resources needed for this fast growing industry.  The issue of study motivations has been the subject of a number of investigations that attempted to understand what motivates students to major in hospitality and tourism management (Bushell, Proser, Faulkner, J Kim, Guo, Wang, A O’Mahony, Mc Williams, & Whitelaw, 2001). Evaluating the popularity of hospitality programs in order to understand its current position in the field of education, this paper is an attempt to identify reasons why students in India want to get an entry into tertiary education field like hospitality management. It aims to investigate the factors moderating (motivating) selection of hospitality programmes and intended subsequent career with the industry. The broad areas chosen for the study are demographic factors including socio-economic background, external influence, field attractiveness, job opportunities, ease of study and academic achievement.  With a sample size of about 100 first year bachelor of hotel management students from a hotel management college, the study used a detailed questionnaire on the above factors. They were asked to rate their choice of the criterion on a five-point Likert scale ( 1= Strongly Disagree, 5= Strongly agree) to rank these dimensions. Suitable statistical techniques were used to analyze the data collected from the respondents. Based on the finding of the study, suggestions were given to education providers to take students’ study motivations into consideration in curriculum development. With students oriented curricula, HM programmes can generate quality learning outcomes to increase student satisfaction and further interest in starting a career in the industry.
1. THE ROOTS OF SOCIOLOGY: MORALS AND SCIENCE. Introduction. The enlightenment and legacy of the philosophies: Science and Morals. Social/Societal Influences. Political Revolutions in France and elsewhere. The Industrial Revolution, Urbanization, and Capitalism. Religion, Ideology, and Politics. A New Conception of Knowledge. German Idealism. The American Experience. Pragmatism. Pragmatism and Methodology. The Promise of Sociology. Classical Sociological theory and the Four Fundamental Questions. References. 2. AUGUSTE COMTE (1798-1857). Introduction. Biography. The Lycee. The Ecole Polytechnique. Paris in the Early Nineteenth Century. Marginal Intellectual. From Positivism to Religion. The Intellectual Context. The Enlightenment Philosophes. St. Simon. Comte"s Sociology. Sociology as the Science of Society. From Science to the Religion of Humanity. The Four Questions. Assessment: Auguste Comte and the Promise of Sociology. References. 3. HARRIET MARTINEAU (1802-1876). Introduction. Biography. A Significant Decade. The Successful Author. Religion and Women"s Issues. Intellectual Context. Unitarianism. Classical Economics. The Role of Women in the Nineteenth Century. Martineau"s Sociology. Methodology and Morals. Methodology Continued: Women and Slavery. Feminist Sociology. Sociology of Religion. Sociology of Inequality. Sociology of Work and Occupations. Sociology of Illness and Disability. The Four Questions. Assessment: Harriet Martineau and the Promise of Sociology. References. 4. KARL MARX (1818-1883). Introduction. Biography. The Early Years. The University Years, Marriage and Family. Intellectual Context. Berlin: The Young Hegelians. Paris, Brussels, and the Move to London. The International and the Twilight Years. Marx" Sociology. German Philosophy. Hegel and the Dialectic. Metaphysics Out, Materialism In. English Political Economy/Classical Economic Theory. Surplus Value, Unpaid Wages, and Increasing Misery. French Socialism. Toward Revolution (Dialectic Materialism). Alienation. Summary: It All Comes Together. No Marxist Revolution: A Brief Critical Assessment. The Four Questions. Assessment: Karl Marx and the Promise of Sociology. References. 5. HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903). Introduction. Biography. The Early Years: Nonconformity, Independence. Travels/Observations/Inventions. Intellectual Context. Early Influences. Middle and Later Years. Spencer"s Sociology. Evolutionary Theory. Assumptions. Adaptation, struggle for existence, and the birth of society. Organicism. Societies are not organisms. Social Darwinism. The Four Questions. Assessment: Herbert Spencer and the Promise of Sociology. References. V. THE FOUR QUESTIONS. 6. EMILE DURKHEIM (1855-1917). Introductin. Biography. The Early Years: Education and Anti-Semitism. Middle Years: Patriot, Husband, Father, Activist, and Scholar. The Twilight Years: Senior Scholar, War, Personal Devastation. Intellectual Context. French Intellectual History. Other Influences. Durkheim"s Sociology. Introduction: Sociologism, Positivism, Major Works, Spencer. On the Division of Labor in Society (1893). Mechanical solidarity. Organic solidarity. Causes of the division of labor and why it weakens the collective conscience. The Rules of Sociological Method (1895). Suicide (1897). Introduction: Positivism, Sociologism, Definition and Types of Suicide. Egoistic Suicide. Altruistic Suicide. Anomic and Fatalistic Suicide. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912). Introduction. Durkheim"s Theory of Religion. Durkheim"s New Methodological/Epistemological Positions. The sociology of knowledge. Social psychology. Positivism. The Four Questions. Assessment: Emile Durkheim and the Promise of Sociology. References. 7. GEORG SIMMEL (1858-1918). Introduction. Biography. Ties to Berlin. The Later Years. Intellectual Context. Darwin and Spencer. Kant. Positivism and Idealism. Simmel"s Sociology. Content and Form. Dyads and Triads. Conflict. Role Theory, Multiple Statuses and Freedom. The Four Questions. Assessment: Georg Simmel and the Promise of Sociology. References. 8. MAX WEBER (1864-1920). Introduction. Biography. Early Years: Family, Education. Career, Psychological Demons, The War Years. Intellectual Context. The Making of An Encyclopedic Mind. German Intellectual History, Teaching, and Writing. Weber"s Sociology. Introduction: Levels of Analysis, Rationality, Iron Cage. Role of Ideas. Historical individual. Verstehen, ideal types. Weber"s Epistemology/Methodology: The Protestant Ethic Thesis. Overview of PE. Part I: The problem. Part II: The practical ethics of the ascetic branches of Protestantism. How ideas structure social action: the PE example. Power and Authority Structures. Ideal type: a quick review. Power. Class. Status. Party. Authority structures. Rational legal authority. Traditional authority. Charismatic authority. Summary: Weber and Marx. The Four Questions. Assessment: Max Weber and the Promise of Sociology. References. 9. GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863-1931). Introduction. Biography. Undergraduate Education. Graduate Education. The Chicago Years: Mead the Social Reformer. The Chicago Years: Mead the Professor. Intellectual Context. Darwinism. Behaviorism. Pragmatism. Mead"s Sociology. Mind, Self, and Society. The Mind and Significant Symbols. Language and Mind. Social Order. The Preparatory Stage. The Play Stage. The Game Stage. The "I" and the "Me". An Integrated Sociology. The Four Questions. Assessment: George Herbert Mead and the Promise of Sociology. References. 10. JANE ADDAMS (1860-1935). Introduction. Biography. The Early Years. Rockford Female Seminary. Travel in Europe. Beginnings of Hull House. Later Years. Intellectual Context. The Social Gospel. Pragmatism. Marxism and Socialism. Women"s Suffrage. Tolstoy and Pacifism. Addams" Sociology. Critical-Emancipatory Theory. Feminist Sociology. The Four Questions. Assessment: Jane Addams and the Promise of Sociology. References. 11. WILLIAM EDWARD BURGHARDT (W.E.B.) DU BOIS (1868-1963). Introduction. Biography. Higher Education. Early Career. The NAACP, Crisis Magazine, and Marxism. Social Critic and the Later Years. Intellectual Context. Pragmatism. William James, Pragmatism and Science. Social Darwinism. Pan-Africanism. Marxism. Du Bois" Sociology. Sociological Methods. Sociology of Race. Sociology of Self. Sociology of Religion. The Four Questions. Assessment: W.E.B. DuBois and the Promise of Sociology. References. 12. CLASSICAL AMERICAN SOCIOLOGY AND THE PROMISE OF SOCIOLOGY. Introduction. The Origins of American Sociology. William Graham Sumer (1840-1910). Lester Frank Ward (1841-1913). Albion Woodbury Small (1854-1926). Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929). Edward Alsworth Ross (1866-1951). Franklin Giddings (1855-1931). Florence Kelley (1859-1932). Charlette Perkins Gilman (1860-1935). The Rise of the Objective Sociology. The Historical Development of the American College. The Rise of the American University. Robert Park (1864-1944). The Giddings Men. William Fielding Ogburn. Assessment: Classical American Sociology and the Promise of Sociology. References.
BACKGROUND Interleukin (IL)-1alpha plays an important role in modulating the expression of various growth factors and angiogenic factors in tumor cells. In here, we investigated effect of IL-1alpha on IL-8 secretion in human pancreatic cancer cells and underlying signal transduction pathways.   MATERIAL/METHODS IL-8 expression and secretion by pancreatic cancer cells was measured by Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Activation of extracellular signal regulated kinases-1/2 (ERK-1/2), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-jun aminoterminal kinase, Akt, and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) was determined by Western blot. Involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were examined by measuring the H2O2. Activity of activator factor-1 (AP-1) and NF-kappaB was examined by electrophoretic mobility sift assay (EMSA). Proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide dye reduction method and cell count.   RESULTS IL-1alpha modulated IL-8 secretion and induced activation of ERK-1/2 and p38 MAPK. Specific inhibitors for MEK-1 and p38 MAPK suppressed IL-8 secretion. IL-1alpha also induced production of ROS. Exogenous H2O2 enhanced IL-8 secretion and N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) prevented IL-1alpha-induced ROS production and IL-8 secretion. EMSA confirmed that IL-1alpha increased DNA-binding activity of AP-1 and NF-kappaB. Inhibitors and ROS scavenger studies revealed that upstream signalings for AP-1 and NF-kappaB were MAPK and ROS, respectively. Conditioned media from pancreatic cancer cells pretreated with IL-1alpha remarkably stimulated in vitro HUVECs growth.   CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that MAPK/AP-1 and ROS/NF-kappaB signaling pathways are involved in IL-1alpha-induced IL-8 secretion and that these paracrine signaling pathways enhance endothelial cell proliferation.
This paper introduces the design of a PoS data switch chip in the MSTP on SDH to supply the flexible data services in the transport and access equipment. The structure of the chip is based on a shared-memory switch structure, and an advanced pipeline technology is used to improve the switch capacity of the chip. This chip provides QoS guarantee and implements multicast capacity, and it can be used in the SDH transport and access equipment. It provides a simple and high-level efficient solution for the transportation of data services on SDH.
To analyze the spring disturbance torque caused by motional cable harness in a stabilized platform,the Kirchhoff theory based cable harness model has been previously developed to dynamically simulate the motional cable harness.In this paper,this model was validated by comparing the simulation results with the experiment results(both the spring force and the deformed profile of the motional cable harness).In the experiment,a special optical measuring instrument based on binocular vision was developed and the motion and deformation of cable harness were measured.A simplified stabilized platform system was constructed,and the absolute value of spring disturbance force during the motion of this simplified frame was obtained by using a force gauge(0.02N precision).The physical parameters of experimental specimen were also measured.The experimental and simulated results showed good agreement.These results should be useful for better motional cable harness layout design and reliable evaluation of the spring disturbance torque.
The goal of the project was to study the X-ray properties of the persistent and burst emission of Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) during periods of burst activity. We monitored this activity with BATSE on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, and made X-ray observations with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). SGR1806-20 became active in October 1996. We made observations with the PCA on the RXTE in November 1996. In the RXTE data we detected several hundred brief SGR events, which occurred in clear bunches, and persistent emission. From a Fouder analysis of the persistent emission (excluding time intervals with bursts) we found a period of 7.47 s. These pulsations are also present in RXTE data taken several weeks later (PI Dr. T. Strohmayer), which were combined with our data. Comparison with ASCA data taken in 1993 and 1995 shows that the period, which reflects the spin of a neutron star, increases on a time scale of 1500 years. These results show that SGR1 806-20 is a neutron star with a superstrong magnetic field (about 1"15) Gauss), thereby establishing, for the first time, the existence of magnetars.
The entry of people with disabilities in Institutions of Higher Education is a reality present in the Brazilian educational context and the arrival of these students with special educational needs reveals an educational context that requires a new attitude from the university that proposes to be inclusive. This context reveals the importance of discussing the issue of structural and methodological preparation of these institutions, to enable inclusion based on respect for people with disabilities and, above all, on teaching that promotes diverse educational, social and professional opportunities. In this context, the objective of this work is to narrate the history of school and university inclusion of the first student Cerebral Palsy at Campus UFERSA / Angicos, highlighting the perspective of the student with disabilities, of the subject participating in the process. This graduation work, is an autobiographical narrative that starts from the student's memories, from looking at herself as an agent of this inclusion process, through which we can understand in more depth the process of inclusion of a student with disabilities in school and in an undergraduate course in an indoor campus. The writing of this work showed that the school and the university were the best environments for learning and overcoming, as it was where I developed intellectually and professionally. But one of the greatest learnings was to deal with the prejudice that arose in every way, which strengthened me even more in the struggle to realize that the fragility of a person with Cerebral Palsy is in what others impose. [...] a dimensão do compromisso das IES, que não se restringe a dar condições de acesso e permanência ao aluno com deficiência, mas que também deve preocupar-se com a preparação de profissionais que atuarão em uma sociedade inclusiva. Sendo assim, rompem-se paradigmas relacionados às pessoas com deficiência, pois o conhecimento possibilita o respeito à diversidade, desfazendo preconceitos.
Objective To discuss the treatment outcome of replantation in situ with subdermal vascular network flap for repair of retrograde skin avulsion injury on the dorsum of the hand. Methods Fifty-six cases of subdermal vascular network flaps were performed from 1996 to 2001. The area of the avulsion skin was from 7 cm × 10 cm to 10 cm × 13 cm. Results All flaps survived uneventfully. Forty-six cases were followed up postoperatively for 3 months to 5 years. There was loss of follow-up in 10 cases. Satisfactory appearance was obtained in 46 cases, with restoration of the protective sensation and normal function of opposition of the thumb. According to TAM standard, the results of extension-flexion function from index to small fingers were excellent and good in 40 cases(87.0%). Conclusions Replantation in situ with subcutaneous vascular network flaps is one of effective procedures in management of retrograde skin avulsion injury on the dorsum of the hand when there was no or slight contusion on the skin.
The distribution of Plasminogen (PLG) phenotypes in five populations of Spain (Galicia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla-León, Extremadura and Western Andalucia) is analysed by means of polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing and immunofixation. PLG*A frequencies, ranging from 0.7281 in Extremadura to 0.8038 in Castilla-León, are similar to those reported for other Southern populations of the European continent and higher than those in Northern and Central European populations. Heterogeneity analysis of the PLG allele distribution among different regions of the Iberian Peninsula have also been carried out.
Tungsten inert gas welding of spray formed 7xxx serial aluminum alloy was conducted with 7055 aluminum alloy as the filler wire.The resultant joints were solid solution treated at 450 ℃×1 h+475 ℃×1 h,and then water quenched and finally aged at 120 ℃×24 h.After solution,the microstructure of the weld was homogenous without overburning and the grain size slightly increased.The double-stage solution treatment dissolved the alloying elements in the base metal sufficiently,therefore the content of alloying elements increased in base metal but decreased in grain boundaries.Consequently,the alloying elements distributed more uniformly after the solid solution.In the subsequent aging treatment,strengthening phases precipitated from the oversaturated solid solutions,which improved the joint strength remarkably.The joint strength of 7055 and 7475 aluminum alloy reached 65% and 91% of the base metal,respectively,which indicated that the proposed heat treatment in this paper was suitable.
This book explores the efforts and difficulties of women, portrayed as fickle beings in whom unpredictable passions and emotions rose and fell, and how they took, as the ultimate consequence of that traditional stereotyping, the reins of their fate. Thus, women were able to move beyond ?awareness?, to change and locate themselves. As well as observing American women on the move, the collection also examines the incorporation of women who came from other spaces and cultures, and who were absorbed violently into American modernity as a result of exile or immigration. One chapter also explores how a model, the ?American Way of Life?, was exported beyond its borders.
PURPOSE To evaluate an auto-cured resin as a direct pulp capping material on exposed pulp with or without a self-etching primer.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Class V cavities were prepared on the facial surfaces of 90 intact monkey teeth, and the pulps were intentionally exposed with a carbide bur through the cavity floor. Each exposed pulp was capped with a commercially available adhesive resin system (Clearfil Liner Bond 2V: Group LB) or an auto-cured sealant resin (Teethmate-S) with and without the use of a self-etching primer (Group TMP and Group TM, respectively). The cavities were restored with an adhesive resin and a hybrid resin-based composite (Clearfil AP-X). Inflammatory cell infiltration and dentin bridge formation of the exposed pulp as well as protrusion of the exposed pulp tissue into the cavities were evaluated histologically at 3, 30 and 90 days.   RESULTS Slight inflammatory cell infiltration was the main inflammatory reaction of the exposed pulp, and the exposed area became occluded with dentin bridges as the observation period increased. However, significantly higher incidence of slight inflammatory cell infiltration was found in Group TM than in Group LB at 30 days (P<0.05). Group TM showed significantly higher incidence of protrusion of pulp tissue than Groups LB and TMP through all tested periods (P<0.05).
The invention discloses a preparation method and an application of a rice hull/straw feed additive and relates to the technical field of feed processing in poultry breeding. The rice hull/straw feed additive is prepared from rice hull/straw, corn, soybean meal, composite enzyme and oily bran. A preparation process of the rice hull/straw feed additive comprises material preparation, pre-treatment on rice hull/straw, ammonification, puffing, treatment by biological enzyme, drying and sterilizing. The rice hull/straw feed additive has the characteristics that the rice hull/straw feed additive can be digested and absorbed by poultry such as chicken and duck and chicken and duck feed prepared by applying the rice hull/straw feed additive is strong in disease resistance, low in feeding cost and complete in nutrition. The prepared rice hull/straw feed additive is feed, can be used for feeding poultry, livestock and herbivorous animals and can be also used for preparing feed for poultry, livestock and herbivorous animals; the prepared rice hull/straw chicken (duck) feed is applicable to feeding middle chickens, big chickens and ducks in a breeding period.
FIELD: machine building. SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to a system (1A) of elevating gate, in particular gate system for a clean room, comprising lifting gate (2) which has web (3), gate terminal plate (4) and device (5) for placement of door leaf. System (1A) of elevating gate also includes a device (20A) sealing bridge gate which is provided in gate region of web so that it creates a sealing effect between lift gate (2) and bridge target. Wherein at least one portion (10B) of device (20A) sealing bridge gate is held with possibility of rotation by a hinge and opening lifting gate (2) can be rotated out of plane of door leaf by means of an actuator in end plate (4) so that to end shield (4) in open state overhead doors (2) has been substantially completely located outside region of opening (O) of gate. EFFECT: invention improves system (1A) of lifting gate so it can use entire height of opening (O) of gate and closed lifting gate (2) continues to provide a sufficient sealing action. 12 cl, 10 dwg
Introduction A school that adopts a curriculum, that aims for a holistic understanding of technology, does so because it produces a better educated person than a curriculum which does not. How do we know when we are teaching technology holistically and why must we do so? Increasingly, more is asked of technology educators to be holistic in the understanding conveyed to learners of technology itself in order to make better informed technical and design decisions in a wider range of applied settings. The ability of the learner to naturally consider social and environmental factors, for example, when seeking solutions is seen by some State education systems in Australia as fundamental to a genuine education in technology (New South Wales Board of Studies, 2000 & 2002). In philosophy, the holist position asserts that to understand the particular one must understand its relation to the whole and that only through reflection of one’s sensation based applications can genuine knowledge be critically affirmed (Matthews, 1980, p.87 & p.93). The combined apparently independent paths of the State and the Holist positions set a compelling scene not only for the socio-economic necessity for holistic technology education in the curriculum but also for Technology’s status as a key curriculum agent in the knowledge formation process of educated individuals. This paper asserts that the general elements of Applied Setting (including Time), Human (as Agent), Tool and Environment are well placed to be the necessary basics to any holistic human technological activity. How and why these elements work together, their schema, will be referred to in this paper as the ‘Basic Principles’. The paper presents the thesis that Technology cannot be reduced to less than these general elements and as such, Technology is their product. We therefore may need to understand and teach these elements and their relations to each other explicitly, in ways that reveal the utility of such understanding when making technical choices and design decisions for all the genres of technology and at all their scales of application and discovery. The case is made for technology to not merely be a ‘know how’ learning experience, but necessarily also a holistic ‘know why’ learning experience essential for developing and transferring technological knowledge. ___________________________
Machine Learning classifiers are commonly used for the purpose of Sentiment Analysis. These classifiers use annotated training data from which they learn to predict the sentiment of texts, for example whether a text conveys a positive or a negative sentiment. In this thesis we compare the performance of two sources of training data for the purposes of sentiment classification on Twitter: (i) tweets annotated by hand of a fixed quantity (about 2000 tweets) and (ii) tweets annotated automatically by an emoticon heuristic of increasing quantity (from 2000 tweets to 1.6 million tweets). The performance of these training sets are evaluated by training commonly used classifiers (Naive Bayes, Support Vector Machines and Maximum Entropy) and comparing the classification accuracy of the different data sets on a test set annotated by hand. These tests are made with varying use of n-gram models (unigrams, bigrams, and a combination of both) and the varying use of a stop word filter. We show that while the hand-annotated training set performs well in equally sized training sets, the automatically annotated training set exceeds the accuracy of the hand-annotated training set in all test setups but one when 1.6 million automatically annotated tweets are used for training.
The Michigan basin is in the upper midwestern part of the United States. The thickest part of this almost circular basin contains a lens of about 16,000 ft (4800 m) that consists mostly of marine sedimentary rock, ranging in age from Cambrian to Pennsylvanian. A small patch of terrestrial Jurassic rocks is also present in the central basin. Most of the sedimentary section is overlain by glacial deposits. Precambrian sedimentary rocks are preserved in the subsurface in an ancient rift zone that can be defined by geophysical techniques. Although the exact origin of the basin is still in question, an embryonic form was present by Late Cambrian time, and the basin attained its modern configuration during Ordovician time. The main structural grain of the basin is oriented northwest-southeast, and a complementary northeast-southwest trend also exists. In 1886 oil and gas were discovered in the Port Huron field in the Michigan basin; the modern era of oil and gas exploration in the basin began in 1925 with the discovery of the Saginaw field. Oil and gas have been found throughout the Paleozoic section except in Pennsylvanian- and Cambrian-age rocks, which have not yet yielded economically significant quantities of hydrocarbons. Exploitation of the basin's reserves has been a gradual process, developing from shallower to deeper horizons. At present, however, one of the shallowest formations (Antrim Shale) and one of the deepest (St. Peter Sandstone) are both the focus of intense exploration and exploitation.
Philippine poetry in English is rarely read as humorous text, but the period from the 1970's to the present is seen as creating a liberating space for poetry, and I posit that part of this “liberation” is the rise of new poets whose awareness of and engagement with language, result in works that could actually be seen as humorous, in which humour is seen as more than just universal mirth over human folly, but is consciously delineated as a sharp, if not violent, recognition of incongruities and incongruences in expected reality.  In the poems of contemporary Filipino poets Paolo Manalo, in his acclaimed collection Jolography (2003), and Isabel Banzon, in Paper Cage (1990) and Lola Coqueta (2009), Filipino humour becomes a way to imagine communitas as the poems in these collections use linguistic play, breakage of language, creation of hybrid language in Filipino and English to respond to new Philippine social realities or re/create social hierarchies in the Philippines by repositioning or questioning individual and communal states in which Filipinos find meaning.   By using the incongruity humour theory and linguistic humour theories, this paper seeks to examine the language of humour and wit in representative poems from these collections by Manalo and Banzon, and attempts to centre a new sense of creativity possible in Asian writing that now explores the potencies of humour not just as a generator of laughter, but as entries into psychical, cultural and national delineations of identities and awarenesses.
Apart from a brief period after in-vivo immunization, only a minority of human donors provide peripheral lymphocytes that synthesize specific antibody on stimulation with tetanus toxoid in vitro. A 20 microliters hanging drop microculture technique using serum-free medium has been adapted to analyse the conditions under which B cells mature into antibody-secreting cells. Multiple permutations of antigen dose, cell concentration and T:B cell ratios have been examined. The results indicate that in-vitro failure of antigen response by the majority of donors is not due simply to an inappropriate choice of culture conditions. The addition to antigen-stimulated cultures of a lectin-free conditioned medium derived from pokeweed mitogen-stimulated peripheral lymphocytes, enables B cells from the majority of donors to produce high titres of specific antibody, in a T-dependent manner, for up to 24 months after immunization. The observed failure of prolonged antigen responsiveness in vitro thus appears to represent a failure to expand a population of antigen-specific B cells, rather than indicating an absence of such clones.
From college credit system and the system course system of school year different aspect analyse comparison can find out , credit system teaching plan has avoided the phenomenon of " 1000 persons one side " , has embodied general character and the combination of character combination, unity and flexibility fully, make student in overall raising at the same time, character gets ample development. Therefore, no matter carrying out the system of school year, or credit is made , should absorb and refer to the advantage of two course systems fully when designing new course system, high limit land surmount them is below , take length do not be greater optimization short , make new course system get.
In this paper, a new hybrid computational procedure utilizing the element free Galerkin method (EFGM) and the finite element method (FEM) for electromagnetic field analysis is proposed. It is well known that for problems which include moving objects or objects which change their shape, such as in shape optimi-zation, the FEM is not the best solution. For such problem the FEM always requires re-meshing of a part of the entire analysis domain which is computationally very expensive. We have recently proposed a new computational approach based on the EFGM which requires only nodal and boundary condition data to solve for the unknown field. Although free of mesh generation problems, this EFGM exhibits low accuracy if the nodal disposition is not uniform, and longer computation time than the ordinary FEM. To use the advantageous of both EFG-FE method, we developed a new hybrid method. In this paper, the proposed hybrid method is verified using several examples.
This project originated from the desire to provide the sintered preform designers in forging industries with useful information on the effects of certain process variables on the forged product and to formulate these effects into comprehensive relationships of the basic rheological characteristics of the material. A further aim was to establish a technique to theoretically demonstrate the applicability of these relationships,by analysing simple forging of sintered billets. A literature survey covering three main areas in general is presented highlighting the effects of various process variables on the mechanical properties, the deformation characteristics of various sintered materials, and the attempts to establish a yield criterion for porous materials on the basis of experimental results and theoretical analysis. The experimental programme involved the design, construction and machining, where appropriate, of a double cone powder mixer, a sintering unit, and three die compaction sets, compacts of atomised iron powder, mixed with 0.25% flake graphite were made of various heights, diameters anddensities and sintered at various sintering conditions. Further work included preparation of testpieces for compression, tension, impact, hardness, chemical analysis and metallographic tests and making of forging dies for upsetting, upset-extrusion, capped ends upsetting, triangular cavity and multi-cavity closed die forging. The programme of work involved the study of 1. The effects of sintering time and temperature on the mechanical properties of sintered iron, on the deformation characteristics and on the properties of the upset specimens. 2. The effects of aspect ratio on the deformation characteristics of sintered billets. 3. The behaviour of the material through testing specimens of various cross-sections(circular, square rectangular, triangular and semi-circular) and by changing die geometry in order to simulate effects inactual closed die forging. 4. Closed die forging simulating the production of two and four gear teeth of various widths. 5. The existing yield criteria in an attempt to improve their applicability in respect of sintered iron. 6. A finite-difference numerical technique in order to simulate the upsetting process of a variable density material. Comparison of the predicted results with those observed experimentally showed good agreement.
A 47-year-old female, was referred to our renal and vascular ultrasound unit by the cardiologists, because of a long history of uncontrolled hypertension resistant to multiple antihypertensive drug treatment. The question was if the patient had a secondary form of hypertension, i.e. a renal artery stenosis. An accurate evaluation by echo-color Doppler ultrasound displayed an aneurysm located at the bifurcation of the right renal artery. The surgical correction of the aneurysm normalized the arterial pressure and avoided a rupture, which is always a dramatic event.
MATERIAL UNIFORMITY, RECONSTRUCTION, AND TRACE METAL CONTENTS by DIXIE A. HAMILTON (Under the Direction of Larry West) ABSTRACT Felsic and mafic/ultamafic rocks will weather to form soils having different characteristics. Three pedons were chosen based on differing parent materials. Particle size and chemical properties were characterized by standard methods, and clay mineralogy was evaluated using x-ray diffraction. Sand Zr and whole soil trace metals were measured on the ICP-MS, using HF dissolution. Particle-size separates and trace metals were reconstructed using Zr as the immobile constituent. Soils developed from mafic/ultramafic parent materials had thinner sola and higher pH, CEC, and base saturation than the pedon developed from felsic rocks. 2:1 clays dominated the mafic/ultramafic sites and kaolinite dominated the felsic site. Parent material discontinuities were seen at the mafic/ultramafic sites using sand:silt and Ti:Zr ratios. Reconstruction analysis of the clays found that substantial clay neoformation occurred in the argillic horizons at all three sites, and trace metal reconstruction found that metals were residually accumulating at the mafic/ultramafic sites.
This paper describes the surgical management of a post-traumatic calcified thoracic disc herniation treated using ultrasonic bone curette SONO-PET®. The case described concerns a young man with a symptomatic calcified thoracic disc herniation, who underwent posterolateral approach and transversoarthropediculectomy. Patient underwent posterolateral approach with excellent postoperative results. Neurophysiological monitoring somato-sensory evoked potential (SSEP) and muscle motor evoked potentials (MMEP), inclination of 30° toward the unaffected side of the operating table, the use of Ultrasonic Bone-Curette SONO-PET® and proper reconstruction of the three floors of the back muscles allows the removal of the disc herniation safer and risk's free, and less invasive for the patient.
Consuming food that has been produced locally with sustainable agricultural methods reduces gas consumption in every area of production, from farming to transportation to retail, reducing dependence on foreign oil. This article asserts that universities can be key institutions to transition to sustainable consumption, both because their populations consume much food and because they are uniquely positioned to teach students to make principled lifestyle decisions.
In order to finding the effect of S - f technique in the treatment of thoracolumbar bursf  fracture, from August in 1997 to January in 1999 the author had treated 23 patients suffering from thoracolumbar burst fracture by S - F technique, cases had been followed up for 3 to 14 months, and the result was satifactory, 10 patients got complete redution, 13 patients got good reduction. All patients were healed 3 months after operation. The authjor considers that the S - F technique is an ideal method as to the treatment of thoracolumbar fracture.
The present invention provides a high initial charge and discharge efficiency, the negative electrode material for a secondary battery for the energy density to form a good secondary battery high and the cycle characteristics, a negative electrode and a secondary battery using the secondary battery an object of the present invention is to. Anode material for a secondary battery of the present invention is characterized by containing at least one noble metal and Si oxide. Furthermore, the negative electrode material for a secondary battery of the present invention preferably comprises lithium metal. The negative electrode material for a secondary battery of the present invention may contain at least one noble metal and lithium silicate. Negative electrode containing a negative electrode material for a secondary battery of the present invention has an active material layer, or the active material layer composed of particles of film-like structure. Using such an anode material, in the present invention, high initial charge and discharge efficiency, the negative electrode material for a secondary battery for the energy density to form a good secondary battery high and the cycle characteristics, a negative electrode and a secondary battery possible to provide a secondary battery using it.
The invention discloses a diamond fretsaw cutting method and device. An annular diamond fretsaw is used for cutting a crystal ingot workpiece; the annular diamond fretsaw surrounds a plurality of horizontal guide wheels and is tensioned by a tension mechanism; under the driving of one of the guide wheels, namely, a driving wheel, the annular diamond fretsaw operates at a high speed; under the driving of a lifting mechanism, the annular diamond fretsaw is fed to a crystal ingot cutting workpiece and retracts upward; and in a cutting process of the annular diamond fretsaw, the crystal ingot workpiece is driven by a rotary mechanism to rotate uni-directionally around a shaft of the workpiece. According to the method and the device, the annular diamond fretsaw has a higher linear speed; when a workpiece rotates uni-directionally and continuously, point contacting type cutting between the diamond fretsaw and the crystal ingot workpiece is realized; and diamond particles can be pressed into a cut material more easily, so that the device has a cutting efficiency about ten times of that of the ordinary fretsaw diamond cutting.
Objective To explore the value of 64-slices spiral CT and 3D reconstruction in the diagnosis and treatment of renal cell carcinoma.Methods A total of 39 cases were diagnosed as renal cell carcinoma by pathology,and the images obtained from 64-slices CT and 3D reconstruction were retrospectively analyzed. Results Of the 39 cases,the mean diameter was 5.6cm(ranging from 2.8～13.0cm).Different levels of enhancement were showed in all cases,accessory renal arteries were showed in 8 cases,and vessels of renal cell carcinoma were showed in 17 cases.Conclusion 64-slices CT and 3D reconstruction can clearly display the images of renal cell carcinoma and is very important in the treatment and prevention of complications.64-slices CT should be considered as one of the optimal imaging diagdostic methods for the clinical examination of renal cell carcinoma.
Background and Purpose: Manual aspiration thrombectomy (MAT) represents an alternative means to open occluded intracranial vessels. The technique involves advancing a large bore catheter into the thrombus and manually aspirating through a syringe. We have previously reported our experience with nearly 200 patients, however most cases involved the use of an adjunctive device such as the MERCI retriever to facilitate clot disruption or advancement of the catheter through the tortuous carotid siphon. This selected case series represents those patients treated with MAT alone.  Methods: The University of Pittsburgh acute stroke database was retrospectively reviewed to evaluate those patients presenting with a large vessel intracranial occlusion who were treated with MAT. The decision to treat was based on the amount of brain still considered at risk based on CT, CTP, or MRI, and not on time from onset. Patients were excluded if an adjunctive device was used to facilitate catheter advancement or clot disruption/removal. These devices included the MERCI retriever, Penumbra aspiration system, Solitaire, TREVO, stent, or balloon. Intra-arterial thrombolytics or antiplatelets were allowed.  Results: Forty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean/median NIHSS was 17/16. The mean/median time from last seen normal to groin puncture was 8.3/6.5 hours. The mean/median time from groin puncture to recanalization was 50/40 minutes. The target vessel was the basilar, M1, and ICA-terminus in 7, 30, and 10 patients respectively. The mean/median number of aspiration attempts was 1.7/1. All patients achieved at least TIMI 2 recanalization, owing to the fact that failure to achieve this result prompted the use of an adjunctive device. 42/47 patients achieved TICI 2B/3 recanalization.  Conclusions: Pure MAT without the use of an adjunctive device represents another method to achieve intracranial recanalization with the potential for significant cost savings. Safety and outcomes must still be evaluated.
It is interesting to reflect on the avilability of Amazona species this century: only three have been freely available: the Orange-winged (A. amazonica), the Blue-front A. aestiva) and the Yellow-fronted or Yellow-crowned (A.o. ocbrocepbala), During the 1980s however, more species became available than at any other time in avicultural history. All those from continental or mainland South America, with the exception of the Mercenary (A. mercenaria) were available - and even the latter was imported into the U.S.A. on at least one occasion .. One species which was virtually unkown in aviculture until the decade of the 1980s is Pretre's Amazon (A. pretrei). However, it remains very rare so that most Amazon breeders have never seen it. As with a number of other parrot species during the past 20 years, its sudden appearance in aviculture was indicative of the fact that its habitat was being disturbed. Unfortunately, the numbers of this Amazon, also its range, is declining rapidly in the wild. It is now known to occur only in Rio Grande do Sul in southeastern Brazil. Possibly it survives in adjacent Misiones in northeastern Argentina. It was formerly found in southern Sao Paulo and perhaps in southeastern Paraguay, although there is no evidence that it was a resident there; possibly it occurred as a vagrant, if at all. There has been a substantial decline in its numbers since the 1970s mainly due to destruction of its specialized habitat. It is associated with Araucaria pine forest - and little virgin forest of this type now survives within its range. The ripe pine seeds are its principal food during much of the year. This Amazon migrates early each year, from the southern part of Rio Grande do Sul, to the north. This movement occurs after the breeding season. Pretre 's Amazon is closely related to the Tucuman Amazon (A. tucumana). It, too, is endangered by habitat destruction and, due to this and to excessive trade, was placed on Appendix 1 of CITES in 1989. The Tucuman is another avicultural newcomer, being virtually unknown until the late 1970s. Although the two species are very close in plumage coloration and size, their personalities are different. Much as I like the Tucuman, I would have to describe pretrei as one of the friendliest, most cheeky and cheerful parrots in existence! It seems almost inherently fearless - but usually without the vicious streak which accompanies fearlessness in some of the larger Amazons. It is a truly delightful bird to keep. Most specimens will whistle or call out to attract attention when anyone passes the aviary. It is a small Amazon weighing approximately between 240 grams and 310 grams and measuring 12 inches (30-3 lcm). Several books quote a larger length, even up to 35cm - but this is incorrect. At Palmitos Park, Gran Canaria (one of the Canary Islands, politically Spanish but located not far off the coast of West Africa), Pretres Amazon is well represented in the offexhibit breeding centre. The genus Amazona is the prime interest of Klaus Paulmann, the founder of Palmitos Park. He had been breeding endangered species of Amazons, such as the Cuban (A.1. leucocepbala), Yellow-shouldered (A. barbadensis) and the Tucuman, also threatened species such as the Hispaniolan (A. ventralis) and the Green-cheeked or Mexican Red-headed long before I joined the staff of Palmitos Park in February 1989. In 1990, the following Amazons were reared: Cuban, Hispaniolan, Yellow-lored (A. xantholora), Lilac-crowned (A.finscbi), Yellowshouldered, Yellow-fronted, Double Yellow-head (A. ochrocepbala oratrix) and Pretre's. All were reared by Amazons with the exception of one Hispaniolan which had to be hand-reared due to a bacterial infection and some of the barbadensis. Most of the pretrei had been flying together in a fairly large aviary for some months. They were not sexed as I was under the misapprehension that they were sexually dimorphic! They were paired up towards the end of February 1990 and we were left with what we believed to be four males. These were placed together in a breeding aviary with a nest-box. Among our group of this species were some obvious males and some obvious females - but sexing is not as easy as has been suggested by some authors. Males are said to have more red on the head and/or on the wing. I tried to assess this feature in association with the size and shape of the head and beak. Certainly some females have noticeably smaller heads and beaks and most have less red in the plumage. However, I would advise chromosomal or surgical sexing of this species - as there is always the exception which proves the rule. And so it was that by March 30 one of the four "males" was incubating three eggs! A fourth was laid soon after. It appeared that the female was paired to the most assertive male, who was often displaying; the other two males were removed from the space for a flowering hibiscus. The hibiscus not only break up stark outlines, but create a pleasant environment. Each aviary (most of those in this block house Amazons) measures approximately 8 feet (2.4m) x 4 feet (l .2m) x 7 feet (2. lm) high. On April 20, probably 25 days after the first egg was laid, a pip mark was seen. Early on the morning of April 22, there was a chick in the nest. The following morning there were two chicks. The third egg was pipping on the morning of April 24 and the chick had hatched by 3 p.m. the next day. The fourth egg was pipping on April 26 but the chick did not hatch until the morning of the 29th or the previous evening. I assume the latter. It would appear that the eggs hatched after 26 and 27 days. Three of the four chicks were weighed on the day they hatched. Weights were 11 grams (with a little food in the crop), 12 grams with the crop full and IO grams with some food in the crop.
As a new category,management audit has its specific content and methods.Management audit should be mainly on business strategy,organizational structure,planning and internal control review to help businesses find the weak links and business management issues,and to improve management,which increase economic efficiency of the proposal.From the overall height of the system,we can fully tap the business productivity,develop the potential of various factors,optimize the overall structure.
Objective To investigate the effects of different degrees of hemodilution on neurological injury and amino acid content in different brain areas after deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA) . Methods Forty-eight male adult SD rats weighing 400-450 g were randomly divided into 4 groups ( n = 12 each); group 1 Hct 10% (H1); group II Hct 20% (H2); group III Hct 30% (H3) and control group (C). All animals except those in control group underwent DHCA at 18 ℃ for 90 min (including cooling and rewarming) under general anesthesia with fentanyl, ketamine and droperidol. Different degrees of hemodilution were accomplished by changing the composition and volume of priming solution used in cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) . Hct was determined before, at the initiation of CPB and beginning of rewarming. PaO2, pH and blood lactate of arterial blood and SO2 of venous blood from internal jugular vein (SjvO2 ) were determined at the beginning and end of cooling and rewarming. The animals were killed and brains removed after recovery of circulatory function for the count of injured neurons and determination of glutamate (Glu), aspartate (Asp), glycine (Gly), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and taurine (Tau) contents in cortex, hippocampus and thalamus. Results The number of injured neurons in hippocampus and parietal cortex was significantly smaller in Hct 30 % group than in the other two groups (P 0.05) . The contents of the five amino acids in hippocampus and parietal cortex were all increased after DHCA. The Glu, Asp and Gly contents in hippocampus and parietal cortex were significantly lower in Hct 30% group than in the other 2 groups ( P 0.05) . There was no significant difference in GABA and Tau contents among the 3 groups. Conclusion Hemodilution at Hct 30% attenuates the neuronal injury after DHCA. The inhibition of the release of the excitatory amino acids in the brain may be involved in the mechanism of neuronal protection.
OBJECTIVE To examine the semen quality and the sperm morphology in infertile men with varicocele.   METHODS Semen from 98 infertile men with varicocele were studied and those of 130 normal semen donors were taken as the control. Semen analysis was performed based on the methods described in the WHO manual and sperm morphology was evaluated by WHO criteria.   RESULTS A significantly reduced percentage of normal morphologic sperm and of forward progression were found in patients with varicocele comparing with those of the control (P <0.001). The head defects were observed as the predominant type of sperm malformation.   CONCLUSION The varicocele increases malformed sperm in ejaculates, which may result from impaired male fertility by varicocele. Sperm morphologic assessment with WHO criteria provides a sensitive and practical measurement of sperm damage in infertile men with varicocele.
The influence of some antibiotics of the fluoroquinolone classes on the Na+, K(+)-ATP-ase activity of loach embryo (Misqurnus fossilis L.) was investigated at different stages of blastomer divisions. It was determined that norofloxacin and borocin induce a dose-dependent decrease in Na+, K(+)-ATP-ase activity. Addition of norofloxacin (5.25 mcg/ml) into the incubation media caused pronounced oscillations in Na+, K(+)-ATP-ase activity, following borocin addition (5,15.25 mcg/ml) this effect was less pronounced. A conclusion was drawn about the influence of the fluoroquinolone on the membrane level.
In Chapter 1 [The Effect of Foreign Ownership on Competition: Evidence from the Turkish Banking Industry], the competitive conditions for the Turkish banking industry is examined by using the Panzar-Rosse (1987) model and considering the foreign investments to the banking industry. Within the liberalization of the financial markets, foreign direct investment activities have grown very quickly especially in the banking sector. Acquisition by foreigners has been linked to introduction of new technology and expansions in products and service range. This suggests that the inflow of foreign capital can alter the competitive structure of an industry. I plan to investigate the quantitative importance of this phenomenon using the data from the Turkish banking industry. To measure the competition upon increase in foreign ownership, I will use the Panzar and Rosse (1987) model that allows to test for market structure relying solely on information from the financial statements of the banks. The results indicate a monopolistic competition for the Turkish banking industry.  In Chapter 2 [The Role of Credit Supply in Increasing Demand: Evidence from Turkish Automobile Market], the effects of credit supply in increasing demand of a durable good (car market) by vector auto-regression (VAR) is examined. After the devaluation of the Turkish Lira against Euro and US Dollar, automobile prices in Turkey rose substantially. Despite this context, car sales also increased. In this paper, I explore the role of credit supply of the Turkish banks. Throughout this period, consumer credit increased due to the modernization of the Turkish banking sector. The results indicate that car credits first boost car sales and then affects the latter negatively.
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Hacettepe Üniversitesi Farmasötik Toksikoloji ANKARA ABSTRACT Obesity can be classified as a complex disease which contributes to poor mobility and various diseases in all stages of life. However, recent evidence shows that, in older adults, obesity is also associated with functional impairment and decreased quality of life in varying forms and degrees. The high prevalance of obesity in elderly people makes it an important clinical issue. Understanding the aging process and the most common problems that the geriatric obese patients face is the first step in providing the best possible care for this fragile population. The heterogeneity of obesity in older adults regarding its association with metabolic diseases and functional capacity, makes it a challenge to prevent weight gain and achieve weight loss. By developing and following a geriatric health plan, disorders and diseases can be diagnosed early enough to provide medical or surgical intervention. This review will focus on the treatment of geriatric obesity by antiobesitic drugs and the possible toxicological outcomes.
AB: Free and open source software (FOSS) are increasingly seen as synonyms of innovation and progress. Freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, change and improve the software (through access to the source code) assure a high level of positive feedback between users and developers, which results in stable, secure and constantly updated systems. Several software packages for structural geology analysis are available to the user, with commercial licenses or that can be downloaded at no cost from the Internet. Some provide basic tools of stereographic projections such as plotting poles, great circles, density contouring, eigenvector analysis, data rotation etc, while others perform more specific tasks, such as paleostress or geotechnical/rock stability analysis. This variety also means a wide range of data formating for input, Graphical User Interface (GUI) design and graphic export format. The majority of packages is built for MS-Windows and even though there are packages for the UNIX-based MacOS, there aren't native packages for *nix (UNIX, Linux, BSD etc) Operating Systems (OS), forcing the users to run these programs with emulators or virtual machines. Those limitations lead us to develop OpenStereo, an open source, cross-platform software for stereographic projections and structural geology. The software is written in Python, a high-level, cross-platform programming language and the GUI is designed with wxPython, which provide a consistent look regardless the OS. Numeric operations (like matrix and linear algebra) are performed with the Numpy module and all graphic capabilities are provided by the Matplolib library, including on-screen plotting and graphic exporting to common desktop formats (emf, eps, ps, pdf, png, svg). Data input is done with simple ASCII text files, with values of dip direction and dip/plunge separated by spaces, tabs or commas. The user can open multiple file at the same time (or the same file more than once), and overlay different elements of each dataset (poles, great circles etc). The GUI shows the opened files in a tree structure, similar to " layers " of many illustration software, where
Six experiments showed that being excluded or rejected caused decrements in self-regulation. In Experiment 1, participants who were led to anticipate a lonely future life were less able to make themselves consume a healthy but bad-tasting beverage. In Experiment 2, some participants were told that no one else in their group wanted to work with them, and these participants later ate more cookies than other participants. In Experiment 3, excluded participants quit sooner on a frustrating task. In Experiments 4-6, exclusion led to impairment of attention regulation as measured with a dichotic listening task. Experiments 5 and 6 further showed that decrements in self-regulation can be eliminated by offering a cash incentive or increasing self-awareness. Thus, rejected people are capable of self-regulation but are normally disinclined to make the effort.
Purpose: Patella fractures with an intact extensor mechanism and minimal displacement are often treated nonoperatively. The purpose of this study was to investigate functional outcomes in patients with non-displaced or minimally displaced patella fractures treated nonoperatively. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed to identify nonoperative patellar fractures. Functional outcomes were assessed using Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale (Lysholm) and the Short Form-12 (SF-12) questionnaires. Return to work and return to previous level of activity were recorded. Results: Eighteen patients, 16 women and 2 men, with a mean age of 56 years were identified. The mean follow-up was 29 months. At final follow-up, the mean Lysholm score was 58.3 ± 15.1, SF-12 Mental Health Composite Score (MCS) was 54.2 ± 6.2, and SF-12 Physical Health Composite Score (PCS) was 37.4 ± 7.5. No patients had a good outcome, 1 had a fair-good outcome, 6 had fair outcomes, and 11 had poor outcomes based on their Lysholm scores. Only 6/18 (33%) patients were returned to their pre-injury level of activity. Conclusion: Nonoperative patella fractures resulted in poor outcomes at an average 29-month follow-up. Results from this study provide further understanding of the outcomes following nonoperative management of patella fractures and facilitates a more informed discussion with patients about expected outcomes.
The expression of three MeSUTs,MeSUT1,MeSUT2,MeSUT4 in eight developing stages of the functional leaves and tuber roots of SC124 cassava was investigated by real time PCR.It was indicated that,on the stage of tuber formation(90 d),the expression of the three MeSUTs was higher at 12 h in the leaves or tuber roots than other times in a day.And MeSUT1,MeSUT2 kept a higher expression level than MeSUT4 in the leaves but no difference of the expression in the tuber roots.During the whole tuber root developmental process,MeSUTs was expressed more in the leaves than in the tuber roots and expressed highly in early stages but decreased in late stages.There was absolute expression difference among the three MeSUTs,that for MeSUT1 was the highest,followed by MeSUT2 and MeSUT4 in the leaves.The expression of MeSUT4 kept a low level in the leaves and tuber roots.
For the first time in Cuba a 0.5 % Piroxican jelly formula was developed. The point of reference was the leader formula from FELEDENE GEL; market which underwent Revista Cubana de Farmacia. 2009; 43(4): 4-19 http://scielo.sld.cu 5 some modifications. During first assessments four experiments were carried out as basis for the later stage of formula design and optimization. An experimental design with mixture was applied using as independent variables the concentration of Carbopol 940, Trietanolamine, and Hidroxypropyl methylcellulose. Influence of these components on pH, the extensibility area, and on some organoleptic properties. From these results, an optimal formula was selected.
Six mutually orthogonal Latin squares of order v (briefly 6 MOLS(v» missing a subdesign of 6 MOLS(n) are denoted by 6 IMOLS(v, n). The necessary condition for their existence is v ;;::: 7n. For small v and n where 1 v 1000 and 0 :::; n :::; 50, the existence has been investigated by Col bourn and Dinitz, who give a table of possible exceptions in the CRC Handbook of Combinatorial In this paper, we study the existence of 6 IMOLS(v, n) when v and n are beyond the above range. we show that 6 IMOLS(v, n) always exist when v 1000 and 0 n 50. Second, we extend the table to list the possible exceptions when 51 :::; n :::; 97. For n ;;::: 98, we are able to show that 6 IMOLS(v, n) exist whenever v 8n + 139. We improve this in several ways, including that for all n ;:::: 23 when n is a prime power, and for all n 781, the necessary condition v;;::: 7n is also sufficient. Some results on 4 IMOLS(v, n) are also mentioned. 1. Introdu.ction Let S be a set and H = {S 1> square having hole set H is an lSI properties: ... , Sn} be a set of subsets of S. A holey Latin lSI array L, indexed by S, satisfying the following (l) every cell of L either contains a symbol of S or is empty, every symbol of S occurs at most once in any row or column of L, (3) the subarrays indexed by Si x Si are empty for 1 :::; i:::; n (these subarrays are referred to as holes), (4) symbol s E S occurs in row or column t if and only if (s, t) (SxS) ul~ i ~(SixS0. * on leave from: Department of Mathematics, Suzhou University, Suzhou, 215006, China Aust.-alasian Journal of Combinatot~ics .:!lJ1995L pp.175-191 The order of L is lSI. If the holes are ..,.,'i .... ~I·'0'" UJ."'IVUll., the Latin square denoted by Two holey Latin squares and M on if their superposition the notation k sl, Sn) to denote where any two of them ortnlOgcmal. If H = we obtain k If H {S 1 }, we simply write k 2, further the notation by 51)' Let value of k for which k It is well known that k MOLS(s) are equivalent to a TD(k + 2, for eX'imlPle. k n) prl1l1"'.1 "",'C"Ir to v) + 2, MOLS and k IMOLS played an lrYlT,r."";''lnt role in the construction of various kinds of combinatorial In [11], Horton started to look at the existence k IMOLS. Simple counting shows the following. Lemma 1.1 If there exist k .,V'" HJ,J  n), then v (k + 1 )n. When k 2, the existence has been completely solved in [10]. Theorem 1.2 [10] For any (v, n) = 1). n 1, IMOLS(v, n) exist and only if v 3n, except For k = 3, the existence was solved in when n 154. Du [7], has lowered the bound and listed lO9 of (v, nY possible Abel, Colbourn and Yin have further reduced the list to 24 possible ex(~eDtions. which we state as follows. Theorem 1.3 [1] For any except (v, n) (6, 1) and n 1, there ~~r'=~1h~ ~ the 24 :n possible exceptions 10 Table 1.1 24 Dm,sllJ,le e:xcevtions of 176 n) if and only if v 4n of n) shown in Table 1.1.
This research aims to was found management model for primary care unit network in the District in Which no Community Hospital Located of Nayia District,Ubonratchathani Province. This research design was Action Research. The research period of 10 mounths. There was usually applied management theory of Henri Fayol and Deming Cycle theory. This research was selected by purposive sampling 15 of contracted unit for Primary Care (CUP) Board Committee and 35 of Nayia District Public Health Office (DPHO) and 94 clients at Health Promoting Hospital of Nayia District selected by Random sampling, using study group activities, conference and workshop. Using questionnaire with a reliability of 0.70. Quantitative data were analyzed using computer software package. And qualitative data were analyzed by the conclusion of the group process. The statistic used in this research was descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics used non parametric statistics Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. The results showed Management Model for Primary Care Unit Network in the District in Which no Community Hospital Located Management Model Chain of Command, Human Resource Management and Budget management and procurement. The research result showed knowledge and Perception Management Model of CUP Board Committee increased significantly at 0.05 ( p- value<0.001), satisfaction with Management Model of DPHO at a high level and satisfaction of client with the Health Promoting Hospital at a high level. In summary, Management Model for Primary Care Unit Network in District in Which no Community Hospital Located must be able to service standards and structured to develop the potential of staff, management has a clear budget and established an inventory of human resource in the network, and can be extended to other areas.
A motor control system for center focus matching of a camera for an aerial photograph is provided to enable a control unit to check the generation of an aerial photograph photographing request signal and control photographing angle adjustment motors equipped with camera modules according to photographing angles by each camera, inputted from a photographing angle calculation unit if the photographing request signal exists, thereby facilitating focus matching for the photographing angle changing every moment according to a flying altitude. A motor control system for center focus matching of a camera for an aerial photograph comprises the followings: plural camera modules(101~104) which have different photographing angles according to control signals and have resolution higher than a certain level; a flight water level(210) and a flight altimeter(220); a camera separation distance DB(Database)(310); a surface focus calculation unit(320); a photographing angle calculation unit(330) which calculates photographing angles of each camera by using the calculated photographing focus location on the surface and information about a level status of a plane; and a control unit(340) which checks the generation of an aerial photograph photographing request signal and controls photographing angle adjustment motors equipped with the camera modules(101~104) according to the photographing angle by the each camera, inputted from the photographing angle calculation unit(330) if the photographing request signal exists.
The demographic structure of 39 coenopopulations of Tulipa suaveolens Roth in the Lower Volga region was studied. It has been shown that they occupy an area from 0.01 to 20,000 ha and more. Small-area populations grow mainly closer to the northern border of the species’ range. The density of all individuals (1.6–240.7 PCs/m 2 ) and the number of generative plants (0.1–58.2 PCs/m 2 ) at the interpopulation level varied over a wide range, but changed significantly over years mainly in the populations exposed to recreational load or grazing. The fraction of generative individuals ranged from 2 to 96%. In 2013–2016 there was a significant negative correlation between the geographical latitude corresponding to the place of growth of a coenopopulation, and the proportion of plants of generative state therein. On the contrary, in 2017–2018 in the South and West of the surveyed part of the habitat the plants of the pregenerative period prevailed while the share of flowering plants significantly decreased. The observed dynamics correlates well with the weather conditions of the growing season of tulips. In 2013–2016, in the southern part of the territory studied, arid conditions were formed just in the spring and seedlings fell out at an early stage of their development. The spring periods of 2017 and 2018 were wetter there, and seedlings successfully passed through the early stages of ontogenesis. That is, cyclical fluctuations of weather conditions significantly affect the demographic structure of T. suaveolens coenopopulations. Accordingly, the contribution of different years to the renewal of populations is different. The populations in the southern regions maintain a high number of individuals and occupy larger areas mainly due to their long life. Rare seasons with favorable weather conditions provide outbreaks of juvenile plants. In the northern regions of the studied territory, more favorable conditions for the development of sprouts of this species are formed, and fluctuations in the demographic structure of coenopopulations are less pronounced.
The ±800kV direct current power transmission project from Jinping in Sichuan province to Su'nan in Jiangsu province will cross the experiment area of Sichuan Mamize Nature Reserve.The impact of the project on landscape structure of the nature reserve was analyzed with the vegetation distribution map of the nature reserve and the design data of the project.The results showed that the mainly impacted scope of the landscape structure of the nature reserve would concentrate within 500 meters on both sides of the midline of the project,the mainly impacted objects would be coniferous forest landscape,broad-leaved forest landscape,shrubbery landscape,grassland landscape,farmland landscape,and construct landscape,and the mainly impacted landscape indexes would be number of patches,patch density,and perimeter density.
In order to play an active role in the realization of our country's transformation from a populous country into a country of profound human resources,RTV university must attach itself to the community-education,cooperate with governmental enrollment,devote itself to build the structure system,develop its professional advantages,integrate educational resources,set up community network to establish mutual platform,strengthen theoretical research,explore the law of education.
The embodiment of the invention discloses a method and a terminal for information display. The method disclosed by the embodiment of the invention comprises the following steps: a first terminal receiving communication information from a second terminal; the first terminal storing communication information sent by the contact person of an ordinary system in a communication information storage area of the ordinary system; the first terminal storing communication information sent by the contact person of a security system in a preset target storage area of the security system; the first terminal determining the system of the first terminal, and when the first terminal is located in the security system, if the communication information in the communication information storage area of the ordinary system is updated, displaying the updated communication information to the interface of the security system; when the first terminal is located in the ordinary system, if the communication information in the target storage area is updated, displaying the updated communication information to the interface of the ordinary system. According to the method and the terminal disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, the operation of a user for the terminal is facilitated to the maximum extent, so that the user can simply and quickly understand and process the communication information of different systems.
presented at: • Data stem from the QUALITY cohort, a prospective cohort study of 630 children with a parental history of obesity • Lifestyle habits were assessed at 8-10 yrs, 10-12 yrs and 15-17 yrs, including: • physical activity by 7-day accelerometry • self-reported screen time • dietary intake (at 8-10 and 15-17 yrs only) by 3 non-consecutive 24h dietary recalls, • self-reported sleep duration • Fitness was measured by VO2peak • Stool samples obtained from 22 participants at 15-17 yrs underwent 16S-rRNA based microbial profiling for indices of diversity • Measures of diversity include Shannon, Simpson, Chao1 and Observed OTU indices • Pearson’s correlations assessed associations between diversity indices and lifestyle habits. More than a gut feeling: preliminary evidence supporting a role for lifestyle habits in shaping the intestinal microbiota in childhood and adolescence
In this note we prove a refined version of the Christensen–Evans theorem for generators of uniformly continuous GNS-symmetric quantum Markov semigroups. We use this result to show the existence of GNS-symmetric extensions of GNS-symmetric quantum Markov semigroups. In particular, this implies that the generators of GNS-symmetric quantum Markov semigroups on finite-dimensional von Neumann algebra can be written in the form specified by Alicki’s theorem.
Chronologically, the Presbyterian Church in Korea states its beginning at 1884, celebrated its 50th anniversary at 1934, and its Centennial at 1984. The Church experienced its radical social changes through the final periods of last kingdom. Japanese colonial occupation brought them hard time. They experienced independence in 1945 with divided nations, finally Korean Conflict in 1950 brought peninsula tsunami. The Presbyterian Church(R.O.K.), pushed out by the main Presbyterian Body, understood the event as God’s providence(1953). They inherited ‘the directory for worship’ as only reformed liturgical heritage. It was not so enough resource for the grass-root congregations. That’s why they produced its first Book of Common Order (1964) ten years after its organization. As the church’s silver jubilee approaches, an attempt was made to revise ‘the directory for worship’ and produced accordingly a second Book of Common Order (1978). And when they come to celebrate its golden jubilee, they completely reworked the directory and produced the Jubilee Worshipbook (2003). This paper is an appraisal of the above-mentioned liturgical resource in terms of reformed liturgical heritage and also in light of a broader ecumenical spectrum. It is primarily an appraisal of our current status in order to find future tasks. Regarding the historical reformed heritage, we consider the two foci: (1) Geneva Book of Common Prayer in 16th century, and the Westminster Directory for Worship in 17th century England. The former was actually initiated by Martin Bucer in Strasbourg(1536) and John Calvin revised it in Geneva(1542, 1545). The main idea was firstly, simplifying the Lord’s Supper according to the early apostolic practice, and secondly, emphasizing the authority of Scriptures in reading and preaching in weekly worship: Liturgy of Word and Liturgy of the Upper Room. The Westminster Directory for Worship was a product of Westminster Assembly in 17th century. It was not a liturgical resource but a theological directory mainly against the Anglican Book of Common Order. They was not in favor of set-liturgy with sets of formal prayers. This directory became a guide-post for the puritan worship through the reformed world for centuries for good and bad. For more than a century, the Presbyterian Churches, in England and America, have struggled over to overcome the shortcoming of the Westminster Directory. By the middle of the last century, most reformed denominations adopted their own directory as well as the book of common worship, in spite of ignorance in most of Presbyterian Church here. By 1990, most ecumenical churches produced their completely new Book of Worship. We reached thus far at the current reformed liturgical concerns in our denominational worship. However we are far beyond yet to reach the grass-roots for ‘semper reformanda.’
A rich foraminiferal assemblage,consisting of abundant Aulotortus sinuosus and A.tumidus in association with Lamelliconus multispirus,Endoteba ex gr.controversa,E.ex gr.badouxi,Endotebanella kocaeliensis,Endotriada tyrrhenica,Endotriadella wirzi,Malayspirina fontainei,Ammobaculites rhaeticus,Diplotremina astrofimbriata,Agathammina austroalpina,and others,was found in the Doi Long Formation of the Triassic Lampang Group,Northern Thailand.These foraminifers suggest that the formation is referable to the Carnian(early Late Triassic),which is consistent with the age estimated by ammonoids.In microfacies,peloidal grainstone,bioclastic grainstone,sponge-microbial boundstone,and oolitic grainstone were recognized in the Doi Long Formation.Based on microfacies,three depositional facies,the lagoon facies,reef facies,and shoal facies,are recognized in this formation.These lines of evidence are suggestive that the Doi Long Formation was deposited in a reef or bank setting rather than a ramp setting.
The present invention relates to a method of making particles of biologically active substances using dry milling methods, compositions comprising such a sequence substance are generated using the biologically active material and / or composition in particulate form pharmaceutical, and methods of treating an animal, including a human using said biologically active substance a therapeutically effective amount to be administered via the pharmaceutical. .BACKGROUND
This paper generalizes the Lasalle-Yoshizawa Theorem to switched nonsmooth systems. It is established that Fi lippov (Krasovskii) regularization of a switched system is contai ned within the convex hull of the Filippov (Krasovskii) regular izations of the subsystems. A common candidate Lyapunov function tha t has a negative semidefinite derivative along the trajectori es of the subsystems is shown to be sufficient to establish LaSalle Yoshizawa results for the switched system. Results for regu lar and non-regular candidate Lyapunov functions are presente d using appropriate generalization of the time derivative. The developed generalization is motivated by adaptive controlof switched systems where the derivative of the candidate Lyap unov function is typically negative semidefinite. I. I NTRODUCTION Switching in adaptive systems can occur due to intermittent feedback or abrupt changes in the plant parameters. Switchi ng is also utilized as a tool to improve transient response of adaptive controllers by selecting between multiple estima ted models of stable plants ( cf. [1]–[10]). Lyapunov-based stability analysis of switched nonautonomous adaptive system is challenging because adaptive update laws typically resu lt in semidefinite Lyapunov functions (i.e., candidate Lyapun ov functions with time derivatives bounded by a negative semidefinite function of the state) for the individual subsystem s. For each subsystem, convergence of the error signal to the origin is typically established using Barbalat’s lemma [11 ], [12] (or one of its variants). However, since Barbalat’s lem ma provides no information about the decay rate of the candidate Lyapunov function, stability of the overall switche d system cannot be inferred from stability of the subsystems using traditional dwell-time approaches. Approaches base d on common Lyapunov functions (cLFs) have been developed for systems with negative definite Lyapunov derivatives; howev er, cLF-based approaches do not trivially extend to systems wit h semidefinite Lyapunov functions ( cf. [13]–[15] and [16, Example 2.1]). Hence, generalizations of Barbalat’s Lemma th at result in cLF theorems for systems with semidefinite Lyapuno v Rushikesh Kamalapurkar is with the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, U SA. Email: rushikesh.kamalapurkar@okstate.edu. Joel A. Rosenfeld, Anup Parikh and Warren E. Dixon are with the Department of Mechanical and Aer ospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Email: {joelar, anuppari, wdixon}@ufl.edu. Andrew R. Teel is with the Depart ment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Califo rnia, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Email: teel@ece.ucsb.edu This research is supported in part by NSF award numbers 15095 6 and 1508757, ONR grant number N00014-13-1-0151, AFOSR Award Nu mber FA9550-15-1-0155, and a contract with the AFRL, Munitions D irectorate at Eglin AFB. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recom mendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsoring agency. functions are necessary to analyze the stability of switche d systems. Switched nonautonomous systems with semidefinite Lyapunov functions have been studied in results such as [11], [17]–[21]. However, the objective in the aforementioned re sults is to achieve asymptotic stability (i.e., in the conte xt of adaptive control, asymptotic convergence of the error stat e and the parameters). Hence, in the context of adaptive contr ol, further assumptions are invoked, such as persistent excita tion (PE) (cf. [11], [19]), which enable the application of methods such as Matrosov conditions ( cf. [17], [19]–[21]) for uniform asymptotic stability. However, for adaptive contr ol applications, such assumptions are often difficult to verif y, especially for nonlinear systems ( cf. [19], [22], [23]). In this paper a weaker result that does not require PE-like conditions is targeted. The objective of this paper is to establis h boundedness of the system state (i.e., tracking errors and parameter estimates) and convergence of the error signal to the origin for switched nonlinear systems with semidefinite Lyapunov functions using Krasovskii’s ( cf. [24], [25, p. 17]) and Filippov’s (cf. [26], [27, p. 85]) generalized solution concepts. The Filippov and Krasovskii solution concepts potentially admit more solutions that the sample-and-hold [28] and the Carathéodory [29] concepts. In the case of Krasovskii solutions, the additional solutions are Hermes solutions, i.e. , l mits of solutions under small perturbations [30], [31]. A stabil ity theorem that established robustness to small perturbation s is more useful than one that does not. Since sampled-and-hold and Carathéodory solutions do not provide any information regarding robustness to perturbations, additional analys is is often needed to establish robustness. On the other hand, goo behavior of Krasovskii solutions also implies that of solut ions under small perturbations ( cf. [32]–[34]). Hence, Filippov and Krasovskii solution concepts are selected for the analysis in this paper. Because of complications resulting from a negative semidefinite Lyapunov derivative, few results are available in literature that examine adaptive control of uncertain nonl inear switched systems (i.e., where an adaptive update law is designed to compensate for uncertainty). An adaptive control ler for switched nonlinear systems that utilizes a generalizat ion of Barbalat’s lemma [35] is developed in [36]. The controller c an asymptotically stabilize a switched system, where each sub system has nonlinearly parameterized uncertainties. Mult iple Lyapunov functions are utilized to analyze the stability of the switched system. However, the generalized Barbalat’s Lemm a in [35] requires a minimum dwell time, and in general, state-
The factors that influence the dispersion behavior of nano-titania in aqueous solution were investigated by spectrophotometry. By ultrasonic treatment for 10 min, nano-titania can be dispersed well and stably in aqueous solution when Na2SiO3 used as dispersant (0.8% of TiO2 in mass) and pH 8~10. The measured zeta potential of the particles in aqueous solution has confirmed the effect of pH on dispersion behavior.
The first Ferguson TE20 tractor, affectionately known as the 'Vaaljapie' in South Africa, rolled off the assembly line in Coventry in the UK on 6 July 1946. More than half-a-million were built over the next 10 years. 1 The system The TE20 was the brainchild of engineer and inventor Harry Ferguson (seen above demonstrating the tractor), one of the founders of the present day Massey Ferguson company.
DTL of the J-PARC has two input couplers in one tank. The coupler has a movable coupling loop with an capacitive element which increase the coupling with the tank. The loop position is the outside of the tank, where is in the atmosphere. The tank vacuum is kept by the ceramic window on the wall in the coupler port. The rf properties and the mechanical structure of the coupler were designed to achieve the larger coupling constant. Features of the coupler design for J-PARC DTL is described.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a nonwoven fabric composed of extra-fine continuous fibers that has small fiber diameters, excellent softness, water absorption properties, filterability and mechanical strength and to provide a production process and an application thereof. SOLUTION: The nonwoven fabric is composed of ultra-fine continuous fibers having ≤0.5 dtex average fineness. The nonwoven fabric comprises a water-soluble thermoplastic polyvinyl alcohol existing in the nonwoven fabric structure and has ≥30 mm absorbing height at 20°C for 10 minutes by Byreck method after immersion treatment in water at 80°C for 60 minutes. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI
Objective To investigate the pathogenesis and pathology of postmenopausal vaginal bleeding. Methods A total of 127 women with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding were divided into two groups: Groups Ⅰ 73 women with menopause 1 to 5 years, GroupⅡ 54 patients after menopause at least 5 years. The causes of the vaginal bleeding were compared between the two groups. Results In Group Ⅰ, 26 cases (35 6%) were benign diseases, 39 (53 4%) dysfunctional diseases and 8 (11%) malignant tumors. In Group Ⅱ, benign disease, dysfunctional bleeding and malignant tumor were 21 (38 9 %), 14 (25 9%) and 19 (35 2%) respectively. The difference between the two groups was significant (χ 2 text, P 0 01). Conclusions The main causes of postmenopausal vaginal bleeding were benign and dysfunctional diseases. The incidence of malignant tumor is higher in senile women with long time after menopause.
For determination of drying kinetics of Thompson seedless grapes a suitable experimental unit for online measurement was designed and fabricated. The drying characteristics of oil emulsion pretreated grapes were measured using ambient air under controlled air temperatures (50 to 80oC) and velocity (0.25 to 1.00 m/s) conditions. Out of the three models considered (Page’s, Single term and Two term exponential) Page’s model was found to be the most suitable for describing the drying behaviour of the grapes. The dependence of drying constant K of the Page’s model on process variables (Temperature and Velocity of Air) was analyzed using Arrhenius and Power Equations. It was found that the Arrhenius Equation gives better values of K than the Power Equation. It is also found that the dependence of another drying constant N of the Page’s equation on the process variables can not be described in terms of Arrhenius or power Equations.
Current methods of deriving surge height or storm tide estimates for coastal locations in cyclone areas are reviewed, and statistical deficiencies highlighted. A new method based on the conditional probabilities of various surge or storm tide parameters is developed, and illustrated for Mackay using a simple model for surge generation. The method is general, and can be used with more complex models. Computer simulation is avoided by careful attention to the statistical design of the method.
1. Control device for a continuously variable transmission belt type including a primary pulley for receiving input power from a drive source, a secondary pulley for issuing power output to the drive wheel, and a belt wrapped around the primary pulley and secondary pulley to regulate the transmission ratio changing speed defined by the ratio of radii of the belt on pulleys motion, by controlling a primary hydraulic pressure to the primary pulley and a secondary hydraulic pressure to the secondary pulley, the control apparatus comprising: control means to perform a belt slip control from the belt slip with retention predetermined belt slip state by decreasing the current secondary hydraulic pressure to be lower than the pressure during normal control; and means for returning control of the normal control to limit the speed change of the input torque at which the input torque from the continuously variable transmission of a belt type is changed in the direction increasing as long as the hydraulic pressure does not rise to a hydraulic pressure at which the input torque from the continuously variable transmission belt type is not excessive relative to the belt clamping force, when returning from the belt slip control to the normal control, n means the increment of the input torque from the belt-type continuously variable transmission, wherein the constraint is satisfied for a predetermined period starting from the initiation vozvrata.2. apparatus n
In a previous paper, we have shown that stepwise changes in the macroscopic flow velocity of a carrier fluid through a porous medium, substantially affects the dispersion of solutes that it carries. This paper extends the work to the case of a continuously changing flow velocity. The stochastic model used to describe pore deflection of the flow path, is reduced by the use of Dynkin' s formula to the formulation of a deterministic differential equation. An exact solution is found for the case of a flow velocity that varies linearly with position, and the resulting integral equation for the solute probability distribution is also solved exactly. This is applied to the case of a solute concentration plume represented by an initially Gaussian concentration peak. The modulated Gaussian that is calculated shows that the time evolution of the plume differs fundamentally from that predicted by the standard diffusive model. Implications of this conclusion for modelling dispersion in a variable flow velocity are further explored.
Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) has been shown to specifically increase the release of prostaglandin (PG) E2 from rat hypothalamic explants in short-term experiments. In this study we attempted to characterize the receptor subtype(s) involved in this response. Rat hypothalamic explants were incubated with mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) raised against human IL-1 type I or type II receptors, IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) (which appears to antagonize certain IL-1 induced inflammatory effects in vivo), alone and in the presence of IL-1 beta. PGE2 released into the incubation medium was measured by radioimmunoassay. The anti-type I mAb reduced both basal and IL-1 beta-stimulated PGE2 release at 10 micrograms/ml, but not at lower concentrations. The anti-type II mAb also produced a significant decrease in stimulated release but had no effect on basal release. IL-1ra mimicked the effects of the anti-type I mAb, while alpha-MSH failed to alter either basal or stimulated PGE2 release. These findings suggest that IL-1 beta controls production and release of PGE2 by the rat hypothalamus via both type I and type II receptors, although the latter appear to be involved only in the response to high levels of IL-1.
The pathological and ultrastructural features of the bone marrow and the kinetics of megakaryopoiesis in patients with primary myelofibrosis indicate that a vast number of developing megakaryocytes die within the bone marrow (ineffective megakaryopoiesis). This leads to an excessive concentration of megakaryocyte intracytoplasmic components in the marrow intercellular space. Current concepts of marrow collagen regulation and megakaryocyte composition lend support to the hypothesis advocating that the development of marrow fibrosis involves two megakaryocyte components: growth factor and factor 4. The growth factor stimulates fibroblast proliferation and collagen secretion while factor 4 inhibits the activity of the enzyme collagenase. The imbalance between increased collagen production and decreased collagen degradation results in an excessive deposition of collagens in bone marrow matrix.
The phenomenon of declining industries has been sparsely researched and few scholars have investigated whether firms pursue, or should pursue, growth in industries that are in decline. This study aims to find out if and how firms pursue growth when they perceive the industries in which they operate as experiencing a decline. The study also aims to examine the key factors that influence firm strategy in declining industries.We interviewed managers in firms operating in two declining industries, the Swedish retail fuel industry and the Finnish printing industry. Our finding is that the studied firms operating in these two industries are aware of the declining state of their industries. However, all of them believe that their respective industries will transform instead of perish. Consequently, these firms pursue growth through various strategies to better position themselves within the changing conditions and declining state of their respective industries. Both internal and external factors influence firm strategy, and the factors were both industry and firm-specific. The firms studied tended to employ strategies based on their perception of their industries. In addition, the strategies were developed to both suit the current and the future industry environment. We label these strategies transformational strategies. We build on this new strategic option and construct a guiding framework that aims to facilitate firms’ strategic decision-making in declining industries.
The place of the students’ mother tongue or L1 in learning English as a foreign language has always been the subject of debate. While advocates of the monolingual approach suggest that English should be the only language used in the classroom, but teachers and learners see a role for L1 and support its use as a communication strategy and as an for instructional tool. In this paper, an attempt is made to review the new trends in this area of language teaching within the last years and some suggestions are made with practical experience. Use of ICT is also a step forward for English Language Teaching and it has to be implemented without fail.
With the improvement of pattern recognition and feature extraction of the Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), more and more problems are attempted to solve from the view of images. Recently, the Reconstructive Neural Network (ReConNN) was proposed to obtain an image-based model from an analysis-based model, which can help us to solve many high frequency problems with difficult sampling, e.g. sonic wave and impact. However, because the researched problems are most slightly changed process, the low-accuracy of the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and poor-diversity of the Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) make the reconstruction process low-accuracy, poor-efficiency, expensive-computation, and high-manpower. In this study, an improved ReConNN model is proposed to address the mentioned weaknesses. Through experiments, comparisons and analyses, the improved one is demonstrated to outperform in accuracy, efficiency and cost.
We read with interest the paper by Moss et al (1989) on the diagnosis of atlanto-axial rotary fixation by functional computed tomography (CT). We have recently seen two young adults with resistant torticollis but no neurological symptoms following minor neck trauma. Routine antero-posterior, open-mouth, upper cervical spine radiographs revealed some asymmetry of Cl on C2, and subsequent CT of both patients confirmed the presence of atlanto-axial rotary fixation.
Objective To assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of Parecoxib Sodium after transurethral resection of prostate.Methods 60 patients undergoing transurethral resection of prostate under spinal combined epidural anesthesia were randomly divided into group A and group B.Patients of group A were intravenous injected 40 mg Parecoxib Sodium that was dissolved in 2 mL Normal Saline before anesthesia induction 30 min.Patients of group B were intravenous injected 2 mL Normal Saline before anesthesia induction 30 min.Postoperative pain scores were evaluated at 30 min,1,2,4 and 6 hours after administration of each Analgesic,using a visual analogue scale(VAS).Furthermore,preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin(Hb) levels and hemostatic variables [prothrombin time(PT) and the international normalized ratio(INR)] were recorded in all patients.Results The score of VAS of group A at the time of T1,T2,T3,T4,T5 were lower than that of group B,there were significant decreases(P 0.05).There was no significant difference on the amount of resection tissue,operating time,preoperative-postoperative Hb levels and hemostatic variables between the two groups.There was no patient required blood transfusion after operation in the two groups.Conclusion Parecoxib Sodium of NSAIDs has not a contraindication to TURP and should be used for the control of postoperative pain.
OBJECTIVE To detect the zinc content in serum, seminal plasma and spermatozoa of asthenozoospermic and oligoasthenozoospermic patients, and analyse the relationship between zinc changes and sperm density as well as sperm motility.   METHODS Sperm quality analysis was made according to the WHO standard of Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen and Sperm-cervical Mucus Interaction (4th edition), and then 90 asthenozoospermic patients, 60 oligoasthenozoospermic patients and 20 fertile men with normal sperm quality were screened out as the objects to be researched. The zinc content in their blood, seminal plasma and spermatozoa was detected by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy. And then a statistical analysis was made on the test results.   RESULTS The blood zinc content among the 3 groups had no significant difference; the seminal plasma zinc of asthenozoospermic and oligoasthenozoospermic patients were significantly lower than that of fertile men (P < 0.05); the spermatozoa zinc content of oligoasthenozoospermic patients was significantly higher than that of asthenozoospermic patients and fertile men (P < 0.01), respectively.   CONCLUSION There may be a positive relationship between the feebleness of sperm production and motility of asthenozoospermic and oligoasthenozoospermic patients and the lower content of seminal plasma zinc; however, the relationship between the higher spermatozoa zinc content and the function of sperm production and sperm motility is still not clear, on which a further study should be made.
We investigated antibacterial activities of piperacillin (PIPC) for several resistant strains of bacteria isolated from patients with respiratory infections from 1998 to 1999 in comparison with reference drugs and obtained the following results: 1. The majority of methicillin resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) showed high resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics including PIPC. 2. MIC90 of PIPC was 1 and 4 micrograms/ml for penicillin intermediate and penicillin resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae (PISP/PRSP), respectively. 3. MIC90 of PIPC was 0.25 microgram/ml for beta-lactamase negative ampicillin resistant strains of Haemophilus influenzae (BLNAR), showing higher antibacterial activity than the reference drugs. 4. PIPC exhibited the MICs of 8 micrograms/ml or less in 19 out of 40 IPM resistant (MIC > or = 16 micrograms/ml) strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. From these results, PIPC is proved to possess extremely favorable antibacterial activities for BLNAR, and it was suggested that PIPC might be a drug of choice even for PISP/PRSP and IPM resistant strains of P. aeruginosa.
The problem on the corporate culture development needed to achieve the strategic and social goals in the higher educational institution is considered. The corporate culture development within the frame of the quality management system (QMS) building is one of the optimal solution approaches to the problem. The key element of the effective university operation is the capability to meet instantly the customer requirements. For that, it is necessary to develop Policy, Mission, and Goals in QMS, as well as principles, values, and traditions which are part and parcel of the corporate culture. Both internal and external strategic development plans, and the basic functions of the educational community corporate culture are analyzed. The value system and the construction principles of the corporate culture are considered.
The gross projection of the mamillary nuclei to the anterior nuclei of the thalamus has been established teor many years, and it has been shown with the Marchi technique that the fibres of the mamillo-thalamic tract end in all three elements of the anterior nuclear group (Glorieux, 1929; Le Gros Clark, 1932). The exact origin of the different components of this tract, however, is still uncertain; Kolliker (1896) and Ramon y Cajal (1911) considered that they arise as collaterals of the phylogenetically older mamillo-tegmental tract, whereas van Valkenburg (1912) and Fortuyn (1912) claimed that the two tracts were quite independent. The importance of the mamillo-thalamic tract as one of the two pathways connecting the hypothalamus with the thalamus and cortex has been stressed by Le Gros Clark (1938; Le Gros Clark & Meyer, 1950). In an experimental study of the fornix system (Daitz & Powell, 1954) the anterior thalamic nuclei were on occasion incidentally damaged. By correlating the extent of this damage with the resulting degeneration in the mamillary nuclei information concerning the origin of the mamillo-thalamic tract has been obtained.
The effect of the linear and non-linear imaginary parts of polarizability or connected with them linear a and two-photon β absorption on transmission and optical damage threshold obtained at the different technology conditions As 2 S 3 glasses were investigated. It was established, that with increasing of the melting temperature T i and velocity of cooling V i values the forbidden gap width of glasses increase at the decreasing of their density, refractive indices (from 2.71 to 2.48) and two-photon absorption coefficient (from 0.37 to 0,15 cm/MW), that is accompanied by the appropriate increasing of optical damage threshold I d ..
To get white light emission,it's common to use a blue LED(light emitting diode) chip covered with yellow emitting phosphor via a dispensing process.The phosphor coating process is a process of two-phase flow,which decides the morphology and the properties of the phosphor gel,thus strongly influences both optical and thermal performances of LEDs.It is important to describe the dispensing process accurately to improve dispensing quality.Based on the experimental platform with high speed camera,the dynamic phosphor gel morphology was captured.And using lattice Boltzmann method(LBM),a flow model of phosphor gel was established to simulate the dispensing process.Results show that the dispensing process can be divided into the collision stage,the spreading stage and the forming stage.And LBM can simulate the dispensing process of phosphor gel accurately and predict the morphology.
This article presents an overview of the historical evolution of methods to manipulate public consciousness. For the purposes of discussion we have identified seven stages in development of manipulative practices, which are characteristic for human society in different time periods from the prehistoric times to the 21st century. The technologies of political manipulation in Russia and abroad are analyzed in the article. Manipulation through the Internet is manifested in the impact on public consciousness throught the This article presents an overview of the historical evolution of methods to manipulate public consciousness. For the purposes of discussion we have identified seven stages in development of manipulative practices, which are characteristic for human society in different time periods from the prehistoric times to the 21st century. The technologies of political manipulation in Russia and abroad are analyzed in the article. Manipulation through the Internet is manifested in the impact on public consciousness throught the
In this paper,we discuss two discrete time risk model with the interest rate and the insurance premium are stochastic variable.We derive the integral equation of the ruin probability in finite time and the ultimate ruin probably and the distribution of the surplus for the first time through an assign level of the moment by the use of recursive method,thus we may draw the value conclusions of ruin indicators to the insurance company.
cytokines, such as leptin and IL-6. Since they stimulate the ACTH release and the corticosteroids production, these mediators are supposed to have deleterious impacts on the immunity, resulting in immunosuppression related to an increase in the density of DF.1 The Demodex species are microscopic, obligate, elongated mites belonging to the family Demodicidae of the order Acari of the class Arachnida.2,3 In many cases, mite infestation is asymptomatic and their role remains unclear. Demodex folliculorum (D.f) and Demodex brevis (D.b) are found parasitizing on the human body surface. D.f. and D.b. are parasites in hair follicles and pilosebaceous glands. The mite population varies with age. Some researchers reported that the infestation rate of Demodex could be higher than 90% in college students.2 Therefore, the infestation of Demodex has been recognized by many researchers as one of the important causes of skin diseases and has increasingly become a public health concern. Demodex has been associated with the development of pityriasis folliculorum, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, pustular eruption, blepharitis, seborrheic alopecie, and the dermotosis, which persists and shows a resistance to classical therapies.2,3 The reported rate of parasite carriers among healthy subjects varies and may increase up to 100% symptoms are mainly developed in people with predisposing factors.2 Association of increased frequency of demodicosis with immune system dysfunctions support this idea. When the mite multiplies and reaches to a sufficient number, it can become pathogenic due to its enhanced irritating action. The host immune defence appears to be the most important factor to prevent mite overgrowth.4 A positive correlation between high density of Demodex mites and the presence of antigens affecting tissue compatibility, HLA Cw2 and Cw4, has been established.5 We wonder if the authors evaluated the potential role of alcohol consumption on the DF frequency in the present study. Alcohol consumption rates are higher among obese subjects,6,7 and alcohol intake has been linked to increased frequency of the DF infestation.8 Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) in skin surface lipids are known to be direct alcohol biomarkers. The amount of FAEEs seems to emerge as a valuable predictor of alcohol consumption, an issue not assessed in this paper.9,10 Additionally, the subjects using alcohol have more oily skins than those who do not use. Therefore, it may simply be the increased sebum production in obese individuals that favors DF proliferation. As known, DF is a demodectic mite that may be predominantly detected on seborrheic areas of the body in all age and racial groups.1,8
Thispaper reports six-year follow-up data fromthe first large-scale randomized trial ofthesocial influences approach to smoking prevention. In1979, 22schools wererandomly assigned to program orcontrol conditions. Students inprogram schools received asocial influences curriculum insixcoreandtwomaintenance sessions ingrade 6,twobooster sessions ingrade 7,andonebooster session ingrade 8.Allstudents wereassessed atpretest (T1), immediate posttest (T2), endofgrade 6(T3), beginning andendof grade 7(T4andT5), endofgrade 8(T6), andgrades 11and12(M7
There are obvious deficiencies about the traditional protection ways of E-commerce business methods.Adaptting to the development need of practice,the major developed countries adjust their patent policies succesively and grant E-commerce business method patents.However,there are many opposite opinions.In theory and practice the patentability of E-commerce business methods has the significance of discussion.In the view of the comparison of the total revenue and total cost,in the developed countries granting E-commerce business method patents is efficient.However,in the process of granting business method patents,national legislation needs to balance different interests,needs to focus on maintaining the public domain,and realizes fairness,and justice.
T he diagnosis and understanding of shoulder disorders has advanced dramatically in recent years. As with most human disorders, such as the many forms of arthritis [1], the number of known separate entities has increased over time. This increase is in part due to new and evolving diagnostic techniques. Arthroscopy of the shoulder joint was described by Burman in 1931 [2]. Burman claimed to have examined over 90 joints in adults and children, including examinations of the wrist, elbow, hip, knee, and ankle. The technique did not gain widespread use until the 1970s when instrumentation had substantially improved. (Obtaining sufficiently bright light bulbs, for example, was a problem eventually solved by fiber optics). The introduction of MRI in the 1970s [3, 4] was followed in the 80s with application of the technique to study the normal shoulder [5] and, shortly thereafter, to identify rotator cuff tears [7, 8]. With increasing refinement of the sequences and the ability to distinguish tissues with higher and higher resolution, MRI has allowed researchers and clinicians Published online: 27 May 2011 The Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons1 2011
The Mu2e experiment measures the conversion rate of muons into electrons and the Muon g-2 experiment measures the muon magnetic moment. Both experiments require 53 MHz batches of 8 GeV protons to be re-bunched into 150 ns, 2.5 MHz pulses for extraction to the g-2 target for Muon g-2 and to a delivery ring with a single RF cavity running at 2.36 MHz for Mu2e. The LLRF system for both experiments is implemented in a SOC FPGA board integrated into the existing 53 MHz LLRF system in a VXI crate. The tight timing requirements, the large frequency difference and the non-harmonic relationship between the two RF systems provide unique challenges to the LLRF system design to achieve the required phase alignment specifications for beam formation, transfers and beam extinction between pulses. The new LLRF system design for both projects is described and the results of the initial beam commissioning tests for the Muon g-2 experiment are presented.
The author considers a current problem of new formation teacher training, the teacher as a bearer of professionally valuable position. The author believes that reducing the gap between future teachers’ educational and professional activity and using innovative forms of interaction between teachers and students in the organization of the educational process of secondary vocational education (SVE) is necessary for professionally valuable position formation and professionally personal development.
Objective To discuss the major issue and the strategy of community health service information system(CHSIS) construction. Methods Based on the experience at home and abroad,the major issues which hinder the development of CHSIS were analyzed,and the relevant strategies were discussed. Results The major issues involved the resources distribution,software selection,patients′ health record,standardization,health information security,and resident participation. Conclusion The government,administrative department of health,community health care organization,software developer,and community residents should cooperate in order to establish a comprehensive CHSIS that is stable,standardized,well opening,safe,and extendable.
The effect of prenatal exposure to DES on the postnatal development of male and female genital tract function was studied. We investigated the placental transfer of [3H]- or [14C]-radiolabeled DES in pregnant mice. DES-associated radioactivity in the fetal plasma approximated maternal plasma one-half hour after iv administration of [3H]DES; [3H]-acitivity associated with DES in the fetal genital tract was about threefold higher. The decrease in reproductive capacity of female offspring from mice treated with DES during gestation was dose related; a low incidence (10% or less) of cancer of the vagina, cervix, and/or uterus was also observed in these mice. Male offspring exposed prenatally to the highest dose (100 micrograms/kg) of DES in this study also had lower reproductive capacities. Lesions in the genital tract of these mice included epididymal cysts, inflammation, cryptorchidism, and nodular masses in the seminal vesicles and/or prostate gland. Such lesions and sterility were not observed at the lower DES doses. Histologic studies with neonatal mice raise the possibility that müllerian duct tissue may represent a site for the transplacental toxicity of DES in both the male and female fetus.
Pressure stabilization parameters of gas generator in cold and normal environments were calculated.Convective heat transfer both inside and outside the airbag,molecular gas radiation heat transfer,and water vapor phase-change heat transfer a chiefly researched in this paper.The relationships of gas temperature,mass of exhaust gas and gas generator mass flow rate with time changing has been obtained.The analysis can provide the data to help project design.
Beverly J Johnson, Department of Geology, Bates College, Lewiston ME, 04240; bjohnso3@bates.edu Curtis Bohlen, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Portland ME 04140; curtis.bohlen@maine.edu Cailene Gunn, Department of Geology, Bates College, Lewiston ME, 04240; cailenegunn@gmail.com Erin Beirne, Department of Geology, Bates College, Lewiston ME, 04240; ebeirne@fas.harvard.edu Colin Barry, Department of Geology, Bates College, Lewiston ME, 04240; colinbarry90@gmail.com Matthew Craig, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Portland ME 04140; matthew.craig@maine.edu Phillip Dostie, Department of Geology, Bates College, Lewiston ME, 04240; pdostie@bates.edu
The ferritic stainless steel is characterized with the better oxidation-resisting quality, lower heat expansion coefficient, higher anti-corrosion and moreover, dramatically decreased cost in economy, resulting in a large amount of ferritic stainless steel to be used more and more as the components of automotive exhaust. All of the components in exhaust system of automotive are made of the stainless steel, especially the ferritic stainless steel in Europe, the United States and Japan so as to satisfy the demand for less-weight of automotive and stringent emission of exhaust gas. In exhaust system, more than 60% of components are consisted of pipes. In this paper, the composition of automotive exhaust system, normal grades of used stainless steels and property requirements of various parts are introduced, as well as the main welding processes of welded stainless steel pipe used in automotive.
The method of residue analysis of metolachlor,its degradation and residue in rice,soil and water were studied.Residues of metolachlor were extracted from straw,soil and water samples with acetonitrile.After been cleaned up,the final extract was injected into GC with ECD.The precision and recovery tests were made at the spike level of 0.005,0.05 and 1.00 mg/kg,and the results were as follows:recoveries in the range of 88.42%-101.25%,coefficients of variation 1.49%-9.51%.The dissipation rate was fast in straw than in water and soil,while,the residual dynamics had no evident difference between in water and soil.The average half-lives(T1/2) in soil,water and straw were 42.63 d,39.21 d and 17.42 d,respectively.The residue levels in soil,straw and rice seeds were lower than 0.05 mg/kg by the rice harvest,when 20% metolachlor WP was applied to the direct seeding rice fields dusting one time at 950 g/hm2(a.i.).
Retention of a functional dentition of twenty or more permanent teeth is an important World Health Organization (WHO) goal, as missing teeth adversely affects oral health quality of life, especially masticatory function and aesthetic appearance and satisfaction. Previous studies show that tooth loss is moderately heritable, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of periodontitis and dental caries, the two main causes of tooth loss, have successfully identified genetic variants associated with these oral diseases. Thus, this work aimed to identify genetic variants associated with missing teeth by performing genome-wide association scans in five cohorts and a subsequent meta-analyses. Genome-wide association scans using linear and logistic regression for a quantitative trait and functional dentition, respectively, were performed in five cohorts: The Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia cohort 1 (COHRA; N = 955), Dental Registry and DNA Repository of the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine (DRDR; N = 227), and cohorts from The Pittsburgh Orofacial Clefts Studies (POFC) project recruited from the United States (POFC-USA; N = 192), Guatemala (POFC-G; N = 272), and the Patagonia region of Argentina (POFC-PA; N = 182). Three p-value based meta-analyses were performed: a white-only meta-analysis (COHRA and DRDR; N = 1182), a Hispanics-only meta-analysis (POFC-G and POFC-PA; N = 454), and a trans-ethnic meta-analysis (COHRA, DRDR, POFC-G, and POFC-PA; N = 1636). Two regions of the genome were associated with missing teeth at genome-wide significance (p < 5 x 10-8) and were located near genes relevant to dental and oral health (POSTN, a critical regulator of periodontal homeostasis, and MTRR, which functions in methionine synthesis, a process previously implicated by GWAS of dental caries.) Furthermore, many regions of the genome showed suggestive significance (p < 1 x 10-5) and were located near genes biologically relevant to tooth loss. These discoveries corroborate existing evidence for a genetic contribution to tooth loss, and supports the hypothesis that common genetic variants influence tooth loss. The public health significance of this work is that such findings may ultimately lead to the identification of individuals at risk for tooth loss and the development of novel treatments.
Lifestyle-related illnesses such as diabetes and obesity are a major problem in the modern world but can be prevented and sometimes even reversed through good nutrition [3]. Food recommender systems have been touted as a potential means to assist people nourish themselves more healthily e.g. [2, 5]. Anecdotally it makes sense to utilise food recommenders as part of a strategy for behavioural change because if you can suggest a change that is less painful then it seems more likely that the user will accept that change and stick with it. If we are interested in recommending meals to provide a balanced diet, however, such systems have a major limitation: the way they work means they learn user preferences for ingredients and food styles, which, of course, leads to users who like and tend to eat fatand calorie-laden meals being recommended fatand calorie-laden meals an outcome not conducive to improving nutritional habits. In this position statement we briefly outline two ways in which the recommendation problem can be reformulated to also encompass nutritional aspects and not just user preferences.
In the last twenty years the stock market began a significant shift as a combination of new technology and regulations led to the emergence of high frequency trading (HFT). Through the use of complex algorithms and high-speed internet connections, traders can buy and sell in fractions of seconds, potentially making an exceptionally high number of small profits, sufficiently fast so as to result in significant overall gains. These algorithmic trading systems require little or no human involvement and rely on computerised quantitative models to execute thousands of orders per second. The advances in trading technologies which have facilitated the rise of HFT have also accelerated the speed at which shocks can travel through the financial system at a pace that far outstrips the capacity of regulatory reaction.
A theoretical analysis is given to the characteristics of waves passing over a textile sheet structure which is proposed as a new submerged flexible breakwater. The analysis is based on two-dimensional linear potential theory and a model of energy loss by the sheet motion. The elastic motion of the sheet resonates the fluid motion of the waves and produces the wave reflection. The numerical results have good agreements with experimental observations. It is found that the flexible type structure is much more effective as a breakwater than the submerged flat plate. Moreover it is found that the multi-span type of this flexible sheet structure is effective in wide frequency range of the incident wave.
From the results of this study, it appears that whole blood alone or red blood cells reconstituted with saline solution do not adequately replace the loss of albumin and concomitant decrease in colloid oncotic pressure that occur during extensive intraabdominal and intrathoracic operations. Since colloid oncotic pressure is a major factor in the restitution of intravascular volume from stores of interstitial fluid and since it may also play a role in the development of postoperative pulmonary problems, it is important to maintain a relatively normal colloid oncotic pressure during the operation and in the immediate postoperative period. Although dextran can be used for this purpose, its short half-life of four to six hours and associated coagulation problems militate against its use in large quantities. This leaves purified protein fraction or salt-poor albumin as the main sources of protein for the maintenance of colloid oncotic pressure. Both of these products are expensive and short in supply. The oncometer in present use is a clinically feasible and rapid, one to three minutes, means of determining the colloid oncotic pressure. It permits a rational approach to the use of albumin products, avoiding the pitfalls of under or excess administration in the operative and postoperative periods.
textabstractThis thesis addresses the role of education in women’s social mobility, focusing on the case of female graduates of commercial schools in Egypt. Technical education, which encompasses the commercial variant along with two other streams, has been intriguing in both its beginnings and evolution. It was launched as a revolutionary tool for economic growth and associated with promises of egalitarianism and social mobility, but developed into a lower status type of education with limited opportunities for employment and marriage. Essentially, state education and employment policies have created divisions between two generations of commercial school graduates (CSGs) with the earlier group enjoying secure public sector employment and stable family life and the latter facing precarious work conditions and more uncertain life opportunities.
The set of reagents was developed on the basis of technology of immune chips in flatbed format FOSFANTM to apply in multiplex detection ofmarkers of functional state ofthyroid gland. It is demonstrated that the set permits carrying out quantitative measurements of level of free thyroxine and thyrotropic hormone in human blood serum within clinically valuable ranges of concentration. The high sensitivity and good concordance with results of immune enzyme analysis under examination of clinical samples were demonstrated.
Autism continues to be a growing concern in America and there is indication that the rate of autism among the sub-population of military dependent children is potentially higher than the general public. This hermeneutic phenomenological study focused on the concerns and experiences of parents of military families raising and educating their children with autism. Data was collected from nine military families across the United States. Six fathers and seven mothers participated through an initial questionnaire, interview, and a written reflective timeline. Findings demonstrated the stress, strain and sacrifice of families serving in the military with children with autism. Continuity of care and education was a significant concern. Participant parents stressed advocacy as a crucial key to success. Parents have wealth of knowledge and experience to share. Findings provide valuable insight to education professionals, support providers, policy makers, as well as other parents,
A flexible display screen (100) and manufacturing method therefor. The flexible display screen (100) comprises: a flexible substrate (10), a thin film crystal layer (20), an organic electroluminescent layer (30), and a flexible cover plate (40). The thin film crystal layer (20) is stacked on the flexible substrate (10), and comprises a driving portion (21) and a packaging portion (22) provided around the driving portion (21). The packaging portion (22) is provided with at least one elongated groove (221). At least two elongated protrusions (222) are provided corresponding to the groove (221). Two adjacent protrusions (222) are located on both sides in the length direction of the groove (221). The organic electroluminescent layer (30) is correspondingly provided on the driving portion (21). The flexible cover plate (40) is stacked on the side of the organic electroluminescent layer (30) that departs from the driving portion (21), and covers the organic electroluminescent layer (30) and the packaging portion (22). The packaging portion (22) is prevented from being cracked after the flexible display screen (100) is bent for multiple times, and the cracks are effectively prevented from expanding, so as to enhance the adhesive force between the flexible cover plate (40) and the packaging portion (22) and improve the sealing performance of the edges of the flexible display screen (100), thereby improving the water/oxygen resistance of the flexible display screen (100).
In this paper the numerical simulation on steel plate shear wall(SPSW) and steel-concrete composite shear wall(SCSW) with two-side connection was carried out by the finite element software ANSYS.Performances of the two shear walls were investigated.Different mechanical behaviors between SPSW and SCSW with two-side connection were discussed in details.It is found that the depth-thickness ratio λ is a key parameter that influences the shear resistance behavior of SPSW with two-side connection.The concrete plate which completely restricts the out-of-plate displacement may be thin if the depth-thickness ratio of a wall is large enough.Due to the concrete plate supporting,stress distributions in the SCSW are changed obviously:the horizontal load transferring manners are changed from tension strip to cross-sectional shear in the steel plates.
markdownabstractSince the 70s of the last century both myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using single-photon emission computed tomography and dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) have played an important role in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). In the last decades, stress imaging has not only been used for diagnosing CAD, it also has emerged as a noninvasive tool providing risk stratification and prognostic information. Risk stratification is based on the concept that patients with normal stress test results could be spared invasive angiographic assessment, because a normal test result defines patients at low-risk (typically <1% per year of follow-up) for cardiac events. On the other hand, patients with abnormal stress test results are candidates for invasive coronary angiography and intervention because they have a greater risk of cardiac events. However, risk after a normal stress test result varies along with the temporal characteristics of the patients, for example the presence of known CAD. This so called warranty period is defined as the duration of time whereby the patient’s risk alters significantly from that observed during the early portion of follow-up.    This thesis focused on the long-term prognostic value of cardiac stress imaging, more precisely on DSE and SPECT MPI in patients with known or suspected CAD. The prognostic value of both imaging modalities was studied in various patient groups, which are commonly encountered in with daily practice. The studies that form this thesis can be divided in three main topics:  A) Duration of low risk after a normal cardiac exercise stress test,  B) Prediction of long-term outcome in patients considered at increased risk of adverse events,  C) Impact of early coronary revascularization on long-term outcomes.
The utility model relates to a wear-resisting metal ceramic composite board belonging to the technical field of engineering elements. The wear-resisting metal ceramic composite board comprises a metal substrate with a mounting hole and a ceramic body, a casting layer is coated in the mounting hole, and the ceramic body is fixed in the casting layer. According to the wear-resisting metal ceramic composite board, the ceramic body can be firmly fixed on the wear-resisting metal ceramic composite board.
In this paper,the strain of the chain of new diamond chain saw used for cutting stone is analyzed and calculated.The results show that under the experimental conditions,the strain of chain's tight side is 1705N,the loose side is 1639N,and strain is decreased with the chain wheels' diameter increasing.The force's distribution curve of the chain is also drawn.From the drawing we can found that the largest force point is the meshing point of chain's tight side with the driving wheel in the condition of two-wheel structure.
The present invention comprises an ethylene homopolymer and is made of a copolymer of ethylene and an α- olefin, the molecular weight distribution width Mw / Mn of 6 to 100 and a density of 0.89 to 0.97 g / ㎤, weight average molecular weight Mw of 5000 g / mol to about 700,000 g / mol, and a carbon atom number of branches the number of from 0.01 to 20 per thousand, and carbon atoms, a vinyl group number per 1000 0.5 or more, and 5 of the polyethylene having the lowest molecular weight - 50% by weight of the carbon atoms can branching per 1000 has a branching index of less than 10, of the polyethylene having the highest molecular weight of 5 - 50% by weight of the carbon atoms of polyethylene, a method of manufacturing the same having a branching of the embroidery can branches per 1000 greater than 2, that the appropriate catalyst and a polyethylene to manufacturing the present It provides a fiber, a molded article, film or polymer blend. Polyethylene, monocyclopentadienyl complexes, the half ruthenocene, non-donor fluvial
The present study involves design and characterization of floating microspheres with Nateglinide as model drug for prolongation of gastric residence time. Nateglinide Floating Microspheres were prepared by w/o/o emulsification solvent diffusion technique using rate controlling polymers ethyl cellulose and hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose. The shape and surface morphology of prepared microspheres were characterized by optical and scanning electron microscopy respectively. FTIR analyses the absences of drug-polymer interaction. In vitro drug release studies were performed and drug release kinetics was evaluated using the linear regression method. Effects of polymer concentration, solvent composition, particle size, drug entrapment efficiency and drug release were also observed. The prepared microspheres exhibited prolonged drug release (more than 12 h) and remained buoyant for > 24 h. The mean particle size increased and the drug release rate decreased at higher polymer concentration. In vitro studies demonstrated diffusioncontrolled drug release from the microspheres.
Objective To investigate the thermal expansion coefficient of the Co-Cr-Mo alloy, and for clinic use. Methods The two column speciments which Φ3.0 mm×20 mm were casted with DA9-4 Co-Cr-Mo alloy. And then protract the thermal expansion curve with the TMA2940 thermal analysis instrument. Results The thermal expansion coefficient of the Co-Cr-Mo alloy is 13.915×10 -6/℃(@500 ℃). Conclusion The result showed that the alloy has good matching with the VITA VMK95 porcelain powder and can meet the requirment of clinic use.
This final report presents the results of design and economic evaluation analysis conducted to quantify the benefits arising from the use of higher-strength, corrosion-resistant retaining rings in large electrical generators. This was accomplished by studies in the following areas: effect of high-strength ring generator designs on efficiency; effect of the new designs on electrical systems performance; and probability of failure of 18Mn-5Cr rings and the economic value of corrosion/stress corrosion crack (SCC) resistant ring material.
Globally, the pace of urbanisation is increasing with 68 % of the world’s population projected to be urban by 2050. The quality of life for and engagement of these urban citizens is coming to the fore as a key issue for urban planners and decision makers as they pursue place-based initiatives to optimise city performance and sustainability credentials. Decision makers tackling multiple urban discourses such as the Smart City and Natural (or green or biophilic) Cities, which now heavily influence research policy and practice agendas, find themselves addressing tricky inter-disciplinary problems. Traditional sectoral silo approaches often hinder integration, reduce the quality of the natural environment and so often fail to deliver the multiple benefits expected by communities. Drawing on a desk based systematic review of the evidence base and a workshop involving key city stakeholders, we consider how digital conservation might contribute to new integrated approaches that consider people and nature together to contribute to the wider need to deliver public services in more innovative ways within cities that are both smart and natural. We suggest that added value is identified through the combination of new technologies and this potential new governance framework, to evidence and deliver the benefits of nature for urban citizens. This builds in citizen engagement for enhancing the natural environment by embedding and exploiting the potential of digital solutions. We comment on the strengths and weaknesses of how this new conceptual approach can improve integration of service delivery, whether it can also help overcome some of the problems and risks associated with digital conservation and if, by encouraging innovation through participatory governance, also help to inform the design a more inclusive smarter and natural city.    Key words: smart, natural, digital conservation, green, co-production.
When a gun fires the diffusion of chemical species from the propellant gas, such as CO, CO2, H2, H2O and N2, into the hot surface through the microcracks forms reaction products and speeds up the erosion process.Therefore, crack repairing and healing can be a possible measure for protecting against erosion of gun bore. The present study develops a novel nanocomposite with the size of 30 - 150 nm to repair and heal the microcracks so that the propellant gas can be prevented from reacting with the steel. Sample of gun steel 40CrNiMoV plate (10 mm× 10 mm × 2 mm) is prepared and a fishtail crack is generated through a repeated plastic deformation process. The crackrepairing results show that the fishtail crack become shorter and narrower. A new phase is formed, which is found to have the elements, such as Ca, La, from the raw materials of nanocomposite by energy spectrum analysis.
The influence of mechanochemical treatment on the change in the component composition of the organic matter of peat and brown coal is shown. A direct relation was revealed between the yield of hydrolyzable substances and humic acids and the intensity of mechanical action and the duration of treatment. The change in the physical and physicochemical properties in dispersion is associated with the structural transformations in the materials being studied.
The article deals with Altai State University information system structure. The authors state the purpose and the tasks of the research. The main part of any information system is data so the authors consider the enhancement of database efficiency. The article describes two options of DBMS Oracle efficiency enhancement. As a result database query rate is treated as the main criterion of the efficiency. The criterion of the system development efficiency is worked out through database query rate enhancement.
Base on the intention of "double certificate congenial",the thesis introduce "comparative study of professional qualifications",formulate the talent training scheme for student who major in electricity automation,in "double certificate congenial"talent training process the thesis illustrate that wants to guarantee the quality of talent training,the institute must emphasize the practice base building,teacher team building,teaching mode reforming and exammation method reforming.
In medicine, risk is usually related to a factor (known as a risk factor) that (often in conjunction with other risk factors) modulates the probability of a disease or event occurring, worsening or improving in individuals in whom it is present. Clinicians are faced on a daily basis with decisions on risk that--for example in therapeutics--involve calculation of the benefit-risk balance. Individuals (whether or not they are ill) are also confronted with risk in their decision-making. In this paper we discuss the clinical uses of the concept of risk, the main types of study that define and measure it, and the main types of bias most commonly associated with the perception and interpretation of risk in medical decision-making.
Programmable matter is a proposed digital material having computation, sensing, actuation, and display as continuous properties active over its whole extent. Programmable matter would have many exciting applications, like paintable displays, shape-changing robots and tools, rapid prototyping, and sculpture-based haptic interfaces. Programmable matter would be composed of millimeter-scale autonomous microsystem particles, without internal moving parts, bound by electromagnetic forces or an adhesive binder. Particles can dissipate 10 mW heat, and store 6 J energy in an internal zinc-air battery. Photovoltaic cells provide 300 µW outdoors and 3.0 µW indoors. Painted systems can store battery reactants in the paint binder; 6 J / mm 3 can be stored, and diffusion is fast enough to transport reactants to the particles. Capacitive power transfer is an efficient method to transfer power to sparse, randomly placed particles. Power from capacitive transfer is proportional to V DD 2 : 100µW at 3.3V and 12 mW at 35V. Inter-particle communication is possible via optical, near-field, and far-field electromagnetic systems. Optical systems allow communication with low area (sub-mm) particles, and 24 pJ/bit. Near-field electromagnetic gives precisely controlled neighborhoods, localization capability, and 37 pJ/bit. Far-field radio communication between widely spaced particles may be possible at 60 GHz; antennas that fit inside 1 mm 3 exist; complete transceivers do not. A 32-bit CPU uses less than 0.26 mm 2 die area, 256K x 8 SRAM uses 1.1 mm 2 , and 256K x 8 FLASH uses 0.32 mm 2. Direct-drive electric and magnetic field systems allow actuation without moving parts inside the particles. Magnetic surface-drive motors designed for operation without bearings are not power-efficient, and parasitic interactions between permanent magnets may limit their usefulness at millimeter particle dimensions. Electrostatic surface-drive motors are power-efficient, but practical only at particle dimensions below a few millimeters. We constructed a prototype paintable display; a distributed PostScript rendering system with 1000 randomly-placed 3.4 cm nodes, each with a CPU, IR communications, and LED. The system is used to render the letter " A. " We present a design, not yet constructed, for a literal paintable display, with 1.0 mm rendering particles, each with a microprocessor and memory, and 110 µm display particles, with tri-color LED's and simpler circuitry. Storage of zinc-air battery reactants in the paint binder would provide an 8 hour battery life, and capacitive power distribution would allow continuous operation. We constructed a prototype sliding-cube modular robot, with 3.4 cm nodes. The …
A protolocalisation of a regular category is a full reflective regular subcategory, whose reflection preserves pullbacks of regular epimorphisms along arbitrary morphisms. We devote special attention to the epireflective protolocalisations of an exact Mal'cev category; we characterise them in terms of a corresponding closure operator on equivalence relations. We give some examples in algebra and in topos theory.
In an attempt to better understand the impact that large mining shots will have on verifying compliance with the international, worldwide, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT, no nuclear explosion tests), a series of seismic and videographic experiments has been conducted during the past two years at the Black Thunder Coal Mine. Personnel from the mine and Los Alamos National Laboratory have cooperated closely to design and perform experiments to produce results with mutual benefit to both organizations. This paper summarizes the activities, highlighting the unique results of each. Topics which were covered in these experiments include: (1) synthesis of seismic, videographic, acoustic, and computer modeling data to improve understanding of shot performance and phenomenology; (2) development of computer generated visualizations of observed blasting techniques; (3) documentation of azimuthal variations in radiation of seismic energy from overburden casting shots; (4) identification of, as yet unexplained, out of sequence, simultaneous detonation in some shots using seismic and videographic techniques; (5) comparison of local (0.1 to 15 kilometer range) and regional (100 to 2,000 kilometer range) seismic measurements leading to determine of the relationship between local and regional seismic amplitude to explosive yield for overburden cast, coal bulking and single fired explosions; and (6) determination of the types of mining shots triggering the prototype International Monitoring System for the CTBT.
Consumers are increasingly concerned with the use of antibiotics and hormones in poultry production, and the news media is the primary way consumers gain knowledge about this subject. This study assessed articles about antibiotic and hormone use in poultry production from the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal from 1994 to 2014. This study employed a content analysis methodology to assess selected articles (n = 139) for key messaging about antibiotic and hormone use in poultry production, article tone, article framing, and article journalistic quality. Data gathered from key messages were assessed for emergent themes that were reported as frequencies, and data gathered about tone, framing, and journalistic quality were assessed for frequencies and significant differences between media outlets (p < .05). Five emergent themes were evident in the analysis of these articles: 1) consumers awareness of and concern for antibiotic/hormone use in poultry production (41.0%, n = 57); 2) the role of antibiotic use in poultry production in increased levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (40.3%, n = 56); 3) regulation of antibiotic use in poultry production (36.0%, n = 50); 4) purpose of antibiotic/hormone use in poultry production (32.4%, n = 45); and 5) transparency of antibiotic use poultry production practices (13.7%, n = 19). Articles were written with primarily a neutral or negative tone, and the human interest and responsibility frames were evoked most frequently. Articles showed the most quality in terms of selectivity of information included in the articles, while displaying the lowest percentage of quality in objectivity. Conclusions were drawn from the findings, and recommendations were made for agricultural communicators and journalists, as well as for public relations in the poultry industry. These included a stronger focus on understanding and addressing consumer concern about antibiotic and hormone use in poultry production, increased transparency, and improved relations with media contacts who cover antibiotic and hormone use in poultry production issues. Additionally, future research recommendations are made, including qualitative research to understand why journalists and gatekeepers set agendas and how they frame articles about antibiotic and hormone use in poultry production and stronger research focus on determining the link between antibiotic use in poultry production and increased antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
This study examines the doctrine of privity and its application in the construction industry. Doctrine of privity is related to issues of the creation of contractual obligations, concerning with the question of who has rights and liabilities under a contract. Sanctity of doctrine of privity means giving recognition to the contractual framework with appropriate legislation. It is a general idea that once parties duly enter into a contract, they must honour their obligations under that contract. However, along the way during the construction period, the situation the employer tends to intervention the construction process by passing the main contractor and goes direct to the sub-contractor is almost common, particularly in the payment issues. The main obstacle in this intervention is there is no privity of contract between the employer and the sub-contractor. It is submitted that doctrine of privity contract theory cannot accommodate third party rights. The comparative study shows that the doctrine of privity is embedded comfortably in Malaysia and UK law based on the decision made by the Malaysia and United Kingdom court. Numerous decisions of the courts in Malaysia and UK had recognised and supported the application of the doctrine. However, this study identified that there are few exceptions exist within the doctrine of privity such as assignment, trust, collateral contract, bill of lading and insurance contract. In the construction environment, most of the exception was created by meeting the needs of the employer to overwhelm the crucial situation due to dispute created by parties in the construction contract.
According to the analysis of monitoring points around the pumping well,this paper presents the hardware and software of the remote real-time monitor control system for pumping well, a kind of effective communication protocol is proposed as well.The analysis of running results to the TY-IO0 system shows that this system plays a very important role on the energy saving and increasing efficiency as well as scientific management to the pumping well.
For thin multilayer reservoirs with low permeability,it is expected to conduct fracturing in all pay zones at one time to reduce the frequency of fracturing operation.Based on the investigation of related literatures about multilayer fracturing modeling,a pseudo 3D numerical model has been established to model fracturing of all pay zones at one time and many fractures elongating at the same time,including the dynamic distribution of fracturing fluid in each zone.A case analysis is given.
The SkyEye project is an attempt to create software for educational and amateur variable stars research. Easy graphical interface, automation of many actions and possibility of using low-cost internet cameras makes this software suitable for students and amateur astronomers for observations, measurements and data analysis. The goal is achieved by extending AudeLa project with additional shared libraries written in C/C++ and TCL scripts, much effort was made in order to ensure compatibility with different operating systems, Linux and Windows. The project was developed in the framework of the "Pi of the Sky" collaboration.
Based on fuzzy logic system with the properties of fully utilizing linguistic information and approximating any nonlinear continuous function, the decentralized adaptive robust control laws of nonlinear complex systems with uncertainties was discussed. By using the model of the complex systems and output information coming from the fuzzy logic system about uncertain factors, the decentralized adaptive robust controller and adaptive laws of parameter estimate of fuzzy logic system were constructed. Under some simple conditions, the laws and controller made the states of systems controlled and parameter estimate errors uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB). Finally, the computer simulation showed the validity of the approach.
A new flnite element scheme for modelling fracture is presented, which extends to the case of elastodamaging interfaces the approach for elastic interfaces developed by the authors in reference (1). The process zone is modelled as a soft elastodamaging layer, whose thickness introduces a characteristic length scale into the continuum model. When the characteristic length is flnite, an extended FE model with a flnite process zone is obtained. When the characteristic length vanishes, an interface model with a cohesive traction-separation law is recovered. The associated flnite element formulation is based on the partition if unit property of the standard interpolation functions (e.g. (2)), and can be seen as an extended flnite element formulation (XFEM) with a regularized kinematics. Some results obtained for a DCB test and a plate subjected to shear loading are presented.
A series of nano-sized SnO_2 samples were prepared by the pyrolysis of Sn(OH)_4 precursor at different temperatures.The structural evolution of SnO_2 samples heat-treated at different temperatures was investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD) topography and transmission electron microscopy.The electrochemical properties of SnO_2 as anode material for Li-ion batteries were studied by the galvanostatic charging-discharging experiments and slow scanning cyclic voltammetry experiment.The experimental results show that the charge capacity and cycle-ability are sensitive to the heat-treated temperature,and the sample heat-treated at 800℃ boasts comparatively better electrochemical properties.
Abstract : This is the final report of Applied Research Program (ARP) project 11gy Technologies for Fire and Damage Control and Condition Based Maintenance. The project objective was to develop an improved understanding of how materials, sensors and sensor systems choices impact the sustainability and supportability of new build ships from both the damage control and condition based maintenance perspectives. Specifications, standards and methods for the evaluation of the fire performance of non-metallic materials are reviewed. Although no one method can be used to rank materials, Cone calorimetry is the test method that provides the most useful information on how materials might perform in a fire. A volume sensor system (VSS), named the Canadian Demonstrator Prototype (CDP), was purchased and evaluated on the United States Naval Research Laboratory fire research ship the ex-USS Shadwell. A volume sensor system monitors a space for fire and damage events using video and infrared cameras, infrared and ultraviolet spectral sensors and an acoustic sensor. The system also has data fusion software that analyses the sensor input and determines if the input is consistent with a fire or damage event or is the result of shipboard activities that are not related to fire and damage events. The results of the testing indicated that the system could differentiate between real fire and damage scenarios and shipboard activities and events that are not related to fire and damage events and could therefore reduce false alarms. A condition based monitoring (CBM) diesel engine lubricating oil sensor suite and system was developed and trialled on an operational Canadian Patrol Frigate. The goal of this program is to base maintenance on the condition of the engine and its oil as opposed to performing time based maintenance. This will enable ship?s crews to focus maintenance efforts on engines where it is required and eliminate maintenance when it is not required. The effecti
The ductility of the high strength RC concrete beam would diminish significantly if the CFRP is attached to the bottom of the beam.Thus,in order to improve the whole performance of beams strengthened by CFRP,different anchorage methods at beam ends and mid-span are applied to the flexure strengthened beams;and then the mechanical characteristics achieved by four-point bending static loading test are compared.Study shows that U-shaped end anchorages can change the failure mode of flexure strengthened beams;also enhance the flexure capacity,ductility and the utilization ratio of reinforcing CFRP.The U-shaped end anchorages,together with fully CFRP-wrapped mid-span anchorages,could further improve the ductility of test beams,notably increase the utilization ratio of reinforcing CFRP,and balance the proportion of deformability and flexure capacity at a fixed safety reservation.Moreover,they also could decrease the occurrence of sheet's stripping and sliding after reinforcing FRP fractures.Therefore,the load capacity and ductility could recover,while the CFRP fully wrapping at the mid-span can bring about confined concrete effect,improving the ductility of concrete.Consequently,the U-shaped end anchorages,along with fully CFRP-wrapped mid-span anchorages,belong to the rational anchorage method with enough safety reservation.
Relevant events in a three state illness-death model (IDM) of a chronic disease are the diagnosis of the disease and death with or without the disease. In this article a simulation framework for populations moving in the IDM is presented. The simulation is closely related to the concept of Lexis diagrams in event history analysis. Details of the implementation and an example of a hypothetical disease are described.
Abstract : This morning I would like to give you a broad overview of how we are going about preserving our critical legacy of technological superiority in defense aviation. I will do so by speaking first about how we are adjusting our buying practices to leverage commercial products, processes and technology; second, about our preparations to launch a major new review of defense strategy; and third, about our existing modernization plans for heavy bomber, air mobility and tactical aviation forces.
There has been increasing recognition of the need for nutrition surveillance as a basic element of nutrition evaluation and planning. A World Health Organization monograph on the subject (1) outlines how such surveillance might be carried out, emphasizing that nutrition surveillance should be a multisector activity that monitors agricultural and economic indicators relating to causes of malnutrition as well as health indicators reflecting the effects of malnutrition. Development of comprehensive and credible surveillance systems will require the evaluation of possible indicators from all these sectors. As a first step toward this ultimate objective, the study reported here evaluated indicators obtained solely from
Temporal and spatial variations of concentrations of heavy metals including mercury(Hg), zinc(Zn), lead(Pb), arsenic(As), copper(Cu), and cadmium(Cd) in the sediments of the Yangshan Deepwater Harbor were determined based on 6 cruises in autumn and winter, respectively, from 2010 to 2013. The results demonstrated that the overall concentrations of heavy metals were low and distributed in uniform patterns. The concentrations of Hg, Zn, Pb, and Cd in autumn were significantly higher than those in winter with small fluctuations for As and Cu in terms of seasonal variations. Results of factor analysis showed that Pb, Cd, and Zn were derived from inland industrial and shipping discharges as well as the degradation of organic pollutants in marine environment. While agricultural pollutions, cargo shifting and construction debris from reclamation projects contributed to the sources of Cu, As, and Hg. Ecological risk assessment by Mean Sediment Quality Guideline Quotient(SQG-Q) revealed that the degree for eco-risk of the sediments was low-and-moderate in autumn, higher than that in winter. Hg and Cu were the dominant eco-risk factors. The results of Index of geoaccumulation(Igeo) showed that the whole sites of the sea area were barely influenced by Hg, As, Zn, and Pb, and the extents of Cd and Cu contaminations were in low grade. Contamination degree of all the six heavy metals could be ranked as the following: CdPbZnHgAs. According to the results of integrated score of factor analysis, the contamination degree for heavy metals in sediments of the Yangshan Deepwater Harbor was low, despite sites No.5, No.4 and No.3, which were heavily contaminated compared with others.
The report describes the traffic safety situation of different groups of passengers. Exposure data from VTI's questionnaire on travel habits and traffic safety study (RVU92-) and injury data from official statistics serve as the basis of the study. The analysis focuses on the three components exposure, risk and consequence. The product of the three components gives the number of passengers injured and killed. An analysis of the present traffic safety situation is carried out, as is an analysis of the events that have occurred over the course of time. (A)
In order to further increasing the depressed pressure and augmented injection effect of nanometer polysilicon material in the low permeability oilfield,the influence of different pretreatment technology on the rock surface absorption of nanometer polysilicon material is studied by taking tests of the surface adsorption and wettability,at the same time,by way of core-flooding tests,the Influence of the technology of pre-alkalization,pre-acidification, pre-alkalization and pre-acidification coordination with nanometer pretreatment on the rock surface adsorption of nanometer polysilicon material is researched.The experimental results show that,by using nanometer pretreatment afer pre-alkalization and pre-acidification,the depressed pressure and augmented injection effect is most effectual.The ratio of final permeability after pretreatment to initial permeability(K_2/K_0),can attain the number of 6.07;the pre- treatment technology has been used in 5 wells,the result is favourable,the range of average mon-well pressure decreasing can get to 9.7 MPa,the amount of average mon-well injection increasing is 3 819 m~3,the average period of validity is more than 7 month. on this basis,the technology of Decreasing Pressure and Increasing Injection of nanometer polysilicon material is optimized,the optimized technology is applied to field practice,and its effect is evaluated.
Shape recognition and classification is a problem with a wide variety of applications. Several recent works have demonstrated that topological descriptors can be used as summaries of shapes and utilized to compute distances. In this abstract, we explore the use of a finite number of Euler Characteristic Curves (ECC) to reconstruct plane graphs. We highlight difficulties that occur when attempting to adopt approaches for reconstruction with persistence diagrams to reconstruction with ECCs. Furthermore, we highlight specific arrangements of vertices that create problems for reconstruction and present several observations about how they affect the ECC-based reconstruction. Finally, we show that plane graphs without degree two vertices can be reconstructed using a finite number of ECCs.
Andrew Kelly, 20, is currently enjoying his semester placement at Central Connecticut State  University as part of the University of Central Lancashire's exchange programme.    The former student of Liverpool Blue Coat School in Wavertree first went to America after completing his foundation year in art and design. Travelling on his own for two months, he began in Boston and made his way through Texas up to the west coast of Seattle before starting his degree in English and American Literature.    "I would definitely say that that experience helped me a great deal in deciding to come to Preston where they had an exchange programme."    Andrew has recently spent the weekend in Florida with his parents and is currently looking forward to seeing his girlfriend who is going across for two weeks.    26th October 2001  nr442kah
Mixed culture technique was applied to citric acid production. Selected transition metal ions, namely, cadmium, lead, chromium and molybdenum were added in calculated quantities during fermentaion and their effect on the metabolic path followed by the microbes was studied. Cadmium was dragged inside the cell across the membrane to balance the proton motive force and was found to increase considerably the citric acid production. Lead was found to suppress the transport pump by strengthening cell wall cross links, whereas chromium activated the pump thereby inducing production. The possible reasons are discussed.
We describe the statistical machine translation (SMT) systems developed at Heidelberg University for the Chinese-toEnglish and Japanese-to-English PatentMT subtasks at the NTCIR10 workshop. The core system used in both subtasks is a combination of hierarchical phrase-based translation and discriminative training using either large feature sets and ‘1=‘2 regularization (for Japanese-to-English) or variants of soft syntactic constraints (for Chinese-to-English). Our goal is to address the twofold nature of patents by exploiting the repetitive nature of patents through feature sharing in a multi-task learning setup (used in the Japaneseto-English translation subtask), and by countersteering complex word order dierences with syntactic features (used in
The findings of this study showed that the knowledge dissemination strategy codification did not influenced the affective commitment, loyalty and brand supportive behaviour of employees. Nevertheless, the results provide compelling evidence of relationships between several variables. For instance, this study showed that bottom-up communication (information generation) of the brand promise is less effective in influencing the attitudes and behaviour of employees than top-down communication of the brand promise (knowledge dissemination). As an example, knowledge dissemination positively influenced the affective commitment, loyalty and brand citizenship behaviour of employees, whereas information generation only positively influenced the affective commitment of employees. At last, this study has found evidence that not all identity aspects mentioned by Simoes et al. (2005) are important for establishing affective commitment, loyalty and brand citizenship behaviour among employees. For example, the findings demonstrated that the philosophy and values dissemination had an influence on the attitudes and behaviour of employees, whereas the mission dissemination had no influence on the attitudes and behaviour of employees. Practitioners should consider implementing effective knowledge management systems, communicate the distinctiveness and uniqueness of the identity regularly towards employees and collect feedback in a meaningful manner through credible sources.
The invention relates to a rotary magazine for a winding station of an automatic cheese winder with a suction air channel to fix the yarn ends of stockpiled in the round magazine spinning cops and a movably mounted cover element for closing the Saugluftkanals, wherein the cover member is either manually or automatically actuated and in the closed state, the yarn ends of the spinning cops mechanically locked. According to the invention it is provided that the cover member (12) comprises a manual actuation cap (20) and an automatic cover (19) which are each actuated separately and that in the upper side (21) of the manual operating cover (20) a groove-shaped recess (22) is incorporated , connected one to the suction air channel (13) of the round magazine (3) air and yarn guide channel forms which can be closed by the automatic cover (19).
The invention relates to a transdermal therapeutic system made of the following layers: a carrier layer (T), an active ingredient layer (R), a membrane layer (M) and optionally an adhesive layer (K), wherein the carrier layer (T) is impenetrable to the active substance and to water, the active substance layer (R) comprises as an active substance component the salt of an alkali reactive active substance, such as a CNS-active amine in combination with at least one alkali reactive further component, and a polymer component (P1), wherein the active substance is released from the active substance layer (R) only by the moisture entering from the exterior through the membrane layer (M), and the membrane layer (M) is made of a polymer component (P2), allowing a uniform delivery of basic active substances to the skin.
1993NASA/_EE SUN2_.ERF:_ffJLTYFELLOWSHIP PRO3P_NMARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTERi"qHEUNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLEEffects of Thermal-Solutal Convection on Temperatureand Solutal Fields under Various Gravitational OrientationsPrepared By:Academic Rank:institution andDepartment:MSFC CoileaqJe(s):NASA/MSFCOffice:Divisicn:Branch:Jai-Ching Wang, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorAlabama A&M UniversityDepartment of PhysicsSandor L. Lehoczky, Ph.D.Dale WatringFrank Szofran, Ph.D.Space Science LaboratoryMicrogravity Science & Application Division!ES 71Electronic & Photonic Materials Branch/ES 75XLVI
A set of 25 cathinones has been analyzed by GC high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) using a soft ionization source, referred in here as the microplasma photoionization (MPPI) source. This plasma-based, wavelength-selectable ionization source enables softer (i.e., ~ 8 to 12 eV) ionization of the test cathinones relative to electron ionization at 70 eV. Plasma gases such as Xe, Kr, and Ar, which generate distinct vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) resonance lines (i.e., Xe @ 8.44/9.57 eV, Kr @ 10.03/10.64 eV, and Ar @ 11.62/11.83 eV), have been evaluated for the identification of underivatized and derivatized cathinones. Derivatization of the test compounds with trifluoroacetic anhydride and α-methoxy-α-(trifluoromethyl)phenylacetyl pyrazole was evaluated because the MPPI mass spectra of the underivatized cathinones yield primarily immonium ions and are identical to those obtained by electron ionization, thus leading to inconclusive MS identification of the test compounds. The MPPI mass spectra of TFA-derivatized cathinones yield both benzoyl and immonium ions, and certain TFA-derivatized cathinones yield molecular ions especially when using Xe as plasma gas, thus making possible their identification by MS.
Introduction: 25-45% of Schwannomas arise in the head and neck region, only 4% of them present in the nose and paranasal sinus.Generally it involves the ethmoidal and maxillary sinuses. It may arise from the branches of trigeminal nerve (ophthalmic or maxillary) or from autonomic nervous system. The diagnosis by imaging is difficult due to lack of characteristic features. A variety of sino-nasal tumours share similar imaging features; hence istopathological diagnosis is a gold standard.
Orthopaedic foot support (1) to support long-term bedridden patients, comprising a preformed support of two parts, i.e. a top piece (2) that consists of a stiff cushion (3) with an erect wall (4) and transverse supports (5, 6,7) connected to it for the lateral support of the lower legs (16), and a bottom piece that consists of a base (8) on which the lower legs can rest and whereby the base (8) has a pair of cambers (10) to support the lower legs (16), and whereby the base (8) can be exchanged by a base with different cambers (10) suitable for another leg dimension, and whereby the top piece (2) can be removed to gain access to the legs of the patient who remains lying on the base (8), without having to move this base (8) or the legs (16).
South-Muntenia Region has a surface of 34,453 square kms and represents 14.45% of Romania surface. SpouthMuntenia Region is formed of 7 counties: Argeş (6,826 square kms), Călăraşi (5,088 square kms), Dâmboviţa (4,054 square kms), Ialomiţa (4,453 square kms), Giurgiu (3,526 square kms), Prahova (4,716 square kms) and Teleorman (5,790square kms), with 16 municipalieis, 32 towns and 519 communes. South-Muntenia Region borders to the North with Center Region, to the North-East with South-East Region, to the South with Bulgaria, the limit being given by the natural border – the Danube river, and to the West with South-West Region. The presence in the South part of the region of the Danube river provides it the possibility to have communications with the 8 countries near the river, and by means of the Danube-Black Sea channel, to have access to the Black Sea and to the Constanta Harbour. Being included within the country capital – Bucharest inside the region, constitutes, by the existent infrastructure, including Henri Coandă International Airport, provides social and economic advantage. The present paper presents an analysis of the subsidies and their role in the rural development of South-Muntenia Region.
In a debate in the Senate on July 9, 1866, contemplating the formation of a black infantry regiment, some senators observed that "if it was a privilege to serve in the Army, the colored troops had earned the privilege by their gallantry, and that if it was a duty, they should not be allowed to shirk it." Indeed, black soldiers had been serving since the Revolutionary War, but now, for the first time, they became part of the regular army, enjoying the same privileges, performing the same duties, and facing the same tedium and occasional danger that were every soldier's lot, but with the added burden of the intense racism of the time. Buffalo Soldier Regiment offers a detailed record of the service, exploits, travels, and traditions of one of these units, the "grand old Twenty-fifth." Drawing on a wealth of official records, reports, and personal recollections, this book reconstructs the experiences of the Twenty-fifth Regiment from its formation in 1869 through its service in the border town of Nogales, Arizona, in 1926. Following the troops as they move all over the country, we see the soldiers engaged in scouting, escort and guard duty, and road building; skirmishing with Indians; quelling labor riots; fighting forest fires; and even campaigning in Cuba and the Philippines. From its moments of drama to its depictions of garrison life and accounts of the regiment's Bicycle Corps and baseball team, this volume preserves a vital part of America's complex history. Quintard Taylor Jr. is Bullitt Professor of History at the University of Washington and the author of In Search of the Racial Frontier: African Americans in the American West, 1528-1990.
The present invention is new to the surface electron state of the phase insulators and a method of manufacturing the formed, more specifically, the three-dimensional phase insulators (3D topological insulator) phase insulator formed new surface electronic states, characterized in that a monomolecular metal layer is formed on, and by heating and cooling the tellurium (Te) and selenium (Se) 1 or more and bismuth (Bi) selected from the group consisting of a step of producing an alloy; And forming a monomolecular metal layer over the alloy; relates to a process for preparing a non-conductive phase is formed, a new surface state electron containing.
Predicting areas within catchments responsible for the majority of contaminant transport to surface waters requires a good estimate of flow, especially storm flow. Many process-based models require much data and are often complex to apply. Hence, we used the empirically-based curve number (CN) model to predict storm flows for rainfalls with 5-year return periods in summer (Jan-Mar), autumn (Apr-Jun) and spring (Oct-Dec) for eighteen, largely rural catchments (size, 39 to 713 km2) in Otago. Spatially-distributed, published rainfall maps were used as input data. The winter (Jul-Sep) season was not considered, as snowfall data were not available. A frequency analysis was conducted on storm flow volumes measured at the catchment outlets to identify the 5-year return period observed during summer, autumn and spring. Curve numbers, derived from individual land cover and soil data, were area-weighted for the entire catchment (CNLS). To describe the catchment conditions at the time of runoff and to predict flows comparable to those observed, CNLS were altered based on three discrete antecedent moisture conditions - dry, moderate and wet. For the 5-year return period rainfalls, the predicted flows varied between 1 and 653% of observed flows. CNLS corresponding to dry conditions did not predict any runoff, indicating that all rainfall was absorbed within the catchment. Generally, moderate antecedent moisture condition CNLS resulted in the under-prediction of flows in all eighteen catchments, with maximum differences between observed and predicted flows in autumn and minimum differences in summer. Catchment-scale best-fit curve numbers (CNRF) calculated from 5-year return period flow and rainfall data indicated that for thirteen catchments out of 18, during summer, CNLS values between moderate and wet antecedent moisture conditions would have predicted flows comparable to those observed. However, under spring and autumn conditions, for nine and thirteen catchments, respectively, CNRF values were greater than CNLS values for wet antecedent moisture conditions, always leading to under-prediction of flows. This implied a need to revisit the curve number selection procedure for these two seasons. These results also indicated that curve number selection, and hence, its performance and suitability, is strongly related to season, and the traditional method of holding curve numbers constant for all seasons for flow prediction can poorly represent seasonal variations in flows. Evaluation of the curve number for flow prediction in Otago catchments demonstrates the need to include representation of seasonal variations in rainfall and flow conditions.
Aortic aneurysms always require surgical treatment, either elective procedures, supported by the rupture high risk (up to 50% during the first year for lesions greater than 6 cm, and 15-20% for those with diameter smaller than 6 cm), or in emergency when this rupture occurs. In these cases, mortality rate is considerable (>70%) for the subjects with stabilized vital parameters. However clinical practice show that the amount of individuals who decide submitting this kind of surgery when the eligibility is favorable (integrum aneurysm and small size), is yet poor.
Abstract: Injections of Bacillus, or of blastospores from the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae, activate the prophenoloxidase (PPO) cascade, and coinjection of adipokinetic hormone‐I (AKH) enhances and prolongs these responses. When injected concurrently with an immunizing dose of live bacteria, AKH suppresses the appearance of antimicrobial activity and, after a short delay, increases the growth of bacteria within the hemocoel. Injections of live Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa into locusts fail to activate PPO in the hemolymph, even when coinjected with AKH. The coinjection of bacteria and hormone is rarely lethal to the locust. However, if locusts are injected with AKH when they are infected with Metarhizium, they die more rapidly than if no AKH is administered.
Objective To analyze the reasons of apnea and circulatory failure during the lateral ventricle drainage of hydrocephalus and the relationship between these reasons and the prognosis.Methods Retrospectively analyze the reasons of apnea and circulatory failure during lateral ventricle drainage of the 14 cases hydrocephalus admitted to Peking University First Hospital pediatric ward from 2003 to 2009,analyze the reasons of apnea and circulatory failure during the operation,and compare the prognosis in the neonates with or without these complications.Results A total of 9 cases of neonatal hydrocephalus had uneventful lateral ventricle drainage,after that,hydrocephalus was improved and the pressure to the brain parenchyma was eased.5 patients had apnea and varying degrees of circulatory disturbance during the operation of the lateral ventricle drainage.The average gestational age of the children with complications was (31.6±1.9) w,significantly less than those without complications of (35.4±2.4) w;the average birth weight of the children with complications was (1532±439) g,significantly smaller than those without complications of (2360±742) g.The average of treatment duration of the children with complications was (18.0±5.0) d,significantly longer than those without complications of (4.5±2.6) d.The diastolic velocity of cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery in the children with complications were (6.4±1.9) cm/ s and (11.2±2.9) cm/ s,significantly lower than those without complications of (15.8±8.9) cm/ s and (19.9±5.5) cm/ s.Conclusions The best treatment time of the neonatal hydrocephalus is 1 week after the occurrence;and after 2 weeks,the possibility of occurrence complications of apnea and circulatory failure may be elevated during the operation of ventricle drainage;besides,the more possibility of complications will happen in the neonates with the lower gestational age and lower birth weight.
The European Commission has set a rene- wables target enforcing wind power investments. Simulta- neously, a smart meter roll-out, in the context of smart grid developments, is said to facilitate the integration of this variable source of power generation. This paper ana- lyzes to which extent a price responsive demand-side con- tributes to an efficient short-term system operation with a significant renewables share. First, a basic three nodal mixed-integer unit commitment model is described. Then, a methodology is suggested replacing fixed demand levels by elastic demand curves considering the ability to adjust demand levels in response to real-time prices. The im- proved model accounts for both operating costs and wel- fare received from consuming electricity. Model results emphasize the impact of demand response on the optimal commitment with an increase of base load power genera- tion output and a decrease of peak load power generation. Finally, environmental benefits are described with more wind power injected into the system and reduced CO 2 emission levels.
This paper deals with quantitative data fusion for linear stochastic dynamic systems. The stress is laid on the Millman’s formula which is utilised for combining state estimates that are based on different data sets. Various filtering and smoothing problems are introduced and solved by using the same fusion principle. The optimal centralised multisensor filtering is compared with other filtering architectures by means of a numerical example.
Aristotle’s Categoriae, or the Categories, is a comprehensive classification system for every object of human understanding that can be either a subject or a predicate of a proposition. There are ten categories: Substance, Quantity, Qualification, Relative/Relation, Place, Time, Position, State (Condition), Action, and Affection. The first part of this paper will explain each of the categories in the order in which they are presented in the chapters of Categoriae. The second half of the paper will discuss the question of ambiguity in the approach Aristotle uses to both construct and find meaning in these categories. Fr. Joseph Owens examines the use of metaphysical, logical and grammatical ways in which Aristotle presents the categories. Owens observes the benefits and disadvantages of Aristotle’s mixed approach, and questions the usefulness of the system as a whole. This paper will argue that Aristotle successfully uses all three approaches, sometimes separately and sometimes in combination, to create a thorough process for systematizing all objects of human cognition. In the Categories, Aristotle introduces the first official comprehensive system for classifying everything that exists in the world and the descriptive words that predicate, or assert something of, things. The doctrine of the Categories is a basic organization of how people speak about things in the world. Because of its apparent self-evidence and lack of metaphysical or even logical profundity, categorical construction is often considered an arbitrary process. A question that arises in reading the treatise is whether Aristotle is coming from a grammatical, logical, metaphysical, or combinatory approach. This paper will examine Aristotle’s system of categories and a paper by Joseph Owens which tries to determine what kind of treatment Aristotle uses for his system, in an attempt to discover the need for and purpose of the Categories. In the first chapter of the book Categoriae, Aristotle writes about three ways in which things are named. Equivocally means one word used in two different ways. So the predicates of this subject share a common name but differ in definition. When things are said to be named univocally, they share the same name and the same definition. The third way in which something can be named is as a derivative of something else, which means they both stem from the same name, but differ in termination of the name. The next chapter deals with forms of speech, namely simple and composite terms, and predicability of and presence in a subject. A simple term would be “man” or “runs,” a composite would be “the man runs.” In terms of predicability and presence, there are four different combinations of their occurrence. Something can be both predicable of and present in or neither predicable of nor present in something. A thing can also be predicable of a subject but never present in a subject, or present in a subject but never predicable of a subject. In this sense, present in denotes the necessary existence of something in something else, or that thing’s incapability to exist apart from the other thing. Examples of these will come later. The next chapter of the Categories treats the differentiation of different species of knowledge. In general, species of 16 Richard McKeon, ed., The Basic Works of Aristotle. (New York: Random House, Inc., 2001),
Achieving large-scale changes to develop a sustained hydrogen economy requires a large amount of planning and cooperation at national and international levels alike. ECS developed a long-term hydrogen-based scenario (B1-H2) of the global energy system to examine the future perspectives of fuel cells (Barreto et al., 2002). That earlier study, done with the collaboration and support of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), illustrated the key role of hydrogen towards a clean and sustainable energy future. In an affluent, low-population-growth, equity and sustainability-oriented world, hydrogen technologies experience substantial but plausible performance and costs improvements and diffuse extensively. Fuel cells and other hydrogen-using technologies play a major role in a transformation towards a more flexible, less vulnerable, distributed energy system that meets energy needs in a cleaner, more efficient and cost-effective way. This profound structural transformation of the global energy system brings substantial improvements in energy intensity and an accelerated decarbonizaton of the energy mix, resulting in relatively low climate impacts.    In order to understand the future potential of hydrogen, in this report we compare the two main hydrogen production alternatives from natural gas and biomass as identified in the above-mentioned (B1-H2) scenario in more detail. The first alternative, steam reforming of natural gas, is a well-established technology and the most common and current method to produce hydrogen (Ogden, 1999a). The second technology, biomass gasification, is still in its infancy. A small number of demonstration facilities are in place. Many issues still have to be addressed before the technology can be expected to reach an adequate technical performance and hence become economically competitive (Milne et al., 2002). Nevertheless, biomass-based systems are a very promising option for ensuring the sustainability of a future hydrogen-supply system.    The report includes a comparative analysis of both systems and their potential for carbon mitigation via CO2 capture and sequestration. Estimates of the hydrogen costs for alternative production chains are presented, and the competitiveness of the systems under alternative CO2 taxes are analyzed. Both technologies appear as economically attractive and environmentally compatible options for shaping a sustainable hydrogen economy and contributing to the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the long term.
Edwardsiella tarda has recently been described as a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The genus Edwardsiella contains three species; E. hoshinae, E. ictaluri and E. tarda. Edwardsiella tarda is the only species which has been recognised as pathogenic to humans, especially in those with an underlying disease. The most common presentation is watery diarrhoea. Extra intestinal infections have been reported infrequently. Humans seem to be infected or colonised with Edwardsiella through ingestion or inoculation of a wound. This report is of a patient with multiple liver abscesses due to E. tarda who later developed bacterial peritonitis and septicaemic shock.
The country under the rule of law is an ideal pattern of social organization.The morals and law,as tow dimensions of the country under the rule of law,constitute two different but closely related ruling patterns of society in the country under the rule of law.Considered from the connotation of the rule by law,it contains the positive value orientation and ethic pursuit.Not only the moral value is pursued in the country under the rule of law,moral plays an irreplaceable role in the construction of the country under the rule of law.Its functions are manifested in three aspects: the law can't separated from the moral;the moral complements the law;the person in the country under the rule of law should be the moral one.
UNLABELLED The number of patients who develop heart failure (HF) is increasing and is expected to increase further in the next decade. Despite the availability of an ever-widening array of pharmacological therapy, patients with end-stage HF have a poor long-term prognosis. Little attention has been paid to alternative non-conventional therapy for these patients. The aim of this non-randomized study was to describe two non-conventional approaches in patients with HF, refractory to conventional medical therapy. The feasibility and long-term efficacy of a continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CPAD: 20 patients) or dobutamine intermittent infusions (DOB: 11 patients) was analysed: the mean dobutamin dose was 5 gamma/kg/min, and the interval period treatment ranged from 12 hours/day to 12 hours/week.   RESULTS Both treatments were feasible and non major procedure complications occurred. The 6 and 12 month survival rates were 55% (14/20 patients), 35% (9/20 patients) and 36% (6/11 patients), 18% (3/11 patients) in the CAPD patients and DOB patients, respectively. All patients survived at one year (38% = 12/31 patients) documented a significant functional improvement and quality of life. The conclusions is drawn that the use of CAPD and DOB should be considered in those with refractory HF, in whom medical therapy has failed and in whom home training is considered feasible. Further studies are necessary to define those patients who will benefit from one of these strategies and to confirm these preliminary data.
The phase diagrams corresponding to systems of potassium citrate and poly (ethylene glycol) of different molecular weights (4000, 6000 and 10000) were determined at varying temperature. Moreover, the medium pH (5, 7 and 9) effect was also studied. The binodal curves were described using a three parameter equation and the tie-lines were satisfactorily described using the Othmer-Tobias and Bancroft equations. An increase in pH caused the expansion of the two-phase area. The binodal curves became more asymmetric and close to the origin with an increase in poly (ethylene glycol) molecular weight.
In this study, the recovery of nickel from a low grade ore was attempted employing a chemolithotrophic micro organism, a bacteria, named Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The factors studies were pulp density of the ore for leaching and the effect of residence time on leaching of nickel from the ore at a constant total iron. The entire experiment was carried out at room temperature. The objective of the study was thus to calculate the amount of nickel leached or extracted from a low grade ore by bio leaching methods at different pulp densities of the ore as well as at different residence times. The first step in the procedure was the collection and activation of the bacterial strains of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The bacteria were raised in a culture of 9K+ media supplied with adequate calculated amount of nutrients and were shaken continuously in a shaker cum incubator to fully activate them. The activity and fully active conditions were determined by Ferrous Iron and Total Iron estimations. Pulp densities of 2%, 5%, 10% and 20% were prepared. For each residence time, 5 conical flasks were allocated for testing samples at 0 hour, 5 days, 10 days and 15 day and a control flask were prepared. Then the samples were analyzed by an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer at Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar for the percentage of nickel extracted from each sample of residence time and different pulp densities. The pH was maintained at around 1.5-2 for each sample for the optimum activity of the bacteria. The data obtained was tabulated and the required graphs were drawn to get the final result. The graphs were plotted between percentage of nickel extracted vs. residence time at various pulp densities and nickel extracted vs. pulp densities at various residence times. From the graphs, it was observed that the maximum nickel extraction was observed for a pulp density of 2% at 15 days. The percentage of nickel extraction decreases with increase in pulp densities for a particular residence time. The percentage of nickel extracted increases with the increase in residence time for a particular pulp density. The percentage of nickel extracted also depends a lot on the type of ore used, modifications made on the ore as well as on the activity of the bacteria. Higher is the activity of the bacteria, more is the extraction of nickel.
During the second half of the year 2008, the world experienced the worst worldwide economic crisis in over 70 years. The effects deriving from this crisis can still be felt over most of the planet. Low or negative economic growth in developed nations and emerging economies, high levels of unemployment and millions of persons below the poverty line, are some of the starkest examples. In the Dominican Republic, the effects of this international crisis are manifested in the reduction in international trade, the drop in tourism and in remittances, and an economic growth rate lower than expected. In this regard, the Dominican Republic asked the World Bank to prepare nine policy notes which are presented in this volume. These notes focus on the following topics: 1) long run economic growth in the Dominican Republic; 2) ease of doing business; 3) logistics for competitiveness; 4) access to financial services with emphasis on financing for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); 5) the electricity sector; 6) climate change and the Dominican Republic, 7) the health sector, 8) territorial development, and 9) accountability and performance system. The policy notes presented here argue that an inclusive development is possible in the Dominican Republic. However, great challenges must be faced to meet this goal. From the analysis presented in this volume four challenges emerge which must be faced head-on in order to achieve sustainable and inclusive development.
P(St-MMA) spheres were synthesized in emulsifier-free system with solvothermal method.Silver nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of the copolymer spheres,then penicillin acylase was coupled on the spheres with covalent linkage.Effect of some factors,such as diameters of copolymer spheres,content of silver,ratio of enzyme to copolymer spheres,was studied.Results showed that coupled yield and activity of the immobilized enzyme increased with the decrease of diameter of spheres;silver nanoparticles could improve the coupled yield and activity of immobilized enzyme by 42% and 72% respectively,the maximum of activity of immobilized enzyme was up to 1869 u/g,which was better than the enzyme coupled on the polymer spheres;it was also confirmed that silver nanoparticles had no catalysis in the hydrolysis of penicillin G potassium salt,but could improve the catalysis of immobilized penicillin acylase greatly.
Security engineering and agile development are often perceived as a clash of cultures. To address this clash, several approaches have been proposed that allow for agile security engineering. Unfortunately, agile development organizations differ in their actual procedures and environmental properties resulting in varying requirements. The authors propose an approach to compare and select methods for agile security engineering. Furthermore, their approach addresses adaptation or construction of a tailored method taking the existing development culture into account. The authors demonstrate the feasibility of their proposal and report early experiences from its application within a small development organization for digital solutions in the automotive domain.
Elucidating the adaptive strategies and plasticity of bacterial genomes in situ is crucial for understanding the epidemiology and evolution of pathogens threatening human health. While much is known about the evolution of Escherichia coli in controlled laboratory environments, less effort has been made to elucidate the genome dynamics of E. coli in its native settings. Here, we follow the genome dynamics of co-existing E. coli lineages in situ of the infant gut during the first year of life. One E. coli lineage causes a urinary tract infection (UTI) and experiences several alterations of its genomic content during subsequent antibiotic treatment. Interestingly, all isolates of this uropathogenic E. coli strain carried a highly stable plasmid implicated in virulence of diverse pathogenic strains from all over the world. While virulence elements are certainly beneficial during infection scenarios, their role in gut colonization and pathogen persistence is poorly understood. We performed in vivo competitive fitness experiments to assess the role of this highly disseminated virulence plasmid in gut colonization, but found no evidence for a direct benefit of plasmid carriage. Through plasmid stability assays, we demonstrate that this plasmid is maintained in a parasitic manner, by strong first-line inheritance mechanisms, acting on the single-cell level, rather than providing a direct survival advantage in the gut. Investigating the ecology of endemic accessory genetic elements, in their pathogenic hosts and native environment, is of vital importance if we want to understand the evolution and persistence of highly virulent and drug resistant bacterial isolates.
Simple Summary The bean bug, Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) is a notorious pest of soybean crops in Asia. During the feeding process, the bug secretes a mixture of salivary components, which play critical roles in the insect–plant interactions. In the present study, a total of 136 salivary proteins were identified by transcriptomic and proteomic approaches. Among them, five proteins (RpSP10.3, RpSP13.4, RpSP13.8, RpSP17.8, and RpSP10.2) were capable of inducing cell death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, and hormone signal changes, indicating the potential roles of these proteins in eliciting plant defenses. Our results provide a good resource for future functional studies of bug salivary effectors and might be useful in pest management. Abstract The bean bug, Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius), is one of the most important soybean pests. It damages soybean leaves and pods with its piercing-sucking mouthparts, causing staygreen-like syndromes in the infested crops. During the feeding process, R. pedestris secretes a mixture of salivary proteins, which play critical roles in the insect–plant interactions and may be responsible for staygreen-like syndromes. The present study aimed to identify the major salivary proteins in R. pedestris saliva by transcriptomic and proteomic approaches, and to screen the proteins that potentially induced plant defense responses. Altogether, 136 salivary proteins were identified, and a majority of them were involved in hydrolase and binding. Additionally, R. pedestris saliva contained abundant bug-specific proteins with unknown function. Transient expression of salivary proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves identified that RpSP10.3, RpSP13.4, RpSP13.8, RpSP17.8, and RpSP10.2 were capable of inducing cell death, reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, and hormone signal changes, indicating the potential roles of these proteins in eliciting plant defenses. Our results will shed more light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the plant–insect interactions and are useful for pest management.
Ultrasound scanning is an efficient imaging modality preferred for quick medical procedures. However, due to the lack of skilled sonographers, researchers have developed many Robotic Ultrasound System (RUS) prototypes for various procedures. Most of these systems have a human-in-the-loop and require an expert to point the robot to the region of the subject to be scanned. Only a few systems try to incorporate some knowledge from the exterior shape of the subject for ultrasound scanning. Accurate 3D surface reconstruction of a patient's exterior can enable an RUS to perceive subjects more like a clinician would. It can help localize the subject for the robot while eliminating input from an expert. Ultrasound scanning trajectories can be better planned if the RUS first detects critical regions on the surface of the subject and corresponding curvatures. We use an RGB-D sensor to acquire point clouds representing the 3D surface of the subject, which in the present work is for a lower-torso leg phantom. A consolidated pipeline for creating an optimized 3D surface reconstruction of a subject is presented and is used to autonomously identify a region of interest for scanning femoral vessels with an ultrasound probe. To make our system more robust to inter-subject variations in shape and size, we incorporate a trajectory optimization module of the RUS-mounted RGB-D sensor. To this end, we introduce a comprehensive evaluation score to quantify the quality of point cloud reconstructions. The resulting improvements in 3D surface scanning and reconstruction enable near-automation in generating ultrasound scanning trajectories for femoral vessels. Our pipeline produces ultrasound images with an average ZNCC score of 0.86 and our 3D point cloud reconstructions are accurate up to le-5 m from a ground-truth high-resolution CT scan.
Introduction: Provision of chronic care constitutes a main aspect in international health care systems. According to data from the WHO, 46% of the world population are suffering from chronic diseases. By 2020, the number of those is expected to have increased to 60%. Care for the chronically ill in the German health care system has been characterized as deficient. Situations of over and under supply of care, or even lack of appropriate care indicate that there is still efficiency potential that must be leveraged. [1]. In this context, the coordination between different health care sectors (outpatient, inpatient, rehabilitative) and between different (medical) disciplines is a problem that has to be overcome. Preventive and rehabilitative measures are often disregarded and treatment is not based on the principles of evidence based medicine. The optimization of the care structures through managed care in order to eliminate existing deficits has become a common goal of relevant players within the health care system. The question concerning contents, outcomes and effectiveness of managed care programs is of high importance to improve care for the chronically ill. Aims: Analysis of possibilities and requirements for efficient managed care and identification of potential limits by means of an interdisciplinary research project. Results: A research project consisting of five work packages has been set up. Within a preparation phase, the two chronic diseases, Multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, have 13 th international Conference on Integrated Care, Berlin, Germany, April 11-12, 2013 2 International Journal of Integrated Care – Volume 13, 23 October – URN:NBN:NL:UI:10-1-114661– http://www.ijic.org/ been selected to be exemplarily analyzed, especially due to its strong need for interdisciplinary and intersectoral care. Work packages 1 and 2 constitute a systematic national and international literature review to identify deficits in the care of both diseases and to investigate evaluations regarding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of established care management programs. In addition, a standardized questionnaire has been sent to German statutory health insurances to identify the existence of care management programs and to analyze their contents and evaluations. Moreover, interviews about care deficits are conducted with representatives from e.g. patient organizations and associations of medical specialists. This national analysis is supplemented by an international situation review to identify managed care instruments regarding Multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease which address the identified care deficits. Based on the findings of work packages 1 and 2, scenarios for optimization the care of MS and dementia will be developed using the Delphi Method. The deduction of recommendations for action and the dissemination of the project results are subject of the fourth respectively the fifth work package. Conclusions: Currently, the project is still in process. First results of work package one have been identified care deficits for both diseases as being of structural nature. In this context, shortcomings, regarding diagnosis and therapy have been found. However, only a few manage care programs for MS and even less programs for dementia addressing these deficits do exist. Furthermore there is only a limited number of evaluations regarding the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the mentioned managed care programs.
During 1995, a state-of-the-art intermediate voltage electron microscope (IVEM) has been installed in the HVEM-Tandem Facility with in situ ion irradiation capabilities similar to those of the HVEM. A 300 kV Hitachi H-9000NAR has been interfaced to the two ion accelerators of the Facility, with a spatial resolution for imaging which is nearly an order of magnitude better than that for the 1.2 MV HVEM which dates from the early 1970s. The HVEM remains heavily utilized for electron- and ion irradiation-related materials studies, nevertheless, especially those for which less demanding microscopy is adequate. The capabilities and limitations of this IVEM and HVEM are compared. Both the HVEM and IVEM are part of the DOE funded User Facility and therefore are available to the scientific community for materials studies, free of charge for non-proprietary research.
The present paper reviews recent achievements in the fabrication of diode lasers for the near-infrared range on GaAs substrates. 1.3??m light emitters are currently widely used in fibre-optic communication systems. GaAs-based devices are potentially advantageous compared to their InGaAsP counterparts in several aspects, such as improvement of thermal stability, possibility to grow vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers in a single growth run and the use of large-area high-quality inexpensive GaAs substrates. Three main approaches have been suggested so far to achieve the 1.3??m emission from structures grown on GaAs substrates. They are InGaAs and GaAsSb quantum wells, GaInAsN quantum wells and InAs/GaAs quantum dots. In the present paper we discuss all these approaches including material growth, optical properties and laser characteristics. The results obtained by these methods are compared and their potential advantages discussed.
methods and aims' composing a rational discipline were not analogous to the organisms of a species or population, as Toulmin claimed they were in his [1972], p. 141, because while the organisms of a species or population had to be similar to one another in relevant respects the concepts, methods and aims of a rational discipline had all to be different from one another in their characteristic roles. This is the heart of the matter, and it is not affected by whether we conceive a species as a class or as the populational aggregate of the members of such a class. In the one case the individual organisms are instances of the species: in the other they compose i t But in both cases they must essentially be similar to one another in relevant respects. Hull points out that 'queens, drones and neuter workers in some species of social insects differ from each other as much as do the concepts of proton, electron and neutron in atomic theory'. But in such a species there are very many individual queens, very many individual drones, and very many neuter workers; whereas in any one version of atomic theory, if unequivocally expounded, there is only one concept of a proton, only one concept of an electron, and only one concept of a neutron. In order to rescue Toulmin's analogy here Hull would have to suppose the existence of a polymorphic species in which there was, essentially, only one specimen of each variety of each morph. Perhaps a biological species sometimes becomes like that But it does so only in the last stages of extinction. A species as a whole, with its self-reproduction over time, is essentially composed of more than one specimen for each persisting variety of its morphs or types, and the unity of a biological species certainly requires the organisms that are the specimens of any one morph or type to be similar to one another in all relevant respects from one generation to the next.
OBJECTIVES Very early-life conditions are recognised as critical for healthy brain development. This study assesses early life risk factors for developing dementia. In absence of historical medical birth records, we leverage an alternative full population approach using demographic characteristics obtained from administrative data to derive proxy indicators for birth complications and unfavourable birth outcomes. We utilise proxy variables to investigate the impact of early-life risk factors on dementia risk.   METHODS We use administrative individual-level data for full cohorts born 1932-1950 in Sweden with multi-generational linkages. Records on hospitalisation and mortality are used to identify dementia cases. We derive three birth risk factors based on demographic characteristics: advanced maternal age, narrow sibling spacing, and twin births, and apply survival analysis to evaluate long-term effects on dementia risk. We control for confounding using multiple SES indicators, including parental surnames, and by implementing a sibling design. As comparison exposure we add low education from 1970 Census.   RESULTS The presence of at least one birth risk factor increases dementia risk (HR = 1.059.; 95% CI: [1.034,1.085]). The occurrence of twin birth poses a particularly heightened risk. (HR=1.166; 95% CI: [1.084,1.255]).   DISCUSSION Improvements to the very early life environment hold signiﬁcant potential to mitigate dementia risk. A comparison to the inﬂuence of low education on dementia (largest known modiﬁable risk factor) suggests that demographic birth characteristics are of relevant effect sizes. Our ﬁndings underscore the relevance of providing assistance for births experiencing complications and adverse health outcomes to reduce dementia cases.
With Candida spec. H during phosphate starvation the changes occurring in the macromolecular cell composition and growth parameters were studied. In the absence of exogenous phosphate, but in the presence of carbon source (n-alkanes or glucose) and nitrogen source, the cells exponentially grow some time, whereas cell composition undergoes several changes. Both the nucleic acid and protein levels of the yeasts decreased. At the same time lipids were accumulated, especially with n-alkanes as carbon source. The carbohydrate content increased only slight, although the carbon source was in excess. The results were discussed.
Subterranean rodents of the genus Ctenomys are widespread in open habitats; the collared tuco‐tuco, C. torquatus, has a wide range crossed by large water‐courses. Based on a phylogeographical approach to investigate the riverine barrier hypothesis, we evaluated the strength of a river as a barrier and characterized the effect of large rivers in structuring distinct populations of the collared tuco‐tuco.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is evolving with the connected objects at an unprecedented rate, bringing about enormous opportunities for the future IoT applications as well as challenges. One of the major challenges is to handle the complexity generated by the interconnection of billions of objects. However, Social Internet of Things (SIoT), emerging from the conglomeration of IoT and social networks, has realized an efficient way to facilitate the development of complex future IoT applications. Nevertheless, to fully utilize the benefits of SIoT, a platform that can provide efficient services using social relations among heterogeneous objects is highly required. The web objects enabled IoT environment promotes SIoT features by enabling virtualization using virtual objects and supporting the modularity with microservices. To realize SIoT services, this article proposes an architecture that provides a foundation for the development of lightweight microservices based on socially connected web objects. To efficiently discover web objects and reduce the complexity of service provisioning processes, a social relationship model is presented. To realize the interoperable service operations, a semantic ontology model has been developed. Finally, to evaluate the proposed design, a prototype has been implemented based on a use case scenario.
The history of the Salt River Valley is often characterized as a boomtown narrative that highlights the exploding Anglo population and rapid suburban sprawl that followed World War II. Frequently overlooked is the fundamental role that Mexicans played in the early suburbanization process through the formation of urban colonias, or suburban Mexican settlements. Early Mexican suburbs, despite their rural atmosphere, were connected to the pre–World War II urbanization process in the Salt River Valley. Our research seeks to amend and clarify the urban historical record by documenting the diverse and dispersed array of Mexican suburban settlements, a process generated by industrial agriculture, decentralization, and residential segregation.
In the heavy fermion material, $ mathrm{URu_{2}Si_{2}}$ the identity of the order parameter in an enigmatic phase, known as the hidden order (HO) phase, is not known despite a quarter of a century of its existence. Buried deep inside this phase lies a much less explored unconventional superconducting state that is of our central interest here. First, we identify a mixed singlet-triplet density wave (st-DDW) to be the hidden order state. It has no net charge or spin modulations and does not break time reversal symmetry (TRS). It does have topological order with quantized spin Hall effect. Thus, it is naturally impervious to common experimental probes and is an excellent candidate for HO. We then construct, including st-DDW, a global phase diagram in which there is a deconfined quantum critical point, which is ultimately responsible for the basic mechanism of superconductivity. We argue that the skyrmionic spin texture in st-DDW ultimately fractionalizes into fermonic merons and anti-merons, which results in two copies of unconventional chiral d-wave BCS superconductors, consistent with experiments. The superconducting state breaks TRS, which can be directly detected by polar Kerr effect (PKE) measurements. in contrast HO, identified as st-DDW, should not exhibit PKE except perhaps for magnetic impurities. Direct determination of st-DDW is also possible through two-magnon Raman scattering, nuclear quadrupolar resonance, or the skyrmions themselves. In a more general context, our work reflects the rich possibilities of emergent behavior in condensed matter systems.
Introduction: The residual hip deformities after Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) cause mechanical symptoms and are associated with a pathomechanical environment that can feature femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiological outcomes in residual or healed LCPD after arthroscopic treatment. Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with LCPD amongst patients with FAI who underwent arthroscopic treatment between January 2009 and June 2013. We determined LCPD through 3-dimensional computed tomographic scans and simple radiography of the hip joint. The clinical outcomes were rated using a visual analogue scale pain score (VAS), the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) and hip range of motion (ROM) preoperatively and at the 2-year follow-up. All radiographs were assessed using the Tönnis classification system preoperatively and at the final follow-up of each patient. There were 23 patients (14 men, 9 women) with mean age 26.4 (range, 16-49) years undergoing arthroscopic treatment for FAI symptoms because of residual or healed LCPD. Results: At the 2-year follow-up, the mean VAS had improved significantly from 6.7 to 2.1, the mean mHHS had improved significantly from 62.6 to 87.4, and hip flexion and external rotation had improved significantly from 88.7° to 106.5° and from 20.4° to 33.5°, respectively (all p<0.001). The Tönnis osteoarthritis grade had not changed in any patient at the latest follow-up. Conclusions: Arthroscopic treatment for sequelae of LCPD relieved symptoms and improved range of motion, making arthroscopic treatment a good option for the sequelae of LCPD.
We have investigated the hormonal and hypothalamic neuropeptidergic substrates of dehydration-associated anorexia. In situhybridization and hormone analyses of anorexic and paired food-restricted rats revealed two distinct profiles. First, both groups had the characteristic gene expression and endocrine signatures usually associated with starvation: increased neuropeptide Y and decreased proopiomelanocortin and neurotensin mRNAs in the arcuate nucleus (ARH); increased circulating glucocorticoid but reduced leptin and insulin. Dehydrated animals are strongly anorexic despite these attributes, showing that the output of leptin- and insulin-sensitive ARH neurons that ordinarily stimulate eating must be inhibited. The second pattern occurred only in anorexic animals and had two components: (1) reduced corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA in the neuroendocrine paraventricular nucleus (PVH) and (2) increased CRH and neurotensin mRNAs in the lateral hypothalamic (LHA) and retrochiasmatic areas. However, neither corticosterone nor suppressed PVH CRH gene expression is required for anorexia after dehydration because PVH CRH mRNA in dehydrated adrenalectomized animals is unchanged from euhydrated adrenalectomized controls. We also showed that LHA CRH mRNA was strongly correlated with the intensity of anorexia, increased LHA CRH gene expression preceded the onset of anorexia, and dehydrated adrenalectomized animals (which also develop anorexia) had elevated LHA CRH gene expression with a distribution pattern similar to intact animals. Finally, we identified specific efferents from the CRH-containing region of the LHA to the PVH, thereby providing a neuroanatomical framework for the integration by the PVH of neuropeptidergic signals from the ARH and the LHA. Together, these observations suggest that CRH and neurotensin neurons in the LHA constitute a novel anatomical substrate for their well known anorexic effects.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition that affects millions of individuals, encompasses two distinct conditions: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). CD is an inflammatory condition affecting any part of the digestive tract between the mouth and anus, but, most commonly, the ileum and colon. It is distinguished by the presence of granulomas in the mucosal tissue and patchy areas of transmural inflammation. UC is restricted to the colon and is manifest as continuous inflammation starting from the rectum and extending back towards the cecum. Inflammation in UC is primarily restricted to mucosal layers. Research is ongoing to understand the causality of these two diseases, and advances in understanding of their pathology have resulted from the variety of mouse models of IBD that have emerged since the early 1990s. Described in this unit are contemporary mouse models of these conditions and examples of their use in drug discovery. Curr. Protoc. Pharmacol. 47:5.57.1‐5.57.19. © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Novel biodegradable injectable poly(ethylene glycol)-(PEG) based macromers were synthesized by reacting low-molecular weight PEG (MW: 200) and dicarboxylic acids such as sebacic acid or terephthalic acid. Chemical structures of the resulting polymers were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy characterizations. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that these polymers were completely amorphous above room temperature. After photopolymerization, dynamic elastic shear modulus of the crosslinked polymers was up to 1.5 MPa and compressive modulus was up to 2.2 MPa depending on the polymer composition. The in vitro degradation study showed that mass losses of these polymers were gradually decreased over 23 weeks of period in simulated body fluid. By incorporating up to 30 wt % of 2-hydroxyethyl methylmethacrylate (HEMA) into the crosslinking network, the dynamic elastic modulus and compressive modulus was significantly increased up to 7.2 and 3.2 MPa, respectively. HEMA incorporation also accelerated the degradation as indicated by substantially higher mass loss of up to 27% after 20 weeks of incubation. Cytocompatability studies using osteoblasts and neural cells revealed that cell metabolic activity on these polymers with or without HEMA was close to the control tissue culture polystyrene. The PEG-based macromers developed in this study may be useful as scaffolds or cell carriers for tissue engineering applications.
In hazardous materials transportation systems, accident causation analysis is important to transportation safety. Complex network theory can be effectively used to understand the causal factors of and their relationships within accidents. In this paper, a higher-order network method is proposed to establish a hazardous materials transportation accident causation network (HMTACN), which considers the sequences and dependences of causal factors. The HMTACN is composed of 125 first- and 118 higher-order nodes that represent causes, and 545 directed edges that denote complex relationships among causes. By analyzing topological properties, the results show that the HMTACN has the characteristics of small-world networks and displays the properties of scale-free networks. Additionally, critical causal factors and key relationships of the HMTACN are discovered. Moreover, unsafe tank or valve states are important causal factors; and leakage, roll-over, collision, and fire are most likely to trigger chain reactions. Important higher-order nodes are discovered, which can represent key relationships in the HMTACN. For example, unsafe distance and improper operation usually lead to collision and roll-over. These results of higher-order nodes cannot be found by the traditional Markov network model. This study provides a practical way to extract and construct an accident causation network from numerous accident investigation reports. It also provides insights into safety management of hazardous materials transportation.
INTRODUCTION Although several centers have "Direct to OR" (DOR) resuscitation programs, there are no published prospective studies on optimal patient selection, interventions, outcomes, or real-time surgeon assessments.   METHODS DOR cases over 1 year were prospectively enrolled. Demographics, injury types/severity, triage criteria, interventions, and outcomes including Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) were collected. Detailed time-to-event and sequence data on initial lifesaving interventions (LSI) or emergent surgeries (ES) were analyzed. A structured real-time attending surgeon assessment tool (SAT) for each case was collected. DOR activation criteria were grouped into categories: mechanism, physiology, injury pattern, or EMS suspicion.   RESULTS There were 104 DOR cases; 84% male, 80% penetrating, and 39% severely injured (ISS>15). The majority (65%) required at least one LSI (median of 7 mins from arrival), and 41% underwent immediate emergent surgery (median 26 mins). Blunt patients were more severely injured, more likely to undergo LSI (86% vs 59%), but less likely to require ES (19% vs 47%, all p<0.05). Analysis of DOR criteria categories showed unique patterns in each group for interventions and outcomes (Figure), with EMS suspicion associated with the lowest need for DOR. SAT results found DOR was indicated in 84% and improved care in 63%, with a small subset identified (9%) where DOR had a negative impact.   CONCULSION DOR resuscitation facilitated timely emergent interventions in penetrating truncal trauma and a select subset of critically ill blunt patients. Unique intervention/outcome profiles were identified by activation criteria groups, with little utility among activations for EMS suspicion. Real-time SAT identified high and low yield DOR groups.   LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III, prospective observational study.
A 1-/spl phi/ high-frequency transformer isolated AC-to-DC controlled rectifier with low line current harmonic distortion using a variable frequency controlled hybrid parallel-series resonant converter bridge is proposed. Operation with and without active line current waveshaping is presented. A state space analysis method is used to get various design curves and to predict theoretically the waveforms and line current harmonic distortion. By exercising active current control, power factor close to unity with low line current distortion is maintained for the entire range of operation in addition to zero voltage switching and reduced peak current stresses compared to parallel resonant converter. Simulation results obtained from the state space model, SPICE3 (without active control) and experimental results (rated at 150 W with and without active control) are given to verify the operation of the AC-to-DC converter.
The muroid rodents are the largest superfamily of mammals, containing nearly one third of all mammal species. We report on a phylogenetic study comprising 53 genera sequenced for four nuclear genes, GHR, BRCA1, RAG1, and c-myc, totaling up to 6400 nucleotides. Most relationships among the subfamilies are resolved. All four genes yield nearly identical phylogenies, differing only in five key regions, four of which may represent particularly rapid radiations. Support is very strong for a fundamental division of the mole rats of the subfamilies Spalacinae and Rhizomyinae from all other muroids. Among the other "core" muroids, a rapid radiation led to at least four distinct lineages: Asian Calomyscus, an African clade of at least four endemic subfamilies, including the diverse Nesomyinae of Madagascar, a hamster clade with maximum diversity in the New World, and an Old World clade including gerbils and the diverse Old World mice and rats (Murinae). The Deomyinae, recently removed from the Murinae, is well supported as the sister group to the gerbils (Gerbillinae). Four key regions appear to represent rapid radiations and, despite a large amount of sequence data, remain poorly resolved: the base of the "core" muroids, among the five cricetid (hamster) subfamilies, within a large clade of Sigmodontinae endemic to South America, and among major geographic lineages of Old World Murinae. Because of the detailed taxon sampling within the Murinae, we are able to refine the fossil calibration of a rate-smoothed molecular clock and apply this clock to date key events in muroid evolution. We calculate rate differences among the gene regions and relate those differences to relative contribution of each gene to the support for various nodes. The among-gene variance in support is greatest for the shortest branches. We present a revised classification for this largest but most unsettled mammalian superfamily.
Biliary transport of rat immunoglobulin was studied by perfusion of isolated rat liver with blood containing radiolabeled immunoglobulin. Transport to bile was selective for polymeric IgA. Between 15 and 27% of polymeric IgA was transported from blood to bile during a 210-min perfusion period, and approximately 60% of the IgA transported to bile bore secretory component. Small quantities of IgM (0.12%) were transported; transport of IgG2 alpha, IgE, or monomeric IgA was not detected. Purification of radiolabeled polymeric IgA by affinity chromatography on human secretory component-Sepharose yielded a fraction that was transported more efficiently (i.e., up to 40% transported). In contrast, secretory IgA (colostral or biliary) was transported 1/25th to 1/12th as well as polymeric IgA myeloma protein. Complexes of 125I-labeled secretory component and polymeric IgA formed in vitro were transported poorly (0.1%) compared to polymeric IgA (26%). It was concluded that biliary transport of polymeric IgA requires combination of it with secretory component in the liver. In support of this hypothesis, rabbit IgG anti-rat secretory component antibodies were also transported to bile but normal rabbit IgG was not.
Ecosystem services are diverse, and ecosystem modeling requires data from various sources and outputs from other models. To facilitate the data management sharing and accessing in the interdisciplinary ecosystem modeling, we brought forward a distributed architecture, and address the interoperability problems with OGC standards. The paper introduces the database and metadata schema we designed to support data management and processing inside dataset. We developed two Web systems to facilitate both modeling systems and modelers on data discovering and accessing.
The Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling of 2-nitrodiazonium tetrafluoroborate salts with substituted boronic acids is an effective and efficient means of preparing highly functionalized 2-nitrobiphenyls in modest to excellent yield under extremely mild reaction conditions. Cross-coupling of 2-nitrodiazonium tetrafluoroborate salts with ortho-methoxy- and benzyloxyphenylboronic acids was also demonstrated leading to the ortho-ortho-2-nitrobiphenyls. Reductive cyclization of the 2-nitrobiphenyl products allows for the overall three-step synthesis of uniquely substituted carbazoles from readily available 2-nitro-anilines. The methodology was further highlighted by the short total synthesis of the carbazole alkaloids clausine V, N, C, and glycoborine.
Data collection involving human-human handover has provided enormous leaps in driving human-robot interaction research. However, all existing datasets lack information on giver and receiver preferences in handover interactions. Most previous studies have relied on small-scale human participant experiments involving a limited range of objects, where participants are often expected to share similar handover attitudes. Nevertheless, in real-world scenarios with diverse objects, it is likely that giver and receiver preferences will not always align. In this paper, we present a large-scale study of human-human handover behavior involving 96 participant dyads derived from 32 participants in total and 204 objects. Each dyad consists of 2 participants engaging in handovers, where after a giver-initiated handover, participants provide comfort ratings and binary responses indicating whether they agreed on the handover location. We also ask the receiver to demonstrate their preferred handover to gain detailed information on object pose at the handoff point. Our study captures 4-viewpoint RGB-D recordings of both giver-initiated forward handover and receiver-initiated demonstration handover. Using the collected data, we evaluate how the subjective ratings provided by participants correlate with objective measures of alignment of object orientation at handoff.
The Cu-Nb micro-composite wires are used as the conductors for the pulsed magnet above 80 T at the Wuhan National High Magnetic Field Center (WHMFC). The fatigue properties of the Cu-Nb wires carried out with uniaxial tensile test, uniaxial high-cycle fatigue test and four-point bend test at room temperature are studied. The tensile test indicates that a higher loading rate can enhance the hardening rate of the Cu-Nb wire especially at the initial stage of the plastic deformation, leading to a 4% increment of the tensile strength from the lowest strain rate level to the highest one. The four-point bend test reveals that the ratcheting strain occurs in every cycle after plastic deformation commences, which is believed to be one of the most important factors for fatigue life. Moreover, the ratcheting strain stabilizes after about ten cycles with the stable strain increases as the cyclic load levels up. The result of the uniaxial high-cycle fatigue test is found to be a circumstantial evidence for the effect of the ratcheting strain by illustrating that a higher stress amplitude undermines the fatigue life of Cu-Nb wire at the same maximum stress level.
Purpose: To document the factors that are increasing the tension between nurse practitioner (NP) educational programs and the clinical training sites needed for NP students. Data sources: Literature and the faculty experiences garnered over years of placing NP students for clinical training. Conclusions: Several conditions converge to create a situation where sites are increasingly reluctant to precept NP students. The underlying dynamics are diverse and include factors related to the electronic health record, productivity expectations, and the increasing demand for sites as a result of increasing NP enrollments and competing healthcare provider programs. Implications for practice: The nursing community should approach this issue strategically and devise an action and policy agenda to support NP training, including federal monies to support NP training in a design that parallels the Graduate Medical Education; recognition of NPs as licensed professionals in advanced training; and identification of meaningful incentives for NP preceptors.
This paper considers some of the consequences of the relaxation of symmetries found in conventional spin-glass models but not generally in the wider class of disordered and frustrated systems. Potts, quadrupolar and clock models are discussed explicitly, illustrating new features and suggesting more puzzles for future investigation. There has been much development and activity in the subject area of spin glasses since the early appreciation of the potential interest of magnetic systems with quenched random mixtures of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic bonds 0 4 ) and the prediction of
Well-constructed porous materials take an essential role in a wide range of applications, including energy conversion and storage systems, electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and sensing. Although the tailored design of various nanoarchitectures has made substantial progress, simpler preparation methods are compelled to meet large-scale production requirements. Recently, advanced electrochemical deposition techniques have had a significant impact in terms of precise control upon the nanoporous architecture (i.e., pore size, surface area, pore structure, etc.), enabling access to a wide range of compositions. In this Account, we showcase the uniqueness of electrochemical deposition techniques, detail their implementation toward the synthesis of novel nanoporous metals, and finally outline the future research directions. Nanoporous metallic structures are attractive in that they can provide high surface area and large pore volume, easing mass transport of reactants and providing high accessibility to catalytically active metal surface. The great merit of the electrochemical deposition approach does not only lie in its versatility, being applicable to a wide range of compositions, but also in the nanoscale precision it affords when it comes to crystal growth control, which cannot be easily achieved by other bottom-up or top-down approaches. In this Account, we describe the significant progress made in the field of nanoporous metal designed through electrochemical deposition approaches using hard templates (i.e., porous silica, 3D templates of polymer and silica colloids) and soft templates (i.e., lyotropic liquid crystals, polymeric micelles). In addition, we will point out how it accounts for precise control over the crystal growth and describe the unique physical and chemical properties emerging from these novel materials. Up to date, our group has reported the synthesis of several nanoporous metals and alloys (e.g., Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Pt, Au, and their corresponding alloys) under various conditions through electrochemical deposition, while investigating their various potential applications. The orientation of the channel structure, the composition, and the nanoporosity can be easily controlled by selecting the appropriate surfactants or block copolymers. The inherent properties of the final product, such as framework crystallinity, catalytic activity, and resistance to oxidation, are depending on both the composition and pore structure, which in turn require suitable electrochemical conditions. This Account is divided into three main sections: (i) a history of electrochemical deposition using hard and soft templates, (ii) a description of the important mechanisms involved in the preparation of nanoporous materials, and (iii) a conclusion and future perspectives. We believe that this Account will promote a deeper understanding of the synthesis of nanoporous metals using electrochemical deposition methods, thus enabling new pathways to control nanoporous architectures and optimize their performance toward promising applications such as catalysis, energy storage, sensors, and so forth.
A new static power clamp circuit integrated with input ESD protection is proposed in this paper. By skillfully incorporating traditional input ESD protection, the proposed circuit replaces the protection resistor by the active switch and merging the signal control circuit into trigger circuit of static power clamp. The proposed circuit is a whole-chip ESD protection scheme that has a low leakage and the excellent ESD performance.
Advances in endovascular technology have enabled the development of complex techniques for the treatment of vascular conditions. Not surprisingly, the modern vascular surgeon will likely encounter unusual complications and will need to formulate plans for their management. In the current case report, the vascular surgery service was consulted to assist in the management of a retained embolization coil in the carotid artery. Relevant aspects of detachable coils are discussed and the successful management of this potentially hazardous complication is described.
Abstract Discontinuous and kinematically unrelated C-S fabrics have been recognized along the contact between the Gemeric and Veporic Units in the Western Carpathians. The formation of S and C fabrics within orthogneiss, quartzite and chloritoid-kyanite schist of the Veporic Unit is associated with Cretaceous syn-burial orogen-parallel flow and subsequent exhumational unroofing. The formation of the two fabrics characterized by distinct quartz deformation microstructure and metamorphic assemblage is separated by an inter-tectonic growth of transversal chloritoid-, kyanite-, ± monazite-bearing assemblage. The monazite U-Th-Pb concordia age of 97 ± 4 Ma was obtained by the laser ablation ICP-MS dating method. The age of this inter-tectonic metamorphic stage together with existing 40Ar/39Ar ages on exhumation of the Veporic Unit indicate that despite the similar appearance to shear bands or C-S mylonites there is a time span of at least 10 Myr between the formation of homogeneous S fabrics and superposed discrete C fabrics in the studied rocks
We introduce dynamic correlated topic models (DCTM) for analyzing discrete data over time. This model is inspired by the hierarchical Gaussian process latent variable models (GP-LVM). DCTM is essentially a non-linear dimension reduction technique which is capable of (1) detecting topic evolution within a document corpus, (2) discovering topic correlations between document corpora, and (3) monitoring topic and correlation trends dynamically. Unlike generative aspect models such like LDA, DCTM demonstrates a much faster converging rate with better model fitting to the data. We empirically assess our approach using 268,231 scientific documents, from the year 1988 to 2005. Posterior inferences suggest that DCTM is useful for capturing topic and correlation dynamics, as well as predicting their trends.
A novel human zinc metalloprotease that has considerable homology to human angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) (40% identity and 61% similarity) has been identified. This metalloprotease (angiotensin-converting enzyme homolog (ACEH)) contains a single HEXXH zinc-binding domain and conserves other critical residues typical of the ACE family. The predicted protein sequence consists of 805 amino acids, including a potential 17-amino acid N-terminal signal peptide sequence and a putative C-terminal membrane anchor. Expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells of a soluble, truncated form of ACEH, lacking the transmembrane and cytosolic domains, produces a glycoprotein of 120 kDa, which is able to cleave angiotensin I and angiotensin II but not bradykinin or Hip-His-Leu. In the hydrolysis of the angiotensins, ACEH functions exclusively as a carboxypeptidase. ACEH activity is inhibited by EDTA but not by classical ACE inhibitors such as captopril, lisinopril, or enalaprilat. Identification of the genomic sequence of ACEH has shown that the ACEH gene contains 18 exons, of which several have considerable size similarity with the first 17 exons of human ACE. The gene maps to chromosomal location Xp22. Northern blotting analysis has shown that the ACEH mRNA transcript is ∼3.4 kilobase pairs and is most highly expressed in testis, kidney, and heart. This is the first report of a mammalian homolog of ACE and has implications for our understanding of cardiovascular and renal function.
In this paper, we investigate the numerical identifications of physical parameters in parabolic initial-boundary value problems. The identifying problem is first formulated as a constrained minimization one using the output least squares approach with the -regularization or BV-regularization. Then a simple finite element method is used to approximate the constrained minimization problem and the convergence of the approximation is shown for both regularizations. The discrete constrained problem can be reduced to a sequence of unconstrained minimization problems. Numerical experiments are presented to show the efficiency of the proposed method, even for identifying highly discontinuous and oscillating parameters.
Background: Persons with dementia are at risk of a missing incident, which is defined as an instance in which a demented person’s whereabouts are unknown to the caregiver and the individual is not in an expected location. Since it is critical to determine the missing person’s location as quickly as possible, we evaluated whether commercially available tracking technologies can assist in a rapid recovery. Methods: This study examined 7 commercially available tracking devices: 3 radio frequency (RF) based and 4 global positioning system (GPS) based, employing realistic tracking scenarios. Outcome measures were time to discovery and degree of deviation from a straight intercept course. Results/Conclusion: Across all scenarios tested, GPS devices were found to be approximately twice as efficient as the RF devices in locating a “missing person.” While the RF devices showed reasonable performance at close proximity, the GPS devices were found to be more appropriate overall for tracking/locating missing persons over unknown and larger distances.
That regional interconnections can benefit interconnected grids is accepted by the decision makers owing to optimal utilization of resources, diversity of load patterns, increased security and improved system performance. However, there are "opportunities and threats" depending on how commercial, operational and security issues are tackled. The threats stem from potential seaming problems in the integration and lack of adequate defense mechanisms. In India, five large sized regional grids operate and these are interconnected either synchronously or asynchronously. The operating strategies for interconnections have evolved through trial operations on exiting system which are covered in this paper. The paper overviews the salient features of all the regional interconnections in India. The commercial mechanism, availability based tariff (ABT), adopted by India has facilitated seamless integration on commercial front to a good extent as described in this paper. ABT links part of tariff with a universally available signal of system frequency. From experience gained over last few years, the operational and security issues have been discussed. With open access in operation, the interconnecting corridors have to play a significant role in the operation of the interconnected system. The need for evolving standards for the integrated operation became evident from the experience. The guiding principles for such standardization are also reported in this paper.
The purpose of a company is to maximize company value, which is synonymous to increasing the shareholders’ wealth. There are some variables that could determine company value such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), diversification of business, and company size. This study examines the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR), diversification of business, and size of the company upon the value of manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX). The research population is all manufacturing companies listed on IDX within the period 2011-2014. Based on some purposive sampling criteria, 110 company-year observations were chosen as the sample for this study. This study used a regression model, which found that CSR had an insignificant effect in influencing campany value. Diversification, as measured in the Herfindahl index by sales, had a positive and significant effect on company value, but the number of business segments had an insignificant impact upon company value. Finally, company size, which was measured by the number of assets, insignificantly affected company value while the market value of equity positively and significantly influenced company value. This implied that investors trust market value more than historical data. This is because market measurements such as the market value of equity could reflect a company’s prospects in the future while accounting-based measures only provide historical data on the company. Additionally, the government should allow companies to grow in size and to diversify into related businesses. Type of Paper: Empirical
DSIP and its fourteen analogs as well as three short peptides were synthesized by solid phase method. The design of the analogs was based on the consideration of the introduction of D-amino acid into the molecules to inhibit the enzymatic hydrolysis and the introduction of amino acids with a hydrophobic side chain. The modification was placed on the position of 1, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 9, e.g. D- Trp1, Tyr1, Tyr1 Phe5, D-Trp1 Phe8, Trp3,4, D-Trp1,3,4 Phe8, D-Trp3,4 Phe8D-Glu9, D-pF-Phe3,4 Phe8D-Glu9, Phe5, Glu5 Asp9, Tyr6 Asp9, Asp9 and Ala7-DSIP as well as Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp, Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Glu and Trp-Gly-Glu. DSIP and Phe5-DSIP were also prepared by pentafluorophenyl ester method. The purity of the synthetic peptides was checked by amino acid analysis, elemental analysis, thin layer chromatography and paper electrophoresis. The biological assay showed that the analogs of D-Trp1, Tyr1, Tyr1 Phe5 and Ala7-DSIP as well as three short peptides were inactive whereas Phe5-DSIP showed similar activity as that of synthetic DSIP.
Combined x-ray diffraction and reflectivity experiments have been performed on free-standing trapezoidal GaAs/InGaAs quantum wires using a conventional x-ray tube. Interpreting the intensity distribution around (004) by curve simulation of the extracted coherent grating truncation rods on the basis of a semikinematical diffraction theory (DWBA) the shape and geometric parameters as well as the strain within the wires could be determined taking the results of a finite element calculation of the atomic displacements into account. The map of the coplanar x-ray reflectivity around (000), as well as the intensity profiles of the coherent grating truncation rods, located equidistantly around the specularly reflected beam, have been recorded in order to estimate the roughness properties of the sample interfaces as well as the wire shape and layer set-up without the influence of strain. All small-angle as well as wide-angle scattering experimental results went in to the mutually consistent estimate of the sample properties. The experiments performed for a conventional x-ray tube supply a parameter set comparable in completeness and precision to that obtained from similar samples by interpreting synchrotron experiments.
Background: The NCCN clinical guidelines recommended core needle biopsy for breast lesions classified as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 4, while category 4A lesions are only 2-10% likely to be malignant. Thus, a large number of biopsies of BI-RADS 4A lesions were ultimately determined to be benign, and those unnecessary biopsies may incur additional costs and pains. However, it is important to emphasize that the current risk prediction model focuses primarily on the details and complex risk features of US or MG findings, which may be difficult to apply in order to benefit from the model. To stratify and manage BI-RADS 4A lesions effectively and efficiently, a more effective and practical predictive model must be developed. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 465 patients with BI-RADS ultrasonography (US) category 4A lesions, diagnosed between January 2019 and July 2019 in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital and National Clinical Research Center for Cancer. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify risk factors. To stratify and predict the malignancy of BI-RADS 4A lesions, a nomogram combining the risk factors was constructed based on the multivariate logistic regression results. In order to determine the predictive performance of our predictive model, we used the concordance index (C-index), calibration curve, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and the decision curve analysis (DCA) to assess the clinical benefits. Results: Based on our analysis, 16.3% (76 out of 465) of patients were pathologically diagnosed with malignant lesions, while 83.6% (389 out of 465) were diagnosed with benign lesions. According to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (OR = 3.414, 95%CI:1.849-6.303), nipple discharge (OR = .326, 95%CI:0.157-.835), palpable lesions (OR = 1.907, 95%CI:1.004-3.621), uncircumscribed margin (US) (OR = 1.732, 95%CI:1.033-2.905), calcification (mammography, MG) (OR = 2.384, 95%CI:1.366-4.161), BI-RADS(MG) (OR = 5.345, 95%CI:2.934-9.736) were incorporated into the predictive nomogram (C-index = .773). There was good agreement between the predicted risk and the observed probability of recurrence. Furthermore, we determined that 153 was the best cutoff score for distinguishing between patients in the low- and high-risk groups. Malignant lesions were significantly more prevalent in high-risk patients than in low-risk patients. Conclusion: Based on clinical, US, and MG features, we present a predictive nomogram to reliably predict the malignancy risk of BI-RADS(US) 4A lesions, which may assist clinicians in the selection of patients at low risk of malignancy and reduce the number of false-positive biopsies.
An analytical method for the residue of sethoxydim [(±)2-(1-ethoxyiminobutyl)-5-[2-(ethylthio) propyl]-3-hydroxycyclohex-2-enone, STM] in crops was established using high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). A chopped sample was extracted with 50% aqueous methanol (including 5% Na2S2O3) and STM was transferred to n-hexane. After extracting with 0.1N NaOH, the extract was acidified by HCl. STM in the acidic solution was extracted with dichloromethane. After concentrating to a certain volume, the solution (10μl) was injected into HPLC. HPLC analysis was carried out on a Zorbax SIL column with a 0.5%MeOH/CH2Cl2 elution and with a UV detection of 254nm. The lowest detection limit was 0.02ppm and the recovery was 79.3-83.6%. No STM residue was detected in any crops examined, indicating that the STM was rapidly degraded to metabolites.
ObjectiveTo assess the level of circulation of DENV, CHIKV, ZIKV, MAYV in French Guiana.IntroductionArboviral infections have become a significant public health problem with the emergence and re-emergence of arboviral diseases worldwide in recent decades [1-6]. Given the increasing number of cases, geographic spread, but also health, social and economic impact of arboviral outbreaks, estimating their true burden represents a crucial issue but remains a difficult task [7-10].In French Guiana, the epidemiology of arboviral diseases has been marked by the occurrence several major dengue fever (DENV) outbreaks over the past few decades, recent emergences of Chikungunya (CHKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) and the circulation of Mayaro virus (MAYV) [11-14].MethodsTo assess antibody seroprevalence against DENV, CHIKV, ZIKV, MAYV a random 2-stage household cross-sectional survey was conducted among the general population. We enrolled 2,697 individuals aged 1-87 years from June 1 to 12 October 2017. We performed detection of DENV, CHIKV, ZIKV, MAYV IgG antibodies on collected blood samples using a microsphere immunoassay (MIA). Socio-economic data, environmental variables and exposure to mosquitoes, perceptions of the illness and risk of contracting arboviral infections were collected using a standardized questionnaire administrated to all individuals included in the survey. Cross-reactivity between same families of viruses was taking into account using seroneutralisation and modeling approaches.ResultsOverall seroprevalence rates for antibodes against DENV were 69.5% [66.4%-72.5%] and differed significantly according to age and geographical area. Seroprevalence rates of CHIKV, ZIKV and MAYV antibodies were respectively 19.3% [16.5%-22.5%], 23.1% [19.5%-27.2%] and 9.6% [8.1%-11.3%] and did not differed significantly according to gender or age.The distribution of seroprevalence rates for CHIKV, ZIKV antibodies differed from extrapolations obtained from routine surveillance systems and brings valuable information to assess the epidemic risk of future outbreaks. MAYV has been circulating in the southern part of FG, at levels that appear to be substantially higher than those estimated from epidemiological and virological surveillance.ConclusionsSerological surveys provide the most direct measurement for defining the immunity landscape for infectious diseases, but the methodology remains difficult to implement particularly in the context of high cross-reactivity between flaviviruses or alphaviruses [15]. The development of reliable, rapid and affordable diagnosis tools and the use of innovative modeling approaches represent a significant issue concerning the ability of seroprevalence surveys to differentiate infections when multiple viruses co-circulate.References1. Bhatt S, Gething PW, Brady OJ, Messina JP, Farlow AW, Moyes CL, et al. The global distribution and burden of dengue. Nature. 2013;496: 504–507. pmid:235632662. Stanaway JD, Shepard DS, Undurraga EA, Halasa YA, Coffeng LE, Brady OJ, et al. The global burden of dengue: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016;16: 712–723. pmid:268746193. Brathwaite Dick O, San Martín JL, Montoya RH, del Diego J, Zambrano B, Dayan GH. The history of dengue outbreaks in the Americas. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012;87: 584–593. pmid:230428464. Petersen LR, Jamieson DJ, Powers AM, Honein MA. Zika Virus. N Engl J Med. 2016;374: 1552–1563. pmid:270285615. Staples JE, Breiman RF, Powers AM. Chikungunya fever: an epidemiological review of a re-emerging infectious disease. Clin Infect Dis Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 2009;49: 942–948. pmid:196636046. Duffy MR, Chen T-H, Hancock WT, Powers AM, Kool JL, Lanciotti RS, et al. Zika Virus Outbreak on Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia. N Engl J Med. 2009;360: 2536–2543. pmid:195160347. Donoso Mantke O, Lemmer K, Biel SS, Groen J, Schmitz H, Durand JP, et al. Quality control assessment for the serological diagnosis of dengue virus infections. J Clin Virol. 2004;29: 105–112. pmid:147470298. Noden BH, Musuuo M, Aku-Akai L, van der Colf B, Chipare I, Wilkinson R. Risk assessment of flavivirus transmission in Namibia. Acta Trop. 2014;137: 123–129. pmid:248657929. Martins AC, Pereira TM, Oliart-Guzmán H, Delfino BM, Mantovani SAS, et al. Seroprevalence and Seroconversion of Dengue and Implications for Clinical Diagnosis in Amazonian Children, Seroprevalence and Seroconversion of Dengue and Implications for Clinical Diagnosis in Amazonian Children. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis. 2014;2014: e703875. pmid:2554855810. Conlan JV, Vongxay K, Khamlome B, Jarman RG, Gibbons RV, Fenwick SG, et al. Patterns of Flavivirus Seroprevalence in the Human Population of Northern Laos. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015;93: 1010–1013. pmid:2630492511. Flamand C, Quenel P, Ardillon V, Carvalho L, Bringay S, Teisseire M. The epidemiologic surveillance of dengue-fever in French Guiana: when achievements trigger higher goals. Stud Health Technol Inform. 2011;169: 629–633. pmid:2189382412. Adde A, Roucou P, Mangeas M, Ardillon V, Desenclos J-C, Rousset D, et al. Predicting Dengue Fever Outbreaks in French Guiana Using Climate Indicators. PLOS Negl Trop Dis. 2016;10: e0004681. pmid:2712831213. Fritzell C, Raude J, Adde A, Dusfour I, Quenel P, Flamand C. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Vector-Borne Disease Prevention during the Emergence of a New Arbovirus: Implications for the Control of Chikungunya Virus in French Guiana. PLOS Negl Trop Dis. 2016;10: e0005081. pmid:2780227514. Flamand C, Fritzell C, Matheus S, Dueymes M, Carles G, Favre A, et al. The proportion of asymptomatic infections and spectrum of disease among pregnant women infected by Zika virus: systematic monitoring in French Guiana, 2016. Eurosurveillance. 2017;22.15. Fritzell C, Rousset D, Adde A, Kazanji M, Van Kerkhove MD, Flamand C (2018) Current challenges and implications for dengue, chikungunya and Zika seroprevalence studies worldwide: A scoping review. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 12(7): e0006533.
Objective: Previously, we reported early weight loss (EWL) during concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients that could not be attributed to acute radiation-induced esophagitis (ARIE) or decreased dietary intake. Here, we assessed effect of EWL during CCRT on overall survival (OS). Methods: All advanced stage NSCLC patients treated with CCRT from 2 hospitals between January 906 and December 913 were retrospectively analyzed. Exclusion criteria were weight loss prior to CCRT, no weight recorded or CCRT not completed. EWL was defined as weight loss ≥5% from start of radiotherapy (RT) until the end of the 3 rd week. Compared were EWL versus no EWL for OS, estimated with Kaplan Meier and log-rank test. Cox multivariate analysis was performed including EWL, WHO status, T- and N status, histology, age and BMI. Results: 27 Patients (18%) of in total 152 eligible patients experienced EWL. Groups were comparable regarding disease stage, Charlson comorbidity index score and WHO status. No difference in incidence of ARIE ≥2 in the first 3 weeks of RT was observed between the groups (37% versus 32%, p=0.613). Median OS (95% CI) was 15.2 (2.1-28.4) months in EWL patients and 23.0 (13.1-32.9) months in non-EWL patients (p=0.035). Adjusted HR for EWL is 2.070 (1.202-3.564), p=0.009. Conclusions: EWL in NSCLC patients treated with CCRT is associated with worse OS. These data emphasize the importance of good nutritional status. It warrants further investigation into early nutritional intervention irrespective of onset of ARIE, to combat weight loss during CCRT and to improve treatment outcome.
Introduction: Scientific Uncertainty And Environmental Problem-Solving Methodological Rules For Four Classes Of Scientific Uncertainty Uncertainties In The Disposal Of High-Level Nuclear Waste Scientific Uncertainty As A Constraint To Environmental Problem-Solving: Large-Scale Ecosystems Uncertainty In Managing Ecosystems Sustainably Scientific Uncertainty And Environmental Policy: Four Pollution Case Studies Uncertainties Associated With Extrapolating From Toxicological Responses In Laboratory Systems To The Responses Of Natural Systems The Conservation Of Biodiversity: Scientific Uncertainty And The Burden Of Proof Resolving Uncertainty In Marine Fisheries Management: Can We? Scientific Uncertainties And Water Resources Management Scientific Uncertainty And The Environmental Impact Assessment Process In The United States Implications Of Scientific Uncertainty To Environmental Impact Assessment: The International Environment Environmental Problem-Solving In An Age Of Electronic Communications: Towards An Integrated Or Reductionist Model? The Implications Of Scientific Uncertainty To Environmental Law Science Assumptions And Misplaced Certainty In Natural Resources And Environmental Problem-Solving
We study the problem of dynamic tree embedding in k-partite networks G/sup k/ and analyze the performance on inter-partition load distribution of the embedding. We show that, for ring-connected G/sup k/, if the embedding proceeds by taking uni-directional random walk at length randomly chosen from [0, /spl Delta/-1], where a is a multiple of k, the best-case performance is achievable at probability /spl radic/(2/spl pi/ke/sup -k/), which is much higher than the asymptotically-zero probability at which the worst-case performance may appear. We also show that the same probabilities hold also for fully-connected G/sup k/ if the embedding proceeds by taking random walk at length randomly chosen from [2, /spl infin/). When k=2 (bipartite networks), our results show that if we do the embedding under the above random-walk schemes in their corresponding networks, we will have 50 percent chance to achieve the best-case performance. We also analyze the performances for embedding in these two networks in the expected case, and observe an interesting fact that if a ring- or fully-connected G/sup k/ contains equal-sized partitions, the expected-case performance matches that in the best case.
The Holy Kaaba is the house of God; the home of greatness secrets, wisdom and divine beauty, which is reflected in all his creatures. This study aims to find the role of the shape of holy Kaaba in producing such kind of spaces and discovering the characteristics possessed by its form which has an impact in creating such incorporeal space. In this study, scientific articles and research were used to achieve the rules of research theory with taking into account considering the position of Islamic theoretical and practical wisdom. In the process of creating works of art, architecture and joint issues with urbanization, and by using the rational method to find out, in the end, the study shows the space of Holy Kaaba is a sign of divine glory from visualization and embodiment material. The nature veil in this space shines the divine light in human conscience. Human perception of space is related to his knowledge of himself and the world. Human in the use of space is approaches to percepts the true meaning of it. His intellectual device with a personal intelligent device that space is created will be compatible. The holy Kaaba spiritual space makes human feel poverty in front of the richness of the homeowner. Also, a sense of peace and sustainability due to a connection felt with God and seeking to reach the perfection that has been formed by the cube-shaped of holy Kaaba.
We present experimental results on thin-film wafer fusion of InP/GaAs to fabricate InP-based lasers on a GaAs substrate. We have studied the load pressure dependence of the photoluminescence intensity (PL) of the InP-based layers and electrical properties at the fused interface. Although a higher load pressure results in better electrical contact, it can degrade the PL intensity of InP-based quantum-wells structure fused to a GaAs substrate due to the generation of recombination centers. Buried-heterostructure InP-based lasers are consequently fabricated on a GaAs substrate by thin film wafer fusion, and these lasers are demonstrated to have good performance under continuous-wave operation.
Reducing power consumption of Mobile Internet Devices (MID) and smartphones is critical as battery life is a key feature for mobility. Most vendors use System-On-Chip designs integrating more and more fixed-function hardware modules in a bid to reduce power consumption. On the other hand the explosion of new applications has increased the demand for PC-like processing capabilities on these devices. They are best supported by general purpose CPUs and Operating Systems which consume more power. Traditional system architectures focus on a data transfer model with the CPU as one of the endpoints. Consequently there are numerous usage scenarios where the general purpose CPU just acts as an intermediary between hardware modules, transferring data from a hardware module to memory and vice-versa. We propose Direct Data Flows, an SoC focused system architecture where the OS can configure fixed-function hardware modules to communicate data directly with each other. This eliminates unnecessary data hops and reduces CPU interrupts allowing the general purpose CPU to be opportunistically brought into lower power states, reducing overall power consumption. We have created a prototype Direct Data Flow setup for network file downloads which demonstrates up to 65% energy savings for typical file sizes.
Background—During myocardial ischemia, massive norepinephrine (NE) is released from the cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals, reflecting the sympathetic nerve injury. A brief preceding ischemia can reduce infarct size; this is known as ischemic preconditioning (PC). The effect of PC on sympathetic nerves, however, including its underlying mechanisms in dog hearts, has remained unclear. Thus, this study was designed to elucidate whether the activation of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels is involved in the mechanism of cardiac sympathetic nerve protection conferred by PC. Methods and Results—Interstitial NE concentration was measured by the in situ cardiac microdialysis method in 45 anesthetized dogs. Five minutes of ischemia followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion was performed as PC. In the controls, the dialysate NE concentration (dNE) increased 15-fold after the 40-minute ischemia. PC decreased dNE at 40-minute ischemia by 59% (P <0.01), which was reversed by glibenclamide. A KATP channel opener, nicorandil (25 &mgr;g · kg−1 · min−1 IV), decreased dNE at 40 minutes of ischemia by 76% (P <0.01), which was also reversed by glibenclamide. During the PC procedure, no significant increase in dNE was detected, even with the uptake-1 inhibitor desipramine. Conclusions—Cardiac sympathetic nerve injury during myocardial ischemia was attenuated by PC via the activation of KATP channels, but the trigger of the PC effect is unlikely to be NE release in dog hearts.
Abstract In this study we reveal the measures taken by the Council of the European Union in the field of VAT to support SMEs and the reasons that led the Council of the European Union to take these decisions. It is also indicated the general definition of SMEs in European law as it has been taken up by various other authors, as well as the supportive behavior of SMEs that the European Commission has always had. On the other hand, we carried out a study that included variables defining SMEs in three fields of activity from four countries, located territorially in different areas of the European Union and we identified, using statistical correlation, different coefficients of correlation between the value added the number of SMEs, the number of people employed by SMEs, their turnover in that field of activity. The correlation coefficients that indicated a strong / moderate linearity link indicated that the measures taken by the European Union, through the Council and the European Commission, are welcome as the added value in many areas of activity shows a strong correlation with the number of taxable persons, the number employees of those taxable persons and their turnover.
The usage of Information system (IS) in any institution is vital and this human technology interaction is the heart of many world-changing endeavors. The aim of this research is to perform instrument validation through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of using eprocurement. The questionnaire used in this study is adapted from two different studies: Venkatesh et al., (2012) and Norzaidi (2008). It consists of five sub-constructs; after the questionnaire was distributed, 115 responses were collected to do the EFA. EFA was done for each construct separately. The results show that all of the seven constructs have one component or dimension, the factor loading for every item in each construct is >0.6, Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity was <0.05 for all the constructs, which is Significant (P-value < 0.05). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy was higher than 0.6 for all the constructs, and this means that the sample size is adequate. Cronbach’s Alpha test was higher than 0.7 for the entire constructs’ items, which means that these items are all reliable. This study found a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the usage of e-procurement to Malaysian contractors’.
Laboratory tests indicate that a one-dimensional advective-dispersive transport model for reactive solutes provides reasonable estimates of the breakthrough of low-concentration organic contaminants in saturated fine-grained earthen barriers. Based upon this transport model, a design/analysis methodology and respective guidelines are developed for earthen barriers used in waste disposal applications. The limitations and restrictions of the model are discussed and fundamental variables affecting the transport are parametrically analyzed. Transport of low-concentration trichloroethylene at a selected study site was selected for illustrating the presented procedure.
volume and with degree of insulin sensitivity in vivo.4 5 We propose that an increase in androgenic activity may result in enlargement ofabdominal fat cells and thus a high waist to hips girth ratio, leading to the development of insulin resistance both in adipose tissue and in other metabolically active tissues-such as skeletal muscle6-which in turn results in the development of metabolic aberrations and hence in an increased susceptibility to coronary heart disease. As previously suggested, measurement of waist to hips girth ratio is a simple practical means of assessing body fat distribution, comparing well with more complex indices such as those based on skinfold thicknesses or the brachiofemoral adipomuscular ratio (paper by D J Evans and others presented at the proceedings of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity in Ploughkeepsie, New York, 1982), and may provide a useful marker of predisposition to metabolic aberrations and cardiovascular disease.
Abstract The study sought to establish the benefits of school guidance and counselling (SGC) services in Zimbabwe secondary schools as perceived by students and school counsellors. The study is a part of a larger study on an assessment of the effectiveness of school guidance and counselling services in Zimbabwean secondary schools. The survey design was used in this study. The sample comprised of 950 participants of which three hundred and fourteen (165 males and 149 females) were school counsellors while 636 (314 boys and 322 girls) were students. Data were collected using questionnaires in this study. The SAS/SAT statistical package version 9.1 was used to analyze the data. The analysis included tabulation and computation of chi-square test, frequencies, percentages and ratios. The study found that both school counsellors and students believed that the services resulted in personal-social, career and vocational benefits. Overall, both school counsellors and students rated the Zimbabwean SGC services fairly.
We report the first case of cryptococcosis due to Cryptococcus decagattii in an immunocompetent pediatric patient from an indigenous community in Argentina with a successful outcome. Two isolates (blood, cerebrospinal fluid) were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism of the orotidine monophosphate pyrophosphorylase (URA5) gene as VGIV and identified by multi-locus sequence typing as C. decagattii. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry identification indicated genotype VGIII. The minimum inhibitory concentration of amphotericin B, fluconazole, itraconazole, and voriconazole was determined (cerebrospinal fluid: 0.25, 16, 0.12, and 0.12, blood: 0.25, 4, 0.12, and 0.06, respectively, all in mg/L).
Many new markers are being evaluated to increase the sensitivity and applicability of multicolor flow cytometry (MFC)‐based measurable residual disease (MRD) monitoring. However, most of the studies are limited to childhood B‐cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (B‐ALL), and reports in adult B‐ALL are extremely scarce and limited to small cohorts. We studied the expression of CD304/neuropilin‐1 in a large cohort of adult B‐ALL patients and evaluated its practical utility in MFC‐based MRD analysis.
This paper proposes a decision-assisted pilot placement optimization method in IEEE802.11p physical layer. The fast time-varying channel is first modeled as a typical Gaussian-Markov process. Under the constraint of state-spaces, the pilot optimization problem is further formulated as constrained Markov decision processes (MDPs). Secondly, for achieving compatibility with existing standards, our goal is to determine the optimal pilot placement and employ only very limited pilot patterns in response to fast varying channels. We develop a channel state matched pilot optimization method, where the optimization procedures focus on how to respond the different channel variations in the time and frequency domains. To jointly evaluate the severity of channel variations in the time and frequency domains, we derive an effective mutual information measurement criterion. Simulation and numerical results show the efficiency of the pilot optimization decision scheme in reducing the channel estimation error, and mutual information measurement can yield an accurate performance evaluation in relatively fast time-varying vehicular communication scenarios.
STUDY OBJECTIVES To evaluate tone, apraxia, and stereognosis dysfunctions in patients with SDB compared with healthy controls, and to monitor the effectiveness of Airway Gym® as an easy-to-use Myofunctional Therapy (MT) modality in terms of the tongue's motor and sensory responses, comparing results before and after therapy.   METHODS This was a prospective, non-randomized pilot study of 25 patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS), 25 patients with primary snoring (PS), and 20 healthy controls.Qualitative and quantitative instruments-Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI), lingual apraxia, and stereognosis tests were used to assess tongue sensorimotor function.   RESULTS 22 patients with PS, 21 with OSAHS, and all 20 controls ended the therapy. In OSAHS, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score decreased from 16±7.3 to 12±4.5 after therapy (p=0.53). In PS and OSAHS groups, the IOPI scores increased significantly. These measures did not change significantly in the controls. Lingual apraxia testing showed that controls performed all the manoeuvres, whereas PS 5.6±1.4 and OSAHS 4.5±1.9 (p=0.14). In the stereognosis test, the mean number of figures recognized was 2.6±2.2 in OSAHS, 3.3±1.2 in PS, and 5.7±0.9 in control group (p<0.05). Patients with OSAHS recognized circles and ovals less often.   CONCLUSION Using the Airway Gym® app produced improvements in sensorimotor tongue function in patients with SDB, due to, continuous stimulation of the brain based on proprioceptive training required to localize responses when doing the exercises.
Terrestrial carbon fluxes are an important factor in regulating concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). In this study, we use a coupled climate model with interactive biogeochemistry to benchmark the simulation of net primary productivity (NPP) and its response to elevated atmospheric CO2. Short-term field experiments such as Free-Air Carbon Dioxide Enrichment (FACE) studies have examined this phenomenon but it is difficult to infer trends from only a few years of field data. Here, we employ the University of Victoria's Earth System Climate Model (UVic ESCM) version 2.8 to compare simulated changes in NPP due to an elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration of 550 ppm to observed increases in NPP of 23% ±2% from four temperate forest FACE studies between 1997 and 2002. We further compare two scenarios: elevated CO2 with climate change, and elevated CO2 without climate change, the latter being consistent with FACE methodology. In the climate change scenario global terrestrial and forest-only NPP increased by 24.5% and 27.9%, respectively, while these increases were 21.0% and 17.2%, respectively, in the latitude band most representative of the location of the FACE studies. In the scenario without climate change, terrestrial and forest-only NPP increased instead by 28.3% and 30.6%, respectively, while these increases were 24.3% and 14.4%, respectively, in the FACE latitudes. This suggests that the model may underestimate temperate forest NPP increases when compared to results from temperate forest FACE studies and highlights the need for both increased experimental study of other forest biomes and further model development.
Availability is an increasingly important quality for today's software-based systems and it has been successfully addressed by the use of closed-loop control systems in self-adaptive systems. Probes are inserted into a running system to obtain information and the information is fed to a controller that, through provided interfaces, acts on the system to alter its behavior. When a failure is detected, pinpointing the source of the failure is a critical step for a repair action. However, information obtained from a running system is commonly incomplete due to probing costs or unavailability of probes. In this paper we address the problem of fault localization in the presence of incomplete system monitoring. We may not be able to directly observe a component but we may be able to infer its health state. We provide formal criteria to determine when health states of unobservable components can be inferred and establish formal theoretical bounds for accuracy when using any spectrum-based fault localization algorithm.
Thus, new therapies that target the symptoms of asthma are urgently needed. An increasing number of conflicting reports have demonstrated detrimental, protective, and sometimes neutral roles of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) in the pathogenesis of asthma [6]. However, it is unquestionably established that iNOS is expressed in lungs of asthmatic individuals with a subsequent production of NO and generation of the reactive metabolite ONOO [7,8].
Data fusion technique is an efficient way to benefit multi-source, multi-platform, and multi-angle remotely sensed information. Optical imagery and SAR (synthetic aperture radar) data are complementary in terms of capability of data acquisition and image characteristics. With their different capability and their unique information content respectively, fusion of high resolution SAR and optical multi-spectral imagery can improve the classification accuracy in land use. Texture information plays an important role for class discrimination especially in SAR imagery for its backscatter is sensitive to the type, orientation, homogeneity and spatial relationship of ground objects. In order to take full advantage of multi-source remotely sensed data and combine different features of them, this paper put forward a data fusion method for high spatial resolution remotely sensed data based on texture analysis. Texture features of high resolution SAR imagery were extracted using GLCM (Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix) method. The texture features were detected in 0°, 45°, 90° and 135° four directions, and the moving window size of 3×3, 5×5, to 31×31, 41×41, 51×51, and 61×61 were tested to analyze the influences among them. The selected texture features were added with SAR data to make classification next. Both the two imagery were classified using an object-based and rule-based approach. Then, a decision level fusion was implemented and the accuracy of classification result was improved from 78.7% and 83.0% to 88.8%.
In this paper a game-theoretic adaptive learning algorithm based on an action-dependent value function (Q-function) is proposed to solve the optimal tracking control problem with adversarial inputs and completely unknown system and reference dynamics. In order to convert the tracking problem to a regulation problem we augment the system and the reference states and pick appropriately the user-defined matrices. An integral reinforcement learning approach is used to estimate the parameters of the Q-function while also guaranteeing closed-loop stability, trajectory tracking and convergence of the policies to a saddle point. A simulation result of a Quanser helicopter shows the efficacy of the proposed approach.
INTRODUCTION Direct emissions of nicotine and harmful chemicals from electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been intensively studied, but secondhand and thirdhand e-cigarette aerosol exposures in indoor environments are understudied.   METHODS Indoor CO2, NO2, PM2.5, aldehydes, and airborne nicotine were measured in five vape-shops to assess secondhand exposures. Nicotine and tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) were measured on vape-shop surfaces and materials (glass, paper, clothing, rubber and fur ball) placed in the vape-shops (14 days) to study thirdhand exposures.   RESULTS Airborne PM2.5, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and nicotine concentrations during shop opening hours were 21, 3.3, 4.0, and 3.8 times higher than the levels during shop closing hours, respectively. PM2.5 concentrations were correlated with the number of e-cigarette users present in vape-shops (ρ=0.366-0.761, p<0.001). Surface nicotine, 4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosamino)-4-(3-pyridyl)butanal (NNA), and 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) were also detected at levels of 223.6±313.2 μg/m2, 4.78±11.8 ng/m2, and 44.8±102.3 ng/m2, respectively. Substantial amounts of nicotine (0-2073 μg/m2) deposited on the materials placed within the vape-shops, and NNA (0-474.4 ng/m2) and NNK (0-184.0 ng/m2) were also formed on these materials. The deposited nicotine concentrations were strongly correlated with the median number of active vapers present in a vape-shop per hour (ρ=0.894-0.949, p=0.04-0.051). NNK levels on the material surfaces were significantly associated with surface nicotine levels (ρ=0.645, p=0.037).   CONCLUSIONS Indoor vaping leads to secondhand and thirdhand e-cigarette aerosol exposures. Thirdhand exposures induced by e-cigarette vaping are comparable or higher than that induced by cigarette smoking. Long-term studies in various microenvironments are needed to improve our understanding of secondhand and thirdhand e-cigarette aerosol exposures.
Background: Treatment options for patients with drug-resistant essential tremor (ET) are limited. Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is an emerging technique to treat refractory ET. Objectives: To present MRgFUS as an alternative to radiofrequency (RF) thalamotomy or deep brain stimulation (DBS) for ET treatment. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 59 patients who underwent unilateral surgery for drug-resistant ET. Treatments included RF thalamotomy (n = 17), DBS (n = 19), and MRgFUS (n = 23). The outcomes measured were tremor severity and treatment-related complications. Results: At 1 month postoperatively, 100% of RF thalamotomy patients, 89.5% of DBS patients, and 91.3% of MRgFUS patients exhibited absent/mild tremor (successful treatment); other patients exhibited partial relief. At 12 months postoperatively, treatment success for each procedure was observed in 70.6, 84.2, and 78.3% of patients, respectively. At 1 month postoperatively, treatment-related complications had occurred in 58.8, 5.3, and 13.0% of patients, respectively. At 12 months postoperatively, side effects persisted in 11.8, 21.1, and 4.4% of patients, respectively. No statistical differences in treatment success were observed between treatments or over time. Complication rates differed between treatment modalities (p < 0.01) and were lowest in the MRgFUS group. Conclusions: Patients with drug-resistant ET received equivalent results from RF thalamotomy, DBS, and MRgFUS. DBS and MRgFUS resulted in fewer treatment-related complications.
Purpose          The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the financial outcomes from forage production and RI-PRF insurance interval for two locations in Nebraska. Both locations provide historical forage production and precipitation data, allowing the authors to examine the relation between RI-PRF net income and forage production.          Design/methodology/approach          The authors focus on evaluating the producer net income and risk (measured as variance of net income) by examining the relation between farm precipitation and production and comparing multiple insurance intervals to no insurance. Each insurance interval will likely have a different relation (basis risk) between observed production and return from insurance and, therefore, a different impact on the variance of net incomes. The impact on variance of net incomes identifies the risk-reducing aspects of RI-PRF insurance intervals. The authors then rank each scenario into four mutually exclusive zones that describe the risk-reducing effectiveness and whether the subsidy is working correctly.          Findings          The authors found both risk increasing and decreasing insurance intervals exist at both locations. One insurance scenario (low in BBR) provided the highest net income while increasing risk, suggesting a profit maximizing opportunity. RI-PRF reduces net income risk with intervals insuring during high expected precipitation (growing season); while net income risk increases with intervals insuring low expected precipitation (non-growing season, winter months). The farmer would want to insure during the high expected precipitation months, which coincides with the growing season, since RI-PRF lowers the net income risk. For the government, removing net income risk increasing intervals improves the allocation of government resources.          Originality/value          In this paper, the authors modeled the relation between RI-PRF interval selection using the historical forage production data at two locations in Nebraska. The use of historical forage production data allowed the authors to precisely identify the risk-reducing effectiveness of RI-PRF interval selection.
Interpretation of magnetic surveys in terms of geology is hampered by poor correspondence between broad lithological categories and magnetic properties, and by lack of knowledge of the geological factors that influence the magnetisation of rocks. Magnetic petrology is the integrated application of rock magnetic and conventional petrologic techniques to identify and characterise the magnetic minerals in rocks. This information elucidates the factors that produce, alter and destroy magnetic minerals and thereby influence the bulk magnetic properties of the rocks and their associated magnetic anomalies. Improved understanding of magnetic petrology is therefore essential for maximising the geological information that can be obtained from magnetic anomaly patterns.
The objective of this article is to provide an updated and comprehensive review on current perioperative anaesthetic management of paediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) coming for non-cardiac surgery. Search of terms such as “anaesthetic management,” “congenital heart disease” and “non-cardiac surgery” was carried out in KKH eLibrary, PubMed, Medline and Google, focussing on significant current randomised control trials, case reports, review articles and editorials. Issues on how to tailor perioperative anaesthetic management on cases with left to right shunt, right to left shunt and complex heart disease are discussed in this article. Furthermore, the author also highlights special considerations such as pulmonary hypertension, neonates with CHD coming for extracardiac surgery and the role of regional anaesthesia in children with CHD undergoing non-cardiac operation.
The field of rehabilitation robot has grown rapidly in these years. And soft actuated rehabilitation robots prove to have some unique advantages over rigid body motor-driven rehabilitative robots. In this paper, a soft robot with two degree of freedom (DOF) was designed to assist the rehabilitation of elbow. Pneumatic muscles were built up and tested. They were assembled to make the whole device. A set of experiments were conducted to evaluate the functioning. The results and the analysis show that the device could finish the rehabilitation process on elbow under proper control. Future improvement are discussed in this paper. Keywords-soft robot; elbow; rehabilitation
An update of a classic book in the field, Modern Portfolio Theory examines the characteristics and analysis of individual securities as well as the theory and practice of optimally combining securities into portfolios. It stresses the economic intuition behind the subject matter while presenting advanced concepts of investment analysis and portfolio management. Readers will also discover the strengths and weaknesses of modern portfolio theory as well as the latest breakthroughs.
Torsion following kidney transplant is a complication occurring when the kidney rotates around the vascular pedicle. It is a relatively rare occurrence but one that the sonographer should be aware of when a patient presents with severe abdominal pain and decreased urine output. In the best of circumstances, renal torsion can be repaired; in the worst cases, the kidney is lost. Prompt diagnosis of renal vein thrombosis, renal artery stenosis, and occlusion resulting from torsion permits graft detorsion and possible salvage of the kidney.
The utility of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) as an outcome measure for adolescent psychiatric inpatients was evaluated. The BSI was administered to 88 male and 100 female psychiatric inpatients at admission and discharge. There were statistically significant mean score changes from pretest to posttest on most BSI indices, with effect sizes ranging between small and medium. Statistical analyses produced generally equivalent results, whether T scores or raw scores were used as dependent variables. However, the ability of the BSI to detect pretest to posttest change reliably for individual patients was quite limited. The degree of symptom distress reported by adolescent inpatients, more over, did not differ greatly from those found in normative data for adolescent non-patients. It is possible that this relative lack of discrimination between adolescent inpatients and non-patients may be associated with limitations inherent in using self-report inventories with adolescent populations.
In this paper we present an FPGA-based reconfigurable architecture for real time elaboration of audio streams. The architecure allows to dynamically define chains of cascading filters through which sound streams can be elaborated. Since the architecture requires only one-dimensional device reconfigurability, it can be implemented even on low cost devices, such as Xilinx Spartan3. Moreover, prior to reconfiguring a filter, sound is rerouted in order to avoid stream interruptions. This makes the architecture particularly suited for real time elaboration, for instance in the field of live music performances, for adaptive filtering or for professional digital recording systems. We show the implementation of the proposed architecture on a Xilinx Virtex4 [1], [2] based board, and present an example based on a set of filters that are loaded in series in the chain.
In this paper, the problem of exponential forgetting and geometric ergodicity for optimal filtering in general state space models is considered. We consider here state-space models where the latent process is modeled by a Markov chain taking its values in a continuous space and the observation at each point admits a distribution dependent on both the current state of the Markov chain and the past observation. Under given regularity assumptions, we establish that: (1) the filter, and its derivatives with respect to some parameters in the model, have exponential forgetting properties; and (2) the extended Markov chain, whose components are the latent process, observation sequence, filter and its derivatives is geometrically ergodic.
To prepare for the introduction of gene therapies in haemophilia care, healthcare frameworks for evaluation and valuation will need to evolve to address the unique requirements of current and future innovations for treating this rare disease. The papers in this supplement provide an insightful and comprehensive state‐of‐the‐art assessment of these requirements and challenges. In terms of evaluation, the definition of a patient‐defined value framework that captures multi‐dimensional, patient‐centered outcomes is an important first step for determining the full benefit of gene therapy for persons with haemophilia. In terms of valuation and rewards for innovation, health systems will need to develop alternative payment models for risk‐sharing that will allow payers and society to address uncertainties about the ultimate clinical and economic value of these innovations. And health technology assessment authorities will need to exercise greater flexibility in evidence requirements given the unique features of data collection for a potentially curative therapy for a rare disease with long‐term uncertainties about durability of impact. Collaboration among stakeholders will be essential for developing the critical evidence requirements and providing the incentives needed to achieve sustainable budgets and broad access for persons with haemophilia worldwide.
We present a high performance logging system for embedded UNIX and GNU/Linux applications. Compared to the standard UNIX and GNU/Linux logging method, syslog, our method has two orders of magnitude lower latency and an order of magnitude higher message throughput. This speed-up is mainly due to the use of a memory-mapped file as the means of inter-process communication, fewer memory copies and the batching of output messages in the logging daemon. In addition, our logging system also accepts syslog messages, providing compatibility with existing applications. Our logging system is in production use in the Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card.
Abstract This paper applies an information presentation technique known as the ‘fisheye lens’ viewing strategy to the electronic presentation of maintenance data. Previous research efforts have focused on implementing this particular technique as a tool to aid in data base navigation, more specifically, as a means of facilitating the access and comprehension of computer-based information. In this paper, however, the technique serves as a mechanism for reducing the complexity of graphics-based aircraft maintenance data. Our complexity reduction procedure is described, and example views demonstrating the procedure are provided. A brief tutorial describing the fisheye lens viewing strategy is also included.
The author highlights the emerging interest in understanding religious beliefs as a resource for more fully conceptualizing clients' psychological functioning. Although various authors have explored religious theories of mental health in an effort to increase understanding of clients' problems, there is a dearth of information on the Baha'i client and how this particular religion conceives of mental health. The purpose of this article is to create an initial formulation for a Baha'i concept of mental health and to discuss its clinical implications to aid in counseling Baha'i clients.
An examination of regions of strong convection electric fields (E >50 mV/m) equatorward of the auroral zone has been made on the basis of data from the S3-2 satellite in 1976. Only seven examples were found, which indicates a low occurrence rate even after accounting for the gaps in data coverage. While this phenomenon did not correlate with the magnitude of Kp or AE, it is always substorm related. The electric field and magnetic field data indicate that the electric field is generated by plasma sheet ions being driven closer to the earth than plasma sheet electrons by magnetospheric convection in the evening sector. The existence of a net field-aligned current into the ionosphere through the region indicates the presence of latitudinal conductivity gradient. The depletions of ionospheric particles near regions of strong field-aligned currents (≥1 µA/m²) into the ionosphere indicate that upward moving ionospheric electrons are carrying the current. The evacuation of the E region approximately 1 min after the onset of the electric field as suggested by Banks and Yasuhara (1978) is not supported by the data, but it may occur on a time scale of ∼30 min. If both the F region and E region are depleted in the strong convection region, the result may be a naturally occurring ‘hole’ in the ionosphere.
This paper discusses the method of automatically extracting the intracranial region from the X-ray CT image and measuring its volume. In craniofacial surgery, the predicted increase of the intracranial volume after surgery is the important criterion to evaluate the effectiveness of the surgery.        By applying the three-dimensional (3-D) image processing and the shape interpolation, a method is devised which almost automatically extracts the intracranial region and measures its volume. The processing method and the result of measurement are reported herein. The method can be applied to measure the intracranial volume before the surgery, after the surgery, and the intracranial volume simulated before the surgery for the postoperative skull. The feature of the method is that the intracranial volume can be determined for the post-surgical and planned skull, even if there exists a number of holes due to the surgery.
State‐of‐the‐art pounding formulations do not consider eventual damage‐induced changes regarding the collision description during an excitation time history. In particular, in case of multiple collisions, the pounding models remain unaltered. Thus, in this paper, a new pounding formulation is presented, whereby the state‐of‐the‐art nonlinear viscoelastic model is enhanced by a dry friction element. This extension enables the description of degradation of collision surfaces by introducing an additional offset penetration parameter to the standard gap function. The phenomenological model of the new pounding formulation and the new corresponding pounding condition is presented and demonstrated on an illustrative numerical example. It is shown that the new formulation is capable of describing permanent damage effects caused by pounding collisions while preserving the desired physical properties of the nonlinear viscoelastic model.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder having close relationship with oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Cortex Fraxini (QP) is a kind of traditional Chinese medicinal herb with antioxidant properties. It may be a potential candidate for preventing the development of chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, the key objective of the current study was to investigate the neuroprotective effect of QP water extract on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) induced apoptosis in rat pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. It was found that QP water extract possesses strong antioxidant property with SC50 = 0.15 mg/mL. Total phenolic content of QP water extract was found to be 200.78 ± 2.65 mg GAE/g. QP water extract's free radical scavenging capacity was demonstrated by reversing the increased level of intracellular ROS induced by 6-OHDA, using 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate. Moreover, QP water extract (0.5 mg/mL) could remarkably increase the viability of PC12 cells treated with 6-OHDA. The protective effect of QP water extract was found to be via inhibiting MEK/ERK pathway and reversing PI3-K/Akt/GSK3β pathway. The current results suggest that QP might be a potential candidate for preventing the development of neurodegenerative diseases, such as PD.
The biomechanical behaviour of pertrochanteric fractures stabilized by means of an angled plate or flexible condylar nails was characterized by mechanical testing. The stability and the types of motion occurring under dynamic load in the vicinity of the fracture and the effect on the implant were examined. The mechanical test results corroborated clinical experiences. In the case of extramedullary anchorage of implants, stability under load is possible only if an intact cortex on the medial side of the fracture guarantees the bearing of compressive load. With flexible condylar nails, however, it is possible to achieve a permanent load capacity up to approximately 100 kp, even if medial support is lacking, by putting the fracture in a valgus position so that the load-bearing arm is shortened. It was also possible to estimate the actual loading on the operated leg within the immediate postoperative phase by means of the "stabilization effect".
A method for the simultaneous determination of paroxetine, risperidone and its main metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone in human plasma has been developed. The procedure involved a multistep solid-phase liquid extraction with an internal standard. The drugs were separated on a cyano column followed by coulometric detection. This method described here has sufficient sensitivity to quantitate paroxetine accurately in the range 5–500 ng/ml with a lower limit of detection of 1 ng/ml and risperidone and its main metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone in the range 2–100 ng/ml with a lower limit of detection of 1 ng/ml when 1 ml of plasma was used for the analysis. The precision, accuracy and specificity have been proven, and show that the method is reliable for clinical studies and routine drug monitoring.
ABSTRACT The heat shock response is a conserved defense mechanism that protects cells from physiological stress, including thermal stress. Besides the activation of heat-shock-protein genes, the heat shock response is also known to bring about global suppression of transcription; however, the mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood. One of the intriguing aspects of the heat shock response in human cells is the transcription of satellite-III (Sat3) long non-coding RNAs and their association with nuclear stress bodies (nSBs) of unknown function. Besides association with the Sat3 transcript, the nSBs are also known to recruit the transcription factors HSF1 and CREBBP, and several RNA-binding proteins, including the splicing factor SRSF1. We demonstrate here that the recruitment of CREBBP and SRSF1 to nSBs is Sat3-dependent, and that loss of Sat3 transcripts relieves the heat-shock-induced transcriptional repression of a few target genes. Conversely, forced expression of Sat3 transcripts results in the formation of nSBs and transcriptional repression even without a heat shock. Our results thus provide a novel insight into the regulatory role for the Sat3 transcripts in heat-shock-dependent transcriptional repression. Highlighted Article: The satellite-III non-coding RNAs, expressed only during heat shock in human cells, recruit transcription factors to their nuclear foci, contributing to heat-shock-induced transcriptional repression.
Molecular dynamics simulations of infinitely dilute aqueous solutions of butane and octane were conducted in both the subcritical and supercritical regions. The free energy of hydration of each alkane species was calculated and compared with predictions from a recently proposed equation of state. The results suggest that near the critical temperature of water (along a given isobar), the trends in the free energy of hydration for a series of acyclic alkanes reverse with increasing temperature. This implies that larger chains (such as octane) have a greater solubility than smaller chains (such as butane). The effects of alternative combining rules other than the standard Lorentz-Berthelot relationships on the free energy of hydration were also examined.
In order for a data warehouse to be able to adequately fulfill its integrative and historical purpose, its data model must enable the appropriate and consistent representation of the different states of a system. In effect, a DW data model, representing the physical structure of the DW, must be general enough, to be able to consume data from heterogeneous data sources and reconcile the semantic differences of the data source models, and, at the same time, be resilient to the constant changes in the structure of the data sources. One of the main problems related to DW development is the absence of a standardized DW data model. In this paper a comparative analysis of the four most prominent DW data models (namely the relational/normalized model, data vault model, anchor model and dimensional model) will be given. On the basis of the results of [1]a, the new DW data model (the Domain/Mapping model- DMM) which would more adequately fulfill the posed requirements is presented.
Custom interfaces, which we call appliances, allow users to efficiently carry out specialized tasks. Without one, a user is often required to perform repetitive mechanical steps using general purpose interfaces, which we call tools. Much research has attempted to enable non-programmers to create appliances for themselves. >We present a system in which a user can choose an example of the task behavior to be automated from a visualization of his past operations. The example is transformed into a visual language, using two simple rules to generalize from the single example to a class of tasks. The user can then edit this representation directly, or continue to refine the example using selective undo and redo. The visual representation can be transformed into an esthetically pleasing appliance by deleting irrelevant components, and rearranging, resizing, and relabeling other components. Restricting the domain to data analysis tasks enables a well-matched visual query language to be used. Appliance interactions are automatically provided by the underlying interactive visualization system in which the appliance is embedded. An observational study suggests that this system represents a useful point on the ease-of-use vs. expressive power tradeoff appropriate for data analysis, and that the ability to choose and modify examples after the fact is helpful.
Genetic resistance components of the Hevea brasiliensis x H. benthamiana RO 38 cultivar to Microcyclus ulei disease were investigated by inoculating isolates which succeeded in partially or completely infecting genotypes of a mapping population. Progeny of a cross between RO 38 and a susceptible cultivar was inoculated under controlled conditions with three isolates and scored for two resistance traits. Interval mapping and a nonparametric test were used to detect resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs). Eight significant QTLs were detected, all of them inherited from the interspecific parent. Among these QTLs, only one contributed to the partial resistance against a highly pathogenic isolate, and no QTL was detected for resistance against the most pathogenic isolate. As an unexpected result, a single isolate can thus completely bypass this polygenic resistance. This complex situation, where no clear relationship can be established between number of resistance factors and qualitative vs quantitative or partial vs complete resistance, is discussed and suggestions as to the detection of new and sustainable resistance sources are proposed.
When planning paediatric trials, it is important to consider how best to communicate with children and young people (CYP) so they understand what they are taking part in. It is also important to consider what information they need. Involving CYP as research participants leads to research that is more relevant although it can be difficult to engage CYP in qualitative research to improve trial materials due to the topic area. This paper describes how a visual ranking exercise within qualitative interviews acted as a helpful conduit to engaging discussions to inform a co-designed website with information for trial participants. 40 people participated in interviews during which the ranking exercise was used (11 CYP aged 9-18 years, 14 parents, 15 professionals). We found the ranking exercise supported participant engagement and prevented them feeling that particular responses were expected. It also enabled participants to discuss their ranking (and decisions behind this) with other participants and the researcher. Co-design interviews with CYP that use interactive exercises such as ranking are likely to elicit richer data than those relying on traditional questioning techniques.
Abstract INTRODUCTION THE main purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of differences in duration of hatching season upon variation in production traits of chickens. The accuracy of estimating genetic worth of breeding animals and, hence, the efficiency of selection decisions depends among other factors on family size, which in turn depends on the number of hatches and thus on the duration of the hatching season. It is conceivable that an extended hatching season might, because of purely environmental causes or interaction between genotypes and environment, lead to an increase in variation among full sisters. Such added sources of nongenetic variation would tend to counteract the anticipated advantages of large families. Some of the problems pertaining to family size have been discussed by Lerner (1950) and by Lerner and Dempster (1951). In a more recent study King and Henderson (1954) have given quantitative estimates of variation introduced by …
Chapter 8 examines the role of the Communist Party, by far the largest Left group, during the 1930s and 1940s. It looks at the Party’s complex behavior, its many pluses and minuses, and its ties to the Soviet Union. In particular, it examines the role of CP activists as trade union militants and as the unabashed and unrelenting champions of civil rights, a role that distinguished them from the members of all other interracial organizations during this period. Yet it also looks at the Party’s role in demoralizing and destroying the left-wing movement in the 1930s and 1940s, even undermining many of the organizations and movements it had helped create, including those dedicated to civil rights.
A novel algorithm using Rotational Invariance technique for AOA estimation is presented in this paper, which is based on sparse decomposition of signal, and applied into beam-space against the deficiencies of traditional DF algorithms and sub-space algorithms. The former methods are widely used in actual applications. However, they have many drawbacks such as low-resolution, bad robustness and etc. The latter ones which base on subspace method have gained great interest in the past two decades. What we know about this kind of methods are their super-resolution quality and their weaknesses as well, e.g. constrained by the number of elements, behaving badly when correlativity of sources grows. Approach proposed in this paper fist constructs atom-dictionaries using outputs of second sub-array and then transforms observations of fist sub-array and dictionaries in array-space to beam-space, and finally obtains AOAs through thinning sectors by solving least squares problems. Numerical simulations have proved the effectivity of the algorithm and good performance in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime.
Here, we report an incest paternity case involving three biological brothers as alleged fathers (AFs), their biological sister and her child that was investigated using the Investigator ESSplex Plus, AmpFLSTR Identifiler Plus/Investigator IDplex Plus and PowerPlex 16 kits. Initial duo paternity investigations using 15-loci autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) analyses failed to exclude any of the AFs. Despite the fact that one of the brothers, AF1, had a mismatch with the child at a single locus (D2S1338), the possibility of a single-step mutation could not be ruled out. When the number of autosomal STR loci analysed was increased to 22 without the inclusion of the mother, AF2 and AF3 still could not be excluded, since both of them again had no mismatches with the child. A breakthrough was possible only upon inclusion of the mother so that trio paternity investigations were carried out. This time AF1 and AF2 could be excluded at two loci (D2S1338 and D1S1656) and six loci (vWa, D1S1656, D12S391, FGA, PENTA E and PENTA D), respectively, and AF3 was then the only brother who could not be excluded from paternity. Subsequent statistical analyses suggested that AF3 could be the biological father of the child with a combined paternity index >100 billion and a probability of paternity >99.99999999%. These findings consolidate the fact that complex paternity cases such as those involving incest could benefit more from the inclusion of the mother than simply increasing the number of STR loci analysed.
Echocardiography has the long development history beginning with amplitude imaging. Nowadays, two- and three- dimensional imaging are standard tools available in almost every echocardiography machine. Myocardial deformation imaging is gaining popularity out of research projects. The future will bring new and sophisticated tools for echocardiographic analysis such intracardiac flow imaging and an automated 3D volume calculation.
The spatial distribution of prehistoric mining activities at the Dover Quarry site complex in Tennessee gives us insight not only into the behavioral systems of the people who utilized the resource but also on the geologic provenience of the chert deposits. Survey data is presented that emphasizes the relationship between quarrying activities and the variable geographic occurrence of Dover chert. Geologic research gives information regarding the stratigraphic position of Dover chert within the study area. Geologic information combined with a detailed survey of the quarry sites reveals the dynamic relationship that prehistoric miners had with the resource and its uneven distribution on the landscape.
To assay lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) in solutions containing Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL)-inhibiting or LAL-enhancing compounds, we developed a selective endotoxin (LPS) assay using poly(epsilon-lysine)-immobilized cellulose beads (PL-Cellufine) and LAL. The PL-Cellufine can adsorb LPSs in a solution containing certain compounds (NaCl, proteins and amino acids) at an ionic strength of mu = 0.05-0.4 at neutral pH. The LPSs adsorbed on the PL-Cellufine were separated from the compounds by centrifugation and then the PL-Cellufine was suspended in LPS-free water. The LPS activities of the suspension are directly assayed by a turbidimetric time assay with the LAL reagent. The accuracy of the adsorption method was high compared with those of common solution methods. As for the common method, the apparent recovery of LPS from the compounds was 40-95%. This suggests that these compounds inhibit the LAL procedure. By contrast, the adsorption method showed good LPS recovery (88-120%) in all cases, without being inhibited or enhanced by the compounds.
In this paper, we study joint energy cooperation and traffic management in renewable energy powered cellular system where a centralized unit manages the traffic and the energy cooperation among BSs. We first formulate a stochastic optimization problem which aims at minimizing the total on-grid energy consumption while satisfying the quality-of-service (QoS) requirement of classes of services, i.e., the minimum average data rates. By using the Lyapunov optimization framework, we develop a joint adaptive energy cooperation and traffic management algorithm which does not need the statistical information of the system. Then, we provide the performance analysis which shows our proposed algorithm is asymptotically optimal. Through the simulation results, we verify the theoretical analysis and show that the performance of our algorithm.
A 14-channel SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) system has been used to record the magnetic signal from the human brain in response to an auditory stimuli (750, 1,000, 1,250 and 1,500 Hz, 70, 76 and 82 dB SPL, 500 ms duration). Three individuals with normal hearing were studied. The locations of magnetic response at the latency of 70 ms (P70), 100 ms (N100) and 160 ms (P160) from the onset of the auditory stimulus were identified. The location for N100 response corresponded to the primary auditory cortex (area 41), where a clear tonotopic organization was demonstrated. The amplitopic organization was less evident. These results suggest a flow of auditory signals in the temporal lobe and tonotopic organization in the auditory cortex.
Objectives: To assess the sex hormone levels in young Saudi female migraineurs during a migraine attack and during pain-free periods and compare them with control subjects. Methods: A case-control study involving 14 Saudi female migraineurs and 21 control subjects was conducted between December 2019 and March 2020. Demographic and disease history data were collected through participant interviews. Blood samples were drawn during the migraine attack and pain-free periods. Results: Follicular (30.00±19.60; p<0.001) and luteal (39.79±11.45; p=0.037) estrogen levels were significantly higher in patients with non-menstrual related migraine (NMM), while luteal testosterone levels (1.10±0.31; p=0.023) were significantly higher in patients with menstrually related migraine (MM). Body mass index (BMI) was higher in patients with NMM (25.77±6.53; p=0.013), and it was found to be associated with follicular estrogen (p=0.016), progesterone (p=0.018), and pain intensity (p=0.042). Luteal estrogen level was significantly lower (13.96±7.88; p=0.036) in patients with luteal onset of attack. Conclusion: High estrogen levels were found to mediate NMM, their effect being more pronounced with increase in BMI; whereas low luteal estrogen levels mediated MM. Young females with MM might have high luteal testosterone levels, and a compensatory protective role could be surmised accordingly.
Aqueous extracts of acetone/ether powders of surgically obtained specimens of human tumors hydrolyzed 3H‐labeled triolein in a dose‐dependent manner. The lipolytic activity in these extracts was inhibited by anti‐lipoprotein lipase (LPL) IgG dose‐dependently, 25 μg of anti‐LPL IgG causing 95% inhibition of the activity. Thus, LPL accounts for most of the lipolytic activity in extracts of acetone/ether powders of the tumors. All sarcomas and carcinomas examined contained LPL activity. Western blotting showed that they gave a band corresponding to that of human adipose tissue LPL (Mr=57,000). Immunocytochemical studies showed that LPL was present in cultured human osteosarcoma cells and distributed throughout the cells. We determined the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)‐labeling index as an indicator of the proliferative activity of tumor cells and measured LPL activity in extracts of tumors in areas corresponding to those used for determining the PCNA‐labeling index. In malignant fibrous histiocytomas, the PCNA‐labeling index in area a, which corresponds to the subcapsular region, was higher than that in area b, which corresponds to the central region. The LPL activity in area a was 10 times that in area b. In rectal cancer, the index in area c, which corresponds to the subserosal region, was higher than that in area d, which corresponds to the submucosal region. The LPL activity in area c was 1.9 times that in area d. These findings indicate heterogeneity in the distributions of LPL activity within tumors and higher levels of LPL activity in tumors that are proliferating actively.
Background Vickie Snyder, the hospital’s biomedical engineer manager, had just joined Fairview Southdale Hospital when the 2001 contract for $55,000 was being finalized. “This contract seemed unusually high to me,” she says. “I was concerned that we had bad products on the floor, if they required that much maintenance work.” The equipment ranged from 6 to 12 years old.” She discovered that, while the aging system did require frequent repairs, accurate records of parts supplied or work completed under the contract were not available from the manufacturer, and that the in-house department did not have a reliable equipment database. After discussions with her team, she decided to renew the contract for 2001 and monitor it closely during the year. After signing the contract, Snyder asked the manufacturer to track usage of the contract. At the same time, she and her team began to review and evaluate equipment management software. A system was purchased and implemented during 2001 which documented all time and parts being used. They also discovered that the manufacturer was incorrectly billing their account for work completed for other parts of the health system. For 2002, the manufacturer wanted to increase the cost of the maintenance contraact to $106,000.
We show that standard Transformers without graph-specific modifications can lead to promising results in graph learning both in theory and practice. Given a graph, we simply treat all nodes and edges as independent tokens, augment them with token embeddings, and feed them to a Transformer. With an appropriate choice of token embeddings, we prove that this approach is theoretically at least as expressive as an invariant graph network (2-IGN) composed of equivariant linear layers, which is already more expressive than all message-passing Graph Neural Networks (GNN). When trained on a large-scale graph dataset (PCQM4Mv2), our method coined Tokenized Graph Transformer (TokenGT) achieves significantly better results compared to GNN baselines and competitive results compared to Transformer variants with sophisticated graph-specific inductive bias. Our implementation is available at https://github.com/jw9730/tokengt.
Uremic hyperphosphatemia still represents a considerable challenge to physicians treating patients with advanced kidney insufficiency. Phosphatebinding agents containing aluminium were the therapy of choice for many years, although, as we now 45know, at the price of serious organ damage such as osteopathy, anemia and encephalopathy (1-3). Since dietetic intervention is practicable in only a few cases, therapeutic strategies not involving aluminium were sought intensively. The use of calcium carbonate, today a preferred treatment for uremic hyperphosphatemia, goes back to the investigations of Clarkson et al. (4), who reported as early as 1966 that high-dose calcium carbonate therapy (20 g of calcium carbonate per day) could succeed in lowering serum phosphate levels in nondialysis patients with kidney insufficiency. In carefully administered balance tests, the same authors demonstrated that calcium carbonate binds phosphate primarily in the intestine. It was, however, also shown that a considerable percentage of the administered calcium is simultaneously absorbed by the intestine. Recent studies by Ramirez et al. ( 5 ) confirmed these results and showed that, while the administration of calcium carbonate does result in considerable intestinal binding of phosphate, 28% of the calcium carbonate taken is absorbed. Sheikh et al. (6) recently published similar results on calcium absorption following administration of calcium carbonate. Their in vivo investigations showed that, of a dosage of 2.5 g of calcium carbonate (1 .O g of calcium), about 250 mg of calcium were absorbed. Since most published therapeutic studies involve dosages of approximately 8.1 st 4.9 g of this substance (7), the amount of calcium absorbed by the body could, at least theoretically, be over 800 mg per day, or just under 300 g per year. It is well known that the pathogenesis of uremic osteopathy is not solely a result of phosphate retention. Insufficient 1,25 dihydroxy-vitamin D3 (1,25 (OH)*D3) formation is, of course, a major pathogenetic mechanism and administering 1,25 (OH)2D3 to patients with advanced or dialytically treated kidney insufficiency is appropriate. Simultaneous administration of 1,25 (OH)zD3 with calcium carbon-
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is used as a model for studying sensorineural hearing loss. The damage to the hair cells can be assessed by scoring rheotaxis behavior in zebrafish. In this study, we newly designed a rheotaxis behavioral assay protocol capable of quantifying rheotaxis behavior in zebrafish larvae. We chemically induced ototoxicity in the larvae using copper sulfate, a well-known ototoxin, and determined rheotaxis at different flow velocities. The simple, cost-effective, and high-throughput rheotaxis assay system can provide great insights into drug development and other behavioral studies.
BACKGROUND/AIM The interaction of integrin αvβ8 with type I collagen was shown to promote oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell proliferation via the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway. However, the role of integrin αvβ8 in SCC progression remains poorly understood. In this study, the role of integrin αvβ8 in oral SCC progression was therefore investigated.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Integrin αv and β8 protein expression in oral SCC cells was examined by western blotting. Oral SCC cell motility was investigated using modified Boyden chamber assays. Behavior of oral SCC cells was examined in three-dimensional culture using type I collagen gel. Ras homolog family member A (RHOA), Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (RAC1), and cell division control protein 42 homolog (CDC42) activity of oral SCC cells was analyzed by pull-down assays.   RESULTS SCC cells with high integrin αvβ8 expression levels had a high ability to migrate on type I collagen and exhibited enhanced invasion into type I collagen gel. In SCC cells with high integrin αvβ8 expression level, cultivation on type I collagen induced RAC1 activation. Treatment with RAC1 inhibitor reduced type I collagen-induced motility of SCC cells. Down-regulation of integrin β8 by specific antisense oligonucleotide reduced type I collagen-induced RAC1 activation and suppressed cell motility and invasion into type I collagen gel.   CONCLUSION The interaction of integrin αvβ8 with type I collagen facilitates SCC cell motility and invasion via RAC1 activation. Therefore, integrin αvβ8 and RAC1 may represent new targets for inhibiting metastasis and invasion in patients with oral SCC.
The robotic search for life on Mars centers on identifying accessible environments where the biological catalyst, water, has existed. The formation of large impact craters on Mars (>65 km diameter) may have resulted in the creation of ice-covered impact crater lakes, which would not freeze for thousands of years, even under present climatic conditions. Water could be supplied from deep confined aquifers penetrated by the impact craters, without the need for surface melt water. Freezing of the lakes is postponed owing to heat from impact generated melt-bearing deposits, from impact-related uplift of hotter rocks from depth, and from the latent heat of freezing of a deep crater lake. Abundant morphologic evidence for ancient crater lakes has not been found in Viking images, except for craters associated with outflow channels. However ice-covered crater lakes could have formed, and further searches for evidence of these lakes are warranted. The lake deposits from dissected impact craters may represent one of the best targets for future surface exobiology investigations or sample return missions from Mars.
We perform a sensitivity study with the Biogeochemical Elemental Cycling (BEC) ocean model to understand the impact of atmospheric inorganic nitrogen deposition on marine biogeochemistry and air-sea CO2 exchange. Simulations involved examining the response to three different atmospheric inorganic nitrogen deposition scenarios namely, Pre-industrial (22 Tg N/year), 1990s (39 Tg N/year), and an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prediction for 2100, IPCC-A1FI (69 Tg N/year). Globally, the increasing N deposition had widespread, but modest effects on export production and air-sea CO2 exchange. The maximum increase in N deposition was 47 Tg N/year since Pre-industrial control for the IPCC-A1FI case, which had an increase in primary production (0.98 Gt C/year or 2%), export production (0.16 Gt C/year or 3%) and a decrease in atmospheric pCO2 of 1.66 ppm (0.6%) relative to the Pre-industrial control. In some regions, atmospheric N inputs supported >20% of the export production in the current era and >50% of the export production in the IPCC-A1FI case. As nitrogen deposition increased, N fixation decreased because the diazotrophs were outcompeted by diatoms and small phytoplankton under more N-replete conditions. This decrease in N fixation could partially counteract the ongoing increase in new nitrogen inputs via atmospheric N deposition.
Segmentation of image sequences is a major and time consuming part of digital special effects production. Where the sequence is too complex to segment using fully automatic techniques it is often segmented entirely by hand. This paper presents a fast semi-automatic technique which allows interactive segmentation of image sequences with near-static backgrounds. An operator initially creates a very approximate segmentation of the scenes. A foreground probability map is automatically generated by using mixture models which represent known foreground and background colour distributions. The operator then iteratively refines the initial segmentation by thresholding the generated probability maps until a suitably accurate segmentation has been achieved. Straightforward sequences can be segmented with very little human interaction: significant effort is required only on the most challenging sequences. Results are presented which demonstrate the use of our system on a variety of image sequences.
Male rats about 100 days old were fed a B-6 deficient diet supplemented with 4'-deoxypyridoxine (1 g/kg diet) and/or pyridoxine hydrochloride (22 mg/kg diet) for 30 to 35 days. Addition of 4'-deoxypyridoxine to the B-6-deficient diet produced greater losses in body weight (P less than 0.05) and thymus weight (P less than 0.01) than in B-6-deficient pair-fed controls. 4'-Deoxypyridoxine combined with a B-6-deficient diet produced no decreases in the concentration of pyridoxal phosphate or pyridoxine kinase in the tissues examined when compared with B-6-deficient controls. Addition of deoxypyridoxine to a diet containing adequate B-6 tended to reduce that absolute weight of the adrenal glands and increased (P less than 0.05) plasma cholesterol compared with animals receiving only vitamin B-6. Compared with the B-6-deficient groups, pyridoxal phosphate concentrations in animals receiving normal B-6 were significantly (P less than 0.01) increased in the liver, muscle and adrenal glands but not in the thymus. In all groups the pyridoxine kinase activity was highest in the adrenal glands (3.6-6.3 pmole pyridoxine phosphate/minute/mg tissue) followed by the liver (1.3-3.7) and thymus (0.7-1.3). These high kinase values and the weight changes suggest an important role for vitamin B-6 in these organs. Recent evidence that pyridoxal phosphate may interact with glucocorticoid receptors raises the possibility that the role of vitamin B-6 in these and other organs may involve metabolic regulation by a mechanism independent of the well-established coenzyme function of this vitamin.
Operation of semiconductor electronic systems at low temperatures has advantages compared to room temperature operation. These include higher frequency of operation and increased switching speed resulting from increased carrier mobility and reduced resistances, greater reliability due to the reduced thermally activated degradation rate and higher packing density resulting from an increased heat removal rate, reduced feature size and device spacing and the use of smaller supply voltages. Operating temperature can be used with geometric device scaling for performance optimization.
The thermal conductivity of Si/Ge core-shell nanowires (CSNWs) is investigated on the basis of atomic-bond-relaxation consideration and continuum mechanics. An analytical model is developed to clarify the interface bond relaxation of Si/Ge CSNWs. It is found that the thermal conductivity of Si core can be modulated through covering with Ge epitaxial layers. The change of thermal conductivity in Si/Ge CSNWs should be attributed to the surface relaxation and interface mismatch between inner Si nanowire and outer Ge epitaxial layer. Our results are in well agreement with the experimental measurements and simulations, suggesting that the presented method provides a fundamental insight of the thermal conductivity of CSNWs from the atomistic origin.
Side‐scan sonar and Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse mapping of Great Salt Lake, Utah, linked to reprocessing of acoustic data from bathymetric surveys, has enabled the distribution of microbial bioherms to be assessed. Bioherms occupy an estimated area >700 km2 in the south arm and >300 km2 in the north arm. Distributions vary from statistically dispersed to clustered, and in this latter case, are predominantly located on metre‐scale, fault‐controlled topographic highs, with sediment infilling intervening lows between adjacent offsets. Individual bioherms are circular to oblate and range from centimetres to over 2 m in diameter. In some areas, bioherm heights were measured at more than 1.5 m above adjacent substrate. Sublittoral bioherms are made of aragonite, calcite and minor dolomite precipitated due to physico‐chemical, biologically induced and influenced carbonate mineralization processes in association with microbial mats. Bioherm fabrics vary at the millimetre to centimetre‐scale and consist of leiolitic and clotted peloidal micrite‐grade carbonate, sinuous threads of spherulitic fibrous aragonite crystals, laminated micrite boundstone and internal carbonate mud sediment with peloids and ooids. The identification of factors that influence microbial bioherm occurrence and spatial distribution in Great Salt Lake is limited to a set of collinear physical, chemical and biological variables that are confined to a localised closed system, such as salinity, water depth, wave energy, stable substrate and sediment accumulation. Anthropogenic modifications to Great Salt Lake resulting in increased salinity have exceeded the salinity range in which bioherm‐mediating microbial communities can survive, effectively defining an upper limit of salinity for bioherm microbial community viability. The better understanding of the distribution of microbial bioherms has significant implications for managing and protecting the lake ecosystem and may provide insights into the physical and chemical controls that existed during the formation of fossil microbialites in deep time.
Poly(alanine) end-capped poly(propylene glycol)−poly(ethylene glycol)−poly(propylene glycol) (PA−PLX−PA) aqueous solutions underwent sol-to-gel transition as the temperature increased. On the basis of FTIR spectra, circular dichroism spectra, 13C NMR spectra, transmission electron microscopic images, fluorescence spectra, and dynamic light scattering studies, increases in the β-sheet conformation of the polyalanine (PA) and dehydration of the poly(propylene glycol)−poly(ethylene glycol)−poly(propylene glycol) (PLX) were suggested as the sol-to-gel transition mechanism. The sol-to-gel transition temperature could be controlled by molecular parameters of the PA−PLX−PA such as molecular weight of PA, molecular weights of PLX, and l-Ala/dl-Ala ratio. The PA−PLX−PA was significantly degraded in the subcutaneous layer of rats over 15 days; however, it was stable in phosphate buffer saline over the same period of time. Poly(propylene glycol)/poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymers suffer from short gel duration f...
This paper proposes, studies and discusses in some detail discrete epidemic models of SEIADR (susceptible-exposed-symptomatic infectious- asymptomatic infectious-recovered, or immune- dead- infectious-recovered) and SEIR (susceptible-exposed-symptomatic infectious-recovered) continuous in time models. The first one incorporates the asymptomatic infectious and the lying infective bodies as infectious extra populations on the standard populations of SEIR type models. Several controls are proposed in the general case as, for instance, vaccination treatment and the removal of the lying infective corpses. The control rules can optionally include feedback information.
Military personnel may encounter morally injurious events that lead to emotional, social, and spiritual suffering that transcend and/or overlap with mental health diagnoses (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]). Advancement of scientific research and potential clinical innovation for moral injury (MI) requires a diversity of measurement approaches. Drawing on results from the bifactor model in Currier et al.'s (2017) psychometric evaluation of the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale - Military Version (EMIS-M), this study validated a 4-item short-form of the instrument with two samples of veterans with a history of war-zone service. Namely, despite the reduced number of items, the EMIS-M-Short Form (SF) yielded favorable internal consistency and comparable levels of convergent validity with theoretically-related constructs (e.g., PTSD, struggles with morality and ultimate meaning) as the full-length version. Notwithstanding the possible utility of distinguishing between self- and other-directed forms of MI, factor analytic results further revealed the EMIS-M-SF was best conceptualized with a unidimensional factorial model that might allow for a general assessment of MI-related outcomes. Overall, these initial results suggest the EMIS-M-SF may hold promise as a short, reliable, and valid assessment of overall outcomes related to a possible MI.
Chitin synthases are widespread among eukaryotes and known to have a complex evolutionary history in some of the groups. We have reconstructed the chitin synthase phylogeny using the most taxonomically comprehensive dataset currently available and have shown the presence of independently formed paralogous groups in oomycetes, ciliates, fungi, and all diatoms except raphid pennates. There were also two cases of horizontal gene transfer (HGT): transfer from fungus to early diatoms gave rise to diatom paralogous group, while transfer from raphid pennate diatom to Acantamoeba ancestor is, to our knowledge, restricted to a single gene in amoeba. Early evolution of chitin synthases is heavily obscured by paralogy, and further sequencing effort is necessary.
In order to develop a reliable diagnostic test for pepper veinal mottle virus (PVMV), a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), raised to a Nigerian isolate (PVMW-Ni), was evaluated by double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) on infected pepper samples from seven West African countries. PVMV from different geographical locations was serologically very homogeneous and no significant epitope differences were detected even with a very sensitive double-mAb sandwich ELISA. This ELISA format was optimized with mAb 6C12 and its application in a diagnostic test resulted in the identification of PVMV in Burkina Faso, Togo and Senegal where it had not been previously reported.
Abstract  The records of analyses in the previous chapters are calculated by defined formulae to obtain data on: bunch components; percentage of fertile fruits in the bunch (F/B); fruit set (FS); fruit weight (FWT); percentage of mesocarp in the fruits (M/F); percentage of mesocarp in the fruit check (M/FC); percentage of shell in the fruit (S/F); shell to kernel (S/K); percentage of kernel in the fruit (K/F); kernel to nut (K/N); percentage of kernel in the bunch (K/B); percentage of dry mesocarp to fruit (DM/F); dry mesocarp to wet mesocarp (DM/WM); percentage of oil in dry mesocarp (O/DM); percentage of oil in wet mesocarp (O/WM); and percentage of mesocarp oil in the bunch (O/B).
Background Qualitative analyses can yield critical lessons for learning organizations in healthcare. Few studies have applied these techniques in the field of occupational and environmental medicine (OEM).   Aims To describe the characteristics of complex cases referred for OEM subspecialty evaluation and variation by referring provider's training.   Methods Using a mixed methods approach, we conducted a content analysis of clinical cases submitted to a national OEM teleconsult service. Consecutive cases entered between April 2014 and July 2015 were screened, coded and analysed.   Results 108 cases were available for analysis. Local Veterans Health Administration (VHA) non-specialist providers entered a primary medical diagnosis in 96% of cases at the time of intake. OEM speciality physicians coded significant medical conditions based on free text comments. Coder inter-rater reliability was 84%. The most frequent medical diagnosis types associated with tertiary OEM referral by non-specialists were endocrine (19%), cardiovascular (18%) and mental health (16%). Concern for usage of controlled and/or sedating medications was cited in 1% of cases. Compared to referring non-specialists, OEM physicians were more likely to attribute case complexity to musculoskeletal (OR: 2.3, 1.68-3.14) or neurological (OR: 1.69, 1.28-2.24) conditions. Medication usage (OR: 2.2, 1.49-2.26) was more likely to be a source of clinical concern among referring providers.   Conclusions The findings highlight the range of triggers for OEM physician subspecialty referral in clinical practice with employee patients. The results of this study can be used to inform development of provider education, standardized clinical practice pathways, and quality review activities for occupational medicine practitioners.
1. We studied 2,097 biopsy and surgical specimens of cervical consecutively sent to the Chair of Pathology. The material comes mostly from patients with gynecological symptoms. He has reviewed the pathology found , with particular interest in the so-called precancerous lesions and in situ cancer. Two . Nonspecific chronic cervicitis 90.1 % and only 9.8 % of non-inflamed cervices : the following frequency of inflammatory lesions was found . Granulomatous Cervitis : a foreign body , 0.09 % and 0.28 % in TB cases . Chronic cervicitis with necrotizing arteritis : 1 case. Three . In 10.9 % of cases polyps were found in the endocervical large majority. Cervical leiomyomas were present in 0.66 % of the specimens . April . Concepts that define metaplastic lesions , precancerous atypical cancer in- situ and infiltrating are delimited .
Let (Q2, ) be the measurable space consisting of Q2, the set of sequences (XI, x2, * ) from a finite set A, and X the usual product sigmafield. Let X1, X2, * be the usual coordinate random variables defined on Q2. For n = 1, 2, * , let 5Y be the sub sigma-field of S5 generated by X1, X2, * * *, X". We prove the following: if P is a probability measure on S stationary with respect to the one-sided shift transformation on &2 and if N is a positive integer, then there is a periodic measure Q on SYsuch that Q = P over S_'N. This is a stronger result than the known fact that the periodic measures are dense in the set of stationary measures under the weak topology. We also show that if P assigns positive measure to every nonempty set in S'N, it is possible to find an ergodic measure Q such that P = Q over AN. We investigate the entropies of all such ergodic measures Q which approximate P in this sense, and show that there is a unique ergodic measure Q of maximal entropy such that P = Q over WN.
Apple replant disease (ARD) is a serious threat to producers of apple trees and fruits worldwide. The ARD etiology is not unraveled and managing options are either economically not applicable or environmentally harmful. Thus, interest is given in biomarkers that allow to indicate ARD situations at early time points in order to classify soils according to ARD severity but also to analyze the effectiveness to potential countermeasures. This study aimed at (i) identifying ARD biomarkers on the transcriptional level in root tissue by analyzing the expression of previously identified candidate genes in ARD soils of different origin and texture and (ii) testing the specificity of these marker genes to ARD. In vitro propagated M26 plantlets were submitted to a bio-test with three ARD soils, either untreated or disinfected by γ-irradiation. Expression of seven candidate genes identified in a previous transcriptomic study was investigated by RT-qPCR in a time course experiment. Already three days after planting, a prominent upregulation of the phytoalexin biosynthesis genes biphenyl synthase 3 (BIS3) and biphenyl 4-hydroxylase (B4Hb) was observed in the untreated ARD variants of all three soils. The phytoalexin composition in roots was comparable for all three soils and the total phytoalexin content correlated with the expression of BIS3 and B4Hb. The third promising candidate gene that was upregulated under ARD conditions was the ethylene-responsive transcription factor 1B-like (ERF1B). In a second experiment M26 plantlets were exposed to different abiotic stressors, namely heat, salt and nutrient starvation, and candidate gene expression was determined in the roots. The expression levels of BIS3 and B4Hb were highly and specifically upregulated in ARD soil, but not upon the abiotic stress conditions, whereas ERF1B also showed higher expression under heat stress. In conclusion, BIS3 and B4Hb are recommended as early ARD biomarkers due to their high expression levels and their high specificity.
The shear capacity of existing concrete structures is often unable to meet current standards requirements. This may be attributable to increased load requirements, inadequate shear provisions in the original design, deterioration of materials or an increased demand in shear capacity owing to flexural strengthening. There are various approaches to the repair and strengthening of existing concrete structures in shear using fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP), involving the use of plates or fabrics externally bonded to the web, prestressed straps wrapped around the beam or the use of bars mounted near the surfaces of the web. However, when only the top or bottom faces of the concrete member are accessible, as in the case of bridge beams made contiguous within a deck or for corbels, a different approach is proposed, called the deep embedment technique: vertical holes are drilled into concrete upwards from the soffit in the shear zones, high-viscosity epoxy resin is injected and then FRP or steel bars are embedded into place. In this paper, the results of a series of tests on unstrengthened and strengthened small-scale and large-scale reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete specimens with and without stirrups are presented. The proposed technique is shown to be feasible, successful and potentially more effective than other shear strengthening approaches. A simple model derived from the truss analogy is shown to be able to predict the capacity of the strengthened beams and can therefore be used as a design tool for the scheme.
This paper considers insights for contemporary medical practice from an archival study of gratitude in letters exchanged between almoners at London’s Brompton Hospital and patients treated at the Hospital’s tuberculosis sanatorium in Frimley. In the era before the National Health Service, almoners were responsible for assessing the entitlement of patients to charitable treatment, but they also took on responsibility for aftercare and advising patients on all aspects of welfare. In addition, a major part of the work of almoners at the Brompton was to record the health and employment status of former sanatorium patients for medical research. Of over 6000 patients treated between 1905 and 1963 that were tracked for the purposes of Medical Research Council cohort studies, fewer than 6% were recorded as ‘lost to follow-up’—a remarkable testimony to the success of the almoners’ strategies for maintaining long-term patient engagement. A longitudinal narrative case study is presented with illustrative examples of types of gratitude extracted from a corpus of over 1500 correspondents’ letters. Patients sent money, gifts and stamps in gratitude for treatment received and for the almoners’ ongoing interest in their welfare. Textual analysis of letters from the almoner shows the semantic strategies that position gratitude as central to the personalisation of an institutional relationship. The Brompton letters are conceptualised as a Maussian gift-exchange ritual, in which communal ties are created, consolidated and extended through the performance of gratitude. This study implicates gratitude as central to the willingness of former patients to continue to engage with the Hospital, sometimes for decades after treatment. Suggestions are offered for how contemporary relational healthcare might be informed by this unique collection of patients’ and almoners’ voices.
Cardiac hypertrophy is an ongoing clinical challenge, as risk factors such as obesity, smoking and increasing age become more widespread, which lead to an increasing prevalence of developing hypertrophy. Pathological hypertrophy is a maladaptive response to stress conditions, such as pressure overload, and involve a number of changes in cellular mechanisms, gene expression and pathway regulations. Although several important pathways involved in the remodeling and hypertrophy process have been identified, further research is needed to achieve a better understanding and explore new and better treatment options. More recently discovered pathways showed the involvement of several non-coding RNAs, including micro RNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), which either promote or inhibit the remodeling process and pose a possible target for novel therapy approaches. In vitro modeling serves as a vital tool for this further pathway analysis and treatment testing and has vastly improved over the recent years, providing a less costly and labor-intensive alternative to in vivo animal models.
For a single hidden layer feedforward artificial neural network to possess the universal approximation property, it is sufficient that the hidden layer nodes activation functions are continuous non-polynomial function. It is not required that the activation function be a sigmoidal function. In this paper a simple continuous, bounded, non-constant, differentiable, non-sigmoid and non-polynomial function is proposed, for usage as the activation function at hidden layer nodes. The proposed activation function does require the computation of an exponential function, and thus is computationally less intensive as compared to either the log-sigmoid or the hyperbolic tangent function. On a set of 10 function approximation tasks we demonstrate the efficiency and efficacy of the usage of the proposed activation functions. The results obtained allow us to assert that, at least on the 10 function approximation tasks, the results demonstrate that in equal epochs of training, the networks using the proposed activation function reach deeper minima of the error functional and also generalize better in most of the cases, and statistically are as good as if not better than networks using the logistic function as the activation function at the hidden nodes.
It can be argued that architectural knowledge was of crucial importance to Walter Benjamin for elaborating his version of an anthropological historical materialism. Between 1929 and 1931 he encounters two publications on architectural history which had a decisive impact on his ensuing works: Sigfried Giedion’s Bauen in Frankreich, Bauen in Eisen, Bauen in Eisenbeton (1928) and Carl Linfert’s Die Grundlagen der Architekturzeichnung (1931). It can be argued that both works played a role in affirming, if not developing his historical method of awakening the dreaming collective into a ‘now of recognisability,’ a method which one can argue is based on a specific image-based epistemology. Especially the architectural image, whether in the form of a printed drawing, photographic illustration, or an actual built object, appears to have been crucial for placing the history of media technologies (architecture being one of these media) in a constellation with the ‘archaic symbol-worlds of mythologies.’ If architecture is, as Benjamin claims in his initial notes for The Arcades Project , ‘the most important testimony to latent “mythology,”’ the architectural image might very well be the agent that causes the moment of awakening, the instance when a constellation between technology and ancient symbol worlds is formed. In the second part of this essay, I will attempt to elaborate such a designation for the specificity of the architectural image by analysing a number of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s drawings and collages from the 1920s as architectural images in the Benjaminian sense.
Terrestrial vegetation influences hydrologic cycling. In water‐limited, dryland ecosystems, altered ecohydrology as a consequence of vegetation change can impact vegetation structure, ecological functioning and ecosystem services. Shrub steppe ecosystems dominated by big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) are widespread across western North America, and provide a range of ecosystem services. While sagebrush abundance in these ecosystems has been altered over the past century, and changes are likely to continue, the ecohydrological consequences of sagebrush removal and reestablishment remain unclear. To characterize the immediate and medium‐term patterns of water cycling and availability following sagebrush plant community alteration, we applied the SOILWAT ecosystem water balance model to 898 sites across the distribution of sagebrush ecosystems, representing the three primary sagebrush ecosystem types: sagebrush shrublands, sagebrush steppe and montane sagebrush. At each site, we examined three vegetation conditions representing intact sagebrush, recently disturbed sagebrush and recovered but grass‐dominated vegetation. Transition from shrub to grass dominance decreased precipitation interception and transpiration and increased soil evaporation and deep drainage. Relative to intact sagebrush vegetation, simulated soils in the herbaceous vegetation phases typically had drier surface layers and wetter deep layers. Our simulations suggested that alterations in ecosystem water balance may be most pronounced in vegetation representing recently disturbed conditions (herbaceous vegetation with low biomass) and only modest in conditions representing recovered, but still grass‐dominated vegetation. Furthermore, the ecohydrological impact of simulated sagebrush removal depended on climate; while short‐term changes in water balance were greatest in wet areas represented by the montane sagebrush ecosystem type, medium‐term impacts were greatest in dry areas of sagebrush shrublands and sagebrush steppe. Synthesis. This study provides a novel, regional‐scale assessment of how plant functional type transitions may impact ecosystem water balance in sagebrush‐dominated ecosystems of North America. Results illustrate that the ecohydrological consequences of changing vegetation depend strongly on climate and suggest that decreasing woody plant abundance may have only limited impact on evapotranspiration and water yield.
During the metastatic process, cancer cells interact with vascular adventitial fibroblasts (VAF), which are the main components of the outermost connective tissue layer of blood vessels. This activity suggests the presence of a specific tumor microenvironment in the perivascular area. The s.c. coinjection of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (A549, PC-14, and CRL-5807) and human VAF (hVAF) resulted in a high rate of tumor formation, compared with the coinjection of these cell lines and human lung tissue-derived fibroblasts (hLF). A cDNA microarray analysis revealed a higher expression level of podoplanin in hVAFs than in hLFs (4.7-fold). Flow cytometry analysis also showed a higher expression level of podoplanin in hVAFs (43% ± 17.5%) than in hLFs (16% ± 10.3%). Sorted podoplanin-positive hVAFs displayed enhanced tumor formation, lymph node metastasis, and lung metastasis of A549 compared to sorted podoplanin-negative hVAFs. Knockdown of podoplanin in hVAFs decreased the augmenting effect of tumor formation and in vitro colony formation. The overexpression of podoplanin in hVAFs hastened the tumor formation of A549, compared with control hVAFs. Furthermore, the analysis of small-sized human lung adenocarcinoma (n = 112) revealed that patients with podoplanin-positive cancer-associated fibroblasts had a significantly higher rate of lymph node metastasis and a high risk of recurrence. These results indicate a promotive effect of hVAFs mediated by podoplanin on cancer progression and suggest that the perivascular environment may constitute a specific niche for tumor progression.
One of the major difficulties in employing phase-field crystal (PFC) modeling and the associated amplitude (APFC) formulation is the ability to tune model parameters to match experimental quantities. In this work, we address the problem of tuning the defect core and interface energies in the APFC formulation. We show that the addition of a single term to the free-energy functional can be used to increase the solid-liquid interface and defect energies in a well-controlled fashion, without any major change to other features. The influence of the newly added term is explored in two-dimensional triangular and honeycomb structures as well as bcc and fcc lattices in three dimensions. In addition, a finite-element method (FEM) is developed for the model that incorporates a mesh refinement scheme. The combination of the FEM and mesh refinement to simulate amplitude expansion with a new energy term provides a method of controlling microscopic features such as defect and interface energies while simultaneously delivering a coarse-grained examination of the system.
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship between employee trust towards the company and their commitment to it. For this reason, this study questioned if certain levels of trust presented in each department at Micron Technology Italy were interrelated with the levels of commitment. Design/methodology/approach – A survey at Micron Technology Italy was conducted. Of the 1,580 employees who received the questionnaire, 892 responses were collected, resulting in a 56.46 per cent response rate. Findings – The research findings show that for departments where trust values are below 6.8, the commitment level follows the trust value: there is a positive relation between these two factors. However, departments where employee trust reaches values higher than 6.8 are not reciprocated by a proportional commitment level that tends to reach a “satisfaction point”. Research limitations/implications – The results are only partially coherent with previous studies. Further research is needed to det...
Tubercular dactylitis is an uncommon form of osteo-articular tuberculosis seen in children. Multifocal involvement, simultaneously involving hands and feet is extremely uncommon. Here we report an adult patient with tubercular dactylitis involving multiple digits of both hands and second digit of right foot in absence of any risk factors like immunodeficiency or any debilitating condition. The patient was successfully treated with anti-tubercular drugs for six months. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection of bones and joints can present in an unusual way but early diagnosis and treatment caries a good prognosis.
Seroepidemiology and polymerase chain reaction studies have strongly suggested that human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV-8) is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma, Castleman's disease, and body cavity-based lymphoma. The genome of HHV-8 harbors a viral analogue of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene. The amino acid sequence of the viral IL-6 (vIL-6) protein is 24.7% identical to human IL-6 (hIL-6). IL-6 as a B-cell growth and differentiation factor is known to play an essential role in the pathophysiology of B-cell tumors. Thus, it seems possible that virus-encoded IL-6 contributes to malignant growth of HHV-8-positive B-cell lymphatic tumors. We have tested a preparation of HHV-8-derived IL-6 for the ability to promote the proliferation of the human myeloma cell line INA-6, which is strictly dependent on exogenous IL-6 for growth and survival. Viral IL-6 significantly induced DNA synthesis of INA-6 cells, but required much more protein on a weight basis when compared with hIL-6 for maximal proliferation. The proliferative effect of vIL-6 was almost completely inhibited by a combination of anti-IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) and anti-gp130 antibodies or IL-6R superantagonist Sant7 and anti-gp130 antibodies. This report demonstrates that vIL-6 has proliferative activity on human cells and that the IL-6R and gp130 are involved in vIL-6 signaling in the myeloma cell line INA-6.
C22H38ClNO6, trigonal, R3 (no. 146), a = 28.293(2) A, c = 7.4204(7) A, V = 5144.3 A, Z = 9, Rgt(F) = 0.051, wRref(F ) = 0.137, T = 296 K. Source of material Songorine, a C20-diterpenoid alkaloid is isolated from the chloroform extract of the roots ofAconitum szechenyianumGay, wetted by 10%ammoniumhydroxide solution before. The purified compound is dissolved in a 1% hydrochloric acid solution at first. Then the solution is adjusted to pH 6.5 with a 10% NaOH solution. Colorless single crystals were obtained at room temperature for days by slowly volatilizing the solvent. Experimental details Water H atoms were located in a difference Fourier map and refined with restrained O—H bond lengths (0.85(1) A) and fixed isotropic displacement parameters (0.08A). OtherH atomswere placed at calculated positions and refined using a riding model with O—H distances restrained to 0.82 A, C—H distances restrained to 0.93 A and N—H distance restrained to 0.91 A. Discussion Songorine belongs to the class of C20-diterpenoid alkaloids, a large group of biologically active compounds of naturally occurrence. As a diterpenoid alkaloid, songorine has been found to enhance both the orthodromic population spike and field excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) in CA1 region of hippocampal slices [1]. Recently, it was indicated that songorine can enhance the excitatory synaptic transmission in rat hippocampus, and was proved that songorine is a novel non-competitive antagonist at the GABAA receptor in rat brain [2]. In the title crystal structure, there are one songorine cation, one chloride ion and 3 crystal water molecules (figure top). The bond length of C12—O2 is 1.202 A, and the angles of O2−C12−C11, O2−C12−C13 and C11−C12−C13 are 121.8(4)°, 122.8(4)° and 115.4(3)°, respectively, which indicates that the C12 and O2 are sp hybridized, and C11, C12, C13 and O2 atoms are in a plane. The bond length of C17—C16 is 1.322(6)A. The angles of C13− C16−C15, C17−C16−C15 and C17−C16−C13 are 108.0(3)°, 126.2(4)° and 125.5(4)°, respectively, which show an exomethylene attached to C16. The songorine cations are interlinked by hydrogen bonds (figure bottom). Intra-molecular hydrogen bonds O6W−H6WA···Cl1 and O5W−H5WA···Cl1 link the Cl−, crystal water O5W and O6W together. The hydrogen bonds C2−H2A···O4W, O1− H1···O4W, N1−H1N···O4W fix the crystal water O4W to songorine. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds O6W− H6WB···O5W (symmetric code: x,y,z−1) and C21−H21A···O1, C19−H19B···O1, C15−H15···O2 (symmetric code: x,y,z+1), link the songorinemolecules along [001]. The hydrogen bondsO5W− Z. Kristallogr. NCS 223 (2008) 111-113 / DOI 10.1524/ncrs.2008.0047 111 © by Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munchen
Abstract Potential mechanisms of resistance to azinphosmethyl, an organophosphate insecticide, were examined in five field populations of the tufted apple bud moth Platynota idaeusalis (Walker). Adult male moths from resistant and susceptible populations were collected on sex pheromone traps and analyzed for glutathione transferase, general carboxylesterase, and cytochrome P 450 monooxygenase activity. Kinetics and inhibition profiles for acetylcholinesterase were also compared among populations. Significant intra- and interpopulation variation was demonstrated in these detoxification enzyme systems, but no resistance correlation was found to carboxylesterases, cytochrome P 450 monooxygenases, or glutathione transferase using the substrate 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene or for acetylcholinesterase activity. However, elevated glutathione transferase activity toward the model substrate 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene was consistently associated with azinphosmethyl resistance.
We introduce the notions of alternating roots of polynomials and alternating polynomials over a Cayley-Dickson algebra, and prove a connection between the alternating roots of a given polynomial and the roots of the corresponding alternating polynomial over the Cayley-Dickson doubling of the algebra. We also include a detailed Octave code for the computation of alternating roots over Hamilton's quaternions.
Recently, computational approaches integrating copy number aberrations (CNAs) and gene expression (GE) have been extensively studied to identify cancer-related genes and pathways. In this work, we integrate these two data sets with protein-protein interaction (PPI) information to find cancer-related functional modules. To integrate CNA and GE data, we first built a gene-gene relationship network from a set of seed genes by enumerating all types of pairwise correlations, e.g. GE-GE, CNA-GE, and CNA-CNA, over multiple patients. Next, we propose a voting-based cancer module identification algorithm by combining topological and data-driven properties (VToD algorithm) by using the gene-gene relationship network as a source of data-driven information, and the PPI data as topological information. We applied the VToD algorithm to 266 glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and 96 ovarian carcinoma (OVC) samples that have both expression and copy number measurements, and identified 22 GBM modules and 23 OVC modules. Among 22 GBM modules, 15, 12, and 20 modules were significantly enriched with cancer-related KEGG, BioCarta pathways, and GO terms, respectively. Among 23 OVC modules, 19, 18, and 23 modules were significantly enriched with cancer-related KEGG, BioCarta pathways, and GO terms, respectively. Similarly, we also observed that 9 and 2 GBM modules and 15 and 18 OVC modules were enriched with cancer gene census (CGC) and specific cancer driver genes, respectively. Our proposed module-detection algorithm significantly outperformed other existing methods in terms of both functional and cancer gene set enrichments. Most of the cancer-related pathways from both cancer data sets found in our algorithm contained more than two types of gene-gene relationships, showing strong positive correlations between the number of different types of relationship and CGC enrichment -values (0.64 for GBM and 0.49 for OVC). This study suggests that identified modules containing both expression changes and CNAs can explain cancer-related activities with greater insights.
A major puzzle in international finance is that high interest rate currencies tend to appreciate (forward discount puzzle). Motivated by the fact that only a small fraction of foreign currency holdings is actively managed, we calibrate a two-country model in which agents make infrequent portfolio decisions. We show that the model can account for the forward discount puzzle. It can also account for several related empirical phenomena, including that of "delayed overshooting." We also show that making infrequent portfolio decisions is optimal as the welfare gain from active currency management is smaller than the corresponding fees. (JEL F31, G11, G15)
This letter presents a current-reused V-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) with a double-transformer-coupling technique in 65nm CMOS technology. A couple of common-source (CS) stages are stacked to share current, and the double transformers are used as an RF signal path between the CS stages for both gain and stability considerations. The LNA has three CS-CS stages, and achieves a peak gain of 31.4 dB, a minimum noise figure (NF) of 4.7 dB, and a P1dB of -2 dBm over 62.9-67 GHz with a power consumption of 6 mW. The chip size is 0.66 × 0.90 mm2 including pads.
Aneurysms which are formed when the wall of an artery is weakened from within by infection are generally called "mycotic" even though the most common infection is by pyogenic bacteria rather than by fungi. This report documents the unusual and unexpected postmortem finding of an awn of a grass inflorescence as the nidus for the pathogenesis of a mycotic aneurysm of the right middle cerebral artery. Such an etiology should typically be termed "phytotic."  Case Summary  A previously healthy 5½-year-old boy was treated for otitis media three weeks prior to admission. This responded to a combination of intramuscularly and orally administered antibiotics.
An increasing number of enterprises demonstrate that successful adoption of service oriented architecture (SOA) using Web services technologies enables them to build enterprise applications quickly and effectively. To align with changing business requirement, services need to adapt quickly, and eventually multiple versions of the same original service would coexist. To manage all these versions and ensure continuous availability to the service consumers, innovative techniques of version management for Web services become critical to realizing the full promise of SOA. To address the version management issues in Web services, we propose to include version-awareness to various aspects of Web services as an extension to the current SOA In particular, to minimize the impact of service changes on the service consumer side, we design a version-aware Web service client model (via an enhancement to the current JAX-RPC client model) which provides both consumer-aware and consumer-transparent invocation styles at build-time and dynamic service proxy generation at runtime. Leveraging the present implementation of the JAX-RPC service model, the versioned client APIs based on the new client model is designed to make the development process easy and intuitive. A prototype of this client model, implemented in Eclipse with an exemplary weather-forecast application, is introduced to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach.
Christian belief in a future life was historically based on theistic religious experience. Today Near Death Experiences are more often cited. Exceptional reports of NDEs go back to the dawn of history but modern medicine has democratised them. Accounts from St. Paul, St. John of the Cross, and from Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism are described and compared with a large survey of contemporary experiences. The author pleads the desirability of establishing a prospective research project to determine the objectivity of some of the experiences claimed.
Conservative clinical solutions, predictable esthetic, and immediate outcomes are important concepts of restorative dentistry. The aim of this case study was to recognize the selective enamel removal as an interesting conservative alternative to achieve optimal esthetic results and discuss the clinical protocol. This clinical report described an alternative esthetic and conservative treatment to transform the long and sharp aspect of the maxillary canines with a slightly aggressive aspect into features of slightly curved teeth with delicate lines. An accurate diagnostic and esthetic analysis of the smile was initially performed. The selective enamel removal was performed, and direct composite restoration was strategically placed. Clinical assessment showed good esthetic outcomes, enabling a smile harmony with an immediate, simple, and lower-cost technique. Practitioners should be exposed to conservative approaches to create esthetic smiles based on the selective enamel removal technique combined with composite resin.
The impact of parasitic capacitance in micron and submicron CMOS/SOS implementations is explored. Relative measures of parasitic fringing and interconnect capacitance associated with ring oscillator and high-speed 1/64 frequency divider (400 MHz at 4V) circuit layouts are investigated. Parasitic capacitance figures of merit are analyzed in terms of several key geometrical dimensions, from which sensitivity of parasitic influence on circuit speed to departure from ideal scaling laws can be deduced. Analytical and numerical results and design considerations moderating deleterious effects of parasitic capacitance in down scaling from 2 to 1 to 0.5µm CMOS/SOS technologies are discussed.
Podcasts are entering their second decade. However, this article does not present a chronological narrative of this history or focus groups exploring their effectiveness. Instead, this paper probes the enlivening capacity of podcasting when inserted into the much wider discourse of sonic media. My research probes the impact on teaching and learning when cutting away four of our five senses to focus on auditory culture, sonic media, hearing and listening. This research shows the value of ‘blind listening,’ cutting away the eyes and visual literacy, to activate more complex modes of learning. https://doi.org/10.34105/j.kmel.2016.08.027
Septic arthritis is a serious condition and in adults the knee is the most frequently involved joint. Respective indications and limits of arthroscopy or arthrotomy are not well defined.In opposition to many published series. Patient was 60 years old male. Arthroscopic lavage was applied three months ago because of septic arthritis at another hospital. In orthopedic examination the patient had ballotman, swelling. There was 1x1 cm cavitation on the lateral wall of the notch and related the joint in the computed tomography. Arthroscopy was applied, cavity of osteomyelitis was removed. In our case, septic arthritis was occurred leaked supurative material of subchondral localized osteomyeitis in to joint. It was defined by computed tomography and syntigraphy. In Gachter’s IV stage with osseoz involment is recommended arthrotomy. We used arthroscopic method to remove cavity of focal osteomyelitis. After one year follow up period complete resolution of the inflammatory symptoms and laboratory sign proved. As result, arthroscopic treatment of septic arthritis fallow well defined focal osteomyelitis may be useful.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel virus of the β-coronavirus genus (SARS-CoV-2), has been spreading globally. As of July 2020, there have been more than 17 million cases worldwide. Determining multiple transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 is critical to improving safety practices for the public and stemming the spread of SARS-CoV-2 effectively. This article mainly focuses on published studies on the transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 including contact transmission, droplet transmission, aerosol transmission and fecal-oral transmission, as well as related research approaches, such as epidemiological investigations, environmental sampling in hospitals and laboratories and animal models. We also provide four specific recommendations for the prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 that may help reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection under different environmental conditions. First, social distancing, rational use of face masks and respirators, eye protection, and hand disinfection for medical staff and the general public deserve further attention and promotion. Second, aerodynamic characteristics, such as size distribution, release regularity, aerosol diffusion, survival and decline, infectious dose and spread distance, still require further investigation in order to identify the transmissibility of COVID-19. Third, background monitoring of the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms and environmental disinfection in crowded public places, such as railway stations, schools, hospitals and other densely populated areas, can give early warning of outbreaks and curb the transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 in those high-risk areas. Forth, establishing novel predictive models can help us to not only assess transmission and impacts in communities, but also better implement corresponding emergency response measures.
Intense red (Er3+:F9∕24→I15∕24, Tm3+:G41→F43), green (Er3+:H11∕22, S3∕24→I15∕24), and blue (Tm3+:D21→F43, G41→H63) upconversion emissions were simultaneously generated in the transparent glass ceramics containing Tm3+∕Er3+∕Yb3+:β-YF3 nanocrystals under single 976nm laser excitation. It was demonstrated that Tm3+ behaves as the sensitizer for red luminescence of Er3+ and Er3+ as the quenching center for blue, red, and near-infrared upconversion emissions of Tm3+. Various colors of the luminescence, including perfect and bright white light with CIE-X=0.310 and CIE-Y=0.358, can be easily tuned by adjusting the concentrations of the rare earth ions in the material.
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have been established as a major cause of mortality globally. However, the exact pathogenesis remains obscure. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is the most common epigenetic modification on mRNAs regulated by methyltransferase complexes (writers), demethylase transferases (erasers) and binding proteins (readers). It is now understood that m6A is a major player in physiological and pathological cardiac processes. m6A methylation are potentially involved in many mechanisms, for instance, regulation of calcium homeostasis, endothelial function, different forms of cell death, autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum stress, macrophage response and inflammation. In this review, we will summarize the molecular functions of m6A enzymes. We mainly focus on m6A-associated mechanisms and functions in CVDs, especially in heart failure and ischemia heart disease. We will also discuss the potential application and clinical transformation of m6A modification.
In order to design a color quantization method that addresses total luminance for digital light processing (DLP) projectors, we propose a framework for optimizing color quantization and light emitted diode (LED) luminance. We evaluate the proposed method and a system using a DLP projector and a CMOS camera. Experimental results indicate that our method improves the total luminance of a projected image approximately 120% when compared with results achieved using previous models and produces better image quality.
At the beginning of the 21st century the UN Millennium Development Goals drew the attention of the development community to social development projects, and infrastructure development was only given a new impetus with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Rural transport depends on appropriate infrastructure where consists mainly of rural roads, tracks, trails and footpaths. Methodology: As rural households, spend a large amount of time and effort on transport activities to fulfill their basic needs, they are very often severely hampered by the lack of an adequate rural roads network. World Bank study estimated that 15 % of the agricultural produce is lost between the farm gate and the consumer because of poor roads and inappropriate storage facilities alone, adversely influencing the income of farmers. International Fund for Agricultural Development observed that construction of rural roads almost inevitably leads to increase in agricultural production and productivity by bringing in new land into cultivation, intensifying existing land use to take advantage of expanded market opportunities. Results: Therefore, in this paper points to are some aspects of the character of rural roads for the development of rural economy. Namely, in order to avoid the problems associated with rural road development, it is advisable to prepare a rural road plan by building strong database, which consists of village level information and road inventory details. Conclusion: The Village and Road Information System (V&RIS) developed under GIS environment is very much useful for problem identification, planning, allocation of resources and location of various socio - economic facilities for an integral rural development.
Battery swapping is an important technology for electric vehicle energy supplement, which has important advantages in solving users’ range anxiety, improving battery safety and the utilization rate of power resources, etc. In order to better explore the practical application of electric vehicle battery swapping technology, this paper introduces the system composition, characteristics and applications of electric vehicle battery swapping system in detail, and focus on the the analysis of key technologies of battery swapping electric vehicles and components, especially safety risks, failure modes, verification methods, which is of great significance to guarantee and verify the safety of the battery swapping electric vehicles.
The use of eco-technologies for wastewater treatment such as algal and duckweed-based pond systems is becoming popular in developing countries owing to its affordability and efficiency of pathogen removal in warm climates. The pathogen removal mechanisms of these treatment systems however is still not clearly understood and existing knowledge is also scattered in journals and books of different disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to provide a concise review of knowledge acquired in recent times on faecal coliform removal mechanisms in algal and duckweed ponds in a comparative way while identifying knowledge gaps that still exist. This review pays particular attention to little known removal mechanisms such as the role of algal biomass, attachment and sedimentation of faecal coliforms and the role of predation by macro-invertebrates and protozoans. Recent experiments showed that algal ponds, in comparison with duckweed ponds, are more efficient in faecal coliform removal due to the high pH and oxygenation that occur in the former and the rate of inactivation of faecal coliforms increases with increased algal biomass till a certain optimum concentration after which it decreases. This optimal algal concentration for maximum destruction of faecal coliforms can be affected by the quality and strength of the wastewater. Algae also appeared to have a destructive effect on faecal coliforms even in darkness, a phenomenon that may be the effect of toxic substances from the algae. Results also show that the role of invertebrates, particularly macro-invertebrates may be more important in duckweed pond systems. Removal of faecal coliforms through attachment and sedimentation in both duckweed and algal ponds appear to be dependent largely on concentrations of faecal coliforms present and to some extent on suspended plant and particulate matter concentrations. Wide variations in removal efficiencies were however observed. We conclude that the wide variations in removal efficiencies can be addressed by standardizing operating conditions of treatment systems. Further work is necessary to identify the substances produced by algae which appeared to be toxic to faecal coliforms as well as establishing the relative importance of predation by protozoans and macro-invertebrates in the removal of faecal coliforms.
We propose decision-feedback differential detection (DF-DD) for direct-sequence code-division multiple access (DS-CDMA) with multi-chip (MC) differential encoding (DE). While the complexity of the novel receiver is moderate, it enables large performance gains over conventional differential detection for various channel environments. Furthermore, we show that, in most cases, MC-DE outperforms single-chip differential encoding and, in addition, decreases receiver complexity. Another result of the paper is that quaternary differential phase-shift keying (QDPSK) is more suitable for chip-level DE than binary DPSK (BDPSK).
The nature of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is currently unknown. Repeating FRBs offer better observation opportunities than nonrepeating FRBs because their simultaneous multiwavelength counterparts might be identified. The magnetar flare model of FRBs is one of the most promising models that predict high-energy emission in addition to radio burst emission. To investigate such a possibility, we have searched for simultaneous and quasi-simultaneous short-term hard X-ray bursts in all Swift/BAT event mode data, which covered the periods when FRB detections were reported in the repeating FRB 121102, by making use of BAT’s arcminute-level spatial resolution and wide field of view. We did not find any significant hard X-ray bursts that occurred simultaneously with those radio bursts. We also investigated potential short X-ray bursts that occurred quasi-simultaneously with those radio bursts (occurrence time differs in the range from hundreds of seconds to thousands of seconds) and concluded that even the best candidates are consistent with background fluctuations. Therefore, our investigation concluded that there were no hard X-ray bursts detectable with Swift/BAT that occurred simultaneously or quasi-simultaneously with those FRBs in the repeating FRB 121102.
Most air quality studies in agricultural environments use thermal desorption analysis for quantifying semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) associated with odor. The objective of this study was to develop a robust sampling technique for measuring SVOCs in humid environments. Test atmospheres were generated at ambient temperatures (23 +/- 1.5 degrees C) and 25, 50, and 80% relative humidity (RH). Sorbent material used included Tenax, graphitized carbon, and carbon molecular sieve (CMS). Sorbent tubes were challenged with 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 L of air at various RHs. Sorbent tubes with CMS material performed poorly at both 50 and 80% RH dueto excessive sorption of water. Heating of CMS tubes during sampling or dry-purging of CMS tubes post sampling effectively reduced water sorption with heating of tubes being preferred due to the higher recovery and reproducibility. Tenaxtubes had breakthrough of the more volatile compounds and tended to form artifacts with increasing volumes of air sampled. Graphitized carbon sorbent tubes containing Carbopack X and Carbopack C performed best with quantitative recovery of all compounds at all RHs and sampling volumes tested. The graphitized carbon tubes were taken to the field for further testing. Field samples taken from inside swine feeding operations showed that butanoic acid, 4-methylphenol, 4-ethylphenol, indole, and 3-methylindole were the compounds detected most often above their odor threshold values. Field samples taken from a poultry facility demonstrated that butanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, and 4-methylphenol were the compounds above their odor threshold values detected most often, relative humidity, CAFO, VOC, SVOC, thermal desorption, swine, poultry, air quality, odor.
Summary. Infections that develop as a complication of minor injuries to the hand, frequently are underestimated by the patient or by the physician initially consulted. Between 1990 and 2000, we have treated 172 in-patients as a result of this underestimation. In a retrospective study we have tried to evaluate the economic consequences. According to our results, treatment costs of 210,000 D-Mark could have been saved, if adequate treatment had been initiated on time.
Databases derived from electronic health records (EHRs) are commonly subject to left truncation, a type of selection bias that occurs when patients need to survive long enough to satisfy certain entry criteria. Standard methods to adjust for left truncation bias rely on an assumption of marginal independence between entry and survival times, which may not always be satisfied in practice. In this work, we examine how a weaker assumption of conditional independence can result in unbiased estimation of common statistical parameters. In particular, we show the estimability of conditional parameters in a truncated dataset, and of marginal parameters that leverage reference data containing non‐truncated data on confounders. The latter is complementary to observational causal inference methodology applied to real‐world external comparators, which is a common use case for real‐world databases. We implement our proposed methods in simulation studies, demonstrating unbiased estimation and valid statistical inference. We also illustrate estimation of a survival distribution under conditionally independent left truncation in a real‐world clinico‐genomic database.
Pericytes are multifunctional cells that wrap around the endothelial cell layers that form capillaries and provide structural support and regulate both endothelial cell functions (eg, blood vessel integrity and permeability) and blood flow via direct cell-to-cell interactions and the secretion of paracrine acting factors. Multiple studies have provided evidence for the existence of a multipotent stem cell-like pericyte population, thereby suggesting that capillaries function as a stem cell reservoir that contribute to tissue maintenance and repair/regeneration following injury. Multipotent pericytes also possess huge therapeutic potential, with target conditions including limb ischemia, ischemic heart disease, muscular dystrophy, and retinal vasculopathy. Furthermore, alongside neural and vascular cells, pericytes represent a key element in the blood-brain barrier (BBB)/neurovascular unit, (NVU) and multipotent pericytes may represent an important cell type that could contribute toward repair/ regeneration in certain pathological situations, such as stroke. However, we do not have a complete understanding of the unique phenotypes and markers associated with pericytes; hence, we currently lack the means to efficiently identify or isolate multipotent pericytes from a heterogeneous population. In our first Featured Article this month from STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, Yoshida et al employ a novel cell surface protein, EphA7, to isolate multipotent pericytes with capillary forming ability and cross-germ layer plasticity that may prove useful to the development of disease models and in regenerative therapies. In a Related Article from STEM CELLS, Nakagomi et al described how brain vascular pericytes acquire multipotential differentiation capabilities and differentiate into major components of the BBB/NVU in response to an ischemic insult, similar to that which occurs in ischemic stroke patients. The existence of human endogenous cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) has recently fallen into some doubt, mainly as a consequence of concerns surrounding high impact studies from the laboratories of Piero Anversa who first suggested that c-kit expressing stem-like cells present in the heart could regenerate damaged heart muscle (see the original articles and the accompanying Expression of Concern). Even given this setback, many laboratories have independently provided evidence for rare putative progenitor populations with limited cardiomyogenic potential that may contribute to cardiac repair via several mechanisms, including differentiation into relevant cell types and the secretion of paracrine acting regenerative factors. Harnessing the power of CPCs may permit the development of strategies that enhance cardiac repair/ regeneration in heart failure patients; however, we first require a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms controlling CPC proliferation and differentiation. Encouragingly, the establishment of protocols that permit the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into large numbers of putative CPCs will allow for said studies as well as cardiac regenerative approaches. In our second Featured Article this month from STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, Drowley et al report on their identification of retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonists as potent proliferation enhancers of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived CPCs in the hope that their findings will enhance regenerative approaches for conditions such as myocardial infarction. In a Related Article from STEM CELLS, Salabei et al established how the glutamine-induced enhancement of mitochondrial function and mTOR signaling pathway stimulation induced CPC proliferation in a study that may provide a means to improve cardiac regenerative therapies.
Presently gapped silicon carbide arresters are rarely purchased for the protection of substation equipment and they are gradually replaced by metal oxide arresters. But gapped arresters form the bulk of the protection equipment and have been in use for more than 10 years. These arresters have undergone extensive deterioration and often are reported to have failed. The deterioration of their components, such as the electrodes forming the gaps, causes a significant change in their breakdown characteristics. A TNA model has been used to study the effect of change in the breakdown time on the voltage rise at the transformer end of a 132 kV substation under impulse voltage. A rise of 35% in the potential over the BIL at the transformer end is noticed when an impulse strikes the incoming line of a substation and when the breakdown time of the spark gap changes from 0.6 /spl mu/S to 4.0 /spl mu/S. The model simulation has been supported by computer simulation in Pspice.
The significant role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in economic development has been acknowledged and focused for a very long time. They dominate the business establishment around the world. The current challenging and volatile business landscape has called for greater scrutiny to identify survival toolkit for SMEs, given that SMEs are very much important to the dramatic economic changes. Thus, understanding practices that may damage business success is needed urgently. With this crucial and critical situation, it is the time now to identify an alternative approach to understand practices that lead to business success. The purpose of this study is to concentrate on the influence of strategic entrepreneurship (SE) which is manifested in exploration activities only that in-turn represented by strategic opportunity recognition construct, on sustainable SMEs performance in Malaysia. This paper is an attempt to address this challenge by developing a framework for the assessment of recognizing the important role of SE in efficiently contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Firm Performance.
Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Vibrio cyclitrophicus NCT10V, cultivated from the copepod Acartia tonsa, collected from coastal surface waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean. The assembly is 5,638,575 bp long and has 44 contigs, a GC content of 43.2%, and 5,044 protein coding sequences. ABSTRACT Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Vibrio cyclitrophicus NCT10V, cultivated from the copepod Acartia tonsa, collected from coastal surface waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean. The assembly is 5,638,575 bp long and has 44 contigs, a GC content of 43.2%, and 5,044 protein coding sequences.
The purpose of the current study was to examine the concurrent and discriminant validity of the Child Facial Coding System for children with cerebral palsy. Eighty-five children (mean = 8.35 years, SD = 4.72 years) were videotaped during a passive joint stretch with their physiotherapist and during 3 time segments: baseline, passive joint stretch, and recovery. Children’s pain responses were rated from videotape using the Numerical Rating Scale and Child Facial Coding System. Results indicated that Child Facial Coding System scores during the passive joint stretch significantly correlated with Numerical Rating Scale scores (r = .72, P < .01). Child Facial Coding System scores were also significantly higher during the passive joint stretch than the baseline and recovery segments (P < .001). Facial activity was not significantly correlated with the developmental measures. These findings suggest that the Child Facial Coding System is a valid method of identifying pain in children with cerebral palsy.
Purpose of study High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are a heterogeneous class of lipoproteins with established roles in anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, and other protective mechanisms. Recent findings that HDL transports mircoRNAs and complex lipid signalling molecules suggest HDL may have a targeted role in biochemical regulation that is currently unidentified. HDL is the sole lipoprotein class present in ovarian follicular fluid (FF), the fluid that nourishes maturing oocytes prior to ovulation. Our goal is to identify the molecular properties of HDL in FF and elucidate the role of HDL in ovarian health and fertility. Methods used Follicular fluid from women undergoing fertility treatment for diminished ovarian reserve and oocyte donors was collected taking care to avoid blood contamination. Native HDL was isolated from the samples using the selected-affinity immunosorption technique developed in our lab. The whole FF and HDL fraction was analysed for total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL quantity. Samples were applied to a 35-cytokine multiplex assay to quantify pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Multivariate analysis was performed to compare differences in lipids and cytokine profiles in controls compared to women with infertility. Summary of results Of 35 cytokines analysed, a majority is found to be transported by HDL in FF. The distribution of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines between oocyte donors and fertility treatment sources reveal a difference in FF environment that correlates with oocyte health. Results from this study suggest HDL-associated cytokine profiles contribute to the FF environment and the likelihood of fertility and successful pregnancy. Conclusions HDL transports a number of cytokines in FF, a previously unknown quality of HDL. The cytokine expression profile differs greatly between healthy controls and women experiencing infertility. HDL appears to contribute to oocyte health and viability, thus examining the follicular fluid HDL may provide better outcomes for women seeking fertility treatment.
Hexythiazox [trans-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-N-cyclohexyl-4-methyl-2-oxothiazolidine-3-carboxamide] is a new miticide effective for control of various kinds of mites. Discovery of a compound with weak miticidal activity among thiazolo [2, 3-b] triazine derivatives, which had fungicidal activity on diseases caused by Phycomycetes, initiated this study, and trials of cleavages at a few parts of the triazine ring led to an invention of 2-thiazolidone compounds with outstandingly high acaricidal activity. In regard to the diastereoisomers at the 4- and 5-positions of the thiazolidine ring, the trans-form was found to be crucial for their miticidal activity. Introduction of various substituents, especially halogen atoms, onto the phenyl ring at the 5-position resulted in a remarkable improvement of the activity. A compound was selected from a large number of the derivatives, which has been in the market under the common name of hexythiazox. Hexythiazox had broad miticidal spectrum and excellent ovicidal, larvicidal and nymphcidal actions. It showed hatching inhibition through adult females and acted as both stomach and contact poisons on larvae. Immature mites treated with the compound did not die at the motile stage but died at the next chrysalis. Hexythiazox, possessed good residual activity and was successful in controlling citrus red mites for about 70 days in the field trial when used at very low concentrations of 25-50ppm. It has been confirmed that the miticide gives no lethal effect on predacious mites.
Sigmoidal and rectal biopsies were taken from 10 patients at colonoscopy. Colonic crypt cell proliferation was measured using a monoclonal antibody to bromodeoxyuridine by an immunohistochemical technique. Labelling index and crypt cell proliferation profiles were analysed and compared between the two sites. No statistically significant difference was found in proliferation parameters. Assessment of colonic proliferation is a useful indicator for colorectal cancer risk and for determining the effects of ongoing drug treatment. Rectal biopsies are easier to take than sigmoidal biopsies. The results of this study suggest that there is no difference in cell proliferation at the two sites. Rectal biopsies are more practical for clinical studies.
Associate editors C’~BERT C. GOLD, WSC PAUL BERTHIAUME, ESC JOHN CLANCY, CSSC HARVEY L. ECKENRODE, scientific Data Systems Electronic Associates, Inc. McDonnell Aircraft Corp. Applied Dynamics, Inc. Santa Monica, California Rockville, Maryland St. Louis, Missouri Huntsville, Alabama JOHN ATCHLEY, S1NS~ RAY D. BENHAM, IVWSC ROBERT H. KOHR, MW,~C MARK HARRIS, RMSC Electronic Associates, fne. Battelle Memorial Institute Purdue University Ball Brothers Research Houston, Texas Richland, Washington Lafayette, Indiana Boulder; Colorado
Objectives: To evaluate comparatively two management modalities in women with singleton pregnancies and with clinical risk factors for PTB (based on obstetric and gynecologic history): transvaginal ultrasound (TVU) surveillance of the cervical length and placement of CC indicated by cervical shortening (therapeutic cerclage, TC) versus prophylactic (elective) cerclage (PC). Methods: Data Sources and Study Selection: A search of entries in electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE) was supplemented with references cited in original articles to identify randomized trials and case-control studies comparing pregnancy outcomes after cervical surveillance and TC versus PC in a high-risk population of pregnant women with singleton pregnancies. Case and control groups consisted of women with singleton pregnancies matched for obstetrical and gynecological risk factors for preterm birth. The outcomes assessed were preterm delivery before 35 weeks or prior to 24 weeks of gestation. Studies were excluded if there was no matched control group or if only the abstract was available. Results: Of 5 studies identified, 3 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 367 patients were evaluated, 215 in the cervical surveillance arm and 152 with PC. Compared to women with PC, those who were followed by cervical surveillance, had no increased risk of preterm delivery before 24 or 35 weeks, respectively (RR 1.41; 95%CI 0.58–3.41; RR 1.24; 95%CI 0.75–2.04, respectively). The conservative approach achieved a 62% reduction in the number of patients undergoing CC placement. Conclusions: Serial TVU of the cervix with ultrasound-indicated TC appears a safe alternative to traditional PC and it spares a significant number of pregnant women an intervention with potential inherent complications.
We present the Unified Form Language (UFL), which is a domain-specific language for representing weak formulations of partial differential equations with a view to numerical approximation. Features of UFL include support for variational forms and functionals, automatic differentiation of forms and expressions, arbitrary function space hierarchies for multifield problems, general differential operators and flexible tensor algebra. With these features, UFL has been used to effortlessly express finite element methods for complex systems of partial differential equations in near-mathematical notation, resulting in compact, intuitive and readable programs. We present in this work the language and its construction. An implementation of UFL is freely available as an open-source software library. The library generates abstract syntax tree representations of variational problems, which are used by other software libraries to generate concrete low-level implementations. Some application examples are presented and libraries that support UFL are highlighted.
ABSTRACT In this article, I examine the rise of ‘countercultural rock’ in the city of Buenos Aires between 1965 and 1970. Through the identification, mapping and analysis of real and imaginary spaces, I analyse how rock occupied the city both materially and symbolically. This dual approach to the study of the production, circulation and consumption of rock music enables us to understand a paradox which spanned those formative years: although it was postulated as the genre of modern Buenos Aires, its aesthetic was geared towards constructing an anti-urban account that favoured escape towards idealized natural environments.
Background. The relevance of the study is due to the need to create methodological approaches to the formation of risk groups for the development of metabolic syndrome — the basis of chronic non­infectious pathology of the cardiovascular system in young women with excess body weight of va­rying degrees. The purpose was to create models for predicting the development of metabolic syndrome in young women with overweight and obesity — representatives of the Ukrainian population using classical methods of statistical analysis (discriminant analysis, logistic regression) and artificial neural networks and comparative analysis of the prognostic accuracy of the created models. Materials and methods. One hundred and thirty women with average age of 28.64 ± 6.91 years were examined. They had exogenous constitutional excess body weight of varying degrees. Body mass index and waist circumference were determined. The method of bioimpedance analysis was used to evaluate body composition (fat, relative fat, fat­free, active cell body mass); enzyme immunoassay — to determine the levels of insulin­ and leptinemia. The HOMA­IR was calculated. The secretion of melatonin was assessed by the level of its metabolite 6­sulfatoxymelatonin in urine by Druex method modified by G.V. Zubkov; serotonin — by the fluorimetric method of V.I. Kulinsky and L.V. Kostyukovska. The presence of sleep and eating disorders was assessed by questionnaires. Results. According to the results of a comprehensive laboratory and instrumental examination using methods of discriminant analysis, logistic regression and artificial neural networks, four mathematical models were created that allow us to assess the risk of metabolic syndrome in young women with excess body weight of varying degrees — representatives of the Ukrainian population by the levels of anthropometric indicators, para­meters of body composition, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, indicators that characterize the features of melatonin secretion. Conclusions. Diagnostic characteristics of all proposed models (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, odds ratio) are quite high, but the greatest diagnostic informativeness is determined for the model using artificial neural networks built in the program Statistica StatSoft. The use of such a model as a tool for determi­ning the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome in specific young women with excess body weight of varying degrees in the practical healthcare system will improve the risk­stratification of the metabolic syndrome and provide timely therapy to prevent its complications.
The nature of the events whereby the reactive intermediates resulting from the bioactivation of bromobenzene and furosemide induce hepatotoxicity is unknown. To examine a role for disturbances in intracellular calcium homeostasis, secondary to a depletion in cellular reduced glutathione (GSH) and reduced protein thiols (PSHs), isolated mouse hepatocytes were exposed to cytotoxic concentrations of bromobenzene or furosemide. Cytosolic calcium concentration, as well as thiol status, was determined. The incubation of hepatocytes with 3.0 mM bromobenzene, and subsequent additions (1.2 mM) of the agent every hour, resulted in significant GSH depletion. The loss of plasma membrane integrity at 1.5 h preceded both a rise in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and depletion of total PSH content. Furosemide (1.0 mM) produced a 70% depletion in cellular GSH content in isolated hepatocytes. The initiation of cell damage occurred concurrently with both a rise in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and a depletion of total PSH content 4 h following furosemide addition. Since the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ did not precede cytotoxicity, these results do not support an initiating role for Ca2+ deregulation in bromobenzene and furosemide hepatotoxicities. In addition, depletion of PSH content did not correlate with bromobenzene- or furosemide-induced cytotoxicity.
This article examines debates concerning the proposed construction of a ‘national’ stadium for Northern Ireland. In so doing, it considers both the philosophical issues that are central to these debates, not least in relation to Northern Ireland’s contested claim to nationhood, and also some of the technical and legal concerns raised by the project, specifically in terms of questions of ownership and use. In passing, the article also comments of the question of nationality and eligibility within the context of Northern Irish football. It is agued that whilst debates about the need for a new stadium have tended to focus to date on political and conceptual matters, it is likely that, in the foreseeable future, legal, financial and technical difficulties will predominate.
Ploidy ratio was investigated in six Ontario populations of the Ambystoma laterale-jeffersonianum complex by collecting blood from individual salamanders during spring migrations, and analyzing the nuclear DNA content of erythrocytes by flow cytometry. All populations contained diploid male and female A. laterale as well as a potential mixture of diploid, triploid, and tetraploid female hybrids, which occurred at variable frequencies. Triploid males, pentaploid females and possible polyploid A. laterale (3n and 4n) were found in one extensively sampled population. Initial separation of A. laterale from hybrids based on morphological criteria was tested for accuracy by comparison with the cytometric results and found to be exceptionally high (99.6%). Sex ratios in all populations were biased overwhelmingly towards females, primarily because female hybrids accounted for up to 84% of a breeding aggregate; however, diploid female A. laterale outnumbered males in several populations and in two instances, near the northern limit of hybrid biotypes, these account for much of the biased sex ratio. Timing of breeding, always triggered by precipitation (rain or snow), varied between sites and was correlated with altitude/latitude. Initial immigrations at all sites contained biotypes indicative of local primary composition with respect to both ploidy and hybridity. The breeding dynamics of one population were investigated by daily sampling throughout the breeding period. Migration occurred in distinct waves. In A. laterale, frequency of immigrating males declined over the breeding period while frequency of females increased, a pattern conforming to the typical Ambystoma breeding dynamic. Within hybrids, the percentage of tetraploids increased over the breeding period. Within waves, there was a general increase in hybrids over time.
The Lesbian Phallus and the Morphological Imaginary” begins by waggishly disclaiming its own suggestiveness. We must not, Judith Butler tells us, expect the essay to live up to the temptations of its name; “after such a promising title,” she says, “I knew I could not possibly give a satisfying paper.”1 Though the lesbian phallus may be winking at us, Butler insists that we not expect anything bawdy. Indeed, dwelling on its sexiness only to dispute it, she regards the lesbian phallus as, in at least one respect, no different from any other phallus: “always dissatisfying” (57). Yet from such disappointment springs bounty, as Butler asserts that she will “work” the “failure” of the title (57). As promised, then, the lesbian phallus’s limpness transforms quickly from shtick to fundamental conceit, for a lesbian phallus is not just a double but a triple entendre, whose first sense of dissatisfy, “Can this paper fulfill its stated goals?” gives way to a second, “What can you do with your lesbian phallus?” before arriving finally at a third, “What is our most recurring misconception about what language can do?” For Butler, it is the third level of entendre that we are meant to get to: a lesbian phallus more “interesting than satisfying” (57). So the second, smutty reading sets up a further twist: rather than tender lascivious “satisfaction,” the provocative allusion represents the essay troping its own investment in différance. The dissatisfaction that conjures images of sexual failure connotes as well the disjunction between what a title says and what a paper does, or, if we stretch this figure—as “The Lesbian Phallus” does—between a word and what it signifies. Smut, in other words, has a purpose. For the more we want to see, the more the lesbian phallus becomes a joke at the expense of the visual field altogether—a
This book discusses key issues concerning water, energy and food in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It provides an interdisciplinary account of current developments in the most water-scarce and conflict-torn region in the world. Key analysts on MENA water, agriculture and energy affairs have been drawn together to compile one of the first edited volumes dedicated to the crucial role of water, energy and food security in the 21st century MENA region. It will be of interest to decision-makers, analysts and students of the future of the Middle East from a broad range of disciplines including the physical and social sciences. This book was previously published as a special issue of the International Journal of Water Resources Development.
J. G. BANWELL, S. L. GORBACH, B. CHATTERJEE, AND R. MITRA (The Johns Hopkins University Center, Calcutta) Six patients with tropical sprue in Calcutta, India, have been studied by standard gastroenterological procedure and repetitive intubation with a fine polyvinyl tube system. The latter technique has enabled intestinal fluid samples to be withdrawn from the stomach and all regions of the small intestine for bacteriological culture before measurements of water and electrolyte flux in the ileum and jejunum by a marker perfusion technique. Thirteen subjects from the same community without known gastrointestinal disease have served as controls for the study. The patients with tropical sprue were found to have bacterial contamination of the upper small intestine and malabsorption of vitamin B12, xylose, and fat. Five of the patients had evidence of water and electrolyte secretion into the intestinal lumen when compared with control subjects. The effects of vitamin B12, folate, and tetracycline were studied serially. Radical improvement of fat and vitamin B12 absorption and water and electrolyte defects was observed within 48 hours of tetracycline therapy. This was associated with suppression of abnormal small bowel microflora. However, a mild absorptive defect remained despite bacterial clearing, suggesting an underlying mucosal abnormality. The relationship between these features and the changes in intestinal bacterial flora will be discussed.
I review new trends in research on the psychology of gender. The gender similarities hypothesis holds that males and females are similar on most, but not all, psychological variables. Gender is not only an individual-difference or person variable but also a stimulus variable. Emerging approaches to cross-national measurement of constructs such as gender equality provide new insights into patterns of gender differences and similarities across cultures. Current neuroscience approaches emphasize neural plasticity and provide the opportunity to study neural correlates of males' and females' differential experiences.
The world of intercollegiate sports today is characterized by an insatiable desire for money and winning. Universities are in an arms race to outspend one another on lavish facilities and coaching contracts in order to gain the upper hand in recruitment.  The commercialization of college sports has created tension between the NCAA’s defense of amateurism and antitrust litigation. This Article seeks to provide a way to de-escalate the arms race while also providing a way for the NCAA to reinvest in its principle of amateurism.  Specifically, this Article proposes the NCAA adopt a budgetary allocation for its member institutions’ athletic departments. This Article advocates that funds be split 50/50 between revenue programs and non-revenue programs. This will enable the NCAA and its member institutions to focus on emphasizing education and playing sports for recreation. By adopting a budgetary allocation, the NCAA will be able to balance its goals of supporting education and student athleticism while also remaining antitrust compliant.  Part I of the Article focuses on the intercollegiate athletics arms race problem. Part II discusses how difficult it is to chill the arms race without violating antirust law. Part III lays out the budgetary allocation model. Part IV provides reasons why the proposed budgetary allocation works as a viable method for the NCAA. The section discusses how this Article’s proposal (1) reinforces the application of Title IX; (2) is viable under antitrust law; and (3) alleviates the pressure on the intercollegiate arms race.
Study Design. Two case reports and a literature review of spinal osteomyelitis with bilateral psoas abscesses secondary to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Objective. Describe the presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of spinal tuberculosis (i.e., Pott disease). Summary of Background Data. Pott disease is a well-known condition in unindustrialized countries causing multiple spinal deformities in children. However, its association with bilateral psoas abscesses in adults with minimal risk factors is not commonly recognized in industrialized countries. Methods. There are 2 adult cases of Pott disease with psoas abscesses presented, and the relevant literature is reviewed. Plain spine radiographs, spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), routine bacterial and acid-fast bacilli cultures of infected material, and other diagnostic testing for M. tuberculosis were performed. Results. Plain radiographs and MRI of the spine showed vertebral osteomyelitis with compression fractures, and MRI also revealed bilateral psoas abscesses. Acid-fast bacilli culture and other M. tuberculosis diagnostic testing of psoas abscess specimens confirmed the diagnosis of M. tuberculosis. Conclusion. Although spinal osteomyelitis with psoas abscess is classically associated with Staphylococcus aureus infection, Pott disease should be considered in this clinical setting, and risk factor assessment and testing for tuberculosis should be performed.
The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive segmentectomy in the treatment of lung cancer. A total of 86 lung cancer patients in early stage were selected for the treatment between May, 2010 and December, 2010. The patients were randomly divided into the control (n=43) and observation (n=43) groups. Patients in the control group received conventional thoracotomy as treatment, while thoracoscopic segmentectomy was performed for patients in the observation group. Factors including intraoperative bleeding amount, number of dissected lymph nodes, surgery duration, postoperative intubation time and length of stay (LOS) were compared between the two groups. A visual analogue scale was used for comparison of the postoperative incisional pain experienced by patients in the two groups. The incidence rate of postoperative complications of patients in the two groups was observed. We also assayed variations in the levels of serum inflammatory factors C-reaction protein (CRP), interleukin (IL) −6 and −10 of patients prior to operation and on the 3rd, 5th and 7th days and after operation via ELISA, and on the 7th day after operation, we determined the pulmonary function of patients. During the 5-year follow-up, the recurrence and survival rate of patients in the two groups were observed. In the observation group, the intraoperative bleeding amount of patients was significantly lower than that in the control group, and the surgery duration, postoperative intubation time and LOS were all shorter than those in the control group (P<0.05). By contrast, no significant difference was detected in a comparison of the number of dissected lymph nodes of patients between the two groups (P>0.05). Additionally, in the observation group, patients suffered less pain after operation than those in the control group (P<0.05), and on the 3rd, 5th and 7th days after operation, the levels of CRP, IL-6 and −10 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After operation, the incidence rate of complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the recovery in pulmonary function after operation was superior to that in the control group (P<0.05). In addition, the 5-year survival rate of patients in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the recurrence rate was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). Minimally invasive segmentectomy shows better efficacy in the treatment of lung cancer at early stage than the conventional thoracotomy. In addition to the high safety during surgery, this technique can lower the incidence rate of postoperative complications, protect the pulmonary function, increase the survival rate and decrease the recurrence rate, which shows great value in clinical practice.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate age related and gender related differences by using computed tomography images between the roots of the second molars mandibular cortex and the mandibular canal as well as cortical bone width and mandibular canal diameter in a Japanese population. Methods 359 patients were subcategorized by gender and age(group Ⅰ＜31 years, group Ⅱ, 31-49 years, group Ⅲ, ＜50 years). The distance between the inner border of the cortical bone and the mandibular canal, the cortical bone width and the mandibular canal diameter were measured on cross sectional images. Results In male mandibular left, the mandibular second molar distal root apex to superior cortical bone of mandibular canal is shorter in group Ⅱ than in group Ⅲ. Both buccal and lingual cortex width in both sides of the mandible were shorter in younger males than in older males. In females, the mandibular second molar distal root apex to superior cortical bone of mandibular canal was shorter in group I than in group Ⅲ in both sides of the mandible. The buccal cortex width was shorter in older females than in younger females. Conclusion Our study showed that age, gender and region may have influence on the location and size of the mandibular canal as well as cortical bone width in the second molar region among a Japanese population.
statement (p. 139) directed against a philosopher (Strawson) that in a disagreement on theories of truth the "burden of proof is on the man who deviates from common sense." In philosophy we require anyone, regardless of his position relative to common sense, to argue for that position; the "burden of proof," in philosophy, falls on all positions. Anyway, the principle in question is a general principle; since one's own position on a particular issue is not secured by the principle, one cannot throw the whole "burden of proof" on one who dissents from common sense. Principles 2a) and 2b) together provide "a perfectly good justification for our habit of believing what others say" (p. 92) which in itself is quite useful and is often usefully employed by Austin. Yet it can, and does, lead to disaster. For example, Furberg informs us (p. 186) that Austin, in dealing with the problem of our knowledge of other minds, poses the problem as "Have I any reason to believe that other people ever give true introspective reports about their states of mind?" Austin's answer, that "believing in other persons . . . is . . . an irreducible part of our experience" for which, however, no justification can be given is, as Furberg says, "a surprisingly bad answer." In his endeavour to provide a better answer (and it is a much better answer), Furberg demonstrates his ability to fly solo. The third principle supposedly comes from a "tacit convention" among language speakers and "is a principle without which a speaker would not be listened to and hence without which talk would lose its point." (p. 94) Unfortunately, if there is such a tacit convention, it is too often broken. Where it is broken, perhaps "talk does lose its point" although one suspects that in these cases "the point" is something other than Furberg suspects, for example, gratification of the talker. So if true, the principle is an extremely elastic one admitting of many exceptions. Indeed, perhaps one of these exceptions will be this present review.
Over the past few years, technology drivers for microprocessors have changed significantly. Media data delivery and processing--such as telecommunications, networking, video processing, speech recognition and 3D graphics--is increasing in importance and will soon dominate the processing cycles consumed in computer-based systems. This paper presents the architecture of the VASP-4096 processor. VASP-4096 provides high media performance with low energy consumption by integrating associative SIMD parallel processing with embedded microprocessor technology. The major innovations in the VASP-4096 is the integration of thousands of processing units in a single chip that are capable of support software programmable high-performance mathematical functions as well as abstract data processing. In addition to 4096 processing units, VASP-4096 integrates on a single chip a RISC controller that is an implementation of the SPARC architecture, 128 Kbytes of Data Memory, and I/O interfaces. The SIMD processing in VASP-4096 implements the ASProCore architecture, which is a proprietary implementation of SIMD processing, operates at 266 MHz with program instructions issued by the RISC controller. The device also integrates a 64-bit synchronous main memory interface operating at 133 MHz (double-data rate), and a 64- bit 66 MHz PCI interface. VASP-4096, compared with other processors architectures that support media processing, offers true performance scalability, support for deterministic and non-deterministic data processing on a single device, and software programmability that can be re- used in future chip generations.
It has been noticed in part I that the simplified form of transversely isotropic elasticity obtained by taking the moduli to satisfy the relation c13+c44 = 0 (<=> a5 = 0) has favourable theoretical features, one of which is the possibility of approaching analytically the limiting case of inextensibility along the axis of symmetry. This advantage is exploited in the present paper. On the basis of the restricted theory the surface-wave function F(v) is calculated in closed form for any orientation of the axis relative to the surface-wave basis. The exceptional configurations classified in part I are then considered. Case 2 is unaffected by the vanishing of a5 while, as shown in part II, case 3 does not arise. The continuous transition between subsonic and supersonic surface-wave propagation encountered in part II persists under the conditions of case 1 and is displayed here with particular simplicity. The passage to the inextensible limit of F(<v) is immediate and the secular equation for surface waves, derived previously by a purely algebraic method, is retrieved directly. No surface wave exists in the α configurations when the inextensibility constraint applies and, although an exceptional plane wave appears, it can no longer be interpreted as a degenerate form of the subsonic wave which propagates in neighbouring configurations. All the other configurations admit a unique surface wave and this wave is subsonic except, perhaps, in the β = ½π configuration where the possibility of supersonic transmission is retained when a4 < a2. The extension of the existence theorem of Barnett and Lothe to the constrained medium is not straightforward. Part 1 of the theorem fails to hold in the α = ½π configuration and part 2 is not fully effective in the remaining α configurations. The theorem holds good for the other configurations, barring β = ½π, if the degenerate part Be of the slowness surface is ignored in the calculation of the limiting speed vˆ. In the β=½π configuration the theorem remains valid provided that Be is taken into account in the determination of the transonic state.
Question    The ephemeral layer is an important component of the plant community in cold deserts. Conventional wisdom has it that the ephemeral layer primarily depends on early spring snowmelt water for germination and development. However, this hypothesis has never been subjected to rigorous testing.        Location    Southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert, a cold desert and a natural habitat of ephemeral plants (the inter-sand dune lowland), in the far northwest of China and around the geographical centre of the Eurasian continent.        Methods    At the end of the snow cover season between 2009 and 2011, four different snow treatments (0, 50, 100 and 200% snow cover, with 100% representing the natural amount of snow) were applied, using five replicates. Seedling establishment, species diversity and plant growth, population, cover and productivity were monitored throughout or sampled at the end of the growing season.        Results    The ephemeral plant germination and seedling density were significantly influenced by changes in snow cover. Germination, density of mature ephemeral plants and plant coverage rose as snow cover depth increased. However, the height, rooting depth, numbers of lateral roots and above-ground biomass of individual plants decreased as snow cover increased, and plant size was negatively correlated with plant density. At the ephemeral layer level, above-ground biomass showed no significant variation between snow treatments. There was also no significant difference in species richness among the snow treatments.        Conclusions    Increased snow resulted in higher plant density of ephemerals. However, this high density induced strong competition, reducing the body size of individual plants. By the end of the growing season, snow treatments did not induce significant changes in primary productivity of the ephemeral layer. Primary productivity or growth after seedling establishment depended mainly on rainfall that occurred after the snow had melted, not on snowmelt water itself. Thus conventional wisdom was shown to be only partially true. Snow was important to these ephemeral plants, but its role was limited to seedling establishment.
Four novel dicyanamide-containing hybrid organic–inorganic ABX3 structures are reported, and the thermal behaviour of a series of nine perovskite and non-perovskite [AB(N(CN)2)3] (A = (C3H7)4N, (C4H9)4N, (C5H11)4N; B = Co, Fe, Mn) is analyzed. Structure–property relationships are investigated by varying both A-site organic and B-site transition metal cations. In particular, increasing the size of the A-site cation from (C3H7)4N → (C4H9)4N → (C5H11)4N was observed to result in a decrease in Tm through an increase in ΔSf. Consistent trends in Tm with metal replacement are observed with each A-site cation, with Co < Fe < Mn. The majority of the melts formed were found to recrystallise partially upon cooling, though glasses could be formed through a small degree of organic linker decomposition. Total scattering methods are used to provide a greater understanding of the melting mechanism.
The solid-liquid phase diagram of two-dimensional, laterally confined systems made of interacting parallel dipoles normal to the plane is investigated by Monte Carlo method. The lowest-energy solid phase is relaxed from a regular triangular lattice. This Wigner crystal phase keeps the main features of the original monocrystal. On the other hand, the solid phase relaxed from a random initial configuration has a slightly higher energy and is called Wigner glass. It exhibits randomly oriented crystallites separated by chains of topological defects, namely alternate 5- and 7-nearest-neighbour sites. These chains start to move within the solid phase at a temperature lower than the bulk melting temperature.
Designing complete systems or system components, it is of vital importance for the manufacturers nowadays to optimally fulfil the ever increasing demands pertaining to safety, durability, reduction of energy consumption, noise reduction, improvement of comfort, accuracy, etc. This, for instance, applies to all types of traffic and transportation systems like rail vehicles, automobiles, airplanes, and ships.
1 Suzuki J, Yamauchi Y, Horikawa M, Yamagata S. Fasting therapy for psychosomatic diseases with special reference to its indication and therapeutic mechanism. Tohoku J. Exp. Med. 1976; 118 (Suppl.): 245– 59. 2 Fukudo S, Nomura T, Hongo M. Impact of corticotropin-releasing hormone on gastrointestinal motility and adrenocorticotropic hormone in normal controls and patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gut 1998; 42 : 845–9. 3 Chadwick VS, Chen W, Shu D et al. Activation of the mucosal immune system in irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology 2002; 122 : 1778–83. 4 Yamamoto H, Suzuki J, Yamauchi Y. Psychophysiological study on fasting therapy. Psychother. Psychosom. 1997; 32 : 229–40. 5 Mertz H, Morgan V, Tanner G et al. Regional cerebral activation in irritable bowel syndrome and control subjects with painful and nonpainful rectal distention. Gastroenterology 2000; 118 : 842–8. Figure 1 Small intestinal manometory at night (a) before and (b) after fasting therapy (FT). D1, duodenal bulb; D2, proximal second portion of the duodenal; D3, distal second portion of the duodenum. Intestinal dysmotility before FT improved after FT. Intestinal response to injection of neostigmine (16 μ g/kg) (c) before and (d) after FT. D1, duodenal bulb; D2, proximal second portion of the duodenal; D3, distal second portion of the duodenum; DC, descending colon; pH, duodenal pH; R, respiration; SC1, proximal sigmoid colon; SC2, mid sigmoid colon. In the colonic mucosa the mild infiltration with lymphocytes (e) before FT had returned to almost normal after FT (f). (a)
to death. The cause of NDEs is uncertain but it seems likely that physiological and sociological factors play a part. In a recent article in The Lancet, Dr Bruce Greyson (2000) draws attention to the fact that many NDEs include features that are suggestive of dissociation. Moreover, the epitome of disconnection between the self and the body is described as the sensation of existing outside the physical body and observing it from another spatial location i.e. the ’out-of-body experience’. Greyson reports on the findings of his own study on 134 people who claimed to have been close to death. Of this group 72% reported NDEs and the remaining 28% did not. All participants completed a questionnaire that included a measure of &dquo;depth&dquo; of near-death experience and a measure of dissociative symptoms. The findings of the study indicated that people who reported NDEs also reported more dissociative symptoms than those who did not report NDEs. Among those who reported NDEs the depth of the experience was positively correlated with dissociative symptoms. The investigator concluded that the pattern of dissociative symptoms reported by the NDE group was consistent with a non-pathological dissociative response to stress and not with a psychiatric disorder. A greater understanding of the dynamics and pathophysiology of dissociation may shed further light on NDEs and other mystical or transcendental states of consciousness. This is of some importance with regard to health promotion, because NDEs may give rise to emotional problems.
In this paper, a systematic approach is presented and a physical experiment substantiated for a SISO wind tunnel adaptive control system. This approach includes a two-step adaptation scheme: The first comprises a triggered system identification process and the second an adapting controller system. To verify this integrated systems engineering approach, a physical wind tunnel was constructed with an axial fan and airspeed sensors. A real-time adapting system model, coupled with an adaptive control system is interfaced with the wind tunnel. The real-time data from the system in operation is analyzed and used to influence how the controller adapts through system identification techniques as well as PID tuning criteria.
centrality of the biblical record, the rationality of revelation, and the act of revelation ( Protestant, philosophical, and existential requirements — all in one ! ). The danger of the Word-symbol is that of supposing that the Word not only became flesh, but became Scripture—thus identifying the Word of God with the text of the Bible (p. 38) . Whereas, the Scripture is the human word, chosen and energized by God^ as the literary instrument of his revelation. Revelation is not purely eschatological (faith-Word) ; it is also historical (experience-Word). The certain knowledge of God is of the inward immediate manifestation and revelation of God's Spirit. Such knowledge entails both faith and experience, both the Word and the response. We know about God from nature, conscience, and the Bible. Knowledge about God, however, is only half-way knowledge. The knowledge of God, which is all the way, is the knowledge of being like-minded with him and of communion with him (p. 200). These representations of the light of God rest on necessary presuppositions, for example: that God, although distinctive, is not separated from his creation; that man, although sinful, is still responsive to the light of God; that faith, reason, and experience are all necessary for the knowledge about and of God. This is a thoughtful, devout, and modest book on an u n f a t h o m a b l e subject.
Abstract CxN compounds were coated on two kind of graphites, natural graphite treated with 94%HN03 solution and the natural graphite without treatment, by chemical vapor deposition. XPS and Raman spectroscopy revealed that these materials were not mixtures of CxN and graphites, but CxN coated-graphites. As anodes of secondary lithium battery, the CxN-coated graphites demonstrated the higher capacity than that of natural graphite, good cycleability, and gradual increase in the potential at the last stage of lithium deintercalation reaction.
Transportation research has usually seen road networks as inert systems to be navigated and eventually filled up by traffic. A new type of ‘configurational’ road network modelling, coupled to detailed studies of vehicular and pedestrian flows, has shown that road networks have a much more constructive role. They strongly influence the pattern of flows through quantifiable properties of the network ‘configuration’. Recent research results are presented showing that rates of vehicular movement in road segments are to a greater extent than previously realised the direct outcome of the location of those segments in the network configuration as a whole and that this is the case especially in the fine structure of the urban grid. A supply and demand model of urban movement is proposed in which the degree to which a street alignment is on simplest routes between all other pairs of alignments in the system determines the demand side of the equation, and the effective road width available to traffic determines the supply side. Regression analysis shows that these two factors alone account for the majority of the variance in flows from street to street (r2 ∼ 0.8). A model is then proposed of the evolution of the city in allocation of land uses to land parcels, and the allocation of capacity in the road network, where each reinforces the underlaying configurational logic through a feedback ‘multiplier’ effect. These findings suggest the possibility of using urban design parameters, such as the plan configuration of the street grid, building height, and street width, to arrive at a better controlled relationship between vehicles and pedestrians in urban areas. As these design parameters are under the direct control of the urban master-planner, the new techniques lend themselves to application in design decision support. A case example of the application of these techniques in the master-planning of the redevelopment of London's South Bank cultural centre is presented.
The present study explored the implications of an intergroup perspective on individual difference and situational influences on helping, specifically, outgroup members. In particular, we examined the effects of social dominance orientation (SDO) and group status threat on the amount and kind of help offered by Jewish participants (n = 99) to Arab and Jewish students. Dependent measures were the likelihood of helping outgroup and ingroup members across various situations of need and, when help is given, the likelihood that it would be dependency-oriented rather than autonomy-oriented assistance. As expected, higher SDO individuals offered less help to outgroup (Arab) students, particularly when they experienced threat to group status, but not to ingroup members. In addition, higher SDO participants, when they did report that they would help, were more likely to offer dependency-oriented help to outgroup than to ingroup members. The theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
Models are used to estimate potential physical and biological impacts, efficient adaptations, and residual damages from climate change. The contributors cover a broad array of climate change impacts on affected market sectors (including water supply, agriculture, coastal resources, timber, and energy demand) as well as ecosystems and biodiversity. An integrated hydrologic-agriculture model is developed to explore how the region would adapt to changes in water flows. Interactions between climate impacts and population and economic growth, urbanization, and technological change are also explored. For example, the study examines how both climate change and projected land development affect the region’s terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity.
i i. i acute surgical cases in hospitals, which is the real question bsdhy the word "'hospitalism". Every reader of Sir J. Siimpson ] is).v-s t!-is; nil(I it xNvas in order to raise this question that the N-ord wvas i ;l ted. If Mr. Erichsen mean to continiue the use of the word in o. ' to impress on theimind of the profession the important but surely f. illiar truth that care ought to be used in the construction anld manager of hospitals in which acute disease is treated, my only objection vo-oil be to the confusion thus inevitably produced in the public mind, ;a-1 to) the unfair prejudice so created against all hospitals, whether prOp)erly coinstructedi or otherwise. The fact that many of our smaller a-d older counitry hospitals are not fitted for the reception of acute ca ies, at least in any considerable number, and that they are liable to be v.xsited by fatal outbreaks of septic (or, as wve then called them, "secondary'") disea.ses, is fully dwvelt on in the Report above alluded to (see 1)547 alnd otlerl places). It used at that time to be very generally believed that such '"septic" affections were confined, or almost entirely confincd, to the hospitals of large cities. I hope the Report in question dio niethling towards dispellinig this delusion, which rested a good deal o;n he-irsay, andcl a good deal on a misapprehension of the significance of (eaitli-rates. Ani attempt is nowv being made to enforce the doctrine that sJ otic diseascs are confilied, or almost confined, to hospital practice. An thi. is notor-iously uniitrue of erysipelas, which every one meets with in pr-ivate piactice, it is not lilkely to be true wvith respect to the closely a-lied di.`-ease, p)yccmia. MIr. Prescott Hewvett's paper at the Clinical Society wsas lalrdly requir-ed in order to show the fact that pyremia is irt e-ith in private; bhut it raised the very interesting question, whether t'Viee is really mtuch difference in the relative frequency of the occurrctnce, mole tlhani the difference in the proportion of cases likely to lead to l))pyTlilia would accouint for. Mr1. Erichsen asstum-les w%vith mnuch confidence that pyxemia was absent froim the town of Lincoln while the hospital wras, as he terms it, " pyremia-stricken"; but he adduces no proof of the fact. A casual ob,servation even from so respectable an authority as one of the surgeons of the hospital, that "lhe had never met with a case", is surely no sCeriolis proof. Alaniy deaths from pyemia occur wvhich are onily recogiiuable as such on post mort'ntz examination. I need hardlly remind readers of this JOURsTNxi of the details of my late lamented colleague I)r. Fuller's death. Theni, again, the number of deaths from pyoemia is but small absolutely; and, though such cases may not have occurred iin one surgeon's practice, they may in another. In the Lincoln Hospital, I am lnot aw-are that the number of cases of pyremia occurring in the recent outbreak. has been given; but I find in my account of the lhoS.pital in I863, that during the previous tlhree years, out of a total of sixty-four deaths in the hospital, five only wvere attributed to pyuemia. Ihow. easily might not a corresponding number of deaths (not, I repeat, necessarily the same number, for the causes of pyremia are more rife in hospitals) have occurred in private unobserved or unverified ? Struck by the disastrous termination wi-hich pyxmia often produces, and that in cases to wvhich they have given special attention, surgeons are rather apt to exaggerate its real frequency. We have shown in the Report above referred to (p. 554), that the total number of deaths from pyvemia in thlree large Londoni hospitals-viz., Guy's, St. Thomas's, and St. George's-wbhere, as a rule, every case is examined after death, and the ost mo;-lt'm examination is carefully reduced to writing, was, during a slpecified period, 0. I15 per cent. of the cases admitted, or 1.23 per celnt. of the total number of deaths; that the deaths from pyCmia, as compaedl to the deatlhs from all causes tabulated by us, wvere in London lospitals I.* 7 per cent., anid in country hospitals 3.4 per cent. And wve have show-n also that a certain (anid not a very small) proportion of tixe.c dcathls fiomi pymeuia occur in persons who are admitted suffering fromi thle disease. This w-as proved to be the case in six deaths out of fifty iecord(ed in onic table fromii metropolitan hospitals, and might very lil.-cly haxve been so in other cases as wvell. In fact, every one wvho has atten(led the mi-edical and surgical practice of hospitals knows that cases are occasionally admittedI vith pyemia fromii apparently trivial causes; an(d in l)rivate practice many sulch are, as I believ-e, vaguely diagnosed Os ''fever" or unider some other designation, and are buried unexamined. Are N-e to believe w%vith Mr. Erichsen that, although pyremia occurs in private from the slighter and less probable causes, yet those operationis wv-hich so mutich more commonly produtce pyxmia in hospitals never do so inl private practice? It would at least take somevwhat more cogelnt proof thani has yet been offered before ive could accept so strange a doctrinle. Tlhe above considerationis express, as wtell as I can put themii in a brief s'. occ, inuv reasonis for dissenting strongly from the introduction into our srlgicll literature of the new term " hospitalism", and for protesting still more strcoll'-Iv against the doctrine -hicli that new term is intended to convey-namely, that there is a specific unhealthiness generated in hospitals from wrhich cases in private practice are exempt. Whenever this doctrine has been advanced, and has been challenged, its defenders have always resorted to the same line of argument as that to -which Mr. Ericisen has recently been driven; i.e., they have spoken vaguely about the prev!alence of secondary or septic diseases in hospitals, have adduced the example of some hospital or hospitals in which definite errors of construction or of management have led to definite bad results, have assumed that nothing of the solt takes place in private practice, and then have triunmphantly asked whether their case is not proved. We reply, undoubtedly not; because, if the argument wvere reduced to a syllogistic form, it would be fouind that the minor proposition is a pure assumption. Every one knows that py;emia is unihappily prevalent in hospitals, though every one does not know howT small the proportion of cases really is. Every one also is now beginning to know that pyocmia occurs moderately frequently in private, although the cases which we usually see accompanied by pyxemia in hospital practice are much more rare in private. But no one knows, even approximately, in what proportion of cases pyxmia occurs in private-and until that is known it is niot right to argue, as Mr. Erichsen does, as if pyzemia had been proved to be absent from private practice. On the contrary, the more alive we are to the symptoms, and the more we know of the history of cases in private, the more frequent do we find this disease to be. I am very sorry to trespass so much on the space of the JOURNAL, and still more sorry to challenge the teaching of so eminent a surgeon as Mr. Ericlisen ; but the matter is a vely important one, and, when we hear a hospital-surgeon speaking of stamping out pyemia by applying the pickaxe to our hospitals, as the cattle-plague was stamped out by using the poleaxe on the infected beasts, I think other hospital-surgeons may be excused for saying that nothing in their experience, and nothinig whichl has been published in the experience of others, justifies language so calculated to mislead the public as to the condition of the hospitals in wIhich wve practise, and as to the results of the treatment of cases in them at the present day.
The conformationally constrained f‐L‐Met‐Acnc‐L‐Phe‐OMe (n = 4,9–12) tripeptides, analogues of the chemoattractant f‐L‐Met‐L‐Leu‐L‐Phe‐OH, were synthesized in solution by classical methods and fully characterized. These compounds and the published f‐L‐Met‐Xxx‐L‐Phe‐OMe (Xxx = Aib and Acnc where n = 3, 5–8) analogues were compared to determine the combined effect of backbone preferred conformation and side‐chain bulkiness at position 2 on the relation of 3D‐structure to biological activity. A conformational study of all the analogues was performed in solution by FT‐IR absorption and 1H‐NMR techniques. In parallel, each peptide was tested for its ability to induce chemotaxis, superoxide anion production and lysozyme secretion from human neutrophils. The biological and conformational data are discussed in relation to the proposed model of the chemotactic receptor on neutrophils, in particular of the hydrophobic pocket accommodating residue 2 of the tripeptide. Copyright © 2002 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Peer assessment is where students assess the quality of a peer's work. Studies have demonstrated its positive impact on learning yet most of these are in higher education. This study used training to improve the quality of written feedback in a year six primary school classroom. Action Research was selected as a research strategy given the need to find a solution to a classroom problem. Convenience sampling was used as the research focused on the class of children where the issue lay. Methods used to evaluate the quality of training included documents, observations, informal interviews and mind maps. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data produced. The findings indicate that training may help to improve the quality of children's written feedback in primary school, as it has done in other contexts. Further research is needed to verify these results given the small sample size and absence of controls.
An electronic tongue comprising different numbers of electrodes was able to classify test mixtures of key odorants characteristic of bioscrubbers of livestock buildings (n-butyrate, iso-valerate, phenolate, p-cresolate, skatole and ammonium). The classification of model solutions indicates that the electronic tongue has a promising potential as an online sensor for characterization of odorants in livestock buildings. Back propagation artificial neural network was used for classification. The average classification rate was above 80% in all cases. A limited, but sufficient number of electrodes were selected by average classification rate and relative entropy. The sufficient number of electrodes decreased standard deviation and relative standard deviation compared to the full electrode array.
Synthesis of multilayer graphene on copper wires by a chemical vapor deposition method is reported. After copper etching, the multilayer tube collapses forming stripes of graphitic films, their electrical conductance as a function of temperature indicate a semiconductor-like behavior. Using the multilayer graphene stripes, a cross junction is built and owing to its electrical behavior we propose that a tunneling process exists in the device.
lived experiences, which reveals that women did not always offer this care themselves but instead may have facilitated consultations by paid medical practitioners. The book works through three key themes: information, resources and practice. Each section is broken down into chapters and subsections that investigate different aspects of care in the home. The brevity of some of these sections can be frustrating. For example, a key argument that health-related information was deliberately withheld from sick family members to preserve them from further harm is covered within a few pages. These sections also sometimes feel a little repetitive: nursing care is dealt with briefly in chapter one and chapter seven. A potential weakness of the book is its coverage. Although the author explains that ‘south-west England in the seventeenth century had much in common with other parts of England’ (7–8), presenting comparable case studies from, at least, the north of England would have greatly strengthened Stobart’s conclusions about the nature of selfhelp medicine in England. Nonetheless, the careful analysis of the collections considered illustrates in detail what self-help actually meant and offers readers striking new insights into health care in the seventeenth-century home. Stobart reveals the extent to which the use of self-help was integrated with advice from physicians, surgeons, and apothecaries and the consumption of ready-made medicines, and those made up on prescription. The book thus illustrates that self-help and household medicine did not equate to self-reliance. It was not a precursor to paid-for help; rather household medicine was a complex and fully integrated part of health care practices that operated alongside and often in harmony with the actions and recommendations of medical practitioners.
Chapter Overview In the past few decades, many practitioners of cognitive science and philosophy of mind have staked out programs and positions under the label of " embodied cognition " (EC). They have widely differing views, however, of what embodiment consists in and why a program of embodied cognition might be an improvement over classical cognitivism. Frederique de Vignemont and I have recently proposed a general characterization of embodied cognition (Goldman & Vignemont, 2009), and I have expanded on the ramifications of this conception when one adds to it evolutionary considerations and a certain attractive conception of neuroarchitecture (Goldman, 2012). On this occasion, I review the definitional proposal in the context of other conceptions of embodiment and show how an assortment of empirical evidence lends strength to our proposal. Finally, I reply to Lawrence Shapiro (this volume, Chapter 3), who raises a series of challenges for our conception. Existing proposals for EC can be divided into two general categories: proposals predominantly derived from computer science, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics; and proposals predominantly derived from cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience. In the first section, I look at samples of both kinds of proposals. The second section then reviews the definition of embodiment we have proposed and how extensive the range of embodiment is likely to be given the empirical findings that have already emerged. Finally, in the third section, I reply to Shapiro's comments.
Background Consideration of child safeguarding is routine within maternity services but less common in other health services for adults. We audited notifications for child safeguarding from an acute general hospital where the policy includes questioning adults presenting with violence, mental health problems or drug or alcohol misuse to any department within the hospital about children at home and notifying to the local authority children's social care services if there are safeguarding concerns. Methods Cross-sectional audit of notifications for child safeguarding, including abuse, neglect or victimization, from all departments in one hospital to the local authority children's social care department during 12 months (2010/11). Results Of 681 notifications (57 per month), 40% (270/681) were triggered by parents' presentation to acute hospital services. Of these, 37% (100/270; 12 teenage mothers) presented for maternity care and 60% (162/270; 8 teenage parents) presented to the emergency department (ED). Of the 60% (411/681) of notifications prompted by children presenting for healthcare, most originated from the ED (358/411; 87%): two-thirds of these presented with injury (250/358; 70%). Conclusion Given a policy to ask adults about children at home, a substantial proportion of children notified for child safeguarding were recognized through presentations to acute healthcare by their parents. Further research and development of this policy needs to ensure that questioning results in effective interventions for the children and their parents.
Abstract Nowadays, dispersive mirrors are able to cover the wavelength range of 4.5 optical octaves and can be used from 220 nm up to 4500 nm. Various design approaches to dispersive mirrors in visible and near IR are briefly discussed. We consider in more detail two dispersive mirrors representing extreme cases. The first one is a mirror working in the range of 290−360 nm and providing group delay dispersion of -75 fs2. The second one is a mirror working in the range of 2500−4500 nm and providing +500 fs2 of group delay dispersion.
Abstract The biologic principles for the global eradication of poliomyelitis are as follows: Poliovirus causes acute, nonpersistent infections, virus is transmitted by infectious humans or their waste, survival of virus in the environment is finite, humans are the only reservoir, and immunization with polio vaccine interrupts virus transmission. These principles appear to be sound. The potential for prolonged virus excretion by immunocompromised patients requires further definition, although there is no epidemiologic evidence of a threat to eradication. Survival of poliovirus in the environment is highly variable, but viral inactivation is usually complete within months. Higher primates may be infected with poliovirus, but they are unlikely reservoirs in nature. The only poliovirus reservoir remaining after eradication will be laboratory stocks. Serious attention must be given to reducing this potential source of infection. Polio eradication through immunization is evidenced by the documented absence of poliomyelitis in an increasing number of countries and the progressive disappearance of poliovirus genotypes.
Liver metastases of colorectal origin are a common pathology, and the most frequent indication for liver resection. Associated chronic liver pathology may potentially increase the difficulty of a liver resection. Hereby, it is presented the case of a 67-year-old woman with a liver metastasis of rectal cancer origin with concomitant polycystic liver disease. An atypical liver resection was performed with intraoperative ultrasound guidance. Liver tumors developed on a polycystic liver are rarely described. For these particular cases, the diagnosis is challenging, but liver resection can be safely performed with the intraoperative ultrasound guidance.
Background: Objective structured teaching evaluations (OSTEs) have been utilized to evaluate educational curricula and for resident and faculty development. Purpose: This study examines the impact of an OSTE on faculty teaching effectiveness and faculty satisfaction. Methods: From 2004 to 2007, 46 faculty members participated in the OSTE. Faculty assessed their teaching abilities with a retrospective pre-post-test analysis. Faculty teaching evaluations for the 6 months before and after the OSTE were compared. Faculty participants completed satisfaction questionnaires regarding their OSTE experience and made teaching plans for the future. Results: After the OSTE, faculty reported statistically significant improvements in all self-assessed teaching skills. There was, however, no improvement in their teaching evaluations. Faculty satisfaction with the OSTE experience was high. They indicated teaching plans incorporating lessons from the OSTE. Conclusions: Faculty felt the OSTE was a rewarding experience and reported improvement in their teaching abilities; however, faculty teaching evaluations did not improve.
Zr-Al-Ca-O-N composites were prepared in N2 atmosphere at 1600 oC with Ca-PSZ and AlN powders as raw materials. Zr-Al-Ca-O phase was synthesized in air atmosphere at 1600 oC with Al2O3, ZrO2 and CaO powders as raw materials. Phase constitution of these composites was investigated by XRD and EDS analyses. The results show that Zr-Al-Ca-O phase exists in Al-CaO-ZrO2-N2 systems ceramic and Zr-Al-Ca-O phase can be synthesized in air atmosphere at high temperature with Al2O3, ZrO2 and CaO powders as raw materials.
It this contribution partial results of the project, which is focused on hydrological modelling as a tool for designing small water management construction and soil conservation measure and in the landscape are presented. For the hydrological response, design rainfall and the initial condition, the current state of the river basin as well as the characteristics of the area under consideration are important. For the hydrological response, design rainfall, the current conditions of the catchment area as well as the characteristics of the solved area are important.
Background/Aims: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly invasive, and often results in an early distal metastasis resulting in poor prognosis and therapeutic outcome. Cancer cells disseminating from the tumor and entering circulation are termed circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Although substantial progress has been made to identify those CTCs in HCC, no good marker (cocktail) has so far been identified. Methods: Since only tumorigenic CTCs form metastatic tumor in distal organs, we thus compared the HCC cells that form tumor spheres in culture to those that do not. We transduced HCC cells with a RFP reporter under MMP26 promoter and purified MMP26+CXCR4+ HCC cells. We examined tumor sphere formation in culture, presence of tumor cells in the circulation as well as capability of developing metastatic tumor after transplantation of MMP26+CXCR4+ HCC cells into nude mice, compared to other populations in HCC. Results: Sphere-forming HCC cells expressed high levels of MMP26 and CXCR4. MMP26+CXCR4+ HCC cells formed significantly more tumor spheres in culture, compared to MMP26-CXCR4-, MMP26-CXCR4+ or MMP26+CXCR4- HCC cells. Moreover, tumor cells were more frequently detected in the circulation when MMP26+CXCR4+ HCC cells were subcutaneously transplanted. Further, subcutaneous transplantation of MMP26+CXCR4+ HCC cells, but not transplantation of MMP26-CXCR4-, MMP26-CXCR4+ or MMP26+CXCR4-HCC cells significantly developed distal metastatic tumors. Conclusion: MMP26+CXCR4+ cells may be CTCs in HCC. Selective elimination of MMP26+CXCR4+ cells may substantially reduce HCC metastasis after primary tumor resection.
A U-shaped quarter wave microstrip antenna with two uneven arms and shorting wall meant for broad-band dual frequency response was reported. Antenna fabricated on FR4 substrate was fed electromagnetically using another patch on the same layer with different shapes. For getting broad impedance bandwidth at lower band at 900MHz, U-shaped patch with uneven arms was fabricated at height of 5mm, 7.5mm and 11mm. The measured bandwidth observed respectively at those three substrate heights were 7%, 10% and 18%. For getting broad bandwidth at both the bands modifications were done in coaxially fed patch, resulted into dual frequency operations at 900MHz and 1800MHz with impedance bandwidth of 13.3% and 20%. In contrast, a vibrant portrayal for resonance modes of reported structures that results in dual frequency broadband operation is not given in the reported work. In the offered work paper, an exploration clarifying dual frequency broad-band response for one of the reported configurations is presented using surface current distributions and resonance plots. Supplementary formulation in resonant length at two staggered modes at lower frequency band in shorted U- shaped patch is also proposed. Thus, suggested work gives comprehension into the running of shorted U-shaped antenna
Despite the great appeal of two-dimensional semiconductors for electronics and optoelectronics, to achieve the required charge carrier concentrations by means of chemical doping remains a challenge due to large defect ionization energies (IEs). Here, by decomposing the defect IEs into three parts based on ionization process, we propose a conceptual picture that the large defect IEs are caused by two effects of reduced dimensionality. While the quantum confinement effect makes the neutral single-electron point defect levels deep, the reduced screening effect leads to high energy cost for the electronic relaxation. The first-principles calculations for black phosphorus and MoS2 do demonstrate the general trend. Using BP monolayer either embedded into dielectric continuum or encapsulated between two hBN layers, we demonstrate the feasibility of increasing the screening to reduce the defect IEs. Our analysis is expected to help achieve effective carrier doping and open ways toward more extensive applications of 2D semiconductors.
The concept of durability is not well defined. The term durability is often used to imply the possession of qualities associated with long-life. In some standards for building components, it is nonquantitative and impliesthat design requirements are likely to be exceeded for the design service life or some other specified period. The new ASTM Recommended Practice for Developing Short-Term Accelerated Tests for Prediction of the Service Life of Building Components and Materials (E 632 - 78), is outlined. The application of the recommended practice to service life prediction is illustrated by an example for work being planned on protective coatings for steel.
We propose a simple model of supersymmetric dark matter that can explain recent results from PAMELA and ATIC experiments. It is based on a U(1){sub B-L} extension of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. The dark matter particle is a linear combination of the U(1){sub B-L} gaugino and Higgsino partners of Higgs fields that break the B-L around 1 TeV. The dominant mode of dark matter annihilation is to the lightest of the new Higgs fields, which has a mass in the GeV range, and its subsequent decay mainly produces taus or muons by the virtue of B-L charges. This light Higgs also results in Sommerfeld enhancement of the dark matter annihilation cross section, which can be > or approx. 10{sup 3}. For a dark matter mass in the 1-2 TeV range, the model provides a good fit to the PAMELA data and a reasonable fit to the ATIC data. We also briefly discuss the prospects of this model for direct detection experiments and the LHC.
In recent years, several Italian and foreign authors have evaluated the state of mental health care in Italy as it has developed since the 1978 reform. These contributions complement an already wide array of publications on this same subject published in previous years. Indeed, this is widely considered a topical subject because of the radical methods Italy adopted in shifting from a hospitalbased to a community-based system. The aim of the present article is to provide a critical review of the Italian situation and contribute to its clarification. The article is based on studies published in recent years and on some events and their consequences, specifically, (a) the closing of all mental hospitals, and (b) the achievement of expected standards as stated in "Progetto Obiettivo Tutela della Salute Mentale 19982000" [1] [Mental Health Pian 1998-2000], the most recent report on the mental health program issued by the Ministry of Health. It should be noted that, in some cases, for example, residential and day-care facilities, these standards have even been surpassed.
This special issue of Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, & Brain, entitled "Performance Spaces for Music: Acoustical and Psychological Measurements and Their Interactions," is dedicated to Dr. Leo Beranek not only in acclaim of his 100th birthday in 2014 but also in recognition of his lifelong contributions to the field of architectural acoustics. The significance his work as a researcher, consultant, and author is manifested in countless ways and seems impossible to overestimate. His books, Music, Acoustics, and Architecture (1962), Concert Halls and Opera Houses: How They Sound (1996), and Concert Halls and Opera Houses: Music, Acoustics, and Architecture (2004), represent one of the most important textbook series in concert hall acoustics, and has significance far greater than the sum of its parts. The impetus from reading these works ranges from fuelling an individual's interest and enthusiasm for concert hall acoustics to building bridges between experts from different fields collaborating on concert hall projects, allowing both scientists and practitioners to figuratively stand upon Leo Beranek's "giant's shoulders" so as to see a little further.There is no doubt that the initial publication of Beranek's book in 1962 on concert hall acoustics triggered ongoing research on how sound is perceived in auditoria. This ranges from the initial works of Hawkes and Douglas (1971) in London, United Kingdom; the works by the Gottingen group (e.g., Gottlob, 1973); and research in Berlin, Germany; (Wilkens, 1977) to more recent works by Barron (1988) in the United Kingdom and Lokki, Patynen, Kuusinen, and Tervo (2012) in Finland. Their studies and many others have refined the fundamental ideas that Leo Beranek had put into discussion.Scientific research on panel reflector arrays, audience absorption of grazing sound (also known as the seat dip effect), and interaural cross correlation as a predictor of spatial perception of sound all carry the distinctive signature of Leo Beranek's work as a consultant on many outstanding projects. Just to name a few, these projects include the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, the New National Theater (also in Tokyo), the Philharmonic Hall in New York, The Koussevitzky Music Shed (formerly The Tanglewood Music Shed) in Massachusetts, and the Frederic R. Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, Israel.To the present day, Leo Beranek is an active member of the acoustics community and continues to give lectures to an audience that eagerly absorbs the concepts he describes. One of the outstanding characteristics of these talks may be their clarity and the da Vinci-like simplicity that make the distinct multidisciplinarity of architectural acoustics seem easy to grasp. This achievement becomes clear when the diversity of the articles in this special issue are taken as a tangible example.This special issue begins with a biography that briefly chronicles Leo Beranek's life, illustrating the incredible development from his early days in farm-town Iowa to the present day being a world renowned expert of acoustics, a former Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, and the founder of "Bolt, Beranek, and Newman"-just to name a few corner points of his multifaceted career. In his article, Leo Beranek shows in an unparalleled way how a long experience in the field allows him to present complex relations in a clear way with a distinct view to the core essentials.The editors of this special issue are in debt to the authors who have provided such a circumferential collection of papers that are worth the reading. Moreover, the support and enduring commitment from all the reviewers was of great assistance to the authors and editors, who together brought this special issue to completion after months of hard work.Organization of the Contributions: The Communication ChainThe order of manuscripts in scientific periodicals is often categorized by the severity of the review process undergone. …
Information retrieval effectiveness is usually evaluated using measures such as Normalized Discounted Cumulative Gain (NDCG), Mean Average Precision (MAP) and Precision at some cutoff (Precision@k) on a set of judged queries. Recent research has suggested an alternative, evaluating information retrieval systems based on user behavior. Particularly promising are experiments that interleave two rankings and track user clicks. According to a recent study, interleaving experiments can identify large differences in retrieval effectiveness with much better reliability than other click-based methods. We study interleaving in more detail, comparing it with traditional measures in terms of reliability, sensitivity and agreement. To detect very small differences in retrieval effectiveness, a reliable outcome with standard metrics requires about 5,000 judged queries, and this is about as reliable as interleaving with 50,000 user impressions. Amongst the traditional measures, NDCG has the strongest correlation with interleaving. Finally, we present some new forms of analysis, including an approach to enhance interleaving sensitivity.
Addressed in this paper is the leader-following lag consensus of multiagent systems. By leader-following lag consensus, we mean that the followers achieve the state consensus with a lagged state of the leader. By means of Lyapunov-Krasovskii method, a sufficient condition is established which guarantees the required lag consensus. A numerical example is provided to illustrate the proposed theoretical results.
Introduction: The aberrant activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt-mTOR signaling pathway is a common mechanism of resistance to endocrine therapy and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted treatments in breast cancer. Data from large clinical trials have shown that the combination of everolimus, an orally bioavailable mTOR inhibitor with exemestane improves outcome of metastatic breast cancer resistant to non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors. On the other hand, the addition of everolimus to trastuzumab in order to overcome resistance did not show meaningful clinical benefit in recent reported Phase III clinical trials. Everolimus has a favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profile in early breast cancer studies. The association of endocrine therapy and HER2-targeted agents did not influence the main PK parameters of the drugs. Areas covered: This review article focuses on the biological rationale of using everolimus in breast cancer and on latest advances in the field of everolimus-based combinations with an emphasis on the PK and pharmacodynamic parameters of the drug throughout different studies. Expert opinion: Better identification of patients who sustain benefit or who are resistant to everolimus-based combinations in the treatment of advanced breast cancer remains an unmet need. New combination strategies based on the understanding of resistance mechanisms and intracellular feedback loops should be studied further in the future.
This service aims to provide socialization on the use of smartphones as a means of promotion in the tourism potential of Warnasari Village tourism business operators, PangalenganDistrict, Bandung Regency. The tourism businesses managed by tourism businesses and Youth Organization in Warnasari Village are Situ Cileunca, Rafting, Cukul Sunrise Point and AgroTourism. Business operators have developed several types of tourism potential in the Warnasari Village with a target market for the lower middle class. But because of the growing demand from consumers in terms of the tourism sector, the target market wants to be changed to the upper middle class. The problem that is owned by partners is the lack of ability in terms of the use of smartphones such as photo editing, video editing and the use of social media. Community service activities using a contextual approach that is providing theoretical material first and followed by workshops directly editing photos and videos using a smartphone and uploading his work produced by partners. Then proceed with the method of briefing photo and video editing techniques, and the use of social media in marketing tourism potential in Pangalengan.
Many Gram-negative bacteria use Type Three Secretion Systems (T3SS) to deliver effector proteins into host cells. These protein delivery machines are composed of cytosolic components that recognize substrates and generate the force needed for translocation, the secretion conduit, formed by a needle complex and associated membrane spanning basal body, and translocators that form the pore in the target cell. A defined order of secretion in which needle component proteins are secreted first, followed by translocators, and finally effectors, is necessary for this system to be effective. While the secreted effectors vary significantly between organisms, the ∼20 individual protein components that form the T3SS are conserved in many pathogenic bacteria. One such conserved protein, referred to as either a plug or gatekeeper, is necessary to prevent unregulated effector release and to allow efficient translocator secretion. The mechanism by which translocator secretion is promoted while effector release is inhibited by gatekeepers is unknown. We present the structure of the Chlamydial gatekeeper, CopN, bound to a translocator-specific chaperone. The structure identifies a previously unknown interface between gatekeepers and translocator chaperones and reveals that in the gatekeeper-chaperone complex the canonical translocator-binding groove is free to bind translocators. Structure-based mutagenesis of the homologous complex in Shigella reveals that the gatekeeper-chaperone-translocator complex is essential for translocator secretion and for the ordered secretion of translocators prior to effectors.
Abstract The wind-diesel-based isolated hybrid power system requires dynamic reactive power compensation for the fast recovery of voltage under load and input changes. Dynamic compensation techniques give a better voltage response but at a high cost; in contrast, the static compensator reduces the compensation cost by compromising on the voltage response. The use of, both, static as well as dynamic compensators together may give cost-effective reactive power compensation for predefined transient limits of voltage response. This paper presents the pricing of reactive power compensation under steady-state and dynamic conditions of a system with fixed capacitor (FC) and STATCOM. The main contributions of the paper are: (1) evaluation of reactive power compensation using FC as a static and STATCOM as a dynamic compensator, (2) fast recovery of voltage response using genetic algorithm-based tuning of the STATCOM controller's gain constant, (3) evaluation of reactive power compensation cost for steady and dynamic conditions due to change in load and/or input demand, and (4) comparison of responses obtained for the optimized case with a pre-existing reference compensation method.
Tb nanoscale particles are prepared in a matrix of Ti by sputtering. A range of samples are made with average particle diameter ranging from 1.5 to 21 nm. The magnetic transition temperature is depressed for smaller particles due to finite size effects. The coercivity at 4.5 K shows a maximum of 22 kOe at approximately 7 nm being a factor of 2.4 larger than a thick film of Tb. We compare the coercivity of our particle samples to multilayers of the form Tb/Mo and find larger coercivity in the particle systems due to the more confined geometry of the particles.
Aims: Tau protein is a key target of interest in developing therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we sought to develop a method that quantifies extracellular tau protein concentrations human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) without antibody-based enrichment strategies. Results: We demonstrate that the fit-for-purpose validated method in Alzheimers Disease CSF is limited to quasi quantitative measures of tau surrogate peptides. We also provide evidence that CSF total Tau measures by LC-MS are feasible in the presence of monoclonal therapeutic antibodies in human CSF. Conclusion: Our Tau LC-MS/MS method is a translational bioanalytical tool for assaying target
The results of sural nerve biopsies in 18 patients with disorders of the nervous system are reported. Involvement of the peripheral nerves was found histologically in some cases in which this was not suspected clinically or from electrodiagnostic examination. Peripheral nerve involvement was found not only in metachromatic leukodystrophy but also in a miscellaneous group of patients with nervous involvement characterized by hypotonia and in some with polymyositis. It is suggested that sural nerve biopsy, which is well tolerated by children, should find a place in the investigation of patients with neuromuscular and other neurological disorders even in the absence of clinical or electrodiagnostic evidence of peripheral nerve involvement.
Accurate and reliable information on tree volume distributions, which describe tree frequencies in volume classes, plays a key role in guiding timber harvest, managing carbon budgets, and supplying ecosystem services. Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) has the capability of offering reliable estimates of the distributions of structure attributes in forests. In this study, we predicted individual tree volume distributions over a subtropical forest of southeast China using airborne LiDAR data and field measurements. We first estimated the plot-level total volume by LiDAR-derived standard and canopy metrics. Then the performances of three Weibull parameter prediction methods, i.e., parameter prediction method (PPM), percentile-based parameter recover method (PPRM), and moment-based parameter recover method (MPRM) were assessed to estimate the Weibull scale and shape parameters. Stem density for each plot was calculated by dividing the estimated plot total volume using mean tree volume (i.e., mean value of distributions) derived from the LiDAR-estimated Weibull parameters. Finally, the individual tree volume distributions were generated by the predicted scale and shape parameters, and then scaled by the predicted stem density. The results demonstrated that, compared with the general models, the forest type-specific (i.e., coniferous forests, broadleaved forests, and mixed forests) models had relatively higher accuracies for estimating total volume and stem density, as well as predicting Weibull parameters, percentiles, and raw moments. The relationship between the predicted and reference volume distributions showed a relatively high agreement when the predicted frequencies were scaled to the LiDAR-predicted stem density (mean Reynolds error index eR = 31.47–54.07, mean Packalén error index eP = 0.14–0.21). In addition, the predicted individual tree volume distributions predicted by PPRM of (average mean eR = 37.75) performed the best, followed by MPRM (average mean eR = 40.43) and PPM (average mean eR = 41.22). This study demonstrated that the LiDAR can potentially offer improved estimates of the distributions of tree volume in subtropical forests.
Auroral electron precipitation in the morning sector is assumed to be the result of an electromagnetic cyclotron instability of a particle distribution that evolves adiabatically as its constituent electrons drift eastward from a source near midnight. The adiabatic distribution is calculated by using Green's function in various magnetospheric field models, and the corresponding growth rates for whistler mode waves are calculated by the method of Kennel and Petschek (1966). The region of maximum calculated wave growth corresponds spatially and temporally to the region of maximum observed electron precipitation only when the magnetospheric electric field is included realistically in the model.
SUMMARY This paper present a nonlinear, model-based control of flexible link robots. The control task is formulated requiring rigid joints variables to track reference time-varying trajectory and elastic deflection to be damped. The stability and robustness properties of the control scheme are analyzed from a passive energy consideration. A direct adaptive version is also proposed. Extensive evaluation of this approach is performed using experimental validations involving a single-flexible-link and a two-flexible-link horizontal robot. Experimental results show significant performances of the controller under relatively severe working conditions: 700% payload to arm ratio and 20% elastic deflection ratio at highest acceleration stages.
Perovskite metal-oxides with formula La,,SrJvlnO, (LSMO) has created much scientific interest due to large room-temperature magnetoresistivity associated with a paramagnetic semiconductor to ferromagnetic metal phase transition. Although GMR films have been successfully grown on different substrates including SrTiO, (STO), LaAIO, (LAO) [ I ] and buffered Si [2], the role of fdm thickness is not clarified yet. This problem is an important because the resistance of thin fdms proposed as GMR read heads has to be optimized to the best detectivity and signal-to-noise ratio. We present results on KrF pulsed laser deposition and characterization of epitaxial LSMO fdms with thickness varied from 32 A to 900 A. : a 248-nm KIF eximer laser was used to ablate a stoichoimetrk target of the composition Lh,,Sr,,,Mn03. Films were grown on (001) STO and (001) LAO single crystal substrates under the following conditions: substrate temperature was 730"C, laser rahation energy density was 3-4 Jicm', pulse repetition rate was 30 Hz and distance between the target and the substrate was 55 mm. Depositions were carried out in an oxygen pressure of 200 mTorr and finalized by in situ annealing in an oxygen pressure of 500 Torr at the same temperature for IO minutes. The background pressure did not exceed 1O'Torr. The films thickness was measured by AFM. Magnetoresistance (h4R) and electrical resistance were measured by standard four orobe DC technique in an electromagnet with fields up to 1 T. The MR ratio was defined as :
The hydrological cycle has significant effects on the terrestrial carbon (C) balance through its controls on photosynthesis and C decomposition. A detailed representation of the water cycle in terrestrial C cycle models is essential for reliable estimates of C budgets. However, it is challenging to accurately describe the spatial and temporal variations of soil water, especially for regional and global applications. Vertical and horizontal movements of soil water should be included. To constrain the hydrology-related uncertainty in modelling the regional C balance, a three-dimensional hydrological module was incorporated into the Integrated Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon-budget model (InTEC V3.0).We also added an explicit parameterization of wetlands. The inclusion of the hydrological module considerably improved the model’s ability to simulate C content and balances in different ecosystems. Compared with measurements at five flux-tower sites, the model captured 85% and 82% of the variations in volumetric soil moisture content in the 0–10 cm and 10– 30cmdepths during the growing season and84%of the interannual variability in the measuredCbalance. The simulations showed that lateral subsurface water redistribution is a necessary mechanism for simulating water table depth for both poorly drained forest and peatland sites. Nationally, soil C content and their spatial variability are significantly related to drainage class. Poorly drained areas are important C sinks at the regional scale, however, their soil C content and balances are difficult to model and may have been inadequately represented in previous C cycle models. The InTEC V3.0 model predicted an annual net C uptake by Canada’s forests and wetlands for the period 1901–1998 of 111.9 Tg C yr-1, which is 41.4 Tg C yr-1 larger than our previous estimate (InTEC V2.0). The increase in the net C uptake occurred mainly in poorly drained regions and resulted from the inclusion of a separate wetland parameterization and a detailed hydrologic module with lateral flow in InTEC V3.0.
The prevention of cyberbullying is an ongoing challenge due to the multifaceted nature of cyberbullying and the difficulties in realizing effective interventions that involve educational institutions, educators, and families. Enduring prevention programs through education need to be de ned and take into account that the digital revolution changes the way and the meaning of interpersonal relationships.
The authors reported a 32-year-old woman suffered from the cystoma in the left frontal lobe (Fig.3). Her hearing acuity on the same side was impaired with the type of gradual high tone loss by about 40 db (Fig.1-2). Moreover, when the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid elevated, the hearing acuities on both sides were temporarily impaired for low tones (Fig.1), that is to say, the hearing of the left ear was impaired for all tones. At the autopsy, the atrophy and the edema of the nerve cells due to the tumor were revealed in the Heschl's gyrus of the left temporal lobe (Fig.4-11). The bilateral low tone deafness might be due to the transient hydrops of labyrinth and the compression to the trunk of the cochlear nerve, that were induced by the elevated pressure of cerebrospinal fluid, and the high tone deafness on the left side partially might be due to the degeneration of the temporal lobe, which was mentioned above. The localization of the cerebral acoustic area was discussed from the following fact that the hearing acuity on the opposite side was almost intact in spite of the degeneration of the temporal lobe.
This paper designed a smartphone application with sequence problems which users can improve their learning ability and this application is implemented as serious game which is designed for the special purposes of education with entertainment and game-like fun at anytime and anywhere during the spare time. Also to prove learning effects through sequence of number application under ubiquitous environment which is popular these days, the proposed serious game which has various types of sequence questions is implemented based on the iphone and android environments. User characteristics and learning effects which are based on game record of proposed application are analyzed according to socio-demographic characteristics.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological philosophy provides the basis for a form of cultural-existential therapy. Through an examination of Merleau-Ponty’s analysis of the phantom limb and anosognosia, we develop a cultural-existential approach to “psychopathology” and its treatment. In the course of this analysis, ego-syntonic labels are seen in the light of culture-syntonic considerations, depth analysis is married to breadth analysis, empathic understanding is re-understood through a dialectical mode of understanding, medical and psychological analyses are recast within a cultural analysis, and being is resituated within a flesh ontology. Whereas a cultural-existential psychotherapy may compassionately rally around a therapy of situated individuals, it also calls for mindful attention to a therapeutics of culture.
Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is an important bioactive ceramic that possessing beneficial biocompatibility and osteoconductivity resulting in bonding to human bone tissues. The dry mechanochemical process is widely used to prepare nanometer HAp. However, little research has been carried out concerning the correlation between adding alumina and the structural changes during the mechanochemical process. In this research, special attention was paid to the effect of alumina additive on the crystallite size and lattice strain of nanocrystalline HAp. Characterization was accomplished by using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The obtained data demonstrated that the diffraction lines corresponding to the HAp phase became broad and weak with increasing alumina additive. In fact, the nanocrystalline HAp with high crystallinity degree can be synthesized in the proper amounts of alumina additive via mechanochemical method. Furthermore, an increase of alumina additive led to increase in lattice strain and decrease in size of the powder grain.
Introduction Surgical treatment of Jehovah's witnesses is a special challenge for cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate perioperative management and mid-term clinical outcome of Jehovah's witnesses who underwent cardiac surgery. Methods Between January 1990 and June 2009, 34 Jehovah's witnesses (22 men, mean age 66 ± 8 years) underwent cardiac surgery. Surgical procedures included 17 coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG): 3 CABG and aortic valve replacements (AVR); 1 CABG and mitral valve plasty (MVP); 6 AVR; 1 subaortic membrane resection; 2 mitral valve replacements (MVR) and 2 MVP; 1 mitro-aortic valve replacement; and 1 cardiac foreign body removal. There were four urgent operations; 14 patients had NYHA class II–III. Sixteen patients received erythropoietin preoperatively. Preoperative haemoglobin (Hb) value was 14.2 ± 1.4 g/dl. Results Extracorporeal circulation time was 127 ± 66 min, aortic cross-clamping 84 ± 45 min. Haemoglobin value 24 h after surgery was 11.2 ± 1.7 g/dl, haematocrit 34.1 ± 5.2%. None required surgical reoperation for bleeding. Intensive care unit stay was 2.3 ± 4.3 days, hospital stay 12.3 ± 10.4 days; there was no hospital mortality. Postoperatively, erythropoietin was administered to 19 patients. Follow-up was completed in 100%. Reoperation was necessary 8 years later in one patient for mitral bioprosthesis degeneration; the patient died 8 months later. All other patients are alive 59 ± 60 months after surgery; actuarial survival is 100% and 80 ± 2% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Conclusion In our limited experience, early and late surgical results of Jehovah's witnesses patients are satisfactory. Appropriate preoperative management, optimization of Hb values, intraoperative measures to reduce the risk of bleeding and total blood loss recovery are the goals to achieve these results.
To be able to correlate the catalytic properties of nanoparticles with their structure, detailed knowledge about their make-up on the atomic level is required. Herein, we demonstrate how atom-probe tomography (APT) can be used to quantitatively determine the three-dimensional distribution of atoms within a Au@Ag nanoparticle with near-atomic resolution. We reveal that the elements are not evenly distributed across the surface and that this distribution is related to the surface morphology and residues from the particle synthesis.
12 Introduction While the novel coronavirus COVID-19 has caused epic disruption of human society, it has also created new opportunities for institutions that manufacture and provide cell therapies. Objective We have compiled all cell therapy clinical trials registered worldwide where the indication for use is COVID-19 or related conditions. We then identified the clinical trials that used perinatal cells.
In the diaphragms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, the nature of oxidatively modified proteins and superoxide anion production were explored. Diaphragm specimens were obtained through thoracotomy because of localised lung lesions in COPD patients (16 severe and eight moderate) and 10 control subjects. Lung and respiratory muscle functions were evaluated. Oxidised proteins were identified using immunoblotting and mass spectrometry. Protein and activity levels of the identified proteins were determined using immunoblotting and activity assays. Lucigenin-derived chemiluminescence signals in a luminometer were used to determine superoxide anion levels in muscle compartments (mitochondria, membrane and cytosol) using selective inhibitors. In severe COPD patients compared with controls, respiratory muscle function was impaired; creatine kinase, carbonic anhydrase III, actin and myosin were oxidised; myosin carbonylation levels were increased five-fold; creatine kinase content and activity and myosin protein were reduced; superoxide anion levels were increased in both mitochondria and membrane compartments; and the percentage of superoxide anion inhibition achieved by rotenone was significantly greater. In severe COPD patients, oxidation of diaphragm proteins involved in energy production and contractile performance is likely to partially contribute to the documented respiratory muscle dysfunction. Furthermore, generation of the superoxide anion was increased in the diaphragms of these patients.
Some factors affecting the transmission of torque from a rectangular archwire to the tooth are discussed. Arch blanks from two 0·018 in. Loper turrets were measured to assess the reliability of the turrets. One turret produced clinically unacceptable results, due to the effects of wear. The use of a table of deviation angles is advocated in order to estimate more accurately the torque applied through the bracket.
This paper presents a simple, yet efficient method to characterize the effective capacitance in data-path macros for architectural-level power estimation. Given a library of hard-macros, a capacitance model based on linear regression is derived for each macro. A transistor-level tool is employed for capacitance extraction. The capacitance models can be used during architectural-level power estimation. Unlike previous approaches, our characterization methodology assumes no specific word-level statistics of the input data, requires little knowledge about the structure of the modules, allows the user to trade-off accuracy and characterization time, and propagates effective capacitance directly from transistor-level (real) implementations. Simulation experiments on a set of data-path components with various sizes are performed. Compared to a previously published approach, our scheme significantly improves the accuracy of RTL power estimation and produces results within 15% from a transistor-level tool on the average.
Polydopamine (PDA) displays many striking properties of naturally occurring melanin in optics, electricity, and biocompatibility. Another valuable feature of polydopamine lies in its chemical structure that incorporates many functional groups such as amine, catechol and imine. In this study, a nanocomposite of magnetic Fe3O4@Au@polydopamine nanopaticles (Fe3O4@Au@ PDA MNPs) was synthesized. Carboxyl functionalized Fe3O4@Au nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully embedded in a layer of PDA through dopamine oxypolymerization in alkaline solution. Through the investigation of adsorption behavior to Cu(II), combined with high sensitive electrochemical detection, the as-prepared magnetic nanocomposites (MNPs) have been successfully applied in the separation and analysis of Cu(II). The experimental parameters of temperature, Cu(II) concentration and pH were optimized. Results showed that the as-prepared MNPs can reach saturation adsorption after adsorbing 2 h in neutral environment. Furthermore, the as-prepared MNPs can be easily regenerated by temperature control and exhibits a good selectivity compared to other metal ions. The prepared Fe3O4@Au@PDA MNPs are expected to act as a kind of adsorbent for Cu(II) deep removal from contaminated waters.
Presidential communication as storytelling can be usefully conceived of as falling into two broad stylistic categories: narrational and dialogic. While the rhetorical goals of the president remain the same for both styles, there are differences in the approaches to those goals. Narrational presidents tell complete and well integrated stories, facilitate audience identification through appeals to participation and inclusion and encourage presidential interpretive dominance. Dialogic presidents tell more fragmented stories, facilitate audience identification by relying on the audience to complete the story, and encourage lower expectations of the president. These styles present different risks and opportunities for the presidents employing them.
We tested the hypothesis that the negative functional effects of cyclic GMP on cardiac myocytes were mediated through phospholamban (PLB) and activation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. Using ventricular myocytes from wild type (WT, n=10) and PLB knockout (PLB-KO, n=10) mouse hearts, functional changes were measured using a video edge detector at baseline and after 10-6, 10-5M 8-bromo-cyclic GMP (cGMP), 10-8, 10-7M C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), or 10-6, 10-5M S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP, nitric oxide donor). Changes in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration were assessed in fura 2-loaded WT and PLB-KO myocytes. Cyclic GMP dependent phosphorylation analysis was also performed in WT and PLB-KO myocytes. 8-bromo-cGMP 10-5M caused a significant decrease in %shortening (3.6±0.2% to 2.3±0.1%) in WT, but little change in PLB-KO myocytes (3.4±0.1% to 3.2±0.2%). Similarly, CNP and SNAP reduced %shortening of WT, but not PLB-KO myocyte. Changes in other contractile parameters such as maximum rate of shortening and relaxation were consistent with the changes in % shortening. Intracellular Ca2+ transients changed similarly to cell contractility in WT and PLB-KO myocytes treated with cGMP and CNP; i.e. Ca2+ transients decreased with cGMP or CNP in WT myocytes, but were unchanged in PLB-KO myocytes. cGMP dependent phosphorylation analysis showed that some proteins were phosphorylated by cGMP to a lesser extent in PLB-KO compared with WT myocytes, suggesting impaired cGMP-kinase function in PLB-KO cardiac myocytes. These results indicated that cGMP-induced reductions in cardiac myocyte function were at least partially mediated through the action of phospholamban.
Background and Aim: The association of habitual intakes of dietary nitrate (NO3−) and nitrite (NO2−) with blood pressure and renal function is not clear. Here, we investigated a potential effect of dietary NO3− and NO2− on the occurrence of hypertension (HTN) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: A total of 2799 Iranian adults aged ≥20 years, participating in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), were included and followed for a median of 5.8 years. Dietary intakes of NO3− and NO2− were estimated using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Demographics, anthropometrics, blood pressure and biochemical variables were evaluated at baseline and during follow-up examinations. To identify the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of HTN and CKD across tertile categories of residual energy-adjusted NO3− and NO2− intakes, multivariate logistic regression models were used. Results: Dietary intake of NO3− had no significant association with the risk of HTN or CKD. Compared to the lowest tertile category (median intake < 6.04 mg/day), the highest intake (median intake ≥ 12.7 mg/day) of dietary NO2− was accompanied with a significant reduced risk of HTN, in the fully adjusted model (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.33–0.98; p for trend = 0.054). The highest compared to the lowest tertile of dietary NO2− was also accompanied with a reduced risk of CKD (OR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.24–0.89, p for trend = 0.07). Conclusion: Our findings indicated that higher intakes of NO2− might be an independent dietary protective factor against the development of HTN and CKD, which are major risk factors for adverse cardiovascular events.
This article discusses the process of rural-urban continuum as one of the basic determinants of rural-urban linkages. Thus, this article attempts to capture an inclusive approach of the development process in a developing country. In this context, we discuss the issue of migration (both short and long term) from rural-to-rural and rural-to-urban areas and try to understand whether rural industrialization helps rural people find gainful employment in local villages or nearby small towns / growth centres. It is argued that the pressure of finding livelihood on farm land has been tremendously increasing whereas modern industries have very limited scope for absorbing unskilled rural labour. The case of West Bengal elaborates this discussion and establishes the arguments in favour of rural industrialization. Scopes for growth of farm as well as rural non-farm activities are extended when we observe that consumption pattern of both rural and urban population in developing countries such India is changing.
Light-scattering evaluations of molecular weight and gyration radii have been carried out over a range of temperatures for linear and branched polyethylenes in α-chloronaphthalene solutions. In a number of cases the molecular size parameters have been found to depend on the solution temperature. When observed, the temperature dependence can change molecular weight values by as much as 50%. The temperature dependence tends to be more pronounced at higher molecular weights, in linear than in branched polyethylenes, and is particularly noticeable at solution temperatures below that of the normal crystalline melting temperature of the polymer. It is suggested that the temperature dependence of molecular weight parameters may be due to a gradual dissociation in solution of polymer aggregates arising from persisting interchain entanglements. A relationship was established between intrinsic viscosity and molecular weight for selected fractionated polyethylenes by using molecular weight data obtained under conditions unfavorable to the persistence of polymer aggregates. A number of published viscosity–molecular weight functions for polyethylenes was compared with the calibrated relationship. Some of the published equations gave results in good agreement with the present function, but a number of others resulted in gross overestimates of molecular weight. Polymer aggregation problems may have been encountered in the derivation of some of these viscosity–molecular weight functions. The comparison indicates the danger of indiscriminate choice of viscosity–molecular weight functions for use in rapid estimates of polymer molecular weight.
I reviewed published and unpublished papers, government reports, and websites to estimate how many people are injured or killed each year by wildlife or stricken by a zoonotic disease. Over 47,000 people annually in the United States sought medical attention after being attacked or bitten by wildlife, and approximately 8 people died annually. Most bites were by snakes, birds, rodents, and raccoons (Procyon lotor). Each year, wildlife–vehicle collisions resulted in >59,000 human injuries and >440 human fatalities, while wildlife–aircraft collisions added 16 more injuries and 10 fatalities. I also found that >68,000 people each year sought medical assistance for a zoonotic disease, and 243 of these cases were fatal. When wildliferelated casualties and fatalities are summed, >174,000 people were injured or sickened and >700 were killed by wildlife annually. These figures do not mean that wildlife populations should be reduced; they do indicate, however, that wildlife biologists have an opportunity to serve society by preventing human injuries, morbidities, and fatalities resulting from wildlife. In doing so, wildlife biologists will also be protecting the future of wildlife.
Metric dimension is a distance-based tool that is used in the different fields of computer science and chemistry such as navigation, combinatorial optimization, pattern recognition, image processing, integer programming and formation of chemical compounds. In this paper, we study the latest type of metric dimension called as local fractional metric dimension (LFMD) and find its upper bounds for generalized Petersen networks <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ mathbb GP(n,2)$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n geq 5$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. Moreover, for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n in  {5, 8, 10 }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> exact values and for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n in  {6, 7, 9, 11 }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> constant upper bounds of the LFMD are obtained. For <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n geq 12$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, the limiting values of LFMD for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ mathbb GP(n,2)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> are also obtained as 2 (bounded) if <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n$ </tex-math></inline-formula> approaches to infinity.
We previously reported on a number of cases of metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) in which serum α2‐macroglobulin (α2M) levels were markedly decreased to less than 20 mg/dl (α2M deficiency). In order to elucidate the relative proportions of free and a prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) complex in PCa patients with α2M deficiency, we have assessed serum α2M and total PSA levels, and ratios of free PSA to total PSA (F/T ratios) at each stage of PCa. Moreover, the PSA reactivity profile was determined on fractionated serum specimens of PCa patients using high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a TSKG‐3000 SWXL column. Measurement of α2M concentration was performed by laser‐nephelometry. PSA levels were determined by enzyme immunoassay, free PSA by radioimmunoassay. In those PCa patients with α2M deficiency, serum α2M and F/T ratios were lower, whereas PSA levels were higher when compared with those PCa patients without α2M deficiency (P<0.05). PSA elution profiles on HPLC columns revealed two major peaks. The proportion of PSA‐antichymotrypsin (PSA‐ACT) increased, whereas the proportion of free PSA decreased in PCa patients with α2M deficiency as compared with those PCa patients without α2M deficiency. F/T ratios were significantly lower in PCa patients with α2M deficiency than in those PCa patients without α2M deficiency. PSA‐ACT and F/T ratio may be useful for monitoring bone metastasis in PCa. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 22:302–306, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Since several years, there is an increasing interest for new services based on the analysis of data coming from online social networks. Such services can, for example, provide the e-reputation of a product or a company, detect new trends in a commercial, social or political context, etc. The huge quantity of data is an opportunity in term of representativeness but is also difficult to manage. Within Twitter, for example, it appears that the huge stream of data is, most of the time, incompatible with a flexible analysis unless to have high computer resources. The only practical solution is often to observe in a static way a limited portion of a phenomenon in a limited time slot. This paper is devoted to the study of necessary conditions to provide an equilibrium between the computer architecture complexity and the analysis flexibility.
BACKGROUND Malignant pleural effusion can be treated successfully by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) talc pleurodesis. This procedure can also be performed using local anesthesia on nonintubated patients.   OBJECTIVES To evaluate quality of life and major outcomes after VATS talc pleurodesis performed under local anesthesia in nonintubated patients with malignant pleural effusion.   DESIGN Retrospective, nonrandomized case-matched comparison (nonintubated versus intubated) pairing the patients by computer according to their clinical features.   SETTING/SUBJECTS Since 2002, 231 consecutive patients underwent uniport VATS talc pleurodesis under local anesthesia (nonintubated group). These patients were case matched with 231 homogeneous subjects, selected from a larger group that preferred general anesthesia (intubated group) in the same period.   MEASUREMENTS Quality of life (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 core questionnaire) and other major outcomes were considered.   RESULTS Pleurodesis was successful in 198 (85.7%) nonintubated and 193 (83.5%) intubated patients, but the former group showed shorter total operating room time (65.8±7.5 versus 84.9±13.3 minutes, p<0.0001), duration of postoperative pleural fluid leakage (2.5±1.0 versus 4.0±1.5 days, p=0.014), postoperative hospital stay (3.1±2.5 versus 4.9±2.8 days, p=0.011), as well as lower perioperative mortality (0% versus 2.3%, p=0.017), morbidity (5.2% versus 9.0%, p=0.042), and costs (6,090±517 versus 9,660±713€, p=0.015). Quality of life presented a similar evolution between groups, however, the early postoperative improvement in physical function (p<0.05), global health (p<0.05), and dyspnea (p<0.01) was significantly greater in nonintubated patients. Significant improvements in respiratory exchanges, postoperative acute stress markers, and mental confusion were also documented. Effusion-free (p=0.35) and overall (p=0.52) survival was similar between groups.   CONCLUSION Nonintubated VATS talc pleurodesis can achieve similar results in pleural effusion to the same operation performed under general anesthesia but with earlier improvement of some quality-of-life domains as well as better mortality, morbidity, hospital stay, and costs.
Members of a U.S. government advisory panel gathered last week to reconsider their controversial December 2011 recommendation that two groups of scientists redact key details from papers describing how they made the H5N1 avian influenza virus more transmissible between mammals. The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) then announced its new recommendation to the U.S. government: The two papers should be made public, in full. The studies still include information that might someday be useful to evildoers, the NSABB said in a 30 March statement, but "additional information changed the Board's risk/benefit calculation." The potential public health benefits of publishing, they had decided, now outweighed the potential harm. A WHO panel reached a similar conclusion in February.
Making use of the duality transformation, we derive in the Londons' limit of the Abelian Higgs model string representation for the 't Hooft loop average defined on the string worldsheet, which yields the values of two coefficient functions parametrizing the bilocal correlator of the dual field strength tensors. The asymptotic behaviors of these functions agree with the ones obtained within the method of vacuum correlators in QCD in the lowest order of perturbation theory. We demonstrate that the bilocal approximation to the method of vacuum correlators is an exact result in the Londons' limit, i.e. all the higher cumulants in this limit vanish. We also show that at large distances, apart from the integration over metrics, the obtained string effective theory (which in this case reduces to the nonlinear massive axionic sigma model) coincides with the low energy limit of the dual version of 4D compact QED, the so-called universal confining string theory. We derive string tension of the Nambu–Goto term and the coupling constant of the rigidity term for the obtained string effective theory and demonstrate that the latter is always negative, which means the stability of strings, while the positiveness of the former is confirmed by the present lattice data. These data enable us to find the Higgs boson charge and the vacuum expectation value of the Higgs field, which well-described QCD. We also study dynamics of the weight factor of the obtained string representation for the 't Hooft average in the loop space. In conclusion, we obtain string representation for the partition function of the correlators of an arbitrary number of Higgs currents, by virtue of which we rederive the structure of the bilocal correlator of the dual field strength tensors, which yields the surface term in the string effective action.
Synchronous resection of primary neuroendocrine tumors (NET) with liver metastases remains controversial, although recent studies have demonstrated its safety in select patients. Synchronous laparoscopic gastric and liver resection has been rarely reported. We report the case of a 65-year-old man who underwent successful simultaneous D2 subtotal gastrectomy with hepatectomy and cholecystectomy for metastatic gastric NET. This is the first reported case of totally laparoscopic simultaneous D2 gastrectomy with hepatectomy and cholecystectomy for metastatic gastric NET. Laparoscopic simultaneous gastrectomy and hepatectomy is feasible and safe in select patients with metastatic gastric NET.
An overview of the real-time features of transputers and Occam is presented. Real-time issues such as scheduling, timing, concurrence, low level support, communication, and exception handling are studied. Based on the shortcomings of transputers and Occam, some compensating methods have been proposed and implemented. Some test results are reported. It is concluded that transputers and Occam provide quite good support for implementing real-time systems. The ability to allow for both genuine and quasi-parallel processing gives the transputer a distinct advantage over conventional computer systems for real-time use. Occam, which was designed to execute on the transputer type of architecture, directly addresses issues of real-time system programming, such as the representations of parallelism, timing, assigning priorities to processes, resource allocation, low-level machine access, and flexible device interfacing.<<ETX>>
Construction of energy-like expressions for various classes of anisotropic media and the use of the weighted residual technique for those cases that don't obey Hermitian properties is undertaken. From the energy-like expressions are derived energy-like functionals, which are shown to have volumetric and surface parts. Volumetric parts contain electromagnetic governing equations of the media, and surface parts provide constraints on field components on interfacial boundaries. Media examined here include gyroelectric, gyromagnetic, combined gyroelectric and gyromagnetic, and complex media displaying gyroelectric, gyromagnetic, and optical activities. >
Shell morphology in relation to soft parts is described in the modem species Cytherella abyssorum G. O. Sars, based on microtome sections, serial peels and thin sections. Functionally important features of the cytherellids include the extensive development of the intervalvar cuticle (‘ligament’) along a strongly curved Line, the consequently very narrow ventral slit between valves in opened carapaces, and a special mode of egg care which is associated with a distinctive (domatial) type of sexual shell dimorphism. Platycope ostracodes represent a pronouncedly conservative evolutionary lineage; their essential characters are fully developed already in the earliest known true platycopes from the Silurian Period. The cause of the slow evolutionary change is suggested to have been the virtual impossibility to change their specific morphological organisation to fit some other mode of life or to diversify widely within the given morphological framework. The same obviously applies to the lingulaccan brachiopods and probably also other bradytelic groups.
Elastin is a polymeric structural protein that imparts the physical properties of extensibility and elastic recoil to tissues. The mechanism of assembly of the tropoelastin monomer into the elastin polymer probably involves extrinsic protein factors but is also related to an intrinsic capacity of elastin for ordered assembly through a process of hydrophobic self-aggregation or coacervation. Using a series of simple recombinant polypeptides based on elastin sequences and mimicking the unusual alternating domain structure of native elastin, we have investigated the influence of sequence motifs and domain structures on the propensity of these polypeptides for coacervation. The number of hydrophobic domains, their context in the alternating domain structure of elastin, and the specific nature of the hydrophobic domains included in the polypeptides all had major effects on self-aggregation. Surprisingly, in polypeptides with the same number of domains, propensity for coacervation was inversely related to the mean Kyte-Doolittle hydropathy of the polypeptide. Point mutations designed to increase the conformational flexibility of hydrophobic domains had the unexpected effect of suppressing coacervation and promoting formation of amyloid-like fibers. Such simple polypeptides provide a useful model system for understanding the relationship between sequence, structure, and mechanism of assembly of polymeric elastin.
Abstract--- This paper evaluates the usefulness of watchdog modules for intrusion detection. A watchdog is the basic component for the construction of most of the intrusion detection systems proposed so far for self-organizing wireless networking systems like VANETs. Contributions of this work are threefold. First, the component is designed to be protocol independent, thus compatible with any different types of ad hoc routing protocols. Second, it encompasses a high detection coverage with a low detection latency. Third, the previous properties are guaranteed while minimizing the number of generated false positives and negatives The provided design is implemented and evaluated. Results show that a set of trade-offs must be adopted in order to obtain an acceptable balance between the coverage and detection latency of the watchdog and the resources required from devices.
In this article, a reflection is made on a production of a memorable event related to three basic elements: media, memory and history in contemporary Brazil. The article analyses how the coup d’etat of 1964 was represented in the Brazilian’s newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, from 1994 to 2004. We consider the narrative built by this kind of media about these emblematic moments through the concepts of memory and historical representation nowadays.
Here, we report the study results of the nitration of 3,7,10-trioxo-2,4,6,8,9,11-hexaaza[3.3.3]propellane (THAP) by different nitrating agents such as nitric acid, mixed nitric/sulfuric acids, nitric anhydride, and mixed concentrated nitric acid/acetic anhydride to furnish 3,7,10-trioxo-2-nitro-2,4,6,8,9,11-hexaaza[3.3.3]propellane and 3,7,10-trioxo-2,8-dinitro-2,4,6,8,9,11-hexaaza[3.3.3]propellane, whereas a lactam–lactim rearrangement was found to take place upon vigorous cooling to give 10-hydroxy-2,4,6,8,9,11-hexaazatricyclo[3.3.3.01,5]undec-9-ene-3,7-dione. The two competing reactions, lactam–lactim rearrangement, and nitration were found to take place. The acylation of 3,7,10-trioxo-2,4,6,8,9,11-hexaaza[3.3.3]propellane was examined and the formation conditions of 2,6-di- and 2,6,9-triacetyl-substituted and 3,7,10-trioxo-2,4,6,8,9,11-hexaacetyl-2,4,6,8,9,11-hexaaza[3.3.3]propellane were established. The acetyl derivatives were found to be instable in an acidic medium and to undergo deacylation. The obtained findings correlate well with the quantum-chemical calculations.
Free sterols from hexaploid and tetraploid free-threshing wheats (Triticum aestivum L. and T. durum Desf.) and from their respective hulled wheats (T. spelta L. and T. dicoccon Schrank) were analysed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The qualitative analysis of sterols showed a similar pattern either between hexaploid (T. aestivum, T. spelta) and tetraploid (T. durum, T. dicoccon) wheats or between free-threshing (T. aestivum, T. durum) and hulled (T. spelta, T. dicoccon) wheats. However, quantitative differences were found between tetraploid and hexaploid wheats, in that free sterol amounts in tetraploid wheats were 40% higher than in hexaploid ones. The mass spectra of the sterols were classified into four groups, taking into account the structural features of rings A and B. Typical mass spectral fragmentations of the four classes, and additional evidence related to the side chain of each molecule, were investigated together with their chromatographic behaviour, allowing identification of all the detected sterols.
ing, induced the formation of osteophytes (bone spurs) at the inflamed joints and also prevented the resorption of bone by specialized cells called osteoclasts. As was consistent with the mouse data, they observed that DKK-1 was expressed at aber-rantly high levels in joint specimens from humans with rheumatoid arthritis and that in both species DKK-1 expression was induced by TNF- α . These results identify the Wnt pathway as an important regulator of joint remodeling in rheumatoid arthritis. Because Wnt signals influence both the formation and the destruc-tion of bone, future therapies targeting this pathway could in principle be applied not only to rheumatoid arthritis, which is characterized by bone loss, but also to osteoarthritis and other diseases of the joint. — PAK
We have investigated the structural, electronic properties and Fermi surface topology of SrTe under high pressure up to 50 GPa based on density functional theory calculations. We predict that SrTe undergoes a structural phase transition from NaCl (B1) to CsCl (B2)-type structure at 14.7 GPa which is consistent with the experimental observations as well as with previous theoretical studies. The ambient (B1) and high pressure (B2) phases are found to be indirect band gap semiconductors and upon further compression B2 phase turns into a nontrivial topological semimetal. Interestingly, we have observed that B2 phase of SrTe has band inversion at Γ and M symmetry directions which lead to formation of 3D topological nodal line semimetal at high pressure which is analogous to CaTe and Cu3PdN due to nontrivial band topology.We have investigated the structural, electronic properties and Fermi surface topology of SrTe under high pressure up to 50 GPa based on density functional theory calculations. We predict that SrTe undergoes a structural phase transition from NaCl (B1) to CsCl (B2)-type structure at 14.7 GPa which is consistent with the experimental observations as well as with previous theoretical studies. The ambient (B1) and high pressure (B2) phases are found to be indirect band gap semiconductors and upon further compression B2 phase turns into a nontrivial topological semimetal. Interestingly, we have observed that B2 phase of SrTe has band inversion at Γ and M symmetry directions which lead to formation of 3D topological nodal line semimetal at high pressure which is analogous to CaTe and Cu3PdN due to nontrivial band topology.
Background Recent trials in early-stage breast cancer support hypofractionated whole-breast radiotherapy (WBRT) as part of breast-conserving therapy (BCT). Evidence also suggests that radiotherapy (RT) omission may be reasonable for some patients over 70 years. Among radiation-delivery techniques, intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) is more expensive than 3-dimensional conformal RT (3DCRT). Based on this evidence, in 2013, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recommended hypofractionated schedules for women aged ≥50 years with early-stage breast cancer and avoiding routine use of IMRT for WBRT. To assess response to level I evidence and adherence to ASTRO recommendations, we evaluated the pattern of RT use for early-stage breast cancer at our National Comprehensive Cancer Network institution from 2006 to 2008 and 2011 to 2013 and compared the results with national trends. Methods Data from a prospective database were extracted to include patients treated with BCT, aged ≥50 years, with histologic findings of invasive ductal carcinoma, stage T1-T2N0M0, estrogen receptor-positive, and HER2 normal. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and estimated costs based on 2016 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (technical fees) and Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (professional fees). Results Among 55 cases from 2006 to 2008, treatment regimens were 11% hypofractionated, 69% traditional schedule, and 20% RT omission (29% of patients were aged >70 years). Among 83 cases from 2011 to 2013, treatment regimens were 54% hypofractionated, 19% traditional schedule, and 27% RT omission (48% of patients were aged >70 years). 3DCRT was used for all WBRT treatments. Direct medical cost estimates were as follows: 15 fractions 3DCRT, $7,197.87; 15 fractions IMRT, $11,232.33; 25 fractions 3DCRT, $9,731.39; and 25 fractions IMRT, $16,877.45. Conclusion Despite apparent resistance to shorter radiation schedules in the United States, we demonstrate that rapid practice change in response to level I evidence is feasible. Wider adoption of evidence-based guidelines in early-stage breast cancer may substantially lower health care costs and improve convenience for patients without sacrificing oncologic outcomes.
Abstract Myvobacterium marinum is an atypical Mycobacterium belonging to Runyon's classification group I. It is the most common atypical mycobacterium to cause infection in humans. However, the infection appears to be rare in the pediatric population. Clinically, patients may present a single cutaneous lesion, such as an erythematous papule, nodule, plaque, sporotrichoid lesions or ulcers at the inoculation site. We present an unusual case of multiple "swimming pool granulomas" in an immunocompetent child who had a history of non-chloridrated water exposure. Our patient presented with lesions located in non-contiguous body sites, suggesting either systemic dissemination or multiple sites of inoculation as possible pathogenesis.
Social media platforms employ inferential analytics methods to guess user preferences and may include sensitive attributes such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and political opinions. These methods are often opaque, but they can have significant effects such as predicting behaviors for marketing purposes, influencing behavior for profit, serving attention economics, and reinforcing existing biases such as gender stereotyping. Although two international human rights treaties include express obligations relating to harmful and wrongful stereotyping, these stereotypes persist both online and offline, and platforms often appear to fail to understand that gender is not merely a binary of being a 'man' or a 'woman,' but is socially constructed. Our study investigates the impact of algorithmic bias on inadvertent privacy violations and the reinforcement of social prejudices of gender and sexuality through a multidisciplinary perspective including legal, computer science, and queer media viewpoints. We conducted an online survey to understand whether and how Twitter inferred the gender of users. Beyond Twitter's binary understanding of gender and the inevitability of the gender inference as part of Twitter's personalization trade-off, the results show that Twitter misgendered users in nearly 20% of the cases (N=109). Although not apparently correlated, only 8% of the straight male respondents were misgendered, compared to 25% of gay men and 16% of straight women. Our contribution shows how the lack of attention to gender in gender classifiers exacerbates existing biases and affects marginalized communities. With our paper, we hope to promote the online account for privacy, diversity, and inclusion and advocate for the freedom of identity that everyone should have online and offline.
Objective: The aim of this Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) is to present the initial findings of a larger RCT study conducted internationally for the first time, regarding the hypothesis, when the Integrated Psychological Therapy (IPT) for individuals with schizophrenia is more and when it is less effective, regarding Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia (TRS) and nontreatment resistant schizophrenia (NTRS). Methods: Forty-eight outpatients with schizophrenia of an adult psychiatric department participated in this RCT study. Eleven outpatients of IPT and 11 of the Treatment as Usual (TAU) belong to TRS. Thirteen patients of IPT and 13 of TAU belong to NTRS. A test battery was given at baseline after therapy (10 weeks) and at 3 months’ follow-up. Neurocognition, social cognition, psychopathology, and functional outcome were assessed. The General Linear Model (GLM) for repeated measurements was used. Effect sizes, z-scores, and the sign test were calculated. Results: There was a statistical significance for verbal memory; positive, negative symptoms and general psychopathology; Global Assessment and Functioning scale (GAF) and quality of life favoring NTRS. Effect sizes showed superiority of NTRS in comparison to TRS. The sign test showed a significant improvement in Integrated Psychological Therapy treatment-resistant schizophrenia (IPTTRS) that was maintained in the follow-up, in Integrated Psychological Therapy nontreatment resistant schizophrenia (IPTNTRS) and in Treatment as Usual nontreatment resistant schizophrenia (TAUNTRS). Conclusion: The IPT is more effective in NTRS in comparison to TRS, although IPTTRS showed some improvements, maintained at follow-up. Further RCT studies with larger samples are needed.
Increasing the number of mapped genes will facilitate (1) the identification of potential candidate genes for a trait of interest within quantitative trait loci regions and (2) comparative mapping. The metabolic activities of the liver are essential for providing fuel to peripheral organs, for regulation of amino acid, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and for homoeostasis of vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. We aimed to identify and map genes coding for enzymes active in the liver by somatic cell genetics in order to contribute to the improvement of the porcine gene map. We mapped 28 genes of hepatic metabolic pathways including six genes whose locations could be confirmed and 22 new assignments. Localization information in human was available for all but one gene. In total 24 genes were assigned to in the expected chromosomal regions on the basis of the currently available information on the comparative human and pig map while for four genes our results suggest a new correspondence or extended regions of conservation between porcine and human chromosomes.
We present an experimental setup for the optical storage of information via refreshing by inverse seeding on the basis of a photorefractive BCT crystal. The setup consists of two four-wave mixing processes with common amplified signal waves and phase-conjugated (pc) waves. This arrangement offers an opportunity to store optical information dynamically for at least 20 min with permanent strength of the hologram.
The theoretical and empirical results in this paper make a strong prima facie case for the proposition that increases in the after tax rate of return caused by tax policy are likely to bring forth significant increases in saving. Theoretical analysis using a variety of standard models tends to suggest that the aggregate response to savings incentives is likely to be substantial. It is argued that the existing empirical evidence sheds little light on the question. Empirical analyses are then conducted using three alternative approaches. All three confirm the hypothesis of a significant positive response of savings to changes in the rate of return.
ABSTRACT Understanding survival of precocial chicks in the period immediately following hatching has important conservation implications because population growth is often sensitive to post-hatching survival. We studied federally threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) broods at the northern limit of their range in coastal Oregon (n = 1,157) and Washington (n = 84) from 1991 to 2011 in an attempt to understand seasonal, annual, and spatial patterns of chick survival. In Oregon, plover chick survival increased with age, varied between sites, and was greater at sites with predator management. The mean probability of surviving from hatch to fledging at 28 days of age in Oregon was 0.57 (95% CI: 0.50, 0.63). In Washington, where predator management was not employed, we conducted separate analyses using individually banded and unbanded chicks and results indicated that survival generally increased with chick age. The mean estimated probability of surviving from hatch to fledging at 28 days of age in Washington was 0.27 (95% CI: 0.20, 0.35) for individually banded chicks when perfect detection was assumed. This probability increased to 0.67 (95% CI: 0.41, 0.83) when we analyzed unbanded chicks and included detection probability. Our findings confirm the importance of considering age effects in the survival of Snowy Plover chicks and raise questions about the validity of assuming perfect detection of plover chicks during brood checks. This work also highlights the benefit of predator management on chick survival.
ASSESSMENT OF PARALLEL SIGNALING PATHWAYS IN UTERINE MYOCYTES STIMULATED WITH VARIOUS SMOOTH MUSCLE AGONISTS H.N. Aguilar, B.F. Mitchell 1  TRACTOGRAPHY: A NOVEL TECHNIQUE TO IMAGE FIBER TRACTS OF THE SPINAL CORD Fahad Alkherayf, Eve Tsai, Arturo Cardenas-Blanco,  Alain Berthiaume, Brien Benoit, John Sinclair 1  MODULATION OF OSTEOCLASTOGENESIS IN INFLAMMATORY JOINT DISEASES H. Allard-Chamard, M. Durant, A.J. de Brum-Fernandes, G. Boire, S.V. Komarova, S.J. Dixon, S.M. Sims, R. Harison,  M.F. Manolson 2  “THE RIGHT THING TO DO? A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH ETHICS, RIGHTS DISCOURSE, AND THE EXPANSION OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART)” Berkhout, SG, Anderson, S, Tyndall, MW 2  COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF IMMEDIATE BASELINE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY VS. MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF ACUTE ISCHEMIC STROKE IN ONTARIO PATIENTS WHO PRESENT WITH SYMPTOMS SUGGESTIVE OF STROKE KR Burton, G. Mery 3  CHITOSAN-MEDIATED FGF18 DELIVERY FOR ASSISTED BONE REPAIR A. Carli, M. Lavertu, C. Gao, A. Merzouki, M.D. Buschmann, J.E. Henderson, E.J.Harvey 3  ACTIVE PI3K-AKT SIGNALING PROMOTES THE METASTATIC POTENTIAL OF ASCITES-DERIVED EPITHELIAL OVARIAN CANCER CELLS Correa RJM, Ramos-Valdes Y, Bertrand M, Lanvin D,  Prefontaine M, Sugimoto AK, Lewis JD, Shepherd TG,  DiMattia GE 4  MECHANISMS OF K65R, D67N, K103N, V106M AND M184V RESISTANCE DEVELOPMENT IN SUBTYPE-B AND C HIV-1 Dimitrios Coutsinos, Cedric F. Invernizzi, Daniela Moisi,  Maureen Oliveira, Hongtao Xu, Bluma G. Brenner,  Mark A. Wainberg 4  A MODEL TO DETERMINE FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE INDUCTION OF AN IN VIVO CTL RESPONSE Dissanayake D, Ohashi PS 5  P63 ANTAGONIZES P53 TO PROMOTE THE SURVIVAL OF EMBRYONIC NEURAL PRECURSOR CELLS Sagar B. Dugani, Annie Paquin, Masashi Fujitani,  David R. Kaplan, Freda D. Miller 5  SPINAL LOCOMOTOR NETWORK MODULATION BY ENDOGENOUS SEROTONIN IN THE ISOLATED NEONATAL MOUSE SPINAL CORD Dunbar MJ, Whelan PJ 6  THE TUMOR PROMOTING AND REPRESSING EFFECTS OF INTEGRIN-LINKED KINASE ARE DIFFERENTIATED BY JNK1 IN HUMAN CANCER CELLS Adam David Durbin, Gregory Edward Hannigan,  David Malkin 6  INCREASED EXCITATION IN MICE OVER-EXPRESSING NEUROLIGIN-1 IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED LONG-TERM POTENTIATION AND LEARNING AND MEMORY Brennan D Eadie, Timal Kannangara, Regina Dalhaus,  Rochelle M Hines, Yu-Tian Wang, Alaa El-Husseini,  Brian R Christie 7  A NOVEL ROLE FOR CDK5/P35 IN MEDULLOBLASTOMA FORMATION Friesen AN, Shin J, Law V, Lee YS, Mckinnon P, Lee KY 7  ALTERED PSYCHOSOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND STRESS RESPONSE FOLLOWING ‘MINOR’ STROKE IN THE RAT Krista Hewlett, Meighan Kelly, Dale Corbett 8  TUMOUR PATHOLOGY PREDICTS MICROSATELLITE INSTABILITY IN COLORECTAL CANCER AJ Hyde, D Fontaine, S Stuckless, RC Green, A Pollett,  M Simms, P Parfrey, HB Younghusband 8  PROTEINASE-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR-2 (PAR2) IS A POTENTIAL TARGET FOR THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF INSULIN Eric Hyun, Rithwick Ramachandran, Nicolas Cenac,  Steeve Houle, Amit Saxena, Roland S. Liblau, Morley Hollenberg,  Nathalie Vergnolle 9  CHEMOSENSITIVE PROPERTIES OF THE VENTRAL MEDULLA IN VITRO Kalf Daniel J, Wilson Richard JA 9  NOVEL DOPAMINE RECEPTOR-N TYPE CALCIUM CHANNEL INTERACTIONS: POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH ABERRANT DOPAMINERGIC SIGNALLING  Alexandra E. Kisilevsky, Sean J. Mulligan,  Christophe Altier, Mircea C. Iftinca, Diego Varela, Chao Tai,  Lina Chen, Shahid Hameed, Jawed Hamid, Brian A. MacVicar,  Gerald W. Zamponi 10  TRUNCATION OF THE C-TERMINAL DOMAIN OF CONNEXIN43 INCREASES INFARCT VOLUME DURING STROKE Kozoriz MG, Bechberger JF, Bechberger GR, Suen MWH,  Moreno AP, Maass K, Willecke K, Naus CC 10  EVALUATION OF THE DELIVERABILITY AND TOLERABILITY OF INTENSIVE WEEKLY DOUBLET ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN NON SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER  M. Sara Kuruvilla, Lorraine Martelli-Reid, J. R. Goffin,  A. Arnold, Peter M. Ellis 11  A POLICY-ORIENTED SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF ENDOSCOPIC THERAPIES FOR THE TREATMENT OF BARRETT’S ESOPHAGUS Lau D, Menon D, Stafinski T, Topfer LA, Walker J 11  THE SRC-LIKE ADAPTOR PROTEIN, SLAP, PLAYS A ROLE IN MONOCYTE-DERIVED DENDRITIC CELL MATURATION Larissa Liontos, L Dragone, A Weiss, C J McGlade 12  SWEET PEE: A NEW MOUSE MODEL FOR GLOMERULOCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND GLUCOSURIA J Ly, J Rossant, L Oxborne, C McKerlie, A Flenniken,  S Quaggin 12  CARDIOGENIC SHOCK IN ASPHYXIATED NEONATE PIGLETS: IS COMBINATION INOTROPE THERAPY BETTER THAN HIGH-DOSE DOPAMINE? N. Manouchehri, P.-Y. Cheung, C. Joynt, T. Churchill,  D. Bigam 13  THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FLOW-MEDIATED DILATION, HYPEREMIC SHEAR STRESS, AND VARIOUS ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES OF OBESITY Martin BJ, Title LM, Verma S, Charbonneau F, Buithieu J,  Lonn EM, Anderson TJ 13  RAPID LOCALIZATION OF NEUTROPHILS TO SITES OF CELL DEATH BY MAC1-DEPENDENT ADHESION AND INTRAVASCULAR CRAWLING McDonald B, Menezes GB, Kubes P 14  THE ROLE OF SHIP-1 IN CEACAM1-MEDIATED HOST RESPONSES TO NEISSERIA GONORRHOEAE INFECTION Gordon G McSheffrey, S D Gray-Owen 14  USING VOLTAGE-SENSITIVE DYES TO RECORD BRAIN ACTIVITY IN NATURALLY MOVING MICE McVea DA, Mohajerani MH, Fingas M, Murphy TH 15  POTENTIAL MECHANICAL INFLUENCE IN MICROVASCULAR PATHOLOGY IN THE ACL DEFICIENT RABBIT KNEE Daniel Miller 15  OSTEOBLAST MECHANOSENSITIVITY: THE ROLE OF HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE Kenneth A. Myers, Timothy Douglas, Ricarda Hess,  Justin Parreno, Jerome B. Rattner, Dieter Scharnweber,  Nigel G. Shrive, David A. Hart 16  ENDOTHELIAL PROGENITOR CELLS FOR HEALING AND ANGIOGENESIS IN A SEGMENTAL BONE DEFECT MODEL: A COMPARISON WITH MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS Nauth A, Li R, Schemitsch EH 16  DELAY OF DNA METHYLATION IN PERINATAL MALE GERM CELLS IN THE ABSENCE OF DNMT3L RESULTING IN INFERTILITY Kirsten Niles, Sophie La Salle, Christopher Oakes,  Jacquetta Trasler 17  INVESTIGATING CRMP4 FUNCTION IN CNS NERVE REGENERATION  S. Ong Tone, S. Kanagal, A. Wilson, Y.Z. Alabed, A. Di Polo,  A.E. Fournier 17  A NOVEL, DNA DAMAGE-DEPENDENT REGULATORY PATHWAY FOR AKT IN VIVO Andrew J. Perrin, W. Brent Derry 18  CHOP AS A TARGET FOR PRESERVATION OF TRANSPLANTED ISLET GRAFT MASS Potter K, Dai L, Verchere CB 18  TREATMENT OF ACHILLES TENDINOPATHY R Ram, C Patel, D Wiseman, W Meeuwisse, JP Wiley 19  PLACENTAL LACTOGEN FUNCTION IN POST-IMPLANTATION MURINE PREGNANCY Saara M. Rawn, James C. Cross 19  DECODING NEURAL SIGNALS FROM MULTIELECTRODE ARRAYS IN THE PRIMATE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX Sachs A.J, Pieper F, Martinez-Trujillo J.C. 20  THE ROLE OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR ALPHA IN A MOUSE MODEL OF OSTEOARTHRITIS Usmani S.E, Appleton C.T.G., Welch I.D, Beier F. 20  SKIN-DERIVED STEM CELLS ACT AS FUNCTIONAL SCHWANN CELLS WHEN TRANSPLANTED INTO LESIONED PERIPHERAL NERVE Sarah K. Walsh, Rajiv Midha 21  TLR4 MEDIATES SUSCEPTIBILITY TO STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETES C Westwell-Roper, G Soukhatcheva, MJH Hutton, JP Dutz,  CB Verchere 21  A FUSION OF GMCSF AND IL-21 (GIFT-21) POTENTLY INDUCES INFLAMMATION AND APOPTOSIS THROUGH SIGNALS DOWNSTREAM OF THE IL-21R ALPHA CHAIN Patrick Williams, Shala Yuan, Jessica Cuerquis,  Elena Birman, Kathy Ann Forner, Jacques Galipeau 22
The arterial vasodilator properties of the calcium antagonist diltiazem were investigated by measurement of changes of forearm blood flow during brachial artery infusions of eight dosages of diltiazem in eight hypertensive patients. Forearm blood flow increased and calculated forearm vascular resistance decreased dose-depen-dently (maximum decrease of 83.5 ± 8.6%). When comparing the effects of calcium influx inhibition by diltiazem with stimulation of the vascular cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) system by sodium nitroprusside, the vasodilation by diltiazem was approximately 1.6 times greater, attesting to its potent arterial vasodilator activity. The clinical efficacy and feasibility of diltiazem monotherapy was evaluated in 40 patients with mild to moderate essential hypertension treated with a slow-release formulation of diltiazem, 90 mg twice daily over 8 weeks, and in a subgroup of 21 patients with two tablets of 90 mg once daily in the morning over a period of 2 weeks. Blood pressure was lowered significantly and to a similar extent by either twice- or once-daily administration of diltiazem. This effect was maintained during open long-term therapy over a mean of 11 months. Heart rate and body weight did not change. Thus, the vasodilator properties of diltiazem can be utilized for effective long-term treatment of hypertension. The possibility of once-daily dosing may prove useful with respect to drug compliance in the long-term treatment of a generally asymptomatic disease such as hypertension.
Penicillium marneffei is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected and other immunosuppressed. The diagnosis of penicilliosis should be considered in patients who live in or are from Southeast Asia who present with fever, weight loss, nonproductive cough, skin lesions, hepatosplenomegaly, and/or generalized lymphadenopathy. Cutaneous penicilliosis lesions commonly appear on the face, ears, extremities, and occasionally the genitalia and are most commonly papules with central necrotic umbilication. We reported a 25-year-old male patient in Adam Malik General Hospital on April 26th 2017 with of recurrent episodes of coughing and fever for 1 month. The patient had multiple papules in his skin which began to appear 3 months ago, which were soft, flocculating and tender, and yellow-whitish fluid oozed out when the papules became ulcerated. No specific allergic history or recent medication were reported. He had been diagnosed with HIV and Tuberculosis, and had received anti-retroviral and anti-tuberculosis therapy. Physical examination: multiple generalised subcutaneous nodules were seen on the face, ear, chest, abdomen and the extremities with purulent secretions. Laboratory examination: CD4+ T lymphocytes 64 cells/uL. Biopsy of the skin lesions confirmed penicilliosis, with the culture showing Penicillium marneffei. The patient completely recovered after being prescribed Itraconazole.
The population problem is one of the important indices for a regional sustainable development, the scale of population has a profound impact which is reasonable for social development of a region There are many population prediction methods, combining the grey model and markov process to predict can largely reduce the prediction error. According to Beijing at the end of the calendar year population data, caculating more accurately population of 2015, verify the validity of the method, drawing the conclusion that Beijing's population would continue to grow in the future.
Purpose Mesoporous silica (MSNs) have attracted considerable attention for its application in the field of drug delivery and biomedicine due to its high surface area, large pore volume, and low toxicity. Recently, numerous studies revealed that gut microbiota is of critical relevance to host health. However, the toxicological studies of MSNs were mainly based on the degradation, biodistribution, and excretion in mammalian after oral administration for now. Here in this study, we explored the impacts of oral administration of three kinds of MSNs on gut microbiota in rats to assess its potential toxicity. Methods Forty rats were divided into four groups: control group; Mobil Composition of Matter No. 41 type mesoporous silica (MCM-41) group; Santa Barbara Amorphous-15 type mesoporous silica (SBA-15) group, and biodegradable dendritic center-radial mesoporous silica nanoparticle (DMSN) group. Fecal samples were collected 3 days and 7 days after the intake of MSNs and analyzed with high throughput sequencing. Gastric tissues in rats were obtained after dissection for the histological study. Results Three different MSNs (MCM-41, SBA-15, and DMSN) were successfully prepared in this study. The pore size of three MSNs was calculated similarly as (3.54 ± 0.15) nm, (3.48 ± 0.21) nm, and (3.45 ± 0.17) nm according to the BET & BJH model, respectively, while the particle size of MCM-41, SBA-15 and DMSN was around 209.2 nm, 1349.56 nm, and 244.4 nm, respectively. In the gene analysis of 16S rRNA, no significant changes in the diversity and richness were found between groups, while Verrucomicrobia decreased and Candidatus Saccharibacteria increased in MCM-41 treated groups. Meanwhile, no inflammatory and erosion symptoms were observed in the morphological analysis of the colons, except the MCM-41 treated group. Conclusion Three different MSNs, MCM-41, SBA-15, and DMSN were successfully prepared, and this study firstly suggested the impact of MSNs on the gut microbiota, and further revealing the potential pro-inflammatory effects of oral administration of MCM-41 was possibly through the changing of gut microbiota.
In the leading-log approximation, the small-x behavior of parton distributions in QCD is derived from the BFKL evolution equation. The authors describe the ion as a reggeon Bethe-Salpeter equation and discuss the use of reggeon diagrams to obtain 2-2 and 2-4 reggeon interactions at O(g{sup 4}). They then outline the dispersion theory basis of multiparticle j-plane analysis and describe how a gauge theory can be studied by combining Ward identity constraints with the group structure of reggeon interactions. Gluon reggeization, the O(g{sup 2}) BFKL kernel and O(g{sup 4}) corrections to it, are derived within this formalism. They give an explicit expression for the O(g{sup 4}) forward ``parton`` kernel in terms of logarithms and evaluate the eigenvalues. A separately infra-red finite component with a holomorphically factorizable spectrum is shown to be present and conjectured to be a new leading-order partial-wave amplitude. A comparison is made with Kirschner`s discussion of O(g{sup 4}) contributions from the multi-Regge effective action.
Abstract The three‐dimensional (3D) printing properties of pure shrimp surimi are poor and require improvement via the addition of other materials. The effects of the different amounts of potato starch, corn starch, tapioca starch, and cross‐linked starch (CLS) (0%, 3%, 6%, or 9%, respectively) on the 3D printing properties and material properties of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) surimi were evaluated in the present study. The results showed that the apparent viscosity, G′, and G'' of the samples were increased by adding 6% CLS, making it easy to extrude the sample from the nozzle and resulting in an improvement in the printing accuracy. In addition, after adding 6% CLS, the hardness, adhesiveness, and springiness of the sample were increased, which assist with maintaining the shape of the printed material and improve the printing stability of the sample. Moreover, the water holding capacity of shrimp surimi increased as a result of the addition of 6% CLS. In summary, 6% CLS can improve the material properties of shrimp surimi and make it more suitable for 3D printing.
Based on the optimization methods, the algorithm for solving numerically the inverse problem for nonlinear diffusion equation is developed. Various ways to calculate the gradient of the quadratic functional are presented. Based on these results, the temporal evolution of the radial water distribution in a cylinder upon sorptive water uptake is calculated. The calculations are compared with the experimental results of the NMR microimaging studies of water vapor sorption by cylindrical aluminum oxide pellets which contain hygroscopic salts. Such comparison is used to evaluate the effective diffusivity of water sorbed within the pellet. This diffusivity is shown to have a pronounced dependence on the amount of sorbed water.
Depleted uranium (DU) is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process and shares chemical properties with natural and enriched uranium. To investigate the toxic effects of environmental DU exposure on the immune system, we examined the influences of DU (in the form of uranyl nitrate) on viability and immune function as well as cytokine gene expression in murine peritoneal macrophages and splenic CD4+ T cells. Macrophages and CD4+ T cells were exposed to various concentrations of DU, and cell death via apoptosis and necrosis was analyzed using annexin-V/propidium iodide assay. DU cytotoxicity in both cell types was concentration dependent, with macrophage apoptosis and necrosis occurring within 24 hr at 100 μM DU exposure, whereas CD4+ T cells underwent cell death at 500 μM DU exposure. Noncytotoxic concentrations for macrophages and CD4+ T cells were determined as 50 and 100 μM, respectively. Lymphoproliferation analysis indicated that macrophage accessory cell function was altered with 200 μM DU after exposure times as short as 2 hr. Microarray and real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analyses revealed that DU alters gene expression patterns in both cell types. The most differentially expressed genes were related to signal transduction, such as c-jun, NF-κ Bp65, neurotrophic factors (e.g., Mdk), chemokine and chemokine receptors (e.g., TECK/CCL25), and interleukins such as IL-10 and IL-5, indicating a possible involvement of DU in cancer development, autoimmune diseases, and T helper 2 polarization of T cells. The results are a first step in identifying molecular targets for the toxicity of DU and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms for the immune modulation ability of DU.
PURPOSE The purpose of this experimental study was to analyze radiographically in a dog model how different implant-abutment interface configurations influence alveolar crestal bone changes.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Six different experimental implant-abutment connections were evaluated in six mixed-breed dogs. The following parameters were tested: absence of microgap, microgap proximal to bone crest, and microgap distant from bone crest. In addition, two different cervical abutment profiles, one straight and one featuring a supracrestal concavity, were evaluated. Implants were based on a cylindrical full-body screw design and made from cold-worked grade IV commercially pure titanium. The diameter (at thread tips) measured 4.1 mm, whereas the inner diameter was 3.5 mm. Standardized periapical digital radiographs were obtained for comparative analysis at baseline and at 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 months after implant placement. Radiographs were randomized and calibrated for linear measurements. For statistical analysis, mixed-model repeated-measures analysis of variance was used.   RESULTS All implants integrated successfully and remained stable during the entire period of the study. Radiographically, when comparing groups with straight profiles, crestal bone remodeling in group C (one-piece design) was significantly less than in group A (matching diameters) and B (nonmatching diameters). In fact, implant group C showed the least crestal bone remodeling of all groups. When comparing groups with a concave profile but different microgap configurations, all three designs demonstrated bone loss with no significant differences among the three groups.   CONCLUSION A nonsubmerged one-piece implant design demonstrated the least amount of bone remodeling of all groups. Implant-abutment connections with a concave profile established crestal bone levels immediately apical to the concavity regardless of the microgap variable.
The construction of "double first-class" universities is the strategic goal of the development of Chinese universities in the new period. On the basis of fully researching the domestic "double first-class" talent training model, this paper builds a new type of talent training model with Chinese characteristics suitable for the "double first-class" development requirements through reference, digestion, comparison and integration, hoping to further improve universities Quality of teaching.
This study was aimed at measuring shear moduli in vivo in mechanically ventilated rats and comparing them to global lung mechanics. Wistar rats (n = 28) were anesthetized, tracheally intubated, and mechanically ventilated in supine position. The animals were randomly assigned to the healthy control or the lung injury group where lung injury was induced by bronchoalveolar lavage. The respiratory system elastance E(rs) was analyzed based on the single compartment resistance/elastance lung model using multiple linear regression analysis. The shear modulus (G) of alveolar parenchyma was studied using a newly developed endoscopic system with adjustable pressure at the tip that was designed to induce local mechanostimulation. The data analysis was then carried out with an inverse finite element method. G was determined at continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) levels of 15, 17, 20, and 30 mbar. The resulting shear moduli of lungs in healthy animals increased from 3.3 ± 1.4 kPa at 15 mbar CPAP to 5.8 ± 2.4 kPa at 30 mbar CPAP (P = 0.012), whereas G was ~2.5 kPa at all CPAP levels for the lung-injured animals. Regression analysis showed a negative correlation between G and relative E(rs) in the control group (r = -0.73, P = 0.008 at CPAP = 20 mbar) and no significant correlation in the lung injury group. These results suggest that the locally measured G were inversely associated with the elastance of the respiratory system. Rejecting the study hypothesis the researchers concluded that low global respiratory system elastance is related to high local resistance against tissue deformation.
In this paper a Media Aware Radio Link Adaptation (MARLA) scheme for H.264/AVC video transmission is proposed to improve the video delivery quality over HSDPA networks. First of all, by taking both the packet importance and urgency into consideration, we design a transmission utility function to measure the packet priority. Secondly, an optimization model for radio link adaptation is built to maximize the video transmission utility for each mobile station. Finally, through analysis on the characteristics of the radio link adaptation mechanism in HSDPA, we obtain a low complexity optimal solution to the optimization model. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme can achieve higher video quality than the existing algorithms.
Fishes that feed from live corals (corallivores) are a conspicuous component of healthy coral reef environments. However, knowledge of the occurrence and ecological signiﬁcance of this feeding mode is fragmentary. Historically, very few ﬁsh were considered capable of feeding from live coral, and those few that did were  considered ecologically insigniﬁcant. More recently, the role of corallivores has been re-evaluated; published records document 128 corallivorous ﬁsh species from 11  different families, with 69 of these belonging to the family Chaetodontidae. Other families, including the Labridae, Tetraodontidae, Balistidae, Monacanthidae, Poma-centridae and Scaridae, all have between seven and ten coral-feeding species. One-third of coral-feeding ﬁshes feed almost exclusively on corals, with more than 80% of their diet based on coral. Corallivorous ﬁsh show distinct prey preferences and consume only a small subset of available corals, usually the genera Acropora, Pocillopora and Porites. This selective predation by corallivores can limit abundance and distribution of preferred corals. Chronic predation by corallivores may also exacerbate effects of coral disturbance (e.g. climate-induced coral bleaching), impeding reef recovery and causing further coral loss. Conversely, the cover of preferred corals can be a primary determinant of corallivore abundance and physiological condition. Owing to this close association, obligate corallivores invariably decline in response to loss of coral cover. Increased knowledge of the number of corallivores and their diets suggest that this feeding mode is more important to coral reef food webs than traditionally thought.
Groups of Dormitator latifrons in triplicate (4.1 ± 2.0 g and 6.2 ± 1.0 cm) were fed experimental diets containing four levels of substitution of fishmeal (FM) by soybean meal (SM) (0, 40, 70, and 100%, respectively). The diets were formulated to be isoproteic (35% crude protein) and isolipidic (8.0% crude lipids). The effect of each treatment on growth was evaluated and its implications on the cost of feeding. After 60 days of feeding, there were no significant differences in the fish's proximate composition ( P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the diets ( P < 0.05) in the evaluated biological indices: total growth increase (TGI), specific growth rate (SGR), thermal growth coefficient (TGC), and survival (%). Feeding costs decreased significantly as the proportion of soybean meal in the diet increased. The results indicated that substituting FM by up to 100% of SM can promote adequate growth in D. latifrons without affecting body composition and survival while also reducing operative costs during the fattening process.
This paper discusses factors in determining the weights of performance measures in divisional managers' contract design through questionnaire survey method. The results shows that the higher the degree between divisional strategy synergy, the higher the weight of non-financial performance measures in divisional managers' incentive contracts, and the more private information the divisional manager has about the divisions and the bigger the divisional managers' action on divisional short-term financial performance, the lower the weight of non-financial performance measures in divisional managers' incentive contracts. This paper not only provides the corresponding empirical evidence on the existing theoretical research about performance measures, but also provides certain enlightenment for division manager's contract design.
Notwithstanding the fact that the Anglo-Irish writer Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu was one of the most popular writers of the British Victorian era, his name and most of his works are not well-known to a common reader. The present research investigates how the author inventively modifies traditional Gothic elements and penetrates them into human’s consciousness. Such Le Fanu’s metamorphoses and innovations make the artistic world of his prose more realistic and psychological. As a result, the article presents a comparative literary study of Le Fanu’s text manipulations which seem to lead to the creation of Le Fanu’s own kind of “psychological” Gothic.
In this study, spherical and cubic Ag3PO4 microcrystals were prepared by a facile liquid chemical method and characterized by the XRD, SEM and UV-visible spectrometry. It was found that the as-prepared Ag3PO4 cubes showed the higher photocatalytic activity and stability than the sphere under visible-light irradiation in degrading Rhodamine B (RhB). The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the Ag3PO4 polyhedron might be attributed to a higher active surface energy of the former one.
One of the most important American political institutons is the executive veto. The Founding Fathers sought to create an institution that would both protect the executive branch from encroachments of the legislature as well as provide an additional safeguard against "unwise" measures that might be passed. These concerns were weighed against concerns about executive usurpation of legislative power. The extent to which the veto serves to preserve this delicate balance is a question that remains largely unanswered. Few will dispute that the president plays a role in the legislative process. The question remains one of extent. Is the legislative role of the presidentwithin the confines of the formal powers enumerated in the constitution, or have additional informal powers emerged? In this analysis, we try to measure the influence of the president in the legislative process. We develop an empirical model based on several current theories of executive-legislative bargaining. The model we estimate is a generalized version of the legislative agenda control model. While we find strong evidence for the basic structure of the legislative agenda control model, we reject several of its predictions. We argue that many of these rejections may be due to presidential influence on the agenda and/or to incomplete information.
AbstractIn this article, influence of diatomite as a natural adsorbent in immobilization of radioactive borate liquid waste in the cement-diatomite matrix was investigated. Cylindrical concrete mixtures were prepared with different amounts of diatomite additives at three different w/c values. Mechanical strength tests were carried out to determine the uniaxial compressive strength of the samples. A new dynamic column type leaching tests were applied to the solidified waste forms, and leach rates of 137Cs and 60Co were determined according to different diatomite additives. The experimental results indicated that the increasing of the diatomite additive amounts resulted high isolation performance of the solidified waste form. However, the results revealed that mechanical strength decreases with increasing borate diatomite amount. Results show that 9% amount of natural diatomite is effective as an admixture of the cementation process for achieving long-term stability of solidified borate waste. Optimum stren...
In human-machine interaction, the captured faces are usually low-resolution (LR), which will degrade the performance of the following face detection and face recognition. Face hallucination is the technology of obtaining a high-resolution (HR) face from its observed LR one. In order to recover more facial details, we propose a novel method called kernel locality-constraint adaptive iterative neighbor embedding (KLAINE) with updated low resolution (LR) manifold for face hallucination. Different from the previous methods, our method not only preserves the inherent local geometry of original image by adaptively searching nearest neighbors in high-resolution (HR) manifolds, but also maps the original image into high-dimensional space to capture the underlying nonlinear similarity among samples by kernel trick. Moreover, considering LR manifold images blurring and noisy, we render to update the whole LR manifold images to get higher resolution LR training images. The final optimal reconstruction weights are generated based on the new LR training set. Experimental results on public face database have shown the superiority of our proposed method over some state-of-art face hallucination schemes.
Neuropsychological studies in children who are exposed to lead during their early brain development have shown to develop behavioural and cognitive deficit. The aim of the present study was to assess the cellular damage in hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum of rat pups exposed to lead during different periods of early brain development. Five groups of rat pups were investigated. (a) Control group (n = 8) (mothers of these rats were given normal drinking water throughout gestation and lactation), (b) pregestation lead-exposed group (n = 8) (mothers of these rats were exposed to 0.2% lead acetate in the drinking water for one month before conception), (c) gestation lead-exposed group (n = 8) (exposed to 0.2% lead acetate in the drinking water through the mother throughout gestation [gestation day 01 to day 21]), (d) lactation lead-exposed group (n = 8) (exposed to 0.2% lead acetate in the drinking water through the mother throughout lactation [postnatal day 01 to day 21]) and (e) gestation and lactation lead-exposed group (n = 8) (exposed to 0.2% lead acetate throughout gestation and lactation). On postnatal day 30, rat pups of all the groups were killed. Numbers of surviving neurons in the hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum regions were counted using cresyl violet staining technique. Histological data indicate that lead exposure caused significant damage to neurons of hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum regions in all lead-exposed groups except lactation lead-exposed group. The extent of damage to neurons of hippocampus, amygdala and cerebellum regions in lactation lead-exposed group was comparable to gestation and lactation groups even though the duration of lead exposure was much less in lactation lead-exposed group. To conclude, the postnatal period of brain development seems to be more vulnerable to lead neurotoxicity compared to prenatal period of brain development.
Several research groups have observed magnetism in monolayer-protected gold cluster samples, but the results were often contradictory, and thus, a clear understanding of this phenomenon is still missing. We used Au25(SCH2CH2Ph)180, which is a paramagnetic cluster that can be prepared with atomic precision and whose structure is known precisely. Previous magnetometry studies only detected paramagnetism. We used samples representing a range of crystallographic orders and studied their magnetic behaviors using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). As a film, Au25(SCH2CH2Ph)180 exhibits a paramagnetic behavior, but at low temperature, ferromagnetic interactions are detectable. One or few single crystals undergo physical reorientation with the applied field and exhibit ferromagnetism, as detected through hysteresis experiments. A large collection of microcrystals is magnetic even at room temperature and shows distinct paramagnetic, superparamagnetic, and ferromagnetic behaviors. Simulation of the EPR spectra shows that both spin−orbit (SO) coupling and crystal distortion are important to determine the observed magnetic behaviors. Density functional theory calculations carried out on single cluster and periodic models predict the values of SO coupling and crystal-splitting effects in agreement with the EPR-derived quantities. Magnetism in gold nanoclusters is thus demonstrated to be the outcome of a very delicate balance of factors. To obtain reproducible results, the samples must be (i) controlled for composition and thus be monodisperse with atomic precision, (ii) of known charge state, and (iii) well-defined in terms of crystallinity and experimental conditions.
When collapse occurs due to explosion near a tunnel, fragmentation zone should be comprehended quickly to recover the function of the tunnel itself. In this study, a method to interpret explosion behavior and predict the fragmentation zone fast. For this purpose, the various 3D-meshes were generated using SolidWorks and explosion analyses were carried out using AUTODYN. The influence of explosion variables such as source location on fragmentation volume were examined by performing sensitivity analyses. Also, a training database for an artificial neural network analysis had been established and the optimal training model was selected, and the predicted results for fragmentation volume and radius were verified. The suggested method had demonstrated that it could be effective for the fast prediction of fragmentation zone.
The ubiquitous nature of neuropeptides and their respective receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems suggests that peptides play a key role in controlling physiological processes. Investigations on a cellular level have demonstrated that neuropeptides exert powerful modulatory effects on neurons and neuronal circuits; however, despite these compelling considerations, investigators have rarely been able to assign discrete functional roles to individual neuropeptides. Numerous studies have addressed the influence of neuropeptides on learning and memory processes. Workers have primarily utilized peripheral or central injection of neuropeptides to suggest a facilitatory, or less commonly inhibitory, role in acquisition, retention, or retrieval of memories. Although highly suggestive, critical concerns regarding the specificity of the observed effects have often remained. Recently, the neurogenetic approach has demonstrated the role of a novel neuropeptide in a specific memory phase, high affinity antagonists have confirmed the importance of some endogenous neuropeptides, and evidence of neuropeptide dysfunction in disease states, particularly Alzheimer's disease, has emerged. Continued refinement of traditional techniques, combined with information from alternative approaches, promises to consolidate the role of neuropeptides in learning and memory.
We are more than two decades removed from the heady days of the mid-1980s when hope that the unprecedented activity seen in advanced testes cancer by the cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin regimen would be mirrored in advanced urothelial cancer by the novel cisplatin-based regimens, including both the methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin regimen and the cisplatin, methotrexate, and vinblastine regimen. The initial reports of these regimens in patients with advanced urothelial cancers provided evidence of impressive objective response rates, and many clinicians noted that therapy seemed to alter the natural history of the disease; occasional patients were now living long enough to develop brain metastases, a striking finding in a disease that typically led to rapid patient demise. Ultimately, phase III trials defined the utility of these combination regimens, which can be summarized as demonstrating relatively high objective response rates with little impact on overall survival, although a small subset of patients could be cured. The next 20 years saw evaluation of one novel cytotoxic regimen after another, ultimately highlighting a clinical picture that increasingly resembled the smallcell lung cancer paradigm. Because level I evidence demonstrated the utility of cisplatin-based chemotherapy in the metastatic setting, the subsequent evaluation of newer generations of cytotoxics was conducted in the salvage setting. Unfortunately, we can characterize the results of 20 years worth of phase II studies of cytotoxics (single agents or combinations) in the salvage setting as demonstrating objective response rates with overlapping CIs with no evidence that combination chemotherapy is better than single agents or that any therapy improves survival or quality of life. In this issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology, Bellmunt et al present the first randomized study of chemotherapy administered in the second-line setting for patients with metastatic urothelial cancer with progressive disease after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy (patients receiving prior perioperative therapy were excluded). Threehundred seventy patients were randomly assigned 2:1 to receive either vinflunine plus best supportive care (BSC) or BSC alone. Interestingly, random assignment was stratified by study site and refractoriness to previous platinum treatment but not by performance status, a factor of significant importance in the untreated metastatic setting. The authors report a statistically nonsignificant (P .287) median 2-month survival advantage favoring the vinflunine BSC arm versus the BSC alone arm (6.9 v 4.6 months, respectively), with a 12% reduction in the risk of death (hazard ratio 0.88; 95% CI, 0.69 to 1.12). Secondary end points, which included objective response rate, disease control rate, and progression-free survival, were significantly improved in the vinflunine BSC arm. Therapy was relatively well tolerated, and although grade 3 to 4 neutropenia was seen in approximately half of the vinflunine-treated patients, febrile neutropenia was seen in only 6%. Quality-of-life assessments were assessed using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30, and treatment with vinflunine did not lead to a decrease in health-related quality of life when compared with BSC alone. The authors, other investigators, and, most of all, the patients who participated need to be congratulated and commended for completing the first and relatively large (by urothelial cancer standards) randomized trial in the second-line setting. Completion of phase III trials in urothelial cancer (especially in the United States) have become increasingly difficult, and for a variety of reasons, this multicenter study was conducted primarily in Europe. A similar trial design in the United States would have had great difficulty in accrual given the routine use of chemotherapy in this setting. Although this was a randomized trial comparing chemotherapy to BSC, it is interesting to note that 34% of the patients in the BSC alone arm ultimately received chemotherapy, with 29% of patients in the chemotherapy arm receiving third-line therapy. Several overarching questions arise from the results of this phase III trial. Do the results of this phase III trial establish the role of second-line therapy? If so, is the use of vinflunine now a standard of care in this setting? Finally, if second-line therapy is now a standard of care, is the next natural step additional phase III trials comparing other agents/combinations to vinflunine? I believe the answer to all three questions is no. In the intent-to-treat analysis, the 2-month improvement in median survival time did not reach the prespecified criteria for significance. The authors conducted a subsequent analysis including only eligible patients that did meet statistical significance for survival; the authors argue that this group represents an appropriate comparison group because the reasons for exclusion were not overtly related to treatment. This may, in fact, be reasonable; however, this assumes that eligibility was reviewed and acted on with equal rigor in both treatment arms and without knowledge of the patient outcomes. In addition, the investigators conducted a multivariable analysis that (although lacking in some detail) was based on the intent-to-treat population and demonstrated a superiority for the vinflunine arm. From the perspective of the practicing clinician, it is reasonable to ask whether the results of this clinical trial will alter our current management paradigm. Despite the lack of demonstrable progress in JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY E D I T O R I A L VOLUME 27 NUMBER 27 SEPTEMBER 2
Acute communitarian bacterial meningitis and AIDS are prevalent infectious disease in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of acute communitarian bacterial meningitis in AIDS patients, the clinical and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) characteristics. It was reviewed the Health Department data from city of Curitiba, Southern Brazil, from 1996 to 2002. During this period, 32 patients with AIDS fulfilled criteria for acute bacterial meningitis, representing 0.84% of the AIDS cases and 1.85% of the cases of bacterial meningitis. S. pneumoniae was the most frequent bacteria isolated. The number of white blood cells and the percentage of neutrophils were higher and CSF glucose was lower in the group with no HIV co-infection (p 0.12; 0.008; 0.04 respectively). Bacteria not so common causing meningitis can occur among HIV infected patients. The high mortality rate among pneumococcus meningitis patients makes pneumococcus vaccination important.
Light nuclides produced in collisions of 1 A GeV 238U with hydrogen have been observed with a high‐resolution forward magnetic spectrometer, the fragment separator (FRS), at GSI. Fragments were identified in A and Z and their production cross‐sections measured. For each nuclide the velocity was precisely determined from the measured magnetic rigidity. This insight into the kinematics of the relativistic nuclear collisions allowed disentangling different reaction mechanisms. Thanks to the combined results on A, Z, and velocity of the fragments it was found out that all the observed isotopes, from Z=37 down the last element measured (Z=7), were formed in a binary decay process, interpreted as fission. A qualitative analysis of the cross sections revealed that the charge distribution of these light fragments, which forms a plateau around Z=15 and increases below Z=13, is in agreement with the theoretical expectations of the statistical model.
Fracturing quartz produces silica-based radicals on the fracture planes and generates hydroxyl radicals (.OH) in aqueous media. .OH production has been shown to be directly associated with quartz-induced cell damage and phagocyte activation in vitro. This .OH production in vitro is inhibited by desferrioxamine mesylate, an Fe chelator, indicating involvement of a Fenton-like reaction. Our objective was to determine if Fe contamination increased the ability of inhaled quartz to cause inflammation and lung injury. Male Fischer 344 rats were exposed 5 hr/day for 10 days to filtered air, 20 mg/m3 freshly milled quartz (57 ppm Fe), or 20 mg/m3 freshly milled quartz contaminated with Fe (430 ppm Fe). High Fe contamination of quartz produced approximately 57% more reactive species in water than quartz with low Fe contamination. Compared to inhalation of quartz with low Fe contamination, high Fe contamination of quartz resulted in increases in the following responses: leukocyte recruitment (537%), lavageable red blood cells (157%), macrophage production of oxygen radicals measured by electron spin resonance or chemiluminescence (32 or 90%, respectively), nitric oxide production by macrophages (71%), and lipid peroxidation of lung tissue (38%). These results suggest that inhalation of freshly fractured quartz contaminated with trace levels of Fe may be more pathogenic than inhalation of quartz alone.
In his reaction to the article (indexed at TD/TNC 65.176) on the influence of individual characteristics and the work environment on varying levels of training outcomes, the author proposes three key elements for evaluating studies with structural equation modeling (SEM) as the primary statistical technique. These elements are strong theory, well-specified measures, and sound modeling strategy. The author identifies how the article incorporates these elements and comments on how to use SEM as an approach to building human resource development (HRD) theory.
The combined effects on the heart of smoking and hypoxaemia may contribute to an increased cardiovascular burden in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The use of beta-blockers in COPD has been proposed because of their known cardioprotective effects as well as reducing heart rate and improving systolic function. Despite the proven cardiac benefits of beta-blockers post-myocardial infarction and in heart failure they remain underused due to concerns regarding potential bronchoconstriction, even with cardioselective drugs. Initiating treatment with beta-blockers requires dose titration and monitoring over a period of weeks, and beta-blockers may be less well tolerated in older patients with COPD who have other comorbidities. Medium-term prospective placebo-controlled safety studies in COPD are warranted to reassure prescribers regarding the pulmonary and cardiac tolerability of beta-blockers as well as evaluating their potential interaction with concomitant inhaled long-acting bronchodilator therapy. Several retrospective observational studies have shown impressive reductions in mortality and exacerbations conferred by beta-blockers in COPD. However, this requires confirmation from long-term prospective placebo-controlled randomised controlled trials. The real challenge is to establish whether beta-blockers confer benefits on mortality and exacerbations in all patients with COPD, including those with silent cardiovascular disease where the situation is less clear. Beta-blockers are used for heart failure and myocardial infarction but remain underused in COPD despite guidelines http://ow.ly/gbvY301wCUA
Using common historiographie sources—early ethnographic reports—we compare traditional perceptions of wilderness among East Africa's pastoral Nilotes and highland Bantu. Specifically, the hypothesis that Nilotic and Bantu views are substantially the same is investigated and cautiously accepted. Acceptance of the hypothesis, however, does not mean that important differences do not exist in the perception and approach to wilderness among the peoples being compared. Nilotes, dominated by pastoralism, lived closer to wilderness and wildlife, which they found necessary to integrate into their culture, whereas the highland Bantu, as agriculturalists, established significant barriers between themselves and wilderness. Both peoples, however, share ontological views that depict creation as lively, active, and complex. These shared views, to the extent they remain prevalent in contemporary society, are a possible basis for a unified, indigenous philosophy of wilderness independent of the West's traditions of romant...
The regioselective opening of the ring E in spirostan sapogenins provides new dihydropyran derivatives. This novel side chain is obtained after a Lewis acid mediated acetolysis followed by an alkaline workup. The reaction mechanism is analyzed via density functional theory computations, and both experimental and computational data support the formation of an oxacarbenium intermediate. The behavior of the title skeletons under acidic conditions is also investigated.
A density-functional study of capillary condensation of fluids of short-chain molecules confined to slitlike pores is presented. The molecules are modeled as freely jointed tangent spherical segments with a hard core and with short-range attractive interaction between all the segments. We investigate how the critical parameters of capillary condensation of the fluid change when the pore width decreases and eventually becomes smaller than the nominal linear dimension of the single-chain molecule. We find that the dependence of critical parameters for a fluid of dimers and of tetramers on pore width is similar to that of the monomer fluid. On the other hand, for a fluid of chains consisting of a larger number of segments we observe an inversion effect. Namely, the critical temperature of capillary condensation decreases with increasing pore width for a certain interval of values of the pore width. This anomalous behavior is also influenced by the interaction between molecules and pore walls. We attribute this behavior to the effect of conformational changes of molecules upon confinement.
Background Effective teamwork is critical for safe, high-quality care in the operating room (OR); however, teamwork interventions have not consistently resulted in the expected gains for patient safety or surgical culture. In order to optimize OR teamwork in a targeted and evidence-based manner, it is first necessary to conduct a comprehensive, theory-informed assessment of barriers and enablers from an interprofessional perspective. Methods This qualitative study was informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Volunteer, purposive and snowball sampling were conducted primarily across four sites in Ontario, Canada and continued until saturation was reached. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and de-identified. Directed content analysis was conducted in duplicate using the TDF as the initial coding framework. Codes were then refined whereby similar codes were grouped into larger categories of meaning within each TDF domain, resulting in a list of domain-specific barriers and enablers. Results A total of 66 OR healthcare professionals participated in the study (19 Registered Nurses, two Registered Practical Nurses, 17 anaesthesiologists, 26 surgeons, two perfusionists). The most frequently identified teamwork enablers included people management, shared definition of teamwork, communication strategies, positive emotions, familiarity with team members, and alignment of teamwork with professional role. The most frequently identified teamwork barriers included others’ personalities, gender, hierarchies, resource issues, lack of knowledge of best practices for teamwork, negative emotions, conflicting norms and perceptions across professions, being unfamiliar with team members, and on-call/night shifts. Conclusions We identified key factors influencing OR teamwork from an interprofessional perspective using a theoretically informed and systematic approach. Our findings reveal important targets for future interventions and may ultimately increase their effectiveness. Specifically, achieving optimal teamwork in the OR may require a multi-level intervention that addresses individual, team and systems-level factors with particular attention to complex social and professional hierarchies.
This study examines the performance of four alternative univariate seasonal time series forecasting models (seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average [SARIMA], SARIMA with Fourier transformation, ARAR, and fractionally integrated autoregressive-moving average) of tourist arrivals to 20 Croatian counties and the City of Zagreb. Both in-sample and out-of-sample forecasts reveal that the SARIMA model with Fourier transformation consistently outperforms the other models across the respective regions investigated.
State bureaucracies create community advocacy organizations in an attempt to increase constituency support and promote local citizen efforts to organize and advocate for service needs. Relationships between a state bureaucracy and community advocacy organization can be expected to follow a variety of patterns. Using a sample of four case studies in which state human service bureaucracies promoted community advocacy organizations in Georgia, this exploratory, qualitative study demonstrates that loosely bounded bureaucracies are consistent with the promotion of autonomous community advocacy organizations and tightly bounded bureaucracies are consistent with the generation of dependent and closely coordinated community advocacy organizations. The converse situations of tightly bounded bureaucracies attempting to generate autonomous community advocacy organizations or loose bureaus trying to organize dependent community advocacy organizations will produce confusion and conflict.
An IR image of HH 43 in the 1-0 S(1) emission line of molecular hydrogen has been obtained at high spatial resolution. Comparison of this image with optical CCD images obtained at comparable resolution in the emission lines of H-alpha and forbidden line S II reveals a very strong spatial correlation between the IR and optical emission. It is suggested that dissociative J-shocks, in which H2 can reform in the postshock gas, are present in HH 43. 14 references.
The purpose of this note is to offer a broad historical setting in which to review Yamey’s criticisms of Sombart and other historians regarding the significance they attributed to the introduction of double-entry bookkeeping for economic development. In a series of articles Yamey (1947, 1949, 1959, and1964, for example) challenged their views of the importance of double-entry bookkeeping to economic development. The note is organised as follows. The views of Sombart, Spengler, Nussbaum and Mattessich are quoted, and an overview of Yamey’s position is provided. The historical setting is then extended to include a broader context facilitating comparison of different approaches that may be classified as microeconomic or macroeconomic.
The features of verbalization and structuring of the concept war on the material of the artistic discourse of the war participants are revealed in the article. It is found out how the conceptualization has led to its development The concept war in the artistic discourse of participants is a multidimensional mental formation, very complex, encompassing radically opposite meanings. It death, agitation, pain, horror, depression, betrayal, meanness, co nfusion, indifference, deceit, revenge, anger, hatred, helplessness and more. At the same time the structure of the concept includes extremely positive meanings that can be verbalized in such words as life, freedom, love, honesty, dignity, nobility, help, heroism. For each war, it carries something personal, but always war is when the heart aches. The concept encompasses understanding of war as another, parallel worldб fi lled with heroism of a romantic adventure, that is, sometimes war appears not as reality but as desirable. Although the relevance of the concept determines the closeness / remoteness of the phenomenon of war. Separately, the article highlights such a component as «misunderstanding»: it is this that causes incredible pain to the military and is considered by people who are undecided about their belonging to our country to be the most feared enemy.
new standard of state authority and centralized political control. The criticism of the theoretical framework of the volume should not detract from its richness as a documented history of the Brazilian regime from 1964 to 1970. From this perspective, it is an invaluable reference work and an important contribution to our knowledge of contemporary Brazil. RlORDAN ROETT School of Advanced International Studies The Johns Hopkins University
The delegation of more and more soft regulatory powers to EU agencies occurs in an increasing number of policy areas, e.g. aviation, medicines and financial services. Although the growing scope of the delegation of public authority to agencies is said to be necessary to enhance the effectiveness of EU policies, it raises doubts concerning the legitimacy of agencies and their decisions at the same time. This article aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion on EU agencies’ regulatory powers by uncovering the problematic aspects which the application and enforcement of soft law rules of EU agencies may induce at the national level. Furthermore, it adds new elements to the wider reflection on the function and status of soft law within the EU. Ultimately, it argues that further procedural and good governance guarantees are required in order to ensure both the legitimacy and effectiveness of the soft regulatory powers of EU agencies. It does so by taking one of the European Supervisory Authorities (ESAs), namely the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), as an illustrative example of how the establishing regulations of newer EU agencies proceed in the direction of the institutionalisation and proceduralisation of soft law rule-making.
The activity of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH, EC 1.2.1.3) was measured in different fractions of human blood. Of the recovered activity 99% was detected in the intracellular fraction of the erythrocytes. The results also indicated the presence of ALDH activity in the leukocytes, since an increased activity was obtained after cultivation of the cells in the presence of a mitogen. No activity was detected in platelets, plasma, or erythrocyte membranes. Nonlinear Lineweaver-Burk plots were obtained with acetaldehyde, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde, and indole-3-acetaldehyde as the substrates. The apparent Km values, calculated from the low and high substrate concentration ranges of the curves, were much lower for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde and indole-3-acetaldehyde than for acetaldehyde. Disulfiram caused almost complete inhibition of the blood ALDH activity in assays with acetaldehyde as the substrate, whereas 15-30% of the activity remained unaffected in assays with 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde and indole-3-acetaldehyde. Kinetic experiments using the mixed substrate method and isoelectric focusing of a partially purified sample of blood did not reveal the presence of more than one isozyme.
Three studies of US, Canada, and UK respondents examined pro-vaccine attitudes as predicted by intellectual humility, belief in science, religiosity, and political attitudes. Intellectual humility refers to the capacity to understand limits of one's own beliefs and showed strong relationship to pro-vaccine attitudes across samples. Pro-vaccine attitudes were correlated with intellectual humility and negatively correlated with political conservatism and religiosity. Regression models compared overlapping influences of belief predictors on vaccine attitudes. Across countries, intellectual humility was the most consistent predictor of pro-vaccine attitudes when controlling for other beliefs and thinking styles (political conservatism, belief in science, religiosity). In comparison, political conservatism was a significant predictor of vaccine attitudes in regression models on US and Canadian respondents, and religiosity only held as a predictor in regression models in the US sample. We conclude with a discussion of intellectual humility as a predictor of vaccine attitudes and implications for research and persuasion.
Bandgap engineering of semiconductor nanomaterials is critical for their applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and photonics. Here we report, for the first time, the growth of single-crystalline quaternary alloyed Ga0.75In0.25As0.49Sb0.51 nanowires via a chemical-vapor-deposition method. The synthesized nanowires have a uniform composition distribution along the growth direction, with a zinc-blende structure. In the photoluminescence investigation, these quaternary alloyed semiconductor nanowires show a strong band edge light emission at 1950 nm (0.636 eV). Photodetectors based on these alloy nanowires show a strong light response in the near-infrared region (980 nm) with the external quantum efficiency of 2.0 × 104% and the responsivity of 158 A/W. These novel near-infrared photodetectors may find promising applications in integrated infrared photodetection, information communication, and processing.
Clustering analysis, as a practical data mining method, has wide-ranging applications in many fields. But because of different original data resources, clustering results of different data distribution patterns and applicable clustering evaluation methods are different from each other. Aiming at different data distribution patterns, only reasonable clustering evaluation methods can achieve a better recognition of different clustering results for realizing the application value of clustering technology. In this paper, the combination clustering evaluation model is constructed form three angles, through clustering experiment of different artificial simulated data distribution patterns, comparative analysis draw a conclusion that the combination clustering evaluation model constructed is reasonable, and according to applicable clustering and clustering evaluation methods based on different data distribution patterns, the optimization clustering process is constructed for improving the effectiveness and interpretability of different clustering results.
Background: The lack of thermally and mechanically performant biomaterials represents the major limit for 3D-printed surgical guides, aimed at facilitating complex surgery and ablations. Methods: Cryosurgery is a treatment for cardiac arrhythmias. It consists of obtaining cryolesions, by freezing the target tissue, resulting in selective and irreversible damage. MED625FLX and TPU95A are two biocompatible materials for surgical guides; however, there are no data on their response to cryoenergy delivery. The study purpose is to evaluate the biomaterials’ thermal properties, examining the temperature changes on the porcine muscle samples (PMS) when the biomaterials are in place during the cryoablation. Two biomaterials were selected, MED625FLX and TPU95A, with two thicknesses (1.0 and 2.5 mm). To analyze the biomaterials’ behavior, the PMS temperatures were measured during cryoablation, firstly without biomaterials (control) and after with the biomaterials in place. To verify the biomaterials’ suitability, the temperatures under the biomaterial samples should not exceed a limit of −30.0 °C. Furthermore, the biomaterials’ geometry after cryoablation was evaluated using the grid paper test. Results: TPU95A (1.0 and 2.5 mm) successfully passed all tests, making this material suitable for cryoablation treatment. MED625FLX of 1.0 mm did not retain its shape, losing its function according to the grid paper test. Further, MED625FLX of 2.5 mm is also suitable for use with a cryoenergy source. Conclusions: TPU95A (1.0 and 2.5 mm) and MED625FLX of 2.5 mm could be used in the design of surgical guides for cryoablation treatment, because of their mechanical, geometrical, and thermal properties. The positive results from the thermal tests on these materials and their thickness prompt further clinical investigation.
Soft-x-ray amplification in the C vi Balmer  ensuremath{ alpha} transition is observed in a capillary discharge. The capillary is made of polyethylene with a bore diameter of 1.2 mm. A hot and dense carbon plasma which is formed on the capillary axis region expands radially and collides with the wall where it undergoes a rapid cooling and subsequent recombination. The amplification takes place in this cool (${ mathit{T}}_{ mathit{e}}$ ensuremath{ sim}13 eV) plasma region, according to space-resolved spectral data obtained using a 2-m grazing incidence spectrograph. The gain coefficient is measured to be 2.8 ${ mathrm{cm}}^{ mathrm{ ensuremath{-}}1}$.
In Dictyostelium discoideum, AprA and CfaD are secreted proteins that inhibit cell proliferation. We found that the proliferation of cells lacking CnrN, a phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN)-like phosphatase, is not inhibited by exogenous AprA and is increased by exogenous CfaD. The expression of CnrN in cnrN¯ cells partially rescues these altered sensitivities, suggesting that CnrN is necessary for the ability of AprA and CfaD to inhibit proliferation. Cells lacking CnrN accumulate normal levels of AprA and CfaD. Like cells lacking AprA and CfaD, cnrN¯ cells proliferate faster and reach a higher maximum cell density than wild type cells, tend to be multinucleate, accumulate normal levels of mass and protein per nucleus, and form less viable spores. When cnrN¯ cells expressing myc-tagged CnrN are stimulated with a mixture of rAprA and rCfaD, levels of membrane-associated myc-CnrN increase. AprA also causes chemorepulsion of Dictyostelium cells, and CnrN is required for this process. Combined, these results suggest that CnrN functions in a signal transduction pathway downstream of AprA and CfaD mediating some, but not all, of the effects of AprA and CfaD.
The field of cancer biology has recently come of age, as witnessed by the initiation of this Annual Reviews journal this year. In this article, I argue that the major sources of cancer biology reside neither in cell biology nor in traditional cancer research, but instead in the domain once called “tumor virology.” Speaking from the perspective of someone who “rode the wave” that uncovered cancer genes and their effects on cell behavior, I have tried to trace the influences, discoveries, and changing attitudes and practices that produced the vibrant scientific landscape that we now enjoy.
A key challenge that face nanotechnologies is controlling the uncertainty introduced by stochastic self-assembly. In this paper we explore architectural and manufacturing strategies to cope with this uncertainty when assembling nanoarrays, crossbars composed of two orthogonal sets of coded parallel nanowires. Because the encodings of nanowires that are assembled into a nanoarray cannot be predicted in advance, a discovery process is needed and specialized decoding circuitry must be employed. We have developed a probabilistic method of analysis so that various design strategies can be evaluated.
This paper presents a large statistical analysis of ≈ 5800 ?> frequency spectra of the solar wind density fluctuations in the range 0.001–5 Hz (corresponding to spatial scales of 100–5 × 105 km). The analysis confirms that the spectrum consists of three segments divided by two breakpoints and that each of the segments can be described by a power-law function with a spectral index α. The first segment corresponds to MHD scales and is followed by a plateau, and the third segment can be associated with the kinetic range. The statistics show that the values of the spectral slopes depend on the density fluctuations; their increasing amplitude leads to a steepening of each segment. The index of −1.8 can typically be found at MHD scales and averaging of the spectra in the frequency domain leads to an index of −8/3 at kinetic scales, whereas averaging in frequencies normalized to the ion gyrostructure frequency, fg, defined as the ratio of the solar wind bulk speed and thermal ion gyroradius, provides a value of −7/3. Both breakpoint locations are controlled by the gyrostructure frequency.
Describes the events leading up to the imposition of the London congestion charge. Views about the congestion charge, both pro and con, are presented. Also discusses, in general terms, the economics of traffic congestion, pointing out that an unregulated market for driving will not reach the social optimum. Contains sufficient data to estimate the deadweight loss in an unregulated market and the reduction of the deadweight loss due to the imposition of the congestion charge in 2003.    To provide a good illustration of how an unregulated market with negative externalities can lead to an overprovision of a good (in this case driving). Also, to show how an externality tax (in this case, London's congestion charge) can lead to an improvement in social welfare.
This two-volume textbook on the adult hip is an ambitious undertaking by three of the leaders in the field. The stated goal is to provide a comprehensive reference text as well as a usable reference guide that will be of value to students and practitioners alike. In my opinion, this goal has been achieved. Approximately 200 renowned authors contributed more than 100 chapters covering the spectrum of pathological conditions and treatment options related to the hip. The challenge of synthesizing material from such a large number of contributors to create a unified, coordinated text is a major one, and, overall, this challenge has been well addressed. However, there are some instances of disproportion between the importance of the contributions, their length, and the number of citations. The difficulty of proper …
The aim of this study was to develop a novel colorimetric sensing method based on enzyme-regulated instant generation of Turnbull's blue, serving as a chromogenic agent, for a sensitive immunoassay for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA). Unlike the traditional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the chromogenic reaction reported herein relies on the immediate formation of Turnbull's blue. K3[Fe(CN)6] rapidly forms a coordinate bond with iron(ii), yielding a blue product. Meanwhile, glucose oxidase (GOx) catalyzes glucose hydrolysis to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which was used to inhibit the formation of Turnbull's blue by oxidizing iron(ii) to iron(iii). Thus, Turnbull's blue was generated in an enzyme-regulated manner. Accordingly, a competitive-type colorimetric enzyme immunoassay was established using a GOx based nanolabel. Under optimal conditions, the absorbance increased upon increasing the target OTA concentration in the range of 0.01-10 ng mL-1 with a detection limit of 8.3 pg mL-1 estimated at the 3Sblank level. The assay accuracy was validated by analyzing spiked wine samples. The present results potentially provide novel insights into the development of Turnbull's blue-based biological detection methods and colorimetric immunoassay strategies.
We present a simple calculation of the nucleon self-energy in nuclear matter at finite temperature in a relativistic framework, using the real-time thermal field theory. The imaginary parts of one-loop graphs are identified with discontinuities across the unitary and the Landau cuts. We find that in general both the cuts contribute significantly to the spectral function in the region of (virtual) nucleon mass usually considered, even though the unitary cut is ignored in the literature. Furthermore, our relativistic spectral function differs from the one in nonrelativistic approximation, used in some earlier calculations.
In Reply.— Dr Lauter's concern about the ability to judge the quality of medical education received in many foreign medical schools is becoming increasingly relevant. The students accepted through COTRANS with advanced standing at the Mt Sinai School of Medicine are chosen from a broad spectrum of foreign medical schools, including the Autonomous University of Guadalajara. In the cohort described in our study, 36% of the COTRANS students came from Mexico, all from the Autonomous University. This in itself is not surprising, since the Autonomous University of Guadalajara probably has the single largest enrollment of American citizens of any other foreign medical school. The group of students described in our study were a highly selected group, chosen in part on their ability to score well on the National Board Examinations. There was, therefore, no relation between the foreign medical school attended and the student's subsequent performance in the clinical years.
THE food habits of the Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) have been studied throughout much of the species' range. Korschgen (1966) summarized findings of numerous Ruffed Grouse food habits studies conducted prior to 1966. More recently Phillips (1967) and King (1969) reported on the diets of Ruffed Grouse from western portions of their range, but very little has been published concerning any aspect of Ruffed Grouse ecology from the extreme Northwest. This paper reports the contents of 123 Ruffed Grouse crops collected during fall and winter in Alaska from 1960 through 1970. Special appreciation is extended to Robert Weeden who initiated collections and stored crops in early years of the study, and assisted in preparation of this manuscript. Over the years numerous persons have contributed crops. Terrence Bendock, Richard Bishop, Oliver Burris, Phillip Headly, Larry Jennings, and John Trent (all of Alaska Department of Fish and Game) have been active collectors, and I express my appreciation for their contributions. I am grateful to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for the opportunity to conduct this study in connection with Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Project W-1 7-4, Job 10.
Emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) becomes a main concern in battling issues of global warming. The strategy to reduce the concentration of CO2 could be achieved by implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology such as adsorption by solid adsorbents. In this work, hydrazone containing adsorbent was prepared by radiation induced grafting of N-vinylformamide (NVF) onto polyethylene coated polypropylene (PE/PP) fibrous sheets and subsequent hydrazinolysis for CO2 capture. Hydrazinolysis of the amide group to hydrazone moieties was accelerated by the addition of ammonium salts. These newly prepared adsorbent was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The adsorption tests of pure CO2 and N2, and their mixture were carried using the gravimetric method. The result revealed that the obtained adsorbent was highly CO2 selective and attained remarkably higher CO2 sorption capacity of 3.1 mmol/g at 30 bar and room temperature compared to 0.3 mmol/g for amide-containing sample. The new adsorbent could be used for few repeated cycles with negligible loss in sorption capacity. Overall, the hydrazone-containing adsorbent has storing potential for CO2 capture, and more studies need to be conducted for further development.
A great deal of progress has been made in the past several decades towards the understanding and development of time integration methods in structural dynamics. These methods involves a step by step algorithm for transient analysis of linear and non-linear dynamic problems. It is essential to provide a comprehensive survey of various methodologies used to solve second order differential equations in a single article. Broadly, the methods include direct integration, mode superposition and response spectrum methods among others. The first two methods uses an integration scheme while response spectrum method is based on extreme response analysis. Both direct integration and mode superposition method use an integration scheme but the selection of a particular method depends on the problem and frequency content of the loading. A detailed survey of various integration schemes is presented in this paper. The stability and accuracy of these integration schemes has been studied by researches in the past. However, the effect of damping on the stability and accuracy of these schemes need to be investigated. A single degree of freedom system is used to check the stability and accuracy criteria of various integration schemes. Also, the effect of damping on these parameters is studied and results are presented.
The article deals with the modeling of multi-motor electric drives based on reversible frequency converters (RFC) based on Autonomous voltage inverters and current inverters in the program Matlab 13. The possibilities of energy recovery using keys with twoway conductivity are shown. The interaction of reversible converters with the supply network, as well as the influence of recovery processes on the capacitor of the DC link is presented. A comparative analysis of three schemes using RFC based on autonomous current inverters (ACI) and voltage inverters (AVI). Technical solutions are proposed to direct the braking energy into the supply network and reduce the voltage level on the capacitor plates without loss of energy efficiency
Objective Measuring the effect of introducing a walk-in clinic on ambulatory care sensitive (ACS) hospitalisations among asylum seekers in a large state reception- and registration centre. Design and setting Pre–post intervention study using anonymous account data from a university hospital functioning as referral facility for a state reception- and registration centre in the third largest German federal state. Participants We included all asylum seekers residing in the reception centre and admitted to the referral hospital between 2015 to 2017. Interventions Establishment of an interdisciplinary walk-in clinic in the reception centre (02/2016). Main outcome measures International lists for ACS conditions for both adults and children were adapted and used to calculate the prevalence of ACS conditions among the population (primary outcome measure). The impact of the intervention on the outcome was analysed using a segmented Poisson regression to calculate incidence-rate ratios with respective 95% CIs, adjusted for age, sex and admission. Results The prevalence of ACS hospitalisations changed over time, as did the effect of age, sex and quarter of admission. Introducing the walk-in clinic reduced the prevalence of ACS hospitalisations among asylum seekers compared with the period before establishment of the clinic (incidence-rate ratios (IRR)=0.80 (0.65 to 1.00), p=0.054), but the effect was attenuated after adjustment for time trends. The average difference in prevalence of ACS hospitalisations compared with the period before establishment of the clinic, corrected for pre-existing time trends, age and sex of asylum seekers was IRR=1.03 ((0.69 to 1.55), p=0.876). Conclusions A walk-in clinic in reception centres may be effective to reduce ACS hospitalisations, but our study could not prove evidence for a measurable effect after full adjustment for time trends. Further research, ideally with parallel control groups, is required to establish evidence for the effectiveness of walk-in clinics in reception centres on reducing ACS hospitalisations.
This study sought a possible relationship between preeclampsia and thyroid profile. In a case-control setting, total thyroxine (T4), total tri-iodothyronine (T3), free T4, free T3, thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) and thyrotropin (TSH) levels in 39 pre-eclamptic patients were measured and compared with the levels in 42 healthy controls. We examined possible variations with regard to the severity of pre-eclampsia by dividing cases into mild (n=17) and severe (n=22) subgroups. Patients with mild preeclampsia showed significantly increased free T4 and TSH levels compared to healthy controls. In severe cases, TSH level was higher, but free T3 and free T4 levels were significantly lower than in controls. Other tests returned non-significant differences between the groups. Our findings suggest that primary hypofunctioning of the thyroid can accompany mild pre-eclampsia and possibly contribute to the pathogenesis. Elevated levels of free thyroid hormones in severe cases, however, may have reflected a preceding thyroid disorder.
A parallel coupled-line planar bandpass filter (BPF) with branch-line shape using coplanar waveguide technology on GaAs substrate is presented. The unit parallel coupled-line BPF utilises a parallel coupled-line resonator with an open-ended stub which has suppression response of spurious band. Four unit parallel coupled-line BPFs are integrated with branch-line shape and open-circuit stubs on input and output ports are also integrated for improvement of rejection performance. The proposed fourth-order filter was fabricated on GaAs substrate with dielectric thickness of 50 m and gold thickness of 1.2 mum. The fabricated fourth-order BPF shows a 3 dB bandwidth from 177 to 209 GHz frequency range with insertion loss of 6.5 dB, rejection of 38 dB and return loss better than 12 dB. It has a high resolution fractional bandwidth of 17%.
Low m‐number fluctuations of floating potential, density, and magnetic fields have been investigated in Ohmically heated discharges in the C stellarator. The azimuthal velocity of the perturbations reverses direction near vD/vi = 1 (vD is the electron drift velocity due to current and vi is the ion thermal velocity). For vD/vi ≳ 1, the wave moves at about the electron diamagnetic drift velocity and detailed probe measurements are consistent with the mode being the current‐driven universal instability: the amplitude and relative phasing of the fluctuations indicate that the low‐m fluctuations can cause the plasma loss. For vD/vi ≲ 1, the wave moves close to the plasma Er × B0 velocity and measurements are consistent with the resistive‐g mode: measurement accuracy prevents a definite statement on the relationship between the fluctuations and the plasma loss.
Hyperspectral scattering is a promising technique for noninvasive measurement of quality attributes of apple fruit. A hybrid successive projections algorithm (HSPA) coupled with multiple linear regression (MLR) was proposed to extract the feature wavelengths from the hyperspectral scattering profiles of ‘Golden Delicious’ apples for predicting fruit firmness and soluble solids content (SSC). Six hundred samples were tested in the experiment, 400 of which were used to develop calibration models with feature wavelengths selected by the Kennard-Stone algorithm and the remaining 200 fruits were used for validation. Eleven feature wavelengths were selected for firmness, which nearly spanned the entire spectral range of 500 - 1,000 nm, and 18 feature wavelengths, including one below 600 nm, were selected in the SSC prediction model. The model using feature wavelengths for predicting firmness yielded better results (root mean squared error of prediction or RMSEP = 6.1 N) than the MLR models using wavelengths selected by forward selection (FS) and successive projections algorithm (SPA). For predicting SSC, the result for the model using 18 feature wavelengths selected by the HSPA method was mixed compared with the FS-MLR and SPA-MLR models. Upon further test and validation, the proposed HSPA approach could be suitable for feature wavelengths selection for prediction of firmness and SSC in apples.
In many audiovisual productions, the linguistic discrepancy between subtitles and dubbing is observed. This study has aimed to investigate how the appraisal mechanisms of language (Martin, 2000; Martin & Rose, 2003; Martin & White, 2005) are present in King George VI's speech, in the film The King's Speech (Hooper, 2010), available on DVD, in comparison to the Brazilian Portuguese subtitling and dubbing, in order to verify the attitudinal shifts (Maciel & Rodrigues-Junior, 2017) in these three instances of the same discourse. In order to carry out the analyses, the theoretical-methodological contribution of Systemic-Functional Linguistics, proposed by Halliday (1994), and the Appraisal System, more specific the Attitude framework, proposed by Martin and White (2005), inserting in the scope of interpersonal metafunction, are considerated. Initially, using the concepts of appraisal, retextualization (Vasconcellos, 1997) and agnation (Matthiessen, 2001), the role of the translator was settled, becoming a participant in the translated texts. The analyses have shown that the lexical choices of the translator can impact the translated text in three ways: keeping the evaluation present in the original text; changing the type of evaluation; or creating/excluding an evaluation. It is necessary to point out that, to translate a text, not only linguistic knowledge is important, but also textual and discursive. The predominance of appreciations of valuation was also observed, indicating that the king attributed value to things, not specifically to people. Thus, the king uses language to make the population aware of the catastrophic situation they were living in, to depreciate the enemy’s purposes and to value the task they would face, expressing his feelings on his lexical choices. That is, through his influence as monarch, he tried to unite the population against the common enemy: Nazism.
An eye location based head posture recognition method is proposed in this paper. First, face is detected using skin color method, and eyebrow and eye areas are located based on gray gradient in face. Next, pupil circles are determined using edge detection circle method. Finally, head postures are recognized based on eye location information. The proposed method has high recognition precision and is robust for facial expressions and different head postures, and can be used in mouse operation. The experimental results reveal the validity of proposed method.
The objective was to estimate abundance of marsh deer in the Parana River basin of this work. The results provided information to support further analysis of the impact of the Porto Primavera flooding lake over population. Sixtynine animals were recorded by aerial survey using distance sampling methodology. Animals were widely distributed throughout the study area. The uncorrected data resulted in a estimate density of 0.0035 ind/ha and a population size of 636 individuals. Correcting the ) 0 ( ˆ g for the animals that could be missed the calculated abundance was 896 (CV=0.27) individuals. This methodology was applied with success to survey marsh deer. The result was important to evaluate the marsh deer status in the area, and for future analysis of the impact of the flooding dam.
Quantum error correction (QEC) is essential for quantum computing to mitigate the effect of errors on qubits, and surface code (SC) is one of the most promising QEC methods. Decoding SCs is the most computational expensive task in the control device of quantum computers (QCs), and many works focus on accurate decoding algorithms for SCs, including ones with neural networks (NNs). Practical QCs also require low-latency decoding because slow decoding leads to the accumulation of errors on qubits, resulting in logical failures. For QCs with superconducting qubits, a practical decoder must be very power-efficient in addition to having high accuracy and low latency. In order to reduce the hardware complexity of QC, we are supposed to decode SCs in a cryogenic environment with a limited power budget, where superconducting qubits operate. In this paper, we propose an NN-based accurate, fast, and low-power decoder capable of decoding SCs and lattice surgery (LS) operations with measurement errors on ancillary qubits. To achieve both accuracy and hardware efficiency of the SC decoder, we apply a binarized NN. We design a neural processing unit (NPU) for the decoder with SFQ-based digital circuits and evaluate it with a SPICE-level simulation. We evaluate the decoder performance by a quantum error simulator for the single logical qubit protection and the minimum operation of LS with code distances up to 13, and it achieves 2.5% and 1.0% accuracy thresholds, respectively.
A system for monitoring sound transmission through the human lung is described and the possibility of using this information in order to construct a functional map of the lung is investigated. Lung morphology (structure) may be monitored by using X-rays or computerised axial tomography (CAT). However, the size, cost and the possible adverse effects of high doses of X-rays make these techniques unsuitable for routine use. The speed of sound transmission through parenchyma (lung tissue) is a function of the size of the alveoli (air sacs). Therefore, by measuring the speed of sound through the lungs it may be possible to detect areas of collapsed alveoli. This would provide a simple, cheap, and non-invasive technique for monitoring certain lung abnormalities.
This article will analyse the textual features of two recent and successful Nickelodeon shows, both of which incorporate digital and social technologies into their sitcom-style format. Aimed at a tween-girl audience, these ‘convergence comedies’ complicate traditional notions of media spectatorship and the distinctions between media producers and consumers as audiences are invited to participate in the processes of production. While media convergence is built into the visual style of both shows, the shows themselves converge to create a shared fictional world, dubbed the ‘Schneiderverse’, which traverses the boundary between the real and the fictional. It will be considered how the audience’s media experience could be enriched through immersion in the online spaces associated with the texts.
The early to mid-1990s marked the beginning of a strange and terrifying episode in China which continues today: a large number of people in both the cities and the rural areas mysteriously contracted the HIV virus. Many of them eventually died of AIDS, in part because they had no immediate reason to suspect that their illnesses were HIV related and so they only tested for the virus at a very late stage. The victims did not seem to belong to the categories of people normally regarded to be in high-risk groups: they were of both sexes, they came from across the age groups, and there were no indications of any variations amongst different sexualities. Eventually, the problem was traced to Henan and its neighbouring provinces, and there it was discovered that the victims had contracted the HIV virus through blood donations and blood transfusions. Due to a scarcity of blood supply in hospitals in many parts of China, there emerged a black market for blood. Illegal blood centres were established in places like Henan province, and the methods of blood collection were often unsafe and unsanitary. The blood that was collected was then sold all across the country for use in hospitals. Since the blood scandal came to light, the victims and their families have been seeking compensation from a variety of institutions, including the hospitals, the government, and the courts. However, even though a small proportion has received some compensation, the vast majority of the victims have been unsuccessful. A number of activists have emerged in the past decade to fight for justice, but many of them have been targeted by the government and imprisoned for their political activities.
The site of Agarak lies between the villages Agarak and Voskehat, in the Aragatsotn region of Armenia, and covers an area of ca 200 ha.1 It is situated on the northern rock outcrop between the southwestern edge of Agarak village and the highway leading from Gumri to Yerevan.2 A pithos burial was excavated at the southern foot of the rock outcrop. It lay under a wall, which was built in a later period (Area V, Grave no. 12, Karapetyan/Yengibaryan 2002, 58–65; Avetisyan 2003, 56; idem 2008, 40; pl. VI). The roughly made pithos of rosy sand tempered clay lay on its side, with its mouth turned to the north (fig. 5) aligned at right angles to the edge of the rock outcrop. Remains of a badly preserved child’s skeleton were accompanied by two bone pendants (fig. 2), disk-like stone beads (fig. 3) and spherical beads of glass, fragments of some bronze artifacts (fig. 4), a stamp-cylinder seal with a broken handle, worn by long usage, made of actinolite, an amphibole silicate mineral (fig. 1). The burial dates to the end of the VII century and the beginning of the VI century BC. Pithos burials are known in the Armenian Highland since the end of the VIII century BC. In Armenia such burials have been found in Argishtikhinili, where the pithoi were put either in a pit dug into the ground or in a brickwork structure (Martirosyan 1974, 51; Tiratcyan 1987, 39; Karapetyan et al. 1996, 36). Agarak is the second place in Armenia where an Urartian pithos burial has been found. Urartian pithos burials are known also from the settlement at the northern foot of the citadel of Van (Taner Tarhan 1993) and at Sucati in the Bingöl region (Karaosmanoplu 1991, 596; fig. 3). The pithoi used in these burials are similar to those used in everyday life. Chronologically the earliest one is the child burial found in Argishtikhinili. It was dug into a ca. 1 m deep layer containing charcoal, ash and pottery that has been dated to the end of the VIII century and the beginning of the VII century BC and was sealed by a late Urartian wall (Martirosyan 1974, 51).
This chapter explores how newspapers in Denmark and Norway both verbally and visually framed and personalized risk and crisis assessments and scenarios following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. Our point of departure is media samples from the two Nordic countries in two different periods of the outbreak. We investigate how authorities, non-governmental organizations and victims were used as sources and personalized in the mediated narratives. Whereas health authority sources provide risk assessments based on statistical predictions, NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières’s coverage rather build on narrative evidence and personalization that focus on victims in stricken African nations. However, although the ways in which health authorities and NGOs frame risk differ, they testify to how the news media in Denmark and Norway tend to support and convey the crisis communication strategies of the institutions that the actors portrayed represent.
Recent advances in neonatal heart disease have taken place in fetal and neonatal cardiac imaging and in surgical and catheterization intervention. Although all types of heart disease have now been diagnosed in utero, our understanding of fetal cardiac physiology is still primitive. At the same time, newer insights into the role of the neural crest in the embryology of complex cardiac malformations have been unraveled. Neonatal echocardiographic imaging has for some years been of sufficiently good quality to allow surgical intervention without cardiac catheterization in many forms of heart disease. Continuing assessment of the sensitivity and specificity of this imaging modality attests to its accuracy. Nonsurgical therapeutic interventions for critical heart disease offer a promise of improved outcome in neonates too ill to survive cardiopulmonary bypass and surgery. Some preliminary results of balloon dilation of neonatal aortic stenosis are contrasted with current surgical results. The role of cardiac transplantation in lethal cardiac malformations is evaluated. Preliminary results are encouraging, although most neonates sill die while waiting for a donor heart. Support systems such as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and the use of intra-aortic balloon pumps as bridges to cardiac transplantation or for salvaging stunned myocardium following anatomic correction of cardiac defects must undergo more technical refinements to improve results. Finally, despite knowledge from several decades of study, new information about the effects of ductal shunting on cardiopulmonary physiology is challenging old concepts while different therapies such as glucocorticoid use continue to be explored for ductal patency in premature babies.
We observed late onset - over 65 years of age - of gout in 15 patients or in 14% out of 104 patients.Comparative studies of clinic and physiopatological manifestations of these 15 patients revealed the following: - prevalence of females was higher (26.5%), familial incidence of: the disease was present only in 6%, overweight was uncommon (13%). In most cases hyperuricemia was present (mean value 8.3 mg%), with significant reduction of uric acid clearance (mean value 6.7 ml/min) while uricosuria was normal (mean value 672 mg/24h.) The site of initial attack was the first metatarsal falangeal joint (podagra) in 60%. Tophi were never found. Renal calculi were observed only in 2 cases (13%).Cholesterol and tryglicerides mean levels were normal meanwhile significantly lower levels of HDL-Cholesterol and of Apo-A Lipoproteins were observed in patients with coronary heart disease (20%).Hypertension was present in 33% of the patients.In these patients levels of ionized calcium were significantly lower (mean value 2.04 mEq/1) than in patients with normal blood pressure (mean value 2.18 mEq/1).
Quantitative estimations of the global circuit parameters have been made to test the terrestrial and/or extraterrestrial controls of the global atmospheric electric circuit. A global model of electrical conductivity in the lower atmosphere between 0 and 60 km was constructed first. In this model we consider the ionization caused by cosmic rays and radioactive substances and attachment of ions to condensation nuclei or cloud particles. The responses of the atmospheric electrical parameters to the variations of the cosmic ray ionization and the condensation nuclei concentration were then examined. In the first case, when the cosmic ray ionization decreases by 20%, the ionospheric potential increases by 15%, and the electric fields above the ocean and the continent increase by 20% and 7%, respectively. On the other hand the global current does not increase so much (0.8%), and the air-earth current decreases by 0.7% above the ocean but increases by 3% above the continent. This difference between responses above the ocean and above the continent is caused by the ionization resulting from the radioactive substances over the continent. In the second case, when the condensation nuclei concentration increases by 20%, the ionospheric potential increases by 8%, and the electric field increases in the nonmountain region more than in the high mountain region, while the air-earth current increases obviously in the high mountain region.
Caveolin-1 is the principal structural protein of caveolae membranes in fibroblasts and endothelia. Recently, we have shown that the human CAV-1 gene is localized to a suspected tumor suppressor locus, and mutations in Cav-1 have been implicated in human cancer. Here, we created a caveolin-1 null (CAV-1 -/-) mouse model, using standard homologous recombination techniques, to assess the role of caveolin-1 in caveolae biogenesis, endocytosis, cell proliferation, and endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling. Surprisingly, Cav-1 null mice are viable. We show that these mice lack caveolin-1 protein expression and plasmalemmal caveolae. In addition, analysis of cultured fibroblasts from Cav-1 null embryos reveals the following: (i) a loss of caveolin-2 protein expression; (ii) defects in the endocytosis of a known caveolar ligand, i.e. fluorescein isothiocyanate-albumin; and (iii) a hyperproliferative phenotype. Importantly, these phenotypic changes are reversed by recombinant expression of the caveolin-1 cDNA. Furthermore, examination of the lung parenchyma (an endothelial-rich tissue) shows hypercellularity with thickened alveolar septa and an increase in the number of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (Flk-1)-positive endothelial cells. As predicted, endothelial cells from Cav-1 null mice lack caveolae membranes. Finally, we examined eNOS signaling by measuring the physiological response of aortic rings to various stimuli. Our results indicate that eNOS activity is up-regulated in Cav-1 null animals, and this activity can be blunted by using a specific NOS inhibitor, nitro-l-arginine methyl ester. These findings are in accordance with previous in vitro studies showing that caveolin-1 is an endogenous inhibitor of eNOS. Thus, caveolin-1 expression is required to stabilize the caveolin-2 protein product, to mediate the caveolar endocytosis of specific ligands, to negatively regulate the proliferation of certain cell types, and to provide tonic inhibition of eNOS activity in endothelial cells.
Allergic asthma strongly correlates with airways inflammation driven by interleukin (IL)‐4 and IL‐5 secreted by allergen‐specific CD4+ T cells. It is possible that over‐production of these factors in the lungs may render asthmatic individuals less able to resolve virus infection of the respiratory tract by down‐regulating type 1 cytokine‐driven immune responses. IL‐12 is important for the establishment of cell‐mediated immunity (CMI) and may also inhibit responses driven by type 2 cytokine production. Sustained expression of IL‐12 in the airways may, therefore, represent an effective preventive treatment or therapy for allergic asthma and any adverse consequences of excessive production of type 2 cytokines for the development of local CMI. Here, we show that allergic responses in airways profoundly inhibit the development of antiviral CMI in mice following local immunization with vaccinia virus (VV) leading to persistent lung infection. However, mucosal gene transfer of IL‐12 in the lung, via a VV vector, inhibited local type 2 cytokine production, both prevented the development of allergic disease and airways hyperreactivity in a manner largely dependent on endogenous interferon‐γ expression and suppressed established allergic disease, and reversed the suppression of local antiviral CMI responses resulting in rapid resolution of virus infection. Our study provides the first direct demonstration that allergic conditions, particularly in airways, may inhibit immune responses to concomitant virus infection and suggests that transient mucosal IL‐12 gene therapy represents an effective approach to both the prevention and treatment of allergic airways disease and associated immunosuppression of CMI.
The response of fibroblasts to the conversion of fibrinogen into fibrin was investigated to clarify the relationship between the conversion and wound healing. The formation of fibrin by thrombin little affected fibroblast attachment and morphology. In contrast cells rapidly attached and subsequently spread on fibrin cross-linked by activated Factor XIII. The introduction of cross-linking also stimulated cell proliferation. However neither enzyme had much effect on cellular behavior. These results indicate that the introduction of cross-linking by activated Factor XIII directly promotes the cellular responses, and suggest that the formation of fibrin stabilized by cross-linking plays a significant role not only in stoppage of blood flow but also in subsequent migration and proliferation of fibroblasts. The conversion of fibrinogen into fibrin is the terminal step in blood clotting. In this process, thrombin cleaves fibrinogen to release sequentially fibrinopeptide A and fibrinopeptide B. This trimming results in the spontaneous polymerization of the molecules. Although the first stage of fibrin polymerization by thrombin does not involve covalent bonds, the ‘polymer is subsequently stabilized by the introduction of intermolecular y-glutamyl-6-lysine peptide bonds. The formation of these covalent bonds between side chains is catalyzed by an enzyme called activated Factor XIII or fibrin-stabilizing factor (FSF). Factor XIII deficiency, first described by Duckert er al. (1, 5), is characterized by recurrent bleeding, hematoma formation after trauma, prolonged wound healing, and extensive scarring. The stimulation of fibroblast proliferation and collagen formation 1Present address: Biotechnology Center, The Green Cross Corporation Research Division, Hirakata, Osaka 573, Japan are required in wound healing (8). Thus the delay of wound healing in Factor XIII-deficiency patients may be due to the lack of stimulation of fibroblast proliferation. To clarify the relationship between the conversion of fibrinogen into fibrin and wound healing, we investigated the responses of fibroblasts to the conversion. In this study serumfree defined medium was used to eliminate effects of hormones, growth factors and coldinsoluble globulin present in serum. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pzmfficarioii of Fibrinogen Fibrinogen free of blood coagulation Factor XIII and plasminogen was prepared by treating bovine fibrinogen (Daiichi Pure Chemicals Co.; 97% clottable) with 3.3 M urea (17) and lysineSepharose affinity chromatography (19). The solution containing fibrinogen was dialyzed against 0.14 M sodium chloride buffered at pH 7.4 with 0.01 M Tris-HCl (NaCl/Tris-HCl) and stored in portions at —20°C.
Abstract : A recently synthesized and characterized homologous series of liquid crystal compounds (n4C00BC) is shown by high resolution a.c. microcalorimetry experiments (on the n=3, 6 homologues) to most likely exhibit Smectic A to Smectic B (Hexatic) (SmBH) phase transitions exclusively. This is in partial contrast to earlier tentative assignments, based on low resolution calorimetry, x-ray and microscopy studies, which had crystal smectic B (SmBX) for n=4-8 and SmBH for n=3 and 9. The observed SmA-SmBH thermal anomalies exhibit strong fluctuation contributions but are clearly first order. Experimental results are compared with the extensively characterized n-alkyl-4'-alkoxy-biphenyl-4- carboxylates (nmobe's) and discussed in the context of Goodby's empirical molecular structure rules for the existence of the SmBH, and in the context of a generic phase diagram (SmA,BX,BH) recently predicted by Aharony et al. The latter illustrates the physical content of our earlier suggestion that short range hexagonal positional order is responsible for the ubiquitous tricriticality of the SmA-SmBH phase transition.
Several incidents of transient power converse due to the interaction of AC/DC system have been reported recently, and the incidents result in the malfunction of directional comparison pilot protection (DCPP) and the miss-trip of vital AC transmission lines. Taking Jingling-Echeng HVDC and its connected inverter side AC system into account, the corresponding electromagnetic transient simulation model is established in PSCAD/EMTDC based on the operating environment of a mal-operation incident. The response characteristics of HVDC system and the fault features of AC system are studied in this paper while faults occur at the inverter side AC system on the basis of the analysis of the real recorded fault data. Results show that the rapid response of HVDC results in the malfunction of DCPP while AC fault occurs. The mechanism of transient power converse and the variations of AC fault features are analyzed. The corresponding measures are also proposed.
In a multipacket reception (MPR) system, a wireless node can successfully receive multiple packets from simultaneous transmitters. The increase in the number of simultaneous transmissions leads to higher throughput as long as the transmissions can be successfully decoded by the receiver. The maximum number of simultaneous transmissions that the receiver can successfully decode should be determined and used as the criterion of admission control in order to maximise the multipacket reception system performance. In this paper, we propose an admission control scheme that derives the maximum number of simultaneous transmissions and regulates the number of simultaneous transmissions based on the derived number. To evaluate the performance of our proposed scheme, we carry out extensive simulations and show that our proposed scheme significantly improves the network throughput. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conclusions 1. A method is described which will give a reliable, relatively stable, active “renin” preparation. 2. The method of preparing the “renin”, the use of acetone in its preparation, the type of anesthesia used for the assay animal, species difference between source and assay animal, do not appear to affect significantly the appearance of the phenomenon of “tachyphylaxis” or tolerance. 3. The time interval between successive injections does significantly affect the appearance of tachyphylaxis, and the effect is more pronounced the shorter the interval. 2 The effect is least noticeable when the interval is 120-180 minutes. 4. Assay procedures carried out in dogs where the interval between successive injections is less than 2 hours are misleading unless the phenomenon of tolerance is taken into consideration.
Ir-192 radiation sealed sources are widely employed to the therapeutic applications as well as the non-destructive testing. Production of Ir-192 sources requires a delicate but robust welding technique because it is employed in a high radioactive working environment. A GTA(Gas Tungsten Arc) welding technique is currently well established for this purpose. However, this welding method requires a frequent replacement of the electrode, which results in the delay of the production to take a preparatory action such as to isolate the radiation sources from the working place before getting access to the welding machine. Hence, a resistance welding technique is considered as an alternative method of the GTA welding technique. The advantages of resistance welding are high welding speed and high-rate production. Also it has very long life of electrode comparing to GTA welding. In this study, the resistance welding system and proper welding conditions were established for sealing Ir-192 source capsule. As a results of various experiments, it showed that electrode displacement can be employed as a indicator to predict welding quality. We proposed two mathematical models(linear and curvilinear) to estimate electrode displacement with process parameters such as applied force, welding current and welding time by using regression analysis method. Predicting results of both linear and curvilinear model were relatively good agreement with experiment.
Background Different studies have shown circadian variation of ischemic burden among patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI), but with controversial results. The aim of this study was to analyze circadian variation of myocardial infarction size and in-hospital mortality in a large multicenter registry. Methods This retrospective, registry-based study was based on data from AMIS Plus, a large multicenter Swiss registry of patients who suffered myocardial infarction between 1999 and 2013. Peak creatine kinase (CK) was used as a proxy measure for myocardial infarction size. Associations between peak CK, in-hospital mortality, and the time of day at symptom onset were modelled using polynomial-harmonic regression methods. Results 6,223 STEMI patients were admitted to 82 acute-care hospitals in Switzerland and treated with primary angioplasty within six hours of symptom onset. Only the 24-hour harmonic was significantly associated with peak CK (p = 0.0001). The maximum average peak CK value (2,315 U/L) was for patients with symptom onset at 23:00, whereas the minimum average (2,017 U/L) was for onset at 11:00. The amplitude of variation was 298 U/L. In addition, no correlation was observed between ischemic time and circadian peak CK variation. Of the 6,223 patients, 223 (3.58%) died during index hospitalization. Remarkably, only the 24-hour harmonic was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. The risk of death from STEMI was highest for patients with symptom onset at 00:00 and lowest for those with onset at 12:00. Discussion As a part of this first large study of STEMI patients treated with primary angioplasty in Swiss hospitals, investigations confirmed a circadian pattern to both peak CK and in-hospital mortality which were independent of total ischemic time. Accordingly, this study proposes that symptom onset time be incorporated as a prognosis factor in patients with myocardial infarction.
The need to transition to a more sustainable economy is one of the most significant challenges society has ever faced. Despite the evidence that adopting a more sustainable business model is linked to more stable profits, many conventional manufacturers do not know where to begin. This study aims to identify generic business strategies that conventional manufacturers can use to improve their business models and thus be more sustainable and/or develop new sustainable business models. In order to identify such strategies, data were gathered from 105 Korean business cases involving a wide range of products and services via online searches and interviews. Business cases were chosen based on whether they relied on a new business paradigm and directly or indirectly generated economic, social, and environmental benefits. Through analyses of the data, generic business strategies were extracted for each life cycle stage. The results showed that the success of a sustainable business model depends on a mixture of pertinent generic business strategies from the life cycle perspective. A conventional business model that focused on a particular life cycle stage and strategy was not very successful. However, a new business model using generic business strategies (such as eco-design as well as product-service system (PSS)-oriented strategies geared at the relevant life cycle stage) produced significant environmental, economic, and social performance improvements. Not only an appropriate mixture of generic business strategies but also systematic support such as infrastructural support is required if manufacturers are to achieve the potential sustainability of a new company-specific business model.
The characteristics of space charge accumulation under DC stress in glass materials were investigated using the pulsed electro-acoustic method. However, the observed signal was an incomprehensible signal. To understand the observed signal, a measurement of the glass material with a PET film, which was used as a suppression layer for charge injection, was carried out. From this measurement, it is found that hetro space charges were accumulated in glass material under DC stress. One of the reasons for the incomprehensible signal is thought to be a mismatch of acoustic impedance. Therefore, in this paper, the analysis of observed acoustic signal was carried out by calculating the signal ratio at the interface between the sample and electrodes.
In the present work an aluminum electrode was modified with thin layer of metallic palladium. The ability of the electrode for electrooxidation and subsequent differential pulse voltammetric determination of paracetamol (PCT), ascorbic acid (AA) and codeine (CO) was evaluated. The results obtained indicated that a linear range from 0.1–3 mM and a detection limit of 5 μM for both three compounds is accessible. The peak separation of AA, PCT and CO is more than 300 mV large enough, allowed simultaneous determination of these compounds. The proposed method was applied for determination of AA, PCT and CO in some real samples.
Spinal cord distribution spaces of 3H-mannitol (M.W. 182) were measured to compare the effects of both total-body gamma irradiation and local (spinal cord) x-irradiation on the development of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Single doses of 700R, 500R, 300R, 200R and 100R total body gamma irradiation, administered 6–8 days after EAE induction, appeared to delay the onset, reduce the severity, and hasten recovery of the disease. The magnitude of this effect was approximately proportional to the administered radiation dose. A single 1000R x-irradiation dose, delivered to a 1 x 2cm area in the thoracolumbar region of the spinal cord 7 or 10 days after induction appeared to increase the severity of EAE. Mannitol distribution spaces were mildly elevated in the thoracic regions and significantly elevated in the lumbar spinal cords of cord-irradiated animals. A marked exacerbation of the disease was observed in cord-irradiated rats treated with 5000R, administered over a period of 5 days. Rats progressively lost weight during the normal course of EAE, and a simultaneous increase in wet weights of the spinal cords was seen. Slight changes in these two parameters were observed in cord-irradiated, but not in total-body irradiated animals.
This work is devoted to selection of acidic compositions for use in the process of acid fracturing of carbonate oilfields. The selection is based on the stability of the compositions and their compatibility with oil and corrosion influence on oilfield equipment. The object of research was highly viscous bituminous oil and carbonate rock of Tatarstan Republic (Russian Federation). The object of research was oil and carbonate rock samples from the Vereian horizon of the Vishnevo-Polyanskoe oil field, which is characterized by oil containing in carbonate rocks. The chosen oil can be pertained to highly viscous bituminous oil according to its density and viscosity, what makes the process of its extraction from oil formations complicated. As the result there were selected two acid compositions which contained hydrochloric acid 15 wt %, demulsifier, dispersant, iron converter (for Fe3+ 2000 and 5000 ppm concentration) and corrosion inhibitor. The effectiveness degree of selected compositions was also demonstrated.
Dividing the 37 flying state of a certain line number helicopter. Firstly, dividing the helicopter rotation and single-engine flight. Secondly, performing preliminary state division for the remaining samlpes, the specific division of yaw angle, helicopter flight altitude and indicated air speed are different states, the least squares polynomial method is used for smoothing respectively. Calculating the extreme value of each parameter data, with the difference value of the extreme value of the parameter data being less than 10 as the limiting condition, dividing the original data segment into non-turning, level flight and steady speed state. The remaining sampling points are in the state of unsteady turning and non-level flight. Taking the difference value 0 as the limiting condition, further divide the non-steady speed and non-level flight state. Dividing the state of turning and non-turning, level flight, ascent and descent, steady speed, increase speed and deceleration state, which is the preliminary division state. Finally, dividing the near-ground and non-near-ground, classifying the helicopter status according to the height threshold, and analyze the accuracy of the classification results. The results show that this method is versatile, can quickly divide helicopters with different flight complexity, and has high accuracy.
A taximeter smart sensor system possessing immunity to fraud is introduced. The system is based upon embedded controllers employed to perform the crypto-operation between the sensor and taximeter using the standard RC5 algorithm. Special emphasis is given to promote highest system integrity while keeping complexity, size and cost to minimum. Preliminary practical implementation and verification of the system installed and tested under real taxicab environment promises its feasibility to cope with fraud in processing taxi fares.
A molecular-dynamics-like method is presented for the simulation of a suspension of dielectric particles in a nonconductive solvent forming an electrorheological fluid. The method accurately accounts for both hydrodynamic and electrostatic interparticle interactions from dilute volume fractions to closest packing for simultaneous shear and electric fields. The hydrodynamic interactions and rheology are determined with the Stokesian dynamics methodology, while the electrostatic interactions, in particular, the conservative electrostatic interparticle forces, are determined from the electrostatic energy of the suspension. The energy of the suspension is computed from the induced particle dipoles by a method previously developed [R. T. Bonnecaze and J. F. Brady, Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 430, 285 (1990)]. Using the simulation, the dynamics can be directly correlated to the observed macroscopic rheology of the suspension for a range of the so-called Mason number, Ma, the ratio of viscous to electrostatic forces. The simulation is specifically applied to a monolayer of spherical particles of areal fraction 0.4 with a particle-to-fluid dielectric constant ratio of 4 for Ma=10^−4 to [infinity]. The effective viscosity of the suspension increases as Ma^−1 or with the square of the electric field for small Ma and has a plateau value at large Ma, as is observed experimentally. This rheological behavior can be interpreted as Bingham plastic-like with a dynamic yield stress. The first normal stress difference is negative, and its magnitude increases as Ma^−1 at small Ma with a large Ma plateau value of zero. In addition to the time averages of the rheology, the time traces of the viscosities are presented along with selected "snapshots" of the suspension microstructure. In particular, at small Ma, the suspension dynamics exhibit two distinct motions: a slow elastic-body-like deformation where electrostatic energy is stored, followed by a rapid microstructural rearrangement where energy is viscously dissipated. It is suggested that the observed dynamic yield stress is associated with these dynamics.
Abstract This study examines how social workers collaborate with school teachers in implementing a school-based positive youth development program in Hong Kong. Individual and focus group interviews are conducted with social workers cooperating with school teachers in implementing the Project P.A.T.H.S. in a school context. Through the interviews, strategies for establishing inter-disciplinary collaboration and factors that hinder or facilitate program implementation are identified. This case study highlights factors that facilitate the collaboration between social workers and school teachers, including the following: 1) sufficient training for instructors, 2) sharing of the practice wisdom and teaching experiences, 3) building up mutual support among different parties, 4) use of proactive communication, and 5) demonstration of self-disclosure.
Following the path toward 4G set by its wireless siblings LTE and WiMax, IEEE 802.11 technology, universally known as WiFi, is evolving to become a high data rate QoS-enabled mobile platform. The IEEE 802.11n standard yields data rates up to 450 Mbp s and the 802.11e standard ensures proficient QoS for real-time applications. Still in need of better performance, multicell environments that provide extended coverage allow the mobile station nomadic passage beyond a single cell by means of cell dissociation-association process known as handoff. This process poses a challenge for real-time applications like voice over IP (150 ms maximum delay) and video (200-400 ms) sessions, to give the user a seamless cell-crossing without data loss or session breakage. It presented an approach of a predictive fuzzy Logic controller to reduce the channel scanning process to a tenth of the standard time, and its efficient FPGA implementation to speed up the processing time. The algorithm of the fuzzy controller was implemented in C language. Experimental results are provided.
Common variation within the nitric oxide-1 synthase activator protein (NOS1AP) locus is strongly related to QT interval, a sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk factor. A recent report describes common variation in NOS1AP associated with SCD in a US population of European ancestry. The objective of the current study was to obtain additional evidence by investigating the association between NOS1AP variants and SCD in the prospective population-based Rotterdam Study. The study population consisted of 5974 European ancestry subjects, aged 55 years and older, genotyped on Illumina arrays. SCD was defined according to European Society of Cardiology guidelines. Smoking, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart failure and myocardial infarction were used as covariates in Cox proportional hazard models. Results were combined with reported evidence using inverse-variance weighted meta-analysis. Two hundred and eight (109 witnessed) cases of SCD occurred during a mean follow-up of 10.4 years. Within the Rotterdam Study alone, no significant associations were observed. Upon pooling of results with existing data, we observed strengthening of existing evidence for rs16847549 (US data HR = 1.31, P = 0.0024; Rotterdam Study HR = 1.18, P = 0.16; joint HR = 1.26, P = 0.0011). When the case definition in the Rotterdam Study was restricted to witnessed SCD, association of rs16847549 with SCD became stronger (joint P = 0.00019) and additionally the association between rs12567209 and SCD gained significance (US data HR = 0.57, P = 0.0035; Rotterdam Study HR = 0.69, P = 0.23; joint HR = 0.60, P = 0.0018). In conclusion, this study provided additional evidence for association between genetic variation within NOS1AP and SCD. The mechanism by which this effect is exerted remains to be elucidated.
We present an efficient method to observe the high harmonics generated in individual half-cycle of the driving laser pulse by mixing a weak ultraviolet pulse, and then the cutoff of each half-cycle harmonic is imaged. The simulation shows that the information of the driving laser pulse, including the laser intensity, pulse duration and carrier-envelope phase, can be in situ retrieved from the harmonic spectrogram. In addition, our results show that this method also distinguishes the half-cycle high harmonics for a pulse longer than 10 fs, suggesting a potential to extend the CEP measurement to the multi-cycle regime.
To overcome the existing difficulty in distinguishing ferric from ferrous ions, a rhodamine-containing probe was designed to combine with Fe3+ based on an opening-closing transformation of the spirolactam ring in the rhodamine moiety. Through a specific and stoichiometric fluorescence response towards Fe3+ by 1 : 1 binding accompanied by an obvious color change in the recognition process of Fe3+, a "naked-eye" detection method of Fe3+ in an aqueous environment is possible. Theoretical calculations gave a possible recognition mechanism of the probe-Fe3+ system. Further cytotoxicity and bioimaging in living L929 cells suggested the probe's future applications as a real-time analytical method for intracellular Fe3+ in clinical diagnosis. Besides, bioimaging applications enable the dynamic labelling and tracking of Fe3+ in biological systems.
This paper describes a new computational model developed to solve two‐dimensional incompressible viscous flow problems in external flow fields. The model based on the Navier–Stokes equations in primitive variables is able to solve the infinite boundary value problems by extracting the boundary effects on a specified finite computational domain, using the pressure projection method. The external flow field is simulated using the boundary element method by solving a pressure Poisson equation that assumes the pressure as zero at the infinite boundary. The momentum equation of the flow motion is solved using the three‐step finite element method. The arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method is incorporated into the model, to solve the moving boundary problems. The present model is applied to simulate various external flow problems like flow across circular cylinder, acceleration and deceleration of the circular cylinder moving in a still fluid and vibration of the circular cylinder induced by the vortex shedding. The simulation results are found to be very reasonable and satisfactory. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The electrodiagnostic features of acute childhood Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) have not been distinguished from those in the adult. We report nerve conduction and electromyographic data from 23 children. Sixty‐one percent (14 of 23) fulfilled strict electrodiagnostic criteria for a demyelinating neuropathy, and the remainder demonstrated demyelination in at least one nerve. Reduced compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude was the most common finding overall. Children <10 years old demonstrated significantly greater slowing of motor CV than children >10 years old. Electrodiagnostic criteria associated with poor outcome (low mean CMAP and fibrillation potentials) in previous studies, primarily of adult patients, occurred in 39% (9 of 23 children). All patients on whom follow‐up data were obtained recovered without residual disability. We conclude that electrodiagnostic prognostic indicators identified in general series of GBS may not apply to children.
Anomalous shrinkage behavior of porous Sr-doped lanthanum manganite (La 1 - x Sr x ) 1 - y MnO 3 + δ , or LSM, where x = 0.0 to 0.4) has been studied as a function of thermal cycling, oxygen partial pressure, and Sr dopant concentration. An anomalous shrinkage due to thermal cycling in doped lanthanum manganite perovskite has previously been reported in the temperature range of 600°C to 1000°C. 1 , 2 However, the shrinkage reported here was in a 150°C range. Shrinkage of LSM during PO 2 cycling between air (2x10 5 ppm O 2 ) and N 2 (lOppm), was much less pronounced than that of thermal cycling in the same temperature range. The two cannot be directly compared due to the difference in cycling time. The effect of Sr dopant concentration on the shrinkage due to thermal cycling reached a maximum at a dopant level of 0.1. The postulated mechanism responsible for anomalous shrinkage is the metal ion vacancy gradient produced by the oxygen nonstoichiometry of LSM. Along with this gradient or driving force for metal ion vacancy diffusion; shrinkage also requires vacancy mobility or thermal excitation to advance the anomalous shrinkage.
This building has the following features:  — it makes future possible extensions;  — uses space gradually, according to work arrangement;  — reduces to a minimum distances between car parks and places of work;  — centralizes dining-room installations for employees;  — achieves great economy, thanks to the modulation of design;  — takes maximum advantage of each space, for using easily removable partitions, and  — increases productivity and personnel performance, due to the suitable conditioning of the atmosphere.  The corporation is complemented by a carefully studied series of access roads, car parks and gardens, which at the same time as they intercommunicate the different areas, adapt the outer and indoor atmosphere, forming a harmonious whole.
Protein-energy malnutrition afflicts well over 100 million children, and in some developing countries more than 75% of children under 5 years suffer some degree of stunting and wasting. Despite this enormous prevalence, the morbidity and mortality risks associated with malnutrition of defined severity and duration remain largely unknown, including one of the most ominous possibilities that malnutrition might affect brain growth and intellectual development, with far-reaching consequences for both individual and community. This paper broadly reviews post-embryological brain growth and its vulnerability to malnutrition, and then summarizes the effects malnutrition has been shown to have on both structural growth of the brain and intellectual development.
Some of the late Rhys Isaac's friends and colleagues were reflecting via email on Rhys and on his significances for them and for the profession. They did this because they needed to, and to help two of them who had been asked write the obituary for the Journal of Southern History that ends this suite of remembrances. The author of this essay, ‘Remembering Rhys Isaac', wrote this memoir of him out of his personal and from their shared knowledge, as much as possible in the spirit of its subject, and unintentionally – because it is still too early and the memories too strong – in the episodic forms of his narrative style. Our readers felt that it evokes its subject. There will be time later to understand better what he meant to us. If this piece feels like the spirit of this remarkable man, it is in tribute to him.
People make decisions and express their opinions according to their communities. A natural idea for controlling the diffusion of a behavior is to find influential people, and employ them to spread a desired behavior. We investigate an influencing problem when individuals' behaviors are affected by their friends in an opinion formation process. Our goal is to design efficient algorithms for finding opinion leaders such that changing their opinions has a great impact on the overall external behaviors in the society. We study directed social networks and define a set of problems like maximizing the sum of individuals' behaviors or maximizing the number of individuals whose external behaviors are above a threshold. We discuss the complexity of the defined problems and design polynomial-time optimum algorithms for the non NP-hard variants of them. We also propose polynomial-time approximation algorithms with guaranteed performances and prove inapproximability results for the NP-hard variants of these problems. Furthermore, we run simulations on real-world social networks and show our proposed algorithm outperforms the classical algorithms such as degree-based algorithm, closeness-based algorithm, and pagerank-based algorithm.
Nowday, UAV is new technologie among the next generation monitoring system which has the following properties: efficient, real time, secure and reliable. UAV occupied a great importance in many fileds especially national defense in order to protect the human. In fact, the size of transferred data is a basic demand for realtime video communication, partically for military service since the bandwidth limitation in UAV networks.Exprimental results show that the H264 standard outperforms MPEG 4 (Motion Picture Expert Group) encoder in termes of PSNR (Peak signal to noise ratio). The H264’PSNR gain is 6.88% better than MPEG 4. In addition, the H264 standard did not exceed 20 Mbit s for wireless video transmission.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts baseline and storm-response photography missions to document and understand the changes in the vulnerability of the Nation's coasts to extreme storms. On February 18-19, 2016, the USGS conducted an oblique aerial photographic survey from the South Carolina/North Carolina border to Assateague Island, Virginia, aboard a Cessna 182 aircraft at an altitude of 500 feet (ft) and approximately 1,200 ft offshore (fig. 2, http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/1029/html/ds1029_fig2.html). This mission was conducted to collect data for assessing incremental changes in the beach and nearshore area since the last survey, flown in October 2015 (http://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/fan_info.php?fan=2015-338-FA) (Morgan, 2016, [http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds/995]), and the data can be used to assess future coastal change. The photographs provided are Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) images. The photograph locations are estimates of the aircraft’s positions and do not indicate the location of the feature in the images (See the Navigation Data page, http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/1029/html/ds1029_nav.html). These photographs document the configuration of the barrier islands and other coastal features at the time of the survey. ExifTool was used to add the following to the header of each photo: time of collection, Global Positioning System (GPS) latitude, GPS longitude, keywords, credit, artist (photographer), caption, copyright, and contact information. Photographs can be opened directly with any JPEG-compatible image viewer by clicking on a thumbnail on the contact sheet. All image times are recorded in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Table 1 (http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/1029/html/ds1029_table.html) provides detailed information about the assigned location, name, date, and time the photograph was taken along with links to the photograph. In addition to the photographs, a Google Earth Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file is provided and can be used to view the images by clicking on the marker and then clicking on either the thumbnail or the link above the thumbnail. The KML files were created using the photographic navigation files. Note: A KML number was assigned to each photograph to assist users in navigating the Google Earth file. These numbers correspond to the site labels in Google Earth.
We defined 3-dimensional local number, LN3D, 2-dimensional local number, LN2D, and their probability distribution to describe the spatial distribution of second phase particles, and then suggested the statistical relationship of probability distributions between LN2D and LN3D concerning uniform random and clustering spatial distributions. The relationship was validated by computer experiments using particles of overlap permissive spheres, and was applied to the real microstructures of Al-10 vol%SiC composites. Using the relationship, probability distributions of either LN3D or LN2D could be predicted from the measured relative frequency distributions of another dimension in computer experiments with satisfactory accuracy. Using the relationship, the probability distributions of LN3D was approximately predicted from the relative frequency distributions of LN2D that were obtained by measurements of spatial distributions of SiC particles in Al-SiC composites. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MER2007137]
INTRODUCTION Femoral neck fractures are one of the most common fractures primarily the elderly, coupled with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. The treatment is applied a number of methods of internal fixation (multiple cannulated screws available, DHS system, cefalomedullary). At the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Nis developed a new method of fixation of femoral neck fracture, which allows stable fixation of dislocated and nondislocated femoral neck fracture. Self-tapping antirotation fixation (SAF) using two cannulated screws to initial compression fractures intraoperative and postoperative dynamic linear compression of the fracture with early full support to the patient.   MATERIAL AND METHODS In the period between 2008 to 2012, 53 patients treated for femoral neck fracture in the Clinic for orthopedic and traumatology, Clinical center in Nis, Serbia, by SAF (the self-tapping cannulated screws antirotation; ORTOKON doo Nis). All patients were followed up after surgery in a minimum period of 13 weeks (13-106 weeks). The outcome was evaluated on the basis of clinical and radiological signs of fracture healing and the Harris hip score of functional recovery of the patient.   RESULTS Of the total number of patients (53) treated with this method of fixation, 31 of them were females and 22 males, mean age 52.7 years (28-75 years). The average time of surgery was 36.4 minutes (19-70 minutes). During the postoperative follow-up of all patients (53) operated by this method, six patients were lost in the further postoperative monitoring, so that 47 patients remained for final evaluation. The total incidence of nonunion of femoral neck fracture after surgery this method was 6.4% (three patients). Shortening of the femoral neck after fixation by this method was recorded in 27 cases, and what amounted to an average of 2.8 mm (1, 2 mm in nondislocated to 4.55 with dislocated fracture) and did not affect the functional outcome. During radiographic follow-up was not detected fracture implants.   CONCLUSION Self-tapping screws cannulated antirotation (SAF method) represent a reliable method of fixation of dislocated and nondislocated femoral neck fracture. The main prerequisite for the proper healing of femoral neck fractures with this method is that anatomical fracture reduction is achieved by a closed or open method. This way of fixation allows the early full weight bearing patient operated limb and faster postoperative functional recovery of the fracture healing in optimal time.
This paper suggests a new optimal control of robotic system based on a biologically inspired control principle-synergy, which allows resolving actuator redundancy. The redundancy control problem has been discussed in the framework of optimal control problem which is solved by Pontryagin's maximum principle. Joint actuator synergy approach is suggested which is established by optimization law at coordination level, where is introduced a central control as suggested Bernstein in [1]. In that way, one may obtain a specific constraint(s) on the control variables. Finally, the effectiveness of suggested biologically inspired optimal control is demonstrated with a suitable robot with three degrees of freedom and four control variables as the illustrative example.
In this paper, the Sonie-Schafheitlin integration formula and the sampling theorem are integrated into the conventional spectral-domain method to form an efficient and fast convergent hybrid method. As a simple demonstration of the method, the novel technique is applied to the microstrip dispersion problem. The incorporation of the Sonie-Schafheitlin integration formula and the sampling theorem aid to accelerate the convergence of the Sommerfeld integral. Good agreement between the simulated results and the conventional method are obtained.
A T-cell-specific transcriptional enhancer lies within the J delta 3-C delta intron of the human T-cell receptor (TCR) delta gene. The 30-bp minimal enhancer element denoted delta E3 carries a core sequence (TGTGGTTT) that binds a T-cell-specific factor, and that is necessary but not sufficient for transcriptional activation. Here we demonstrate that the transcription factor c-Myb regulates TCR delta enhancer activity through a binding site in delta E3 that is adjacent to the core site. Both v-Myb and c-Myb bind specifically to delta E3. The Myb site is necessary for enhancer activity, because a mutation that eliminates Myb binding abolishes transcriptional activation by the delta E3 element and by the 370-bp TCR delta enhancer. Transfection of cells with a c-Myb expression construct upregulates delta E3 enhancer activity, whereas treatment of cells with an antisense c-myb oligonucleotide inhibits delta E3 enhancer activity. Since intact Myb and core sites are both required for delta E3 function, our data argue that c-Myb and core binding factors must cooperate to mediate transcriptional activation through delta E3. Efficient cooperation depends on the relative positioning of the Myb and core sites, since only one of two overlapping Myb sites within delta E3 is functional and alterations of the distance between this site and the core site disrupt enhancer activity. Cooperative regulation by c-Myb and core-binding factors is likely to play an important role in the control of gene expression during T-cell development.
Bias-tailoring allows quantum error correction codes to exploit qubit noise asymmetry. Recently, it was shown that a modified form of the surface code, the XZZX code, exhibits considerably improved performance under biased noise. In this work, we demonstrate that quantum low density parity check codes can be similarly bias-tailored. We introduce a bias-tailored lifted product code construction that provides the framework to expand bias-tailoring methods beyond the family of 2D topological codes. We present examples of bias-tailored lifted product codes based on classical quasi-cyclic codes and numerically assess their performance using a belief propagation plus ordered statistics decoder. Our Monte Carlo simulations, performed under asymmetric noise, show that bias-tailored codes achieve several orders of magnitude improvement in their error suppression relative to depolarising noise.
Quantitative plant disease resistance is believed to be more durable than qualitative resistance, since it exerts less selective pressure on the pathogens. However, the process of progressive pathogen adaptation to quantitative resistance is poorly understood, which makes it difficult to predict its durability or to derive principles for its sustainable deployment. Here, we study the dynamics of pathogen adaptation in response to quantitative plant resistance affecting pathogen reproduction rate and its colonizing capacity. We developed a stochastic model for the continuous evolution of a pathogen population within a quantitatively resistant host. We assumed that pathogen can adapt to a host by the progressive restoration of reproduction rate or of colonizing capacity, or of both. Our model suggests that a combination of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) affecting distinct pathogen traits was more durable if the evolution of repressed traits was antagonistic. Otherwise, quantitative resistance that depressed only pathogen reproduction was more durable. In order to decelerate the progressive pathogen adaptation, QTLs that decrease the pathogen's maximum capacity to colonize must be combined with QTLs that decrease the spore production per lesion or the infection efficiency or that increase the latent period. Our theoretical framework can help breeders to develop principles for sustainable deployment of QTLs.
Objective Developmental stuttering is a speech disorder characterized by repetition, prolongation, block and disruption of the smooth flow of speech. Environmental, physical, mental, and cognitive-linguistic factors were involved in the initiation and development of stuttering. There have been several theories about the development of stuttering. One of these theories suggests that stuttering is a speech motor control disorder. Based on the speech-motor skills hypothesis, speech production is a motor skill similar to any other (fine) motor skill that humans possess, and the individual motor skills develop from the lowest skill level to the highest level of motor skills. The SMS view suggests that stuttering may arise from limitations in speech motor skill in people who stutter are located more toward the lower end of a presumed normal speech motor skill continuum. Therefore, people who stutter have difficulty learning speech motor skills and have a limited ability to benefit from speech motor practice compared to normal individuals. Many of the stuttering treatment programs teach the new pattern of speech, and the success of these treatment programs depends on the learning of the new speech patterns. So if people who stutter have limited speech motor skills, also will have little success in this treatment programs. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate motor speech sequence learning in adults who stutter. Materials & Methods This was a descriptive-analytical study with participants as 15 adults who stutter and 15 adults who do not stutter. All subjects were matched for age, sex and educational level. The average age was 28.73 for the adults who stutter was 28.4 for the normal people. All of the participants had history of neurological and motor speech disorders. The convenience sampling method was used for this study. The stuttering severity of people who stutter was assessed with Wingate scale and was in moderate range. Participants were asked to repeat an eight syllable non word sequence 30 times during three practice sessions. Recorded samples were analyzed with PRAAT software, and the variables used to measure performance gains included accuracy, response preparation time and sequence duration. The data were statistically analyzed by SPSS software (version 23). Results Based on the findings of the present study, PWS showed improvement in accuracy from day 1 to day 3 (P<0.05), but there was no difference between the two groups in this variable (P>0.05). Also, the reaction time of the PWS improved from day 1 to day 3 (P<0.05), but there was no difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The sequence duration of the PWS improved from day 1 to day 3 (P<0.05) and there was a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). According to the results of this study, PWS showed slower sequence duration compare to PNS . Conclusion The results of this study showed that PWS show improvement in accuracy, reaction time and sequence duration variables from day 1 to day 3. Also, PWS show more substantial number of errors compared to PNS, but this difference was not significant between the two groups. Similar results were obtained for the reaction time. Results of this study demonstrated that PWS show slower sequence duration compared to PNS. Some studies suggested that this could be because people who stutter use a control strategy to reduce the number of errors, although many studies suggested that this may indicate motor learning. According to speech motor skills hypothesis, it can be concluded that people who stutter have limitations in motor speech learning abilities. The findings of the present study could have clinical implication for the treatment of stuttering. A B S T R A C T
Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith: New Orleans in the Wake of Katrina is not easily classified as a book about public health. Then again, medical anthropologist Vincanne Adams has never confined her questions about health entirely to what we traditionally define as ‘health care’. Her other two books include an analysis of the symbolic economy of Sherpas and a detailed account of how Nepali physicians deal with the state. Having worked for 25 years in Asia, Adams found herself conducting fieldwork in New Orleans after the surprising death of her colleague Gay Becker. Partly to honour her colleague, Adams agreed to take on Becker’s National Institutes of Health funded study on the health and well-being of those affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In Markets of Sorrow, Adams hones in on the corrupt and feckless handling of recovery efforts by for-profit companies. Rather than directly funding the victims, the government disbursed funds through companies that failed to effectively, efficiently and transparently distribute recovery aid. Those companies included most significantly ICF International, but also Blackwater, Halliburton, the Shaw Group, as well as regional banks and insurance companies. Adams writes:
The heat balance integral method is used to solve one-dimensional phase-change problem in a finite slab with time-dependent convective boundary condition, [T∞,1 (t)], applied at the left face. The temperature, T∞,1 (t), decreases linearly with time; the other face of the slab is subjected to a constant convective boundary condition with T∞,2 held fixed at the ambient temperature. Two initial conditions are investigated: temperature of the solid below the melting point (subcooled), and initially at the fusion temperature (Tf ). The temperature, T∞,1 (t) at time t = 0 is so chosen such that convective heating takes place and the slab begins to melt (i.e., T∞,1 (0)> Tf > T∞,2 ). Thus the solid-liquid interface proceeds forward to the right. As time continues, and T∞,1 (t) decreases with time, the phase-change front slows, stops, and may even reverse direction. Hence this problem features sequential melting and freezing of the slab with partial penetration of the solid-liquid front before reversal of the phase-change process. It should, however, be noted that the study is limited to only one solid-liquid interface at any given time during the phase-change process (either melting or freezing) and that slight subcooling of the melt is allowed. The effect of varying the Biot number at the right face of the slab, for both the initial conditions, is also investigated to determine its impact on the growth/recession of the solid-liquid interface. Temperature profiles in both regions (liquid and solid) are reported in detail. The effect of a slower decay rate of T∞,1 (t) on the phase-change process is also analyzed for the initial condition of the slab being at the fusion temperature.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
BACKGROUND Fractures of the proximal humerus make up 4 to 10% of all fractures. Their incidence increaseswith age, usually affecting individuals over 40 years old, reflecting the mineral status of the bone, Material and methods. Out of a group of 131 patients operated on due to comminuted proximal humeral fractures, 25 cases presenting inappropriate postoperative results were selected for further analysis.   RESULTS Failures were found in 16 cases, but affected the final outcome in seven cases only (lack of anatomical repositioning of bone fragments, including one that was stabilized at the fifth postfracture week, in whom a severe contracture of the supraspinatus muscle dislocated the major tubercle, or conflict of the implant with the acromion), and were negligible in the other nine. In two, properly stabilized major tubercles were dislocated due to their bearing the body weight immediately after the procedure. Another two developed necrosis of the humeral head, and in one the fracture was revealed to be pathological, requiring further oncological treatment. In four cases, ostensible false stabilizations were recorded as a consequence of inappropriate patient positioning for x-rays.   CONCLUSIONS 1. Our observations indicate that anatomical repositioning of bone fragments, especially those containing articular surface and muscle attachments, and their firm stabilization as well as proper implant positioning are crucial for the final result. 2. In some cases objective and unpredictable factors influencing the type and time of intervention affect the final results. 3. In those cases the decision to operate seems to be controversial. 4. The possibility of a pathological fracture should also be remembered, as such fractures require an appropriate oncological treatment.
We evaluated the effect of 2-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid (AA-2G) on collagen synthesis in cultured human skin fibroblasts and on proliferation of fibroblasts. At concentrations of 0.1-0.5 mmol/L, AA-2G effectively stimulated collagen synthesis with an effectiveness comparable to that of L-ascorbic acid. On the other hand, 6-O-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid showed a weak effect. The stimulation of collagen synthesis by AA-2G was attenuated by the addition of a collagen synthesis inhibitor, L-azetidine 2-carboxylic acid, in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, AA-2G-induced stimulation of collagen synthesis could be completely inhibited by the addition of castanospermine, an inhibitor of neutral alpha-glucosidase. Relatively high alpha-glucosidase activity, which would contribute to release of ascorbic acid from AA-2G, could be detected in the lysate of cultured fibroblasts. The stimulatory activity of AA-2G on collagen synthesis was observed after 5 d in culture, whereas L-ascorbic acid tended to lose its stimulatory activity. Continuous supplementation of AA-2G (0.25 mmol/L) to culture medium for 24 d enhanced the cell growth four times that of the control. These results indicate that AA-2G is gradually cleaved by the cellular alpha-glucosidase to release L-ascorbic acid, which adequately stimulates collagen synthesis and proliferation of human skin fibroblasts.
tional nature of religions and philosophies suggests a broader definition of the concept of "sacred site." Until recently, African studies in the English-speaking world tended to concentrate on either the sociological or the functional aspects of African culture, that is, on kinship systems and political organization or on material culture, rather than on cosmological and symbolic dimensions of African life. Myth, ritual, and cosmological symbolism were addressed and interpreted more as functional components in the social machinery than on their own terms as intellectual phenomena (Fortes and Dieterlen). In contrast, the French Africanists, notably Marcel Griaule and Jean-Paul Lebeuf, drawing on the methodology of structural anthropology set forth by Levi-Strauss, focused on the symbolicphilosophic order of African culture to elucidate cosmological systems and implicit philosophies. While African religious systems form coherent and autonomous spheres of thought and action of great diversity, they share three major, fundamental themes: archetypal symbols, ritual, and community (Mbiti, Ray). Archetypal symbols consist of the sacred images, whether they be gods, ancestors, sacred actions, or things, that make up the traditional universe. Every African ritual is a salvation event in which human experience is re-created and renewed in the all-important ritual Present. Religious participation starts before birth and continues after death. Life unfolds as a reli-
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explain the details of a trial program in China to introduce margin trading and securities lending.Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes eligibility requirements for securities companies and their clients; accounts for margin trading and securities lending to be opened by the securities company; contracts between a securities company and its client that must be entered into; collateral a client is required to provide to the securities company; a client's rights and entitlement with respect to collateral; internal rules and precautions required of the securities company; the securities company's risk control requirements; and the possible impact of the new program on foreign investors.Findings – The paper finds that the conduct of margin trading and securities lending in China is highly regulated. There are significant requirements with respect to separate accounts, collateral, contracts, and controls. Before providing margin trading or securities lending t...
In this paper, we first explore how an exogenous increase in the opportunity cost of religious participation affects an individual’s religious participation and reported happiness, using data from the General Social Survey. The exogenous shift in the cost of religious participation is a result of the repeal of so-called blue laws that restrict retail activity on Sundays. We find that repealing blue laws causes a significant decline in the religious participation of women and in their happiness. For men, we do not observe any effect on happiness, while the estimate of the effect on church attendance is similar in magnitude to that for women but is imprecise. We also use repeal as an instrumental variable for church attendance and provide direct evidence that church attendance has a significant positive effect on happiness.
This study examines the effect that crime victimization has on Latin American citizens’ life satisfaction. The data comes from the Americas Barometer Survey of 2014, a public opinion project that collects self-reported measures of life satisfaction. To overcome some of the methodological issues faced by previous studies, a generalized ordered logit with partial constraints is used to examine the existence of a relationship. The results reinforces the negative association between being a victim of a crime and an individual’s level of life satisfaction as found by previous studies. It also supports previous findings showing that what matters is being a direct victim of a crime rather than living in a country with high homicides rates. In both cases, the size of the relationship differs by country.
Rationale: Macrophages are the frontline immune cells in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) serves as the binding receptor to SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein for fusion and internalization into the human host cells. However, the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2-elicited macrophage inflammatory responses remain elusive. Neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 by human ACE2 (hACE2) decoys has been proposed as a therapeutic approach to ameliorate SARS-CoV-2-stimulated inflammation. This study aims to investigate whether an engineered decoy receptor can abrogate SARS-CoV-2-induced macrophage inflammation. Methods: hACE2 was biotinylated to the surface of nano-liposomes (d = 100 nm) to generate Liposome-human ACE2 complex (Lipo-hACE2). Lentivirus expressing Spike protein (D614G) was also created as a pseudo-SARS-CoV-2 (Lenti-Spike). Liposome-hACE2 was used as a decoy receptor or competitive inhibitor to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 or Lenti-Spike-induced macrophage inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Results: Both SARS-CoV-2 and Lenti-Spike stimulated strong inflammatory responses by inducing the expression of key cytokine and chemokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, CCL-2, and CXCL-10, in murine and human macrophages in vitro, whereas Lipo-hACE2 decoy abolished these effects in macrophages. Furthermore, intravenous injection of Lenti-Spike led to increased macrophage and tissue inflammation in wild type mice, which was also abolished by Lipo-hACE2 treatment. Mechanistically, Spike protein stimulated macrophage inflammation by activating canonical NF-κB signaling. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that Lenti-Spike induced over 2,000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in murine macrophages, but deficiency of IκB kinase β (IKKβ), a key regulator for NF-κB activation, abrogated Lenti-Spike-elicited macrophage inflammatory responses. Conclusions: We demonstrated that the engineered Lipo-hACE2 acts as a molecular decoy to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 or Spike protein-induced inflammation in both murine and human macrophages, and activation of the canonical IKKβ/NF-κB signaling is essential for SARS-CoV-2-elicited macrophage inflammatory responses.
A case study to demonstrate fluorescence tomography of endogenous protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) in breast cancer is presented. An MRI-coupled fluorescence tomography system with spectrometer detectors was used to acquire excitation and emission data through the breast of a human subject undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. Volumetric images of PPIX fluorescence showed elevated levels of fluorescence activity in the fibro-glandular tissue as compared to the adipose tissue. Fluorescence levels in the tumor were higher than in the adipose tissue but lower than the fibro-glandular tissue.
God 'in reality' any more conforms to the male than to the female depiction? The distinction between being female and 'the feminine' is unclear. There is overlap, yet 'the feminine' is a wider notion. But then we are told that we must each unite 'the feminine' and 'the masculine' in ourselves. Personally I have never found theories to be useful which say that I must integrate two opposing principles in myself. Moreover there are acute dangers in assigning certain more intuitive, feeling qualities to 'the feminine'. It may lead straight to misogynism, as men (as she rightly says) call 'feminine' a side of themselves which they cannot face, and then despise it. Though it has limitations, this book deserves to be read. One would think that the church, in its disregard for what Elspeth Strachan calls 'the feminine', can find almost no point of contact with this material. It is the poorer for that. However there may be religious people who, having tired of a masculine church and religion, find that it opens doors. I like both the sharpness of her criticism of the current state of affairs, and her warmth and enthusiasm as she contemplates human possibilities. DAPHNE HAMPSON (University of St Andrews)
RATIONALE Various solvent supports have been developed to overcome solvent instability during liquid-phase microextraction. The hydrophobic polyurethane sponge (PS) possesses numerous cross-linked internal microchannels and terminal micropores, which can facilitate steady solvent storage capacity, high extraction efficiency, extractant loading, and recycling convenience.   METHODS In this study, an easy, convenient, and efficient polyurethane sponge-supported liquid-phase microextraction method (PS-LPME) coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was developed for the trace analysis of different organic compounds in aqueous solutions. Different extraction solvents, PS dosages, stirring speeds, and extraction times were first investigated by extracting eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs: Naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene), and then applied for the analysis of triazines, amides, chloroacetamides, and organophosphorus compounds.   RESULTS High enrichment factors (approximately 208 - 439) were observed for the monitored PAHs. Good linearities, with determination coefficients (r2 ) greater than 0.9992, were achieved in the concentration range of 0.01-50 μg·L-1 . Low limits of detection and quantification were found in the ranges of 0.3-3 ng·L-1 and 1-10 ng·L-1 , respectively. At three spiked concentrations (0.1, 1, and 10 μg·L-1 ), good recoveries were obtained in the range of 91.6-118.5% with intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations of less than 6.4% and 11.7%, respectively.   CONCLUSIONS The developed PS-LPME method coupled with GC-MS was successfully applied in the analysis of different organic compounds in aqueous solutions and has shown great convenience and satisfactory enrichment performance in microextraction analysis.
1. Using chromogenic synthetic substrates, S-2222 and S-2238, a new technique to measure the time course of Xa and ha generation in the plasma def ibrinated with Ancrod was designed and applied for analysis of bypassing activity of FEIBA. 2. The generation of Xa and ha was returded in hemophilic plasma and formed much lesser activity in comparison with normal plasma. However, the generation patterns of Xa and ha in hemophilia A or B plasma without inhibitor were normalized by the addition of factor MQ concentrates or prothrombin complex concentrates respectively. The addition of FEIBA in the hemophilia A or B plasma with inhibitor brought on the promotion of generation of ha accompanied with insufficient generation of Xa. In those cases above mentioned, partial thromboplastin time after the drip infusion of FEIBA was shortened. 3. When antiserum of factor IX or factor VII was added to the mixture of FEIBA and phospholipids suspended in calcium cloride solution, the inhibitory effect of antif actor VII serum was much stronger than that of anti-factor IX serum on Ha generation in the mixture. Therefore, it is suggested that factor VII or VIIa in FEIBA might play an important role for the generation of Ha in the bypassing therapy.
Abstract We explore extreme multielectron ionization of (Xe)n molecular clusters resulting in the formation of highly charged Xek+, k=8–32, ions in ultraintense laser fields (intensity I= 1016–1019 W cm−2), which is driven by a compound, sequential-parallel, inner-outer ionization mechanism. A computational and theoretical study is advanced for the three fundamental processes of electron fs dynamics, which involve the barrier suppression of inner ionization of the constituents, the formation of an energetic electron-positive ion charged plasma within the cluster and the outer ionization of unbound electrons from the cluster. New features of the formation, characteristics, response and dynamics of the electron-positive ion charged plasma in molecular clusters in ultraintense laser fields were explored, providing novel information on a transient (1–100 fs) metallic state in finite chemical systems.
A Ka-band multiple-beam corrugated waveguide traveling wave tube amplifier is designed and analyzed in this paper. The TWT uses corrugated waveguide with 50 periods as slow-wave structure and three electron beams to interact with the microwave traveling through the SWS. Simulation shows that the output power is greater than 600W from 31GHz to 36.5GHz with beam current of 0.2A and Voltage of 13.1kV. The maximum gain and electron efficiency are about 26 dB and 9.53% respectively. Comparing with double corrugated waveguide TWT, the multiple-beam corrugated waveguide TWT has higher output power, gain and efficiency. The structure is also applicable for the miniaturization of power amplifiers.
In this paper, we present data on recent trends in private consumption and in possible determinants of private consumption (such as GDP, household incomes, household saving rates, household wealth, and employment conditions) in the Group of Seven (G7) countries and find that there has been significant variability among the G7 countries not only in their private consumption growth rates but also in the determinants of private consumption growth during the 2002-07 period. With respect to Japan, we find that private consumption has been relatively stagnant during the 2002-07 period and that the stagnation of private consumption has been due to the stagnation of household income and of household wealth and the relative stability of the household saving rate.
Abstract The harmful dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum reportedly has variable toxicity to grazing animals. We used the bay scallop Argopecten irradians irradians as a bioassay organism to compare expression of harmful effects of P. minimum cultures in growth or senescent phases. The non-toxic alga Rhodomonas sp. was used as a control. Exposure to both types of P. minimum cultures decreased the degree of shell opening, amount of biodeposits produced, motility and byssal-thread attachment. As P. minimum cultures approached senescence, effects became more severe, and mortality increased to 15% in scallops exposed to senescent P. minimum. Pathological effects of P. minimum on scallops included derangements of scallop digestive tubules and the adductor muscles, and abnormal hemocyte distributions, which were more severe in scallops exposed to senescent cultures. These findings help to explain the variable toxicity of P. minimum to scallops and other bivalves reported in the literature. Further, these findings demonstrate that the definition of a “harmful algal bloom” should probably be expanded to include physiological status along with identity and abundance of a phytoplankton species.
BACKGROUND Based on the TAX 327 phase III trial, docetaxel-based chemotherapy is the standard first-line treatment for hormone-resistant prostate cancer (HRPC); however, there is some heterogeneity in the use of this agent in routine clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to examine the patterns of docetaxel use in routine clinical practice at our institution and to compare them with docetaxel use in the TAX 327 clinical trial.   METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of HRPC patients treated with first-line docetaxel between 2005 and 2007 at the Princess Margaret Hospital.   RESULTS In the first-line setting, 88 patients with HRPC received docetaxel. The main reasons for initiating docetaxel were rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA, 98%) and progressive symptoms (77%). The PSA response rate was 67%; median time to response was 1.5 months, and duration of response was 6.8 months. Median survival was 15.9 months (95% confidence interval: 12.4 to 20.5 months). Patients received a median of 7 cycles of treatment, and the main toxicities were fatigue (35%) and neuropathy (24%). Post docetaxel, 36 patients received second-line treatment with a 22% response rate.   CONCLUSIONS In routine clinical practice, HRPC patients received docetaxel mainly because of symptomatic disease progression. Overall response rates and toxicities were comparable to those in the TAX 327 trial. However, our patients received a median of only 7 cycles of treatment versus the 9.5 administered on trial, and survival was slightly shorter in our single-institution study. A larger prospective multicentre analysis, including performance status and quality-of-life parameters, may be warranted to determine if docetaxel performs as well in routine clinical practice as it does in the clinical trial setting.
The article is focused on the evolution mechanism of the ‘inert’ and living world around us, which is determined by the creative function of water. Water and igneous rocks of basic and ultrabasic compositions create an abiogenic dissipative system that never reaches an equilibrium and therefore is capable of maintaining its continuous, strictly directed, geologically long-term development and the formation of numerous new minerals that are paragenetically associated with specific geochemical types of water. This system is equilibrium-nonequilibrium. It develops in a thermodynamic area, far from an equilibrium. It is non-linear, irreversible, and internally contradictory. In this system, water has the creative function: the hydrolysis mechanism continuously dissolves some minerals, with which the system is not in equilibrium, and, at the same time, creates others minerals, with which there is an equilibrium, including the mineral that have been absent on our planet. After the occurrence of photosynthesis, the system was supplemented with organic compounds and developed into the ‘water-rock-gas-organic matter’ system. The mechanisms of this system were generally described by V.I. Vernadsky, and we suggest to name this system after him. The Vernadsky system had not only repeatedly became more and more complicated, but acquired the capability of creating more complex organic compounds from simple carbohydrates, such as proteins, lipids, more complex carbohydrates, hemoglobin etc. With time, these components developed into living organisms. Regardless of the repeated complication of the system, the basic mechanisms of its evolution remain essentially the same, and water has preserved and enhanced its creative function through dissolving simple compounds and creating more complex ones. An important factor in the continuous complication of the system is the natural water cycle.
Progesterone-induced maturation of Xenopus oocytes is a well known example of nongenomic signaling by steroids; however, little is known about the early signaling events involved in this process. Previous work has suggested that G proteins and G protein-coupled receptors may be involved in progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation as well as in other nongenomic steroid-induced signaling events. To investigate the role of G proteins in nongenomic signaling by progesterone, the effects of modulating Galpha and Gbetagamma levels in Xenopus oocytes on progesterone-induced signaling and maturation were examined. Our results demonstrate that Gbetagamma subunits, rather than Galpha, are the principal mediators of progesterone action in this system. We show that overexpression of Gbetagamma inhibits both progesterone-induced maturation and activation of the MAPK pathway, whereas sequestration of endogenous Gbetagamma subunits enhances progesterone-mediated signaling and maturation. These data are consistent with a model whereby endogenous free Xenopus Gbetagamma subunits constitutively inhibit oocyte maturation. Progesterone may induce maturation by antagonizing this inhibition and therefore allowing cell cycle progression to occur. These studies offer new insight into the early signaling events mediated by progesterone and may be useful in characterizing and identifying the membrane progesterone receptor in oocytes.
This article presents the results of a research-creation project undertaken in Brazil during a period of thirty months to assess how journalists of the so-called Generation Z handle emerging technologies and create specific narratives on converging media platforms. The study included 125 university students on a multi-platform journalistic creation project subject to the methods of Paulo Freire’s theory. The results show that Gen Zers establish writing parameters that avoid complex browsing and are based on a virtual newsroom and multitasking. New journalistic models to be led by the students who participated in the study will probably rely on an organizational setting characterized by horizontal decision-making processes and more flexible, democratic production. Immersed in the context of imminent democratic backsliding in Brazil, research participants defined their news agenda as a form of contesting hegemonic discourses.
AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate nurses' perceptions of working according to standardized care plans (SCPs), regarding usability, documentation, quality of care and the implementation process.   BACKGROUND Administrative work is an extensive part of nursing practice which leads to decreased time for the near patient-related care. In addition, the number of very sick patients with short hospital stays has increased. This places new demands on healthcare teams to guarantee a high quality of care. For this reason development and use of standardized care plans has increased in Sweden during recent years.   METHOD This was a cross-sectional survey and 116 registered nurses who had experience of working according SCPs answered a questionnaire with the option of providing written comments.   RESULT The nurses reported that the use of SCPs facilitated their daily work, especially for new employees and worked well as a checklist ensuring the quality of care. The documentation was experienced as easy, less time consuming with less redundant information. The implementation process of SCPs was reported as satisfactory but a majority reported that they were not involved in the development of the SCP. However, even though 85.5% reported a positive attitude towards working according to an SCP, it was also sometimes experienced as inflexible.   CONCLUSION The nurses had overall positive perceptions of working according to an SCP mainly in terms of usability, documentation and quality of care. The implementation process was not optimal and it was doubtful whether the SCP rendered any positive side effects.
The physical properties of an exact solution obtained in non-comoving coordinates are examined. This solution contains acceleration, expansion and shear. We give a sufficient condition for the pressure and the density to be positive and for the weak, strong and dominant energy conditions to be fulfilled. Moreover, the pressure gradient and the density gradient are both negative and equal. The sound speed is real, less than the speed of light and is decreasing outwards. The circumference and the mass function are increasing outwards and the mass function is positive.
Sumatra rain forest is a hot spot for flora and fauna biodiversity in the world and also habitat for many endangered species. Of the mammal species, four key species were found here those were Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae), Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatrensis), Orangutan (Pongo abelii) and Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis). Forest degradation has been a global phenomenon and while being an important indicator to further forest loss, decreasing habitat quality of wild animal and species extinction. Besitang Forest is the habitats for three key mammal species in North Sumatra. Forest conversion, forest disturbance, and human activities in this site threaten the existence of this species. The objective of this research was to determine the spatial model of forest canopy cover and spatial distribution of forest degradation in Besitang Forest in period 2008 - 2016. Forest canopy cover value was estimated through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) value from satellite Landsat imagery using the regression model. Forest degradation was measured by comparing the spatial distribution of forest canopy cover in 2008 and forest canopy cover in 2016. The result showed that NDVI approaches could estimate the forest canopy cover with R2 value 79.0. Forest degradation in Besitang landscape was classified into high (527.85 ha), medium (9,763.83 ha) and low (28,898.73 ha).
Desoris (LLL 3348), a lyophilized aqueous extract prepared from the leaves of Argemone mexicana to treat chronic stable plaque-type psoriasis, was evaluated for reproductive (male and female fertility) and developmental toxicity in rats. Lrrp: Wistar rats were administered orally with LLL 3348 at dose levels of 0 (distilled water), 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg b.wt, and the effects on reproductive parameters were assessed. Sperm parameters (motility, epididymal sperm concentration, testicular sperm head count, and sperm morphology), organ weight, and histology of the male reproductive system were evaluated in the male fertility study. Estrus cyclicity, corpora lutea, implantation sites, litter size at birth, fetal growth, development parameters up to weaning, and organ weight and histology of male and female reproductive systems were assessed in the female fertility study. There were no overt signs of toxicity noted in male and female reproduction parameters in rats up to 1000 mg/kg of LLL 3348 administration. There were no alterations in the male reproductive organ/system, sperm parameters, male and female fertility indices, embryonic development, and pre-wean developmental landmarks of pups. No gross and histological changes were observed in these studies. In a develop mental toxicity study, the test article was administered to pregnant females during gestation (5-19 days) and the fetuses were examined for external, visceral, and skeletal abnormalities. No toxic manifestation was revealed on caesarian section parameters, and no fetus anomalies/abnormalities were found. Therefore, it is concluded that LLL 3348 at the given dose did not produce any significant toxic effect in rats. The No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) for male fertility, female fertility, and developmental toxicity studies was established as 1000 mg/kg in rats.
UFMC is known as the one among novel multi-carrier modulation techniques which are designed for replacing OFDM for 5G wireless communication systems. It is the generalized model of OFDM and FBMC, which combines the advantages of OFDM and FBMC and avoids their weak points. UFMC is more robust in synchronization condition like Time-frequency misalignment compared to CP-OFDM. Moreover UFMC is more proper to burst uplink transmission like M2M 5G Communications. In this paper we analyze the BER performance in various channels and speeds. The simulation result shows that the BER performance is lowered when mobile devices are moving fast and the BER performance is so sensitive for the good channel environment.
Abstract 3196 Congenital dyserythropoietic anemias (CDAs) are rare inherited disorders characterized by impaired red blood cell formation (dyserythropoiesis) and signature cytopathologies. CDA type I is an autosomal recessive disease with macrocytic anemia and occasional bone abnormalities. Erythroid precursors exhibit pathognomonic abnormalities including internuclear chromatin bridges and spongy (“Swiss cheese”) heterochromatin. The disease is caused by biallelic mutations in the gene CDANI (Dgany et al., 2002), which encodes codanin-1, a ubiquitously expressed protein that is believed to have fundamental roles in cell cycle control and chromatin structure (Noy-Lotan et. al, 2009). Animal models for the study of CDA I are suboptimal and clinical samples are scarce. Thus, we have developed an experimental model for the study of CDA I by generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from affected patients. We reprogrammed fibroblasts from CDA I patients and normal subjects using a single lentiviral vector encoding OCT4 , KLF4 , SOX2 , and MYC. The resultant iPSCs exhibited standard criteria for pluripotency and the integrated reprogramming vector was excised using Cre-lox technology. We differentiated CDA I and control iPSCs into erythroid progenitors by inducing the formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) with stepwise additions of supportive cytokines. Beginning at about day 8, hematopoietic progenitors with erythroid potential were detected within EBs and as free-floating cells in the medium. Our differentiation protocol showed two waves of erythroid precursor production. Early EBs (days 12 to 23) produced erythroid cells that expressed mainly epsilon globin, resembling early yolk sac type “primitive” erythropoiesis. In contrast, erythroblasts produced from later EBs (days 27 to 50) expressed mainly gamma globins, resembling “definitive” erythroid cells produced by late stage yolk sac and fetal liver. Our preliminary studies, indicate that CDA I iPSCs produce normal numbers of primitive and definitive erythrocytes. No defects in survival or maturation were detected by flow cytometry assessing the expression of annexin V and the developmental stage markers CD235/CD71/forward scatter. However, definitive type (but not primitive) erythroblasts derived from CDA I iPSCs exhibit some characteristic pathological features including occasional internuclear chromatin bridging visible by light microscopy and spongy “Swiss cheese” heterochromatin revealed by transmission electron microscopy. Thus, patient-derived iPSCs can model at least some aspects of CDA I and provide the basis for future studies to define the actions of codanin-1 and the pathophysiology of this disorder. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
The use of new geo-information technologies helps to develop new methods of acquiring learning competencies and contributes to improving the quality of engineering education. Experiential learning has many benefits for engineering students; however, there are limitations on the use of laboratories at the university for lack of facilities, equipment and accessibility. The use of a three-dimensional visual immersion system offers the feeling of being present in these scenarios, that otherwise, either by distance or difficult access, it would be very difficult to bring them closer to the students. The objective of this study is to create an immersive 3D learning environment in which an agri-food laboratory is integrated. The interactive 3D virtual application is developed by the Unity video game engine. The experience of the project is integrated into an immersive visualization module of free access to the students on the research group's website. The results show that the use of new learning environments has contributed to both improving learning skills and experimenting in little accessible or dangerous spaces. The use of mobile devices and VR glasses increases understanding and accessibility outside the teaching schedule to shared content.
Modern industrial enterprises are equipped with the expensive and unique equipment. In use they lose their technical and operational qualities, mainly because of depreciation and destruction of separate details, thus reducing the accuracy, capacity, performance and other parameters. Smooth operation of the equipment with the set precision characteristics requires systematic maintenance, current and capital repairs. Maintenance is the repair which is carried out for maintenance of the equipment consisting in replacement and restoration of its separate components. Capital repair is the repair which is carried out for ensuring serviceability and full or close to full restoration of the equipment service life with replacement or restoration of any parts including basic ones (basic implies here the main part of the equipment intended for configuration and installation of other components on it). The post repair resource of the equipment must be not less than 80% of a resource of the new equipment. Costs for capital repairs are performed by the enterprise due to the depreciation charges. Capital repairs exert impact on the market value of the equipment, with account of the repair the market value of the equipment sharply increases. The paper describes the algorithm of economic standards' calculation for the equipment maintenance and repair planning and determination of the equipment market value. Besides, the flowchart for the economic standard calculation is presented.
Intercellular communication is a critical process that ensures cooperation between distinct cell types at the embryo–maternal interface. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are considered to be potent mediators of this communication by transferring biological information in their cargo (e.g. miRNAs) to the recipient cells. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that affect the function and fate of neighboring and distant cells by regulating gene expression. Focusing on the maternal side of the dialog, we recently revealed the impact of embryonic signals, including miRNAs, on EV-mediated cell-to-cell communication. In this study, we show the regulatory mechanism of the miR-125b-5p ESCRT-mediated EV biogenesis pathway and the further secretion of EVs by trophoblasts at the time when the crucial steps of implantation are taking place. To test the ability of miR-125b-5p to influence the expression of genes involved in the generation and release of EV subpopulations in porcine conceptuses, we used an ex vivo approach. Next, in silico and in vitro analyses were performed to confirm miRNA–mRNA interactions. Finally, EV trafficking and release were assessed using several imaging and particle analysis tools. Our results indicated that conceptus development and implantation are accompanied by changes in the abundance of EV biogenesis and trafficking machinery. ESCRT-dependent EV biogenesis and the further secretion of EVs were modulated by miR-125b-5p, specifically impacting the ESCRT-II complex (via VPS36) and EV trafficking in primary porcine trophoblast cells. The identified miRNA–ESCRT interplay led to the generation and secretion of specific subpopulations of EVs. miRNA present at the embryo–maternal interface governs EV-mediated communication between the mother and the developing conceptus, leading to the generation, trafficking, and release of characteristic subpopulations of EVs.
Discharge of subsurface fluids (water, oil and gas) causes land subsidence and earth fissures. Numerical simulation of land movement due to groundwater withdrawal from an aquifer system has been conducted in this paper. A hyperbolic stress-strain relation has been introduced, which leads to a stress- dependent specific storage coefficient and further to a nonlinear flow equation. Three secondary physical laws and a bulk flow relation have been invoked to develop a new module that is incorporated into the parent code MODFLOW. A conceptual model for an aquifer system with a well has been established. Three-dimensional land movement due to discharge has been simulated using both linear and nonlinear models. The results indicate that land movement using a linear model can be likely overestimated when compared to that using a nonlinear model. This conclusion is consistent with the stress-dependent specific storage coefficient derived in this paper. The numerical simulation demonstrates that a hyperbolic model may provide better prediction than an exponential model, another nonlinear model previously applied. Sensitivity analysis of parameters indicates that the hydraulic diffusivity plays a significant role in response to land movement while pumping.
Abstract Making use of the recent publication of a catalogue of spider species from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, we built a computer database which indexes all specific and subspecific taxa reported from countries or islands in Platnick's world catalogue as well as in regional or national catalogues. We used this database to analyze the distribution of conservation values at the West Palearctic scale. Three indices of conservation value were calculated and compared between mainland and island territories: species richness, number of endemic species, and Ic, a “Conservation Value Index.” Species richness increases with the size of the area being considered, either in islands or in mainland countries, and is highest in Southern Europe. The number of endemics also increases with area, but only for mainland countries, suggesting that different factors determine endemism on islands and in mainland areas. The conservation index shows that several island territories are of a high conservation interest: the Mediterranean and Atlantic islands clearly exhibit the highest conservation value and some islands (mainly Canary and Balearic islands) can be considered hotspots of biodiversity for the West Palearctic area; other hotspots are some small Mediterranean islands.
A methodology for secondary math teachers, designed to introduce information technology through Interactive Instructors of Recreational Mathematics (IIRM) and an electronic ludic learning environment in its practice, is studied. First, an instrument designed to find the level of knowledge of the teachers in information technologies was applied. We show the preliminary results of applying this device in 20 secondary schools of the region, which allowed us to choose three different representative scenarios, to make the case of study. As a result of the observations and interviews that were made, we show the form in which the teachers obtained a greater degree of interaction and participation from the students in the particular subjects that were taught. It allowed them to identify different levels of abilities and different learning progress among the students. Another important result of the investigation is the stable and reliable answer of the learning environment in realistic scenarios.
The present investigation aims at studying the effect of mixed surfactant system of sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and alkyl polyglucosides (C10APG, C12APG and C12/14APG) on dissolution rate enhancement of poorly water soluble drug. Aceclofenac—a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent was used as a model drug as it has limited water solubility. The influence of the surfactant concentration in various blends on dissolution rate of Solid Dispersion (SD), prepared using solution method with ethanol as the solvent was studied and the advantage of mixed surfactant systems over the individual surfactants was illustrated by differences in the in-vitro dissolution profiles of SD. Physico chemical evaluation (critical micellar concentration, zeta potential and β-parameter calculations) was carried out to study the mixed surfactant systems. Solid mixtures were characterized by Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR); X-ray diffraction studies (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was seen that the dissolution rate of aceclofenac from SD increased with the increase in the APG proportion relative to SLS with the optimum ratio of 0.2 SLS:0.8 APG showing the best effect in all cases. Results obtained from physico-chemical evaluation (the decrease in the value of critical micelle concentration and higher negative value of β-parameters) suggested the existence of synergism between surfactants blends. The observed results in the dissolution rate enhancement could be attributed to the drug—surfactant interactions as evident from FT-IR, SEM and XRD results.
In this letter, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) based on excited-states injection are presented. The operating voltage is significantly reduced compared with the conventional ground-state injection design. Devices emitting at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ sim 5.25 mu  text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> were fabricated through standard buried-heterostructure processing. Stable single-mode emission was observed by implementing a buried first-order distributed feedback (DFB) grating. The maximum output power of the DFB QCL with 2-mm cavity length was more than 300 mW at 10 °C with a high wall-plug efficiency of 5.6% in continuous-wave mode.
BACKGROUND Dysregulation of cytokines has been implicated in the pathogenesis of HIV infection. Therefore, we determined tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-4, IL-10, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA and serum levels in HIV-infected patients under nonstimulated conditions. MATERIAL AND METHODS Blood samples of 32 HIV-infected patients and 10 healthy HIV-negative controls were analyzed. Cytokine serum levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cytokine mRNA levels were determined semiquantitatively by competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and expressed as ratios relative to those of beta-actin. RESULTS Competitive RT-PCR was shown to be more sensitive than protein ELISA in analyzing cytokine production. We found a significant correlation between steady-state mRNA ratios and serum protein levels for TNF-alpha. Significantly higher cytokine mRNA ratios were found in those patients with IL-10 and IFN-gamma levels detectable by ELISA. Steady-state mRNA ratios of TNF-alpha, IL-4, and IL-10 were significantly increased in patients with highly replicative HIV-infection. Furthermore, elevated IL-4:IFN-gamma ratios were related to both high viral load and loss of CD4 cells. DISCUSSION Determination of steady-state mRNA ratios by semiquantitative RT-PCR represents a sensitive method to analyze cytokines in peripheral blood of HIV-infected patients under nonstimulated conditions. The data obtained with this technique provide further evidence for a T(H)1 to T(H)2 cytokine shift with progressive HIV disease.
Stabilization of carbocations through donation of π electrons from adjacent carbon orbitals results in well-known species such as the allyl and benzyl cations. Adjacent nonbonding (n) electrons on heteroatoms also can provide considerable stabilization, as in oxonium ions such as CH2dOCH3 and iminium ions such as CH2dN(CH3)2. Less well known is stabilization of carbocations by σ orbitals. In its most common example this interaction provides stabilization of tertiary over secondary over primary carbocations. According to the valence bond representation of this interaction, a filled σ orbital donates electrons to an empty π orbital, as in 1 and 2 (R ) H).
Pallidal stimulation is widely used in the treatment of movement disorder in adults but is less well reported in the treatment of dystonia in children. Despite inconsistent results in the past, its use in dystonia in Parkinson's disease is again attracting interest with promising results. Bilateral as well as unilateral pallidotomies have been performed and are felt to be required in some cases of dystonia. Use of depth electrodes to provide long-term electrical stimulation to pallidum and other basal ganglia structures has recently become more widespread. This technique is felt to have a lower morbidity, especially in bilateral procedures. Here we present the case of an 11-year-old boy with severe hyperkinetic movement disorder who showed sustained improvement after bilateral pallidal stimulation implantation.
As part of a program to investigate the effectiveness of vortex breakdown in bioreactors for cell and tissue growth, a nonintrusive method of flow control is presented. A small rotating disk flush-mounted opposite to the rotating lid in a confined cylindrical vessel is found to precipitate or delay the onset of vortex breakdown depending on whether it is corotating or counterrotating, respectively. Furthermore, corotation increases the bubble radial and axial dimensions while shifting the bubble in the upstream direction. By contrast, counterrotation tends to reduce the size of the bubble, or completely suppress it, while shifting the bubble in the downstream direction. It has also been shown that corotating swirl addition using the small disk is orders of magnitude more energy efficient in manipulating the vortex breakdown bubble than using end wall rotation.
Human milk contains growth modulators of potential clinical importance to the neonate. Evidence from animal and cell culture models as well as ancillary evidence about their stability and the way some of them are processed for secretion suggest they are probably physiologically significant. Their presence in human milk does not by itself establish their importance; however, it is useful to explore their potential functional roles. Growth modulators present in human milk include: EGF, NGF, certain enzymes, and taurine.
A catalytically active r subunit of phosphorylase kinase was prepared from pure, but inactive r subunit obtained by reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC procedure leaves the isolated r subunit in 50% acetonitrile and 0.09% trifluoroacetic acid (pH 2.5), and assay of this species at pH 8.2 indicates that it is inactive. Reactivation occurred, however, when the HPLC-isolated r subunit was diluted into an ice-cold, pH 8.2 buffer containing both calcium and calmodulin. Optimum reactivation depended on time, temperature, concentration of the HPLC solvent components, r subunit concentration, pH, the presence of both calcium and calmodulin, and an additional protein such as bovive serum albumin or phosphorylase b. Studies of the reactivated r subunit in the presence of the reactivation mixture indicate that this sample has properties similar to a y5 subunit complex. Like the yJ subunit complex, the catalytic activity of the reactivated r subunit species is not significantly affected by pH within the range of pH 6.8 to pH 8.2 and is inhibited 70% by removal of Ca+2. A reactivated r subunit free of calmodulin was also obtained. This was done by first substituting agarose-bound
In this paper, we present human interface software of our dental surgical system. The system is based on mixed reality. With the help of this, a student virtually scrapes a concave tooth by a bar located at the tip of turbine. First of all, all dental data of teeth, dental bar, dental turbine, and dental mirror are captured from a dental CT-scanner as triangular polyhedrons with the STL formal. Secondly, by using GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), we convert many triangular polyhedrons (STL) of teeth and dental bars into octrees (a set of voxels) and sets of points, respectively. Then, we develop an efficient interference check algorithm between octree-based tooth and point-based bar. On the basis of the digital algorithm, we identify their intersection points quickly. Moreover, according to the intersection set, we scrape an octree-based tooth by a point-based bar, and simultaneously make an artificial force and moment quickly. Finally, a dental doctor flexibly selects visual and tactile parameters according to their many experiences. On the other hand, our dental surgical system evaluates a student operation against a professional one by comparing their scraping teeth shapes. For this reason, all the students learn many surgical operations in our system on demand via PC and internet.
Service robots are expected to work in real world scenarios which are dynamic in nature. The traversable and non-traversable passages of the environment might change at different times. For example, it is common for some of the passages or areas in the map to be inac-cessible due to cleaning, repair works, or other reasons. On the other hand, some passages in the environment could have a high congestion of people compared to other passages. This requires a feature to alter the path of the robots to address these dynamic changes, instead of only relying on the shortest paths criterion. To this end, this paper proposes Transient Virtual Obstacles (TVO): a method to actively block desired paths by using virtual obstacles. The virtual obstacles can be placed or removed by a user anywhere in the map for programmable intervals. The robot’s plan their paths considering the virtual obstacles, thereby blocking certain paths, and planning the desired trajectories through speciﬁc paths. Another major advantage of the proposed TVO algorithm is that the existing robot path planner does not needs to be modiﬁed. The proposed TVO is tested in both simulation and real environments and results are discussed highlighting the merits of safe mobile robot navigation.
Nuclear receptors (NRs) are high-interest targets in drug discovery because of their involvement in numerous biological processes and diseases. Classically, NRs are targeted via their hydrophobic, orthosteric pocket. Although successful, this approach comes with challenges, including off-target effects due to lack of selectivity. Allosteric modulation of NR activity constitutes a promising pharmacological strategy. The retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor-γt (RORγt) is a constitutively active NR that positively regulates the expression of interleukin-17 in T helper 17 cells. Inhibiting this process is an emerging strategy for managing autoimmune diseases. Recently, an allosteric binding pocket in the C-terminal region of the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of RORγt was discovered that is amenable to small-molecule drug discovery. Compounds binding this pocket induce a reorientation of helix 12, thereby preventing coactivator recruitment. Therefore, inverse agonists binding this site with high affinity are actively being pursued. To elucidate the pocket formation mechanism, verify the uniqueness of this pocket, and substantiate the relevance of targeting this site, here we identified the key characteristics of the RORγt allosteric region. We evaluated the effects of substitutions in the LBD on coactivator, orthosteric, and allosteric ligand binding. We found that two molecular elements unique to RORγt, the length of helix 11′ and a Gln-487 residue, are crucial for the formation of the allosteric pocket. The unique combination of elements present in RORγt suggests a high potential for subtype-selective targeting of this NR to more effectively treat patients with autoimmune diseases.
During the last decade there have been a number of reports dealing with the occurrence of cancer of the thyroid. These articles have placed particular emphasis upon the incidence of cancer in the nontoxic solitary thyroid tumor. Ward 1 in 1947 reported a 15.6% incidence in nontoxic solitary nodular goiter. Cole 2 in 1949 reported an incidence of 24.4%, and Crile 3 in the same year found an incidence of 24.5% in this type of goiter. Previous to this time the nodular goiter had been classified as toxic or nontoxic, and the importance of the solitary type of nontoxic nodular goiter had not been emphasized. This high incidence (24.5%) of cancer is in great contrast to the findings of Watt, 4 who in 1951 reported an incidence of 2.5% of cancer in nontoxic solitary nodular goiters from an Atlantic seaboard area. Sokal * in three recent articles has presented a statistical
Purpose To determine the relationship of PET/CT staging to the management and outcomes of participants with apparent limited-stage (LS) Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) or aggressive non-HL (ANHL) treated with curative intent. Materials and Methods This prospective multicenter registry included 850 participants (467 men and 383 women; median age, 54.1 years) from nine centers who had LS HL or ANHL on the basis of clinical data and CT, or with equivocal CT for advanced stage, who were considered for curative-intent first-line therapy. Participants were recruited between May 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. Pre-PET/CT treatment plan was compared with treatment provided. Survival and second-line therapy initiation were compared with an historical control pool staged by using CT alone. Administrative data sources were used to control for baseline characteristics. Outcomes were assessed by using adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression and propensity score matching. Results PET/CT helped to upstage 150 of 850 participants (17.6%). There was a change in planned therapy in 224 of 580 (38.6%) of participants after PET/CT. There was a lower 1-year mortality for participants with ANHL in the PET/CT versus CT cohort (hazard ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval: 0.40, 1.0; P < .05) and for those with LS at PET/CT compared with those with LS at CT (hazard ratio, 0.40; 95% confidence interval: 0.21, 0.74; P = .004). For participants with HL, no 1-year outcome difference was found (P = .16). Conclusion PET/CT helped to upstage approximately 18% of participants and planned management was frequently altered. Participants with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma whose first-line therapy was guided by PET/CT had significantly better survival compared with participants whose treatment was guided by CT. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Scott in this issue.
The patient content of a pediatric internship was studied. While 60% of the internship is spent on inpatient services, almost 90% of the defined patient contacts occurred in the ambulatory services. The intern was more likely to provide care to advantaged families in the inpatient services. In this paper the development of a teaching program in the ambulatory services is suggested as an essential part of pediatric education.
This paper challenges the criterion of size of firm as a basis for determining whether it is engaged in macromarketing management. Instead, it argues for the use of the consequences of managers’ actions for society and trade-off between these consequences. It also argues for using the marketing system, including all marketing related transactions, as part of the broader social system on which the marketing system impacts. Linking the impacts dimension helps to explain the source of their influence on the social system. These impacts can be further examined from positive or normative viewpoints. The social system also impacts on the marketing system via the sanction power of marketing publics.
Main regularities of the development of soils of dry and desert steppes of drained landscapes on southeast Russian plain have been established basing on studies of under-kurgan pedochronosequences (6000– 3000 years ago). During IV–III mil. BC soil evolution occurred on the subtype level with shifts of soil subzones boundaries towards the north. Each of natural regions studied (Srednerusskaya, Yergeninskaya uplands, Cis-Caspian lowland) clearly demonstrated strengthening of climate aridization in the second half of III mil. BC. It had led to convergence of soil cover with transformation of dark-chestnut, chestnut, and light-chestnut soils into chestnut-like semidesert ones, which dominated in the region within the time-window 4200–3900 years ago. In the fi rst half of II mil. BC the next change of conditions of soil formation provoked by an increase of the rate of atmospheric humidity had started. It had conditioned the divergence of soil cover with secondary formation of areas of zonal chestnut soils and solonetzes on the places of chestnut-like ones by the middle of II mil. BC. The data obtained allow us to consider that the age of modern chestnut solonetz complexes in the region does not exceed 3500 years.
Substantiation of the research objectives:The current situation on the labor market imposes new requirements on university graduates, who at the time of graduation from higher educational institutions must have competencies that ensure their competitiveness. Some inconsistency between professional and educational standards gives rise to a contradiction that modern young professionals are forced to solve when entering an independent working life. These risks can be significantly reduced if, during the period of study, students form a harmonious hierarchy of motives in the structure of professional motivation, a realistic level of aspirations and a professionally determined life position. All this determinesthe purpose of the study: to reveal the features of the hierarchy of motives in the structure of educational and professional motivation of graduates-psychologists of higher educational institutions and the level of their aspirations for future activities.Research methods:method of theoretical analysis and systematization of scientific ideas; ascertaining experiment; methodology for determining the level of personality aspirations (V.K. Gerbachevsky); method of mathematical statistics - Student's t-test.Research results.The study made it possible to establish that the group of leading and accompanying motives of educational and professional activity of psychology students includes: a cognitive motive, a motive for the regularity of the intended results, a motive for self-esteem of personal potential, a motive for self-mobilization. The average level of formation of personality aspirations in future activities was revealed. A correlation relationship has been established between the level of students' aspirations and the leading motives: the cognitive motive and the motive of the regularity of the intended results.Key findings and their significance.In the course of the study, the features in the structure of the hierarchy of educational and professional motivation of psychology students were revealed, the level of their aspirations was determined. This is consistent with the specifics of psychological and pedagogical activity, since it reflects the personal meaning and determines the life-meaning orientations of this activity for future psychologists in the field of education. The data of the conducted study can be useful in the implementation of effective psychological and pedagogical support of students receiving a profession of a humanistic orientation.
Background: People who experience incarceration have poor health across a variety of indicators, but we lack population-level data on the health of females in particular. We examined the health status of females released from provincial prison, and compared their data with data for males released from provincial prison and females in the general population in Ontario, Canada in 2010. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked correctional and health administrative data. We compared sociodemographic data, morbidity, mortality, and use of health care for (1) females released from provincial prison in 2010, (2) males released from provincial prison in 2010, and (3) age-matched females in the general population. Results: Females in the incarceration group (N = 6,107) were more likely to have higher morbidity and specific psychiatric conditions compared with the male incarceration group (N = 42,754) and the female general population group (N = 24,428). Their mortality rate postrelease was several times higher than that for the female general population group. They used primary care more often than both comparator groups across all time periods, and they used emergency departments more often compared with the female general population group and in most periods postrelease compared with the male incarceration group. They also tended to have higher rates of medical-surgical and psychiatric hospitalization. Conclusion: Females who experience incarceration have worse health overall than males who experience incarceration and females in the general population. Efforts should be made to reform programs and policies in the criminal justice and health care systems to support and promote health for females who experience incarceration.
A piecewise linear (PWL) continuous map is used to analyze the nonsmooth bifurcation phenomena in a single-inductor two-output (SITO) DC–DC converter under a PWM interleaved control scheme. This map models the dynamical behavior of the converter when the waveforms of the inductor current can be approximated by straight lines during each switching subinterval. The parameter space is constrained by the interleaving control and the physical restriction on the values of some parameters. The main focus of this paper is on the existence and stability conditions of the rich variety of k-periodic orbits and the different bifurcation patterns that can be exhibited in this system. The analytical results in the form of 1-D and 2-D bifurcation diagrams are compared with numerical simulations obtained from the circuit-based switched model getting a good agreement between the two approaches.
A reliable tuber yield prognosis requires a complex statistical analysis of potato nutritional status in the fully developed 4th leaf at the onset of tuberisation. This hypothesis was validated in the series of field experiments conducted in 2006–2008 in Poland. The experimental design was composed of two nitrogen (N) rates (60, 120 kg/ha), two N fertilisers (Urea and Agrotain), two rates of sulfur (0, 50 kg/ha). The marketable tuber yield of cv. Zeus ranged from 31.3 to 59.3 t/ha in 2008 and 2006, respectively. Despite annual variability, the potato presented a good nutritional status. In 2008, the contents of N, Mg, Cu and Zn were about 33% lower as compared to 2006. The stepwise and path analyses indicated N, Mg and Cu as the key yield-limiting nutrients. The diagnosis and recommendation integrated system (DRIS) showed that a slight imbalance of N and Mg did not disturb tuber yield, provided a positive balance of K was maintained. The Mg index, as a result of the DRIS procedure, emerged as the best single predictor of potato yield.
This paper describes a unique initiative between Manitoba Health and Brandon University to meet the current challenge of distance education for community health nurses employed by Manitoba Health. In November 1988, a strategy paper was approved, allowing Manitoba Health to contract with Brandon University to facilitate access to university courses. Incentives to encourage Manitoba Health employees to take advantage of these courses included reimbursement for work time and travel and hotel costs to attend associated laboratory sessions provided at off-campus sites (distance education). These incentives provided employees with evidence of tangible support for continuing education. This pioneering venture between two complex organizations demonstrated commitment to further education as well as the ability to initiate a collaborative enterprise.
The determination of thermal expansion coefficient of materials is a representative experiment in thermal experiments.With the application of modern computer methods to experiments,When measuring the material’s thermal expansion coefficient, the thermal expansion coefficient of the material is calculated by measuring the distance between the diffraction stripes. However, there are significant errors in conventional methods, because of the limitation of the observation of diffraction stripes through human eyes. By improving the receiving device, the diffraction fringe is monitored in real time by using a CCD data acquisition system, which is not only easy to operate, but also reduces the coefficient of thermal expansion of the calculated material by computer programming, which is close to the real value.
The workload and stress associated with corrfigural displays in two vigilance tasks were investigated. Two kinds of configural displays were employed: A bar graph display and an object display. A non-configural bar graph display served as a control group. Relative to the non-configural display, both configural displays improved performance in a task requiring integration of information, but were not significantly different from the control group in a task requiring focused attention to display elements. The object display reduced workload in both tasks, but the bar graph configural display did not. Results showed a complex pattern of association/dissociation of workload with performance. Self reports of stress revealed that the tasks were stressful but that configural displays did not reduce the stress of either task.
In this paper, we present a novel comparison between the robustness against noise of Hu, Legendre, pseudo-Zernike and Krawtchouk invariant moments and even more of invariant analytical Fourier-Mellin transform for multi-oriented, multi-scaled and noisy printed Eastern Arabic numerals recognition. These descriptors are used to extract the features from all numeral images. For this purpose in order to pre-process each one of them, we have used the median filter and the thresholding technique for enhancing its quality, while for recognizing each unknown numeral we have exploited the support vectors machine. Furthermore for carrying out efficiently this comparison, we introduce new concepts which are the threshold and the interval of stability of each invariant descriptor and for each Eastern Arabic numeral. The experiments that we have obtained have provided very satisfactory results.
Abstract We propose a first-order bias correction term for the Gini index to reduce the bias due to grouping. It depends on only the number of individuals in each group and is derived from a measurement error framework. We also provide a formula for the remaining second-order bias. Both Monte Carlo and EU and U.S. empirical evidence show that the first-order correction reduces a considerable share of the bias, but that some remaining second-order bias is increasing in the variance. We propose a procedure that addresses the remaining second-order bias by using additional information.
Turmeric powder (Curcuma longa L.) is valued both for its medicinal properties and for its popular culinary use, such as being a component in curry powder. Due to its high demand in international trade, turmeric powder has been subject to economically driven, hazardous chemical adulteration. This study utilized Fourier Transform-Raman (FT-Raman) and Fourier Transform-Infra Red (FT-IR) spectroscopy as separate but complementary methods for detecting metanil yellow adulteration of turmeric powder. Sample mixtures of turmeric powder and metanil yellow were prepared at concentrations of 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 5%, 1%, and 0.01% (w/w). FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra were acquired for these mixture samples as well as for pure samples of turmeric powder and metanil yellow. Spectral analysis showed that the FT-IR method in this study could detect the metanil yellow at the 5% concentration, while the FT-Raman method appeared to be more sensitive and could detect the metanil yellow at the 1% concentration. Relationships between metanil yellow spectral peak intensities and metanil yellow concentration were established using representative peaks at FT-Raman 1406 cm−1 and FT-IR 1140 cm−1 with correlation coefficients of 0.93 and 0.95, respectively.
We verified the feasibility of an alternative solution to generate temperature and pressure profiles with the U.S. standard atmosphere model (USSA-76). We simultaneously integrated this model with conventional meteorological parameters measured by a weather station in the course of estimating the refractive index structure constant (C n2). Moreover, a continuous-time-series estimation method of the refractive index structure constant was established within the marine atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) based on wind data obtained from a coherent Doppler wind lidar (CDWL). We also analyzed the optical turbulence characteristics induced by wind shear during the conducted experiment. Laminated and patchy stratified turbulences, which affect the performance of imaging and light transmission systems, were found within the marine ABL. Additionally, the relationship between the ABL and all atmospheric optical turbulence factors shows that the ratio of marine ABL in the entire layer differs from that reported in previous studies. Moreover, the influence of thermal turbulence factors within the marine ABL was less than that of the entire layer in our case. We report a real-time C n2 estimation method based on a CDWL. The characteristics of the marine ABL C n2 constitute a reference for optoelectronic applications.
Eugenol is a major phenolic component with diverse biological activities. However, it is difficult to formulate into an aqueous solution due to poor water solubility, and this limits its application. In the present study, eugenol nanoliposomes (EN) were prepared by combining the ethanol injection method with the dynamic high-pressure microfluidization method. Good physicochemical characterizations of EN were obtained. The successful encapsulation of eugenol in nanoliposomes was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A good storage stability of EN was confirmed by its low variation of average particle diameter and encapsulation efficiency after 8 weeks of storage. No oil drops were found in EN after 8 weeks of storage at 4°C and at room temperature, which suggested that the poor water solubility of eugenol was overcome by nanoliposome encapsulation. Compared with that of eugenol solution, a relatively good sustained release property was observed in EN. The antibacterial activity of EN against four common foodborne pathogenic bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes) was evaluated in both Luria broth and milk medium.
Abstract. The accurate determination of the height of agricultural crops helps to predict yield, biomass etc. These relationships are of great importance not only for crop production but also in grassland management, because the available biomass and food quality are valuable information. However there is no cost efficient and automatic system for the determination of the crop height available. 3D-point clouds generated from high resolution UAS imagery offer a new alternative. Two different approaches for crop height determination are presented. The "difference method" were the canopy height is determined by taking the difference between a current UAS-surface model and an existing digital terrain model (DTM) is the most suited and most accurate method. In situ measurements, vegetation indices and yield observations correlate well with the determined UAS crop heights.
BACKGROUND Epilepsy with a genetic background is increasingly being identified. In certain dog breeds, epilepsy occurs with a higher prevalence than the estimate of 1-2% reported in the general dog population.   HYPOTHESIS The Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (PBGV) experiences an increased occurrence of epilepsy compared to the general dog population.   ANIMALS The target population consisted of all 876 PBGV dogs registered in the Danish Kennel Club from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2008. The study population included 820 dogs that met the inclusion criteria.   METHODS A population study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in the Danish PBGV population. A mailed questionnaire was used to detect possible signs of epilepsy. The information was subsequently validated by telephone interviews of positive and possible positive responders and a negative responder control group, using an extensive questionnaire developed to detect epilepsy. Dogs evaluated as epilepsy positive after the telephone interview were offered a clinical investigation.   RESULTS The prevalence of epilepsy was estimated to be 8.9% (42/471) in the PBGV population. Average age of onset was 26.3 months. Sex and mode of response did not affect the prevalence, but a strong litter effect was seen. Among euthanized dogs, epilepsy was the predominant cause (6/45 = 13.3%).   CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen dogs experience an increased risk of epilepsy characterized by a relatively early onset and dominated by focal seizures with and without secondary generalization. With an estimated prevalence of 8.9% and substantial clustering within litters, a genetic factor associated with epilepsy is suspected.
In this study the ultrastructural and histochemical characteristics of the flexor tibialis muscle fibers of the specialized metathoracic legs in the male and those of homologous and unspecialized ones in the female stick insects, Eurycantha calcarata, L, were examined. For the ultrastructural analysis, the muscle was divided longitudinally and vertically to produce a total of 12 sample parts e.g., anterior-dorsal-distal (ADD), posterior-ventral-medial (PVM) and so on. Light and electron microscopes were used to observe the muscle tissue. The methods for myosin adenosine triphosphatase (mATPase) and nicotine adenine dinucleotide- tetrazolium (NADH-TR) staining were modified from the methods of (Stokes et al., '79; Anttila et al., 2009; Anttila and Manttari, 2009). Sections with thickness of 22 μm, were cut from the anterior and the posterior surfaces of the muscle, using a cryostat. The histochemical and ultrastructural results showed that the muscles of both the male and the female were mixtures of physiological fiber types, with predominantly fast fibers. The muscles were composed of fibers with different staining properties for both mATPase and NADH-TR activities. The population of fibers within the muscles was heterogeneous. The differences between the population of the male and that of the female were significant. The means of most criteria e.g., mitochondrial amount and sarcoplasmic reticulum area predicted that the muscle of the male contained more fast fibers than the female. The histochemical examination also showed that the muscle of the male contained more fibers stained darkly for mATPase and lightly for NADH-TR.
Abstract Objective: Nationwide data were collected concerning serious, disabling injuries requiring hospitalization (SDIH) or deaths among urban emergency medical services (EMS) providers. Design and Setting: A mail survey of EMS systems was conducted among the 200 most populated U.S. cities. Participants: Participants were training and operations officers of urban EMS systems. Measurements and Main Results: Ninety forms (45%) were returned with 88 evaluable (44%). There were 81 SDIHs for a rate of one in 31,616 dispatches. No deaths were reported. Body parts most frequently injured were the hand (22%), head (19%), foot (16%), and eye (14%). Although 90% of fire-based EMS systems (fire-EMS) provided helmets, eye protection, safety shoes, and gloves, less than half (45%) of nonfire-EMS did so. Three (4%) SDIHs resulted from acts of violence. Conclusion: Occupational injuries of EMS personnel are at a serious level. Fire-based EMS systems experienced a higher rate of hand SDIHs despite the provision of protective equipment. Few nonfire-EMS staff are provided with safety equipment, which may have resulted in a relatively high number of head and hand SDIHs. Fire-EMS medical directors need to take an active role in verifying that protective equipment is adequate and appropriate to allow the performance of field EMS duties without being too cumbersome. Medical directors of nonfire-EMS must be advocates for the provision of basic protective equipment aimed at mitigating SDIHs of EMS staff.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of changes in body mass, fat reserves and feeding activity on circulating levels of lipids, glucose, protein and metabolic hormones in a vespertilionid bat, Scotophilus heathi. Furthermore, the relationship between changes in metabolic factors and hormones with the unique reproductive features of female S. heathi was also examined. The results of this study showed annual variation in body mass, fat reserve and feeding activity, which correlated significantly with circulating levels of lipids, protein and metabolic hormones. Increased corticosterone level during September-October in S. heathi promotes increased feeding activity, which in turn induces hyperinsulinemia in S. heathi during November. Hyperinsulinemia together with low body temperature in November facilitates fat accumulation in bat. Coinciding with the period of fat accumulation raises serum leptin level, which has been demonstrated to suppress ovarian activities thus causing delayed ovulation in S. heathi. Circulating levels of lipids were high during winter dormancy, which may provide energy to stored sperms. The study thus suggests that the unique reproductive features of female vespertilionid bat are strongly linked to fat deposition.
This paper describes noise reduction combining microphones and laser listening devices. A microphone array is one of the useful approaches for reducing the noise. However, when the microphones are mounted on robot systems, the problem of internal noise from robots such as motors and gears arises. It is difficult to reduce the internal noise utilizing the conventional microphone array because the noise source is extremely close to the microphones. As the internal noise is not always stationary or sparse, some useful blind source separation (BSS) approaches such as Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and sparseness approach cannot be employed. Our aim is to reduce the internal noise by a sensor fusion of microphones and laser listening devices. In this paper, we describe the problem of the typical microphone array and show the design of the laser listening devices. Noise reduction combining microphones and laser listening devices is then described. Experimental results are also given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
BACKGROUND Chronological changes in ablation lesions after cryoballoon ablation (CBA) and hot balloon ablation (HBA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) remain unclear.   METHODS Of 90 patients who underwent initial balloon-based catheter ablation of AF and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) 3 months after ablation, data from 48 propensity score-matched patients (24 per group; 34 males; age 62±10 years) were analyzed. High-density pulmonary vein-left antrum (PV-LA) voltage mapping was performed after PV isolation, and low voltage areas around the PV ostia were defined as the total acute ablation lesion area (cm2). cMRI-derived dense fibrotic tissue localized around PVs was defined as the total chronic ablation lesion area (cm2). The percentage of total ablation lesion areas to total PV-LA surface area (%ablation lesion) was calculated during each phase, and %acute ablation lesion and %chronic ablation lesion areas were compared in patients who had undergone CBA and HBA.   RESULTS The %acute ablation lesion area was larger for the CBA group than for the HBA group (30.8±5.8% vs. 23.0±5.5%, p < 0.001). There was no difference in %chronic cMRI-derived ablation lesion area (24.8±10.8% vs. 21.1±11.6%, p = 0.26) between groups. The rates of chronic AF recurrence were 12.5% and 8.3%, respectively (p = 0.45; log-rank test). LA volume and LA surface area were strongly associated with AF recurrence, but %chronic ablation lesion area was not (27±8% vs. 23±12%, p = 0.39).   CONCLUSION Large acute ablation lesions after CBA were smaller during the chronic phase. The size of chronic ablation lesions and the rate of AF recurrence were both similar for CBA and HBA.
This paper presents an optimal portfolio algorithm under equilibrium conditions to evaluate future cash flows. The Algorithm employs expected return-risk approximation of utility function and bivariate distribution of cash flows of an investment and returns on market portfolios. The proposed procedure replaces the traditional discounting cash flow valuation approach that employs CAPM Risk Adjusted Cost of Capital (RACC). Only under symmetrical distribution assumption the proposed procedure and the conventional CAPM yields identical valuation. When downside risk measure is employed and asymmetrical distribution is assumed, then the proposed algorithm and the three moment extensions of CAPM may yield close but not necessarily identical valuation, while Estrada's downside risk extension of CAPM leads to erroneous valuation. The impact of skewness on valuation under symmetrical, as well as asymmetrical, information is examined in this paper by shifting a cash flow by "Mean Variance Preserving Shifts" (MVPS) that preserve both means and variance but generate skewer cash flow and Third-degree Stochastic Dominance (TSD). The proposed equilibrium valuation algorithm of this paper yields discount rates that consider downside risk measures as well as higher moments of the distribution.
NKG2D is an activation receptor on NK cells and has been demonstrated as a primary cytotoxicity receptor for mouse NK cells. Primary rejection of class I-deficient RMA-S lymphoma cells expressing the NKG2D ligand, retinoic acid early inducible-1β, was critically dependent upon NK cell perforin and occurred independently of T cells. NKG2D-triggered NK cell rejection of RMA-S-retinoic acid early inducible-1β tumor primed a secondary tumor-specific T cell response mediated by both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the effector phase. Surprisingly, during the priming phase, CD4+ T cells, but not CD8+ T cells, were also required to generate this secondary T cell immunity; however, T cell priming was independent of Th1 cytokines, such as IFN-γ and IL-12. These data imply a novel pathway for priming T cell immunity, that is, stimulated upon NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity of NKG2D ligand-expressing tumor cells, dependent upon CD4+ T cells in the primary phase, and independent of conventional Th1-type immunity.
New 5-O-carboxymethyl piperazide derivatives oftryptamine (6a-d) have been prepared in 4 steps from serotonin as 5-HTID receptors agonists. Binding studies with cloned human 5-HTIDct and 5-HT1D 1~ receptors demonstrate that these derivatives are high affinity ligands at both receptor subtypes and inhibition of forskolin mediated cyclase studies with human 5-HTIDI3 and 5-HTIA receptors show that these compounds are very efficient and selective 5-HTIDf~ agonists. The design of potent and selective agonists or antagonists at serotonin receptor subtypes has been a subject of intense study during the last fifteen years, especially in the field of drug discovery 1. Serotonin (5- HT) receptors have been classified 2 into seven families (5-HTI.7), the 5-HT t family being the most heterogeneous with five major subtypes (5-HTIA , IB, ID, IE, IF). The 5-HTID receptors have been divided into two distinct receptor subtypes both negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase and identified in human tissues as 5-HTIDc~ and 5-HTID(3 on the basis of molecular biology and cloning studies 3. To date, no clear pharmacological distinction between 5-HTID a and 5-HTID!3 receptor subtypes has been reported and their respective physiological role remains to be determined4, 5. However, the recent discovery of the 5-HTID receptor agonist sumatriptan (!) as an anti-migraine drug 6 with proven clinical efficacy has stimulated a strong interest and important efforts in the fields of chemical synthesis, pharmacological characterisation and clinical evaluation of new potent 5-HTID receptor agonists 7. Among them, MK 462 ~ and 311C90 (3_) are examples of the most advanced derivatives in clinical trials 8.
Abstract 5120 STAT pathways play a pivotal role in oncogenesis and leukemogenesis, thus targeting STAT signalling appears to be an effective anticancer treatment strategy. It has been described that constitutive activation of STAT3 and STAT5 plays a pro-oncogenic role both in acute and chronic myeloid neoplasms. In this study, we aimed to clarify the potential relationship between drug-induced apoptosis with different agents and STAT pathway. A third-generation bisphosphonate; zoledronate, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I); enalapril, a proteasome inhibitor which is used for treatment of multiple myeloma; bortezomib and a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor; dasatinib were examined in this goal. Cell viability and cytotoxicity tests were conducted by using Trypan blue dye exclusion and XTT assays, respectively. Apoptotic analyses were performed by AnnexinV-EGFP staining method and fluorescence microscopy. Expression levels of STAT3, −5A and −5B genes were analysed in myeloid cell lines by qRT-PCR. The results showed that zoledronate; bortezomib and dasatinib decreased viability and proliferation and induced apoptosis in CML cell line K562 in a dose- and time-dependent manner which is associated by prominent decrease of STAT3, STAT5A and STAT5B mRNA expressions. Enalapril was also found to be cytotoxic and induced apoptosis in APL cell line HL60 in a dose- and time-dependent manner and the expression levels of STAT5A gene have significantly reduced in enalapril-treated HL60 cells as compared to untreated controls. Treatments of cell lines with other drugs were also associated with significant apoptosis in certain time points. The results and changes in expression of STAT9s in mRNA level at 72nd hours are summarized in table. Taken together all these data showed that targeting STAT pathways by different drugs may be an appropriate approach in anti-leukemic therapy. This finding is important to propose that discovery or identification of novel agents targeted STATs may open new windows to the other hematological and solid malignancies which are associated with aberrant STAT expression. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Large grain Y–Ba–Cu–O (YBCO) superconductor doped with various amounts of depleted UO2 and containing excess Y2BaCuO5 (Y-211) and Y2O3 have been fabricated by top seeded melt growth (TSMG). The effect of depleted UO2 on the large grain microstructure has been studied systematically in samples with and without added Pt. It is found that UO2 refines the size of the second phase particles in the superconducting YBa2Cu3O7−δ (Y-123) matrix to dimensions of a few hundred nanometres with an approximately spherical morphology. Addition of Y2O3 to the uranium-doped precursor powder, rather than Y-211, yields a significantly finer distribution of second phase particles and an associated higher critical current density Jc at increased magnetic field.
Recently, storage of huge volume of data into Cloud has become an effective trend in modern day Computing due to its dynamic nature. After storing, users delete their original copy of the data files. Therefore, users cannot directly control over that data. This lack of control introduce security issues in Cloud data storage, one of the most important security issue is integrity of the remotely stored data. Here, we propose a Distributed Algorithmic approach to address this problem with publicly probabilistic verifiable scheme. Due to heavy workload at the Third Party Auditor side, we distribute the verification task among various SUBTPAs. We use Sobol Random Sequence to generate the random block numbers that maintain the uniformity property. In addition, our method provide uniformity for each subtasks also. To make each subtask uniform, we use some analytical approach. For this uniformity, our protocols verify the integrity of the data very efficiently and quickly. Also, we provide special care about critical data by using Overlap Task Distribution Keys.
Eleven known samples of mixed powder of cocaine and sodium hydrogencarbonate were measured by an X-ray diffractometer; the I/I _0 values at 18 or 19 2 θ -values were used for data base. Multivariate analyses (such as cluster analysis, cluster analysis from deviation and principal component analysis) were carried out by the use of a 12×18 or 12×19 matrix, and the approximate cocaine contents in unknown samples were determined. The accurate cocaine contents were calculated from the principal component score. The calculated values of the cocaine content agreed well with the theoretical values.
Introduction: Conventional anti-androgen regimens were widely used as an initiation or combined androgen blockade (CAB) therapy in advanced prostate cancer patients. Currently, new androgen pathway inhibitors such as abiraterone acetate (AA) and enzalutamide had been proven effective in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer. In this study, we attempt to analyze the role of conventional anti-androgen drugs as deferred CAB therapy in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. Materials and Methods: From 2012 to 2017, 48 metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients who received sequential treatments with primary androgen blockade, oral anti-androgen regimens, and docetaxel followed by AA treatment were included. We defined effective deferred CAB as any decline of PSA after add-on antiandrogen after CRPC. Patients were separated into effective and ineffective deferred CAB. Comparison between two groups in the first line androgen deprivation therapy duration, CRPC PSA level, pre-AA PSA level, chemotherapy dosages, duration, and patients progression free survival and overall survival after AA treatment were analyzed. Results: Twenty-three patients (47.9%) achieved PSA decline after deferred CAB. Among total 48 patients, 24 patients experienced PSA decline more than 50% after AA treatment. The median PSA progression-free survival and overall survival after AA treatment in the total cohort of 48 patients were 4.4 and 24.3 months, respectively. The effective deferred CAB group showed significantly lower PSA level, lower percentage of PSA progression, higher total follow-up duration, higher percentage of surviving patients, better progression free survival, and overall survival estimate after AA treatment. Of the eight variables analyzed, effectiveness in deferred CAB showed positive association to progression free survival (HR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12–0.67, p = 0.004) and overall survival (HR 0.24, 95% CI 0.07–0.81, p = 0.022). First line androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) duration also showed positive association to overall survival (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.91–0.99, p = 0.023). Conclusions: Effectiveness of deferred CAB therapy was positively associated with progression free survival and overall survival of AA treatment after docetaxel. It can be used as a pre-treatment predictor.
Photometric observations of Nova Herculis 1991 have been performed at the Wise Observatory, following its recent outburst in 1991 March. We have discovered a local minimum which appears periodically in the light curve of the star. The measured period is P=0.29764 days, and it is most likely the orbital period of the underlying binary stellar system. The width of the minimum of 2.5-3 hr remained constant since it was first detected in April and throughout the following 12 weeks of our observations, whereas its depth increased from 0.1 to 0.4 mag
The article is devoted to some questions of technology of development of the control systems by the quality on the enterprises of railway transport, related to perfection of organizational structure of management by the enterprises of railway transport, determination of processes on enterprises and procedures on their implementation, and also creation of standards of enterprise, regulative his activity.
This chapter makes the claim that English Language Heads of Departments are best suited to lead transition efforts from a traditional to a post-method pedagogy Department of English. It claims that though they are lacking some requisite competencies, skills, and disposition to do so successfully, special training preparation to undertake this mobilization could have a positive impact. It gives a brief overview of the dynamics of HODs' operational context and illustrates why these heads are best suited to influence their department members' embrace of the post-method paradigm. Additionally, it will also discuss some of the challenges that these department heads could encounter during the transition period and ways to resolve them. Finally, it will recommend a theoretical training framework of support to bridge the gap of skills, competencies, and dispositions to make them more suited to aid transition to post-method departments.
INTRODUCTION Erectile dysfunction has been widely investigated as the major factor responsible for sexual bother in patients after radical prostatectomy (RP); painful orgasm (PO) is one element of this bother, but little is known about its prevalence and its effects on sexual health.   AIM This study aims to investigate the prevalence of PO and to identify potential risk factors.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A total of 1,411 consecutive patients underwent open (radical retropubic prostatectomy) or robot-assisted laparoscopic RP between 2002 and 2006. The patients were asked to complete a study-specific questionnaire.   METHODS Of a total of 145 questions, 5 dealt with the orgasmic characteristics. The questionnaire was also administered to a comparison group of 442 persons, matched for age and area of residency.   RESULTS The response rate was 91% (1,288 patients). A total of 143 (11%) patients reported PO. Among the 834 men being able to have an orgasm, the prevalence was 18% vs. 6% in the comparison group (relative risk [RR] 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7-4.5). When analyzed as independent variables, bilateral seminal vesicle (SV)-sparing approach (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.0-5.3, P = 0.045) and age <60 years were significantly related to the presence of PO (95% CI 0.5-0.9, P = 0.019). After adjustment for age, bilateral SV-sparing still remained a significant predictor for occurrence of PO.   CONCLUSIONS We found that PO occurs significantly more often in patients undergoing bilateral SV-sparing RP when compared with age-matched comparison population.
While nursing education recognizes the need for independent study in baccalaureate nursing education, the literature suggests that nursing educators hold diverse views on the meaning, purpose, and conduct of independent study. This study reports the findings of a survey of nursing faculty designed to learn more about the perceptions and practices of independent study in baccalaureate nursing education. A mailed questionnaire was used to gather information from a random sample of nursing faculty at 40 baccalaureate nursing programs in the South. Fifty-one percent of the 441 faculty members responded. Of the 219 respondents, 95% reported independent study in their schools; however, wide variation in practices and faculty perceptions was evident. Limitations in curriculum design, available resources and time were influential factors in provision of opportunities for independent study. The lack of consensus suggests that faculty examine independent study options so that efforts may be better coordinated.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) specifications provide simplified formulae to determine Live Load Distribution Factors (LLDFs) for highway bridges. The formulae for the AASHTO code-specified LLDFs have been developed, considering the effect of typical highway trucks. In addition to highway bridges, there are a large number of bridges located on secondary roadways where farm vehicles having varying configurations and weights frequently travel. Unfortunately, LLDFs for the bridges loaded with farm vehicles are not well known. In this study, hence, two bridge types, including steel girder bridges with plank decking and timber girder bridges with plank decking, were selected to determine LLDFs of the bridges under the effects of farm vehicles. The procedure adopted include the AASHTO code-specified formulae, field testing, finite element modeling, and analytical simulations of all the bridges. Field testing of each bridge was conducted with four different farm vehicles and a five-axle highway truck used as a benchmark for exploring highway truck-induced LLDFs. Commercially available Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software was utilized to generate analytical models of all the bridges, and the models were calibrated with field data. To consider the effects of vastly different farm vehicles, information on 121 existing farm vehicles were collected and used as input loads in the models to compute analytical LLDFs for the bridges. The analytical LLDFs resulting from 121 farm vehicles were used to establish statistical limits representing deterministic values for LLDFs for each bridge. The field, analytical, and statistical LLDFs were compared to those obtained from the AASHTO specifications. Results showed that the AASHTO LLDFs were, in some cases, inadequate for the timber girder bridges, while those were, in most cases, adequate for the steel girder bridges.
CISPR 25 defines several methods and limit classes for emission measurements for vehicle components. With regard to the measurement of electric field strength the test set up consist of a table with metallic surface, on which the EUT and a specified length of cable harness is to be located. This set-up is placed in an absorber lined shielded enclosure (ALSE). The question of suitability of a certain ALSE for this measurement is not yet solved. A joint task force (JTF, between CISPR/D and CISPR/A) has been established to develop an appropriate validation method. In preparation of the international work in the JTF the authors of this paper propose a validation method, which is based on an arrangement similar to the test set-up. In contrast of a real cable harness the proposed radiator is well defined, which allows using results from numerical field computations as reference values. An ALSE including table and test set-up is suitable for measurements according CISPR 25, if the deviations between measurement results and theoretical results are within certain limits. In the paper the results of the field computations and measurement results obtained in different ALSEs are shown and evaluated.
Nitrates may be used for pharmacological stimulation during tilt testing for the diagnosis of vasovagal syncope. In this study we assessed the diagnostic value of intravenous nitrates during tilt testing in patients with a typical history of vasovagal syncope. Twenty patients and 23 controls were tilted at 707° for a maximum duration of 30 minutes. After a 10‐minute baseline supine phase, the test started with a continuous nitrate infusion at 1 μg/kg/min and increased every 5 minutes by 1 μg/kg/min, to a maximum of 6 μg/kg/min at the end of the test. The test was ended if the subjects developed a positive response (syncope or presyncope). Nineteen patients (95%) and 17 (74%) of the controls had a positive response. At test end sensitivity was 95%, but specificity was 26% and accuracy was 58%. Receiver operator characteristics (ROC) analysis revealed a maximum accuracy of 79% at 18 minutes, with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 78%. Intravenous nitrates during tilt testing in patients with typical clinical criteria of vasovagal syncope is highly effective in provoking vasovagal syncope. Based on the ROC analysis, a maximum accuracy of 79% was attained at 18 minutes (at a dose of 4 μg/kg/min), suggesting a good diagnostic performance when tilt duration is limited to this point. A positive result requiring more than 18 minutes of stimulated tilting should be interpreted with caution, due to the accompanying considerable decrease of specificity.
Events of the past two years are a reminder that crises are a recurring phenomenon with deep and often protracted impacts on labor markets. This paper examines the challenges inherent in crafting policy responses, with particular attention to developing countries. It focuses on the potential tradeoffs between offsetting adverse short-term impacts and preserving incentives for economic recovery and future growth, and between protecting the most vulnerable and compensating those most immediately impacted. It also highlights how policymakers room for maneuver is constrained in crisis times by deteriorating fiscal space, limited institutional capacity, and mounting political pressures. Based on empirical evidence from previous crises, the paper asserts that taking a myopic and reactive approach may be costly and counterproductive. Instead, it advocates a more comprehensive approach, designed to build institutions - such as automatic stabilizers and safety nets - that can deliver a coordinated and coherent policy package. This approach will make crises catalysts for institutional changes and long-run growth.
Real-time automatic and continuous information gathering through EcoGrid offers an unique and immense opportunity for long term ecological monitoring and planning. However, the vast amount of raw data gathered must be dealt with efficiently and effectively so that they may be timely turned into useable information to assist ecological management. In addition, Ecological data tends to subject to environmental changes and exception-prone so that their qualities vary. Adaptive business process modelling (BPM) techniques provide rich conceptualisation to support workflow systems to perform integrated analytical and documentation tasks flexibly and efficiently. We present one such BPM and show how adaptive workflow systems, like those developed at AIAI, can take advantage of enterprise models represented in FBPML to provide effective support to users in real grid environments.
Bu arastirma, ogrenci ogretmenlerin arastirmaci rollerini algilamalarini ve profesyonel gelisimlerinde eylem arastirmalarin etkisini incelemektedir. Arastirma, Pristine Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi’nde yuksek lisans duzeyinde olan ogrenci ogretmenleri kapsamaktadir. Ogrenciler tarafindan yapilan yansitici yazilar, acik uclu soru formlari ve arastirma raporlarindan toplanan nitel veriler tumevarim yontemi araciligiyla incelenmistir. Arastirma, ogretmen arastirmalarinin, sadece ogretim uygulamalarinin gelistirilmesine ve ogrenci basarisinin yukseltilmesine degil, ayni zamanda yasitlar arasi isbirligini arttirma ve ogretmenlerin sinifi donusturme araci olarak kendi siniflarinda eylem arastirmasini uygulama sorumlulugunu yeni bir kultur olarak tesvik etmeye onemli bir etkisinin oldugunu ortaya koymaktadir. Bu konuda ogretmen egitimi ve okul baglami cok onemlidir ve ogretmen arastirmalarinin yalitilmis bir etkinlik olarak gorulmesini onler. Anahtar kelimeler: Eylem arastirmasi, profesyonel gelisim, ogrenci ogretmen Abstract This study explores the perception of student teachers on their role as researchers and the impact of action research in their professional development. The study involves the master level student teachers of the Faculty of Education at the University of Prishtina in Kosovo. Qualitative data collected through reflective writing, open-ended questionnaires and research reports developed by student teachers were analyzed through the inductive method. The study suggests that teacher research has a major impact not only on the improvement of teaching practices and increasing student achievement, but also on increasing the collaboration among peers and fostering a new culture where teachers assume their responsibilities to apply action research in their own classrooms as a tool for classroom transformation. Teacher education and school context are crucial in this matter and the need arises to avoid viewing the development of teacher research as an isolated activity. Keywords: Action research, professional development, student teacher, environment
ABSTRACT Objective: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is one of late complications of diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in intron 3 of interleukin-4 gene and risk of DPN. Methods: We examined 926 T2DM patients and 420 healthy controls. In the patient group, 44% had DPN. Genomic DNA was isolated from all subjects and genotyped for the IL-4 VNTR polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: No significant difference was observed in the frequency of minor P1 allele between T2DM patients and controls (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.81–1.23, p = 0.988). The distribution of IL-4 VNTR polymorphism was compared between patients with DPN and those without it. The polymorphism was not significantly associated with DPN in studied subjects. In comparison of 406 T2DM patients with DPN and 520 patients without it, the OR (95% CI) for P1 allele was 0.82 (0.65–1.04), p = 0.10 and for P1P1 genotype 1.00 (0.53–1.89), p = 0.991. When two subgroups of patients with DPN, those with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and without CVD, were compared, subgroup with coexisting CVD had significantly higher frequency of P1 allele than patients without CVD, with odds ratio for the P1 allele 3.27 (95% CI 1.83–5.83), p = 0.0001. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that VNTR polymorphism in the IL-4 gene is associated with DPN in type 2 diabetes patients with coexisting CVD.
BACKGROUND: The shelf life of platelet concentrates (PCs) is a matter of days. Simultaneously, the demand is highly variable, shortages are not allowed, and producing too many results in outdating. Concurrently, younger PCs, implying an extended time till outdating (TTO), are preferred. Common PC inventory management relies on experience‐based order‐up‐to rules. This study aimed at minimizing outdating and shortages, while extending the TTO through a theoretical approach. It focuses on PCs processed from whole blood donations.
Acoustic phonon scattering of electrons in fully quantized systems based on n-type inversion layers on a [100] surface of p-type Si is studied theoretically. The confining potential normal to the Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface is modeled by a triangular quantum well. For the confinement in the lateral directions we assume a parabolic potential. The calculations reveal that the anisotropic electron-phonon interaction strongly affects the scattering rate. The calculated transition rate of electrons from the first excited to the ground state shows a strong dependence on spatial confinement and lattice temperature.
In vocabulary recognition has unseen tri-phone appeared when recognition training. This system has not been created beginning estimation figure of model parameter. It`s bad points could not be created that model for phoneme data. Therefore it`s could not be secured accuracy of Gaussian model. To improve suggested Gaussian model to optimized method of model parameter using probability distribution. To improved of confidence that Gaussian model to optimized of probability distribution to offer by accuracy and to support searching of phoneme data. This paper suggested system performance comparison as a result of recognition improve represent 1.7% by out-of vocabulary rejection algorithm using normalization confidence.
Progress to date indicates: (1) the conduit and lava flow at Obsidian Dome consist of two magma types; (2) the more mafic magma occurs at the base of Obsidian Dome and at the margins of the conduit and was emplaced first; (3) the more silicic magma occurs in the center of the conduit and in the dike; (4) the ilmenite-magnetite and orthopyroxene-augite geothermometers have not reequilibrated in the conduit or dike; (5) the more mafic magma's emplacement temperature was 974/sup 0/C compared to the silicic magma's 951/sup 0/C; and (6) trace elements are characteristic of each magma type. (ACR)
Twenty (20) Yankassa sheep ages between 12-18 months were infected with fresh stock of Trypanosoma congolense isolated from a cow. Animals were grouped into three; groups A and B were infected while group C served as uninfected controls. Samples between the infected and the uninfected controls showed a high significant levels of calcium (Ca) and iron (Fe) (P 0.05). Generally, values of the contemporaneously uninfected sheep were significantly lower for calcium and iron and higher for phosphorus and copper. Therefore, the increase in concentrations of calcium, iron and phosphorus may suggest that they could have a role in the pathogenesis of trypanosomosis due to T. congolense
The green revolution was a planned intervention expected to raise cereal-grain production in Third World countries. Use of high yield varieties (HYVs) was to reduce dependence on food imports and bring about food self-sufficiency. Early results were increased overall cereal-grain production, but unforseen and undesirable social and economic consequences. The use of organizational development (OD) analysis of early green revolution results indicates that the initial strategy relied on a “hard” systems analysis to bring about adoption of the high yield varieties. Early green revolution work attempted to induce attitude and behaviour change within existing local and regional institutions.        Recognizing the need to ensure distribution of green revolution inputs among subsistence farmers, later strategies used a “soft” systems analysis in developing structural intervention. Largely unable to reform existing government institutions and land-holding patterns which restricted small farmer HYV programme participation, programme managers designed alternative structures to allow the small/subsistence farmer access to HYV inputs.
It is important for the study of circuit breaker opening capacity to know how to accurately measure the movement characteristics of the actuator. In order to measure the motion characteristics of the actuator accurately, an image processing method based on LabVIEW platform is proposed in this paper to build a system for detecting the motion speed of the actuator. In this paper, a high-speed camera is used to capture the motion images of the circuit breaker during the opening process, and the VISION module in LabVIEW is used to locate the motion edges with high accuracy, calculate the motion parameters of the moving end during the motion process, and evaluate the opening capacity of the circuit breaker by combining the motion parameters. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve accurate detection of the motion parameters of the operating mechanism, and has the advantages of high accuracy and simple operation, which can provide strong technical support for the study of the breaking capacity of the circuit breaker.
An arc-seed microwave plasma torch, which can run stably at low airflow rate (e.g., 0.393 l s−1) and produces an abundance of reactive atomic oxygen in its plasma effluent, is applied for studying the effects of atomic oxygen on bacterial spores in solution. Bacillus cereus was chosen as the biological agent. The experimental results show that the plasma effluent can penetrate into water to kill B. cereus spores. The kill time (i.e., 10-fold reduction time) is about 10 s at an exposure distance of 3 cm, 24 s at 4 cm, and 31 s at 5 cm. Morphological studies are performed via scanning electron and atomic force microscopes, which take two- and three-dimensional images of spores to record the changes in their morphological structures and shapes caused by the plasma effluent. The loss of appendages and exosporium in the structure as well as flattened cell shapes are observed.
Path following is a crucial technique for ensuring the safe and efficient operation of automatic electric vehicles. Four-wheel steering (4WS) technology is known to enhance the accuracy and flexibility of such vehicles. In this paper, we propose a new constrained model predictive control (MPC) based method for path-following, specifically for 4WS vehicles. To simplify the 4WS vehicle kinematics model, we use the assumption of pure rolling and simplify it to a single-track model. We employ a high-precision linearization transformation to convert the nonlinear kinematics models to a linear control-state system. Subsequently, we design a new objective function based on the tracking error model, and formulate the control problem as an optimization problem. Finally, we convert the optimization problem into a quadratic programming (QP) form with constraints that are suitable for real-time applications. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed control method through simulation experiments.
At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. So far, the virus has spread globally. The rapid transmission and mutation have undoubtedly increased the difficulty of exploring the source of SARS-CoV-2, and it has made the origins study meaningful. This study uses 40,280 SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequences from the world for phylogenetic analysis. It is inferred that the time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (tMRCA) of global SARS-CoV-2 is roughly in early December 2019. Similarly, the tMRCA of SARS-CoV-2 in each continent is estimated, and sort out the timeline of the virus’s entry into human society. Also, it is found that some regions outside Asia have COVID-19 cases in December 2019.
In a recent editorial (J. Proteome Res. 2007, 6, 1633) and elsewhere questions have been raised regarding the lack of attention paid to good analytical practice with respect to the reporting of quantitative results in proteomics. Using those comments as a starting point, several issues are discussed that relate to the challenges involved in achieving adequate sampling with MS‐based methods in order to generate valid data for large‐scale studies. The discussion touches on the relationships that connect sampling depth and the power to detect protein abundance change, conflict of interest, and strategies to overcome bureaucratic obstacles that impede the use of peer‐to‐peer technologies for transfer and storage of large data files generated in such experiments.
This paper considers the active fault tolerant control (FTC) for hexacopter to handle disturbance torque in yaw under a total fault in one rotor. The proposed approach is based on the reconfiguration of remaining rotors. As the system is no longer controllable in all six degrees of freedom (DOF), one dimension should be abandoned. The existing approaches usually ignore the dynamic of yaw and consider only the stabilization of position. When the hexacopter is controlled without the consideration of yaw in faulty case, a disturbance torque in yaw occurs in the transient phase and causes a large yaw rate. The FTC approach proposed in this paper is able to reduce the yaw rate effectively, and the tracking error of position is bounded. The proposed approach is demonstrated by simulation examples.
Two new tirucallane-type triterpenoid saponins, sapimukoside C (1) and sapimukoside D (2), have been isolated from the roots of Sapindus mukorossi Gaetn. Their structures have been determined, on the basis of spectral and chemical analysis, as 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl (21,23R)-epoxyl tirucalla-7,24-diene-(21S)-ethoxyl-3β-ol (1) and 3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[α-L-arabinopyranosyl-(1→3)]-β-D-glucopyranosyl (21,23R)-epoxyl tirucall-7, 24-diene-(21S)-methoxyl-3β-ol (2).
Many research works propose sophisticated methods to analyse the carbon balance, while only a few tools are available for the calculation of both greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration with simplified methods. This paper describes a carbon balance assessment conducted at farm level with a simplified methodology, which includes calculations of both CO 2 emissions and carbon sequestration in crop rotations. This carbon balance was tested in the Montepaldi Long Term Experiment (MOLTE) trial in central Italy, where two agroecosystems managed with two different farming practices (organic vs conventional) are compared. Both in terms of CO 2 eq emissions and carbon sequestration, this simplified method applied in our experiment provided comparable results to those yielded by complex methodologies reported in the literature. With regard to the crop rotation scheme applied in the reference period (2003-2007), CO 2 emissions from various farm inputs were found to be significantly lower (0.74 Mg ha -1 ) in the organically managed system than in the conventionally managed system (1.76 Mg ha -1 ). The same trend was observed in terms of CO2eq per unit of product (0.30 Mg kg -1 in the organic system and 0.78 Mg kg -1 in the conventional system). In the conventional system the sources that contributed most to total emissions were direct and indirect emissions associated with the use of fertilisers and diesel fuel. Also the stock of sequestered carbon was significantly higher in the organic system (27.9 Mg ha -1 of C) than in the conventional system (24.5 Mg ha -1 of C). The carbon sequestration rate did not show any significant difference between the two systems. It will be necessary to test further this methodology also in commercial farms and to validate the indicators to monitor carbon fluxes at farm level.
1. When the double indirect stimuli more than 70 msec. apart were applied to the partially curarized frog muscle, the second action potential of the muscle was smaller than the first one and the depression lasted more than 10 sec. The depression was also observed in the twitch height of the uncurarized gastrocnemiusmuscle in vivo.2. The magnitude of depression of e.p.p. after a conditioning stimulus was about 10-15 per cent and its time course was quite similar to that of the partially curarized muscle action potential.3. The time course of depression of e.p.p. was exponential and its time constant was 4-5 sec. at 25°C.4. Lowering the temperature decreased the magnitude of depression and lengthened the time course. Q10was about 1.7 in the range of temperature 15-25°C.5. Calcium deficiency and an addition of magnesium to Ringer's solution decreased the size of depression. In calcium rich solution the size of depression augmented but its time course was the same. Potassium and eserine had little or no effect on the magnitude and time course of depression.6. The lengthening of muscle increased the depression.7. The increase in number of conditioning stimuli augmented the depression but had little effect on its time course.8. Repetitive stimulation of low frequency caused the decline of the amplitude of successive e.p.p.'s, and the rate of decrease was much more slower after five or six responses.
Purpose To describe a previously unreported presentation of a conjunctival dermoid. Case Report An 8-year-old girl presented with a progressively enlarging mass in the right conjunctival fornix composed of normal appearing eyelashes. The patient had a history of aberrant conjunctival eyelash growth that had caused recurrent conjunctivitis in her right eye over the past few years. The mass was surgically removed and the pathology report revealed it to be a conjunctival dermoid. The patient had an excellent surgical result with normal cosmetic appearance. Conclusion Mature hair follicle growth from the conjunctiva is another possible presentation of a conjunctival dermoid that can be cured by simple surgical excision.
Tetracyclines are used to control bacterial diseases such as European and American foulbrood, which may cause severe losses in the honey bee population and honey production. By using 24 hives randomly distributed into four groups of six hives, this study was performed to measure the occurrence of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) residues in honey following two types of TC application. Two groups of colonies were treated three times with 0.5 g TC in 1 litre syrup (group S) or in 10 g powdered sugar (group P). Six hives of a first control group (C) fed with untreated syrup were installed at 20 and 45 m from groups S and P, respectively. A second control group (DC) was set up 3 km away. Honey was sampled at different times from all hives, and honey artificially contaminated with TC was stored in the laboratory at 4, 20 and 35°C; all samples were analysed by ELISA and HPLC methods. One day after the last application, the mean TC concentration in brood chamber honey was ten times higher in group S (40.7 mg kg−1) than in group P (4.34 mg kg−1). After 8 days, TC residues were detected in all hives of group C. After 146 days, the mean TC concentration in harvested honey was 1.54, 0.35 and 0.15 mg kg−1 for groups S, P and C, respectively. The control group C had been contaminated with TC by drifting. In all hives of group DC, no residues were detected at any time during the study. The honey collected at day 504 did not contain any detectable TC residues, except in one super from group C (0.026 mg kg−1). The half-life of TC in honey from supers was similar in groups C, S and P: 65 days. This duration was twice lower than in honey stored in laboratory in similar conditions: at 35°C in the dark (t ½ = 121 days). In honey stored at 20°C, TC was quite stable and its half-life was 242 days. The data from these experiments indicate levels of TC residues in honey after a treatment in hives, their persistence and diffusion into the apiary. These results show that the TC must be used with precaution in honey production.
Abstract Soybean meal (SBM) is commonly used as a livestock feed due to its high protein content (45%) and desirable balance of amino acids. Unfortunately SBM contains several oligosaccharides that are poorly digested or even considered anti-nutritional. Alcohol extraction of SBM is commonly used to remove these carbohydrates and produce soy protein concentrate (SPC), which contains 65% protein. An alternative to alcohol extraction would be to convert the carbohydrates to ethanol that could be recovered as a valuable co-product. In this project we investigate the first step of this process—conversion of oligosaccharides into fermentable sugars—by comparing mixtures, dosages, and operating conditions for several hydrolytic enzymes. The goal was to generate the maximum amount of fermentable sugars so that the residual solids, following subsequent fermentation, would contain comparable protein levels to SPC. Extruded soybean white flakes were hydrolyzed using five different enzyme combinations to identify th...
Summary A survey of New York dog serums for adenovirus CF antibodies showed an incidence of 2.2%. Such a low incidence suggests that dogs are only incidental hosts for agents that evoke antibodies which fix complement with human adenovirus CF antigens. Infections of dogs by non-primate adeno-viruses could not be excluded since these may also evoke antibodies which fix complement with human type adenovirus antigens. A previous suggestion that alien adenovirus infections in dogs might partially account for the varied clinical and serological responses seen when dogs are infected with ICH virus now appears unlikely.
As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, older adults have experienced a multitude of death-related and non-death losses. Mental health counselors who interact with older adults have a crucial role in identifying individuals who may be at risk for experiencing a subsequent, temporary, upsurge of grief. Following a review of basic concepts and underlying philosophies that can be utilized to inform work with bereaved older adults, interviewing strategies and standardized measures available for use with older adults experiencing trauma and grief are described. Then using Corr's (2003) task-based approach as a framework, strategies for identification of need and intervention are presented.
The Undulating Oceanographic Recorder (UOR) Mark 2 is a self-contained, depth-undulating, oceanographic sampler, which can be towed on an unfaired steel cable at speeds from 3.5 to 13.5 m.s-1 and is independent of the vessel for any services other than towing facilities. The UOR carries a suite of electronic sensors for temperature, depth, chlorophyll concentration and downwelling and upwelling solar radiant energy (broad band 400-700 nm and narrow band 445, 520, 550 and 670 nm). Sensor measurements are recorded in situ by a digital tape recorder. Data are presented for measurements in the western English Channel, in the summer of 1984. The data provide attenuation coefficients for sea-water and chlorophyll at each wavelength and sub-surface reflectance ratios at each wavelength from which algorithms are developed, relating reflectance ratios and chlorophyll concentrations. The results are in close agreement with values reported by other workers, using conventional sampling techniques of optical oceanography.
The effect of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) as sole therapy was studied in 30 consecutive cases of complicated Crohn's disease. After insertion of a Broviac‐type central venous catheter patients were nourished parenterally for 3 weeks in the hospital and then for an additional 9 weeks at home. During this time no medication or oral intake was allowed. Surgery was avoided in 25 patients by TPN. These patients returned to work, ate normal meals and needed no medical support. In 5 cases it was not possible to control the acute disease and the patients were treated by resection. During TPN, catheter‐related sepsis occurred in 3 patients (0·9 cases/1000 days TPN) and catheter embolism in 2. Four other patients developed intrahepatic cholestasis. A relapse of Crohn's disease was observed in 17 cases 3–48 months after the course of TPN. The cumulative recurrence rate is 60 per cent after 2 years and 85 per cent after 4 years. Compared with the results of resection, obtained from a 10‐year period before TPN was instituted at our hospital, the cumulative recurrence rate after TPN is four times higher. It is concluded that TPN is not an alternative to resection in the treatment of Crohn's disease and should be reserved for patients with multifocal lesions, when surgery is not advisable because of the risk of a short bowel syndrome.
Herein, fabrication and modification of novel bio-inspired microwell arrays with nanoscale topographic structures are reported. The natural nano- and microstructures present on the surface of rose petals were hypothesized to enhance cell-surface contacts. Thus hierarchically structured polyethylene terephthalate glycol modified (PETG) substrates were fabricated by replication from rose petals via nanoimprint lithography, followed by covalent modification and crosslinking with RGD-presenting gelatin-methacrylate (GelMA) for promoting cell adhesion and spreading. Cell culture experiments showed that the introduction of gelatin resulted in significantly enhanced cell adhesion and more than doubled cell areas on the GelMA modified surfaces. In addition, a slight preference was observed for concave compared to convex surfaces, which is tentatively attributed to the matching curvature of the micro-cavities and the cells, facilitating the accommodation of cells. These bioinspired hierarchically structured and gelatin functionalized substrates may provide new prospects for designing cell-based interfaces for advanced biomedical studies, e.g. for cell culture and biosensing in the future.
The concept of ultrasound therapy has been proposed long ago. However, most of the previous methods of ultrasound therapy destroy tissue through thermal effects and cause great damage to patients. In recent years, ultrasound cavitation therapy has caused extensive discussion and research due to its unique non-invasiveness. In order to achieve real-time access to the patient during treatment, the lesion area must be processed simultaneously and accurately. However, ultrasound images mostly have lower signal-to-noise ratio, contrast, and blurred edges. In order to solve the segmentation problem, this paper proposes a new segmentation model Du-net based on the full convolutional neural network. Under the premise of deepening the network depth to obtain more information, the Encoder-Decoder method and the layered aggregation mode are used to prevent the gradient explosion. Solving boundary segmentation problem by constructing joint network, In the case of a small data set, the data enhancement method using a suitable data set effectively increases the usable image features and achieves better results on the ultrasound blood vessel image.
Abstract Vitamin D is mainly known for its effects on the bone and calcium metabolism. The discovery of Vitamin D receptors in many extraskeletal cells suggests that it may also play a significant role in other organs and systems. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between 25(OH)D3 levels, lower limb isokinetic strength and maximum oxygen uptake in well-trained professional football players. We enrolled 43 Polish premier league soccer players. The mean age was 22.7±5.3 years. Our study showed decreased serum 25(OH)D3 levels in 74.4% of the professional players. The results also demonstrated a lack of statistically significant correlation between 25(OH)D3 levels and lower limb muscle strength with the exception of peak torque of the left knee extensors at an angular velocity of 150°/s (r=0.41). No significant correlations were found between hand grip strength and maximum oxygen uptake. Based on our study we concluded that in well-trained professional soccer players, there was no correlation between serum levels of 25(OH)D3 and muscle strength or maximum oxygen uptake.
The methyltetrahydrofolate (CH3-H4folate) corrinoid-iron-sulfur protein (CFeSP) methyltransferase (MeTr) catalyzes transfer of the methyl group of CH3-H4folate to cob(I)amide. This key step in anaerobic CO and CO2 fixation is similar to the first half-reaction in the mechanisms of other cobalamin-dependent methyltransferases. Methyl transfer requires electrophilic activation of the methyl group of CH3-H4folate, which includes proton transfer to the N5 group of the pterin ring and poises the methyl group for reaction with the Co(I) nucleophile. The structure of the binary CH3-H4folate/MeTr complex (revealed here) lacks any obvious proton donor near the N5 group. Instead, an Asn residue and water molecules are found within H-bonding distance of N5. Structural and kinetic experiments described here are consistent with the involvement of an extended H-bonding network in proton transfer to N5 of the folate that includes an Asn (Asn-199 in MeTr), a conserved Asp (Asp-160), and a water molecule. This situation is reminiscent of purine nucleoside phosphorylase, which involves protonation of the purine N7 in the transition state and is accomplished by an extended H-bond network that includes water molecules, a Glu residue, and an Asn residue (Kicska, G. A., Tyler, P. C., Evans, G. B., Furneaux, R. H., Shi, W., Fedorov, A., Lewandowicz, A., Cahill, S. M., Almo, S. C., and Schramm, V. L. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 14489-14498). In MeTr, the Asn residue swings from a distant position to within H-bonding distance of the N5 atom upon CH3-H4folate binding. An N199A variant exhibits only ∼20-fold weakened affinity for CH3-H4folate but a much more marked 20,000-40,000-fold effect on catalysis, suggesting that Asn-199 plays an important role in stabilizing a transition state or high energy intermediate for methyl transfer.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of kaempferol on the morphology, follicular activation, growth, and DNA fragmentation of ovine preantral follicles cultured in situ, and the effects of a phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor and the expression of phosphorylated protein kinase B (pAKT) after culture. Ovine ovarian fragments were fixed for histological and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) analyses (fresh control) or cultured in α‐MEM+ alone (control) or with different concentrations of kaempferol (0.1, 1, 10, or 100 μM) for 7 days. Follicles were classified as normal or atretic, primordial or growing, and the oocyte and follicle diameters were measured. Proliferating cells were analyzed and DNA fragmentation was evaluated by the TUNEL assay. Inhibition of PI3K activity was performed through pretreatment in media added with 50 µM LY294002 for 1 hr and pAKT immunohistochemistry was performed after culture in the absence or presence of LY294002. After culture, the percentage of normal follicles was similar among the treatments (p > 0.05), except for 100 µM kaempferol, which had less normal follicles (p < 0.05). Moreover, kaempferol at 10 μM showed a higher percentage of follicular activation and cell proliferation than the other treatments (p < 0.05) and a percentage of TUNEL‐positive cells similar to that in the fresh control and lower than other treatments (p < 0.05). LY294002 significantly inhibited primordial follicle activation stimulated by α‐MEM+ and 10 μM kaempferol and reduced pAKT expression in those follicles. In conclusion, 10 μM kaempferol promotes primordial follicle activation and cell proliferation through the PI3K/AKT pathway and reduces DNA fragmentation of ovine preantral follicles cultured in vitro.
Well-characterized Group 14 Zintl anions were accessible by solution methods only in low yields up to now. An easy and inexpensive reaction route to polyanions, which starts from the elements, is admissible through the usage of [18]crown-6 as reaction medium at 40°C. The [K([18]crown-6)] unit proves to be an advantageous connecting device between intermetallic and organic networks. The title compound can be regarded as a supramolecular aggregate of a one-dimensional substructure of the composition K4 Sn9 (see picture) and an organic component.
Purpose – The paper aims to investigate the consequences of climate change for the future of armed forces and their presentation in national security documents. Design/methodology/approach – A classification of potential future military roles and functions is derived from relevant literature, resulting in six “military futures”. Frames are developed for these whose occurrence is counted in 53 authoritative documents on security policy and defense planning from 38 countries. Results are presented in descriptive statistics. Findings – The paper demonstrates that climate change has become an important issue for military planning. However, the directions in which it takes thinking about the future of armed forces differ widely. Among the six “military futures” identified, those linked to the function of disaster relief are most frequently found. However, the expansion of traditional military roles is also promoted. Rarer are suggestions for armed forces to became “greener” or “leaner”. In general, climate cha...
1 . Stainimig of the nucleoproteins by toluidine blue-molybdate depends upon graded imiactivation of proteimi-bound amino groups or alteration in the concentrations and time of reaction of the dye and molvbdate to allow the formation of a nucleic acid-toluidimie blue complex that is capable of reacting with polymolybdates to produce a metachromatic l)olymner. Toluidine blue sampIes of high )urity differed from older, less pure dyes iii the miature of dye binding and in the rate of formation of the nucleic acid-dye complex that reacts with molvbdate. 2. The staining procedure has l)eeli comisiderably modified and improved amid certain technical l)rot)lems have l)eeli elucidated. Five procedures are reqUire(1 to produce optimal stainimig of deoxyribonucleoprotein and one or more of nine types of ribonucleoprotein in the cell. 3. The oliaracteristics of the nine types of ribonucleoprotein demonstrable by these methods are reviewed. The results suggest that, as the ribonucleic acid which is synthesized in the chromatin and chromosomes diffuses to the perichromosomal and interchromosomal regions, it is functionally and molecularly changed by virtue of association with amino-acids and protein.
Alopecia is a common side effect of several anti‐cancer drugs, including doxorubicin. Based on our recent observation that a monoclonal antibody (MAD11) directed against this anthracycline inhibits the systemic toxic effect of the drug in mice, we investigated the possibility that MAD11 administered topically might protect against doxorubicin‐induced alopecia. In 31 of 45 young rats treated intraperitoneally with doxorubicin, alopecia was completely prevented by topical treatment of the skin with liposome‐incorporated anti‐doxorubicin monoclonal antibody. This type of treatment might find relevance in preventing anthracycline‐induced alopecia in cancer patients. Our findings also provide the first demonstration that liposome‐entrapped monoclonal antibodies are capable of penetrating the stratum corneum of the skin without losing their function.—Balsari, A. L., Morelli, D., Ménard, S., Veronesi, U., Colnaghi, M. I. Protection against doxorubicin‐induced alopecia in rats by liposome‐entrapped monoclonal antibodies. FASEB J. 8: 226‐230; 1994.
Best‐practice technique as a concept was developed for the purpose of analysing the structure of manufacturing industries. In my article I argue that the concept may also be applied to the construction industry, though the rationale differs somewhat. Instead of considering the technique embodied in the real capital, one should see it as part of the organization in Marshall's meaning. This would lead to different unit operating costs and different labour productivity among firms competing in the same market. The extent of the variation of the labour productivity during the period 1979–84 is shown in the paper. Productivity functions of different efficiency groups are estimated in order to establish the best‐practice production function. In that process it is also shown that during the period 1979–84 the efficiency of the firms using the best‐practice technique grows faster than the efficiency of all other firms.
What are the barriers and facilitators to exclusive breastfeeding for women with a BMI equalling or exceeding 35kg/m²? A qualitative interpretative inquiry.  Breastfeeding is established as beneficial to both mothers and infants in terms of short-term and long-term health, or as normalising to the susceptibility of numerous conditions of poor health. Obesity is counted amongst these. A significant proportion of lactation research demonstrates exclusive breastfeeding as protective against obesity for the infant, and various explanations are put forward, such as; milk and gut microbiome species and diversity, comparative initial weight trajectories and impact on future BMI, and comparative satiety development. However, international and New Zealand trends of obesity prevalence are noted to be increasing; and obesity discourse, medical discourse and the World Health Organisation position on causes and consequences of obesity continue to be discordant, with the understanding of obesity as caused by energy in, versus energy out disequilibrium, being challenged.  Current research continues to pursue directions which demonstrate obesity to be linked to infant experiences which influence infant gut microbiome, including mode of birth, feeding methods and skin-to-skin; and intrauterine environment – referring to the fetal inheritance/epigenetic inheritance theory. Notably, studies examining the influence of epigenetic heritance propose that infants born to obese mothers begin with a disadvantage in terms of health trajectories, considered to stem from the intrauterine environment and experiences; are at a higher risk of caesarean birth and of receiving breastmilk substitutes than infants born to non-obese mothers.  This study aimed to examine the breastfeeding experiences of obese client participants, and breastfeeding support experiences of midwives who have cared for obese clients, to learn more about what were considered breastfeeding influencers, facilitators or barriers, within the maternity journey. A secondary aim of pursuing this research was to apply findings to the study site to see if a review of breastfeeding knowledge or support practices offered to obese women was indicated.  The initial study design utilised Facebook as a means of contemporaneous data collection. Due to low recruitment, the design was modified to include one-to-one semi-structured interviews, and midwives were included as participants. Data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, and five themes were identified reflecting the participants’ experience of their maternity journey, and how breastfeeding was understood to interrelate with other maternity experiences.  Five main themes emerged during data analysis. These included communication, normality and autonomy, the midwifery partnership, the experience of intervention, and how intervention was understood to affect lactation. Communication was interpreted as the core theme for all participants, and this underpinned experience of normality and autonomy (defining oneself as a normal woman, and the ability to make decisions regarding one’s maternity journey). How participants interpreted the themes of normality and autonomy, and their experience and interpretation of communication went on to influence their experience of the midwifery partnership and interventions in pregnancy, intrapartum and breastfeeding support. No theme in isolation was definable as either barrier or facilitator to exclusive breastfeeding, but developed as such, through the context of the experience.  The ability to define oneself as a ‘normal woman’ and the ability to participate in one’s own care were either encouraged or discouraged through how communication was interpreted throughout the entirety of the maternity journey and hence were key findings of this research. Analysis of participant narratives revealed that it was through communication that these themes were interpreted. The midwife participants demonstrated awareness of these themes and related them further to the experience of the midwifery partnership, and how these factors, along with the social construct of obesity, underpinned communication with obese women, and the midwifery partnership.  Through data analysis the researcher noted considerable disparity between emerging themes and the research reviewed in the literature review. As this study was heavily focussed on models of care delivery and organisation at the study site, I question whether the disparity is reflective of the gap between research and practice. The aim of this study has been to identify breastfeeding barriers and facilitators for obese women and their midwives, and the purpose of doing so was to glean whether current service warranted further examination. From the themes which emerged in this study, I suggest that the approach to the maternity care of obese women, including language and communication styles as an area worthy of further examination.
Abstract In 46 consecutive patients treated surgically for acoustic neuroma and followed for a minimum of two years, there was no operative mortality; 90 per cent returned to their previous level of activity, and all were able to care for themselves. Total removal of tumor was possible in 70 per cent, and radical subtotal removal in another 10 per cent. Facial-nerve function was preserved in 80 per cent, even in some patients with a large tumor. Any patient with progressive, unexplained hearing loss should have audiometric vestibular evaluation. If tumor is suspected, x-ray studies are indicated, including tomography and neuroradiologic contrast studies, with positive-contrast encephalography if clinical signs are limited to the eighth nerve, and pneumoencephalography when signs indicate a large lesion. When diagnostic studies suggest a small tumor (less than 2.0 cm in diameter), total removal can usually be accomplished by a translabyrinthine operation unless there is fifth-nerve involvement. Large tumor...
A superconducting squeezed type half-wave resonator (HWR) of β=0.09 has been developed at the Institute of Modern Physics, Lanzhou. In this paper, a basic design is presented for the stiffening structure for the detuning effect caused by helium pressure and Lorentz force. The mechanical modal analysis has been investigated the with finite element method (FEM). Based on these considerations, a new stiffening structure is proposed for the HWR cavity. The computation results concerning the frequency shift show that the low beta HWR cavity with new stiffening structure has low frequency sensitivity coefficient df/dp and Lorentz force detuning coefficient KL, and stable mechanical properties.
Aim: This manuscript provides information on the history, principles, and clinical results of Fast-track or ERAS concepts to optimize perioperative management (OPM). Methods: With the focus on elective colorectal surgery description of the OPM concept and its elements for with special attention to the prevention of infectious complications and clinical results compared to traditional care will be given using recent systematic literature reviews. Additionally, clinical results for other major abdominal procedures are given. Results: An optimized perioperative management protocol for elective colorectal resections will currently consist of 25 perioperative elements. These elements include the time from before hospital admission (patient education, screening, and treatment of possible risk factors like anemia, malnutrition, cessation of nicotine or alcohol abuse, optimization of concurrent systemic disease, physical prehabilitation, carbohydrate loading, adequate bowel preparation) to the preoperative period (shortened fasting, non-sedative premedication, prophylaxis of PONV and thromboembolic complications), intraoperative measures (systemic antibiotic prophylaxis, standardized anesthesia, normothermia and normovolemia, minimally invasive surgery, avoidance of drains and tubes) as well as postoperative actions (early oral feeding, enforced mobilization, early removal of a urinary catheter, stimulation of intestinal propulsion, control of hyperglycemia). Most of these elements are based on high-level evidence and will also have effects on the incidence of postoperative infectious complications. Conclusion: Optimized perioperative management should be mandatory for elective surgery today as it enhances postoperative patient recovery, reduces morbidity and infectious complications.
Six numerical experiments have been performed with a general circulation model (GCM) to study the influence of high-level cirrus clouds and global sea surface temperature (SST) perturbations on climate and climate sensitivity. The GCM used in this investigation is the third-generation ECHAM3 model developed jointly by the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the University of Hamburg. It is shown that the model is able to reproduce many features of the observed cloud radiative forcing with considerable skill, such as the annual mean distribution, the response to seasonal forcing, and the response to observed SST variations in the equatorial Pacific. In addition to a reference experiment where the cirrus emissivity is computed as a function of the cloud water content, two sensitivity experiments have been performed in which the cirrus emissivity is either set to zero everywhere above 400 hPa (“transparent cirrus”) or set to 1 (“black cirrus”). These three experiments are repeated identically, except for prescribing a globally uniform SST warming of 4 K. Similar to earlier GCM studies, the changed cloud radiative heating within the troposphere has a profound impact on the model climate. Since the initial radiative forcing introduced by the changed cirrus emissivity is much smaller than the convective or dynamical response, we conclude that the tropical circulation, in particular, is maintained through a positive feedback loop involving cirrus radiative heating, deep cumulus convection, and moisture supply through the large-scale dynamics. Since this interaction has been identified in at least two other GCMs employing different cumulus parameterizations, it does not crucially depend on the respective closure assumption. Moreover, the radiative-convective-dynamical coupling in the tropics is relevant also in the global warming experiment through the increase of cloud water and hence cirrus radiative heating in the warmer atmosphere. It is shown that the spin-up of the Walker circulation in both the global warming and the increased cirrus emissivity experiments is a result of a selection process which enhances the diabatic heat source through asymmetries of the circulation itself, and the extra differential heating feeds back positively on the circulation. It is also shown that cirrus clouds have a significant influence on the global climate sensitivity of the model. In the climate change experiment with the standard model, the climate sensitivity is 20% higher than in a clear-sky reference atmosphere because the increase of cirrus emissivity in the warmer atmosphere contributes substantially to the overall positive cloud feedback. In the transparent cirrus model the cloud feedback is negative, and the global sensitivity is reduced by 20% as compared to a clear-sky reference atmosphere.
With touchpads being the primary input device for many laptop users, the importance of ensuring that laptops have the most functional touchpad has continued to grow. Human Factors practitioners are often tasked with ensuring that touchpads are accurate and efficient input devices. Tasks based on Fitts law to assess point and click performance are commonly used for testing touchpads, however there does not seem to be a widely used standard regarding the number of trials and participants. Testing with more trials and participants than necessary can be time consuming and costly for industry practitioners. This research explored varied numbers of participants and Fitts task trials with the goal of determining the optimal practices to maximize efficiency. Preliminary results indicate that when testing performance with a multidirectional Fitts test, twelve participants is acceptable for device comparison with at least 48 trials. For a sample size of 24 participants, there is evidence to support reducing the number of trials to 24. Implications for examining other testing scenarios for optimal sample size and trial number with the prescribed methodology are discussed.
Abstract. Moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors, onboard Terra and Aqua, have been observing the Earth since start of 2000 and mid 2002, respectively. The present study provides a comparison of Collection 5 (C005), aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrieved by MODIS, with AERONET-observed AOD over Kanpur (an urban site), Gandhi College (a rural site) and Nainital (a relatively clean site) in the Indo Gangetic Plain (IGP). The results show that at Kanpur, MODIS retrievals are well within the prelaunch uncertainty ± 0.05 ±0.15 τ, and a good correlation (R2 > 0.7 for both Terra and Aqua). Nainital also shows good retrieval (R2 > 0.8 for Terra and R2 > 0.68 for Aqua), as more than 66% of total collocations are within the prelaunch uncertainty. However, it is seen that there is significant overestimation in this case, especially in the months of winter. Gandhi College poses a challenge to MODIS retrieval, as here
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More than 20 families from the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area attended AGU's pilot family science event, “Exploration Station,” held on 26 May as part of the 2008 Joint Assembly. During the event—which was organized by AGU's education staff, the Association for Astronomy Education, and the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society—children and parents had the opportunity to discuss science with researchers and to get involved with many hands-on activities.
Presynaptic exocytosis is the mechanism commonly believed to release transmitters by diffusion through a pore opening during vesicular membrane fusion with the plasmalemma, but evidence suggesting that exocytosis and transmitter release are two separate steps of synaptic transmission is accumulating. Vesicular glycoconjugates such as Synaptic Vesicle Protein 2 (SV2) proteoglycans and gangliosides retain transmitters in a nondiffusible form and are transported to the synaptic cleft where they contribute forming a dense synaptomatrix. Transmitters are permanently present in synaptic clefts and readily releasable transmitter is easily accessible from the outer side of the presynaptic membrane suggesting that synaptomatrix glycoconjugates prevent immediate release after PKC‐dependent exocytosis. The calcium sensor synaptotagmin is also present at the presynaptic plasma membrane and binds SV2 suggesting a direct coupling between the calcium transient and transmitter release from the synaptomatrix. A quantitative coupling of the cytosolic calcic transient to transmitter release from the synaptomatrix explains better complexity and plasticity of miniature postsynaptic signals hitherto difficult to account for in exocytic terms. This alternative representation of synaptic transmission in which the same components of the synaptomatrix support adhesion and signaling functions may cast new lights on synaptic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Synapse 63:319–338, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
This paper uses a portfolio framework to evaluate the impact of increased noninterest income on equity market measures of return and risk of U.S. bank holding companies from 1997 to 2004. The results indicate that the banks most reliant on activities that generate noninterest income do not earn higher average equity returns, but are much more risky as measured by return volatility (both total and idiosyncratic) and market betas. This suggests that the pervasive shift toward noninterest income has not improved the risk/return outcomes of U.S. banks in recent years.
This paper analyses critically to the very beginning, the introduction of cashless policy in banking business in Nigeria. The cashless system has become necessary to promote the use of electronic means of transaction towards making Nigeria a cashless economy in the nearest future, where clumsy and expensive-tohandle coins and notes are replaced by efficient electronic payments system. It discusses how the new policy directs banks to cease cash-in-transit lodgment services hitherto rendered to merchant customers. The banks are to engage the services of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed cash-in-transit ( CIT) companies to aid cash movements to and from their banks at mutually agreed terms. The CBN has stipulated appropriate sanction against banks that flout the ban on cash-in-transit lodgment services.
Yi Fu Tuan’s well known idea of relation between space and place (1987) depicts them as being mutually entwined. Nevertheless, past decades of increasing mobility resulted in the need of redefining the thus far known perception of space and place relation. The place is no longer discerned as permanent, it is based neither on historical references, nor on one's own memory and the memory of one's ancestors, nor on social bonds and interactions occurring in a specific space and at a specific time. The text’s thesis assumes that changing the place of residence due to the escalating mobility of contemporary world does not necessarily result in breaking the bonds with the previous location. Basing on the Creswell’s understanding of the matter (2004), the previous location becomes an open and dynamic place, which is still being created and is available for other people. This location is built upon multiple and various stories.  In the following document the author pertains to the concept of transnationality and to the example of transnational families that create new space for family life in spatial separation.
Let $A(G)$ and $D(G)$ denote the adjacency matrix and the diagonal matrix of vertex degrees of $G$, respectively. Define $$ A_{ alpha}(G)= alpha D(G)+(1- alpha)A(G) $$ for any real $ alpha in [0,1]$. The collection of eigenvalues of $A_{ alpha}(G)$ together with multiplicities is called the $A_{ alpha}$- emph{spectrum} of $G$. Let $G square H$, $G[H]$, $G times H$ and $G oplus H$ be the Cartesian product, lexicographic product, directed product and strong product of graphs $G$ and $H$, respectively. In this paper, a complete characterization of the $A_{ alpha}$-spectrum of $G square H$ for arbitrary graphs $G$ and $H$, and $G[H]$ for arbitrary graph $G$ and regular graph $H$ is given. Furthermore, $A_{ alpha}$-spectrum of the generalized lexicographic product $G[H_1,H_2, ldots,H_n]$ for $n$-vertex graph $G$ and regular graphs $H_i$'s is considered. At last, the spectral radii of $A_{ alpha}(G times H)$ and $A_{ alpha}(G oplus H)$ for arbitrary graph $G$ and regular graph $H$ are given.
Let X be a real uniformly smooth Banach space and let T : D(T ) ⊆ X → X be a K-positive definite operator. Under suitable conditions we establish that the iterative method by Bai (1999) converges strongly to the unique solution of the equation Tx = f , f ∈ X. The results presented in this paper generalize the corresponding results of Bai (1999), Chidume and Aneke (1993), and Chidume and Osilike (1997).
Targeted protein degradation induced by heterobifunctional compounds and molecular glues presents an exciting avenue for chemical probe and drug discovery. To date, small-molecule ligands have been discovered for only a limited number of E3 ligases, which is an important limiting factor for realizing the full potential of targeted protein degradation. We report herein the discovery by chemical proteomics of azetidine acrylamides that stereoselectively and site-specifically react with a cysteine (C1113) in the E3 ligase substrate receptor DCAF1. We demonstrate that the azetidine acrylamide ligands for DCAF1 can be developed into electrophilic proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) that mediated targeted protein degradation in human cells. We show that this process is stereoselective and does not occur in cells expressing a C1113A mutant of DCAF1. Mechanistic studies indicate that only low fractional engagement of DCAF1 is required to support protein degradation by electrophilic PROTACs. These findings, taken together, demonstrate how the chemical proteomic analysis of stereochemically defined electrophilic compound sets can uncover ligandable sites on E3 ligases that support targeted protein degradation.
Corporate-based universities are being established by the Ministry of Higher Education and one of them is the Semen Indonesia Gresik of Community Collage (AKSI Gresik). The location that is integrated with the cement factory in Gresik city supported by adequate facilities is one of its advantages. However, the health hazards that exist at the factory location also pose a threat to universities, one of which is the danger of physics. The purpose of this study is to produce information from smart tools that make it easier for the academic community to identify potential health problems and provide input / recommendations for hazard control of physical hazard conditions including climate hazards, noise, vibration, microwaves, lighting and magnetic fields. Hazard control includes substitution / elimination of hazards, input from engineering, administration and proper use of PPE.  The method used is quantitative by taking measurements in March - April 2019 in the rector's building, lecture building, machine worshop and heavy equipment workshop. The measurement results will be entered into the manufacture of smart tools by using the Java program (NetBeans IDE 18.1. This research produces applications that can be operated on personal computers that indicate the potential danger of noise, vibration for workshops and lighting hazards for the room. Health problems that could potentially be suffered in the form of hearing disturbances, tremors of the limbs and eye fatigue resulting in minus eyes.The output from the design of smart tools provides the conclusion that proper hazard control in the AKSI Gresik is engineering, namely the presence of noise dampers and vibration absorbers and the use of PPE such as ear plugs / ear muffs and the use of vibration dampening gloves is the solution. Keyword: danger of physics, hazard control of physical hazard conditions, smart tools
Combining auditory and visual information about the same external event enhances perception and behavioural performance. Numerous factors have been shown to contribute to the integration of visual and auditory stimuli, like spatial or semantic relationships between the two stimuli. We studied the influence of spatial disparity between the auditory and the visual stimuli on bimodal object recognition in a go/no‐go task, under realistic virtual environment. Participants were asked to react as fast as possible to a target object, presented in the visual and/or the auditory modality, and to inhibit a distractor object. Reaction times were significantly shorter for semantically congruent bimodal stimuli than would be predicted by independent processing of information about the auditory and the visual targets. Moreover, reaction times were significantly shorter for semantically congruent bimodal stimuli (i.e. visual and auditory targets) than for semantically incongruent bimodal stimuli (i.e. target represented...
Abstract A statistical study suggests that sea surface temperatures (SST) anomalies in the Pacific can be used to forecast subsequent changes in surface air temperature anomaly over North America. The SST's generally produce higher hindcast skill than do forecasts made from sea level pressure (SLP) or from persistence. The skill associated with the hindcasts was generally low and dependent on both location and season. Over a large region of the central United States significant predictions could not be made for any season and combination of SST and SLP predictors. The results of the study were found to be insensitive to changes in model structure, treatment of the predictands and methods of skill scoring. Independent tests of the predictive relations gave results in excellent agreement with those discussed above from the dependent data set. The major predictive ability comes from water temperature and sea level pressure variations in the equatorial and tropical Pacific Ocean. Fluctuations of SST and SLP i...
ABSTRACT A theoretical approach of a hierarchical spatial framework concept for spring habitats is presented in this paper. The concept is based on existing classifications of running water and on empirical studies of spring ecosystems. Hierarchical spatial categorisation is applied to study spring areas of forest ecosystems in low mountain ranges of Germany. A spatial concept for springheads is designed to aid the illustration and understanding of functional, structural and process relationships on different scales. Here, multiple geographical dimensions and hydrological scales and their terms are compared in an integrated system. This integrated approach is needed if a water body is to be studied as an ecosystem rather than just a hydrological system. The goal of this hierarchical spatial framework is to establish a conceptual foundation for the study of fauna-microhabitat relationships and for the analysis of the substrate preference of the invertebrate fauna of spring ecotones. This paper presents a surface water typology for patchy forest springs with different habitat types. Most of these habitat types of the 152 investigated springs are dominated by organic substrate types as micro habitats (74.7 %) with subdominant mineral substrate types. Therefor the most dominant habitat type (HT) is “CPOM dominated, Psammopelal abounded” HT (19.7 %), followed by the HT “Macrophytes dominated, Psammopelal abounded” (13.2 %) and the HT “CPOM dominated, Microlithal abounded” (9.9 %). More underrepresented habitat types are pure mineral substrate types (10.5 %) like the HT “Psammopelal dominated” (5.9 %). There were also less artificial habitat types (7.2 %), because the study focused on undisturbed spring habitats inside the field survey.
It is widely recognised that for the green economy to develop successfully, new educational curricula will be required to help professionals develop appropriate knowledge and skills. Relatively few university courses have been developed to date that explicitly focus on the green economy, reflecting its recent origins. Here we present the lessons learned from developing and implementing a new Masters course in the green economy, at Bournemouth University in the UK. The most significant challenges were institutional barriers, such as different departmental policies and procedures and decentralised budget strategies, which inhibited the cross-departmental collaboration desired for interdisciplinarity. Uncertainty about the future development of the green economy and its value as a concept, among both teaching staff and prospective students, presented a further challenge. In addition, the development of an appropriate curriculum for green economy courses has received little attention previously. Here, we present an overview of the curriculum developed for this Masters-level course, and, based on our experience, we demonstrate how the challenges in developing such a course can successfully be overcome.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection induces several changes in hepatocytes, such as oxidative stress, steatosis, and hepatocarcinogenesis. Although considerable progress has been made during recent years, the mechanisms underlying these functions remain unclear. We employed proteomic techniques in HCV replicon-harboring cells to determine the effects of HCV replication on host-cell protein expression. We examined two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry to compare and identify differentially expressed proteins between HCV subgenomic replicon-harboring cells and their "cured" cells. One of the identified proteins was confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis. Full-length HCV genome RNA replicating and cured cells were also assessed using ELISA. Replicon-harboring cells showed higher expression of retinal dehydrogenase 1 (RALDH-1), which converts retinol to retinoic acid, and the cured cells showed higher expression of retinol-binding protein (RBP), which transports retinol from the liver to target tissues. The alteration in RBP expression was also confirmed by ELISA and Western blot analysis. We conclude that protein expression profiling demonstrated that HCV replicon eradication affected retinol-related protein expression.
The first major study concerned with the psychosocial aspects of cystic fibrosis (CF) was conducted by Turk 1 at the National Institutes of Health. This study examined the effects of CF on communication between family members and the interactions between husband and wife. The study also evaluated the presence or absence of significant social and financial stresses associated with the disease. Twenty-five families (25 mothers, three fathers) completed a self-administered questionnaire which focused on the psychosocial consequences of having a child with cystic fibrosis. The CF children had a mean age of 7 years with a range from 3 months to 23 years. Results suggested a number of financial and social stresses in these families, including decreased time and energy available for leisure activities with the family, less time for self, increased concern over finances, less time alone with spouse, and decreased frequency of sexual relations. Respondents indicated, however, that
Aim To describe data collection pathways and practical challenges experienced by an academic comprehensive cancer centre aiming to record clinical data for patients being treated with a novel radiotherapy treatment modality. Methods Various options to capture data from all patients treated with the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) in Western Australia were explored. An international multicenter web-based secure database established and maintained by the Radiosurgery Society the RSSearch® Patient Registry was selected. Data were collected and entered over four contiguous phases, with either opt-in or opt-out consent and the completion of Patient Reported Outcome questionnaires for specific sub-groups. Results Between April 2014 and June 2016, 461 patients at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital were enrolled in the RSSearch® Patient Registry with the collection of over 17,500 data items. From 461 patients enrolled, 447 patients were treated with the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System. The majority of patients were treated for either a malignant primary (43.2%) or metastatic disease (39.4%). The establishment of matrix organisational processes for data collection led to the development of improved workflow patterns and data collection pathways. Conclusions This article describes the processes developed by a single centre to establish an efficient system for data collection and participation in an international registry. The opt-out approach was more efficient in terms of patient recruitment compared to the informed-consent method used in earlier phases. The experience of this single centre may help inform other institutions considering data collection options for assessments of new or novel treatments.
Propellers, pumps, and turbines are widely applied in marine equipment, water systems, and hydropower stations. With the increasing demand for energy conservation and environmental protection, the high efficiency and the stable operation of pumps and turbine have been drawing great attention in recent decades. However, the tip clearance between the rotating impeller and the stationary shroud can induce leakage flow and interact with the main stream, introducing complex vortex structures. Consequently, the energy performance and the operation stability of pumps and turbines deteriorate considerably. Constant efforts are exerted to investigate the flow mechanism of tip-clearance flow and its induced influence on performance. However, due to various pump and turbine types and the complexity of tip-clearance flow, previous works are usually focused on a specific issue. Therefore, a systematic review that synthesizes the related research is necessary and meaningful. This review investigates related research in the recent two decades in the perspectives from fundamental physics to engineering applications. Results reveal the vortex types, trajectory, evolution, and cavitation behaviors induced by tip-clearance flow. It is concluded that the influence characteristics of tip clearance on energy performance are closely related to the machinery type. Tip-clearance size and tip shape are found to be crucial parameters for tip-leakage vortex (TLV). The proposed optimization schemes are also demonstrated to provide inspiration for future research. Overall, this review article provides a coherent insight into the characteristics of tip-clearance flow and the associated engineering-design applications. On the basis of these understandings, comments on conducted research and ideas on future research are proposed.
The study was completely randomized design. Six hundred and seventy two commercial laying hens (Babcock B-308) from 21 to 33 weeks of age were used. The hens were divided into 3 groups; each group consisted with 6 replications of sixteen layers each, and then two hens were kept in a multiple-cage located in evaporative cooling house system. Feed and water were offered ad libitum . According to th e experimental groups, 3 levels of dietary protein (14, 16 and 18% CP) with similar energy content (2,750 ME kcal/kg) were given to the hens in order to investigate effects of dietary protein on their production performances, liver triglyceride, serum non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) and immunity responses during peak production period. The results showed that hens received 14% CP diet had significantly poorer in production performances than the 16 and 18% CP groups. Liver weight of hens fed 14% CP diet was smaller than those of 16 and 18% CP diets (P<0.05). However, the protein conversion ration was significantly improved as decrease of protein consumption (P<0.01), while feed intake was not significantly affected by dietary protein levels. There were tendencies of increase of liver triglyceride and NEFA due to high protein consumption. For the immunological aspect, Newcastle disease (ND) titre of hens fed 18% CP diet was significantly higher than those of hens fed 16 and 18% CP diets (P<0.05). Except alpha-globulin and ratio of albumin : globulin that tended to decline, all serum protein fractions and serum total protein were tended to increase as protein levels increased. Spleen size was not affected by dietary protein levels.
Abstract : The operational constraints and management problems associated with the planning and implementation of peripheral radiological countermeasures were investigated. The four peripheral countermeasures studied (postattack evacuation, applied shielding, dose equalization - including group shielding - and exposure scheduling) can be useful to the local civil defense organization in providing a significant degree of control over radiation exposure in the early postattack period, and their use may result in a reduction of dose to personnel and/or a decrease in the time till emergence from shelter is possible. Moreover, the flexibility in scheduling made possible by the use of peripheral countermeasures can increase the scope of lifesaving activities and permit earlier initiation of the recovery phase. The major management constraint on the use of peripheral countermeasures concerns the rapidity with which decisions can be reached so that action can be initiated. It was concluded that the degree of preattack planning deemed necessary for peripheral countermeasures can be integrated into the present civil defense organization with relatively minor difficulty, resulting in an appreciable payoff in postattack capabilities.
Objectives: To discuss the effect of meniscal failure. Methods: A presentation of a series of cases followed by a literature review and conclusion Results: A presentation of a series of cases of femoral fracture following arthroscopic meniscectomy and also after failure of meniscal function following a tear. A review of the historical perspectives of the causes of the condylar breakdown. A discussion of the likely cause of femoral condylar fracture and its management. Conclusion: An understanding of the effect of loss of meniscal function and the patients who are at risk.
The potential energy curve of the Cl2(X1Σg +) is investigated by the highly accurate valence internally contracted multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) approach in combination with the largest correlation-consistent basis set, aug-cc-pV6Z, in the valence range. The theoretical spectroscopic parameters and the molecular constants of three isotopes, 35Cl2, 35Cl37Cl and 37Cl2, are studied. For the 35Cl2(X1Σg +), the values of D0, De, Re, ωe, ωeχe, αe and Be are obtained to be 2.3921 eV, 2.4264 eV, 0.19939 nm, 555.13 cm−1, 2.6772 cm−1, 0.001481 cm−1 and 0.24225 cm−1, respectively. For the 35Cl37Cl(X1Σg +), the values of D0, De, Re, ωe, ωeχe, αe and Be are calculated to be 2.3918 eV, 2.4257 eV, 0.19939 nm, 547.68 cm−1, 2.6234 cm−1, 0.00140 cm1 and 0.23572 cm−1, respectively. And for the 37Cl2(X1Σg+), the values of D0, De, Re, ωe, ωeχe, αe and Be are obtained to be 2.3923 eV, 2.4257 eV, 0.19939 nm, 540.06 cm−1, 2.5556 cm−1, 0.00139 cm−1 and 0.22919 cm−1, respectively. These spectroscopic results are in good agreement with the available experimental data. With the potential of Cl2 molecule determined at the MRCI/aug-cc-pV6Z level of theory, the total of 59 vibrational states is predicted for each isotope when the rotational quantum number J equals zero (J = 0). The theoretical vibrational levels, classical turning points, inertial rotation and centrifugal distortion constants are determined when J = 0, which are in excellent accordance with the available experimental findings.
Following completion of contracting activities, sites were identified for the field leachate characterization study. Sampling and Analyses Plans (SAPs) and Site Access Agreements (SAAs) were developed for each site. A total of ten sites were sampled during this reporting period. Among the trace constituents, boron, silicon, and strontium were present in highest concentrations, with median values above 1 mg/L (1,000 {micro}g/L). Work on the first of three sites for the detailed arsenic and selenium adsorption studies began in 2002, prior to completion of the final DOE award. Kd values ranged from 100 to 12,000 L/kg for arsenic (V), 15 to 160 L.kg for As(III), and 5 to 25 L/kg for Se(VI).
This paper discusses the need to adopt marketing-friendly curricula and syllabi in graduate engineering education based upon the experience of developing a new Masters of Software Engineering degree in the USA. The competition for good graduate students is extremely fierce and has forced the faculty to construct degree programs that not only meet the academic expectations of graduate education, but align closely with the interests of the local corporations and the desires of a forward-thinking, career-minded student body. This has led to the near-extinction of several fundamental subject areas including numerical methods, switching and sequential machine theory, programming language concepts and compiler design favoring, instead, areas such as e-commerce, web-based IT, visual programming and GUI design. While this reflects the flavor of the day, it risks neglecting the necessary basics of a graduate engineering education unless a concerted effort is made to repackage those fundamentals as parts of the glamorous-sounding offerings. This paper describes how this has been achieved at Penn State Great Valley. Introduction The Penn State Great Valley, School of Graduate Professional Studies is a satellite campus of The Pennsylvania State University situated in the Greater Philadelphia high-tech region known as the “Silicon Valley of the East Coast”. It was the first of its kind in that it was intentionally positioned in the heart of the corporate center, providing easy access for the 10,000 plus graduate workforce, with the mission of providing high-quality graduate degrees in the professional disciplines desired by the surrounding corporations and potential students. What was a high-risk experiment has turned into a resounding success and has become the model for many universities and colleges. Indeed, as graduate enrollment continues to decline throughout the U.S, Penn State Great Valley has maintained steady growth. (5 pages)
Molecular studies of the rumen bacterium Ruminococcus flavefaciens are constrained by the lack of stable gene transfer systems. We report here on the characterization of RflFII, a restriction endonuclease isolated from R. flavefaciens FD-1. The enzyme is an isoschizomer of ScaI, and cleavage of the DNA is blunt-ended, between the internal TA dinucleotide sequence of 5'-AGTACT-3'. Chromosomal DNA preparations were used to demonstrate that adenine methylation of DNA within the sequence 5'-GTAC-3' inhibits both RflFII and the restriction endonucleases RsaI and ScaI. Chromosomal DNA from R. flavefaciens FD-1 is also host modified to protect against cleavage by ScaI.
Millimeter wave therapy has been reported to reduce the toxic side effects of chemo- and radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer. In order to understand the mechanisms involved in this reduction, the effect of millimeter electromagnetic waves (MWs) on catalase activity was examined in mouse blood. SKH-1 hairless mice were irradiated on their midbacks with 42.2±0.2 GHz millimeter waves. The incident power density used was 31±5 mW/cm2 and the peak SAR was 622±100 W/kg as measured using infrared thermography. The animals were irradiated before or after administration of cyclophosphamide (CPA), an anticancer drug. The sham control groups were treated in a similar manner, but not irradiated. MW irradiation, before or after administration of CPA did not significantly reduce the toxic effect of CPA on catalase activity in mouse blood.
Abstract Trigonella genus is a member of Fabaceae family, which is used as medicinal plant. The aim of this study was investigation of phytochemicals and some biological activities of Trigonella teheranica for the first time. The essential oils (EOs) of different parts (leaves, fruits and roots) were obtained and analyzed by GC-MS. Also, their chloroform and methanol extracts were prepared, too. The antimicrobial effects, antioxidant activities and cytotoxic effects against cancer (MDA-MB-231, MRC5 and HT-29) cell lines were investigated. N-hexadecanoic acid was the major compound of leaves and fruits EOs, and hexanal was abundant component of roots EO. The extracts showed stronger antibacterial effects than volatile oils against Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. All methanol extracts showed strong antioxidant effects, while the volatile oils, especially of leaves was the most effective in cytotoxic assay. Also, three derivatives of coumaric acid were isolated and identified from T. teheranica. Graphical Abstract
The detection and classification of faulty conditions in power systems is a task of crucial importance for a reliable operation. Recently, the use of high-resolution synchronized phasor measurements has been proposed by several researchers for fault detection and classification. Unlike the proposed approaches available in the literature, the central idea in this work is to leverage the delay information of phasor measurement streams to enable a faster recognition of faulty operation. In this work, therefore, we focus on the effect of the communication network delays on the fault detection time, and propose a novel training technique for fault detection and classification which takes delayed measurements into consideration. The performance of the proposed approach is verified using simulated power system data, where artificial neural networks are used for fault detection and classification.
We have synthesized two cyclam-cored dendrimers appended with dendrons of two different types by proper protection/deprotection of the cyclam unit. The resulting dendrimers contain six naphthyl and two dansyl units (N6 D2) or two dansyl and six naphthyl units (N2 D6) at the periphery. Their photophysical properties have been compared to those of a dendrimer containing 8 dansyl units (D8) and a previously investigated dendrimer containing 8 naphthyl units (N8). The absorption spectra are those expected on the basis of the number of chromophores, demonstrating that no ground state interaction takes place. The emission spectra of N2 D6 and N6 D2 show naphthalene localized and naphthalene excimer emission similar to those observed in the case of N8, together with a much stronger dansyl emission with maximum at 525 nm. Addition of CF(3)SO(3)H to dendrimer solutions in CH(3)CN/CH(2)Cl(2) 1:1 (v/v) leads to protonation of the aliphatic amine units of the cyclam core at first and then of the aromatic amine of each dansyl chromophores. Cyclam can be diprotonated and this affects dansyl absorption and, most significantly, emission bands by a charge perturbation effect. Each dansyl unit is independently protonated in both dendrimers. The most interesting photophysical feature of these heterofunctionalized cyclam-cored dendrimers is the occurrence of an intradendrimer photoinduced energy transfer from naphthyl to dansyl chromophores of two different dendrons (interdendron mechanism). The efficiency of this process is 50 % for N6 D2 and it can be increased up to 75 % upon protonation of the cyclam core and formation of N6 D2(2H(+)). This arises from the fact that protonation of the amine units of the cyclam prevents formation of exciplexes upon naphthyl excitation, thus shutting down one of the deactivation processes of the fluorescent naphthyl excited state.
Deactivation Behaviour of Arenes and Heteroarenes. XVII. Fluorescence Quenching of Cations by Anions        Fluorescence quenching, caused by cation-anion interaction in the excited state, was investigated for the combinations of 13 acridinium and acridizinium ions (fluorophors) and chloride, bromide and iodide (quenchers). The obtained dependence of rate constants of dynamic quenching process on the acceptor properties of cations in the case of chloride is interpreted by the model of electron transfer in the encounter state. The resulting limit-rate constants of quenching are greater than those of diffusion of neutral molecules, caused by the Coulomb-interaction between cation and anion.
Background and Purpose— We report a management strategy for cerebral revascularization in a patient with an occluded common carotid artery by first performing a subclavian to external carotid artery bypass, followed by superficial temporal artery middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass. Methods— The patient presented with symptomatic left hemispheric hemodynamic insufficiency, associated with occlusion of the ipsilateral internal and common carotid arteries. The STA was not detectable. The patient was treated initially with a subclavian to external carotid artery bypass, with partial improvement in symptoms. Results— Angiography demonstrated improvement in perfusion and STA filling, which was used for STA-MCA bypass, with resolution of symptoms. Conclusion— Our experience with this case has led us to consider a staged approach for management of patients with an occluded common carotid artery.
Fifteen-year-old Kelly’ is concerned about the mistreatment of animals. She draws and paints argumentative pictures as her contribution to this issue. One of her pictures illustrates partly scorched pigs at slaughter: ’The pigs look depressed with their heads down (...) they are treated as if they were nothing but pieces of merchandise (...) The purpose of this picture is to make people aware of these things’. As a contrast to this, she has made another picture representing a herd of zebras and the solidarity they share despite having different characters. ’People, too, should feel togetherness even if some of us think differently; we should respect our different thoughts and talk about them.’
AIMS OF THE STUDY Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is a well-established treatment option for hypercapnic respiratory failure; however, the best mode of ventilation remains unknown. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare patients’ adherence to NIV using either pressure support ventilation (PSV) or intelligent volume-assured pressure support (iVAPS).   PATIENTS AND METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed in- and outpatients suffering from hypercapnic respiratory failure of various aetiologies (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], obese COPD [body mass index >30 kg/m2], obesity hypoventilation syndrome and other diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or interstitial lung disease) after NIV initiation with PSV or iVAPS. Adherence to treatment was compared between these modes using the Wilcoxon test. Within-group differences were tested using linear regression models. Mortality and emergency hospital readmission rates were modelled using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox proportional hazards models.   RESULTS Adherence to treatment was similar in both groups throughout the observation period – after 6 weeks: PSV 363 min/night (interquartile range [IQR] 200–448), iVAPS 369 min/night (IQR 310–468) (p = 0.619); after 1 year: PSV 423 (323–500), iVAPS 429 (298–475) (p = 0.901); at the last follow up: PSV 481 (395–586), iVAPS 426 (391–565) (p = 0.284). NIV reduced PaCO2 significantly compared with baseline at all follow-ups: PSV −1.29/−1.49/−1.49 kPa, iVAPS −1.47/−1.23/−1.24 kPa, p <0.001 each, PSV vs iVAPS: p = 0.250, 0.756 and 0.352, respectively. Median survival time (PSV 5.06 years, iVAPS median not reached; p = 0.800) and time to first readmission (PSV 3.6 years, iVAPS 7.33 years, p = 0.200) did not differ between groups. Obese COPD patients had a longer time to hospital readmission than lean COPD patients (3.8 vs 1.5 years, hazard ratio (HR) 0.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.16–0. 74; p = 0.007). Good adherence (>4 h/night and >80% nightly usage) was associated with a lower mortality rate (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.15–0.77; p = 0.010).   CONCLUSION In a real-world setting of a mixed population with hypercapnic respiratory failure, iVAPS and PSV seem to be similarly effective in improving gas exchange and demonstrate excellent adherence to treatment. A longer survival was noted in NIV-adherent patients. Randomised controlled studies are necessary to identify patients who might benefit more from hybrid ventilation modes.
The term “gastrointestinal neuromuscular disease” can be interpreted variably and encompasses a spectrum of paediatric and adult conditions including achalasia, pseudoobstruction, idiopathic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, megacolon, and Hirschsprung disease. Although progress has been made in the understanding of the pathophysiology of some conditions, the aetiopathogenesis has been elucidated only in the rare minority. This review critically considers the available evidence for possible pathogenic mechanisms in these disorders.
Nascent Hg-DNA synthesized by the incorporation of Hg-dCTP in reversibly permeable cells of murine thymocytes has been characterized earlier. Here we describe the analysis of 5' ends of oligonucleotides isolated from thymocytes 48 hr after a single dose of emetine administration to mice. This small-molecular-weight population of nascent DNA shorter than Okazaki fragments was absent in control cells. More than 90% of the terminally 32P-labeled oligonucleotides carried a terminally phosphorylated RNA moiety at the 5' end, as demonstrated by alkaline hydrolysis. The size of the short nascent DNA fragments carrying RNA primers ranged between 9 and 50 nucleotides with an average chain length of 15 nucleotides. These oligomers are regarded as the precursors of the Okazaki fragments.
Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), 0.3% ofloxacin eardrops (OFLX), and Gelfoam patching on the healing of human moderate and large traumatic tympanic membrane perforations (TMPs). Study Design: A prospective, quasi-randomized, controlled clinical study. Setting: A University-affiliated teaching hospital. Subjects and Methods: We performed a quasi-randomized prospective analysis between January 2010 and December 2014. All patients had traumatic TMPs covering areas >25% of the entire tympanic membrane. The closure rates, closure times, hearing gains, and rates of otorrhea in patients who underwent conservative observation, Gelfoam patching, topical bFGF application, and direct application of OFLX were compared. Results: We ultimately included 185 patients. Closure rates did not significantly differ among the four groups (p = 0.257). Post-hoc multiple comparisons also showed that the closure rates did not differ between any two groups (p > 0.083). The mean closure times were 25.6 ± 13.32, 12.3 ± 8.15, 14.3 ± 5.44, and 13.97 ± 8.82 days for the observation, bFGF, Gelfoam patch, and OFLX groups, respectively. The closure times of the four groups differed significantly (p < 0.001). Post-hoc multiple comparisons showed that the differences between the observation group and each of the other groups were significant (p < 0.001). No other between- or among-group differences were significant (p > 0.0083). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that OFLX, bFGF, and Gelfoam patching accelerated the closure of human moderate and large traumatic TMPs. Hence, treatment of human traumatic TMPs should be revisited clinically. Topical application of OFLX may be recommended, because OFLX is more easily available and convenient than bFGF or Gelfoam patch for otology outpatients.
M y husband, Scott, and I have this single month in South America, which means we have to make choices, cut out ruins, islands, entire countries.We’ve met the long haulers: packs of Israelis just out of military service with nine months to travel; the German couple who quit their jobs, sold their houses, and hit the road; the Oregon hippy with his camera and Kerouac. Happy hour at the Irish bar in Cuzco, he crows,“You only have a month?” then grows solemn with purpose. “I’ll be in China in a month. You’ve got to do the Yangtze before it is too late, before everything is ruined.” Everything. Ruined. I used to be one of them. I’m not sure what I am now. We’re heading to the Salar de Uyuni, the salt flat remains of a prehistoric lake along the Bolivian border with Chile.We’ve seen pictures of Daliesque landforms, purple mineral-rich mountains, blood red lakes. First stop is La Paz, the highest capital city in the world at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. The city named for peace is a lung-busting maze of cobbled streets. If something exists, it’s for sale in Bolivia.You can buy cell phone minutes from a phone chained to a person who then looks discretely in the other direction. Llama fetuses and little stone fertility statues with huge penises pack the Mercado de Brujas. A fried Spam stand sizzles next to a cart of bootlegged Freddy Mercury CDs next to an open suitcase full of pantyhose. Cries of “You want? You want?” Every square inch along the main promenade of El Prado is packed. One guy followed us for blocks hissing, smokesnortInternet? smokesnortInternet?
Objective: To explore the National Survey of Pharmacy Practice at MOH hospitals in Saudi Arabia 2016- 2017: Pharmacy Management and resources. Methods: It is a 4-months cross-sectional National Survey of Pharmacy Practice at MOH hospitals in Saudi Arabia. The study consisted of two parts; the demographic information and the second part contained eighty-five questions divided into nine domains drove from American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and Saudi Pharmaceutical Society (SPS) survey, the international standard of Joint Commission of Hospital Accreditation, and the local standards of Saudi Center of healthcare accreditation. An electronic questionnaire was distributed to one hundred eighty-five directors of pharmacies at MOH hospitals. The study discussed and analyzed National Survey of Pharmacy Practice at MOH hospitals in Saudi Arabia: Pharmacy Management and resources. All analysis was done through survey monkey system. Results: The survey questionnaire was distributed to 185 hospitals, the rate of reply, was 105 (56.75%). The most of the hospital pharmacies provide their services to the adult emergency (91.18%), medical (90.82%), and surgical patients (87.76%). The highest number of prescriptions annually was adults emergency (5,094,000), Pediatrics emergency (3,357,000) and medical services (2,340,000). The majority of pharmacy services consisted of outpatient pharmacy 88 (92.63%), inpatient pharmacy 81(82.65 %%), pharmacy store 77 (77.00%), and emergency pharmacy 63(68.48%). The seldom finding of pharmacy services were satellite pharmacy 7(8.33%), clinical pharmacy 7 (10.47%), followed by repackaging system 27 (31.76%) and Intravenous admixture servicers 29(32.22%). The total number prescriptions dispensed were (32,643,000) annually with (25,110.01) prescriptions per hospital per year. The total numbers of pharmacists were (953), and pharmacy technicians were (1251). The average space size of hospital pharmacy was (113.98 m2) with the highest space, outpatient pharmacy (32.16 m2) followed by inpatient pharmacy (24 m2) and pharmacy store (22.42 m2). Conclusion: Most of the hospital pharmacies missed some essential of pharmacy practice with emphasis on Human Resources and clinical pharmacy services. Implementing MOH pharmacy strategic plan with close monitoring is required for all hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Key word: Pharmacy management, Human resources, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia.
This paper is a critical analysis of the poem “Indigo Brown” by Will Cox, a Modern American prolific writer, poet, philosopher, essayist, vociferous activist and humanist. It is an in-depth study to inspire people to get rid of their ego and live through their soul. The poet has introduced the idea of negative capability as he believes that the societal taboos lead to intellectual muddle and insecurity. The poet draws a bridge between the never ending heartaches of the past and connects them beautifully with the present state where he has gathered himself and lifts his head to reconcile with the never changing customs. However, the question of freedom has an everlasting impression at the back of his head and expresses a desire to transcendence to a spiritual realm, traveling beyond time to purify his soul from the unworthy assertions society has labeled him with. His style is direct and rhetoric and he uses significant symbols, imageries and literary devices and also uses authorial intrusion to establish his point of view
The Royal Armouries was recently fortunate enough to purchase a previously unpublished example of the series of Latin accounts from the royal armour workshop at Greenwich, for the period November 1616–March 1617 (no. RAR.0132). Two other examples of these are known, together with two slightly earlier warrants dormant in English (Cripps-Day 1944: 30–2, Mann 1951: nos 97–8, app. G–H), and each adds a little to our knowledge of this important armour workshop, which was established in the palace at Greenwich by King Henry VIII, and produced armour of world class during the Tudor and Stuart period. Though the other accounts have been published before, for convenient comparison all three Latin accounts are included here, in chronological order, with translations. The text of all three is in Latin, and is presented here with all suspensions and contractions fully expanded. The account of December 1610–March 1611 passed from the collection of F H Cripps-Day into that of Sir James Mann and was bequeathed to the Royal Armouries (no. RAR.0244b, Cripps-Day 1944: 33–4, Mann 1951: no. 89, app. I).
We have developed an embedded software application, especially for health-conscious people concerned with air pollution. It helps to search an optimal path based on the concentration of pollutants in the air from available alternatives. The interface takes the advantage of Google Map Application Programming Interface (API) which is widely used for localization and navigation. In this article, we present a software development framework based on an Android Platform that displays real-time ambient air quality from data acquisition systems installed on roadways. It also recommends the users to find out the best path with minimum pollution index. The proposed system is simulated globally based on synthetically generated data, while locally verified with sensor data using a wireless local area network based cloud server. The optimization algorithm is provided, which provides the optimal path.
The cost of an unattended ground sensor system is based on two factors: the number of sensor nodes used and, the complexity of each sensor/communications node. The tracking accuracy of the sensor network is a trade off between the density of the network and the accuracy with which the sensor nodes can determine the position or bearing of the target. Assuming acoustic sensors, the errors reduce, primarily, to timing errors, within each of the sensor nodes. Therefore that understanding the timing errors within a network of acoustic nodes is a factor in determining system cost for a given level of information fidelity. This paper explores the error mechanisms within and without each of the sensor nodes thus identifying the critical sub systems where engineering effort would be most effectively directed.
Abstract. To recognize the movement of wind-blown sand saltation, one of the main movements in wind-sands, the initial velocity of lift-off sand particles by wind and collision has been an important problem in the research, either theoretically or experimentally. This paper presents a 2D model of grain/bed impaction under consideration of random distribution of contact points of the grains in the bed, pattern of the granular bed, initial velocity and angle accordingly . After that, a distribution of initial velocity of the lift-off sand particles is deduced out from the proposed impact model. The quantitative results show that some of them are in agreement with those experime ntal data well.
Monitoring and improving rural health is challenging because of varied and conflicting concepts of just what rural means. Federal, state, and local agencies and data resources use different definitions, which may lead to confusion and inequity in the distribution of resources depending on the definition used. This article highlights how inconsistent definitions of rural may lead to measurement bias in research, the interpretation of research outcomes, and differential eligibility for rural-focused grants and other funding. We conclude by making specific recommendations on how policy makers and researchers could use these definitions more appropriately, along with definitions we propose, to better serve rural residents. We also describe concepts that may improve the definition of and frame the concept of rurality.
The heavy metals Al, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe, Mn, As, and Cd in the rainfall-driven supratidal wetlands along the west coast of the Bohai Sea (the areas are named site 1, site 2, site 3, and site 4 from south to north in the gradient in this study) are tested for their accumulation risks and sources. Results show that the distribution and enrichment of the heavy metals in the supratidal wetlands are lower in site 1 than in sites 2–4. The risk indices (RIs) of all sites are less than 150, indicating low–moderate risk. However, the RI values are primarily dominated by the risk indices (Eri) of As and Cd. The accumulative contribution values of Eri-As and Eri-Cd in sites 1, 2, 3, and 4 are 79.05%, 77.80%, 80.54%, and 76.43%, respectively. Additionally, the contamination degree (Cd) and the Nemero comprehensive pollution index (PN) of the supratidal wetland in site 1 are 6.86 and 0.74 respectively, indicating a low-risk state. By contrast, the Cd and PN values of the other three supratidal wetlands are higher than those of site 1, suggesting an increasing accumulation risk for heavy metals in sites 2, 3 and 4. Our analysis indicates that the heavy metals Al, Cr, Mn, and Fe in all the supratidal wetlands mainly originate from the weathering of rocks and their parent materials. Pb is significantly correlated with anthropogenic activities, while Cu, As, and Cd are likely induced by anthropogenic activities and atmospheric deposition. The sources of Ni and Zn should be determined on the basis of the situation of the wetland and its surrounding areas. For example, Ni is mainly affected by anthropogenic activities in site 2, whereas the origins of Ni are soil parent materials or atmospheric depositions in sites 1, 3, and 4. Our results can provide data to support the utilization strategy and sustainable development plans for marine space resources on the coast of the Bohai Sea.
Identifying predictors for general cognitive training (GCT) success in healthy older adults has many potential uses, including aiding intervention and improving individual dementia risk prediction, which are of high importance in health care. However, the factors that predict training improvements and the temporal course of predictors (eg, do the same prognostic factors predict training success after a short training period, such as 6 weeks, as well as after a longer training period, such as 6 months?) are largely unknown.
As speech enhancement for impact noise, it is important to detect the impact noise activity. However, since the impact noise suddenly occurs by hitting an object, a snap and clapping, the impact noise activity cannot be detected easy. Therefore, this paper proposes the impact noise activity detector based on 4th order cumulant. The continuous duration of impact noise is shorter than the one of speech and the power of impact noise sharply varies. Consequently, the distributions of instantaneous power of the impact noise and speech are difference. Therefore, the proposed impact noise activity detection takes advantage of 4th order cumulant which depends on sharpness and skirt of distribution.
ABSTRACT This study examines the relationship between leadership behaviors and perceived social loafing in a coproductive tax-service environment. It proposes that coproductive taxpayers can be the source of directive and supportive leadership behaviors that reduce tax collectors’ perceived social loafing. Based on survey data from a coproductive tax-service agency, the study finds that supportive (but not directive) leadership by taxpayers has a significant negative effect on tax collectors’ perceived social loafing. Supportive leadership can be provided not only by hierarchical leaders but also by collaborative leaders outside the organization. These findings expand the knowledge base of public sector leadership theories and provide empirical evidence to support the importance of citizen coproduction.
This study attempts to examine the association between transfer pricing, foreign ownership, institutional ownership, corporate social responsibility, and tax aggressiveness of multinational manufacturing companies that listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange for the years 2016 to 2019. Beside that this study attempts to analyze the simultaneous and partial association between transfer pricing, foreign ownership, institutional ownership on tax aggressiveness with corporate social responsibility as a moderate variable. The analytical method that used in this study are statistic descriptive and moderated regression analysis (MRA) by using SPSS version 25. The sample selection technique used was purposive sampling and obtained 12 multinational manufacturing companies for the years 2016 to 2019 that results in 48 samples. The results of this study indicate that transfer pricing and institutional ownership have an effect on tax aggressiveness. Meanwhile, foreign ownership has no effect on tax aggressiveness. The results of the research moderated by corporate social responsibility get the results that it can weaken the influence of transfer pricing and institutional ownership on tax aggressiveness. Meanwhile, foreign ownership with corporate social responsibility as moderation has no effect on tax aggressiveness.
Prologue: Gary Taylor finds a poem Part I. Donald Foster's 'Shakespearean' Construct: 1. 'W.S.' and the Elegye for William Peter 2. Parallels? Plagiarisms? 3. Vocabulary and diction 4. Grammar: 'the Shakespearean who' 5. Prosody, punctuation, pause patterns 6. Rhetoric: 'the Shakespearean hendiadys' 7. Statistics and inference 8. A poem 'indistinguishable from Shakespeare' Part II. John Ford's Funerall Elegye: 9. Ford's writing career: poet, moralist, playwright 10. Ford and the Elegye's 'Shakespearean diction' 11. The Funerall Elegye in its Fordian context Epilogue: the politics of attribution Appendices: 1. The text of A Funerall Elegye 2. Verbal parallels between A Funerall Elegye and Ford's poems 3. Establishing Ford's canon Bibliography.
In multigenerational immigrant families, everyone is a lifelong learner. Grandparents must learn to foster social connection with their grandchildren despite language and culture barriers, while grandchildren seek to learn their heritage language and culture to better connect with their grandparents. Educational support tools for this context are sparse as language learning apps are often Eurocentric in design and do not fit in the existing routines of immigrant families. In my research, I design educational tools for marginalized immigration populations, such as apps for learning language, preserving family stories, and sharing culture. I design for people at the margins, which requires interdisciplinary intensive approaches. After providing an overview of my research, I present my ongoing project to build a storytelling tool for immigrant families called CrossRoads. CrossRoads employ human-centered approaches that are better suited for uncovering the needs and practices of marginalized immigrant populations. I design and evaluate a tool that fits within the routines of immigrant grandparents and grandchildren by employing the familiar activity of storytelling. I discuss preliminary findings, and implications of my work in the development of educational technology for supporting marginalized, lifelong learners in casual contexts.
In Mexico, the genetic mechanisms underlying childhood obesity are poorly known. We evaluated the effect of loci, known to be associated with childhood body mass index (BMI) in Europeans, in Mexican children from different ethnic groups. We performed linear and logistic analyses of BMI and obesity, respectively, in Mestizos and Amerindians (Seris, Yaquis and Nahuatl speakers) from Northern (n = 369) and Central Mexico (n = 8545). We used linear models to understand the effect of degree of Amerindian ancestry (AMA) and genetic risk score (GRS) on BMI z-score. Northern Mexican Mestizos showed the highest overweight-obesity prevalence (47.4%), followed by Seri (36.2%) and Central Mexican (31.5%) children. Eleven loci (SEC16B/rs543874, OLFM4/rs12429545/rs9568856, FTO/rs9939609, MC4R/rs6567160, GNPDA2/rs13130484, FAIM2/rs7132908, FAM120AOS/rs944990, LMX1B/rs3829849, ADAM23/rs13387838, HOXB5/rs9299) were associated with BMI and seven (SEC16B/rs543874, OLFM4/rs12429545/rs9568856, FTO/rs9939609, MC4R/rs6567160, GNPDA2 rs13130484, LMX1B/rs3829849) were associated with obesity in Central Mexican children. One SNP was associated with obesity in Northern Mexicans and Yaquis (SEC16B/rs543874). We found higher BMI z-score at higher GRS (β = 0.11, p = 0.2 × 10−16) and at lower AMA (β = −0.05, p = 6.8 × 10−7). The GRS interacts with AMA to increase BMI (β = 0.03, p = 6.08 × 10−3). High genetic BMI susceptibility increase the risk of higher BMI, including in Amerindian children.
A simple method is described for the quantitative analysis of urinary δ-aminolevulinic acid. 2-Methyl3-carbethoxy-4-(3-propionic acid) pyrrole, produced by the condensation of δ-aminolevulinic acid with ethyl acetoacetate, is almost completely extracted from an aqueous solution with ethyl acetate without resorting to ion-exchange column chromatography. The pyrrole is determined colorimetrically by treating an aliquot of the extract with a modified Ehrlich’s reagent.
Beijing has experienced rapid urbanization after the last city' s master planning(2004—2020),and the city' s landscape pattern has changed greatly in spatial and temporal scale. During the rapid urbanization process,the city occupied huge amounts of open spaces and agricultural land,which changed the distribution and constituents of landscape that impacted the ecosystem services,and resulted in series of eco-environmental problems. Based on the Landsat TM images of 2003,2007 and 2011 as spatial data,under the supporting of RS and GIS tools and Fragstats software,we analyzed the change characteristics of urban landscape pattern during these years. Combined with social and economic statistical data,city's master planning(2004—2020) and urban management policies,we aim to find the driving forces of landscape pattern change. The results showed that the city' s landscape pattern changed significantly from 2003 to 2011.The urban construction land increased from 15. 0% to 18. 0%,and the cultivated land decreased from 21. 3% to 18. 8%conversely. The forest land is the dominated landscape type and its area proportion is kept up 51% during the study period.In the extent of 6thring road which is typical urbanized area,the construction land increased by 10% but the cultivated land decreased by 10% correspondingly during the study period. The construction land remained as the dominated landscape type. The landscape pattern within the 6thring road area is different from the whole city,but there is a common phenomenon that the increased construction land were at the cost of disappeared cultivated lands. The landscape metrics analysisrevealed that the construction land has high degree of patches fragmentation in landscape class level at city scale,and at landscape level,the landscape' s contagion and aggregation were declined,but the landscape diversity was increased.However,there are different results in scale of the 6thring road extent,the construction land has low degree of patches fragmentation in landscape class level,the landscape's contagion and aggregation increased but landscape diversity declined rapidly in landscape level. Nevertheless the complexity of landscape spatial shape increased at both scales. Driving forces analysis revealed that increasing population,urban industry regulation,implementation of city' s master planning and local city's development policies are the main factors that cause the change of city's landscape pattern.
CD27 is a member of the nerve growth factor/tumor necrosis factor receptor family and appears to play an important role in the process of T cell activation. We have previously shown that perturbation of the CD27 molecule by anti-1A4 (CD27) mAb inhibits T cell proliferation induced by various stimuli. To further determine the molecular basis of this inhibition of T cell proliferation by anti-1A4 mAb, we have established CD27-transfectant lines. Introduction of the human CD27 cDNA to ovalbumin-specific I-Ad-restricted murine T cell hybridomas significantly reduced their antigen-specific IL-2 production. In addition, treatment of these human CD27 transfectants with an anti-CD27 mAb (anti-1A4) further reduced their IL-2 production. These results provide direct evidence that CD27 plays a crucial role in the process of T cell activation.
In recent years, the precautionary principle has begun to enter legal decision-making in Indonesian civil courts. This introduction is in line with environmental cases that often involve much scientific evidence. This article aims to describe theoretical elaboration and, to a certain extent, legal developments in the application of the precautionary principle in the settlement of civil environmental cases in Indonesia. The precautionary principle provides a framework for environmental decision-making in the event of scientific uncertainty. The theoretical elaboration shows a wide dimension of influence of the precautionary principle on the system of liability and proof. In comparison, the court cases also show the application of the precautionary principle in the liability system and proof despite still in its weak version.
The way people interact in daily life is a challenging phenomenon to capture and to study without altering the natural rhythm of interactions. Our work investigates the possibility of automatically detecting proximity among people, the first mandatory condition before a dyad starts interacting. We present Remote Detection of Human Proximity (ReD-HuP), an algorithm based on the analysis of Bluetooth Low Energy beacons emitted by commercial wearable tags. We validate ReD-HuP with real-world indoor settings and we compare its performance with respect to detailed ground truth data collected from a number of volunteers. Experimental results show an accuracy and F-Score metric up to 95%.
Abstract Let K be a global field, $ mathcal{V}$ a proper subset of the set of all primes of K, $ mathcal{S}$ a finite subset of $ mathcal{V}$, and ${ tilde K}$ (resp. Ksep) a fixed algebraic (resp. separable algebraic) closure of K with $K_ mathrm{sep} { subseteq}{ tilde K}$. Let Gal(K) = Gal(Ksep/K) be the absolute Galois group of K. For each $ mathfrak{p} in mathcal{V}$, we choose a Henselian (respectively, a real or algebraic) closure $K_ mathfrak{p}$ of K at $ mathfrak{p}$ in ${ tilde K}$ if $ mathfrak{p}$ is non-archimedean (respectively, archimedean). Then, $K_{ mathrm{tot}, mathcal{S}}= bigcap_{ mathfrak{p} in mathcal{S}} bigcap_{ tau in{ rm Gal}(K)}K_ mathfrak{p}^ tau$ is the maximal Galois extension of K in Ksep in which each $ mathfrak{p} in mathcal{S}$ totally splits. For each $ mathfrak{p} in mathcal{V}$, we choose a $ mathfrak{p}$-adic absolute value $|~|_ mathfrak{p}$ of $K_ mathfrak{p}$ and extend it in the unique possible way to ${ tilde K}$. Finally, we denote the compositum of all symmetric extensions of K by Ksymm. We consider an affine absolutely integral variety V in $ mathbb{A}_K^n$. Suppose that for each $ mathfrak{p} in mathcal{S}$ there exists a simple $K_ mathfrak{p}$-rational point $ mathbf{z}_ mathfrak{p}$ of V and for each $ mathfrak{p} in mathcal{V} smallsetminus mathcal{S}$ there exists $ mathbf{z}_ mathfrak{p} in V({ tilde K})$ such that in both cases $| mathbf{z}_ mathfrak{p}|_ mathfrak{p} le1$ if $ mathfrak{p}$ is non-archimedean and $| mathbf{z}_ mathfrak{p}|_ mathfrak{p}<1$ if $ mathfrak{p}$ is archimedean. Then, there exists $ mathbf{z} in V(K_{ mathrm{tot}, mathcal{S}} cap K_ mathrm{symm})$ such that for all $ mathfrak{p} in mathcal{V}$ and for all τ ∈ Gal(K), we have $| mathbf{z}^ tau|_ mathfrak{p} le1$ if $ mathfrak{p}$ is archimedean and $| mathbf{z}^ tau|_ mathfrak{p}<1$ if $ mathfrak{p}$ is non-archimedean. For $ mathcal{S}= emptyset$, we get as a corollary that the ring of integers of Ksymm is Hilbertian and Bezout.
Beyond apparent simplicity, visuomotor dexterity actually requires the coordination of multiple interactions across a complex system that links the brain, the body and the environment. Recent research suggests that a better understanding of how perceptive, cognitive and motor activities cohere to form executive control could be gained from multifractal formalisms applied to movement behavior. Rather than a central executive “talking” to encapsuled components, the multifractal intuition suggests that eye-hand coordination arises from multiplicative cascade dynamics across temporal scales of activity within the whole system, which is reflected in movement time series. Here we examined hand movements of sport students performing a visuomotor task in virtual reality (VR). The task involved hitting spatially arranged targets that lit up on a virtual board under critical time pressure. Three conditions were compared where the visual search field changed: whole board (Standard), half-board lower view field (LVF) and upper view field (UVF). Densely sampled (90 Hz) time series of hand motions captured by VR controllers were analyzed by a focus-based multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Multiplicative rather than additive interactions across temporal scales were evidenced by testing comparatively phase-randomized surrogates of experimental series, which confirmed nonlinear processes. As main results, it was demonstrated that: (i) the degree of multifractality in hand motion behavior was minimal in LVF, a familiar visual search field where subjects correlatively reached their best visuomotor response times (RTs); (ii) multifractality increased in the less familiar UVF, but interestingly only for the non-dominant hand; and (iii) multifractality increased further in Standard, for both hands indifferently; in Standard, the maximal expansion of the visual search field imposed the highest demand as evidenced by the worst visuomotor RTs. Our observations advocate for visuomotor dexterity best described by multiplicative cascades dynamics and a system-wide distributed control rather than a central executive. More importantly, multifractal metrics obtained from hand movements behavior, beyond the confines of the brain, offer a window on the fine organization of control architecture, with high sensitivity to hand-related control behavior under specific constraints. Appealing applications may be found in movement learning/rehabilitation, e.g., in hemineglect people, stroke patients, maturing children or athletes.
OBJECTIVE Recent studies have proposed resection of the T2 FLAIR hyperintensity beyond the T1 contrast enhancement (supramarginal resection [SMR]) for IDH-wild-type glioblastoma (GBM) to further improve patients' overall survival (OS). GBMs have significant variability in tumor cell density, distribution, and infiltration. Advanced mathematical models based on patient-specific radiographic features have provided new insights into GBM growth kinetics on two important parameters of tumor aggressiveness: proliferation rate (ρ) and diffusion rate (D). The aim of this study was to investigate OS of patients with IDH-wild-type GBM who underwent SMR based on a mathematical model of cell distribution and infiltration profile (tumor invasiveness profile).   METHODS Volumetric measurements were obtained from the selected regions of interest from pre- and postoperative MRI studies of included patients. The tumor invasiveness profile (proliferation/diffusion [ρ/D] ratio) was calculated using the following formula: ρ/D ratio = (4π/3)2/3 × (6.106/[VT21/1 - VT11/1])2, where VT2 and VT1 are the preoperative FLAIR and contrast-enhancing volumes, respectively. Patients were split into subgroups based on their tumor invasiveness profiles. In this analysis, tumors were classified as nodular, moderately diffuse, or highly diffuse.   RESULTS A total of 101 patients were included. Tumors were classified as nodular (n = 34), moderately diffuse (n = 34), and highly diffuse (n = 33). On multivariate analysis, increasing SMR had a significant positive correlation with OS for moderately and highly diffuse tumors (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-0.99; p = 0.02; and HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96-0.99; p = 0.04, respectively). On threshold analysis, OS benefit was seen with SMR from 10% to 29%, 10% to 59%, and 30% to 90%, for nodular, moderately diffuse, and highly diffuse, respectively.   CONCLUSIONS The impact of SMR on OS for patients with IDH-wild-type GBM is influenced by the degree of tumor invasiveness. The authors' results show that increasing SMR is associated with increased OS in patients with moderate and highly diffuse IDH-wild-type GBMs. When grouping SMR into 10% intervals, this benefit was seen for all tumor subgroups, although for nodular tumors, the maximum beneficial SMR percentage was considerably lower than in moderate and highly diffuse tumors.
An inability to experience pleasure or a reduction in the ability to do so is a prominent feature of schizophrenia that is often included among the negative symptoms of the disorder. As a whole, dysfunction in the affective experience of pleasure in patients with schizophrenia is poorly understood and is mediated by a number of cognitive and emotional processes. Whilst there is evidence that patients with schizophrenia have an impaired ability to derive and experience pleasure from non-current tasks, there is some evidence that they report current pleasurable experiences similar to non-clinical control participants. Previous studies investigating anhedonia have a number of methodological shortcomings that fail to examine the impact of general symptomology on the ability to experience pleasure. This current study involved 55 adults meeting the criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia. We looked specifically at relationships between anhedonia and positive, negative and general symptomatology. The results support the notion that anhedonia may best be considered as a separate phenomenon from negative symptoms of schizophrenia and from related symptomatology. The implications of these findings are considered in relation to future treatment initiatives.
Normal 0 21 false false false NO-BOK X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */   table.MsoNormalTable   {mso-style-name:"Vanlig tabell";   mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;   mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;   mso-style-noshow:yes;   mso-style-priority:99;   mso-style-qformat:yes;   mso-style-parent:"";   mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;   mso-para-margin:0cm;   mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;   mso-pagination:widow-orphan;   font-size:11.0pt;   font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";   mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;   mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;   mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";   mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;   mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;   mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;   mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";   mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}   This article describes and discusses a number of fundamental aspects of analysing short written narratives. Of particular interest are the code-totality problems that arise during the transformation of several individual stories into a collective narrative. This article starts with a brief introduction to our previous narrative research on Swedish social-work students, which is followed by a description of textual interpretation according to Paul Ricœur's theory of interpretation, and a discussion and elaboration on the different concepts of meaning within his theory. The core of this article is an account of four models for analysing narrative data from several informants. This is followed by a concrete example of the implications that follow from the implementation of these models. We conclude that the degree of heterogeneity in the narrative material affects the choice of the mode of textual analysis and the code compilation. Normal 0 21 false false false NO-BOK X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */   table.MsoNormalTable   {mso-style-name:"Vanlig tabell";   mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;   mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;   mso-style-noshow:yes;   mso-style-priority:99;   mso-style-qformat:yes;   mso-style-parent:"";   mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;   mso-para-margin:0cm;   mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;   mso-pagination:widow-orphan;   font-size:11.0pt;   font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";   mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;   mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;   mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";   mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;   mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;   mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;   mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";   mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
Objective: this Reflection paper intends to question some theoretical issues that cloud the practice and whose improvement could increase the social benefit of management.  Methodology: an interpretative and critical reflection was made on the social phenomenon of Public Policies (PP); thus, the analysis of some issues from the fundamental theoretical perspectives on the subject were taken into account such as the cited original sources. This reflection was particularly focused on five issues to help understand the rationality of PP and their performance: the formal issues, the actors, the contexts, the processes, and the results.  Results: It was found that in many social scenarios, including academic, the PPs are introduced as technocratic options that political leaders assume neutrally and rationally for the benefit of people. Although this concept is very interesting, it is ideological and far from reality. The PPs are political devices that were developed in late modernity to control the tangible and intangible resources of society, and, as such, they are administered by different subgroups in defense of their own interests. Unlike the aim of the official discourse, the PPs are not always decisions made in favor of public interests, rather they are changeable expressions of social conflicts between antagonistic groups fighting for their own benefit.  Conclusions: beyond technical matters, the PPs are political issues whose main characteristic comes from the particular interests of their defenders. The PPs have become a good opportunity to face and solve priority public problems.
Oxytocin, oxytocin-associated neurophysin (neurophysin), prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), and progesterone concentrations were measured in the utero-ovarian vein (UOV) of sheep during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. On days 13-16 of the cycle, large pulses of PGF2 alpha, oxytocin, and neurophysin were measured in samples collected at hourly intervals from the UOV draining a corpus luteum (UOV/CL). Most of the PGF2 alpha pulses (96.5%) coincided with a pulse of both oxytocin and neurophysin, whereas only 55.6% of oxytocin pulses coincided with a pulse of PGF2 alpha. Therefore, during luteolysis in sheep, uterine PGF2 alpha release is closely associated with ovarian oxytocin release, and oxytocin release is unlikely to be dependent upon a uterine PGF2 alpha stimulus. During frequent sampling, coincident oxytocin pulses were measured in 1) both UOVs when a CL was present in both ovaries and 2) the jugular vein, carotid artery, and UOV/CL, with a significantly higher oxytocin pulse concentration occurring in jugular venous compared with carotid arterial plasma. Pituitary and luteal release of oxytocin may, therefore, occur simultaneously and be controlled by a circulating factor in sheep. Compared to days 13-16 of the cycle, significantly (P less than 0.001) fewer pulses of PGF2 alpha, which were significantly (P less than 0.001) smaller in amplitude, were measured in UOV samples collected frequently during early pregnancy. The frequency of oxytocin pulses observed in the UOV/CL of pregnant sheep was not significantly (P greater than 0.1) different from that observed in cyclic ewes, although most (86.4%) oxytocin pulses occurred in the absence of a PGF2 alpha pulse. In contrast, when a pulse of PGF2 alpha was observed in the UOV/CL of pregnant ewes, it usually coincided with a pulse of oxytocin. The suppression of uterine PGF2 alpha release during early pregnancy is not considered to result from a lack of stimulation by oxytocin.
Twenty-seven Newcastle disease virus isolates obtained during the years 1998 and 1999 from racing pigeons were shown to be antigenically indistinguishable from the pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1) viruses isolated in the years 1983 and 1984. Partial sequencing of 240 base pairs of the F gene demonstrated at least 94.7% identity at the nucleotide level between isolates from 1983 and 1984, and more recent viruses isolated in 1998 and 1999. Most of the nucleotide changes observed were silent mutations as only six amino acid changes were observed. Three amino acid substitutions were observed in the F2/F1 cleavage site. The sequence of the F2/F1 cleavage site of all isolates was typical for pathogenic paramyxovirus 1 viruses. Amino acids at the F2/F1 cleavage site changed from 112 GRQKRF 117 to 112 RRQKRF 117 , 112 RRKKRF 117 or 112 RRRKRF 117 . The motif 112 RRQKRF 117 was present in the majority of the isolates but the intracerebral pathogenicity indexes of PPMV-1 isolates having this motif was highly variable but largely lower (mean, 0.69) than that reported for PPMV-1 viruses isolated in the years 1983 and 1984 (mean, 1.44).
A flow injection configuration for the spectrofluorimetric determination of oxalate is proposed. The procedure is based on the enhancing effect of oxalate on the oxidation of Rhodamine B by dichromate. The proposed method is simple, inexpensive, sensitive and suitable for concentrations of oxalate between 1.76 and 88 µg ml–1. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by the determination of oxalate in food and urine samples.
Discussed is the errors of height tendency and vertical velocity caused by assumptions of fictitious boundary conditions, i.e. the height tendency or the vertical velocity vanishes on the side-boundary or at the lower boundary respectively. Generally speaking, errors penetrate farther into the domains with increase of the scales of errors on and at boundaries. The distributions of errors in the domains are given for various type of boundary errors. Comparison between the exact solution and the result of prediction by the barotropic model is made for a disturbance of Haurwitz's type.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an incurable lethal disease whose incidence rate is growing. There is no effective screening for detection of early stage tumors and, in most cases, PDAC is diagnosed at advanced disease stages, when radical pancreatic resection is not possible. The aggressive nature of pancreatic tumor cells lies in the complex genetic mechanisms behind their uncontrolled capability to grow and metastasize, which involve essential adaptive changes in cellular metabolism, signaling, adhesion and immunoediting. In addition, PDAC cells promote a dense functional stroma that facilitates tumor resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. During the last two decades, gemcitabine has been the reference for the systemic treatment of PDAC. However, recently, a regimen combining fluorouracil, irinotecan, oxaliplatin, and leucovorin (FOLFIRINOX) and another combining albumin-bound paclitaxel with gemcitabine have shown clear therapeutic advantage in advanced PDAC, with survival outcomes of 11.3 and 8.5 mo on phase III trials, respectively, over single-agent gemcitabine. With the pending issue of their higher toxicities, these regimens set the reference for ongoing and future clinical studies in advanced PDAC. In addition, the efficacy of oral fluoropyrimidine (S-1) has been well documented in Asiatic PDAC patients. The development of therapeutic approaches other than cytotoxic drugs has proven difficult in the past, with only one drug (erlotinib) approved to date. Besides, a number of agents targeting signaling pathways in tumor or stroma cells are being investigated. Likewise, immunotherapies that target PDAC in various ways are the subject of a number of clinical trials. The search for reliable biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic value using genomics and mass spectrometry methods may facilitate monitoring and refinement of therapies. This review focuses on current understanding of the pathogenesis of PDAC and the latest developments in the treatment of advanced PDAC.
In a randomized open crossover study clinic equivalence of two drug forms of enalapril (Renitec®and Епат® in patients with arterial hypertension (AH) was compared. 46 patients with mild to moderate AH (mean age 57, 0 ± 12, 5years) have been studied. All underwent courses of treatment with Renitec® and Enam® 4 weeks each. Every drug's initial daily dose was 10 mg and increased to 20 mg daily in case of insufficient antihypertensive effect. The effect of treatment was evaluated by daily BP dynamics. After 4 weeks therapy Enam® and Renitec® resulted in reliable indices reduction both systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). At the end of a course of treatment with Enam® SBP decreased to 16, 8 mm Hg, DBP to 8, 2 mm Hg (in both cases p < 0,001). Under the influence of Renitec® SBP decreased to 19, 1 mm Hg, DBP to 9, 6 mm Hg (in both cases the tendency to more marked effect of Renitec® was noted, but differences between two medications were not statistically significant. During the course of both medications insignificant inauthentic increase of HR was observed. The dose-effect analysis showed that for achieving the equal level of SBP reduction the dose of Enam® should be slightly higher, at the same time the cost of therapy with much as Renitec® BP reduction was less in treatmentwith Enam®, then with Renitec®. Two drugforms of enalapril Enam® and Renitec® are clinically equivalent, at the same time the daily therapy of AH in treatment with Enam® prove to be significantly inexpensive.
Due to the non-determinism of the SystemC scheduler, SystemC symbolic simulation faces a scalability issue. The issue stems from enumerating all scheduling alternatives such that all design behaviors can be captured assuredly. To conquer the scheduling alternative explosion problem, we first adopt symbolic partial order reduction to reduce the equivalent scheduling alternatives for exploration. Moreover, for those scheduling alternatives that cannot be reduced by partial order reduction, we merge their execution paths (and also states) into fewer ones to prevent the number of paths from explosion. The experimental results show that we achieve a tremendous scalability improvement by combining these two techniques together.
This study focuses on the disassembly-behavior of self-immolative pro-fluorescent linkers under physiological conditions and through an enzyme-initiated domino reaction. The targeted linkers are based on para-aminobenzylalcohol (PABA) or hemithioaminal derivatives of para-carboxybenzaldehyde or glyoxilic acid. We found that a fine tuning of the kinetic properties could be obtained through the modulation of the linker structure, giving either a fast signal response or free-adaptable systems suitable for the design of protease-sensitive fluorogenic probes or prodrug systems.
Acrylamide is a well-known neurotoxicant and carcinogen. Apart from industrial exposure, acrylamide is also found in different food products. The present study deals with in vivo experiment to test the protective effect of rutin against acrylamide induced toxicity in rats. The study was carried out on female rats with exposure of acrylamide at the dose of 38.27 mg/kg body weight, orally for 10 days followed by the therapy of rutin (05, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg orally), for three consecutive days. All animals were sacrificed after 24 h of last treatment and various biochemical parameters in blood and tissue were investigated. Histopathology of liver, kidney and brain was also done. On administration of acrylamide for 10 days, neurotoxicity was observed in terms of decreased acetylcholinesterase activity and oxidative stress was observed in terms of increased lipid peroxidation, declined level of reduced glutathione, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and catalase) in liver, kidney and brain. Acrylamide exposure increased the activities of serum transaminases, lipid profile, bilirubin, urea, uric acid and creatinine in serum indicating damage. Our experimental results conclude that rutin showed remarkable protection against oxidative DNA damage induced by acrylamide, which may be due to its antioxidant potential.
Effective Schwann cells (SCs) attachment is a prerequisite for the successful construction of tissue-engineered nerve. The present study aimed to investigate the role of an avidin-biotin binding system (ABBS) for neural tissue engineering. The attachment, proliferation, and morphology of biotinylated SCs on avidin-treated scaffolds were examined, and the effects of avidin, biotin, and the avidin-biotin binding system on SCs gene expressions were also studied. The results indicated that the attachment of biotinylated SCs onto avidin-treated scaffolds was promoted obviously within a short time (10 min). Meanwhile, there were no great differences in terms of proliferation and morphology of SCs between the two groups after cultivation for 14 days. The gene expressions of S100, GDNF, BDNF, NGF, CNTF, and PMP22 were up-regulated significantly by biotin rather than aligned scaffolds or avidin. The present study demonstrated that ABBS enhanced the attachment and maturation of SCs onto the electrospun scaffolds without adverse effects on the proliferation of SCs in the long term, suggesting the potential application of ABBS in the neural tissue engineering.
Currently, hepatitis C virus (HCV) antiviral therapy is characterized by long duration, a multitude of side effects, difficult administration and suboptimal success; clearly, alternatives are needed. Collectively, specifically targeted antiviral therapy for HCV (STAT-C) molecules achieve rapid viral suppression and very high rapid virological response rates, and improve sustained virological response rates. The attrition rate of agents within this class has been high due to various toxicities. Regardless, several STAT-C molecules are poised to become the standard of care for HCV treatment in the foreseeable future. Optimism must be tempered with concerns related to the rapid development of drug resistance with resulting HCV rebound. Strategies including induction dosing with interferon and ribavirin, use of combination high-potency STAT-C molecules and an intensive emphasis on adherence to HCV antiviral therapy will be critical to the success of this promising advance in HCV therapy.
Chili anthracnose is one of the most devastating fungal diseases affecting the quality and yield production of chili. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge concerning the chili anthracnose disease, as well as to explore the use of marker-assisted breeding programs aimed at improving anthracnose disease resistance in this species. This disease is caused by the Colletotrichum species complex, and there have been ongoing screening methods of chili pepper genotypes with resistance to anthracnose in the field, as well as in laboratories. Conventional breeding involves phenotypic selection in the field, and it is more time-consuming compared to molecular breeding. The use of marker-assisted selection (MAS) on the basis of inheritance, the segregation ratio of resistance to susceptibility, and the gene-controlling resistance may contribute to the development of an improved chili variety and speed up the selection process, while also reducing genetic drag in the segregating population. More importantly, by using molecular markers, the linkage groups are determined dominantly and co-dominantly, meaning that the implementation of a reliable method to produce resistant varieties is crucial in future breeding programs. This updated information will offer a supportive direction for chili breeders to develop an anthracnose-resistant chili variety.
Recording of EEG during fMRI scanning is a recent technique that provides new perspectives on the underlying generators of classical EEG phenomena appearing in spontaneous brain activity, such as the alpha rhythm, interictal spikes and sleep spindles. The theoretical principle, on which the method is based, is quite simple. By making a statistical comparison between fMRI scans in which the EEG-phenomenon is present and in which it is absent, and detecting the voxels in which this difference is significant, one can localize the brain regions involved in the generation of the EEG phenomenon under study. Furthermore, one can determine whether the phenomenon corresponds to an activation or a de-activation of the brain region. In practice, however, there are many bio-signal processing problems to be solved: the artifact removal in the EEG, the demodulation of the EEG, the extraction of an EEG reference from the multi-channels, the determination of a sensible correlation co-efficient (in which heart beat effects and breathing are eliminated) and its statistical significance. In this paper, several innovations concerning the signal processing of simultaneously recorded fMRI, PULSE and fMRI are presented and applied in a case study on the generators of the alpha-rhythm
GLOSSARY ASA = atrial septal aneurysm; ASD = atrial septal defect; CFD = color flow Doppler; CPB = cardiopulmonary bypass; CT = computed tomography; HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; LV = left ventricular; PAPVR = partial anomalous pulmonary venous return; PFO = patent foramen ovale; RUPV = right upper pulmonary vein; SVASD = sinus venosus-type atrial septal defect; SVC = superior vena cava; TEE = transesophageal echocardiogram; TTE = transthoracic examination
We obtain a new solution of the paraxial Helmholtz equation that describes a family of three-dimensional and two-dimensional form-invariant half-Pearcey beams (HP-beams). HP-beams generalize Pearcey beams obtained in Ring et al (2012) Opt. Express 20 18955, since these Pearcey beams can be considered as the sum of two first-order HP-beams. Three-dimensional HP-beams have angular spectra of plane waves, which are non-zero at a half parabola. For functions of HP-beam complex amplitudes, the orthogonality properties have been revealed. Using a spatial phase modulator, we generated superposition of HP-beams. For two-dimensional HP-beam acceleration and deceleration of trajectory has been shown for areas before and beyond the focal plane respectively.
Purpose Our study reports the clinical outcomes of patients treated with 5-mm isotropic margin, fiducial-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We also sought to assess the effect of histological subtype on local control. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all patients treated with SBRT for NSCLC between 2007 and 2017 at our institution. All patients who had implanted fiducial markers, planning target volume (PTV) margins of 5 mm or less, early stage disease (T1-T2, N0), and at least one follow-up CT were included in this analysis. Estimates of local control were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between survival curves were assessed using the log-rank test. Results A total of 152 patients met the inclusion criteria for this analysis, with a median follow-up of 27.9 months. Patients received 54 Gy in three fractions for peripheral tumors and 48-52.5 Gy in four to five fractions for central tumors. NSCLC histology was adenocarcinoma in 69 (45.4%) cases, squamous cell carcinoma in 65 (42.8%) cases, and other or non-subtyped in 18 (11.8%) cases. Across the entire cohort, the two-year estimate of local control was 95.1%. When histology was considered, the two-year estimate of local control among patients with adenocarcinoma was 95.6% as compared with 85.0% for patients with other subtypes (p=0.044). Conclusions Fiducial-guided, isotropic 5-mm PTV margin for thoracic SBRT did not compromise local control compared with historical standards. In this series, patients with adenocarcinoma experienced improved local control compared with squamous cell carcinoma.
This paper highlights the importance of making explicit claims and statements about efficacy in the study of ritual. It argues against any general account of ritual efficacy, given that all kinds of actions can be ritualized without adding thereby a specific efficacy sui generis. To situate their position in the history of ritual theory Quack and Töbelmann first take stock of some of the most influential positions in this field (Frazer; Durkheim; Tambiah) and stress their commonalities and differences. The authors then put forward their own “interpretive grid”, establishing a series of questions as a necessary precondition of any attempt to form a comprehensive statement about ritual efficacy. While the efficiens (that which brings about a change in ritual) and the efficiendum (that which is acted upon in ritual) are important parts of any such statement, other significant categories are the sphere in which a ritual is assumed to take effect, the means by which it is said to be efficacious, and the conditions which it must assertedly meet. Of further importance is the perspectivity of such a statement and the special role of the intentions of the ritual practitioners, given that rituals are understood as a species of the genus action. In a final section, Quack and Töbelmann apply their “interpretive grid” to Catherine Bell’s influential monograph Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice (1992). They show how Bell’s ideas are built on mostly implicit notions of ritual efficacy. Explicating these notions, the authors not only find Bell’s thought subtly influenced by Durkheimian ideas (notwithstanding her claims to the contrary). They also develop an understanding of two mutually dependent levels on which Bell finds ritualization to be efficacious.
This paper documents research on the effect that differential tax structures have in distorting the location of retail sales and employment along state borders. Increases in the state and local sales tax rate are found to reduce the level of retail activity on that side of the state border for two of the three moderately sized metropolitan areas which are studied. Employment and sales exhibited approximately the same responsiveness to tax rate changes. State income taxes are found to have minor influences on the location of retail activity and increases in selective sales tax rates generally create zero or very small effects on overall retail activity. The results indicate that consumers are more likely to change their consumption behavior in response to increases in the easily observable general sales tax than in other taxes that may indirectly raise business costs.
Purpose - This paper aims to measure the influence of institutional capacity and population differences between Sub-Saharan African and Caribbean economies, on the efficacy of competition policy. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses multiple regression analysis to evaluate the significance of demographics, as captured through population size, and institutional capacity on the performance of the national competition authority. Findings - The model identifies institutional capacity as a statistically significant factor enabling robust enforcement of competition policy. Wide disparities in the provision of competition expertise between Western economies and developing countries effectively frustrate attempts in this respect. Research limitations/implications - There is the considerable shortage of economic data, both broadly, as it relates to time series, and narrowly, within the remit of competition policy developments, within Sub-Saharan African economies. Originality/value - Both African and Caribbean economies represent significantly under-researched areas, particularly in the sphere of competition policy. This paper represents a small contribution towards filling that void through application to specific country experience as against discussion in the abstract.
We initiate a theory of locally eventually positive operator semigroups on Banach lattices. Intuitively this means: given a positive initial datum, the solution of the corresponding Cauchy problem becomes (and stays) positive in a part of the domain, after a sufficiently large time. A drawback of the present theory of eventually positive C0-semigroups is that it is applicable only when the leading eigenvalue of the semigroup generator has a strongly positive eigenvector. We weaken this requirement and give sufficient criteria for individual and uniform local eventual positivity of the semigroup. This allows us to treat a larger class of examples by giving us more freedom on the domain when dealing with function spaces − for instance, the square of the Laplace operator with Dirichlet boundary conditions on L2 and the Dirichlet bi-Laplacian on Lp-spaces. Besides, we establish various spectral and convergence properties of locally eventually positive semigroups.
This article investigates water-related research in the Southern African Development Community. Water issues are part of the region’s science and technology priorities as 4countries receive less rain than the global average of 860 mm/yr – Botswana with 400 mm/yr, Namibia with 254 mm/yr, South Africa with 497 mm/yr and Zimbabwe with 652 mm/yr. Furthermore, the international literature indicates that joint or internationally coordinated research has the potential to improve the scientific–technical quality of international agreements, prevent conflict and shape the way for appropriate management of the shared resources. Scientometric analysis using the Web of Science database is employed in order to identify the state of water research and collaboration in the SADC region. The Web of Science indexes a defined set of journals worldwide and the South African Government provides incentives/subsidies for publications indexed by this database. The results show that South Africa is the main producer (80%) of research publications in the region. Similarly, in the field of water research South Africa produces 75% of the region’s research. The SADC collaboration matrix in water-related research reveals that there is minimal, if any, collaborative research on the topic. Some seed-level research exists between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. The main funders of research are the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) (acknowledged in 180 publications), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (72 publications), the National Institutes of Health (64 publications) and the Wellcome Trust (60 publications). Policy implications are discussed (e.g. the establishment of SADC Common Water Research Area; research support for the region, etc.).
Nucleophilic substitution results in inversion of configuration at the electrophilic carbon center (SN 2) or racemization (SN 1). The stereochemistry of the nucleophile is rarely considered, but phosphines, which have a high barrier to pyramidal inversion, attack electrophiles with retention of configuration at P. Surprisingly, cyclization of bifunctional secondary phosphine alkyl tosylates proceeded under mild conditions with inversion of configuration at the nucleophile to yield P-stereogenic syn-phosphiranes. DFT studies suggested that the novel stereochemistry results from acid-promoted tosylate dissociation to yield an intermediate phosphenium-bridged cation, which undergoes syn-selective cyclization.
Utilizing first-principles density functional theory calculations together with group theory analyses, we systematically investigate the spin-order-dependent magneto-optical effect (MOE), anomalous Hall effect (AHE), and anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) in the recently discovered two-dimensional room-temperature ferromagnet $1T text{ ensuremath{-}}{ mathrm{CrTe}}_{2}$. We find that the spin prefers an in-plane direction by the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy calculations. The MOE, AHE, and ANE display a period of $2 ensuremath{ pi}/3$ when the spin rotates within the atomic plane, and they are forbidden if a mirror plane perpendicular to the spin direction exists. By reorienting the spin from the in-plane to out-of-plane direction, the MOE, AHE, and ANE are enhanced by around one order of magnitude. Moreover, we establish the layer-dependent magnetic properties of multilayer $1T text{ ensuremath{-}}{ mathrm{CrTe}}_{2}$ and predict antiferromagnetism and ferromagnetism for bilayer and trilayer $1T text{ ensuremath{-}}{ mathrm{CrTe}}_{2}$, respectively. The MOE, AHE, and ANE are prohibited in antiferromagnetic bilayer $1T text{ ensuremath{-}}{ mathrm{CrTe}}_{2}$ due to the existence of the space-time inversion symmetry, whereas all of them are activated in ferromagnetic trilayer $1T text{ ensuremath{-}}{ mathrm{CrTe}}_{2}$ and are significantly enhanced compared to those of monolayer $1T text{ ensuremath{-}}{ mathrm{CrTe}}_{2}$. Our results show that the magneto-optical and anomalous transports proprieties of $1T text{ ensuremath{-}}{ mathrm{CrTe}}_{2}$ can be effectively modulated by altering spin direction and layer number.
Structural adhesive joints are expected to retain integrity in their entire service-life that normally involves cyclic loading concurrent with environmental exposure. Under such a severe working condition, effective determination of fatigue life at different temperatures is crucial for reliable joint design. The main goal of this work was thus defined as evaluation of fatigue performance of adhesive joints at their extreme working temperatures in order to be compared with their fracture properties under static loading. A series of standard double-cantilever-beam (DCB) specimens have been bonded by three structural 3M epoxy adhesives selected from different applications. The specimens were tested under monotonic and cyclic opening loads (mode-I) in order to evaluate the quasi-static and fatigue performances of selected adhesives at room temperature, 80°C and -40°C. The test results revealed that the fatigue damage occurred at relatively low load levels when compared to quasi-static fracture forces. At room temperature, the maximum cyclic fatigue forces varied between 25% and 40% of corresponding quasi-static fracture loads of selected adhesives. More significant reductions in adhesive mechanical performances were observed at 80°C. At cryogenic temperature, the adhesives had their own characterizations; mainly increasing the fatigue resistance but very sensitive to testing parameters such as loading rate or crosshead speed. In conclusion, the experimental observations showed a significant influence of fatigue loading on adhesive joints mechanical performances that should be considered in joint design, particularly at non-ambient temperatures.
The quorum-sensing (QS) system is an intercellular cell-cell communication mechanism that controls the expression of genes involved in a variety of cellular processes and that plays critical roles in the adaption and survival of bacteria in their environment. The LuxS/AI-2 QS system, which uses AI-2 (autoinducer-2) as a signal molecule, has been identified in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. ABSTRACT The quorum-sensing (QS) system is an intercellular cell-cell communication mechanism that controls the expression of genes involved in a variety of cellular processes and that plays critical roles in the adaption and survival of bacteria in their environment. The LuxS/AI-2 QS system, which uses AI-2 (autoinducer-2) as a signal molecule, has been identified in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. As one of the important global regulatory networks in bacteria, it responds to fluctuations in the numbers of bacteria and regulates the expression of a number of genes, thus affecting cell behavior. We summarize here the known relationships between the LuxS/AI-2 system and drug resistance, discuss the inhibition of LuxS/AI-2 system as an approach to prevent bacterial resistance, and present new strategies for the treatment of drug-resistant pathogens.
In the linear inversion of the radial variation of the parameters of the Earth by using  the observed frequencies of various normal modes of free oscillation of the earth, it is neces-  sary to know the values of the kernels of the parameters ρ, μ and λ. This paper describes  the methods of the derivation of the formulas of these kernels. This is the first part of the  paper in which only the toroidal oscillations are considered. They are much simpler than  those of the spheroidal ones, that we will consider in the second part of the paper.   The data of the two types of oscillations are equally important in the solution of the  inversion problem, and should be employed simultaneously, and we know that the toroidal  oscillations are much simpler than the spheroidal ones, it seems wise to divide the whole program  of the inversion problem into steps: first, by employing the toroidal data to correct the two  parameters ρ and μ in the mantle, then by using the spheroidal data to correct the remain-  ing parameters, i.e. the other Lame parameter λ in the mantle (leaving ρ and μ as corrected),  and ρ, μ and λ in the core, finally, by using the spheroidal data again to make further refine-  ment of all the parameters.
Although fine-needle aspiration (FNA) has long been accepted as a valuable diagnostic technique for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), cytopathologists must contend with highly variable morphology. On histology, HCC is sometimes seen to form acini or pseudoglands, and corresponding architecture might be appreciated on cytologic smears. We encountered a case of HCC on FNA showing acini with a striking rosette-like appearance. Rosettelike structures are not commonly described in the HCC cytology literature. The patient was a 52-year-old man with known chronic hepatitis B virus who presented with back pain. He reported having been diagnosed with liver cancer 9 months prior in China, but there was no tissue diagnosis in the United States. His serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level was 128.6 ng/mL (upper limit of normal: 8.9 ng/ mL). Imaging revealed multiple large masses in the liver as well as widespread bony metastases. A destructive lytic lesion involving the anterior right second rib was selected for FNA. Diff-Quikand Pap-stained smears were highly cellular and characterized by cohesive and dyscohesive polyhedral cells. Cytoplasm was moderately abundant and granular to vacuolated. Nuclei were large and round to oval with conspicuous nucleoli. Distinct rosette-like structures were readily apparent throughout the smears, with nuclei positioned peripherally and cytoplasm located centrally (Figs. C-1A and B). No central lumen or vessel was seen. Nuclei showed vague palisading. Larger tissue fragments consisted of trabeculae with transgressing vessels. Stripped nuclei were present in the background. On H&E-stained cell block sections, tumor cells formed pseudoglands, trabeculae, and sheets. Immunostains were performed: glypican-3 showed cytoplasmic positivity, whereas CD10 showed staining in a canalicular pattern (Fig. C-1C); CK7, CK20, and CD56 were negative. A diagnosis of metastatic HCC was made. The patient’s disease rapidly progressed, with serum AFP peaking at 352.1 ng/mL. He died 2 months following the FNA procedure. Although we were aware of the patient’s reported history of HCC, our morphologic differential diagnosis for this metastatic tumor included neuroendocrine and small round blue cell neoplasms. Piatti et al. and Yang et al. described HCC cases with microacinar architecture on cytology reminiscent of neuroendocrine morphology. Although the clinical scenario (patient age and presentation) was not classic, we gave diagnostic consideration to Ewing sarcoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumor, and olfactory neuroblastoma, as rosettes are well-described cytologic findings in these entities. We were able to confirm the hepatocytic origin of the tumor via immunostaining for glypican-3 and CD10. The architecture of this HCC was striking, but it is evident that the rosette-like structures represented neither true rosettes nor pseudorosettes, as they contained neither neurofibrils nor blood vessels. Instead, these rosette-like arrangements are part of the spectrum of acini encountered on HCC cytologic smears.
Vast developments in information and technology era necessitate implementation of technology reinforced teaching & learning. Information and communication technologies remove the negative effects of preparation and understanding problems. Scientist admit that animations and simulations widely contribute education by learning through experience. Abstract courses like physics complicate comprehension of student therefore alternative teaching methods like animation and simulation are used. In this study, we had benefit of animations for achieving better comprehension on teaching “Resistance Measurement with Wheatstone Bridge”. Primarily, definitions about the topic are given as animations then, the simulation. Following the directions given to students, calculation of unknown resistance through entering values in simulation with aiming students to understand what Wheatstone bridge is used for. The bridge circuit is built in simulation on computer environment and calculation of the unknown resistance per student is procured by monitoring the change on galvanometer. Besides, derivation of the formulas are showed in animations aiming minimizing misconception about topic and better comprehension.
Empirical studies of intertemporal dynamics of individual income, distribution of personal income, and growth and distribution of national income are all based on statistics that rely on some concept of income. The dominant one today appears to be the so-called Haig-Simons-Hicks (HSH) concept of income. I examine the foundations of this concept in Hicks's Value and Capital and conclude that there is nothing "Hicksian" about the HSH concept of income. Furthermore, I argue that Hicks's failure to distinguish between definition and calculation, and the consequent lack of adequate ex post concepts, make it impossible for his income definitions to serve as a basis for income accounting. JEL Codes: D30, B21, B31.
BACKGROUND Little is known about factors contributing to physical activity (PA) in American Indian (AI) populations. Addressing this gap is paramount as sedentary activity and obesity continue to increase in this population. The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with PA among AI families with young children.   METHODS Height and weight of both adult (n = 423) and child (n = 390) were measured, and surveys assessed demographics, PA, stress (adult only), sleep, and screen time. Separate multivariate logistic regression models were constructed for adults and children (reported as adjusted odds ratios, aORs).   RESULTS For adults, age (aOR = 0.952; P ≤ .001), television viewing (aOR = 0.997; P = .01), and computer use (aOR = 0.996; P = .003) decreased the odds of being active. For children, high adult activity (aOR = 1.795; P ≤ .01), longer weekday sleep (aOR = 1.004; P = .01), and family income >$35,000 (aOR = 2.772; P = .01) increased the odds of being active. We found no association between adult PA with stress or adult sleep or between child PA with body mass index and screen time.   CONCLUSIONS Given the complexity of the factors contributing to obesity among AI families, multigenerational interventions focused on healthy lifestyle change such as decreasing adult screen time and increasing child sleep time may be needed to increase PA within AI families.
Mobile cloud-based video gaming (MCVG) is an emerging trend in moving the online entertainment industry into the cloud era. In MCVG, the game engines are hosted in the cloud, and the rendered gaming videos are transmitted over wireless networks to the mobile devices. In reverse, game players' interactions on screens are sent to the cloud server over the same networks. How to compress and transmit the real-time gaming video, so that during the gaming session, the expected server transmission rate over the bandwidth-limited wireless network is minimized while satisfying the quality of experience demanded by the players, is a great technical challenge that is addressed in this paper in a multi-player gaming context. We exploit the correlations between the gaming videos for distinct players in the same gaming scene to propose a cloud gaming system with cooperative video sharing, in which the cloud game server is able to efficiently encode and transmit multiple video streams to a group of players, while those players are able to decode their video in a cooperative manner by sharing contents via a secondary network such as ad hoc wireless local area network. Experimental results show that the expected server transmission rate can be significantly reduced compared to the conventional video encoding schemes for cloud games.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Vinorelbine and capecitabine are both active in breast cancer with moderate toxicity.   DESIGN AND SETTING A pilot study conducted from December 2007 to January 2010 in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) to evaluate efficacy and safety.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The study included patients with MBC who were previously treated by anthracyclines either during the adjuvant phase or the metastatic phase. Patients were treated with oral vinorelbine (60 mg/m2) on day 1+8 and capecitabine (1000 mg/m2) twice daily (VC) from day 1 to day 14 with both repeated every 3 weeks until progression, refusal or for a maximum of 8 cycles. A dose reduction was made in case of grade 3 and 4 toxicities.   RESULTS Of 31 women (median age, 51 years), 12 cases were first-line therapy and 19 cases were second-line therapy or greater, and 30 were evaluable for response. Two patients (6.4%) achieved complete response and 15 patients (48.4%) had a partial response giving an overall response rate of 54.8% (95% CI, 42%-68%). Time- to-disease progression was 7.8 months for patients receiving VC as first-line therapy versus 6 months for patients receiving VC as second-line therapy or more, while median survival time was 22 months and 10 months for the two groups, respectively.   CONCLUSIONS The oral VC regimen is effective and safe in patients with MBC previously exposed to anthracyclines, and offers a promising alternative to the intravenous route. Its role as a salvage therapy following anthracycline failure or as first-line chemotherapy requires further studies.
Purpose: The cytidine analogs 5-azacytidine and decitabine, used to treat myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), produce a molecular epigenetic effect, depletion of DNA-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). This action is S-phase dependent. Hence, genetic factors that decrease the half-lives of these drugs could impact efficacy. Documentation of such impact, and elucidation of underlying mechanisms, could lead to improved clinical application. Experimental design: Cytidine deaminase (CDA) rapidly inactivates 5-azacytidine/decitabine. The effect of CDA SNP A79C and gender on CDA expression, enzyme activity, and drug pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics was examined in mice and humans, and the impact on overall survival (OS) was evaluated in 5-azacytidine/decitabine-treated patients with MDS (n = 90) and cytarabine-treated patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (n = 76). Results: By high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), plasma CDA activity was decreased as expected in individuals with the SNP A79C. Interestingly and significantly, there was an even larger decrease in females than in males. Explaining this decrease, liver CDA expression was significantly lower in female versus male mice. As expected, decitabine plasma levels, measured by mass spectrometry, were significantly higher in females. In mathematical modeling, the detrimental impact of shorter drug half-life (e.g., in males) was greater in low compared with high S-phase fraction disease (e.g., MDS vs. AML), because in high S-phase fraction disease, even a short exposure treats a major portion of cells. Accordingly, in multivariate analysis, OS was significantly worse in male versus female patients with MDS treated with 5-azacytidine/decitabine. Conclusions: Increased CDA expression/activity in males contributes to decreased cytidine analog half-life and likely contributes to worse outcomes with 5-azacytidine or decitabine therapy. Clin Cancer Res; 19(4); 938–48. ©2012 AACR.
This paper describes a cross-border collaboration between a Russian and a Norwegian University in the English Language field, and how it is made possible by the universities' support – both in terms of strategic plans and funding. The paper shows the goals of the collaboration; to give the students an insight into how English is taught in Russia/Norway and intercultural learning, as well as how this is pursued through telecollaboration and physical mobility. The paper also explains how the physical mobility, as it is the core activity of the collaboration, has led to less telecollaborative activity.
From Owicki-Gries' Resource Invariants and Jones' Rely/Guarantee to modern variants based on Separation Logic, axiomatic logics for concurrency require auxiliary state to explicitly relate the effect of all threads to the global invariant on the shared resource. Unfortunately, auxiliary state gives the proof of an individual thread access to the auxiliaries of all other threads. This makes proofs sensitive to the global context, which prevents local reasoning and compositionality.  To tame this historical difficulty of auxiliary state, we propose subjective auxiliary state, whereby each thread is verified using a self view (i.e., the thread's effect on the shared resource) and an other view (i.e., the collective effect of all the other threads). Subjectivity generalizes auxiliary state from stacks and heaps to user-chosen partial commutative monoids, which can eliminate the dependence on the global thread structure.  We employ subjectivity to formulate Subjective Concurrent Separation Logic as a combination of subjective auxiliary state and Concurrent Separation Logic. The logic yields simple, compositional proofs of coarse-grained concurrent programs that use auxiliary state, and scales to support higher-order recursive procedures that can themselves fork new threads. We prove the soundness of the logic with a novel denotational semantics of action trees and a definition of safety using rely/guarantee transitions over a large subjective footprint. We have mechanized the denotational semantics, logic, metatheory, and a number of examples by a shallow embedding in Coq.
A short and efficient synthesis for a series of 1,6-diaryl- 3,4-diarylaminohexa-2,4-diene-1,6-diones was developed. Based on the acylation-prototropism sequence during the reaction of vari- ous aryl methyl ketones with bis-imidoyl chlorides, the products were isolated in good yields. Substituted acetophenones, acetyl- thiophene, 3-acetylpyridine, and acetylferrocene can be integrated into this reaction as ketone component. Similarly, a-tetralone can be transformed with bis-electrophiles into the corresponding bis- enaminones. Treatment of 2-acetylpyridine with N,N¢-bis(4- tolyl)ethanebis(imidoyl) dichloride yielded not only the expected bis-enaminone, but also a new quinolizine derivative which was structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray analysis. Analo- gously, pinacolone and cyclopropyl methyl ketone can readily be converted into bis-enaminones. Monoimidoyl chlorides showed the same reactivity, providing derivatives in high yields.
The present study investigates the effect of the inter-aural level difference(ILD) on the syllable articulation test in classrooms which can be occurred by the absorption of interior surfaces. In order to do this, the sound absorbing materials were installed in the classroom and sound pressure level(SPL) at each ear was measured using binaural recording systems. Also, syllable articulation tests were carried out at a classroom with and without sound absorption materials by 20 students who have normal hearing condition, in order to investigates the effect of the ILD on the speech intelligibility. As a result, it was found that the larger inter-aural level differences was occurred at the nearer positions to lateral walls after sound absorptions were applied to lateral walls in the classroom. At some places, the measured ILD was lager than JND of sound level (3dB). Also, it was shown that the correlation coefficient of inter-aural level difference with the score of syllable test has the significant result(-0.441). Thus, It is concluded that ILD can affect the subjective speech intelligibility in classrooms.
This paper is the second (see the first reference) in the series of studies entitled “Household Consumption and Income in Australia.” undertaken by the author to analyse data from an Australia-wide consumption survey (Drane, Edwards and Gates, 1969). Whereas the first study was an investigation into the overall consumption patterns, the present study is devoted to analysing intensively the patterns of household food consumption. Food is especially important since it is the largest single consumption item in the family budget. In this paper the analysis is extended in two main directions. The first is the disaggregation of total food consumption into its components. The degree of disaggregation, however, is limited by the availability of detailed information. Accordingly, only five components of expenditure on food could be effectively considered. The second direction is the investigation of the possible differences in food consumption patterns among various sociological and demographic groups. To that end multivariate statistical techniques have been employed.        The first section of this paper gives a brief description of the scope and limitations of the study and sets out different hypotheses that could be tested. The second section discusses the appropriate statistical techniques and the estimation methods that would be useful, while the results and their exposition have been presented in the third section. The final section contains a short comparative study and a few concluding remarks.
Multilocus sequence typing of Cuban isolates of Treponema pallidum (2018–2019) revealed an increased frequency of the recombinant allelic profile 15.7.3, no new infection by T. pallidum subspecies endemicum among syphilis patients, 81% of isolates harboring macrolide resistance mutations, and no 16S rDNA mutations potentially conferring tetracycline resistance. Objectives This study aimed to determine the allelic profiles of Treponema pallidum in patients confirmed with syphilis in Cuba (2018–2019) and to explore mutations leading to macrolide and tetracycline resistance. Methods Multilocus sequence typing and polymerase chain reaction of rrn loci (23S and 16S rDNA), followed by Sanger sequencing, were used to define the allelic profile of TPA and resistance mutations, respectively. Results Allelic profile 1.3.1 and the recombinant profile were identified, with 15.7.3 having an increased frequency. We did not detect the presence of the T. pallidum subspecies endemicum among syphilis patients, as in previous reports. A high frequency of macrolide-resistant strains and the absence of mutations potentially causing tetracycline resistance were found. Conclusions Understanding the current status of treponemal infection in Cuban patients provides insights into the syphilis epidemiology.
In view of the great difficulty of actually determining pathogenic organisms in waters slightly polluted, it has become necessary to formulate a number of methods, both chemical and bacteriological, the purpose of which is to determine the likelihood of pollution. The underlying principle of all of these tests, apart from the actual determination of quantities of mineral substances harmful because of their chemical nature alone, is to determine the quantitative and, to a limited extent, the qualitative bacterial contents. The direct bacteriological methods aim at the determination of the presence of bacteria common in the intestinal tract of man and animals, and the most important of these are of course the colon bacillus tests. The chemical methods, although indirect in their approach, have a similar aim, but attain it by determining the presence of abnormal amounts of substances excreted by man and animals which find their way into a water from a source of pollution, or the chemical results of bacterial destruction of such organic matter. Chemical examinations are of great value only when repeated tests have established the normal chemical contents of the water and when considerable variation from this normal indicates a change not attributable to such ordinary occurrences as rainfall or change in ground water levels. Such examination, however, is of most value when carried out in conjunction with bacteriological tests, the two methods correcting and checking each other. Whenever chemical investigation reveals abnormal quantities of such substances as ammonia, nitrites, nitrates or chlorids, the presumption is that they indicate pollution. Probably not being derived in the given case from mineral sources, they are present either as the result
Degenerating nodules (DNs), which primarily manifest as benign thyroid nodules, are one of the main causes of discordance in ultrasonography (US) and cytological assessments. Intranodular hemorrhage is one of the mechanisms contributing to discordant nodules, and an impaired blood supply may explain further DN shrinkage and infarction. The surgical specimens can be divided into acute and chronic stages based on the histological changes, which usually mimic the US features of malignant tumors. Serial US follow-up should be recommended instead of other unnecessary procedures. However, repeated fine-needle aspiration, diagnostic surgery, or core-needle biopsy may still be necessary for indeterminable or highly suspicious DNs.
Cystic fibrosis occurs in 1 in 2000 to 4000 whites, and about 1 in 25 people are heterozygous carriers. The CF gene is cloned, and a single common mutation is found on 70% to 75% of CF chromosomes in most populations. Numerous different mutations are found on the remaining CF chromosomes. DNA analysis for carrier testing should be offered to relatives of CF patients and to reproductive partners of proven carriers. Population based carrier screening could detect about 72% of at-risk couples, and pilot studies are in progress to assess the feasibility of such screening. With regard to these factors, the possibility of gene therapy, and the questions raised, CF serves as a useful model for many genetic disorders.
We present a general logic of explicit knowledge represented as finite sets of logical formulae which can evolve by non-deterministic reasoning and communication. It is partly based on Alternating-time Temporal Logic, which allows the expression of properties of cooperation. Properties of an agent's reasoning mechanism such as "the agent knows modus ponens" can be expressed. Instead of a common closure condition such as "if the agent knows both p and p → q, he must also know q", the following holds: "if the agent knows p, p → q and modus ponens, he has a strategy to get to know q in the future".
Abstract Refugee protection efforts have been shown to suffer from substantial collective action problems due to the capacity of restrictive policy measures adopted by one region as a means of shifting refugee responsibilities to other regions. Such responsibility-shifting dynamics have been identified between north and south as well as within these regions. European Union (EU) cooperation on asylum and refugee policies has been criticised for facilitating the adoption of restrictive policy measures and the creation of a ‘Fortress Europe’. Fears about the hollowing out of refugee standards have been coupled with concerns about the EU's free-riding on the refugee protection efforts of countries outside the EU. This paper shows that overcoming collective action problems between the Member States has indeed been a key motivation for EU cooperation in this area. However, a comparative analysis of EU asylum laws and refugee protection efforts with those of similar developed countries outside the EU leads to the rejection of some of the assumptions and implications of the ‘Fortress Europe’ thesis. While there is evidence of north/south burden-shirking and substantial room for improvement in the EU's asylum and refugee regimes, comparative legal research and the analysis of available UNHCR data on other OECD countries suggests that there is no evidence to support the claim that European cooperation has led to uniquely restrictive refugee policies and protection outcomes.
For the purpose of a dynamic analysis of social and psychological adaptation, there have been examined 654 combatants of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Kirov region. There have been detected features of development of phases of the emotional burnout syndrome and formation of “personality combatant accentuation”. It has been shown that social adaptation of the police officers who underwent medical-psychological rehabilitation and took therapy in connection with borderline mental disorders in anamnesis was positive and was manifested in successful continuation of service, low number of disciplinary infractions, rare alcohol use, stable family interrelations and in whole improvement of the combatants’ adaptation in peaceful conditions of life.
The 2020 presidential campaign has already touched on a variety of education issues. Maria Ferguson describes how the campaigns have addressed issues related to higher education, such as student debt and the rising cost of college. She predicts that the ongoing plight of public school teachers, brought to the spotlight by teacher strikes across the nation, will also remain an issue throughout the campaign. Charter schools have been targeted by some candidates as one of the causes of public schools’ struggles. And racial inequity hit the spotlight in the June Democratic debate when Kamala Harris shared her personal experience with busing. Ferguson predicts that education will remain a visible issue throughout the campaign and the candidate who speaks clearly and directly about the education issues that matter most to voters will score a win.
Environmental regulation and high fuel cost are among the leading driving forces behind the demand of energy efficient vehicles. Together with new engine hardware technologies, engine oil is expected to significantly contribute to improving vehicle fuel economy. New fuel-efficient engine oils are often formulated with advanced additives and low viscosity base oils. Understanding the lubrication performance at key engine components such as the cam and follower in valve train systems becomes critically important to ensure engine durability with the new fuel-efficient low viscosity oils. A full numerical mixed lubrication analysis of the cam and roller follower pair is conducted using the three dimensional line contact mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model. The results show significant effects of surface roughness, topography, slide-to-roll ratio, and viscosity grade on lubricant film, contact pressure, and subsurface stress.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
We reviewed the records of 128 patients who had a total of 128 consecutive posterior operations on the cervical spine for problems related to rheumatoid arthritis. Our purpose was to examine perioperative complications related to the airway. The patients were divided into two groups for analysis on the basis of the technique of intubation that had been used. An upper-airway obstruction developed after extubation in eight (14 per cent) of the fifty-eight patients who had been intubated without fiberoptic assistance compared with one (1 per cent) of the seventy patients who had been intubated fiberoptically (p = 0.02). The two groups had similar characteristics with regard to age, sex, severity of the myelopathy, American Rheumatology Association classification, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, cigarette use, duration of the arthritis, use of preoperative traction, use of steroids (both preoperatively and intraoperatively), size of the endotracheal tube, duration of the operation, total duration of the anesthesia, intraoperative fluid balance, and type of immediate immobilization of the neck. The only significant difference between the groups was the time to extubation, which averaged 17.9 hours in the fiberoptic group and 10.6 hours in the non-fiberoptic group (p = 0.02). Logistic regression analysis showed that non-fiberoptic intubation was the significant risk factor, even when allowance was made for the difference in the lengths of time to extubation. We concluded that this life-threatening complication can be minimized with fiberoptic management of the airway.
We show that the function S_(1)(x) = ∑_(k=1)^∞ e^(-2πkx) log k can be expressed as the sum of a simple function and an infinite series, whose coefficients are related to the Riemann zeta function. Analytic continuation to the imaginary argument S_(1)(ix) = K_0(x) is made. For x = p/q where p and q are integers with p < q, closed finite sum expressions for K_0(p/q) and K_1(p/q) are derived. The latter results enable us to evaluate Ramanujan's function ψ(x) = ∑_(k=1)^∞ [(logk)/k - (log(k+x))/(k+x)] for x = -2/3, -3/4, and -5/6, confirming what Ramanujan claimed but did not explicitly reveal in his Notebooks. The interpretation of a pair of apparently inscrutable divergent series in the notebooks is discussed. They reveal hitherto unsuspected connections between Ramanujan's ψ(x), K_0(x), K_1(x), and the classical formulas of Gauss and Kummer for the digamma function
Tobacco smoking perpetuates the disadvantages experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Tobacco smoking is a risk factor for poor maternal and infant outcomes in pregnancy. Over half of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women smoke during pregnancy and few successfully quit. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women face many intrinsic barriers to quitting such as low socioeconomic disadvantage and patterns of use in family networks. There are also several extrinsic hurdles surrounding current practice guidelines and policy that may limit success in reducing smoking rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women during pregnancy: the use of the Stages of Change (SOC) model; delay in the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT); and the absence of subsidised intermittent NRT. A more proactive approach towards smoking cessation for pregnant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women may be necessary, including moving away from the SOC model approach and subsidised provision of intermittent NRT. Comprehensive programs that take into account the family network and wider social context are also recommended.
SUMMARY The nature of a library's collections determines what kind of subject access to provide to those collections. The collections of the Cleveland Public Library serve both the recreational and research needs of a large urban population. The Cleveland Public Library uses Library of Congress Subject Headings to describe its collections. A study of subject searches entered by library patrons over the course of one week reveals several patterns among the types of subject headings used most frequently, reflecting the characteristics of the population served. Other topics discussed include subject access to fiction, juvenile literature, and specialized collections.
This paper presents the creative adjustment undertaken by some segments of the Indian corporate sector to economic reforms. While economic dynamism has been far short of expectations, the commercial maturity of Indian firms in certain segments has been noteworthy. The steel, auto, and software industries in India are examined to outline some of the broader strategies of Indian firms. The diversity of strategies reflects the evolving institutional arrangements which continue to filter, regulate, and accommodate increased market pressures in contingent ways. Moving away from the historically correct but static perception that family-owned conglomerates are non-innovative, I show that today Indian capitalists, even if family-controlled, have matured considerably. The introduction of professional management and deployment of modern technologies are indicators of greater corporate dynamism. The steel, auto, and software sectors, none of which revealed any competitive strength in the pre-reform period, are good examples of Indian firms coping with market pressures at home and taking advantage of global opportunities as well. Notwithstanding such successes, the study concludes that most Indian firms remain structurally dependent on foreign technology and constrained by limited domestic markets.
8–17 is a DNAzyme with metal‐dependent endoribonuclease activity. Recently, a variant termed 8–17NG was reported as the first nucleic acid enzyme capable of cleaving all 16 dinucleotide junctions of RNA with rate enhancements ranging from 1000‐ to 1 000 000 000‐fold over background activity. We attributed this broad‐ranging cleavage efficiency to global folding of the DNAzyme. We sought to examine the influence of dinucleotides at the cleavage site of 8–17NG on global folding by using three‐color (3c) FRET. By comparing the folding of 8–17NG with all 16 possible dinucleotide junctions, we found all examined DNAzyme–substrate constructs adopted a two‐step folding process in the presence of Mn2+, which was consistent with previous metal‐induced folding studies of 8–17. Interestingly, Mn2+ titration experiments also suggest that the second folding step is dependent on dinucleotide identity: purine–purine junctions allowed 8–17NG to fold at lower concentrations than pyrimidine–pyrimidine linkages. This finding was corroborated by RNA cleavage assays, in which the largest improvement in cleavage yield was observed in pyrimidine–pyrimidine junctions when [Mn2+] was increased. Taken together, these results support the previously observed hierarchy of 8–17 activity for different cleavage sites. Complemented by earlier sequence and structure–function studies, this investigation allowed for the first detailed examination of crucial relationships between the structural influence and junction preferences of nucleic acid‐catalyzed RNA cleavage reactions.
Combined liver‐kidney transplantation (CLKT) is well established as a definitive therapy with the potential to provide complete recovery for certain liver‐kidney diseases, although the results might be contingent on the cause of transplantation. The purposes of the present study were to review the longterm outcome of renal allografts in CLKT patients from single living donors and to investigate the beneficial factors, compared with solitary renal transplantation. Thirteen patients underwent sequential liver transplantation (LT) and kidney transplantation (KT) from single living donors. The indications for KT were oxaluria (n = 7), autosomal recessive polycystic disease (n = 3), and others (n = 3). The same immunosuppressive regimen used after LT was also used after KT. KT was performed between 1.7 and 47.0 months after the LT. The overall patient survival rate was 92.3% at 10 years. In 12 of the 13 surviving patients, the renal allografts were found to be functioning in 11 patients after a mean follow‐up period of 103.6 months. The death‐censored renal allograft survival rate at 10 years was 100%, which was better than that of KT alone (84.9%) in Japan. Immunological protection conferred by the preceding liver allograft may have contributed to the longterm outcomes of the renal allografts. In addition, the donation of double organs from a single living and related donor may have a favorable impact on the graft survival rate. In the future, investigations of factors affecting the longterm outcome of renal allografts, including details of the involvement of de novo donor‐specific antibody, will be needed. Liver Transplantation 23 315–323 2017 AASLD.
An efficient method to find positions of periodic windows for the quadratic map f(x)=ax(1-x) and a heuristic algorithm to locate the majority of wide periodic windows are proposed. Accurate rigorous bounds of positions of all periodic windows with periods below 37 and the majority of wide periodic windows with longer periods are found. Based on these results, we prove that the measure of the set of regular parameters in the interval [3,4] is above 0.613960137. The properties of periodic windows are studied numerically. The results of the analysis are used to estimate that the true value of the measure of the set of regular parameters is close to 0.6139603.
The purpose of this study was to determine Zulu women ’ s perceptions of their body image relative to weight status attending a noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) clinic in South Africa. A cross-sectional exploratory study design was used and included 328 (91%) Zulu women who were sampled systematically. The women were subjected to anthropo- metric measurements and engaged the Stunkard ’ s body image figures to determine perception. The study showed that 61% of the sample was in the 40 – 59 age strata. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 37 kg/m 2 ( (cid:1) 9.41 kg/m 2 ) with over 90% being overweight or obese. A discrepancy between Zulu women ’ s perceived body image and actual (BMI) existed in all weight status categories with overweight and obesity demonstrating the widest variations (p < 0.000). Women perceived themselves to be thinner than their actual BMI. More than 99% associated an underweight body image to one with disease. Diabetes mellitus (72%) was the most frequent NCD encountered. Only 23% with this condition correctly perceived their body image. It was shown that the negative impact of preferring a larger body image in Zulu women with preexisting NCD ’ s could be refueling their existing comorbidities.
Three original cell lines mel IS, mel H and mel Ki obtained from the lymph nodes of the patients with metastatic cutaneous melanoma were used as a models for study  selective cytotoxicity of  7 cationic peptides. Nucleolin (NCL, C23) and nucleophosmin (NPM, B23) are the most abundant nucleolar  chaperone proteins over-expressed in tumor cells. They are considered now as the cell proliferation markers and potential targets for cancer treatment. Simulation for peptides and NCL/NPM interactions by molecular docking allows to characterize tested  cationic peptides  as a ligands for these proteins. Binding between the  peptides and  cell surface nucleolin might  trigger  subsequent tumor cell  apoptosis. The data obtained create the base for use the peptides as potent  antitumor agents with high selective activity and  low toxicity.
Tourism demand for Andalusia (southern region of Spain), from European countries, is measured through the number of tourists staying in hotel establishments, during the year 2017. A simple econometric model explains this demand, using elasticities, through the GDP of each country and the distance in kilometers from that country to Andalusia. Obtaining a slope close to the unit with respect to GDP allows us to define a new variable, the demand relativised by GDP, and to model it based on distance. The negative slope of this new modeling allows the formulation of policies that bring the European countries closer to Andalusia if demand is to be increased.
if anything, the story of complementarity's catalysing effect has shown that this is not a world of endless 'complementaries' in which efforts for criminal, restorative, political and legal justice seamlessly 'complement' each other. This is a world of horrific constraint, in which the promotion of one value often compromises another. More precisely, the absolute war on impunity succeeds in achieving some justice, but also produces, shapes and legitimates injustices. This is not a moment for concluding. It is the moment for more questioning.
Językowy obraz świata stanowi utrwaloną w słowach taką wizję rzeczywistości, jaka istnieje w świadomości osób stanowiących wspólnotę językową. Zaprezentowane w niniejszym tekście wyniki badań empirycznych prowadzą do spostrzeżenia, iż w obrębie prototypu zarówno miłości, jak i erotyzmu – wycinków językowego obrazu świata objętych badaniami kobiet w wieku wczesnej dorosłości – nie zauważa się ani elementów tzw. kultury obnażania czy kultury zwierzeń, ani zjawiska detabuizacji i zerotyzowania, które są postrzegane jako immanentne właściwości współczesnej kultury masowej.
We present scintillation noise profiles captured at the Observatorio del Teide, Izaña, Tenerife, over a one-week period in 2017 September. Contemporaneous data from the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) and the Stellar Activity (STELLA) robotic telescopes provides estimates of daily atmospheric extinction allowing the scintillation noise to be placed within the context of overall atmospheric conditions. We discuss the results both in terms of the impact on BiSON spectrophotometer design, and for astronomical observations more generally. We find that scintillation noise power reduces by half at about 5 Hz, and is reduced to one tenth between 20 and 30 Hz even during periods of mild Calima, where visibility is reduced due to high concentrations of mineral dust in the atmosphere. We show that the common accepted exposure time of <10 ms for limiting the effect of scintillation noise in ground based photometry may be increased, and that depending on the application there may be little benefit to achieving exposure times shorter than 50 ms, relaxing constraints on detector gain and bandwidth.
To promote accuracy of the atom‐bond electronegativity equalization method (ABEEMσπ) fluctuating charge polarizable force fields, and extend it to include all transition metal atoms, a new parameter, the reference charge is set up in the expression of the total energy potential function. We select over 700 model molecules most of which model metalloprotein molecules that come from Protein Data Bank. We set reference charges for different apparent valence states of transition metals and calibrate the parameters of reference charges, valence state electronegativities, and valence state hardnesses for ABEEMσπ through linear regression and least square method. These parameters can be used to calculate charge distributions of metalloproteins containing transition metal atoms (Sc‐Zn, Y‐Cd, and Lu‐Hg). Compared the results of ABEEMσπ charge distributions with those obtained by ab initio method, the quite good linear correlations of the two kinds of charge distributions are shown. The reason why the STO‐3G basis set in Mulliken population analysis for the parameter calibration is specially explained in detail. Furthermore, ABEEMσπ method can also quickly and quite accurately calculate dipole moments of molecules. Molecular dynamics optimizations of five metalloproteins as the examples show that their structures obtained by ABEEMσπ fluctuating charge polarizable force field are very close to the structures optimized by the ab initio MP2/6–311G method. This means that the ABEEMσπ/MM can now be applied to molecular dynamics simulations of systems that contain metalloproteins with good accuracy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This article presents three experiments that examine the relation between order effects and frequency learning, with the following results. First, when frequencies of occurrence are presented as sequences of real events, base rates can be learned and used with a high degree of accuracy. However, conditional probabilities for multiple sequentially presented evidence items cannot be completely learned, due to the distortion of a recency order effect for actual decisions. Second, there is also a recency order effect for belief evaluations, which cannot be eliminated even if base rates are used correctly. Third, base rates learned in one environment can be transferred to another environment, but the transfer soon diminishes due to learning in the new environment. However, belief evaluations are not transferred from one environment to another The existing models of frequency learning cannot explain the order effect for actual decisions because they do not consider sequential information. The existing models of...
Intellectual capital is the set of all intangible assets, that is, invisible, non-monetary assets held by a library, which can be identified as separate assets. Intellectual capital has become the buzzword of a knowledge-based economy and is the ultimate source of competitive advantage. In this work, we review the literature to analyse the effect of intellectual capital utilisation in the overall library management, to identify and classify intellectual capital and to provide some guidelines for researchers and practitioners. A literature review for the intellectual capital in libraries is conducted, and a qualitative analysis is undertaken, which interrelates library management to intellectual capital is taking place. The review leads to identification and classification of intellectual capital as well as to a number of quite innovative and interesting issues for the interrelation of intellectual capital to the management of libraries. The issues studied include intellectual capital economic valuation methods, the effect of the locality (spatial factor) to intellectual capital utilisation and the analysis of co-opetition (cooperation and competition) for intellectual capital utilisation. This is one of only a few studies about the management of intellectual capital in libraries and information services (LIS)—an innovative and challenging area of research in library management.
In this paper, a detailed study on the four three-moduli sets reported in the literature is carried out from the point of view of the hardware complexity and speed of their residue-to-binary (R/B) converters. First, a new formulation of the Chinese remainder theorem is proposed that reduces the size of the modulo operation. Then, the proposed formulation is applied to derive, in a simple and unified manner, R/B conversion algorithms for three of the sets. Further, using this formulation, a new algorithm along with two corresponding R/B converters for the fourth set is proposed; one of these converters is area efficient while the other is speed efficient. Next, the best R/B converter(s) for each of the sets is chosen based on the hardware complexity and/or speed. These converters are implemented for 8, 16, 32, and 64-bit dynamic ranges, using CMOS VLSI technology. Based on a post-layout performance evaluation for the VLSI implementations of the chosen converters, it is shown that in order to represent 8-, 16-, 32-, and 64-bit binary numbers, the moduli set {2/sup n/,2/sup n/+1,2/sup n/-1} provides the fastest R/B converter and requires the smallest area.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer in women worldwide. Within breast tumors, the basal-like subtype has the worst prognosis and no dedicated therapy, therefore new tools to understand, detect, and treat these tumors are needed. Certain germline genes are re-expressed in tumors, and constitute the Cancer/Testis genes; their misexpression has diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Here, we designed a new approach to examine Cancer/ Testis gene misexpression in breast tumors. We identify several new markers in Luminal and HER-2 positive tumors, some of which predict response to chemotherapy. We then use machine learning to identify the 2 Cancer/Testis genes most associated with basal-like breast tumors: HORMAD1 and CT83. We show that these genes are expressed by tumor cells but not the microenvironment, and that they are not expressed by normal breast progenitors, in other words their activation occurs de novo. We find these genes are epigenetically repressed by DNA methylation, and that their activation upon DNA demethylation is irreversible, providing a memory of past epigenetic disturbances. Basal-like tumors expressing both genes have a poorer outcome than tumors expressing either gene alone or neither gene. Therefore, these findings suggest a potential synergistic effect between Cancer/Testis genes in basal breast tumors; these findings have consequences for the understanding, diagnosis, and therapy of the breast tumors with the worse outcomes.
Abstract India has a rich treasure of traditional foods specifica for festivals. An investigation was undertaken to document the different traditional foods prepared during Hindu festivals of North Karnataka and to assess nutritive value of such foods. Data were collected through a cross sectional survey of 200 Hindu families (100 each from rural and urban areas) of Dharwad Taluka. The study revealed that 78 traditional foods (45 sweet and 33 savory) were prepared which were characteristic to this region during the different major festivals. Typical to this region were the use of ingredients like wheat gluten, gum crystals, traditional pasta products, minor oilseeds such as linseed and niger, recrystallized special sugar, safflower milk and seeds of marking nut tree. A majority of festival foods were based on cereals in both sweet and savory categories. Boiling, roasting, pan baking or pounding were the common processing methods followed and deep frying was not a common method. It was observed that, the calorific value of the sweet items ranged from 115 to 283 K cal per serving. Bajra roti was found to be highly nutritious, providing higher levels of energy, protein, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper and zinc than rest of the savory festival foods. Foods low in fat, calories , carbohydrates and sodium were identified.
We present a generic wide-field optical sectioning scheme, photobleaching imprinting microscopy (PIM), for depth-resolved cross-sectional fluorescence imaging. Wide-field PIM works by extracting a nonlinear component that depends on the excitation fluence as a result of photobleaching-induced fluorescence decay. Since no specific fluorescent dyes or illumination modules are required, wide-field PIM is easy to implement on a standard microscope. Moreover, wide-field PIM is superior to deconvolution microscopy in removing background fluorescence, yielding a six-fold improvement in image contrast.
Seven case reports of emergency obstetrics serve to demonstrate to what extent an emergency physician can be of help and where the limits of his field of activities are. The article describes the emergency physician's tasks in general as well as the education and training which may reasonably be expected in young physicians. It is concluded, among other things, that it is not one of the tasks of an emergency physician to supervise or initiate parturition since that is no longer part of the physician's training in the FRG.
By employing the aqueous potassium dichromate solution, whose Cr 00 concentration being 10 ppm, the adsorption of Cr (V) on activated carbon has been studied. The following conclusions were obtained by investigating the adsorption of Cr (VI) and Cr 110 as a function of pH and by determining the amount of total Cr and Cr (VI) eluted from activated carbon with either NaOH or HCI solution. In the pH range from 4 to 6.5, Cr (1, ) is readily adsorbed on activated carbon in the form of anionic species such as HCr04- and Cr042- (Fig.1, 2 and 5), while Cr" ion is scarcely adsorbed on activated carbon (Fig.4). In acidic solution, Cr (VI) is easily reduced to Cr OE in the presence of activated carbon (Fig.5). Adsorbed Cr() on activated carbon was eluted quantitatively in the form of Cr (171) by using NaOH solution, whose concentration being higher than 0.1 N, while 90% of it was eluted in the form of Cr (111) by using 1 N HCl solution (Table 2).
Abstract - Every organization faces internal and external challenges such as technological developments, global competition, and internal issues related to organizational policy. One of the potentials that the organization needs to optimize in facing the current challenges is the potential of human resources who understand and implement the organizational culture to produce the best performance for the achievement of organizational goals. This study aims to determine the effect of organizational culture on employee performance PT Huda Express. In this study the number of respondents as many as 30 employees. The data were collected by using questionnaires with data analysis using normality test, linearity test, simple regression analysis, t test, correlation coefficient, and coefficient of determination. The results showed that organizational culture has a positive and significant impact on employee performance of PT Huda Express. The magnitude of the correlation coefficient shows the amount of 0.408, it means the relationship of organizational culture to the employee's performance is quite strong. Coefficient of determination or R Squared = 0.166 which means organizational culture has a contribution to employee performance of 16.6% while the rest is influenced by other factors than organizational culture. Keywords: Organizational Culture, Employee Performance
Abstract For breeding schemes based on a diversity of production systems, there is a growing challenge in combining standardised tools for the collective genetic improvement of a breed and the selection of a flock able to respond to the specific constraints of the farm and the farmer’s objectives. In order to progress on this question, it is necessary to gain better knowledge of how farmers who use one or several of these tools select the future breeding animals of their flocks, and the conditions under which they use these collective tools. We took the example of dairy sheep farming in Corsica (France) and of two collective tools for the Corsican breed’s management: the use of milk recording data within and outside of the breeding scheme and the buying of rams from the breeding scheme’s cooperative. The tools’ use and perception were described by means of interviews with farmers (n = 40). Cross-analysis of farms’ descriptors and the use of collective tools was performed by statistical analysis using available databases on dairy sheep flocks in Corsica. A diversity of breeding practices was associated to the use of milk recording data and to the purchase of rams sold by the breeding scheme’s cooperative. Flock size, milking method and type of land use influenced these breeding practices and the adoption or mistrust of a collective genetic improvement tool. Dissemination of genetic progress through rams from the breeding scheme is possible, provided that a diversity of breeding practices and production environments is represented in the nucleus flocks. Highlights Participating in the breeding scheme of the Corsican breed did not hinder the use of various replacement and culling practices in dairy sheep farms Modalities of use of the milk recording tool are multiple and driven by work organisation, perception of the breeding scheme and the farm project Rams sold by the breeding scheme’s cooperative are present in several commercial farms with varying characteristics
Abstract A large number of Large-billed Crows Corvus macrorhynchos and Carrion Crows C. corone are culled annually either by shooting or trapping in Japan, but the effects of such culling on crow behaviour have never been evaluated. I hypothesized that in an area where crows are shot they would become more sensitive to human disturbance than those in an area where they are trapped. I compared alert and flight initiation distances of crows in two nearby, but separate, areas in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, in March 2004. In 2003 all 1,025 crows culled in the Daito area were shot, whereas 95.3% of 1,586 crows culled in the Tono area were trapped. Topography, land use, and human population densities were similar in the two areas. Analyses using generalized linear models showed that the area (and hence the method of culling) was the sole explanatory variable in the best model and included in each of the top five models for both distance measures. The median alert distance and flight initiation distance were greater where crows were shot than where they were trapped (60.0 m vs. 20.5 m and 46.0 m vs. 18.0 m, respectively). Other factors, such as species, flock size, behaviour, and habitat type, were far less important. These results show that shooting has a greater non-lethal effect on crows than trapping. While trapping may be a more efficient way of removing crows than shooting, shooting not only reduces the number of nuisance animals directly, but also affects their behaviour and habitat use so that damage is reduced indirectly. Shooting is thus the more effective choice for culling in order to reduce damage caused by crows.
The research work on camera placement has focused on maximizing the coverage or minimizing the installation cost of video surveillance systems. Typical placement schemes mount surveillance cameras with no emphasis on the coverage demand divergences, which impacts the system’s cost and efficiency. This paper addresses the camera placement problem based on an inverse modeling taxonomy. Thus, rather than performing the optimization on uniformly distributed grids, this paper introduces an underlying mechanism to elaborate the security sensitive zones prior to the coverage optimization. The outcome of the prioritization process is termed as Risk Maps. Obtained empirical results show the reliability of the placement using inverse modeling. Finally, the validation of the proposed placement scheme is carried out in a constraint environment.
Simulating the physical behaviors of deformable objects and fluids has been an important topic in computer graphics. While the Lagrangian Finite Element Method (FEM) is widely used for elasto-plastic solids, it usually requires additional computational components in the case of large deformation, mesh distortion, fracture, self-collision and coupling between materials. Often, special solvers and strategies need to be developed for a particular problem. Recently, the hybrid Eulerian/Lagrangian Material Point Method (MPM) was introduced to the graphics community. It uses a continuum description of the governing equations and utilizes user-controllable elasto-plastic constitutive models. The hybrid nature of MPM allows using a regular Cartesian grid to automate treatment of self-collision and fracture. Like other particle methods such as Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), topology change is easy due to the lack of explicit connectivity between Lagrangian particles. Furthermore, MPM allows a grid-based implicit integration scheme that has conditioning independent of the number of Lagrangian particles. MPM also provides a unified particle simulation framework similar to Position Based Dynamics (PBD) for easy coupling of different materials. The power of MPM has been demonstrated in a number of recent papers for simulating various materials including elastic objects, snow, lava, sand and viscoelastic fluids. It is also highly integrated into the production framework of Walt Disney Animation Studios and has been used in featured animations including Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.
Civic engagement is pivotal to the survival of the social work profession and to our historic role in shaping the social contract. Recent studies report declining rates of civic engagement and civic literacy among Americans. This article, which was presented at the Policy Conference 2.0, examines civic engagement and civic literacy among social work students at a medium-sized program in the western United States. Findings from this study indicate that these students are more likely to be engaged in volunteering and fundraising than in politically oriented activities. Results suggest that understanding of government and democratic processes lead to more civic engagement.
From May to November 2008, the seasonal variations of vanadium (V) and cobalt (Co) bioaccumulation of Suaeda salsa (S. salsa in middle marsh, MMS; S. salsa in low marsh, LMS) in the intertidal zone of the Yellow River Estuary were investigated. The results showed that the seasonal variations of V and Co contents in surface sediments of MMS and LMS were significantly different whereas those in the same marsh were similar. The V content in sediments of MMS or LMS was significantly higher than that of Co, and the coefficient of variations ( CVs) during the growing season were
CD22 is a B cell‐specific member of the immunoglobulin superfamily and binds to sialic acid. CD22 inhibits B cell receptor signaling. Mice deficient for CD22 show a largely normal B cell development. Here, we have performed a detailed analysis of the splenic B cell population and found that the subset of marginal zone (MZ) B cells was selectively reduced in CD22‐deficient mice. CD22‐deficient mice showed a lack of TNP‐ficoll capturing cells in the MZ and a reduced response to TNP‐ficoll, particularly when the antigen was applied intravenously. CD22‐deficient B cells showed both enhanced motility as well as enhanced chemotaxis to certain chemokines. The altered chemokine responsiveness or the higher signaling capacity of CD22‐deficient B cells may lead to the compromised MZ B cell compartment, as both processes have previously been shown to affect MZ composition.
Abstract Background Major hurdles for survival after lung transplantation are rejections and infectious complications. Adequate methods for monitoring immune suppression status are lacking. Here, we evaluated quantification of torque teno virus (TTV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) as biomarkers for defining the net state of immunosuppression in lung-transplanted patients. Methods This prospective single-center study included 98 patients followed for 2 years after transplantation. Bacterial infections, fungal infections, viral respiratory infections (VRTI), cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia, and acute rejections, as well as TTV and EBV levels, were monitored. Results The levels of torque teno virus DNA increased rapidly after transplantation, likely due to immunosuppressive treatment. A modest increase in levels of Epstein-Barr virus DNA was also observed after transplantation. There were no associations between either TTV or EBV and infectious events or acute rejection, respectively, during follow-up. When Tacrolimus was the main immunosuppressive treatment, TTV DNA levels were significantly elevated 6–24 months after transplantation as compared with Cyclosporine treatment. Conclusions Although replication of TTV, but not EBV, appears to reflect the functionality of the immune system, depending on the type of immunosuppressive treatment, quantification of TTV or EBV as biomarkers has limited potential for defining the net state of immune suppression.
Background: Microcystins are cyclic peptides containing seven amino acids with the condensation of two terminal amino acids of the linear peptide to form a cyclic compound. The cyclic nature of microcystins suggests that they are highly stable in water across a wide range of pH and temperatures. Microcystins are produced by several blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) including Microcystis, Anabaena, Planktothrix, Oscillatoria and Radiocystis commonly found in freshwater reservoirs in Ghana. Microcystins have very serious health implications on both humans and animals. Known symptoms associated with microcystin poisoning include skin irritation, allergic responses, mucosa blistering, muscular and joint pains, gastroenteritis, pulmonary consolidation, liver and kidney damage and other neurological effects. Methods: In this study, we present results of toxicological analysis conducted on water samples from the Brimsu and Kwanyarko Reservoirs used as sources of drinking water by some parts of the Central Region of Ghana in 2011. HPLC was used to measure microcystin and phytoplankton was identified using an inverted microscope. Results: HPLC analyses of samples gave four variants of microcystin, MC-LR, MC-YR, MCRR and MC-LA with microcystins ranging from 0.79 μg/L during the intake of water at the Brimsu treatment plant to 0.1 μg/L in the final drinking water products of both reservoirs. Microcystin-LA is a microcystin variant identified in Ghana for the first time. Cyanobacteria diversity was low in both reservoirs. However, biomass was very high and constituted about 84% and 93% of the total algal counts of the water intake for Kwanyarko and Brimsu Reservoirs respectively. Dominant cyanobacteria species found in these reservoirs are Microcystis aeroginosa and Planktothrix agardhii. Conclusions: Due to the chronic effect of these toxins it is recommended that drinking reservoirs with low levels of microcystins must be regularly monitored to keep it free from microcystin to ensure safeguarding human health.
The clockwise flow of water that extends northward into the Gulf of Mexico known as the Loop Current, and its associated eddies, regularly produces strong currents of 2–4 knots in the northern Gulf. Cyclonic (i.e., counterclockwise rotating) eddies, migrating along its outer margin, are difficult to study due to their rapid and unpredictable growth and propagation, as well as persistent cloud cover. We have found that night-time midinfrared satellite images obtained every 30 minutes from geostationary satellites used to quantify sea surface temperature, superimposed with daily updated gridded sea surface height data based on several satellite altimeters, allows us to track the Loop Current and cyclonic eddiesmore effectively than previous methods.1, 2 During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we assessed daily changes in the motion of the Loop Current, its cyclonic eddies (called Loop Current frontal eddies), and detached anticyclonic eddies by analyzing daily-updatedmaps of sea surface temperatures and heights. We used ship-board acoustic Doppler current profiler current measurements and time-series positions from satellite-tracked Global Positioning System (GPS) buoys to validate our satellite data interpretations.3 Surface oil is often mapped using readily available passive radiometric optical imaging, such as ‘true-color’ images from NASA’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors (see Figure 1). During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill these data were useful, but not totally reliable due to solar interference with the optical sensors. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors proved more valuable, as the backscatter signal is very sensitive to surface oil and is usable in all weather, day Figure 1. Top: Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) ‘true-color’ image depicting the offshore entrainment of the Deepwater Horizon oil toward the Loop Current front on 17May 2010. Middle: Radarsat-2 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image also depicting the surface oil on 17May 2010. Bottom: Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite East (GOES-East) sea surface temperature image depicting the Loop Current and the large merged cyclone north of the Loop Current on 17–19 May 2010. Superimposed on the color-coded sea surface temperatures are the oiled area, traced from the
The synthetic retinoid, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR), and bilateral ovariectomy act synergistically to inhibit mammary cancer induction in female rats. Two parallel studies were conducted to determine if a similar interaction would be obtained with 4-HPR and the anti-estrogen, tamoxifen. Fifty-day-old, virgin, female Sprague-Dawley rats were given a single i.v. injection of 50 mg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea/kg body weight. Beginning 7 days post-carcinogen, groups of 30 rats were administered 4-HPR (391 or 782 mg/kg diet) and/or tamoxifen (2.5, 5, 10 or 100 micrograms s.c. three times per week); controls received a placebo diet and injections of vehicle only. Exposure to 4-HPR alone or tamoxifen alone reduced mammary cancer multiplicity and increased tumor latent period compared with the control. Combined administration of 4-HPR plus tamoxifen resulted in an enhanced inhibition of mammary carcinogenesis and caused a significant reduction in tumor-related mortality. These data suggest that retinoid administration may provide a means to increase the efficacy of hormonal manipulation in cancer prevention and therapy.
Current electrical grid is facing increased penetration of intermittent energy resources, in particular wind and solar energy. Fast variability of the power supply due to renewable energy resources can be balanced out using different energy storage systems or shifting the loads. Efficiently managing this fast flexibility requires two-way data exchange between a controller and sensors/meters via communication networks. In this paper we investigated scheduling of data collection utilizing meta-data from sensors that are describing dynamics of information. We show the applicability of this approach for a constraint communication networks of the smart grid and compared three general data access mechanisms, namely, push, pull and event-based.
A short review of the characters used for generic determination in the family Zerconidae is presented. The subgenus Zercon ( Zerconella ) Willmann, 1953 is elevated to full generic rank on the basis of the shape of peritreme, peritrematal setae, and epistome, and the presence of post-genital sclerites. The genus Metazercon Blaszak, 1975 is considered to be a subgenus of Zerconella , and Zerconella is divided into the subgenera Zerconella ( Zerconella ) and Zerconella ( Metazercon ). The following new combinations are listed: Zerconella ( Metazercon ) athiasae (Blaszak, 1975) comb. nov., Zerconella ( Metazercon ) mahunkai (Halaskova, 1979) comb. nov., Zerconella ( Metazercon ) rafalskii (Blaszak, Kaczmarek & Lee, 1997) comb. nov. A new species, Zerconella ( Metazercon ) lobata sp. nov., is described from alpine broad-leaved forests in Taiwan. Diagnoses, figures and a key to species of Zerconella are provided.
This commentary on Melanie Suchet’s “Impasse-able” acknowledges the success of the clinical work described, but is critical nevertheless of certain of the author’s assumptions which, it is argued, made the treatment more difficult than it had to be. Central in the criticism were two points: (1) Suchet seems to have confused a protective system created by her patient with a so-called pathological introjection deriving from severe child abuse; and (2) A Cartesian view of her patient as “psychotic” (out of contact with the externally real) haunts the clinical descriptions and appears to have hindered the therapeutic process for a long period. These difficulties notwithstanding, the therapy convincingly eventuates in a healing experience. This paper is an important contribution to the literature on impasses in psychotherapy.
Black conjunctival deposits have been attributed to epinephrine since Lowenstein's report in 1930. 1 Such conjunctival deposits are not unusual with prolonged topical application of epinephrine; yet no corneal deposits due to chronic use of epinephrine have previously been reported. The purpose of this paper is to document two patients with deposits in their corneas associated with prolonged topical epinephrine application. The corneal deposits in case 1 grossly resembled a melanoma. Report of Cases Case 1. —A 75-year-old Italian male returned to the eye clinic for a routine visit. One and one-half years previously the patient had been admitted to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary with absolute glaucoma OS and open-angle glaucoma OD. The left eye had corneal edema, complete peripheral anterior synechiae, rubeosis iridis, tension of 80 mm Hg, cataract, and no light perception. The patient stated that this eye had been blind for over six months. A
1 Department of Earth Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada. Corresponding author, E-mail: mjhead@brocku.ca 2 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway NJ 08854, USA. E-mail: aubry@rci.rutgers.edu; kgm@rci.rutgers.edu 3 School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, Trinity Saint David, University of Wales, Lampeter, Wales, SA48 7ED, UK. E-mail: m. walker@uwtsd.ac.uk 4 Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, Wales, SY23 3DB, UK 5 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK7N 5E2, Canada. E-mail: brian.pratt@usask.ca
that the lost Polydektes of Aeschylus, with the petrification of Polydektes, was probably part of the same tetralogy as the Diktyoulkoi and that the petrification scene first appeared on red-figure vases at the same time.22 Webster thought that all three vases depended on the Diktyoulkoi.23 Although we know no more than the title of the Perseus of Aristias,24 we do have fragments of the Diktyoulkoi of Aeschylus.25 One large fragment from this play, part of the prologue, deals with two persons who have caught the chest containing Danae and Perseus in their net, a call for assistance by the two persons, and the struggle to haul the chest in safely. The characters in this fragment have been variously identified, although Diktys is uniformly agreed to be one of them. The other large fragment, from a passage near the end of the play, contains a solemn offer of protection to Danae, her lament at the current situation, an attempt to win the favor of Perseus by promises of how good things will be when the speaker becomes his stepfather, and a call by the chorus to consummate the marriage of Danae and the speaker. Recent opinion suggests that the main speaker in this fragment is Silenus and the chorus are satyrs.26 The most plausible reconstruction of the remaining plot with these characters suggests that Diktys, who has already gone for help, leaving Danae at the mercy of the satyrs, returns with aid. At this point Diktys either breaks up the wedding procession, thereby foiling the satyrs, or, after threatening Silenus, takes back the prize-namely Danae and Perseus.27 He had formerly offered Silenus and the satyrs a portion of the prize for their help in hauling in the chest. Polydektes, therefore, appears to have played no role in the play, so that his appearance on the Agora fragment strongly suggests that the scene on it was not influenced by Aeschylus' Diktyoulkoi. Since on both the Syracuse and Clairmont vases Polydektes is not present (the Tuibingen vase must be left aside because of its fragmentary preservation), it is still possible that the inspiration for the depictions comes from the Diktyoulkoi, even though satyrs are not included. However, the Perseus of Aristias, or one of the lost plays by Sophocles on the Perseus theme,28 or even some lost lyric or dithyrambic text cannot be ruled out as possible sources. In fact, since all four vases date to the same decade one might suspect that one source of influence was responsible for all four. If so, the Diktyoulkoi was not that source. To conclude: The Agora fragment is an important addition to our list of vases depicting the landing at Seriphos. Not only is it our first certain depiction of the introduction of Danae and Perseus to Polydektes, but it also suggests that at least two separate traditions concerning the childhood of Perseus were current in the second quarter of the fifth century B.C.
The rhizosphere, the narrow zone of soil around plant roots, is a complex network of interactions between plants, bacteria, and a variety of other organisms. The absolute dependence on host-derived signals, or xenognosins, to regulate critical developmental checkpoints for host commitment in the obligate parasitic plants provides a window into the rhizosphere’s chemical dynamics. These sessile intruders use H2O2 in a process known as semagenesis to chemically modify the mature root surfaces of proximal host plants and generate p-benzoquinones (BQs). The resulting redox-active signaling network regulates the spatial and temporal commitments necessary for host attachment. Recent evidence from non-parasites, including Arabidopsis thaliana, establishes that reactive oxygen species (ROS) production regulates similar redox circuits related to root recognition, broadening xenognosins’ role beyond the parasites. Here we compare responses to the xenognosin dimethoxybenzoquinone (DMBQ) between the parasitic plant Striga asiatica and the non-parasitic A. thaliana. Exposure to DMBQ simulates the proximity of a mature root surface, stimulating an increase in cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration in both plants, but leads to remarkably different phenotypic responses in the parasite and non-parasite. In S. asiatica, DMBQ induces development of the host attachment organ, the haustorium, and decreases ROS production at the root tip, while in A. thaliana, ROS production increases and further growth of the root tip is arrested. Obstruction of Ca2+ channels and the addition of antioxidants both lead to a decrease in the DMBQ response in both parasitic and non-parasitic plants. These results are consistent with Ca2+ regulating the activity of NADPH oxidases, which in turn sustain the autocatalytic production of ROS via an external quinone/hydroquinone redox cycle. Mechanistically, this chemistry is similar to black and white photography with the emerging dynamic reaction-diffusion network laying the foundation for the precise temporal and spatial control underlying rhizosphere architecture.
Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are common in everyday life and the demand for their raw materials is increasing. Additionally, spent LIBs should be recycled to achieve a circular economy and supply resources for new LIBs or other products. Especially the recycling of the active material of the electrodes is the focus of current research. Existing approaches for recycling (e.g., pyro-, hydrometallurgy, or flotation) still have their drawbacks, such as the loss of materials, generation of waste, or lack of selectivity. In this study, we test the behavior of commercially available LiFePO4 and two types of graphite microparticles in a dielectrophoretic high-throughput filter. Dielectrophoresis is a volume-dependent electrokinetic force that is commonly used in microfluidics but recently also for applications that focus on enhanced throughput. In our study, graphite particles show significantly higher trapping than LiFePO4 particles. The results indicate that nearly pure fractions of LiFePO4 can be obtained with this technique from a mixture with graphite.
This work explores an idea of modifying surface current distribution in a rectangular microstrip patch which contributes to reducing its H-plane cross-polarized (XP) radiations along with minimizing the backside radiation to some extent. A pair of grounded spikes has been strategically used and the physics behind its operation in weakening the XP generating TM02 mode has been thoroughly discussed. The vertical height of the spike is typically $ lambda $ /4 and a further investigation demonstrates shortening of its effective height by folding the same by 90°. A set of prototypes has been experimentally studied to ensure the predicted characteristics viz. the 12 dB consistent suppression of XP level over the whole range of elevation in H-plane and an average of 5–7 dB suppression in backside radiation. These achievements are also associated with more than 1 dB improvement in peak gain. The design is straightforward, low cost, and commercially viable. The nonplanar feature restricts its use only to those applications where antenna front is open or can accommodate the vertically extended or 90° bent spikes.
This paper, according to the traditional transfer control protocol(TCP)exposures the performance decline in the wireless environment.. presents a formulation for aggregating opinions about the alternatives into a single consensus or compromise one. The approach which is used to derive the aggregation formula is minimum relative entropy inference. Based on the relative entropy, we introduce an end-to-end arithmetic. The main idea of our arithmetic is to regard the average packet loss ratio and RFD as two decision makers. Those two decision makers give opinions to the network status separately; utilize the principle of relative entropy to infer the best choice of the network status. Therefore, we can differentiate the character of losses using decision-making. Our simulation measurements suggest that this arithmetic can work well in differentiating losses and throughputs.
Automated validated devices should be used for measuring blood pressure (BP). The 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) hypertension guidelines recommend that a systolic BP between 120-129 mm Hg with a diastolic BP less than 80 mm Hg should be treated with lifestyle measures. These guidelines recommend treatment with lifestyle measures plus BP lowering drugs for secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in persons with clinical cardiovascular disease and an average systolic BP of ≥130 mm Hg or an average diastolic BP ≥ 80 mm Hg. These guidelines recommend treatment with lifestyle measures plus BP lowering drugs for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in persons with an estimated 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ≥ 10% and an average systolic BP ≥130 mm Hg or an average diastolic BP ≥80 mm Hg. These guidelines recommend treatment with lifestyle measures plus BP lowering drugs for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in persons with an estimated 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease of < 10% and an average systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg or an average diastolic BP ≥ 90 mm Hg. These guidelines recommend initiating antihypertensive drug therapy with 2 first-line drugs from different classes either as separate agents or in a fixed- dose combination in persons with a BP ≥140/90 mm Hg or with a BP > 20/10 mm Hg above their blood pressure target. White coat hypertension must be excluded before starting treatment with antihypertensive drugs in persons with hypertension at low risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Antihypertensive drug treatment for different disorders is discussed.
BACKGROUND Certain nocturnal symptoms such as leg cramping (LC) and restless leg symptoms (RLS) are found in patients with venous disease. This study investigates the relationship between nocturnal symptoms and anatomic locations of superficial venous insufficiency.   METHODS A retrospective review of 371 consecutive patients presenting to a venous disease practice over a 1-year period was conducted. Patients underwent comprehensive assessment including standardized duplex scans. Superficial venous disease was classified by anatomic location (great saphenous vein [GSV], small saphenous vein [SSV], tributaries). Information on patient symptoms was obtained from questionnaires and patient interviews.   RESULTS Most patients in the cohort were female (315/371, 85%) with an average age of approximately 56 years. The 56 men had an average age of 63.2. Nearly all patients (92%) had findings of superficial venous reflux with the anatomic site of involvement as follows: GSV (51%), SSV (16%), and tributaries (33%). Thirty-two percent of patients experienced LC and 16% experienced RLS. The patterns of reflux did not differ between patients with nocturnal symptoms compared to those without nocturnal symptoms. Nine percent of patients with nocturnal symptoms had no evidence of venous disease. Of those patients with LC, 76% had reflux in the GSV, 48% had reflux in the SSV, and 92% had reflux in at least one segment of the superficial venous system. Of those patients with RLS, 78% had reflux in the GSV, 35% had reflux in the SSV, and 87% had reflux in at least one segment of the superficial venous system.   CONCLUSIONS No significant difference was detected between patterns of superficial venous reflux in patients with nocturnal symptoms compared to those without nocturnal symptoms. In addition, the presence of nocturnal symptoms does not predict a specific pattern of disease. Future studies are needed to determine whether correction of the main truncal disease is sufficient or if ablation of both the truncal and tributary veins is necessary for alleviation of nocturnal symptoms.
A general optimization formulation for walk-to-run transition prediction using 3D skeletal model is presented. The walk-to-run transition is used to connect fast walking to slow running by using a step-to-step transition formulation. Walk-to-run transition includes four phases: double support walking phase, single support swinging phase, running phase, and finally single support running phase. The transition task is formulated as an optimization problem in which the dynamic effort is minimized subject to basic physical constraints. The joint torques and ground reaction forces (GRF) are recovered and analyzed from the simulation. The optimal solution of transition simulation is obtained in a few minutes by using predictive dynamics method.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
In the aftermath of the privatisation of police and military, States have lost their traditional role as the only guarantors of citizens’ security. From a criminal law perspective the presence of Private Security and Military Companies (PSMC) employees in war scenarios poses several problems in ascertaining the individual criminal responsibility for crimes they may commit, and in particular the question of competent jurisdiction and the consequent procedural and substantive rules to be applied. This paper draws a brief comparative overview of the different patterns followed by legal systems of the European countries, ranging from - and combining in different ways - an expansionist to an abolitionist approach to military jurisdiction. The analysis is then focused on the European Court of Human Rights’ case law, which has been mainly oriented towards guaranteeing the independence and impartiality of military courts. In particular, European judges have criticized the link between military and judicial role, when hierarchical superiors perform jurisdictional functions. Independence remains an essential element of the judicial function, even in military Courts. With regard to the specific topic of PSMC, according to the ECtHR case law, the expansion of such jurisdiction over civilians "should be subjected to particularly careful scrutiny" and can only be accepted in "very exceptional circumstances".
Steel material is a material that has been famous since ancient times, where the material is mostly used when the classical architecture, generally in office buildings. Today the application of steel for the frame and window profiles are rarely encountered, generally used for steel structural system in the form of columns, beams and roof of the building. This is because steel is not resistant to rust, so the cost of treatment is difficult and expensive. This study aims to determine the connection technique steel windows in Malang City Hall building, knowing the advantages of steel as a window grille at Malang City Hall building. The method used is descriptive method, the method of data analysis which includes critical analysis of normative and comparative analysis. The results of the study is expected to be a source of learning in lectures related to the structure and construction of buildings. Keywords: window, steel, Malang City Hall
Background Administration of saline in renal transplantation is associated with hyperchloraemic metabolic acidosis, but the effect of normal saline (NS) on the risk of hyperkalaemia or postoperative graft function is uncertain.   Methods We compared NS with Plasma-Lyte 148® (PL) given during surgery and for 48 h after surgery in patients undergoing deceased donor renal transplantation. The primary outcome was hyperkalaemia within 48 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes were need for hyperkalaemia treatment, change in acid-base status, and graft function.   Results Twenty-five subjects were randomized to NS and 24 to PL. The incidence of hyperkalaemia in the first 48 h after surgery was higher in the NS group; 20 patients (80%) vs 12 patients (50%) in the PL group (risk difference: 0.3; 95% confidence interval: 0.05, 0.55; P=0.037). The mean (sd) peak serum potassium was NS 6.1 (0.8) compared with PL 5.4 (0.9) mmol litre-1 (P=0.009). Sixteen participants (64%) in the NS group required treatment for hyperkalaemia compared with five (21%) in the PL group (P=0.004). Participants receiving NS were more acidaemic [pH 7.32 (0.06) vs 7.39 (0.05), P=0.001] and had higher serum chloride concentrations (107 vs 101 mmol litre-1, P<0.001) at the end of surgery. No differences in the rate of delayed graft function were observed. Subjects receiving PL who did not require dialysis had a greater reduction in creatinine on day 2 (P=0.04).   Conclusions Compared with PL, participants receiving NS had a greater incidence of hyperkalaemia and hyperchloraemia and were more acidaemic. These biochemical differences were not associated with adverse clinical outcomes.   Clinical trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12612000023853.
Background Breast cancer has a poor prognosis due to the high risk of distant metastasis. Purpose To identify the prognosticators of brain metastasis from breast cancer treated by whole-brain radiotherapy. Material and Methods We evaluated patients diagnosed with primary brain metastasis without carcinomatous meningitis from breast cancer and had undergone whole-brain radiotherapy as initial treatment between 1 January 2010 and 30 September 2019. We investigated associations between overall survival time from diagnosis using cranial contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/computed tomography (CT) and the following parameters: (i) age; (ii) sex; (iii) time to appearance of brain metastasis; (iv) other metastasis at appearance of brain metastasis; (v) blood test; (vi) symptoms at time of brain metastasis; (vii) whole-brain radiotherapy dose; (viii) whether whole-brain radiotherapy was completed; (ix) course of chemo- or radiotherapy; (x) subtype; (xi) additional irradiation after whole-brain radiotherapy; (xii) pathology; and (xiii) imaging findings. Results We evaluated 29 consecutive female patients (mean age 55.2 ± 12.1 years). Median overall survival time after diagnosis on cranial contrast-enhanced MRI/CT was 135 days (range 16–2112 days). Multivariate stepwise analysis of the three parameters of lactate dehydrogenase, dose, and subtype identified the following significant differences: Hazard Ratio (HR) for dose (discontinued, 30 Gy/10 fractions, 31.5 Gy/11 fractions, 32.5 Gy/11 fractions, 37.5 Gy/15 fractions) was 0.08 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.02–0.30, P < 0.01), and HR for subtype (luminal, HER2, triple-negative) was 2.70 (95% CI 1.16–6.243, P < 0.01). Conclusion HER2-type and 37.5 Gy/15 fractions are good prognostic factor after whole-brain radiotherapy in breast cancer with brain metastases.
In this work, we implemented HEVC (H.265) codec and evaluate its performance. HEVC is claimed to be able to reduce the bit rate by 50% compared to H.264 AVC, at the same video quality. The trade-off is that HEVC codec is much more complex than H.264 AVC in terms of computation overload. Because a lot of multiplication operations are inevitable in these algorithms. In hardware implementation, if we use too many multipliers, the total number of logic elements (gates) will be very large. This huge amount of logic elements will increase the total area of integrated circuits (IC) chip, as well as the total power consumption. Instead, in traditional application processor based system, one multiplier is reused and the instructions are pipelined to improve the processing throughput. In modern SOC system, GPU is also introduce to accelerate the video/image processing speed. In this paper, we will evaluate the performance of the HEVC implementation in a hardware/software combined implementation of HEVC, which can take advantages of both hardware and software designs.
A color Doppler ultrasound imaging device was used to evaluate 475 patients with suspected lower-extremity venous thrombosis. Occlusive and nonocclusive femoral and popliteal thrombi were detected in 200 studies (42%). In phase 1 of the study (240 examinations), peripheral augmentation with the use of periodic calf compression was required to show color flow throughout the femoropopliteal venous segment. In phase 2 (235 examinations), with a software upgrade to enhance detectability of slow flow, spontaneous flow could be appreciated in the normal, partly thrombosed, and recanalized femoral popliteal veins without augmentation. Augmentation was often necessary to view tibioperoneal veins. Of the total study group, conventional venography was performed for correlation in 47 patients. In the other patients, clinicians relied on the color Doppler test for the definitive diagnosis of the presence or absence of femoral popliteal venous thrombosis and treated these patients on the basis of the color Doppler test result. In the femoral veins, color Doppler studies and venography agreed in all 12 positive and 35 negative cases. In the popliteal veins, there was agreement in five isolated popliteal thromboses and in 10 femoral popliteal thromboses; there were two false-negative color Doppler studies of isolated popliteal thromboses. In four patients, Doppler studies detected nonocclusive thrombus not evident on venography. Color Doppler imaging is easy to perform and does not require augmentation to view color flow in the femoropopliteal venous segment. Eccentric thrombus and partially canalized thrombus can be shown. Initial experience suggests color Doppler imaging may be useful in the detection of tibioperoneal venous thrombosis.
Mixed ligand nickel(II) complexes of 5-chloro-2-hydroxybenzophenone-N-R-thiosemicarbazone (R: –CH3 (L1), –CH2–CHCH2 (LII)) and triphenylphosphine were synthesized. The structures of the complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H and 31P NMR spectroscopy, conductivity, electrochemical and magnetic moment measurements, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The two nickel(II) complexes have a square planar geometry containing O, N, and S atoms of the thiosemicarbazone, and the P atom of triphenylphosphine. The electrochemical behaviors of the thiosemicarbazone ligands and the nickel complexes were studied using cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. The redox processes of the compounds were significantly influenced by the central metal ions and the nature of the substituents on the thiosemicarbazones, which are the important factors in controlling the redox properties. In situ spectroelectrochemical studies were employed to determine the colors and spectra of the electro-generated species of the complexes.
Situation Awareness (SA) involves the correct interpretation of situations, allowing a system to respond to the observed environment and providing support for decision making in many systems domains. Speech therapy is an example of domain where situation awareness can provide benefits, since practitioners should monitor the patient in order to perform therapeutic actions. However, there are few proposals in the area that address reasoning about a situation to improve these tasks. Likewise, the case-based reasoning methodology is little approached, since existing proposals rarely use previous knowledge for problem solving. For this reason, this paper proposes a case-based architecture to assist Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in tasks involving screening and diagnosis of speech sound disorders. We present the modules that compose the system’s architecture and results obtained from the evaluation using the Google Cloud Speech API. As main contributions, we present the architecture of a system that aims to be situation-aware, encompassing perception, comprehension and projection of actions in the environment. Also, we present and discuss the results, towards a speech therapy system for decision making support.
In order to solve environmental problems due to chlorophenol compound and which is hazardous and carcinogenic, the effect of Cr(VI) ions on the chlorophenol photodegradation effectiveness has been evaluated. Photodegradation process was carried out in a closed reactor by batch sistem, by exposing the UV lamp into a solution containing chlorophenol and Cr(VI) ions for a period of time. Then the solution was analyzed by gas chromatography for determination of the residual chlorophenol concentration. In this research, the influences of reaction time, Cr(VI) ions concentration, and solution pH on the photodegradation results were also evaluated. The research results indicated that the effectiveness of the photodegradation increases when ion Cr(VI) was added. The improvement of the effectiveness is proportional with the increase of the concentration of Cr(VI) added. The effectiveness of the photodegradation is also influenced by solution pH, and the highest is reached at pH < 2. Chlorophenol photodegradation follows first order reaction. The respective rate reaction constants for chlorophenol photodegradation in the absence and in the presence of Cr(VI) ions are 4.91x 10 and 11.41x 10 hours
The second‐order effect of electromagnetic propagation on the essentially static‐field distribution of the magnetostatic modes of a ferromagnetic sample is obtained by an iteration‐type technique. The magnetostatic potential constitutes the source in a mathematical sense for a second‐order correct field distribution. The internal sample fields are investigated for a ferrite cylinder enclosed between parallel conducting plates and they are found to consist of resonant modes whose frequencies are determined from a characteristic equation. These frequencies reduce to those of the magnetostatic modes in the limit of vanishingly small wavenumbers. For a nonzero wavenumber the frequencies differ from the corresponding magnetostatic limits by an amount which depends on the sample shape. These resonant frequencies are size‐dependent as contrasted to the size‐independent magnetostatic modes. No resonant frequencies are possible above a critical value that depends on the spacing between the plates. A sample mode, w...
The present work reports the evaluation of aluminum and anodized aluminum by electrochemical noise, as a part of the PATINA/CYTED project of the working group No 5. A visual examination is also made. The samples were exposed at several Ibero-American atmospheres up to 2 years of exposure. Different thickness of anodized aluminum were evaluated. The electrochemical potential noise of the 5 μm unexposed sample (pattern) showed a different behaviour to that showed by the other anodized specimens. This could be due to a slower sealed of the samples of higher thickness. The same behaviour was observed on the samples exposed at the rural station El Pardo. According to the visual examination, the samples of bare aluminum and those of anodized 5 μm thickness were the most affected by pitting corrosion in the highly polluted atmospheres. A good correlation between corrosion behaviour determined by visual examination and EN was obtained.
Two-dimensional (2D) metalloporphyrin-based MOF thin films possessing abundant π-π interactions are promising materials for photoelectronic devices, but no reports on fabrication of photodetectors are available so far. Herein, a series of 2D MOF Zn2[TCPP(M)] (named ZnTCPP(M); TCPP = 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin; M = Zn, Mn, Fe, and H2) films with [001] orientation are fabricated on SiO2/Si substrates by the liquid-phase epitaxial (LPE) layer-by-layer (lbl) approach and further assembled to photodetectors. The obtained ZnTCPP(M)-based photodetectors exhibit an excellent photoresponse due to abundant π-π stacking between the MOF layers. Moreover, the metalloporphyrinic groups in ZnTCPP(M) have a significant influence on modulating the photoresponse of the photodetectors, among which the prepared ZnTCPP(Zn) film-based device exhibits the best photodetection performance with a high on/off ratio of 2.3 × 104, responsivity (Rλ, up to 10.3 A W-1), short rise/fall times (0.09/0.07 s), and a large detectivity (D*) of 8.1 × 1013 Jones. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the perturbation of the ring π-electron system and the introduction of low-lying states as well as the large delocalization of the metalloporphyrinic group will adjust the photodetection performance of ZnTCPP(M) films. These results will provide a new understanding of the modulation of 2D metalloporphyrinic MOFs toward photodetection performance and perspective for the fabrication of photoelectronic devices.
In our increasingly globalised economy, managing continuous change and remaining competitive has become a central issue for organisations in the industrial sector. Building a sustainable competitive advantage through effective decision making and the use of decision making tools has been widely studied [1,2].  The success of a company will be dependent on the skills of the workers, their capacity for learning, and adapting to special and evolving client necessities. Culture change via, communication and participation are the elements of change identified for engineering companies [3]. Thus, the main objective of this research is to understand the behaviour of commitment, the variables that influence it and the variables that are influenced by it. Commitment is considered a key factor due to its influence on performance. The methodology that was followed was based on the modelling methodology proposed by Sterman [4]. The first step was the problem definition, the second step was data collection. The purpose was to define the feedback loops of which the conceptual model (CM) is composed. Thirdly, conceptual model definition was developed.  As a result, the final outcome that is achieved through this research is a conceptual model. The main function of this model is to facilitate the understanding of the behaviour of commitment through Systems Thinking tools. This research contributes to both Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Systems Thinking (ST) fields of study. The most notable contribution for ST is the fact of combining more than one input source (Literature + Group Model Building + prior research) for the conceptual model definition. The combination of these input sources for an ST model is not common in the scientific community. Moreover, the use of ST in SHRM is limited.  Keywords: Commitment, Systems Thinking, Group Model Building, Strategic Human Resource Management.
Endocardial cells are thought to contribute at least in part to the formation of the endocardial cushion mesenchyme. Here, we created Tie2-Cre transgenic mice, in which expression of Cre recombinase is driven by an endothelial-specific promoter/enhancer. To analyze the lineage of Cre expressing cells, we used CAG-CAT-Z transgenic mice, in which expression of lacZ is activated only after Cre-mediated recombination. We detected pan-endothelial expression of the Cre transgene in Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z double-transgenic mice. This expression pattern is almost identical to Tie2-lacZ transgenic mice. However, interestingly, we observed strong and uniform lacZ expression in mesenchymal cells of the atrioventricular canal of Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z double-transgenic mice. We also detected lacZ expression in the mesenchymal cells in part of the proximal cardiac outflow tract, but not in the mesenchymal cells of the distal outflow tract and branchial arch arteries. LacZ staining in Tie2-Cre;CAG-CAT-Z embryos is consistent with endocardial-mesenchymal transformation in the atrioventricular canal and outflow tract regions. Our observations are consistent with previously reported results from Cx43-lacZ, Wnt1-Cre;R26R, and Pax3-Cre;R26R transgenic mice, in which lacZ expression in the cardiac outflow tract identified contributions in part from the cardiac neural crest. Tie2-Cre transgenic mice are a new genetic tool for the analyses of endothelial cell-lineage and endothelial cell-specific gene targeting.
Abstract Objective: To investigate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and sleep apnoea severity relationship. Methods: Patients (n = 178) were assigned to five groups according to apnoea–hypopnea indices and continuous positive airway pressure use. White blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values were compared for each group. Results: The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio values of severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome patients (group 4) were significantly higher than those of: control patients (group 1), mild obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome patients (group 2) and patients treated with continuous positive airway pressure (group 5) (p = 0.008, p = 0.008 and p = 0.003). Minimum oxygen saturation values of group 4 were significantly lower than those of groups 1, 2 and 5 (p = 0.0005, p = 0.011 and p = 0.001). There was a positive correlation between apnoea–hypopnea index and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (r = 0.758, p = 0.034), and a negative correlation between apnoea–hypopnea index and minimum oxygen saturation (r = −0.179, p = 0.012). Conclusion: Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio may be used to determine disease severity, complementing polysomnography.
This article is a critical commentary on the behavior analytical tradition regarding its attempts to deal with and interpret social phenomena and problems, focusing mainly on the choice for research questions that could lead to ‘revolutions’ both in the way we interpret such phenomena, and also by sparking broader social changes. We explored broader contexts controlling and informing behavior analysts’ choices, and pro-vided examples. The present paper suggests that, in order to promote social changes toward a more egalitarian society while using behavior analysis, researchers and practitioners should examine more thoroughly their own decisions on which knowledge sources must be considered when taking action upon our society. Furthermore, the interpretation presented advocates for a radical social analysis of social phenomena, in agreement with radical behaviorism and contextual analysis. Such analysis should take into consideration the knowledge already produced or in production by the population that will participate in it.
Objective: This study evaluated the differences between IDH1-R132H and CD133 expression in different categories of astrocytoma. Material and methods: This study used a cross-sectional design. Sixty-seven paraffin embedded block of Diffuse Astrocytoma (DA), Anaplastic Astrocytoma (AA) and Glioblastoma (GB) were assessed using using the monoclonal antibody IDH1-R132H and Rabbit polyclonal antibody CD133. Results: It was found that there was a significant relationship between the expression of IDH1-R132H and CD133 in DA, AA and GB (p<0.001). Astrocytoma with IDH-mutant molecular status will express more markers of cancer stem cell CD133 than IDH-wildtype. Conclusion: The IDH1-R132H and CD133 can provide predictive value on treatment success, disease prognosis, recurrence and can be considered as target combination therapy with chemotherapy.
This article examines the objectives, structure, content, and scientific significance of three new major world atlases being prepared for publication by the Institute of Geography of the USSR Academy of Sciences in cooperation with other organizations. Translated from: Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, seriya geograficheskaya, 1988, No. 3, pp. 22-30 by Jay K. Mitchell, PlanEcon, Inc., Washington, DC 20005.
The book presents an in depth-analysis of the root causes for Europe’s world domination in the modern era, by putting energy at the center. The book is not only a book of economic history and development which sees the main difference between pre-industrial organic economies and modern economies as the utilization of different types of energy carriers, but it is also an anthropological study about bringing ‘power to the people’. The main research questions of the study can be summarized as follows: ‘Is energy a driver of economic growth?’, ‘What forces led to the energy transitions?’, and ‘How economic energy efficiency has developed in time and space?’. Although the scope and structure of study is highly impressive, it is not without problems.
The prevalence of atopy (assessed by prick testing and serum IgE measurement), and of symptoms associated with atopy, has been defined in 122 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 103 age‐matched controls. History analysis for atopic symptoms, and serum IgE levels, showed no differences between controls and IBD patients, or IBD subgroups (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, ulcerative proctitis). Both in controls and in IBD patients, the prevalence of positive skin tests was higher in young people (aged > 30) than in others; taking account of age distribution within the groups, there were no differences between controls and IBD patients, or subgroups, in the prevalence of positive skin tests. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that reaginic hypersensitivity plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of IBD.
The laser-induced sintering of TiO2 nanoparticles into larger nanospheres is accelerated by adsorbed silver particles. For the same weight fraction of silver, silver nanoparticles of 5 nm in diameter modify TiO2 nanoparticles more effectively than those of 1.5 nm do, suggesting that the photocatalysis of TiO2 nanoparticles as well as their stability is highly dependent on the sizes, the shapes, and the distribution of adsorbed metal nanoparticles. The photoexcited electrons of TiO2 nanoparticles are quenched at trap sites and surface states by transfer to the conduction band of silver, implying that the presence of adsorbed silver nanoparticles enhances the photocatalytic effect of TiO2.
This paper discusses mealtime in Danish kindergartens as sites for contested understandings of food, bodies, and care, in an everyday life perspective. Two contesting perspectives on the daily meals are presented, one that highlights the bodily experience of eating, and one that emphasizes the relations between food and health. The coexistence of these perspectives causes tensions in the everyday meals, and in the relations between children and adults. It is argued that adults often downplay the meaning of children’s bodily experiences of eating on behalf of a more rational approach to eating that seeks to construct healthy bodies. The paper builds on empirical material produced in the period from early spring 2011 to winter 2013 as part of a doctoral research project. The production of empirical material took place in three Danish kindergartens through a combination of several qualitative methods, among others participant observation, interviews and creative activities with children.
In this study, we performed a comprehensively analysis of gene expression and DNA methylation data to establish diagnostic, prognostic, and recurrence models for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We collected gene expression and DNA methylation datasets for over 1,200 clinical samples. Integrated analyses of RNA-sequencing and DNA methylation data were performed to identify DNA methylation-driven genes. These genes were utilized in univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analyses to build a prognostic model. Recurrence and diagnostic models for HCC were also constructed using the same genes. Results: A total of 123 DNA methylation-driven genes were identified. Two of these genes (SPP1 and LCAT) were chosen to construct the prognostic model. The high-risk group showed a markedly unfavorable prognosis compared to the low-risk group in both training (HR = 2.81; P < 0.001) and validation (HR = 3.06; P < 0.001) datasets. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated the prognostic model to be an independent predictor of prognosis (P < 0.05). Also, the recurrence model successfully distinguished the HCC recurrence rate between the high-risk and low-risk groups in both training (HR = 2.22; P < 0.001) and validation (HR = 2; P < 0.01) datasets. The two diagnostic models provided high accuracy for distinguishing HCC from normal samples and dysplastic nodules in the training and validation datasets, respectively. Conclusions: We identified and validated prognostic, recurrence, and diagnostic models that were constructed using two DNA methylation-driven genes in HCC. The results obtained by integrating multidimensional genomic data offer novel research directions for HCC biomarkers and new possibilities for individualized treatment of patients with HCC.
This paper presents a sensor fusion model developed for the 2005 Grand Challenge competition, an autonomous ground vehicle race across the Mojave desert organized by DARPA. The two sensors used in this work are a stereo vision camera pair and an ALASCA laserscanner. An algorithm to filter laserscanner's raw scan data and to remove ground reflections is also presented. Several tests were made to prove the reliability of this method, that has proved to be useful to extract the information required by the race. Fusion was performed both at a low and medium level: terrain slope, detected with stereo vision, was used to correct pitch information of laserscanner raw data. Object segmentation is applied on a bird view bitmap where each pixel represents a square area of the world in front of the vehicle; this bitmap is obtained from the fusion of the ones generated by each sensor
In this present work, two methods for dispersing carbon nanotubes into the copper matrix were tested: a Solid Route process where CNTs are simply mixed with the copper powder and a Liquid Route process where CNTs are dispersed in a copper salt solution and then mixed with the metallic copper powder. Powders are sintered by uni-axial hot pressing process under vacuum atmosphere at 650°C and thermal conductivities of composite materials were measured using the laser flash method. Results are compared with a theoretical model of Nan et al. which enables to predict the thermal conductivity of materials containing CNTs. Comparison of experimental and theoretical results tends to prove that CNTs are 2D-randomly dispersed in a plane perpendicular to the pressing direction during uni-axial hot pressing process. Moreover, an increase of +7% of the thermal conductivity is shown for the composite material containing 1 vol. % of CNTs into the copper matrix.
The synthesis of a nickel/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) cermet with tailored microstructural characteristics has much interest for many solid-state electrochemical applications. These materials are generally obtained through a route based on the reduction, via hydrogen gas, of poorly sintered mixtures of YSZ with nickel oxide. The present paper proposes an alternative route based on a thermite reaction performed in a combustion regime. Such an approach indicates the application of combustion synthesis or a self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) technique. The more-interesting features of this route include the absence of any external source of energy during the reaction, the possibility to synthesize a porous cermet in a single step, its sintering, and the doping of the ceramic component with yttria. The synthesis of Ni/YSZ cermets through this route is analyzed in some detail, and this analysis shows the influence of the process parameters on the phase composition and microstructure of the products.
Redshifts of a supernova (SN) and gamma-ray burst (GRB) samples are compared with the pixel temperatures of the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) seven-years data, the pixels locations corresponding to the SN and GRB sky coordinates. We have found a statistically significant correlation of the SN redshifts with the WMAP data, the average temperature deviation being +29.9 ± 4.4 �K for the redshifts z ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 and +8.6 ± 1.3 �K for z 2 (0.0,0.4). The latter value accords with the theoretical estimates for the distortion of the cosmic microwave background due to the integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect, whereas the larger anomaly for higher redshifts should be studied in more detail in the future.
An aqueous solution of 2 M 1,4-butanediamine (BDA) blended with 4 M 2-(diethylamino)-ethanol (DEEA) has been proven to be a promising solvent in previous work, and BDA is a potential amine to accelerate the reaction rate of DEEA with CO2. In the present work, kinetics of CO2 absorption into aqueous solutions of BDA, DEEA, and their mixtures were studied using a wetted wall column (WWC) at 25, 40, and 60 °C with the driving force of 3–35 kPa. The BDA concentrations were 1, 2, and 3 M, with DEEA concentrations of 2, 3, 4, and 5 M, while those of the BDA/DEEA mixtures were 1 M BDA/4 M DEEA, 2 M BDA/3 M DEEA, 2 M BDA/4 M DEEA and 2.54 M BDA/2.73 M DEEA. The results show that the reaction rate constant of BDA is larger than most of the amines but lower than piperazine. BDA can largely accelerate the reaction of solvents with CO2, and the overall reaction of their mixtures can be regarded as a reaction between CO2 and DEEA in parallel with the reaction of CO2 with BDA.
The application of fractal geometry to describe soil degradation and dynamics is becoming a useful tool for better understanding of the performance of soil systems. In this study, four different land cover types, which represent a sequence of grass–desert shrub transition and a gradient of desertification, were selected, and soils at depths of 0–10, 10–20 and 20–40 cm were sampled in the Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia, PR China. The fractal theory was used to analyse the soil particle‐size distribution (PSD) and its variations. The results showed that (i) vegetation conversion and desertification significantly changed the soil PSD. During the desertification process, soil coarse fractions that ranged from 250 to 100 µm significantly increased, whereas fine fractions lower than 50 µm significantly decreased (p < 0·01); (ii) fractal model of the accumulative volume particle‐size distribution is appropriate, and fractal dimensions (Dm) of soil PSD significantly decreased along the sequence of grass–desert shrub transition; (iii) Dm is more sensitive to the desertification process, and therefore, we suggest Dm other than soil texture and soil organic carbon as a reliable parameter to reflect the soil environment change induced by desertification. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Angiotensin II (Ang II) levels are increased in patients with diabetes, but mechanisms underlying its contribution to diabetic vascular diseases are incompletely understood. We recently reported that in aortic endothelial cells, Ang II induces endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling to produce superoxide (O2·−) rather than nitric oxide (NO·), upon loss of the tetrahydrobiopterin (H4B) salvage enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Here, we found that streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice had a marked increase in aortic O2·− production, which was inhibited by N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride, indicating uncoupling of eNOS. Ang II receptor type 1 blocker candesartan or ACE inhibitor captopril markedly attenuated eNOS-derived O2·− and hydrogen peroxide production while augmenting NO· bioavailability in diabetic aortas, implicating recoupling of eNOS. O2·− and NO· production were characteristically and quantitatively measured by electron spin resonance. DHFR expression was decreased in diabetic aortas but significantly restored by candesartan or captopril. Either also improved vascular H4B content and endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in diabetes. Rac1-dependent NAD(P)H oxidase (NOX) activity was more than doubled in the endothelium-denuded diabetic aortas but was attenuated by candesartan or captopril, indicating that NOX remains active in nonendothelial vascular tissues, although uncoupled eNOS is responsible for endothelial production of O2·−. These data demonstrate a novel role of Ang II in diabetic uncoupling of eNOS and that Ang II–targeted therapy improves endothelial function via the novel mechanism of recoupling eNOS. Dual effectiveness on uncoupled eNOS and NOX may explain the high efficacy of Ang II antagonists in restoring endothelial function.
Chitosan is a natural polymer, which has similar structure and bioactivity with glycosaminoglycan, and is a potential material for use as injectable hydrogels. Authors elucidate structure–property relationship with particular focus on chitosan-based injectable hydrogels, and their application as biomaterials. The different gelation approach, including physical cross-link, chemical cross-link, ionic cross-link and supramolecular interaction, enable a variety of chitosan-based injectable hydrogels to be formed. These gelation methods have significant impact on the structure and properties of hydrogels, which governs their use as tissue engineering scaffold and drug delivery vehicle.
Soccer, which has a large number of participants, has a high injury incidence that causes both financial and time burdens. Therefore, knowledge about the epidemiology of soccer injuries could allow sports-medicine professionals, such as physicians and physiotherapists, to direct their work in specific preventive programs. Thus, our aim was to conduct an epidemiological survey of injuries sustained by professional soccer players from the same team who participated in the Brazilian championship premier league in 2009. To this end, we evaluated retrospectively player medical records from the team, which included name, date of birth, position, date of injury, mechanism of injury, and type of injury. In the period of study, 95 injuries were recorded: 42 (44.2%) were recorded during matches, and 53 (55.8%) during the training period. Injuries occurred more frequently in midfielders and strikers. All injuries happened in the lower limb, most of the injuries were muscular, and most occurred as the result of collisions with other athletes. In summary, this study demonstrates that there is a need for greater safety awareness in the training environment.
Are market norms and intrinsic valuation mutually exclusive? Many important philosophers have endorsed the thought that market institutions necessarily evacuate non-instrumental value and hence the market and the realm of intrinsic worth are mutually exclusive. Indeed the evacuation of value by the market has been a recurrent theme of much moral and political thinking about the morality of commercial exchange. Consider the following passage from Marx: ‘Money debases all the gods of man and turns them into commodities. Money is the universal, self-constituted value of all things. It has therefore robbed the whole world, human as well as natural, of its own values’. In a similar vein Hannah Arendt writes: ‘The much deplored devaluation of all things, that is, the loss of all intrinsic worth, begins with their transformation into values or commodities, for from this moment on they exist only in relation to some other things which can be acquired in their stead’. Perhaps most famously of all Kant suggests that the market institution of price evacuates value: ‘In the kingdom of ends everything has either a price or a dignity. If it has a price, something can be put in its place as an equivalent; if it is exalted above all price, then it has a dignity’. Evidently for Kant, as for Marx and Arendt, the process of commodification evacuates value as a matter of necessity. In this essay I explore the idea that market institutions such as price evacuate noninstrumental value and, more specifically, that they do so necessarily. This idea, which I shall call the ‘Value Evacuation Thesis’, has, in its various guises, exerted considerable influence in applied ethics, most notably in debates over the moral status of prostitution and the sale of human bodily organs. Yet despite this standing, it has received little
ABSTRACT Marijuana and nicotine are two of the most widely used substances among adolescents in the United States. Symptoms of social anxiety (SA) typically emerge during early adolescence, and elevated levels are associated with increased substance-related problems despite inconsistent links to frequency of use. Substance use motives, and in particular coping motives, have been found to play an important role in understanding the heightened risk for use problems among those with elevated SA. Importantly, work to date has been conducted almost exclusively with adult samples; thus the current study examined whether similar patterns would emerge among adolescents. The current project included 56 community-recruited adolescents (ages 12–17 years; 41% girls) with a positive history of lifetime marijuana and cigarette use. Consistent with the adult literature, SA was not positively associated with frequency of use across either substance. Further, SA was positively associated with conformity use motives and unrelated to social or enhancement motives for both substances. Unexpectedly, SA was unrelated to coping use motives for either marijuana or cigarettes. These preliminary data highlight the need for future research designed to forward developmentally sensitive models of substance use behaviors and etiology.
The literature strongly suggests that daily physical activity is genetically and biologically regulated. Potential identities of the responsible mechanisms are unclear, but little has been written concerning the possible evolutionary selection pressures leading to the development of genetic/biological controls of physical activity. Given the weak relationship between exercise endurance and activity levels and the differential genomic locations associated with the regulation of endurance and activity, it is probable that regulation of endurance and activity evolved separately. This hypothesis paper considers energy expenditures and duration of activity in hunter/gatherers, pretechnology farmers, and modern Western societies and considers the potential of each to selectively influence the development of activity regulation. Food availability is also considered given the known linkage of caloric restriction on physical activity as well as early data relating food oversupply to physical inactivity. Elucidating the selection pressures responsible for the genetic/biological control of activity will allow further consideration of these pressures on activity in today's society, especially the linkages between food and activity. Further, current food abundance is removing the cues for activity that were present for the first 40,000 years of human evolution, and thus future research should investigate the effects of this abundance upon the mechanisms regulating activity.
DOI:10.1097/MOL.0000000000000133 In the last decade, powerful genome-wide genetic association studies (GWAS) have uncovered a number of genetic variants significantly associated with cardiovascular disease (reviewed in [1]). Yet, the effects of the identified variants are small, thus highlighting a significant ‘missing heritability’ of cardiovascular disease [1,2]. In the search for answers outside genetics, a number of groups have turned to epigenetics, hoping to find associations between chemical marks written on chromatin (DNA methylation, histone tail modifications) and cardiovascular heritability and risk. Since that idea was initially proposed in the 90s actually before the GWAS era [3], the field has matured from the candidate gene stage to epigenome-wide studies that have identified differentially methylated loci between atherosclerotic samples and controls, both in peripheral blood cells and in the vascular tissue [2,4,5 & ,6,7]. In recent months, three studies have taken cardiovascular epigenetics to new heights. These are epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) that survey large cohorts by high-density arrays and, importantly, estimate the contribution of changes in DNA methylation at significant loci to the total variation of the trait in question. In all the three cases, the results identified statistically significant associations between the methylation status of specific CpG dinucleotides and triglyceride [8 & ], BMI [9 & ] and both fasting insulin and insulin resistance [10 & ]. The identified CpG loci map to genes involved in lipid metabolism (ABCG1 [10 & ] and CPT1A [8 & ]) in addition to the little explored but biologically plausible regulation of the cellular response to hypoxia (HIF3A [9 & ]). The importance of these pioneering EWAS is that they represent a powerful glimpse of what the future holds for epigenetics in cardiovascular diseases. The reader is referred to excellent commentaries and reviews that address the strengths and weaknesses of these studies [5 & ,11]. Here, we will discuss a few additional points. A crucial issue is the effect size, specifically in the case of BMI and triglycerides. The contribution of a 0.1 increase in methylation of the significant HIF3A locus (measured as the increase in the methylation Beta value, which
The enantioselective total synthesis of the pyrrolophane natural product streptorubin B is described. Key steps in the concise route include the application of a one-pot enantioselective aldol cyclization/Wittig reaction and an anionic oxy-Cope rearrangement to forge the crucial 10-membered ring. Comparisons between CD spectra of synthetic and natural samples of streptorubin B coupled with X-ray crystallography allowed for the determination of the absolute stereochemistry of this natural product for the first time. These studies also provided unambiguous proof of the relative configuration between the butyl side chain and the bispyrrole subunit. Additional studies revealed a novel atropstereoselective Paal-Knorr pyrrole condensation and provided fundamental experimental insight into the barrier for atropisomerization of the natural product.
On March 14, a small Japanese fishing boat with twenty-three crewmen and a cargo of tuna entered the port of Yaizu, about 100 miles southwest of Tokyo. The tuna were sent to the Tokyo market as usual. The crewmen, some of them oversunburned, went to the local hospital and told the doctor of their strange experience. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
INTRODUCTION Most studies reported using N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in diagnosis of heart failure but there is controversy about use of these tests in determining prognosis and classification of severity of heart failure. The objective of this study was to determine the value of plasma NT-proBNP levels assessment in evaluation of mortality and morbidity of patients with systolic left ventricular dysfunction.   METHODS A cohort study was performed in 150 patients with heart failure since September 2009 until February 2010. The patients were followed for 6 months to assess their prognosis. Patients were divided into two good and bad prognosis groups according to severity of heart failure in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and frequency of hospital admission and mortality due to cardiac causes. Patients with good prognosis had ≥1 admission or no mortality or NYHA class ≥2 and patients that had one of this criteria considered as bad prognosis groups. Pro-BNP levels were measured at baseline and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was estimated with echocardiography. Data was analyzed with using Chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis tests.   RESULTS In patients with heart failure that enrolled in this clinical study, ten patients were lost during follow-up. The mean of NT-proBNP is significantly correlated with ejection fraction (p=0.003) and NYHA class (p<0.001). In our study among 140 patients who were follow-up for 6 months, 11(9.7%) of individuals died with mean NT-proBNP of 8994.8±8375 pg/ml, in survived patients mean NT-proBNP was 3756.8±5645.6 pg/ml that was statistically significant (P=0.02). Mean NT-proBNP in the group with good prognosis was 2723.8±4845.2 pg/ml and in the group with bad prognosis was 5420.3±6681 pg/ml, difference was statistically significant (P=0.0001).   CONCLUSION Our study in consistent with other studies confirms that NT-proBNP is significantly correlated with mortality and morbidity. This could be predicting adverse out come and stratification in patients with heart failure. It is recommended that more research be performed in Iran.
Abstract The in vitro properties of semi-purified chlorophyllase (chlorophyll-chlorophyllido hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.14) from Capsicum annuum fruits have been studied. The enzym e showed an optimum of activity at pH 8.5 and 50 °C. Substrate specificity was studied for chlorophyll (Chi) a, Chi b, pheophytin (Phe) a and Phe b, with Km values of 10.70, 4.04, 2.67 and 6.37 μᴍ respectively. Substrate inhibition was found for Phe b at concentrations higher than 5 μᴍ. Chlorophyllase action on Chi a' and Chi b' was also studied but no hydrolysis was observed, suggesting that the mechanism of action depends on the configuration at C-132 in the chloro phyll molecule, with the enzyme acting only on compounds with R132 stereochemistry. The effect of various metals (Mg2+, Hg2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Co , Fe2+ and Fe3+) was also investigated, and a general inhibitory effect was found, this being more marked for Hg2+ and Fe2+. Functional groups such as -SH and -S-S-seem ed to participate in the formation o f the enzyme-substrate complex. Chelating ion and the carbonyl group at C3 appeared to be important in substrate recognition by the enzyme. The method for measuring Chlase activity, including HPLC separation of substrate and product, has been optimized.
The existence of a global attractor in the $L^2$ product phase space for the solution semiflow of the modified Schnackenberg equations with the Dirichlet boundary condition on a bounded domain of space dimension $n le 3$ is proved. This reaction-diffusion system features two pairs of oppositely-signed nonlinear terms so that the dissipative sign-condition is not satisfied. The proof features two types of rescaling and grouping estimation in showing the absorbing property and the uniform smallness in proving the asymptotical compactness by the approach of a new decomposition.
Gap junction channels mediate communication between adjacent cells. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we have imaged conformational changes of the cytoplasmic and extracellular surfaces of native connexin 26 gap junction plaques. The cytoplasmic domains of the gap junction surface, imaged at submolecular resolution, form a hexameric pore protruding from the membrane bilayer. Exhibiting an intrinsic flexibility, these cytoplasmic domains, comprising the C‐terminal connexin end, reversibly collapse by increasing the forces applied to the AFM stylus. The extracellular connexon surface was imaged after dissection of the gap junction with the AFM stylus. Upon injection of Ca2+ into the buffer solution, the extracellular channel entrance reduced its diameter from 1.5 to 0.6 nm, a conformational change that is fully reversible and specific among the divalent cations tested. Ca2+ had a profound effect on the cytoplasmic surface also, inducing the formation of microdomains. Consequently, the plaque height increased by 0.6 nm to 18 nm. This suggests that calcium ions induce conformational changes affecting the structure of both the hemichannels and the intact channels forming cell–cell contacts.
As there are apparently no doubts concerning the existence of Nazi anti-Semitism before 1933 regarding this topic - having largely been ignored by scholars of contemporary history - seems to be no use. This article tends to trace the role of anti-Semitism during the ascend of the Nazi-movement. Therefore, the author describes the theoretic function of this phenomena for the NSDAP by referring to Hitler's Weltanschauung and the official program of the party. But how did this anti-Jewish ideology find its way into the party's day-to-day agitation? By analysing Hitler's political speeches it is shown how, after 1925/26, the Fuhrer tried to present himself as a moderate politician - for he had realised that the NSDAP had to become a mass-movement in order to gain political power in Weimar Germany. Vis-a-vis the party's antisemitic membership, mainly retailers and graduates, anti-Jewish stereotypes were pushed in propaganda. Yet, National Socialist anti-Semitism was not only opportunist in that it was played up or down depending upon when and where it hit responsive chords, it was also subject to the regional Gauleiter if this phenomena was promoted like in Streicher's Franconia or restricted like in Wurttemberg, Hamburg or Danzig. Only after the world-wide economic crisis of 1929 the NSDAP had considerable success in the Reichstag's elections. The party presented itself as the only power being capable to establish a new order in Germany. The propaganda focused on the main enemies of the National Socialists: Communism and the liberal democracy - in this context, the anti-Semitism was negligible.
This study examined the impact of a dual-task load on four- and five-year-olds’ event-based prospective memory (PM), as well as the relation between PM and two executive function skills: working memory (WM) and inhibitory control (IC). Children completed an ongoing task (OT), which required pointing to pictures of animals in each image array. Embedded in this task was the PM task, which required children to ring a bell when they saw a picture of a cat. To manipulate the effect of dual-task load, children were assigned to one of three conditions: Control (OT and PM); WM-load (OT, PM, simultaneously with WM task); or IC-load (OT, PM, simultaneously with IC task). Five-year-olds outperformed four-year-olds on the PM task. There was no effect of condition on children’s PM performance. Furthermore, WM and IC did not predict PM performance after controlling for age and language ability. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
that a twice weekly atovaquone–proguanil (AP) regimen may be effective malaria prophylaxis for long-term travellers. There are to and related any change in AP prophylaxis practice. data from the for Disease and National Malaria Surveillance System (NMSS) for US travelers who developed acute malaria while taking a complete or partial course of AP. The current recommended prophylactic regimen for AP travel, travel and 7 days after departing) is based on the pharmacokinetics of the two drugs and their synergistic activity against the tissue schizont and blood stages of Plasmodium spp. twice
In this paper, hexamethyltetramine is introduced into the electroplating bath to improve the surface morphology of electrodeposited copper. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) and dynamic polarization curves are used to study the effect of Cu(Ⅰ) and hexamethyltetramine on the electrochemical behaviors of electroplating solution. After implementing the electrodeposited copper experiment, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used to explore the influence of Cu(Ⅰ) and hexamethyltetramine on the Surface morphology and crystal plane orientation of the electrodeposited copper. The results show that 5ppm hexamethyltetramine and 7.5ppm hexamethyltetramine can solve the problem of the loose and uneven surface of the electroplated copper layer caused by Cu(Ⅰ).
The number of people in the world with diabetes has nearly quadrupled in the past 40 years. Current data show that 25% of these diabetics will develop a foot ulcer in their lifetime and that the cost of care for a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is over twice that of any other chronic ulcer aetiology. Microbial biofilm has been linked to both wound chronicity and infection. Close to 1 in 2 diabetics with a DFU are predicted to go on to develop a diabetic foot infection (DFI). The majority of these DFIs have been found to evolve even before the diabetic individual has received an initial referral for expert DFU management. Of these infected DFUs, less than half have been shown to heal over the next year; many of these individuals will require costly hospitalisation, and current data show that far too many DFIs will require extremity amputation to achieve infection resolution. The development of an infection in a DFU is critical at least in part because paradigms of infection prevention and management are evolving. The effectiveness of our current practice standards is being challenged by a growing body of research related to the prevalence and recalcitrance of the microbes in biofilm to topical and systemic antimicrobials. This article will review the magnitude of current challenges related to DFI prevention and management along with what is currently considered to be standard of care. These ideas will be compared and contrasted with what is known about the biofilm phenotype; then, considerations to support progress towards the development of more cost‐effective protocols of care are highlighted.
Abstract Objective: To explore the relationship between dietary patterns and physical fitness among older Chinese (≥60 years) individuals. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Dietary data were collected by a simplified semi-quantitative FFQ. The 30-s Chair Stand test (30sCST), 30-s Arm Curl test (30sACT), 8-foot Time Up-and-Go test (8fTUAGT) and 6-min Walking test (6mWT) were used to assess physical fitness. Dietary patterns were obtained by factor analysis. The association between dietary patterns and physical fitness was explored by multiple logistic regression. Setting: Six communities (villages) of three districts in Liaocheng City (Shandong Province, China). Participants: A total of 596 residents were recruited from April to May 2017. Results: Among 556 residents who were finally enrolled, 196 were men (35 %) and 360 were women (65 %). Three dietary patterns were identified: ‘Western’, ‘Vegetarian’ and ‘Modern’. The 30sACT revealed that men in the fourth quartile of the Western pattern were less likely to be classified in the ‘high-level’ group, but men in the fourth quartile of the Vegetarian pattern were classified in the high-level group. The 6mWT revealed that men in the fourth quartile of the Modern pattern were classified in the high-level group. These associations were independent of confounding factors. Conclusions: Adherence to the Vegetarian pattern and Modern pattern may be protective factors for maintaining good physical fitness in older Chinese individuals. The Western pattern may lead to poor physical fitness in this population.
Precision agriculture adjusts soil and crop management practices accurately to pursue the optimal use of agricultural inputs(such as fertilizers,pesticides,water,seeds and other inputs) and obtain maximum yield and maximum economic efficiency in accordance with the specific conditions of each operating unit,while reducing chemical use,protecting agricultural ecological environment,land and other natural resources.In this paper,starting with the requirements of precision agriculture data,based on the geographic grid system,we made the precision agriculture database design with the grid as the basic unit.Grid database accurately reflects the need to obtain plots of differences in soil within meters of the bottom level,yield,fertility,micro-topography,crop,water,worms,grass and other information,so the stored data using a grid is in line with the needs of precision agriculture.The use of geo-spatial positioning of the grid to support the sharing of geographic data,to facilitate the integration and application of spatial information analysis of the grid within the soil background and crop research in order to achieve precision agriculture has a very important significance.We studied changes of various factors(climate,soil,seeds,agricultural machinery,fertilizers,pesticides,energy,etc.) in the field(different grid),and the relationship between them,in order to adopt the best planting program and the adaptive water,fertilizer and pesticide,to maintain good crop growing conditions as well.
A survey was conducted to identify the prevalence of occupational burnout amongst health care professionals caring for COVID-19 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Welsh hospital. The response rate was 79%. Nurses and other staff reassigned to work in the ICU had higher levels of burnout. Working in Personal Protective Equipment was most distressing, followed by direct patient care. There were positive outcomes including learning opportunities, professional development and job satisfaction. The impact of the pandemic on staff burnout may have been mitigated by acknowledging the contribution of staff, improving communication and encouraging them to access support.
The infrared spectrum of water adsorbed on K-hectorite has been studied in the frequency range 2600–4000 cm−1 on samples equilibrated with relative humidities of 0% to 100%. The model proposed by J. Mamy for the molecular array of water upon the mineral surface has been used as a starting assumption. A ‘unit cell’ made of two H2O molecules is then considered as a possible theoretical basis for the interpretation of the infrared spectrum. When taking into account this unit cell six stretching frequencies may be anticipated. The six components of the OH stretching band are clearly resolved at −95°C at room temperature a Curve Resolver was used to analyse the composite band, which was recorded at various incident angles (0–45°). From the variation of the integrated absorption of each component band given by the curve resolver, the orientation of the dipolar moment is calculated, and compared with the theoretical one deduced from the model.
We investigate coherent control of a single atom interacting with an optical bipartite lattice via a combined high-frequency modulation. Our analytical results show that the quantum tunneling and dynamical localization can depend on phase difference between the modulation components, which leads to a different route for the coherent destruction of tunneling and a convenient phase-control method for stabilizing the system to implement the directed transport of atom. The similar directed transport and the phase-controlled quantum transition are revealed for the corresponding many-particle system. The results can be referable for experimentally manipulating quantum transport and transition of cold atoms in the tilted and shaken optical bipartite lattice or of analogical optical two-mode quantum beam splitter, and also can be extended to other optical and solid-state systems.
The eel fauna (orders Anguilliformes and Saccopharyngiformes) of Taiwan is one of the richest in the world. Recent genetic and morphological studies have improved the taxonomic resolution and increased the known diversity of the eels of Taiwan, and the overall diversity is comparable to that of adjacent marine zoogeographic regions with rich biodiversity, such as Australia and the Philippines. In this special issue, we verified the historical records and examined numerous recently collected specimens, and conclude that the eel fauna of Taiwan is represented by 207 species in 75 genera and 14 families, with several undescribed species still likely to be discovered. The Muraenidae (71 species), Ophichthidae (60), Congridae (29) and Synaphobranchidae (17) are the most abundant and species-rich in Taiwanese waters. We add 42 species to the Taiwanese fish fauna, including one new genus and 13 new species. Two further species are newly described, one from the Philippines and one from Indonesia.
A probabilistic approach to quantifying uncertainties in the progression of severe reactor accidents is formulated and applied to the Source Term Code Package. It is shown that quantification of uncertainties at the basic level of input parameters reveals broad time-dependent uncertainties in the core melt progression, containment challenges, and fission product releases. Dominant contributors to the source term uncertainties include the core meltdown parameters, the release rate coefficients of fission products, the chemical activity coefficients during core/concrete interactions and containment performance.
Myeloproliferative neoplasm(MPN) is clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by abnormal proliferation and expansion of one or more myeloid lineages. BCR-ABL-negative MPN includes polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). The mutations of JAK2, CALR and MPL genes are involved in the pathogenesis of MPN that provided a more complete molecular diagnostic standard for MPN. More and more new mutated genes related to prognosis of MPN were discovered in the past few years, at same time it was found that cytokines were also involved in the genesis and development of MPN. These provide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis, risk stratification and treatment management of MPN. In this article, the mechanisms of MPN-related cytokines and mutated genes in the genesis and development of disease and prognosis characteristics are summarized.
Background:U.S. Armed Forces members and spouses report increased stress associated with combat deployment. It is unknown, however, whether these deployment stressors lead to increased dependent medication use and health care utilization. Objective:To determine whether the deployment of Army active duty members (sponsors) is associated with changes in dependent health care utilization. Design:A quasi-experimental, pre-post study of health care patterns of more than 55,000 nonpregnant spouses and 137,000 children of deployed sponsors and a comparison group of dependents. Measures:Changes in dependent total utilization in the military health system, and separately in military-provided and purchased care services in the year following the sponsors’ deployment month for office visit services (generalist, specialist); emergency department visits; institutional stays; psychotropic medication (any, antidepressant, antianxiety, antistimulant classes). Results:Sponsor deployment was associated with net increased use of specialist office visits (relative percent change 4.2% spouses; 8.8% children), antidepressants (6.7% spouses; 17.2% children), and antianxiety medications (14.2% spouses; 10.0% children; P<0.01) adjusting for group differences. Deployment was consistently associated with increased use of purchased care services, partially, or fully offset by decreased use of military treatment facilities. Conclusions:These results suggest that emotional or behavioral issues are contributing to increased specialist visits and reliance on medications during sponsors’ deployments. A shift to receipt of services from civilian settings raises questions about coordination of care when families temporarily relocate, family preferences, and military provider capacity during deployment phases. Findings have important implications for the military health system and community providers who serve military families, especially those with children.
1. Single-unit vagal afferent activity was recorded from 35 fibers that demonstrated evoked response to distension in the smooth muscle portion of the esophagus in anesthetized opossums. 2. The conduction velocities, measured in 22 fibers, varied from 1.0 to 21.33 m/s. Eight fibers (36%) had conduction velocities in the range of C-fibers (less than 2.5 m/s), whereas 14 (64%) had velocities in the range of A delta-fibers (3.16-21.33 m/s). All fibers were spontaneously active with an average discharge rate of 7.3 +/- 1.0 imp/s (mean +/- SE; range, 1.2-23 imp/s). 3. Esophageal distension produced a reproducible increase in discharge rate that adapted slowly to sustained distension. The average threshold pressure of the endings was 10 mmHg. The saturation pressure was 70 mmHg with cumulative, stepwise distension and 56 mmHg with graded, discrete distensions, respectively. 4. The discharge rate at the saturation pressure was 46 +/- 7 imp/s with cumulative, stepwise distensions and was 59 +/- 4 imp/s with graded, discrete distensions. The difference in maximum discharge between these two modes of distension was not statistically significant (P greater than 0.05). 5. Esophageal peristaltic contraction was associated with bursts of spike discharge with an average rate of 53.6 +/- 4.7 imp/s. 6. Two types of fibers were identified based on their duration of spike discharge associated with peristaltic contraction. The short-activity fibers showed a short duration of response consisting of approximately 3 s of spike bursts in response to swallows. These short-activity fibers were not activated by either stretch or contraction of the longitudinal esophageal muscle. The long-activity fibers showed a long duration of response consisting of approximately 10 s of activity in response to swallows. These long-activity fibers could be activated by longitudinal muscle stretch or contraction. 7. It is concluded that esophageal tension-sensitive mechano-receptors associated with vagal afferents are activated by physiological peristalsis and are present "in series" with either circular or longitudinal muscle layers.
The increase of aging people and the possibilities that are extended to the Internet users have led studies into improvement of web accessibility solutions for older people [30]. Most older adults present some decline in their cognitive, visual, hearing and motor skills [13]. Nowadays, however, the Web faces new technological challenges that extend the initial idea of cross-platform and inter-operational nature of the HTML and HTTP. The challenges are posed as accessibility barriers and consider the skills, capabilities, culture, languages, disabilities, among other characteristics related to the user as a human being, in contrast to the hardware and software requirements previously addressed. The human characteristics of the challenge can be seeing as the ultimate barrier of the initial Web requirements of cross-platform and inter-operational environment, and goes towards social inclusion of people whatever differences they might present in the Web. In this paper we propose the establishment of a new set of success criteria that address older users accessibility into the normative document of WCAG 2.0. The proposed recommendations were identified from a composition of usability studies with real older users and were tested for different scenarios.
Ghosts are figuratively roaming in J. M. Coetzee's well-known postcolonial novel, ”Waiting for the Barbarians”, which is set in an undefined time full of strife and unrest. In the novel, being mysterious and threatening to the Empire, the barbarians represent the spectral others. This paper is concerned with the question of how to approach the figurative ghosts of the barbarians and deal with their haunting when they usually appear in a horrified, irrational or obscure way. I will suggest that the concept of a medium, which refers to a person who acts as go-between between the living and the spiritual world, can be used more figuratively as an attitude that presupposes a mode of negotiation through which a person approaches the spectral other and establishes a mutual understanding with it. In addition, I will argue that the protagonist, the Magistrate, plays the role of ”passive medium,” which refers to a person who originally belongs to the class of the authorities, or is restricted to the dominant cognitive frame, but is haunted by the foreignness of the repressed other and forced to establish identification with this ghostly other. By examining how the Magistrate experiences his emotional and social ambivalence in his encounter with his inner otherness as well the external otherness, I investigate how the concept of passive medium functions productively to challenge the hierarchy between the Empire and the barbarians, self and other, and to re-imagine a dialogic world to come.
A transgenic primate model for Huntington's Disease (HD) first reported by our group that (HD monkeys) carry the mutant Huntingtin (HTT) gene with expanded polyglutamine (CAG) repeats and, develop chorea, dystonia, and other involuntary motor deficiencies similar to HD [ 1 ]. More recently, we have found that longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging of the HD monkey brain revealed significant atrophy in regions associated with cognitive deficits symptomatic in HD patients, providing the first animal model which replicates clinical phenotypes of diagnosed humans. Here we report germline transmission of the pathogenic mutant HTT in HD monkey by the production of embryos and subsequent derivation of HD monkey embryonic stem cells (rHD-ESCs) using HD monkey sperm. rHD-ESCs inherit mutant HTT and green fluorescent protein (GFP) genes through the gametes of HD monkey. rHD-ESCs express mutant HTT and form intranuclear inclusion, a classical cellular feature of HD. Notably, mosaicism of the pathogenic polyQ region in the sperm as well as derived ESCs were also observed, consistent with intraindividual and intergenerational reports of mosaic CAG repeats [ 2 , 3 ]and CAG expansion in HD patients [ 4-7 ]. The confirmation of transgene inheritability and development of pathogenic HD phenotype in derived rHD-ESCs reported in this study is a milestone in the pursuit of a transgenic primate model with inherited mutant HTT for development of novel disease biomarkers and therapeutics.
A series of large-scale glacio-dynamic structures exposed in 10 km of coastal cliff cut through the Screen Hills kame-morainc, Co. Wexford. Ireland, is descrihed. The structures range from simple ovcrfolds to complex multiple thrusts, have a consistent structural trend, and result from marginal deformation by an ice-sheet moving from the NE. The relationship between the structures and other, gcomorphic and stratigraphic components is resolved into a simple model of repeated ice-marginal oscillation during a phase of overall glacial retreat.
Studies an analytic solution and a reliable numerical approximation of linear and non‐linear wave equations by using the Adomian decomposition method. The solution is calculated in the form of a series with easily computable components. The non‐homogeneous problem is quickly solved by observing the self‐cancelling “noise terms” where the sum of the components vanishes in the limit. Several linear or non‐linear partial differential equations are considered and their numerical approximate solutions are compared with its numerical analytic solutions by applying the Adomian decomposition method and using a computer algebraic system (MATLAB). The numerical results show the effectiveness of the method for these types of equations.
Commercially available surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors usually work within the frequency range from a few dozen to a few hundred MHz. It is well-known that the mass sensitivity of a SAW sensor is directly proportional to its operating frequency and many SAW sensors are mass sensitive. For this reason, designers are still looking for high frequency generators for SAW sensors. The design of a hypersonic generator with a SAW resonator is described. The circuit works stably at 4.710 GHz (29/sup th/ harmonic of the loaded resonator) at the -2.35 dBm level. In the construction, distributed-parameter circuits have been applied. The generator can be used in high sensitivity SAW sensors for the detection of complex organic gases and vapours.
Subsurface high voltage electric cables are commonly insulated using dodecylbenzene in combination with mineral oil. This work assessed the impact of increasing concentrations of cable insulating oil (0-10% dry weight) on soil microbial respiration as determined by mineralisation of [1-(14)C]glucose (11 microg C g(-1) soil). Acute impact was assessed from 0 days to 21 days, and chronic impact was assessed after 300 days. This study found that cable insulating oil increased respiratory activity of soil microflora. The extent of impact was found to depend on both oil concentration and the length of oil-soil contact time. Following acute exposure (21-days oil-soil contact time), it was found that oil concentrations up to 1% promoted a significant (P<0.05) increase in the extent of [1-(14)C]glucose mineralisation to (14)CO(2) relative to the control. In contrast, higher concentrations of cable insulating oil (5% and 10%) promoted no significant (P0.05) increase in the extent of [1-(14)C]glucose mineralisation to (14)CO(2) relative to the control. Following chronic exposure (300-days oil-soil contact time), the extent of mineralisation was greater at all oil concentrations applied relative to the control. For oil concentrations up to and including 1%, there was a decrease in the extent of elevation in mineralisation relative to the values after 21-days exposure. At higher oil concentrations, namely 5% and 10%, the extent of elevation in mineralisation was comparable with that after 21-days oil-soil contact time. We suggest that the increase in mineralisation of glucose indicates that cable insulating oil is a readily available carbon source to the carbon-limited soil microflora.
Collisions between giant molecular clouds are a potential mechanism for triggering the formation of massive stars, or even super star clusters. The trouble is identifying this process observationally and distinguishing it from other mechanisms. We produce synthetic position-velocity diagrams from models of: cloud-cloud collisions, non-interacting clouds along the line of sight, clouds with internal radiative feedback and a more complex cloud evolving in a galactic disc, to try and identify unique signatures of collision. We find that a broad bridge feature connecting two intensity peaks, spatially correlated but separated in velocity, is a signature of a high velocity cloud-cloud collision. We show that the broad bridge feature is resilient to the effects of radiative feedback, at least to around 2.5Myr after the formation of the first massive (ionising) star. However for a head on 10km/s collision we find that this will only be observable from 20-30 per cent of viewing angles. Such broad-bridge features have been identified towards M20, a very young region of massive star formation that was concluded to be a site of cloud-cloud collision by Torii et al (2011), and also towards star formation in the outer Milky Way by Izumi et al (2014).
Postoperative hypocalcaemia is the most frequent and common complication after total thyroidectomy. It is necessary to diagnose or to predict hypocalcaemia immediately after total thyroidectomy for minimizing complications. A prospective observational study was carried out in the Department of Clinical Pathology in collaboration with Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Department of Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and Department of Otolaryngology, Dhaka Medical College & Hospital (DMC&H), Dhaka, during the period of September 2010 to August 2011 to evaluate intraoperative (20 minutes after total thyroidectomy) parathyroid hormone (PTH) measurement as a predictor of post thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia. Total 65 patients were enrolled in this study those came for total thyroidectomy. Postoperative hypocalcaemia developed in 25 cases. Intraoperative PTH was assessed and significant correlation was found between intraoperative PTH level and development of hypocalcaemia. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of intraoperative serum PTH for prediction of post total thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia were 84.0%, 85.0%, 84.6%, 77.8%, and 89.5% respectively. Because of the high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of intraoperative serum PTH of this study, the early prediction of hypocalcaemia could be made by single assay of intraoperative serum PTH level at 20 minutes after total thyroidectomy.
The growth of single crystals of MoS2 and WS2 by materials transport through a liquid salt flux made from a low-melting mixture of NaCl and CsCl is presented. The crystals are structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which reveals that the 2H-MoS2 crystals contain a very small percentage (about 3%) of 3R intergrowths and that the 2H-WS2 crystals display less than 1% of 3R intergrowths. Characterization of the crystals by scanning electron microscopy is presented as are photoluminescence spectra of exfoliated monolayers that show that MoS2 crystals grown by this method are superior in quality to commercially available MoS2 crystals and equivalent to the current state of the art.
Quality assurance is one of the most critical activities in business process models which are obtained by reverse engineering, e.g., from existing information systems. Companies must deal with several quality faults in business process models such as irrelevant elements, fine-grain granularity or incompleteness, which affect understandability and modifiability of business process models. Hence, business process refactoring techniques are often used to improve these features, which change the internal structure of business process models while its external behavior is preserved. Unfortunately, different refactoring operators do not fulfill commutative property among them. For this reason, this paper addresses the challenge of establishing the best order in which to apply all the different refactoring operators and, therefore, to achieve the highest quality improvement. The research methodology consists of conducting a real-life case study to assess the influence of the refactoring operator's order in the understandability and modifiability of business process models. The case study demonstrates that there is a clear influence in these quality features in terms of the size and separability of the business process models under study.
A computer program and accompanying data matrix have been prepared for bacteria of medical interest, to assist the assignment of an unidentified bacterium to the most likely genus. The results on a set of relatively simple tests are entered. The program prints the more likely genera, followed by a list of diagnostic tables in Cowan & Steel (1974) and Buchanan & Gibbons (1974). Where available, identification matrices for further computer-assisted study, are presented. This program may be of particular help in laboratories where a wide range of bacteria have to be identified.
By November 2015, the West Africa Ebola epidemic had caused 28598 infections and 11299 deaths in the three countries most affected. The outbreak required rapid innovation and adaptation. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) scaled up its usual 20-30 bed Ebola management centres (EMCs) to 100-300 beds with over 300 workers in some settings. This brought challenges in patient and clinical data management resulting from the difficulties of working safely with high numbers of Ebola patients. We describe a project MSF established with software developers and the Google Social Impact Team to develop context-adapted tools to address the challenges of recording Ebola clinical information. We share the outcomes and key lessons learned in innovating rapidly under pressure in difficult environmental conditions. Information on adoption, maintenance, and data quality was gathered through review of project documentation, discussions with field staff and key project stakeholders, and analysis of tablet data. In March 2015, a full prototype was deployed in Magburaka EMC, Sierra Leone. Inpatient data were captured on 204 clinical interactions with 34 patients from 5 March until 10 April 2015. 85 record "pairs" for 32 patients with 26 data items (temperature and symptoms) per pair were analysed. The average agreement between sources was 85%, ranging from 69% to 95% for individual variables. The time taken to deliver the product was more than that anticipated by MSF (7 months versus 6 weeks). Deployment of the tablet coincided with a dramatic drop in patient numbers and thus had little impact on patient care. We have identified lessons specific to humanitarian-technology collaborative projects and propose a framework for emergency humanitarian innovation. Time and effort is required to bridge differences in organisational culture between the technology and humanitarian worlds. This investment is essential for establishing a shared vision on deliverables, urgency, and ownership of product.
Along the coast of Somerset, the numbers of animal and plant species progressively decline from west to east. Changes in zonation patterns thus reflect a decrease in species richness as well as the direct influences of increasing tidal range and turbidity. The patterns are also complicated by the differing rock types: quartzite to the west, limestone to the northeast with softer marls and shales inbetween. The overall appearance of some shores has changed in recent years as a result of fucoid responses to hot summers and cold winters. This has greatly influenced community structure. In contrast to the Quoddy Region (Bay of Fundy), Ascophyllum nodosum is confined to sheltered sites whilst Nucella lapillus (together with several other gastropods) becomes increasingly restricted to lower levels – especially where a fucoid canopy is present.
The human serum albumin (HSA) secondary structure modifications induced by the chrysotile surface have been investigated via computational molecular dynamics (MD) and experimental infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) on synthetic chrysotile nanocrystals coated with different amount of HSA. MD simulations, conducted by placing various albumin subdomains close to the fixed chrysotile surface, show an initial adsorption phase, accompanied by local rearrangements of the albumin motifs in contact with the chrysotile layer. Next, large-scale rearrangements follow with consequent secondary structure modifications. Gaussian curve fitting of the FTIR spectra obtained for HSA-coated synthetic chrysotile nanocrystals has allowed the quantification of HSA structural modifications as a function of the amount of protein adsorbed. The experimental results support the atomistic computer simulations providing a realistic description of the adsorption of plasma proteins onto chrysotile and unravelling a key step in the understanding of asbestos toxicity.
I had just finished the first draft of the paper "On Representation of Data Types" and I was, once more, thinking on programming languages as data types (see, for example, Gaudel (1980) or Broy and Wirsing (1980)) and considering translation as representation of data types, when, turning mY attention to ADJ (1979), I discovered that my concept of representation correctness was clearly connected with the concept of compiler correctness in the tetralogy McCarthy and Painter (1967), Burstall and Laudin (1969), Morris (1973) and ADJ (1979). Even diagrams looked similar. But, suddenly, I realized that an arrow had a different direction. At first, I thought that I had to be wrong, as it usually happens in such cases. But, looking at the problem more carefully, I, finally, decided that I was correct and they were wrong.
Abstract For some time it has been well known among specialists in mathematical programming that the statistical problem of fitting a linear multiple regression with the criterion of minimizing the sum of absolute deviations from the regression function (rather than squared deviations) may be reduced to a linear programming problem. But this knowledge seems not widespread among general statisticians.1 This note briefly reviews the formulation of this application of linear programming, and its history.
Objective To investigate the neonatal outcome according to the gestational age at delivery and to determine the optimal timing for delivery in uncomplicated monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of women with uncomplicated twin pregnancies delivered at or beyond 35 weeks of gestation from 1995 to 2013. The primary outcome was neonatal composite morbidity, which was defined as when either one or both twins have one or more of the followings: fetal death after 35 weeks gestation, admission to neonatal intensive care unit, mechanical ventilator requirement, respiratory distress syndrome and neonatal death. To determine the optimal gestational age for delivery according to chorionicity, we compared the neonatal composite morbidity rate between women who delivered and women who remained undelivered at each gestational week in both monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies. Results A total of 697 twin pregnancies were included (171 monochorionic and 526 dichorionic twins). The neonatal composite morbidity rate significantly decreased with advancing gestational age at delivery and its nadir was observed at 38 and ≥39 weeks of gestation in monochorionic and dichorionic twins, respectively. However, the composite morbidity rate did not differ between women who delivered and women who remained undelivered ≥36 and ≥37 weeks in monochorionic and dichorionic twins, respectively. Conclusion Our data suggest that the optimal gestational age for delivery was at ≥36 and ≥37 weeks in uncomplicated monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies, respectively.
The application system of solar energy comprises: solar water heating system, solar heating system and solar photovoltaic system, etc. The data monitoring system used in the solar water heating system consists of measuring and monitoring equipment, data acquisition appliances and data-center softwares. The measuring and monitoring equipment includes outdoor temperature sensor, total solar irradiance sensor, water inlet and outlet temperature sensor of heat collecting system, circulating flow sensor of heat collecting system and the electric meter for supplementary heat source, etc.. The data monitoring system used in the solar photovoltaic system consists of measuring and monitoring equipment, data acquisition appliances and data-center softwares. The measuring and monitoring system is composed of outdoor temperature sensor, total solar irradiance sensor, the sensor for the surface temperature of back panel of solar photovoltaic modules and electric meter for the monitoring of power generation of solar photovoltaic system, etc.
Diabetes is associated with structural and functional microcirculatory changes that impair the ability of resistance arteries to autoregulate tissue perfusion and blood pressure. Autoregulation relies on the myogenic response (MR), an intrinsic property of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). We have identified vascular sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P2) signalling as an essential component of the MR that can be activated by tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). As both high‐glucose treatment and diabetes are associated with upregulation of VSMC TNFα, we examined TNFα as a putative mediator of diabetes‐associated changes in myogenic responsiveness. MRs were assessed in mouse mesenteric arteries after induction of diabetes by high fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin protocol. MRs were significantly augmented in diabetic mice compared to control (HFD‐only) mice, while responses to phenylephrine were similar in both groups. Both the TNFα scavenger etanercept and the S1P2 receptor antagonist JTE013 abolished increased MRs in diabetic mice with fully maintained responses to phenylephrine. Therefore, our data suggests that TNFα regulates MR changes in diabetes through the involvement of S1P signalling.
Immuno-oncology is an emerging field of research that represents tremendous promise for cancer patients. Accumulating evidence suggests that tumor-specific neoantigens can persistently stimulate cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which may eradicate cancer cells in a favorable immune microenvironment. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a key technology enabling advances in this field. Here we present a complete bioinformatics workflow using tumor/normal whole-exome sequencing (WES) and tumor-only whole-transcriptome sequencing (WTS) to predict neoantigens presented by cancer cells. We evaluate existing WES probe designs for MHC class I genes and show that accurate four-digit HLA typing can be achieved using standard WES solutions, thus allowing for a simplified experimental workflow by removing the need for targeted HLA assays. Final neoantigen candidates are prioritized based on in silico peptide-HLA binding predictions, variant allele frequencies for clonal somatic mutations, tumor RNA expression, and self-similarities between mutant peptide to wildtype peptide. This workflow will be available through BaseSpace® Sequence Hub, which can be accessed via an intuitive web-based interface or Linux-based command line tool, providing any researcher with rapid analysis of NGS data and neoantigen predictions. Citation Format: Shile Zhang, Alex So, Shannon Kaplan, Kristina Kruglyak. A bioinformatics workflow to identify neoantigens using next-generation sequencing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2016 Oct 20-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2017;5(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A09.
Welcome to the summer issue of Legal Information Management (LIM) which celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL). Back in 1999, on Friday 16th April 1999 to be precise, a BIALL Council meeting took place that was held at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London. The minutes of that meeting record that, Before the meeting opened, Mary Blake [then President of BIALL] informed those present that the date was a special one in BIALL history, as it was 30 years to the day that BIALL was established. She had marked the occasion by bringing a birthday cake and Michael Maher [then Chair of the Association] provided bottles of Champagne for a toast after lunch.
A high accuracy sigma-delta capacitance to digital converter (CDC) that accepts differential capacitive sensors possessing either linear or inverse characteristic and provides a linear digital output is presented here. The sensor capacitances become an integral part of the delta modulator in a sigma-delta digital converter, with the switching sequenced to eliminate the effects of stray capacitances. High accuracy is obtained since the digital output is dictated only by a single dc reference voltage and the transformation constant of the sensor. A prototype built and tested exhibited a worst case error less than 0.15%, establishing the feasibility of the proposed sigma-delta CDC.
This contribution deals primarily with the way that defence reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has been undertaken since 2002. In addition, it provides an overview of how intelligence and police reform have been approached. The success and failure of these efforts as well as the contribution of external actors are assessed, and some critical conclusions about the role of the international community in the reform process are drawn. It concludes that as the international community's role decreases, the onus will increasingly be on the local authorities to cooperate to complete the work that the external actors have initiated. This will be essential if BiH is to succeed in drawing closer to Europe.
This paper presents the concept of multiple call establishment through the PSTN for multimedia traffic. The idea is to use new techniques for toll-quality voice compression to allow several calls between the end-user terminal equipment and the PSTN using the same telephone number and on the same local loop. The requirements for a control channel to achieve this functionality are reviewed and the implications of the proposed service are discussed.
Peer production online communities are groups of people that collaboratively engage in the building of common resources such as wikis and open source projects. In such communities, participation is highly unequal: few people concentrate the majority of the workload, while the rest provide irregular and sporadic contributions. The distribution of participation is typically characterized as a power law distribution. However, recent statistical studies on empirical data have challenged the power law dominance in other domains. This work critically examines the assumption that the distribution of participation in wikis follows such distribution. We use statistical tools to analyse over 6,000 wikis from Wikia/Fandom, the largest wiki repository. We study the empirical distribution of each wiki comparing it with different well-known skewed distributions. The results show that the power law performs poorly, surpassed by three others with a more moderated heavy-tail behavior. In particular, the truncated power law is superior to all competing distributions, or superior to some and as good as the rest, in 99.3% of the cases. These findings have implications that can inform a better modeling of participation in peer production, and help to produce more accurate predictions of the tail behavior, which represents the activity and frequency of the core contributors. Thus, we propose to consider the truncated power law as the distribution to characterize participation distribution in wiki communities. Furthermore, the truncated power law parameters provide a meaningful interpretation to characterize the community in terms of the frequency of participation of occasional contributors and how unequal are the group of core contributors. Finally, we found a relationship between the parameters and the productivity of the community and its size. These results open research venues for the characterization of communities in wikis and in online peer production.
The Minangkabau The Minangkabau are among the largest of the ethnic groups in Indonesia. Besides being known for their matrilineal organization, the Minangkabau are also noted as energetic Muslim traders who have migrated far beyond their homeland in the province of West Sumatra.1 According to the 1980 census, the population of West Sumatra was approximately 3.4 million, of whom an estimated 3 million were Minangkabau. The majority of the Minangkabau population lives in the fertile upland plains where irrigated rice cultivation is their mainstay.
TCP provides suboptimal performance when it comes to wireless or mobile networks. End-to-end connectivity with reliability is a big challenge in IoTs that have restricted memory and processor resources. Mainly, TCP was prepared for only wired networks and its performance will be ruined if we applied it on wireless and ad-hoc networks. IoTs have several issues related to TCP that need to be addressed and have been addressed in past. This paper addresses multiple issues that IoT enables an application to face during data transmissions with mobile nodes. Many researchers have proposed approaches based on certain algorithms and machine-learning techniques that have been summarized in this paper. A new algorithm has also been proposed that focuses on the differentiation of the data loss as congestion loss or random loss in a TCP-driven network transmission using an unsupervised machine learning approach. The proposed algorithm is both memory and computation efficient. It is self-evolving and adaptive as well.
We demonstrate the integration of ring resonators with semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) using a vertically stacked asymmetric twin waveguide structure. The ring resonator and the bus waveguides are fabricated on a dilute waveguide structure while the active material for the optical amplifier is comprised of compressively strained In/sub 0.8/Ga/sub 0.2/As/sub 0.75/P/sub 0.25/ multiple quantum wells. The racetrack-shaped ring resonators with optical amplifiers integrated at the input showed /spl sim/10-dB contrast, a quality factor of 2.2/spl times/10/sup 4/, and a free spectral range of 0.25 nm. The main aspect in the present work is the control of the quality factor and critical coupling in microring resonators by altering the internal loss in the ring by means of an integrated SOA.
Ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) metal–organic framework (MOF) nanosheets are promising advanced materials due to their particularly thin thickness and exposed active sites. The difficulty in the controlled synthesis of 2D MOFs and the limited effective synthetic routes greatly limit further extension of their applications. In this work, a solution-processed approach based on the direction of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is developed, by which a series of well-dispersed square non-layered MOF and layered MOF nanosheets have been synthesized successfully. Dynamic light scattering analysis suggests that the negative charge of SDS induces the pre-assembly of metal ions, which further leads to the 2D self-assembly process in the growth of MOF nanocrystals. The approach would be sure to push forward the effective shape control and mass production of MOF 2D nanomaterials and stimulate further research in the fields of electronic nanodevices, energy storage, catalysis and biosensing.
This article uses two theories of political perception, displacement theory and political cue-theory, to analyze the abortion issue. Although both theories are supported, neither can account for the anomaly of collective misperception of Ted Kennedy's position. Experimentally manipulating the salience of politics and religion affected perception of Kennedy's position in a way that supported an extended version of political cue theory. Donald Granberg is Professor of Sociology and Research Associate at the Center for Research in Social Behavior, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65211. The author thanks Randi Mach, John Murphy, Ross DePugh, Robert Arkin, Patricia Shanks, and Diane Chappell for their advice and assistance. The data for the Center for Political Studies 1980 National Election Study were obtained through the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan. The author is solely responsible for analyses and interpretation. Public Opinion Quarterly Vol 49 504-516 C) by the American Association for Public Opinion Research Published by Elsevier Science Publishing Co, Inc. 0033-362X/85/0049-504/$2.50 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.45 on Thu, 01 Sep 2016 06:00:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms AN ANOMALY IN POLITICAL PERCEPTION 505 with a disliked candidate. The expectation is that people engage in assimilation when attributing a position to a liked candidate, i.e., distort the candidate's position in the direction of their own attitude. When people who like the same candidate but hold different attitudes on an issue are compared, there tends to be a strong positive function between their own attitudinal position and the position attributed to the candidate on the same scale. Assuming the candidate's position to be constant, this positive function is supportive of the assimilation hypothesis. Similarly, the same theory predicted that people would displace away from their own attitude, i.e., contrast, when attributing a position to a disliked candidate. A negative function between people's attitudes and their perceptions of a candidate's position, among people who dislike the candidate but who take different positions themselves on the issue, would be evidence of contrast (Granberg and Brent, 1974; Heider, 1958; Sherif and Hovland, 1961). Relevant data pertaining to this theory have been analyzed in relation to several U.S. presidential elections, as well as parliamentary elections in Sweden. The tendency of people to assimilate when attributing a position to a preferred candidate or party has been robust. Contrast effects, however, have been weaker, but have occurred in relation to incumbent candidates (Berelson et al., 1954; Brent and Granberg, 1982; Granberg, 1983, 1985a; Kinder, 1978; King, 1978; Page and Brody, 1972; Shaffer, 1981; Sherrod, 1972). Although the tendency for assimilation of a preferred candidate to be stronger than contrast of a nonpreferred candidate was not anticipated, it has a close laboratory analog. In experiments, people find agreement with a liked other far more pleasant than disagreement with a disliked other, even though on logical grounds they are equally well balanced (Insko et al., 1974; Price et al., 1966). Political cue theory asserts that people use relevant cues that are available in estimating a candidate's position on an issue. Thus, when people are asked to place a particular candidate on an issue and when they are uncertain, they will use other information which they know as a basis for drawing an inference. Cues that would normally be relevant would include the candidate's party affiliation and that party's perceived position, the candidate's general ideological reputation, and the candidate's position on other issues. In recent election studies, people were asked to place the political parties, as well as the candidates, on several issue scales. Analyses have shown a strong positive correlation between where people place a party on an issue scale and where they place that party's nominee, thus supporting political cue theory. Moreover, when the person's perception of the party's position and the person's own attitude are used to jointly predict the person's perception of a preferred candidate, the party cue variable This content downloaded from 157.55.39.45 on Thu, 01 Sep 2016 06:00:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
The computerized assistive process of recognizing, delineating and quantifying organs and tissue regions in medical images, occurring automatically during clinical image interpretation, is called automatic anatomic recognition (AAR). This paper studies the feasibility of developing an AAR system in clinical radiology. The anatomy recognition method described here consists of three components: (a) oriented active shape modeling (OASM); (b) multi object generalization of OASM; (c) object recognition strategies. (b) and (c) are novel and depend heavily on the idea of OASM, presented previously in this conference. The delineation of an object boundary is done in OASM via a two level dynamic programming algorithm wherein the first level finds optimal location for the landmarks and the second level finds optimal oriented boundary segments between successive landmarks. This algorithm is generalized to multiple objects by including a model for each object and assigning a cost structure specific to each object in the spirit of live wire. The object recognition strategy attempts to find that pose vector (consisting of translation, rotation, and a scale component) for the multi object model that yields the smallest total boundary cost for all objects. The evaluation results on a routine clinical abdominal CT data set indicate the following: (1) High recognition accuracy can be achieved without fail by including a large number of objects which are spread out in the body region; (2) An overall delineation accuracy of TPVF>97%, FPVF<0.2% was achieved, suggesting the feasibility of AAR.
To compare water quality in rivers of developed and developing countries, a study based on physicochemical parameters and dissolved metals levels was conducted. Water samples were collected from selected sites in Dhaka, Bangladesh; Hokkaido and Osaka, Japan; Erdenet, Mongolia and West Java, Indonesia. Analysis of least significant differences revealed that most water quality parameters were within comparable low levels in both developed and developing countries. The dissolved metals concentrations were found to be similar and below those of water standards except for manganese and cadmium at every sampling point, and lead in Erdenet, Mongolia. Some metals showed high enrichment factors in the rivers of Osaka, Japan and Erdenet, Mongolia, indicating accumulation possibility of metals in the river-bed sediments. High concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, Escherichia coli and dissolved metals suggested greater water pollution in some rivers of developing countries than in the rivers of Japan. Principal component analysis showed strong correlations between “dissolved organic carbon and chemical oxygen demand” and “conductivity and total dissolved solids” at each sampling point, and E. coli, nitrate (NO), nitrite (NO), and pH levels were found to be higher in the rivers of Dhaka and Erdenet. In addition, there were high levels of Al and Zn in West Java, Pb in Erdenet, and Mn, Fe, and Cr in the rivers of Dhaka and Japan. Based on pressures and impacts, it is evident that dissolved metal, organic, and fecal pollution in the rivers of developing countries are in somewhat dreadful condition in comparison with the rivers of developed country.
The reactions of aliphatic Grignard reagents with bromopyridines afford low yields of alkylpyridines derived by substitution of the halogen of the bromopyridine by the alkyl group of the Grignard reagent. In the presence of cobalt(II) chloride increased yields result. This is considered to be due to the formation of a co-ordination metal halide complex between the bromopyridine and cobalt(II) chloride, which aids nucleophilic substitution of the halogen of the bromopyridine. A competing reaction is exchange between the Grignard reagent and bromopyridine to afford a pyridylmagnesium halide, which produces pyridine on hydrolysis. Minor products are the phenylpyridines presumed to be formed by substitution by pyridyl radicals, derived from the bromopyridines, in the benzene solvent used as diluent.
High-affinity potassium (K+) transporters HAK/KUP/KT have been identified in all genome-sequenced terrestrial plants. They play important role in K+ acquisition, translocation and enhancing salt tolerance. Here we report that the plasma-membrane-located OsHAK18 functions in K+ and sodium (Na+) circulation and sugar translocation in rice. OsHAK18 is expressed mainly, though not exclusively, in vascular tissues and particularly in the phloem. Knockout (KO) of OsHAK18 reduced K+ concentration in phloem sap and in the root but increased K+ accumulation in the shoot of both Nipponbare and Zhonghua11 cultivars, while overexpression (OX) of OsHAK18 driven by its endogenous promoter increased K+ concentration in phloem sap and in roots, and promoted Na+ retrieval from shoot to root under salt stress. Split-root experimental analysis of rubidium (Rb+) uptake and circulation indicated that OsHAK18-OX promoted Rb+ translocation from shoot to root. In addition, OsHAK18-KO increased while OsHAK18-OX reduced soluble sugar content in the shoot and affected oppositely the sugar concentration in the phloem and its content in the root. Moreover, OsHAK18-OX increased dramatically grain yield and physiological K+ utilization efficiency. Taken together, our results suggest that – unlike other OsHAKs analyzed heretofore – OsHAK18 is critical to K+ and Na+ re-circulation from shoot to root and enhances the source-to-sink translocation of a photo-assimilate. One sentence summary Rice potassium transporter OsHAK18 mediates shoot-to-root circulation of potassium and sodium and source-to-sink translocation of soluble sugar which improves potassium use efficiency and grain yield.
We study a platform’s design of membership and transaction fees when sellers compete and buyers cannot observe the prices and features of goods without incurring search costs. The platform alleviates sellers’ competition by charging them transaction fees that increase with sales revenue, and extracts surplus via membership fees. It prices consumers’ membership below its cost to encourage their search. Examples include malls and online marketplaces. Most malls do not charge for parking while most lease contracts include percentage rents as well as fixed rents. Online marketplaces charge sellers for membership and per transaction while letting consumers access website for free.
This article examines and assesses the significance of a recent major dispute in the Papua New Guinea (PN~G) mining industry. The Porgera dispute lasted a year and a half and arguably crystallised a new departure in industrial relations in an industry which is the largest single source of private sector en1ployment and export earnings. Although the official eulogies of PN~G as a "n1ountain of gold floating in a sea of oil'' are somewhat exaggerated, the role of mining is paran1ount in what is basically, for 85 percent of the population, a subsistence agriculture economy. In 1993, mining provided 88 percent of the country's export earnings. At the srune time about one-third of PNG's formal sector workforce were employed in mining. 1 Without going into elaborate definitional issues, we argue that, despite imperfections in its institutions, the recent Porgera dispute is evidence of a strengthening of .. pluralism" (understood in terms of collaborative bargaining and compromise in dispute managen1ent), in PNG industrial relations. 2
Oil production in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee during 1966 was 89.5 million bbls., a decline of 5.3% from 1965. Gas production, nearly all from Kentucky, increased slightly to a record 84.9 Bcf. Exploratory well completions rose sharply to 1,601, an increase of 48.5%. Much of the increase was due to the drilling of many very shallow holes near the crest of the Cincinnati arch in central Kentucky and central Tennessee. A total of 4,465 wells was drilled or deepened by the oil and gas exploration and production industry in the 4 states. In Tennessee, 62 tests were drilled in 1966 compared to 20 in 1965, resulting in 1 field discovery, 1 gas development well, 1 oil development well, and 59 dry holes. Three dry holes exceeded the previous depth record for the state. Exploratory well completions in Kentucky totaled 835, nearly double the 437 reported in 1965. The increase was caused primarily by very shallow drilling in central Kentucky, a result of the 260-ft.-deep production found in 1965 at Sulphur Lick. Although 88 of the exploratory wells were completed as oil or gas producers, no large additional reserves appear to have been discovered. The most significant results were in Camp Breckinridge in western Kentucky, where new fields were discovered and old fields were extended into areas recently opened for drilling. Indiana showed an increase from 285 to 331 exploratory wells, of which 41 (12.4%) were successful. A Trenton discovery, the first in decades, was made near the northwest corner of the old Lima-Indiana field. No discoveries were made in the Devonian of the Indiana part of the Michigan basin; discoveries in the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian of the Illinois basin were not significant. In Illinois, the number of exploratory wells increased slightly from 337 to 376, of which 42 (11.2%) were successful. All new production is from zones already known to be productive; none of it appears to be significant. Deepening and new drilling in search of dolomite production from the St. Louis Limestone resulted in 3 additional oil pools in the St. Louis, and in the completion of a considerable number of wells in the shallower Ste. Genevieve and Aux Vases. This activity was in and near Clay City Consolidated and other old fields in the central part of the Illinois basin. More than 20 wells were completed in the Trenton at Hayes. This field, at the north edge of production in the basin, had received little attention since its discovery in 1963.
Objective—Unstable atherosclerotic lesions are prone to rupture, which leads to atherothrombosis. Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12 (CXCL12) promotes the mobilization and neointimal recruitment of smooth muscle progenitor cells (SPCs), and thereby mediates vascular repair. Moreover, treatment with SPCs stabilizes atherosclerotic lesions in mice. We investigated the role of CXCL12 in the treatment of unstable atherosclerotic lesions. Approach and Results—Intravenous injection of CXCL12 selectively increased the level of Sca1+Lin platelet derived growth factor receptor-&bgr;+ SPCs in the circulation as determined by flow cytometry. Macrophage-rich lesions were induced by partial ligation of the carotid artery in Apoe−/− mice. Repeated injection of CXCL12 reduced the macrophage content, increased the number of smooth muscle cells, increased the fibrous cap thickness, and increased the collagen content in these lesions. However, CXCL12 did not alter the lesion size or the luminal diameter of the carotid artery as determined by planimetry and micro-computed tomography, respectively. Recruitment of bone marrow–derived SPCs to the lesions was increased after treatment with CXCL12 in chimeric mice that expressed SM22-LacZ in bone marrow cells as determined by quantification of the number of lesional &bgr;-galactosidase–expressing cells. CXCL12 expression was upregulated in atherosclerotic arteries after CXCL12 treatment. Silencing of arterial CXCL12 expression during atherosclerosis promoted lesion formation and reduced the lesional smooth muscle cell content in CXCL12-treated mice. Conclusions—Systemic treatment with CXCL12 promotes a more stable atherosclerotic lesion phenotype and enhances the accumulation of SPCs in these lesions without promoting atherosclerosis. Thus, CXCL12-induced SPC mobilization appears a promising approach to treat unstable atherosclerosis.
The imperial authorities in Istanbul sought to address the constant bedouin raids on the hajj caravans in Ottoman Damascus through an aggressive centralisation effort designed to bring the provinces more firmly under its direct control. This article uses local primary sources to examine both the reasons for and the effects of this growth in prosperity on the people of Damascus and its environs. It begins with an overview of the role that the hajj caravan played in the economic and demographic growth of the region. The article then examines different social groups in and around Damascus, most notably the ulama and the peasantry, and concludes with a description of the currency exchange reforms undertaken by the Ottomans. A multiplicity of factors contributed to the economic prosperity of Damascus in the eighteenth century, the most important of which were the centralisation efforts undertaken by the Porte. Keywords: currency exchange reforms; economic history; eighteenth century; hajj caravan; Ottoman Damascus; peasantry; people of Damascus; ulama
As the number of people older than 65 years in the United States increases, the home care population will increase as well. Many of these patients will have several chronic diseases, including those related to vision loss. Home healthcare clinicians are in a position to promote patient safety by educating these patients about the devices available for those with decreased vision. This article provides guidance on the most appropriate methods for communicating with patients who have limited vision. The 4 major causes of vision loss in this population are briefly reviewed. Low-vision aids are described and sources for these products are identified.
Abstract High-intensity training is becoming increasingly popular outside of elite sport for health prevention and rehabilitation. This expanded application of high-intensity training in different populations requires a deeper understanding of its molecular signature in the human body. Therefore, in this integrative review, cellular and systemic molecular responses to high-intensity training are described for skeletal muscle, cardiovascular system, and the immune system as major effectors and targets of health and performance. Different kinds of stimuli and resulting homeostatic perturbations (i. e., metabolic, mechanical, neuronal, and hormonal) are reflected, taking into account their role in the local and systemic deflection of molecular sensors and mediators, and their role in tissue and organ adaptations. In skeletal muscle, a high metabolic perturbation induced by high-intensity training is the major stimulus for skeletal muscle adaptation. In the cardio-vascular system, high-intensity training induces haemodynamic stress and deflection of the Ca 2+ handling as major stimuli for functional and structural adaptation of the heart and vessels. For the immune system haemodynamic stress, hormones, exosomes, and O2 availability are proposed stimuli that mediate their effects by alteration of different signalling processes leading to local and systemic (anti)inflammatory responses. Overall, high-intensity training shows specific molecular signatures that demonstrate its high potential to improve health and physical performance.
The human brain consists of many different neural elements that comprise a functioning processing and control system. Though each area has its unique role, they do not operate separately. It is empirically known that during brain activity, different elements affect each other. Such neural network's activity is called Functional Brain Connectivity (FBC). It is a known phenomenon among athletes who suffer mild head injuries frequently along their career, to be more likely to suffer from neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's at old age. This phenomenon has been studied by physicians and health researchers as early as 1971 [1]. Patients who suffered from frequent mild head injuries have no neurological appearable symptoms at young age. FBC abnormality accompanies the mentioned neurological diseases, each characterizes with a different pattern [2], [3]. These two facts led the hypothesis that frequent head injuries can, with some probability, cause FBC abnormalities. Proving this hypothesis and mapping the transformed pattern of FBC can contribute to understanding neurological diseases and by this help the search after treatment generally and preventing for frequent mild injured athletes particularly. This work offers a technology that enables brain researchers to evaluate and locate abnormalities in FBC using fMRI data of a patient. It does so using the fact that connectivity pattern, at rest state, is to a large extent symmetrical. The system evaluates connectivity between classes of voxels using a new nonlinear-Differential Filtered Coherence. It is a mathematical solution for describing connections that are not necessary linear by following the influences of changes in one signal on the changes in another. Finally, the system finds FBC asymmetry using registration of the generated connectivity map between the two hemispheres of the brain.
A generalization of the RISM integral equation for site–site pair correlation functions previously proposed by us is discussed and applied to model liquids composed of strongly polar diatomic molecules. The nonuniform molecular charge distribution is represented by the introduction of charged interaction sites. The generalization consists of applying closure conditions analogous to those which are known to be reasonable for the description of atomic ionic fluids, and the corresponding renormalization of the contributions arising from long range forces. We discuss both the symmetry properties of the pair correlation functions in special cases and the dielectric properties implied by theory. Applications are presented for three two‐site models which differ substantially in the degree of asymmetry of the non‐Coulombic potential between the two sites, and for three three‐site models for Br2. The two sites models are compared to computer simulation results, and those for Br2 to experimental results. The analys...
In this article, we examine the Church’s work with the deaf in Finland from the beginning of the 1900s to the beginning of the 1980s. We look at the objectives of the Church and of society as well as the position of the deaf throughout different eras using a genetic-historical approach. Two particular issues are connected to the time period in question: racial hygiene and the shift to oralism. At the end of the 1800s, the concept of racial hygiene gained support throughout Europe, leading deafness, among other handicaps, to be categorized as a defective characteristic. Furthermore, there was a change in how people related to sign language. Through oralism, the medium for teaching the deaf changed from signing to the spoken word, and sign language was forbidden. This resulted in a lower level of general knowledge in the deaf population and a weakening of its position in working life. These particular issues caused changes to how people related to deafness. Earlier, the measure of a good citizen was that they could support themselves. In contrast, the demands of good citizenship during this period grew; good citizens were to be healthy, both mentally and physically. They were to be able to communicate through the spoken word; the deaf’s own language was discountenanced. However, sign language lived on in deaf communities. Moreover, the Church’s work with the deaf in Finland was always carried out in sign language. This work was shared between the Church and the state. The main responsibilities of pastors and diaconia workers working with the deaf were their social and pastoral care, as well as spreading the gospel and teaching. The social work being done with the deaf currently is the responsibility of society, while the Church is responsible for spiritual work. The position of the deaf has improved. There have been changes in the church’s work with the deaf as well. The position of the deaf has changed from being a passive receiver of care to an active participant and actor in society. liisa raNtala & Paavo kettuNeN*
Agriculture is a leading strategic sector in Turkey as it is in entire world. Despite this strategic significance, risks, and uncertainties, the dependence on natural conditions turns agriculture into a disadvantaged sector. Just because of these disadvantages, agriculture is protected by various support policies throughout the world. Agricultural policies of Turkey have initiated with institutionalization policies of the Republican period and progressed through product supports, input supports, and low-interest credit implementations of the planned period. These policies experienced serious reforms at the beginning of 2000s. Within the scope of Agricultural supports and Reforms Implementation Project (ARIP), agricultural supports tried to be gathered under a single roof and Direct Income Support (DIS) implementations started. The DIS implementations lasted for eight years and terminated in 2008. The aim of this study is to examine agricultural supports in Turkey and their shares in the public budget. As material, macroeconomic data are used in this study. The data consist of transfers from the ministry of food, agriculture, and livestock to agriculture and budget numbers. The results of the study reveal that current agricultural policy tools are implemented as area-based supports, subsidiary payments, rural development, and agricultural insurance supports. The budget allocated to agriculture and the share of agricultural supports in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Turkey does not exhibit much change in years. Considering the policies and supports provided in developed countries and especially in European Union (EU) countries, it recommend for Turkey that the share of agricultural supports in total budget should be increased to levels in those countries.
Circling the earth north or south of the Equator are the world's grasslands: in all they account for almost one quarter of the world's cover of vegetation. These two statements taken from the first chapter of this excellent book highlight the importance of grass as a world crop, in the form of both 'natural' and 'cultivated' grasslands. The editors make the plaintive cry that grassland has had a low research profile relative to many other agricultural crops, particularly cereals. In spite of this neglect, considerable advances in the understanding of how the (temperate) grass crop grows have been made in the last 20 years. Invited authors from the UK, Ireland and Australia have contributed chapters on topics which include the history of improved grasslands, the form and function of the grass plant, regrowth, the effects of season, management and nutrients on growth, water relations, physiological models, and effects of pests and diseases. The final chapter is an overview of the significance of plant selection, growing conditions and management on performance as measured by the capacity of improved grasslands to provide feed for ruminants in temperate Australia and the UK. Most of the book though is concerned with the physiology of growth of the grass crop, and is based in large part on the work done at the AFRC Institute for Grassland and Animal Production at Hurley in England. The chapters on water relations and physiological models describe fundamental principles and procedures for identifying mechanisms and for developing models which are not restricted to the grass crop. They deserve to be read by people working with other crops. This is an extremely well produced and carefully edited book. It is likely to be a standard reference on the physiology of the grass crop for many years, particularly with the recent changes in emphasis on the priorities for research and development in Europe and elsewhere.
OBJECTIVES This study describes the long-term survival (1 year) of patients after intra-aortic balloon pump (IAPB) treatment.   DESIGN A single-center, retrospective registry study.   SETTING Single university hospital intensive care unit.   PARTICIPANTS Participants included 223 consecutive patients who received intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) treatment between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2010 (203 cardiac surgical patients [7.8% of all cardiac surgical patients] and 20 conservative medical patients).   INTERVENTIONS IABP treatment was used as an adjunct therapy for severe hemodynamic compromise perioperatively in cardiac surgery and in hemodynamic shock of other etiology.   MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Mean age of patients was 66±10 years. The 30-day mortality was 22.1% for surgical patients and 37.8% for conservative medical patients. The 1-year mortality was 24.5% for surgical patients and 55% for conservative medical patients. There were 14 (6.3%) major complications related to IABP treatment that required operative treatment. The 1-year survival for patients surviving the initial 30 days after coronary artery bypass grafting was 95.2%. Independent predictors of 1-year mortality (Cox regression) were age, previous cardiac surgery, critical preoperative state, and conservative medical treatment. Timing (preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative) of IABP treatment did not predict survival.   CONCLUSIONS IABP treatment was safe with few serious complications. Timing of IABP placement was not related to survival. Survival at 1-year follow-up was excellent after an initially high mortality for cardiac surgical patients treated for hemodynamic compromise with aortic counterpulsation.
Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) display diverse deficits in social, cognitive and behavioral functioning. To date, there has been mixed findings on the profile of executive function deficits for high-functioning adults (IQ > 70) with ASD. A conceptual distinction is commonly made between “cold” and “hot” executive functions. Cold executive functions refer to mechanistic higher-order cognitive operations (e.g., working memory), whereas hot executive functions entail cognitive abilities supported by emotional awareness and social perception (e.g., social cognition). This study aimed to determine the independence of deficits in hot and cold executive functions for high-functioning adults with ASD. Forty-two adults with ASD (64% male, aged 18–66 years) and 40 age and gender matched controls were administered The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT; emotion recognition and social inference), Letter Number Sequencing (working memory) and Hayling Sentence Completion Test (response initiation and suppression). Between-group analyses identified that the ASD group performed significantly worse than matched controls on all measures of cold and hot executive functions (d = 0.54 − 1.5). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the ASD sample performed more poorly on emotion recognition and social inference tasks than matched controls after controlling for cold executive functions and employment status. The findings also indicated that the ability to recognize emotions and make social inferences was supported by working memory and response initiation and suppression processes. Overall, this study supports the distinction between hot and cold executive function impairments for adults with ASD. Moreover, it advances understanding of higher-order impairments underlying social interaction difficulties for this population which, in turn, may assist with diagnosis and inform intervention programs.
Background: Administration of plasma therapy may contribute to viral control and survival of COVID-19 patients receiving B-cell depleting agents that hinder the endogenous humoral response. However, little is known on the impact of anti-CD20 pre-exposition and the use of different sources of plasma (convalescent versus vaccinated) on the kinetics of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies and viral evolution after plasma therapy. Methods: Eligible COVID-19 patients (n = 36), half of them after anti-CD20 targeted therapy, were treated with therapeutic plasma from convalescent (n = 17) or mRNA-vaccinated (n = 19) donors. Each plasma-transfused patient was thoroughly monitored over time by anti-S IgG quantification and whole-genome SARS-CoV-2 sequencing. Results: The majority of anti-CD20 pre-exposed patients (15/18) showed progressive declines of anti-S protein IgG titers following plasma therapy, indicating that they mostly relied on the passive transfer of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Such antibody kinetics correlated with prolonged infection before virus clearance, contrasting with the endogenous humoral response predominantly present in patients who had not received B-cell depleting agents (15/18). No relevant differences were observed between patients treated with plasma from convalescent and/or vaccinated donors. Finally, 4/30 genotyped patients showed increased intra-host viral evolution and 3/30 included 1 to 4 spike mutations, potentially associated to immune escape. Conclusions: Convalescent and/or vaccinated plasma therapy may provide anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and clinical benefit to B-cell depleted COVID-19 patients. Only a limited number of patients acquired viral mutations prior to clinical recovery, yet our study further emphasizes the need for long-term surveillance for intra-host variant evolution, to guide best therapeutic strategies.
Chlorosomes are the largest light harvesting complexes in nature and consist of many bacteriochlorophyll pigments forming self-assembled J-aggregates. In this work, we use two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy (2D-ES) to investigate ultrafast dynamics of excitation energy transfer (EET) in chlorosomes and their temperature dependence. From time evolution of the measured 2D electronic spectra of chlorosomes, we directly map out the distribution of the EET rate among the manifold of exciton states in a 2D energy space. In particular, it is found that the EET rate varies gradually depending on the energies of energy-donor and energy-acceptor states. In addition, from comparative 2D-ES measurements at 77 K and room temperature, we show that the EET rate exhibits subtle dependence on both the exciton energy and temperature, demonstrating the effect of thermal excitation on the EET rate. This observation suggests that active thermal excitation at room temperature prevents the excitation trapping at low-energy states and thus promotes efficient exciton diffusion in chlorosomes at ambient temperature.
Background: Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit for the host. This review summarizes current (i.e. published in the last 5 years) key evidence on probiotic efficacy and its safety in adults and children. To identify relevant data, searches of MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library databases were performed in August 2015 to locate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or their meta-analyses. The focus was on commonly used, well-specified, bacterial and yeast probiotics for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The MEDLINE database was also searched for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, developed by scientific societies in the same timeframe. Data on safety of probiotics were obtained from a document developed by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Key Messages: A number of relevant RCTs and meta-analyses are available. Saccharomyces boulardii is the most studied yeast probiotic, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is the most studied bacterial probiotic. For both, the best documented fact is their efficacy for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis, especially in children, and for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, both in adults and children. There is some evidence to support the use of probiotics to prevent or treat other diseases, such as necrotizing enterocolitis, infantile colic, Helicobacter pylori infection, and irritable bowel syndrome, but further studies are needed to identify which strain(s) is/are the most effective. Data on safety, particularly long-term safety, are limited. The risk of side effects is greater in people who have severe underlying health conditions. Conclusions: The evidence on bacterial and yeast probiotics has considerably expanded during recent years. Accumulated data allow one to make informed decisions about the effectiveness of probiotics and about how to reduce the use of those without proven efficacy.
The question of relevance regularly seems to arise in academic fields of research, with authors generally reflecting on the lack of influence in the (public) policy arena. As an example, the discipline of Geography has regularly experienced such debates at least from the 1970s (Berry, 1972, Blowers, 1974; Harvey, 1974), through the 1980s (Knight, 1986; Steed, 1988), the late 1990s and noughties (Martin, 2001; Peck, 1999; Phelps & Tewdwr-Jones, 2008; Ward, 2005, 2006) until now (Jakob & Marques, 2014). Contributions are often used to call for a (re-)focus towards particular academic research approaches in order to concentrate on ‘what matters’ and thus for academic research to make an active contribution to society. However, this often results in a ‘narrowing’ of research (Ward, 2005) towards a particular kind of research which individual authors deem to be ‘relevant’. Upon reading the invitation to contribute to such a relevance debate in tourism policy, I was dreading an argumentation for such narrowing of research into tourism policy and was pleasantly surprised to read Dianne Dredge’s argument ‘... that there are multiple versions of what might constitute “relevant policy research”... ’. The debates about relevance may thus serve as reflective moments that might lead to reflexive practice (see Hall, 2004 for a discussion of reflexivity in tourism research). Such a reflective analysis of tourism research should be encouraged with a view to providing space for other, alternative meanings of research and for wider interpretations of who may constitute the publics for our research. Going beyond Dianne Dredge’s call for more efficiently communicating the value of our research, such a reflection requires a consideration of different approaches towards research and their possible implications for research practices, for example, deciding what matters (research themes) as well as whether and how to engage (not just communicate) with certain publics. The main differences between academic approaches are (a) the reason we engage in creating knowledge and (b) for what public the findings are intended. Burawoy (2004,
Recent studies support the development of cancer therapeutics to target Globo H‐ceramide, the most prevalent tumor‐associated carbohydrate antigen in epithelial cancers. Herein, we evaluated the expression of Globo H and its prognostic significance in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and conducted preclinical studies to assess the antitumor activity of Globo H–specific antibody in thioacetamide (TAA)–induced ICC in rats. Globo H–ceramide in tumor specimens was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and mass spectrometry. Antitumor efficacy of anti–Globo H mAbVK9 was evaluated in TAA‐induced ICC in rat. Natural killer (NK) cells and their related genes were analyzed by IHC and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Data mining revealed that B3GALT5 and FUT2, the key enzymes for Globo H biosynthesis, were significantly up‐regulated in human ICC. In addition, Globo H expression was detected in 41% (63 of 155) of ICC tumor specimens by IHC staining, and validated by mass spectrometric analysis of two IHC‐positive tumors. Patients with Globo H positive tumors had significantly shorter relapse‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (P = 0.0003 and P = 0.002, respectively). Multivariable Cox regression analysis identified Globo H expression as an independent unfavorable predictor for RFS (hazard ratio: 1.66, 95% confidence interval: 1.08‐2.36, P = 0.02) in ICC. Furthermore, gradual emergence of Globo H in liver tissues over 6 months in TAA‐treated rats recapitulated the multistage progression of ICC in vivo. Importantly, administration of anti‐Globo H mAbVK9 in rats bearing TAA‐induced ICC significantly suppressed tumor growth with increased NK cells in the tumor microenvironment. Conclusion: Globo H is a theranostic marker in ICC.
Block copolymer-based membrane technology enables the development of a versatile class of nanoscale materials in which biomolecules, such as membrane proteins, can be reconstituted. These active materials possess a broad applicability in areas such as the enhancement of existing technologies or production of current-generating films for power sources. For example, these active materials can be integrated with fuel cell ion transport membranes such as Nafion® in order to improve the ability of Nafion® to retain leaking protons. Also, the demonstration of protein-driven current production across these membranes represents a possible alternative power source that is both highly efficient and light in weight. Our work has demonstrated the fabrication of large-area copolymer biomembranes that are functionalized by bacteriorhodopsin (BR) and cytochrome c oxidase (COX) ion transport proteins. Among their many advantages over conventional lipid-based membrane systems, block copolymers can mimic natural cell biomembrane environments in a single chain, enabling large-area membrane fabrication using methods such as Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) deposition. Following the large-scale insertion of proteins into block copolymer LB films, we have demonstrated significant pH changes based upon light-actuated proton pumping. Protein activity across the BR and COX-functionalized membrane has also been observed using impedance spectroscopy as well as direct current measurement.
The present study analyzes the discursive strategies of manipulation in the political genre of a discourse in Parliament with an aim to convince the audience that the Prime Minister and his party are innocent of receiving illegal cash donations from a slush fund run in the party. For that purpose, we have used Van Dijk’s (2006) scheme of strategies of manipulation at several levels of discourse (content, lexis, topics, syntax, rhetoric, and order of discourse). Findings of the study show that the Prime Minister’s speech presents characteristics of ideological discourse, since it follows a general strategy of positive in-group and negative out-group presentation, which has an overall legitimating function. At other levels of discourse, the denial of controversial actions is made manipulative by following strategies of emphasis of our positive and their negative actions with the final aim of self-legitimating himself and his discourse. The discourse is further made manipulative by using appropriate contextual constraints and defensible semantics of representation.
An on-line identification software for multi input-multi output, stochastic, linear systems is presented. It combines an extension of the modified maximum likelihood method for S. I. S. O. systems[1] to perform the parameter estimation, and an algorithm, based on the Range -- Error Test[2] for the structural identification of the system. The program developed can be used as an on-line facility because it determines the structure without any a priori knowledge about the plant. It also checks the validity of the structure of the actual model being identified and recomputes the structural indices if necessary.
We present the results on the effect of adding Ge on the magnetic properties of Ni2MnGa1–xGex (0 < x < 0.4) alloys and thin films deposited by flash-evaporation from the powdered alloys. It is found that the annealed alloys are single phase with L21 ordering (cubic lattice constant a ≃ 0.581 nm). The Ge addition causes a drastic decrease in the martensitic transformation temperature from TM = 200 K (x = 0) to TM = 50 K (x = 0.4) with almost no effect on the Curie temperature TC ≃ 380 K and magnetization MS(0) ≃ 450–500 G. The magnetic properties of thin films strongly depend on ordering. The ordered films have similar L21 (or B2) ordering and exhibit the magnetic properties similar to the properties of corresponding bulk alloys. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The design and test of a capacitor-isolated LED driver, suitable for screw-in, residential lighting applications, is reported. The design relies on a pair of high voltage isolation capacitors, comprising part of a series resonant tank. The series resonant tank is integrated with a balanced ladder step-down switched capacitor front-end, enabling the series resonant conversion stage to function conveniently with any line voltage, while still preserving the efficient voltage regulation capability of the resonant stage. Dimming and power control are effected with a low frequency PWM control loop. The tested prototype delivers 15.5 W at 425 mA at rated power into a string of 12 LEDs at 92% efficiency. Efficiency exceeding 85% is maintained over more than a 10:1 dimming range, and also over a wide range of line voltages.
In this paper, we investigate the second-order statistics of Hoyt fading channels under non isotropic scattering scenarios. Assuming an asymmetrical Doppler power spectral density (PSD), we derive, in the form of single finite-range integrals, expressions for the level-crossing rate (LCR) and average duration of fades (ADF). These new results are then applied to obtain the LCR and ADF of selection combining (SC) diversity over non-isotropic Hoyt channels. In addition to their importance for studying the system performance and characterizing the dynamic behavior of multipath fading channels, the formulas derived are general in that they can be applied to many non-isotropic scattering situations. Furthermore, they are shown to unify some existing results for Rayleigh and Hoyt channels. The validity of the analytical expressions is verified by means of computer simulations where a mobile-to-mobile (M2M) propagation scenario is considered in which the angle of departure (AOD) and angle of arrival (AOA) of multipath components are both described by the von Mises distribution.
Though recent work has demonstrated that plants can recognize species, kin versus strangers, and self/non-self roots, no mechanism for identity recognition in plants has yet been found. Here we examined the role of soluble chemicals in signaling among roots. Utilizing Arabidopsis thaliana, we exposed young seedlings to liquid media containing exudates from siblings, strangers (non-siblings), or only their own exudates. In one experiment, root secretions were inhibited by sodium orthovanadate and root length and number of lateral roots were measured. In a second experiment, responses to siblings, strangers, and their own exudates were measured for several accessions (genotypes), and the traits of length of the longest lateral root and hypocotyl length were also measured. The exposure of plants to the root exudates of strangers induced greater lateral root formation than exposure of plants to sibling exudates. Stranger recognition was abolished upon treatment with the secretion inhibitor. In one experiment, plants exposed to sibling or stranger exudates have shorter roots than plants only exposed to their own exudates. This self/non-self recognition response was not affected by the secretion inhibitor. The results demonstrate that that kin recognition and self/non-self are two separate identity recognition systems involving soluble chemicals. Kin recognition requires active secretion by roots.
We are presenting a case of a middle-aged woman with history of remote kidney transplantation who had multiple admissions for septic shock-like picture, recurrent fever, and hypotension. Her shock manifestation would resolve after stress dose steroid administration and less than 24 hours of vasopressor administration. Initially, extensive workup was performed without revealing etiology. Eventually, a bone marrow biopsy was carried out leading to the diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, most likely related to recent cytomegalovirus infection.
Synopsis This article describes model experiments performed at the Building Research Station to determine the type of failure occurring in strutted sheeted excavations in non-cohesive soils due to seepage water. Model excavations were constructed in a seepage tank fitted with glass sides and with pressure points through the tank base. Observations were taken to determine the flow net and to follow the mode of failure of the soil under various conditions. The factors which were varied include the width of the cofferdam, the depth of penetration of the sheeting, and the soil conditions. Tests were carried out with homogeneous sand in both dense and loose packing and various combinations of different soil strata were also used. The results are discussed and tentative suggestions for design are put forward. Cet article decrit des experiences modeles qui ont ete faits a la Centrale pour le Recherche de la Construction pour determiner le type de l'insucces qui se presente dans les excavations entretoisees tolee...
The entropy is improved and applied to the matter element analysis, then we get improved entropy matter-element analysis model and analysis human settlement of literature with the model. Studies show that the analysis results of the model are more accurate and conclusions are reliable. Thus it will provide related departments with new research thinking for comprehensive evaluation of human settlements.
The paper substantiates the principles of a personalized approach to the treatment of patients with peritonitis by means of the results of clinical, laboratory instrumental and genetic studies that allow to determine the individual features of the manifestations of pathological and compensatory processes comprehensive assessment, and the results of such tactics application are given. Aim of the study is to improve the treatment outcomes for patients with peritonitis, reduce the incidence of its complications. Material and methods. Clinical material included 226 patients with acute peritonitis. A comprehensive clinical, laboratory, instrumental examination was carried out. In addition to generally recognized laboratory parameters, levels of cytokines and serotonin were determined, IL1β (-511C / T) and 5-HTTLPR polymorphic alleles were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. Results Significant differences in the severity of peroxidation, proteolysis, and fibrinolysis in different forms of peritonitis were revealed, and their association with the propagation of the inflammatory process and variants of the IL1β gene (-511C / T) was established. It has been proved that one of the causes of postoperative paresis of the intestine is a violation of the serotonergic mechanisms of regulation of its contractile ability, which are closely related to variants of the 5-HTTLPR gene. Detected genetically determined individual characteristics of the inflammatory process in the peritoneal cavity became the basis for the development of personalized therapeutic tactics algorithms, improvement of surgical intervention stages and medical treatment, development of methods for the prevention of various complications. Conclusion. To improve the results of patients with acute peritonitis treatment, it is advisable to use personalized therapeutic tactics based on the results of a clinical, laboratory, instrumental and genetic research comprehensive assessment.
Although central to the susceptibility of adult diseases characterized by abnormal rhythmogenesis, characterizing the genes involved is a challenge. We took advantage of the C57BL/6J (B6) trait of hypoxia-induced periodic breathing and its absence in the C57BL/6J-Chr 1(A/J)/NaJ chromosome substitution strain to test the feasibility of gene discovery for this abnormality. Beginning with a genetic and phenotypic analysis of an intercross study between these strains, we discovered three quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on mouse chromosome 1, with phenotypic effects. Fine-mapping reduced the genomic intervals and gene content, and the introgression of one QTL region back onto the C57BL/6J-Chr 1(A/J)/NaJ restored the trait. mRNA expression of non-synonymous genes in the introgressed region in the medulla and pons found evidence for differential expression of three genes, the highest of which was apolipoprotein A2, a lipase regulator; the apo a2 peptide fragment (THEQLTPLVR), highly expressed in the liver, was expressed in low amounts in the medulla but did not correlate with trait expression. This work directly demonstrates the impact of elements on mouse chromosome 1 in respiratory rhythmogenesis.
Tissue reconstruction requires the utilization of multiple biomaterials and cell types to replicate the delicate and complex structure of native tissues. Various three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting techniques have been developed to fabricate customized tissue structures; however, there are still significant challenges, such as vascularization, mechanical stability of printed constructs, and fabrication of gradient structures to be addressed for the creation of biomimetic and complex tissue constructs. One approach to address these challenges is to develop multimaterial 3D bioprinting techniques that can integrate various types of biomaterials and bioprinting capabilities towards the fabrication of more complex structures. Notable examples include multi-nozzle, coaxial, and microfluidics-assisted multimaterial 3D bioprinting techniques. More advanced multimaterial 3D printing techniques are emerging, and new areas in this niche technology are rapidly evolving. In this review, we briefly introduce the basics of individual 3D bioprinting techniques and then discuss the multimaterial 3D printing techniques that can be developed based on combination of these techniques for the engineering of complex and biomimetic tissue constructs. We also discuss the perspectives and future directions to develop state-of-the-art multimaterial 3D bioprinting techniques for engineering tissues and organs.
Due to the advantages of high sensitivity, high resolution and nondestructive in vivo three-dimensional detection, optical coherence tomography has been widely studied in various fields such as biology, genetics and medicine. Zebrafish is a kind of freshwater fish, whose embryos are easy to reproduce in large numbers and have high transparency for observation. In particular, the genetic homology between zebrafish and human is as high as 70%, which makes zebrafish gradually become an excellent model for studying human development or various serious diseases. In this study, a method for continuous observation of zebrafish embryos using OCT was proposed. In this experiment, the development of zebrafish embryos before hatching (0dpf-3dpf) was continuous observed by OCT, and the proportion of yolk sac to embryo volume was extracted and quantified. The proportion of embryos collected by OCT was compared with the proportion of zebrafish embryos observed by microscope. All experiments were repeated three times. The results show that the method of quantification of zebrafish embryo development by OCT can not only observe the internal development structure of the embryo, but also calculate the volume proportion of embryo development more accurately than microscope. This method provides a more rapid and precise important means for early clinical judgment of embryo development.
Heterogeneous and homogenous catalytic ozonation by CuO/Al2O3 and Cu(II) ion of oxalic acid in aqueous solutions were investigated. At low pH range, the effectiveness of ozone could be clearly increased by the presence of CuO/Al2O3. At neutral pH with phosphate buffer, the oxidation reaction was strongly inhibited, whereas non-buffered experiments confirmed high removal efficiency for oxalic acid. At pH 7.5, the mineralization of oxalic acid could only slightly be boosted by the heterogeneous CuO/Al2O3. Here the application of a homogeneous Cu(II) catalyst in non-buffered oxalic acid solution results in higher DOC removal efficiency.
Pitavastatin is one of the most effective treatment agents for lowering serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Because pitavastatin is scarcely metabolized, the risk of drug-drug interactions during multidrug therapy is low, and the LDL-C target is achieved in the majority of patients. The incidence of adverse events associated with pitavastatin treatment has so far been comparable to or lower than that associated with other statins, and glucose metabolism is not affected by the drug. Pitavastatin promotes plaque regression and improves the plaque composition in patients with acute coronary syndrome. The serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) during treatment with pitavastatin was demonstrated to be inversely associated with the incidence of cardiovascular events. Because of its effective and sustained action to increase HDL-C, pitavastatin is expected to contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular events, in addition to its potent LDL-C lowering effect, especially in patients with low serum HDL-C levels.
Abstract A series of synthetic sodium-rich saponites and trioctahedral Na, K, and Ba mica solid solutions have been investigated by 29Si MAS-NMR spectroscopy. The salient result is the major effect of the interlayer charge on 29Si chemical shift variations detected in NMR components ascribed to tetrahedral Si3, Si2Al, SiAl2, and Al3 environments. In this analysis, the effect of the octahedral charge is considerably lower. The contribution of the interlayer charge is much more important than the previously reported contribution of the ditrigonal distortion of tetrahedral layers, generated by the misfit between tetrahedral and octahedral layers. This observation rests on the peculiar disposition of tetrahedra in phyllosilicates, with three out of four oxygen atoms exposed to the interlamellar space. A similar effect could be operative in other silicates, like zeolites, in which most of tetrahedra interact with charge compensating cations.
AIMS Scientific literature suggests a large number of symptoms that may be present the day after excessive alcohol consumption. The purpose of this study was to explore the presence and severity of hangover symptoms, and determine their interrelationship.   METHODS A survey was conducted among n = 1410 Dutch students examining their drinking behavior and latest alcohol hangover. The severity of 47 presumed hangover symptoms were scored on a 10-point scale ranging from 0 (absent) to 10 (maximal). Factor analysis was conducted to summarize the data into groups of associated symptoms that contribute significantly to the alcohol hangover and symptoms that do not.   RESULTS About half of the participants (56.1%, n = 791) reported having had a hangover during the past month. Most commonly reported and most severe hangover symptoms were fatigue (95.5%) and thirst (89.1%). Factor analysis revealed 11 factors that together account for 62% of variance. The most prominent factor 'drowsiness' (explained variance 28.8%) included symptoms such as drowsiness, fatigue, sleepiness and weakness. The second factor 'cognitive problems' (explained variance 5.9%) included symptoms such as reduced alertness, memory and concentration problems. Other factors, including the factor 'disturbed water balance' comprising frequently reported symptoms such as 'dry mouth' and 'thirst', contributed much less to the overall hangover (explained variance <5%).   CONCLUSION Drowsiness and impaired cognitive functioning are the two dominant features of alcohol hangover.
At a time when most discussions on the subject of law and order are preoccupied with the problems of the present day, it is refreshing to find a forum concerned with the paths ahead. Whilst the contemporary position is bound to attract considerable attention, and rightly and understandably so, it is to the future that we must look for the real answers to the problems that concern all of us in both our professional and, indeed, private lives. 1t is undeniable that the subject is a constant topic of conversation at all levels in society. As recently as the early autumn of last year, a national public opinion poll conducted by a most influential newspaper! recorded that an overwhelming proportion of the population put law and order as the most urgent task of government, even ahead of the need to counter growing inflation. It must be said that the survey was carried out against a background of publicity for increased salaries for the police, and before the industrial trouble of the winter of 1978/79. Nevertheless the general topic remains a vital one for each and everyone of us, emphasising the words of the Royal Commission on Police who in 1962commented "The maintenance of law and order ranks with national defence as a primary task of government. It is an essential condition of a nation's survival and happiness. " But most debates on the subject are so emotive that they tend to generate more heat than light, and this is not difficult to understand when the enormity of the problem is appreciated. Last year I reportedthe state of crime in England and Wales to an international audience in New York in these words "Over the last few years we have been confronted with a massive increase in crimes of all kinds. Particularly worrying to us are those involving robberies up 18% burglaries up 17% and vandalism up 33%. Our successes in cracking down heavily on the professional gangs hardly assuage our very serious concern at the escalation of serious crime on the streets and that involving children, where in both areas there is evidence that we may be losing ground. Offences of violence are doubling every 7 years or less, robbery has trebled in 10 years,
Abstract Schistosomiasis is a public health problem in more than 78 countries in the world. The disease is most prevalent among children than adults due to their high exposure to infectious water sources. Various interventions such as mass drug administration (MDA), snail control, safe water provision and health education have been implemented independently or jointly to control, reduce and ultimately eliminate Schistosomiasis. This scoping review focused on studies reporting the impact of different delivery strategies of targeted treatment and MDA on the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis infection in school aged children in Africa. The review focused on Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni species. A systematic search for eligible literature from peer-reviewed articles was done from Google Scholar, Medline, PubMed and EBSCO host databases. The search yielded twenty-seven peer-reviewed articles. All articles found reported a decrease in the prevalence of schistosomiasis infection. Five studies (18.5%) reported a prevalence change below 40%, eighteen studies (66.7%) reported a change between 40% and 80%, and four studies (14.8%) reported a change above 80%. The infection intensity post-treatment was varied: twenty-four studies reported a decrease, while two studies reported an increase. The review showed that the impact of targeted treatment on the prevalence and intensity of schistosomiasis depended on the frequency at which it was offered, complementary interventions, and its uptake by the target population. Targeted treatment can significantly control the infection burden, but cannot eliminate the disease. Constant MDA programs coupled with preventative and health promotional programs are required to reach the elimination stage.
Solar energy conversion is considered to be one of the promising alternatives to fossil fuels. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen is a prominent approach to utilize solar energy to produce clean hydrogen energy. In PEC water splitting, semiconductors play a central role for absorbing the solar radiations in the UV‐visible region and generating electron‐hole pairs that contribute to water splitting. This review provides an extensive overview of the 1D aligned nanoarrays (1D‐NAs) and their architectures as photoactive materials. 1D‐NAs can be in the form of nanorods (NRs), nanowires (NWs), nanopencils, and nanotubes (NTs), etc. The initial part of the review is dedicated to the synthesis and characterizations of the 1D‐NAs, which is followed by useful synthetic protocols explicitly employed for the synthesis of NAs morphologies and the mechanisms involved in PEC water splitting. The final section of the review provides examples of highly anticipated TiO2, ZnO, BiVO4‐based, and other miscellaneous aligned NAs utilized for PEC water splitting. The PEC water splitting performance of aligned NAs is compared with other morphologies in terms of photocurrent densities. In this review, it is attempted to provide an account of state‐of‐the‐art stable, novel, and low‐cost aligned photoactive materials for PEC water splitting.
Background: Stroke after cardiac surgery may be caused by emboli emerging from an atherosclerotic ascending aorta (AA). Epiaortic ultrasound scanning (EUS), the current ‘gold’ standard for detecting AA atherosclerosis, has not gained widespread use because there is a lack of optimized ultrasound devices, it lengthens the procedure, it endangers sterility, and there is a false belief by many surgeons that palpation is as sensitive as EUS. Furthermore there is no clear evidence proving that the use of epiaortic scanning changes outcome in cardiac surgery. Various researchers investigated the ability of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) to discriminate between the presence and absence of AA atherosclerosis. It is acknowledged that TEE has limited value in this, but it has never been supported by a meta‐analysis estimating the true diagnostic accuracy of TEE based on all quantitative evidence. We aimed to do this using state‐of‐the‐art methodology of diagnostic meta‐analyses.
The rotor vibration of two-pole induction motor with rotating magnetic field has been investigated. The vibration is measured at any relative location of the stator and the rotor with various power supply frequencies in the experiment and is analyzed in consideration of mechanical factors of the rotor. The following conclusion is obtained through the experiment and the analysis ; (1) 2ω vibration of twice the power supply frequency ω is generated because of offset between the stator center and the gyrational center of the rotor. (2) Two vibrations of ω(1-s) and ω(1+s) where s is slip ratio are generated because of the rotor unbalance or the disagreement between the gyrational center and geometrical center of the rotor. (3) An unstable vibration is predicted in the analysis when the power supply frequency is equal to natural frequency of the rotor, however, the unstable vibration was not generated in the experiment because of the damping.
In this article, we show that the radio frequency (rf) dynamical characteristics of a very strongly hysteretic superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) ring, coupled to a rf tank circuit resonator, display relaxation oscillations. We demonstrate that the overall form of these characteristics, together with the relaxation oscillations, can be modeled accurately by solving the quasiclassical nonlinear equations of motion for the system. We suggest that in these very strongly hysteretic regimes, SQUID ring-resonator systems may find application in logic and memory devices.
Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease that can affect many of our organs, and its effects on the human body are still unknown. In this study, we aimed to find the answer to the question of whether erectile dysfunction (ED) develops in patients who had COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective study of 459 patients. Married male patients aged between 25 and 70 years and who were hospitalized and treated for COVID-19 were included in the study. The patients were divided into three groups as mild, moderate, and severe cases, according to the extent of the disease. Each patient was asked to complete the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) upon admission and 45th and 90th days after discharge. Admission, 45th and 90th values of IIEF were compared within itself. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in the IIEF evaluations on admission and 45th and 90th days of the patients in the three groups. IIEF values of three patient groups displayed a decrease on the 45th day with respect to admission, while the 90th day values were higher in comparison to 45th day, although still remained lower than the values of admission. Evaluation of the erectile function values of the patients revealed that IIEF values on admission decreased on 45th and 90th day values. Conclusions: We determined that COVID-19 affected IIEF values in male patients, which might cause ED by reducing erectile function values.
Argentine wine has transitioned from quantity to quality production. Stakeholders complain that independent vintners fail to adapt to the new technologies. Taking a social-constructivist perspective, this paper questions the general assumption that the difference between the systems is merely a technological matter. In modern production winemakers have become central, with professional agronomists translating their demands to the vineyard. Winery managers, marketers, traders, consultants and critics have also become relevant to defining best vineyard practices. The transition to quality involves an altogether new approach, which results from new relationships between consumers and producers in a socio-technical network.
The increasing level of competition in the sheet-metal working industry requires measures to reduce costs. There is considerable potential in the simplification of process procedures. Automated handling and the further processing of bent semifinished products require a high level of manufacturing precision in bending processes. However deviations in angles of several degrees from the desired values can arise as a result of material variations within one batch. An adaptive control system is developed in order to avoid expensive further manufacturing steps. This calculates the parameters required for the correction of the process control from variations in process values measured online. These adjustment values must be communicated to the bending machine and set during the ongoing forming process. For larger series of parts the coefficients of the correction matrix are also continuously improved, so that an optimum adaptive correction can be achieved for the current scatter in the material properties. The adaptive correction procedure is particularly effective in combination with the three-point bending technology. The highest levels of angular precision can already be achieved after a short independent optimization phase. However, the current spectrum of parts for a certain manufacturing task and a defined quality requirement should provide the basis for decisions concerning the economy of this process arrangement.
The long-term behaviour of the aortic-valve allograft seems to be dependent on the maintenance of its matrix. Protein and collagen synthesis was studied in rat aortic-valves. Quantitative and qualitative methods proved the production of at least two protein pools. One protein pool is localised intracellularily with a 'turn-over' time of about 2 weeks, and a second pool is localised extracellularly with a 'turn-over' time of at least 8 weeks. The latter protein pool mainly consists of collagen.
The solution-phase complex assay for toxins A, B, and E from Clostridium botulinum (Elcatech, Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C.) was modified to measure antibody. The addition of unlabeled polyclonal antibodies to a mixture consisting of toxin with chicken antibody and RVV-XA-labeled horse antibody reduces the sensitivity of detection of neurotoxin. This reduction in sensitivity can be used as a measure of the specific antibody titer.
This project is an analysis of the construction of American Musical Theatre. The research for this project has been drawn from direct quotes and writings from Musical Theatre writers, scores and scripts, and from historical books. Reading of these sources reveal principles of Musical Theatre writing which the authors use and the audience expects. This project analyzes how the book, lyrics, and music to a show are written and demonstrates that the writing of Musical Theatre has developed its own unique craft which is grounded in the
A series of [Co(L I )2] (1), [Ni(L I )2] (2), [Cu(L I )2] (3), [Co(L II )2] (4), [Ni(L II )2] (5) and [Cu(L II )2] (6) complexes where L I = 2-((E)-(5-(4-fluorophenyl)isoxazol-3-ylimino)methyl)-5-methoxyphenol and L II = 2-((E)-(5-(4-fluorophenyl)isoxazol-3-ylimino)methyl)-4-bromophenol, were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, Infrared, UV–visible, Nuclear magnetic resonance, Mass spectral studies, Electron Spin Resonance, Thermogravimetric analysis, Magnetic moment, Scanning Electron Microscope and Powder X-ray Diffraction analyses. From the analytical results, all these metal (II) complexes are assigned to square planar geometry around the metal ions. The DNA-binding and cleavage studies were evaluated for the synthesized compounds with CT–DNA and supercoiled pBR322 DNA, respectively. All compounds have been monitored for their in Vitro antimicrobial assay. Original Research Article Ramesh et al.; AJOCS, 4(3): 1-20, 2018; Article no.AJOCS.41465 2
The use of private welfare services in the UK has risen. But relatively little is known about the patterns of use of private welfare services. This article investigates whether there is a private welfare class, and how attitudes to welfare state spending are linked to use of private services. It finds that there is considerable use of the private sector, but the size of the group consistently using a range of private welfare services is small. Changes in attitudes to public financing of welfare spending do not appear to be directly linked to use of private services.
Cloud-based M&S can have many forms, from hardware as a service or cloud-based data for M&S applications to providing M&S as a service. In order to be able to compose such cloud-based M&S services, these services not only need to be able to exchange data and use such exchanged data, they also must represent truth consistently. Current paradigms are not sufficient to support these requirements. In this paper, a new paradigm is proposed that uses mobile propertied concepts to support consistent simulations using composable cloud-based M&S services. Mobile Propertied Agents (MPA) will utilize a floating middleware to establish an event-cloud orchestrated by a truth control layer. The result is a flexible Event Service Bus that ensure the consistent representation of truth in all systems connected to the event cloud, thus ensuring interoperability and composability by design in this cloud-based M&S environment.
A consequential unscripted interaction (CUI) is a conversation that a person understands to be important but does not know how to do. CUIs might be widespread within a population, but are perhaps more likely to be individual or localized within a discrete group (e.g., young women or rural boys). This paper introduces this idea, distinguishes CUIs from “difficult conversations,” and then proceeds to report data that describe CUIs and people’s experience of them. Two samples were collected, one of undergraduates (N = 257) and another from Amazon’s mTurk system (N = 230). Some differences between the samples (probably due to different life stages) were observed, but most of the topics, consequences, and personal experiences were similar. The paper reports the topics, settings, participants, subjective perceptions, and emotional reactions to CUIs. The goal of this project is eventually to develop interventions for specific CUIs, but this paper is theoretical and generally descriptive.
Objective To describe the location, staffing, clientele, safety product disbursement patterns, education provided and sustainability of safety resource centres (SRCs) in US children's hospitals. Methods A cross-sectional survey was distributed to children's hospital-based SRC directors. Survey categories included: funding sources, customer base, items sold, items given free of charge, education provided and directors’ needs. Results 32/38 (84.2%) SRC sites (affiliated with 30 hospitals) completed the survey. SRCs were in many hospital locations including lobby (28.1%), family resource centres (12.5%), gift shop/retail space (18.8%), mobile units (18.8%) and patient clinics (12.5%). 19% of respondents reported that their SRC was financially self-sustainable. Sales to patients predominated (mean of 44%); however, hospital employees made up a mean of 20% (range 0–60%) of sales. 78.1% of SRCs had products for children with special healthcare needs. Documentation kept at SRC sites included items purchased (96.9%), items given free of charge (65.6%) and customer demographics (50%). 56.3% of SRCs provided formal injury prevention education classes. The SRCs’ directors’ most important needs were finances (46.9%), staffing (50%) and space (46.9%). All of the directors were ‘somewhat interested’ or ‘very interested’ in each of the following: creation of a common SRC listserv, national SRC data bank and multisite SRC research platform. Conclusions SRCs are located in many US children's hospitals, and can be characterised as heterogeneous in location, products sold, data kept and ability to be financially sustained. Further research is needed to determine best practices for SRCs to maximise their impact on injury prevention.
Real-time Internet traffic flow classification is important in managing network resources in accordance to Quality of Service (QoS) requirements. The centralized network’s control in Software Defined Networking (SDN) provides a platform for Internet Service Provider (ISP) to perform specific actions on the classified flows through routing and scheduling. Though machine learning (ML) can be the alternative to Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) in classifying SDN traffic flows, several problems, such as classifier’s accuracy, computational complexity, multi-class imbalanced data, and concept drift, need to be addressed in order to have a reliable solution. Therefore, this work has proposed a hybrid filter-wrapper feature selection (FS) algorithm, named Filter-Wrapper Feature Selection (FWFS). The algorithm selects robust features that represent minority classes and resistant to concept drift and is also computationally inexpensive by discarding irrelevant features before further processing with wrapper function. Based on the performance evaluation, the feature selection process of FWFS is computationally inexpensive; i.e. 59.6s, which produces a classifier with an overall accuracy of 98.9%. The result is better than state-of-the-art FS algorithm, Efficient Feature Optimization Approach (EFOA) which requires >400s to select features which can produced a classifier with 97.7% accuracy. In addition to the high overall accuracy, the classifier trained with features selected by FWFS has better F-measure values for each classes including minority classes; i.e. >0.8 in MULTIMEDIA and INTERACTIVE which consist only 0.15% and 0.03% instances, respectively, of the total 377,526 instances in the dataset. Furthermore, the classifier is stable and reliable for classifying new data; i.e. 98.7% accuracy for classifying new data and F-measure of more than 0.8 in every class. The classifier model will be embedded in the SDN-ISP traffic classification solution which provides insights for resource allocations and traffic scheduling in the network.
Plasmonic molecules, which are geometrically well-defined plasmonic metal nanoparticle clusters, have attracted significant attention due to their enhancement of light–matter interactions owing to a stronger electric field enhancement than that by single particles. High-resolution lithography techniques provide precise positioning of plasmonic nanoparticles, but their fabrication costs are excessively high. In this study, we propose a lithography-free, self-assembly fabrication method, termed the dual-dewetting process, which allows the control of the size and density of gold nanoparticles. This process involves depositing a gold thin film on a substrate and inducing dewetting through thermal annealing, followed by a second deposition and annealing. The method achieves a uniform distribution of particle size and density, along with increased particle density, across a 6-inch wafer. The superiority of the method is confirmed by a 30-fold increase in the signal intensity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering following the additional dewetting with an 8 nm film, compared to single dewetting alone. Our findings indicate that the dual-dewetting method provides a simple and efficient approach to enable a variety of plasmonic applications through efficient plasmonic molecule large-area fabrication.
Space radiation exposure limits for astronauts are based on recommendations of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements. These limits now include the age at exposure and sex of the astronaut. A recently-developed computerized anatomical female (CAF) model is discussed in detail. Computer-generated, cross-sectional data are presented to illustrate the completeness of the CAF model. By applying ray-tracing techniques, shield distribution functions have been computed to calculate absorbed dose and dose equivalent values for a variety of critical body organs (e.g., breasts, lungs, thyroid gland, etc.) and mission scenarios. Specific risk assessments, i.e., cancer induction and mortality, are reviewed. 13 refs.
ABSTRACT The F1Fo-ATP synthases of alkaliphilic bacteria exhibit latent ATPase activity, and for the thermoalkaliphile Bacillus sp. strain TA2.A1, this activity is intrinsic to the F1 moiety. To study the mechanism of ATPase inhibition, we developed a heterologous expression system in Escherichia coli to produce TA2F1 complexes from this thermoalkaliphile. Like the native F1Fo-ATP synthase, the recombinant TA2F1 was blocked in ATP hydrolysis activity, and this activity was stimulated by the detergent lauryldimethylamine oxide. To determine if the C-terminal domain of the ε subunit acts as an inhibitor of ATPase activity and if an electrostatic interaction plays a role, a TA2F1 mutant with either a truncated ε subunit [i.e., TA2F1(εΔC)] or substitution of basic residues in the second α-helix of ε with nonpolar alanines [i.e., TA2F1(ε6A)] was constructed. Both mutants showed ATP hydrolysis activity at low and high concentrations of ATP. Treatment of the purified F1Fo-ATP synthase and TA2F1(εWT) complex with proteases revealed that the ε subunit was resistant to proteolytic digestion. In contrast, the ε subunit of TA2F1(ε6A) was completely degraded by trypsin, indicating that the C-terminal arm was in a conformation where it was no longer protected from proteolytic digestion. In addition, ATPase activity was not further activated by protease treatment when compared to the untreated control, supporting the observation that ε was responsible for inhibition of ATPase activity. To study the effect of the alanine substitutions in the ε subunit in the entire holoenzyme, we reconstituted recombinant TA2F1 complexes with F1-stripped native membranes of strain TA2.A1. The reconstituted TA2FoF1(εWT) was blocked in ATP hydrolysis and exhibited low levels of ATP-driven proton pumping consistent with the F1Fo-ATP synthase in native membranes. Reconstituted TA2FoF1(ε6A) exhibited ATPase activity that correlated with increased ATP-driven proton pumping, confirming that the ε subunit also inhibits ATPase activity of TA2FoF1.
In order to determine whether elastin degradation is increased in infants whose respiratory insufficiency requires ventilation with high concentrations of O2, we quantitated, by amino acid analysis, the elastin degradation products (desmosines) excreted in the urine of 14 premature male infants during the first 3 wk of life. Eight of these infants, the "low-O2" infants, did not have severe lung disease and did not require more than 40% O2 beyond the first 8 h of life. The other 6 infants, selected retrospectively because they developed bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), were ventilated with more than 60% O2 for at least the first 72 h of life. The pattern of desmosine excretion observed in infants who developed BPD differed significantly (p less than 0.05) from the excretion pattern seen in "low-O2" infants during the first 3 wk of life. At the end of the first week of life, desmosine excretion was significantly greater (p less than 0.05) in the infants who later developed BPD than in the "low-O2" infants without severe lung disease. From Days 7-9 to 20-22, desmosine excretion increased in the "low-O2" infants from 6.9 +/- 1.7 micrograms/kg to 9.0 +/- 3.5 micrograms/kg. In contrast, desmosine excretion did not remain elevated in the BPD infants, decreasing from 10.6 +/- 2.2 micrograms/kg to 6.1 +/- 2.9 micrograms/kg during the same period. In the BPD infants, elevated desmosine excretion through Day 9 is likely to reflect lung injury, whereas decreased desmosine excretion beyond Day 9 suggests that elastin synthesis and turnover is impaired, possibly as a result of nutritional deficiencies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A terahertz frequency domain spectrometer is implemented using two ErAs:GaAs photomixers in a highly compact configuration, utilizing all solid-state components and no moving parts. The system utilizes a single package integration of two 783 nm distributed feedback laser diodes with a high-resolution wavelength discriminator. Digital signal processing electronics provide precise frequency control and yield ~200 MHz accuracy of the THz signal frequency. Continuous mode-hop-free frequency sweeping is demonstrated with < 1 GHz resolution from 200 GHz to 1.85 THz. The coherent detection sensitivity is shown to be in good agreement with previous theoretical predictions and yields a signal-to-noise ratio of 80 dB/Hz at 200 GHz and 60 dB/Hz at 1 THz through a path length in air of one foot. These levels are more than 10 dB higher than previously measured. The spectrometer frequency resolution and dynamic range are suitable for applications involving analysis of chemical, biological, and explosive materials in solid-phase and gas-phase at atmospheric pressure; system performance is demonstrated via the transmission spectra of atmospheric water vapor.
Public bus transit travel time is affected by many factors, including traffic signals and traffic condition. Transit agencies have implemented transit signal priority (TSP) strategies to reduce transit travel time and improve service reliability. However, due to the lack of empirical data, these factors' collective impact and bus travel time strategies have not been studied at the stop-to-stop segment level. This research focuses on the factors affecting travel time reliability, emphasising the variability between operators and the policy implications of such differences. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical methods have been used to assess the quality implications of public bus transportation time reliability. This research seeks to investigate the factors affecting the travel time (TT) reliability of bus transport. Studies were conducted along three bus routes serving different areas. Factors strongly related to TT reliability include route length, number of signalised intersections, day of the week, bus stops, departure delays, bus lane, passenger boarding and alighting, weather condition, and fare structure. Based on the proposed model factors affecting TT reliability, it was found that TT is strongly affected by the number of bus stoppings and also the length of the route. The reliability of all three routes during the weekday is low because of delays in departure. The number of signalised intersections along the route affects reliability. Meanwhile, more passengers boarding and paying cash increased the travel time reliability of buses.
Emulsion gels are now emerging as a new class of biomaterials for controlled-release applications. Novel food-grade emulsion gels consisting of indomethacin-loaded vegetable oil droplets dispersed within genipin-cross-linked gelatin-based hydrogels were characterized for their physical and drug-release properties. Varying the weight ratio of the aqueous and oil phases between 5:1 and 5:5 was used to modulate construct swelling and drug release. The dispersed oil droplets generally became larger, more polydispersed and aggregated with an increase in oil fraction. Cross-linking with genipin increased the puncture strength of the gels vs. their uncross-linked counterparts and was necessary to prevent breakdown. Swelling of the emulsion gels demonstrated Fickian behaviour at all gelatin: oil ratios. Indomethacin release followed Fickian diffusion at higher oil fractions only, demonstrating coupled Fickian and super-Case-II transport at lower oil ratios (5:1, 5:2 and 5:3). Overall, the introduction of a dispersed oil phase within a hydrogel was exploited for the release of hydrophobic bioactive compounds, with tailoring of composition used to significantly alter release kinetics.
BACKGROUND A dinosaur census recorded during the Hell Creek Project (1999-2009) incorporates multiple lines of evidence from geography, taphohistory, stratigraphy, phylogeny and ontogeny to investigate the relative abundance of large dinosaurs preserved in the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of northeastern Montana, USA. Overall, the dinosaur skeletal assemblages in the Hell Creek Formation (excluding lag-influenced records) consist primarily of subadult or small adult size individuals. Small juveniles and large adults are both extremely rare, whereas subadult individuals are relatively common. We propose that mature individuals of at least some dinosaur taxa either lived in a separate geographic locale analogous to younger individuals inhabiting an upland environment where sedimentation rates were relatively less, or these taxa experienced high mortality before reaching terminal size where late stage and often extreme cranial morphology is expressed.   METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Tyrannosaurus skeletons are as abundant as Edmontosaurus, an herbivore, in the upper Hell Creek Formation and nearly twice as common in the lower third of the formation. Smaller, predatory dinosaurs (e.g., Troodon and dromaeosaurids) are primarily represented by teeth found in microvertebrate localities and their skeletons or identifiable lag specimens were conspicuously absent. This relative abundance suggests Tyrannosaurus was not a typical predator and likely benefited from much wider food choice opportunities than exclusively live prey and/or specific taxa. Tyrannosaurus adults may not have competed with Tyrannosaurus juveniles if the potential for selecting carrion increased with size during ontogeny.   CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Triceratops is the most common dinosaur and isolated skulls contribute to a significant portion of this census. Associated specimens of Triceratops consisting of both cranial and postcranial elements remain relatively rare. This rarity may be explained by a historical collecting bias influenced by facies and taphonomic factors. The limited discovery of postcranial elements may also depend on how extensive a fossil quarry is expanded after a skull is collected.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ractopamine (Rac) and Arg fed to pregnant sows from d 25 to 53 of gestation on fetal muscle development as well as the performance and carcass characteristics of the progeny. One hundred sows were divided into 4 treatments including a control diet, the control plus 1% Arg, the control plus 20 mg/kg Rac, and the control diet supplemented with both additives at the same levels as those used separately. During the farrowing process the data evaluated were the weight of placenta to calculate the placental efficiency and the number of piglets born alive, stillborn, and mummified. To evaluate the fiber number and area, 12 male piglets from each treatment were euthanized to harvest semitendinosus muscle. During the lactation, the preweaning mortality, weaned weights, and number of piglets weaned per litter were evaluated. After weaning, the pig performance was evaluated until the slaughter following the sow treatment. At end of finishing phase, 1 male pig of each treatment replicate was selected to evaluation the carcass and pork quality. All variables measured were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS and least squares means were compared using the Tukey test with P < 0.05. The control diet + supplementation of 1.0% of L-Arg + 20 mg/kg of ractopamine HCl from d 25 to 53 of gestation (Arg+Rac) treatment had a greater number of stillborn piglets (P = 0.014) than the control group. Piglet birth weights from sows fed Rac were 11% greater (P = 0.031) than those of piglets of the control treatment. The semitendinosus muscle fiber diameters of piglets at birth from sows that received Arg, Rac, and Arg+Rac were greater (P < 0.0001) than those of control piglets, and as consequence, the fiber number per square millimeter decreased (P < 0.0001). The final nursery BW of progeny from sows fed Arg and Rac individually were greater (P = 0.010) than those of progeny of the control group. At 110 d of age, in the beginning of the finisher 1 phase, pigs from Arg-fed sows were 1.9 kg heavier (P = 0.010) than pigs from the Arg+Rac-fed sows. The HCW were 2.97 and 1.64 kg heavier (P < 0.0001) for progeny of the Arg and Rac sows, respectively, compared with those of progeny of the control. In conclusion, the trial showed that the use of Rac for gestating sows increased the piglets' weight at birth. The size of muscular fiber was increased in the semitendinosus muscle of piglets originating from sows receiving Rac or Arg. However, the combination of both compounds did not have an additive effect in comparison with the control treatment but increased the stillbirth number.
This paper addresses the reliable synchronization problem for a general class of uncertain chaotic systems with adaptive mechanism. By combining adaptive method and linear matrix inequality (LMI) optimization technique, an adaptive reliable synchronization controller is established to guarantee synchronization between the master chaotic and slave chaotic systems even though actuator failures occur and uncertain nonlinear term exists. Finally, an illustrate example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the results developed in this paper.
ntracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter, known to have a strong ability to visualize cardiac structures and blood ﬂow from within the heart, is now being favorably used in cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology as an advanced imaging approach. However, clinicians require substantial training and experience to become comfortable with steering the catheter to localize and measure the area of treatment to watch for complications while device catheters are deployed in another access. Thus, it is reasonable that a robotic-assist system to hold and actively manipulate the ICE catheter could ease the workload of the physician. There exist commercially-available robotic systems [1] and research prototypes [2, 3] for ICE catheter manipulation. They all use existing commercially available ICE catheters (e.g. ACUSON AcuNav ICE catheter family, Siemens Healthineers) based on multiple tendon-sheath mechanism (TSM). To motorize the existing TSM-based ICE catheter, the actuators interface with the outer handle knobs to manip- ulate four internal tendons. However, in practice, the actua- tors are located at a sterile, safe place far away from the ICE handle [3]. Thus, to interface with knobs, there exist multi- ple coupled gear structures between two, leading to a highly nonlinear behavior (e.g. various slack, elasticity) alongside hysteresis phenomena in TSM [2]. Since ICE catheters are designed for single use, the expen- sive actuators need to be located in a safe place so as to be reusable. Moreover, these actuators should interface as di- rectly as possible with the tendons for accurate tip controls. In this paper, we introduce a separable ICE catheter robot with four tendon actuation: one part reusable and another disposable. Moreover, we propose a practical model and cal- ibration method for our proposed mechanism so that four tendons are actuated simultaneously allowing for precise tip control and mitigating issues with conventional devices such as dead-zone and hysteresis with simple linear compensa- tion. We consider an open-loop controller since many avail- able ICE catheters are used without position-tracking sen- sors at the tip due to costs and single use.
Introduction: Decreased apical extrusion of debris and apical one third debris have strong implications for decreased incidence of postoperative inflammation and pain. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess quantitatively the apical extrusion of debris and intracanal debris in the apical third during root canal instrumentation using hand and three different types of rotary instruments.    Methodology: Sixty freshly extracted single rooted human teeth were randomly divided into four groups. Canal preparation was done using step-back with hand instrumentation, crown-down technique with respect to ProTaper and K3, and hybrid technique with LightSpeed LSX. Irrigation was done with NaOCl, EDTA, and normal saline and for final irrigation, EndoVac system was used. The apically extruded debris was collected on the pre-weighed Millipore plastic filter disk and weighed using microbalance. The teeth were submitted to the histological processing. Sections from the apical third were analyzed by a trinocular research microscope that was coupled to a computer where the images were captured and analyzed using image proplus V4.1.0.0 software. The mean weight of extruded debris for each group and intracanal debris in the root canal was statistically analyzed by a Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U test.    Results: The result showed that, hand instrumentation using K files showed the highest amount of debris extrusion apically when compared to ProTaper, K3 and LightSpeed LSX. The result also showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in relation to presence of intracanal debris in the apical one third.    Conclusion: Based on the results, all instrumentation techniques produced debris extrusion. The engine driven Ni-Ti systems extruded significantly less apical debris than hand instrumentation. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in relation to presence of intracanal debris in the apical one third.
We identify the multiparameter sensitivity of entangled spin states, such as spin-squeezed and Dicke states that are spatially distributed into several addressable spatial modes. Analytical expressions for the spin-squeezing matrix of families of states that are accessible by current atomic experiments reveal the quantum gain in multiparameter metrology, as well as the optimal strategies to maximize the sensitivity gain for the estimation of any linear combination of parameters. We further study the mode entanglement of these states by deriving a witness for genuine k-partite mode entanglement from the spin-squeezing matrix. Our results highlight the advantage of mode entanglement for distributed sensing, and outline optimal protocols for multiparameter estimation with nonclassical spatially-distributed spin ensembles. We illustrate our findings with the design of a protocol for gradient sensing with a Bose–Einstein condensate in an entangled spin state in two modes.
Surface curvature radii required for aircraft fuselage as well as structural components can be produced by peen forming processes. The innovative process idea of Rotary Peen Forming is a modification of the well-known Shot Peen Forming. Here, the impactors are flexibly connected to a rotating hub and thus moving on circular trajectories. As a consequence, there is no need to pressurize and recirculate the shots, as it is essential in Shot Peen Forming. Using a six axes robot, the rotating hub can be guided flexibly. The resulting machine design is more compact compared to traditional Shot Peen Forming.However, in Rotary Peen Forming not only principal stresses but also shear stresses are caused in the deformation zone which has a fundamental influence on the curvature. In order to generate defined curvatures on the workpiece, the capability to precisely adjust the intrusion depth of the impactors is essential.In this paper, a laser-assisted distance control for the Robot Controlled Rotary Peen Forming is introduced. By means of a point laser, the set-up allows for a distance control to adjust and keep a determined intrusion depth. This way, the machine design provides a mechanism to readjust the intrusion depth of the impactors while the desired curvature is formed during the process by the introduced plastic strains at the specimen’s surface. Using the distance control, the resulting curvature is two to four times bigger compared to experiments without a readjustment of the intrusion depth.
Being able to rigorously quantify the uncertainties in reaction models is crucial to moving this field forward. Even though Bayesian methods are becoming increasingly popular in nuclear theory, they are yet to be implemented and applied in reaction theory problems. The purpose of this work is to investigate, using Bayesian methods, the uncertainties in the optical potentials generated from fits to elastic scattering data and the subsequent uncertainties in the transfer predictions. We also study the differences in two reaction models where the parameters are constrained in a similar manner, as well as the impact of reducing the experimental error bars on the data used to constrain the parameters. We use Bayes' Theorem combined with a Markov Chain Monte Carlo to determine posterior distributions for the parameters of the optical model, constrained by neutron-, proton-, and/or deuteron-target elastic scattering. These potentials are then used to predict transfer cross sections within the adiabatic wave approximation or the distorted-wave Born approximation. We study a number of reactions involving deuteron projectiles with energies in the range of $10-25$ MeV/u on targets with mass $A=48-208$. The case of $^{48}$Ca(d,p)$^{49}$Ca transfer to the ground state is described in detail. A comparative study of the effect of the size of experimental errors is also performed. Five transfer reactions are studied, and their results compiled in order to systematically identify trends. Uncertainties in transfer cross sections can vary significantly (25-100 %) depending on the reaction. While these uncertainties are reduced when smaller experimental error bars are used to constrain the potentials, this reduction is not trivially related to the error reduction. We also find smaller uncertainties when using the adiabatic formulation than when using distorted-wave Born approximation.
with the rapid development of Internet, the scale of WEB service is expanding. WEB cluster technology is required to support the large-scale WEB applications. WEB load management is a critical technology of WEB clusters. In this paper, a load management mechanism is presented and a system based on it is implemented. To implement the system, share memory technology and synchronization hash technology are used to achieve the high-speed load distributor, and the click- stream mining technology is applied to record and analyze the requests from users. The system administrator can use the WEB- based console for load management..
A hypergraph $(V,E)$ is called an interval hypergraph if there exists a linear order $l$ on $V$ such that every edge $e in E$ is an interval w.r.t. $l$; we also assume that $ {j } in E$ for every $j in V$. Our main result is a de Finetti-type representation of random exchangeable interval hypergraphs on $ mathbb{N}$ (EIHs): the law of every EIH can be obtained by sampling from some random compact subset $K$ of the triangle $ {(x,y):0 leq x leq y leq 1 }$ at iid uniform positions $U_1,U_2, dots$, in the sense that, restricted to the node set $[n]:= {1, dots,n }$ every non-singleton edge is of the form $e= {i in[n]:x<U_i<y }$ for some $(x,y) in K$. We obtain this result via the study of a related class of stochastic objects: erased-interval processes (EIPs). These are certain transient Markov chains $(I_n, eta_n)_{n in mathbb{N}}$ such that $I_n$ is an interval hypergraph on $V=[n]$ w.r.t. the usual linear order (called interval system). We present an almost sure representation result for EIPs. Attached to each transient Markov chain is the notion of Martin boundary. The points in the boundary attached to EIPs can be seen as limits of growing interval systems. We obtain a one-to-one correspondence between these limits and compact subsets $K$ of the triangle with $(x,x) in K$ for all $x in[0,1]$. Interval hypergraphs are a generalizations of hierarchies and as a consequence we obtain a representation result for exchangeable hierarchies, which is close to a result of Forman, Haulk and Pitman. Several ordered discrete structures can be seen as interval systems with additional properties, i.e. Schr "oder trees and binary trees. We describe limits of Schr "oder trees as certain tree-like compact sets. Considering binary trees we thus obtain a homeomorphic description of the Martin boundary of R 'emy's tree growth chain, which has been analyzed by Evans, Gr "ubel and Wakolbinger.
Of 515 consecutive patients newly admitted to the long-term medical ward, 16% already had skin lesions which were classified as pressure sores upon arrival in the ward, and 7.6% developed pressure sores during the observation period which was more than three days but not more than 26 weeks. The relation between the condition of the patient and the development of pressure sores and their prevention and treatment was followed with a modified Norton scale. Proportionally more sores progressed which were initially recorded as skin discoloration as compared with the other stages, i.e. epithelial damage, damage to the full thickness of the skin and lesion with a cavity. Preventive measures were not used to a greater extent in those patients who developed pressure sores as compared with those who did not. Preventive measures were used rather as treatment or secondary prevention after a patient had already developed a lesion. The treatment measures were used in many different combinations. In this study no healing effect could be proved for the various treatment measures which were undertaken.
This chapter provides an overview of diverse alternative optical lithography techniques that do not employ projection imaging of a mask. People with exclusive interest in projection lithography for semiconductor lithography can skip this chapter. For others it provides an overview of alternative optical lithography methods for alternative applications, including a more in-depth discussion of the optical nonlinearities that were already briefly addressed in Section 5.2.
Functional connectivity among fragmented populations depends on the landscape matrix between occupied habitat patches and its effect on the frequency of animal movement and gene flow. The quantification of landscape effects on gene flow should therefore be scale-dependent. Here, we explored the impact of different spatial scales in a landscape genetic analysis of the European tree frog Hyla arborea in a fragmented landscape in Switzerland. We examined the effects of landscape elements and geographic distance on genetic differentiation at three distance classes reflecting varying frequencies of tree frog movement. We calculated pairwise FST-values and assembled 16 landscape elements within 1 km wide corridors between all pairs of tree frog breeding sites. Per distance class, we computed a multiple regression model with stepwise backward elimination and permutation testing. At distances of 2 km, geographic distance had a negative effect on gene flow as had landscape elements such as forests and roads. In general, hedgerows and various structure-rich landscape elements positively affected gene flow. As we found distinct scale-dependent landscape effects on gene flow, future landscape genetic studies should analyse the effects of landscape variables at different spatial dimensions relevant for the movement and dispersal of the study organisms. Corresponding studies should also carefully consider relevant correlations among the landscape elements tested and should preferentially replicate their analysis at the landscape-level in order to avoid idiosyncratic results owing to the particular scale and landscape studied.
Radio-loud AGN typically manifest powerful relativistic jets extending up to millions of light years and often showing superluminal motions organised in a complex kinematic pattern. A number of physical models are still competing to explain the jet structure and kinematics revealed by radio images using the VLBI technique. Robust measurements of longitudinal and transverse velocity field in the jets would provide crucial information for these models. This is a difficult task, particularly for transversely resolved jets in objects like 3C 273 and M87. To address this task, we have developed a new technique for identifying significant structural patterns (SSP) of smooth, transversely resolved flows and obtaining a velocity field from cross-correlation of these regions in multi-epoch observations. Detection of individual SSP is performed using the wavelet decomposition and multiscale segmentation of the observed structure. The cross-correlation algorithm combines structural information on different scales of the wavelet decomposition, providing a robust and reliable identification of related SSP in multi -epoch images. The algorithm enables recovering structural evolution on scales down to 0.25 full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the image point spread function (PSF). We present here examples of applying this algorithm to obtain the first detailed transverse velocity fields and to study the kinematic evolution in the parsec-scale jets in 3C 273 and M87.
The source-criticism2 of Diodorus XVI has been dominated by the principle of argument from detail. Thus, if two details in Diodorus' text are found to conflict, they are assumed to derive from different sources and, if similar, from the same source; and, where a fragment of an ancient historian is found to resemble a passage in Diodorus, that historian is assumed to be the source employed by Diodorus in that passage; finally, when a sufficient mosaic of such details is pieced together, general divisions are drawn to embrace each separate detail. But this principle is of questionable value: for it implies the tacit assumption that Diodorus made no mistake in compressing or transcribing detail, added no colour himself, and could only have derived a given detail, described in a given manner, from the one ancient historian whose description of that detail is preserved. When one remembers that Diodorus is a careless and unintelligent compiler of a compendious narrative, who aimed like Ephorus at lending each book a unity, and that the fragments of the many historians whom Diodorus may have excerpted are very scanty, it is clear that this principle admits of a large margin of error.
Starting from either K2PtCl4 or K[PtCl3(C2H4)]·H2O (Zeise’s salt), complexes (nBu4P)2[PtBr4] (1), nBu4P[PtBr3(C2H4)] (2), nBu4P[PtBr3(PhNH2)] (3), trans-[PtBr2(C2H4)(PhNH2)] (4), cis-[PtBr2(C2H4)(PhNH2)] (5), and cis-[PtBr2(PhNH2)2] (6) have been obtained by efficient one-pot procedures. All have been fully characterized by microanalysis (C, H, N), multinuclear NMR spectrometry (1H, 13C, 195Pt), UV−visible spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 slowly loses Br− in solution to yield (nBu4P)2[Pt2Br6] (1′), which has also been characterized crystallographically. The relative stability of the various compounds has been probed experimentally by NMR studies in several solvents and computationally by gas-phase geometry optimizations followed by C-PCM calculations of the solvation effects in dichloromethane and aniline. The calculations also included the bis(ethylene) complexes [PtBr2(C2H4)2] in the trans (two different conformations 7 and 7′) and cis (8) configurations. The solution exper...
This paper studies monetary policy games in a two-period Mundell-Fleming model, under a regime of managed exchange rates. A regime of managed exchange rates is defined as one where exchange rates are pegged but bilateral parities can be changed from time to time. The paper argues that such a regime is the most appropriate description of the Bretton Woods system and many arrangements currently in existence. We show that Cournot-Nash equilibria under managed rates differ significantly from those under fixed or floating rates. Under managed rates the world-wide efficiency losses from lack of coordination are not equally shared by all countries.
The purpose of this research was to identify pig welfare indicators that could help in recognizing stressful practices on farm. The study evaluated behavioral and physiological indicators (cortisol and negative acute phase proteins) in 2 groups of 20 female pigs 4 months old after a 48-hr transport. The first group (A) was transported at the end of May, the second (B) in June. Behavioral observations and blood collection occurred at arrival (D1) and 28 days later (D28). Compared with within-animal control samples obtained 28 days later, pigs of Group A had increased cortisol levels and decreased albumin concentrations after arrival. As demonstrated by lesion and behavior observations, the effect on cortisol and albumin was higher in Group B pigs after a tail-biting episode occurred. The study has reported no evidence of Retinol Binding Protein (RBP) in pigs. A method developed for swine RBP quantification found RBP strongly reduced in D28 samples of Group B, confirming it to be a negative protein in pigs. The suggested combination of physiological and behavioral indicators could provide useful information on the welfare state of an animal.
Issues regarding the influence of the presence of sources of electricity generation, based on renewable resources, the facilities for transportation, distribution and consumption of energy are varied. The effects are more pronounced in the case of solar and wind power, given the specific and variable intermittent electricity production. This paper refers to the effects of the solar sources of power losses on the power grid, resorting to a stochastic approach, motivated by the variability, randomly, to several dimensions, such as pregnancy and solar radiation. It stresses the need for such an approach, then, presents the mathematical model used. The case study presents the results of measurements taken and the results of simulations. The last part contains the conclusions of the study conducted.
A 53-year-old Japanese man with fulminant myocarditis was referred. Percutaneous cardiopulmonary support (PCPS) was introduced immediately and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy followed for 2 days. Cardiac function showed signs of recovery on the 4th hospital day and the patient was weaned from PCPS on the 7th hospital day. Creatine kinase-MB peaked at 12 h after admission and was 176 ng/ml. Endomyocardial biopsy showed active myocarditis. A marked increase of the neutralizing antibody titer suggested coxsackievirus B3 infection. Plasma concentrations of cytokines and neurohumoral factors were analyzed. Proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), and anti-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1 receptor antagonist, soluble TNF receptor-1 and IL-10, were elevated on admission and all had decreased on the 7th hospital day. Brain natriuretic peptide and noradrenaline were already elevated upon admission (1,940 pg/ml and 4.6 ng/ml, respectively) and decreased thereafter. Although IVIG therapy under PCPS is a common treatment for fulminant myocarditis, the immunological response in vivo remains unclear. This case demonstrated suppression of serum cytokines after IVIG and PCPS treatment. Immunological parameters in those who have been treated with IVIG and PCPS and survived without complications are of great value for evaluation of the therapy. Further analysis with more cases in a multicenter study is necessary.
Electrical automation is an important option for obtaining optimal solution while monitoring the electrical power consumption. While using the conventional methods the errors in continuous monitoring of power consumption is more. But the system requires not only the monitoring of the energy but also requires the analysis of the monitored energy. In this paper wavelet analysis is used for the analysis of the monitored energy/power which is monitored by GPRS technology. By using the GPRS mobile technology the energy consumption is monitored continuously and the observed data is interfaced to the computer by RS 232 port. By using MATLAB the monitored data is processed to obtain in depth analysis of the monitored power. The proposed method not only monitors the data but also provides efficient means to analyze the observed data by Wavelet Transform
Annotation: The article deals with the description of the development of systems for production planning and control, which are adapted to the current needs of companies and also to the ongoing fourth industrial revolution. The article describes the gradual development of these systems from the initial systems to the current one's systems, which solve the problem (excess data) that is currently faced by many companies. Due to this problem, several companies may find themselves in a state where they are surrounded by a large amount of data. At the end of the article, the outlook for the future within the development of systems is described and the risk planning module (in the future as a part of the ERP system) is described, which is solved within the dissertation thesis.
We try to make a first step towards merging sources in the agricultural domain with experts and methods from the IT sector. The result should help people in this domain to profit from a better and more productive way of using existing experiences by sharing and making them easier accessible. After a short definition of several knowledge-related terms we present existing and possibly useful standards for sources in the agricultural domain. Based on the standards, we give a short overview on existing sources and present a way for automated extraction of information and knowledge from selected sources. Finally we show the usage of some sources, which are implemented in our current research work.
A novel nitrogen-containing electroluminescent copolymer, PQV-a/r-MOPPV has been designed and synthesized by Wittig-Horner polymerization. Structure, thermal stability, and optical and electrochemical properties of the resulting copolymer were characterized by FT-IR, 1 H NMR, elemental analysis, GPC, DSC, TGA, UV-vis, PL, EL, and CV. The copolymer possesses excellent solubility in common organic solvents and good thermal stability. The absorption maxima of the copolymer in solution and a thin film are 490 and 516 nm, and the photoluminescence maxima in solution and thin film are 571 and 629 nm, respectively. The PLED (ITO/PEDOT: PSS (40 nm)/PQV-alt-MOPPV (80 nm)/Ca (30nm)/Al (150 nm) shows a very pure red light emission with maximum peaks around 618 nm.
tively simple to the most complex in terms of the historical problems presented. The book is rounded out with a theoretical discussion of the basic problem posed by a written Constitution: constitutional intent versus constitutional change. There is a chapter billed as "an exploration in political sociology": it examines the ways in which the justices' use of history in constitutional law is affected by American attitudes toward history, by the Constitution itself, and by the Supreme Court. Miller writes:
Using the experimental results, we have calculated the density distributions of valence nucleons in terms of the single-particle potential model. The outside probabilities and contributions of valence nucleons given by these calculations are considered as the criterion of halo states. By studying the variation of root-mean-square radius with the separation energy, conditions for the existence of halo states are pointed out, especially of the proton halo states. These have realistic meanings for judging and searching the halo states.
Comparative assessment of clinical efficiency of omeprazole and rabeprazole in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). 65 patients with a verified diagnosis GERD were examined. Comparative clinical investigations of using of omeprazole and rabeprazole have revealed effectiveness of both drugs in the therapy of GERD. However, rabeprazole showed antisecretory action in the earlier periods, providing stable clinical remission of GERD and early scarring of erosive lesions of the esophageal mucosa, compared with omeprazole
A mouse cDNA encoding a novel member of the von Willebrand factor type A-like module superfamily was cloned. The protein precursor of 956 amino acids consists of a putative signal peptide, two von Willebrand factor type A-like domains connected by 10 epidermal growth factor-like modules, a potential oligomerization domain, and a unique segment, and it contains potential N-glycosylation sites. A sequence similarity search indicated the closest relation to the trimeric cartilage matrix protein (CMP). Since they constitute a novel protein family, we introduce the term matrilin-2 for the new protein, reserving matrilin-1 as an alternative name for CMP. A 3.9-kilobase matrilin-2 mRNA was detected in a variety of mouse organs, including calvaria, uterus, heart, and brain, as well as fibroblast and osteoblast cell lines. Expressed human and rat cDNA sequence tags indicate a high degree of interspecies conservation. A group of 120-150-kDa bands was, after reduction, recognized specifically with an antiserum against the matrilin-2-glutathione S-transferase fusion protein in media of the matrilin-2-expressing cell lines. Assuming glycosylation, this agrees well with the predicted minimum Mr of the mature protein (104,300). Immunolocalization of matrilin-2 in developing skeletal elements showed reactivity in the perichondrium and the osteoblast layer of trabecular bone. CMP binds both collagen fibrils and aggrecan, and because of the similar structure and complementary expression pattern, matrilin-2 is likely to perform similar functions in the extracellular matrix assembly of other tissues.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is public health emergency of international concern Since December 2019, COVID-19 spread rapidly to 187 countries, leading to more than 10 million cases within 6 months Currently, the effective antiviral drugs are limited and SARS-CoV-2 vaccine are under developed Combating such emerging infectious disease, the best and feasible way is to strengthen and Implement specific infection prevention and control practice to control at the source, control along the path, control at the person, engineering and environmental controls For healthcare facilities every visitor should be screened and triaged Healthcare personnel working in facilities must properly use personal protective equipment and adheres to hand hygiene Also, the hospital environment should undergo appropriate cleaning and surface disinfection For the public, mask-wearing or social distancing is recommended if community spread is a concern These Infection prevention and control measures are the cornerstones in the context of COVID-19 pandemic © 2020 Society of Internal Medicine of Taiwan All rights reserved
Adaptive systems based on neural-networks have abilities to efficiently recognise, classify or model data which can be used in interaction with different environments. Still such systems are not widely used in industrial and commercial applications due to the difficulties in their implementations and lack of usable tools for their development. In this paper we present a Rapid Application Development (R, 4 D) environment which enables easy construction, training and deployment of adaptive system. Due to its component-based concept the tool can be used for building different types of adaptive components and systems without requiring expertise of neural networks.
The purpose of the article is the development of the concept of the energy potential of the region (EPR), the analysis of the existing structure of relationships for the EPR elements in Ukraine and improvement of a quantitative assessment of energy potential of the region (country). The methods of an assessment of the existing condition of energy potential of the territory are the subject matter of the research. As a result of the analysis of conceptâ€™s definitions of energy potential of the region, it has further development and included the consumer potential of energy resources and capacity of management. The structure of relationships between elements of energy potential is developed for the Ukraine region. The new economic indicator â€” the realized energy potential is offered for an EPR assessment. By means of this indicator, the assessment of energy potential for the different countries of the world and a number of Ukraine areas of is performed.
Purpose: To review the complications of peribulbar block (PBB) in sitting posture of the patient. Methods: Retrospective analysis of complications in 211 patients who had been given PBB in sitting posture during 1 year period between April 2015 till June 2016 at a tertiary care hospital (Sankara eye hospital), Guntur was done. These included orbital regional anaesthesia for cataract, trabeculectomy, retinal detachment, other vitreoretinal surgeries etc, both in paying OT and non-paying (camp) OT. Results: Out of 43,200 patients operated in a year at Sankara eye hospital, Guntur who received PBB in sitting posture, 211 patients (0.48%) had block related complications; bradycardia-77 (0.17%) patients; syncope-46 (0.11%); periorbital haematoma-37 (0.08%); retrobulbar hemorrhage-21 (0.05%); Xylocaine hypersensitivity-16 (0.04%); globe perforation-8 (0.02%); wrong eye block-6 (0.01%). All the above were treated and sufficient preventive measures were taken accordingly. Conclusion: Ophthalmologists must be prepared to deal with rare but serious complications that can occur with orbital regional anaesthesia.
Background The misunderstanding of specific vocabulary may hamper the patient-health provider communication. The 20-item Rapid Estimate Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALMD-20) was constructed to screen patients by their ability in reading medical/dental terminologies in a simple and rapid way. This study aimed to perform the cross-cultural adaptation and validation of this instrument for its application in Brazilian dental patients. Methods The cross-cultural adaptation was performed through conceptual equivalence, verbatim translation, semantic, item and operational equivalence, and back-translation. After that, 200 participants responded the adapted version of the REALMD-20, the Brazilian version of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (BREALD-30), ten questions of the Brazilian National Functional Literacy Index (BNFLI), and a questionnaire with socio-demographic and oral health-related questions. Statistical analysis was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of the REALMD-20 (P < 0.05). Results The sample was composed predominantly by women (55.5%) and white/brown (76%) individuals, with an average age of 39.02 years old (±15.28). The average REALMD-20 score was 17.48 (±2.59, range 8–20). It displayed a good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.789) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.73; 95% CI [0.66 − 0.79]). In the exploratory factor analysis, six factors were extracted according to Kaiser’s criterion. The factor I (eigenvalue = 4.53) comprised four terms— “Jaundice”, “Amalgam”, “Periodontitis” and “Abscess”—accounted for 25.18% of total variance, while the factor II (eigenvalue = 1.88) comprised other four terms—“Gingivitis”, “Instruction”, “Osteoporosis” and “Constipation”—accounted for 10.46% of total variance. The first four factors accounted for 52.1% of total variance. The REALMD-20 was positively correlated with the BREALD-30 (Rs = 0.73, P < 0.001) and BNFLI (Rs = 0.60, P < 0.001). The scores were significantly higher among health professionals, more educated people, and individuals who reported good/excellent oral health conditions, and who sought preventive dental services. Distinctly, REALMD-20 scores were similar between both participants who visited a dentist <1 year ago and ≥1 year. Also, REALMD-20 was a significant predictor of self-reported oral health status in a multivariate logistic regression model, considering socio-demographic and oral health-related confounding variables. Conclusion The Brazilian version of the REALMD-20 demonstrated adequate psychometric properties for screening dental patients in relation to their recognition of health specific terms. This instrument can contribute to identify individuals with important dental/medical vocabulary limitations in order to improve the health education and outcomes in a person-centered care model.
Background: Some therapies used for COVID-19 can prolong the QT interval and produce severe arrhythmias. QT interval measuredfrom a standard electrocardiogram (ECG) requires additional personnel and risk of infection. Novel technologies to obtain anECG connected to smartphones provide an alternative for the evaluation of corrected QT interval (QTc).Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using a single-lead ECG device to measure the QT interval in patientswith suspected or confirmed COVID-19 before receiving treatment with drugs that can prolong the QT interval.Methods: The ECG was obtained with a KardiaMobile (KM) device and transmitted to a smartphone. The ECG recordings weresaved as pdf files and electronically submitted to the electrophysiology section which centralized the reception and assessed themeasured QT and QTc intervals.Results: A total of 31 patients (mean age 61 years, range 20-95 years) with suspected COVID-19 enrolled for treatment with hydroxychloroquine,azithromycin, ritonavir or lopinavir were analyzed. The recordings could be read in all the cases and had to be repeatedin two cases. The mean value of the QTc interval was 423 ms (range 380-457 ms) in men and 439 ms (range 391-540 ms) in women.The response time since the ECG recording was submitted for analysis was 11 min (range 1-155).Conclusions: The QTc interval could be measured from ECG recordings obtained with KM devices connected to a smartphone andtransmitted to a centralized reading center in all patients.
Cavitation problems on marine propellers were studied utilizing several high-speed photographic tools. Cavitation is discussed briefly to permit a better understanding of the photographic subject. Hycam movies at 7500 frames per second were taken to establish the general features of the cavitation process. The bubble collapse phase was then studied using a variable delay trigger and a submicrosecond duration flash. Schlieren methods were used to investigate shock wave generation by bubble collapse.
Background: Effective provision of bariatric surgery for patients with obesity may be impeded by concerns of payers regarding costs or perceptions of patients who drop out of surgical programs after referral. Estimates of the cost and comorbidity impact of these inefficiencies in gastric bypass surgery in Canada are lacking but would aid in informing healthcare investment and resource allocation. Objectives: To estimate total and relative public payer costs for surgery and comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia) in a bariatric surgery population. Methods: A decision analytic model for a 100-patient cohort in Canada (91% female, mean body mass index 49.2 kg/m2, 50% diabetes, 66% hypertension, 59% dyslipidemia). Costs include surgery, surgical complications, and comorbidities over the 10-year post-referral period. Results are calculated as medians and 95% credibility intervals (CrIs) for a pathway with surgery at 1 year (“improved”) compared with surgery at 3.5 years (“standard”). Sensitivity analyses were performed to test independent contributions to results of shorter wait time, better post-surgical weight loss, and randomly sampled cohort demographics. Results: Compared to standard care, the improved path was associated with reduction in patient-years of treatment for each of the three comorbidities, corresponding to a reduction of $1.1 (0.68–1.6) million, or 34% (26-41%) of total costs. Comorbidity treatment costs were 9.0- and 4.7-fold greater than surgical costs for the standard and improved pathways, respectively. Relative to non-surgical bariatric care, earlier surgery was associated with earlier return on surgical investment and 2-fold reduction in risk of prevalence of each comorbidity compared to delayed surgery. Conclusions: Comorbidity costs represent a greater burden to payers than the costs of gastric bypass surgery. Investments may be worthwhile to reduce wait times and dropout rates and improve post-surgical weight loss outcomes to save overall costs and reduce patient comorbidity prevalence.
This special double issue brings together papers presented at the 25th anniversary BASAS conference, which was held at the University of Southampton in April 2011. ‘Bodies of Power, Forms of Power: South Asia through History and Across Disciplines’ was the conference theme. With generous support from the British Academy, the conference brought together senior and junior academics from South Asia and beyond to join the commemorative event. The contributors to the special issue come from varying disciplines and adopt a range of methods through which to explore how power is understood, endorsed and contested in everyday lives and at fraught moments of South Asia's history.
Undergraduate students are aware of problems with societal significance, but few have tacit knowledge on how to address them through entrepreneurship or how to research the multidisciplinary technical, financial, and regulatory requirements. This paper describes a one-semester entrepreneurship course that teaches undergraduate students how to identify societally significant opportunities for STEM-based innovations, and how to de-risk associated business models. This course differs from traditional entrepreneurship education in three ways. First, it builds upon the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program (“America’s Seed Fund”). Second, students learn to navigate the multidisciplinary strategic decisions that often accompany business models developed for societally impactful opportunities. Third, by becoming intimately familiar with proposal writing and submission protocols, those students willing to commit to entrepreneurship, or intrapreneurship if in the job market, have better chances of raising significant funds (>$1 M) through the SBIR program than from equity investors or commercial banks. The experiential nature of the course promotes students’ ability to discover tacit opportunities, whereas learning SBIR protocols promotes students’ ability to discover codified opportunities. The paper presents the pedagogical concepts, learning objectives, and evaluation criteria of this novel course.
Abstract : Techniques for the fabrication of EL structures using thin film sputtering techniques, new materials to be used as efficient EL emitters, and theoretical methods by which the potential candidates for EL phosphors could be evaluated have been developed. The regions for carrier generation and collision excitation have been clearly separated experimentally and direct measurements of the cross-section for the excitation were made in systems in which the transition metal Mn is the emitting center. (Author)
This is a quantitative study of tympanic membrane atelectasis and retraction pocket dynamics. 308 ears. affected by various types of atelectasis were followed up for 9 years (average 3 years). 74 of these evidenced retraction pockets of the pars tensa and 127 retraction of the pars flaccida. The phenomenon of tympanic membrane atelectasis and retraction was found to be unstable. The condition of most ears improved or became stabilized, while in others (the minority, 10–20%) it deteriorated. This middle ear dynamics was observed irrespective of whether the ears were treated or not. The deterioration trend (of 10–20% of the ears) showed a progression from mild atelectasis all the way to deep retraction pockets. One retraction pocket of the membrana tensa (2%) and two of Shrapnell's membrane (2%) progressed and became small attic cholesteatomas. A steady linear increase in average age was observed, as one proceeds from a milder to a more severe degree of atelectasis. However, on reaching severe atelectasis o...
Among the 30 treaties concluded between the 15th and the 18th centuries between the Polish kings and the Ottoman sultans, the treaty of Karlowitz is the most widely known. Its international importance reaches beyond the framework of mutual relations between the two countries. According to Colin Heywood, the treaty of Karlowitz opened up a new era in the political relations between the Porte and Christian Europe: ?congress diplomacy, which had evolved rapidly in Europe after the end of the Thirty Years' War was for the first time applied to a settlement involving an Islamic states1 One encounters the thesis that in 1699 the Porte was finally compelled to acknowledge the parity of her Christian partners and thus departed from the concept of a universal monarchy entrusted to the rule of the Islamic padisah. Earlier, a similar development had been seen within Europe, when Habsburg claims to supreme authority were refuted by other Christian nations, Catholic as well as Protestant.
The measurement of plasma drug concentrations is now a therapeutic tool widely applied in drug dosage adjustment. It is customary to measure total drug concentrations in either blood or plasma. However, total drug concentration exists in two forms: that which is bound to plasma proteins and other plasma constituents, and that which is free or unbound. The factors influencing drug binding and the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic consequences of altered drug binding will be addressed in subsequent sections of this review. After entry into the systemic circulation, drugs are transported by the blood to their sites of action, metabolism, and excretion. In blood, many drugs are bound to plasma proteins in a reversible manner which may be considered to obey the law of mass action,
Public speaking is a kind of literature stylistic, which includes plenty of specific categories, such as the public speech, preachment of the religion and the public lecture given by the university teachers. A successful public speech owns tremendous social functions and interpersonal meanings. Though various speeches are different from each other, there are still a lot of common points between them. This paper mainly studies the stylistic characteristics of public speaking on six aspects, they are: the use of modal verb, the use of personal pronoun, the use of simile and metaphor, the use of parallelism, the use of repetition and tense of sentences. By enumerating and analyzing successful speeches, this paper aims to offer a source of reference and guidance for lecturers and relevant scholars who are engaged in the study of this field, so as to attain the goal of delivering successful speeches.
A voluntary divestiture may either be a sell-off or a spin-off. In a sell-off, the divesting firm receives cash (or cash equivalents) and gives up ownership and control of the divested asset. In a spin-off, the divested asset becomes an independent entity under a new management but ownership remains with the old stockholders of the original firm. The study investigates the divestiture decision and the choice between sell-offs and spin-offs by constructing a model of the multi-divisional firm. The results show that firms undertake voluntary divestitures because of low marginal return coupled with high joint operating and financial costs. The form of the divestiture is determined by the operating risk of the division being divested. The implications of the model are empirically tested for the period 1969-87 and the results support the postulates of the model. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.
The Terra Nova Intrusive Complex (TNIC) in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, results from widespread magmatism during the Early Paleozoic Ross Orogeny. According to field relationships, geochemistry, and geochronology data, the northern part of the TNIC comprises the Browning Intrusive Unit (BIU), which is associated with an arc crustal melting including migmatization of the Wilson Metamorphic Complex, and the later Campbell Intrusive Unit (CIU), which is attributed to the mantle and crustal melting processes. Zircon U-Pb ages suggest Late Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian protolith with Late Cambrian metamorphism (502 ± 15 Ma) in the WMC, Late Cambrian formation (~500 Ma) of the BIU, and Early Ordovician formation (~480–470 Ma) of the CIU. Sr-Nd isotopic characteristics of the BIU indicate predominant crustal component (εNd(t) = −8.7 to −8.9), whereas those of the CIU reflect both mantle (εNd(t) = 1.8 to 1.6) and crustal (εNd(t) = −4.0 to −7.5) compositions. These results suggest that the northern TNIC magmatism occurring at ~500–470 Ma originated from partial melting of the mantle–mafic crust components and mixing with felsic crust components. By integrating the results with previous studies, the TNIC is considered to be formed by a combination of the mantle and mafic crust melting, crustal assimilation, felsic crust melting, and magma mixing during the Ross Orogeny.
Oxidation resistance of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) of SiC reinforced with C fibers (C/SiC) can be improved by filling the residual porosity. The aim of this work was to design and analyze a dipping infiltration process under ambient conditions (1 atm pressure and room temperature) with silica sol-gel solutions prepared from tetraethyl orthosilicate. Different substrates and solutions have been studied. Thermal treatments, i.e., curing or sintering between infiltrations, increase the efficiency of the process since the densification of infiltrated silica opens up the remaining porosity. Increasing viscosity and/or concentration of the solution lead to greater weight gains. Weight gains are higher in the initial stages of the process because larger diameter porosity remains unfilled. As the process advances, the average pore size decreases, and only the lower viscosity solution can enter the residual porosity.
ISSN: 1751-3758 (Print) 1751-3766 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjbd20 Quantitative biology: from molecular to cellular systems Christian T.K.-H. Stadtländer To cite this article: Christian T.K.-H. Stadtländer (2015) Quantitative biology: from molecular to cellular systems, Journal of Biological Dynamics, 9:1, 336-340, DOI: 10.1080/17513758.2015.1082649 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17513758.2015.1082649
The application of polymer-based aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) to the alkaline paper pulping process is reported. ABSs composed of polymers and pulping solution (a mixture of NaOH, Na2S, and Na2CO3) have been characterized. The partitioning behaviors of several model lignin species have been studied in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/pulping solution ABSs over a considerable range of temperatures. Polymer-based pulping experiments containing PEG and polyethylenimine (PEI) performed at different temperatures (130−160 °C) indicate that the addition of polymer has a significant effect on the delignification of hardwood. Samples of hardwood chips treated with PEG resulted in a lower kappa number and lower consumption of alkali than those treated with PEI. Polymer-based pulping of hardwood exhibited remarkably faster delignification and 30−60% lower residual lignin content of pulps compared to the control alkali pulping process. At comparable kappa numbers, a 10−20% gain in pulp yield was obtained as a result of...
I n t r o du c t 1 o n. Several students of mother-child interaction have proposed recently that during the first year of life infants can participate in rather complex forms of communication with caregivers (Lewis & Freedle 1973, Brazelton, Koalowski, & Main 1974, Stern 1974, Kaye 1977, Papoudek & Papougek 1977, Trevarthen 1977). Aided by film and videotape, researchers have examined mother-infant relationships closely in naturalistic settings and have attempted to uncover possibly meaningful or significant nonlinguistic cues (e.g. "mother touches", "infant vocalizes", "sucks fingers", "yawns", "smiles"). An aim of this ethologically oriented research is to discern the structure of early parentchild communication by appealing to its smallest visible sign units. The present report, proceeding also from an ethological orientation, lists a number of infantile nonverbal behaviors that can be interpreted as signs of a child's fundamental psychosocial orientations to others during the first year. The author was invited to participate as a consultant on the Nursing Child Assessment Training Project (NCAST) at the University of Washington.' NCAST data included
One-shot double, triple, and quadruple borylation reactions of triarylamines were developed through a judicious choice of boron source and Brønsted base. With the aid of borylation reactions, a variety of BN-doped nanographenes were synthesized in two steps from commercially available starting materials. An organic light-emitting diode device employing BN-doped nanographene as an emitter exhibited deep pure-blue emission at 460 nm, with CIE coordinates of (0.13, 0.11), and an external quantum efficiency of 18.3%.
The assesses the volume and dynamics of marketing research in Russia over the past ten years which are one of the most interesting and popular marketing tools has been done. The comparative analysis of market research volume dynamics with the dynamics of the main macroeconomic indicators in comparable prices has been performed. The role of statistical methods in marketing research has been analyzed, the brief description has been given, and provides recommendations for using of computer technology to solve analytical problems has been done.
Haptic feedback in teleoperation allows the operator to feel a remote environment. In this paper, we propose a bilateral controller for a robotic manipulator using a haptic device. This allows the human operator to intuitively jog the manipulator from a remote station. The proposed system architecture consists of a5 DOF robotic manipulator (Dagu Robot Arm) as a slave robot manipulator which can be controlled by moving the master haptic device (Phantom Omni) that can give haptic feedback to the user. Such a human-in-the-loop approach to control a remote robotic system offers a pragmatic solution when the robotic system is operating under dynamically changing environments and dexterous tasks. The inclusion of haptic feedback offers the potential to augment the operators' control task and overcome the limitations of visual perception within the robots operating environment. This paper also covers the force sensor experiments that help in classifying object properties that are needed to render haptic feedback as the slave robot touches both deformable and rigid surfaces.
Effective identification of apple leaf diseases can reduce pesticide spraying and improve apple fruit yield, which is significant to agriculture. However, the existing apple leaf disease detection models lack consideration of disease diversity and accuracy, which hinders the application of intelligent agriculture in the apple industry. In this paper, we explore an accurate and robust detection model for apple leaf disease called Apple-Net, improving the conventional YOLOv5 network by adding the Feature Enhancement Module (FEM) and Coordinate Attention (CA) methods. The combination of the feature pyramid and pan in YOLOv5 can obtain richer semantic information and enhance the semantic information of low-level feature maps but lacks the output of multi-scale information. Thus, the FEM was adopted to improve the output of multi-scale information, and the CA was used to improve the detection efficiency. The experimental results show that Apple-Net achieves a higher mAP@0.5 (95.9%) and precision (93.1%) than four classic target detection models, thus proving that Apple-Net achieves more competitive results on apple leaf disease identification.
Electrical Machine/Converter combinations are used in a variety of applications, from powers of Watts to MegaWatts. Some applications, such as propulsion and generation, have high reliability & availability requirements. Modem large wind turbines incorporate variable pitch blades and a variable speed Generator, which feeds the Grid through a Converter and have a need for high reliability & availability. There are a number of configurations of generator and converter intended to provide optimum performance for present and future wind power. This paper describes an investigation into the reliabilities of Generators and Converters in such configurations and is based on failure data collected in Germany and Denmark. The paper draws conclusions about which configurations have the higher reliability and identifies the subassemblies of the turbines which require attention for the future design of high reliability wind turbines. Recommendations are made about how designers and operators of wind turbines can increase their reliability by the choice of Concept and the operating regime
New particle formation (NPF) has been observed frequently at Storm Peak Laboratory (SPL), a high‐elevation mountaintop observatory in Colorado. A detailed analysis of field measurements taken in March and July 2012 at SPL reveals significant and interesting differences in NPF during the spring and summer months. Persistent long‐lasting NPF occurred on a daily basis in March but was absent in July. Bursts of ultrafine particles did occur frequently in July, but such bursts were short‐lasting and did not show any obvious pattern. A global chemical transport model (GEOS‐Chem) coupled with a size‐resolved advanced particle microphysics model is used to interpret in‐depth this observed nucleation phenomenon. The model captures well the observed persistent daily nucleation events in March and the absence of regional‐scale NPF in July. Model simulations indicate that aerosol precursors were dominated by H2SO4 gas in March and by low‐volatile secondary organic gases (LV‐SOGs) in July, which are consistent with previous particle composition measurements at SPL. The observed persistent daily NPF in March and the absence of regional‐scale nucleation in July at SPL indicate that H2SO4 gas plays a much more critical role in the initial nucleation process, although LV‐SOGs dominate particle growth in July. Our analysis suggests that the short‐lasting bursts of ultrafine particles observed at SPL in July are likely associated with nucleation in subgrid power plant plumes, where concentrations of H2SO4 rather than LV‐SOGs are expected to be higher.
In a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, maximum likelihood detection (MLD) is the best demodulation scheme if no a priori information is available. However, the complexity of MLD increases exponentially with the number of signal streams. Therefore, various demodulation schemes with less complexity have been proposed and some of those schemes show performance close to that of MLD. One kind of those schemes uses a Gibbs sampling (GS) algorithm. GS MIMO detection that combines feedback from turbo decoding has been proposed. In this scheme, the accuracy of GS MIMO detection is improved by feeding back loglikelihood ratios (LLRs) from a turbo decoder. In this paper, GS MIMO detection using only feedback LLRs from a turbo decoder is proposed. Through extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) chart analysis, it is shown that the EXIT curves with and without metrics calculated from received signals overlap as the feedback LLR values increase. Therefore, the proposed scheme calculates the metrics from received signals only for the first GS MIMO detection and the selection probabilities of GS MIMO detection in the following iterations are calculated based only on the LLRs from turbo decoders. Numerical results obtained through computer simulation show that the performance of proposed GS turbo MIMO detection is worse than that of conventional GS turbo MIMO detection when the number of GS iterations is small. However the performance improves as the number of GS iterations increases. When the number of GS iterations is 30 or more, the bit error rate (BER) performance of the proposed scheme is equivalent to that of the conventional scheme. Therefore, the proposed scheme can reduce the computational complexity of selection probability calculation in GS turbo MIMO detection. key words: 5G, massive MIMO, turbo detection, Gibbs sampling
This paper provides an overview of the current state of research on social robots in higher education and the existing frameworks to categorize and develop social robot applications. Based on the existing work, we present our own framework to develop use cases for social robots in the education sector. Our framework is based on a heuristic and symbiotic design approach that serves as a guideline for developing use cases and views human-robot interaction as two complementary and mutually reinforcing roles. We illustrate our framework by means of a use case that we have conducted in 2019 during the initial lecture of the large-scale course ‘Introduction to academic writing’.
There are multiple isoforms of the Na,K-ATPase in the nervous system, three isoforms of the α subunit, and at least two of the β subunit. The α subunit is the catalytic subunit. The β subunit has several roles. It is required for enzyme assembly, it has been implicated in neuron-glia adhesion, and the experimental exchange of β subunit isoforms modifies enzyme kinetics, implying that it affects functional properties. Here we describe the specificities of antibodies against the Na,K-ATPase β subunit isoforms β1 and β2. These antibodies, along with antibodies against the α subunit isoforms, were used to stain sections of the rat cerebellum and cultures of cerebellar granule cells to ascertain expression and subcellular distribution in identifiable cells. Comparison of α and β isoform distribution with double-label staining demonstrated that there was no preferential association of particular α subunits with particular β subunits, nor was there an association with excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmission modes. Isoform composition differences were seen when Purkinje, basket, and granule cells were compared. Whether β1 and β2 are specific for neurons and glia, respectively, has been controversial, but expression of both β subunit types was seen here in granule cells. In rat cerebellar astrocytes, in sections and in culture, α2 expression was prominent, yet the expression of either β subunit was low in comparison. The complexity of Na,K-ATPase isoform distribution underscores the subtlety of its regulation and physiological role in excitable cells.
THE writer has already made mention of several of the most abundant species on the cliffs in the vicinity of Naples.I Some of these plants seemed to offer sufficient points of interest to be worthy of more detailed study, and a few notes in regard to their summer condition are here offered. At Pozzuoli, where most of these observations were made, the strip of fertile soil which skirts the beach is bounded on the landward side by cliffs, in many places quite vertical, rising to a height of thirty to more than a hundred meters. These cliffs are occasionally of trachyte, but most frequently of gray or yellowish tufa, which in softness and porosity closely resembles the softest brick used in interior construction by American builders. Decomposed it makes a moderately rich and very warm soil. The chemical composition of two such tufas (from the little island of Vivara, 8.3 miles (13km) from Pozzuoli, of the same volcanic series and not greatly different age from the Pozzuoli deposits) is as follows:
A tactile record and playback system will progress tactileology—a new cross-disciplinary field related to tactile sensations—as it will enhance its use in the instruction, archiving, and analysis of human manipulation. In this paper, we describe two key devices for achieving tactileology: a tactile sensor capturing human tactile sense (fingernail color sensor) and a robotic tactile sensor, both of which can detect not only normal force but also tangential force. This is beneficial because people manipulate objects and tools in various ways, such as grasping, picking, and rubbing. The fingernail color sensor registers the three-dimensional (3D) force applied to a fingertip by detecting the fingernail color change caused by blood distribution under the fingernail, which can be observed with green illumination and a miniature camera. Since detecting this color change is more complicated than using a robotic sensor, the relationships between the image and 3D force are learned using a convolutional neural network (CNN). In the robotic sensor, the 3D force applied to a robotic finger transforms into a bright area using an illuminated acrylic core, a rubber robotic finger skin, and a miniature camera. We measure normal force and tangential force by the brightness and movement of the bright area, respectively. Using a force gauge or an electronic scale for measurement, we perform a series of evaluation experiments. The experimental results show that the precision of both the fingernail color sensor and the robotic tactile sensor are sufficient for our system.
The effects of shock as a result of Escherichia coli endotoxin on certain hemodynamic and biochemical parameters and mortality were studied in the baboon. The ability of methylprednisolone succinate (MPS) in massive doses and/or rapid infusion of a buffered electrolyte solution to influence the results was then examined. Shock secondary to Escherichia coli endotoxin was associated with a decrease in RBC 2,3-DPG. This fall in RBC 2,3-DPG was not significantly influenced by MPS. Likewise, MPS did not prevent the changes in oxygen metabolism or systemic hemodynamics, nor was it associated with any decrease in mortality associated with endotoxic shock. Buffered electrolyte solution therapy improved both hemodynamics and mortality, but did not significantly protect against changes in RBC 2,3-DPG.
Bug reports (BR) contain vital information that can help triaging teams prioritize and assign bugs to developers who will provide the fixes. However, studies have shown that BR fields often contain incorrect information that need to be reassigned, which delays the bug fixing process. There exist approaches for predicting whether a BR field should be reassigned or not. These studies use mainly BR descriptions and traditional machine learning algorithms (SVM, KNN, etc.). As such, they do not fully benefit from the sequential order of information in BR data, such as function call sequences in BR stack traces, which may be valuable for improving the prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel approach, called EnHMM, for predicting the reassignment of BR fields using ensemble Hidden Markov Models (HMMs), trained on stack traces. EnHMM leverages the natural ability of HMMs to represent sequential data to model the temporal order of function calls in BR stack traces. When applied to Eclipse and Gnome BR repositories, EnHMM achieves an average precision, recall, and F-measure of 54%, 76%, and 60% on Eclipse dataset and 41%, 69%, and 51% on Gnome dataset. We also found that EnHMM improves over the best single HMM by 36% for Eclipse and 76% for Gnome. Finally, when comparing EnHMM to Im.ML.KNN, a recent approach in the field, we found that the average F-measure score of EnHMM improves the average F-measure of Im.ML.KNN by 6.80% and improves the average recall of Im.ML.KNN by 36.09%. However, the average precision of EnHMM is lower than that of Im.ML.KNN (53.93% as opposed to 56.71%).
This letter describes the extension of signal subspace processing (SSP) to the arena of anomaly detection. In particular, we develop an SSP-based, local anomaly detector that exploits the rich information available in the multiple bands of a hyperspectral (HS) image. This SSP approach is based on signal processing considerations, and its entire formulation reduces to a straightforward (and intuitively pleasing) geometric and algebraic development. We extend the basic SSP concepts to the HS anomaly detection problem, develop an SSP HS anomaly detector, and evaluate this algorithm using multiple HS data files
The stereolability of chiral Hoveyda-Grubbs II type ruthenium complexes bearing N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands with Syn-phenyl groups on the backbone and Syn- or Anti-oriented o-tolyl N-substituents was studied by resorting to dynamic high-performance liquid chromatography (D-HPLC). A complete chromatographic picture of the involved stereoisomers (four for Anti- and two for Syn-complexes) was achieved at very low temperatures (-53°C and -40°C respectively), at which the NHC-Ru bond rotations were frozen out. Inspection of the chromatographic profiles recorded at higher temperatures revealed the presence of plateau zones between the couples of either Syn or Anti stereoisomers, attesting to the active interconversion between the eluted species. Such dynamic chromatograms were successfully simulated through procedures based on both theoretical plate and classical stochastic models. The good superimposition achieved between experimental and simulated chromatographic profiles allowed determination of the related isomerization energy barriers (ΔGisom (#) ), all derived by rotation around the NHC-Ru bond. The obtained diastereomerization barriers between the Anti isomers were found in very good agreement with those previously measured by experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and assessed through Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. With the same approach, for the first time we also determined the enantiomerization barrier of the Syn isomer. Focused changes to the structure of complex Syn, studied by a molecular modeling approach, were found suitable to strongly reduce the stereolability arising from rotation around the NHC-Ru bond.
Summary Circulating serum opsonic or phagocytosis promoting activity relative to Kupffer cell function was deficient on a group comparison basis in newborn infants (1–9 days old) as compared to that manifested by serum from healthy adult controls. This early pattern of opsonin levels in the newborn was not significantly affected by sex or race, although a tendency for lower opsonin activity to be exhibited by serum from newborn males was noted. These findings suggest that hypo-opsonemia in the newborn infant may mediate altered R.E. function and increased susceptibility to systemic infection.
Adipose tissue (AT), which typically comprises an increased percentage of body mass with advancing age, receives a large proportion of resting cardiac output. During exercise, an old age-associated inability to increase vascular resistance within the intra-abdominal AT may compromise the ability of the cardiovascular system to redistribute blood flow to the active musculature, contributing to the decline in exercise capacity observed in this population. We tested the hypotheses that 1) there would be an elevated perfusion of AT during exercise with old age that was associated with diminished vasoconstrictor responses of adipose-resistance arteries, and 2) chronic exercise training would mitigate the age-associated alterations in AT blood flow and vascular function. Young (6 mo; n = 40) and old (24 mo; n = 28) male Fischer 344 rats were divided into young sedentary (YSed), old sedentary (OSed), young exercise trained (YET), or old exercise trained (OET) groups, where training consisted of 10-12 wk of treadmill exercise. In vivo blood flow at rest and during exercise and in vitro α-adrenergic and myogenic vasoconstrictor responses in resistance arteries from AT were measured in all groups. In response to exercise, there was a directionally opposite change in AT blood flow in the OSed group (≈ 150% increase) and YSed (≈ 55% decrease) vs. resting values. Both α-adrenergic and myogenic vasoconstriction were diminished in OSed vs. YSed AT-resistance arteries. Exercise training resulted in a similar AT hyperemic response between age groups during exercise (YET, 9.9 ± 0.5 ml · min(-1) · 100(-1) g; OET, 8.1 ± 0.9 ml · min(-1) · 100(-1) g) and was associated with enhanced myogenic and α-adrenergic vasoconstriction of AT-resistance arteries from the OET group relative to OSed. These results indicate that there is an inability to increase vascular resistance in AT during exercise with old age, due, in part, to a diminished vasoconstriction of AT arteries. Furthermore, the results indicate that exercise training can augment vasoconstriction of AT arteries and mitigate age-related alterations in the regulation of AT blood flow during exercise.
The objectives of this study were to define the pharmacokinetics of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rhIL-1ra) and its effects on allergic asthma, cell adhesion molecules, and upper respiratory tract following non-parenteral administration in animals. Pharmacokinetics and immunomodulating effects of rhIL-1ra were investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats and asthmatic guinea pigs, respectively. Effects on the upper respiratory tract following the applications of rhIL-1ra were investigated on the ex vivo nasal mucosa of Sprague-Dawley rats and in situ in the upper palate of Chinese toads. Absolute bioavailabilities after intratracheal and intranasal administrations of rhIL-1ra were 94.3% and 24.8%, respectively. After administration of rhIL-1ra solution as ultrasonic spraying, the asthmatic symptom in guinea pigs was obviously attenuated. The plasma soluble intercellular cell adhesion molecule (sICAM-1) and P-selectin levels in asthmatic guinea pigs were each dose-dependently reduced with the increase of rhIL-1ra dose. The rhIL-1ra solution after administration via the airway seemed to have no impact on the integrity of nasal mucosa and mucocilia clearance in the upper respiratory tract. The present study provides evidence that rhIL-1ra effectively suppresses allergen-induced asthmatic symptoms through spraying, which corresponds to nasal and pulmonary absorption or both, and the efficacy is associated with downregulation of sICAM-1 and P-selectin expressions.
Hyperimmune horse serum from a single animal (horse 46) immunized with group B (strain B-11) meningococcal vaccine provides a standardized, readily available diagnostic reagent used in primary isolation medium and for serogrouping of meningococci. Identification of the heavy-chain isotypes of specific anticapsular polysaccharide and anti-lipopolysaccharide isolated from horse 46 serum revealed a differential distribution in the occurrence of immunoglobulin classes. Meningococcal anticapsular antibodies of horse 46 serum were restricted predominately to the immunoglobulin M (IgM) class, with only trace amounts of IgGa present, whereas anti-lipopolysaccharide concomitantly produced showed a heterogeneity in its heavy-chain isotypes, consisting of IgM, IgGa, IgGb, moderate amounts of IgB, and a small amount of IgA.
Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomies (PEG) are devices that allows nutrition, medications and/or fluids to be fed directly into the stomach to minimize the risk of aspiration or obstruction in certain highrisk patients. Despite being considered a safe procedure, a number of complications can occur varying from minor (tube dislodgement, blockage or leakage, wound infection) to major (buried bumper syndrome, necrotizing fasciitis, ileus, fistula formation) [1]. The incidence of minor complications associated with PEGs have been reported as varying from 12-25% in certain studies [1,2]. However, the Agency for Clinical Innovation reports that the complication rates associated with gastrostomy formation is from 8-30%, though this may vary in health care facilities for various reasons [3].
The effects of 15, 30 or 50% caloric restriction during pregnancy on maternal and fetal compartments was determined in obese Sprague-Dawley rats. Pregnant and nonpregnant animals were assigned on a weight basis to one of the dietary treatments. All nutrients, except calories, were fed at levels to meet dietary requirements. Animals were killed on day 20 of treatment and fetuses were taken by Caesarian section. Pregnant animals achieved positive weight gain during 20 days of gestation at all levels of caloric restriction. Nonpregnant animals lost body weight when calories were restricted by 30 and 50%. Number of fetuses, fetal body nitrogen, and pup weight were not statistically different (P less than 0.05) among groups. Animals fed the 30 and 50% calorie-restricted diets showed a significant (P less than 0.05) decrease in total-body fat. Percent carcass protein tended to increase as dietary caloric restriction increased. The fetal compartment was apparently not affected by maternal caloric restriction up to 50% during pregnancy provided that all other nutrients were supplied in adequate amounts. Maternal stores were adversely affected at levels of 30 and 50% caloric restriction.
This chapter examines the financing patterns of R&D expenditures using data from 38 countries for the period 1980-2006. The major hypothesis is that higher equity financing and higher past stock market valuation are associated with higher R&D expenditures. The evidence supports this hypothesis for firms, especially in market-based countries. The sensitivities of equity financing and internal funds are different between financially constrained and unconstrained firms. The results are robust when the effect of patent rights protection, which has also a nonlinear effect on R&D, is controlled.
Versatile acrylate–epoxy hybrid formulations are becoming widespread in photo/thermal dual-processing scenarios, especially in 3D printing applications. Usually, parts are printed in a stereolithography or digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer, after which a thermal treatment would bestow the final material with superior mechanical properties. We report the successful formulation of such a hybrid system, consisting of a commercial 3D printing acrylate resin modified by an epoxy–anhydride mixture. In the final polymeric network, we observed segregation of an epoxy-rich phase as nano-domains, similar to what was observed in a previous work. However, in the current work, we show the effectiveness of a coupling agent added to the formulation to mitigate this segregation for when such phase separation is undesired. The hybrid materials showed significant improvement of Young’s modulus over the neat acrylate. Once the flexible, partially-cured material was printed with a minimal number of layers, it could be molded into a complex form and thermally cured. Temporary shapes were readily programmable on this final material, with easy shape recovery under mild temperatures. Inspired by repairable 3D printed materials described recently, we manufactured a large object by printing its two halves, and then joined them covalently at the thermal cure stage with an apparently seamless union.
High strength and high performance steels used in structural engineering have been developed, but the application is constrained and the design work changes as a result of the different material property. In order to study high strength steel material property features, the production process, steel grade and code limit requirement were reviewed and discussed. Some important mechanical property indexes including the stress-strain relationship, yield-tensile strength ratio (i.e. Y/T ratio), ductility and toughness, were analyzed based on a large amount of tension coupon test data reported in the available literature. The stress-strain relationship model used for finite element analysis was proposed. It is concluded that high strength structural steels have excellent toughness but lager Y/T ratio and lower elongation compared with those of traditional steels, some of which even exceed the code limit values. It is necessary to do deep research on the relationship between the steel mechanical property indexes and structure safety and to make further development of high strength steels. This research work is helpful to comprehend the material property of high strength structural steels and relevant code limit requirements.
Rubber dam use during operative dentistry procedures has been quantified based on questionnaires completed by dentists. However, based on the knowledge of the authors of the current study, there are no reports based on use during actual clinical procedures other than in dental materials studies and none based on routine care. The objectives of the current study were to: 1) quantify how commonly the rubber dam is used during operative dentistry procedures; 2) test the hypothesis that certain dentist, restoration and patient-level factors are associated with its use. A total of 229 dentist practitioner-investigators in The Dental Practice-Based Research Network (DPBRN) participated. DPBRN comprises 5 regions: Alabama/Mississippi, Florida/Georgia, Minnesota, Permanente Dental Associates; and Scandinavia. Practitioner-investigators collected data on 9,890 consecutive restorations done in previously unrestored tooth surfaces from 5,810 patients. Most dentists (63%) did not use a rubber dam for any restoration in this study. A rubber dam was used for only 12% of restorations, 83% of which were used in 1 DPBRN region. With regions accounted for, no other dentist characteristics were significant. A multi-level multiple logistic regression of rubber dam use was done with restoration and patient-level variables modeled simultaneously. In this multi-variable context, these restoration-level characteristics were statistically significant: tooth-arch type, restoration classification and reason for placing the restoration. These patient-level characteristics were statistically significant: ethnicity, dental insurance, and age. These results, obtained fromactual clinical procedures rather than questionnaires, document a low prevalence of usage of the rubber dam during operative dentistry procedures. Usage varied with certain dentist, restoration, and patient level characteristics.
In 1913 I1reported three cases of congenital atresia of the esophagus with necropsies which I had seen within a period of one year. In two succeeding years four additional cases have come under my observation. In my own experience no other congenital anomaly of the intestinal tract has approximated even remotely so great a number with the possible exception of hyperplastic stenosis of the pylorus. Among my colleagues (Drs. Richter, Grulee, Hess, Michael, Jackson and others) I have knowledge of at least six or seven more cases. In all of these cases there was identically the same clinical and anatomic picture. In all of them the upper end of the esophagus ended blindly, the lower end connected the stomach with the trachea—the so-called "inosculating" type of atresia of the older writers. In 1884 Sir Morrell Mackenzie2collected 62 cases of congenital atresia of the esophagus
The effect of streptozotocin induced diabetes on autonomic regulation of heart rate and endothelial function was examined in Sprague-Dawley rats. Weanling rats (3–4 weeks of age) of either sex were randomly assigned to a non-diabetic (male 5, female 6) or diabetic (male 4, female 5). Diabetes was induced with a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 100 mg/kg). Non-diabetic rats received an IP injection of saline. Eight weeks after injection, rats were chronically instrumented with a left jugular venous catheter and a left carotid arterial catheter. After recovery (5 days) cardiac sympathetic tonus, parasympathetic tonus and intrinsic heart rate were determined. On an alternative day, the pressor response to nitric oxide synthase inhibition (NOS-X) was determined in areflexic rats. Cardiac sympathetic tonus (72 ± 13 vs. 41 ± 7), parasympathetic tonus (−51 ± 10 vs. −22 ± 7), and intrinsic heart rate (368 ± 6 vs. 292 ± 9), were reduced in diabetic rats. Furthermore, diabetic rats had a smaller pressor response (Δ33 ± 7 vs. Δ66 ± 5) to NOS-X. These results document impaired autonomic control of heart rate and endothelial dysfunction in 8-week streptozotocin induced diabetic rats.
Background— No studies have specifically performed an age-based analysis of the efficacy of abciximab in patients with non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aim of the study was to assess whether there are age-dependent differences in the clinical benefit of abciximab in patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with PCI. Methods and Results— We performed this retrospective analysis of 2022 patients with acute coronary syndrome enrolled in the Intracoronary Stenting and Antithrombotic Regimen: Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment (ISAR-REACT 2) study and randomized to receive abciximab or placebo during a PCI procedure. The incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during the 30 days after PCI was the primary end point of the study. On the basis of the cutoff age value provided by logistic regression in connection with bootstrap resampling, patients were divided into those younger (n=1220) and older (n=802) than 70 years. Among younger patients, the incidence of MACE was 7.7% in the abciximab group versus 13.3% in the placebo group (relative risk 0.57, 95% confidence interval 0.40 to 0.80, P=0.001). In contrast, no difference was observed among older patients: The incidence of MACE was 10.9% in the abciximab group versus 9.9% in the placebo group (relative risk 1.10, 95% confidence interval 0.72 to 1.69, P=0.65). After adjustment for other variables, including cardiac troponin, there was a significant interaction between age and abciximab (P=0.04) with respect to MACE reduction, with abciximab being more effective in younger patients. Conclusions— In patients with non–ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes undergoing PCI, the efficacy of abciximab appears to be age-dependent, with greater benefit among younger patients.
SUMMARY A frequently encountered complication in repeated-measurements data analysis is that a substantial number of subjects drop out of the study. In this paper, several conceptually simple methods are proposed for analysing incomplete repeated measures when the measurement times vary substantially from subject to subject and the subject's drop-out time may depend on the observed and unobserved outcome variables. Numerical studies are conducted to examine the adequacy of our procedures under practical settings. A detailed illustration with an AIDS clinical trial is also provided.
For billions of people living in remote and rural communities in the developing countries, small water systems are the only source of clean drinking water. Due to the rural nature of such water systems, site visits may occur infrequently. This means broken water systems can remain in a malfunctioning state for months, forcing communities to return to drinking unsafe water. In this work, we present a novel two-level anomaly detection system aimed to detect malfunctioning remote sensored water hand-pumps, allowing for a proactive approach to pump maintenance. To detect anomalies, we need a model of normal water usage behavior first. We train a multilevel probabilistic model of normal usage using approximate variational Bayesian inference to obtain a conditional probability distribution over the hourly water usage data. We then use this conditional distribution to construct a level-1 scoring function for each hourly water observation and a level-2 scoring function for each pump. Probabilistic models and Bayesian inference collectively were chosen for their ability to capture the high temporal variability in the water usage data at the individual pump level as well as their ability to estimate interpretable model parameters. Experimental results in this work have demonstrated that the pump scoring function is able to detect malfunctioning sensors as well as a change in water usage behavior allowing for a more responsive and proactive pump system maintenance.
This paper presents the development of non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) to identify loads using the multi-output support vector machine (MOSVM). A supervised load monitoring method is applied to identify three types of loads that are typically used in commercial buildings such as fluorescent light, air conditioning and personal computers. The basic power parameter provided by the smart meter and other details of the extracted power parameters are considered in this paper. Effective power features are determined by selecting appropriate feature combinations and also, a new feature extraction technique, named ‘time-time’ transformation has been used in this study. A systematic selection of the power parameter is carried out, in this case, to find the best combination for comparison purposes. In the case of commercial smart meter usage for the end-user sector, which is the majority in the low sampling rate, an experiment and studies have been employed under the condition of real power measurement with a low sampling rate. The low sampling rate suitable for NILM is evaluated according to the specification of the commercial smart meter with three conditions of the sampling rate; 1 min, 10 min and 30 min. A set of validation data with random load activities was used to test the effectiveness of the developed NILM method. Further, the load classification technique of MOSVM was used to compare with other techniques such as naive Bayes and KNN to evaluate the performance of the proposed MOSVM for NILM. The results using the proposed MOSVM method showed the best result with an accuracy of 99.94 % in identifying the load. Therefore, based on the sampling rate studied, 1 min sampling showed the best results for the implementation of load monitoring compared to the other sampling rates for NILM.
Many non-linear fracture models have been proposed by design codes and investigators to determine fracture parameters of cement-based materials. To characterise failure of concrete structures, the effective crack model (ECM) needs two fracture parameters: the effective crack length a e and the critical stress intensity factor K e Ic' Nevertheless, ECM requires a closed-loop testing system and the calculation of a e needs considerable computational effort. For this reason, ECM is simulated with an artificial neural network (ANN) in this study. The main benefit of using an ANN approach is that the network is built directly on experimental data by using the self-organizing capabilities of the ANN. The presented fracture model was developed by utilising 464 noisy test data taken from the literature, which were obtained via different test methods in different laboratories. The results of an ANN-based ECM look viable and very promising.
Hearing aid shells (or earmolds) must couple the hearing aid with the user's ear. Earmolds have to fit the subject's outer ear canal properly to ensure a good performance of the aid. Because of the great variability in the anatomical pattern of the ear, earmolds are custom made. At present, an impression of the subject's ear canal is taken and used to fabricate the silicon-made mold. The postimpression activities that typically are performed during the fabrication process modify the physical dimensions of the resulting earmold and thus affect the fit of the product. A novel system for 3-D laser scanning and mesh reconstruction of the surface of ear canal impressions is presented. The reconstructed impression can be digitally stored and passed directly to dedicated CAD 3-D printing machines to model the silicon earmold and thus achieve the best possible fit. The proposed system is based on a couple of cameras and a commercial laser for the surface digitization and on a straightforward algorithm, based on the deformation of a geometric model, for the reconstruction of the acquired surface. Measurements on objects of well-known geometric features and dimensions are performed to assess the accuracy and repeatability levels of this 3-D acquisition system. Robustness to noise of the proposed reconstruction algorithm is determined by simulations with a synthetic test surface. Finally, the first measurements (acquisition+reconstruction) of closed surfaces from ear canal impressions are reported.
The introduction of micromechanical parameters in the description of the mechanical behaviour of polycrystalline materials is getting more and more important. In the interest of the study of inter- and transgranular stress and strain heterogeneities inside an assembly of grains, the multicrystal is introduced. The complete microstructure is known which makes possible an experimental and numerical approach which takes into account the complete microstructure. The modelling is done by a finite element simulation meshing the grain morphology. The experimental validation is done by x-ray diffraction and optical microscopy. The multicrystal is elaborated on the base of a coarse grained Nickel based 600 alloy. A long heat treatment close to the melting temperature allowed to get into the regime of grain growing. In the finite element calculations the grains are considered as perfect single crystals with only one crystallographic orientation. Naturally, during the elaboration process materials develop sub-grain structures with slight misorientations called small angle grain boundaries or grain mosaicity. The quality of the crystal can be described by the mosaicity. Depending on elaboration parameters, the intergranular misorientations can be distributed more or less randomly. Due to the local distribution of mosaic blocs, the heterogeneity of the measurement depends on the observation scale. The use of optical microscopy allows the determination of plastic activate zones. The observation of heterogeneities inside these zones needs finer measurement techniques such as x-ray diffraction. The measurement of misorientations by rocking the sample around a crystallographic axis allows to quantify the misorientations. This is even more interesting during plastic slip where, due to the anisotropy of the crystal, the mosaicity develops anisotropically, too. Finally, the microscale parameters like the mosaicity are investigated by keeping in mind the influence on the local stress and strain evolution. The comparison to the finite elements simulation is of great interest in relation to the choice of micromechanical parameters which do not contain anything comparable to a mosaic function.
The human coagulation protease factor VII plays a pivotal role in the initiation of the coagulation cascade by both the extrinsic and the intrinsic pathway. Although the gene, encoding factor VII, is expressed predominantly in the liver, the mechanisms underlying this tissue-specific expression have not been elucidated. In this study, we have analyzed the contribution of 5 kilobases upstream of the ATG translational initiation codon upon hepatic factor VII gene transcription. Transient transfection assays of a set of nested deletions in both liver and non-liver cell lines, HepG2 and HeLa respectively, indicate that several regions are involved in liver-specific expression. A slight negative effect on factor VII promoter activity in HepG2 cells is mediated by sequences upstream of position −1212. DNase I protection experiments reveal six footprints, FPVII1 through FPVII6, within the proximal 714 base pairs but a minimal promoter of 165 base pairs containing only FPVII3-6 is sufficient to confer liver-specific expression in HepG2 cells. Interestingly, FPVII6, at position −14 to +10 on the sense strand, would indicate that an as yet unknown transcription factor covers the ATG translational initiation codon. Gel retardation experiments show that the liver-enriched transcription factor HNF-4 binds specifically to footprint FPVII4 at position −71 to −49. Furthermore, a T A transversion, that in the HNF-4 binding site of factor IX causes a severe bleeding disorder, was introduced into the HNF-4-binding site of factor VII and reduced promoter activity by 20-50%. Coordinate HNF-4-mediated regulation of several blood protease genes as well as genes involved in lipid metabolism might account for the positive correlation of these factors with increased risk of occlusive heart diseases.
Soybeans are one of the main commodities in Brazil, with soybean oil and meal used as raw material for food and animal feed production. However, information on the chemical characteristics of soybeans produced at different times of the year and on the efficiency of genotypes under low latitude conditions is scarce. This study evaluates the environmental efficiency of soybean genotypes based on oil and protein contents during in-season and off-season periods, in Tocantins State. The experimental design was a randomized block with seventeen treatments (genotypes) and three replicates. The treatments were composed by cultivars TMG 1288 RR; AS 3810 IPRO; CD 2792 RR; CD 251RR; CD 2737RR; SHS 820 IPRO; TMG 1180 RR; M 8766 RR; P 98Y70RR; M 9144 RR and strains 5X6-1; 5X6-2; 5X6-3; 4X6-12; 4X6-17; 4X6-19 and 4X5-2. There was effect of sowing times on the oil and protein contents of the grains. Genotype TMG 1288 RR presented the highest levels of oil and protein. The best sowing time for protein content was the first of the in-season (12/01). For oil content, in turn, the off-season stood out (06/01), evidencing that early sowing resulted in better results. Since the contents of these two elements are inversely proportional, one must verify the desired purpose to choose the material to be used. The identification of superior genotypes by the proposed index was effective only for unfavorable environments.
A promising development of recent years has been the application of proteolytic enzymes to the therapy of disease in the human. Originally applied directly to the diseased area to effect a local enzymatic débridement, proteolytic enzyme therapy is now being extended on a systemic basis to widen considerably the scope of its applicability. This report summarizes the current state of knowledge of proteolytic enzymes as therapeutic agents. It indicates those areas where the usefulness of proteolytic enzyme therapy is well established and those areas where the efficacy of such enzyme therapy is less well accepted or under active clinical investigation. Though much has been accomplished already at the clinical level, particular stress is placed on the problems which remain to be solved if proper exploitation of this new and exciting area of pharmacology is to be achieved.
In convertible bond market, it is very common to protect the conversion privilege from being called away too soon by using soft-call constraint, or to protect the bond being converted too soon by using provision convert constraint. The first option will protect the bond holder; the second will be benefit to bond issuer. Both constrains have the common feature that the option can be exercise only when the underlying stock closes above a pre-set barrier for any n or more days over m consecutive trading days up to the exercise day. This feature brings challenge for pricing. This paper will propose an approximation solution by Looking Backward (LB) method. In order to illustrate the idea more clearly, I will focus on the Black model stock dynamic using binomial tree based on Cox-Ross-Rubinstein scheme. The results are compared with the exactly solution given by the author in [1]. The extension to other numerical method such as PDE with more general stock dynamic will also be discussed, and the numerical scheme will be laid out. The idea of the method can be applied to the pricing of other path dependent instruments in general.
Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was given for 3 days after elective abdominal surgery. The control group (N = 9) received TPN only and one group of patients (N = 6) received TPN supplemented with ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate (0.35 g/kg bw/day). Protein synthesis in skeletal muscle was assessed from the total ribosome concentration and the percentage of polyribosomes. In the control group the total concentration of ribosomes decreased after surgery by 23% (p less than 0.05) and the percentage of polyribosomes decreased by 21% (p less than 0.01), whereas in the ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate group both variables remained unaffected. The cumulative urinary urea excretion was significantly larger in the control group than in the ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate group (p less than 0.05). The calculated nitrogen balance was negative in the control group on each day of the study (p less than 0.05), but that of the ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate group was not statistically different from zero. The results show that postoperative maintenance of muscle protein synthesis and a more effective nitrogen use was achieved by supplementing TPN with ornithine-alpha-ketoglutarate, 0.35 g/kg bw/day.
Thermal bath coupling mechanisms as utilized in molecular dynamics are applied to partial differential equation models. Working from a semi-discrete (Fourier mode) formulation for the Burgers–Hopf or Korteweg–de Vries equation, we introduce auxiliary variables and stochastic perturbations in order to drive the system to sample a target ensemble which may be a Gibbs state or, more generally, any smooth distribution defined on a constraint manifold. We examine the ergodicity of approaches based on coupling of the heat bath to the high wave numbers, with the goal of controlling the ensemble through the fast modes. We also examine different thermostat methods in the extent to which dynamical properties are corrupted in order to accurately compute the average of a desired observable with respect to the invariant distribution. The principal observation of this paper is that convergence to the invariant distribution can be achieved by thermostatting just the highest wave number, while the evolution of the slowest modes is little affected by such a thermostat.
Nurse—midwives provide significant health care to underserved and vulnerable women, yet there is limited information about the nature of nurse—midwifery practices and compensation for services. This study reports the results of a Colorado statewide survey of nurse—midwives (N = 217). Electronic survey was utilized to detail practice in seven areas: demographics, type of practice, compensation, leadership, legislativep riorities,teaching involvement, and practice satisfaction. Responses(N = 114) were analyzed using SPSS 13.0. Results found wide variation in compensation and practice types. Respondents largely worked in urban settings, cared for low to moderate risk patients, and were generally older and White. Restriction from medical staffm membership, prescriptive authority constraints, and liability issues were practice limitations. While teaching a wide variety of learners, nurse—midwives do limited mentoring of nurse—midwifery students, a finding which is concerning given the decreasing numbers of nurse—midwives. Findings are compared to known national data, with implications for the provision of health care services detailed.
The public health movement has been concerned with the relation between housing and health for well over a century. Nevertheless the Black Report still identified housing as one of the major causes of ill-health and suggested, on one indicator at least, that council housing is the least healthy form of tenure. An exploratory study concerning housing and health in a north eastern local authority area is described. It was found that smoking, work experience, and age were the most important determinants of self assessed respiratory conditions. When the background factors were held constant people in areas of 'bad' housing were found to report more respiratory symptoms than those in 'good' housing areas. Respiratory conditions were affected by the age of housing, and flats were found to be worse than houses. High rise flats were worse than low or medium rise flats.
BACKGROUND Individuals with Down syndrome who develop Alzheimer disease may show an improvement in cognitive functioning after treatment with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.   OBJECTIVE To determine whether individuals with Down syndrome and Alzheimer disease will show improvement after institution of donepezil treatment.   DESIGN A nonrandomized controlled trial using donepezil in a pilot study format.   SETTING Academic medical center.   PATIENTS Convenience sample of 6 treated patients with Down syndrome and 9 closely matched historical control subjects.   INTERVENTION Oral administration of donepezil for a 5-month period.   PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE The Down Syndrome Dementia Scale.   RESULTS Significant improvement in dementia scores for the treated group during a 3- to 5-month period (P =.03).   CONCLUSIONS Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors may be helpful in reversing the symptoms of dementia during early and middle stages of cognitive decline. These findings support the rationale for a more extensive study of the efficacy of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in Down syndrome dementia.
Platinum thin films activated ex situ by oxygen plasma become reduced by the combined effect of an intense soft X-ray photon beam and condensed water. The evolution of the electronic structure of the surface has been characterized by near-ambient-pressure photoemission and mimics the inverse two-step sequence observed in the electro-oxidation of platinum, i.e. the surface-oxidized platinum species are reduced first and then the adsorbed species desorb in a second step leading to a surface dominated by metallic platinum. The comparison with measurements performed under high-vacuum conditions suggests that the reduction process is mainly induced by the reactive species generated by the radiolysis of water. When the photon flux is decreased, then the reduction process becomes slower.
The article identifies measurable attributes to find the consistency in pitch ratings which are otherwise subjective decisions made by referees for international test match cricket. To do so, the article uses statistics related to test matches, one-days and T20s played among all test playing nations between March 2017 and March 2019 (53 tests, 142 T20s and 172 one-day matches: the next two seasons ending May 2020/2021 were hit by COVID-19 and hence excluded). To measure the consistency of pitch ratings (very good, good, above average, average, below average and poor), measurable attributes like runs/day, wickets/day, runs/over, runs/wicket and overs/wicket were identified. To rank pitch ratings using these attributes, the multi-criteria decision-making technique—PROMETHEE II was used. We found that the referee pitch ratings are largely consistent and the attributes developed can be utilized to further analyse future judgements regarding pitch ratings. Further, six-pitch ratings can be clustered into two distinct groups that are significantly different from each other. The article is among the first to analyse sports pitch ratings by using team performance-based statistics. This study paves the way for similar studies and development of newer statistical flow-based attributes.
f everything in life is of equal value, people willchoose what they do based solely on personal pref-erence. If you want people to do something that isat odds with their personal preference, you must pro-vide incentives that outweigh the personal satisfactionof just doing whatever they please. That is why we arepaid to go to work. Our salary is a regular incentive toget up at 5:45 am and drive to work, instead of loung-ing late in the morning in a warm bed, and headingout even later to a soft white sand beach.In this issue, Abouleish et al. (1) have provided afascinating glimpse into how academic anesthesia de-partments induce their faculty to work harder in theclinical arena. They characterized the construct of clin-ical incentive plans among 83 responding academicprograms. Most (69%) did not pay incentives based onwork performed during normal working hours.Ninety percent did not alter total salary by more than25%. They note that many comments on the surveysuggested total departmental productivity did notchangewiththeintroductionofanincentiveplan.Thisis not surprising, in that anesthesiologists have little orno control over booking and performing surgeriesduring their working hours. Now that we know howacademic chairs are crafting clinical incentive pro-grams, can we analyze those comparative data to helpus all do it better? That remains to be seen. It isinteresting that 64% of respondents have had theirplans in place less than 5 years, so many of us are ona steep learning curve. This well-timed article mayallow us to learn from each other and better serve bothour faculty and facility. Furthermore, we may now beable to summarize these data and thus respond moreintelligently to our group practice plan managers whoinsist on productivity-based compensation.While we now know how everyone else is doing it,what more should we know about incentives in gen-eral to help gauge whether we are all doing it right?Incentivesmotivatepeopletoperforminacertainway(more, better, quicker). The key to a working incentivesystem requires the following: 1) The individual be-lievesthatthedesiredbehaviorwillleadtothedesiredoutcomes (i.e., the incentive is guaranteed to be paid;it is not contingent on profits or anything else outsidetheir control), 2) the individual believes that theseoutcomes have positive value for him or her (i.e., anoble purpose or a sufficient sum of money), and 3)the individual believes that he or she is able to per-form at the desired level (the lack of control over whatis booked into one’s room combined with a lack ofincentives for daily scheduled work in most plans area reflection of this reality).It is a basic truth that people always act in theirrational self-interest. Therefore, incentives almost al-ways work perfectly to provide the behavior that isrewarded,assumingtheincentiveislargeenough.Theonly problem is that we often fail to understand whatbehavior we really want, how to measure what wewant (a metric), and how to link the incentive clearlyto that metric without introducing new problems.There is a classic article, “The Folly of Rewarding Aand Hoping for B,” (2) that details the problems thatcan occur with poorly designed incentive systems thatcreate perverse results. An example is when an aca-demic department starts to reward clinical billings inan effort to “get everyone to bill more” and all of asudden finds there are no volunteers for off site cases,the IRB, the preoperative screening clinic, or the med-ical school Admission’s Committee. Reluctance to getinvolved in these nonbillable activities is even greaterwhen they require evening or weekend time.The ideal incentive has several characteristics. First,there should be a target of expected performance be-low which there is no incentive. A number of depart-ments described by Abouleish et al. base their incen-tives on total dollars or total work. This degrades thedifferences between those with exceptional productiv-ity and average productivity. If one wants marginalproductivity (productivity above that which already
Felodipine is a member of the dihydropyridine class of calcium channel antagonists (calcium channel blockers) and is insoluble in water. The main objective of this study to design a nanosuspension formulation using hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose and hydroxyl propyl cellulose. Drug polymers interactions were studied by Differential Scanning Colorimetry. Precipitation method has been used to prepare nanosuspension particles of poorly soluble drug. The prepared nanosuspensions were characterized for droplet size, pH, viscosity, refractive index, surface morphology by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), drug entrapment efficiency, zeta potential, in vitro skin permeation, drug release kinetic, histopathological and stability studies. The droplet size was in the ranges of 61.2±0.58 (F3) to 91.4±0.79 nm (F5). Most nanosuspension possesses a very low viscosity and, therefore, their application may be convenient. The pH value of all the felodipine nanosuspension formulation was in the skin pH range, which was nearer to neutral pH range, demonstrating that all the felodipine nanosuspension will be non toxic, non irritating and non allergic. The felodipine nanosuspension formulation F3 containing 0.75% HPMC K4M, could be concluded as the best optimized formulation for safe management of hypertension. The optimized felodipine nanosuspension formulation F3 was found to be stable for both short and long term period in various storage conditions. Skin irritation test revels that no erythema was observed on visual inspection after application of felodipine nanosuspension formulations on rat skin. Thus, the developed formulation is non-sensitizing and safe for use.
TPS778 Background: Phosphorylated p68 may play a vital role in cell proliferation and tumor/cancer progression. RX-5902 is a novel compound that targets phosphorylated p68 RNA helicase (also known as DDX5), a member of the DEAD box family of RNA helicases. As a single agent, RX-5902 inhibits tumor growth and enhances survival in a variety of xenograft tumor models (e.g., pancreatic, renal, ovarian, melanoma). Methods: This Phase 1, open-label, multicenter study evaluates the efficacy and safety of RX-5902 in subjects with solid tumors. RX-5902 is administered orally 1, 3 or 5 times per week for 3 weeks with 1 week of rest in each 4 week cycle. Dose escalation starts with an accelerated design treating 1 subject per dose followed by a standard 3 + 3 design using a modified Fibonacci sequence after the occurrence of a single Grade 2 or greater adverse event that is considered at related to RX-5902. The primary endpoint is the overall safety profile characterized by the type, frequency, severity, timing of o...
The capacitor placement problem (CPP) has been widely studied throughout the years. However, traditional methodologies either do not consider non-linear loads in the formulations or are highly dependent on the spectrum of the harmonic currents. Therefore the traditional methodologies have become unsuitable for distribution system planning studies. The proposed approach formulates the CPP as a multi-objective optimisation model while including economic and technical aspects in the minimisation process. An additional objective function introduces a quadratic minimisation of the voltage harmonic distortions produced by the harmonic currents drawn by non-linear loads according to the IEEE Std. 519-1992 limits. A new constraint based on a resonance index (RI) is also introduced as a form to extend the capacitors- lifetime. Furthermore, an aging model of capacitor dielectric insulation under a non-sinusoidal waveform scenario is used to estimate the expected real lifetime of capacitors. The proposed methodology was exhaustively tested on a 69-bus system and the results show that the methodology is adequate for planning capacitors and eliminates the need to focus in great detail on harmonic system data.
To improve accuracy in identifying damaged structure of military engineering, intellectualized method was proposed for monitoring system. On describing working principle about intellectualized structure of military engineering, damage information fusion theory was proposed, and an information fusion model was built. As damage feature vector was classified in data fusion level, damage feature fusion and partial diagnosis was carried with neural network, and independent evidence was accessed. Evidence information was fused with evidence theory, and diagnosis was ultimately carried out according to damage sentencing guideline. Example showed that model could effectively improve the credibility of damage information diagnosis, which fully testified the validity.
The anomalous particle transport induced by magnetic perturbations in a tokamak is investigated. The correlation between the radial position and the kinetic energy of electrons, DrK=−eErDrr, is predicted theoretically and is verified by simulations in the presence of a mean radial electric field. This correlation leads to a radial particle flux produced by the radial electric field. The ambipolar radial electric field can thus be predicted by using the ambipolarity condition Γri=Γre.
ABSTRACT Plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) turnover and kinetics were studied in children aged 15 days to 2 years following the initiation of a triple antiretroviral drug regimen consisting of zidovudine, lamivudine, and nevirapine. HIV-1 turnover was at least as rapid as that previously described in adults; turnover rates were more rapid in infants and children aged 3 months to 2 years than in infants less than 3 months of age. These data confirm the central role of HIV-1 replication in the pathogenesis of vertical HIV-1 infection and reinforce the importance of early, potent combination therapies for the long-term control of HIV-1 replication.
An 89-year-old lady was admitted to our hospital with a history of recurrent falls and episodic nocturnal confusion. Routine testing revealed capillary blood glucose levels fluctuating between 1.6 and 3.2 mmol/l (28.8–57.6 mg/dl). There was no history of diabetes mellitus and she was not on medications that could cause hypoglycemia. A detailed history and observation discounted the possibility of accidental or malicious hypoglycemia. Her confusion improved with glucogel (glucose 10 g/25-g tube) and taking frequent carbohydrate meals, thereby demonstrating Whipple's triad (simultaneous symptoms and laboratory demonstration of hypoglycaemia with resolution of symptoms on achieving normoglycemia). A biochemistry screen showed normal liver, renal, pituitary and adrenal function tests.  A review of her case notes revealed a diagnosis of ‘seizure disorder’ by a …
Abstract Oxidation of benzylic alcohols to aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids using NaOCl in 1,2-dimethoxyethane without any additives has been developed. 4-Methylbenzyl alcohol and diphenyl methanol were converted into the corresponding aldehyde and ketone in 97% and 92% yield, respectively. Furthermore, 4-nitrobenzyl alcohol was directly converted into the corresponding carboxylic acid in 99% yield.
A 59-year-old man presented with giddiness, shortness of breath and lethargy in 2011. ECG showed complete heart block, which necessitated temporary pacing. Echocardiography revealed no regional wall motion abnormality and normal systolic ejection fraction. His cardiovascular risk factors were type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Subsequently, a dual-chamber pacemaker was implanted with direct puncture of the left subclavian …
1. Intracellular injections of horseradish peroxidase were made in a functionally identified population of motoneurones in spinal cords of cats. These motoneurones were activated by tactile stimulation of the hind‐limb central foot pad. 2. Cell bodies of twenty‐two such motoneurones were located in the dorsolateral portion of the ventral horn in the first sacral segment. The mean diameter of the major axis of transverse sections through twelve of these cell bodies was 68 . 2 micrometer, the mean diameter of the minor axis was 48 . 7 micrometer. The major axis tended to be oriented dorsomedially‐ventrolaterally. 3. In the transverse plane, the dendrites had a characteristic configuration, with a prominent group of dendrites travelling from the cell body dorsomedially into the dorsal horn, entering Rexed's lamina VI. For seventeen motoneurones with well stained dendrites, the mean medial spread of the dendrites was 960 micrometer. Though the mean lateral spread was only 508 micrometer, all of these motoneurones sent dendritic projections into the lateral white matter. The mean dorsal spread of the dendrites was 693 micrometer, the mean ventral spread, 748 micrometer. In the rostrocaudal direction, the mean spread rostrally was 911 micrometer, the mean spread caudally was 998 micrometer. The maximum dendritic spread for a single motoneurone was 2,940 micrometer, in the rostro caudal direction. The sum of dendritic lengths over an entire dendritic tree for the best‐stained motoneurones exceeded 13,000 micrometer. 4. The mean diameter of the initial segment of axons of nineteen motoneurones was 4 . 3 micrometer. These axons were notable for the lack or paucity of axon collaterals. Only five of twenty‐one axons possessed collaterals; of these, only one possessed more than a single collateral system. This sparseness of the collateral system was reflected in a low level of recurrent inhibition. 5. A possible relationship is discussed between the prominent dorsomedially oriented dendritic bundles of the motoneurones and the axon collaterals of dorsal horn cells mediating cutaneous stimulation which can activate these motoneurones.
The 1970s were a decade of achievement in child nutrition in Britain. Substantial changes in infant feeding practices occurred and they were followed by measurable improvements in child health. The 1980s have not maintained this momentum. Infant nutrition is often still seen solely in terms of the breast/bottle debate. Doubtful practices, such as the use of skimmed milk and goats’ milk early in life, have become more common. Many weanlings still experience frank nutritional deficiencies. For the 1990s there are 3 priorities: effective continuing measurements of the state of nutritional health in British children are required; among the many methods for promoting nutritional wellbeing health education is vital but professionally we need to deliver the same not conflicting messages; mechanisms for applying any method must acknowledge that nutrition is only one aspect of child health to be promoted and that other agencies such as the food industry and central government can make a valuable contribution when we all act in concert.
Background and Objective: Bharatanatyam is a classical Indian dance form that traces its roots to the 2nd century and is still one of the most popular and widely practised dance forms in India. It uses a lot of movements in different stances with superimposed limb movements. There may seem to be a logical link between balance and the practice of Bharatanatyam, but the paucity of research on this topic, especially concerned with Indian classical dance, thus prompted us to conduct the research to assess and have an objective measurement of comparison of balance between Bharatanatyam dancers and age& gendermatched non-dancers. Materials and Methods: A sample size of 50 Bharatanatyam dancers and 50 age and gender-matched non-dancers were assessed on the Neuro-Com Balance system for 3 parametersweight-bearing (at 0, 30, 60 and 90 degrees of knee flexion), unilateral stance and Limits of Stability. Results and Conclusion: Bharatanatyam dancers showed decreased sway velocity in unilateral stance compared to non-dancers. They also had quicker reaction times, higher movement velocity, better end-point and maximum excursion as well as higher directional control (in the Limits of Stability test) compared to the non-dancers. The acquired results prove that trained Bharatanatyam dancers have better balance than ageand gendermatched non-dancers. © 2020 Published by Innovative Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) has been shown to reduce dyspnoea and provide symptomatic improvement for a sub-set of patients with severe emphysema. The National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) demonstrated prognostic benefit in those with heterogenous disease, upper lobe predominance, and low baseline exercise capacity (1). This trial also identified patients at high risk of early mortality over the baseline risk of usual care. These patients had a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ) of <20% predicted and either homogenous disease or diffusion capacity (DLCO) <20% predicted. The perceived high risk of LVRS has reduced physician willingness for referral, despite its proven benefits (2).
When 4-aminoantipyrine (4AA) was injected into pregnant goats, the time curves of blood concentration could be determined easily and accurately when the injection was carried out over about seven minutes' time. The arterial-and uterine venous-blood concentration curves came together after 15 minutes, and afterward the arteriovenous difference remained negligible. The blood concentration of 4AA gave an accurate estimate of concentrations in the tissue water of the uterus, placenta, and fetus after disappearance of the arteriovenous difference. At the time interval of 15 to 20 minutes, 4AA concentrations in amniotic and allantoic fluids were so low that they could be regarded as negligible. There fore, when 4AA was used as the diffusing substance, the major factors affecting the determination of uterine blood flow by diffusion-equilibration methods were favorable for an estimate of the rate of blood flow per unit weight of metabolically active tissue.
This paper examines income dynamics and the existence of poverty traps in South Africa between 2010 and 2012 using panel data from the first three waves of the National Income Dynamics Study. In order to separate structural trends in income from stochastic shocks and measurement error, the paper makes use of an asset-based approach to estimate the shape of structural income dynamics in order to test for the existence of one or more dynamic equilibrium points. Contrary to earlier findings on South African data from 1993 and 1998, the results do not provide evidence for the existence of an asset-based poverty trap. Instead, the results seem to indicate the existence of a low-level equilibrium beyond which structural income remains very persistent. The robustness of the results is confirmed by making use of control functions in order to correct for any measurement error which may exist in the data on assets.
Constitution is a legal instrument that to captured the essence of any political system in which it is operated. Hence, it is a body of laws which ensure that all the aspects of political system are to be taken into consideration in the process of its making. Thus, the framers of the federal constitution incorporate institutional measures to assure oneness in a diversified polity. This was the exact case with the nation's 1999 constitution in which some integrative mechanisms were entrenched to ensure unity in diversity. This study, therefore, not only identified these integrative mechanisms in the 1999 constitutions; presidentialism, federal character and party formation but also measured the extents of compliance by the operators of the constitution. The study which adopted documentary method thereby relies on secondary sources for its data generation concluded that, although the operators complied with these integrative mechanisms, but there were absurdities, abuses and misuse in its operations and practices. The paper also concluded that some of the integrative provisions are burden on the finances of the Nigerian State. The paper made some fundamental recommendations on how to strengthens the institutional mechanisms as provided for in the 1999 constitution
In this article, a mathematical fluid–structure–thermal model for fuel leakage of piston couples was developed, with consideration of the physical properties of fuel, elastic deformation, and temperature distribution along the seal length. The calculated results were compared with experimental static fuel leakage data. Based on this model, the effects of various factors on the fuel leakage were investigated. The results showed, at pressures under 100 MPa, the most dominant influence on the fuel leakage of a piston couple was the initial clearance; however, as the pressure increased from 100 to 200 MPa, the influence of the initial clearance gradually weakened, while the effects of the piston diameter, elastic modulus, and diameter of the piston sleeve increased and became more significant; in this case, the piston diameter replaced the initial clearance as the most dominant factor. At a pressure range of 200–300 MPa, the effects of the elastic modulus exceeded the effects of the initial clearance and became the second most important factor. Therefore, simply adjusting the initial clearance is not an effective method to reduce fuel leakage. An increase in the seal length significantly influences the fuel leakage only under relatively low-pressure conditions, as the effect weakens with increasing pressure. As a result, under high-pressure conditions, it is necessary to consider both the diameter of the piston and the elastic modulus to reduce the fuel leakage.
Since synthetic analogs of 1,4-anthraquinone (AQ code number), such as AQ8, AQ9 and AQ10, can trigger cytochrome c release without caspase activation and retain their ability to induce apoptosis in multidrug-resistant (MDR) tumor cells, fluorescent probes of transmembrane potential have been used to determine whether these anti-tumor compounds might directly target mitochondria in cell and cell-free systems to cause the collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (↓Δψm) that is linked to permeability transition pore (PTP) opening. Using JC-1 dye, the abilities of various AQ analogs to induce the ↓Δψm in wild-type and MDR HL-60 cells are rapid (within 2.5–10 min), irreversible after drug removal, concentration dependent in the 0.256–10 μmol/l range and generally related to their anti-tumor activities in vitro. The ↓Δψm caused by AQ9 and AQ10, which are more potent than mitoxantrone, staurosporine and the reference depolarizing agent carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) in HL-60 cells, are not prevented by caspase-2 or -8 inhibitors, suggesting that activations of these apical caspases upstream of mitochondria are not involved in this process. Antitumor AQ analogs (0.256–10 μmol/l) also mimic the abilities of the known depolarizing agents CCCP, alamethicin, gramicidin A and 100 μmol/l CaCl2 to directly induce within 15 min the ↓Δψm in isolated mitochondria prepared from mouse liver and loaded with rhodamine 123 dye. The fact that 20 μmol/l Ca2+, which is insufficient to trigger depolarization on its own, is required to reveal the depolarizing effect of AQ9 in isolated mitochondria suggests that anti-tumor AQ analogs might interact with the PTP to alter its conformation and increase its Ca2+ sensitivity. Indeed, such Ca2+-dependent ↓Δψm of isolated mitochondria treated with 1.6 μmol/l AQ9 or 100 μmol/l Ca2+ are blocked by ruthenium red. Daunorubicin (DAU) is unable to mimic the rapid ↓Δψm caused by anti-tumor AQ analogs within 2.5–40 min of treatment in HL-60 cells or isolated mitochondria. Moreover, the ↓Δψm caused by 1.6 μmol/l AQ9 or 100 μmol/l Ca2+ in isolated mitochondria are similarly blocked by cyclosporin A (CsA), bongkrekic acid and decylubiquinone, which prevent PTP opening, suggesting that, in contrast to DAU, anti-tumor AQ analogs that directly target mitochondria to trigger the Ca2+-dependent and CsA-sensitive ↓Δψm, might induce PTP opening and the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis even in the absence of nuclear signals.
the radical different in cultural values between our world and the ancient world. Five Uneasy Pieces represents a challenging series of perspectives on some of the most difficult texts of the Bible. In a sense, the book is a kind of case-study, not just for the individual issue it addresses, but also for wider issues of how we interpret the Bible in today's changing and very different context. It challenges the reader to consider his or her own response on a specific theological and ethical question. But it also encourages us to re-think our perspective on how we read and interpret the Bible in the life of the Church today.
Several behavioral and brain imaging studies have demonstrated a significant interaction between speech perception and speech production. In this study, auditory cortical responses to speech were examined during self-production and feedback alteration. Magnetic field recordings were obtained from both hemispheres in subjects who spoke while hearing controlled acoustic versions of their speech feedback via earphones. These responses were compared to recordings made while subjects listened to a tape playback of their production. The amplitude of tape playback was adjusted to match the amplitude of self-produced speech. Recordings of evoked responses to both self-produced and tape-recorded speech were obtained free of movement-related artifacts. Responses to self-produced speech were weaker than were responses to tape-recorded speech. Responses to tones were also weaker during speech production, when compared with responses to tones recorded in the presence of speech from tape playback. However, responses evoked by gated noise stimuli did not differ for recordings made during self-produced speech versus recordings made during tape-recorded speech playback. These data suggest that during speech production, the auditory cortex (1) attenuates its sensitivity and (2) modulates its activity as a function of the expected acoustic feedback.
In recent years, multi-candidate electronic voting has attracted tremendous attention and been put into lots of practice because of its outstanding effectiveness and convenience. As a result, it has become an urgent task to achieve the anonymity and public verifiability of electronic voting. Several schemes have been proposed so far, but most of them are either inefficient or too demanding of the security of the entities involved. Focusing on this problem, a multi-candidate electronic voting scheme based on fully homomorphic encryption and digital signature algorithm is proposed in the paper. To encrypt votes efficiently and reduce the dependence of different entities, the Identity Based Full Homomorphic Encryption(IBFHE) scheme is used in the paper. A homomorphic addition ticket counter is then used to realize the homomorphism calculation of encrypted votes. To settle the problem of identity authentication in electronic voting with high efficiency and security, Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm(ECDSA) is utilized. The capability of batching votes is achieved by making use of Single Instruction Multiple Data(SIMD) technology, which is designed for improving the efficiency of the voting system. Finally, the paper makes an analysis based on six security features of e-voting, which reveals the scheme’s safety and feasibility.
Research on ecological factors that influence the experience of racial socialization by African American adolescents is limited but necessary in understanding how youth come to be exposed to these messages. This study examines how the cultural diversity of an adolescent’s neighborhood and his or her experience with racism moderates the frequency of experiencing protective and proactive racial socialization communications received from their families. Results reveal that boys are more likely than girls to receive coping with antagonism and cultural pride communications in high culturally diverse neighborhoods when they’ve had a personal experience with racism. Conversely, girls from low culturally diverse neighborhoods, predominantly Black, report receiving more cultural pride messages from family if they had a personal experience with racism. The moderating effects of neighborhood cultural diversity and racism on the racial socialization of Black youth are discussed.
A grounded theory methodology was used to develop a psychological account of the transition to motherhood of nine women who had received diagnoses of postnatal depression (PND). A core construct, termed “Becoming Occluded,” was identified in the analysis. This captured a five-phase psychological process model. The process began with participants' anticipation of motherhood. In the second phase, participants were overwhelmed by responsibility for their infants' dependency. In the third phase, they became emotionally fragmented by attempting to meet their infants' needs. Difficult interactive experiences, such as those around feeding, exacerbated mothers' sense of inadequacy, leading them into a fourth phase of negative self-evaluation. The final phase represented re-emergence from distress, in which participants distanced themselves from their infants' dependency. Clinical implications of the study included the identification of early signs of PND and potential utility of psychological therapies for mothers considered vulnerable to depression.
ABSTRACT Palingenesis, or regeneration from decay, is variously invoked by eighteenth- to early-nineteenth-century natural philosophy, psychology, mythography, and literature. Its currency derives from the Swiss scientist Charles Bonnet’s Palingénésie philosophique (1769), which conceives of natural history as repeated renewal after epochal catastrophes. Johann Gottfried Herder’s Über die seelenwanderung (1782) develops an idea of “natural palingenesis” as the internal “rebirth” of selfhood within memory despite physiological decay. Pierre-Simon Ballanche’s fragmentary magnum opus Essais de palingénésie sociale (1827–29) turned to political upheaval, locating the French Revolution within a process by which expiatory suffering gives birth to a new social order. Other writers looked back to alchemical experiments, which Robert Southey reviewed in Omniana (1812) under the heading “Spectral Flowers,” and still other writers explored the palingenetic properties of resurrected bodies and ghosts. In the light of this not altogether unified discourse, this article will consider the more discontented, skeptical strain within Shelley’s poetry, where beautiful idealisms of progressivist transformation do not entirely overcome the fact of death, decay, degeneration, and loss that is their substrata.
Summary Differentials in variables concerned with the timing, number, and distribution of fertility by a wide range of socioeconomic, attitudinal, inherited and housing characteristics from the British Family Formation Survey are reported. Variables associated with the couple's housing history and the wife's employment career are becoming more strongly associated with demographic differentials among younger cohorts than traditionally-based ones such as religion or region of residence. Cluster analysis techniques show which groups of family formation variables are strongly associated with particular types of non-demographic ones, and a natural grouping of explanatory variables is derived. The implications of these conclusions for data collection in demographic surveys are discussed.
Objective: Given the importance of intrinsic motivation factors of teachers, the objective of this paper is to define how far these intrinsic factors are associated with academic performance. The purpose is to find out the  significance of intrinsic factors of teachers in their performance outcomes and to examine “In any manner is it contributing towards fulfillment of the objective of quality education? Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper has a two part structure.  The first part establishes the research theme with the help of qualitative literature. The second part fulfills the research objectives by utilizing statistical tools: Chi square test and Somers' D test. Findings: The findings of the research clearly  indicate that intrinsic motivation factors of teachers have an association with their academic performance. As per the results, among the three selected intrinsic motivation factors, creativity and self-efficacy factors have stronger association with  performance as compared to personal vision factor of motivation. Research limitations: In this research work, it is assumed that the external work environment is same as respondents are selected from different institutes of the same university but  within the university there is a possibility of micro level dissimilarities. Another limitation is the possibility of biased responses of respondents. Implications: The results focus on the importance of intrinsic motivation and suggest that the  educational institutions should develop supportive environment in which teachers can utilize their inner attributes and contribute in the growth of quality education. Originality/value: The research paper helps to the teachers, students and academic  institutions by providing them a better understanding of intrinsic factors of motivation and academic performance as well as its significance in the development of quality education.
This article explores the nexus of biopolitics, mediatization and secularization, drawing out their relationship as it pertains to matters of assisted dying and euthanasia. In particular, it examines the dynamics of the media coverage of a highly-publicized case of euthanasia, namely, that of scientist David Goodall, based in Perth, Australia, who flew to Switzerland in May 2018 to end his own life at the age of 104. Focusing on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s coverage, the article keys in on the theme of embodiment, discussing it within recent developments in social theory on the “secular body” and pain, suggesting that the mediatization of his death facilitated and structured an “environment” for staging and negotiating issues of biopolitical import. It then contextualizes this analysis within broader discussions on biopolitics and secularity.
Initial public offerings (IPOs) are typically offered at prices lower than the transaction price in the early aftermarket. With a stochastic frontier model, we measured the fair offer price of an IPO and then the deliberate IPO underpricing and the market misvaluation based on the estimated fair offer price. Our results show that IPOs are deliberately underpriced. The extent of noisy trading leading to significantly higher market transaction prices explains the excess IPO returns. We conclude that initial IPO returns result primarily from the noisy trading activities instead of the deliberate IPO underpricing. Copyright 2002 by Kluwer Academic Publishers
Continuing our search for natural product and natural product-based compounds for the control of off-flavor in catfish, 29 stilbene analogues were synthesized and evaluated for algicidal activity against the 2-methylisoborneol (MIB)-producing cyanobacterium Oscillatoria perornata. The cis and trans isomers of 4-(3,5-dimethoxystyryl)aniline showed moderate and selective algicidal activity toward O. perornata with the lowest observed inhibitory concentration and lowest complete inhibition concentrations of 10 muM. This is the first report on selective stilbene algicidal activity toward a MIB-producing cyanobacteria species.
A magnetostriction-induced structural phase transition in a single crystal of TbNi[sub 2]B[sub 2]C has been studied by high resolution x-ray diffraction. On cooling, we have observed a tetragonal-to-orthorhombic distortion below the N[acute e]el temperature, 14.3 K, similar to what has been seen in ErNi[sub 2]B[sub 2]C. The mismatch between the [ital a] and [ital b] lattice parameters increases continuously with decreasing temperature up to a value of a/b[minus]1[approx]0.55[percent] at the lowest temperature measured, T=8.6 K. [copyright] [ital 1999] [ital The American Physical Society]
The central result of this paper is an analytic formula describing the packet loss probability in a buffer as a function of the length of the buffer and the probability of external packet loss. This formula makes it possible to calculate the total loss along a multi-buffer, multi-link route. Also, new types of congestion window distributions are discovered when the packet loss in the buffer is large. These are different from the usual Gaussian type single humped distributions and can help to develop a qualitative classification of window distributions.
Previous studies showed that serum from men consuming a low fat diet and undergoing exercise intervention (DE) reduced LNCaP cell growth and induced apoptosis in vitro. DE also decreased serum IGF-I and increased serum IGF binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1). The present study evaluates the effects of IGF-I and IGFBP-1 on growth and apoptosis of prostate cancer cells in vitro. When IGF-I was added to the post-DE serum, the reduction in LNCaP cell growth and the induction of apoptosis in medium containing post-DE serum alone were reversed. When IGFBP-1 was added to the pre-DE serum samples, LNCaP cell growth was reduced, and apoptosis was induced. IGF-I, long-R(3)-IGF-I (only binds IGF-I receptor), AL(31)Leu(60)-IGF-I (only binds IGFBPs), antihuman IGF-I receptor antibodies, and IGFBP-1 were then added to LNCaP cultures to determine the independent effects of IGF-I and IGFBP-1 on cell growth. Collectively, the results using these agents show that IGF-I and IGFBP-1 exert opposing effects on LNCaP cell growth and apoptosis, and IGFBP-1 acts mainly through an IGF-dependent mechanism. DE results in a decrease in serum IGF-I with increased IGFBP-1 in vivo that is associated with apoptosis and reduced LNCaP and LAPC-4 prostate cancer cell growth in vitro.
This paper introduces a method to automatically detect AutoPEEP (pulmonary distension), a frequent asynchrony in the patient-ventilator interface. The detection algorithm is developed based on a robust non-parametric hypothesis testing that requires no prior information on the distribution of the signal. The experiment results have shown that the proposed algorithm provide relevant AutoPEEP detection on both simulated and real data.
Wholesale marginal electricity prices are being used in several actual competitive generation markets worldwide, both to remunerate generators and to charge consumption. These prices must account not only for energy, but also for guarantee of supply in the long and the short term. This paper: (a) provides a sound conceptual and quantitative foundation for wholesale pricing based on generation services, where any existing restrictions in operation or planning in real power markets are accounted for; (b) clearly establishes the relationship between short term marginal costs, long term marginal costs and optimal wholesale electricity prices; and (c) identifies the reasons for mismatches in cost recovery with marginal generation prices. The theoretical results are verified with a detailed realistic power system model.
Japanese ALS care, psychological and spiritual conflicts sometimes occur in patients and their families in the area of informed consent to each palliation. It may now be possible that using individual QOL assessment methods such as SEIQoL and a spiritual care approach derived from UK hospice care will help diminish these conflicts. Although ALS is still incurable and intractable, patients living with ALS can sometimes establish a new meaning of life and can find new perspectives of life. We think this may be one of the goals of ALS care.
The Digital Rock Physics (DRP) technology is based on a rigorous numerical simulation of physical experiments in a realistic pore space, at the pore-scale level. The output is usually a macroscopic property conventionally measured in the lab. For example, a single-phase viscous fluid flow simulation through a digitized pore space provides absolute permeability. A simulation of electrical current provides conductivity, and a simulation of the stress field provides the elastic moduli and strength. DRP complements lab measurements and, at the same time, enormously enhances the geoscientist’s capabilities because digital experiments can be conducted in real time and on small fragments of rock, such as drill cuttings. We report a feasibility study on DRP technology applied to drill cutting samples to obtain porosity, permeability, and the P- and S-wave velocity.
The purpose of mis study is to delve into the most representative Spanish versions of Romeo andJ uliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing and The Merry Wives of Windsor in order to analyse and evaluate the way malapropisms are rendered and whether the Spanish equivalents or the other solutions successfully or unsuccessfully convey their original function embedded in the English discourse. Since the main function of the malapropism is to generate hilarity in the audience or readers, in Spanish, as a romance language, it is very easy to find a great deal of equivalent malapropisms reflecting the comic effect of the original text, thus the lack of this literary device in the Spanish versions is unforgivable.
Every utility serves a unique customer base with its own water use and revenue generation patterns. Knowing its customers in detail helps a water provider customize policies and communication strategies not only for the customer base but also for smaller, targeted groups. This article introduces a relatively inexpensive way that utilities can use existing billing data to learn more about customer use patterns and applies this methodology at five North Carolina utilities. Developing smarter revenue and water use analytics that take into account changes in use behavior helps utilities be proactive in planning for resources changes (and the resulting financial implications) and be more effective in their communications and marketing. By moving away from engaging with residential customers as one homogeneous mass and instead treating them as groups of customers with distinct habits and values, utilities can use targeted messaging and outreach to bring customers on board with new policy rollouts.
In this work, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was activated with ultrasonic waves. The influences of ultrasonic treatment on the changes of supramolecular structures and morphology structure were studied by WAXS and SEM. The accessibility of the MCC was characterized by water retention value (WRV) and specific surficial area. The influence of ultrasonic treatment on the reactivity of MCC was investigated through the reaction of MCC being oxidized into 2,3-diadehyde cellulose (DAC) by periodate sodium. The mechanism of the reactivity change of ultrasonically treated MCC was examined. The results showed that the degree of crystallinity of MCC decreased and the degree of polymerization showed little change after treatment with ultrasonic waves. The morphologial variation of the treated MCC was significant when compared with the untreated MCC, which contribute to the improvement of accessibility. The aldehyde content of DAC prepared from ultrasonically treated MCC was improved from 64.19 to 85.00%, indicating that the regioselective oxidation reactivity of MCC was significantly improved. The aldehyde content was found to first increase with time of ultrasonic treatment to a point, and then decrease as time progressed. In addition, the aldehyde content was found to increase with an increase in ultrasonic power. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Simple Summary At the onset of lactation, the energy intake is not sufficient to meet the high energy requirement due to milk production increase. Consequently, body reserve is mobilized to support this negative energy balance situation. Severe negative energy balance can lead to health and production concerns. Certain blood and milk parameters could be used as indicators of lipomobilization and can thus predict the energy status in postpartum cows. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to study the influence of physiological factors that affect the energy balance, such as lactation stage and parity, on blood and milk parameters in healthy early lactation cows. Thirty-two Holstein dairy cows from five Belgian commercial farms were followed during two calving periods. This study confirms that lactation stage along with energy balance and parity significantly influence blood and milk parameters. Abstract The objective of this paper is to study the influence of physiological factors that affect the energy balance, such as lactation stage and parity, on milk yield and composition, milk and blood fatty acid concentrations, blood metabolites and hormones in healthy early lactation cows. Thirty-two Holstein dairy cows from five Belgian commercial farms were followed. The grass silage-based diets fed to cows fell within normal composition ranges typically offered to dairy cows on commercial dairy farms in the region. Milk and blood were sampled at each official milk recording and used for the determination of milk fat and protein, milk and blood fatty acids, blood metabolites and hormones concentrations. The considered period was 7 to 150 days in milk. As lactation progressed, concentrations of milk 18:0 and 18:1c9, as well as blood non-esterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate, decreased, and those of milk C4–C14, blood cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin and IGF-I increased, agreeing with the extensive mobilization of body reserves in early lactation. Lower concentrations of milk C4–C14 and 16:0 and concomitant higher concentrations of milk 18:0 and 18:1c9 suggest a larger body reserve mobilization in first parity cows compared with greater than or equal to second parity cows. This study confirms that early lactation stage along with parity significantly influence milk fatty acids, such as 18:1, and blood metabolites and hormones, such as NEFA and insulin.
Usability has become an imperative aspect of survival on the web, thus, it has always been considered as a crucial aspect of web design. This paper presents the results of a study that compared two think-aloud usability testing methods: the concurrent think-aloud and the retrospective think-aloud methods. Data from task performance, testing experience, and usability problems were collected from 40 participants equally distributed between the two think-aloud conditions. The results found that while the thinking aloud method had no impact on task performance and participants testing experience, participants using the concurrent think-aloud method detected a larger number of minor problems with the test interface than participants using the retrospective think-aloud method. These findings suggest a reason for preferring the concurrent think-aloud method to the retrospective one.
50 wt.‐% of Ce0.8Sm0.2O2 (SDC) is added to La0.85Sr0.15Cr0.9 Ni0.1O3 (LSCN) to investigate its use as an alternative anode for solid oxide fuel cells, especially for hydrocarbon fuels. When LSCN is mixed and sintered together with SDC or YSZ at 1,500 °C for 12 h, no obvious second phase is observed from the XRD patterns. Although the conductivity of LSCN‐SDC is lower than LSCN, the polarization overpotential is reduced by a factor of 10. The mixed electronic‐ionic conductivity of SDC enlarges the reaction zone and improves the catalytic activity of the anode. The interface bonding between LSCN and the YSZ electrolyte is also modified by the nanometer SDC. An improved output performance on a self supported SOFC (LSCN‐SDC/YSZ/PSM‐YSZ) is obtained with H2 fuel compared with CH4 fuel.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease characterized by autoimmunity and tissue fibrosis. In patients with SSc, there is a close association between the presence of specific autoantibodies and the development of clinical features. Although it is known that cytokines, including transforming growth factor‐β, can modulate the synthesis of extracellular matrix by fibroblasts, it is not clear how autoimmunity and tissue fibrosis are interrelated. Several recent lines of evidence indicate a potential role for B cells in the development of SSc. CD19 is a critical regulator of B‐cell signaling thresholds, and B cells from SSc patients exhibit increased expression of CD19, a molecule that induces SSc‐specific autoantibody production in transgenic mice. Both SSc patients and tight‐skin mice, a genetic model of SSc, have intrinsic B‐cell abnormalities characterized by chronic B‐cell activation. Remarkably, CD19 loss or B‐cell depletion using antimouse CD20 antibody suppresses the development of skin hyperplasia and autoimmunity in tight‐skin mice. Additionally, a recent study revealed a possible beneficial effect of antihuman CD20 antibody (rituximab) therapy for SSc patients. As B cells have a variety of functions, further investigation into the pathogenic roles of B cells, as well as trials of B‐cell‐targeting therapies, may shed new light on the pathogenesis of SSc.
We present the design, measurement and analysis of a current sensor based on a process of Josephson parametric upconversion in a superconducting microwave cavity. Terminating a coplanar waveguide with a nanobridge constriction Josephson junction, we observe modulation sidebands from the cavity that enable highly sensitive, frequency-multiplexed output of small currents for applications such as transition-edge sensor array readout. We derive an analytical model to reproduce the measurements over a wide range of bias currents, detunings and input powers. Tuning the frequency of the cavity by more than  SI{100}{ mega hertz} with DC current, our device achieves a minimum current sensitivity of  SI{8.9}{ pico ampere per sqrt{ hertz}}. Extrapolating the results of our analytical model, we predict an improved device based on our platform, capable of achieving sensitivities down to  SI{50}{ femto ampere per sqrt{ hertz}}}, or even lower if one could take advantage of parametric amplification in the Josephson cavity. Taking advantage of the Josephson architecture, our approach can provide higher sensitivity than kinetic inductance designs, and potentially enables detection of currents ultimately limited by quantum noise.
Field emission properties of dense and sparse “forests” of randomly placed, vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNFs) were studied using a scanned probe with a small tip diameter of ∼1 μm. The probe was scanned in directions perpendicular and parallel to the sample plane, which allowed for measuring not only the emission turn-on field at fixed locations but also the emission site density over large surface areas. The results show that dense forests of VACNFs are not good field emitters as they require high extracting (turn-on) fields. This is attributed to the screening of the local electric field by the neighboring VACNFs. In contrast, sparse forests of VACNFs exhibit moderate-to-low turn-on fields as well as high emission site and current densities, and long emission lifetime, which makes them very promising for various field emission applications.
One of the most important achievements of inflationary cosmology is to predict a departure from scale invariance of the power spectrum for cosmological scalar perturbations. This tilt is understood as a consequence of a quasi de Sitter classical equation of state describing the inflationary dark energy dominated era. Here, following previous work, we find a departure of scale invariance for the quantum Fisher information associated to de Sitter vacuum for scalar quantum spectator modes. This gives rise to a purely quantum cosmological tilt with a well defined dependence on energy scale. This quantum tilt is imprinted, in a scale dependent energy uncertainty for the spectator modes. The effective quasi de Sitter description of this model independent energy uncertainty uniquely sets the effective quasi de Sitter parameters (i.e., the small deviation from the cosmological constant equation of state) at all energy scales. In particular, in the slow-roll regime characterized by an almost constant ϵ, the quantum Fisher — model independent — prediction for the spectral index is n s = 0.9672. Moreover, the energy scale dependence of the quantum cosmological tilt implies the existence of a cosmological phase transition at energies higher than the CMB scale and of the order of 1 Mpc-1 where the tilt goes from red into blue. This strongly suggest the existence of a pre-inflationary phase where the effective scalaron contributes to the spectral index as normal relativistic matter and where the corresponding growth of the power spectrum can result in dark matter in the form of small mass primordial black holes. The source and features of the quantum cosmological tilt leading to these predictions are determined by the entanglement features of the de Sitter α- vacuum states.
ABSTRACT Microbial proline 4-hydroxylases, which hydroxylate freel-proline totrans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, were screened in order to establish an industrial system for biotransformation of l-proline totrans-4-hydroxy-l-proline. Enzyme activities were detected in eight strains, including strains ofDactylosporangium spp. and Amycolatopsis spp. The Dactylosporangium sp. strain RH1 enzyme was partially purified 3,300-fold and was estimated to be a monomer polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of 31 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Degenerate primers based on the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 31-kDa polypeptide were synthesized in order to amplify the corresponding 71-bp DNA fragment. A 5.5-kbp DNA fragment was isolated by using the 71-bp fragment labeled with digoxigenin as a probe for a genomic library ofDactylosporangium sp. strain RH1 constructed inEscherichia coli. One of the open reading frames found in the cloned DNA, which encoded a 272-amino-acid polypeptide (molecular mass, 29,715 daltons), was thought to be a proline 4-hydroxylase gene. The gene was expressed in E. coli as a fused protein with the N-terminal 34 amino acids of the β-galactosidase α-fragment. The E. coli recombinant exhibited proline 4-hydroxylase activity that was 13.6-fold higher than the activity in the original strain, Dactylosporangium sp. strain RH1. No homology was detected with other 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases when databases were searched; however, the histidine motif conserved in 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases was found in the gene.
OBJECTIVE To analyze pituitary adenoma volume changes after gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) in patients with 3 years of follow-up and to investigate factors that might affect these changes. METHODS Between January 1997 and March 2004, a total of 1930 patients were treated in the Gamma Knife Unit of the Marmara University Department of Neurosurgery in Istanbul, Turkey. Three hundred sixty of these patients had pituitary adenomas (PAs). This prospectively designed clinical study documents the radiological-volumetric analysis for the first 100 of these patients with PAs who had a minimum of 3 years of follow-up and met the study requirements. Each tumor was assessed with serial magnetic resonance imaging scans after radiosurgery; at each time point, adenoma volume was expressed as a percentage of the tumor's initial volume. Volume changes were investigated relative to margin dose, the cavernous sinus infiltration, and endocrinological type of adenoma. RESULTS At the end of the first year after GKRS, the PA volumes had decreased to approximately 90% of the initial volume on average. The corresponding approximate averages for the ends of Years 2 and 3 were 80 and 70% of the initial volume, respectively. At 3 years after GKRS, the PAs in the group with a peripheral dose of less than 17 Gy were reduced to approximately 80% of the initial volume on average. In contrast, the tumors in the patients with marginal doses of 21 to 23 Gy were reduced to approximately 60% of the initial volume at this stage. The adenomas treated with the highest marginal doses (>27 Gy) showed the earliest volume decreases after GKRS (6–9 mo after the procedure). Cavernous sinus noninfiltrating adenomas showed greater volume decreases after GKRS; on average, these masses were reduced to approximately 50% of their initial volume at 3 years. In contrast, the PAs that had infiltrated the cavernous sinus had only dropped to approximately 80% of their initial volume at this stage. The growth hormone-secreting PAs showed the maximum volume decrease with GKRS. On average, these lesions were approximately 60% of their initial volume at the 3-year stage. The nonfunctioning tumors and the prolactin-secreting adenomas showed similar volume changes over time. On average, these tumors had dropped to approximately 75 and 70% of the initial volume, respectively, by 3 years after GKRS. CONCLUSION Gamma knife radiosurgery halts the growth of pituitary adenomas. Cavernous sinus extension and margin dose are the most important determinants of adenoma volume after this type of therapy.
A derivative-free approach based on a hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) is proposed to estimate a mixed model–based ground motion prediction equation (attenuation relationship) with several variance components. First, a simplex search algorithm (SSA) is used to reduce the search domain to improve the convergence speed. Then, a genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to obtain the regression coefficients and the uncertainties of a predictive equation in a unified framework using one-stage maximum-likelihood estimation. The proposed HGA results in a predictive equation that best fits a given ground motion data set. The proposed HGA is able to handle changes in the functional form of the equation. To demonstrate the solution quality of the proposed HGA, the regression coefficients and the uncertainties of a test function based on a simulated ground motion data set are obtained. Then, the proposed HGA is applied to fit two functional attenuation forms to an actual data set of ground motion. For illustration, the results of the HGA are compared with those used by previous conventional methods. The results indicate that the HGA is an appropriate algorithm to overcome the shortcomings of the previous methods and to provide reliable and stable solutions.
This article will appraise the increase in economic concentration since World War II and the impact of mergers upon the growth of leading firms and upon industrial concentration. It will also assess the capacity of large firms for internal development and raise the question: Is growing industrial concentration inevitable? Finally, the article will focus on policy issues having to do with the capacity of antitrust to cope with rising concentration and the apparent need of new approaches to the problems presented by the preemption of what are termed "the instruments of growth" by a limited number of large corporations.
Multivariate normal mixtures provide a flexible method of fitting high-dimensional data. It is shown that their topography, in the sense of their key features as a density. can be analyzed rigorously in lower dimensions by use of a ridgeline manifold that contains all critical points, as well as the ridges of the density. A plot of the elevations on the ridgeline shows the key features of the mixed density. In addition. by use of the ridgeline, we uncover a function that determines the number of modes of the mixed density when there are two components being mixed. A followup analysis then gives a curvature function that can be used to prove a set of modality theorems.
There are not many studies that analyze the quality of phoneme articulation in students with cerebral palsy who have a cognitive deficit. Studies on articulation abilities in the context of cerebral palsy usually included subjects without cognitive deficits. The aim of this paper was to determine the quality of phoneme articulation in students with cerebral palsy combined with intellectual disability, as well as its relation to age and gender of the participants. The sample consisted of 33 patients with cerebral palsy with combined mild intellectual disability, aged seven to ten years and eleven months (M=8.91; SD=0.947), of both genders. Triage articulation test, which determines the quality of phoneme articulation in the Serbian language (Kostic, Vladisavljevic, 1983), was used for data collecting. The participants achieved the best quality of articulation in pronouncing vowels, and the worst in pronouncing phonemes from the group of fricatives. One-way analysis of variance showed no significant differences between the quality of phoneme articulation in the Serbian language and calendar age of the participants (F=1.061, p=0.508). Although boys from the tested sample showed a higher quality of articulated phonemes, that quality was not on the level of statistical significance with regard to the quality of articulated phonemes in girls (F=0.746, p=0.727). The results indicate significant difficulties in phoneme articulation in these students, who were three to seven years behind compared to the expected quality typical of certain age.
Vitamin D is a steroid hormone of great importance in the human body. It is produced in the skin from 7-dehydrocholesterol, upon UV radiation. In order to exert its functions, vitamin D has to be hydroxylated (via CYP27A1 and CYP27B1 hydroxylases), which is followed by its interaction with the vitamin D receptor (VDR) or retinoic acid-related orphan receptors α or γ (RORα and RORγ). By binding with the vitamin D response elements (VDRE) located in the promoter regions, the vitamin D ligand-receptor complex may regulate vitamin D-related genes. Recently, vitamin D has acquired a great interest for its plausible association with cancer development. This review discusses the potential role of vitamin D, its analogues, and enzymes involved in its metabolism with breast cancer incidence and outcome. According to the literature, alterations in the vitamin D endocrine system, both at the mRNA and protein level, have an impact on breast cancer incidence and prognosis. Moreover, specific enzymes participating in vitamin D metabolism may serve as therapeutic targets. Notably, treatment with vitamin D analogues also gives promising results in experimental research. However, given the fact that breast cancer is heterogenous disease, further studies are needed to thoroughly elucidate the potential of vitamin D and enzymes involved in its metabolism in breast cancer development, progression and therapy. Therefore, plausible effects of vitamin D in cancer therapy or prevention have been the principal aim of numerous studies.
In this paper, I assess the analysis of vagueness of objects in terms of the theory of constitution with respect to the notion of vague identity . Some proponents of the constitution theory see it as an advantage of their account that analysing the spatial and temporal vagueness of objects in terms of the relation of vague constitution avoids commitment to vague identity, which is seen as a controversial notion . I argue that even though the constitution theory may plausibly be applied to the phenomenon of vague boundaries, it fails to account fully for other cases of spatial and temporal vagueness . There are what I call ‘mid-extension’ vagueness cases, in which the tools of the constitution theory applied in the analysis of boundary vagueness are insufficient to avoid commitment to vague identity . key words: Constitution, persistence, vague objects, vague identity . According to the constitution theory, there is a unique relation of constitution which relates persisting composite objects to the pieces of material that they are made from . The relation is typically invoked to account for the possibility of objects’ changing by losing and gaining parts and to explain some puzzles of material constitution . But several philosophers have also utilized the relation to account for certain kinds of vagueness . In particular, it has been used to provide a metaphysical, as opposed to linguistic, account of vague objects, that is, objects with vague boundaries and vague parts . Vague objects, metaphysically conceived, are controversial postulates, because, it has been argued, their existence would entail the possibility of vague identity, an allegedly incoherent concept . Some proponents of the constitution theory claim, however, that locating the vagueness of objects in the constitution relation can make sense of the idea of vague boundaries and parts without the troubling entailment of vague identity . In this paper I argue that the claims of the proponents of the constitution theory are only plausible with respect to 6 Prolegomena 18 (1) 2019 vague boundaries . But objects are also affected by what I call ‘mid-extension’ vagueness and it seems that the constitution relation cannot account for this phenomenon . The proponents either have to deny vagueness in these cases, account for it in an unsystematic way, or accept vague identity and defend its coherence . The relation of constitution Constitution is a relation that, according to its proponents, holds between an object and the piece of material from which it is made .1 Typically, the constituted object is taken to be a macro-object persisting over time, such as a bronze statue, clay pot, plastic cup or animal (with the latter category including human beings) . The constituted objects need not, however, be limited to macro-objects . As long as the object is composite and persists, as a result of which it can gain and lose its parts, it will be constituted by some material .2 The constituting object is usually considered to be the piece of material from which the macro-object is made – a piece of bronze, a lump of clay, a piece of plastic or organic tissue . To avoid referring to specific kinds of material and instead refer to the ultimate constituents, philosophers often speak generally of aggregates of matter . The constitution relation is an irreflexive, asymmetrical relation, whereby the constituting object shares matter with the constituted object without being identical to it . A number of philosophers have appealed to or defended the relation of constitution .3 One of the most recent and elaborate accounts of constitution is provided by Baker: let “F*x” stand for “x has F as its primary kind property” and likewise for other predicate variables . (C*) x constitutes y at t = df . There are distinct primary-kind properties F and G and G-favorable circumstances such that:
Iran is the land of miraculous energy types including wide range of renewable types of energy. In spite of these potentials however, little use has so far been made of these energy types mainly due to unfamiliarity and lack of scientific and technological dominance, and also the absence of necessary funds for conducting respective projects and plans. The most important reason behind this negligence is the lack of an independent and comprehensive law for clean energies, which serves as a firm support for development and usage of new energy types while possessing adequate implementation guarantee. Once formulated, the law becomes indispensable and is expected to remove and eliminate all the existing defects in the society and help improve the international policies and programs aimed at the global sustainable development using clean energies. Since the existing clean energy laws in Iran are so scattered and just imply this important subject in one or two simple clauses, this article seeks to identify the shortcomings and determine the need to formulate an independent legal framework, which responds to the current social needs, via a comparative study of the laws and regulations regarding clean energies in Germany, Italy, China and Iran, which indicates the legal status of the issue in these countries.
Wireless sensor network (WSN) is a network consist of multiple sensor nodes which sense and transmit data to a base station for data collection. Since the nodes in WSN are battery powered devices and nodes loss energy mostly due to transmission, an energy efficient routing protocol is needed to reduce the nodes energy consumption and prolong the network lifetime. However, existing routing protocols produce some drawbacks such as selection of cluster head with low residual energy and formation of different sizes of cluster which leads to uneven energy consumption among the nodes. Therefore, an Ant Colony Optimization based Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH-ACO) protocol for energy efficient transmission in WSN is proposed in this paper. This research aims to develop a routing protocol that utilize the existing LEACH routing protocol to improve the performance of WSN and prolong the lifetime of the network. The results showed that LEACH-ACO protocol outperformed Direct Transmission (DT) and LEACH protocol in terms of network lifetime, energy consumption and energy per transmission.
Strength anisotropy is found by tensile and compressive tests for a drawn pearlite steel wire, where the compressive tests are performed for prepared specimens along directions of 0, 45 and 90 degrees with respect to the drawing direction. The influence of annealing on such anisotropic strength is also examined. To make clear the origin of the strength anisotropy, texture and residual strain are measured using neutron diffraction. It is revealed that residual stresses in the ferrite and cementite phases are the cause of strength anisotropy.
We have investigated the electronic and magnetic properties of Co-doped Pr0.8Ca0.2MnO3 thin films using various spectroscopic techniques. X-ray absorption and hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy revealed that the substituted Co ions are in the divalent state, resulting in hole doping on the Mn atoms. Studies of element-selective magnetic properties by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism found a large orbital magnetic moment for the Co ions. These spectroscopic studies reveal that the substituted Co ions play several roles of hole doping for Mn, ferromagnetic superexchange coupling between the Co2+ and Mn4+ ions, and orbital magnetism of the Co2+ ions. Competition among these complex interactions produces the unique electronic and magnetic behaviors including enhanced coercivity of the Co-doped Pr0.8Ca0.2MnO3.
Corruption is a long-standing social problem in which, men and women that do not feel part of it, despite the high rates presented by International Transparency and Mexican Transparency. One of the difficulties is to identify corruption beyond the actions taken by politicians and public officials. Studies (Zalpa, 2011; Lomnitz, 2000; Bautista, 2009: Tapia, 2011) have shown that corruption is so integrated into the culture that becomes “normal” for its society. Fighting corruption has to start with visualizing the problem and visualizing the participation of all of us in it. In the research study “Corrupcion y jovenes” (Corruption and youth), 500 university students expressed their opinion about corruption in Mexico, its frequency, and their participation in actions related to this. Men and women were part of this research to answer the question established by the title of the work. The analysis of this research is complemented with information obtained from the online course “El que no transa, ?no avanza?” (If you do not cheat, can’t you move on?).
Abstract A novel hybrid resonator consists of right handed patch+composite right and left handed transmission line (RH+CRLH) is proposed for the first time aiming at both compactness and frequency manipulation. A demonstration with theoretical dispersion relations and EM simulation is provided for the correctness and efficiency. According to the new method, an ultra-small and dualband antenna operating around 2.4 GHz (n=0, Bluetooth band) and 3.5 GHz (n=+1, Wimax band) is designed, fabricated and measured, whose occupied area is only of 0.158λ0×$$ ,{{ rm{{ lambda _0}}  times}}$$0.08λ0$$ ,{{ lambda _0}}$$. Numerical and experimental results indicate that the antenna exhibits a good impendence match, low cross-polarization and comparable radiation gains in both bands. Excellent performances of the antennas based on hybrid resonators predict promising applications in multifunction wireless communication systems.
OBJECTIVES: Childhood obesity and bullying both are pervasive public health problems. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between childhood obesity and being bullied in third, fifth, and sixth grades while testing for potential confounding and moderation. METHODS: A total of 821 children who were participating in the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (50% male, 81% white, 17% obese, 15% overweight in third grade) were studied. Generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the relationship between child weight status and the odds of being bullied as reported by child, mother, and teacher, accounting for repeated measures and adjusting for grade level in school, child gender, child race, family income-to-needs ratio, school racial and socioeconomic composition, and mother- and teacher-reported child social skills and child academic achievement. RESULTS: In sixth grade, 33.9%, 44.5%, and 24.9% of the children were reported to be bullied per teacher-, mother-, and self-report, respectively. There was a significant independent association between being obese and being bullied (odds ratio: 1.63 [95% confidence interval: 1.18–2.25]). The relationship between being obese and being bullied was attenuated but not eliminated by all covariates except gender. The relationship was not moderated by any of the covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Children who are obese are more likely to be bullied, regardless of a number of potential sociodemographic, social, and academic confounders. No protective factors were identified. Effective interventions to reduce bullying of obese children need to be identified.
Active replication on top of a structured peer-to-peer overlay is an attractive solution for transparently providing high availability to distributed applications. However, self-healing is necessary to ensure the availability of the replicated application despite node arrivals, failures or departures in the overlay. Self-healing means to automatically reconfigure the replica groups when changes in the overlay occur. In the case of active replication, reconfigurations must be done carefully, to keep the replicas consistency. Moreover, as every reconfiguration could imply a state transfer between replicas, their number should be limited. In this paper we propose a self-healing solution that limits the number of group reconfigurations and ensures the availability of the replicated application in a dynamic environment. To evaluate the performance of our solution, we implemented it in a framework, called Semias, in the context of Vigne grid middleware. Experiments run on Grid'5000 and Planet Lab show the performance of the framework and the efficiency of our self-healing mechanisms in a dynamic environment.
Halogens are primarily located within surface reservoirs of the Earth; as such they have proven to be effective tracers for the identification of subducted volatiles within the mantle. Subducting lithologies exhibit a wide variety of halogen compositions, yet the mantle maintains a fairly uniform signature, suggesting halogens may be homogenized during subduction to the mantle or during eruption. Here we present halogen (Cl, Br, and I), K, noble gas, and major and trace element data on olivines from three seamounts along the Hawaiian‐Emperor seamount chain to determine if the deep mantle source has retained evidence of halogen heterogeneities introduced through subduction. High Ni contents indicate that the Hawaiian‐Emperor mantle source contains a recycled oceanic crust component in the form of pyroxenite, which increases from the 46% in the oldest (Detroit) to 70% in the younger seamount (Koko). Detroit seamount retains mid‐ocean ridge basalts (MORB)‐like Br/Cl and I/Cl, while the Br/Cl and I/Cl of Suiko and Koko seamounts are higher than MORB and similar to altered oceanic crust and dehydrated serpentinite. Helium isotopes show a similar evolution, from MORB‐like values at Detroit seamount toward higher values at Suiko and Koko seamounts. The correlation between pyroxenite contributions, Br/Cl, I/Cl, and 3He/4He indicates that subducted material has been incorporated into the primordial undegassed Hawaiian mantle plume source. The identification of recycled oceanic crustal signatures in both the trace elements and halogens indicates that subduction and dehydration of altered oceanic crust may exert control on the cycling of volatile elements to the deep mantle.
As a K-strategist and comparatively sedentary species, the lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros is considered sensitive to changes in habitat quality. Knowledge of the species' dietary requirements and use of foraging habitats is thus considered an essential prerequisite to manage its habitats adequately. Based on four large annual samples of faecal pellets from three different nursery colonies, including two consecutive years of sampling from one colony, we studied the diet of Central German populations of R. hipposideros. Consistent with findings of similar studies carried out in other parts of the distribution range of R. hipposideros, in our study, Diptera, Lepidoptera, and Neuroptera represented the most important groups of prey for the studied colonies. However, Hemiptera made a comparatively larger contribution in our study than in others, and so did Hymenoptera in one of the colonies. We found seasonal compositional variation in all four annual samples, as well as compositional variation between samples from different colonies, but not between the two annual samples obtained in consecutive years from the same colony. Differences between colonies appeared at least to some extent to reflect differences in availability of foraging habitats. Our results are thus in agreement with the assumption of R. hipposideros being a largely opportunistic, generalist forager. Our findings are also consistent with a known preference by R. hipposideros of woodland as main foraging habitat, as previously established by other studies carried out in the northern part of the distribution range. However, the relative importance of Hemiptera, and in particular of Psyllidae, at certain times during the foraging season, suggests that the Central German colonies of R. hipposideros might have utilized commercial orchards and private fruit gardens for foraging during seasonal peaks in abundance of pest species of fruit trees. The implied ability of R. hipposideros to respond to seasonal abundance peaks of particular groups of prey in a range of habitats suggests that structural diversity might be key in maintaining viable populations of this species. The potential importance of orchards and fruit gardens in regions where such habitats are prevalent is likely to have relevant management implications.
ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to describe and analyze subjective sexual well-being in terms of emotional and cognitive evaluation of the individual's sexual function in adult Norwegians. The results from this study are based on 1,671 Web interviews among 18- to 67-year-olds randomly selected from Synovate's eBase. A total of 4,285 persons in the Web panel were asked to participate, yielding a response-rate of 39%. The results showed that sexual well-being decreased with increasing age and the number of years married or cohabiting. Young women were more satisfied than young men, and older men were more satisfied than older women. The presence of sexual problems heavily inflicted sexual well-being, as well as living with a partner or not. Subjective sexual well-being was also related to the person's habitualized negative or positive thinking about oneself. In a therapeutic context, restoring sexual function and increasing the client's self-esteem may be the way to increased sexual well-being.
The Commonwealth of Independent States is struggling to create a central military command at the same time that individual members of the Commonwealth are forging their own national armies. Although the former task appears to be more daunting, the difficulties in creating stable, functional territorial armies should not be underestimated. Difficulties will arise because the states themselves are multinational in makeup and will have to contend with ethnic problems among their servicemen. Utilizing data from a survey of former Soviet citizens, the author tested two competing hypotheses about the impact of the Soviet military on ethnic relations in the now defunct Soviet empire in order to increase understanding of some of the difficulties that the newly independent states will confront as they establish their own militaries. The impact of ethnic tensions on military performance was also examined. The results provide no basis for claims that the Soviet military either exacerbated or mitigated ethnic conflict. However, ethnic relations had a profound impact on military performance. This article discusses the implications of these findings for the successor states to the Soviet Union.
Micro-mobility protocols aim to improve localized mobility by reducing the handover overhead. The mobility plane architecture (MPA) was designed to support micro-mobility in standard IP or MPLS/GMPLS networks in a network-centric way: that is, the burden demanded by micro-mobility is placed on the network, not on the mobile nodes. The aim of this paper is to present some insights on performance evaluation for micro-mobility architectures, using the MPA network implementation as a testbed. Experimental results show it is necessary to consider the type of mobile node when evaluating a micro-mobility scenario. Hardware and software aspects may affect the nodepsilas interaction with the micro-mobility protocols / architectures. The results show the importance of considering (not neglecting) L2 and L3 association times because they can affect all procedures involving new associations (such as registration and handover). Proposed models for evaluating mobile architectures consider as irrelevant the times for L2 attachment to a new base station and acquisition of a new IP address for the mobile node, which results in an overestimate of the performance for the mobile architecture.
1. The effect of an 18, 30 or 40 h fast on the rate of purine biosynthesis de novo as measured by the incorporation of [ 14 C]formate into formylglycinamide ribonucleotide during azaserine block has been examined in the rat spleen. 2. There is a reproducible fall in the rate of purine biosynthesis de novo during fasting. Values at 40 h were approximately one-third of the values in the colony-fed non-fasted animals. 3. Re-feeding animals with an amino acid mixture by stomach tube partially reversed the inhibition of purine synthesis induced by a 40 h fast.
Simulation is a very powerful tool that helps evaluate the impact of business decisions on performance in an uncertain environment. OptQuest is an optimization tool of crystal ball, which can define random variables easily and display the result graphically. In this paper, the impact of quick response strategy on the performance is modeled and analyzed. To illustrate the issues, consider an example and compare the impact of different ordering policies using OptQuest simulation. Studies have shown that quick response had a positive impact on the performance. It can be seen from the process of modeling and optimization, OptQuest is an inexpensive way to test different actions and identify the most effective decision given an uncertain future.
This research assesses the trade competitiveness of BRICS nations during the period 2001-2017. The ultimate aim of the study is to investigate the effects of economic integration in enhancing the trade competitiveness of member countries. Various price and non-price measures that carry information on trade competitiveness are computed and their relative importance is analyzed. The findings of the research demonstrate the asymmetric pattern of trade development in BRICS region even after the formation of group. The benefits under integration are more country specific and in particular, the partnership favors more to the growth of China and India. Surprisingly, the research finds the loosely linked stock markets as and real exchange markets in BRICS that acclaims the lack of consensus among market regulators in their intervention policies.
Detailed anatomical labeling of bronchial trees extracted from CT images can be used as fine-grained maps for intra-operative navigation. To cater to the sparse distribution of airway voxels and large class imbalance in 3D image space, a graph-neural-network-based method is proposed to map branches to nodes in a graph space and assign anatomical labels down to subsegmental level. To address the inherent problem of overlapping distribution of positional and morphological features, especially for subsegmental categories, the proposed method focuses on the relative position between sibling subsegments which is fixed in most cases. The hierarchical nomenclature is represented by multi-level labeling and each category is associated with one or two subtrees in the graph. Hyperedges are used to extract the representation of subtrees while a hypergraph neural network is developed to encode their intrinsic relationship through hyperedge interaction. A filter module is further designed to guide feature aggregation between nodes and hyperedges. With the proposed method, the final accuracies for segmental and subsegmental node classification can achieve 93.6% and 82.0% respectively. The corresponding code is publicly available at https://github.com/haozheng-sjtu/airway-labeling.
Congenital bronchial atresia (CBA) is a rare airway malformation. No management guidelines exist because of limited evidence: treatment, surgical or conservative, is based on consensus and opinion. Objective: To review the experience of a pediatric tertiary center and provide additional data about nonsurgical management of CBA and its outcomes after a structured follow‐up, and to help formulate appropriate evidence‐based guidelines.
Background and Objectives  Autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation has recently become a standard therapeutic approach to virus‐related or infected haematological malignancies. Collection, manipulation, storage and thawing of leukapheresis products in this subset of patients require strict monitoring to prevent infection risk for operators and risk of contamination for other stored bags.
Abstract: This chapter provides a review of the manpower, fuel supply and economic considerations associated with ageing management (AM) and plant life management (PLiM) programmes in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The chapter underlines the sound economic value of implementing standard operational practices (OPs), ageing surveillance programmes (ASPs), AM and PLiM in a timely manner. These approaches are used not only to assure safe, profitable and reliable operation, but also to put NPPs in a favourable position to continue operation in excess of their original design lifetimes. The business case demands that the costs involved in investing in the repair, refurbishment, replacement of systems, structures and components (SSCs) will have to be amortized over the plant’s operation lifetime. Power uprates (PUs) in NPPs are shown as a way to further increase profits. Long-term operation (LTO) is identified as a sound economical way in which NPP stakeholders can amortize costs over a longer time period and make additional operational profits.
Significant advances in fluorescence microscopy tend be a balance between two competing qualities wherein improvements in resolution and low light detection are typically accompanied by losses in acquisition rate and signal-to-noise, respectively. These trade-offs are becoming less of a barrier to biomedical research as recent advances in optoelectronic microscopy and developments in fluorophore chemistry have enabled scientists to see beyond the diffraction barrier, image deeper into live specimens, and acquire images at unprecedented speed. Selective plane illumination microscopy has provided significant gains in the spatial and temporal acquisition of fluorescence specimens several mm in thickness. With commercial systems now available, this method promises to expand on recent advances in 2-photon deep-tissue imaging with improved speed and reduced photobleaching compared to laser scanning confocal microscopy. Superresolution microscopes are also available in several modalities and can be coupled with selective plane illumination techniques. The combination of methods to increase resolution, acquisition speed, and depth of collection are now being married to common microscope systems, enabling scientists to make significant advances in live cell and in situ imaging in real time. We show that light sheet microscopy provides significant advantages for imaging live zebrafish embryos compared to laser scanning confocal microscopy.
We present an example of the use of self-assembly of biomolecules to create nanostructured building blocks. The resulting individual compartments can be tailored to fulfil specific functions: catalysis of a chemical reaction in a confined environment, detection on a molecular level and feedback with the outside. For example, such individually designed components can be assembled to build up macroscopic chemically active filters. The main component is membrane channels acting as molecular sieves, able to control the permeation across the capsule wall. We introduce briefly a new microdevice to characterise membrane channels with a future potential for high-throughput screening of channel properties based on automation, parallelisation and the use of microfluidics. Subsequently, we outline a possible application for channel-forming proteins: encapsulation of charged polymers or proteins into liposomes and restriction of diffusion through transmembrane channels to small ions, creating a Donnan potential. This Donnan potential can be used for external manipulation of nanocontainers by coupling of the capsule to an external electric field, or for the selective uptake of small charged molecules into the capsule.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report research undertaken in developing improved understandings of players' interaction and emotional experience of electronic gaming.Design/methodology/approach – The research explores a variety of techniques designed to explore user/player insights into interaction, through consideration of user satisfaction, engagement or immersion. Non‐invasive eye tracking technology is used to augment data derived from these more traditional approaches to the assessment of emotional responses. It is postulated by the authors that from this exploration of insights related to usability, improved games level learning and recognition of new inherent revenue opportunities based around in‐game advertising, will be better understood.Findings – As the number of participants in this pilot study is small it is perhaps too early to draw firm conclusions from the data collected. However, the study does establish that it is technically possible to configure the eye‐tracker and ancillary...
To further investigate the altered function of Ca2+ channels in vascular muscle cells in hypertension, a novel fluorescently labeled dihydropyridine was used with ultrahigh-sensitivity photometry to study dihydropyridine binding sites on the surface membrane of living vascular muscle cells from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats and their normotensive controls. Fluorescent nitrobenzoxadiazol-6-dihydropyridine in concentrations of 1 to 100 nmol/L bound specifically to vascular muscle cells' Ca2+ channels, and was displaced by the unlabeled dihydropyridine analogue or nisoldipine (10 mumol/L). Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat vascular muscle cells showed significantly decreased binding of nitrobenzoxadiazol-6-dihydropyridine compared with normotensive National Institutes of Health rats. Decreased binding of dihydropyridine by vascular muscle cells from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (cells that in other studies show increased Ca2+ channel function) indicates a change in channel regulation that is possibly due to a deficiency in the inactivation mechanism, consistent with our earlier electrophysiological studies reporting deficiencies in Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation in genetic hypertension. These data demonstrate decreased numbers of localized sites of dihydropyridine binding on the sarcolemma of living vascular muscle cells, and support the hypothesis that Ca2+ channel alterations may significantly contribute to the molecular etiology of genetic hypertension.
This study investigated whether attentional bias toward homosexual couples differs as a function of the manipulation of perceived entitativity, the degree to which group members are perceived to share common values and pursue common goals. Across two experiments, heterosexual college students were randomly assigned to read statements that suggested that homosexual and heterosexual couples were either high or low in entitativity. Following this task, 199 participants completed a dot probe task in Experiment 1 and electroencephalogram (EEG) activity was recorded for 74 participants in Experiment 2 to measure the implicit attentional processing that resulted from viewing pictures of gay, lesbian, and straight couples. Results indicated that participants exposed to low entitativity statements directed less behavioral and neural attention toward gay relative to straight couples compared to those exposed to high entitativity statements. Given the apparent malleability of attentional biases, future research should strive to better understand the factors involved in reducing attentional bias, and by extension, discriminatory behaviors toward minority groups.
A new numerical evaluation scheme is developed of the Green function which is essential in the boundary-value problem of the motions of a ship with forward speed in waves. The single integral expression derived by Bessho' is used and its integration is performed along the path of steepest descent on which the integrand does not oscillate. Using this numerical steepest-descent method, we can evaluate the Green function with less computing time as well as enough accuracy, even if both of the field and source points are close to the free surface.With this efficient scheme incorporated in the panel method, radiation and diffraction problems are solved for a submerged spheroid. Convergence and accuracy of the solution are numerically checked by increasing the number of discretized panels on the body.In the radiation problem, contributions of the steady perturbation potential to the body boundary condition and to the unsteady pressure are consistently taken into account. These effects on the added-mass and damping coefficients are investigated by comparing the obtained results with another numerical results taking only the unform-flow contribution into consideration. In the diffraction problem, computations are performed for the wave exciting forces and the diffraction wave pattern on the free surface. These computed results are compared with corresponding experiments measured by the authors, and found to be in favorable agreement.
A particularly elusive puzzle concerning the hippocampus is how the structural differences along its long anteroposterior axis might beget meaningful functional differences, particularly in terms of the granularity of information processing. One measure posits to quantify this granularity by calculating the average statistical independence of the BOLD signal across neighboring voxels, or intervoxel similarity (IVS), and has shown the anterior hippocampus to process coarser-grained information than the posterior hippocampus. This measure, however, has yielded opposing results in studies of developmental and healthy aging samples, which also varied in fMRI acquisition parameters and hippocampal parcellation methods. To reconcile these findings, we measured IVS across two separate resting-state fMRI acquisitions and compared the results across many of the most widely used parcellation methods in a large young-adult sample of male and female humans (Acquisition 1, N = 233; Acquisition 2, N = 176). Finding conflicting results across acquisitions and parcellations, we reasoned that a data-driven approach to hippocampal parcellation is necessary. To this end, we implemented a group masked independent components analysis to identify functional subunits of the hippocampus, most notably separating the anterior hippocampus into separate anterior-medial, anterior-lateral, and posteroanterior-lateral components. Measuring IVS across these components revealed a decrease in IVS along the medial-lateral axis of the anterior hippocampus but an increase from anterior to posterior. We conclude that intervoxel similarity is deeply affected by parcellation and that grounding one's parcellation in a functionally informed approach might allow for a more complex and reliable characterization of the hippocampus. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Processing information along hierarchical scales of granularity is critical for many of the feats of cognition considered most human. Recently, the changes in structure, cortical connectivity, and apparent functional properties across parcels of the hippocampal long axis have been hypothesized to underlie this hierarchical gradient in information processing. We show here, however, that the choice of parcellation method itself drastically affects one particular measure of granularity across the hippocampus and that a functionally informed approach to parcellation reveals gradients both within the anterior hippocampus and in nonlinear form across the long axis. These results point to the issue of parcellation as a critical one in the study of the hippocampus and reorient interpretation of existing results.
Objectives: To evaluate plasmatic arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels in patients undergoing scheduled conventional abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Methods: Plasmatic AVP concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay in 22 non-consecutive adult patients undergoing infra-renal AAA repair. They were under combined general and epidural anesthesia at the following time frames: 1 - pre-operative (T0); 2 - 2h (T1) and 6h (T2) after the surgical procedure; 3 - in the morning at the first (T3), second (T4) and third (T5) post-operative days. Some clinical and laboratory variables were also recorded. Results: The mean age of patients was 68±10 years; 17 were males. Plasmatic AVP (mean±SD; pg/mL) was within the normal range at T0 (1.4±0.7; baseline), increasing significantly at T1 (62.6±62.9; P<0.001) and at T2 (31.5±49.7; P<0.001), with a progressive fall, returning to basal levels at T5 (2.1±3.8; P=NS). Positive and statistically significant correlations were found between AVP and glycemia, serum lactate and white blood cells counts, but not with systemic arterial pressure or plasma osmolarity during the postoperative period. Conclusions: Considering that no correlations were found between AVP levels and hemodynamic or plasmatic osmolarity variations in AAA repair, it seems that stress
Summary  The metabolism of [1,3-14C] acetone by plant tissues has been examined. Under the experimental conditions used, 14C of methyl labelled acetone was rapidly incorporated into CO2, organic acids, amino acids, lipids and into the insoluble residue. In pea cotyledons and beet leaves, acetate and formate together contained the bulk of the radioactivity of the organic acid fraction. The possibility is discussed that acetone, accumulating during the early stages of germination in peas may be subsequently metabolized as seedling development takes place.
Crystallographic, magnetic, and electrical properties of Ca1−ySryRu1−xMnxO3 were investigated. The lattice parameters decrease with increasing Mn content without following Vegard’s law. Ferromagnetism with the Curie temperature TC higher than 200K occurs when the Ru site is replaced by Mn (x>0.3), and the TC and the magnetization have a maximum at x=0.6–0.7. The occurrence of the ferromagnetism was explained assuming mixed valence states of Mn3+, Mn4+, Ru4+, and Ru5+ ions. Furthermore, TC increased when the Ca site is replaced by Sr. The enhancement of TC seems to be due to a change in the crystal symmetry caused by the Sr substitution. The maximum TC=275K was marked for specimen of Ca0.5Sr0.5Ru0.4Mn0.6O3.
The impact of alternative river basin development strategies is examined from a multicriterion viewpoint using the ELECTRE I and II techniques. The main stem of the Santa Cruz River in the vicinity of Tucson, Arizona is taken as a case study. A systematic formulation of the problem is provided leading to an array of 25 alternative systems versus 13 criteria, only 5 of which are quantified. A procedure for ranking these alternatives is presented which uses ELECTRE I to obtain preference graphs as input into ELECTRE II, which is then used to obtain the ordering. Sensitivity analysis shows that changing the weights assigned to each criterion has a greater effect on the results than does changing the scales. However, neither effect is very significant. It is recommended that ELECTRE I be used for screening purposes to narrow the set of alternatives under consideration. ELECTRE II can then be applied to this reduced set to obtain a complete ordering. For the case study the preferred systems include reservoirs and channelization and the least preferred systems include new groundwater development.
Landsat Thematic Mapper digital data were used to conduct an analysis of the m ultiresource complex found within the P rovince of Catania, Sicily. Nineteen Anderson (USGS) Level I, 11, and I11 land use/land cover t ypes were selected to be studied and mapped. Spectral s ignatures c haracterizing t he land use/land cover t ypes were generated through interactive guided clustering of training sites representative of these types. Editing of the signatures r esulted in a total of 55 clusters being required to represent t he n ineteen cover t ypes of interest. Raw TM digital data were assigned to the land use/land cover types with a minimum distance to means classifier. Verification of the reliability of the classification is currently underway. However, the patterns seen in the classified image do seem to correspond to those observed in the field.
Despite the success of deep learning-based methods for hyperspectral mineral classification, it depends on large scale labelled data and for new data outside training set, it will result in misjudgment. And there are some problems, such as over fitting of local features and low generalization ability. To address this problem, we propose a method of build sample database based on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) spectral library. On this basis, mineral type recognition of hyperspectral data is carried out in the deep learning method. The mineral mapping experiments selected the AVIRIS hyperspectral data of the Cuprite mining area in Nevada. The overall accuracy reached 76.41 %. This method improves the generalization ability when the method is used in data outside training set and breaks through the dependency on labelled data. The efficiency and accuracy of mineral type identification are improved while maintaining high accuracy.
Original Research Article English is used in all fields of activity and plays an important role in professional areas such as business, tourism, science and technology. This situation has made English for Specific Purposes (ESP) a growing field in Frenchspeaking countries like Senegal and the need for ESP teachers is rapidly increasing in this part of the world. English is now taught in every college department with the goal to produce graduates who meet the requirements of their chosen field of study. Applied linguists have been exploring learners‘ needs in ESP in many parts of the world in order to design curricula that meet the job market‘s requirements. However, there has been less research focusing on the instructors‘ training needs. As a matter of fact, there is a big gap between the goals of the English instructional program and the learners‘ needs and expectations. In Senegal, graduates realize when they start looking for jobs that their level in English does not meet the labor market needs. Using a mixed-method approach, the purpose of this study is to determine whether the fact that Senegalese graduates are not able to communicate effectively in job situations is due to the instructors‘ lack of training or not. It also aims to identify the training needs of Senegalese EFL instructors working in content-specific areas in order to improve the teaching of ESP in Senegal.
Photoreflectance (PR) response at the E1 (2.9 eV) transition of GaAs doped with Si, Zn, and Be was investigated within the range of 1.5×1015 to 2×1019 cm−3. Growth technique was either metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We find that Γ1, the broadening parameter of the E1 structure increases linearly with the logarithm of the measured carrier concentration over the range of ≊1×1017 to ≊1×1019 cm−3. A slope of 56±5 meV/decade describes all Si:GaAs samples independent of growth technique. For p‐GaAs, the slope is 30±3 meV/decade over a comparable range and is independent of doping element as well as growth technique. This linear relation could be employed as a contactless means of determining carrier concentration. The energy position of E1 shows no significant shift in the above range. We believe that the broadening is a result of the doping produced, electric field within the depletion region.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a common ligand in transitionmetal chemistry. In organic chemistry, it is frequently used to introduce a C1 unit, although carbonylations, such as hydroformylation or the Pauson–Khand reaction, generally require a transition-metal catalyst, even for strained (and thus highly reactive) cyclic compounds. Only a few reports on the reactivity of CO towards compounds of main-group elements other than carbon are available. Although known since the pioneering work by Schlesinger and Burg in the 1930s, borane–CO adducts are usually unstable at room temperature. Only recently, Piers et al. reported a stable adduct between the very Lewis acidic perfluorinated pentaphenylborole and CO. The hydroborating Lewis acid (F5C6)2BH incorporates CO assisted by a alkenyl-functionalized phosphine in a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) mechanism. A B(C6F5)3-based FLP is capable of stoichiometric CO reduction with dihydrogen. A few coordinatively unsaturated and thus Lewis acidic organic species, such as transient triplet carbenes, and Bertrand s cyclic alkyl amino carbenes react with CO in the absence of transition metals, forming ketenes. Despite growing appreciation of the capability of main group species to activate small molecules, such as H2 and NH3, [10] reactions of stable low-valent compounds of the heavier elements with CO have not, to our knowledge, been reported. Transient silylene–CO adducts, however, have been observed in the gas phase and in cold matrices. We have recently shown that reactions of cyclotrisilenes with N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) reversibly afford cyclotrisilene–NHC adducts, which in the case of 1a can undergo reversible ring-opening to form a highly unsaturated NHCstabilized disilenylsilylene. Isonitriles also react with cyclotrisilenes, and, mindful of the isoelectronic relationship to CO, we became interested in the reactivity of the latter. Herein, we report the facile reaction of carbon monoxide with cyclotrisilenes in the absence of a catalyst to form highly functionalized cyclic silenes. Exposure of a benzene solution of cyclotrisilene 1a to 1 atm of CO at 25 8C results in precipitation of a yellow powder within a few hours, which owing to its insolubility cannot be characterized spectroscopically. A reaction for several days without stirring under otherwise identical conditions afforded bright yellow single crystals. Elemental analysis confirmed the incorporation of one equivalent of CO per molecule of 1a. X-ray crystallography revealed the product to be the tricyclic Brook-type bis(silene) 2a, formally arising from two molecules each of 1a and CO (Scheme 1, Figure 1). With a p-donating oxygen atom at carbon, 2a is reminiscent of donor-stabilized silenes with inverse polarization,
Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) offers promising innovations and tools for restructuring teaching-learning processes to prepare students for the emerging knowledge society. However, sufficient and reliable data have not been available concerning how the practices of CSCL fit in different school cultures, and how teachers with varying pedagogical and domain expertise and students with varying skills, attitudes and learning experiences are able to function with different network learning environments. This paper discusses the challenges of CSCL on the basis of intensive case studies conducted in Finnish elementary and secondary schools. The results of these studies indicate that in order to promote educational change and facilitate practices of collaboration at school with the new information and communication technology and CSCL, serious challenges have to be overcome. The analysis revealed challenges that can be categorized according to three dimensions: pedagogical, technical, and organizational. Focus of the article is on pedagogical challenges.
In this study wool follicle characteristics of Iranian sheep breeds were investigated. A total of 242 male and female sheep of different age from 5 breeds were studied. Samples of skin were taken from the right midside to determine follicle characteristics. Overall averages for males and females were 3.7±0.1 and 3.5±0.1 for S/P ratio; 3.2±0.1 and 3.6±0.1 for primary follicle density; 12.1±0.7 and 13.8±0.4 for secondary follicle density; 15.3±0.7 and 17.4±0.4 for total primary plus secondary follicle density; 2.3±0.2 and 3.5±0.3 for percentage of inactive secondary follicles. Significant differences were found in some follicle characteristics between sheep breeds. Results of this study showed that sheep breeds raised in different parts of Iran characterized by a low S/P ratio
ABSTRACT Routine vaccination has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 37% of countries reporting continuing disruptions to vaccination services into 2021. These programs have been faced with the challenges of achieving high vaccination coverage rates (VCRs), as well as identifying and vaccinating those who missed recommended doses since the pandemic began. Declines in VCRs, even for short periods, can lead to an increase in disease outbreaks, place additional pressure on health systems, and leave communities across the world at risk of death and disease from vaccine-preventable diseases. In the face of these disruptions, select governments are implementing promising approaches to address low VCRs, some of which represent innovative solutions to advance short-term, as well as longer-term program improvement. However, expanded action is urgently required to fully recover vaccination programs and strengthen vaccine system infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to modernize routine programs and corresponding infrastructure to meet today's and tomorrow's health challenges more effectively and efficiently. This can be achieved by prioritizing routine vaccination as an essential health service, improving access to vaccination across the life-course, strengthening data systems, ensuring sustainable immunization financing, and building confidence in vaccination.
The judgment of the drought threat and aphid harm of winter wheat can further improve the accuracy of monitoring disaster types based on hyperspectral remote sensing data.In this paper,the responses of the reflectance of winter wheat canopy to aphid harm(Macrosiphum avenae(Fabricius)) and the drought threat were monitored through controlling the different water treatments under the last phase of the wheat existent in the milk.The most sensitive spectral bands for recognizing aphid pest and drought threat of winter wheat were selected through first derivative data transformation.The experimental results show that,under aphid harm and drought threat,the changes of winter wheat's spectral characteristics in near-infrared band are significantly higher than those in visible light band during the last phase of the wheat existent in the milk.And the most sensitive spectral bands identifying aphid harm and drought threat are visible and near-infrared bands.After the first derivative data transformation,it is found that the slope of the red edge is the smallest when the natural precipitation treatment is less than 40%,and the slopes of the red edge of aphid harm become bigger and bigger when the water treatments of the irrigation amount are higher than 70%,60% ～ 70%,50% ～ 60% and 40% ～ 50% of water requirement,respectively.The red edge wavelength of aphid harm is the shortest,and the wavelengths of different water treatments become shorter with the increase of the drought stress.The red edge parameters can therefore serve as the important parameters for recognizing aphid harm and drought threat of winter wheat.
In a radio communication system using a frequency in the UHF and higher band, the fading due to change of the refractive index profile of the air is a significant problem which must be predicted. In this paper, an analysis using the geometrical optics theory is attempted to determine the propagation characteristics in a nonuniform air in which the refractive index varies in both height and range due to a small-scale nonuniform air mass occurring in the propagation path.        After the refractive index of atmosphere is modified by the Earth-flattening approximation, the Euler-Lagrange differential equation is solved directly by numerical means so that the ray path is determined. In regard to low-layer propagation with transmission and reception heights of less than several hundred meters, an air model was conceived in which a surface duct occurred in a part of the propagation path.        The relation of the location and size of the duct along the propagation path to the maximum arrival distance (line-of-sight) of the direct ray, divergence and convergence of the direct ray and the reflected ray and the arrival angle at the receiving point was studied in detail. It was found that the maximum arrival distance of the direct ray increases significantly depending on the location of the surface duct if it is small in size, the effect of the ray flux is greater on the convergence of the reflected ray than the divergence of the direct ray, and no significant change in arrival angle is seen at the receiving point for both the direct ray and the reflected ray.
ABSTRACT Since soils are natural and non-homogeneous materials, spatial variability of their properties has been recognised as one of the main sources of uncertainties affecting geotechnical analyses. However, soil testing is limited and the description and quantification of the resulting soil variability still remain largely subjective in practice. In this paper, anapproach is proposed to rationally evaluate the soil spatial variability using field data provided by a site investigation programme based on a lightweight dynamic cone penetrometer test. The first part deals with the boundary identification of statistically mechanical homogeneous soil units. The second part focuses on modelling spatial variability through 3D conditional random fields in the homogeneous soil units previously identified. This approach has been applied to and studied in a real site investigation carried out in an alluvial Mediterranean deltaic environment.
Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is an adaptor protein that induces the secretion of type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines and is triggered by cytosolic DNA of pathogen and host origins. Given that STING is a mediator in the immune system, pharmacological modulation of STING has shown viable therapeutic effects for pathogen infection, cancer and inflammatory diseases. In the past decade, the substantial development in this field has encouraged the discovery of STING modulators. Here, we will summarize the current understanding of STING structure, survey the status quo of STING modulators, compare established bioassay methods, review the chemical structures and bioactivities of agonists and inhibitors, and propose suggestions and insights for the future exploitation of STING modulators.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether four motives – conformity, enhancement, social and coping – mediate relationships between four personality types – agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism and openness to experience – and social networking site (SNS) addiction. Impulse control is included as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a survey to collect data at two points in time from 304 SNS users. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.FindingsEmpirical results show that conformity, enhancement and coping motives act as mediators between various personality types and SNS addiction. Furthermore, impulse control weakens the effects of two motives – enhancement and social – on SNS addiction.Research limitations/implicationsThe research model included only four motives. Future research could investigate other motivational mechanisms and moderators. The research method surveyed university students in the USA; thus, results may not generalize to a different user population. The method also included only one SNS, Facebook.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the literature by showing that motives of SNS use connect personality to SNS addiction. This study also shows that self-reflective factors like impulse control can reduce the positive effects of motives on SNS addiction.
Background After Zika virus (ZIKV) emerged in the Americas, laboratory-based surveillance for arboviral diseases in Puerto Rico was adapted to include ZIKV disease. Methods and findings Suspected cases of arboviral disease reported to Puerto Rico Department of Health were tested for evidence of infection with Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses by RT-PCR and IgM ELISA. To describe spatiotemporal trends among confirmed ZIKV disease cases, we analyzed the relationship between municipality-level socio-demographic, climatic, and spatial factors, and both time to detection of the first ZIKV disease case and the midpoint of the outbreak. During November 2015–December 2016, a total of 71,618 suspected arboviral disease cases were reported, of which 39,717 (55.5%; 1.1 cases per 100 residents) tested positive for ZIKV infection. The epidemic peaked in August 2016, when 71.5% of arboviral disease cases reported weekly tested positive for ZIKV infection. Incidence of ZIKV disease was highest among 20–29-year-olds (1.6 cases per 100 residents), and most (62.3%) cases were female. The most frequently reported symptoms were rash (83.0%), headache (64.6%), and myalgia (63.3%). Few patients were hospitalized (1.2%), and 13 (<0.1%) died. Early detection of ZIKV disease cases was associated with increased population size (log hazard ratio [HR]: -0.22 [95% confidence interval -0.29, -0.14]), eastern longitude (log HR: -1.04 [-1.17, -0.91]), and proximity to a city (spline estimated degrees of freedom [edf] = 2.0). Earlier midpoints of the outbreak were associated with northern latitude (log HR: -0.30 [-0.32, -0.29]), eastern longitude (spline edf = 6.5), and higher mean monthly temperature (log HR: -0.04 [-0.05, -0.03]). Higher incidence of ZIKV disease was associated with lower mean precipitation, but not socioeconomic factors. Conclusions During the ZIKV epidemic in Puerto Rico, 1% of residents were reported to public health authorities and had laboratory evidence of ZIKV disease. Transmission was first detected in urban areas of eastern Puerto Rico, where transmission also peaked earlier. These trends suggest that ZIKV was first introduced to Puerto Rico in the east before disseminating throughout the island.
Abstract Experimental studies showed that central polydactyly, syndactyly, and cleft hand might appear when the same teratogenic factor acts on embryos at the same developmental stage. These observations and some clinical cases support the concept that a common etiologic mechanism is involved in the development of these malformations. We report a clinical case that demonstrates the association previously observed in experimental studies. Here, a patient with unilateral nonsyndromic cleft hand, central polydactyly, first web syndactyly, osseous syndactyly between the ring and long fingers, and minor thumb hypoplasia was presented.
Based on some empirical facts about the Swiss system of cities, this paper offers a model for agglomerations consisting of several fiscally independent communities. Every community provides its residents with local public goods produced at U-shaped average cost curves. In addition, central cities supply their surrounding agglomerations with pure public goods and services. Due to fiscal inequivalence, suburban communities obtain a free ride from the central city. Within such a model, increased spending by central cities is shown to be the only cause for the observed flattening of density gradients.
LEONARDO, Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 374–375, 2005 ©2005 ISAST The first space art–related article in Leonardo, “On the Visual Fine Arts in the Space Age,” by Frank Malina, was published in 1970 [1]. Since then, something like 36 articles on this topic have been published by the journal. Why, then, do we suddenly feel the need for this editorial text to introduce the seven new articles to appear in 2005 and early 2006 and others that will appear in 2007, 2008 . . . ? I see at least two reasons. The first is the evolution of the commitment of Leonardo to space art, and the second, the overwhelming development of this artistic genre. Leonardo has a special interest in space art, firstly because it is a perfect example of the tumultuous, sometimes difficult, always challenging relations between art, science and technology and secondly because the areas of professional expertise of its directors (Frank, then Roger, Malina) have been space related. We could very easily have limited our involvement to receiving articles or asking artists we knew to propose some . . . and then publishing them! In 1997, however, Leonardo/OLATS, the French branch of Leonardo, decided to launch a workshop on space and the arts. Organized in collaboration with the OURS Foundation and Commission VI of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the workshop gathers together artists, scientists, engineers and arts professionals once a year, in closed sessions, to discuss a specific theme. The original goals were to make this rather small (at the time) community visible to itself and to foster a dialogue between the “two cultures” that could lead to new projects and collaborations among the participants. In other words, it was what we at Leonardo call, in our jargon, a “leverage” action. Mission accomplished! Nine workshops later, over 150 people have participated in this vivid and intense seminar. The dialogue has been established; projects have occurred. From a 1-day workshop in the Malina home in a nearby suburb of Paris, we have moved to a 2to 3-day nomadic workshop (at the European Space Research and Technology Center [ESA-ESTEC], Noordwijk, the Netherlands, in 2004; and in Budapest, Hungary, and Yverdon-les-Bains in Switzerland for the 2005 workshops) co-organized with other organizations (with the European Space Agency [ESA] in 2004; with IAA and Millenaris in Budapest and the Maison d’Ailleurs in Yverdon). While in the initial years, we could very easily list the 25 persons who would be invited, in the last 2 years we have received over 100 entries for each of our calls for participation, and selecting the participants has become a difficult task because of their interest and quality. For Leonardo, involvement in space art has progressed from simple article publications to the organization of the workshop that led us to new projects such as the space arts database [2], our participation in the MIR Consortium [3] and our collaboration in the 2003 @rt Outsiders Festival in Paris. More is to come. Although all the workshops are documented, in English, on the Leonardo/OLATS web site [4], it has become time to “feed back” into Leonardo these fantastic materials, ideas, artworks and projects. Hence this new series of articles that I have selected from the 2004 workshop. More will come, based on the same process of selection from the workshops, along with our regular procedures for receiving articles. SPECIAL SECTION INTRODUCTION
This paper presents an approach to continuous variable design optimization of a power electronics converter. The objective of the optimization approach is to minimize the total component cost. The methodology is illustrated with the design of a boost power factor correction front-end converter with an input electromagnetic interference filter. The system design variables are first identified. The relevant system responses and component costs are then expressed as a function of these design variables. Finally, by using mathematical optimization techniques, the design variable values that minimize the total system component cost are obtained, given practical constraints on these design variables and system responses.
Obstruction of the superior vena cava was relieved in two patients by intraluminal, self-expanding Gianturco stents percutaneously inserted in local anaesthesia. The cause of the obstruction was inoperable oat cell carcinoma of the bronchus in one case and irradiation for squamous cell carcinoma of the right upper lobe in the other case. Stenting gave immediate relief of symptoms in both cases, with no complications. Intraluminal stenting is a useful adjunct in the management of patients with obstruction of the superior vena cava.
The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research is an Open-Access Journal. All articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. REVIEW ISSN 1738-3331, https://doi.org/10.7704/kjhugr.2018.18.4.225 The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research, 2018;18(4):225-230
Mycobacterium leprae cells (strain Thai‐53) harvested from infected mouse foot pads were examined by electron microscopy using the freeze‐substitution technique. The population of M. leprae cells from the infected tissue consisted of a large number of degraded cells and a few normal cells. These thin sectioned cell profiles could be categorized into four groups depending on the alteration of the membrane structures, and the degradation process is considered to occur in stages, namely from stages 1 to 3. These are the normal cells with an asymmetrical membrane, a seemingly normal cell but with a symmetrical membrane (stage 1), a cell possessing contracted and highly concentrated cytoplasm with a membrane (stage 2), and a cell that has lost its membrane (stage 3). The peptidoglycan layer was found to remain intact in these cell groups.
This paper presents a finite element-least square point interpolation method (FE-LSPIM) for solving 2D acoustic problem by synthesizing the attractive features of finite element and least-square point interpolation shape functions using the concepts of partition of unity (PU) methods. In the present method, the acoustic domain is discretized using quadrilateral element, and the shape functions of the quadrilateral element are used for PU and the least-square point interpolation method (LSPIM) for local approximation. This enables the proposed method to inherit the compatibility properties of finite element method and the quadratic polynomial completeness properties of meshfree methods, so that the finite element-least-square point interpolation method (FE-LSPIM) will greatly reduce the numerical dispersion error because the numerical dispersion error is essentially caused by the �overly-stiff� nature of the FEM model. Numerical results for benchmark problems show that, the FE-LSPIM achieves more accurate results and higher convergence rates as compared with the corresponding finite elements and Element-free Galerkin method (EFGM), especially for high wave number and irregular meshes
Immune deficiency is one of the numerous consequences of chronic renal failure. We can hypothesize that an abnormal natural killer (NK) cell response is present in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). To characterize the immune defect in ESRD patients, we performed a NK cell subset analysis in 66 patients with ESRD treated by hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Compared with healthy blood donors, patients undergoing chronic dialysis showed a profound decrease in NKG2D(+) cells within both CD8(+) T cell (58 vs. 67%, p = 0.03) and NK cell (39 vs. 56%, p = 0.002) populations. We further studied NK cell subsets in 55 hemodialysis patients and 17 patients treated by peritoneal dialysis. As compared to healthy donors, all these patients had significantly decreased NKG2D-positive NK cells. Patients using PMMA membranes (BK-F) or Helixone-FX membranes had a smaller decrease in NKG2D-positive NK cells when compared to patients treated with Nephral membranes. The expression of MICA on the cell surface of monocytes, which is a marker of inflammation induced by cellular stress, was also lower in patients using BK-F membranes. In conclusion, these data suggest that a subpopulation of NK cells is decreased in patients with ESRD. This decrease is associated with high circulating levels of the HLA-related molecule MICA. The dialysis membrane can influence the modulation of both the phenotype of NK cells and MICA overexpression.
into the stirring days of 1949 and the momentous events that culminated in the formation and launching of the CPP on June 12, 1949, at this very arena. It was here that we first dedicated ourselves to the redemption of Ghana and on this occasion of our rededication I would like to repeat to you those same words which culminated in the formation of our party. Therefore, under God, in the name of the Chiefs and People of this country, in the name of the rank and file of the CPP, in the name of the Labour Movement in this country, in the name of our valiant ex-servicemen, in the name of the Youth Movement throughout the length and breadth of this country, in the name of the common man, the man in the street, in the name of our children and those yet unborn, in the name of the New Ghana that is to be, in the name of Sergeant Adjety and his other comrades who died at the Cross Roads of Christiansborg and who are here with us now, and in the name of God Almighty and humanity, I announce the birth of the CPP, which shall from now on carry on the struggle for the liberation of this dear Ghana of ours on recognized party system until Full Self-government Now is attained and democratically maintained for the Chiefs and People of this country. So help us God. In those days our opponents attacked us for believing the party system to be an indispensable instrument in the working of parliamentary democracy. In those days, when the youth, the workers, the farmers, the co-operative societies and the ex-servicemen, through the organization of the CPP were vigorously castigating imperialism and colonialism and were struggling to be free, our opponents chose to denounce us as a pack of "irresponsible and unruly verandah boys." They shamelessly allied themselves with the forces of imperialism and rejoiced at our misfortunes and difficulties.
Software maintenance is an ongoing process during the lifetime of an information system. Once it is on production the information system must evolve due to the operating environment changes, when new anomalies uncovered or when new user requirement arises. Prior to any software evolution, decision-making need to be undertaken by the organization's IT decision makers whether to proceed with the evolution required, if yes on how to proceed with the required maintenance. However, the study on decision making in software maintenance is very limited, existing research focus mainly on project management. The uniqueness of this study relies on the ability of knowledge engineering method to capture the software maintenance knowledge of an information system that is inherent in the software expert's mind, documentation and code. This uses the concept of expert system to record the knowledge of the information system in a knowledge base and inference logic to analyst the recorded knowledge. The analysis is carried out using heuristic and inference logic pre-programmed into the expert-based framework. This is crucial especially to assist IT decision makers in determining whether it is possible to incorporate an additional requirement into a running system within an acceptable timeframe without the presence of a software expert in question. The framework is tested by proof of concept with a real life application of an organization.
Most attention has been focused in recent years with respect to the issues of the medical students suffering from excess of stress during their studies, which may constrain their extent of learning, acquisition of knowledge, and consequently their academic performance. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between July 2016 and June 2017 to explore the activities which helped to reduce the burden of stress among the undergraduate medical students of four government and two private medical colleges in Bangladesh. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data on the students' perception. A total of 1145 students included in this study of which 63 % were female. The study revealed that the students' perceptions of stress were highest with respect to the existing policy concerning vacation/holiday (87%), common room facilities (78%), counselling service (64%) and accommodation facilities (60%). The most common coping strategies adopted by the students were discussing problems with family members and friends, gossiping with friends and using social media. Neither alcohol nor drug consumption was mentioned by the students as an effective stress reduction strategy. To generalize the findings, a further longitudinal study including prospective and multi-center focus group discussions along with quantitative research is recommended.  Bangladesh Journal of Medical Education Vol.10(1) 2019: 20-24
Abstract A sensitive time-resolved Raman spectrometer for structural studies of short-lived species, up to the ns time range, is described. Raman spectra are memorized onto the target of the camera detection head of a modified CODERG UF 76 multichannel spectrometer. To process the spectral information each spectrum is digitized over 500 points and transferred to a PDP 11 minicomputer by a home-built line integrating video digitizer; this design allows very low intensity spectra to be recorded. We have used this apparatus to obtain resonance Raman spectra, excited by a 30 ns, 531 nm laser pulse, of short-lived pyrrolidinic photomerocyanines in toluene solutions. The assignment of certain Raman lines is proposed, providing details about the structure of transient species.
Ring sideroblasts (RS) are erythroid precursors with abnormal perinuclear mitochondrial iron accumulation. Two myeloid neoplasms defined by the presence of RS, include refractory anemia with ring sideroblasts (RARS), now classified under myelodysplastic syndromes with RS (MDS‐RS) and RARS with thrombocytosis (RARS‐T); now called myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasm with RS and thrombocytosis (MDS/MPN‐RS‐T).
A brief summary is given of the paper by Stiles. The line-element suggested by Stiles is shown to be the sum of the squares of total differentials of three magnitudes. Therefore, the corresponding color threefold is Euclidean. For the same reason, the line-element originally proposed by Helmholtz also defined a Euclidean color space. The customary parameters of colorimetry correspond to curvilinear coordinates in the color space of both Helmholtz and Stiles. In both of those spaces, constant luminosity is represented by curved surfaces. The forms of the line-elements of both Helmholtz and Stiles imply that geodesics, representing series of colors which exhibit the least number of just-perceptible differences between any two colors, are straight lines in the Euclidean spaces defined by those line-elements. They also imply that ordinary length measured along these lines is proportional to the number of just-perceptible differences between the colors represented by the terminal points. No direct tests of these implications are known. MacAdam’s data on the discrimination of equiluminous colors determine a surface of constant luminosity in the color discrimination space for at least one observer (PGN). This surface exhibits such severe (and irreducible) curvature that the straight lines drawn between most pairs of considerably different equiluminous colors are, at their midpoints, far from the surface of constant luminosity. The line-elements of both Stiles and Helmholtz, therefore, imply that the series of colors exhibiting the least number of just-perceptible differences between two equiluminous colors includes many colors of very different luminosity. Although no observational tests are known, it seems unreasonable to expect that considerable departures from the common luminosity of the terminal colors will reduce the number of differences perceptible in any series between them. Attention is called to the criterion of probability of errors in color matching as an alternative to just-perceptible differences for investigations of visual sensitivities to color differences. This concept leads to a definition of the line-element independently of any assumption of the applicability to color discrimination of Fechner’s law or its modifications.
Background The ongoing treatment modalities for breast cancer (BC) primarily rely on the expression status of ER, PR and HER-2 receptors in BC tissues. Our strategy of chemosensitization provides new insights to counter chemoresistance, a major obstacle that limits the benefits of chemotherapy of mammary cancers. Methods By utilizing a murine breast cancer model employing NSG mice bearing orthotopic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) xenografts, we have evaluated the ability of phytochemical curcumin in chemosensitizing BC to 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy and the differential modulations of cellular events in response to this strategy, independent of their receptor status. Results A significant synergistic antitumor potential was observed in the murine model with a sub-optimal dose treatment of 5-FU plus curcumin, as evaluated by a reduction in the tumor-related parameters. We authenticated the pivotal role of thymidylate synthase (TS) in regulating the 5-FU–curcumin synergism using the TNBC pre-clinical model. Our study also confirmed the pharmacological safety of this chemotherapeutic plus phytoactive combination using acute and chronic toxicity studies in Swiss albino mice. Subsequently, the molecular docking analysis of curcumin binding to TS demonstrated the affinity of curcumin towards the cofactor-binding site of TS, rather than the substrate-binding site, where 5-FU binds. Our concomitant in vivo and in silico evidence substantiates the superior therapeutic index of this combination. Conclusion This is the first-ever pre-clinical study portraying TS as the critical target of combinatorial therapy for mammary carcinomas and therefore we recommend its clinical validation, especially in TNBC patients, who currently have limited therapeutic options.
Malaria is a life‐threatening disease caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of antimalarial agents. Key interventions to control malaria include prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin‐based combination therapies, use of insecticidal nets by individuals at risk and active research into malaria vaccines. Protection against malaria through vaccination was demonstrated more than 30 years ago when individuals were vaccinated via repeated bites by Plasmodium falciparum‐infected and irradiated but still metabolically active mosquitoes. However, vaccination with high doses of irradiated sporozoites injected into humans has long been considered impractical. Yet, following recent success using whole‐organism vaccines, the approach has received renewed interest; it was recently reported that repeated injections of irradiated sporozoites increased protection in 80 vaccinated individuals. Other approaches include subunit malaria vaccines, such as the current leading candidate RTS,S (consisting of fusion between a portion of the P. falciparum‐derived circumsporozoite protein and the hepatitis B surface antigen), which has been demonstrated to induce reasonably good protection. Although results have been encouraging, the level of protection is generally considered to be too low to achieve eradication of malaria. There is great interest in developing new and better formulations and stable delivery systems to improve immunogenicity. In this review, we will discuss recent strategies to develop efficient malaria vaccines.
An 85-year-old woman was referred for acute decline in her renal function along with poorly controlled BP in May 2017. Her creatinine increased to 188 μmol/L in May 2017 from a baseline of 125 μmol/L, but was otherwise well. Previously, she had an episode of acute kidney injury after an angiotensin II antagonist was introduced. The antagonist was ceased without further investigations and kidney function improved. Her BP was 230/98 mmHg on three anti-hypertensives: Amlodipine 5 mg, Prazosin 1 mg, and Hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg, and had prominent epigastric bruit. A renal artery doppler reported right kidney 9.6 cm and left kidney 8.6 cm with strong suspicion for bilateral high-grade renal artery ostial stenosis (>60%), (systolic blood flow velocity at the origin of the artery; right 450 cm/s and Left 271 cm/s, Renal Aortic Ratio (RAR) was 6.9:1 on the right and 4.2:1 on the left). She had secondary hyperaldosteronism with an aldosterone of 1566 pmol/L and a renin of 192 mU/L. In June 2017, BP control remained suboptimal, creatinine had continued to rise to 357 μmol/L. MRA renal arteries reported bilateral high grade critical stenosis to near occlusion of both renal arteries. The patient underwent a percutaneous transluminal renal artery angioplasty with stent placement (PTRAS) bilaterally (Fig. 1). In the postoperative period her creatinine returned to previous baseline at 121 μmol/L and remained close to baseline at 3 weeks and 3 months follow up. Additionally, she was decreased to two antihypertensive medications: Physiotens 200 mircog twice daily and Lercanidipine 20 mg mane. The PTRAS was uneventful except formation of a pseudoaneurysm at the puncture site that required treatment with a thrombin injection. Previous large-scale randomized controlled trials such as the CORAL study suggested that renal artery stenosis disease (ARVD) is best managed by medical measures. However, this study has been criticized for not having a stricter selection criteria of renal artery stenosis, allowing patients who did not have systolic hypertension but who had renalartery stenosis with chronic kidney disease (eGFR 60 mL/ min per 1.73 m). Our index case highlights that PTRAS may serve a role with patients presenting with rapidly declining renal function and bilateral renal artery stenosis. Ritchie et al. identified that patients presenting with refractory hypertension and rapidly declining kidney function may benefit from PTRAS, however, due to small sample was unable to state conclusively. Patient selection remains the key point for successful treatment with PTRAS in ARVD.
A realistic interpretation of the measured contact potential difference (CPD) in Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) is crucial in order to extract meaningful information about the sample. Central to this interpretation is a method to include contributions from the macroscopic cantilever arm, as well as the cone and sharp tip of a KPFM probe. Here, three models of the electrostatic interaction between a KPFM probe and a sample are tested through an electrostatic simulation and compared with experiment. In contrast with previous studies that treat the KPFM cantilever as a rigid object, we allow the cantilever to bend and rotate; accounting for cantilever bending provides the closest agreement between theory and experiment. We demonstrate that cantilever dynamics play a major role in CPD measurements and provide a simulation technique to explore this phenomenon.
Characteristic of the modern situation is the lack of any distinction between the languages of belief and non-belief. Thus, over a wide area, a believer on the one hand may use symbols which are in no way recognisable as specifically Christian, and may do so even when he wishes to portray experiences of a profoundly religious character; as reader, he can also recognise such experiences in the symbolism of the non-believer. A non-believer, on the other hand, may use Christian symbols without enabling us to attribute to him any conversion to faith. How then is one to describe the difference between believing and expressing a belief one does not share? The essential difference should be seen as resting in the attitude towards the truth of the symbol or statement of belief. In addition, at least as far as the Christian faith is concerned, there is also a moral obligation which is a consequence of faith. Furthermore, there is the sense of communion with those who embrace the same faith.
In this work, we develop an underwater echosounder and use the standard target method to calibrate the performance of the device. In the calibration experiments, a solid tungsten carbide sphere of 38mm diameter is used as a standard target for calibrating a HPCTB-200-35 echosounder (manufactured by Hangzhou Applied Acoustics Research Institute) with a working frequency of 220 kHz. Further, the measurement data and uncertainty are presented and analyzed; these results demonstrate that the standard target method can calibrate the combined transmitting-receiving response of echosounders effectively. In our calibration experiment, the combined transmitting-receiving response of HPCTB-200-35 is about 33.8 dB, and the measurement uncertainty is about 1.0 dB (k = 2).
This paper presents a new model allowing the evaluation of the over voltages caused by the length of the cables feeding motors driven by PWM-controlled VSI. This model is elaborated using the mobile-wave theory. A full mathematical analysis of the voltage at the motor terminals is developed taking into account inverter output voltage rise and fall times and cable length effect. The established model is validated by simulation, using Matlab/Simulink software. Experimentation is also carried out on a 5 kVA industrial prototype. This paper gives also a practical approach of the model in order to coordinate the adjustable speed drive ASD systems with their feeding cables. Moreover, it presents a prospect extending this application to the treatment of EMI problems. This is possible since we can model electromagnetic couplings as induced voltage and current generators. So, the propagation of the electromagnetic noise can be studied using the same principle of the mobile-wave theory in the circuits made up of multiconductor cables. Simulation and experimental results are shown to validate some of the theoretical concepts proposed.
Atomic oxygen densities determined by the incoherent scatter technique are compared to densities deduced from satellite-borne mass spectrometer measurements and are found to agree within experimental error. The diurnal variations inferred from the incoherent scatter measurements do show, however, some departure from diurnal variations found by modeling the mass spectrometer results. Some implications of these departures are briefly discussed.
Simulations of long time process in condensed phases, in general, and in biomolecules, in particular, present a major challenge that cannot be overcome at present by brute force molecular dynamics (MD) approaches. This work takes the renormalization method, intruded by us sometime ago, and establishes its reliability and potential in extending the time scale of molecular simulations. The validation involves a truncated gramicidin system in the gas phase. This system is small enough to allow for very long explicit simulations and sufficiently complex to present the physics of realistic ion channels. The renormalization approach is found to be reliable and arguably presents the first approach that allows one to exploit the otherwise problematic steered molecular dynamics (SMD) treatments in quantitative and meaningful studies. It is established that we can reproduce the long time behavior of large systems by using Langevin dynamics (LD) simulations of a renormalized implicit model. This is done without spending the enormous time needed to obtain such trajectories in the explicit system. The present study also provides a promising advance in accelerated evaluation of free energy barriers. This is done by adjusting the effective potential in the implicit model to reproduce the same passage time as that obtained in the explicit model under the influence of an external force. Here having a reasonable effective friction provides a way to extract the potential of mean force (PMF) without investing the time needed for regular PMF calculations. The renormalization approach, which is illustrated here in realistic calculations, is expected to provide a major help in studies of complex landscapes and in exploring long time dynamics of biomolecules.
Despite the adoption of “sickest first” liver transplantation, pretransplant death remains common, and many early deaths occur despite initially low Model for End‐stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores. From 1997–2003, we studied 507 cirrhotic United States veterans referred for consideration of liver transplantation to identify additional predictors of early mortality. Most of the patients were male (98%) with cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C and/or alcohol (88%). Data for 296 patients referred prior to February 27, 2002 (training group), were analyzed; findings were validated in 211 patients referred subsequently (validation group). In the training group, 61 patients (21%) died within 180 days without transplantation; their median initial MELD score was 21. MELD score, persistent ascites, and low serum sodium (<135 meq/L) were independent predictors of early mortality. In patients with a MELD score of less than 21, only low serum sodium and persistent ascites were independent predictors of mortality; for MELD scores above 21, only MELD was independently predictive. Prognostic significance of persistent ascites and low serum sodium for low MELD score patients was confirmed in the validation group. Risk varied continuously with worsening hyponatremia. Modifying MELD, by including points for persistent ascites and low serum sodium, improved prediction of early pretransplant mortality in low MELD score patients. In conclusion, persistent ascites and low serum sodium identify patients with cirrhosis with high mortality risk despite low MELD scores. Ascites, hyponatremia, and other findings indicative of hemodynamic decompensation merit further prospective study as prognostic indicators in patients awaiting liver transplantation, and should be considered in setting minimal listing criteria. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGYwebsite (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270‐9139/suppmat/index.html). (HEPATOLOGY 2004;40:802–810.)
This paper deals with the simultaneous recognition of distant-talking speech of multiple talkers using the 3D N-best search algorithm. We describe the basic idea of the 3D N-best search and we address two additional techniques implemented into the baseline system. Namely, a path distance-based clustering and a likelihood normalization technique appeared to be necessary in order to build an efficient system for our purpose. In previous works we introduced the results of experiments carried out on simulated data. In this paper we introduce the results of the experiments carried out using reverberated data. The reverberated data are those simulated by the image method and recorded in a real room. The image method was used to find out the accuracy-reverberation time relationship, and the real data was used to evaluate the real performance of our algorithm. The obtained Top 3 results of the simultaneous word accuracy was 73.02% under 162 ms reverberation time and using the image method.
The steric stabilization of polymer colloids by diblock copolymers is simulated on a 22×22×22 cubic lattice with periodic boundary conditions. In the systems described here, the lattice contains 20 chains, the volume fraction of polymer never exceeds 0.0376, and the number of beads in a chain never exceeds 20. The behavior is monitored by evaluation of the dimensionless ratios Mn/M0 and Mw/Mn, where M0 is the mass of an individual chain, and Mn and Mw are the number‐ and weight‐average molecular weights of the particles in the system. By suitable variation in the pairwise interaction energies, one can cause the system to (1) establish a dynamic equilibrium, in which aggregates easily form and dissociate, (2) follow an irreversible path toward the formation of the largest possible aggregate, or (3) reach a long‐lived metastable state in which the system prefers smaller aggregates than those that would exist at a true equilibrium. The metastable state arises from the steric stabilization of the dispersed st...
Knowing, in real time, whether a current searcher in an information retrieval system finds the search task difficult can be valuable for tailoring the system's support for that searcher. This study investigated searcher's behaviors at different stages of the search process; they are: 1) first-round point at the beginning of the search, right before searchers issued their second query; 2) middle point, when searchers proceeded to the middle of the search process, and 3) end point, when searchers finished the whole task. We compared how the behavioral features calculated at these three points were different between difficult and easy search tasks, and identified behavioral features during search sessions that can be used in real-time to predict perceived task difficulty. In addition, we compared the prediction performance at different stages of search process. Our results show that a number of user behavioral measures at all three points differed between easy and difficult tasks. Query interval time, dwell time on viewed documents, and number of viewed documents per query were important predictors of task difficulty. The results also indicate that it is possible to make relatively accurate prediction of task difficulty at the first query round of a search. Our findings can help search systems predict task difficulty which is necessary in personalizing support for the individual searcher.
Colorectal and pancreatic cancers remain important contributors to cancer mortality burden and, therefore, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) extracts and its components have been reported as natural potent antiproliferative agents against cancer cells. However, to potentially apply rosemary as a complementary approach for cancer therapy, additional information regarding the most effective composition, its antitumor effect in vivo and its main molecular mediators is still needed. In this work, five carnosic acid-rich supercritical rosemary extracts with different chemical compositions have been assayed for their antitumor activity both in vivo (in nude mice) and in vitro against colon and pancreatic cancer cells. We found that the antitumor effect of carnosic acid together with carnosol was higher than the sum of their effects separately, which supports the use of the rosemary extract as a whole. In addition, gene and microRNA expression analyses have been performed to ascertain its antitumor mechanism, revealing that up-regulation of the metabolic-related gene GCNT3 and down-regulation of its potential epigenetic modulator miR-15b correlate with the antitumor effect of rosemary. Moreover, plasmatic miR-15b down-regulation was detected after in vivo treatment with rosemary. Our results support the use of carnosic acid-rich rosemary extract as a complementary approach in colon and pancreatic cancer and indicate that GCNT3 expression may be involved in its antitumor mechanism and that miR-15b might be used as a non-invasive biomarker to monitor rosemary anticancer effect.
Invasive fungal infections (IFI) cause devastating morbidity and mortality, with the number of IFIs more than tripling since 1979. Our laboratories were the first to demonstrate that radiolabeled microorganism-specific monoclonal antibodies are highly effective for treatment of experimental fungal, bacterial and viral infections. Later we proposed to utilize surface expressed pan-antigens shared by major IFI-causing pathogens such as beta-glucans as RIT targets. Here we evaluated in vivo RIT targeting beta-glucan in Blastomyces dermatitidis which causes serious infections in immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals and in companion dogs. B. dermatitidis cells were treated with the 400-2 antibody to (1→3)-β-glucans radiolabeled with the beta-emitter 177Lutetium (177Lu) and alpha-emitter 213Bismuth (213Bi) and the efficacy of cell kill was determined by colony forming units (CFUs). To determine the antigen-specific localization of the 400-2 antibody in vivo, C57BL6 mice were infected intratracheally with 2 × 105 B. dermatitidis cells and given 111In-400-2 antibody 24 h later. To evaluate the killing of B. dermatitidis cells with RIT, intratracheally infected mice were treated with 150 μCi 213Bi-400-2 and their lungs analyzed for CFUs 96 h post-infection. 213Bi-400-2 proved to be more effective in killing B. dermatitidis cells in vitro than 177Lu-400-2. Three times more 111In-400-2 accumulated in the lungs of infected mice, than in the non-infected ones. 213Bi-400-2 lowered the fungal burden in the lungs of infected mice more than 2 logs in comparison with non-treated infected controls. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the ability of an anti-(1-3)-beta-D-glucan antibody armed with an alpha-emitter 213Bi to selectively kill B. dermatitidis cells in vitro and in vivo. These first in vivo results of the effectiveness of RIT targeting pan-antigens on fungal pathogens warrant further investigation.
In describing the recent excavations at Zakro (Annual of the British School at Athens, vii. p. 121 ff.) I stated that the pottery found there could not be fully published yet. Pending the resumption of its study, however, three vases of exceptional excellence, which were copied in Candia by Monsieur E. Gilliéron, may be made known. One of these (No. 1) was found in fragments in the principal house (A) of the Lower Town (ibid. p. 129 ff.), which yielded also the hoard of sealings published in the previous issue of this Journal. The precise findspot was the doorway between the rooms 3 and 5 (v. plan, ibid. p. 131), which. I believe to have contained a stairway of two flights leading to an upper level or storey. These rooms were full of collapsed ruin, among which the fragments of this vase were dispersed. I offered a special reward, and had all sherds dug out of this house minutely examined; but about a third of the vase was not recovered. Part of a second vase (lip and neck) of precisely similar character came from the same rubbish. The other two vases (Nos. 2, 3) figured in the accompanying Plate (XII.) were built up from fragments found in the Λάκκος (Pit I.) on the western spur (ibid. p. 126) among countless sherds of Bronze-Age pottery of the best Cnossian period.
Nine kindreds have been reported previously which give evidence concerning the linkage relationships of the determinants of the ,B and 8 chains of human haemoglobin. We wish to document a tenth kindred in which, and 8 chain variants are segregating. The fact that no crossovers were observed among 8 offspring of a doubly heterozygous male provides further confirmation of the existing evidence for close linkage of thea and 8 loci.
OBJECTIVE Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is a spontaneous disease that is the most common cause of blindness in horses, affecting up to 15% of the horse population. Th17 cells are a major cell population driving the pathogenesis in several mouse models of autoimmune inflammation, including experimental autoimmune uveitis. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role a Th17 cell-mediated response plays in the pathogenesis of ERU.   PROCEDURE Banked, Davidson's-fixed equine globes histopathologically diagnosed with ERU (n = 7) were compared immunohistochemically with healthy control globes (n = 7). Immunohistochemical staining was performed using a pan-Leptospira antibody and antibodies against IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23. Additionally, immunostaining was performed for T-cell (CD3) and B-cell (CD79α) markers. Specificity of immunoreactivity was confirmed by western blot analysis.   RESULTS Immunohistochemical staining was positive for IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23 within the cytoplasm of nonpigmented ciliary epithelial cells and mononuclear inflammatory cells infiltrating the iris, and ciliary body of ERU horses (n = 7) but negative in controls (n = 7). ERU-affected eyes were CD3 positive (n = 7) and CD79α negative (n = 7). Staining for Leptospira was negative in all ERU and control globes.   CONCLUSIONS Strong immunoreactivity for IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23, in conjunction with the fact that T lymphocytes are the predominating inflammatory cells present in ERU, suggests that IL-17-secreting helper T-cells play a role in the pathogenesis of ERU. These findings suggest that horses with ERU may serve as a naturally occurring animal model for autoimmune uveitis.
Water is vital for life, and without it, biomolecules and cells cannot maintain their structures and functions. The remarkable properties of water originate from its ability to form hydrogen-bonding networks and dynamics, which the connectivity constantly alters because of the orientation rotation of individual water molecules. Experimental investigation of the dynamics of water, however, has proven challenging due to the strong absorption of water at terahertz frequencies. In response, by employing a high-precision terahertz spectrometer, we have measured and characterized the terahertz dielectric response of water from supercooled liquid to near the boiling point to explore the motions. The response reveals dynamic relaxation processes corresponding to the collective orientation, single-molecule rotation, and structural rearrangements resulting from breaking and reforming hydrogen bonds in water. We have observed the direct relationship between the macroscopic and microscopic relaxation dynamics of water, and the results have provided evidence of two liquid forms in water with different transition temperatures and thermal activation energies. The results reported here thus provide an unprecedented opportunity to directly test microscopic computational models of water dynamics.
We study length-k-overlap-free binary infinite words, i.e., binary infinite words which can contain only overlaps xyxyx with |x| ≤ k − 1. We prove that no such word can be generated by a morphism, except if k = 1. On the other hand, for every k ≥ 2, there exist length-k-overlap-free binary infinite words which are not length-(k − 1)-overlap-free. As an application, we prove that, for every non-negative integer n, there exist infinitely many length-k-overlap-free binary infinite partial words with n holes.
The interaction between the preservative 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate and macromolecules present in tuberculin purified protein derivative solutions such as tuberculoprotein, nucleic acid, and polysaccharide was studied. In buffered solution (pH 7.38), 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate is dissociated to 8-hydroxyquinoline and sulfuric acid, and it is the base 8-hydroxyquinoline that forms a reversible association with these macromolecules. The degree of binding of 8-hydroxyquinoline to tuberculoprotein, nucleic acid, and polysaccharide was shown to be a function of the concentration of these macromolecules. In commercial solutions of tuberculin purified protein derivative, the low concentrations of purified protein derivative used have little effect on the concentration of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate. Thus, for all practical purposes the antimicrobial activity of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate was not affected.
Kerr magneto-optical measurements have been performed on Ni films deposited on glass subjected to the influence of an external stress. It has been observed that the coercive force increases for tensile stress perpendicular to the magnetic field, and decreases, in the opposite case, at variance with respect to bulk Ni. Our data can be qualitatively understood in terms of the simple theory of Stoner and Wohlfarth (SW) which is valid for single domain magnets with uniaxial anisotropy. A computer simulation of the effect of stress based on an extension of the SW model to a multidomain system shows a good qualitative agreement with the experimental data.
Resting energy expenditure (REE; i.e., the calorie amount required for 24 h during a non-active period) is an important parameter in nutritional rehabilitation of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). This study determined whether age, body mass index, AN duration/subtype/specific symptoms/clinical severity, cognitive function alterations, and psychiatric comorbidities influenced REE or the difference between the calculated and estimated REE. Patients with AN who were followed at a daycare treatment facility between May 2017 and January 2020 (n = 138) underwent a complete assessment that included the MINI, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, d2 test of attention, body fat composition by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and REE measurement by indirect calorimetry (REEIC). AN subtype (N = 66 for restrictive subtype and N = 69 for non-restrictive subtype; p = 0.005), free-fat mass (<0.001), and fat mass (<0.001) were associated with REEIC. Age (p < 0.001), height (p = 0.003), and AN duration (N = 46 for <3 years and N = 82 for ≥3 years; p = 0.012) were associated with the difference between estimated REE (using the Schebendach equation) and measured REEIC. Therefore, the Schebendach equation was adjusted differently in the two patients’ subgroups (AN duration ≤ or >3 years). Overall, REE was higher in patients with restrictive than non-restrictive AN. In the absence of BIA measures, REE-estimating equations should take into account AN duration.
Some students have successfully used goal–setting to maintain academic performance throughout their studies. Behind these successes, they implemented the strategy to the fullest, making their goals more manageable. This study explores the strategies of prospective physical education teachers using goal–setting to maintain academic performance. The research team used an exploratory qualitative approach to compare students’ experiences with good and bad academic reputations in maintaining academic performance through observation, interview, and documentation techniques. There were 11 students involved, both those with good academic reputations and vice versa. Spradley’s taxonomic analysis found that students had to reconstruct their way of learning because of traumatic experiences of academic failure and the economic limitations of the family. Goal–setting ensures that students complete their work on time and are more selective in using the clarity of information in lecturer learning designs. In addition, they reduce their learning challenges by learning and acting according to the assessment rubric, commit to each learning task and responsibility, use feedback to improve learning performance, and ensure all learning task needs by developing self–learning strategies.
Fast-growing international migration as a factor of labor market globalization is an important trend of the world economy and a determinant of social-political transformations. The study of fundamental economical reasons for international migration is relevant due to their prognostic, predictable, and normative potential, which can be used in conditions of global economic non-stability. This chapter analyzes the role of natural resources, financial, and labor factors in economic growth of the modern states and studies relationships between stimulating the role of natural resources, finance, and labor with levels of modern countries’ economy development. Based on achieved results findings about fundamental reasons of international migration, transformation of labor factor’s role in providing an economical progress of the states, efficiency of positive impact of manufacturing factors (domestic and attracted from international markets) are offered.
This paper examines how the velocity distribution in free-surface flow affects the kinematic and dynamic velocities of disturbance waves on hillslopes or in high-gradient rivers, thereby assessing the role of free-surface instability (or roll waves) in modeling steep-channel flows. For clear-water or lightly sediment-laden flow in alluvial channels or gravel-bed rivers, the Lacey (or one-fourth power) formula is often found to model the flow better than the Manning (or one-sixth power) formula because the applicable range of the relative roughness for the Lacey formula is one order-of-magnitude larger (or 'relative smoothness' one order-of-magnitude smaller) than that for the Manning formula. However, a stability analysis of steep-channel flow based on linear stability theory shows that flow with a one-fourth power velocity distribution tends to generate roll waves more easily than that with a one-sixth power velocity distribution. Use of the Lacey formula in modeling steep-channel flows must therefore proceed with caution. When the flow becomes unstable, the effect of the Froude number on flow resistance can no longer be ignored. This paper aims to incorporate this Froude-number effect in the flow resistance formula, such as Manning's and Lacey's, and address the significance of the Vedernikov number in steep-channel flow modeling.
Combining with the low level of national monitoring and pollution increasingly serious problem, a kind of intelligent environment system for water based on scientific decision-Making and remote analysis is developed, full-coverage and real-time water monitoring network is established because the system possesses remote fixed sites, mobile wireless sites, biological monitoring sites. It can be seen from the experimental results that the system not only accomplish the works like that it transmits the encrypted measurement data, alarms when the data exceeds, stores the real-time measurement data and makes the scientific decision, but also is armed with such good advantages as low power consumption, high reliability, easy installation ability and great practical significance.
With most of the recent delay in air travel caused by disruptions that limit capacity (versus crew scheduling and operational issues), this paper examines the practicality and effectiveness of using congestion pricing in conditions such as weather-related delays to allocate airspace in a way that reflects the value that the different airlines and airports place on the available capacity at any given time. Using a simple queuing model shows that as each user (aircraft) joins the queue, he adds to the time that subsequent users will have to wait (their cost) until they can make use of the airspace. Congestion pricing can impose the subsequent users' cost on the current user, which will discourage some users from entering the queue because the value to them is less than the cost. The paper analyzes institutions in the electric power industry that use similar short-term price fluctuations to ration power and suggests there is room in the aviation industry to adopt pricing schemes that would help rationalize capacity supply and demand during weather-related disruptions. It shows, too, some of the ways the system might evolve in order to accommodate such demand management techniques.
Clustering methods classify patterns into clusters using the entire set of attributes of patterns in the similarity measurement. In plenty of cases, patterns are similar under a subset of attributes only. The class of methods that cluster patterns based on subsets of attributes is called biclustering. Biclustering simultaneously groups on both rows and columns of a data matrix and has been applied to various fields, especially gene expression data. However, the biclustering problem is inherently intractable and computationally complex. In recent years, several biclustering algorithms which are based on linear coherent model have been proposed. In this paper, we introduce a novel GA-based algorithm that uses hyperplane to describe the linear relationships between rows (genes) in a sub-matrix (bicluster). The performance of our algorithm is tested via simulated data, gene expression data and compared with several other bicluster methods.
A 52-year-old man presented with chronic urticaria that was refractory to standard chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) treatment. Over time, he developed systemic symptoms including fatigue, weight loss, arthralgia and bone pain. His laboratory investigations also became significant for microcytic anaemia, neutrophilia and elevated C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and IgE levels, in addition to an IgM monoclonal protein. He achieved only partial remission with typical medications for CSU including omalizumab, cyclosporine and cetirizine. After 6 years, his worsening symptoms and abnormal investigations led to a rare diagnosis of Schnitzler’s syndrome and a trial of the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist, anakinra, which caused a rapid and complete resolution of his symptoms.
Megawaty and Ceskakusumadewi Baharuddin (2017). Analysis of Comparison Locus of Control’s Managers Based on Gender in Improving Employee Performance at Government-Owned Banks in Makassar City.The purposes of this research are to analyze the difference of locus of control managers based on gender in improving employee performance at government-owned banks in Makassar city and also to know more in which dimension the difference of locus of control based on gender in improving employee performance.The method of analysis used in this research is quantitative descriptive approach with Paired Samples Test. Data processing is done with the help of SPSS version 21. The results of this research indicate that there is difference of locus of control between male and female managers at government-owned banks in Makassar. But the difference is not so great because both male and female managers have answers with a mean or a similar average. However, the difference is considered significant when viewed from the value of the overall significance of all research instruments, with a value of 0.032 (smaller than 0.05). The results also show that there is no difference in the locus of control dimension between male and female managers in government-owned banks in Makassar because both male and female managers share the internal locus of control, the control centre who believes that everything happens to them because of their control.
Introduction There is conflicting evidence on the benefit of early transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS) on the survival of patients with acute variceal bleeding (AVB). Aim To assess the effect of early TIPSS on patient prognosis. Materials and methods We carried out a meta-analysis of trials evaluating early TIPSS in cirrhotic patients with AVB. Results Four studies were included. Early TIPSS was associated with fewer deaths [odds ratio (OR)=0.38, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.17–0.83, P=0.02], with moderate heterogeneity between studies (P=0.15, I2=44%). Early TIPSS was not significantly associated with fewer deaths among Child–Pugh B patients (OR=0.35, 95% CI=0.10–1.17, P=0.087) nor among Child–Pugh C patients (OR=0.34, 95% CI=0.10–1.11, P=0.074). There was no heterogeneity between studies in the Child–Pugh B analysis (P=0.6, I2=0%), but there was a high heterogeneity in the Child–Pugh C analysis (P=0.06, I2=60%). Early TIPSS was associated with lower rates of bleeding within 1 year (OR=0.08, 95% CI=0.04–0.17, P<0.001) both among Child–Pugh B patients, (OR=0.15, 95% CI=0.05–0.47, P=0.001) and among Child–Pugh C patients (OR=0.05, 95% CI=0.02–0.15, P<0.001), with no heterogeneity between studies. Early TIPSS was not associated with higher rates of encephalopathy (OR=0.84, 95% CI=0.50–1.42, P=0.5). Conclusion Cirrhotic patients with AVB treated with early TIPSS had lower death rates and lower rates of clinically significant bleeding within 1 year compared with patients treated without early TIPSS. Additional studies are required to identify the potential risk factors leading to a poor prognosis after early TIPSS in patients with AVB and to determine the impact of the degree of liver failure on the patient’s prognosis.
Many application programs in data-intensive science read and write large files. Large data consume significant memory because the data is loaded into the page cache. Since memory resources are critically valuable in data-intensive computing, reducing the memory footprint consumed by file data is essential. In this paper, we propose a cache deduplication mechanism with content-defined chunking CDC for the Gfarm distributed file system. CDC divides a file into variable-size blocks chunks based on the contents of the file. The client stores the chunks in the local file system as cache files and reuses them during subsequent file accesses. Deduplication of chunks reduces the amount of transmitted data between clients and servers, and reduces storage and memory requirements. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed mechanism significantly improves the performance of file-read operations and that the introduction of parallelism reduces the overhead of file-write operations.
EuS microcrystal-embedded SiO2, Al2O3, and TiO2 thin films have been prepared by using rf sputtering method. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that EuS microcrystal is precipitated as a single phase in Al2O3 and TiO2 films while precipitation of EuS is not detected in SiO2 film. Faraday effect attributable to the 4f7–4f65d transition of Eu2+ in EuS microcrystalline phase is observed in Al2O3 and TiO2 films. In particular, Faraday rotation angle observed for EuS-embedded TiO2 film is large; for instance, the magnitude of Verdet constant for as-deposited TiO2 film prepared without heating of substrate during the sputtering is 0.15 deg/cm Oe at wavelength of 700 nm. This value is larger by two orders of magnitude than those of Eu2+- or Tb3+-containing oxide glasses which show the largest Faraday rotation angle among rare-earth-containing glasses, and is comparable to the value for EuSe single crystal.
There seems to be a disconnect between the textile and apparel industry (TAI) practices and consumer needs related to sustainability. To address these issues of disconnect between TAI and consumers, with a goal of meeting consumers' sustainability needs carried out by TAI, in the present conceptual study, the GAPS model (Levy, Weitz, & Grewal, 2014) for improving retail customer service quality will be applied to analyze the TAI's sustainable practices. Drawing extant literature on service quality GAPS model and the TAI sustainability practices, we propose a conceptual model. This model will be tested to analyze the sustainable practices of TAI firms. A quantitative survey will be developed asking specific questions related to each of the four gaps to TAI managers. Results will lead us to identify the GAPS and suggest intervention programs for TAI firms to be successful in implementing sustainability practices.
This paper presents a rapid-prototyping platform for test and implementation of new algorithms in RFID Systems. The platform offers the possibility to evaluate and test new approaches, in communications aspects in RFID systems, that can not be tested in state-of-the-art systems, due to hardware or standards limitations. This includes new radio architectures, source-/line-coding schemes, multiple access control algorithms and many other system elements that can not be accessed or changed in a RFID system. Two platforms are presented: one for algorithm development and a second one for product development.
A new method for assessing changing corporate technological competence and the impact of European collaboration policies is developed and applied to the case of the European semiconductor industry. The data indicate that European technological competencies improved in the latter half of the l980s. Increasingly, European firms adopted pro-active technology partnerships (joint ventures and technology exchanges) as opposed to passive activities (second-sourcing and licensing). Although the European research and development subsidy programmes of the 1980s attempted to remedy Europe’s weaknesses, there are reasons for questioning the policy methods chosen. Given the risks of high cost close-to-market subsidies, policies for the 1990s should seek to encourage technology transfer from non-European partners and to stimulate healthy competition within Europe.
A FE-(FE-HE)-BE procedure is presented for dynamic analysis of concrete arch dams. In this technique, dam body is discretized by solid finite elements, while the reservoir domain is considered by a combination of fluid finite elements and a three-dimensional fluid hyper-element. Furthermore, foundation rock domain is handled by three-dimensional boundary element formulation. Based on this method, a previously developed program is modified, and the response of Morrow Point arch dam is studied for various conditions. Moreover, the effects of canyon shape on response of dam, is also discussed.
This paper draws on the reflection theory of compensation (Thierry, H. (1998). &#8216;Compensating work&#8217;. in P. J. D. Drenth, H. Thierry and C. J. de Wolff (eds), Handbook of Work and Organizational Psychology, 2nd edn, pp. 291&#8211;315, Psychology Press: Hove; Thierry, H. F. (2001). &#8216;Job evaluation systems and pay grade structures: do they match&#8217;, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 8, pp. 1313&#8211;1324) to examine the influence of individual merit&#8208;based rewards on voluntary turnover via job satisfaction. It also tests the moderating effects of employees&#8217; gender, age and education level between merit&#8208;based rewards and job satisfaction. Data were collected from 636 employees in Japan at three points in time over a 12&#8208;month period. The findings show that merit&#8208;based rewards have a direct, positive effect on job satisfaction and an indirect effect on voluntary turnover. The effect of merit&#8208;based rewards on job satisfaction was moderated by gender and education, providing evidence that merit&#8208;based rewards are more important for male and highly educated employees. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
This article is concerned with the development of fuzzy models realized with the aid of genetic programming (GP). The proposed architecture employs GP to form fuzzy logic expressions involving logic operators and information granules (fuzzy sets) located in the input space, used to predict information granules located in the output space. We propose an architecture realizing logic processing, with the structural optimization of the model accomplished by a multitree genetic programming and the parametric optimization completed by gradient-based learning. The granulation of information used in this architecture is developed using the Fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm. The novelty of this study is two-fold: 1) it comes with the flexibility of the logic-oriented structure of fuzzy models, and 2) our architecture is designed to handle high-dimensional data by alleviating the detrimental effect of distance concentration hampering the effectiveness of standard Takagi–Sugeno–Kang fuzzy rule-based models. The article is illustrated through some experiments that provide a detailed insight into the performance of the fuzzy models. A comprehensive comparative analysis is also covered.
Four types of educational simulators are available for medical education: simple (part task) and complex microsimulators, and simple and complex macrosimulators (full-scale simulators). There has been a tendency to see full-scale simulators as the ideal solution for all educational simulation needs. However, each of the above groups has different strengths and weaknesses in achieving educational goals. Microsimulators are a complementary tool to full-scale macrosimulators. Their role in medical education will become increasingly important because it is now possible to make intelligent, autonomous microsimulators. Using a combination of microsimulators and macrosimulators will allow a wide range of cognitive and behavioral skills to be addressed. The development of microsimulators should—as soon as the realism is sufficient—focus on the intelligent, educational feedback in the debriefing. This challenge for microsimulators may become their greatest asset in medical education.
Perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) exhibit attractive photophysical properties by combining the excellent optoelectronic properties of bulk perovskites with the strong quantum confinement effect at the nanoscale. However, CsPbI3 NCs easily transform into a non-perovskite phase because of the ionic lattice and dynamic ligand binding. Here, we report stable black-phase CsPbI3 NCs capped with a new organic ligand, HO-PS-N3 (HOPS), which consists of a polystyrene segment with hydroxyl and azide end groups. This organic polymer ligand passivated the surface defects and enhanced the stability of CsPbI3 NCs by exposing the linking hydrophobic polystyrene segment. Consequently, the optimized CsPbI3 NCs exhibit significantly improved resistance to moisture or light and maintained 70% of the original luminous intensity after immersion in water for two months. The theoretical results revealed that the binding energy of the HOPS ligand on the surface of the CsPbI3 NCs is higher than that of the commonly used oleic acid, alleviating the defects-induced degradation during purification. Thus, surface-stabilized CsPbI3 NCs are beneficial for a broad range of optoelectronic applications.
Schwann cell cultures were established from a sural nerve containing large membrane‐bound vaculoes in its schwann cells, obtained from a patient with neuropathy and continuous muscle fiber activity. cultured Schwann cell contained may large membrane‐bound vaculoles, presumably lysosomes, resembling those present in the biopsied nerve. the acid phosphatase reaction was excessive in the patient's cultured schwann cells but practically negative in normal cultured Schwann cells. this study Indicates that the patient's neuropathy is primary dysschwannian with abnormal lysosomes as a major abnormality.
Somato-sensory evoked potentials (SSEP) were found to be pathological mostly in the lower extremities in 26 out of 45 children suffering from so called idiopathic scoliosis. We examined the vertebral spine and the spinal cord of 8 of them (with controlled SSEP-findings) by use of conventional MR-imaging and (where necessary) 3-dimensional-data-set following the Fournier-procedure. 6 of the 8 children showed alterations as follows: 1. A lipoma spreading partly extra-, partly intraspinally. 2. Subligamentous protrusions of the intervertebral disc (2 patients). 3. Dysraphic processes (2 patients). 4. An abnormally cranial ending myelon surrounded by a widened spinal channel. The findings are demonstrated and discussed concerning the questions whether the pathological SSEP and, furthermore, the deformity of the vertebral spine could be explained thereby. We are at least able to prove that some of the children with so called idiopathic scoliosis show pathological evoked potentials and MRI-findings.
In volumes such as these, which must clearly serve as the definitive account for at least a couple of generations during which the questions asked by scholars will change and multiply, it is essential to err in description on the side of liberality. A more generous attitude would have permitted the inclusion of a measured drawing of the only cup-marked stone in the area, which is mentioned but not illustrated; and, more particularly, of the Early Christian inscribed stones, the photographs of which were obviously taken for the most part under very difficult conditions of lighting. The introductory section of the first volume contains a useful discussion of the Graig Lwyd group of neolithic axe-factories, and in both stray finds are listed and admirably illustrated by drawings. The principal categories of site are shown in a series of distributionmaps which in content compare most favourably with their predecessors in the Anglesey Inventory, though in style and execution they are unfortunately inferior. Their legibility is impaired by failure to isolate the numbers and symbols even marginally from the stippled background of the base-map. The plates are ample in number, though perhaps less than generous to the archaeological sites, expecially in Vol. I. Their quality is mainly good, and often excellent. But there can be little excuse for the lack of sharpness in some of the photographs, and none at all for the deliberate use of an unnecessarily distracting background for some of the examples of church plate (vol. 11, pl. 35). The one feature of the presentation of this material which actively invites censure is the lack of any uniformity in the conventions and lettering of the plans. The latter comprises a most irritating mixture of styles and sizes, discordantly juxtaposed, often clumsily executed, and in many cases chosen without apparent regard for the scale and balance of the drawing as a whole. Admittedly there is a comparable variety of lettering in the Anglesey volume; but its much greater elegance makes its inconsistencies unobtrusive. It is surely desirable, if only for ease of comparison, that comparable monuments, such as the castles of Conway and Caernarvon, or Cricieth and Dolbadarn, should be delineated by uniform conventions and lettering. To ask for this is not to imply, needless to say, that any one set of rigid conventions can or should be used for the whole range of monuments. This is something that should be corrected, if only because a greater sensitivity towards the visual presentation of the evidence would be more worthy of the diligent and devoted labours in the field which have brought these volumes into being. There are standards of literacy in draughtsmanship as well as in writing; and where both methods of communication are essential, a common standard is essential likewise. R. J. C. ATKINSON
The aetiology of OA/TOF is poorly understood. The birth of an infant with OA/TOF in a family without a previous history of the condition is associated with a recurrence risk of about 1%. The twin concordance rate for OA/ TOF is about 2.5%. These data suggest that genetic factors do not play a major role in the pathogenesis of OA/TOF. However, there are specific chromosomal anomalies that predispose to this condition, such as trisomy 18 and 21. Three separate genes associated with OA/ TOF in humans have recently been identified. Analysis of anomalous tracheo-oesophageal development in adriamycin-exposed rat embryos suggests that defective sonic hedgehog (Shh) gene expression, signalling, or both, leads to disruption of the normal development of the foregut. Animal models also suggest that the embryological origin of the upper oesophagus is different from that of the distal oesophagus. Human studies suggest that the fistula develops from a trifurcation of the embryonic lung bud. Associated anomalies
This article explores the formation of spiral vortex and application of liquid aerators. Visually, the new method has been applied for three structures of the stream ejector. The paper shows that under the same traffic flow, the venturi tube with blade cup liquid creates maximum ejected liquid contact surface. It has been noticed that the flared shape of the ejector blade that is close to the form of the spiral vortex, creates improvements in a pulsation flow and thus increases the solubility of oxygen in the liquid. Article in Lithuanian
How to respond to such a fine collection of commentaries which are, without exception, thorough, to the point, constructive, and full of suggestions for improvement? The best response by far would be a radical overhaul of the target article—but that is against the rules. The next-best thing would be a page-by-page discussion of each commentary separately—which the editor wouldn’t allow. So we have no choice but to make a selection of the many good points that have been raised, and hope against hope that we will manage not to distort them too much. The plan for the following discussion mirrors that of ‘Interpreting focus’ (IF). So we start with the main issue, concerning the association between focus and presupposition, then turn to focus particles, and conclude with a few remarks on it-clefts.
The black triangle resulting from interdental papilla (IDP) loss is associated with poor aesthetics and difficulty in pronunciation and food impaction. There is limited knowledge of gingival tissue inflammatory response to hyaluronic acid (HA) filler injection, a minimally invasive IDP reconstruction method. This study aimed to examine the morphological and histological changes in IDP and the inflammatory cytokine localization to the IDP post-HA filler injection using an open gingival embrasure (OGE) mouse model. Mice from the control, sham, and OGE groups were attached with reference, inactive, and activated wires for 5 days, respectively. The degree of IDP loss was determined based on the spring-papilla distance (SPD). Morphological and histological changes in the OGE group injected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or HA fillers were examined on days 2 and 7 post-injection. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to determine the localization patterns of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, myeloperoxidase (MPO), and Ki67. Five days post-wire attachment, the control and OGE groups exhibited a significantly higher SPD than the sham group (p < 0.0167). The SPD of the HA filler injection group was significantly lower than that of the PBS injection group on days 2, 4, and 7 post-injection (p < 0.05). The IDP of the OGE group was wide and flat. HA filler was stable in the connective tissue underlying the epithelial tissue even on day 7 post-injection. TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, MPO, and Ki67 were highly localized to the connective tissue surrounding the filler on day 2, which decreased on day 7 post-injection. Thus, HA filler can safely and successfully reconstruct the IDP in cases of OGE.
The development of new technologies of solar energy and its optimization necessarily involves studying the behavior of the energy stored inside the thermal reservoir. A simple way to estimate this behavior is through the analysis of a flow in a cavity with different inlet and outlet of the mass flow. In this study was analized water flow inside the cavity with two openings. The numerical simulation was performed using the computer package open source OpenFOAM®, considering a two-dimensional flow. Simulations were performed considering the effects of the flow field forces and excluding these effects, represented by Richardson Number. The results obtained for the velocity and temperature profiles in the tested cases were presented and the influence of the field forces on the thermal stratification of the water was observed. The results obtained allow to evaluate the influence of the parameters velocity and temperature for the characterization of the obtained thermal stratification inside the solar heater reservoir.
Recovery of electrical resistivity of pure Au, Ag and Cu thin films deposited in vacuo on a mica sheet kept at liquid helium temperature was studied. Recovery process of Au films consists of several substages below 80°K, which are similar to those found in irradiated Au: The point defect recovery is strongly suggested. In the higher temperature region, both the point defect recovery and grain growth seem to be involved in the recovery process. The activation energies for recovery range from 0.013 eV (at 13°K) to 0.14 eV (at 55°K). The reaction is of the first order at around 25°K. Similar results have been obtained for Ag. In contrast to Au films, Ag and Cu films show remarkable reverse annealing between 20°K and 40°K, which presumably is closely connected with residual gas molecules such as oxygen. Some possible mechanisms of reverse annealing are also discussed.
This unit describes procedures for performing competition binding assays with neurotensin receptor subtypes 1 and 2 (NTS1 and NTS2). Binding assays using cloned receptors, brain membranes, and primary cultured mesencephalic neurons are presented. NTS1 binding assays employing either radiolabeled neurotensin or SR 48692 (a nonpeptide neurotensin antagonist) as radioligands are described. These procedures may be used to screen selective ligands at neurotensin receptor subtypes.
BISRA's Corrosion Advice Bureau has been called upon to examine many corrosion failures and in this article, which is based on a lecture the authors gave to the British Association of Corrosion Engineers, North‐Eastern Section, a few of them are discussed in practical terms with particular reference to their underlying causes. The discussion is grouped under three headings: 1. Geometrical design. 2. Materials selection. 3. Protective coatings.
We provide evidence for high-level macrophage infiltration early in the course of RDS by both sequential bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in 38 infants (13 BPD, 17 RDS and 8 controls) and immunohistochemical analysis of 45 post-mortem specimens.Using lineage-specific markers we have shown that the majority of cells obtained by BAL after 48 hours are of macrophage origin, and most are immunoreactive for TNFα. High level production of the macrophage-associated chemokine MIP-1α and the cytokines TNFα and IL-1 were found from day 1 in RDS and BPD infants. The infants who developed BPD had significant elevation of inflammatory cell numbers and cytokine levels compared to those with an uncomplicated course. Dexamethasone significantly decreased all parameters within 24 hours.Post-mortem specimens demonstrated interstitial infiltration of macrophages, polymorphs and TNFα+ cells, maximal by 72 hours, associated with major disruption of sulphated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), molecules of central importance in the control of albumin flux and tissue compliance (Lancet 1993:.3 41: 711-14).
The metabolic function of NAD(P)-glycohydrolase in the streptomycin-producing Streptomyces griseus was investigated. Phospho-adenosinediphospho-ribose, the product of NAD(P)-glycohydrolase reaction was shown to interfere as a competitive inhibitor not only with the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (VORONINA et al. 1978) but also with the NADP-dependent isocitrate and 6-phospho-gluconate dehydrogenases. Inhibition kinetics were studied with isocitrate dehydrogenase from pig heart and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from yeast as well as with mycelial extracts of a mutant of S. griseus lacking NAD(P)-glycohydrolase.
Seneca asserts in Letter 121 (14–16) that we mature by exercising self-care as we pass through successive psychosomatic “constitutions.” These are babyhood (infantia), childhood (pueritia), adolescence (adulescentia), and young adulthood (iuventus). Augustine, of course, divides the narrative of his own development into these stages in the Confessions, a text wherein he claims familiarity with more than a few works of Seneca (Conf. 5.6.11). This raises the question: Does Augustine use the renowned Stoic theory of “affiliation” (oikeiôsis, conciliatio), upon which Seneca’s account of maturation depends, as a motif in his own philosophical autobiography? If he does, that will update our understanding of the Confessions as a work in the history of philosophy. Traditionally, interpretations of this work have tended to see it as containing exclusively Neoplatonic or uniquely Christian thought. Self-affiliation is the linchpin of the Stoic ethical system, which defines living well as living in harmony with nature, posits that altruism develops from self-interest, and allows that pleasure and pain are indicators of well-being while denying that happiness consists in pleasure and that pain is misery (Diog. Laert. 7.85–9). Humans are rational social animals, according to Stoic psychology, and like all animals, they have an affinity to their own natural constitution, spontaneously seeking out what serves their well-being and avoiding what harms them. Pleasure and pain are by-products of these healthy and unhealthy conditions. As humans mature, their self-regard naturally extends to others who are like themselves. Initially, immediate family comes under the scope of the individual’s care, but with the development of human conceptual ability one can recognize the appropriateness of concern for all human beings. Rationality also allows for a transition from unreflectively acting on natural impulses, to the enlightened performance of natural actions as “proper functions” and as “right actions.” Augustine had access to Stoic accounts of self-affiliation not only in Seneca’s Letter 121, but also in Cicero’s On Goals, and in non-extant sources of Stoic ethical theory. Moreover, he endorsed the notion of self-affiliation outside of the Confessions. In the Against Faustus, a work contemporaneous with his autobiography, we find him asserting that all animals – including humans, which are rational mortal animals – nourish and cherish their own flesh, since an animal is affiliated to itself in order that it might take care of its well-being (ad incolumitatem tuendam conciliatum). Humans and other animals naturally seek their own health, and fear death and whatever can tear apart their constitution (membrorum conpago, iunctura). More than twenty years later, Augustine was still affirming that every animal has been
Abstract The reactions of [1,3]thiazolo[3,2-b][1,2,4]triazol-7-ium salts with nucleophiles were investigated. Theoretical investigation of reactivity descriptors and structural parameters of [1,3]thiazolo[3,2-b][1,2,4]triazol-7-ium cation was carried out, and the reactivity centers of the model salts were located. An efficient general method for the synthesis of novel poly-functional derivatives of symmetric triazoles from [1,3]thiazolo[3,2-b][1,2,4]triazol-7-ium halides was developed. The structures of the synthesized compounds were confirmed using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and single-crystal X-ray analysis.
Reported herein is a novel reaction engineering protocol to enhance the efficiency of a transition metal-catalysed process by strategically preventing ligand degradation. Based on spectroscopic investigations, a decomposition pathway of a chiral phosphoramidite ligand during a Cu-catalysed reaction was identified. The involvement of the destructive process could be minimized under the modified reaction conditions that control the amount of nucleophilic alkoxide base, which is the origin of ligand decomposition. Overall, the strategy has been successfully applied to a new class of asymmetric conjugate addition reactions with bis[(pinacolato)boryl]methane, in which α,β-unsaturated enones are utilised as substrates.
Abstract The sporangiophores of Phycomyces blakesleeanus are large cylindrical aerial cells that elongate vertically at rates between 10 μm/min and 60 μm/min. Wild‐type sporangiophores grow toward light, opposed to gravitational acceleration and away from solid barriers (tropic responses). Sporangiophores of stiff mutants C149 and C216 exhibit diminished tropic (bending) responses. Originally, it was thought that the altered genes affect the “stiffness” (elastic wall deformation) of the cell wall. Subsequent investigations employing the pressure probe demonstrated that the irreversible (plastic) wall deformation was smaller for the stiff mutants compared to wild type and could account for the diminished tropic responses. However, it was not shown whether the elastic wall deformation was altered in these stiff mutants. Recent theoretical studies have identified dimensionless numbers that can be used to quantitate the magnitudes of biophysical processes involved in expansive growth of walled cells. In this study, dimensionless numbers are used to determine the magnitudes of elastic deformation rate, plastic deformation rate, and stress relaxation rate of the cell wall during expansive growth of the stiff mutant sporangiophores. It is found that the altered genes reduce stress relaxation rates and plastic deformation rates of the wall, but do not significantly alter the magnitude of the elastic deformation rates of the wall. These results indicate that the mutant genes reduce wall loosening chemistry in these sporangiophores and the genetic mutation is not expressed in a change in “wall stiffness,” but in “wall viscosity” or “wall extensibility.”
During a trial to determine the dose response to the beta2-adrenergic agonist pirbuterol, we judged the severity of airway obstruction by use of a clinical scoring system and compared this to objective data obtained by quantitative measures of lung function. Six horses affected by recurrent airway obstruction were used in this trial. Four hundred and sixty-eight measurements of lung function and clinical scores were obtained from 13 measurement periods when horses received each of 6 doses of pirbuterol. Scores of 1-4 were assigned to degree of nasal flaring and abdominal effort and summed for a total score. The veterinarian scoring the signs did not know the dose of pirbuterol received by the horse and was unaware of the lung function data. Nasal, abdominal and total scores were significantly related to changes in lung function and changes in breathing pattern. There were significant differences between total scores greater than 5 in indices that reflected changes in breathing strategy (peak inspiratory and expiratory flow), peripheral airway obstruction (dynamic elastance), and effort of breathing (maximal change in pleural pressure). Below a total score of 5, there were fewer significant differences in lung function even though measurements of pulmonary resistance and dynamic elastance indicated considerable airway obstruction. Failure of clinical score to reflect this low-grade airway obstruction suggests that airway disease is underdiagnosed and its detection would be helped by the availability of a convenient lung function test.
An analytic model is derived for electromagnetic radio-frequency (rf) wave propagation in a plasma-filled waveguide with rf sheath boundary conditions. The model gives a simplified description of the rf fields and sheath potentials near an ion cyclotron range of frequencies antenna under certain conditions. The present work lifts the restriction to a low density plasma (“tenuous plasma model”) described in a previous paper [D. A. D’Ippolito and J. R. Myra, Phys. Plasmas 16, 022506 (2009)] to include the full plasma dielectric tensor with the ordering e⊥∼e×∼1, e∥⪢1 for the case where the magnetic field is well aligned with the antenna. It is shown that retaining e×∼1 provides an additional drive term for the rf sheath. This effect is shown to be negligible in most practical situations suggesting that the tenuous plasma model does not miss any essential finite-density effects. The condition to recover the tenuous plasma result is derived. Expressions for the sheath voltage and sheath power dissipation are g...
We study the connection between the Eynard-Orantin topological recursion and quantum curves for the family of genus one spectral curves given by the Weierstrass equation. We construct quantizations of the spectral curve that annihilate the perturbative and non-perturbative wave-functions. In particular, for the non-perturbative wave-function, we prove, up to order hbar^5, that the quantum curve satisfies the properties expected from matrix models. As a side result, we obtain an infinite sequence of identities relating A-cycle integrals of elliptic functions and quasi-modular forms.
With the development of several new classes of anti‐diabetic drugs in the past decade, the concept for the pharmacological management of type 2 diabetes is evolving from ‘glycemic control’ to ‘organ protection’. Besides, the increase in the prevalence of an aging population urges a strategy focusing on safety and de‐intensification. In the coming years, with the development of several novel and potent anti‐obesity drugs, the ‘weight‐centric’ strategy is expected to gain more and more attention in the treatment of diabetes, since it can both prevent diabetic complications and optimize the quality of life. With all these strategies, clinicians should consider the patient’s clinical characteristics and make an individualized goal through shared decision making with the patient.
This study was designed to ascertain the role of anti-interferon (IFN)-ω and -α2 antibodies (AB) in diagnostics of type 1 autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS-1) and evaluate specificity and sensitivity of the HEK-Blue cells method used to detect these antibodies. The study included 34 patients presenting with APS-1 and 21 patients with focal alopecia. All 100% of the patients with APS-1 ehxhibited high titers of anti IFN-ω antibodies; 97% of them had anti IFN-a2 antibodies. These antibodies were not found in the patients with focal alopecia. It is concluded that the measurement of anti IFN-α and α2 antibodies with the use of HEK-Blue cells is a highly specific and sensitive method for diagnostics of APS-1.
COVID-19 vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a rare complication of adenoviral vector (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) vaccine administration. It is presented as thrombocytopenia and thrombotic manifestations in various sites, especially in cerebral veins. Pulmonary emboli have been reported rarely. We present a case of a young male patient who developed severe thrombocytopenia and pulmonary embolism 12 days after the first dose of the vaccine. Severe thrombocytopenia, skin hematomas, and segmental pulmonary emboli were detected. Anti-platelet factor 4 (aPF-4) antibody was highly positive supporting the diagnosis of VITT. Prompt treatment with fondaparinux, intravenous immunoglobulin, and prednisone led to a marked improvement of clinical condition and thrombocytes count. We report the first known case of VITT in Slovakia.
Abstract AP-2γ is a member of the AP-2 transcription factor family, is highly enriched in the trophoblast cell lineage, and is essential for placental development. In an effort to identify factors regulating AP-2γ gene expression, we isolated and characterized the promoter and 5′-flanking region of the mouse and human AP-2γ genes. The transcription start site of the mouse AP-2γ gene was mapped by primer extension and 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Deletion analysis of the 5′-flanking region revealed a 704-base pair (bp) sequence located approximately 6 kilobases (kb) upstream of the transcription start site that is required for enhanced expression in trophoblast cells. Additional gene transfer studies showed that basal promoter activity resides within a highly conserved, approximately 200-bp DNA sequence located immediately upstream of the transcription start site. The conserved region is highly GC-rich and lacks typical TATA or CCAAT boxes. Multiple potential Sp- and AP-2-binding sites are clustered within this region. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that Sp1 and Sp3 bind to three sites in the promoter region of the mouse AP-2γ gene. Combined mutation of the three putative Sp sites reduced promoter activity by 80% in trophoblast and nontrophoblast cells, demonstrating the functional importance of these sites in regulating AP-2γ gene expression. In summary, we have identified a potential trophoblast cell-specific regulatory element located approximately 6 kb upstream of the murine AP-2γ gene transcription start site, and we have shown that Sp1 and Sp3 bind to cis-regulatory elements located in the promoter proximal region and contribute to basal promoter activity.
In this paper, we analyze the determinants of job satisfaction for employees over the age 50 or more, using the latest SHARE-ERIC dataset (Wave 7) filtered for Romania (over 2000 records). After applying logistic regressions with average marginal effects, we obtained an overall and seven regional models which emphasize that a good atmosphere at the workplace and the deserved recognition received for the work done are the most reliable predictors of career satisfaction, confirmed in this order of importance by many other robustness checks. Particularly, in the case of respondents from the Western part of Romania, we found that meritocracy-based influence, namely deserved recognition, counts almost as much as the workplace atmosphere. For these individuals, previous educational performance and lifetime employment at a single job matter more than the previous dual-core on job satisfaction. Unexpectedly, the adults from central romania present a negative influence of life satisfaction on job satisfaction due to an unbalanced work-family vision of life. The locus of control has different effects on job satisfaction in south and south-western regions, while in the north-east, meaning in life is negatively influencing job satisfaction. Bridge employment exerts a negative influence on career satisfaction in the north-west, and in the South-East, and interpersonal trust has a positive effect.
A critical process during early heart development is the formation of mesenchymal cells which will contribute to valves and septa of the mature heart. These cells arise by an epithelial‐mesenchymal transformation of endothelial cells in the atrioventricular (AV) canal and outflow tract areas of the heart. Adjacent endothelial cells in the atrium and ventricle remain epithelial. A three‐dimensional collagen gel culture system has been exploited to examine the interactions that mediate this transformation. The AV canal myocardium produces a stimulus that is transmitted through an intervening extra‐cellular matrix to the AV canal endothelium. This interaction is regionally specific, such that ventricular myocardium does not provide an adequate stimulus and ventricular endothelium does not respond to the AV canal myocardial stimulus. Exogenous TGF‐β1 (or TGF‐β2) can complement ventricular myocardium to produce transformation by AV canal endothelium. A blocking antibody, effective against several TGF‐β, prevents cell transformation. To identify the specific member of the TGF‐β family that functions in situ, antisense oligonucleotides for each of the numbered TGF‐β were topically added to AV canal explant cultures. Only the oligonucleotide targeted to TGF‐β3 was an effective inhibitor of mesenchymal cell formation. Studies have been undertaken to localize specific mRNas by in situ hybridization and RNase protection assays. These assays have concentrated on the regional and temporal appearance of TGF‐β2 and 3. Surprisingly, RNase protection assays with a TGF‐β3 sense probe showed the presence of a transcript complementary to TGF‐β3. Further analysis of this tissue interaction included the testing of a variety of signal transduction mechanisms including kinases, G‐proteins, and intracellular calcium. Tissue interaction in the heart is a complex interaction in which regulation of the induction process occurs in both the inducing and target tissues. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Through a new training mode, and given full play to the advantages of modern distance education under the guideline of communication theories, online learning system and Moodle platform have been constituted on the basis of the network platform and multimedia resources. Thus, rural minority teachers' educational technical skills will be efficiently trained with the help of computer-aided education and abundant educational resources on the Internet.
The purpose of this study was to determine the mediating role of organizational commitment variables on variable job satisfaction and turnover intention of contract employees at PT. Kharisma Duta Anggada. The population of this study was 187 people, with sampling using a saturated sample method. Methods of collecting data through questionnaires and interviews. Data obtained from the results of questionnaires were analyzed using path analysis and sobel test. The test results of getting job satisfaction have a positive and significant effect on organizational commitment, job satisfaction has a negative and significant effect on turnover intention, organizational commitment has a negative and significant effect on turnover intention, and job satisfaction has a negative and significant effect on turnover intention through mediating organizational commitment. The results of this study are expected to benefit employees of PT. Kharisma Duta Anggada and company leader. The company is expected to increase employee job satisfaction in order to increase employee commitment to the company so that the employee turnover intention level will be lower.  Keywords : job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention
Introductionalong one of Santiago de Cuba's busier avenues lies a restaurant that is at once ordinary and extraordinary As is the case with many restaurants in Cuba's second city, the front doors remain open during business hours, and above them, painted on the facade, appears the name of the restaurant. It is not long, however, before we gain a glimpse into the restaurant's extraordinary qualities. On either side of the front doors is a life-sized statue: on one side, a man, and on the other, a woman, both of a dark copper hue. In their physical appearance, the man and woman seem Afro-Cuban; in addition, they are dressed in simple garb, like fieldworkers. These statues are, in fact, representations of enslaved Afro-Cubans.This essay examines the racial, historical and ideological nuances of this particular restaurant, El Barracon, in operation in Santiago since 2008. Established through an initiative of Cuba's Ministry ofTourism, the restaurant seeks to introduce its patrons (foreign tourists, primarily) to specific features of the island's nineteenth-century, colonial period: specifically, the era of slavery. El Barracon, in short, is an imaginative, consumer-oriented and profit-driven recreation of life in a barracon (barracoon), or slave barracks. The physical structure of the restaurant is meant to resemble such a slave barracks; the Afro-Cuban staff is dressed in period costumes; and the artwork and decorations similarly depict the activities of enslaved persons on a nineteenth-century Cuban sugar plantation, or ingenio. My aims in the essay are, on the one hand, comparative and interpretive, in that they entail reflections on my own visit to the restaurant in 2010: as I ate the restaurant's ajiaco, I could only speculate on the improbability of a similar, slavery-themed restaurant being established in the United States, where I live. Indeed, tourist-driven establishments in the United States do not depict and memorialise the era of slavery in ways that approximate the directness and nonchalance of El Barracon. Part of my objective is to outline in general terms and in a comparative context (as opposed to, for example, an anthropological ethnographical approach that lies outside my disciplinary training) these variable, nation-specific approaches to the memorialisation of slavery (in terms, primarily, of the United States and Cuba). On the other hand, my larger aim here is to seek answers to the following questions: How, within a Cuban cultural and historical context, is a place like El Barracon possible in the first place, and how is it capable of receiving official federal sanction? Furthermore, what does an analysis of El Barracon contribute to an understanding of how Cuban culture, broadly stated, and Afro-Cubanness, more specifically, are understood at present on the island?Comparative memorialisations of slaverySlavery has occurred in numerous societies around the world and across multiple historical epochs; furthermore, slavery is a term applied to varying kinds of forced labour that can differ sharply in many ways, including degrees of brutality Similarly, the ways different societies choose to historicise and memorialise slavery can vary dramatically Given the profoundly adverse effects slavery has on a society that sanctions it, it is no surprise that, in general terms, the ways in which slavery is memorialised has posed difficulties for societies with slavery in their past. In the United States, for instance, there is nothing resembling an agreedupon approach toward the memorialisation of what has commonly been referred to in that country as the 'peculiar institution of slavery. If there has been an overall historical tendency, it has been in the direction of silence and neglect. Documented organised tours of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1998 and 2000, for instance, contained "very little information about enslavement. These tours followed the traditional focus on architecture, famous white men and their family lives, and politics. …
The deficiencies in metalinguistic reflection of the Spanish language (L1) in the first degree course for Modern Languages is the origin of this research. The objective is to find the variable that has a greater influence on the development of metalinguistic reflection as part of the multilingual competence. The European Higher Education Area (EHEA), offered 43 students a classroom workshop production of texts. The selected variables are related to the knowledge of other languages (L1, L2 and L3), intrinsic motivation to participate voluntarily in autonomous work and years of studies in Spanish language. Through the analysis of Pearson correlation index it is concluded that the most influential variable in improving is motivation, followed by knowledge of other languages. This result is useful for future educational activities in Higher Education.
New technologies for manipulating biomembranes have vast potential to aid the understanding of biological phenomena, and as tools to sculpt novel artificial cell architectures for synthetic biology. The manipulation and fusion of vesicles using optical traps is amongst the most promising due to the level of spatiotemporal control it affords. Herein, we conduct a suite of feasibility studies to show the potential of optical trapping technologies to (i) modulate the lipid composition of a vesicle by delivering new membrane material through fusion events and (ii) manipulate and controllably fuse coexisting membrane domains for the first time. We also outline some noteworthy morphologies and transitions that the vesicle undergoes during fusion, which gives us insight into the mechanisms at play. These results will guide future exploitation of laser-assisted membrane manipulation methods and feed into a technology roadmap for this emerging technology.
In the introduction, hypothyroidism in of radioactive iodine (1131) in euthyroid children is defined as any hypofunction children. The author’s own procedure is of the thyroid gland which affects the described. (Minimal, 0.25-2 pc., doses of growth and development of the child. 1131 have been used, far less than in most The designation is used to describe the other studies.) In 44 euthyroid patients clinical picture throughout the whole aged 8 months to 17 years, whose sympcourse of childhood, instead of such toms had suggested hypothyroidism, the names as congenital and acquired myxmean percentage uptake of 1’31 was found oedema, cretinism, etc. Athyrosis is the to be 43.5 1.5 after 24 hours, with a most severe degree of hypothyroidism. standard deviation of 9.7. Chapter 111 discusses previous studies, The work consisted in the main of *examining a series of hypothyroid children by means of tests with radioactive iodine, supplemented by other studies, in the first instance examinations of the bones and teeth. The aim was, first to arrive at as early and sure a diagnosis as possible, and secondly to try and sort the hypothyroid children into as uniform groups as possible, according to type and degree of thyroid defect, with the intention of arriving a t an improved evaluation of the progress, the effect of treatment, etc. Chapter I gives the history of hypothyroidism and the various views on its etiology. The literature on the mental prognosis for these children is also reviewed here, this being the most important and most discussed clinical problem. Chapter 11 reviews studies of the uptake
This paper presents a solution to the factorization problem of high-order m-D polynomials into special m-D factors that are linear in all variables. By special it is meant that the factors have the form of a sum of one independent variable, say z 1, and a general first-order polynomial not involving z 1, i.e. z 1 + a j2 z 2 + [tdot] + a jm z m (j = 1, 2,[tdot],N 1). Two theorems providing the necessary and sufficient conditions for this factorization are given, which have an algorithmic form and are thus appropriate for direct computer use. The results are illustrated by means of three examples.
The analysis is motivated by the observation that foreign direct investment (FDI) is in reality a heterogeneous flow of funds, composed of both greenfield-FDI ('greenfield investment') and acquisition-FDI (cross-border mergers and acquisitions), although previous game-theoretic analyses have concentrated exclusively on one form of FDI. We aim to isolate the determinants of the equilibrium form of FDI. We model the equilibrium industrial structures of a concentrated (two-incumbent) global industry that spans two (perfectly segmented) national product markets (i.e. an 'international oligopoly'). Firms' FDI decisions (i.e. whether to produce abroad and what form of FDI to choose) and process R&D decisions are made endogenously, and potential entry into the industry is allowed for. Key findings are that acquisition-FDI arises in medium-sized markets (where entry does not occur) and that necessary conditions for greenfield-FDI are a large market and a small sunk cost of additional plants. In future work the welfare properties of equilibria associated with the alternative forms of FDI will be compared.
The influence of material parameters upon the characteristics of vertical channel power field effect transistors is examined. It is demonstrated that for devices with the same breakdown voltage and device structure, the on‐resistance is inversely proportional to the third power of the energy band gap and inversely proportional to the mobility. In addition the frequency response of these devices increases in proportion to the mobility and the energy band gap. Calculated device parameters for III–V semiconductor compounds, as well as their alloys, have been compared to those of a silicon device with the same breakdown voltage. It is found that devices fabricated from GaAs, InP, and GaP are expected to have a current handling capability which is a factor of 12.7, 5, and 1.85 better than that of the silicon device with the same breakdown voltage. In addition, the current handling capability of devices fabricated from the alloy semiconductors GaAlAs, GaAsP, and InGaP are even superior to those of a GaAs device...
Long QT syndrome type II (LQT2) is caused by loss‐of‐function mutations in the hERG K+ channel, leading to increased incidence of cardiac arrest and sudden death. Many genetic variants have been reported in the hERG gene with various consequences on channel expression, permeation, and gating. Only a small number of LQT2 causing variants has been characterized to define the underlying pathophysiological causes of the disease. We sought to determine the characteristics of the frameshift variant p.Thr1019ProfsX38 (T1019PfsX38) which affects the C‐terminus of the protein. This mutation was identified in an extended Omani family of LQT2. It replaces the last 140 amino acids of hERG with 37 unique amino acids. T1019 is positioned at a distinguished region of the C‐terminal tail of hERG, as predicted from the deep learning system AlphaFold v2.0. We employed the whole‐cell configuration of the patch‐clamp technique to study wild‐type and mutant channels that were transiently expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. Depolarizing voltages elicited slowly deactivating tail currents that appeared upon repolarization of cells that express either wild‐type‐ or T1019PfsX38‐hERG. There were no differences in the voltage and time dependencies of activation between the two variants. However, the rates of hERG channel deactivation at hyperpolarizing potentials were accelerated by T1019PfsX38. In addition, the voltage dependence of inactivation of T1019PfsX38‐hERG was shifted by 20 mV in the negative direction when compared with wild‐type hERG. The rates of channel inactivation were increased in the mutant channel variant. Next, we employed a step‐ramp protocol to mimic membrane repolarization by the cardiac action potential. The amplitudes of outward currents and their integrals were reduced in the mutant variant when compared with the wild‐type variant during repolarization. Thus, changes in the gating dynamics of hERG by the T1019PfsX38 variant contribute to the pathology seen in affected LQT2 patients.
The purpose of the study was to examine a diverse range of research literature to provide a social-cognitive theoretical framework as a foundation for definition of identity construction in the music teacher education program. The review of literature may reveal a theoretical framework based around tenets of commonly studied constructs in the social-cognitive theory, social identity theory, symbolic interactionism, and role theory to ground future research on music teacher constructs which may be examined through both quantitative and qualitative measures. The proposed theoretical framework within this study might further the ways through which the profession investigates music teacher identity construction, and enhances university teacher training and induction, enriching the lives of future music educators.
This study develops an incorrect example retrieval system, called Sakura, using a large-scale Lang-8 dataset for Japanese language learners. Existing example retrieval systems do not include grammatically incorrect examples or present only a few examples, if any. If a retrieval system has a wide coverage of incorrect examples along with the correct counterpart, learners can revise their composition themselves. Considering the usability of retrieving incorrect examples, our proposed system uses a large-scale corpus to expand the coverage of incorrect examples and presents correct expressions along with incorrect expressions. Our intrinsic and extrinsic evaluations indicate that our system is more useful than a previous system.
One of the most common words in the remote sensing (or even general imaging) literature is ‘resolution’. Despite its abundant use and because the concept is often misjudged as uncomplicated, most modern literature relies on rather sloppy ‘resolution’ definitions that sometimes even contradict each other within the same text. In part, this confusion and misconception arises from the fact that technical as well as broader, application‐specific explanations for resolution exist, both of them even relying on different ways to describe resolution characteristics. As a result, the term ‘resolution’ has been used for many years as a handy go‐to term to cover many concepts: “this satellite produces images with a resolution of 30 m”; “there is an increasing number of high‐resolution camera sensors on the market” or “the resolution of the human eye is coarser than an eagle’s eye”. Nowadays, one might wonder if resolution is a particular image characteristic, a property of the imaged scene or instead related to the imaging sensor or maybe the camera’s lens.  It is thus fair to say that the technical concept of resolution – or more specifically spatial resolution – and all its implications are commonly poorly understood, which leads to many popular, accepted but completely wrong statements. In the photographic literature, a widespread example is to refer to the total number of camera image pixels (i.e. the pixel count) as the image resolution of that specific digital camera. This is erroneous since the same 24‐megapixel camera can capture a photograph of an Attic black‐figure amphora as well as a complete submerged Greek temple. The resulting two photographs, although both are counting 24 megapixels, might reveal scene details of 0.01 cm and 2 cm respectively. In the remote sensing community, a prevalent misconception is that a satellite image with a 1 m resolution automatically means that we can recognise all objects in that image which have a width equal to or larger than 1 m.  In this two‐part entry of our series, we will combine simple geometrical relationships (part 1) and fundamental laws of electromagnetic radiation (part 2) to shed some light on the term spatial resolution and explain its difference with the related concept of spatial resolving power. Similar to the previous two entries, this two‐pieced text can only scratch the surface of this very complex topic. Notwithstanding, the aim is still to provide solid definitions and enough background knowledge to easily correct many of the “common knowledge” but ill‐founded statements such as the ones mentioned above.
It is well known that chemically patterned substrates can direct the assembly of adsorbed layers or thin films of block copolymers. For a cylinder-forming diblock copolymer on periodically spot-patterned substrates, the morphology of the block copolymer follows the pattern at the substrate; however, with different periodic spacing and spot size of the pattern, novel morphologies can be created. Specifically, we have demonstrated that new morphologies that are absent in the bulk system can be tailored by judiciously varying the mismatch between the width of the pattern and the periodic spacing of the bulk block copolymer, the top surface affinity, and spot size. New morphologies can thus be achieved, such as honeycomb and ring structures, which do not appear in the bulk system. These results demonstrate a promising strategy for fabrication of new nanostructures from chemically patterned substrates.
In an electronic decay process followed by fragmentation the kinetic energy release and electron spectra can be measured. Classically they are the mirror image of each other, a fact which is often used in practice. Quantum expressions are derived for both spectra and analyzed. It is demonstrated that these spectra carry complementary quantum information and are related to the nuclear dynamics in different participating electronic states. Illustrative examples show that the classical picture of a mirror image can break down and shed light on the underlying physics.
We fabricated inorganic–organic hybrid quantum-dot light-emitting-diodes (QD-LEDs) consisting of several types of solution-processed n-type oxide electron injection layers (EILs)/quantum-dot (QD) and poly (9-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) blend light emitting layer (EMLs)/4,4-bis(carbazole-9yl)bihpheyl (CBP)/a-NPD/1,4,5,8,9, 11-hexaazatriphenylene-hexacarbonitrile (HAT-CN) hole injection layer/Al structures. We compared the electrical properties of hybrid QD-LEDs with solution-processed n-type oxide electron injection layers consisting of Al-doped ZnO nano-particles (AZO-NP), polyethyleneimine (PEI), titanium oxide nanosheet (TiO-NS) on PEI (PEI/TiO-NS), and AZO-NP/TiO-NS multilayers. The combination of the PEI dipole layer and ultra-thin TiO-NS nanosheet (∼1 nm) layers reduced the potential barrier at ITO/TiO-NS interface. However, a considerable barrier height of >0.3 eV exists at the TiO-NS/QD interface. The use of small-work function AZO-NP (3.9 eV) effectively improves external quantum efficiency (EQE) compared with relatively large work-function AZO-NP (4.3 eV) and TiO-NS (4.1 eV). The capacitance–voltage curves and the current density–voltage–luminance curves strongly depend on the thickness of the QD:PVK blend (2:1 in weight) layer, and we obtained the optimized thickness for EML as ca. 30 nm. With the improved charge balance and morphology, an EQE of above 3.0% is obtained for green light-emitting QD-LED and an EQE of 0.86% for blue light-emitting QD-LED.
In this paper the potential of terahertz frequency-domain spectroscopy (THz-FDS) for wideband radiation pattern measurements of terahertz antennas is demonstrated. To this end, radiation patterns of a commercially available bowtie antenna-integrated photodiode are measured with a frequency resolution of 250MHz from 100 to 400 GHz. Parasitic translation of the antenna during its rotation can be accurately resolved and compensated. Furthermore, by analysis in the time domain, the measurement setup can be examined for unwanted scatterers.
Disc-electrophoresis of E. coli envelope proteins on SDS acrylamide gels reproducibly revealed up to 50 distinct polypeptide bands. Corresponding molecular weights ranged from 105,000 to 20,000 daltons or less. Major bands corresponded to molecular weights of 73,000, 48,000, 36,000 and 30,000 with the latter constituting up to 20% of the total envelope protein depending upon the method of isolation. Minimum levels of detection using stained gels equaled 0.25 μg protein or 1% of total sample analyzed; for a polypeptide of molecular weight 40,000 daltons this was calculated to be equivalent to 1,200 molecules per cell envelope. In envelopes from a cetB− mutant strain (refractory to colicin E2), an additional band, constituting up to 5% of the total envelope protein was present. The molecular weight of this protein, which was maximally present in wild type envelopes in only trace amounts, is 44,000 daltons, indicating a cellular concentration of approximately 6 × 103 molecules per envelope. This new band was not affected by heating envelope preparations to 100° prior to electrophoresis, but was largely eliminated by washing isolated envelopes in low ionic strength buffer, or by pre-incubating cells with trypsin prior to preparation of envelopes. Treatment of isolated envelopes with Triton X-100, which preferentially releases inner membrane proteins from the envelope (18), resulted in the extraction of a preponderance of the high molecular weight polypeptides, including the 44,000 dalton protein from envelopes of the mutant. The major polypeptides of the envelope and the low molecular weight components were not extracted by Triton X-100. The properties of the 44,000 dalton protein indicated that it is relatively loosely associated with the surface envelope and may be exposed on the external surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. Possible explanations for the appearance of this protein in mutant strains and its relationship to the inability of these to respond, specifically to surface bound colicin E2, will be discussed. Extensive analysis of envelopes from recA− mutants was also carried out and revealed an unusual amount of variation in polypeptide profiles obtained from different preparations. However, no consistent quantitative or qualitative difference between recA and rec+ strains was obtained. In recA, cetB double mutants, the increased level of the 44,000 dalton polypeptide was identical to that found in the rec+, cetB mutant.
Highly nonlinear waveguides are essential components for all-optical signal processing. Many promising nonlinear waveguides utilize the Kerr nonlinearity, the strength of which is determined not only by the material properties, but also by geometrical factors, quantified by the waveguide's nonlinear effective area Aeff. In an all-optical switch, the switching threshold power is proportional to Aeff, so optimization of the nonlinear waveguide is equivalent to minimization of Aeff. Recent studies have shown that dielectric slot waveguides can confine optical energy far below the diffraction limit, with nonlinear effective areas considerably less than those attainable in total internal reflection waveguides. In this work, we instead consider the use of a gap plasmonic waveguide (GPW) for deep sub-wavelength optical confinement. Using finite element methods, we compare optimized slot waveguides with GPWs of identical geometry. We show that the GPW achieves a nonlinearity more than an order of magnitude superior to the corresponding dielectric slot waveguide, and that a further optimization of the GPW is possible.
The upregulation of a limited number of growth factors in our interferon-gamma transgenic model for regeneration within the pancreas lead us to propose that these factors are important during pancreatic regeneration. In this study, we have assessed the influence of two growth factors within the pancreas, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), by ectopically expressing these proteins under the control of the human insulin promoter in transgenic mice. This beta-cell-targeted expression of either EGF or KGF resulted in significant morphological changes, including cellular proliferation and disorganized islet growth. Intercrossing the individual Ins-EGF and Ins-KGF transgenic mice resulted in more profound changes in pancreatic morphology including proliferation of pancreatic cells and extensive intra-islet fibrosis. Insulin-producing beta-cells were found in some of the ducts of older Ins-EGF and Ins-EGFxKGF transgenic mice, and amylase-producing cells were observed within the islet structures of the double transgenic mice. These data suggest that both EGF and KGF are capable of affecting pancreatic differentiation and growth, and that co-expression of these molecules in islets has a more substantial impact on the pancreas than does expression of either growth factor alone.
In this study, the effectiveness of artificial zeolite and hydrated lime, as amendments, to reduce surface runoff and soil loss from acidic soil taken from Yamaguchi prefecture in Japan was assessed. Air‐dried soil aggregates (⩽2 mm) were amended with zeolite at 10% and with lime at 0.5%. The amended aggregates were packed to an average dry‐bulk density of 1.30 Mg m−3 in small soil trays and subjected to simulated rain intensities of 30 and 60 mm h−1. Two pretreatments were used before subjecting them to simulated rainfall: (a) soil incubated for 2 weeks and (b) soil kept for 5 months, irrigated every two days. The data indicated that surface runoff was characterized by three phases. The amendments' impact was most significant during the first two phases as the amendments induced the formation of particles sized ⩽ 106 µm, which are mostly responsible for the crusting. Amendments decreased soil losses, and the magnitude of reduction became higher when the irrigation pretreatment was applied before simulated rainfall. The amendment led to increase in soil organic carbon, wet aggregate stability, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and the large particle size in the sediment. The results suggest that surface runoff and soil loss in acidic soils can be substantially reduced by application of zeolite or lime, and this is attributed to the increase in wet aggregate stability and the large particle size in the sediment because of the amendments, and in this regard zeolite is more effective than lime.
An access control system supporting multitasks concurrently and precise spatio-temporal relationship is an essential component of aerospace information system. Concurrent access control model do not have enough expression capability in aerospace application scenario. In this paper, a new access control model (MT_RBAC) is proposed. Firstly, the time and space model is defined and used to improve RBAC model, so that the MT_RBAC model has a more suitable spatio-temporal correlation. Secondly, the task-centered authorization method is put forward. Through the definition of the roles static permission and the dynamic permission of task, the task role dual authorization is realized. This paper also put forward an authorization competition digestion method based on the quantitative priority. MT_RBAC model effectively solves problems of spatio-temporal access control model and multitask authorization conflict digestion in aerospace application scenario.
BACKGROUND Cyclosporin A (CsA)-treated renal transplant recipients (RTR) exhibit relative hyperhomocystinemia and vascular dysfunction. Folate supplementation lowers homocysteine and has been shown to improve vascular function in healthy subjects and patients with coronary artery disease. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of 3 months of folate supplementation (5 mg/day) on vascular function and structure in RTR.   METHODS A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted in 10 CsA-treated RTR. Vascular structure was measured as carotid artery intima media thickness (IMT) and function was assessed as changes in brachial artery diameter during reactive hyperemia (RH) and in response to glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). Function data were analyzed as absolute and percent change from baseline and area under the diameter/time curve. Blood samples were collected before and after supplementation and analyzed for total plasma homocysteine, folate, vitamin B12 and asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) in addition to regular measures of hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and serum creatinine.   RESULTS Folate supplementation significantly increased plasma folate by 687% (p < 0.005) and decreased homocysteine by 37% (p < 0.05) with no changes (p > 0.05) in vitamin B12 or ADMA. There were no significant (p > 0.05) changes in vascular structure or function during the placebo or the folate supplementation phases; IMT; placebo pre mean +/- SD, 0.52 +/- 0.12, post 0.50 +/- 0.11; folate pre 0.55 +/- 0.17, post 0.49 +/- 0.20 mm, 5% change in brachial artery diameter (RH, placebo pre 10 +/- 8, post 6 +/- 5; folate pre 9 +/- 7, post 7 +/- 5; GTN, placebo pre 18 +/- 10, post 17 +/- 9, folate pre 16 +/- 9, post-supplementation 18 +/- 8).   CONCLUSION Three months of folate supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine but has no effect on endothelial function or carotid artery IMT in RTR.
The aim of this study was to investigate the alteration of the gait pattern in 25 children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, using body-worn inertial sensors during a long walking distance. Normalized spatiotemporal gait parameters and their variability were extracted from the angular velocity of the shanks; the smoothness of the trunk movement was assessed based on the spectral entropy of the acceleration norm. As compared to healthy children, patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy showed significantly lower stride velocity and a less smooth trunk movement. When the group of patients was divided into mild and moderate based on the Motor Function Measure, the authors noticed significantly higher values both for cadence and stride velocity, as well as improved trunk smoothness in the mild versus moderate group. The potential of such parameters to distinguish between different disease states opens new perspectives for the objective assessment of efficacy of the new therapies associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Tables of 6j symbols for SU6 and SU3 and tables of 3jm factors for SU6 contains/implies SU2*SU3, SU3 contains/implies U1*SU2 and SU3 contains/implies SO3 are presented. The tables are computer produced, using a program that implements the building up principle in a general form. These tables are useful for calculations in high energy, nuclear and solid state physics. Some other tabulations contain errors, and none uses all the symmetries available. The n independence of SUn results is discussed by using the various symmetric group-unitary group duality relations.
Based on previous research demonstrating that a conversation MOP (memory organization packet) exists that organizes scenes (topics) in conversations, this research explores the generalizability of the MOP when faced with differing situational demands. This research tests a normative sequential progression claim of the MOP perspective by examining the degree to which the MOP permits routine progression in topical talk in initial interactions as acquaintance goals vary. As predicted, dyads having similar acquaintanceship goals were found to exhibit similar conversational structures; the conversational structures for dyads having differing acquaintanceship goals were also found to be similar; and the progression of dyads through conversations in terms of transitions between topics also exhibited structural invariance. It was therefore concluded that (a) certain topics of talk occur almost regardless of acquaintanceship desires despite idiosyncratic additions, (b) multiple topics of talk are appropriate at any given point but what is appropriate at one point is not appropriate at other points, and (c) conversational sequencing follows a normative progression. In other words, conversational behavior is both routine and adaptive, although the adaptation is in itself routine.
Ridley's theory (1978) of the multiphonon capture rate at defect centres in semiconductors is compared with the low-temperature experimental results of Henry and Lang (1977) for the B centre in GaAs more critically than hitherto. It is found that the Huang-Rhys factor S=3.0 gives a good fit to both the magnitude and the temperature dependence of the capture cross-section at low temperatures. This is in contrast to Ridley's result of S=1 that only accounts for the temperature variation, albeit for a wider temperature range; the magnitude of the cross-section with S=1 is underestimated by some eight orders of magnitude. In this paper S is determined from an experimental capture cross-section at the lowest possible temperature. This gives a reliable value of S because the capture cross-section varies approximately as Sp, where p is the depth of the level in units of the zone-centre optical phonon energy and is equal to 20 for the B centre in GaAs. It is pointed out that a value of S so derived could be used not only as a means of identifying a deep level but also could be used to help analyse other experiments on the same centre involving electron-phonon coupling, e.g. measurement of photoionisation spectra.
Results from a Q-machine experiment are used to illustrate the dispersion-relation regimes associated with ion-acoustic and ion-cyclotron waves modified by the presence of shear in the magnetic-field-aligned (parallel) ion flow. Identifying the regimes requires knowledge of the sign of the ratio of wavevector components and the sign of parallel-velocity shear. Ion-temperature anisotropy is shown to influence significantly the propagation direction of oblique ion-acoustic waves. The necessity of documenting the instability mechanism with measurements of the electron and ion distribution functions, the electron and ion parallel-velocity shear, the flow-frame Doppler shifts, both small and large values of propagation angle, and the growth rate is illustrated. The existence of these shear-modified, low-frequency waves at values of parallel electron-drift velocity substantially smaller than the excitation thresholds predicted by homogeneous-plasma theory demonstrates the suitability of parallel-velocity shear for playing a role in the mechanism responsible for broadband extremely-low-frequency waves observed in the auroral ionosphere where there exists spatial variations and filamentation in the parallel plasma flow. This article was scheduled to appear in issue 5 of Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion. To access this Special issue please follow this link: http://www.iop.org/EJ/toc/0741-3335/45/5
Data from the 1992 membership survey were analyzed based on two ideas: advisors can report their perceptions of their work environments, and these perceptions vary across the NACADA membership. First, a perceptual “space” was defined. Second, in the context of this perceptual space, respondents to the 1992 membership survey were empirically grouped based upon their reported perceptions. We described the “perceptual space” of advisors and profiled the “types” of groups statistically identified. The relevance of these groupings toward the programming and delivery of advising services was considered and is presented below.
In this paper, an ultra-fast smart vision system-on-a-chip design is proposed to provide effective solutions for real time machine vision applications by taking advantages of recent advances in integrated sensing/processing designs, electronic neural networks, advanced microprocessors and sub- micron VLSI technology. The smart vision system mimics what is inherent in biological vision systems. It is programmable to perform vision processing in all levels such as image acquisition, image fusion, image analysis, and scene interpretation. A system-on-a-chip implementation of this smart vision system is shown to be feasible by integrating the whole system into a 3-cm by 3-cm chip design in a 0.18- micrometer CMOS technology. The system achieves one tea- operation-per-second computing power that is a two order-of- magnitude increase over the state-of-the-art microcomputer and DSP chips. Its high performance is due to massively parallel computing structures, high data throughput rates, fast learning capabilities, and advanced VLSI system-on-a-chip implementation. This highly integrated smart vision system can be used for various NASA scientific missions and other military, industrial or commercial vision applications.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the overwhelmingly predominant form of pancreatic cancer and the second most common type of gastrointestinal cancer (behind colorectal cancer) in the United States. Recent exciting advances in two areas of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (i.e., the development and characterization of genetically engineered mouse models and the dissection of the genetic basis of hereditary forms in families) have been illuminating. These preclinical models and clinical syndromes provide the first tangible basis for progress in screening and prevention in high-risk populations and in the development of molecular diagnostics and experimental therapeutics.
The Turbo coding ingeniously combine two simple component coders, use pseudo random interleaver parallelly to construct long code which obtains random characteristic , and take advantage of iterations between the two input/output (SISO)[1,2] decoder to realize pseudorandom decoding. This paper introduces encoding and decoding principle, design and simulation performance of Turbo codes. The simulation results prove that the design scheme is correct. From the spectral character we are acknowledged: not only can Turbo code effectively against the Gauss noise, but also has strong resistance to fading and interference properties. Based on our resuls, the Turbo code in modern communication has more advantages and will play more important role.
Acknowledgements 1. Introduction and Overview 2. The Upstream States Reject Egyptian Control of the Nile Waters: The Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) 3. Nile Waters, Drought, Poverty and Conflict Risk 4. Who Needs the Nile Waters: One River, Eleven Countries 5. Who Owns the Nile Waters: The Legal Context 6. Egypt and the Nile: Cairo's Quest for Hegemony 7. The Nile Basin Initiative: Efforts at Cooperation in the Nile Basin 8. The Imperative of Equitable Allocation of the Nile Waters 9. Regional Inequity in Water Resource Development and Conflict Risk 10. Nile Basin Initiative to Cooperative Framework Agreement 11. After the CFA, What has Changed? 12. Dimensions of the Threat of Conflict: Egypt's military might 13. Egypt's Nile Waters War: Could it Ever Become Real? 14. The Way Forward 15. Conclusions Notes References Index
The research presents a new design method for data warehouses and decision support systems. The method was named "the recursive design method for data warehouses with elements of prototyping and management" (the rekDW method). Individual tasks of the method, the organization of teamwork of designers and developers as well as the project management are described. Applications of the rekDW method in proof of concept projects and an example implementation of decision support systems in a Polish power plant are presented.
A compact and highly efficient nonisolated step-up/step-down converter is described for battery input and low-output voltage applications. The circuit has a single-ended forward converter with synchronous rectifiers that are driven using a new driving method. The new method uses the drain voltage of the main switch to drive the freewheeling MOSFET. Experimental results are presented for a converter with an input voltage range of 0.9 to 1.65 V, an output voltage of 1.6 V and a load current of up to 200 mA. A maximum overall efficiency of 78% was obtained experimentally by using the new driving method in a freewheeling synchronous rectifier.
We have performed a theoretical study of the effects of the non-parabolicity and coupling barrier in between GaAs quantum wells on the conduction electron cyclotron effective mass and Landé factor under the action of a growth-direction applied magnetic field. Numerical calculations are performed within the effective mass approximation and taking into account the non-parabolicity effects for the conduction-band electrons, by means of the Ogg–McCombe effective Hamiltonian. The system consists of two GaAs quantum wells connected by a Ga1 − xAlxAs barrier and surrounded by Ga1 − yAlyAs material. We have found that both the factor and the cyclotron effective mass are sensitive to the coupling strength, that is the height and width of the barrier in between the GaAs quantum wells. This behavior is similar for every Landé factor and the cyclotron effective mass calculated for different Landau levels. It is noticeable that the splitting between the and cyclotron effective mass increases with the central barrier width and the growth-direction applied magnetic field. As in a single quantum well, we found that the electron Landé factor increases with the growth-direction applied magnetic field, comparing quite well with the experimental reports, and that the magnetic field plays an important role in decoupling the quantum wells of the system. Additionally, we have studied the electron cyclotron effective mass and Landé g factor as functions of the Landau levels, depending on the non-parabolicity. From this result one can infer that their population must be taken into account for a complete study of the band parameters as has been proposed in previous works. The present theoretical results are in very good agreement with previous experimental reports in the limiting geometry of a single quantum well.
Growing significance of neighbourhoods in different areas of urban planning, along with the increasing attention to the social dimension of sustainable communities and societies, emphasizes the need for conceptualizing socially sustainable neighbourhoods. This article first critically reflects on the concept of socially sustainable neighbourhoods in two areas of definition and operationalization. It then proposes a tripartite framework for measuring social sustainability of urban neighbourhoods which combines three elements of neighbourhood, neighbouring, and neighbours. This framework is tested, examined, and discussed in the case of Bethnal Green, London. The findings are integrated into a Social Sustainability Enhancement Index which encompasses practical recommendations to promote social sustainability of Bethnal Green. The article concludes with highlighting research and policy implications of the proposed framework, and suggests some methodological improvements for the future research.
In this paper, we show in principle a method for solving the problem of a two-dimensional vortex source in terms of flow. The material of the article relates to mathematical modeling of classical two-dimensional problems in terms of potential flows. The resulting solution is similar to the results for a flat vortex source and is an important result for the development of the analytical theory of two-dimensional in terms of potential water flows. Other solutions for real potential two-dimensional flows are considered, which are clarified by the authors, which confirms the relevance of the work.
The implementation of wind power forecast technology considerably accelerates the development of wind energy utilization. However, wind power is difficult to be accurately forecasted due to its intermittency and randomness. Meanwhile, a classic prediction system usually could not provide the uncertainty of the predicted wind power so that the suspicious predicted value challenges the dispatch scheduling. Under this circumstance, this paper presents an effective solution of adding a smart processor between the prediction system and dispatch system. This smart processor can generate the uncertainty of the predicted wind power and quite help in the dispatch managing process. The model and key technologies of the smart processor are also described from a conceptual level in this study. The proposed idea may make a big improvement for practical wind energy use in future.
Uptake and metabolism of propanil were measured in both susceptible (S) and resistant (R) biotypes of Jungle-rice, Echinochloa colona (L.) link at different growth stages. Results showed that there was no significant difference in uptake between S and R biotypes of E. colona at any given growth stage, but that uptake was significantly reduced at older plant growth stages in all biotypes studied. Metabolism of propanil was more rapid in R biotypes than in S biotypes at all growth stages studied. Specific and total aryl acylamidase activity, responsible for the first stage of propanil metabolism, was higher in R biotypes than in S at all growth stages, but declined to about 50% of the maximum at older growth stages, confirming the importance of this enzyme in conferring resistance to this herbicide. The area of necrosis that developed around a single drop of propanil deposited on the adaxial leaf surface was used to assess the degree of propanil resistance; it was found that resistance increased at older E. colona growth stages in contrast to the rate of propanil metabolism and amidase activity. Treatment of leaves with the amidase inhibitors, carbaryl or piperophos, simultaneously with propanil, caused a decrease in resistance at growth stages where amidase activity was greatest. This treatment was less effective at older growth stages. These results show that, in E. colona, propanil metabolism is important for conferring resistance in younger plants (four-six-leaf stage). It is suggested that restricted uptake confers resistance in older plants
Historically recognized by their characteristic histopathologic features, Spitz neoplasms are now known to be molecularly defined by mutually exclusive recurrent abnormalities that cause activation of the MAPK pathway. Spitz neoplasms with ALK rearrangements frequently demonstrate polypoid growth with a plexiform arrangement of nested, fusiform melanocytes in intersecting fascicles. Although neurotropism has been described in indolent Spitz neoplasms, this feature is not frequently mentioned in publications on histopathologic assessment of this group of melanocytic tumors. Here, we present an unusual case of a 3‐year‐old female with an ALK‐positive compound Spitz nevus with extensive perineural and intraneural neurotropism occurring on the vermilion border of the lower lip.
We undertook a prospective study of the effect of incidental appendectomy on the safety of cholecystectomy in patients under the age of 50 years. One hundred twenty patients were randomized to have either cholecystectomy alone or cholecystectomy and appendectomy. All patients received preoperative antibiotic cover. Both groups were well matched for age, sex, obesity, and length of hospital stay. Twelve patients were withdrawn from the trial. Wound infections occurred in three of the 56 patients in the cholecystectomy group (5.3%) and in two of the 52 patients in the cholecystectomy plus appendectomy group (3.8%). Incidental appendectomy is a safe addition to elective cholecystectomy.
An azobenzene liquid-crystalline compound possessing two chiral centres at both peripheral ends of the molecular structure exhibits electric-field-induced birefringence in the isotropic liquid phase, which was found to be attributable to the stabilization of the liquid-crystalline organization by the emergence of the polar ferroelectric molecular ordering. The optically isotropic texture changes into the homogeneous birefringent texture by the application of the in-plane electric field, which is a new type of switching mode applicable for the liquid crystal displays. The resulting birefringence can be erased by the irradiation of UV light, due to the photoinduced isomerization of the azobenzene compound, thus a dual controlled birefringent structure, by the irradiation of light and/or by the application of the electric field, is reported for the first time.
Summary In earlier studies, cimetidine was found to protect against acetylsalicylic acid-induced gastric mucosal lesions by a mechanism other than inhibition of gastric acid secretion. The present study examined the possibility that cimetidine might protect against the intestinal mucosal injury produced by indomethacin. Small intestinal ulceration produced by oral indomethacin (20 mg kg-1) was studied in rats treated with 0.15 M NaCl (control); 80 mg kg-1 cimetidine; 400 mg kg -1 cimetidine; and 100 μug kg-1 16-16 dimethyl prostaglandin E2. The treatments were given 30 min before and 8 hr after indomethacin. Confirming previous studies, 16-16 DMPGE2 significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the number of lesions and the sum of the lengths of ulcers per rat when compared to the control group. Neither dose of cimetidine had any effect on the intestinal lesions.
Abstract The leafhoppers of the subfamily Gyponinae are reviewed for the island of Hispaniola. Prior to this study the subfamily was known from five species of Curtara. The present study adds three genera (Prairiana, Rugosana, and Gypona) and 16 species, with 14 of these described as new. Therefore, there are four genera and twenty one species now known from Hispaniola. They are as follows: Prairiana dualis DeLong, Curtara (Curtara) cavera DeLong and Freytag, C. (C.) sata DeLong and Freytag, C. (C.) carloorum Freytag and Carlo, C. (C.) acroschismata Freytag and Carlo, C. (C.) blancoi Freytag and Carlo, C. (C.) albimaculata (Osborn), C. (C.) barrera Freytag, n. sp., C. (C.) youngi Freytag, n. sp., C. (C.) minima Freytag, n. sp., C. (C.) cornuta Freytag, n. sp. C. (C.) nunezi Freytag, n. sp., Rugosana carpa Freytag, n. sp., R. reta Freytag, n. sp., Gypona (Obtusana) curta Freytag, n. sp., G. (O.) ileota Freytag, n. sp., G. (O.) imita Freytag, n. sp., G. (O.) toxum Freytag, n. sp. G. (Marganalana) woodruffi Freytag, n. sp., G. (M.) rawlinsi Freytag, n. sp. and G. (M.) spina Freytag, n. sp.
An accurate measurement of the Hubble constant provides important constraints on the equation of state of dark energy. Currently, the most robust determination of H0 is based on Cepheid distances to nearby type Ia supernovae. The occurrence of SN 2007sr in the Antennae (NGC 4038/39) provides an important additional calibrator for this method since this galaxy pair is within a distance that Cepheid variables can be resolved with HST.We have recently obtained a set of 12 epochs of WFPC2 images which we have analyzed using a previously obtained set of ACS data as reference. An earlier WFPC2 image was also included in our study. We present preliminary periods and magnitudes of Cepheids in this galaxy pair.
In order to improve the physical fitness of the entire people and enhance physical health, “Healthy China 2030” Plan has been promoted to the major national development strategy. This research uses SWOT model method, effectively combines “Healthy China” outline policy. By analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of current sports tourism resource development in Guangxi, this research summarizes the opportunities and countermeasures brought by sports tourism development, deeply explores the sports tourism resources in Guangxi, then puts forward valid and feasible development strategy, and provides references for the development of sports
SCF–MO calculations have been made for borate glasses using B(OH)3 and BH3 as molecular models. These calculations have shown the triangular configurations to be quite stable with large energies required for out‐of‐plane distortions. Variations in the positions of nearest neighbor triangles or other neighboring charges can cause a spread in quadrupole coupling constant consistent with the experimental data. Smaller spreads in coupling can be brought about by changes in B–O bond lengths within the BO3 triangles. Gross bending of the triangles causes only very small changes in coupling.
Modeling of physical phenomena often involves the use of complex sets of equations whose computational solution has demanding requirements in terms of memory and computing power. Finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) method is a technique widely used nowadays in a variety of areas, such as antennas design, medical studies, circuit packaging and non destructive evaluation (NDE), having the advantage of a feasible hardware implementation of the algorithm that can significantly speedup the computations. In this paper we will focus on the thermal modeling of the soil for NDE. To this aim we projected a true 3D FD-TD model of the soil on an FPGA. Two different implementations of the system were made, one developed with VHDL and another one with Handel-C. A speed-up factor of 160 over a PC is achieved which shows the utility of such an implementation.
The authors provide a concise historical overview of the development of auditing in Russia. The Federal Law No. 307 of 30.12.2008 is the current legal basis for the work of public accountants in Russia. The profession of auditors is organised in a self-regulatory organisation of auditors. The regulatory body for auditors and the self-regulatory body is the Federal Ministry of Finance. A Council of Auditors, subordinated to the Ministry of Finance, is responsible to ensure the public interests within the scope of audit activities. The terms and conditions for the access to the profession of auditors in Russia are quite different from those in Germany. The authors analyse in depth the auditors’ minimum professional qualifications and the examination procedures and requirements. Only candidates who have passed the examination successfully and have a practical work experience of minimum three years can become certified auditors. In a concluding assessment the authors compare the regulation of the profession of auditors in Russia and Germany, drawing the conclusion that the most significant differences exist in the area of access to the auditors’ profession.
The rapid development of mobile technologies has made mobile learning (m-learning) a new trend in education. This study explores whether Library and Information Science students, whose studies and future work focus on using up-to-date technologies, are familiar with new technological innovations. The study has two objectives: (1) whether personality and individual characteristics are related to perceptions about m-learning and (2) whether differences exist according to level of education, age and gender concerning perceptions about m-learning. The research was conducted in Israel during the first semester of the 2012 academic year. Researchers used six questionnaires to gather data. Findings suggest that individual differences such as resistance to change, learning strategies, and age may predict and influence m-learning adoption. Library and Information Science educators should be aware of these individual differences while teaching and training their students. They should understand that not all students wish to adopt current technologies, either while students or later as professionals. However, since using mobile technologies is an essential activity in these times, Library and Information Science educators should augment the curriculum to maximize exposing students to these platforms. Students will then be able to compare the advantages and disadvantages of various devices in their personal and professional lives.
In the title compound, C18H15NO3, the fused benzopyran and pyridine rings are essentially coplanar [r.m.s. deviation = 0.0533 Å with a maximum deviation of 0.080 (1) Å for a benzene C atom]. The cyclohexanone ring adopts an envelope conformation with the dimethyl-substituted C atom 0.660 (2) Å out of the plane formed by the remaining ring atoms (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0305 Å). The dihedral angle between the mean planes of the pyran and cyclohexanone rings is 12.95 (6)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked via C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, leading to chains running along [011].
The differences between optical model (OM) and the barrier transmission approaches for fusion are studied in detail at low energy. In the heavy ion case at deep subbarrier energies, the absorption mean square spin of an optical model calculation using a short ranged imaginary potential differs significantly from the results of the WKB transmission method. This discrepancy of OM results is shown to be due to absorption occurring beyond the barrier position. The coupled reaction channel calculations for fusion based on OM approach are shown to be sensitive to the choice of imaginary fusion potentials, whereas the coupling effects on fusion are dominant for energies only around the barrier. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
The Middle Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation coals beds in the central portion of the Eastern Kentucky coal field exhibit changes in lithology, petrology, and chemistry that can be attributed to temporal continuity in the depositional systems. The study interval within northern Perry and Knott Counties includes coals from the Taylor coal bed at the base of the Magoffin marine member upward through the Hazard No. 8 (Francis) coal bed.
Background: Large ventral hernia continued to possess a great challenge to general surgeon. Historically a variety of permutation and combination of repair have evolved. However, no single surgical repair can meet the requirement completely. A combination of component separation accompanied with mesh repair needs to be studied and analyse. Aim: To study percentage of patients required only anterior or both (anterior and posterior) component separation. Methods: 30 Patient undergoing component separation were evaluated. Tissue repair comprises of component separation with creation of flap from rectus sheath in order to breach midline and creation of new midline. This followed by preperitoneal (retro rectus) or above the rectus muscle polypropylene soft mesh enforcement with complete cover over mesh by anterior rectus sheath. So, in our patients mesh never fixed above the rectus sheath. Results: In our study we realised that most of the large defect hernias are required more anterior compartment separation. Both compartments separation is required only in complex, and more than 10 cm defect of anterior abdominal wall hernia. Conclusion: Anterior component separation is often required and enough for abdominal wall reconstruction with good cosmetic contour without any recurrence than both component separation.
The goal is to develop new architectures for computed tomography (CT) which are at an ultra-low-cost for developing countries, especially in rural areas. The proposed general scheme is inspired by the recently developed compressive sensing and interior tomography techniques, where the data acquisition system targets a region of interest (ROI) to acquire limited and truncated data. Similar to linear tomosynthesis, the source and detector are translated in opposite directions but in contrast to conventional tomosynthesis, our proposal is for either ROI reconstruction with one or more localized linear scans or global reconstruction by combining multiple ROI reconstructions. In other words, the popular slip ring is replaced by a translation based setup, and the instrumentation cost is reduced by a relaxation of the imaging speed requirement. The various translational scanning modes are theoretically analyzed, and the scanning parameters are optimized. The numerical simulation results from different numbers of linear scans confirm the feasibility of the proposed scheme, and suggest two preferred low-end systems for horizontal and vertical patient positions respectively. Ultra-low-cost x-ray CT is feasible with our proposed combination of linear scanning, compressive sensing, and interior tomography. The proposed architecture can be tailored into permanent, movable, or reconfigurable systems as desirable. Advanced image registration and spectral imaging features can be included as well.
Covid-19 has been an alarming bifurcation in the last three years. Education and learning are among the areas most affected. Online learning environments are not a choice or a model for learning modernization, but it is an obligation and a unique solution to ensure educational continuity. This has led to a growing interest in MOOCs, which reveals the importance of taking into account some appropriate information to ensure learner-centered learning to overcome the requirements of the massiveness of learners and their scattering in front of the numerous services of MOOCs. Following this direction, we propose a deep study of different approaches to personalize MOOCs. Our study aims to consider affective information as one of the main personalization parameters in the learner model, to guarantee a high-quality education with a high recommendation accuracy.
This systematic review provides a chronological overview of how mhealth research has evolved with changes in mobile technologies. The review involved a PubMed search complemented by manual searching of all issues of the Journal of Medical Internet Research and Telemedicine Journal and eHealth, from inception to January 2015. Articles reporting the evaluation of mhealth interventions in any patient group for any health-related outcomes were analysed without restrictions on the study design. A total of 3476 publications were obtained from the PubMed search and manual searching of eHealth journals. Analysis was based on an abstract review of 515 (14.8%) original research articles, which fulfilled preset inclusion criteria. Three distinct time periods were identified on the basis of mobile devices used in mhealth research. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) dominated mhealth research in the years before 2007 (17 of 33 articles, 51.5%). Basic and feature phones were the main methods of mhealth intervention from 2007 to 2012 (95 of 193 articles, 49.2%). After 2012, smart devices (smartphones, tablet PCs and iPod touches) were highly used in mhealth research (173 of 289 articles, 59.9%). Despite a growing focus on infectious diseases and maternal and child health in the most recent years, non-communicable conditions continued to overshadow the trend of mhealth research. Overall, mHealth research has evolved over the past decade in terms of the mobile devices employed, health conditions addressed and its purpose. While chronic medical conditions have clearly been the focus of mhealth research, a shift in trends is expected as the application of mhealth interventions spreads to other under-studied areas. Future research should continue to leverage on the advancements and ubiquitous nature of mobile devices to make healthcare accessible to all.
ABSTRACT Ranked events are pivotal in many important AI-applications such as Question Answering and recommendations systems. This paper studies ranked events in the setting of harness racing. For each horse there exists a probability distribution over its possible rankings. In the paper, it is shown that a set of expected positions (and more generally, higher moments) for the horses induces this probability distribution. The main contribution of the paper is a method, which extracts this induced probability distribution from a set of expected positions. An algorithm is proposed where the extraction of the induced distribution is given by the estimated expectations. MATLAB code is provided for the methodology. This approach gives freedom to model the horses in many different ways without the restrictions imposed by for instance logistic regression. To illustrate this point, we employ a neural network and ordinary ridge regression. The method is applied to predicting the distribution of the finishing positions for horses in harness racing. It outperforms both multinomial logistic regression and the market odds. The ease of use combined with fine results from the suggested approach constitutes a relevant addition to the increasingly important field of ranked events.
Whilst I do not know exactly why it is that in phase I clinical trials of investigational medicinal entities investigators might want their subjects to be obese individuals, I doubt that it is because they are perceived as less troublesome than their slimmer volunteers. It is however a puzzling fact that in most phase I trials the inclusion criteria favour healthy volunteers who have a ‘BMI [body mass index] of between 18 and 32’ or who can regard themselves as within the tolerance suggested by ‘You must not be over or under weight for your height’. Such criteria are problematic for several reasons. The body mass index is a statistical measurement which compares a person’s weight and height. A ‘healthy volunteer’ with a BMI below 18.5 would generally be regarded as both oxymoronic and ‘underweight’. Someone with a BMI above 25 on the other hand would be considered ‘overweight’, and it is clearly difficult to see how either an underor an overweight individual could be considered as of a healthy weight. Cognitive dissonance struggles with such a concept. A BMI of 30 or above classifies one as obese; having a BMI above 35 suggests one is ‘grossly obese’ so that even for routine elective surgery, such a patient may need to discuss their options with the anaesthetist. Above 40 and one is ‘bariatric’ or ‘morbidly obese’ and may well need hoists to help mobilise. At the other end of the scale, anything below 18.5 is also generally regarded as distinctly unhealthy: a score below 17.5 in fact might well indicate anorexia, and 15 is usually taken as at the upper limit of ‘starvation’. As for a point of reference, a BMI of 18 became, after much debate and controversy, the minimum acceptable for catwalk models after Madrid fashion week decided, during 2006, to ban underweight models from its shows. To use, without any of the same intensity of discussion, the same minima for ‘healthy volunteers’ as was used in an industry notorious for its unhealthy workforce, strikes at least this author as troubling.
Dual-cast transmission appears naturally in network coding-based two-way relay systems, where the relay terminal needs to send network coded information to both end users simultaneously. In this paper, we investigate the optimal beamforming design for wireless dual-cast channels. Specifically, we present an efficient closed-form solution of the optimal beamforming vectors and their achievable maximal dual-cast rate for both orthogonal and nonorthogonal user channel cases. Comparison with conventional non-network-coding based schemes shows that the proposed design of dual-cast beamforming with network coding can best explore the capacity benefit of multiple antennas at the relay terminal.
A practical model for a single-electron transistor (SET) was developed based on the physical phenomena in realistic Si SETs, and implemented into a conventional circuit simulator. In the proposed model, the SET current calculated by the analytic model is combined with the parasitic MOSFET characteristics, which have been observed in many recently reported SETs formed on Si nanostructures. The SPICE simulation results were compared with the measured characteristics of the Si SETs. In terms of the bias, temperature, and size dependence of the realistic SET characteristics, an extensive comparison leads to good agreement within a reasonable level of accuracy. This result is noticeable in that a single set of model parameters was used, while considering divergent physical phenomena such as the parasitic MOSFET, the Coulomb oscillation phase shift, and the tunneling resistance modulated by the gate bias. When compared to the measured data, the accuracy of the voltage transfer characteristics of a single-electron inverter obtained from the SPICE simulation was within 15%. This new SPICE model can be applied to estimating the realistic performance of a CMOS/SET hybrid circuit or various SET logic architectures.
In this paper, we introduce a novel way of constructing concise  causal histories (pathways) to represent how specified structures  are formed during simulation of systems represented by rule-based  models. This is founded on a new, clean, graph-based semantics  introduced in the first part of this paper for Kappa, a rule-based  modelling language that has emerged as a natural description of  protein-protein interactions in molecular biology [Bachman 2011]. The semantics is capable of capturing the whole of Kappa, including subtle side-effects on deletion of structure, and its structured presentation provides the basis for the translation of techniques to other models. In particular, we give a notion of trajectory compression, which restricts a trace culminating in the production of a given structure to the actions necessary for the structure to occur. This is central to the reconstruction of biochemical pathways due to the failure of traditional techniques to provide adequately concise causal histories, and we expect it to be applicable in a range of other modelling situations.
Fractures and suspected fractures are common causes for pediatric visits to the emergency department. Initial evaluation routinely includes imaging in the form of radiographs. Additional imaging modalities including sonography and magnetic resonance are used as problem-solving tools. Sonography has been reported to perform well when compared with radiography in multiple anatomies from the skull and nasal bones to the upper and lower extremities. In addition, sonography presents unique advantages including lack of ionizing radiation, cross-sectional coverage, evaluation of soft tissue injury, and the possibility of imaging the contralateral side. This article reviews the applications, advantages, disadvantages, technique, and performance of sonography in the imaging of fractures in children.
This paper has been prepared as a reminder of past damaging earthquakes in eastern Canada and as a testimony of the damage suffered; isoseismal maps of five selected eastern Canadian earthquakes are presented as well as illustrations of their effects. Although features of the four older historical events reviewed herein are reasonably well documented (although not to present standards), data of engineering significance needed to perform accurate seismic-resistance evaluations have been for the most part lost owing to the time elapsed. Hence, the damage examples presented herein should not be construed as a comprehensive survey but rather as a sampling of noteworthy failures. Since most of the structural damage produced by these earthquakes was suffered by unreinforced masonry buildings, an overview of the seismic risks they constitute and their main modes of failure is presented. The first step of a coordinated seismic risk reduction plan is also formulated; its application is recommended for the mitigati...
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nasal packing on the surgical success and postoperative complications of endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EnDCR) without using stents and mucosal flaps. Methods: The retrospective study comprised of 75 eyes of 65 consecutive patients undergoing EnDCR with the biting and removing technique. The patients were assigned to 2 groups depending on whether the biodegradable synthetic polyurethane foam was used or not (the packing group, 34 eyes; the nonpacking group, 41 eyes). At least 6 months after the EnDCR, the postoperative outcomes including anatomical and functional successes, and the postoperative complications such as synechia, granuloma, and bleeding were compared between the packing and nonpacking groups. Results: Synechia was lower in the packing group (23.5% versus 24.4%) but it was not statistically significant (P = 0.93). There were also no significant differences in the granuloma and bleeding complications between the 2 groups (respectively, P = 0.72, P = 0.08). The success rates of anatomical and functional reached 88% in the packing group compared with 82.9%, and 75.6% in the nonpacking group (respectively, P = 0.74, P = 0.76). Conclusions: The present study findings suggest that both groups have no superiorities over each other in the surgical outcomes after the EnDCR. However, further randomized studies are recommended before the generalization can be made.
ammunition and fuel” (Roest, 163–164). Exceptional, in fact, is the distinct, explicit option for Francis’s own writings as a key to his mind (173). Fortunately Robson, in his excellent introduction to the book, covers crucial developments that have not been dealt with by the other authors. His short outline of Francis’s spirituality (2–5) as the core of the new way of life and movement is essential, as is Cusato’s description of the genesis of the fraternity and Francis’s interaction with his brothers in the formative years as the broader context of his vocation. The main characteristics of this companion to Francis of Assisi are solidity and clarity. The articles, compact and well organized, rarely overlap (but internal references are few). The authors’ positions are well informed and balanced: Francis’s encounter with the leper (lepers) was an encounter with Christ, prompting an inner conversion, as well as with a suffering human being in need of care (20–22); Francis incorporated monastic elements in his Rule, but there were also significant differences (58); the friars were to preach the gospel through their deeds and they were to live the message of peace and reconciliation in the world, but Francis greatly desired the conversion of the sultan and there is no mention of preaching anything other than Christian truth (133–137); and so forth. Rare theological remarks like those of T. J. Johnson (“The life and legacy of Francis remains a forceful reminder that the role of God’s children is not only to be humble caretakers ... but indeed to be courageous liberators of their brothers and sisters” [157]), upset the balance a bit or, depending on how you look at this Companion to Francis of Assisi, improve it.
ABSTRACT Duloxetine hydrochloride (DUL) is an antidepressant drug that is being increasingly consumed and so, it is classified as an emerging pollutant. As it is found at very low concentration in the environment, in this work, we investigated the electrochemical monitoring of surface waters for trace determination of DUL based on the use of cathodically pretreated boron-doped diamond electrode (CP-BDDE) coupled to differential pulse voltammetry. The antidepressant was determined in Britton-Robinson buffer solution at pH 7.0 and the current was linearly dependent to the concentration in the range of 0.030–0.333 µmol L−1 with a limit of detection of 5.87 nmol L−1. The precision, selectivity, and accuracy were evaluated, and the method was applied to the analysis of real lake, river, and tap water with an average recovery of 101%. The CP-BDDE proved to be an excellent electrochemical platform for trace DUL monitoring in surface waters.
Clear cell neoplasms presenting as metastatic hepatic masses may be difficult to differentiate histologically and immunohistochemically from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with prominent clear cell features, especially in small biopsy specimens. In situ hybridization (ISH) for albumin messenger RNA (mRNA) has been previously shown to be sensitive and specific for the detection of hepatocellular differentiation, but its use for the identification of clear cell HCC has not been previously evaluated. Among 309 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed at Mayo Clinic between 1985 and 1998, 30 cases (9.7%) with at least 30% (range, 30%-90%; median 60%) clear cells were studied by ISH for albumin mRNA. In addition, immunohistochemical expression of AFP and polyclonal CEA, serum determination of AFP, and histopathologic analyses of the tumor were done. Forty-two clear cell tumors were used as a control group: 21 metastatic clear cell tumors to the liver (14 renal cell carcinomas and 7 adrenal cortical carcinomas) and 21 primary clear cell tumors of the retroperitoneum (10 renal cell carcinomas, 5 adrenal cortical adenomas, 4 adrenal cortical carcinomas, and 2 ovarian carcinomas). ISH for albumin mRNA was reactive in 28 of 30 cases of clear cell HCC (93%). Clear cell HCC expressed AFP (15 cases; 50%) and polyclonal CEA (19 cases; 63%). Tumors expressed either AFP or polyclonal CEA in 23 cases (77%). Elevated serum AFP was present in 24 of 26 cases (92%). These results indicate that ISH for albumin mRNA is a useful method to distinguish clear cell HCC from other clear cell carcinomas metastatic to the liver and clear cell neoplasms in the retroperitoneum.
Objective To estimate the effect of a handgun purchase waiting period repeal on handgun and firearm suicides in Wisconsin. Methods Data for outcome and predictor variables were obtained for the 1999–2020 study period. Synthetic controls were used to assess the impact of Wisconsin’s waiting period repeal on mean-centred suicide rates. Placebo tests, difference-in-differences regression and augmented synthetic controls supplemented the synthetic control analyses. Results Postrepeal suicides were more likely to involve handguns than those in the 5 years immediately preceding the repeal (χ² (1, N=8269) = 49.25, p<0.001). The waiting period repeal resulted in an estimated annual increase of 1.1 handgun suicides per 100 000, or roughly 65 handgun suicide deaths per year. Estimates from difference-in-differences regression and augmented synthetic control analyses indicated similar treatment effects. Relative to the synthetic control, firearm suicides increased 6.5% following the repeal. Conclusion The waiting period repeal in Wisconsin was associated with increases in both handgun and firearm suicides. The findings suggest that waiting periods may be effective means restriction policies to reduce suicide. Additionally, the synthetic control’s ability to closely approximate preintervention handgun suicide trends despite a limited donor pool has implications for future policy analyses.
CONTEXT Most studies on pregnancy ambivalence are based on data from women and depend on the women's perceptions to measure their partner's pregnancy intentions. Because these perceptions may not be accurate, data collected directly from men are needed to understand the role of couple dynamics in fertility behavior.   METHOD Matched couple data from the 2002-2003 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey were used to examine contraceptive use, fertility desires and attitudes about becoming pregnant in the next few weeks-whether it would be a big problem, a small problem or no problem. Concordance between partners on these issues was evaluated. Inconsistent fertility desires and responses to the problem question are used to define ambivalence within couples. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess whether couples' pregnancy ambivalence was associated with contraceptive use.   RESULTS Seventy-one percent of husbands and 54% of wives reported that a pregnancy in the next few weeks would be "no problem"; couples' concordance on this question was 64% among contraceptive users and 61% among nonusers. In the multivariate analysis, couples who were discordant on the issue of a pregnancy in the near future had 26% lower odds of using contraceptives than couples in which both partners agreed a pregnancy would be a big or small problem. Contraceptive use was also less likely for couples in which one partner wanted to delay or stop childbearing and the other wanted more children or was undecided (odds ratio, 0.4).   CONCLUSIONS Husbands and wives influence each other's fertility attitudes and family planning use. Both husbands' and wives' pregnancy attitudes should be taken into account at the time of screening and method selection.
Shortly after the establishment of the first juvenile court in 1899.W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the most significant American thinkers of this century,wrote in his seminal work The Souls of Black Folk that "the major problem of the 20th Century is the problem of the colour line". Around the same time, the term 'adolescence' was coined by psychologist G. Stanley Hall, who described adolescence as a period between ages 12 and 20 that encompassed a developmental state unique from other periods of life. Today, the nexus of colour and adolescence in the United States have converged in a way that should be disquieting to all citizens.
Future lepton colliders such as the CEPC and FCC-ee would run as high-luminosity $Z-$boson factories, which offer a unique opportunity to study long-lived particles which couple to Z-bosons. In order to exemplify this particular advantage, in this work we consider one benchmark physics scenario where the long-lived lightest neutralinos pair $( tilde{ chi}_1^0 tilde{ chi}_1^0)$ is produced from $Z-$decays in the context of the R-parity violating supersymmetry. Our analysis indicates that when assuming BR$(Z rightarrow  tilde{ chi}_1^0 tilde{ chi}_1^0) = 10^{-3}$ and $m_{ tilde{ chi}_1^0}  sim 40$ GeV, the model parameter $ lambda'_{112} / m^2_{ tilde{f}}$ can be discovered down to as low as $ sim 1.5  times 10^{-14}$ ($3.9  times 10^{-14}$) GeV$^{-2}$ at the FCC-ee (CEPC) with center-of-mass energy $ sqrt{s} = 91.2$ GeV and 150 (16) ab$^{-1}$ integrated luminosity. These limits exceed the projected sensitivity reaches of the ATLAS experiment at the HL-LHC and the proposed LHC experiments with far detectors (AL3X, CODEX-b, FASER, and MATHUSLA).
Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA  Background: Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process that epithelial cells acquire a migratory mesenchymal phenotype or stem cell (SC) properties. Further, up regulation of Vimentin and Nanog is closely related to EMT and stemness properties, respectively. S100A4, a member of calcium-binding proteins, is competent to induce EMT and directly controlled by Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Calcium binding activity of S100A4 has been highly associated with the regulation of downstream targets and development of a metastatic phenotype. In addition, we recently demonstrate that S100A4 plays a crucial role in the maintenance of head and neck cancer-initiating cells (HN-CIC) population. Moreover, inhibition of S100A4 decreased the HN-CICs stemness and self-renewal property, both in vitro and in vivo. However, the regulation of S100A4 and the molecular targets to control HN-CICs stemness capability are remained unclear.  Methods: In this study, we establish the stable cells harboring the mutations with calcium-binding sites or a deletion of the last 15 amino-acid residues of S100A4 in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) to investigate the mechanism of S100A4 enhances stemness properties of CICs through in vitro and in vivo assays.  Results: We found that cells expressing the mutant S100A4 result in decreasing of anchorage independent growth ability when it compare to the cells harboring wild-type S100A4 in HNSCC. The immunoblot analyses showed that wild-type S100A4 not only increased the protein level of Vimentin and Nanog but also decreased the expression of E-cadherin. Inversely, the mutant S100A4 reduced the protein level of Vimentin and Naong and increased the expression E-cadherin in HNSCCs. To further investigate the connection between S100A4 and stemness determinants, we enriched the HN-CICs from wild-type S100A4 and mutants S100A4 HNSCC cells, respectively, by sphere formation. The results showed that the mutants S100A4 sphere cells displayed much less stemness markers, the cell surface CD133 and GRP78. Finally, the tumorigenic ability of wild-type S100A4 and mutants S100A4 HNSCC cells, which would be enhanced by acquisition of stemness properties, is further under examination by xenotransplantation.  Conclusion: Our study provides a hint that Ca2+ binding ability of S100A4 plays an important role in the maintenance of self-renewal and stemness properties of HN-CICs. The study of how modulators of Ca2+ dependent processes operate the stem-like properties and the tumorigenicity of HN-CICs are needed for further elucidation.  Citation Format: Li-Hao Cheng, Jeng-Fan Lo. Attenuation of cancer-initiating cells stemness properties by abrogating S100A4 calcium binding ability in head and neck cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 216. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-216
Cationic and highly branched poly (trimethylphosphonium ethylacrylate‐co‐poly (ethylene glycol) acrylate) (p (TMPEA‐co‐PEGA)), and its ammonium equivalent, have been synthesised from post‐polymerisation modification of a poly (bromo ethylacrylate‐co‐poly (ethylene glycol) acrylate) (p (BEA‐co‐PEGA)) precursor polymer produced using reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisation. The cationic polymers were evaluated for their ability to complex nucleic acids, their in vitro cytotoxicity and their GFP pDNA transfection efficiency. The results show RAFT copolymerisation of BEA and PEGA is a simple route to polyphosphoniums showing reduced cytotoxicities and higher transfection efficiencies than their polyammonium alternatives.
BACKGROUND An Australia-wide multicentre prospective study was undertaken to audit cases of initial parathyroid exploration between 1 January and 31 December 1992. One hundred and sixty-two cases were audited. The audit was designed to study pre-operative biochemical assessment, localization techniques and the technique of exploration.   METHOD A pro forma audit form was circulated to all Australian surgeons known to perform parathyroid surgery. Eleven responded.   RESULTS Free serum ionized calcium (iCa) was measured in 30% of cases, with the majority of pre-operative calcium assays being performed using total serum calcium (tCa). In 40 cases (29%) pre-operative localization techniques were used. These proved inaccurate in 10 cases. The intra-operative technique of localization with methylene blue infusion was used in 11% of cases. All four glands were biopsied in 11% of cases. No deaths were reported and a postoperative morbidity rate of 3.1% was noted. Eighty-eight per cent of patients were discharged within 5 days of surgery with a third going home within 48 h of neck exploration surgery. Only one patient (0.6%) required re-exploration for persistent hypercalcaemia due to a second adenoma.   CONCLUSIONS The surgical treatment of hyperparathyroidism can be regarded as safe, with minimum morbidity in experienced hands. Pre-operative localization studies in initial parathyroid exploration are not indicated.
The incidence of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection has progressively increased in North America since the first epidemic in 1999. Formal scholarly documentation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology changes in patients with WNV infection is limited. We report our experience with CSF cytospins from a population of consecutive patients with documented CSF WNV‐specific IgM. Thirty‐two patients (12 male, 20 female) with a median age of 52 yr (range, 19–88) diagnosed with WNV meningo‐encephalitis were studied. Symptoms were present for a mean of 5 days (range, 1–14) prior to lumbar puncture. CSF proteins were elevated in 94% of patients (30/32) with a mean value of 79 mg/dl (range, 36–185). CSF glucose was normal to elevated in all cases. All cytomorphologically adequate samples demonstrated a pleocytosis with a mean of 156 cells/mm3 (range, 13–683). Nearly, all (26/28) patients showed increased CSF neutrophils‐ mean 43% (range, 1–83). Mean lymphocyte and monocyte fractions were 44% (range, 8–85) and 14% (range, 2–27), respectively. Three cases showed 1–4% plasma cells. Mean total leukocyte counts (TLC) (197 cells/mm3) and mean neutrophil fractions (50%) were greater in patients sampled within the first 3 days of symptoms than in those sampled beyond day 3 (mean TLC, 126 cells/mm3; mean neutrophil fraction, 37%). Relative lymphocyte proportions increased from a mean of 39 to 48% after 3 days of illness. WNV should be considered as a potential etiology of infectious CSF pleocytosis in the North American late summer and early fall seasons. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2006; 34:127–129. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
OBJECTIVES We conducted a 1-year randomized controlled trial to test the hypothesis that growth hormone (GH) improves the clinical status of children with cystic fibrosis.   STUDY DESIGN Nineteen prepubertal children were randomized to control (NonTX, n = 9) or to daily injections of GH (0.3 mg/kg/wk) (GHTX, n = 10) for 1 year. Every 3 months height, weight, and lean tissue mass were measured. Caloric intake, resting energy expenditure, pulmonary function, and respiratory muscle strength were measured every 6 months, as were total number of hospitalizations and courses of outpatient intravenous antibiotics.   RESULTS The GHTX group had significantly greater height, height velocity (NonTX = 3.8 +/- 1.4 cm/y, GHTX = 8.1 +/- 2.4 cm/y; P =.002), weight, weight velocity (NonTX = 2.1 +/- 0.9 kg/y, GHTX = 4.5 +/- 1.1 kg/y; P =.004), and change in lean tissue mass (NonTX = 2.1 +/- 1.6 kg, GHTX = 4.7 +/- 1.7 kg; P =.01) analyzed by the Student t test. The GHTX group had significant improvement in delta forced vital capacity compared with the year before study, and respiratory muscle strength improved. The number of hospitalizations and outpatient intravenous antibiotic courses significantly decreased in the GHTX group but did not change in the NonTX group. No subject had development of cystic fibrosis-related diabetes.   CONCLUSIONS Results of the first randomized controlled trial of GH treatment in cystic fibrosis indicate that GH improves growth and clinical status.
Let f be a proper total coloring of G. For each x ∈ V(G), let C(x) denote the set of all colors of the elements incident with or adjacent to x and the color of x. If ∀u, v ∈ V(G), u ≠ v, we have C(u) ≠ C(v), then f is called a vertex strongly distinguishing total coloring of G. The minimum number k for which there exists a vertex strongly distinguishing total coloring of G using k colors is called the vertex strongly distinguishing total chromatic number of G. The vertex strongly distinguishing total chromatic number of complete bipartite graph K3,3 is obtained in this paper.
Soft robotics is an exciting field of science and technology that enables robots to manipulate objects with human-like dexterity. Soft robots can handle delicate objects with care, access remote areas, and offer realistic feedback on their handling performance. However, increased dexterity and mechanical compliance of soft robots come with the need for accurate control of the position and shape of these robots. Therefore, soft robots must be equipped with sensors for better perception of their surroundings, location, force, temperature, shape, and other stimuli for effective usage. This review highlights recent progress in sensing feedback technologies for soft robotic applications. It begins with an introduction to actuation technologies and material selection in soft robotics, followed by an in-depth exploration of various types of sensors, their integration methods, and the benefits of multimodal sensing, signal processing, and control strategies. A short description of current market leaders in soft robotics is also included in the review to illustrate the growing demands of this technology. By examining the latest advancements in sensing feedback technologies for soft robots, this review aims to highlight the potential of soft robotics and inspire innovation in the field.
Efficient access to evodiamine and its analogues is presented via Lewis acid catalysis. In this reaction, three chemical bonds and two heterocyclic-fused rings are constructed in one step. The reaction shows good functional group tolerance and atom economy, and various heteroatom-containing evodiamine analogues are obtained in moderate to excellent yields even on a gram scale. An anti-tumor study in vitro demonstrates compound 2b possesses potent efficacy against hepatoma cell line (IC50 = 5.7 μM).
The paper deals with the insulating resistance qf the power transformers as an aging ,criterium. This criterium is used for calculating the life-time for some types of power transformers. For the high power transformers are performed some tests: tests for the electro-insulating oil as: measurement of the winding insulation resistance and absorption coefficient, measurement of the tangent of the losses angle for the winding insulation. Those parameters could be used as degradation indices, ifthe contribution of the external factors is not very important.
It has been suggested that evaluative normativity should be expunged from the psychology of reasoning. A broadly Davidsonian response to these arguments is presented. It is suggested that two distinctions, between different types of rationality, are more permeable than this argument requires and that the fundamental objection is to selecting theories that make the most rational sense of the data. It is argued that this is inevitable consequence of radical interpretation where understanding others requires assuming they share our own norms of reasoning. This requires evaluative normativity and it is shown that when asked to evaluate others’ arguments participants conform to rational Bayesian norms. It is suggested that logic and probability are not in competition and that the variety of norms is more limited than the arguments against evaluative normativity suppose. Moreover, the universality of belief ascription suggests that many of our norms are universal and hence evaluative. It is concluded that the union of evaluative normativity and descriptive psychology implicit in Davidson and apparent in the psychology of reasoning is a good thing.
The photoinduced wettabilities of water, n-hexadecane, dodecane, and n-heptane on a flat TiO2 surface prepared by a sol-gel method-based coating were investigated. An amphiphilic surface produced by UV irradiation exhibited underwater superoleophobicity with an extremely high static oil contact angle (CA) of over 160°. The TiO2 surface almost completely repelled the oil droplet in water. A robust TiO2 surface with no fragile nanomicrostructure was fabricated on a Ti mesh with a pore size of approximately 150 μm. The fabricated mesh was found to be applicable as an oil/water separation filter.
This paper investigates the impact of using battery energy storage systems (BES) on the voltage and frequency profiles in the low-voltage distribution grid. The BES is controlled using a virtual synchronous machine (VSM) approach. The increased penetration of renewable energy resources in distribution networks can create voltage and frequency stability issues due to their intermittent nature and lack of rotational inertia. The integration of BES systems in distribution grids can improve the transient performance by mitigating both voltage and frequency fluctuations. The impact of using VSM-based BES systems in distribution grids with high-inertia resources such as synchronous generators and converter-based resources such as solar photovoltaic generation are studied. The effectiveness of the VSM approach is validated by simulation results.
The gravels and brick-earths of this part of the Thames valley have been classed by Mr. Prestwich† and Mr. Whitaker into two principal groups:—1st, the high-level gravels of Mr. Prestwich, occupying the summits of the hills above the valley; and, 2ndly, the valley-gravels, occupying the sides and bottom of the valley itself. With respect to the former, or high-level gravels, some slight difference of opinion appears at one time to have existed between the two authorities whom I have quoted—Mr. Prestwich including the gravels upon Wimbledon, Wandsworth, and Clapham Commons amongst the high-level gravels, whilst Mr. Whitaker considers the gravels of Wandsworth and Clapham Commons to belong to the valley-gravels. He, indeed, if I understand rightly his memoir on Sheet 7 of the Geological Survey Map‡, appears to think it possible that the whole of the high-level gravel of Mr. Prestwich may be nothing1 more than higher terraces of the valley-gravel. To enable the reader to understand at a glance the positions of the gravels I am about to describe, I have drawn a map of this part of the Thames valley, with contour lines of 10-feet levels strongly marked. A portion only of this map is given in the accompanying illustration (fig. 1), showing the part of the valley between Acton and the Thames. The margin of the London Clay is here shown by a dark tint, that of the gravel by a light one, and, for the sake of clearness, no distinction is made between the gravel and
The prediction of the potential impact of a wind farm on the existing radiocommunication services before its installation allows the planning of alternative solutions to ensure the coexistence of wind energy and telecommunication facilities. Although some guidelines for safeguarding radiocommunication services have been recently published, the precise impact on a specific service can only be determined on a case-by-case basis, due to the multiple factors that must be considered in the analysis. This paper presents a software tool that allows the accurate analysis of the degradation of the different radiocommunication systems. The calculations are based on the configuration of a specific wind farm and the different transmitters and receivers over a terrain database containing high resolution altimetry data. For each type of service, suitable calculation algorithms and interference criteria are applied. Graphic and numerical results of the analysis are presented on a map, which allows an on-the-spot evaluation of the degradation mechanisms for each wind turbine.
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relation between unenhanced CT liver attenuation values and MRI-derived proton density fat fraction (PDFF) for estimation of liver fat content at CT.   MATERIALS AND METHODS A CT-MRI phantom was constructed and imaged containing 12 vials with lipid fractions ranging from 0% to 100%. For the retrospective clinical arm, 221 patients (120 men, 101 women; mean age, 54 years) underwent both unenhanced CT and chemical shift-encoded MRI of the liver between 2007 and 2017. Among these patients, 92 had more than one 120-kV CT scan for comparison. CT attenuation and MRI PDFF were derived with coregistered ROI measurements in the right hepatic lobe. The 120-kV subgroup of CT examinations performed within 1 month of MRI PDFF examinations (n = 72) served as the primary cohort for linear correlation. The effects of different tube voltage settings, time intervals between CT and MRI, and iron overload were assessed. Linear least squares regression analysis was performed.   RESULTS Phantom results showed excellent linear fit between CT attenuation and MRI PDFF (r2 = 0.986). In patients, 120-kV CT performed within 1 month of MRI PDFF exhibited strong linear correlation (r2 = 0.828) that closely matched the phantom data, yielding the following clinical CT-MRI conversion formula: MRI PDFF (%) = -0.58 × CT attenuation (HU) + 38.2. Correlation worsened for CT-to-MRI intervals longer than 1 month (r2 = 0.565), and this specific relationship did not apply as well to non-120-kV settings (r2 = 0.554). For patients with multiple scans, correlation progressively worsened over time. CT-based liver fat content was underestimated in several patients with iron overload.   CONCLUSION The linear correlation between unenhanced CT attenuation and MRI PDFF allows quantification of liver fat content by means of unenhanced CT in clinical practice. As expected, correlation worsened with increasing CT-MRI time interval, variable tube voltage settings, and iron overload.
An investigation was conducted regarding the relative effects of conduction and convection in a saturated porous medium. A method reported by Singh et al. (1973) is used to determine the effective thermal conductivity of the saturated porous material. Heat transfer measurements are conducted under conditions of forced convection of the saturated liquid parallel and countercurrent to the flow of heat. The results are compared with the data obtained with the aid of an analytical model.
We discuss physical properties of `integer' topological phases of bosons in D=3+1 dimensions, protected by internal symmetries like time reversal and/or charge conservation. These phases invoke interactions in a fundamental way but do not possess topological order and are bosonic analogs of free fermion topological insulators and superconductors. While a formal cohomology based classification of such states was recently discovered, their physical properties remain mysterious. Here we develop a field theoretic description of several of these states and show that they possess unusual surface states, which if gapped, must either break the underlying symmetry, or develop topological order. In the latter case, symmetries are implemented in a way that is forbidden in a strictly two dimensional theory. While this is the usual fate of the surface states, exotic gapless states can also be realized. For example, tuning parameters can naturally lead to a deconfined quantum critical point or, in other situations, a fully symmetric vortex metal phase. We discuss cases where the topological phases are characterized by quantized magnetoelectric response  theta, which, somewhat surprisingly, is an odd multiple of 2 pi. Two different surface theories are shown to capture these phenomena - the first is a nonlinear sigma model with a topological term. The second invokes vortices on the surface that transform under a projective representation of the symmetry group. A bulk field theory consistent with these properties is identified, which is a multicomponent `BF' theory supplemented, crucially, with a topological term. A possible topological phase characterized by the thermal analog of the magnetoelectric effect is also discussed.
Inhibitors of isoprenoid biosynthesis are widely used to treat human disease including statins and nitrogenous bisphosphonates. Due to the importance of core human isoprenoid biosynthesis for diverse cellular processes related to cancer cell growth and metastasis, inhibition of this pathway may produce beneficial anticancer consequences. For example, ras oncogenes are well known; ras proteins are overexpressed in many human cancers, and these proteins must be isoprenylated to function. The rho proteins are important for regulating cell motility, and also must be isoprenylated. This has drawn significant attention to inhibitors of protein prenyl transferases. In addition to the reactions that are targeted in current clinical applications, there are other enzymes that have not been studied as extensively. Inhibition of these enzymes, from mevalonate kinase to geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase, could be attractive as a single agent therapy or in combination with current agents for treatment of cancers in which isoprenylated proteins have been implicated. While detailed in vivo data for many of these putative targets is lacking, there have been several breakthroughs in recent years that could facilitate further studies. In particular, compounds that specifically inhibit some of the downstream isoprenoid biosynthesis enzymes have been developed and their effects in cancer models are emerging. This review will discuss current knowledge of these lesser known isoprenoid pathway enzymes, identify trends in the development of their small molecule inhibitors, and describe the applications and effects of these compounds in cancer models.
In this paper two JAUS (Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems) services for an autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) are introduced. The first one concerns mission negotiation and the second one the interpretation of aeronautical information formatted in AIXM (Aeronautical Information Exchange Model). The JAUS services have been designed for surveillance and monitoring missions and have been implemented in a Mission Instruction Interpretation (MII) module using JAUS Tool Set (JTS).
The present study deals with removal efficiency of the pesticide fenamiphos and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from aqueous solution by electrocoagulation method. The effects of initial pH, current density, initial pesticide concentration, salt concentration, usage of different electrolytes and temperature on the removal efficiency and COD have been investigated. The obtained results showed that fenamiphos and COD removal were 97.4% and 96.4% by using C with SS (Carbon as the anode and stainless steel as the cathode) at 60 min and were 90.3% and 88.2% by using SS with Ti (stainless steel as the anode and titanium as the cathode) at the same time. These electrodes provided a higher oxidation rate, higher current efficiency, high over potential and consume less electrical energy. The experimental data were fitted with several adsorption isotherm models to describe the electrocoagulation process. This study has been carried out to determine the feasibility of fenamiphos adsorption on carbon and stainless steel species by EC process using the Langmuir and Freundlich Isotherm. In addition, results for the fenamiphos removal kinetics at various effects show that the kinetic rates conformed to the pseudo first order kinetic model with good correlation using both electrodes.
In 1991 EMCV was isolated for the first time in Belgium from the offspring of a sow with reproductive failure. From August 1995 until December 1996, EMCV was diagnosed in 154 Belgian pig holdings in association with myocardial failure and sudden death in fatteners and suckling piglets or with reproductive failure in sows. To clarify some epidemiological aspects 3 EMCV isolates characteristic for the different clinical pictures and outbreaks were studied. Field observations and animal experiments indicated that the pathogenicity induced by each isolate is specific for one age category and that the spread of the virus is limited. The presented data also suggest that rodents may play a role in the transmission of EMCV but that pig-to-pig transmission is at least as important. Molecular analysis of two separate regions on the genomes of the respective EMCV isolates showed that the 1995-96 EMCV epizootic in Belgium was due to a new virus introduction. Furthermore, the VP1 coding gene is proposed as a marker of virulence.
Fibromuscular dysplasia of the renal arteries usually presents with hypertension but, rarely, it can present with acute renal infarction. Of the four types of fibromuscular dysplasia, medial fibroplasia has been said not to progress to renal arterial occlusion (Schreiber et al, 1984) and not to predispose to arterial thrombosis or dissection (Stewart et al, 1970). We report on three patients who presented with acute renal infarction, whose renal angiographic features were more suggestive of the medial fibroplasia type of fibromuscular dysplasia. A 33-year-old man was admitted with severe right loin pain. The right kidney was non-functioning on intravenous urography, but an ultrasound examination of both kidneys was normal. A right retrograde pyelogram was normal, but dynamic renography (99Tcm-DTPA) revealed that the right kidney was not perfused. At angiography the right renal artery was completely occluded by thrombus 3 cm from its origin (Fig. 1). The left main renal artery was irregular and two stenose...
Abstract Large-eddy simulation (LES) results of three prototype convective boundary layers (CBL) are used to study flux budgets and to test simple expressions for scalar and buoyancy fluxes. The simulated CBLs differ in their characteristics of skewness of the vertical velocity field and the scalar flux gradients. This is accomplished by applying a surface heat flux or radiative cooling at the boundary layer top. In this way boundary layers with positive, zero, and negative skewness are simulated. Useful approximations for the transport and buoyancy terms in the flux budgets are achieved by using a generalized convective scaling. This directly provides an expression for scalar and buoyancy fluxes that combines downgradient and nonlocal effects on the fluxes. The nonlocal effects are due to vertical velocity variance and the integrated flux over the boundary layer. This result is compared with an alternative expression in which the nonlocal flux is related to the skewness of the vertical velocity field and...
For a large combinational circuit, the problem of multiple fault detection and location is of great importance in the sense that, by such detection and location, we may find some fault-free sensitized paths between the primary inputs and some embedded points so that the signal values on these embedded points can be controlled through those paths. Furthermore, for VLSI chips, if some multiple faults frequently occur in certain chip area, fault location may provide some useful insight for redesigning that part of the chip so as to eliminate those multiple faults. In the present paper we develop an approach to multiple fault location which is adaptive scheduled and applicable to large combinational circuits. It is well known that unlike fault detection, adaptive scheduled fault location, in general, yields a shorter experiment. The relative advantages of the suggested approach in the context of some of the existing approaches to the solution of the problem are also discussed.
The volatile profile of cooked goat meat was analysed using meat from castrated and intact animals slaughtered at 175, 220, 265 and 310 days. A total of 108 volatiles was detected and from them 69 was identified and a further 39 were partially characterised by GC-MS. The volatile profile was composed by hydrocarbons aliphatic and alicyclic, aldehydes, benzenoid compounds, alcohols, ketones, terpenoids, esters and sulfur compounds. Hexadecanal, benzen, heptane and octadecanal were among the volatiles with highest relative abundance. In both qualitative and quantitative analyses extracts from castrated meat had higher production of volatiles. The total number and the relative abundance of different classes of compounds seemed not to be cleared affected by slaughter age factor.
Luigi Pasinetti's contributions to economics cover an enormous range of topics. This review article concentrates on growth accounting in his 'natural system' and his models of post-Keynesian growth and distribution. The natural system is restated in terms of social accounting matrices and its empirical applicability is assessed. Growth theory is discussed in terms of relevant macroeconomic causal patterns or model 'closures.' (c) 1995 Academic Press Ltd. Copyright 1995 by Oxford University Press.
In this paper, a compact design of a five-stub microstrip 3-dB coupler with significantly reduced overall dimensions has been developed and investigated. To downsize the conventional layout, artificial transmission line segments, whose characteristics are equivalent to quarter-wave segments at the frequency of 2000 MHz and its neighbourhood, were used. This enables to obtain an area of the compact coupler which is 83.15% less than the conventional one, with just 26.15 % reduction in the operating frequency band.
To model the cross couplings of multiple topics, we develop a set of rules for opinion updates of a group of agents. The rules are used to design or assign values to the elements of weighting matrices. The cooperative and anticooperative couplings are modeled in both the inverse-proportional and proportional structures. The behaviors of opinion dynamics are analyzed using a nullspace property of the state-dependent matrix-weighted Laplacian matrices and a Lyapunov candidate. Various consensus properties of the state-dependent matrix-weighted Laplacian matrices are predicted according to the interagent network topology and interdependent topical coupling topologies.
This publication, Standard Practice for Direct Design of Buried Precast Concrete Pipe Using Standard Installations (SIDD), (ASCE 15-93), is applicable to buried concrete precast pipe intended for the conveyance of sewage, industrial waste, storm water, and drainage. The standard practice covers the direct design method, manufacturing specification, and standard installations. It is based on research and testing over the past twenty years to develop a more rational design procedure for the direct design of buried concrete pipe based on engineering principles followed for the direct design of other reinforced concrete members. The direct design method is an improvement on the indirect design method based on the three-edge bearing test which does not represent the soil pressure distribution around an installed pipe. The soil pressure distribution on a buried pipe depends on soil-pipe interaction, which, in turn depends on the soil material and installation procedure. The direct design method provides the procedure for determining the pressure distribution coefficients for the standard installations. Four types of standard embankment installations and four types of standard trench installations are covered in the standard. The limits state design procedure specified for the design of pipe is consistent with the procedures outlined in Section 17 of the AASHTO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges. The commentary provides supporting background data.
Previous works have used a novel hybrid network architecture to create deliberative behaviours to solve increasingly challenging tasks in two-dimensional and three-dimensional artificial worlds. At the foundation of each is a static hand-designed neural network for robust and deliberative motion planning. This paper presents results from replacing the hand-designed motion-planning subnetwork with HyperNEAT. Simulations are run on the original two-dimensional world with, and without, relative position inputs and a multievaluation fitness function, thus assessing the relative performance of each strategy. The focus of this work is on solutions adaptable to general environments; following evolution, each strategy's performance is evaluated on 10,000 world configurations. The results demonstrate that although HyperNEAT was not able to achieve as robust results as a hand-design approach, the best strategy was comparable, with just a 3–4% drop in performance. Relative position inputs and the multievaluation fitness function were both significant in achieving superior general performance, compared to those simulations without.
Since isolated microgrids, such as all-electric ships (AES), have limited generation and finite inertia, frequency and voltage violations are prone to happen in these microgrids. Therefore, it is necessary to have a power management framework for optimal scheduling of microgrids while achieving stable real-time operation. This paper introduces a novel multi-objective security constrained power management (MO-SCPM) framework for AES, based on a computationally-efficient optimization technique, Pareto Concavity Elimination Transformation (PaCcET). PaCcET transforms a multi-objective space to a transformed objective space and then utilizes a single-objective optimizer to find all the non-dominated solutions of the original multi-objective space. The new framework efficiently integrates steady-state and dynamic security limits, such as power balance, active power generation, reactive power generation, voltage magnitude, line flows, frequency, and voltage transient in a unified framework. The new power management method is applied to a notional AES model to find the best compromise solution that not only minimizes the individual active power set-point adjustments but also minimizes voltage set-point adjustments while keeping the operating and security constraints satisfied. The results are then compared to the computationally-expensive multi-objective technique based on Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) as a well-known multi-objective optimization benchmark.
THEORY SUGGESTS THAT two bonds which are comparable in all respects should offer investors the same yield. However, the yields of new corporate bonds often differ substantially from almost identical seasoned (outstanding) bonds. The most extensive work investigating this difference in yields between new and seasoned bonds (yield spread) was done by Conard and Frankena (3). Their primary finding was that differences in coupon rates between new and seasoned bonds of equal quality (Aa Public Utility) accounted for about one-half the yield spread.' Because of this finding, equal quality new and seasoned bonds with the same coupon rates are used in the present study. Despite this comparability of coupon rates, the yield spread, although it was most frequently positive, on Aa Public Utilities had a 56 basis point range (- 17 to + 39) between 1963 and 1972. Section I provides information on the institutional structure in the corporate bond market and provides a basis for hypothesizing that changes in seasoned yields lag changes in new issue yields. Sections II and III report the results of the empirical tests used to test this hypothesis and evaluate the "seasoning process." Conclusions are presented in Section IV.
Clones of cultivated amniotic fluid cells that have distinct morphologic and growth characteristics (F, AF and E‐type) were examined by one‐dimensional SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) and by two‐dimensional electrophoresis employing isoelectric focusing and SDS‐PAGE (IEF‐PAGE). No qualitative differences in band pattern were observed in SDS‐PAGE between the various amniotic fluid cell types, but consistent quantitative differences in the ratios of four bands of presumed filamentous proteins provided good distinction between amniotic fluid cells and postnatal skin fibroblast‐like cells. By adding separation on the basis of electrical charge to that of molecular size (IEF‐PAGE), we observed reproducible qualitative differences in the protein spot patterns between F and both AF and E‐type amniotic fluid cells. At least eight discrete proteins appear not to be synthesized by prenatal F‐type cells in comparison with their isogenic AF and E counterparts under identical culture conditions. The two‐dimensional electrophoretic patterns thus confirm that F and AF amniotic cells, in spite of their morphologic and growth kinetic similarities, are developmentally distinct cell types that retain their differentiated states in culture.
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has largely failed as a source of extractable honey from present day cultivated hybrids in India since 1999. So, the amount and rhythms of nectar secretion measured as dry nectar sugars (DNS) of 6 hybrids and 2 old populations were evaluated. Three day old florets (DOF) produced maximum DNS (0.891 mg/floret) at 1000 h and in the outermost ring of the capitulum (0.917 mg). Per floret production of DNS in populations was 17.7% higher (0.974 mg) than hybrids (0.803 mg). Population HS-1 and Morden produced maximum DNS per floret (1.004 and 0.943 mg) and DK-3849 was the only comparable hybrid (0.993 mg). Noticeable reduction (14.2–37.5%) was recorded in the rest of hybrids, maximum being in HSFH-1183 (37.5%) followed by Pioneer 64A57 (33.1%). Per hectare, DNS production too was higher (10.2%) in populations (174.3 kg) than hybrids (145.8 kg) although hybrid HSFH-848 was most copious (200.0 kg/ha) followed by populations Morden (188.1) and HS-1 (160.6 kg), other 5 hybrids yielding a low DNS of 116.3–142.5 kg/ha. Populations outperformed hybrids in all DNS production factors viz. per floret (0.974 mg), by florets in their life cycle of 3 days (2.921 mg), per capitulum (3137.5 mg) and per hectare basis (174.3 kg). High DNS producing old populations Morden and HS-1 recorded lowest honey bee abundance (0.33 and 0.47 bees/capitulum/minutes−2) than hybrids (0.51–0.69 bees) except Pioneer 64A57 which despite the lowest DNS (116.3 kg/ha) recorded maximum abundance (0.69 bees), indicating their preference for pollen. Studies attribute non extraction of honey to lower nectar production by a majority (83.3%) of new hybrids than old populations.
The problem of selecting the best item is considered for cases arising when both a quantal and a quantitative response are available. Solutions are outlined for data obtained from either one or two groups. The basis of the solutions consists in ranking the items according to the significance level of a suitably chosen statistic which tests the hypotheses of equal response proportions and equal mean response times against suitable alternatives. The approach described here is an application of results due to Weiler.
This paper briefs the status and latest trend of EDM machine tools and machining technology nowadays, based on the author's investigation at the Japan International Machine Tool Fair (JIMTOF) 2008, which was held during October 30 to November 4 in Tokyo, Japan this year. It is found that the status and trend in EDM technology can be expressed with the following keywords: micro-machining with graphite electrode, ultra-precision machining, high-speed machining, applications to parts machining. Also, a lot of efforts on saving energy, reducing the tool consumption, lightening the burden on the environment were found.
Although administration of a single dose of N‐nitroso‐N methylurea (NMU) to young virgin rats induces a high rate of mammary carcinomas, precise histogenesis of the carcinomas has not been well characterized. In this study, we investigated the alterations of H‐ras gene in early focal lesions as well as carcinomas in the mammary glands of F344 rats treated with NMU. At 2 weeks after treatment, intraductal proliferation (IDP) was occasionally observed, and mammary carcinomas emerged at 12 and 36 weeks. The individual lesions of IDP and carcinomas were scooped out from the tissue sections under a stereomicroscope, and the DNA‐sequence‐spanning codon 12 of H‐ras gene was amplified from the tissue sections by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The analysis of amplified DNA by oligonucleotide hybridization revealed that 65% (11/17) of IDP and 89% (16/18) of carcinomas had a point mutation (G‐to‐A transition) at the 2nd position of H‐ras codon 12. However, the DNA amplified from the areas, which appear histologically normal, never showed such mutation. These results indicate that IDP is a very early change for NMU‐induced mammary carcinogenesis.
Background Although prior studies have shown that smoking reduces preeclampsia/eclampsia risk, the consequence of giving up this habit during pregnancy should be assessed. The aims of the current study were threefold: (i) describe maternal characteristics of women with preeclampsia/eclampsia; (ii) examine a possible association between the number of cigarettes smoked daily during pregnancy and the development of this affliction; and (iii) determine if first-trimester discontinuation of smoking during pregnancy influences the risk. Methods A registry-based study was conducted using data from the Murmansk County Birth Registry (MCBR). It included women without pre-existing hypertension, who delivered a singleton infant during 2006–2011 and had attended the first antenatal visit before 12 week of gestation. We adjusted for potential confounders using logistic regression. Results The prevalence of preeclampsia/eclampsia was 8.3% (95%CI: 8.0–8.6). Preeclampsia/eclampsia associated with maternal age, education, marital status, parity, excessive weight gain and body mass index at the first antenatal visit. There was a dose-response relationship between the number of smoked cigarettes per day during pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia/eclampsia (adjusted OR1-5 cig/day = 0.69 with 95%CI: 0.56–0.87; OR6-10 cig/day = 0.65 with 95%CI: 0.51–0.82; and OR≥11 cig/day = 0.49 with 95%CI: 0.30–0.81). There was no difference in this risk among women who smoked before and during pregnancy and those who did so before but not during pregnancy (adjusted OR = 1.10 with 95%CI: 0.91–1.32). Conclusions Preeclampsia/eclampsia was associated with maternal age, education, marital status, parity, excessive weight gain, and body mass index at the first antenatal visit. There was a negative dose-response relationship between the number of smoked cigarettes per day during pregnancy and the odds of preeclampsia/eclampsia. However, women who gave up smoking during the first trimester of gestation had the same risk of preeclampsia/eclampsia as those who smoked while pregnant. Consequently, antenatal clinic specialists are advised to take these various observations into account when counselling women on smoking cessation during pregnancy.
A protocol to select nutrient removal technologies that can achieve low nutrient effluents (total nitrogen (TN) < 5 mg/L and total phosphorus (TP) < 0.5 mg/L) was developed for different wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) sizes based on the research conducted during a Water Environment Research Foundation funded project. The adaptable protocol includes technology and cost assessment of feasible (pre-screened) nutrient removal technologies that are being successfully implemented at full scale. The information collected from the full scale nutrient removal plants to develop this protocol includes design, operational, performance, and cost data through a direct survey of plants, and published data. The protocol includes a "technology threshold" approach consisting of Tier I (TN < 5.0 mg/L; TP < 0.5 mg/L) and Tier II (TN < 3.0 mg/L; TP < 0.1 mg/L) effluent nutrient levels for different plant sizes. A very large WWTP (1,250,000 m(3)/day flow) in Chicago, Illinois, USA adapted this protocol for master planning and design of future nutrient removal facilities based on plant and site specific criteria.
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor, Met, play a crucial role in regulating adult skeletal myoblast proliferation and differentiation. Met signaling is mediated by phosphorylation of two carboxy-terminal tyrosines, which act as docking sites for a number of intracellular mediators. These include Grb2 and p85, which couple the receptor with the Ras and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways, respectively. In this study, we define the role of these effectors in response to HGF by utilizing Met mutants, designed to obtain preferential coupling of Met to either Grb2 or PI3K or both. We found that relative to the wild-type receptor, enhanced binding to Grb2 further increases the incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine and the expression of Twist, while decreasing that of p27(Kip1) and myogenin. Conversely, preferential coupling with PI3K induced cell-cycle withdrawal and differentiation. Whereas enhanced Grb2 binding increased the phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (MAPK/ERK) and abrogated that of p38 MAPK, PI3K had the opposite effect. PD098059 reversed the inhibitory effects of Met on cell proliferation and differentiation, while wortmannin had only a very marginal effect. Taken together, these data suggest that coupling of Met with Grb2 is necessary for HGF-mediated inhibition of muscle differentiation. This inhibition occurs only when PI3K signaling downstream of Met is low. Imposing an efficient coupling of PI3K to Met would lead to upregulation of muscle regulatory factors and subsequent cell differentiation.
The study aimed to characterize the family composition of adolescent fathers in the city of Joao Pessoa, Paraiba State. This is a part of a multicenter survey developed in the states of Paraiba, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. The population was composed of ten teenage fathers living in the urban area of Joao Pessoa. Data collection occurred from December 2008 to October 2010 through semi-structured interview and construction of the genogram and eco-map. Participants' age ranged from 16 to 19 years. They all lived with his partner and most had low education. The unemployed and those with income below one minimum wage indicated the family as the keeper of the home. Most fathers also depended on other family housing, and the amount of people living in the same house ranged from three to seven. Despite the existence of conflicting and/or distant relationships, all respondents reported that seek emotional and financial support in their own family. Fatherhood and motherhood in adolescence had already been experienced by some families. Understanding adolescent parents requires a broader view about composition and family dynamics, a task to be faced by health professionals committed to the care, being the genogram a viable and important tool in this process.
Cities are rapidly becoming composed of digitally-mediated components and infrastructures, their systems augmented and mediated by software, with widespread consequences for how they are managed, governed and experienced. This transformation has been accompanied by critical scholarship that has sought to understand the relationship between code and the city. Whilst this work has produced many useful insights, in this paper I argue that it also has a number of shortcomings. Principal amongst these is that the literatures concerning code and the city have remained quite divided. Studies that focus on code are often narrow in remit, fading out the city, and tend to fetishize and potentially decontextualises code at the expense of the wider socio-technical assemblage within which it is embedded. Studies that focus on the city tend to examine the effects of code, but rarely unpack the constitution and mechanics of the code producing those effects. To provide a more holistic account of the relationship between code and the city I forward two interlinked conceptual frameworks. The first places code within a wider socio-technical assemblage. The second conceives the city as being composed of millions of such assemblages. In so doing, the latter seeks to provide a means of productively building a conceptual and empirical understanding of programmable urbanism that scales from individual lines of code to the complexity of an entire urban system.
Those who thrive show resilience, the capacity to bounce back from misfortune, disruptive change, and failures. “Whether you are at the top of your organization, leading a team, or volunteering in your community, eventually you are sure to face a difficult situation or disruptive change,” Shambaugh writes. She describes four secrets effective leaders use to tap into their own resilience and cultivate a more resilient culture within the organization.
The aim of this study is to develop a valid and reliable rubric in order to evaluate the concept cartoons prepared for mathematics lesson. Research data were obtained by evaluating 36 concept cartoons created by mathematics teachers working in Sivas city center. Two mathematics educators who had a master's degree in mathematics education carried out the evaluation process. In the validity studies, experts' opinions about rubric were examined one by one in the context of content, structure and criteria. It has been observed that the percentages of agreement between the opinions of the experts about their suitability and competence with rubric are at an acceptable level and varied between 82% and 95%. Within the scope of the validity study, the content validity index was also calculated and the content validity indexes for each sub-dimension were found between 0.80 and 1. Considering both the concordance percentages and the content validity indexes, it has been seen that the developed rubric is a valid measurement tool for evaluating the concept characteristics. In reliability studies, within the scope of classical test theory, the harmony between two raters was determined by "Spearman Correlation Coefficient" for the total scores, while the fit in each sub-criterion was determined by "Cohen’s Kappa". While it was observed that there was a positive, significant and high (Rho = 0.856, p <0.01) relationship between the total scores given by the two evaluators to rubric, Cohen's Kappa results were found between 0.706 and 0.797 for the sub-criteria. In the reliability studies, reliability calculations were made for rater, scored (concept cartoons) and item surfaces, taking into account the Multi-Facial Rasch Measurement Model within the scope of item response theory. The reliability indices of these surfaces were found to be 0.87, 0.80 and 0.89, respectively. When rubric's Spearman correlation calculated for total score and Cohen's Kappa values calculated for sub-criterion scores were evaluated together with the reliable indexes of rater, scored (concept cartoons) and item surfaces, it was seen that the rubric created was a reliable scoring key. The findings of the study were discussed considering the relevant literature and various suggestions were made.
It is important to clarify the distribution of pyrolysis products from lignocellulosic biomass for its thermal transformation to produce high-quality bio-oil. Influences of the reaction temperature and catalysts on the pyrolysis product distribution from aspen wood (AW) and rice husk (RH) were studied by pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The difference in components from the lignocellulosic biomass results in different pyrolysis characteristics of the biomass raw materials. The reaction temperature significantly influences the product distribution from AW and RH pyrolysis. In all AW catalysis experiments, acids (8.35%), ketones (3.79%), phenols (4.73%), and esters (1.50%) have the lowest content while carbohydrates (48.75%) demonstrate the highest content when taking zinc chloride (ZnCl2) as the catalyst; the HZSM-5 molecular sieve (HZSM-5) promotes the generation of esters (7.97%) and N-compounds (22.43%) while inhibiting production of aldehydes (2.41%); addition of an MCM-41 molecular sieve (MCM-41) is conducive to increasing the contents of aldehydes (21.29%), furans (5.88%), ketones (22.30%), acids (20.46%), and hydrocarbons (4.85%), while reducing the contents of alcohols (0) and carbohydrates (0). In all RH catalysis experiments, the addition of ZnCl2 helps increase the content of carbohydrates (39.16%) and decrease the contents of ketones (3.89%), phenols (5.20%), alcohols (2.34%), esters (1.13%), and N-compounds (3.09%); when applying HZSM-5 as the catalyst, hydrocarbons (18.28%) and alcohols (6.66%) reach their highest content while acids (13.21%) have the lowest content; MCM-41 promotes the generation of aldehydes (25.33%) and furans (5.55%) while inhibiting that of carbohydrates (1.42%).
Abstract Two adolescents were hospitalized with incapacitating symptoms: One with headache, back pain, and an inability to walk, while the other had headache, musculoskeletal pain, nausea, and emesis. Medical evaluation did not reveal an etiology for the symptoms of either patient. Consultation with child psychiatry services yielded recommendations that both patients might benefit from counseling. Both demonstrated an immediate improvement of their symptoms with instruction in self-hypnosis-induced relaxation techniques that included favorite place imagery and progressive relaxation. The patients were told that while in hypnosis their “subconscious” might be able to characterize psychological issues that underlay their symptoms through the medium of automatic word processing (AWP). The information identified through AWP helped guide their subsequent therapy. Thus, instruction in self-hypnosis, as well as helping adolescents develop awareness about the cause of their debilitating symptoms can be associated with rapid improvement of their symptoms.
Abstract Increasing studies have revealed that a subset of circular RNAs (circRNAs) harbor an open reading frame and can act as protein-coding templates to generate functional proteins that are closely associated with multiple physiological and disease-relevant processes, and thus proper regulation of synthesis of these circRNA-derived proteins is a fundamental cellular process required for homeostasis maintenance. However, how circRNA translation initiation is coordinated by different trans-acting factors remains poorly understood. In particular, the impact of different eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs) on circRNA translation and the physiological relevance of this distinct regulation have not yet been characterized. In this study, we screened all 43 Drosophila eIFs and revealed the conflicting functions of eIF3 subunits in the translational control of the translatable circRNA circSfl: eIF3 is indispensable for circSfl translation, while the eIF3-associated factor eIF3j is the most potent inhibitor. Mechanistically, the binding of eIF3j to circSfl promotes the disassociation of eIF3. The C-terminus of eIF3j and an RNA regulon within the circSfl untranslated region (UTR) are essential for the inhibitory effect of eIF3j. Moreover, we revealed the physiological relevance of eIF3j-mediated circSfl translation repression in response to heat shock. Finally, additional translatable circRNAs were identified to be similarly regulated in an eIF3j-dependent manner. Altogether, our study provides a significant insight into the field of cap-independent translational regulation and undiscovered functions of eIF3.
BACKGROUND Mastitis is a painful problem experienced by breastfeeding women, especially in the first few weeks postpartum. There have been limited studies of the incidence of mastitis from traditionally breastfeeding societies in South Asia. This study investigated the incidence, determinants, and management of mastitis in the first month postpartum, as well as its association with breastfeeding outcomes at 4 and 6 months postpartum, in western Nepal.   SUBJECTS AND METHODS Subjects were a subsample of 338 mothers participating in a larger prospective cohort study conducted in 2014 in western Nepal. Mothers were interviewed during the first month postpartum and again at 4 and 6 months to obtain information on breastfeeding practices. The association of mastitis and determinant variables was investigated using multivariable logistic regression, and the association with breastfeeding duration was examined using Kaplan-Meier estimation.   RESULTS The incidence of mastitis was 8.0% (95% confidence interval, 5.1%, 10.8%) in the first month postpartum. Prelacteal feeding (adjusted odds ratio = 2.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.03, 7.40) and cesarean section (adjusted odds ratio = 3.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.09, 11.42) were associated with a higher likelihood of mastitis. Kaplan-Meier estimation showed no significant difference in the duration of exclusive breastfeeding among the mothers who experienced an episode of mastitis and those who did not.   CONCLUSIONS Roughly one in 10 (8.0%) women experienced mastitis in the first month postpartum, and there appeared to be little effect of mastitis on breastfeeding outcomes. Traditional breastfeeding practices should be encouraged, and the management of mastitis should be included as a part of lactation promotion.
A sharp peak is shown theoretically to exist in angular distribution of light scattered by a layer of ran- dom medium with weak refractive index fluctuations in the vicinity of backward direction. The peak width may be estimated by the ratio of incident radiation wavelength and the turbulence correlation scale. The effect is found to be formed by coherent addition of contributions from elementary layers, and may be considered as an analogue to 'weak photon localisation' phenomena in random media. When the width of scattering layer is large enough compared with the correlation scale of refractive index inhomogeneities, the differential scattering cross-section is composed by the 'coherent' component and 'incoherent' one, obtained earlier by V. I. Tatarski. In the case of visible or IR radiation (in contrast to microwaves) the 'coherent' constituent determines the scattering for large angles close to 180 deg. Quantitative estimates show the backscattering by turbulent layers in atmosphere to produce noticeable contributions to signal registered in remote sensing monostatic lidar experiments, and thus the effect under consideration has to be taken into account when interpretation of laser remote sounding data is carried out.
The real-time identification of targets on small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) is a challenging task. One approach to achieving this task is the use of image recognition in deep learning networks on embedded processors. While it has been well established that the use of deep learning networks can help increase the reliability of image recognition applications, less research has been performed on the requirements needed for selecting an appropriate embedded processor that can meet the speed and efficiency needs for real-time target identification. The embedded processor must fit within the size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints of small UAS, while still meeting the computational and memory requirements of the detection algorithms. To determine whether embedded processors meet these form factor requirements and other performance considerations, we evaluated and compared several commercially available embedded processors based on their physical specifications, performance using lightweight benchmark machine learning models developed for commercial use, and performance using a Navy-developed deep convolutional neural network (CNN) used for identifying the California Least Tern. This evaluation will provide information on the necessary hardware and software requirements for performing complex computing tasks on a UAS in real-time using image recognition deep learning networks on embedded processors.
The successive physical transformations of the mobile phase that take place in very high pressure liquid chromatography were studied based on the formalism of classical thermodynamics. The eluent is initially under atmospheric pressure ( P (0)) and at ambient temperature ( T ext). In a first step, it is compressed to a high pressure ( P max of the order of 1 kbar) in the pump heads of the chromatograph. In a second step, the pressurized eluent is transferred to the inlet of the chromatographic column, along which, in a third step, it is decompressed to atmospheric pressure. Both the compression and the decompression of the fluid were considered to take place under conditions that can be either adiabatic or nonadiabatic and either reversible or irreversible. Applications of the first and second principles of thermodynamics allow the determination of the heat and energy exchanged between the eluent and the external surroundings during each transformation. Experimental data were acquired using acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The true state equation, rho( P, T), of liquid acetonitrile was used in the theoretical calculations. A series of four different flow rates (0.55, 0.85, 1.15, and 1.45 mL/min, corresponding to inlet pressures of 357.2, 559.5, 765.1, and 972.9 bar, respectively), were applied to a 2.1 x 100 mm column packed with 1.7-mum bridged ethane-silicon hybrid particles. Thermocouples were used to measure the eluent temperature before and after its passage through the column. These data provide estimates of the variation of the internal energy of the eluent. The heat lost through the external wall of the column during the eluent decompression was estimated by measuring the surface temperature of the column tube under steady state. Both the compression and the decompression of acetonitrile were found to be nonadiabatic and irreversible transformations. The results showed that, during the eluent decompression, the heat released by the friction forces serves four different purposes: (1) it increases the eluent entropy at constant temperature (for approximately 35%); (2) it increases the temperature of the eluent (for approximately 5%); (3) it provides heat to the laboratory atmosphere (for approximately 5%); and (4) it provides some work inside the column (for approximately 5%). This quantitative heat balance description accounts well for the actual performance of the new, very high pressure liquid chromatographic technique.
In an electronic cooling application, it is possible to have solid blocks of different sizes attached together in order to spread heat leaving a die. Also, there are other applications where there is heat transfer between two bodies of different dimensions. Here, we consider a simplified model mainly to study the performance of iterative analytical/numerical solutions to these problems. The analytical procedure leads to an integral equation. Then, the heat flux and temperature at the interface are computed using an iterative technique. To verify the accuracy, selected data are compared with numerically determined values. Although, the presented computational procedure is for a two-dimensional solution, the methodology applies equally to three-dimensional problems.
Two methods have been developed for the separation of contributions from two different nuclides in an autoradiography picture. Both approaches, a modified least squares (LS) and a maximum likelihood (ML) algorithm, are based on the position and energy information available from a digital detector. Tests and comparisons, using artificially as well as measured data, demonstrate that the ML approach performs slightly better, but is much more computationally demanding than the LS method.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs)[1] are cancer cells shed from either the primary tumors or metastatic sites. The presence and number of CTCs in peripheral blood can provide clinically significant data on prognosis and therapeutic response patterns, respectively[2]. Thus, as with traditional invasive tumor biopsies that enable gold-standard pathological analysis, CTCs can be regarded as “liquid biopsies” of the tumor, which enable repeated and relatively non-invasive characterization of tumor evolution, especially important during therapeutic interventions. Currently, FDA-cleared CellSearch™ Assay is costly and inefficient in capturing CTCs, and the enriched CTCs are typically contaminated with a large number of white blood cells (WBCs). As a result, the diagnostic value of CTCs has been underutilized. Over the past decade, a diversity of CTC detection technologies[2d, 3] have been developed to overcome the challenges encountered by the immunomagnetic separation-based CellSearch™ Assay.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a new generic Petri net (PN) model based on assembly plan for assembly sequence optimization. The model aims to allow modeling the flexible assembly system (FAS) configuration, determining the optimal work in process, lead time, throughput, and utilization of each station. Moreover, it aims to show assembly features (AFs) as being useful in assembly sequence planning.Design/methodology/approach – Sophisticated knowledge of AFs is used to get very few feasible assembly sequences (ASs) rather than all possible ASs for a product. A PN model is developed to find out the near optimal assembly sequence out of the sequences obtained from the AF knowledge. It is also used for design and performance evaluation of FAS. Multiple optimization criteria are used for assembly sequence optimization, keeping in view the line balancing. The PN is optimized using weighted‐WIP when the throughput is bounded by the utilization of the bottleneck machines.Findings – The results ...
A method to transmit the voice over an EDGE system is proposed. New radio link control (RLC)/medium access control (MAC) headers are proposed. To increase the reliability of RLC/MAC headers, an error detection and correction scheme is proposed. The simulation results show that between 12/spl sim/30% RLC/MAC can be saved due to our new method. The system capacity is increased significantly for voice transmission over a packet switched EDGE network compared to traditional circuit switched network such as GSM. To avoid the extra delay introduced by normal packet switch networks, a fast access mechanism for uplink transmission is introduced to guarantee the quality of service for voice.
Oil that produced in a petroleum system must have specific characteristics depend on the source rocks. These characteristics are able to be understood by analyses of organic geochemistry. Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) is a very accurate tool for determining the characteristics of oil and gas. This research shows the evidence that oil samples taken from Bula Block and Oseil Block, Seram Island have the same source. Keywords: petroleum system, organic geochemistry, Bula, Oseil, Seram Island
In order to monitor the video state changes of safe human settlements in real time, a Mean Shift algorithm is proposed. The video monitoring images collected in real time were preprocessed with enhancement and denoising, and the gray distribution was extracted to form the feature matrix of the image. The monitoring images collected in real time by the monitoring system and the monitoring images in normal state were classified by Mean Shift algorithm. Experiments show that Mean Shift algorithm has fast convergence speed and high accuracy, and can effectively screen out abnormal images and improve retrieval efficiency.
An estimation of the critical period of weed control is helpful in formulating appropriate weed-control strategies. A regression approach is presented to estimate the thresholds of critical period of weed control and time of equal interference (or time of onset of competition). In this approach, yields were either a linear or logistic function of the duration of weed-free and weed-infested periods. Confidence intervals of the thresholds of critical period and time of equal interference were determined for the linear model. An approximation to the standard error of critical period and associated confidence interval were given for any general form of the model. The method was applied to estimate the critical period of weed control in rainfed lentil using data from four field experiments conducted in Jordan. The relationship of yield with the duration of weed-free period was described by a linear function, whereas the relationship with the duration of weed-infested period showed a better fit with a logistic function. To maintain 90% of maximum seed yield, the maximum time allowed to let weeds grow after the crop emergence varied over locations from 4.8 to 5.8 wk. The same level could be achieved if the crop is kept free of weeds from its emergence until 12.1 to 14.1 wk; while the time when the same amount of yield would be achieved under both approaches varied from 7.7 to 9.3 wk after crop emergence. For straw yield, the time to get 90% of the maximum yield could vary over location from a maximum of 4.5 to 8.0 wk under weed-infestation and from at least 11.5 to 13.5 wk when weed-free. The time to achieve the same amount of straw under two systems of competition varied from 6.5 to 9.9 wk after crop emergence. One of the four experiments showed a longer critical period than the others for seed and straw yields.
This article analyzes the images of aging presented in five of the prime-time television programs of 1989 most watched by the elderly: Murder, She Wrote, The Golden Girls, Matlock, Jake and the Fatman, and In the Heat of the Night, all of which have central elderly characters. An examination of the title sequences reveals that earlier television stereotypes of the elderly "as more comical, stubborn, eccentric, and foolish than other characters" have been replaced by more positive stereotypes of them as powerful, affluent, healthy, active, admired, and sexy.
We propose a robust optimization framework for the multiple-access problem in a hospital environment. The users of e-Health applications (referred to as secondary users) coexist with active and passive medical devices (referred to as primary and protected users, respectively) under uncertainty in the channel (i.e. propagation) conditions. In particular, we design robust transmission scheduling and power control methods for secondary users in multiple spatial reuse time-division multiple access (STDMA) networks. The objective of the optimization framework is to maximize the spectrum utilization of secondary users and minimize their power consumption subject to the electromagnetic interference constraints for primary and protected users. In this framework, we model the channel uncertainty as ellipsoidal uncertainty sets and the transmission scheduling and power control are optimized taking this uncertainty into account. Numerical results show that the proposed framework can achieve robust scheduling and power control against channel variations. By adjusting the robustness parameter (i.e. the degree of conservatism), we can balance the tradeoff between robustness and spectrum utilization.
A computational model for refining of data domains which are selected out in the property recognition over the Big Data sources is developed and considered. Data sources can originate both from natural and/or human activities. Thus discovered in a problem domain data objects - the individuals, - are considered as processes in a mathematical sense depending on parameters. The proposed parametrization is based on two-dimensional model using cross-referencing over assignments/crowdsoucers and recognizable properties/domains and is aimed to support the iteration procedure. This gives rise to the computational model based on the variable domains assumption. Such a vision is able to take into account the interaction of crowdsourcers and properties when they are varying with the evolving the events. The property recognition stage-by-stage model enables the fine tuning of the target data domains and has the representable functor. This model as may be shown is faithfully embedded into a category of indexed sets. The proposed (f, g)-tuning of the data domains leads to a neighborhood structure for cognition activity and gives a flexible computing model.
In this article, a simplified model is developed to predict the radiative and convective heat transfer in a complex fenestration system consisting of a Venetian blind located adjacent to an indoor window glazing. Empirical correlations for natural convection in an asymmetrically heated channel and an isolated flat plate are used in this one-dimensional simplified model. In this simplified model, an energy balance is performed at the blind surface using a mean blind temperature. The radiative heat exchange between the blind, window and room is calculated using a four surface grey-diffuse model, which is coupled to the convective heat transfer. The simplified model has been developed using experimental and numerical data from the literature. Sample results are presented that illustrate the effect of blind slat angle, blind-to-window spacing and absorbed solar heat flux on the heat transfer at the window surface.
The CIELab and CIEDE2000 coverage error (ΔE*COV and ΔE'COV, respectively) of basic shades of different gingival shade guides and gingiva-colored restorative dental materials (n = 5) was calculated as compared to a previously compiled database on healthy human gingiva. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with Tukey-Kramer multiple-comparison test (P < .05). A 50:50% acceptability threshold of 4.6 for ΔE* and 4.1 for ΔE' was used to interpret the results. ΔE*COV / ΔE'COV ranged from 4.4/3.5 to 8.6/6.9. The majority of gingival shade guides and gingiva-colored restorative materials exhibited statistically significant coverage errors above the 50:50% acceptability threshold and uneven shade distribution.
Simple Summary Multiple Myeloma (MM) is frequent and represents 2% of all cancers. Daratumumab bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone (D-VMP) and daratumumab lenalidomide dexamethasone (D-Rd) are considered the standard of care for elderly patients with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM), defined as transplant-ineligible patients over 65 years. However, the “elderly” patient population is heterogeneous, and prospective trials exclude the oldest and frailest patients because of co-morbidities or altered Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS). According to the IMWG frailty score, patients over 80 are considered as frail. Few data are available on octogenarian patients with NDMM, and their optimal management remains controversial. We here report one of the largest retrospective series investigating doublet therapy with bortezomib dexamethasone (Vd) as the first-line treatment for unselected octogenarian patients with NDMM. Abstract Data on octogenarian patients with MM are scarce, and optimal management remains controversial. We report a retrospective cohort of unselected octogenarian patients with NDMM treated with bortezomib dexamethasone (Vd). Seventy-four patients were treated with an initial doublet therapy (Vd regimen, 2–3 cycles, induction). A dose escalation with an adjunction of melphalan or cyclophosphamide was proposed for patients who had an insufficient response after induction and who could tolerate it. In responders, the treatment was continued until progression or a plateau response for 6 months (consolidation). The overall response rate was 73%. After a median follow-up of 31.4 months, median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 13.2 and 26.9 months, respectively. PFS and OS of patients with ECOG PS < 3 (25.4 and 54.9 months, respectively) were better in comparison to PFS and OS of patients with ECOG PS ≥ 3 (9.3 and 11.3 months, respectively). Thirteen patients (17.6%) died during induction. Twelve patients (16.2%) died during consolidation. In conclusion, a conservative therapeutic strategy based on Vd resulted in a good response rate. However, the survival remains poor in the population of patients with an ECOG PS ≥ 3, mainly because of early mortality not related to progressive disease.
For the current VOCs gas leakage detection and localization algorithm based on infrared thermal imaging, the problems of missed detection and high false positive rate are high. This paper presents an algorithm for multi-feature VOCs gas leak detection based on infrared thermal imaging . The algorithm uses infrared thermal imager to obtain infrared temperature data, converts it `identification is based on various characteristics such as the change of the area of the connected domain, the irregularity and the direction of motion, so as to obtain the exact position of the gas leakage region. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can detect VOCs gas leakage in time, with high robustness and strong anti-interference ability, and can accurately locate the VOCs gas leakage area.
Low birth weight (LBW), a weight at birth of less than 2500 g (5.5 lb), continues to be a significant public health problem globally. It is estimated that 15% to 20% of all births worldwide are LBW, accounting for more than 20 million in a year. The rate of LBW varies considerably among regions and countries, with higher burden among low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). The prevalence in LMICs (16.5%) is twice higher than in high-income countries (7%). In Ethiopia, LBW rate ranges from 8% to 54%, showing a huge variation across geographical settings and time periods. A recent systematic review showed a pooled estimate of 17.3% in Ethiopia, which implies it still remains an important public health problem in the country.
The objective of this article is to analyze the performance evaluation of the service area in an organization. There are differences in the results based on the self-evaluation of the performance of its employees and a final evaluation by its leader (direct supervisor). In carrying out this work, the information of more than 3,000 employees was obtained from the Human Resources area. The result of this comparison shows that 62.5% of the employees had a self-evaluation that does not coincides with the one carried out by their leader. For 37.5% with coincidence which demands more training for the writing of the objectives, there is a greater participation of the leader in the process of performance management. This is achieved by clearly communicating the objectives of the organization and also reporting how performance management is managed.
The foehnal circulation from Cotnari is a meteorological reality demonstrated through the statistical, cartographic and graphical analyses realized on the basis of the data processing of a program of hourly observations made in 12 representative points of the researched territory, carried out for 8 months. Our analyses confirm that from a thermal point of view the foehn brings an average thermal increase of 1.3-1.5 ° C and a hygric deficit of 8-9%. In clear cases with foehn (that represent 4.5% of the time monitored), the thermal and hygric consequences are doubled in value.
Radiation-induced racemization of 1,1'-binaphthyl has been studied in tetrahydrofuran and toluene. The effect of additives proved that the racemization reaction in tetrahydrofuran occurs mainly in a radical anion state of 1,1'-binaphthyl, while in toluene the reaction occurs mainly in the triplet excited state. The low activation energies of the reaction in both solvents, 1.1 kcal/mole in tetrahydrofuran and 1.9 kcal/mole in toluene, as compared to thermal racemization indicate that the introduction of an electron to the lowest vacant molecular orbital causes an electronic structure change favorable to rotation along the intraannular C--C bond. The conformational change in the radical anion state is directly followed by the measurement of the absorption spectrum change at a low temperature. The concentration dependence of the G value of the racemization in both solvents clearly indicates a chain reaction with chain carriers of the radical anion state in tetrahydrofuran and the triplet excited state in toluene. The chain reaction via the triplet excited state in toluene gives a G value as high as 30.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world. Its pathogenesis is closely related to insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Due to the complex pathogenesis, There are no specific medications for treating NAFLD. The most effective way to treat NAFLD is to lose weight through diet intervention and exercise, but a large number of in vitro and in vivo experiments have confirmed that a variety of natural drugs can interfere with NAFLD through many mechanisms, and the curative effect is remarkable. This paper reviews the action mechanism of crude extracts of medicinal plants (Polygonum multiflorum, Artemisia annua leaves, and Artemisia annua leaves) and natural products such as berberine (BBR), curcumin, betulinic acid (BA), ginsenoside Rg1 (G-rg1), and silybin on NAFLD, which aims to provide useful information for further research and development of new drugs to improve the cure rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver.
A study of the small intestine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis was undertaken because it has been suggested that the disease arises secondary to hereditary enteropathy. No abnormality of jejunal mucosa was detected histologically in five patients with arthritis, and studies of bowel function were normal in six patients. No serologic evidence of increased intestinal permeability, as indicated by antimilk or antijejunal cell antibodies, was detected in sera of 17 arthritic patients. Gluten-free diet, claimed to be helpful in treating the disease, proved of no value in a brief, carefully controlled, hospital trial in five patients.
The paper is the effect of Rector’s Inter-College Grant at Warsaw School of Economics [SGH]: ‘Strengths and Weaknesses of SGH Alumni In The Opinion Of SGH Partners Club’. The purpose of the study was to define the strengths and weaknesses of SGH alumni, based on structured interviews carried out with a group of respondents representing all SGH Partners Club members, the analysis of the literature on the subject and the authors’ own experience. The purpose of the paper is to indicate the answer to two of four questions developed in the study: 1. What competences of the alumni are most significant from the point of view of SGH Partners Club members? 2. In which competences there is a gap? The result of the studies was the ranking of the most important competences, competency gap of the alumni and settling the key factors deciding on employment of a candidate for a job.
In order to determine the submicrosomal distribution of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase and of free cholesterol, the microsomal fraction and the digitonin-treated microsomal preparation of rat liver were subjected to analytical isopycnic centrifugation on sucrose density gradients.        Cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase, its substrate and hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase are present in similar membranes originating from the endoplasmic reticulum with low density of ribosomes. Smooth membranes originating from Golgi apparatus and plasma membranes do not contain appreciable amounts of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase and of hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase, whilst they contain a considerable portion of the free cholesterol present in microsomal preparations.        The addition of trace amounts of [14C]cholesterol to untreated and digitonin-treated microsomal preparations resulted in heterogeneous labelling of cholesterol as seen from the variation of the specific radioactivity of free cholesterol in the microsomal subfractions. Both with untreated and with digitonin-treated microsomes the specific radioactivity of cholesterol was minimal in the fractions of maximal contamination with plasma membranes and in those of maximal contamination with smooth membranes from Golgi apparatus. Therefore, the [14C]cholesterol added to the microsomal preparations did not label the plasma membrane and the Golgi membrane cholesterol pools as heavily as it labelled other pools of microsomal cholesterol. The ‘substrate pool’ for cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase was heavily labelled by [14C]cholesterol added to untreated or digitonin-treated microsomes and, since the specific radioactivity of 7α-hydroxycholesterol obtained with various microsomal subfractions from the same preparation was very similar, the ‘substrate pool’ was uniformly labelled.
Archaeosomes are a new generation of liposomes that exhibit higher stabilities under different conditions, such as high temperatures, alkaline or acidic pH, and presence of bile salts in comparison with liposomes, and can be used in biotechnology including drug, gene, and vaccine delivery. The objective of this study was to prepare archaeosomes using lipid extracted from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius and evaluate their physicochemical properties. The lipids were extracted from S. acidocaldarius and assayed by High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). Archaeosomes were prepared using film method and methylene blue was used as drug model. They were characterized for their vesicle size and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used to investigate changes in their thermal behavior. The released amount of methylene blue was determined using a dialysis membrane and rat skin. HPTLC analysis of the extracted lipids showed that glycerol ether may be the major lipid with more than 78 percent probability. Results of particle size determination showed a mean size of 158.33 nm and the results of DSC indicated the possible interaction of methylene blue with lipids during the preparation of archaeosome. The addition of cholesterol significantly improved the encapsulation of methylene blue in the archaeosome so that the encapsulation efficiency was 61.66 ± 2.88%. The result of in vitro skin permeation showed that methylene blue could pass through skin model according to Peppas model and there was about 41.66% release after 6 h, whereas no release was observed through dialysis membrane. According to the results of the study, it is concluded that archaeosome may be successfully used as drug delivery system.
This article explores indigenous film in general within the layered contexts between indigenous ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ (from cultural, socioeconomic, epistemological, political, historical, esthetical, and cinematographic movements); particularly, the transformative emancipating closeness of the ONG Video nas Aldeias (VNA ‘Video in the Villages’): a Brazilian producer, distributor, developer, and indigenous film school. VNA reconsiders and redirects the indigenous ‘self’ and the ‘common’ other in a contemporary intercultural, transnational context, highlighting, at the same time, the particular Brazilian context as “vital towards the training of a new (demystified) look at the indigenous populations and to the deconstruction of deeply rooted prejudices.” Film and video as ways of knowing, media (audiovisual technology), image, art and operations, genders, social processes, production methodologies and their politico-cultural appropriations could be a powerful tool to make people conscious and to challenge the sensible order within the dissentive game of otherness similarity.
BACKGROUND Clear cell carcinoma arising in a cesarean section scar is an extremely rare disease. To the best of our knowledge, there is no published report on the aspiration cytology.   CASE A 56-year-old woman presented with a mass in a cesarean section scar. Initially an abdominal desmoid was considered, but the features of fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology suggested an adenocarcinoma. The resected tumor was histologically composed of clear cell carcinoma showing cystic, solid and papillary patterns.   CONCLUSION FNA cytology of masses arising in a surgical scar can be a useful tool in obtaining an accurate pathologic diagnosis of a malignant neoplasm.
Microbial ectoenzyme activities in aquatic environments are important agents of poly- mer hydrolysis and indicators of the state of microbial carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus nutrition. However, like most other biochemical and molecular measurements, ectoenzyme activities have been limited to discrete water samples. We have developed a continuous underway method for measuring microbial enzyme activities using high-sensitivity fluorescent substrates. The system we developed consisted of a peristaltic proportioning pump, a temperature-controlled water bath, and a spectrofluorometer interfaced to a portable computer which controlled the fluorometer and logged the data. This method has been applied to alkaline phosphatase and to leucine aminopeptidase measurements in the surface waters of the Mississippi River plume and the Louisiana shelf, and alka- line phosphatase measurements in the surface waters of a Texas lake. This method will enable us to map the surface distributions of microbial enzyme activities on scales comparable to temperature, salinity, in vivo fluorescence, and other parameters which can be continuously mapped from a research ship while underway.
We have extended nonlocal orbital-free methods which enforce the correct linear response in the noninteracting uniform electron gas limit, developed at zero temperature for the kinetic energy to finite temperature for the full noninteracting free energy. Comparisons are made to the Thomas-Fermi approximation and to the orbitaldependent Kohn-Sham method. We find significantly improved agreement for the resulting functional with KohnSham for a wide range of densities and temperatures. We also provide the necessary formulas for implementation in quantum molecular dynamics simulations.
Chicago, July 2, 1904. To the Editor: —A worthy gentleman of philanthropic proclivities, a promoter who is alive to the interests of humanity —which is "I," writ large—has discovered that Chicago is suffering from a lack of hospital accommodations. Incidentally he has discovered that there are a few persons who have escaped the net of the hospital grafter and are still foolish enough to employ physicians and to pay them for their services. Bent on remedying this deplorable state of affairs, he is now in Chicago for the purpose of organizing a "co-operative hospital," run on the principle of that much-to-be-anathematized institution, the London Medical Club. The members of the proposed co-operative hospital are to pay a yearly "membership" fee, and the medical staff is to be "paid for its services." The principal alleged raison d'etre for the new scheme is the need of providing accommodations for those "too poor
Renal cell carcinoma is increasing in incidence but the molecular mechanisms regulating its growth remain elusive. Coexpression of the monocytic growth factor colony-stimulating factor (CSF)-1 and its receptor CSF-1R on renal tubular epithelial cells (TEC) will promote proliferation and antiapoptosis during regeneration of renal tubules. Here, we show that a CSF-1-dependent autocrine pathway is also responsible for the growth of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). CSF-1 and CSF-1R were coexpressed in RCCs and TECs proximally adjacent to RCCs. CSF-1 engagement of CSF-1R promoted RCC survival and proliferation and reduced apoptosis, in support of the likelihood that CSF-1R effector signals mediate RCC growth. In vivo CSF-1R blockade using a CSF-1R tyrosine kinase inhibitor decreased RCC proliferation and macrophage infiltration in a manner associated with a dramatic reduction in tumor mass. Further mechanistic investigations linked CSF-1 and epidermal growth factor signaling in RCCs. Taken together, our results suggest that budding RCC stimulates the proximal adjacent microenvironment in the kidney to release mediators of CSF-1, CSF-1R, and epidermal growth factor expression in RCCs. Furthermore, our findings imply that targeting CSF-1/CSF-1R signaling may be therapeutically effective in RCCs.
Cloud storage systems are becoming more attractive trend for outsourcing data to cloud service for storage, which is beneficial in sparing efforts on heavy data maintenance and management. As cloud computing becomes prevalent, because enormous amount of data is being stored on the cloud. However, rapid growth of ever increasing volume of data has raised many new challenges. Data de-duplication is one of significant data compression technique for eliminating duplicate copies of repeating data and has been widely adopted in cloud storage to reduce the amount of storage space and save upload bandwidth. To preserve the confidentiality of susceptible data while supporting de-duplication, the Content hash keying an encryption mechanism has been proposed to encrypt the data before outsourcing it to cloud storage. In this work, we review the issues of integrity auditing and secure data de-duplication. Specifically, we are focusing to achieve both data integrity and de-duplication in cloud, we come up with two secure systems, namely SecCloud and SecCloud+.SecCloud offers an auditing entity which maintains MapReduce cloud, assist clients to generate data tags before uploading as well as audit the integrity of data stored in the cloud. SecCloud+ is designed and motivated by the fact that clients always want to encrypt their data before uploading and authorize integrity auditing and secure de-duplication on encrypted data.
Background: Medicinal plants are used globally for prevention and treatment of wide range of diseases. It is sometimes used as alternatives and/or adjuvants to modern medicine. However, detailed toxicological evaluation of most herbal plants especially on Reproductive functions has not been fully explored. This research focused on evaluating the effect of ethanolic stem bark extract of Mangifera indica on the Hormonal profile and Semen quality of male albino rats. Method: The stem bark of Mangifera indica was air-dried, ground, macerated in 90% ethanol and concentrated to dryness in a water bath. The dry extract was then reconstituted using distilled-water. Twenty-four (24) male albino rats weighing between 120-150g each were used for this study. They were divided into 4 groups (A, B, C and D) of six rats per group. Group D served as the control (without test substance) while groups A, B and C were fed with of 250mg/kg, 500mg/kg and 1000mg/kg body weight (BW) of the extract for the period of 20 days and then tested for the hormonal profile and semen quality. Result: The results obtained from hormonal analysis showed that the extract produced significant (p<0.05) increase in the levels of Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Testosterone at 250mg/kg and also increase in Follicle Stimulating hormone (FSH) level at 1000mg/kg when compared with the control. However, the extract significantly (p<0.05) reduced the levels of Luteinizing hormone (LH) and Testosterone at 500mg/kg and 1000mg/kg while the level of Follicle Stimulating hormone (FSH) was reduced at 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg. For the Semen analysis, the extract
With advances in virtual reality technology and its multiple applications, the need for believable, immersive virtual environments is increasing. Even though current computer graphics methods allow us to develop highly realistic virtual worlds, the main element failing to enhance presence is autonomous groups of human inhabitants. A great number of crowd simulation techniques have emerged in the last decade, but critical details in the crowd's movements and appearance do not meet the standards necessary to convince VR participants that they are present in a real crowd. In this paper, we review recent advances in the creation of immersive virtual crowds and discuss areas that require further work to turn these simulations into more fully immersive and believable experiences.
This article aims to demonstrate how the Central area of the city of Tiradentes in the State of Minas Gerais was turned into some “touristic” goods, from the 1990s. Such change occurred by means of entrepreneurship and urban marketing, which passed on to show this city off through the “sale” of urban areas composed by so-called “historical” architectures in the national and international scenarios. In that process, the central area of the city started to get more investments in urban infrastructure and the “historical buildings” or sites became “a feast for the eyes” and “worth a lot of money”. In this way, the homes which existed in the space composed by these “historical constructions” were turned into commercial stores and the poor residents went to live in the suburbs, which were less evaluated by the rental service.
Atrioventricular valve duplication is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly. The anomaly is usually recognized as an incidental finding at autopsy, open heart surgery, or two‐dimensional echocardiography. In this article we present the transthoracic and transesophageal presentation of a case of mitral and a case of tricuspid valve duplication. The hemodynamic consideration of the lesions is discussed with a review of the literature.
AbstractThis article reviews the extent of the duty of States to conduct a transboundary environmental impact assessment (TEIA) prior to activity in the Arctic Ocean as part of the customary law principle of prevention. Examples are drawn from the offshore hydrocarbon industry. The paper examines in detail the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and its application in the High North, reviewing its utility as well as deficiencies in the comparative light of alternative frameworks, such as the voluntary guidelines of the Arctic Council, the Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the Nordic Environmental Protection Convention. The consequences of a TEIA report are discussed in light of customary international law.
High theoretical specific energy of rechargeable lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) batteries makes them very promising in the development of long driving range electric vehicles and energy storage on large‐scale. However, the large polarization and poor cycling stability associated with insufficient catalytic cathodes and the insulating nature of discharge products limit their practical applications. Here, the fabrication of a trimetallic CoFeCe oxide with an amorphous/crystalline heterostructure acting as an electrocatalyst for the Li–O2 battery cathode is reported. The best‐performing CoFeCe oxide cathode manages to deliver an initial discharge capacity of 12 340 mAh g−1, while maintaining an impressively enhanced cyclic stability over 2900 h at 100 mA g−1. As revealed by combined experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) analysis, synergistic interaction between oxide components, amorphous–crystalline domains, unique heterostructure with minimized lattice mismatch, and the enhanced adsorption of the key intermediate LiO2 are critical factors in boosting the electrocatalytic activity of CoFeCe toward the formation of decomposable Li2O2. This work offers a new insight to rationally design and synthesize an effective multimetal oxide electrocatalyst for the Li–O2 battery cathode.
All participants in this debate agree with the presence of a crisis. One million or more humans sit shackled in a frozen, not-livingbut-not-dead suspension, enslaved, considered property, makingmoney for IVF clinics around the world. I will speak briefly about what we may not do, and about what we might be able to do. The Catholic Church, whose authority I love and respect with my whole heart and mind, commands us in Donum vitae to do something about this crisis: “The embryo must also be defended and its integrity tended and cared for to the extent possible in the same way as any other human being as far as medical assistance concerned” (DV I.1). We are obliged by Church authority to seek the good of the frozen people treated as chattel. Moreover, to take action is to follow Christ’s own mission of setting captives at liberty, as well as his call to shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, and feed the hungry. If we must do something, let us begin with what we cannot do. The Church tells us that we cannot keep them frozen. I am shocked that our opponents have suggested that this is the best way of caring for these children. Donum vitae itself states (1.6) “Freezing an embryo constitutes an offense against the respect due to human beings.” Maintaining a person in that state is no sense of care. Think about what the state is. It is not life. All cellular functions have been slowed to a near-total cessation. You have been desiccated and your cellular functions are at standstill. At the same time, you are not dead because you are not disintegrating. You are in a strange sort of nowhere land, making money for the IVF clinic. You are a slave. And yet our opponents have suggested that the only thing we can do is to continue to pay the slaveholders to maintain you in this status. Maintaining the cryogenic stasis of these children in the context of the IVF clinic cannot meaningfully be called a therapeutic intervention. Second, we cannot thaw the embryos. Donum vitae (1.5) tells us it is “not in conformity with the moral law deliberately to expose to death human embryos obtained ‘in vitro’.” Our opponents may say that to thaw the embryos is merely to withhold an extraordinary measure of maintaining their life. Thawed embryos are merely returned to their natural environment and, unfortunately, die when that happens. Embryos on ice in the IVF clinic are not receiving a therapeutic treatment. They have been violently abducted out of life and put in a frozen holding cell for ransom. Nor is thawing the embryos a return to the natural environment. A water medium at room temperature is not natural to the embryo—a mother’s womb is. Thawing the embryos and praying for their souls is not an act of mercy but a deliberate exposure to death, a step that Donum vitae explicitly states we cannot take (DV I.5). If we cannot keep the embryos in their slave freezers and we cannot expose them to certain death, I would like to suggest that the Catholic Church has left it open for us to consider that it might be possible to perform a work of mercy Article
The real estate scenario in the country attracts the attention of small and large investors, but the unpredictability of this market may undermine the performance of the real estate investor and the companies that depend on it to establish their investments. With the aggravation of the lack of a regional index for the Oeste Paulista, the region is even more vulnerable to possible oscillations that cannot be systemically monitored. The purpose of this paper is to collect data to highlight and provide an analysis of the impact of urban, rural and commercial property prices through an index that can be compared with other economic factors so that the information is consistent with the regional reality. Given the absence of a regional methodology, the proposal was created specifically for the region and the research method was defined as a quantitative exploratory-descriptive, with weekly data collection. For each type of property (urban, rural and commercial), the 6 most relevant cities were chosen in terms of a larger population, larger territorial extension and larger trade amount, respectively. According to the results obtained, it can be said that there is a potential real estate in the region called Oeste Paulista due to the warming of the urban sector reflecting the socioeconomic scenario, the feeling of improved legal certainty established new values ​​for vacant land in the rural sector and the commercial sector points with the scenario of improvement in the economy to significantly new levels for the region.
Studies that have addressed questions concerning when framing effects are  likely to occur have produced mixed results. In this article we examine  how differences in personality factors influence a group–based framing  task. Specifically, when high collective importance individuals evaluated  a framing task involving their group no framing effects were observed. Different  results were obtained for low collective individuals. When low collective  individuals evaluated a task involving their group, the typical  framing effects were found. These results are interpreted in light of the dual  analytic-holistic analysis.
This review highlights the materials, mechanisms and applications of microencapsulation by interfacial polycondensation in different areas. This technology entraps active ingredients inside microcapsules/microspheres, having an average diameter ranging from nanosize to several 100 µ. Polycondensation reactions take place at the boundary of two phases to form the shells of microcapsules or matrix microspheres. The emulsion can be classified into three types: water-in-oil, oil-in-water and oil-in-oil. According to the hydrophilic–lipophilic property of core phase, different active substances, such as proteins, enzymes, insecticides, herbicides, vitamins, catalysts, drugs, essential oils, dyes and phase change materials, have been successfully incorporated into different microcapsules/microspheres. Based on the shell-forming materials, this technology is capable of preparing polyamine, polyurea, polyurethane, polythiourea, polyester, polyepoxide, polyacrylamide and polysiloxane microcapsules. Over the past two decades, microcapsules prepared by interfacial polycondensation have been widely used in carbonless paper, cosmetics, pharmacy, agriculture, energy storage/transfer, thermal insulation/regulation and information and magnetic recording.
The preparation of cyclopropylidene bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane derivatives has been performed on both exo- and endo-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane sulfonates, through nucleophilic substitution via π-allyl palladium complexes. While the endo- and exo-configurations do not particularly affect the selectivities of the products, on the other hand, the 'hard' or 'soft' nature of nucleophiles dramatically enhances the conservation or not of the integrity of the cyclopropane rings.
criticism of the work, and this reviewer has none. However, a more inclusive treatment of geographical thinking and contributions by nongeographers would give Part II of the book a similar balance to the inclusion of nongeographers in Part I. Even so, Martin’s reasoning for limiting the second part to the work of professional geographers is, as usual, impeccable. This work is of supreme importance. Wilbur Zelinsky’s endorsement on the back cover says it best:
Problem Statement : Principals are known as important actors in effective schools. So it is important to know which variables influence principals’ success. One of these predictors can be self-efficacy. However, there is very little research about principals' sense of efficacy. Purpose of the Study : The purpose of this research was to test the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Principal Sense of Efficacy Scale (PSES-T). Method : Confirmatory and Exploratory factor analysis were conducted in order to determine the factor structure of the scale. Two independent samples of school administrators were used for this analysis. The relationship between social support and PSES-T were also examined in order to test the concurrent validity of the scale. Finally, internal consistency of scale was tested by using Cronbach alpha. Findings : Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed using maximum likelihood estimations, in order to assess the structural validity of the Turkish version of PSES. The model indices were χ2/df= 2,80, CFI=.873, TLI=.87, RMSEA= .100, SRMR=.064, suggesting an unacceptable fit of the model to the data. Concluding that 3 factor 18-item PSES did not fit the data obtained from a Turkish sample, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to further explore the factor structure of the 18-item PSES that better represented the sample data. EFA results showed strong evidence for a single factor structure of scale. Total variance explained by a single factor was 41% and factor loadings ranged from .50-.74 (M=.64). Based on the results of the EFA, the single factor model with 18 items was tested on a second sample by using CFA with the maximum likelihood method. Results indicated that single factor PSES met goodness-of-fit criteria; χ2/df= 1.6, CFI=.95, TLI= .94, RMSEA= .06, and SRMR=.04. As to the reliability results, Cronbach's Alpha was calculated as .94 for the whole scale. Also, low to moderate correlations were found between social support, and PSES was evidence for concurrent validity of scale. Conclusion and Recommendations : The overall findings of the present study provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the PSES with a Turkish sample. Validation and reliability studies of the PSES within different cultural contexts and samples are crucial for the generalizability of the scale. The current study is important in terms of bringing this scale into Turkish literature. Keywords : Principals’ sense of efficacy, self-efficacy, validity, reliability.
Experimental observations of plasma behavior in a novel plasma formation chamber are reported. Experimental results are in reasonable agreement with two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic computations suggesting that the plasma could subsequently be adiabatically compressed by a magnetically driven pusher to yield 1 GJ of fusion energy. An explosively driven helical flux compression generator mated with a unique closing switch/opening switch combination delivered a 2.7 MA, 347 {mu}s magnetization current and an additional 5 MA, 2.5 {mu}s electrical pulse to the chamber. A hot plasma was produced and 10{sup 13} D-T fusion reactions were observed.
Chase et al. [1] recently published in the BJUI a lifeexpectancy prediction model for patients with prostate cancer. They expressly recommended this be used to guide treatment decision-making for patients, and even provide an easy-to-use app for doing so. It is the authors’ explicit intention that urologists use their prediction model to decide who should and should not receive curative treatment depending on whether life expectancy is >10 years.
The shear Alfvén continuum spectrum is studied for a tokamak with a single island chain using the ideal magnetohydrodynamics theory. We have taken into account the toroidal geometry and toroidal mode coupling with the island considered as a highly-shaped stellarator. Various new frequency gaps open up inside the island due to its asymmetry both poloidally and toroidally, such as the mirror-induced Alfvén eigenmode (MAE) gap and the helicity-induced Alfvén eigenmode (HAE) gap. We have shown that the MAE gap acts as the continuation of the outside toroidal Alfvén eigenmode (TAE) gap into the island. However, the combined TAE/MAE gap is getting narrower as the island grows, leaving only half of its original width with a moderate island size as much as 3.2% of the minor radius. In addition, the two-dimensional eigenfunction of the continuum mode on the lower tip of the MAE gap now has highly localised structures around the island’s long axis, contrary to the usual oscillatory global solutions found with no or a low level of toroidal asymmetry—an indication of the continuous spectrum becoming discrete and dense. These results have implications for the frequency, mode structure and continuum damping of global TAEs residing in the gap.
A theoretical study has been carried out on the cooling rates of silicon crystals, with diameters between 50 and 100 mm, from 650 °C to room temperature under natural and forced convection conditions. Experimental results are described for a 75‐mm‐diam crystal, again in both natural and forced convection conditions, and are seen to agree well with the theoretical predictions. The significance of the results is discussed in terms of actual changes in donor concentration of a Czochralski‐grown crystal, after ’’annealing’’ at 650 °C, and it is concluded that ’’annealing’’ of ingots may not be sufficient for close‐tolerance materials and reheating of slices may be necessary.
Purpose: Satisfying guests demands related to food and beverage items is one the biggest business in world economy, same is true for hotels. Hotels get a huge revenue and profit, as well, from the sale of food and beverage items to their guests. So different practices related to service of food and beverage items to guests can help a hotel in outsmarting its competition and earn huge profits. Therefore, this study tries to disclose different factors that affect food and beverage service practices in sampled hotels of India. Design/Methodology/Approach: Likert type 5 point scale was used in questionnaire which ranged from 1 to 5; where 1 stands for Not Important at all and 5 for Very Important. The data was collected form food and beverage service managers or supervisors of the sampled hotels. Findings: It was found that various activities related to food & beverage control, e.g. preparation of K.O.T.’s, missing K.O.T.’s, auditing of food and beverage stores, and formally qualified staff are of prime importance for better management of food and beverage service practices in sampled hotels. Research Limitations: The biggest limitations of the research are its universe and sample size; which may be addressed by the scholars in future. Originality/value: The research will provide a base for further studies aiming to address food and beverage service related issues not only in hotels but also in other establishments.
The structure of normal shock waves in a gas composed of rigid sphere molecules is investigated by numerical experiments with a simulated gas on a digital computer. The non-equilibrium between the temperatures based on the longitudinal and lateral velocity components is studied and the results compared with the theory of Yen (1966). Details of the velocity distribution function are presented for a shock of Mach number 10. The distribution functions for both the longitudinal and lateral velocity components are plotted for a number of locations in the shock profile and are compared with the equilibrium distribution.
A hybrid image segmentation method based on edge detection and Fisher discriminant is presented to detect defection, because signal-to-noise ratio of steel surface image is very low, and defection targets are small and their shape is irregular. Firstly, gradient operator detects the edge of defection image and gradient image is gotten, then grayscale of gradient image is stretched in order to enhance image contrast. Secondly, Fisher discriminant is adopted in order to find optimum threshold, meanwhile defection targets are segmented. Lastly, noise is filtered by morphology method. Defection is auto-segmented and located by this segmentation method. Experiment results show this method can detect week defection and real-time detect defection online.
The finite- T DMRG method is applied to the one-dimensional Kondo lattice model to calculate dynamic correlation functions. Dynamic spin and charge correlations, S f (ω), S c (ω), and N c (ω), and quasiparticle density of states ρ(ω) are calculated in the paramagnetic metallic phase for various temperatures and hole densities. Near half filling, it is shown that a pseudogap grows in these dynamic correlation functions below the crossover temperature characterized by the spin gap at half filling. A sharp peak at ω=0 evolves at low temperatures in S f (ω) and N c (ω). This may be evidence of the formation of collective excitations, and this confirms that the metallic phase is a Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid in the low-temperature limit.
Histopathology of tissue samples is used to determine the progression of cancer usually by staining and visual analysis. It is recognised that disease progression from healthy tissue to cancerous is accompanied by spectral signature changes in the mid-infrared range. In this work, FTIR spectroscopic imaging in transmission mode using a focal plane array (96 × 96 pixels) has been applied to the characterisation of Barrett's oesophageal adenocarcinoma. To correct optical aberrations, infrared transparent lenses were used of the same material (CaF2) as the slide on which biopsies were fixed. The lenses acted as an immersion objective, reducing scattering and improving spatial resolution. A novel mapping approach using a sliding lens is presented where spectral images obtained with added lenses are stitched together such that the dataset contained a representative section of the oesophageal tissue. Images were also acquired in transmission mode using high-magnification optics for enhanced spatial resolution, as well as with a germanium micro-ATR objective. The reduction of scattering was assessed using k-means clustering. The same tissue section map, which contained a region of high grade dysplasia, was analysed using hierarchical clustering analysis. A reduction of the trough at 1077 cm(-1) in the second derivative spectra was identified as an indicator of high grade dysplasia. In addition, the spatial resolution obtained with the lens using high-magnification optics was assessed by measurements of a sharp interface of polymer laminate, which was also compared with that achieved with micro ATR-FTIR imaging. In transmission mode using the lens, it was determined to be 8.5 μm and using micro-ATR imaging, the resolution was 3 μm for the band at a wavelength of ca. 3 μm. The spatial resolution was also assessed with and without the added lens, in normal and high-magnification modes using a USAF target. Spectroscopic images of cells in transmission mode using two lenses are also presented, which are necessary for correcting chromatic aberration and refraction in both the condenser and objective. The use of lenses is shown to be necessary for obtaining high-quality spectroscopic images of cells in transmission mode and proves the applicability of the pseudo hemisphere approach for this and other microfluidic systems.
The second-order Rytov approximation has been used to determine ionospheric corrections for the phase path up to third order. We show the transition of the derived expressions to previous results obtained within the ray approximation using the second-order approximation of perturbation theory by solving the eikonal equation. The resulting equation for the phase path is used to determine the residual ionospheric first-, second- and third-order errors of a dual-frequency navigation system, with diffraction effects taken into account. Formulas are derived for the biases and variances of these errors, and these formulas are analyzed and modeled for a turbulent ionosphere. The modeling results show that the third-order error that is determined by random irregularities can be dominant in the residual errors. In particular, the role of random irregularities is enhanced for small elevation angles. Furthermore, in the case of small angles the role of diffraction effects increases. It is pointed out that a need to pass on to diffraction formulas arises when the Fresnel radius exceeds the inner scale of turbulence.
The present work was aimed to study the toxicity of the essential oils of three aromatic and medicinal plants on the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta and the Medfly Ceratitis capitata as an alternative to conventional pesticides. We carried out a phytochemical and insecticide study of T. zygis L., S. officinalis L. and M. suaveolens Ehrh. essential oils (EOs) through the study of their chemical composition and their toxicity on C. capitata adults and T. absoluta larvae. The extraction of the EOs by hydrodistillation showed yields of 3.87 ± 0.03, 4.09 ± 0.23 and 4.35 ± 0.11 for T. zygis, S. officinalis L. and M. suaveolens Ehrh., respectively. The identification of the chemical composition of the EOs by GC/MS showed that oxygenated monoterpenes constituted the most abundant group for all the extracted EOs. The major compounds were rather diversified depending on plant species. In fact, the S. officinalis L. EO mainly contained trans-thujone (21.80 %), the M. suaveolens Ehrh. EO mainly contained piperitenone oxide (71.19%), and carvacrol (61.60%) was the main component of the T. zygis L. EO. An insecticidal effect was observed for the three studied EOs on C. capitata adults and T. absoluta larvae. The observed LD50 values were 0.80 µL/mL and 11.04 µL/mL for M. suaveolens and S. officinalis, respectively, on T. absoluta larvae. For C. capitata adults, the obtained LD50 values were 0.9 µL/mL and 11.78 µL/mL for M. suaveolens and T. zygis, respectively. The presented findings could contribute to the development of biopesticides for plants as a component of integrated pest management strategies in citrus and tomato crops.
Several decades ago, Mo2B was assumed to have an Al2Cu-type structure with I4/mcm space group. Using ab initio phonon calculations, we identify the earlier proposed Al2Cu-type structure is dynamically unstable at ambient pressure. An energetically more favorable phase with the tetragonal I4/m structure was then predicted by employing frozen-phonon technique. The currently predicted I4/m phase is mechanically and dynamically stable and energetically more favorable than that of the earlier proposed Al2Cu-type structure. The electronic structures calculations indicate that Mo2B is a metal with several bands crossing the Fermi level. Our analysis indicates that the three-dimensional network of the covalent Mo-B bond is responsible for the ultra-incompressible property of Mo2B.
The purpose of this paper is the analysis of the shortest songs from Jan Kochanowski’s collection Pieśni. These include a petrarchist Pieśń II 21, and above all, four horatian‑origin works Pieśń: I 11 (Stronisz przede mną, Neto nietykana), II 7 (Słońce pali, a ziemia idzie w popiół prawie), II 16 (Nic po tych zbytnich potrawach…) and II 23 (Nie zawżdy, piękna Zofija…). Following a short review of previous attempts at classifying Kochanowski’s Pieśni, which were made by Polish scholars, as well as considering other options of categorising lyrical songs, the author indicated the contexts of particular works, described their rhetorics and emphasised the mastery of the poet, which is manifested through the construction of such sophisticated forms. A song, under Kochanowski’s pen, became a brief but comprehensive genre. It comprised solemnity and joy, elegiac mood and frivolous joke.
In this study economic factors that affect consumer prices are examined using the ARDL analysis utilizing monthly data in the period of 2004:01-2015:07 in Turkey. In order to contribute to the literature, CPI, HCPI and ICPI based inflation models are developed, credit card spending is added to the domestic credit volume, weighted average cost of funding is used as an indicator to the interest rate and the effects of the capacity utilization rate and producer prices’ on the inflation are investigated. According to the results of the study, it is found out that lagged values of inflation, capacity utilization rate and producer prices are the main determinants of the consumer price inflation. The impact of the capacity utilization on consumer inflation was found to be higher than the effects of the output gap. The relationship between consumer price inflation and the interest rate in the short and long term are shown to be weak. The increment of inflation in recent years despite the continued increase in interest rates can be explained using this result. In this point of view, effective measures of the reducing of production costs and economic policies restricting the total demand may have a decreasing effect on inflation.
The integrator of any software intensive system is always faced with potential inconsistencies among components in variable naming or formats, coding conventions, array dimensions, and update frequency. The panel will address the additional challenges that arise in high assurance systems, including inconsistencies in the following: Dependability requirements such as: maximum allowable frequency for certain types of failures (a product requirement) vs. CMM level specifications for a component (a process requirement) Exception handling safety critical exception handling provided within a component can be defeated by actions of an operating system or scheduler Assumptions about "safe states" a system level requirement for "maintain prior value" does not necessarily propagate into a "maintain prior value" for a valve position command Verification practices widely varying practices for design and code inspections, for test termination criteria at unit and acceptance level, and for test case generation at all levels Generic verification problems-all high assurance systems face challenges in verifying that required levels of safety, reliability and security have been met.The panelists will be addressing one or more of these bullets in terms of the experience in their environment.
The contribution of specific activity to the effects of the bone‐seeking isotope, strontium 89 on radiosensitive components of mononuclear phagocyte populations was investigated in mice. CBA/J mice received a fixed dose of 2 μCi/g body weight of 89Sr with three different specific activities, 6 Ci, 100 μCi and 20 μCi per mg Sr. The estimated radioactivity located in the bone surface was 4,200, 3,000 and 2,400 cpm/mg bone when measured 2 days after the administration of 89Sr, and was lost with an estimated biological half‐life of 27, 25, and 23 days, respectively. Bone marrow suppression was assessed by quantitation of the depletion of macrophage‐colony forming cells (M‐CFC) grown in vitro in the presence of macrophage growth factor. The decline in M‐CFC closely paralleled the level of radioactivity in the bone. These effects were clearly reflected by the depletion of monocytes in the blood, which were reduced to 14%, 14%, and 21% of control levels corresponding to SA's of 6 Ci/mg, 100 μCi/mg and 20 μCi/mg when counted on day 10. By day 30 the respective monocyte levels were 15%, 31%, and 77%. Furthermore, the induction of prostaglandin E producing suppressor macrophages (Mø) by Corynebacterium parvum administration was found to vary inversely with the effects of radioactivity in the bone, with initial impairment followed by quantitative recovery. Resident‐type Mø in peritoneal cavity, however, appear to be unaffected by 89Sr‐treatment. These data suggest, as before, that the monocytes and suppressor Mø are dependent on radiosensitive marrow cells. The observations also lead to the conclusion that the specific activity of 89Sr preparations is an important determinant of the degree of suppression and of the rate of recovery of bone marrow from the effects of irradiation that follow the administration of this isotope.
Five hundred concerns about abuse to children cases were followed from the initial report to a child welfare system through the intervention process to criminal prosecution. The sample originated with the Child Protection Services, a unit based in a paediatric hospital in the state of South Australia, and its links to the wider child abuse reporting and intervention system are described. This study showed only 27.4% of cases substantiated at the welfare/health level were prosecuted in criminal courts, and only 17% achieved a conviction, half of those resulting from a guilty plea. The apparent reasons for this are detailed, including the links to the characteristics of the children, the accused and the professional and legal systems. The study suggests non-prosecution does not indicate that cases were too readily substantiated. On the contrary, constraints in the legal system lead to choices being made by all involved about whether to proceed which significantly reduce the likelihood of prosecution.
Birth traits of 68 Angus and 49 Charolais x Angus calves sired by four Angus and seven Charolais bulls, respectively, were studied. Timed intervals during the calving process were compared between breed of sire groups. The Charolais sired calves required an average of 3.7 rain longer from the first appearance of the water bag until the feet were first visible; 8.1 rain longer (P<.01) from the time the feet were visible until the head was out; and 1.6 rain longer (P~05) from the time the head was out until the calf was delivered. The average total calving time was 30 min for Angus and 43.9 rain for Charolais sired calves (P<.01). Differences among sires within breed were found in minutes from the first appearance of the water bag until the feet were first visible and in calf birth weight. Gestation length was 4.5 days longer (P<.05) and birth weight was 5.0 kg heavier (P<.01) for the Charolais sired calves. Gestation length and birth weight were correlated in both the Charolais and Angus sired calves (.41 and .37, respectively). The length of each of the first two intervals was correlated with birth weight in the Charolais sired calves. The time from appearance of water bag to feet showing was a good indicator of total calving time in both breed of sire groups (r = .85). Total calving time ranged from 9 to 82 min for Angus and 12 to 110 min for Charolais sired calves. (
Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, and virtual reality- (VR-) based stroke rehabilitation is effective in increasing motivation and the functional performance. Although much of the functional reach and grasp capabilities of the upper extremities were regained, the pinch movement remains impaired following stroke. In this study, we developed a haptic-enhanced VR system to simulate haptic pinch tasks to assist the recovery of upper-extremity fine motor function. We recruited 16 adults with stroke to verify the efficacy of this new VR system. Each patient received 30 min VR training sessions 3 times per week for 8 weeks. Outcome measures, Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA), Test Evaluant les Membres superieurs des Personnes Agees (TEMPA), Wolf motor function test (WMFT), Box and Block test (BBT), and Jamar grip dynamometer, showed statistically significant progress from pretest to posttest and follow-up, indicating that the proposed system effectively promoted fine motor recovery of function. Additionally, our evidence suggests that this system was also effective under certain challenging conditions such as being in the chronic stroke phase or a coside of lesion and dominant hand (nondominant hand impaired). System usability assessment indicated that the participants strongly intended to continue using this VR-based system in rehabilitation.
Directing rescue activities and their coordination provide the effectiveness of activities carried out by the fire department. The review of Polish legal and organizational solutions used in Poland is complemented with the knowledge gained by the authors at work in state institutions dealing with issues of general security. Due to the adopted formula of the statement after being introduced to the issues, the material was divided into several parts referring to the issues of safety and threats, organization of the National Rescue and Fire-Fighting System in terms of subject and subject, as well as rules of management and coordination.
The first measurement of the helicity dependence of the total inclusive photo-absorption cross section and of partial photon-induced reaction channels on 3He was carried out at MAMI (Mainz) in a photon energy range between 200 and 450 MeV. The experiment used the large acceptance Crystal Ball spectrometer, complemented by a charged particle and a vertex detector, a circularly polarized tagged photon beam and a longitudinally polarized high-pressure 3He gas target. The results obtained give information on the GDH sum rule on the neutron and allow an investigation of the modifications of nucleon properties inside 3He.
The use of intrapleural instillation of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) in the treatment of pleural infection may increase pleural fluid drainage associated with a clinical and imaging improvement, leading to a faster resolution. The use of r-tPA is generally well tolerated. Here we report 2 cases of massive pleural hemorrhage resulting in life-threatening hypovolemia, in 2 patients treated with intrapleural r-tPA for a pleural infection, who were simultaneously receiving systemic anticoagulation (1 therapeutic, the second prophylactic) with low-molecular weight heparin. It appears that the decision of treating pleural infection with r-tPA in patients receiving therapeutic or prophylactic systemic anticoagulation must be well balanced and in case of association of these compounds, close monitoring is necessary.
1. Changing the Subject of Development 2. Have they Disabled Us? Liquor Production and Grammars of Material Distress in Rural India 3. Cities without Citizens: A Perspective on the Struggle of Abahlali baseMjondolo, the Durban Shackdweller Movement 4. Where does the Rural Educated Person Fit in a Market Society? Negotiating Social Reproduction in Contemporary India 5. Re-imagining the Nature of Development: Biodiversity Conservation and Pastoral Visions in the Northern Areas, Pakistan 6. Marketing and Militarizing Elections? Social Protest, Extractive Security and the De/Legitimation of 'Civilian Transition' in Nigeria and Mexico 7. The Land is Changing: Contested Agricultural Narratives in Northern Malawi 8. The Poverty of Neoliberalism in Chiapas, Mexico: Gendered Resistance via Neo-Zapatista Network Politics 9. Corporate Mobilization on the Mato Grosso Soybean Frontier, Brazil 10. Recoveries of Space and Subjectivity in the Shadow of Violence: the Clandestine Politics of Pavement Dwellers in Mumbai 11. Mobilizing Agrarian Citizenship: a New Rural Paradigm for Brazil 12. Demilitarizing Sovereignty: Self-Determination and Anti-Military Base Activism in Okinawa, Japan 13. Decolonizing Knowledge: Education, Inclusion, and the Afro-Brazilian Anti- Racist Struggle 14. Challenging Market Fundamentalisms: the Emergence of 'Ethics, Cosmovisions, and Spiritualities' in the World Social Forum 15. Development and its Discontents
Along with the development of the times, bitcoin and gold obtained more and more people’s hot pursuit. However, the frequent price changes, especially for the rapid price changes of bitcoin, cause great suffering to the traders’ investments. Therefore, making the appropriate trading strategy to maximize the trader’s profits is a significant problem. To make the best trading strategy, we model the prices of bitcoin and gold, the typical symbol of instability and stability in quantitative investment, to maximize profits while minimizing risk.In this work, We establish the Counterfactual Regret Minimizing (CFR) model and the Topological Sorting based Longest Multiplicative Path (TSLMP) model to help traders make strategy under low risk or high risk accordingly. To dynamically adjust the weight of the two models according to the feedback of real price change, we propose the Dynamic Weight Update (DWU) Method. The experimental results show that our Model is useful.
This paper reports a simple model to describe the formation and reactivity of hydroxyl radicals in the whole column of surface freshwater systems. The model is based on empirical irradiation data and it is a function of the water chemical composition (the photochemically significant parameters Non-Purgeable Organic Carbon–NPOC–, nitrate, nitrite, carbonate and bicarbonate), the water body conformation, and the water absorption spectrum in a simplified Lambert-Beer approach. The purpose is to derive the lifetime of dissolved molecules, due to the reaction with •OH, on the basis of their second-order rate constants with the hydroxyl radical. It is also proposed a simplified (and approximated) approach to simulate the absorption spectrum of water when the latter is not available, based on the value of the NPOC. Such a simulation can be useful when the model is adopted to describe a degradation scenario for a certain compound, without a direct link to a definite ecosystem. The model was applied to the lifetime of various pesticides in surface water bodies, and it is suggested that the lifetime of a given compound can be very variable in different systems, even more than the lifetime of different compounds in the same water body. The variations of the chemical composition and of the depth of the water column are the main reasons for the reported finding.
project is an important resource for social and cultural historians, and for those interested in the emotions. It also has wider uses, appealing to genealogists and even gamers; the project has produced an associated video game, allowing wouldbe early modern medical practitioners to battle the twin perils of plague and poor patient feedback. All users of the database will be able to take advantage of the excellent range of supporting materials on the site, which succeed in being both scholarly and easily comprehensible. They include an overall history of early modern medicine, a guide to Forman and Napier’s astrological practice, and an extensive bibliography. The success of a database can be largely dependent upon its ease of use and range of functions. The Casebooks Project offers users a formidable range of information and search options, but its elegant design and clear explanations make it painless to navigate and the wide array of tagged categories enable precisely tailored, although sometime rather slow, searches. Like all good digital archives, this database functions very much like a good bookshop; it is relatively simple to find what you are looking for and very easy to stumble across wonders that you were not expecting. Having lost hours skipping from case to case, reading about the infant Thomas Colford, who was pinched black and blue by fairies, and Robert Burgess, a weeping cleric who feared that his sins were so great they could not be forgiven, I defy any user of this fascinating database not to become hopelessly enmeshed in its detail.
Throughout the New Testament, we find exhortations to imitate or follow in the steps of Christ, Paul and even some other godly people. In the Epistle to the Philippians, we find this exhortation to imitate incorporated into a Pauline theology of progressive sanctification. Sanctification in Philippians is portrayed as a conforming to Christ through the knowledge of Him, which comes through tripartite means of the Word of God (the Apostolic teaching), the internal work of God’s Spirit and the imitation of Christ, the Apostle Paul and other godly examples. We will aim at forming a biblical theology of sanctification through imitation restricted in our analysis to the Epistle of Philippians. First part of the article reviews the teaching of sanctification in Philippians, with an emphasis on passages where Paul directly addresses this issue: Philippians 1:9-11, 27-29; 2:12-16; 3:1-15. Second part of the article introduces us to biblical teaching on imitation, and then it reviews a downward spiral of imitation: imitating Christ (Phil. 2:5), imitating Paul (Phil. 3:17a; 4:9) and imitating Paul’s faithful imitators (Phil. 3:17b). In the conclusion, we will see that imitation of Christ and His faithful imitators is a means of progressive sanctification that is both important and often neglected, both by those who should serve as primary examples of godliness (spiritual leaders) and those who need to learn by imitating. Key terms: imitation, sanctification knowledge, transformation, model, Christ, Paul, Philippians, Holy Spirit, Scriptures
We study the phase diagram and critical behavior of a one-dimensional three-species monomer-monomer catalytic surface reaction model. Static Monte Carlo simulations are used to roughly map out the phase diagram consisting of a reactive steady state bordered by three equivalent unreactive phases where the surface is saturated with one monomer species. The transitions from the reactive phase are all continuous, while the transitions between poisoned phases are first order. Of particular interest are the bicritical points where the reactive phase simultaneously meets two poisoned phases. A mean-field cluster analysis fails to predict all of the qualitative features of the phase diagram unless correlations up to triplets of adjacent sites are included. Scaling properties of the continuous transitions and the bicritical points are studied using dynamic Monte Carlo simulations. The transition from the reactive to a saturated phase shows directed percolation critical behavior, while the universal behavior at the bicritical point is in the even branching annihilating random walk class. The crossover from bicritical to critical behavior is also studied.
The cardiac neuronal norepinephrine (NE) transporter (NET) in sympathetic neurons is responsible for uptake of released NE from the neuroeffector junction. The purpose of this study was to assess the chamber distribution of cardiac NET protein measured using [(3)H]nisoxetine binding in rat heart membranes and to correlate NE content to NET amount. In whole mounts of atria, NET was colocalized in nerve fibers with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity. NE content expressed as micrograms NE per gram tissue was lowest in the ventricles; however, NET binding was significantly higher in the left ventricle than the right ventricle and atria (P < 0.05), resulting in a significant negative correlation (r(2) = 0.922; P < 0.05) of NET to NE content. The neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine, an NET substrate, reduced NE content more in the ventricles than the atria, demonstrating functional significance of high ventricular NET binding. In summary, there is a ventricular predominance of NET binding that corresponds to a high NE reuptake capacity in the ventricles, yet negatively correlates to tissue NE content.
We give a denition of reasoning by analogy, which is tailored to a setting of decision making under uncertainty. We present a model of decision making which is based on such a denition, and show that it is compatible with a large class of preferences. 1 Reasoning by Analogy Analogy is the recognition that one thing A (a phenomenon, a problem, etc.) is like another thing B and that, therefore, consequences (inferences, explanations, solutions, etc.) that can be drawn from A can be drawn from B as well. Analogy is a reasoning process that is so pervasive in human life that can be viewed as one of the cornerstones of human thought. In the Dictionary of Philosophy of Mind [7], Analogy is recognized as, ... an important kind of thinking contributing to such cognitive tasks as explanation, planning and decision making (Paul Thagard). Because of this, it is not surprising that the concept of Analogy has been an object of philosophical reection since ancient times.1 As of today, research on the concept of Analogy and on the process of analogical reasoning has become increasingly important in the study of Articial Intelligence (see, for instance, [10]). Again, this is not surprising given the nature of the subject. What is surprising is that classical theories of decision making under uncertainty do not explicitly recognize the role played by analogical reasoning. Theories of decision making under uncertainty are concerned with explaining/guiding the behavior of individuals who have to choose a course of action I beneted from comments and suggestions from Paolo Ghirardato, Tzachi Gilboa, Ket Richter, Aldo Rustichini, Paolo Siconol, Max Stinchcombe and Stan Wellisz. I also wish to thank seminar participants at RUD 2003, CalTech, University of Minnesota, University of Texas-Austin, Columbia University, University of Rochester, Rutgers University, University of Turin, Ohio State University. yDepartment of Economics, Columbia University, 1019 IAB, 420 W 118th street, NY, NY 10027. Email: ma734@columbia.edu. 1To give just one example, reections on the concept recur several times in St. Thomas from the Summa Theologica to the De potentia to the De veritates.
A bright feature observed on Jan. 24–26, 1992 with the soft X-ray telescope on the YOHKOH spacecraft and with the coronameter at the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory assumed the appearance of a coronal helmet streamer as it slowly expanded. Mauna Loa observations from Jan. 22–24 indicate that a prominence eruption and coronal mass ejection occurred before this feature was seen. We interpret the Jan. 24–26 observations as evidence for “reformation” of a magnetically closed helmet structure as a consequence of magnetic reconnection that proceeded along a vertical magnetic neutral sheet formed by the mass ejection.
Purpose. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for primary liver tumors and liver metastases is restricted by a limited ablation size. Multipolar RFA is a technical advancement of RFA, which is able to achieve larger ablations. The aim of this ex vivo study was to determine optimal ablation parameters for multipolar RFA depending on applicator distance and energy input. Methods. RFA was carried out ex vivo in porcine livers with three internally cooled, bipolar applicators in multipolar ablation mode. Three different applicator distances were used and five different energy inputs were examined. Ablation zones were sliced along the cross-sectional area at the largest ablation diameter, orthogonally to the applicators. These slices were digitally measured and analyzed. Results. Sixty RFA were carried out. A limited growth of ablation area was seen in all test series. This increase was dependent on ablation time, but not on applicator distance. A steady state between energy input and energy loss was not observed. A saturation of the minimum radius of the ablation zone was reached. Differences in ablation radius between the three test series were seen for lowest and highest energy input (P < .05). No differences were seen for medium amounts of energy (P > .05). Conclusions. The ablation parameters applicator distance and energy input can be chosen in such a way, that minor deviations of the preplanned ablation parameters have no influence on the size of the ablation area.
An analytical study of interlaminar stresses in unsymmetrically laminated plates is presented. The study examines the linear elastic, large deflection response of square laminated composite plates subjected to uniform thermal loading. Both cross-ply and angle-ply, symmetric and unsymmetric, laminates are examined to evaluate the effects of mismatch between adjacent layers in elastic constants and coefficients of thermal expansion. A geometrically nonlinear kinematic description is used to predict the large out-of-plane (transverse) deflections. The nonlinear, three-dimensional boundary value problems are formulated from elasticity theory and approximate solutions are determined using the finite element method. A global/local analysis procedure is used to obtain improved free edge stress predictions. For the laminates and loading conditions considered, the results indicate that the out-of-plane deflections of the unsymmetric laminates reduce interlaminar shear stresses. These deflections also reduce interlaminar normal stresses in some laminates and increase these stresses for others. The results indicate that as the out-of-plane deflections become large, the differences in interlaminar stress predictions between linear and nonlinear theory can become quite large.
Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) is an interference management technique well-suited to OFDMA-based cellular networks wherein the bandwidth of the cells is partitioned into regions with different frequency reuse factors. To date, FFR techniques have been typically been evaluated through system-level simulations using a hexagonal grid for the base station locations. This paper instead focuses on analytically evaluating the two main types of FFR deployments - Strict FFR and Soft Frequency Reuse (SFR) - using a Poisson point process to model the base station locations. The results are compared with the standard grid model and an actual urban deployment. Under reasonable special cases for modern cellular networks, our results reduce to simple closed-form expressions, which provide insight into system design guidelines and the relative merits of Strict FFR, SFR, universal reuse, and fixed frequency reuse. Finally, a SINR-proportional resource allocation strategy is proposed based on the analytical expressions and we observe that FFR provides an increase in the sum-rate as well as the well-known benefit of improved coverage for cell-edge users.
My research activity deals mainly with the problem of defining exploration strategies that drive autonomous mobile robots around environments to be discovered. One of my contributions is towards bridging the gap between theory and practice for exploration strategies, modeling problems related to exploration to theoretically analyze them, and applying obtained results to more realistic scenarios. Another contribution is the use of semantic information in multirobot systems for more informed decisions during exploration. Further contributions provide insights for a more mature experimental assessment of exploring robotic systems.
ABSTRACT This research explores street homeless people’s survival in the urban realm through their relationship with the system of homelessness services. Given the growing numbers and complexity of street homeless and their related health and social needs, and the increased competition for essential, life-sustaining resources, we examine how street homeless people get their support needs met through their social capital interactions with homelessness service providers. We use Pierre Bourdieu’s social capital and related theory as the conceptual framework for inquiry. Qualitative participatory mapping methods were used. Twenty-nine street homeless individuals participated in individual mapping interviews. Interview transcripts were thematically coded using NVivo qualitative data analysis software. Member checking was used to validate emerging themes with the Advisory Committee throughout the data analysis process. All participants had extremely low levels of social capital and all were dependent on homelessness services for their basic needs. To acquire social capital through institutional sources they depend upon for survival, street homeless people perform representations of homeless identity to align with the discourse on homelessness being promoted through the service context. Through their performances, there was a tendency to play up vulnerabilities or deficits. Findings are discussed in relation to the implications for practice.
In particular in organic cultivation, potato blight caused by the fungus phytophthora infestans can lead to significant yield, quality and storage losses. Protecting potatoes against this disease demands preventive measures, appropriate regulation strategies, and optimum spraying techniques. The latter involves an even distribution and deposition of the preventive copper contact fungicides on the stem and both sides of the leaves as well as a good penetration. Compared to conventional spraying, the newly developed underleaf spraying technique improved the coverage of the potato leaves and decreased phytophtora infection significantly.
Doses of 125, 250 or 500 micrograms LH-RH were injected i.m. into suckled beef cows on approximately Day 11 of an oestrous cycle synchronized by prostaglandin treatment. There was a positive linear relationship between dose of LH-RH and the area under the measured LH peak. Administration of 500 micrograms LH-RH as a single injection to suckled cows 13-32 days post partum resulted in LH release but failed to induce normal ovarian activity. A small transient rise in plasma progesterone for 6--9 days occurred at the expected time after injection in 50% of animals. Administration of 500 micrograms LH-RH to suckled beef cows approximately 20--30 days post partum and a second injection approximately 10 days later at the time when the resulting transient rise in plasma progesterone had returned to basal values induced normal cyclic activity (as shown by progesterone concentrations and observed oestrus) at 35 days compared with 70 days for untreated controls. Pituitary responsiveness to LH-RH, as assessed by LH levels, was found to increase up to 20 days post partum.
Rhizopogon roseolus (Corda) Th. Fr. is a basidiomycete truffle that is considered edible. Its gleba changes color from white to beige to brown as it matures. Although ultrastructural changes in the spore wall have been linked to the maturation of the fruiting body, little is known regarding the relationship between spore germination success and the ultrastructure of the spore wall. We examined spore germination on agar plates and analyzed the spore wall ultrastructure using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Fruiting bodies, collected from a pine forest, were classified into three developmental stages based on gleba color, and the germination success was evaluated at each stage. Variability in the spore germination rate was observed between individual fruiting bodies. The peak germination rate was recorded for the spores from the fruiting bodies in the beige glebal stage, and the rate was lower in the brown glebal stage. When spore wall structures were studied using TEM, the spore wall was found to b...
A catalytic asymmetric version of the intramolecular ylide annulation has been developed which affords high ee values and diastereoselectivities and which further shows that spirobiindane-based chiral phosphines can be excellent organocatalysts. Both optically active benzobicyclo[4.3.0] compounds 2 and 2' with three continuous stereogenic centers could be obtained as major products selectively under neutral and mild conditions just by a choice of an additive.
Unfavourable weather conditions after the queen starts with intensive oviposition during early spring may cause an imbalance in the division of tasks among worker bees in the bee colony. This can lead to slow spring development and poor exploitation of the main spring nectar flows. In order to accelerate the spring development, it is necessary, as a technological measure, to feed supplemental candy to bee colonies. In this research, the necessity of supplemental feeding, as well as the composition of candy (pollen and protein substitute) were analysed. Three groups of ten bee colonies each were formed the control, unfed group, pollen candy fed and protein substitute candy fed. In the period from 22/02/2016 and 04/04/2016 three control measurements were performed during which the number of bees, the number of brood cells and weight of the bee colonies were determined. The research has shown that supplemental feeding of the bee colony in late winter in order to encourage the rapid spring development is justified. Namely, at the final measurements in April, the results showed differences between groups. The treated colonies had higher net hive weight, a greater number of bees and statistically significantly more brood cells. The results of this study confirm that the technological measure of supplemental feeding in late winter should be performed on all commercial apiaries for the production of honey, pollen, royal jelly, queen bees and bee venom.
A method was elaborated for the determination of residual stresses in the galvanic coating by measuring the longitudinal deformation of a straight strip (ribbon) and of a cylindrical (wire) substrate. For this purpose an experimental measuring system was designed. The experiments were carried out using a nickel coating deposited bilaterally from Watt's electrolyte on a copper or brass strip substrate, and initial stresses were calculated. The strip substrate was fixed by one end and loaded with a calibrated weight on the other. The longitudinal displacement of the free end of substrate, depending on coating thickness, was determined by measuring the deformation of the elastic element. The effect of the rigidity of an elastic element on initial stresses was investigated. The results are compared with the literature data.
We investigated the prevalence of mutations in the PHD finger protein 8 (PHF8) gene in X‐linked mental retardation (XLMR) and facial cleft starting from the original cohort of 7712 patients operated on since1 January 1950 for cleft lip/cleft palate in the Cleft Centre at the Helsinki University Hospital. From this nationwide material, 18 patients including one family with two male patients with cleft lip/cleft palate and unknown cause of mental retardation (MR) were sequenced for the coding regions and splice sites of the PHF8 gene. A novel missense mutation c.836C>T of the PHF8 gene was identified in a Finnish family with multiple‐affected male patients. The mutation resides in exon 8 and changes phenylalanine to serine (F279S) in the functionally important Jmonji C domain of the protein. The clinical phenotype of the male patients was characterized by mild MR, mild dysmorphic features, unilateral cleft lip and cleft palate in one and bilateral cleft lip and cleft palate in the other sibling. The mutation was not present in 200 anonymous blood donors (approximately 300 X‐chromosomes). To our knowledge, F279S is the third mutation of the PHF8 gene identified so far.
This paper adopts the hot list and label system to solve the cold start problem, for the user reaching the product page through search engine, its recommendation is based on the solr full-text IV search engine and the search keywords related to the products. Mining user behavior pattern by mixed mining way, and implicit and explicit information to determine the user preferences, and the construct of user behavior is based on the vector space model. To calculate the keyword weight of product features, this paper use HTTPCWS system of Chinese word segmentation. Under the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each recommendation algorithm, combining with the actual data, this article presents combined weighted algorithm to achieve personalized recommendation; In the end this paper realize a personalized product recommendation system based on the platform of People Mall e-commerce.
Abstract The use of organic solvents for the extraction and estimation of fat, wax and resin in raw cotton and sized and bleached goods is discussed. The extractable matter is a complex mixture, and judging by the analytical characteristics of extracts obtained in various ways, no complete separation of the constituents is possible by solvent extraction. Hot chloroform appears to be the most inclusive solvent, whereas ether, benzene, and carbon tetrachloride do not easily remove the resinous matter. It is recommended, therefore, that extraction with chloroform in a hot. Soxhlet apparatus be taken as a measure of the fat, wax and resin present, and extraction with carbon tetrachloride in an ordinary Soxhlet apparatus as determining the fat and wax only.
Meteorite impact structures are found on all planetary bodies in the Solar System with a solid surface. On many planets, impact craters are the dominant landform. Earth's active geology, however, tends to rapidly erase impact structures from the geological record, although we know currently of 174 confirmed impact sites. Impact events are destructive and have been linked to at least one of the ‘big five’ mass extinctions over the past 540 Ma. But they also provide certain economic benefits, including the formation of metalliferous ore deposits and hydrocarbon reservoirs. Impact structures can also form new biological niches, which can provide favourable conditions for the survival and evolution of life. Despite this, it was only in the past 40 years that the importance of impact cratering as a geological process was recognized and only during the past 15–20 years that the study of meteorite impact structures has moved into the geological mainstream. There is, therefore, still considerable potential for new and exciting advancements.
The purpose of this study is to propose a replacement period of zinc-coated stranded steel wire according to the installed environment. Zinc-coated stranded steel wires are widely used for messenger wires of the overhead catenary system. Though these wires have been uniformly replaced mainly based on aging, the corrosion speed of the wire, which is the main factor of the degradation, is thoroughly different depending on the installed environment. In order to investigate the corrosive situation of the messenger wire under the current environmental conditions, we carried out the measurement of the residual amount of zinc and iron of the wire installed under various environments by using a deterioration detection device as developed by our laboratory, and examined the relation between corrosion and aging. Consequently, the estimated period for the zinc plating elimination was twenty years in seashore areas, thirty years in city areas, and fifty years in mountainous areas respectively as the lower estimate. On the other hand, there was almost no reduction in iron remains in every environment because of the anticorrosive effect of zinc on iron. Moreover, the paper carried out a tensile test and a vibration test in order to evaluate the relation between corrosion and the mechanical characteristics of zinc-coated stranded steel wires for which corrosion was accelerated by using the salt spray test system. As a result, the vibration fatigue characteristic of the wires greatly deteriorated when iron corroded. From these results, it was evident that the limit of service life of messenger wires should be set at the time point when the zinc plating disappeared. Furthermore, the paper confirmed that the ACM (Atmosphere Corrosion Monitoring) sensor was useful as a method to estimate the corrosion rate of zinc plating in each environment in a short period.
The paper addresses two dimensions of the debate on social capital – the analytical concept of Robert Putnam and the way it may become interrelated with political concerns debated in public. It is argued that in Putnams' concept two dimensions of social capital – social bonds and civic commitment – are interrelated in a way that suggests that social capital is something like the basis for good policy making. Against this, the open interrelationship between the two is stressed: one does not only need ‘social capital to make democracy work’ (Putnam) but often more democratic politics in order to make social capital work.
We analyzed the luminosity-temperature (L-T) relation for two samples of galaxy clusters that have been observed by the ASCA satellite. We used 32 high-redshift clusters (0.3 < z < 0.6), 53 low-redshift clusters (z < 0.3), and also the combination of the low- and high-redshift data sets. This is one of two surveys to use only ASCA data and has the largest number of high-redshift clusters. We assumed a power-law relation between the bolometric luminosity of the galaxy cluster and its integrated temperature (uncorrected for cooling flows) and redshift [Lbol, 44 = CTα(1 + z)A]. We found that for an ΩM = 1.0, ΩΛ = 0.0 universe, A = 1.134 ± 1.66, α = 2.815 ± 0.42, and log C = -1.167 ± 0.25, and for an ΩM = 0.3, ΩΛ = 0.7 universe, A = 2.052 ± 1.63, α = 2.822 ± 0.43, and log C = -1.126 ± 0.26 (all errors at 68% confidence for one and two interesting parameters). We found the dispersion at constant kT in this relation to be Δ log L = 0.282 for ΩM = 1.0, ΩΛ = 0.0, and Δ log L = 0.283 for ΩM = 0.3, ΩΛ = 0.7. The results for the combined data set and those found using the low- and high-redshift clusters are consistent and independent of cosmology, with previous estimates of L ∼ T3 found by other authors. The observed weak or zero evolution agrees with the predictions of models that produce L ∼ T3 incorporating an initial source of nongravitational energy before cluster collapse.
The aims of this study are to compare learning outcomes of Islamic Religious Education using active knowledge sharing learning strategies and lecture strategies. This research was conducted at MTs Bina Taruna Marelan with 60 students as the sample in this study. The research method used in this study is a quantitative method with the type of experiment. The main instrument used in data collection is an objective test instrument consisting of 20 questions. The material provided is about Zakat Fitrah and Malls. The comparative analysis used is the t test statistic for two large samples which do not have a relationship with each other. The results showed that learning outcomes using active knowledge sharing learning strategies obtained an average value of 73.50 included in category B (good). While using lecture learning strategies obtained an average value of 62.83 included in category C (enough). So that the active knowledge sharing learning strategy is more effective by 16.88% of the lecture learning strategy in improving the learning outcomes of Islamic Religious Education grade VII students of MTs Bina Taruna Marelan.
In this paper we document a strong positive correlation of immigration flows with changes in average wages and average house rents for native residents across U.S. states. Instrumental variables estimates reveal that the correlations are compatible with a causal interpretation from immigration to wages and rents of natives. Separating the effects of immigrants on natives of different schooling levels we find positive effects on the wages and rents of highly educated and small effects on the wages (negative) and rents (positive) of less educated. We propose a model where natives and immigrants of three different education levels interact in production in a central district and live in the surrounding region. In equilibrium the inflow of immigrants has a positive productive effect on natives due to complementarieties in production as well as a positive competition effect on rents. The model calibrated and simulated with U.S.-states data matches most of the estimated effects of immigrants on wages and rents of natives in the period 1990-2005. This validation suggests the proposed model as a useful tool to evaluate the impacts of alternative immigration scenarios on U.S. wages and rents.
This paper analyses the protection offered by Copyright to newspaper articles and, from here, it examines the ways in which the articles are used by press clipping companies. Also, the paper presents resolutions related to the use of links to web pages and its relation with possible Copyright law infractions. Finally, the paper analyses a legislative amendment on the subject, which took place in Spain.
ABSTRACT Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) forms cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IBs) that are thought to be sites of nucleocapsid accumulation and viral RNA synthesis. The present study found that IBs also were the sites of major sequestration of two proteins involved in cellular signaling pathways. These are phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) (p38-P), a key regulator of cellular inflammatory and stress responses, and O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (OGN) transferase (OGT), an enzyme that catalyzes the posttranslational addition of OGN to protein targets to regulate cellular processes, including signal transduction, transcription, translation, and the stress response. The virus-induced sequestration of p38-P in IBs resulted in a substantial reduction in the accumulation of a downstream signaling substrate, MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MK2). Sequestration of OGT in IBs was associated with suppression of stress granule (SG) formation. Thus, while the RSV IBs are thought to play an essential role in viral replication, the present results show that they also play a role in suppressing the cellular response to viral infection. The sequestration of p38-P and OGT in IBs appeared to be reversible: oxidative stress resulting from arsenite treatment transformed large IBs into a scattering of smaller bodies, suggestive of partial disassembly, and this was associated with MK2 phosphorylation and OGN addition. Unexpectedly, the RSV M2-1 protein was found to localize in SGs that formed during oxidative stress. This protein was previously shown to be a viral transcription elongation factor, and the present findings provide the first evidence of possible involvement in SG activities during RSV infection.
Abstract Let G be a graph on vertices v 1, v 2,…, v n . The b-chromatic number of G is defined as the maximum number k of colors that can be used to color the vertices of G, such that we obtain a proper coloring and every color i admits a representant x adjacent to a vertex of each color j, 1≤j≠i≤k. In this paper, we give the exact value for the b-chromatic number of power graphs of a complete caterpillar.
This paper is concerned with finding complete axiomatizations of probabilistic processes. We examine this problem within the context of the process algebra ACP and obtain as our end-result the axiom system prACP I −- , a probabilistic version of ACP which can be used to reason algebraically about the reliability and performance of concurrent systems. Our goal was to introduce probability into ACP in as simple a fashion as possible. Optimally, ACP should be the homomorphic image of the probabilistic version in which the probabilities are forgotten.
Background Fibroids, which can impact pregnancies at later gestations, such as obstructing delivery, may also affect the pregnancy termination process. Case We present the case of a 28-year-old G1 at 18 weeks who consented for a genetic pregnancy termination via dilation and evacuation. During the typical preparatory procedure with laminaria, it was noted that a 5-6cm cervical fibroid prolapsed into the vagina obstructing access to the uterine cavity. Through osmotic dilation followed by cervical Foley catheter ripening, a planned myomectomy was possible with minimal blood loss prior to uterine evacuation. Conclusion Through appropriate counselling, planning, and effective cervical dilatation, a planned myomectomy for prolapsing fibroids at the time of termination of pregnancy is possible. This can prevent unnecessary hysterotomy and avoid need for subsequent cesarean section.
Service-based distributed computing as a mode of resource sharing is receiving increased attention, motivated both by enterprise applications and by standardization efforts in the grid community. In this context, significant effort is being devoted to service descriptions and related issues, primarily via Web Services and associated technologies. However, it is also critical to enable access to these services via a variety of heterogeneous transport protocols with dynamic runtime flexibility. The RMIX framework is being developed to facilitate the use of heterogeneou transport protocols for access to distributed services via a well-understood and semantically stable language framework, viz. remote method invocation. RMIX permits dynamic negotiation of service-access transport and the selection of the access mechanism that is most appropriate to a given client-service relationship, while retaining a uniform invocation interface. Interoperability issues, the handling of heterogeneous transports, and preliminary experiences with RMIX are described in this paper.
This paper presents a study on electroencephalogram (EEG)-based control of an electric wheelchair. The objective is to control the direction of an electric wheelchair using only EEG signals. In other words, this is an attempt to use brain signals to control mechanical devices such as wheelchairs. To achieve this goal, we have developed a recursive training algorithm to generate recognition patterns from EEG signals. Our experimental results demonstrate the utility of the proposed recursive training algorithm and the viability of accomplishing direction control of an electric wheelchair by only EEG signals.
Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC) significantly raises the risk of developing colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and other extracolonic tumors. It is defined by the Amsterdam Criteria and is associated with germline mutations in mismatch repair genes, primarily MLH1 and MSH2. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the presence of CRC (Type I) and other extracolonic tumors (Type II) in families with HNPCC and to analyze the findings for correlations with germline mutations in the MLH1 and MSH2 genes.
Ventilation of an indoor swimming pool is a very energy consuming process. This is a result of, among other things the required high value of the ventilation air volume flow rate, calculated on the basis of the moisture gains in the facility. The total energy consumption consists of the heat required to heat this air and the electricity needed to transport it. It is possible to reduce the ventilation air volume flow rate by assuming the correct value of specific humidity of the supply and indoor air, but then a deterioration of thermal-moisture conditions in the building can be expected. The aim of this paper was to examine how the reduction of the supply air volume flow rate affects the energy consumption for indoor swimming pool ventilation. It was also checked how this consumption can be reduced by using two-stage heat recovery in the air handling unit. Multi-variant simulations of energy consumption for indoor swimming pool ventilation were carried out using the IDA ICE software for day and night operation of the swimming pool throughout the year. The results of the research proved that reduction of the supply air volume flow rate resulted in the lower energy expenditure on ventilation. The variant with additional local air supply to the lifeguard zone was also analysed, which caused only a slight increase in energy demand for ventilation.
Background—Postoperative low-output failure (LOF) is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. We sought to understand which pre- and intra-operative factors contribute to postoperative LOF and to what degree the surgeon may influence rates of LOF. Methods and Results—We identified 11 838 patients undergoing nonemergent, isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass by 32 surgeons at 8 centers in northern New England from 2001 to 2009. Our cohort included patients with preoperative ejection fractions >40%. Patients with preoperative intraaortic balloon pumps were excluded. LOF was defined as the need for ≥2 inotropes at 48 hours, an intra- or post-operative intraaortic balloon pumps, or return to cardiopulmonary bypass (for hemodynamic reasons). Case volume varied across the 32 surgeons (limits, 80–766; median, 344). The overall rate of LOF was 4.3% (return to cardiopulmonary bypass, 2.6%; intraaortic balloon pumps, 1.0%; inotrope usage, 0.8%; combination, 1.0%). The predicted risk of LOF did not differ across surgeons, P=0.79, and the observed rates varied from 1.1% to 10.2%, P<0.001. Patients operated by low-rate surgeons had shorter clamp and bypass times, antegrade cardioplegia, longer maximum intervals between cardioplegia doses, lower cardioplegia volume per anastomosis or minute of ischemic time, and less hot-shot use. Patients operated on by higher LOF surgeons had higher rates of postoperative acute kidney injury. Conclusions—Rates of LOF significantly varied across surgeons and could not be explained solely by patient case mix, suggesting that variability in perioperative practices influences risk of LOF.
Wireless energy transfer system uses separable mutual induction coil to transfer energy. According to the load characteristics of rechargeable batteries, the primary and secondary sides constitute the resonant circuit with series compensation to improve power factor and transmission capability of the system. The high frequency signal source circuit of the primary side uses frequency tracking to make the system working accurately at the resonant state. The primary side current keeps constant to make system stable. The system parameters are given optimized under the loosely coupled condition considering voltage gain, frequency bifurcation phenomena and the limit of the size of the secondary side, etc.
This study examines the seasoned equity issues of companies traded on the London Stock Exchange. Recent regulatory changes have allowed UK firms more discretion in choice of issue approach, and this has led many firms to issue through placing in preference to a rights issue. Having first documented the trend towards increasing use of placings, we go on to identify an interesting subset of placings that are less likely to be anticipated by the market, and find a significant positive market reaction to such placings, which contrasts with the significant negative reaction we find for issues by rights. We also examine the choice of seasoned equity issuance method, focusing on the choice between placings versus rights issues. We develop a model to explain the choice of equity issue method that achieves a high level of predictive accuracy. Copyright Blackwell Publishers Ltd, 2006.
A timed tissue P system is constructed by adding a time mapping to the rules of tissue P system to specify the execution time for each rule. It is a more realistic model from a biological point of view. In this study, we investigate the computational efficiency of timed tissue P systems. A uniform and time-free solution to QSAT problem, a famous PSPACE-complete problem, is proposed, where the execution time of the computational processes involved can vary arbitrarily and the output produced is always the same.
In contrast with skepticism in most western advanced countries, recent east Asian countries share pro-nuclear energy policy. Using my scheme of “the enlarged political process model” and qualitative data from my case studies in Japan and the United States, this paper analyzes the main characteristics of the nuclear energy issues and citizens' movements in both countries.        Four historical stages of anti-nuclear energy movement in Japan are analyzed focusing on main actors, issues, value orientation and mode of action. The socio-political reasons for the failure in gaining more wide-spread political influence in the last three stages are examined.        In the US, a more decentralized and relatively open system pushed movements toward an instrumental and policy-oriented posture. Especially in California in recent years, in collaboration with state regulatory agencies and electrical utilities. environmental groups were the major influence on changes in the management of utilities for the post nuclear era, by stressing energy efficiency and exploring renewable energy resources.
September 8, 2020 e127 Zhi-Qing Chen, MD Feng Chen , MD Lang Li, MD, PhD To the Editor: We read the article by Zelniker et al1 with interest. The authors clearly demonstrate that dapagliflozin, a sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and atrial flutter in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), regardless of whether they previously had AF, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or heart failure. After carefully reviewing this interesting article, we make the following suggestions. First, in the Outcomes of Interest section, systolic blood pressure, as a major subgroup of interest, is divided into 2 groups (<135 versus ≥135 mm Hg). The authors claim that hypertension was one of the DM–related comorbidities associated with increased risk of AF and atrial flutter. However, according to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2017 blood pressure guideline, the definition of hypertension was changed from ≥140/90 mm Hg to ≥130/80 mm Hg.2 Therefore, analysis of the subgroup with 130 mm Hg as the threshold of systolic blood pressure may be more appropriate. Second, Costard-Jäckle et al3 showed that the duration of T2 DM was related to the risk of AF, with an increment of 3% per year. However, according to the primary study results of DECLARE–TIMI (Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events–Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) in 58 trials (reference 16 in the article), the baseline DM duration was heterogeneous and ranged from <5 years to >20 years.4 As described in the Discussion, glycemic variations such as hypoglycemia were associated with a high risk of AF in patients with T2 DM. Specifically, there was a high risk of hypoglycemia when sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor was combined with other hypoglycemic agents (eg, insulin, sulfonylureas). Most of the study population received multiple medications, including insulin and sulfonylureas. The reliability of the research results may be affected by mismatched baseline characteristics and confounding factors. Third, alcohol consumption is deeply rooted in both Eastern and Western cultures, where many people drink alcohol regularly. Alcohol use is an independent risk factor for most cardiovascular diseases. Larsson et al5 demonstrated that alcohol consumption was positively correlated with a high risk of AF, and even moderate consumption of alcohol increased AF risk slightly. Nevertheless, there is no information on alcohol intake in this article. The results would be more reliable if the subgroup analysis could be performed with or without alcohol intake.
Phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PhOLEDs) unfurl a bright future for the next generation of flat-panel displays and lighting sources due to their merit of high quantum efficiency compared with fluorescent OLEDs. This critical review focuses on small-molecular organic host materials as triplet guest emitters in PhOLEDs. At first, some typical hole and electron transport materials used in OLEDs are briefly introduced. Then the hole transport-type, electron transport-type, bipolar transport host materials and the pure-hydrocarbon compounds are comprehensively presented. The molecular design concept, molecular structures and physical properties such as triplet energy, HOMO/LUMO energy levels, thermal and morphological stabilities, and the applications of host materials in PhOLEDs are reviewed (152 references).
In 2017 the first television studies university programme in the Czech Republic was officially opened at Palacký University in Olomouc. However, television has been a focus of Czech academics and television and film reviewers and practitioners for a long time. This review aims to introduce various forms of academic thinking about Czech and Czechoslovak television, published both in Czech and English. It distinguishes four academic and one insider position, based on institutional and disciplinary criteria. Additionally, the article points towards possible issues with trying to reflect on and teach television in a small, post-socialist East-Central European country where there is a limited number of original scholarly books, theoretical initiatives and translations of important texts from the field of TV studies. At the same time, the small size of the TV market, language barriers and the post-socialist heritage inform the local academic debate with specific research questions that have the potential of opening new perspectives on issues such as ideology, political power, mediated memory and globalisation.
The current state of research data is like a disorganized photo collection: a mix of formats scattered across different media without a lot of authority control. That is changing as the need to make data available to researchers across the world is becoming recognized. Researchers know that their data needs to be maintained and made accessible, but often they do not have the time or the inclination to get involved in all of the details. This provides an excellent opportunity for librarians. Data curation is the process of preparing data to be made available in a repository with the goal of making it FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. This workshop walks attendees through the steps in the process and gives them hands‐ on experience in data curation activities. I used to own a Pentax K‐ 1000 35mm. A great camera. I took a lot of pictures, but was limited by the need to buy film in rolls of 24 or 36; I had to be a little judicious in what I shot. Then I would get the exposures developed and be given a set of prints and strips of negatives. The best prints went into albums, the less than great and the negatives tended to go into boxes. Then one day I purchased my first digital camera, a little Samsung point and shoot. The pictures were not close to the quality of the 35mm print camera, but they were good enough. More importantly, the camera was so convenient. No buying film, no loading film, no developing film. Smart cards stored the pictures, and they held a lot. I also had a little flip phone at this point. It took pictures too, although they looked really bad. I always had it with me though, so I took pictures with it when something caught my eye and I didn’t have a real camera handy. I could choose which photos were worth printing. I started taking multiple pictures of the same scene so that I could choose the best shot later. I told myself I would delete the inferior shots but never did, so I began to accumulate a lot of files. I began to digitize some of my older print photos for sharing and for preservation; even more material for my growing collection. I changed to different makes and models of point and shoot cameras over the years, and also picked up a DSLR. The DSLR took really good pictures, comparable to my old Pentax, but it was big and bulky next to the point and shoots, so I used it mostly on special occasions and trips. Meanwhile I was upgrading phones along the way, and eventually graduated to smartphones. They took pictures almost as good as the point and shoots and yet had the portability and convenience of a phone, so eventually an iPhone became my everyday camera Now when I look over the photos I’ve taken over my life I’m confronted with a mess. I have prints, and some of the negatives they were printed from. I have image files on smart cards. I have image files on my PC. I have image files on two different external hard drives. I have image files on CDs as part of a halfhearted attempt several years ago to back up, and unfortunately some of these CDs have become corrupt and unreadable. I have image files on a number of different servers on the Internet: printing services like Walgreens and Shutterfly that allow you to store your images and print from them whenever you want, social media like Facebook and Twitter, and dedicated photo storage sites like Google Photos and Amazon Photos. Most of my images are in JPG format, although some are TIFF. The various cameras I’ve used over the years sometimes have different file naming conventions, sometimes the same. This can result in having several different photo files with the same name, which can in turn lead to photos being overwritten or excluded from a group upload. There are often multiple copies of the same file, and sometimes multiple photographs of the same thing with only the slightest of variations. iPhone Live Photos can be backed up with or without the motion intact. Different devices provide different levels of metadata. All give the date and time taken, at least, but if the camera’s clock wasn’t programmed the dates will be inaccurate. Even some of the old prints have descriptions or dates written on the back, but some of the writing on the old family photographs is barely legible. I’ve taken us on this long digression in order to showcase the challenges of digital curation. I am now trying to come up with a comprehensive plan
Climate models project increases in globally averaged atmospheric specific humidity that are close to the Clausius–Clapeyron (CC) value of around 7% K −1 whilst projections for mean annual global precipitation ( P ) and evaporation ( E ) are somewhat muted at around 2% K −1 . Such global projections are useful summaries but do not provide guidance at local (grid box) scales where impacts occur. To bridge that gap in spatial scale, previous research has shown that the "wet get wetter and dry get drier" relation, Δ( P − E ) p P − E , follows CC scaling when the projected changes are averaged over latitudinal zones. Much of the research on projected climate impacts has been based on an implicit assumption that this CC relation also holds at local (grid box) scales but this has not previously been examined. In this paper we find that the simple latitudinal average CC scaling relation does not hold at local (grid box) scales over either ocean or land. This means that in terms of P − E , the climate models do not project that the "wet get wetter and dry get drier" at the local scales that are relevant for agricultural, ecological and hydrologic impacts. In an attempt to develop a simple framework for local-scale analysis we found that the climate model output shows a remarkably close relation to the long-standing Budyko framework of catchment hydrology. We subsequently use the Budyko curve and find that the local-scale changes in P − E projected by climate models are dominated by changes in P while the changes in net irradiance at the surface due to greenhouse forcing are small and only play a minor role in changing the mean annual P − E in the climate model projections. To further understand the apparently small changes in net irradiance we also examine projections of key surface energy balance terms. In terms of global averages, we find that the climate model projections are dominated by changes in only three terms of the surface energy balance: (1) an increase in the incoming long-wave irradiance, and the respective responses (2) in outgoing long-wave irradiance and (3) in the evaporative flux, with the latter change being much smaller than the former two terms and mostly restricted to the oceans. The small fraction of the realised surface forcing that is partitioned into E explains why the hydrologic sensitivity (2% K −1 ) is so much smaller than CC scaling (7% K −1 ). Much public and scientific perception about changes in the water cycle has been based on the notion that temperature enhances E . That notion is partly true but has proved an unfortunate starting point because it has led to misleading conclusions about the impacts of climate change on the water cycle. A better general understanding of the potential impacts of climate change on water availability that are projected by climate models will surely be gained by starting with the notion that the greater the enhancement of E , the less the surface temperature increase (and vice versa). That latter notion is based on the conservation of energy and is an underlying basis of climate model projections.
Chromosomally derived sterility has long been recognized. A review of the literature of somatic chromosome investigations in infertile males has shown that 13.7% of azoospermic males and 4.6% of oligozoospermic males have an abnormal karyotype. In the first group, sex chromosome abnormalities predominate (mainly 47,XXY), whereas in the latter, autosome anomalies (i.e. Robertsonian and reciprocal translocations) are the most frequent. A similar review on meiotic studies revealed that meiotic chromosome anomalies can explain male infertility in 4.3-40.4% of patients. Recently, fluorescent in-situ hybridization studies on spermatozoa from infertile men were published; it was suggested that both X-Y pairing and pairing of the autosomes were impaired, resulting in spermatogenic disruption. We investigated cytogenetically 694 infertile men with abnormal sperm parameters. More patients are needed for this research to investigate the relationship, if any, between the type of chromosome abnormality and its influence on the number, morphology and motility of spermatozoa. To be able to provide proper counselling for those couples whose male infertility can now be treated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection, it is suggested that clinical investigations should include mitotic and meiotic studies, an analysis of the chromosome content of individual spermatozoa and a DNA analysis of blood and spermatozoa to detect partially deleted Y chromosome material.
The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is driving a paradigm shift in the Earth Observation community, refocusing Earth observing systems on GEO Societal Benefit Areas (SBA). Over the short history of space-based Earth observing systems most decisions have been made based on improving our scientific understanding of the Earth with the implicit assumption that this would serve society well in the long run. The space agencies responsible for developing the satellites used for global Earth observations are typically science driven. The innovation of GEO is the call for investments by space agencies to be driven by global societal needs. This paper presents the preliminary findings of an analysis focused on the observational requirements of the GEO Energy SBA. The analysis was performed by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Systems Engineering Office (SEO) which is responsible for facilitating the development of implementation plans that have the maximum potential for success while optimizing the benefit to society. The analysis utilizes a new taxonomy for organizing requirements, assesses the current gaps in spacebased measurements and missions, assesses the impact of the current and planned space-based missions, and presents a set of recommendations.
The bidirectional production of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 by Sertoli cells and its regulation by inflammatory and physiological stimuli has been studied using a dual compartment culture system allowing the study of Sertoli cell apical and basal secretory activities. Another Sertoli cell activity, the vectorial transferrin production was also studied in all culture conditions. A low constitutive IL-1 production appeared equally distributed between both poles, while IL-6 and transferrin constitutive production was predominantly directed apically. Two activators of macrophages, lipopolysaccharides and zymosan, were found to induce marked increases of IL-1 in the compartment where they had been added: basal if added to the lower compartment and vice versa. In contrast, after a basal stimulation, IL-6 production was mainly increased in the upper compartment that corresponds to a Sertoli cell apical flux. In this system, IL-1 and IL-6 levels were not modified by FSH; they were not also affected by residual bodies and latex beads, probably due to the fact that, in the bicameral system, phagocytosis is restricted to the Sertoli cells situated at the surface of the inner compartment. IL-1beta, but not IL-1alpha, induced IL-6 secretion in the compartment of stimulation. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that vectorial secretory patterns of IL-1 and IL-6 production greatly differ and that these cytokines are also differently regulated. These results suggest that Sertoli IL-1 and IL-6 have different targets within the testis and that, in normal and pathophysiological conditions, both the tubular and the interstitial compartments may be influenced by the action of these paracrine factors.
This article is presented to give a consistent basis to all theories of image formation of electron microscope. The author's idea is to build up an image of a specimen from images of atoms which make up the specimen. The result obtained by developing this idea indicates that an actual image is composed of two ideal images, one of which shows phase contrast and the other constrast due to scattering absorption. By applying this result, bright and dark field images are explained. Not only images of amorphous specimens but those of crystalline specimens are treated.
Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become a global health issue, with prevalence rates ranging from 1.3% to 37.4%. As there is little current data on PTSD in Canada, an epidemiological study was conducted examining PTSD and related comorbid conditions. Modified versions of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) PTSD module, the depression, alcohol and substance abuse sections of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), as well as portions of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were combined, and administered via telephone interview in English or French. Random digit dialing was used to obtain a nationally representative sample of 2991, aged 18 years and above from across Canada. The prevalence rate of lifetime PTSD in Canada was estimated to be 9.2%, with a rate of current (1‐month) PTSD of 2.4%. Traumatic exposure to at least one event sufficient to cause PTSD was reported by 76.1% of respondents. The most common forms of trauma resulting in PTSD included unexpected death of a loved one, sexual assault, and seeing someone badly injured or killed. In respondents meeting criteria for PTSD, the symptoms were chronic in nature, and associated with significant impairment and high rates of comorbidity. PTSD is a common psychiatric disorder in Canada. The results are surprising, given the comparably low rates of violent crime, a small military and few natural disasters. Potential implications of these findings are discussed.
Summary Background We aimed to assess differences in early viral dynamics following treatment with either peg-IFNα2a or peg-IFNα2b in combination with ribavirin in patients with chronic genotype 1b HCV infection. Material/Methods Sixty-one patients in the peg-IFNα2a + ribavirin treatment (group α2a) and 88 patients in the peg-IFNα2b + ribavirin treatment (group α2b) were retrospectively analyzed. The early dynamics of HCV RNA over 12 weeks were evaluated. Sustained virological response (SVR) was defined as undetectable HCV RNA at week 24 after end of therapy. First- (day 0–1) and second-phase (day 1–28) viral decline rates were calculated in accordance with theoretical formulae. Results Baseline HCV RNA concentrations were almost similar between the 2 groups. In group α2a, viral decline was significantly greater than in group α2b at weeks 4, 8, and 12. In group α2a, viral decline was significantly greater in SVR patients than in non-SVR patients at week 2, whereas significantly greater viral decline in SVR patients was found during weeks 1–12 in group α2b. The first-phase viral decline rate was significantly larger in group α2a than in group α2b (1.31±0.84 vs. 0.70±0.97 log IU/mL/day; p<0.0001). Within SVR patients, first-phase viral decline rate was significantly larger in group α2a compared with group α2b (1.45±0.85 vs. 0.78±1.0 log IU/mL/day; p<0.0001). Second-phase viral decline rate was comparable between the groups. Conclusions Peg-IFNα2a showed earlier viral decline than peg-IFNα2b and the difference was obvious, especially in the first-phase viral decline.
Abstract Abstract Although Joyeuxiella pasqualei is frequently detected in cats from Mediterranean Europe, information on its biology is still scarce. This cestode is relatively less frequently reported in dogs, possibly because it is often misdiagnosed with the better-known Dipylidium caninum. The occurrence of J. pasqualei proglottids in a dog living in a closed environment triggered us to delve into the biology of this cestode by collecting biological samples from lizards and a road-killed cat. Two reptile species, Podarcis siculus (Lacertidae), and Tarentola mauritanica (Geckonidae) were also collected in the garden and its surroundings. In addition, experimental infections with eggs obtained from gravid proglottids were performed in laboratory mice, and Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) beetles. Proglottids from the dog's feces and adult cestodes detected at necroscopy of a cat were morphologically identified as J. pasqualei. Two out of 13 T. mauritanica collected in the garden had natural infections of J. pasqualei cysts in the liver and attached to the intestine. All P. siculus lizards and experimentally infected rodents and beetles were negative. DNA sequences obtained from J. pasqualei showed the highest nucleotide similarities with Versteria sp., Echinococcus sp., Raillietina sonini, Taenia polyacantha and D. caninum. Data herein provided show the inability of rodents to become infected by direct ingestion of gravid proglottids, suggesting a need for an invertebrate first intermediate host in the life cycle. Thus, more research study is advocated to better understand the biology of J. pasqualei such as its first intermediate host and its mechanism of transmission in reptiles and rodents.
For decades, the stereotypical Sri Lankan migrant worker has been a low-wage female domestic servant in Saudi Arabia or Lebanon. But the stereotype no longer represents the reality: since the late 1990s nearly half of the migrant workforce has been male, and many migrants are opting for new destinations in Europe and Asia rather than the Middle East. The increasing heterogeneity of the migrant workforce underscores the need for a better understanding of the relationships between gender, occupation, destination and migration outcomes This paper reviews recent trends in Sri Lankan migration and uses data from a household survey to profile rural migrant-sending households and investigate differences in socio-economic characteristics, destinations and occupations, remitting behaviour and the role of remittances in the household economy.
Background/Aims: Pim-1 is a serine/threonine kinase that is highly expressed in the heart, and exerts potent cardiac protective effects through enhancing survival, proliferation, and regeneration of cardiomyocytes. Its myocardial specific substrates, however, remain unknown. In the present study, we aim to investigate whether Pim-1 modulates myofilament activity through phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a key component in regulating myofilament function in the heart. Methods: Coimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescent assays were employed to investigate the interaction of Pim-1 with cTnI in cardiomyocytes. Biochemical, site directed mutagenesis, and mass spectrometric analyses were utilized to identify the phosphorylation sites of Pim1 in cTnI. Myofilament functional assay using skinned cardiac fiber was used to assess the effect of Pim1-mediated phosphorylation on cardiac myofilament activity. Lastly, the functional significance of Pim1-mediated cTnI in heart disease was determined in diabetic mice. Results: We found that Pim-1 specifically interacts with cTnI in cardiomyocytes and this interaction leads to Pim1-mediated cTnI phosphorylation, predominantly at Ser23/24 and Ser150. Furthermore, our functional assay demonstrated that Pim-1 induces a robust phosphorylation of cTnI within the troponin complex, thus leading to a decreased Ca2+ sensitivity. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a peptide growth factor that has been shown to stimulate myocardial contractility, markedly induces cTnI phosphorylation at Ser23/24 and Ser150 through increasing Pim-1 expression in cardiomyocytes. In a high-fat diabetic mice model, the expression of Pim1 in the heart is significantly decreased, which is accompanied by a decreased phosphorylation of cTnI at Ser23/24 and Ser150, further implicating the pathological significance of the Pim1/cTnI axis in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that Pim-1 is a novel kinase that phosphorylates cTnI primarily at Ser23/24 and Ser150 in cardiomyocytes, which in turn may modulate myofilament function under a variety of physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
While text based languages have been (relatively) easy to grade automatically, visual programming languages have been largely left out of the equation. However, as the demand for introductory CS courses has recently grown, so too has the interest in CS courses that use visual programming languages, and thus the need for a scalable solution to providing student feedback. In this poster we present a system design for an autograder for Snap!, a visual programming language designed at UC Berkeley, inspired by Scratch. Creativity and open-ended responses are an important part of many CS0 courses, such as the Beauty and Joy of Computing, our autograder includes tools that allow instructors to build robust feedback mechanisms that handle a wide variety of student submissions. We also present our initial work to integrate this system into edX for a series of MOOCs as well as a prototype of integrating this tool into a traditional LMS on campus.
Introduction The use of mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke has significantly advanced over the last 5 years. Few data are available comparing the cost and clinical and angiographic outcomes associated with available techniques. The aim of this study is to compare the cost and efficacy of current endovascular stroke therapies. Methods A single-center retrospective review was performed of the medical record and hospital financial database of all ischemic stroke cases admitted from 2009 to 2013. Three discrete treatment methodologies used during this time were compared: traditional Penumbra System (PS), stent retriever with local aspiration (SRLA) and A Direct Aspiration first Pass Technique (ADAPT). Statistical analyses of clinical and angiographic outcomes and costs for each group were performed. Results 222 patients (45% men) underwent mechanical thrombectomy. Successful revascularization was defined as Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (TICI) 2b/3 flow, which was achieved in 79% of cases with PS, 83% of cases with SRLA, and 95% of cases with ADAPT. The average total cost of hospitalization for patients was $51 599 with PS, $54 700 with SRLA, and $33 611 with ADAPT (p<0.0001). Average times to recanalization were 88 min with PS, 47 min with SRLA, and 37 min with ADAPT (p<0.0001). Similar rates of good functional outcomes were seen in the three groups (PS 36% vs SRLA 43% vs ADAPT 47%; p=0.4). Conclusions The ADAPT technique represents the most technically successful yet cost-effective approach to revascularization of large vessel intracranial occlusions.
BACKGROUND Despite the oncogenic potential of Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), it has been found in the normal skin of healthy individuals; however, little is known about geographical variations in the ecology of MCPyV in this tissue.   METHODS This study included 284 Japanese participants. Sun-unexposed arm and sun-exposed forehead skin swab samples were obtained and analyzed for MCPyV infection, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Phylogenetic analyses were also conducted, based on the full-length genes encoding MCPyV large T antigen and viral protein 1.   RESULTS This study provides the first analyses of the age-specific prevalence and levels of MCPyV infection in normal skin. Steep increases in prevalence and viral load were observed in individuals aged >40 years. MCPyV infections with a high viral load were predominantly observed in the foreheads of subjects aged >60 years, among whom a high burden of MCPyV tended to persist. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all of the gene sequences obtained in this study clustered in a major clade, suggesting the existence of an Asian/Japanese genotype.   CONCLUSIONS This large study suggests that MCPyV infection with high viral loads is prevalent in the sun-exposed skin of elderly adults, making it necessary to follow up this cohort for possible transformation of MCPyV to a pathogenetic form.
In this study, we use a vector autoregressive modeling framework to test the zero restrictions implied by alternative criteria for ranking regions into hierarchies in the wage-transmission debate. This approach allows formal statistical tests to be carried out for competing criteria suggested for determining leading and following regions.        The ability of the modeling technique proposed here to produce a set of nested hypothesis tests of alternative criteria is in stark contrast to the historical literature in this debate. Researchers have traditionally proposed a criterion for ranking regions into a hierarchy, and then argued for the merits of their particular criterion by demonstrating that an econometric model of wage formation produces statistically significant coefficient estimates when their criterion is used to rank the regions of their data sample.        We apply the methods proposed here to a sample of eight midwestern cities in the U.S. in order to test the following criteria: Beaumont (1983), Hart and MacKay (1977), Reed and Hutchinson (1976), unemployment rate, and earnings level. The test is for consistency with the Granger-causal structure of wage interactions inherent in the wage diffusion idea. We argue that the technique set forth here is a real step forward that should allow a resolution of this particular debate. The proposed procedures might also be applied to empirically test other regional science hypotheses concerning for example, intercity and interindustry causal structures.
This little book seems to be an unsuccessful attempt by the author, now chief of the neurological service of the hospitals of Nice, to resolve the bewilderment which he felt when he first encountered mental illness and which continues to haunt him. He begins (I) by recalling the multiplicity of factors operating in the etiology of a mental disorder, and remarks that this is no different from other types of maladies but that there are certain peculiarities in the case of mental disorders: (1) the psychic constitution, inherited or learned, (2) the psychic causes of the acquisition of precipitating factors, (3) the persistence of the mental effects after the disappearance of the physical effects of a cause. In short, what distinguishes mental maladies from the rest of pathology is exactly that they are mental. The author next recalls the deception of the psychiatrists when, following the demonstration of
Introduction In Uganda, over 43% of all pregnancies among young women (15–24 years) living with HIV are either unwanted or mistimed. Unintended pregnancies account for 21.3% of neonatal HIV infections. The objective was to determine acceptability of contraceptives and associated factors among young women living with HIV attending HIV clinics in Kampala. Methods Between February and May 2019, 450 young women attending public HIV clinics (Kisenyi HC IV, Kiswa HC III and Komamboga HC III) in Kampala were systematically enrolled in a cross sectional study and interviewed using structured questionnaires. We used modified Poisson regression to determine the factors associated with acceptability of contraceptive. Data were analyzed using STATA 13.0. Statistical significance was determined at a P values < 0.05. Results Contraceptive acceptability was 40.7% (95% CI: 27.6%–53.6%). Older age group (20–24 years) (aPR; 2.42, 95%CI; 1.06–5.52, P = 0.035), age at sex debut ≥ 18 years (aPR;1.25,95%CI; 1.13–1.38, P<0.001), having friend on contraceptives (aPR; 1.90, 95%CI; 1.10 – 3.26; P =0.021) and being married (aPR; 1.20, 95%CI; 1.09 – 1.32, P<0.001) were significantly associated with acceptability of contraceptives. Conclusion There is a low acceptability for contraceptives. Younger age group who are not yet married need to be targeted.
Iron(V)-oxo complexes bearing negatively charged tetraamido macrocyclic ligands (TAMLs) have provided excellent opportunities to investigate the chemical properties and the mechanisms of oxidation reactions of mononuclear nonheme iron(V)-oxo intermediates. Herein, we report the differences in chemical properties and reactivities of two iron(V)-oxo TAML complexes differing by modification on the "Head" part of the TAML framework; one has a phenyl group at the "Head" part (1), whereas the other has four methyl groups replacing the phenyl ring (2). The reactivities of 1 and 2 in both C-H bond activation reactions, such as hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) of 1,4-cyclohexadiene, and oxygen atom transfer (OAT) reactions, such as the oxidation of thioanisole and its derivatives, were compared experimentally. Under identical reaction conditions, 1 showed much greater reactivity than 2, such as a 102-fold decrease in HAT and a 105-fold decrease in OAT by replacing the phenyl group (i.e., 1) with four methyl groups (i.e., 2). Then, density functional theory calculations were performed to rationalize the reactivity differences between 1 and 2. Computations reproduced the experimental findings well and revealed that the replacement of the phenyl group in 1 with four methyl groups in 2 not only increased the steric hindrance but also enlarged the energy gap between the electron-donating orbital and the electron-accepting orbital. These two factors, steric hindrance and the orbital energy gap, resulted in differences in the reduction potentials of 1 and 2 and their reactivities in oxidation reactions.
In a series of classic studies in mammalian evolutionary biology, Sumner (1921), Benson (1933), and Dice and Blossom (1937) described striking coat color variation in the rock pocket mouse, Chaetodipus intermedius, in the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico. These authors showed that C. intermedius coat color typically matches the color of the rocks on which the mice live; the dorsal pelage varies from a light, sandy color for populations found on some granites to a dark, nearly black color for populations found on basalt lava flows. Dice and Blossom (1937) suggested that this crypsis is an adaptation to avoid predation. Motivated by the wealth of data on the genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology of the pigmentation process, we have used a candidate-gene approach to identify the genetic basis of adaptive coat color variation in C. intermedius. We review our recent studies on this topic with emphasis on the following key results: the identification of a single gene (the melanocortin-1-receptor, Mc1r) in one population that appears to be largely responsible for color differences, the balance between selection and migration among neighboring melanic and light races, and the finding that melanism has evolved independently on different lava flows through changes at different genes.
In speech emotion recognition, most emotional corpora generally have problems such as inconsistent sample length and imbalance of sample categories. Considering these problems, in this paper, a variable length input CRNN deep learning model based on Focal Loss is proposed for speech emotion recognition of anger, happiness, neutrality and sadness in IEMOCAP emotional corpus. In this model, Firstly, a variable-length strategy is introduced to input the speech spectra of the filled speech samples into CNN. Then the effective part of the input sequence is preserved and output by masking matrix and convolution layer. Thirdly, the effective output of input sequence is input into BiGRU network for learning. Finally, the focal loss is used for network training to control and adjust the contribution of various samples to the total loss. Compared with the traditional speech emotion recognition model, simulations show that our method can effectively improve the accuracy and performance of emotion recognition.
INIRODUCIlON Farmers need protective clothing while spraying pesticide in order to protect themselves against agricultural chemicals. However, wearing the protective clothing often causes hyperthermia, because heat loss, especially wet heat loss through the protective clothing does not occur effectively from the human body to the environment. Although various cooling systems which can prevent the core temperature and the sweat rate from rising have been studied (I, 2), these are not necessarily practical or appropriate for field use. With these in mind, we tried to study the thermophysiological effects of cooling the upper torso with a portable frozen gel strip in exercising and resting subjects.
In the present research, a series of magnetic chitosan based composites with the general formula of NixMn1−xFe2O4/CS were synthesized from spinel-type transition metal ferrites [NixMn1−xFe2O4 (where x= 0, 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0)] and chitosan (CS) as a polymer. The structure and composition of the synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The adsorption activity of the synthesized magnetic chitosan based composites was evaluated for the removal of Congo red (CR) dye from aqueous solution. Furthermore, the influence of the Mn content on adsorption capacity of the synthesized magnetic chitosan based composites were studied. The results of adsorption kinetic of CR dye using spinel-type transition metals NixMn1−xFe2O4 and NixMn1−xFe2O4/CS followed pseudo- second order model. The results indicated that 74% of CR dye solution were removed via adsorption using Ni0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4/CS after 180 min. The adsorption performance show that the chitosan based composites can be more efficient than spinel-type transition metals for removal of CR dye. Moreover, the magnetic chitosan based composites can be quickly separated from the aqueous solution by an external magnet after adsorption process.
SIR, The successful treatment of pityriasis versieolor depends on delivering an effective concentration of antifungal agent to all areas affected by the infection, which is frequently extensive. The present choices of therapy rest between tropically applied selenium sulphide or sodium thiosulphate lotions, topical azoles usually in cream form, and oral ketoconazole. All have potential disadvantages either in terms of efficacy, toxicity or difficulty of application. The latter is often the critical factor as the outcome of treatment depends ultimately on the patient's use of the medication. For this reason we have studied the value of a single application of 1% bifonazole lotion in patients with pityriasis versieolor (30 patients with 47 body sites of infection) compared to daily treatment with 1% bifonazole for 14 days (31 patients with 50 body sites infected). Both groups were assessed clinically and mycologically before treatment, 4 weeks after the start of therapy, and again 6 weeks later. The numbers of sites clinically and mycologically free from infection in patients receiving a single application 1% bifonazole examined 4 and 10 weeks after the start of treatment were 20 (46%) and 28 (60%) sites, respectively. Eight sites which were not clear at Week 4 had cleared by Week 10 without further therapy. The corresponding figures for the 14-day regime were 42 (84%) and 46 (92%) sites, at 4 and 10 weeks, respectively. While the obvious conclusion of this study is that 14 days of treatment with bifonazole 1% was superior to a single application, the more important point is that a single application cleared a significant percentage (60%) of those treated. This is a similar finding to the observations reported by Del Palacio Hernanz and colleagues (this issue) and reinforces the view that it is possible to devise topical regimes for treatment of pityriasis versieolor which stand a greater chance of success because of the simplicity of application by using highly active antifungals such as bifonazole. It is clearly worth extending these studies to compare bifonazole with other agents; it would also be important to examine the value of a different vehicle. The base used in this study was a clear spirit-based lotion which is not ideal for applying over a wide area, and it is possible that a shampoo or emulsifying lotion containing the same concentration of the drug might produce a more effective response, particularly when attempting to clear the infection with a single application.
Studies supporting the notion that physical activity and exercise can help alleviate the negative impact of age on the body and the mind abound. This literature review provides an overview of important findings in this fast growing research domain. Results from cross-sectional, longitudinal, and intervention studies with healthy older adults, frail patients, and persons suffering from mild cognitive impairment and dementia are reviewed and discussed. Together these finding suggest that physical exercise is a promising nonpharmaceutical intervention to prevent age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.
Purpose          The purpose of this paper is to examine whether firm-level asset investment effects in returns found for US firms occur within the Greek stock market.          Design/methodology/approach          The paper utilizes portfolio-level tests and cross-sectional regressions.          Findings          The authors find that growth in total assets is strongly negatively related to future stock returns of Greek firms. In fact, the relation remains statistically significant, even when the authors control for other strong predictors of future returns (i.e. market capitalization and book-to-market ratio). Furthermore, the authors find that a hedge trading strategy on asset growth rate consisting of a long (short) position in firms with low (high) balance sheet growth generates positive returns, confirming that investment growth has significant predictive power for future returns of Greek listed firms.          Originality/value          The paper adds to the literature on the generalization of asset pricing regularities attributable to accounting figures in an emerging market.
Ion loss from the topside ionosphere of Mars associated with the solar wind interaction makes an important contribution to the loss of volatiles from this planet. Data from NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission combined with theoretical modeling are now helping us to understand the processes involved in the ion loss process. Given the complexity of the solar wind interaction, motivation exists for considering a simple approach to this problem and for understanding how the loss rates might scale with solar wind conditions and solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance. This paper reviews the processes involved in the ionospheric dynamics. Simple analytical and semiempirical expressions for ion flow speeds and ion loss are derived. In agreement with more sophisticated models and with purely empirical studies, it is found that the oxygen loss rate from ion transport is about 5% (i.e., global O ion loss rate of Qion ≈ 4 × 1024 s−1) of the total oxygen loss rate. The ion loss is found to approximately scale as the square root of the solar ionizing photon flux and also as the square root of the solar wind dynamic pressure. Typical ion flow speeds are found to be about 1 km/s in the topside ionosphere near an altitude of 300 km on the dayside. Not surprisingly, the plasma flow speed is found to increase with altitude due to the decreasing ion‐neutral collision frequency.
Target tracking and laser-based pointing from airborne platforms can be degraded significantly by the propagation environment around an airborne platform including zones of severe turbulence generated by rotor downwash and engine exhausts. This is the topic of the EDA study group ERG 108.019 on "Laser beam propagation and imaging through severe environments". This paper reports on experiments on optical propagation in the vicinity of a plume of a scaled down jet engine, performed by this co-operation group. The group is also working on methods for estimating the extent of the turbulence effects on the tracking and pointing performance under these conditions.
Biological pathways or modules represent sets of interactions or functional relationships occurring at the molecular level in living cells. A large body of knowledge on pathways is organized in public databases such as the KEGG, Reactome, or in more specialized repositories, such as the Atlas of Cancer Signaling Network (ACSN). All these open biological databases facilitate analyses, improving our understanding of cellular systems. We hereby describe the R package ACSNMineR for calculation of enrichment or depletion of lists of genes of interest in biological pathways. ACSNMineR integrates ACSN molecular pathways, but can use any molecular pathway encoded as a GMT file, for instance sets of genes available in the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB). We also present the R package RNaviCell, that can be used in conjunction with ACSNMineR to visualize different data types on web-based, interactive ACSN maps. We illustrate the functionalities of the two packages with biological data taken from large-scale cancer datasets.
The author's formulation of spatial filter design involves the optimization of the filter's signal-to-clutter ratio, a very nonlinear, nondifferentiable function with tens of thousands of free parameters. Statements have appeared in what purport to be refereed papers which claim that only random search methods can be used to solve the required optimization. These statements are false. This paper gives an outline of an iterative technique and algorithm, supported by reasoning of a very general though embarrassingly elementary character, by which the optimization can be efficiently carried out. This iterative technique essentially involves the solution of a specialized quadratic programming problem at each iterative step.
Process monitoring and quality control for industrial robotic Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) systems are key components in ensuring the reliability of the produced products. While being a widely used process, there is still a lack of a robust, plug and play monitoring solution. In particular, weld bead penetration depth is a crucial factor in many fabrication applications, where substantial bonding strength is crucial. This paper introduces a new penetration depth estimation method using the emitted acoustic signal to monitor the droplet transfer process. By monitoring the droplet transfer, an estimation of the welding energy transferred to the base material can be obtained while accounting for variations in the welding process. Using this method, the penetration depth is able to be measured within an error of +-15%, proving to be a promising solution for online monitoring in robotic welding applications.
Planarian regeneration was one of the first models in which the gradient concept was developed. Morphological studies based on the analysis of the regeneration rates of planarian fragments from different body regions, the generation of heteromorphoses, and experiments of tissue transplantation led T.H. Morgan (1901) and C.M Child (1911) to postulate different kinds of gradients responsible for the regenerative process in these highly plastic animals. However, after a century of research, the role of morphogens in planarian regeneration has yet to be demonstrated. This may change soon, as the sequencing of the planarian genome and the possibility of performing gene functional analysis by RNA interference (RNAi) have led to the isolation of elements of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Wnt, and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) pathways that control patterning and axial polarity during planarian regeneration and homeostasis. Here, we discuss whether the actions of these molecules could be based on morphogenetic gradients.
To improve the reliability of the cascaded multilevel STATCOM, this paper proposes a seamless self-healing scheme that can recover the STATCOM to its normal operation after the failed H-bridge units are bypassed. First the operating principle for seamless self healing is analyzed. Then based on the principle, the control strategy, including adjustment of the trigger pulses and augmentation of the output voltage in fault phase, is developed to ensure that the reactive power compensation capacity and the output voltage waveform quality is not affected by the fault. Simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
We present results from a series of hydrodynamic simulations investigating ram pressure stripping of galactic haloes as the host galaxy falls radially into a cluster. We perform a parameter study comprising variations ininitial gas content, gas injection rate (via stellar mass loss processes), galaxy mass and amplitude of infall. From the simulation results we track variations in both physical quantities (e.g. gas mass) and directly observable quantities (e.g. X-ray luminosities). The luminosity of the X-ray halo of the galaxy is found to compare favourably with the observationally determined correlation with the optical blue-band luminosity (L X : L B ) relation. Factors affecting the X-ray luminosity are explored and it is found that the gas injection rate is a dominant factor in determining the integrated luminosity. Observational properties of the material stripped from the galaxy, which forms an X-ray wake, are investigated and it is found that wakes are most visible around galaxies with a substantial initial gas content, during their first passage though the cluster. We define a statistical skewness measure that may be used to determine the direction of motion of a galaxy using X-ray observations. Structures formed in these simulations are similar to the cold fronts seen in observations of cluster mergers where a sharp increase in surface brightness is accompanied by a transition to a cooler region.
The Aho-Corasick algorithm was originally proposed as a bibliographic search mechanism, efficient enough to preclude the construction and maintenance of a search index. As the size of document collections have grown since the development of the algorithm, document collections have grown to the point where cost of rescanning a corpus for every search has become prohibitive and indexing, in some form or another, is an essential optimization for any modern information retrieval system. In this paper we demonstrate the use of Aho-Corasick state machine, not as an alternative to indexing but as a lexical scanning tool employed in the construction of an inverted index. The proposed framework is a linear and incremental indexing structure for big data analytics. Consistent with our analysis, an empirical evaluation of our indexer implementation shows significant improvement from quadratic time (worst) to linear time (best) performance. The modular architecture of our indexer allows the indexing task to be parallelized over multiple physical nodes. The results of parallelization are presented and offer interesting insights towards further horizontal scaling.
OBJECTIVES To promote independent self-study involving problem solving and decision analysis in the undergraduate medical curriculum, we have developed a series of interactive web-based clinical case studies.   METHODS An initial needs assessment was performed to determine students' attitudes to e-learning. From these results we designed a series of 30 interactive case studies for delivery from a web-server.   RESULTS A survey of 59 undergraduate students believed that online teaching resources were a useful supplement to existing teaching and they could see a positive use for e-learning. The interactive case studies program was well received by a broad range of respondents (n = 84) of different abilities and backgrounds who felt that the program was realistic and clearly presented in an intuitive manner.   CONCLUSIONS The recent increases in numbers of medical undergraduates, the trend towards student-centred learning and the emphasis on patient-related teaching means a great pressure on teachers and resources in medical schools. The case studies program we have developed was effective and well received by both biomedical and medical students. This approach may provide a way to increase the exposure of students to clinical cases involving interactive diagnostic and treatment procedures, that mimic real-world scenarios, but with fewer resource implications.
Abstract It is now becoming increasingly common for products to be designed via an interdisciplinary approach, particularly when an engineering enterprise adopts the concurrent engineering approach. Essentially, this implies that several heterogeneous sources of knowledge are simultaneously involved during the design phase of the product. The benefits often cited as a result of such an approach are increased quality and innovation, decreased time-to-market, and lower manufacturing costs. However, the approach also accentuates the problem of how to handle and manage conflicts, which frequently arise due to several factors as discussed in this paper. This paper also describes a system called Schemebuilder, which is an integrated design workbench aimed at supporting the conceptual and embodiment phases of interdisciplinary systems design, and its mechanisms for handling and resolving conflicts.
Exposure to environmental and lifestyle factors, such as cigarette smoking, affect the epigenome and might mediate risk for diseases and cancers. We have performed a genome-wide DNA methylation study to determine the effect of smoke and snuff (smokeless tobacco) on DNA methylation. A total of 95 sites were differentially methylated [false discovery rate (FDR) q-values < 0.05] in smokers and a subset of the differentially methylated loci were also differentially expressed in smokers. We found no sites, neither any biological functions nor molecular processes enriched for smoke-less tobacco-related differential DNA methylation. This suggests that methylation changes are not caused by the basic components of the tobacco but from its burnt products. Instead, we see a clear enrichment (FDR q-value < 0.05) for genes, including CPOX, CDKN1A and PTK2, involved in response to arsenic-containing substance, which agrees with smoke containing small amounts of arsenic. A large number of biological functions and molecular processes with links to disease conditions are also enriched (FDR q-value < 0.05) for smoke-related DNA methylation changes. These include 'insulin receptor binding', and 'negative regulation of glucose import' which are associated with diabetes, 'positive regulation of interleukin-6-mediated signaling pathway', 'regulation of T-helper 2 cell differentiation', 'positive regulation of interleukin-13 production' which are associated with the immune system and 'sertoli cell fate commitment' which is important for male fertility. Since type 2 diabetes, repressed immune system and infertility have previously been associated with smoking, our results suggest that this might be mediated by DNA methylation changes.
The article explores the possibilities and limits of using a system approach in criminal law matter, its interaction with other methodological tools. It is shown that a systemic structure of the criminal legislation of Russia is focused on streamlining legal material, ensuring its consistency and completeness of regulation of public relations, and excluding duplication and gaps in the criminal law. It was determined that systematicity is a phenomenon, both intra-industry and inter-industry. Criminal law is systematically connected with many other sectors – constitutional, civil, labour, financial, environmental law, criminal executive, procedural law, etc. At the same time, criminal illegality is determined by criminal law, taking into account the effect of those legal regulations of various sectoral nature that regulate social relations violated by a criminal act.
Understanding the energy requirement for biomass size reduction would be very significant for the process of converting the biomass to bioenergy. A hammermill was used for size reduction operations. One 12.7 mm size screen was applied to hammer mill for different particle size reduction. Torque Sensor was connected to the engine shaft to measure the transfer of torque and engine rotational speed RPM. Oak wood chips was the tested material. New surface generated by the cuts was evaluated. The research results will be used in practical applications, which are designing an ideal biomass size reduction apparatus for energy efficiency and better economics.
Currently physical limitations of time resolved techniques do not allow to extracting accurate strain when or pulsewidth is larger than strained length. The purpose of this study was to quantify the errors in such a case and derive a decision threshold making possible the discrimination of strained section from unstrained contribution. We achieved these goals by solving the coupled intensity equations for various strained lengths, pulsewidths, strain strengths, Brillouin linewidths, Fibre lengths, probe and pump powers. We obtained composite Brillouin gain/loss curves. Two regimes have been clearly observed. In the first, a single peak broader than Brillouin natural gain/loss peak was detected. In the second case, we could distinguish two peaks. We then derived curves relating Brillouin peak contrast and the accuracy of strain measurement to the ratio between strained section length and spatial resolution. These curves also show a strong dependence on strain amplitude. This led us to show that two peaks appear when the ratio between the strain induced frequency and the Brillouin linewidth is the square root of 3. Finally we defined a Rayleigh equivalent criterion that unambiguously (error) separates strained from unstrained contributions.
Given the role consensus is supposed to play in the social aspects of inquiry and deliberation, it is important that we may always identify a consensus as the basis of joint inquiry and deliberation. However, it turns out that if we think of an agent revising her beliefs to reach a consensus, then, on the received view of belief revision, AGM belief revision theory, certain simple and compelling consensus positions are not always available.
Subscription to Journal of Behavior, Health & Social Issues, JBHSI runs from January to December of every year. Subscription is available for national and foreign members in the following categories: full member, student and institutional. Annual affiliation fee for full members (Mexican or foreign professionals and foreign students) is $500 pesos ($40 US). Members receive free of charge 2 issues per year, with complimentary postal delivery to any part of the world. Annual affiliation fee for undergraduate students living in Mexico is $250 pesos ($20 US); this special fee only applies for students living in Mexico. Graduate students or students living elsewhere need to pay cover full membership. The special fee for undergraduate students does not cover postal delivery charges. Annual fee for institutions is $900 pesos ($72 US), this fee includes postal delivery to any part of the world. In order to cover for postal delivery, add $100 pesos ($8 US) per year for destinations within Mexico and $140 pesos a year ($10 US) for destinations within the American continent. For any other part of the world add $300 pesos ($24 US) a year. Previous issues of the Journal are $150 pesos ($12 US). For postal delivery add $50 pesos ($4 US) for addresses in Mexico, and $60 pesos ($5 US) for any other destination in the American continent; for the rest of the world add $150 pesos ($12 US) per issue. Single issues of JBHSI are available at selected bookstores in UNAM main campus, Ave. Ciudad Universitaria # 3000, Col. Copilco Universidad, Delegacion Coyoacan, Mexico, D. F., C. P. 04360 and at the local bookstore in UNAM FES Iztacala, Ave. de los Barrios # 1, Col. Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de Mexico, C. P. 54090. More detailed information about additional benefits for members of Asociacion Mexicana de Comportamiento y Salud, A. C., (AMCS) is available at http://www.jbhsi.com Send deposit to Asociacion Mexicana de Comportamiento y Salud, A. C., Bank BBVA Bancomer, account number 0154766954, CLABE 012180001547669549 and SWIFT code BCMRMXMMPYM. It is indispensable to send a copy of voucher and name, postal address, telephone number and email, as well as type of affiliation (full member, student or institution) to the treasurer email: tesorera@jbhsi.com , in order to complete application for suscription.
Luminescence of dilute organic scintillators in liquid aliphatic hydrocarbon solution excited by very short pulses of x rays decays nonexponentially. In contrast, excitation by pulsed uv gives luminescence the decay law of which can be described by an exponential function. A satisfactory explanation is that under high‐energy radiation, the mechanism of excitation of the scintillator involves ion recombination, while direct excitation and energy transfer play a minor role. Additives (nitrous oxide, carbon tetrachloride, piperidine) which do not affect the excited scintillator but react with charged species such as ions and electrons show a marked effect on the luminescence of the high‐energy‐excited systems only, a result which supports the ionic mechanism. An attempt is made, on the basis of simplified assumptions, to derive from the luminescence intensity–time curves a distribution function of the secondary electrons released by the interaction of the x rays with the system.
Interviewer reliability, validity, and strategy for information integration were studied by analysis of data across interviewers and, also, by within, individual interviewer analysis. Candidates (N= 412) for selection to a military division of a national defense organization were interviewed by 10 female interviewers and assessed on nine behaviorally anchored dimensions. Candidates (N = 131) subsequently admitted to officers' training school were evaluated, for the purposes of this study, on 19 dimensions and on an overall evaluation taken at six and twelve week points. Results of analyses of data across interviewers indicated that interviewers functioned in a similar fashion, using few of the dimensions in their decisions whereas analyses of individual interviewers indicated higher reliability and individual differences among interviewers' strategy formation. Analysis across interviewers of the relationship of the interview decision to six and twelve week training performance evaluations indicated no validity for the interview decision. Analysis of individual interview strategies revealed differences among the interviewers only at the six week point. Results are discussed with regard to methodological problems, interview strategy differences, criteria dimensionality, fruitfulness of individual, within interviewer analyses, and purpose of the interview.
It is with great sadness that we report the death of two members of our International Editorial Advisory Board. Both Dr Dale, a vascular surgeon from Tennessee, and Dr Michael Lea Thomas, a radiologist from St Thomas' Hospital, London, were part of the original Board at the instigation of this Journal. The success that Phlebology presently enjoys is at least in part the result of the efforts of these devoted experts. Dr Dale's work in the venous field involved the development of autogenous vein grafts to replace occluded veins. He performed and reported a successful series of crossover grafts for iliac vein occlusion. He was President of the Society of Vascular Surgery (of the USA) in 1974 and President of the North American Chapter of the International Society for Cardiovascular Surgery in 1980. Michael Lea Thomas made outstanding contributions to the practice of radiology, particularly in connection with the elucidation of venous diseases. These are detailed in an obituary by David Negus (p. 134) in this issue. The work of Dr Lea Thomas has clearly led to many major discoveries in both research and the clinical practice of phlebology. Perhaps this is the end of an era. At present there is an increasing number of methods for investigating the peripheral venous circulation. CT scanning has been available for several years, but offers only structural information, whereas the newer technique of magnetic resonance imaging offers the possibility of obtaining more information about the metabolism of the tissues, as well as blood flow. However, in more and more publications phlebography is being left behind, with a new preferance for ultrasound imaging. Development of the generation of colour-flow ultrasound imaging systems offers the possibility of obtaining information as good as that from phlebography, without the need for ionizing radiation or intravenous injections. In the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis it seems that, with a skilled operator, ultrasound imaging is as reliable as phlebography. Despite this enthusiasm for a new technique, relatively few papers comparing phlebography and ultrasound imaging have been published. Although ultrasound imaging is widely used in the diagnosis of venous disease. conclusions about the value of quantitative functional data obtained from these tests should probably be regarded with some caution at present. Nevertheless, ultrasound imaging looks set to take over from virtually all other methods of venous imaging, bringing us into the age of the 'colour duplex ultrasound phlebologist'! It will be necessary to ensure that adequate training of such experts is undertaken since the reliability of findings from ultrasound examinations are highly operator-dependent. We must not forget that the same is true of venography. Without experts such as Michael Lea Thomas, the potential for new technology to reveal more useful information about pathological processes may not be exploited to its fullest extent. I await with interest new developments in the field of vascular imaging for venous disease.
The purpose of the article by Allendorf et al. (2015) in the words of the authors is “(1) to synthesize what is known about the transmission genetics of salmonid fishes and (2) to consider how ignoring these patterns could lead to erroneous conclusions about their genomic organization and population genetics.” The first section of the article is designed to bring the reader up to speed on what is currently known about transmission genetics in salmonid fishes. The glossary of terms is an important addition to this effort. Allendorf et al. (2015), explain very well the issues surrounding the practice and significance of ignoring loci in the telomeric regions of homeologous arms and this section will be of interest to all geneticists who work on polyploid and polyploid derivative organisms. However, the chromosomal pairing models presented are misleading, as they do not incorporate the available chromosomal evidence. Further their explanations of how their models differ from Wright et al. (1983) are unsupported and confusing given the models presented. Herein we elaborate on the chromosomal pairing models of Wright et al. (1983) based on cytogenetic evidence to improve understanding of the intriguing complex chromosomal pairing and segregation patterns observed in salmonid male meioses. The chromosomal pattern for residual tetrasomy (Figure 1; Allendorf et al. 2015) derives from earlier work, starting with an original proposal by Allendorf and Thorgaard (1984, see Figure 4 therein). In the 1984 article, they showed a model of 4 acrocentrics in a multivalent pairing configuration. The original model had only one crossover between 2 of the homeologous arms of the acrocentrics. They proposed this as a general model with no specificity regarding chromosomal behavior. An update by Allendorf and Danzmann (1997) added 2 crossovers in the disomic regions of the homologous chromosome arms close to centromeres, keeping the acrocentric model and assuming 3 crossover events among these 4 arms. This was also proposed to be a general model, but in fact is even more complex and ignored the available chromosomal evidence (Davisson et al. 1973; Lee and Wright 1981). Allendorf and Danzmann (1997) state “we have no direct chromosomal evidence for this model in salmonids”. In Figure 1 of Allendorf et al. (2015), a set of metacentric chromosomes replaces one of the sets of acrocentrics and one of the crossovers is moved from one side of the centromere to the opposite arm of the newly added metacentric. The essence of this model is that at first the homologous chromosomes pair completely and then the homeologous arms pair, introducing an additional crossover event in one of the arms already involved in a crossover. While the authors cite evidence from other organisms for secondary pairing of chromosomes already paired, it is not the most parsimonious explanation for residual tetrasomy in salmonids. The caveat proposed in support of their model in the authors’ words is “Figure 1 shows one of several possible chiasmata formations where this model would support equational division.”, but this caveat does not lend any more support for this model. What are some of these other possible chiasmata, other than that proposed by the Wright model? It is unclear how this configuration could unfold and give the long multivalent rods observed during Meiosis I. In Figure 3, Allendorf et al. (2015) have drawn up a new model to explain pseudolinkage. Surprisingly, their model for pseudolinkage, unlike in Figure 1 for residual tetrasomy, does not involve 4 chromosome arms pairing and multiple crossovers in the same arm. This proposal would suggest that residual tetrasomy and pseudolinkage are 2 different phenomena and not that pseudolinkage is a specialized case of residual tetrasomy. It is interesting that they show 2 metacentrics and 2 accrocentrics for residual tetrasomy and 4 metacentrics for pseudolinkage. Further, Figure 3, although technically correct in pairing and crossover events, is displayed in a fashion making it largely impossible to understand chromosomal segregation. Note the extra-large crossover event and the inversion of the grey arms into proximity with the black arms that are clearly neither homologous nor homeologous. In the late 1970s and early 1980s the late Dr James E. Wright, Jr., who had been studying salmonid meiotic chromosome pairing in males and females simultaneously with allozyme segregation patterns for over 10 years, assembled a team of graduate students and technicians who worked together on the unusual patterns of “multivalent” pairing in male meioses and allozyme segregation patterns. These 2 lines of research and the resultant data were integrated to Journal of Heredity Advance Access published August 29, 2015
Bluetooth networks can be constructed as piconets or scatternets depending on the number of nodes in the network. Although piconet construction is a well-defined process specified in Bluetooth standards, scatternet construction policies and algorithms are not well specified. Among many solution proposals for this problem, only a few of them focus on efficient usage of bandwidth in the resulting scatternets. In this paper, we propose a distributed algorithm for the scatternet construction problem, that dynamically constructs and maintains a scatternet based on estimated traffic flow rates between nodes. The algorithm is adaptive to changes and maintains a constructed scatternet for bandwidth-efficiency when nodes come and go or when traffic flow rates change. Based on simulations, the paper also presents the improvements in bandwidth-efficiency provided by the proposed algorithm.
fixK genes are crp/fnr homologues that have been discovered in diverse Rhizobium spp., in which they are usually essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. One recurrent function of fixK genes in rhizobia is to activate the transcription of operons required for respiration in the microoxic environment of the nodule. In a similar manner to its Escherichia coli crp and fnr homologues, R. meliloti fixK regulates its own expression negatively. However, we demonstrate here that fixK negative autoregulation is not direct and, instead, involves a newly identified gene, fixT, the expression of which depends on fixK. Inactivation of fixT resulted in derepression of fixK expression under free‐living microoxic conditions. Furthermore, constitutively expressed fixT strongly repressed fixK–lacZ expression in the absence of a functional fixK gene. Several lines of evidence indicate that fixT is active via its protein product FixT. FixT does not resemble any protein present in databases so far. Nodules induced by a fixT mutant were Fix+, thus demonstrating that fixT is not essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
We describe DataDepot, a tool for generating warehouses from streaming data feeds, such as network-traffic traces, router alerts, financial tickers, transaction logs, and so on. DataDepot is a streaming data warehouse designed to automate the ingestion of streaming data from a wide variety of sources and to maintain complex materialized views over these sources. As a streaming warehouse, DataDepot is similar to Data Stream Management Systems (DSMSs) with its emphasis on temporal data, best-effort consistency, and real-time response. However, as a data warehouse, DataDepot is designed to store tens to hundreds of terabytes of historical data, allow time windows measured in years or decades, and allow both real-time queries on recent data and deep analyses on historical data. In this paper we discuss the DataDepot architecture, with an emphasis on several of its novel and critical features. DataDepot is currently being used for five very large warehousing projects within AT&T; one of these warehouses ingests 500 Mbytes per minute (and is growing). We use these installations to illustrate streaming warehouse use and behavior, and design choices made in developing DataDepot. We conclude with a discussion of DataDepot applications and the efficacy of some optimizations.
Genes uvsW, uvsX and uvsY are dispensable for T4 growth but are implicated in recombination and in the repair of damaged DNA. We found that large-plaque mutants arose efficiently from small-plaque uvsX and uvsY mutants at 42 degrees and were pseudorevertants containing a new mutation in uvsW. Using reconstructed double mutants, we confirmed that a mutation in uvsW partially increases the burst size and UV resistance of uvsX and uvsY mutants. At 41 degrees the uvsW mutation completely restores the arrest in DNA synthesis caused by mutations in genes uvsX, uvsY and 46, but at 30 degrees it only partially restores DNA synthesis in a gene 46 mutant and does not restore DNA synthesis in uvsX and uvsY mutants. Restored DNA synthesis at 41 degrees was paralleled by the overproduction of single-stranded DNA and gene 32 protein. Based on these findings, we propose that the uvsW gene regulates the production of single-stranded DNA and we discuss the phenotype of uvsW mutants and their suppression of some uvsX and uvsY phenotypes. Infection of restrictive cells with am uvsW mutants revealed a defect in the synthesis of a protein of molecular weight 53,000 daltons, suggesting that this protein is the uvsW gene product.
Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of rapid COVID-19 antigen test (Panbio, Abbott) in comparison with Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) in suspected community cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection at a tertiary care center in Pakistan  Study Design: Cross sectional study.  Place and Duration of Study: Pathology Department, Combined Military Hospital, Lahore Pakistan, from Jun 2020 to Jun 2021.  Methodology: The diagnostic value of the Panbio®COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test (Panbio, Abbott), was determined in comparison with RT-PCR in suspected community cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection at a tertiary care center on samples taken simultaneously. 200 individuals reporting to the hospital with signs and symptoms of potential COVID infection or history of significant contact exposure (>1 hour without masking and social distancing) to a RT-PCR positive COVID patient and concurrently requiring a rapid COVID antigen test due to an underlying health condition were included in the study by consecutive sampling.Results: Out of 200 individuals, 53(26.5 %) were COVID positive by RT–PCR whereas 147(73.5%) were clearly negative with no cases of indeterminate viremia on RT PCR. 32(60.3%) out of 53 RT-PCR positive COVID cases were also found to be positive by COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test, whereas 21(39.6%) were negative. Out of 147 RT-PCR negative COVID cases,146(99.3%) were negative by COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test as well whereas 1(0.68%) was positive.  Conclusion: COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test is suitable adjunct to RT-PCR testing in suspected cases in emergent settings in early days of admission.
Orange is a fruit of the Citrus genus in the family Rutaceae. It is assumed to have originated in southern Asia, and to have been first cultivated in China around 2500 BC. There is little knowledge on the quality of wood from orange trees, which is occasionally used in fine woodwork, tool handles, mosaics, and marquetry. This work aimed to evaluate the possibility of using orange wood from agricultural conversions and orchard plantation renewals to make products with a high value. Logs from plantations located in southern Italy were collected, and the key aspects for determining the suitability of using the wood as flooring were examined. Laboratory tests were carried out to determine the shrinkage, dimensional stability, and surface hardness, which included an indentation test on the wood flooring. Drying trials were also performed, and prototypes of flooring were prepared so professionals and end users could evaluate the aesthetic value. The results confirmed that the wood from orange trees is fine-grained, and is characterized by a high density and shrinkage, average dimensional stability, and high surface hardness. The results of the tests suggested performing careful drying and following specific procedures according to the size of the elements. The wood was highly appreciated by the users, which confirmed the possibility of using this wood as a renewable raw material, despite the limited availability, for manufacturing high-quality products.
The Nusa Tenggara island chain consists of an archipelago that runs roughly east-west in eastern Indonesia. As part of Wallacea, it has never been connected to any continental landmass, and has been subject to a variety of biological invasions that have populated the islands. Here, we examine the craniometric and molecular genetic records of several species of Rattus sensu lato in the island chain. We use the predictions of expanding population edge phenotypic selection in an effort to understand the movement of Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans through the archipelago. We also examine the mitochondrial haplotype networks of R. argentiventer, R. exulans, and the R. rattus Complex (RrC) and microsatellite allele frequency clustering patterns for the RrC, to examine relationships within and between Nusa Tenggara populations, and those of Asia and the Pacific where relevant for each taxon. In the RrC LIV and RrC LII haplotype networks, 20 haplotypes with seven from Nusa Tenggara were observed for RrC LIV, and 100 haplotypes with seven from Nusa Tenggara observed for RrC LII. The top performing RrC craniometric model had a negative association between size and distance from the easternmost point of the samples from Nusa Tenggara, consistent with increasing size moving west to east. The cytochrome b network for the R. exulans sequences comprised 14 haplotypes, with three observed from mainland Southeast Asia, one shared with Nusa Tenggara and regions further east, and another haplotype observed in Nusa Tenggara and in the Pacific. The R. exulans craniometric model selection produced four equally well performing models, with no migration scenario preferred. Finally, the haplotype network of R. argentiventer comprised 10 haplotypes, with six observed in Nusa Tenggara, including a relatively early cluster from the east of the archipelago. Our results are compatible with a polyphasic and polydirectional invasion of Nusa Tenggara by Rattus, likely beginning with RrC from the west to the east, an expansion of R. exulans from Flores, seemingly in no preferred overall direction, and finally the invasion of R. argentiventer from the east to the west. We find some support for the Dong Son drum maritime exchange network contributing to the distribution of the latter species.
This article intends to identify the Ethos of the Federal Constitution of Brazil, if any. The search will be made in direct dialogue with the work of Alexander Tsesis, Constitutional Ethos (2017). From this perspective ethos represents core maxim of constitutionalism, namely: protection of individual rights for the common good. Despite the idea of ethos has been firmly constructed under the US Constitution reality, that is vastly different from the Brazilian one, so its existence is uncertain in the Brazilian Constitution. In this identification process, a historical perspective is brought up from the Brazilian constitutional texts, tracing a parallel between the Brazilian promulgated constitutions, to then deal specifically with the 1988 Constitution. In this sense, many comparisons are made between the Brazilian and American constitutions, conducting a parallel with the aforementioned work of Professor Alexander Tsesis. Based on a bibliographical research, upon a comparative methodology, the goal is to explore if the Brazilian constitutionalism, because of its historical contexts and complexities, has an ethos, and if so, to understand how susceptible to changes and threats it is.
Calculations are presented to show that surface waves can be launched into a substrate from an open-ended stripline termination; the launching efficiency depends on the substrate and stripline geometry, and theoretical estimates agree well with the measured data. The effect of these waves in stripline circuits, antennas and resonators is discussed, and a recommendation is made that involves using a trough termination to reduce the surface-wave launching efficiency.
sented by the vertically repeated small leaf with its bent-back stem and the same object scattered about in the design could symbolize the countryside. The beasts are fleeing. The panther is leaping up at the galloping horses. It is true, admittedly, that the hunters are more often represented on horseback than in a chariot. From this, one might wonder, if here there is not an amphitheatre scene and, in the pillar, the meta of the circus. But it will be noticed that although venatio scenes often decorate gallo-roman sigillata vases, these potters did not show the installations of the circus. Examples are to be found of finishing posts in Arretine decorations^ but their shape differs entirely from that of Diana's pillar. Conical, pointed, but without entasis, in groups of three or four, their tops are sometimes linked by garlands which are not entwined about them. The very aspect of the driver and horses recalls genre scenes full of fantasy, preferred in the early centuries, rather than realistic pictures. The disproportion of the driver and the team of horses evokes here, as Professor Alfoldi has brought to our notice, not a man nor a god but an Eros. It was quite common in paintings, mosaics, and engraved vases to see Cupids standing up in chariots driving through picturesque countrysides, horses, single or in groups, deer, tigers, or dolphins. They were depicted as young chubby children with wings. But in their sportings, which imitate the occupations of men, they often figure as giants beside yoked animals which drag them along, reduced to the size of toys, as are the beasts they are hunting. These cupids enjoyed a great vogue on Arretine pottery and this vogue was quite as great for the pottery of Gaul. It would not be impossible therefore to see one of them on the CETTVS mould with his curly hair, his chubby appearance, and on his shoulder, like a wing, his cloak flying in the wind. He drives his chariot in pursuit of wild animals in a country scene which is suggested by Diana's pillar with its foliage, a distant transformation of those picturesque reliefs, which were in vogue from the time of Augustus, in marble, in painting, and on metal vases, as on those of terracotta.
Intelligent packaging with indicators that provide information about the quality of food products can inform the consumer regarding food safety and reduce food waste. A solid material for a pH-responsive indicator was developed from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) composited with microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). MCC at 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% w/w was introduced into the HPMC matrix and the physical, barrier, thermal, and optical properties of the HPMC/MCC bio-composite (HMB) films were analyzed. At 5, 10, and 20% MCC, improved mechanical, transparency, and barrier properties were observed, where HMB with 20% of MCC (H20MB) showed the best performance. Therefore, H20MB was selected as the biodegradable solid material for fabricating Roselle anthocyanins (RA) pH sensing indicators. The performance of the RA-H20MB indicator was evaluated by monitoring its response to ammonia vapor and tracking freshness status of chicken tenderloin. The RA-H20MB showed a clear color change with respect to ammonia exposure and quality change of chicken tenderloin; the color changed from red to magenta, purple and green, respectively. These results indicated that RA-H20MB can be used as a biodegradable pH sensing indicator to determine food quality and freshness.
The relationship between extended deterrence and nuclear escalation in Europe is a principal component of NATO strategy. This relationship is explained by NATO in at least two very different, and somewhat contradictory, ways. The first way is that extended deterrence is made credible by the ability of one side to dominate the process of escalation or at least to match any move made by the opponent. The second way is that extended deterrence depends upon creating an incalculable and uncontrollable risk of war. Reconciliation of these somewhat consistent and somewhat inconsistent logics may not be required to sustain policy consensus on a day-to-day basis. However, there are other potential costs inherent in this conceptual inconsistency, including a looser grasp by policymakers of the process of escalation control.
Experimental results concerning the flow pattern and hydraulic resistance in a rotating pipe are described. A fully developed turbulent flow was introduced into a long smooth pipe rotating about its axis, and changes of the flow pattern, together with hydraulic loss within the pipe, were examined by measuring the velocity and pressure distributions across sections at various distance from the pipe entrance. Increase of pipe rotation continuously reduces the hydraulic loss and gradually changes the axial velocity profile from a turbulent type to a laminar one. Governing factors for these changes are discussed.
Using as few sensor nodes as possible for detecting composite event effectively in large area is a difficult problem, because the composite event contains multiple atomic events which needs many different types of heterogeneous nodes for cooperative monitoring, and the coverage quality would be worse if there are not enough sensor nodes. Most of the traditional methods are focusing on atomic event detection which only needs one type of homogeneous node. Considering the temporal and spatial association, costs and sensing capability of different types of heterogeneous sensor nodes, in this paper, we propose a novel composite event coverage problem with the purpose of minimizing deployment costs subjecting to the constraint of achieving a certain coverage quality, and give a mathematical model for this optimal problem. Then, we propose an exact algorithm and a greedy strategy approximation algorithm to solve this optimization problem. The experimental results and analysis show the performance of the proposed algorithms.
Background: Pediatric nurse plays an important role in management needs of  children with chronic renal failure (CRF) and undergoing hemodialysis therapy. Aim: It was  to assess role of pediatric nurses regarding children's needs undergoing hemodialysis therapy.  Research design: A descriptive design was utilized for this study. Settings: This study was  conducted at Pediatric Hemodialysis Unit in Children’s Hospital affiliated to Ain Shams  University Hospitals and El-Zahra University Hospital. Subject: A purposive sample was  including 50 pediatric nurses caring for children undergoing hemodialysis therapy (25 nurses  and 25 children from children's Hospital and 25nurses and 25 children from El-Zahra  Hospital). Tools: A questionnaire sheet constituted 3 parts to assess: Demographic  characteristics, nurses’ knowledge regarding renal failure and hemodialysis therapy, and  Quality of life scale, this tool is adapted from (Varni & Limbers, 2011) to determine the  needs of children undergoing hemodialysis therapy. Results: There were highly statistically  significant differences between the total knowledge of the studied nurses and also their total  role regarding needs of children undergoing hemodialysis therapy about renal failure and  hemodialysis therapy and their educational level, years of experience and attending training  courses at (p < 0.01). In addition, there was positive correlation between total nurses’  knowledge about renal failure and hemodialysis and their total role regarding the needs of  children undergoing hemodialysis therapy. Conclusion: The current study concluded that,  the role of pediatric nurse regarding needs of children undergoing hemodialysis therapy  namely physical, social and emotional needs are affected by their educational level, years of  experience and attendance of training courses. Recommendations: Periodic assessment of  knowledge, and practice and continuous course training for all nurses who are providing care  for children undergoing hemodialysis therapy, based on children’s actual needs assessment.
When a target talker speaks in the presence of competing talkers, the listener must not only segregate the voices but also understand the target message based on a limited set of spectrotemporal regions ("glimpses") in which the target voice dominates the acoustic mixture. Here, the hypothesis that a broad audible bandwidth is more critical for these sparse representations of speech than it is for intact speech is tested. Listeners with normal hearing were presented with sentences that were either intact, or progressively "glimpsed" according to a competing two-talker masker presented at various levels. This was achieved by using an ideal binary mask to exclude time-frequency units in the target that would be dominated by the masker in the natural mixture. In each glimpsed condition, speech intelligibility was measured for a range of low-pass conditions (cutoff frequencies from 500 to 8000 Hz). Intelligibility was poorer for sparser speech, and the bandwidth required for optimal intelligibility increased with the sparseness of the speech. The combined effects of glimpsing and bandwidth reduction were well captured by a simple metric based on the proportion of audible target glimpses retained. The findings may be relevant for understanding the impact of high-frequency hearing loss on everyday speech communication.
Gonzalo M. Bearman MD, MPH1 , Anthony D. Harris MD, MPH2 and Evelina Tacconelli MD, PhD3 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States, 2Department of Epidemiology and Public Health University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States and 3Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy, for the ESCMID European Committee on Infection Control (EUCIC), Basel, Switzerland
In order to develop, maintain and deplete reservoirs economically around the globe, various measurements are needed with a high demand on natural core samples. The next stage in the life of every reservoir is a secondary or tertiary method to enhance productivity. However, to tailor the available methods and technologies to the reservoir, several screening processes, feasibility studies and pilot experiments are needed. As an aid to these, like a sensitivity analysis, continuous measurements are set up to study fluid flow, chemical reactions, additional recovery and much more, but for all of these, core samples are needed. The lack and high value of natural core samples yield that the demand cannot be satisfied from this source alone. The aim of the study was to create an artificially consolidated stone core sample, a model material, which can be suitable for being the subject of these experiments, with additional benefits in mass production and reservoir parameter-based quality control. In this article the authors wish to present partial results of a big study, this time with comparing the porosity, permeability, connate water and capillary pressure parameters of the core samples used with different after-cure techniques. The process of compaction was the same, but the overburden pressures and the effect of CO2 rich curing were examined. For this, part of the samples was prone to high CO2 environment for different timespans during the after treatment of the samples. The petrophysical parameters were then measured on all of the groups, including a control group and the CO2 affected cores. The focus was on porosity, permeability, connate water saturation/wettability and capillary pressure measurements and the common features and differences in the yielded pore space’s structure are summarized in this article.
OBJECTIVE The ability to see things from another's perspective, that is, have a theory of mind (ToM), is essential to effective communication. So too is the ability to regulate verbal output, that is, to exercise executive control. People with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) have impaired communication abilities, but the extent to which this reflects ToM versus executive dysfunction is unclear. This study explored the relative contributions of executive abilities, specifically flexibility and inhibition and ToM abilities in language production post-TBI.   METHOD Twenty-five adults (18 males: mean age of 48.2 years, SD = 12.0 years) with moderate to severe TBI (posttraumatic amnesia = 69.2, SD = 54.6 days) and 28 noninjured adults (19 males: mean age 49.0, SD = 12.2 years) completed three sets of communication tasks with low executive demands, high flexibility, and high inhibition demands. Within each, parallel versions had low or high ToM requirements.   RESULTS For low executive and high flexibility tasks, scores on the high ToM versions were predicted by scores on the low ToM versions, suggesting that poor performance was explained by the executive demands the parallel tasks had in common. The exception was the high inhibition task. In this case, speakers with TBI had differential difficulty with the high ToM version, that is, they had specific difficulty inhibiting self-referential thoughts in order to cater for another's perspective.   CONCLUSION We found problems with inhibiting the self-perspective accords with descriptive accounts of the egocentric nature of some communication patterns following TBI, which points to potential targets for remediation.
This chapter discusses the approaches of the formal legal system of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to cases of witch-killing, from colonial times to the present. The title is based on that of a movie from more than 20 years ago, entitled The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, a movie I saw accidentally and found totally gruesome and unappealing. But this adaptation of the title seemed apt, because there are some very gruesome aspects to witch-killing in PNG today (Forsyth 2013).
UTGe compounds form α-hydrides with a small H concentration and β-hydrides accommodating up to 2 H atoms/f.u. Hydrogen absorption has a significant impact on the 5f magnetism. The Curie temperature-TC of suspected ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe increases to 50 K. Magnetic susceptibility of spin fluctuator UFeGe increases, but long-range magnetic order is not achieved. For ferromagnetic URhGe only α-hydride could be obtained, which moderate increase of TC and spontaneous moment. The α-hydride of UCoGe is surprisingly paramagnetic and non-superconducting despite of a small volume expansion (0.25 %).
Introduction. To evaluate the strength of association between lactic acidosis (LA) and well-recognized risk factors for LA, particularly the weight of metformin. Methods. This study is a matched case-control analysis concerning the type 2 diabetes population from Grenoble Hospital University. Cases of LA were defined biologically with pH < 7.35 and lactates > 5 mmol/L. They were matched to 2 controls defined as type 2 diabetic inpatients who did not present a LA during the study period. We performed a conditional logistic regression. Results. We included 302 cases and 604 controls; mean age was 69.5 years (SD 11.93). Intercurrent diseases were significantly associated with LA. Chronic medical conditions had a minor impact on LA incidence, except hepatocellular dysfunction. Metformin was significantly associated with a higher LA probability in case of acute kidney injury (AKI) (OR = 1.79; p value = 0.020) but not in patients without AKI. Discussion and Conclusions. According to this study, metformin, compared to acute medical conditions, seemed not to be associated with LA in patients with type 2 diabetes; however in case of AKI, metformin may be associated with LA.
We have investigated the influence of surface charges on the discharge development across particle contaminated spacer surfaces under SF/sub 6/ for lightning impulse (LI) voltages (1.2/50 /spl mu/s). Surface charges may be generated by dc, ac or lightning impulse stress. The discharge characteristic shows a strong reduction of the insulation strength if the applied voltage and the surface charge have opposite polarities. The investigations were performed with a needle protrusion attached to the bottom electrode to give severe field distortion. The bottom electrode was biased positively. The influence on the discharge process is observed by measuring the surface charge distribution and predischarge currents. The results reveal changes in streamer onset voltage, streamer to leader transition, and leader development.
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the key factors that facilitate the service to service (S2S) marketing relationships. Specifically, it aims to focus on the relationship between external counsels (law firms) and hospitals.Design/methodology/approach – The study uses exploratory research that comprised a series of interviews with the relevant parties.Findings – Reputation and word‐of‐word play roles in soliciting a firm to submit a proposal; advertisements seem to play no role. Furthermore, S2S marketing relationships occur over distinct and different phases and require a different set of facilitating factors.Research limitations/implications – As this was exploratory research conducted in the US, the results are not generalizable, nevertheless, they offer a unique insight into a kind of S2S marketing relationship, specifically between hospitals and law firms.Practical implications – Service providers who seek S2S marketing relationships should invest more in building and shoring‐up their reputation in...
The development of a complex technique for the extraction and purification of polysaccharides from birch leaves (Betula pendula Roth.,Betula pubescens Ehrh.) (PSfB) was the purpose of this study. The following characteristics were used as criteria for evaluating the effect of the parameters studied on the production of target substances: yield of PSfB (gravimetric method), protein content (spectrophotometric method), molecular weight distribution (high performance exclusion chromatography) and degree of purification from low molecular weight impurities (LMWI) (IR) spectroscopy).During the experiment, the optimal parameters were determined at various stages of obtaining the PSfB: degree of raw materials grinding – 1.2–3 mm, pH of the extractant (purified water with pH=7), the ratio of raw materials : extractant (1 : 20), extraction temperature (50 °C), temperature and degree of evaporation (50 °C; 4 times), the ratio of concentrate : ethanol (1 : 3) and the method of purification from the LMWI (ultrafiltration).The result of this work is an optimized method for obtaining PSfB, allowing to achieve high yield without loss of product quality (minimum allowable content of low molecular weight impurities with the highest content of high molecular weight fractions).This technique is the basis for the development of laboratory regulations for obtaining an active pharmaceutical substance based on polysaccharides from birch leaves.
Significance: Optically active α-fluoromethylsubstituted tertiary alcohols are found in a wide range of biologically active compounds and pharmaceuticals. The authors report a chiral dicationic palladium complex catalyzed asymmetric threecomponent coupling reaction of terminal alkynes with fluoromethylpyruvate and arenes, leading to α-fluoromethylated tertiary alcohols in excellent yields and high enantioselectivities. Comment: Kinetic isotope effect experiments indicate that the addition of arenes to vinyl cation intermediates could be a rate-limiting step in the coupling reaction. This atom-economical reaction is capable of providing diverse molecules from relatively simple and readily available substrates. Selected examples: Pd cat. (5.0 mol%) CH2Cl2 –40 °C, 24 h Pd cat.
The sidelobe performance of a microstrip travelling-wave antenna array is limited by the crosspolarised lobes produced if a comb-line is used with a large range of stub widths.1.2 The amplitude taper which can be applied is thereby limited to ≃6–7.5 dB, so that very low sidelobes (< −30 dB) cannot readily be achieved. Here a technique is described which offers copolar sidelobe reduction without excessive crosspolarisation, with calculated sidelobes <30 dB for a 32-element array. An amplitude taper of 20 dB is achieved using a split comb-line (giving 12–15 dB taper) plus partially random weighting.
Fibrosarcoma is a mesenchymal tumor constituted by malignant fibroblasts. Myxofibrosarcoma is one of the fibrosarcoma variants that mostly develops from dermal/subcutaneous tissues. The most common locations are the limbs, with rare occurrences in the chest, head, and neck. Since, to best of our knowledge, there is no such report in English literature, we hereby present a case of lung myxofibrosarcoma. A 47-year-old man who had chest pain for 4 months was admitted to our clinic. The chest X-ray revealed a homogeneous density in the left upper lung. His chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed a solid mass lesion of 52 x 58 mm in size at the apical segment of the left upper lobe. There was tumor invasion at the second and third ribs. CT-guided fine-needle tru-cut lung biopsy was performed. Histopathological evaluation result was high grade myxofibrosarcoma. Surgery was conducted. Myxofibrosarcoma is a surgically curable disease. However, local recurrences occur in 50% to 60% of the cases. Therefore, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is the suggested approach following surgery.
RAYMOND WILLIAMS IS ONE OF OUR BEST CRITICS of modem drama. His article The Achievement of Brecht (Critical Quarterly, III, 2) is perspicacious and just except for the single paragraph in which he dismisses The Caucasian Chalk Circle. He finds the framework of the collective farm dispute "arbitrary and distracting; the issue it raises is not followed through." The stories of Azdak and Grusha he finds "again quite arbitrarily related." Azdak he sees as living out a preposterous negation of justice, "a survival from the earlier vision of anarchic paradox" who blunts the point of Grusha's story. All these faults he ascribes to "a central confusion of experience" in the play. I should like to offer here an alternative reading.
This editorial refers to ‘Percutaneous mitral valve repair with the MitraClip system: acute results from a real world setting’[†][1], by C. Tamburino et al. , on page 1382 and ‘Acute outcomes of MitraClip therapy for mitral regurgitation in high-surgical-risk patients: emphasis on adverse valve morphology and severe left ventricular dysfunction’[‡][2], by O. Franzen et al. , on page 1373   The treatment of mitral valve regurgitation (MR) is an important clinical issue as MR represents >30% of native valve diseases.1 The results of surgery, in particular valve repair, are good, which sets a high standard for future innovative interventions.2 However, some observations suggest a potential for new interventions: (i) in current practice worldwide, surgery is denied to many patients with severe MR and symptoms;3 (ii) mitral valve repair is not always used or feasible;4 and (iii) surgical risks remain high in an important percentage of contemporary patients who are elderly with co-morbidities.  Two main techniques have been introduced for percutaneous mitral valve repair: the edge to edge technique and the prosthetic ring annuloplasty.  The edge to edge technique mimics the surgical procedure introduced by O. Alfieri, which creates a double mitral orifice by means of a few stitches securing the two leaflets together at their mid-part5 ( Figure 1 ). This technique has been performed percutaneously using a clip (E-valve MitraClip) made of a cobalt–chromium alloy and Dacron.6 Another design involved the use of one or two sutures deployed via a catheter-based device, but this has since been abandoned.7 The initial clinical experience with the edge to edge technique is mostly from the USA, including >500 patients; however, the reports in peer-reviewed journals are only based on the first 107 cases in the EVEREST registry.8,9 In addition, 279 patients are included in the EVEREST II …   [1]: #fn-1  [2]: #fn-2
Consumer bankruptcy regulation in the United States as well as in many other countries allow consumers to petition for a partial debt discharge. Usually, a debt release is possible when the debtor behaves in the creditors’ best interest and after filing for bankruptcy signs over her entire disposable income for a fixed period. Depending on the country the period lasts between three and six years. We show that a fixed period distorts the consumer’s ex-post incentives to work hard. Instead, we suggest to adequately reduce the outstanding claim and to make debt release contingent on payment. When the consumer manages to pay back the reduced amount, the rest of the initial debt should be discharged immediately. In effect, the consumer becomes the residual claimant of her endeavors. The period of good conduct is effectively variable.
It is customary in the Netherlands to celebrate just about any happy occasion with a speech and a glass of sherry or genever. So when our first volume of essays, Expansion and Reaction, came off press in December, 1977, we invited our friends in the vicinity to hear the then Minister of Development Cooperation J.P.Pronk. We have chosen to print his remarks because they illustrate from what viewpoint government officials view our activities. Pronk is now Professor at the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague and M.P. for the Dutch Labour Party.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In hospitals, preterm infants are routinely fed specified amounts of formula on a fixed schedule. This results in the baby's intake volume being regular and easily confirmed, but does not consider the individual baby's needs. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of demand feeding and fixed schedule feeding for healthy premature newborn babies.   METHODS A 2-feeding-type, 2-period crossover study design was employed, in which each period consisted of 2 days, the first of which was a washout period, comprising a self-comparison protocol designed to identify any differences in the feeding characteristics of premature infants on demand or scheduled bottle-feeding. Eleven preterm infants were included. The sample size was monitored during the observation period by power calculation. The mean weight at study entry was 1897.27 +/- 175.94 g and the mean postconceptional age was 35.34 +/- 1.54 weeks.   RESULTS Compared with scheduled feeding, demand feeding was associated with a longer daily mean interval (4.17 vs 3.02 hours; p = 0.00), greater volume per feed for demand feeding (67.28 vs 51.11; p = 0.00), greater feeding speed (5.73 vs 4.51 mL/min; p = 0.00), but a similar daily total duration of feeding. There was no significant difference in the daily total feeding volume.   CONCLUSIONS Demand feeding provides superior volume per feed, and feeding speed and shortens the duration of feeding compared to feeding on a routine schedule. It is suitable and feasible for healthy premature newborns.
The shuttle walk test (SWT) is a validated, incremental walking test for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but not for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The measurement of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) is considered to be the gold standard measurement of functional capacity. This study examines the relationship between IPF patients' performance on the SWT and VO2 max. Twenty patients were recruited for the study, which consisted of two separate experiments. Firstly, the relationship between SWT performance on a conventional corridor SWT, with that on a programmable treadmill SWT designed to reproduce the corridor SWT was examined (n=10). In the second experiment, the relationship between performance on the treadmill equivalent SWT and VO2 max measurements was studied (n=10). There was a significant correlation between distance walked on the corridor SWT, and that walked on the treadmill equivalent SWT without VO2 max measurements (367 m vs. 410 m) (r=0.91, P=0.0003). There was a significant correlation between distance walked on the treadmill equivalent SWT (277 m), and the directly determined VO2 max (14.87 ml/kg/min) (r=0.74, P=0.01). During both experiments, a significant correlation was also observed between baseline PaO2 and SWT performance, and between DLCO and SWT performance. The shuttle walk test is a simple objective measure of functional capacity in IPF patients, which should facilitate the evaluation of new therapeutic compounds for IPF.
The structural evolution of PbSc0.5Nb0.5O3 (PSN) under pressure has been studied by in situ powder neutron diffraction. Rietveld refinements to the data show that the continuous phase transition detected by x-ray diffraction at pc = 4.1 GPa (Maier et al 2010 Phys. Rev. B 81 174116) is associated with long-range ordering of antiphase octahedral tilts and local ordering of ferroic Pb displacements. Similar to PbSc0.5Ta0.5O3 (PST) (Maier et al 2010 Acta Crystallogr. 66 280–91), antiphase octahedral tilting even exists below the critical pressure in a regime in which the structure retains a cubic metric. In contrast to PST, in which the Pb atomic displacement parameters (DPs) form ellipsoids elongated along the cubic ⟨111⟩ directions, the atomic DPs of Pb in PSN form flattened discs parallel to the cubic {111}-planes. This indicates that in PST the Pb displacements are along the cubic ⟨111⟩ directions, whereas in PSN the local Pb displacements are randomly distributed along the cubic ⟨110⟩ directions. The latter can be explained by the abundance of underbonded oxygen atoms associated with the chemical B-site disorder.
This study aimed to provide a brief overview of the drinking habits and alcohol-related consequences in a sample of university students. The sample included 654 students who were given the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) and the Daily Drinking Questionnaire – Revised (DDQ-R). Special attention was devoted to the patterns of alcohol use as well as to prevalence rates of alcohol-related consequences. The results provide further support for the need to develop early preventive strategies which are more adjusted to the different students’ profiles, that is, to the characteristics of developmental stage and specific necessities of those students. Considering these characteristics and needs will certainly clarify the professionals and therefore promote the effectiveness of the intervention.
INTRODUCTION Monitoring programs and guidelines on the use of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in human and veterinary medicine have been developed worldwide to promote the prudent use of antibiotics in recent years. However, such information on the use of antibiotics in exotic pets is absent. This fact must be taken into account, since the number of exotic pet patients is constantly increasing and the administration of antibiotics is particular challenging due to the diversity of species and the differences in physiology. The present study reports the results of a survey of frequently used antibiotics and the criteria of antibiotic usage in exotic pets (rabbits, rodents, birds and reptiles) among Swiss veterinarians. These data should form the basis for the development of antibiotic usage guidelines in exotic pets. A total of 61 veterinarians returned the questionnaire. The most important decision-making criteria for antibiotic treatment and antibiotic selection were clinical symptoms (55/59, 93% for antibiotic treatment and 40/59, 68% for antibiotic selection), experience (41/59, 69% and 36/59, 61%, respectively) and textbooks (39/59, 66% and 40/59, 68%). The most important decision-making criteria for dosage and duration of therapy were textbooks (59/59, 100%) and experience (31/59, 53%). The use of a microbial culture was used as a decision criterion for both antibiotic treatment and antibiotic selection by 39% of the participants, sensitivity testing was chosen as a decision criterion by 37% for antibiotic treatment and by 46% for antibiotic selection. Fluoroquinolones were used most frequently, 46/56 (82% of the participants) for rabbits, 49/57 (86%) for rodents, 36/37 (97%) for reptiles and 38/46 (83%) for birds. The vast majority of veterinarians (57/58, 98%) would consult a guide for the use of antibiotics. The frequent use of critical antibiotics in exotic pets underscores the need for a guide to the prudent use of antibiotics. The positive influence of such guidelines has already been proven in dogs and cats.
The nonlinear behaviour of reinforced concrete circular, elliptic and triangular isolated slabs was studied using computational mechanics. Concrete was modelled with a damage model which includes softening, while the behaviour of the reinforcing steel was modelled with a 1D bilinear plasticity model. The constitutive models and the finite element method were validated by comparing the computed numerical results with the experimental results of a rectangular slab reported in the scientific literature. The coefficient method is proposed for its simplicity to calculate design bending moments in slabs with circular, elliptic and triangular geometries. These coefficients were computed from the FE analysis. The layout of steel reinforcement is proposed, particularly lengths of zones for positive and negative moments, respectively. The crack paths are showed, which are depending on the boundary conditions, acting loads and geometry of the slabs.
Background: Trichoepitheliomas (TE) are benign neoplasms of follicular differentiation. Solitary lesions are often confused with basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and dermoscopy are imaging tools for in vivo, noninvasive evaluation of skin lesions. To date, there has been no description of their findings in the evaluation of TE. Objective: Our aim is to describe the dermoscopic and RCM findings of histopathologically confirmed TE. Methods: Four TE were evaluated, 2 each of the desmoplastic and nondesmoplastic variants. RCM was performed on 1 of the desmoplastic and both of the nondesmoplastic lesions. Results: Dermoscopically, all of the lesions showed arborizing telangiectasias. The desmoplastic lesions also had an ivory-white background throughout. RCM showed oval, darker-appearing tumor islands that contained brightly refractile material, consistent with keratin horn cysts at the center, as well as parallel bundles of highly refractile dermal collagen surrounding the tumor islands. Conclusion: The ivory-white background throughout the lesion seen on dermoscopy may be helpful in distinguishing desmoplastic TE from BCC. The RCM findings in TE of keratin-filled cysts in tumor islands and attachment of the tumor to follicular structures have not been previously observed in BCC, and thus may also be diagnostically helpful. Further study is necessary for validation of these findings.
OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate outcomes of induction therapy prior to an operation in patients with cT3 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).   METHODS Patients diagnosed with cT3N0M0 NSCLC from 2006 to 2011 in the National Cancer Database who were treated with lobectomy or pneumonectomy were stratified by treatment strategy: an operation first versus induction chemotherapy. Propensity scores were developed and matched cohorts were generated. Short-term outcomes included margin status, 30- and 90-day mortality rates, readmission and length of stay. Survival analyses using Kaplan-Meier methods were performed on both the unadjusted and propensity matched cohorts.   RESULTS A total of 3791 cT3N0M0 patients were identified for inclusion, of which 580 (15%) were treated with induction chemotherapy. Prior to adjustment, patients treated with induction chemotherapy were younger, had a higher comorbidity burden and were more likely to have private insurance (all P  < 0.001). Following matching, patients receiving induction chemotherapy were more likely to subsequently undergo an open procedure (87.3 vs 77.8%, P  = 0.005). These patients were more likely to obtain R0 resection (93.1% vs 90.0%, P  = 0.04) and were thereby less likely to have positive margins at the time of resection (6.9% vs 10.0%, P  = 0.03). Patients who received induction therapy had higher rates of 90-day mortality (6.6% vs 3.4%) but there was no difference in long-term survival between the groups.   CONCLUSIONS  Despite yielding increased rates of R0 resection, induction chemotherapy for cT3N0M0 NSCLC is not associated with improved survival and should not be considered routinely. Further studies are warranted to elucidate cohorts that may benefit from induction therapy.
We present a rare case of adenocarcinoma arising from a heterotopic pancreas in the duodenum, and review the associated literature. A 62-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital, complaining of vomiting and epigastralgia. Imaging studies revealed advanced gastric cancer with a gastric outlet obstruction. Whipple's operation and resection of the regional lymph node were performed because of a direct invasion to the pancreas. Histopathologic examination of the resected specimen demonstrated the malignant transformation of a hetrotopic pancreas in the duodenum. At the 12-month follow-up, there was no recurrence of symptoms. The prognosis of adenocarcinoma arising from a heterotopic pancreas is not known. Further accumulation of cases and investigation of this entity are necessary.
The self-assembly of block copolymers containing rigid blocks have received abiding attention due to its rich phase behavior and potential for use in a variety of applications. In this work, under asymmetric interactions between rod/coil components, the self-assembly of coil/coil/rod ABC triblock copolymers is studied using self-consistent field of lattice model. In addition to micelles, centrosymmetric lamellae (CSLM), lamellae, perforated lamellae, strips and gyroids, non-centrosymmetric (NCSLM) lamellae and wavy morphologies are observed as stable phases. The phase diagram of interaction between rod and coil components versus the rod fraction is constructed given a fixed interaction between coil components. For intermediate rod fraction, degenerate behavior is observed. NCSLM and CSLM are degenerate structures. It is found that the entropy of chain conformation plays an important role for this rich behavior. A mechanism of the degenerate behavior is proposed in coil/rod block copolymers under noncofinement. This study provides some new insights into the degenerate behavior of block compolymers, which can offer a theoretical reference for related experiments.
Objectives The overall goal of this research was to study continuity of care in the context of team based care delivery to support adolescent women's mental health issues, specifically Anorexia or Bulimia. I used the three concepts of continuity of care described by Haggerty et al. (2003): relational, managerial and informational continuity, to develop an exploratory model of continuity of care for women's mental health. To research question was how are health care professionals providing continuity of care and collaborative patient centred care in the case of adolescent/women's mental health as represented by the eating disorders, anorexia and bulimia. Methods Data collection took place in the eating disorder program in a tertiary care paediatric hospital. The study included 36 participants including: psychiatrists, family physicians, psychologists, nurses, dietician, child and youth counsellors, medical and psychological interns and residents, and art therapist. Data sources included non participant observation of team meetings (approximately 20 hours) of inpatient, day hospital and outpatient clinics as well as 10 semistructured interviews with health care professionals. Constructivist Grounded theory method was used to analyze the data. Results In terms of the continuity of care and how it unfolds, the three types work in a cyclical process. It starts with informational continuity, with the team learning with and from the patient. Once all the information is put together managerial continuity begins to form, ,as does relational continuity. When the patient is close to discharge informational continuity increases within the team, as well as between the family and different actors in the community.
A series of β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes of 4-hydroxyquinoline derivatives was designed and their activities on free-radical-induced hemolysis were studied. The hemolysis of human erythrocytes was initiated by 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane hydrochloride) (AAPH). A novel distributive status was designed: 7-chloro-4-hydroxyquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (CA), 7-fluoro-4-hydroxyquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (FA), 7-chloro-4-hydroxyquinoline (CQ) and 7-fluoro-4-hydroxy quinoline (FQ) were included into β-cyclodextrin to form host-guest complexes, CACD, FACD, CQCD and FQCD, respectively. The hemolysis process was expressed mathematically by Boltzmann equation. Three complexes acted as concentration-dependent antioxidants, and the order of concentration-sensitivity was CQCD > FACD > FQCD. CACD did not show activity. The order of 50% inhibitory concentration (IC 5 0 ) was FQCD < FACD < CQCD, which was different from that dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) remarkably. FQCD may be a candidate for a novel antitumor drug.
Objective Cordycepin, also known as 3ˊ-deoxyadenosine, is the main bioactive ingredient of Cordyceps militaris and possesses various pharmacological effects. This study was performed to investigate the role of cordycepin in regulating the biological behaviors of colon cancer cells and the potential mechanism behind it. Materials and Methods In this experimental study, after treatment of colon cancer cells with different concentrations of cordycepin, inhibition of proliferation was detected by the 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Colon cancer cell migration and invasion abilities were analyzed by wound healing and Transwell assays. Flow cytometry was performed to detect cell apoptosis. A lung metastasis model in nude mice was utilized to examine the effect of cordycepin on the metastasis of colon cancer cells in vivo. Western blot was used to quantify GSK3β, β-catenin and cyclin D1 expression levels. Results Cordycepin inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion, induced apoptosis in vitro, and inhibited lung metastasis of colon cancer cells in vivo. GSK-3β inhibitor (CHIR99021) treatment abolished the effects of cordycepin on cell viability, migration, invasion and apoptosis. Additionally, cordycepin promoted the expressions of GSK3β, and inhibited β-catenin and cyclin D1 in colon cancer cells, while co-treatment with CHIR99021 reversed the above effects. Conclusion Cordycepin suppresses the malignant phenotypes of colon cancer through the GSK3β/β-catenin/cyclin D1 signaling pathway.
Fluidity of metal matrix composites can greatly influence the recyclability of the material in the conventional ingot metallurgy process. The fluidity evolution of the AA6063–10% B4C composite in the form of cast billets and extruded plates, as well as the AA1100–16% B4C composite of cast ingots and rolled sheets was investigated by the vacuum fluidity test. The results showed that the fluidity decline of cast billets was much faster than that of extruded plates. However, the fluidity of both the cast ingots and rolled sheets decreased at the same rate with the holding time. To understand the flow behavior and recyclability of different composites, the microstructure of process materials before and after remelting was examined. The distribution of B4C particles and their reaction products, as well as the effective volume fraction, were quantitatively characterized. It was found that the fluidity of the extruded material, hence its recyclability, was better than that of the cast material due to a more uniform particle distribution and less particle agglomerates. Contrary to the extruded material, the rolled material did not show any fluidity improvement to the cast material due to damage of the TiB2 protective layer around the B4C surfaces during severe rolling deformation.
Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites allow the synthesis of high-quality, nanostructured semiconducting films via easily accessible solution-based techniques. This has allowed tremendous development in optoelectronic applications, primarily solar cells and light-emitting diodes. Allowed by the ease of access to nanostructure, chirality has recently been introduced in semiconducting perovskites, as a promising way to obtain advanced control of charge and spin and for developing circularly polarized light sources. Circular polarization of photo-luminescence (CPL) is a powerful tool to probe the electronic structure of materials. However, CPL in chiral perovskites has been scarcely investigated, and a study in bulk thin films and at room temperature is still missing. In this work we fabricate bromine-based chiral perovskites by using a bulky chiral organic cation mixed with CsBr, resulting in Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite thin films. We measure CPL on these films at room temperature and, by using unpolarized photo-excitation, we record a degree of circular polarization of photo-luminescence in the order of 10-3 and provide a full spectral characterization of CPL. Our results show that chirality is imparted on the electronic structure of the semiconductor; we hypothesize that the excess in polarization of emitted light originates from the charge in the photo-generated Wannier exciton describing an orbit in a symmetry-broken environment. Furthermore, our experiments allow to directly measure the magnetic dipole moment of the optical transition, which we estimate to be ≥ 0.1 μB. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings on the development of chiral semiconducting perovskites as sources of circularly polarized light.
This paper delivers yet another development in sky modelling by two of the originators of the Standard Sky Luminance Distributions (SSLDs). As can be seen in the reference list, and in numerous other publications not listed, the authors of this paper possess a worldleading understanding of sky conditions and modelling techniques. Following the recent adoption of the SSLD as the new ISO/CIE Standard General Sky, this paper represents a timely publication demonstrating application of the new sky standard. It is hoped that this paper will assist in encouraging understanding and application of the new sky standard with architects and other designers around the world. Although this paper will promote application of the new sky standard, further information is needed regarding applications of the MAM method. The authors suggested applications including direct sky illuminance calculation, glare assessment, and calculation of daylight coefficients. However, further discussion of these applications would help practitioners complete these analyses and advance the use of the new sky standard. The calculation of direct sky illuminance described in the paper and demonstrated in the Appendix involves integration of the calculated sky luminance distribution, as seen from the point of interest. It calculates only the direct contribution of the sky, and does not consider inter-reflections interior or exterior to the space. Further, it assumes no glazing in the window. Each of these factors is critical to gaining a full understanding of the level of daylight available in the interior. Such additional factors must be considered to be effective in guiding the design of the building envelope. As outlined by the authors, application of the MAM method to glare assessment involves the calculation of sky luminance distributions as seen from the point of interest. When considered along with the transmittance of the window through which it is seen, this information provides a good starting point for assessment of sky glare. However, further reference to a method by which this glare assessment can be performed would assist readers in completing this assessment. Further reference to the sky standard Application Guide currently being developed by the CIE Technical Committee 3-37 would also help interested practitioners. In particular, the Application Guide aims to assist in selecting which of the 15 SSLDs to apply in each location and for each form of assessment. This paper provides a well-timed introduction to the new ISO/CIE Standard General Sky and its application, encouraging application of the new sky standard by building designers. However, more discussion of the practical applications of the MAM method may help those who wish to use the new sky standard. 120 R Kittler and S Darula
This article explores virtual common singing in the time of partial lockdown in Denmark through an auto-ethnographic account The phenomenon of singing together on Danish public service television gained immense popularity as a response to the pandemic as one-fifth of the population tuned in, in many cases broadcasting themselves while signing Looking at common singing as an emergent ‘infrastructure for troubling times’, this article takes up questions of digitally mediated intimacy during the COVID-19 lockdown, exploring who sings, what is sung, and the affective responses (tears, feelings of intimacy, ambivalence) to the singing More than merely reviving vernacular singing traditions, the article argues, this new-found sonic comradery forms not only an affective infrastructure that moves people to tears but also somatic building blocks for national imageries © Berghahn Books and the Association for Anthropology in Action
The laboratory realization of smart matched spatial filters (specifically snythetic discriminant functions) is considered and studied via computer simulation. The realization of these distortion-invariant correlator functions by computer-generated hologram and other methods is considered. Multiclass filters are addressed in this work. Phase-only filters and filters with a quantized number of amplitude and phase levels are considered. Phase-only filters are found to perform well for some imagery, but filters with some amplitude response are preferable. We also considered the number of phase and magnitude levels required and found four levels of each to be adequate.
Abstract We present an exact Fourier-based algorithm for rebinning 3D data generated by a stationary dual-panel PET system to obtain direct slices for subsequent slice-by-slice reconstruction. The algorithm is computationally efficient and can greatly reduce the problem dimensionality and computation complexity of the reconstruction task. By conducting computer simulation studies in which the effects of scatter, randoms, detector response functions and attenuation correction are not considered, we demonstrate that direct slices generated by the proposed algorithm are quantitatively accurate and exhibit substantially better noise characteristics than the original direct slices. However, image artefacts, occurring at axial intensity discontinuities and in regions close to the axial axis, can be observed. With preliminary supporting evidence, we stipulate that these artefacts are due to errors in discrete implementations of partial derivatives of the 3D data. Although general weightings can be used in the proposed rebinning algorithm, in this work we only study the use of uniform weightings and the resulting direct slices exhibit non-uniform noise distributions, with the central slices being less noisy. In future studies, by using general weightings to reduce contributions of the data that are acquired at large oblique angles, we expect that more uniform noise distributions can be achieved, and axial blurring due to parallax errors can be reduced, at the cost of overall image variance.
Given a distribution of pebbles on the vertices of a connected graph G, a pebbling move is defined as the removal of two pebbles from some vertex and the placement of one of those pebbles on an adjacent vertex. The pebbling number of a vertex v in a graph G is the smallest number f(G, v) such that for every placement of f(G, v) pebbles, it is possible to move a pebble to v by a sequence of pebbling moves. The pebbling number of G is the smallest number, f(G) such that from any distribution of f(G) pebbles, it is possible to move a pebble to any specified target vertex by a sequence of pebbling moves. Thus f(G) is the maximum value of f(G, v) over all vertices v. The detour pebbling number of G is denoted by f∗(G) and is obtained by the detour path. In this paper, we compute the detour pebbling number for some path related graphs.
Health risk behaviors undertaken in adolescence, such as smoking, can have a lasting impact on both short-term and long-term health developments. To better describe the health risk behaviors of an adolescent urban population, a study was conducted at two parochial middle schools in the southwest section of Philadelphia. The study purpose was to describe (1) the types of health risk behaviors being undertaken by a seventh grade student population, (2) the frequency of health risk behaviors, and (3) the age of initiation of the health risk behavior, e.g., age when they first began smoking. A descriptive, correlational study was undertaken with 106 urban seventh graders (ages of 11-13 years) from two seventh grade classes. Using the Youth Risk Behaviors Surveillance System Questionnaire, information was collected about health risk behaviors. Correlational statistics indicated significant correlations between students who smoke and alcohol use, dieting, and not feeling safe in their neighborhood. Interestingly, girls were more likely to use smoking as their primary method of weight control and dieting. Because the long-term impact of smoking is known to be negative, nurses should provide support to this at-risk population and also should be prepared to educate adolescents who come under their care.
Quantum circuit design flow consists of two main tasks: synthesis and physical design. Synthesis converts the design description into a technology-dependent netlist and then, physical design takes the fixed netlist, produces the layout, and schedules the netlist on the layout. Quantum physical design problem is intractable. This process can be divided into two main processes: scheduling and layout generation. Some heuristic techniques have been proposed for the layout generation. These techniques do not produce good layouts for large netlists in terms of latency. Focusing on this issue, in this paper, a hierarchical layout generation algorithm is proposed that generates better layouts in terms of latency. Ion trap is used as the underlying technology in this paper. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm decreases the average latency of quantum circuits by about 22% for the attempted benchmarks.
This paper presents a design of oscillation damping control for the cable-Suspended Aerial Manipulator (SAM). The SAM is modeled as a double pendulum, and it can generate a body wrench as a control action. The main challenge is the fact that there is only one onboard IMU sensor which does not provide full information on the system state. To overcome this difficulty, we design a controller motivated by a simplified SAM model. The proposed controller is very simple yet robust to model uncertainties. Moreover, we propose a gain tuning rule by formulating the proposed controller in the form of output feedback linear quadratic regulation problem. Consequently, it is possible to quickly dampen oscillations with minimal energy consumption. The proposed approach is validated through simulations and experiments.
With the development of power electronic technology, the DC Micro-grid has been paid more and more attention with its powerful energy saving advantages. In this paper, taking the DC Micro-grid composed of photovoltaic generation, energy storage device, DC transformer and load as the research object. Considering three operation modes of grid-connected operation, isolated island operation and smooth switch, the operating modes of the system is designed, the control strategies of the Micro-grid is studied. The DC transformer equivalent model is given to solve the problems about the long simulation step, numbers of computing nodes, lower simulation efficiency. Finally, the simulation platform is built to verify the effectiveness of the system, the feasible of the DC transformer equivalent model.
The objectives of the study were to evaluate the aquatic environment of an urban stream using various ecological parameters of biological biomarkers, physical habitat quality and chemical water quality and to develop a “Multimetric Eco-Model” (Mm-E Model) for the ecosystem evaluations. For the applications of the Mm-E model, three zones including the control zone (CZ) of headwaters, transition zone (TZ) of mid-stream and the impacted zone (IZ) of downstream were designated and analyzed the seasonal variations of the model values. The biomarkers of DNA, based on the comet assay approach of single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE), were analyzed using the blood samples of Zacco platypus as a target species, and the parameters were used tail moment, tail DNA(%) and tail length (μm) in the bioassay. The damages of DNA were evident in the impacted zone, but not in the control zone. The condition factor (CF) as key indicators of the population evaluation indicator was analyzed along with the weight-length relation and individual abnormality. The four metrics of Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) were added for the evaluations of physical habitat. In addition, the parameters of chemical water quality were used as eutrophic indicators of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and conductivity. Overall, our results suggested that attributes of biomarkers and bioindicators in the impacted zone (IZ) had sensitive response largely to the chemical stress (eutrophic indicators) and also partially to physical habitat quality, compared to the those in the control zone. Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment, Vol. 22, No. 6(2013) pp.591~607 http://dx.doi.org/10.14249/eia.2013.22.6.591
In this paper, we present a sufficient condition for the global asymptotic stability of a switched nonlinear system composed of a finite family of subsystems. We show that the global asymptotic stability of each subsystem and the pairwise commutation of the vector fields that define the subsystems (i.e., the Lie bracket of any pair of them is zero) are sufficient for the global asymptotic stability of the switched system. We also show that these conditions are sufficient for the existence of a common Lyapunov function.
One third of households in Alaska Native villages lack running water and sewer services. Historically, this public health need drove policies to improve access to treated water and sanitation. However, despite public health being a stated priority of water infrastructure development, current policies require demonstrated economic sustainability in ways that render suffering from water insecurity invisible. In this article, I situate the introduction of water treatment technologies within the history of domination coproduced with vulnerability. These processes are reflected in local narratives describing the relationships between technology, tradition, and suffering. By drawing attention to the role of the state in creating vulnerability, village leaders are trying to historicize and insert their health concerns into the sustainability conversation using narratives that both fit within and challenge the ideology of sustainability. These narratives are thus central to Iñupiat struggles for visibility.
With the shift in economic development responsibility away from the federal level in the 1980s, state and local governments have been called upon to join forces with the private sector to plan and finance local development. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has attempted to help local public and private sector leaders assume this responsibility by sharing information on successful local innovations with substantial private sector involvement. In this article, an EDA project that tested the widespread utility of the Bank Community Development Corporation (Bank CDC) is described for the purpose of acquainting economic development practitioners with an innovative financing tool.
Abstract Aim To explore the mediating role of fear and resilience on the relationship between clinical nurses' reporting of skin lesions and their anxiety and depression during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Background Prolonged personal protective equipment wearing may cause severe skin lesions among clinical nurses. The possible relationship between clinical nurses' reporting of skin lesions and their anxiety and depression remains unknown. Moreover, little is known about what factors could mediate such a relationship. Methods This is a cross‐sectional online survey. CHERRIES was used to report results. Results Of 2014 participants, 94.8% (n = 1910) reported skin lesions. Skin lesions were positively related to anxiety (p < .001, β = .228, SE = .099) and depression (p < .001, β = .187, SE = .093). Fear activated while resilience buffered the relationship between clinical nurses' reporting of skin lesions and anxiety and between skin lesions and depression. Conclusion Reduced fear and enhanced resilience level were related to decreased levels of anxiety and depression among clinical nurses. Implications for nursing management Nurse managers should evaluate the occurrence and severity of clinical nurses' skin lesions, arrange reasonable working duration to relieve skin lesions, provide appropriate psychological support to reduce clinical nurses' fear and implement various strategies to enhance their resilience, thereby decreasing their anxiety and depression. Clinical trial registration number: ChiCTR2000030290
A review of school-based health clinics is provided with special attention to the role of mental health services. An historical account of the development of school-based health clinics is delineated as well as a description of school-based health clinics' purpose and unique role in providing health care for children and adolescents. Critical policy issues are reviewed, such as managed care's role in the school-based health clinics, research issues, and funding concerns.
The aim of this work was to optimize the conditions of a Barlow reaction coupled with HPLC to assay nicotine and its metabolites cotinine, trans-hydroxycotinine, and pyridylcarbinol. Thiobarbituric acid was chosen as chromogen and the incubation time for the reaction was set at 15 minutes. The mobile phase was a mixture of acetate buffer 0.05 mol/L pH 5.2, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, triethylamine (86.0/11.4/2.5/0.1 v/v), and acetic acid to pH 5.4. Applied to a population of 30 smokers, the method was shown to be simple, reliable, and rapid (under 20 minutes).
Abstract We give an explicit construction of a continuous trace C*algebra with prescribed Dixmier-Douady class, and with only finite-dimensional irreducible representations. These algebras often have non-trivial automorphisms, and we show how a recent description of the outer automorphism group of a stable continuous trace C*algebra follows easily from our main result. Since our motivation came from work on a new notion of central separable algebras, we explore the connections between this purely algebraic subject and C*a1gebras.
The advent of online communication is transforming how older adults find social support with a community of peers who cope with similar health issues. This article explores whether participation in virtual health support groups demonstrates a significant interaction with users’ appraisal of their illness experience and predicts self-reappraisal among adults 50 years of age and older (N = 157). Hierarchical multiple regressions demonstrate the significance of the combined effect of virtual health support and its interaction with illness appraisal measures to predict the outcome variable of self-reappraisal. The results indicate that even though appraisal of cancer as a traumatic experience reduces positive self-reappraisal, those who appraised their illness to have been a traumatic experience perceived virtual support to be more influential on their sense of positive change after cancer. In contrast, perceived benefit of virtual support on positive self-appraisal is reduced if illness is appraised as an opportunity for personal growth.
In permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives, accurate knowledge of machine parameters has advantage in its control and/or monitoring its condition. This paper provides an adaptation method to determine the machine parameters. The machine's phase resistance, phase inductance and back-emf constant are updated continuously. The online adaptation helps tracking any dynamic change in the motor parameters due to environmental, aging and loading condition. The motor parameters used in the controller can be updated to enhance the performance. This method can also be used for end of line motor parameter calibration in mass production and condition monitoring of drive systems. The method eliminates the need for a priori knowledge of the machine parameters making the controller robust for high performance operation. Simulation and experiment demonstrate the validity and usefulness of the proposed algorithm for PMSM drive.
JULIA REINHARD LUPTON Othello Circumcised: Shakespeare and the Pauline Discourse of Nations IN HIS ESSAY “Is THERE A NEo-RACISM?” Etienne Balibar pro- poses that we now live under a new ideology of the nations, a “racism-without- races” that promotes various forms of ethnic cleansing under the alibi of “cultural” identity, purity, or autonomy, a discourse that co-opts and neutralizes the postwar vocabulary of liberal humanism and pluralism. Balibar links this neoracism of the late modem to the protoraczsm of the early modern period: A racism which does not have the pseudo-biological concept of race as its main driving force has always existed, and it has existed at exactly this level of secondary theoretical elaborations. Its prototype is anti-Semitism. Modern anti-Semitism—the form which be- gins to crystallize in the Europe of the Enlightenment, if not indeed from the period in which the Spain of the Reconquisla and the Inquisition gave a statist, nationalistic inflexion to theological anti-J udaism—is already a “culturalist” racism. . . . in many respects the whole of current differentialist racism may be considered, from the formal point of view, as a generalized anti-Semitism. This consideration is particularly important for the interpretation of contemporary Arabaphobia, especially in France, since it carries with it an image of Islam as a “conception of the world” which is incompatible with Europeanness.' Mapping contemporary neo-racism onto the deep structures of anti-Semitism, Balibar derives the anti-Islamic strain in contemporary politics from the long tradition of anti-jewish thought in Western historiography. Following Balibar's diagnosis, I argue here that Shakespeare’s Othello provides a canonical articulation of this protoracism insofar as the play fashions the Muslim in the image of the Jew according to the protocols of Pauline exegesis; in Balibar's terms, Othello stages a “culturalist” rather than biologistic ordering of intergroup relations, a reli- giously grounded discourse barely visible from the vantage point of the modern racial theories that have since displaced it, yet intermittently readable in the strange light of the neoracism that has emerged in recent years. A fundamental religious ambiguity vexes the racialization of Othello through- out the play; although his professed Christianity authorizes Othello’s place in Venice, the play never decisively determines whether he has converted from a pagan religion or from Islam. I argue that the black Gentile of a universal church undergirds Othello’s opening narrative of international romance, but that this di- vine comedy of pagan conversion is continually shadowed by the more troubling possibility of Othello’s entrance into Christianity via its disturbing neighbor, Is- lam. This secondary scenario, which subsumes Islam within what Balibar calls “a REPRESENTATIONS 57 - Winter 1997 © THE REGENTS or THE UNIVERSITY or CALIFORNIA 73
Transceivers with low energy consumption are indispensable components for wireless sensor networks. Energy efficient modulation techniques are of paramount importance for wireless sensor communication (WSC) where energy efficiency directly affects the lifetime of the sensor nodes. Also the type and behavior of pulse shaping filters influences the performance of the modulation scheme. In this paper an energy efficient modulation scheme, AQ-DBPSK for WSC in indoor environments is simulated and its performance is analyzed for Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading conditions. A comparative study of communication performance metrics like Magnitude Error, Phase Error, Bandwidth Efficiency and Bit Error Rate (BER) for BPSK, DBPSK and AQ-DBPSK using Raised Cosine and Root Raised Cosine filters are presented and analyzed.
The doctrine of the margin of appreciation, despite being repeatedly used by the European Court of Human Rights, is still to some extent mysterious. Given the doctrine's ambiguity, this article first endeavours to describe it and identify its different usages. It then argues that there is an inflation of the doctrine by its unnecessary application in a number of cases. This excessive use is considered to be unfortunate because the doctrine has a role to play in specifically circumscribed circumstances where it varies the strictness of scrutiny conducted by the Court. Based on the existent case law of the Court, the article provides a set of distinct tests that the Court can apply when invoking a particular margin of appreciation and argues for a predictable and consistent use of the doctrine.
Past studies have examined the inhibition of binding of mannose‐rich yeast to immobilized concanavalin A (Con A) in the presence and absence of specific saccharides. This is a model system for testing potential drugs that could block pathogen binding to human cells. Here 2.0M, 0.2 M and 0.02 M NaCl and KCl were tested in a much more extensive study than in the past, for their ability to inhibit binding of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to immobilized Con A over a 30 min time course. In about 15,000 replicate experiments, both salts inhibited binding in a nearly identical way, in a concentration dependent manner, ranging from about 20% to about 60% reduced binding over controls. The salt effects reached a plateau at 20‐30 minutes, with 2.0 M salt showing the greatest inhibitory effects. These results are similar to those obtained in studies with specific saccharides, suggesting that salt effectively can block lectin‐saccharide binding, with possible implications in pathogen binding to human cells (Supported by NIH NIGMS SCORE (S0648680), MARC, RISE, the Joseph Drown Foundation and Sidney Stern Memorial Trust.
For a partition ( (O = .o m, denotes the space of piecewise-polynomials of order k and of smoothness m 1; this space can be represented as the graph of the appropriate linear operator between two finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces. It gives an approach to the C. de Boor problem, 1972, on uniform boundedness (with respect to {) in the L.-norm of the orthogonal projections onto stm, and we give the detailed analysis of a quadratic pencil (matrix-valued polynomial of the second degree) which appears in the case of a geometric mesh ( if 2m ? k. The explicit calculations and estimates of zeros of the "characteristic" polynomial show that in the case SbX), {(x) the geometric mesh with the parameter x, 0 m > 0, and any partition = ((aX,)n of the unit interval [0, 1], (01 (0. 1) ? = (0 < (1 < < (n < (n+i 1 we define the piecewise-polynomial subspace (0.2) S t km = n C(m1 )[0, 11, where P~~{feL[01VfIA ~~k-I Pk, e f EJ L [?, Il: f Ia,, iS a polnom1ial caxi of order k, 0 s a s n Each interior breakpoint (,,a 1 < a < n, generates m continuity conditions (0.3) ( IA C)=af-IA ( YA)(i) ), 0 <in, to make a functionf E Pkt be an element of Scm. Let Q = QS be the orthogonal projection onto S in L2[0, 1], i.e. with respect to the inner product (f, g) f(x) g(x) dx. We are interested in Q as a map in C[0, 1] or L' [0, 1] and we would like to get the estimates of its norm IIQIIOO = sup IIQflI/lflfloo, f where Ilf 11K0 = esssupo_x_ If(x)I ,f E L??[O 1]. Received September 29, 1980. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 41A1 5; Secondary 47A68. * This paper was partly supported by NSF grant 7906079. (?1983 American Mathematical Society 0025-571 8/82/0000-0750/$05.25
bribery and argues that ‘at the university level, students often have to pay both to get admitted and to graduate’ (257). However, this claim disregards the role of the State Student Admissions Committee which enables thousands of students to be admitted to universities based on their knowledge and merit each year. Likewise, while discussing the historic role of different dynasties and states in the modification of Azerbaijani identity, Cornell argues that many poets and writers of Azerbaijan tend to write in Persian while being of Turkic origin (259–60). However, not all the authors who were of Turkic origin preferred Persian to Turkish and those who did were constrained by the political requirements of the periods in which they lived. Cornell’s present study sheds light even on some marginal issues in Azerbaijani society such as the lack of awareness in the Azerbaijani population of the distinction between being Shias or Sunnis or the on-going effective curfew set on Azeri women by conservative family norms that rarely attract analysis. An even more noteworthy aspect is that while discussing these issues Cornell relies on his own observations. The book’s shortcomings, however, do not undermine its importance for understanding Azerbaijan’s history since 1991. The book provides valuable and useful insights for scholars and students of both international affairs and the Republic’s domestic, political and social change. The smooth and fluid language of the book, plus its logical subdivisions make the study easy to read. Svante Cornell’s present book is thus a significant contribution to the study of Azerbaijani history since its independence.
The performance of the heat-protective clothing is critical for protecting the safety of workers in the high temperature environment. How to design a good quality and comfortable heat-protective clothing is a challenge problem. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel data-driven optimization method integrating Levenberg-Marquardt back propagation neural network (LMNN) and simulated annealing algorithm (SA), named as LMNNSA, to design the thickness of each layer for the heat-protective clothing. Firstly, the heat transfer model of the environment-clothing-skin system is established to obtain the temperature distribution of each layer for the heat-protective clothing. Secondly, the LMNN method is presented to analyze the relationship among the temperature of any point in the heat-protective clothing, its related position in each layer, and the working time. Thirdly, the SA optimization algorithm is used to acquire the optimal solution of the fabric thickness when reaching the minimal temperature of the skin surface. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed LMNNSA method is demonstrated by comparing the changes of skin temperature before and after the improvement of the thickness. This study provides a guideline for designing the fabric thickness of heat-protective clothing.
Bidimensional empirical mode decomposition (BEMD) techniques decompose an image into several bidimensional intrinsic mode functions (BIMFs) and a bidimensional residue (BR). Although currently existing BEMD methods are proposed for gray level images, there has been no BEMD method for color image analysis. In this paper an approach of BEMD technique is developed for the first time to decompose and analyze color images, named as color BEMD (CBEMD). For this purpose, a recently developed fast and adaptive BEMD (FABEMD) method is utilized, which employs order statistics filters (OSFs) to get the upper and lower envelopes instead of surface interpolation. Experimental results with real images depict the usefulness of the CBEMD method.
The theme of this essay is focused on the greneral education of civics textbooks in the period of authority Taiwan,write dowm what is actually happening in the history for Taiwan’s greneral education in of civics textbooks in the future.The main objective is to grasp a fact of civil education is developed a special circumstances in Taiwan for more real and complete history;this was not the case for repudiate. I hope to throw away a brick in order to get a gem and expect to would make much more attach importance to civil education of Taiwan. The thesis make a distinction between eight chapter make a summary in the below. The first chapter for in troduction. Explanation on the motive, domain, method, outline, historical materials and predecessor of research achievements about the thesis research. The second chapter: The historical development of civil education in Taiwan. I describe the primary civil education after the war and discuss its meaning,destination and history from the development of civil education in Taiwan in order to display the real civil education in the authoritative times. The third to sixth chapter: The analysis of textbooks. I separate the 38 years into four periods from 1952 to 1989 to analyse the textbooks, historical materials and presentation in class from development of civil education. The seventh chapter: The analysis of textbooks in four periods, education presentation and social changes. I induce all the topics and characters in four periods and put them in order. I analyse the civil education practically taught at school and what the role played in the change of Taiwan. The eighth chapter:The conclusion. I look back on the key points in civil textbooks and do comprehensive research, and briefly illustrating the deficiency in my thesis and issues in the future.
Paedomorphosis is the retention of juvenile morphology at maturity and is important in generating evolutionary change in domestic species and species in the wild. When comparing dogs with the wolf, this preliminary study saw paedomorphosis in their physical and behavioral traits (Goodwin, Bradshaw, & Wickens, 1997). This preliminary study compared morphological characteristics of 10 breeds from northern regions (Shetland ponies) and southern regions (Arabians) with the Exmoor pony. Twenty-three respondents from the United Kingdom and Australia rated the breeds for 7 physical traits. As evidenced by low standard deviations, the respondents demonstrated a high degree of agreement. The study ranked breeds from the most similar (Highland pony) to the least similar (Arabian) to the Exmoor pony. The least similar breeds had physical traits suggestive of paedomorphosis: small heads, long legs, and a low head-to-body ratio. This preliminary study suggests that morphological, behavioral, and physiological differences between the breeds-plus morphometric comparisons of extant breeds and faunal remains of predomestication horses-warrant further study.
This paper presents a portable impedance analyzer based on the AD5933 integrated circuit, specifically designed for fruit quality monitoring throughout its entire supply chain. The custom designed system allows to flexibly tune the parameters (i.e. excitation voltage, feedback resistor, settling time) for each AD5933 frequency range from 10Hz to 100kHz, leading to a precise system calibration and consequently, measurement. <italic>FruitMeter</italic> runs MicroPython on an STM32 microcontroller, allowing ease of development, advanced low-power mode, and both on-demand and scheduled measurements. The system employs Low-Energy Bluetooth and USB communication with a micro SD data storage which, together with its small size (7.5<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ times $ </tex-math></inline-formula>2<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ times $ </tex-math></inline-formula>4cm in volume) and the 300mAh rechargeable battery with USB recharge, increases the system portability and connectivity, critical for smart agriculture on-field applications. The developed portable system is validated by comparing its performance with a benchtop impedance analyzer with both passive components and fruit samples (apple, avocado, banana, mango and tomato). The comparison resulted in an average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 1.0% and 4.3% for the passive components and of 1.36% and 6.8% for the fruit samples, for impedance magnitude and phase, respectively. We finally validated the system for a real use-case regarding the evaluation of banana aging evolution.
This study aims to investigate the effects of biochar activation temperature and atmosphere on the steam reforming of biomass volatiles. The biochar produced from biomass pyrolysis was activated under an atmosphere of 100% N2, 100% CO2, or 5% O2/95% N2, with an activation temperature of 500, 600, 700, or 800 °C, respectively. The volatile reforming in the presence and absence of biochar and the self-gasification of biochars were conducted on a two-stage fixed-bed reaction system. Compared with N2 and CO2 activation, the biochar undergoing 5% O2/95% N2 activation (O2 activation) at 800 °C showed a porous structure but relatively lower self-gasification reactivity. A positive interaction between volatiles and biochar was also obtained for the biochar activated under O2 atmosphere as more active sites might be formed during the O2 activation. Furthermore, the O2 activation under lower temperature was found to be better for both the biochar gasification reactivity and the volatile reforming with biochar. A st...
The collapsing of social contexts together has emerged as an important topic with the rise of social media that so often blurs the public and private, professional and personal, and the many different selves and situations in which individuals find themselves. Academic literature is starting to address how the meshing of social contexts online has many potentially beneficial as well as problematic consequences. In an effort to further theorize context collapse, we draw on this literature to consider the conditions under which context collapse occurs, offering key conceptual tools with which to address these conditions. Specifically, we distinguish two different types of context collapse, splitting collapse into context collusions and context collisions. The former is an intentional collapsing of contexts, while the latter is unintentional. We further examine the ways in which both technological architectures and agentic user practices combine to facilitate and mitigate the various effects of collapsing contexts.
ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infects cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. While infection of macrophages by HIV-1 is generally not cytopathic, it does impair macrophage function. In this study, we examined the effect of HIV-1 infection on intracellular signaling in human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) stimulated with the growth factor granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF is an important growth factor for cells of both the macrophage and granulocyte lineages and enhances effector functions of these cells via the heterodimeric GM-CSF receptor (GM-CSFR). A major pathway which mediates the effects of GM-CSF on macrophages involves activation of the latent transcription factor STAT5A via a Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)-dependent pathway. We demonstrate that GM-CSF-induced activation of STAT5A is inhibited in MDM after infection in vitro with the laboratory-adapted R5 strain of HIV-1, HIV-1Ba-L, but not after infection with adenovirus. HIV-1 infection of MDM did not decrease the STAT5A or JAK2 mRNA level or STAT5A protein level or result in increased constitutive activation of STAT5A. Surface expression of either the α-chain or common βc-chain of GM-CSFR was also unaffected. We conclude that HIV-1 inhibits GM-CSF activation of STAT5A without affecting expression of the known components of the signaling pathway. These data provide further evidence of disruption of cellular signaling pathways after HIV-1 infection, which may contribute to immune dysfunction and HIV-1 pathogenesis.
Badminton is in great demand by the community both as a daily sport and chosen to be a professional sport by many young Indonesians. It is proven by the large number of badminton athletes sprung up both at the regional and national level. All athletes involved in badminton have one goal, namely to make Indonesia famous in the world. With the slowness of the achievements of Indonesian athletes and to better maintain the competition of badminton achievements in the international arena, then we PGRI Banyuwangi University intends to hold a Badminton Championship SMA / SMK / MA throughout Besuki Raya "UNIBA Cup I 2020". Our hope with this badminton championship can bring quality badminton athletes to Indonesia in general. In this championship activity we as a committee provide a place for young badminton players to achieve again in the future and become a means of proving for them in measuring their ability to play badminton. In our service activities we carried out several stages including the preparatory stages including the socialization of the badminton championship by distributing invitation letters and championship brochures to SMA / SMK / MA throughout the Besuki residency. Next to record the players who have registered and the last is a technical meeting, after that the implementation stage of the championship is held for 5 days and the last is the final evaluation stage, namely making the final report. Based on the results of devotion activities that have been carried out, (1) players get the right place to maximize the player's psychology in competing and improve and measure the technical abilities possessed by players, (2) The trainer indirectly has a picture of how psychological conditions and abilities possessed by the players, so that they can determine the right formula in the next training program, (3) for the committee who are Penjaskesrek students, where they certainly get lessons in managing a championship and participate in the refereeing process.
Discovered in China in December 2019, coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has confronted the world with an unprecedented crisis. Healthcare workers, the first line of defense against this pandemic, have been severely affected. Clinical trial results of the emergency vaccines showed that they all produced IgG antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) with high rates of seroconversion. While immunization against natural challenge (COVID-19 infection) and artificial challenge (vaccination) in health care workers is relatively well described in the West, the issue is not well understood in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire, where populations are genetically distinct from Caucasians. Our aim was to investigate the magnitude of post-vaccination IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 in healthcare workers in our African epigenetic context. A cross-sectional, multicenter, analytical study was conducted from March to May 2022 among health workers employed at the University Hospital of Abidjan and vaccinated against COVID-19. The study included 77 health workers. IgG immunoassays were performed with an enzyme-linked fluorescent assays. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22.0 software, with a p-value ˂ 0.05 considered as a significant difference. All enrolled subjects developed anti-SRAS-Cov-2 IgG, of which 88.3% had a strong response (titer ≥ 250 Binding Antibody Units/ml). IgG titers varied significantly by gender (p=0.04). Vaccine type and number of doses did not affect IgG titers. However, a history of COVID-19 infection was associated with a 5-fold greater likelihood of developing a strong IgG response after vaccination. In conclusion, humoral IgG responses developed after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 were robust and would be influenced by a variety of factors..
An approach for carrier cooling in undoped and contactless semiconductors is proposed by using thermal-drag effects in comparison with other methods, such as direct resonant tunneling, nonresonant thermionic, and junction-tunneling cooling, as well as indirect optothermionic and thermoelectric cooling, of carriers in doped and contacted semiconductors. A four-step microscopic model is proposed for this thermal-drag carrier cooling in undoped semiconductors. Wide-band-gap semiconductors with small lattice specific heat and small exchange specific heat between carriers and phonons are found to achieve the best thermal-drag carrier cooling under near-band-edge interband pumping by a weak field. This indirect carrier cooling is accompanied by the lattice cooling. The carrier temperature is pinned to the lattice temperature due to ultrafast carrier-phonon scattering, and it is dragged down by the reduction of the lattice temperature, i.e., the thermal-drag effects.
ABSTRACT The aims of this study were (i) to examine the sedentary time (ST) during different time periods [i.e., weekend, out-of-school weekdays hours, school hours, recess, physical education classes (PEC)] in children and adolescents; (ii) to identify 2-year longitudinal changes in the ST for these periods; and (iii) to examine if ST at baseline is associated with ST 2 years later. This was a 2-year follow-up study with 826 (51.9% boys) children and 678 (50.7% boys) adolescents. Accelerometers were used to assess ST. Students spent more than 60% of their weekend, out-of-school hours and school hours in ST. During these periods, girls and adolescents were more sedentary than boys and children, respectively (p < 0.05). Over 2-year follow-up, ST increased during the weekend, out-of-school hours, school hours and recess in all subgroups studied (p < 0.001). ST during PEC declined 2% per year in children (p < 0.001) but it increased in adolescents (p < 0.05). ST during the periods analysed at baseline was lowly associated with ST during these periods 2 years later (intraclass correlations from <0.001 to 0.364). Interventions in these settings may be adequate if the intention is to avoid ST increase in students.
Bronchial diseases alter the color and structural characteristics of the pulmonary mucosa through changes in blood flow, epithelial thickening, and abnormal cell growth. Current analysis of these subtle changes includes visual interpretation of the airway color and topography through bronchoscopy procedures, and quantitative multidetector-x-ray-computed-tomography (MDCT)-based structural analysis, each affording valuable insights to the health of the lungs. The fusion of the bronchoscopy and MDCT image data promises to provide a synergistic data set exhibiting both mucosal color and topography crucial to fostering an understanding of airway structure and function. A real-time airway color analysis imaging system is developed and utilized to perform pulmonary mucosal color assessment in healthy volunteers with subsequent comparative studies performed in example disease states. Our results indicate that macro-optical digital bronchoscopes with appropriate image analysis may have a significant impact on understanding bronchial diseases. To ensure the correct interpretation of scene content, which is critical in the assessment of airway topography, we are developing methods of extracting 3-D structure from 2-D bronchoscope images utilizing MDCT imaging techniques. The resulting 3-D true-color images of the pulmonary mucosa facilitate the combination of mucosal color and topography analysis as well as region of interest localization within the airway tree.
O lympian 2 has received more attention than any other of Pindar's odes. The elaborate vision of life after death that begins just after the middle of the poem (56) and continues through the end of its fourth triad (80) is responsible for much of the interest. Within the scope of the present article I cannot account for every feature of this vision, still less attempt to interpret the ode in its entirety. I concentrate, instead, on the way Pindar introduces the vision, and on the way he brings it to a close. In regard to its introduction, I am pursuing an inkling that came to me some time ago, when I was translating the poem.' Since the progress of thought leading to the otherworldly vision struck me as normal for an epinician, I wondered whether the vision itself might be understood in poetic as well as religious terms, whether it might not have almost as much to do with immortal fame as with immortal life. My initial impressions have been confirmed: the two types of immortality are intimately connected with each other. Keeping their relationship in mind enhances appreciation of the poem's complexity and helps to avoid the distortions entailed by an overly literal reading. In regard to the conclusion of the vision, I am, in a way, taking up where F. Solmsen left off. Pindar's translation of Achilles to the Island of the Blest at the climax of the eschatology (79-80) struck Solmsen as a direct reaction to Odyssey 11. 487-91, where the ghost of Achilles utters the famous words that some critics believe cast doubt on the value of a heroic life.2 Solmsen showed how Pindar here avails himself of a
The author discusses the state of the art of formal methods tool support. The focus is on a particular tool: the EVES verification system. EVES is a new formal methods tool that integrates techniques from, among others, language design, language semantics, and logic and automated deduction. EVES demonstrates a number of the features that can be found in the state-of-the-art formal methods tool. The author gives brief introductions to various other formal methods tools (e.g., HOL, EHDM, the Boyer-Moore theorem prover) and discusses how these tools are being applied.<<ETX>>
An application of the Soil Moisture Agricultural Drought Index (SMADI) for global agricultural drought monitoring is presented. The index integrates surface soil moisture from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and allows for global drought monitoring at medium spatial scales (0.05°). Biweekly maps of SMADI were obtained from year 2010 to 2015 over all agricultural areas on Earth. The SMADI time-series were compared with state-of-the-art drought indices over the Iberian Peninsula. Results show a good agreement between SMADI and the Crop Moisture Index (CMI) retrieved at five weather stations (with correlation coefficient, R from −0.64 to −0.79) and the Soil Water Deficit Index (SWDI) at the Soil Moisture Measurement Stations Network of the University of Salamanca (REMEDHUS) (R=𢈒0.83). Some preliminary tests were also made over the continental United States using the Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI), with very encouraging results regarding the spatial occurrence of droughts during summer seasons. Additionally, SMADI allowed to identify distinctive patterns of regional drought over the Indian Peninsula in spring of 2012. Overall results support the use of SMADI for monitoring agricultural drought events world-wide.
Stephanie Lawson, Professor of International Relations at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK, considers the role that the concept of “culture” has come to assume in the study of international politics, especially in relation to the Asia‐Pacific region. Much of the cultural nationalist rhetoric associated with the “Nihonjinron” as well as discourses surrounding the “new Asianism” has had two main consequences. One has been to reinforce static perceptions of culture as a marker of essential difference. On the other hand, some obvious instrumental uses to which it has been put by some political elites in the region has generated a great deal of cynicism about the concept. Taking culture seriously requires a different approach—one which stresses the dynamic properties of culture and its potential role in transcending the “East‐West” divide. The original version of this paper was presented at the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, St. Antony's College, Oxford, on 29 November 1998.
ABSTRACT Given that cinema is a movement-based art form, this article proposes that a director’s work is more analogous to that of a choreographer than that of an author. From there, it considers others involved in choreographing a film’s movement and focusses on the film editor. The case study for revealing how directing and editing shape cinematic movement is The Cool World (1963), a radical and insufficiently recognised film directed and edited by Shirley Clarke. My analysis looks closely at a specific passage in the film to identify how its movement-phrases, as shaped in editing, convey or create experiences of community, space, and subtext – experiences that cannot be created on paper or even in shots until the shots are edited. Through this case study of a director-editor, I demonstrate that editing is a process of authoring the movement-phrases that move the spectator. Having considered editing as an intrinsic part of Clarke’s directorial agency, I conclude with brief consideration of the question: if we understand a film to be at least in part ‘authored’ in editing when the director and editor are one person, what happens when they are not?
Abstract : Further progress is reported for the third year of a project to study the transmission ecology of tick borne Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) virus in the West African savannah. Prospective observations in northern Senegal were continued to describe the seasonal activity of potential vector ticks. Adult tick abundance was low relative to previous years and immature ticks feeding on small mammals and birds were most abundant during or after the rainy season. Seroconversion of sheep diminished in concert with decreased tick abundance. Laboratory studies on the feeding of immature Hyalomma truncatum and H. marginatum rufipes demonstrated that the feeding pattern ( 2-or 3 host ) differs with the host species. Laboratory transmission studies of CCHF virus demonstrated that various native vertebrates become viremic, produce antibodies and are capable of horizontal transmission. Studies on human risk of infection undertaken in Yonofere, Senegal showed that 13% of people had been infected and prevalence increased with age: males and females were equally infected and risk in men was associated with bite by H. truncatum ticks and caring for sick animals. Two more strains of CCHF virus were isolated from pools of H. truncatum. (JS)
We present AMPLES, Approximate Matching of Persistent LExicon using Search-Engines, to address the Mobile-Application-Identification (MApId) problem in network traffic at a per-flow granularity. We transform MApId into an information-retrieval problem where lexical similarity of short-text-documents is used as a metric for classification tasks. Specifically, a network-flow, observed at an intercept-point, is treated as a semi-structured-text-document and modified into a flow-query. This query is then run against a corpus of documents pre-indexed in a search-engine. Each index-document represents an application, and consists of distinguishable identifiers from the metadata-file and URL-strings found in the application's executable-archive. The search-engine acts as a kernel function, generating a score distribution vis-'a-vis the index-documents, to determine a match. This extends the scope of MApId to fuzzy-classification mapping a flow to a family of apps when the score distribution is spread-out. Through experiments over an emulator-generated test-dataset (400 K applications and 13.5 million flows), we obtain over 80% flow coverage and about 85% application coverage with low false-positives (4%) and nearly no false-negatives. We also validate our methodology over a real network trace. Most importantly, our methodology is platform agnostic, and subsumes previous studies, most of which focus solely on the application coverage.
Background and aim: Iloprost is recommend worldwide for the treatment of RP and the healing of DUs. The aim of this study is to report the regimens of Iloprost administered in different rheumatological centers within the same regional Health System Methods: A questionnaire exploring different items related to the use of Iloprost was developed and reviewed by three expert rheumatologists. The questionnaire was distributed as an online survey to all local SSc referral centers in Emilia-Romagna (Italy). Data are reported as percentage or median with interquartile range (IQR), as appropriate. An updated review of world literature on this topic was also carried out. Results: All the invited centers completed the survey. There were both local (8) and university hospitals (4). The majority (58%) had a rheumatologist as head physician. All centers used Iloprost: a single monthly administration was the most common treatment (75%). The cycle lasted 1 [IQR 1-2] days with a 0.5-2.0 ng/Kg/min dose according to the drug tolerance of the patients. There were overall 68 spots (beds, reclining armchair, or simple armchair); 2.0 [1.5-4.0] patients were able to receive Iloprost at the same time. University Hospitals had more physicians at their disposal than local hospitals but less paramedic personnel (respectively: 1.8 vs 1.2 physicians, 1.5 vs 2.1 nurses). Conclusions: These observations were in line with the majority of previous studies reporting different regimens, comparing similar (but not identical) dose and schedule administration, however, despite differences being at times substantial, no standard infusion method is yet available. (www.actabiomedica.it)
Time spent in physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep collectively impact health of older adults. There is a need for valid self-reported methods for the assessment of movement behaviors across the entire 24-hr day. The aim of this study was to explore the validity of the German version of Daily Activity Behaviours Questionnaire (DABQ), the "Schlaf- und Aktivitätsfragebogen (SAF)," among older adults. Participants were asked to wear activity monitor (activPAL) for a period of 8 days and to complete the German version of DABQ. Seventy-seven participants (45 females; 68 ± 5 years of age) completed the protocol. Spearman's correlation coefficients between DABQ and activPAL estimates for time spent in sleep, sedentary behavior, light physical activity, and moderate to vigorous physical activity were .69, .35, .24, and .52, respectively. The German version of the DABQ showed satisfactory validity to be used in epidemiological research and population surveillance among older adults.
Environment models are vital elements for any type of vehicle dynamics simulations, such as aircraft or satellites. Recently, applications have been developed, where these previously unrelated regimes of operation need to  be integrated, for example in end-to-end simulations of launch vehicles. This paper therefore introduces the new DLR Environment Library, which implements common models of planets, geospheres, currents, kinematics, and physical effects for such applications. It provides a set of environment models with minimal dependencies, complete compatibility to the Modelica Standard Library, and convenient drag and drop usage. The DLR Environment Library is expected to immensely aid developing end-to-end simulation models integrating components from DLR's SpaceSystems and FlightDynamics Libraries. In particular, it will importantly decrease modeling errors due to its consistent environment models.
The aim of the study is to evaluate effectiveness of a rainwater harvesting technique with polyethylene film covered ridges (RHCR) on pumpkin seed production under rainfed conditions in Kayseri/Turkey. For this purpose, a two-year experiment, of which were consisted three covered ridge widths (R 1 = 0.5, R 2 = 0.7, and R 3 = 0.9 m) and a control treatment, was conducted. The experimental design was completely randomized plots in blocks with three replications. Significantly higher seed yields were obtained from R 2 and R 3 (202 and 208 kg ha -1 ) in first year and from R 2 (660 kg ha -1 ) in second year. Although excessive drought conditions were experienced during pumpkin growing period in those years, especially R 2 treatment resulted significantly higher yield. Higher plant density in R 1 and lower density in R 3 negatively affected seed yield especially in water scarce second year. In second year, leaf area, mean fruit weight, fruit yield, seed yield and 1000-seed weight were found higher than ones in first year because of application of nitrogen a whole at sowing. We concluded that RHCR with optimum plant density and proper covered ridge wide, and application whole nitrogen at sowing under rainfed conditions are effective ways to obtain higher pumpkin production in semiarid regions.
The parasite, Cryptosporidium parvum, induces human gastroenteritis through infection of host epithelial cells in the small intestine. During the initial stage of infection, C. parvum is reported to engage host mechanisms at the host cell-parasite interface to form a parasitophorous vacuole. We determined that upon infection, the larger molecular weight proteins in human small intestinal epithelial host cells (FHs 74 Int) appeared to globally undergo tyrosine dephosphorylation. In parallel, expression of the cytoplasmic protein tyrosine phosphatase Src homology-2 domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP-2) increased in a time-dependent manner. SHP-2 co-localized with the C. parvum sporozoite and this interaction increased the rate of C. parvum infectivity through SH2-mediated SHP-2 activity. Furthermore, we show that one potential target that SHP-2 acts upon is the focal adhesion protein, paxillin, which undergoes moderate dephosphorylation following infection, with inhibition of SHP-2 rescuing paxillin phosphorylation. Importantly, treatment with an inhibitor to SHP-2 and with an inhibitor to paxillin and Src family kinases, effectively decreased the multiplicity of C. parvum infection in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, our study reveals an important role for SHP-2 in the pathogenesis of C. parvum. Furthermore, while host proteins can be recruited to participate in the development of the electron dense band at the host cell-parasite interface, our study implies for the first time that SHP-2 appears to be recruited by the C. parvum sporozoite to regulate infectivity. Taken together, these findings suggest that SHP-2 and its down-stream target paxillin could serve as targets for intervention.
Anemia is seen in chronic kidney insufficiency (CKI), dialysis patients, congestive heart failure (CHF), and renal transplantation. Anemia can lead to progressive cardiac damage as well as progressive renal damage. It is not generally appreciated that CHF itself may be a very common contributor to both the production of anemia as well as to the progression of the renal failure. Correction of the anemia with erythropoietin and, as necessary, intravenous iron, may prevent the deterioration of both the heart and the kidneys. We suggest that there is a triangular relationship, a vicious circle, between CHF, CKI and anemia where each of these three can both cause and be caused by the other. We call this syndrome the cardio-renal anemia (CRA) syndrome. All physicians, especially cardiologists and internists who treat CKI and CHF, should be made aware of the dangers of anemia in CKI and CHF and should work with nephrologists to correct it.
Abstract Texture has been investigated in warm extruded Al–Al3Ti bars obtained from mechanically alloyed powders. The effects of various high volume fractions of Al3Ti phase (9, 18, and 27 vol.-%) and the very fine grain sizes that can be obtained via the mechanical alloying processing route are described. Increasing the volume fraction of Al3Ti phase tends to decrease the anisotropy of the extruded product. The ‘conventional’ aluminium texture characterised by a predominant 〈111〉Al fibre usually present in extruded bars is replaced at high volume fraction of Al3Ti particles (27%) and small size of aluminium grains (300 nm) by a weak and broad 〈441〉Al fibre. This is suggested to be associated with a modification of the predominant deformation mechanism, changing from dislocation slip towards grain boundary sliding at small grain size.
A 67-year-old female patient with no prior history of benign thyroid disease was diagnosed with primary thyroid lymphoma and was staged with18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). She was treated with chemotherapy and external beam radiation therapy, and a follow-up PET/CT showed significant reduction in the size of the thyroid lymphoma with persistent intense 18F-FDG uptake, which was interpreted as partial response to therapy. However, two subsequent PET/CT studies showed no change in the persistent intense 18F-FDG uptake in the thyroid and a biopsy confirmed the presence of thyroiditis with no evidence of residual lymphoma. Follow-up PET/CTs performed over the subsequent three years showed stable intensely 18F-FDG avid thyroiditis with no evidence of lymphoma recurrence. We present the imaging characteristics of a long term radiation treatment induced thyroiditis mimicking 18F-FDG avid residual disease on PET/CT.
There is growing evidence that several biochemical constituents of cigarette smoking play a significant role in the development and progression of heart and blood vessel damage, especially atherosclerotic lesions. Some biochemical markers of tobacco smoke may be determined in blood and urine samples. They are also the main responsible factors of cardiovascular harm. Nicotine and its major metabolite, cotinine, carbon monoxide, and thiocyanate seem to be specific markers. Ischaemic heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, and endothelial dysfunction are the most common evidence of both active and passive smoking exposure. Dosage of cotinine in urine is of easier determination than that of other metabolites in assessing exposure to smoking, although carboxyhaemoglobin levels seem to be a qualitative, but not quantitative factor to estimate either the degree of cardiovascular damage or the level of exposure. Cigarette smoking is addictive because of nicotine, and it is nicotine withdrawal that causes many side effects of quitting smoking as well as the nicotine itself may exacerbate cardiac lesions. Also haematologic changes are a consequence of cigarette smoking exposure. Increased white blood cells, platelet aggregation and adhesiveness, fibrinogen level, and changes in serum lipids characterise the response to smoking. Anatomical and ultrastructural alterations of the heart and blood vessels are also described as a consequence of negative effects of biochemical markers of cigarette smoking. These alterations are known as "Smoke cardiomyopathy" in experimental pathology.
The Sea-Viewing Wide-Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) has made monthly observations of the Moon since 1997. Using 66 monthly measurements, the SeaWiFS calibration team has developed a correction for the instrument's on-orbit response changes. Concurrently, a lunar irradiance model has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from extensive Earth-based observations of the Moon. The lunar irradiances measured by SeaWiFS are compared with the USGS model. The comparison shows essentially identical response histories for SeaWiFS, with differences from the model of less than 0.05% per thousand days in the long-term trends. From the SeaWiFS experience we have learned that it is important to view the entire lunar image at a constant phase angle from measurement to measurement and to understand, as best as possible, the size of each lunar image. However, a constant phase angle is not required for using the USGS model. With a long-term satellite lunar data set it is possible to determine instrument changes at a quality level approximating that from the USGS lunar model. However, early in a mission, when the dependence on factors such as phase and libration cannot be adequately determined from satellite measurements alone, the USGS model is critical to an understanding of trends in instruments that use the Moon for calibration. This is the case for SeaWiFS.
BACKGROUND The immunogenicity of booster inactivated COVID-19 vaccines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has remained unclear. Our study aims to investigate the antibody response to inactivated COVID-19 vaccine following booster vaccination in patients with T2DM.   METHODS A total of 201 patients with T2DM and 102 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. The levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 total antibodies, anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific IgG, neutralizing antibody (NAb) toward SARS-CoV-2 wild type (WT), and NAb toward SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 subvariant were measured to evaluate the vaccine-induced immunological responses.   RESULTS The titers of anti-RBD-specific IgG (p = 0.018) and inhibition rates of NAb toward WT (p = 0.007) were significantly decreased in patients with T2DM compared to HCs after booster vaccination for more than 6 months. Both HCs and patients with T2DM showed poor resistance against BA.4/5 due to the detected inhibition rates being lower than the positive threshold. The levels of anti-RBD-specific IgG were positively associated with the proportions of CD3+ CD4- CD8- T cells (p = 0.045), and patients with T2DM who had anti-RBD-specific IgG positivity showed higher proportions of CD3+ CD4- CD8- T cells compared to those negative (p = 0.005).   CONCLUSIONS Patients with T2DM showed impaired antibody responses after booster vaccination for more than 6 months. Decreased anti-BA.4/5 responses give rise to the possibility of breakthrough infections for both patients with T2DM and HCs.
The CIBER collaboration released their first observational data of the Cosmic IR background (CIB) radiation, which has significant excesses at around the wavelength $ sim$ 1 $ mu$m compared to theoretically-inferred values. The amount of the CIB radiation has a significant influence on the opaqueness of the Universe for TeV gamma-rays emitted from distant sources such as AGNs. With the value of CIB radiation reported by the CIBER experiment, through the reaction of such TeV gamma-rays with the CIB photons, the TeV gamma-rays should be significantly attenuated during propagation, which would lead to energy spectra in disagreement with current observations of TeV gamma ray sources. In this article, we discuss a possible resolution of this tension between the TeV gamma-ray observations and the CIB data in terms of axion [or Axion-Like Particles (ALPs)] that may increase the transparency of the Universe by the anomaly-induced photon-axion mixing. We find a region in the parameter space of the axion mass, $m_a  sim 7  times 10^{-10} - 5  times 10^{-8}$eV, and the axion-photon coupling constant, $1.2  times 10^{-11} { rm GeV}^{-1}  lesssim g_{a gamma}  lesssim 8.8  times 10^{-10} { rm GeV}^{-1}$ that solves this problem.
The present work provides an overview of possible activation and deactivation phenomena in homogeneous catalytic processes promoted by different types of rhodium complexes containing diphosphine ligands. While awaiting more efficient 1st row metal-based catalysts, a more economic and greener approach to the use of expensive catalysts based on precious metals requires an in-depth knowledge of both the reaction mechanism and the activation and deactivation phenomena which may reduce the temporary solution concentration of the metal effectively available for catalysis. The present work provides in particular a quantitative description of activation and deactivation phenomena such as generation of active species from suitable precatalysts (induction periods); catalyst deactivation due to formation of non-reactive, monomeric species with either the solvent, the substrate, the product or additives; and catalyst aggregation to usually non-reactive multinuclear complexes. Some critical remarks concerning the often applied ‘in situ’ procedure for ‘catalyst’ generation are also included.
The methods of synthesis and characteristic features of the reactivity of silicon-containing alkenynes are treated systematically and surveyed for the first time. It is shown that the carbon–carbon double bonds are reactive in the reactions of silahydrocarbons and their functional derivatives containing the fragments. Only aluminium, boron, and tin hydrides as well as certain weak electrophiles add preferentially or exclusively to the triple bond. The absence of a dependence of the mode of addition on the polarity of the unsaturated compound and the other reactant indicates orbital control in the reactions investigated. Studies of the dependence of the mode of reaction (addition, desilylation, reactions of functional groups) on the structure of the silicon-containing alkenynes, the nature of the other reactant, and the experimental conditions served as a basis of the development of methods for the introduction of functional groups into the alkenynes and of silyl protecting group method in the chemistry of acetylenic compounds and have demonstrated the extensive possibilities of the application of these procedures in the stereocontrolled synthesis of natural products and their synthetic analogues. The bibliography includes 346 references.
A comprehensive, self-consistent thermal-electrical model of etched-well GaAs/A1GaAs vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL5) is utilized to study thermal properties of cw operating devices. Various configurations of doping concentration in both cladding layers are considered. It is shown that significant improvement in controlling excessive heating of VCSELs can be achieved by relatively straightforward technological means, provided thermal behavior of the device is well understood. In particular, by increasing the doping level in the P-AlGaAs layer, the active region temperature can be reduced dramatically. The iV-AlGaAs doping level has a decisive influence on the homogeneity of current injection into the active region.
The third generation partnership project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) uses Single-Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) technology for uplink (UL) transmission. It has been shown that the SC-FDMA receivers are vulnerable to fast fading channels. In this paper, we first show that, although LTE UL system is based on OFDM, its performance is not sensitive to the inter-carrier-interference (ICI) due to Doppler effect in fast fading channels. The main challenge is to obtain accurate channel estimation with the limited number of time-domain pilot symbols. Next, we propose two improved channel estimation techniques: 1) pilot-aided cubic-Spline interpolator with time-domain noise filtering, 2) decision-directed channel estimation with time-domain noise filtering. We show by simulation that significant performance improvement is achieved by implementing the proposed techniques in both single-antenna LTE UL receivers and multiple-antenna receivers with diversity combining.
The specific glutathione reductase (GR) and glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activities increased significantly in Penicillium chrysogenum grown on glucose in the presence of either nitrate or nitrite. These changes kept the intracellular peroxide levels low and prevented the onset of any glutathione/glutathione disulphide redox imbalances. On the other hand, the specific activity of several other glutathione metabolic enzymes including glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S‐transferase, γ‐glutamyltranspeptidase and the glutathione producing activity was not effected by NO3— and NO2—. When P. chrysogenum mycelia were challenged with oxidative stress caused by high concen‐trations of H2O2, tert‐butyl hydroperoxide, menadione, diamide or phenoxyacetic acid the intracellular peroxide concentrations increased significantly, and the nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase activities were eliminated. When glucose was replaced with lactose the GR and G6PD activities were not influenced by the nitrogen sources but in this case the intracellular GSH concentration was twice higher than that observed with glucose.
Power decoding is a partial decoding paradigm for arbitrary algebraic geometry codes for decoding beyond half the minimum distance, which usually returns the unique closest codeword, but in rare cases fails to return anything. The original version decodes roughly up to the Sudan radius, while an improved version decodes up to the Johnson radius, but has so far been described only for Reed-Solomon and one-point Hermitian codes. In this paper we show how the improved version can be applied to any algebraic geometry code.
Fluorescence quantum yields of trans-stilbene-d 0 , t-d 0 , and -α,α'-d 2 , t-d 2 , in n-hexane and in n-tetradecane are reported as a function of temperature. Together with literature lifetimes these are used to define radiative, k f , and radiationless, k tp , decay rate constants of trans-stilbene. The index of refraction dependence of k f is given by k f =k f 0 n x , where x=1.65±0.08 and k f 0 =3.75×10 8 s -1 , the known radiative rate constant for jet-cooled isolated trans-stilbene in the gas phase
Biomass energies, including fuelwood, agricultural residues, animal wastes, charcoal, and other fuels derived from biological sources, are a promising option with a potentially large impact for developing countries, where the current levels of energy services are low. Biomass accounts for about one third of all energy in developing countries as a whole and nearly 90% in some of the least developed countries. In the case of Turkey, biomass has great potential to provide improved rural energy services based on forest and agricultural residues. The present study gives a review of the production, consumption, and economics of biomass energy for sustainable development in Turkey. In 1999, the biomass share of the total energy consumption of the country was 10%. In this study, the potential for important biomass energy sources and animal solid wastes of the country were determined. Considering total cereal products and fatty seed plants, approximately 50-60 million tons per year of biomass and 8-10 million tons of solid matter animal waste are produced, and 70% of total biomass is seen as possible for use for energy. Some useful suggestions and recommendations are also presented.
Traditionally, optical proximity correction (OPC) on cell array patterns in memory layout uses simple bias rules to correct hierarchically-placed features, but requires intensive, rigorous lithographic simulations to maximize the wafer process latitude. This process requires time-consuming procedures to be performed on the full chip (excluding the cell arrays) to handle unique cell features and layout placements before (and even sometimes after) OPC. The time required limits productivity for both mask tapeouts and the wafer process development. In this paper, a new cell array OPC flow is introduced that reduces turnaround-time for mask tapeouts from days to hours, while maintaining acceptable OPC quality and the perfect geometric consistency on the OPC output that is critical for memory manufacturing. The flow comprises an effective sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs) insertion and OPC for both the cell array and the peripheral pattern areas. Both simulation and experimental results from actual wafer verification are discussed.
Electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are now widely used as power buffers in energy storage systems, especially for electrical transport applications. Because of their high acquisition costs, their predictive maintenance represents a key issue for the development of electrical traction systems. This paper investigates the diagnosis of EDLCs by a parametric estimation of a dynamic continuous-time model. Indeed, the physical interpretation of their parameters simplifies the supercapacitor diagnosis and prognosis. Due to the complex electrochemical phenomena occurring in EDLC cells, modeling errors are far more important than measurement noise. Therefore, we propose to use the output error minimization techniques and the relative sensitivity functions to evaluate and compare the diagnosis potential of several model structures. This allows the use of some comprehensive comparison criteria without any assumption about the statistical characteristics of the system disturbances. An experimental accelerated aging process of 200 commercial super capacitors (Nichicon, 1F, 20 weeks long aging at 65 °C, 0 and 2.5 V dc polarization) is also performed to make statistics and illustrate the methodology.
In 2010, a novel Tembusu virus (TMUV) that caused a severe decrease in the egg production of ducks was isolated in southeast China. Given the novelty of this duck pathogen, little information is available regarding its pathogenesis. Here, we systematically investigated the replication kinetics of TMUV PTD2010 in adult male and female ducks. We found that PTD2010 was detectable in most of the parenchymatous organs as well as the oviduct and intestinal tract from days 1 to 7 after inoculation. Viral titers were maintained at high levels for at least 9 days in the spleen, kidney, bursa of Fabricius, brain, and ovary. No virus was detected in any of these organs or tissues at 18 days after inoculation. PTD2010, thus, causes systemic infections in male and female ducks; its replication kinetics show similar patterns in most organs, with the exception of the ovaries and testes.
Cranio-maxillofacial surgery often alters the aesthetics of the face which can be a heavy burden for patients to decide whether or not to undergo surgery. Today, physicians can predict the post-operative face using surgery planning tools to support the patient’s decision-making. While these planning tools allow a simulation of the post-operative face, the facial texture must usually be captured by another 3D texture scan and subsequently mapped on the simulated face. This approach often results in face predictions that do not appear realistic or lively looking and are therefore ill-suited to guide the patient’s decision-making. Instead, we propose a method using a generative adversarial network to modify a facial image according to a 3D soft-tissue estimation of the post-operative face. To circumvent the lack of available data pairs between pre- and post-operative measurements we propose a semi-supervised training strategy using cycle losses that only requires paired open-source data of images and 3D surfaces of the face’s shape. After training on “in-the-wild” images we show that our model can realistically manipulate local regions of a face in a 2D image based on a modified 3D shape. We then test our model on four clinical examples where we predict the post-operative face according to a 3D soft-tissue prediction of surgery outcome, which was simulated by a surgery planning tool. As a result, we aim to demonstrate the potential of our approach to predict realistic post-operative images of faces without the need of paired clinical data, physical models, or 3D texture scans.
In order to inherit the ancient acupuncture reinforcing and reducing methods and provide references to study those methods，this paper is based on much literature of reinforcing and reducing methods by twirling the needle and "rotating the needle to the left for reinforcing, to the right for reducing". With yin-yang theory of traditional Chinese medicine, including descending and ascending of yin-yang, the principle of "Hetu" and "Luoshu", and Taiji (quintessence of universe) and the Eight Diagrams, we analyse reinforcing and reducing methods by twirling the needle of "rotating the needle to the left for reinforcing, to the right for reducing". Besides, combined with modern experimental and clinical studies, the feasibility and efficacy of twisting reinforcing and reducing are demonstrated. This paper also gives scholars new insights and enriches the theoretical knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine of reinforcing and reducing methods by rotating the needle, to guide experimental research and clinical practice.
In the search for sustainable development, in which the ecological footprint is carefully considered by consumers and companies, teachers play an important role within a social and economic framework. This role relates to aspects of social responsibility. It should involve knowledge about education for responsible consumption in order to care for the environment both individually and socially. Considering this, the aim of this study is to find out whether there are differences in the level of awareness and the habits of future teachers of Early Childhood and Primary Education regarding sustainable social responsibility. A non-probabilistic sample of 30 Early Childhood Education degree students and 22 Primary Education degree students was used. Semi-structured interviews and an inductive process were conducted to examine the importance of Sustainable Development in society, the relevance of Social Responsibility for Sustainable Development (individual versus corporate), the attitudes and habits relative to Sustainable Development and the education on Sustainable Development in schools: knowledge, attitudes, and proposals. Students agree that they consume excessively. This is everyone’s individual responsibility (as regarded by all participants), although changes could be supported by institutions and companies (Early Childhood education students argue in favour of corporate responsibility). Knowledge deficits were identified in relation to production, distribution, and sale processes. They consider education to be the main factor for sustainability, while society is ranked as the least important, observing an evident disagreement in relation to environmental and economic factors (perception of collective responsibility; Early Childhood versus Primary Education students). Finally, they also outline teaching proposals (active and participatory) to foster education for sustainable development at schools.
Four months and three work stoppages into fiscal 1996, whole departments and agencies of the United States federal government remain in budgetary limbo. Five annual spending bills still await approval, and parts of nine federal departments and several agencies face the possibility of yet another shutdown, as the current continuing resolution for temporary funding expires on March 15.    In the wake of the recent three-week shutdown of the federal government, congressional leaders worked in January to ease future political pain by funding a list of “essential services” for the remainder of the fiscal year. Deemed essential were government programs with the most immediate and conspicuous public impact, such as the National Parks Service and the Passport Services Office. Included on that list of essential services was the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which not only received full funding for the entire fiscal year but also got a 5.7% increase over its 1995 budget.
PURPOSE Road traffic accidents account for the biggest mortality rate in Iran and children are among the main victims of these accidents. The present study was conducted to assess the effect of an educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model on behaviors associated with obeying traffic regulations in primary school students during the academic year 2014-15 in Khorramabad, Iran.   METHODS The present quasi-experimental has a pre-post-intervention design and was conducted on 106 sixth-grade primary school students selected through multi-stage sampling and divided into an intervention and a control group. The students were assessed before, a week after and two months after the intervention. Data were collected using a two-part questionnaire containing a demographic section and a section with items on the constructs of the Health Belief Model. The data obtained were then analyzed in SPSS-20.   RESULTS The mean scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy and cues to action significantly improved in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0. 01).   CONCLUSION An educational intervention based the Health Belief Model managed to effectively improve behaviors associated with obeying traffic regulations.
Model organisms like Caenorhabditis elegans allow the study of growth cone motility and guidance in vivo. We are using circumferential axon guidance in C. elegans to study both the mechanisms of guidance and the interactions between different guidance systems in vivo. A genetic screen has identified suppressors of the specific axon guidance defects caused by ectopic expression of UNC-5, the repulsive receptor for the UNC-6/netrin guidance cue. These mutations identify eight genes whose products are required for the function of UNC-5 in these cells. In principle, the functions of some of these genes may involve unc-73, which encodes a multidomain, cytoplasmic protein that is an activator of the rac and rho GTPases. Loss of UNC-73 causes errors in axon guidance, and it is hypothesized that UNC-73 acts in multiple signaling pathways used by guidance receptors on the growth cone surface to regulate the underlying cytoskeleton. Here we summarize and discuss these recent developments that are advancing our understanding of growth cone signal transduction in vivo.
The 2012 national and local award rounds for clinical excellence awards are to open this month, the Department of Health has announced.  On Friday the health minister Simon Burns wrote to the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) to ask it to launch the 2012 award rounds.  “In building a modern NHS we want to continue to reward and recognise those who make outstanding achievements …
Abstract Having a satisfying sex life is important to older adults. Thus, this study aimed to provide information about the sexual satisfaction of older adults in a relationship, using the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction (IEMSS) as a theoretical framework. Participants were 187 sexually active individuals (98 men and 89 women) in a romantic relationship (age 65–75 years). They were recruited using Amazon's Mechanical-Turk, and completed the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire and two open-ended questions asking what they enjoyed most and least about their sexual relationship. On average, participants were highly sexually satisfied. In keeping with the IEMSS, greater sexual satisfaction was predicted by a more favourable balance of sexual rewards to costs, greater equality of sexual costs and higher satisfaction with the non-sexual aspects of the relationship. Four themes emerged regarding what participants liked most and least about their sexual relationship: emotional aspects of the relationship, physical aspects of the relationship, dyadic aspects of the relationship and age-related aspects of being sexual. None of the four themes were specific to men or women, although some gender/sex differences were found. The results paint a positive picture of the sexual relationships of older adults and support the utility of the IEMSS as a framework to understand sexual satisfaction in older adults.
Most turquoise objects from early Neolithic sites in China are pendants made of a single material. From the later Neolithic period, however, people started to create turquoise ornaments with two or more composite materials. Ornaments were inlaid with turquoise and other materials using new techniques. In the Early Bronze Age, the turquoise production process reached its peak. At the Erlitou site, archaeologists found a large dragon-shaped turquoise mosaic, a variety of animal-shaped turquoise decorations, and turquoise workshops. The purpose of this paper is to understand the importance of turquoise products in the formation process of early state formation in China by analyzing the following topics: the technological evolution of turquoise manufacture, the combination of composite materials, the use of adhesive in turquoise inlay, and the associated production processes as they developed from the Neolithic to Early Bronze Age.
To the Editor:— The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare is compiling a handbook on the care and management of laboratory animals. The aim is to provide a concise, practical manual which will facilitate the uniform and humanitarian care of the smaller laboratory species, and it is in no way intended to produce a comprehensive monograph for each species. It is hoped to publish the work at such a cost that it will be readily accessible to technicians as well as to scientific workers. The different chapters deal with (1) animal houses and their pests, (2) the rat, (3) the mouse, (4) the rabbit, (5) the guinea pig, (6) the vole, (7) the hamster, (8) the cotton rat, (9) the deer mouse, by Prof. Lee R. Dice, University of Michigan, (10) the ferret, (11) the hedgehog, (12) the pigeon, (13) the fowl, (14) the canary, (15) the frog, the African clawed
BACKGROUND Hyperactive/Inattentive preschool children show clear evidence of neuropsychological dysfunction. We examined whether patterns and severity of test scores could reliably identify subgroups of preschoolers with differential risk for ADHD during school-age.   METHOD Typically developing (TD: n = 76) and Hyperactive/Inattentive (HI: n = 138) 3-4 year olds were assessed annually for 6 years (T1-T6). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to form subgroups among the HI group based on objective/neuropsychological measures (NEPSY, Actigraph and Continuous Performance Test). Logistic regression assessed the predictive validity of empirically formed subgroups at risk for ADHD diagnosis relative to the TD group and to each other from T2 to T6.   RESULTS Latent profile analysis yielded two subgroups of HI preschoolers: (a) selectively weak Attention/Executive functions, and (b) pervasive neuropsychological dysfunction across all measures. Both subgroups were more likely to have ADHD at all follow-up time-points relative to the TD group (OR range: 11.29-86.32), but there were no significant differences between the LPA-formed subgroups of HI children at any time-point.   CONCLUSIONS Objective/neuropsychological measures distinguish HI preschoolers from their TD peers, but patterns and severity of neuropsychological dysfunction do not predict risk for ADHD during school-age. We hypothesize that trajectories in at-risk children are influenced by subsequent environmental and neurodevelopmental factors, raising the possibility that they are amenable to early intervention.
Due to lack of estrogen receptor α (ERα, gene name: ESR1), ERα-negative breast carcinoma is insensitive to endocrine therapy, and restoration of ERα has become a promising strategy for ERα-negative breast cancer treatment. Sesamol, a naturally occurring phenolic compound, is usually extracted from sesame seeds. Previous investigations have unmasked its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation properties. In this study, sesamol induced ERα functional re-expression followed by upregulation of its downstream pS2 and GREB1 genes in ERα-negative breast carcinoma. Moreover, it endowed responsiveness of ERα-negative breast carcinoma to the endocrine treatment drug 4-hydroxytamoxifen without influencing the viability of normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Mechanistically, sesamol induced ESR1 gene promoter demethylation by downregulating the expression of the DNA methyltransferases DNMT3A and DNMT3B, without affecting DNMT1. Moreover, the non-coding RNA miR-370-3p directly targeted DNMT3A and DNMT3B mRNA, and its expression increased upon treatment with sesamol. Artificial abrogation of miR-370-3p expression with an antagomir abolished the inhibition of DNMT3A and DNMT3B expression by sesamol, resulting in a fallback in ERα reactivation. In mice, sesamol significantly induced ERα re-expression via miR-370-3p-mediated downregulation of DNMT3A and DNMT3B. Sesamol may be a safe and effective option for clinical adjuvant therapy in patients with ERα-negative breast cancer.
In fields of study from cognition to organizations and social networks , empirical structures have been formally represented in terms of graph theoretical models. When the empirical relationships can be seen as valued, a valued graph or digraph is called for. Values have been conventionally identified with real numbers, but other sorts of entities (most often signs) have been used. In this paper, we demonstrate a general system under which graphs and digraphs with values that are not numbers may be used to represent various important properties and features of empirical structures. Special cases include multiplexity of relationships, formal and informal linkages in organizational structures, systems and their environments, and structural consistency principles. The general system incorporates a matrix methodology which permits the convenient analysis of empirical structures. These cases are also intended to exemplify the ways in which valued relational models may be developed to extend this kind of formal...
The ability to accurately forecast train arrival times is essential for the safe and efficient operation of highway–railroad grade crossings (HRGCs). Trains in the United States are required to give a minimum of 20 s of warning time before arriving at an HRGC. With the recent development of new detection-equipment technology, detectors potentially could be employed further upstream of the HRGC, which would result in earlier detection times. This information would be particularly useful for preemption strategies at signalized intersections located near the HRGC (IHRGCs). For example, earlier warning times could be used to reduce or eliminate the risk of unsafe pedestrian movements at IHRGCs. In this study, a modular artificial neural network (ANN) was used to forecast the train arrival time at an HRGC. An ANN was adopted because there is a nonlinear relationship between the independent variables such as train speed profile and the dependent variable arrival time at an HRGC. A modular approach was used because the trains often have different characteristics depending on their cargo and the operational rules in effect at the time they are detected. Because the train detection is continuous, different models were developed for each separate data input. In this case, the prediction interval update was assumed to be 10 s and 24 models were developed. Approximately 499 trains were used for training the ANN and 183 trains were used for testing. It was found that a modular architecture gave superior results to that of a simple ANN model, standard regression techniques, and current forecasting methods for the entire detection time period. It was found that, with an increase in detection time, the forecast accuracy increases for all methods and the prediction interval tends to decrease.
We investigated bend growth processes for an optically compensated bend (OCB)-mode liquid crystal display. The bend growth consists of two transformations. i.e., the transformation from symmetric splay alignment to bend alignment and that from asymmetric splay alignment to bend alignment. We observed the temperature dependence of bend growth processes and detected the asymmetric splay-to-bend transformation at 0 °C. We investigated the kinetic effects of a chiral additive on the bend growth processes in three directions, i.e., the same as, and opposite and perpendicular to the rubbing direction. The chiral additive did not affect the symmetric splay-to-bend transformation, however, it was found to accelerate the asymmetric splay-to-bend transformation in all three directions. This acceleration is attributed to the chirality-induced coexistence of top and bottom splay alignments in the asymmetric splay regions.
Ultrashort echo time sequences provide the possibility of visualizing tissues with extremely fast signal decay on whole-body MR scanners. For detailed investigations of tissue structure, magnetization transfer (MT) experiments can be performed if ultrashort echo time sequences are combined with MT-preparation schemes. In doing so, additional tissue-specific parameters besides overall transverse and longitudinal relaxation times can be obtained. The size of different proton pools as well as their relaxation times and exchange constants may be useful to further understanding of the development of degenerative musculoskeletal diseases and help evaluate different surveillance and treatment strategies.      Keywords:    magnetization transfer;  ultrashort echo time imaging;  transverse relaxation;  longitudinal relaxation;  two-pool model;  musculoskeletal imaging
This volume puts together the works of a group of distinguished scholars and active researchers in the field of media and communication studies to reflect upon the past, present, and future of new media research. The chapters examine the implications of new media technologies on everyday life, existing social institutions, and the society at large at various levels of analysis. Macro-level analyses of changing techno-social formation such as discussions of the rise of surveillance society and the "fifth estate" are combined with studies on concrete and specific new media phenomena, such as the rise of Pro-Am collaboration and "fan labor" online. In the process, prominent concepts in the field of new media studies, such as social capital, displacement, and convergence, are critically examined, while new theoretical perspectives are proposed and explicated. Reflecting the inter-disciplinary nature of the field of new media studies and communication research in general, the chapters interrogate into the problematic through a range of theoretical and methodological approaches. The book should offer students and researchers who are interested in the social impact of new media both critical reviews of the existing literature and inspirations for developing new research questions.
NEEDLESS to say, the problem of racial inferiority is one on which every person has the greatest difficulty in arriving at an unbiased conclusion. Any member of any group will violently resent insinuations that he comes from inferior stock whereas it is extremely difficult for the "Nordic," who at present is more or less top dog, to think calmly when other races hint that his superiority is due only to the accidents of environment and does not depend on some kind of divine dispensation. We might point out here that the anthropologist, who really should be in a position to pass a historical judgment, if nothing more, is extremely moderate in his claims. In preparing his thesis the writer canvassed a number of the outstanding anthropologists of this country and England as to their attitude on racial differences in intelligence. There was an almost striking unanimity of opinion. A few stated definitely that no such differences existed. Most of them admitted that it seemed reasonable to expect certain differences to be correlated with the obvious divergence in physical characteristics. But all were agreed on one point, namely that these differences had not as yet been proved and that existing works which professedly bore on racial intelligence had certainly not established the inferiority or superiority of any of the groups in question. Historically, the picture is not convincing. We see all the really great advances of the past made by people who belonged to very different racial strains and who certainly were not predominantly Nordic. The civilization of Egypt, and the Euphrates valley, the invention of the alphabet and of our numerical systems, working in metals, the beginning of agriculture, the art of weaving and of pottery all belong to various races and none can be proved as contributions for which we must thank the North European. Even more, when we come to America we find that the Maya and the Peruvian had made great strides towards civilization quite without any help from Europe or Asia-probably. The Maya
Fluorescent lipid probes are commonly used to label membranes of cells and model membranes like giant vesicles, liposomes, and supported lipid bilayers (SLB). Here we show that excitation of fluorescent lipid probes with BODIPY-like conjugates results in a significant acceleration of the rupture and SLB formation process for unsaturated phospholipid vesicles on SiO2 surfaces. The resulting SLBs also have smaller measured masses, which is indicative of a reduction in membrane thickness and/or membrane density. Excitation of fluorescent probes with NBD and Texas Red conjugates does not accelerate the SLB formation process. In the absence fluorescent probes or light, inclusion of oxidized phospholipids also accelerates SLB formation. The excitation-induced acceleration caused by BODIPY-like probes is eliminated when the probes are present with saturated phospholipids not susceptible to oxidation, and it is attenuated when a lipophilic antioxidant (α-tocopherol) is present. These results suggest that BODIPY-phospholipid conjugates are photosensitizers, and their excitation causes oxidation of lipid membranes which significantly alters membrane properties.
This study of optometry programs in Canada and the United States identified both the extent of and approach to admission interviewing as well as the reasons for its inclusion or exclusion. A written questionnaire was designed, piloted, and revised before it was sent to each of the 18 optometry programs. The 15 (83%) completed questionnaires were analyzed and discussed in terms of comparisons with similar surveys of medical and dental programs. Evidence in the psychology literature was presented about the strengths and limitations of this selection tool. Eighty percent of the optometry programs that responded provided admission interviews. Concerns about interview reliability, validity, and costs precluded its use by 20% of the responding programs. Of four variables, the interview was the third most important variable in admission decisions. Unlike medical and dental programs, optometry programs frequently used a panel format; an approach which is recommended in the psychology literature. Similar to surveys of dental and medical programs, the reliability and validity of optometry admission interviews were likely reduced by insufficient interviewer training and interview structure. A need for greater program evaluation of the optometry interview process as well as dissemination of the results was indicated.
This work describes the use of different DWTs - discrete wavelet transforms, like Haar, Daubechies, Coiflets, Symmlets and Spikelet in order to distinguish between normal and pathological human voices. All the transforms are used to evaluate some properties of the digitalized voice signals under analysis, as the power density spectrum and also a fractal dimension parameter is calculated. According to an ordinary threshold it is possible to estimate the voice as belonging to a normal or pathological patient, in respect to his or her larynx working. The results are compared and presented and the conclusions show it is possible to have a promising result based on a deterministic approach with low computational order of complexity, furthermore, it is possible to have a DSP real-time implementation.
We have previously demonstrated that Parthenolide (PTL), the principal component of the medicinal plant Feverfew, selectively induces apoptosis in AML stem cells while sparing normal counterparts. Recent reports show that PTL is also effective against CLL cells. Additionally, we observed PTL efficacy for ALL cells in vitro. These findings suggest that PTL-derived drugs may provide a unique means of leukemia therapy. A clinical study using Feverfew showed PTL plasma levels were not sufficient to achieve the concentration needed for AML targeting as established by our in vitro studies. Therefore, we synthesized a family of PTL derivatives designed to be more water-soluble. An amino analog, LC-1, retained the anti-leukemia properties of PTL with 1000× improved water solubility. In vitro studies indicate that LC-1 induces irreversible apoptosis of primary human AML cells within 8 h of treatment. Analysis of phenotypically primitive cells (CD34+CD38−, n=27) treated with 5.0–7.5 uM LC-1 for 18–24 h demonstrated an average cell kill of 85–90%. In contrast, normal CD34+CD38− cells showed less than 10% death under the same conditions. Similarly, colony-forming potential of AML specimens (n=5) was inhibited by >90% but by <20% for normal specimens (n=5). Further, engraftment of NOD/SCID mice was reduced by 91% for primary AML specimens (n=3), but only 28% for normal controls. Taken together, these data indicate LC-1 is a potent and selective agent for ablation of primitive AML cells. Moreover, we observed that similar concentrations of LC-1 were effective in ablating blast crisis CML (n=13) and ALL (n=7) specimens, for both total and phenotypically primitive cells. Molecular studies demonstrate that LC-1 induces a strong oxidative stress response characterized by rapid up-regulation of Nrf2 and its downstream target HO-1, followed by p53 activation and NF-kB inhibition. Thus, activation of stress responses and concomitant inhibition of survival mechanisms are evident for LC-1 treated AML cells, and represent potential biomarkers for drug activity. Pharmacodynamic studies of NOD/SCID mice 8 wks after transplantation with primary human AML cells indicate that oral dosing of LC-1 (50–100mg/kg) mediates a clear biological response. Microscopy studies show induction of Nrf2 and HO-1 in transplanted human AML cells within 1 h of treatment, while strong NF-kB inhibition is evident within 2 h. Finally, we also examined the activity of LC-1 for spontaneous acute canine leukemia. In vitro treatment of primary canine leukemia cells (n=4) with 7.5 uM LC-1 resulted in 80% apoptosis. Further, in a case study, a dog with advanced disease was treated for 3 consecutive days with increasing oral doses of LC-1 (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg). Within 5 days of the last treatment, CD34+ tumor cells were reduced from 45% to 3% of circulating WBCs. Thus, the animal demonstrated a clear hematologic response to LC-1 treatment. Based on these findings, we propose that LC-1 may be appropriate for future therapeutic regimens and has the potential to selectively target leukemic stem and progenitor cells in vivo.
Diabetes is a situation when a body is not capable to produce insulin, which is needed to control glucose. Diabetes will also develop heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage, and blood vessel damage. This paper uses Mamdanitype and Sugeno-type fuzzy expert systems for a diabetes diagnosis. Fuzzy expert system is a group of membership functions and rules. Fuzzy expert systems are tilting toward numerical processing. This paper recapitulates the essential distinction between the Mamdani-type and Sugeno-type fuzzy expert systems by using the input parameters such as age, obesity, RBS(Random Blood Sugar), family history and diet. The MATLAB fuzzy logic toolbox is used for the imitation of both the models. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and precision of the Mamdani-type fuzzy expert system is 95.48%, 96.36%, 93.33% and 97.24%, respectively, and the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and precision of the Sugenotype fuzzy inference system is 96.77% , 97.27%, 95.55% and 98.16%, respectively. General Terms Expert system, fuzzy logic, membership function
This study was purposed to analyze HIV infections status among the unpaid blood donation population in Chinese Nanjing area from 2003 to 2013, to understand the HIV antibody positive and/or HIV-RNA positive population characteristics in order to provide evidence for recruiting strategy of blood donation without compensation. The whole blood samples of unpaid donors and the platelet donors were tested by ELISA, from June 2010 the NAT test was added for the samples that were ELISA test with unilateral negative. Every HIV reactive sample (HIV-antibody and/or HIV-RNA) was sent to confirm in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Nanjing, including 1 case of enzyme bilateral positive and HIV-RNA reactivity has been sentenced as indeterminacy; another 1 case of enzyme bilateral negative and HIV-RNA reactive was sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Jiangsu Province to test nucleic acid quantification to be positive; The unpaid donor HIV screening results from 2003 to 2013 in Chinese Nanjing area were analysed statistically. The results showed that from 2003 to 2013 years 641401 unpaid blood donors were tested,out of them 57 cases were contirmed to be HIV antibody positive (HIV-1),the total positive rate was 8.89/100 000. Since 2010 years, the HIV antibody positive rate increased significantly (P < 0.01), then it was stable until to 2012 years, the HIV antibody positive rate was 15.43/100 000. In the 2013 year, the HIV antibody positive rate was 10.03/100 000. The HIV antiboby positive rates in male and female were 13.25: 1. The years of male cases were 18-30 that accounted for 56.14%, and the years of male cases were 31-40 that accounted for 31.58%. The men who first time donated blood were 46 cases and accounted for 80.70%. The men who donated blood again were 11 cases and accounted for 19.30%. The men who donated blood on streets of blood donation accounted for 80.70% and their HIV antibody positive rate was 11.88/100 000. The men who donated blood in the plan organization of donators were 8.78%, and their HIV antibody possitive rate was 2.33/100 000. The HIV antibody positive rate were different in the different times and different donation types, and were statistical significance (P < 0.01). It is concluded that based on the present status of HIV antibldy positive rate in Chinese Nanjing area, the HIV antibody possitive donors are more observed in the first blood donation population, especially in the higher educated young men. This situation or tendency indicates that the voluntary blood donors should be organized or selected from low risk population, and should popularize the knowlege of unpaid blood donation, especiatly the knowlege of AIDS, strengthen cosulting work on the mobile donation points in streets before donating blood, and should establish the cyber-database to ensure blood safety.
Abstract Given a finite group G, two elements are ≡ m -related if they lie in exactly the same maximal subgroups of G. This equivalence relation was introduced by P. J. Cameron, A. Lucchini and C. M. Roney-Dougal to understand better the generated set for finite groups. We study the relation ≡ m in a conjugacy class of G and determine suﬃcient conditions to ensure that such conjugacy class is contained in the Fitting subgroup F(G) of G. If G is soluble and x, y are two ≡ m -related elements of G such that (|xG |, |yG |) = 1, we prove that they lie in F(G).
Abstract A number of distinct digital images can be formed if human foot is viewed as kinematic structure and later being converted into graphs. The synthetic images portray foot in shapes that are different from actual photographs or radiographs. The images exhibit the adjacency of bones, the incidence among bones and joints, and their paths. This study is done to find ways to represent foot in a different fashion and therefore computationally viable. The foot skeleton is studied and its structural kinematic representation is developed. This representation is later transformed into a graph. The kinematic structure is used to study the foot’s structure for engineering design viewpoints, whereas the graph is used to develop synthetic images so that foot conditions could be evaluated through pixels. This paper discusses and interprets foot conditions and anomalies. The method proposed is a one-dimensional mathematical model that is applicable in evaluating foot conditions.
This integrative review explored the use of avatars and virtual worlds in education, synthesizing the articles and findings and presenting implications for nurse educators. Evaluation of available publications concluded that avatars allow students to practice in a safe environment, enhancing learning. The need now is for faculty who use avatars and virtual worlds in their teaching to plan more robust outcomes assessment that evaluates if the acquired knowledge of students, met program objectives, and achieved improved patient outcomes.
The issue that is foremost in my mind as I write this communique is the effort of the ASRT to promote federal legislation that will mandate radiation protection for the consumer-patient. The ASRT has spent many thousands of dollars and many thousands of hours to promote this legislation. Every year, because of the support and dedication of interested technologists, we come a step closer to the reality of this legislation becoming law. I had the opportunity on September 5, 1980 to appear before the Subcommittee of Health and the Environment of the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce to give testimony in support of HR 6057, "Consumer-Patient Radiation Health and Safety Act of 1979." Because I believe that it is important for ALL of our members to be aware of our legislative efforts, I am enclosing my testimony that was submitted to this Committee.
The purpose of this paper is to explore how two main forms of network externalities, bandwagon and snob effects, influence the market demand for status goods when they arise simultaneously. If the snob effect is greater than the bandwagon effect, the demand function involving both effects is less elastic than the demand function that does not involve network externalities; however, the market demand function becomes increasingly elastic as the bandwagon effect becomes stronger. By introducing the concept of net social external effect, the change in the quantity demanded as a consequence of the resultant of network externalities can be measured.
This study was conducted to identify the patterns of emotional and social difficulties among Pakistani adolescents. The Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Disruptive Behavior, and Self-Concept Inventories of the Beck Youth Inventories were administered to 300 adolescents (150 females and 150 males). The age range was between 14–19 years. Each inventory represented distinct symptom dimensions and the overall pattern of results indicated that anxiety level in males was higher than females but females’ disruptive behavior was significantly high. Hence, there was no significant gender difference in the levels of anger, self concept and depression. Age had strong impact on all types of psychological distress. Late adolescents showed more anger, anxiety, depression and disruptive behavior. Early adolescents had high self concept as compared to late adolescents. Anxiety was significantly positively related with depression, anger and disruptive behavior.
ABSTRACT The emergence of CWD in Europe in 2016 and the first natural infection in wild reindeer warranted disease management. This led to the testing of 2424 hunted or culled reindeer during 2016–2018, from the infected subpopulation in the Nordfjella mountain range in Southern Norway. To identify any association between PRNP variation and CWD susceptibility, we characterized the open reading frame of the PRNP gene in 19 CWD positive reindeer and in 101 age category- and sex-matched CWD negative controls. Seven variant positions were identified: 6 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and a 24 base pair (bp) deletion located between nucleotide position 238 and 272, encoding four instead of five octapeptide repeats. With a single exception, all variant positions but one were predicted to be non-synonymous. The synonymous SNV and the deletion are novel in reindeer. Various combinations of the non-synonymous variant positions resulted in the identification of five PRNP alleles (A-E) that structured into 14 genotypes. We identified an increased CWD risk in reindeer carrying two copies of the most common allele, A, coding for serine in position 225 (Ser225) and in those carrying allele A together with the 24 bp deletion.
Although craniopharyngioma (CP) and pituitary adenoma (PA) are common tumors of the parasellar lesions, the coexistence of CP and PA is very rare. A 48-year-old male visited our hospital because of consciousness disturbance. The neuroimaging revealed a sellar tumor contact with a massive suprasellar cyst including calcification. Preoperative diagnosis was CP, and the patient underwent craniotomy to resolve the suprasellar mass effect. The histological examination disclosed adamantinomatous CP, and subsequently a transsphenoidal approach was chosen for the residual intrasellar tumor. Against expectations, the histological diagnosis was not CP but PA. The patient underwent gamma knife surgery for the residual tumor, and the postoperative course was good. After a 10-year follow-up, both lesions were still completely controlled. If we had suspected and diagnosed the tumor involved as not only CP but also PA at the first operation, the second operation could have been avoided because we would have chosen gamma knife surgery for the residual tumor. We should draw attention to this rare situation for differential diagnosis of parasellar tumor to avoid unnecessary surgery and to decide the best strategy for treatment. In addition, the biological behavior of collision tumors composed of CP and PA is probably the same as solitary CP or PA based on a long-term follow-up of our case.
Companies that successfully incorporate international sourcing into their international marketing strategies enhance their abilities to provide their customers with quality products at acceptable prices. To a large extent, an effective international marketing strategy depends on a firm′s ability to segment its international markets. Previous studies addressed country segmentation on the basis of clustering a group of countries by an array of macroeconomic factors. These studies focussed their attention on segmenting countries on the factors important to making marketing decisions. Focusses on the making of sourcing decisions. More specifically, analyzes the extent to which countries belong to the same grouping on the basis of purchasing patterns of materials, components, finished products or technology. One‐hundred‐and‐thirty‐five firms representing 42 different countries were surveyed. The countries were clustered on the basis of these firms′ sourcing strategies. The market segment approach enables indus...
Vasorin (VASN) is an important transmembrane protein associated with development and disease. However, it is not clear whether the death of mice with VASN deficiency (VASN−/−) is related to cardiac dysfunction. The aim of this research was to ascertain whether VASN induces pathological cardiac hypertrophy by targeting myosin light chain 7 (MYL7). VASN−/− mice were produced by CRISPR/Cas9 technology and inbreeding. PCR amplification, electrophoresis, real‐time PCR and Western blotting were used to confirm VASN deficiency. Cardiac hypertrophy was examined by blood tests, histological analysis and real‐time PCR, and key downstream factors were identified by RNA sequencing and real‐time PCR. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy analysis were used to confirm the downregulation of MYL7 production and cardiac structural changes. Our results showed that sudden death of VASN−/− mice occurred 21–28 days after birth. The obvious increases in cardiovascular risk, heart weight and myocardial volume and the upregulation of hypertrophy marker gene expression indicated that cardiac hypertrophy may be the cause of death in young VASN−/− mice. Transcriptome analysis revealed that VASN deficiency led to MYL7 downregulation, which induced myocardial structure abnormalities and disorders. Our results revealed a pathological phenomenon in which VASN deficiency may lead to cardiac hypertrophy by downregulating MYL7 production. However, more research is necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanism.
Background: Low birth weight due to fetal growth restriction is an established risk factor for hypertension later in life, but the effect of preterm birth is less well studied.Methods: A population-based cohort study including 329,477 Swedish men conscripting for military service 1991–2001, using individually linked data from three national registres. Multipe logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the risk of high systolic blood pressure (SBP; ≥the 90th percentile). Adjustments were done for perinatal and socioeconomic confounders.Findings: here was an inverse relationship between gestational age and risk of high SBP at conscription. Compared to men born at term (gestational age 37–41 weeks) the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of high SBP increased to 2.58 (95% CI: 1.76–3.77) among men born extremely preterm (gestational age 24–28 weeks). Due to an interaction between gestational age and body mass index (BMI) at conscription, the cohort was stratified by gestational age. Compared to men born at term, obesity at conscription (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) was more strongly associated with high SBP among men born very preterm (gestational age 24–32 weeks). Among men born at term, small-for-gestational age was associated with an increased risk of high SBP (adjusted OR = 1.32, CI: 1.24–1.39). On the other hand, there was no blood pressure effect of being small-for-gestational age in the very preterm group (adjusted OR 0.99, CI:0.64–1.53).Interpretation: reterm birth is the strongest perinatal risk factor for high SBP in young men. In particular, the combination of very preterm birth and later obesity is associated with a high risk of high SBP. In addition, being small-for-gestational age after preterm birth has no impact on later blood pressure. The association between preterm birth and blood pressure may have a different biological explanation than the established association between low birth weight at term and hypertension. Future research should consider that possibility.
Exploring low-cost, high-activity, and long-durability hybrid electrocatalysts for cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is vital to advance fuel cells technologies. In this paper, a series of graphene (G)-CuxPdy (Cu4Pd, Cu3Pd, CuPd, CuPd3, CuPd4) nanocomposites (G-CuxPdy NCPs) is obtained by assembly of CuxPdy alloy nanocrystals (NCs) with controlled component ratios on G nanosheets using the "dispersing-mixing-vaporizing solvent" strategy and used as electrocatalysts for ORR. Compared with pure CuxPdy NCs, greatly enhanced interfacial electron transfer dynamics are observed in G-CuxPdy NCPs, which show a strong correlation with the alloy compositions of the NCPs. The electrocatalytic experiments in alkaline solution reveal that the ORR activities of those G-CuxPdy NCPs are also strongly dependent on alloy components and exhibit a double-volcano feature with variations of alloy components. Among them, G-Cu3Pd NCPs possess the highest electrocatalytic activity, which is much better than some reported electrocatalysts and commercial Pd/C catalyst and close to Pt/C catalyst. By correlating the Pd 3d binding energies and the sizes of CuxPdy NCs with the mass-specific activities of G-CuxPdy NCPs and considering the interfacial electron transfer dynamics, the best catalytic activity of G-Cu3Pd NCPs may result from the unique electronic structure and the smallest size of Cu3Pd NCs as well as the strong synergistic effect between G and Cu3Pd NCs. Moreover, the durability of G-Cu3Pd NCPs is superior to that of Pt/C catalyst, indicating that they are promising cathodic electrocatalysts for using in alkaline fuel cells.
Blakey’s critique of Reich into a European context – which I would like to do because that is the field with which I am more familiar – it should be obvious that in the same way as race is an ideological construct, so too are other categorizations of humans used in European archaeology and in archaeogenetic studies. Here the most critical examples are the essentialization of social identities, like gender stereotypes and ethnicities modelled after modern nation states. The same could be argued for the recurring claims of violence, war and social inequality as inevitable characteristics of human societies, projecting them back into deep prehistory, on shaky empirical foundations. When the narratives connected to the newly found ancient-DNA data reproduce modern Western tropes about ethnic identities, gender relations and the role of war and violence in intergroup relations, we cannot really fall back on the defence that it is something that objectively follows from our neutral reading of the data. All the relevant categories, the populations, cultures, migrations and population replacements, really just reproduce the categories inserted by us and projected back into prehistory. This not only is intellectually lazy, but also prevents us from really gaining new knowledge about the past. This is even more unfortunate, as it is well-established wisdom that the concept of static cultures blatantly misrepresents both the archaeological record (Hofmann 2015; Vander Linden 2016; Furholt 2018; 2019b) and the anthropological knowledge of non-state social organization (e.g. Cameron 2013). Do we really have to, begrudgingly, succumb to acknowledging a prehistory that ‘we may not like’ – because it is filled with violent misogynist hordes from the East, forming biologically defined groups of young males, who bully their way through Europe, killing and raping themselves into our gene pool (perhaps a little unfairly challenging the well-argued piece by Kristiansen et al. 2017, but clearly expressed in its popular adaptation by Barras 2019)? Is it not our responsibility to counter such narratives, which reproduce the right-wing’s view of human history as a perpetual clash of cultures? Especially when we actually know that it was us who inserted these ideas into our models in the first place? So it is clearly necessary to rethink our categories if we want to avoid giving ideological ammunition to nefarious political forces, but more fundamentally it is a prerequisite for arriving at any new ideas about the past. Is it not actually an exciting challenge for the new archaeogenetic project to create models that consider other forms of group organization than the ones known for our own modern world? Would it not be an innovative take to explore the temporal and spatial dynamics of population histories in periods before state borders circumscribed and regulated peoples’ movements and biological admixtures? Blakey’s critique of biodeterminism and the notion of scientific objectivity is not only an invitation to self-reflection, but we should take it as an opportunity to think of ways forward in creating a truly interdisciplinary archaeogenetic research agenda.
Research indicates that the formation of a patriotic consciousness among Russian youth has not increased their knowledge of Russia's historical past and culture. The patriotic consciousness of youth reflects their self-identification first and foremost as proud citizens of Russia, but this essentially civic interpretation of patriotism coexists with a decline in tolerance for non-Russian ethnic groups.
Bioorthogonal labeling of antibodies enables the conjugation of compounds, such as small molecules or peptides, which expand targeting capacity or enhance cytotoxicity. Taking advantage of a cyclohexene sulfonamide compound that site-selectively labels Lys64 in human serum albumin (HSA), we demonstrate that domain I of HSA can be used as a fusion protein for the preparation of antibody conjugates. Trastuzumab fusions were expressed at the N-terminus of the light chain or the C-terminus of the heavy chain enabling conjugation to small molecules. Moreover, these conjugates retained HER2 binding and proved to be highly stable in human plasma. Antibody conjugation via HSA domain I fusion should therefore have broad utility for making serum-stable antibody conjugates, particularly for antibody-drug conjugates.
Human cells depleted of the naturally occurring polyamines putrescine, spermidine, and spermine exhibit altered chromatin structure and marked deficiencies in DNA replicative and repair processes. Similar effects have been observed following treatment of normal mammalian cells with various heavy metal salts. In an attempt to better understand how metals interfere with normal DNA metabolic processes, a series of studies was carried out in which the toxicity and repair-inhibitory properties of various metals were evaluated in polyamine-depleted HeLa cells. Cytotoxicity of copper, zinc, magnesium, and cadmium was not altered in cells carrying lower polyamine pools. However, the sensitivity to nickel was markedly increased upon polyamine depletion, a condition that was readily reversed by polyamine supplementation. Nucleoid sedimentation analysis indicated that a greater amount of nickel-induced DNA damage occurred in polyamine-depleted cells than in normal cells, possibly serving as the basis for the increased sensitivity. Both polyamine depletion and nickel treatment result in decreased repair of DNA strand breaks and decreased cloning efficiency following X-ray and ultraviolet irradiation. Nickel treatment of polyamine-depleted cells resulted in synergistic sensitivity to both radiation treatments. None of the other metals tested enhanced X-ray or ultraviolet sensitivity of polyamine-depleted cells. Analysis of retarded repair sites following ultraviolet irradiation indicated those sites to be nonligatable in polyamine-depleted and nickel-treated cells, suggesting a block in the normal gap-sealing process.
Later in life Veterans may report increased thoughts and memories of traumatic military experience in the context of age-related changes, a process called Later-Adulthood Trauma Reengagement (LATR); this process may lead to resilience or distress. We describe the development of a 10-session group intervention with goals of providing psychoeducation about LATR, enhancing stress management and coping skills, and fostering meaning making. We characterize implementation and outcome characteristics for seven group cohorts over 5 years; groups were completed in-person or virtually. Outcomes were measured with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Meaning in Life Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive Appraisals of Military experience (PAMES), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Forty-seven Veterans (aged 65-93) began the group, 37 (87%) completed at least six sessions. These 37 Veterans reported an average of eight stressful events in the prior year, mostly major illness, death of a friend, and decline in memory and enjoyable activities, which may have set the stage for LATR. Veterans resonated with the LATR concept on standardized scales and qualitative comments. In pre-post comparisons, participants reported higher levels of PAMES (η² = .225), resilience (η² = .208), and meaning in life (η² = .145), with fewer symptoms of PTSD (η² = .199) and depression (η² = .124). There were no significant differences in outcomes for those who completed the group in-person or virtually. The LATR protocol may provide a framework for working with older adults reporting emergence or exacerbation of thoughts and memories of earlier trauma in later life, fostering positive adaptation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
ABSTRACT This paper addresses the theory for a statistical analysis of the results of potential mapping performed on reinforced concrete structures. The basic assumption for this analysis is that the distribution of potentials for both corroding and passive steel can be adequately described by a normal density distribution. This treatment is applied to a number of situations as to exemplify the calculation procedure. Eventually, this statistical analysis will result in improved potential criteria to distinguish corroding from passive steel reinforcement. Moreover, this procedure allows to assign to any value of the measured potential the corresponding probability to deal with an active corrosion process and provides a better estimate of the amount of corroding steel present in the structure.
This article provides an overview of gas turbine blade tip external cooling technologies. It is not the intention to comprehensively review all the publications from past to present. Instead, selected reports, which represent the most recent progress in tip cooling technology in open publications, are reviewed. The cooling performance on flat tip and squealer tip blades from reports are compared and discussed. As a generation conclusion, tip clearance dimension and coolant flow rate are found as the most important factors that significant influence the blade tip thermal performance was well as the over tip leakage (OTL) flow aerodynamics. However, some controversial trends are reported by different researchers, which could be attributed to various reasons. One of the causes of this disagreement between different reports is the lacking of unified parametric definition. Therefore, a more appropriate formula of blowing ratio definition has been proposed for comparison across different studies. The last part of the article is an outlook of the new techniques that are promising for future tip cooling research. As a new trend, the implementation of artificial intelligence techniques, such as genetic algorithm and neural network, have become more popular in tip cooling optimization, and they will bring significantly changes to the future turbine tip cooling development.
This﻿article﻿presents﻿MixMash,﻿an﻿interactive﻿tool﻿which﻿streamlines﻿the﻿process﻿of﻿music﻿mashup﻿ creation﻿by﻿assisting﻿users﻿in﻿the﻿process﻿of﻿finding﻿compatible﻿music﻿from﻿a﻿large﻿collection﻿of﻿audio﻿ tracks.﻿It﻿extends﻿the﻿harmonic﻿mixing﻿method﻿by﻿Bernardes,﻿Davies﻿and﻿Guedes﻿with﻿novel﻿degrees﻿ of﻿harmonic,﻿rhythmic,﻿spectral,﻿and﻿timbral﻿similarity﻿metrics.﻿Furthermore,﻿it﻿revises﻿and﻿improves﻿ some﻿interface﻿design﻿limitations﻿identified﻿in﻿the﻿former﻿model﻿software﻿implementation.﻿A﻿new﻿user﻿ interface﻿design﻿based﻿on﻿cross-modal﻿associations﻿between﻿musical﻿content﻿analysis﻿and﻿information﻿ visualisation﻿is﻿presented.﻿In﻿this﻿graphic﻿model,﻿all﻿tracks﻿are﻿represented﻿as﻿nodes﻿where﻿distances﻿ and﻿edge﻿connections﻿display﻿ their﻿harmonic﻿ compatibility﻿ as﻿ a﻿ result﻿ of﻿ a﻿ force-directed﻿graph.﻿ Besides,﻿a﻿visual﻿language﻿is﻿defined﻿to﻿enhance﻿the﻿tool’s﻿usability﻿and﻿foster﻿creative﻿endeavour﻿in﻿ the﻿search﻿of﻿meaningful﻿music﻿mashups.
ABSTRACT Introduction Thyroid cancer is usually diagnosed both with imaging techniques and transdermal biopsy. Laboratory tests are also included in the initial work-up. Patients and Methods One hundred and thirty patients were included in our study with pathological imaging findings in the thyroid region. Biopsies were performed with 22 G with transdermal convex probe, EBUS 22 G Mediglobe® needle and 19 G Olympus® needle. We investigated the efficiency and safety of both techniques and identified the best candidates for each method. Discussion 19 G needle identified cancer types such as; Lymphoma, Medullary thyroid cancer, and Hurthle cell cancer, which we know from previous pathology studies that a larger sample is necessary for diagnosis. No safety issues were observed for both techniques and the EBUS technique produced more cell block material when 22 G needle was compared to transdermal biopsy in peritracheal lesions. Conclusion The method of biopsy should be made based on the size and accessibility of the lesion.
My aspiration as a designer is to engage the graphic presence of words and images so that the dialogue between them generates a more multi-dimensional, in-the-moment encounter with the concepts behind them. Word and image do not have to exist in fields isolated from each other, yet they are often treated as such. As a mediator between content and visual representation, my interests are to unite these fields. In my design work, emphasis is given to reconsidering the conventional patterns of reading words and images within a prescribed space-time continuum. My efforts are to build hybrid compositions that capture a subject vividly. What is uncovered is a unity between the depth, space, and event “capture” of images and the conceptual dimension of words.
Poly-Urethane-Cement(PUC) is a new type of composite material which can be used in many construction area in recent years. This paper presents an experimental study of the axial behavior of strengthened reinforced-concrete (RC) columns using PUC. 5 concrete column specimens were constructed, strengthened and tested to failure under compressive axial load. The test results show that PUC can provide effective confinement for the concrete core and significantly increase the axial strength and deformation capacity of the RC columns. The ultimate load carry capacity of the strengthening columns is governed by failure of the PUC wrap.1
As a hot topic in the current academic and national application research, the cooperation of Industry- University-Research and Military-Civilian Integration play an extremely important role in the policy of wealth the country and strengthening the military. This paper summarizes the development history of Military-Civilian Integration based on “Industry-University-Research”, Military-Civilian Integration and “Industry-University-Research”, and sums up the research status of the Military-Civilian Integration development model based on “Industry-University-Research” in the academic world. Basing on it, this paper carries out literature review to provide further guidance for the in-depth study of Military-Civilian Integration of “Industry-University-Research”.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the most common causes of lower respiratory tract infections in young children, immunocompromised patients (children and adults), patients with chronic respiratory diseases and elderly people. Reinfections occur throughout the life, but the severity of disease decreased with subsequent infection. The aim of this study was to analyze the frequency of RSV infections in two selected subpopulations: young children (below 5 y.) and adults with chronic respiratory diseases (25-87 y.). Nasopharyngeal swabs (334) collected from October 2008 to March 2010 were examined. The presence of RSV genome was determined by RT-PCR and the presence of RSV antigen by quick immunochromatographic test. Positive results of RT-PCR were found in 45.2% of all swabs: 48.6% samples in 2008; 41.5% in 2009; 50.8% in 2010. The highest frequency of RSV-positive samples was in fall-winter months, but differences in RSV epidemic seasons were found. In the first season (2008-2009) an increased number of RSV infections was observed from November 2008, but in the second season--from January 2010. Generally, the frequency of RSV-positive RT-PCR among children was 53%, among adults 25%. The highest difference was observed in the first three-month period of 2010. RT-PCR positive samples were found in 68.5% of children and 5.9% of adults. However, the RSV antigen was found in 44.4% of samples collected from adults in this period. Our results indicate that the contribution of RSV infections during epidemic season of respiratory tract infections in Poland was really high among children and adults.
In situ bioprinting is one of the most clinically relevant techniques in the emerging bioprinting technology because it could be performed directly on the human body in the operating room and it does not require bioreactors for post-printing tissue maturation. However, commercial in situ bioprinters are still not available on the market. In this study, we demonstrated the benefit of the originally developed first commercial articulated collaborative in situ bioprinter for the treatment of full-thickness wounds in rat and porcine models. We used an articulated and collaborative robotic arm from company KUKA and developed original printhead and correspondence software enabling in situ bioprinting on curve and moving surfaces. The results of in vitro and in vivo experiments show that in situ bioprinting of bioink induces a strong hydrogel adhesion and enables printing on curved surfaces of wet tissues with a high level of fidelity. The in situ bioprinter was convenient to use in the operating room. Additional in vitro experiments (in vitro collagen contraction assay and in vitro 3D angiogenesis assay) and histological analyses demonstrated that in situ bioprinting improves the quality of wound healing in rat and porcine skin wounds. The absence of interference with the normal process of wound healing and even certain improvement in the dynamics of this process strongly suggests that in situ bioprinting could be used as a novel therapeutic modality in wound healing.
Residual cancer cells after radiation therapy may acquire malignant phenotypes such as enhanced motility and migration ability, and therefore it is important to identify targets for preventing radiation-induced malignancy in order to increase the effectiveness of radiotherapy. G-Protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) such as adenosine A2B receptor and cannabinoid receptors (CB1, CB2 and GPR55) may be involved, as they are known to have roles in proliferation, invasion, migration and tumor growth. In this study, we investigated the involvement of A2B and cannabinoid receptors in γ-radiation-induced enhancement of cell migration and actin remodeling, as well as the involvement of cannabinoid receptors in cell migration enhancement via activation of A2B receptor in human lung cancer A549 cells. Antagonists or knockdown of A2B, CB1, CB2 or GPR55 receptor suppressed γ-radiation-induced cell migration and actin remodeling. Furthermore, BAY60-6583 (an A2B receptor-specific agonist) enhanced cell migration and actin remodeling in A549 cells, and this enhancement was suppressed by antagonists or knockdown of CB2 or GPR55, though not CB1 receptor. Our results indicate that A2B receptors and cannabinoid CB1, CB2 and GPR55 receptors all contribute to γ-radiation-induced acquisition of malignant phenotypes, and in particular that interactions of A2B receptor and cannabinoid CB2 and GPR55 receptors play a role in promoting cell migration and actin remodeling. A2B receptor-cannabinoid receptor pathways may be promising targets for blocking the appearance of malignant phenotypes during radiotherapy of lung cancer.
The interactive effects of heating temperature (55 to 65°C), sodium chloride (NaCl; 0 to 2%), and green tea 60% polyphenol extract (GTPE; 0 to 3%) on the heat resistance of a five-strain mixture of Listeria monocytogenes in ground turkey were determined. Thermal death times were quantified in bags that were submerged in a circulating water bath set at 55, 57, 60, 63, and 65°C. The recovery medium was tryptic soy agar supplemented with 0.6% yeast extract and 1% sodium pyruvate. D-values were analyzed by second-order response surface regression for temperature, NaCl, and GTPE. The data indicated that all three factors interacted to affect the inactivation of the pathogen. The D-values for turkey with no NaCl or GTPE at 55, 57, 60, 63, and 65°C were 36.3, 20.8, 13.2, 4.1, and 2.9 min, respectively. Although NaCl exhibited a concentration-dependent protective effect against heat lethality on L. monocytogenes in turkey, addition of GTPE rendered the pathogen more sensitive to the lethal effect of heat. GTPE levels up to 1.5% interacted with NaCl and reduced the protective effect of NaCl on heat resistance of the pathogen. Food processors can use the predictive model to design an appropriate heat treatment that would inactivate L. monocytogenes in cooked turkey products without adversely affecting the quality of the product.
ABSTRACT: Forest buffers adjacent to water bodies are widely prescribed in forest management to protect ecological functions of riparian systems. To date, buffers have been applied on the landscape uniformly without quantifying their effectiveness or the effects they have on landscape characteristics. Our objective was to quantify landscape characteristics (amount of edge and interior forest) when buffers were applied to water bodies in a 100 by 100 km area of northern Minnesota. We used a Landsat classified image in a geographic information system platform to apply two buffer widths −28.5 m and 57 m — to water bodies, including nonforested wetlands, intermittent or perennial streams, and lakes. A total of 107,141 ha (18.3 percent) of the forest area was adjacent to and within 28.5 m of these water bodies, while 201,457 ha of forest was within 57 m, representing 34.4 percent of the total forest area. Imposing a 28.5 m buffer on water bodies increased the amount of edge and interior forest in the study area. When water bodies were buffered with a 57 m forest strip, we found a slight increase in forest edge from the current condition, and this buffer width resulted in the largest amount of interior forest. Interior forest increased with the 57 m buffer due to the density of water bodies in this region; adjacent water bodies coalesced when buffers were applied and formed isolated forest islands that contained forest interior habitat. Instead of wholesale application of set width riparian buffers, we suggest that ecological conditions of riparian areas be evaluated on a site level and that areas that currently provide important riparian conditions be maintained on the landscape with appropriate management practices.
other monsters until one of them reveals that it’s afraid of the monstrous Arnolds, who destroy New York and bite the heads off of lions and elephants; then Arnold reveals his “secret” and frightens the whole gang away. Although monsters terrified of radiators that make glinking noises are a lot of silly fun, this story is a standard telling of a plot kids have likely heard before (even if they haven’t quite taken it to heart yet). The increasing goofiness of the monsters (the toe biter’s a big fanged purple guy who looks a bit like a boar on two legs, and the grozny buzzler’s a squat olive bird with wire-rimmed glasses and a fez) amp up the readaloud pleasure, but the ending’s reliance on distant details and sudden resolution causes it to fall flat. Schneider’s ink, watercolor, and colored pencil illustrations are distinctly outlined, which sometimes busies up the pages but also adds a cartoonish over-the-top-ness that matches the story’s tone, a tendency enhanced by the kid-friendly saturated palette and the use of blue outlines to show Arnold’s imagined worlds. The real show-stealers here are the monsters themselves, who are mildly frightening with their nasty teeth and horrible claws but hilarious in their worried expressions. Mayer’s There’s a Nightmare in My Closet is a standard measure for books of this type, but this might see some use as a complementary resource for youngsters who need a bit more encouragement to banish the bedtime boogeymen. TA
Background: Platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) was recently reported being associated with the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC), but the prognostic value of PLR in pancreatic cancer remains inconsistent. We conduct a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic role of PLR in patients with PC. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were systematically searched for eligible studies which investigated the relationship between PLR and clinical outcome of patients with pancreatic cancer. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the prognostic role of PLR in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS)/time to progression (TTP). Results: A total of 16 studies comprising 3028 patients with PC were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Pooled analysis demonstrated that elevated PLR predicted a poor OS (HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.09–1.36, P < .001). Prognostic role of PLR on OS were significant in subgroup of Asians (HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.11–1.34, P < .001), patients treated with chemotherapy (HR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.04–1.35, P = .01) and mixed methods (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07–1.57, P = .009), American joint committee on cancer (AJCC) stage of III–IV (HR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.09–1.36, P < .001), pathological subtype of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.08–1.36, P = .001), and cut-off value of PLR ≥160 (HR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.25–1.75, P < .001). Conclusions: An elevated PLR is associated with unfavorable overall survival in patients with pancreatic cancer.
A Gram-negative, aerobic bacterium, designated strain HO3-R19(T), which was isolated from seashore sand in Pohang city, Korea, was characterized on the basis of a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain HO3-R19(T) represents a new lineage within the Gammaproteobacteria; sequence similarities between strain HO3-R19(T) and members of other related genera were less than 93.5 %. Strain HO3-R19(T) was also distinguished from related genera based on differences in several phenotypic characteristics. Cells were straight or slightly curved rods and formed white colonies on R2A agar. The major isoprenoid quinone was ubiquinone 8 (Q-8), and predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C(16 : 0), iso-C(15 : 0) and iso-C(17 : 1)omega9c. The DNA G+C content of strain HO3-R19(T) was 65.0 mol%. Based on physiological, biochemical and chemotaxonomic traits together with results of comparative 16S rRNA sequence analysis, strain HO3-R19(T) is considered to represent a novel species in a new genus, for which the name Arenimonas donghaensis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Arenimonas donghaensis is HO3-R19(T) (=KACC 11381(T)=DSM 18148(T)).
Purpose Our paper stems from the basis of the fundamental principles of equity theory and other justice theories. It suggests integral index of social justice that includes two partial indices: observance of fundamental rights and distribution of socio-economic achievements. Design/methodology/approach – We employ the index method based on normalization of partial indices according to their impact on overall social justice. For computing the integral index of social justice (ISJ) we select countries with obvious links between economic outcomes and efficiency of social sphere regulation (16 EU Member States). We use the data from Global Competitiveness Report which are the most appropriate to components of partial indices. Findings – We assessed the level of social justice basing on the case study of the EU Member States which demonstrate the most obvious relationship of economic efficiency and quality of social sphere regulation. The research confirmed that the economic leadership of the countries has a close connection with social justice in the respective society. At the same time, targeting and ensuring the effectiveness of the state distribution policy in terms of availability of socio-economic benefits beyond the minimum social guarantees is still inferior to efforts aimed at creating an infrastructure for social support of the population and guarantees of fundamental rights and freedoms. Originality/value – We suggest a unique method that allows to identify the reserves of the state distributive mechanisms' improvement and to analyse the links of social justice of the living environment and doing business with the economic successes of the states. Our approach to determining the weighting factors and the composition of the indicators according to the social justice categories can be specified depending on the research objectives.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The objective in localization is selection of a suitable technique which has minimal radiation dose, cost and maximum details. Panoramic radiograph, being a screening radiograph, can satisfy the above needs. Taking this into consideration, the present study was done to evaluate the reliability of panoramic radiograph in localization of impacted permanent maxillary canines by applying the criteria suggested by Chaushu et al. and by comparing it with Clark's rule.   MATERIALS AND METHODS The study comprised of 114 subjects in the age group of 13-30 years of both the genders with 150 impacted canines visiting Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology during the study period. The study subjects were examined for clinically missing canine, and then confirmed with intra-oral peri-apical radiograph (IOPAR). Panoramic radiographs (for application of Chaushu et al. criteria) and IOPAR's (for application of Clark's rule) of the subjects were made and interpreted for parameters pertaining to the impacted canines. The data obtained was tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software.   RESULTS Determination of the bucco-palatal position from panoramic radiographs, by applying Chaushu, et al. criteria, showed that localization in bucco-palatal position was possible for 96 of the 102 impacted canines placed in the middle and coronal zones. The remaining six impacted canines, three each in the middle and coronal zones, could not be localized as they showed overlapping in their range. By excluding them, the overall agreement worked out to be 94.11%. Localization was not possible for 48 impacted canines that lied in the apical zone.   CONCLUSION A single panoramic radiograph can serve as a reliable indicator for determining the bucco-palatal position of the impacted canines when they lie in the middle and coronal zones. When they lie in the apical zone it is recommended to explore their presence with other conventional or advanced imaging modalities.
The authors have designed and analyzed a lightweight flexible nonplanar manipulator testbed. The results of this study emphasize actual manipulator CAD/CAM design, analysis and hardware selection. The manipulator design has kinematics similar to a standard industrial robot, such as a PUMA 560, except that the linkages are all in-line without offsets. Counterbalances are used to offset the effects of gravity and reduce static loading. Direct-drive motors are used to provide gross motion which emphasizes link dynamics over actuator dynamics. To compensate for the link dynamics active graphite/epoxy composite links have been designed and constructed. The active composite links include embedded strain sensors and actuators to facilitate active vibration suppression during trajectory maneuvers.
This paper proposes a model of hop scheduling mechanisms for Distributed Multi-hop Wireless Mobile Adhoc Networks to evaluate its performance in actual application scenarios. Based on automatic repeat request (ARQ) mechanism, packets transmission failure due to channel environment is considered. In the multi-hop networks, single-hop scheduling and multi-hop scheduling mechanisms are used to analyze factors such as transmission success probability and maximum allowable back-off times which influence average end-to-end delay and resource efficiency. Our analysis and numerical results indicate that the single-hop scheduling mechanism can perform well both in resource efficiency and delay even under bad channel quality. The triple-hop scheduling mechanism can further reduce the end-to-end delay within a certain range of maximum back-off number compared to the double-hop mechanism. The system can refer to different medium access control (MAC) layer parameters to balance between resource efficiency and delay under different performance demands. According to the network traffic hops combined with different hop scheduling mechanisms, a reference for relevant performance indicators in system design is build.
Objectives: Dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leads to impaired stress response. FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP5), which influences HPA axis activity via glucocorticoid receptors, is supposed to play an important role in the regulation of negative feedback and glucocorticoid resistance. Since ineffective stress response mechanisms are considered as a biological background of suicide behavior, we aimed to analyze a possible association between FKBP5 functional polymorphisms and completed suicide. Methods: The selected FKBP5 polymorphisms rs1360780 and rs3800373 were genotyped in a sample of 563 suicide victims and 475 controls. Results: A significant association between the high-induction rs3800373 C allele and completed suicide was detected (OR = 1.36, p = 0.007). In this polymorphism, genotype distribution supported a codominant model of inheritance. The analyzed SNPs were in strong linkage disequilibrium (D' = 0.916 and r2 = 0.826) with the rs1360780 (T)-rs3800373 (C) haplotype apparently responsible for the observed association (OR = 1.34, p = 0.010). Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that genetic alterations in FKBP5 may influence vulnerability to suicide.
The fifth generation (5G) mobile communication systems will be in use around 2020. The aim of 5G systems is to provide anywhere and anytime connectivity for anyone and anything. Several new technologies are being researched for 5G systems, such as massive multiple-input multiple-output communications, vehicle-to-vehicle communications, high-speed train communications, and millimeter wave communications. Each of these technologies introduces new propagation properties and sets specific requirements on 5G channel modeling. Considering the fact that channel models are indispensable for system design and performance evaluation, accurate and efficient channel models covering various 5G technologies and scenarios are urgently needed. This paper first summarizes the requirements of the 5G channel modeling, and then provides an extensive review of the recent channel measurements and models. Finally, future research directions for channel measurements and modeling are provided.
Electrical test is a mandatory step to check the reliable functioning of the semiconductor devices. As devices shrink smaller, the pad size and its pitch are getting finer down to micro meter scale, leading to fine dimension of the probe tip. The requisitions for the finer probe tip are durability and contact resistance at one million-th touch down. As a substitute for the used material, the Ni-P alloy was examined to fulfil the requisition. Large amount of P was dispersed in Ni matrix by pulsed electroplating and followed by heat treatment. The following heat treatment resulted in satisfying microstructure with electrical conductivity and strength by balancing the degree of grain growth of nanocrystal and precipitation of Ni-P compound.
A wireless ad-hoc network is a collection of nodes which are self-organizing and self-administering in nature. All nodes are connected by wireless links and are free to move randomly. Thus, the network topology keeps on changing rapidly and erratically. These kinds of networks are very flexible and don’t need any existing infrastructure. In order establish communication within the network and to discover the routes between the nodes a routing protocol is used so that messages may be delivered in a timely manner. The primary objective of an ad hoc network routing protocol is accurate and efficient route establishment between a pair of nodes. Route construction should be done with a minimum of overhead and minimum consumption of bandwidth. The major challenge in these kinds of networks is finding a path between the communication end points of nodes that are mobile. Therefore, these kinds of networks are also called multi-hop ad-hoc networks. This paper is based on study of ad-hoc wireless networks and it’s related various issues in architectures and protocols. This paper provides an overview of various issues and challenges in various protocols.
AIM To determine whether extubation to nasal continuous airway pressure (NCPAP) results in a greater proportion of infants remaining free of additional ventilatory support for one week after extubation compared with those extubated directly to headbox oxygen. METHODS A randomised, controlled, clinical trial was conducted at the neonatal intensive care unit of the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, of infants with birthweights between 600 and 1250 g, ventilated via an endotracheal tube for more than 12 hours, requiring less than 50% oxygen, a ventilator rate ⩽ 20/minute, considered by the clinical management team to be ready for extubation. Infants were randomly allocated either to NCPAP or to oxygen administered via a headbox. Success was defined by no requirement for additional ventilatory support over the week following extubation. Failure criteria were (i) apnoea; (ii) absolute increase in oxygen requirement greater than 15% above that required before extubation; or (iii) respiratory acidosis (pH<7.25 with pCO2 >6.67 kPa). RESULTS Thirty one of 47 (66%) infants were successfully extubated to NCPAP compared with 18 of 45 (40%) for headbox oxygen. The increase in failure rate in the headbox group was due primarily to increased oxygen requirements in this group. Of the 27 who failed headbox oxygen, 26 were given a trial of NCPAP and 13 did not require endotracheal reintubation. There was no significant difference between the groups in the total number of days of assisted ventilation or the duration of inpatient stay. CONCLUSIONS NCPAP applied prophylactically after endotracheal extubation reduces the incidence of adverse clinical events that lead to failure of extubation in the seven days after extubation. This reduction is clinically important. The benefits of NCPAP do not seem to be associated with an increased incidence of unwanted side effects.
The effect of acute administration of L-DOPA on TSH and TRH levels in serum was studied in primary or pituitary hypothyroidism. TRH levels in serum fell and then returned to initial levels after L-DOPA administration in primary or pituitary hypothyroidism. TSH levels in serum fell and then returned to initial levels after L-DOPA administration in primary hypothyroidism. T4 and T3 levels in serum did not change after L-DOPA administration in primary or pituitary hypothyroidism. These data suggested that L-DOPA might act directly to hypothalamus.
The paper presents the results of experimental studies of the effect of mechanoactivation of the powder, argon shielding gas and the effect of technological modes of melting: the speed of the laser beam, the power of laser radiation, the scanning step, the preliminary temperature of heating the powder material on the surface roughness of the copper powder material obtained by selective laser melting. Experiments on the melting of copper powder are implemented on the installation of layer-by-layer laser melting of the original design, which allows to adjust all technological modes of melting. The surface roughness is determined on the non-contact digital microscope Olympus LEXT OLS4100. The mathematical dependence of the surface layer roughness of copper powder on the technological modes of melting is obtained on the basis of the theory of experiment planning and static processing of the results. The significant parameters of the regime-the power of laser radiation, the speed of the laser beam, the scanning step affecting the roughness of the layer. The positive effect of mechanical activation of powder material and protective atmosphere on the quality of the surface layer is shown.
To meet the demand of scalability and usability, many real-world authentication systems have adopted the idea of responsibility shifting, explicitly or implicitly, where a user's responsibility of authentication is shifted to another entity, usually in case of failure of the primary authentication method. One example of responsibility shifting is in the fourth-factor authentication [1] whereby a user gets the crucial authentication assistance from a helper who takes over the responsibility. In the fourth-factor authentication system [1], subverting/coercing the helper (trustee) allows the adversary to log in without capturing the password of the user.
Abstract This article assesses the contribution of discourse analysis to the study of environmental politics over the period of the past decade. Defining discourse as a particular linguistic regularity that can be found in conversations distinguishes it from ‘deliberation’ and ‘discussion’. Discourse analysis is seen as focused on situational logics studying ‘language-in-use’. Three strengths of discourse analysis are highlighted: its capacity to reveal the role of language in politics, its capacity to reveal the embeddedness of language in practices and its capacity to answer ‘how’ questions and to illuminate mechanisms. The article concludes by sketching some of the challenges lying ahead of discourse analysis. Given the changing nature of policy making, discourse analysts are supposed to have a task in identifying the new sites of politics and analysing the political dynamics therein.
The primary objective of this paper is to propose two nonlinear extensions for macroeconomic forecasting using large datasets. First, we propose an alternative technique for factor estimation, i.e., kernel principal component analysis, which allows the factors to have a nonlinear relationship to the input variables. Second, we propose artificial neural networks as an alternative to the factor augmented linear forecasting equation. These two extensions allow us to determine whether, in general, there is empirical evidence in favor of nonlinear methods and, in particular, to verify whether the nonlinearity occurs in the estimation of the factors or in the functional form that links the target variable to the factors. In an effort to verify the empirical performances of the methods proposed, we conducted several pseudo forecasting exercises on the industrial production index and consumer price index for the Euro area and US economies. These methods were employed to construct the forecasts at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month horizons using a large dataset containing 259 predictors for the Euro area and 131 predictors for the US economy. The results obtained from the empirical study suggest that the estimation of nonlinear factors, using kernel principal components, significantly improves the quality of forecasts compared to the linear method, while the results for artificial neural networks have the same forecasting ability as the factor augmented linear forecasting equation.
This paper introduces the position principle of the double-star position system, gives the measurement equations of the position system, then simulates and analyses the position errors. On the basis of pointing out the positioning mechanism shortcoming of the double-star position system, the similar simulation and analysis are made on the position errors of two kinds of improvement systems for the double-star position system, then the comparison is made for the three systems. At last the useful conclusion is given
Because of the non-uniform response of infrared focal plane arrays (IRFPA), non-uniformity correction is a key technology in IRFPA application. The two-point correction algorithm is widely used in practical applications, but there are some disadvantages. The detector's response will drift with time and temperature, correction parameters will drift with this accordingly. In order to acquire good quality images, the correction parameters need to be recalibrated periodically. It is inconvenient for user. This paper proposed an adaptive non-uniformity correction algorithm based on the two-point correction, which can update the correction parameters automatically. And this paper else introduced the approach of the algorithm. Results showed that the algorithm is effective to compensate the response drift influenced by time and temperature.
SUMMARY We explored the presence of relatively discrete subgroups of adolescent females in a statewide sample (N = 94) using latent class statistical methodology. Specifically, we hypothesized that, rather than being a homogenous group, the girls in the sample would separate into clusters with both crossover and distinguishing characteristics. Results showed confirmation of our hypothesis with a best-fit three cluster solution consisting of a low violence cluster, a moderately violent cluster, and a high-rate violent cluster of girls. Findings provide a more precise identification and description of subgroups of female juvenile offenders to inform treatment efforts and provide a preliminary typology/cluster profile to build upon in future research addressing this population.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the beneficial effect of antimalarial treatment on lupus survival in a large, multiethnic, international longitudinal inception cohort.   METHODS Socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, classification criteria, laboratory findings, and treatment variables were examined in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from the Grupo Latino Americano de Estudio del Lupus Eritematoso (GLADEL) cohort. The diagnosis of SLE, according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria, was assessed within 2 years of cohort entry. Cause of death was classified as active disease, infection, cardiovascular complications, thrombosis, malignancy, or other cause. Patients were subdivided by antimalarial use, grouped according to those who had received antimalarial drugs for at least 6 consecutive months (user) and those who had received antimalarial drugs for <6 consecutive months or who had never received antimalarial drugs (nonuser).   RESULTS Of the 1,480 patients included in the GLADEL cohort, 1,141 (77%) were considered antimalarial users, with a mean duration of drug exposure of 48.5 months (range 6-98 months). Death occurred in 89 patients (6.0%). A lower mortality rate was observed in antimalarial users compared with nonusers (4.4% versus 11.5%; P< 0.001). Seventy patients (6.1%) had received antimalarial drugs for 6-11 months, 146 (12.8%) for 1-2 years, and 925 (81.1%) for >2 years. Mortality rates among users by duration of antimalarial treatment (per 1,000 person-months of followup) were 3.85 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.41-8.37), 2.7 (95% CI 1.41-4.76), and 0.54 (95% CI 0.37-0.77), respectively, while for nonusers, the mortality rate was 3.07 (95% CI 2.18-4.20) (P for trend < 0.001). After adjustment for potential confounders in a Cox regression model, antimalarial use was associated with a 38% reduction in the mortality rate (hazard ratio 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.99).   CONCLUSION Antimalarial drugs were shown to have a protective effect, possibly in a time-dependent manner, on SLE survival. These results suggest that the use of antimalarial treatment should be recommended for patients with lupus.
This experimental study reports ESD failure analysis of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Effect of MESA isolation, gate and parasitic MESA Schottky diode on ESD robustness is studied. Cause of snapback instability, multiple NDCs and transition from soft-to-hard failure are discussed. Unique leakage trends and cumulative nature of degradation are discovered. Post failure analysis reveals role of inverse piezoelectric effect, fringing electric field, contact resistivity, temperature and field induced contact metal migration in degradation of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs under ESD conditions.
We propose the use of branched gold nanoparticles (B-GNPs) as a contrast agent for optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging. Our results show that even when the central source of our OCT (1325 nm) is too far from the maximum peak of the plasmon resonance, branched nanoparticles scatter light very efficiently at this wavelength. B-GNPs were tested as a contrast agent in water and agarose-TiO2 tissue phantoms; the estimated increments in contrast were 9.19 dB and 15.07 dB for branched nanoparticles in water with concentrations of 2.2 × 109 NPs/mL and 6.6 × 109 NPs/mL, respectively, while for agarose-TiO2 tissue phantoms the estimated value was 3.17 dB. These results show the promising application of B-GNPs as a contrast agent for tissue imaging using OCT, not only for sources at 1325nm but also at other central wavelengths located between 800 and 1000 nm.
Let and be a non-negative matrix. Denote by , the supremum of those , satisfying the following inequalitywhere is a partition of positive integers, , is a non-negative sequence in and is a monotone and non-negative sequence of real number. In this paper a Hardy-type formula is obtained for , where is the generalized Hausdorff matrix, and Another purpose of this paper is to establish a general upper estimate for the exact value of , for which recently a lower estimate was established in Lashkaripour and Talebi [Lashkaripour R, Talebi G. Bull. Iran. Math. Soc. 2011;37:115–126], where is a non-negative lower triangular matrix and . We also derive the corresponding result for with In particular, we apply our results to summability matrices, weighted mean matrices, Nörlund matrices. Our results also generalize some results in Chen and Wang [Chen C-P, Wang K-Z. Linear Multilinear Algebra, March 2011;59:321–337] and Lashkaripour and Talebi [Lashkaripour R, Talebi G. Czech. Math. J. 2012; 62: 293–04.].
The present work was carried out at Private Farm (The Experimental Farm of Sand Valley Company) at Ismailia Governorate, Egypt during the two summer seasons of 2016 and 2017to study the response of vegetative growth, leaf pigments, yield and fruit quality of some summer squash cultivars (Haitek, Kortoba, Otto, Rivera and Shamis) grown in sandy soil to foliar spray with some antioxidants [Salicylic acid (SA), Vitamin B1 and Vitamin C] at 100 ppm of each. The interaction between Revira cultivar and spraying with SA or with Vitamin C at 100 ppm of each increased number of leaves/ plant, leaves dry matter and leaf relative water content (%), crude protein and Vitamin C content in fruits, whereas the interaction between Revira or Shamis cultivars and spraying with SA at 100 ppm increased plant height, concentration of chlorophyll a in leaf tissues, total yield/ fad., total carbohydrates and TSS in fruits. The interaction between Shamis cultivar and spraying with Vitamin B1 or Vitamin C at 100 ppm of each increased concentration of chlorophyll b in leaf tissues, but decreased the concentration of carotenoides in leaf tissues. On the other hand, spraying Otto cultivar with tap water gave the lowest value for each of chlorophyll a, b but recorded the highest concentration of carotenoides in leaf tissues, followed by Haitek and Kortoba, while spraying Kortoba cultivar with tap water gave the lowest value of total yield.
Mechanical alloying (MA) synthesis of Ti 3 SiC 2 from a stoichiometric elemental powder mixture of Ti, Si, and C was conducted by using a planetary mill with a specially designed MA jar, which enables the real-time measurement of temperature and gas pressure during the MA process. Sudden gas pressure and temperature rises were detected when the mixed powders were mechanically alloyed for a certain period, and consequently a large amount of Ti 3 SiC 2 particles was synthesized. Using the Ti-Si-C system as an example, the present study confirmed the combustion reaction triggered by the ball-milling process for the first time.
The levels of CH50, the complement components, C1q, C4, and C3, C3 degradation fragments, and factor B were determined in the cord blood of 128 newborn infants. The levels of C3, C4, and C3d3 (an index of chronic in vivo complement activation) were clearly lower in the 28 infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) than in the infants with other lung diseases or with normal lungs. CH50 and factor B levels were also low in RDS. Levels of C1q and other serum components in RDS infants were similar to the average levels in other infants without RDS at a corresponding gestational age. Lung surfactant is synthesized in alveolar type 2 cells, in which the complement components C4, C3, and factor B, but not C1q, have been reported to be synthesized. It seems possible that common factors regulate the synthesis of some complement components and surfactant.
The experiment was conducted at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207 during the period from December 2018 to March, 2019 to find out the effect of bio-fertilizer on growth and productivity of soybean varieties. Two factors were used in the experiment, viz . Factor A: varieties 4 (V 1 = Shohag (PB-1), V 2 = BARI Soybean-6, V 3 = Binasoybean-1, V 4 = Binasoybean-5) and Factor B: Biofertilizer level 3 (F 0 = No biofertilizer (control), F 1 = Rizobium (Soybean Ishwardi) and F 2 = Rizobium (Soybean Laxmipur)). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with two factors and three replications. Variety, biofertilizers and their interaction had significant effect on plant height, number of branch, number of leaf at different DAS, pods plant -1 , pod length, seeds pod -1 , 100 seeds weight, grain yield, straw yield, biological yield and harvest index (%).The highest plant height (18.19, 27.20, 44.45, 54.96 and 57.42 cm, respectively), number of branch plant -1 (2.29, 3.08, 3.58, highest stover yield (16.98), stover yield (4.55 t ha -1 ), biological yield (6.55 t ha -1 ) and harvest index (30.49 %) was observed in variety Binasoybean-5 with the application of Soybean Laxmipur (V 4 × F 2 ) and the lowest stover yield (16.00), stover yield (3.96 t ha -1 ), biological yield (5.53 t ha -1 ) and harvest index (25.34 %) was observed in control with the variety Shohag (PB-1) (V 1 × F 0 ). It has been appeared that Binasoybean-5 with the application of Soybean Laxmipur (V 4 × F 2 ) produces greater yield over treatments still requires further verification under different soybean.
Strategic Performance Measurement Systems (SPMSs) are designed to present integrated information, which together with other controls in Management Control Systems (MCSs) helps managers to implement strategy properly and thus outperform the company’s competitors. A wide range of potential factors impacting the design and use of SPMS and MCS has been studied by proponents of the contingency theory since the 1980s who soon found strategy to be one of the most dominant contingencies. But recent reviews of contingency theory provide mixed, sometimes even conflicting evidence, partly because of inconsistent definitions of MCS and SPMS, partly because of exploring contingencies in isolation from other context factors and components. This article addresses both of these challenges. Firstly, it introduces four distinctive features of SPMS and complements them with often neglected “Beliefs” and “Boundaries” controls from the influential MCS framework “Levers of Control” devised by Simons (1995). Secondly, the resulting MCS concept is tested by PLS-SEM whether or not it is influenced by contingency factors of size, industry and especially by two opposing Porter’s generic strategic priorities – differentiation and/or cost-leadership (low prices). Surprisingly, only the former is found to be positively connected to the features of SPMS, however, the link is not direct but mediated by improvements in Boundaries and Beliefs. So the study broadens current knowledge on antecedents of SPMSs, that are applied in the medium-sized and large companies. At the same time, the study urges managers trying to implement differentiation strategy not only to establish the SPMS with all analyzed features, but concurrently to promote values and other belief controls as well as to set organizational rules and boundaries. In other words, the implementation of differentiation strategy has to be accompanied by establishment of the MCS incl. Beliefs and Boundaries, not just SPMS. Contrary to this implication, in case of low-price strategy, the detailed analysis proves that Belief and Boundary components of MCS are not very important tools for achieving cost-leadership. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.29.5.17463
patients without tuberculosis may also be substantial if the need for treatment trials is reduced. The second issue is the potential of PCR to facilitate efficient laboratory practice. Since our description of the application of PCR to the identification of M tuberculosis in positive Bactec phials, others have developed methods with broader application. Telenti et al identified a large number of species of mycobacteria by restriction digestion analysis of a 439 base pair fragment amplified from the gene for the 65 kilodalton heat shock protein.' Similarly, Vaneechoutte et al have described the identification of mycobacterial isolates by restriction digestion of the amplified 16SrRNA gene and confirmed our observation that PCR can be achieved following simple heating and boiling in distilled water.2 Standard methods of speciation are not only slow but technically demanding and time consuming. They also require repeated manipulation of viable dangerous pathogens. The use of DNA probes requires a different probe for each species. For these reasons we believe that PCR based methods for speciation of cultured mycobacteria are likely to facilitate laboratory practice, although the impact on clinical practice may be modest.
Neonates (n=7) had low mononuclear cell (MC)-ADCC (29.5 ± 7.1) compared to adults (53.8 ± 7.5, p = .02) in a 51 Cr release assay against HSV-infected Chang liver cells. Their polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) - ADCC (43.1 ± 9.9) was similar to that of adults (36.3 ± 3.1). In a single cell agarose conjugation assay, specific IgG significantly increased adult MC conjugates (from 1.9 ± 0.3 in the absence of IgG to 4.2 ± 0.8%, p=.03). IgG had no effect on cord blood MC conjugates (2.1 ± 0.6 to 2.7 ± 0.7). In contrast, IgG significantly increased both adult PMN (1.1 ± 0.3 to 2.6 ± 0.4, p = .003) and cord PMN (1.3 ± 0.2 to 3.3 ± 0.7, p<.05) conjugation. Expression of high affinity IgG FcR assayed by EA resetting revealed significant differences (p=.005) between adult MC FcR (7.1 ± 0.5%) compared to cord FcR (4.7 ± 0.4). There was no difference in PMN FcR expression. In addition while human alpha interferon increased cord MC adhesion in the presence of IgG (4.5 ± 0.7%), and FcR expression (9.4 ± 0.9%), it had no effect on MC ADCC (30.6 ± 5.7%). Thus, defective FcR expression and target cell adhesion may partly explain low cord ADCC. Cord blood cells also have an interferon insensitive lytic or recycle as well as adherence defect.This work was supported by NIH grant HD13021
The Federated Identity Management (FIM) community has been creating a group of requirements for Identity Providers of Last Resort (IdPoLR / IoLR). These Identity Providers would be used by Service Providers when one or more users do not have access to authentication/ authorization credentials via their home institution. This document compares the requirements defined by two efforts 1) 2015 InCommon IdPoLR Working Group Final Report, and 2) 2018 REFEDS IoLR Working Group Declaration and Self-Assessment form. The development of this comparison was supported by ORCID.
Masyaura, an ethnic, fermented and dried, cone shaped, black or green gram product, is prepared by Nepalese people living in the Himalayas. Masyaura is especially prepared from split black gram (Phaseolus mungo) and Colocasia (Colocasia esculenta) or radish and ash gourd depending upon the availability of raw materials. The taste and texture are the fundamental characteristics of Masyaura. Breakage or loss of integrity after drying, during handling, packing and cooking are observed as a common problems of Masyaura. In this study, effect of addition of mashed potato on physiochemical and sensory quality of Masyaura was studied. Masyaura prepared by using black gram and colocasia tuber in the ratio 2:1 with fermentation time of 2 h was taken as control. Black gram was partially replaced by different proportion of mashed potato (6.25, 12.5, 18.75 and 25 parts by weight) to study the effect on physiochemical and sensory quality of Masyaura. Rehydration ratio, bulk density and disintegration time of Masyaura varied from 2.60:1 to 3.45:1, 510 to 654 kg/m3 and 35.75 to 45.91 min respectively. Masyaura prepared by incorporating mashed potato had higher bulk density, longer disintegration time and lower rehydration ratio compared to control. Sensory evaluation showed that 18.75 parts mashed potato incorporated Masyaura had the best sensory quality of all the proportions studied. Incorporation of mashed potato in partial replacement of black gram could significantly improve the textural property of Masyaura.
Shared bikes have become popular traveling tools in our daily life. The successful operation of bike sharing systems (BSS) can greatly promote energy saving in a city. In BSS, stations becoming empty or full is the main cause of customers failing to rent or return bikes. Some truck-based rebalancing strategies are proposed to solve this problem. However, there are still challenges around the relocation of bikes. The truck operating costs also need to be considered. In this paper, we propose a customer-oriented rebalancing strategy to solve this problem. In our strategy, two algorithms are proposed to ensure the whole system is balanced for as long as possible. The first algorithm calculates the optimal state of each station through the one-dimensional Random Walk Process with two absorption walls. Based on the derived optimal state of each station, the second algorithm recommends the station that has the largest difference between its current state and its optimal state to the customer. In addition, a simulation system of shared bikes based on the historical records of Bay Area Bikeshare is built to evaluate the performance of our proposed rebalancing strategy. The simulation results indicate that the proposed strategy is able to effectively decrease the imbalance in the system and increase the system’s performance compared with the truck-based methods.
Unbalanced whole-arm translocations (WATs) of the long arm of chromosome 1, resulting in complete trisomy 1q, are chromosomal abnormalities detectable in both solid tumors and hematologic neoplasms. Among the WATs of 1q to acrocentric chromosomes, a few patients with der(1;15) described as a dicentric chromosome have been reported so far, whereas cases of der(1;14) are much rarer. We report on a case of der(1;14) detected as single anomaly in a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome. The aim of our work was to investigate the breakpoints of the (1;14) translocation leading to the der(1;14). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments have been performed on chromosome preparations from bone marrow aspirate, using specific centromeric probes of both chromosomes, as well as a probe mapping to 1q11 band. FISH results showed that in our patient the derivative chromosome was monocentric with a unique centromere derived from chromosome 14. The breakpoints of the translocation were located in the short arm of chromosome 14 and in the long arm of chromosome 1, between the alphoid D1Z5 and the satellite II domains. The 1q breakpoint was within the pericentromeric region of chromosome 1, which is notoriously an unstable chromosomal region, involved in different chromosomal rearrangements.
INTRODUCTION Unlike Caucasians, many Asians with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are non-obese but are affected by the disease due to predisposing craniofacial structure. Therefore, non-obese and obese OSA may represent different disease entities. The associated risk factors for developing cardiovascular-related diseases, consequently, may be considered separately for the two types of OSA.   METHOD We reviewed polysomnographic studies performed in adults (aged ≥ 18 years) diagnosed with OSA (respiratory disturbance index [RDI] ≥ 5). We divided the patients into obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 25) and non-obese (BMI < 25) groups. We aimed to determine the differences between these two groups in terms of clinical presentations, polysomno-graphic findings, and association with cardiovascular-related diseases including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and/or cerebrovascular disease.   RESULTS Among 194 patients with OSA (RDI ≥ 5), 63.4% were non-obese and 36.6% were obese. Compared with obese OSA patients, non-obese OSA patients were noted to have smaller neck size, less prevalence of hypertension, and less history of frequent nocturia (> 3-4/week), with equal prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness. Overall, non-obese OSA patients were noted to have milder disease indicated by lower total, supine, and non-supine, NREM RDI and higher mean and nadir oxygen saturations. In the non-obese group, only total obstructive apnea index (OAI) was noted to be a predictor for developing any of the cardiovascular-related diseases after controlling for age, sex, and RDI (odds ratio = 9.7). However, in the obese OSA group, frequent snoring (> 50% of total sleep time), low sleep efficiency (≤ 90%), and low mean oxygen saturation (< 95%) were noted to be significant predictors of cardiovascular-related diseases (odds ratios = 12.3, 4.2, and 5.2, respectively).   CONCLUSION Among Asians, most OSA patients were not obese. Compared to obese OSA patients, non-obese OSA patients were noted to have less prevalence of hypertension and less history of nocturia. They were also noted to have overall milder OSA. Only OAI was noted to be a significant predictor for cardiovascular-related disease in the non-obese OSA group.
Despite strongly held opinions, a trustworthy scientific basis for most statements about autoimmunity, autoimmune diseases and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) does not exist. It is not likely that autoimmunity causes infertility, nor that patients with autoimmune diseases are unusually infertile. When carefully monitored in selected patients, ART does not appear to harm patients who have preexisting autoimmune diseases, but the ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple gestation pregnancies impart independent risks. Stable autoimmune diseases without major organ damage probably do not affect the outcomes of ART pregnancies. Children born of ART pregnancies are apparently normal at birth, whether or not the genetic or birth mother has autoimmune disease, but long-term follow-up is not available. Male fertility is probably not altered by autoimmune disease. Fiscal, ethical and moral issues related to ART in patients with autoimmune diseases are beyond the scope of this discussion but remain important.
Internet of Things (IoT) is a novel networking paradigm that contributes greatly in improving daily life. However, it includes a great number of interactive nodes that generate, aggregate and exchange critical data. Thus, security and privacy challenges must be handled. Named Data Networking (NDN) represents a promising future networking paradigm fitting perfectly with the requirements of IoT applications and especially those related to security and privacy. In this paper, we leverage the basic feats of NDN vision for designing a robust privacy preserving NDN-based e-health IoT system (PP-NDNoT). It ensures security and fulfills content and contextual privacy requirements. Indeed, the security and privacy level is fixed according to the patient's state. To prove the robustness and effectiveness of our proposal, an extensive security analysis and performance evaluation are reported.
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, silent chromatin inhibits the expression of genes at the HML, HMR, and telomeric loci. When silent chromatin forms de novo, the rate of its establishment is influenced by different chromatin states. In particular, loss of the enzyme Dot1, an H3 K79 methyltransferase, leads to rapid silencing establishment. We tested whether silencing establishment was antagonized by H3 K79 methylation or by the Dot1 protein itself competing with Sir3 for binding sites on nucleosomes. To do so, we monitored fluorescence activity in cells containing a GFP gene within the HML locus during silencing establishment in a series of dot1 and histone mutant backgrounds. Silencing establishment rate was correlated with Dot1’s enzymatic function rather than with the Dot1 protein itself. In addition, histone mutants that mimicked the conformation of unmethylated H3 K79 increased the rate of silencing establishment, indicating that the H3 K79 residue affected silencing independently of Dot1 abundance. Using fluorophore-based reporters, we confirmed that mother and daughter cells often silence in concert, but in instances where asymmetric silencing occurs, daughter cells established silencing earlier than their mothers. This noninvasive technique enabled us to demonstrate an asymmetry in silencing establishment of a key regulatory locus controlling cell fate.
UNLABELLED Renal function in proteinuric glomerular diseases correlates to the changes in urine IgM but not to the changes in the degree of albuminuria.   BACKGROUND Albuminuria is believed to correlate to the progression of renal failure in glomerular diseases. Nevertheless, many patients with glomerular disorders maintain their renal function despite persistent albuminuria. In previous studies, we found that the baseline urine excretion of IgM, rather than the degree of albuminuria, predicts the renal outcome in glomerulopathies. In the present study, we examine correlations between changes in the content and in the amount of urine proteins and renal survival during a follow-up time of 3.5 years.   METHODS An observational study of a mean of 44 (+/- 3.6) months was conducted in 37 proteinuric patients (21 males and 16 females) with biopsy-verified primary glomerular disease. The patients were subdivided, according to the findings at the end of the study, into 3 groups, 1 group with decreasing albuminuria (by more than 50%), 1 group with persisting albuminuria and low (< 0.04 mg/mmol creatinine) urinary IgM excretion and 1 group with persisting albuminuria and with high (> or = 0.04 mg/mmol) urinary IgM excretion.   RESULTS All patients that showed remission of albuminuria had also low IgM excretion at the end of the study. All these patients, except 1, maintained their renal function. Patients with persistent albuminuria and high urinary IgM excretion showed a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of a mean of 9.6 ml/min/year compared to a mean GFR increase by 1.5 ml/min/year in patients with low IgM excretion and the same degree of albuminuria (p < 0.01). Seven out of the 9 patients in the former group fall in GFR by more than 5 ml/min/year compared to only 1 of the 10 patients in the latter group. Furthermore, the GFR alterations that occurred during follow-up time correlated in a higher degree to the changes in urinary IgM excretion (r = 0.6, p < 0.01) than to the changes in the degree of albuminuria, (r = 0.4, p < 0.05). A stepwise regression analysis indicated that increased urine IgM excretion is a strong predictor of the GFR decline (r = 0.73, p < 0.001).   CONCLUSION High urinary IgM excretion correlates to decreased GFR in primary glomerular diseases regardless of the degree of albuminuria. In parallel, low urinary IgM excretion indicates beneficial prognosis in these diseases. Since IgM passes the glomerular barrier entirely through large shunts or defects in the glomerular capillary wall, decreased urine content of IgM might be considered as a sign of recovery in the glomerular damage.
A Space Vector Pulse Width Modulation (SVPWM) scheme for diode clamped multilevel inverters is proposed. The proposed Pulse Width Modulation scheme generates the inverter leg switching pulses from the sampled reference phase voltage. The SVPWM scheme, presented for diode clamped multilevel inverters, can also work in the over modulation range, using only the sampled amplitudes of reference phase voltages. The proposed PWM technique does not involve any sector identification and thus considerably reduces the computation time when compared to the conventional Space Vector PWM technique. The proposed PWM signal generation scheme can be used for any multilevel inverter configuration.
From basicconcepts such as: ten sor cal cu lus (Flugge, 1972); func tional anal y sis (Mikhlin, 1964) and solid me chan ics (Soedel, 1972) the ob jec tive of yhis objetive is to show that be sides the “n” covariant func tions (of func tional anal y sis), lin early in de pend ent and not nec es sar ily or thogo nal, there is an other group of “n” contravariant func tions that are biorthogonal to the for mer group. The pre sen ta tion of these two fam i lies gives rise to a new for mu la tion of func tional anal y sis in skew co or di nates. We will see that the con cept of skew man i folds finds im me di ate ap pli ca bil ity to the prob lem of in ter po la tion of ar bi trary func tions via the use of the new con cept of covariant and contravariant poly no mi als. The the ory and the ex am ples dem on strate that the prob lems of in ter po la tion and Fou rier anal y sis can be grouped into one sin gle the ory.
This paper examines the pricing of statebank notes prior to 1860 using data on the discounts on these notes as quoted in New York, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. The study is organized around determining whether these banknotes were priced consistent with their expected net redemption value. It finds a bank’s notes had higher prices when it was redeeming it notes for specie than when is was suspended. However, although prices generally varied inversely with redemption costs, the relationship was not tight and persistent arbitrage opportunities existed.
Using data from an Atlanta-based longitudinal study following 311 public housing residents relocated between 2009 and 2010 as the city's housing authority demolished its remaining public housing, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between changes in relocated residents' satisfaction with home and neighborhood and the socioeconomic, racial composition, and crime characteristics of their destination neighborhood. Consistent with previous research, we find that residents moved to somewhat safer neighborhoods with less poverty than those of the public housing. In addition, we find that residents view their new homes and neighborhoods as improvements over public housing. However, subjective pre- to postmove changes in satisfaction are not driven by changes in neighborhood characteristics (i.e., reductions in poverty and crime), but rather by decreases in perceived social disorder and increases in community attachment. Thus, our findings challenge some of the assumptions of poverty deconcentration. Policy implications are discussed.
LPVTools is a MATLAB toolbox that is being developed to perform gain-scheduled Linear Parameter-Varying (LPV) control of aeroservoelastic systems. This paper outlines the LPV modeling, analysis and controller synthesis features of this toolbox. The features of the toolbox are illustrated by an application example, where a grid-based LPV model is developed for the X-56A aircraft using LPVTools. The X-56A Multi Utility Technology Testbed, funded by the US Air Force and designed by Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, is a modular uninhabited aircraft designed to test active flutter suppression and gust load alleviation algorithms. The X-56A example shown in this paper demonstrates how LPVTools can be used to develop LPV gain scheduled controllers for a aeroservoelastic systems.
This work presents an infrastructure that simplifies the development of distributed applications that can adapt automatically to nonfunctional properties of their components and of their execution environment. This infrastructure, based on the programming language Lua and on CORBA, allows applications to select dynamically the components that best suit their requirements, to verify whether the system is satisfying these requirements, and to react, when appropriate, to variations in the nonfunctional properties of the services in use. We use CORBA's trading service to support dynamic component selection. An extensible monitoring facility supports monitoring of dynamically defined requirements. We use the Lua language to specify adaptation strategies, and a smart proxy mechanism to apply these strategies.
OBJECTIVES This study estimates the effects of the transition to widowhood on changes in the social regulation of health and examines the consequences of this association for health and health risk behavior following spousal death.   METHODS Analysis of longitudinal data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples Study tests the following hypotheses: (a) Widowed individuals experience greater declines in health regulation over time than their married counterparts and (b) the extent to which widowhood undermines health and increases health risk behavior depends on whether it is accompanied by a decline in health regulation.   RESULTS Compared with their continually married counterparts, those who experience the transition to widowhood report a significant decline in the frequency of health reminders and health assistance received from others. The decline in the frequency of health regulation has important consequences for health behavior and health outcomes. Widowhood undermines health and increases health risk behaviors only when it is accompanied by a decline in health regulation. Widowed individuals who experience increases in health regulation show improvements in health and declines in health risk behavior.   DISCUSSION Interventions targeted at improving the health habits of widowed individuals by mobilizing health-related support systems may be effective at minimizing the negative health consequences of spousal loss.
In this study, Doppler broadening energy spectroscopy (DBES) combined with slow positron beam was used to discuss the effect of substrate types on the fine structure of a plasma-polymerized SiOCH layer as a function of depth. From the SEM pictures, the SiOCH films formed on different substrates showed hemispherical macrostructures, and the deposition rate was dependent on the mean pore size. It appears that the morphology of the plasma-polymerized SiOCH films was associated with the porosity-related characteristics of the substrate such as the size/shape of pores. As deposited on the MCE-022 substrate (mixed cellulose esters membrane with a mean pore size of 0.22 μm) with a nodular structure, the SiOCH films had pillar-like structures and high gas permeabilities. DBES results showed that the SiOCH films deposited on different substrates were composed of three layers: the SiOCH bulk layer, the transition layer, and the substrate. It was observed that the microstructure of the SiOCH films was affected layer by layer; a higher surface pore size in the substrates induced thicker transition layers with higher microporosities and led to thinner bulk layers having higher S parameter values during the plasma polymerization. It was also observed that the change in O(2)/N(2) selectivity was consistent with the DBES analysis results. The gas separation performance and DBES analysis results agreed with each other.
Problem of expressiveness between lambda calculus and pi-calculus was still open these years. A full abstraction of lambda-calculus in pi-calculus, given by Cai and Fu, shows that a pi-def, a variant of pi-calculus, is powerful enough to be the target calculus instead of minimal pi-calculus, pi-M. In fact, there are some differences between these two calculi and the most important one is that pi-M contains no operator like match and mismatch, which makes pi-def more expressive. In this paper, a new approach is proposed that simulate, in the framework of pi-calculus, match and mismatch by computing and transforms-terms to a simpler form without match and mismatch. The encoding is also proved to reserve bisimulation and will be put into a part of an interpretation of lambda-calculus in pi-calculus.
Family transitions such as parental separation and divorce create the necessity for individual decisions, e.g. regarding parental custody and the children's residence arrangements or regarding visiting access with the non-custodial parent. The present longitudinal study of 62 children is based on interviews with members of divorced families, including the children, and on the analysis of child psychiatric custody reports and legal files. A second follow-up survey was also conducted. The study examined the child's attachment and relationship preferences and residence wishes as a custody decision criterion and the child's agency in custody decision-making and family transitions. The article argues in favour of constituting by law the child's attachments and residence wishes as custody criterion for children of any age and for establishing appropriate social and legal contexts to enable and promote the child's agency in custody decisions and residence changes.
BACKGROUND Little information is available on the outcomes of endoscopic sphincterotomy for choledocholithiasis in patients of advanced age (>/=90 years).   METHODS Endoscopic sphincterotomy was performed for choledocholithiasis in 22 patients aged 90 years or more (group A) and 381 aged 70 to 89 years (group B). Clinical features and early outcomes of endoscopic sphincterotomy were compared between the two groups. In group A, long-term results for a mean follow-up period of 33 months were assessed.   RESULTS Group A patients had a higher incidence of symptoms, acute cholangitis and concomitant diseases, as well as larger and more numerous gallstones than did group B patients. Endoscopic sphincterotomy was technically successful in 100% of group A patients and 98% of group B patients. The rate of early complications was low in both groups: 5% in group A and 7% in group B. No deaths related to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography occurred in group A patients. Complete stone clearance was achieved in 86% of group A patients and 95% of group B patients. Group A required an emergency procedure, general anesthesia, multiple sessions, mechanical lithotripsy, and permanent biliary stent placement more frequently than group B. Late complications occurred in 5% of group A patients.   CONCLUSION Endoscopic sphincterotomy is safe and effective for the treatment of choledocholithiasis in patients 90 years of age or older. Biliary stent placement is a reasonable alternative treatment when stones prove to be difficult to extract.
Histone phosphorylation controls the chromosomal localization of a protein family that functions in chromosome segregation during cell division. Accurate chromosome segregation during eukaryotic cell division requires the timely release of cohesion between duplicated chromosomes so that they may separate into two daughter cells. Errors in this process have been linked to cancer progression, infertility, and debilitating genetic diseases such as Down syndrome. A surveillance mechanism known as the spindle assembly checkpoint delays this release until all chromosome pairs are properly attached to a structure called the mitotic spindle. The enzyme Bub1 is essential for this checkpoint, but the targets of its phosphorylation activity have been elusive. On page 172 of this issue, Kawashima et al. (1) report that histone H2A—a protein associated with DNA within chromosomes—is a substrate of Bub1, and that H2A phosphorylation directs subsequent events that control chromatid cohesion and the checkpoint mechanism during the early stages of cell division.
Digital devices use decimal arithmetic in most of the application which make devices easy to use and feasible to human computation. BCD (Binary Coded Decimal) is very common in digital computational devices which display decimal numbers whereas binary is the number system that is recognized by machines. So, BCD is needed to make machine results human readable that is to be converted from binary number. In this work, a new algorithm is proposed to provide hardware support for binary to BCD conversion. This converter can be used for 2digit BCD number to be translated from a 7-bit binary number. The proposed circuit is 20.08% area-efficient and 33.49% delay efficient than the existing best known Shift Add by Constant Architecture. The proposed architecture works for all the general purpose of binary to BCD conversion whereas the existing best known converters are for specific multiplication purpose and are not feasible for generalized use. Hence, the proposed converter circuit is area and delay efficient with the large-scale and extensive applicability.
For the shortage of the system reliability datum in the initial stage of the design of a spaceborne antenna deployment mechanism, unascertained method for system reliability allocation is proposed. This method is based on the weighted allocation method. Through introducing the unascertained information into the matrix of weight coefficients, the unascertained model for the reliability allocation of a spaceborne antenna deployment mechanism is built. By means of the arithmetic operation rules of unascertained rational number, the expression of unascertained weighting coefficient is derived. Finally, the reliability allocation of a spaceborne antenna deployment mechanism is given as an example. The possible reliability values and faith degrees of the system are obtained. The rationality and validity of the presented method are demonstrated
Abstract Background.—Scorpion sting envenomation is a life-threatening emergency and a common public health problem in many regions of the world, particularly in children. Children are at greater risk of developing severe cardiac, respiratory, and neurological complications. Objectives.—The aims of this study were to evaluate demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome characteristics for pediatric patients with scorpion sting envenomation in southeast Turkey and to describe features that may be predictive of the need for pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) care. Methods.—A total of 52 charts of children (mean age: 7.7 ± 2.8 years; age range: 1.5–15 years) presenting with scorpion sting envenomation to a single hospital in southeastern Turkey were investigated. General characteristics of the children, species of the scorpions, anatomic site of the sting, clinical and laboratory findings, treatment approaches, complications, and outcomes were recorded. Results.—Twenty-four stings (46.2%) were inflicted by Androctonus crassicauda, 1 (1.9%) by Leiurus quinquestriatus, and the sources of the other stings were not known. Thirty-one patients (59.6%) were admitted from rural areas. Admission from a rural area was a significant risk factor for severe envenomation. Foot-leg was the most frequently stung part of the body (48%). The greatest number of stings occurred in the summer (78.8%). Cold extremities and tachycardia were the most frequently seen clinical findings (38.4% for both). Twenty patients (38.5%) had signs of serious envenomation and required admission to the PICU. Hemoglobin, white blood cell count, activated prothrombin time, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and creatine phosphokinase levels were higher in severely envenomed children compared to levels in those with mild-moderate stings. Antivenom was given at a primary or secondary health center before arrival to our hospital in 44 (84.6%) patients, without any apparent difference in the number of patients presenting with mild-moderate and severe envenomed stings. All patients recovered after treatment except for 1 child who died with severe pulmonary edema. Conclusions.—We found no clinically useful demographic or epidemiological data to guide decision making regarding the need for PICU admission for pediatric victims of scorpion sting in our area. Decisions on transfer and admission to a PICU should be based on the development of systemic findings of envenomation.
ABSTRACT In the present study the question is addressed as to whether among minority youth alternative ways of ethnic self-identification are equally healthy in terms of psychological well-being. Four different types of self-identification were distinguished: dissociative, assmilative, acculturative, and marginal. All four were found among Turkish and Chinese youth living in the Netherlands. As predicted, the Turkish subjects showed a stronger dissociative self-identification than the Chinese. Among the Turks an acculturative and especially a marginal orientation was associated with lower self-esteem. Among the Chinese both these orientations were associated with less self-concept stability, less happiness, and a less collectivistic orientation. Collectivism among the Chinese was also found to be positively associated with happiness, but at the same time, among the older subjects, with low self-concept stability.
Dynamic composition of services provides the ability to build complex distributed applications at run time by combining existing services, thus coping with a large variety of complex requirements that cannot be met by individual services alone. However, with the increasing amount of available services that differ in granularity (amount of functionality provided) and qualities, selecting the best combination of services becomes very complex. In response, this paper addresses the challenges of service selection, and makes a twofold contribution. First, a rich representation of compositional planning knowledge is provided, allowing the expression of multiple decompositions of tasks at arbitrary levels of granularity. Second, two distinct search space reduction techniques are introduced, the application of which, prior to performing service selection, results in significant improvement in selection performance in terms of execution time, which is demonstrated via experimental results.
The chemical composition and nutritional quality of truffles of Saudi Arabia, Terfezia claveryi and Tirmania nivea, were studied. Results showed 19.6 and 27.2% protein, 2.8 and 7.4% fat, 7.0 and 13.2% crude fiber, 4.6 and 5.4% ash and 1.8 and 5.1% ascorbic acid for T. claveryi and T. nivea, respectively. Both varieties contained high amounts of K and P and fair levels of Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn. All essential amino acids were present in fairly good amounts. Leucine and lysine were the fist limiting amino acids in T. claveryi and valme in T. nivea. In-vitro protein digestibility (82.8 - 86.7%) was slightly lower than that of Animal Nutrition Research Council (ANRC) casein (90.0%) but the calculated protein efficiency ratio (2.1 - 2.49) was relatively close to the value of 2.5 for ANRC casein.
The Medical Journal of Australia ISSN: 0025-729X 21 July 2003 179 2 105-107 ©The Medical Journal of Australia 2003 www.mja.com.au EBM: Trials On Trial ALTHOUGH REPORTING BASELINE DATA seems simple, it is crucial information for readers in judging the validity of a trial. Knowing the baseline characteristics of the trial participants allows readers to assess how closely these match patients seen in their own clinical practice, and therefore how generalisable the results of the trial will be (so-called external validity). Baseline characteristics also allow the success of randomisation to be assessed. In studies where important baseline factors appear well balanced, it is likely that any differences in outcome between the intervention and control groups are a real effect of treatment (one component of internal validity). For these reasons, the reporting of baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of each group is a requirement of the CONSORT statement.1 The item and its descriptor as they appear in the CONSORT checklist are shown in Box 1, and a checklist for baseline data is provided in Box 2.
ABSTRACT Background Subjective organization (SO) is the ability to structure information to help facilitate storage and retrieval. There is a paucity of research concerning how a person subjectively organizes visual information. Objectives This study investigates whether traumatic brain injury (TBI) hinders the ability to subjectively organize and recall visual symbols. The authors use an Association Rule Modeling (ARM) procedure to measure SO and explore whether the complexity of the rules generated from the ARM predicted recall of symbols. Method Twenty-two collegiate athletes with self-reported, repetitive, mild TBI and 22 college students without TBI participated. All participants completed a list learning task that assessed their free recall of unfamiliar symbols. ARM revealed the associative structure among the symbols in the list for each participant. Results Results showed that collegiate athletes with repetitive, mild TBI develop significantly fewer association rules for visual stimuli compared to college students without TBI. Furthermore, collegiate athletes with TBI produce fewer complex SO rules for the visual stimuli relative to college students without TBI. Conclusion Brain injury diminishes a person’s ability to subjectively organize novel visual information. ARM is a sensitive clinical measure of SO for patients with TBI.
A nanocrystalline surface layer is produced in Co plate by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). The characterization of microstructure and composition indicates that elements of Fe, Cr diffuse from hardened steel balls into the surface layer during SMAT. The diffusion phenomenon results in the composition deviation in the surface layer, leading to higher value of saturation magnetization(Ms) for nanocrystalline Co surface layer in comparison with its coarse-grained counterpart.
The authors propose a method of choosing the structure and parameters of a temperature controller for a furnace. During multifrequency binary signal (MBS) identification, this powerful identification method can be applied in closed loop thermal systems. Compensation of the thermal nonstationarity of the furnace gives an opportunity to carry out the identification experiment just after the temperature set point has been reached. The MBS identification experiment carried out on the closed loop furnace does not change the temperature set point but only sightly disturbs the process in the arbitrarily assumed way. Simultaneously this method provides rich information about the process in the form of a few points of its frequency response. The algorithms described show that the MBS identification method is ideally suited for auto-tuning temperature controllers as they provide a high accuracy in the determination of the process dynamics. This allows correct values of the controller settings to be chosen.
In a previous paper (Michel, M.; Vautier, D.; Voegel, J.-C.; Schaaf, P.; Ball, V. Langmuir 2004, 20, 4835), we showed that phospholipid vesicles can be incorporated into poly(glutamic-acid)/poly(allylamine) (PGA/PAH) multilayered polyelectrolyte films built by the alternated dipping of a surface in polyanion and polycation solutions. AFM imaging, quartz crystal microbalance, and ellipsometry suggested that the vesicles remain intact when adhering on the surface. In the present paper, we show that such films can also be realized by spraying both the polyelectrolyte solutions and the vesicles onto the surface. Using such vesicles filled with ferrocyanide ions, we prove by cyclic voltammetry that the sprayed vesicles remain intact when embedded in the multilayers. We show that multilayers containing two distinct layers of intact vesicles separated by several polyanion/polycation bilayers can also be constructed. Polyelectrolyte multilayers containing layers of phospholipid vesicles could act as reservoirs for drug or other biologically active molecules in controlled release bioactive coatings.
Samples collected in December 1990 and July 1991 show that dissolved Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn distributions in the Gulf of the Farallones are dominated by mixing of two end-members: (1) metal-enriched San Francisco Bay water and (2) offshore California Current water. The range of dissolved metal concentrations observed is 0.2–0.9 nmol kg−1 for Cd, 1–20 nmol kg−1 for Cu, 4–16 nmol kg−1 for Ni, and 0.2–20 nmol kg−1 for Zn. Effective concentrations in fresh water discharged into San Francisco Bay during 1990–1991 (estimated by extrapolation to zero salinity) are 740–860 μmol kg−1 for silicate, 21–44 μmol kg−1 for phosphate, 10–15 nmol kg−1 for Cd, 210–450 nmol kg−1 for Cu, 210–270 nmol kg−1 for Ni, and 190–390 nmol kg−1 for Zn. Comparison with effective trace metal and nutrient concentrations for freshwater discharge reported by Flegal et al. (1991) shows that input of these constituents to the northern reaches of San Francisco Bay accounts for only a fraction of the input to Gulf of the Farallones from the estuary system as a whole. The nutrient and trace metal composition of shelf water outside a 30-km radius from the mouth of the estuary closely resembles that of California Current water further offshore. In contrast to coastal waters elsewhere, there is little evidence of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn input by sediment diagenesis in continental shelf waters of California.
The human multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) actively extrudes a broad range of potentially cytotoxic compounds out of the cell. Key steps in understanding the transport process are binding of drug substrates in the transmembrane domains, initiation of ATPase activity, and subsequent drug efflux. We used cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of the transmembrane segment residues and reaction with the thiol-reactive drug substrate analog of rhodamine, methane-thiosulfonate-rhodamine (MTS-rhodamine), to test whether P-gp could be trapped in an activated state with high levels of ATPase activity. The presence of such an activated P-gp could be used to further investigate P-gp-drug substrate interactions. Single cysteine mutants (149) were treated with MTS-rhodamine, and ATPase activities were determined after removal of unreacted MTS-rhodamine. One mutant, F343C(TM6), showed a 5.8-fold increase in activity after reaction with MTS-rhodamine. Pre-treatment of mutant F343C with rhodamine B protected it from activation by MTS-rhodamine, indicating that residue Cys-343 contributes to the rhodamine-binding site. The ATPase activity of MTS-rhodamine-treated mutant F343C, however, was not stimulated further by colchicine or calcein-AM. By contrast, verapamil and Hoechst 33342 stimulated and inhibited, respectively, the ATPase activity of the MTS-rhodamine-treated mutant F343C. These results indicate that the MTS-rhodamine binding site overlaps that of colchicine and calcein-AM but not that of verapamil and Hoechst 33342 within the common drug-binding pocket.
The present prospective study tested a portion of the interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) in an adolescent clinical sample. Participants were 143 adolescents consecutively admitted to a partial hospitalization program who completed assessments at intake and discharge from the program. Results partially supported the IPTS and suggest that (1) perceived burdensomeness may be an important socially based cognition for understanding concurrent risk for suicidal ideation (SI); (2) thwarted belongingness affects depression symptom severity over time, which indirectly predicts SI over a short follow-up time frame; and (3) the IPTS constructs may function differently in a high-risk clinical adolescent sample, compared to adults, although findings are preliminary.
Prior research on workplace spirituality has mostly looked at the antecedents and consequences of the construct. The purpose of the present research is to investigate the mediating effect of employee commitment, employee engagement and work motivation in the relationship between workplace spirituality and organizational performance in Indian context. Using standardized self-report measures and structural equation modelling (SEM), present research finds that two facets of organizational commitment (namely, affective and normative), employee engagement and work motivation partially mediate the relationship. Implications of these findings for academic theory as well as HR managers are discussed.
Abstract: The retrieval of nutrient concentration in sugarcane through hyperspectral remote sensing is widely known to be affected by canopy architecture. The goal of this research was to develop an estimation model that could explain the nitrogen variations in sugarcane with combined cultivars. Reflectance spectra were measured over the sugarcane canopy using a field spectroradiometer. The models were calibrated by a vegetation index and multiple linear regression. The original reflectance was transformed into a First-Derivative Spectrum (FDS) and two absorption features. The results indicated that the sensitive spectral wavelengths for quantifying nitrogen content existed mainly in the visible, red edge and far near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Normalized Differential Index (NDI) based on FDS (750/700) and Ratio Spectral Index (RVI) based on FDS (724/700) are best suited for characterizing the nitrogen concentration. The modified estimation model, generated by the Stepwise Multiple Linear Regression (SMLR) technique from FDS centered at 410, 426, 720, 754, and 1,216 nm, yielded the highest correlation coefficient value of 0.86 and Root Mean Square Error of the Estimate (RMSE) value of 0.033%N (n = 90) with nitrogen concentration in sugarcane. The results of this research demonstrated that the estimation model developed by SMLR yielded a higher correlation coefficient with nitrogen content
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), the enzyme which catalyzes the rate determining step of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), controls the production of nucleotide precursor molecules (R5P) and powerful reducing molecules (NADPH) that support multiple biosynthetic functions, including antioxidant defense. G6PDH from hepatopancreas of the freshwater crayfish (Orconectes virilis) showed distinct kinetic changes in response to 20 h anoxic exposure. K m values for both substrates decreased significantly in anoxic crayfish; K m NADP+ dropped from 0.015 ± 0.008 mM to 0.012 ± 0.008 mM, and K m G6P decreased from 0.13 ± 0.02 mM to 0.08 ± 0.007 mM. Two lines of evidence indicate that the mechanism involved is reversible phosphorylation. In vitro incubations that stimulated protein kinase or protein phosphatase action mimicked the effects on anoxia on K m values, whereas DEAE-Sephadex chromatography showed the presence of two enzyme forms (low- and high-phosphate) whose proportions changed during anoxia. Incubation studies implicated protein kinase A and G in mediating the anoxia-responsive changes in G6PDH kinetic properties. In addition, the amount of G6PDH protein (measured by immunoblotting) increased by ∼60% in anoxic hepatopancreas. Anoxia-induced phosphorylation of G6PDH could contribute to modifying carbon flow through the PPP under anoxic conditions, potentially maintaining NADPH supply for antioxidant defense during prolonged anoxia-induced hypometabolism.
Vertically stacked van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions based on two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted a great deal of attention and have created a powerful new material platform for novel, high-performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we report the construction of multilayer p-MoTe2/n-MoS2 vdW heterostructures with remarkable rectification behavior, self-powered photoresponse and distinct photosensitivity at different laser wavelengths and power densities. Field effect transistors (FETs) fabricated by MoTe2/MoS2 heterojunctions exhibit excellent gate-tunable rectification behavior and p-n junction transport characteristics, with the n-type dominating. The MoTe2/MoS2 heterojunction devices generate a self-powered photocurrent at zero bias voltage with a considerable on-off ratio reaching ∼780 and achieve a stable and fast photoresponse, due to the type-II band alignment facilitating efficient electron-hole separation. Utilizing the advantages of a p-n junction with type-II band alignment, this MoTe2/MoS2 vdW heterostructure provides more opportunities for future electronic and optoelectronic applications.
By means of the indirect immunofluorescence technique of Coons and collaborators, somatostatin-like immunoreactivity has been demonstrated in principal ganglion cells of some sympathetic ganglia. The noradrenergic nature of these cells was established by "staining" of the same or consecutive sections with antiserum to dopamine beta-hydroxylase [dopamine beta-monooxygenase; 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine, ascorbate:oxygen oxidoreductase (beta-hydroxylating), EC 1.14.17.1], the enzyme converting dopamine to noradrenaline (norepinephrine). In guinea pigs the somatostatin immunoreactive material was found in almost two-thirds of all principal ganglion cells of the coeliac-superior mesenteric ganglion complex (anterior inferior part) and of the inferior mesenteric ganglion, but only in a few cells of the superior cervical ganglion. It appeared to be localized close to the Golgi complex. The present findings may represent a concomitant storage of a biogenic amine and a small peptide in a neuron. Because both noradrenaline and somatostatin may fulfill a role as a neurotransmitter or modulator, the sympathetic neurons described in this study may represent an example of mammalian nerve cells not conforming to Dale's hypothesis, i.e., the one neuronone transmitter concept.
The remarkable resemblance in spikes and spikelets between Brachypodium sylvaticum and Agropyron yezoense is pointed out. The comparison of chromosomes between the species of Brachypodium and those of other genera of Hordeeae suggests that this resemblance is due to convergent evolution.I wish to express my cordial thanks to Dr. J. Ohwi who kindly examined the manuscript of the present paper. Thanks are also due to Dr. E. Potztal and Dr. Y. Takenaka for their kindness during the course of the present investigations.
Received 21 November 2017 Accepted 21 November 2017 Chronic heart failure is a worldwide problem, affecting patients at all age groups, but particularly the elderly and very elderly. Heart failure is defined as a syndrome rather than a singular disorder. This also applies to acute heart failure. The involvement of multiple organs and body systems in the symptomatic presentation and in the progression of the disease are increasingly understood. Despite these clear insights the most widely used clinical categories to address heart failure are based on a single myocardial haemodynamic measurement, namely the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The persistent and widespread use of this measure to categorize patients with heart failure is even more surprising as it is well understood that neither symptoms nor mortality are closely related to LVEF. Clearly, the quality of LVEF as a biomarker to evaluate the patients disease status is poor. However, the latest update of the European Society of Cardiology guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure introduced even a new category of ‘midrange ejection fraction’ (HFmrEF). Although these categories may be helpful for a rough differentiation of patients with heart failure, they fall short of addressing the complex pathophysiologies that underlie the appearance of heart failure.
An improved high-performance liquid-chromatographic method was developed for estimation of polyamines in crude plant extracts. Polyamines were derivatized with o-phthalaldehyde and mercaptoethanol (OPT). The fluorescent derivatives were eluted from a C(18) column with the dimethylcyclohexylamine-phosphate buffer derived by T. Skaaden and T. Greibrokk ([1982] J Chromatogr 247: 111-122) after treatment to remove impurities in the buffer. The method had a sensitivity of 1-2 picomoles and completely resolved nine polyamines (agmatine, spermine, nor-spermidine, spermidine, 3,5-homospermidine, 4,4-homospermidine, 1,3-diaminopropane, putrescine, and cadaverine) in 12 to 14 minutes. An optional ion-exchange step was used to remove less basic amines (including amino acids) and to concentrate the crude extracts. This method was compared with benzoyl chloride derivatization. Use of the benzoyl chloride method vastly under-estimated the amount of polyamine in some plant extracts, a problem not encountered with the OPT procedure. Additionally, the OPT procedure resolved two isomers of homospermidine found in Azolla caroliniana. These two isomers were not resolved with the benzoylation method. Overall, the OPT method described here requires preparation and analysis time similar to other current methods but provides greater sensitivity and selectivity.
Haemoglobin D (Hb D) is the fourth most common haemoglobin variant. With the exact chemical analysis of hemoglobin variants, it became apparent that hemoglobin DLos Angeles was identical to hemoglobin DPunjab, both manifesting a substitution of glutamate for lysine at the 121st position in the β -chain. Another “D” hemoglobin, G Philadelphia , is, on the other hand, an β-chain variant with a substitution of asparagine for lysine at the 68th position. Like the other structural mutations of hemoglobin, hemoglobin D trait is the heterozygous state for hemoglobin D and hemoglobin A, whereas the homozygous state for hemoglobin D is designated hemoglobin D disease. Hb D disease is usually clinically silent with no special treatment required. Homozygous Hb DD is rare and a relatively mild disease. Though Hemoglobin D is not very uncommon in India, its homozygous form is very rare and very few case reports have been reported. I hereby present a case of symptomatic Hb D homozygous, who presented with hemolytic anemia and hepatospleenomegaly from Turvekere, Karnataka which is a rare phenomenon.
Objective  To investigate the count of white blood cell (WBC) levels, procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with severe pneumonia caused by different pathogens, and to provide a theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia.      Methods  From October 2014 to March 2017, a total of 78 patients with severe pneumonia treated in the First People’s Hospital of Huizhou City who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into 5 groups according to the type of pathogenic bacteria, which were single infection group: fungi group (F), Gram-positive bacteria group (G+), Gram-negative bacteria group (G-) and coinfection group: fungi + Gram-positive bacteria group (F + G+), fungi + Gram-negative bacteria group (F + G-). The levels of PCT, CRP, WBC count and IL-6 were detected and compared, respectively.      Results  There was no significant difference among basic diseases, systolic blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate and erythrocyte sedimentation rate among the five groups (all P > 0.05). There were significant differences in serum PCT and WBC levels among the five groups (F = 9.781, P = 0.007; F = 8.373, P = 0.005). Levels of CRP and IL-6 in each group were with small range of changes, but with no significant difference (F = 1.203, P = 0.115; F = 4.572, P = 0.248).      Conclusions  The low level of PCT and high level of CRP indicate that patients with severe pneumonia are infected by fungal, while the increase of procalcitonin indicates that patients with severe pneumonia are infected by Gram-negative bacilli or with compound infection.      Key words:  Pathogenic bacteria; Severe pneumonia; Procalcitonin; C-reactive protein; White blood cell count; Interleukin-6
Abstract : The focus of this project is to develop a process for constructing two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals, which will be amenable to commercialization. Our approach has been to utilize nanochannel glass (NCG), which consists of a 2D hexagonal arrays of cylindrical voids that traverse the entire thickness of the glass. A 2D photonic can be realized with NCG if high index materials with good transmission properties can be introduced into the channels. This is the primary mission and focus of this project. In addition, e-beam lithography techniques are also being utilized to construct prototype two-dimensional photonic crystals that operate in the UV to low IR wavelength region of the light spectrum. The primary discoveries of this work have been theoretical modelling of gas flows in nanoscale structures and models for the formation of novel nanoparticles and nanowires in high aspect ratio structures. The findings of this work suggest that novel chemical sensors could be constructed with channel glass where nanoparticles or nanowires with specific properties have been formed within the channels. In terms of the ultimate goal of the project, 2-D photonic crystals based on nanochannel glass, the final conclusion is that nanochannel glass is not an appropriate foundation with which to construct 2D photonic crystals.
Soil carbon (C) pool plays a crucial role in the soil's quality, availability of plant nutrients, environmental functions, and global C cycle. Drylands generally have poor fertility and little organic matter and hence are candidates for C sequestration. Carbon storage in the soil profile not only improves fertility but also abates global warming. Several soils, production, and management factors influence C sequestration, and it is important to identify production and management factors that enhance C sequestrations in dryland soils. The objective of the present study was to examine C stocks at 21 sites under ongoing rainfed production systems and management regimes over the last 25 years on dominant soil types, covering a range of climatic conditions in India. Organic C stocks in the soil profiles across the country showed wide variations and followed the order Vertisols > Inceptisols > Alfisols > Aridisols. Inorganic C and total C stocks were larger in Vertisols than in other soil types. Soil organic C stocks decreased with depth in the profile, whereas inorganic C stocks increased with depth. Among the production systems, soybean‐, maize‐, and groundnut‐based systems showed greater organic C stocks than other production systems. However, the greatest contribution of organic C to total C stock was under upland rice system. Organic C stocks in the surface layer of the soils increased with rainfall (r = 0.59*), whereas inorganic C stocks in soils were found in the regions with less than 550 mm annual rainfall. Cation exchange capacity had better correlation with organic C stocks than clay content in soils. Results suggest that Indian dryland soils are low in organic C but have potential to sequester. Further potential of tropical soils to sequester more C in soil could be harnessed by identifying appropriate production systems and management practices for sustainable development and improved livelihoods in the tropics.
Thisresearchwasconductedtoexaminethe factorsthatinﬂuenceimpulsivebuying in Carrefour Jakarta consumers, which consists of shopping lifestyle, store atmosphere and packaging design. This study uses survey methods by distributing questionnaires. The population of this study consisted of Carrefour Jakarta consumers, while the number of samples was 96 people. Sample selection is done using random sampling techniques.ThedataanalysistechniqueusedinthisstudyusesSEMwiththeWarpPLS analysis tool. The results of the study prove that store atmosphere does not have a signiﬁcant effect on impulsive buying. Packaging design has a positive and signiﬁcant effect on impulsive buying. Store atmosphere has a signiﬁcant effect on impulsive buying with shopping lifestyle as a moderating variable. But shopping lifestyle cannot moderate the packaging design relationship to impulsive buying. The contribution of this research is to see the role of shopping lifestyle in moderating store atmosphere and packaging design towards impulsive buying.
In this paper we propose a new hardware architecture for the implementation of an artificial neuron based on organic memristive elements and operational amplifiers. This architecture is proposed as a possible solution for the integration and deployment of the cluster based bio- realistic simulation of a mammalian brain into a robotic system. Originally, this simulation has been developed through a neuro-biologically inspired cognitive architecture (NeuCogAr) re-implementing basic emotional states or affects in a computational system. This way, the dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline pathways developed in NeuCogAr are synthesized through hardware memristors suitable for the implementation of basic emotional states or affects on a biologically inspired robotic system.
In recent years, the larger size and lower background of dark matter search detectors have opened up a new frontier of searching for new physics other than dark matter using these detectors. One of them is the search for new properties of neutrinos by observing the interaction of neutrinos at low energy. XMASS is a multi-purpose experiment using xenon exclusively in ites liquid xenon (LXe) and is located at the Kamioka Observatory in Japan. We searched for exotic neutrino-electron interactions that could be produced by either a neutrino millicharge, a neutrino magnetic moment, or by dark photons, which might affect the intearction cross section of solar neutrinos in XMASS. We analyzed data taken between November 2013 and March 2016 amounting to 711 live days. No significant signal has been found above the predicted background level in detector. We obtained an upper limit for neutrino millicharge of 5.4 × 10–11e for all flavors of neutrino. We also set individual flavors limits for υμ and ν τ, which are the best limits obtained by direct detection. We also obtain an upper limit for the neutrino magnetic moment of 1.8× 10–10μ B . In addition, we obtain upper limits for the coupling constant of dark photons in the U(1) B–L model. This result almost excludes the possibility to understand the muon g — 2 anomaly by dark photons.
Metal nanoparticles bound with polymeric and oligomeric ligands are commonly employed in areas where accessibility to the underlying metal is critical, such as in catalysis. Developing a fundamental understanding of molecular-scale factors that control accessibility to the metal surface in these systems enables approaches for ligand design. Here, we implement a comparative synthetic approach to investigate the role of an induced-fit binding mechanism on accessibility, which reduces to elucidating the correlation between ligand flexibility and accessibility. Four nm gold nanoparticles are bound with a calix[8]arene phosphine ligand in the comparative series 3a−c, and ligand molecular footprints of ∼230 A2/calix[8]arene are measured on the gold surface using UV−vis spectroscopy of the surface plasmon resonance absorption band. Ligand flexibility in CDCl3 solution is characterized using variable-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy, and results demonstrate 3c to be the most rigid of all three ligands. This is fur...
This study investigates the relationship between property rights, resource degradation, and productivity among herders in semi-arid regions of Kenya using survey data. Binary and conditional logit models are used to explain migration, while ordinary least squares and fixed effects models are used to explain productivity. The main findings of the study are that private property right regimes discourage migration with livestock, while private property right regimes and migration increase productivity. The study recommends that if privatization is not feasible, then the existing common rights system should be strengthened through promotion of collective action and limiting of group sizes.
It is shown that delineation of output sensitivities with respect to model parameters in dynamic models can be enhanced in the time-scale domain. This enhanced differentiation of output sensitivities then provides the capacity to isolate regions of the time-scale plane wherein a single output sensitivity dominates the others. Due to this dominance, the prediction error can be attributed to the error of a single parameter at these regions so as to estimate each model parameter error separately. The proposed Parameter Signature Isolation Method (PARSIM) that uses these parameter error estimates for parameter adaptation has been found to have an adaptation precision comparable to that of the Gauss-Newton method for noise-free cases. PARSIM, however, appears to be less sensitive to input conditions, while offering the promise of more effective noise suppression by the capabilities available in the time-scale domain.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
The cubic phase mask is an approximate theoretical solution for extension of depth-of-field (DOF) in the computational opto-electronic imaging system. In the practice, it does not provide an infinite depth of field. Especially the cubic coefficient needs to be determined for a given optical system and a requested extension of the DOF. Many other approaches using a variety of masks have been proposed. In this paper we propose a polynomial phase mask, which is still separable in the Cartesian coordinate system, as the cubic mask. The phase contains 16 terms of odd powers and was optimized by the simulated annealing. The cost function was designed for invariance of the MTF curves with a full range of depth-of-field of ±200 μm in a biomedical microscope. This number of polynomial coefficients provides the optimization with a necessary number degree of freedom. We introduced a target MTF to assist the simulated annealing, which was defined iteratively from the ideal MTF to a more practical and achievable target MTF. Our result is compared with that of the recently published approaches. The experimental results with digital restoration of images using the invariant MTF are also shown.
We have developed a new three-dimensional (3D) observation method suitable for studying the structure of streamer discharges. Using this method we investigated the propagation of underwater streamer discharges generated in a nozzle-plate electrode system. As a result, the streamer branching angle was found to take a bell-shaped distribution having a mean value in the range of 65–75° with a standard deviation of about 20°. Moreover, we confirmed that the mean branching angle is a physical quantity that increases with water conductivity. The propagation velocity of the underwater streamer was estimated to be (2–3) ×104 m/s.
Musculoskeletal symptoms are a common cause for presentation of children and adolescents to health‐care settings. Junior doctors report lack of confidence in assessment of the paediatric musculoskeletal system. Our aim was to assess the confidence of junior medical officers (JMOs) working in the emergency department (ED) with paediatric musculoskeletal assessment and determine if a readily available teaching module would improve confidence.
Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a very rare type of lymphoma usually confined to the body cavities predominantly in immunosupressed patients infected with human herpes virus 8 (HHV‐8). The new term for HHV‐8 independent PEL is HHV8‐unrelated PEL‐like lymphoma. We describe an 89‐year‐old human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐negative male patient with HHV8‐unrelated PEL‐like lymphoma in the pleura. No hepatosplenomegaly or lymphadenopathy was detected. Chest radiography and computed tomography revealed right pleural effusion, but no evidence of tumor mass or lymph node enlargement. Cytological analysis of the pleural effusion revealed a high‐grade lymphoma with round nuclei, prominent nucleoli and abundant cytoplasm with immunophenotypes positive for CD45, CD30, CD38, CD7 and CD71. Because of the advanced age, no chemotherapy was given. Effusion resolved spontaneously. One year after the diagnosis, a new pleural effusion developed at the left side. Following thoracentesis and pleurodesis, the patient remained in complete remission for 40 months. To date, 30 cases of HHV8‐unrelated PEL‐like lymphoma/HIV negative have been reported in the literature. The outcome of the HHV8‐unrelated PEL‐like lymphoma patients who were HIV negative seems to be better than HIV‐ and HHV‐8‐positive PEL.
High-frequency respiratory impedance data measured noninvasively by the high-speed interrupter technique (HIT), particularly the first antiresonance frequency (far,1), is related to airway wall mechanics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and repeatability of HIT in unsedated pre-term infants, and to compare values of far,1 from 18 pre-term (post-conceptional age 32–37 weeks, weight 1,730–2,910 g) and 18 full-term infants (42–47 weeks, 3,920–5,340 g). Among the pre-term infants, there was good short-term repeatability of far,1 within a single sleep epoch (mean (sd) coefficient of variance: 8 (1.7)%), but 95% limits of agreement for repeated measures of far,1 after 3–8 h were relatively wide (−41 Hz; 37 Hz). far,1 was significantly lower in pre-term infants (199 versus 257 Hz), indicating that wave propagation characteristics in pre-term airways are different from those of full-term infants. The present authors suggest that this is consistent with developmental differences in airway wall structure and compliance, including the influence of the surrounding tissue. Since flow limitation is determined by wave propagation velocity and airway cross-sectional area, it was hypothesised that the physical ability of the airways to carry large flows is fundamentally different in pre-term than in full-term infants.
The depth of interaction (DOI) PET detector is one way to achieve high resolution image by determining the depth where most of gamma ray energy is deposited in a scintillator. Because a 2D or 3D profile is obtained for each element, the large amount of data makes the image reconstruction difficult. In this study, we propose a new type of DOI PET detector and estimate a photon yield of a channel and the cost of the materials for manufacturing. An element block of the detector consists of 16 slices of inorganic scintillators, one flat panel PMT, wave length shifting fibers and 256 ch position sensitive (PS) PMT per six element blocks. The main principals of this detector are the condition of total reflection and wave length shifter material. We can see the position where photoelectric effect occurred using the scintillation light not satisfying the condition of total reflection. The photons from the position are transmitted to a channel of PS PMT by wave length shifting fibers. With this detector it is expected to achieve ±1.3 mm resolution for x direction, ±1.5 mm resolution for y and z direction. Ideally we can get the information of the position out of a 50×50×24 mm3 element from only 40 bits signal. Unfortunately we could not perform experimented evaluation owing to delay of delivery of the GSO slices from a company.
The rheology of supramolecular polycaprolactone polymers with two ureidopyrimidinone (UPy) end groups and unimer molecular weights between 600 and 4000 was compared with that of branched tri- and tetrafunctional analogs. Above the melting point of polycaprolactone, the previously observed(1) low-frequency plateau in storage and loss moduli during oscillatory frequency sweep of lower molecular weight bifunctional unimers was shown to persist up to 130−170 °C, where it gradually disappeared but reappeared upon slow cooling. Even though they are supramolecularly cross-linked, the tri- and tetrafunctional materials showed no plateau. This counterintuitive behavior was further investigated with optical microscopy, WAXS, and DSC experiments, which indicated that the plateau is closely connected to the presence of crystalline domains in the lower molecular weight fraction of bifunctionalized unimers. Because the formation of crystallites is prevented by branching, and because the network formed by the tri- and t...
Recie 'L'<i August 24, 1995, from the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Dcp<~rtment of Obstetrics and Gynecology Q.R.W., R.B.}, and the Division of NL'Onatology, Department of PL>diatrics (M.S.W.}, Na •al Medical Center, Portsmouth, Virginia. RevisL>d manuscript acceptL>d for publication October 29, 1995. Addn .>s~ correspondence and reprint requests to Joseph R. Wax, MD, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynucology, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth, VA 23708. The views expre ·sed in this article are those of the authors and do not rcliL>ct the official policy or position of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, or the UniiL>d Stales Government. Ultrasonographic examination showed a single living fetus with appropriate biometry. However, the fetus was dolichocephalic (cephalic index, 67%) and had a twovessel umbilical cord. No other anomalies were visualized. The placenta was markedly thickened (5.9 em), and the amniotic fluid volume was subjectively normal. Fetal hydrops was absent. The patient declined amniocentesis for AFP and chromosomal analysis. A follow-up sonogram at 23 weeks revealed appropriate interval growth of cephalic and abdominal measurement ·. The femur length, however, measured below the fifth percentile for age, and the placenta was 8.0 em thick. Prenatal diagnosis was again declined. Serial examinations at 26, 27, and 29 weeks confirmed continued head growth along the 10th percentile and trunk growth along the 25th percentile. The fetal long bones at these studies measured below the fifth percentiles for age.t Furthermore, humeral, radial, ulnar, and femoral asymmetry were observed (Table 1 ). No sonographic evidence of limb fractures, malformations, or deformations was detected. Preterm premature rupture of membranes occurred at 28 weeks 2 days of gestation. After oxytocin induction of labor at 30 weeks 4 days for deteriorating fetal biophysical testing, the patient was delivered of a 1094 g (10th percentile) girl with Apgar scores of 7 and 8 at 1 and 5 min, respectively. Physical examination of the newborn infant confirmed dolichocephaly and a two-vessel cord. The neonate also exhibited frontal bossing, a prominent anteri· or fontanelle, low-set posteriorly rotated ears, pectus excavatum, and fifth· finger clinodactyly. Chromosomal analysis revealed a normal46,XX karyotype. Echocardiography was negative for structural lesions, and skeletal radiographs were negative for fractures or deformations.
Precision agriculture addresses the variability in crop growth and its underlying causes to achieve the optimal plant behavior or yield (quantity as well as quality). The physiological processes to be monitored can be at different scales like the subcellular level, the leaf, the whole plant, a field or a region. Reflectance spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy are the main techniques used for monitoring crop conditions. Imaging at different scales avoids that some spatially distributed phenomena are not observed. Hyperspectral or multi-spectral imaging and fluorescence imaging or a combination thereof yield vast amounts of data that require advanced analysis tools to yield usable information. The observations are frequently used in inverse modeling to identify underlying processes of growth, stress or infection.
Background: Enzalutamide is a potent androgen-signaling receptor inhibitor and is licensed for the treatment of metastatic castration–resistant prostate cancer. N-desmethylenzalutamide is the active metabolite of enzalutamide. A method to quantitate enzalutamide and its active metabolite was developed and validated according to the European Medicine Agency guidelines. Methods: Enzalutamide and N-desmethylenzalutamide were extracted by protein precipitation, separated on a C18 column with gradient elution and analyzed with tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry in positive ion mode. A stable deuterated isotope (D6-enzalutamide) was used as an internal standard. The method was tested and stability was studied in real-life patients with metastatic castration–resistant prostate cancer patients treated with enzalutamide. Results: The calibration curve covered the range of 500–50,000 ng/mL. Within- and between-day precisions were <8% and accuracies were within 108% for both enzalutamide and N-desmethylenzalutamide. Precisions for lower limit of quantification level were <10% and accuracies within 116% for enzalutamide and N-desmethylenzalutamide. Enzalutamide and N-desmethylenzalutamide stability was proven for 24 hours for whole blood at ambient temperature and 23 days for plasma at both ambient temperature and 2–8°C. Long-term patient plasma stability was shown for 14 months at −40°C. Conclusions: This bioanalytical method was successfully validated and applied to determine plasma concentrations of enzalutamide and N-desmethylenzalutamide in clinical studies and in routine patient care.
The classification and the most appropriate treatment of the precancerous lesions of the larynx continue to be controversial. It is an established fact that the dysplastic lesions of the larynx have the potential to evolve into malignant lesion. It is also well-known that the capacity of this transformation significantly correlates to the grade of dysplasia of the epithelium. The diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of these lesions depend almost entirely on their histological abnormalities.
Abstract This discussion explores the relationship between adventure ideology (meeting the challenge, overcoming the odds, being responsible for one's own actions and experiencing the full meaning of freedom and choice) and adventure practice which in a social climate of individualism has not only necessitated the need to hold persons accountable but in turn has spawned the growth of a risk management industry. While risk, as a negative concept, can be applied to nearly every human action of which the consequences are uncertain, as a component of recreation it is a positive concept and represents a socially acceptable opportunity to engage in behaviours which have risk as an associated, and sometimes, important element. However, the political/institutional need to make environments safe through regulation on the one hand and the increasing public desire to be stimulated through controlled doses of risk‐taking on the other, presents the urban recreation manager with a paradox. To explore this paradox through the literature the meaning of adventure and risk in outdoor recreation is clarified by reviewing the context in which we confront risk in our daily lives, the criteria used to separate adventure and risk recreations from those not normally associated with risk‐taking, the antecedent concepts associated with risk‐taking, and the relationship between risk participation in recreation and risk management.
No evidence based guidelines on surveillance of cemented total hip arthroplasty exist. We reviewed outcomes of this procedure from 1996 & 1997. Patients were identifed from theatre log books. Follow up data was retrieved from patient records. Evidence of radiological loosening & time of revision were recorded. Data was analysed using a ® statistical software package. We identified 425 primary total hip arthroplasties. Using radiological evidence of loosening as the end point we found an initial peak and another at 8 years. 10 year survival rate was 86%. Using revision surgery as the end point we found an initial peak & another at 8 years. 10 year survival rate was 92%. Once the patient has made it to 1 year, no follow up is required until 8 years; unless symptomatic.
Theoretical justification and experimental validation of forms and methods applied for psychological-pedagogical correction of demonstrative behavior of teenagers brought up in orphanages have become the research objective. 127 pupils of orphanages of the Republic of Tatarstan participated in the experiment To collect the information there were applied two variations of the test for ostentation, methods of mathematical statistics, Student’s t-criteria to check hypotheses of mean average precision. The results revealed during the stating experiment showed that teenagers brought up in orphanages have a high level of demonstrative behavior. The majority of respondents are fond of attention; they are emotionally mobile, artistic and inclined to self-deception. The level of demonstrative behaviour lowered considerably after the program “Demonstrative behaviout: is it good or bad” aimed at the psychological-pedagogical correction of demonstrative behaviour of teenagers brought up in orphanages was applied at the forming stage of the experiment. Thereafter their demonstrative behaviour started to be of more positive character. There is observed a tendency to the average and low level of demonstrative behaviour of teenagers brought up in orphanages.
The Mott transition of Ti2O3 nano powders is systematically investigated. It is found that in the Mott transition of Ti2O3 nano powders, the infrared transmittance declines gradually with temperature rising. The curves of the infrared transmittance at the highest and lowest temperature present a “trumpet” shape ranging from 13.3 to 5.9 µm in wavelength. The “trumpet” feature of nano Ti2O3 can be applied to realize the large and adjustable wave band in infrared filtering. The filtering band covers from short to long wavelengths with temperature rising. The big difference in infrared transmittance at 13.3 µm is determined by grain size distribution.
Plants at different stages of growth in 0.4 ha of cotton were sampled by the grid, X pattern, and area systems to estimate number of squares, percentage squares damaged by the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman, and percentage squares, flowers, and bolls damaged by Heliothis spp. No system was clearly superior to the others, but fewer plants had to be sampled by the grid and X systems to achieve comparable results with those from the area system. To estimate damage done by Heliothis spp. and the boll weevil, totals of 100–1000 plants had to be sampled. Only 4–20 plants were needed when sampling for squares, and 25–135 for flowers.
Abstract A basal diet containing phosphorus from plant sources only was supplemented with 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 or 0.4% inorganic P to provide diets with 0.35, 0.45, 0.55, 0.65 and 0.75% total P, respectively, and fed to Beltsville Small White turkeys in cages. Supplements of inorganic P of 0.1% or more resulted in a significant increase in egg production over the basal group. The best production was from the group fed a supplement of 0.3% inorganic P (0.65% total P). Egg weights were also significantly improved over the basal group when P supplements were provided, with the 0.55% P diet producing the heaviest eggs. Hatch of fertile eggs was significantly better in the supplemented groups than the basal group with the highest percent hatch at the 0.65 and 0.75% P (total) level. No significant effect due to P was noted in regard to fertility.
Background/Aim: Radiotherapy for carcinoma invasion of the sacrum (CIS) is an alternative treatment to surgery in patients with advanced, inoperable tumors or those not medically eligible for resection of the neoplasm. Herein we present an observational study of patients with imaging-confirmed CIS who were treated non-operatively with radiation. Patients and Methods: A retrospective chart review of CIS patients treated with palliative radiotherapy (PR) during a 9-year period (2004-2013) was performed. Results: Six women and 13 men with an average age of 60 years took part in this study. Most patients (84%) exhibited extrasacral metastases. Primary tumors included lung (n=6), colorectal (n=6), breast (n=3), bladder or kidney (n=2), and liver carcinoma or a tumor in an unknown primary site (n=2). The mean follow-up time was 10 months with a 2-year survival rate of 9%. The majority (71%) of symptomatic patients obtained relief from pain following PR. Half of those individuals who were non-ambulatory prior to therapy regained mobility. There were no acute ill-effects or later complications after irradiation. Conclusion: Despite the small cohort and poor overall survival rate, non-operative radiation treatment is a beneficial method of palliative care in patients with CIS.
Wireless sensor network is a deployment of sensors and the Base station. If base station is not reachable directly for the sensors, an intermediate sink node also deployed as relay node. A sensor senses the environment and forwards the sensed raw data in digital format to the sink hop by hop. Bandwidth allocation is a phenomenon to equally distribute the probability of transmission from sensors to the sink Sink decides the rate, at which data can be received without any congestion. Social Welfare Maximization (SWM) bandwidth allocation approach, allocates the bandwidth based on the demand vector and sensing rate of the sensors. In our proposed scheme bandwidth is allocated dynamically to the sensors on the basis of transmissions being forwarded by the sensors to the sink in a given time slot. In this work we are trying to reduce the redundant transmission by applying Data Aggregation. While the data transmission from sensors to sink, overlapping data from various sensors would be aggregated to generate aggregated packet which reduces congestion. We have compared our proposed work with and without aggregation in SWM.
In this paper, we present a dataset of subjective views (beliefs and attitudes) held by individuals or groups. We analyze the usefulness of the dataset by training a neural classifier that identifies belief-containing sentences that are relevant for our broader project of interest—scientific modeling of complex systems. We also explore and discuss difficulties related to annotation of subjective views and propose ways of addressing them.
The aim of this survey is to perform a validity assessment of the "Children Depression Evaluation Scale" from Amaral and Barbosa (1990). Through the research, the initial scale has been modified, resulting in four versions. It has been carried out a semantic analysis of the items with two samples of children (N= 12 and N= 4). Subsequently, four Clinical Psychologists and three Psychiatrists analyzed the pertinence of the items to the construct. Finally, the scale was applied to the 362 students from public and private schools, for the study of the precision and the validity of the construct. It was used the exploratory factorial analysis; the discriminative power index of the items, standard-deviation and Pearson's item-total corrected correlation; and the Cronbach's Alfa Coefficient calculation (a). In the semantic comprehension of the items, one item has been excluded and three items reformulated. There has been no disregard items in the judges analysis. In the exploratory factorial analysis it has been observed that the first four dimensions explained 33,36% of the total variability of the data, with self values over 1.4. Four items were discarded due to presenting factorial-load under 0.4. In the discriminative power analysis of the items, six items were eliminated with total-item correlation close to zero. The final scale comprised 24 items distributed according to four factors: disforical affection response (a= 0,70); emotional-affective response with anxiety contort (a= 0,65); autonomous-physiological response (a= 0,56), and cognitive response with self-esteem content (a=0,50).
While browsing through the September 1992 issue I stopped to read "Practitioners and Political Scientists" by Dale Herspring. While I strongly endorse the effort to bring the scholar and the practitioner into closer collaboration, I can only lament the epistemological innocence of so many of the latter. First, the author tells us that "there has been an explosion in theory" in IR (infra-red, information retrieval, international relations?) since Politics among Nations. Both sides of the discussion are harmed when we use "theory" to describe polysyllabic speculation or off-thewall hunch. Why not adhere to higher semantic standards and restrict "theory" to a body of codified knowledge. Second, to label our work under the Correlates of War here at Michigan as "the inductive approach" is accurate, but incomplete. The great bulk of research by historians and traditional political scientists is inductive in that it pays close attention to the empirical-historical facts. But most of that work is also pre-operational in that the classification or scaling of these facts is largely intuitive and idiosyncratic, with no specification of the coding and classifying and scaling criteria and the operations by which we include, exclude, or measure.
Insulin and epinephrin are frequently considered as antagonistic because hypoglykemia and hyperglykemia follow after the respective administration of these substances. Since we know the mechanism of insulin action, 1 the alleged antagonism of insulin and epinephrin gained interest for us. We have previously demonstrated that insulin has a two-fold action depending upon whether or not insulin is absorbed at the site of injection. 2 From a tissue depôt (an intradermal injection) insulin acts purely by nerve stimulation, increasing the glycogenetic function of the liver. This glycogenesis finds its expression in a consequent lowering of the blood sugar. Insulin absorbed from its tissue depôt, or injected intravenously does not bring about this glycogenetic action. Insulin injected intravenously or absorbed from a subcutaneous injection becomes effective after making contact with the tissues of the body. This process is one that takes a certain period of time, and the effect will not be noted for 30 to 40 minutes after injection, while the nerve action is immediate. Insulin injected subcutaneously or intravenously, for comparison with epinephrin action, will enable us to compare only the hormone action of insulin, i. e., its glycolytic action, with the effect of epinephrin. Such an antagonism is quite improbable. The antagonistic process would consist of building up sugar. Pertinent experiments of MacLeod and his associates 3 have been made as follows: Epinephrin was given to animals one hour after insulin injection, with a resulting equalization of both insulin and adrenalin effect on the blood sugar. We do not believe that this observation justifies the assumption of an antagonistic effect of epinephrin and insulin. In a series of animals we have first determined the relative dosage of epinephrin and insulin which would produce a corresponding percentage augmentation or reduction, respectively, of blood sugar.
In view of the shortage of teaching resources caused by college expansion, we design an online learning system based on WeChat Mini Program, which effectively solves the low learning efficiency of students caused by large class system of elective courses, the heavy teaching pressure of teachers and too much time and energy wasted in elective course examination. Users can apply online video learning, online testing, online course selection, online elective course learning, online exams, and online discussion and other functions. The development of the system uses the WeChat MINA Framework, which is implemented using WeChat web developer tools and Tencent Cloud Server. The system has an elegant interface, perfect functions and strong practicability, which can satisfy the personalized need of the contemporary university student and can relieve the stress of instructional resource. In the process of using, the system has been well evaluated.
Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are millisecond radio transients observed at cosmological distances. The nature of their progenitors is still a matter of debate, although magnetars are invoked by most models. The proposed FRB-magnetar connection was strengthened by the discovery of an FRB-like event from the Galactic magnetar SGR J1935+2154. In this work, we aim to investigate how prevalent magnetars such as SGR J1935+2154 are within FRB progenitors. We carried out an FRB search in a sample of seven nearby (<12 Mpc) galaxies with the Northern Cross radio telescope for a total of 692 h. We detected one 1.8 ms burst in the direction of M101 with a fluence of $58  pm 5$ Jy ms. Its dispersion measure of 303 pc cm$^{-3}$ places it most-likely beyond M101. Considering that no significant detection comes indisputably from the selected galaxies, we place a 38 yr$^{-1}$ upper limit on the total burst rate (i.e. including the whole sample) at the 95 % confidence level. This upper limit constrains the event rate per magnetar $ lambda_{ rm mag}<0.42$ magnetar$^{-1}$ yr$^{-1}$ or, if combined with literature observations of a similar sample of nearby galaxies, it yields a joint constraint of $ lambda_{ rm mag}<0.25$ magnetar$^{-1}$ yr$^{-1}$. We also provide the first constraints on the expected rate of FRBs hypothetically originating from ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) sources, since some of the galaxies observed during our observational campaign host confirmed ULXs. We obtain $<13$ yr$^{-1}$ per ULX for the total sample of galaxies observed. Our results indicate that bursts with energies $E>10^{34}$ erg from magnetars like SGR J1935+2154 appear more rarely compared to previous observations and further disfavour them as unique progenitors for the cosmological FRB population, leaving more space open to the contribution from a population of more exotic magnetars, not born via core-collapsed supernovae.
The problem and the solution. Organizations that embrace strategies consistent with the learning organization literature are thought to achieve improved performance. Yet few empirical studies have examined the relationship between the learning organization concept and firms' financial performance. To assess this association, managerial responses to the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire along with objective measures of firms' financial performance were obtained.
Introduction Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes more than 200,000 women deaths annually. This study aimed to investigate the clinical features, provide prognostic factors for female patients with HCC, and performed a literature review on them in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of female patients with HCC at Thammasat University Hospital, Thailand between January 2009 and January 2019. Furthermore, important aspects of female patients with HCC in the ASEAN published in PubMed and Scopus up to October 2020 were extensively reviewed. Results A total of 187 female patients with HCC were included (mean age 65.7±11.9 years). Elderly females were diagnosed with HCC at a more advanced stage than younger individuals (37.0% vs 23.2%, p=0.049, OR 1.94, 95% CI 1.00–3.78) and the younger group had a significantly higher overall 2-year survival rate than the elderly group (65.0% vs 45.5%, p=0.03, OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.09–4.57). Abdominal pain (HR 9.89, 95% CI 2.85–34.38, p<0.001), ascites at presentation (HR 2.77, 95% CI 1.11–6.92, p=0.03), ruptured hepatoma (HR 14.68, 95% CI 12.60–83.09, p=0.002), advanced-stage HCC (HR 9.74, 95% CI 1.89–50.26; p=0.007), and serum hypoalbuminemia (HR 4.67, 95% CI 1.62–13.50, p=0.004) were significantly associated with poor survival rate. From the ASEAN, a total of 543 females HCC patients from 6 studies were extensively reviewed. Chronic hepatitis B infection was among the pre-existing liver disease leading to HCC in ASEAN. HCC in females of the ASEAN occurred most often at an advanced age and had a grave prognosis. Conclusion HCC affects a large number of females, especially in Thailand and the ASEAN, is diagnosed at an advanced stage and had a grave prognosis. Abdominal pain, ascites, ruptured HCC, advanced-stage HCC, and serum hypoalbuminemia are associated with poor prognosis. Early detection of HCC and prompt treatment in patients at risk could result in better survival outcomes.
SmartGardenWatering is an innovative software tool that advises gardeners on watering schedules and watering use. In this paper we investigate how expert and novice gardeners respond to advice from this piece of computer software. Do they readily accept it and adapt their activities accordingly, or do they override it with their own local knowledge? We describe the project to develop the simulation, including the design of the user interface, and a study of 20 gardeners using the tool. The focus of the study was to identify factors in the design of the software that influence how well it might intervene in ongoing gardening practice. The findings focus on what brings confidence or a lack of trust in the underlying horticultural model and its application to a particular garden. Finally, we consider how these findings might inform ongoing development of the software.
This paper reports the results from a transient core analysis of a small molten salt reactor (MSR) when a duct blockage accident occurred. The focus of this study is a numerical model employed in order to consider the interaction among fuel salt flow, heat transfer, and nuclear reactions. The numerical model comprises continuity and momentum conservation equations for fuel salt flow, two-group neutron diffusion equations for fast and thermal neutron fluxes, transport equations for six-group delayed neutron precursors, and energy conservation equations for fuel salt and graphite moderators. The analysis results show the following: (1) the effect of the self-control performance of the MSR on the effective multiplication factor and thermal power output of the reactor after the blockage accident is insignificant, (2) fuel salt and graphite moderator temperatures increase drastically but locally at the blockage area and its surroundings, (3) the highest fuel salt temperature after the blockage accident is 1,363 K; this value is lower than the boiling point of fuel salt and the melting temperature of the reactor vessel, (4) the change in the distributions of fast and thermal neutron fluxes after the blockage accident when compared with the distributions at the rated condition is very slight, and (5) delayed neutron precursors, especially the first delayed neutron precursor, accumulate at the blockage area due to its large decay constant. These results imply that the safety of the MSR is assured in the case of a blockage accident. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 35(6): 434–450, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/htj.20123
When the small group of men who were the charter members of the American Dermatological Association assembled at Niagara in 1877 for the first annual meeting, they witnessed the termination of an epoch in American dermatology and the beginning of a new era. The inaugural meeting of the association marks the close of the pioneer period in the history of dermatology in this country. During most of that period dermatology existed in an unorganized state, and its condition was reflected in the restricted practice and in the meager teaching of the day. Its interests were promoted by the individual efforts of a relatively small number of men in general practice, many of them surgeons, whose special dermatologic knowledge was such as the time afforded, but who had few opportunities for personal contact or for professional advancement. The lack in their number was in part counterbalanced by their individual worth. Except
Background: High maternal mortality rate is one of the major public health concerns in developing countries including Ethiopia. Most of the deaths are caused by factors attributed to pregnancy and childbirth. In Ethiopia only about 10% of women delivered in health facility with wide regional variation. Objective: The main aim of this study was to assess safe delivery service utilization among mothers who gave birth during five years preceding the survey in Wayu town, of western Ethiopia. Methods and Materials: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among women with children less than five years prior to survey conducted from January, 2014 to May, 2014 in Wayu town. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 371 participants. A pre tested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Result: A total of 371 women were included into the study. About 107(28.8%) of mothers were in the age range of 20 – 24 years, 342 (92.2%) were married, 237 (63.9%) were educated and 134(36.1%) were unable to read and write. The study indicated that 175 (47.2%) of the mothers delivered in health facilities and 196 (52.8%) mothers gave birth at home. Of mothers who gave birth at home, 52 (14%) deliveries conducted by Traditional birth attendants and 142 (38.3%) without any assistance of skilled personnel while only two deliveries occurs on the way to health facility. The common reasons for home delivery were sudden onset of labor 125 (63.8%), presence of TBAs 30 (14.3%), negative attitude of health workers 2(1%), and others 41 (20.2%) which includes; believe in God, fear of high cost services, lack of skilled personnel, poor services, negligence of women. Conclusion and recommendations: Only 47% institutional delivery service utilization was observed in this study. So, community education about pregnancy, child birth and postpartum and training for all Health Extension Workers are needed. In addition to this, further studies that assess factors associated with institutional delivery both quantitatively and qualitatively are needed.
One of the problems faced by lecturers in achieving instructional objectives in inclusive classrooms in higher education is that they have not been able to design effective instructional strategies that are in accordance with all characteristics of all students. This study aims to determine the instructional strategy model that is based on a student problem and needs analysis. The study involved sixty elementary school teacher students at one university in Bogor, Indonesia. Data collection was conducted using questionnaires and open interviews. Meanwhile, data analysis used a qualitative data analysis model. The results showed that the instructional strategy model based on the brain's natural learning system (MS-SiPAO) is one of the instructional strategy models that are expected to accommodate all the needs of students in order to achieve the competencies and instructional objectives set by the lecturer. Finally, MS-SiPAO is a suitable model to be used because it is based on an analysis of the problems and analysis of the needs faced by students in implementing learning in inclusive classrooms in higher education.
Background and objectives Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) often experience a waiting period before radical surgery for numerous reasons; however, the COVID-19 outbreak has exacerbated this problem. Therefore, it is necessary to discuss the impact of the unavoidable time of surgical delay on the outcome of patients with MIBC. Methods In all, 165 patients from high-volume centers with pT2-pT3 MIBC, who underwent radical surgery between January 2008 and November 2020, were retrospectively evaluated. Patients’ demographic and pathological information was recorded. Based on the time of surgical delay endured, patients were divided into three groups: long waiting time (> 90 days), intermediate waiting time (30–90 days), and short waiting time (≤ 30 days). Finally, each group’s pathological characteristics and survival rates were compared. Results The median time of surgical delay for all patients was 33 days (interquartile range, IQR: 16–67 days). Among the 165 patients, 32 (19.4%) were classified into the long waiting time group, 55 (33.3%) into the intermediate waiting time group, and 78 (47.3%) into the short waiting time group. The median follow-up period for all patients was 48 months (IQR: 23–84 months). The median times of surgical delay in the long, intermediate, and short waiting time groups were 188 days (IQR: 98–367 days), 39 days (IQR: 35–65 days), and 16 days (IQR: 12–22 days), respectively. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate for all patients was 58.4%, and that in the long, intermediate, and short waiting time groups were 35.7%, 61.3%, and 64.1%, respectively (P = 0.035). The 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates in the long, intermediate, and short waiting time groups were 38.9%, 61.5%, and 65.0%, respectively (P = 0.042). The multivariate Cox regression analysis identified age, time of surgical delay, pT stage, and lymph node involvement as independent determinants of OS and CSS. Conclusion In patients with pT2-pT3 MIBC, the time of surgical delay > 90 days can have a negative impact on survival.
This chapter presents a description of Jews in early modern Spain. It is notorious amongst those who have read books that a rich Jew hurts the poor in much the same manner as a lion devours hapless animals. Suetonius refers to the fact that the Romans treated the Jews badly and held them under their yoke to such an extent that they even levied taxes upon the trees and woods that they planted. Even though the Jews were held in universal contempt and considered to be the most hated by all the nations, Arias Montano notes in chapter 56 of his Commentary on Isaiah, that eunuchs and capons were held in the greatest of disdain because they could not serve as priests, could not hold public positions and were thus considered to be useless.Keywords: Arias Montano; Commentary on Isaiah; early modern Spain; Jews; Romans; Suetonius
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most effective treatments for depression. However, significant stigma from the media and the antipsychiatry movement has biased the public toward ECT, leading to underutilization, particularly among those most in need. This report reviews some of the key historical events in the rise, fall, and resurgence of ECT and how modern ECT knowledge and practice are more refined, including an improved understanding of its mechanisms of action and optimal treatment parameters.
Control of the singlet-triplet energy gap (ΔEST) is central to realizing productive energy conversion reactions, photochemical reaction trajectories, and emergent applications that exploit molecular spin physics. Despite this, no systematic methods have been defined to tune ΔEST in simple molecular frameworks, let alone by an approach that also holds chromophore size and electronic structural parameters (such as the HOMO-LUMO gap) constant. Using a combination of molecular design, photophysical and potentiometric experiments, and quantum chemical analyses, we show that the degree of electron-electron repulsion in excited singlet and triplet states may be finely controlled through the substitution pattern of a simple porphyrin absorber, enabling regulation of relative electronically excited singlet and triplet state energies by the designed restriction of the electron-electron Coulomb (J) and exchange (K) interaction magnitudes. This approach modulates the ΔEST magnitude by controlling the densities of state in the occupied and virtual molecular orbital manifolds, natural transition orbital polarization, and the relative contributions of one electron transitions involving select natural transition orbital pairs. This road map, which regulates electron density overlaps in the occupied and virtual states that define the singlet and triplet wave functions of these chromophores, enables new approaches to preserve excitation energy despite intersystem crossing.
Thirty-one geographic entities comprising 17 species of Calligrapha were examined cytologically. In the bisexual species rowena, philadelphica, pnirsa, amator, alni, confluens, californica, bidenticola, multipunctata, verrucosa, and pruni, the diploid number of chromosomes was 23 in males and 24 in females. The sex mechanism consisted of a single X chromosome in males and two X chromosomes in females. No Y chromosome was present. During reduction division in testicular tissue 11 bivalents were formed and a single heterochromatic X chromosome lay to one side of the bivalents which showed congression at metaphase I. The basic chromosomal formula 11 + XO can therefore be assigned to this group. The formula is modified in some populations according to the following circumstances.
With the exception of a few master transcription factors, regulators of neutrophil maturation are poorly annotated in the intermediate phenotypes between the granulocyte-macrophage progenitor (GMP) and the mature neutrophil phenotype. Additional challenges in identifying gene expression regulators in differentiation pathways relate to challenges wherein starting cell populations are heterogeneous in lineage potential and development, are spread across various states of quiescence, as well as sample quality and input limitations. These factors contribute to data variability make it difficult to draw simple regulatory inferences. In response we have applied a multi-omics approach using primary blood progenitor cells primed for homogeneous proliferation and granulocyte differentiation states which combines whole transcriptome resequencing (Ampliseq RNA) supported by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) validation and mass spectrometry-based proteomics in a hypothesis-generation study of neutrophil differentiation pathways. Primary CD34+ cells isolated from human cord blood were first precultured in non-lineage driving medium to achieve an active, proliferating phenotype from which a neutrophil primed progenitor was isolated and cultured in neutrophil lineage supportive medium. Samples were then taken at 24-hour intervals over 9 days and analysed by Ampliseq RNA and mass spectrometry. The Ampliseq dataset depth, breadth and quality allowed for several unexplored transcriptional regulators and ncRNAs to be identified using a combinatorial approach of hierarchical clustering, enriched transcription factor binding motifs, and network mapping. Network mapping in particular increased comprehension of neutrophil differentiation regulatory relationships by implicating ARNT, NHLH1, PLAG1, and 6 non-coding RNAs associated with PU.1 regulation as cell-engineering targets with the potential to increase total neutrophil culture output. Overall, this study develops and demonstrates an effective new hypothesis generation methodology for transcriptome profiling during differentiation, thereby enabling identification of novel gene targets for editing interventions.
Objective: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness, compliance, and side effects of tongue stabilizing devices (TSDs).Methods: Thirty-nine patients were followed up after 12 and 30 months. The subjective effectiveness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Functional Outcomes Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ-10), the Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ), and a sleep-related quality of life questionnaire (QoL). Compliance and side effects were assessed.Results: At 12-months, 35.9% of patients confirmed continuing the therapy, compared to only 15.4% of patients at 30 months. At 30 months, a significant average improvement of ESS (2.0 ± 2.8) was observed compared to baseline levels in six patients. Six patients demonstrated an average increase in blood pressure. The most frequently reported side effects were mouth dryness and excessive salivation. The 3D analysis revealed small tooth movements.Conclusion: The TSD therapy demonstrated a good long-term subjective effectiveness against OSA but had a relatively low treatment acceptance rate.
Antibodies with desired specificity to proteins of interest provide important and versatile tools for detecting and localizing specific proteins in organisms. With the rapidly increasing number of genes cloned, the demand for antibodies to the gene products is increasing greatly. We developed a procedure to isolate highly specific antibodies to an insect intestinal mucin (IIM) from a polyclonal antiserum, which served as a “library of antibodies,” by using an E. coli lysate of the IIM cDNA clone. This procedure allows rapid and efficient isolation of target protein specific antibodies from a polyclonal antiserum made against a pool of antigens.
Malnutrition and muscle wasting are common features of cancer cachexia that may interfere with the patient's response to cancer treatment, survival, and quality of life. An accurate nutritional screening at the time of diagnosis and throughout the patient's treatment fosters better control of the disease. Several screening tools have proven to be useful for this purpose. Nevertheless, nutritional evaluation is not a routine practice in this clinical setting and procedures must be standardized. Nutritional risk screening (NRS), malnutrition screening tool (MST), and patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) are the most common screening tools, and each one possesses some benefits when screening patients for malnutrition; however, weight loss over a specific time period, dietary intake and anorexia must also be considered. The body mass index-adjusted weight loss grading system predicts survival. We recommend the application of MST or NRS, followed by PG-SGA, food intake determination, measurement of body weight, and its changes as well as body composition, biochemical nutritional markers, muscle function, and physical performance.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women in Western nations, and is among the deadliest cancers with a 5-year survival rate of 15%. The high mortality caused by lung cancer is attributable to a late-stage diagnosis and the lack of effective treatments. So, it is crucial to identify new biomarkers that could function not only to detect lung cancer at an early stage but also to shed light on the molecular mechanisms that underlie cancer development and serve as the basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Considering that DNA-based biomarkers for lung cancer showed inadequate sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility, proteomics could represent a better tool for the identification of useful biomarkers and therapeutic targets for this cancer type. Among the proteomics technologies, the most powerful tool is mass spectrometry. In this review, we describe studies that use mass spectrometry-based proteomics technologies to analyze tumor proteins and peptides, which might represent new diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive markers for lung cancer. We focus in particular on those findings that hold promise to impact significantly on the clinical management of this disease.
In the present work variable energy positron annihilation spectroscopy (VEPAS) was employed for investigation of defects in Mg films. VEPAS characterization was combined with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction in order to determine grain size and texture respectively. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of deposition temperature and various substrates on structure and defects in Mg films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. SEM observations revealed that films deposited on sapphire (0001) substrate exhibit always smaller grains than films deposited on amorphous fused silica and silicon (100) substrates, which have comparable grain size. Defect studies by VEPAS showed that positrons in Mg films studied are trapped at misfit dislocations and at vacancy-like defects in grain boundaries. Moreover, the films deposited on a substrate heated at 300 °C exhibited lower concentration of defects and larger grain size compared to the films deposited at room temperature. Subsequent annealing at 300 °C for 1 h of the films deposited at room temperature causes a slight decrease of defect density due to coarsening of grains.
The transition between seed dormancy and germination is an important stage that initiates plant life cycle. Hormonal balances of abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellin (GA) contribute to determining the proper timing to germinate. Here, we demonstrate that the R2R3-type MYB96 transcription factor, a key ABA signaling mediator, coordinates seed dormancy and germination processes through distinct downstream events. This transcription factor controls ABA-INSENSITIVE 4 (ABI4) expression to inhibit seed germination by suppressing breakdown of lipid reserves in embryo. In addition, it also induces seed dormancy by stimulating ABA biosynthesis in an ABI4-independent manner. We propose that MYB96 integrates a multitude of environmental stress signals and acts as a master regulator in the determination of timing for seed germination.
treatment with ustekinumab. The route of administration (subcutaneous and not intravenous) and the low dose of approximately 1 mg/kg per day were chosen because of the scarce data in the pediatric literature regarding that treatment. Our experience should encourage pediatric trials aimed at considering ustekinumab as a rescue therapy in anti-TNF refractory pediatric patients with CD. In summary, we describe a dramatic resolution of symptoms in a 7-year-old boy with refractory active CD treated with ustekinumab. In addition, we provide anecdotal data on dosage and scheduling of ustekinumab in pediatric CD. The effectiveness and safety of this drug in children should be studied prospectively.
HypD and HypC, or its paralogue HybG in Escherichia coli, form the core of the scaffold complex that synthesizes the Fe(CN)2CO component of the bimetallic NiFe‐cofactor of [NiFe]‐hydrogenase. We show here that purified HypC‐HypD and HybG‐HypD complexes catalyse hydrolysis of ATP to ADP (kcat ≅ 0.85·s−1); the ATPase activity of the individual proteins was between 5‐ and 10‐fold lower than that of the complex. Pre‐incubation of HypD with ATP was necessary to restore full activity upon addition of HybG. The conserved Cys41 residue on HypD was essential for full ATPase activity of the complex. Together, our data suggest that HypD undergoes ATP‐dependent conformational activation to facilitate complex assembly in preparation for substrate reduction.
Consumers' interest in smart home concepts has been increasing due to the rapidly expanding home appliances industry that introduces Wi-Fi enabled appliances. Manufacturers provide firmware that allows users to control appliances using smartphones from anywhere. Smart appliances, firmware, and smartphones connected to a cloud server for data storage to form a simple smart home automation system (SHAS). This paper reviews how SHAS is implemented and its recent progress. The authors' observation found that there is a growing interest among researchers and developers to study software-defined network, web services, and end-user development tools within 2016 and 2018. This progress caused by researchers' and developers' interest to mitigate heterogeneity issues in SHAS.
Correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) combines the strengths of multicolor fluorescence labeling utilizing light microscopy (LM) with the near angstrom resolution of electron microscopy (EM) making it an ideal tool to interrogate biology at the nanoscale. However, combining these two microscopy techniques is not a trivial task, as sample preparation for fluorescence LM is typically completed using hydrated samples that are thick by comparison to the samples used for EM. Additionally, sample preparation for EM involves dehydration, staining with heavy metal contrast, and embedding in plastic-like resin, which are typically thought to be incompatible with the low levels of fluorescent staining desirable for molecularly targeted applications. In an effort to expand and advance efforts toward direct CLEM experimentation, we sought to holistically characterize commonly used fluorophores as substrates for correlative microscopy.
Abstract We study the families of measures on Carnot groups that have vanishing p p -module, which we call M p {M}_{p} -exceptional families. We found necessary and sufficient Conditions for the family of intrinsic Lipschitz surfaces passing through a common point to be M p {M}_{p} -exceptional for p ≥ 1 p ge 1 . We describe a wide class of M p {M}_{p} -exceptional intrinsic Lipschitz surfaces for p ∈ ( 0 , ∞ ) p in  left(0, infty ) .
Summary How does the law influence organisational behaviour? Following the Neo Institutionalist concept of institutional isomorphism, I view law as a broad cultural framework that not only influences organisations through regulative processes, but also through cognitive and normative mechanisms. Organisations adopt certain structures and practices because the sociolegal environment constructs those structures and practices as proper, responsible, legitimate and natural. I draw on the experiences of biotech start-up founders, managers and scientists in Scotland and Norway to investigate the institutional elements constraining their research activities. I find that these biotech companies operate within a legal trichotomy of coercive, mimetic and normative influences.
Recently, the statistical analysis of muscle activation patterns highlighted that not only one, but several activation patterns can be identified in the gait of healthy adults, with different occurrence. Although its potential, the application of this approach in pathological populations is still limited and specific implementation issues need to be addressed. This study aims at applying a statistical approach to analyze muscle activation patterns of gait in Parkinson’s Disease, integrating gait symmetry and co-activation. Surface electromyographic signal of tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius medialis were recorded during a 6-min walking test in 20 patients. Symmetry between right and left stride time series was verified, different activation patterns identified, and their occurrence (number and timing) quantified, as well as the co-activation of antagonist muscles. Gastrocnemius medialis presented five activation patterns (mean occurrence ranging from 2% to 43%) showing, with respect to healthy adults, the presence of a first shorted and delayed activation (between flat foot contact and push off, and in the final swing) and highlighting a new second region of anticipated activation (during early/mid swing). Tibialis anterior presented five activation patterns (mean occurrence ranging from 3% to 40%) highlighting absent or delayed activity at the beginning of the gait cycle, and generally shorter and anticipated activations during the swing phase with respect to healthy adults. Three regions of co-contraction were identified: from heel strike to mid-stance, from the pre- to initial swing, and during late swing. This study provided a novel insight in the analysis of muscle activation patterns in Parkinson’s Disease patients with respect to the literature, where unique, at times conflicting, average patterns were reported. The proposed integrated methodology is meant to be generalized for the analysis of muscle activation patterns in pathologic subjects.
Pressure-induced surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (PI-SERS) represents a new frontier in the research field of SERS. However, relatively few studies have focused on PI-SERS due to many difficulties, such as easy aggregation of nanoparticles, and difficulty in understanding the interaction mechanisms between probe molecules and the SERS substrate at high pressure. Here we developed an efficient semiconductor-metal SERS substrate (MoS2/Au) to study PI-SERS. Different from the previously reported monotonous decrease in Raman intensities upon compression, an anomalous Raman enhancement of R6G molecules adsorbed on the MoS2/Au substrate was observed up to 2.39 GPa, at which the degree of charge transfer (ρCT) between the R6G molecules and the MoS2/Au substrate reaches a maximum. By comparison, it is proposed that the decoration of Au on the SERS system could bring about a two-step charge transfer (CT) process, introduce localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and thus favor the PI-SERS enhancement. Moreover, this charge transfer also causes obvious changes in the optical behaviors of R6G molecules upon compression. This brings new insights into the SERS study and also offers new ideas for the development of SERS application in high pressure studies.
Pre-storage seed invigoration treatments in freshly harvested soybean seeds with powdered crude plant materials (red chilli powder@1g/kg of seed; neem leaf powder@2g/kg of seed), chemicals (common bleaching powder and iodinated calcium carbonate@2g/kg of seed; para-amino benzoic acid and ferulic acid@500mg/kg of seed) and pharmaceuticals (aspirin @50mg/kg of seed) significantly improved germinability, field performance and productivity over untreated control. Among the treatments, ferulic acid, aspirin and para-amino benzoic acid has shown better results in improving storability and field performance. The wet treatments showed adverse effect on germinability, probably due to soaking injury. Physiological and biochemical studies revealed that pre-storage dry treated seeds showed reduced leakage of electrolytes, sugars, amino acid and lower lipid peroxide formation than the untreated control. Among the treatment, ferulic acid followed by aspirin has shown reduced leakage of electrolytes, sugar, amino acid and lipid peroxide formation. On the basis of the results, pre-storage dry treatments with ferulic acid, aspirin and para-amino benzoic acid may be suggested for improved storability and field performance of stored soybean seed.
We revisit the model for a two-well phase transformation in a linearly elastic body that was introduced and studied in Mielke et al. (2002 Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 162, 137–177). This energetic rate-independent system is posed in terms of the elastic displacement and an internal variable that gives the phase portion of the second phase. We use a new approach based on mutual recovery sequences, which are adjusted to a suitable energy increment plus the associated dissipated energy and, thus, enable us to pass to the limit in the construction of energetic solutions. We give three distinct constructions of mutual recovery sequences which allow us (i) to generalize the existence result in Mielke et al. (2002), (ii) to establish the convergence of suitable numerical approximations via space–time discretization and (iii) to perform the evolutionary relaxation from the pure-state model to the relaxed-mixture model. All these results rely on weak converge and involve the H-measure as an essential tool.
The asymptotics is found for a solution of the system of equations of steady-state elastic vibrations of an isotropic medium. Here , 0$ SRC=http://ej.iop.org/images/0025-5734/62/1/A01/tex_sm_3223_img3.gif/> is a small parameter, is a bounded closed surface given in spheroidal coordinates by the equation , and is the exterior of . The vector-valued function satisfies a radiation condition. The asymptotics of the solution of the problem is found up to , 0$ SRC=http://ej.iop.org/images/0025-5734/62/1/A01/tex_sm_3223_img9.gif/> arbitrary, in the case where the boundary condition does not depend on the polar angle , and up to in the case of boundary conditions which are not axially symmetric. The formulas obtained are valid everywhere near the body (including neighborhoods of the end points) and far from it.Bibliography: 12 titles.
Clickstream data provide information about the sequence of pages or the path viewed by users as they navigate a website. We show how path information can be categorized and modeled using a dynamic multinomial probit model of Web browsing. We estimate this model using data from a major online bookseller. Our results show that the memory component of the model is crucial in accurately predicting a path. In comparison, traditional multinomial probit and first-order Markov models predict paths poorly. These results suggest that paths may reflect a user's goals, which could be helpful in predicting future movements at a website. One potential application of our model is to predict purchase conversion. We find that after only six viewings purchasers can be predicted with more than 40% accuracy, which is much better than the benchmark 7% purchase conversion prediction rate made without path information. This technique could be used to personalize Web designs and product offerings based upon a user's path.
Abstract Several numerical simulations of the Arctic ice cover over a seasonal cycle are carried out. Two different types of constitutive laws are examined: rigid plastic and linear viscous. In both cases, the strength of the ice interaction is taken as a function of ice thickness and compactness. The thickness and compactness, in turn, evolve according to continuity equations which include thermodynamic source and sink terms. The simulations with the rigid-plastic law reproduce reasonable geographical ice-thickness variations, ice outflow, and ice-velocity characteristics. The viscous simulations (especially the Newtonian viscous case) produce less satisfactory geographical ice thickness variations, and near-shore velocity characteristics. In addition the Newtonian-viscous simulation produces highly unrealistic ice-edge effects in summer. The results are discussed in terms of the relative magnitudes of the shear and compressive strengths, and in terms of the non-linear versus linear dependence on deformation in the ice rheology. The portion of this study employing a plastic constitutive law is published in full in Journal of Physical Oceanography, Vol. 9, No. 4, 1979, p. 815–46.
We derive from first principles, using nonequilibrium field theory, the quantum Boltzmann equations that describe the dynamics of flavor oscillations, collisions, and a time-dependent mass matrix in the early universe. Working to leading nontrivial order in ratios of relevant time scales, we study in detail a toy model for weak-scale baryogenesis: two scalar species that mix through a slowly varying time-dependent and CP-violating mass matrix, and interact with a thermal bath. This model clearly illustrates how the CP asymmetry arises through coherent flavor oscillations in a nontrivial background. We solve the Boltzmann equations numerically for the density matrices, investigating the impact of collisions in various regimes.
The mechanism the Chatani–Tobisu rhodium-catalyzed decyanative silylation of aryl nitriles by hexamethyldisilane (Me3Si-SiMe3) has been investigated by in situ NMR spectroscopy. The production of Ar-SiMe3 evolves in three distinct phases: slow catalyst induction is followed by a period of rapidly accelerating turnover and then, after approximately three catalyst turnovers, the onset of progressive inhibition. The processes giving rise to these phenomena have been elucidated by isotopic labeling (13C/15N) and kinetic analysis, and it is shown that, in addition to facilitating catalyst turnover to generate Ar-SiMe3, the reactants serve other roles. Me3Si-SiMe3 functions as a slow exogenous precatalyst activator and as a moderately powerful catalyst inhibitor. In contrast, ArCN acts as a precatalyst inhibitor. Moreover, the coproduct from the reaction (trimethylsilyl cyanide, Me3SiCN) acts as a powerful endogenous precatalyst activator and catalyst inhibitor, together giving rise to sigmoidal temporal concen...
The computation of optimal control variables for a two-stage steel annealing process (SAP) which comprises of one or more furnaces is proposed in this paper. The heating and soaking furnaces of the steel annealing line form two-stage hybrid systems. Three algorithms including particle swarm optimization (PSO) with globally and locally tuned parameters (GLbest PSO), a parameter free PSO algorithm (pf-PSO), and a PSO like algorithm via extrapolation (ePSO) are considered to solve this optimal control problem for the two-stage steel annealing processes (SAP). The optimal solutions including optimal line speed, optimal cost, and job completion time obtained through these three methods are compared with each other and those obtained via conventional PSO (cPSO) with time varying inertia weight (TVIW) and time varying acceleration coefficient (TVAC). From the results obtained through the four algorithms considered, the efficacy and validity of each algorithm are analyzed.
This article explores the cooperation after independence on four Central Asian transboundary rivers. The paper shows that, even though the Central Asian states agreed in 1992 to continue with the basic water-sharing principles, new agreements had to be made. New agreements were only made in basins with large-scale water-control infrastructure, which have transboundary significance or are transboundary themselves. The inequitable water allocation between the riparian states has continued and has not triggered new agreements.
Scholars have long recognized the importance of timing in political decision making. In this article, I consider the potential for the strategic timing of court decisions involving the constitutional review of statutes. As courts lack the ability to directly implement their decisions, scholars have identified an attentive public as invaluable for judicial authority. Building on this literature, I argue that the proximity of a national election increases awareness and thereby creates an environment conducive to the assertive exercise of constitutional review. I then present evidence of the electoral cycle’s effect on decision making at the German Federal Constitutional Court.
The increasing growth of the global Internet making the shortcomings of its unstructured topology and distributed routing algorithm are exposed more rapidly. To design a controllable, scalable and manageable backbone network with a simple, efficient architecture is very imperative. Among many topologies, Tree topology which has a natural hierarchical structure and explicit end-to-end transmission path provides a promising solution for the future Internet architecture. To overcome the defects of tree topology in reliability and scalability, we propose a hierarchical network based on Viliant load-balancing (VLB) architecture which takes advantage of the both. The analysis of its fault-tolerance property and the corresponding flow-level load-balancing scheme are also presented in the paper.
Heart failure remains a major global problem with approximately 6 million individuals suffering from heart failure in the United States alone. The surgical technique of heart transplantation, popularized by Dr. Norman Shumway, has led to its success and currently remains the best treatment options for patients with end-stage. However, with the continued limitation of donor organs and the rapid development of ventricular assist device technology, the number of patients bridged to transplant with mechanical circulatory support has increased significantly. This has created some new technical challenges for heart transplantation. Therefore, it is now important to be familiar with multiple new technical challenges associated with the surgical techniques of heart transplantation with an ultimate goal in reducing donor heart ischemic time, recipient cardiopulmonary bypass time and post-operative complications. In this review, we described our technique of heart transplantation including the timing of the operation, recipient cardiectomy and donor heart implantation.
Kevin Ward, senior lecturer in African religious studies at the University of Leeds and an Anglican priest, has written a remarkably balanced history of the Anglican Church, the world’s third-largest Christian body. Unlike most studies of global Anglicanism, which stress the centrality of its English heritage, this book gives unprecedented attention to the local construction of Anglicanism in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, as well as to the roles of minorities in Great Britain, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Moving beyond colonial and postcolonial agendas, Ward brings out the complex interaction between missionary influences and the indigenous forces of local culture. Many will be surprised to learn, for example, that most Anglican missionary activity was conducted by indigenous, not colonial, missionaries. Ward adeptly shows that local expressions of Anglicanism did not politely wait to appear until the end of formal colonialism in the twentieth century (which is itself a colonialist fantasy) but were present from the beginning—a fact that paradoxically demonstrates the success of the initial missions. Ward allows the complexities of Anglican development to shed light on the crisis facing the Anglican Communion today. We should no more expect Anglican churches of the global South to possess a fabled purity of faith (in contrast to a purely secularized North) than we should expect the North to ignore the vibrancy of churches in the South—in other words, a reverse or a renewed colonialism. There is indeed a missionary task at hand, but a book such as this reminds us that the Gospel inevitably brings God’s judgment and mercy to human society in all times and places. This book is well researched, clearly written, and full of interesting anecdotes, maps, and bibliography. It will be useful to students, members, and—it is hoped— leaders of the Anglican Communion at this crucial point in its history. —Christopher A. Beeley
Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of increasing dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS) on growth performance and palatability in growing-finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, a total of 1,050 pigs (initially 104.9 lb) were used in a 28-d study in May 2002. Pigs were fed diets with either 0 or 15% DDGS and 0, 3, or 6% added fat, for a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement. Overall, there were no DDGS × fat content interactions (P = 0.20). There was an improvement (linear, P<0.01) in ADG and F/G with increasing added fat and no difference in growth performance between pigs fed 0 or 15% DDGS. In Exp. 2, a total of 1,038 pigs (initially 102.1 lb) were used in a 56-d study in August 2005. Pigs were fed diets with either 0, 10, 20, or 30% DDGS from the same ethanol plant as in Exp. 1. Overall (d 0 to 56), there was a trend for decreased ADG (linear, P<0.10) and ADFI (linear, P<0.06) as DDGS increased. The greatest reduction occurred in pigs fed more than 10% DDGS. In Exp. 3, a total of 120 growing pigs (initially 48.7 lb) were used in a 21-d feed preference study in October 2005. Pigs were randomly allotted to a pen with 4 feeders, each containing a separate dietary treatment. Pigs were offered diets based on corn-soybean meal, with 0, 10, 20, or 30% DDGS from the same source as in Exp. 1 and 2. For all periods (d 0 to 7, 7 to 21, and 0 to 21), there was a decrease in ADFI (quadratic, P<0.01) as DDGS increased in the diet. The most dramatic decrease was observed between 0 and 10% DDGS. Experiment 1 showed no difference in growth performance in pigs fed 0 or 15% DDGS. In Exp 2, at DDGS contents higher than 10%, there were trends for decreased ADG and ADFI; in Exp. 3, ADFI decreased with increasing DDGS in the diet. In summary, DDGS from the ethanol plant tested can be used at 10 to 15% in finishing diets without reducing pig performance. Higher percentages of DDGS in the diet decreased ADFI in growing and finishing pigs.
The flow of water in a tide, flood or tsunami is often turbulent. We model large scale, but shallow, turbulent flow using the well established $k$-$ omega$ model of turbulence. Vertical turbulent mixing underlies the existence of a slow manifold model. As a first step, in this article the flow is assumed laterally homogeneous. Then constructing the slow manifold discovers the evolution of the average lateral velocity and average turbulent energy. We focus upon the influence on the mathematical analysis of key physical factors affecting the dynamics: turbulent mixing, energy production due to shear, volume energy dissipation and gravitational forcing on sloping ground. Further research will incorporate large scale lateral variations in the flow in order to predict tides, floods and tsunamis.
ethnomethodology, one must remember 'that the term has taken on a life of its own . . . and that what it is now variously made to stand for often bears little relation to the systematic studies begun in the mid-fifties by and under the influence of Garfinker (p. 13). In view of the diversity of ethnomethodological work. Turner cautiously remarks that 'there is no guarantee that the items collected here will fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, revealing—if only put together carefully and correctly—a pictxire, the picture, which finally makes visible "what ethnometitiodology really is'" (p. 7). Instead, he tells his readers that 'what ethnomethodology amounts to is to be located in the research output by its practitioners' (p. 7). With this in mind, 'this collection avoids, as far as possible, merely progammatic statements . . . and focuses rather upon demonstrations and exemplars of research conducted in an ethnomethodological vein' (p. 7). This claim would have been better supported had he included more papers containing analyses of data in Part Four and reduced the nximber of contributions in Parts Two and Three, which devote too much space to critiques of traditional sociology and descriptions of what might be done, how topics might provide data for ethnomethodological analysis. If Part Four had formed the bulk of this useful book, it would have been easier for 'the reader to decide the extent to which the research done under the auspices of the relatively new sociology has been successful' (p. 11).
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is naturally resistant to wide spectrum of antibiotics in current use and infections by this bacterium have been found very refractory to chemotherapy so in this study we attempt to study the incidence and resistance pattern of pseudomonas aeruginosa in cattle. The present study was carried on 150 samples randomly collected from different farms at El-Behera and Alexandria goveronates from mastitic cows.   The samples were directly transferred to laboratory where they were prepared for bacteriological examination for isolation of pseudomonas aeruginosa , Determination of anti-bacterial sensitivity test and isolation of plasmids. Result of this study showed that 15 out of 150 samples (10%) were positive for pseudomonas aeruginosa     Result of this study showed that 15 isolates of pseudomonas aeruginosa were tested against 9 antibacterial agents. The organism was sensitive to ciprofloxacin, vancomycin.Fifteen pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were positive for analysis by using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.The carried plasmids with molecular weight of 18Kbp.Ih could be concluded that Pseudomanas aerogenosa was resistant to the most antibiotics and carrying plasmid DNA. Moreover, antibiotic is important for the persistence of plasmid DNA.  Keywords : Phenotypic-genotypic-plasmids-pseudomonas
Credit: NASA image by Greg Shirah, GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio Climate models represent the physical world using a series of equations based on these known physical laws. These models are virtual laboratories; these are the tools that allow us to perform experiments that we can’t conduct in the real world. Like any scientific equipment, climate models are carefully developed and checked. We base our confidence in a model on its ability to reproduce the current climate and observed changes and also key time periods of the past.
ABSTRACT Studies have revealed a close relationship between action–word processing and the detection of point-light biological movements and that this effect can be modulated by the context of action-verb presentation. The goal of the present study was to further examine the extent to which motor representation activation plays a role in this relationship by testing the influence of painless/painful sentence understanding during a listening task. Participants judged the presence or absence of a point-light biological movement that was embedded in a scrambled mask after a congruent or incongruent action sentence was presented. The sentences varied according to the context of action-verb presentation (painful, painless). Perceptual judgments of human movements improved after a prior presentation of a congruent action sentence but only in the painless context. Thus, our findings show that pain included in a semantic context of sentence presentation can preclude the relationship between action–word understanding and point-light biological movement judgments.
The high temperature phase austenite in steel has the property to transform into a variety of room temperature phases like coarse pearlite, bainite & martensite depending upon the cooling cycle. The machinability and toughness depend upon the shape and distribution of pro eutectoid harder phases. The spherical or oval shapes give lesser resistance for machining process. So it is required to design the heat treatment to tailor the property as required by the application. In this view, it is proposed to study the mechanical and micro structural properties of EN47 steel undergoing Spheroidization. The aim of this work is to test the hardness, toughness and wear property of the steel in spheroidised condition. Hardening treatment improves hardness of the material, a marginal decrease in hardness value with improved ductility is observed in tempering. Hardening and longer duration tempering show better wear resistance compared to other heat treatments. Both mild and severe wear regions are observed. Generally mild wear region is observed above five hours of continuous running of the specimen. Micro structural analysis shows the existence of pearlitic structure in as bought & normalized specimen, lath martensitic structure in hardened specimen.
OBJECTIVE The objective of the meta-analysis is to integrate results on the achievement of developmental milestones in emerging and young adults with chronic pediatric physical illness.   METHODS Through electronic databases and cross-referencing, 165 comparative studies were identified. Random-effects meta-analysis was computed.   RESULTS Emerging and young adults with chronic pediatric illness had lower rates of finishing advanced education, finding employment, leaving the parental home, marrying, and becoming parents than healthy peers; between-group differences ranged from 22 to 38%. They also had lower income levels than healthy peers. Stronger differences were found for respondents with neurological illnesses and sensory impairment than in individuals with other chronic diseases. Lower success rates were also observed if the illness/disability is highly visible to others and in the case of longer illness duration.   CONCLUSIONS Interventions are recommended aimed at preventing and reducing lower rates of mastering the adult milestones of individuals with pediatric chronic illness.
In this paper, we propose the construction of an effective event notification software service for mobile devices to provide anytime anywhere awareness to online work teams during Web collaboration. The software service is first designed to achieve the required flexibility to be used in different collaborative work situations, from professional work to informal communities of practice. Then, the building of our event-oriented service for mobile clients is reported from all the stages of our software engineering methodology and it is prototyped for evaluation purposes. We believe the outcomes of our approach will be very beneficial for achieving more productive and quality Web collaboration practices. The ultimate aim of this research is to provide software designers of Web collaboration tools and applications with general guidelines as for how to face common issues and challenges when incorporating a complete event management and notification system in their developments.
Optical-mechanical scanning techniques are generally employed in instruments specifically designed to characterize variations in scene brightness spectrally or radiometrically. The effect of aliasing, which can be caused by line-scan sampling, on the spatial detail of the reconstructed image has therefore been of little concern. Emphasis of some recent applications of optical-mechanical scanning techniques is, however, on the spatial characterization of the scene. As is shown here, such images can be severely degraded by aliasing. Photosensor aperture shaping and line-scan spacing are investigated as a means for reducing this degradation.
Many scientific datasets are of high dimension, and the analysis usually requires visual manipulation by retaining the most important structures of data. Principal curve is a widely used approach for this purpose. However, many existing methods work only for data with structures that are not self-intersected, which is quite restrictive for real applications. To address this issue, we develop a new model, which captures the local information of the underlying graph structure based on reversed graph embedding. A generalization bound is derived that show that the model is consistent if the number of data points is sufficiently large. As a special case, a principal tree model is proposed and a new algorithm is developed that learns a tree structure automatically from data. The new algorithm is simple and parameter-free with guaranteed convergence. Experimental results on synthetic and breast cancer datasets show that the proposed method compares favorably with baselines and can discover a breast cancer progression path with multiple branches.
Abstract Purpose To determine if hip movement precautions reduce hip prosthesis dislocation rates post hip arthroplasty using a posterior surgical approach compared to minimal or no movement restrictions. Materials and methods This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered prospectively. CINAHL, MEDLINE and Embase were searched from inception until September 2020 supplemented by citation tracking. Studies were included if patients had a hip arthroplasty using a posterior surgical approach with comparative data on hip movement precautions or minimal to no movement restrictions. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Downs and Black checklist. Results From a yield of 8 studies, meta-analysis of 7 studies and 9599 total hip arthroplasties, there was low quality evidence of no increased risk of dislocation (RR = 0.98, 95%CI 0.58 to 1.67) for patients prescribed minimal or no hip movement restrictions compared with patients prescribed hip movement precautions. There were 121/5440 dislocations (2.2%) in the movement precaution group and 90/4159 dislocations in the minimally restricted group (2.2%). Conclusions Dislocation rates after total hip arthroplasty are low irrespective of movement precaution allocation. Resources allocated to implementing hip movement precautions may be better directed towards other clinical areas. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION There was no difference in hip prosthesis dislocation rate between patients who received hip movement precautions compared to patients who received minimal or no restrictions after total hip arthroplasty using a posterior surgical approach. Health professionals involved in prescribing and monitoring adherence to hip movement precautions after total hip arthroplasty may be better allocating their resources to other areas of clinical care. Falls were associated with the greatest number of prosthesis dislocations, accounting for 24% of dislocations; resources may be better allocated towards evidence-based strategies to reduce falls.
The field of succession law in Indonesia up to now prevails law pluralism in which Islamic succession, custom succession and western succession law (Burgerlijk Wetboek) exist in society. Among those succession laws, the custom succession one is the most dominant law in society. The custom law that has dynamic characteristics also influences to the status of widow to the legacy oh her late husband, that from time to time it changes. In parental society, in the early (before RI freedom), a widow was not a heir, then the next development, the widow inherit the legacy of her late husband although the change has not received well. The cause of the change is the awareness of society in respecting the status of the widow and also because the most Indonesian society are Islam that develops the custom succession law influenced by Islamic law.
This article presents an empirical requirement elicitation study for an argumentation-based digital companion for supporting behavior change, whose ultimate goal is the promotion and facilitation of healthy behavior. The study was conducted with non-expert users as well as with health experts and was in part supported by the development of prototypes. It focuses on human-centric aspects, in particular user motivations, as well as on expectations and perceptions regarding the role and interaction behavior of a digital companion. Based on the results of the study, a framework for person tailoring the agent's roles and behaviors, and argumentation schemes are proposed. The results indicate that the extent to which a digital companion argumentatively challenges or supports a user's attitudes and chosen behavior and how assertive and provocative the companion is may have a substantial and individualized effect on user acceptance, as well as on the effects of interacting with the digital companion. More broadly, the results shed some initial light on the perception of users and domain experts of “soft,” meta-level aspects of argumentative dialogue, indicating potential for future research.
A scheme is presented for determination of 3D one-way-travel-time operators for Common Focus Point imaging, from 3D data-sets without a full areal coverage of both sources and receivers. Examples are the parallel marine geometry and the cross-spread land geometry. Kinematically the operators are rigorously correct. When actually applied to imaging of the data the AVP information is fully preserved, but no azimuth dependency of the reflectivities and transmission losses is taken into account.
This paper proposes a creative neologism: zoognosis, with an added g, to indicate that knowledges can be transmitted virally from animals to humans. If so, what are the animals trying to tell us? Laura Jean Mackay’s The Animals in That Country (2020) provides an opportunity to find out. Mackay’s prescient novel was written before, but published during, the COVID-19 pandemic, and is about a ‘zooflu’ that enables the infected to understand animals. The author has forged a poetic language based on animal sensory perceptions, what ethologist Jakob von Uexküll termed Umwelten. In doing so Mackay effects a ‘becoming-animal’ of the text, reintroducing readers to their own animality. Mackay’s ‘perspectivism’ enables us to see from the point-of-view of non-human animals, forcing a reckoning with animal abuse and extractive lifeways. While her speculative fiction is bleak, it offers tools for attunement and thinking-with non-human others.
ABSTRACT Since the introduction of West Nile virus (WNV) to North America in 1999, WNV is estimated to have contributed to population-level declines in numerous avian species. However, the potential impacts of this virus on many free-ranging upland game bird species, including the wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), which is undergoing regional population declines, remain unknown. Herein, two age groups (∼5 to 6 weeks and ∼15 to 16 weeks post-hatch) of juvenile wild turkeys were subcutaneously inoculated with WNV, sampled daily from 1 to 7 days post-inoculation (dpi), and euthanized on 14 dpi. No clinical signs and minimal gross lesions were attributable to WNV infection. Peak viraemia titres were similar between age groups (<101.7 to 104.6 plaque-forming units [PFU]/ml), but the duration of viraemia was longer in the old group (3–4 days) than in the young group (0–3 days). Intermittent oral and/or cloacal viral shedding from 2 to 7 dpi was detected in both age groups. No infectious virus was detected in the heart, brain, kidney, skeletal muscle, spleen, and feathers from WNV-inoculated turkeys euthanized on 14 dpi. All WNV-inoculated birds seroconverted by 14 dpi, as well as two co-housed sham-inoculated birds. The most consistent microscopic lesions among all WNV-inoculated birds were mild lymphoplasmacytic myocarditis and encephalitis. Minimal immunohistochemical labelling was detected in tissues in addition to scant macrophages within the blood, spleen, and bone marrow. These data suggest WNV is unlikely to pose a significant risk to wild turkey populations, although the possibility remains that WNV may indirectly decrease fitness or predispose wild turkeys to other health stressors. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Clinical disease was not observed in wild turkeys experimentally infected with WNV. Pathology attributed to WNV was mild and included brain and heart inflammation. Viraemias suggest WNV-infected wild turkeys do not play a role in WNV transmission. No age-associated differences in WNV clinical disease or pathology were observed.
We present an optical device capable of displaying in two distinct viewing modes, i.e., monoview and dual-view modes. The monoview mode has a joint viewing cone and allows only the same image or video content to be displayed. The dual-view mode splits one viewing cone into two so that two different pieces of information can be displayed simultaneously in the left and the right viewing directions from the screen. Each viewing mode can be mutually switched through the modulation of the birefringence of liquid crystals. This proposed device has technical advantages of easy operation, low cost, and versatility of applications.
Records of 100 consecutive patients treated in 1973 through 1977 with post-traumatic retroperitoneal hematomas (RH) were studied. Eighty RH followed blunt injury and 20 were due to penetrating trauma. Overall mortality was 26%. The worst prognosis was associated with RH from automobile accidents and pedestrian injuries. Pelvic RH were almost uniformly associated with pelvic fracture and were the primary cause of 39% of deaths. Blunt perinephric RH required renal exploration in 47% of patients. Blunt RH in other locations were associated with major visceral or vascular injury in half the patients and were the cause of death in five. Sixty-five per cent of RH due to penetrating trauma had visceral or vascular injury requiring operative correction. Contained rupture of descending choracic aorta presented as retrogastric RH in two patients. RH from penetrating trauma should be explored routinely, since 65% are associated with visceral or vascular injury.
This study has traced the behavior of rat anionic trypsin-like immunoreactivity and pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) immunoreactivity in the serum of rats undergoing bile-pancreatic duct infusions of buffered solutions with and without the addition of the bile salt taurocholate. Enzymatic analysis of alpha-amylase was also done. A mild pancreatic inflammation followed infusion of buffer alone, as determined by gross inspection of the pancreas and the behavior of serum levels of the above proteins. Animals infused with buffer and 4% taurocholate had major inflammatory changes, including gross hemorrhage into the gland, and marked elevations in serum levels of the three proteins studied. Graphic analysis of the serum levels revealed distinct sharp rises in the serum levels of all three proteins in the taurocholate group. In the buffered saline group only an initial sharp rise was present, followed by a prolonged decrease back towards base-line values. The immunoreactive trypsin in the taurocholate group was present in three fractions with different molecular weights: trypsin in complex with protease inhibitors, trypsinogen, and trypsinogen, and degradation products. PSTI immunoreactivity showed the molecular size of free inhibitor and that of degradation products. The presence of trypsin in complex with protease inhibitors indicates the formation of active trypsin during acute pancreatitis, which is further supported by the presence of degradation products of trypsin and PSTI.
In this paper, analysis of a cross-junction based on the admittance matrix is presented. This method extracts parameters of the equivalent circuit model with high accuracy up to 20 GHz. And the transformer coefficient varies with frequency are also studied. Simulation results suggested that the transformer coefficients will depart from the idea unit. Finally, to reduce the effect of the parasitic capacitance, two improved cross-junctions structure with concave and convex segments are also proposed.
In the present work, we explore the opportunity to deposit zinc sulfide (ZnS)/polyaniline (PANI) composite films through an electrochemical route. The structural and the optical characterization showed the interaction between ZnS nanoparticular and PANI. The structure of the PANI–ZnS composite films was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and UV–vis spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate the electrochemical behavior of the resulting material. The existence of Zn and S on PANI–ZnS composite films was proved by the EDX-mapping method. The conductivity measurements of PANI–ZnS composite films and PANI were accomplished by the four-probe technique. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Technol 2013, 32, 21373; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.21373
The paper proposes and evaluates an experimental passive sensor fault tolerant control for a gyroscope system. The sensor fault occurrence reduces the performance and may even cause the instability. This work focuses on developing fault tolerant control when these drawbacks are occurred. A passive fault tolerant control (PFTC) scheme is developed to counteract a sensor failure and parameters uncertainties. A second sliding mode FTC strategy based on super twisting algorithm ensures the stability robustness of the gyroscope system in the presence of the additive faults. For this purpose, the passive fault tolerant control (PFTC) approach is designed to preserve the stability and to maintain an acceptable performance when the sensor failure appears. The effectiveness of the proposal fault tolerant control strategy is validated by simulation and experiment results in presence of the sensor fault.
Abstract Within the various fields of research of the present Biological Anthropology the study of human evolution as well as the study of genetic variation in modern man, hold an eminent place. An important branch of Biological Anthropology is therefore Population Genetics, which deals on the one hand with exact genetic descriptions of human population, but which on the other hand tries to find out the reasons for genetic differences among them. To study these genetic differentiation processes in man, which are obviously still ongoing, reliable population data are necessary. Biological Anthropologists are, however, not only interested in the ethnic and geographic variation of the numerous genetic markers of the human blood, but are also concerned with the variation of anthropometric, morphological and dermatoglyphic traits. Human population studies using traits began with early population descriptions and currently utilise multivariate procedures for detecting evolutionary processes. The development of new techniques in molecular biologyrendered possible to elucidate human variability and human prehistory. It may be concluded that there are differences in the occurrence of the frequencies of various biogenetical traits (genetic markers of blood, other genetic markers like colour blindness and tasting ability, different dermatoglyphic and somatometric traits) among the population groups inhabiting different geographical zones of India viz.North, West, East, Central, South and Islands. From the Himalayan region, some differences in the frequencies and mean values of distribution of various genetic markers and morphological traits have been observed among population groups of Western and Eastern Himalayan regions. Since sufficient studies are not available on the population groups of Central Himalayan region, it has not been possible to observe a differential trend regarding the occurrence of various traits, but it has been observed that the population groups in this area show more similarities with those of Western than Eastern Himalayan region. About the four groups i.e., caste, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, and community from India, various zones of India and Himalayan regions, conspicuous differences are observed among the scheduled tribes as compared to castes, scheduled castes, and communities. The correlations of frequencies of genetic markers and mean values of morphological traits with various climatic factors and altitude by different ethnic groups although showing significant differences, in general are not high. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that the variations in the frequencies of genetic markers and mean values of morphological traits distribution in the Himalayan region may be due to contacts between the various population groups of Western and Central Himalayas with population groups of Central Asia, and that of Eastern Himalayas with the Northern Mongoloid populations. In Central India admixture with the population groups of West India can be assumed. In South India, a different pattern of allele/haplotype frequencies and mean values is generally observed among the tribal population groups, for which one of the main causes might be seen in small population sizes. Inbreeding is prevalence among certain communities like Muslims, Parsis etc. and in most of the different population groups particularly from South India, which might have also resulted in the marked variation in distribution of frequencies and mean values of different genetic markers and morphological traits. The variations observed for the various morphogenetic traits in the distribution of allele/haplotype frequencies and mean values among the Indian population are due to racial elements present among them in varying degrees, migrations and admixture from time to time and other factors of evolutionary changes like mating patterns, genetic drift, mutation and selection under different environments. However, such a holistic approach should not only consider the anthropometric, dermatoglyphic traits and so far less investigated serum protein and red cell enzyme polymorphisms, but should analyse especially the regional and ethnic distribution of the numerous nuclear and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms, which turned out to be of highest importance to population genetics.
Background Malnutrition is a global emergency, creating an overlapping burden on individual, public and economic health. The double burden of malnutrition affects approximately 2.3 billion adults worldwide. Following 3 years of capacity building work in Kolkata, with assistance of local volunteers and organisations, we established an empowering nutrition education model in the form of a ‘mobile teaching kitchen (MTK)’ with the aim of creating culinary health educators from lay slum-dwelling women. Aims To evaluate the piloting of a novel MTK nutrition education platform and its effects on the participants, alongside data collection feasibility. Methods Over 6 months, marginalised (RG Kar and Chetla slums) women underwent nutrition training using the MTK supported by dietitians, doctors and volunteers. Preintervention and postintervention assessments of knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP), as well as anthropometric and clinical nutritional status of both the women and their children were recorded. The education was delivered by a ‘See One, Do One, Teach One’ approach with a final assessment of teaching delivery performed in the final session. Results Twelve women were trained in total, six from each slum. Statistically significant improvements were noted in sections of KAP, with improvements in nutrition knowledge (+4.8) and practices (+0.8). In addition, statistically significant positive changes were seen in ‘understanding of healthy nutrition for their children’ (p=0.02), ‘sources of protein rich food’ (p=0.02) and ‘not skipping meals if a child is ill’ (p≤0.001). Conclusion The MTK as a public health intervention managed to educate, empower and upskill two groups of lay marginalised women into MTK Champions from the urban slums of Kolkata, India. Improvements in their nutrition KAP demonstrate just some of the effects of this programme. By the provision of healthy meals and nutritional messages, the MTK Champions are key drivers nudging improvements in nutrition and health related awareness with a ripple effect across the communities that they serve. There is potential to upscale and adapt this programme to other settings, or developing into a microenterprise model, that can help future MTK Champions earn a stable income.
BACKGROUND Asthma is a heterogeneous and complex chronic airway disease with a high incidence rate, characterized by chronic airway inflammation. Although the anti-inflammatory effect of zeaxanthin has been demonstrated in various disease models, its explicit role in allergic asthma remains elusive.   METHODS An allergic asthma model was established by ovalbumin (OVA) stimulation in BALB/c nude mice. The pathological examination, collagen deposition and expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in lung tissues were determined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), MASSON and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Besides, the effect of zeaxanthin on inflammation and oxidative stress was assessed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and spectrophotometry measure. Moreover, the underlying mechanism was analyzed by detecting the expression of phosphorylated p38 (p-p38), p38, β-catenin, p-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK) and JNK with western blot assays.   RESULTS The distinct infiltration of inflammatory cells was observed in the OVA-induced asthma mice model with significantly increased concentrations of immunoglobulin E (IgE), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-13 and eotaxin (p˂0.001), which were prominently reversed by zeaxanthin treatment (p˂0.001). In addition, zeaxanthin treatment decreased the OVA-induced collagen deposition and α-SMA expression. A similar inhibitory effect of zeaxanthin on the oxidative stress was also observed in the OVA-induced asthma mice model, as evidenced by the prominent decrease of malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and the remarkable increase of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione S transferase (GST) and Glutathione (GSH) concentrations (p˂0.001). Moreover, zeaxanthin introduction markedly reduced the relative expressions of p-p38/p38, β-catenin and p-JNK/JNK in the OVA-induced asthma mice model (p˂0.001), indicating that zeaxanthin suppressed the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK)/β-catenin signaling pathway in the OVA-induced asthma mice model.   CONCLUSIONS Zeaxanthin attenuated OVA-induced allergic asthma in mice via modulating the p38 MAPK/β-catenin signaling pathway.
Purpose: the analysis of problems in the training of referees in wrestling. Material and methods: theoretical analysis and generalization of literary sources, pedagogical observation. Results: the analysis and generalization of the opinions of experts shows that the success of the complex of judicial activities caused by the judges' experience, knowledge of the techniques and tactics of wrestling and a high level of development of professionally important psycho-physiological functions. Conclusions: given the lack of professional officiating freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling, the preference shall be given independent forms of training short-term precompetitive workshops not only for training, but and for testing of individual capabilities of individual judges.
In this work, coir retting wastewater was treated primarily by membrane bioreactor combined with photo-Fenton process to degrade phenol and other organics. The removal process was carried out in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for 1–15 h with hydraulic retention times (HRT) of 8 h, COD and phenol removal were found to be 99% and 78%, respectively. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to plan and optimize photo-Fenton process. Regression quadratic model relates photo-Fenton process of phenol removal which was developed and completed by analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Abstract Introduction Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) features the presence of otoacoustic emissions, poor speech identification score and absent auditory brainstem response. Objective The present study was designed to evaluate the functioning of all six semicircular canals in individuals with ANSD and to compare it with those of normal-hearing individuals. Methods A total of 50 individuals participated in the present study, in which Group I comprised 25 normal-hearing individuals, and Group II comprised 25 individuals with ANSD. All of the participants underwent case history, pure tone audiometry, immittance, otoacoustic emissions, auditory evoked response and video head impulse test (vHIT). Results The independent sample t-test revealed significantly lower vestibulo-ocular reflex gain values in individuals with ANSD. A presence of 100% corrective refixation saccades was observed in the same group. The Pearson correlation test revealed no significant correlation between vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain with duration of hearing loss and pure tone thresholds for any of the three orthogonal planes. The chi-squared test revealed no association between the VOR gain values and the presence or absence of saccades in any of the semicircular canals (p > 0.05). Conclusion Huge percentages of individuals with ANSD have been found to have associated vestibular dysfunction as well. Therefore, the vHIT can be used as one of the important tests of the vestibular test battery to evaluate all six semicircular canals in individuals with ANSD.
As a key training component in Biomedical Engineering programs, Medical Imaging education involves different physics principles and mathematical derivations for image generation, reconstruction, and instrumentation. We developed an Internet accessible and interactive teaching system, that provides background review, text/figure illustration, interactive animation, dynamic simulation, and application demonstration for teaching five commonly used medical imaging modalities (X-ray, CT, MRI, PET and Ultrasound). Each imaging modality is taught or learned through five to six modules (topics). The system is also associated with a database that updates the teaching/learning materials and also tracks student's learning gain through different assessments. The instructor gets instant feedback on the topic delivered through his/her lecture when students work on the system. We have applied the teaching/tracking system in small size classes. The results are satisfactory, convincing and promising. We plan to complete all teaching/learning modules and to avail both systems for any instructor's teaching application.
Abstract. Significance: Definitive diagnostics of many diseases is based on the histological analysis of thin tissue cuts with optical white light microscopy. Extra information on tissue structural properties obtained with polarized light would help the pathologist to improve the accuracy of his diagnosis. Aim: We report on using Mueller matrix microscopy data, logarithmic decomposition, and polarized Monte Carlo (MC) modeling for qualitative and quantitative analysis of thin tissue cuts to extract the information on tissue microstructure that is not available with a conventional white light microscopy. Approach: Unstained cuts of human skin equivalents were measured with a custom-built liquid-crystal-based Mueller microscope in transmission configuration. To interpret experimental data, we performed the simulations with a polarized MC algorithm for scattering anisotropic media. Several optical models of tissue (spherical scatterers within birefringent host medium, and combination of spherical and cylindrical scatterers within either isotropic or birefringent host medium) were tested. Results: A set of rotation invariants for the logarithmic decomposition of a Mueller matrix was derived to rule out the impact of sample orientation. These invariants were calculated for both simulated and measured Mueller matrices of the dermal layer of skin equivalents. We demonstrated that only the simulations with a model combining both spherical and cylindrical scatterers within birefringent host medium reproduced the experimental trends in optical properties of the dermal layer (linear retardance, linear dichroism, and anisotropic linear depolarization) with layer thickness. Conclusions: Our studies prove that Mueller polarimetry provides relevant information not only on a size of dominant scatterers (e.g., cell nuclei versus subwavelength organelles) but also on its shape (e.g., cells versus collagen fibers). The latter is directly related to the state of extracellular collagen matrix, which is often affected by early pathology. Hence, using polarimetric data can help to increase the accuracy of diagnosis.
This study evaluated the effect of time and concentrations of sodium hypochlorite on the bond strength of a glass fibre post cemented in a root canal with resin cement. A total of 45 single-rooted extracted human teeth were prepared with Protaper® universal files, randomly allocated into nine groups and then subjected to 1% or 4% NaOCl for a period of 1 min or 2 min. Fibre posts were then bonded into the root canal, sectioned and the bond strength tested using a push-out test. A longer irrigation time resulted in a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in bond strength, while a final additional irrigation with distilled water significantly reduced bond strength. The concentration of NaOCl did not significantly affect bond strength. Within the limitations of this study, it was observed that regardless of the concentration of NaOCl used, shorter irrigation times favoured better fibre post bonding.
Who made it to the top of Corporate America in the twentieth century? And what do their experiences mean for the next generation of business leaders? In "Paths to Power", Anthony J. Mayo, Nitin Nohria, and Laura G. Singleton answer these questions. The authors explore access to business leadership opportunities - showing how a small group of "insiders" possess advantages that facilitate a smooth journey to the top while a larger group of "outsiders" face disadvantages that make their path to leadership positions more difficult.Yet throughout the history of American business, the composition of insiders and outsiders has shifted. Examining data on leader birthplaces, religious affiliation, education, socioeconomic status, race, and gender, "Paths to Power" explains how the demographics of leadership have changed over the 20th century and how they're changing now. Further, they discuss the mechanisms of advancement for insiders and outsiders, and show how these mechanisms have also evolved. Though white men still hold most power positions in business, the authors assert that the gates of access aren't as static as they seem.
Indonesia has become one of the most significant labour exporting nations in the Asian region. Accordingly, labour export has assumed greater importance in government economic planning, and has also become a topic of increasing interest among the wider community. This article addresses some of the important issues which have attracted most attention in recent years and provides an overview of the contemporary situation in Indonesia with respect to international labour migration. Important issues in Indonesia relating to the export of labour include the high level of illegal movement, predominantly to Malaysia; the large deployment of women to work as domestic maids in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Hong Kong and elsewhere; the role of recruiters and other intermediaries in the export of labour, and the skill profile of workers going abroad.
Peptides that have antimicrobial activity are synthesized by many prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Antimicrobial peptides commonly contain unusual amino acids that contribute to their properties and functions. Although bacteria synthesize most of these peptides by nonribosomal mechanisms, this review focuses on those that are synthesized by pathways that involve posttranslational modification of ribosomally synthesized precursor peptides. A particularly interesting class of these antimicrobial peptides is the lantibiotics, of which nisin and subtilin are the longest-known examples, although nearly a dozen new lantibiotics have been discovered in recent years. The fact that the lantibiotic structures are derived from gene-encoded peptides means that structural analogs of natural lantibiotics can be constructed by mutagenesis of their structural genes. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular genetics of lantibiotics has made the construction of novel lantibiotics with enhanced chemical and antimicrobial properties possible. This review describes these advances and proposes future trends of research, as well as potential application of engineered lantibiotics, in the context of the general field of antimicrobial peptides.
In this paper, we present some issues linked to therapy that seem important from the philosophical point of view. After some basic remarks concerning the problem of the therapist-patient relationship we discuss the philosophical presuppositions of three models of therapy: biomedical, humanistic and holistic. Each of them is based on different respective philosophical positions. Next, we try to examine whether the deconstruction of these assumptions may be relevant for contemporary representatives of the practical health sciences.
The multilateral economic system contains a major shortcoming. Although governments have committed themselves to a rule-based multilateral trade policy regime in the World Trade Organization (WTO), private companies that operate in the global marketplace face no such multilateral disciplines. Certainly, most industrialized nations have created their own set of antitrust laws. Furthermore, a series of well-functioning bilateral and regional mutual assistance agreements has been concluded both to facilitate competition enforcement in transnational cases and to avoid the drawbacks of the extraterritorial application of antitrust legislation. Still, on a multilateral level, it has been impossible to agree on a coherent framework for competition rules. Strangely, international competition policy has received attention only from a relatively small group of specialized antitrust practitioners. As a structural factor determining the margin of maneuver of internationally active private companies on the global market, the international dimension of competition policy deserves a higher place on the agenda of all those interested in international public policy and political economy. Competition Policy Competition or antitrust policy serves many purposes. [1] First, by preventing the economy from being dominated by a few large conglomerates, antitrust policy is a tool that ensures the plurality of economic and--ultimately--political life. Second, competition law is set up to protect consumers against abuses of market dominance and against price-increasing and choice-reducing agreements between companies. Third, weak or absent competition poses a problem for the efficiency of resource allocation in the economy. Fourth, competition policy helps to modernize the economy by stimulating companies to constantly innovate in light of the latest technological discoveries. Finally, the strict enforcement of competition policy helps to keep markets open for competitors, whether national or foreign. Today, more than eighty countries have enacted competition legislation, and another twenty countries are considering adopting antitrust laws. [2] Although I do not intend to provide an assessment of the current intellectual debates on antitrust policy, it might be useful to briefly introduce the most well-known examples of competition enforcement. [3] In the United States, antitrust law was already well established at the end of the nineteenth century as a tool to fight the formation of industrial conglomerates. [4] The Sherman Act of 1890--which still forms the basis of U.S. antitrust law--prohibits agreements in restraint of trade and monopolization, attempted monopolization, and conspiracies to monopolize. In 1914, Congress adopted the Clayton Act as a means to protect opportunities for small business. The act notably prohibits price discrimination and tie-in sales and exclusive dealing contracts. Furthermore, the Clayton Act forms the starting point of U.S. merger control. It prohibits acquisitions, mergers, or joint ventures that may substantially reduce competition. Convinced that the concentration of German industries in the 1930s had been an important element in the creation and persistence of Hitler's Nazi regime, the United States insisted after World War II on the establishment of a strict anticartel policy in the Federal Republic of Germany. Germany, in turn, proved instrumental in bringing the antitrust concept into the 1957 Treaty of Rome, which established the European Community (EC). [5] The EC treaty prohibits agreements or concerted practices between companies that may affect trade between the member states and restrict competition. Examples are agreements between companies intended to fix purchase or selling prices. A company's abuse of its dominant position is also prohibited. Large mergers may not be put into effect without EC approval and are prohibited if they create or strengthen a dominant position on the internal market or a substantial part of it. …
Domain specific ontologies can be used to improve both precision and recall of information retrieval systems. One approach in this regard is using query expansion techniques and the other would be introducing a semantic similarity measure for concepts in ontology. Although each approach has its own benefits and drawbacks, query expansion techniques are preferred when the corpus volume is so huge that examining concept pairs between query and documents is not reasonable. In this paper a semantic query expansion algorithm for medical information retrieval is introduced. Proposed approach consists of identifying MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) concepts in user's query and applying expansion algorithm to them. Expansion algorithm is based on the location of concepts in MeSH hierarchy, number of synonyms of each concept and number of terms the concept is made of. Results show improvements over classic method, query expansion using general purpose ontology and a number of other approaches.
Gridding techniques are used to combine an 18-day set of Seasat altimeter data and two precisely-computed Seasat ephemerides, in order to arrive at global contour maps of the mean sea surface topography. The altimeter data have an rms agreement of 111 cm with the SS3 mean sea surface computed by means of the PGS-S3 ephemerides, and of 70 cm with the SS4 mean surface derived from the PGS-S4 ephemerides. While comparisons with the GEM 10B 1 x 1 deg gravimetric geoid have yielded rms differences of 2.8 m, those with a global mean sea surface derived from GEOS 3 altimeter data show rms differences of 1.3 m and 1.1 m for the cases of the SS3 and SS4 surfaces, respectively. An SS4 mean sea surface topograph is featured among the study findings presented. Further improvements in the representation of mean sea surface topography are expected with the development of more accurate gravity models for orbit computation.
Simple Summary Due to climatic changes and global warming, heat stress has become a worldwide problem, especially in tropical and subtropical countries. Therefore, research studies that aim to alleviate heat stress conditions in males are valuable due to the high sensitivity of the testis to increased temperature. This study investigated whether an exogenous intravenous injection of melatonin could influence the testicular artery blood flow (TBF) and peripheral reproductive hormones and metabolomes in heat-stressed goats or not. Melatonin administration enhanced TBF, as measured by color Doppler ultrasonography, and induced significant changes in most studied hormones. Such data are valuable in the field of improving animal productivity under heat-stress environments because there were close correlations between TBF and potential animal fertility. In addition, peripheral metabolomic analysis was characterized and differentiated among the studied groups denoting several significant up and down metabolites that could be used in further research to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Abstract The beneficial effects of melatonin were investigated to mitigate various detrimental effects and toxicity on reproductive performance. The present study aimed, for the first time, to explore the effect of intravenous melatonin injection on testicular artery hemodynamics (TH) and metabolomic changes, reproductive hormones in heat-stressed bucks. Ten bucks were randomly split into two groups (five each): (1) the melatonin group, treated with a single intravenous dose of melatonin solution containing 10 mg melatonin each, and (2) the control group, which was treated with 10 mL of the vehicle without melatonin. Changes in the TH at the level of the supra testicular artery (STA) were assessed by triplex ultrasonography just before (0 h) and at 0.5, 2, 7, 24, and 168 h after melatonin or vehicle administration. Doppler velocity parameters of peak systolic velocity (PSV; cm/s), end-diastolic velocity (EDV; cm/s), and time average maximum velocity (TAMAX; cm/s) were measured. Doppler indices (resistive index; RI and pulsatility index; PI), systole/diastole (S/D) ratio and total arterial blood flow volume (TABFV; ml/minute) were measured. Peripheral concentrations of FSH, LH, inhibin, melatonin, testosterone (T), estradiol (E2), and cortisol were measured just before injection (0 h) and at 0.5, 2, 7, and 24 h and daily up to day 7 post administration in both groups. Results revealed reductions in the RI values and increases in the TABFV in the melatonin group compared to the control one, especially 2 h after administration. Significant increases in concentrations of FSH, T, E2, and melatonin and decreases in cortisol and inhibin in the melatonin group compared to the control one. Plasma metabolomic analysis at 2 h indicated the up-regulation of L-glutamine, L-arginine, sorbitol, D-glucose, ascorbic acid, and ornithine and the down-regulation of D-xylose, D-arabitol, ribitol, and oleic acid in the melatonin versus the control group. In conclusion, acute administration of melatonin (10 mg IV) enhanced testicular artery blood flow and plasma reproductive hormones in the Shiba goat under heat-stress circumstances.
This paper examines seven instances in which the market value of a parent company was less than the market value of its publicly traded subsidiary. Efforts are made to explain this “parent company puzzle” in terms of taxes, agency costs, liquidity effects and noise trader risk. None of them work. The only explanation consistent with the evidence is a mispricing of the subsidiary shares associated with a downward sloping demand curve. As further evidence in support of this view, five corporate control transactions, all designed to exploit the apparent mispricing, were initiated while this research was in progress
The study in this paper discusses the concept of a Humanist Values Education. Islam never experienced the heyday of the era became the center of the study of various disciplines, this is evident with the emergence of Muslim scientists. But with the passage of time that Islamic intellectualism begins to dim along with the cultural understanding and following (taqlid). Whereas the Qur'an many give cues in order to examine all the scientific disciplines, it can be seen from the verses of the Qur'an which was ordered to examine the nature and its contents. Religious Humanist Values education which leads to the study of the komprehenshif of good science is both religious and General Education Development Concept is as Islam that humanizing of man in accordance with the duties of man as abdullah and the khalifatullah in the Earth.
Sparse Bayesian learning (SBL)-based approximately sparse channel estimation schemes are conceived for space-time trellis coded (STTC) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems relying on trellis-based encoding and decoding over the data subcarriers. First, a pilot-aided channel estimation scheme is developed employing the multiple response extension of SBL (MSBL) framework. Subsequently, a novel data-aided joint channel estimation and data decoding framework relying on optimal maximum likelihood sequence detection (MLSD) is intrinsically amalgamated with our powerful EM-based MSBL algorithm. Explicitly, an MSBL-based MIMO channel estimate is gleaned in the E-step followed by a novel modified path-metric-based Viterbi decoder in the M-step. Our theoretical analysis characterizes the performance of the proposed schemes in terms of the associated frame error rate (FER) upper bounds by explicitly considering the effect of estimation errors along with evaluating the product measure of the STTC under consideration. Finally, our simulation results are complemented by the Bayesian Cramér-Rao bound (BCRB), the associated complexity analysis and the performance of the proposed schemes for validating the theoretical bounds.
In this paper, we have reported the fabrication of gallium arsenide (GaAs) nanoparticles on quartz placed at distance of 4.0 cm, 5.0 cm and 6.0 cm, respectively from top of anode. The fabrication has been carried out by highly energetic and high fluence ions of GaAs produced by hot, dense and extremely non-equilibrium plasma in a modified dense plasma focus device. GaAs nanoparticles have mean size of about 23 nm, 16 nm and 14 nm for deposition at a distance of 4.0 cm, 5.0 cm and 6.0 cm, respectively. The nanoparticles are crystalline in nature as evident from X-ray diffraction patterns. The band gap of nanoparticles is found to increase from 1.425 eV to 5.37 eV at 4.0 cm distance, which further increases as distance increases. The wide band gap observed for fabricated GaAs nanoparticles suggest the possible applications of nanoparticles in laser systems.
This paper is a study on IoT based map inside the building and fire perception system using microprocessor and LABVIEW program. The smart control system implemented in this paper is designed to identify the location of fire by using microprocessor, flame detection sensor, carbon monoxide sensor and temperature sensor, and to guide the optimal travel route through Zigbee communication. And the proposed system uses QR code to interoperate with smartphone. The coordinator control verified that the sensor value of the smart control system installed through the LABVIEW software was confirmed. The IoT based control system studied in this paper was implemented with Arduino mega board and LABVIEW software, and the operation status was confirmed by display device and coordination.
Recycling of waste from electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) traditionally focuses on large quantities of waste materials such as plastics. However, some product groups in the WEEE contain hidden treasures in the form of critical metals. This project assesses the critical metals’ waste handling as part of five selected product groups, in the Nordic region. The environmental and economic benefits from the recycling of these metals currently and in the near future is quite substantial, mainly due to the presence of significant quantities of gold in the selected products. In order to contribute further to the circular economy concept, the Nordic countries should pay attention not only to quantitative but also to qualitative aspects of recycling, in order to capture recyclable materials that, although in small quantities, their recycling brings a high economic and environmental value.
UNLABELLED OBJECT There have been no large-scale analyses on cost drivers in CSF shunt surgery for the treatment of pediatric hydrocephalus. The objective of this study was to develop a cost model for hospitalization costs in pediatric CSF shunt surgery and to examine risk factors for increased costs.   METHODS Data were extracted from the Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Children with initial CSF shunt placement in the 2009 KID were examined. Patient charge was converted to cost using a cost-to-charge ratio. The factors associated with costs of CSF shunt hospitalizations were examined, including patient demographics, hospital characteristics, and clinical data. The natural log transformation of cost per inpatient day (CoPID) was analyzed. Three multivariate linear regression models were used to characterize the cost. Variance inflation factor was used to identify multicollinearity for each model.   RESULTS A total of 2519 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in study. Average cost and length of stay (LOS) for initial shunt placement were $49,317 ± $74,483 (US) and 18.2 ± 28.5 days, respectively. Cost per inpatient day was $4249 ± $2837 (median $3397, range $80-$22,263). The average number of registered nurse (RN) full-time equivalents (FTEs) per 1000 adjusted inpatient days was 5.8 (range 1.6-10.8). The final model had the highest adjusted coefficient of determination (R(2) = 0.32) and was determined to be the best among 3 models. The final model showed that child age, hydrocephalus etiology, weekend admission, number of chronic diseases, hospital type, number of RN FTEs per 1000 adjusted inpatient days, number of procedures, race, insurance type, income level, and hospital regions were associated with CoPID.   CONCLUSIONS A patient's socioeconomic status, such as race, income level, and insurance, in addition to hospital-related factors such as number of hospital RN FTEs, hospital type, and US region, could affect the costs of initial CSF shunt placement, in addition to clinical factors such as hydrocephalus origin and LOS. To create a cost model of initial CSF shunt placement in the pediatric population, consideration of such nonclinical factors may be warranted.
Packing optimization problems have a wide spectrum of real-word applications. One of the applications of the problems is problem of placement of containers with spent nuclear fuel (SNF) on the storage platform. The solution of the problem can be reduced to the solution of the problem of finding the optimal placement of a given set of congruent circles into a multiconnected domain taking into account technological restrictions. A mathematical model of the prob-lem is constructed and its peculiarities are considered. Our approach is based on the mathematical modelling of rela-tions between geometric objects by means of phi-function technique. That allowed us to reduce the problem solving to nonlinear programming. Today, an important scientific problem is the problem of creating conditions for safe storage of spent nuclear fuel. In the process of creating any dry spent nuclear fuel storage, the following main stages can be identified: site selection, storage design, construction, operation and decommissioning. A full check for compliance of the repository and its elements with these standards usually begins at the design stage. At the stage of site selection, the inspection for compliance with safety standards is carried out only in terms of the impact of the repository as a whole on the environment. This approach cannot be considered fully appropriate, because, taking into account, for example, all the climatic features of the future storage site, it is possible to adjust the thermal storage regimes of spent nuclear fuel. Similarly, it can be considered necessary to analyze and select the shape of the storage site in order to accommo-date the maximum possible number of spent fuel containers. Such a choice, obviously, should be made taking into ac-count the norms of nuclear, radiation and thermal safety, as well as in compliance with technological limitations. The problem of finding the optimal placement of containers taking into account the given technological limitations can be formulated in the form of the problem of optimization of geometric design. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to build a mathematical model of the problem and study its characteristics to develop effective methods of solution. The proposed approach is based on mathematical modeling of relations between geometric objects using the method of phi-functions. This allowed to reduce the solution of the problem to the problem of nonlinear programming.
There seems to be an area of intersection between Boko Haram  ideology and Maliki jurisprudence. Both are radical and fundamentalist oriented Islamic convictions. Boko Haram seeks to hatch a pure hard core Islam devoid of any outside, especially, Western influence, a project which resembles, to say the least, those of ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Al-Shabab , and on a global level, Al-Qaeda . In the same vein, Maliki School of Islamic law is a strict jurisprudence desiring to resuscitate Medinan practices that are deemed uncorrupted and seen as remaining as they were in Muhammad’s days. The Maliki regime governing the whole of North Africa and West Africa is the underlying Islamic legal framework operative in Nigeria even if not fully. Yet full implementation of its tenets remains a goal to be achieved and which  Boko Haram appears to be assiduously working towards. No doubt this aspiration is consistent with the sect’s recent rechristening of itself with the term ‘Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP)’. This paper aims at exploring the common thread connecting Boko Haram philosophy to Maliki thought in the light of the multifarious ways of practicing Islam as exemplified in Pakistan,Indonesia and Malaysia. The study finally examines the effects of the discussed ideological mindsets on Nigerian nation building. Keywords: Maliki Jurisprudence, Boko Haram , National Development, Islamic Law, Nigeria
This paper demonstrates replication of ultrafast laser-induced micro/nano surface textures on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The surface texture replication process reduces the processing steps for microtexturing while improving light trapping. Two methods are demonstrated to replicate surface microtexture, a simple mold method and an embossing method. The laser microtextured silicon and titanium surfaces with micro to nanoscale features have been successfully replicated. Optical characterization of the replicated microtextured PDMS surfaces is performed and the results agree with model predictions. The replicated microtextured PDMS film is applied on a silicon surface and optical characterization shows that surface reflectance can be suppressed over 55% compared to the control value.
The study aims to investigate the existence of overconfidence bias in Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore. This paper focuses on the Vietnam Stock Market and other two countries of ASEAN, namely Singapore and Thailand. Data was collected over the period from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018, daily returns for each of the securities. This paper uses the time series method, namely ADF test, Granger Causality and VAR approach to find evidences of the overconfidence effect in Vietnam in relation to some ASEAN markets. The results show similarities between the observed countries with slight variations, with focus on Vietnam market. In general concrete evidences of overconfidence were found in both Vietnamese and Singaporean markets, in which Singaporean investors show higher degree of overconfidence than Vietnamese investors. Overconfidence is not as clear in Thai market, however a direct causal link from increased returns to increased investor confidence was found. From the model deployed in the paper, there are reasons to conclude that Thai investors are under-confident. The findings of the study shed lights into the existence of overconfidence bias in Vietnam, Thailand, and Singapore on a comparative basis, provide more insights and implications for future research in this new and rising field of research.
In this thesis I explore the role of conflicts in conservation tourism. Conservation tourism forms a commercial practice that intends to contribute to economic development and biodiversity conservation. Conflicts can be expected to play a role here considering the potentially contradicting objectives, practices and discourses. However, by scanning associated policy reports and literatures, I found that limited attention is being paid to conflicts. If mentioned at all, conflicts are predominantly seen as negative and temporary situations resulting from incompatible differences between actors. Consequently, academics and practitioners narrowly look for logical inputs (what causes conflicts to happen?) and outputs (how can we resolve the outcomes of conflict?). Yet what seems to be missing here is a more processual understanding of conflicts. To contribute to a better understanding of conflicts in this aspect, conflicts are examined in this thesis as social systems, as suggested by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. Using Luhmann as a core post-structural point of departure, I principally wondered whether conflicts can have a social life (whether conflicts endure as social systems, and if so, how?), and to what extent this social life plays a role in shaping the realities of conservation tourism (are these conflict systems performative?). Furthermore, and complemented by Evolutionary Governance Theory, I explored how conflicts evolve in relation to the many discursive and material events unfolding in their (in-) direct environment. To better understand and illustrate this evolution of conflicts, I empirically examined three related conservation tourism case studies in context of Namibian conservancies (chapter 2), Kenyan conservation enterprises (chapter 3) and Portuguese rewilding projects (chapter 4). Across these cases, I found that conflicts are typically subject to their own path dependencies, interdependencies and goal dependencies. Path dependencies illustrate how conflicts have their own genesis, rooted in those destinations where they develop over time. Interdependencies explain how conflicts are coupled with other discursive and/or material events in their environment. And goal dependencies describe how ideas or expectations of the future inform related actors as they anticipate conflicts and adapt their behaviour accordingly. In chapter 2, the path dependency of conflicts is discussed in relation to the specific case of Anabeb Conservancy in Kunene in Namibia. In this case, I looked into ongoing community conflicts and their persistence over time. Conflicts have emerged and re-emerged here as a recognisable modes of ordering that have become all but normal to insiders of this community. In fact, the way in which conflicts play out in the wider Kunene region today is similar to previous conflict episodes of up to 30 or 40 years ago. However, the form in which these conflicts re-occur is somewhat different as they relate to changing discourses today. Prior to Namibia’s independence, for instance, conflicts may have been about pension fund distributions; today conflicts re-emerge in light of Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) and related opportunities offered by conservation tourism. To better understand the endurance of conflicts in this case, this chapter zooms in on the technologies that can irreversibly shape and maintain conflicts, namely through: reification, solidification, codification, naturalisation, objectification and institutionalisation. In chapter 3, the interdependency of conflicts is studied in context of Loisaba Conservancy, a private conservancy situated in the northern County of Laikipia, Kenya. For a long time, Loisaba’s management was focused on wildlife conservation, high-end tourism and commercial ranching. Developments and events at neighbouring ranches and community conservation areas shifted this focus. Decades of more or less peaceful regional co-existence has recently transformed into a situation full of conflicts and sometimes even violence. At first sight, these emerging conflicts seem related to recurrent droughts, scarce resources, national elections, and incitements by wealthy and influential politicians. For this study, however, I conceptualised conflicts as particular kinds of discourses that emerge, exist and change. This happens not only according to their internal logic, but also as a result of the dependencies between different conflict discourses. In this chapter, I characterise the relations between conflicts on a range from tight to loose couplings and introduce three related forms of coupling, namely: overpowering, resisting, and resonating. In chapter 4, I explore the performative role of conflict avoidance in the rewilding and ecotourism discourse of one of the first European rewilding pilots situated in Western Iberia, Portugal. Conflict avoidance is delineated here as a process based on expectations of potentially enduring, mutually contradicting and heated interactions. As various actors have experienced such interactions, a natural response is to avoid (potential) conflicts. Various examples of conflict avoidance are correspondingly described as either a form of proactive anticipation to conflicts as risks or as a reactive adaptation to conflicts as dangers. The findings illustrate various forms of anticipations upon potential conflicts in terms of silence (non-communication or concealment of own practices/goals), materialisation (of potential conflicts in the construction of various ecotourism products), or co-optation (bringing problematic individuals on board). Adaptation is especially found in the ad hoc manoeuvring (reactive solutions to sudden and potentially dangerous conflict processes) by rewilding and ecotourism organisations. These anticipations/adaptations to conflict are each argued to be subject to different goal dependencies found in associated organisational visions of the future. In chapter 5, I conclude by synthesising how conflicts evolve through the path dependencies, interdependencies, and goal dependencies found across the case studies. At the same time, I emphasise how these dependencies are interrelated as conflicts not only function as parasitic systems, as Luhmann indicated, but also evolve as heated communications. Conflicts can have an aggressiveness similar to that of fire: once they burn — and if they are fuelled — they are very hard to extinguish. The resources that fuel conflicts are those recurrent contradictions found in conservation tourism, including ways in which self-proclaimed ‘outsiders’ perceive of conflicts as trivial events or avoid them where possible. However, as I have illustrated repeatedly throughout this thesis, conflicts themselves can generate reality effects, such as the distinction between in- and outsiders as conflicts can develop their own (and possibly new) subjects or objects; can marginalise or strengthen other communications; and can persist by parasitising on their environment (even if we decide to avoid them). Given these performative effects, and given their persistence as heated communications, this thesis ends with a discussion of implications leading to the recommendation for practitioners and researchers to have patience, to stay prudent, and to remain open to conflicts.
Professor M J Adams University of Birmingham, UK Dr H Allmaier Virtual Vehicle Competence Center (ViF), Austria Dr A Almqvist Luleå University of Technology, Sweden Dr M Antonov Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia Mr A Arnaudon NTN-SNR Roulements, France Dr M-C Baietto LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Ms L Barzem LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Professor B D Beake Micro Materials Ltd, Wrexham, UK Mr C A Bell Brunel University, UK Dr Y Berthier LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Mr D Bianchi ACT Research GmbH, Austria Mr H Boffy LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Ms L Bostan LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Dr B Bou-Sa¿d LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Miss C Braud NSK European Technology Centre, UK Mr V Bruyère LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Mr M J Bryant Cardiff University Cardiff, UK Mr M Burkinshaw University of Leeds, UK Dr P Cann Imperial College London, UK Mr H Cen University of Leeds, UK Dr S Chandrasekar Purdue University, USA Mr P Charles LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Dr R J Chittenden University of Leeds, UK Professor E Ciulli University of Pisa, Italy Mr G Colas LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Dr M Conte Fundacion Tekniker – Tribology Unit, Spain Mr E Corniani c/o Ac2t research GmbH, Austria Professor R C Coy University of Leeds, UK Mrs L Curtis Elsevier Inc., New York, USA Professor G Dalmaz LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Ms C Dayot LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Dr E L Deladi Bosch Transmission Technology, The Netherlands Mrs M de Pasqua LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Mr P de Silva University of Leeds, UK Dr N Dörr ACT Research GmbH, Austria Professor D Dowson University of Leeds, UK Dr G Dudragne NTN-SNR Roulements, France Mrs C Dumont LaMCoS, INSA de Lyon, France Professor R S Dwyer-Joyce University of Sheffield, UK Ms B Dymerska Austrian Center of Competence for Tribology, Austria Mr C Dyson University of Leeds, UK Dr A Dzierwa (inz) Rzeszow University of Technology, Poland Professor J Echávarri Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain 557
In the present day scenario, it has become a challenge to reduce static power dissipation as we are progressing towards the nano scale domain. Inter-die and intra-die variations and varied short channel effects also come into existence. Innovative and holistic circuit level methodology is required to trade between area, power, frequency, robustness and quality while maintaining an ample manufacturing yield. An alternative solution to the bulky devices is the proposed FinFET device. Many approaches have been earlier to minimize the static power dissipation, but they were only able to minimize a fraction of leakage current. In this paper, we have proposed a MTCMOS technique and implemented it on FinFET based 6T SRAM cell. The proposed technique reduces the power dissipation significantly in stand-by mode. The simulation to observe variations in leakage current and leakage power was carried out in Cadence Virtuoso Tool at 45 nm technology.
This essay considers the way in which instances of defeat have been discussed, represented and put to use in the context of the history of modern imperialism. It argues that the response to moments of defeat has often been crucial in justifying the further expansion of imperial control, as well as in mobilising popular sympathy in support of imperial action. What is appealed to, in such representations, is often not an idea of strategic or economic interest as such, but a less easily defined or contested idea of honour or valour. The long historical roots of this idea reveal, apart from anything else, just how far empire was the context for a rapprochement between a newer and an older elite.
Neuropathic pain (NP) is a common public health problem that poses a major challenge to basic scientists and health-care providers. NP is a complex problem with an unclear etiology and an often-inadequate response to current medications. Despite the high number of drugs available, their limited pharmacological efficacy and side effects hamper their chronic use. Thus, the search for novel treatments is a priority. In addition to pharmaceuticals, natural extracts and food supplements are often used to help treating patients with NP. One such supplement is Noxiall®, a commercially available combination of N-Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), beta-caryophyllene; carnosic acid and myrrh. Here, we compare the efficacy of Noxiall® to that of the medications gabapentin and pregabalin in the NP model of chronic constriction injury (CCI) using sciatic nerve ligation in mouse. Following CCI, mice developed a significant increase in mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Results showed that administration of either Noxiall®, pregabalin, or gabapentin significantly attenuated mechanical allodynia. The magnitude of the Noxiall® effect was comparable to that of gabapentin or pregabalin. In addition, co-administration of non-effective doses of pregabalin and Noxiall® resulted in a significant decrease in NP, suggesting an additive efficacy. Noxiall® was efficacious also in reducing CCI-induced thermal hyperalgesia. These findings support the rationale of using natural remedies in conjunction with classical pharmacological agents to treat chronic NP.
The locally repairable code (LRC) studied in this paper is an [n, k] linear code of which the value at each coordinate can be recovered by a linear combination of at most r other coordinates. The central problem in this paper is to determine the largest possible minimum distance for LRCs. First, an integer programming-based upper bound is derived for any LRC. Then, by solving the programming problem under certain conditions, an explicit upper bound is obtained for LRCs with parameters n<sub>1</sub> > n<sub>2</sub>, where n<sub>1</sub> = ⌈(n/r + 1)⌉ and n2 = n<sub>1</sub>(r +1)-n. Finally, an explicit construction for LRCs attaining this upper bound is presented over the finite field F<sub>2</sub><sub>m</sub>,where m ≥ n<sub>1</sub>r. Based on these r ≤ √n - 1 has been definitely determined, which is of great results, the largest possible minimum distance for all LRCs with significance in practical use.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the best level of albumin and hemoglobin for the patients with uncomplicated severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).   METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted. One hundred and sixty-eight patients with uncomplicated severe TBI admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) of Anhui Provincial Hospital were enrolled. The relationship between albumin and hemoglobin level within 3 days after admission and prognosis was analyzed. Mean 3-day albumin level was obtained, and then the patients were divided into <25, 25-28, 29-31 and ≥32 g/L groups according to quartiles based on mean albumin, and also were divided into <90, 90-99, 100-109 and≥110 g/L groups according to the mean hemoglobin concentration. Multivariable log-binomial regression was used to model the association between mean albumin and hemoglobin concentration and prognosis.   RESULTS One hundred and nine patients were enrolled based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. Among them, 32 patients (29.4%) received a red blood cell (RBC) transfusion, and 24 patients (22.0%) were given albumin treatment. According to the average level of albumin, there were significant differences in mortality among <25, 25-28, 29-31 and ≥32 g/L groups [85.2%(23/27), 59.3%(16/27), 32.1%(9/28), 44.4%(12/27), respectively, P=0.001]. According to the hemoglobin level, there was no significant difference in mortality rate among <90, 90-99, 100-109 and ≥110 g/L groups[61.8%(34/55), 43.8%(7/16), 53.3%(8/15), 47.8%(11/23), respectively, P>0.05]. When using the albumin level, Glasgow coma score (GCS), age and time of onset for logistic analysis, albumin level and age had influence on the mortality of patients, and mortality rate was generally decreased with an increase in albumin. But when the levels of albumin was ≥32 g/L, the risk of death was higher than in the 29-31 g/L group[relative risk (RR) of albumin 29-31 g/L=0.070, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 0.015-0.331, P=0.001; RR of albumin≥32 g/L=0.153, 95%CI 0.035-0.663, P=0.012; RR of age=0.691, 95%CI 0.526-0.907, P=0.008]. When the hemoglobin level, GCS, age and time of onset were used for logistic regression analysis, only GCS entered the regression model (RR=0.696,95%CI 0.550-0.880, P=0.002), illustrating that the hemoglobin level had no significant influence on mortality, and mortality rate declined with an increase in GCS.   CONCLUSIONS The most favorable level of albumin for uncomplicated severe traumatic brain injury is 29-31 g/L. There is no difference in mortality rate when hemoglobin >90 g/L.
The aim of the present study was to monitor the clinical and microbiological effects of non-surgical therapy in smokers and non-smokers. The subject material included 32 patients (age range 32-61 years), 11 men and 21 women with moderate to severe periodontitis. 17 patients were smokers ( > or = 15 cigarettes/day) and 15 non-smokers. All patients were subjected to non-surgical periodontal therapy performed by a dental hygienist. Periodontal variables (plaque index, gingival index and probing depth) were registered and bacterial samples were collected before and 2 months after treatment. The treatment resulted in significant reductions towards very low plaque and gingival indices in smokers and non-smokers alike (p < 0.05). Although probing depth was reduced in both smokers and non-smokers, the probing pocket depth reduction was significantly smaller in smokers than non-smokers (p < 0.05). Microbiologically, the same therapeutical efficacy was attained in both smoking groups, indicating an almost total eradication of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Concerning Prevotella intermedia, out of 14 smokers and 10 non-smokers positive at baseline, 9 and 5, respectively, remained positive after treatment. The results suggest a less favourable clinical outcome of non-surgical therapy in smokers than non-smokers in spite of the fact that the therapy was equally effective with regard to reducing the alleged periopathogens A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis and P. intermedia.
This paper discusses the design of a driver assistance system for avoiding collisions with vehicles in blind spots. The following three types of support systems are compared: (1) a warning system that provides the driver with an auditory alert, (2) a ‘soft’ protection system that makes the steering wheel stiffer to tell the driver that a lane-change manoeuvre is not recommended and (3) a ‘hard’ protection system that cancels the driver's input and controls the tyre angle autonomously to prevent lane departure. The results of an experiment showed that the hard protection system was more effective for collision avoidance than either the warning or the soft protection system. The warning and soft protection systems were almost the same in terms of collision avoidance. The results suggest that the human-centred automation principle, which requires the human to have the final authority over the automation, can be violated depending on the context. Practitioner Summary: This paper compared three types of driver assistance systems for avoiding collisions with vehicles in blind spots: a warning system, soft protection system and hard protection system. The ‘hard’ protection system was the most effective for maintaining safety and was as readily accepted by drivers as the soft protection system was.
The world today faces several pressing challenges: energy from non-renewable sources is becoming increasingly expensive, while at the same time the use of agricultural land for food production is decreasing at the expense of biofuel production. Energy crops offer a potential solution to maximizing the use of land. In order to provide new value to the by-product, it is necessary to investigate its possible nutritional and functional potential. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to determine the energetic, nutritional, and functional potential of the species Sida hermaphrodita L. and Silphium perfoliatum L. in different phenophases. The analyzed energy potential of the mentioned species is not negligible due to the high determined calorific value (17.36 MJ/kg for Virginia mallow and 15.46 MJ/kg for the cup plant), high coke content (15.49% for the cup plant and 10.45% for Virginia mallow), and desirably high carbon content, almost 45%, in both species. The phenophase of the plant had a significant influence on the content of the analyzed specialized metabolites (SM) in the leaves, with a high content of ascorbic acid at the full-flowering stage in Virginia mallow (229.79 mg/100 g fw) and in cup plants at the end of flowering (122.57 mg/100 g fw). In addition, both species have high content of polyphenols: as much as 1079.59 mg GAE/100 g were determined in the leaves of Virginia mallow at the pre-flowering stage and 1115.21 mg GAE/100 g fw in the cup plants at the full-flowering stage. An HPLC analysis showed high levels of ellagic acid and naringin in both species. In addition, both species have high total chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations. Due to their high content of SM, both species are characterized by a high antioxidant capacity. It can be concluded that, in addition to their energetic importance, these two plants are also an important source of bioactive compounds; thus, their nutritional and functional potential for further use as value-added by-products should not be neglected.
The digital humanities have grown to encompass multiple disciplines; they embrace everything from online resources that have the potential to democratize scholarship to computational approaches that allow a higher order analysis of large datasets. That the digital humanities has significantly influenced musicology is evidenced by the number of leading journals, including the Journal of the American Musicological Society, Notes, Journal of the Society of American Music and Nineteenth Century Music Review, that regularly review digital resources and by the increasing use of the tag ‘digital musicology’. This special issue of Nineteenth Century Music Review (NCMR) and this introduction reflect a broad definition of the digital humanities; they embrace digital archives, born-digital projects, and studies employing computational methodologies and tools.
We discuss a polyhedral embedding of the classical Fricke-Klein regular map of genus 5 in ordinary 3-space. This polyhedron was originally discovered by Grunbaum in 1999, but was recently rediscovered by Brehm and Wills. We establish isomorphism of the Grunbaum polyhedron with the Fricke-Klein map, and confirm its combinatorial regularity. The Grunbaum polyhedron is among the few currently known geometrically vertex-transitive polyhedra of genus g > 2, and is conjectured to be the only vertex-transitive polyhedron in this genus range that is also combinatorially regular. We also contribute a new vertex-transitive polyhedron, of genus 11, to this list, as the 7th known example. In addition we show that there are only finitely many vertex-transitive polyhedra in the entire genus range g > 2.
A queuing system (QS) with several parallel devices and a common storage of limited capacity is considered. The system receives a Poisson flow of requests. A request, that finds all the places in the drive occupied, is lost and does not affect the functioning of the system in the future. The duration of the request service is random, independent of each other and has an exponential distribution. The intensity of maintenance of the devices is different. The request, which has the possibility of selecting a device, selects from all the available devices the one, that has the highest intensity. The functioning of the system is subject to the requirement to maintain the order of withdrawal of requests from it in accordance with their order of receipt. Requests that have violated the order, until it is restored, are contained in the reordering buffer located at the exit of the system. Such QS are known in the literature as systems with reordering of requests [1]–[6]. In [5], an algorithm was developed for calculating the stationary probabilities of the states of the system under consideration. The main task of this work is to obtain analytical expressions for a number of stationary characteristics based on the results of [5].
There is significant evidence for the positive effects of cognitive and physical training on cognition in healthy older adults. Recently, it has been discussed whether stronger effects could be reached with a combination of both interventions. This review analyses the current state of research about this topic. Four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and four controlled trials were found. Three of these studies (none of which were RCTs) in fact showed the superiority of combined training when compared to single interventions. However, even if positive evidence exists, the current state of research has to be evaluated as insufficient due to the small number of studies, the lack of evidence from RCTs and the lack of comparability of study designs, types of interventions, and test intervals used so far. Gaps in the current state of research are identified, relevant aspects of future studies are listed and possible neurobiological mechanisms of training effects are discussed.
Tocilizumab (TCZ) is a humanized interleukin 6 (IL-6) antibody that competitively inhibits IL-6 signalling by binding both membrane-bound and soluble IL-6 receptors. The EULAR recommends the use of TCZ, as a biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), as second line therapy in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) when conventional DMARDs have failed achieving treatment target. The labelled dosing regimen for TCZ in RA is 8mg/kg (maximum 800mg) every 4 weeks. A TCZ predose serum concentration (TCZpsc) >1mg/L normalizes C-reactive protein, while clinical trials found mean TCZpsc of 19.9 ±17.0 mg/L in patients receiving the standard regimen. On the basis of these data, it can be hypothesized that cost-effectiveness of therapy can be improved.In this study we evaluated TCZpsc in stable RA-patients to determine whether the TCZ 8mg/kg dose could be lowered while meeting the minimal required concentration for effective blockage of the IL-6 inflammatory cascade.Adult RA patients with stable disease (i.e. at least 3 months without treatment change) treated with intravenous TCZ were investigated in a prospective cohort study. TCZpsc before two different TCZ infusions over time was assessed. A validated ELISA was used to measure TCZpscs, immunogenicity was measured by quantifying human antibodies using antigen-binding tests (radioimmunoassay).A population pharmacokinetic (PK) model was constructed using maximum a posteriori Bayesian estimation applied on the available PK data in the literature combined with the collected data on dosing and predose concentrations in the study patients. Body surface area, creatinine clearance and gender were included as covariates in the model. A patient individual dose tapering strategy was predicted based on the derived model.The target TCZpsc was set on 8-10mg/L taking the measurement error of 15%, the use of the entire content of the vials and intra-individual variation into consideration.A total of 44 patients were included [median (IQR) age: 63 (58-72), 75% female, mean (SD) DAS28-ESR: 1.5 (0.8)]. Half of the patients received TCZ in combination with a conventional DMARD, 32% used methotrexate (MTX). Patients received 7.7 ±0.8mg/kg (range 5.7-9.7) TCZ. Mean TCZpsc was 27.6 ±12.6mg/L. The intra-individual variance of TCZpsc was low; mean difference in individual TCZpscs was 0.56 (5.2)mg/L. Higher dosages (in mg/kg) were significantly associated with higher TCZpsc (regression coefficient 7.32 95%CI 2.73;11.9), suggesting overtreatment. No drug-neutralizing auto-antibodies were measured. Co-treatment with MTX did not influence the median TCZpsc (21.0mg/L versus 26.5mg/L without MTX, p=0.84).According to the measured TCZpsc, TCZ dosage could be lowered in 36 patients (92%). In a 28-days regimen, target-TCZpsc would be reached with a 0.4-4.6mg/kg dose-reduction (Figure 1). Extending the interval between two administrations would lead to low TCZpsc (<1mg/L).Figure 1.Intended dose reduction related to the measured tocilizumab predose serum concentrationConsidering the aimed average dose-reduction of 2.1 mg/kg per administration, efficacy would be expected to maintain (TCZpsc >1 mg/L) while reducing yearly costs with ±€3.900,- per patient. On average patients were started on TCZ treatment 63 months (SD26) earlier. As maximum efficacy of TCZ treatment can be achieved after 3 months, TCZpsc-guided dose reduction 3 months after start could have resulted in a total drug cost reduction of ±€750.000,- in our study population (±€19.500,- per patient).Measured TCZpsc under standard TCZ therapy was much higher than the minimal required concentration. These results suggest that the labelled TCZ dose leads to overtreatment and unnecessary costs in patients with stable RA. The TCZpsc seems supportive as an instrument for dose reduction strategies. Future prospective studies should assess its use in TCZ dose adjustment and confirm whether treatment efficacy is maintained.None declared
In this paper, a method is explained for the assessment of power quality disturbances in an electrical network system using stationary wavelet packet transform (SWPT). The most crucial part of SWPT is low-pass and high-pass filters that extract fundamental and harmonic components. Proposed method efficiently extracts the distorted signal into various frequency components concerning time with exact localization of power quality disturbances. The SWPT is a kind of wavelet transform in which downsampling is not involved. Hence, it provides an exact replica of fundamental and each harmonic component at the end of decomposition and leads to a better understanding of power quality disturbances. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated by computer simulations on the MATLAB platform. The algorithm shows good measurement accuracy under a different type of power quality disturbances. The results confirm that the SWPT-based technique is suitable for Real-time detection of power quality disturbances.
The present work addresses the question of to what extent a geometrical support acts as a physiological determining template in the setup of artificial cardiac tissue. Surface patterns with alternating concave to convex transitions of cell size dimensions were used to organize and orientate human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hIPSC)-derived cardiac myocytes and mouse neonatal cardiac myocytes. The shape of the cells, as well as the organization of the contractile apparatus recapitulates the anisotropic line pattern geometry being derived from tissue geometry motives. The intracellular organization of the contractile apparatus and the cell coupling via gap junctions of cell assemblies growing in a random or organized pattern were examined. Cell spatial and temporal coordinated excitation and contraction has been compared on plain and patterned substrates. While the α-actinin cytoskeletal organization is comparable to terminally-developed native ventricular tissue, connexin-43 expression does not recapitulate gap junction distribution of heart muscle tissue. However, coordinated contractions could be observed. The results of tissue-like cell ensemble organization open new insights into geometry-dependent cell organization, the cultivation of artificial heart tissue from stem cells and the anisotropy-dependent activity of therapeutic compounds.
Treatment of 3, 6-dichloropyridazine (III) with sodium azide resulted in the formation of a mixed azido-tetrazolo compound (IV). 3-Azidopyridazine 1-oxide (X) and 6-azidopyridazine 1-oxide (XIX) were synthesized from the corresponding hydrazino compounds (XII, XVII) with nitrous acid, and also from chloro compound IX with sodium azide. Then several reactions, such as ionic reaction, catalytic hydrogenetion, thermal decomposition, reactions with phosphorus trichloride and with phosphorus oxychloride, and reaction with DPPH of these azides were examined.
Conditions which lead to the severe cracking of the webs of a continuous port-tensioned box-girder bridge and the measures adopted to repair this damage are described. It is shown analytically why the webs cracked under the applied prestressing. In conclusion two important factors are pointed out which should be incorporated in the computation of principal tensile stresses: firstly, the tremendous increase of shear stresses at the level of ducts and secondly the vertical tensile stresses resulting from radial forces of tendons with substantial curvatures. The authors conclude that the full strength and serviceability of the bridge were restored by the remedial measures adopted.
This study is devoted to the problem of electronic transport in graphene nanodevices in 4-terminal systems with various arrangements of electrodes. The electrodes are attached to square and rectangular graphene nano akes with armchair (a) and zigzag (z) edges. Apart from the known case of the zzzz -con guration, with all the electrodes coupled to the zigzag fragments of the edges, also the aaaaand zaza-type cases are considered here. The adopted theoretical approach is based on a tight-binding method combined with the wideband approximation for electrodes, and an e ective iterative knitting-type Green's function algorithm.
This paper discusses the application of two different fine cohesive sediment transport models in Delft3D, i.e. the classical method of Partheniades (1965) & Krone (1962) and the new unified sediment transport model of Van Rijn (2007). Both models were applied to simulate suspended silt concentrations for two complicated sediment environments, namely the Ems estuary in the northeastern part of the Netherlands and the Yangtze River in China. Good agreement between computations and observations may be obtained by modifying the free model parameters in both methods. However, the PK method is more complicated. There are much more parameters that have to be validated for the PK method than for the VR method, which makes the PK method more complex to apply.
The Tejo Estuary is a large water body surrounded by seven municipalities and industries with liquid effluent discharges containing contaminants that reach the estuary. This is the case for man-made radionuclides used in nuclear medicine, present in liquid effluents discharged by medical facilities. Radionuclide measurements in seaweeds, mussels, fish, water and sediments sampled along the North bank of the estuary revealed the presence of 131I and 99mTc, originating from nuclear medicine facilities in Lisboa. Concentrations reached 90 Bq kg−1 (wet weight) of 99mTc in fish, and 18 Bq kg−1 (wet weight) of 131I in mussels, and were even higher in the water. Another anthropogenic source of radionuclides is industrial waste, such as phosphogypsum the by-product of phosphoric acid production stockpiled at the South bank of the estuary. Main radionuclides present in phosphogypsum are 226Ra, 210Pb, 210Po and uranium. Concentrations of 226Ra in phosphogypsum are about 1000 Bq kg−1, which is a high value in comparison with 226Ra in soils of the Tejo valley, <100 Bq kg−1. 226Ra, in particular, is dissolved by rainwater from phosphogypsum stacks and seeps into the estuary. Other potential sources of radioactivity are discharges from naval nuclear powered vessels and merchant ships transporting radioactive materials that berth in the Lisboa harbour. A whole survey of the estuary indicated low concentrations of 137Cs in sediments, mostly attributed to radioactive fallout. Since waste discharges are undergoing deep modifications due to enhanced urban waste treatment, but economic activities have changed and the use of radiopharmaceuticals increases, the periodic radioactivity monitoring of the Tejo Estuary is advised and should provide feedback to enhanced waste management.
Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) has been an active research area for more than two decades. However, while almost all images are stored in compressed form, the vast majority of CBIR algorithms operate in the (uncompressed) pixel domain. This not only leads to a computational overhead for feature calculation, it can also be demonstrated that image compression has a negative effect on retrieval accuracy, especially at extreme compression rates. In this paper, we present efficient and effective CBIR techniques that operate directly in the compressed domain, hence not requiring full decompression for feature extraction. In particular, we focus on the JPEG domain since most images are compressed using JPEG. We show how CBIR features can be extracted from DCT coefficients, from differentially coded DC data, and from tuned information contained in the JPEG headers.
A meeting on the History of Nephrology is an opportunity to discuss the links between science and faith which were split until the 6th century. However, this was changed by Cassiodorus and monasticism. From the times of Abbot Bertario (died 883 AD) in Montecassino, medicine was regarded as an art and a science. Codex 97 from Cassino offers a program of professional deontology, based on sensitivity, discretion, respect and responsiveness to the need of patients.
This article deals with the density of Recife’s popular culture manifestations known as nonschizophonic sounds, which emerged and disseminated despite the technical possibilities that constitute the schizophonic phenomenon – the splitting of the original sound and its acoustic reproduction. In addition to bibliographical searches, extensive fieldwork such as technical visits and semistructured interviews were also fundamental to this research. Attention was drawn upon the typology and the topology of Recife’s nonschizophonic manifestations, found especially within the metropolitan periphery. A special focus was given to the recent intensification of maracatu in Recife, analyzing the connections between popular culture and soundscape in the Coelhos neighborhood. This is an analysis of the used territory, looking into the daily life of a metropolis marked simultaneously by socio-territorial inequality and by cultural richness and
STUDY DESIGN Systematic review.   BACKGROUND Neck pain is a common diagnosis in the physical therapy setting, yet there is no gold standard for treatment. This study is part of a growing body of literature on the use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for the treatment of individuals with mechanical neck pain.   OBJECTIVE The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effects of thoracic spine thrust manipulation on pain, range of motion, and self-reported function in patients with mechanical neck pain.   METHODS Six online databases were comprehensively searched from their respective inception to October 2010. The primary search terms included "thoracic mobilization," "thoracic spine mobilization," "thoracic manipulation," and "thoracic spine manipulation." Of the 44 studies assessed for inclusion, 6 randomized controlled trials were retained. Between-group mean differences and effect sizes for pretreatment-to-posttreatment change scores, using Cohen's d formula, were calculated for pain, range of motion, and subjective function at all stated time intervals.   RESULTS Effect size point estimates for the pain change scores were significant for global assessment across all studies (range, 0.38-4.03) but not conclusively significant at the end range of active rotation (range, 0.02-1.79). Effect size point estimates were large among all range-of-motion change measures (range, 1.40-3.52), and the effect size point estimates of the change scores among the functional questionnaires (range, 0.47-3.64) also indicated a significant treatment effect.   CONCLUSIONS Thoracic spine thrust manipulation may provide short-term improvement in patients with acute or subacute mechanical neck pain. However, the body of literature is weak, and these results may not be generalizable.   LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapy, level 1b-.
In order to investigate the carbonation resistance of concrete with fly ash as fine aggregate (CFA), the rapid carbonation test was conducted to explore the influence of the curing age, water-to-cement (w/c) ratio, fly ash replacement rate and the activator on the carbonation depth. The experimental results show that prolonging the curing time is beneficial to improving the carbonation resistance of the CFA. The carbonation depth of the CFA correlates positively with the w/c ratio. With an increase in the fly ash replacement rate and w/c ratio, the carbonation resistance of the CFA increases to a remarkable extent. After 28 days of standard maintenance of the CFA, the compactness of the CFA is boosted due to the pozzolanic effect of the fly ash, and its carbonation resistance is enhanced compared to that of ordinary concrete. In addition, the incorporation of the activator marginally contributes to the improvement of the carbonation resistance of the CFA.
A 22-channel cochlear implant was placed in a deaf patient who had fallen from a height of 3 m and was diagnosed as having bilateral temporal bone fracture by high resolution CT. The round window through which the electrode leads should have been inserted could not be found because the membranous portion of the round window had become a bony wall. It was necessary to drill through it before the 22 electrodes could be inserted into the cochlea. Three weeks after surgery rehabilitation was started. The vowel and consonant confusion tests and speech tracking test were useful to assess the recovery of hearing ability. The results of speech sentence comprehension were satisfactory, and this cochlear implant also made possible the psychological recovery of this patient.
Morphology-dependent resonance features are observed in the elastic-scattering spectra of 125-μm-diameter cylinders (optical fibers) as a function of wavelength. The positions of the resonances are strain sensitive and can be tuned in a controlled manner by the application of strain with a piezoelectric transducer. The measured wavelength shifts yield a linear slope of 0.14 nm/mstrain, in good agreement with calculated shifts based on published data for the elastic moduli and the strain-optic coefficients for fused quartz. This demonstrates a new miniature optical strain-sensor technique capable of microstrain sensitivity at a single point.
Nuclear receptor-binding SET domain protein (NSD), a histone methyltransferase, is known to play an important role in cancer pathogenesis. The WHSC1L1 (Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome candidate 1-like 1) gene, encoding NSD3, is highly expressed in breast cancer, but its role in the development of breast cancer is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze the survival rates and immune responses of breast cancer patients with high WHSC1L1 expression and to validate the results using gradient boosting machine (GBM) in breast cancer. We investigated the clinicopathologic parameters, proportions of immune cells, pathway networks and in vitro drug responses according to WHSC1L1 expression in 456, 1500 and 776 breast cancer patients from the Hanyang University Guri Hospital, METABRIC and TCGA, respectively. High WHSC1L1 expression was associated with poor prognosis, decreased CD8+ T cells and high CD274 expression (encoding PD-L1). In the pathway networks, WHSC1L1 was indirectly linked to the regulation of the lymphocyte apoptotic process. The GBM model with WHSC1L1 showed improved prognostic performance compared with the model without WHSC1L1. We found that VX-11e, CZC24832, LY2109761, oxaliplatin and erlotinib were effective in inhibiting breast cancer cell lines with high WHSC1L1 expression. High WHSC1L1 expression could play potential roles in the progression of breast cancer and targeting WHSC1L1 could be a potential strategy for the treatment of breast cancer.
A sample of 596 students in a Michigan high school completed 2 measures of self-esteem (S. Coopersmith, 1967; M. Rosenberg, 1979) and the English translation of the Social Behaviors Scale (M. Loranger, M. Poirier, D. Gauthier, & J. Talon, 1982). Factor analysis of the 36-item Social Behaviors Scale revealed 5 factors appropriate for assessing social respect. Regression analyses revealed that scores for total self-esteem and global self-esteem were significant predictors of total social respect. The scores for total self-esteem were also significantly associated with respect for teachers and for appropriate language. The females reported more respect for teachers, others, appropriate language, and physical property than the males did. The seniors reported more respect for appropriate language, teachers, and others than the freshmen did. Total self-esteem was significantly and negatively associated with respect for waiting and listening. Global self-esteem was significantly and negatively associated with respect for physical property.
Pre-magnetisation of inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility has the potential to raise current high-performing targets into the ignition regime [Perkins et al. “The potential of imposed magnetic fields for enhancing ignition probability and fusion energy yield in indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion,” Phys. Plasmas 24, 062708 (2017)]. A key concern with this method is that the application of a magnetic field inherently increases asymmetry. This paper uses 3-D extended-magnetohydrodynamics Gorgon simulations to investigate how thermal conduction suppression, the Lorentz force, and α-particle magnetisation affect three hot-spot perturbation scenarios: a cold fuel spike, a time-dependent radiation drive asymmetry, and a multi-mode perturbation. For moderate magnetisations (B0 = 5 T), the single spike penetrates deeper into the hot-spot, as thermal ablative stabilisation is reduced. However, at higher magnetisations (B0 = 50 T), magnetic tension acts to stabilise the spike. While magnetisation of α-particle orbits increases the peak hot-spot temperature, no impact on the perturbation penetration depth is observed. The P4-dominated radiation drive asymmetry demonstrates the anisotropic nature of the thermal ablative stabilisation modifications, with perturbations perpendicular to the magnetic field penetrating deeper and perturbations parallel to the field being preferentially stabilised by increased heat-flows. Moderate magnetisations also increase the prevalence of high modes, while magnetic tension reduces vorticity at the hot-spot edge for larger magnetisations. For a simulated high-foot experiment, the yield doubles through the application of a 50 T magnetic field-an amplification which is expected to be larger for higher-performing configurations.Pre-magnetisation of inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility has the potential to raise current high-performing targets into the ignition regime [Perkins et al. “The potential of imposed magnetic fields for enhancing ignition probability and fusion energy yield in indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion,” Phys. Plasmas 24, 062708 (2017)]. A key concern with this method is that the application of a magnetic field inherently increases asymmetry. This paper uses 3-D extended-magnetohydrodynamics Gorgon simulations to investigate how thermal conduction suppression, the Lorentz force, and α-particle magnetisation affect three hot-spot perturbation scenarios: a cold fuel spike, a time-dependent radiation drive asymmetry, and a multi-mode perturbation. For moderate magnetisations (B0 = 5 T), the single spike penetrates deeper into the hot-spot, as thermal ablative stab...
Premise of research. Early Cretaceous Hedyosmum-like fossils are important because they provide information on the pistillate flowers and fruits of plants that produced Asteropollis pollen, which is common and widely distributed very early in the history of angiosperms. Hedyosmum (Chloranthaceae) is also the only extant genus for which there is a plausible fossil presence at such an early stage of angiosperm evolution. Methodology. The fossils were sieved out of unconsolidated sediments and cleaned with HF, HCl, and water. External morphology and internal anatomy were studied using scanning electron microscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy. Pivotal results. New information on Hedyosmum-like fossils is provided based on pistillate flowers and fruits with adhering Asteropollis pollen from the Early Cretaceous of Portugal. The fossils are assigned to a new Early Cretaceous taxon, Hedyflora crystallifera, which in external morphology is closely similar to extant Hedyosmum. However, the fossils differ from the extant genus in having a crystalliferous endotesta with cells that have endoreticulate infillings, a feature characteristic of all extant Chloranthaceae except Hedyosmum. Extant Hedyosmum has a thin, unspecialized seed coat. This new discovery confirms earlier predictions that an endotestal seed coat is ancestral for Chloranthaceae as a whole but has been lost in the lineage leading to extant Hedyosmum. Conclusions. Hedyflora confirms the divergence of the Hedyosmum lineage from other Chloranthaceae very early in the angiosperm radiation but refutes these early fossils as evidence of extant Hedyosmum in the Early Cretaceous.
Sea ice algae are naturally exposed to a wider range of pH and CO 2 concentrations than marine phytoplankton. While climate change and ocean acidification (OA) will impact pelagic communities, their effects on sea ice microbial communities remains unclear. Sea ice contains several distinct microbial communities, which are exposed to differing environmental conditions depending on their depth within the ice. Bottom communities mostly experience relatively benign bulk ocean properties, while interior brine and surface communities experience much greater extremes. Most OA studies have examined the impacts on single sea ice algae species in culture. Although some studies examined the effects of OA alone, most also examined the effects of OA and either light, nutrients or temperature. With few exceptions, increased CO 2 concentration caused either no change or an increase in growth and/or photosynthesis. In situ studies of brine and surface algae also demonstrated a wide tolerance to increased and decreased pH and showed increased growth at higher CO 2 concentrations. The short time period of most experiments ( While there have been few studies on the effects of OA on marine bacterial communities in general, impacts appear to be minimal. In sea ice also, the few reports available suggest no negative impacts on growth or community richness. Sea ice ecosystems are ephemeral, melting and re-forming each year. Thus, for some part of each year organisms inhabiting the ice must also survive outside of the ice, either as part of the phytoplankton or as resting spores on the bottom. During these times, they will be exposed to the full range of co-stressors that pelagic organisms experience. Their ability to continue to make a major contribution to sea ice productivity will depend not only on their ability to survive in the ice but also on their ability to survive the increasing seawater temperatures, changing distribution of nutrients and declining pH forecast for the water column over the next centuries.
In this paper, a new method for designing orthogonal bicomplex digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms is developed. In contrast to those previously reported on, the method proposed is universal, since it is not affected by the order or the type of the real digital processing algorithm employed as a prototype. The method is based on a transformation starting with either real or complex orthogonal DSP algorithms represented in the z-domain, and transforming them into orthogonal bicomplex algorithms. The proposed new method is applied in the design of bilinear orthogonal bicomplex DSP systems with a canonical number of elements, the main advantage of which is that the order of the digital system is reduced by a factor of four. As well as being canonical, the orthogonal bicomplex digital systems are also symmetrical structures, as a result of which they offer parallelism and subsequent unification. It is experimentally shown that bicomplex orthogonal DSP algorithms acquire the properties of the initial algorithm prototype, irrespective of whether it is real or complex. Since the new design method is universally applicable, it can be used to develop bicomplex orthogonal digital algorithms of any order and type. Being simple, canonical, and symmetrical—and, thus, leading to lower equipment cost, reduced complexity, and higher energy efficiency—these structures may well be appropriate for the enhancement of the implementation of intelligent algorithms in next-generation radio access networks.
Under axenic growth all 14 syngens of Paramecium aurelia have 4 types of esterases. The three major types (A, B and cathodal C) vary independently in electrophoretic mobility among the syngens. Using these three esterases, stocks can be keyed to a syngen, except for the groupings 1-3-5 and 7-13. Using 5 other enzymes only syngens 1 and 5 cannot be distinguished. Most syngens differ from each other in 6 out of the 8 enzymes. An axenically-grown stock of Paramecium multimicronucleatum collected in Costa Rica has the same types of esterases as P. aurelia. Two of the types (A and C) are similar in mobility to those found in syngens 7 and 13, but its B esterase differs in mobility from all the known syngens of P. aurelia.
Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the major grain that sustains humanity. Wheat grown in temperate climate and it is staple food for 35% of world’s population. On other hand, it provides more calories and protein in the diet than any other crop (Laegreid et al., 1999). Wheat (Triticum astivum L) are members of Graminae family. Currently, India is second largest producer of Wheat in the world after China with about 12% share in total world wheat production. Himachal Pradesh – a north-western Himalayan state of India is one International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 3 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
The dynamic behavior of software systems attracts widened attention through the phenomenon of software aging. Software aging is caused by runtime environment deterioration, such as the gradual loss of memory or CPU cycles. The dynamic behavior of aged software systems can be described by a set of evolving resource variables, including CPU usage, I/O bandwidth, available memory and the like. From this point of view, an aging software system can be analogous to a dynamic system. Control theory provides sound and rigorous mathematical principles to analyze dynamic systems and build controllers for them. This paper introduces control theory to analyze and build a control model and apply control techniques to an aged web server. First, we treated the software system as a black box, and conducted controlled experiments to build the relationship between input and output. Then, these input-output couples are used to build a control model via a system identification method. Finally, a PI (proportional-integral) controller is designed to adjust the aged state of the software system, and software rejuvenation techniques are customized to target the web server. Performance testing shows that our approach can accurately track the reference value set by the website administrator.
Abstract. The main feature of the research discusses the adultery on Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Adultery is caused by several things and has impact to the doers. The research purposed is to find out the factors cause adultery done by the two main characters and the impacts on the doers. The research is qualitative research. Therefore, it applies descriptive method since the writer describes the analysis based on the data and the theories. The research uses psychological approach that just focuses on the psychological condition of adultery’s doers. The data are collected from the original text of The Scarlet Letter, then analyzed in terms of factors and impacts of adultery. The result of the research was clearly found and explained that the act of adultery is caused by several things, namely need of safety, need of affection, need of love and belongingness, and need of sex. while its impacts make the doers experience certain psychological conditions, these are esteem need, psychotic anxiety, safety need, develop superego, neurotic anxiety, mental disorder, and psychosomatic illness . The act of adultery makes the doers have different conflicts because they have different ways in facing the impacts of adultery. Hester has external conflict  such as conflict with the society, magistrates, her husband, and her child. While Dimmesadle has internal conflict  such as double avoidance conflict, double approach conflict, and approach avoidance conflict.
Background The rs1990760 polymorphism of interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 (IFIH1) has been associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Here, we investigated whether this polymorphism is associated with T1DM or its clinical characteristics in a Brazilian population, and if IFIH1 gene expression in mononuclear cells from T1DM patients differs according to the genotypes of this polymorphism. A meta-analysis was also conducted to evaluate if the rs1990760 polymorphism is associated with T1DM. Methods Frequencies of the rs1990760 polymorphism were analyzed in 527 T1DM patients and in 517 healthy subjects. IFIH1 gene expressions according to genotypes were measured in a sub-sample of 26 T1DM patients by quantitative real-time PCR. Results Our data show the association of the A allele with risk to T1DM under a dominant model of inheritance [odds ratio (OR) = 1.421, P = 0.037], adjusting for ethnicity. The meta-analysis revealed significant association between the rs199760A allele and risk for T1DM for all analyzed inheritance models. Surprisingly, T1DM patients carrying the A allele showed lower levels of systolic (P = 0.001) and diastolic (P = 1×10−10) blood pressures as compared to G/G carriers. Furthermore, the A/A genotype seems to be associated with protection to arterial hypertension (AH) after adjustment for covariates (OR = 0.339, P = 0.019). IFIH1 gene expression in mononuclear cells from 26 T1DM patients did not differ among genotypes (P = 0.274). Nevertheless, IFIH1 gene expression was increased in mononuclear cells from T1DM patients with AH as compared with T1DM patients without AH [6.7 (1.7–2.0) vs. 1.8 (1.3–7.1) arbitrary units; P = 0.036]. The association with blood pressures and AH was not observed in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Conclusions Our results indicate that the rs1990760 polymorphism is associated with T1DM. Interestingly, the rs1990760 A allele seems to be associated with protection for AH in T1DM patients. Further studies are needed to confirm the association with AH.
Porosity, grain density, and composition were determined for different rock types from a 1.2-km-thick Neogene section of the Monterey and Sisquoc Formations in the Point Pedernales area, California. Porosity decreases and dry bulk density increases with burial depth in these predominantly siliceous rocks. Porosity reduction is controlled largely by initial composition and silica diagenesis. There is a positive correlation between porosity and biogenic silica (diatom) content of diatomaceous shales. The porous, incompressible diatom frustule maintains a high porosity relative to detrital, organic, and calcareous components of the rock. Porosity reduction by physical compaction from increasing overburden pressure is much slower at burial depths greater than 0.5 km. Solution of the porous diatom frustule and precipitation of cryptocrystalline opal-CT resulted in a highly variable porosity reduction. Porosity reduction during the opal-A to opal-CT transformation depends on the amount, composition, and texture of the nonsilica grains. A large porosity reduction occurred locally in nodules and beds of pore-filling dolomite and silica. The porosity-depth relation of siliceous sediments and rocks from this and previous studies is used with biostratigraphic age data and estimated paleobathymetry to reconstruct the burial history of the Point Pedernales area. The sedimentation rate, corrected for compaction, quadrupled during deposition of the Sisquoc Formation. Using the constant water depth proposed for the Monterey Formation, and assuming that basin filling occurred during rapid deposition of the Sisquoc Formation, results in a tectonic subsidence curve similar to that observed for cooling oceanic lithosphere. Upwelling of asthenosphere near the surface would have produced a significantly higher paleogeothermal gradient, and the opal-A to opal-CT transformation is predicted to have occurred 3 m.y. earlier than if a constant, presentday geothermal gradient is assumed. Basin subsidence by faulting or flexure, without upwelling of asthenosphere, does not significantly alter the thermal history.
Many malignant cancer cells downregulate human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigen expression to evade T cell recognition. However, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is exceptional to the general findings in cancer cells, and the mechanisms for its upregulation remain unclear. It has been reported that promyelocytic leukemia (PML) proto-oncogene controls the transcription of multiple class I antigen presentation genes in murine cancer cells. To find out the functional role of PML gene on the increased HLA class I antigen expression in HCC cells, we analyzed the expression of proto-oncogene PML and multiple class I antigen presentation genes in HCC specimens obtained in China. The results showed concordant changes of proto-oncogene PML and cell surface HLA-A expression in 44 paraffin-embedded HCC tissues. Furthermore, co-upregulated expression of PML genes and class I antigen presentation genes could be detected in 9 of 15 fresh HCC tissues by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, studies using HCC cell lines showed that increased expression of HLA class I molecules paralleled with PML upregulation were detected in QGY-7701 HCC cell line with RT-PCR, western blot, and flow cytometry, and that the overexpression of exogenous PML in a low-expression class I cell line BEL-7405 could induce the expression of multiple class I antigen-presenting molecule genes and slightly but significantly increase the expression of cell surface HLA class I molecules. In conclusion, the expression of proto-oncogene PML and HLA class I molecules were concordantly upregulated and the expression of PML gene might be one of the mechanisms that leads to the increased expression of class I antigen in HCC.
Concurrent programs with multiple threads executing in parallel are widely used to unleash the power of multicore computing systems. Owing to their complexity, a lot of research focuses on testing and debugging concurrent programs. Besides correctness, we find that security can also be compromised by concurrency. In this article, we present concurrent program spectre (ConcSpectre), a new security threat that hides malware in nondeterministic thread interleavings. To demonstrate such threat, we have developed a stealth malware technique called concurrent logic bomb by partitioning a piece of malicious code and injecting its components separately into a concurrent program. The malicious behavior can be triggered by certain thread interleavings that rarely happen (e.g., $< $1%) under a normal execution environment. However, with a new technique called controllable probabilistic activation, we can activate such ConcSpectre malware with a very high probability (e.g., $>$90%) by remotely disturbing thread scheduling. In the evaluation, more than 1000 ConcSpectre samples are generated, which bypassed most of the antivirus engines in VirusTotal and four well-known online dynamic malware analysis systems. We also demonstrate how to remotely trigger a ConcSpectre sample on a web server and control its activation probability. Our work shows an urgent need for new malware analysis methods for concurrent programs.
Background: Listeria monocytogenes lipoteichoic acid is synthesized by the LtaP/LtaS two-enzyme system. Results: Structural analysis reveals a second glycerolphosphate binding site in LtaS important for in vitro and in vivo enzyme function. Conclusion: These results suggest a binding mode for the lipoteichoic acid chain during polymerization. Significance: The identified binding site in LtaS could become a target for antibiotic development. Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is an important cell wall component required for proper cell growth in many Gram-positive bacteria. In Listeria monocytogenes, two enzymes are required for the synthesis of this polyglycerolphosphate polymer. The LTA primase LtaPLm initiates LTA synthesis by transferring the first glycerolphosphate (GroP) subunit onto the glycolipid anchor and the LTA synthase LtaSLm extends the polymer by the repeated addition of GroP subunits to the tip of the growing chain. Here, we present the crystal structures of the enzymatic domains of LtaPLm and LtaSLm. Although the enzymes share the same fold, substantial differences in the cavity of the catalytic site and surface charge distribution contribute to enzyme specialization. The eLtaSLm structure was also determined in complex with GroP revealing a second GroP binding site. Mutational analysis confirmed an essential function for this binding site and allowed us to propose a model for the binding of the growing chain.
5557 Background: The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of bevacizumab for treatment of recurrent epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal carcinoma (OC) in combination with chemotherapy. This study evaluates whether patients immediately retreated with bevacizumab derive benefit after progressing on a bevacizumab-containing regimen. Methods: This multi-institutional, retrospective study compared patients with high grade non-mucinous epithelial OC who received bevacizumab followed directly by another bevacizumab-containing treatment regimen to patients who received bevacizumab followed by a regimen that did not contain bevacizumab (or received no further treatment). All patient retreated with bevacizumab had stable or progressive disease on prior bevacizumab containing regimen. Progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan and Meier product-limit estimator and modeled via Cox proportional hazards regression. PFS was measured from the date of first bevacizumab treatment to the date of first progression, date of death or date of last clinic visit. OS was measured from the date of first bevacizumab treatment after progression to the date of death or date of last contact/clinic visit. Statistical significance was defined at the 0.05 level. Results: 275 patients received bevacizumab, of which 226 were evaluable; 102 received sequential treatment with bevacizumab and 124 received a bevacizumab containing regimen followed by a non-bevacizumab containing regimen at the time of progression. There was no significant difference between tumor grade, stage, or BRCA mutation. Median follow-up for all subjects was 17 months (range: 1.2-138.2 months). Median PFS was 10.21 months (95%CI: 8.05 - 11.79) and median OS was 22.14 months (95%CI: 17.1 – 27.4). Median PFS for patients who received bevacizumab without retreatment was 5.1 months (95%CI: 4.3 – 6.3) and 17.6 months (95%CI: 14.3 – 21.3) for patients who received sequential bevacizumab retreatment (p < 0.001). Median OS for patients who received bevacizumab without retreatment was 12.9 months (95%CI: 9.3 – 16.7) and 30.1 months (95%CI: 26.1 – 35.4) for patients who received sequential bevacizumab retreatment (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study shows OC patients treated with bevacizumab-containing regimens sequentially at the time of progression have significantly prolonged survival outcomes compared to those patients who received no re-treatment with bevacizumab.
Abstract Single sized PbS nanocrystals are selectively deposited from the gas phase onto photoresist patterned substrates at atmospheric pressure, forming patterned nanocrystal thin films. Selective deposition is obtained by means of electrostatic control of the charged nanocrystals in the gas phase. The nanocrystal deposition process is characterised by low cost and high parallelism. A lift off process is introduced which removes the photoresist without removing the nanocrystal film in the interested area. Thus, further processing can follow the nanocrystal film deposition. During the deposition of nanocrystals out of the gas phase a preferred deposition into resist openings, i.e. onto the substrate surface is observed. An electrostatic model is developed to explain this focusing effect yielding smaller line width compared with the resist pattern.
Annexation into the Russian Empire transformed the cities of Central Asia. The European presence increased steadily from year to year and with it new city neighborhoods were created, often alongside the old quarters in which the autochthonous population lived. With increased immigration during the Soviet era, the majority of the population in the region's principal cities were either Slavs or Russified minorities and the common language used by all the inhabitants, including the autochthonous ones who continued to use their mother tongue, was Russian. The Soviets saw these changes as part of a process of modernization starting in the cities’ European neighborhoods which would spread progressively to the local population.
BACKGROUND:  Magnesium has been implicated in the pathogenesis of  acute myocardial infarction and its complication like arrhythmia. Magnesium improves myocardial metabolism, inhibits calcium accumulation and myocardial cell death. It improves vascular tone, peripheral vascular resistance, after load and cardiac output, reduces cardiac arrhythmias and improves lipid metabolism. Magnesium also reduces vulnerability to oxygen derived free radicals, improves endothelial function and inhibits platelet function including platelet aggregation and adhesion.  OBJECTIVE:  To know the relationship between the serum magnesium  levels and arrhythmias in patients with acute myocardial infarction.  METHOD:  By using simple random method, 50 cases of acute myocardial  infarction, admitted in Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital.  RESULTS:  There is a significant difference in the magnesium levels in  patients with arrhythmias and without arrhythmias.  CONCLUSION:  In acute myocardial infarction, patients with low  magnesium levels are more prone to get arrhythmias. So magnesium treatment can be considered in patients of acute myocardial infarction with low magnesium levels.
SUMMARY In this study, I aimed to determine the importance of sharing hypotheses among students in a science class where the cause-and-effect relationship is considered. Further, I aimed to examine the use of hypothesis sharing in data interpretation to determine the teacher’s perception of the lesson plan. In a case in which the lesson involved compounds of copper and oxygen, the study arrived at the following four findings: (1) Students understood the relationship between a class to conduct hypothesis sharing and data interpretation. (2) It was easier for students in a class to conduct hypothesis sharing than to construct unique hypotheses individually in order to interpret the data by using the cause-and-effect relationship. (3) As hypothesis sharing involves the cause-and-effect relationship, for data interpretation, it was easier for students to procure data with correct evidence on the mass ratio between copper and oxygen. (4) As hypothesis sharing involves the cause-and-effect relationship, it was easier for students to correctly interpret anomalous data and construct graphs of the proportional relation by using such data than via unique hypotheses.
Walid Raad produces art for his ongoing archival project, the Atlas Group, a fictional documentation of the Lebanese Civil Wars. Raad's project responds to a radical shift introduced in nineteenth-century history painting, according to Wolfgang Kemp, when the viewer becomes ‘sutured’ into the compositional and didactic structure of the work. Raad expands upon this opening up of the tradition in order to address the condition of Beirut, a modern city of ruins. Viewers are invited to become pedestrians of Beirut whose perceptions of the panorama are transmitted through a gap in comprehension. Raad positions Beirut not only as the backdrop, but as the subject of his work in order to suspend the tension between destruction and progress through the tension between reality and fiction. Raad's series of photographs Let's be honest the weather helped (1998) illustrates Kemp's notion of the ‘blank space’ for suture. This series moves towards mapping an understanding of destruction in his video work We can make rain, but no one came to ask (2003). Analysis of this montage brings out the temporal and psychological issues of processing and describing ruins as (infra)structures. An overarching thread in Raad's work is his use of fiction. The author positions the performances of his work and his imaginative categorisation of his archival material as necessary for the work to maintain a progressive impulse.
Parental preconception exposures to built and natural outdoor environments could influence pregnancy and birth outcomes either directly, or via a range of health-related behaviours and conditions. However, there is no existing review summarising the evidence linking natural and built characteristics, such as air and noise pollution, walkability, greenness with pregnancy and birth outcomes. Therefore, the planned scoping review aims to collate and map the published literature on parental preconception exposures to built and natural outdoor environments and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. We will search electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus) to identify studies for inclusion. Studies will be included if they empirically assess the relationship between maternal and paternal preconception exposures to physical natural and built environment features that occur outdoors in the residential neighbourhood and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes. Two reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts, and then the full text. Data extraction and assessment of study quality will be performed by one researcher and checked by a second researcher. Results will be summarised in a narrative synthesis, with additional summaries presented as tables and figures. The scoping review will be disseminated via a peer-reviewed publication, at academic conferences, and published on a website.
This paper presents a robust timing recovery scheme for orthogonal space-time block coding (OSTBC) multi-input multi-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems with constant modulus constellation. In the proposed system, the symbol timing is achieved either by minimizing the power difference between adjacent subcarriers in one STC block or between subcarriers with similar indices in consecutive STC blocks. The proposed technique is totally blind because it does not require any prior information about the channel state or the transmitted data. The early-late gate (ELG) configuration is utilized to realize the proposed timing recovery scheme efficiently. Monte Carlo simulations are used to assess the performance of the two realizations of the proposed system over fading channels with different frequency-selectivity conditions. Simulation results demonstrated the superiority of the proposed technique to provide accurate symbol timing even in severe frequency-selective fading channels which remarkably outperforms other timing metrics.
Cystic lymphangioma is a rare benign submucosal tumor of the stomach thought to originate from sequestered lymphatic tissue that fails to communicate with the normal lymphatic system. The most commonly used method of evaluation for cystic lymphangioma of the stomach is an endoscopic ultrasonography. We report the multidetector-row computed tomography findings of a cystic lymphangioma of the stomach in a 46-year-old man along with a literature review.
The rapid technical progress in the engineering (applied science/technology) requires more advanced materials. The desire to reduce the weight of structure and reduce their manufacturing costs may affect the safety and reliability of designed structure. The structural damage can occur due to many factors which are difficult to predict in advance, e.g.: sudden impact loads. An external impact can cause an internal damage in the material with no visible marks on the external surfaces of the composite element. The possible hidden damage can be the source of a further mechanical deterioration of the composite structural element. Damage detection in the structures is an active research area since decades. Number of the studies is carried out in order to meet this objective, particularly, the identification of the damage size and location or to find direction of the impact event. Recently on of the promising monitoring technique method is based on fibre optic sensors (e.g. fibre Bragg grating sensors, FBG). It is due to the advantages of FBG sensors such as small size and weight, high corrosion resistance or no calibration requirements. Also it is very easy to multiplex FBG sensors and make rosette array that can be implemented on different kind of structures. The goal of the research is to analyse impact detection capability of different FBG strain rosettes types. Additionally the sensitivity and area of working individual rosette will be considered. The experiment will be carried out on composite plate with the use of impact and/or elasto-acustic wave source. The proposed impact detection method by rosette network can be applied on structures like plane wings, turbine blades or ship masts. The locations of detected impacts can be further analysed by more sophisticated methods (terahertz spectroscopy or infrared thermography).
The study of Agrippa's works confirms his constant interest in the theory and practice of alchemy. The apparent contradiction between De occulta philosophia, which uses alchemical doctrines, and De vanitate scientiarum, where alchemy is harshly criticized, is to be resolved in the light of a moral and cultural reform founded on a Hermetic-Christian perspective on the relationship between faith and reason. The analysis of the alchemic passages in De occulta philosophia proves that Agrippa's transmutatory operations have no secondary role in his 'restored' magic. Furthermore, these operations are oriented towards a utopia, where original unity is to be regained.
An adaptive, wavelet‐based, multiscale finite‐volume scheme is developed and employed to investigate applications in the simulation of water waves. Firstly, two one‐dimensional, strictly hyperbolic cases are investigated: shallow water and Euler equations. These are followed by two investigations using a finite‐volume formulation of Madsen and Sørensen's Boussinesq equations. Converged results were obtained in all cases, which demonstrate that the adaptive grid scheme is significantly faster than that on a uniform grid. In some cases, one‐seventh of the number of cells is required to obtain the same accuracy as that of the uniform grid. Issues of stability are discussed in the context of the particular problems modelled here with the Boussinesq equations, related to discretization of the high‐order spatial derivatives on a non‐uniform grid. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We propose an electrostatically actuated spiral structures as a metamaterial for circularly polarized light in Terahertz (THz) frequency. Actuation of the spiral structures changes their geometry, and produces a tunable chirality resulting in circular dichroism, which is the differential absorption between the left and right circularly polarized light. Results of the THz-spectroscopy confirmed that the ON/OFF of circular dichroism was achieved with the proposing structures.
Biliary hamartomas (BHs) are rare malformative cystic/cystic‐like lesions of the liver affecting the biliary tree, named after Hanns von Meyenburg who described them for the first time and still known with this eponym to this day. They usually lack clinical symptoms, and abnormalities in liver function tests are unusual; thus, it is typically an incidental finding of liver imaging. Despite being benign lesions, BHs can pose clinical challenges; the first one is differential diagnosis with other more relevant pathological conditions. Therefore, knowledge of MR imaging findings of BHs is helpful for a prompt and correct diagnosis, avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures and/or an excessive number of radiological investigations. This pictorial review is aimed to depict the most typical MR imaging features of multiple biliary hamartomas (von Meyenburg Complex), in order to familiarize the diagnosis and facilitate the differentiation from other hepato‐biliary cystic diseases.
ABSTRACT The Nile Delta gas reservoirs are dominated by Plio-Pleistocene and Miocene channel deposits which became nowadays the key player for gas production in Egypt. These channelized features are spectacularly imaged on high-quality seismic data, this paper deals with channel geomorphology imaging using different geophysical and geological tools for better under-standing its architecture and fairway delineation in Sienna field also delineating some reasons for reservoir compartmentalization in the studied area which acts as an analogue for the marine slope channels in Pliocene reservoirs within West Delta deep marine concession (WDDM).Seismic attributes were used like Root Mean Square (RMS) amplitude extraction, Ant tracking and Spectral decomposition and finally pre-stack seismic inversion products. By correlating seismic signature with wells log data, four depositional cycles in the Sienna channel were identified which are stacked upon each other in Sienna canyon. The reason for Sienna system compartmentalization maybe not only effect by faults density but also facies quality which is changes from well to another as a result of distal deposits of turbidity slope channels. The location of new wells could be more precisely delineated for further reservoir development in Sienna channels.
Objective  To explore the significance of dynamic radionuclide renal imaging in monitoring ureterolithiasis before and after operation.      Methods  40 patients with ureteral calculi were monitored by renal dynamic imaging. The patients’ renal conditions were dynamically analyzed; and the conditions before and after the operation were compared. The patients’ renal functions were monitored. The patients’ renal function recovery was analyzed after surgery.      Results  The glomerular filtration rate was lower before than after operation, with a statistical difference. All the patients’ renal function related indicators were improved after operation; there was no statistical difference in NGAL but were in Cys-C and KIM-1 between before and after operation.      Conclusion  The significance of nuclide renal dynamic imaging in monitoring ureterolithiasis before and after operation is that it can reflect the patients’ renal conditions, is helpful for the patients’ accurate diagnosis and analysis and predict their disease conditions and outcomes, and give them corresponding treatment; so it is worth being clinically applied.      Key words:  Ureterolithiasis; Lithotripsy; Nuclide renal dynamic imaging; Monitoring significance
In this paper, a method of achieving dual-polarized high-gain microstrip antenna for MIMO wireless communication applications is proposed utilizing the slot-loaded higher order mode. By loading half-wavelength slots on electric field nulls of ordinary microstrip antenna operating at higher order mode, equivalent in-phase magnetic current array can be constructed within a single low-profile cavity using simple feed technique. To verify the proposed method, a dual-polarized TM50-mode microstrip antenna with a maximum measured gain of 10.9 dBi is presented firstly, using single-layered substrate and a pair of single feeds. Further, a dual-polarized high-gain magnetic current array with a pair of differential feeds is demonstrated utilizing TM90 mode, achieving a maximum measured gain of 15.5 dBi. Moreover, the low envelop correlation coefficient indicates the good diversity performance of the proposed antennas. The proposed method has the merits of low profile, high isolation and simple feeding, with promising usage in MIMO and diversity applications.
The Laplace transform of fractional integrals and fractional derivatives is used to develop a general formula for determining the potentials of arbitrary forces: conservative and nonconservative in order to introduce dissipative effects (such as friction) into Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics. The results are found to be in exact agreement with Riewe's results of special cases. Illustrative examples are given.
Recently, birth of premature babies and low birth weight babies has been increasing and survival rate of very low birth weight babies even under 500 g not to mention under 1,000 g is remarkably enhanced thanks to the development of neonatology. With the enhanced birth rate and survival rate, the issue of pediatrics majoring in neonatology is not increasing survival rate anymore but making them healthier babies. While treating premature babies in the field, it is found that some premature babies have better prognoses while others have poor prognoses.    As a part of efforts to identify the factors influencing prognoses of newborns, studies on prenatal infections are actively made. One of the hottest topics is Ureaplasma infection. Although it has been studied before, it has been perceived as 'sexually-transmitted disease' and has been studied in gynecology or urology. Recently, however, it is expanded to the field of complications of premature babies1,2). Additionally, studies have been actively performed since strain known as Ureaplamsa urealyticum was segmented to Ureaplasma parvum (UPA hereunder) and Ureaplasma urealyticum (UUR hereunder), which were further segmented to 14 serovars2,3).    Past studies published before in Korea by Lim et al.4) and by Chang et al.5) were studies on overall prevalence before Ureaplasma colonization was segmented into two serovars. In this point, Eun et al.6) is encouraging because it studied serovars of Korean premature babies.    However, it has limitations at the same time. Although it is meaningful that it tried to analyze premature babies according to serovar, it dealt with UUR only and the conclusion that there would be no difference between Ureaplasma serovars may be misleading. As authors mentioned before, Ureaplasma spp is segmented to two biovars such as UPA and UUR. Such two biovars can be segmented according to genome size, 16S rRNA gene sequences, the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic region, enzyme polymorphisms, DNA-DNA hybridization, differential growth responses to manganese, and differences in the multiple banded antigen (mba) genes2,3). They are segmented to 14 serovars by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods based on the previously mentioned UPA (biovar 1, serovar 3, ATCC* 27815, NCTC** 11736), and UUA (biovar 2, serovar 8, ATCC* 27618, NCTC** 10177). According to characteristics of each serovar, serovar 1, 3, 6, and 14 fall under biovar 1, so to speak UPA, and rest of them fall under biovar 2, so to speak UUR. On the other hand strains that have not been clear in classification are more segmented and 5 more strains have been discovered7) (Table 1).        Table 1    Overview of Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvum genomes        Accordingly, authors should discuss the difference between UPA and UUR serovars first to claim that there was no difference in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) incidence in each servoar. It seems misleading that they say there was no difference according to BPD and serovars because their study had very limited subjects and approximately 1/3 had mixed serovars. Additionally, some investigators consider these mixed strains as totally different serovars according to hybridization and wonder if studies investigating difference among serovars are meaningless8). Although it is one of major conclusions of Eun and et al.6) that there is no difference between UUR serovars, the conclusion is not well established and it is better to get to a conclusion after experiments using UPA and UUR together.    Ureaplasma is known as a strain difficult to culture in the laboratory because it is very small such as 15-25 micrometer diameter and has no cell wall. This strain produces adenosine triphosphate through urea hydrolysis and dissolves urea into ammonia (NH3) and carbon gas. When culturing in the laboratory, infection is judged through pH change in liquid culture using such principle. But recently, as studies have shown that PCR method is more sensitive, PCR method is preferred to classical culture1-3). To make more explanations on culture and PCR method, authors perform tracheal aspiration and gastric aspiration at the same time to identify correlations with BPD. As tracheal aspiration samples show whether there is lower respiratory colonization, which means infection in most cases, and may judge infection of Ureaplasma spp regardless of skills of testers, it is the most preferred method. However, it has a drawback that sampling can be made in newborns only with intubation. A probable alternative is nasopharyngeal swab. It is easy to get samples and can be repeated many times, although some authors said that we cannot judge infection only with the result of this test showing upper respiratory colonization1,2).    Interestingly, in Eun et al.6) study, UUR serovar 9 is found to be the most common serovar, which was deal with Koreans. Whereas Sung et al.9) studies on Caucasians and African-Americans found that serovar 11 was the most common. Such difference may imply difference between races, although it must be confirmed with further studies, because of small sample size of this study. In particular, as there have not been many studies regarding the difference between races, it will be an interesting field to perform a large-scale study including gene tests.    Many studies on relationship between Ureaplasma spp and complications of premature babies have been made recently and results are being published constantly. Among them, mechanism to make BPD by Ureaplasma spp. is considered as being made by activation of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin [IL] 1β, IL-8) or blocking counterregulatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-10) rather than making direct damages on respiratory tract. There is a hypothesis that respiratory diseases and BPD of newborns are caused by phospholipase A2 created by other strains which coerces the creation of pulmonary surface activators. It is also know that infection in prenatal period stimulates infection consecutive infection of pulmonary alveoli, interferes the creation of pulmonary alveoli by directly or indirectly influencing respirator induced pulmonary damages, stimulates phagocytes composing cilliary disarray and clumping after composing colony on epithelial cells on respiratory tracts, and creates proinflammatory cytokine to cause BPD1,10,11). Such relationship with cytokines should be studied further in the future.    Conclusively, more studies are needed on the relationship between Ureaplasam and infection of newborns, in particular complications of premature babies including BPD. It is also needed to perform a large scale study on Korean newborns.
We assessed vascular and hormonal responses to inhibition of peptidyldipeptide hydrolase, which converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II (converting enzyme) and degrades bradykinin (kininase II), in subjects given 10 meq of sodium to activate both systems. In nine normal subjects a threshold dose of 30 MICROgram per kilogram of the inhibitor, SQ 20881, modestly influenced mean blood pressure (-5 +/- 1 mm Hg, P less than 0.05), and renal blood flow (+50+/-8 ml per 100 g per minute), plasma renin activity (+ 2.3 +/- 0.6 ng per milliliter per hour), and angiotensin II (-11 +/- 3 pg per milliliter) more strikingly (P less than 0.01). In six patients with essential hypertension the threshold inhibitor dose was reduced to 10 microgram per kilogram; 30 kilogram per kilogram had an enhanced (P less than 0.01) effect on mean blood pressure (-11 +/- 2 mm Hg), renal blood flow (137 +/- 20 ml per 100 g per minute), and angiotensin II concentration (-29 +/- 12 pg per milliliter). SQ 20881 elevated plasma bradykinin concentration (7.4 +/- 2.6 ng per milliliter, P less than 0.02) only in the hypertensive patients. Because both renin-angiotensin and kallikrein-bradykinin systems are influenced, vascular responses to SQ 20881 must be interpreted cautiously, but this agent has excellent antihypertensive characteristics.
I n many nations around the world there has been increasing demand for scientific research and high-quality graduate medical education in subspecialty areas of medicine, surgery, and hospital-based specialties to provide a high standard of patient care. In North America, subspecialties have been evolving since the beginning of the 20th century. This evolution has been due in part to the introduction of new technologies and treatment modalities and growing awareness of the needs of patients with chronic disorders. Common health problems and diseases with known therapies continue to be managed by generalists, but for patients with complex diseases access to subspecialty care is critically important. In addition, having trained subspecialists contributes to discovery and the scholarly application of knowledge to patient care, with subspecialists functioning as scholarly leaders and educators in their field. In North America, subspecialists have made major and unique contributions to health care by advancing medical knowledge and technology and promoting excellence in the management of complex illnesses. In present-day Iraq, the infrastructure for various subspecialties has not yet been established, a ‘‘modern’’ subspecialty physician workforce does not exist, and the requirement for subspecialty training as in North America and Europe currently cannot be met. The delay in the introduction of modern technologies and advances in medicine and surgery has been largely attributed to a lack of qualified faculty, educators, and leaders in various subspecialty fields. This has resulted in delay in building subspecialty centers. Particularly, training and recognition of surgical subspecialties and subspecialists in Iraq is not possible without the presence of qualified faculty to teach in these fields. The purpose of this letter is to propose an alternative mechanism for recognizing subspecialty clinicians in Iraq and other nations in similar circumstances. Historical accounts of the establishment of subspecialties in North America and Europe have identified the following steps:
This study aims to find out and analyze descriptively the business activities of oil palm agroindustry development Sei Mangkei SEZ as an industrial area into a new city in Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra Province-Indonesia. The article is part of the outors dissertation in the study in the Regional Planning. The research method used is Input-Output analysis and descriptive analysis of Indonesian regulations and policies. The Government of Indonesia has poured an initial investment of 2.7 trillion IDR to develop the Sei Mangkei SEZ infrastructure, plus state-owned enterprises and private investment, has amount 5.10 trillion IDR for year ended 2017. Does the impact of infrastructure development on the agroindustry Sei Mangkei SEZ make it a new city?. The results of the study conclude that Sei Mangkei SEZ oil palm agroindustry was developed through a public policy by forming an area in the form of a new city with the construction of facilities and infrastructure to produce spatial economic growth that affects each other in an economic system. Industrial sector as secondary operating in Sei Mangkei SEZ experienced an increase in the linkage function and a large interaction with the sector internally and the overall economic system in the interegional region. That the amount of investment used to build facilities and infrastructure in the region can improve the function of the region as a new city in Indonesia North Sumatra Province by the development of infrastructure, facilities of a high value of degree of sensitivity effect as push factor and pull factor as spread effect index.
I have taken my title from the lines of an old song 'Just Molly and Me' and changed the verse to 'Just baby and me, and Granny makes three, in my Blue Heaven'. In this way, I emphasise the grandmother as the 'third person', an important potential position that she has in the 'blue heaven' of the emotional life of the family. The grandmother is also involved in the oedipal movement from the two-person relationship, 'Molly and me' or 'baby and me', to the three-person triangle, 'and Granny makes three'. It is usual to focus on the Mother-Father-Infant triangle of classical Freudian theory. However, as we all experience in our clinical work, there are many other variants for the so-called oedipal triangle. The role of grandfather is important too but this would need another paper. Andrew Samuels points out that the nurturing-mothering function and the fathering function can be provided by either parent or a substitute, the importance lying in that both functions are adequately provided for the infant's development. I would add to this that the grandparenting function is also important, whoever provides it. I do not believe it is a biological necessity but it is a fact that the nurturing function is performed by the matriarchal line in most families. I shall limit myself in this paper to the grandmothering functions and their psychological significance to the mother and baby.
Nanotechnology, building on its ability to control or manipulate structures at the atomic level, promises to develop effective drug-delivery systems. This is to be achieved through creating structures that have novel properties because of their small size. This is not an entirely new concept in site-targeted drug delivery, and this critical review examines recent contributions made by 'nanotechnology' to solve critical issues concerning the development of therapeutically effective and acceptable site-targeted drug delivery systems. It is shown that very little progress has been made. For nanotechnology rationally to generate materials useful in human therapy it will need to progress in full recognition of all the requirements biology places on the acceptability of exogenous materials.
Castilian municipal fueros from the eleventh to the thirteenth century provide important information on the legal origins of the alcaidia de fortalezas, a military institution set up primarily to control the internal administration and daily maintenance of all castles in the kingdom. Although the set of regulations contained in these documents is as yet unsystematic and lacking an overall coherence, nevertheless they do include the first examples of codes intended to define the post of the alcaide, the duties of castle watchmen, and the tasks of repairing and maintaining fortifications. These codes were later to be revised and expanded in the Partidas and the Especulo. Moreover, these early regulations reveal the fundamental importance which military activities had for the castilian-leonese concejos, an importance which coincided with a period of great conflict betwen Christian and Muslims.
Lead‐free ceramics 0.825NaNbO3–0.175Ba0.6(Bi0.5K0.5)0.4TiO3 + xmol% MnO2 were prepared by an ordinary sintering technique and the effects of MnO2 doping on the structure, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties of the ceramics were studied. The ceramics with perovskite structure are transformed from tetragonal to pseudocubic phases by increasing the doping level of MnO2. After the addition of MnO2, the Curie temperature TC of the ceramics decreases and the ferroelectric–paraelectric phase transition at TC becomes more diffusive. Because of the donor and acceptor doping effects of Mn ions simultaneously, the piezoelectric constant d33, electromechanical coupling coefficient kp, relative permittivity εr, and mechanical quality factor Qm are enhanced considerably after the addition of 1 mol% MnO2. The ceramic with 1 mol% MnO2 doping possesses the optimum piezoelectricity (d33 = 131 pC/N and kp = 21.8%) and relatively high Qm = 627.
High power short pulse lasers provide a promising route to study the strong field effects of the quantum vacuum, for example by direct photon–photon scattering in the all-optical regime. Theoretical predictions based on realistic laser parameters achievable today or in the near future predict scattering of a few photons with colliding Petawatt laser pulses, requiring single photon sensitive detection schemes and very good spatio-temporal filtering and background suppression. In this article, we present experimental investigations of this photon background by employing only a single high power laser pulse tightly focused in residual gas of a vacuum chamber. The focal region was imaged onto a single-photon sensitive, time gated camera. As no detectable quantum vacuum signature was expected in our case, the setup allowed for characterization and first mitigation of background contributions. For the setup employed, scattering off surfaces of imperfect optics dominated below residual gas pressures of 1 × 10−4 mbar. Extrapolation of the findings to intensities relevant for photon–photon scattering studies is discussed.
Three experiments examined the effect of hard-copy print and CRT screens of different resolution/addressability ratios (RAR) on accommodation and visual search performance. Three different display modes were generated with an IBM personal computer and a Princeton Graphics Terminal: capital letters in high-RAR mode, capital letters in low-RAR mode, and capital letters in high-RAR mode programmed to simulate the low-RAR mode. Same-sized letters were also presented on hard-copy print. Experiment 1 demonstrated that accommodation to hard-copy print and high-RAR screens was more accurate than to low-RAR screens. In Experiment 2 the spatial frequency channels activated by each display were evaluated by measuring the effect of display adaptation on the contrast-sensitivity function. The results suggested that high-RAR screens and hard-copy print activated higher-frequency channels than did low-RAR screens. In Experiment 3 significantly better visual search performance was obtained for high-RAR screens and for hard-copy print than for low-RAR screens. It was concluded that screen RAR is an important variable to consider in the design of CRTs.
Objective:We attempted to determine whether activation of the sensory neuron contributes to reduction of endotoxin-induced hypotension by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production via calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release in rats. Design:Prospective, randomized, controlled study. Setting:Research laboratory at a university medical center. Subjects:Wistar rats weighing 220–280 g. Interventions:Mean arterial blood pressure was measured in rats administered endotoxin intravenously. Animals were pretreated with capsazepine (a vanilloid receptor antagonist), CGRP(8–37) (a CGRP receptor antagonist), and indomethacin before endotoxin administration. Levels of CGRP, 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α, TNF-α, and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC) were measured by enzyme immunoassay methods. The concentration of NO2−/NO3− was measured using the Griess reagent. Tissue levels of messenger RNA of the inducible form of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and TNF-α were determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Measurements and Main Results:Both lung levels of CGRP and plasma levels of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α were increased after intravenous administration of endotoxin (5 mg/kg), peaking at 90 mins after endotoxin administration. Increases in plasma levels of 6-keto-prostaglandin F1α at 90 mins after endotoxin administration (766 ± 134 pg/mL) were inhibited by pretreatment with capsazepine (373 ± 44 pg/mL, p < .05), CGRP(8–37) (406 ± 64 pg/mL, p < .05), and indomethacin (154 ± 40 pg/mL, p < .05). Although none of the pretreatments affected a series of endotoxin-induced responses, including increases in lung tissue levels of TNF-α, CINC, and iNOS and the resultant hypotension in animals given 5 mg/kg endotoxin, such pretreatments enhanced these pathologic responses in animals given a smaller dose of endotoxin (1 mg/kg) to the same extent as those induced by 5 mg/kg of endotoxin, suggesting that shock responses induced by 5 mg/kg endotoxin are maximum responses and activation of sensory neurons in endotoxin-treated rats is essentially a reparative response. Conclusion:Activation of sensory neurons might contribute to reduction of endotoxin-induced hypotension by releasing CGRP, which is capable of promoting endothelial production of prostacyclin.
The development of alcohol dependence is posited to involve numerous changes in brain chemistry (i.e., neurotransmission) that lead to physiological signs of withdrawal upon abstinence from alcohol as well as promote vulnerability to relapse in dependent people. These neuroadaptive changes often occur in those brain neurotransmission systems that are most sensitive to the acute, initial effects of alcohol and/or contribute to a person’s initial alcohol consumption. Studies of these neuroadaptive changes have been aided by the development of animal models of alcohol dependence, withdrawal, and relapse behavior. These animal models, as well as findings obtained in humans, have shed light on the effects that acute and chronic alcohol exposure have on signaling systems involving the neurotransmitters glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, and serotonin, as well as on other signaling molecules, including endogenous opioids and corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF). Adaptation to chronic alcohol exposure by these systems has been associated with behavioral effects, such as changes in reinforcement, enhanced anxiety, and increased sensitivity to stress, all of which may contribute to relapse to drinking in abstinent alcoholics. Moreover, some of these systems are targets of currently available therapeutic agents for alcohol dependence.
The increasingly frequent clinical reports of the recovery of repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse have drawn both skepticism and support in the analytic community. Two contrasting paradigms are offered to account for the processes by which fully repressed memories are recovered. On the one hand, the analyst's belief that one can reconstruct early traumatic experience creates fertile ground for overt and covert suggestion, which, in conjunction with an anxious patient seeking affiliation, may lead to the production of false memories. On the other hand, the analyst's belief in the likelihood of repressed abuse and that it can be reconstructed may constitute a necessary precondition for the emergence of valid memories. With these beliefs providing an essential holding environment, the recovery of repressed memories of sexual trauma may be an instance of the retrieval of state-dependent memory. Although the preponderance of evidence favors the suggestion hypothesis, the evidence is not conclusive. Which paradigm the analyst adopts, however, carries enormous clinical implications.
Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, contains a cluster of putative genes homologous to those encoding HpaP, HrcQ, HrcR, HrcS and HrpV in the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. In R. solanacearum, these genes form part of a type III secretion-associated pathogenicity island. The order of the genes in B. pseudomallei is directly equivalent to that found in R. solanacearum. The B. pseudomallei proteins share 49.5% (HpaP), 52.6% (HrcQ), 80.0% (HrcR), 72.1% (HrcS) and 46.7% (HrpV) similarity, respectively, with their equivalent R. solanacearum proteins. The presence of type III secretion-associated genes in B. pseudomallei pathogens suggests a possible role for type III secretion systems in the pathogenicity of this organism.
The purpose of this study is to reveal each item’s effect one another, and get a policy of the way of evaluations on educations in the future through the item analysis of bed-bath technics evaluation on the lecture of technics of bed-bath and clothing. We found that 1) Grooming, scored the highest in the mean value, showed a significant positive correlation between confirmation of the act, description and consent, secure the work area, how to use towels, favorite wipe pressure, communication. It suggested that the motivation and attitude that prepare grooming is involved in technics. 2) Favorite wipe pressure, scored low in the mean value, showed a significant positive correlation between how to wipe eyes. Moreover the item of how to wipe eye showed a significant positive correlation between confirmation of the act, description and consent, environmental adjustment. Therefore, to get technics of clear description and agreement is not only important itself. It also leads technical provision which students desire. We must teach students these technics in various technical exercises.
This paper presents the results of an aerial survey for potential nesting areas of C. porosus along the western coast of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, from the tip of the Cape to the Norman River. There is a decrease from north to south in the amount of suitable nesting habitat. Many suitable nesting areas occur north of the Embley River, where relatively higher relief favours the development of freshwater swamps with a low risk of seasonal flooding. Further south, the broad, alluvial plains and meandering rivers are often subject to extensive flooding and fewer opportunities for nesting are available. General conclusions only are given, and management discussed. Detailed results are lodged with the Australian National Library, Canberra (catalogue no. MS5640).
The unprecedented highly cis-1,4 selective (>99%) coordination–insertion polymerization of the polar monomer 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-butadiene (2-MOPB) has been achieved using a β-diketiminato yttrium bis(alkyl) complex to afford a hydrophilic plastic polymer P(2-MOPB) with a water contact angle of 87.7° and glass transition temperature of 34.2 °C. The copolymerization of polar 2-MOPB and non-polar isoprene has also been successfully realized for the first time to produce a type of highly modified cis-1,4 polyisoprene with a wide range of 2-MOPB content (8.2%–88.5%). The composition was adjusted by regulating the monomer feed ratio according to the copolymerization kinetics. Hydrogenation of P(2-MOPB) provided an unusual alternating copolymer, poly(4-methoxystyrene-alt-ethylene) that could not be obtained via any other methods.
The percolative ceramic composites of Ba0.75Sr0.25TiO3∕Ag (BST/Ag) with dense microstructure were sintered at a low temperature of 960°C. Excellent dielectric properties, such as high dielectric constant (er∼24000), low dielectric loss, and high dielectric tunability, were reported. The dielectric constant is found to be nearly temperature and frequency independent. It is essential to introduce the low-melting-point metal of silver into BST ceramics for significantly enhancing the dielectric properties of the composites. The superproperties make it potential to be used for electronic devices such as high charge-storage capacitors and tunable filters.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Due to its inert character and desired biocompatibility, titanium (Ti) implants have been universally accepted as safer alternatives to the previous conventional orthopedic hardware implants. However, a recent emergence of Type IV hypersensitivity reactions to Ti have displayed symptoms that include eczema, contact dermatitis, prolonged fever, sterile osteomyelitis, and impaired fracture and wound healing. The following case presents a patient with postoperative incision dehiscence and devascularization of cortical surfaces in contact with Ti hardware after undergoing a medial displacement calcaneal osteotomy and a first metatarsal-cuneiform arthrodesis. To our knowledge, this is the only reported case of an allergic reaction to a Ti implant in the foot or ankle in the United States. METHODS: Diagnostic tools to confirm a Ti hypersensitivity reaction include a patch test and lymphocyte transformation test. The lymphocyte transformation test can be utilized if a false negative ...
Non-CO2 greenhouse gases, included in the Kyoto Protocol, are methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hexafluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorinated compounds (PFC) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). Together they account for about 25% of the present global greenhouse gas emissions. Reductions in emissions of these gases have occurred in the industrialised countries, and they contribute to the efforts to reach the target of 5% greenhouse gas emission reduction as agreed in the Kyoto Protocol for these countries. Globally however, greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase as do the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere. The relation between emissions and concentrations is not clear for all non-CO2 greenhouse gases. This especially holds for methane. This article discusses the contribution of non-CO2 greenhouse gases to global climate forcing within the causal chain approach of the DPSIR schema (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact and Response) as a background for the studies presented in this special issue. Although considerable reductions in non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions are expected in the first commitment period under the Climate Convention (Kyoto Protocol), it is argued that further substantial emission reductions in subsequent commitment periods for the most important non-CO2 greenhouse gases (CH4 and N2O) are difficult to achieve.
Transgenerational effects of parental experience on offspring immunity are well documented in the vertebrate literature (where antibodies play an obligatory role), but have only recently been described in invertebrates. We have assessed the impact of parental rearing density upon offspring disease resistance by challenging day-old locust hatchlings (Schistocerca gregaria) from either crowd- or solitary-reared parents with the fungal pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae var. acridum. When immersed in standardized conidia suspensions, hatchlings from gregarious parents suffered greater pathogen-induced mortality than hatchlings from solitary-reared parents. This observation contradicts the basic theory of positive density-dependent prophylaxis and demonstrates that crowding has a transgenerational influence upon locust disease resistance.
HYPOTHESIS Subjects with normal hearing (NH) experience lower performance in speech understanding in noise when frequency components of speech above 8 kHz are removed.   BACKGROUND Previous studies have explored speech perception in noise under various circumstances, but none have been specifically designed to explore the relevance of frequencies above 8 kHz and, more specifically, for the Spanish language.   METHODS Twenty-nine subjects with NH, aged 19 to 55 years, and native speakers of the Spanish language listened to two sets of three disyllabic word lists with background noise. One set of words was unfiltered and included frequency components up to 22 kHz, and another set was band-pass filtered to include frequency components between 70 Hz and 8 kHz. Words were presented at 65 dB sound pressure level. Each set of words was presented with background noise with the same bandwidth limit as the accompanying list and adjusted to construct signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions of +5, 0, and -5 dB.   RESULTS Results demonstrate a higher performance for unfiltered words at +5 and -5 dB SNR, although not at 0 dB SNR. For SNR +5 dB and -5 dB, the average success rate in word recognition was 17% higher when words were not filtered. For the case SNR = 0, however, both conditions yield statistically similar results.   CONCLUSION This study suggests that high-frequency components above 8 kHz contribute to speech understanding in noise for subjects with NH of the Spanish language. Given these findings, it would be interesting to determine if bandwidth limitations in current hearing prostheses may contribute to known difficulties with perception of speech in noise in hearing-impaired subjects.
We consider secret sharing where a dealer wants to share a secret with several participants such that predefined subsets of participants can reconstruct the secret and all other subsets of participants cannot learn any information about the secret. To this end, the dealer and the participants have access to samples of correlated random variables and a one-way (from the dealer to the participants), authenticated, public, and rate-limited communication channel. For this problem, we propose the first constructive and low-complexity coding scheme able to handle arbitrary access structures. Our construction relies on a vector quantization coupled with distribution approximations with polar codes to handle the reliability constraints, followed by universal hashing to handle the security constraints. We stress that our coding scheme does not require symmetry or degradation assumptions on the correlated random variables, and does not need a pre-shared secret among the participants and dealer. Our result is also optimal in the special case of rate-unlimited public communication when all the participants are needed to reconstruct the secret.
Confusion exists in the literature about the three low benches on Pacific Islands, because height alone is not an index of the ocean level which made them. The lowest bench is now being made by erosion and weathering. The other two were made when the sea stood about 5 feet and 25 feet higher. These higher benches where present have usually been reduced by weathering and erosion and that of the 5-foot sea is readily confused with the present sea bench. The lowest bench, where completely developed, has five components: (1) channeled ramp, (2) lithothamnium ridge, (3) platform, (4) notch, and (5) beach deposits. Benches are described on Guam, Midway, and Oahu Islands and their concordance in height suggests a eustatic origin. A detailed survey of the benches at Amantes Point, Guam, is given.
Objective: Some inner ear malformations may cause recurrent meningitis, which may be fatal. The etiology is usually a stapes footplate fistula which enables microorganisms to pass into the inner ear containing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), causing repeated attacks of meningitis. Radiological signs of the fistula are not obvious and are not reported in detail in the literature. The aim of the study is to investigate the radiological features of stapes footplate fistula in inner ear malformations. Methods: Radiological findings were analyzed for seventeen patients with inner ear malformations (IEMs) operated on because of recurrent meningitis. Using this information, images of 1,010 patients with IEMs were retrospectively reviewed to investigate the radiological findings of stapes footplate fistula and their relationship to IEMs. They were classified according to the Sennaroglu classification system, and according to different stages of stapes footplate fistula. Results: In the case of a stapes footplate cyst, computerized tomography shows an opacity at the oval window. On magnetic resonance imaging, a fluid filled cystic structure continuous with and having similar signal characteristics to the CSF in the inner ear is a pathognomonic finding of a stapes footplate cyst. It is most commonly found in common cavity anomaly (18.2%); the second most frequent finding is incomplete partition type I (15%). And it can even be seen in cases of cochlear aplasia where only the vestibule is present. Conclusion: If the history reveals recurrent meningitis, particular attention should be given to the oval window area, where an opacity, cyst or a leaking lesion should be looked for on the imaging. It is the responsibility of the otolaryngologist to notice these findings, and to operate on the patient to prevent further attacks of meningitis.
Multiple suicides among Japanese students due to bullying have resulted in the initiation of various mechanisms to prevent, manage and measure the prevalence of bullying (ijime). Ijime is now a problem of epidemic proportions in Japan. Due to the historical roots of collectivism, combined with the rapid industrialization of Japan, the manifestation of bullying is very different from that seen in Western cultures. The Japanese government, through Mombusho (Japanese Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture), and the Japan Center for Family and Child Research, has attempted to respond to the ever increasing incidence of ijime among Japanese students. In an effort to both augment the level of response, as well as increase the scope of understanding, a fellowship was established to facilitate the ability of a foreign professor to research the issue of ijime. This manuscript informs the prevalence and types of ijime-related behaviours, and presents the findings of related interviews and focus groups conducted in Japan. Differences in behaviours at the elementary, junior high and high school educational levels are discussed.
In the event of actuator faults and failures the total resources available to the controller can be severely reduced. In such cases it is important for the controller to be reconfigured to avoid saturating and overloading the remaining healthy actuators. Actuator saturation can lead to loss of system performance and in some cases, even instability. This paper proposes a method of reducing the closed-loop performance requirements through a scheduled reference model, with aim to minimise any saturation in the closed-loop system in the event of serious faults. The reference model is then tracked with a robust sliding mode control allocation scheme to ensure asymptotic tracking despite actuator faults/failures and uncertainty in their detection/estimation.
The classical neuropathologic features of Alzheimer disease (AD) are extracellular amyloid plaque deposition and intracellular neurofibrillary tangle formation, associated with neuronal and synaptic loss and reactive gliosis. Multiple processes are implicated in the initiation and propagation of the pathologic changes in the AD brain—the primary focus being on amyloid precursor protein and amyloid β-protein (Aβ) metabolism, and tau phosphorylation and polymerization. Nonetheless, the causes of neuronal death in stereotypical anatomic regions in AD brain are uncertain. The article by Yao et al. in this issue of Neurology supports oxidative stress as a mechanism of neuronal toxicity in AD, a process amenable to therapeutic intervention.1  Oxidative stress refers to the balance between the generation of highly reactive oxygen species and the antioxidant defenses that clear these molecules. Normal neuronal function relies on a high level …
Ultrasound-assisted water extraction was optimized to recover gelling biopolymers and antioxidant compounds from Mastocarpus stellatus. A set of experiments following a Box–Behnken design was proposed to study the influence of extraction time, solid liquid ratio, and ultrasound amplitude on the yield, sulfate content, and thermo-rheological properties (viscoelasticity and gelling temperature) of the carrageenan fraction, as well as the composition (protein and phenolic content) and antiradical capacity of the soluble extracts. Operating at 80 °C and 80 kHz, the models predicted a compromise optimum extraction conditions at ~35 min, solid liquid ratio of ~2 g/100 g, and ultrasound amplitude of ~79%. Under these conditions, 40.3% carrageenan yield was attained and this product presented 46% sulfate and good mechanical properties, a viscoelastic modulus of 741.4 Pa, with the lowest gelling temperatures of 39.4 °C. The carrageenans also exhibited promising antiproliferative properties on selected human cancer cellular lines, A-549, A-2780, HeLa 229, and HT-29 with EC50 under 51.9 μg/mL. The dried soluble extract contained 20.4 mg protein/g, 11.3 mg gallic acid eq/g, and the antiradical potency was equivalent to 59 mg Trolox/g.
The concept that the Lapstone Monocline and associated faults are old structures which have dominated landform development in the lower Blue Mountains of New South Wales by exhumation of structural ridges of resistant Hawkesbury Sandstone is examined. It is suggested that the Lapstone Monocline is of pre‐Jurassic age and that landforms developed initially on a land surface of more uniform lithology, some features of which are now incised into the topographically higher levels of the Hawkesbury Sandstone. The Rickabys Creek Gravel, the age of which is critical in determining the timing of events and the testing of this theory, has defied all attempts to obtain internal evidence of age.
Rites of integration can establish the appropriate level of psychological involvement between service providers and customers during the service encounter. This facilitates customers sharing information necessary for service production and the favourable evaluation by customers of the cues they perceive during the service delivery process. The design of alternative rites that result in varying levels of involvement are described, as are the consequences associated with customers having their expectations of involvement confirmed or disconfirmed.
Introduction. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based factor VIII (FVIII) gene therapy holds great promise to provide clinical benefit in patients with hemophilia A. However, very high doses are currently needed to achieve therapeutic factor levels and the durability appears to be limited to a couple of years. Vector efficiency could be improved by employing more potent liver-specific promoters, but this might come at the price of overstraining the cellular protein folding capacity, causing FVIII to misfold in the lumen of the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER). This event would in turn activate the unfolded protein response, cause oxidative stress, and if not resolved may even induce cell death.  Aims. The objective of the presented study was to test whether the B-domain deleted (BDD)-FVIII-X5 variant can overcome the secretion challenge of high level FVIII expression in the context of hepatic gene therapy.  Methods. The human FVIII variant BDD-FVIII-X5 harboring 5 amino acid exchanges in the A1 domain was previously isolated in a screen aimed at identifying those residues in porcine FVIII that are critical for efficient secretion. BDD-FVIII and BDD-FVIII-X5 were produced in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells and purified to apparent homogeneity using standard procedures. The preparations were assayed for total protein by UV absorbance at 280 nm and FVIII activity by a chromogenic assay. Both FVIII variants were vectorized using AAV8 and tested in the human liver cell line HepG2 and FVIII knockout mice (E17) at various doses. Resulting samples were assayed for FVIII chromogenic activity. The potential immunogenic risk was evaluated in three hemophilic mouse strains (E17, human FVIII transgenic, humanized HLA-DRB1*1501).  Results. A characterization of purified recombinant Refacto-like BDD-FVIII and the corresponding X5 variant revealed similarity of the two proteins and their specific activities in particular, indicating that introduction of the 5 amino acids from porcine FVIII did not alter functionality of human BDD-FVIII. In vitro expression of BDD-FVIII-X5 in a human liver cell line resulted in substantially increased FVIII activity levels in the supernatant compared with the non-modified BDD-FVIII, commensurate with enhanced secretion of the X5 variant. Intravenous delivery of liver-targeted AAV8 vectors carrying the BDD-FVIII-X5 transgene achieved substantial increases in plasma coagulation activity over BDD-FVIII in FVIII-deficient mice, even when highly efficient codon-optimized F8 nucleotide sequences were employed. Evaluation of the immunogenicity of the BDD-FVIII-X5 variant by an immunological risk assessment did not reveal any increased immunogenic risk compared to BDD-FVIII.  Conclusions: The fully active BDD-FVIII-X5 variant demonstrated improved secretion in vitro and in vivo, resulting in substantially higher FVIII levels in a hemophilia A mouse model. No signs of enhanced immunogenicity were noted in a comparative immunogenicity study. The results obtained warrant further exploration of the BDD-FVIII-X5 variant for a next generation hemophilia A gene therapy.      Horling: Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment. Lengler:Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment. Gangadharan:Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment. De La Rosa:Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hoellriegl:Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Reipert:Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Scheiflinger:Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Xiao:Ivygen: Other: Patent application on FVIII-X5 has been submitted. Rottensteiner:Baxalta Innovations GmbH, a Takeda company: Employment, Equity Ownership.
when he was 38 years old. At the time of onset of renal insufficiency, proteinuria was approximately 2500 mg/ 24 hours and continued at this level during all the years of follow-up until the patient reached ESRD, when a reduction to 300 mg/24 hours was noted. The patient’s mild to moderate hypertension was well controlled at a level of 130/84 mm Hg with an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor until 1 year before the onset of ESRD, when a calcium channel blocker was added. During the 10-year follow-up, the patient’s creatinine clearance (CCr) declined at a rate of 7.9 mL/min/year (Fig. 1). The CAPD program is 4 × 1 L dialysis fluid with 1.5% glucose concentration. The small size of the patient (54 kg body weight and 156 cm height) led to an intolerance of larger intraperitoneal volumes. Before he commenced CAPD, echocardiography revealed a left ventricular mass (LVM) of 430 g and an ejection fraction (EF) of 47%. In view of the renal findings and cardiac dysfunction, enzyme replacement treatment (ERT) with intravenous agalsidase beta (Fabrazyme), 1 mg/kg/body weight initially every other week, was initiated 1 month after he began CAPD. Before the commencement of treatment and after 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 15 months, weekly residual renal creatinine clearance (wCrCr) and renal Kt/V urea (wKrt/Vurea) were determined according to standard equations. Peritoneal dialysis adequacy was also estimated by weekly peritoneal Kt/V urea (wKpt/Vurea) and creatinine clearance (wCpCr). The latter was adjusted for the patient’s size using a nomogram for body surface area. Table 1 displays routine laboratory investigation before and after ERT. The wCrCr rose after 1.5 months of therapy from 29 to 82 L/week/1.73 m 2 . It remained at approximately 80 L/week/1.73 m 2 after 3 and 6 months of therapy; a decrease to 60 L/week/1.73 m 2 was noticed at month 12 and continued until month 15 of therapy [these values are represented in the figure as Ccr (mL/min)]. Also, the wKrt/Vurea rose strikingly, from 0.8 to 2.3 after 1.5 months, remained around 2.0 after 3 and 6 months, dropped to 1.5 after 12 months, and remained stable after 15 months of treatment. The wCpCr, on the other hand, did not change significantly during the same period. Similarly,
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a symbiotic microorganism survives in both soil and roots. 80% of the plant roots acts as the host for the AMF and they are known as the component of soil and functional links between soil and plant. Orchard ecosystem was selected for the study since they are having a diversified plant flora. Roots and rhizosphere soil samples were collected randomly from Rosa indica, Citrus lemon, Emblica efficinalisis, Punica granutum, Mangifera indica orchard located at Gandhigram Rural Institute-Deemed University, Gandhigram, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India. The samples were processed for the presence of AMF in both roots and soil. Wet sieving and decanting method was followed for the isolation of AMF from soil and trypan blue staining was carried out for roots. The mean percent colonization in roots and mean spore population was calculated for a period four months from December 2011 to March 2012. The monthly variation in AMF spore population and root colonization were recognized from the datas obtained. The abundance of AMF is from two families viz., Glomus (G.aggregatum, G.fasiculatum, G.mosseae and Acaulospora (Acaulospora sp)).
ABSTRACT This single-class activity expands current literature on person-centered messages by providing attention to message quality in mediated contexts. Students begin the activity by reviewing a hypothetical scenario in which a friend has posted about a family death loss on social media. After reviewing this scenario, students then create sample supportive messages that they could share with a grieving friend. Students are also asked to apply their knowledge about person-centered messages to evaluate other fictional support messages. Students who participate in this activity will be provided with additional skills for comforting grieving friends effectively. Courses: This single-class activity can be implemented in several courses, including interpersonal communication, the dark side of interpersonal communication, and family communication. Objectives: Students who complete this activity should be able to: (1) outline what qualities comprise a person-centered support message; (2) discuss why highly person-centered messages are effective in providing support to others; and (3) evaluate death loss support messages across levels of person centeredness.
Due to the highly light scattering nature of paper, the imaging depth of optical methods such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) is limited. In this work, we study the effect of refractive index matching on improving the imaging depth of OCT in paper. To this end, four different refractive index matching liquids (ethanol, 1-pentanol, glycerol and benzyl alcohol) with a refraction index between 1.359 and 1.538 were used in experiments. Low coherent light transmission was studied in commercial copy paper sheets, and the results indicate that benzyl alcohol offers the best improvement in imaging depth, while also being sufficiently stable for the intended purpose. Constructed cross-sectional images demonstrate visually that the imaging depth of OCT is considerably improved by optical clearing. Both surfaces of paper sheets can be detected along with information about the sheet's inner structure.
Article history: Received January 22 2014 Received in Revised Format June 6 2014 Accepted June 12 2014 Available online June 17 2014 Selection of robots from the several proposed alternatives is a very important and tedious task. Decision makers are not limited to one method and several methods have been proposed for solving this problem. This study presents Polygons Area Method (PAM) as a multi attribute decision making method for robot selection problem. In this method, the maximum polygons area obtained from the attributes of an alternative robot on the radar chart is introduced as a decisionmaking criterion. The results of this method are compared with other typical multiple attribute decision-making methods (SAW, WPM, TOPSIS, and VIKOR) by giving two examples. To find similarity in ranking given by different methods, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients are obtained for different pairs of MADM methods. It was observed that the introduced method is in good agreement with other well-known MADM methods in the robot selection problem. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Although cross-dressing is a long-standing pantomime tradition, recent pantomimes have featured a male actor playing a traditionally female part while not cross-dressing. An illustration of this is the part of the Fairy in a version of Cinderella developed by production company Qdos Entertainment and performed at the Milton Keynes Theatre in 2017–18, while being toured elsewhere in previous and later years. Casting British celebrity fashion consultant Gok Wan as the Fairy had transgressive potential to promote empowering and positively disruptive attitudes towards gender. Wan the celebrity, in a similar way to the Fairy in Cinderella, uses psychological transformation, with a helping hand from clothes, to give women more confidence in their bodies. However, the overriding focus of the pantomime was on signalling Wan’s homosexuality while dispelling it as harmless. Clichés about gay men were reinforced in the production and paratexts, particularly through the approach to transformation, the use of costuming to frame Wan as Other, the language around being a fairy and the emphasis on male friendship as opposed to romance. When each of these aspects is compared to alternative representations in other popular and widely circulated versions of Cinderella, the reductive nature of this pantomimic portrayal becomes clear, irrespective of Wan’s degree of complicity.
Development of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum begins by starvation of single cells and ends in multicellular fruiting bodies 24 hours later. These major morphological changes are accompanied by sweeping gene expression changes, encompassing nearly half of the 13,000 genes in the genome. To explore the relationships between the transcriptome and developmental morphogenesis, we performed time-series RNA-sequencing analysis of the wild type and 20 mutant strains with altered morphogenesis. These strains exhibit arrest at different developmental stages, accelerated development, or terminal morphologies that are not typically seen in the wild type. Considering eight major morphological transitions, we identified 1,371 milestone genes whose expression changes sharply between two consecutive transitions. We also identified 1,099 genes as members of 21 regulons, which are groups of genes that remain coordinately regulated despite the genetic, temporal, and developmental perturbations in the dataset. The gene annotations in these milestones and regulons validate known transitions and reveal several new physiological and functional transitions during development. For example, we found that DNA replication genes are co-regulated with cell division genes, so they are co-expressed in mid-development even though chromosomal DNA is not replicated at that time. Altogether, the dataset includes 486 transcriptional profiles, across developmental and genetic conditions, that can be used to identify new relationships between gene expression and developmental processes and to improve gene annotations. We demonstrate the utility of this resource by showing that the cycles of aggregation and disaggregation observed in allorecognition-defective mutants involve a dedifferentiation process. We also show unexpected variability and sensitivity to genetic background and developmental conditions in two commonly used genes, act6 and act15, and robustness of the coaA gene. Finally, we propose that gpdA should be used as a standard for mRNA quantitation because it is less sensitive to genetic background and developmental conditions than commonly used standards. The dataset is available for democratized exploration without the need for programming skills through the web application dictyExpress and the data mining environment Orange.
During winter, the polar vortex forms a dynamical barrier in the arctic stratosphere which prevents large scale exchanges between the high latitude and tropical regions. Nevertheless, the occurrence of thin tropical air mass intrusions at the edge of the polar vortex have in fact been detected and modeled. These structures could play an important role in improving our knowledge of the balance between chemical and dynamical processes associated with the ozone budget. After the final stratospheric warming in springtime, the breakdown of the polar vortex occurs and the summer circulation starts to develop. Air mass intrusions from the tropics can be trapped at polar latitudes and persist until August in the anticyclone, advected by summer easterlies. These structures, named "frozen-in anticyclones" (FrIACs), have already been observed in 2003 and 2005 by MIPAS-ENVISAT and MLS-AURA tracer measurements. We present here a new case of FrIAC in 2007 highlighted using MLS-AURA measurements. In order to better understand the dynamical conditions required for such events and the associated processes, we performed a climatology of tropical air mass intrusions using a potential vorticity contour advection model. This climatology reveals a preferred path for exchanges between the polar and tropical stratospheres. Using ERA-Iterim wind and temperature reanalysis from ECMWF, we have established links between FrIAC occurrences and Rossby wave activity. There is evidence that FrIACs can exist if no major sudden stratospheric warming occurs during the polar vortex phase and their development seems favorable if the tropical quasi-biennial oscillation is in the easterly phase.
We are investigating the relation of project planning with project success and introduce project risk as a moderator. We examines how different dimensions (organizational, people, technical and technology, project management, economic and stakeholder) of project risk determine this relationship. A survey is carried out from information technology professionals from 20 registered firms in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB). We find that overall project risk has significant moderation impact on the relation of project planning with project success. Information technology (IT) professionals of KPITB plan risk related project management. Technical, technological and economic aspects are detailed and insights on how other risk factors affect project success in IT sector include in the study. Our research highlights the significance of planning in the presence of risk.
This paper outlines astrophysical issues related to the long-term fate of the universe. The authors consider the evolution of planets, stars, stellar populations, galaxies, and the universe itself over time scales that greatly exceed the current age of the universe. Their discussion starts with new stellar evolution calculations which follow the future evolution of the low-mass (M-type) stars that dominate the stellar mass function. They derive scaling relations that describe how the range of stellar masses and lifetimes depends on forthcoming increases in metallicity. They then proceed to determine the ultimate mass distribution of stellar remnants, i.e., the neutron stars, white dwarfs, and brown dwarfs remaining at the end of stellar evolution; this aggregate of remnants defines the 'final stellar mass function.' At times exceeding  ensuremath{ sim}1--10 trillion years, the supply of interstellar gas will be exhausted, yet star formation will continue at a highly attenuated level via collisions between brown dwarfs. This process tails off as the galaxy gradually depletes its stars by ejecting the majority and driving a minority toward eventual accretion onto massive black holes. As the galaxy disperses, stellar remnants provide a mechanism for converting the halo dark matter into radiative energy. Posited weakly interacting massive particles are accreted by white dwarfs, where they subsequently annihilate with each other. Thermalization of the decay products keeps the old white dwarfs much warmer than they would otherwise be. After accounting for the destruction of the galaxy, the authors consider the fate of the expelled degenerate objects (planets, white dwarfs, and neutron stars) within the explicit assumption that proton decay is a viable process. The evolution and eventual sublimation of these objects is dictated by the decay of their constituent nucleons, and this evolutionary scenario is developed in some detail. After white dwarfs and neutron stars have disappeared, galactic black holes slowly lose their mass as they emit Hawking radiation. This review finishes with an evaluation of cosmological issues that arise in connection with the long-term evolution of the universe. Special attention is devoted to the relation between future density fluctuations and the prospects for continued large-scale expansion. The authors compute the evolution of the background radiation fields of the universe. After several trillion years, the current cosmic microwave background will have redshifted into insignificance; the dominant contribution to the radiation background will arise from other sources, including stars, dark-matter annihilation, proton decay, and black holes. Finally, the authors consider the dramatic possible effects of a nonzero vacuum energy density.
Supplemental irrigation and mulching are management practices commonly used in agriculture. This study aimed to quantify soil temperatures in bare and covered soils with and without irrigation. The evaluations were carried out in Southern Brazil (Santa Maria–RS). The experimental area was divided into six treatments consisting of bare soil with irrigation, bare soil without irrigation, and soil-covered areas using transparent plastic mulch (100 μm), black opaque plastic mulch (110 μm), white opaque plastic mulch (150 μm) and straw at a rate of 5 t ha-1. Soil temperature readings were taken once daily at 5 cm depth at 3 pm (18 UTC) from October 10, 2011 to May 31, 2012. Moreover, hourly measurements were also made during four sunny days (cloudless sky) in October, November, January and March. Daytime soil temperature decreased as the following sequence: transparent plastic (42.4 °C), black opaque plastic (37.8 °C), bare soil without irrigation (33.4 °C), bare soil with irrigation (29.2 °C), straw covering (27.0 °C) and white opaque plastic (24.6 °C). Soil solarization is a potential mulching method to increase soil temperature in Santa Maria–RS, Brazil.
This monograph is focused on the analysis of security issues in Latin America. In this line, a team of researchers from diverse geographic latitudes and with different visions present academic contributions that try to discern and provide innovative elements for the study of the various issues related to security in the region and, in this way, provide new variables and questions in the search for regional and global solutions.
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are promising tools for intracellular delivery. However, no consensus regarding their internalization mechanism has been reached within the scientific community. Although endocytosis seems to be the preferred internalization mechanism for most CPP-cargo complexes, examples of direct translocation have also been identified. In this review we go through the several ways of studying CPP-mediated cargo delivery in cells and the possible factors affecting the internalization pathways followed by these complexes. In addition, we analyze the CPP-mediated delivery of two relevant cargoes, namely quantum dots and nucleic acids, focusing on the internalization mechanism that they follow.
Active power filter (APF) can effectively suppress harmonic current, and harmonic detection is an important part which can directly influence the effect of APF. Based on the traditional adaptive noise cancellation theory (ANCT) harmonic detection method, this paper proposes an improved variable step size adaptive harmonic detection algorithm. This algorithm uses sliding integrator to find the tracking error which can truly reflect the tracking situation, and brings it into the updated formula which is based on the L2 norm to adjust step. The L2 norm refers to the 1/2 power of the sum of squares of the vector elements. In this way, with the improvement of convergence speed and steady-state accuracy, it will have better practicability. Simulation results show that this algorithm can detect harmonic current quickly and accurately. And applying this algorithm to APF can make the effect of harmonic compensation better and enhance the power quality.
The unicellular marine algae, Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin, Cyclotella cryptica Reimann and Cyclotella meneghiniana Kützing (Bacillariophyceae) and Porphyridium aerugineum Geitler (Rhodophyceae) synthesized and accumulated glycine betaine and proline in response to increases of the NaCl concentration (150 to 1000 mol m-3 NaCl) of the growth medium. C. cryptica and C. meneghiniana also synthesized and accumulated homarine (N-methyl picolinic acid betaine). Both P. tricornutum and P. aerugineum synthesized increasing amounts of intracellular glycerol and P. aerugineum also formed the heteroside, floridoside [O-α-D-galactopyranosyl (1 → 2)-glycerol], in response to the elevated salinities. No major low molecular weight carbohydrates were found in Cyclotella. Sucrose was not detected in the algal extracts. Only P. tricornutum synthesized the tertiary sulphonium compound, β-dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP), and the quantity of this solute in the alga was dependent on the amount of NaCl in the medium. Intracellular K+ concentrations in the algae were three to six times greater than those of Na+ . Increases of the salinity of the media led to the uptake and accumulation of K+ by the cells, and smaller increases of Na+ and Cl-1 and loss of intracellular NO3 - . The inorganic cations Na+ and K+ , with their accompanying anions, and the estimated organic solutes could largely account for the osmotic balance of P. tricornutum and P. aerugineum.
Upper limb motion analysis gives a distinct advantage to both player and coach alike to help improve key parameters related to bowling in cricket, including detection of bowling actions that may be considered illegal within the rules of the game. Motion capturing using MARG (Magnetic, Angular Rate and Gravity) is increasingly becoming popular in various sports and health applications, especially with regards to dynamic environments where conventional vision based methods show limitations. This paper outlines an alternative approach to analyze upper limb motion using MARG wearable sensors, compared to traditional vision based motion capture systems which can be quite costly and fail to fully simulate on-field conditions. The approach uses three MARG sensors mounted on specific locations of the bowler's arm. The critical bowling window is automatically detected from the start of the arm action to the point of ball release, the extension angle measured in order to determine the legality of the delivery. Infield testing was carried out among bowlers from a leading cricket academy in Sri Lanka, where each bowler was given a set of deliveries to bowl under a prescribed testing protocol. Further development of this method will involve expanding to a full body monitoring system with an extended software tool that will be useful for coaches, trainers and sports science researchers. This will extend the usefulness of this approach beyond cricket to diagnose technique and posture related sports injuries, opening a wide range of opportunities to examine performance parameters widely used in sport science.
Purpose: In [1] we introduced the DAVID system which is able to perform permanent in vivo verification of IMRTphoton beam profiles. Results of the applications of the DAVID system during daily irradiations will be presented. Methods and Materials: The DAVID system is a flat, translucent multiwire ionisation chamber, placed in the accessory holder of the Linac. Each of the detection wires is positioned in the projection line of a MLC leaf pair. The signal of each wire is proportional to the line integral of the ionisation density along this wire. During the dosimetric verification of an IMRT plan, the values measured by the detection wires are stored as reference values. During daily treatment the wire signals are re‐measured and compared to the reference values. To introduce the system into clinical routine, standard cases have been irradiated for a typical number of fractions without the patient in the beam. By this we had the possibility of introducing artificial errors (like de‐calibrated MLCs or neglected IMRT segments) and of analysing their detections. Results: The system proved itself as an easy‐to‐handle sensitive device for in‐vivo verification. Clinical relevant errors due to decalibrated MLCs or neglected IMRT segments could be detected. The set‐up time for the system, preceding the first measurement of the day, is less than five minutes, so that a minimum amount of additional time is needed during the morning check of the linear accelerator.Conclusions: The DAVID system was introduced into the daily routine without any problems. Conflict of Interest: The work was performed in collaboration with PTW‐Freiburg.
Abstract What explains the action of United States legislators in matters of international trade? Do they only respond to protectionist pressures or are they also responsive to pressures from groups favourable to free trade? Is their vote primarily influenced by diffuse or concentrated interests? What is the role played by ideology and partisanship in determining their vote? Given the increasingly important share of exports in the US economy in recent years, the presence in their constituencies of industries potentially hurt by more protectionist policies should influence the voting patterns of members of the US Congress to a similar extent as would the presence of import-sensitive industries. The analysis of a composite index of support for free trade suggests that US senators are not sensitive only to the protectionist demands of import-sensitive industries, but also to exporters' demands for the maintenance of policies consistent with a liberal trade regime. In sum, the political responsiveness that leads legislators to defend industries in their constituencies is not a one-way street. Interdependence means that it can also work to foster the maintenance of existing liberal policies. Résumé Comment expliquer l'action des législateurs aux Ètats-Unis en matière de commerce international? Répondent-ils uniquement aux pressions protectionnistes ou sont-ils également sensibles aux pressions des groupes favorables au libre-échange? Votent-ils en fonction d'intérêts diffus ou d'intérêts spécifiques? Quelle, est la part de l'idéologie et de l'affiliation partisane dans la détermination du vote? Etant donné la croissance importante de la part des exportations dans l'économie américaine ces dernières années, la présence d'industries qui risquent de souffrir d'une politique protectionniste devrait influencer le comportement 1égislatif au même titre que la présence d'industries vulnérables à l'ouverture des marchés. L'analyse d'un indice d'appui au libre-échange suggère que les sénateurs ne répondent pas seulement aux pressions protectionnistes mais qu'ils sont aussi sensibles aux intérêts des exportateurs. En bref, l'interdépendance fait en sorte que le réflexe politique qui porte les législateurs à la ddfense des industries de leur région n'est pas à sens unique et peut agir en faveur du maintien d'accords de libéralisation commerciale existants.
BACKGROUND The clinical efficacy of cancellous screws (CS) and femoral neck system (FNS) internal fixation in the treatment of femoral neck fracture (FNF) was compared in this research.   METHODS Ninety-six patients with FNF were enrolled in this study. There were 47 cases in FNS group and 49 cases in CS group. The data of operation time, intraoperative bleeding, bed days and complication were recorded. Patients' joint function was evaluated by Harris score. At the last follow-up, the cost-effectiveness analysis of the two methods was analyzed according to the total cost of patients and hip function.   RESULTS The intraoperative blood loss of the patients in FNS group was significantly higher than that in the CS group, but the length of hospitalization was significantly lower. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between FNS and CS. The joint function of FNS group was significantly better than that of CS group at 3 months after operation. There was no significant difference in Harris score between the two groups at the last follow-up. The overall medical cost of FNS group in 1 year is high. Cost-effectiveness analysis showed that compared with CS group, FNS group needs to pay 5761.1 yuan more for each additional Harris score.   CONCLUSION FNS and CS internal fixation can achieve satisfactory clinical results in the treatment of FNF. FNS treatment is helpful to the early functional recovery of patients, but the overall medical cost is high.
The structure of transverse MHD shock waves in an initially partly ionized plasma is studied using a three-fluid model with collisional transport coefficients. This model includes the effects of non-equilibrium ionization and of ion velocity slip. A closed set of structure equations is obtained and it is shown that they have a saddle-point – saddle-point topology which prohibits direct integration. In distinction from previous MHD shock structure studies, it is not possible to reduce the number of variables in a realistic manner to allow direct integration, nor is it possible to use the method of matched asymptotic expansions. An iterative solution method is presented in this paper, based on a detailed analysis of the integral curve topology.
Software process assessments are now recognized as important quality improvement activities in the software industry. However, most assessment applications are generally regarded as infrequent, expensive and disruptive for the workplace. Hence, it is advantageous to find alternative ways to the current status of software processes and monitor the implementation of improvement activities. In this paper, we focus on continuous process assessment and capability monitoring. A web-based prototype system is developed to perform a practical study on continuous software process assessment in one process area: project management. The study results show that features such as global management, well-defined responsibility and visualization may help improve the efficiency and continuity of software process management.
Introduction Oxidative stress is currently proposed as a risk factor associated with the development and progression of osteoporosis. Here, the effect of 2,3,5,4’-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glycoside (THSG) on oxidative damage was investigated in an osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cell model. Material and methods In this study, MC3T3-E1 cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (100 µM) and THSG (20, 50 and 100 μM), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). ROS and MDA levels were measured using specific kits. Meanwhile, cell viability and apoptosis were also assessed using MTT methods and flow cytometry, respectively. Then, expression levels of Nrf2 and its downstream targets were determined using real-time PCR and western blotting, as well as the apoptosis related factors, including Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, and caspase-9. Results Upon H2O2 treatment, cell viability was significantly decreased, while THSG clearly attenuated this decrease in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the negative control, H2O2 significantly decreased ALP and increased the levels of MDA, ROS and apoptosis, while THSG markedly reversed these effects in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, THSG was identified to reverse the elevation of caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax and the reduction of Bcl-2 induced by H2O2. For the Nrf2 signaling pathway, THSG was also observed to attenuate the up-regulation of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1, and the down-regulation of NF-κB induced by H2O2. Conclusions THSG could significantly attenuate oxidative damage induced by H2O2 via the Nrf2/NF-κB signaling pathway, providing new insights for treatments of osteoporosis induced by oxidative injury.
Our ability to effectively retrieve complex semantic knowledge meaningfully impacts our daily lives, yet the interactions between semantic control and semantic representational systems that underly successful access and transient failures in access remain only partially understood. In this fMRI study, we contrast activation during successful semantic access, unsuccessful semantic access due to transient access-failures (i.e., ‘tip-of-the-tongue’, ‘feeling-of-knowing’), and trials where the semantic knowledge was not possessed. Twenty-four participants were presented 240 trivia-based questions relating to person, place, object or scholastic knowledge-domains. Whole brain analyses of the recall event indicate comparable recruitment of prefrontal semantic control systems during successful and unsuccessful semantic access and greater activation in representational systems in successful access. Region-of-interest analysis of domain-selective areas showed that successful access was generally associated with increased responses for both preferred and non-preferred stimuli, with the exception of place-selective regions (PPA, TOS and RSC). Both whole brain and Region-of-interest analysis showed the particular recruitment of place-selective regions during unsuccessful attempts at semantic access, for all stimulus domains. Collectively, these results suggest that prefrontal semantic control systems and classical spatial-knowledge-selective regions work together to locate relevant information and that access to complex knowledge results in a broadening of semantic representation to include regions selective for other knowledge domains.
The pyrotechnic and thermal properties of a range of binary magnesium-strontium nitrate compositions containing from 10% to 90% by mass of magnesium have been determined. The burning rate and light output were measured after consolidating the compositions into cardboard tubes. The exothermicity, temperature of ignition and time to ignition of the compositions were also determined and the products of combustion were characterized
Objective:To evaluate the clinicopathologic features and prognosis of patients with orbital lymphomas. Methods:Clinical and pathologic data of 35 patients with biopsy-proven orbital lymphoma diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital from 1992 to 2001 were reviewed. Lymphomas were divided into low-grade and high-grade lymphomas. Survival of patients was compared according to age, gender, disease site, extent of disease, tumor grade, and treatment modality by using log rank test. Results:Median patient age was 75 years (23-94) and the male-to-female ratio was 1:2.9. Twenty-three patients (66%) were diagnosed with low-grade lymphoma, and 12 patients (34%) were found to have high-grade lymphoma. Among low-grade lymphomas, marginal zone lymphoma (n = 6), follicle center cell lymphoma (n = 6), and small lymphocytic lymphoma (n = 5) were common entities, whereas diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma (n = 5) was the most common entity in patients with high-grade lymphoma. Disease was clinically localized in 74% of patients at the time of diagnosis. Radiation alone or with chemotherapy was the primary treatment modality in 83% of patients. All except one patient had an objective response to therapy. Over the median follow-up period of 47 months (range, 1.5-141 months), disease recurred in 37% patients who achieved a complete response. The estimated 5- and 10-year survival rates were 64% and 42%, respectively. Overall, 13 (37%) patients died, 6 with high-grade and 7 with low-grade lymphoma. No clinical variable was found to be prognostically significant with respect to survival. Conclusions:Orbital lymphoma is a disease of the elderly with a female preponderance. It tends to be localized to the orbit at the time of diagnosis and responds well to local or systemic therapy.
In the second part of the article devoted to Jakub Frostig (1896-1959), his research from the 1930s on insulin coma treatment is presented in a broader context. Frostig began his research in the psychiatric hospital Zofiówka in Otwock and continued after his emigration to the United States. Thanks to new sources, we managed to determine the reasons underlying Frostig's departure from Poland. At the end of the 1930s, the issue of emigration became a necessity for him, saving his life and his family. Frostig was well aware of the political atmosphere at the time and the threats that followed. The inability to make a scientific career in Poland was the first impulse to look for a job abroad. After taking over the post of director of Zofiówka in 1933, this factor ceased to be decisive. The feeling of danger born on the wave of European anti-Semitism, especially in Germany, after Hitler came to power, came to the fore. Efforts to obtain awork permit in Switzerland and Australia proved unsuccessful. Eventually, just before the outbreak of World War II, Frostig managed to emigrate to the USA, where he concentrated on popularizing the treatment of psychiatric disorders with insulin comas in the local psychiatric environment. He did not accomplish a scientific career in the USA as he intended. His life story came full circle, and just as in the first years of his professional career in Lviv, he was forced to switch to a private practice. Despite the difficulties mentioned above, Frostig played a significant role in Polish psychiatry and greatly contributed to its development.
Background:Plastic surgeons are increasingly involved in the repair of complex ventral hernias. Although this typically involves recurrent incisional hernias, operative strategies can be applied to most abdominal wall defects, including chronic wounds with or without exposed mesh, enterocutaneous fistulas, or hernias associated with significant pannus formation. Methods:This is a retrospective review of a single institution/single surgeon experience of complex ventral hernia repair performed over a 5-year period. Patients were classified into different hernia types based on their characteristics and underwent hernia repair according to the presented algorithm. Results:A total of 133 patients underwent a complex ventral hernia repair between January 2005 and September 2009. The separation of components technique was used in the majority of cases. Permanent or biologic mesh was added in select patients. Adjunctive procedures were performed as indicated. The majority of short-term (less than 1 year) recurrences occurred in patients expected to have impaired wound healing due to comorbid conditions. In these patients, the recurrence rate was reduced when autologous repair was reinforced with mesh. Conclusion:Autologous tissue is the preferred method for reconstruction of complex ventral hernias. In certain instances, such as contamination, use of an acellular dermal matrix mesh is added as a temporizing measure. A subset of patients who will be prone to recurrence remains. Long-term follow-up is needed to confirm reliable and reproducible results.
This paper aims at investigating how Nursing undergraduates face death. It is a qualitative study; fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with nursing undergraduates who attend the third and the fourth years of their course in a college located in northern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Results show the difficulty Nursing undergraduates experience when dealing with their patients death-dying process during their apprenticeship; the difficulty in dealing with anxiety, guilt, and impotence generated by the experience; the attempt to escape from contact with the patients relatives by taking on technical and bureaucratic aspects of their work; the apprenticeship professor/supervisors lack of support when a patient dies; and a lack of knowledge about the psychological phases of death. I have concluded that Nursing undergraduates are not prepared to experience the death-dying process of their patients-to-be due to the fact that they have few opportunities to discuss the theme during their undergraduate course.
Without using any templates or surfactants, flowerlike α-nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) was successfully synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method. The prepared products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and N2 adsorption-desorption. The prepared Ni(OH)2 is α-phase with specific surface area of 245.0 m2/g and shows flowerlike structure with 4-6 um in diameter.
Purpose: To provide basic data about haircut variations that demonstrate the shape and length of the haircut transformations after a combination haircut of a onelength cut and a medium-graduation cut depending on head region segmentation and slice lines. Method: Head regions were segmented into F-G (front-side point ~ golden point), S-GBMP (side point ~ golden-back medium point), and E-B (ear point ~ back point) with the slice line being A-line, parallel, and V-line. A mediumgraduation cut from the head angles for the upper part and a one-length cut from the celestial axis for the lower part was applied for the haircut. Result: As a result of applying the aforementioned methods, a new style of haircut was developed with changes in shape and length of haircuts according to the height of the segmented positions. Conclusion: It is found that haircut designs change in accordance with the positions of head region segmentation and a novel hairstyle can be achieved with combinations of basic cutting styles. Additionally, it has been verified that the same type of a haircutting style can bring about different haircut designs by employing slice lines.
The Indian pangolin, Manis crassicaudata is under serious threat due to hunting for local consumption and for international trade in skins, scales and meat, and to a lesser extent, loss and deterioration of its habitat. This species is listed as ‘Endangered’ and included under Appendix II of CITES. Because of their nocturnal, burrowing and secretive nature, information on their biology in the wild is very limited. They are difficult to maintain and rarely breed in captivity. Although several zoos have maintained this species, births in captivity have been reported by very few zoos: Calcutta zoo, Oklahoma zoo, Nandankanan Zoological Park. Although earlier studies have described nocturnal behaviour and activity pattern of Indian pangolins in captivity, observations on their mating behaviour are limited mainly because mating is seldom observed. This study reports on mating behaviour observed in captivity.
Intracranial endovascular interventions provide effective and minimally invasive treatment of a broad spectrum of diseases. This area of expertise has continued to gain both wider application and greater depth as new and better techniques are developed and as landmark clinical studies are performed to guide their use. Some of the greatest advances since the last American Heart Association scientific statement on this topic have been made in the treatment of ischemic stroke from large intracranial vessel occlusion, with more effective devices and large randomized clinical trials showing striking therapeutic benefit. The treatment of cerebral aneurysms has also seen substantial evolution, increasing the number of aneurysms that can be treated successfully with minimally invasive therapy. Endovascular therapies for such other diseases as arteriovenous malformations, dural arteriovenous fistulas, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, venous thrombosis, and neoplasms continue to improve. The purpose of the present document is to review current information on the efficacy and safety of procedures used for intracranial endovascular interventional treatment of cerebrovascular diseases and to summarize key aspects of best practice.
In this paper we present a patch antenna with compact low profile for Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), the size tag of the proposed label is 25 × 25 × 3 mm. Both of the radiating part and the feeding portion of the antenna is given located in the same plate for easy implementation. The resistive and reactive components for the input impedance of the antenna can easily be adapted to the variable impedance for the chip size for the loop and the supply for the distance between the feed loop and radiating patch. The patch antenna has a planar profile proposed eliminating the need for and against the multilayer structure thus leading to ease of manufacture and reduced cost. The antenna functions satisfactorily on metal plates, so that it is applicable in many applications. The proposed design is verified by simulation.
We investigated the impact of administration and inquiry skills on Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 1974, 1991, 1993) protocols collected for the Italian adult nonpatient reference sample. The same research team collected CS protocols on two occasions. The initial reference sample (N = 212; Lis, Rossi, & Priha, 1998) was collected under the supervision of experienced psychologists who carefully studied CS administration and scoring procedures (Exner, 1986, 1990, 1993). The second sample (N = 101; Lis, Zennaro, Calvo, & Salcuni, 2001) was collected after the team obtained additional and sustained CS training from Rorschach workshops certified instructors. Both samples were scored, reliably but they showed large differences on many codes, with protocols from the second sample being richer and more complex than the first. The results indicate that administration skills can have a dramatic impact on CS protocols and may contribute to variations in samples collected by different investigators. Training standards should be devised to insure uniform administration procedures are followed when collecting CS protocols.
The recent global pandemics are generating serious problems in the elderly population and those who suffer from previous ailments When a person is infected, he / she is usually isolated from the rest of persons in his / her room to avoid transmitting the virus In most cases, especially those who live in nursing homes, often remain in bed with difficulties in moving So, their monitoring and control of evolution is sometimes difficult To solve this problem, this paper presents a non-invasive wireless mobile system to monitor elderly people in nursing homes The system is composed by an electronic device with several sensors to monitor vital signs such temperature, cough, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation and, difficulty breathing of patients and an Android application to manage the medical data Additionally, the system uses a local server to store the data and provide it to the nurses and physicians Both the application and the process of collecting data have been tested together to check the correct generation of alerts and patients' labelling of degree of urgency
Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is associated with various comorbidities and an early diagnosis and treatment is necessary to avoid the development of these comorbidities. Unfortunately, there is no biochemical marker that can be used for early diagnosis of ED. Nitric oxide (NO) is released by nerve and endothelial cells in the corpora cavernosa of the penis and is believed to be the main vasoactive chemical mediator of penile erection. Adropin is a regulatory peptide which has effects on NO bioavailability and energy homeostasis. We hypothesized that adropin may contribute to the pathogenesis of ED because of the presence of both metabolic effects and the influence on NO bioavailability. To confirm this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship between ED and serum adropin and NO levels. Material and methods Seventy-five ED patients were enrolled for this study and the patients were divided into two groups according to angiographic scoring. Serum NO and adropin levels were measured by the Griess reaction and ELISA method, respectively. Results Serum adropin and NO levels were found to be lower in the group which has higher angiographic score and the difference in NO was statistically significant. Also, adropin has a significant correlation between IIEF scores in ED patients. Conclusions This is the first study in the literature investigating the levels of adropin in ED patients having coronary artery disease. The adropin molecule shows a promising future in clarifying the etiopathogenesis of ED. More comprehensive and multicenter studies are needed to reveal the role of adropin in ED and the effects of treatment on this molecule.
We reported the synthesis of a tris(triazolylmethyl)amine (TTA)-bridged organosilane, functioning as Cu(I)-stabilizing ligands, and the installation of this building block into the backbone of mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (TTASi) by a sol-gel way. Upon coordinating with Cu(I), the mesoporous CuI-TTASi, with a restricted metal active center inside the pore, functions as a molecular-sieve-typed nanoreactor to efficiently perform Cu(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition (CuAAC) reactions on small-molecule substrates but fails to work on macromolecules larger than the pore diameter. As a proof of concept, we witnessed the advantages of selective nanoreactors in screening protein substrates for small molecules. Also, the robust CuI-TTASi could be implanted into the body of animal models including zebrafish and mice as biorthogonal catalysts without apparent toxicity, extending its utilization in vivo ranging from fluorescent labeling to in situ drug synthesis.
Abstract We report results of molecular dynamics simulations of the limiting conductance of Na2+, Cl2−, Na°, and Cl° in supercritical water using the SPC/E model for water in conjuction with our previous study (Lee et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 293, 289 (1998)). The behavior of the limiting conductances of Na2+ and Cl2− in the whole range of water density shows almost the same trend as those of Na+ and Cl−, but the deviation from the assumed linear dependence of limiting conductances of Na2+ and Cl2− on the water density is smaller than that of Na+ and Cl−. The ratio of the limiting conductance of the divalentions to that of the corresponding monovalentions over the whole range of water density is almost constant. In the cases of Na2+ and Cl2−, the dominating factor of the number of hydration water molecules around ions in the higher-density region and the dominating factor of the interaction strength between the ions and the hydration water molecules in the lower-density region are also found as was the cases for Na+ and Cl−. These factors, however, are not so strong as for the corresponding monovalent ions because the change in the energetics, structure, and dynamics are very small mainly due to the strong Coulomb interaction of the divalent ions with the hydration water molecules. The diffusion coefficient of Na° and Cl° monotonically increases with decreasing water density over the whole range of water density. The increase of the diffusion coefficient with decreasing water density is attributed only to the dramatic decrease of the hydration number of water in the first solvation shell around the uncharged species. Among the two important competing factors in the limiting conductance of Na+ and Cl−, the effect of the number of hydration water molecules around the uncharged species is the only existing factor over the whole range of water density since the interaction strength between the uncharged species and the hydration water molecules very small through the LJ interaction. This result has confirmed the dominating factor of the number of hydration water molecules around ions in the higher-density region in the explanation of the limiting conductance of Na+ and Cl− in supercritical water at 673 K.
Uncertainty exists in many of the design variables and system parameters for planing craft. This is especially true in the early stages of design. For this reason, and others, optimization of a craft’s performance characteristics is often delayed until later in the design process, after uncertainties have been at least partially resolved. However, delaying optimization can also limit its potential, because freedom to make changes to a design is also highly limited in the later stages. This paper demonstrates how uncertainty can be directly incorporated into optimization using particle swarm. A simple synthesis model for a planing craft is built, and a deterministic Pareto front of optimal solutions is found, minimizing two objectives; drag and vertical acceleration at the center of gravity. The craft’s weight is then modelled as a normally distributed random variable and sampling methods are used to quantify the uncertainty in the estimated drag for points along the Pareto front. Preliminary results reveal that drag uncertainty is not constant along the Pareto front, presenting useful trade-off information for designers and decisions makers.
DNA‐encoded chemical libraries (DECLs) are collections of chemical moieties individually coupled to distinctive DNA barcodes. Compounds can be displayed either at the end of a single DNA strand (i. e., single‐pharmacophore libraries) or at the extremities of two complementary DNA strands (i. e., dual‐pharmacophore libraries). In this work, we describe the use of a dual‐pharmacophore encoded self‐assembly chemical (ESAC) library for the affinity maturation of a known 4,5‐dihydrobenzodiazepinone ring (THBD) acetyl‐lysine (KAc) mimic for the cyclic‐AMP response element binding protein (CREB) binding protein (CREBBP or CBP) bromodomain. The new pair of fragments discovered from library selection showed a sub‐micromolar affinity for the CREBBP bromodomain in fluorescence polarization and ELISA assays, and selectivity against BRD4(1).
This paper discusses the windowed OFDM systems to reduce out-of-band emissions band and make a deeper spectrum notch for spectrum sharing. However, the communication performance of the windowed OFDM is degraded. In this paper, the performance improvement scheme for the windowed OFDM is proposed. The guard interval signal is extended pre and post of the effective symbol to prevent warping by the window function. The bit error rate performance and reduction level in the spectrum notch are evaluated to show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Moreover, the shape of the window function to obtain better performance is examined.
We test the performance of the Jin–Xin relaxation and Lax–Friedrichs finite volume numerical methods in solving a traffic flow problem. In particular, we focus on traffic flow at a traffic light turning from red to green. Numerical solutions are compared with the analytical solution to the mathematical model. We find that the Jin–Xin relaxation solution is more accurate than the Lax–Friedrichs finite volume solution.
This editorial reflects the work of all of the members of the WHO Working Group on the Classification of Psychotic Disorders, which include Jonathan Burns (South Africa), Peter Falkai (Germany), Saeed Farooq (Pakistan), Wolfgang Gaebel, Chair (Germany), Silvana Galderisi (Italy), Philippa Garety (UK), Michael Green (USA), Assen Jablensky (Australia), Veronica Larach Walters (Chile), Toshimasa Maruta (Japan), and Pichet Udomratn (Thailand), assisted by WHO Secretariat members Geoffrey Reed and Shekhar Saxena and consultant Michael B. First. Jurgen Zielasek (Germany) is rapporteur for the Working Group. The views expressed in this editorial reflect the opinions of its authors and, except as specifically noted, do not represent the official policies and positions of the Working Group, the Advisory Group for the Revision of ICD-10 Mental and Behavioural Disorders, or of WHO.
While the (Semantic) Web currently does have a way to exhibit static provenance information in the W3C PROV standards, the Web does not have a way to describe dynamic changes to data. While some provenance models and annotation techniques originally developed with databases or workflows in mind transfer readily to RDF, RDFS and SPARQL, these techniques do not readily adapt to describing changes in dynamic RDF datasets over time. In this paper we explore how to adapt the dynamic copy-paste provenance model of Buneman et al. to RDF datasets that change over time in response to SPARQL updates, how to represent the resulting provenance records themselves as RDF using named graphs in a manner compatible with W3C PROV, and how the provenance information can be provided as a SPARQL query. The primary contribution is a semantic framework that enables the semantics of SPARQL Update to be used as the basis for a `cut-and-paste' provenance model in a principled manner.
In a case of weak-willed action the agent acts-freely, deliberately, and for a reason-in a way contrary to his best judgment, even though he thinks he could act in accordance with his best judgment.1 The possibility of such actions has posed one problem in moral philosophy, the exact nature of the problem it poses another. In this essay I offer an answer to the latter problem: an explanation of why a plausible account of free, deliberate and purposive action seems to preclude the possibility of weak-willed action. I then try to resolve the first problem by developing this account in a way which allows for this possibility. The possibility of weak-willed action is made problematic by an account which sees free, deliberate and purposive action as involving the conclusion of a piece of practical reasoning. Solving the problem does not require us to abandon this conception but, rather, to notice certain special features of the relation between premises and conclusion in such reasoning.
Polybutadiene rubber (BR)/clay/dimethyl dihydrogenatetallow ammonium chloride (DDAC) composites were prepared by a new preparation method named in situ organic modification. That is, BR, pristine clay, and quaternary ammonium salt were directly melt-mixed without the usual pretreatment of the pristine clay with an intercalatant. BR/pristine clay, BR/organoclay DK4 (modified with DDAC), and BR/clay/DDAC composites were analyzed with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The vulcanization characteristics and mechanical properties of the BR/pristine clay, BR/DK4, and BR/clay/DDAC composites were investigated. Finally, the effects of the processing conditions, clay/DDAC ratio, and clay content on the structure and properties of the BR/clay/DDAC composites were investigated. The results showed that intercalated BR/clay/DDAC composites were prepared. Organoclay DK4 and clay/DDAC effectively accelerated the vulcanization reaction of BR, which was attributed to the existence of the intercalatant used to modify the clay. The tensile strength, elongation at break, and tear strength of the BR/clay/DDAC vulcanizates were greatly improved in comparison with those of gum BR and BR/pristine clay vulcanizates but were somewhat lower than those of BR/DK4 vulcanizates. The dispersion of clay particles in the BR/clay/DDAC and BR/DK4 composites was much better than that in the BR/pristine clay composite. The temperature at the thermal degradation peak of the BR/clay/DDAC composite obviously increased in comparison with those of the gum BR, BR/clay and BR/DK4 composites. The mixing temperature and rotor speed had remarkable effects on the structure and properties of the BR/clay/DDAC composite. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 98: 227–237, 2005
This article presents a framework to compute the receiver noise temperature (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{ mathrm {rcv}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of two low-frequency radio telescopes, the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), and the Engineering Development Array (EDA). The MWA was selected because it is the only operational low-frequency square kilometer array (SKA) precursor at the Murchison Radio astronomy Observatory, while the EDA was selected because it mimics the proposed SKA-low station size and configuration. It will be demonstrated that the use of an existing power wave-based framework for noise characterization of multiport amplifiers is sufficiently general to evaluate <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{ mathrm {rcv}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of phased arrays. The calculation of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$T_{ mathrm {rcv}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> was done using a combination of measured noise parameters of the low-noise amplifier (LNA) and simulated <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$S$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-parameters of the arrays. The calculated values were compared to measured results obtained via astronomical observation and both results are found to be in agreement. Such verification is lacking in current literature. It was shown that the receiver noise temperatures of both arrays are lower when compared to a single isolated element. This is caused by the increase in mutual coupling within the array which is discussed in depth in this article.
Objective: To further elucidate the nature of illness in veterans of the 1990 to 1991 Gulf War (GW) by examining the GW Illness (GWI) definition advanced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which specified caseness as having at least one symptom from two of the three factors: fatigue, mood-cognition, and musculoskeletal. Methods: A total of 311 male and female GW veterans drawn from across the nation were assessed in a survey-based study approximately 10 years after deployment. Results: A total of 33.8% of the probability-weighted sample met GWI criteria. Multiple symptom profiles were found, with more than half of GWI cases endorsing a symptom on all the three factors, and almost all cases endorsing at least one mood-cognition symptom. Conclusion: Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition has some limitations that should be considered, it remains a useful tool for assessing the presence of illness in GW veterans.
Background Hyperglycemia during coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) strongly predicts intra- and post-operative adverse consequences. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the quality of glycemic management during CABG in an academic center regarding peripheral blood and coronary sinus values. Methods This prospective descriptive study encompassed 55 eligible patients undergoing on-pump CABG surgery in 2020. Peripheral blood glucose (BG) was measured four times, before anesthesia induction (T0), before cardiopulmonary bypass pump (CPB) (T1), during CPB (T2), at the end of CPB (T3), and at the end of surgery (T4). The surgeon also took a sample of the coronary sinus BG. Results The BG variations from T0 to T4 were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). The higher values detected in the ASA class III compared to ASA classes II were statistically significant at T1 (P = 0.01) and T2 (P = 0.025): patients with the higher BMI showed the higher levels of BG. In this regard, the differences were significant at T0 (P = 0.0001), T2 (P = 0.004), and T3 (P = 0.015). Regarding coronary sinus, the mean BG was 222.18 ± 75.74 mg/dL. It was also observed that the ASA class III (P = 0.001), longer duration of CPB (P = 0.021), higher IV fluid volume administrated during surgery (P = 0.023), higher BMI (P = 0.0001), and less urine volume at the end of surgery (P = 0.049) were significantly associated with the higher BG of the coronary sinus. Conclusions The existing glycemic management protocols on the CABG patients were acceptable in our hospital. However, the BG level of the coronary sinus was higher than the peripheral one.
With the onset of physical activity, contraction-induced mechanical and metabolic stimuli within working muscle activate molecular receptors located on the terminals of both thinly myelinated (group III) and unmyelinated neurons (group IV). These thin-fibre muscle afferents project, via the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, to spinal and supraspinal sites within the CNS. Over the past 80 years, scientists have recognized the critical involvement of these afferents in the cardiovascular and respiratory responses to exercise, fatigue mediated by the CNS, and musculoskeletal pain (Amann et al. 2015). However, despite a century of research, the exact metabolites and intramuscular receptors mediating group III/IV-activated physiological responses and noxious sensations have not been established. Furthermore, the effect of diseases such as heart failure, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) or fibromyalgia on the muscle afferent feedback system and the potential role of maladaptations of this system in debilitating symptoms of these diseases are largely unknown.
In this paper, a hybrid boundary element technique is implemented to analyze nonlinear transient pile soil interaction in Gibson type nonhomeogenous soil. Inelastic modeling of soil media is presented by introducing a rational approximation to the continuum with nonlinear interface springs along the piles. Modified zdemir`s nonlinear model is implemented and systems of equations are coupled at interfaces for piles and pile groups. Linear beam column finite elements are used to model the piles and the resulting governing equations are solved using an implicit integration scheme. By enforcing displacement equilibrium conditions at each time step, a system of equations is generated which yields the solution. A numerical example is performed to investigate the effects of nonlinearity on the pile soil interaction.
Der fI is a cysteine protease contained in feces of mites and is one of major mite allergens. Recombinant Der fI (reDer fI) that is produced using a baculovirus expression system contains pro-sequences of different lengths. Most of these can be removed by acid treatment. However, IgE-binding activity of acid-treated reDer fI is lower than that of native Der fI at high protein concentrations, and N-terminal amino acids of acid-treated reDer fI are not uniform. Now, a method for processing of the pro-sequence has been developed by producing reDer fI E(-1)K with baculovirus expression system in which the carboxy terminal amino acid of the pro-sequence (glutamate) was replaced by lysine using site directed mutagenesis. No difference in the amount of production was observed upon introducing the mutation into the pro-sequence. Addition of lysylendopeptidase into the culture medium led to processing of the pro-sequence of reDer fI E(-1)K and proceeded the degradation of the other proteins in the medium. Lysylendopeptidase-treated reDer fI E(-1)K was easily purified with an anion exchange column, resulting in 20% increase of the yield. Lysylendopeptidase-treated reDer fI E(-1)K obtained through these processes was compared with the native Der fI. Although some differences were found in protease activity and reactivity with lectins, their N-terminal amino acid and the IgE-binding activity were the same as those of the native one, indicating its usefulness for diagnostic purpose.
Optimal heuristic search has been successful in many domains where the cost of each action can easily be obtained. However, in many problems, the exact edge cost is expensive to compute. Existing search algorithms face a significant performance bottleneck, due to an excessive overhead associated with dynamically calculating exact edge costs. We present DEA*, an algorithm for problems with expensive edge cost computations. DEA* combines heuristic edge cost evaluations with delayed node expansions, reducing the number of exact edge computations. We formally prove that DEA* is optimal and it is efficient with respect to the number of exact edge cost computations. We empirically evaluate DEA* on multiple-worker routing problems where the exact edge cost is calculated by invoking an external multi-modal journey planning engine. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of our ideas in reducing the computational time and improving the solving ability. In addition, we show the advantages of DEA* in domain-independent planning, where we simulate that accurate edge costs are expensive to compute.
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test for an analgesic effect of exercise during labor. PATIENTS AND METHODS 50 women in labor exercised continuously with moderate intensity on a bicycle ergometer for 20 minutes. During rest and exercise, they rated their pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Venous blood was sampled for beta-endorphin, cortisol and catecholamines during rest and directly after exercise. RESULTS 84 percent of the women perceived uterine contractions during exercise as less painful than at rest. 76.2 percent objectified the pain relief by a reduction in VAS units 1.67 +/- 1.01. Beta-endorphin levels were much higher after exercise than at rest (P < 0.001). During exercise the fetal heart rate rose slightly within the reference range. Uterine contractions were more frequent during and after exercise than at rest (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Exercising on a bicycle ergometer during labor seems to be safe for the fetus, a stimulus to uterine contractions, and a source of analgesia, possibly due to the release of beta-endorphin.
This paper introduces an online precision spindle rotation error measurement system based on three point method. In this measurement system, the connection of software and hardware, data acquisition and processing, results displaying and saving and other functions have been realized. The feasibility and reliability of the measurement system have been proved by the measurement of a machining center spindle.
Allosteric cooperativity between peptide and ATP binding sites on cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit was studied kinetically for the reaction of phosphorylation of seven peptide substrates. The allosteric effect was quantified i n terms of the interaction factor α by comparing binding effectiveness of a substrate molecule with the free enzyme and with the enzyme complex with another substrate. It was discovered that the magnitude of the allosteric feedback between these binding sites was governed by the effectiveness of substrate binding, which was varied by using different peptides, and the principle 'better binding: stronger allostery' was formulated. This inte rrelationship was further formalized in terms of a linear-free-en ergy relationship b pC p , S K α =+ holding between the free energy of the allosteric interaction, quantified by the negative logarithm of the interaction factor α (p ) α and the effectiveness of substrate binding quantified by b p. K For the peptide phosphorylation reaction C1 .4 =− and 0.4 S = were obtained. The negative intercept C indicated that the positive cooperativity between the binding sites, characterized by 1 α at millimolar b K values. This means that inversion of the cooperative effect was induced by substrate structure, and allostery was used by this enzyme as an additional mechanism to discriminate between substrates, facilitating phosphorylation of good substrates and providing additional protection against phosphorylation of bad substrates. Some implications of this allosteric mechanism on substrate specificity of protein kinases were discussed.
Integral field unit (IFU) data of the iconic Pillars of Creation in M16 are presented. The ionisation structure of the pillars was studied in great detail over almost the entire visible wavelength range, and maps of the relevant physical parameters, e.g. extinction, electron density, electron temperature, line-of-sight velocity of the ionised and neutral gas are shown. In agreement with previous authors, we find that the pillar tips are being ionised and photo-evaporated by the massive members of the nearby cluster NGC 6611. They display a stratified ionisation structure where the emission lines peak in a descending order according to their ionisation energies. The IFU data allowed us to analyse the kinematics of the photo-evaporative flow in terms of the stratified ionisation structure, and we find that, in agreement with simulations, the photo-evaporative flow is traced by a blueshift in the position-velocity profile. The gas kinematics and ionisation structure have allowed us to produce a sketch of the 3D geometry of the Pillars, positioning the pillars with respect to the ionising cluster stars. We use a novel method to detect a previously unknown bipolar outflow at the tip of the middle pillar and suggest that it has an embedded protostar as its driving source. Furthermore we identify a candidate outflow in the leftmost pillar. With the derived physical parameters and ionic abundances, we estimate a mass loss rate due to the photo-evaporative flow of 70 M$_{ odot}$ Myr$^{-1}$ which yields an expected lifetime of approximately 3 Myr.
In this paper, the phase diagrams and the critical behavior of the spin-1/2 anisotropic XXZ ferromagnetic model (the anisotropic parameter { Delta} in(- infty,1]) on two kinds of diamond-type hierarchical (DH) lattices with fractal dimensions d_{f}=2.58 and 3, respectively, are studied via the real-space renormalization group method. It is found that in the isotropic Heisenberg limit ({ Delta}=0), there exist finite temperature phase transitions for the two kinds of DH lattices above. The systems are also investigated in the range of - infty<{ Delta}<0 and it is found that they exhibit XY-like fixed points. Meanwhile, the critical exponents of the above two systems are also calculated. The results show that for the lattice with d_{f}=2.58, the value of the Ising critical exponent { nu}_{I} is the same as that of classical Ising model and the isotropic Heisenberg critical exponent { nu}_{H} is a finite value, and for the lattice with d_{f}=3, the values of { nu}_{I} and { nu}_{H} agree well with those obtained on the simple cubic lattice. We also discuss the quantum fluctuation at all temperatures and find the fluctuation of XY-like model is stronger than the anistropic Heisenberg model at the low-temperature region. By analyzing the fluctuation, we conclude that there will be remarkable effect of neglecting terms on the final results of the XY-like model. However, we can obtain approximate result at bigger temperatures and give qualitatively correct picture of the phase diagram.
Prediction Markets (PM) method aggregates a large amount of information from various individuals to generate a forecast ... the method responds to changes in market conditions quickly ... it can be used for forecasting sales of new and existing products. Prediction Markets (PM) are a collaborative forecasting tool based on methods from Decision Theory, Collective Intelligence, and Crowdsourcing. Here, participants of PM use play-money to bet anonymously on a specific company outcome. Betting influences the outcome. The outcomes may include forecasts of existing and new products, deadlines, and new product ideas. The PM collects the opinions of all the participating employees, weighs them, and then computes a single-number forecast. In practice it is done with online PM software that is deployed in the company intranet. If the incentives of a PM are well placed, it can give excellent results. Let's say we want to predict the sales of a certain product in the fourth quarter of 2010. In PM, the forecast is represented by the price of a virtual stock; let's call it stock "Q4, 2010." During the PM forecast, which typically takes a few weeks, participants will buy or sell that stock, which will increase or decrease its price, just like in a real stock exchange. The key point is that the final payout value of that stock at the end of a forecast will be set to the actual sales in Q4, 2010, and paid out to traders in play-money Participants will therefore buy or sell shares of that stock depending on whether they think its current price is higher or lower than their expectations about the actual sales in Q4, 2010. Obviously, we are ultimately interested in a sales forecast well before actual sales are known. The current price of the virtual stock represents that forecast. If, for example, the price of stock for Q4, 2010 comes to $55 by the buy and sell orders of traders, then this corresponds to a PM sales forecast of $55 million for that period. The above incentive mechanism is what drives PM, because no one wants to own shares, which will be worth less at the end, according to his individual expectations, or miss an opportunity to buy shares, which will be worth more at the end, again according to his individual expectations. Why does this give us an excellent sales forecast? Consider the following example: Say we forecast sales of Q4, 2010 using PM. The PM trading may last 2 weeks. After 2 weeks of trading the final stock price may have reached, say $55 per share. This tells management that the sales forecast from the PM for the Q4, 2010 period is $55 million, and this information can be used for decision making well before Q4 arrives. Suppose now that actual sales in Q4, 2010 happen to be $55.4 million. The PM forecast is quite close to that. Why? For participants the final payout would be set at $55.4 per share, according to the actual sales. Hence the incentive was to sell (or short-sell) shares when the stock price was above $55.4 and to buy otherwise. Purchases and sales of traders contribute to a good forecast and the PM gives traders the incentive to forecast as close as possible. To arrive at a good PM forecast, we need participants who are knowledgeable about what we want to forecast. For a sales forecast, we can have people from production, sales, finance, marketing, and warehouses, as well as anyone else who has knowledge about the product and the market. To initiate the PM approach you have to have a starting stock price - in this case, the initial stock price of "Q4, 2010." The starting price can be the sales ofthat product in Q4 of the previous year or the best guess of a sales, marketing product manager, or combination. You need to have an incentive to forecast correctly. The incentive here is how much play-money you wind up with in the end over and above what was given in the beginning of the program. The play-money earned can be turned into real prizes, which may be a one-day paid holiday, luncheon with the president, or company-wide recognition. …
The human vasoconstrictor bioassay was used to assess the potency of open applications of Synemol cream (0.025%), Diprosone cream (0.05%), Aristocort-A cream (0.5%), and Valisone cream (0.1%). Intensity of vasoconstriction was determined eight, twenty-four, and thirty-two hours after application. Results obtained from the average intensity scores of the three determinations indicated that Synemol cream (0.025%) is actually a more active compound than are Diprosone cream (0.05%), Aristocort-A cream (0.5%), and Valisone cream (0.1%), and that its activity is longer acting.
Transformation from normal hepatic cell to tumor cell may be accompanied by a loss of ability to metabolize certain drugs by enzymes in the microsomal fraction. This change did not occur to any measurable extent during the “precancerous” stage; nor was it present in hepatic cells adjacent to the DAB-induced tumor. Only the neoplastic cell has lost this function—even severely damaged hepatic cells retained normal levels of metabolism of the drugs used in our experiments.  The loss of enzyme activity in DAB-induced tumors was probably caused by an actual deficit of enzyme protein and not by a cofactor deficiency or by the presence of inhibitors in such tumors.  Animals bearing hepatic tumors may be more “sensitive” than normal animals to some drugs. We have shown some tumor-bearing animals sleep longer after hexobarbital administration.  Possible therapeutic implications are mentioned.
BACKGROUND Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a form of neuromodulation, used to treat chronic neuropathic pain refractory to conventional medical management. Spinal cord stimulators are treatment options when intractable chronic pain has not responded to more conventional treatment modalities. Currently, the use of SCS is contraindicated in pregnancy. Nevertheless, many SCS/neuromodulation recipients are women of child bearing age who may become pregnant. There are no published reports that focus on the possible side effects of SCS or neuromodulation therapy on human fertility, fetal development, pregnancy, delivery, or lactation.   OBJECTIVES The purpose of this current report is to present a case study on the use of SCS/neuromodulation during pregnancy.   STUDY DESIGN Presentation of the case of a 24 year old female who became pregnant after receiving an SCS implantation for pain control secondary to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The SCS was in use at the time of conception but deactivated when patient became aware of her pregnancy and intermittently reactivated for five minute intervals throughout the entire pregnancy.   RESULTS Currently very little documented evidence is available regarding the safety of using a SCS/neuromodulator during pregnancy; therefore its use during pregnancy is contraindicated. Available literature suggests that, women who have chosen to keep the SCS/neuromodulator activated during pregnancy have delivered healthy babies without any life threatening complications.   LIMITATIONS Case presentations do not provide conclusive evidence of treatment effectiveness. This data is only preliminary and future studies should be used to assess outcomes and measures to provide quantification of the SCS implantation during pregnancy.   CONCLUSIONS Women of child bearing age who are recipients of SCS/neuromodulation implantation should be informed of the limited knowledge available regarding the impact of SCS/neuromodulation use during pregnancy. For current recipients, decisions about ongoing use during pregnancy should be an individual decision based on the potential risks and benefits.
In 60 patients (48 cases were evaluated) with primary gout a longterm therapy (5--10 years) with Allopurinol was performed. Without treatment 4.4 sudden onsets of gout per patient and year were registrated; under Allopurinol only 0.062 (p less than 0.001) onsets were observed. This resulted in a large decrease in hospitalisation time from 44 days to 0.62 days per patient and year. In the majority of cases involution or diminuation of the tophi was found. In 7 cases of nephrolithiasis no further renal colic took place. In 8.3% a skin rasch and in 12.5% a slight gastrointestinal side effect was observed. Together with the clinical results the socio-medical aspects are discussed and the importance of gout in respect to the socioeconomic point of view is pointed out.
The pyrotechnic TiH/sub 0.65/KClO/sub 4/ (THKP) is shock initiated in a through-bulkhead actuator (TBA) manufactured at UniDynamics. In the testing of various lots of THKP, we observed an apparent lot-to-lot variability in the shock sensitivities of the powders. The shock sensitivity for each powder lot was obtained by firing fifty TBA units each specially machined with a different bulkhead thickness. These powder lot qualification tests were both expensive and time consuming. For those reasons, we developed a new sensitivity test that is less complicated, inexpensive and consumes less THKP powder. In addition, it has the advantage that we can now easily vary several powder parameters such as density, powder preparation and condition, powder mass and the diameter of the powder column. Our new test method consists of simultaneously shocking 20 simulated TBA units in a so-called shock board. The shock board contains the simulated TBAs around its periphery; the TBA simulators can have various bulkhead thicknesses and are easy to machine. The simulators are mounted at the ends of EXTEX tracks that are all fired at the same time by a detonator located at the center of the board. After firing the assembly, the units are checked for function andmore » the data analyzed using the ASENT computer program. 8 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.« less
Cicatricial pemphigoid is an autoimmune bullous disease characterized by mucous membrane fibrosis with resulting scarring, predominantly in the conjunctival and oral mucosa, which rarely involves skin changes. The majority of patients present with painful erosions or desquamative scarring gingivitis, resulting in eating and drinking disorders. Typical ocular lesions include chronic scarring conjunctivitis with progressive subconjunctival fibrosis, fornix foreshortening and synechia formation between the bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva, occasionally resulting in blindness. A 69-year-old woman was admitted to our Department for intense pain and severe burning sensation in the oral cavity, induced by several erosions and solitary blisters, lasting for 3 years. She was also diagnosed with the right eye symblepharon, lid entropion, trichiasis, leukoma and blindness of the right eye. The diagnosis of cicatricial pemphigoid was based on clinical picture and histopathology combined with immunofluorescence methods, with therapy initiated thereupon. Systemic corticosteroid (methylprednisolone) therapy in combination with azathioprine proved successful in the treatment of oral lesions as well as for stabilization of ocular lesions. Unfortunately, the patient was diagnosed in the advanced stage when scarring had already occurred. Prompt recognition of cicatricial pemphigoid and close patient monitoring are an imperative for the future prognosis of the disease.
Adopting local parameterized continuous trend method and bifurcation theory, this paper studied the optimal installation location of static var compensator(SVC) in AC/DC interconnected system. Taking the WSCC9 node test system for example, by tracking the epidemic curve of the system equilibrium solution and searching the bifurcation point of system stability limit, the more sensitive bus to insufficient reactive power compensation was obtained in the system. And the voltage stability of the whole AC/DC system at a bus node was improved to realize the compensation of the system reactive power in the most economic situation.
The administrative civilization is a concept with independent academic and practical significance,and needs theoretical explanation.To carry out this explanation,one must first seek for inspirations from the Marxism works,because the beginning of the elaboration of administrative civilization can be found concealed in the works by Marx and Engels,and Lenin and Mao Zedong have extended its theory logically from the perspectives of theory and practice.Nowadays,the concept and theory of administrative civilization are important contents in the three development stages of the socialism theory with Chinese characteristics: Both Deng Xiaopeng's "The Three Represents" and the scientific outlook on development contain rich ideas of administrative civilization.
The clinical condition of a 78 years old male is reported, with a thrombotic occlusion of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, expressed by the acute onset of intermittent claudication of both legs, two months previously to the observation. On physical examination a pulsatile mass was observed in the abdomen, with no expansion, with 7 cms of diameter; femoral pulses were absent. CT-scans confirmed the clinical diagnosis, revealing the presence of a recent thrombus occluding the aortic lumen. The patient underwent the conventional open surgery, consisting in the resection of the aneurysm and replacement with a prosthetic graft, from the aorta to both common femoral arteries. The post-operative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged, asymptomatic, having recovered peripheral pulses in both legs. The main aspects of this rare complication of the abdominal aortic aneurysm are reviewed and discussed, based on the information of the literature on the subject.
A Quick Response (QR) tag based Verification Method (QRVM) used with Internet of Things (IoT) applications is proposed to verify and enable authorized requests by user to access a smart IoTbased application.QR-tag encrypted values are compared to original values. Three-layers have  been proposed to attain security objectives. The  first layer relates to the IoT-based application’s  integrity by performing a verification procedure to QR-tag’s contents. The second layer concerns the availability whereas user’s information are stored in offline database to disable any access caused by threats.The third one periodically generates an authenticated QR tag using 1-session private key to prevent both information leakage to attain it confidential.The QRVM aims to increase the IoTbased application privacy.The QRVM contribution is that it is useful to verify requests that need permissions to access such IoT automatic access systems and smart home applications. QRVM is evaluated in terms of security factors e.g., availability. Results confirmed it is faster than other competitive methods. In addition, results discussed QRVM’s robustness against unauthorized access’s attempts and brute force attack.
The paper employs cointegration, Fully-Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Error Correction and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) techniques to investigate the relationship between economic growth and financial development using annual time series data (1971-2010) from Ghana. Three measures of financial development are used: domestic credit as a share of GDP; domestic credit to private sector as a share of GDP and broad money supply as a share of GDP. Evidence from our data suggests that financial development undermines economic growth in Ghana. The paper, therefore, cautions against financial liberalization in Ghana.
By using the methods of literature study, questionnaire and mathematical statistics theauthor makes an investigation on physical exercise behavior of some students and makes an analysison relevant environment for mental health. The result shows that the present situation of the studentsparticipating in physical exercise after class is not optimistic, and the formation of the habit of healthbehavior lacks related development environment. Some countermeasures are put forward to improvethe construction of the teaching staff.
The effects of alcohol concentration,liquor ratio, extracting time,pH and other factors on the yield of flavonoids of peper leaves were studied through microwave extraction.The flavonoids extracted from peper leaves reached 11.124 mg/g through a single factor experiment which was carried out through the L9(34) orthogonal extraction under comditions of mild microwave temperature,ethanol of 60% concentration,material ration 1∶30,pH6 and 4 minute microwave radiation.The flavonoids extracted from different-aged peper leaves were different.
In the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident and following more than ten years of research and development, the Real time On-line Decision Support system (RODOS) offers a wide range of alternatives to dealing in an effective and efficient fashion with an accidental release of radioactivity to the environment in Europe. The system is intended to provide assistance to decision-makers throughout the various phases of the accident, covering the plume phase (prediction of the atmospheric dispersion), the post-plume phase (assessing the impact of the contamination on the food chain through both aquatic and terrestrial pathways), and the evaluation of the effectiveness of countermeasures issued to protect the public and the environment against the hazards of ionizing radiation. In the framework of the European Commission's Nuclear Fission Programme, a research project on data assimilation has the task of introducing a practical improvement in the predictive capabilities of the RODOS system.
A behavioural epidemiology framework purports that public health responses should be informed by research on health associations, prevalence and variations, determinants, and interventions. This framework is used in the first section of this article to provide a brief introduction to sedentary behaviour epidemiology, including 'what' is the problem, 'who' has the problem, and intervention approaches. This evidence base can inform public health communications in terms of identifying message content and the target audience. Three challenges for communicating this evidence base are identified: defining sedentary behaviour and what is 'too much'; differentiating sedentary and inactive; and differentiating the behaviour and the context and understanding associated values. To further inform public health communications, and improve understanding of motivation and support advocacy for change, more research is needed to understand the factors associated with sedentary behaviour other than sociodemographic and health-related correlates.
Based on 262 radiographic examinations done during two years the authors have analyzed the compatibility of the radiographic image with the clinical examinations and with the operation results. In the analysis the most frequently occurring lesion level having the character of hernia of the nucleus pulposus, age, sex, and the duration of the disease symptoms were taken into account. The effectiveness of the method, which was verified by surgery was 86.3%. The result is in good agreement with literature data. Therefore, the method can be still recommended, particularly for the x-ray laboratories, which have no possibility to apply non-invasive techniques.
Now the most important reason that limits the development of our country's supermarket chains is the costly and inefficient logistics delivery.A nice logistics delivery system can well improve the efficiency of logistic delivery.This paper make a in-depth demand analysis,designed a efficient logistic delivery system by using WebGIS.We can get the stock control strategy in the conditions of keeping the optimum amount of inventory by bringing optimal control theory into the delivery scheme analysis,and with the help of the hamiltonian and co-state equation,providing a reference for the supermarket purchasing.
Objectives: We investigated the effects of changes in obesity and life style factors, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and exercise, on the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol among Korean men. Methods: This study included 7,205 healthy male employees in the steel manufacturing industry. Each subject underwent health examination in 1994 and was re-examined in 1997. The study subjects were classified into four categories, according to changes in body mass index (BMI) (loss; stable; mild gain: severe gain), cigarette smoking (quitter; nor-smoker; smoker continued; smoker started), alcohol drinking (quitter; non-drinker; drinker continued; drinker started) and exercise (more exercise; continuous regular exercise; continuous irregular or no exercise; less exercise), respectively. We evaluated the relationship between the categories of change in those independent variables and the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol, adjusted for BMI in 1994 and age by analysis of variance. Results: The change in systolic blood pressure was positively associated with the changes in BMI (p
The annual meeting of the Clinical Immunology Workgroup focused on autoimmune vasculitides. The role of innate immunity, T- and B-cells, and innovative therapies for autoimmune vasculitides was discussed. Further topics of the meeting were the role of endothelial microparticles, ghrelin and leptin, regulatory and effector-memory T-cells in ANCA-associated vasculitides, as well as the lethal midline granuloma, intracytoplasmic cytokine-profile in Behcet's disease, autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis, polyarteritis nodosa with cranial manifestation, ILT6 as genetic marker in multiple sclerosis and Sjögren's syndrome, alpha-fodrin autoantibodies in multiple sclerosis, interferon-g autoantibodies in a patient with atypical mycobacteriosis, and autoreactive T-cells in murine lupus.
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Introduction. Chondrolipomas and osteolipomas are uncommon variants of lipomatous tumors. Case report. We presented a 60-year-old woman with ossifying chondrolipoma of the tongue. Clinical examination revealed a firm nodular mass, located in the midline of the posterior region on the dorsal surface of the tongue. Histologically, the lesion was well-delimited showing areas of mature adipocytes arranged in lobules and separated by fibrous connective tissue septa, islands of mature cartilaginous tissue and osseous metaplasia. Trabeculae of lamellar bone within a fibro-fatty background were visible throughout the tumor. The cartilaginous areas merging centrally with bone formation and fatty marrow tissue were present, as well as the hematopoietic elements in the fatty marrow. The bone forming was found to be through both membranous and enchondral mechanisms. Conclusion. Ossifying chrondrolipoma with hematopoietic elements is extremely unusual lesion. This interesting entity should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis of lingual lesions.
The patient was a 58-year-old man who suffered from non-resectable gastric cancer, staged intraoperatively for peritoneal dissemination and paraaorta lymph node metastasis at another hospital in December 2002. He was initially treated with TS-1 as an outpatient. However, he was readmitted on March 4, 2003 for hematuria, general fatigue, jaundice and dyspnea. He was diagnosed with gastric cancer duodenum invasion, obstructive jaundice and lymphangitis carcinomatosa, and began weekly TXL as second-line chemotherapy on March 26. TXL (70 mg/ m2) was infused once a week for 3 weeks followed by a 1-week interval as one cycle. One week after the first infusion therapy, the jaundice and dyspnea were greatly improved. CT scan showed the lymphangitis carcinomatosa had disappeared and paraaorta lymph node metastasis was reduced to 60% after one cycle of the treatment. The toxic events were leukopenia (grade 1) and alopecia (grade 1).
Abstract : This report presents the first in situ sea water measurements of the Beam Spread Function (BSF) and Point Spread Function (PSF). Furthermore, these measurements are valid to much smaller angles than those previously published and should be of value in imaging system analysis. Measurements are presented for sea water ranging from clear coastal to maximum clarity deep oceanic; over an angular range from less than .0001 radians to 180 deg and for propagation ranges up to nine attenuation lengths.
Bacteriologic data and aspiration smears obtained by fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy for a series of 39 cases of tuberculosis were reviewed. Based on the morphologic features of the aspiration smears, the cases were divided into two groups: 18 cases in which distinct epithelioid granulomas were present and 21 in which no granulomas were found but large amounts of necrotic debris with variable numbers of polymorphonuclear cells, histiocytes and lymphocytes were present. Material from the FNA biopsy specimen was submitted for culture and fluorescence studies in 34 cases (15 with and 19 without granulomas). In the first group, auramine-rhodamine staining of smears was positive in 4 of 15 cases and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated in 12 of 15 cases. In the second group, auramine-rhodamine staining was positive in 9 of 19 cases and culture was positive for M. tuberculosis in 16 of 19 cases. The results indicate that studying FNA smears by light microscopy and bacteriologic culture is an effective way of diagnosing tuberculosis.
Advances in computer hardware technologies accompanied by easy-to-use parallel programming software platforms have led to the wide spread use of parallel processing architectures, such as multi-core central processor units (CPUs) and graphic processing units (GPUs), in technical and scientific computing. Among electromagnetic numerical analysis methods, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is very well suited for parallel programming, and several implementations of FDTD have been developed and reported to solve electromagnetics problems orders of magnitude faster. Examination of performances of these implementations reveals that, in general, it is more efficient to solve larger FDTD domains than smaller domains. In this paper it is demonstrated that one can exploit the higher efficiency inherent to the solution of larger problem sizes to solve parameter sweep and optimization problems faster: instead of solving multiple smaller FDTD domains separately, these domains can be combined or stacked to form a larger problem and the large problem can be solved more efficiently. It has been shown that up to 40% faster solution can be achieved on GPUs with this method.
Flight capacity and triglyceride utilization of the beet armyworm,  % Spodoptera exigua % adults during flight at temperatures from 16℃ to 32℃ were investigated. The moths flying at 24℃ exhibited the greatest flight distance and longest flight duration although they could fly normally at all temperatures tested. Adult flight capacity significantly declined at temperatures below 20℃ or above 28℃.These results suggested that the temperature most suitable for their flight be about 24℃. Utilization of energy substrate by the moths during flight was greatly affected by ambient temperature. Variations in flight capacity of adults at different temperatures were primarily caused by differences in triglyceride utilization efficiency by the moth, i.e., the triglyceride utilized for a given flight distance at suitable temperature was much less than at the unsuitable temperature, which might be one of the major reasons for difference in flight capacity of the moth at different flying temperature.
Recently from the point of view of immunoloregulation mechanism,there are some ways,which make use of cell biological and molecular biological methods,to study the mechanism of blood-tonifying of si-wu decoction.T lymphocytes are important mediated cells of cellular immunity.Excessive apoptosis of T cell is the key of hypoimmunity.Blood-tonifying and blood-regulating action of si-wu decoction may relate to intervention in excessive apoptosis of T cell.
Carotid endarterectomy with clamping is performed in 50 patients. Internal carotid artery stump pressure is measured in all cases after clamping at the beginning of the operation. In 35 patients, an increase of systolic pressure is observed which allows a stump pressure more than 70 mmHg in 29 patients. In 15 patients, systolic pressure decreases and a stump pressure more than 70 mmHg is observed in two patients. When the stump pressure is more than 70 mmHg, the clamping is maintained. When the stump pressure is low, the clamping is stopped. A perfusion of Metaraminol increases systolic pressure in all cases: stump pressure is measured again after a second clamping. In 17 cases out of 19, stump pressure increases more than 70 mmHg and the clamping is maintained. In the two cases with a low stump pressure, a shunt is used during intervention.
A brief insight into current and future work in the area of diurnal storage of gas in rock formations. The review represents a condensed version of the wide-ranging technical paper presented to IGE Eastern Section by Peter Cook (above), Regional Planning Engineer with British Gas, and Dr. Andrew Young, of British Gas Engineering Research Station. Copies of the full and wide-ranging paper are available from the Institution.
Reoperation of an haemorrhagic complication after total hip arthroplasty may be not efficacious when, as in the case report, bleeding's origin is not found. The vital prognosis can be quickly set in action and then the arterial embolization be the swift and efficacious solution. The selective arteriography that precedes it allows to locate the bleeding's origin, to estimate gravity of leak and to set indication of embolization. So it is fitting to think of this therapeutic solution that may avoid new operation and new failure.
The rate constant of the gas phase reaction NO + HO2 yields NO2 + OH was measured in an isothermal discharge - flow system at 296 K and at pressures around 700 (Pa). The concentration profiles of OH- and HO2 radicals were measured directly with a laser-magnetic resonance spectrometer. The reaction H + O2 + M yields HO2 + M with He as the main carrier gas was used as the HO2-source. In all experiments NO was in large excess over HO2. The rate constant of the wall reactions of OH and HO2 were determined in separate experiments. The rate constant of the first reaction is found to be Kl (296K) = (3.5 + or = 1) tera (cu cm/molsec). Previous measurements described in the literature are discussed.
This thesis presents the on-going development of methodology for a probabilistic material strength degradation model. The probabilistic model, in the form of a postulated randomized multifactor equation, provides for quantification of uncertainty in the lifetime material strength of aerospace propulsion system components subjected to a number of diverse random effects. This model is embodied in the computer program entitled PROMISS, which can include up to eighteen different effects. Presently, the model includes four effects that typically reduce lifetime strength: high temperature, mechanical fatigue, creep, and thermal fatigue. Statistical analysis was conducted on experimental Inconel 718 data obtained from the open literature. This analysis provided regression parameters for use as the model's empirical material constants, thus calibrating the model specifically for Inconel 718. Model calibration was carried out for four variables, namely, high temperature, mechanical fatigue, creep, and thermal fatigue. Methodology to estimate standard deviations of these material constants for input into the probabilistic material strength model was developed. Using the current version of PROMISS, entitled PROMISS93, a sensitivity study for the combined effects of mechanical fatigue, creep, and thermal fatigue was performed. Results, in the form of cumulative distribution functions, illustrated the sensitivity of lifetime strength to any current value of an effect. In addition, verification studies comparing a combination of mechanical fatigue and high temperature effects by model to the combination by experiment were conducted. Thus, for Inconel 718, the basic model assumption of independence between effects was evaluated. Results from this limited verification study strongly supported this assumption.
OBJECTIVE To reveal the peculiarities of manifestations and treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in patients with peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum, hiatal hernia (HH) and after stomach resection.   MATERIALS AND METHODS 387 patients with GERD, peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum (200 patients), after resection of the stomach Billroth II (150 patients), 37 patients with HH. Videoendoscopic equipment company OLYMPUS (Japan) was used. Biopsies of the mucous membranes of the pylorus, body, angle of the stomach and esophagus were studied to identify preneoplastic changes. HP was determined histologically, cytologically, urease tests.   RESULTS The patients with GERD and peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum were complained on the heartburn, the patients after resection of the stomach--on feeling bitterness in the mouth, with HH--on the pain behind the breastbone. More severe degree of GERD (C and D) was endoscopic feature in patients with HH and A degree or endoscopic negative form--after resection of the stomach. Preneoplastic changes of the esophageal mucosa with columnar epithelium were found in cases of less severe degrees of inflammation. The degree of esophagitis, presence of preneoplastic changes were determined depending on the presence of Helicobacter pylori. Antireflux surgery was performed under strict indications.   CONCLUSION Clinical features, endoscopic, morphological manifestations of GERD in patients with pectic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum, with resection of the stomach and patients with HH were determined. This is dictated the individual differentiated approach to the choice of the treatment.
Background : Hemolysis is the most common pre-analytical error encountered in biochemistry laboratories. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of visible hemolysis on biochemistry parameters done in the emergency laboratory. Materials and methods : 150 blood samples (50 highly hemolyzed, 50 slightly hemolyzed and 50 no hemolysis ) received in the Emergency Biochemistry laboratory of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, were included in the study .They were analyzed for different biochemical parameters and the results compared. Results : No significant change is seen samples with slight hemolysis. However, values of potassium, total and direct bilirubin are significantly elevated and ALPis decreased in samples that are highly hemolyzed. Conclusion: Test values of slightly hemolyzed samples can be reported as there is little interference seen. However, in case of highly hemolyzed samples , values of ALP, potassium, total and direct bilirubin should not be reported.
121 cases of nasal and nasopharyngeal lymphoma were analyzed in this p oer. These cases were divided macroscopically into 4 main types(e. g,giant mass type, nodular type, thickbulgy type and ulcerated type). Microscopic histologic varieties were classified to non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's lymphoma.Differential diagnosis between naso-pharyngeal lymphoma and carcinoma and the problem how to ascertain the primary and secondary tumors were discussed
Multi-user video conferencing has high and diverse bandwidth and performance requirements. We analyse the scaling behaviour of a standard hybrid video codec by varying the quantization degree, the temporal and spatial resolution. We define a framework to select the set of coding parameters when the bandwidth and complexity constraints are known. Additionally, the efficiency of simulcast and layered solutions to overcome large bandwidth and/or computational resource variations among the participants are compared. In this context, the temporal resolution turns out to be the best-suited parameter to provide multiple resolutions through independent streams dealing with the network unreliability.
Chaparrinone (1) and 6alpha-tigloyoxychaparrinone (2) were shown to be responsible for the antitumor and cytotoxic activities of the root bark of Ailanthus integrifolia ssp. calycina. The structure of the latter compound was established by analysis of spectral data. Compound 2 exhibited a more pronounced biological activity than chaparrinone (1) and demonstrates, for the first time, anticancer activity of a simaroubolide ester substituted at only the 6-position.
Objective:To study the rapid methods of bacteria identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of the positive sample for Bact/ALERT system.Methods:Bacterium of positive bacteria were strained,smeared,clonied and adjusted for the concentration,Identification and AST with strips of the ATB system had been done directly.Results:In 63 positive sample results of Staphylococcus,Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermenters (most of Pseudomonas.Aeruginosa).The rate of coincidence with bacterium genus was over 95%,with bacterium species was over 89% to 95% and all of the AST coincidence was between 95% to 97.2%.Conclusions:Bacteria identification and AST with the rapid method in staphylococcus ,Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermenter has high coincidence with that of the standard methods.
HLA Class II serological and DQ beta restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were compared in 69 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 81 healthy British Caucasoid controls. The backbone of the analysis was formed by two Taq 1 RFLPs of the DQ beta region designated T2 omega and T6. The two are not allelic and can be inherited individually, together on one, or separately on both, parental haplotypes, the latter almost invariably in association with DR4. In our study the frequency in IDDM patients of both T2 omega and T6 together (relative risk for IDDM = 6.4) is similar to that of DR3/DR4 (relative risk for IDDM = 5.4) with an even higher relative risk for IDDM when they are combined, (relative risk = 18 with 95 per cent confidence limits between 14 and 22). We have thus defined DQ beta RFLPs which tightly associate with IDDM individuals with DR4.
BACKGROUND/AIMS Anemia is a common condition that is often missed. We aimed to devise a questionnaire for detection of occult anemia.   METHODOLOGY A questionnaire survey was done of 442 new gastroenterology outpatients to detect potential symptoms of anemia. Then hematology tests were performed and anemia was defined by World Health Organization criteria. Data were analyzed by the stepwise logistic regression method to determine adjusted odds ratios and extract relevant items. After further selection of variables, the sensitivity and specificity of three potential questionnaires were analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves.   RESULTS Seven items were selected and a new questionnaire was devised to detect occult anemia. It showed a sensitivity of 70% and also a specificity of 70% when back-tested on the subjects.   CONCLUSIONS This new questionnaire may be useful for detecting occult anemia.
Yellow phosphorus is a high energy-consuming product,whose overall energy consumption tops the industrial products,and energy-saving is a key issue.For various losses during the energy transfer in the yellow phosphorus production,various influencing factors are analyzed and discussed,and corresponding energy-saving measures are proposed to reduce the overall energy consumption for yellow phosphorus.
Four enigmatic depressions, traditionally referred to as 'tiger's paw traces' and 'human footprints' from 'Li Cunxiao Fighting Tiger' site of the Maling Mountain area in Xinyi City of Jiangsu Province are here interpreted as dinosaur tracks belonging to the Early Cretaceous Tianjialou Formation of the Dasheng Group. Only one of the 'tiger's paw traces' at the largest depth preserves recognizable digit tracks, suggesting it is a left theropod track, with posterior medial hallux trace, forming part of a linear trackway with steps of~50cm. Alternatively, the track may be a small sauropod right pes track forming part of a trackway in which the left side footprints were not registered. Malingshan tracksite demonstrates another case of how dinosaur tracks influenced Chinese folklore.
Objective To observe the curative effect in the treatment of onychomycosis with itraconazole pulse therapy.Method Total patients were 200.The course of treatment was to take orally itraconazole capsule twice every day,each time 200mg for 7 days and to stop taking it for 21 days.For fingernail onychomycosis 2 courses were needed,and for toenail onychomycosis 3 courses.Results The cure rate of onychomycosis was 91.46% in 82 patients with fingernail onychomycosis and 81.36% in 118 patients with toenail and both fingernail and toenail onychomycosis.The fungal infection clearance rates were 98.5% and 97% respectively in the patients with fingernail and toenail onychomycosis.Conclusions Itraconazole short-phase therapy is a high-efficient,small side-effect,high safety and low recurrent therapy for onychomycosis.
Background & Aims: Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors reduce colon cancer risk by mechanisms that are not fully understood. We performed microarray analysis of adenomas from ApcΔ14/+ mice to identify genes that respond to these drugs. Methods: ApcΔ14/+ mice were given a single daily injection of parecoxib for up to 9 weeks; intestinal tracts of these and control mice were analyzed by microarray analysis, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and quantitative real-time PCR. Findings were further assessed using Apclox/lox vil-CreERT2 mice, the CT26 cancer cell line, and human colon tumour samples. Results: Microarray analysis revealed that osteopontin, a marker of colon cancer progression, was downregulated in polyps from ApcΔ14/+ mice given parecoxib, compared with controls. ApcΔ14/+ mice given parecoxib had longer survival times and reduced polyp burdens. Osteopontin was quickly downregulated by parecoxib in intestinal polyps from ApcΔ14/+ mice and 2 components of the osteopontin regulatory network—the orphan nuclear receptor NR4A2 and Wnt/β-catenin signalling—were sequentially repressed. NR4A2 activated the osteopontin promoter in CT26 cells; this effect was blocked by mutation of the NR4A2 binding response element, cotransfection of a dominant-negative form of NR4A2, and small inhibitory RNA against NR4A2. NR4A2 levels were increased throughout tumor progression in ApcΔ14/+ mice, but unlike osteopontin, did not correlate with tumor stage. NR4A2 levels were reduced in adenomas from patients treated with rofecoxib. Conclusions: Downregulation of osteopontin, probably through blockade of NR4A2 and Wnt signalling, is an important component of the antitumour activity of COX2 inhibitors. These factors might be developed as therapeutic targets for intestinal cancers.
27 cord blood samples from healthy newborns were processed according to a "whole blood" flow cytometric analysis. The CD3-positive T cells are characterized by their variability: 44.8 +/- 13.3% of lymphocytes with a lower expression of the gamma delta T cell receptor. The majority of the CD3+ cells are CD38+. Newborn T cells have less ability than adult T cells to express IL-2 receptors as well as HLA-DR. The CD4-positive T cells are equal to 31.0 +/- 10.8% of lymphocytes with a great prevalence of the CD4+/CD45RA+ population. The CD3+/CD8+/CD11b+ cells are increased to 23.4 +/- 7.1% of lymphocytes. The CD57 antigen is not expressed. The NK population, CD16+/CD56+ is increased to 25 +/- 11% of lymphocytes. 68% of CD19+ cord blood B lymphocytes coexpressed CD5. Thus the "suppressive" and "naïve" cells are prominently represented in cord blood.
Introduction:We evaluated the performance of muscle perfusion scan (MPS) to assess muscle perfusion reserve (MPR) for prediction of incident diabetic foot ulcerations (DFU).  Methods: We recruited 41 diabetic patients without any history of DFU. Five mCi 99mTc-MIBI was injected intravenously during repetitive dorsal and plantar right foot flexions. Then posterior calves were imaged and the counts of the region of interests (ROI) over the right and left calves were collected. MPR was calculated as the percentage of counts of right calf ROI–counts of left calf ROI / counts of left calf ROI.  Six patients did not complete the study, 3 of them due to technical errors. Patients were followed for possible occurrence of DFU for at least 12 months.  Results: During the 563±84 (range: 309-633) days follow up period, 2 patients developed DFU (5.7%). MPR was insignificantly lower in patients who developed foot ulceration in comparison to those without foot ulceration (11.3±0.6 % vs. 63.4±40.8 %; p=0.08). The cutoff at first decile of MPR values (i.e. 16%) discriminated the patients with and without future DFU with accuracy of 92% (OR= 3; p-Value=0.005).    Conclusion: MPS is useful to detect patients with diabetes at risk for future DFU.
In order to find out the distribution of major chemical composition in flue-cured tobacco from tobacco- growing area of Qujing, the characteristics of chemical composition in flue-cured tobacco and its correlation between each others were studied by detecting the contents of soluble sugar, reducing sugar, total alkaloid, total nitrogen, potassium, chlorine, starch and sulfur in 6 381 samples of flue-cured tobacco, which were five main cultivars with 3 levels (B2F, C3F, X2F) and collected from nine Counties (Cities and Districts) of Qujing main tobacco-growing area. The results showed that the contents of total sugar and starch in Qujing flue -cured tobacco were higher; the contents of reducing sugar, total nitrogen, total alkaloid and sulfur were suitable; the contents of potassium and chlorine were lower. The contents of sugar and starch in variety of K326 were significantly lower than that of the other varieties; the contents of total nitrogen, total alkaloid, potassium and chlorine were significantly higher that of the than other varieties. The content of sulfur in Honghuadayuan was the highest. The difference of chemical composition between Yunyan85 and Yunyan87 was not significant. The difference of other chemical compositions in flue-cured tobacco from each area was small, except chlorine's. The correlations between each chemical compositions reached significant or extremely significant level, except potassium and chlorine's.
Objective:To explore the changes of levels of serum IL-10,ET-1 and IgE of the patients with asthma at stage of episode or remission and their clinical significance. Methods:The serum levels of IL-10 and IgE were measured in 35 cases of asthma at stage of episode and 31 cases of asthma at stage of remission and 30 healthy controls by ELISA, the serum levels of ET-1 were measured by radioimmunoassay method. Results:The level of IL-10 was (11.8±4.4)pg/ml in the asthma attacking patients, which was significantly lower than those of remission patients (15.9±6.0)pg/ml and normal controls (19.2±7.3)pg/ml(P0.01). The levels of ET-1 and IgE in the asthma attacking patients were (78.4±8.3)ng/L and (364.2±105.7)IU/ml, respectively, significantly higher than those of remission patients (39.2±7.8)ng/L, (219.7±41.6)IU/ml and normal controls(34.7±6.5)ng/L, (89.4±26.5)IU/ml(P0.01). It was suggested that ET-1 and IgE had negative correlation with IL-10 (r=-0.68,r=-0.74, P0.01),and ET-1 had positive correlation with IgE(r=0.66, P0.01).Conclusion:IL-10 and ET-1 participate in the occurrence and development of asthma. The serum level of IL-10 and IgE in asthma is significant.
To determine the relevance of a documented allergic profile as a predisposing factor in radiographic contrast media (RCM) reaction, we investigated its incidence among 100 subjects who underwent RCM studies. Fifty of these subjects reacted to RCM (reactors) and 50 were non-reactors (controls). All 100 subjects completed an allergy questionnaire, allergy skin testing, and in vitro assay to common allergens. Sixty-eight percent of reactors and 30% of controls had a positive history of allergy/hypersensitivity (P less than .001). Fifty-six percent of reactors and 24% of controls had positive skin test (P less than .005). These data suggest that allergic individuals are at twice the risk for developing adverse RCM reaction as compared with non-atopic subjects.
Centrifuges will continue to serve as a valuable research tool in gaining an understanding of the biological significance of the inertial acceleration due to gravity. Space- and possibly lunar-based centrifuges will play a significant and enabling role with regard to the human component of future lunar and martian exploration, both as a means of accessing potential health and performance risks and as a means of alleviating these risks. Lunar-based centrifuges could be particularly useful as part of a program of physiologic countermeasures designed to alleviate the physical deconditioning that may result from prolonged exposure to a 1/6-g environment. Centrifuges on the lunar surface could also be used as part of a high-fidelity simulation of a trip to Mars. Other uses could include crew readaptation to 1 g, waste separation, materials processing, optical mirror production in situ on the Moon, and laboratory specimen separation.
The use of quantitative, often non-financial, targets and performance measures by businesses and not-for-profit organisations has recently received increasing attention in the academic literature. In the public sector this has been particularly driven by the rise and influence of New Public Management (NPM), resulting in a shift from issues of policy to issues of management, and the break-up of traditional bureaucratic structures. One aspect of these changes is an increasing focus on quantitative measures of performance as a support for better decision making and more appropriate accountability in the public sector. Driven by the NPM agenda, public sector organisations have sought to develop targets that cover all aspects of an organisation’s performance. However, the extent to which such an agenda and focus has impacted varies between countries. This paper seeks to examine the possible role of quantitative targets and measures in public sector organisations in general and, through an exploratory study of annual reports, the nature and breadth of the usage of targets and measures are examined in a comparative study of Ireland and the UK. What is found are significantly different intensities of application between the countries, with the UK applying such ideas in a much more rigorous manner than Ireland. Possible reasons for this are suggested.
A method for forming an MIM(Metal/Insulator/Metal) of a semiconductor device is provided to reduce stress between layers and to enhance reliability by forming an oxide layer having a buffer function. Plural metal lines(210) surrounded by an interlayer dielectric(200) are connected each other through a contact. A plurality of oxide layers(220,230) are formed on the metal line surrounded by the interlayer dielectric. A metal barrier layer(240) is formed on the oxide layer in order to form an MIM structure(250). An upper structure including the multilayer metal line is formed after the MIM structure is formed. The first oxide layer of the oxide layers is formed with the oxide layer having compressive stress of -2.49E8 to -6.49E8.
The large number of small operas rooted in local cultural with local characteristics are facing unprecedented survival crisis and difficulties.To resolve this difficult situation depends on the legal protection and government support,but the most important thing is the small opera's adapting to the times with innovation and remain fresh performing in large market on the basis of operation of the large market.In this way,they can both survive and gain protection and inheritance.
BACKGROUND In previous study, qRT-PCR analysis revealed significantly higher miR-182 levels in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) than matched normal tissues. However, the clinical significance and prognostic value of miR-182 have not been investigated in PTC until now.   METHODS 151 pairs of PTC and adjacent normal thyroid tissues were obtained from Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University from February 2008 to January 2015. The Chi square test was used to analyze the relationship between miR-182 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics. We used the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test in univariate survival analysis, and we used the Cox proportional hazards regression model in our multivariate analysis.   RESULTS The relative expression of miR-182 in PTC samples was significantly higher than that of matched normal tissues (P<0.001). The high expression level of tissue miR-182 was statistically correlated with extrathyroidal invasion (P=0.009), cervical lymphnode metastasis (P=0.015), and TNM staging (P=0.001). The Kaplan-Meier method revealed that higher miR-182 expression level was correlated with significantly reduced overall survival. Furthermore, multivariate survival analysis revealed that miR-182 expression level (HR=2.882, 95% CI: 1.289-10.928, P=0.013) was significantly correlated with the poor prognosis of PTC patients.   CONCLUSIONS Overexpression of miR-182 is associated with aggressive clinicopathologic characteristics of PTC, and miR-182 might be a novel prognostic molecular marker of PTC.
Though Information Retrieval (IR) in big data has been an active field of research for past few years; the popularity of the native languages presents a unique challenge in big data information retrieval systems. There is a need to retrieve information which is present in English and display it in the native language for users. This aim of cross language information retrieval is complicated by unique features of the native languages such as: morphology, compound word formations, word spelling variations, ambiguity, word synonym, other language influence and etc. To overcome some of these issues, the native language is modeled using a grammar rule based approach in this work. The advantage of this approach is that the native language is modeled and its unique features are encoded using a set of inference rules. This rule base coupled with the customized ontological system shows considerable potential and is found to show better precision and recall.
A simple, rapid thin-layer chromatographic method is presented for the detection of barbiturates in blood, serum, or urine in overdose situations. Extraction with ether is followed by evaporation and reconstitution with methanol. Part of the extract is spotted on a 2.5 multiplied by 7.5 cm thin-layer chromatographic plate which is then developed in a mixed solvent system. After drying, the plate is sprayed with n, 2, 6-trichloro-p-benzoquinone imine and heated. The presence of a barbiturate is indicated by a blue spot. Chromatography in another solvent system assists in the identification of the particular barbiturate ingested.
This paper studies the effect of cavitation produced by sonication in the extraction of polyphenolic compounds from Bobal red grape. Thus 11 trials separated into two groups; with and without maceration with the skins, with pulsed or continuous sonication, with their corresponding controls were performed. The results show a clear influence of the maceration with the skins and ultrasonic treatment in the values of color intensity, total polyphenols index, anthocyanins and tannins concentration, and the average degree of polymerization of the tannins extracted. The factors that most influence a greater extraction of polyphenolic compounds are maceration with the skins in combination with pulsed ultrasonic treatment, over continuous treatment.
The design of secure and usable access schemes to personal  data represent a major challenge of online social networks  (OSNs). State of the art requires prior interaction to grant  access. Sharing with users who are not subscribed or previously  have not been accepted as contacts in any case is  only possible via public posts, which can easily be abused  by automatic harvesting for user profiling, targeted spearphishing,  or spamming. Moreover, users are restricted to the  access rules defined by the provider, which may be overly restrictive,  cumbersome to define, or insufficiently fine-grained.  We suggest a complementary approach that can be easily  deployed in addition to existing access control schemes,  does not require any interaction, and includes even public,  unsubscribed users. It exploits the fact that different social  circles of a user share different experiences and hence encrypts  arbitrary posts. Hence arbitrary posts are encrypted,  such that only users with sufficient knowledge about the owner  can decrypt.  Assembling only well-established cryptographic primitives,  we prove that the security of our scheme is determined by  the entropy of the required knowledge. We consequently  analyze the efficiency of an informed dictionary attack and  assess the entropy to be on par with common passwords.  A fully functional implementation is used for performance  evaluations, and available for download on the Web.
The present invention relates to a method for processing a side edge of the upper 18 and the panel, in particular floor panel (1, 2) having a bottom (19), the panels corresponding to each other on the side edges to at least two opposite depending on having a profile, the two identically configured panels (1, 2), and so as to be substantially connected to each other by a vertical joining movement locking in the horizontal and vertical directions, the locking in the vertical direction to the core from may be integrally formed to be done by at least one spring element possible in the horizontal direction of movement, the spring element during the joining movement is substantially inserted at the rear of the locking edge extending in a horizontal direction, a spring element with respect to the core at least and it is exposed by a vertical slot in a real, at least one slot intersecting the entire length of the side edge ratio continuously Configuration and, at least one non-continuous at the configured slot is produced by at least one of the guide tool (41), the panel (2) to be conveyed in the transport direction (x) from below the tool 41, the tool (41 ) is inserted into the core 17 of the panel 2 by a turning motion, the tool is allowed to increase in the opposite direction of the re-insertion tool before it is fully conveyed through the bottom of the panel (2), the tool (41). Turning, the spring, the elastic force, the cross-sectional shape, the bevel.
The microstructure feature of the copper wire and the melted bead and trace in several condations of simulated test were analyzed in this paper. The results reveal that the microstructure of the single wide copper wire melted bead and trace in the fire burned and second short circuit is different from the first short circuit and over load and poor contact. It would provide reference evidence for the fire disaster cause appraisal . But for the copper formed of more thin wire, there are all columnar crystal and equiaxle crystal and small recrystal pellet in the microstructure of copper wire melted bead and trace in the fire burned and second short circuit and in the first short circuit and over load and poor contact. So it wouldn't provide reference evidence for the fire disaster cause appraisal .
VD model was established by the method of repeated ischemia-Reperfusion plus Sodium Nitroprusside in Wistar rats and the protective effects of Xinghuayu were observed.The author analyzed the cognitive ability of rats with the Morris water maze,and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax protein of the rat hippocampus with immunohistochemical staining.The results showed that compared with the pseudo-surgery rats,VD model had more increase in the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax protein of the rat hippocampus(P0.01) and significantly decreased in the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax.After the therapy of Xinghuayu a,b and Ginkto,the number of Bax positive cells of rats hippocampal CA1 area were decreased,especially in the Xinghuayu b group(P0.01),whose ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was higher than the pseudosurgery group and model group(P0.05).The number of Bcl-2 positive cells in rats hippocampal CA1 area of all of the group were increased(P0.05),especially the Xinghuayu b group(P0.01).Results suggest that Xinghuayu can improve the cognitive abilities of VD rats,suggesting that there maybe relevant with the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax protein.
The invention provides a transparent base with an electromagnetic shielding film, a method for producing the same, and an apparatus for producing the same. Disclosed is the transparent base with the electromagnetic shielding film, wherein a primer layer (2), a catalyst ink layer (3) of a predetermined pattern, and a metal layer (4) of the same pattern are sequentially arranged on a flexible transparent film (1). The catalyst ink layer (3) is formed by pressing the primer layer (2) of the transparent film (1) onto a catalyst ink on a plate cylinder for photogravure for a certain period of time, thereby transferring the catalyst ink onto the primer layer (2).
This report presents a method to compose upper-level local operations of shapes such as SWEEP, TWEAK, GLUE etc. in which user-friendliness is made much of, because human-intimate modifying operations are required most in 'trial and error' design process. The method is novel in that the high-level local operation algorithm is composed with the combination of elementary local operations which are different from the famous Euler's operations. Geometric consistency is made much of in the elementary local operations while topological consistency is made much of in the Euler's operations. It is difficult, in reality, for a designer to concentrate on checking geometric consistency rather than topological consistency. It is also novel in that inverse operation is realized, which permits a designer to go back to any previous design stage when he wants to. This enables him to perform shape design freely without being afraid of mistakes.
Wearing of beards is a practice that is very common even from the ancient time and processing the features of another person automatically or saying something about him is a reality we are living with now. Despite the negative narratives about beard wearing nowadays, people from different walks of life still wear beards in Nigeria. The aim of this research was to investigate students’ perception on beard wearing and how their perception would make them to view individuals with beards. The research which was exploratory in nature surveyed 258 (119 males and 139 females) undergraduate students of University of Lagos as participants. A two item self-developed questionnaire was used to elicit responses from the participants. Data were thematically analyzed and themes that emerged showed that students profiled bearded individuals as mature and good looking (42.2%), responsible (35.3%). Hence, a higher percentage of the participants positively perceived individuals with beards. The study concluded that students have positive perception towards beard-wearing individuals.
Abstract We studied seasonal changes in the understorey biomass of an oak-hornbeam forest association Galiosylvatici-Carpinetum betuli. Samples were collected weekly during the most dynamic period of herbaceous layer development (April-May 2010), and every two weeks for the remainder of the growing season (June-October). Samples were collected from 10 randomly selected localities of 0.36 m2 within the plant community. The plants harvested were separated by species, then oven-dried and weighed. There were statistically significant differences in aboveground understorey biomass during the time between harvests. For example, the lowest plant biomass (produced in 2010 and previous years) was found on April 3rd (37.2 kg/ha), whereas the two highest were on May 1st (308.1 kg/ha) and June 12th (337.6 kg/ha). The lowest biomass of plants produced in 2010 was on April 3rd (13.0 kg/ha) and the highest was on May 1st (259.8 kg/ha). When biomass of particular herbaceous plant species were analyzed, there was no one clearly dominant species. For example, from March 20th to May 22nd the biomass of Ficaria verna was the highest at ca. 36% of the total herbaceous layer plant biomass (range: 14.5-51.0%). During the next harvesting period (June-October), there were a few dominant herbaceous plant species, e.g. Geranium robertianum, Stachys sylvatica, Impatiens parviflora, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris carthusiana, Dryopteris filix-mas, and Maianthemum bifolium.
Representing Africa: Landscape, Exploration and Empire in Southern Africa, 1780-1870. By John McAleer. Studies in Imperialism. Manchester UK: Manchester University Press, 2010. Pp. xix, 241, illustrations, bibliography, index. $89.95. As a reviewer for scholars of Africa, the primary challenge of John McAleer's book is to grapple with the fact that it analyzes representations of southern Africa without the overt presence of Africans. In his analysis of paintings, travel accounts, maps, and exhibitions depicting southern African landscapes that were primarily "imagined, produced, and consumed" in Britain, McAleer looks at their impact in Europe rather than in Africa (p. 6). In fact he expressly states that this is not a history of southern Africa and does not deal with the role of, or its impact on, Africa's indigenous people. But examining the European side alone to demonstrate the ways that they "appropriated the spaces of empire" (p. 8) is not possible unless the people of southern Africa are engaged. As part of the "Studies in Imperialism" series, this book is about the way that "British officials, travelers, and artists in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries" represented southern Africa, and particularly South Africa and the Cape, to the British public (p. 2). Although these artists conceived of their work as objective portrayals, they are deployed here to tell us as much about subjective British mindsets as about the landscapes themselves. Landscape representations abstracted from African lives, become the benign prism through which the reader understands the British Empire. The varied ways that Europeans engaged with the landscapes of southern Africa are apparent in the chronological sequence of the chapters. The Cape of Good Hope was first used as a way station for ships and depicted as a "landscape of convenience," valuable for recuperation, a penal colony, strategic control of Indian Ocean trade, and agricultural productivity (Ch. 2). Once the British were in full control of the Cape Colony in the nineteenth century its landscapes were appropriated using familiar aesthetic conventions of "the picturesque," which domesticated the landscape to give new settlers a feeling of security, and "the sublime," which emphasized its unique grandeur accessible only to superior European adventurers (Ch. 3). Once the work of developing the colony was underway the scientific impulse to name and classify the landscape through surveys, mapping, astronomy, taxonomy, collection and traveler's accounts became prominent. …
The role of urban agglomeration is becoming increasingly vital in the process of regional economic and social development.Firstly,this paper expounds the basis of spatial structure optimization,like industry cluster theory,layer domain theory,spatial interaction theory and ecological theory;and analyses intensively the evolution of spatial structure from the aspect of characteristic industrial cluster,involving the phase of de-velopment of a single company from the corporation level,the phase of characteristic industrial cluster from the small towns level,the phase of characteristic industrial cluster in urban areas from the urban level and the phase of characteristic industrial cluster in urban agglomerations from the urban agglomerations level,evolv-ing from splattering spatial pattern to the mode of corridor group network which has fully utilized compara-tive advantages of urban areas and has the principal part of characteristic industrial cluster in urban agglomer-ations.Secondly,the authors construct optimized patterns of spatial structure in urban agglomerations which have the corridor group network mode on a regional,a national and a global scale.Due to distinctions of time and space as well as the development of the characteristic industrial cluster in urban agglomerations,patterns of the optimization of spatial structure in urban agglomerations on regional scale can be divided into the zon-al,radial and concentric corridor group network modes.Finally,the paths of spatial structure optimization is put forward in urban agglomerations region,including innovative ideas and concepts,market integration,ur-ban and rural coordination development,characteristic industry cluster nurture.Therefore,the timely linkage collaboration of urban agglomerations region need to be built up to eliminate administrative economic con-straint,speed lane construction between different cities in urban agglomeration region,and accelerate free flow of production factors like human resource,material,financial,energy and ecological flow.
This study intends to analyze, among different methods to express the distinction of space through materials, the concept of "substitution" where two different materials can come together and be changed into the characteristic of one material and how it is communicated in space. The detailed study results are as follows. First, the substitutive expression method of material can be analyzed into time, space, genre. The substitution in "time" refers to analysis of the results, there were cases where the past material and the current material appeared together, but there was no case where there were changed into one material. Second, the substitution in "space" was most apparent with "nature/artificial," and it could be shown that the natural form was visually directed through expression with artificial material instead of natural material. Third, the substitution in "genre" use materials of other areas which are not often used for architecture as the finishing material to express an interesting space with fresh stimuli. Thus, the study results are expected to be utilized as elementary resource in designing the commercial space with character and high satisfaction from the material.
This paper presents an argument to show how intelligent electronic road user charging systems can contribute to reduce negative environmental effects of the transport sector. This approach depends on state of the art electronic road user charging technologies and the establishment of a system where toll tariffs are dependent on vehicle classes, route and length of the trip, situations on the roads, and environmental data. The author contends that, in this way, real traffic management can be achieved, congestion can be reduced and the choice of vehicle, driving behavior and buying behavior when acquiring vehicles can also be influenced. Apart from the dynamic customizable toll charges, it is very important that the road users are informed about the amount of the fees in advance because this is vital for the success of the dynamic toll system. The authors suggests that the existing infrastructure for traffic management (e.g. central system, traffic radio, situation on the roads over internet) can be used to inform road users of the toll system.
In the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods of the Qing Dynasty,Chinese historians conducted a comprehensive research and re-interpretation of our traditional history,and formed a concept of studying history seeking truth from facts.The concept was not just shown in researching methods and the feature of researching history,but mainly in the academic conception regulating and influencing their practice to study history.
The adjustment of the S-N curve through a general statistical model and thenormalization of the fatigue life of the material permit to establish equivalencies betweenstates of damage for different stress levels. On the other side, the analysis of the stiffnesscurves of composites under fatigue loading provides an important information about thestate of damage accumulation and the failure mechanisms inside of the material. Joiningboth procedures permits to present the stiffness evolution as a function of a normalizedvariable, instead of as a function of the number of cycles, supplying in this way thepossibility of a unified study for results belonging to various load levels and histories.
According to landform condition, hydrology condition, farmland distribution, population scope and settlement size, thewriters make up the principles of the classification and carry out the detailed classification research to twelve officesand eightynine villages Dai minority settlement types of Menlong town. The classification results are:twelve Dai minority settlement types,one mixed settlement type of Dai minority with orther minorities, twenty seven Hani minority settlement types, eleven Lahu mi-nority settlement types, one Buxia minority settlement type, two Ake people settlement types, two unmared minority types, nineBuliang minority settlement types and one Chines settlemen type. The paper makes the appraisal, and analysis to the classificationcharacteristics of the different settlement types and puts forward the model and classification system of the village settlement of Daiminority. Finally the paper probes the present characteristics and existing problems of the village settlements located in moun-tains, semi mountains and river basins and some concrete construction directions and renovation ways to the different settlementypes are raised.
The Microstructure and Physical Properties of Plant-Based Waxes and their Relationship to the Oil Binding Capacity of Wax Oleogels The microstructure and physical properties of rice bran (RBX), sunflower (SFX), candelilla (CLX), and carnauba (CRX) wax were determined using optical light microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, powder x-ray diffraction, and small deformation rheology. Chemical homogeneity is a main factor affecting the morphology of the crystal network, which was determined to be platelet-like. Linear correlation analysis between microstructural features and oil loss values indicated that the fractal dimension of a network decreases as its pore area fraction increases, correlating to more oil loss. Thus, these two parameters can be modified to tailor the oil binding capacity of oleogels. Under static cooling, CLX and SFX exhibited the greatest oil binding capacity. Shear during crystallization under slow cooling increased the oil binding capacity of RBX gels. The addition of wax to the oil phase of an oil-in–water emulsion altered its mechanical behaviour, enabling its use as a zero trans laminating shortening substitute.
Specific retention is defined at Hanford as that volume of water that may be disposed to the soil and be held against the force of gravity by the surface tension characteristics of the soil surfaces and pores, when expressed as per cent of packed soil volume. A history of this method of disposal at Hanford from 1944 through 1957 is presented, and recommendations for its use are outlined. A value of 6% by volume is recommended for specific retention application until unknowns associated with this disposal method can be more completely evaluated. About 6% by volume is thought to be a conservative value that recognizes the uncertainties resulting from poorly defined physical characteristics and lack of more certain information regarding the mechanism. In addition, continued discrimination against disposing of wastes by this method, even under the more restrictive conditions, is recommended. (C.H.)
Deng Xiaoping's theoretical style can be divided into three layers: that of theoretical content, of thinking and of form. Its major content is as follows: distinct feature of the age,firm political direction, thorough practical quality, precious pragmatic spirit, sharp strategic foresight,wide open consciousness, great creative spirit, strong viewpoint of overall situatuon, noble view of people's interest, rigorous scientific approach, deep dialectic thinking, unique theoretical form, brand-new art of language, etc. The distinct features of Deng Xiaoping's theoretical style are characters of age, of nation and of revolution.
Ship structural design now incorporates the weight-saving advantage of high-strength alloys by reducing the thickness requirements of load-bearing members. For fail-safe applications of thin-section material (less than 0.50 in. (12.5MM) thick) in high-performance ship structures, quantitative information concerning the fatigue crack-growth rate (FCGR) in both ambient air and the marine environment is highly important. The paucity and diverse conclusions of presently available information concerning the effect of material thickness on FCGR provides little engineering guidance for the design of thin-section naval structures. This study of FCGR on a 5Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel tested in three thicknesses indicates that internal residual stresses may have a retardation effect on FCGR in this material. When tested after stress relief, although crack growth is accelerated, it is essentially the same for all thicknesses. /Author/
Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution and epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B in 96 districts and counties of Xinjiang and to give useful information for hepatitis B prevention and treatment. Methods Based on the incidence data of hepatitis B in 96 districts and counties of Xinjiang from 2006 to 2019, the global trend analysis method was used to characterize the spatial variability of the disease, and the spatial autocorrelation and spatio-temporal aggregation analysis were used to explore the spatial clustering of hepatitis B and to identify high-risk areas and periods. The Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA)-based spatial age-period-cohort model was established to further explore the influence of age, period, birth queue effect, and spatial distribution on the incidence risk of hepatitis B, and sum-to-zero constraint was adopted to avoid the issue of model unrecognition. Results The risk of hepatitis B in Xinjiang is increasing from west to east and from north to south, with spatial heterogeneity and spatio-temporal scanning statistics yielding five clustering areas. The spatial age-period-cohort model showed two peaks in the average risk of hepatitis B, at [25,30) years old and [50,55) years old, respectively. The mean risk of hepatitis B incidence fluctuated up and down around 1 with time, and the average risk of disease by birth cohort displayed an increasing-decreasing-stabilizing trend. Taking age, period, and cohort effect into consideration, it was found that the areas with a high risk of hepatitis B are Tianshan District, Xinshi District, Shuimogou District, Changji City, Aksu City, Kashi City, Korla City, Qiemo County and Yopurga County in Xinjiang. According to the spatio-temporal effect item, it was found that there are unobserved variables affecting the incidence of hepatitis B in some districts and counties of Xinjiang. Conclusion The spatio-temporal characteristics of hepatitis B and the high-risk population needed to be taken into attention. It is suggested that the relevant disease prevention and control centers should strengthen the prevention and control of hepatitis B among young people while paying attention to middle-aged and older adult people, and strengthening the prevention and monitoring of high-risk areas.
This presentation is an exercise in engaged hermeneutics with a view to the miracles of nature in the New Testament, while avoiding the fallacy of misplaced concreteness. It demonstrates Matthew's understanding of Jesus' emancipatory living in terms of a cultural anthropological interpretation of God's uniqueness and holiness. It places emphasis on the symbolic representation of the Jewish Christian belief that the one and only God may not be portrayed in any manner and the connection this has with the miracle story about Peter miraculously finding a silver (Tyrian) coin in the mouth of a fish from the Sea of Galilee, through Jesus' intervention. The following questions receive attention: How were the miracles of Jesus approached hermeneutically in the past? What are the place and role of Mt 17:24-27 within the immediate and broader context of the Gospel of Matthew? For our understanding of this passage, what is the implication of the recent archaeological discovery of silver Tyrian coins with images of sea-creatures? With a view to the exploitation of society's weak ones and the believer's relationship with his/her environment, how should this Peter-pericope be interpreted?
Vaidya's Critical Edition of the Harivamśa (1969-71) supplies a meticulous review of the recensions which were available at the time of its publication. His work culminats in an Ur-text said to date back to 600 C.E. Examining this hypothetical text, some scholars have identified layers which they believe may be traced back to several different sources. Without rejecting these attempts, this paper works from the assumption that the current form of the Harivamśa gradually took shape over about a millenium (approximately between 200 and 1200 C.E.) and that new material was regularly added (or old material suppressed) in an effort to provide listeners with clearer explanations of important points. It should be kept in mind that whenever a paurānika read a text like this one to anew audience, he did so as the representative of a specific tradition. From the point of view of reception theory, the innovations added are not random accretions of odd bits of material, but rather an indication of a particular hermeneutical stance within which a particular set of additions becomes intelligible. In this paper, I study how an episode that seems to emerge from a later tradition, Krsna's enthronement by the kings in the city of Kundina - rejected in App. I, n°20 of the Critical Edition - duplicates the earlier episode of young Krsna's consecration as Govinda or Upendra after the uplifting of Mount Govardhana. As will become evident, the new episode fills certain gaps in the narrative; but above all, it emphasizes teachings which appear to have been considered central at the time of its writing, namely the generous nature of a god who does not covet the sovereignty of Mathura, who does not hoard the goods he conquers, but rather immediately lavishes them on his devotees. Repetitions of the same textual devices and reuse of old themes are all signs that the Harivamśa intends to answer questions raised by successive generations of Bhagavatas.
This article presents the underlying philosophy and approach to leak-rate testing at St. Lucie 2, typical of plants featuring a free-standing steel containment surrounded by concrete biological shielding. Considerations applicable to plants with steel lined concrete containments are discussed. The experience at the plant demonstrates the value of careful planning, preparation, and execution of an integrated lease-rate test in achieving successful and on-time completion, preventing plant-equipment damage, and maintaining the overall construction schedule. It also proves the value of dedicated, experienced test personnel who are sufficiently flexible to cope with the myriad of unanticipated difficulties that can arise during a test program.
The notions of indirectness and politeness play a crucial role in the negotiation of face during the realization of speech acts such as requests. A request is a directive act and a pre-event which initiates the negotiation of face during a conversational interaction. According to Brown and Levinson (1987), requests are intrinsically face threatening because they are intended to threaten the addressee’s negative face (i.e., freedom of action and freedom from imposition). Following their model of politeness, while a request may be realized by means of linguistic strategies such as on record (e.g., direct and unmitigated) or off record (e.g., hints, irony), a compromise may be reached by the speaker using indirect requests. According to Searle, in indirect speech acts “the speaker communicates to the hearer more than he actually says by way of relying on their mutually shared background information, both linguistic and non-linguistic, together with the rational powers of rationality and inference on the part of the hearer” (1975: 60-61). Thus, in order to minimize the threat and to avoid the risk of losing face, there is a preference for indirectness on the part of the speaker issuing the request to smooth the conversational interaction. It has been observed that higher levels of indirectness may result in higher levels of politeness. According to Brown and Levinson (1987) and Leech (1983) direct requests appear to be inherently impolite and face-threatening because they intrude in the addressee’s territory, and these authors argued that the preference for polite behavior is indirectness. Leech suggested that it is possible to increase the degree of politeness by using more indirect illocutions: “(a) because they increase the degree of optionality, and (b) because the more indirect an illocution is, the more diminished and tentative its force tends to be” (1983: 131-32). According to Blum-Kulka, indirectness is comprised of two types: conventional indirectness (CI) which centers on conventions of language including propositional content (literal meaning) and pragmalinguistic form used to signal an illocutionary force, and nonconventional indirectness (NCI) which relies heavily on the context and tends to be “open ended, both in terms of propositional content and linguistic form as well as pragmatic force” (1989: 42). The link between indirectness and politeness is further supported by Searle’s observation that “politeness is the most prominent motivation for indirectness in requests, and certain forms tend to become the conventionally polite ways of making indirect requests” (1975: 76).
The invention discloses a method for switching multi-input and multi-output modes, which comprises the steps: determining channel quality indicators (CQI) in different MIMO modes; calculating capacity corresponding to the MIMO modes according to the CQI; comparing the capacity corresponding to the MIMO modes, and determining an MIMO mode with the maximum capacity; and when the current mode is other MIMO modes, switching the MIMO mode with the maximum capacity into the current mode. The invention also discloses a device for switching multi-input and multi-output modes at the same time. The invention does not need a complicated calculation process, an extra feedback channel and a comparison operation of threshold values, so that a channel environment is unrelated. The invention can be applied to various changed channel environments without simulation or measurement in advance.
A new type of solid phase extraction column(Bond Elut ENV)was used for the rapid determination of benzo[a]pyrene in edible vegetable oil.And a solid phase extraction purification and high performance liquid chromatography/fluorescence detection method was developed for the determination of benzo[a]pyrene in edible vegetable oil.Samples were dissolved in n-hexane and then purified by solid phase extraction.Chromatographic analysis was performed on a SUPELCOSILTM LC-PAH(25 cm×4.6 mm,5 μm) column using acetonitrile-water(95 ∶ 5) as mobile phase.Quantitation analysis was carried out by the external standard method using fluorescence detecter at λex=297 nm and λem=408 nm.The calibration curve was linear over the benzo[a]pyrene concentration in the range of 1.0-50.0 μg/L(r=0.999 6) with detection limit of 0.3 μg/kg.The recoveries ranged from 79% to 102% with relative standard deviations no more than 9.4%.The method is accurate,practical,simple and fast,and has an extensive application prospect in the determination of benzo[a]pyrene residues in edible vegetable oil.
Abstract The concrete filler-joist floor was a form of fireproof flooring developed in the second half of the 19th century that came to be used quite extensively in industrial and commercial buildings. Iron, later steel, joists embedded in concrete provided a crude form of reinforcing. This form of flooring came to be adopted in Lancashire cotton spinning mills from the late 1870s, but there has been some confusion over the issue, which this paper seeks to clarify. The Bolton architect J.J. Bradshaw was the first known user. Some mill architects followed this lead, but others preferred forms of brick-arch flooring. Filler-joist floors ceased to be used, both generally and in Lancashire cotton mills, after around 1909 as other forms of reinforced flooring became available. Spinning mill construction moved towards the freestanding steel frame, although reinforced concrete framing was not adopted in Lancashire. Lancashire architects have been seen as conservative. However, it is argued that this was not necessarily a bad thing, and that they were willing to use new methods where these were seen as advantageous.
Of the 50 patients we anticipated, we evaluated 14 victims, two firefighters and two people in the crowd who developed anxiety-related symptoms in reaction to the incident. Forty-eight people escaped the building in various ways, with the most amazing being when rubble created a hole in the wall that led to a stairwell where people were able to get out. We transported 11 patients to the local hospital, four were flown to trauma centers in Kansas City, and four refused to be transported. Of those four, one later went to the ED, where he was diagnosed as having an AMI and was flown to a cardiac center in Kansas City.
White root disease caused by Rigidoporus microporus is the most important disease on Hevea rubber. Various control methods were recommended to overcome the disease, but could not solve the problem completely yet. The objectives of this study were to explore antagonistic bacterial isolates from Mimosa sp. rhizosphere, assess the antagonism effectiveness and mechanism against R. microporus in vitro and followed by identification. The methodology were exploration activity, direct opposition test against R. microporus, intracellular and extracellular filtrate test, extracellular enzyme activity test and identification of potential bacteria based on morphological, biochemical and molecular by sequencing the 16S rRNA and gyrB gene. Three potential bacteria strains successfully being isolated from Mimosa sp. rizhosphere that were taken from Hevea rubber plantation, which are Pmg-15, Pmg-29 and Pmg-32. Pmg-32 isolate was able to suppress the growth of R. microporus mycelium on Kingâ��s B, NA, TSA and PDA medium. Pmg-15 and Pmg-29 isolates showed inhibition ability on Kingâ��s B and TSA medium. The inhibition mechanism of those three isolates occurred by extracellular filtrates. The activities of I²-endoglucanase and protease enzyme was shown by Pmg-32 isolate. Intracellular filtrate did not show any significant inhibition activity. Based on molecular identification using 16S rRNA and gyrB genes, Pmg-15 and Pmg-29 isolates classified into Pseudomonas mosselii group, whilst Pmg-32 isolate classified into Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum group.
The article deals with the features and distribution of relative pronouns and the relative element the in Old Saxon. As provided by the present interpretation, the distribution of relative pronouns and the in the Old Saxon poem “Heliand” is regulated by anaphoric correlations (demonstrative pronoun matr the rel). The article analyzes the degree of their regularity and connection with the peculiarities of the morphological system.
Objective To probe the therapeutic effectiveness of microsurgery by small skull fenestra in treatment of hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage in basal ganglion.Methods Total58cases of hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage in basal ganglion ofⅡtoⅣgrade underwent the microscopic-operation treatment.The whole intracerebral hematoma was scavenged by primary operation in all the patients;8cases of hematoma burst into ventricles of brain,microsurgery was done and lateral ventricles puncture for urokinase lavation were underwent at the same time.Results The whole intracerebral hematoma of48cases were totally disappeared after operation.One case had recurring hemorrhage,and no dead in all the patients.The duration of average hospitalization was22days.When discharged,the myodynamia in contralateral lower extremity of9cases was beneathⅠgrade,and the others had ascendingⅡgrade myodynamia.Conclusion To hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage in basal ganglion with operative indication,the microsurgery treatment by small skull fenestral is a safe and effective way.
Onychomycosis accounts for about 20-40% of all onychopathies and about 30% of all cutaneous fungal infections . Worldwide it affects about 5% population . In India, incidence of infection varies from 0.5 to 5% [3, . Prevalence in HIV patients is higher as compared to others . Its incidence is increasing worldwide due to changes in living style like occlusive footwear usage, sports club facilities etc . Its presentation varies according to the route of invasion [7, 8] which may be distal and lateral subungual onychomycosis, proximal subungual onychomycosis, superficial white onychomycosis, total dystrophic onychomycosis and endonyx. These types can clinically present as subungual hyperkeratosis, onycholysis, discolouration, thickening or dystrophy of nail plate. This condition needs to be differentiated from ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 4 Number 4 (2015) pp. 899-905 http://www.ijcmas.com
Device for standing up and rehabilitation for people with motor disabilities. It is provided with a chassis (1) with castor wheels (20) at their apexes and driving wheels (21) in its middle zone, driven by respective motor reducers (22), emerging from said frame a frame (5- 6) medium height level supports with possibility of positional adjustment to a support-knees (7) and at its upper end region hingedly receives a pair of lifter bars (12) which is engageable dorsal harness (10 ) and a rigging of fixed hooks (19) through which is attachable a lumbar harness (18) using the first maneuvers during rise and approach the user, and the second after reaching the standing position on one footrest (2) platform established on the chassis (1), which is hinged to adopt an inoperative position when the device is used for rehabilitation of motion, in which a third perineal and trunk harness attachable to hooks used (19) in spare parts ution lumbar harness (18).
The invention discloses a core-shell structure fireproof decoration foamed sheet and a preparation method thereof. The core-shell structure fireproof decoration foamed sheet is formed by overlapping and bonding a core foaming layer, a permeation closed layer and a shell decoration layer. The core foaming layer comprises foam glass and a coal ash foamed sheet formed by conducting dissolving, mixing, vibration forming, low-temperature curing, demolding and cutting on sodium silicate, silica soil, white cement, quartz powder, coal ash, bentonite, hydrogen peroxide, ammonia water and water. The permeation closed layer is prepared from polymer emulsion, magnesium hydrate, talcum powder and lithopone. The shell decoration layer is prepared from macromolecule resin, cross-linking agents, pigment, magnesium hydrate, nanometer SiO2 and methylsiloxane. The preparation method includes the steps of core foaming layer permeation closing, shell decoration layer slurry preparation, mold preparation, grouting, exhausting, size reducing, solidification shaping, high-temperature processing, cooling, demolding, trimming, grinding, polishing and the like. The sheet is smooth in surface, high in strength, high in glossiness, large in density, small in heat conduction coefficient and capable of being applied to building heat preservation decoration.
The article is a summarization and comment on the "you" sentence from 1990 to now. This article is divided into three parts.First is the internal section of "you" sentence. Second is the "you" sentence of comparison. Third is the summarization of "you" sentence on ancientry and dialect.The author points out that the syntactic description had been paid more attention to in the past. It was not until the 1990s that the analysis of three-level of syntactic,semantic and pragmatic was attached importance to gradually and certain success had been gained,but the further study is needed.
Credit agreement was an agreement introduction of surrender money. Credit agreement usually followed by collateral in form of certificate land and building. In performing an credit agreement when used assurance treasure heir you have to have the consent of the heirs. The act of civil know four golongan heirs who is entitled to treasure relic. Arrangement on salary entitled be the beneficiaries the division of property heir recognized lawfully arranged in article 832 the act of civil law.
In this pa per we present the as pect of a man dib u lar gi ant cell granuloma in spi ral com puted to mog ra phy-based three-di men sional (3D-CT) re con structed im ages us ing com puter graph ics, and demonstrate the im por tance of the vas cu lar pro to col in per mit ting better di ag no sis, vi su al iza tion and de ter mi na tion of the di men sions of the le sion. We an a lyzed 21 pa tients with maxillofacial le sions of neo plas tic and proliferative or i gins. Two oral and maxillofacial ra di ol o gists an a lyzed the im ages. The use ful ness of in ter ac tive 3D im ages re con structed by means of com puter graph ics, es pe cially us ing a vas cu lar set ting pro to col for qual i ta tive and quan ti ta tive anal y ses for the di ag no sis, de ter mi na tion of the ex tent of le sions, treat ment plan ning and fol low-up, was dem on strated. The tech nique is an im por tant ad junct to the eval u a tion of le sions in re la tion to ax ial CT slices and 3D-CT bone im ages.
The dynamic changes of pectinase,xylanase,cellulase,microorganism,pH value and reducing sugar etc.in the process of fast microbial degumming and warm water retting of flax were studied.The results show that the change tendencies of pectinases and xylanases are basically similar in the two retting methods,which identically increase slowly in the prophase,and raise quickly in the metaphase and anaphase.The change tendencies of cellulases have apparent differences,for in the fast microbial degumming of flax,the increase extent of the cellulase activity is rather small and the activity is roughly low(about(0.05 IU/mL),) but in the warm water retting of flax,the cellulase activity begins to increase rapidly after the flax has been fermented for(72 h) and the activity reaches(0.337 9 IU/mL) when the degumming is completed.The change tendencies of microorganisms(degumming bacteria and other bacteria) in the two degumming methods are essentially similar,which increase swiftly in the prophase,and decrease after the degumming is completed.The change tendencies of the pH values and the reducing sugars uniformly present an "U" type and a "M" type respectively.
Background A small proportion of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experience objective clinical benefit after neoadjuvant programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) blockade. A neoadjuvant therapeutic regimen combining immune checkpoint blockade with chemotherapy might improve the treatment effect, but such a regimen has not been tested in patients with resectable stage IIIA/IIIB NSCLC. Methods A retrospective study of 35 patients with resectable stage IIIA and IIIB NSCLC who were treated with neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NCIO) was performed. Patients were evaluated for pathological complete response (pCR), major pathologic response (MPR), safety, and feasibility. The correlations of pathologic response with various clinical factors were studied to identify predictors of pathological response. Results NCIO was associated with few immediate adverse events. NCIO did not delay planned surgery and led to a pCR rate of 51.43% and an MPR rate of 74.29% for the primary tumor. No association was observed between programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression before NCIO and the pathologic response (Pearson’s r=−0.071; P=0.685). However, a significant difference was observed in pathological response in patients with intracavitary and extracavitary tumors (P<0.05). Patients with intracavitary type had a higher pCR (76.47% vs. 31.58%) and MPR (100% vs. 50.00%) rate than patients with extracavitary type (Pearson’s r=0.7280; P=0.0009). Conclusions NCIO was associated with few side effects, did not delay surgery, and achieved a pCR in 51.43% and MPR in 74.29% of resected tumors. No significant correlation was found between pathologic response and PD-L1 expression. While the intracavitary and extracavitary tumors type T was predictive of the pathological response to NCIO.
Jan graduated from a leading Polish business school. He had learned a lot about economics, finance, marketing, and strategy and his grades were excellent. Everything indicated that he was well prepared for his starting career. Very soon he found a job he was dreaming of and started applying what he had learned in real business environment. He has been advancing his career rather quickly and taking over new areas of responsibility. Recently, his boss has asked him to identify a company potentially interested in cooperation especially in the area of research and development. Since his company was operating in a niche market manufacturing very specialized products, very early Jan realized that for a potential partner he would have to look in Southeast Asia, particularly in Japan, Taiwan, and possibly in China. Not without difficulty he came up with a short list of potential partners and scheduled the first meetings with them. Today, his secretary gave him the tickets. Next week Jan and his boss are flying to Asia. Suddenly, he realized that all he knows about Asian culture actually comes from TV and movies. The same was true for his boss. A hundred questions went through his mind. How is he supposed to behave there? What can he say and what not? Will they understand what he has to tell them? How should Jan negotiate with these guys?
Paclitaxel is a deterpene with antitumor activity against a variety of human neoplasms. Paclitaxel cytotoxicity is thought to derive mainly from a stabilization of microtubules as a result of enhanced tubulin polymerization that leads to an accumulation of cells in the mitotic (M) phase of the cell cycle. Because cells in this phase of the cell cycle are known to be radiosensitive, it was thought that paclitaxel, in addition to its direct toxicity, may also sensitize tumor cell populations to radiation. Studies evaluating the radiosensitizing potential of paclitaxel in cultured cells have been equivocal, with only approximately 50% of the tested cell lines showing radiosensitization. To explain this variability, we advanced the hypothesis that the ability of paclitaxel to radiosensitize cells may be inversely correlated to the efficiency with which it induces apoptosis. To test this hypothesis, we studied paclitaxel-induced apoptosis and radiosensitization in seven human tumor cell lines. Approximately one-half of these cell lines showed radiosensitization that was associated with a low apoptotic index (<20% after a 48-h treatment with 10 or 20 nM paclitaxel). The results suggest that the level of apoptosis, after paclitaxel treatment, may predict for paclitaxel-induced radiosensitization, and that it could be introduced as a parameter for the optimization of combined treatment protocols.
economic sociology, globalization and development, and international competitiveness. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University. Gereffi has published numerous books and articles on economic development and business-government relations in various parts of the world. His books include: Manufacturing 2006). Gereffi's research interests deal with the competitive strategies of global firms, the governance of global value chains, industrial upgrading in East Asia and Latin America, and the emerging global knowledge economy. His major ongoing research projects are: (1) industrial upgrading, global production networks, and decent work in East Asia, North America, and Eastern Europe; (2) analyzing the competitiveness of North Carolina industries in the global economy <see China, and India; and (4) innovation and commercialization in the global nanotechnology industry. support these activities, Tim has conducted extensive field research in dozens of countries, with a focus on the automotive and electronics industries. Tim has published top-ranked social science Executive Summary This paper has been prepared in response to a request from Industry Canada to develop recommendations for collecting data on the position of Canadian firms in global value chains (GVCs). While it is widely recognized that the global economy has become more integrated, economic statistics lag behind changes in the global economy. Key national issues like the impact of globalization on firms and workers are debated in the absence of crucial information about the firms that create (and destroy) economic wealth and jobs. Current economic statistics on trade and the activities of multinational firms reflect, and partially reveal the roles that domestic firms play in the global economy, but by and large, we lack the direct measures that are required to assess the position and performance of domestic firms in GVCs. The goal of this paper is to assist the statistical community of Canada in their ongoing efforts to fill that gap. Our first recommendation is for Statistics Canada to collect more detail on services trade using the newly developed descriptions of services products North American Product Classification System (NAPCS) as a basis Our second recommendation is that economic data be collected according to a set of generic business functions, such as strategic management, new product development, operations, marketing and sales, technology and process development, etc. Business functions contain activities that individual establishments may provide internally or obtain from a variety of outside sources, including other establishments owned …
The Network Map application leverages an existing corporate data repository to provide a synoptic view of the telecommunications services provided by U S WEST to a large business client. The phased architecture uses a server to generate data portfolios (consisting of HTML and hyperbolic tree data files) on a weekly basis; at the end user’s convenience, the portfolios are downloaded on to their local computer, where they may be viewed through a standard WWW browser. By providing these data as part of the standard sales support given to all account representatives, we reduce the sales cycle by eliminating time formerly required to manually assemble a synoptic view, and allow the account representative to focus upon building a consultative relationship with the customer.
The psychosocial backgrounds were examined in patients making only slow recovery after lumbar disc hernia operation without organic cause, in patients with recurrent low back pain syndrome, and in a control group of healthy persons. These three groups of persons were employed as skilled or unskilled laborers. For the purpose of the study a self administered questionnaire (MISREP) was completed by the patients. This included psychological, medical, social, and sociological factors. The specific answers obtained were examined by means of statistically relevant methods to determine the difference between the three groups. The disc operation patients and the low back pain patients showed different attitudes to some specific questions. These concerned career prospects, early retirement, subjective assessment of overwork, frequency of illness, negative work conditions, job satisfaction, readiness to be retrained for a suitable job, relations with superiors and co-workers, positive expectations of medical treatment, various symptoms from the vegetative and somatic fields, and symptoms of depression and introversion. The information showed the control group to be most significantly different by a lower readiness for conflict and circumstances less characterized by conflict. The possibility of a specific personality structure is discussed in general and in detail.
In this study, we hypothesized that securely attached infants would in kindergarten perform better on an intelligence test than anxiously attached children. No difference was expected between children of working mothers (working more than 15 hours outside the home) and children of full-time homemakers. Mother-child pairs (N = 77; average age of child was 24 months) were observed during the Strange Situation procedure; three years later, 65 children completed the Leiden Diagnostic Test for measuring intelligence level. Results showed that the securely attached reference group attained the highest IQ. The working status of the mother did not appear to make a difference.
Outcomes research provides many opportunities to explore how care activities, care processes, and care systems impact on individuals and health care resources. This article discusses clinical outcomes research and its connection to real-life situations. A model-building approach is presented to clarify the process of outcomes research by acknowledging multiple variables and how they interact. The process is illustrated through a hypothetical model addressing coronary artery disease. The usefulness of using conceptual modeling typing related variables together while creating a framework for increased understanding of key variables and their interaction is discussed.
The gray system method is applied in the paper, the factors influencing of urbanization are analyzed in Jilin province as follows: the main problems in the process of urbanization increasing the agricultural productivity and the rapid development of secondary industry and third estate. At the same time, according to the general theory of urbanization, the Logistic model is applied to predict the development of urbanization of Jilin province.
Taking urban areas and counties as the study units,the paper constructs indicator system of regional development capacity from economic driving force,social supporting force and resource and environment capacity and then adopts improved entropy method to analyse each indicator quantitatively and compartmentalizes the regional development capacity of the east Longhai industry belt.On the one hand,development capacity of the east Longhai industry belt is much weaker than the average capacity of Jiangsu province.One the other hand,the disparity of development capacity in this region is very clear.The priority in the comprehensive development capacity concentrates on the two cores and the axes of the belt.Based on the analysis of the internal mechanism about spatial differentiation,the papar puts forward the basic strategy to step up the regional development capacity.That is the integration of spatial structures,strengthening the division of work for different areas,perfecting the infrastructure,and optimizing resources and environment.
A classic problem, the design of the tallest column, is solved again using a different method. By the use of a similarity solution the equations are transformed and the difficult singularity at the endpoint is peeled away. The resulting autonomous system has a critical point and the solution must be on its stable manifold. The solution is found by starting near the critical point in the direction of the stable manifold, and solving backwards numerically. This removes the need for an iterative integration method that was previously used. The method is shown to work for clamped or hinged boundary condition and can also be used for other problems involving singularities at the endpoints.
The aims of this study: 1)  d  escribe the quality of item about UAS of the subject  matter of Civics class IV in terms of material, construction, and language,  2)  describe the distribution of the level of cognitive domain of Bloom's ta  xonomy on  the subject of UAS gasal subjects Civics class IV  .  The kind of this research is  description  qualitative.  Techniques of collecting data using interviews, and  documentation  . Validity data using  technique  source  triangulation  . Data analysis  techniq  ues through  panel  analysis.  The results shows that  :  a) The results of the  analysis about the quality of UAS based on the aspect of material, construction,  and the language is that exam question is otherwise very relevant very high and in  accordance with th  e rules of writing question  .  b)  The results of the analysis of the  distribution of the cognitive level of Bloom's taxonomy, known 38 (76%) about  categorize remember (C1), 11 (22%) about categorize understand (C2), and 1  (2%) about categorize apply (C3).  C  o  ncluded that the problem analyzed has  unequal distribution of cognitive domain level, because there is only 1 (2%)  problem categorizing apply (C3). The high percentage of occurrences of cognitive  problems that measure lower order thinking skill, ie 38 (76%  ) about categorizing  (C1), 11 (22%) about categorizing (C2), can be said to be fair because before  students are directed to have high  -  level thinking skills then it should start with  implanting low  -  level thinking skills first.  Keywords  :  exam item, cognitif,  bloom’s taxonomy.
Objective To investigate clinical value of ultrasound in the diagnosis and treatment of ectopic pregnancy.Methods The clinical data of 118 patients with ectopic pregnancy confirmed by operation and histopathological examination from October 2011 to December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients received transabdominal color Doppler ultrasound and transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound before operation,and the accuracy rate of diagnosis and detection rate of imaging findings were compared between two inspection methods.Results The diagnosis accuracy rate of transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound was 98.3% of ectopic pregnancy,16.1% of primitive cardiovascular pulsation,24.6% of embryo,97.5% of pelvic effusion,99.2% of attachment region mass,and 19.5% of intrauterine pregnancy sac;all the diagnosis accuracy rates of transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound were higher than those of transabdominal color Doppler ultrasound(78.8%,6.8%,8.5%,79.7%,82.2%,5.9% respectively);All P 0.05.Conclusions Transabdominal color Doppler ultrasound and transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound are effective methods in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy,but the diagnostic accuracy rate of transvaginal color Doppler ultrasound examination is higher.
Objective To understand the knowledge and attitudes about AIDS among females under reeducation through labor in Jiangsu Province. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted among 404 females in reeducation through labor centers who had committed substance abuse or sex crime. Results Most of the females under reeducation through labor lack knowledge about AIDS. Lass than 50% of them knew the transmission mutes of HIV. Only 35% of them know that it is impossible to distinguish person with AIDS from healthy people. Less than 20% of them knew the   incubation period of AIDS. More than 90% of them did not know the way to prevent HIV infection. More then 90% of them did not think they would be infected. Conclusion Females under reeducation through labor who have committed drug abuse or sexual crime are woefully lacking in knowledge about AIDS. AIDS education for these persons is necessary.
An actuating cable (28), a safety cable (16), the actuating cable (28) having a drive cable pulley (58) wrapped around at least a portion of the circumference, Having a drive for driving and having a safety device for the safety cable (16), the safety device being pivotally attached to the housing (54), with the safety cable wrapped around at least a part of the circumference It has a non-driving cable pulley (68), is connected to the cable pulley (68) via a brake (71), is fixed at a predetermined speed of the safety cable (16) in at least one direction, and is An end, in particular for a service lift (10), in particular for a wind turbine, characterized in that it further comprises a restraining device (31) for braking the safety cable (16) It discloses vinegar cable winch. [Selection] Figure 2
Each year, a relevant proportion of the invited blood donors is eventually deferred from donation because of low hemoglobin (Hb) levels. Deferrals are meant to protect donors from developing iron deficiency anemia after a blood donation, however, they may increase the risk of donor lapse, even though the donor may actually meet the Hb criterion at the time of the next donation invitation. Early estimation of the risk of Hb deferral on the next visit to the blood collection center could be helpful in the management of the blood donation program. This thesis presents studies on prediction models for Hb deferral in whole blood donors. After developing a first prediction model in a sample of Dutch whole blood donors, we developed sex-specific models in a large cohort consisting of 220,946 Dutch whole blood donors. Strong predictors of Hb deferral were Hb level measured at the previous visit, age, seasonality, difference in Hb levels between the previous two visits, time since the previous visit, deferral at the previous visit, and the total number of whole blood donations in the past two years, for both men and women. The discriminative ability of the models was good: the concordance (c)-statistic was 0.89 for men and 0.84 for women. Subsequently, the prediction models were externally validated in a cohort of Irish whole blood donors. Validation demonstrated underestimation of predicted risks and lower c-statistics for men and women compared to the Dutch cohort. Updating the models for the Irish donors resulted in different predictor effects. This improved mainly the model calibration; the improvement in discrimination was small. Increased zinc protoporphyrin (ZPP) levels can indicate iron deficiency, and may be predictive for Hb deferral. Therefore, the added value of ZPP levels to the prediction models was investigated. Addition of ZPP into the models improved discrimination, particularly in women. The added value of ZPP was confirmed by measures of clinical usefulness. The prediction models described above are logistic regression models predicting the risk of Hb deferral. Furthermore, the logistic models consider only the previous Hb level plus a change in Hb level as information on Hb level history. In the last part of this thesis three different linear regression models predicting continuous values of Hb level were developed. The models differed in type of regression model and predictors for Hb level history. Results showed that the history of Hb levels can easily be incorporated in a simple linear prediction model as the mean of all previous Hb levels. A mixed effect model that included all previous Hb levels separately did not outperform the simple linear model. The performance of the linear regression models was similar to the performance of the logistic regression models. Results from studies presented in this thesis show that with a limited number of easy-to-measure characteristics the risk of Hb deferral in whole blood donors can be reliably predicted.
Objective: To examine a 1-year follow-up of a 4-month, controlled clinical trial of exercise and antidepressant medication in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: In the original study, 202 sedentary adults with MDD were randomized to: a) supervised exercise; b) home-based exercise; c) sertraline; or d) placebo pill. We examined two outcomes measured at 1-year follow-up (i.e., 16 months post randomization): 1) continuous Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score; and 2) MDD status (depressed; partial remission; full remission) in 172 available participants (85% of the original cohort). Regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of treatment group assignment, as well as follow-up antidepressant medication use and self-reported exercise (Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire), on the two outcomes. Results: In the original study, patients receiving exercise achieved similar benefits compared with those receiving sertraline. At the time of the 1-year follow-up, rates of MDD remission increased from 46% at post treatment to 66% for participants available for follow-up. Neither initial treatment group assignment nor antidepressant medication use during the follow-up period were significant predictors of MDD remission at 1 year. However, regular exercise during the follow-up period predicted both Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores and MDD diagnosis at 1 year. This relationship was curvilinear, with the association concentrated between 0 minute and 180 minutes of weekly exercise. Conclusion: The effects of aerobic exercise on MDD remission seem to be similar to sertraline after 4 months of treatment; exercise during the follow-up period seems to extend the short-term benefits of exercise and may augment the benefits of antidepressant use. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00331305. MDD = major depressive disorder; HAM-D = Hamilton Depression Rating Scale; SCID = Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition Axis I Disorders; PSSS = Perceived Social Support Scale.
At present, restrictions on the spin-independent parameter space of WIMP dark matter searches have been limited to the results provided by relatively heavy nuclei experiments, based on the conventional wisdom that only such experiments can provide significant spin-independent limits. We examine this wisdom, showing that light nuclei experiments can in fact provide comparable limits given comparable exposures, and indicating the potential of light nuclei detectors to simultaneously and competitively contribute to the search for both spin-independent and -dependent WIMP dark matter.
Study of fertilization effects were conducted in a stationary type of field trial, on a degrading vertisol soil with low pH. Eight variants of mineral nutrition (NK, NP1, NP2, NP3, NP1K, NP2K and NP3K) and untreated control (without nutrition) were tested in the experiment. The rates of nitrogen application were 80 kg N ha -1 , and they were applied either individually or in combination with three phosphorus rates and the potassium fertilizer. The highest grain yields under mineral nutrition involving a combination of three mineral elements were: N, P and K (80 kg N ha -1 , 60 kg P2O5 ha -1 , 60 kg K2O ha -1 ), and under NP2K treatment at a rate of 80 kg N ha -1 , 80 kg P2O5 ha -1 and 60 kg K2O ha -1 . Based on the analysis of variance, it can be concluded that there were highly significant differences in grains yield among years of investigation and highly significant differences at 1000-grain weight and grain test weight.
Abstract: With the pervasiveness of the Internet in students' lives, schools are frequently disrupted by their students' online speech, whether through threats of violence, cyberbullying, or discussion of self-harm. To combat and minimize these disturbances, some schools are turning to third-party surveillance companies to monitor students' Internet posts for potentially harmful speech. The U.S. Supreme Court has never addressed a school's relationship to its students' Internet postings. In the absence of Supreme Court guidance, lower courts rely primarily on a 1969 free speech ruling from Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, which asks whether a student's speech substantially disrupts the educational process. If it does, a school may punish the student for that speech. This Note analyzes the effects that Internet surveillance could have on students and advocates that the Supreme Court grant certiorari to student Internet speech cases and adopt a risk of substantial disruption standard. Additionally, proactive schools should substitute Internet surveillance with an increase in tech-savvy counselors and social media education, each of which may positively guide students toward responsible Internet behavior.INTRODUCTION"Drink bleach and die," one bully wrote to twelve-year-old Rebecca Ann Sedwick.1 "Why are you still alive?" another asked.2 A third text message sent by a peer to Sedwick's cell phone read, "Can u [sic] die please?"3 After over one year of online and in-person bullying, Sedwick's bullies' requests were answered as she leapt to her death at an abandoned cement factory near her home in central Florida.4 Though Sedwick had barely attended middle school, she had experienced deep pain.5 The chilling words remained in her journal as proof following her suicide: "Every day more and more kids kill themselves because of bullying. How many lives have to be lost until people realize words do matter?"6Following Sedwick's September 2013 suicide, fingers pointed everywhere: at her parents for not monitoring her Internet and cell phone usage, at her school for not identifying her bullies, at the young girls who bullied her, and at the bullies' parents for not controlling their children. 7 Five weeks after her death, a twelve-year-old former friend of Sedwick's and a fourteen-yearold former schoolmate were arrested in connection with her death and charged with aggravated stalking, a third-degree felony in Florida.8 The most damning evidence against either was a Facebook post allegedly authored by the fourteen-year-old, which stated, "Yes IK [I know] I bullied REBECCA nd [sic] she killed her self [sic] but IDGAF [I don't give a f-]."9 Upon seeing the blatant disregard for human life in this post, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd moved quickly to apprehend the fourteen-year-old author and her twelve-year-old friend.10 Sheriff Judd's justification for prompt action was fear that the girls would bully others.11Today's preteens have never known a world without the Internet.12 Its accessible nature permeates all aspects of their lives, from use as an educational aid in schools to entertainment at home.13 As students learn these and other technological innovations, parents often struggle to keep pace with their techsavvy children.14 Not knowing what technology exists, coupled with an inability to monitor that technology, leaves many children without parental controls, producing an ongoing opportunity for children and teenagers to communicate-for better or for worse-with one another.15 What may result is a seemingly limitless virtual playground that emboldens students, creating a troubling amount of freedom for such malleable minds.16 Absent oversight, students are left to their own devices, able to make independent, potentially dangerous moves in their otherwise micromanaged worlds.17 The independence that students exercise may simply be speech, but as demonstrated through the case of Rebecca Sedwick, speech may target other students and leave permanent scars. …
Policies and procedures govern organizations whether they are private or public, for-profit or not-for profit. Review of such policies and procedures are done periodically to ensure optimum efficiency within the organization. Framework analysis is a qualitative method that is aptly suited for applied policy research. Framework analysis is better adapted to research that has specific questions, a limited time frame, a pre-designed sample and a priori issues. In the analysis, data is sifted, charted and sorted in accordance with key issues and themes using five steps: familiarization; identifying a thematic framework; indexing; charting; and mapping and interpretation. Framework analysis provides an excellent tool to assess policies and procedures from the very people that they affect.
A simple body-force distribution model by quasi-steady blade element theory is coupled with the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) code CFDSHIP-IOWA to study the propeller-hull interaction around Series 60 CB = 0.6 hull. The hull form is modified with the stern tube and the hub; and the propeller is a right-handed 5 blade fixed pitch Modified-AU methodical series type which is treated as infinite bladed model. In this paper as an extended research of Win et.al (2013), the detailed flow field in the wake region is observed and the effect of the existence of the rotating hub in the computation of the propeller is analyzed.
BACKGROUND Selenium (Se) is part of the glutathione peroxidase enzyme complex (GSH-PX) that plays an important role in antioxidant mechanisms in body, also it has been demonstrated that populations with low Se intake have 2-3 times greater risk of ischemic heart disease.   OBJECTIVE To determine the circulating levels of IL- 6, TNF-alpha, Cu, Zn, and Se in patients with chronic coronary artery disease (CCAD), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and normal individuals.   METHODS Patients were divided into two groups: 25 subjects with CCAD and 25 patients with AMI. The control group included 50 normal individuals who did not have any history of ischemic heart disease, and were sex and age matched with the patients. Blood samples were collected during the first hours after the onset of chest pain in AMI group. Serum concentration of Se, Cu, and Zn were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and TNF-alpha and IL-6 levels were measured using ELISA method.   RESULTS In both groups of patients there was a significant reduction in serum Se levels (82.36 + 11.31 g/L in CCAD, 74.08+11.31g/L in AMI, and 105+32.52g/L in the control group, p=0.03). TNF-alpha titers were increased in AMI patients compared with CCAD and control group. Mean TNF-alpha levels were 37.44 pg/ml in CCAD, 914.32 pg/ml in AMI, and 4.80 pg/ml in the control group (p=0.01). Serum levels of IL-6 in CCAD and AMI patients were 3.28 15.55 pg/ml and 472207.88 pg/ml, respectively, and 1.28 pg/ml in the control group (p=0.001).   CONCLUSION These findings confirm previous studies and demonstrate that patients suffering from AMI exhibit lower plasma concentrations of Se and higher concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines of TNF-alpha and IL-6.
Recently, we introduced the concept of an advanced distillation curve measurement. The new metrology features several important aspects. First, we incorporate a composition explicit data channel for each distillate fraction (for both qualitative, quantitative, and trace analysis). The temperature, volume, and pressure measurements are of low uncertainty, and the temperatures are true thermodynamic state points that can be modeled with an equation of state. These two features make the measurements suitable for equation of state development. The approach also provides consistency with a century of historical data, an assessment of the energy content of each distillate fraction, and where needed, a corrosivity assessment of each distillate fraction. We have applied the new method to fundamental work with hydrocarbon mixtures and azeotropic mixtures, and also to real fuels. The fuels we have measured include rocket propellants, gasolines, jet fuels, diesel fuels (including oxygenated diesel fuel and biodiesel fuels), and crude oils. In this article, we show that the method can also be used to assess the combined thermal and oxidative stability of sensitive fluids such as biodiesel fuel. We also use the method to test three hydrogen donor molecules (1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline (THQ), 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene, and trans-decahydronaphthalene) for use as potential stabilizers for biodiesel fuel with this new method.
Radiotracer kinetic modeling in small animals with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) requires the determination of the blood tracer concentration as a function of time. A continuous blood counting system was designed to measure the input function from rats and mice in real time. The system consists of a flow-through beta counter made of silicon PIN photodiodes and a mul syringe pump. The latter draws blood continuously from an implanted venous or arterial catheter, at a user selected rate. The direct beta detection by photodiodes minimizes the shield footprint next to the animal and reduces the counter sensitivity to ambient gamma radiation. The device is entirely remote controlled for sampling protocol selection, tuning, and real time monitoring of measured parameters. It can be hooked to a computer or fully integrated with the LabPETtrade scanner for blood counting during dynamic PET imaging experiments. The counter sensitivity to the most popular PET radioisotopes (18F, 64Cu, 13N, 11 C) ranges from 7.1 to 46.8 Bq/mul. Its linearity is better than 98% up to 46 kBq/mul for 18F, and a 1.4 s dispersion constant was measured at a rate of 250 mul/min with rat whole blood in a PE10 catheter. Due to its optimized mechanical design and compact shielding, the counter sensitivity to radioactive background is only 5 counts per second (cps) for a 37 MBq 18F source 10 cm away from the detector. Accurate time-activity curves have been obtained from rats and mice in dynamic PET imaging studies
Controversial results have been published on potential link between cancer and multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis has been linked to reduced rates of cancer prior to the era of immunomodulating or immunosuppressive treatments and until today, only 9 studies can be found in the literature. New strategies and early use of IM or IS drugs in MS justify to study and follow patients to detect a potential increase of cancer's incidence in treated patients. It is important to follow and collect prospectively in MS centers, patients with history of cancer, to document histologies, and potential relations with repeated IM or IS treatments. A prospective study is in progress in French MS centers on behalf the Club Francophone de la SEP (CARIMS Project).
BACKGROUND: Vitiligo as a common pigmentary disorder affects up to 2% of the general population. There are several treatment modalities in the literature but photo therapy is one of the best known with an improving effect. The goal of this study was to compare the efficacy of NB-UVB alone with adjunction of NB-UVB with needling procedure in inducing of regimentation. METHODS: This was a randomized clinical trial which was done on 41 vitiligenous patches of patients with non responding vitiligo. The selected patches of the body were treated 3times a week with NB-UVB therapy either with or without the needling approach for three month. The pigmentation score and the photographs of before and after the therapy were compared to evaluate the response rate. RESULTS: The pigmentation scare and improvement of the lesions differed statistically in the combined needling side in comparison with the NB-UVB alone side in favor of the combined treatment (p ˂ 0.05). The response rate was higher in trunkal lesions than lesions on the extremities (p ˂ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The needling procedure can increase the response rate of photo therapy and it accelerates the improvement process and therefore, reduces the side effects.
The article is based on the repertoire of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb in the period from 1863 (when the first musical stage works were performed) to 1902 (the second closure of the opera). The list of performed operas and operettas has been made after the book Repertoar hrvatskih kazalista (The Repertoire of Croatian theatres), and enclosed to the text. The topics analized in the article are as follows: the repertoire, the social situatuon in Zagreb at the time of the foundation of the national theatre and soon followed by the foundation of the opera ensemble, the translation of the libretti, the role, the presence, and the choice of foreign operas and operettas in the relation to the domestic/national ones, on the attitudes of opera directors etc. These activities of the opera house have been articulated into four cronological periods: 1) 1863-1870, i.e. prior to the foundation of the opera ensemble, when operettas have been performed, 2) 1870-1889: the first activity of the opera, 3) 1889-1895: the period during the first closure of the opera, 4) 1895-1902: the second period of the opera, until its second closure. Conclusions on the preferences of theatre directors on the one hand and audiences on the other are drawn on the basis of the established findings. Some graphs with the statistics of performed works and their authors during these four periods are attached to the article.
This paper looks at Early European Books from ProQuest, a project to produce high quality digital versions of Europe’s early printed books published between 1475 and 1700. The paper begins by looking at the academic advantages of using early printed and archival materials in digital form. Letters from Archbishop Thomas Cranmer to King Henry VIII are examined and deductions drawn from the use of digitised texts. The paper then looks at the issues around Science 2.0 (Open Scholarship), a debate which is global in its extent. Open Scholarship has at its heart the management and sharing of research data – sonnets to statistics, genes to geodata – that can be freely used, re-used and redistributed. The paper examines this phenomenon in the context of the LERU Roadmap for Research Data, which is a Report from the League of European Research Universities which examines the demands of Science 2.0 on universities and their researchers. The final part of the paper then places Early European Books into the Science 2.0 landscape, concluding that EEB is a major contribution to this global discussion in two ways – the opening up of a vast corpus of primary research materials (research data) to the world of scholarship, and an innovative business model which permits open access to the corpus of materials from publicly-funded libraries and archives after 10 years.
The volatile oils from leaves of Eucalyptus robusta and Eucalyptus citriodora were obtained using hydrodistillation,and the composition was analyzed by GC-MS. The effect of season on the volatile constituents and antimicrobial activities was also investigated. The results showed that the contents of volatile oils from both Eucalyptus robusta leaf and Eucalyptus citriodora leaf were higher in spring,highest in winter.The major compositions of the Eucalyptus robusta leaf were 3-carene,α-terpineol,(-)-eucalyptus alcohol,d-limonene and l-pinocarveol. The major compositions of volatile oil from the Eucalyptus citriodora leaf were citronellal,isopulegol,and β-citronellol. In spring,the content of 3-carene and citronellal reached the highest. Besides,the strong antibacterial effects of the two volatile oils against common pathogenic bacteria were found.
The objective of this research was to examine the influence of audit fee, CPA firm size, knowledge, work experience, and auditor’s motivation on audit quality. The research was conducted using a survey method to provide the questionnaires to auditors in CPA firms in 2015. The data used in this research was primary data. The population of this research is the auditors that work at CPA firm. The sample of this research is auditors that work at CPA firm in Jakarta and Tangerang that have minimum one year of experience in auditing. There are 286 questionnaires distributed for this research, but only 236 questionnaires returned and 147 questionnaires are used in this research using multiple linear regressions. The results of this study were (1) Audit fee doesn’t have significant influence on audit quality, (2) CPA firm size doesn’t have significant influence on audit quality, (3) Knowledge of Auditor has significant influence on audit quality, (4) Work experience of Auditor has significant influence on audit quality, (5) Auditor’s motivation has significant influence on audit quality, (6) Audit fee, CPA firm size, knowledge, work experience, and auditor’s motivation simultaneously have significant influence on audit quality.
Article is devoted to research of geospatial model of the USA concerning the countries of Central Asia which in the XXI century had an appearance of paradigms: «Bush and Obama''s doctrine», geoconcept «Big Central Asia (BCA)» and «A new Silk way». Relevance of research consists in studying of these doctrines and concepts, to find out their efficiency. The analysis of these concepts and modern foreign policy activity of the USA in Central Asia and in the Republic of Tajikistan allows to predict development of the American regional strategy in the future.
BACKGROUND NPC18915, a member of new antiinflammatory agent called nactins (neutrophil activation inhibitors), has been shown to reduce reperfusion injury in rat lung transplantation at high dosage. In vitro studies have demonstrated effectiveness of this compound even at low dosage. We hypothesized that this compound ameliorates lung ischemia reperfusion injury even at low dosage levels if administration is optimally timed. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and the best timing for administration of low-dose NPC18915.   METHODS Forty syngeneic rat left lung transplantations were performed. All isografts were flushed with low-potassium dextran-1% glucose solution 20 ml and preserved for 18 hours at 4 degrees C. Animals were divided into four groups. Group I animals (n = 10) served as control subjects. In groups II (n = 10), III (n = 10), and IV (n = 10), NPC18915 (0.04 mg) was added to the flush solution and was administered intravenously (0.4 mg/kg) immediately before reperfusion (group II) and 60 minutes (group III) and 120 minutes (group IV) after reperfusion. Pulmonary function was assessed 24 hours after reperfusion.   RESULTS In group III, oxygenation improved in comparison to group I (247.2 +/- 59.8 versus 76.6 +/- 16.0 mm Hg, p < 0.002). Wet-to-dry weight ratio and graft myeloperoxidase activity were significantly improved (group III versus group I, 6.02 +/- 0.21 versus 7.19 +/- 0.41, p = 0.013) (group III versus group I, 0.093 +/- 0.019 versus 0.207 +/- 0.023 delta optical density/min/mg, p < 0.002). There were no significant differences in CD11b expression.   CONCLUSION These data suggest that delayed administration of NPC18915, 60 minutes after reperfusion, dramatically improves pulmonary graft function.
Based on analysis of the structure and shortcomings of conventional operational rule, the concept of the fine operational rule is presented and depicted in more detail. A method is proposed to create the fine operational rule for transmission corridors. The new rule for static security is simply created through sensitivity of power flow, while that for transient security is created by data mining technology which comprises three steps, i.e. sample generation, feature selection and rule construction. A method for calculation of total transfer capability (TTC) based on the continuation power flow is adopted to generate samples. An information theory based method is proposed for feature selection. And a least square method is used for rule construction. Case study on construction of the fine operational rule is carried out for a 4-generator 2-area test system as well as a real-life large-scale power system. The result shows that more key features about power system security can be considered in the fine operational rule, which is more suitable for power system operation. With the supporting of the fine operational rule, the capacity of the transmission corridor can be utilized more efficiently, and the control sensitivity contained in the operational fine rule is helpful for decision.
Chapter 1 Taking the Environment Seriously: What Does it Mean? Chapter 2 How Much Is Enough? The Benefits and Costs of Environmental Protection Chapter 3 Economics, Ethics, and Ecology Chapter 4 Environmental Harms from Governmental Policy Chapter 5 Clean Water Legislation: Reauthorize or Repeal? Chapter 6 Superfund: The South Carolina Experience Chapter 7 Acid Rain and the Clean Air Act: Lessons in Damage Control Chapter 8 Fishing for Property Rights to Fish Chapter 9 Community Markets to Control Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Chapter 10 Risky Business: Rational Ignorance in Assessing Environmental Hazards Chapter 11 Environmental Calvinism: The Judeo-Christian Roots of Environmental Theology
This article aims to identify the social impacts generated by mining in Colombia in recent years. Taking into account that a documentary research was carried out, from various data sources, which allow us to structure, analyze and present an overview of these problems. Some indicators issued by the DANE (National Administrative Department of Statistics) are taken, which allow to determine the level of social development in three departments that mainly base their economy on extractivist activities and compare them with the results at the National level.
Welcome to the proceedings of the 2013 ACM Joint International Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp 2013) -- the first proceedings after the merger of the two most prestigious conferences in the field of Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing. We were very happy to receive a record number of submissions for this inaugural edition: 305 full papers and 89 notes, for a total of 394 submissions. This is almost exactly the number of submission that the two individual conferences received in 2011 combined! We take this as a sign of strong support from the community, and hope that our efforts of creating an exciting, high quality program this year will ensure that future editions will continue this growth.    We had three aims in this year's edition: to further grow the community with the help of an inclusive program; to maintain the high quality of the constituting conference series Pervasive and UbiComp; and to ensure our review processes could handle the expected growth.    Previously, both Pervasive and UbiComp had average acceptance rates of well below 20% (averaging 17% and 16% in the last 8 years, respectively). We believe that consistently rejecting some 85% of all submitted work does not help with maintaining a healthy and vibrant community. We thus took a cue from the updated submission processes at other premium conference series, such as the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW), and introduced a new "revise & resubmit" decision as part of the Program Committee (PC) meeting outcome. "Revise & resubmit" roughly corresponded to the decision "Major Revision Required" in a journal review process: the authors received a detailed set of reviews, along with an editorial "meta review" outlining core issues that needed to be addressed in order to have a chance at being accepted in a second review round. Four weeks later, the original set of PC members who discussed the submission at the PC meeting got together in an online meeting to evaluate the quality of the revised paper. In case all conditions were met, the paper was accepted.    Given the novelty of this process, the Program Committee was relatively cautious with inviting authors for a resubmission. Out of the 394 submission, 71 were accepted or conditionally accepted at the PC meeting, while an additional 34 submissions (8.6% of the total) were invited to revise and resubmit. They were given a concrete list of issues and 4 weeks' time to submit a revision. 29 revisions were received. Out of these, 22 had significantly improved and were ultimately accepted into the program, while for 7 submissions the reviewers found that -- despite the changes -- they were still not ready for publication. We thus have a total of 92 accepted submissions, which not only makes for a healthy 23.4% acceptance rate but also represents the largest program ever in the history of the two conferences -- even when combining all papers presented in a single year at both venues (cf. Figure 2). Overall, we believe that this process helped to grow the breadth and scope of the program while maintaining the high quality expected at a top-tier conference venue like UbiComp.    The above description should also illustrate well the efforts undertaken by this year's Program Committee to gather, select, and improve the work submitted to the conference. This year saw not only the largest number of accepted papers, but also the largest Program Committee ever: 75 PC members, together with over 350 external experts, wrote a total of 1647 reviews in the course of the review process. After further considering each submission via an online discussion forum, 208 submissions (52.7%) were selected for discussion at the two-day face-to-face PC meeting in Paris, France, on May 3-4, 2013. Each of us three PC Chairs moderated a group of roughly 25 PC members, working mostly in parallel but repeatedly synchronizing and calibrating in plenary sessions -- also thanks to the continuing "exchange" of PC members across groups. The parallel sessions saw a frenzy of activity, as additional experts were constantly being drafted from the various meeting rooms by a helpful staff of 6 student volunteers, in order to provide additional input on particular paper discussions elsewhere -- all coordinated by a huge schedule spreadsheet that would consider both conflicts of interests and reviewer availability across all three groups. The amount of expertise and community-history represented by the 70+ PC members present at the meeting was truly invigorating.
The concept of specific gravity was employed in this paper as an indicator for measuring the progress achieved in reducing the weight of various forms of transportation. According to this indicator, the weight of Japanese passenger cars has been reduced by a value of 0.93 over the past 19 years. However, only a slight weight reduction has been achieved in the past six years despite improvements of vehicular structure through the extensive use of CAE. This indicates that the weight of vehicles constructed primarily of steel is approaching a natural limit, and that it will be necessary to switch from steel to lightweight materials to reduce substantially the weight of vehicles in the future.
Objectives: To determine the incidence of intraoperative lateral wall fracture in OTA 31A1 and A2 fractures treated with a cephalomedullary nail and to determine whether this contributed to the failure of treatment. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: University hospital. Patients/Participants: A cohort of 291 patients (31.A1/A2-231, A3-60) was assessed with pre- and postoperative radiographs. Patients with intact lateral wall fractures were included in the study. One hundred sixty-five of 231 patients (77%) completed radiologic follow-up. They were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 (129 patients, 78%) consisted of patients with an intact lateral wall postoperatively. Group 2 (36 patients, 22%) consisted of patients who sustained lateral wall fracture intraoperatively (FLW). Intervention: Closed reduction and intramedullary nail insertion. Main Outcome Measurements: Rate of failure/reoperation and collapse were compared between the groups. Results: The incidence of intraoperative lateral wall fracture was 21% (48 of 165). Fracture collapse and failure rate were not statistically significant in either groups (group 1: 1%, group 2: 5%). Conclusions: The incidence of intraoperative lateral wall fracture in OTA 31A1 and A2 pertrochanteric fractures after cephalomedullary nailing is similar to sliding hip screws. The presence of lateral wall fracture did not adversely affect healing of pertrochanteric fractures. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
The effect of chronic administration of a probable endogenous dopaminergic neurotoxin, tetrahydroisoquinoline, has been examined on squirrel monkeys. Chronically administered TIQ produced motor symptoms similar to parkinsonism in squirrel monkeys even 7 days after discontinuation of TIQ and the symptoms were alleviated remarkably by L-DOPA treatment. Biochemical analysis of the brains of TIQ-treated monkeys revealed significant decrease in dopamine (DA) and total biopterin (BP) concentrations, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the substantia nigra. Morphological changes of the substantia nigra of mice were also analyzed. The effect of long-term administration of N-methyl-TIQ, N-methyl-TIQ+, and N-methyl-norsalsolinol on aged monkeys was described.
The invention discloses an alkyd resin for insulating paints and a preparation method of the alkyd resin. The alkyd resin for insulating paints is prepared by esterfying the following raw materials in parts by weight: 21-29 parts of glycerol, 10-16 parts of stearic acid, 16-24 parts of oleic acid, 15-25 parts of crude terephthalic acid, 0.06-0.1 part of hypophosphorous acid, 10-21 parts of phthalic anhydride and 4-7 parts of benzoic acid. Under the condition of ensuring that the final product quality is not reduced compared with that of similar products, the production cost of the alkyd resinfor insulating paints is significantly reduced.
An attachable LED lamp according to the present invention includes a body which includes a combination space which mounts a battery on the lower side thereof, an illumination control unit which opens or closes the upper side of the body by continuously connecting or overlapping covers with an arc shape according to a rotation state by rotationally and successively installing a plurality of covers on the upper side of the body; an LED lamp which is installed on the upper side of the body and emits light through power supplied from the battery; and a bonding part which is detachably combined with the lower side of the body, selectively seals the combination space, and bonds the body to a bonding object at the same time.
In this paper,the military look was researched from the process of the beginning,the development of military look,the reason of its popular,meanwhile the art of military look was analyzed from the prevalence of art and the basic rules of the art acception.The research shows that the development of military look has deep influence on the development of modern fashion,in sharp,function and artical aesthetic.
Now a day’s infrastructure construction increases d ue to development of our country. It requires large numbers of management staff & labours with high performance. Because as t he performance of team increases, its work should b e efficient and safely without any disturbance. Generally, a construction team consists of owner, P roject Manager, Engineer, contractors and labour. Each team member has a definite role and responsibi lity about the project. The performance of team dep ends upon the working of each team member. So for that it is necessary to ac t each team members as per the goals & objectives. The performance of the team can be increased by pre planning the well goal s & objectives and using the simple methods for con struction which reduce the confusions on team minds and makes the work safely. The performance of team mainly depends upon seven characteristics such as team leadership, team goals & objectives, manage ment support, roles & responsibility, team task pro cesses, team relationship, team communication. From this conclude that the performance of team increases with developing the seve n characteristics and solving the problem during the construction by the higher authority and maintaining good working envir onments for the work.
Recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of obsessive- compulsive disorder have come from breakthroughs in neurobiologic and cognitive-behavioral studies. Essential Papers on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder represents the most significant thinkers and the various strands of thought on obsessive-compulsive disorder. Divided into three sections focusing on classical psychoanalysis, psychological research, and neuro-psychiatric approaches, this definitive volume includes contributions bythe most experienced and renowned experts on the subject. Contributors include Sigmund Freud; Karl Abraham; Ernest Jones; Anna Freud; Paul E. Sifneos; Leonard Salzman; Joseph Sandler and Anandi Hazari; Lewis L. Judd; Heinz Hartmann; Stanley Rachman, Ray Hodgson and Isaac M. Marks; Paul M. Salkovskis; Paul Schilder; Steven P. Wise and Judith L. Rapoport; Joseph Zohar and Thomas R. Insel; Michael A. Jenike; Susan E. Swedo, Henrietta Leonard; Lewis R. Baxter, Jeffrey M. Schwartz, Kenneth S. Bergman; Dan Stein and Eric Hollander.
This adoptive transfer was studied in an inbred strain of syrian hamsters. Spleen and lymph node lymphocytes, from TFB-infected hamsters, were injected to isogeneic recipients. Anti-TFB immunity was studied in the recipients either by looking for the apparition of cutaneous lesions after superinfection by TFB, or by counting of Listeria monocytogenes remaining in the liver and in the spleen 48 h after a mixture of TFB and L. monocytogenes had been inoculated. The first method indicated that a complete inhibition of cutaneous lesions was obtained only with hyperimmunized donors. Our results also indicate that anti-TFB immunity was not medicated by B lymphocytes but by sensitized T lymphocytes.
With a reinvigoration of space travel, space agencies around the world collaborate to land the first woman and the next man on the moon by 2024, establish a moonbase with a constant human lunar presence by 2028 and bring humans to Mars by 2030. Even though we may have the technology to bring humans to Mars, we do not have the required food systems and the food technology to sustain them. A mission to Mars will last for approximately 3 years and will be the first time humans traverse into deep space which will introduce a plethora of new challenges. First, food developers need to ensure that food sustains a 5 year shelf life in ambient temperature that can withstand the extreme environments of space such as elevated levels of radiation. Second, food developers need to consider that food serves as a countermeasure to many of the challenges of deep space missions. Nutrition plays a critical role as a countermeasure for environmental stressors such as microgravity and elevated levels of radiation which will severely affect both shelf life as well as astronauts' health. Conversely, these environmental stressors also affect nutrient stability and bioavailability. Third, food developers should not overlook the psychological aspects of food that we may take for granted in everyday life and how food may work as a countermeasure to the many psychological challenges that come with living in a confined space far away from earth, deprived of other sensorial stimulation. Furthermore, without organoleptic appeal, there is a risk that food remains uneaten, deeming the food worthless. This will result in astronauts suffering from both malnutrition and sensorial deprivation which can have a snowball effect leading to severe physiological and psychological problems. Food developers need to take all of the factors mentioned above into account, and it may be imperative with interdisciplinary studies between the areas highlighted in this review in order to achieve proper food systems for future deep space missions.
In this work the implicit function theorem is used for searching local symbolic resolution of differential equations. General results of existence for first order equations are proven and some examples, one relative to cavitation in a fluid, are developed. These examples seem to show that local approximation of non linear differential equations can give useful informations about symbolic form of possible solutions, and in the case a global solution is known, locally the accuracy of approximation can be good.
Risedronate has recently been approved as a drug for osteoporosis treatment in Japan. According to its chemical structure, risedronate is designated a third generation bisphosphonate, which has potent anti-resorptive activity. Clinical studies conducted in Japan, North America and/or Europe revealed that risedronate reduces the risks of hip fractures and vertebral fractures by around 30% and around 50% compared with placebo over three years, respectively, and increases lumber spine BMD by around 5% at one year after starting treatment. In addition, risedronate produces a rapid and clinically important reduction in the risk of vertebral fracture and bone formed during risedronate treatment was histologically normal. Bone turnover markers, e.g., deoxypyridinoline, NTx, are reduced by around 40% (maximum). Although some bisphosphonates have been associated with upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract adverse events, a pooled analysis of 9 placebo-controlled clinical trials conducted outside Japan revealed no evidence that risedronate was associated with an increased frequency of adverse effects in the GI tract when compared with placebo.
Objective: To retrospectively study the clinical efficacy and safety of tigecycline in treatment of extensively drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii(XDRAB) infection. Methods: A total of 13 cases of XDRAB infection treated with tigecycline were collected in our hospital from June 2012 to January 2014. Medication regimen, drug combination, clinical efficacy rate, bacteria clearance rate and adverse drug reaction were analyzed respectively. Results: Among the 13 cases, 6 cases were treated by tigecycline combination with other antibacterials. The clinical efficacy rate of tigecycline was 53.8%. Bacteria clearance rate of tigecycline was 46.2%. Two cases showed adverse drug reactions correlated with tigecycline. Conclusion: The tigecycline showed well clinical efficacy on XDRAB infection; meanwhile we should pay close attention to the adverse reactions of tigecycline and balance the benefits and the risks, in order to provide safe and effective treatment for patients.
Energy variation in pulsed electron beam could result in corkscrew motion of the beam centroid in linear induction accelerator, therefore enlarge and distort the spot size of the accelerator. The method using Cerenkov radiation produced by the electrons passing through the quartz to measure the time resolved energy spectrum is described in this paper. The time resolved energy spectrum diagnostics has been carried out for the pulsed intense electron beam of 2MeV injector at Institute of Fluid Physics of CAEP. Comparison of the experimental results between time resolved energy spectra and diode voltage waveforms are given and analysed. The measured energy is about 2.2MeV, the maximum energy variation in 60ns is 4%?
The present invention discloses a cultivation method of high-yield pollution-free tomatoes. The method comprises the steps of (1) seed selection, (2) seed treatment, (3) timely breeding, (4) land preparation, (5) timely transplantation, (6) cultivation management, and (7) timely harvest. The present invention discloses the cultivation method of high-yield pollution-free tomatoes, the operation is simple and convenient, through the full application of a base fertilizer, timely fertilization and prevention of diseases and pests in advance, rich soil nutrients and a good environment without diseases and pests are provided for the growth of the tomatoes, the use of a fertilizer and a pesticide is reduced, and the cultivated tomatoes have the advantages of high yield, a high nutritional value, high quality and eating safety.
Marmin is a coumarin derivative compound that was isolated from the stem bark and root of plants Maja (Aegle marmelos Corr.). Marmin reported to have spasmolytic effect on the guinea pigs ileum contracted by either histamine or acetylcholine. Marmin also reported able to inhibit histamine release from RBL-2H3 cell cultures. Based on the facts, marmin have the opportunity to be developed as a drug for allergy. This research was conducted to determine the effect of marmin on guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle contraction induced by both endogenous or exogenous histamine, and also the effects of marmin in smooth muscle relaxation. Ovalbumin (3 Âµg/mL) was used to induce guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle contraction immunologically, whereas compound 48/80 (2.5 to 750 Âµg/mL) were used to induce contractions non-immunologically. In this study, the influence of marmin was tested in guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle contraction that induced by series concentration of histamine (10 -8 -10 -4 M). In addition, test relaxation marmin (5-100 I¼M) on isolated guinea pig trachea was also conducted. The results showed that marmin 100 I¼M able to inhibit contractions of isolated guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle induced non-immunologically by compound 48/80. The average of inhibitory percentage of marmin on tracheal contraction induced by compound 48/80 750 Âµg/mL was 90.95Â±2.82%. Marmin (10 and 100 I¼M) was also able to inhibit guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle contraction induced immunologically by ovalbumin. The average of inhibitory percentage of marmin 10 I¼M and 100 I¼M marmin were 25.86Â±7.57% and 43.49Â±9.24%, respectively. Marmin 100 I¼M was also able to shift pD2 histamine from 6.02Â±0.05 to 4.94Â±0.07. In addition, marmin was able to relax guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle and have a pD2 relaxation of marmin of 4.42 Â± 0.02.
Physiol. Soc.. ESSN: 1548-9221. Visit our website at http://www.the-aps.org/. American Physiological Society, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda MD 20814-3991. ©2010 Int. Union Physiol. Sci./Am. the physiological developments. It is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October, and December by (formerly published as News in Physiological Science) publishes brief review articles on major Physiology by gest on N ovem er 4, 2016 http://physioline.physiology.org/ D ow nladed fom
InSight is the first planetary mission with a seismometer package, SEIS, since the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package. SEIS is complimented by APSS, which has as a goal to document the atmospheric source of seismic noise and signals.    Since June 2019, SEIS has been delivering 6 axis 20 sps continuous seismic data, a rate one order of magnitude larger originally planned. More than 50 events have been detected by the end of July 2019 but only three have amplitudes significantly above the SEIS instrument requirement. Two have clear and coherent arrivals of P and S waves, enabling location, diffusion/attenuation characterization and receiver function analysis. The event’s magnitudes are likely ≤ 3 and no clear surface waves nor deep interior phases have been identified. This suggests deep events with scattering along their final propagation paths and with large propagation differences as compared to Earth and Moon quakes.    Most of the event’s detections are made possible due to the very low noise achieved by the instrument installation strategy and the very low VBB self-noise. Most of the SEIS signals have amplitudes of spectral densities in the 0.03-5Hz frequency bandwidth ranging from 10-10 m/s2/Hz1/2 to 5 10-9 m/s2/Hz1/2. The smallest noise levels occurs during the early night, with angstrom displacements or nano-radian tilts. This monitors the elastic and seismic interaction of a planetary surface with its atmosphere, illustrated not only by a wide range of SEIS signals correlated with pressure vortexes, dust devils or wind activity but also by modulation of resonances above 1 Hz, amplified by ultra-low velocity surface layers. After about one half of a Martian year, clear seasonal changes appear also in the noise, which will be discussed.    One year after landing, the seismic noise is therefore better and better understood, and noise correction techniques begun to be implemented, either thanks to the APSS wind and pressure sensors, or by SEIS only data processing techniques. These data processing techniques open not only the possibility of better signal to noise ratio of the events, but are also used for various noise auto-correlation techniques as well as searches of long period signals.    Noise and seismic signals on Mars are therefore completely different from what seismology encountered previously on Earth and Moon.
Objective To prepare and study the immunogenicity of pneomococcus type 6B capsular polysaccharide (6B - PNCPS) - tetanus toxoid (TT) conjugate vaccine. Methods 6B - PNCPS - IT was activated by Cyangen Bromide (CNBr) and reacted with adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH), then 6B - PNCPS - TT conjugate was prepared by carbodiimide - mediated coupling of 6B-PNCPS with tetanus toxoid (TT) . NIH mice were immunized with 6B - PNCPS - TT conjugate, using pure 6B - PNCPS as control, and the PNCPS antibody titers in the sera of them were detected by ELISA. Results Gel chromatography proved that, compared with that of 6B - PNCPS, the relative molecular weight of 6B - PNCPS - TT was large. The ratio of polysaccharide to protein was 1.42- 1.66. The conjugate vaccine showed the serological characteristic of 6B -PNCPS, and the liters of specific IgG induced by it was significantly higher than that induced by 6B - PNCPS. Conclusion The prepared 6B - PNCPS - TT conjugate vaccine showed good immunogenicity.
Based on the literatures with "Zoology" subject that published in the Web of Science(WOS) from 1900 to 2013, we identified primary research centers, representative authors and major focuses for 'zoology' subject by co-citation analysis, clustering analysis and burst analysis using the visualizing pattern and trends analysis in software CiteSpaceⅡ and the analysis function of WOS. These results may help us trace and reveal current and future fronts and hotspots. Depth development of it formed the systematic and conservation biology two fronts and trends, and the hot spots of 'China', 'new species'. We should grasp the situation and take this opportunity to further strengthen communication and cooperation with the international, and combine the research fields of zoological system evolution and conservation biology, in order to further promote the development of China's zoology frontier, and build core position in international zoological research network.
Abstract : Radar Bright Display Equipment (RBDE-5) modified for Terminal Facilities was evaluated at the National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) to determine if technical modifications had resulted in improved performance, suitable for the control of IFR traffic in a terminal area. Technical modifications to permit use of the equipment in ATC terminal facilities consisted of changing the display range scales to 6, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 mile ranges, circuitry changes to improve the gain characteristics of Scan Converter WRITE amplifiers, incorporation of circuitry to reduce the size of video map and tartets, revision of the alignment procedures for the Scan Converter, and substitution of a dual potentiometer, step switch and variable RAYSISTOR potentiometers for the spring loaded MTI/NORMAL GATE, TARGET TRAIL and VIDEO LEVEL controls at the Remote Control Panel. Prior to the completion of the evaluation, additional modifications (selective writing and erasure) intended to enhance target detection in weather clutter were installed and evaluated. (Author)
Objective To investigate the effects of butylphthalide sodium chloride injection combined with defibrase on serum levels of MBP and S100βin the treatment of progressive stroke.Methods 120 patients with progressive stroke were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,with 60 patients in each group.On the basis of routine treatment,the patients in treatment group were treated by butylphthalide sodium chloride injection combined with defibrase,however,the patients in control group were treated by defibrase only.The therapeutic effect and neurologic impairment scoring were observed before treatment and at 1,5,15 days after treatment,and the serum levels of MBP and S100β were detected before treatment and on the 15th day after treatment for both groups.Results The therapeutic effect and neurologic impairment scoring were obviously improved after treatment for both groups(P0.05),especially for treatment group(P0.05),and the serum levels of MBP and S100β were significantly decreased for both groups after treatment(P0.05),especially for treatment group(P0.05).Conclusion The butylphthalide sodium chloride injection combined with defibrase in the treatment of progressive stroke can improve patient's clinical symptoms,which may be correlated with the down-regulation of the serum levels of MBP and S100β.
The present study was conducted to determine the alterations in haematological parameters and stress markers in naturally Balantidium coli infected buffaloes, along with this efficacy of polyherbal antistressor product Restobal (Restobal ® , M/s Ayurvet Limited) was also evaluated against the stress induced by B. coli. In present study, a total of ten apparently healthy buffaloes were selected and considered as control group while twenty buffaloes with natural B. coli infection were included in the disease group and considered for treatment trial. In all the clinical cases, clinical examination and detailed appraisal of haemato-biochemical profiles were carried out. For treatment trial, a total of twenty diseased buffaloes were divided into two groups with ten buffaloes in each group. In therapeutic trials (group I) buffaloes were administered with specific medication against B. coli infection and in herbal trail buffaloes (group II) were administered with specific medication against B. coli infection along with * Corresponding author KEYWORDS
Reported speech in the form of direct and indirect reported speech is an important indicator of evidentiality in traditional newspaper texts, but also increasingly in the new media that rely heavily on citation and quotation of previous postings, as for instance in blogs or newsgroups. This paper details the basic processing steps for reported speech analysis and reports on performance of an implementation in form of a GATE resource.
The radar cross section from a rough surface becomes very small at grazing incidence, since most part of the energy travels in the forward direction. Therefore, building a model that can estimate it accurately is challenging. Here, a rigorous model is presented, based on a specific integral formalism, and tested on sea surfaces. We plan to apply this model to time-varying ocean surfaces at microwave frequencies, under a small slope assumption. The sea surfaces patches are to be tank measurements, or generated numerically. We aim at comparing the resulting Doppler spectra to first order approximate methods.
In the era of "post-PC", embedded system is regarded as a new representation. And its characteristics and developing technology are focused. The traits of embedded system, which are low power processor, compact operating system, prolifically peripheral interfaces and form, and its inner modularized framework are parsed. The typical developing pattern of embedded system is put forward,which is called Host-Target pattern . This pattern can make developers have clear design train of thoughts and divide the work, and also make the developing synchronously. And cross-compile and remote debug is the typical developing characteristics of Host-Target pattern. They are both discussed in this article. Finally we prospect the future of embedded system, and the network, system on chip (SOC) and lower cost of embedded systems are regard as its tendency by author.
The social enterprise movement has ushered in a promising new wave of companies using market-based strategies to advance social and environmental change. The longevity and growth of social enterprises will be determined by their ability to balance the complex and often competing interests within these unique business entities. The established corporate governance regime, which predominately addresses the characteristics of public companies, does not provide adequate oversight for promoting good corporate governance within the social enterprise sector. This Article argues that the benefit reporting requirements in hybrid-corporation statutes offer an innovative mechanism for encouraging and maintaining good social enterprise governance. Using the benefit reporting requirements within hybrid-corporation statutes as a model, this Article provides a normative framework and establishes the implementation principles for social enterprise governance across various legal entities. By counseling social enterprises on how to promote participatory democracy and increase the company’s capacity to detect and address problems, corporate lawyers serve a critical function in developing social enterprise governance. Using an approach guided by corporate lawyers and informed by social enterprise practitioners would build on the traditional corporate governance paradigm to develop narrowly tailored mechanisms that facilitate a more resilient social enterprise sector.
Programming (CP)isapowerful technology that has provedveryusefulin Random Functional Test Generation. On theotherhandthecomplexity ofthetest generation process prevents itfrombeingrepresented and solvedasa single constraint satisfaction problem(CSP). Developers oftestgeneration tools havetodecompose the problemintoasetofsmaller tasks andtomakeCPworkin interaction withothertechnologies, e.g.architectural simulator. Thetaskofturning these foreign technologies into anintegral partoftheCP search algorithm raises multiple challenges. We propose amethodforaccomplishing this task bymeansofsocalled customconstraints, whicharebasedon demonsandcustompropagation algorithms. We implemented themethodinaframework ofILOGSolver andtested itona usecaseofthememoryaddress translation mechanism for protected modeofIA-32processor.
This exploration found that six of the 22 adult students with dyslexia presented with Meares Irlen Syndrome (MIS). This comorbidity was diagnosed in 23% of participants, yet several adult students have no diagnosis of MIS, yet had symptoms of this condition. There was evidence that another ten participants had a reaction to light when using computers; others had migraines when reading books or doing other visual work, and others had difficulty concentrating on written work for more than one hour. As previously identified in the literature, these are symptoms of MIS. It is a quandary for educators who support adult students with dyslexia, in preparing lesson plans for inclusion when there is limited research in the field of education and MIS. In this social constructionist study, 22 diagnosed adult students with dyslexia were interviewed within five Queensland Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Institutes/Colleges, regarding their reading and literacy abilities. Article visualizations:
With computational fluid dynamics(CFD) as the foundation,κ-e standard turbulence model and heat transfer model is employed to solve the gas's velocity and temperature in a three-dimensional coordinate system and the Lagrange model is used to trace the particles trajectories.Analysis of flow field in spray tower shows that distribution of gas velocity and temperature in different height is different and at the same time the spray water makes distribution of gas more complicated.In the tower gas temperature and velocity has the same change trend and the movement of water is influenced by gas flow.The simulation results can be used to guide the technological transformation of phosphorus production.
Objective To discuss the feasibility,treatment principle and evaluate the efficacy of transcatheter closure on multiple secundum atrial septal defects(MASD) using the domestic occluder device.Methods Thirty-one patients with MASD,including 11 males and 20 females,at a median age of(11.6±5.2)years old(range 3 to 18 years),were enrolled in this study.All of them were diagnosed as MASD by transthoracic echocardiography(TTE) and/or transesophageal echocardiography(TEE).With the monitoring of TTE,TEE and x-ray,all the patients were treated with domestic occluder device.In order to evaluate the efficacy,TTE,TEE,electrocardiogram(ECG)and x-ray were repeated after the procedure.Results Twenty-eight cases were two defects while three cases were with three defects.The mean diameter of the bigger defect was(18.6±3.5) mm(ranged 8 to 30 mm),the mean diameter of the smaller defect was(5.5±3.3) mm(ranged 1 to 13 mm),the length of the defect interval tissues was (4.8±2.3) mm(ranged 2 to 12 mm) and the maximum distance between the defect borders was(27.9±7.3) mm(ranged 15-53 mm).The mean size of the selected devices was(22.6±6.6) mm(ranged 10 to 38 mm).Twenty-three patients were treated with one occluder while eight patients were emplanted with two occluders.All the patients were emplanted successfully and no severe complication was found.According to the result of TTE or TEE performed immediately and one month after the procedure,micro to small residual shunts of the smaller defect were found in four cases.During the follow-up period,the devices' location and shape were good,no deformation and transposition of the devices were found and no arrhythmia happened.Conclusion Domestic occluder device for transcatheter closure on MASD is safe and effective.The size and number of the device should be decided by the size and number of the defect,the length of the interval tissues and the maximum distance between the defect borders.The short-term therapeutic efficiency is satisfactory,but the long term therapeutic efficiency should be further observed.
Factors affecting second language learning and teaching have been an area of interest for many researchers for the past few decades. Among those, the ones who carried out researches in strategy training are not less than the others. In this experimental study, the researcher investigated whether the explicit listening strategy training had any impact on the listening proficiency of the second language learners. The population of the study was 36 students (6 male, 30 female), all from the English Language Teaching department of a university in Izmir. In the research, a standardized test was given to the subjects to measure their listening comprehension proficiency. KR20 coefficient of the test was found to be .89. To measure their listening strategy awareness, a listening strategy inventory, which was designed by the researcher, was used. Alpha coefficient of the scale was found to be .88. In the analyses of the data, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, standard error, percentage, skewness and kurtosis distribution, and t-Test techniques were used, and the significance level of the tests was .05. As a result of the research, although there were considerable differences between listening strategy use and listening proficiency levels of the experimental and control groups in favor of the experimental group, they were not realized at statistically significant levels. Keywords: Strategy Training, Language proficiency, Listening comprehension;
FIELD: medicine, pharmaceutics. SUBSTANCE: claimed invention relates to novel pyrimidine derivatives or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, possessing inhibiting activity with respect to glycogensintase kinase-3 (GSK3). In compound of formula I: R 1 is selected from hydrogen, cyano, C 1-3 alogenoalkinyl, SO 2 NR b R c , C 0-2 alkyl(O)NR b R c , C 1-4 alkylNB b R c , SO 2 R i , C(O)OR a , CH(OH)R j and C(O)R j ; R 2 and R 4 are independently selected from hydrogen, halogeno, cyano, NO 2 , C 1-4 alkyl, C 1-3 ahalogenoalkyl, OR a , C(O)NR b R c , SO 2 R i , and C(O)OR a ; or R 1 and R 2 together with atoms, to which they are bound, are bound with formation of 5- or 6-member heterocyclic ring, which contains one S, any of the hydrogen atoms of group CH 2 in said heterocyclic ring can be substituted by oxo, hydroxy, and sulphur atom in said heterocyclic ring is probably oxydised to -SO 2 -; R 3 and R 5 represent hydrogen; R 6 represents tetrahydropyran; R 7 is selected from hydrogen, C 1-3 alkyl, cyano and C 1-3 halogenoalkyl; R 8 represents hydrogen; R a is selected from C 1-3 alkyl and C 1-3 halogenoakryl. Other radicals are given in formula of invention. EFFECT: compounds can be applied in manufacturing medication for prevention and/or treatment of predemential states, moderate cognitive failure and type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson disease, as well as bone-associated malfunctions. 40 cl, 3 dwg, 1 tbl, 122 ex
The emergence of new wireless technologies together with the requirement of massive connectivity results in several technical issues such as excessive interference, high computational demand for signal processing, and lengthy processing delays. In this work, we propose several beamforming techniques for an uplink cell-free network with centralized, semi-distributed, and fully distributed processing, all based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). First, we propose a fully centralized beamforming method that uses the deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm (DDPG) with continuous space. We then enhance this method by enabling distributed experience at access points (AP). Indeed, we develop a beamforming scheme that uses the distributed distributional deterministic policy gradients algorithm (D4PG) with the APs representing the distributed agents. Finally, to decrease the computational complexity, we propose a fully distributed beamforming scheme that divides the beamforming computations among APs. The results show that the D4PG scheme with distributed experience achieves the best performance irrespective of the network size. Furthermore, the proposed distributed beamforming technique performs better than the DDPG algorithm with centralized learning only for small-scale networks. The performance superiority of the DDPG model becomes more evident as the number of APs and/or users increases. Moreover, during the operation stage, all DRL models demonstrate a significantly shorter processing time than that of the conventional gradient descent (GD) solution.
Mirtazapine, a noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA), blocks the α2-adrenergic autoreceptors and heteroreceptors, which are responsible for controlling noradrenaline and 5-hydroxy-tryptamine (5-HT) release. Though preclinical and clinical studies have shown that mirtazapine exerts an anxiolytic action, its precise brain target sites remain unclear. In the present study, we investigated the brain area(s) in which mirtazapine exerts its anxiolytic-like effects on the expression of contextual conditioned freezing in rats. Mirtazapine (3 μg/site) was directly injected into three brain structures, the median raphe nucleus (MRN), hippocampus and amygdala. Freezing behavior tests were carried out 10 min after injections. Our results showed that the intra-MRN injection of mirtazapine reduced freezing significantly, whereas injections into the hippocampus or the amygdala did not. In addition, the intra-MRN injection of mirtazapine did not affect locomotor activity. These results suggest that the anxiolytic-like effect of mirtazapine might be mediated by its action on the MRN.
In the current study, we investigated daily light exposure and its relation with vitality in everyday settings on an hour-to-hour basis. The method consisted of experience sampling combined with continuous light measurement and a sleep diary during three consecutive days. Data collection was distributed over a full year. Results revealed substantial interand intra-individual differences in hourly light exposure. The amount of light experienced was significantly related to vitality, indicating that persons who were exposed to more light experienced more vitality, over and above the variance explained by person characteristics, time of day, activity patterns and sleep duration during the previous night. This relationship was more pronounced in the morning, during the darker months of the year and when participants had experienced relatively low vitality during the previous hour. Overall, the results provide support for acute effects of light exposure on feelings of vitality during daytime, even in everyday life. This chapter is based on: Smolders, K. C. H. J., De Kort, Y. A. W., & Van den Berg, S. M. (2013). Daytime light exposure and feelings of vitality: Results of a field study during regular weekdays. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Accepted for publication
550 blood specimens from the umbilical cord of newborn babies from Apulia have been screened in order to detect Hb Bart's. The electrophoresis of the haemoglobin by Cellogel (Tris Glycine pH 8.6) carried out on the 550 specimens have revealed in 43 variable quantities of Hb Bart's: 34 cases (6,18%) showed non measurable quota, whereas in the other 9 cases (1,63%) Hb Bart's varied from 2,19% to 26%. The haemoglobin biosynthesis "in vitro" of the baby presenting 26% of Hb Bart's has been reported.
In the daily operation of the milling process, how often do you consider the efficiency of the sieving material in your sifter? Why did you choose the sieving material that you are using? New sieve designs and sieving materials have been introduced in recent years making it important to consider what the best products are for each sieving application. There are several considerations when selecting the most appropriate material for the multitude of sieving applications in the milling process. From the type of sieve to the type of wheat, selecting the right sieving material impacts the efficiency and extraction of the mill as well as the quali ty of the flour produced. Material type, micron size and percent open area are important considerations. Sieve type, weave, durability and texture are other factors that can impact the performance of the sieving material. Above all, one important factor to always remember is that the milling process is a food production process. Always confirm the material selected is food grade and complies with the regulations for food contact surfaces for the governing agency with oversight of your faci lity.
It is common for individuals purchasing vehicles via hire purchase in a readmission and / retention of title. The installment contract is usually written so that the buyer must take out motor insurance with an insurance company. The same applies to the leasing of a vehicle, where it is the lessee who usually must take out motor insurance. There are requirement thus ensuring that the policyholder is entitled to compensation in case of damage to the vehicle.    The Insurance Contracts Act states that compensation is due for any lawful interest covered by insurance, Chapter 6. 1 § 1 pc. FAL. In the preamble to the FAL and the doctrine there is no uniform definition of what is meant by an insurable interest. The legislative history of the FAL mentions very briefly what are non-legal interests such as one interruption insurance for a gambling house. Bengtsson says that the interests of the term imply the risk to loss when the insured property is damaged in the future. It is often rights in rem such as property rights that lead to insurable interest. Several insurance companies (see Section 3.1) require in their motor vehicle insurance that the insured must have an insurable interest in the property for the damage to be eligible for compensation from the insurance. In Swedish law there is no definition of what concerns property rights. The concept of ownership is a functional concept, which means that the owner of an object may be determined case by case depending on the situation. RF and ECHR imposes a protection of property. In the case of Hire Purchase with retention of title the purchaser becomes owner and is obliged to pay off his debt. If an insured event occurs, it may be problematic to determine who shall be entitled to compensation. The paper also touches on the problem of vehicle ’goalkeepers’, then the concepts of insurable interest and the owners have a close connection to this. Vehicles ’goalkeepers’ can be defined as someone who is the owner of the vehicle registry without being a real owner of the vehicle and its user.    A conclusion in the paper is that there are several different sets of rules (rights in rem, GFL, KkredL / AvbetKL, LVTR) affecting the assessment if the policyholder has an insurable interest as the owner of a vehicle, when the vehicle is purchased on installment with a retention of title. The problem is that the different regulatory systems do not interact with motor vehicle insurance, I suggest that insurance companies (trade organization Swedish Insurance) and trade association for the motor trade (eg Motor Industry Federation) should agree on a solution.
The Dandy Walker syndrome comprises of congenital brain mal formation involving the cerebellum and thefluid filled spaces around it. It is a disorder of ventral induction resulting in hindbrain abnormalitiesincorporating varying degrees of cerebellar vermis and/or enlargement of cisterna magna. A case was reportedduring routine fetal autopsy done in the Department of Anatomy at Government Medical College & Hospital,Chandigarh. It was a male fetus of 19+6 wks. The indication for MTP was Dandy Walker Syndrome detectedon ultra sonogram at 27 weeks. In autopsy, there was hypoplasia of cerebellum making floor of fourthventricle visible and also, right side cerebellar hemisphere was smaller than left. The syndrome is associatedwith fetal karyotype abnormalities, so amniocentesis can be offered on prenatal diagnosis
By reading, you can know the knowledge and things more, not only about what you get from people to people. Book will be more trusted. As this taking stock the tropical forestry action plan after five years, it will really give you the good idea to be successful. It is not only for you to be success in certain life you can be successful in everything. The success can be started by knowing the basic knowledge and do actions.
A new method is presented based on the characteristics of the satellite clock errors,i.e.the bias,drift,acceleration and periodicity of the clock.First the new method constructs a reasonable model.The model includes a quadratic polynome and the periodic terms.Then IGS satellite clock error corrections are used and lost data are repaired with the quadratic interpolation and the noise of the residuals after the quadratic fitting are reduced by the wavelet transform at last the dominant periodic terms of the residual variations are found by using the spectrum analysis.On the basis of them,precise fitting and predicting of GPS satellite clock errors are achieved.Experimental results of a few days demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the new method.
The paper deals with a study of 142 patients with hysterical neuroses and 92 with hysterical psychopathy. The personality typology was studied in 2 aspects: intrapersonal and interpersonal. In analyzing the main variants of the premorbid personality with hysterical neurosis special attention was paid to the role of accentuating separate hysterical signs. It is shown that there may be a transition of protracted hysterical reactions into hysterical psychogenic personality development. In analyzing hysterical psychopaths the author studied the correlation of constitutional-biological and social factors and describes the main variants of the personality structure among the "nuclear" and "boderline" psychopaths.
Objective: Thallium-201-chloride myocardial SPECT imaging accounts for about one-third of our daily nuclear medicine imaging workload. However, cancellation of imaging appointments has been an ongoing problem in our nuclear medicine practice. Because of an overall cancellation rate of 35%, we decided to incorporate this problem into our ongoing quality assurance review. Methods: Three categories of cancellation were identified: avoidable, unavoidable and no show. To resolve the avoidable category, the following actions were taken: (1) discussed the problem with the outpatient clerk supervisor; (2) developed patient preparation protocols to be given to each patient scheduled for a test; (3) sent a memorandum to all housestaff explaining the protocol; and (4) called the patient's home the evening prior to the test to remind him of the necessary preparations. Results: During fiscal year 1993, we performed more than 400 tests. At the beginning of the fiscal year, we were experiencing 10% avoidable and 13% no-show cancellations. At the end of our monitor, the percentage had been reduced to less than 2%. Conclusion: The cancellation rate of 201 TI myocardial SPECT can be improved if attention is paid to patient preparation and communication.
Taking Liparis arethusa mycorrhizal fungi as material,through separation,purification and cultured,using orthogonal experimental method to set culture conditions that include temperature,carbon source,nitrogen source and medium pH value,the Liparis mycorrhizal fungi culture system which based on the single-factor test were established. The results showed that the white or pale yellow colonies of Liparis mycorrhizal fungi showed the uniform radial outward growth,growth surface of sloppy or rich aerial hyphae with transparent droplets.Through measurement and analysis of colony growth rate,four factors best level were set the carbon source was concentration of 2%glucose,the nitrogen source was concentration of 0.5%ammonium chloride,pH value of 7,temperature of 25℃.Colony growth rate decreased at faster speed,with the increase in the number of days,and finally tended to a constant value in the tenth.
A public authority building a breakwater and other harbour facilities at a small seaport (population 3000) had short-term requirements for 261,000 tonnes of rock and ultimately for 1,000,000 tonnes. A suitable quarry was found about 11 km from the port but unfortunately the rock was found to be contaminated to a small extent with a fibrous mineral identified with the analytical transmission electron microscope as a non-commercial type of fine amphibole with many long fibres. Quarrying only was intended and there were no plans to crush the rock, but the projected work soon brought complaints from local residents, who expressed fears concerning risks to health from what soon became known as 'the asbestos mine'. These complaints posed a dilemma for both the construction and health authorities; they were forcefully expressed, and residents were supported by local newspapers, municipal authorities and regional politicians. The Land and Environment Court ordered (by consent) that the construction authority 'take all reasonable measures to ensure that no loose asbestos material and no rock with any asbestos material exposed on the surface (is) removed from the site'. Personal monitoring of quarry workmen by the membrane filter method and ambient air monitoring near residents' homes with analysis by electron microscope showed that only insignificant concentrations of airborne fibres were present. The breakwater was ultimately completed after much delay and extra expense. Other and greater risks to health and safety, such as the transport of liquid chlorine through the centre of the town to the fish processing plant and the storage, distribution and transport of petroleum products from the nearby regional facilities, were not perceived as such by the residents.
It is characteristic of modern science to ask how things originated. Understanding the origin of the Moon has proven to be challenging for planetary scientists, however. Part of the difficulty is simply that we know so much about the Moon (quite the opposite of our usual problem in astronomy). As we will see, one key problem is that the Moon is both tantalizingly similar to Earth and frustratingly different.
By carrying forward the tradition of the neoculture,modern Chinese Left-wing literature is critical of the traditional family ethics, and consequently,the family heroes endowed with traditional ethics are transformed into the proletarian revolutionary soldiers in the writing.As a mater of fact,what is transformed involves not only the heroes but also the entire discourse and order of life.Nevertheless,instead of vanishing truly from the revolutionary field of discourse,the family ethics has returned to it in a special manner,thus having become a component of the new revolutionary discourse order.
According to the Distinctiveness Conditions proposed by Kiparsky (1982), semantically relevant information tends to be retained in the surface structure. As a result, one would anticipate either the retention of /s/ or some compensatory mechanism to convey the information lost by its deletion in those dialects of Spanish that systematically weaken to the point of deletion said segment in syllable- and word-final positions. Following the methodologies of Hammond (1978) and Figueroa (2000), the objective of this study is to experimentally explore in Andalusian Spanish the possible existence of a phonological quantitative and/or qualitative compensatory mechanism, realized as either vowel lengthening or an open-closed vowel alternation, in an attempt to disambiguate those tokens rendered homophonous by the deletion of final /s/. Speech samples were elicited from six native speakers of Andalusian Spanish. These speech samples were then organized into a four-part perception test and administered to twenty-five participants who were also native speakers of this same dialect area. Finally, spectrographic analysis was performed on all tokens used in the perception test. This study found no systematic evidence of any compensatory mechanism at work in the vowels preceding /s/ (the particular notation is abbreviated) [o] in word-final position. However, this investigation did find sufficient evidence for the phonemicization of vowel duration in syllable-final position within the word. An average increase of 24.4% in the length of the vowel preceding the [o] allophone of /s/ provided the participants with adequate acoustic cues to correctly distinguish pairs such as buque [ˈβu.ke] ‘ship’ (n.) and busque [ˈβuo.ke] ‘look for’ (3SG.PRES.SUBJ) at a rate of 79.0%. The aforementioned findings concur with those of both Hammond (1978) for Miami-Cuban Spanish and Figueroa (2000) for Puerto Rican Spanish.
Objective To establish the amygdala-kindling epilepsy rats models,and measure the expression of SV2A to explore the pathogenesis of epilepsy.Methods To establish model of chronic epilepsy by stimulating the amygdala as the epilepsy group,and to perfuse antiepileptic drug of levetiracetam into stomach as the treatment group.The dynamic changes of SV2A were examined by Real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry in the hippocamp tissue.Results Compared with the sham control group,epilepsy group showed decreased the expression after one week,and SV2A in epilepsy eight weeks was higher than control group(P0.05).However,there was significant difference between group after two weeks,four weeks and eight weeks before and after treatment(P0.05).Conclusion The expression of SV2A was closely related to epileptic seizures.
Compound eye morphology of the worker,female alate and male alate of the fire ant,Solenopsis invicta Buren was studied with scanning electron microscopy.The compound eye of worker had only about 110 ommatidia and it was a outward slightly convex rotundity;the female alates' was long ellipse and composed of approximate 510 ommatidia;the male's was similar to a hemisphere and had more than 805 ommatidia;The shape of ommatidia in the central region was pentagon or hexagon and more rules,and very close,but in the rim was irregular quadrangle,pentagon or hexagon,and no close,the spacing between the individual ommitidium was very big.The ommatidium area of worker,female and male ants were about 500,360 and 348.61 μm2 respectively,the area of different ommatidium had little change in the same grand;There were some sensilla between the ommatidia which near dorsal area in the compound eye of male and female.The length of sensilla in female alates 17.5 μm to 90.2 μm,diameter 2.16 μm to 4.29 μm,and the male alate sensilla length was 17.5 μm to 27.9 μm,diameter 1.41 μm to 2.52 μm.There was a remarkable difference and regional differentiation among sexes and castes on the shape of compound eye,the number and shape of ommatidium,and configuration on the surface.
Owing to television,network,and many other media forms and concepts,the emergence of the image forms in the contemporary business illustrations is becoming increasingly important and it is developing towards the diversified direction.Through the analysis of a variety of factors,the clear design of language characteristics,and the inquiries into constitution rule and methods of the image form from multiple perspectives,it is conducive to selectively accept and apply image form,to offer new ways of thinking to commercial illustration,and set up art designers’ new unique language forms,which has the extremely vital significance for the extension and application of illustration forms.
A 44-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of mediastinal mass. Serum levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were found to be elevated. No preoperative examination could detect the primary lesion. The tumor was resected through right thoracotomy. Histological examination revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. She was diagonosed as metastatic mediastinal lymph node carcinoma of unknown primary site. She received radiotherapy and chemotherapy and is desease free 29 months after operation. Good results may be obtained by multimodality therapies for cancer in mediastinal lymph node of unknown primary site.
Some mono-and disubstituted hydrazine-derived ferrocenes have been synthesized and studied for their antibacterial properties. All these synthesized compounds have been characterized by their physical, analytical and spectral data, which introduces a novel class of ferrocene compounds. The antibacterial properties, of these compounds have also been evaluated and thus a significant use of such compounds as antibacterial agent is reported.
Based on data from the dust storm monitoring station over Hunshandake Desert Area,Inner Mongolia,the maximum values of micrometeorological variables, turbulent fluxes and dust concentration in the surface layer are compared for eight dust events in the spring of 2004,and the characteristics of micrometeorology and radiation components in the strongest dust storm event in March 27-28 are analyzed.The results show that temperature differences in the surface layer,net radiation and sensible heat fluxes all decrease during daytime,and the strength of temperature inversion weakens at night.When dust events occur,momentum fluxes increase.It is found that both mechanical turbulence and thermodynamic turbulence play important roles in local dust rising and vertical dust transport over source regions.During the passage of the strongest dust storm event in March 27-28,dust concentration,wind speed and vertical shear of wind velocity increase rapidly,together with changes of wind direction.At the strengthening stage of the dust storm,temperature falls by about 7℃,and there is a peak value of specific humidity.Both the net radiation and sensible heat fluxes become negative.When dust concentration reaches its maximum,the net radiation rises to zero,which reflects the heating effect of dust aerosol during nighttime.
OBJECTIVE To investigate aticancer effect and potential mechanism of a new xanthono-pyridine derivative N,N'-(7-oxo-7H-chromeno[3,2-h]quinoline-5,9-diyl)-bis( 2-( pyrrolidin-1-yl) acetamide)( XP-16) on human gastric carcinoma cell line MGC-803. METHODS Antiproliferative effect of XP-16 on MGC-803 cells was evaluated by MTT assay,morphological examination and colonial assay. Apoptosis detection was carried out using Hoechest33258 and PI double-dyeing method. Intracellular calcium concentration([Ca2 +]i) and mitochondria membrane potential were detected by fluorospectrophotometer. Bad and metallothionein 1A(MT-1A) transcripts were analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). RESULTS XP-16 could inhibit proliferation of MGC-803 cells in dose- and time-dependent manner(r = 0. 88,P 0. 01; r = 0. 93,P 0. 05). Typical apoptotic morphology such as chromatin aggregation and nuclear fragmentation was observed in MGC-803 cells with XP-16-treated for 24 h,and the effect was dose-dependent. After treated with XP-16,[Ca2 +]i and mitochondria membrane potential of MGC-803 cells were decreased,relative mRNA levels of Bad and MT-1A were up-regulated. CONCLUSION XP-16 can inhibite MGC-803 cells proliferation by inducing apoptosis,which might be associated with decreasing [Ca2 +]i and mitochondria membrane potential. Up-regulation of MT-1A expression might be the result of decreased [Ca2 +]i.
article presents a Particle Swarm Optimization with time- varying acceleration coefficients (TVAC-PSO) technique for the design of Integral (I) controller for the Load Frequency Control (LFC) system. The LFC modeling is carried out for Multi-area interconnected power systems (MAIPS). The power system comprises non-reheat thermal unit in each control area. The controller gains have been optimized using an efficient TVAC-PSO technique. Two MAIPS models have been considered for the LFC analysis. The dynamic responses have been obtained by giving step load perturbation (SLP) in control area-1. Area frequency and tie line power deviations settle with zero steady state errors. Area frequencies and tie line powers attain their corresponding nominal values. The dynamic responses obtained are as per the LFC requirements.
Cyclosportives, or sportives as they are usually known, are the cycling equivalent of marathons. They often last over seven hours and are ridden over distances in excess of 100 miles. If they are to complete successfully, serious sportive riders require a high level of physical fitness, mental strength and focus, good bike-handling skills and the ability to commit themselves to a stringent programme of training and preparation.
A control system for operating the future FAIR (Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research) accelerator complex is being developed at GSI. One of its core components is the settings management system. At CERN, settings management and data supply for large parts of the CERN accelerator complex is done using the LSA (LHC Software Architecture) framework. Several concepts of the LSA framework already fit the FAIR requirements: Generic structures for keeping accelerator data; modulardesign; separationbetween data model, business logic and applications; standardized interfaces for implementing the physical machine model. An LSA test installation was set up at GSI and first tests were performed controlling the existing GSI synchrotron SIS18 already with the new system. These successes notwithstanding, there are issues resulting from conceptual differences between CERN and FAIR operations. CERN and GSI have established a collaboration to make LSA fit for both institutes, thereby developing LSA into a genericframeworkfor acceleratorsettings management. While focussing on the enhancements that are necessary for FAIR, this paper also presents key concepts of the LSA system.
A composition FIREFIGHTING, aerosol, containing more oxidizing agents and a binder FUEL CONTAINS potassium nitrate as an oxidizing agent and ORIGIN OF AGENTS TO PREVENT COMBUSTION CONTAINS AS combustible binder, nitrocellulose plasticized AND CARBON as an activator for the disintegration of potassium nitrate, BY these components are in the following ratio: mass% potassium nitrate CARBON 5-15 40-70 NITROCELLULOSE PLASTIFICADA REST THE FORM OF ACTION OF FIREFIGHTING cOMPOSITIONS THAT IS TO THERMAL disintegration, originate gaseous products SHOWERS AND CONDENSED HIGHLY WHICH ARE WITH SPRAY ACTION TO PREVENT COMBUSTION.
Cancer, inflammatory diseases, dyslipidemia, for treatment and prevention of malaria and diabetes, novel diterpene compounds, in particular, hypo Est sulfoxide (hypoestoxide) related compounds, in pure form, or naturally in plant origin included are provided. Embodiment also relates to the use of hypo Est dimethylsulfoxide related compounds for the treatment of symptoms associated with various diseases and these diseases.
The neosporosis is a disease of great economic importance, is distributed worldwide and is considered today one of the major causes of abortion and neonatal deaths in cattle. The pathogenesis of Neospora caninum infection is not fully understood and some issues in this regard are important in determining the most efficient measures of control and prophylaxis of a flock. The exclusive use of animals in these studies are expensive and time consuming so, some species of animals, such as, the rodents, can be used to make it possible. The gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) mimic infection in cattle and are considered highly sensitive to replication of the protozoan. This study evaluated the responses of these animal models, at different moments of infection, especially in the amount and severity of acute and chronic/persistent infections by N. caninum. In addition, the research sheds light the tissues preferred location/replication the protozoan in these rodent at different conditions depending on disease progresses. The results are presented in two articles. In chapter one, the aim was to characterize the acute infection by the protozoan for to determine the major tissue sites of replication in experimental models of M. unguiculatus. Thus we have demonstrated that, initially the protozoan made a replication, but there is a distribution in virtually all tissues of the host. In addition, we observed that without an effective action of the immune system to combat agent, the infection progresses to death of animals with characteristic signs rapidity detected between 3 and 5 days after initiation of infection. The second chapter, sought to establish in rodents (M. unguiculatus) chronically infected, which places the N. caninum prefers to develops chronic evolutive form bradyzoites that are characteristic of a phase of persistent disease, especially in regions of the CNS. Furthermore, we note that the dose inoculated interfere significantly in the induction of acute and chronic infection and this is reflected in the amount of detection of nucleic acids in different tissues, above all in the CNS. In this context, it was observed that the emergence of clinical signs was milder without the induction of severe and lethal infections in most chronically infected animals. Thus, through this study we can conclude that highly sensitive techniques are necessary to detect nucleic acids from N. caninum, especially in the CNS tissues in animals chronically infected.%%%%A neosporose e uma enfermidade de grande importância economica, encontra-se distribuida em todo o mundo e pode ser considerada atualmente, umas das maiores causas de aborto e perdas neonatais em bovinos. A patogenia da infeccao pelo Neospora caninum nao esta totalmente esclarecida e algumas questoes a este respeito sao importantes para determinar medidas mais eficientes de controle e profilaxia de um rebanho. A utilizacao exclusiva de bovinos nestes estudos e dispendiosa e demorada, com isso, algumas especies de animais, como os roedores, podem ser utilizadas para torna-la…
The problems inherent in visualizing the adrenal glands are illustrated by the variety of imaging modalities that have been employed. Although urography has been the basic screening examination, one can make a sound argument for CT as the procedure of choice in the evaluation of the patient with suspected adrenal pathology. Angiography, venous sampling, and radionuclide studies continue to have a role in selected problem cases. This article reviews the usefulness of available modalities in the context of the clinical evaluation of adrenal disease.
Biofuel expansion efforts and climate mitigation policy could fundamentally alter land management trends in U.S. agriculture and forestry (AF) by mandating biofuel feedstock production and providing incentives for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction and carbon sequestration from terrestrial sources. Research has shown that biofuel expansion can alter commodity markets, induce agricultural land expansion, and intensify production. Meanwhile, GHG mitigation efforts could limit agricultural expansion, reduce current cultivation, and lower management intensity by incentivizing GHG emissions reduction and carbon sequestration within AF. To date, little work has attempted to quantify biofuel and climate policy-induced shifts together along the extensive and intensive agricultural production margins within a systems-based framework, though such shifts could have resounding implications on agricultural water consumption and quality. This study uses a comprehensive and detailed economic model of the U.S. AF sectors to simulate land management responses to biofuel expansion and GHG policies. While bioenergy production and altered AF management practices are found to significantly reduce GHG emissions, additional water consumption and nutrient use are possible policy outcomes. Specifically, we find that policies that influence shifts to the extensive margin will increase aggregate water use and nutrient application, but lead to lower intensity per-unit area. Conversely, when combined with biofuel mandates climate mitigation incentives lower agricultural land expansion, but lead to higher levels of management intensity. Somewhat contrary to expectations, GHG mitigation incentives cause water and nutrient use intensity to grow at an increasing rate due to the greater level of land use competition. Additionally, important regional trends emerge, as water use and quality concerns grow with the CO2 price in areas with limited GHG mitigation possibilities. This suggests that “water leakage” is possible whereby emissions reduction activities decrease output in one region and stimulate management intensity elsewhere. The potential indirect consequences of combined biofuel and climate mitigation incentives on water resource systems warrant further attention in policy design and future research.
The aim of this study is to explore the extent to which brand loyalty has contributed to the recent success of chained casual-dining restaurants within the UK, with a focus on consumer behaviour and choice drivers when consumers select restaurants. The study adopted the qualitative method of interviews and focus groups to collect data from British and International consumers. This research found that consumers are loyal to chained restaurants when they search for convenience and consistency. However, the extent in which genuine loyalty, involving attitudinal, behavioural and emotional connections with a brand, is limited as consumers seek to differentiate themselves from their peers and rather their self-image was associated with exclusivity or uniqueness.
A Wimax network is once of most appealing network that covers most of needs of a business network. A network that requires security at high data speed is fulfilled by Wimax. Although this as the data is transferred at very high speed a small delay in communication or any decision making process will result the data loss over the network. Such kind of problem occur in a hierarchical network where multiple users transfer data to other network, In such case the connecting node to these two network suffers the problem of bottleneck problem. As in case of bottleneck there is a tight end for the outside communication and it results the data loss. The proposed work is the implementation of OFDM to resolve this bottleneck problem. The Proposed work is the better utilization of network bandwidth to get the reliable solution. The bandwidth is shared by connecting nodes respective to the variable length data request. The system will first observe the number of request being transferring and the size of data communication made by each request and on this basis the bandwidth will be assigned to each network.
Estimating the uncertainty in image registration is an area of current research that is aimed at providing information that will enable surgeons to assess the operative risk based on registered image data and the estimated registration uncertainty. If they receive inaccurately calculated registration uncertainty and misplace confidence in the alignment solutions, severe consequences may result. For probabilistic image registration (PIR), most research quantifies the registration uncertainty using summary statistics of the transformation distributions. In this paper, we study a rarely examined topic: whether those summary statistics of the transformation distribution truly represent the registration uncertainty. Using concrete examples, we show that there are two types of uncertainties: the transformation uncertainty, Ut, and label uncertainty Ul. Ut indicates the doubt concerning transformation parameters and can be estimated by conventional uncertainty measures, while Ul is strongly linked to the goal of registration. Further, we show that using Ut to quantify Ul is inappropriate and can be misleading. In addition, we present some potentially critical findings regarding PIR.
Based on the neural wave motion equation which describes coupling oscillation of neural sets,the paper studies the properties of dissipation and interaction of neural coupling solutions by applying the least action principle.The result deduced from analyzing soliton parametric equations indicates that dissipative effect leads to amplitude decrease and the interaction between the coupling solitons is attraction.More analyses show that the power of attraction in the same cortex is bigger than in the different context and interaction is also weakened by dissipation.
Achondroplasia (Ach) (MIM 100800) is the most common non-lethal form of short-limbed dwarfism which is caused by activating mutations in the gene that encodes Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 (FGFR3) on chromosome 4pl6.3 (1). The incidence for Ach is between 0.5 and 1 .5 in 1 0,000 births (2, 4). Except for secondary damage caused by skeletal disorders other organs abnormalities associated with Ach have not been reported yet. Although associated in certain syndromes, the incidence of unilateral renal agenesis is higher than expected (1/5001/800 live births) (3, 4). In the literature, Ach has not been ranked among common diseases or syndromes with renal agenesis, yet (7). We present a patient with Ach accompanied with unilateral renal agenesis. We speculated that the urinary tract abnormalities might be seen more often in Ach than normal population. Because, there are important roles of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) and their receptors in nephrogenesis. Unlike other growth factors, FGFs act in concert with heparin or heparan sulfate proteoglycan to activate FGFRs in nephrogenesis (6). Thus, any mutations causing abnormal activity of FGFs/FGFRs could result in disruption of the kidney proteoglycan network (5). A male newborn, born at 3 1 gestational weeks, was admitted to our unit due to respiratory distress syndrome. Surfactant treatment and mechanical ventilation support was given. His mother was 18 years age and operated for adrenal adenoma in childhood, and his father was diagnosed with Ach (de novo mutation). Antenatal care was adequate and pregnancy was completed without any complications such as diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and hypertension. The mother had no history of drug usage or exposure to teratogens. On admission, the patient's birth weight was 134Og (25-50 centile), length 36 cm ( The patient was discharged at postnatal 63"' day. Genetic counseling was given to the family, and recommendations were offered for the protection of the solitary kidney. …
This survey research is designed to identify teachers’ quality in teaching and learning at secondary schools in Jitra, Kedah. Specifically, this study focuses on students’ level of perception towards teachers’ quality in teaching and learning, its relationship with teachers’ achievement and the difference in perception between students of different genders. The sample of the study involved 182 secondary school students. The instrument used was a set of questionnaire comprising 21 items covering teachers’ quality in teaching and learning. The data were analysed by using the statistical descriptive and inferential such as the mean, standard deviation, t-test and Pearson correlation. Students’ perceptions on the quality of teacher’s teaching and learning are based on the level of perceptions of 5 point Likert scale. In general, the result showed that the students’ level of perceptions on the quality of teachers’ teaching and learning is in a good category. However, there was no significant relationship between male and female perceptions toward the quality of teachers’ teaching and learning and their achievements. In addition, the result also showed that there was no difference in the quality of teachers’ teaching and learning between them. The findings of this research could be used as a guideline for teachers in order to enhance the quality of their teaching and learning.
A wind turbine blade structure, a processing and forming method and applications thereof are provided. The blade consists of a root segment, a main beam and a covering that wraps the root segment and the external side of the main beam; the blade is fixed with a wind wheel by a connecting piece that is arranged at the root segment, thus forming a spatial cantilever beam structure; at the main beam area and the root segment, one or more solid or hollow wedge-shaped columns (1,1') are arranged between a top paving layer (4) and a bottom paving layer (2); the wedge-shaped column (1,1') at the internal-most side of the root end is solid and is internally provided with the connecting piece, wherein the fiber cloth is arranged at least among the adjacent wedge-shaped columns at the internal-most side of the root segment and continuously intersects and enwinds the wedge-shaped columns in a horizontal S-shaped, thus forming an interlayer; and the top paving layer, the bottom paving layer and the fiber cloth interlayer are dipped with glue and solidified to form a framework with a honeycomb-shaped section. The structure and the method have the advantages of: leading the once pouring of resin and once solidifying and forming for the large blade and the realizing of the pre-embedding of the connecting piece of the root part to be possible, dispersing the synergistic effect and solidifying shrinkage quantity of solidified heating of the bottom paving layer and the top paving layer by the wedge-shaped columns, and leading the unsaturated resin used as a substrate material to be possible.
Principal component analysis (PCA) is a powerful tool in chemical process monitoring and product quality control. The number of principal components (PCs) is the essential parameter of PCA and ultimately determines the performance of this useful statistical method. Traditional selection methods are very subjective due to the monotonically increasing or decreasing indices they adopt. By exploring the minimum detectable fault magnitudes in the PCs space and residual space simultaneously, a new index of optimal critical fault magnitude (OCFM) was introduced and the number of PCs was selected by optimizing a function of the OCFM. The proposed method could incorporate the PCA fault diagnosing performance with the PCs selection procedure effectively, and has the advantages of forecasting PCA detection behavior of a specific fault and estimating the fault magnitude. The acquired results were then illustrated and verified by monitoring a simulated double-effect evaporator.
The subventricular zone (SVZ) of the adult mammalian brain harbors the neural stem cell population with potential neural regeneration and repair capacity. We describe a nonviral technique to preferentially transfect in vivo the adult neural stem cell population and its immediate progeny based on intraventricular injection of polyethyelenimines (PEl)/DNA complexes. Linear PEI is proving to be efficient, non-toxic and versatile agent for in vivo gene delivery by a number of routes. The transfected population was identified by cellular and ultra-structural evidence showing their proliferating status and expression of the specific markers GFAP and nestin. Stable activation of the lacZ reporter by cre-recombinase transfection in R26R mice demonstrated survival and migration of stem cell derivatives three months after injection. Apoptosis is thought to be the most common fate of the stem cell progeny. Introduction of a neuroprotective, antiapoptotic gene Bcl-XL can augment the number and change the histological profile of transgene-expressing cells in the SVZ. This opens up the possibility of enhancing in situ the regenerative potential of this population of cells. As well as confirming the importance of apoptosis in neural stem cell physiology, our results pave the way for further investigations of this phenomenon. This method thus provides selective targeting of the stem cell population and should allow an in-depth understanding of their biology. We thus investigated the effects of thyroid hormones on proliferation and apoptosis of stem cells in the subventricular zone as well as on migration of transgene-tagged neuroblasts out of the stem cell niche. Hypothyroidism significantly reduced all three of these processes, inhibiting generation of new cells. These data suggest that, besides the well established multiple roles of TH in early neurogenesis, TH is an essential component of the endocrine environment that activates neural stem cell growth, migration, and apoptosis. Further, the results demonstrate that the negative effects of TH on mitotic capacity have repercussion on the number of cells migrating through the RMS. Endocrine factors such as TH could be key factors to reveal regenerative potential of endogenous or grafted stem cells.
To describe the biological nitrogen removal technology for municipal wastewater in artifical wetland and the mechanism of removing nitrogen pollutant in wastewater.Using the artificial wetland denitrogenation technology,to elab-orate in detail the mechanism of artificial wetland ammonia nitrogen and the influencing factors.To study the essential process for removing nitrogen which is microorganism's denitrification process and the influencing factors.It provides a scientific basis for application of treatment process for artificial wetland wastewater.
In this paper, we summarize our recent research on applying data analytics to a new application area: co-operative education. Many post-secondary institutions currently offer co-operative programs in which students alternate between on-campus classes and off-campus work terms. We observe that the co-operative process produces a variety of interesting data including job advertisements and performance evaluations. We discuss novel data science methodologies we applied to these datasets and the business insights we obtained.
The years of the Vietnamese war are the hardest period for Vietnam. Soviet military specialists had got a secret mission: to go to Vietnam and teach Vietnamese soldiers to defend their Motherland from American invasion. At the first moment the Vietnamese were scared of Soviet specialists thinking that these new Europeans try to get something from Vietnam for their own profit only. But later they could understand that the Russian people came there not for profit but because of moral principles. Vietnamese began to respect the Russian people and Russian culture.
In this paper, we provide a characterization of interim ine±ciency in stochastic economies of overlapping generations under possibly sequentially incomplete markets. With respect to the established body of results in the literature, we remove the hypothesis of two-period horizons, by considering longer, though uniformly bounded, horizons for generations. The characteri- zation exploits a suitably Modi¯ed Cass Criterion, grounded on the long-rung behavior of compounded safe interest rates and independent of the length of horizons of generations. Thus, the hypothesis of two-period horizons is purely heuristic in establishing a criterion for ine±ciency. In addition, for sequentially incomplete markets, we adopt a suitable notion of unambiguous ine±ciency, separating the ine±cient intertemporal allocation of resources from incomplete risk-sharing. Unambiguous ine±ciency reduces to ine±ciency when markets are sequentially complete.
The temporomandibular joint receives its name from the two bones that enter into its formation, namely, the temporal bone and the mandible. This complex synovial system composed of two temporomandibular joints together with their articulating ligaments and masticatory muscles. This articulation affects other synovial joints that relate specifically to masticatory function. The following article provides detailed information regarding the temporomandibular joint disorders.
The quest to make minimally invasive techniques even more ‘minimal’ has generated a drive within the surgical community to explore novel ways of achieving this. This has led to surgeons attempting to either decrease the number of trocars placed through the abdominal wall or eliminate them completely. This led to the evolution of several approaches, including natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), single port access surgery and one port umbilical surgery (OPUS) or E-NOTES. The most recent consensus on nomenclature involves the term laparoendoscopic single-site surgery (LESS). The transition from multiple port access surgery to single port access surgery represents a paradigm shift in reconstructive and extirpative surgery and is a testament to the recent advances in surgical technology. Successful LESS involves the use of articulating or bent instrumentation via a single large-caliber trocar or small, adjacent trocars. Advances in technology have led to the development of new laparoscopic access ports (R-Port™ and Quadriport™ by Advanced Surgical Concepts, Wicklow, Ireland; and Uni-X™ Single Port, PNavel Systems, Cleveland, OH, USA) capable of permitting several instruments to be inserted through multiple channels incorporated in, and as part of, a larger single port. The development of articulating and bent instrumentation permits triangulation intracorporeally despite the close proximity of several instruments via a single port. Currently, commercially available instruments can be broadly divided into articulating laparoscopic graspers and shears (Real Hand™, Novare Surgical Systems, Cupertino, CA, USA; and Autonomy Laparo-angle™, Cambridge Endo, Framingham, MA, USA), endoshears (Cambridge Endo), and laparoscopic needle drivers (Cambridge Endo). Despite the preliminary optimistic results in the outcomes of LESS, an experienced laparoscopic skill set is essential for the safe and effective completion of surgery.
Abstract The needs and desires of lesbians and gay men with cancer at the end of their lives are not fundamentally different from any other dying individual's needs. There are, however, significant legal restrictions and societal attitudes that can negatively affect the dying experiences of lesbians and gay men. Lesbians and gay men face many challenges at the end of their lives, including issues of disclosure in the healthcare setting, discrimination, misconceptions, legal and financial barriers and the disenfranchised grief of surviving same-sex partners. Oncology social workers can play a prominent role in advocating for these individuals to allow for dignity and support in spite of these barriers and provide effective interventions to help in assisting lesbians and gay men with healthcare decision-making and end-of-life care planning.
There is provided an electronic device having a microprocessor for executing a program code and coupled to the microprocessor first hardware code path verification step (CPV-stage). The hardware CPV-step comprises a first error detection code generator (EDC) generator, which is designed such that it continuously an error detection code to a continuous code sequence refers to an actually executed portion of the program codes determined and the current error detection code with a compares predetermined error code to verify the correct execution of the program code and to indicate an error.
This is the report of the results obtained with continuous enteral feeding in congenital nephrotic syndrome (3 cases), cystinosis (3 cases) and renal failure (3 cases). Ages of patients at the beginning of treatment ranged from 10 days to 3 years. Enteral nutrition was given for periods ranging from 4 to 37 months; mean energetic intake was 116% of the levels recommended according to developmental age and protein diets were 138%; 115% and 84% of the recommended amounts in nephrotic syndromes, cystinosis and renal failure, respectively. This treatment obtained the survival of most patients. In congenital nephrotic syndromes, growth improved clearly with acceleration of the curve and restoration of plasma albumin level. In cystinosis, a better fluid and electrolyte balance was obtained and growth curve sometimes improved in a spectacular fashion. Finally, in renal failure, effect on growth was favourable in 2 cases and nil in the third: these findings show that normalization of energetic intakes does not induce normal growth in children with uremia.
This study investigates the mental health among Iranian undergraduate students at Payam-e-Noor University in the west Azerbaijan. A sample of 3459 girls and boys was selected from junior and senior classes from undergraduate student in west Azerbaijan by a stratified cluster random sampling method. They were investigated by means of the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and demographic data in a cross-sectional study. Following the recommendations of Goldberg et al, the chosen cut-off point for the differentiation between individuals with and without psychiatric morbidity was a score of 23 because of the high mean score within the population. Of the participants, 1672 (46.6%) achieved a GHQ-28 score above the threshold. Significantly more girls (33.3%) than boys (27.7%) in both group of senior students had GHQ-28 scores indicating some psychiatric morbidity. On average, the senior students in both groups reported a higher level of mental health problems compared with junior students from undergraduate student in the same University year. A considerable proportion of undergraduate students experience mental disorders, with girls experiencing such disorders more frequently than boys. Periodic mental health surveys in Universities were proposed to identify students in need of counseling or treatment to improve their coping skills and problem-solving abilities. Findings suggest a need for increased attention to undergraduate student mental health needs especially the role of financial confidence in student well-being and the relationship of graduate students with their advisors.
Outdoor visual localization is a crucial component to many computer vision systems. We propose an approach to localization from images that is designed to explicitly handle the strong variations in appearance happening between daytime and nighttime. As revealed by recent long-term localization benchmarks, both traditional feature-based and retrieval-based approaches still struggle to handle such changes. Our novel localization method combines a state-of-the-art image retrieval architecture with condition-specific sub-networks allowing the computation of global image descriptors that are explicitly dependent of the capturing conditions. We show that our approach improves localization by a factor of almost 300 % compared to the popular VLAD-based methods on nighttime localization.
OBJECTIVE Two dietary regimens recommended for the reduction of coronary risk, by way of their effects on lipid profile, are the diet low in saturated fat and a diet rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA). However the effects of these diets on carbohydrate metabolism in healthy subjects are not well known. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of both diets on various parameters of carbohydrate metabolism.   METHODS 41 healthy young males were submitted to 3 consecutive diets, each for a duration of 4 weeks. The first diet was rich in saturated fat (SAT) (38% fat, 20% saturated). The second was rich in carbohydrates following the recommendations of the NCEP-I (National Cholesterol Education Program type I) (28% fat, 47% carbohydrates). The last one was a diet rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (38% fat, 22% MUFA). At the end of each dietary period, blood pressure (BP) and blood levels of glucose, insulin and free fatty acids were determined. 29 subjects were also submitted to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at the end of each diet.   RESULTS The SAT diet induced the highest levels of insulin after the OGTT. The consumption of the MUFA diet determined the lowest levels of fasting blood glucose (-0.60 mmol/l [13%], p < 0.0002), insulin (-9 microUl/ml [47%], p < 0.0002) and free fatty acids (-0.11 mmol/l [24%], p = 0.006), compared to the NCEP-I diet. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in the NCEP-I diet than during the other periods (SBP: +6 mmHg compare with SAT [5%], p = 0.0001; and +5 mmHg compare with MUFA [4%], p = 0.0001; DBP: +20 mmHg compare with MUFA [27%], p = 0.0001) and +6 mmHg compared with SAT [8%], p = 0.0001).   CONCLUSION Of the diets most commonly used for the treatment and prevention of arteriosclerosis, a diet rich in monounsaturated fats is the most beneficial for the healthy population from the point of view of carbohydrate metabolism and blood pressure.
Monitoring of environmental gases is necessary to understand the complex processes governing global warming and the impact of pollutant emissions related to human activity. Diode-laser-based spectroscopic techniques, being robust and affordable, have a great potential to become an industrially well-established technology for environmental sensing. This thesis deals with the further development of these techniques, demonstrated in several applications to atmospheric gas detection and sensing. The accessible spectral range of tunable diode lasers was extended by use of sum-frequency generation. High-resolution ultraviolet spectroscopy of mercury isotopes around 254 nm was performed on low-pressure cells as well as at atmospheric pressure. Ultraviolet radiation around 300 nm, utilized for monitoring of sulfur dioxide and studies of the pressure dependence of the absorption spectrum, was produced using a sum-frequency generation scheme employing a blue and a near-infrared diode laser. Detection sensitivity was improved by several orders of magnitude by employing frequency modulation techniques. This was demonstrated with blue continuous-wave diode lasers in measurements on ground state potassium atoms, and lead atoms in very weakly populated meta-stable states. In the red spectral region, traffic-generated emission of nitrogen dioxide was monitored in situ using long path absorption at a wavelength around 635 nm. A new temporal gas-correlation scheme was developed, which overcomes the intrinsic multimode and mode-jump behaviour of diode lasers. The concentration of a gas under study is determined by temperature tuning the wavelength of a diode laser across an absorption band of the gas, and by simultaneous temporal correlation of the detected signal with the signal from a known reference gas concentration. No knowledge of the exact spectrum is needed. The method was tested in diffusion related measurements. A novel technique for analysis of free gas in scattering media by use of absorption spectroscopy, GASMAS, was introduced. The sharp absorption features of the gas, contrasted to the very slow wavelength dependence of the bulk material, can be picked up by use of modulation techniques. Dispersed molecular oxygen embedded in various natural and man-made porous materials was detected and measured. The gas concentration was determined by combining absorption and time-resolved laser spectroscopy measurements. Investigations were performed to assess the internal gas pressure and gas diffusion characteristics. A new single-aerosol particle detector using a coupled-cavity diode laser was developed. Simultaneous size and shape determination was demonstrated by recording of the optical extinction and a diffraction image in the near-forward scattered light. (Less)
AIM To study the yield and viability of porcine hepatocytes and observe the process of alteration of cell morphology in culture. METHODS Porcine hepatocytes were isolated by the modified two step method described by Seglen. The yield and viability were assessed by trypan blue exclusion. Hepatocytes were inoculated in the culture medium consisted of DMEM supplemented with insulin, glucagon, transferrin, dexamethasone and 100mL/L fetal calf serum. The morphologic change of cultured hepatocytes was observed and the concentrations of albumin and urea in the supernatant in different cultural period were examined. RESULTS The average liver weight was 434g , the average yield of porcine hepatocytes was 2 18×10 10 cells per pig with an average viability of 94 6%. Porcine hepatocytes were found to have differentiating function during in vitro culture for 4-5 weeks. CONCLUSION These data indicate that pig hepatocytes can be harvested with high yields and can retain viability and differentiating function for at least 30 days in vitro culture. Therefore it is an excellent source of hepatocytes for bioartificial liver devices.
This research is intended to analyze the cohesive devices found on the Macbeth’s utterances in the drama entitled “Macbeth” in which the devices organize semantic (meaning) relationship between an element and the others. The organization of those elements is categorized as cohesion which is also viewed as one of the elements helps the audience to follow easily the train of thought of the speaker or the writer. Macbeth as the main character of the drama entitled “Macbeth” written by William Shakespeare has constructed many cohesive devices both in grammatical and lexical cohesive devices. Besides Macbeth, the supporting characters also express their utterances by using grammatical and lexical cohesive devices. This drama includes spoken text in the form of dialogues among the characters. Thus, it becomes interesting object to be researched. The problems are covered by the question "What types of grammatical cohesion are found in the drama entitled “Macbeth”?" and "What types of lexical cohesion are found in the drama entitled “Macbeth”?”    This research uses descriptive qualitative research method in which the data are taken from the utterances expressed by Macbeth during his dialogues with other supporting players. The data are analyzed by exploring Halliday and Hasan’s theory of cohesive devices.    This research has obtained the following results. On the grammatical cohesive devices which comprise reference, ellipsis, substitution and conjunction, this research finds that the most widely used is reference which function is to indicate reference pronoun. Then, in the second position is followed by conjunction which function is to indicate a connection between ideas. Next, the tie of substitution is found in which it makes the language expressed accurate by substituting specific terms. The last is ellipsis; its function is to simplify the sentences of utterances. Nevertheless, on the lexical cohesive devices which cover reiteration and collocation, it is found that the most widely found is reiteration namely repetition followed by metonym, antonym, synonym, and hyponym. However, Collocation is rarely found.    From the results, it is expected that this research is useful for teachers, students, preachers and any other professions who has intension to produce more qualified and rationale text of speech which can achieve their aim.
Honesty is one of the important new asset forms in the operation of modern market economy,and where the entrepreneurship value and life lie as well.Being dishonest may bring "temporary benefit",but surely "long-term benefit will be lost".No honesty,no success.The core of wealth quality is honesty.Honesty is the beginning of a prosperous business.Honesty is the origin of wealth.All in all,honesty is the primary quality of man,and honesty is the prerequisite of success.
In this paper I investigate the conditional correlation between preference for redistribution and the perceived role of "circumstances" and "effort" using the Chinese General Social Survey. I found very signi?cant correlations, thus validating the hypothesis of "sense of justice" for China. The migrant worker group who has dual identity (living/working in an urban area while being registered as a rural individual) is analysed in order to identify a discrimination effect (induced by the Chinese rural-urban segmentation policy) upon attitudes. However, being migrant is an endogenous variable to the attitude variables and the consistent estimate of this effect is much more important than the effect produced by a naive estimate. The econometric model is a multivariate triangular LDV system with a binary endogenous explanatory variable estimated via a GHK simulator method. To implement the GHK calculations, I propose a parametric constraint to impose the positivity of the 3 × 3 correlation matrix. A generalisation for higher dimension cases is provided.
Basically entrepreneurship is how to form the mindset, attitude, and behavior of people to become an entrepreneur. In addition, giving soft-skill to the students is also one way to equip students so they can have the character as entrepreneur. Soft-skill can be obtained through learning that prioritizes the approach of field practice, so that students can have real work experience. Segers (2004) stated that one of the key characteristics of effective learning and assessment models is to focus on high skills or competencies relevant to their future work. The aim of this study is to find out the role of field study for improving sport entrepreneurship’s interest on physical education students. This quantitative study was conducted using a 5-point likert survey method consist of three dependent variables and one independent variable with 115 respondents from Physical Education students. The data showed that the value of R is 0.662, this indicates that there is a moderate or strong relationship between field study (X) on entrepreneurship interest (Y). R square value of 0.439 could be interpreted that the field study can affect entrepreneurial interest of 43.9% while the remaining 56.1% is explained by other variables not examined in this study. Through the result of this study, we could see that field study has role to enhance the entrepreneurship’s interest, though there are other factors affect, such as the curriculum and educators.
This invention relates to a method for preparing nm ATO powder including matched solving, coprecipitation, aging, surface process, drying and calcinations characterizing in taking ammonium chlorostan-nate and English powder as the raw materials and adding small amount of accessory ingredient to solve the English powder, and the accessory ingredient acts as an organic dispersant in the liquid phase reaction process, CO2 and H2O are removed in the process of calcinations and no impurities are introduced, finally, tint ATO powder of fine outlook particles is got after the surface modifier is added.
Insulin is a hormone with various metabolic effects such as glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in insulin's target tissues. Skeletal muscle has been considered to be a principal site of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. Studies of mice with muscle specific-knockout of the insulin receptor demonstrated that although skeletal muscle was insulin resistant, glucose tolerance was near normal at the whole body, indicating the possible importance of liver. beta cell specific disruption of the insulin receptor indicated that primary insulin resistance at the beta cells resulted in a defect of insulin secretion and impaired glucose tolerance. These animal models suggest that a combination of insulin resistance in muscle, liver, adipose cells, and beta cells appears to create the phenotype of type 2 diabetes.
Objective: To investigate the effects of emergency coronary intervention in elderly patients with acute myocardial infraction (AMl) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS). Methods: 16 patients with AMI, (71. 4 ± 4. 7) years old complicated by CS were treated by emergency intervention in their 21 target lesions from 16 infarct related arteries (IRA). Before intervention the mean stenosis of IRA was (99. 7 ± 0. 3) % and the blood flow was TIMI grade 0 in 14 patients and TIMI grade 1-2 in 2 patients, respectively. 20 stents were successfully implanted on 20,one implantation of stent failed of success. Results: The rates of successful treatment for IRA and target lesions were 93. 7% and 95. 2% , respectively. The TIMI grade 3 blood flow achieved in 87. 5%. The average opening time of IRA was (24. 3 ± 4. 3) min. 5 patients died after the operation and the total mortality was 31.2% in hospital. During the period of 12-months follow-up,there was not any attack of angina pectoris in 11 patients. Conclusions: Emergency coronary intervention has significant effects in elderly high-risk patients with AMI complicated by CS.
The transmission characteristic of frequency selective fading channel is summarized.The necessity of equalization is discussed.Through comparing the capability of intersymbol interference resistance,the speed of convergence and the complexity of different kinds of equalizer structures and adaptive algorithms,the equalizer scheme adopting DFE as the equalizer structure and LMS algorithm as the adaptive rule is chosen.It is proved by simulation and test results that the equalizer not only has strong capability of intersymbol interference resistance,but also has the gain of concealed diversities.The equalizer has good performance in frequency selective fading channel.
In recent years, RFID technology came to the fore and in many cases replaced older identification technologies (e.g. barcode). Reduced technical and economic requirements enabled its better availability, as well as development of new hardware and software solutions and more opportunities in further research and use. The main objective of RFID technology is an exact identification and keeping records of objects, goods, material, incomplete products etc. [2].
The utility model belongs to a liquid cooling device and particularly relates to a forced cooling system of a sand mill. The forced cooling system of the sand mill comprises a water inlet pipeline, a backflow pipeline and a water pump. An icy water machine is installed between the water pump and the backflow pipeline. The forced cooling system of the sand mill has the advantages that since high-efficiency forced cooling is conducted to cooling water through the icy water machine, the temperature of the cooling water is always kept to be below allowable cooling water temperature of the sand mill, the cooling effect is improved, the wasted working time for waiting for the cooling water to be cooled is saved and the yield is improved.
To study the low temperature impact strength of nitrocellulose(NC)based high energy-low vulnerability gun propellant,four kinds of NC based high energy-low vulnerability gun propellants were prepared by changing the kind of NC,content of plasticizer ZSJ-X and FOX-7,and granularities of RDX and FOX-7in formulations.Their low temperature impact strength were measured by an electronic universal material testing machine.The results show that the low temperature impact strength of NC based high energy-low vulnerability gun propellant can be improved through reducing the nitrogen content of binder,enhancing the content of ZSJ-X,partly replacing RDX with FOX-7and reducing the granularity of RDX and FOX-7.When the formulation of NC based high energy-low vulnerability gun propellant is(mass fraction):NC of 37%;ZSJ-X of 25%;FOX-7(particle size of 1μm)of 13%;RDX(particle size of 5μm)of 33%,the low temperature impact strength is the best with the value of 7.75kJ/m2.
In six patients with chemical diabetes, insulin resistance was assessed by the steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) level during a constant infusion of epinephrine, propranolol, glucose and insulin. During the infusion, the patients had elevated SSPG levels (174 +/- 20 mg/100 ml), compared with six control subjects (96 +/- 3 mg/100 ml, p less than 0.005), demonstrating increased insulin resistance. However, during the infusion, the rate of carbohydrate oxidation was similar in both groups. These results suggest that when insulinemia is controlled, the plasma glucose concentration in chemical diabetics during glucose infusion reaches hyperglycemic levels allowing normalisation of carbohydrate oxidation. Hyperglycemia can thus be considered to be a regulatory mechanism favouring glucose uptake and oxidation in patients with chemical diabetes.
There is a vast area of grassland in China and it has irreplaceable role and status on maintenance of national ecological security,energy security and political stability.Some problems with the ecology,economic,social scientific development in pastoral area in China were analyzed from aspects of positioning multidimensional function of pasture,growing,shunting and transferring of population,reforming of pastoral land system,assessing of ecological protection projects and policy mechanisms and responding to climate change to provide a valuable reference for more depth research of development and management of pastoral area in future.
Liquid fuel dispersion in practical systems is typically achieved by spraying the fuel into a polydisperse distribution of droplets evaporating and burning in a turbulent gaseous environment In view of the nearly insurmountable difficulties of this two-phase flow, a systematic study of spray evaporation and burning in configurations of gradually increasing levels of complexity, starting from laminar sprays to fully turbulent ones, would be useful. A few years ago we proposed to use an electrostatic spray of charged droplets for this type of combustion experiments under well-defined conditions. In the simplest configuration, a liquid is fed into a small metal tube maintained at several kilovolts relative to a ground electrode few centimeters away. Under the action of the electric field, the liquid meniscus at the outlet of the capillary takes a conical shape, with a thin jet emerging from the cone tip (cone-jet mode). This jet breaks up farther downstream into a spray of charged droplets - the so-called ElectroSpray (ES). Several advantages distinguish the electrospray from alternative atomization techniques: (1) it can produce quasi-monodisperse droplets over a phenomenal size range; (2) the atomization, that is strictly electrostatic, is decoupled from gas flow processes, which provides some flexibility in the selection and control of the experimental conditions; (3) the Coulombic repulsion of homopolarly charged droplets induces spray self-dispersion and prevents droplet coalescence; (4) the ES provides the opportunity of studying regimes of slip between droplets and host gas without compromising the control of the spray properties; and (5) the compactness and potential controllability of this spray generation system makes it appealing for studies in reduced-gravity environments aimed at isolating the spray behavior from natural convection complications. With these premises, in March 1991 we initiated a series of experiments under NASA sponsorship (NAG3-1259 and 1688) in which the ES was used as a research tool to examine spray combustion in counter-flow and co-flow spray diffusion flames, as summarized below. The ultimate objective of this investigation is to examine the formation and burning of sprays of liquid fuels, at both normal and reduced gravity, first in laminar regimes and then in turbulent ones.
AIMS To evaluate the expression of CD68 and kallikrein 6 in human gliomas, and investigate their prognostic significance for survival of brain cancer patients in comparison to some known prognostic markers.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Histological sections of 51 primary astrocytic tumours (11 benign, 40 malignant) were immunohistochemically stained for CD68, cathepsin B, kallikrein 6 and Ki-67. CD68 and kallikrein 6 expressions were also analyzed by real-time PCR in nine brain tumour biopsies.   RESULTS Both microglia and tumour cells expressed CD68. High CD68 and cathepsin B staining scores were significantly, more frequent in the malignant than in the benign tumours (p=0.036 and p=0.014, respectively). In contrast, the benign group presented a stronger immunoreactivity for kallikrein 6 compared with the malignant tumours (p=0.013). A CD68 staining score of tumour cells higher than 3 was a significant predictor of shorter overall survival (p<0.01) in all patients and of borderline significance in the malignant group (p=0.057). Strong CD68 staining was of greater predictive value in the subgroup of anaplastic astrocytomas (p=0.021). Furthermore, as expected on the basis of our previous studies, prognostic significance was confirmed for cathepsin B, but not for any of the other markers under evaluation.   CONCLUSION Kallikrein 6 was down-regulated in malignant glioma, but this differential expression did not have an impact on patient prognosis. In contrast, immunostaining of glioma tissue for CD68 and for cathepsin B may be used for prognosis of survival in these patients. This finding suggests that besides the known role of cathepsin B in invasion and angiogenesis, CD68 may be also associated with glioma progression.
Background: Thrombolytic therapy may improve the outcomes of select patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE); however, it has historically rarely been used in older adults. Contemporary national trends in use of thrombolytic therapy among elderly patients with PE are not known. Methods: Using the inpatient Medicare Standard Analytic Files, we identified all Fee-For-Service patients aged ≥65 years old with a principal discharge diagnosis of PE between 1999 and 2010 and also identified those who received thrombolytic therapy. We used the Vital Status Files to determine rates of 30-day and 1-year mortality and fitted mixed-effects models to calculate adjusted mortality. Results: During the study period, there were 545,131 patients with a principal discharge diagnosis of PE, of whom 7158 (1.3%) received thrombolysis. The number of PE patients undergoing thrombolysis increased from 380 in 1999 to 840 in 2010 (P Conclusions: Recent trials (e.g., PEITHO) suggest thrombolysis may confer benefits in PE, even among older adults. We observed more widespread use in older age groups in recent years, but thrombolysis is still rarely applied for elderly patients compared with other age groups.
Being a part of the economic legislation, investment legislation includes administrative regulation that deals with the mode of investors' activities, as well as rules of contractual (civil) law, including laws on leasepurchase contracts, concessionary agreements and production sharing agreements. We can acknowledge that investment legislation is an integrated branch of legislation consisting of rules of private and public law. It embraces practically all branches of the national economy and it is its distinctive feature. Antimonopoly regulation plays a special role in investment regulation. In search of criteria uniting regulatory acts adopted with the aim of legal regulation of investment relations, it is necessary to refer to the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”. Antimonopoly law is a strategic factor that can unite regulatory acts in the investment sphere into a single system of investment legislation. Transfer to the program planning criteria and interaction between the state and the private sectors, and raising funds from private investors is one the ways to minimize costs on the Programs execution. The following modes, among others, can be used as mode of interaction with private investors: concessionary agreements, project cofinancing by commercial banks (credit organizations), placement of public (municipal) bonds, investment projects.
The invention provides an application program access permission reminding system and method, and relates to the technical field of communications. The system comprises an operation behavior data collection module positioned in a terminal and used for collecting an operation behavior of controlling an access right for accessing to data in the terminal by an application program of a user to form operation behavior data, an operation behavior data analysis module used for making statistic analysis on the operation behavior data from each terminal to generate historical behavior data, and a reminding module used for reminding the user according to the historical behavior data generated by the operation behavior data analysis module when the application program attempts to access to the data in the user terminal. Through the application program access permission reminding system and method, the user can be instructively reminded and helped to correctly control the access permission for accessing the data in the terminal by the application program, thereby improving the user experience.
The role of affective variables in adult second language learning (SLL) has interested language specialists for a long time. Of particular note has been the work of Gardner and Lambert (1972) in which motivation is thoroughly analyzed. What emerged from their work as a particularly strong predictor of successful SLL was integrative motivation. The contrasting orientation, instrumental motivation, was found to be less predictive of SLL success among their subjects, mostly high school students in Canada and the United States. The contention here is that integrative-motivation may not be the only orientation for successful SLL. Looking at 84 foreign students at a large univerisity in the U.S., we found little evidence for an integrative orientation as it has been defined by Gardner an& Lambert. In fact, a particularly anti-integrative orientation could be seen among a sub-set of these students who had at the time of this Study resided in ehe U.S. for thirteen to eighteen months. It is noted that all 84 subjects were deemed "successful" with English. It is important for ESL teachers 4.n the setting of universities in the U.S. to be aware that their students-may not feel integrative taward the American culture. What is presented in ESL classes, as well as ESL textbooks, should reflect this awareness and should recognize that students' needs for achieving their goals here do not necessexily include an integrative orientation toward the American mainstream culture.
IN OCTOBER 1993, Regional Participatory Hygiene Education in Methodology Workshop was held in Mukono Uganda. It brought participants from five countries namely Uganda, Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. All these are countries piloting the use of Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) in the water and sanitation sector. The major aim of this workshop was to draw experience from existing Hygiene Education concepts and practice with a view to facilitating the enhancement of human capacities to enable people to manage their own lives and their environment.
UNLABELLED Electrophysiological study in diagnosis of congenital stationary night blindness.   MATERIAL AND METHODS The goal of this study was to describe a family with X-linked congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) in which 3 brothers had similar symptoms: night blindness, reduced visual acuity and "negative" type of Flash ERG.   RESULTS Electrophysiological study permitted to differentiate CSNB from generalized progressive retinal degeneration, what has a prognostic value for these patients.
Employing the minimum energy principle to determine the vapor-liquid interfaceconfiguration, this paper established an analytical model to explore the heat transfer Characteristics of flow condensation in horizontal small/mini diameter tube. Compared with thatin vertical tube, the effects of shear stress, surface tension and gravity on flow condensationare analyzed. The results indicate that, both in vertical and horizontal tube, decreasing thetube diameter leads to the gravity effect weakening, and as the tube is located from verticalto horizontal, condensation is enhanced. However, in small diameter tube, because of vaporliquid interface curvature increasing, the heat transfer enhancement isn't as obvious as thatin large diameter tube.
In order to further develop a monitoring system (100; 100') for monitoring at least one object (30) to be secured against unauthorized access as well as a corresponding method, the monitoring system (100; 100') comprising - at least one transponder unit (40), in particular to at least one mobile phone, which transponder unit (40) can be carried with him or her by an authorized user (200), and at least one monitoring unit (10), in particular at least one monitoring chip, being designed for triggering the transmission of at least one message (m), in particular of at least one phone call or of at least one short message or of at least one multimedia message, to the transponder unit (40), in such way that the authorized user (200) is informed in case of unauthorized request of access to the object (30), in particular in case someone is trying to steal the object (30), it is proposed that the monitoring system (100; 100') comprises at least one remote control unit (20; 20') being designed for activating and deactivating the monitoring unit (10) by the authorized user (200), and that the transmission of the message (m) is triggered in the activated state of the monitoring unit (10) in case of request of access to the object (30).
Objectives:To explore the effect of NO on the spontaneous acrosome r eaction in antisperm antibody (AsAb) positive rat spermatozoa.Method s:The rat model of AsAb was set up by artificial immunity. The level of AsAb in blood serum was determined by TAT and ELISA. Rat spermatozoa was vis ualized by staining acrosome with the dye Coomassie brilliant blue. NO concentra tion in rat spermatozoa was assayed by HPLC. Results:The percentage of acrosome reaction, NO concentration,SOD and Na +-K +ATPase act ivity in AsAb positive rat spermatozoa significantly decreased as compared with the control group. Low dose of NO (SNP10 -9 ～10 -8 mol/L) increase the percentage of acrosome reaction and SOD activity,but had no effect on Na +-K +ATPase activity.High dose of NO(SNP10 -6 ～10 -4 mol/L) decreased th e three iterms.Conclusion:The decrease of percentage of acrosome reaction in positive AsAb rat spermatozoa might be related to decrease of NO and increase of O 2 -·(SOD activity decreased) in sperm.The low dose o f NO might increase the percentage of acrosome reaction in AsAb positive rat by inhibiting of the superoxide,while high dose of NO was harmful to sperm functio ns.
In this paper we present a general description and a Software design of a six-legged laboratory prototype robot. The work presented in this paper has been carried out within a project concerning the investigation of a modular architecture for control of mechatronic multi-link structures at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Sofia. The presentation describes the software that is designed to control the hardware and the actuators and thus the whole machine. The software design is described in detail, the division into modules, each module and the important algorithms. Thus it is easier to grasp is the description in the form of block diagrams. In addition, it should include possible extensions already in the planning.
Implicit knowledge influences decision-making in a variety of areas, including conflict resolution and decisions about war. Individuals may unknowingly apply implicit knowledge from past experiences to present experiences, even if that information leads to less accurate decisions in the present experience. The current study is an exploration into how implicit knowledge of past international conflicts and fear of terrorism affects recommendations for military conflict resolution in current international conflicts. Priming is one way to make implicit knowledge salient, and participants in this study were implicitly primed to think of either the Iraq War, World War II, or no war in particular before reading a description of the Syrian Civil War. Participants reported their recommendations for resolving the conflict in Syria, including to what extent they would recommend that the United States intervene using military force. Fear of Terrorism, which is theoretically linked to knowledge and attitudes about Middle Eastern conflicts, was also measured. Results showed that support for U.S. military intervention in Syria was significantly impacted by Fear of Terrorism when participants had been primed to think of the Iraq War. This effect was such that, when primed to think of the Iraq War, higher Fear of Terrorism predicted greater support for military intervention in Syria. This effect did not occur in the other priming conditions. This study extends current research by examining how implicit priming of past conflicts and fear of terrorism interact to influence Americans’ decision-making in support for military intervention in Middle Eastern conflicts. IS WHAT IS PAST ALWAYS PROLOGUE? 3 Is What Is Past Always Prologue? Priming to Past Conflicts and Fear of Terrorism Influence Americans’ Support for Military Intervention in Syria Wisdom holds that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, but lessons from the past do not always apply to present circumstances. Histories, both personal and collective, give each individual a unique understanding of their world and provide resources for the decisions they face. Individuals’ past experiences are known to influence outcomes in various facets of life, such as the accuracy of decisions in economic decision-making and in social behaviors, such as discrimination (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995; North, 1994; Tversky & Kahneman, 1973). Past experiences vary in their practical relevance when applied to current circumstances. Humans commonly use the knowledge accumulated and consolidated throughout the lifespan in making judgments and decisions (Kahneman & Tversky, 1974; Tversky & Kahneman, 1973). However, using knowledge gained from past experience to make judgments and decisions in new situations can lead to invalid judgments. Using past experiences to make future judgments is problematic when individuals are unaware of the effects that knowledge of past outcomes have on current perceptions (Fischoff, 1975). Fischoff (1975), for example, found that when participants knew a particular outcome had occurred in a past event, they perceived that outcome to be more likely to occur again in a different event, even if those events were unrelated. Moreover, the participants were unaware of the impact that this knowledge had on their perceptions. Similarly, Schwenk (1988) demonstrated that people experience the illusion of control when they have experienced success in their past decisions. The use of unconscious collections of past experiences, referred to as implicit knowledge, is associated with a number of IS WHAT IS PAST ALWAYS PROLOGUE? 4 biases, including biased emotions and distorted memories (Kahneman & Riis, 2005; Khatri & Ng, 2000). Implicit Cognition and Priming In many real-world situations, the use of past experiences provides benefits, such as ease in decision-making in a new setting. The ease of decision making, however, usually requires a loss of accuracy. Humans use mental shortcuts through a process of implicit cognition to make decisions quickly. Implicit cognition involves associated memories of past experiences that shape decision-making and behavior (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995; Kahneman & Riis, 2005). Implicit cognition influences preferences, views, and attitudes in areas related to one’s cumulative experiences. Implicit association tests (IATs), for example, measure how implicit cognition impacts attitudes and behaviors (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998). Although researchers have use the IAT in a variety of contexts, the clearest application of the IAT has been in revealing subtle and unconscious racial prejudices (Greenwald, et al., 1998). Thus, the use of implicit cognition typically leads to bias rather than accuracy, but people use implicit cognition because of efficiency. Implicit cognition operates by establishing neural connections between elements of past experiences and related concepts. Connections between elements of past experience and conceptual knowledge become strengthened with use and weakened with disuse (Bruer, 1999). The strengthening of neural connections among elements of past experiences and conceptual knowledge allows for many cognitive effects. Priming effects (Meyer & Schvaneveldt, 1971) and spreading activation theory (Collins & Loftus, 1975; Quillian, 1962) delineate how information from past experiences can be activated among neural networks when making new decisions. The phenomenon of priming IS WHAT IS PAST ALWAYS PROLOGUE? 5 occurs when one encounters one stimulus and this stimulus facilitates the processing of subsequent stimuli that are either the same as the first stimulus (i.e., direct priming) or conceptually related to the first stimulus (i.e., indirect priming; Tulving, Schacter, & Stark, 1982). For instance, participants were more quickly able recognize the word “nurse” when they had already been primed with the related word “doctor” (Friederici, Steinhauer, & Frisch, 1999). Semantic and conceptual priming refer to meaning and function rather than the structural or surface-level elements of a situation. For instance, individuals are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior when primed with images of weapons (Berkowitz & LePage, 1967). This effect is due to the accessibility of the second concept, aggression, following the introduction of the first concept, a weapon. The priming effect occurs because of the conceptual proximity or similarity of these stimuli in neural activation networks. The neural networks automatically activate stimuli that share a semantic connection, a connection based on meaning (Schvaneveldt & Meyer, 1973). The processes of semantic priming have practical implications for determining behavior. Research indicates that semantic priming for implicit knowledge influences decision-making and impacts behavioral choices. Implicit priming of God concepts, for example, increases pro-social behaviors, such as donating to those in need (Shariff & Norenzayan, 2007). Implicit priming also impacts strategic social decision-making. Participants who experienced implicit priming to angry faces were less likely than those primed to neutral faces to engage in social approach behavior (Van’tWout & Sanfey, 2008). The implicit activation of the conceptual meaning of a past experience can influence one’s interpretation of a new experience, impacting decisions in a new
The thought of suitable principle in doctrine of the mean is embodied in the philosophical thinking of the Confucianists.In the past,people got the study of the golden mean thought only on theoretical exploring of historic documents.But they seldom got the research of the practical study based on the psychology.We should study the existing form,applied approaches and the practical influence of the doctrine of the mean in the society.
Nowadays, some higher vocational colleges in our country have introduced some norms of water supply and drainage specialist talents training program. And we found some problems after several years; especially we paying more attention to theoretical teaching, the proportion of practical courses is less, which does not meet the requirements of industrial developments and the policies of popular entrepreneurship and popular creativity. The higher vocational colleges should raise the practical and high–skilled talents who adapt to social needs. This essay schedules the talents cultivation scheme of major of water supply and drainage engineering technology. Keywords—talents cultivation; water supply and drainage engineering; specialist technology; practical education; teaching
The origins of the modern state in Europe are analyzed within the framework of a general sociological theory according to which societies evolve through a process analogous but not reducible to natural selection. Particular attention is given to the divergent evolution of the English and French monarchies over the period from 1200 to 1700 and to the different functions for which the practices defining the roles of monarchs and their most powerful subjects were selected.
To improve the quality control specification of Perillae Fructus, the identification methods and assay were developed. Rosmarinic acid, luteolin and apigenin in the sample were identified by TLC. The content of rosmarinic acid was determined by HPLC. The linear calibration curve of rosmarinic acid was obtained in the ranges of 19.4-194.2 g x L(-1) (R2 = 0.9999). The arerage coveriy (n=9) for the assay was 99.8% (RSD 3.6%). The established methods are accuracy, sensitivity and reproducible, and can be used for the quality control of Perillae Fructus.
Beside criminal file which refers to criminal act and cause of crime and other citation materials, a secondary file must be arranged in any criminal trial named â€œcharacter fileâ€, helping judge take appropriate decision and make his/her best judgment for subject of crime after reviewing both files. Criminologists, experts of penal law, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and clients cooperate to file character recognition information of criminals, and attach their findings in written to their ID files. In the former penal code, it can be said according to some articles of Islamic Penal Code approved in 1991 (articles 22 and 25) and also according to former criminal procedure that criminal judge has been required implicitly to arrange character file of criminals as one of the requirements of fair hearing for his/her judgment and for fair sentencing; and deferred adjudication, half-freedom system and non-custodial sentences anticipated in Islamic Penal Code approved in 2013 are among new leniency structures. Article 203 of new penal code is also one of the newest innovations in area of character and character file. Given the importance of research in criminal justice, the author considers the attention of legislator to character file in new Islamic Penal Code. Keywords: Character File, Circumstances of Criminal, Family Situation, Reforming the Criminal, New Penal Code, Supervisor
The main structures of the solar wind plasma interaction with the upper atmosphere can be usually described using a steady state picture, however time-dependent effects play important roles. In the last couple of years sophisticated 3D simulation try to address the response of the induced magnetosphere and its escape to different time-dependent drivers. Modolo et al (2012) discussed about timescales required for the induced magnetosphere to recover from an IMF rotation. Ma et al (2013) used time-varying solar wind conditions (density and velocity enhancement) and concluded that the ionospheric/atmospheric system reach a new equilibrium in few hours. We use a 3D parallel multi-species hybrid simulation model to study the response of the induced magnetosphere to a time-varying solar wind dynamic pressure. The hybrid model (Modolo et al, 2014, in prep) includes crustal fields, a ionospheric chemistry scheme and uses a 3D description of the Martian thermosphere (Chaufray et al, 2014) and exosphere (Yagi et al, 2012). The impact of a solar wind dynamic pressure change on plasma boundaries is discussed. A special attention is focused on the time-varying energy deposition in the upper atmosphere by O+ ions precipitation as well as the escape flux of planetary ions.
In concrete structures,there are many factors that influence the thermal stress properties,concrete structures in constraint state is one of prerequisites for generating thermal stress. In order to research the relationship between the constraint degree and thermal stress,a parameter called constraint coefficient was put forward based on the constraint condition analysis of concrete structures,and a formula for determining concrete thermal stress based on elastic modulus,temperature variation and the constraint degree was derived. Based on the analysis,the electrical ribbon heater was adopted to provide a temperature field for the concrete test pieces,which produced a temperature load,meanwhile the different intensity of elastic constraint were simulated by applying different initial stresses on the pieces and adjusting the thickness of the elastic components. Test results indicate that the measured thermal stresses and theoretical values are in good agreement. Moreover,at the same temperature variation,concrete thermal stress is closely related to the constraint degree of concrete test pieces,the stronger the constraint degree,the greater the thermal stress.
The Society for Medicines Research held a meeting on March 18, 2003, at the National Heart & Lung Institute in London, United Kingdom, to discuss strategies for drug discovery. The meeting began with a history of the origins of drug discovery. Discussions also covered the best strategies for drug discovery, including combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening, and ways to meet the challenge of the so-called "innovation gap," among other topics. Speakers included a Nobel Laureate and discoverer of two of the most significant drug classes of the 20th century, and the greatest drug generator of all time. Various companies and institutions were also represented in the talks.
The interaction of ferrous ions and phosphorous was studied under aerobic conditions in order to assess effectiveness and feasibility of phosphorous removal.Using Fe(Ⅱ)/O2 and conventional technologies the removal effectiveness of phosphorous in a real electronic waste water and relative economic indicators was compared.For Fe(Ⅱ)/O2system the effect of co-existing cations in simulating natural liquid on efficiency of phosphorous removal was examined using variables analysis.The results show that there was no effect of NH+4-N on phosphorous removal by Fe(Ⅱ)/O2oxidation.Precipitation could occur between Zn(Ⅱ)and phosphorous in the system,which could promote removal of phosphorous and decrease of ferrous iron consumption.Mn(Ⅱ)as well as OH-could form complexes with Fe(Ⅲ)generated newly,the complexes are capable of hastening ferrous iron oxidation and also of improving the coagulation of Fe-P sedimentation.As the inventory of Mn(Ⅱ)increased from 0to 1 mg·L-1,the removal rate of phosphorous raised 11% after 60 min reaction.Cu(Ⅱ)could remarkably increase the efficiency of phosphorous removal by its catalytic effect.As Cu(Ⅱ)concentration increased from 0to 0.05mg·L-1,the reaction time required 45% phosphotous removal could be reduced from 60min to 5min.For a real electronic wastewater the phosphorous removal was better for Fe(Ⅱ)/O2system in the presence of the above mentioned cations than for lime alone,while sludge production and economic cost was lower for the former than for the latter.
This document reports on the work done by the Separations Science and Technology Programs of the Chemical Technology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, in the period October 1991-March 1992. This effort is mainly concerned with developing the TRUEX process for removing and concentrating actinides from acidic waste streams contaminated with transuranic (TRU) elements. The objectives of TRUEX processing are to recover valuable TRU elements and to lower disposal costs for the nonTRU waste product of the process.
In this article, we provide a discussion on a composite class of exact static spherically symmetric vacuum solutions of Einstein's equations. We construct the composite solution of Einstein field equation by match the interior vacuum metric in Schwarzschild original gauge, to the exterior vacuum metric in isotropic gauge, at a junction surface. This approach allows us to associate rigorously with both gauges as a same "space", which is a unique differentiable manifold M^4
Microgrids (MGs) are promising electrical systems based on Distributed Generation and with high penetration of renewable energy sources. One important feature of MGs is the islanding capability: if there is a disturbance in the main grid, the MG will be automatically disconnected. In theory, once in islanding, the MG can continue the electrical generation but, in practice, the generation is stopped in order to avoid injuries and accidents. Therefore, the management systems utilized in MGs must be improved in order to allow a safe operation in islanding. This paper presents a wireless communication system for MGs management based on SimpliciTI protocol. The communication procedure, including security, and the MG controllers with their measure system are described in depth, and the correct operation of the proposed solution is also verified.
The aim of the article is to outline a theoretical understanding of a current compulsive subject analysis. The contemporary subjectivities suffer of self-creation problems, beyond the dynamic of the representations, between the repressed and the symptom. The compulsion is a failure pulsional inscription try and only the transferencial affection paradox - at the same time, to affect and to be affected - would contribute to lust (jouissance) deviation. Beyond the interpretation of what the analysand doesn't say, what is at stake is the possibility of the reception that could never be said, but only felt.
BACKGROUND: Physical activities (PA) and proper nutrition are the most important measures in preventing lifestyle related disorders. Study was performed to describe the pattern of physical activity and its association with the health problems. METHODS: A cross sectional community based study was carried out in the six zones of Ahmedabad Municipal corporation areas. Information was collected in predesigned and pretested standard proforma by house to house survey. Results- Overall prevalence of physical activity was only 18% while 82% people werephysicallyinactive. Males were more engaged in PA than of Females (26% Vs 10.9%, P 0.05), 25.2% had Diabetes (P 0.05). CONCLUSION: PA is significantly associated with male gender, education, sedentary occupation, higher SES, high calorie consumption and people with diabetes. Sensitisation of population for lifestyle modification is recommended to curtail modern epidemic of lifestyle related disorders.
The study was designed to examine the relationship between job stress, job sati􀁲faction, and the level of job commitment among government officials. The Job Feeling Seal£' (Wysocki and Kromm, 1986), the Commitment Scale (Porter, Steers, Mowday and Boulian, 1974), and Anxiety Stress Questionnaire (House and Rizzo, 1972) were administered to a sample of 50 federal government officials. They were divided into two groups according to their job grades, i.e., grades 17 to 18 (n=25) and grades 19 to 21 (n=25). The results showed a significant difference between high and low stress group in relation to job satisfaction. The difference between two groups in relation to job stress, job satisfaction, and level of job commitment were not significant
The use of rubber particles as partial fine aggregate replacement to produce crumb rubber concrete (CRC) can have an adverse effect on some of its mechanical properties, such as strength. Researchers have used a range of methods to overcome the material deficiencies, however the results have often been contradictory and highly variable. In this paper, the effects of many different rubber chemical pre-treatments on CRC workability, compressive strength, tensile strength, and flexural strength were measured. The rubber pretreatments utilized chemicals such as Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2), Sulfuric acid (H2SO4), Calcium Chloride (CaCl2), Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4), Sodium Bisulfite (NaHsO3), and Silane Coupling Agent. Soaking rubber particles in tap water or running them through water before mixing were also tried as pre-treatment of rubber particles. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging of some of the pre-treated rubber particles were carried out. The results showed that mixing rubber with dry cement before adding to the mix increased the compressive strength by up to 3%. Pretreatment using water was more effective than other chemicals in enhancing the CRC workability. Regardless of the treatment material type, the longer the time of the treatment the more cleaning of rubber occurred.
Recent trends in management of diverse, large and computational intensive data resources refer to the OGSA specifications for the development of grid infrastructures capable of efficiently handling such information. In this paper, LUGrid, the architecture of a digital library of University data is introduced. It is a service-oriented architecture based on the OGSA specifications, as well as on common Web technologies such as the Web browser and Web server. The design of the proposed architecture takes into account the emerging need to exploit the semantics of its underlying information through the employment of adequate technologies such as RDF.
Functional analysis was used to determine the possible function of inappropriate spitting behavior of an adult woman who had been diagnosed with profound mental retardation. Results of an initial descriptive assessment indicated a possible attention function and led to an attention-based intervention, which was deemed ineffective at reducing the frequency of spitting. A follow-up functional analysis revealed an automatic function and an intervention of medication prescribed for gastro-esophageal reflux markedly reduced the frequency of inappropriate spitting. The implications for using functional analysis as a means of identifying biological events such as medical illness are discussed. Identification of variables that influence the difficult due to the complexities of separating occurrence of problem behavior through the stimuli from the response (Iwata, Dorsey, functional analysis procedures has become Slifer, Bauman, & Richman 1994; Vollmer), standard practice in the literature on behav- Some behaviors hypothesized to be main ioral assessment (Hanley, Iwata, & McCord, tained by automatic reinforcement have been 2003). Several variations and extensions of assessed by directly manipulating various idio functional analysis procedures have been syncratic stimuli that could be controlled and demonstrated to be beneficial toward clarify- ruling out competing hypotheses (Kennedy 8c ing ambiguous results (Kuhn, DeLeon, Fisher, Souza; Piazza et al.). Wng the presence or absence of specific non influence of these antecedent events on auto- sodal variables. Kennedy (2000) proposed a matically reinforced behavior have not been method for addressing ambiguous functional frequently examined in the literature on func- analyses wben an automatic function was sug tional analysis (Hanley et al., 2003). gested by the results. His method involved Behaviors that are maintained by nonsocial . . . , , ' incorporaung sensory exunction procedures variables may be considered to be automati- , c . , . 7 " . , on possible sources of automatic remforce
Despite progress in integrating sustainability into operations and corporate strategies many companies struggle to see substantial improvements in their environmental practices. The literature offers a preponderance of systems and analytical tools in the field of operations management literature but neglects the soft management factors also believed to be crucial for bringing about change and employee participation. Fundamentally we still lack knowledge about the best ways to engage people and organisations in sustainable practices. To address this gap, we examine both best and poor practices in seven UK ISO 14001 certified manufacturers to explore the intervention mechanisms of soft key success factors (KSF) which enhance environmental practice. This paper has two contributions. First, it clarifies the function of KSFs as antecedent and intervention variables and their role in affecting environmental practice. Second, it develops precise propositions which explain the pathways of four intervention mechanisms as mediators between antecedents and environmental practices.
As the development and reforms of highway industry,the quality of highway employees will directly affect the development of transportation undertaking and socialist modernization drive.In this case,how to innovate the educational training system for highway employees,to effectively improve their overall quality and make them stand out in fiercer competitions has become a issue that must be paid attention to and though about.
Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous, subcutaneous disease endemic in tropical and subtropical countries. It is currently a health problem in rural areas of Africa, Asia and South America. Nine cases of mycetoma were analysed in a retrospective study. All isolates were identified by morphological features. The level of species identification was reached by molecular tools. Definitive identification of fungi was performed using sequence analysis of the ITS of the ribosomal DNA region and the ribosomal large‐subunit D1/D2. Identification of actinomycetes was accomplished by the 16S rRNA gene sequence. Six unusual clinical isolates were identified: Aspergillus ustus, Cyphellophora oxyspora, Exophiala oligosperma, Madurella pseudomycetomatis, Nocardia farcinica and Nocardia wallacei. The prevalence of mycetoma in Venezuela remains unknown. This study represents the first report in the literature of mycetoma caused by unusual pathogens identified by molecular techniques.
Spherical Harmonics Methods for Thermal Radiation Transport by Ryan G. McClarren Chair: James Paul Holloway An implicit, spherical harmonic (Pn ) method for solving thermal transport problems is developed. The method uses a high resolution Riemann solver to produce an upwinded discretization. The high resolution scheme introduces nonlinearities to the radiation transport operator to avoid the creation of artificial oscillations in the solution. A quasi-linear approach to solving this nonlinear system of equations is developed. Through analysis and numerical results it is shown that the quasi-linear approach does suppress artificial oscillations and gives better than first order accuracy. The time integration methods considered are the backward Euler method and a high resolution time integration method. Also, reflecting boundary conditions for the Pn equations in threedimensions are presented. It is shown that the standard Riemann solver is not robust in the diffusion limit. A fix is suggested that scales out the dissipation added by the Riemann solver as spatial cells become optically thick. The free-streaming limit of the Pn equations is explored and it is shown why in multiple-dimensions the Pn solutions can have negative energy densities. The Green’s function for the one-dimensional P1
Energy efficiency and thermal comfort are of concern in building design. Due to the fact that one third of national total annual energy consumption is consumed in buildings, it is estimated that substantial energy savings can be achieved through careful planning for energy efficiency. Building performance simulation (BPS) is a powerful tool to predict and analyze the dynamic behavior of performance indicators such as energy consumption and comfort among others. Previous work has shown that the use of BPS is mostly limited to code compliance checking in the detailed design. Also it has been shown that single optimization does support the detailed design stage. In this thesis we want to go a step further. An attempt will be made to interface a robust multi-objective optimization algorithm with a BPS tool. Subjects as uncertainties in building simulation variables and metamodels to support optimization will be topics of discussion. This thesis presents results and experiences on extending an existing BPS tool with a capability for robust multi-objective metamodel supported optimization. The focus of this work is on algorithmic design and results for the optimization of energy consumption and thermal comfort in office buildings.
Two proteins from the amidohydrolase superfamily of enzymes were cloned, expressed, and purified to homogeneity. The first protein, Cc0300, was from Caulobacter crescentus CB-15 (Cc0300), while the second one (Sgx9355e) was derived from an environmental DNA sequence originally isolated from the Sargasso Sea ( gi|44371129 ). The catalytic functions and the substrate profiles for the two enzymes were determined with the aid of combinatorial dipeptide libraries. Both enzymes were shown to catalyze the hydrolysis of l-Xaa-l-Xaa dipeptides in which the amino acid at the N-terminus was relatively unimportant. These enzymes were specific for hydrophobic amino acids at the C-terminus. With Cc0300, substrates terminating in isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, valine, methionine, and tryptophan were hydrolyzed. The same specificity was observed with Sgx9355e, but this protein was also able to hydrolyze peptides terminating in threonine. Both enzymes were able to hydrolyze N-acetyl and N-formyl derivatives of the hydrophobic amino acids and tripeptides. The best substrates identified for Cc0300 were l-Ala-l-Leu with k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) values of 37 s(-1) and 1.1 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), respectively, and N-formyl-l-Tyr with k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) values of 33 s(-1) and 3.9 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), respectively. The best substrate identified for Sgx9355e was l-Ala-l-Phe with k(cat) and k(cat)/K(m) values of 0.41 s(-1) and 5.8 x 10(3) M(-1) s(-1). The three-dimensional structure of Sgx9355e was determined to a resolution of 2.33 A with l-methionine bound in the active site. The alpha-carboxylate of the methionine is ion-paired to His-237 and also hydrogen bonded to the backbone amide groups of Val-201 and Leu-202. The alpha-amino group of the bound methionine interacts with Asp-328. The structural determinants for substrate recognition were identified and compared with other enzymes in this superfamily that hydrolyze dipeptides with different specificities.
AIM The objective of this study was to describe the demographic characteristics of a case series of patients with a clinical and histopathological diagnosis of oral lichen planus who presented to the Oral Health Unit (Auckland District Health Board) between the years 1999 and 2006 (an 8-year period).   METHOD The records of patients who had a clinical and histopathological diagnosis of oral lichen planus were audited. Demographic (age, gender, ethnicity), clinical and histopathological data were collated. Patients whose ethnicity was not recorded were noted but not included in this part of the analysis.   RESULTS Between 1999 and 2006, 267 patients (82 males, 185 females; age range 21 to 93 years) had a clinical and histopathological diagnosis of oral lichen planus. Ethnicity data were available for 207 of those, of whom 108 (52.2%) were European; 65 (31.4%) of Indian subcontinent origin (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka); 20 (9.7%) were Asian; 14 (6.8%) were Pacific Islanders; 50 (24.2%) were 'Other'; and 10 (4.8%) were 'Unknown'. None was Maori.   CONCLUSION The age and gender distribution in this case series were similar to that observed in a comparable UK study. The major findings were in the ethnic distribution of oral lichen planus in the sample, with patients of Indian subcontinent origin being over-represented, and Māori being under-represented.
The adsorption of surfactant molecules and nanoparticles at the air-liquid and solid-liquid interface play an important role in reducing surface tension and interfacial tension respectively thereby increasing wetting properties to a reasonable mark. Therefore, the combination of both i.e. surfactant as well as nanoparticles in an aqueous phase can be of great interest to investigate the wettability of hair surface. Consequently, in this report, the experimental studies were conducted to study the solution behavior of acacia (natural surfactant) solutions and its wettability on hair surface in absence and presence of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as additive. Natural surfactants have been chosen over synthetic one because of its biocompatibility, biodegradable, nontoxic, and nonionic natures. The nanoparticles used in this study were synthesized by chemical route from AgNO3 using NaBH4 in acacia medium where NaBH4 and acacia acts as a reducing and capping agent respectively. Moreover, insitu synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using acacia was also done and performed wettability studies on hair and the obtained results was compared with the previous results. Characterizations of nanoparticles were performed with UV-Vis and FESEM to confirm the particles and its size. Physicochemical properties such as critical micellar concentration (CMC) and surface tension, contact angle, work of adhesion and surface energy of hair have been estimated and discussed. Characterization of hair surface was also done to study the surface roughness using AFM respectively.
Last year I reviewed in the proceedings of this Society the  synonomy of the genus Bythinella as far as it is represented  by the small freshwater shells of our streams. Since then I  have had my attention drawn by Prof. Tate to a species  described by Messrs. Quoy and Gaimard, which from the  figures and diagnosis I make no doubt belong to the genus,  and probably a subsequently described species; have also had  an opportunity of seeing Mr. J. Brazier's type specimens of  his Amnicola petterdiana, in which I can see no differences to  distinguish it from the shell already described. I was not  able to examine this type specimen before, as Mr. Brazier had  left Sydney, and his collection was packed away. In consequence  of this I was obliged to omit any reference to the  species in my last paper.
AIM To explore the effect of congestive heart failure (CHF) on the structure of myosleeve tissue of pulmonary veins (PVs) in canine. METHODS Sixteen hybrid dogs were divided into congestive heart failure (CHF) group (n=8) and normal control group (n=8) randomly. In the CHF group, right ventricular pacing was performed at a frequency of 240/min for 4 weeks to establish CHF model. Atrial fibrillation (AF) was induced by burst stimulation of atrial pacing. The degree of interstitial fibrosis and the composition of type I and Ⅲ collagens in the pulmonary vein myosleeve tissue in two groups were analyzed by sirius red staining. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression and distribution of connexin 43(Cx43). RESULTS After 4 weeks, stable CHF was seen in all the dogs in CHF group. After the pacing came to a stop, the rate of inducing sustained AF (15 minutes) in CHF group was significantly higher than that in control group (P0.01). Interstitial fibrosis in the PV myosleeve tissue increased in CHF group compared with that in control group. The expressions of type I and type Ⅲ collagens in CHF group were obviously higher than those in normal control group [(5.3±1.0)% vs (2.1±0.7)%,P0.01]. The expression of type Ⅲ collagen in CHF group was significantly higher than that in normal control group [(4.6±1.0)% vs (1.6±0.7)%,P0.01]. No difference in expression of type I collagen was found between the two groups  [(0.6±0.2)% vs (0.6±0.3)% ]. The ratio of type Ⅲ to type I collagen in CHF group was higher than that in control group (7.9±3.2 vs 3.0±1.9, P0.01). The expression of CX43 in the PV myosleeve tissue in CHF group was increased compared with that in control group [(3.3±0.6)% vs (2.8±0.7)%, P0.05]. In addition, in CHF group, Cx43 distribution over the cellular lateral membrane in the PV myosleeve myocytes was distinctly wider than that in control group. CONCLUSION CHF can result in structural remodeling of canine PVs. The remodeling may be part of the AF mechanism in canine CHF model.
The development and translation of the leading industry and industrial group are the inner driving force of China's economic growth.The economic growth of several periods was pushed by the leading industry.Then,the economic growth came to a relative balance in 2006.However,in 2007,China's continuous fast growth suffered from several pressures and challenges,such as,the inflation caused by the force of cost,the defects in the construction of the sustainable development system for long period and the inadequate of effective controls in capital bubble.So,we must put up the labour productivity to relieve the pressure of factors rising in price,build the market mechandise internalization of exter cost to resolve the problem of depletion of resources and the environmental pollution.For passing the instable period of capitalization smoothly in our own vision,wisdom and judgement,we must dissolve these pressures by learning the experiences and lessons from international pioneers and take good use the advantage of backwardness.We have to strengthen the reformation and promote the translation in the way of economic development.
Objective: To determine the seroprevalence, risk factors and neurological manifestations of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections in Peruvian Amazonian communities. Methods: Eight hundred and seventy-eight inhabitants of Shipibo-Konibo communities from Pucallpa, Peru aged 15 to 64 years were interviewed and screened for HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infections in the first phase of the study. ELISA-reactive sera were confirmed via Western blot and PCR. In the second phase of the study, HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 positive participants were screened for neurological manifestations of HTLV infection. Results: The combined HTLV-1 and -2 prevalence was 10.7% among Shipibo-Konibo inhabitants. HTLV-1 and -2 infection was detected in 56 (6.4%) and 35 (4.0%) participants respectively. Three (0.3%) participants were co-infected with both HTLV-1 and -2. HTLV infection was more common in females and older individuals. On bivariate analysis, age older than 38 years (p<0.001) and formal education of 7 years or less (p=0.03) were significantly associated with HTLV infection. Illiteracy (p=0.03) was significantly associated only with HTLV-2 infection. HTLV-2 infected women had more pregnancies than uninfected participants (P=0.007); however, no differences neither in number of sexual partners nor age of initiation of sexual intercourse were found. In logistic regression, age was the only variable significantly associated with HTLV-1 (P<0.001, OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02 – 1.06) and HTLV-2 (P<0.001, OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.04 – 1.10) infections. Only 50 0f 94 participants were assessed neurologically; however, any of them fulfilled clinical criteria for HTLV-associated myelopathy. Conclusions: HTLV-1 and -2 infections are endemic among Peruvian Amazonian Communities. Although only 50 participants were assessed neurologically and none of this developed symptomatic HTLV infection, strategies oriented to prevent virus transmission are needed. Factors influencing clinical outcome of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infection like chronic parasitic infections need to be studied.
The work to advance the state-of-the-art of miminum distance classification is reportd. This is accomplished through a combination of theoretical and comprehensive experimental investigations based on multispectral scanner data. A survey of the literature for suitable distance measures was conducted and the results of this survey are presented. It is shown that minimum distance classification, using density estimators and Kullback-Leibler numbers as the distance measure, is equivalent to a form of maximum likelihood sample classification. It is also shown that for the parametric case, minimum distance classification is equivalent to nearest neighbor classification in the parameter space.
Cinema was first created to register realities. The audience got enchanted by, absorbed in this novel phenomenon and took it for real. Cinema is at the same time an industry. One should keep in mind the fact that cinema is the product of human thinking and affected by society. Cinema would not have been a live medium today if it had repeated itself and forged ahead in line with classic formulas. Movies made by O- Welles, A- Kurosawa, F-Zinnemann, J- Ford, M- Antonioni, I-Bergman, A- Resnais, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani and F-Fellini come with beautiful, complex imagination. Cinema is an art and a science, and, at the same time, an industry. One should keep in mind the fact that cinema is the product of human thinking and is affected by society. Its media related qualities provide what humans need for communications. The artistic features of cinema have always been highlighted and analyzed, but its media characteristics have been downplayed. The current research tries to analyze cinema as a medium and develop a proper understanding of it. It also intends to help managers, filmmakers, viewers and artists who are involved in this artistic and industrial medium.
Using a construction scheme originally devised by M.C. Escher, one can generate doubly-periodic patterns of the xy-plane with the operations of ro- tation, re∞ection and translation acting on an asymmetric square motif. Rotating and/or re∞ecting the original motif yields eight distinct aspects. By selecting m 2 (not necessarily distinct) motif aspects and arranging them in an m £ m Escher tile, one can then tile the xy-plane by translating the Escher tile by integer mul- tiples of m in the x and/or y direction to create wallpaper patterns. Two wallpaper patterns are considered equivalent if there is some isometry between the two. Previously, the general formula was given by the second au- thor (Gethner) in (6) for the number of inequivalent patterns generated by m£ m Escher tiles composed of the four rotated aspects of a single asymmetric motif by applying Burnside's Lemma. Here we extend that formula to include the four additional re∞ected aspects when composing m£m Escher tiles with which to tile the plane.
The present invention relates to a delivery medical device that allows for consistent “on-demand” delivery of a therapeutic agent to a tubular organ. The medical device of the present invention includes a retractable sheath that includes a neckable element. The medical device of the present invention comprises a retractable outer with an expandable member, a hydrophilic coating comprising at least one therapeutic agent around the expandable member or structural layer, and a selectively permeable microstructure. A sheath. The configurations and methods disclosed herein essentially result in therapeutic agent delivery only during retraction of the outer sheath, minimizing the loss of coating and / or therapeutic agent into the bloodstream and being controlled to the treatment site. To ensure delivery in a live state.
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With the development of Internet, more and more attention has been paid to the qualification of suppositional property. The nature of suppositional property is digital data. With the connection of real society, suppositional property has property character and legal character. Invading suppositional property must be punished by civil law, and if the invasion has serious danger, it is criminal. Proof investigation and value measure and mind injury compensation of suppositional property needs legality perfection.
Another situation is observed in the Vaga fluvial system. We identified the well-expressed grayish varved clays within the valleys of Vaga and its tributaries Kuloi and Kokshen’ga. The maximum (10 m) thickness of varved clays was observed in the outcrop near the Kuloi-Vaga confluence; thickness of sand and silt layers varies significantly, from several mm to several tens of cm, that means the unstable hydrodynamic regime, with alteration of lacustrine and fluvial sedimentary environment. At the top of the lacustrine unit there are water-escape structures characteristic for the proglacial lake deposits. Upstream the thickness of varved clay layer decreases and then recedes completely. The limit of varved clay deposits goes form SW to NE from Vaga to Kokshen’ga rivers. Therefore, we can identify one episode of proglacial lake formation in the Late Pleistocene within the Severnaya Dvina catchment area. Two separate lake systems formed during the LGM (~ca 20 kyr BP): the Severnaya Dvina rather small, short-lived and shallow lake occupying only the middle reaches of SD river valley, and large, deep, long-living and braided Vaga lake occupying the valleys of Vaga and its tributaries Kuloi and Kokshen’ga. Such a difference in lake configuration and history could be explained by morphological features of river valleys, runoff volume and position of glacioisostatic forebulge crossing these river systems. The absolute height of water level could reach 80 m a.s.l. The studies of LGM glacial boundary are supported by Russian Science Foundation (RSF), project 17-17-01289, the sedimentary and geochronological data was obtained due to financial support of RFBR grant 17-05-00706, following the plan of the scientific research of the Geological Institute of RAS No 0135-2018-0037.
Large lakes throughout the world offer development opportunities for cage aquaculture. However, due to their vast area, identifying the most suitable locations can be a challenge. This is also complicated as lake systems are often multi- use environments, so a strategic approach to managing the resource is required. This study uses geographic information systems (GIS) to develop a broad- scale approach that identifies potential areas that may be suitable for cage aquaculture development. Volta Lake, one the world's largest man- made lakes, is used as a case study. The overall GIS model combines four sub- models, bathymetry, hydrography, water quality and access, and a constraints layer, to identify the most suitable locations for tilapia production. Three different cage sizes are modelled: small, medium and large. The model outputs suggest that approximately 102 km 2 (1.7%), 406 km 2 (6.9%) and 407 km 2 (6.9%) of Volta Lake can be categorized as highly suitable for development of small, medium and large cages respectively. A further 634 km 2 (10.8%), 1264 km 2 (21.4%) and 1055 km 2 (17.9%) can be categorized as suitable for the same. The results can be used by stakeholders and decision makers to identify specific areas where aquaculture development for cage farming of tilapia could be prioritized.
Experimental data were obtained from two medium-duty diesel engines derated to qualify for use in underground mines. Gaseous and particulate emissions from these engines were measured and results provide information on the effect of exhaust treatment devices on the emissions. The devices in the study were a catalyst, a particulate trap, and an exhaust gas cooler of the water scrubber type. Emission levels of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons were observed to be very low in comparison with emissions levels of comparable engines in full-rated operation. Oxides of nitrogen and benzo(a)pyrene content of the exhaust also were found to be somewhat low in comparison with previous findings. For particulate reduction, the combination of a particulate trap and a scrubber was observed to be the more effective of the combinations tried; in some cases over 60% particulate reduction was effected by the trap/scrubber combination.
Influenced by the overwhelming assumptions of traditional integration theories and the benefits that could accrue to member states as a result of economic integration and borderless region, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has created structures similar to those of the European Union without giving them the same functions or powers. In 1979, West African States adopted the Protocol relating to the Free Movement of Persons, Residence and Establishment, which stipulated among other things, the right of community citizens to enter, reside, and establish economic activities in the territory of member states. The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) was also launched in 1990 with the aim of removing all tariff and non-tariff barriers to intra-regional trade. Under the ETLS Protocol, all approved and listed products are to be tax-exempt as long as they satisfy the conditions of acceptance for goods originating within the Community. The field study was undertaken at the border posts between Nigeria/ Benin Republic; Nigeria-Niger; and Nigeria-Cameroon, using participatory methods such as a broad based consultation with stakeholders, focus group discussions, key informant interviews (KIIs) and desk review of existing local, national and international documents and instruments in relevant areas. The paper examines the extent to which ECOWAS‟ Policy Declarations have promoted integration by removing inter-country trade barriers in West Africa. The central argument is that the absence of a truly African strategy manifests itself in various policy declarations, which have little impact on integration because they are too ambitious in view of the resources available to member states. Regional integration should therefore be grounded in its own historical and cultural roots as opposed to the current trend of continued reliance on a voluntaristic, instrumentalist and mimetic approach.
Fana’ is term for annihilation of the self-appreciation, a concept highlighted in Sufism represents the vanishing of the human wicked attributes that is embellished by various demands of evil desires. On the other hands, Fanā’ is also refers to the only concentration of the memory in appreciation of the perfection and the glory of Allah SWT. This is because fana' is a high level stage of consciousness and a precise focus attentions only on Allah SWT to the stage that other things to be blunt as if lost from seeker’s memory. Nevertheless, in the discourse of Islamic thoughts, many misunderstandings and misappropriation are correlated to the concept of fana’ that occurs in Sufis path. Therefore, this article efforts to high spot the concept of fana’ conferring to Sheikh Daud al-Fatani (d.1847) through his work to scrutinize the extent to which the concept of fana’ posed by him in line with other well-known Nusantara Sufi figures. This study uses the content analysis method by referring to the work of Sheikh Daud al-Fatani sufi entitled "al-Manhal al-Ṣāfī fī Bayan al-Ramz al-Sufi". The study found that the term of fana' presented by Sheikh Daud al-Fatani was in line with the meaning of fana' which was emphasized by the previous Nusantara Sufi figures such as Sayyid Abdul Rahman (d.1917), Sheikh Abdul Samad al-Falimbani (d.1788) and other ancient Sufis figures. However, the use of the term is somewhat different in explaining the fana's meaning since Sheikh Daud al-Fatani in his work emphases more on the aspect of the existence stage which he labeled as the seventh stages (Martabat Tujuh). The study concludes that the concept of fana' posed by the figure was an essential bridge in understanding the concept of fanā' adopted by the practitioners of Sufis path among society nowadays. Keywords: Fana’, Syeikh Daud al-Fatani, Nusantara Sufi, Martabat Tujuh, al-Manhal al-Ṣāfī fī Bayan al-Ramz al-Ṣūfī.
With the rapid change in the era of globalization, the Cooperative of Karta Jaya Semarang should be able to compete and stay ahead in business so the managers are able to plan the budget carefully, as a result the cooperative activities can be run in an integrated and focused to achieve the set goals. The underlying problem in Cooperatives of Karta Jaya Semarang is that its budgetary slack occurred very significantly between the budget and the realization of the existing operational costs. The purpose of the study is to test empirically the effect of asymmetry information, uncertainty of the environment and budgetary participation toward the budgetary slack through the organization's commitment at the Cooperative of Karta Jaya Semarang. In this study, the population is 38 functional managers who work in several branches in Cooperatives of Karta Jaya Semarang. Looking at the total population is only 38 respondents, so it is eligible to serve all as a sample. Consequently, this research is called census research; it is because the terms of the study area includes only areas or subjects that are very narrow. The statistical analysis in this study is a structural equation modeling (SEM) and Partial Least Square method. Based on test results, it shows that asymmetry information has no effect on the organization's commitment at the Cooperative of Karta Jaya Semarang, meaning that the high asymmetry information performed by the managers of cooperatives showed low support of managers for organizations that does not affect the strong commitment to the organization. Environmental uncertainty negatively affects organizational commitment, meaning that the higher the manager's inability to predict an uncertain of the environment, it suggests that managers' commitment to the organization showed a decrease. Budgetary participation does not affect organizational commitment, which means that the lower the involvement of managers in the preparation of the budget, it does not affect the manager's commitment to the organization. Organizational commitment can be an intervening variable among asymmetry information and the budgetary slack, environmental uncertainty and the budgetary slack as well as budgetary participation and the budgetary slack. Organizational commitment negatively affects the budgetary slack. Keywords: Asymmetry Information, environmental uncertainty and budgetary participation, organizational commitment and budgetary slack
The invention discloses a quick-drying environment-friendly coating and a manufacturing method thereof.The quick-drying environment-friendly coating is prepared from, by weight, 15-20 parts of waterborne polyurethane, 20-25 parts of furan resin, 4-6 parts of ethyl orthosilicate, 2-3 parts of titanate, 18-22 parts of light calcium carbonate, 4-6 parts of polyvinyl butyral, 2-4 parts of polypropylene glycol, 5-7 parts of borax, 2-4 parts of sodium salicylate, 5-6 parts of fatty alcohol-polyoxyethylene ether, 3-4 parts of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and a proper amount of deionized water.The deionized water is used as a dispersion medium, the contents of inorganic and organic solvents or volatile organic compounds are low, and no environmental pollution is caused; the synergistic effect of the components is good, and the quick-drying environment-friendly coating has the advantages of being rapid in wetting, drying and solidification, high in sticking strength, short in film formation drying time, good in hardness and the like; compared with an existing coating technology, the drying and solidification time is shortened by three times or more, the working time is shortened greatly, and the working efficiency is improved.
OBJECTIVE Increased messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of beta-galactoside alpha 2,6-sialyltransferase I (ST6Gal I) is important in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix. In many tissues, ST6Gal I is transcriptionally regulated through the use of promoters that originate in the mRNA species that diverge in the 5'-untranslated regions. To clarify the roles of ST6Gal I mRNA species in cervical SCC, we investigated their expression, including a "constitutive" promoter (placental or Y + Z form), "hepatic" promoter (H form), and a specific lymphoblastic promoter (X form), in normal and SCC tissues of the cervix using real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).   METHODS Expression of the ST6Gal I species was investigated in normal cervical tissue samples (n = 38) and FIGO IB1 cervical SCC samples (n = 38) by relatively quantitative real-time RT-PCR, using primers designed for amplification of a portion of the coding region common to all mRNA species or ones for amplification of the placental transcript, the hepatic transcript, or lymphoblastic transcript.   RESULTS ST6Gal I mRNA expression was significantly increased in cancerous tissues compared to that in normal tissues (P = 0.004, Mann-Whitney U test; P < 0.001, paired t test). Expression of the Y + Z form did not appear to be affected by cancer transformation, since it was detected at comparable levels in normal and cancerous tissues (P = 0.986), but H form expression was significantly enhanced in cancerous tissues compared to that in normal tissues (P < 0.001, Mann-Whitney U test and paired t test). Surprisingly, the X form could be detected in some patients with and without cancer, but the detection rate was significantly higher in patients with cancer (86.8% vs 52.6%, respectively; P = 0.021, Fisher's exact test). Although the X transcript was detected at a low level compared to the H and Y + Z transcripts, its expression was also significantly enhanced in patients with cancers compared to those without cancers (P < 0.001, Mann-Whitney U test and paired t test).   CONCLUSIONS An increased level of hepatic transcripts may be important in cancer transformation because the transcripts contribute to enhance ST6Gal I expression in cancerous tissues.
Ottawa researcher Dr. Heather L. Davis has become a pioneer in the development of DNA-based vaccines. With her collaborators in France and Germany Davis found that introducing the DNA code for the envelope protein of the hepatitis B virus into the muscle tissue of mice prompted a strong and sustained immune response. She believes that DNA-based vaccines could prove to offer many advantages over conventional vaccines, not least of which are greater safety and effectiveness and reduced cost. She has also begun to explore the potential of DNA-based vaccines for use in the treatment of disease. In recent experiments Davis and colleagues in France have successfully used DNA vaccination to cure transgenic mice of a chronic hepatitis B carrier state.
To outsource or not to outsource ? That is the question more CEOs and CIOs are asking themselves today. Unfortunately, however, they are realizing there is no simple answer. This article examines the critical issues that an organization must address before making the decision to outsource all or part of its IS function and identifies the pros and cons of outsourcing. Strategies for building successful relationships with outsourcing vendors are also outlined
Multilayered cuprates of Tl0.65Hg0.35Ba2Can-1CunO2n+3−δ, with n = 1–3 have been synthesized by using solid state reaction method in order to investigate the variation of transition temperature Tc. The temperature dependence of resistivity showed that the Tc depends on n. The c-lattice constants of the observed phases obey, the c-axis rule of c = 3.117n+6.5467 for Tl-O layer structures. With an increase in Cu-O layers, the superconducting transition temperature is determined by electrical resistivity-temperature dependency and rises reaching a maximum value of 121 K at n = 3.
To ensure optimal performance of the positioning system, a suitable antenna needs to be chosen and installed in an un-obstructed location to provide clear visibility of the sky. By the time the signals arrive at the vessel antenna they are weak which makes them susceptible to interference, whether intentional or unintentional, so again location of the antenna is important as is the choice of an appropriate antenna. This paper will examine the factors that should be considered for installing any antenna associated with a positioning system. It not only considers the physical location to prevent blockage or interference but addresses other areas that can often be overlooked but which can have implications on the installation and performance of the system. Examples include cable type and length of cable run, lighting protection and even the selection of the most appropriate antenna. An overview of antenna design will be presented to highlight some of the issues that are faced when using multi-constellation GNSS or combined GNSS/L-band antennas which can impact system performance through multipath, signal to noise or interference. Another topic covered is that of GNSS interference which is something that is gaining more press coverage with stories about the availability of low-cost jammers and wireless broadband networks and the impact on GPS. It will consider un-intentional and intentional interference in the offshore environment using real world case studies to highlight the impact on positioning and how a systematic approach was used to identify the source of interference. The paper will look at some of the research and development being conducted into the field of antenna and receiver design to help protect GNSS receivers from interference. Finally, consideration of multi-antenna systems and additional sensors may help mitigate any potential issues to provide the user with a reliable position will be examined.
Fundamental research of the coffee economy have shown that regional class alliances were established imprecisely in the territories, usually in the central mountains of Colombia (although not exclusively or only way) and organized by the State being a necessary response to the inevitable need to defend certain values as embodied and structured regional coherence. Partnerships proposals actively promoted favorable conditions.
Abstract : Studies were initiated to determine methods for the removal of lead from the waste water streams at the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, Lawrence, Kansas. Two approaches were taken. The first investigated the ion exchange process for lead removal. Using a resin column in pilot plant studies, a reduction of lead in the Sunflower Blender effluent to a level of 0.05 ppm was accomplished. The second approach involved the use of the lead precipitation method in a pilot plant located adjacent to the blender. Lime and ferric salts (ferric chloride and ferric sulfate) were used to treat the blender waste water. Lead removals of 75 - 85 percent were achieved, to levels as low as 0.30 parts per million. Overall improvement in water quality was also realized with this system. A combination of both systems is recommended for treating waste water streams at SAAP. The lead precipitate system, after removing approximately 80 percent lead and improving the water quality, would discharge into the ion exchange process where the lead levels would be reduced to at least 0.05 ppm. (Author)
In patients with rheumatoid arthritis the serum and synovial fluid levels of a glycoprotein called YKL 40 are correlated to the severity of disease. YKL 40 may be related to disease activity in RA; it is induced by vitamine D and is reduced by TGF b. YKL 40 has been isolated from bovine mammary secretions during non lactating period and from Human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63. Some observations on experimental and clinical studies are presented.
Background - This second report provides an update of information and interim results for a two year study being conducted at the Satake Centre for Grain Process Engineering in the University of Manchester, investigating the feasibility of producing value-added products from algae.    Project Aim - To examine in detail and optimise the production of generic fermentation feedstocks from algae wastes and evaluate the feasibility of producing a range of potential end-products (in particular ethanol and algae nutrients).    Achievements to Date - Process development and design: The materials under investigation were two feedstocks of microalgae sent by Cellana on 13th January 2010 (samples 1323 and 1584). Currently, the algae are harvested by centrifugation or spray-drying, and lipids are then extracted using hexane. At UoM, various process scenarios to produce glucose were tested: fermentation with Aspergillus awamori, fermentation with indigenous microorganisms, acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis. All the data accumulated with the different strategies were used to develop flowsheets that can help to estimate the ethanol production for each scenario.    The characterisation work enables to conclude that both samples differ by their lipids and other chemicals content. In this work, a variety of indigenous microbes were also isolated from both samples, and such microbes now form part of a culture collection.    Pre-treatment of unextracted samples: As part of process development and design, various techniques were tested to disrupt the algae in order to facilitate access to lipids and carbohydrates without the utilization of hexane. The use of a physical and biological disruption method to break open the cells would have the advantage to be a cleaner process as no chemical will be involved. Consequently, the lipids could be harvested by skimming the oil layer at the surface of the cell suspension. Several cell disruption methods were tested: mortar and pestle, bead mill, liquid nitrogen, autoclaving, microwaving, falling number hammer mill, ultrasound and French press. It was found that ultrasound and the French press were the most effective methods. Further tests are needed to determine if an oil layer can be obtained at the surface after these 2 pre-treatments.    From the process point of view, the acid hydrolysis treatment involves simultaneous cell-disruption and saccharification, which can take place in the same unit. However, lipids and proteins degradation could occur.  There were no benefits associated with the use of A. awamori for breaking the cells open, releasing lipids or glucose, and converting carbohydrates into glucose.    Fermentation process: The highest glucose production was achieved with indigenous microbes degrading ultrasound-treated and untreated samples. Sample 1584 had higher lipid and carbohydrates content and gave greater glucose production during indigenous fermentation (55 mg of glucose per gram of sample).    Since the best performances (in terms of glucose) were obtained with the indigenous microbes degrading the raw sample, it can be concluded that no further pre-treatment is required before the microbial conversion step.    Depolymerisation process: A detailed account of experiments with commercial enzyme is presented in this part, whereby algal samples with or without cell-disruption treatment were used as feedstock in parallel experiments to enzymatically produce glucose. Although enzyme addition increases glucose production its contribution is thought to be low.    Combined fermentation-depolymerisation process (indigenous microorganisms and added enzyme) with and without treatment:  Sample 1584 produced the highest levels of glucose and the best results were observed when the indigenous microbes were mixed with enzymes. After 100 hours of running the experiment, glucose was not consumed and remained approximately constant until the end of the experiment.    With the best combination of processes, about 27% of total carbohydrates in sample 1323 was converted into glucose whereas, in the case of the disrupted sample 1584, about 55% was converted into glucose by indigenous microbes and 60% by combining indigenous microbes and enzymes. This investigation gives grounds to decide if commercial enzymes and cell-disruption pre-treatment is economically interesting.    In the case of fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis, a pre-treatment step might be required to facilitate the conversion of carbohydrates. This should be followed by the depolymerisation of carbohydrates into simple sugars.  Preliminary results with samples D09 and D10: Progress has been gained working with the new unextracted feedstocks sent by Cellana (D09 and 10) on February. The Characterisation work is undergoing and it has been found that glucose can be produced from D09 and D10 when treated with indigenous microorganisms from samples 1323 and 1584. Noteworthy is to mention that D09 and D10 also contain their own indigenous microbes but, in this case, such microbes produced and consumed glucose.    Culturing the oleaginous yeast R. toruloides: This aims at growing oleaginous yeast to extract the oil. In one project, the algae by-product will serve as substrate to grow the yeast whereas a synthetic substrate will be used in the second project. The plan of actions and the time to achieve the goals is presented (Gantt chart).    Literature review: An introduction to algae is presented and is followed by a review on the properties of the algal biomass. An account of the cultivation methods and productivity is also given. Besides, there is a summary of upstream processes employed to eliminate water from the harvested algae. Finally, the review presents an account of the extraction and purification of added-value products such as biodiesel, bioethanol, biomethane and other bioactive compounds and fine chemicals.    Other deliverables and task on hold: A culture collection of known microbes is now available at UoM. Another task that has been put on hold is the growth of Nannochlorepsis sp, which was the model chosen for growing microalgae with the fermentation products from A. awamori and A. oryzae.    Overall progress - More realistic numbers in terms of ethanol production have been obtained and are presented in the process development and design spreadsheets. Further improvements will be gained with new experimental results.  The search for a physical disruption method is now concluded. More tests are needed to determine if an oil layer can be obtained at the surface after ultrasound or French press treatment.    Samples 1323 and 1584 have been characterised and therefore this task is finished. On the other hand, chemical and biological methods to produce glucose have been tested in samples 1323 and 1584. Similar work has been done with D09 and D10 and the results reported herein show that glucose can be produced from these samples when treated with indigenous microbes from 1323 and 1584.    The depolymerisation process of 1323 and 1584 is finished but it still needs to be deployed to treat algae D09 and D10. Enzyme, indigenous microbes and a combination of both need to be studied in the disrupted D09 and D10. There is now a plan of actions and timing for growing oleaginous yeast with algae or a synthetic medium.
This paper solves the optimal placement problem of phasor measurement units (PMUs) so as to make a system completely observable. Observability assessment is done by the aid of the topological observability rules. This paper presents a generalized integer linear programming formulation for cases including redundant PMU placement, full observability. In order to improve the speed of convergence, an initial PMU placement is provided by graph-theoretic procedure. The simulation results of proposed approach are presented for several IEEE test systems.
The growing focus in neuroimaging on analyzing brain connectivity calls for powerful and reliable statistical modeling tools. We examine the Infinite Relational Model (IRM) as a tool to identify and compare structure in brain connectivity graphs by contrasting its performance on graphs from the same subject versus graphs from different subjects. The inferred structure is most consistent between graphs from the same subject; however, the model is able to predict links in graphs from different subjects on par with results within a subject. The framework proposed can be used as a statistical modeling tool for the identification of structure and quantification of similarity in graphs of brain connectivity in general. Keywords-Neuroimaging, Bayesian Methods, Structural Connectivity, Relational Modelling
The chromatographic investigation of the aerial parts of Wodyetia bifurcata (family Arecaceae) revealed the presence of β-Amyrin, lupeol, apigenin, kaempferol, phydroxyl benzoic acid and gallic acid that isolated for first time from Wodyetia bifurcata and their structures are elucidated by different spectroscopic techniques as UV, 1H-NMR, 13 C-NMR and EI/MS spectra. The biological activities of different plant extracts are tested for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxicity.
A network device includes a memory, a MAC module, a host control module, and a selector module. The memory stores frames and timestamps corresponding to the frames. The MAC module receives the frames and the timestamps and forwards the frames to a physical layer device. The MAC module includes queues that store the frames received from the memory, and shaping modules that receive the frames from the queues and spread data in the frames over time to generate blocking signals. The host control module transfers ownership of the frames to the MAC module. The host control module or the MAC module masks the transfer of the ownership of first frames including gating the first frames based on the timestamps to delay reception of the first frames in the queues. The selector module selects one of the blocking signals, and forwards the selected blocking signal to the physical layer device.
Gardening vegetable and flower seedling planting machine, including: nursery bed, the upper ends nursery bed with fill light lamp holder, the lamp holder is provided between the fill light fill light, fill light is provided in the sprinkler-lamp means in the nursery bed is also provided with a controller, water, nutrient solution tank, the sprinkler means, the tank, the nutrient solution tank are in communication with the controller is provided with a sealing cap over the fill light lighthouse nursery bed. The present invention is a fully enclosed nursery equipment, in actual agricultural production can completely get rid of the natural conditions, the device widely used in household vegetable and flower planting, solves the problem of planting seedlings of vegetables and flowers the family hard, easy to use, making the family become convenient and practical planting, seedling achieve scale, intensive, year-round, high-quality nursery industrial production, with: eco-friendly, low-carbon energy, pollution, etc., the market prospect is very broad.
In order to obtain the solubility data of propylene in 2-propanol-water solutions, gas-liquid equilibrium (GLE) experiments were carried out at 303.15-333.15 K, 0.27-0.98 MPa in a static equilibrium still. The original mass ratio of 2-propanol to water was 9∶1,8∶2,7∶3,1∶0, respectively. The equilibrium data were correlated with an empirical model and the regression of model parameters was completed by Gauss-Newton nonlinear least square (NLS). The average relative deviation (ARD) between the experimental and calculated value is 1.5700, and the maximum relative deviation (MRD) is 4.8200. In addition, a simple approach that correlated the model parameters with the system composition was also provided.
ERP is called enterprise resource plan, a kind of new tool of management which merged the finest practice and the most advanced information technology. The article tries to explain the problem of ERP in china from several perspectives and the unfavourable factors and limitations in implimenting ERP in a lot of enterprises of our country .In addition it gives analysis and makes several case studies on choosing the types of EPR.
In several practical application domains, combinatorial optimization problem (POC) is an very important. Due to the difficulty of problems optimization and many practical applications that can take the formula of a POC. Currently the major challenge is to resolve a generic POC large, where the use of meta-heuristic is recommended. Their approach "A unique solution", based on the appearance of intensification, quickly gives a good solution, but may be trapped by a local optimum. This above is avoided with the appearance of diversification provided by approach "to the population of solution", the latter has the disadvantage that found solution set is just an approximation of the optimum .this while we can see that the hybridization of two approaches can better guide the process of research to the optimal solution, the mechanism of parallelism is a computing power and can accelerate the process of optimization. To enter this hybridization gains parallel it offers in this paper an application of the latter on the QAP quadratic assignment.
In recent years, wireless sensor network (WSN) has gained more importance mainly in the field of environmental monitoring, intrusion detection and battle field surveillance. However as the sensors batteries are too tiny in size,it leads to significant limitation in terms of energy and their life period. In the conventional WSN generally sensor nodes deliver sensed data back to the sink/ base station via multi-hopping. Since this delivery process consumes more battery energy, the sensor nodes near the sink quickly drain out of their battery energy and consequently shorten the network lifetime. To overcome this problem this paper proposes a sink relocation and node recovery framework which enhance the network lifetime of WSN. The proposed mechanism incorporates the following two stages. In the first stage it employs battery energy-aware sink relocation (BEASR) algorithm for sink relocation. In the second stage a dead node recovery technique using genetic algorithm (GA) is implemented which replaces the dead nodes and successfully enhances the network lifetime. The experimental result conducted on MATLAB demonstrates the improved performance of proposed framework in terms of reduction in average power consumption, number of hops and number of dead nodes.
Literary works have pkyed an important role in foreign language teaching. They are the most active and colorful materials that reflect a race' s characteristics, psychological situation, cultural features, customs, social relations etc. Though in recent years, the phenomenon, "emphasis on linguistics but ignorance of literature", has emerged, yet in my opinion, if the teachers pay attention to fostering the students' interest in literature and improving their ability to appreciate literary works, the students will realize the importance of literature in language study, and good teaching effects will be gained in classroom teaching.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the change in renal high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1) levels, and the effect of Chinese traditional medicine-Xuebijing injection on HMGB1 expression as well as acute kidney injury in rats after scald injury.   METHODS Wistar rats were subjected to 30% full-thickness scald injury followed with delayed resuscitation. Totally 78 animals were divided into sham scald group (n=18), scald injury group (n=30), and Xuebijing injection treatment group (n=30). All animals were sacrificed at 8, 24, and 72 hours postburn. Renal tissue and blood samples were harvested to determine HMGB1 mRNA as well as protein expression and organ functional parameters. HMGB1 mRNA level was semi-quantitatively measured by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction taking GAPDH as an internal standard, and protein expressions of HMGB1 were detected by both Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Serum creatinine (Cr) contents were measured by automatic biochemistry analyzer. In addition, pathological lesions in kidney were observed under light microscope using HE staining.   RESULTS Compared with sham scald group, both mRNA and protein expressions of HMGB1 were significantly enhanced in the kidney at 8, 24, and 72 hours after scald injury (P<0.05, P<0.01), meanwhile serum Cr contents were markedly increased following acute insults (P<0.05, P<0.01). Treatment with Xuebijing injection could markedly down-regulated renal HMGB1 mRNA expression and protein release at 24 hours and 72 hours (P<0.05, P<0.01), and significantly reduced serum Cr content following scald injury (P<0.05). Many inflammatory cells in renal tissues were observed using light microscope following scald. The histological morphology of kidney lesions was a-HMGB1, a late mediator, appears to be inmeliorated after treatment with Xuebijing injection.   CONCLUSIONS volved in the pathogenesis of excessive inflammatory response and acute kidney damage. Treatment with Xuebijing injection can inhibit HMGB1 synthesis and release in renal tissues, and may prevent the development of acute kidney injury induced by serious scald injury.
Seismic records from the RER very broad-band seismic station (La Reunion Island) belonging to the GEOSCOPE network are investigated to understand the eruptive succession (February to May) of Piton de la Fournaise and the caldera collapse episode of April 2007. Data first indicate that the short-lived, small volume, summit eruption of February 18 occurred during a phase of continuous inflation initiated in January 2007. Inflation decelerated around 2 weeks before a second short-lived small volume eruption on March 30-31 on the SE flank, almost simultaneous with a sudden, large deflation of the edifice. Deflation rate, which had stabilized at a relatively low level, increased anew on April 1 while no magma was emitted, followed on April 2 by a more distant and one of the most voluminous eruptions of the last two centuries at La Reunion Island. The RER station shows that very long period (VLP) and ultra long period (ULP) events developed during this period. Seven ULP events preceded the caldera collapse and 48 ones occurred during the caldera collapse over 9 days, most of which during the first 30 hours. A thorough examination of the seismic signals corrected for tide effects shows that each collapse event was coeval with VLP and ULP signals. Each individual collapse showed similar ULP and VLP signals characterized by periods of ∼ 500 s and ∼ 7 s, respectively. The back-azimuth of most ULP signals related to the caldera collapse points clearly toward the Dolomieu caldera. The strikingly constant duration of the VLP signals (around 20 s) related to the collapse events and their occurrence before the collapse initiation suggest a physical control of the volcanic edifice. Waveforms and spectrograms of the various caldera collapse events show very homogeneous patterns, suggesting a similar and repeating volcano-tectonic process for the formation of the VLP signals events. Although tilt may be responsible of part of the ULP signals observed during the collapse events, we show that it cannot explain most of the records. The ULP signals occurring during the collapse and also recorded by the OVPF GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) permanent network likely correspond to relaxation of the volcanic edifice. This analysis allows us to propose a scenario that may explain each successive collapse event as starting with a short-period event induced by the rock failure, followed by a VLP signal induced by dip-slip motion on the caldera ring fault, and ending with a ULP signal likely related to a relaxation process of the edifice.
The electrostatic chuck (250) according to the invention comprises an upper ceramic (205) carrying the substrate (200) to be treated and a lower ceramic (215) carrying heating elements (225) and radio frequency electrodes (220 ), these ceramics being bonded together so as durable.Preferentiellement, these ceramics are bonded together by heated glass and the lower ceramic is joined to a sustainably pedestal, for example by a soldered connection.
The applications of the commonly used ultra-fine processing technology in the functional oils and fats,such as ultra-fine pulverization,micro-encapsulating,ultra-high pressure homogenization and micro-emulsifying were introduced,and their practical application effects were reviewed.The results showed that the different methods of ultra-fine processing could improve the yield of the functional oils and fats,increase the release rate and emissions of the functional components,improve the physical and chemical characteristics and antioxidation stability,and enhance the health efficacy.The applications of the ultra-fine processing technology in the functional oils and fats were broad.
The topic of the current thesis is the reduction of the average packet delayin two-hop wireless cooperative networks with buffer-aided relays. This typeof networks is of particular interest since it constitutes the building block forextended networks with multiple hops and numerous relays.Back-pressure-like algorithms are developed for the HRS and max − linkrelay selection schemes. First, an algorithm is developed and applied for boththe HRS and the max − link protocols. It reduces the average delay considerably,but, in the case of the max − link the diversity of the system is reducedresulting in higher outage probabilities. For this reason, a new algorithm is developedthat aims at maintaining a high diversity throughout the operation ofthe network. Distributed implementations of the algorithms are also discussed.The performance of the proposed algorithms is illustrated via simulations.
The effectiveness of the use of a stabilized composition of alpha 2-macroglobulin concentrate obtained from fraction III of plasma proteins according to Cohn in burn disease in the experiment on guinea pigs was studied. Under the influence of intraabdominal administration for 4 days of alpha 2-macroglobulin concentrate with a stabilizer, healing of the burn wounds, normalization of a state of the animals occurred 2 times more rapidly than in control ones, activity of acid proteinases restored by day 5 (in control--by day 14) due to increase in activity of proteolytic enzyme inhibitors.
Harvard-Smithsonian CfA — Ives-Stilwell measurements have been used to measure relativistic time dilation eﬀects and place constraints upon directional and frame-dependent anisotropies of the speed of light. Over the past seventy years, great improvements have been made upon the original 1938 experiment of Ives and Stil-well, but are now approaching the practical limits of what can be achieved by such tests at reasonable scales. Common to every measurement has been reliance upon optical transitions and continuous wave spectroscopy. We propose using coherent two-photon processes and coherent pulsed spectroscopic techniques to move beyond existing scaling limits.
Using as its starting point a major expansion of the historical data from the caviar and smoking plant that formerly existed in Coria del Rio (southern Iberian Peninsula), some characteristics of this population are reviewed that were previously studied by other authors. A continuous series is presented of the annual captures of males and females from 1932 to 1969, as well as the evolution of the proportion of sexes and the average yearly weight. Using the space distribution of the locality of capture along the estuary and the springtime water flows, a locality index of capture for every year has been drawn up which enables us to know the possibility of successful reproduction for each spawning season. The faulty environmental conditions of the estuary at the species’s recovery time, due to the progressive shortage of flow in the spring, and the bad quality of the water during the 1960s, made reproductive failure more and more frequent. Together with this, the pressure of fishing to which potential reproducers were subjected every spring in the lower estuary led to the practical extirpation of this population.
The present work is a descriptive and cross-sectional study of the transitional competence of Spanish-speaking students learning English in the classroom, which was undertaken using the methodology of error analysis. In order to support this study, a conceptual framework was taken from General Linguistics, Psycholinguistics, and Bilingualism. A number of 2,344 Intralinguistic and developmental errors made by 100 High School students from the Freshmen and Senior levels in the city of Cuenca (Ecuador), were analyzed, classified, and interpreted; then a quantitative analysis made it possible to compare the behavior of the groups regarding the errors made. The results obtained show that both groups present a general state of transitional competence which is uniform and similar; significant differences between the two groups were only found for a few kinds of errors
The invention provides a heat control method and a heat control device. The method comprises the following steps: detecting the distance between one or more areas of a terminal and a predetermined test object; performing heat insulation in a first area of the terminal, wherein the first area is an area of which the distance from the predetermined test object is smaller than a first predetermined threshold; and/or, performing heat dissipation in a second area of the terminal, wherein the second area is an area of which the distance from the predetermined test object is greater than a second predetermined threshold. Through the method and the device, the problem in the related technology that heating of terminal products cannot be handled effectively is solved, heating of terminal products is handled effectively, and the user experience is enhanced effectively.
AIM To observe the changes in thymocyte and its microenvironment in aged mice after bilateral testicular resection.   METHODS In male old mice, at the 25th day after testicular resection, the peripheral blood and thymus were collected. Blood and thymus suspension smears were prepared for quantitative histochemistry and immunohistochemistry study under light and electron microscopes.   RESULTS In testes resected mice the size and the weight of thymus were markedly increased. The demarcation between cortex and medulla was clear. The cortex was thickened and the cell density was increased. The ratio of cortex/medulla stereometry was increased. The total cell count, thymocyte count, the percentage of acid alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE) positive thymocytes, nonlymphocytes and the rosette formation of macrophages and thymocytes were all increased. The thymocytes surrounded closely to the light thymic epithelial cells, dendritic cells or macrophages. The lymphocytes, particularly the ANAE positive lymphocytes of peripheral blood were increased.   CONCLUSION After bilateral testicular resection, the thymus of aged male mice showed morphological regeneration and the thymocytes and its microenvironment appeared to be definitely improved. It is suggested that testicular resection may improve immune function.
Airports in general have high-energy consumption. Influenced by many factors, the characteristics of airport energy consumption are stochastic, nonlinear and dynamic. In recent years, airport managers have made huge efforts to harmonize airport operation with environmental sustainability by minimizing the environmental impact, with energy conservation and energy efficiency as one of their pillars. A key factor in order to reduce energy consumption at airports is to understand the energy use and consumption behavior, due to the multiple parameters and singularities that are involved. In this article, a 3-step methodology based on monitoring methods is proposed to characterize and analyze energy demand patterns in airports through their electric load profiles, and is applied to the Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport (Santander, Spain). This methodology can be also used in airports in order to determine the way energy is used, to establish the classification of the electrical charges based on their operation way as well as to determine the main energy consumers and main external influencers. Results show that airport present a daily energy demand pattern since electric load profiles follow a similar curve shape for every day of the year, having a great dependence of the terminal building behavior, the main energy consumer of the airport, and with heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and lighting being the most energy-intensive facilities, and outside temperature and daylighting the main external influencers.
There are total 197 species(subspecies) of birds,belonging to 44 families of 17 orders,in Langxiang Nature Reserve of Heilongjiang Province.The bird species number recorded is 57.4% of that in Heilongjiang Province and 77.0% in Xiao Xing'anling area.Among all the records,3 species are Grade I of the national protective animals and 28 species are of Grade II.According to the fauna types,146 species are palaearctic,48 species are widespread and 3 species are oriental.
The present invention provides a method of controlling the information processing apparatus and an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus having a plurality of memory cells, and the information processing apparatus can be any of a plurality of a start-up mode to start, the start mode includes a first plurality of activation mode and the ability to start than the first mode start date of the second fast startup mode.
For any positive inregersn,the number theory function D(n) is definde as the smallest positive integermsuchthatndivides d(1)d(2)…d(m),where d(n) is the Dirichlet divisor function.The main purpose is using the elementary method and the properties of the Euler's totient function φ(n) and number theory function D(n) to study the solvability of the equation 2φ(n)=D(n),and obtain its all positive integer solutions.
Range-Doppler algorithm is one of the most commonly used methods in synthetic aperture radar imaging,which usually uses interpolation methods to correct range cell migration.This paper studies the imaging algorithms of airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)in small squint mode.The model of airborne SAR spatial geometry in squint mode and the echo response are given.A modified Range Doppler algorithm(RD)is proposed for correcting range cell migration with less computing complexity.The simulation results indicate that this algorithm achieves higher resolution with less computation complexity for airborne SAR imaging in small squint mode,and the time is nearly reduced by three times when peak-to-side lobe ratio(PSLR)and integrated side lobe ratio(ISLR)almost remain unchanged.
Repeated intraperitoneal injections of ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) induce nephrotoxic features such as proximal tubular necrosis and renal failure, an unexpected phenomenon for a ferric compound. The mechanism of Fe-NTA toxicity was investigated by electron microscopy and respiration studies of renal cortical mitochondria in rats. Four hours after a single intraperitoneal injection of Fe-NTA, 5 mg iron/kg body wt, loss of microvilli, increased number of cytoplasmic vacuoles, electron-dense cytoplasmic deposits, mitochondrial swelling, karyorrhexis, and rupture of cytoplasmic membrane were observed in proximal tubular epithelia. At 24 hours, an increased number of cells had become necrotic. Polarographic studies of mitochondria from renal cortex 4 hours after Fe-NTA treatment showed a significant decrease in State 3 respiration and DNP-uncoupled respiration, whereas little change was observed in State 4 respiration and ADP/O.
Because of particularity of the load,the power factor is generally low in oil-field.And some oil-fields general adopt fixed reactive power compensation or dynamic reactive power compensation to raise the power factor.But after pumping units adopt reactive power compensation devices,the reactive power demands of the system and the reactive power outputs of the compensating capacitor will change because the pumping units terminal voltage increased after compensation.Traditional control strategy often leads to compensation capacitor act frequently.The suitable expert experiences were used to form look-up table of fuzzy control rules,finally,applied voltage and reactive power fuzzy control to compensation controller of pumping units through analyzing fuzzy control principle.It also proves the effectiveness by PSCAD simulation.
Abstract : A description is presented of CAMCOS, an on-line, real-time computer system for Air Force base-level maintenance planning and control activities. CAMCOS is designed to provide a high-level capability for critical missions and economical performance during routine operations. A mission generator helps to select an aircraft to fulfill a sortie request, and sends the dispatch notices to ready it for its mission. The system handles planning, scheduling, dispatching, and control for flight-line, bench, and periodic maintenance on a unified basis that relates maintenance to operational requirements. The current status of all resources, workload, and aircraft is maintained in the system. An event monitor follows all flight-line jobs and other critical tasks, notifying the appropriate manager if a departure from plan occurs. Job requirements for reported malfunctions and other priority workload are matched against resources, and scheduled to meet aircraft recovery targets. Personnel in maintenance squadrons report work requirements; events such as start of job, end of job, etc.; and changes in resource availability through the control system. These data are used for planning and controlling the maintenance activity and are saved by the system for subsequent analysis and reporting. (Author)
The solid superacid SO42-/TiO2 is modified by Fe3+and Ce4+ doping in the impregnation method.The catalysis of the solid superacid is investigated after doping.The preparation conditions of catalysis are optimized to increase the yield of the allantoin.The results show that,when Ce4+:TiO2=0.06% and Fe3+:TiO2=0.2%,the dipping solution is sulfuric acid,its concentration is 0.66 mol·L-1,the impregnating solution volume is 15 mL/g,the soaking time is 20 h,the calcination temperature is 540 ℃ and the baking time is 3.4 h,the yield of allantoin is the highest and the catalytic activity is the best.The average yield of allantoin is basically maintained 65% by reusing four times over and allantion obtained consistent with industry standards.
Y. E. Vinogradova, O. V. Margolin, V. V. Tichonova, A. G. TurkinaSUMMARY A combination of two rare diseases: T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) and chronic eosinophilic leukemia (CEL) with chromosomal anomaly is presented in this article. A patient is a man 33 years old. Areas of defeat involve all the lymphatic nodes, the liver, the spleen, the anterior mediasti-num, the pleura and the lungs. Immunophenotype of atipical lymphocytes: CD10+, CD1а+, CD7+, CD2+, CD43+, CD3-, CD5+, CD4+, CD8+, C38+. Ki-67 — 77 %. Eosinophilia reveals in the blood and the bone marrow. The diagnosis CEL is verified by means of molecular genetic research (the chimeric gene FIP1L1-PDGFRA). Complete remission is received for T-LBL by means of polychemotherapy within 2.5 years and for CEL by means of gliveс (Imatinib). Literary data on the new differentiation of long existing hypere-osinophilia: the hypereosinophilic syndrom and the chronic eosinophilic leukemia (the new WHO classification).Keywords: T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, chronic eosinophilic leuke-mia, gliveс, gene FIP1L1-PDGFRA.Research Hematology Center of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, MoscowКонтакты: jvinogr@blood.ruПринято в печать: 21 ноября 2009 г.
This product is part of the RAND Education working paper series. RAND working papers are intended to share researchers' latest findings and to solicit informal peer review. They have been approved for circulation by RAND Education but have not been formally edited or peer reviewed. Unless otherwise indicated, working papers can be quoted and cited without permission of the author, provided the source is clearly referred to as a working paper. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. is a registered trademark.
From the established expert on the subject comes this new biography of one of the world's most successful writers. Breath-taking in scope, and full of the kind of revelations sure to cause press and controversy, Butcher combines existing and new research on Verne's life with the evidence from Verne's works to explore what sort of man Jules Verne was, how he achieved what he did, what went on inside his head, what really made him tick. Butcher examines the forgotten nitty-gritty of Verne's life: his appearance, his schoolmates, the size of his bedroom, who he talked to and slept with, who he fell out with and was sued by, the fibs he told, how he got to work, how much he made, what he did on his days off, where he went, what he studied, what he read, whether he was a good husband and father -- in sum, all the behavior that points to personality, as only a family member can know it.
The purpose of the study is to analyze the spatial difference of economic efficiency of land use in each county or district at county level in 2004 by using economic density data of regional and county-level land lots used for construction combined with GIS technology.Furthermore,the changes in the economic densities of urban and rural construction land between 1996 and 2004 were investigated.Methods employed include comprehensive analysis,spatial analysis and statistical analysis.Results reveal that the overall level of economic density of urban and rural construction land decreased from eastern China to western China in 2004.However,there were exceptions.The difference among regions was significant,and high density units concentrated in three metropolitan areas;core-marginal effect and point-axis characteristics were present.The overall situation of economic density had not changed much between 1996 and 2004.However,the increase of economic density in coastal area in eastern China slowed down and that in the inland areas,especially in the western part of these areas was significant.Among the 6 types of units categorized by the level of economic development and speed of economic density increase,those whose economy was less developed and whose speed of economic density increase was faster accounted for the largest part of total units,possessed the largest area and there were some units whose economic density had negative increase.Therefore,more attention should be paid to such units.
We performed breast reconstruction surgery with mastectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)for a patient with NAC indication desiring breast conservation. The case was a 34-year-old single woman. In March, 2007, she was aware of a lump in her left breast and visited our hospital. The diagnosis was solid-tubular carcinoma 3 cm in diameter from close examination. We performed preoperative chemotherapy with EC(epirubicin 90 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m(2))x4, followed by 3w-paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2)x4, and then performed mastectomy with axillary dissection and breast reconstruction surgery using the flap of latissimus dorsi at the same time. Pathologically, pCR was provided. We thought that there are many advantages to both treatment of breast cancer and the cosmetic characteristics. The patient was very satisfied. But further cumulative examinations are awaited because there is not much evidence at present.
BACKGROUND in the current healthcare system in the USA, common mental health conditions are frequently undertreated. As a result, unacceptable disability, morbidity and mortality rates occur. Various stakeholders define, provide, monitor and may reward providers of mental health care, but based on differing interests and agendas. Examples of the implementation of evidence-based practice in general care, accompanied by changes in fiscal incentives, are rare outside of research endeavours.   METHODS we review as a case study a Minnesota state-wide effort to introduce collaborative care into 80 primary care clinics in order to improve the outcomes of depressed patients. This effort has been named the DIAMOND project (Depression Initiative Across Minnesota, Offering a New Direction) and it may illustrate several key steps towards creating value at the interface between primary care and specialty mental health care. Outcomes were defined and will be examined for a three-year period from when the initiative began in March 2008.   RESULTS to date the results are encouraging. All 80 clinics have introduced a new measurement tool into their practices, trained and hired care managers, and have developed an ongoing relationship with a psychiatrist. Over 4800 patients have been screened for depression, have received treatment and have been followed to ensure compliance and better outcomes. Remission rates (averaging 27%) are at levels comparable to research studies which have more stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria. Challenges including the loss of eligible patients are described.   CONCLUSION to create value in depression management, not only was a viable model required, but also a process for implementation and a structure for ongoing support of the model. The case study presented offers lessons that might be applied elsewhere toward creating value at the mental health and primary care interface.
OBJECTIVES Diabetic dialysis patients have higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than general population. While statin treatment is effective in prevention of CVD and all-cause mortality in general population, the use of statin in diabetic dialysis patients remains controversial. Thus, we aimed to assess the effects of statin treatment on prevention of CVD and all-cause mortality in diabetic dialysis patients by meta-analysis.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane Library were searched between each database's inception and July, 2014. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for CVD and all-cause mortality was extracted from each study. The pooled analysis was performed using random-effects models by Stata 12.0.   RESULTS Our search yielded five eligible articles including two RCTs and three observational studies. By pooled estimate, statin treatment was associated with a decreased risk of the cardiac endpoint which included cardiac death and nonfatal MI (HR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.78-0.90) and all cardiac events combined (HR=0.89, 95% CI: 0.82-0.96). There was no difference in the overall incidence of fatal or nonfatal stroke (HR=1.24, 95% CI: 0.99-1.53) and all cerebrovascular events combined (HR=1.14, 95% CI: 0.98-1.33) between statin treatment and control group. Finally, statin treatment was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause mortality (HR=0.81, 95% CI: 0.71-0.92).   CONCLUSIONS Statin treatment may be beneficial for reducing the risk of cardiac events and all-cause mortality while have no effect on overall cerebrovascular events in diabetic dialysis patients. More RCTs were needed to validate the results.
The sale and distribution of turtles with a carapace smaller than four inches in diameter was banned by federal law in 1975 on the grounds that such animals were frequently associated with human Salmonella infections. However, the popularity of these small turtles as pets has resurfaced, and in many places in Michigan they are being sold illegally. This study was conducted in Michigan to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in the most popular pet turtle species, Trachemys scripta elegans commonly known as red-eared sliders, and to evaluate the compliance of pet stores with laws concerning the sale of these animals. One hundred and fifty pet stores nearest to the center of five large cities in Michigan (30 each for Lansing, Detroit, Flint, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids) were contacted by phone. During this study, it was found that 41% (7/17) of the stores that indicated that they sold turtles also sold small turtles. Those seven stores were visited and sanitary conditions, animal housing, client education offered, and requirements for sale were observed. Each of these stores sold the authors a small turtle without asking any questions. One store required the authors to sign a form stating that they were buying the turtle for educational purposes, but did not require any verification. Each of the turtles bought was tested for Salmonella carriage. Six out of seven (86%) purchased turtles were positive for Salmonella spp. Among the positive turtles, the serotypes found were S. Litchfield (2/7), S. Norwich (1/7), and S. Welteverden (1/7), one was confirmed as Salmonella but untypable and another was contaminated upon arrival at NVSL and not serotyped. Michigan Journal of Public Health 20 Volume 4, Issue 1, 2010
Background and Objectives: Sinusitis, referring to an inflammatory disease that occurs on the mucus membrane inside the sinus, is one of the most common diseases in the otorhinolaryngology area. In oriental clinic, Sunbanghwalmyungeum (SHE) has been used as a primary prescription to treat inflammatory diseases and intumescence and to treat sinusitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of SHE on acute sinusitis induced mice. Materials and Methods: BALB/c mice were divided into three groups: the normal group, the group inoculated with S. pneumoniae which caused them allergic rhinitis (control group), and the group treated with the SHE extract after it was treated the same as the control group (sample group). Results: NF-κB activation was suppressed, and iNOS & COX-2 production were inhibited by SHE in acute sinusitis. IL-4 and STAT 6 also appeared to be suppressed. The number of eosinophils in the sample group noticeably decreased when compared to the control group. In the general morphologic change, the increase of damaged respiratory ciliated epithelium & eosinophil"s infiltration were decreased in the sample group. Goblet cells were maintained in the sample group. MIP-2 and HSP-70 decreased in the sample group. Apocrine secretion decreased in the sample group. Conclusion: The results suggest that SHE is significantly effective in the treatment of inflammation caused by acute sinusitis through the suppression of NF-κB activation and the inhibition of Th 2 cell differentiation.
Reaction kinetics during microwave H-field heating and electric furnace heating were investigated to verify the effect of rapid heating and the non-thermal microwave effect. This work is focused on the ferromagnetic material NiMn2O4, and the reduction reaction under rapid heating is investigated using an in situ analysis device. The results showed that the activation energy varied with the heating rate under microwave H-field irradiation, and it was the same as that in an electric furnace when the heating rate was the same. On the other hand, under microwave H-field irradiation, the reduction reaction began from a significantly low temperature compared with that of electric furnace heating. The results suggest that the transition theory during microwave irradiation should be expanded to include the effect of spin waves excited by a microwave H-field on magnetic materials.
Importance of comprehensive geriatric assessment in the management of patients with cancer Elderly patients represent a significant percentage of the population suffering from oncological diseases, leading to a challenge in making decisions. That since functional assessment scales traditionally used in oncology as the Karnofsky performance status and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group fail side conditions such as frailty, cognitive impairment, depression and dependence in activities of daily living that predict a reduced tolerance to medical treatment and are associated with higher mortality. Comprehensive geriatric assessment covers each of these aspects and allows the design of comprehensive plans of care and rehabilitation, forcing the involvement of geriatricians in the multidisciplinary teams that manage these patients. There are tools such as the Vulnerable Elders Survey 13 with sufficient sensitivity to allow in short time to identify those elderly who will benefit from a broader assessment to determine their best treatment. (MED.UIS. 2012;25(2):121-8)
The frequent and large-scale network attacks have led to an increased need for developing techniques for analyzing network traffic. If efficient analysis tools were available, it could become possible to detect the attacks, anomalies and to appropriately take action to contain the attacks before they have had time to propagate across the network. This paper describes NetViewer, a network monitoring tool that can simultaneously detect, identify and visualize attacks and anomalous traffic in real-time by passively monitoring packet headers. NetViewer represents the traffic data as images, enabling the application of image/video processing techniques for the analysis of network traffic.    NetViewer is released free to the general public. By employing a freely available visualization tool, the users of NetViewer can comprehend the characteristics of the network traffic observed in the aggregate. NetViewer can be employed to detect and identify network anomalies such as DoS/DDoS attacks, worms and flash crowds. NetViewer can also provide information on traffic distributions over IP address/port number domains, utilization of link capacity and effectiveness of Quality of Service policies.
This paper constitutes a working log of the construction, installation, and instrumentation history involved with a 1978 insulated roadway research test site near Fairbanks, Alaska. Approximately 3,900 square feet of 4" thick, 2.45 pcf, cut polystyrene beadboard was placed three feet beneath a paved roadway which was constructed over a previously undisturbed area underlain with ice rich permafrost. It is the intent of this study to empirically determine the long-term thermal and mechanical stability of this type of insulation under applications of this nature. The insulation and soils beneath the roadway were instrumented to provide information as to its thermal behavior. Settlement plates and road surface reference points were established to monitor elevation changes. Results from one year of roadway observations are also included.
Innovative Interfaces, known for its evolutionary approach of its product development strategy, has begun laying the groundwork for the next phase of its product family, introducing a new multitenant platform that will gradually be phased into parts of its product family. This platform, which it calls the Open Library Stack, provides interoperability among new patron-facing interfaces to Innovative’s existing applications. Increasingly, it will be used to deliver the applications themselves. This new platform can be seen as the latest example of Innovative’s stepwise moves into new technology architectures, a pattern repeated many times over the company’s history. A look at the history of the successive generations of Innovative’s products places this into perspective. The development strategy of Innovative has been one of evolution since the earliest days of the company. This approach has continued even through the changes in management and ownership. Innovative has introduced each new product in a way that retains existing functionality and introduces new technology infrastructure and adapts to current architectures. We can also see a steady progression from entirely closed and self-contained products to increasingly open architectures. The original product created in 1978 by founder Jerry Kline and Steve Silberstein was a “black box” interface to connect circulation systems such as that from CLSI to OCLC’s cataloging service. This product filled an important 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2795, USA
Objective To understand the prevalence characters and risk factors of abnormal blood pressure,including hypertension,prehypertension and hypotension,and to provide scientific evidences for further measures of prevention and treatment.Methods The method of multistage cluster random sampling was applied,and 2 019 city residents were recruited to take part in the blood pressure measurement and related factor investigation.The results were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression.Results Hypertension and prehypertension had some similar prevalence characters and risk factors.Their common risk factors were male,old age,obesity and drinking,and protective factors were female,high educational level,employment in administration and scientific institution and so on.The main risk factor of hypertension was age(OR=3.087),and of prehypertension obesity(OR=2.257).The risk factor and protective factor of hypotension were female(OR=2.809)and obesity,respectively.Conclusion Abnormal blood pressure is associated with multiplicate factors.The prevention and treatment of hypertension should begin during prehypertension and focus on obesity and drinking control.The fleshless young female and old folks are main subjects in the prevention and treatment of hypotension.
We formulate a simultaneous equations model and with the data of a panel of 600 Indian firms for the period 1991-92 to 1997-98 test the hypothesis of finance constraint. The firms are classified by the dividend pay-out ratio into high-cost and low-cost groups; a high dividend pay-out ratio implies a low cost of information faced by the firms and vice versa. In the context of developed countries, earlier researchers found that the firms in the high-cost group shows evidence of finance constraints and severity of the constraint goes down with the decrease in the cost of information. In our study we found that the firms with medium dividend pay-out ratios are constrained in the loans market so far as investment in fixed capital is concerned. This is quite a surprising result that requires careful explanation.
Objective To identify the F11 gene mutation responsible for congenital coagulation factor Ⅺ deficiency.Methods The 50 years old female proband diagnosed by preoperative tests including hemostasis test revealed prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and normal prothrombin time (PT). The genomic DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood of the proband and family members. The FⅪ:C was assayed and all the exons and boundaries of F11 were sequenced after amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Results The reduced FⅪ:C of the proband with only 2.1% of normal range thus further verified the diagnosis. The homozygous missense mutation Gly400Val (GGC→GTC) in the exon 11 was identified in the proband. The FⅪ:C of the family members who were heterozygous for the mutation being only about 27.0%～48.4% of the normal, showed decrease in all.Conclusion The missense mutation Gly400Val is the cause of FⅪ deficiency in both European and Chinese. The FⅪ level of heterozygotes may further decrease via a dominant negative mechanism.
Blood samples were collected from the unreleatled individuals in the Achang ethnic group in Yunnan Province. Genetic distribution for nine STR loci and amelogenin locus were determined in Achang ethnic group based on GeneScan. 96 samples were denatured of gel electrophoresis. The databanks in Achang ethnic group were generated by using GeneScan, genotyper, and genetic distribution analysis. 69 alleses and 166 genotypers were observed, with the corresponding frequency being 0.0050-0.6100 and 0.0100-0.3900. The average H is 0.7381. The comulated DP is 0.9999999. The comulated EPP is 0.9999989. The allele distribution of the loci was in good agreement with the Handy-Weibeng equilibrium. It is useful to establishing DNA databanks for studying gene natural resources, very valuable in the study of forensic science, anthropology and ethnic.
You might find this additional information useful... This article cites 33 articles, 16 of which you can access free at: http://ajpheart.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/288/2/H584#BIBL This article has been cited by 1 other HighWire hosted article: € [Abstract]€ [Full Text]€ [PDF] Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, March 1,€2006; 290€(3): H941-H947. S. Kim, A. S. Popel, M. Intaglietta and P. C. Johnson rat spinotrapezius muscle Effect of erythrocyte aggregation at normal human levels on functional capillary density inUpdated information and services including high-resolution figures, can be found at: http://ajpheart.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/288/2/H584 Additional material and information about AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology can be found at: http://www.the-aps.org/publications/ajpheart This information is current as of April 16, 2006 . € ISSN: 0363-6135, ESSN: 1522-1539. Visit our website at http://www.the-aps.org/.
Local anaesthetic agents reversibly block the action potentials responsible for nerve conduction. This action is demonstrable in any part of the nervous system and on every type of nerve fibre. The Na+ selective transmembrane pore of the channel is presumed to reside in the centre of a nearly symmetrical structure formed by the four homologous domains of a 300 kDa protein complex. A change in the transmembrane potential towards the threshold value induces conformational changes in the molecule, which cause the Na+ channel to open. This gives rise to a rapid influx of Na+ with further depolarisation of the cell membrane. After it opens, the Na+ channel inactivates within a few milliseconds due to closure of an inactivation gate.
Diarrhea is one of an endemic disease and also a potential disease of outbreaks in Indonesia, including in Mamuju, West Sulawesi, where the disease is often accompanied by death. Tapalang is a sub-district with the highest cases of diarrhea in Mamuju in recent years. This study used a case control design with a fixed disease sampling technique. The population in this study were all toddlers in Tapalang as many as 1927 people with a total sample of 60 cases and 60 controls so that a total of 120 samples. The instruments used in this study were questionnaires, checklists and observation sheets. Data were analyzed using Multivariate analysis. The results showed that there was a direct and statistically significant effect between family income on the incidence of diarrhea (b = 1.50; 95% CI = 0.319 to 2.68; p = 0.013). There was an indirect influence between family income on the incidence of diarrhea through behavior but not statistically significant (b = 0.98; 95% CI = -0.76 to 2.73; p = 0.269). There is a direct influence between behavior and the incidence of diarrhea even though it is not statistically significant (b = 0.74; 95% CI = -0.41 to 1.90 p = 0.210). The conclusions of toddlers diarrhea in Tapalang is influenced by family income. It is hoped that this research can be used as a reference for related parties in diarrhea control policies and also for mothers and toddlers' families in efforts to prevent diarrhea in toddlers.
We propose the sputtering deposition providing titanium thin films with controlled properties such as preferential crystallography and residual stress using Kaufman ion-beam source. The titanium thin films with thickness of approximate to 80 nm were deposited on [001] Si wafer covered by SiO2 deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. To achieve the required crystallography and stress properties, we investigated the different beam voltage of Kaufman ion-beam source and controlled the substrate temperature during deposition using a built-in heater. We used two X-ray diffraction methods to determine the planes parallel to the sample surface and residual stress. We also measured the current-voltage curves to determine the resistivity (rho) and the thermal coefficient of resistivity (alpha) of titanium thin films at different substrate temperatures using 4-probe measurement setup. We showed that it is possible to prepare stress-free titanium thin films with pure [001] orientation at the lowest beam voltage of 200 V and substrate temperature of approximate to 273 degrees C. The corresponding lattice parameters a(0) and c(0) were (2.954 +/- 0.003) angstrom and (4.695 +/- 0.001) angstrom, respectively. Electrical parameters of this sample as rho and alpha were (9.2 +/- 0.1).10(-7) Omega.m and (2.6 +/- 0.2).10(-3) K-1, respectively. We found out that these layers are well suitable for micro-electro-mechanical systems where the pure [001] orientation, no residual stress and low rho and high alpha are essential. We found that rho and a are dependent on each other. The rho value was approximate to 2x higher than the bulk material value, which is an excellent result for a thin film with the thickness of approximate to 80 nm.
Investigation and measurement were carried out on air conditioning system in five government buildings,which guide to understand its main pattern,energy consumption and composition and common problems.In addition,the analysis was conducted on energy saving potential.This study finds that annual electricity consumption per square meter of air conditioning system in government buildings is 13 ~ 30 kWh/m2.The main reason is that water chiller unit and pumps in air conditioning system waste energy throughout stage of design,construction,commissioning and operation,which were evitable.As a result,government building has a certain energy conserving potential.
Faculty are the guarders transferring and developing the university culture. Their different choices of culture have different affect on transferring and developing the university culture. The faculty who choosed knowledge regard the knowledge as the ideal occupation and have being guarding it, while the faculty who choosed politics regard politics as the ideal occupation and have excursed it, then the conflicting role between knowledge faculty and politics faculty perceive the university true culture spirit. In order to guard the university culture, faculty should regress to standard to conform the knowledge role and politics role.
The objective of this article is to analyze the views of al-Qaradawi with regards to the disagreement among Muslim scholars in the fiqh divisions. In actual fact, the disagreement is not a new phenomenon but it exists since the early Islamic history. The data in this article are collected from various exegesis books, hadith and fiqh, especially in the book written by al-Qara dawi-Kayfa Nata‘amalu Ma‘a al-Turath wa al-Tamadhhub wa al-Ikhtilaf. AlQaradawi suggested that the difference of views in fiqh divisions, is something more inevitable and must not be rejected. More importantly, all parties possess positive attitude and master the ethics of handling disagreement in Islam, in order to uphold unity amongst the Muslims. Nevertheless, it does not prohibit any new researches in certain issues in order to find a view more aptly based on dalil and convenience to the Ummah.
The law in Tanzania does not provide adequate safeguards to ensure that prosecution of those individuals accused of coming the kinds of acts described as criminal does not involves excessive violation of their basic rights and freedoms entrenched in the Constitution (Bill of Rights).  This is because the introduction of Bill of Rights into the Constitution was intended to expand the potential capacity for respect for human rights, basic freedoms, democracy, rule of law, political transparency and good government.  At the present moment Tanzania is undergoing profound transformations in its political, social and economic reorganization. This in turn, has resulted in many areas of life coming under legal regulation. The current changes require that the conduct of the state, and especially, that of its law enforcement officials- the courts, the police force, the security system and the prisons should now be judged in the light of human rights and democratic reality.  In order to ensure that fundamental rights and freedoms of accused persons are safeguarded, the activities of the institutions named above must be performed within the legal frameworks of the laws which established them and, further must accord with the various international instruments on Human Rights which Tanzania has signed and ratified.  The laws which establish them are the 1977 Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania as amended from time to time, the Police Force Ordinance, the National Security Act, The Criminal Procedure Act, the Prison Act and Evidence Act.  The International Instrument is those that are compiled in Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments and consist of: (i) Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, (ii) Regulations on Principles of Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra Legal, Arbitrary and Summary Execution, (iii) The convention on the Rights of the Child, and (iv) the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.  The International Instruments incorporate the sum total of norms accepted by the International community to regulate relations amongst states vis a vis their subjects and are also an important source of criminal procedure, especially in the sphere of human rights promotion and protection.  This paper seeks to examine and discuss in some detail how prosecutors in this country are supposed to perform their work efficiently while, at the same time, having in mind respect for and promotion and protection of the basic rights and freedoms of those they allege to be criminals.
Within the cache memory cell array, a specific memory cell row disposed at least one row of memory cells, and a write back buffer. To the specific memory cell row (write back buffer) is retracted, the selected word line of any memory cells in the same row of the cache memory cell array, all the data to be retracted, while through the bit line pair to said write-once-specific row of memory cells. Accordingly, since the data bus without going through, can be written in the specific memory cell row, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of accesses to the cache memory, improve throughput and reduce power consumption of the microprocessor.
Like many African nations, the United States has a shared history of colonialism, the effects of which are still with us today. Because of continuing inequalities between the races, in the U.S. people of color are vastly underrepresented within librarianship, and even less visible as library administrators. At the same time that librarians' skills are gaining in importance, there is an urgent need to prepare the next generation of library leaders. According to Robert S. Martin, former director of the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Our nation faces a quiet crisis: a critical-and burgeoning-shortage of librarians (IMLS, 2001). To address the looming shortage and demographics that do not reflect growing non-white populations in the United States, a variety of U.S.-based programs has been developed to illuminate future library leadership options for early to mid-level career librarians. This paper describes the necessity for such programs in societies where inequalities exist, discusses several model programs from the perspectives of program developers, participants, and content providers. The paper also provides both theoretical and practical aspects of developing leadership programs to increase the numbers of underrepresented/disadvantaged people in leadership positions.
The advantages of fast-spectrum reactors consist not only of an efficient use of fuel through the breeding of fissile material and the use of natural or depleted uranium, but also of the potential reduction of the amount of actinides such as americium and neptunium contained in the irradiated fuel. The first aspect means a guaranteed future nuclear fuel supply. The second fact is key for high-level radioactive waste management, because these elements are the main responsible for the radioactivity of the irradiated fuel in the long term. The present study aims to analyze the hypothetical deployment of a Gen-IV Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) fleet in Spain. A nuclear fleet of fast reactors would enable a fuel cycle strategy different than the open cycle, currently adopted by most of the countries with nuclear power. A transition from the current Gen-II to Gen-IV fleet is envisaged through an intermediate deployment of Gen-III reactors. Fuel reprocessing from the Gen-II and Gen-III Light Water Reactors (LWR) has been considered. In the so-called advanced fuel cycle, the reprocessed fuel used to produce energy will breed new fissile fuel and transmute minor actinides at the same time. A reference case scenario has been postulated and further sensitivity studies have been performed to analyze the impact of the different parameters on the required reactor fleet. The potential capability of Spain to supply the required fleet for the reference scenario using national resources has been verified. Finally, some consequences on irradiated final fuel inventory are assessed. Calculations are performed with the Monte Carlo transport-coupled depletion code SERPENT together with post-processing tools.
The oil allows to lubricate and cool down several gearbox components that are fundamental for lift and forward flight of helicopters. The heat exchanger is the component designed to reduce the temperature of coolant fluid (oil) to preserve the functionality of helicopter gearbox components. In particular, the plate and fin heat exchanger enables rapid reduction of oil temperature by air cooling by leveraging its large heat exchange area. This type of heat exchanger are the most used in helicopter design thank to their compactness and simplicity allow to maximize thermal exchange with a lightweight configuration. However, a model to predict and characterize the performance of plate and fin heat exchanger is up to now not complete available and validated. In this work, a model based on Effectiveness-Number Transfer Units (-NTU) algorithm was developed. Exploiting the approximation of average fluids thermodynamic properties for zero dimensional (0D) design, we permit to provide a fast, scalable and detailed model for a rapid design and experimental validation for air-oil, counterflow, plate and fin heat exchanger. In particular, our model allow to estimate several parameters of oil cooling system including heat load, fluids temperature and heat exchanger efficiency. To evaluate our model performance, it was validated using a several data sets both published and unpublished experimental data. Our model predicts the results with a relative deviation less than 10% compared with the experimental data. Overall, by providing a novel set of equations for a plate and fin heat exchanger our work will allow to minimize the size of heat exchanger to achieve the maximum required heat load. This, in turn, enable to design smaller and lightweight heat exchanger with improved performances to achieve new generation helicopter gearboxes requirements.
Preface. About the Authors. Chapter 1. Introduction. Chapter 2. The Bayesian Paradigm. Chapter 3. Prior and Posterior Information, Predicative Inference. Chapter 4. Bayesian Linear Regression Model. Chapter 5. Bayesian Numerical Computation. Chapter 6. Bayesian Framework for Portfolio Allocation. Chapter 7. Prior Beliefs and Asset Pricing Models. Chapter 8. The Black-Litterman Portfolio Selection Framework. Chapter 9. Market Efficiency and return Predictability. Chapter 10. Volatility Models. Chapter 11. Bayesian Estimation of ARCH-Type Volatility Models. Chapter 12. Bayesian Estimation of Stochastic Volatility Models. Chapter 13. Advanced Techniques for Bayesian Portfolio Selection. Chapter 14. Multifactor Equity Risk Models. References. Index.
This diploma thesis discusses the spatial planning legislation between 1984 and 2010; it defines the spatial planning acts, their division and hierarchy. In more detail, are presented ordinances amending the spatial components of the long-term plan and municipal spatial plan for municipalities Litija and Zagorje ob Savi. The main objective of the thesis was to investigate and compare the basic and detailed land use leading to settlements in both municipalities. The diploma thesis also describes the methodological approach for the comparison of the land use of the municipalities. It shows the comparison and transformation of land use categories, which are also displayed graphically, from the Rules on the drawing-up of the spatial components of the medium and long-term social plans of municipalities in a digital form (2003) in categories from the Rules on the content, format and drawing-up of a municipal spatial plan and on criteria for specifying dispersed settlement areas in need of restoration and for specifying areas for new settlements (2007). Furthermore, it shows the economic, agricultural and demographic characteristics of the discussed municipalities, which have an indirect effect on land use and results of the analysis. At the end of the thesis is displayed the surfaces analysis of the basic and detailed land use, according to the number of residents in both municipalities and their leading settlements. A comparison of volume basic land use of residents in settlements and both municipalities is shown. It is determined which land use categories were changed, for how much and at the expense of which categories.
Deakin School of Education has established national standing for research that is above world standard, with an ERA 4 and a QS ranking of five in Australia and 31 internationally. The School is one of the three largest schools of Education in Australia. It offers a diverse range of pre-service teaching specialisations at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, across the fields of early childhood, primary, secondary, vocational and adult education. The School’s strong post graduate programs and it’s partnerships with schools, systems, governments and other agencies supports the development of innovation and research across diverse education contexts.
The rigorous electromagnetic characterization of passive UHF radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags is a challenging task. Among various solutions, in a previous work an automatic tool for the over-the-air evaluation of significant RFID tag metrics has been presented. Once fixed the distance, the system, based on the estimation of the minimum power emitted by the interrogating reader capable to energize the tag under test, has an accuracy that, although adequate, is limited by the minimum power step at the reader side. In this work, a new platform implementing a smart method to overcome this limit while preserving flexibility and cost-effectiveness, is presented, implemented and tested. The platform can automatically vary with continuity the interrogating distance -which becomes hence a new degree of freedom- and it is able to estimate for each frequency the couple power-distance which annuls the estimation error due to the power-discretization.
The paper deals with the usage of speech acts and politeness strategies in an EFL classroom in Georgia (Rep of). It explores the students’ and the teachers’ practice of the politeness strategies and the speech acts of apology, thanking, request, compliment / encouragement, command, agreeing / disagreeing, addressing and code switching. The research method includes observation as well as a questionnaire. The target group involves the students from Georgian public schools and two certified, experienced local English teachers. The analysis is based on Searle’s Speech Act Theory and Brown and Levinson’s politeness strategies. The findings show that the students have certain knowledge regarding politeness yet they fail to apply them in English communication. In addition, most of the speech acts from the classroom interaction are used by the teachers and not the students. Thereby, it is suggested that teachers should cultivate the students’ communicative competence and attempt to give them opportunities to practise more English speech acts than they do today. Keywords—English as a foreign language, Georgia, politeness principles, speech acts.
The seed yield of corn (Zea mays L.) consists of different proportional contributions of the effective factor in all growth stages from emergence to maturity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two sowing dates on agronomic and seed quality traits such as oil, protein and starch content of three commercial corn cultivars (31G98, NK-Arma and Aveline). Experiments were carried out at two different sowing dates (30 of April and 26 of May) one month between sowing dates in the Aegean region of Turkey during 2012 and 2013 summer growth periods. The experiment was a randomized block design with three replications. The results of this study showed that sowing date had statistically effected on thousand seed weight, the seed number in corncob, corncob length, seed yield, ash, oil, protein, starch contents of corn seed. In particular, it was revealed that thousand seed weight, the seed number in corncob, corncob length, seed yield, protein, ash and oil contents of seed were decreased with the delaying sowing date due to decreasing the time of growth period and seed filling. On the other hand, starch content of seed was increased by delaying sowing date in both years. The highest seed yield was obtained from Aveline corn cultivar in late sowing date in both years because of having high thousand seed weight. The percentage of decreased in terms of protein was to highest in Aveline cultivar with the delaying sowing date. It was suggested that eventough the Aegean climate has a long growing period and is a suitable environment for second crop corn growth, the selection of cultivar is very important to grown in terms of seed yield in late sowing date because of the fact that plant can be exposed to inappropriate excessive temperature during the vegetative period in late sowing date in Aegean region.
In today when micro-blog is more and more popular,the application research on the combination of micro-blog and university library has quietly appeared.This paper introduces the significance of that university library applies micro-blog into its services,probes into some problems that university library will face in carrying out micro-blog-based services,and looks forward to the development prospects of micro-blog.
The present invention relates to a mobile communication method by the RFID system detects RF power feeder and the antenna standing wave ratio, RF power algorithm feeder comprising: a radio frequency power for a label R, which is a constant Pref response sensitivity, the output power of the reader may be full power by detecting the output power of the reader is measured; antenna VSWR algorithm comprises: tag for a VSWR V, when the antenna is normal, the reflected energy is insufficient to excite the antenna label, the label can not be inventoried V to the reader, tag reader to a standing wave ratio of V to set a proper value represents normal state of the antenna VSWR. RF power feeder and the antenna standing wave ratio calculation method of the present invention may be provided to the mobile communication system Antenna effective monitoring, thereby eliminating the need to monitor the system via a wired connection, it does not require any cables present invention can reduce the difficulty of the project , saving the cost of a mobile communication system and the twisted pair cable.
the research referred to the "Application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the learning process of the Early Years of Basic General Education of the Educational Unit" Santa Mariana de Jesus "of the City of Guaranda, the essential purpose was to determine how the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) influences the learning process, once data collection instruments were applied, it was evident that teachers did not use ICTs in the classroom as a motivating strategy to teach students, as a conclusion once the ICTs are applied in the initial classroom, it helps the child to develop skills, becoming a didactic strategy that puts a lot of his / her senses to work (auditory, visual, tactical) ), contributing to the integral formation allowing them to be competent and avoid in this way that a new form of illiteracy can be produced and social exclusion of children.
Complex impact of various factors on development of chronic diseases among adolescents aged of 15-17 years and dwelling in districts of Omskaya oblast is analyzed. It is noted that out of twelve factors four of them are of educational pedagogic category. Besides, one of these (the twelfth) takes second rank place emphasizing that making necessary hygienic conditions of education is of highly significance for maintenance of adolescent health. The most pronounced effect on development of chronic pathology among adolescents is produced by habitation conditions, timeliness and quality of applied health-improving medical activities during childhood. All educational pedagogic and some other factors can be controlled setting up thereby reserve for decreasing adolescent morbidity.
The interaction of risperidone, 9-hydroxyrisperidone (the principal active metabolite), and clozapine with neurotransmitter receptors was investigated in vitro using animal brain tissue homogenates and cloned human receptors expressed in cells and ex vivo using quantitative receptor autoradiography in rat and guinea pig brain sections. In vitro, risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone had similar binding profiles, and their highest affinity was for 5-HT2A receptors (cloned human, Ki 0.4 nM); affinities for other 5-HT-receptor subtypes were at least 100 times lower. Risperidone bound to 5-HT2A receptors with 20 times greater affinity than clozapine and 170 times greater affinity than haloperidol. Clozapine primarily bound to histamine H1 receptors and haloperidol to dopamine D2 receptors. The binding affinity of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone for the D2 family of receptors (D2L, D2S, D3, D4) was one order of magnitude lower than their affinity for 5-HT2A receptors. Risperidone bound to D2 and D3 receptors with 50 and 20 times greater affinity than clozapine and was only 2 to 3 times less potent than haloperidol. All compounds bound with similar affinities to D4 receptors (Ki 5-9 nM), and their affinities for D1 receptors were 100 times lower than for D4 receptors. The ex vivo receptor occupancy profile of the compounds matched the in vitro receptor binding profile. A conspicuous property of risperidone, not seen for the other compounds, was the shallow occupancy curve at D2 receptors in the striatum and mesolimbic brain area. Moreover, it was observed that antagonism of strong D2-receptor stimulation by apomorphine in rats was achieved at less than 50% D2 occupancy by the antipsychotics.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A review and analysis on the casting market of China, a analysis and compare on some guide lines among the China and some countries of casting production, and a prospect and forecast for develop space of the casting market and the casting export of China in the future have been made,In the paper based on the research task and synthetic data. It is shown by the comprehensive analysis that the casting market of China will have great development based on the proper developed space orientation and the high-class casting production.
Introduction Part I. Miscellany and Collegiality, 1750-1800: 1. Concepts and contexts 2. Variations on miscellany Part II. Crisis and Experiment, 1800-48: 3. Musical idealism and the crisis of the old order 4. The rise of the chamber-music concert 5. Convention and experiment in benefit and virtuoso concerts 6. Toward classical-music orchestral concerts 7. Promenade concerts: rise of the 'pops' Part III. Founding a New Order, 1848-75: 8. Classical music achieves hegemony 9. Vocal music for the general public 10. Epilogue: state of the musical community in 1914.
Because of its system stability,good compatibility,easy transplantation,and powerful network functions,the open-source Linux operating system has been used in various applications.At the same time,as the USB2.0 high-speed data transmission is extensively applied in the actual production,the camera driver having existed in the machine does not work suitably.The paper analyzes the driver in the Linux source code,and adopts the relay API to achieve the transfer of the large amount of data from the user space to the kernel space,thus enhancing USB camera data transmission speed effectively.
Pastured cattle (and other livestock) are recognized as a critical factor in stream bank degradation and erosion. Fencing cattle away from stream banks is an effective technique for improving water quality in pastured stream corridors. When cattle graze in stream corridors, their hooves exert several times greater pressure on the soil than the per square inch weight of a bulldozer. They consume or trample vegetation, eliminating the stream's natural protective blanket of vegetation and expose the soil, increasing its vulnerability to erosion.
In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has created two categorical exemptions to the death penalty. In Atkins v. Virginia, the Court exempted mentally retarded offenders. Three years later, in Roper v. Simmons, the Court extended the protection to juveniles. Based on these cases, the practices of foreign countries, and the opinions of professional organizations with relevant expertise, legal scholars speculate that the Court may, in the future, categorically exclude severely mentally ill offenders from the death penalty. This Note examines the feasibility of such an exemption for the mentally ill and considers its possible repercussions.
Objective To develop a method for the determination of 9-hydroxyrisperidone enantiomers in the plasma.Methods After being pretreated by liquid-liquid extraction,the samples were separated by Chiral-AGP column at 25 ℃.The mobile phase was 50 mmol·L-1 ammonium acetate(pH 6.5)-isoprotanol(95∶5,v/v) with the flow rate of 0.9 mL·min-1.The compound was ionized in the electrospray ionization(ESI+)ion source of the mass spectrometer and detected in the selected ion recording(SIR)mode with the m/z of 9-OH-RSP and I.S.of 428 and 285 respectively.Results The assay was linear from 1.47 to 275.30 μg·L-1 for each enantiomer of 9-hydroxyrisperidone.The absolute recovery for each enantiomer was larger than 80%.The intra-day and inter-day variations were less than 15%.Conclusion The method is accurate,sensitive,reliable and suitable for the determination of 9-hydroxyrisperidone enantiomers in the human plasma.
The reaction mechanisms of Ti,Na with O2 were investigated at the MP2/6-311+G(d)level.Ti and Na atom were assumed to approach O2 in the manner of horizontally or vertically with respect to the O—O bond,respectively.Both neutral Ti/Na+O2 and anionic(Ti/Na+O2)-systems were considered.The binding energy and the charge curves for each reaction pathway were analyzed in detail,to validate the optimal reaction mode.The reaction of metal atom(Ti and Na)with O2 is easier in negatively charged system(Ti/Na+O2)-than the neutral Ti/Na+O2,and the vertical pathway is more favorable than the horizontal.Meanwhile,the calculated results show that Ti atom prefers to react with the singlet O2 in both neutral and negatively charged systems.Na is easy to react with the singlet O2 in the neutral system,but with triplet O2 in negatively charged system.The potential energy surface of Ti with O2 reaction was also calculated at CCSD(T)/6-311++G(3df)//MP2/6-311+G(d)for Ti+O2 and(Ti+O2)-systems.
Abstract : Forging an unprecedented partnership between the public and private sectors is essential to protect the vital interests of the United States in the wake of the ongoing Information Technology Revolution. This study will define the Information Technology Industry, give an overview of current domestic and international conditions, and then analyze the state of national network security and challenges faced by the U.S. government and U.S. and international businesses and corporations in building a secure, yet productive and innovative partnership. Particular emphasis will be placed on industry issues with national security implications.
The prevalence and characteristics of patients operated for adrenal adenoma (Conn syndrome) as well as their post-operative arterial pressure evolution are varying through literature. Our aim was to report the Grenoble University Hospital experience. From 1993 to 2005, 24 patients (mean age = 46 +/-11 years) presented the biological criteria of primary hyperaldosteronism and benefited from adrenalectomy with confirmation of adrenal adenoma. All had an uncontrolled hypertension, refractory in 42% of cases, with a hypokaliemia (mean = 2.65 +/- 0.47 mmol/l). All adenomas measured more than 10 mm in scanner imaging. After a mean post-operative follow-up of 46 +/- 43 months, 70% of them were normotensive, with (45%) or without (25%) anti-hypertensive therapy. the post-operative kaliemia was normal in all cases. Only 25% had post-operative hormonal dosages for control. Post-operative spontaneous normotensive patients had, at the diagnosis of adrenal adenoma, a more recent and non-refractory hypertension, with a lower number of antihypertensive drugs, a better response to spirinolactone and higher aldosterone plasmatic levels. Two lessons can be taken from this study: 1) Whether 70% of patients operated for adrenal adenoma are normotensive (with or without treatement) post-operatively, only 25% are definitely cured after 4 years. Factors associated to a post-operative cure highlight the interest of an ealy diagnosis. 2) There is probably an underdiagnosis of adrenal adenoma (Conn syndrome) because neither adenomas with normokaliemia, nor adenomas <10 mm in scanner imaging have ever been diagnosed or at least, sent to surgery.
Abstract Background Bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR)-Pseudomonas aeruginosa are associated with poor clinical outcomes, at least partly due to delayed appropriate antimicrobial therapy. The characteristics of MDR-P. aeruginosa bloodstream isolates have not been evaluated in Qatar. Our study aimed to examine in vitro susceptibility, clinical and molecular characteristics, and mechanisms of resistance of MDR-P. aeruginosa bloodstream isolates from Qatar. Materials and methods We included all MDR-P. aeruginosa isolated from blood cultures taken between October 2014 and September 2017. Blood cultures were processed using BD BACTEC™ FX automated system. BD Phoenix™ was used for identification, Liofilchem® MIC Test Strips for MIC determination. Whole-genome sequencing was performed using the Illumina-HiSeq-2000. Results Out of 362 P. aeruginosa bloodstream isolates, 16 (4.4%) were MDR. The median patient age was 55 years (range 43–81) and all patients presented with septic shock. Most patients received meropenem (12/16) and/or colistin (10/16). Clinical response was achieved in eight patients, and five patients died within 30-days. MDR-P. aeruginosa isolates belonged to 13 different sequence types. All isolates were non-susceptible to cefepime and ciprofloxacin. The most active agents were colistin (16/16) and aztreonam (10/16). Seven isolates produced bla VIM, and four possessed genes encoding extended-spectrum β-lactamases. Aminoglycoside modifying enzymes were present in 15/16, transferable qnr-mediated quinolone resistance gene was detected in 3/16, and the novel ciprofloxacin modifying enzyme CrpP-encoding gene in one isolate. Conclusion MDR-P. aeruginosa BSIs are relatively uncommon in Qatar but are highly resistant, harbour multiple resistance genes, and are commonly associated with unfavourable clinical outcomes. Colistin was the only agent with consistent activity against the study isolates. Key messages MDR-P. aeruginosa constituted <5% of P. aeruginosa blood isolates over three years. Typical risk factors for MDR infections were highly prevalent in the study population and overall clinical outcomes are consistent with those previously reported. Colistin was the only agent with consistent antibacterial activity against the study isolates.
A pixel data compression device is provided. The pixel data compression device includes: a first judgment unit for comparing the number of bits of a value of first pixel data and the number of bits of a value of second pixel data with the number of reference bits; a format determination unit for determining the format of compressed data including a flag region, a first data region, and a second data region, corresponding to the number of bits of the value of the first pixel data and the number of bits of the value of the second pixel data; and a compression unit for generating the compressed data, which corresponds to the format of the compressed data, from the first pixel data and the second pixel data, wherein the format determination unit is configured to determine that the format of the compressed data is a first format when each of the number of bits of the value of the first pixel data and the number of bits of the value of the second pixel data is less than or equal to the number of reference bits, and wherein in the first format, the size of the first data region and the size of the second data region are equal to the number of reference bits, the value of the first data region is equal to the value of the first pixel data, and the value of the second data region is equal to the value of the second pixel data. [Reference numerals] (10) First judgment unit; (20) Second judgment unit; (30) Format determination unit; (40) Compression unit
The JKMRC researchers have been redeveloping the suite of breakage testing techniques to more realistically align with the breakage environment in comminution equipment. Computational modelling, especially with the DEM, has highlighted the modes of impact and contact, along with the energies of these interactions in a wide range of equipment. This has driven the need to match these modes in laboratory ore characterisation tests. The objective has been to build a continuum of breakage tests and associated models that span the required range of breakage forces and environments. The ore sample is subjected to a sequence of tests covering: abrasion (surface breakage) of angular through to smoothed particles; single particle impact from high energy single impact breakage down to low energy; incremental breakage covering 60 mm down to 50 µm particles; particle strength distribution; and bed breakage over a range of compression and energy input. These tests are suited to multi-component ores with a distribution of strengths. A modelling technique is also being developed to utilise primary breakage for modelling breakage under different types of confinement. This paper draws together these techniques, previously published by the authors, into a coherent whole. The suite of tests is approaching the point where a fixed set of tests can be used to model the performance of a full range of equipment, removing the need to conduct repeat ore characterisation tests for each different piece of equipment incorporated in a circuit design. This path should open up the application of different circuit configurations and novel equipment in comminution circuit design.
Book synopsis: Oxford Studies in Metaethics is the only publication devoted exclusively to original philosophical work in the foundations of ethics. It provides an annual selection of much of the best new scholarship being done in the field. Its broad purview includes work being done at the intersections of ethical theory with metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind. The essays included in the series provide an excellent basis for understanding recent developments in the field; those who would like to acquaint themselves with the current state of play in metaethics would do well to start here.
Aim: To develop a scale for assessing the status of a functional post-mastectomy gown, Papilla Gown (PG) and a hospital gown, and to examine the reliability and validity of the PG Comfort Instrument (PGCI) that provides a wider measurement perspective and focus on emotional distress, physical disability, and environmental discomfort. Background: A comfortable and functional post-mastectomy gown, PG, is an integral part of the recovery process for post-mastectomy; however, this is an area of care that has insufficient information or research available. Design: This study used a cross-sectional study design to assess psychometric properties of the PGCI using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The PGCI was developed based on Kolcaba’s theory of comfort that assists in viewing the patient’s clothing as a portable environment. Methods: A 13-item scale was constructed and assessed by an expert committee from breast surgery centers in the Southwestern region of the in U.S. and tested in a randomized study of 142 women undergoing mastectomies for stages 2 and 3 breast cancer during 2008-2010. The sample was randomly divided into two groups: (a) sample for calibration sample for the CFA (n = 71) and (b) cross-validation sample for the CFA (n = 71). Results: The factory analyses revealed 10 items grouped into two latent factors: physiological and psychological comfort (5 items, α = 0.94) and environment comfort (5 items, α = 0.92). Conclusions: These results support the reliability and validity of the PGCI as a brief questionnaire for assessing PG comfort in post-mastectomy patients. The PGCI can be useful in future studies for measuring a precise gown comfort intervention to post-mastectomy patients.
A kind of method that high-purity nicotine is extracted from waste tobacco, its preparation process is：Leaching liquor is made, concentrate is made, removal of impurities is removed water and refined.The present invention effectively removes impurity by preferred alcoholic solution, and organic solvent extraction is no longer needed during high-purity nicotine is extracted.Using the process of the present invention, obtained nicotine, purity does not need any extractant up to more than 98% in extraction process.With the tobacco leaf extract after alcoholic solution removal of impurities, it after concentrated, water removal, can directly add alkali vacuum distillation, obtain high purity nicotine, extraction nicotine process no longer needs extraction.Waste residue in nicotine production process is made high-performance bio fertilizer, water and ethanol and recycled, and production process three-waste free discharge, clean manufacturing is free from environmental pollution.
The invention relates to a device for Hochratezerstaeuben after Plasmatronprinzip for depositing layers on all fields of technology. The goal is to reduce the expenses for the target and the coating costs. The task is to increase the utilization rate of the target and the deposition rate and the target life. a magnetic field generating means is arranged Erfindungsgemaess with a self-contained annular gap in a rohrfoermigen target. The anode surrounding the target up to the annular gap area and is adjustable at a distance from the target. By means of drive is generated a relative movement between the target and the magnetic field generating means. The distance between the target and the magnetic field generating means is adjusted. Fig. 1
This study was conducted to examine the effect of firm size, profitability ratios, financial leverage, and the bonus plan for the income smoothing. In this study using the companies listed on the Stock Exchange as a population. The sample used in this study were 75 companies listed on the Stock Exchange in the year 2009-2011. Sample set by using purposive sampling method. Hypothesis testing using logistic regression analysis with SPSS 13.0.  These tests indicate that the H1 which states that firm size effect on the income smoothing, rejected. H2 which states that affect the profitability ratio measures income smoothing, accepted. H3 which states that the financial leverage effect on the income smoothing, rejected. H4 which states that the bonus plan affect the income smoothing, accepted.
Objective To study the prevalence of thrombocytosis in patients with gastric cancer and its correlation with clinicopathological features. Methods Platelet count (PLT) and hemoglobin concentrations (Hb) were analyzed retrospective in 366 patients with gastric cancer from 1986 to 1996. Thrombocytosis was defined as PLT at or 400×109/L and anemia was defined as Hb120g/L in men and110g/L in women. The survivals of gastric cancer was compared between normal PLT group and thrombocytosis group. Results Thrombocytosis was found in 24.6% patients, and anemia in 54.1% patients. PLT was negatively correlated with Hb. There was a positive correlation between tumor size, lymph node metastasis and serosal invasion and PLT. One-, 3- and 5-year survivals in patients with or without thrombocytosis were 50.4%,32.7%, 20.2% and 82.8%,69.3%, 40.1%, respectively. PLT was identified as an independent prognostic factor after lymph node metastasis and serosal invasion. ConclusionThrombocytosis is an independent prognostic indicator of survival in patients with gastric cancer undergoing gastrectomy.
This paper develops a robust optimization based decision-making framework using a nonparametric perturbation of a reference utility function. The perturbation preserves the risk-aversion property but solves the problem of ambiguity and inconsistency in eliciting the reference utility function. We study the topology of the perturbation, and show that in the decision-making framework the price of perturbation is increasing and concave. When the reference utility is given at discrete points, we reformulate this optimization problem as a second-order cone program. The Monte Carlo sampling method is used to solve the general case that a reference utility is a continuous function, and the convergence of this method is proved. The usefulness of the robust utility optimization framework is illustrated with the help of a portfolio investment decision problem.
Abstract : This thesis examines the relationship between foreign aid and Middle East peace. The focus of this research is on Israel, and its relations with Egypt, Syria and the Palestinians. The thesis highlights the opposing interests of these actors and the United States interest in the region, and how these contrasting views seem to be roadblocks to a comprehensive peace. However, there is evidence that U.S. foreign aid can act as compensation for the compromises incurred by these actors, for the sake of peace in the region. The thesis concludes that by inadequately addressing the root of the Arab-Israeli problem: territorial claims that essentially predate Israel's establishment, but more specifically the pre-1997 claims, and the security of all parties, U.S. foreign assistance to the region will serve as a band-Aid approach to regional stability. However, present indicators dictate that this method is meeting U.S. Middle East Foreign Policy goals, and securing its vital interests in the region.
A severe degree of hyperplasia of the chief cells occurs in bovine carotid bodies at high altitudes, compared to sea level. As a result, the carotid body from an animal at high altitudes is significantly heavier and larger than the carotid body from an animal at sea level (P less than .001). In eight of 20 (40%) animals at high altitudes, the hyperplastic reaction had progressed to form chemodectomas. The findings suggest that neoplasia can result from chronic stimulation by a biologically essential environmental factor (atmospheric PO2) that acts pharmacologically on the target tissues (chief cells of the carotid body).
AIM: To investigate the prevalence of morning blood pressure surge(MBPS) and the components of metabolic syndrome(MetS).METHODS: A total of 322 patients with essential hypertension(EH) were enrolled and divided into two groups: EH and MetS group(EH+MS,n=126) and EH and non-MetS group(EH+nMS,n=196) and ambulatory blood pressure were recorded.RESULTS: Twenty four-hour SBP,dSBP,nSBPP,24 h PP,dPP,nPP and MBPS were significantly higher in EH+MS group than in EH+nMS group(P0.05 or P0.01).The incidence of morning blood pressure in EH+MS group was higher than that in EH+NMS group(P0.01).Pearson relation analysis and multiple regression analysis showed that morning blood pressure levels were positively correlated with age,fasting plasma glucose(FPG),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),systolic blood pressure(SBP),PP,body mass index(BMI) and waist circumference(WC).After adjusting other risk factors,TC,age,FPG,SBP and WC remained as predisposing risk factors for MBPS levels.CONCLUSION: MetS correlates closely with morning blood pressure surge.TC,age,FPG,SBP and WC are independently associated with the prevalence of morning blood pressure surge.
To study the involvement of the septohippocampal pathway in colchicine-induced changes in the hippocampus, colchicine was used to lesion the septum and/or hippocampus of male, Fischer-344 rats. Rats were killed 12 weeks post-lesion and histochemical and biochemical measurements were performed. [3H]-QNB binding, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity and agonist-stimulated release of inositol phosphates (IPs) were measured in hippocampal slices. AChE histochemistry was also performed to visualize AChE positive fibers in the hippocampus. Increases in ChAT activity, AChE staining and carbachol-stimulated IP release observed in hippocampal-lesioned animals were attenuated in animals receiving both septal and hippocampal lesions. However, the decrease observed in [3H]-QNB binding sites after intradentate colchicine was not affected by septal lesions. Subsequent studies also found enhanced sensitivity to excitatory amino acid (EAA)-stimulated IP release in hippocampal-lesioned animals. Similar to the changes observed in carbachol-stimulated PI hydrolysis, this increase was also long-lasting. However, the hyperstimulation of EAA-induced IP release was not attenuated by the septal lesion. Thus, it appears that the neurochemical and morphological changes observed in the hippocampus following intradentate colchicine are dependent upon more than one afferent projection to the hippocampus.
The invention provides a resin composition, a B stage sheet, a metal foil with resin, a metal substrate, and an LED substrate. The resin composition includes 2-functional epoxy resin with a biphenyl structure, a phenolic resin, a first aluminium oxide group with a grain diameter D50 from 7mum to 25mum, from a small grain diameter side, corresponding to 50% accumulation, a second aluminium oxide group with the grain diameter D50 from 1mum to 7mum and a third aluminium oxide group with the grain diameter D50 smaller than 1mum. A ratio of the phenolic resin to the epoxy resin is from 1.00 to 1.25 in terms of a equivalent standard.
With the increased popularization of deconstruction in recent years, the notion of translator-orientedness is gathering unprecedented prevalence in the marketplace of translation studies in China. The author of the thesis, armed with Umberto Eco’s reasoned reflections on Hermeticism and Gnosticism with their impacts and challenges imposed on text theory, has tentatively proposed that the surfacing of the phenomenon with no less visibility in translation can hinder the rational construction of translation studies.
This report describes the work that's been made, in cooperation with Sapa Industriservice AB, to modernize the lighting installation in a specific office building at Sapa industrial park in Finspang, known as Building 80. The purpose of the work was to reduce the energy consumption of the lighting. As in many other old buildings nothing has been done to avoid unnecessary energy consumption and today's rising energy prices and tougher environmental standards requires an increased awareness of the energy consumption.The report begins with a brief theory section to clarify the methods available to control the lighting, followed by a description of the existing installation, how the specification for the lighting control was developed and how a test installation was carried out. The report is concluded by the results from the test installation and proposals on how to proceed with the work.The work has shown that there are big profits to do if the energy consumption is taken into account already in the planning of a new installation, and that it may be hard to achieve good results while trying to use the existing installation to reduce the investment cost during a renovation.
This paper is a case study in the Dongrae bank. This Bank was an ordinary commercial bank of small scale which existed from 1918 to 1933. By 1910s, ordinary commercial banks was in their gold age. The Dongrae bank’s founders were large landowners, merchants, and other influential persons in Dongrae and Gijang. The Dongrae bank was originally Bongraeilgigae(蓬萊一紀契), as a kind of a savings fraternity, which was established in 1911. It was a typical example of an ordinary commercial bank into which a loaner or a loan company was developed. The Dongrae bank was a small-scale bank having the official capital, 500,000 won. There were 200 founding stockholders in the bank. Small stockholders less than 10 amounted to more than half of them. The Japanese had 5-21 percent of stock holding share. Among them, there were large landowners, merchants and industrialists, and other many influential figures in Pusan. The Japanese took part in the management of the bank only as a consultant. The Korean played a leading role for the management of the Dongrae Bank. The bank’s the board of directors tried to develope a local economy through the financial business. They took an active part in many educational and social movements. A small checking account to a fixed deposit had the large proportion of the Dongrae bank’s deposit, because it were merchants that had mainly an account with the bank. Since the bank’s loan mostly consisted of discounting and loaning a bill, it make a large profit on the commission of discounting a bill. The bank yielded a good return in general. However, It was merged into the Honam bank. After it was dissolved, its directors and stockholders established a new company or took a part in management of other company.
Menstruation is the genital sign of systemic endocrine events. Heterogeneity of perimenstrual symptoms is associated with levels of inflammation, triggered by the fall of estrogens at genital and systemic level. Aim of the review is to concisely analyze the evidence on: 1) genital and systemic endocrine and inflammatory events associated with periods and perimenstrual symptoms; 2) rationale of intervention to reduce their intensity and impact on women's lives. This review of the literature, selected with a clinical perspective, supports the inflammatory basis of the menstrual event, triggered by the estrogens' and progesterone' fall. Moreover, the review analyzes the endocrine and inflammatory basis of perimenstrual pelvic and extrapelvic symptoms such as: menstrual pain, menstrual irregularities, premenstrual syndrome, gastrointestinal symptoms, catamenial headache, depression, perimenstrual myalgia, joint pain, allergies and asthma, heavy menstrual bleeding, associated ironless anemia, brain and behavioral consequences. Inflammation, with increase of cytokines and other markers, is modulated by the degranulation of mast cells at the basal level of the endometrium, in the blood, in all the organs where mast-cell are already activated from local pathologies and within the brain. The shift of inflammation from physiological to a pathologic intensity increases the severity of perimenstrual symptoms. Symptoms persist, moderately attenuated, also during the hormone free interval (HFI) in contraception. The HFI reduction from seven to two days significantly reduces menstrual inflammation and associated symptoms.
In this paper, we have designed the p-type metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor(pMOSFET) for SiGe devices with gate lengths of and using the TCAD simulators. The electrical characteristics of devices have been investigated over the temperatures of 300 and 77K. We have used the two carrier transfer models(hydrodynamic model and drift-diffusion model). We how that the drain current is higher in the hydrodynamic model than the drift-diffusion model. When the gate length is , the threshold voltage shows -0.97V and -1.15V for 300K and 77K, respectively. The threshold voltage is, however, nearly same at for 300K and 77K.
The results are reported of a study that compared the risk characteristics of convicted first and multiple DUI offenders. Subjects (n=1,361), recruited from California DUI offender programs, completed the comprehensive Health Attitudes and Practices Survey. Logistic regression analysis of 24 predictor variables identified 13 statistically significant predictors of offender status. As expected, the analysis indicated significantly higher alcohol-problem severity among multiple offenders.
The clinical course and histologic features of 118 granulose cell tumore adn 82 theca cell tumors were reviewed. Al-though the 2 cell types are related, important differences exist in their behavior. Theca cell tumors (TCTs) are virtually benign, while granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) exhibit less malignant activity than most ovarian carcinomas. Characteristically detected at an early stage, GCTs may recur locally year after the initial diagnosis. survivial figures depend on tumor stage. Recurrence of GCTs is associated with a high mortality rate. The cornerstone of treatment is total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, regardless of age. Adjuvant radiation or chemotherapy may be helpful when lesions are higher than stage Iai. Therapy for recurrence usually requirs operative execision combined with radiation, chemotherapy, or both.
A variable speed pumped-storage hydroelectric generation device of the present invention is provided with: a variable speed hydroelectric generator motor which, in spite of being equipped with a frequency converter and having a rotor rotating at variable speeds, has a primary side synchronously connected to a commercial power system; and a pump turbine directly connected to the rotor of the variable speed hydroelectric generator motor to drive the same in a power generation mode or be driven by the same in a pumped-storage mode . When a slip frequency is within a normal operating range, the maximum change rate of a power output command is made constant. When the slip frequency is within a range lower than a lower limit value of the normal operating range by not more than a predetermined value, or within a range greater than an upper limit value of the normal operating range by not more than the predetermined value, the maximum change rate of the power output command is limited by being multiplied by a value in a range of 1 to 0 . When the slip frequency is within a range lower than the lower limit value by more than the predetermined value, or within a range greater than the upper limit value by more than the predetermined value, the maximum change rate of the power output command is limited by being multiplied by zero .
In semi-arid regions, agricultural production systems depend greatly on irrigation and encounter increasing challenges (depletion of natural resources, high volatility in market prices, rise in energy costs, growing uncertainty about climate change). Modeling farming systems and how these systems change and adapt to these challenges is particularly interesting for policy makers to better assess their flexibility and resiliency. To understand the ability of farming systems to adapt, it is essential to consider the entire decision-making process: from long-term decisions at the farm scale to short-term decisions at the plot level. To this end, the thesis conceives a flexible and resilient agricultural production system under a context of water scarcity and climate change. It provides a step-by-step methodology that guides data acquisition and analysis and model design. It proposes a simulation model NAMASTE that simulates the farmers' decisions in different time and space scales, represents the interactions between farmers for resource uses and emphasizes the feedback and retroaction between farming practices and changes in the water table. The model was initially developed to address critical issues of groundwater depletion and farming practices in a watershed in southwestern India. Its structure, frameworks and formalisms can be used in other agricultural contexts.
This study was to investigate the role of antioxidants on the characteristics of arsenite-damaged boar semen. Collected sperm was diluted with semen extender, and 100 μM arsenite was used for sperm damage. Then melatonin, silymarin, curcumin, and vitamin E were applied for 3, 6, and 9 hr in arsenite-treated boar sperm. Sperm characteristics were then analyzed for motility, plasma membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity, and lipid peroxidation. In the results, sperm motility (control, 77.3± 1.8%) was decreased by arsenite (33.3±1.5%), while the antioxidant treatment groups (100 nM melatonin, 55.8±3.4%; 2 μM silymarin, 48.8±3.4%; 10 μM curcumin, 53.9±2.8%; and 500 μM vitamin E, 54.5±3.1%) showed increases compared to the arsenite group (p<0.05). 100 μM arsenite decreased the sperm plasma membrane integrity (24.5±1.6%) and mitochondrial activity (58.2±2.6%), and increased lipid peroxidation (5.3±0.2%) at 3 hr (p<0.05). However, arsenite-treated samples with 100 nM melatonin, 2 μM silymarin, 10 μM curcumin, and 500 μM vitamin E increased the plasma membrane integrity and mitochondria activity, and decreased lipid peroxidation compared to the arsenite-treated samples. In summary, arsenite may induce sperm damage and oxidation stress, while antioxidants such as melatonin, silymarin, curcumin, and vitamin E are useful for maintaining sperm characteristics. Therefore, antioxidants can protect sperm against damage by arsenite in fresh boar semen.
Ultrafine, cohesive powders are the subject of the joint research project. While shear experiments and contact force measurements were performed by the project partners, the realistic contact force models were developed in a common effort. The algorithms for their implementation are presented here, involving elastic-plastic repulsion, dissipation, adhesion, friction as well as rolling- and torsion-resistance. In model powder systems, the effect of the contact properties on an isotropic, homogeneous compaction test is discussed with respect to the packing densities. With contact forces involving sliding, rolling and torsion frictions, packing volume fractions down to 0.42 were achieved. Some longer ranged van der Waals adhesion forces added to the contact forces can lead to volume fractions considerably smaller, and to fractal-like agglomerates.
The relations of flowering to light and temperature conditions in Mat Rush were studied based on agro-climatic data during 1992 to 2000. The results indicated that the main climatic factors which affect stem flowering rate (SFR) of Mat Rush (cv. Gangshan No.3) were the third ten-clay period average temperature (AT) in December and the second ten-day period in February, sunlight hours(SH) of the third ten-day period in February and the rainfall of the third ten-day period in March. According to vernalization mechanism and above analysis, the simulation model for SFR was: SFR = 1.023 + 0.258{} The estimatingresults approximated to the observed value of 1992/1993-1998/1999. and predicted SFR=5.73% in 1999/2000, which was 0.13% differentiation from the observed one (5.6%). The model better illustrate the relationship between flowering and light and temperature conditions. Interaction between vernalization and sunlight hours was indicated as well, especially in the late stage of vernalization.
The novel Favorite,by Tsushimayuko,is on the subject of "maternal instincts"in which the author tells the readers how the heroine reacts against the traditional "maternal instincts"and finally realizes the return of "maternal instincts". To be specific,Mother and her elder sister are on behalf of traditional "family maternal instincts".However,in the heroine's eyes,both of them are the mother images of "nervousness"and "over abundance". She has to face frustration and failure of mother in real life when trying to surpass the traditional "maternal instincts".By establishment of fictional mother identity and self- identity,the heroine confirms her mother identity on the subjective consciousness. Thus she returns to the way of independent and " real" maternal instincts between reality and fiction.
Recently because the IS development project is large scale and complicated, the necessity of tools that can manage effectively smooth communications and the harmonized project between the interested parties is exposed. According to this fact, many companies are investing enough to the PMS (Project Management System) for the sake of the systematic management of the IS development project, and also this PMS is emerging as one of the indispensable tools for the successful IS development project by casting off from a auxiliary means for the past project management. However, as had been expected, whether the introduction of the PMS is possible to facilitate communications within a project team, and a main motivation that can derive individual performance and organizational performance that participated in the IS development project is induced or not are not verified still empirically and apparently. With respect to this, a survey was conducted to examine how PMS quality affected user satisfaction, communication, individual performance and project performance. The effects of the data gathered were verified by structural equation model analysis.
Objective To observe the influence of body fat on the effect of inhaled anesthetics by comparing the difference of obese patients with normal body weight people after short and long time general anesthesia.Methods Sixty patients were divided into 2 groups of short time group(group A)and long time group(group B).Based on the body mass index(BMI),both groups were further divided into the patients with normal BMI(≤25) and obese patients(30≤BMI≤40).All patients underwent the general anesthesia with isoflurane,midazolam,fentanyl,propfol and atracurium.The time of recovery of spontaneous breath,unconscious body movement,eye-opening followed by command and tracheal extubation were recorded.Results Obese patients in group B had a longer time of recovery of spontaneous breath,unconscious body movement,eye-opening followed by command and tracheal extubation than those in group A.Conclusion Body fat has no significant influence on the effect of inhaled anesthetics in short-time operations.The recovery time is mainly related to the blood/gas partition coefficient of the inhaled anesthetic.In long-time operations,body fat may have some impact on the effect of inhaled anesthetic with high liposolubility such as isoflurane,which would possibly prolong the recovery time after anesthesia.
This paper studies airlines' choices of flight frequency and aircraft size when passenger demand grows over time. The analysis shows that, when there are economies of operating larger aircraft, airlines would increase the number of flights, but not necessarily increase aircraft size to accommodate traffic growth. On the other hand, when there are no economies of operating larger aircraft, airlines would prefer operating larger aircraft to increasing the number of flights. The effect is stronger if the economies of aircraft size are more significant. These results hold whether airport charges are weight-based or flight-based, and are set exogenously or endogenously. © 2013 LSE and the University of Bath
Objective To study the protective effects of fucoidan from Laminaria japonica on CCl_4-induced acute liver injury in mice.Methods Fifty mice were allocated into control group,model group,bifendate group,low and high dosage of fucoidan group randomly.The mice were treat with bifendate(100mg·kg~(-1)) or fucoidan(200,100mg·kg~(-1)) for 10 days. Then 10%CCl_4(10mL·kg~(-1)) was given to mice by intraperitoneal injection.The activities of serum ALT,AST,ALP and BIL were determined,the body weight and liver weight were measured,as well as the pathological changes of the liver were observed in all groups.Results fucoidan(200mg·kg~(-1)) could significantly lower the ALT,AST BIL in serum and the liver index of mice,improve the liver histology.Conclution fucoidan can protect the liver against damage induced by CCl_4 in mice.
In this paper, we propose an algorithm to locate the corpus callosum automatically from midsagittal brain MR images using the statistical characteristics and shape information of the corpus callosum. In the proposed algorithm, we first extract regions satisfying the statistical characteristics of the corpus callosum and then find a region matching the shape information. In order to match the shape information, a new directed window region-growing algorithm is proposed instead of using conventional contour matching algorithms. Using the proposed algorithm, we adaptively relax the statistical requirement until we find a region matching the shape information. Experiments show promising results.
SUMMARY While many country reports have been compiled in the area of land administration over the last decade, there has not much attention been given to the basic cadastral issues. As a result, one of the objectives of Working Group 3 "Cadastre" of the PCGIAP is the establishment of a cadastral template, which is basically a standard form to be filled out by cadastral organizations presenting their national cadastral system. The aims are to understand the role that a cadastre plays in a state or national SDI and to compare best practice as a basis for improving cadastres as a key component of SDIs. The work of the PCGIAP-Working Group 3 "Cadastre" is being done in collaboration with Commission 7 "Cadastre and Land Management" of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), which has extensive experience in comparative cadastral studies. This article describes the creation and the content of the cadastral template and the expected outcomes.
The four-by-four vehicle is defined, its drive systems explained, and changes in the four-by-four market since 1970 and future trends are reviewed. Fuel economy standards, and their effect on light truck manufacturers, are addressed, and an overview is provided of Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy testing. Suggestions are provided for reducing vehicle fuel consumption; these relate to reducing curb weight and frontal area, and maximizing drive system efficiency. Data Corp.'s LW prototype, a fuel-efficient, sport/utility, four-wheel drive vehicle, is described. The LW was designed to improve the fuel economy of a current production vehicle without sacrificing performance, passenger space, or cargo carrying ability. By applying a systems approach, the drive, suspension, and frame subsystems were optimized in attaining that goal. City and highway fuel economy results obtained with the LW are 19.3 and 29.2 mpg, respectively, in comparison with 14.0 and 15.8 for the current production vehicle.
Introduction: Endometriosis is defined as the appearance of ectopic endometrial cells outside the uterine cavity. Ectopic cells demonstrate functional similarity to eutopic cells, but structural and molecular differences are significant and manifest themselves in gene expression of the metalloproteinase genes, integrin or the Bcl-2 gene. Pelvic pain remains to be the main symptom of the disease. Endometriosis may cause dysfunction of the reproductive system and lead to infertility. Pathogenesis of infertility in endometriosis is based on its influence on the hormonal, biochemical and immunological changes in the eutopic endometrium, as well as structural damages of the ovaries and the fallopian tubes. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the ovarian reserve in patients with endometriosis. Material and methods: A total of 39 patients (aged 22-34 years) with different stages of endometrial changes were recruited for the study. The number of antral follicles was rated by vaginal ultrasonography and the level of FSH was measured between days 1-3 of the menstrual cycle. The stage of the disease was established after laparoscopy with the rASRM scale. Results:No statistically significant correlation between the number of follicles(AFC), the level of FSH and the stage of endometriosis was found. Conclusions: Evaluation of the number of antral follicles and measurements of the FSH level do not allow to predict the ovarian reserve in women with endometriosis.
The most prominent factor behind traffic accidents today is human errors. There are many ways, in which problematic behaviors such as inattention can be mitigated. One of the tools used for this purpose is warning systems. These warning systems needs to give warnings both at a time where the driver needs it as well as give the driver a sufficient window to react. In order to achieve these goals information of the state of the driver can be vital to know how curtain situations should be handled. A prediction of future events could be used in order to increase the amount of time between the warning and the dangerous event. This report explores possibilities of using recurrent neural networks with long short-term memory for prediction of eight different driver actions inside of a vehicle, such as glancing and reaching inside of the vehicle among others. Other studies in the domain of predictions of driver actions have had the focus on car movements such as breaking and lane changing, while this study concentrates on the state of the driver. There is potential for these predictions to improve a warning system and give a driver more time to react to a given situation. The predictions are based on sequences of actions, which are generated from sequences of images with a convolutional neural network. A dataset consisting of sequences of images used in the report was gathered at RISE Viktoria AB. The hyperparameters of the recurrent neural network, such as the number of hidden units and amount of layers, was chosen with Bayesian optimization. An addition of a parallel input of optical flow created from the input images was found to improve the performance of the convolutional neural network. The complete network achieved an average prediction accuracy of 80% for the next frame predictions and 62% after 20 frames. A comparison where the predictions were set to the last element in the input achieved an accuracy of 79% for one frame ahead and 49% after 20 frames.
OBJECTIVE To determine whether human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells can be infected by retrovirus and modified by retrovirus-mediated gene transfer.   METHODS Recombination retroviral vector pLNCX-GFP (green fluorescent protein, GFP) was generated by inserting 780 bp GFP cDNA fragment into the MCS site of pLNCX. pLNCX-GFP was transfected into ecotropic packaging cell line PhiX-Eco and amphotropic packaging cell line PhiX-Ampho and PA317. Retroviral titer was tested by counting GFP expression of NIH3T3 cells. Then RPE cells were infected by using GFP retrovirus-containing supernatant.   RESULTS GFP was expressed and retrovirus was produced upon pLNCX-GFP being transfected into packaging cell line. The GFP retrovirus was able to infect primary cultured human RPE cells and immortalized RPE cell line.   CONCLUSION The retrovirus can introduce a foreign gene into RPE cells efficiently, thereby it can be used as an important tool to deliver gene into RPE for therapy of fundus diseases.
MMN In a national study on MMN we identified 97 patients. Eighty-eight patients participated in our study. Multivariate analysis showed that axon loss and longer disease duration without IVIg were independent determinants of more severe weakness and disability. IMMUNE PATHOGENESIS Prevalence and specificity of antibodies against single gangliosides and ganglioside complexes in serum were investigated. Anti-ganglioside IgM antibodies in MMN had a surprisingly limited specificity (against GM1, and occasionally against GD1b and GM2). Therefore, we investigated whether anti-ganglioside antibodies also showed limited clonality. Using light chain analysis of anti-GM1 IgM antibodies, we demonstrated that serum anti-GM1 IgM antibodies in the majority of patients with MMN have the same Ig light chain, suggesting that these antibodies are monoclonal. Patients with anti-GM1 IgM antibodies had more disability, more axon loss and more severe weakness compared to patients without anti-GM1 IgM antibodies.These findings support the assumption that antiganglioside IgM antibodies play a role in MMN pathogenesis. It is not clear whether MMN is a ‘classic’ autoimmune disease (AID). Since different AID often co-occur within patients and their families, we studied the prevalence of AID among MMN patients and their families. In a case-control study encompassing 81 MMN patients and 417 first-degree relatives, and 438 controls and 2,377 first-degree relatives we found that AID are more common in MMN patients (11%) compared to controls (5%). We also studied variation in the activity of the classical and lectin pathway of the complement system in MMN patients and controls. We found no difference in activity of both pathways and complement activity was not associated with outcome of MMN. GENETICS The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) locus is highly heterogeneous, and several HLA alleles have been found associated with AID. A case-control study showed that HLA-DRB1*15 is associated with MMN. Although this finding may support the hypothesis that MMN is a classic AID, we did not find increased frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes that are common in a number of other AID. TREATMENT Maintenance treatment with IVIg every few weeks is necessary because the beneficial effects only last a few weeks. A cross-sectional descriptive study showed that IVIg treatment at home is time-saving and reduces the number of days missed at work. Home-treatment is safe and more convenient for most patients. Despite its use, the mechanisms of IVIg that underlie its efficacy in MMN have not been studied in detail. Relevant effector mechanisms of IVIg include anti-idiotype effects, and modulation of B-cell and complement function, among others. We compared the complement-activating properties of anti-GM1 IgM antibodies in sera from MMN patients and disease controls. We showed that anti-GM1 IgM antibodies in sera from MMN patients efficiently activate complement in comparison with disease controls. The addition of IVIg reduced complement deposition significantly. IVIg also reduced concentrations of crucial classical pathway components including C1q in sera of MMN patients. IVIg may thus exert both local and systemic effects on the classical route of the complement system, which may contribute to reduced complement deposition in nerves.
The invention discloses a method and a device for checking a storage battery internal resistance tester. A checking circuit is formed by connecting a standard rheostat, an alternating/direct current meter, a standard direct current source, a frequency meter, an emergency stop button, a changeover switch and the storage battery internal resistance tester to be checked, the storage battery internal resistance tester which employs a direct current discharging method and/or an alternating current impedance method is checked, and resistance relative errors and/or frequency relative errors of a product to be checked are obtained. By adoption of the method and the device, checking of the measuring accuracy of a storage battery internal resistance tester product in delivery and using periods can be accomplished. The invention has the characteristics of simplicity and convenience for operation and accurate and reliable check result.
The Bali Action Plan set a frame goal for the Copenhagen Conference. Issues,such as the principle of justice,the global mitigation target,the global peak of GHG emission,and commitments from the developed and developing countries,are still under large dispute in the current negotiation. The Copenhagen process is going to rely on the progress of serial variants,including the group gambling dominated by the emission super powers,the fulfillment of commitment in the first period of Kyoto Protocol,as well as the development of the financial crisis. Evidence indicates that it is quite difficult to achieve a big progress in the Copenhagen Conference. What we should expect is that the Copenhagen process which will last for years,rather than the Copenhagen Conference itself,can really mitigate the global climate change.
This article aims to analyze the policies implemented by Turkey regarding the Syrian refugees who took refuge in Turkey as from April 2011 following the Syrian crisis.  In this context, the consequences of “Readmission Agreement” executed in between EU and Turkey which has a significant place in refugee crisis will be scrutinized. Also the details of the chaos caused by the refugees whose number is increasing day by day will be analyzed.  In 2010, Middle East countries such as Yemen, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon and Tunisia -in the first place- entered a period in which public meetings, protests, demonstrations, conflicts and civil wars against the regime occurred. It was called as Arab Spring, and the leap of this condition to Turkey’s neighbor Syria did not take long.      In 2011, following the revolts against regime which started with the demand of freedom, democracy and innovation, the tension between Assad’s management and public increased. Ultimately, a civil war which cost thousands of people's lives and left tens of thousands of people stateless has started.  In the period following these incidents, Turkey has faced intense migration, and in a short while, it has entered a period which necessitates extremely critical decisions concerning more than one public policy field.   Due to this intense migration, Turkey has had to face many problems within the country.
Since the turn of the millennium, India and Japan have been moving closer. The possibility of a comprehensive engagement seems achievable. Both countries have a crucial and determinant role to play in maintaining stability and helping safeguard vital sea lanes in the Indian Ocean region. As their respective economies are heavily dependent on sea-based transport, India and Japan have much to gain from further collaboration on maritime security. This article analyzes the new phase of these improved Indo-Japanese bilateral relations, and argues that New Delhi and Tokyo will continue deepening their defence ties and strategic cooperation in the coming years.
We give a group-theoretic interpretation of non-relativistic holography as equivalence between representations of the Schrödinger algebra describing bulk fields and boundary fields. Our main result is the explicit construction of the boundary-to-bulk operators in the framework of representation theory (without specifying any action). Further we show that these operators and the bulk-to-boundary operators are intertwining operators. In analogy to the relativistic case, we show that each bulk field has two boundary fields with conjugated conformal weights. These fields are related by another intertwining operator given by a two-point function on the boundary. Analogously to the relativistic result of Klebanov-Witten we give the conditions when both boundary fields are physical.
NOAA Technical Memorandum NMFSThe National Marine Fisheries Service's Alaska Fisheries Science Centeruses the NOAA Technical Memorandum series to issue informal scientific andtechnical publications when complete formal review and editorial processingare not appropriate or feasible. Documents within this series reflect soundprofessional work and may be referenced in the formal scientific and technicalliterature.The NMFS-AFSC Technical Memorandum series of the Alaska FisheriesScience Center continues the NMFS-F/NWC series established in 1970 by theNorthwest Fisheries Center. The new NMFS-NWFSC series will be used bythe Northwest Fisheries Science Center.This document should be cited as follows:Hill, P. S., J. L. Laake, and E. Mitchell. 1999. Results of a pilotprogram to document interactions between sperm whales and longlinevessels in Alaska waters. U.S. Dep. Commer., NOAA Tech. Memo.NMFS-AFSC-108, 42 p. Reference in this document to trade names does not imply endorsement bythe National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA.
Minority groups receiving protection under the Fourteenth Amendment must typically show that they have little "political power," the idea being that the judiciary ought not step in on their behalf if there are legislative outlets available to them. But how should a court determine whether a group is politically powerful (or powerless)? This article argues that the typical indicia of political power relied on by the courts are unwisely based on political outputs, or what minority groups strive for (such as laws in their favor), rather than political inputs, or the things that determine whether groups can get political outputs in the first place (such as money).
Much of the existing group model-building literature focuses on approaches to defining model boundary and conceptualizing overall model structure including the creation of a backbone stock-and-flow structure as well as mapping key feedback structures into the model. Detailed formulation and parameter estimates are often left to back room techniques. This paper reports on the use of three scripts designed to engage groups in tasks related to model parameterization. The paper describes the context of the study—a group model building session hosted by the Ohio State University and focusing on infant mortality in the state of Ohio—and then proceeds to lay out the agenda for the two-day group modeling project. We discuss in detail how three scripts were used and also present a summary of the data that was collected to parameterize the final model. The paper sketches how that data has been used to support the rapid prototyping of the first phase of a running simulation model. 1. Adding a Quantitative Emphasis to Group Model-Building Techniques Over the past three decades, system dynamics group model-building (GMB) has evolved by introduction of multiple scripts and applying them to diverse projects. These scripts combine the related group decision-making methods and system dynamics modeling approach to address issues arising when clients are directly involved in the development of a system dynamics model. The use of scripts in group model building was initiated by Andersen and Richardson (1997) and was extended by others (Hovmand et al., 2012; Luna-Reyes et al., 2006). Current scripts have been designed to define model boundaries and to conceptualize overall model structure. Parameter estimations were retained with specific values determined after the GMB. However, the GMB participants are subject matter experts and policy makers who are likely to contribute good estimates of parameter values or know where the values can be found. This article presents three scripts intended to elicit rough estimates of parameter values from participants, identify data sources, and set the scope of the model. These scripts were tested in a GMB conducted at The Ohio State University (OSU) for the Infant Mortality Research Partnership (IMRP) project. We apply the framework suggested by Hovmand et al. (2012) to document these scripts and explain the sequence in which they should be used. The paper is organized into six sections. The second section provides an overview of the IMRP and the third section summarizes the two-day GMB session conducted in Ohio. A description of the scripts used in the GMB is provided in the fourth section. The fifth section presents the results of a parameter estimation exercise and the final section provides concluding remarks and suggest next steps. 2. Infant Mortality in the state of Ohio Ohio ranks 45th out of 50 in the United States with an overall infant mortality rate (IMR) of 6.8 per 1,000 live births in 2014. More alarmingly is the racial disparity in terms of IMR. The rate among White and Black babies was 5.3 and 14.3, respectively. These dramatic statistics have incentivized Ohio to carry out various initiatives at multiple levels to reduce the overall IMR and remove racial inequities in birth outcomes and infant mortality among Ohioans. At the state level, initiatives have mainly focused on the following: i) increased sharing of data across multiple agencies, such as the Ohio Department of Medicaid, Ohio Department of Health and Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, ii) addressing the social determinants of health, iii) implementation of evidence-based community interventions, and iv) quality improvement initiatives in the health care system. At the county level, public health departments have implemented several maternal and child health programs to improve the coordination of care and allocation of resources. One example is the Celebrate One initiative, which is a partnership with Columbus Public Health that aims to educate pregnant women and connect them with resources before, during and after the birth of their baby to reduce the risk of adverse outcomes, such as preterm birth and post-neonatal death. At the city level, there are more focused programs such as Moms2B, which is a group prenatal care education initiative targeting very low income Black women in Columbus, Ohio through clinics in the poorest neighborhoods. The integration of these interventions may improve the effectiveness of individual and multi-pronged approaches to reduce infant mortality throughout the state. In March 2016, the State of Ohio released a request for proposal that sought research in multiple areas related to infant mortality using various methodologies. This broad research program, the Infant Mortality Research Partnership (IMRP), is administered and managed by the Government Research Center (GRC), a biomedical research center within OSU’s Wexner Medical Center. The IMRP consists of four projects briefly described, below: • Systems modeling of infant mortality to identify optimal interventions for reducing infant mortality in Ohio; • Predictive (statistical) modeling of clinical and non-clinical factors to predict the probability of preterm birth, neonatal death and post-neonatal death; • Spatial analysis of infant mortality cases in Ohio to identify hotspots and geographical risk factors; and, • Evaluation of a home-visiting program for prenatal care among vulnerable communities. Our team was funded to conduct research in the area of systems modeling of infant mortality. The three primary objectives of our proposal include: 1. Conduct a group model building workshop and develop a system dynamics model of infant mortality in Ohio, 2. Develop a causal structural model of infant mortality interventions, and 3. Develop an agent-based model of infant mortality in Ohio. Members of our team include one principal investigator and multiple co-investigators, leading the research for each of the three objectives. The team also consists of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. The diversity of research expertise of our team members was perhaps the greatest strength of our proposal. This expertise includes knowledge of multiple modeling methodologies (e.g., system dynamics, agent-based modeling, and causal modeling), numerous disciplines (e.g., perinatal epidemiology, social work, public policy, and education) and broad ranging experiences (e.g. working with state agencies, federal programs, and healthcare partners). This diversity in expertise has also served our team members in being able to translate and bridge gaps in our individual knowledge regarding modeling and the clinical and nonclinical determinants of infant mortality. 3. Two-day Group Modeling Session for Infant Mortality Project The GMB in Ohio was conducted to collaboratively develop a system dynamics model of infant mortality in the state for examining the effects of different interventions intended to reduce infant mortality. To achieve this purpose, the two-day session was designed in alignment with GMB best practices (Andersen & Richardson, 1997; Luna-Reyes et al., 2006; Richardson, 2013). The number of participants was limited to 12-15 experts with relevant background/disciplines on the topic of infant mortality to encourage direct engagement. The project team strove to achieve balanced representation from relevant stakeholder groups, and to ensure that individuals with different content expertise relevant to infant mortality and its contributing factors were present. The facility chosen for the GMB event provided a flexible, convenient, and supportive space for the sessions. Members of the research team were assigned specific roles a priori, to ensure that the process and documentation of the model building session were seamless. In preparing for the GMB, the research team consulted with the client to identify appropriate candidates to recruit as participants, thereby assuring key stakeholder constituency representation. Individuals selected for invitation included those invested in addressing Ohio’s infant mortality problem in one of three sectors: medical (including researchers and practitioners), policy, and community-based/non-profit organizations. Every effort was made to balance representation between these three groups, such that no stakeholder group was overrepresented. Additionally, consideration was given to the content expertise of each participant. Given the scope of the project it was critical that expert knowledge was inclusive of both medical contributors to infant mortality and social determinants of health, as both mechanisms are considered to be priorities by the IMRP. Thirteen content experts, or “core participants,” were present during the full two days. The client and funder also requested the presence of seven additional attendees, or “participants.” Participants observed activities early on the first day and at the conclusion of the second day. Integrated technology and the availability of white boards were prioritized in the facility selection process; the room had white boards spanning three walls and had two large screens for projecting (Andersen & Richardson, 1997). Tables were arranged in small clusters throughout the room to provide participants with ample working space while also fostering social interaction (Hovmand, Rouwette, Anderson, Richardson, & Kraus, 2013). Facility selection for the GMB session was designed to encourage all-day attendance by being somewhat removed from attendees’ workplaces, but still convenient for the majority of participants to travel to the session. Prior to the two-day model building session, interviews were held with three major constituency groups. Representatives from Medicaid and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services were engaged, as well as a nationally renowned clinical researcher with content expertise relevant to infant mortality. These interviews had several
A 74-year-old man presented to our hospital with a mass in the left supraclavicular fossa. He was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer with liver metastasis and left supraclavicular and para-aortic lymph node metastasis, cT3N2M1 (LYM, HEP), cStage Ⅳ(the Union for International Cancer Control, TNM 7th edition). He received a total of 3 courses of S- 1 plus cisplatin therapy. Since he developed adverse reactions such as anorexia, renal dysfunction, and thrombocytopenia and the tumor was HER2-positive, he received 25 courses of capecitabine, cisplatin, and trastuzumab chemotherapy. Three years and 2 months after the first chemotherapy, remarkable tumor reduction was observed. The patient then underwent radical distal gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy, and R0 resection was achieved. The histopathological diagnosis was ypT1aN0M0, ypStage ⅠA. Chemotherapy with trastuzumab may improve the long-term prognosis of HER2-positive Stage Ⅳ gastric cancer if the disease is controlled and radical resection can be achieved.
We report photoluminescence studies of internal transitions of shallow Be acceptors in bulk GaAs and a series of δ-doped GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum well samples with well width ranging from 3 to 20nm.A series of Be δ-doped GaAs/AlAs multiple-quantum wells with the doping at the well center and a single epilayer of GaAs uniformly Be doped were grown by molecular beam epitaxy.The photoluminescence spectra were measured at 4,20,40,80,and 120K,respectively.A two-hole transition of the acceptor-bound exciton from the ground state,1S3/2(Γ6),to the first-excited state,2S3/2(Γ6) ,has been clearly observed.A variational principle is presented to obtain the 2s-1s transition energies of quantum confined Be acceptors as a function of the well width under the single-band effective mass and envelop function approximations.It is found that the acceptor transition energy increases with decreasing quantum-well width,and the experimental results agree well with the theoretical calculation.
Introduction: Adult-onset asthma is a heterogeneous disorder. A proportion of patients have persistently difficult-to-control disease. Risk factors of difficult-to-control asthma are still unknown.  Aim: to compare characteristics of patients with well- and not well-controlled asthma 2 years after asthma onset, and identify risk factors of difficult-to-control asthma.  Methods: A cohort of 200 patients (age >18 yr) with recent onset asthma (<1 yr) was prospectively followed for 2 years. Good asthma control was defined as Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ-6) score of <1.5. Clinical characteristics including the presence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), lung function and induced sputum was assessed at baseline and after 2 years. ANOVA and multiple regression equations were used in the analysis.  Results: 125 patients completed 2 year follow-up of which 36 (28.8%) had not obtained good asthma control. They had higher mean (SD) ACQ score at baseline (1.8(0.72), vs 0.96(0.79); p<0.01), higher initial doses of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) (500(0-1500) vs 250(0-1000) ug fluticason; p=0.01), more often CRS (71.4% vs 45.3%; p=0.01), but similar FEV1 and induced sputum cells. After 2 years, ACQ score further deteriorated in patients with not well-controlled asthma (p=0.02), whereas FEV1 improved. Having CRS (odds ratio (OR) 3.01 CI:1.29-7.03), and a worse ACQ (OR 4.0 CI:2.04-7.84) at baseline were associated with poor asthma control after 2 years.  Conclusion: Almost one third of patients with adult-onset asthma remain difficult-to-control 2 years after diagnosis despite higher doses of ICS. Worse asthma control at asthma onset as well as the presence of chronic rhinosinusitis are risk factors for persistently difficult-to-control disease.
Redemptive suffering is one of the religious responses to the problem of evil and suffering within certain religious traditions such as Christian faith and an interpretation of Shi’i thought in Islamic faith. This paper firstly explores redemptive approach to human suffering, and critically evaluates its projection in Shi’i thought in contrast with the Christian doctrine. The issue discussed here is cosmic redemptive suffering rather than personal one. The assertion of the paper is that redemptive suffering in cosmic sense has no doctrinal basis in Islamic faith and is far from resolving the problem of evil and suffering in philosophical sense.
Objective:To investigate the relationship between the effective restoration of femoral eccentricity and the hip function rehabilitation.Methods:Retrospectively analyzed the data of 53 cases with total hip arthroplasty,measured bilateral femoral eccentricity after surgery,and evaluated the recovery situation of hip function with Harris evaluation system.Results:32 cases had difference of bilateral eccentricity as 4 cm,and 87.5% out of all cases had excellent function.While eccentricity reconstruction of 21 cases failed and 61.9% cases had excellent function.The difference was statistic significant(P0.01).Conclusion:There is close relationship between the femoral eccentricity rebuilt and hip function rehabilitation,and the recovery rate of patients with excellent rebuilt is more satisfactory.
AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance) is a complex global public health challenge, and no single or simple strategy will be sufficient to fully contain the emergence and spread of infectious organisms that become resistant to the available antimicrobial drugs. The retrospective study was conducted for a period of 2 years at a700- bedded multi-speciality private tertiary care hospital at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. A total of 6591 cases were analyzed during retrospective study. Nineteen different micro-organisms were isolated of which major organisms identified were S. pneumoniae(27%), Klebsiella species (21.8%), E. coli (15.3%), S.aureus (10.6%), Pseudomonas(8.3%), S.pyogenes(7.3%). The retrospective data revealed that almost all organisms were highly sensitive to Imipenam.. The evidence obtained indicated that AMR has a significant adverse impact on clinical outcomes and leads to higher costs due to consumption of health-care resources.
The phosphorylation of a 55,000-dalton protein (Protein IIIb) present in mammalian brain was previously shown to be increased by depolarizing agents in the presence of calcium, by cyclic nucleotides, and by appropriate neurotransmitters. We now report that Protein IIIb has been purified 660-fold to near homogeneity and partially characterized. The hydrodynamic properties of the purified protein indicate that it exists as an elongated monomer. cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalyzes the incorporation of 0.82 mol of phosphate into serine/mol of protein. The protein is heterogeneous in isoelectric focusing, exhibiting multiple forms with isoelectric points ranging in pH from 6.6 to 7.3.
A set of experiments were firstly conducted on pyrolysis and ignition of wood of several species under different heat flux,species and as well as on the effect of moisture content under normal conditions.Temperature profiles,mass loss rate,ignition time,ignition temperature and critical heat flux were all examined in the experiments.Effect of water evaporation inside the wood on temperature distribution and solid convertion was further discussed.Finally,the critical heat flux,another key ignition characteristics, was obtained from experimental data,which was 25 kW/m2 for wood under normal conditions regardless of the species.
Five to seven day old pupae were irradiated with gamma rays, the mating ability, and competability of the irradiated males were examined. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. There is no difference in percentage of males that mated, nor in the maximum number of matings of the males, when individual matings were made, and fresh females were provided every day for his life time. 2. The average days for the first mating of the emerged were 1.5 days for the control, and 2.4 days for the males irradiated with 25 and 30 Krad. The average days between first and second mating were 3.0 days for the irradiated males, and 1.3 days for the control. 3. The average matings of a male were 1.2 and 2.5 times when 5 and 10 females were provided to a normal male respectively. No significant different in average numbers of mated female per male were observed between the normal and irradiated males. 4. To test the mating competitiveness of the irradiated and normal males (1:0, 1:1, 2:1, 1:2, 5:1, 1:5, 0:1) were confined together with five virgin females. The greatest reduction in hatching percentage was found with 5 : 1 : 1 (30 Krad) where was hatched.5, The results showed that the irradiated males were not fully competitive with normal males, but if the reduced number of eggs produced by the female mated with irradiated male is considered, it might be used sterile male techniques in rice stem borer control.
This research paper investigates the complex relation between United Arab Emirates (UAE) and their armed forces. While in the Seventies the process of state-making was primarily rent-driven, deeper federation-building efforts has now been focusing on modern integration among the seven armed forces. From a domestic perspective, this strategy has enhanced Abu Dhabi’s neo-patrimonial supremacy on the military system. Armed forces play also a crescent role in the new UAE foreign policy, oriented towards "ambitious engagement" through defense expenditure, cooperative security with Western powers and Nato, regional military assertiveness in the Middle East. Moreover, UAE armed forces and the domestic arena have a circular relation, since pilots and soldiers, due to their commitment abroad, have been gradually becoming vectors for UAE federal consciousness, fostering collective identity and so contributing to enhance Abu Dhabi’s political weight within Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Through qualitative analysis, this paper problematizes the role and evolution of UAE armed forces, in a framework of complex realism.
Sera of 50 goats, 3 horses, 1 dog, and 6 herdsmen were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against Listeria monocytogenes by the Osebold agglutination assay on a commercial farm in Akyurt, Ankara. Some of the goats exhibited clinical signs such as apathy, unilateral facial paralysis, incoordination, and abortion. Of the goat samples, 23 (46%) were seropositive and 10 (20%) were at the level of the suspected titer and 17 (34%) were below the cut-off titer in this assay. All horses, the dog and 5 herdsmen were seropositive. The analysis of cerebro-spinal fluid, taken from an agonic goat whose antibody titer was 1/400, revealed a total leukocyte count of 1000 white blood cells per decaliter and total protein of 228.4 mg/dl. The results of this study suggest that listeriosis is prevalent in different animal species and humans, and this infection should be considered by both veterinarians and public health officials.
In this paper we are evaluating the feasibility of using an UWB radar as a victim search device in emergency situations. The idea of human being detection using UWB radar is to observe periodic differences in time-of-arrival of scattered pulses from the victim, which are result of periodic movements of the chest area of the victim. This motion cannot be assumed to be uniform in all directions. We therefore investigate how the breathing motion, and thus detectability, of the human body for different angles of incidence and position of the body. The observed results show that the breathing motion in sitting position is most pronounced for body facing the radar, becomes less pronounced for 45° orientation only to become barely observable for 90° and 180°. For 45° and 90° one could observe periodic movement of the arm closer to the radar and that the arm attenuates the scattered signal from the lung. The horizontal positions of the body did not show any periodic movements, except for the case of front of the body facing the radar. Vertical co-polarization produced roughly the same results as horizontal one, whereas cross-polarization did not produce any output. It was observed that the breathing motion is proportional to an absolute value of a sinusoidal signal with its frequency being the breathing frequency.
Nanotechnology has emerged as a field of science and engineering which offers many new product possibilities and potential solutions for a variety of problems. Nanomaterials come in many shapes and forms and contribute to potential products that do everything from sense analytes on a molecular level to function as self cleaning surfaces. With new and significant applications, it is likely that nanomaterial containing products may replace many of the products we use on a daily basis, leading to an increased presence of these materials in the environment. This will result in new needs and requirements from detection tools. It is likely that the analytical methods used to monitor nanomaterials in the environment will be very different than those used in risk assessment and exposure studies. This paper briefly outlines the history, impacts, and uses of nanomaterials and discusses possible methods of detection and quantification for environmental samples. The discussions in this article are specific to those matrices relating to wastewaters and sludge.
The British photographer, Charles Clifford (1819-1863) is best known as one of the pioneers of commercial photography in Spain. However, until now, little has been said about the role of his book, A Photographic S cramble through Spainas a complement to his photographs. This study will show how Clifford not only used the book as a commercial instrument but also as a means to convey the image of Spain that he wished to show to his potential buyers and readers in the United Kingdom. Keywords: photogra- phy; travel literature; traditions and customs; heritage; preservation. 1. Introduccion
According to new German health care laws (Gesundheitsstrukturgesetz, Bundespflegesatzverordnung) hospital payment will be given a new basis. Abandoning the "length of stay"--related compensation in the future surgical services should be refunded either by special payments for a given surgical procedure (covering anesthesia, surgery, instruments), or by case-related payments (including all costs of stay, medical as well as room-and-care and administrative). This should lead to a more equitable payment getting a transparent insight into the relation service/cost. Calculations for the so far 103 special payment and 40 case related payment items have been obtained by a nationwide analysis in reference hospitals. Besides numerous problems introducing these new refund systems in very different hospital structures, our own 3-year experience using case related payment on our surgical department (based on individual calculation) shows promising results. The main intention still has to be--by setting free economic resources--to avoid rationing though rationalization.
CONTEXT Parental anxiety and apprehension is related to inadequate knowledge of fever and febrile convulsion.   AIMS To study the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the parents of children with febrile convulsions.   SETTINGS AND DESIGN Prospective questionnaire based study in a tertiary care centre carried over a period of one year.   SUBJECTS AND METHODS 140 parents of consecutive children presenting with febrile convulsion were enrolled.   STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED Chi-square test.   RESULTS 83 parents (59.3%) could not recognise the convulsion; 90.7% (127) did not carry out any intervention prior to getting the child to the hospital. The commonest immediate effect of the convulsion on the parents was fear of death (n= 126, 90%) followed by insomnia (n= 48, 34.3%), anorexia (n= 46, 32.9%), crying (n= 28, 20%) and fear of epilepsy (n= 28, 20%). Fear of brain damage, fear of recurrence and dyspepsia were voiced by the fathers alone (n= 20, cumulative incidence 14.3%). 109 (77.9%) parents did not know the fact that the convulsion can occur due to fever. The long-term concerns included fear of epilepsy (n= 64, 45.7%) and future recurrence (n= 27, 19.3%) in the affected child. For 56 (40%) of the parents every subsequent episode of fever was like a nightmare. Only 21 parents (15%) had thermometer at home and 28 (20%) knew the normal range of body temperature. Correct preventive measures were known only to 41 (29.2%). Awareness of febrile convulsion and the preventive measures was higher in socio-economic grade (P< 0.05).   CONCLUSIONS The parental fear of fever and febrile convulsion is a major problem with serious negative consequences affecting daily familial life.
The invention discloses a force controlled cervical curve traction device. The force controlled cervical curve traction device comprises a seat, a traction cap and a traction arm; the back of the seat is fixedly connected with an upright post; the traction arm consists of a first arm of force and a second arm of force; the middle of the first arm of force is hinged to the upright post; one end, extending to the front of the seat, of the first arm of force is connected with the traction cap through a traction steel wire; the second arm of force is positioned behind the seat, and two sides of the end part of the second arm of force are provided with ropes; the ropes on the two sides are connected with each other through ropewalking fixed pulley mechanisms arranged on two sides of the seat to form a closed-loop force control device; the force control device is pulled to enable the traction arm to rotate around a hinged joint of the first arm of force and the upright post. The force controlled cervical curve traction device is designed according to the structural condition of body mechanics, the cervical vertebra of a patient is restored to the normal and original physiological curvature during traction, the patient is treated in a sitting position, and the traction force of the traction arm can be controlled by adjusting the piston rod extension length of an air cylinder to meet the requirement of the patient.
In this study, I examine immaterial property rights in an economy where R&D flrms innovate and imitate and households face nondiversiflable risk. Some property rights postpone the expected time an innovation will be imitated (e.g. increase the  length" of an innovation), while the others protect the imitator’s proflts after a successful imitation (i.e. increase the  width" of an innovation). The main flndings are as follows. Property rights that generate  short" and  wide" innovations also speed up economic growth. The smaller the households’ rate of risk aversion, the  longer" and  narrower" the welfare-maximizing innovations.
Elevated oxidative stress, inflammation and reduced acetylcholine have been reported in Alzheimer' disease. The present study has been postulated in a trial to find out functional food components that may reduce the deterioration or retard the onset of the disease through ameliorating the aforementioned criteria. The tested fractions were methanol and petroleum ether extracts of Carica fruit, leaves and seed, Origanum herb, ginger, grape leaves and fruit (raisin), and fig fruit. Antioxidant effect and cholinesterase inhibiting activity have been tested in-vitro. Anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated in carragenan model in rats. Total phenolic contents of the different tested plants were determined. G.C. analysis of unsaponifiable matter of the ginger lipid fraction was carried out. Results showed that the highest antioxidant activity belonged to methanol extract of ginger (88%), Carica leaves (85%) and Origanum (74%) while the most potent anti-inflammatory effect was attributed to methanol extract of Carica fruit followed by the methanol extract of grape leaves then methanol extract of fig. Petroleum ether extract of ginger showed the highest cholinesterase inhibiting activity (85%) followed by petroleum ether extract of Carica seeds (73%) then methanol extract of raisin (66%), petroleum ether extract of Carica leaf (65%) and petroleum ether extract of fig (63%). Results of total phenolic showed grape leaves to contain the highest content (93.52 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry sample) followed by Origanum (77.93), Carica leaves (41.1), Carica fruit (30.29), ginger (29.29), Carica seed (26.70), and raisin (23.75). Figs showed the least phenolic content (14.27). G.C. analysis of unsaponifiable lipid fraction of ginger showed total identified phytosterol to be 0.738% and total hydrocarbon to be 86.242% of total unsaponifiable matter. Conclusion: The highest antioxidant and cholinesterase inhibiting activity were attributed to methanol and petroleum ether extract of ginger respectively. While methanol extract of Carica fruit was superior as anti-inflammatory agent. Combination of the previously mentioned extracts may have potential beneficial effect towards Alzheimer disease. . (Academia Arena, 2009;1(2):55-68). ISSN 1553-992X
We report here for the first time the presence of Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) and its parasitoid Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) in Tunisia, as well as the first record of the presence of P. bliteus in Portugal. Data regarding their geographical distribution, host plants and parasitism rates in Tunisia and Portugal, were collected. G. brimblecombei was observed for the first time in Tunisia in 2010 in the North coastal regions where it was found only on Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. Main host species in Portugal were E. camaldulensis , E. tereticornis Sm., E. rudis Endl. and E. ovata Labill.. Nine other species, including E. globulus Labill. were found to be resistant. In Tunisia, infestation levels were higher on the West regions (80.5%±4.0) compared to those on the East (8.8% ±4.4). Overall, parasitism rates were found to be low, on average 6.5%±0.8. In Portugal infestation levels varied from 5 to 75% but no geographical pattern emerged. Parasitism rates varied seasonally, from 1% in May to 35% in October, corresponding to the period of build-up and collapse of G. brimblecombei population. A density-dependence pattern is suggested by three weeks delay on the parasitized nymphs in relation to the total nymphs of G. brimblecombei .
The speeding up of the development pace of the economic society requests the education go out of the school,manage to cooperate with the society power,change the traditional teaching way,carry out the project of studying under the practical condition, recreate the character of the teacher who changes the delivery of knowledge into the coach of standardizing the students practical conduct and act as strategic analysts of settling problems.
In the ancient times when human being did not have the modern human's scientific subjectivity and he could not perceive the reasons for effect of the plants, he considered them possessing holy and supernatural forces like other phenomena. Construction of gardens and planting of flowers and plants in all over the world indicate the holiness of the plants. In the past, plants especially trees were symbol of life, eternity, fertility and virtue and they were respected. The holiness of the plants and the trees in ancient world and particularly in ancient Iran had caused to consider the plants as the first ancestor of human. And because of this we can refer to "Mashi" and "Mashianeh" as holy plants which human has been descended from them. Sometimes in legends, the person's life is associated with a tree and withering and destruction of the tree is linked with death. According to the legends The Big and Evergreen tree with the fruits of eternity waters all trees. In mythologies tree was expressed green, flourishing and delicate that its fruit was eternity and life lasting that was existence of other t rees. In this article, it is tried to investigate some mythical and holy flowers and plants and related beliefs among different nations and religions.
This bachelor thesis is about immigrant entreprenuership and what kind of support theyexperience that they need from the swedish socitey in order to be able to start their ownbusiness. The thesis includes interviews with immigrants that have come to Sweden fordifferent reasons and started their own business here. The businesses are in differentsectors and the business owners are from different backgrounds. Furthermore, there isone interview with Almi for the reason that the writers of the thesis wanted anotherperspective on the question in order to be more objective. The questions that have beenasked is for example why they decided to start their own company, what help theywould have wanted and what the goals with the business are. There were three mainfactors that was registered; language barriers, financial support and network. Theconclusions turned out to be, that there is help to recieve accordning to Almi but theinformation about the help is poorly delivered to the immigants and also that thelanguage is a key factor that is needed in order to start a business in the best possibleway.
Objective:To assess the efficacy and safety of Niuhuang Jiangya prescription for the treatment of essential hypertension.Material and Methods:An extensive search including MEDLINE,EMBASE,CBM,and Cochrane Centre Controlled Trials Register was performed up to Jan,2007.Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) about Niuhuang Jiangya prescription for essential hypertension will be included irrespective of any language.The quality of each trial was assessed according to the Cochrane Reviewers'Handbook 4.2.6.Statistical software(RevMan 4.2) provided by the Cochrane Collaboration was applied.Results:Three RCTs were included in this review.The methodological quality of the trials was low.Statistical pooling of the results showed that Niuhuang Jiangya prescription for essential hypertension still lack of sufficient evidence.Depressurization effective power(pooled RR(random)=1.16,95% CI [0.79,1.71 ]),SBP(pooled RR=-6.65,95% CI  [-42.62,29.31 ],and DBP(pooled RR=-5.17,95% CI  [-15.55,5.21 ]) all reversing when use fixed effects model to carry out sensitivity analysis,pointing out result instability.The adverse effect is diarrhoea,incidence rate is about 2.56%.Conclusions:Because of the clinical trials of Niuhuang Jiangya prescription for the treatment of essential hypertension carrying out very few(only three).The efficacy of Niuhuang Jiangya prescription for the treatment of essential hypertension is still lack of sufficient evidence.There is still lack of high quality evidence,because of low methodological quality of clinical trials.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the interaction between the development policy of the Sarawak government and the indigenous people in rural areas, by observing the mobility of ruralurban migrants. Over the last decade or so, the Sarawak government has been promoting various kinds of development schemes in rural areas, and the indigenous people, who are politically and economically marginalized, seem to act in compliance with the government policy for the purpose of securing development funds. Some scholars have criticized this kind of passive compliance as a “subsidy syndrome.” However, closer observation of the voting behavior of the indigenous people reveals that they strive to maximize their own interests, albeit within a limited range of choices. What is noteworthy is the important role played by rural-urban migrants in rural development. They frequently move back and forth between urban and rural areas, are leaders in the formation of opinion among rural residents, and help obtain development resources for their home villages. Examining the mobility of urban migrants during election periods is useful for reconsidering the dichotomy between development politics and the vulnerable agricultural community, and also urban-rural relations.
This paper proposes a framework for designing human resource development interventions that facilitate change in professional organizations through promoting learning at the individual and group level. The framework proposed is based on a theory of organizational learning developed by Etienne Wenger (Wenger, 1998) that proposes learning takes place in the context of communities of practice. Communities of practices (CoPs) are groups of professionals that come together in order to build knowledge and practice in their specific field (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002). At first glance CoPs might appear to be like other, more traditional groups found in organizations, but this is misleading (Bood & Coenders, 2004; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002). The major differences between traditional groups and CoPs are that the latter are self-organizing and self-governing (Dekkers et al., 2005; Saint-Onge & Wallace, 2003). In the private sector, CoPs are recognized as an exceptional human resource development (HRD) method for organizations wishing to stimulate learning, promote innovation and facilitate change processes among its employees (Davenport & Prusak, 1998). In this paper I lay the theoretical groundwork for developing CoPs generally, using the case of higher educational organizations as an example where they could be initiated. In order to design these interventions, I propose a model that employs a multi-disciplinary, theoretical approach that bridges the context of the public and private sectors. Furthermore, I report on some preliminary observations of two communities of practice; one that formed during a HRD project specifically centered on communities of practice, and one that was formed as a result of an organization-wide initiative to stimulate employee empowerment during a merger.
Objective To investigate the ARIX gene polymorphisms in patients with concomitant extropia in a family and its association with clinical characteristics of these patients.Methods The genomic DNA of all family members was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes and amplified with PCR.The PCR products were purified for DNA sequencing.DNA sequences were aligned with the human ARIX gene sequences registered in GenBank.Results A 116GA synonymous mutation of exon 2 in six patients in the pedigree.Two of the six normal individuals have the mutation also.Conclusion The ARIX gene maybe not virulence gene in this pedigree.
This thesis aims to search obstacles during the process of the establishment of local law in Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta concerning the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities and determining choices of solutions to solve of obstacles. The method used during the local law process making is bay conformity to those at law number 12 year 2011 concerning law making process. Persons with disabilities as the other Indonesian citizen has the same rights, especially  regarding the protection and fulfillment of their rights. As a part of local laws, provincial law of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Peraturan Daerah Provinsi Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta) number 4 year 2012 cncerning the protection and fulfillment of the rights of persons with disabilities has several rules that can be used as abased for all stakeholders who concern for protection and fulfillment of the rights of persons wisth disabilities to implement their fuction.
In the Eurocentric tradition, there are four worlds: First World, Second World, Third World and Fourth World which refer to, respectively, Britain, USA, and Europe; the white populations of Canada, Australia and New Zealand; developing nations in Asia, South America, North Africa; and indigenous populations subjugated, colonized and governed today by the white settlers such as Native Americans. In the play Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth written by Drew Hayden Taylor, a Native girl, Grace, adopted by a White family, is asked by her birth sister to return to the Reservation for their mother’s funeral. Scared of opening old wounds, Grace refuses to visit the Reserve and her family but her sister, Barb, who has been left behind trying to compete with the memory of her sister who has managed to achieve a level of perfection only possible in the imagination is unwilling to let go of her resentment particularly given that their mother has since passed away. The double visions/double consciousness of these two sisters are juxtaposed in the languages of English and Ojibway. The feeling of being caught between two cultures and two languages leads Janice/Grace to suffer from the trauma of the displacement, which Homi Bhabha refers as unhomeliness. To be unhomed means to feel not at home even in your own home because you are not at home yourself: your cultural identity crisis has made you a psychological refugee. The purpose of the article is to tackle the identity crisis of the Ojibway nation and to dwell upon the alternative solutions brought in the play.
Formative assessment,the most effective way of assessment for learning,is aimed to develop self-supervision,autonomous learning ability in students.In the whole process feedback plays a critical role.This article first generalizes the concept of formative assessment and its process.After reviewing different understanding of feedback in different language research field,it analyzes the present situation of how feedback is used in college English class.Finally some practical suggestions are provided to help teachers apply formative assessment in their language teaching classes efficiently.
The main object of this presentation is to introduce of current status and standardization activities of offshore wind turbines in the world. The following subjects are the contents of this presentation. First, Status of the wind turbines in Korea. Second, Roadmap of an On and Offshore WTs in Korea, Third, Design & Motion Analysis of the Floating Offshore Wind Turbine. Fourth, IEC New Proposal of Korea. and Future Works. The NP of Korea proposed a very wide range of contents is included as like requirements for ocean environment condition, design criteria, considerations for substructure type, mooring system, strength and fatigue And also, installation, maintenance and repair of floating offshore wind turbine is included..
Irresponsible sexual activity in adolescence around the world puts teenagers at risk challenges to various reproductive health problems. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors related to the adolescents sexual behaviour at risk of Unintended Pregnancy (KTD) and HIV / AIDS in a Senior High School of Konawe Islands District. The type of the research was mix method research which was a combination between quantitative and qualitative research with sequential explanatory design. The population of this study consisted of 867 people with quantitative samples of 269 people and qualitative samples of 5 people by using purposive sampling technique. Quantitative data analysis technique used Chi-Square test, while qualitative data analysis technique used data reduction, data display and data verification. The Research results showed that there were 5.9% of adolescents had risky sexual behaviors toward the unintended pregnancy (KTD) and HIV / AIDS. Bivariate analysis using chi-square test showed that there were six variables that significantly correlated with adolescents sexual behavior at risk of unintended pregnancy (KTD) and HIV / AIDS; which were knowledge (sig .0,010), adolescent attitude (sig. 0,000), parent role (sig .028), peer influence (sig. 0,000), courtship style (sig .023), and information media (sig. 0,000). Qualitative analysis showed the attitude variable as the factor that gave the highest risk in risky sexual behavior among adolescents. The conclusion was that there was relationship between knowledge, attitude, parent role, peer influence, courtship style and information media. It is suggested to the Schools to improve good and appropriate basic knowledge and understanding of adolescents about the prevention of risky sexual behavior, and good and strict supervision and guidance on the adolescents' activities for well controlled adolescents behavior. Kata kunci: Remaja, Perilaku seksual, Kesehatan reproduksi.
With the continuous development of the internet,it is a fact that there are some new internet protocol stack with excellent features,such as stream control transmission protocol,datagram congestion control protocol.Legacy applications are not compatible with the new protocol stack,making it difficult to enjoy the benefits of the new advantages.It presents a design,which without modifying the application itself,makes legacy applications communicate based on the new protocol,and easily enjoys the characteristics of the new features.This will bring the convenience of the transition of old and new network protocol stack.Take SCTP as the blueprint,design and implement a conversion module of TCP to SCTP,making the leagcy applications to call SCTP instead of TCP.In the end use WEB browser to test the functions of the protocol conversion module.The results prove the feasibility of protocol conversion module.
This manuscript introduces an efficient and generalized basic topology adopted for multilevel inverters. It is shown that the proposed structure is in line with significant savings in part counts and control devices. According to the basic topology, a new structure for sub-multilevel inverter is suggested. In continue, cascaded multilevel inverter is realized based on the series connection of n sub-multilevel inverters. By calculating the blocking voltage across the switches, the modulation technique is described for the proposed structure. A comprehensive analysis is founded to compare the proposed cascaded structure with the conventional CHB topology and the recently archived structures. The working conditions and performance of the proposed structure is verified through the simulation studies conducted in MATLAB/Simulink platform. Results are discussed in depth.
Most of the studies on the shi-sentences (sentences with the verb to be)have focused on their grammatical features rather than on their phonetic forms and functional meanings. This paper suggests that different rhythm structures of the shi-sentences carry distinctive functions and meanings. New rules governing the phonological segmentation of the shi-sentences are discovered through phonological experiments.
Four large scale ponds of aquaculture (ca; 10.000m2x1.5m depth per each) were used in this study to investigate the effect of algal addition on water quality and fish yield without water re-newing. Prior cultivation at the first of October, each pond received 50 kg super phosphate, 50 kg urea 46.5% N and 6m 3 organic poultry manure to enhance the growth of natural flora. Two weeks later (second half of October) about 70,000 fishes were inoculated. When fish reached 20g of their fresh weight, 100kg of fresh a live algal bulk Scenedesmus sp. containing 75% moisture was added to each treated pond. Water analysis including E.C, water pH and nutrients as well as dissolved oxygen were periodically conducted. Comparing measurements of algal treated ponds with those of the control pond showed that the addition of algae resulted in increasing of dissolved oxygen and reducing water pH (to become around the neutral pH reaction) due to ammonium consumption, aeration and slightly to water re-newing. Decreasing electric conductivity (E.C.) of the remained water was varied with respect to the former reasons. The results also showed that night respiration of algae was slightly blocked as ponds were aerated by the circulated water pump and illuminated during night growth. Fish yield of algal treated ponds was increased by 10% increases, while such pond plus aeration was increased by about 25% as compared with the control pond. (Journal of American Science 2010;6(8):47-55). (ISSN: 1545-1003).
UNLABELLED The objectives of this study were to detect regional myocardial perfusion defects performing 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging and to compare the results with echocardiography for differential diagnostics of the idiopathic dilated, ischemic and hypertensive cardiomyopathies until coronary angiography will be performed.   MATERIAL AND METHODS In total 90 patients with cardiomegaly have been evaluated: 30 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (group I), 30 with ischemic cardiomyopathy (group II) and 30 with hypertensive cardiomyopathy (group III). All patients underwent 2D echocardiography examination and 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion imaging before coronary angiography was done.   RESULTS Informative complex findings (age, thickness of the interventricular septum, thickness of the left ventricle posterior wall, the wall motion score index in the region of the right coronary artery and the left anterior descending branch and the degree of distress of myocardial perfusion in the area of right coronary artery circulation) selected by variable logic model enabled to differentiate patients with idiopathic dilated, ischemic and hypertensive cardiomyopathies with an accuracy of 92.0%, 86.2% and 79.2%, respectively.   CONCLUSION Informative echocardiographic indices (thickness of the interventricular septum and left ventricle posterior wall, the mass of the myocardium, the wall motion score index in the region of the right coronary artery and left anterior descending branch, ejection fraction) selected by discriminative analysis enabled to differentiate patients with idiopathic dilated, ischemic and hypertensive cardiomyopathies with an accuracy of 62.1%, 75.2% and 80.0%, respectively.
The present invention provides a motor control apparatus, even in the event of a momentary voltage drop, but also can be suitably automated equipment operates the motor without stopping the operation of the automatic apparatus. Motor control means for automatic operation of the device with a motor (102) for controlling (101) comprising: a position deviation is calculated after subtracting the actual rotational position of the position command obtained from the subtraction unit (109); converting the position deviation into a velocity command a position control section (110); calculated by subtracting the subtraction unit (111) after the measured rotation speed obtained from the speed command the speed deviation; speed deviation is converted into a torque command of the speed control unit (112); set a torque command the upper limit value of the limiter (113); a drive motor (102) of the drive (114); and the voltage variation detected by the detection unit (115) power (103) of the voltage fluctuation. The motor control device (101), when the voltage fluctuation detecting unit (115) detects a voltage drop instantaneously occurs, the position command output unit (108) to make the position command change, so that the motor (102) decreases the rotational speed, position the control unit (110) to limit the output from the speed command.
Expedition Phase I of the Nature of the Lower Crust and Moho at Slower Spreading Ridges (SloMo) project of a Multi-Leg Drilling was carried at Atlantis Bank, an oceanic core complex, along the eastern wall of the Atlantis II Transform of the Southwest Indian Ridge. We conducted all drilling operations at a single site in a single Hole U1473A and drilled 789.7 m though gabbros. This is the deepest single-leg hard-rock drilling hole in ocean crust. Expedition 360 Hole U1473 is located at 2.2 km Northeast of 1.5 km deep Hole 735B and at 1.4 km north of 158 m deep Hole 1105A. This provides us, for the first time, a unique opportunity to explore three dimensional lower crustal characteristics beneath the slow-spreading ridges. Phase II of the SloMo has proposed to drill 6 km through MOHO by the CHIKYU. In the meeting, we will introduce preliminary results of IODP Expedition 360 and the future perspective leading to Phase II of the SloMo, a mantle drilling into ultraslow-spreading ridges.
We present quartz and molybdenum single-shock Hugoniot data to 62 Mbar and 120 Mbar, respectively. Quartz and molybdenum are attractive standard materials for Hugoniot equation-of-state impedance-matching studies. Quartz is advantageous because a reﬂecting shock front is supported above ∼ 1 Mbar whose velocity can be tracked in situ to very high accuracy. Molybdenum’s relatively high impedance makes it a more appropriate standard for other high-impedance material studies to avoid large departures from the standard principal Hugoniot upon release or reshock into the sample. Extensive measurements already exist for both materials up to about 10 Mbar and 10 eV, but new high-energy-density facilities and techniques have extended the experimentally accessible pressure range to > 100 Mbar. The data presented here indicate which modern equation-of-state models can be reliably extended into newly-accessible experimental regimes.
The purpose of this study was to compare reactive agility of table tennis players before and after specific warm-up based on sport-specific game exercises. Twenty two table tennis players participated in our study (average age 21.8, height 178.2cm, weight 77.1kg). We used a modified Agility test for Table Tennis using the FiTRO Agility check before (pretest) and after warm-up (post-test) and compared the results. The effect of the warm-up was evident. We have proved a statistically significant improvement of reaction movement time. Reaction movement time was better by 4.87% equivalent 43.14 ms in our test (4.42% when using hands, 5.3% when using feet). Based on our findings, we recommend applying sport-specific exercises in the warm-up.
Abstract : Si-based heterojunction such as Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) offer a route to high speed devices on silicon substrates. F(max)'s in excess of 150 GHz have been reported. In this report we describe the first measurements of the effect of carbon the bandgap in defect free Si/Si(1-x-y)Ge(x)C(y) films. The bandgap was measured by both transport and photoluminescence experiments. Adding carbon to compressively strained SiGeC films grown pseudormorphically on Si(100) was found to increase the bandgap by 21-26 meV/%C. This is far less than would occur by decreasing strain by just reducing the Ge content, and shows SiGeC can substantially expand the range of applications of Si-based heterostructures.
Cambial damage as a result of longitudinal splitting of the bark of 6-year-old Pinus radiata D. Don results in the formation of minor lesions (Type 3 resin pockets) in the subsequently formed wood. The distribution of this type of lesion in 11-year-old trees of P. radiata indicates a reduction in the frequency of such defects as bark development proceeds. The origin of resin exudation on the surface of the stem is sometimes related to the presence of these defects, but usually occurs as a result of rupture of resin sacs in the bark.
The prospect of solar geoengineering in response to climate change (on the basis of its supposedly significantly lower cost and/or more rapid impact on global temperature than carbon reduction strategies) raises a number of security concerns that have traditionally been understood within a standard Geo-political framing of security. This relates to unrealistic direct application in inter-State warfare or to a securitization of climate change. However, indirect security implications are potentially significant. Current capability, security threats and international law loopholes suggest the military, rather than scientists would undertake geoengineering, and solar radiation management (SRM) in particular. SRM activity would be covered by Critical National Infrastructure policies, and as such would require a significant level of secondary security infrastructure. Concerns about termination effects, the need to impose international policy agreement 4 (given the ability of 'rogue States' to disrupt SRM and existing difficulties in producing global agreement on climate policy), and a world of extreme weather events, where weather is engineered and hence blameworthy rather than natural, suggest these costs would be large. Evidence on how blame is attributed suggest blame for extreme weather events may be directed towards more technologically advanced nations, (such as the USA) even if they are not engaged in geoengineering. From a security perspective SRM is costly, ungovernable, and raises security concerns of a sufficient magnitude to make it a non-viable policy option.
2-phenylethanol(2-PEA) is an aromatic alcohol with roses, widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Its in-situ extraction during biocatalytic synthesis process has important theoretical significance. Extraction process of 2-phenylethanol has been carried out by using two kinds of ionic liquids, namely, 1-N,N-diethylac-etamide-3-ethyl imidazole bis(trifluoromethanesolphonyl) imide([EDCmim]NTf2) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate([BMIM] PF6). Some important factors that affect extraction process, such as initial concentration, temperature, phase ratio etc. were investigated. Important results were listed as follows: extraction equilibrium can be reached in 30 minutes and rotation speed does not influence the extraction efficiency. Larger phase ratio gets higher extraction efficiencies, however, taken into account of the cost and extraction efficiency, proper phase ratio should be chosen. Higher temperature is not beneficial for the extraction process, which means that it is an exothermic one. With increasing frequency of use of ionic liquids, extraction efficiency of 2-phenylethanol is gradually decreased. This research will provide a new method for the extraction 2-PEA.
Abstract : A Clausewitzian evaluation of the three American air campaigns against North Vietnam (Rolling Thunder March 1965--October 1986; Linebacker I, May-- October 1972; and Linebacker II, December 1972) reveals that they differed significantly in their effectiveness as political instruments. Rolling Thunder contributed little towards President Lyndon Johnson's goal of an independent, stable, non-Communist South Vietnam. Limiting the air campaign's effectiveness were: Johnson's political controls on bombing, which stemmed from disparate objectives that restrained the application of military force; civilian leaders' failure to agree on the campaign's purpose; the air chiefs' persistent belief that destroying vital industries would ultimately destroy an enemy's capability and will fight; the reluctance of both civilian and military leaders to target civilians; the guerrilla nature of the Southern war prior to 1968, which produced minimal external logistical requirements for Communist forces; the inefficient military management of the air war; and the monsoons that hampered flying for six months each year. President Richard Nixon's goal in Vietnam was an American withdrawal that did not abandon the South to an imminent Communist takeover. His two Linebacker campaigns helped achieve this objective. Nixon's bombing succeeded as a political tool for a number of reasons.
Well Dongquan-2 penetrated the Quaternary,Neogene System,Cretaceous and Carboniferous formations. Borehole cave-in in the Quaternary and Neogene System formations,tight hole and sloughing of the gypsum mudstone in the upper Cretaceous formation,and lost circulation because of the presence of fractures in the Carboniferous formation were all encountered during drilling operation.Water base drilling fluid was reused because of the failure of the use of the air-foam mud in the third interval and then,to enhance the drilling rate,aφ215.9 mm drill bit was used in place of theφ311 mm drill bit.Change of the well profile made the drilling and drilling fluid operations very difficult.Using an MMH fluid in the first interval,a potassium/calcium polymer fluid in the second interval,and gas-liquid conversion drilling fluid technology in the third interval,coupled with the engineered drilling fluid rheology in different intervals,the well,having a funnel-shaped hole geometry,fromφ555 mm,φ311 mm toφ215.9 mm hole sizes,was successfully drilled,free of downhole troubles such as borehole instability,cuttings suspension,borehole instability circulation.
This paper explored an improved CTAB method to extract high-quality genomic DNA from the leaves of Ficus awkeotsang Makino,which was the application of β-SH(mercapto) ethanol and PVP,and increasing the concentration of CTAB up to 3%,and substituting chloroform-isoamylol for phenol.The research results showed that this modified method can effectively eliminate impurity and prevent DNA samples from turning brown.High-quality and high-yield genomic DNA with OD260nm/OD280nm approximate 1.8 was obtained,and it was fully suitable for SRAP analysis and restriction enzyme digestion.
Recent work done in developing new digital instruments and gestural interfaces for music has revealed a need for new theoretical models and analytical techniques. Interpreting and responding to gestural events -particularly expressive gestures for music, whose meaning is not always clearly defined -requires a completely new theoretical framework. The tradition of musical conducting, an existent gestural language for music, provides a good initial framework, because it is a system of mappings between specific gestural cues and their intended musical results. This thesis presents a preliminary attempt to develop analytical techniques for musical performance, describes how conducting gestures are constructed from the atoms and primitives of motion, and shows how such gestures can be detected and reconstructed through the use of sensing technologies and software models. It also describes the development of a unique device called the Digital Baton, which contains three different sensor systems and sends data on its position, orientation, acceleration, and surface pressure to an external tracking unit. An accompanying software system processes the gestural data and allows the Digital Baton user to "conduct" a computer-generated musical score. Numerous insights have been gained from building and testing the Digital Baton, and a preliminary theoretical framework is presented as the basis for future work in this area.
Hittite sources referring to the Kaska provide certain geographic details of their habitats and the nature of their society. Among these sources, a passage in the "Annals" of Tudhaliya (I) describes this king's hot pursuit after the "Kaska enemy into their forested mountainous territory dotted with strongholds difficult to approach" (CTH 142/KUB XXIII: 11, 12). In the" Annals" of Mursili II (CTH 61), there is a description of this king's encounter with the Kaska in the 15 year of his reign. This confrontation took place in an isolated mountainous territory apparently containing no significant settlements. In the accounts of the 16 year of his reign, in the same "Annals", Mursili provides a rather similar description, this time concerning the Pala territory. Most likely located southwest of the Kaska Land, the territory of Pala is described as "a country without defences; having no fortified towns or sites on which one could fall back at all. It is a country (rather) in its natural state. Hutupiyanza, its ruler, having no army at his disposal to protect this country, built hideouts in the mountains, and with a small number of men he recruited managed not surrender any territory of Pal a to the enemy (meaning the Kaska)" (Garstang & Gurney, The Geography, p. 30). This description suggests that the physical geography of Pala was similar to the topography of the Kaska occupied territory. Therefore, we may assume that the second millennium settlement pattern, particularly in the LBA, in these two mountainous regions could not have been very different (Yakar, MDOG 112 (1980); Ethnoarchaeology (2000), pp. 283-285). Regarding the structure of the Kaska society, the "Deeds" of Suppiluliuma provide a number of references as to its tribal nature I . Landscapes that fit such geographical descriptions north of Hatti proper exist in the central Black Sea region, from Sinop to as far as Ordu in the east. In the long conflict years with the Hittite state, the Black Sea Mountains with their dense forests no doubt offered the autonomy seeking Kaska groups, and their warriors in particular, long-term refuge from capture and destruction at the hands of Hittite troops. Despite the fact that the number of sites yielding second millennium material in the provinces of <;:ankm, Kastamonu, Sinop, Samsun, Ordu, Amasya and Tokat have increased considerably in recent years, the geographical borders of the "Kaska Land" remain unsolved due to the elusive nature of their material culture remains. On the other hand, areas that were the scenes of armed confrontations are far easier identified when identifying the possible causes of destruction with information derived from local literary sources. For instance, at Ma~at Hoytik the texts describe an aggravated conflict situation that developed in the proximity of a border area between the Hittites and the Kaska.
OBJECTIVE Glioma is the most common form of brain tumor, accounting for over 50% of all primary tumors. Despite progress in the treatment of glioma, the prognosis is still poor. In this study, we examined protein-tyrosine phosphatase H1 (PTPH1) in human gliomas.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Cell growth potential was measured by CCK-8 assay and colony formation. Cell cycle distribution was measured by flow cytometry. Transwell assay was used to detect the motility of tumor cells. Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of indicated genes. Xenograft model was established to measure the role of PTPH1 in vivo.   RESULTS The expression of PTPH1 was significantly higher in the tumor tissues as compared with that in the adjacent normal tissues. Knockdown of PTPH1 significantly slowed cell proliferation and reduced colony formation abilities in glioma cell lines U87 and U251. Additionally, knockdown of PTPH1 caused cell cycle arrest in the S-phase. Furthermore, depletion of PTPH1 in glioma U87 cells significantly limited tumor growth in a xenograft model. Interestingly, knockdown of PTPH1 also decreased cell migration abilities in both U87 and U251 cells. Accordingly, matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) was also decreased upon knockdown of PTPH1 in both cell lines. Moreover, we found that phosphorylated MEK (p-MEK) and phosphorylated MAPK (p-MAPK) were both decreased, whereas the total levels of MEK and MAPK remained unchanged after depletion of PTPH1 in both cell lines.   CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that PTPH1 may be a novel biomarker that indicates the aggressiveness of gliomas. Targeting PTPH1 might be a promising strategy for the treatment of gliomas.
It is a method for uniformly coating a possible composition having a complex viscosity (plate-plate rheometer; 25 ° C) of 0.1 Pas (100 rad) to 10 This is achieved by the use of a coating device comprising at least one element A, which forms with a further element B a gap, before the material is dammed up, and to the element B moved relatively such that a rotating mass fleet forms and the mass is fed into the gap; said method introducing the ground via a delivery device into the intake region of the gap and the application of the composition to a web-shaped carrier material in the gap or after the mass has passed through the gap comprises, and is characterized in that each exit point of the feeding device and each point at which the supplied mass comes into contact with the rotating mass liquor directly in or at a distance D from the orthogonally arranged to the longitudinal extent of the nip plane containing the longitudinal extension E of the fillable from the mass liquor collection area of the gap limited, wherein D has a maximum value D
The aim was to compare the initial pull out strengths of various interference screw devices used for tibial fixation of hamstring grafts and the effect of concentric or eccentric screw position. Quadrupled tendon grafts were harvested from freshly killed sheep. The grafts were then prepared and fixed in the distal femur using various devices (Intrafix, RCI screw, Wedge screw +/− transfix pin, screw and post) in both concentric and eccentric positions. A single load to failure test was then performed. The highest pull out strength was with the Intrafix device inserted concentrically (mean 941N). This was significantly higher than the wedge screw inserted concentrically (737N) (p=0.015). This in turn had significantly greater initial pull out strength than the wedge eccentric with post or pin (p=0.03) and the RCI screw (464N) (p=0.00036). In this sheep model the Intrafix device inserted concentrically had a significantly greater initial pull-out strength than the other interference screws tested. Concentric positioning of an interference screw gave significantly greater initial pullout strength of a quadruple hamstring graft than eccentric positioning. Addition of a cross pin or post made no difference to initial pullout strength.
The paper attempts by means of a literature review to discuss Cloning as outlined in Genesis for sex hierarchy in the feminist Domain. In positing arguments in respect of the subject matter, the researchers are aware that the topic is a controversial issue that will raise concerns from various quarters. In no way does the paper attempt to compromise the belief system of Christians or for that matter Christianity. It explores the concept as outlined in the Old Testament and links the concept to the New Testament in terms of both the theological and socio – cultural paradigm. The paper must therefore, be clearly understood without emotion from the perspectives of feminist theology. In so doing the paper makes some salient observations, in this regard using the bible as its point of reference. It therefore, further explores the mass control of people through the processes of colonialism and imperialism that was used to subjugate people in order to adhere to the tenets of Christianity. In so doing, the paper argues that Christianity was used to passively and aggressively, exploit the masses, and to drive its globalizing agenda. It also argues that the concepts of liberation and equality, in the context of feminism, are reactionary to social reform and therefore, cannot be substantiated by biblical reinterpretation. It further argues that including genesis there are other verses of gender inequality in the bible, which seems to ratify Eve’s secondary position to Adam or woman’s secondary position to men. The paper therefore explores the biological aspects of biblical patriarchy in terms of the concepts of primal socialization. The authors have no doubt that the paper through the concept of a literature review will open up sensitive issues that have not hitherto been explored. The paper uses empirical evidence based on science to articulate the views of the authors. In this sense the literature review sets out to explore and discuss this important issue from the perspective of broadening our horizons in respect of issues that have hitherto not been fully explained to the adherents of the different religions and particularly to the adherents of Christianity in terms of the equality of women. It is hoped that this paper will reach a wide audience and shed some light on an important subject matter and topic that requires further in depth exploration by researchers in general.
The crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented fiscal interventions in all affected countries, including Russia. A sharp increase in unplanned budget expenditures, in the face of a collapse of tax and export revenues, has created a threat of public finances destabilisation and debt spiral launch. The article presents expert opinions on the impact of debt growth on the economy, the threshold of debt towards GDP, and strategies that can prevent a debt crisis. Forecasts of growth in budget expenditures and public debt, as well as fiscal incentives applied in some countries are discussed.
Due to rapidly escalating semiconductor manufacturing test costs, leading consumers (chip manufacturers) are urging the ATE industry to identify new test systems and business models that can significantly lower test costs. We examine the shifting consumer needs and identify attributes of a test system that can effectively meet the requirements of the consumer. Open test systems have the potential to reduce test costs, but they also result in seismic changes in the ATE industry. We discuss the effect of these changes on consumers, incumbent ATE vendors and new entrants. We conclude that benefits of open test systems are now visible within leading ATE vendors, but an industry-wide open test system is necessary to realize meaningful cost reductions for the semiconductor chip manufacturer.
Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are critically required for multiple forms of hippocampal synaptic plasticity in vivo. The role of the receptor subtype mGluR1 in long‐term potentiation (LTP) and learning is unclear. We examined the contribution of mGluR1 to hippocampal LTP and spatial learning using the selective antagonist (S)‐(+)‐α‐amino‐4carboxy‐2‐methylbenzene‐acetic acid (LY367385). Male Wistar rats were chronically implanted with recording and stimulating electrodes to enable measurement of evoked potentials from medial perforant path–dentate gyrus granule cell synapses. An injection cannula was inserted into the ipsilateral cerebral ventricle to enable drug application. Experiments were begun 10 days after the implantation procedure. We induced a robust LTP which lasted over 25 h with a 200‐Hz tetanization. Injections of LY367385 at all concentrations under investigation (4–32 nmol in a 5‐µL injection volume) did not affect basal synaptic transmission. In contrast, we observed a dose‐dependent impairment of LTP expression: LY367385 (4 nmol) had no effect on LTP induction, whereas 8 and 16 nmol LY367385 reduced both LTP induction and expression, suggestive of an interaction with N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptors. We assessed the effects of daily LY367385 application (8 nmol) on performance in an eight‐arm radial maze. LY367385‐treated rats showed deficits in reference but not working memory performance compared with vehicle‐treated controls. Rearing, grooming and locomotor activity were unaffected by LY367385. These data suggest an important role for mGluR1 in LTP and learning and highlight the specific significance of this mGluR subtype for reference memory.
This paper describes Cobra, an object-oriented system for building information retrieval applications. By founding an architecture for IR systems on a model for document content, we believe that the design process will benefit in the same way that database design is aided by data modelling. An object-oriented database has been extended with specific support for information retrieval data structures. Together with an application framework, this allows rapid construction of advanced IR systems.    A major goal has been to ensure that information about how a query proceeded can be delivered to the user interface to ensure that the user can build up an adequate model of the system's behaviour. We have created a Java interface to Cobra which actively supports query reformulation. This has been used to provide access to a Web-based collection of historical records. The whole system is implemented and working, and early experiments are encouraging.
Nowadays, intensive development in the field of smart materials and the possibilities of their application are observed. One of the promising materials is the silicone / ethanol composite liquid-vapor phase transition of ethanol. It consists of drops of ethanol in a silicone matrix. It has the ability to achieve strain up to several hundred percent and exert significant force, while being relatively easily manufactured and inexpensive. This work presents a linear actuator based on this material, which uses induction heating to quickly provide heat necessary for the system to operate. A prototype was built in which the active material reached an elongation of over 75% when heated to 85° C. The paper presents basic information about the silicone / ethanol composite, describe the concepts of actuator design and physical basis of its operation. The results of the experimental study of the mechanical properties of the built prototype are presented.
Accurate spatial-temporal prediction is a fundamental building block of many real-world applications such as traffic scheduling and management, environment policy making, and public safety. This problem is still challenging due to nonlinear, complicated, and dynamic spatial-temporal dependencies. To address these challenges, we propose a novel embedded spatial-temporal network (ESTNet), which extracts efficient features to model the dynamic correlations and then exploits three-dimension convolution to synchronously model the spatial-temporal dependencies. Specifically, we propose multi-range graph convolution networks for extracting multi-scale static features from the fine-grained road network. Meanwhile, dynamic features are extracted from real-time traffic using a gated recurrent unit network. These features can be applied to identify the dynamic and flexible correlations among sensors and make it possible to exploit a three-dimension convolution unit (3DCon) to simultaneously model the spatial-temporal dependencies. Furthermore, we propose a residual network by stacking multiple 3DCon to capture the nonlinear and complicated dependencies. The effectiveness and superiority of ESTNet are verified on two real-world datasets, and experiments show ESTNet outperforms the state-of-the-art with a significant margin. The code and models will be publicly available.
Atomic details of nanostructures are important to materials performance for catalysis, solar energy, optoelectronics, sensing and many other fields. However, solving the three-dimensional (3D) structure of nano-scale materials at the atomic level is challenging, especially for predicting metastable, out-ofequilibrium systems. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) provides structural images of materials at atomic resolution, but a single image provides only a two-dimensional (2D) projection of the structure, and three-dimensional tomographic imaging at atomic resolution with single-atom sensitivity remains challenging. Experimentally driven structural refinement approaches typically rely on minimizing the error between forward simulation from atomic models and the experiment data. Such optimizations are difficult with limited data and rely on knowing good initial guesses for the structure. They also typically make no direct use of information about the energy of the potential structures. Purely computational techniques, such as genetic algorithms (GAs) [1], have proven to be extremely effective at predicting the ground state structures of a wide range of complex structures, including clusters, crystals, and grain boundaries. However metastable configurations are often neglected by methods designed to find the global minimum of the system energy.
Objective Mucositis is a serious disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that results from cancer chemotherapy. We investigated the effects of increasing grape seed extract doses on the severity of chemotherapy in a rat model and its coincident impact on chemotherapeutic effectiveness in colon cancer cells. Design Female Dark Agouti rats were gavaged with grape seed extract (400–1000 mg/kg) or water (day 3–11) and were injected intraperitoneally with 5-Fluorouracil (150 mg/kg) or saline (control) on day 9 to induce mucositis. Daily metabolic data were collected and rats were sacrificed on day 12. Intestinal tissues were collected for histological and myeloperoxidase analyses. Caco-2 cell viability was examined in response to grape seed extract in combination with 5-Fluorouracil by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) assay. Results Compared with 5-Fluorouracil controls, grape seed extract (400–1000 mg/kg) significantly decreased the histological damage score (P<0.05) in the jejunum. Grape seed extract (1000 mg/kg) increased jejunal crypt depth by 25% (P<0.05) in 5-Fluorouracil treated rats compared to 5-Fluorouracil controls, and attenuated the 5-Fluorouracil -induced reduction of mucosal thickness (25%, P<0.05). Grape seed extract (600 mg/kg) decreased myeloperoxidase activity by 55% (P<0.01) compared to 5-Fluorouracil controls. Grape seed extract was more effective at ameliorating 5-Fluorouracil induced intestinal injury, with effects most pronounced in the proximal jejunum. Grape seed extract (10–25 ug/mL) significantly enhanced the growth-inhibitory effects of 5-Fluorouracil by 26% (P<0.05) in Caco-2 cells and was more potent than 5-Fluorouracil at 50–100 µg/mL. Conclusion Grape seed extract may represent a new therapeutic option to decrease the symptoms of intestinal mucositis while concurrently impacting on the viability of colon cancer cells.
This issue of Circulation honors extraordinary achievements in cardiovascular disease research during the past half century and their impact on the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of cardiovascular disorders. One area of particularly noteworthy advancement has been that of hypertension, the most prevalent risk factor for diseases of the heart, brain, and kidneys and one of the most common indications for prescription medications. Because essential hypertension, defined by systolic blood pressure levels ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure levels ≥90 mm Hg, was the subject of a comprehensive 2-part review recently published in Circulation ,1 2 this article will focus on 3 frontiers of hypertension research that are undergoing particularly rapid advancement and are poised to experience further profound developments with completion of the Human Genome Project.3 These areas include new understanding of the genetic causes of hypertension, the genetic susceptibility to target-organ complications, and the pharmacogenetics of antihypertensive therapy. In each of these areas, our objectives are to review present knowledge by highlighting salient findings and to suggest where future advancements are likely to improve the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of hypertension.  Previous studies have yielded consistent and significant estimates of the genetic contribution to interindividual differences in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. For example, in a sample of 1266 individuals in 278 non-Hispanic white pedigrees, the heritability of systolic blood pressure level (that is, the proportion of interindividual variation attributable to genetic differences among individuals) was estimated to be 0.37.4 Similar values have been reported for diastolic blood pressure level.5 Contemporary genetics research has advanced from the general recognition that “genes are involved” to identifying and characterizing specific contributing genes and gene variants.  Blood pressure levels are controlled by a complex combination of processes that influence cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance. …
We present the first comprehensive study of mass wasting processes in the continental slope of a convergent margin of a subduction zone where tectonic processes are dominated by subduction erosion. We have used multibeam bathymetry along ∼1300 km of the Middle America Trench of the Central America Subduction Zone and deep‐towed side‐scan sonar data. We found abundant evidence of large‐scale slope failures that were mostly previously unmapped. The features are classified into a variety of slope failure types, creating an inventory of 147 slope failure structures. Their type distribution and abundance define a segmentation of the continental slope in six sectors. The segmentation in slope stability processes does not appear to be related to slope preconditioning due to changes in physical properties of sediment, presence/absence of gas hydrates, or apparent changes in the hydrogeological system. The segmentation appears to be better explained by changes in slope preconditioning due to variations in tectonic processes. The region is an optimal setting to study how tectonic processes related to variations in intensity of subduction erosion and changes in relief of the underthrusting plate affect mass wasting processes of the continental slope. The largest slope failures occur offshore Costa Rica. There, subducting ridges and seamounts produce failures with up to hundreds of meters high headwalls, with detachment planes that penetrate deep into the continental margin, in some cases reaching the plate boundary. Offshore northern Costa Rica a smooth oceanic seafloor underthrusts the least disturbed continental slope. Offshore Nicaragua, the ocean plate is ornamented with smaller seamounts and horst and graben topography of variable intensity. Here mass wasting structures are numerous and comparatively smaller, but when combined, they affect a large part of the margin segment. Farther north, offshore El Salvador and Guatemala the downgoing plate has no large seamounts but well‐defined horst and graben topography. Off El Salvador slope failure is least developed and mainly occurs in the uppermost continental slope at canyon walls. Off Guatemala mass wasting is abundant and possibly related to normal faulting across the slope. Collapse in the wake of subducting ocean plate topography is a likely failure trigger of slumps. Rapid oversteepening above subducting relief may trigger translational slides in the middle Nicaraguan upper Costa Rican slope. Earthquake shaking may be a trigger, but we interpret that slope failure rate is lower than recurrence time of large earthquakes in the region. Generally, our analysis indicates that the importance of mass wasting processes in the evolution of margins dominated by subduction erosion and its role in sediment dynamics may have been previously underestimated.
Completion of the new exam for membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) is now compulsory for all general practitioner registrars to attain their certificate of completion of training. The exam has three components. The first is an applied knowledge test, which is a multiple choice question exam that is done online at Pearson Vue (driving test) centres around the country. The second is a clinical skills assessment exam, which takes place at a purpose built centre in Croydon. This involves a simulated surgery of 10-minute appointments where you are examined on 13 cases, with 12 being real and one pilot. The final component is a workplace based assessment, which entails completing an e-portfolio which is filled in online …
This article contributes to conversations concerning art education futures through engaging alternative relations between art, education, and democracy that mobilize education as art projects associated with the pedagogical turn as sites of liminality and paradox. An analysis of the art project, Pedagogical Factory, is used to outline connections and disconnections between contemporary artistic practices, antagonism, current neoliberal logics in education, and art education pedagogies. Educational art projects reveal core contradictions and exclusions within the constellation of education, art, and politics that should be a central concern for those currently engaged in art education.
4 e clinial fea of carpal tunna syndrome.are well known, f and hbive been fully described by many authors. Physical signs arefew, and the diagnosis rests ninly on the charactaistic bistory. Weaknss of the abdudtor pollis (Garland, Sumner, iahdClark, 1963), thenatrophy, and impaired sensation ¢(P aet 1966.; Cs,*, Thomas, Lambert, Lovt, and Lipscombe, 1966) are the usual physical signs. These are prt in only. about half the cases seen. The following case'is of interest.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in proximity to major hepatic vasculature poses a risk for invasion, which would contraindicate liver transplantation, yet, is difficult to treat with thermal ablation. This study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of irreversible electroporation (IRE) as a bridge to transplantation for high-risk tumors. All patients with HCC in proximity to major hepatic vasculature treated with laparoscopic IRE as bridge to transplantation were studied. Patient and tumor characteristics, length of stay, and treatment-related complications were recorded. Tumor response was assessed with CT and explant pathology. Five patients with a median Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) of 13 (7–21) underwent IRE. The median tumor size was 2.7 cm (1.5–3.7 cm). Adjacent structures included the right portal vein, hepatic veins/inferior vena cava (IVC) and left portal vein. Length of stay was one day for all patients. One patient suffered portal vein thrombosis. The transplant occurred at a median of 142 days (47–264) after IRE. Pathologic necrosis ranged from 30 to 100 per cent, without any vascular invasion. Four patients remain alive with no evidence of disease with median follow-up of 403 (227–623) days. The remaining patients died because of transplant-related complications onpost IRE day 297. IRE shows promise as a bridge to liver transplant for high risk HCC in a preliminary series, justifying further prospective evaluation.
Combining case-level data on all consumer bankruptcies in the last decade with changes in states’ homestead exemptions, we estimate how exemptions affect the number and composition of bankruptcy filers. Exemption increases are followed by immediate and persistent rises in Chapter 7 filings by debtors with home equity. The new filers have more home equity but similar nonhousing wealth and lower incomes than the average filer with home equity. Thus, raising exemptions draws wealthier but lower-income households into bankruptcy. Moreover, most of the new filers report home equity that became fully protected only after the exemption increase. This result is consistent with debtors refusing to file with any nonexempt home equity for fear that they will lose their homes in bankruptcy. Finally, we investigate the extent to which debtors manipulate their reported home values to appear fully exempt and discuss how this affects the interpretation of our results.
Contamination can be very difficult to remove from water. Once this water seeps into the ground, the difficulty grows exponentially. The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, located in Paducah, Kentucky, has contaminated the groundwater. The contaminants that pose an environmental threat are Trichloroethylene and Technetium-99. Trichloroethylene is used as a degreasing solvent, while Technetium-99 is a by-product of enriching uranium. This study involves investigating potential sources of Trichloroethylene and Technetium-99. The potential sources are two landfills, the C-746-S landfill and the C-746T landfill. Data from monitoring wells located around the two landfills were analyzed to determine if the two landfills are sources of contamination. Data from leachate reports were compared to monitoring well data to investigate the possibility of leakage from the landfill containing Trichloroethylene or Technetium-99.
In recent years, with the continuous improvement of people’s material life, the restaurant industry has increasingly become an indispensable part of people’s lives and an important symbol of people’s enrichment and improvement of life. No matter in a friend’s dinner or a colleague’s gathering, food has become a very significant part. It not only brings people enjoyment of various flavors, but also can narrow the distance between people. Located in the southwest plains, Chengdu, with the reputation of “Land of Abundance”, is an excellent place for the development of catering industry. It is not only because of the high level of commercial development in Chengdu but also the people living there enjoy their lives and are keen on food. However, there are also some undesirable problems arising with the prosperity of the catering industry in Chengdu, which will disrupt market order and good environment. Based on this, this paper mainly elaborates the current development of the catering industry in Chengdu, and correspondingly puts forward some perfecting measures for specific problems.
Sparse representation (SR)-based models have shown to be a powerful category of frameworks for hyperspectral image classification (HSIC). However, current residual-driven methods mainly focus on the sparsity of the coefficient, which is generally used in conjunction with the dictionary. In fact, the discriminant information hidden behind the value of sparse coefficient is not fully exploited. In this letter, we analyze the SR-based framework from the perspective of sparse coefficient, develop the participation degree (PD)-driven decision mechanism, and establish a concise model called constraint representation (CR). Based on CR, an improved version called adjacent CR (ACR) is further proposed, with consideration of spatial coherence via adjacent constraint. Experimental results using two real hyperspectral datasets verify the improvements of the proposed methods over the other related models and their spatial variants.
For the multi-function cathodic protection test probe, the structure and relative displacement between coupons is always a crucial problem. In this paper, the effect of the polarized coupon on the potential of the corrosion coupon and stray current interference were studied when coupons were set in two different arrangements. The results showed that, the smaller the area of the polarized coupon was relative to the corrosion coupon or the larger the space between coupons was, the stronger the performance of anti-interference of test probe by itself or the stray current was when in parallel arrangement, and it was reasonable that the area of the coupon from pipeline with coating of good quality was 1cm²; when in concentric arrangement, the geometric center of the coupon had the best performance of anti-interference. Thus, with regard to pipeline with coating of poor quality but requiring coupons of larger area to simulate the holiday, the polarized coupon and the corrosion coupon could be made as circular ring type and be arranged concentrically and horizontally in the bottom of the probe of which the center was the reference electrode.
This chapter shows how delta???sigma converters can be used to digitize narrowband signals containing frequencies that are an appreciable fraction of the sampling rate. In the superheterodyne architecture, the incoming radio???frequency (RF) signal is repeatedly filtered, amplified, and downconverted before being digitized and sent to a digital signal processor (DSP). This architecture is able to achieve a high degree of selectivity without using high???Q filters since filtering is applied repeatedly at progressively lower frequencies. The primary barrier to using a bandpass analog to digital converters (ADC) as a receiver is the converter's center???frequency range. Both forms of interleaving are sensitive to mismatch, but the resulting impairments are qualitatively different. In a time???interleaved ADC mismatch causes spurs and noise, whereas in a frequency???interleaved ADC, mismatch is either benign if the bands are not stitched together, or merely results in a non???flat frequency response. Bandpass modulators possess the same architectural variety as lowpass modulators, and the trade???offs between the different structures are also essentially the same. The chapter suggests that bandpass modulators can be implemented in single???loop or cascade form, with a similar trade???off between improved stability and increased sensitivity to analog nonidealities such as coefficient errors and finite opamp gain.
In this article, we propose a novel tensor learning and coding model for third-order data completion. The aim of our model is to learn a data-adaptive dictionary from given observations and determine the coding coefficients of third-order tensor tubes. In the completion process, we minimize the low-rankness of each tensor slice containing the coding coefficients. By comparison with the traditional predefined transform basis, the advantages of the proposed model are that: 1) the dictionary can be learned based on the given data observations so that the basis can be more adaptively and accurately constructed and 2) the low-rankness of the coding coefficients can allow the linear combination of dictionary features more effectively. Also we develop a multiblock proximal alternating minimization algorithm for solving such tensor learning and coding model and show that the sequence generated by the algorithm can globally converge to a critical point. Extensive experimental results for real datasets such as videos, hyperspectral images, and traffic data are reported to demonstrate these advantages and show that the performance of the proposed tensor learning and coding method is significantly better than the other tensor completion methods in terms of several evaluation metrics.
An extensive study was conducted from March 2007 to February 2012 on hatching success of saltwater crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus ) in the Reptiles Farm Ltd. (RFL) located at Hatiber village of Uthura union under Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh. The study was mainly based on direct field observation and some previous data collected by farm’s technicians. A special type of incubator having 98-100% moisture and 31-33 0 C temperature was maintained to improve the hatching success. Yearly hatching success in captivity was 95.8%, 95.15%, 97.44%, 96.03% and 94.53% in 2007 through 2011, respectively. The average rate of hatching success in RFL was 95.8 ± 1.09%. Hundred percent hatching success was found in 29 out of 56 clutches. Clutch size varied from 19 to 68 eggs. Unhatched eggs were 4.19%, of which most of the embryos died before hatching. The average time required for incubation was 79 ± 3, 79.5 ± 4.5, 80 ± 4, 80.5 ± 4.5 and 78.5 ± 3.5 days in the above mentioned period. Compared to the wild habitat, captive environment in controlled weather and predation might improve hatching rates. This study suggests that conservation of this endangered species is possible by captive breeding and reintroduction program. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/ujzru.v31i0.15398 Univ. j. zool. Rajshahi Univ. Vol. 31, 2012 pp. 35-38
Egg.—Flattened-globular or button-shaped, sometimes with an impressed spot in the centre of the upper side ; upper part grooved, grooves narrow, interspaces roughened ; milky white ; transverse diameter about ½ m. m. Larva.—First stage : Body deep green, two dorsal, a subdorsal and stigmatal white line, the latter the most distinct ; piliferous spots green, usually tipped with black, each bearing a short black hair; venter deep green, unmarked; head pale green. Provided with only 12 legs.
Silent slip events get shallow Clues to help better predict the likelihood of devastating earthquakes and tsunamis may be embedded in a more gentle type of rumbling. Using oceanbottom seismometers, Yamashita et al. report rare observations of migrating tremors in the shallow part of a subduction zone off southern Kyushu, Japan. The tremors appear to be linked to a very low-frequency earthquake and seem to migrate to the region where big earthquakes are generated. The tremors may be tracing how and where stress gets concentrated onto the earthquake-producing portion of the fault. Science, this issue p. 676 Earthquake and tsunami hazard forecasts may benefit from shallow observations of seismic tremor migration in subduction zones. Detection of shallow slow earthquakes offers insight into the near-trench part of the subduction interface, an important region in the development of great earthquake ruptures and tsunami generation. Ocean-bottom monitoring of offshore seismicity off southern Kyushu, Japan, recorded a complete episode of low-frequency tremor, lasting for 1 month, that was associated with very-low-frequency earthquake (VLFE) activity in the shallow plate interface. The shallow tremor episode exhibited two migration modes reminiscent of deep tremor down-dip of the seismogenic zone in some other subduction zones: a large-scale slower propagation mode and a rapid reversal mode. These similarities in migration properties and the association with VLFEs strongly suggest that both the shallow and deep tremor and VLFE may be triggered by the migration of episodic slow slip events.
This article makes a chronological tour of the main city-making models, from classic to current times, to arrive at the conclusion that citizen participation in decision-making processes on urban projects has ended up conditioning the current working models of the territory, particularly in terms of urban production. Despite the inconsistency between what the broad body of knowledge on cities (Lexis) establishes for the development of citizenship and the often defended and cited citizen rights, and the practice (praxis) of participation, we find that processes that are promoted as being inclusive and with a collective work approach end up becoming, either through omission, lack of knowledge, inexperience or despotism, models that conceal hierarchical power structures and that deny urban equity and justice in public space projects.
This article examines the SDGs agenda, that is Indonesia committed to harmonize all aspects of doing business with the SDGs purposes. Bank as one of the funding sources for large companies, had an impact from this agenda into a loan mechanism. The SDGs agenda also brought the changes in a several banking services. By giving a credit to a potential customer, banks are concerning to the priority industries (industries of energy, agriculture, infrastructure and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Those industries are the main targets of sustainable economic development in Indonesia. The Financing that conducted by Bank has to integrate all the aspects of environmental protection, social and risk management in order to avoid, prevent and minimize the negative impacts that will influence bank activities. The bank also concerns to develop their services due to realize the SDGs Agenda. This Article attempts to answer the legal problems of how the banks to participate in managing Environmental Recovery Guarantee Funds in order to realize the SDGs and how The Environmental Recovery Guarantee Funds used as a preventive phase as already mandated by UU PPLH. Keywords-The Environmental Economic Instruments, Banking participation, Sustainable
BACKGROUND To explore the genomic features of bone-only metastasis (bmPCa), hepatic metastasis (hmPCa) and pulmonary metastasis without liver involvement (pmPCa) in prostate cancer (PCa) using targeted next-generation sequencing.   METHODS A hybridization capture-based next-generation sequencing was performed to detected genomic alterations in 50 genes, including androgen receptor (AR), DNA damage response (DDR) and other clinical relevant drivers.   RESULTS We successfully sequenced ctDNA from 109 blood samples and 29 metastatic tissue samples from 129 metastatic castration-resistant PCa(mCRPC). We observed distinct genomic profiles of mCRPC across various metastatic sites. High prevalence of PTEN alteration was found in viscerally-metastatic PCa compared with bmPCa(PTEN, 9.09% vs. 2.08%, p=0.105). When comparing viscerally-metastatic PCa according to the metastatic sites, AR alteration rarely occurs in pmPCa, which stood in great contrast to the high alteration frequency in hmPCa (0.0% vs. 42.1%, p=0.01). For overall DDR alteration, the highest frequency was found in hmPCa (63.2%).   CONCLUSIONS Through genomic profiling of PCa across various metastatic sites, we identified an extremely low frequency of AR alterations in pmPCa, high prevalence of DDR pathway deficiency in hmPCa and high PTEN alteration rates in vmPCa. We discovered the genomic diversity among bmPCa, hmPCa and pmPCa. Our findings shed new light on the heterogenous prognosis in visceral metastases and hint potential therapeutic targets in both hmPCa and pmPCa.
In earlier work we proposed a method for the automatic determination of the structure of an enterprise for simulation purposes. The method is based on measuring the information flows in an enterprise through an information flow inventory. In this paper we present an evaluation of the experience gained in making such inventories as part of the ongoing consulting activities of the authors. The data collection for the information flow inventory poses some challenging measurement problems. Alternative solution approaches were tested and the results are discussed here. We formulate the problem of enterprise simulation and optimisation in a cybernetic and system theoretic framework so that the experience can be generalised and related to the body of knowledge about human technological systems.
IN the early nineteenth century visits by German philosophers and theologians to Britain were rare, rarer still when the visitor was of Friedrich Schleiermacher's distinction. However, Schleiermacher spent three weeks in London in September 1828, and the occasion provides a fascinating sidelight on this period of English Church history. It was his first and last visit: though Schleiermacher had learned English early in life, and translated two volumes of sermons and written various articles for the Athenaeum, he had felt no urge to cross the Channel before. The reasons now were political rather than religious. He lodged in London with his wife's cousin, Ludwig von Miihlenfels, a writer and critic who had been arrested for ‘demagogic’ activities in Germany and had subsequently escaped and settled in England. From this point of view the visit was a success; Schleiermacher appears to have reinstated von Mühlenfels in the eyes of the Prussian authorities since he was allowed to return home in 1830.
Past hurricane events have negatively affected the current diversity and composition of canopy dependent plant communities, researchers report. Using advanced climbing techniques, the team studied the distribution and composition of mechanically dependent plants (e.g. epiphytes, climbers etc.) on +45 m tall forest canopy trees in Honduras, and found that their diversity was significantly decreased on sites that had been more impacted by hurricanes. It was also found that the degree of their response varied at different scales (i.e. the plot, tree and branch level). These results are of great importance to understand the imminent and past impacts of hurricane storms on canopy communities in hurricane prone regions.
This paper is devoted to the development of a project-based approach to ensuring the competitiveness of a region’s tourism-recreation complex. The authors establish that a crucial factor is the efficiency of projects that have been implemented in regions already. It is proven that an indicator of the level of institutionalization of the public administration mechanism is the efficiency of mechanisms underlying the achievement of a balance of interests among all parties involved, which requires well-planned work on identifying the interests, coordinating those interests, and getting the partners involved in the process of implementation of the tourism project. The authors establish that currently work is being carried out in terms of putting in place mechanisms for public and private partnership, social services procurement, and social responsibility in the tourism sector. At the same time, institutionalizing the dialogue among entities associated with the mechanism for public administration of the development of a region’s tourism destination requires putting in place relevant infrastructure. The authors establish that developing a scientifically substantiated mechanism for public administration of the development of a region’s tourism destination requires analysis of the potential for developing regional destinations and factors for ensuring their competitiveness.
Results are presented on electron transport in a wide-quantum-well dual-channel velocity modulation transistor, where both front and back gates modulate the resistance through variation of the mobility, whilst maintaining a constant carrier concentration. A mobility modulation ratio of over 100 is achieved at a carrier concentration of 2*1011 cm-2 by transferring electrons between the two conducting channels which are 100 nm apart. Mobility modulation due to deformation of the wavefunctions is also observed when one of the channels is fully depleted.
It is demonstrated that red blood cells may be separated from other blood components using a high gradient magnetic separator. The (SI) magnetic susceptibility of red blood cells is estimated to be 3.88×10-6when the haemoglobin is in the completely deoxygenated state. The magnetic separation effects have been studied using a filter of circular stainless steel wire with flow rates between 10-4ms-1and 6×10-4ms-1and magnetic fields in the range 0.6 to 2.4 T. The results indicate that the filter quickly saturates and the variation of filter performance with field and flowrate is discussed in terms of the force balance and the particle trajectory model. Scanning electron microscopy and free haemoglobin tests on the filtered red blood cells show no evidence of serious damage or cell rupture.
Summary The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the pandemic on the performance of stock markets, focusing on the behavioral influence of the fear due to COVID‐19. Using a data set of 10 developed countries during the period December 31, 2019, to September 30, 2020, we examine the impact of COVID‐19 on the performance of the stock markets. We incorporate the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic using the following variables: (a) the number of new COVID‐19 cases, which was widely used as the main explanatory variable for market performance in early financial studies, and (b) a Google Search index, which collects the number of Google searches related to COVID‐19 and incorporates the health risk and the fear of COVID‐19 (the higher the number of searches for Covid terms, the higher the index value, and the higher the fear index). We employ our input into an EGARCH(1,1,1) model, and the findings show that the Google Search index enables us to draw statistically significant information regarding the impact of the COVID‐19 fear on the performance of the stock markets. On the other hand, the variable of the number of new COVID‐19 cases does not have any statistically significant influence on the performance of the stock markets. Google searches could be a useful tool for supporters of behavioral finance, scholars, and practitioners.
Given the complex structure and long failure time of the flight automation control system, which affect the aircraft's operational efficiency, a fault diagnosis scheme with a one-class support vector machine(OCSVM) optimized by an ant colony optimization(ACO) is proposed. Firstly, this paper analyses the fault characteristics of flight automation systems and constructs a noise filter. Then, a residual decision algorithm based on an improved support vector machine is proposed to judge the residuals in the case of complex flight control system output coupling. Third, experimental simulation results show that the decision algorithm takes about 0.5s for fault detection at a sampling time of 0.1s, significantly reducing fault detection time and an effective fault detection rate of greater than 90%.
This paper presents results of geophysical survey at Zincirli Hoyuk, a 40-hectare site in southern Turkey dating to the early first millennium bc. The site’s lower town offers ideal circumstances for magnetic gradiometry, and survey results from this area, combined with the results of excavations from the 1890s on the central high citadel, now reveal a nearly complete plan of the ancient city. The results therefore present a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between the production of urban space and the social and historical forces that drove it. Our evidence from Zincirli strongly suggests a pattern of distributed authority in creating the built environment of the city, whereby the king and his administrators planned and constructed the circular walls, streets, and citadel, but according to which individual elite households were probably left to plan and build their own residential compounds. The spatial relationships of these features raise important questions regarding social organization at Iron Age Zincirli. The results also offer a model for understanding the unique spatiality of new cities that were founded throughout Syria and Anatolia during the early first millennium and highlight the relationship of Zincirli to these and other planned cities of the ancient Near East.
We demonstrate clock recovery with ultralow timing jitter by using a novel self-starting optoelectronic oscillator that is based on an electroabsorption modulator in a fiber extended cavity. The oscillator simultaneously generates a 10-GHz-rate microwave signal and a train of 15-ps optical pulses with /spl sim/40-fs timing jitter in the 100-Hz to 1-MHz range. Under direct optical-injection locking of the oscillator, we demonstrate simultaneous error-free extraction of both the electrical and the optical clocks of 10-GHz rate from either a single-channel 10-Gb/s return-to-zero data stream or a four-channel 40-Gb/s optical time-division-multiplexed data stream.
Radio frequency (RF) breakdown can result in pulse shortening and severely limits the performance of the relativistic backward wave oscillator (RBWO). In this study, segmented slow-wave structure (SWS) rings, which can be observed directly using a scanning electron microscope without any post-processing, are used to study the breakdown in a RBWO. After undergoing high-power microwave experiments, the working surface of the SWS rings was found to exhibit corrugated morphologies at the sub-mm to mm scale, and a large number of craters in the vicinity of the corrugated morphologies and a mass of scattered droplets were visible on the surface. It was deduced that the unusual morphologies resulted from electron bombardment of the working surface. The observed structures and droplets provide new evidence that helps to explain the mechanism for RF breakdown in the RBWO.
Exciton-polariton condensates under driven-dissipative conditions are predicted to belong to the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) universality class, the dynamics of the condensate phase at long distance satisfying the same equation as for classical stochastic interface growth. We show that by engineering an external confinement for one-dimensional polaritons we can access two different universality sub-classes, which are associated to the flat or curved geometry for the interface. Our results for the condensate phase distribution and correlations match with great accuracy with the exact theoretical results for KPZ: the Tracy-Widom distributions (GOE and GUE) for the one-point statistics, and covariance of Airy processes (Airy1 and Airy2) for the two-point statistics. This study promotes the exciton-polariton system as a compelling platform to investigate KPZ universal properties.
The field of biomarker discovery is rapidly expanding. The introduction of ultrasensitive immunoassays and the growing precision of genetic technologies are poised to revolutionise the assessment and monitoring of many diseases. Given the difficulties in imaging and tissue diagnosis, there is mounting interest in serum and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of peripheral neuropathy. Realised and potential fluid biomarkers of peripheral nerve disease include neuronal biomarkers of axonal degeneration, glial biomarkers for peripheral demyelinating disorders, immunopathogenic biomarkers (such as the presence and titre of antibodies or the levels of cytokines) and genetic biomarkers. Several are already starting to inform clinical practice, whereas others remain under evaluation as potential indicators of disease activity and treatment response. As more biomarkers become available for clinical use, it has become increasingly difficult for clinicians and researchers to keep up-to-date with the most recent discovery and interpretation. In this review, we aim to inform practising neurologists, neuroscientists and other clinicians about recent advances in fluid biomarker technology, with a focus on single molecule arrays (Simoa), chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassays (CLEIA), electrochemiluminescence (ECL), proximity extension assays (PEA), and microfluidic technology. We discuss established and emerging fluid biomarkers of peripheral neuropathy, their clinical applications, limitations and potential future developments.
Aims Despite knowing that cancer and cancer treatment can cause pain there is limited knowledge of how older people experience cancer pain and how this affects their daily lives. Here presented are some methodological insights and early findings from a PhD study that aims to consider how older people construct the experience of cancer pain and how this is informed by expectations and experiences. Method A qualitative diary-interview study was conducted with purposively selected older people who had been diagnosed with cancer and were in receipt of specialist palliative care. A two week page-a-day diary informed a subsequent interview to ensure holistic and person focused data about experience. Findings Older people are willing participants but tend to adopt a stoic role when living with cancer pain. Preliminary results show that older people are reluctant to self identify as living with worsening cancer pain and unwilling to express and discuss their pain as a problem, rather something to adapt and live with. Carers and or health care professionals may reinforce vulnerable and stoic stereotypes through gate keeping with associated stances of protection and advocacy. The participants appeared to be satisfied with the care provision for symptom management. However, the convention of stoic ageing is knowingly maintained with occasional glimpses of vulnerability. This image contrasts with the presented and perceived representation of older people with cancer as vulnerable. Conclusions Representation of the voice of older people through a diary may help the individual to present their experience more effectively to a third party. Awareness of older people's experience of cancer pain, through diary use and shared experiences, may give health care providers a greater understanding of the older persons support needs.
Objective To compare the hemostatic efficacies and exothermic reactions between mesoporous and microporous materials with similar components but different specific surface areas and pore sizes,so as to lay a foundation for developing new first-aid hemostat with mesoporous materials.Methods Totally 15male pigs were made into femoral artery fatal hemorrhage models and were randomly divided into three average groups(group A,group B and group C).Their hemostatic efficacies and exothermic reactions on the tissues were compared between the three groups(group A was treated with hemostatic mesoporous material HW,group B with microporous material ZSM-5,and group C with standard gauze as control).Results The hemostatic time periods of group A and B were(49.50±3.27)s and(59.50±2.42)s,respectively(P0.05);standard gauze in group C had failed hemostatic effect.The highest local temperature rose to(42.0±1.58)℃in group A,(46.4±1.14)℃in group B,and(36.8±0.84)℃in group C,with significant difference found between different groups(P0.05).Histological test showed that the tissue damage caused by exothermic reaction of mesoporous material HW was slighter than that of microporous material ZSM-5.Conclusion Compared to mesoporous material HW,the microporous material ZSM-5has more rapid hemostatic efficacies and slighter exothermic reaction,and ZSM-5is a promising carrier for next generation first-aid hemostatic study.
BACKGROUND Peripheral limb vascular diseases form one of the most common diseases that affect the middle-aged and the elderly. Duplex ultrasound has revolutionized medicare and is an important modality for investigating them. Unfortunately, this modality is still not popular in our environment and in Calabar was used for the 1st time 4 years ago. This work is, therefore, to report our findings and hopefully increase the awareness of its benefits thereby improving and hastening the diagnosis of vascular pathologies in our environment.   METHODS A prospective study that took place in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar between March 2011 and August 2014. The study included patients with pain, swelling, ulceration, as well as outright gangrene of the upper or lower limbs. Others were stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients, and patients with renal grafts. The scans were carried out in Radiology Department using a digital color Doppler ultrasound.   RESULTS Seventy-six patients were scanned during this period. They were more males (67%) than females (33%). The indications were mainly leg swelling and pain 25 (33%), stroke/TIA 10 (13%), and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) 10 (13%) The most common scan done was peripheral limb Doppler, 49 (64.5%).The majority of the scans showed no abnormality followed by chronic venous insufficiency 13 (17.1%) and lower limb arteriosclerosis 7 (9.2%) which was noted to be common among diabetics and hypertensive. DVT was another common finding and 4 out of 10 patients in whom DVT was suspected clinically showed sonographic evidence of the condition.   CONCLUSION Duplex ultrasound has been shown to diagnose varied vascular pathologies even in a locale where it is a relatively new technique. It is recommended that timely referrals be made, and mobile Doppler units be acquired to save more lives and limbs in the developing world.
Background Some hospital Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems support interprofessional communication. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of pharmacist-physician messages sent via a CPOE system. Method Data from the year 2012 were captured from a large university teaching hospital CPOE database on: 1) review messages assigned by pharmacists; 2) details of the prescription on which the messages were assigned; and 3) details of any changes made to the prescription following a review message being assigned. Data were coded for temporal, message and prescription factors. Messages were analysed to investigate: 1) whether they were signed-off; and 2) the time taken. Messages that requested a measurable action were further analysed to investigate: 1) whether they were actioned as requested; and 2) the time taken. We conducted a multivariable analysis using Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) to account for the effects of multiple factors simultaneously, and to adjust for any potential correlation between outcomes for repeated review messages on the same prescription. All analyses were performed using SPSS 22 (IBM SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), with p<0.05 considered significant. Results Pharmacists assigned 36,245 review messages to prescriptions over the 12 months, 34,506 of which were coded for analysis after exclusions. Nearly half of messages (46.6%) were signed-off and 65.5% of these were signed-off in ≤ 48 hours. Of the 9,991 further analysed for action, 35.8% led to an action as requested by the pharmacist and just over half of these (57.0%) were actioned in ≤ 24 hours. Factors predictive of an action were the time since the prescription was generated (p<0.001), pharmacist grade (p<0.001), presence of a high-risk medicine (p<0.001), messages relating to reconciliation (p = 0.004), theme of communication (p<0.001), speciality, (p<0.001), category of medicine (p<0.001), and regularity of the prescription (p<0.001). Conclusion In this study we observed a lower rate of sign-off and action than we might have expected, suggesting uni-directional communication via the CPOE system may not be optimal. An established pharmacist-physician collaborative working relationship is likely to influence the prioritisation and response to messages, since a more desirable outcome was observed in settings and with grades of pharmacists where this was more likely. Designing systems that can facilitate collaborative communication may be more effective in practice.
Abstract A physically based is provided for the description of the lateral internal forces in a vertical cantilevered pipe conveying an incompressible fluid. This is a basic ingredient for the study of the bending oscillations of the pipe. When there is a nozzle at the free end of the pipe, the additional contraction of the downstream jet is taken into account. A concentrated force applied force applied to the pipe end and to the downstream jet is also considered. A comparison is presented with previously known models used in the literature. Finally, a flutter analysis is undertaken to demonstrate the effect of internal pressure and nozzle discharge, and the results are compared to experimental and previous theory.
Blind intersections have high accident rates due to the poor visibility of oncoming traffic, high traffic speeds, and lack of infrastructure (e.g., stoplights). These intersections are more commonplace in rural areas, where traffic infrastructure is less developed. The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) aims to address such safety concerns through a network of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) that intercommunicate. This paper proposes a Road-Side Unit-based Virtual Intersection Management (RSU-VIM) over 802.11p system consisting of a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) lightweight RSU that is solar power-based and tailored to rural areas. The RSU utilizes the proposed RSU-VIM algorithm adapted from existing virtual traffic light methodologies to communicate with vehicles over IEEE 802.11p and facilitate intersection traffic, minimizing visibility issues. The implementation of the proposed system has a simulated cloud delay of 0.0841 s and an overall system delay of 0.4067 s with 98.611% reliability.
We studied the dephosphorylation of Ins(1,4,5)P3 (inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate) by permeabilized rat intestinal epithelial cells incubated in a medium resembling intracellular ionic strength and pH. Saponin-permeabilized cells rapidly dephosphorylated Ins(1,4,5)P3 to a mixture of three InsP2 (inositol bisphosphate) isomers, namely Ins(1,4)P2, Ins(1,5)P2 and Ins(4,5)P2. These products were identified by h.p.l.c. analysis after dephosphorylation of both 3H- and 32P-labelled Ins(1,4,5)P3. Ins(1,4)P2 accumulated to about half of the concentration attained by Ins(1,5)P2 and Ins(4,5)P2. Ins(1,4,5)P3 dephosphorylation was inhibited, by up to 75%, by 10 mM-glucose 6-phosphate. In these conditions Ins(1,4)P2 became the predominant product, indicating that glucose 6-phosphate inhibited non-specific dephosphorylation of Ins(1,4,5)P3, at least at the 1- and 4-phosphate groups. Ins(1,4)P2 was further dephosphorylated, and the major InsP (inositol monophosphate) product was Ins4P. Most of the glucose 6-phosphate-inhibitable Ins(1,4,5)P3 phosphatase activity was exposed on the cell surface. The glucose 6-phosphate-insensitive Ins(1,4,5)P3 5-phosphatase activity was not detected until the cells were permeabilized with saponin. This intracellular 5-phosphatase activity was: (i) predominantly associated with the particulate portion of the cell; (ii) strongly inhibited by 10 mM-2,3-bisphosphoglycerate; (iii) insensitive to 50 mM-Li+. Therefore the Ins(1,4,5)P3 5-phosphatase activity in enterocytes appears similar to the 5-phosphatase that has been characterized in a number of cell types.
Background: Pre- and intraoperative visualization of cancer cells using monoclonal antibody-based multimodal tracers can demarcate tumor margins in breast-conserving surgery. We focused on trastuzumab (Tmab) to develop a tracer for HER2-positive breast cancer by conjugation with a fluorescent dye. However, whether Tmab can be used as an imaging tracer for patients who receive Tmab as neoadjuvant therapy (NAD) is unclear, because tumor-cell HER2 could be bound by NAD Tmab at the time of surgery. This study evaluated immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and in vitro experiments with Tmab and pertuzumab (Pmab) as primary antibodies to find a suitable tracer. Pmab has a different antigen epitope than Tmab. Methods: We included 43 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, who were treated between 2010 and 2016. The NAD cohort (n=10, with 26 lesions) received chemotherapy and Tmab before surgery. The Tmab-naive cohort (n=33, with 95 lesions) did not receive chemotherapy or Tmab before surgery. We excluded NAD patients with pathological complete responses. We evaluated the lesions, using IHC with Tmab and Pmab. We also performed flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopic analysis (FMA) using Tmab and Pmab conjugated with a fluorescent agent for the HER2-negative MCF7 and HER2-positive HCC1954 cell lines, which were pre-treated with Tmab to model NAD conditions. Results: IHC with anti-HER2 antibody showed positive staining in all patients. Tmab staining was less intense, but positive Tmab IHC reactions were detected on tumor cell membranes in 77.8% of lesions in the naive cohort and 70.8% in the NAD cohort. Pmab staining was seen in 46.3% of naive cohort lesions and 22.2% of NAD lesions. Notably, we observed cytoplasmic staining in 87.8% of Pmab-negative cases in the NAD cohort. Flow cytometry showed less Tmab binding than Pmab binding in HCC1954 cells. After 24 hours9 pretreatment incubation with Tmab, FMA showed a clear decrease in Tmab binding from 73.3% (without pretreatment) to 5.7%(after pretreatment), and a smaller decrease in Pmab binding from 72.7% (without pretreatment) to 66.4% (after pretreatment) in HCC1954 cells. Conclusions:Pmab might be a suitable tracer for image-guided surgery after NAD, but identifying a suitable tracer for HER2-positive breast cancer will require further study. Citation Format: Otsubo R, Kuppen PJ, Bhairosingh S, Vahrmeijer AL, Smit VT, Nagayasu T, van de Velde CJ, Sier CF. Immunohistochemical staining and in vitro analysis of HER2-positive breast cancer using trastuzumab and pertuzumab to develop an appropriate tracer in image-guided surgery [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-01-01.
The Heliospheric Imager (HI) is part of the SECCHI suite of instruments on-board the two STEREO spacecrafts to be launched in 2006. Located on two different orbits, the two HI instruments will provide stereographic images of solar coronal plasma and coronal mass ejections (CME) over a wide field of view (~90°), ranging from 13 to 330 solar radii (R0). These observations complete the 15 R0 field of view of the solar corona obtained with the other SECCHI instruments (2 coronagraphs and an EUV imager). The HI instrument is a combination of 2 refractive optical systems with 2 different multi-vanes baffle system. The key challenge of the instrument design is the rejection of the solar disk light, with total straylight attenuation of the order of 10-13 to 10-15. The optics and baffles have been specifically designed to reach the required rejection. This paper presents the SECCHI/HI opto-mechanical design, with the achieved performances. A test program has been run on one flight unit, including vacuum straylight verification test, thermo-optical performance test and co-alignment test. The results are presented and compared with the initial specifications.
The binding of beryllium by bovine serum albumin was investigated, at three temperatures, in the pH region 5 and below', where beryllium salts are soluble and dialyzable. Reversible association was studied by the method of equilibrium dialysis in solutions containing nitrate ion at an ionic strength of 0.15. The amount of binding increased with increasing pH and temperature. The constancy of the intrinsic association constant (K = 36.2) and the variation of n, the number of binding sites, suggest that environmental conditions modfy the structure of the protein so that a varying number of a single class of binding sites become available for reaction. Considerations of the effect of pH and temperatare on beryllium ion hydrolysis and albumin structure support this interpretation. Esterified serum albumin exhibited no beryllium binding, which is evidence for the carboxyls as the reacting groups. The results of potentiometric titrations agreed with those obtained from equilibrium dialysis. Albumin denatured by dodecyl sulfate showed greatly increased beryllium binding, which was attributed to the electrostatic effect of the bound anion. The cooperative behavior of the beryllium binding was ascribed to the structural effects induced by dodecyl sulfate bound to albumin. Although the beryllium species in equilibrium with themore » protein is unknown, the data suggest that Be/sup 2+/ is one reacting species. (auth)« less
In the Western world in recent years, concerns about the (potential and actual) social and political implications of the rise of ‘fundamentalist Islam’ have seen a range of questions being raised and culturally debated concerning the social risk/value of Islam in particular and religion in general and its role within the state. These debates have often become polarized, with anti-religious definitive positions attracting considerable attention, most notably in the form of Richard Dawkins’ (2006) best-selling book, The God Delusion. This book (and those embodying the same outlook published around the same time and subsequently) represents belief in God as irrational and constructs religion as having a corrupting influence on values and ethics and as having lain at the heart of a variety of social evils across history. This body of literature has inspired critical responses from religious and, more frequently, specifically Christian writers (for example, see Beattie, 2007; Ward, 2008). Some of the questions raised in these debates invoke standard social psychological concerns such as identity, group processes and intergroup relations, with a focus on trying to understand what fosters pro-social and anti-social behaviours that appear to be motivated and justified by religion. These questions have been studied in relation to religion by scholars within social psychology and within the psychology and sociology of religion, even if the complexity of the issues identified in this research has not always been reflected in cultural debates. For example, the Dawkins-related and other literature has sought to defend the Western liberal ‘moral zeitgeist’ against what it has constructed as the threat posed by inherently prejudiced (fundamentalist) religion. However, social psychological research on prejudice and religion suggests a complex relationship between the two, with religion potentially promoting prejudice and also potentially attenuating it, depending upon contextual and mediating factors (see Hunsberger & Jackson, 2005). More generally, it has been proposed that to understand religiously-based social behaviours, it is necessary to see them as regulated by a set of personal, social and cognitive systems of meanings, with these systems interacting with each other and with religion (Paloutzian & Silberman, 2003). Such viewpoints are quite different from the simplistic, decontextualized understandings of religious behaviours that are sometimes seen within current cultural debates. It therefore seems an opportune time to review some of the themes that are currently being explored within research that can be located under the heading of ‘the social psychology of religion’. However, exactly what constitutes ‘the social psychology of religion’ is open to debate, as is the nature of broader domain, ‘the psychology of religion’.
The hemodynamic and metabolic changes during induced hypotension with isoflurane (isoflurane group) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP group) were observed in twelve mongrel dogs. These hypotensive effects were evaluated at 30 and 60 minutes after the mean arterial blood pressure was lowered to 50% from the control. Hemodynamic changes were evaluated by measuring systemic arterial blood pressure, heart rate, central venous pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance. Metabolic changes were evaluated by measuring serum lactate and pyruvate, arterio-venous oxygen content difference and oxygen extraction rate. We also compared the ventilatory effect of hypotensive anesthesia by blood gas analysis. The results were as follows: 1. Isoflurane inhalation 2-4% or SNP infusion 10-20 micrograms/kg/min was required to reduce the mean arterial pressure to 50% of the control. 2. Heart rate was decreased slightly in the isoflurane group but significantly decreased in the SNP group. 3. There were no significant changes in central venous pressure and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in either group. 4. Cardiac output was reduced in both groups but was more severe in the isoflurane group. 5. Systemic vascular resistance was decreased by 36% in the isoflurane group and 47% in the SNP group. 6. Acidosis was apparent and did not recover to the control until 30 minutes after recovery in the SNP group. 7. Arterio-venous oxygen difference was increased during hypotension in the isoflurane group probably due to decreased cardiac output. 8. The lactate/pyruvate ratio increased slightly in the SNP group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
This paper studies the confusion between the Hyperbolic GARCH (HGARCH) and Markov Regime-Switching GARCH (MRS-GARCH) processes. We firstly propose the cause of this confusion and provide simulation evidence. An MRS-HGARCH model is then developed to address the confusion. Our Monte Carlo studies demonstrate that this model can effectively distinguish between the pure HGARCH and pure MRS-GARCH processes. When the proposed model is further employed to fit simulations containing both hyperbolic memory and regime switching, it outperforms the ordinary HGARCH model. Moreover, the related statistical properties including the asymptotic behaviours of the maximum likelihood estimators of the MRS-HGARCH process are briefly investigated. Finally, an empirical study of the S &P 500 index return is conducted which demonstrates that our MRS-HGARCH model can provide a more reliable estimator of the hyperbolic-memory parameter and outperform both the HGARCH and MRS-GARCH models.
First published in 1972, this insightful work on popular religion in the Nansa valley of northern Spain established the reputation of the author who has since done several important studies on related topics. The present revised edition retains the original text for cogent reasons explained in the introduction. The appendixes have been expanded to include material dealing with the impact of change within the Spanish church and society on popular religiosity since the author carried out his research during the 1960s. A pioneering work at the time of publication, the book remains a valuable and perceptive analysis of the complex world of popular religion in a twentieth-century agricultural society. It traces the historical development of religious practices in the area and describes the sometimes differing attitudes of priests and people to specific cults, shrines, and other deeply rooted popular customs. Throughout, the author displays extraordinary sensitivity to the personal dimension of popular religion in the region.
In residential schools for the blind particular attention must be paid to training young folks in the ways of courtesy. The blind child, because of both residential limits and visual handicap, has not as great an opportunity as has the seeing child to observe much in the way of outward courtesy. Since the children of residential schools live in such dose daily contact with each other for long periods of time, their tendency is to become careless of many of the most common everyday manners, Too often in the world beyond the school walls blind people are the frequent recipients of much genuine courtesy and are scarcely gracious in return. Too often their manners are offensive to acquaintances and embarrassing to friends and relatives. Recently the Freshman English class at the Wisconsin School for the Blind became interested in the subject of courtesy through a study of it in connection with a unit of Social English, and, as a result, they planned and carried out a schoolwide Courtesy Week Project. Previous to Courtesy Week the class had spent some time in discussing various phases of the subject, and in doing some reading from Eichler's A New Book of Etiquette. The knowledge gained from this study, together with the fact that the eighth grade had some time before carried out a Better English Week program, gave the members of the class some confidence, and they became quite enthusiastic over the idea of educating their fellow schoolmates. The plans for the week were two-fold: first, there were to be assembly programs each morning of the week; second, all English and Language classes were to devote the entire week to the study of courtesy. In the assembly each morning, the boy who had been chosen to act as master of ceremonies introduced the program. On Monday a member of the class gave a talk in which he explained the purpose of the week's activities, set forth the motto, "Think of the Other Fellow," pointed out the need for paying attention to this side of education, and gave some directions for the week. Folowing this, all members of the class assisted in dramatizing a number of correct forms for social introductions. On Tuesday morning the Principal of the Janesville High School talked to the student body. On this morning, as on all succeeding ones, an honor roll was read; this was composed of the names of students who had been seen to do especially courteous deeds on the previous day. It was interesting to watch this list grow as the week progressed. Our Superintendent, Mr. F. M. Longanecker, talked the following morning. On Thursday a new member of the faculty, who had recently delighted this same audience with story of his European travels, talked on "Courtesy Abroad." Friday morning two members of the class read and answered the questions which had been dropped into their question box during the week. In English classes most of the work for the week consisted of discussion of a list of courtesies which the freshman class. had outlined. Of course the entire list involved many rules for performances which were far too hard for the little folks of the lower grades, but a graded list of courtesies, published last year in the Wisconsin Teachers' Journal, served as a guide through this difficulty. While the attempt was made to teach the children the proper thing to say or do on various occasions, stress was laid on the fuller meaning of courtesy: true courtesy does not consist of mere words and superficial acts, but rather is a sincere feeling of kindness and helpfulness toward everyone, regardless of rank or race. The motto, "Think of the Other Fellow," was selected by the class because it seemed to embody the really fundamental meaning of courtesy.
Flagellar motility is important for the pathogenesis of many intestinal pathogens, allowing bacteria to move to their preferred ecological niche. Clostridioides difficile is currently the major cause for bacterial health care-associated intestinal infections in the western world. Most clinical strains produce peritrichous flagella and are motile in soft-agar. However, little knowledge exists on the C. difficile swimming behaviour and its regulation at the level of individual cells. We report here on the swimming strategy of C. difficile at the single cell level and its dependency on environmental parameters. A comprehensive analysis of motility parameters from several thousand bacteria was achieved with the aid of a recently developed bacterial tracking programme. C. difficile motility was found to be strongly dependent on the matrix elasticity of the medium. Long run phases of all four motile C. difficile clades were only observed in the presence of high molecular weight molecules such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and mucin, which suggests an adaptation of the motility apparatus to the mucin-rich intestinal environment. Increasing mucin or PVP concentrations lead to longer and straighter runs with increased travelled distance per run and fewer turnarounds that result in a higher net displacement of the bacteria. The observed C. difficile swimming pattern under these conditions is characterised by bidirectional, alternating back and forth run phases, interrupted by a short stop without an apparent reorientation or tumbling phase. This motility type was not described before for peritrichous bacteria and is more similar to some previously described polar monotrichous bacteria.
Many future particle accelerators require hundreds of superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities operating with high duty factor. The large dynamic heat load of the cavities causes the cryogenic plant to make up a significant part of the overall cost of the facility. This contribution can be reduced by replacing standard niobium cavities with ones coated with a low-dissipation superconductor such as Nb3Sn. In this paper, we present results for single cell cavities coated with Nb3Sn at Cornell. Five coatings were carried out, showing that at 4.2 K, high Q0 out to medium fields was reproducible, resulting in an average quench field of 14 MV/m and an average 4.2 K Q0 at quench of 8 × 109. In each case, the peak surface magnetic field at quench was well above Hc1, showing that it is not a limiting field in these cavities. The coating with the best performance had a quench field of 17 MV/m, exceeding gradient requirements for state-of-the-art high duty factor SRF accelerators. It is also shown that—taking i...
BACKGROUND Paracetamol use has been associated with increased prevalence of asthma in children and adults, and one study reported an association between pre-natal exposure to paracetamol and asthma in early childhood.   METHODS To examine if pre-natal exposure to paracetamol is associated with the risk of asthma or wheezing in early childhood, we selected 66 445 women from the Danish National Birth Cohort for whom we had information on paracetamol use during pregnancy and who participated in an interview when their children were 18-months-old and 12 733 women whose children had reached the age of 7 and estimated the prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma and wheezing at the ages of 18 months and 7 years. We also linked our population to the Danish National Hospital Registry to record all hospitalizations due to asthma up to age of 18 months.   RESULTS Paracetamol use during any time of pregnancy was associated with a small but statistically significant increased risk of physician-diagnosed asthma or bronchitis among children at 18 months [relative risk (RR) = 1.17, 1.13-1.23)], hospitalizations due to asthma up to 18 months (hazard ratio = 1.24, 1.11-1.38) and physician-diagnosed asthma at 7 years (RR = 1.15, 1.02-1.29). The highest risks were observed for paracetamol use during the first trimester of pregnancy and persistent wheezing (wheezing at both 18 months and 7 years) (RR = 1.45, 1.13-1.85).   CONCLUSION Paracetamol use during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of asthma and wheezing in childhood. If this association is causal, we may need to revisit the clinical practice on use of paracetamol during pregnancy.
The multifactorial etiology of major affective disorders, such as major depression and bipolar disorder, poses a challenge for identification of effective treatments. In a substantial number of patients, psychopharmacologic treatment does not lead to effective continuous symptom relief. The use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment-resistant patients is an investigational approach that has recently produced promising results. The recent development of safer stereotaxic neurosurgery, and the combination with functional neuroimaging to map the affected brain circuits, have led to the investigation of DBS as a potential strategy to treat major mood disorders. Several independent clinical studies have recently shown that chronic DBS treatment leads to remission of symptoms in a high number of treatment-resistant patients for major depression and bipolar disorder. In conclusion, the existing proof-of-principle that DBS can be an effective intervention for treatment-resistant depression opens new avenues for treatment. However, multicenter, randomized and blind trials need to confirm efficacy and be approved after the most recent failures. Patient selection and surgical-related improvements are key issues that remain to be addressed to help deliver more precise and customized treatment.
ABSTRACT Objectives: To validate the Psychogeriatric Inventory of Disconcerting Symptoms and Syndromes (PGI-DSS), a single scale in A4 format comprising four disconcerting syndromes (violence, refusal, words, and acts). The scale enables an immediate conversion of a qualitative assessment to a quantitative assessment. The PGI-DSS was compared with the Neuro Psychiatric Inventory for Nursing Homes (NPI-NH). Design: Cross-sectional descriptive and correlational studies. Setting: Thirty geriatric care units and nursing homes. Participants: Raters interviewed nurses and nursing assistants in charge of older adults hospitalized in geriatric care units or living in nursing homes (N = 226). Measurements: The French version of the PGI-DSS and the French version of the NPI-NH. Results: The correlation coefficient between the PGI-DSS and the NPI-NH was 0.70 (p < 0.0001). The PGI-DSS threshold score corresponding to the NPI threshold score was 17 (specificity: 87%, sensitivity: 63%). Four statistical factors, corresponding to the four clinical syndromes, explained 53.4% of the total variance. The internal consistency of the PGI-DSS (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.695) was higher than that of the NPI-NH (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.474). Test–retest reliability was better for the PGI-DSS than for the NPI-NH. The intraclass correlations were 0.80 [0.73; 0.86] and 0.75 [0.67; 0.83], respectively. Interrater reliability was better for the PGI-DSS than for the NPI-NH. The intraclass correlations were 0.65 [0.55–0.76] and 0.55 [0.43–0.68], respectively. Conclusion: The PGI-DSS was developed to overcome the limitations of the NPI-NH. New, brief, easy to administer in less than 4 minutes, foldable in four parts, pocket-sized, easy-to-read in the palm of the hand, PGI-DSS could have similar or better statistical properties than the NPI-NH. Whereas the 10 domains in the NPI-NH have clinical utility for clinicians, the four easily understandable syndromes in the PGI-DSS can help avoid inappropriate attitudes and can guide psychosocial interventions. It could likewise improve dialogue between caregivers and clinicians.
Orogenic collapse anchor spreading occurs when the upper portion of a crustal welt (mountain belt) extends in response to gravitational forces and changing conditions when the positive topographic feature can no longer support itself and spreads laterally. This is perhaps similar to the dynamics of an ice cap. A literature review establishes orogenic collaps/spreading as a common tectonic phenomenon. It is a useful addition to the plate-tectonic paradigm, along with escape tectonics and suspect and exotic terrane analysis, when teaching mountain-belt processes and histories to undergraduates and laypeople. Orogenic collapse or spreading can help explain 1) why local extension occurs coevally within zones of plate convergence, 2) how high-pressure rocks can find their way to the surface quickly given that the interplay between erosion and isostasy is an inadequate mechanism by itself, 3) why mountain belts attain the heights they do, and 4) why ocean basins tend to open along old suture zones (as in the Wi...
The nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) have been found in different environmental sources. They tend to colonize different body surfaces and secretions. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the presence of NTM in the theater environment. Fifty of Theater environment sample were examined using acid-fast stain, Lowenstein -Jensen medium culture, PCR and DNA-Sequencing. 4 of 50 samples were detected as NFB in AFB stain, L-J medium culture, PCR. and then, All of 4 NTM stains identified as Mycobacterium fortitum type in DNA-sequencing result.
This chapter explores social movements as a new lens through which to approach grand strategy. Although grand strategists and social movement strategists often view each other as opposites, they have more to learn from each other—and more in common—than either group might think. Within the realm of strategic thought, there has long been significant intellectual overlap between military, political, and social-movement approaches. Far from standing apart from questions of war and peace, stability and instability, conflict and diplomacy, nearly every significant movement for social change has actively engaged these questions, including the real or potential use of violence. Around the world, still more radical movements, many of them at least nominally Marxist in orientation, produced vast literatures on the virtues and vices of revolutionary strategy, as well as the complex task of transforming members and leaders, after victory, from revolutionaries into statesmen. In modern Western democratic societies, social-change strategists tend to favor non-violent methods, but debates rage nonetheless.
Modern information technology allows us to seek out new ways to support the computer use and communication of disabled people. With the aid of new interaction technologies and techniques visually impaired and sighted users can collaborate, for example, in the classroom situations. The main goal of the MICOLE project was to create a software architecture that makes it easier for the developers to create multimodal multi-user applications. The framework is based on interconnected software agents. The hardware used in this study includes VTPlayer Mouse which has two built-in Braille displays, and several haptic devices such as PHANToM Omni, PHANToM Desktop and PHANToM Premium. We also used the SpaceMouse and various audio setups in the applications. In this paper we present a software architecture, a set of software agents, and an example of using the architecture. The example application shown is an electric circuit application that follows the single-user with many devices scenario. The application uses a PHANToM and a VTPlayer Mouse together with visual and audio feedback to make the electric circuits understandable through touch.
Background: Only  medical nutrition therapy and physical activity can be used for treatment of the group  2 (p > 0.05). The fat mass in children of the group  1 decreased from 44.4% [39.1; 48.3] to Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition1; Assistant, Chair of Dietetics and2obesity in children. In many cases, it is reasonable to  start  treatment in a hospital. Aim: To assess changes  of clinical and  biochemical  parameters and body composition with diet therapy in overweight  and  obese  children  in an  in-patient department. Materials and methods: We examined 537 children with obesity aged 13 years [11;  14] (group  1) and  104  overweight children aged  13 [12; 14] years (group  2). Anthropometric parameters, body composition  by means ofbioimpedance  measurement,  clinical  chemistry 43.1% [37.9; 47.7] (p < 0.001), in group 2, from 33.8% [31.1; 38.5] to 32.6% [30; 36.7] (p = 0.017). The lean mass  decreased in 86.2 and  93.7% of patients, respectively.  There  were  significant  reductions on  the levels  of  serum total cholesterol,  low density lipoproteins, triglycerides, high density lipoproteins  and  increase  in uric acid, compared to  their  respective  baseline  values. Conclusion: During  the  in-hospital  treatment period  obese children  show  improvements  of nutritive  status, Nutrition, Postgraduate Training FacultyPavlyuchkova Mariya S. – PhD, Dietologist1parameters of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism significant reduction of fat body mass with  were  assessed at  baseline and  at  the end of treatment. Duration of hospital stay was 14 days. The  children were  on  a  diet  with  a  reduced caloric,  fat  and  carbohydrate  content.  Results: The bodymass  decreased by 5.7% [4.5; 6.9] from baseline  in the  group  1 and  by 5.3% [3.8; 7.5] in concomitant decrease  of lean mass due to a rapidbodyweight reduction.
BACKGROUND Use of fungicide seed treatments for control of soybean soilborne diseases such as Pythium damping-off has increased worldwide. However, emergence of Pythium strains resistant to metalaxyl-M has prompted the need for alternative technologies to fungicides for damping-off control. The use of phosphites (Phis) has been proposed as a method to control oomycetes, but their use as seed treatments in soybean is limited by the lack of information on their efficacy. The effect of potassium (K) and manganese (Mn) Phis (as seed treatments) in the control of Pythium damping-off in soybean was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, treated seeds and a control were placed on potato dextrose agar and the damping-off severity caused by Pythium aphanidermatum (Edson) Fitzpatrick, Pythium irregulare Buisman, and Pythium ultimum Trow was assessed 5 days after incubation using an ordinal scale. In vivo, treated seeds and a control were planted in polystyrene pots and emergence was evaluated 21 days after planting.   RESULTS Analysis of the in vitro data using a multinomial generalized linear model showed that the probabilities of non-germinated, dead seeds ranged from 0.64 to 1.00 in the control and from 0 to 0.13 in the Phi treatments in each of the Pythium species. Probabilities of seed germination without or with damping-off symptoms were significantly higher for seeds treated with the Phi products than for the control. In the in vivo experiment, the Phi-based products increased seedling emergence by up to 29% on average compared with the untreated control.   CONCLUSION Mn and K Phis are feasible alternatives as seed treatments to control Pythium damping-off in soybean. This study is the first, worldwide, to document the efficacy of K and Mn Phis in the control of soybean Pythium damping-off. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
In a recent lecture upon some points connected with thrombosis Sir William Bennett 1 drew special attention to the different courses taken by septic and aseptic thrombi, and especially to the fact that while in the latter embolism is likely to occur during the progress of the thrombotic process, in the case of septic thrombi it is in the later stages while the clot is dissolving away that embolism is to be expected. He related the case of a patient in whom after an operation extensive thrombosis occurred in the left leg. Nearly four weeks after the onset of this she had a sudden attack of difficulty of breathing, from which she nearly died, the result of pulmonary embolism, and later on patches of consolidation occurred in the right lung, showing where the embolus had become lodged. She became very ill, and remained so for a long time, but the point of the case was that this embolism did not happen until three weeks after the formation of the thrombus. "In point of fact, at the time of the
Disaster Alertness Group (DAG) is a community group formed in the disaster-prone areas. DAG establishment is preceded by a briefing knowledge of threats and risks of disaster that may occur in the neighbourhood. By having the knowledge, DAG and the community identify the potential threats of disasters and plan the appropriate activities or actions to reduce the impact of the disasters in the future. Furthermore, the action conducted jointly activities based on the scale priority. All activities have been done in Nagari Salayo (Salayo village), District of Solok, West Sumatra by using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) method. As a result, the capacity of DAG has been improved in managing the environment from threat disaster (hazards) in Nagari Salayo. Some actions have been done based on the discussions of the citizens who are members of DAG. There are some alternative plans to be done in order to reduce the disaster risks, such as tree planting, installing signals for evacuation on evacuation tracks, improving the irrigation and drainage canals, and facilitating a briefing knowledge of Bank Sampah or “Waste Bank” to the Disaster Alertness Group.
Background: To evaluate the effect of the quality of postoperative anesthetic resuscitation in patients with entropy index monitoring assisted general anesthesia versus standard clinical practice. Methods: The randomized controlled trials on the application of entropy index monitoring in general anesthesia were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and other databases by computer. The data were collected from inception to January 2022. Two researchers independently screened the retrieved literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and used Cochrane’s risk-of-bias assessment criteria to evaluate the quality of the literature. The evaluation indicators included respiratory recovery time, extubation time, consciousness recovery time, emergence agitation, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and intraoperative awareness. The RevMan 5.4.1 software was used for the meta-analysis of the data. Results: A total of 860 patients from 10 eligible randomized controlled trials were included in this study. The results showed that compared with the control group, the respiratory recovery time (MD = −3.37, 95% CI: −5.09 to −1.85, P < .0001), extubation time (MD = −4.57, 95% CI: −6.08 to −3.95, P < .00001), and consciousness recovery time (MD = −4.95, 95% CI: −7.21 to −2.70, P < .00001) in the entropy index group were significantly shortened. The incidence of emergence agitation in the entropy index group (RR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.11–0.47, P < .0001) decreased significantly. The incidence of PONV (RR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.27–0.79, P = .004) was significantly reduced. However, the incidence of intraoperative awareness (RR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.04–3.16, P = .34) wasn’t significantly different. Conclusion: The application of the entropy index can improve the recovery quality of patients under general anesthesia, not only shortening the postoperative recovery time but also reducing the occurrence of agitation and PONV. It does not affect the incidence of intraoperative awareness.
Beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase in human parotid saliva was separated into two subfractions by diethylaminoethanol cellulose column chromatography. One subfraction of the enzyme was isolated and purified. Disk electrophoresis showed that the purified enzyme was homogeneous. The molecular weight of this enzyme was estimated to be about 153,000 by gel filtration and dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. N-acetyl-β-galactosaminides also were hydrolyzed by this enzyme at the same site.
Modules of the end-cap time-of-flight detector (ETOF) for the Beijing spectrometer upgrade (BESIII) using different types of scintillators, BC408, BC404 and EJ204, were tested with an 800 MeV electron beam. Different wrapping materials were also tested to improve the light collection efficiency and time resolution. The enhanced specular reflector (ESR) film was found to be the best wrapping material. A time resolution of better than 80 ps over the full length of the ETOF module was achieved.
A number of recent decisions issued by the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), which address jurisdictional interactions between national and international proceedings, have sparked renewed interest in the possibility of identifying jurisdictional overlaps between the two groups of judicial bodies. Arguably, these ICSID cases are indicative of a broader tendency to reassess the relationship between national and international courts, which also takes place in other areas of international law, such as human rights law, criminal law and law of the sea. The article explores whether the jurisdictional relations between national and international courts can conceivably qualify as ‘competing’ or ‘overlapping jurisdictions’ – i.e., jurisdictions that have the potential of addressing, in parallel, the same disputes (involving the same parties and the same issues), under the existing definitions of jurisdictional competition or overlap and posits that such jurisdictional relations could theoretically be conceptualized in situations where the two sets of judicial institutions operate in a non-hierarchical context. Furthermore, the article seeks to examine what jurisdiction-regulating rules and principles, if any, could be applied to such a putative set of jurisdictional relations. It suggests that given the considerable theoretical difficulties which the introduction of traditional jurisdiction-regulating rules, such as res judicata or lis alibi pendens entails, resort to more flexible legal doctrines such as judicial comity and the prohibition against abuse of right could be more useful.
ABSTRACT Dementia prevalence is increasing exponentially and has a profound effect on individuals diagnosed as well as their family caregivers. Dementia care should be patient focused, not task or medically oriented. Patient-centered dementia care requires more staff time, is complex, and, as a result, financially threatens the healthcare system. Therefore, professionals must be prepared to meet the needs of this growing population. The aims of this mixed methods study were to examine the effect of a 16-h interprofessional program on healthcare students’ dementia knowledge, attitudes toward people with dementia, confidence for dementia care and empathy, and to understand the relationships among the listed variables. Nursing, occupational therapy assistant, pharmacy, and psychology students participated in a 16-h team-based learning Dementia Care Bootcamp. Students reported significant improvements in dementia attitudes and knowledge, confidence for dementia care and empathy immediately after Bootcamp and 3 months later. Significant relationships among listed variables were noted. Qualitative data complemented the quantitative findings. In addition, the concept of dementia care competency emerged. Students recognized the benefits of learning about, with and from others from diverse professions. Interprofessional education has great potential to improve students’ ability to care for people with dementia.
Some of the active phytochemicals in herbal medicine are finding therapeutic use. For example, patients with heart disease are reported to benefit from treatment with herbal medicine with fewer side effects. Previous studies showed the inhibitory effects of tetramethylpyrazine, an active component of medicinal herb, on phosphodiesterase that is associated with heart disease and the cardio-protective effects of other herbal medicine that was used to protect ischemia-reperfusion injury of rat hearts. Individual herbal medicines show antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. In addition to sharing many therapeutic activities, the active components of herbal medicine are also used in nutrient supplement for cardiovascular disease. Numerous in vitro studies of herbal medicine on different cell lines and in vivo study of herbal medicine have been reported. However, the mechanism of actions remains unclear. The present review aims to give an overview of the recent development of herbal medicine in treatment of cardiovascular disease, and covers the possible mechanism of action of some of active principles. The study will provide insights into drug action and demonstrate the therapeutic benefits of herbal medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) has become an invaluable tool in healthcare, improving the diagnosis of disease and the quality, efficacy, assessment and safety of treatment across a range of pathologies. CPET’s superior ability to measure the global exercise response of the respiratory, cardiovascular and skeletal muscle systems simultaneously in a time and cost-efficient manner has led to the application of CPET in a range of settings from diagnosis of disease to preoperative assessment. The Association for Respiratory Technology and Physiology Statement on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing 2021 provides the practitioner and scientist with an outstanding resource to support and enhance practice, from equipment to testing to leadership, helping them deliver a quality assured service for the benefit of all patient groups.
Microfluidic technology has gradually become one of the most promising and convenient methods to generate monodisperse droplets, but even so, stable preparation in a microfluidic device is still technically challenging. This paper developed a simple coaxial microfluidic device, only composed of commercial parts, which can readily be assembled, adjusted and cleaned. Based on this design, the effects of two phase flow on droplet diameter and flow pattern were investigated experimentally. Furthermore, a theoretical relation for stable generation of monodisperse droplets was established and proved to be reasonable by experiments. This relation divided stable region for preparing desired droplets, which would greatly improve the efficiency and controllability of stable preparation process in microfluidic devices. It could also provide a technique support for the standardization and commercialization of microfluidic devices in the future.
The chemistry of the key intermediate in the Maillard reaction, the Amadori rearrangements product, is reviewed covering the areas of synthesis, chromatographic analyses, chemical and spectroscopic methods of characterization, reactions, and kinetics. Synthetic strategies involving free and protected sugars are described in detail with specific synthetic procedures. GC- and HPLC-based separations of Amadori products are discussed in relation to the type of columns employed and methods of detection. Applications of infrared (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for structural elucidation of Amadori products are also reviewed. In addition, mass spectrometry of free, protected, and protein-bound Amadori products under different ionization conditions are presented. The mechanism of acid/base catalyzed thermal degradation reactions of Amadori compounds, as well as their kinetics of formation, are critically evaluated.
A new method is presented to exploit the cross-gain modulation mechanism in semiconductor optical amplifiers to reduce the intensity noise of spectrum-sliced communications systems via conversion of the modulated incoherent optical signal into a coherent signal before the detection process. Wavelength-division-multiplexed networks using broad-band sources have performance limited by intensity noise; conversion from an incoherent to a coherent signal reduces the intensity noise and enables the elimination of the bit-error-rate floor.
Shifting the common one-to-one doctor-patient dialogue into many-to-many discussions carried between people suffering from the same conditions enables the formation of communities of sharing and support where patients can find treatments suitable for their illnesses. The xVASSal project serves as a platform of communication in a virtual organization in digital healthcare. Having an agent oriented approach, it offers a personalized experience for each user, helping with the selection of treatments without compromising the user`s identity.
Abstract: This paper reports results from experiments carried out on the jet name formed from a single coaxial injector. This device was fed with Liquid oxygen and gaseous hydrogen and placed in a chamber equipped with quartz windows. The flame is observed with a set of optical methods: light emission from OH radicals, laser-induced fluorescence of OH and O-2, elastic, and Raman scattering from the liquid-oxygen jet. These techniques are used to obtain images of the name zone. It is then possible to deduce the name location with respect to the liquid jet from simultaneous elastic scattering and laser-induced fluorescence of OH measurements. Average emission images treated with Abel's transform provide the local volumetric light emission from OH radicals, This yields the mean flame structure and constitutes a different method for locating the flame. The images obtained by exciting the fluorescence of O-2 provide complementary information on the flame shape and they may be used to estimate the local reaction rate. Quantitative temperature measurements based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering from H-2 give additional dues on the combustion zone. These data may be used to develop a unified picture of the name in the vicinity of the injection plane.
In most deep disposal concepts, large amounts of hydrogen are expected to be produced by the anoxic corrosion of massive iron containers. At repository temperatures, hydrogen is quite inert and is not expected to contribute to the redox capacity of the deep groundwaters. In several recent works, a large impact of dissolved hydrogen on the dissolution of the LWR or MOX fuel and UO 2(s) doped with 233U or 238Pu has been observed. For hydrogen concentrations above a certain limit, the dissolution rates of these highly radioactive materials drop to very low values. A discussion of the results obtained with spent fuel or ?-doped UO 2 in the presence of a range of hydrogen concentrations is presented. Typical for all measurements under such conditions are the very low long term concentrations of uranium and other redox-sensitive radionuclides, such as Tc and the minor actinides. The concentrations of U are systematically lower than the values measured during UO2(s) solubility measurements carried out in the presence of strong reducing agents. Measurements of the radiolytic oxygen after long leaching periods result in values below detection limit. The investigation of the surface of spent fuel or UO2(s) pellets doped with 233U by XPS after long periods of testing shows absence of oxidation. The kinetics of the release of non-redox sensitive elements such as Sr and Cs, used to estimate fuel matrix dissolution rates, is also discussed. An attempt is made to propose potential mechanisms responsible for the observed behaviour, based mainly on data from studies on the interaction of water adsorbed on the surfaces of metal oxides or actinide oxides with radiation. Another important effect observed in recent studies is the existence of a threshold for the specific alpha activity below which no measurable influence of the alpha radiolysis on the uranium release from UO2 is observed. The importance of such a threshold for the behaviour of spent fuel under repository conditions encompassing very long time scales will be discussed, as well as the necessity to better investigate the mechanisms of recombination reactions in a thin water layer on the surface of actinide oxides affected by ?- radiolysis.
On offer here is a tradition-neutral way of understanding the distinction between analytic and continental philosophy of music. The distinction is drawn in terms of methodology, rather than content, by identifying contrasting methodological tendencies of each tradition—initial maneuvers that frame an investigation, which are related to one another insofar as they involve, or do not involve, two kinds of methodological detachment. These maneuvers are extracted through a consideration of contrasting pairs of examples. The pairs consist of an analytic and a continental account of a core issue in the philosophy of music. The issues considered are musical experience, musical ontology, and the relationship between music and the emotions. The philosophers considered are Roger Scruton and Pierre Bourdieu, Jerrold Levinson and Lydia Goehr, Peter Kivy, and Andrew Bowie.
Pulmonary artery (PA) smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation occurs with hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in vivo. However, proliferation of cultured PA SMC to hypoxia has not been demonstrated, and thus the mechanism by which these cells respond to hypoxia is unknown. Because protein kinase C (PKC) plays a role in intracellular transduction of proliferative signals, we asked whether PKC activation 1) causes proliferation of bovine PA SMC and 2) is important in PA SMC proliferative response to hypoxia. By measuring [3H]thymidine incorporation and cell counts, we found that quiescent PA SMC from four different cows proliferated with the PKC activator, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), in a concentration-dependent manner. The proliferation was blocked with a PKC inhibitor, dihydrosphingosine, or by downregulating SMC PKC. We tested whether "priming" PA SMC by PKC activation was required for in vitro SMC proliferative response to hypoxia. Each SMC population was treated with PMA and then exposed for 24 h to 20, 10, 7, 3 or 0% O2. These cells proliferated with hypoxia reaching a peak response at 3% O2. The magnitude of the response to PMA and hypoxia was different for each cell population tested. No hypoxic proliferation occurred in control cells (no PMA). Dihydrosphingosine blocked the hypoxic response to the same extent that it inhibited the initial PMA conditioning stimulus. PKC-downregulated PA SMC did not proliferate to PMA or to subsequent hypoxia. The hypoxic response was not due to a reduction in O2 radical-mediated antiproliferative effect; rather, the PMA-primed cells seemed to "acquire" the ability to directly sense hypoxia and proliferate. In summary, PKC activation caused proliferation of PA SMC in vitro and allowed an additional proliferative response to hypoxia. Activation of PKC may be a requisite step for PA SMC to respond directly to hypoxia.
1. Padma MV. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors will help in improving stroke outcome if given immediately after stroke. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2010;13:156-9. 2. Bhatia R. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors will not help in improving stroke outcome if given immediately after stroke. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2010;13:160-2. 3. Kaul S. Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors immediately after stroke: Commentary. Ann Indian Acad Neurol 2010;13:163. 4. Schrader J, Lüders S, Kulschewski A, Berger J, Zidek W, Treib J, et al. The ACCESS Study: Evaluation of Acute Candesartan Cilexetil Therapy in Stroke Survivors. Stroke 2003;34:1699-703. 5. Yusuf S, Sleight P, Pogue J, Bosch J, Davies R, Dagenais G. Effects of an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, on cardiovascular events in high-risk patients. The Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation Study Investigators. N Engl J Med 2000 20;342:145-53. 6. Sandset EC, Murray G, Boysen G, Jatuzis D, Kõrv J, Lüders S, et al. Angiotensin receptor blockade in acute stroke. The Scandinavian Candesartan Acute Stroke Trial: Rationale, methods and design of a multicentre, randomisedand placebo-controlled clinical trial (NCT00120003). Int J Stroke 2010;5:423-7.
Autism is a psychiatric/neurological condition in which alterations in social interaction (among other symptoms) are diagnosed by behavioral psychiatric methods. The main goal of this study was to determine how the neural representations and meanings of social concepts (such as to insult) are altered in autism. A second goal was to determine whether these alterations can serve as neurocognitive markers of autism. The approach is based on previous advances in fMRI analysis methods that permit (a) the identification of a concept, such as the thought of a physical object, from its fMRI pattern, and (b) the ability to assess the semantic content of a concept from its fMRI pattern. These factor analysis and machine learning methods were applied to the fMRI activation patterns of 17 adults with high-functioning autism and matched controls, scanned while thinking about 16 social interactions. One prominent neural representation factor that emerged (manifested mainly in posterior midline regions) was related to self-representation, but this factor was present only for the control participants, and was near-absent in the autism group. Moreover, machine learning algorithms classified individuals as autistic or control with 97% accuracy from their fMRI neurocognitive markers. The findings suggest that psychiatric alterations of thought can begin to be biologically understood by assessing the form and content of the altered thought’s underlying brain activation patterns.
The power of crowd-sourced social data can be combined with the precision of formal on-the-ground observations in a way that is of benefit to social causes in civil society. To do this, we are developing technological platforms, human and social processes and the underlying creative abilities to leverage social media and formal observer networks to enhance and promote social causes in developing countries. In our previous work, we highlighted the importance of social media aggregation for election monitoring using our technological platform, Aggie, for elections in Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda. In this case study, we seek to introduce new insight by sharing our experiences and understanding on leveraging formal observation techniques in validating and reinforcing the veracity of real time aggregated social media generated reports [10]. In this paper, we will treat election monitoring as an instance of civic management.
Hot carrier cells offer the potential for very high efficiencies if slowed carrier cooling can be demonstrated effectively. Various mechanisms of phonon interaction have been identified that can lead to such slowed cooling with classes of materials exhibiting long hot carrier lifetimes. The exact reasons for these are not completely clear, but a study and comparison of the materials and mechanisms will give greater insight into constructed robust hot carrier absorber materials.
BACKGROUND Systemic fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines reach steady-state levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) that are several-fold higher than their levels in serum. The mechanism by which this occurs is unclear, but gingival fibroblasts are known to accumulate these agents. Uptake by fibroblasts could enhance their distribution to gingiva. To test this hypothesis, steady-state levels of these agents were assayed in serum, gingival connective tissue (GCT), and GCF.   METHODS Healthy subjects who needed resective periodontal surgery participated in the study. Approximately 78 hours prior to the surgical appointment, each subject began a 3-day regimen of ciprofloxacin or doxycycline. At the surgical appointment (scheduled approximately 6 hours after the last dose), samples of blood and GCT were collected. GCF samples were collected on paper strips and measured with an electronic device. Samples were extracted and analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography.   RESULTS Mean ciprofloxacin levels in serum, GCT, and GCF were 0.40 microg/ml, 1.38 microg/g, and 1.66 microg/ml, respectively (P<0.001, N=9). For doxycycline, these levels were 1.11 microg/ml, 2.03 microg/g, and 2.41 microg/ml, respectively (P=0.002, N=8). For both agents, the GCT and GCF levels were significantly higher than serum levels (P<0.05), but not significantly different from each other.   CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that fibroblasts could play an important role in the distribution of fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines to the gingiva. By accumulating these agents in GCT, fibroblasts could contribute to the relatively high levels they attain in GCF.
The famous Italian art historian in this paper offers a series of reflections concerning the different cultural and artistic elements, which interacted with each other through the history and evolution of the Arsacid Empire in the different expressions of Parthian art. Elements of Hellenistic art already present in Achaemenid time became part of a common and widespread artistic language in Western Asia after Alexander, and continued playing a relevant part in the artistic expression of the ea...
Genotype imputation from low-density to high-density (SNP) chips is an important step before applying genomic selection, because denser chips can provide more reliable genomic predictions. In the current research, the accuracy of genotype imputation from low and moderate-density panels (5K and 50K) to high-density panels in the purebred and crossbred populations was assessed. The simulated populations included two purebred populations (lines A and B) and two crossbred populations (cross and backcross). Three scenarios were assessed for selecting the subset of the references that used to impute un-genotyped loci of animals in the validation set, where: 1) high relationship with validation set, 2) randomly, and 3) high inbreeding selecting. Imputing the individuals of validation set 5K and 50K to marker density 777K using the various combinations of reference set was performed by FImpute software. The imputation accuracies were calculated using two methods including Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) and concordance rate (CR). The results showed that imputation accuracy in the purebred populations lines A and B was higher than the cross and backcross populations. When the reference set has been selected based on high relationships, the genotype accuracy in lines A and B was the highest, and there was less difference between imputation from 5K and 50K density to 777K compared to the other subset selection methods. In the crossbred population with imputation from 50K to 777K, the imputation accuracy was the highest in the state of the randomly selected of the reference population (0.98 and 0.97 for PCC and CR, respectively). In the backcross population, the imputation accuracy was the lowest when the reference set selected according to the high inbreeding, which it could be resulting from the lower homozygosis in these populations.
School nurses have an important role in helping students to deal with bullying. However, most of the previously undertaken studies do not have nurses as the subjects, considering their experiences around this theme. This study used a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with 12 school nurses (SNs). The thematic analysis was employed and supported by NVivo 10 software. Five main themes arose from the analysis: (1) understanding about bullying, (2) how they identified bullying, (3) strategies, (4) support at the workplace, and (5) SNs’ role. SNs have a reasonable knowledge about this issue and are capable of helping students through dialogue. However, there is a need to be trained and have more time to be able to give proper help to the students, also using other different strategies. SNs must work more actively on this issue with schools and be supported in terms of staff numbers.
The authors aim to substantiate the methodical approach to revealing corporate leaders in publishing and patent activities based on the primary Scopus, Web of Science и Derwent data machine-readable in XML format. The approach is based on the fractional calculus method, i. e. determining the organization’s weight by the number of its academic papers or issued patents proportionally to the number of specified affiliates. The organizational ranking method is based on the experience of the Leiden ranking (in using fractional calculus method) and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (in calculating the weighted value per one researcher, and choosing quality rating method). The authors emphasize that the fundamental distinctive feature of the proposed ranking methodology is that the integral index is calculated with the comparable Scopus and Web of Science parameters. For this purpose ranking of organizations is developed based on the average number of issued patents as reported by Derwent. The study proves that the top-5 ratings for Russian organization leading in publication activities, as reported by Scopus and Web of Science, overlap substantially and cover the public sector of science and higher education, The top-5 of Russian organizations leading in patent activities comprise primarily the non-government, commercial sector of science.
The routing table lookup becomes a great bottleneck when multi-gigabit links are required in today's network routers. Hence, we propose a lookup scheme that can efficiently handle IP routing lookup, insertion and deletion inside the routing table. By introducing memory reduction and the novel skip function, we have successfully reduced the required memory size to about 0.59 Mbytes. The routing table VLSI design was carried out. It can achieve one route lookup for every memory access using pipeline implementation. Timemill post-layout simulation results show that the chip can furnish approximately 30/spl times/10/sup 6/ lookups/s, and thus it can support up to 30 Gbits/s link speed when the frame size is 1000 bits. In addition, our design can be easily scaled from IPv4 to IPv6.
Although disaster research has acknowledged the role of social media in crisis communication, the interplay of new (e.g., mobile apps) and traditional media (e.g., TV, radio) in public warnings has received less attention, particularly from the recipients’ perspective. Therefore, we examined sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates of different types of media use (i.e., traditional, new, mixed) for receiving public warning messages in a population survey (N = 613, 63% female; Mage = 31.56 years). More than two-thirds (68%) reported mixed media use, with 20% relying on new media and 12% on traditional media. Traditional media users were older and reported lower levels of education, while new media users were significantly younger and reported lower trust toward traditional media (i.e., TV). Migrants were more likely to use new but not mixed media. In sum, most participants utilized a mixture of traditional and new media for warning purposes, which has implications for crisis communication. Though, vulnerable populations (e.g., older and less educated participants) mainly rely on traditional media, stressing the need for continued support. Thus, it is paramount to increasingly use mixed methods designs and concurrently examine multiple channels to reflect real-world warning practices and generate ecologically valid results.
Milan Cathedral is one of the biggest and widest churches ever built among the other coeval architectures. It had a very long and complex construction history, which started in 1386 and lasted more than four centuries. The dominant style is the European gothic but the lombard tradition has strongly influenced the composition. Gothic cathedrals were diffusely built in Europe during the Middle Age, and each region developed its own local interpretation. However, a common feature of the style was the presence of slender pillars and of many elements able to reduce the horizontal thrusts of the vaults, such as spires, buttresesses, flying buttresesses and tie rods. In Milan Cathedral, tie rods have a fundamental role due to the specific characteristics of the structural system and its complex history. In 2012, a broken tie rod was found and it was substituted with a new one. Therefore, a multidisciplinary research on these elements started, aiming at a deeper material characterization and an in-situ identification of local defects. Among non-destructive techniques, several neutron analyses were performed on different samples. We will report on neutron diffraction measurements and neutron resonant capture analysis on part of the original broken tie rod. Moreover, neutron imaging was recorded on other iron tie rods (from an external spire). Results will be useful for an independent assessment and validation of models and of new on-site monitoring techniques, since no other conventional non-destructive technique will allow the same characterization.
In this study, we propose a method for finding optimum sensor positions in a group of vibration sensors for knock detection in spark ignition engines. It differs from other techniques in that only signal processing and statistical tests are used. Our method is based on linearly predicting a reference signal from the output signals of an array of sensors, distributed arbitrarily on the engine block. We derive a linear regression model in the frequency domain and discuss parametric tests for various hypotheses that are tested with respect to the model parameters. This leads us to a technique for testing irrelevancy of sensors in the considered group. Simulation and experimental results emphasize the applicability of the method.<<ETX>>
The paper presents an efficient and reliable particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm based technique for solving emission and economic dispatch (E&ED) problems. The harmful ecological effects of the emission of particulate and gaseous pollutants from fossil fuel power plants can be reduced by proper load allocation among the various generating units of the plants. This load allocation, however, may lead to an increase in the operating costs of the generating units. It is therefore necessary to find a solution which gives a balanced result between emission and cost. A particle swarm optimization solution to E&ED problems is presented. The results are obtained for a test system with six generating units. The performance of the PSO is compared with conventional methods, real coded genetic algorithm and hybrid genetic algorithm. The results clearly show that the proposed method gives a global optimum solution compared to the other methods.
Men perceive a bloody ejaculate as an alarming physical symptom and often seek the help of urologists for explanation and treatment. After a complete urological step‐by‐step examination including imaging studies and flexible cystoscopy, malignancy or another significant disease can be ruled out in the majority of cases. However, many of these cases of haematospermia may still remain idiopathic and thus unsatisfactory for both the patient and his physician. The following paper reviews the aetiology, the diagnostic work‐up escalation and the treatment options of haematospermia.
4 Introduction 4 Materials and Methods 6 Materials 6 Cladistic analysis 7 Taxon sampling 7 Monophyly of the Eremoneura 15 Historical Review of the Phylogeny of the Empidoidea 16 Description of Characters in Cladistic Analysis 20 Adult stage 21 Immature stages 58 Characters not included in cladistic analysis 60 Results of the Cladistic Analysis 62 Higher-level relationships 63 Lower-level relationships in Empidoidea 66 Reflections on Feeding Habits and Ground Plan Condition 69 Proposed Classification of the Empidoidea 71 Key to the Families and Unplaced Genus Groups of Empidoidea 82 Acknowledgments 84 References 85 Table 1. Exemplar taxa scored in the analysis 98 Table 2. Character state matrix for cladistic analysis 101 Table 3. Proposed classification of the Empidoidea 103 Trees 104 Plates 110
By means of documentary evidence and a small number of qualitative interviews, this article traces the development of education for partially sighted children from the beginning of the 20th century until the 1960s. The article shows how for much of this period, and in different educational settings, partially sighted children were prevented from using their sight and were thus denied many important opportunities through the dominance of medical and educational 'experts'. The article concludes with a plea that the voices of disabled people, including children, are heard as educationalists grapple with the complex process of inclusion.
A relational description of a possibility introduced by D. Dubois and H. Prade in their 1988 book, called a qualitative possibility measure, is discussed. Among the requirements of these kinds of relationships is that they be complete. The focus is on the issue of completing these relationships. A measure associated with weak orderings, called buoyancy, is introduced. The principle of maximal buoyancy is suggested as a means for completion. The connection between the principle of maximal buoyancy and the principle of minimal specificity is shown. A special family of buoyancy measures, called BADD buoyancies, is also introduced that have the properties of entropy measures when the aggregates are restricted to be a probability distribution. >
The premixed cholesterol reagent (acetic acid, sulphuric acid, ferric chloride and phosphoric acid) employed in a spectrophotometric method for serum cholesterol determinations was applied to frozen sections of various rat and rabbit tissues. The histochemical reaction was compared with the results obtained by the classical Schultz reaction. The same bluish-green color was observed after treatment of formalin-fixed and fresh cryostat sections incubated in 2.5% iron alum at 37 C for 3 days. The premixed cholesterol reagent is stable for years at room temperature if stored in a brown bottle and is thus readily available for routine use.
In the tin-- zirconium system, four intermediate phases are reported to exist, viz., Zr/sub 4/Sn, Zr/sub 5/Sn/sub 3/, ZrSn, and ZrSn/su b 2/; crystal structures are given for ZrSn/sub 2/ and Zr/sub 5/Sn/sub 3/. Alloys of several compositions were prepared from metallic zirconium and tin of 99.95% purity by melting pressed tablets of the metals in an electric arc furnace under argon. The samples were wrapped in tantalum foils, sealed in evacuated silica tubes, and annealed at 900 deg C for two months. An indexed powder pattern of ZrSn/sub 0.6/ containing two phases of Zr/sub 5/Sn/sub 3/ type is tabulated. At a composition ZrSn/sup 0.4/ the Guinier pattern showed, in addition to the pattern of the defective Zr/sub 5/Sn/sub 3/, a nunnber of strong extra lines. Assuming a cubic unit cell, the extra lines could be indexed with a = 5.634 A, which corresponds to the B-tungsten structure and which should be given the formula Zr/sub 3/Sn. (B.O.G.)
Context. Recent observations suggest a scenario in which filamentary structures in the interstellar medium represent the first step towards clumps/cores and eventually star formation. The densest filaments would then fragment into prestellar cores owing to gravitational instability.  Aims. We seek to understand the roles filamentary structures play in high-mass star formation.  Methods. We mapped the integral-shaped filament (ISF) located at the northern end of the Orion A molecular cloud in NH3 (1, 1) and (2, 2). The observations were made using the 25 m radio telescope operated by the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The whole filamentary structure, about 1.2° × 0.6°, is uniformly and fully sampled. We investigate the morphology, fragmentation, kinematics, and temperature properties in this region.  Results. We find that the morphology revealed by the map of velocity-integrated intensity of the NH3 (1, 1) line is closely associated with the dust ridge revealed by the Herschel Space Observatory. We identify 6 “lumps” related to the well known OMC-1 to 5 and 11 “sub-clumps” within the map. The clumps and sub-clumps are separated not randomly but in roughly equal intervals along the ISF. The average spacing of clumps is 11.30′ ± 1.31′ (1.36 ± 0.16 pc) and the average spacing of sub-clumps is 7.18′ ± 1.19′ (0.86 ± 0.14 pc). These spacings agree well with the predicted values of the thermal (0.86 pc) and turbulent sausage instability (1.43 pc) by adopting a cylindric geometry of the ISF with an inclination of 60° with respect to the line of sight. We also find a velocity gradient of about 0.6 km s−1 pc−1 that runs along the ISF which likely arises from an overall rotation of the Orion A molecular cloud. The inferred ratio between rotational and gravitational energy is well below unity. Furthermore, fluctuations are seen in the centroid velocity diagram along the ISF. The OMC-1 to 5 clouds are located close to the local extrema of the fluctuations, which suggests that there exist gas flows associated with these clumps in the ISF. The derived NH3 (1, 1) and (2, 2) rotation temperatures in the OMC-1 are about 30–40 K while lower temperatures (below 20 K) are obtained in the northern and southern parts of the ISF. In OMC-2, OMC-3, and the northern part of OMC-4, we find higher and lower temperatures at the boundaries and in the interior, respectively.
Background: Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of mortality in the Western world, and plaque diagnosis is still a challenge in cardiovascular medicine. The main focus of this study was to make atherosclerotic plaques visible using targeted nanoparticles for improved imaging. Today various biomarkers are known to be involved in the pathophysiologic scenario of atherosclerotic plaques. One promising new candidate is the globular domain of the adipocytokine adiponectin (gAd), which was used as a targeting sequence in this study. Methods: gAd was coupled to two different types of nanoparticles, namely protamine-oligonucleotide nanoparticles, known as proticles, and sterically stabilized liposomes. Both gAd-targeted nanoparticles were investigated for their potency to characterize critical scenarios within early and advanced atherosclerotic plaque lesions using an atherosclerotic mouse model. Aortic tissue from wild type and apolipoprotein E-deficient mice, both fed a high-fat diet, were stained with either fluorescent-labeled gAd or gAd-coupled nanoparticles. Ex vivo imaging was performed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. Results: gAd-targeted sterically stabilized liposomes generated a strong signal by accumulating at the surface of atherosclerotic plaques, while gAd-targeted proticles became internalized and showed more spotted plaque staining. Conclusion: Our results offer a promising perspective for enhanced in vivo imaging using gAd-targeted nanoparticles. By means of nanoparticles, a higher payload of signal emitting molecules could be transported to atherosclerotic plaques. Additionally, the opportunity is opened up to visualize different regions in the plaque scenario, depending on the nature of the nanoparticle used.
Speech and visual information are the most dominant modalities for a human to perceive emotion. A method of recognizing human emotion from these modalities is proposed by utilizing feature selection and long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks. A feature selection method based on support vector regression is used to select the relevant features among thousands of features extended from speech and video features via bag-of-X-words. The LSTM neural networks then are trained using a number of selected features and also separately optimized for every emotion dimension. Instead of utterance-level emotion recognition, time-frame-based processing is performed to enable continuous emotion recognition using a database labeled for each time frame. Experimental results reveal that a system with feature selection is more effective for predicting emotion dimensions for a single language than the baseline system without feature selection. The performance is measured in terms of the concordance correlation coefficient obtained by averaging the valence, arousal, and liking dimensions.
Abstract: A 17-year-old, male long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus) presented for acute lethargy and black gelatinous tissue in both nostrils. Despite intensive care, the bird died within 2 days. A postmortem computed tomographic scan of the head revealed a complete obstruction of the rostral infraorbital sinus, later confirmed by necropsy. Postmortem examination also highlighted multifocal, black, infiltrating nodules of various sizes (2 mm to 2 cm in diameter) in almost all internal organs: lungs, heart (pericardium, myocardium, endocardium), kidneys, pancreas, adrenals, muscles, and bones (periosteum and medulla). Histologically, the nodules were composed of anaplastic cells containing abundant melanin pigment, consistent with a disseminated melanoma. Malignant melanomas are aggressive neoplasms frequently reported in mammals but rarely found in avian species. In Accipitridae and Falconidae, only 2 cases have been reported.
Fluidized beds have been widely used for processing granular materials. In this paper, we study the effect of plasma on the fluidization behavior of a bubbling fluidized bed with an atmospheric pressure plasma discharger. Experiment results show that the bubbling fluidized bed is stabilized with the discharge of plasma. When the discharge current reaches a minimum stabilization current Cms, air bubbles in the bed will disappear and the surface fluctuation is completely suppressed. A simplified model is proposed to consider the effect of electric Coulomb force generated by the plasma. It is found that the Coulomb force will propel the particles to move towards the void area, so that the bubbling fluidized bed is stabilized with a high enough plasma discharge.
The local high temperature in the sealing pair is prone to cause local wear, which easily leads to seal failure. In this paper, a numerical method based on the finite element method is proposed to investigate the local high-temperature hot spot in a sealing ring with different sealing materials. The distribution of hot spots on the sealing surface is visualized by numerical computations. The critical speeds of the hot spot for the metal, composite, and powder metallurgical sealing materials are obtained under different friction coefficients. Based on the obtained results, the quantitative correlation between the critical speed of the hot spot and elastic modulus, thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity, thermal expansion coefficient, and seal sizes is determined. Then, a test method is designed to evaluate the thermal instability of the sealing ring. Scanning electron microscopy is utilized to examine the surface morphology of the sealing rings after the hot spots appear. The results of the present study demonstrate that the proposed method is consistent with the experiment. It indicates the effectiveness of the simulation method for investigating local hot spots in the sealing ring.
ADPGlucose Pyrophosphorylase (ADPG PPase) catalyzes a key step in glucan synthesis and is regulated by allosteric metabolites. Little is known about thermophillic forms of this enzyme. We have successfully expressed and purified the recombinant enzyme from T. thermophilus HB27 and collected kinetic data at 75°C. This has now been extended to include 37°C and alternate nucleotide specificity. We have also identified three unique prolines in the sequence compared to other ADPG PPases which may provide structural rigidity and account for heat stability. The Vmax at 37°C was ~4‐fold lower then measured at 75°C. The S0.5 for ATP and Mg with and without activators (G6P, FBP, F6P) were in fair agreement with the results obtained at 75°C. The S0.5 for GIP in the presence of the activators were decreased ~3‐fold and the A0.5 for the activators were ~2‐fold increased. The V‐type activation (~2–3‐fold) was similar for the activators at both temperatures. The specific activity for CTP, GTP, UTP, and TTP were determined to be 0.6%, 0.3%, 0.15%, and 0.001%, respectively, of the activity with ATP as a substrate. Interestingly, the fold‐activation increased dramatically for CTP and UTP, to ~9 and ~30‐fold by FBP, respectively. The P100A, P122A, and P195A mutations were successfully generated by site‐directed mutagenesis and characterization is in progress.
Ultrasonography as a universal screening tool augers well for detection of most of in utero congenital abnormalities, particularly with help of color Doppler, 3-D and 4-D scanning. Argument against universal screening is existing anomalies, not detected by USG, manifesting during childhood. Despite many variables of cost and ethics, poorly trained sonographer, it can be ardently stated that a routine scan is warranted for each pregnancy but only if well-performed at the least, level scan II.
This paper shows that several problems in linear systems theory can be solved by combining Lyapunov stability theory with Finsler's Lemma. Using these results, the differential equations that govern the behavior of the system can be seen as constraints. These dynamic constraints, which naturally involve the state derivative, are incorporated into the stability analysis conditions through the use of scalar or matrix Lagrange multipliers.
The identification of non‐immunosuppressed critically ill patients most at risk for developing cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation is potentially of great clinical relevance. The current study was aimed at determining (i) whether single nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes coding for chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), interleukin‐10 IL‐10), and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1) have an impact on the incidence rate of active CMV infection, (ii) whether serum levels of CMV‐specific IgGs are associated with the risk of CMV reactivation, and (iii) whether detection of CMV DNA in saliva precedes that in the lower respiratory tract or the blood compartment. A total of 36 out of 78 patients (46%) developed an episode of active CMV infection. The incidence rate of active CMV infection was not significantly associated with any single nucleotide polymorphisms. A trend towards a lower incidence of active CMV infection (P = 0.06) was noted in patients harboring the IL10 C/C genotype. Patients carrying the CCR5 A/A genotype had high CMV DNA loads in tracheal aspirates. The serum levels of CMV IgGs did not differ significantly between patients with a subsequent episode of active CMV infection (median, 217 IU/mL) or without one (median, 494 IU/mL). Detection of CMV DNA in saliva did not usually precede that in plasma and/or tracheal aspirates. In summary, the analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL10 and CCR5 genes might help to determine the risk of active CMV infection or the level of CMV replication within episodes, respectively, in non‐immunosuppressed critically ill patients. J. Med. Virol. 86:827–833, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
This study investigates the relationship between transactional and transformational leadership styles, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in the context of Credit Union. Respondents are 207 non-managerial employees of Credit Union in Indonesia. Data was collected by questionnaire and analysed by using SEM. The result shows that transformational leadership has positive effect on organizational commitment, and organizational commitment has effect on OCB-coworker targeted. However, transactional leadership has no significant effect on organizational commitment. The results of this study provide consideration suggestions regarding appropriate leadership styles to enhance employee commitment for achieving high performance and sustainability of CU in Indonesia.
We report a case in which we quantified the maturation of the central auditory pathway in children with hearing loss and associated disabilities; the audiological intervention was performed using the BAHA softband. The hearing aid was applied according to the international clinical protocols. The presented case reveals the importance of using the P1 CAEP biomarker in clinical practice along with a neuropsychological evaluation to assess the maturation of the central auditory pathways and to objectively quantify the results of auditory rehabilitation in children with hearing loss and associated disabilities.
Abstract An overview of the present Italian situation on food composition data is reported and the main current problems regarding sampling, analytical and cost problems are examined. The last edition of the Tables of Food Composition published by the National Institute of Nutrition (INN) in 1997 was considerably enriched in comparison with the previous one, with regard to both food and nutrients, following current guidelines for sampling and data quality control. Nationally based sampling plans have been developed with the collaboration of producer categories particularly with regard to some food groups (beef meat, processed meat, chicken, eggs, dairy products). Sampling protocols for poultry and processed meat are reported. New data onβ -carotene and folate determined in some Italian food by updated methodologies are compared to data reported in other tables. The differences show no complete reliability of bibliographical data. The necessity of original analytical data obtained according to both representative national sampling and well-defined analytical protocols is stressed. The main problem encountered in setting up a National Programme for Monitoring Food and Nutrients in order to create an Italian National Database for Food and Nutrients is the difficulty in obtaining financial support from public institutions.
Background Adults with cardiovascular diseases were disproportionately associated with an increased risk of a severe form of COVID-19 and all-cause mortality. Objective The aims of this study are to report the associated symptoms for COVID-19 cases, to estimate the proportion of contacts, and to describe the clinical signs and behaviors among individuals with and without myocardial infarction history among cases and contacts. Methods A 2-week cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted during the first lockdown period in France, from May 4 to 15, 2020. A total of 668 households participated, representing 703 individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease in the past 2 years and 849 individuals without myocardial infarction history. Results High rates of compliance with health measures were self-reported, regardless of age or risk factors. There were 4 confirmed COVID-19 cases that were registered from 4 different households. Based on deductive assumptions of the 1552 individuals, 9.73% (n=151) were identified as contacts, of whom 71.52% (108/151) were asymptomatic. Among individuals with a myocardial infarction history, 2 were COVID-19 cases, and the estimated proportion of contacts was 8.68% (61/703), of whom 68.85% (42/61) were asymptomatic. The cases and contacts presented different symptoms, with more respiratory signs in those with a myocardial infarction history. Conclusions The telephone survey could be a relevant tool for reporting the number of contacts during a limited period and in a limited territory based on the presence of associated symptoms and COVID-19 cases in the households. This study advanced our knowledge to better prepare for future crises.
In 10 patients undergoing diagnostic cardiac catheterisation a bolus of 15 mg ST 567 was administered intravenously in 1.5 min followed by a 30 min infusion of 7.5 mg. The maximal plasma level was 343 +/- 131 ng ml-1 (mean +/- s.d.) 1 min after bolus injection and stabilised around 179 ng ml-1 thereafter. Heart rate decreased from 71 +/- 10 beats min-1 at baseline to 66 +/- 10 beats min-1 at the end of the bolus injection (-7%). This decrease in heart rate persisted during the whole observation period. Also there was an 8% reduction in peak positive first derivative of LV pressure. Cardiac output measured by thermodilution during atrial pacing decreased from 5.9 +/- 1.1 l min-1 to 5.3 +/- 0.7 l min-1 (P less than 0.02). In 3 patients with the largest decrease in cardiac output, the end diastolic LV pressure at the end of the observation period decreased, which may reflect a decrease in pre-load. Only in 1 patient the decrease in end diastolic LV pressure exceeded twice the standard deviation of the random error component of duplicate measurements. Thus, although normal therapeutic plasma levels were achieved, ST 567 demonstrated negative inotropic properties independent of changes in heart rate with this scheme of administration.
We demonstrate a versatile method for fast and flexible fabrication of either one or an array of microlenses. Multi-foci axial intensity distribution generated by a phase pattern displayed on a spatial light modulator irradiates silica, causing ablation and its internal modification. The following wet etching step defines the diameter r, while the radius of curvature R (hence, the focal length f) is maintained the same. As a result, the numerical aperture NA=r/f changes from 0.2 to 0.4 for the same pulse energy (but different number of multi-foci) during ablation. An isotropic wet etching of silica becomes highly anisotropic for the initial stages of etching following the irradiated pattern. Subsequent evolution of the shape is governed by an isotropic silica etch and forms a spherical lens. This method can be extended to other materials and geometries of micro-optical elements.
Abstract Introduction In proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), retinal neovascularization is the essential pathogenic process that is linked to endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) induced by high glucose (HG). This pathophysiological process may be regulated by a G-protein-coupled chemoattractant receptor FPR2 (mouse Fpr2), involved in inflammatory cell migration and proliferation. In the current study, we investigated the role of Fpr2 in regulating EndoMT and the underlying mechanisms during diabetic retinopathy progression. Methods FPR2 agonist or inhibitor was added to human microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs) exposed to normal glucose or HG. Morphologic, phenotypic, and functional changes of HMECs as well as the formation of microvasculature related to EndoMT were assessed. EndoMT biomarkers were detected in the retinal tissues of diabetic mice and fibrovascular epiretinal membranes (FVMs) from patients with PDR. Results HG upregulated FPR2 in HMECs, which triggered morphological changes, and the cells acquired mesenchymal phenotype, with enhanced cell migration, viability, and angiogenic process shown by tube formation and aortic ring sprouting. Inhibition of FPR2 attenuated HG-induced EndoMT and endothelial cell migration to form vessel-like tube structures. RNA sequence and protein analysis further revealed that inhibition of FPR2 decreased the expression of genes associated with EndoMT. ERK1/2 and P38 signaling pathway was activated in HMECs, promoting neovascularization in HG-induced EndoMT of HMECs. In vivo, increased expression of mesenchymal markers was detected in the retina of diabetic mice and FVMs from patients with PDR. FPR2 deficiency was associated with diminished EndoMT-related phenotypic changes in the retina of diabetic mice. Conclusions FPR2 is actively involved in the progression of EndoMT that may contribute to the pathogenesis of PDR. Thus, FPR2 may be a potential therapeutic target for PDR.
Experiments are reported in which high frequency phonons, both thermally distributed and monochromatic, are generated and detected on a sapphire single crystal substrate at temperatures between 0.3 OK and 1 O K . Inelastic processes in the system (revealed by using superconducting tunnel junctions as high pass detectors of the monochromatic phonons) and the thermal bonding of the sapphire to a copper block are investigated. Introduction. Experiments have been carried out in which monochromatic and broad band thermal phonons are generated and detected in thin films evaporated on synthetic sapphire single crystals. Copper heaters were used to generate the thermal phonons and superconducting aluminium tunnel junctions to generate the monochromatic phonons. When a junction is biased at or above the gap edge (2 A, the energy gap in aluminium) the main current carrying process is the breaking of ground state pairs which injects excitations into both films. The recombination of these excitations to Cooper pairs releases energy as phonons at the gap frequency, 2 Alh. The tunnel junctions were also used to detect both thermal and gap frequency phonons. When the junction is biased at less than 2 A the current is due solely to the tunnelling of excitations present in the films. The number of excitations increases with temperature as exp(AlkT) and thus the cc within-gap current )) (which is approximately proportional to the number of excitations) can be used as a thermometer. Monochromatic phonons of energy 2 2 A entering the junction films can break Cooper pairs, creating extra excitations and hence extra current which will be a measure of the number of phonons arriving. The number of extra excitations in the films when monochromatic phonons are incident is proportional to the lifetime of excitations to recombination. This is inversely proportional to the number of thermal excitations and therefore proportional to exp(A/kT). The signal therefore increases with decreasing temperature. The generator was fed with a constant current chopped at a frequency of 80 Hz and the detected (*) Supported during this work by a Science Research Council Grant. signal was measured using a Princeton HR 8 cr lockin )> amplifier. For most of the experiments the relevant relaxation and propagation times in the system were shorter than the chopping period, so that detected signals correspond to steady state conditions. The experiments were performed in a He3 cryostat, the sapphire being bonded to a copper block one end of which formed the bottom of the He3 pot. A minimum temperature of .29 OK was attainable. The signals obtained using copper heaters are a measure of the local temperature change and this is made up to temperature drops across all thermal resistances to the He3 bath. The monochromatic phonons (which have an equivalent temperature T = hvlk > 4 OK) are rapidly thermalized by the electrons in the copper, so only thermal resistances before the copper block will affect the signal. Because the tunnel junction is a high pass detector, any inelastic processes will show up as a loss of signal. For monochromatic phonons each junction on the crystal can be used as generator or detector. Thus with an array of n junctions, a rr transfer sensitivity )) (detected current + generator current) can be measured for each pair. These results can be most easily displayed in an nxn matrix, where the element (i, j ) is the transfer sensitivity with the ith junction as detector and the jth junction as generator. The detector sensitivity is inversely proportional to the normal resistance of the junction, so that matrix is normalised to 1 ohm detectors. Once normalized the matrix should be symmetric : this can be seen by considering the phonon flow for the case of diffuse flow, we can compare the system to a passive electrical network where two nodes have a transfer resistance (independent of direction). Considering direct flight of phonons, the reversibility of flight paths must give Article published online by EDP Sciences and available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/jphyscol:1972414
The November BJGP Viewpoint article by Morrison and Gillies about the tragic death of Dr Pat Manson serves as a timely reminder of the pressures that UK general practice is under.1 I was sad when I heard of Pat’s death and 2 weeks later I became even more distressed when another GP working in rural Scotland took their own life.  These tragedies mark the tip of an iceberg. The litany of burnout, depression, alcoholism, drug misuse, and relationship breakdown among GPs goes largely unseen and unrecognised. At the same time we have a culture where GPs who are struggling are reluctant to take time out as they know that the burden of their workload will fall on their colleagues (or, in the case of single-handed GPs, there may be no-one to take up the …
Manufacturing environments are characterized by underlying operational approaches and assumptions. One such assumption is that concurrent engineering (CE) is superior to traditional sequential processing. A laboratory experiment was conducted using 180 engineering and building construction students as subjects. The engineering methodology variable was sequential and concurrent engineering. There were large teams, consisting of six students, and small teams, consisting of three students. The computer support variable was using and not using groupware. Each team was given a set of requirements to design a transportation system that moved a payload from one point to another. Each team was asked to (a) develop a design concept, (b) develop a detail design in the form of engineering drawings, (c) manufacture the system based on their design products (e.g., drawings and specifications) using toy plastic LEGOS, and (d) test the system to determine if it met the design requirements. There was no significant difference in performance between concurrent engineering groups and sequential engineering processes. Small groups significantly outperformed large groups in all conditions. Computer support did not significantly improve the performance of large or small groups. Participants in the experiment were equally satisfied with all conditions. An external survey strongly endorsed the superiority of CE as compared to sequential engineering. Results are discussed in terms of why practitioners believe in the effectiveness of CE, yet an empirical test failed to demonstrate better performance. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 16: 177–193, 2006.
Apigenin has gained interest recently among researchers as a potential chemotherapeutic agent in cancer, including colorectal cancer, due to its established antiproliferative activity in vitro. Despite its impressive anticancer activity in vitro, poor water solubility and nonspecific distribution in vivo make it difficult for its emergence as a drug candidate. To overcome these problems, we formulated an aptamer-conjugated apigenin-loaded nanoparticle (apt-ANP) to target against the overexpressed colorectal cancer cell surface biomarker epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). Aptamer conjugation was conducted on the prepared nanoparticle, characterized (by SEM, TEM, and AFM) and evaluated for its antiproliferative activity toward in vitro colon carcinoma cells and in vivo colorectal cancer model. The aptamer-conjugated nanoformulation had an average size about 226 nm, smooth surface, satisfactory drug loading 17.5 ± 1.3%, and sustained drug-release pattern. The pharmacokinetic profile as well as the biodistribution study demonstrated a maximum retention of apt-ANP in the colon as compared to free drug and aptamer-free apigenin-loaded nanoparticle (ANP). Apt-ANP enhanced therapeutic efficacy to colorectal cancer cells, whereas it minimized off-target cytotoxicity to normal cells.
We address polarization-induced renormalization of molecular levels in solid-state based single-molecule transistors and focus on an organic conjugate molecule where a surprisingly large reduction of the addition energy has been observed. We have developed a scheme that combines a self-consistent solution of a quantum chemical calculation with a realistic description of the screening environment. Our results indeed show a large reduction, and we explain this to be a consequence of both (a) a reduction of the electrostatic molecular charging energy and (b) polarization induced level shifts of the HOMO and LUMO levels. Finally, we calculate the charge stability diagram and explain at a qualitative level general features observed experimentally.
Dysphagia is common after stroke, and has been associated with serious consequences such as pneumonia, malnutrition, dehydration and even death. There is emerging evidence that early detection with screening may reduce these consequences. As clinicians, it is our responsibility to strive to service our patients with the best evidence and implement screening protocols that are reliable, valid and feasible.
Abstract The development of navigation systems requires more and more accurate base data. Currently, attention is paid to utilization of geophysical fields — gravitational and magnetic ones — for navigation purposes. The Earth’s magnetic field distribution — both onshore and offshore — is complicated and variable in time. Hence, it is essential to precisely know the secular variations in the area of interest. In the case of Baltic Sea, this involves establishing (re-establishing) of a marine network of secular points (repeat stations) and regular magnetic measurements of the three independent components of the Earth’s magnetic field. Such measurements require equipment that ensures not only high stability, but also information about sensors’ orientation in relation to geographic north and to the level. This article presents a new project of the Baltic network of repeat stations and gives a solution for the instruments usable for quasi-absolute magnetic measurements.
OURexperimentS werestartedin 1942. They were based upon the clinical experience of one of us (G.-A.) who had observed that the uterus and upper third of vagina of many young virginal women at the time of marriage was abnormally small. Such uteri grew however to their accredited normal size within a few months of married life provided no contraceptives were used which interfered with the absorption of semen from the vagina. Per sequitur if sheath or withdrawal methods of contraception were employed such uterine development did not take place. Following the dictum of William Harvey to seek and search out the secrets of nature by way of experiment, the purpose of our research was to discover any scientific explanation for this observation, that is, does absorption of semen produce any effect upon the genitalia. Preliminary experiments were carried out using semen kindly supplied by Dr. Scott Wilson of the Harley Street Laboratories. At that time no special attention was paid to the nature of the specimens proffered. Some were several days old and therefore infected m biochemically altered. Others were defective as regards the number and quality of spermatozoa present. Despite this, results were encouraging. I t is necessary to refer briefly to these experiments (Green-Armytage, 1943) because they represent the basis on which further investigations have rested and have guided the plan of the later research. It is generally agreed that if female littcr mates have been and are being kept under identical conditions their reproductive organs are equally developed and are of the same length and width. Therefore in order to obtain a reliable measure for assessing the results of treatment, we have used only does of the same litter in any of these experiments, keeping one of each litter as a control and comparing our findings in the animals subjected to treatment with those of their respective untreated sisters.
Goal of the study: identifying the attitude of students (young boys and teenagers) towards physical activity as a value to stay healthy, based on their age and place of residence. The scope of the study consisted of 99 seventh-grade students (45 of them originating from rural areas, 54 from towns and cities) and 96 tenth-grade students (44 of them originating from rural areas, 52 from towns and cities), a total of 195 school students, all of them young boys and teenagers from county N. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire constructed on a basis of questionnaire forms by I.J.Zuoziene (1998) and O.Batutis (2003). Conclusion. Regardless of their age and place of residence, Lithuanian school students (boys and teenagers) consider physical activity a value to stay healthy.
Some time ago a friend, who was organising a chess league, rang me up and asked “How many different ways are there of arranging a roundrobin league tournament?” Thinking of his phone bill I told him I’d ring him back. Which was just as well, because the problem was much more difficult dian I had realised. Indeed it is unsolved in general. In the language of graph theory it is the problem of finding the number of onefactorisations of a complete graph. These and related objects have been the focus of considerable study both in combinatorics and recreational mathematics and, although the enumeration question remains unanswered in general, it is, even for small numbers of players, remarkably full of interest.
The chapter discusses the importance of in-service teacher training (INSET) to promote the use of open natural language processing (NLP)-based technologies (NLPTs). The first section briefly outlines the affordances of technology for second language acquisition and emphasizes the potential of open NLPTs. The second section presents the overall INSET design used in the TELL-OP ERASMUS+ project led by a team of researchers from several European universities. Section 3 provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the questionnaires and feedback data from Belgian French-speaking teachers (n = 86) on the TELL-OP online training module. A SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) is used to complement the teachers' feedback. In the fourth section, the authors put the course design into perspective using several theoretical models on the use of technology and open access resources in education, and provide suggestions for improving future similar INSET initiatives.
The preparation of histidine enriched dendritic peptide amphiphiles and their self-assembly into multicomponent pH-switchable supramolecular polymers is reported. Alternating histidine and phenylalanine peptide synthons allow the assembly/disassembly to be adjusted in a physiologically relevant range of pH 5.3-6.0. Coassembly of monomers equipped with dendritic tetraethylene glycol chains with monomers bearing peripheral primary amine groups leads to nanorods with a tunable cationic surface charge density. These surface functional supramolecular polycations are able to reversibly bind short interfering RNA (siRNA). The nanorod-like supramolecular polymers, their complexation with siRNA, and the pH-triggered assembly/disassembly of the supramolecular carriers are characterized via circular dichroism spectroscopy, gel electrophoresis, as well as transmission electron microscopy. Multicomponent supramolecular polymers represent a modular and promising strategy for applications as responsive carrier vehicles, codelivery strategies, and gene therapy.
Imagine fifteen young ladies at the Emmy Noether Boarding School—Anita, Barb, Carol, Doris, Ellen, Fran, Gail, Helen, Ivy, Julia, Kali, Lori, Mary, Noel, and Olive. Every day, they walk to school in the Official ENBS Formation, namely, in five rows of three each. One of the ENBS rules is that during the walk, a student may only talk with the other students in her row of three. These fifteen are all good friends and like to talk with each other—and they are all mathematically inclined. One day Julia says, “I wonder if it’s possible for us to walk to school in the Official Formation in such a way that we all have a chance to talk with each other at least once a week?” “But that means nobody walks with anybody else in a line more than once a week,” observes Anita. “I’ll bet we can do that,” concludes Lori. “Let’s get to work.” And what they came up with is the schedule in TABLE 1.
Five pigeons were trained on a procedure that has been used as a laboratory analogue to natural patch residence. Trials commenced with two responses available. One of these might provide a reinforcer if the patch was a prey patch; the other ended the residence time in the patch and, after a fixed travel time in blackout, produced another patch that might or might not provide a reinforcer. Patch residence also ended, and was followed by the same travel time, after a reinforcer was obtained or after a fixed maximum time was spent in the patch. The dependent variable was patch residence time, from the commencement of the patch to the time at which the subject emitted a response to exit from the patch or until the maximum patch residence time had elapsed. In Parts 1 to 3, the duration of the imposed travel time was varied from 0.25 to 16 s at three different probabilities (.05, .1, and .2) of food per second (lambda) in prey patches. As reported in previous research, both increasing travel time and decreasing probabilities of reinforcers per second increased patch residence time. In Parts 4 to 7, the probability of prey trials (rho) was varied in an irregular order from .1, through .2, .5, and .7, to .9 for different combinations of lambda and travel time. Respectively, these were in Part 4, .05 per second and 0.25 s; in Part 5, .05 per second and 16 s; in Part 6, .2 per second and 0.25 s; and in Part 7, .2 per second and 16 s. A previously offered model, based on optimization assumptions, substantially and consistently underpredicted patch residence time. However, a modification of that model, which assumes that the subjects could not accurately discriminate the residence time that provided the minimum interreinforcer interval, described the data well. The same model also described previously reported residence times in a different species with a uniform distribution of prey-arrival times.
The paper develops a model of trade union behaviour based on the concept of the viable bargaining unit. Bargaining unit viability rests on five conditions; membership level, service level, membership participation, employer recognition and facilities. Viability is achieved by mobilisation of both members and employers. Trade unions may be seen as portfolios of viable and inviable bargaining units. From this, six propositions about trade union structure and behaviour are derived, concerning scale, growth, the impact of statutory recognition provisions, the emergence of conglomerate unions, governance structures and relations with employers. Employer dependence is a crucial element in the model and a simple game theoretic approach is used to discuss employer co-operation. A key conclusion is that viability at the union level is achieved by diversifying portfolios of bargaining units and securing co-operative relations with employers.
The melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene is a key determinant of the physiological variation in human skin pigmentation. It is highly polymorphic, and specific MC1R allelic variants have been shown to be low-penetrance melanoma susceptibility alleles. We investigated the contribution of the MC1R genotype to the risk of sporadic cutaneous melanoma in a population in central Italy. One hundred patients with sporadic cutaneous melanoma of any stage and 100 unrelated control individuals were consecutively recruited between 1 September 2000 and 31 December 2001. Information on ethnic background and residential history, phenotypic risk factors for melanoma and ultraviolet exposure habits was collected through a standardized questionnaire and total skin examination. Sequence analysis of the entire coding region of the MC1R gene was performed. A total of 26 MC1R variants, including a novel 123_124insT allele, was identified in our population, with the most frequent allele being V60L. Carriers of high-penetrance ‘R’ MC1R alleles, that define MC1R variants strongly associated with the red hair colour phenotype, showed a statistically significant increase in melanoma risk [odds ratio (OR), 2.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.19–5.55]. No significant association with melanoma risk was observed for carriers of ‘r’ variants (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.45–1.82). Amongst individual MC1R variants, the R151C allele was significantly associated with melanoma, with an OR of 2.94 (95% CI, 1.04–8.31). After stratification for clinical and ultraviolet exposure risk factors, the melanoma risk associated with high-penetrance ‘R’ variants appeared to increase significantly, mainly in the presence of clinically atypical naevi, more than 50 melanocytic naevi, high recreational sun exposure and occupational sun exposure. These results support the contribution of high-penetrance MC1R variant alleles to genetic predisposition to sporadic cutaneous melanoma in a population in central Italy.
To the Editor:   We read with great interest the article by Mayer et al1 dealing with the relationship between inflammatory status and long-term mortality in 1065 patients with asymptomatic carotid atherosclerosis. The results of their study demonstrated that the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality significantly increased in patients with elevated serum levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). In addition, patients with a high degree of carotid atherosclerosis and increased high-sensitivity CRP levels were particularly at risk of adverse outcome. The authors further showed that the individual …
Abstract Analyzing data from the National Survey of Families and Households, this study examines the extent to which men and women rely on informal and formal sources for emotional support during separation and the determining factors of relying on these sources. Both men and women rely on their friends for emotional support more than on any other sources, and friends are followed by parents. Initiator status, and education affect the likelihood of relying on formal support sources; compared to men, women obtain more support from informal as well as from formal sources. Effects of age, education, having children, initiator status, and involvement with someone else prior to the separation on obtaining emotional support from several informal and formal sources are analyzed. Implications of these and other findings and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Abstract The role of pollination in seed production and fruit development of the feijoa (Acca sellowiana (Berg) Burret) was examined in the partially self-fertile cultivar Apollo. Growth and quality attributes of fruit from cross-, self-, and open-pollinated flowers were markedly different. Cross-pollination gave the highest fruit set, fruit weight, and pulp (endocarp) development. More seeds were present in fruit from cross-pollination than in those resulting from selfing. Seed distribution within the fruit was not affected by pollination treatments. Correlations between seed number and fruit weight, and seed number and internal fruit quality (pulp development), were found in the feijoa cultivars Apollo, Triumph, Mammoth, and Gemini. In ‘Apollo’, a correlation between seed number and fruit shape was also found. It is concluded that pollination of feijoa can have significant effects on fruit uniformity via its effect on seed production.
The Triple Assessment in breast lump diagnosis includes a combined approach by clinical examination, mammosonography and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology. Correlation between BI-RADS categories & cytological findings are useful approach to establish an accurate preoperative diagnosis and for planning treatment. The present study included 100 patients with palpable breast lesions. Detailed history of patients and mammosonography findings (BI-RADS category) were noted. Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) smears were stained by Pap stain, H & E stain and Giemsa stain. Microscopic examination & reporting were done in correlation with BI-RADS categories. In present study majority of patients were between 41-50 years age with right side predominance. In FNAC findings, 45 patients had malignant lesions (predominantly Ductal carcinoma) & 55 patients had benign lesions (predominantly Fibroadenoma). It showed overall 93% concordance with BI-RADS categories.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by autoantibody formation and expansion such as the rheumatoid factor (RF), anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA), and antinuclear antibodies (ANA). Autoantibody identification has been considered as crucial not only for the diagnosis but also for its eventual association with the disease activity, to the extent of playing a pivotal role as a poor prognostic factor among patients1.Our aim was to assess the eventual association between certain clinical-epidemiological factors and presenting with moderate to high disease activity on the first rheumatology visit in an outpatient clinic-based cohort of Colombian RA patients.We conducted a cross-sectional analytic study utilizing the database of an outpatient clinic based in the Rheumatology Department at Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá University Hospital. Data were collected from May 2013 until Sep. 2020 and included age, gender, autoimmune- and non-autoimmune comorbidities, family history of autoimmunity (including RA), smoking and alcoholism personal history, previous DMARD and oral steroid use, nutritional status, disease duration defined as established or early RA (disease duration of ≤1 year before starting a DMARD), autoantibody profile information (RF, ACPA, and ANA), and disease activity, assessed by the DAS28- ESR. Multiple logistic regression with backward selection was performed to build the final fitted model.Data from a total of 1229 patients were included in the analysis. Our population was primarily female (n=938, 76,3%), the majority had an initial diagnosis of established RA (n=952 (77,5%), and presentation on the first consultation with moderate to high disease activity was seen on 65,2% of the cases (n=801). Being male and having an autoimmune comorbidity were statistically significant associated protective factors whereas strongly positive RF and ACPA levels, positive high ANA titres, and established RA were recognized as risk factors after adjustment for the effects of possible confounders such as age, smoking status, previous DMARD use, and family history of RA. Table 1 provides the complete results obtained from the multiple logistic regression model.Table 1.Multiple logistic regression analysis’s results.OR (95% CI)p-valueMale0,52 (0,39 – 0,69)< 0,0001Age0,99 (0,99 – 1)0,24Autoimmune Comorbidities0,41 (0,21 – 0,80)0,009Family History of RA0,85 (0,61 – 1,14)0,26Current Smoking1,26 (0,78 – 2,07)0,29History of Smoking1,26 (0,81 – 2)0,30Previous DMARD use0,91 (0,70 – 1,18)0,45RF strong titers i.e., > 80 U/ml1,56 (1,21 – 2,02)0,0007ACPA strong titers i.e., > 80 U/ml1,59 (1,19 – 2,11)0,0016ANA low positive titers i.e., < 1:640 dil.0,94 (0,72 – 1,12)0,67ANA strong titers i.e., > 1:640 dil.1,98 (1,23 – 3,27)0,0063Disease duration (established RA)1,41 (1,05 – 1,90)0,0277Bold values indicate statistically significant.These findings have significant implications for the understanding of the disease activity evaluated on the first contact of a RA patient with a rheumatologist. Our data supports the consideration of being male as a protective factor; however, suggest that autoimmune comorbidities could also condition a lower disease activity for such scenarios, which may be explained by the fact that such patients were referred from- and already being treated by- other practitioners. Additionally, our research provides insights for the consideration of high ANA titers as a potentially poor prognosis factor to be identified as early as on the first visit. ANA’s use on daily practice is an intriguing matter which could be usefully explored in further research with distinct methodological approaches.[1]Smolen JS, Landewé RBM, Bijlsma JWJ, et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2019 update. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2020;79:685-699.None declared
ABSTRACT Making the right decision before acquiring a dog may help prevent the development of canine behavior problems and increase the likelihood of a satisfactory relationship. In this study, social-cognitive factors in decision-making were assessed in the phase before the acquisition of a dog (the motivational phase) to see whether they were associated with later canine behavior problems and satisfaction with the dog after formation of a relationship (the experience phase). Respondents (n = 193) filled in an online questionnaire several months before acquiring a dog and six and 18 months thereafter. Results indicate that the confidence of dog owners in their ability to train and care for a dog—assessed before acquisition—was associated with fewer canine behavior problems, more satisfaction with the dog, and lower perceived costs in the experience phase. Self-efficacy had no effect on consistency between planned and actual acquisition. People scoring high on social norms were more likely to adhere to their plans, while those who expected many advantages were less likely to do so. Moreover, several preparation activities were associated with consistency, with more frequent doubt in the motivational phase being related to greater inconsistency. People who frequently read books about owning dogs and who often talked about this with others were more likely to adhere to their initial plans. In contrast, those who often visited websites offering/selling dogs were less consistent, possibly due to impulse buying. In conclusion, the quality of the relationship with a dog seems partly related to human decision-making factors occurring before the dog has been acquired. Longitudinal studies of human–animal relationships could enhance knowledge concerning the social-cognitive processes underlying our relationships with animals, possibly providing starting points for interventions aimed at improving the welfare of both animals and humans.
In this article we investigate the problem of locating a facility among a given set of demand points when the weights associated with each demand point change in time in a known way. It is assumed that the location of the facility can be changed one or more times during the time horizon. We need to find the time “breaks” when the location of the facility is to be changed, and the location of the facility during each time segment between breaks. We investigate the minisum Weber problem and also minimax facility location. For the former we show how to calculate the objective function for given time breaks and optimally solve the rectilinear distance problem with one time break and linear change of weights over time. Location of multiple time breaks is also discussed. For minimax location problems we devise two algorithms that solve the problem optimally for any number of time breaks and any distance metric. These algorithms are also applicable to network location problems.
Novel strategies and incorporation of information systems were identified for development to improve overall patient care within the outpatient setting. One of the ways to improve the Diabetes service is via a diabetes medical information management system. This will allow facilitation and analyses of data by audit of practice and health assessments within the diabetes teams. In addition, routine uploading of glucometers and insulin pumps in outpatient clinic allows joint analyses between staff and patients of patient’s blood glucose trends. Aims Within a dual-site integrated care organisation, we established the use of an electronic diabetes information management system (Twinkle.net) and routine uploading of glucometers and pumps (Diasend system) with an aim to improving outpatient paediatric diabetes care and education. Methods The Diasend blood glucose monitoring system allowed patients to upload and view their own data and allowed the diabetes team within a clinic setting to download a patient’s blood glucose from as many as 15 different manufacturer’s glucometers or insulin pumps within less than 2 min. The electronic management system (Twinkle) allowed monthly audit which identified specific patients who had poor metabolic control and those with recurrent DNAs to clinic. These patients were identified for more intensive contact and education with the diabetes nurse specialists. Results Metabolic outcome for diabetes (HbA1C) was compared in the period before and the period after the implementation of the electronic diabetes information management system and use of a routine uploading of patient’s blood glucometers and pumps. In 2012, average HbA1c was 8.6% and in 2013, average HbA1c was reduced to 8.4%. A patient satisfaction survey was also conducted within the outpatient setting with 79% positive feedback pertaining to the use of the new technology. Admission to hospital rate was 28% in 2012 and 19% in 2013 (p < 0.05). The median hospital length of stay for was 2.7 days in 2012 compared with 1.8 days in 2013 (p < 0.05). Conclusions The data indicates that following the implementation of the technology within a clinic outpatient setting, overall HbA1c metabolic control, admission rates and patient satisfaction improved and the team found regular data analyses and audit submissions less time consuming and more cost-effective.
In this study we present a boron-doped silicon carbide layers as a hole-selective contact which is compatible with short annealing time (typically < 1 minute) as the one used for firing of metal pastes. The application of such layers on symmetrically processed test structures lead to implied open circuit voltages up to 715 mV and contact resistances below 75 mΩ.cm2. Proof-of-concept p-type solar cells employing such passivating contact stack over the full-rear side and a POCl3 diffused emitter metallized with firing-through of Ag-paste were processed, leading to a first conversion efficiency of 21.4%.
This paper presents a set of paths, called bi-elementary paths. These paths are smooth and feasible for a car-like robot (i.e. their tangent direction is continuous and they respect a minimum turning radius constraint), and they can be followed by a real vehicle without stopping (i.e. they have a continuous curvature profile)-which is not the case of Dubins' curves. These paths are composed of arcs of a clothoid (a clothoid is a curve whose curvature is a linear function of its arc length), and are used to define a simplified, i.e. non-complete, planner. This simplified planner is, in turn, used in two global planning schemes, namely the Ariadne's Clew algorithm and probabilistic path planning. This paper proves an important property of the bi-elementary paths, from which the completeness of the two global planners is deduced.
The effect of aging treatment on the damping capacity of the high strength damping aluminum alloy prepared by RS/PM process was investigated. The damping properties of the alloy were examined with dynamic mechanic thermal analyzer (DMTA). The damping capacity, as well as the dynamic Young’s modulus was measured at different temperatures and different loading frequencies. The analysis of microstructure characteristics was performed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that the damping capacity of the alloy did not change significantly after aging treatment, but changed remarkably with the variation of measurement temperature and loading frequency. Grain boundaries in the alloy became clear and sharp with aging treatment proceeded and contributed to the total damping capacity.
Objective  To probe into the current nuring staff′s adverse event report recognition and attitude, and analyze its influencing factors, so as to perfect the system of nursing adverse event report and provide evidence to enhance the intention of nurse′s report.      Methods  By convenient sampling method, a total of 460 nurses were selected to investigate the recognition and attitude of nurse reporting adverse event in one level three class A hospital in Beijing.      Results  The overall positive response rate of nursing staffs′ adverse event report recognition and attitude was 69.13%, and the overall score of adverse event report intention was (3.86±0.55), which was in the moderate and above level; in which the recognition acquired the highest score while the report execution intention was the lowest score. The age, education background, title, occupation and nursing work experience had positive correlation with the recognition and attitude of report (P<0.05). Department culture and punishment environment were the main influencing factors impacted on nursing staffs adverse event execution.      Conclusions  Nurses have positive recognition and attitudes toward adverse event report, but the report′s execution intention is low. The manager should build up a harmony and positive atmosphere in order to construct non-punishment report system for nursing staffs, train positive safety culture, utilize scientific management, and promote the adverse event report.      Key words:  Nursing staffs; Patient′s safety; Adverse event; Report intention
We prepared molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine or 5-HT), a neurotransmitter and mood modulator, using a combination of neutral (methacrylamide or acrylamide) and positively charged (methacrylic acid) functional monomers. Water, PBS, acidified methanol and sodium dodecyl sulfate were compared as rinsing solvents for the removal of serotonin from the MIPs. Methacrylamide MIPs rinsed in acidified methanol (92% serotonin removal) produced the highest imprinting factor (3.1) in equilibrium batch rebinding experiments using a combination of 2% water and 98% MeCN as the rebinding solvent. For the first time, these MIPs were assessed for cytocompatibility using mouse mesencephalon neural progenitor cells (NPC) and NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Although MIP particles decreased NPC viability to <70%, MIP particles did not significantly reduce fibroblast viability when incorporated into a hyaluronic acid biomaterial. MIP microparticles were incorporated into a cross-linked hyaluronic acid biomaterial to present one way in which molecularly imprinted polymers may be used in vivo in future biomaterials or biosensors applications.
A rapid, simple and nonhazardous assay method for endcrine disruptors was developed using an estrogen receptor (ER) and fluorescence polarization (FP). Among the fluorescent compounds, the 17alpha-fluorescein-labeled estradiol derivative was selected as the most suitable ligand for the ER binding assay, since it showed the highest affinity to ER. In the Scatchard plot analysis, its convex curve exhibited a positive cooperative binding, indicating the induction of a conformational change of the ER with the binding of the ligand to form a dimer and to increase the affinity for the additional ligand. On the basis of the Hill plot analysis, its dissociation constant and Hill coefficient were 10.4 nM and 1.63, respectively. A competitive binding assay with an unlabeled 17beta-estradiol (E2) yielded an IC50 value of 2.82 nM and a Hill coefficient of 1.67, thus providing a Ki value of 0.65 nM. In the same manner, the Hill coefficients for estrone, estriol, diethylstilbestrol, and tamoxifen were determined to be 0.99, 1.17, 1.59, and 2.44, respectively.
Background: Complementing herbal drugs with conservative modern treatment could improve renal condition in canine chronic renal failure (CRF). Objective: In this study, clinical evaluation of Boerhavia diffusa root extract was carried out in CRF in dogs in comparison with standard enalapril. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 dogs of mixed breeds suffering from CRF from 1 to 2 months were divided into two groups (n = 10) and treated as follows: Group I - Enalapril at 0.5 mg/kg p.o. once daily for 90 days + amoxicillin and cloxacillin at 25 mg/kg i.m. once daily for 1-week; Group II - B. diffusa root extract at 500 mg p.o per dog daily for 90 days. Both groups were maintained on a supportive fluid therapy. The data were analyzed using paired t-test and one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett's post-hoc test. Results: CRF caused a significant (P < 0.05) increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, urinary protein, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and glutamyl transferase (GGT). A significant (P < 0.05) decrease in hemoglobin and total erythrocyte count (TEC) was also observed. Nephrosonography revealed indistinct corticomedullary junction, altered renal architecture, hyper-echoic cortex, medulla, and sunken kidneys. Both the treatments significantly (P < 0.05) reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure by day 30. Serum Creatinine, urea nitrogen, phosphorus, urinary protein, ALP, and GGT showed significant (P < 0.05) reduction by day 60 in both the treatments. However, potassium levels were normalized only by B. diffusa root extract treatment by day 30. Both the treatments failed to show a significant improvement in nephrosonographic picture even after 90 days posttreatment. Conclusions: In conclusion, the efficacy of B. diffusa root extract was comparable to standard enalapril treatment of CRF in dogs.
The information content of visible spectra has been evaluated, by means of some selected chemometrical techniques, for its ability to trace the geographical origin of extra virgin olive oils coming from several Mediterranean regions. Special attention was paid to extra virgin olive oil produced in West Liguria, a North Italy region which leans over the Mediterranean Sea and borders France. The peculiar organoleptic features of this "niche product" deserved the protected designation of origin "Riviera Ligure-Riviera dei fiori". Unfortunately, this expensive oil is often submitted to profitable adulterations, commonly involving addition of other cheaper Mediterranean oils. Using suitable transforms, such as profiles and derivatives, the visible spectra of extra virgin olive oils showed a very important discriminant power in that regards the geographical characterization of the studied samples. In particular, the developed class models for West Liguria oils have 100% sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, even if this paper is focused on West Liguria oil, it is important to emphasize that a similar study, involving a so widespread and timesaving technique, could be analogously developed for all the other Mediterranean regions taken into account and it could be used in other olive oil characterization problems.
Five isolates, designated TA2, TA4, TA25(T), KOx(T) and NS15(T) were isolated in previous studies by enrichment in mineral medium with potassium oxalate as the sole carbon source and were characterized using a polyphasic approach. The isolates were Gram-reaction-negative, aerobic, non-spore-forming rods. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA and DNA gyrase B subunit (gyrB) gene sequences confirmed that the isolates belonged to the genus Pandoraea and were most closely related to Pandoraea sputorum and Pandoraea pnomenusa (97.2-99.7 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The isolates could be differentiated from their closest relatives on the basis of several phenotypic characteristics. The major cellular fatty acid profiles of the isolates comprised C₁₆:₀, C₁₈:₁ω7c, C₁₇:₀ cyclo and summed feature 3 (C₁₆:₁ω7c and/or iso-C₁₅:₀ 2-OH). On the basis of DNA-DNA hybridization studies and phylogenetic analyses, the isolates represent three novel species within the genus Pandoraea, for which the names Pandoraea oxalativorans sp. nov. (TA25(T)  = NBRC 106091(T)  = CCM 7677(T)  = DSM 23570(T)), Pandoraea faecigallinarum sp. nov. (KOx(T)  = NBRC 106092(T)  = CCM 2766(T)  = DSM 23572(T)) and Pandoraea vervacti sp. nov. (NS15(T)  = NBRC 106088(T)  = CCM 7667(T)  = DSM 23571(T)) are proposed.
This paper presents an algorithm enhanced mixing of audio streams for computation on GPUs, which combines multiple stages of mixing by using two-pass rendering, which significantly reduces the switching time between buffers. Methods of computer experimental comparative studies were carried out evaluating the performance of the developed algorithm. The purpose of the present paper is development of an efficient algorithm for mixing audio streams for processing on GPUs. The method of transfer operations computing on graphics processors with the use of Shader programs was developed. Novel features presented solutions is using a two-pass rendering. The results showed that the application of the developed algorithm leads to an increase in computational performance up to 6 times. Presented solution can be implemented as software in the telecommunications multiprocessor systems.
The fourth virial coefficient D is derived for a classical gas composed of particles interacting according to the square‐well potential having the form ψ(r) = ∞ for r 2, where e is the magnitude of the attractive well depth and the hard‐core diameter is the unit of distance. The calculations are based on the Born—Green—Yvon equation and the density modified form of the original Kirkwood superposition approximation expression, viz., g(3)(r, s, t) = g(2)(r)g(2)(s)g(2)(t)[1+X1n], where g(2) and g(3) are, respectively, the pair and triplet distributions, n is the average particle number density, and (r, s, t) are the triplet particle‐separation distances. The approximation is invoked that X1 is a function of the gas temperature T and of ψ, but is independent of (r, s, t). X1 is chosen in order to ensure consistency between the values of D calculated independently from fluctuation theory and from the virial theorem. The expression derived for X1 in this way is Eq. (21) of...
Most work on interstitial microfauna has been done in the intertidal zone. More quantitative information on the subtidal is necessary. Some methods are proposed for sampling the undisturbed sea bottom by either ships or diving. For separation of the vagile interstitial fauna, especially ciliates and flagellates from the sediment, a simple method using seawater-ice is described. The animals are forced out of the sediment due to the high salinity of the melted seawater and the subsequent streaming action. In the last 40 years many papers have been published about the microfauna of marine sediments. New species and genera are continually being discovered and described; new families, orders, and even higher taxonomic groups are being created for interstitial specimens. However, the more descriptive details accumulated, the more necessary it becomes to do quantitative studies regarding distribution, abundance, migration, fluctuation, and other ecological relations. Furthermore, as most work has been done on the intertidal zone, it became apparent that more quantitative information on the subtidal area was necessary. Essentially, the limiting factors in studying interstitial fauna are the difficulties in the methodology which arise mainly from sampling, especially subtidally, as well as from separation and isolation methods. For quantitative studies it is very important to get undisturbed samples from the sea bottom. Furthermore, a factor often neglected is that flagellates, numer- ous small ciliates, and most acoel turbellarians are more or less "swimming- types." They possess few or no adhesive organelles for attachment. With stream- ing seawater through the sediment these animals may be passively displaced or lost. Therefore, the sediment sampler should not allow any outlet of interstitial water.
Within the framework of the steady-state diffusion model, the theoretical description for the thiocyanate ion lower detection limit (LDL) by the tetrathiocyanatozincate selective electrode, has been presented. The main assumptions of this model are constancy of the ion exchanger concentration along the membrane, traditionally used in various phaseboundary potential diffusion models, and linear profiles of components’ concentrations in diffusion layers. Simple quantitative expressions have been obtained, connecting thiocyanate ion concentration in the solution surface layer (responsible for LDL value) with phase boundary extraction equilibria constants, stability constants for zinc thiocyanate complexes, and diffusion parameters in the membrane and solution phases. Calculated LDL values are in good agreement with experimental data provided in the literature. It has been shown that LDL can be reduced substantially by controlling such easily regulated diffusion parameters as diffusion layer thickness in the membrane phase, which is a function of time, and diffusion layer thickness of the sample solution, which is governed by stirring regime.
Experimental investigations of Faraday rotation in nickel nanowires embedded in track etched polycarbonate membranes have been performed at 61.25 GHz. The nanowires were grown in nanoporous polymer templates using a three electrode electrodeposition technique. Static magnetic field dependence on the Faraday rotation was studied in these experiments. A differential Verdet constant of $ pmb{26.3} times  pmb{10}^{3} mathbf{rad}    mathbf{T}^{-1} mathbf{m}^{-1}$ was extracted from these measurements. Magnetic hysteresis experiments were also performed.
A novel no-reference video quality assessment is proposed in this paper. The proposed metric is based on the combination of two-pass edge analysis and background subtraction. The two-pass edge analysis is a blur metric we proposed in our previous work, which has gain an efficient performance in image blur assessment and other image processing applications. We apply the two-pass edge analysis to the video quality assessment in order to calculate the quality of each frame in the video. On the other hand, considering that one will pay his most attention on the foreground of the video. So we also apply the background subtraction to get the foreground of the video and only use these foreground to calculate the video quality. Experiments in the last section shows that our proposed no-reference metric has a good performance in the test sequences.
PMMA light guiding plate with nano-sized pattern was fabricated using anodized aluminum oxide membrane as a template for nano imprint lithography. Nano-sized pore arrays were prepared by the self-organization processes of the anodic oxidation using the aluminum plate with 99.999% purity. Since the aluminum plate has a rough surface, the aluminum plate with thickness of 1mm was anodized after the pre-treatments of chemical polishing, and electrochemical polishing. The surface morphology of the alumina obtained by the first anodization process was controlled by the concentration of electrochemical solution during the first anodization. The surface morphology of the alumina was also changed according to temperature of the solution during chemical polishing performed after first anodization. The pore widening process was employed for obtaining the one-channel with flat surface and height of the channel because the pores of the alumina membrane prepared by the fixed voltage method shows the structure of two-channel with rough surface. It is shown from SPM results that the nano-sized pattern on PMMA light guiding plate fabricated by nano imprint lithography method was well transferred from that of anodized aluminum oxide template.
In this paper, mathematical modeling of digital watermarking is proposed to approximate the image based on the generalized Gaussian distribution. Using maximum a posteriori probability based image segmentation and fuzzy c means image segmentation, the cover image is segmented into several homogeneous areas. In EM segmentation, every region in the image is represented by a generalized Gaussian distribution. The rotation invariant features are extracted from the segmented areas and are selected as reference points by DoG filter and principal component analysis. Rotation and scaling invariance is obtained through the process of image normalization. The watermark embedding and extraction schemes are analyzed mathematically based on the established mathematical model. The mathematical relationship between fidelity and robustness is established. A hybrid watermarking technique is proposed to improve the similarity of extracted watermarks. Furthermore, genetic algorithm (GA) is simultaneously performed to find the optimal values such as fitness value, best points and CPU time. This method has been proved its robustness to geometric attacks through experiments. The experimental results show the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed scheme
Design of a mass exchanger network (MEN) has drawn increasing attention over the past decade, largely due to its effectiveness in process waste minimization. Integration of a MEN, however, makes a resultant plant structurally more interacted among process units. If a MEN is improperly designed, its operation may be unstable or even uncontrollable regardless of the advances of control techniques. It is highly desirable, therefore, that a MEN be structurally controllable in the context of structural disturbance rejection. In this paper, the authors introduce a unique system modelling methodology for characterizing disturbance propagation and predicting the worst scenario to occur in a MEN during synthesis, and a model-based design procedure for optimally placing recycles for disturbance rejection. The efficacy of the modelling methodology and the recycle design procedure is demonstrated by tackling two MEN problems where recycles are optimally placed and control schemes are recommended. It shows a great potential in advancing process integration techniques for designing cost effective and highly controllable process systems.
This paper discusses how the IP MathWorks/sup /spl reg// Simulink/sup /spl reg// tools speed up the integration of intellectual property in a system on a programmable chip. The DSP Builder tool enables this flow by providing an automated translation of a bit and cycle accurate C++ Simulink/sup /spl reg// model into a VHDL hardware implementation. The coding style guidelines to write system level re-useable IP models highlight how to take advantage of the polymorphism and object oriented nature of C++ in this particular context.
Making investment decision is a complex and dynamic process. The present study was conducted to identify the investment pattern of micro, small and medium powerloom enterprises of Ludhiana district in Punjab. The selected sample for the conducting survey through interview technique consisted of 128 MSMEs. All the micro (50 units) and medium powerloom enterprises (2 units) were included in the sample due to their limited total number in the list of enterprises, whereas purposive probability proportional to size sampling technique was employed to select small enterprises (76 units). Results revealed that highest percentage of the owners (71.09%) had invested their own capital to establish their enterprises, while only 7.03 per cent MSMEs had borrowed capital from friends and relatives. The owners of medium enterprises had arranged funds from public sector banks. More than half of the total MSMEs (57.14%) were operating through cash credit limit sanctioned by banks for buying of raw material and machinery. Only 15.38 per cent of the owners had availed Machinery Term Loan to get subsidy on new shuttle-less looms. Low enthusiasm prevailed among MSMEs to take benefit of subsidy schemes offered by the government. Profit percentage reported by majority of micro enterprises (84.00%) was 5-10 per cent, while according to 48.68 per cent small enterprises, it was 10-15 per cent. The profit reported by medium enterprises was upto 25 per cent. The profit percentage for medium enterprises ranges from 12 to 25 per cent. Thus, an increase in profit percentage was observed with the increase in investment pattern.
Despite innovations in surgical interventions, treatment of cartilage injury in osteoarthritic joints remains a challenge due to concomitant inflammation. Obstructing a single dominant inflammatory cytokine have shown remarkable clinical benefits in rheumatoid arthritis, and similar strategies are being suggested to target inflammatory pathways in osteoarthritis (OA). Here we describe the utility of gelatin microspheres that are responsive to arthritic flares, resulting in on-demand, and spatiotemporally controlled release of anti-inflammatory cytokines for cartilage preservation and repair. These microspheres had net negative charge potential to sequester cationic anti-inflammatory cytokines, and the magnitude of the negative charge potential increased with increase in crosslinking density. The enzymatic degradation of the microcarriers was concentration dependent. Release of anti-inflammatory cytokines from the loaded microspheres was directly correlated with the degradation of the gelatin matrix. Exposure of the IL-4 and IL-13 loaded microspheres reduced the inflammation of chondrocytes up to 80%. Hence, the delivery of these microspheres in an osteoarthritic joint can attenuate the stimulation of chondrocytes to secrete catabolic factors including proteinases and nitric oxide. The microsphere format also allows for minimally invasive delivery and is less susceptible to mechanically-induced drug release and are conformant to the intra-articular space. Consequently, bioresponsive microspheres are an effective tool for OA prevention and treatment.
This paper studies procurement contracts where a buyer can either divide full production among multiple suppliers or award the entire production to a single supplier. We examine the effect of using multiple suppliers on investment incentives. In a framework of generalized second-price auctions with pre-auction investment, we show that the optimality of split-award depends on the socially efficient number of firms at the investment stage. When that number is greater than one, sole-sourcing is buyer-optimal. When that number is one, split-award lowers the buyer procurement cost.
Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) conditions for simultaneous optimization of dependent variables, including DPPH radical scavenging activity (RSA), tyrosinase activity inhibition (TAI), and collagenase activity inhibition (CAI) of peanut shell extracts. The effects of the main variables including extraction time (5.0~55.0 min, X1), extraction temperature (26.0~94.0 °C, X2), and ethanol concentration (0.0%~99.5%, X3) were optimized. Based on experimental values from each condition, quadratic regression models were derived for the prediction of optimum conditions. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the independent variable was in the range of 0.89~0.96, which demonstrates that the regression model is suitable for the prediction. In predicting optimal UAE conditions based on the superimposing method, extraction time of 31.2 min, extraction temperature of 36.6 °C, and ethanol concentration of 93.2% were identified. Under these conditions, RSA of 74.9%, TAI of 50.6%, and CAI of 86.8% were predicted, showing good agreement with the experimental values. A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that peanut shell extract decreased mRNA levels of tyrosinase-related protein-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-3 genes in B16-F0 cell. Therefore, we identified the skin-whitening and anti-wrinkle effects of peanut shell extracts at protein as well as gene expression levels, and the results show that peanut shell is an effective cosmetic material for skin-whitening and anti-wrinkle effects. Based on this study, peanut shell, which was considered a byproduct, can be used for the development of healthy foods, medicines, and cosmetics.
Introduction1. The Start of NegotiationsDecision to negotiateThe Tet Offensive - Phase IIThe start of the talks in ParisThe Tet Offensive - Phase IIILe Duc Tho-Harriman private meetings: the first five sessionsHiccups and resumption of talksThe military situation in 1968 reviewedThe Four-Party Conference beginsThe military situation in early 1969Policy differences within the Hanoi leadershipNLF's ten-point plan and Nixon's eight-point planEstablishment of the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (PRGSVN)Stalemate in ParisHanoi and Sino-Soviet relationsHo Chi Minh's death and its aftermathMilitary developments in the SouthMilitary developments in LaosThe Negotiations in 1969 reviewed2. The Widening WarThe 18th plenary session of the Lao Dong PartyReorganising the VPALe Duc Tho-Kissinger first secret meeting (21 Feb 1970)Le Duc Tho-Kissinger second secret meeting (16 Mar 1070)Communist activities in CambodiaThe deposition of Sihanouk and its aftermathLe Duc Tho-Kissinger third secret meeting (4 April 1970)Indochinese Summit conference (24-25 Apr 1970)Tensions between the Vietnamese and Cambodian communistsMilitary developments in CambodiaLe Duan - 'first among equals'Xuan Thuy-Kissinger secret meeting (7 Sept 1970)Communist military preparationsXuan Thuy-Kissinger secret meeting (27 Sept 1970)3. Fighting and NegotiatingKissinger's approach rebuffed19th plenary session of the Lao Dong PartyCOSVN Directive No 01/CT71Communist Spring-Summer 1971 counter-offensives: Route 9 - southern Laos and CambodiaSino-Vietnamese communist relationsCommunist counter-offensive: Tay NguyenVietnamese-Cambodian communist relationsXuan Thuy-Kissinger meeting (31 May 1971)Le Duc Tho-Kissinger meeting (26 June 1971)Hanoi's analysis of the situation in mid-1971Kissinger's secret visit to BeijingVietnamese communist relations with Beijing and MoscowLe Duc Tho-Kissinger meeting (12 July 1971)Kissinger's new eight-point planVietnamese communist relations with MoscowKissinger's second visit to BeijingKissinger's new offerHanoi's analysis of the situation at the end of 19714. Negotiations at a StandstillSecret meetings made publicNixon's visit to ChinaCommunist military preparations20th plenary session of the Lao Dong PartyThe 1972 Easter OffensiveUS air bombingVietnam-Soviet relationsLe Duc Tho-Kissinger meeting (2 May 1972)US-Soviet Summit meetingA change of strategy5. The Peace AgreementLe Duc Tho-Kissinger meeting (19 July 1972)Hanoi's new negotiation strategyLe Duc Tho-Kissinger meetings (1 and 14 Aug 1972)Vietnamese communist relations with Beijing and MoscowLe Duc Tho-Kissinger meeting (15 Sept 1972)The 26-27 Sept 1972 intensive negotiationsCommunist plan for 'General Uprising' (4 Oct 1972)8-12 Oct 1972 NegotiationsXuan Thuy-Kissinger meeting (17 Oct 1972)The Peace Agreement abortedAnother cycle of negotiationsLinebacker II and counter offensivesAnother attempt at negotiationThe Final AgreementLaying the groundwork for the Agreement6. An Incomplete VictoryCommunist strategy for the SouthCOSVN meeting (16-17 Mar 1973)COSVN Directive 3/CT/73The journey to HanoiMeeting with Le DuanDiscussions with Central Military CommitteeDevelopments in South Vietnam reviewedThe Politburo meeting of 1 June 1973Developments in North VietnamDevelopments in LaosDevelopments in CambodiaVietnamese communist relations with China and the USSRHanoi, Bejing and the on-going conflict in CambodiaCOSVN Conference (Sept 1973)Military preparationsResolution 21 (15 Oct 1973) and COSVN Resolution 12Developments in the US7. Ending the WarThe situation in the SouthMilit
In this work we have applied infrared camera techniques in a prototype of a quality control system for surface mount circuit board solder paste printing. The prototype system consists of a stepper motor controlled conveyor for board transportation and indexing, an infrared camera for paste pad temperature profile recording, a CCD camera for board and pad registration and recording, a pulse heating set-up, a video frame grabber and signal processor unit for preliminary image processing, and a PC for operator control, high level autonomous control and processing of preprocessed infrared and visual image data and communications with the other shop floor information and quality control systems. The operator interface is built on top of Windows 3.1, which makes it easy to operate and to connect to other programs at will. The prototype system was capable to process the locations and areas at over 100 solder paste pads per second speed and to evaluate the volumes of the pads within error tolerance of approximately equals 20%. The most severe obstacle in applying IR techniques in SMT product lines seems to be the current high cost of suitable IR scanning devices. Only slightly modified, the developed infrared quality control and testing system prototype can be used also in other electronics assembly line applications like solder checking and functional checking of boards by monitoring the thermal properties of solders and components correspondingly.
A model from Voigt et al. (1987) and an MHD simulation from Walker et al. (1989) both show that the curvature of the plasma sheet at Uranus changes as the dipole tilt varies between 38{degree} and 22{degree}. The models suggest that one of the two partial traversals of the uranian plasma sheet made during the outbound trajectory of Voyager 2 can be explained as an entry into the highly curved plasma sheet that develops when Uranus is near the maximum dipole tilt value of 38{degree}; previously both partial traversals have been explained as anomalous. The spacecraft would have reversed its motion relative to the plasma sheet as the continued rotation diminished the dipole tilt and the retreating plasma sheet uncurled. As the dipole tilt approached its minimum value, spacecraft motion towards the neutral sheet resumed and the traversal of the plasma sheet was completed. Evidence from the PWS plasma wave detector suggests that the spacecraft trajectory skimmed the plasma sheet boundary layer for several hours prior to the partial immersion. The plasma sheet of the Voigt et al. model was not located near the spacecraft during this time interval. On the other hand, the MHD simulation reveals a plasma sheetmore » that is more curved than in the Boigt et al. model; near maximum dipole tilt, the plasma sheet is pincer-shaped. The unusual geometry implies that Voyager 2 remained near the plasma sheet boundary layer during the period suggested by the PWS data. Thus the simulation accounts easily for the first of the plasma sheet encounters previously called anomalous. The second partial immersion remains anomalous, having previously been related to substorm activity, and thus is not discussed here. The stagnation distances of the earth and Uranus at the nose of the magnetopause were used to scale the Walker et al. (1989) simulation of the terrestrial magnetosphere to represent the uranian magnetosphere.« less
In the view of educational sociology, teaching materials represent society's "official knowledge." While transmitting systematic cultural knowledge to those being educated, teaching materials also transmit the mainstream social concepts they carry. This is all the more so for courses in human disciplines. If we examine the way Wu Zetian—that unique female historical personage—is presented in different editions of teaching materials, we can see the position conferred upon females by the "official knowledge" and in what sort of space they may express themselves.
Airway mucus hypersecretion,which contributes to morbidity and mortality of patient,is an important pathophyisological characteristic of many chronic inflammation diseases. Macrolide antibiotics have an important effect for inhibiting the airway mucus hypersecretion. Macrolide antibiotics can interrupt many intracellular signal transduction channels,then reduce synthesis and secertion of MUC5AC. Due to this effect, which deffer the others, Macrolide antibiotics have a unusual sense for the patient of chronic inflammation diseases.    Key words:  Airway mucus hypersecretion; Macrolide antibiotic; MUC5AC
Since the 1980’s, questions have been asked the world over about the efficiency and contribution of nursing in the hospital treatment of patients and nursing performance within the framework of nonhospital health care. The cause for these tendencies has many roots. For one, we can determine a push in professionalism through the increasing importance of nursing sciences on whole. The basic focus is on comparability, standardization (Johnson et al., 2005), and securing quality (ICN, 2003). Also, a significant part of nursing systems internationally are publicly financed and legally determined. This has the consequence that the political decision-makers, particularly in context with the financing and planning of nursing structures, have more of an interest in controlling the nursing systems and disposing of useable nursing data. The different health systems have reacted to this cost pressure, not least because of the various political conceptions according to national criteria, even though it has been established that the basic tendencies of individual steps to reform are comparable in all health systems. Because of this, a diversification of the nursing professions corresponding to national demands was noticed on an international scale and the attempt was made to assign the nursing performance to the level of training. At the same time, the structural, hierarchical cooperation of the different nursing professions was regulated. A professionally and politically specific intention concerns the availability of valid nursing data which serve just as much as a political decision basis for developing the need for nursing performance in the individual professional levels as they serve as essential support within the framework of information of individual nursing processes. Initiatives for reform and the forming of data structures in nursing came from the nursing branch, or rather nursing sciences themselves, as well as from the government decision-makers. Along with other reform objectives in the area of professional training and distinctions of competence, the focus is on the definition of a list of nursing performances (nursing interventions) in context with nursing data. These performances have to be clearly defined and serve as a basic fundament for nursing documentation as well as for care planning on a national scale. Nursing Minimum Data Set (NMDS) has been developed as a scientific term for this process, although the term is understood in different ways in different countries.
Objective To find out the prevalence of iodine deficiency disorders （IDD） and population＇s iodine nutritional status, and to evaluate the intervention effect of iodized salt. Methods In 2011, by using two- stage probability proportionate to size sampling （PPS） technique, 30 counties in Hebei Province were selected, and one school was chosen from each county. In each county selected, 40 children aged 8 - 10 were chosen to measure their thyroid volumes and collect salt samples from their homes for determination of iodine content. Twelve were selected out of the 40 children to detect their urinary iodine content. In the meantime, 3 townships （town, street offices） were selected near the school, and 5 pregnant and 5 lactating women were chosen, respectively, to detect their urinary iodine content. Results The median salt iodine of the 1204 household salt samples was 29.3 mg/kg, with consumed rate of eligible iodized salt being 90.03% （1084/1204）. A total of 379 spot urinary samples of children aged 8 - 10 were collected and measured, and their median urinary iodine（MUI） was 216.9 μg/L. Urine samples collected from boys and girls were 201 and 178, respectively. Boys＇ MUI（228.4 μg/L） was significantly higher than that of girls（196.6μg/L, U = 14 923.5, P 〈 0.05）. The goiter rate of 1204 children aged 8 - 10 by ultrasound was 2.82% （34/1204）. Eighteen thyroid nodular cases were identified by ultrasound in these children, accounting for 1.50%（18/1204）. The nodular prevalence in 8, 9, and 10 year groups was 0.57%（2/352）, 0.89% （4/448） and 2.97% （12/404）, respectively, with significant difference （X2 = 9.13, P 〈 0.05 ）. The MUI of 440 spot urine samples collected from pregnant women was 159.5 μg/L, and it was 157.0 μg/L in the 461 spot urine samples collected from lactating women. Conclusions The iodine nutrition in children aged 8 - 10 in Hebei Province is a little more than adequate. The iodine nutrition in pregnant and lactating women is adequate. Children＇s goiter rate is under the national standard. Sustainable elimination of IDD is achieved in Hebei Province.    Key words:  Iodine; Salts; Urine; Nutrition; Goiter
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection frequently causes neurologic disease even with anti-retroviral treatment. Although associations between MHC class I alleles and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been reported, the role MHC class I alleles play in restricting development of HIV-induced organ-specific diseases, including neurologic disease, has not been characterized. This study examined the relationship between expression of the MHC class I allele Mane-A*10 and development of lentiviral-induced central nervous system (CNS) disease using a well-characterized simian immunodeficiency (SIV)/pigtailed macaque model. The risk of developing CNS disease (SIV encephalitis) was 2.5 times higher for animals that did not express the MHC class I allele Mane-A*10 (P = 0.002; RR = 2.5). Animals expressing the Mane-A*10 allele had significantly lower amounts of activated macrophages, SIV RNA, and neuronal dysfunction in the CNS than Mane-A*10 negative animals (P<0.001). Mane-A*10 positive animals with the highest CNS viral burdens contained SIV gag escape mutants at the Mane-A*10-restricted KP9 epitope in the CNS whereas wild type KP9 sequences dominated in the brain of Mane-A*10 negative animals with comparable CNS viral burdens. These concordant findings demonstrate that particular MHC class I alleles play major neuroprotective roles in lentiviral-induced CNS disease.
Abstract— The kinetics of canine hypothalamic tyrosine hydroxylase were studied in the presence of various ions and sulphated mucopolysaccharides. Enzymic activity was dependent on ionic strength, a specific sulphate effect and the presence of the highly sulphated mucopolysaccharide, heparin. Whereas both sulphate and heparin activated tyrosine hydroxylase by increasing Vmax heparin, but not sulphate, also increased the affinity of the enzyme for the synthetic cofactor, 2‐amino‐4‐hydroxy‐6,7‐dirnethyl‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydropteridine, by nearly an order of magnitude. Other rnucopolysaccharides, such as chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid, were not effective as activators of tyrosine hydroxylase. The allosteric activation of tyrosine hydroxylase by heparin may serve to ‘sensitize’ the enzyme to low levels of its end product, norepinephrine.
Abstract: The field of Medical Informatics is one of the most active fields both in research and education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The nucleus of this scientific field at the Aristotle University resides in the Medical School and in particular in the Laboratory of Medical Informatics. Education programs exist in undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels, and are targeted towards medical students and doctors and information technology related students and professionals. Research projects cover a wide area of medical informatics including medical information processing and management, electronic health records design and implementation, medical decision support, biological systems simulation, telemedicine applications, integration and communication issues related to regional health information systems, and quality assessment of health services and systems. The description and brief presentation of the output of these educational and research directions shall be presented in this paper.
ducts. Lymphocytes and other inflammatory cells penetrate the peri-biliary vascular plexus and portal venules and then migrate into the perivenular tissue toward the bile ducts. In this process, increased expressions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin on the endothelial cells of blood vessels are significant (1). The effects of treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid on histologic progression in primary iliary cirrhosis have been analyzed (2). In the present study, we investigated how ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy affects the expression and distribution of ICAM-1 and lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA-1) in PBC liver tissues at the protein level using mmunohistochemistry and Western blot.
Purpose To investigate factors associated with speech-language disorders in victims of motorcycle accidents.   Methods This is a cross-sectional study. Victims of motorcycle accidents studied were treated at Hospital da Restauração between June and July 2014. The data were collected by consulting the records and direct interviews with these, at admission and after discharge. For analysis were raised single frequencies, average and chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. The margin of error used in the statistical tests was 5%, and the intervals were obtained with 95% reliability.   Results 99 individuals were studied, 90.9% male, the mean age of 32.7 years. It found a high percentage of 42.3% of drunk drivers and 51.5% were not enabled. The Head Injuries were present in 30.3% of cases. The most affected body area were the lower limbs (71.7%), followed by the head and face region (56.6%). It was also found that 30.3% had complaints of speech pathology after hospital discharge and a statistically significant association between speech therapy complaint and not enabled (p=0.012) and collisions between bikes (p=0.004).   Conclusion There was a high percentage of lesions in the head and face resulting from accidents, associated mainly not eligible to drive bike and collisions between motorcycles, suggesting that these factors can aggravate injuries speech therapy.
With the rapid increase of web sources, more and more deep web databases become available. The information in these databases can only be accessed by submitting queries to back-end databases. However, the traditional search engine interfaces resemble extremely deep web interfaces. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish them and to find deep web interfaces. This paper proposes a novel method of discovering deep web interfaces. We introduce a page division method to divide pages into separate parts. After that we remove the parts which don't contain search interfaces. At last we construct topic-specific queries to obtain results and distinguish deep web interfaces by analyzing the results. Experiment result shows that this method is effective and stable.
A unique methine moiety attached to three heteroatoms (O, P, S) and contained in the PuPHOS and CamPHOS ligands serves as a strong hydrogen-bond donor. Nonclassical hydrogen bonding of this methine with an amido-carbonyl acceptor provides a completely diastereoselective ligand exchange process between an alkyne dicobalthexacarbonyl complex and a phosphine ligand. This weak contact has been studied by means of X-ray analysis, 1H NMR, and quantum mechanical calculations and revealed that the present interaction falls in the range of strong C-H...O=C bonds. The hydrogen-bond bias obtained in the ligand exchange process has been exploited in the asymmetric intermolecular Pauson-Khand reaction to yield the corresponding cyclization adducts in up to 94% ee.
The treatment of an aqueous acetonitrile solution of chloroplatinic acid hydrate H2PtCl6.xH2O and pyridine-2-carbaldehyde-oxime (paOH) in the presence of potassium thiocyanate at room temperature (25°) led to the formation of a new Pt(IV) complex with the formula [Pt(SCN)2(paO)2], (1). Complex 1 was fully characterized by FT-IR, UV-vis and NMR spectroscopic techniques as well as elemental analysis. The crystallographic structure of complex 1 was obtained by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structure of complex 1 consists of a distorted octahedral geometrical environment around the platinum center in which the coordination sites are occupied by two terminal thiocyanate ligands in trans arrangement and two bidentate paO ligands through four nitrogen atoms. In addition, the in vitro evaluation of the cytotoxicity of platinum complex 1 against four different cancer cell lines was performed. The IC50 values for colon (HCT116), liver (HepG2), breast (MCF-7) and erythroid (JK-1) treated with complex 1 are 19 ± 6, 21 ± 5, 22 ± 6, and 13 ± 3 μM, respectively. In HCT116 cells treated with the IC50 dose of our title compound, apoptosis and necrosis were increased by 34% and 27.8%, respectively. Cells halted in the proliferative phase (S phase) to 21.7 % and 29.8% in HCT116 and HepG2 cells treated with complex 1 have anti-proliferative actions. Furthermore, the catalytic activity of synthesized complex 1 was examined in the oxidation reaction of benzyl alcohols in the presence of an oxidant. Finally, the luminescence behavior of complex 1 was investigated.
Human rights sound a lot like moral rights: rights that we have because we are human. Many philosophers think it follows that the list of international human rights must therefore be founded on some philosophical account of moral rights or of human dignity. More recently, other philosophers have rejected this foundationalist picture of international human rights (“foundationalist” meaning that moral rights are the foundation of international human rights). These critics argue that international human rights need no philosophical foundation; instead, we should look to the actual practices of human rights: the practices of international institutions, tribunals, NGOs, monitors, and activists. I call this approach “human rights pragmatism.” It is pragmatism in that it puts practice rather than theory in the driver’s seat, and denies the need for theoretical foundations for international legal human rights.In “Why International Legal Human Rights?” Allen Buchanan offers a forceful pragmatist critique of foundationalism, which he calls the “Mirroring View:” that international legal human rights must mirror moral rights. Buchanan demonstrates that there are reasons for establishing a regime of international legal human rights that have nothing to do with the Mirroring View. My paper is a response to Buchanan’s. I agree with Buchanan’s pragmatist critique of foundationalism, but I argue that without some connection between international legal human rights and moral rights grounded in human dignity, a regime of international legal human rights will fail on its own terms. The paper explores what that connection is, and explains why focusing on human dignity is essential on pragmatist, anti-foundationalist grounds.
The antineoplastic effects of combinations of anticancer drugs (5‐fluorouracil, irinotecan and cisplatin) and triterpenes (ursolic acid, betulinic acid, oleanolic acid and a Japanese apricot extract (JAE) containing triterpenes) on esophageal squamous carcinoma cells were examined by the WST‐8 (2‐(2‐methoxy‐ 4‐nitrophenyl)‐3‐(4‐nitrophenyl)‐5‐(2,4‐disulfophenyl)‐2H‐tetrazolium, monosodium salt) assay in vitro and by an animal model in vivo. Triterpenes and JAE showed additive and synergistic cytotoxic effects, respectively, on esophageal squamous carcinoma cells (YES‐2cells) by combinational use of 5‐fluorouracil. JAE and 5‐fluorouracil induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and at S phase, respectively, and caused apoptosis in YES‐2 cells. A new animal model of esophageal cancer causing tumor colonization of the peritoneal cavity and producing bloody ascites was made by injecting YES‐2 cells into the peritoneal cavity of a severe combined immunodeficiency mouse. In this model, 5‐fluorouracil inhibited colonization of tumor cells in the peritoneum. The addition of JAE to 5‐fluorouracil augmented the suppression of experimental metastasis of the peritoneum. The numbers of peritoneal nodules of more than 2 mm in diameter in mice treated with 5‐fluorouracil and JAE were less than those in mice treated with 5‐fluorouracil alone or JAE alone. These results suggest that triterpenes, especially JAE, are effective supplements for enhancing the chemotherapeutic effect of 5‐fluorouracil on esophageal cancer. © 2009 UICC
From this study it was evident that outer peristaltic parts of waste tire granules gave the highest removal. Film and pore diffusions are the major factors controlling rates of sorption from solution by porous adsorbents. For sorption of 2,4‐D on waste tire rubber granules, the sorption rate coefficient of second‐order kinetic equation was utilized indirectly to determine the rate‐limiting step. The diffusion coefficient lies in the scale of 10−8 cm2/s, and the pore diffusion coefficient is in the range of 10−9–10−10 cm2/s. So both film and pore diffusion are rate limiting. Considering external mass transfer from fluid to particle, using the effect of initial concentration, and using the effect of adsorbent size, no conclusion was reached regarding rate‐controlling steps. It is apparent from the study that external mass transfer (film diffusion) as well as intra‐particle diffusion (pore diffusion) play significant roles in the sorption process for 2,4‐D removal from water onto rubber granules.
This paper intends to investigate the impact of external computers and removable devices on virus spread in a network with heterogeneous immunity. For that purpose, a new dynamical model is presented and discussed. Theoretical analysis reveals the existence of a unique viral equilibrium that is locally and globally asymptotically stable with no criteria. This result implies that efforts to eliminate viruses are not possible. Therefore, sensitivity analysis is performed to have more insight into parameters’ impact on virus prevalence. As a result, strategies are suggested to contain virus spread to an acceptable level. Finally, to rationalize the analytical results, we execute some numerical simulations.
Grain size distribution characteristics of suspended particulate matter(SPM) provides important information for water environment apparent quality. The size distribution characteristics and influencing factors of suspended particulate matter under different apparent pollution levels in the inorganic type urban landscape water were discussed taking the canal which is flowing through Suzhou as the research object. The apparent pollution mechanism of inorganic type urban landscape water was explained from the aspect of the size of the suspended particles. The results showed that: SPM had mainly a uni-modal distribution in the inorganic type water, and the median particle diameter range was 13-25.2 μm. The component Ⅱ was perdominant, and the particle size range was 3.8-16 μm(with an average volume fraction of 29.4%-59.6%). Sensitive components of the apparent polluted water were component Ⅱ and component Ⅳ (particle size range 32-64 μm). The relation of the sensation pollution index(SPI) and component Ⅱ was segmented, and the node was 45NTU. When the turbidity was less than 45NTU, SPI value and volume fraction of component Ⅱ had a significant positive correlation, and volume fraction of component Ⅳ had a significant negative correlation with SPI value; when the turbidity was equal to or greater than 45NTU, the correlation was the opposite. The influencing factors of particle size distribution of Suzhou canal mainly included organisms and hydrodynamic conditions. The biological factors mainly led to increase of the algae and the hydrodynamic condition caused resuspension and increased the large particles.
125 © International Forum of Educational Technology & Society (IFETS). The authors and the forum jointly retain the copyright of the articles. Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than IFETS must be honoured. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers, or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from the authors of the articles you wish to copy or kinshuk@massey.ac.nz. Delivering Learning on the Net: the Why, What & How of Online Education (Book Review)
ABSTRACT As intergenerational interactions increase due to an ageing population, the study of emotion-related responses to the elderly is increasingly relevant. Previous research found mixed results regarding affective mimicry – a measure related to liking and affiliation. In the current study, we investigated emotional mimicry to younger and older actors following an encounter with a younger and older player in a Cyberball game. In a complete exclusion condition, in which both younger and older players excluded the participant, we expected emotional mimicry to be stronger for younger vs. older actors. In a partial inclusion condition, in which the younger player excluded while the older player included the participant, we predicted that the difference in player behaviour would lead to a difference in liking. This increased liking of the older interaction partner should reduce the difference in emotional mimicry towards the two different age groups. Results revealed more mimicry for older actors following partial inclusion especially for negative emotions, suggesting inclusive behaviour by an older person in an interaction as a possible means to increase mimicry and affiliation to the elderly.
This paper introduces the basic concepts and processes of role-based collaboration and the basic components of role-based collaborative systems including roles, agents and groups. It mainly describes our implementation of the role specification and transition mechanisms. In this prototype, we compose a role as a set of rights to access resources and a set of responsibilities to serve others. We conclude that these mechanisms are a maintainable, extensible framework to create more collaborative systems in the future
SUMMARY It was possible to demonstrate from retrospective records that a link existed between contaminated animal feedstuffs, turkeys and an outbreak of Salmonella senftenberg infection at Ryhope Hospital. Possibly infected or contaminated turkeys were supplied to the hospital from two turkey farms in one of which the birds were fed on contaminated white fish meal and the other had had infected birds. This work was carried out months after the events described and would not have been possible without the help and co-operation of the Public Health Laboratory Service, The Veterinary Field, Investigation and Research Services, Houghton Poultry Research Station, The Medical Officer of Health for Brighton, Dr Rosetta Parker, and the various feed companies involved, who very kindly made their records available to us.
Results: It was found that 218 (72.7%) of the 300 stones were calcium oxalate (CaOx); 170 (56.7%) of which were calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM), 12 (4%) were calcium oxalate dehydrate (COD), and 36 (12%) were COM and COD combined stones; 23 (7.7%) were uric acid (UA), 6 (2%) were magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP), 3 (1%) were dahllite (DAH/hydroxyl apatite), 2 (0.6%) were cystine (CYS) stones, and 34 (11.3%) were a combination of UA and COM stones. The remaining 14 (4.7%) stones were a combination of other stones. Conclusion: The stone analysis study was carried out using the XRD method on 300 samples in the Eastern Anatolia Region, where the prevalence of urinary tract stones is relatively high. The analysis showed that 72.7% of all stones were CaOx stone and 56.7% were pure COM stones.
A synopsis is presented of performance data for a single aperture dual beam antenna operating with a 6 GHz 135 Mb/s 64-QAM digital microwave system. Three tests, spanning 19 months of operation, with over 2.67 million seconds (742 hours) of clear-air fading greater than 10 dB, are described. The general conclusion is that angle diversity shows promise for paths with a history of pure multipath problems and locations where space diversity is impractical or impossible. However, angle diversity should not be looked upon as a cure-all for propagation problems, and caution should be used in selecting paths to be equipped with angle diversity. An understanding of the prevalent fade mechanisms to be encountered is necessary to correctly apply single aperture dual beam antennas.<<ETX>>
Background: Sleep disorders are widespread among patients with schizophrenia and contribute to adverse clinical outcomes. Antipsychotic drugs exert varying effects on sleep, and the effects of atypical agents may differ from those of conventional neuroleptics. Objective: To review the literature on the effects of atypical medication on subjective and objective sleep quality in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: A non-systematic literature review of Medline was performed in August 2003 searching the period from January 1985 to August 2003 for studies of the effects of atypical antipsychotics on sleep. Results: We found published studies of clozapine, olanzapine, and risperidone, but none on quetiapine or ziprasidone. Studies with clozapine showed that it increased total sleep time, sleep efficiency, stage-2 non-rapid eye movement sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep density, and decreased stage-4 sleep, slow wave sleep (SWS) and stage-1 sleep. Single-dose studies with olanzapine have shown that it increases SWS, sleep continuity, total sleeping time, subjective sleep quality, and delta sleep. Long-term studies with risperidone have shown improvements in total sleep, sleep efficiency, sleep continuity, SWS, and stage-2 sleep, and reductions in sleep latency, number of awakenings, and proportion of time awake. These benefits were paralleled by improvements in subjective sleep assessment and psychopathology, and psychosocial functioning. Conclusions: The evidence presented in this review suggests that atypical antipsychotics exert favorable effects on sleep profile compared with conventional agents, including improvement of subjective sleep quality and modification of specific sleep stages known to be associated with better clinical outcome.
With "moxibustion" and "warm stimulation" as the keywords, the literature on moxibustion mechanism of warming and dredging from June 1st, 1995 to June 1st, 2016 was collected from PubMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Wanfang database. The startup mechanism of moxibustion warming and dredging function was analyzed in terms of moxibustion warming stimulation. The results were found that moxibustion was based on local rising temperature of acupoint. It activated local specific receptors, heat sensitive immune cells, heat shock proteins and so on to start the warming and dredging function and produce various local effects. The warming stimulation signals as well as subsequent effects through nerve and body fluid pathways induced the effects of further specific target organs and body systems.
Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) are commonly calculated to represent the equilibrium concentration of a substance in an organism relative to environmental concentrations of the same substance. The BCF is derived from parameters estimated in uptake and elimination experiments and is presented as a single value without error estimates or confidence intervals. However, it is desirable to know the variability/precision of the BCF estimate and to statistically compare BCFs among experimental conditions. In this study, the calculation of standard errors and confidence intervals for BCFs is presented. In addition, a statistical method for formally comparing the BCFs derived under two or more experimental conditions is discussed. These methods are illustrated using data from a study of DDT‐exposed Hyalella azteca and Diporeia spp.
Abstract: When using interviews as a data-collection method, the evaluator must pay attention to the distortions that may be created. Evaluation is a political exercise and, in a political context, may favour the emergence of statements that represent resistance to objectifying their meaning. Based on the interviews conducted during the evaluation of the implementation of the UNAIDS Drug Access Initiative in Chile, the article illustrates different tactics participants use that may win the evaluator’s sympathy or block access to information, and it presents a method of analysis the evaluator can use to give meaning to such statements.
BACKGROUND In the primary analysis of the DRIVE-SHIFT trial, switching to doravirine/lamivudine/ tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (DOR/3TC/TDF) maintained suppression of HIV-1 through Week 48. Here we present long-term efficacy and safety outcomes through Week 144 of the DRIVE-SHIFT trial.   METHODS This phase 3, randomized, open-label trial evaluated switching from a stable antiretroviral regimen to once-daily DOR/3TC/TDF in adults with HIV-1 suppressed for ≥6 months and no previous virologic failure. Participants switched at Day 1 (immediate-switch group [ISG]; n=447) or Week 24 (delayed-switch group [DSG]; n=209). Nine ISG participants who completed Week 48 but did not enter Extension-1 were excluded from Week 144 efficacy analyses.   RESULTS At Week 144, HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL was maintained in 80.1% of the ISG (351/438) and 83.7% of the DSG (175/209), while 2.7% (12/438) and 4.8% (10/209), respectively, had HIV-1 RNA ≥50 copies/mL (FDA Snapshot). Protocol-defined virologic failure after switch occurred in 2.1% of ISG (9/438) and 3.3% of DSG (7/209); no viral resistance to doravirine was detected in four participants with samples available. Reductions in fasting lipids were observed at 24 weeks post-switch and maintained through Week 144. Mean weight change from switch to Week 144 was +1.4 kg for ISG and +1.2 kg for DSG. The most common adverse events were nasopharyngitis (16.2%), headache (12.3%) and diarrhea (9.1%). Overall, 4.1% discontinued due to adverse events, and no deaths occurred.   CONCLUSIONS These results confirm that switching to once-daily DOR/3TC/TDF is a generally well-tolerated option for maintaining viral suppression in adults considering a change in therapy.   REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02397096.
The build-up of thermally-generated carriers in a charge coupled device (CCD) is investigated by considering a generation model proposed by Zerbst that characterizes the transient response of an MOS capacitor. By applying clock pulses in a holding mode to a pair of electrodes of a 4-phase, 128-bit CCD shift register, noise signals of the generated carriers were observed when the duration of the holding mode reached several msec. By comparing experimental results with the theoretical transient response derived from the Zerbst model, the minority carrier lifetime τ and the surface generation velocity SG are determined to be in reasonable agreement with the values evaluated from transient responses of the MOS capacitor.
Fully coupled dynamic electro-thermal simulation on chip and circuit level is presented. Temperature dependent thermal conductivity of silicon is taken into account, thus solving the nonlinear heat diffusion equation. The numerical solution is carried out by using the industry-standard simulator SABER, therefore for electro-thermal simulations we are able to use the common electrical compact models by adding a heat source and thermal pins to them. The application of this technique and need for electro-thermal simulation is illustrated with the simulation of a current control circuit built into a multiwatt package.
Introduction : Anemia by the WHO criteria is more common in American blacks than whites. There are few data examining differential associations of demographic, socio-economic, and co-morbid conditions with anemia by race. Methods : The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study is a national longitudinal cohort currently enrolling 30,000 blacks and whites aged ≥ 45 years to assess stroke risk. Half the cohort will be black and half will live in the southeast. A phone interview for health history was followed by an in-home visit for phlebotomy and physical exam. After enrolling 8400 subjects, a complete blood count was added to the baseline exam. As of March 30 th 2006 this was available in 12,060 participants. Anemia was defined by the WHO criteria and categorized into 3 non-exclusive groups: (1) low glomerular filtration rate (GFR) ( 2 ), (2) inflammation (C-reactive protein ≥ 10mg/L or leukocyte count ≥ 15×10 9 /L, and (3) microcytosis (mean red cell volume Results : The prevalence of anemia was 13.3% (1600 of 12,060); 21.5% for blacks (1047 of 4860) and 7.7% for whites (553 of 7195). The age- and sex-adjusted OR of anemia for blacks vs. whites was 3.71 (95% CI 3.30, 4.18). After additional adjustment for socio-economic variables (high school education, annual income), and co-morbid conditions (vascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, ever smoker, body mass index), blacks had a 2.79-fold (95% CI 2.44, 3.19) greater prevalence of anemia. Correlates of anemia differed by race; compared to whites, blacks with anemia were younger (66.2 vs. 69.9 years old, p Conclusions : Anemia is more common in blacks than whites and correlates of anemia differ greatly by race. While risk factors for low GFR were more common in blacks (diabetes, hypertension), anemia with low GFR was more prevalent in whites. Adjustment for demographics, socio-economic variables, co-morbid conditions, and anemia type did not eliminate the association of black race with anemia. Whether this represents intrinsic differences in hemoglobin concentration between blacks and whites or undetermined or unmeasured co-morbid conditions requires further study.
Abstract A retrospective genotype and phenotype analysis of X-linked congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) was conducted on a nationwide cohort of 25 (24 male, 1 female) Korean children with AVPR2 gene mutations, comparing non-truncating and truncating mutations. In an analysis of male patients, the median age at diagnosis was 0.9 years old. At a median follow-up of 5.4 years, urinary tract dilatations were evident in 62% of patients and their median glomerular filtration rate was 72 mL/min/1.73 m2. Weights and heights were under the 3rd percentile in 22% and 33% of patients, respectively. One patient had low intelligence quotient and another developed end-stage renal disease. No statistically significant genotype-phenotype correlation was found between non-truncating and truncating mutations. One patient was female; she was analyzed separately because inactivation and mosaicism of the X chromosome may influence clinical manifestations in female patients. Current unsatisfactory long-term outcome of congenital NDI necessitates a novel therapeutic strategy.
Background Accessibility to health services is a critical determinant for health outcome. Objectives To examine the association between immunisation coverage and distance to an immunisation service as well as socio-demographic and economic factors before and after the introduction of outreach immunisation services, and to identify optimal locations for outreach immunisation service points in a peri-urban area in Zambia. Methods Repeated cross-sectional surveys were conducted for two groups of children born between 1999 and 2001, and between 2003 and 2005.The association between immunisation coverage for DPT3 and measles, and access distance, child sex, female headed households, and monthly household income were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Optimal locations for outreach service points were identified using GIS network analysis and genetic algorithms. Results Before the introduction of outreach services, longer distances to the service points were associated with lower DPT3 and measles immunisation coverage (OR=0.24, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.56, p<0.01 for DPT3; and OR=0.38, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.83, p<0.05 for measles). However, access distances were not an impediment to immunisation coverage once the outreach services were introduced. The average distance to immunisation services could be decreased from 232.3 to 168.4 metres if the current 12 outreach service points were repositioned at optimal locations. Conclusion Access distance to immunisation services was a critical determinant of immunisation coverage in a peri-urban area. Intervention via outreach services played an important role in averting the risk of missing out on immunisation. Optimal location analysis has the potential to contribute to efficient decision making regarding the delivery of immunisation services.
Preparation for radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy includes an increased serum thyroid stimulating hormone level and a low iodine diet (LID). Because of extremely high iodine intake, some physicians have advocated a more stringent LID for greater than 2 weeks in Korean patients with thyroid cancer prior to RAI therapy; however, it is very difficult to maintain a stringent LID for a longer period of time. According to recent reports in Korea, a nonstringent, simple LID for only 1 week might be enough prior to RAI therapy, if the patients can be educated intensively by specially trained staff. The measurement of simple urinary iodine concentration (UIC; µg/L) may underestimate daily iodine excretion in patients with a urinary volume of more than 1 L/day and can also be affected by dilution status. Simple UIC had a weaker correlation than the iodine/creatinine (I/Cr) ratio. Therefore, the urinary I/Cr ratio can replace 24-hour urine iodine excretion instead of simple UIC, although it may overestimate iodine intake in patients with malnutrition or poor muscle mass. The measurement of serum iodine level might be useful as an adjunct parameter for assessing LID preparation, but its sensitivity and specificity were relatively low compared to the urinary I/Cr ratio.
A care pathway (CP) is a standardized process that consists of multiple care stages, clinical activities and their relations, aimed at ensuring and enhancing the quality of care. However, actual care may deviate from the planned CP, and analysis of these deviations can help clinicians refine the CP and reduce medical errors. In this paper, we propose a CP variance analysis method to automatically identify the deviations between actual patient traces in electronic medical records (EMR) and a multistage CP. As the care stage information is usually unavailable in EMR, we first align every trace with the CP using a hidden Markov model. From the aligned traces, we report three types of deviations for every care stage: additional activities, absent activities and violated constraints, which are identified by using the techniques of temporal logic and binomial tests. The method has been applied to a CP for the management of congestive heart failure and real world EMR, providing meaningful evidence for the further improvement of care quality.
In leaves of goldenrod, Solidago canadensis (Asteraceae, tribe Astereae), numerous internal oil reservoirs with a uniseriate epithelium occur as a single file above or below veins or as isolated cavities in the mesophyll. Reservoirs are abaxial to major veins (vein orders 1–3), either above, below, or superimposed in intermediate 4th order veins, but strictly adaxial to 5th and 6th order minor veins. Reservoirs are initiated as discrete cavities, but those below 1st and 2nd order veins are in a single crowded file, each separated only by epithelial cells. Elongation of these cavities, accompanied by stretching and separation of septa, gives a false impression at maturity of an indefinitely long duct instead of a series of tubular cavities. Reservoirs of vein orders 3–6 are mostly more widely separated and less subject to elongation, thus they are shorter and remain discrete at maturity. The overall foliar pattern is one of successively shorter reservoirs, a sequence that is in concert with the successively narrower and progressively less elongated vein orders. The shift from abaxial to adaxial reservoirs in minor veins may be related to different phloem functions: sugar transport in major veins and photosynthate assimilation in minor veins.
Hearing is an important sensation to the elderly as it  promotes their quality of life and maintains their safety and wellness. For  example, healthy hearing lets the elderly catch alarm sounds, stay alert to  danger whilst asleep, listen in the dark, detect sounds from behind,  communicate efficiently with other people, and maintain links to the world via  telephone and radio, especially after retirement. However, age-related hearing  loss, i.e., presbycusis, seems to  become a growing problem in our community. The purpose of this study is to  demonstrate whether presbycusis is a critical issue in our community. To  achieve this purpose, the data in the literature as well as in the websites  sponsored by hearing-related professional associations and sponsored by related  government’s departments have been searched and reviewed. The data resulted  from the review show a high prevalence of presbycusis, an ever-growing senior  population, an incredible increase in hearing impairment and presbycusis  population in the next two decades, a rank as high as at the third place for  the prevalence of presbycusis among chronic health conditions in elderly  resident facilities, and an alarmingly negative effect of presbycusis on mental  health, social life, speech perception and hearing-related areas in the brain.  These findings demonstrate that hearing loss in the elderly is a critical issue  in our community. The etiology, clinical significance, management of  presbycusis, prevention, and access of presbycusis population to assistive  devices are also overviewed and discussed.
Microbial uptake of carbon monoxide (CO) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the estuary of the St. Lawrence River, Canada, typically followed first-order kinetics at ambient CO concentra- tions, (CO), but saturation kinetics occasionally occurred in spring. The first-order uptake rate con- stant, Kco, decreased from the upper estuary (8.48 d -1 ) to the lower estuary (3.94 d -1 ) and the gulf (1.32 d -1 ). Kco inversely varied with tide and decreased from its highest value in summer (7.52 d -1 ) to intermediate values in spring (5.15 d -1 ) and autumn (4.12 d -1 ), and to its lowest value in winter (1.09 d -1 ). Maximum Kco values always occurred in a turbidity maximum zone near the head of the estuary. An empirical model was proposed to account for the effect of particle-associated bacteria on Kco. Temperature dependence of Kco obeyed Arrhenius behavior with the activation energy being lower in the upper estuary (21.5 kJ mol -1 ) than in the lower estuary and gulf (32.7 kJ mol -1 ). The com- bination of bacterial abundance and temperature can serve as an all-season predictive tool for Kco. CO uptake rate versus (CO) plots show typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics or inhibition behavior at elevated (CO). Km was low and relatively invariable: 3.2 nmol l -1 (CO) in autumn and 4.9 nmol l -1 (CO) in winter. CO specific affinity in autumn (1.25 l (mg of cell) -1 h -1 ) more than doubled that observed in winter (0.51 l (mg of cell) -1 h -1 ). This study demonstrated strong seasonal variations in
The banana sector in Ecuador is unique compared with other main exporting countries : many small and medium producers operate alongside large national and multinational companies. And while differences between these different production units are minimal in terms of productivity at the plot level, they become pronounced when it comes to packaging and transportation aspects of the production process where economies of scale are critical. Nonetheless, preserving small-scale operations, despite the trend towards a concentration of land holdings, permits agribusinesses to adjust their volumes in response to fluctuating demand.
OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among US adults and its prevalence is increasing, despite efforts to identify, and address risk factors. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been identified as a potential risk factor for CVD, though the results to date have focused on male veterans with combat-related PTSD. To our knowledge, there are no prospective analyses/reports among older community-dwelling adults following Hurricane Katrina. The purpose of this study was to explore the link between PTSD associated with Hurricane Katrina and incident CVD among elderly adults using data from the Cohort Study of Medication Adherence among Older Adults (CoSMO). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: PTSD associated with Katrina and incident CVD events were assessed among 2075 hypertensive participants age ≥65 who were enrolled in a managed care organization in southeastern Louisiana. Baseline surveys were conducted between August 2006 and September 2007. Baseline surveys were conducted between August 2006 and September 2007. PTSD was assessed using the civilian PTSD CheckList (PCL-17) and 2 cut-off points, ≥37 and ≥44, for primary and secondary analyses, respectively. Participants were followed through February 2011 for a composite CVD outcome of MI, stroke, CHF, or CVD death. Multivariable logistic regression was performed with 13 covariates identified in bivariate analysis: age, sex, race, marital status, education, hypertension knowledge, comorbidities, number of antihypertensive medication classes, dissatisfaction with healthcare, reduced medications due to cost, number of visits to healthcare provider in last year, depression, and coping. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Participants were 59.8% female and 30.4% black, with a mean age of 75 years. The prevalence of PTSD using the primary and secondary cut points was 6.1% and 4.2%, respectively. In total, 240 (11.5%) participants had a CVD event during a median 3.8 year follow-up. After multivariable adjustment, the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for CVD event for the primary and secondary analyses were 1.90 (95% CI: 1.17, 3.09) and 3.74 (95% CI: 2.05, 6.81), respectively. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: PTSD was associated with an increased risk of incident CVD events among elderly adults. This finding from a prospective cohort study supports earlier reports suggesting PTSD is an independent risk factor for CVD. To our knowledge, this association has not been previously reported among a cohort of elderly community-dwelling adults. This study included hypertensive, elderly, insured participants living in southeastern Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina and may not be generalizable to all people with PTSD. Strengths of this study include its longitudinal design, the identification of incident CVD, the diversity of the study population with respect to gender, race and CV risk, and reduced confounding due to access to care and insurance status. Future research is needed to confirm this finding in other populations and to assess if efforts to minimize the impact of PTSD following disasters reduce CVD risk and premature CVD events among older adults.
Does poverty bind developing countries to high levels of maternal death in childbirth? Or, as safe-motherhood advocates claim, do public health and social policy interventions have the potential to accelerate maternal mortality transitions? Globally, almost one in 200 live births leads to the death of the mother, making maternal mortality an issue of critical international import. This article presents an analysis of the determinants of national maternal mortality levels with a view to shedding light on these questions. A cross-national regression of 64 countries shows that wealth indicators explain only a portion of the variance in national maternal mortality levels. Other determinants, including women's educational levels and the proportion of deliveries attended by trained health personnel, are more clearly associated with national maternal mortality levels than are measures of wealth. The results offer grounds for optimism concerning the potential for global safe-motherhood efforts to induce maternal mortality transitions.
This paper proposes a pose robust human detection method for sequences of stereo images using four directional2D elliptical filters (4D2DEFs), which can detect humans regardless of scale and pose. Four 2D elliptical filters with specific orientations are applied to a 2D spatial depth histogram, and threshold values are used to detect human candidates. These candidates are verified by either detecting the face or matching head-shoulder shapes. Experimental results show that human detection using the proposed method outperforms that of using the existing Object Oriented Scale Adaptive Filter (OOSAF) by 15∼20%, especially in the case of posed humans.
From the study "Family Farming in the Economy: Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul" published in 2005 by NEAD - Nucleus of Agrarian Studies and Rural Development Ministry of Agrarian Development, the perception of the importance of family agriculture in the economy has gained special dimension, which showed that the average share of it in the Brazilian economy reached almost 10%. With the creation of Secretariat of Agricultural Development in 2007, the Government of Ceara State comes to recognize the family farm as a strategic sector for sustainable development of its economy, considering the importance of the social relations of production in rural areas. It is worth mentioning that the concept is established around the term "family farm" is not necessarily associated with the "small production " and "low income agriculture ", so as not condemn the family to stagnation and underdevelopment. Sensitive to this fact, Agropolis Institute of Ceara, in partnership with the Bank of Northeast Brazil, even commissioned the study to the Foundation Studies and Economic Research - FIPE, to define and quantify the productive chains of family farming in Ceara. The study "The Participation of Family Farming in Ceara's GDP, " presented here considered the same methodology, also for FIPE in 2005. Under the guidance of Professors Joaquim Jose Martins and Carlos Roberto Azzoni Guilhoto, affiliated to the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy University of Sao Paulo, known for its specialized structural analysis of national and regional economy, this document becomes an important reference tool for continuous monitoring of short production chains related to rural Ceara. We seek, therefore, increase dialogue and strengthen relations between government agencies, universities, research centers and organizations linked to rural development, to improve public policies directed to the sector.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: A growing proportion of Medicare beneficiaries is covered by private insurers through Medicare Advantage, yet little is known about how these plans are structured in terms of relationships with physicians and implications for quality of care. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess whether greater physician concentration of services across insurers was associated with higher quality in Medicare Advantage (MA), overall and particularly among MA insurers serving a high proportion of vulnerable enrollees. Research Design: A retrospective cohort design with regression analysis. Data Sources: The primary dataset was 2014 MA encounter records submitted by insurers to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, covering 600,329 physicians across 119 insurers. These data were merged with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data on MA contract quality rating as well as physician characteristics in the Medicare Data on Provider Practice and Specialty file. Measures: Two measures were generated to capture the concentration of physician services across insurers: the percentage of a physician’s Medicare services which was through MA (MA penetration); and the percentage of a physician’s MA services with a specific insurer (insurer share of MA services). Results: Greater MA penetration and insurer share of MA services were each associated with higher MA plan quality. The relationship between insurer share and quality was stronger in contracts with a relatively high percentage of disabled enrollees. Conclusion: Greater physician concentration of services across MA insurers was associated with a higher quality of care overall and especially among vulnerable enrollees.
In this review, we compared the potential of mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue and umbilical cord as suitable sources for regeneration of inner ear hair cells and auditory neurons. Our intensive literature search indicates that stem cells in some of adult mammalian tissues, such as bone marrow, can generate new cells under physiological and pathological conditions. Among various types of stem cells, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells are one of the most promising candidates for cell replacement therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells have been reported to invade the damaged area, contribute to the structural reorganization of the damaged cochlea and improve incomplete hearing recovery. We suggest that bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells would be more beneficial than other mesenchymal stem cells.
Urs App, The Birth of Orientalism Philadelphia and Oxford: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2010. xviii + 550 pp. 20 illustrations. Cloth, us$79.95/£52.00. isbn 978- 0-8122-4261-4. This absorbing and richly researched book is a close study of Europe's discovery of non-Islamic Asian religions in the eighteenth century and of the way information and misinformation about these religions circulated in European debates. By the time university chairs in oriental languages and Indology were set up in the early nineteenth century, Europeans had already been engaged in the intensive study of Asian religions for 250 years. This great chapter in intellectual history has been underestimated due to a foreshortening of perspective, whereby the nineteenth-century scholarship monopolizes attention, and what went before is dismissed as the random research of eccentrics. App scolds Henri de Lubac for treating the errors of Diderot as a "monkey show" and urges respect for faltering steps that are of great importance in the history of ideas, and that are perhaps no more absurd than our own may appear to posterity (135). One of the reasons why the story App tells is so little known is the tendency of modern scholars to pass over older studies of the history of religion that are presumed to be inept and outdated. Thus Beatrice Bodart Bailey is faulted for omitting two chapters on religion in her translation of Kaempfer (174-75). App provides a perspective in which the interest of this older research can be appreciated anew. Religious ideologies-first Christian, then deistic, and finally atheistic-prevailed massively in the quest for Asian origins. The learned Jesuit missionaries compiled histories of errors, and the thesis that Asians descended from the race of Ham was exploited for all it was worth. Sadly, their best work slept in archives for centuries. Sometimes they made outrageous claims. Roberto de Nobili declared in 1608 that he was the "teacher of the fourth, lost Veda which deals with the question of salvation" (371). The anonymous Ezour-vedam, probably authored by the Pondicherry missionary Jean Calmette SJ with his confrere Jean Francois Pons (396-98), uses what was known of the Vedas to argue that their transmission in India was corrupt and that Christianity represented their true form. "The problem of how to present a new religion as the origin of an older one" sent missionaries back to Eusebius and his Praeparatio Evangelica, "the highest peak of early Christian apologetics" (386), which posits an original revelation only poorly preserved by the Jews and retrieved by the Christians. Of the Buddhists, the Ezour-vedam says that "their system is to not recognize any purely spiritual substance and no god except for themselves" (398). This text was to play a key role in exciting European "Indomania." It had a huge influence on Voltaire, who cites it in the 1761 edition of his Essai sur les moeurs as "one of the most ancient manuscripts in the world" (55). It allowed him to find in India rather than China the most ancient form of religion, "a pure cult of a supreme Being." By a high-handed method of quotation, the text "was massaged until it fit Voltaire's idea of ancient monotheism and could please a deist" (59) and serve as a weapon against an intolerant church. Perhaps Voltaire did not really believe in the text's antiquity, but "sensed Jesuit involvement and perhaps even relished the thought of surreptitiously perverting their fundamental intention" (61). He thus "single-handedly transformed some missionary jottings from the South Indian boondocks into the 'world's oldest text,' the Royal Library's 'most precious document'" (64). Voltaire's propagandistic zeal was also nourished by a text discovered, or more likely forged, by John Zephaniah Holwell, the Dublin-born governor of Bengal who created the myth of the Black Hole of Calcutta. Voltaire acclaimed this text, the Chartah Bhade Shastah, as the oldest document of monotheism. …
Objective image quality measure, evaluating the image quality consistently with human perception automatically, could be employed in image and video retrieval. And the measure with high efficiency and low computational complexity plays an important role in numerous image and video processing applications. On the assumption that any image's distortion could be modeled as the difference between the projection‐based values (PV) of reference image and the counterpart of distorted image, we propose a new objective quality assessment method based on signal projection for full reference model. The proposed metric is developed by simple parameters to achieve high efficiency and low computational complexity. Experimental results show that the proposed method is well consistent with the subjective quality score. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 18, 94–100, 2008
This study examined the effect of the number of follicles aspirated during egg retrieval on pregnancy likelihood during an ovulation induction, in-vitro fertilization (IVF) programme. In addition, the volume of each individual follicle was related to the probability of obtaining an oocyte from that follicle. Its capacity to be fertilized, the incidence of polyspermic fertilization, the quality of early embryos derived from that oocyte and the influence of patient age were the other outcomes studied. Large follicular number and high mean follicular volume related positively to pregnancy outcome. Successful egg retrieval, normal fertilization and good embryo quality were more likely with increasing individual follicular volume. A model was constructed to quantify the predictive value of follicular fluid volume on the developmental potential of individual oocytes and embryos derived from that follicle. Successful outcome of IVF is more likely if ovulation induction results in many follicles, particularly if they have a high mean volume. Individual oocyte and embryo quality can be traced back to the follicular level.
Amazon S3-style storage is an attractive option for clouds that provides data access over HTTP/HTTPS. At the same time, parallel file systems are an essential component in privately owned clusters that enable highly scalable dataintensive computing. In this work, we take advantage of both of those storage options, and propose pWalrus, a storage service layer that integrates parallel file systems effectively into cloud storage. Essentially, it exposes the mapping between S3 objects and backing files stored in an underlying parallel file system, and allows users to selectively use the S3 interface and direct access to the files. We describe the architecture of pWalrus, and present preliminary results showing its potential to exploit the performance and scalability of parallel file systems.
Patients diagnosed with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion ((L-SIL) or atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) are subjected to additional investigations, such as colposcopy and biopsy, to rule out cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2+ (CIN 2+). Especially in young patients, lesions tend to regress spontaneously, and many human papilloma virus (HPV) infections are transient. Dual-staining p16/Ki-67 has been proposed for the triage of patients with ASC-US or L-SIL, but no prospective study addressing only this subgroup of patients has been conducted so far. We performed a prospective study including all eligible patients referred for a loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Timișoara University City Hospital. HPV genotyping and dual-staining for p16/Ki-67 were performed prior to LEEP, at 6 and 12 months after LEEP. A total of 60 patients were included in the study and completed the follow-up evaluation. We analyzed the sensitivity and specificity for biopsy-confirmed CIN2+ using the 95% confidence interval (CI) of high-risk human papilloma virus (HR-HPV), dual-staining p16/Ki-67, colposcopy, and combinations of the tests on all patients and separately for the ASC-US and L-SIL groups. Dual-staining p16/Ki-67 alone or in combination with HR-HPV and/or colposcopy showed a higher specificity that HR-HPV and/or colposcopy for the diagnosis of biopsy confirmed CIN2+ in patients under 30 years. Colposcopy + p16/Ki-67 and HR-HPV + colposcopy + p16/Ki-67 showed the highest specificity in our study.
MR experiments frequently rely on signal encoding by the application of magnetic fields that vary in both space and time. The accurate interpretation of the resulting signals often requires knowledge of the exact spatiotemporal field evolution during the experiment. To better fulfill this need, a new approach is presented that enables measuring the field evolution concurrently with any MR sequence. Miniature NMR probes are used to monitor the MR phase evolution around the object under investigation. Based on these data, a global phase model is calculated that can then be used as a basis for processing the actual image or spectroscopic data. The new method is demonstrated by MRI of a phantom, using spin‐warp, spiral, and EPI trajectories. Throughout, the monitoring results enabled highly accurate image reconstruction, even in the presence of massive gradient imperfections. Magn Reson Med 60:187–197, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A low noise amplifier is designed and simulated for the frequency range of 3.1 to 10.6 GHz using CMOS 0.18 µm technology. In this design there is a common source stage with an inductor in the source in order to reduce the amount of noise. The second stage is a structure to reuse the current in order to increase the gain and decrease the power consumption. Moreover, an NMOS transistor is used to improve the linearity of the proposed circuit. The proposed design is then simulated using the 0.18 µm CMOS technology in ADS software. The results show a noise level of less than 3dB and a flat gain of 14dB, also the IIP3 factor of the circuit is measured to be 0.5dBm which indicates the high degree of linearity in the circuit. The circuit power consumption is 23 mw.
The troglobitic (exclusively subterranean source population) catfish Ituglanis passensis (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae) is endemic to the Passa Três Cave, São Domingos karst area, Rio Tocantins basin, Central Brazil. This unique population presents variably reduced eyes and melanic pigmentation. We describe reproduction and early development in this species based on a spontaneous (non-induced) reproductive-event that occurred in the laboratory in January–February, 2009, while simultaneously comparing with data from the cave-habitat and a previous reproductive event. Egg laying was parceled. Egg-size and number were within variations observed in epigean congeners. Larvae behavior and growth is described. A single surviving specimen was monitored over two years. Eye-regression started late, one year after birth, and followed a pattern of stasis phases intercalated with slow growth and fluctuating asymmetric rates. Late eye regression, associated with asymmetry in eye development and intra-population variability of troglomorphic traits, as shown by several Brazilian subterranean fishes, provide support for the Neutral Mutation Theory.
One of the central activities of current medical (including cardiological) research is identification of the causes of inherited diseases. The goals are the determination of genes and risk factors, introduction of new diagnostic standards and ultimately refinement of therapies. In cardiac disorders, molecular causes have been detected for certain types of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a disease characterized by increased ventricular wall thickness, a high risk of arrhythmias and an increased frequency of sudden cardiac death. The first known cause of HCM was a point mutation in the cardiac beta-myosin heavy chain gene on chromosome 14, detected using a genetic mapping procedure based on linkage of the clinical phenotype with genomic marker sequences. Additional missense mutations have been located in the globular head of beta-myosin, and other disease loci have been identified on chromosomes 1, 11, and 15; the disease genes in these loci have not yet been determined, however.
Purpose. To report a case of pseudomyopia induced by antipsychotic drug administration. Methods. A 30-year-old woman was referred to our ophthalmology department complaining of blurred vision, especially at distance, in both eyes. The patient had been prescribed antipsychotic drugs (haloperidol and biperiden) as treatment for her schizophrenic symptoms and had recently undergone a change of treatment to amisulpride. She had a manifest refraction of −4.00/−1.00 × 180 in the OD and −3.75/−1.25 × 175 in the OS whereas her cycloplegic refraction was −1.75/−1.00 × 180 in the OD and −1.00/−1.25 × 175 in the OS, respectively. Results. A diagnosis of likely drug-induced pseudomyopia was made. Therefore, the patient was advised to visit her psychiatrist, who added an extra 2 mg of biperiden, an anticholinergic agent, to the pre-existing amisulpride treatment, achieving a cessation of the visual symptoms a few days later. Conclusions. Pseudomyopia can be induced by the antipsychotic drug amisulpride. Additional treatment with anticholinergic agents can be used to eliminate this side effect.
The success of Staphylococcus aureus as a pathogen is due in part to its ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions using signal transduction pathways, such as metabolite- responsive regulators and two-component systems. S. aureus has a two-component system encoded by the gene pair sav0224 (hptS) and sav0223 (hptR) that regulate the hexose phosphate transport (uhpT) system in response to extracellular glucose-6-phosphate. Glycolytic intermediates such as glucose-6-phosphate are important carbon sources that also modulate the activity of the global metabolite-responsive transcriptional regulator CcpA. Because uhpT has a putative CcpA binding site in its promoter and it is regulated by HptR, it was hypothesized the regulons of CcpA and HptR might intersect. To determine if the regulatory domains of CcpA and HptRS overlap, ccpA was deleted in strains SA564 and SA564-ΔhptRS and growth, metabolic, proteomic, and transcriptional differences were assessed. As expected, CcpA represses hptS and hptR in a glucose dependent manner; however, upon CcpA derepression, the HptRS system functions as a transcriptional activator of metabolic genes within the CcpA regulon. Importantly, inactivation of ccpA and hptRS altered sensitivity to fosfomycin and ampicillin in the absence of exogenous glucose-6-phosphate, indicating that both CcpA and HptRS modulate antibiotic susceptibility.
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with informal vendors and merchants from different sectors in Santarem, State of Para, reporting 107 medicinal products, which represented 14% of all products found, including plants and products of animal origin. The species andiroba (Carapa guianensis Aubl.), copaiba (Copaifera reticulata Ducke) and cumaru (Dipteryx odorata (Aubl) Willd.) are the most wanted products by the local population. The remaining 92 products account for 86% of the total. The sale of handicraft and biojewelry – coming from different places in and out of the state take place in the city center at specialized stores. The main customers are people from the middle and upper classes who value the rustic form of the handicrafts and their socioeconomic importance for the producing families.
CpG-DNA upregulates the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and cell surface markers. Investigators have shown that CD11b (integrin αM) regulates TLR-triggered inflammatory responses in the macrophages and dendritic cells. Therefore, we aimed to identify the effects of CpG-DNA on the expression of CD11b in macrophages. There was no significant change in surface expression of CD11b after CpG-DNA stimulation. However, CD11b was released into culture supernatants after stimulation with phosphorothioate-backbone modified CpG-DNA such as PS-ODN CpG-DNA 1826(S). In contrast, MB-ODN 4531 and non-CpG-DNA control (regardless of backbone type and liposome-encapsulation) failed to induce release of CD11b. Therefore, the context of the CpG-DNA sequence and phosphorothioate backbone modification may regulate the effects of CpG-DNA on CD11b release. Based on inhibitor studies, CD11b release is mediated by p38 MAP kinase activation, but not by the PI3K and NF-κB activation. CD11b release is mediated by lysosomal degradation and by vacuolar acidification in response to CpG-DNA stimulation. The amount of CD11b in the exosome precipitant was significantly increased by CpG-DNA stimulation in vivo and in vitro depending on TLR9. Our observations perhaps give more insight into understanding of the mechanisms involved in CpG-DNA-induced immunomodulation in the innate immunity.
MOTIVATION Neighbor-dependent substitution processes generated specific pattern of dinucleotide frequencies in the genomes of most organisms. The CpG-methylation-deamination process is, e.g. a prominent process in vertebrates (CpG effect). Such processes, often with unknown mechanistic origins, need to be incorporated into realistic models of nucleotide substitutions.   RESULTS Based on a general framework of nucleotide substitutions we developed a method that is able to identify the most relevant neighbor-dependent substitution processes, estimate their relative frequencies and judge their importance in order to be included into the modeling. Starting from a model for neighbor independent nucleotide substitution we successively added neighbor-dependent substitution processes in the order of their ability to increase the likelihood of the model describing given data. The analysis of neighbor-dependent nucleotide substitutions based on repetitive elements found in the genomes of human, zebrafish and fruit fly is presented.   AVAILABILITY A web server to perform the presented analysis is freely available at: http://evogen.molgen.mpg.de/server/substitution-analysis
The fact that the sensory systems do not become functional at the same time during early development raises the question of how sensory systems and their respective stimulative histories might influence one another. Previous studies have shown that unusually early visual experience can alter subsequent responsiveness of both the visual system and the earlier developing olfactory and auditory systems. The question remains as to the extent which modified stimulation to an earlier developing system can also result in changes in responsiveness in later developing sensory systems. This study examined the effects of augmented prenatal tactile and vestibular stimulation on bobwhite quail chicks' postnatal visual and auditory responsiveness to maternal cues. Results indicate that augmented prenatal tactile and vestibular stimulation can alter postnatal perceptual responsivensss in the later developing auditory and visual sensory systems. Chicks exposed to augmented prenatal proximal stimulation continued to respond to maternal auditory cues into later stages of postnatal development and failed to demonstrate responsiveness to maternal visual cues in the days following hatching. However, augmented tactile and vestibular stimulation did not appear to affect prenatal auditory learning of an individual maternal call. These findings indicate a strong but selective pattern of influence between the sensory modalities during the prenatal period and support the view that substantially increased amounts of prenatal sensory stimulation can interfere with the emergence of species-typical perceptual functioning.
Transliteration plays a very significant role in machine translation, which has many applications such as cross-lingual information retrieval, communication, question-answering etc. The main objective of this research paper is to provide a method for transliteration of named entities from English to Hindi language. The proposed method consists of two modules, both of which apply phoneme-based approach to transliterate named entities. For transliteration, Module-I utilizes CMU Pronouncing dictionary, which is a collection of 133270 words along with their pronunciation. If the word to be transliterated is not found in CMU Pronouncing dictionary, Module-II is used. Module-II is based on 5-gram model, in which a maximum of five letters (two left, two right and one target letter) are used to generate transliterated target letter. The system has been tested on a database of 2408 North-Indian names. Google Input tool for Windows has been used for comparative study of the proposed transliteration system. The word accuracy of the transliteration system has been found to be 70.22% against 58.73% of Google Input tool.
OBJECTIVE After gross-total resection (GTR) of a newly diagnosed WHO grade II meningioma, the decision to treat with radiation upfront or at initial recurrence remains controversial. A comparison of progression-free survival (PFS) between observation and adjuvant radiation fails to account for the potential success of salvage radiation, and a direct comparison of PFS between adjuvant and salvage radiation is hampered by strong selection bias against salvage radiation cohorts in which only more aggressive, recurrent tumors are included. To account for the limitations of traditional PFS measures, the authors evaluated radiation failure-free survival (RFFS) between two treatment strategies after GTR: adjuvant radiation versus observation with salvage radiation, if necessary.   METHODS The authors performed a retrospective review of patients who underwent GTR of newly diagnosed WHO grade II meningiomas at their institution between 1996 and 2019. They assessed traditional PFS in patients who underwent adjuvant radiation, postoperative observation, and salvage radiation. For RFFS, treatment failure was defined as time from initial surgery to failure of first radiation. To assess the association between treatment strategy and RFFS while accounting for potential confounders, a multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusted for the propensity score (PS) and inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) Cox regression analysis were performed.   RESULTS A total of 160 patients underwent GTR and were included in this study. Of the 121 patients who underwent observation, 32 (26.4%) developed recurrence and required salvage radiation. PFS at 3, 5, and 10 years after observation was 75.1%, 65.6%, and 45.5%, respectively. PFS at 3 and 5 years after salvage radiation was 81.7% and 61.3%, respectively. Of 160 patients, 39 received adjuvant radiation, and 3- and 5-year PFS/RFFS rates were 86.1% and 59.2%, respectively. In patients who underwent observation with salvage radiation, if necessary, the 3-, 5-, and 10-year RFFS rates were 97.7%, 90.3%, and 87.9%, respectively. Both PS and IPTW Cox regression models demonstrated that patients who underwent observation with salvage radiation treatment, if necessary, had significantly longer RFFS (PS model: hazard ratio [HR] 0.21, p < 0.01; IPTW model: HR 0.21, p < 0.01).   CONCLUSIONS In this retrospective, nonrandomized study, adjuvant radiation after GTR of a WHO II meningioma did not add significant benefit over a strategy of observation and salvage radiation at initial recurrence, if necessary, but results must be considered in the context of the limitations of the study design.
Abstract : A perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary is formulated for and numerically applied to peridynamics in two dimensions. Peridynamics is a nonlocal method, derived to be insensitive to discontinuities, more easily simulating fracture. A PML is an absorbing boundary layer, which decays impinging waves exponentially without introducing reflections at the boundary between the computational region and the absorbing layer. Here, we use state-based peridynamics as PMLs are essentially anisotropic absorbing materials, therefore requiring arbitrary material parameters. State-based peridynamics is also more convenient for auxiliary field formulations, facilitating the implementation of the PML. Results show the efficacy of the approach.
Quantitative relationships between chemical kinetics and differential thermal analysis (DTA) curves are studied for the reactions which follow the general rate expression: r = r/sub 0/e/sup -E/RT/(1 - x). Both the frequency factor and the activation energy can be derived from a single DTA curve. From the known kinetic parameters, the DTA curve can also be predicted. The rather simple models developed in this work have been tested by the oxidation reaction of nuclear graphite with CO/sub 2/ and by data in the literature on the thermal dehydration of clays. The results are satisfactory considering the complexities involved in DTA.
Background: Tracheobronchial disruption as a result of blunt thoracic trauma is a rare entity and only clinically serious lesions come to our notice, which can be life-threatening and need prompt recognition and treatment. Objectives: To review the authors’ experience with tracheobronchial injuries to emphasize the need for prompt diagnosis and treatment to avoid lethal complications including severe hypoxic organ failure, sepsis, mediastinitis and bronchopleural fistula. Patients and methods: A retrospective study of total 32 patients with tracheobronchial injury from 2001 to 2011. This study limited to patients with thoracic tracheal or bronchial injury, excluding those with cervical injuries. The study includes collected information about mechanism of injury, presentation, time until diagnosis and treatment, anatomical site of injury, type of treatment, diagnostic methods, duration of follow up and outcome. Results: Twenty-four patients were male (75%) and eight were females (25%). Patient’s ages ranged from 7 - 53 years. Majority of cases was referred because of blunt trauma in 15 cases (46.8%), 6 (18.75) motor vehicle accident, 5 (15.6%) fall from a height and 4 (12.5%) with trauma by heavy object, while 8 cases (25%) were referred due to penetrating injury and 2 cases (6.25%) due to iatrogenic injury. In initially diagnosed group, the predominant clinical signs that give a suspicion of tracheobronchial disruption were increased subcutaneous surgical emphysema, shortness of breath, hemoptysis. After the admission to emergency unit, all of them were examined radiologically by chest X-ray film. Longitudinal tear of right upper lobe bronchus was found in 8 cases (32%), complete cut of right upper lobe bronchus in 4 cases (16%), tear of right intermediate bronchus in 4 cases (16%), 3 cases with clear cut left upper lobe (12%), longitudinal tear of distal lateral tracheal wall extend to right upper lobe in 2 cases (8%), 2 cases (8%) showed complex disruption of distal trachea right main with carinal tear and 2 cases (8%) with longitudinal tear of membranous wall of the trachea. 17 patients from early diagnosed cases had concomitant comorbid extra thoracic injuries at the time of diagnosis in the form of abdominal trauma in 12 cases, skeletal fractures in 9 cases and head injury in 5 cases. Conclusion: In a patient with a complex bronchial rupture, primary repair of the bronchus can be possible with complete functional preservation of the lung tissue.
Objective: To study the spontaneous healing of various types of traumatic perforations of the tympanic membrane in a prospective study carried out on patients with traumatic perforations of the tympanic membrane, presented to same author. Methods: Eighty patients with 84 traumatic perforations of the tympanic membrane were studied at Tikrit Teaching Hospital, during the period from Jan. to Dec. 2007. Diagnosis made by a history of trauma and otoscopic examination. Antibiotics were given to prevent or treat infections. Advice to keep the ear dry. Follow up the patients for a minimum of six months. Results: The male: female ratio was (2.6:1). Left ear perforation was more than right ear, (5%) were bilateral. The commonest cause was blast injury in 34 patients (43%), then hand slap in 22 patients (27.5%). The age of the patients was from 4-65 years, common age group affected was (21-30 years), they were 39 patients (49%). Spontaneous healing occurred in 69 cases (82%), persistent dry perforation in 8 cases (9.5%), and 7 cases (8.5%) ended with chronic suppurative otitis media. Fiftysix cases (81%) got complete healing within six weeks. All cases due to fractures of temporal bone got spontaneous healing (100%), then perforation by foreign body and instrumentation (89%), ear syringing, and hand slap was equal (88%), then due to ear suction (80%), and the lower incidence in blast injury were (75%). Healing of posterior and anterior perforations about equal (92%), (91%) respectively, then kidney shape perforation (85%), but none of 7 cases of subtotal perforations healed spontaneously. Conclusion: Conservative care for traumatic perforations of the tympanic membrane gives excellent chance for spontaneous healing. The factors affecting spontaneous healing include, large size perforations, ear infections, type of trauma, and Eustachian tube dysfunction.
We report the cloning and functional analysis of a complete clone for the third member of the mouse mdr gene family, mdr3. Nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequence analyses showed that the three mouse mdr genes encode highly homologous membrane glycoproteins, which share the same length (1,276 residues), the same predicted functional domains, and overall structural arrangement. Regions of divergence among the three proteins are concentrated in discrete segments of the predicted polypeptides. Sequence comparison indicated that the three mouse mdr genes were created from a common ancestor by two independent gene duplication events, the most recent one producing mdr1 and mdr3. When transfected and overexpressed in otherwise drug-sensitive cells, the mdr3 gene, like mdr1 and unlike mdr2, conferred multidrug resistance to these cells. In independently derived transfected cell clones expressing similar amounts of either MDR1 or MDR3 protein, the drug resistance profile conferred by mdr3 was distinct from that conferred by mdr1. Cells transfected with and expressing MDR1 showed a marked 7- to 10-fold preferential resistance to colchicine and Adriamycin compared with cells expressing equivalent amounts of MDR3. Conversely, cells transfected with and expressing MDR3 showed a two- to threefold preferential resistance to actinomycin D over their cellular counterpart expressing MDR1. These results suggest that MDR1 and MDR3 are membrane-associated efflux pumps which, in multidrug-resistant cells and perhaps normal tissues, have overlapping but distinct substrate specificities.
To the Editor:— I appreciate Dr. Garland's comments. In regard to the apparent conflict between the experience and conclusions of Atkins and associates and our own experience, this is, in our opinion, dose-related rather than having anything to do with the hyperbaric oxygen procedure. The line graph demonstrating the radiobiologic truth of the oxygen effect on radiobiology adapted from Grey in the publication is worth a bit of study. It demonstrates that oxygen can only repair the loss of radiation sensitivity resulting from relative anoxia. Oxygen partial pressure increased above the normal level has no effect on radiation response. Assuming a "normal" level to be present in the host tissues, namely 40 mm Hg Po 2 , no increased radiation response is to be expected regardless of the elevation of Po 2 . In the experience of the earlier authors, and also of Churchill-Davidson and Van den Brenk, because of the use
This Thesis is mainly from the viewpoint of philosophy epistemology, in these two chapters: Breaking Sense & Breaking Objectivity in ”Śatasāstra(百論)” by Āryadeva, with the content which Āryadeva fought against the outsiders as the example, we do illustrate the course that Āryadeva explained that the process of cognition on ”From the factors: Sense, Objectivity and Consciousness, the percipience is self-evident”, which is the essential point that Āryadeva criticized those outsiders who did insist ”sense in inside, objectivity on outside” that is relative to the interaction between Sense and Objectivity also, even including the subject, object and the relation between subject, object, and the process of perception, etc. That discussion also manifest that Āryadeva would like to demonstrate the essential contention ”Anatta and Dependent Arising Regarding Emptiness” in Madhyamikas. The full text is divided into three major parts: First, the preface: The summary of basic problem and concept about epistemology that is correlated with in philosophy and Mahayana briefly. Second, The argument that Āryadeva explained these questions of perception on two chapters: Breaking Sense & Breaking Objectivity in ”Śatasāstra(百論)”, that is divided three sections: 1. State the view position of Āryadeva in Madhyamikas about his argument on Sense and Objectivity. 2. The Interpretation of ”Breaking Sense”: Āryadeva argued those questions about the perception of ”self” and the process from dedicating to judgment by six senses. 3. The Explanation of ”Breaking Objectivity”: to criticize those theories that six senses is relative to the six objectivities built by outsiders, and also how Āryadeva ”Dharmakaya not created anywhere whatsoever, Non-abiding Nirvana instead of what the outsiders said. Third: Conclusion: Survey and introspect the discussion of preceding paragraphs, with ”Dependent Arising Regarding Emptiness and Anatta” ”to oppose the theory ”the Nihilism”.
BACKGROUND Identifying a window of opportunity when patients are motivated to lose weight might improve the effectiveness of weight loss counseling. The onset of chronic disease could create such a window.   OBJECTIVE To determine whether identifying prediabetes was associated with subsequent weight loss.   METHODS Our retrospective cohort study included adults with obesity and a primary care visit between 2015 and 2017. Data were collected and analysed in 2019/2020. We compared patients who developed prediabetes [haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥5.7 and <6.5] to patients with a normal HbA1c (<5.7). We ran linear regression models to identify the association between identifying prediabetes and percent body mass index (BMI) change at 6 and 12 months. The adjusted model controlled for demographic characteristics at baseline, Charlson comorbidity score, and metformin, antipsychotic, antidepressant and antiobesity medication prescribed in either the first 3 months (for the 6-month outcome) or first 9 months (for 12-month outcome) and clustering within physician.   RESULTS Of 11 290 participants, 43% developed prediabetes. At 6 months, 15% of the prediabetes group lost ≥5% of their BMI compared with 13% of the comparison group. The results were similar at 12 months with 18% of the prediabetes group losing ≥5% of their BMI compared with 17%. The prediabetes group lost a higher percentage of their BMI (β = -0.7% versus -0.3% at 6 months and β = -0.5% versus 0.01% at 12 months).   CONCLUSIONS While the percent of BMI change was small, patients with newly identified prediabetes lost more weight than a comparison group.
A local vascular tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to blood pressure control and the maintenance of high blood pressure in some forms of hypertension, independently of the plasma RAS. Vascular converting enzyme (CE), present mainly in the endothelial layer of arteries and veins, can be altered in hypertension. Locally generated vascular angiotensin II (ANG II) may exert a number of actions on vascular tone and function, including directly and sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction, changes in vascular compliance in larger vessels, influence on vascular reactions to inflammation and injury, and alterations in vascular texture. Orally administered CE inhibitors have been shown to block not only the plasma RAS but also CE in the vasculature, leading to decreased vascular ANG II concentrations and possibly to an accumulation of locally generated vasodilator peptides and prostaglandins in the vascular wall. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, the slow recovery of CE activity in the vasculature on drug withdrawal was more closely associated with the slow return of blood pressure to hypertensive levels than the fast recovery of the plasma RAS. These and other experimental data discussed in this article favor the hypothesis that local CE inhibition in the vascular wall of resistance vessels, large arteries and veins contributes to the beneficial therapeutic effects of CE inhibitors in cardiovascular disorders such as hypertension and congestive heart failure.
Abstract Group cognitive behavioural therapy (gCBT) is commonly used in Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. However, there is limited knowledge of the efficacy of gCBT as a delivery format for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). To address gaps in literature, this study aims to explore the efficacy and attrition of individual and group CBT interventions, respectively, at Step 3 for GAD using data from a routine IAPT service over a 24-month period. Data were retrospectively derived from a routine serviceʼs IAPTus database, separating those eligible for comparison into group (n = 44) and individual (n = 55) CBT for GAD. Outcomes were differences in pre–post self-reported anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9) scores, clinical recovery and attrition for gCBT and individual CBT. Both gCBT and individual CBT yielded significant reductions in self-reported anxiety and depression scores over time. Results indicate that 53% of patients attending individual CBT achieved clinical recovery, with similar but less competitive rates of 41% in gCBT. Attrition rates were similar between gCBT (29.5%) and individual CBT (27.3%), respectively. Preliminary results suggest that both individual and gCBT are effective interventions for GAD patients in IAPT, offering symptom alleviation and comparable recovery and attrition rates post-intervention. This observational design offers credibility and insight into a pragmatic evaluative and explorative comparison. gCBT may offer an acceptable and potentially economical alternative. Key learning aims (1) To explore whether gCBT and individual CBT yield significant symptom reduction in self-reported anxiety and depression in GAD patients from a routine IAPT service.(2) To explore gCBT and individual CBT clinical recovery rates in non-optimum routine conditions.(3) To explore whether gCBT for GAD produces unacceptable attrition rates and if this differs from attrition rates in individual CBT for GAD in a routine IAPT service.
Exposure to near normal surfaces of poloidal divertor target plate tiles is a limiting feature of the power handling capability of the tiles. The problems associated with the design of poloidal divertor tiles, with beryllium chosen as the tile material, and possible methods of solving the problem are discussed. Thermal two- and three-dimensional analyses are carried out for the assessment of relative merits in performance due to modifications to the surface. The power handling capability (time to reach melting temperature of beryllium) of the target plate tiles is presented for unswept and swept plasma cases. Results have shown that sweeping the plasma improves the power handling capability by a factor of up to 10. 20 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.
Your ability to survive a paper cut or conquer a cold depends on immune system cells that circulate through your body, carrying out search-and-destroy missions against bacteria, viruses, and anything else that's not you. Such cells bear invader-snagging transmembrane proteins called receptors. When a receptor latches onto an invader (or a cell overtaken by invaders), it sends a signal through an associated signaling module. The complex then transmits a “got one!” message to the interior of the cell, where it elicits a full-scale defensive response.    Proper assembly of receptors with the right signaling modules is key to an appropriate immune response, and incorrect assembly could well be a factor in immune system disorders such as chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Jianwen Feng, Matthew E. Call, and Kai W. Wucherpfennig report fascinating findings about receptor assembly that shed light on how signaling modules can be versatile yet appropriately specific.    The researchers looked at the assembly of signaling modules with receptors from two key protein families, immunoglobulins and C-type lectins. The receptors they studied were KIR, NKG2D, NKG2C/CD94, and FcαRI. The signaling modules under study were DAP10, which assembles with only NKG2D; DAP12, which assembles with KIR and many other receptors; and Fcγ, which assembles with FcαRI and other receptors as well.    Previous research had shown that the assembly of receptors and signaling modules often involves attraction between one basic amino acid residue in the transmembrane part of the receptor and two acidic residues in the transmembrane part of the signaling module. The diversity of receptors that assemble with DAP12 and the wide variation among species in the amino acid makeup of DAP12 suggest that much of the rest of the transmembrane portion is less important for assembly. To test that, the researchers replaced all of the transmembrane residues in KIR (an immunoglobulin) with polyvaline or polyleucine except the one basic amino acid; they found it still assembled with DAP12 as long as the key acidic residues (both aspartic acid) of DAP12 had not been altered. If they replaced an aspartic acid, however, assembly was impaired. The authors also tested the altered KIR molecule in an actual cell and found that neither assembly of KIR nor its transport to the cell surface was prevented by the substitution.    Is the singular importance of the acid–base attraction for assembly true for other receptors as well? The researchers found that it is for the assembly of NKG2D, a C-type lectin, with DAP10. The same held true in the case of the assembly of the NKG2C portion of the NKG2C/CD94 receptor with DAP12 and for the assembly of FcαRI with Fcγ (although in the latter case, assembly was reduced).    Why, with the ubiquity of this assembly mechanism, don't receptors and signaling modules end up making inappropriate matches? The base used to make the connection, the researchers found, is one key. KIR uses lysine, while FcαRI and NKG2D use arginine. When the authors tried switching lysine for arginine or vice versa for KIR and FcαRI—or tried to get the signaling modules to associate with each other's receptor— assembly failed. (NKG2D assembly with DAP10 wasn't much affected, though, by switching out arginine and lysine.) Other tests showed that the position of the basic amino acid, the size and shape of the part of the receptor that sticks out of the cell membrane, and the different affinities of various signaling modules for various receptors also contribute to success in making the right receptor–signaling module match.    The bottom line? The mechanism by which immune system receptors and signaling modules assemble is similar enough among molecule types to allow some signaling modules to hook up with a wide range of receptors. At the same time, the specificity of the bases within the membrane, the shape of things above the membrane, and the differential ease of assembly of signaling modules provides needed specificity to prevent inappropriate assembly.
Optical telecommunication is at the heart of today's internet and is currently enabled by the transmission of intense optical signals between remote locations. As we look to the future of telecommunication, quantum mechanics promise new ways to be able to transmit and process that information. Demonstrations of quantum key distribution and quantum teleportation using multiphoton states have been performed, but only over ranges limited to a few hundred kilometers. To go beyond this, we need repeaters that are compatible with these quantum multiphoton continuous-variable pulses. Here we present a design for continuous-variable quantum repeaters that can distribute entangled and pure two-mode squeezed states over arbitrarily long distances with a success probability that scales only polynomially with distance. The proposed quantum repeater is composed from several basic known building blocks such as non-Gaussian operations for entanglement distillation and an iterative Gaussification protocol (for retaining the Gaussian character of the final state), but complemented with a heralded non-Gaussian entanglement swapping protocol, which allows us to avoid extensive iterations of quantum Gaussification. We characterize the performance of this scheme in terms of key rates for quantum key distribution and show a secure key can be generated over thousands of kilometers.
The present study presents an approach simultaneously using the spatial information and polarimetric information provided by RADARSAT-2 Quad Pol multipolarization image data for the classification of forest species. Two statistical models were used for classification purposes: (i) a Markov model taking into account the spatial statistical dependencies between adjacent sites based on an initial segmentation derived from the K-means algorithm and, (ii) a K distribution model using as parameters the covariance matrix containing all the polarimetric information and the shape parameter characteristic of the K distribution estimated using the moments of the theoretical and practical normalized intensities. The classification is optimized using the stochastic simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. Validation of the results was carried out through comparison with ground data observations. The variation of the backscattering coefficient σ° obtained for the RADARSAT-2 Quad Pol multipolarization images with incidence angles of 26° and 45° is equal to 3 dB for the different types of tree species stands. Using HH, VV, and HV linear polarizations it was possible to discriminate only four classes (watercourses, tolerant hardwoods, intolerant hardwoods, and conifers), with only a slight interclass difference of 1 dB. With a modification of the incidence angle from 26° to 45°, no significant change in the variation of the backscattering coefficient was noted in relation to the different types of tree species. The mean and overall precision results obtained for the classification are 81.47% and 79.12%, respectively, for the image with a 45° incidence angle and 77.13% and 72.35% for the image with a 26° incidence angle. [Traduit par la Rédaction]
Seventy‐three diabetics with retinopathy, in whom one eye was treated by photocoagulation, and the other was left untreated, were followed‐up for 9 to 11 years. Visual acuity, visual field, dark‐adaptation curves, and intraocular pressure were recorded; biomicroscopy and photography of the fundus were carried out. Severe visual loss (< 0.1) was noted in 4% of the treated and in 25% of the untreated eyes. Minor, subjectively unnoticed, scotomas were found at visual‐field examination in 18 of 40 treated eyes. Dark‐adaptation curves showed abnormal values both in the treated and in the untreated eyes, without any recordable difference. No contra‐indicating long‐term complications of the photocoagulation treatment could be demonstrated.
Evidence to guide resuscitation from transfusion-related hyperkalaemic ventricular fibrillation is sparse. This case report describes a 29 kg patient undergoing scoliosis surgery who developed hyperkalaemic ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation following the replacement of over two blood volumes with banked blood in 90 minutes. Rapid reversion to sinus rhythm followed administration of 1.4 mmol of calcium chloride and two units of insulin (Actrapid, Novo Nordisk). The relevant literature is reviewed, indicating that an elevated serum ionised calcium level protects against hyperkalaemia, by an intracellular mechanism. Evidence supports the use of lignocaine, but not amiodarone, as additional treatment.
This paper proposes a decentralized adaptive emergency control scheme against power system voltage instability. Decentralized control architecture is proposed by segregating the system into several local areas or zones based on the concept of electrical distance. Intelligent agents are assigned in each area to monitor the bus voltages and generator reactive powers to detect any threat of voltage collapse and to actuate countermeasures. A novel performance index has been formulated based on the load voltage and generator reactive power violations to identify the severity of disturbance and the risk of system emergency in each area. The coordination of the timing of the countermeasures among the agents is achieved through the formulation of the integral of the performance index. The simplicity and the adaptive nature of the proposed control scheme to provide countermeasures against any disturbance make it useful for real-time application. The robustness of the proposed approach has been validated through several case studies using the New England 39-bus test system and a more realistic Nordic32 test system.
Data mining tools are effectively used in disease diagnosis which helps health professional. From health sector a large number of data are collected, classification tools are applied on these data and discover new pattern. In this paper, heart diseases have been chosen for diagnosis and classification. An extensive analysis is performed on some popular data mining methods by using a large number of datasets in this work. To understand the major data mining techniques and select the suitable category of algorithms, the analysis result will help for heart disease analysis. Decision tree has successfully used in different research to predict disease. In this research, decision tree is applied to classify hypertension disease. General Terms Pattern Recognition, Algorithms
The present study aimed at evaluating two organic acids, lactic acid (LA) and citric acid (CA), each at 1.0 and 2.0% levels for replacing antibiotic (AB-Virginiamycin 11 mg/kg) in diets. In a feeding trial with 270 broiler chicks (Vencobb) LA and CA were tested in 2 x 2 factorial design, and compared with AB and control diets from day-one to 42 d of age in battery cages. Each of the 6 test diets was offered to 9 replicates of 5 chicks, and their growth performance, carcass attributes, bone morphology and immune response were recorded. Supplemental LA or CA at 2% level in diets significantly (p 3.1%) and breast meat yield (>9.7%) with desirable decline in abdominal fat. LA even at 1% level supported higher tibia weight (5.96 g), length (8.11 cm) and low leg scores (1.08), indicating better bone condition. LA and CA at 2% level improved immune competence in broilers measured as humoral and cell mediated response, compared to the AB and control diets. It is concluded that LA and CA supplementation at 2% level improved the broiler performance, meat yields, bone conformation and immune response over AB and control diets, implying that organic acids could replace antibiotic from broiler diets effectively and beneficially.
The error-rate performance of an ON-OFF keyed lightwave receiver having an optical amplifier followed by a Fabry-Perot filter is analysed. Receivers with sampling and with integrate-and-dump threshold comparison are compared with the well known result for a matched optical filter. The Fabry-Perot filter decreases the sensitivity at 10/sup -9/error rate from 76 to 89 photon/bit (peak) with optimum optical filter bandwidth and postdetection integration time. >
The effect of a reflow process and under bump metallurgy (UBM) systems on the growth of intermetallic compounds for Sn/Bi and Pb/Sn solder bump/UBM interfaces was investigated. The UBM systems were sputtered Al/Ti/Cu, Al/Ti/electroless plated Cu, Al/NiV/sputtered Cu, Al/electroless plated Ni/Au, and the solder bumps were eutectic Pb/Sn and Bi/Sn fabricated by an electroplating method. Microstructure and composition of intermetallic compound (IMC) phases and their morphology were examined using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The IMC compounds were confirmed to be Cu/sub 6/Sn/sub 5/, Cu/sub 3/Sn, Ni/sub 3/Sn/sub 4/, or Ni/sub 3/Sn depending on UBM and solder types. The effect of IMC growth on bump adhesion strength was also investigated using a ball shear test. It turns out that ball shear strengths of the systems depends not on processing conditions but on solder/UBM interfacial adhesion strength.
Flow reaction studies of the hydrogenation of 3-methyl-2-butenal over Ru/SiO 2 and potassium-promoted Ru/SiO 2 were combined with in situ infrared spectroscopic monitoring of its adsorption and reaction as well as the adsorption of its reaction products. The presence of the alkali promoter significantly inhibited this hydrogenation to form the saturated aldehyde, a reaction which was followed by decarbonylation of the saturated aldehyde in a reverse migratory insertion process. The initial formation of adsorbed CO and hydrocarbon products from the saturated aldehyde may ultimately be responsible for the product distribution observed under steady-state reaction conditions
Continuous welded rail maintenance plays a significant role in ensuring high levels of rail traffic and safety. Temperature variations, excessive alignment defects, decreased fastening system resistance and train braking (always in the same stretches and in the same direction) may result in rail buckling or rail breaks. The current traditional monitoring systems and procedures for continuous welded rail consist of programmed discontinuous diagnostic surveys that require personnel intervention on site. Moreover, these traditional systems often imply destructive and invasive operations on the track that may lead to interruption of railway operations. This paper proposes a Rail Strain Monitoring System (RSMS) that performs a real-time rail strain monitoring and allows rail inspection without personnel on site. Using strain gauges and temperature sensors, placed on the rail in specific measurement points, the proposed Rail Strain Monitoring System performs a multi-parameter check by measuring, at the same time, the temperature, the rail strain and the neutral temperature of the rail. The paper describes the mode of operation of the Rail Strain Monitoring System, the calibration procedure and the results from the field, and highlights the advantages of this system in comparison to other traditional monitoring systems. The safety improvement that can be achieved with the application of the Rail Strain Monitoring System is analysed. In particular, the reliability of the system is evaluated and compared to the human error probability in the traditional manual inspections. Finally, the reduction of derailment risk and related economic damages is estimated.
The object of this paper is to develop an autonomous hexapod bio-robot system. It uses 12 R/C servos for actuators. The degree of freedom of each leg is 2. The 6 R/C servos are for raising and lowering the legs, and the other 6 are for moving the legs forward and backward. This bio-robot can be used to study the walking theory of the robot. The processor is an Atmel 89C51. This hexapod robot has remote control function. User can use the radio wave remote controller to control the robot to move forward, backward, or make a left or right turn. This robot also has autonomous function. Two micro switches and two IR sensors can be used to detect obstacles. The robot can make a left or right turn to avoid the obstacle.
Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is an autosomal recessive disorder of cholesterol biosynthesis caused by mutations in the DHCR7 gene. Thirty‐seven ethnic Polish patients with SLOS underwent mutation analysis. The mutation frequencies in Polish patients were significantly different from those observed in Western European populations. Two mutations, W151X (22/68 alleles, 32%) and V326L (19/68 alleles, 28%), accounted for 60% of all observed in our cohort. Two missense mutations L68P and L360P have not been reported previously. In total, we report 15 DHCR7 mutations identified in Polish patients. By comparing clinical severity scores and the biochemical and molecular data, a genotype–phenotype correlation was attempted. In compound heterozygotes with one null mutation, the phenotype severity depends on the localization and type of the second mutation: mild phenotypes are correlated with mutations affecting the putative transmembrane domains TM1–TM6 or CT regions and severe phenotypes with mutations localized in TM7 and 4L region. The phenotypic differences of patients with the same genotype suggest that severity of the disease may be affected by other factors.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of worldwide cancer death. Due to its high recurrence rate and heterogeneity, effective treatment for advanced stage of HCC is currently lacking. There are accumulating evidences showing the therapeutic potential of pharmacologic vitamin C (VC) on HCC. However, the metabolic basis underlying the anticancer property of VC remains to be elucidated. In this study, we used a high-resolution proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) -based metabolomics technique to assess the global metabolic changes in HCC cells following VC treatment. In addition, the HCC cells were also treated with oxaliplatin (OXA) to explore the potential synergistic effect induced by the combined VC and OXA treatment. The current metabolomics data suggested different mechanisms of OXA and VC in modulating cell growth and metabolism. In general, VC treatment led to inhibition of energy metabolism via NAD+ depletion and amino-acid deprivation. On the other hand, OXA caused significant perturbation in phospholipid biosynthesis and phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis pathways. The current results highlighted glutathione metabolism and pathways related to succinate and choline may play central roles in conferring the combined effect between OXA and VC. Taken together, this study provided metabolic evidence of VC and OXA in treating HCC, and may contribute towards the potential application of combined VC and OXA as complementary HCC therapies.
A system theory approach to thermospheric modeling is developed, based upon a linearization method which is capable of preserving nonlinear features of a dynamical system. The method is tested using a large, nonlinear, time-varying system, namely the thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. We compare TGCM simulation results with results from our approximation procedure at Millstone Hill and Arecibo, two locations where there may be interest for using this approach. In the linearized version an equivalent system, defined for one of the desired TGCM output variables, is characterized by a set of response functions that is constructed from corresponding quasi-steady state and unit sample response functions. The number of functions in the set depends on the degree of nonlinearity of the original system and the desired accuracy of the approximation. Using the set of response functions, we are able to approximate time-dependent TGCM simulation results with reasonable accuracy. The linearized version of the system runs on a personal computer and produces an approximation of the desired TGCM output field height profile at a given geographic location. The approximation is obtained by performing a specialized convolution between the cross polar cap potential drop as input and the set of response functions. This enables an efficient first-order comparison between experimental data and theoretical simulations and may provide an operationally efficient means of more realistically predicting density variations for satellite ephemeris or reentry trajectory determinations during geomagnetic quiet periods as well as during magnetic storms.
The effects of neonatal handling on the opioid dynorphin peptides in the brain and pituitary gland of Sprague-Dawley rats were investigated. Ten weeks after the neonatal handling, handled rats had higher tissue levels of dynorphin A and B in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and striatum and slightly higher dynorphin B levels in the hippocampus, medulla oblongata and midbrain as compared with non-handled controls. The results indicate a persistent upregulation of the dynorphin system in certain brain areas after neonatal handling, which could contribute to the behavioural changes in these rats observed later in life. Observation in the open field and the elevated plus-maze tests confirmed behavioural effects of neonatal handling, i.e. showing that handled rats exhibit attenuated fearfulness in novel environments as compared with non-handled rats.
Abstract A 20-year-old patient presented to the emergency service with radial distal epiphysis after a minor trauma. The radiological examination indicated a fracture at the radial distal epiphysis on the background of a tumor that occupied the radial epiphysis in its entirety, with cortical burglary in some places. When consulting the oncologist, a surgical intervention for biopsy material harvesting was performed. The anatomopathological exam showed: multiple fragments microscopically representing a tumor proliferation consisting of two cell populations, mononuclear cells, densely cellular and strobe pattern; areas of infarction, haemorrhage areas, rare intratumoral osteoid formation zones; appearance of giant cell tumor. The immunohistochemical examination confirmed the anatomopathological diagnosis adding, therefore, the aggressive character and the local relapse. The oncologist decided that it did not require oncology treatment but only orthopedic treatment. Orthopedic treatment required repeated surgery at intervals of about 5 months apart, caused by tumor recurrence. The first intervention consisted of 1/ 3 distal radius resection and replacement with a graft harvested from the peroneum. Tumor recurrence after 5 months required extirpation of tumor tissue and filling of caries caused in the graft with a fluid bone substitute. Recurrence after another 5 months required removal of the graft that was invaded by the tumor and cubitusmetacarpal arthrodesis fixed with a screw plate. Currently, the patient is undergoing complementary oncology treatment finally initiated by a medical oncologist.
Gas-discharge closing switches are the key component of a pulsed power supply. Repetitive gas-discharge closing switches are still the preferred scheme for high-power repetitive pulse power generators in many applications, but their repetition performance depends on the recovery time of the gas insulation medium. This article reviews the existing repetitive gas-discharge closing switches. The basic structure and working principle of each switch are briefly introduced. This article focuses on advances in the study of the factors that impact the recovery characteristics of gaseous insulation in switches. It also presents a survey of methods to improve the performance of gas switches’ repetition rate.
Evidence-based policy is all the rage now. But no one knows quite how to do it. Policy questions do not generally fall neatly within any one of our scientific or social science disciplines, where the standards and rules of evidence for the questions studied are fairly clearly delineated. There is by now a variety of guides available on standards of evidence for evidence-based policy. But these focus narrowly on only part of the problem. This chapter lays the foundations for a guide for the use of evidence in predicting policy effectiveness in situ — a more comprehensive guide than current standard offerings such as the Maryland rules in criminology, the weight of evidence scheme of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or the US ‘What Works Clearinghouse’. The guide itself is meant to be well-grounded but at the same time to give practicable advice, that is, advice that can be used by policy-makers not experts in the natural and social sciences, assuming they are well-intentioned and have a reasonable but limited amount of time and resources available for searching out evidence and deliberating.
A common mechanism of potential-induced degradation is by shunting (PID-s) in PV modules, usually associated with the transport of sodium ions (Na+ through the encapsulant and penetrating the front junction of solar cells under voltage stress. Encapsulants with high volume resistivity have been suggested as a potentially cost-effective solution to this degradation mechanism. In this work, we examine three polyolefin elastomer (POE) encapsulants with volume resistivity varying over two orders of magnitude (ranging from $9  times 10 $ 13$1  times 10 $ 16 Ω)$85 ^{circ} mathrm {C}$85% 1000 ()$1  times 10 $ 13 Ωcm. The independence of PID susceptibility with respect to the resistivity of the polyolefin is attributed to the impermeability of POEs to Na + ions. Specific ions (i.e., Na +), rather than charge-carrying species in general, are responsible for this degradation mechanism.
Knowledge sharing within the enterprise is the only method to gain unique competitiveness for the organization. Through the analysis of the process and essence of knowledge sharing, this paper delves into the obstacles to knowledge sharing within the enterprise from the angles of knowledge owner, knowledge receiver and enterprise managers. Then, this paper puts forward basic principles and related mechanism to encourage employees' knowledge sharing from the concept of humanistic orientation.
Isostructural transitions in layered $M{X}_{2}$ compounds are governed by competing van der Waals (vdW) and Coulomb interactions. While an isostructural transition (at $P ensuremath{ sim}$ 20 GPa) has been observed before metallization in ${ mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ when subjected to pressure, it is surprisingly missing in layered ${ mathrm{MoSe}}_{2}$ and ${ mathrm{MoTe}}_{2}$. Using synchrotron x-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic measurements of structural and vibrational properties of layered MoSSe crystals subjected to pressures up to 30 GPa and first-principles density functional theoretical analysis, we demonstrate a layer sliding isostructural transition from its $2{H}_{c}^{ ensuremath{'}}$ structure (space group ${P6}_{3}mc$) to a mixed-phase of $2{H}_{a}^{ ensuremath{'}}+2{H}_{c}^{ ensuremath{'}}$ at $P ensuremath{ sim}$ 10.8 GPa, marked by discontinuity in lattice parameters, pressure coefficients of Raman modes, and accompanying changes in electronic structure. The origin of the unusually lower transition pressure of MoSSe compared with ${ mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ is shown to be linked to chemical ordering of S and Se atoms on the anionic sublattice, possible because of moderate lattice mismatch between the parent compounds ${ mathrm{MoS}}_{2}$ and ${ mathrm{MoSe}}_{2}$ and large interlayer space in the vdW-bonded structure. Notably, we also report a lower-pressure transition observed at $P ensuremath{ sim}3$ GPa and not reported earlier in the isostructural Mo-based chalcogenides, marked by a discontinuity in the pressure coefficient of the $c/a$ ratio and indirect band gap. The transition observed at $P ensuremath{ sim}10.8$ GPa appears due to the change in the sign of the pressure coefficient of the direct band gap originating from inversion of the lowest-energy conduction bands. Our theoretical analysis shows that the phase transition at $P ensuremath{ sim}18$ GPa marked by sharp changes in pressure coefficients of ${A}_{1}$ Raman modes is associated with the metallization of the $2{H}_{a}^{ ensuremath{'}}$ phase.
Background: Process of combining significant information from 2 or more images to get an output without any artifact or information loss. Also to perceive all information required for accurate diagnosis and to get high spatial resolution with functional and anatomical information. Methods: DWT and SWT are used with biorthogonal 2.6 and db1. Average fusion rule is applied for fusing low frequency coefficients and for high frequency coefficients region energy rule is applied. Results: Eight sets of real time medical images are used for the analysis. Comparing the fusion of SWT with DWT, Stationary wavelet transform method performs well than the Discrete wavelet transform as the information loss occurs due to down sampling in each of the DWT sub bands which caused in the relevant sub bands are minimized by SWT. Application: Easy to diagnose for a physician in the field of biomedical.
The sponges, Clathrina clathrus, Cl. lacunosa, Cl. primordialis, and Cl. contorta, as well as Oscarella lobularis, have been checked on the presence of associated siphonostome cyclopoids. Two new species have been found, Asterocheres simplex n. sp. and A. corneliae n. sp. Moreover, the hitherto unknown males of Asterocheres complexus and A. mucronipes have been described. Six species have been found on new hosts, for three species the hitherto unknown host has been discovered (Rhynchomyzon falco on Acontiophorus antennatus Clathrina contorta, on Cl. lacunosa and on Oscarella lobularis, Myzopontius pungens on Cl. primordialis and on Cl. contorta). Furthermore, evidence is provided that certain species of siphonostomes are predominantly found on certain hosts. So, it can be said that Asterocheres simplex frequents Clathrina clathrus and Cl. lacunosa, that Myzopontius pungens frequents Clathrina contorta, and that Asterocheres mucronipes frequents Oscarella lobularis. Asterocheres corneliae is most abundant on Clathrina primordialis, but on the same host one finds also numerous Myzopontius pungens. Finally, a list of all known hosts for siphonostomes is provided, based on an extensive (though certainly not complete) search in the literature.
From a periodic array of commercially available zirconia cubes, we demonstrate artificial magnetic and electric dipoles due to the combination of displacement currents and Mie resonance. By scaling the size and periodicity of these dielectric resonators, the corresponding magnetic and electric responses are shifted to the desired frequencies. To further overlap the magnetic and electric resonances in the same frequency, we create a negative refractive index medium (NRIM) from single-dielectric resonators. Comparing with the conventional NRIM comprised of metallic or two-dielectric resonators, these single-dielectric structures present the low-loss and isotropic characteristics, and possess a further advantage to facilitate practical applications.
Pulmonary pathologies including adult respiratory distress syndrome are characterized by disruption of pulmonary integrity and edema compromising respiratory function. Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid mediator synthesized and/or stored in mast cells, platelets, and epithelial cells, with production up-regulated by the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 and TNF. S1P administration via the airways but not via the vasculature induces lung leakage. Using receptor-null mice, we show that S1P, acting on S1P3 receptor expressed on both type I and type II alveolar epithelial cells but not vascular endothelium, induces pulmonary edema by acute tight junction opening. WT but not S1P3-null mice showed disruption of pulmonary epithelial tight junctions and the appearance of paracellular gaps between epithelial cells by electron microscopy within 1 h of airways exposure to S1P. We further show by fluorescence microscopy that S1P induced rapid loss of ZO-1 reactivity, an essential component of the cytoplasmic plaque associated with tight junctions, as well as of the tetraspannin Claudin-18, an integral membrane organizer of tight junctions. S1P shows synergistic activity with the proinflammatory cytokine TNF, showing both pulmonary edema and mortality at subthreshold S1P doses. Specifically, preexposure of mice to subthreshold doses of TNF, which alone induced no lung edema, exacerbated S1P-induced edema and impaired survival. S1P, acting through S1P3, regulates epithelial integrity and acts additively with TNF in compromising respiratory barrier function. Because S1P3-null mice are resistant to S1P-induced pulmonary leakage, either alone or in the presence of TNF, S1P3 antagonism may be useful in protecting epithelial integrity in pulmonary disease.
Bioethics arises from the need to respond and try to solve the major conflicts that arise in society. Bioethics is a modern term that is attributed paternity Van Rensselaer Potter (1970) by publishing the article “Bioethics, the science of survival,” Potter establishes the existence of a close relationship between the world of life sciences, his deeds and ethical values, bioethics subsequently primarily it related to medical ethics. Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress published “Principles of biomedical ethics” 1979, being considered a classic text in biomedical ethics, in which four bioethical principles states: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice. Analysis and bioethical reflection are essential in the practice of the dentist, this will allow a clinical practice based on values, which would involve all health personnel, guiding strategies to address adequately the ethical dilemmas that may arise during the patient care process. Finally dental practice requires a higher professional level values.
Berry's topological phase acquired during adiabatic evolution of systems is considered for transverse acoustic phonons in a helically wound rod of ferromagnetic material. Berry's phase is calculated in the presence of magnon-phonon interaction and small deviation from cubic symmetry. A simple dependence of the phase on these perturbations is found, indicating that the presence of the magnon-phonon interaction is important to stabilize the phase against the destructive effect of the velocity-difference between two Iinearly-polarized transverse phonons. This dependence could be detected by measuring intensities of linearly-polarized waves with changing winding number of the helix.
In just a decade and a half since the modern superhero film exploded onto the scene, the comic books and graphic novels that have long been the very definition of a fringe or niche interest, have morphed into a multibillion dollar film, television and video game empire. The two main players in this industry, Marvel and DC, are owned by juggernauts in the entertainment industry. More importantly, some of these characters have been around for over three-quarters of a century. Readers keyed into intellectual property law, particularly copyright, should begin to see the issue. The copyright protection on these characters will expire in the coming years, and could potentially open up a wide range of other works based on these venerable and valuable properties. While trademark law may provide some limited protections, there may in fact be another way for these characters to be protected. There are several exceptions to copyright, but the one most applicable to our case is the prohibition against recognizing copyright protection for “Scenes a Faire.” Succinctly put, the doctrine prohibits copyrighting a scene that is indispensable to conveying basic information about the overall copyrighted work. In other words, using a skyline shot of New York City to convey that a film is set in New York City is not copyrightable on its own, even though the rest of the film is certainly eligible for protection. In a similar manner, facts may not be copyrighted. However, fictional facts may be. For example, the fact that Superman was born on the planet Krypton and sent to Earth as a baby to be raised in Smallville by the Kent family are ‘facts’ of a sort, but as fictional facts they are subject to copyright protection. The world of comic books is full of hypothetical questions regarding competing forces. Can Thor’s hammer (the irresistible force) destroy Captain America’s shield (the immovable object)? Who is faster, Superman or The Flash? In this mix we bring a legal conundrum to join the debates that swarm around conventions and online message boards. What happens when fictional facts interact with scenes a faire in the manner that occurs in films based on comic books? Which wins, the protectable nature of fictional facts or the generic scenes that are bereft of protection? In this note I will argue that when fictional facts interact with scenes a faire in comic book movies, the previously unprotected scenes gain copyright protectable status. While this may seem a moot point, it is not. The extensive protections offered by copyright will enable those copyright holders to continue exploiting the vast commercial value of those rights for decades to come.
Abstract In its overall literary construction, Deuteronomy has turned a syntactic form—the “if/when . . .” form of casuistic laws and vassal treaties—into its main narrative dynamics. It has combined the mini-plots of the case-laws (“if a man . . .” / “when you . . .”) with the overarching plot of the people’s loyalty (“if you listen to the commandments . . .”) and with the macro-plot of the divine promise (“when Yhwh your God brings you into the land . . .”) in order to create a general suspenseful momentum that leads to the memorable denouement of Deut 34:9: “The sons of Israel listened . . . and did just as Yhwh had commanded Moses”.
The optical properties of quantum dots strongly depend on the synthesis conditions including the reagent grade of the chemicals. We developed a synthesis set-up allowing the reproducible preparation of quantum dots with a high control over chemical and physical parameters. Here, we report on the effects of the injection speed, the stirring velocity and the reagent grade of the chemicals on the photoluminescence behaviour of CdSe quantum dots. Additionally we compared the commonly used hot-injection method with a novel one-pot approach leading to a slightly larger particle size distribution of the resulting high quality quantum dots in the latter case.
Recently, we demonstrated a direct role for leptin in skin repair. However, pair-fed experiments with caloric restricted ob/ob mice clearly suggested that resolution of insulin resistance also represents a pivotal process that contributes to an accelerated healing. Immunohistochemistry revealed wound keratinocytes to be the insulin-sensitive skin compartment, as the cells strongly expressed the insulin receptor (InsR). We now focused to analyze the expression and activation of insulin-signaling components in wound keratinocytes of healthy, diabetic, and leptin-treated mice. First, we observed a downregulation of the InsR expression in normal wounds, which is precisely co-regulated by a downregulation and phosphorylation-dependent inactivation of its negative regulator, the InsR-associated protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B). In line, a strong expression of InsR during late repair was associated with an increased presence of a dephosphorylated and thus active PTP-1B and the InsR substrate (IRS)-1- and -2-signaling molecules, suggesting that the InsR, its negative regulator PTP-1B, and both IRS were functionally connected during healing. Impaired healing conditions were characterized by a loss of InsR, IRS-1, and -2 expression but paralleled by increased amounts of phosphorylation-inactived PTP-1B. This finding suggested a regulatory mechanism to compensate for the loss of insulin-signaling components and to allow a more efficient signaling from the reduced amount of remaining InsR and IRS-1/-2 during impaired healing. Interestingly, systemic treatment of ob/ob mice with leptin resolved the dysregulated availability of the insulin-signaling components: InsR/IRS expression was upregulated, and the amount of dephosphorylated and thus active PTP-1B co-increased in wounds of treated animals. Finally, our findings could be confirmed by analysis of in vivo activation of protein kinase B as one possible readout for insulin signaling.
A descriptive, cross-sectional and analytical study was carried out in 3 areas of the Gaza Strip, Palestine, in 2002, to determine the factors associated with high methaemoglobin (Met-Hb) levels in infants and the relationship with nitrate concentration in drinking water wells. Drinking water sources were likely to be the main factor for high levels of Met-Hb. Out of 338 infants attending for vaccination, having supplemental feeding, use of boiled water and age 3-6 months were associated with high Met-Hb levels. The highest mean Met-Hb level was in Khan-Younis, where the highest mean nitrate concentration was recorded in drinking water. The results emphasize the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for infants < 6 months old, and the choice of a suitable source of water for these infants.
The properties of proton-rich nuclei in the 2s1d shell are investigated using the relativistic mean-field theory with the new TM2 and NL-SH interactions, which have been fitted carefully to the asymmetry energy, and therefore are well suited for studies of nuclei far off stability. The results of the calculations predict that there are one-proton halos in (26,27,28)P and two-proton halos in (27,28,29)S.
Chrysanthemum is one of popular floriculture commodities in Indonesia. Chrysanthemum is mainly propagated by terminal cutting. This study aimed to investigate the rooting and vegetative growth response of three different cultivars of chrysanthemum cutting treated by different level of IBA. The experiment was assigned in a completely randomized design on propagation phase and randomized block design on planting phase. The first factor was cultivar which consist of 3 varieties : V1 = Puspita Nusantara, V2 = Fiji, V3 = Dewi Ratih. The second factor was IBA level which consists of 4 levels : D0=0 ppm, D1= 200 ppm, D2= 400 ppm, D3= 600 ppm. The experiment was replicated 4 times. Parameters measured were number of roots, root length, root weight, shoot fresh weight and shoot dry weight. The data were analyzed statistically by analysis of variance and followed by Duncan test. The result showed that number of roots, root length, and root weight were significantly affected by variety treatment and IBA dose treatment. plant height and number of leaves were significantly affected by variety treatment. There was no influence of IBA dose treatment on plant height and number of leaves. Keywords : indole-3-butyric acid, cuttings, chrysanthemum
Dimensional analysis and physical unit checking are important tools for helping users to detect and correct mistakes in dynamic mathematical models. To make tools useful in a broad range of domains, it is important to also support other units than the SI standard. For instance, such units are common in biochemical or financial modeling. Furthermore, if two or more units turn out be in conflict after checking, it is vital that the reported unit information is given in an understandable format for the user, e.g., “N.m” should preferably be shown instead of “m2.kg.s-2”, even if they represent the same unit. Presently, there is no standardized solution to handle these problems for Modelica models. The contribution presented in this paper is twofold. Firstly, we propose an extension to the Modelica language that makes it possible for a library designer to define both new base units and derived units within Modelica models and packets. Today this information is implicitly defined in the specification. Secondly, we describe and analyze a solution to the problem of presenting units to users in a more convenient way, based on an algorithm using Mixed Integer Programming (MIP). Both solutions are implemented, tested, and illustrated with several examples.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate infection control practices among dentists in private and public practice.   DESIGN Survey and cross-sectional analysis.   SETTING Sertãozinho city, Brazil.   PARTICIPANTS All dentists who were currently working at the study city, and agreed to participate, resulting in a study population of 135 dentists.   METHODS Participants were personally interviewed and variables were submitted to chi2 or Fisher's exact test.   RESULTS Hand washing before and after each patient was reported by 86.7% of dentists, but private practitioners used liquid soap and paper towels more often than their public colleagues (p < 0.001). Most of the study population (97.8%) used gloves routinely during clinical sessions, but 8.2% reused them. Dry-heat was the main method employed for sterilisation of heat-stable devices by 80.0% of dentists, but adequate temperature and time of exposure was accomplished by only 32.1% of public and 70.0% of private professionals (p < 0.001). Heat-sensitive devices were disinfected with an adequate substance by 60.0% of both affiliation dentists (p = 0.908).   CONCLUSIONS There is a large gap between infection control recommendations and practices observed among the study population, and the situation is worse in public services. To reverse that situation, infection control issues must be openly debated by professional associations, dental schools and health authorities.
The nutritional status of 66 part Aborginines was re-examined in 1974--with particular reference to blood levels of haemoglobin and vitamins--after white bread fortified with iron and the vitamins B1 and PP (niacin) had been available for six and half months to the population of Bourke, New South Wales. The results found in 1971 and 1974 are compared. A significant improvement from deficient to acceptable blood levels of vitamins B1 and B6 was found in 44% and 52% of the subjects respectively. This attributed to the comsumption of fortified bread since the levels of the other vitamins had remained either unchanged or worsened. The biochemical improvement in vitamin B6 is attributed to the sparing effect of vitamin PP on vitamin B6 requirement because the conversion of tryptophan to niacin is impaired in vitamin B6 deficiency. Iron deficiency anaemia in children had decreased by 50% but this could have been due to many other factors besides the iron which had been added to the bread. Clinically there was a marked decrease in angular stomatitis and skin xerosis which could be related to the biochemical improvement of the two B-vitamins and a decrease in active trachoma and suppurative otitis media probably due to intensive treatment received since 1971. The results of this study and the extent of biochemical vitamin B1 and B6 deficiency found in other groups, indicate that fortification of bread may be of benefit to the community as a whole.
A flexible and coherent bundle of hollow optical fibers was fabricated for infrared thermal imaging. For acquisition of thermal images, differences in the transmission efficiency among the fibers were numerically compensated to obtain high temperature resolution of 1°C for measuring body temperature. In a lens system with 10-fold magnification and hollow fibers of 320-μm inner diameter, the spatial resolution is around 3 mm. The hollow-fiber bundle enables observation of the surface temperature of inner organs and blood flow of the surfaces when the bundle is introduced into the human body with an endoscope.
This session tackled the definition of a new variant of the EDF task dispatching policy. The current EDF Across Priorities task dispatching policy combines an EDF scheduler with the Stack Resource Protocol (SRP) [1] for controlling the access to protected objects. There is a proposal on the table to replace SRP with the Deadline Floor Protocol (DFP) [2], hence leading to a new task dispatching policy combining EDF and DFP. DFP has all the key properties of SRP, but it is conceptually simpler. The proposal is supported by the ARG, but there is no wording yet for an Ada Issue. The purpose of this session was to agree on the details of an Ada Issue on this topic, to be submitted for consideration towards Ada 202X. Alan Burns presented the details of the protocol, including a description of DFP and aspects to consider towards embedding the protocol in Ada. Alan also listed some open issues to receive feedback from the workshop towards the writing of a related Ada Issue. The following sections summarise the proposal and reflect the results of the discussion.
In the title compound, C13H15N5O2S, the acetamide N—C(=O)—C plane makes dihedral angles of 30.51 (11) and 51.93 (11)°, respectively, with the benzene ring and the pyrimidine ring. The dihedral angle between the benzene and pyrimidine rings is 43.40 (6)°. There is an intra­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bond with an S(7) ring motif. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by pairs of inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with an R22(8) ring motif. The mol­ecules are further linked by inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a C(9) chain along [100]. Inter­molecular C—H⋯π and N—H⋯π inter­actions are also observed.
Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a common complication of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus in children and a rare complication of steroid therapy. Patients on steroid therapy may develop hyperglycemia as a complication, but presentation with DKA is rather unusual.  Aim: To highlight a rare clinical entity of DKA induced by prednisolone in a 13 year old female on treatment for nephrotic syndrome.  Case report: NC was a 13 year old female who presented with first episode of generalized body swelling, oliguria, massive proteinuria and hypercholesterolenaemia with normal renal function. She was not a known diabetic and had no family history of diabetes mellitus. She was started on prednisolone at 20 mg three times daily for nephrotic syndrome. Two weeks after commencement of prednisolone, she developed DKA with blood glucose of 31.1 mmol/l, glycosuria and ketonuria. She received intravenous insulin, fluids and was discharged on mixtard insulin with withdrawal of prednisolone. Her fasting blood sugar gradually normalized to between 3.1-4.5 mmo/L and insulin stopped after 4 months of treatment. She has remained normoglycaemic on follow up.  Conclusion: The possibility of hyperglycaemia and DKA should be anticipated on every adolescent on steroid therapy for nephrotic syndrome. We therefore recommend routine blood glucose monitoring for early identification of DM in order to avoid DKA in such patients.
Introduction: Pediatric intestinal transplantation has changed recently with more isolated small intestine transplants being performed in small children instead of combined liver-intestine transplants. Consequently, surgical techniques have changed, requiring a frequent use of vascular homografts of small caliber, the impact of which on outcomes is unknown. Methods: Among 106 pediatric intestine and multivisceral transplants performed at our center since 2003, 39 recipients of an isolated small intestine graft were reviewed. Four patients transplanted between 2003 and 2005 with insufficient medical records and two patients with follow-up <1 year were excluded. The remaining 33 pts, including 4 retransplants (16M, 17F, median age 3.3 y [range 1.2-17.2], median weight 14.2 kg [8.1-56]) were included in this study. Grafts were monitored with Doppler of the stoma and angiography when necessary. Patients with hypercoagulable state received systemic anticoagulation from the time of graft reperfusion. Outcome parameters were thrombotic complications and graft survival. Results: 25/33 grafts (76%) were reperfused “centrally” (aorta and vena cava), 24 of them via vascular homograft. The other 8 grafts were reperfused via native superior mesenteric artery and vein. Overall, 28/33 (85%) patients required both arterial and venous homografts from the same donor (donor's median age 1.1 y [2mo-23 y], median weight 10 kg [14.7-48.5]), mainly iliac or carotid artery and iliac or innominate vein, respectively. Post-transplant, there were 3 acute thromboses at the anastomosis of the arterial homograft (2 central and one mesenteric) on post-operative day 0, 2 and 13 and one venous homograft thrombosis on POD 7 requiring urgent percutaneous thrombolysis and/or operative thrombectomy resulting in 2 peri-operative graft salvages and 2 graft losses. Three out of 4 thromboses occurred in patients with primary hypercoagulable state, including the 2 graft losses. Overall, at a median of 4.1 years (1–10.2) from transplant, 29/33 (88%) patients are alive with 26/33 (79%) functioning grafts. Conclusion: In our series 2/33 (6%) pediatric isolated intestine grafts were lost due to thrombotic complications of the vascular homograft in patientswith hypercoagulable state. The procurement of intact, size-matched donor vessels and post-transplant anticoagulation are critical. 1a.109
Author(s): Fitzsimmons, MR; Leighton, C; Nogues, J; Hoffmann, A; Liu, K; Majkrzak, CF; Dura, JA; Groves, JR; Springer, RW; Arendt, PN; Leiner, V; Lauter, H; Schuller, IK | Abstract: We have undertaken a systematic study of the influence of in-plane crystalline quality of the antiferromagnet on exchange bias. Polarized neutron reflectometry and magnetometry were used to determine the anisotropies of polycrystalline ferromagnetic (F) Fe thin films exchange coupled to antiferromagnetic (AF) untwinned single crystal (110) (formula presented) twinned single crystal (110) (formula presented) thin films and (110) textured polycrystalline (formula presented) thin films. A correlation between the anisotropies of the AF and F thin films with exchange bias was identified. Specifically, when exchange coupling across the F-AF interface introduces an additional anisotropy axis in the F thin film-one perpendicular to the cooling field, the magnetization reversal mechanism is affected (as observed with neutron scattering) and exchange bias is significantly enhanced. © 2002 The American Physical Society.
The rural water pollution problems has become the obstacles to the construction of new rural areas and the integration process of urban and rural areas. Aiming at the environmental problems. From the point of view of game theory. This article analyzed the actual decision-making behavior of government supervision and farmers pollution control, government supervision and pollution control of township enterprises in process of rural water pollution control, explored the causes of water pollution in rural areas. Based on an in-depth analysis of the result of the game, it puts forward some suggestions about rural water pollution control.
Abstract A kinetic method of spectrofluorimetric determination of V(V) is established based on the reaction of the cation with 1-amino-4-hydroxyanthraauinone, in which formation of an oxidation product of the reagent takes place. The variables that influence the development of the fluorescence are studied and the influence that the presence of foreign ions may cause is determined, finding that only Ce(lV) interferes seriously when it is in concentrations higher than that of V(V). The method is applied to the determination of non volatile vanadium in petroleum crudes.
The flux of manganese from continental margin sediments to the ocean was measured with a free-vehicle, benthic flux chamber in a transect across the continental shelf and upper slope of the California margin. The highest fluxes were observed on the shallow continental shelf. Manganese flux decreased linearly with bottom water oxygen concentration, and the lowest fluxes occurred in the oxygen minimum zone (at a depth of 600 to 1000 meters). Although the flux of manganese from continental shelf sediments can account for the elevated concentrations observed in shallow, coastal waters, the flux from sediments that intersect the oxygen minimum cannot produce the subsurface concentration maximum of dissolved manganese that is observed in the Pacific Ocean.
Purpose To evaluate the depth and pattern of retinal hemorrhage in acute central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and to correlate these with visual and anatomic outcomes. Methods Retinal hemorrhages were evaluated with color fundus photography and fluorescein angiography at baseline and follow-up. Snellen visual acuity (VA), central foveal thickness (CFT), extent of retinal ischemia, and development of neovascularization were analyzed. Results 108 eyes from 108 patients were evaluated. Mean age was 63.6 ± 16.1 years with a predilection for the right eye (73.1%). Average follow-up was 17.2 ± 19.2 months. Mean VA at baseline was 20/126 and 20/80 at final follow-up. Baseline (P = 0.005) and final VA (P = 0.02) in eyes with perivascular nerve fiber layer (NFL) hemorrhages were significantly worse than in eyes with deep hemorrhages alone. Baseline CFT was greater in the group with perivascular hemorrhages (826 ± 394 µm) compared to the group with deep hemorrhages alone (455 ± 273 µm, P < 0.001). The 10 disc areas of retinal ischemia was more common in patients with perivascular (80.0%) and peripapillary (31.3%) versus deep hemorrhages alone (16.1%, P < 0.001). Neovascularization of the iris was more common, although this differrence was not significant, in the groups with peripapillary (14.3%) and perivascular (2.0%) NFL versus deep hemorrhages alone (0.0%). Conclusions NFL retinal hemorrhages at baseline correlate with more severe forms of CRVO, with greater macular edema, poorer visual outcomes, and greater risk of ischemia and neovascularization. This may be related to the organization of the retinal capillary plexus. The depth and pattern of distribution of retinal hemorrhages in CRVO may provide an easily identifiable early biomarker of CRVO prognosis.
This study examines the influence of cultural exposure on emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence. Because of the importance of international experience in organizations, and the ease of travel, understanding the impact of exposure to other cultures is critical. In this study, cultural exposure is examined in a variety of ways, such as a binary measure, breadth measure, and depth measure, as well as the interaction between breadth and depth. The sample included 485 participants from a large university in the northeast part of the United States. Regression analysis was conducted and findings indicated that cultural exposure in all forms had an impact on cultural intelligence, while it did not have an impact on emotional intelligence.
We have examined the expression of inducible inflammatory genes in murine macrophages from different tissues and at different stages of inflammatory activity. Although i.v. administration of IFN-gamma (10,000 U/mouse) strongly induced expression of IP-10 mRNA in the adherent cell population of the spleen, thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages were essentially unresponsive at the same dose. In contrast, D3 mRNA was expressed in both cell populations. This differential sensitivity of IP-10 mRNA expression was not restricted to stimulation by IFN-gamma as it was also seen when LPS (25 micrograms/mouse) was administered i.v. Expression of JE and KC mRNA, which encode cytokines related to IP-10, were also differentially expressed in elicited peritoneal macrophages from mice injected with LPS. Differential sensitivity was at least partially related to the state of macrophage activation because IP-10 mRNA was highly inducible in resident but not thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages. The eliciting agent was also an important determinant because proteose-peptone-elicited peritoneal macrophages were nearly as sensitive as splenic macrophages with respect to expression of IP-10 mRNA. IFN-gamma treatment induced IP-10 and D3 mRNA rapidly and transiently with the same time course in the spleen. IP-10 mRNA was not induced by IFN-gamma in TG-elicited macrophages regardless of the time after treatment. This differential expression of IP-10 was a consequence of different concentration requirements for IFN-gamma in the two cell types; thioglycollate-elicited macrophages required five- to 10-fold more IFN-gamma than did resident cells to achieve comparable IP-10 mRNA levels whether the agent was provided in vitro or in vivo. Thus variable sensitivity for induction of IP-10 mRNA was a characteristic of the macrophage itself and was not mediated by other cellular or molecular elements present in the inflammatory peritoneal cavity. The reduced sensitivity to IFN-gamma or LPS for expression of IP-10, JE, and KC mRNA as compared with TNF-alpha or D3 mRNA suggests that this distinct pattern of regulation may be restricted to members of these two related cytokine gene families that exhibit cell-type specific chemoattractant activity.
Texture is one of the food quality attributes affecting the consumer's acceptability and the market value. Fish and shellfish undergo weakening or softening of muscle, particularly during extended storage under inappropriate conditions. The phenomenon is governed by endogenous proteases, both digestive and muscle proteases. Proteases present in the gastrointestinal tract that leach out to muscle tissue can induce proteolysis of myofibrillar and collagenous proteins. Furthermore, the muscle proteins present in gels fabricated from fish or shellfish meat also encounter degradation during thermal processing. Endogenous heat-activated proteases strongly bind to muscle proteins and are activated during heating, thereby degrading myofibrillar proteins, which are abundant in muscle tissue. This deterioration of the proteins directly leads to a weakened gel with poor water-holding capacity. Both cysteine and serine proteases are responsible for the degradation of myofibrillar proteins in several aquatic animals. Effective pretreatment of fish and shellfish, as well as the use of food-grade protease inhibitors (PIs), have been implemented to inactivate endogenous muscle and digestive proteases. For this review, proteolysis of muscle proteins and its control by food-grade PIs are revisited. Improved and effective lowering of proteolysis should be gained, thereby maintaining the quality of fish and their products.
Tick-borne spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are emerging human diseases caused by obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria of the genus Rickettsia. Despite being important causes of systemic febrile illnesses in travelers returning from sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about the reservoir hosts of these pathogens. We conducted surveys for rickettsiae in domestic animals and ticks in a rural setting in western Kenya. Of the 100 serum specimens tested from each species of domestic ruminant 43% of goats, 23% of sheep, and 1% of cattle had immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to the SFG rickettsiae. None of these sera were positive for IgG against typhus group rickettsiae. We detected Rickettsia africae-genotype DNA in 92.6% of adult Amblyomma variegatum ticks collected from domestic ruminants, but found no evidence of the pathogen in blood specimens from cattle, goats, or sheep. Sequencing of a subset of 21 rickettsia-positive ticks revealed R. africae variants in 95.2% (20/21) of ticks tested. Our findings show a high prevalence of R. africae variants in A. variegatum ticks in western Kenya, which may represent a low disease risk for humans. This may provide a possible explanation for the lack of African tick-bite fever cases among febrile patients in Kenya.
The venomous snake Bothrops pirajai (Amaral, 1923) is endemic to Brazil. Despite being described almost a century ago, very little is known about this species, which has never been studied in situ. Here, we present new data on the biology and natural history of B. pirajai based on a review of existing museum specimens and a field study (1504 man hours) carried out throughout the species range. The distribution of B. pirajai was found to be restricted to the eastern Atlantic forest of the state of Bahia, Brazil, between Todosos Santos Bay, Itabuna and Ilheus (12050’S-14050’S, 88-835 m). We recommend the species be uplisted to Endangered in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s global Red List of Threatened Species as its estimated extent of occurrence is under 5000km2. The effective conservation of B. pirajai will rely on addressing two key issues: improving our knowledge of the species and successfully mitigating habitat loss and fragmentation.
We analyze the effect of election promises on electoral behavior in a laboratory experiment. In the experiment, politicians can make nonbinding election promises about how to split an endowment between themselves and the group. We find that promises affect both voting and voter beliefs about how much the politician will contribute to the public fund. The relationship is inverted U-shaped with decreasing credibility of higher promises. Contributions of politicians are correlated with their promises in a similar pattern. The election promises are generally credible unless particularly high. Politicians keep promises more often if a reelection is possible and if the politician came into power by vote rather than by random draw. Voters reward high contributions in the previous period and punish promise breaking even after controlling for the contribution in the previous period or voters' beliefs about future contributions. By controlling for voters' beliefs, we distinguish retrospective from prospective voting. Our results suggest that voters both use promises for prospective voting and retrospectively punish broken promises.
Carbonization treatment successfully converted textile sludge into potential adsorbent. The carbonization was performed at the range of 400 to 800 °C without oxygen involved. In order to investigate the adsorption performance of carbonized sludge then a series of adsorption tests was carried out. Adsorption experiments indicated that the highest adsorption capacity was obtained at the carbonization temperature of 400 °C. The maximum adsorption capacity for removal textile dye of reactive red 231 on aqueous sollution was reached 49.1 mg/g. The pH of carbonized sludge played a significant role in the adsorption of reactive red 231 in the solution. Since the reactive red 231 is categorized as an anionic dyes, the lower pH was appropriate to accelerate adsorption process through charge neutralization by abundant H+ ions.
During the period from the beginning of February 2016 to the end of October 2017 in the Center of Oncology of Hematology of El-Hussein Medical city in Karbala, 30 samples were collected for patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia ranging between 1-13 years old (6,80 ± 3, 79) who didn’t have a family history of any cancer infection before receiving chemotherapy. The study was divided into two sections based on sex. The study included 19 males aged (1 - 12 years) and 11 females aged (1- 13 years old). The results showed significant differences in the levels of trace elements (Fe), (Cu), (Zn) and (Ni) in the serum. There was significant difference (p = 0.00) between the healthy and the patients who didn’t gain medicine. Also, significant differences were in levels of fe) and Cu (cu) in serum samples in the samples of males and females with their peers in the control group. There were also significant differences when comparing the sexes in each of the two study groups. The results also showed significant differences in zn Blood samples for male and female patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia and healthy individuals, while significant differences of Ni (ni) between males and females of the infected group and healthy males.
This report describes the use of surfactant‐coated graphitized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (SC‐GMWNTs) as a novel pseudostationary phase in CE with diode array detection for the determination of phenolic acids and tanshinones in herbal and urine samples. Several parameters influencing the separation were studied, such as the concentrations of SDS, GMWNTs, and isopropanol; choice of carbon nanotubes; sodium borate content; and buffer pH. The results revealed that the presence of SC‐GMWNTs in buffer enhanced the separation efficiency for the target analytes relative to conventional micelles due to the strong interaction between the surface of the GMWNTs and the target compounds. Under the optimum conditions, the method showed good linearity, with correlation coefficients higher than 0.9950. LODs were in the range of 0.71–3.10 μg/mL. Furthermore, satisfactory separations were achieved with good recovery values in the range of 89.97 and 103.30% when 10 mM borate, 30 mM SDS, 10% isopropanol, and 6 μg/mL SC‐GMWNTs were introduced into the buffer solution.
OBJECTIVES Using primary and secondary data sources, we set out to estimate the Canadian wage loss from cancer for patients, caregivers, and parents from a patient and a societal perspective.   METHODS First, a multiple-database literature search was conducted to find Canadian-specific direct surveys of wage loss from cancer. Second, estimates for wage loss were generated from the nationally representative Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) Cycle 3.1. In addition, both estimates were standardized to derive a friction-period estimate and were extrapolated to produce national annual estimates.   RESULTS The literature search identified six direct surveys that included a total of 1632 patients with cancer. The CCHS Cycle 3.1 included 2287 patients with cancer. Overall, based on the direct surveys, newly diagnosed cancer patients reduced their labour participation in the friction period by 36% ($4,518), and caregivers lost 23% of their workable hours ($2,887). The CCHS estimated that annual household income was 26.5% lower ($4,978) for respondents with cancer as compared with the general population. For the year 2009, results from direct surveys indicated that new cancers in Canada generated a wage loss of $3.18 billion; the CCHS Cycle 3.1 estimate was $2.95 billion.   CONCLUSIONS Wage loss from cancer is a significant economic burden on patients, their families, and society in Canada, with direct surveys and the CCHS providing similar estimates.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss/reflect on some well‐known excellence frameworks or models in order to understand the development in the contents of excellence during the last 25 years and to understand the problems or limitations which such kind of models still may have.Design/methodology/approach – The studies examine some leading excellence frameworks and models and discuss/identify their strengths as well as weaknesses. The chosen models and frameworks are Peters' and Waterman's eight excellence attributes (1982), Peter's and Austin's simplified excellence model (1985), lists of best practices (1998), Xerox excellence models (1990, 2002), the European excellence model (1992), Dahlgaard‐Park and Dahlgaard's 4P model (1999, 2004) and Toyota's 4P model.Findings – Generally, excellence models and frameworks are inspired by the Japanese practices and they recognize the importance of the soft dimension of organizational realities. However, there are tendencies to interpret thes...
A formalism is proposed for the evaluation of phase specific strains and stresses in I-hardened single crystal nickel-based superalloys using volume-resolved constrained lattice parameters, which can be determined by a procedure as discussed in the first part of this contribution. Taking mechanical equilibrium conditions into consideration, the stress-free lattice parameters of both phases can be calculated so that absolute values of strains and stresses can be given. Using the data obtained from the calculation of the stress-free lattice parameters, the influence of diffusion controlled variations of the stress-free lattice parameters can be quantified and separated from dislocation-induced effects on the stress values. This way, distributions of phase specific strains and stresses in the monocrystalline nickel-based superalloy SC 16 have been determined. The investigations by means of X-ray and neutron diffraction methods have been performed on the initial material state and material after uniaxial plastic high-temperature deformation (tensile and creep deformation). All strain distributions exhibit a strong overlap of phase and orientation dependent contributions, which are evaluated by a model based on the microstructural properties and local mechanical equilibrium conditions. Coherency stresses in the initial material state and the unconstrained misfit are evaluated. Stress distributions after high-temperature deformation are interpreted using a model from literature with an extended combined gliding and climbing mechanism.
Neurotrophins play a major role in adult neuronal survival, maintenance and regeneration. Alterations in their levels have been implicated in various neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD). It has been reported that, the pathophysiology of PD progress is essentially depends on various striatal signaling cascade, which consists handful of neurotrophic factors namely, cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF), glial derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF). Although, the exact pathophysiology of PD is remained elusive however, the loss of dopaminergic neurons and dopamine deficiency has considered as a major consequence for the movement disability as seen in PD. It has been proposed that loss of dopaminergic neurons in PD may be conducted by inadequate neurotrophic activity which leads to neuronal apoptosis. In addition, stimulation of neurotrophic factors in the striatal brain region has been reported to be beneficial in experimental models of PD. In the current review we have detailed out the neurotrophic factors and their role in pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease.
Background Procalcitonin (PCT) is a diagnostic biomarker for bacterial infections in critically-ill patients. However, the cut-off value of PCT for the diagnosis of bacterial infections is unclear and unreliable. This study aimed to determine the optimal cut-off value of PCT for the diagnosis of bacterial infections in critically-ill patients. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective study involving 311 adult patients who had been admitted to the medical or surgical intensive care unit for more than 24 hours from 2013 to 2015. At least one blood test for PCT level was performed for all patients within the first 24 hours of suspecting an infection. Results One hundred and fifty-seven patients had bacterial infections, while 154 did not. Patients with bacterial infections had a significantly higher median PCT level than those without bacterial infections (1.90 ng/mL vs. 0.16 ng/mL, P <0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of PCT for discriminating between bacterial and non-bacterial infections was 0.874 (95% confidence interval: 0.834, 0.914; P <0.001). The optimal cut-off value of PCT for differentiating between fevers due to bacterial infections from those due to non-bacterial infections was 0.5 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 84.7%, specificity of 79.9%, positive predictive value of 81.1%, and negative predictive value of 83.7%. Conclusion PCT was found to be an accurate biomarker for the diagnosis of bacterial infections among patients admitted to medical and surgical intensive care units. The optimal cut-off value of PCT for the diagnosis of bacterial infections was 0.5 ng/mL.
Increased levels of serum procollagen III peptide (P-III-P) have been found in patients with alcoholic hepatitis and cirrhosis. Serum P-III-P was increased (greater than 15 micrograms/l) in 38 of 44 (86%) patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis, in 6 of 20 (30%) with fatty liver, in 1 of 13 (8%) with non-alcoholic fatty liver, and in 3 of 14 (21%) with other chronic liver diseases. Median serum P-III-P was almost three times higher in alcoholic liver cirrhosis than in alcoholic fatty liver (p less than 0.001). Serum P-III-P was increased in three of six patients with alcoholic fatty liver and periportal fibrosis. In the total material (n = 91), a statistically significant negative correlation between serum P-III-P and albumin (r = -0.71, p less than 0.001) and Normotest (r = -0.63, p less than 0.001), respectively, and a positive correlation between serum P-III-P and bilirubin (r = 0.65, p less than 0.001) were found. The serum level of P-III-P had no prognostic value concerning the mortality in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.
A program where wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are fed by tourists in shallow water adjacent to a wharf has been established at Tangalooma, Queensland, Australia. Up to nine dolphins attend the nightly feedings, and between 60 and 80 resort guests are permitted to hand feed these dolphins each night. Since this program began in 1992, the dolphins have increased in confidence and have started, at times, to make forceful contact with guests who enter the water to feed them. This paper categorizes such behavior as “pushy” and reports on a study which quantifies the “pushiness” of the dolphins which feed at Tangalooma. The study examines ecological variables which may determine how pushy the dolphins are at different feeding sessions. The number of dolphins attending a particular feeding significantly increases the pushiness. In addition, the presence of adult males at a feeding is likely to increase pushing. Tidal state also influences how pushy the dolphins are. At low tide, when the dolphins’mobility is restricted by the water depth, they are less likely to be pushy. Given the problems experienced in a number of other situations where wild animals are fed by humans, it is important to monitor carefully the escalation of pushy behavior in this dolphin feeding program, as it may be a precursor to more aggressive actions on the part of the dolphins.
Study Design Retrospective case series. Objective Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) are two related diseases that significantly increase the risk of unstable spinal fractures from seemingly trivial trauma. Given the older age and higher surgical risk profile of most of these patients, minimally invasive (MIS) approaches to the treatment of such fractures may reduce operative risk and physiologic stress. Methods Eleven consecutive patients with hyperextension thoracolumbar injuries and a diagnosis of AS or DISH admitted to a single level I trauma center between June 2009 and June 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were treated with MIS stabilization. In addition, the patients were administered the Oswestry Disability Index and EuroQol-5D surveys to evaluate patient-reported outcomes regarding disability and health-related quality of life, respectively. Results Of the 11 patients, 10 were alive at the time of review. The mean follow-up time was 28 months. The average age was 77 years old with a mean body mass index of 34. All patients had severe systemic disease, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade III, with multiple medical comorbidities. Seven segments on average were included in the operative construct. There were no instrumentation failures or nonunions requiring revision surgery. The average postoperative Oswestry disability index was 21.5% (range: 0 to 34%), corresponding to low to moderate disability, and the average EuroQol-5D utility score was 0.77 (range: 0.60 to 1), a similar average postoperative utility value to those published in the literature on elective surgery for degenerative lumbar conditions. Conclusions MIS stabilization, when used on patients with good preoperative neurologic status, can successfully manage spinal fractures in patients with AS and DISH and preserve a favorable postoperative quality of life with limited disability.
This study compared the psychological characteristics of 127 mixed-ethnic Arab-European adolescents and 196 mono-ethnic Arabs aged between 12 and 18 years who resided in Israel. Findings revealed significant differences in favor of the mono-ethnic participants in areas of self-esteem, quality of life, environmental mastery, and positive relations with others. In a similar pattern where higher scores are indicative of worse adjustment, mixed-ethnic adolescents, had significantly higher scores than their mono-ethnic counterparts on psycho-physiological symptoms, anxiety, and depression. In terms of Arab ethnic identification, differences between mixedand mono-ethnic participants were found to be non-significant. At the ego identity level, the study's mixed-ethnic adolescents were significantly more often identified as 'diffused' subjects, and significantly less often identified as having attained an 'achieved' ego identity in comparison to their mono-ethnic Arab peers. This research was supported by Gates Cambridge University Trust, the Overseas Research Student Award Scheme, the Department of Social and Developmental Psychology at the University of Cambridge, and Wolfson College.
The Advanced Battery Business Unit (ABBU) of Johnson Controls, Inc. is developing several promising advanced battery technologies including flow-through lead-acid, zinc/bromine, and nickel hydrogen. The flow-through lead-acid technology, which is being developed under Department of Energy (DOE) sponsorship, is progressing towards the fabrication of a 39 kWh battery system. Recent efforts have focused on achieving the aggressive specific energy goal of 56 Wh/kg in 12 volt module form. Recent DOE sponsored work in the zinc/bromine program has focused on the development of a proof-of concept 50 kWh electric vehicle system for a light van application. Efforts in the nickel hydrogen program have focused on reducing system cost in order to make the life-time premium market and EV market possible targets. The status and future direction of each of these programs are summarized.
Nowadays, osteoarthritis (OA), a common, multifactorial musculoskeletal disease, is considered to have a low-grade inflammatory pathogenetic component. Lately, neuropsychiatric sequelae of the disease have gained recognition. However, a link between the peripheral inflammatory process of OA and the development of neuropsychiatric pathology is not completely understood. In this review, we provide a narrative that explores the development of neuropsychiatric disease in the presence of chronic peripheral low-grade inflammation with a focus on its signaling to the brain. We describe the development of a pro-inflammatory environment in the OA-affected joint. We discuss inflammation-signaling pathways that link the affected joint to the central nervous system, mainly using primary sensory afferents and blood circulation via circumventricular organs and cerebral endothelium. The review describes molecular and cellular changes in the brain, recognized in the presence of chronic peripheral inflammation. In addition, changes in the volume of gray matter and alterations of connectivity important for the assessment of the efficacy of treatment in OA are discussed in the given review. Finally, the narrative considers the importance of the use of neuropsychiatric diagnostic tools for a disease with an inflammatory component in the clinical setting.
Abstract Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a new treatment with promise for resistant depression. Objective: We tested the economic feasibility of this new method compared with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Method: An economic decision analysis was used to compare the costs of three different treatment strategies for nonpsychotic severe depression. The strategies were: ECT alone; rTMS alone; and rTMS followed by ECT for nonresponders (rTMS-to-ECT). We calculated 12-month costs and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) for the three treatment options for all nonpsychotic, severely depressed United States patients who would have otherwise undergone ECT. A sensitivity analysis was performed to test the degree of change in outcome with various parameter changes.
Background Persistent congestion with deteriorating renal function is an important cause of adverse outcomes in heart failure. We aimed to characterize new approaches to evaluate renal congestion using Doppler ultrasonography. Methods and Results We enrolled 205 patients with suspected or prediagnosed pulmonary hypertension (PH) undergoing right heart catheterization. Patients underwent renal Doppler ultrasonography and assessment of invasive cardiopulmonary hemodynamics, echocardiography, renal function, intra‐abdominal pressure, and neurohormones and hydration status. Four spectral Doppler intrarenal venous flow patterns and a novel renal venous stasis index (RVSI) were defined. We evaluated PH‐related morbidity using the Cox proportional hazards model for the composite end point of PH progression (hospitalization for worsening PH, lung transplantation, or PH‐specific therapy escalation) and all‐cause mortality for 1‐year after discharge. The prognostic utility of RVSI and intrarenal venous flow patterns was compared using receiver operating characteristic curves. RVSI increased in a graded fashion across increasing severity of intrarenal venous flow patterns (P<0.0001) and was significantly associated with right heart and renal function, intra‐abdominal pressure, and neurohormonal and hydration status. During follow‐up, the morbidity/mortality end point occurred in 91 patients and was independently predicted by RVSI (RVSI in the third tertile versus referent: hazard ratio: 4.72 [95% CI, 2.10–10.59; P<0.0001]). Receiver operating characteristic curves suggested superiority of RVSI to individual intrarenal venous flow patterns in predicting outcome (areas under the curve: 0.789 and 0.761, respectively; P=0.038). Conclusions We propose RVSI as a conceptually new and integrative Doppler index of renal congestion. RVSI provides additional prognostic information to stratify PH for the propensity to develop right heart failure. Clinical Trial Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. Unique identifier: NCT03039959.
In this monograph the authors have compiled our present day knowledge on the round ligaments of the uterus. In addition to reviewing the anatomy, histology, embryology, and pathology of the ligaments, they have included the different surgical approaches to the round ligaments in treatment of uterine displacements. The authors surmise the presence of functioning smooth muscle elements in the ligaments and prove their view by myographs showing the effect of chemical and electrical stimulation on these muscle fibers. The same procedures are repeated using parasympatheticomimic drugs to show the expected contraction curves. According to the authors, part of the pelvic pain associated with uterine abnormalities is due to the elongation or contraction, or both, of the nonstriated muscle fibers in the round ligaments. This, however, has not been proven by them. This monograph is a worthy study and should be found in the library of any gynecologist, anatomist, or physiologist.
Australian native food has come to be called bushfood. However, this term has several different connotations depending on the context. Firstly, while it is often used to denote both flora and fauna, it has been widely adopted by many people as a synonym for products obtained only from plants. Secondly, the term would mean slightly different things to an Aboriginal Australian and a European Australian. Before 1788, the Aboriginal people of Australia ate bushfood within a holistic philosophy that encompassed social structures, belief systems and survival strategies as well as nutrition. When Europeans came along new foods and cooking styles were introduced and to speak about bushfood now is to conjure up a very different image of the way in which the food is prepared and regarded. Many of the products that come under the title of (plant) bushfood are, in fact, fruits. This paper gives an overview of a number of aspects of tropical and subtropical indigenous Australian fruits including their history of use, their place in the more general Bushfood Industry and a discussion of some of the key species within both the traditional Aboriginal and commercial European context.
SUMMARY An experiment is described which investigated the combined effects of fertilizer nitrogen and a medium-large-leaved variety of white clover on the production from a mixed sward. Over a period of 3 years six rates of nitrogen fertilizer ranging from 0 to 750 kg/ha were applied annually on three different sward types cut five times per year. The swards consisted of S. 23 perennial ryegrass alone, S. 23 ryegrass plus Blanca white clover, and Blanca white clover alone. Averaged over the 3 years the nitrogen rate required on the pure-grass sward to give the same yield of dry matter as the grass plus Blanca clover sward with no fertilizer nitrogen applied was 265 kg/ha; the corresponding application rate to achieve equal crude-protein yield was 322 kg/ha. Blanca had an additive effect on the yield from the mixed sward at nitrogen rates up to at least 300 kg/ha. The results from this experiment are compared with those from experiments in which medium-small-leaved varieties of white clover were used. The role of white clover in providing savings in nitrogen fertilizer input on grassland is discussed. Estimates from the results indicate that the nitrogen rates required to produce an annual herbage dry-matter yield of 12 t/ha were 340 kg/ha on the pure ryegrass swards, and 140 kg/ha on the ryegrass plus Blanca sward. The nitrogen fertilizer saving due to the inclusion of Blanca white clover in the sward was, therefore, 43%. A similar estimate from the results of an earlier experiment with the medium-smallleaved variety Aberystwyth S. 100 suggests a nitrogen fertilizer saving of 21%.
ABSTRACT Variation in gene expression underlies inter-individual variability in immune response. However, the mutations responsible for gene expression changes remain largely unknown. In this work, we searched for transposable element insertions present at high population frequencies and located nearby immune-related genes in Drosophila melanogaster. We identified 12 insertions associated with allele-specific expression changes in immune-related genes. We showed that transgenically induced expression changes in most of these genes are associated with differences in survival to infection with the gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas entomophila. We provide experimental evidence suggesting a causal role for five insertions in the allele-specific expression changes observed. Furthermore, for two insertions we found a significant association with increased tolerance to bacterial infection. Our results showed for the first time that polymorphic transposable element insertions from different families drive expression changes in genes that are relevant for inter-individual differences in immune response.
The Personal Cloud paradigm emerges as a decentralized and privacy preserving solution to manage personal documents under users’ control. It can be seen as an alternative to the current Web model, which centralizes the complete digital life of millions of individuals in data silos, and increases frustration generated by the weak control of the individuals on the way their personal data are shared, used and disseminated. The home cloud is the most emblematic form of Personal Cloud. It can be thought of as a dedicated box connected to the user's internet gateway, equipped with storage, computing and communication facilities, running a personal server and acquiring data from multiple sources. This personal server is in charge of organizing the personal dataspace in a document database style to ease its management and to protect it against loss, theft and abusive use. Many startups (e.g., OwnCloud, CozyCloud, etc.) and research projects (e.g., PlugDB at Inria or OpenPDS at MIT) investigate this direction.
Blended learning, the use of e-learning to support traditional classroom instruction, is becoming more popular in the higher education sector with the benefits of improving student engagement and enhancing teaching and learning quality. This paper examines the implementation of blended learning in a marketing module offered by Higher Diploma in Business at School of Professional and Continuing Education, University of Hong Kong. The process of e-learning platform development, re-design of the marketing module, student feedback collection and analysis were discussed.
Extracts of the leaf and seed of Piper guineense were separately prepared and their pharmacological effects screened using smooth muscle of the gastrointestinal tract and uterus. The leaf extract enhanced both the frequency and tone of spontaneous contractions of rabbit jejunum and induced contraction of guinea‐pig ileum, which were blocked by atropine. The seed extract had the opposite effect on rabbit jejunum, an inhibition which was antagonized by prazocin, and little or no effect on guinea‐pig ileum. Both extracts had a stimulant effect on rat uterine muscle, the seed extract to a lesser extent.
Aequorin is the Ca2+-activated photoprotein which participates in the bioluminescence from the circumoral ring of the hydromedusa Aequorea victoria. The nucleotide sequences of five aequorin cDNAs have been compared and shown to code for three aequorin isoforms. The cDNA AEQ1 contains the entire protein coding region of 196 amino acids. The other four cDNAs contain only 70-90% of the coding region and apparently code for at least two other isoforms whose amino acid sequences differ significantly from that encoded by AEQ1. The nucleotide sequences coding for the three isotypes differ at a minimum of 54 positions out of a total of 588 nucleotides necessary to code for apoaequorin. Of these nucleotide differences, 24 account for 23 amino acid replacements, substantiating the microheterogeneity observed during sequencing of purified native aequorin [Charbonneau, H., Walsh, K.A., McCann, R.O., Prendergast, F.G., Cormier, M.J., & Vanaman, T.C. (1985) Biochemistry 24, 6762-6771]. Comparison of the deduced cDNA translations with the native protein sequences suggests the loss of seven residues from the amino terminus during purification of aequorin from Aequorea. Aequorin rapidly extracted from the jellyfish using conditions to minimize proteolysis is shown to have a larger molecular weight than that of purified native aequorin. Escherichia coli expressed aequorin encoded by AEQ1 is shown to have the same molecular weight and isoelectric point as those of one of the isotypes rapidly extracted from Aequorea.
9581 Background: Complete pathology reporting of factors influencing local recurrence risk is essential for accurate staging and treatment planning in breast cancer. Pathologic assessment of tumor size, histologic grade, margin status, and extent of intraductal component may influence the decision to pursue additional treatment following breast conserving surgery. The American College of Pathologists (ACP) has published consensus guidelines for breast pathology reporting based on established prognostic and predictive factors. This study assessed differences in adherence to the ACP guidelines between tertiary-care and community-based hospital pathology departments.   METHODS 250 consecutive surgical pathology reports were collected from one tertiary care and one community hospital. 195 demonstrating infiltrating or intraductal carcinoma were analyzed. Three reviewers, blinded to hospital of origin, independently scored each report for completeness based on the 1999 ACP guidelines. Differences by site were analyzed by t-tests and multivariate logistic regression.   RESULTS 66 reports of invasive carcinoma, 38 reports of DCIS, and 91 reports of invasive carcinoma with a DCIS component were analyzed. Among invasive only cases, margin status was reported less often by university-based pathologists (p<0.01). For DCIS only, disease extent was reported significantly more often at the university (p<0.05); reporting of DCIS grade or necrosis did not vary. Results for cases of invasive carcinoma with DCIS are shown below: [Figure: see text] Conclusions: University pathology departments are more likely to quantify extent of tumor, but less likely to report margin status. Both university and community pathology departments underreport based on ACP guidelines. Failure to include prognostic information may lead to under-treatment and inaccurate perceptions of local recurrence risk. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
The issue of the integrity of works has been treated in a very vague way in Article 2 Lit B of the Marrakesh Treaty, it only indicates that the adaptation must be made “taking due consideration of the changes needed to make the work accessible.” From the practice of creating accessible materials, the question arises about the possibility of generating accessible copies of fragments of works or single articles. In this paper we propose to analyze the scope of the obligation of respecting the integrity of the works in relation to the partial copy or partial adaptation, under the assumption that this possibility often determines the viability of projects for the creation of accessible materials on demand.
Intraoperative ultrasound (iUS) has emerged as a practical neuronavigational tool in image-guided open cranial procedures because of its low cost, easy implementation and real time image acquisition. Two-dimensional iUS (2DiUS) is currently the most common ultrasonic imaging tool used in the operating room (OR). However, gaps between imaging planes and limited volumetric sampling with 2DiUS often result in incomplete imaging of the internal anatomical structures of interest (e.g., tumor). In this paper, we investigate and evaluate the use of coregistered volumetric true three-dimensional iUS (3DiUS) generated from a broadband matrix array transducer (X3-1) attached to a Phillips iU22 intelligent ultrasound system. This 3DiUS scheme is able to provide full 3D sampling over a frustum-shaped volume with high resolution dicom images directly recovered by the ultrasound system without the need for free-hand sweeps or 3D reconstruction. Volumetric 3DiUS images were co-registered with preoperative magnetic resonance (pMR) images by tracking the spatial location and orientation of an infrared light-emitting tracker rigidly attached to the US scan-head following a fiducial registration and an iUS scan-head calibration. The registration was further refined using an imagebased scheme to maximize the inter-image normalized mutual information. In addition, we have utilized a coordinate system nomenclature and developed a set of static visualization techniques to present 3D US image data in the OR, which will be important for qualitative and quantitative analyses of the performance of 3DiUS in image-guided neurosurgery in the future. We show that 3DiUS significantly improves the imaging efficiency and enhances integration of iUS into the surgical workflow, making it appear to be promising for routine use in the OR.
Electrification due to oil flow inside transformers induces charge accumulation at the pressboard interface. A part of this charge migrates inside the impregnated pressboard, which leads to a space charge development inside the pressboard. Then this accumulation may be responsible of electrical failure. In order to predict the phenomenon it is important to know the charge evolution and its variation with the temperature gradient and concentration of additives, considered to be used to prevent such failures. An experimental setup has been perfected in which an impregnated pressboard stack is submitted to a potential difference and a temperature gradient. From measurements of potential on special electrodes inserted in the pressboard stack it is possible to obtain the space charge density development. We have made experiments for several potential difference and temperature gradient. The evolution of the space charge density development is observed in terms of time. Then the effect of the Benzotriazol (BTA) concentration has been tested.
Nanoparticles La-NaTaO3 photocatalyst has been synthesized via a sol-gel route. A Ninanoparticle (NPs) as a cocatalyst is loaded on La-NaTaO3 by a simple impregnation method.The products are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope(SEM), a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy (XPS). X-ray diffraction of the La-NaTaO3 samples shows perovskite-typecrystalline orthorhombic structure. Small particulate solids of La-NaTaO3 (30-250 nm) areobserved by SEM measurement. The nickel particles are detected from HRTEM images isaround 4-8 nm. The hydrogen evolution over La-NaTaO3 with NaCl is much higher than thatwithout NaCl. The photoactivity of La-NaTaO3 is enhanced when Ni is loaded on the surfaceof La-NaTaO3. The optimum loading amount of nickel is found to be 0.3 wt.% for La-NaTaO3,and it is more effective for H2 production from NaCl-water solution in the presence glucose.It is revealed that the loaded Ni can interact with each other and cooperate on improving thephotocatalytic activity. In the case of glucose as an electron donor, the activity ofphotocatalytic hydrogen generation over Ni/La-NaTaO3 increases dramatically. NaCl andglucose can promote markedly the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. The Ni/La-NaTaO3nanoparticles system appears to be a promising candidate, which is very important to practicalapplications, including the production of H2 from NaCl-water solution in the presence ofglucose.
The workability of cast pure chromium produced by an induction−slag−melting process was investigated through the study of rolling and isothermal upsetting． The cast material had large crystal grains elongated along the cylindrical ingot axis or the solidification direction． The effbct of rolling， which was performed to change the coarse cast structure to a finer one， on the ductile−to−brittle transition temperature（DBTT）was also examined． The present results are summarized as follows． DBTT of the as−cast specimen tested in tension at a strain rate of 2．4×10−2 s−1 was about 500 K． A minimum ductility and a maximum flow stress appeared at about 973 K owing to dynamic strain aging． The forming limit in upsetting， percent reduction of height at’beginning of cracking on the specimen wa11， increased to 80％at 773 K， and no crack appeared at temperatures above 873 K． At all temperatures， there occurred cracks in the as−cast specim6n deformed by a conventional rolling． Cracks occurred slightly in the specimen even in a sandwich−rolling by which a sintered chromium was suc− cessfully deformed． Cracking in the as−cast specimem was mainly due the coarse structure with large crystal grains． Once the structure was changed to a finer one by the upsetting， the specimen was easily rolled to a thin sheet without crack occurrence． DBTT of the specimen rolled to 80％and followed by annealing at 1273 K was higher by about 200 K than that of the as−cast specimen， while annealing at 1473 K yielded a slightly lower value than that of the as− cast materia1．
Molar volume data of alkali and alkaline earth silicate glasses have been used to calculate the free volume associated with the bridging and nonbridging oxygen and modifier ions. The free volume associated with the bridging oxygen is constant (15.39 × 10−24 cm3) for all modifier ions up to 33.3 mol% modifier oxide. It decreases (in alkali or alkaline earth silicate glasses) with increasing number of nonbridging oxygen ions per structural unit and/or radius of the modifier ion. The nonbridging oxygen ion is associated with a constant free volume (6.50 × 10−24 cm3) in all cases. Modifier ions are associated with free volume that increases with increasing number of nonbridging oxygen ions per structural unit and/or radius of the modifier ion. The used model explores the change in the free volume due to changing the concentration of alkali oxides in mixed alkali silicate glasses. The results show that, in such glasses, the free volume related to a certain type of alkali oxide increases with increasing content.
Hyperplastic polyps are lesions that are mostly smaller than 1 cm; they are sessile and innocuous. They develop as a result of tissue damage and an exaggerated mucosal regeneration. Intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia at a rate of 1–20% may be seen in hyperplastic polyps. However, the risk of carcinoma development is less than 2%. The risk increases in multiple polyps (1). Here we present a case of an intramucosal mucinous adenocarcinoma that developed in a solitary hyperplastic polyp localized in the stomach antrum. There were extensive atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and, interestingly, gastritis cystica profunda areas in the non-tumorous stomach.
a majeed@imperial ac uk Follow Simon Hodes on Twitter @DrSimonHodes Follow Azeem Majeed on Twitter @Azeem_Majeed The NHS App is a safe and obvious choice for a vaccine passport, but IT problems and the “digital divide” must be tackled The UK transport minister, Grant Shapps, announced on 28 April 2021 that the UK government plans to use the existing NHS App to provide proof of covid-19 vaccination status for international travel [ ]while discussions on “vaccine passports” are old, the scale of the covid-19 pandemic will require a large number of global travellers to use a vaccine passport, which is an unprecedented development;and the technological options are far more advanced than the paper based certificates used for other vaccines Increased downloads of the app by those using it as their vaccine passport could have additional long term benefits by encouraging patients to use other digital NHS services
A method is described of preparing leaf sections for electron microscopy. which preserves the surface wax structures; it involves the evaporation of gold-palladium on to the waxy leaf surface before dehydration and embedding with the usual solvents. Sections through the epidermis showed structure related to that seen in carbon replicas of the leaf surface and allowed assessment of the thickness of the wax coating. The method also allowed better preservation of cuticular structure, which in Eucalyptus cinerea is lamellar. It is suggested that, in this species at least, wax may migrate to the leaf surface through anastomosing channels between the cuticular lamellae.
Abstract:The origins, structure and ideology of the Pakistani nationalist movement coupled with critical elite choices made in the early years of the republic in large part explain Pakistan's current problems of governance. The Pakistani nationalist movement was woven around the charismatic personality of Mohammed Ali Jinnah but lacked a firm organizational and institutional structure. More to the point, it had little or no internal democracy. Not surprisingly, in the aftermath of the creation of Pakistan, the leadership, especially after Jinnah's early demise, proved singularly incapable of coping with an ethnically and socially diverse state and inept at handling competing demands and priorities. As public order rapidly deteriorated, the military, with the tacit support of the elitist civil service, seized power. Once in power, the military came to relish its privileges and even when it relinquished power it remained primus inter pares. Long periods of military rule led to the steady deterioration of fragile political institutions further undermining the prospects of democracy
Background. The differences in the clinical manifesta­tion and course of diabetes observed in older individu­als should translate into various options of treatment and management of the elderly diabetic patients. Of particular importance is the early detection of disease complications due to its impact on the physical and mental health of elderly patients. Material and methods. All participants were hospital­ised in the Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital No. 1 between the year 2012–2016. Based on the medical records, the consecutively presenting patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were divided into three basic groups: group 1 aged 37–58 years (30 individuals), group 2 aged 70–79 years (30 individu­als) and group 3 aged ≥ 80 years (50 individuals). The exclusion criteria were lack of logical verbal contact and substantial impairment of physical activity verified with the Katz Basic Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale. Based on the medical history and documentation, the duration of diabetes, the BMI and frequency of hypo­glycaemia were established. Among patients, as part of their stay and regardless of the study conducted, the main parameters were determined referring to metabolic control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (percent­age of glycated haemoglobin, lipid profile) and blood pressure measurement. Results. The particular groups of patients differed in terms of the mean disease duration (p < 0.001), i.e. 5 ± 6.4 years in group 1, 16.1 ± 8.6 years in group 2 and 14.6 ± 9 years in group 3. There were statisti­cally significant inter-group differences in mean body weight (BW) and BMI (patients ≥ 80: BW — 70.7 ± 14.3 (kg), BMI: 27.5 ± 4.3 (kg/m2); 70–79 years of age group: BW: 77.1 ± 16.4 (kg), BMI: 28.9 ± 6 (kg/m2); group 1 (BW: 92.4 ± 21.4 (kg), BMI: 31.5 ± 7.0 (kg/m2). The best glucose control was observed amongst patients ≥ 80 (group 3), as compared to group 1 — 47 patients (84%) vs. 4 patients (13.3%) (p < 0.001). The percent­ages of HbA 1c were as follows: 8.7 ± 2.3 (%) in group 1, 7.3 ± 1.2 (%) in group 2 and 6.9 ± 0.9 in group 3, respectively (p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the blood pressure between particular groups of patients. Hypoglycaemia did not occur more frequently in any of the studied groups. Conclusions. Elderly patients suffering from type 2 diabetes vary in numerous aspects from younger patients. The basic differences were observed in rela­tion to anthropometric indices and average duration of the disease. Treatment of type 2 diabetes in elderly patients leads to excessive control with respect to the carbohydrate metabolism although patients do not report hypoglycaemia more frequently.
This case report presents a rare occurrence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in the periungual region of the thumb. BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, typically found in sun-exposed areas. The discussion explores the underlying pathogenesis mechanisms, including the role of ultraviolet exposure, the absence of pilosebaceous units, and the involvement of the sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway. Understanding the complexities of BCC in atypical locations is essential for effective prevention and treatment strategies.
Coastal and marine environments in Bahrain are characterized by a variety of habitats, including seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mangroves that support some of the most en‐ dangered species such as dugongs and turtles. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are con‐ sidered the most advocated approach for marine conservation. Several MPAs have been established in Bahrain. This study explores the ecological and legal contexts of MPAs in Bahrain and evaluates the effectiveness of these MPAs in achieving their con‐ servation goals. Although MPAs are contributing to the protection of critical coastal and marine habitats and their associated flora and fauna, there is yet further need to strengthen efforts on conserving coastal and marine environments in Bahrain. Effective‐ ness of MPAs in Bahrain could be enhanced by developing management plans, imple‐ menting the necessary regulatory measures, and investing in long-term monitoring and research programs. Findings of this study could contribute to wider regional and inter‐ national experience of the effectiveness of MPAs in protecting important coastal and marine environments. biology, including biological diversity and its value, threats to biological diversity, conserva‐ tion at the population and species levels, and management of habitats and ecosystems. The course discusses aspects of biodiversity conservation in Bahrain. Several graduate students skilled in knowledge relating to conservation biology joined relevant institutions. Although such initiatives should reflect positively in capacity building related to conservation biology, most of the interviewees stressed the need for systematically introducing the biodiversity concerns into the higher education institutions in Bahrain. Generally, there is an assumption among the interviewees that indicated that the effectiveness of MAPs in Bahrain could be improved by taking necessary legislative and management actions. Around 19% viewed MPAs in Bahrain as being effective. This was mainly attributed to the relatively stable ecological conditions in Hawar Islands and Fashit Bulthama. Nearly 37% of the interviewees emphasized that there are increasing signs of ecological and environ‐ mental degradation in the MPAs and deemed them relatively effective. Conversely, a large proportion of the interviewees (44%) indicated that MPAs are not effective under the current marine conservation system in Bahrain (Fig. 18). They attributed this to the increasing evidence of further degradation in the mangroves in Ras-Sanad area, the increasing of human activities in Arad Bay that may be limiting wintering waders from using the mudflats and the increasing of overfishing activities in Hawar Islands and Fasht Bulthama that could compromise their ecological integrity.
Fragile-X syndrome is a trinucleotide-repeat-expansion disorder in which the clinical phenotype is believed to result from transcriptional silencing of the fragile-X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene as the number of CGG repeats exceeds approximately 200. For premutation alleles ( approximately 55-200 repeats), no abnormalities in FMR1-gene expression have been described, despite growing evidence of clinical involvement in premutation carriers. To address this (apparent) paradox, we have determined, for 16 carrier males (55-192 repeats), the relative levels of leukocyte FMR1 mRNA, by use of automated fluorescence-detection reverse transcriptase-PCR, and the percent of lymphocytes that are immunoreactive for FMR1 protein (FMRP). For some alleles with>100 repeats, there was a reduction in the number of FMRP-positive cells. Unexpectedly, FMR1 mRNA levels were elevated at least fivefold within this same range. No significant increase in FMR1 mRNA stability was observed in a lymphoblastoid cell line (160 repeats) derived from one of the carrier males, suggesting that the increased message levels are due to an increased rate of transcription. Current results support a mechanism of involvement in premutation carriers, in which reduced translational efficiency is at least partially compensated through increased transcriptional activity. Thus, diminished translational efficiency may be important throughout much of the premutation range, with a mechanistic switch occurring in the full-mutation range as the FMR1 gene is silenced.
Tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inflammatory activity is mediated, at least in part, by prostaglandin E(2)(PGE(2)). In osteoarthritis (OA), other cytokines are believed to play a role by interacting with TNF-alpha. Using OA synovial fibroblasts, we investigated the effects of interleukin 8 (IL-8), leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and IL-11 on the level of TNF-alpha-induced PGE(2), and their impact on the TNF-alpha-induced cellular signalling cascades including the TNF-receptor (TNF-R), soluble TNF-R (TNF-sR), cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), and the transcription factors NF-kappaB, C/EBP, CREB and AP-1.IL-8 increased in a synergistic manner (282% at 5 ng/ml) and LIF in an additive fashion (69% at 50 ng/ml) the TNF-alpha-induced PGE(2)release, while IL-11 reduced it (52% at 5 ng/ml). IL-8 (5 ng/ml) and LIF (50 ng/ml) alone upregulated (30%) the TNF-R binding level, but significantly downregulated the TNF-alpha-induced levels (P<0.007 and P<0.004, respectively) and the TNF-sR55 level. In contrast, IL-11 reduced the basal level by 18% (P<0.005) and the TNF-alpha-induced level of TNF-R by 51% (P<0.01) as well as decreasing both TNF-sR55 and TNF-sR75. The COX-2 synthesis level was increased by IL-8 and LIF under TNF-alpha treatment but downregulated by IL-11. IL-8 and LIF either alone or under TNF-alpha treatment increased the cPLA2 synthesis, while IL-11 decreased the level under both conditions. Interestingly, IL-8 induced in a synergistic manner and LIF in an additive fashion, the level of cPLA2 activity. IL-8 and LIF had no effect on the TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappaB accumulation, while IL-11 significantly decreased it (P<0. 02). All three cytokines inhibited TNF-alpha-induced C/EBP, but no true effect was noted for AP-1 and CREB in the presence of TNF-alpha. These results indicate that IL-8 synergizes and LIF potentiates the TNF-alpha PGE(2)effect which appears to be mediated mostly by increasing cPLA2 activity level. On the other hand, IL-11 alone had no effect on the PGE(2)release, but in conjunction with TNF-alpha, this cytokine showed anti-inflammatory properties. This study provides a rational foundation to develop therapeutic strategies for the treatment of OA by shedding light on the mechanisms of action of three prominent cytokines at work in articular joint tissues.
Louis Marchand is now almost remembered more for his violence and recklessness than for his music, and only a very small portion of his keyboard works, many of which were probably improvised and never written down, survives. Anne Chapelin’s idea of putting together his harpsichord and organ music in a single album, entitled Marchand: Pièces pour orgue et clavecin (VMS 160, rec 2005, 78 ), neatly encapsulates Marchand’s contribution to the keyboard. The disc contains all the composer’s published harpsichord pieces (two suites and La Vénitienne ), a selection of his organ music, and the Te Deum for organ and voice. For the harpsichord repertory Chapelin has appropriately chosen a late 17th-century prototype instrument that is a fine copy by Marc Fontaine of a Vincent Tibaut harpsichord. Chapelin’s playing is mostly very sensitive and refined, although Marchand’s fiery personality comes out only briefly, such as in the D minor Chaconne. Interestingly, a quite different character emerges in Marchand’s organ music, which Chapelin plays with an expanded spectrum of colours and expressions on the 37-stop historical organ at Carentan, restored in 1990 by Jean-Loup Boisseau and Bertrand Cattiaux. Taken as a whole, Marchand’s organ repertory exceeds his harpsichord output in virtuosity, drama and range of rhetorical effects, especially in pieces such as the basse de trompette (no.55), the quatuor (no.57), and the dialogue (no.64), all from his unpublished Premier livre d’orgue . This reminds us that, for many composers of this period, the published works represent only a fraction of their creative output, and many gems remain hidden in manuscript sources waiting to be revealed. Chapelin should also be commended for her rigorous research efforts in reconstructing the registrations for the Te Deum . However, packing so much music onto one disc has led to the omission of some of the repeats, somewhat affecting balance and proportion. The D minor Sarabande (no.5), for example, might have benefited from a more extended build-up and more generous embellishments had there been room for the second repeat. Some pieces are refreshingly brief, such as the Gigue of the same suite (no.6), from which both repeats have been cut. Interestingly, Chapelin has quietly re-ordered the pieces to conform to modern concert expectations. The Chaconne of the D minor Suite (no.9) is now placed at the end, rather than preceding the Gavote Rondeau and the Menuet. If Marchand represents one of the most recalcitrant characters of the French Baroque, then Gaspard le Roux certainly counts among the most considerate. Though his pieces are labelled as solo harpsichord music ( Pièces de clavessin ), le Roux interestingly suggests in his preface that his music can be adapted for three additional comDavid Chung
The current work presents software capable of simulating the results obtained by students enrolled in an undergraduate course through the results obtained previously in other subjects of the course. The students and subjects were modeled as nodes and links in a graph and the growing models used in complex networks simulations were applied. The created graph represents similarity indexes between the students. The growing models were capable of predicting the evolution of the graph and, consequently, the grades obtained by the students to some precision. The current work presents four graph models based on Barabási-Albert and small world models as a way to represent relationships between students and subjects. Each presented graph model identifies clusters of students and subjects in different clustering indexes, and in this current work is discussed the benefits, limitation and growing characteristics of each model. The results obtained brought a good precision in the simulated grades, and they also made a discussion about the students and the course characteristics possible.
Recent studies suggest that ouabain or a ouabain-like substance (OLS) may be present endogenously in humans. We developed a RIA for ouabain with antisera raised in goat against ouabain conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin and ovalbumin. The antiserum was of high antibody titer (200,000) and was specific for ouabain, with little cross-reactivity with common steroids and structurally related compounds such as ouabagenin (4%), strophanthidin (4%), and dihydroouabain (2%). The RIA had a working range of 0.06-2.0 nmol/L, and the intra- and interassay CV was 6.5% at a concentration of 1.7 nmol/L. With this assay the effect of salt loading on urinary excretion of OLS was examined in 10 healthy volunteers (ages 18-22 years) who increased their salt intake (sodium) for 5 days and reduced it for the next 5 days. Urine was collected and OLS concentration was measured by RIA after solid-phase extraction with a Bond Elut C18 column. Excretion of OLS and sodium were maximal on day 5 and lowest on days 9 and 10. Urine excretion of OLS on day 5 (2.66 +/- 1.22 nmol/24 h) was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) than on day 10 (1.47 +/- 0.69 nmol/24 h). We conclude that (a) the assay developed has sufficient sensitivity and specificity to detect endogenous OLS present in biological fluids, and (b) salt intake increases the excretion of OLS.
Objective  To investigate the relationship between prealbumin and mortality in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).      Methods  Retrospective analysis of general conditions, biochemical indicators, and prognosis of patients undergoing MHD (dialysis age ≥3 months) in Beijing Civil Aviation General Hospital from January 2012 to June 2018. The data of dead patients were taken as the dead group, while data of the survivors were received as the survivor group. The data of the two groups were compared with t test, nonparametric test, and χ2 test. Logistic regression analysis method was used to analyze the risk factors associated with all-cause death in MHD patients.      Results  ① 325 MHD patients were included in the study, whose mean age was 63.4±13.4 years, dialysis age was 64.0(41.5, 98.5)months. The survival group had 210 cases, and the death group had 115 cases. The primary causes of the death included infection (24%), cardiovascular diseases (17%), cerebrovascular diseases (16%), cachexia (12%), and tumors (10%), etc. ② The levels of albumin, prealbumin, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, blood phosphorus, and intact parathyroid hormone of the dead group were all significantly lower than those in the survivor group (P 0.05), while the difference of mortality between diabetes patients and non-diabetes patients was significant (χ2=7.230, P<0.05). ③ Logistic regression analysis showed that patient age, dialysis age, diabetes, albumin, and prealbumin were independently associated with death in the MHD patients. Albumin (OR=0.854) and prealbumin (OR=0.983) were independent protective factors (P<0.05), while the patient age (OR=1.046), dialysis age (OR=1.012), and diabetes (OR=2.201)were independent risk factors (P<0.05). ④Prealbumin was positively associated with albumin (r=0.609, P<0.001), but prealbumin was positively associated with other nutritional indexes to a greater degree.      Conclusion  Prealbumin and albumin had independent protective effects on the motality of the MHD patients, which were crucial in predicting the death in the MHD patients.      Key words:  Maintenance hemodialysis; Prealbumin; Albumin; Mortality
Islet neogenesis associated protein (INGAP) increases islet mass and insulin secretion in neonatal and adult rat islets. In the present study, we measured the short- and long-term effects of INGAP-PP (a pentadecapeptide having the 104-118 amino acid sequence of INGAP) upon islet protein expression and phosphorylation of components of the PI3K, MAPK and cholinergic pathways, and on insulin secretion. Short-term exposure of neonatal islets to INGAP-PP (90 s, 5, 15, and 30 min) significantly increased Akt1(-Ser473) and MAPK3/1(-Thr202/Tyr204) phosphorylation and INGAP-PP also acutely increased insulin secretion from islets perifused with 2 and 20 mM glucose. Islets cultured for 4 days in the presence of INGAP-PP showed an increased expression of Akt1, Frap1, and Mapk1 mRNAs as well as of the muscarinic M3 receptor subtype, and phospholipase C (PLC)-beta2 proteins. These islets also showed increased Akt1 and MAPK3/1 protein phosphorylation. Brief exposure of INGAP-PP-treated islets to carbachol (Cch) significantly increased P70S6K(-Thr389) and MAPK3/1 phosphorylation and these islets released more insulin when challenged with Cch that was prevented by the M3 receptor antagonist 4-DAMP, in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, these data indicate that short- and long-term exposure to INGAP-PP significantly affects the expression and the phosphorylation of proteins involved in islet PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways. The observations of INGAPP-PP-stimulated up-regulation of cholinergic M3 receptors and PLC-beta2 proteins, enhanced P70S6K and MAPK3/1 phosphorylation and Cch-induced insulin secretion suggest a participation of the cholinergic pathway in INGAP-PP-mediated effects.
Previous studies have suggested that virtual reality (VR) can elicit emotions in different visual modes using 2D or 3D headsets. However, the effects on emotional arousal by using these two visual modes have not been comprehensively investigated, and the underlying neural mechanisms are not yet clear. This paper presents a cognitive psychological experiment that was conducted to analyze how these two visual modes impact emotional arousal. Forty volunteers were recruited and were randomly assigned to two groups. They were asked to watch a series of positive, neutral and negative short VR videos in 2D and 3D. Multichannel electroencephalograms (EEG) and skin conductance responses (SCR) were recorded simultaneously during their participation. The results indicated that emotional stimulation was more intense in the 3D environment due to the improved perception of the environment; greater emotional arousal was generated; and higher beta (21–30 Hz) EEG power was identified in 3D than in 2D. We also found that both hemispheres were involved in stereo vision processing and that brain lateralization existed in the processing.
This study is intended to design and implement an automatic lexical acquisition model based on cognitive neuroscience referring to the theory that mental lexicon structure is represented with full-listing and morphemic and that lexical forms accessed to mental lexicon upon word cognition takes a hybrid type. As the result of the study, we could simulate the lexical acquisition process of linguistic input through experiments and studying, and suggest a theoretical foundation for the order of acquitting certain grammatical categories. Also, the model of this study has shown proofs with which we can infer the type of the mental lexicon of the human cerebrum through full-list dictionary and decomposition dictionary which were automatically produced in the study.
Brain computer interface (BCI) technology refers to the technology that helps establish direct communication and control channels between the human brain and the computer. This technology can meet the control requirements of external equipment without passing through the patient's damaged nerves and declining muscle system. Electroencephalogram (EEG) contains a variety of information, including motor imagination information, steady-state visually evoked EEG information, emotional information, and fatigue information, etc. This paper designs a brain-computer interface system based on motor imagination and uses it to control the body movements of the NAO robot. The system is mainly divided into three modules: signal acquisition, signal processing and robot control. In terms of signal acquisition, electrode caps, conductive glue, EEG amplifiers and Curry7 software are used. In this paper, we design a frequency band feature selection algorithm based on an improved sub-band filter bank (FB)-Common Space Pattern (CSP). These features are classified using Bagging ensemble classification algorithm and converted to use Commands for controlling the NAO robot. In terms of communication control, the instruction codes are preset, and the classification results are corresponding to instructions for controlling different actions of the robot. It is transmitted to the robot by using wireless communication technology. The Bagging ensemble classification method proposed in this paper classifies EEG features. The accuracy of the four types of motor imaging EEG classification is as high as 78.29%, and the accuracy of NAO robot action execution experiments is up to 86.33%, which proves the correctness of the algorithm studied in this paper. The reliability and feasibility of the NAO robot brain control system designed in this paper.
Urine protein selectivity was determined by the radial diffusion immunoassay method in 32 renal transplant patients. In the 19 patients studied serially normal selectivity (&thetas; = 60° or more) was not seen before 3 weeks post-transplantation even in the presence of excellent renal function. Eight patients achieved normal selectivity within 12 weeks after transplantation and seven more between the 12th and 40th weeks. There was a highly significant correlation between selectivity and both serum creatinine (P < 0.001) and creatinine clearance (P < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between selectivity and the 24-hr urine protein excretion (0.1 > P > 0.05). In all 13 rejection episodes the selectivity was subnormal. During these rejections there were five cases of a sharp decline in selectivity, three with poor selectivity and further deterioration, one with a subnormal but rising selectivity, and, where no earlier specimens were available, four grossly subnormal selectivities. The subnormal selectivity occurring in seven of nine patients on the last determination before a rejection suggested that it was a sensitive indicator of glomerular damage with possibly a predictive capacity. After rejection the selectivity increased by 11–50° in the eight instances in which subsequent specimens were available. Donor source and total ischemia time did not significantly affect the development of normal selectivity.
Co–Cr alloys are widely used in fabrication of removable partial dentures, particularly as a dental framework. The micro‐movements between the framework and the teeth or some particles of food in contact with the framework can lead to wear. The present study aimed at studying the influence of the commercial mouthwashes on the corrosion and tribocorrosion behaviour of the Co−Cr dental casting alloy. Corrosion behaviour was investigated in alcohol‐free and alcohol‐containing Listerine® and Colgate Plax® added artificial saliva solutions at body temperature by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization tests. Additionally, tribocorrosion tests, performed in selective solutions under open circuit potential, using a reciprocating ball‐on‐plate tribometer, were used to study the combined action of wear and corrosion. Results suggest that the presence of mouthwashes did not affect negatively the corrosion and tribocorrosion behavior of Co‐Cr dental alloy.
Photocurable polymers have become increasingly important for their quick prototyping and high accuracy when used in three dimensional (3D) printing. However, some of the common photocurable polymers are known to be brittle, cytotoxic and present low impact resistance, all of which limit their applications in medicine. In this study, thermal treatment was studied for its effect and potential applications on the mechanical properties, degradability and biocompatibility of glycerol-based photocurable polymers, poly(glycerol sebacate) acrylate (PGSA). In addition to the slight increase in elongation at break, a two-fold increase in both Young’s modulus and ultimate tensile strength were also observed after thermal treatment for the production of thermally treated PGSA (tPGSA). Moreover, the degradation rate of tPGSA significantly decreased due to the increase in crosslinking density in thermal treatment. The significant increase in cell viability and metabolic activity on both flat films and 3D-printed scaffolds via digital light processing-additive manufacturing (DLP-AM) demonstrated high in vitro biocompatibility of tPGSA. The histological studies and immune staining indicated that tPGSA elicited minimum immune responses. In addition, while many scaffolds suffer from instability through sterilization processes, it was proven that once glycerol-based polymers have been treated thermally, the influence of autoclaving the scaffolds were minimized. Therefore, thermal treatment is considered an effective method for the overall enhancement and stabilization of photocurable glycerol-based polymeric scaffolds in medicine-related applications.
Developments in industrial activities around the world lead to increase water consumption and to become widespread industrial water pollution problems. This situation accompanied by increasing water shortage issues needs to be realized technological applications which include recovering water in reusable quality from wastewaters of excessive water-consuming industries. In this study, recovering water in reusable quality from textile washing wastewaters having 6.22±0.03 pH, 1130±321 mg TDS/L, 2362±727 mg COD/L and 744±234 mg TOC/L was aimed using ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membrane processes. In this respect, effect of membrane type as the main parameter for real-scale installations on reusable water quality was examined. Experiments were performed using four membranes each for UF and NF and five for RO at the conditions of original pH, 25 oC and 300 rpm cross-flow rate in trans-membrane pressures of 8, 12 and 40 bar for UF, NF and RO, respectively. At the experiments, the best performances were obtained by UH050, NF270 and LFC-3 membranes for the aforementioned order of the processes. This study was proved that reuse water with pH 6.34, 13 mg TDS/L, 34 mg COD/L and 14 mg TOC/L could be produced from textile washing wastewaters using UF/NF/RO combined system.
In order to realize a micro-mechanic performance test of biaxial tensile-bending-combined loading and solve the problem of incompatibility of test apparatus and observation apparatus, novel biaxial-combined tensile-bending micro-mechanical performance test apparatus was designed. The working principle and major functions of key constituent parts of test apparatus, including the servo drive unit, clamping unit and test system, were introduced. Based on the finite element method, biaxial tensile and tension-bending-combined mechanical performances of the test-piece were studied as guidance to learn the distribution of elastic deformation and plastic deformation of all sites of the test-piece and to better plan test regions. Finally, this test apparatus was used to conduct a biaxial tensile test under different pre-bending loading and a tensile test at different rates; the image of the fracture of the test-piece was acquired by a scanning electron microscope and analyzed. It was indicated that as the pre-bending force rises, the elastic deformation phase would gradually shorten and the slope of the elastic deformation phase curve would slightly rise so that a yield limit would appear ahead of time. Bending speed could exert a positive and beneficial influence on tensile strength but weaken fracture elongation. If bending speed is appropriately raised, more ideal anti-tensile strength could be obtained, but fracture elongation would decline.
This paper addresses the potential importance of assistant teachers in confronting the challenges of Indigenous literacy education. A discussion is raised with reference to a range of relevant literature, while reflections drawn from the author's involvement in evaluating the National Accelerated Literacy Program (NALP) in the Northern Territory are used to highlight an urgent need and vital opportunity to support assistant teachers - as mainstay figures in Indigenous education - in becoming 'wellsprings' of literate practice and principled pedagogy. An overview of Accelerated Literacy methodology and the NALP is provided as a framework for considering how to embed strong literate practices and principled pedagogy in remote Indigenous communities through the provision of empowering professional development to Indigenous assistant teachers: facilitating for them a genuine and qualified status as literacy educators. The prospects and challenges of pursuing such an opportunity, in the context of NALP, are likewise considered.
Internal reflection of second-harmonic generations from silver films with thickness ranging from 5 nm to 50 nm are enhanced by the excitation of surface plasmons under Kretschmann configuration. Enhancement of the SHG was observed at a film thickness of 20 nm resulting from the field enhancement of granular structure. For thinner films, the surface reveals disconnected islands as inspected by the atomic force microscopy. The incident angular position to find the peak intensity and the change of linewidth of the SHG can almost satisfactorily be predicted by the theory based on surface scattering.
Abstract Several feeds were examined and most were devoid of diaminopimelic acid. Small amounts of diaminopimelic acid were in corn silage, sorghum silage, beet pulp, and two samples of alfalfa hay. Nine strains of rumen bacteria were grown in pure culture in rumen fluid media containing three concentrations of carbohydrate. After incubation, bacteria were harvested and analyzed for diaminopimelic acid and total nitrogen. Among bacterial species there were significant differences in the ratio of diaminopimelic acid nitrogen to total bacterial nitrogen when they were grown in media containing different concentrations of carbohydrate. Diaminopimelic acid nitrogen concentration ranged from none in Streptococcus bovis to 1.61% in Ruminococcus flavefaciens . Six rumenfistulated cattle were fed either a high-roughage (85% hay) or high-concentrate (85% concentrate) diet to study the effect of diet on diaminopimelic acid content of mixed rumen bacteria. Bacteria from cattle fed the high roughage diet contained more diaminopimelic acid nitrogen to total nitrogen (.65%) than those fed the high-concentrate diet (.50%). Time of sampling in relation to feeding had no effect on diaminopimelic acid nitrogen to total nitrogen content of bacteria. We concluded that to use diaminopimelic acid to predict bacterial production in the rumen accurately, it will be necessary to correct for dietary effects on diaminopimelic acid composition of bacteria.
BACKGROUND Relatively little information is available about the characteristics and long-term outcome of children and adolescents aged under 15 years who present to general hospitals because of deliberate self-harm (DSH).   METHOD Information was collected on 710 consecutive under-15-year-olds presenting to a general hospital in central England with DSH over a 26-year period (1978-2003). Outcome in terms of death was investigated from national statistics in 464 cases presenting during the first 20 years of the study.   RESULTS Most individuals were aged 12-14 years. In this age group the female:male ratio was 6.5:1. Nearly all (680/710, 95.8%) had taken overdoses, over half of these episodes involving paracetamol (acetaminophen). Few had a history of prior (7.7%) or current psychiatric treatment (7.7%), although a quarter (150/559, 26.8%) had a history of previous DSH. Suicidal intent was usually low. The most frequent problems were difficulties in relationships with family members (77.3%) and with friends (38.9%), and school/study problems (37.9%). The long-term risk of suicide was low, 1.1% (N = 5) having died by probable suicide after a mean follow-up period of 11 years 2 months.   CONCLUSIONS DSH in children and young adolescents is usually related to life problems, is generally of low suicidal intent, and is associated with a relatively low long-term risk of suicide.
This paper is concerned with robust deadbeat control of sampled-data systems. The robustness in this paper is measured with L2- and L∞-induced norms, which are known to be useful for measuring robustness of sampled-data systems. The problems considered here are to find deadbeat controllers which minimize L2- and L∞-induced norms while achieving deadbeat settling with prescribed settling steps. It is shown that the problems can be reduced to some convex problems which can be solved numerically. A simple example is also presented to justify the usefulness of the proposed method
Quinidine is cited as one of the most frequent causes of drug-induced thrombocytopenia. This case report describes the use of high-dose intravenous gamma globulin to rapidly reverse qunidine-induced thrombocytopenia in a patient at increased risk for bleeding because of the presence of an antitachycardia pacemaker and an automatic implantable cardiac defibrillator. This report suggests that this treatment may aid in a more rapid reversal of quinidine-induced thrombocytopenia in patients at high risk of bleeding.
Methanol oxidation was studied on arc-melted Pt-Ru-Os alloys and on fuel cell catalysts prepared by the NaBH{sub 4} reduction of metal chloride salts. Both the arc-melted alloys and the high surface area catalysts have x-ray diffraction patterns indicative of single-phase face-centered cubic lattices. Hydrogen adsorption/desorption measurements on the polished alloy electrodes, in the presence of adsorbed CO (25 C), show that selected ternary alloys have significant hydrogen adsorption/desorption integrals at adsorption potentials where Pt:Ru (1:1) was fully blocked and higher integrals at all adsorption potentials studied up to 400 mV vs. the reference hydrogen electrode. In situ diffuse reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of the fuel cell anodes showed that the alloy catalysts had reduced CO coverage relative to Pt, with the ternary catalyst showing the least coverage. Steady-state voltammetry of the arc-melted alloys at 25 C confirmed that Pt-Ru-Os (65:25:10) is more active than Pt-Ru (1:1), particularly above 0.6 V. Pt-Ru-Os (65:25:10) methanol fuel cell performance curves were consistently superior to those of Pt-Ru (1:1) (e.g., typically at 90 C, 0.4 V; 340 mA/cm{sup 2} with Pt-Ru-Os vs. 260 mA/cm{sup 2} with Pt-Ru).
The fruitfly Bactrocera dorsalis is an economically important pest that requires management for the sustainability of agriculture in South Africa. This pest has spread from the country's Northern parts within a decade, where it has completely established and spread to other neighbouring provinces. The pest spreads at various rates due to different factors given biotic and abiotic factors. Understanding factors that influence pest prevalence will assist with practical management strategies. Temperature is one of the factors that assist the invasive potential of B. dorsalis. KwaZulu Natal province is among the hotspot provinces in the country besides Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Trap catches in Northern KwaZulu Natal, uMkhanyakude and King Cetshwayo districts show that the seasonal populations of B. dorsalis are continuously present all year round, even with the application of management options to reduce pest populations. Host availability plays a significant role in the invasion and total outcompeting of other native fruitflies e.g. Ceratitis punctata.
Left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) can be utilized for heart failure patients as a bridge to transplant, bridge to destination, or bridge to recovery. Given the lack of a universally accepted consensus for assessing myocardial recovery, techniques and strategies in LVAD explantation also vary. In addition, the incidence of LVAD explantation remains relatively low, and surgical techniques of explantation continue to be areas of interest. Our approach using a felt-plug Dacron technique is an effective way to preserve left ventricular geometry and cardiac function.
Obvious differences between nonresidential and residential water customer markets call for a different marketing program for industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors. Although basic marketing tenets must be adhered to, the strategies are more complex, the communications are more vertical, and the message focuses more on costs and return on investment than on ethical or environmental sensibilities.
Embedded and real-time systems are increasingly common and complex, requiring formal specification and verification in order to guarantee their satisfaction of desirable safety and timing requirements. Real-time logic (RTL) has been used to capture both the specification of a real-time system and the desirable safety assertions with respect to this system specification. A verification procedure then determines whether the safety assertions hold with respect to the system specification. However, the satisfiability problem for RTL, as well as for other first-order logics, is undecidable. Consequently, efforts have been focused on identifying non-trivial classes of formulas sufficiently practical for describing industrial real-time systems for which the verification and debugging can be done via efficient heuristics. One such class of formulas is the so-called path RTL. The first contribution of this paper is to extend the existing path RTL class without sacrificing the time complexity of the traditional path RTL heuristic for verification. This implies that we can specify and verify real-time systems, which we were unable to do using the existing path RTL, in the extended path RTL. For real-time systems with large specifications, there is a lot of room for improvement in the algorithms used for verification and debugging. The second contribution of this paper is an efficient method to perform verification and debugging of real-time systems specifications using decomposition techniques. Our idea is to decompose the constraint graph, used in existing approaches, into independent subgraphs so that it is no longer necessary to analyze the entire specification at once, but rather its individual and smaller components. We have implemented this method in the Java-based DEVA-RTL tool and tested it on several industrial real-time systems
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact in the United States, particularly for Black populations, and has heavily burdened the healthcare system. Hospitals have created protocols to allocate limited resources, but there is concern that these protocols will exacerbate disparities. The sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score is a tool often used in triage protocols. In these protocols, patients with higher SOFA scores are denied resources based on the assumption that they have worse clinical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess whether using SOFA score as a triage tool among COVID-positive patients would exacerbate racial disparities in clinical outcomes. Methods We analyzed data from a retrospective cohort of hospitalized COVID-positive patients in the Yale-New Haven Health System. We examined associations between race/ethnicity and peak overall/24-hour SOFA score, in-hospital mortality, and ICU admission. Other predictors of interest were age, sex, primary language, and insurance status. We used one-way ANOVA and chi-square tests to assess differences in SOFA score across racial/ethnic groups and linear and logistic regression to assess differences in clinical outcomes by sociodemographic characteristics. Results Our final sample included 2,554 patients. Black patients had higher SOFA scores compared to patients of other races. However, Black patients did not have significantly greater in-hospital mortality or ICU admission compared to patients of other races. Conclusion While Black patients in this sample of hospitalized COVID-positive patients had higher SOFA scores compared to patients of other races, this did not translate to higher in-hospital mortality or ICU admission. Results demonstrate that if SOFA score had been used to allocate care, Black COVID patients would have been denied care despite having similar clinical outcomes to white patients. Therefore, using SOFA score to allocate resources has the potential to exacerbate racial inequities by disproportionately denying care to Black patients and should not be used to determine access to care. Healthcare systems must develop and use COVID-19 triage protocols that prioritize equity.
We explore the feasibility of supersonic operation of diode pumped alkali lasers (DPALs) applying model calculations. The power and efficiency of Cs and K atoms DPALs are estimated based on a semi-analytical model previously used for studying static and subsonic flow DPALs. The operation of supersonic lasers is compared with that measured and modeled in subsonic lasers. The maximum power of supersonic Cs and K lasers is found to be higher than that of subsonic lasers with the same resonator and alkali density at the laser inlet by 25% and 70%, respectively. These results indicate that for scaling-up the power of DPALs, supersonic expansion should be considered. Work in progress applying three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics modeling of supersonic DPALs is also reported.
An analytical solution to the frictional sliding contact problem for homogeneous orthotropic materials indented by a semi-circular punch is developed.The principal axes of orthotropy are assumed to be parallel and perpendicular to the contact. Coulomb friction assumption is used to model the friction between the punch and the orthotropic medium. The mixed boundary value problem is reduced into a Fredholm integral equation of the second kind by using Fourier transform technique. The singular integral equation is solved analytically using Jacobi Polynomials for the unknown surface contact stresses. Numerical results show the effect of the orthotropic material parameters, coefficient of friction on the contact stress distribution and load vs. contact length behavior.     Keywords: Contact mechanics; Friction; Orthotropic materials; Singular integral equation; Semi-circular punch DOI: 10.17350/HJSE19030000033 Full Text:
In its recent decisions, Lafler v. Cooper and Missouri v. Frye, the Court recognized defendants’ rights to effective assistance of plea-bargaining counsel. Counter-intuitively, however, it is the government that may come to benefit most from the Court’s rulings against it, not only because a well-regulated plea-bargaining market facilitates frequent and expeditious plea deals, but also because prosecutors exercise terrific control over that market. Indeed, by making plea offers that are too attractive to reasonably refuse, prosecutors may constitutionally conscript defense counsel to persuade defendants to plead guilty. Moreover, prosecutors shape the practice norms against which the competency of bargaining counsel is now measured.
There is much interest in using genome-wide expression time series to identify circadian genes. However, the cost and effort of such measurements often limit data collection. Consequently, it is difficult to assess the experimental uncertainty in the measurements and, in turn, to detect periodic patterns with statistical confidence. We show that parametric bootstrapping and empirical Bayes methods for variance shrinkage can improve rhythm detection in genome-wide expression time series. We demonstrate these approaches by building on the empirical JTK_CYCLE method (eJTK) to formulate a method that we term BooteJTK. Our procedure rapidly and accurately detects cycling time series by combining information about measurement uncertainty with information about the rank order of the time series values. We exploit a publicly available genome-wide data set with high time resolution to show that BooteJTK provides more consistent rhythm detection than existing methods at typical sampling frequencies. Then, we apply BooteJTK to genome-wide expression time series from multiple tissues and show that it reveals biologically sensible tissue relationships that eJTK misses. BooteJTK is implemented in Python and is freely available on GitHub at https://github.com/alanlhutchison/BooteJTK.
Goods whose benefits increase as the number of users increases, such as fax machines and electric cars, are called "network products," and their related effects are called "network externalities." The diffusion of network products is hampered by private or incomplete information because players do not know each other's preferences for the network product, which makes it difficult for them to coordinate their actions.To solve this problem, we propose a new scheme that introduces subscription deposits. We show that our scheme has a dominance-solvable equilibrium and, in the equilibrium outcome, network products rapidly become widespread. We use a laboratory experiment to show that the scheme increases social welfare. Moreover, this scheme works from the first round; i.e., players do not have to learn behavior through trial and error. Our results show that this scheme is useful for diffusing network products.
ABSTRACT: Long‐term cognitive and emotional deficits have been commonly reported in electrical injury (EI) survivors. However, it remains undetermined what factors may lead to the development of such effects in some patients and not in others. In this study, we hypothesized that certain elements of subjective EI experience may predict specific psychiatric sequelae. A group of 73 postacute EI patients were included in this retrospective study. Statistical associations were examined between major psychiatric diagnoses (posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression) and such EI descriptors as having experienced “no‐let‐go” or having been knocked away on contact, as well as loss of consciousness or altered states of consciousness at the scene of the accident (including amnesia for the event). The study results will help physicians determine which patients may be at increased risk of developing psychiatric symptoms and address these issues as part of their total rehabilitation plan.
Very few studies have focused on the relationship between cognitive functions and clinical features in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Subjects with BPD and healthy controls were administered the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, Trail Making Test A and B, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-53) was used to assess the severity of current symptoms. Attachment style was assessed with the Experiences in Close Relationship Questionnaire, identity integration with the Personality Structure Questionnaire, and other domains of personality dysfunction with the RUDE Scale for Personality Dysfunction. Patients with BPD performed significantly worse than healthy controls in all cognitive domains. Cognitive functions, particularly delayed memory and visuospatial abilities, displayed meaningful associations with trait-like clinical features, above the effect of global cognition and state psychopathology. These findings highlight the need to evaluate effects of cognitive rehabilitation on trait features among individuals with BPD.
HE elements of a finite population of size M are characterized by l three attributes X, Y, and Z. X is an r+ 1 class attribute, Y a c+ 1 class attribute and Z a two class attribute; i.e., the M elements segregate into 2(r+ 1) (c+ 1) mutually exclusive groups with MiJh elements possessing all three properties Xi, Yj and Zh. The 2(r+1) (c+1) table depicting the population frequencies of the various combinations of attributes is then: TABLE 1 POPULATION FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION
Disrupted sleep is a common problem in the elderly, due to age-related changes in health, lifestyle, and the physiological aspects of sleep. Severe sleep disturbances lead to impaired functioning, reduced quality of life, and increased health care costs. Therefore, monitoring of sleep patterns in the elderly is important. However, current methods for monitoring sleep are inadequate. In this paper, we use load cells for unobtrusive continuous monitoring of sleep patterns. Load cells are placed under a bed, and sleep characteristics such as bedtime, wake up time, and number and duration of naps are inferred from the load cell data. Using information from each load cell individually, we can also identify a person's position in bed, and, consequently, detect position shifts. We describe the algorithms for computation of the sleep characteristics and for assessment of the person's position in bed. We conclude by discussing the limitations in our approach, and the work we intend to pursue in the future.
Autistic tendency has been associated with altered visual perception, especially impaired visual motion sensitivity and global/local integration, as well as enhanced visual search and local shape recognition. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying these abnormalities remain poorly defined. The current study recruited 29 young adults displaying low, middle or high autistic trait as measured by Baron-Cohen's Autism spectrum Quotient (AQ), and measured motion coherence thresholds psychophysically, with manipulation of dot lifetime and stimulus contrast, as well as nonlinear cortical visual evoked potentials (VEPs) over a range of temporal luminance contrast levels from 10% to 95%. Contrast response functions extracted from the major first order and second order Wiener kernel peaks of the VEPs showed consistent variation with AQ group, and Naka-Rushton fits enabled contrast gain and semi-saturation contrasts to be elicited for each peak. A short latency second order response (previously associated with magnocellular processing) with high contrast gain and a saturating contrast response function showed higher amplitude for the High AQ (compared with Mid and Low groups) indicating poorer neural recovery after rapid stimulation. A non-linearity evoked at longer interaction times (previously associated with parvocellular processing) with no evidence of contrast saturation and lower contrast gain showed no difference between autism quotient groups across the full range of stimulus contrasts. In addition, the short latency first order response and a small, early second order second slice response showed gain and semi-saturation parameters indicative of magnocellular origin, while the longer latency first order response probably reflects a mixture of inputs (including feedback from higher cortical areas). Significant motion coherence (AQ group) * (dot lifetime) interactions with higher coherence threshold for limited dot lifetime stimuli is consistent with atypical magnocellular functioning, however psychophysical performance for those with High AQ is not explained fully, suggesting that other factors may be involved.
Tumour growth of vestibular schwannomas is still difficult to predict. The aim of our study was to determine whether any defined histopathological feature was correlated with the clinical course. We did a retrospective study with 69 paraffin-embedded tumours to establish whether the number of vessels, blood cells extravasation or degree of inflammation, all semi-quantitatively assessed, could be indicative of potential of growth. An immunohistochemical study was also performed with an endothelial marker CD34, the leukocyte common antigen CD45 and the estrogen and progesterone hormone receptors. All these parameters were correlated with patient's age, duration of symptoms (d), with a clinical growth index (CLI = tumour size/d). No clinical parameters proved to be predictive of tumour growth. Tumour size was significantly (p = 0.01) related to the number of vessels and we found a significant relationship between the clinical growth index (CLI) and total number of vessels, especially when duration of symptoms lasted less than 1 year (p < 0.001). However, we found no relationship between duration of symptoms or CLI and CD34 index. The degree of inflammation was significantly correlated (p = 0.007) with duration of symptoms when it lasted more than 1 year. The CD45 index and the semi-quantitative evaluation of the inflammation were well correlated (p = 0.001). No estrogen receptors antigenic site was detected and only seven tumours expressed progesterone receptor in a few cells without any significant clinical value. These results suggest that vessel density is determinant for sporadic acoustic neuroma growth especially for a short clinical course.
Caregiver involvement may facilitate patient participation in occupational therapy (OT) video telehealth. However, little is known about the extent to which caregivers participate and what they do. This scoping review aims to: (1) describe the caregiver role supporting patient participation in OT video telehealth and (2) identify barriers and facilitators to caregiver involvement. Findings reveal caregiver involvement in a range of OT evaluation and intervention processes, with details on what caregivers did overall lacking. Barriers and facilitators are also described. This study underscores the need for clear and robust descriptions of caregiver participation to increase best practices in video telehealth.
Research conducted over the last few decades by engineering educators and social scientists has culminated into a rich and diverse cache of knowledge about the issues facing women in engineering. While this knowledge is shared extensively among university and industry personnel, it is not systematically disseminated to the population that such information most directly affects: the women engineering students themselves. This paper introduces the concept of "preaching" - the sharing of women in engineering research knowledge with women engineering students - and asks if it is our right and responsibility to preach. While there exist a few compelling reasons to keep research findings behind closed doors, this paper argues that there are a multitude of communication, edification, and coping benefits to preaching. This paper also discusses the utilization of various research findings for the purpose of preaching. As a theoretical introduction of preaching, the discussion presented here is the first step in developing a fresh set of tools for the retention of women in engineering
SRI International has investigated the application of radiotracer photographic image enhancement (PIE) techniques to increase the photographic speed of three Polaroid Films. SRI has a state-of-the art capability in the field of nondestructive photographic image enhancement of original negatives. These procedures have successfully increased optical density, contrast, and resolution of photographic imagery, and thereby increased the information derivable from original negatives.
Statistics is a relatively new discipline. Only in the last one hundred years have common methods and common reasoning evolved that can be applied to data from many fields. In the early years, the field of statistics was influenced by the work of Ronald A. Fisher, Karl Pearson, and Jerz Neyman. They focused on developing tools and methods that primarily focused on randomization More recently, exploratory data analysis has been emphasized (Tukey 1977). As statistics continues to mature as a discipline, statistics educators are paying more attention to developing overall models of statistical thinking (Wild and Pfannkuch 1999). This shift in statistics means refocusing the emphasis in teaching from how to do statistics to how to think about statistics.
We develop a localisation theory for certain categories, yielding a 3-arrow calculus: Every morphism in the localisation is represented by a diagram of length 3, and two such diagrams represent the same morphism if and only if they can be embedded in a 3-by-3 diagram in an appropriate way. The methods to construct this localisation are similar to the Ore localisation for a 2-arrow calculus; in particular, we do not have to use zigzags of arbitrary length. Applications include the localisation of an arbitrary model category with respect to its weak equivalences as well as the localisation of its full subcategories of cofibrant, fibrant and bifibrant objects, giving the homotopy category in all four cases. In contrast to the approach of Dwyer, Hirschhorn, Kan and Smith, the model category under consideration does not need to admit functorial factorisations. Moreover, our method shows that the derived category of any abelian (or idempotent splitting exact) category admits a 3-arrow calculus if we localise the category of complexes instead of its homotopy category.
Intelligent polymers exhibit sharp, reversible phase changes in response to small changes in environmental conditions. For example, a small temperature change can cause a sharp precipitation or gelation of a smart polymer solution. Conjugation of these unusual polymers to biomolecules such as enzymes, ligands, lipids, and drugs can lead to many new and exciting applications in medicine and biotechnology. (1-4) This presentation reviews the principles, methodolgies and applications of these smart polymer-biomolecule systems, with special focus on temperature-sensitive polymer-protein conjugates.
The Malaysian rubber industry, especially in the upstream sector, is much dependent on smallholders to produce latex or cup lumps. Identification and monitoring of rubber smallholders are essential tasks when it comes to the Malaysian rubber industry's sustainability. The authorised agencies who support the rubber smallholders can do better planning, arranging, and managing. This paper introduces a method of calculating the total number of smallholders as well as identifying the location of their planted rubber area. The scope of this study only focused on land owners as rubber smallholders in the selected study area of Negeri Sembilan. The land use map provided by the Department of Agriculture Malaysia gave information on distribution of rubber area in Malaysia, while the cadastral map from the Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia was specifically used for identifying land owners of each rubber parcel or rubber lot. Both data were analyzed and processed with ArcGIS software to extract the information, and the results were then compared to the Malaysian Rubber Board smallholders database.
BACKGROUND: The positive effect of breastfeeding on health is globally accepted. However, breastfeeding has not yet practiced at a favorite level. Empowerment of mothers is an important factor for continuing breastfeeding. This study was conducted to explore women's perception of empowerment in breastfeeding. METHODS: The present qualitative study was conducted in conventional content analysis method. Thirty-four semi-structured deep interviews were conducted with 18 mothers, four key family members, and 12 other personnel involved in breastfeeding counseling services. RESULTS: Analysis of participants’ descriptions led to the emergence of five main categories: Enough knowledge and skill for breastfeeding, feeling adequacy in breastfeeding, overcoming breastfeeding problems, informed belief in the value of breastfeeding, and perceiving comprehensive support for breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: In participants’ point of view, empowerment in breastfeeding can be formed through an acquisition of “Enough knowledge and skill for breastfeeding” as well as assurance about the proper quality and quantity of mother's milk. As well as overcoming breastfeeding problems will lead to stabilization empowerment in breastfeeding. In addition, data analysis showed that informed belief in the value of breastfeeding strengthens the empowerment in breastfeeding and presence of perceived comprehensive support for breastfeeding facilitates empowerment in breastfeeding continuance. Thus, comprehensive plans should be designing for promoting breastfeeding.
Abstract We analyse the effects of predation in a vertical differentiation model, where the high-quality incumbent is able to price discriminate while the low-quality entrant sets a uniform price. The incumbent may act as a predator, that is, it may price below its marginal costs on a subset of consumers to induce the rival’s exit. We show that the entrant may adopt an aggressive attitude to make predation unprofitable for the incumbent. In this case predation does not occur and the equilibrium prices are lower than the equilibrium prices which would emerge in a contest of explicitly forbidden predation. Moreover, we show that when the incumbent may choose whether to price discriminate or not before the game starts, if the quality cost function is sufficiently convex, there always exists a parameter space on which the incumbent prefers to commit not to price discriminate.
An approach to scattering theory in three-dimensional AdS spaces is proposed. Firstly, we consider the scattering of spinless relativistic particles by a three-dimensional extremal black hole and compute the absorption cross section σabs = Jabs/J∞ without using in and out states. Secondly, we posit a reciprocal space where in and out states and the scattering amplitude are defined as in usual scattering theory. We show that both descriptions are equivalent and could be considered as the space where the scattering processes in AdS should be defined.
The changes taking place in the schooling landscape because of the coronavirus are real and meaningful and have implications for the training of preservice teachers, especially the teaching practicum component of their initial teacher education programs. The havoc caused by COVID-19 forced many faculties of education into a state of ‘panic-gogy’ to ensure that student teachers could complete their teaching practicums. In this paper we argue that consideration should be given to core teaching practices and practice-based teacher education pedagogies (i.e., representations and approximations) that can be used in alternative “placement contexts” that will supplement and harness the authenticity of school-based experiences. We provide two conceptual tools, collaboratively developed by teaching practicum educators and mentor teachers, that can be used as heuristic by other university-school partnerships when considering teaching practicum redesign efforts.
Abstract Extruded profiles are semi-finished products — made out of steel, brass, aluminum, polymers — which are appointed for wide applications in manufacturing of technical products. Today used optical sensors in process control can only measure accurately a two-point information of the part or with dense pointclouds at concave zones but with lower accuracy. It is to serve with a reliable conception to combine both advantages as well as suitable methods of analysis for the in-line inspection of concave profiles.The target uncertainty of less than 0.1 mm at every section of the profile has to be met.
Since similar symptoms and findings can be seen in the deficiencies of both iron and zinc, we aimed to evaluate the serum zinc levels of women with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). This study was conducted with women with iron deficiency and a healthy control group. When serum zinc levels were compared, they were found to be lower in the IDA group, which was statistically significant. With the help of these studies, iron and zinc treatment instead of only iron replacement may be considered in cases of iron deficiency.
Recently, there has been growing interest in distributed resources with high-energy efficiency due to the increasing energy consumption and environmental pollution problems. But an insertion of new distributed generation to existing power distribution systems can cause several problems such as voltage variations, harmonics, protective coordination, increasing fault current etc. In this paper, a new method of the fault location identification at the distribution system with distributed resources, which can be determined by the magnitude and direction of the fault current, is proposed. In addition, a new online protective coordination scheme of recloser-sectionalizer is proposed based on the proposed fault location identification method for distribution system with distributed resources.
The research of pump performance control schemes based on bypassing depending on the moving medium is carried out with the use of the virtual model of the process. Such approach speeds up and simplifies the development and reduces the risk of errors made by the developer in the execution of routine operations. Unlike theoretical methods of research, the virtual model of the process allows the developer to concentrate on the physics of simulated actions or the principles of the functioning of technological systems, without delving into the subtleties of programming. It is established that this simulator will significantly improve the operator's work, provide high-quality process control, and will also allow to ensure safe operation in the real conditions in the chemical-technological production. 1 Current state of the issue In the modern world, energy saving issues are closely related to the development of the world economy and in the last decade are becoming more relevant for the Russian economy. Most large-scale productions in Russia, such as the oil and chemical industry, thermal power plants and petrochemical industries were built in the former USSR before the 1980s. The Soviet industry can be characterized by the growth of capacity per unit of aggregates, the growth of oil and gas production and the constantly growing demand for electricity. This led to the construction of powerful oil arteries and large power plants. Despite this, the main problem in the operation of oil pipelines up to the 1980s was the search for a reserve to increase the throughput capacity of main oil pipelines. In the mid-1980s, there was a tendency to decline in oil production, but in general, until 1990, the growth in pumping volumes still remained. By the end of the 1990s, due to political and economic instability in Russia, oil pumping volumes in some pipelines declined by 50%. Nowadays, oil pumping volumes have increased by 30% compared to the 90s, but the reduction in pumping volumes below the nominal pumping capacity has led inefficient pump operating [1]. The aim of our work was modeling of pump performance control schemes and increasing the efficiency of main oil pipelines, using a virtual model of the process, which results in energy savings in the operation of pumps in the underload condition. This model can be used for modeling the operating modes of smoke exhausters and fan blowers of boilers, oilpumping pumps and gas-pumping compressors. In recent years intensive work is being done on experimental and theoretical studies of the operation of pumping stations in variable modes and methods of control of their operation in such modes by a number of authors such as A.A Veremeenko, E.V. Vinogradova, E.V. Vyazunova, A.I. Golyanova, L.A. Zaitseva, L.G. Kolpakova, Sh.I. Rakhmatullina, N.Z. Aitova, G.S. Salashchenko, In works under consideration, three most common technical schemes for pumps operation control are noted: the control of the rotor speed of the pump, using variable-speed motors; the control of the rotor speed of the pump, using special control couplings; change of the geometry of the flow channels of the pump and the kinematics of the flow at the input to the impeller. However, some of the technical solutions listed above have not been applied for a number of reasons: the lack of equipment manufactured in Russia and that would comply with requirements for energy-intensive pumping and power equipment and the lack of fundamental research in this area. Conducting of the experiment was restrained because of the lack of mathematical models of the elements of the system, adequately describing their characteristics. We conducted a comparative study of pump performance control schemes based on bypassing and throttling, depending on the moving medium by the virtual process modeling. Using of the virtual model of the process speeds up and simplifies development, lowers the risk of mistakes made by the developer in the execution of routine operations, allows the developer to concentrate on the physics of simulated actions or the principles of the functioning of technological systems, without delving into the subtleties of programming. The following main research tasks can be distinguished: MATEC Web of Conferences 129, 06025 (2017) DOI: 10.1051/matecconf/201712906025
Recent investigations of the correlation between intelligence and success in foreign-language study have yielded somewhat optimistic conclusions concerning the value of the intelligence quotient in predicting achievement. That this optimism is not wholly justified is evident from the results of the investigation reported in this article, which is probably the most comprehensive study of the intelligence factor in foreign-language achievement thus far reported. The materials of the study, which was made during the second semester of the school year 1927-28, are the intelligence quotients of 1,002 pupils, derived from their performance on the Terman Group Test of Mental Ability, Forms A and B, and certain of their marks in Spanish. The pupils, who were enrolled in eighteen junior and senior high schools in San Diego and Los Angeles, had studied Spanish from one to six semesters. The marks in Spanish for the last two semesters of study were averaged for all except beginning pupils. These averages were translated into point-score equivalents on the basis of their standard-deviation distances on the linear scale
Isolated dislocation of calcaneus from cuboid and talus is extremely rare. This is a report of a 40-year-old man who sustained an open dislocation of calcaneus from cuboid and talus with subluxation of the talonavicular joint. Immediate reduction and stabilization with Kirschner wires and an external fixator was performed. At 2-year follow-up, there was no evidence of infection or avascular necrosis of tarsal bones. However, osteoarthrosis of the calcaneocuboid joint was evident. The functional result after 2 years was satisfactory. This case illustrates that the diagnosis of concomitant injuries in the adjacent column of the foot and compliance with principles of management of multiple injuries in the midfoot are paramount in reducing morbidity, which is common in such injuries.
Aspirates from bone marrow, spleen and liver were morphologically analysed in 15 untreated patients wich chronic myeloid leukaemia. Megaloblastic changes of the erythroblasts were found to be more common in the spleen and liver than in the bone marrow. A significant increase of 'erythroblastic islands', i.e. erythroblasts in contact with reticulum cells, were recorded in the leukaemia patients compared to 15 healthy controls. It is suggested that the presence of such formations may indicate an increased death rate of defective erythroblasts followed by phagocytosis into reticuloendothelial cells.
Abstract We study the Jimbo – Miwa equation and two of its extended forms, as proposed by Wazwaz et al., using Lie’s group approach. Interestingly, the travelling – wave solutions for all the three equations are similar. Moreover, we obtain certain new reductions which are completely different for each of the three equations. For example, for one of the extended forms of the Jimbo – Miwa equation, the subsequent reductions leads to a second – order equation with Hypergeometric solutions. In certain reductions, we obtain simpler first – order and linearisable second – order equations, which helps us to construct the analytic solution as a closed – form function. The variation in the nonzero Lie brackets for each of the different forms of the Jimbo – Miwa also presents a different perspective. Finally, singularity analysis is applied in order to determine the integrability of the reduced equations and of the different forms of the Jimbo – Miwa equation.
Fifty individual psychotherapies of schizophrenic patients, supervised by a control group for fourteen years, are examined. 80 percent of the patients have shown important clinical progress and, in many cases, have been healed, especially those who continued therapy for more than two years and who had a deep and reciprocal emotional involvement with the therapist during and after treatment; there was a reduction by 70 percent of hospitalizations during this treatment and only one of these had a relapse. Other data confirm the efficacy of psychotherapy; however, to give a new instrument of scientific confirmation to this type of individual and subjective work, we tried to observe how the psychopathological and therapeutic mechanism of "symbiosis" induces personal dynamics in the therapist which are reflected in the control group. The psychopathological symbiotic disturbance of the patient, the therapeutic symbiotic relationship, and the way in which the group reacts to these permit the creation of a useful triangle, both for the therapist to understand his position toward the patient and to confirm or correct the subjective aspects of such a deep and emotional relationship.
This paper presents the design and implementation of RA-MAC, an energy efficient protocol for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSN). As a link layer protocol, RA-MAC focuses on the data transfer between adjacent network nodes within the transmission range. The protocol is unique in that, instead of a direct transmission, it employs intermediate notes to relay the packet to the destination. The protocol is random access based, includes a feedback mechanism designed to update the reward for make the forwarding decisions, and has minimum control message overheads. Simulation results show that RA-MAC can achieve excellent energy efficiency and that we can further improve the energy efficiency by increasing the number of relays without sacrificing the network throughput considerably. The proposed protocol is suitable for applications with high energy efficiency requirements. RA-MAC reveals a new way towards an energy efficient UWSN.
Knowledge of organic phosphorus (P) species quantity and distribution in sediments and soils is needed to determine the potential for aquatic and terrestrial organism growth. This can be achieved with 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), but resolving peaks within spectra can be problematic because of broadening via paramagnetics, which can cause peaks to overlap. We compared 31P NMR spectra of NaOH-EDTA extracts of three sediments and three soils to those that had first been pre-treated with Ca-EDTA-dithionite to remove Fe and Mn, paramagnetics that cause broadening of peaks, but leave organic P alone. Broadening of peaks in Ca-EDTA-dithionite pre-treated samples decreased by 46% and revealed peaks that were hidden compared to untreated samples. The spectrum of one pre-treated soil was similar if not better than the same soil that had received pre-treatment with Chelex resin (also to remove paramagnetics). Therefore, pre-treatment with Ca-EDTA-dithionite is recommended as a simple and cost-effective method for improving organic P idenTIFication and determination in subsequent NaOH-EDTA extracts of sediments and soils rich in Fe and Mn.
Deep learning models often tackle the intra-sample structure, such as the order of words in a sentence and pixels in an image, but have not pay much attention to the inter-sample relationship. In this paper, we show that explicitly modeling the intersample structure to be more discretized can potentially help model’s expressivity. We propose a novel method, Atom Modeling, that can discretize a continuous latent space by drawing an analogy between a data point and an atom, which is naturally spaced away from other atoms with distances depending on their intra structures. Specifically, we model each data point as an atom composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons and minimize the potential energy caused by the interatomic force among data points. Through experiments with qualitative analysis in our proposed Atom Modeling on synthetic and real datasets, we find that Atom Modeling can improve the performance by maintaining the inter-sample relation and can capture an interpretable intra-sample relation by mapping each component in a data point to electron/proton/neutron.
Staphylococcus spp. are frequently found in hospital environments and are associated with a wide variety of infections. Various virulence factors are responsible for the pathogenicity of staphylococci, among which staphylococcal enterotoxins and TSST‐1 (toxic‐shock syndrome) are noteworthy. In this study, 90 samples of Staphylococcus aureus and 90 samples of coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CNS) isolated from different clinical materials were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in order to study the genes encoding staphylococcal toxins A (sea), B (seb), C (sec‐1), D (sed) and TSST‐1(tst). The samples shown to be positive for the presence of one or more genes were tested for their capacity to express mRNA encoding the respective toxins by reverse transcription‐PCR (RT‐PCR). As regards the CNS species, S. epidermidis was the most frequently isolated, corresponding to 71.1% of the total number of samples of CNS investigated. One hundred and eight samples were positive according to PCR, of which 59 (54.6%) were S. aureus and 49 (45.4%) were CNS. S. aureus showed toxigenic genes for all classes of toxins investigated whereas CNS showed all genes except for that of toxin D. Assessment of mRNA expression by RT‐PCR showed 43 positive samples, 37 (86.0%) S. aureus samples producing SEA, SEB, SEC, SED and/or TSST‐1 and six (14.0%) CNS samples producing SEA and SEC. RT‐PCR and sequencing of PCR products confirmed the toxigenic capacity of S. epidermidis and S. lugdunensis, indicating the need for greater attention to such microorganisms when they are isolated from infectious processes.
This paper assesses the economics literature on policy uncertainty, addresses puzzles in that literature, and highlights pertinent empirical regularities. Although much progress has been made in identifying important correlations between uncertainty and economic activity, concerns about causal identification remain. However, new empirical measures of uncertainty allow economists to ask questions with a precision likely to advance enduring debates on sources of uncertainty and their effects. The implications of elevated political polarization offer the most parsimonious explanation of what are otherwise puzzling results on the economic effects of uncertainty. According to historical data, in the month of a United States presidential election, the odds of the U.S. entering a recession within the next 12 months are roughly twice what they are in a typical month.
The article analyzes the problems of the interaction of the mineral resource sector (MRS) and the knowledge economy. The most important trends in the development of the modern global MRS are the formation of innovatively-oriented resource regimes, the unity of the processes of generation and transfer of new knowledge. As a result, there is a high level of flexibility of the solutions developed and implemented, a significant reduction in costs in the value chain in the MRS: from development to the use of mineral resources. The existing innovative system in Russian MRS orientates companies, first of all, to the application of previously tested (mainly abroad) technologies and approaches. Resource companies invest relatively small funds in R&D, in the creation of innovations and new scientific and technological solutions. To solve the problems of embedding the knowledge economy in the MRS, it is necessary to create a model of interaction between participants in the processes of development, production and use of mineral resources that is adequate to modern challenges. The leading role should be played by the resource regime, which determines a wide range of conditions - from subsoil use to the development of scientific and technical potential in the MRS.
Development of infection and sepsis may represent the penultimate stage in the natural history of decompensated cirrhosis. Infected cirrhotics have a fourfold higher mortality that non-infected cirrhotics, with a significant risk of mortality at 1 month (30%) and at 1 year (63%). Describing risk factors for development of infection in this vulnerable population is paramount. Recent attention has focused on the inflammatory response to infection among cirrhotics. A duality exists, where cirrhosis-induced immune dysfunction coexists with a state of persistent activation of immune system cells. Specifically, neutrophil function in cirrhotics is impaired, with an increase in resting oxidative burst (OB), and a defect in phagocytosis and killing, despite increased circulating pro inflammatory cytokines. 6 Although neutrophils may be functionally normal in stable disease, infection may lead to expression of an impaired phenotype. End organ damage may be a function of not only the intense inflammatory response, but also a reduced capacity of the host to endure the effects of the inflammatory response. Taylor et al. describe the importance of neutrophil dysfunction among persons with advanced liver disease. In this prospective study, 62 patients with either stable cirrhosis or acute–on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) were compared to 11 controls without evidence of liver disease. Neutrophil phagocytic activity (NPA, per cent of neutrophils undergoing phagocytosis) among persons with cirrhosis and ACLF was much lower, as compared with controls, and decreased with increasing severity of liver disease. Neutrophil phagocytic activity was lower in certain subsets of cirrhotics: cirrhotics with refractory ascites on beta blockers, those without alcohol consumption and subjects with elevated ammonia. Lower NPA was associated with an increased risk of either baseline or subsequent development of infection. Increased resting OB (percentage of phagocytic cells producing reactive oxygen species), but not Escherichia coli, stimulated burst (potentially due to depletion of response), was associated with worsening liver disease, increased levels of plasma cytokines and worse survival within 90 days. The authors are to be commended for trying to establish separate phenotypes of cirrhotics that are at even higher risk of complications based on patterns of OB and NPA. However, several questions still remain. Neutrophil dysfunction is a cornerstone of sepsis. Whether cirrhotics with neutrophil dysfunction have different patterns as compared to a control group of septic patients without presence of underlying liver disease is unknown. Whether the presence of liver disease inherently induces a state of immune dysfunction above and beyond the overwhelming stress of sepsis is also unclear. Given the small number of patients, potential co-factors such as advanced age, receipt of active treatment or prophylactic antibiotics, variable response to subtypes of infection (bacterial vs. fungal, multidrug resistant, nosocomial or community acquired), impact of baseline immunosuppressants (e.g. steroids) are harder to assess. 8 Provocative associations between beta blocker use and impaired neutrophil function in a selected subset, and the putative interaction with elevated ammonia (and its implication) need to be explored further in larger studies. 9
Objective To measure changes in knee kinematics after the application of articulated external fixators along a previously described knee flexion/extension axis and 16 specific “off-axis” fixator hinge configurations. Design Cadaver, biomechanical study. Setting Biomechanics laboratory. Participants Nine fresh cadaver knee specimens. Intervention Each specimen was mounted on a custom-built frame that constrained the knee to move about a fixed flexion/extension axis. Passive knee motion was induced, and the resulting flexion moment was measured. Data were collected for the on-axis fixator position and 16 distinct rotational and translational off-axis positions. In addition, effects of tibial translation and rotation were investigated. Main Outcome Range of motion (ROM) attainable within a moment envelope of ±1 N-m and average energy required to impart movement. Results The average ROM for unconstrained knees was 122°. Constraining the knee to rotation around an on-axis aligned hinge significantly reduced the ROM by 35% to 79°. The 5-mm posterior translated hinge was the only alignment to show on average a slightly larger ROM (86°) than the on-axis hinge. All other hinge alignments showed decreased average ROM compared with the on-axis position. Tibiofemoral alignments significantly affected the obtainable ROM for the on-axis aligned hinge. Conclusion It was not possible to replicate precisely the complex kinematics of the knee using a single axis fixator over the entire ROM. Using the axis of rotation previously defined in the literature, however, it was possible to obtain a limited ROM of the knee without placing excessive forces on the periarticular structures.
This paper presents a lightweight Tele-immersive photograph system named TiPS. TiPS allows remote users to take a photo as a souvenir in a virtual space with natural social behavior, through adaptively merging two participants of remote video interaction into the same shared background. We address two key technologies in this paper, first, we propose an adaptive multi-cue decision fusion algorithm for accurate and robust foreground segmentation of live video. Second, we present a user behavioral intention driven video composition algorithm, aiming at obtaining life-like photographs in real time. Experimental results show TiPS achieves high performance in both foreground segmentation and video composition, which well satisfies remote users' requirement of taking photos together.
If a new complex optical multilayer system, coating chamber, material, or design has to be evaluated, there is often a need for several test deposition runs until most significant errors and coating properties are identified. We present an advanced procedure with combination of an optical broadband thickness monitor, computational manufacturing, and automated reoptimization, which requires only one single test deposition run. For the identification of material and deposition errors, the single test deposition run is evaluated by the computational manufacturing using different parameter sets. Determined main errors are corrected (e.g., dispersion), and remaining smaller errors will be compensated with the automated reoptimization tool as an expansion of the optical monitor.
Cesium-137 concentrations in native residents of the northern Alaskan villages of Anaktuvuk Pass, Arnblcr, and Arctic Village were measured at 2-3 month intcrvals during the period October 1966-Octobcr 1968. Both normal and unusual seasonal patterns of I3’Cs concentrations occurred. correlated with caribou utilization phenomena which showed strong uring human 1S7Cs whole body burdens by our l ab~ra to ry ‘~ ) expanded measurement of remote populations throughout the world. The U.S. Public Health Service subsequently used the method to perform annual surveys of several Alaskan villages, beginning in 1 966.(10.11) There surveys were made each ensuing spring (April and May), at a season of major dietary change for many of the native groups. In order to place such annual measurements in perspectivc so far as the major cariboudependent populations were concerned, and to illustrate the marked influence of native food habits upon their 137Cs content before further acculturation, seasonal patterns of 13jCs body burdens of three northcrn Alaskan villages wcrc studied during the period Octobcr 1966October 1968. Objectives of our study were to (1) dcfine seasonal patterns of 137Cs body burdens in the people of villages whcre caribou was a major food source; (2) correlate human 137Cs burdens with caribou utilization patterns, noting anomalies and emphasizing environmental influences upon native food-gathering practices and resultant 137Cs burdens; (3) compare total absorbed radiation doses from 137Cs among the villages studied; and (4) evaluate, when possible, effects of acculturation of the people upon their caribou utilization patterns.
THE clinical manifestations of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) — recurrent sinopulmonary infection and male sterility — have been attributed to defects in the ultrastructure of the central core (axoneme) of cilia and sperm tails. In the respiratory tract, these structural defects impair ciliary motility and coordination, resulting in reduced mucociliary clearance. Defective ciliary function and structure were first reported as a cause of recurrent respiratory disease by Afzelius and coworkers,1 , 2 who noted decreased ciliary motility in patients with Kartagener's syndrome and suggested the term immotile-cilia syndrome. Subsequent studies of ciliary motility and ultrastructure have revealed a range of patterns of . . .
The authors propose an optimal resource allocation (RA) scheme for wireless multi-destination relay systems with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation. The authors work is different in that they consider a practical downlink OFDM-based relay network, where a relay is used to help the source (base station) communicate with multiple out-of-range destinations (users), rather than a single destination (user) as assumed in most previous work. The proposed optimal RA scheme consists of subchannel allocation (SA), subchannel pairing and joint source- relay power allocation (PA). In particular, it is shown that both SA and joint source- relay PA play a dominant role in the three steps of RA. It is also demonstrated that the shorter the distance between the source and the relay, the more impact of multiuser diversity on the system capacity. By employing SA and joint source - relay PA only, a near-optimal performance can be achieved. This work can be extended to the multi-hop, multi-relay and multi-destination uplink/downlink OFDM system.
Transportation is a critical factor in the economic growth and development of any nation. Inadequate transportation limits a nation's ability to utilize its natural resources, distribute foods and other finished goods, integrate the manufacturing and agriculture sectors and supply education, medical, and other infrastructural facilities. There is a need, therefore, to manage, maintain, and improve the existing transportation system and build new infrastructures for national wealth. It is on this bedrock that the present study assessed the management and adequacy of road infrastructure expenditure and economic growth in Nigeria considering the time period from 1980 to 2009. Descriptive analysis was used such as index growth rate based on simple averages on percentage growth on nominal and real values by deflating the nominal value to investigate the secondary data collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Findings revealed that expenditure on road construction and maintenance in Nigeria was not adequate when compared with other countries like USA, UK, France, Demark, Germany, India, etc. Nigeria's government should, as a matter of prime importance, increase expenditure on road infrastructure and ensure that such expenditure is properly managed and supervised, and to generate additional revenue, the Government should encourage private initiatives in road funding.
With the envisioned era of internet of things, all aspects of Intelligent Transportation Systems will be connected to improve transport safety, relieve traffic congestion, reduce air pollution, enhance the comfort of transportation and significantly reduce road accidents. In internet of vehicles, regular exchange of current position, direction, velocity and so on, enables mobile vehicles to predict an upcoming accident and alert the human drivers in time or proactively take precautionary actions to avoid the accident. The actualisation of this concept requires the use of channel access protocols that can guarantee reliable and timely broadcast of safety messages. This study investigates the application of network coding concept to increase content of every transmission and achieve improved broadcast reliability with less number of retransmissions. In particular, the authors proposed Code Aided Retransmission-based Error Recovery (CARER) scheme, introduced a request-to-broadcast/clear-to-broadcast (RTB/CTB) handshake to overcome hidden node problem and reduce packets collision rate. In order to avoid broadcast storm problem associated with the use of RTB/CTB packet in a broadcast transmission, they developed a rebroadcasting metric used to successfully select a vehicle to rebroadcast the encoded message. The performance of CARER protocol is clearly shown with detailed theoretical analysis and further validated with simulation experiments.
Summary In this study, 23 new compounds having 2-ethyl-3-carbmethoxy-4-aryl-5-oxo-6,6-dimethyl-1,4,5,6,7,8-hexahydroquinoline structure have been synthesised and screened for their calcium antagonistic activities. The structure of the compounds were characterised by IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, mass spectroscopy and elemental analyses. The calcium antagonistic activities of the compounds were determined by the tests performed on isolated rat ileum and lamb carotid artery. Although none of the synthesized compounds were as active as nicardipine in isolated rat ileum, the compounds 9, 10 and 19 have shown high activity. In screening studies on lamb carotid artery, compounds 10, 14 and 19 have been found active at a concentration of 10−4 mol/l.
Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL  Transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) inhibits carcinogenesis at early stages by inhibiting cell growth and inducing apoptosis. Cancer cells acquire resistance to TGFβ induced apoptosis and divert the TGF-β signaling to stimulate tumor promoting processes such as Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition (EMT), immunosuppression and angiogenesis. Hence, the identification of molecular targets/ pathways enabling cancer cells to overcome TGFβ-mediated apoptosis is critical for exploiting tumor suppressive functions of TGFβ for therapy. We have identified slug (snai2), a zinc-finger transcription factor, as a critical regulator of TGF-β mediated apoptosis in lung cancer cells. In EMT models of lung cancer slug is up-regulated by several fold upon TGFβ treatment. Knock down of Smad 3 or Smad 4, but not Smad 2, completely abrogated the TGF-β induced up-regulation of Slug. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed increased occupancy of Smad 3 to the slug promoter on TGFβ treatment indicating slug might be a direct target gene of Smad 3. Slug is often described as a potent E-cadherin suppressor and an important regulator of EMT along with other E-box proteins. In contrast siRNA knock-down of slug (slug KD) in lung cancer cells did not prevent TGFβ induced E-cadherin suppression or acquisition of mesenchymal markers such as N-cadherin, vimentin and fibronectin; instead lead to increased cell death. Slug KD cells on TGFβ treatment underwent apoptosis through the typical apoptosis cascade characterized by increased annexin-v staining and caspase-3 activation. This apoptotic cell death is abrogated by inhibitors of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Inhibition of caspase-8, an initiator of extrinsic apoptotic pathway or siRNA knockdown of RIP1 that promotes necroptosis did not inhibit the death of TGFβ treated slug KD cells. Together these finding suggests slug KD results in cell death via intrinsic apoptosis pathway in response to TGFβ. This study indicates slug induction during EMT allows cancer cells to escape from apoptotic functions of TGFβ and might function as a critical regulatory switch to shift TGFβ role from tumor suppressor to tumor promoter. Thus slug inhibition might serve as a potential mechanism to reinstate the apoptotic functions of TGFβ in lung cancer cells.  Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4677. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4677
We consider the problem of multiple-target estimation using a colocated multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system. We employ sparse modeling to estimate the unknown target parameters (delay, Doppler) using a MIMO radar system that transmits frequency-hopping waveforms. We formulate the measurement model using a block sparse representation. We adaptively design the transmit waveform parameters (frequencies, amplitudes) to improve the estimation performance. Firstly, we derive analytical expressions for the correlations between the different blocks of columns of the sensing matrix. Using these expressions, we compute the block coherence measure of the dictionary. We use this measure to optimally design the sensing matrix by selecting the hopping frequencies for all the transmitters. Secondly, we adaptively design the amplitudes of the transmitted waveforms during each hopping interval to improve the estimation performance. To perform this amplitude design, we initialize it by transmitting constant-modulus waveforms of the selected frequencies to estimate the radar cross section (RCS) values of all the targets. Next, we make use of these RCS estimates to optimally select the waveform amplitudes. We demonstrate the performance improvement due to the optimal design of waveform parameters using numerical simulations. Further, we employ compressive sensing to conduct accurate estimation from far fewer samples than the Nyquist rate.
Abstract Breast-feeding initiation and continuation rates in the UK and Ireland are low relative to many European countries. As a core outcome of the prospective Cork Nutrition and Development Maternal-Infant Cohort (COMBINE) study (Cork, Ireland), we aimed to describe infant milk feeding practices in detail and examine the prevalence and impact of combination feeding of breast milk and infant formula on breast-feeding duration. COMBINE recruited 456 nulliparous mothers (2015–2017) for maternal–infant follow-up via interview at hospital discharge (median 3 (interquartile range (IQR) 2, 4) d (n 453)), 1 (n 418), 2 (n 392), 4 (n 366), 6 (n 362) and 9 (n 345) months of age. Median maternal age was 32 (IQR 29, 34) years, 97 % of mothers were of white ethnicity, 79 % were Irish-born and 75 % were college-educated. Overall, 75 % breastfed to any extent at discharge and 44 % breastfed solely. At 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9 months, respectively, 40, 36, 33, 24 and 19 % breastfed solely. Combination feeding of breast milk and infant formula was common at discharge (31 %) and 1 month (20 %). Reasons for combination feeding at 1 month included perceived/actual hunger (30 %), healthcare professional advice (31 %) and breast-feeding difficulties (13 %). Of mothers who breastfed to any extent at discharge, 45 % stopped within 4 months. Mothers who combination fed were more likely to cease breast-feeding than those who breastfed solely (relative risk 2·3 by 1 month and 12·0 by 2 months). These granular data provide valuable insight to early milk feeding practices and indicate that supporting early breast-feeding without formula use may be key to the successful continuation of breast-feeding.
Using the technique of DD‐PCR (differential display‐polymerase chain reaction) we isolated a novel gene (D2‐2) that is overexpressed in glioblastoma multiforme tissue (GMT) as compared to normal brain tissue (NBT). D2‐2 is also highly expressed in recurrent glioma, colon tumor metastatic to brain, breast tumors, prostate tumors and a prostate tumor cell line (LNCaP). Northern blot analysis showed that D2‐2 is highly expressed in several tumor cell lines (MOLT lymphoblastic leukemia, SW480 colorectal adrenocarcinoma, A549 lung carcinoma, HL‐60 promyelocytic leukemia, 53 HeLa cells, K‐562 chronic myelogeneous leukemia and G361 melanoma) as compared to NBT. Additionally, D2‐2 is very highly expressed in cell lines derived from glioblastomas, grade IV astrocytomas, normal human fetal astrocytes (NHFA) and glioma. D2‐2 is moderately expressed in neuroblastoma, neuroectodermal and medulloblastoma tumor cell lines. D2‐2 expression is localized to the frontal lobe, occipital lobe and the cerebellum in the normal brain. Normal tissues such as thyroid, stomach, adrenal cortex, small intestine and pancreas show high expression of D2‐2. We also show that D2‐2 is expressed 28‐fold higher in fetal brain (20 weeks) than in adult brain. Sequence analysis of a 2.0‐kb fragment for D2‐2 shows no homology to known sequences in the data base. Int. J. Cancer 71:565‐572, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Resilient devices are commonly used in lightweight structures to decrease sound transmission in a broad frequency band. Applications of such devices may be found in e.g. resilient mounted ceilings in aeroplanes, ships and buildings. A measurement method to characterise the frequency dependency of the transfer stiffness and the input stiffness of the resilient device is presented. The mechanical characteristics of the measurement method are investigated. In addition, some resilient devices used in buildings are analysed with respect to acoustic properties. Parameters such as static load and mountings for the devices are considered and handled by means of statistical analysis.
The paper investigated the compressive strength and rupture modulus of recycled aggregate concrete when recycled aggregates from the regulated industry such as laboratories is used as partial substitute for natural coarse aggregates. The work determined and compared the compressive strength of recycled aggregate concrete with that of natural aggregate concrete. It applied the laboratory investigated technique. A standard mix ratio of 1:2:4:0.5 representing; cement, fine aggregate, coarse aggregate and water/cement ratio was used to produce the test cubes and beams, with subsequent 0%, 30%, 50%, 80% and 100% substitution of natural coarse aggregates with recycled coarse aggregates. The results showed that as the percentage content of recycled coarse aggregate in the mix increased, the compressive strength decreased. The natural coarse aggregate concrete gave a compressive strength of 43.6 N/mm and the recycled coarse aggregate concrete, 29.5 N/mm, a decrease of 40%. At early stages of substitution, there was no significant change in the modulus of rupture but at higher percentages of substitution, it became significant. The natural coarse aggregate concrete gave a modulus of rupture of 5.67 N/mm while the recycled coarse aggregate gave 3.84 N/mm. Recycled concrete has been shown to be a viable option to decrease the demand on high quality natural resources and to limit the amount of waste that is disposed in landfills. Original Research Article British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(27): 4006-4013, 2014 4007
Drawing on research on ubiquitous media images in the mobilization of popular resistance in Hong Kong, this article discusses mediated experience in the formation of collective memories. Following Vilém Flusser's evocative suggestions on the universe of technical images' and its force, in impacting on the sense of historical time itself, this work analyses the significance of mobile phone camera images and their contemporary proliferation in the post-colonial city. The aim is to generate a more inventive sense of possibilities than the melancholy and sense of loss that seems to pervade so much work in memory studies. Such an approach is required especially in dealing with new media technologies and the problem of memory.
References Nixon, D., "Perturbation of a Discontinuous Transonic Flow," AIAA Journal, Vol. 16, Jan. 1978, pp. 47-52. Nixon, D., "Perturbations in Two and Three Dimensional Transonic Flows," AIAA Journal, Vol. 16, July 1978, pp. 699-709. Nixon, D. and Kerlick, G. D., "Pertubations of a Transonic Flow with Vanishing Shock Waves," Nielsen Engineering & Research, Inc., Mountain View, Calif., Paper 153, 1982. Nixon, D., "Calculations of Transonic Flow Using the Integral Equation Method," Ph.D. Thesis, University of London, England, 1976. Ballhaus, W. F. and Goorjian, P.M., "Implicit Finite-Difference Computations of Unsteady Transonic Flows About Airfoils Including the Effect of Irregular Shock Motions," AIAA Journal, Vol. 15, 1977. pp. 1728-1735.
Multi-gas climate agreements rely on a methodology (widely referred to as ‘metrics’) to place emissions of different gases on a CO2-equivalent scale. There has been an ongoing debate on the extent to which existing metrics serve current climate policy. Endpoint metrics (such as global temperature change potential GTP) are the most closely related to policy goals based on temperature limits (such as Article 2 of the Paris Agreement). However, for short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs), endpoint metrics vary strongly with time horizon making them difficult to apply in practical situations. We show how combining endpoint metrics for a step change in SLCF emissions with a pulse emission of CO2 leads to an endpoint metric that only varies slowly over time horizons of interest. We therefore suggest that these combined step-pulse metrics (denoted combined global warming potential CGWP and combined global temperature change potential CGTP) can be a useful way to include short and long-lived species in the same basket in policy applications—this assumes a single basket approach is preferred by policy makers. The advantage of a combined step-pulse metric for SLCFs is that for species with a lifetime less than 20 years a single time horizon of around 75 years can cover the range of timescales appropriate to the Paris Agreement. These metrics build on recent work using the traditional global warming potential (GWP) metric in a new way, called GWP*. We show how the GWP* relates to CGWP and CGTP and that it systematically underestimates the temperature effects of SLCFs by up to 20%. These step-pulse metrics are all more appropriate than the conventional GWP for comparing the relative contributions of different species to future temperature targets and for SLCFs they are much less dependent on time horizon than GTP.
military town. Fort Sam Houston, the largest Army post in the United States, is located here, several Air Force bases skirt the city, and Randolph Field is close. Brooke Army Hospital, Brooke Medical Center, the Medical Field Service School, and Fourth Army Headquarters are at "Fort Sam." Here Army nurses are stationed, and all who enter the Army Nurse Corps come here for basic training-a period of orientation for professional women in military nursing. Care of patients, teaching, and research take place as in civilian hospitals. To us it means that another field of
Measurements of the radio noise environment at high frequencies (HF) using the Fa and Vd noise parameters have been made during 1973 and 1974 at several radio receiving sites in Eastern Canada. From the results of these measurements, two criteria have been developed to rate the sites quantitatively as to degree of degradation by manmade radio noise. The results also indicate that the CCIR atmospheric noise predictions are generally valid for this part of Eastern Canada.
Mobile RFID Services will make us recognize the identification code of all kinds of items in which people are interested with the RFID Reader built into a cellular phone. They will also make us search for more detailed information through the mobile internet network.Recently, in Korea, a variety of mobile RFID services are being piloted, and their commercial roll-out is likely to be imminent. The goal of this study is to propose, ahead of the commercial launch of mobile RFID services, a customer satisfaction index model for this service category, and measure customer satisfaction index, so as to derive practical implications for their providers, and pointers related to service improvement. A web survey was conducted on Korean mobile phone subscribers having participated in a mobile RFID pilot program. Using the results of this survey, we tested the customer satisfaction index model we proposed and its hypotheses, by employing a PLS (Partial Least Squares)-based on structural equation modeling technique, and calculated the index. We further conducted an Importance-Performance analysis, to provide implications that may be useful for improving the quality of mobile RFID services.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to design and develop precipitation hardened Al-Mg alloy imparting enhanced strength with acceptable ductility through minor addition of Sc and Cr by using multi-objective genetic algorithm-based searching. In earlier attempts of strengthening aluminum alloys, owing to the formation of Al3Sc and Al7Cr phase, addition of Sc and Cr have yielded attractive precipitation hardening, respectively. Both the Al-Sc and Al-Cr system are quench sensitive due to presence of a sloping solvus in their phase diagrams. It is also known that both the Al3Sc and Al7Cr phases nucleate directly from the supersaturated solid solution without formation of GP-zones or transient phases prior to the formation of the Al3Sc and Al7Cr. Sc also found to have beneficial effect on the corrosion property of such alloys. In view of the above, it is of interest to explore the possibility of enhancing the age hardening effect in Al-Mg alloy by addition of Sc and Cr. Design/methodology/approach – The pa...
The general equations for fluid dependency of the elastic moduli of anisotropic media were first given by Gassmann (1951). For the case of an HTI medium, Gurevich (2003) derived the explicit equations based on a linear-slip model. Gurevich’s complex equations are recast here in a more accessible format. Those equations depend on four parameters: λ , μ , δN and δT . They are quite similar to the well-known isotropic Gassmann’s equations. We also propose a valid method for the application of these equations.
In this paper, we propose a novel method for parcellating the human brain into 193 anatomical structures based on diffusion tensor images (DTIs). This was accomplished in the setting of multi-contrast diffeomorphic likelihood fusion using multiple DTI atlases. DTI images are modeled as high dimensional fields, with each voxel exhibiting a vector valued feature comprising of mean diffusivity (MD), fractional anisotropy (FA), and fiber angle. For each structure, the probability distribution of each element in the feature vector is modeled as a mixture of Gaussians, the parameters of which are estimated from the labeled atlases. The structure-specific feature vector is then used to parcellate the test image. For each atlas, a likelihood is iteratively computed based on the structure-specific vector feature. The likelihoods from multiple atlases are then fused. The updating and fusing of the likelihoods is achieved based on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm for maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation problems. We first demonstrate the performance of the algorithm by examining the parcellation accuracy of 18 structures from 25 subjects with a varying degree of structural abnormality. Dice values ranging 0.8–0.9 were obtained. In addition, strong correlation was found between the volume size of the automated and the manual parcellation. Then, we present scan-rescan reproducibility based on another dataset of 16 DTI images – an average of 3.73%, 1.91%, and 1.79% for volume, mean FA, and mean MD respectively. Finally, the range of anatomical variability in the normal population was quantified for each structure.
Abstract Mutual trust is in short supply between South Asia's two major rivals, India and Pakistan. The nuclear powers are bitterly divided on a host of issues, none more (seemingly) intractable than the future of Kashmir. Yet, as Rahul Roy-Chaudhury explains, their nuclear arsenals have probably helped steer both countries away from all-out conventional war and even led to a thaw in bilateral relations. The key to better relations in the future will be how effectively India and Pakistan can co-operate to deter non-state actors from carrying out major terrorist attacks.
Plateau zokor (Myospalax baileyi) is one of the major rodent species at the alpine meadow in Three Rivers Headwater Region. They eat plant roots, excavate many tunnels and deposit soil on the surface, which result in many exposed mounds to cover the aboveground part of plants. Here, taking plateau zokor mound density in a plot as their disturbance degree, we selected seven plots with different plateau zokor mound densities and one control plot which was not disturbed by plateau zokor to explore the effects of M. baileyi disturbance on community composition, species diversity and productivity. The results showed that, with the increases of available mound density, the dominant species were changed from Cyperaceae and Gramineae species to forb species, including Poly-gonum viviparum, Potentilla anserine, and Polygonum sibiricum. The community coverage and height were significantly decreased. Light or intermediate disturbance by plateau zokor improved species diversity, whereas the evenness index showed no significant change. The changes of community productivity did not support the 'intermediate disturbance hypothesis'. With the increases of plateau zokor disturbance, the aboveground biomass, belowground biomass, total biomass of community significantly decreased. Our findings revealed the effects of plateau zokor's activity on plant community at alpine meadow and presented important information for the management and restoration of degraded grassland and the sustainable utilization of grassland in Three Rivers Headwater Region.
The relaxors Pb(Zn 1 / 3 Nb 2 / 3 )O 3 (PZN) and Pb(Mg 1 / 3 Nb 2 / 3 )O 3 (PMN) have very similar properties based on the dielectric response around the critical temperature T c (defined by the structural transition under the application of an electric field). It has been widely believed that these materials are quite different below T c with the unit cell of PMN remaining cubic while in PZN the low-temperature unit cell is rhombohedral in shape. However, this has been clarified by recent high-energy x-ray studies which have shown that PZN is rhombohedral only in the skin while the shape of the unit cell in the bulk is nearly cubic. In this study we have performed both neutron elastic and inelastic scattering to show that the temperature dependence of both the diffuse and phonon scattering in PZN and PMN are very similar. Both compounds show a nearly identical recovery of the soft optic mode and a broadening of the acoustic mode below T c . The diffuse scattering in PZN is suggestive of an onset at the high-temperature Burns temperature similar to that in PMN. In contrast to PMN, we observe a broadening of the Bragg peaks in both the longitudinal and transverse directions below T c . We reconcile this additional broadening, not observed in PMN, in terms of structural inhomogeneity in PZN. Based on the strong similarities between PMN and PZN. we suggest that both materials belong to the same universality class and discuss the relaxor transition in terms of the three-dimensional Heisenberg model with cubic anisotropy in a random field.
Extracellular water is considered to be the continuous liquid system in plant tissue through which substances in solution can diffuse freely and includes the film of moisture surrounding cells as well as water less closely associated with living protoplasts such as in xylem vessels. Electrolytes do not diffuse freely into and out of living protoplasts, their water content being isolated from the principal path of migration. The fact that cellular organization of living .tissue constitutes an effective diffusion ~barrier is demonstrated by the high resistance of normal tissue to a weak direct electric current (about 5 >( ~ ohms pe r centimeter along the longitudinal axis of leaves of cereal seedlings) and by the decrease in resistance to less than 5% of this value after the tissue has been killed. The diffusion barrier is not broken by low voltage (in the range of 0 to 3 volts per centimeter), since within this range the resistance of the tissue is independent of the voltage applied. When slightly higher voltages are used, the resistance decreases reversibly with increasing voltage, indicating a weakening of the barrier. The diffusion barrier can be irreversibly destroyed by applying a sufficiently high voltage. Within the low voltage range, the tissue is unaffected by the amount of current up to a total of about 0.8 coulombs (the equivalent of 10 microampere days) (6). The method of obtaining freezing patterns was developed from previous studies of electrophoresis of foreign ions and a stem rust toxin through the extracellular water of wheat leaves (7). The effect of environmental factors on the resistance of the electrophoretlc unit used for studying migration provided ,the basis for evaluating changes in the liquid extracellular moisture content of plant tissue during freezing. The same type of unit was used for both problems and consisted of two electrical contacts and the plant tissue extending between them. Other units, in which a film of various solutions on paper or glass replaced the plant tissue, were used in developing the method of studying stress caused by freezing. The contact was made through a paste of finely divided charcoal moistened with an isotonic solution which is applied to about two square centimeters of the surface of the tissue. Dry graphite or platinum provides the best connection between the paste and the wires of the electrical circuit. The resistance of the contact is much less than that of the tissue and does not change appreciably with slight changes in the moisture con~tent of the paste. However, the resistance will be high if the paste is very
Organizational economics, as a newer theory, has the potential to make a constructive contribution to management theory. Nevertheless, there are several inherent problems regarding its narrow model of human motivation and behavior, its negative moral characterization of managers, and its methodological individualist bias. One solution is to embrace the positive approach of the original economic formulations. The potentialities and pitfalls of organizational economics are illustrated by reference to matrix organization structures, vertical disintegration in insurance organizations, and corporate governance.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is defined by changes in brain function resulting from external forces acting on the brain and is typically characterized by a host of physiological and functional changes such as cognitive deficits including attention problems. In the present study, we focused on the effect of TBI on the ability to allocate attention in vision (i.e., the use of endogenous and exogenous visual cues) by systematically reviewing previous literature on the topic. We conducted quantitative synthesis of 16 selected studies of visual attention following TBI, calculating 80 effect size estimates. The combined effect size was large (g = 0.79, p < 0.0001) with medium heterogeneity (I2 = 68.39%). Subgroup analyses revealed an increase in deficit with moderate-to-severe and severe TBI as compared to mild TBI [F(2, 76) = 24.14, p < 0.0001]. Task type was another key source of variability and subgroup analyses indicated that higher order attention processes were severely affected by TBI [F(2, 77) = 5.66, p = 0.0051). Meta-regression analyses revealed significant improvement in visual attention deficit with time [p(mild) = 0.031, p(moderate-to-severe) = 0.002, p(severe) < 0.0001]. Taken together, these results demonstrate that visual attention is affected by TBI and that regular assessment of visual attention, using a systematic attention allocation task, may provide a useful clinical measure of cognitive impairment and change after TBI.
The effectiveness of wavelet transform (WT) methods for analyzing different power quality (PQ) events with or without noise  has been demonstrated in this paper. Multi-resolution signal decomposition based on discrete WT is used to localize and to  classify different power quality disturbances. The energy distribution at different levels using MRA is unique for a disturbance  and can be used as a feature for automatic classification of the power quality events. The PQ event duration and energy  distribution of pure sine voltage wave, voltage sag, swell, transients, harmonics, impulse, notching, fluctuation and flicker are  obtained using wavelet transform. The presence of noise degrades the detection capability of wavelet based method and  therefore effect of noise on different signal is analyzed. The noise corrupted signal is de-noised using different wavelets and the  effectiveness of the wavelets in denoising is demonstrated.
Fine-Grained Theories of Time (P Blackburn) Revision Sequences and Computers with an Infinite Amount of Time (B Lowe) On Frege's Nightmare: A Combination of Intuitionistic, Free and Paraconsistent Logics (S Rahman) Truthmakers, Entailment and Necessity (S Read) Global Definability in Basic Modal Logic (M de Rijke & H Sturm) Ackermann's Implication for Typefree Logic (K Robering) Why Dialogical Logic? (H Ruckert) Semantics for Constructive Negations (Y Shramko) Recent Trends in Paraconsistent Logic (M Urchs) Obligations, Authorities, and History Dependence (H Wansing).
Driven by an imbalance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory networks, the inflammaging phenotype is a state of low-grade chronic inflammation. It has been hypothesized but not confirmed that aged-related tissue ‘wear and tear’ elevates levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Enter the forgotten organ, the gut microbiome, and recent reports of correlations between gut microbial composition and circulating levels of cytokines in nursing home elderly.
The goal of our research is to develop an effective and efficient clutter rejector with the use of an eigenspace transformation and a multilayer perceptron (MLP) that can be incorporated into an automatic target recognition system. An eigenspace transformation is used for feature extraction and dimensionality reduction. The transformations considered in this research are principal-component analysis (PCA) and the eigenspace separation transformation (EST). We fed the result of the eigenspace transformation to an MLP that predicts the identity of the input, which is either a target or clutter. Our proposed clutter rejector was tested on two huge and realistic datasets of second-generation forwardlooking infrared imagery for the Comanche helicopter. In general, both the PCA and EST methods performed satisfactorily with minor differences. The EST method performed slightly better when a smaller amount of transformed data was fed to the MLP, or when the positive and negative EST eigentargets were used together.
A simple and inexpensive experiment is described which detects magnetic field effects on chemical reactions with high signal-to-noise ratio and high resolution. It consists in applying a small modulation field to the sample, whilst the main field it experiences is varied, with optical detection at the modulation frequency. It consequently measures the derivative of the normal MARY spec­ trum. It is shown by theoretical analysis that when using this method it is better to monitor reaction intermediates than products. The method is demon­ strated by application to known systems in which additional features are some­ times observed, in particular a low-field feature which is shown to vary as electron hopping occurs. MARY spectra obtained using modulated light excita­ tion of the sample and pulsed excitation with laser-induced fluorescence detec­ tion are provided for comparison. The method represents a general technique for studying field effects in systems containing low stationary state concentra­ tions of radicals, produced by any method.
Purpose: To describe the signs, symptoms, causative factors, and treatment for posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), an emerging clinical neuroradiologic entity which may be encountered by nurse practitioners in almost any clinical setting. Data sources: Extensive review of worldwide literature, including peer‐reviewed medical specialty journals, supplemented by an actual case study. Currently, a paucity of information exists in the nursing literature. Conclusions: PRES occurs as a result of disordered cerebral circulatory autoregulation and/or endothelial dysfunction, usually as a result of acute, intermittent hypertension. Clinical manifestations include mental status change, headache, visual disturbance, and seizures. Characteristic abnormalities in the posterior cerebral white matter, seen best on diffusion‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging, confirm the presence of the syndrome. PRES has been documented worldwide among a diverse patient population, yet many clinicians are still unfamiliar with this diagnosis. Implications for practice: PRES is a clinical‐radiographic diagnosis that requires close collaboration between the clinician and interpreting radiologist. Rapid identification and appropriate diagnostics are essential, as prompt treatment usually results in reversal of symptoms; permanent neurologic injury or death can occur with treatment delay.
The water content in buried high-voltage cables is of great industrial interest, especially in view of the treeing observed in crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) cables in the presence of water (1-3). It is not yet clear, however, if a minimum water content exists above which tree growth is initiated. Although the saturated-water content of PE is about 10-30 ppm at room temperature, much larger water contents have been measured in treed cables (2, 3). The water absorption and diffusion mechanisms in XLPE are also far less documented than those in PE. Several techniques exist for measuring water in PE or XLPE but none have proven entirely reliable, especially with XLPE and it is therefore of prime importance to determine the parameters that affect the precision and reliability of water measurements in cables.
A growing interprofessional collaboration between social work and library professionals has fueled the emergence of library social workers and the exploration of libraries as a setting for social work. This exciting partnership evolves from common historic roots, a strong alignment of values, and effectively addresses changing community needs that aligns with both professions. Social work and public libraries are both products of the Progressive Era along with the rise of charitable organizations and settlement houses. In examining the evolution of libraries in the wake of changing technology and patron populations, social workers are critical community allies to respond to diverse community needs. Social workers, human service providers, and funders also now see public libraries as community centers and civic hubs, as well as even settlement houses for the 21 Century. Libraries serve as civic hubs that are essential connectors of information, education, resources, and access that addresses human needs. This commentary’s aim in exploring library social worker practice encourages community-university partnerships between our public libraries and the academic programs of social work and library science that strengthen civic and community engagement. Social work practitioners and educators are encouraged to spend more time at their public libraries through interprofessional internships, class projects, applied research, and dual-degree curricular development that can prepare next generation practitioner to work and lead in these community centers.
Tradition and culture hold South African queers captive. South Africa, with perhaps one of the most progressive constitutions in the world is, in Gastrow’s (1992) view, acknowledged for fostering ideas of democracy and equality across the continent. However, perhaps South Africa is not as free as it seems; perhaps, it is arguably only free because there is no alternative way to conceptualise the phase we are in as a country. It is questionable that marginal identities within the South African context are constantly subjected to violence and victimisation aggravated by how queerness is framed culturally and traditionally as taboo. Such stigmatisation of queer subjects is informed by hegemonic masculinity. Furthermore, queer visibility in the traditional landscape becomes a trap, as it is held as offensive to normative, traditional ways of being.
We studied various aspects relating to surface charge‐transfer‐induced doping at an organic/organic interface using in situ electrical measurements with a field‐effect transistor (FET) during the formation of the electron donor/acceptor interface. Adsorption of the electron‐accepting molecules (C60) on top of the electron donating molecules (α‐6T) led to an increase in the FET hole mobility in an α‐6T film. Under illumination, the FET hole mobility in the α‐6T film with C60 deposition was significantly increased in comparison with that in the dark due to exciton dissociation at the C60/α‐6T interface, resulting in a large threshold voltage shift. The origin of the mobility increase is explained by the multiple trapping and release (MTR) model in which the mobility is determined by the carrier density. Various phenomena relevant to charge transfer and charge transport at the organic/organic interface are reported and their origins are discussed. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
AS THE first systematic treatment of aesthetics in the English language, the treatise "Concerning beauty, order, harmony, design" in Francis Hutcheson's An inquiry into the original of our ideas of beauty and virtue remained almost free from criticism by contemporary authors. Hutcheson's biographer lists a large number of books and pamphlets directly inspired by the second treatise in Hutcheson's Inquiry, that "Concerning moral good and evil," but he does not cite a single discussion of Hutcheson's aesthetics.' Yet until the appearance of Burke's Inquiry... on the sublime and beautiful, Hutcheson's treatise was regarded as the standard English work on aesthetics, and it was widely quoted and cited with respect. The task of interpreting and criticizing Hutcheson's aesthetic theory was left to an obscure Frenchman in Ireland, Charles Louis DeVillette, who in 1750 gave an extended analysis and criticism of Hutcheson's theories in a long "Essay philosophique sur le beau, & sur le gott" in his (Euvres m8lees. Although DeVillette was minister of the Rtglise Frangoise de St. Patrick in Dublin, there is much less of theology and ethics and more of aesthetics in his work than there is in Hutcheson's. His book, published in Dublin, has been neglected by English bibliographers, probably because it is written in French, and by French bibliographers, probably because it was published in Ireland.2 DeVillette criticizes Hutcheson (1) for his failure to include intelligence as part of the perception of beauty, (2) for his assumption that there is an arbitrary connection between objects of sense and our idea of beauty, (3) for his theory of an internal sense of beauty, and (4) for the inadequacy and falsity of his formula that beauty consists in variety with uniformity. He also (5) presents his own theory that the essence of beauty is the perception of design, (6) gives an explanation on a different foundation from Hutcheson's to reconcile the disparity of tastes and opinions with the alleged universality of the sense of beauty, and (7) reveals the general insufficiency and meagerness of Hutcheson's system. DeVillette's essay is designed as an independent contribution to aesthetics, the criticism of Hutcheson as well as a similar
We consider the focusing of light by a high-aperture lens into a stratified medium. The solution is based on our previously obtained results [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 12, 325 (1995)], where we represented the illumination incident upon a plane interface between media with mismatched refractive indices as a sum of plane waves. The present solution is obtained in terms of plane waves, and it satisfies Maxwell's equations. The diffraction integrals are obtained in a form that is readily computable. We present numerical examples for some practical cases.
In this article, a versatile 2-D conjugated polymer, PNDTP-DPP, containing alkylphenyl substituted naphthodithiophene is synthesized and characterized. PNDTP-DPP exhibits good solubility and crystallinity with a π-π stacking distance of ≈3.7 Å. Investigation of polymer solar cells (PSCs) and organic field-effect transistors (OFET) demonstrates a promising power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 4.11% and a high hole mobility of up to 0.86 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) , so this is one of the few examples of versatile polymers that show both good field-effect mobility and PCE.
The main objective of this study was to deduce and assess crack propagation parameters of twelve asphalt mixtures including: eight conventional dense graded, two polymer-modified gap graded, and two asphalt-rubber gap graded mixtures using the EN 12697-44:2010 based monotonic semi-circular bending (SCB) test. The asphalt mixes were prepared using different binder types, binder contents, and air voids levels totaling 72 samples with two replicates per mix type. Dense graded mixes had higher fracture toughness than rubber- and polymer-modified mixes at various temperatures. Total fracture energy and residual energy were higher for modified mixes than dense mixes. The share of residual energy in rubber-modified mixtures was 80 % of total fracture energy, indicating that even though a crack initiates in these mixes, it will take much more time to completely fail those materials. Predictive models for crack propagation parameters were developed and were based upon material properties. All three models had very good statistical goodness of fit measures (R2adj ≥ 0.80, and Se/Sy ≤ 0.38). Overall, extensive experimentation and analytical methodologies provided a first of its kind comparative understanding of fracture crack propagation mechanism of conventional versus modified asphalt mixtures based on rationally established SCB test technique using a linear elastic fracture mechanics approach.
Reliable approaches to identify and target stem-cell mechanisms that mediate aggressive cancer could have great therapeutic value, based on the growing evidence of embryonic signatures in metastatic cancers. However, how to best identify and target stem-like mechanisms aberrantly utilized by cancer cells has been challenging. We harnessed the power of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to identify embryonic mechanisms exploited by cancer. A screen comparing the cell surface proteome of iPSCs and breast cancer cells identified GRP78, a heat shock protein that is normally ER-restricted, but has been shown to be aberrantly expressed on the cell surface of several cancers, where it can act as a signaling molecule by poorly understood mechanisms. Although cell surface GRP78 (sGRP78) has emerged as an attractive chemotherapeutic target, understanding how sGRP78 is functioning in cancer has been complicated by the fact that GRP78 can function to regulate a variety of cellular responses, using a diverse array of reported binding partners, which can vary by cell type. Therefore, without insight into the specific GRP78-dependent mechanisms that are responsible for mediating aggressive cancer, it will be difficult to determine how to best target GRP78. We have discovered that (1) sGRP78 is expressed on iPSCs (but not their somatic parental populations) and plays an important role in reprogramming, (2) sGRP78 promotes cellular functions such as proliferation/survival and migration in both stem cells and breast cancer cells (3) overexpression of GRP78 in breast cancer cells leads to an induction of a previously established CD24-/CD44+ 9cancer stem cell9 (CSC) population (4) sGRP78+ breast cancer cell populations are enriched for genes involved in stemness and appear to be a subset of previously established CSCs (5) sGRP78+ breast cancer cell populations show a significantly enhanced ability to seed metastatic organ sites in vivo (6) GRP78 interacts with Dermcidin (DCD) at the cell surface of cancer cells and iPSCs, where it is important in regulating stem cell and cancer cell migration and survival/proliferation. These collective findings suggest that sGRP78 marks a stem-like population in breast cancer cells that has increased metastatic potential in vivo, and that sGRP78 and DCD cooperate to regulate key cellular functions important in mediating tumorigenesis. Overall, this work has implications for understanding how cancer cells exploit embryonic-like mechanisms, which could provide novel strategies for chemotherapeutic targeting of aggressive breast cancer cell populations. Citation Format: Tyson W. Lager, Henry C. Conner, Ian H. Guldner, Michael Z. Wu, Yuriko Hishida, Tomoaki Hishida, Sergio Ruiz, Amanda E. Yamasaki, Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, Peter C. Gray, Jonathan A. Kelber, Siyuan Zhang, Athanasia D. Panopoulos. Aberrant cell surface expression of GRP78 in breast cancer cells marks a stem-like population that has increased metastatic potential in vivo [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1990.
This paper presents a generalized equivalent multipole‐moment method for calculating three‐dimensional Laplacian fields in a multispherical system. Greengard and Rokhlin's M2M, M2L, and L2L formulas enable the multipole‐moment method to calculate the fields in general arrangement of multispheres, which involve exclusive and multilayered spherical arrangement. We applied this method to electric field calculation in biological structures induced by ELF magnetic fields. The induced electric fields in a system of three eccentric and exclusive spheres, which models the human head with two eyeballs, are calculated under the application of homogeneous and magnetic‐dipole fields. The validity of this method is successfully confirmed by comparing the calculated fields with those by the fast‐multipole surface‐charge‐simulation method. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 156(2): 1–14, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20342
An optimized nanostructure design of electrode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries was realized by introducing three-dimensional (3D) carbon nanotube (CNT) networks into transition metal oxide nanomicrospheres. A CuO−CNT composite was selected as a typical example of the optimized design. Self-assembled CuO and CuO−CNT nanomicrospheres have been successfully synthesized by a simple solution method and investigated with SEM, TEM, XRD, and electrochemical experiments. The CuO−CNT composite spheres exhibit remarkably enhanced cycling performance and rate performance compared with CuO spheres when being used as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. It benefits from an as-formed 3D network of CNTs, which has dual functions, viz. a 3D current collector network and an elastic buffer.
Examines the debate over “Higher superstition” (Gross and Levitt, 1994). Puts forward the arguments in the book and the response to the book from members of the US science and technology studies community. Asserts that increases in technical control have been at the expense of social and individual control. Mentions “diversionary reframing” – changing the subject, possibly by diverting attention away from the subject matter to the person doing the criticizing. Explores public attitudes towards science and technology, quoting a number of layman approaches to the bafflement of science. Identifies the irony in Gross and Levitt’s arguments, particularly in developing the interface between science and technology. Recommends paying more attention to the social construction of beliefs.
Over the past decades, dietary fibre (DF) has been well studied with abundant evidence on its health benefits. Advances in nutritional studies always lead the way followed by the food applications. Food scientists and technologists then explored the applications of DF in a variety of food products through examination and utilization of fibres from various conventional and uncommon sources including agro-food processing by-products. However, the current intake levels of fibre and fibre-rich foods are still far below recommended values in most nations worldwide. In addition, research is needed to substantiate different mechanistic effects of intrinsic, intact fibres presented originally in the food matrix and the isolated, refined fibre added back to the novel food products. Standardized quantification methods for DF are needed for various reasons including broad range of sources, complicated chemical structures, and ever-changing definitions from various regulatory bodies. On the other hand, there are more consumer demands for clean labels or precise information on daily values (DV%), alongside more restricted regulations for certain nutritional claims such as ‘high fibre’. It is clear that all these demands create a practical pressure on professionals working in the food industry, particularly at quality assurance (QA) positions, on how to obtain reliable data from DF analysis to meet regulatory and labelling requirements. Fortunately, with the most recent Codex definition and advanced instruments that are capable to automate the analytical procedures and produce consistent results, it is foreseeable that global harmonization on DF studies can be achieved. Meanwhile, advanced processing technologies such as dry fractionation, enzymatic conversion, and micronization present promising opportunities for R&D professionals to advance the DF utilization and applications in functional food development.
Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the peripheral and central nervous system, respectively. Despite having different myelin components and different transcription factors driving their terminal differentiation there are shared molecular mechanisms between the two. Sox10 is one common transcription factor required for several steps in development of myelinating glia. However, other factors are divergent as Schwann cells need the transcription factor early growth response 2/Krox20 and oligodendrocytes require Myrf. Likewise, some signaling pathways, like the Erk1/2 kinases, are necessary in both cell types for proper myelination. Nonetheless, the molecular mechanisms that control this shared signaling pathway in myelinating cells remain only partially characterized. The hypothesis of this study is that signaling pathways that are similarly regulated in both Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes play central roles in coordinating the differentiation of myelinating glia. To address this hypothesis, we have used genome‐wide binding data to identify a relatively small set of genes that are similarly regulated by Sox10 in myelinating glia. We chose one such gene encoding Dual specificity phosphatase 15 (Dusp15) for further analysis in Schwann cell signaling. RNA interference and gene deletion by genome editing in cultured RT4 and primary Schwann cells showed Dusp15 is necessary for full activation of Erk1/2 phosphorylation. In addition, we show that Dusp15 represses expression of several myelin genes, including myelin basic protein. The data shown here support a mechanism by which early growth response 2 activates myelin genes, but also induces a negative feedback loop through Dusp15 to limit over‐expression of myelin genes.
A semi-discrete finite-element method is applied to determine the network parameters for zero-thickness inductive discontinuities in a rectangular guide. The solution obtained is computationally efficient and is applicable under multimode conditions. Moreover, after obtaining the solution for a given geometry at a specific frequency, further frequency analysis for the same geometry requires only nominal additional recalculation. Convergence properties of the solution are studied and comparison with published data is carried out to verify the solution accuracy. >
Strain-relaxation effects in AlN-buffered GaN/InGaN microdisks pivoted on Si posts of varying radii have been studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy and scanning near-field optical spectroscopy (SNOS). With increasing undercut beneath the microdisks by chemical wet-etching, the mitigation of biaxial tensile stress is found to be dependent on the contact areas between the Si posts and GaN microdisks. Strain-relaxation reduces the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) in the quantum wells (QWs), leading to an 18.3% enhancement in InGaN QW internal quantum efficiency (IQE). Light out-coupling is also improved in the suspended regions owing to reduced optical absorption at AlN/Si interface compared to the central region. Meanwhile, spectral blue-shifts of ~45.6 meV are observed from the near-field photoluminescence (nf-PL) spectrum towards the edge of the microdisk. Such localization of strain relaxation can be exploited for precise strain engineering of the microdisks. The emission wavelengths of the microdisks can be stabilized by balancing strain-relaxation effects with thermal effects.
An emerging body of research suggests that artists consistently seek modes of representation that are efficiently processed by the human visual system, and that these shared properties could leave statistical signatures. In earlier work, we showed evidence that perceived similarity of representational art could be predicted using intensity statistics to which the early visual system is attuned, though semantic content was also found to be an important factor. Here we report two studies that examine the visual perception of similarity. We test a collection of non-representational art, which we argue possesses useful statistical and semantic properties, in terms of the relationship between image statistics and basic perceptual responses. We find two simple statistics-both expressed as single values-that predict nearly a third of the overall variance in similarity judgments of abstract art. An efficient visual system could make a quick and reasonable guess as to the relationship of a given image to others (i.e., its context) by extracting these basic statistics early in the visual stream, and this may hold for natural scenes as well as art. But a major component of many types of art is representational content. In a second study, we present findings related to efficient representation of natural scene luminances in landscapes by a well-known painter. We show empirically that elements of contemporary approaches to high-dynamic range tone-mapping-which are themselves deeply rooted in an understanding of early visual system coding-are present in the way Vincent Van Gogh transforms scene luminances into painting luminances. We argue that global tone mapping functions are a useful descriptor of an artist's perceptual goals with respect to global illumination and we present evidence that mapping the scene to a painting with different implied lighting properties produces a less efficient mapping. Together, these studies suggest that statistical regularities in art can shed light on visual processing.
AIM To determine the main clinical and genetic factors having impact on early coronary stent thrombosis.   MATERIALS & METHODS Genotyping of CYP2C19*2, *17 and CYP4F2*3 in patients with (n = 31) and without stent thrombosis (n = 456) was performed. Clinical and genetic data were analyzed by binary logistic regression.   RESULTS Smoking (OR: 0.317; 95% CI: 0.131-0.767), high-density lipoprotein level in mmol/l (OR: 0.142; 95% CI: 0.040-0.506), CYP2C19*2*2 versus *1*1 and *1*2 genotype (OR: 11.625; 95% CI: 3.498-38.633), CYP4F2 AA versus GA and GG genotype (OR: 3.532; 95% CI: 1.153-10.822) were associated with early stent thrombosis.   CONCLUSION For the first time we have identified a clinically important polymorphism (CYP4F2 G1347A) that was independently associated with early stent thrombosis. Original submitted 18 August 2014; Revision submitted 10 November 2014.
Green Manufacturing (GM) is an inevitable trend of the sustainable development of manufacturing enterprise. In order to reduce environmental damage and save resources Green Design (GD) is a key. Customized product design scheme selection taking into account the environmental considerations is a practical approach for reducing the resource consumption and negative environmental impacts in customized production. This paper presents a scheme selection model with a focus on integration of environmental attributes that assists designers and consumers in choosing among options. The environmental evaluation factors are then identified to weigh the scheme. Meanwhile, the mathematics representations of fuzzy words are described to get the restrictions of the model. Next, the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) is applied to solve the model. Finally, the feasibility and applicability of this proposed model is demonstrated via a case study of push-pull door.
Abstract This study deals with the analysis of multilayer composite and functionally graded materials (FGM) structures. The material properties of the FGM beam are assumed to vary according to the power law distribution of its constituent’s volume fraction over the cross section. The analytical analysis seems to be cumbersome. A finite element approach is investigated in this work for the static and free vibration behaviors of the 2D FGM beams with variable constituents over the cross section. The analyses are carried out in arbitrary axes and the axial, bending and shear couplings are considered. In this study, the classical beam theory, Timoshenko first-order and higher order shear models are described and implemented. The different models are compared to benchmark solutions found in the literature. Effects of boundary conditions, slenderness ratio, and the FGM power law parameter are investigated under static and free vibration analyses. FGM and multilayer sandwich beams are also analyzed. It is proven that the axial bending and shear coupling affect the behavior of the FGM beams in both statics and dynamics. In the presence of short beams, shear effect is important and leads to cross-section warping. The classical beam theory fails in this context. All models are close in the case of slender beams.
A simplified decoding algorithm for turbo trellis-coded modulation (T-TCM) is proposed, which is easy to implement in hardware. The algorithm exploits a new piece-wise function to replace the logarithmic term of the Jacobian logarithm based on the MacLaurin Series. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can archive log-MAP-similar decoding performance with a much lower computational complexity. It can reduce about 40% of calculation in contrast to the improved MAX-Log-MAP.
This paper presents an automation design-aided system for system-on-programmable-chip (SOPC). Platform-based design for SOPC issues become critical as implementation technology evolves towards complex integrated circuits and the time-to-market pressure continues relentlessly. Hence, new methodologies that emphasize Re-use and re-configurable are essential for embedded system design when using SOPC. We present a methodology that provides a platform automatically, which includes system level design specification, HW/SWpartitioning, HW/SW optimization and system platform providing. The methodology can shorten the developing period and reduce power consumption. A case study on how to provide such a platform is also presented.
Closterium strains obtained from Japan (NIES‐64 and ‐65)and Nepal (NIES‐67 and ‐68)have been classified as the same taxonomic species; however, they are sexually isolated from each other. When NIES‐64 and ‐65 cells were separately incubated in a medium in which both strains had previously been cultured together, release of protoplasts from both strains was observed. We suggest that factors responsible for the release of protoplasts from cells of both NIES‐64 and ‐65 are produced in a mixed culture of these cells and function during conjugation. These factors, however, had no effect on the release of protoplasts from cells of strains NIFS‐67 or ‐68. Alternatively, a protein that is responsible for the release of protoplasts from cells of NIES‐68, called the protoplast‐release‐inducing protein (PR‐IP),had no effect on the release of protoplasts from cells of strains NIES‐64 or ‐65. When the media obtained from the culture of NIES‐64 and ‐65 cells at various mixing ratios were analyzed by western blotting with antiserum to a 42‐kDa subunit of PR‐IP, no cross reaction was detected. In Southern hybridization analysis, no hybridizing band was observed when genomic DNAs of NIES‐64 and ‐65 cells were probed with cDNAs encoding the two subunits of PR‐IP. We suggest from these results that the factors responsible for the release of protoplasts from NIES‐64 and ‐65 cells are not structurally similar to PR‐IP. It is known that the release of PR‐IP from NIES‐67 cells can be induced by the action of another sex pheromone (PR‐IP inducer)which is released by NIES‐68 cells. In contrast, no protoplast‐release‐inducing activity was observed from either NIES‐64 or ‐65 in a culture medium conditioned by opposite strains. We suggest that the conjugation systems employed by strains NIES‐64/ NIES‐65 and strains NIES‐67 /NIES‐68 differ, and we propose a possible mechanism of sexual isolation between these biological species.
In the last couple of decades, engineers, neuroscientists and psychologists have turned their attention to face recognition by humans and computer vision systems. Images of different complexities have been tested with a variety of methods. The goals of each research vary, as vary the applications. We present a neural method of recognizing faces using features obtained from compression of these faces with different methods. The extracted fea ti tres are used as inputs to a feedforward neural network. The neural network is trained with backpropagation and ALOPEX. Different types of featicre extraction are used and the results of training and testing for recognition based on the above mentioned methods are compared. ALOPEX converges much faster than backpropagation to a global maximum. Testing in both methods is as good as the learning of the network.
Background and Purpose— We sought to explore the effect of genetic imbalance on functional outcome after ischemic stroke (IS). Methods— Copy number variation was identified in high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism microarray data of IS patients from the CADISP (Cervical Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Patients) and SiGN (Stroke Genetics Network)/GISCOME (Genetics of Ischaemic Stroke Functional Outcome) networks. Genetic imbalance, defined as total number of protein-coding genes affected by copy number variations in an individual, was compared between patients with favorable (modified Rankin Scale score of 0–2) and unfavorable (modified Rankin Scale score of ≥3) outcome after 3 months. Subgroup analyses were confined to patients with imbalance affecting ohnologs—a class of dose-sensitive genes, or to those with imbalance not affecting ohnologs. The association of imbalance with outcome was analyzed by logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, stroke subtype, stroke severity, and ancestry. Results— The study sample comprised 816 CADISP patients (age 44.2±10.3 years) and 2498 SiGN/GISCOME patients (age 67.7±14.2 years). Outcome was unfavorable in 122 CADISP and 889 SiGN/GISCOME patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that increased genetic imbalance was associated with less favorable outcome in both samples (CADISP: P=0.0007; odds ratio=0.89; 95% CI, 0.82–0.95 and SiGN/GISCOME: P=0.0036; odds ratio=0.94; 95% CI, 0.91–0.98). The association was independent of age, sex, stroke severity on admission, stroke subtype, and ancestry. On subgroup analysis, imbalance affecting ohnologs was associated with outcome (CADISP: odds ratio=0.88; 95% CI, 0.80–0.95 and SiGN/GISCOME: odds ratio=0.93; 95% CI, 0.89–0.98) whereas imbalance without ohnologs lacked such an association. Conclusions— Increased genetic imbalance was associated with poorer functional outcome after IS in both study populations. Subgroup analysis revealed that this association was driven by presence of ohnologs in the respective copy number variations, suggesting a causal role of the deleterious effects of genetic imbalance.
In an exploration of the birthplaces of globular clusters, we present a careful examination of the formation of self-gravitating gas clouds within assembling dark matter haloes in a hierarchical cosmological model. Our high-resolution smoothed particle hydrodynamical simulations are designed to determine whether or not hypothesized supergiant molecular clouds (SGMCs) form and, if they do, to determine their physical properties and mass spectra. It was suggested in earlier work that clouds with a median mass of several 108 M☉ are expected to assemble during the formation of a galaxy and that globular clusters form within these SGMCs. Our simulations show that clouds with the predicted properties are indeed produced as smaller clouds collide and agglomerate within the merging dark matter haloes of our cosmological model. We find that the mass spectrum of these clouds obeys the same power-law form, dN/dM ∝ M-1.7±0.1, observed for globular clusters, molecular clouds, and their internal clumps in galaxies, and predicted for the supergiant clouds in which globular clusters may form. We follow the evolution and physical properties of gas clouds within small dark matter haloes up to z = 1, after which prolific star formation is expected to occur. Finally, we discuss how our results may lead to more physically motivated "rules" for star formation in cosmological simulations of galaxy formation.
The aim of this study is to determine the sources of stress for trainee interpreters and the coping strategies and/or stress-prevention strategies they adopt. It relies on retrospective protocols of trainees, in which they report stress experienced during simultaneous interpreting task. The study also triangulates process analysis (data in the form of retrospective protocols) with product analysis (manual comparison of source and target texts) to find out whether the stress reported during retrospection affects the product. The segments in which participants reported stress are analysed in search of 3 types of disfluencies: anomalous pauses exceeding 2 seconds, hesitation markers and false starts. The analysis also aims at investigating the relation between stress and directionality. The results show that the majority of target-text segments in which trainees reported having experienced stress are marked by disfluencies. The most frequently mentioned stressors are the delivery rate of the speaker, lexical search under time pressure, and interpreting failure in the preceding part of the text. Trainees have been found to cope with stress in most cases adopting the economy of expression strategies. These types of strategies were also adopted as stress prevention mechanisms. Another finding of the study reveals that stress is reported considerably more frequently in the retour than in the native.
Stem cell grafts from 10/10 HLA-matched unrelated donors are often mismatched for HLA-DP. In some patients, donor T-cell responses targeting the mismatched HLA-DP allele(s) have been found to induce a specific graft-versus-leukemia effect without coinciding graft-versus-host disease, whereas in other cases significant graft-versus-host disease occurred. Cell-lineage-specific recognition patterns within the allogeneic HLA-DP-specific donor T-cell repertoire could explain the differential clinical effects mediated by donor T cells after HLA-DP-mismatched allogeneic stem cell transplantation. To unravel the composition of the HLA-DP T-cell repertoire, donor T-cell responses were provoked by in vitro stimulation with allogeneic HLA-DP-mismatched monocyte-derived dendritic cells. A strategy including depletion of reactivity against autologous dendritic cells allowed efficient identification and enrichment of allo-reactive T cells upon stimulation with HLA-DP-mismatched dendritic cells. In this study we elucidated that the allogeneic HLA-DP-restricted T-cell repertoire contained T cells with differential cell-lineage-specific recognition profiles. As expected, some of the allogeneic HLA-DP-restricted T cells showed broad recognition of a variety of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cell types expressing the targeted mismatched HLA-DP allele. However, a significant proportion of the allogeneic HLA-DP-restricted T cells showed restricted recognition of hematopoietic cells, including primary malignant cells, or even restricted recognition of only myeloid cells, including dendritic cells and primary acute myeloid leukemia samples, but not of other hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cell types. These data demonstrate that the allogeneic HLA-DP-specific T-cell repertoire contains T cells that show restricted recognition of hematopoietic cells, which may contribute to the specific graft-versus-leukemia effect without coinciding graft-versus-host disease.
A new lubrication model solution is found for the late-stage draining of a wetting capillary liquid from a linear interior corner. The solution exploits the symmetry of volumetric sink conditions at opposing ends of such a ‘double-drained’ interior corner flow with applications ranging from liquid recovery in microfluidic devices on Earth to liquid fuel scavenging in large fuel tanks aboard spacecraft. At long times $t$ , the nominal liquid depth is $h sim t^{-1}$ , the liquid volume is $V sim t^{-2}$ and the maximum volumetric liquid removal rate is $Q sim t^{-3}$ . The constraints under which the solution is valid are provided. To qualitatively assess the value of the solution, representative experiments are conducted at larger length scales aboard the International Space Station and at microfluidic length scales in a terrestrial laboratory. Both sets of experiments confirm the predicted power-law dependences. We show that the separation of variables solution offers a method to predict maximum drain rates from related geometries where a single drain location provides the required symmetry of the problem.
BACKGROUND Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has shown an impressive neuroprotective effect on acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in animal experiments. But whether chronic RIC improves long-term functional outcomes remains unclear.   MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a non-randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients (aged 18 -80 y) with hemiplegia caused by AIS were allocated to the RIC group and the control group. All participants received normal protocol rehabilitation therapy. Patients in the RIC group underwent RIC twice daily for 90 days. The outcome included the 90-day Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scores and modified Rankin's scale (mRS) scores, as well as changes in angiogenesis-related factors in serum from baseline to 90 days.   RESULTS Twenty-seven patients were included in the analysis (13 in the RIC group and 14 in the control group). There was no significant difference in 90-day total FMA scores between the two groups. Lower limb FMA scores at day 90 were significantly higher in the RIC group (32.8±8.7 vs. 24.8±5.4, adjusted P=0.042). The proportion of favorable outcome (mRS<2) was higher in the RIC group than that in the control group, but no significant difference was detected (8 [61.5%] vs. 7 [50%], P=0.705). A significant increase has been found in the level of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in serum (9.4 [1.1 to 25.7] vs. -8.7 [-15.1 to 4.7], P=0.036) after chronic RIC procedure.   CONCLUSION This study investigated the role that RIC plays in AIS recovery, especially in motor function. RIC may have beneficial effects on lower limbs recovery by enhancing the EGF level. The effect of RIC on motor recovery should be further validated in future studies.
Considering the harmful effects of smoking on oral and dental health, our aim was to investigate the oral and dental health status of people in the city of Bandare-Kong, Iran, and its relationship to smoking. This cross-sectional population-based study used baseline data from the Bandare-Kong Cohort Study. A total of 4063 participants aged 35-70 years were included in this study. Using Stata17 software, negative binomial regression was employed to identify factors related to the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index. The association between smoking status and DMFT was assessed by the adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR). Of the 4063 participants, 987 (24.29%) used cigarettes, hookahs, or both. The mean ± standard error (SE) DMFT index in all subjects was 11.08 ± 0.15; it was 14.17 ± 0.53 for cigarette smokers and 12.39 ± 0.37 for hookah users (p < 0.001). After adjusting for other variables, the rate of DMFT for cigarette smokers was 0.33 (IRR: 1.33; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.22, 1.44), which was higher than for those who did not use cigarettes. The rate of DMFT for those who used cigarettes, hookahs, or both was 0.11 (IRR: 1.11; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.18), which was also higher than for those who did not smoke. Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for oral health complaints. Although the rate of DMFT was increased in hookah smokers, it was not a predictor of dental problems. However, we suggest that hookah use be included in educational policies to control oral and dental diseases.
As a single case study, this paper shows how the discrepancy between the thin-ideal body image and the real body can drive processes that form the neoliberal subject. Data were collected through qualitative, open and semi-structured interviews. The results show how the thin-ideal body image can function as a power technology by exhibiting a normalized and homogeneous ideal body that stimulates critical reflective processes about oneself, which can lead to practices of transformation of the body itself, contributing to form subjects that  are receptive to the neoliberal impulse. Finally, we point out some pedagogical implications for the development of liberating technologies of the self, aimed at self-knowledge and increasing critical awareness.
Abstract Central visual field screening of 2223 eyes without field defects was conducted with the Friedmann Visual Field Analyser Mark II. There was wide variation in the filter setting at which all stimuli were seen and in the working threshold relative to the recommended age filter. The ability to see all stimuli at settings higher than the age filter was found in 803 eyes (36.1%). The difference between mean working threshold and the age filter ranged from 0.22 to 0.40 log units, being greatest in middle age groups. The performance of the screener in correctly identifying normal eyes was thus improved with the working threshold approach, as the criterion for depression of sensitivity was an individually determined threshold.
Purpose: To improve preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma with MR imaging, using a double-contrast technique. Material and Methods: Imaging was performed in 12 patients before and after i.v. injection of Gd-DTPA and rectal administration of a superparamagnetic contrast medium, mainly containing magnetite. The diagnostic information was evaluated and compared with findings at surgery and histopathological analysis. Results: The superparamagnetic contrast medium enema caused a distension of the rectum and intraluminal signal void, whereas Gd-DTPA enhanced the mucosa in T1-weighted images. This allowed an evaluation of the normal rectal wall and separation of the mucosa, tunica muscularis and perirectal space in all cases, which was not possible in T1- or T2-weighted precontrast images. The rectal carcinoma could be delineated and tumor invasion to the rectal wall determined in all cases. The findings in postcontrast MR corresponded with the findings at histopathological examination in 11 of 12 patients. The histopathological examination in one patient revealed metastases (<1 cm) in regional lymph nodes, too small to be identified in pre- or postcontrast MR images. Conclusion: Double-contrast-enhanced MR imaging allows evaluation of the normal rectal wall and preoperative staging of rectal carcinoma.
This paper presents an active noise cancellation technique for recovering wearable biosensor signals corrupted by bodily motion. A finger mounted photoplethysmograph (PPG) ring sensor with a collocated MEMS accelerometer is considered. The system by which finger acceleration disturbs PPG output is identified and a means of modeling this relationship is prescribed using either FIR or Laguerre models. This means of modeling motivates the use of a recursive least squares active noise cancellation technique using the MEMS accelerometer reading as an input for a FIR or Laguerre model. The model parameters are identified and tuned in real time to minimize the power of the recovered PPG signal. Experiments show that the active noise cancellation method can recover pulse information from PPG signals corrupted with up to 2G of acceleration with 85% improvement in mean squared error.
In the study or spatial patterns, the statistic I'=(n − 1) s 2 /x was commonly used. In this paper, we round that x − s 2 has an approximated normal distribution with zero mean if the x ' i s(i=1 to n) are independent identically distributed Poisson variables. Based on this conclusion, the hypothesis that a point pattern is completely random can be tested directly. And a method for the test or spatial patterns was proposed which can be sued as an alternative to the Chi-square based dispersion index test
SUMMARY This paper presents on-chip characterization of electrostatic discharge (ESD) impacts applied on the Si-substrate backside of a flip-chip mounted integrated circuit (FC-IC) chip. An FC-IC chip has an open backside and there is a threat of reliability problems and malfunctions caused by the backside ESD. We prepared a test FC-IC chip and measured Si-substrate voltage fluctuations on its frontside by an on-chip monitor (OCM) circuit. The voltage surges as large as 200 mV were observed on the frontside when a 200-V ESD gun was irradiated through a 5 kΩ contact resistor on the backside of a 350 µm thick Si substrate. The distribution of voltage heights was experimentally measured at 20 on-chip locations among thinned Si substrates up to 40 µm, and also explained in full-system level simulation of backside ESD impacts with the equivalent models of ESD-gun operation and FC-IC chip assembly.
Drs Cadamy and Booth condemn the use of rocuronium at rapid sequence induction (RSI) and advocate a propofol/alfentanil regimen as an alternative to thiopentone/suxamethonium (Anaesthesia 1999; 54: 817). Although a number of studies involving healthy subjects have shown that tracheal intubation can indeed be performed without neuromuscular block, there is no evidence that such propofol/opioid techniques are safe in those elderly and unfit patients undergoing RSI who will be less tolerant of the likely concomitant hypotension. I believe that the emergency patient whose trachea proves difficult to intubate runs a greater risk of hypoxaemia and aspiration from waning suxamethonium block as opposed to continuing profound nondepolarising block with rocuronium. A partially paralysed patient bucking and straining will consume large amounts of oxygen. Huge increases in intragastric pressure have been measured [1]. I suggest that partial recovery from suxamethonium has the potential to turn a difficult intubation into a failed intubation, and ‘can’t intubate, can ventilate’ into ‘can’t intubate, can’t ventilate’. The timecourse of recovery from suxamethonium block is of course unpredictable [2]. Benumof and colleagues have warned against relying on recovery from suxamethonium to enable a patient to breathe adequately before critical desaturation occurs [3]. The lack of concordance in the practice of RSI and management of failed intubation has been highlighted recently [4]. Adoption of rocuronium at RSI means that the anaesthetist is committed to maintaining oxygenation by positive pressure ventilation. However, sustained optimal conditions will be afforded for unhurried successful tracheal intubation or placement of a Combitube/LMA. The guaranteed absence of pharyngeal and laryngeal reflexes must surely increase the likelihood of safe airway management without provocation of vomiting/ regurgitation. Rocuronium is an immunologically clean drug, devoid of the catalogue of potential complications peculiar to suxamethonium. Randomised trials of suxamethonium vs. rocuronium in elective and emergency patients undergoing RSI have confirmed that rocuronium 1.0 mg.kgÿ1 provides intubating conditions clinically equivalent to suxamethonium 1.0 mg.kgÿ1 after 60 s [5, 6]. Although there are as yet no published comparisons of morbidity following unanticipated difficult tracheal intubation at RSI with the two agents, I believe that continued unquestioning faith in the ‘safety’ of suxamethonium, based on its (unpredictable) spontaneous offset, is unwarranted.
Water soluble salts accumulated at the soybean (Glycine max L.) root-soil interface and in the rhizosphere soil when salts, dissolved in the soil solution, moved to the root surface at a greater rate than they were absorbed by the roots. Salt accumulation increased with increase of salt concentration in the soil solution and transpiration rate. The average salt accumulation decreased with increase in the average age of the roots.
The growth of melon plant requires soil rich in organic matter, well drainage, and soil pH 6.0 – 7.0. The adverse conditions are found on mostly red-yellow podsolic of Ultisol. The objective of this research was to evaluate the application of goat manure and dolomite on growth and yield of melon. The research was held from June until September 2015 in Kandang Limun, Bengkulu City.  Completely Randomized Design was arranged involving goat manure doses consisted of 0 kg polybag -1 , 3 kg polybag -1 , and 6 kg polybag -1 . Another factor was that the dose of dolomite consisted of 0 g polybag -1 (0 tons ha -1 ), 100 g polybag -1 (2 tons ha -1 ) and 200 g polybag -1 (4 tons ha -1 ). Treatments were replicated three times; each experimental unit consisted of 4 polybags of plants. The result of this research revealed no interaction between goat manure and dolomite in affecting the vegetative growth of plants. The interaction between goat manure and dolomite was found affecting fruit weight, fruit diameter and the thickness of the edible fruit part. The highest values for fruit weight, fruit diameter, and edible fruit thickness were achieved on 3 kg polybag -1 goat manure and 200 g polybag -1 dolomite treatment, which were 725.25 g, 17.14 cm, and  2.99 cm respectively. Goat manure dose of 6 kg polybag -1 increased stem diameter (5.5 mm) and fruit sweetness (8.09 0 Brix) compared to treatment without manure which was 5.43 mm and 7.31 0 Brix.
The study was targeted to apply mass spectrometry analysis for inter-specific differentiation of collection strains of representatives of genus vibrio and identification of comma bacilli extracted from samples of boat ballast waters. The samples consisted of 207 museum strains of cultures and 347 microorganisms from samples of boat ballast waters. The identification ofmicroorganisms was implemented using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers. The application of MALDI biotyping made it possible to detect inaccuracies in specific and generic characteristics of collection strains V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, Shewanella, V. mimicus and to enhance characteristic and quality of collections of microorganisms. The effective application of MALDI to monitor boat ballast waters is demonstrated. This technique allows detecting of complete vibrio landscape of pathogenic and non pathogenic genus. The possibility to detect strains of comma bacillus and cholera agents is demonstrated. The mode of orientation on V. albensis at the stage of selection of suspicious colonies is proposed.
Herbivore-induced volatile (HIV) plays an important role in tritrophic system that included the host plant, herbivore and parasitoid. This is a very active area of research with the majority of studies conducted since 1990. In this paper, I will review what is known about the clarity, specificity and timing of HIV, and its role in recruiting the parasitoids of herbivore. It may offer some references for the study and application of parasitoids in biological control of pest.
Our industrial civilization is at a crossroads. Oil and the other fossil fuel energies that make up the industrial way of life are sunsetting, and the technologies made from and propelled by these energies are antiquated. The entire industrial infrastructure built off of fossil fuels is aging and in disrepair. The result is that unemployment is rising to dangerous levels all over the world. Governments, businesses and consumers are awash in debt and living standards are declining everywhere. A record one billion human beings — nearly one seventh of the human race—face hunger and starvation. Worse, climate change from fossil fuel-based industrial activity looms on the horizon, imperiling our own species’ very ability to survive. Since the beginning of the Great Recession in the summer of 2008, governments, the business community, and civil society have been embroiled in a fierce debate over how to restart the global economy. While austerity measures and fiscal, labor, and market reforms will all be necessary, they are not sufficient to re-grow the economy. Let me explain by way of an anecdote. Just months after arriving in office, the new Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, asked me to come to Berlin to help her administration address the question of how to create new jobs and grow the German economy in the twentyfirst century. I began my remarks by asking the chancellor, “How do you grow the German economy, the EU economy, or, for that matter, the global economy, in the last stages of a great energy era and an industrial revolution built on it?” It is becoming increasingly clear that the Second Industrial Revolution is dying and that industrial induced CO2 emissions are threatening the viability of life on Earth. What we need now is a bold new economic narrative that can take us into a sustainable post-carbon future. Finding that new vision requires an understanding of the technological forces that precipitate the profound transformations in society.
Cryptococcus neoformans is an important fungal pathogen causing invasive infection, especially of the central nervous system in this era of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The choice of treatment depends on site(s) of infection and the patient's immune status. Use of appropriate antifungal agents decreases mortality significantly, but requires continued therapy and long-term maintenance to prevent relapses. The use of liposomal amphotericin B (L Amp B) has overcome some of the difficulties usually found in this setting. The major advantage of these liposomal formulations are faster clearance of C. neoformans [cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) negative] and a reduction in amphotericin toxicity. The majority of clinical efficacy data related to L Amp B are derived from compassionate use studies and case series. Use of liposomal amphotericin has also shown to be a cost effective approach.
Sol-gel and microwave combusion method were used to prepare CoFe2O4 nanosized powders.The crystal structure of fine powders has been investigated by X-ray diffraction.Compared to sol-gel method,the formation time of ferrite by microwave combusion method can be shortened enormously.Furthermore,with prodlonging combustion time,a small amount of impure phase appears.M?ssbauer spectra were measured and the ultrafine parameters were compared for two methods.
The ability to exert complex locomotor behaviors requires precise guidance of sensory and motor fibers to the extremities resulting in the formation of precise peripheral networks. The axon guidance receptor Neuropilin-1 plays a critical role for fasciculation, guidance decisions, and coupling of growth of these heterotypic fiber systems, mediating axon-environment, axon-axon, and axon-Schwann cell interactions. Validation and characterization of the expression patterns of candidate genes previously predicted by a whole-genome expression analysis of differentially projecting sensory and motor neurons further contributes to the decipherment of molecular mechanisms that govern sensory-motor network formation.
OBJECTIVE To observe the therapeutic effects of Qinggan Huatan Huoxue Recipe (QHHR) on patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).   METHODS One hundred and fifty NASH patients were randomly assigned to the treatment group (78 cases) and the control group (72 cases). QHHR was given to patients in the treatment groups, while Danning Tablet was given to those in the control group. The therapeutic course for all was three months. Before and after treatment changes of clinical symptoms and physical signs, liver imageology, liver functions, blood lipids, and insulin resistance index (IRI) were observed.   RESULTS Compared with before treatment, obvious improvement of clinical symptoms, weight, body mass index (BMI), liver functions, blood lipids, and integral of liver ultrasound B was obtained in the two groups (P < 0.05). The IRI of the treatment group was significantly reduced after treatment (P < 0.05). Better effects were obtained in lowering the body weight, BMI, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), integral of liver ultrasound B, and the total effective rate (P < 0.05).   CONCLUSIONS QHHR had definite effects on NASH. Its therapeutic effects were better than Danning Tablet.
In this paper we present a review of the muroid succession in the late Turolian basins of Spain. The basins of Fortuna, Mula and Teruel, as well as isolated localities like Almenara-M, are taken into account in this analysis. Five main events, recording the entry of Stephanomys, Parasaidomys, Paraethomys, Protatera and aff. Protatera sp., are recognized. The new genus Parasaidomys is described for the new species P. kowalskii and other populations of large murids that are found in the lowermost late Turolian levels of the Fortuna and Teruel basins. The dispersal events in the Spanish late Turolian are the result of the commingling of two major zoogeographic realms. The first, of mainly northern Palaearctic character, includes the dispersals of Apodemus, Rhagapodemus, Pseudocricetus and perhaps Paraethomys. The second, corresponding to an Afro-Asiatic province, includes the entry of Parasaidomys in the very early late Turolian and the entry of Protatera, Myocricetodon, Pseudomeriones, Calomyscus and others at the end of this mammal stage.
The third edition of the directory of electronic adjustable speed drives (ASDs) manufacturers and applications features significant enhancements over the 1987 edition. This edition of the Directory, in addition to updating the information presented in previous editions, includes new sections dealing with power quality-related aspects of ASD applications, and trends, successful implementations of ASDs in the utility industry (power plant environment), and applications in the industrial and commercial sectors. Advances in power electronic components and circuits have made electronic ASDs more attractive today than they were a few years ago. They are significantly more reliable, more affordable, and are generally equipped with advanced user-friendly diagnostics and control systems. The incremental costs of adding advanced features are normally very reasonable. The electric utility industry, through the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), is pursuing its efforts to make end users ASD-aware'' by bringing all facets of electronic ASD designs and their applications to the forefront. With that objective in mind, this edition of the Directory brings forward issues related to component ratings, harmonics, transients, and most importantly, guidelines for successful ASD implementations. It is hoped that end users will utilize the information provided in this document when specifying and evaluating the availablemore » products and in selecting those that best meet their individual application needs.« less
1960년대 문학장에 제출된 4·19세대의 서정주론은 다양한 스펙트럼을 보이지만 4·19가 환기시켜준, 권위에 대한 도전의식을 공유한다. 서정주로 대표되는 보수문단은 전통주의를 발판으로 ‘문학/정치’ 혹은 ‘순수/참여’의 이분법을 활용하면서 ‘순수문학’의 독점적이고 배타적 영토를 구축하며 권력화 해왔다. 서정주론을 매개로 4·19세대 비평가들이 수행한 세대론적 인정투쟁은 새로운 시대의 요청에 어떻게 부합하느냐와 결부된 ‘자기정체화’를 위한 실험이자 각축이기도 했다. 1960년대 서정주의 시를 두고, 영문학적 전통에 기반한 김우창은 지성적 구조의 결여를, 전통의 계승문제를 고민했던 한국문학연구자 조동일은 역사주의적 시각의 부재를 지적했다. 그런데 이 시기 김현의 서정주론은 한국문학사에 존재했던 불교적 표상을 통해 ‘한국적 이념형’의 가능성을 모색하려는 과도한 열망 때문에 해석에서의 균열이 발생한다. 전통과 모더니즘, 역사주의에 대한 태도에 따라 견해의 차이가 존재하지만, 그들 모두 1960년대 담론장을 지배했던 ‘순수/참여’의 이분법적 구도의 부적절함을 지적하고 그 경계를 해체하려 했다는 점은 주목할 만하다. 이 글은 신세대 비평가들의 전공과 문학관, 연구방법론 등의 학문적 기반의 차이를 고려하면서, 그들이 서정주론을 통해 무엇을 타자화하고 어떻게 자신들의 문학적 정체성을 구축해나가는지를 탐색한다.
In this paper we present experiences from an ongoing inves tigation of whether Bombardier Transportation a company within the railbound vehicle domain can beni t from in troducing object oriented modeling and design into the de velopment of train applications or not Bombardier Trans portation administrates a broad set of safety critical prod ucts today including for instance autonomous trains and high speed trains The investigation was carried out as a pilot project focusing on tool support for the modeling lan guage UML taking also emergent safety requirements and software reuse into consideration However not only tech nical issues are dealt with the paper also discusses how to receive acceptance from the organization and how an orga nization may be a ected by introducing software reuse and safety requirements The results are presented as a set of ndings we have made when using UML and the modeling tool Rhapsody throughout the software development pro cess In particular we report the results in the perspective of safety related software and how such a methodology facil itates and harmonizes with existing safety standards The results from the investigating has so far been well received from the organization
We review recent studies on management practices and their consequences for women in the workplace. First, the High Performance Work System (HPWS) is associated with greater gender diversity in the workplace while there is little evidence that the HPWS reduces the gender pay gap. Second, work-life balance practices with limited face-to-face interactions with coworkers may hamper women’s career advancement. Third, individual incentive linking pay to objective performance may enhance gender diversity while individual incentive with subjective performance may have an opposite effect. Fourth, a rat race model with working hours as a signal of the worker’s commitment is a promising way to explain the gender gap in promotions. Fifth, corporate social responsibility practices may increase gender diversity. We temper the findings by identifying three major methodological challenges: (i) how to measure management practices; (ii) how to account for endogeneity of management practices; and (iii) how to minimize selection bias.
This paper investigates a means of detecting the reaction of aquatic vertebrates to environmental change by recording behavioral patterns within the diurnal activity. An apparatus measuring the activity of Jordanella floridae, Goode and Bean, using a photoelectric sensor system is described. Individual sensors monitored specific areas of the test aquarium that had special significance to the fish in the way of a particular behavioral category. An event recorder documented the breakage of light beams, giving continuous and accurately timed data of activity. Two distinct patterns of activity were recognized; a control, or typical, pattern, and a pattern resulting from the administration of a large (10°C) change in environmental temperature. Modifications in the diurnal behavior were consistent with reactions that could be adaptive for the species under similar conditions in nature.
Thrombosis of the internal jugular and subclavian vein is often caused by central venous catheters. We report on a 39-year-old patient suffering from clinically suspected thrombosis of the internal jugular and subclavian veins. Thrombosis was confirmed by B-mode-sonography. The development of thrombosis in this case as a consequence of a central venous catheter and of an additional continuous i.v. treatment with human granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is discussed.
Introduction  The vast majority of apple production in Europe takes place in intensive orchards, this implies the need for intensive capital investment for support structures which then have to be used for a number of generations of trees. Consequently new orchards have to be replanted in the same place as previous plots. This causes soil sickness or yield decline of which “replant disease” is the main biological component. Resulting yield losses are difficult to assess; a recent study in South Tyrol, where 12% of total EU apple is produced, showed that growth reduction can vary from 20 to 60% in replanted orchard compared to fallow control. Severity of this etiology is mediated by plant vigour, physiological state of plants and abiotic factors. Therefore, its occurrence is actually an indicator for fruit growers of the degraded status of biological soil processes. The only effective strategy to control replant disease and crop decline in organic fruit tree orchards is to increase soil diversity, and consequently, the various microbial processes involved in controlling soil borne pathogens, enhancing root growth and mediating plant nutrition.    Methods  BIO-INCROP, an European transnational project on organic farming, aims to increase knowledge about agro-management practices based on the study of microbial factors involved in soil suppressiveness and biological soil fertility. Project activities are planned on two reference crops: apple and citrus, which represent two main European agro-environments: apple growing areas of Central Europe (Switzerland, Germany, South Tyrol in Italy and Styria in Austria) and Mediterranean citrus growing areas (Valencia region in Spain and the East Mediterranean region of Turkey).    Research Actions of the project focus on exploitation of two main categories of natural resources in order to develop innovative cropping practices which will enable soil biodiversity preservation and exploit its biological features. They are:  1. Biological resources indigenous to the orchard soil represented by microbial communities and wild plants of natural vegetative covers.  2. Natural resources exogenous to the orchards; in particular, recycled organic materials and cover crops chosen from local germoplasm collections and wild plants.  Early evaluation of soil health based on plant response in greenhouse bioassay tests and culture-based and molecular methods for microbial response evaluation, are the integrated methodologies used to identify natural resources and techniques capable of increasing microbial biomass and diversity and selectively affecting beneficial and pathogenic microbial populations. Each country’s activities is planned in close cooperation with regional agricultural research centres working on organic farming and laboratories with specific expertise.    Expected results  The main objectives and expected results of the project are:  1. To provide indicators of degradation status and risk for replant disease occurrence in the orchards.  2. To promote the use of indigenous or external resources for developing innovative management options aimed at i) selectively increasing the components of soil suppressiveness, ii) preserving and increasing soil microbial biomass and diversity.  3. To integrate the national guidelines for certified organic production with agro-management strategies based on eco-functional intensification of organic cropping systems.  4. To provide knowledge for supporting: i) critical adoption by farmers and local extension services of available organic amendments and bio-products ii) the development of soil management practices aimed at increasing soil suppressiveness according to available natural resources and environmental conditions.    Financial support for BIO-INCROP project provided by the CORE Organic II Funding Bodies, being partners of the FP7 ERA-Net project, (project no. 249667)
The trucking sector in the US has been receiving considerable attention from regulatory agencies that are seeking to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. In California, Heavy-Duty trucks are now required to be retrofitted with certain Fuel Saving Technologies (low rolling resistance tires and aerodynamic deflectors), and at the national level emission standards have been introduced that force manufactures to improve the technology of new trucks. This paper finds that these programs are likely to reduce costs as well as emissions, because extensive evidence shows that most trucking firms are not making these seemingly cost-effective investments in efficiency on their own. This corroborates many previous studies and supports the rational for these government programs. However, while effective and desirable at first, this regulatory approach based on mandates has shortcomings in the long-run. This paper develops a roadmap for how emission reductions can be achieved in more sophisticated and efficient ways moving forward, based on the results of a policy simulation using a model of the trucking sector and an understanding of the factors causing this ‘efficiency gap’ (e.g. split incentives, uncertainty, search costs, financial constraints). Results indicate that California’s 2020 emission target can be achieved by implementing other interventions that sidestep the root causes of the efficiency gap just as the technology mandates, such as increasing weight limits and managing trucking demand. However, moving past 2020 it is necessary to tackle the efficiency gap directly, to reduce emissions and allow for the introduction of incentives-based interventions that harness market forces (e.g fuel taxes and technology subsidies). To produce even stronger incentives towards efficiency, strategy complementarity could be exploited and efforts should likely be coordinated at the national level.
On 11/12 January 2018, we held the inaugural conference on the future of legal services . This event emerged from a “back of the envelope” sketch at a coffee break at Harvard Law School in 2017. Leo Staub, John Flood and Peter Lederer were there for the LawWithoutWalls kickoff. They were talking about the changes facing the world of law. While there is an abundance of lectures, papers, and hackathons, there is rarely a chance to simply have an extended dialogue. They decided to change that - and here we are! An amazing group from the cutting edge in academia, corporate and legal practice, and the world of alternative legal service providers gathered in St. Gallen and contributed their thoughts on the developments in legal service that we are facing. This publication shares the insights gathered during these few valuable days.
We have made two-dimensional simulation of turn-on characteristics of recessed-gate and buried-gate GaAs MESFETs, and studied how the gate-lag or the slow current transient (which may occur due to surface states) is affected by the recess-structural parameters and the off-state gate voltage VGoff. It is shown that when VGoff is around the threshold voltage (pinch-off voltage) Vth, the gate-lag could be greatly reduced by introducing the buried-gate structure. However, it is suggested that large gate-lag might be seen when VGoff is much more negative than Vth.
The survival rate of under-five children can determine how healthy the health care system is. Myanmar is a country which consistently endeavoring to attain its health objectives Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. The study on socioeconomic and individual level with the focus of national level was not available enough. However, recommendations from the previous studies encouraged more studies on determinants of under-five mortalities and regional disparities within the country. It is the reason why this study is conducted, and it will address determinants on general, emphasizing on socioeconomic factors at individual level and regional disparities associated with infant and under-five mortality in Myanmar. The results showed that mothers did not use contraceptive methods and preceding birth interval are significant determinants of infant, child and under-five mortalities. On the other hand, children who are breastfed have lower risk of death by 11.6 percent in infancy period and 12.4 percent in below underfive aged in comparison with children who are not. The twin child, short birth interval, father who worked in manual workers and mothers with no using contraceptives, birth order, size of baby after delivery, skilled birth attendant, caesarean born child, mothers who did not work outside were found to be significant predictors of infant mortality. Children from hilly, dry and delta ecological zone had a higher risk of under-five mortality in Myanmar. Keyworks: Infant, Child, Under-five mortalities, Myanmar. 1 No.208, New Sang Thong Court, Bangrak, Bangkok
A 67-year-old male was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer. A computed tomography scan showed multiple intra-abdominal lymphadenopathies. Because the tumor was thought to be unresectable, we initiated chemotherapy. Twelve months later, the patient was admitted to our hospital because of hematemesis. Gastroduodenoscopy revealed oozing bleeding from the esophageal tumor. Hemostasis was not achieved with conservative treatment, and frequent blood transfusions were required. Endoscopic hemostasis was difficult to achieve because of the malignant esophageal stenosis. To treat the malignant esophageal stricture and esophageal tumor bleeding, we attempted to insert an esophageal covered self-expandable metallic stent. After the procedure, hemostasis was achieved by mechanical tamponade. Here we report a rare case of esophageal tumor bleeding that was managed with mechanical tamponade using an esophageal covered self-expandable metallic stent.
Data quality poses an important challenge to corporate data management and is a critical success factor for organizations. A lack of it can deteriorate business operations and impair corporate decision-making and innovation. Numerous data cleaning tools have emerged from literature and practice to address this issue by detecting data errors and deriving data quality rules for data validation. However, existing solutions are often limited in their usability and have a rather technical scope. The body of literature lacks the prescriptive knowledge necessary for designing data cleaning tools. To address this shortcoming, we applied an Action Design Research approach to develop a customized data cleaning tool for detecting data errors and deriving data quality rules within master data sets at Boehringer Ingelheim. In this paper, we summarize our lessons learned in the form of generalized design principles, which support the design of future data cleaning tools.
There are already too many introductory articles on Khovanov homology and certainly another is not needed. On the other hand by now - 15 years after the invention of subject - it is quite easy to get lost after having taken those first few steps. What could be useful is a rough guide to some of the developments over that time and the summer school Quantum Topology at the CIRM in Luminy has provided the ideal opportunity for thinking about what such a guide should look like. It is quite a risky undertaking because it is all too easy to offend by omission, misrepresentation or other. I have not attempted a complete literature survey and inevitably these notes reflects my personal view, jaundiced as it may often be. My apologies for any offence caused. I would like to express my warm thanks to Lukas Lewark, Alex Shumakovitch, Liam Watson and Ben Webster.
This paper examines the role of fairness and how it shapes a user’s view in IT-enabled change. Drawing from several fairness theories, components of fairness are identified and examined in two studies. The first study examines the role of fairness through user interviews and finds that all five components of fairness are considered by users in enterprise system implementations. The second study operationalizes and analyzes the components of fairness through a questionnaire distributed to users. This second study finds that fairness is comprised of all five components that were proposed and a significant relationship exists with user dissatisfaction. The two studies lead to a new theoretical perspective and provide practical implications regarding the role of fairness in IT-enabled change and their strategic implications. there are many technical and business reasons for why organizations choose to implement ESs to enable organizational change (Burns, Jung, & Hoffman, 2009; Klaus, Wingreen, & Blanton, 2010; Markus & Tanis, 2000). The dynamic business environment requires most organizations to change to stay competitive, and managers have often facilitated major organizational changes through an ES implementation. However, there are many articles that report costly ES implementation failures which do not meet the expected return on investment (Bingi, Sharma, & Godla, 1999; Robey, Ross, & Boudreau, 2002; Stein, 1999) and others that discuss outright failure (Hill, 2003; Krasner, 2000; Maurer, 2002). DOI: 10.4018/joeuc.2011070101 2 Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 23(3), 1-25, July-September 2011 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. In an attempt to minimize failures, there have been quite a few studies that have addressed critical success factors to ES implementations (Akkermans & Van Helden, 2002; Gupta, 2000; Nah & Lau, 2001; Rao, 2000; Sternad, Bobek, Dezelak, & Lampret, 2009; Stratman & Roth, 2002; Willcocks & Sykes, 2000). These studies have described critical success factors that are related to the technology, commitment of management, process changes, project management and other areas. Despite these recommendations, however, there continue to be ES implementations which outright fail or do not reap the projected benefits. One particular issue that has been described as “the root of many enterprise software project failures” (Hill, 2003, p. 1) is user resistance. Other studies also describe the significant impact user resistance has on ES implementation failures (Barker & Frolick, 2003; Robey et al., 2002; Umble & Umble, 2002). User dissatisfaction with various implementation issues is primarily the reason for user resistance (Hirschheim & Newman, 1988; Klaus & Blanton, 2010). This study explores concepts which may help to explain user dissatisfaction, an antecedent of user resistance. Previous studies have examined a variety of issues that have led to user dissatisfaction. However, previous research has not examined the role of various aspects of fairness in an implementation. Fairness is definitely not the only predictor of user attitudes, but this study proposes that it may be an important factor in explaining the level of user resistance based on several reasons: 1) An ES implementation affects employees in many different ways with some employees bearing the brunt of the change due to a workload redistribution; 2) Employees’ face unmet expectations as their jobs are changed and tighter management monitoring is added; and 3) Organizational procedures and reward structures are changed, affecting required job skills and causing a redistribution of workload or role expansion. Folger (1993) points out that change increases employees’ sensitivity to the level of fairness, and since an ES implementation necessitates change, employees are likely to be more sensitive to fairness based on the way they are treated. Although previous research has not tested the role of fairness in an implementation, the idea that employees’ perceived fairness may affect dissatisfaction is supported by previous studies, primarily from the organizational change literature. For example, Folger and Skarlicki (1999) and Cobb et al. (1995) argue that perceived fairness is important in explaining resistance to change. Other studies have found that when employees perceive a lack of fairness, they desire revenge and socially withdraw (Bies & Tripp, 1996), place blame and desire retribution (Sheppard, Lewicki, & Minton, 1992), are more likely to steal from the organization (Greenberg, 1990), and resist the change (Shapiro & Kirkman, 1999). CohenCharash and Spector (2001) suggests that an employee’s perception of fairness significantly affects attitudes and behaviors. Although an IT study has looked at equity (Joshi, 1990), no study was found which examines the multiple components of fairness. As previous research has not focused on the individual users’ perceptions of fairness, this paper proposes that examining the equity, justice, and psychological contract literature can provide a sound theoretical basis for understanding user attitudes in ES implementations. Previous literature has shown that if there is even one aspect of unfairness (i.e., inequity), it can cause negative attitudes (Jex, 2002). However, there also are sometimes interactive effects between multiple types of fairness (De Cremer, 2005) and thus fairness overall may be better to focus on than only individual aspects of fairness. Furthermore, this paper explores and tests the idea that fairness is an important antecedent to user attitudes in the implementation of an ES. The fairness theories used in this paper provide important, yet unused lenses by which to examine user attitudes in ES implementations. This study extends the ES implementation research by examining the fairness literature which provides an applicable, yet relatively understudied explanation to the 23 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the product's webpage: www.igi-global.com/article/understanding-userdissatisfaction/55072?camid=4v1 This title is available in InfoSci-Journals, InfoSci-Journal Disciplines Communications and Social Science, InfoSciSelect, InfoSci-Technology Adoption, Ethics, and Human Computer Interaction eJournal Collection, InfoSciManagement Science and Organizational Research eJournal Collection, InfoSci-Journal Disciplines Computer Science, Security, and Information Technology, InfoSci-Journal Disciplines Business, Administration, and Management. Recommend this product to your librarian: www.igi-global.com/e-resources/libraryrecommendation/?id=2
Objective: To explore the risk factors for hypoglycemia in hospitalized type-2 diabetic patients,provide the reference for reaching the standard of blood sugar and avoiding hypoglycemia.Methods: A total of 640 type-2 diabetic patients were collected in inpatient department of our hospital from April,2010 to December,2011.There were 132 subjects identified as hypoglycemia and 508 subjects as no hypoglycemia.The clinical data of two groups were compared and logistic regression analysis was performed to reveal the risk factors for hypoglycemia.Results: Longer duration of diabetes,longer hospital days,lower body mass index were more common in patients with hypoglycemia as compared to those without them.With logistic regression analysis,age,endogenous creatinine clearance rate,body mass index,the duration of diabetes and hospital days were independent risk factors of hypoglycemia(P 0.05).Conclusion: In hospitalized type-2 diabetic patients,longer duration of diabetes,longer hospital days,lower body mass index and renal dysfunction increase the hypoglycemia.On the other hand,longer hospital days may make the exposure of hypoglycemia.So clinical practitioners should adopt measure to balance the hyperglycemia therapy and hypoglycemia.
Objective To explore the application value of Roy adaptation model in patients of refractory pleural effusion with lung cancer undergone continuous thoracic drainage with central venous catheter. Methods 40 cases of refractory pleural effusion with lung cancer undergone continuous thoracic drainage with central venous catheter were selected as the research object.Roy adaptation model was implemented.The main causes for refusing to continuous chest drainage,the score of Hamilton anxiety scale,Zung depression score and recognition degree of central venous continuous chest drainage before and after intervention was compared. Results The rate of refusing to continuous chest drainage because of the fear of pain,fear of infection and pneumothorax,pessimistic sense of suicide after intervention was lower than that before intervention,with significant difference(P0.05).The score of Hamilton anxiety scale and Zung depression was lower than that before intervention,with significant difference(P0.05).The rates of active cooperation after intervention was 57.5%,which was higher than 27.5% before intervention,with significant difference(P0.05).The rates of Refusing to implement after intervention was 5.0%,which was lower than 30.0% before intervention,with significant difference(P0.05). Conclusion Roy adaptation model can effectively guide the nurses to assess the psychological status of the patients and discovery the reason of refusing treatment causes,so it can improve compliance of treatment.
Objective To investigate the efficacy of laparoscopy combined with the local drug injection on tubal pregnancy.Methods 45 cases of unruptured tubal pregnancy in our hospital were as the therapeutic group.42 cases at the same period were as the control group.The therapeutic group received laparoscopic fenestration or extrusion of tubal pregnancy combined with the local injection of adrenaline and methotrexate in oviduct.The control one received laparoscopy and the local injection of methotrexate in muscle.Results The intraoperative hemorrhage and recoverable time of HCG in the therapeutic group were less than that of the control one.The difference was significantly different(P0.05).The postoperative rate of unobstructed oviduct in 2 groups had not statistically difference(P0.05).The incidence rate of postoperative persistent ectopic pregnancy in the therapeutic group was lower than that of the control group,and the difference was not statistically different(P0.05).Conclusion The combined treatment of laparoscopy and local injection of adrenaline and methotrexate in oviduct has satisfactory effect for unruptured tubal pregnancy,and it is safe and feasible.
This paper provides a summary of our recent work on the problem of combined estima­ tion and control of systems described by finite state, hidden Markov models. We establish the stochastic framework for the problem, formulate a separated control policy with risksensitive cost functional, describe an estimation scheme for the parameters of the hidden Markov model that describes the plant, and finally indicate how the combined estimation and control problem can be re-formulated in a framework that permits an application of stochastic approximation techniques to the proof of asymptotic convergence of the estima­ tor.
A new combined method for an investigation of the MHD activities in fusion experiments has been developed. The main advantages of this approach are the simultaneous use of several diagnostics (magnetic probes, soft X-ray cameras, electron cyclotron emission and motional Stark effect diagnostics) and the possibility for a direct comparison of theory predictions with the experimental observations. This method has been implemented into the MHD Interpretation Code (MHD-IC) and allows to investigate complicated mode structures which are not resolved by the available tools (tomography etc.). The code simulates experimental observations related to a given plasma perturbation for the diagnostics mentioned above, accounting for real plasma geometry and for measured plasma parameters. Then the calculated values are compared with the corresponding experimental data. The method has been successfully applied to different types of MHD instabilities on ASDEX Upgrade. For example, the investigation of fishbone activities in the conventional scenario shows that the displacement eigenfunction is an ideal (1,1) kink mode which get a resistive character for $ beta_{N} > 1.8$. The main analysis efforts however were focused on more demanding examples due to the more complicated mode structure in advanced tokamak scenarios. As an example, in this case the displacement eigenfunction for double tearing modes (DTM) was obtained using MHD-IC code. The growth rate of the DTM calculated from the displacement eigenfunction agrees well with numerical MHD simulations and the experiment. The time evolution of a MHD instabilities which accompanies the formation of internal transport barriers was investigated as well. It shows the behavior of two coupled (2,1) modes. Furthermore, the MHD activity causing a disruption was investigated in typical reversed shear discharges on ASDEX Upgrade. The main reason for the disruptions is an external mode or an internal (3,1) tearing mode. In addition, the structure and the position of the observed MHD phenomena are applied to improve the equilibrium reconstruction. This betterment is especially important in the plasma core region where the large error bars of the MSE measurements do not allow for an accurate determination of the q-profile.
FIELD: information technologies. SUBSTANCE: method includes detection of whether information on media parametres supported by calling party is received in message of call initialisation, and if information on media parametres supported by calling party is not received, transfer of special message to receiving party on the basis of function of service change and transfer to reserve mode, receipt of information on media parametres supported by receiving party in response to this message, processing of information on media parametres supported by receiving party, and completion of procedure of call establishment in compliance with media parameters supported by calling party and receiving party. EFFECT: elimination of high cost of connection for receiving party, if calling party in roaming mode. 37 cl, 6 dwg
The research on urban metabolic efficiency is important to urban sustainable development.In this paper,metabolic efficiencies of 31Chinese cities in 2010are investigated by the Principal Component Analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis(DEA).The results show that Chinese urban metabolic efficiencies vary with different geographical characteristics and the western cities have more non-DEA metabolic efficiencies.These non-DEA efficient cities need to improve slacks in the non-renewable resource inputs,economic outputs and undesirable outputs.Finally,the suggestions on sustainable development of urban metabolic systems are also proposed.
We study the Ising model on a general Cayley tree of arbitrary order and produce the phase diagram with competing interactions prolonged next-nearest-neighbour Jp and one-level k-tuple next-nearest-neighbour Jo . Vannimenus proved the existence of modulated phase in the phase diagram of Ising model with competing nearest-neighbour interaction J1 and prolonged next-nearest-neighbour interactions Jp, as found for similar models on periodic lattices. Later Mariz et al generalized this result for Ising model with Jo ≠ 0. For a given lattice model on a Cayley tree, i.e., Jp ≠ 0; Jo ≠ 0 with J1 = 0, we describe the general equation, phase diagram and clarify the role of nearest-neighbour interaction J1. In the presence of nearest-neighbour interaction J1, Vannimenus demonstrated that for arbitrary random initial data one can reach the same phase diagram. We show that in the case J1 = 0 the set of all possible initial data can reach different phase diagrams
Physiological characteristics ofluminous bacteria isolated fromtheMediterranean andGulfofElatwerecompared todetermine their relationship tothe specific seasonal andgeographic distribution patterns ofthese bacteria. The effects oftemperature ongrowth rateandyield, relative sensitivity tophotooxidation, resistance tohighsalt concentration (8%), andability togrowinnutrientpoorconditions appear tocontrol thesepatterns. Thewinter appearance of Photobacterium fischeri andthesuccession ofwinter andsummertypesof Beneckea harveyi intheeastemMediterranean areexplained bydifferent temperature requirements forgrowth. Sensitivity tophotooxidation explains the disappearance ofP.leiognathi, present inthemainbodyoftheGulfofElat throughout theyear, fromtheshallow coastal strip. B.harveyi ispresent inthis coastal strip whichishigher innutrients andinproductivity thantheopenwaters. Competition experiments between B.harveyi andP.leiognathi inbatchand continuous culture indicate thattheoligotrophic P.leiognathi isoutcompeted by B.harveyi inrichandeveninrelatively poormedia. Thedistribution pattem foundintheBardawil hypersaline lagoon isexplained byselection ofsalinityresistant mutants ofB.harveyi fromtheMediterranean Sea. Luminous marine bacteria showacharacteristic geographic andseasonal distribution pattern. Thiswasrecognized asearly as1889by Beijerinck (4,5),whodescribed theseasonal fluctuation ofluminous bacteria oftheNorth SeawhereBacillus phosphoreum (syn., Photobacterium phosphoreum), dominant throughout theentire year, waspartially replaced inthe summermonths ofAugust andSeptember byP. splendidum (syn., Beneckea harveyi orB.splendida). A different seasonal distribution pattern hasbeendescribed recently fromthesouthern California coastofthePacific Ocean(20) where P.fischeri, present throughout theyear, was partially replaced byB.harveyi during thesummer.Inautumnandinwinter, P.phosphoreum wasanadditional minorcomponent ofthislu
The present invention relates to the female reproductive system, the anus and cancer, precancerous lesions and noncancerous application penis semi-solid composition and semi-solid pharmaceutical product in photodynamic therapy (the PDT), particularly applicable to the endometrium, the cervix, vulva , development vaginal, anal and penile abnormalities, and PDT HPV infection of the uterus, cervix, vulva, vagina, anus and cervix. The semi-solid composition and a pharmaceutical preparation containing the active ingredient, the active ingredient is 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) or a precursor or derivative of 5-ALA or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The present invention also relates to the treatment of the female reproductive system, cancer and precancerous lesions and non-cancerous lesions of the PDT method of the anus and the penis, wherein the semi-solid compositions, and pharmaceutical products.
Although research suggests that ethnicity is one of the variables that significantly affects an individual's preparation for retirement, little systematic effort has been devoted to retire­ment planning among ethnic groups. Puerto Ricans, in particular, have received very little attention. Yet, the available literature gives evidence of poor planning and lack of financial preparedness for retirement by this population group. This paper is prompted by research analyses that attribute the poor financial planning for retirement among Puerto Ricans to economic variables. However, economic factors alone do not explain the lack of preretirement planning by most Puerto Ricans. The author explores some key cultural variables that underlie preretirement planning processes and decisions, and that help serve as an alternative explanation for the lack of planning. A bet­ter understanding of the cultural variables discussed in this paper may lead to development of a more sensitive and coherent alternative framework for policy makers and helping pro­fessionals to employ as they work to assist Puerto Ricans to prepare for a reasonably sound quality of life upon retirement.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the utilization of antihypertensive drugs in cardiovascular department of our hospital, and to provide reference for drug management and rational use of drugs. METHODS: The utilization of antihypertensive drugs in cardiovascular department of our hospital from 2005 to 2009 were analyzed by means of DDD in respect of consumption sum, DDDs and DDC. RESULTS: Calcium antagonists(CCB) took up the first place of consumption sum and DDDs. In terms of DDDs, amlodipine took up the first place during 2006-2009. Injections accounted for a large proportion of top 10 antihypertensive drugs in the list of DDC in inpatient department, which was different from outpatient department. CONCLUSION: The utilization of antihypertensive drug in cardiovascular department of our hospital is rational. CCB and ARB are at the increasingly important position in the treatment of hypertension.
We present a new method for fitting peculiar velocity models to complete flux limited magnitude-redshifts catalogues, using the luminosity function of the sources as a distance indicator. The method is characterized by its robustness. In particular, no assumptions are made concerning the spatial distribution of sources and their luminosity function. Moreover the inclusion of additional observables, such for example the one carrying the Tully-Fisher information, is straightforward.  As an illustration of the method, the predicted IRAS peculiar velocity model is herein tested using the fluxes of the IRAS 1.2 Jy sample as the distance indicator. The results suggest that this model, while successful in reproducing locally the cosmic flow, fails to describe the kinematics on larger scales.
By including the context within which consumers’ pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors are formed, this research provides a comprehensive delineation of the process that leads from context to behavior. This is the first study to examine context factors as subjective perceptions made by consumers about aspects of their own situation, specifically the extent to which they perceive having more or less time, money, and power available. In contrast to previous research considering one type of behavior (such as recycling), this study recognizes pro-environmental behavior as a heterogeneous, multi-dimensional construct, and includes both public and private sphere behaviors. Pro-environmental business managers and policy-makers may not be in a position to impact objective contextual factors that consumers face, however, they may influence perceptions and attitudes. This study identifies specifically which variables may be of more interest to modulate, so as to increase pro-environmental behavior.
Stability of robust arbitrage under different probability measures is discussed in a random interval valued financial market.In a fundamental financial market without robust arbitrages, a suitable condition is given to guarantee that the market with new probability measures will also have no robust arbitrage. In order to specify the result got in this article,an example of binomial tree financial model with interval ratios of change is proposed.
Distillation is one of the process chemical industry.In this paper,take Shandong Cynda Chemical Co.,Ltd.an example,introduced the distillation process in the application of pesticide wastewater pretreatment.Using the method of distillation pesticide wastewater pretreatment,not only greatly reduces the concentration of pollutants in wastewater,but also recovered by-product may be highly profitable.
First of all there is a description of the temporal change of a cure at a spa to a modern treatment for rehabilitation. Today treatments for rehabilitation are methods treating COLD in addition to medical care of a general practitioner or a specialist and the function of a hospital in acute and severe diseases the third practicability of treatment. Treatment in a sanatorium is preferred by social assurances. Diagnostic management and physical treatment, physical training and education in health represent an extensive medicine program. The cooperation of sanatorium of medicine rehabilitation with social workers for professional rehabilitation guarantees a transition from medical to professional rehabilitation, with the purpose to achieve an improvement for patients with bronchopulmonal handicaps in their social and professional situation.
A bi-stable display (100) is driven by supplying (101) voltage waveforms to pixels (18) of the display (100). It is determined (150), based on information to be displayed (DI) on the display (100) during an image update period (IUP), which pixels (18) have to change their optical state during the image update period (IUP). A sub- area of pixels (WI) is determined (151) which has to be updated during this image update period (IUP). The dimensions of the sub-area (W1) are dynamically determined to cover the pixels (18) which have to change their optical state during this image update period (IUP). The drive circuit (101) is controlled (152) to only address the pixels (18) of the sub-area (WI).
The present invention relates to a disposable absorbent article comprising a credit management member positioned between the backsheet and a topsheet and a backsheet joined to these liquid-pervious topsheet, the topsheet. The credit management member comprises a support and the fibrous sheet. The fibrous sheet has an arcuate portion formed between the fixing to the support in spaced-apart bonding sites fixing portion, and these binding sites in the fibrous sheet projecting from the support.
A new tech n iq u e h a s been developed f o r th e i s o l a t i o n o f n u c le i from suspension c u l tu r e c e l l s o f Acer p seu d o p la tan u s L, T his te ch n iq u e in v o lv e s th e u se o f a g ly c e r o lc o n ta in in g g r in d in g medium a t -20 ^0. The whole i s o l a t i o n p ro c e ss i s sim ple and c o n s is te n t ly p roduces abou t 20% n u c le a r y ie ld w ith re a so n a b le p u r i t y . H is to n e e x tr a c t io n from t h i s n u c le a r f r a c t io n by th e EgSO^EtOH method i s s u p e r io r to o th e r m ethods exam ined. The e x tr a c te d Acer h is to n e s e x h ib i t a ty p ic a l h is to n e p a t te r n on p o ly acry lam id e g e ls , and th e m ajo r f r a c t io n s a re i d e n t i f i e d a s H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 ( in sequence from th e anode to th e cathode end on th e g e l) ; t h e i r m o le c u la r w e ig h ts a re r e s p e c t iv e ly 24 ,300 , 13 ,300 , 13 ,300 , 12,800 and 11 ,000 . Both th e H3 and H4 h is to n e s o f Acer c e l l s a re i d e n t i c a l w ith th o se o f c a l f thymus in term s o f t h e i r m o b i l i t i e s on a c id u re a and SDS g e ls . I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f th e Acer h is to n e f r a c t io n s h a s been a s s i s t e d by a new ly developed d i f f e r e n t i a l s t a in in g method  d iich s t a i n s th e 3 m ajor h is to n e f r a c t io n s o f c a l f thymus in 3 d i f f e r e n t c o lo u rs . The t o t a l e x tra c te d Acer h is to n e f r a c t io n c o n ta in s 22% o f b a s ic amino a c id s , and th e r a t i o o f ly s in e to a rg in in e i s 2 .6 which i s h ig h e r than th a t f o r c a l f thymus and i s p ro b ab ly due to th e low c o n ten t o f a rg in in e in Acer H2A. The Acer h is to n e s have been shown to be s y n th e s iz e d in th e cytoplasm and then tra n s p o r te d in to th e n u c le u s . The s y n th e s is o c cu rs t h r o u ^ o u t th e c e l l cy c le b u t re a c h s i t s maximum r a t e w h ile INA i s b e in g s y n th e s iz e d . H istone sam ples o b ta in e d from b o th asynchronous and synchronous c u l tu re s a t i n t e r v a l s d u rin g th e p ro g re s s o f t h e i r grow th show un ifo rm e le c tro p h o r e t ic p a t te r n s on th e g e l s , su g g e s tin g th a t th e Acer h is to n e s a re g e n e ra lly homogeneous and t h a t any m o d if ic a tio n o f th e h is to n e s p ro b ab ly a f f e c t s o n ly a v e ry sm all p ro p o r tio n o f th e t o t a l h i s to n e s . The p o s s ib le e x is te n c e o f such m o d ified h is to n e d e r iv a t iv e s and t h e i r fu n c tio n s rem ains to be in v e s t ig a te d . D ire c tio n s a lo n g which th e p re s e n t s tu d ie s could be developed a re d is c u s s e d .
The main force of D.H. Lawrence's novels is always located in characters. It is obvious that a character cannot exist in isolation. It must be related to everything else in the novel, if the novel is to be what Lawrence calls a "quick" novel: "The man in the novel must be "quick". And this means one thing, among a host of unknown meaning: it means he must have a quick relatedness to all the other things in the novel: snow, bed-bugs, sunshine, the phallus, trains, silk-hats, cats, sorrow, people, food, diphtheria, fuchsias, stars, ideas, God, toothpaste, lightning, and toilet-paper. He must be in quick relation to all these things." [1]This is to say that in the novel the reader must be convinced that there is a living relationship between the characters and the circumstances of their being: the settings in which they show up, the actions in which they are engaged, and the language they use. This part will look at the ways Lawrence uses language to give the "time, place, circumstance" in which it is possible for everything to be true.What Lawrence is interested in, as to his characters, is the freedom to range over a variety of topics, to see from a variety of perspectives - that is to employ a diversity of narrative voices - and to make his fictional characters speak in a variety of linguistic forms. Consequently, Lawrence shows great preoccupation with the exploitation of language in challenging reader's expectation. It is apparent that the writer is doing more than providing a background against which his characters are placed, for not only setting is integral to character but the language of setting is itself a factor in the overall impact made by the novel. And if circumstance must be made true to character, so must the language in which circumstance is rendered be true to the purpose the fiction has set out to achieve.Therefore, we are interested in presenting some of the ways in which Lawrence exploits the resources of the English language: formal / informal or dialectal / colloquial style and conventional / unconventional linguistic forms.It is also worth mentioning that most of D.H. Lawrence's main characters are endowed with two spheres of existence: the life within that is explored and developed as the novel progresses, and the life as a member of a social group with strong conventions and traditions and equally strong linguistic forms, that are consequently resistant to change. In terms of presentation, the inner development of character tends to be rendered through narrative description. There is often a problem for Lawrence in overcoming the gap between his characters' emotional experiences and their inadequacies in articulation that prevents them from coming to terms with those experiences. This means that the reader is generally given a more coherent account of emotional events than is available to the character himself/ herself. However, when Lawrence presents social life, his method tends far more towards letting people speak and act for themselves, using the language to which they have access and working within the restrictions of the social group which he/she is part of.D.H. Lawrence frequently uses direct characterization in one of his relatively early novels, Sons and Lovers. This is the method by means of which he emphasises characters' classconsciousness and their differences in moral values and outlook. Obviously, these are accompanied by differences in linguistic awareness and language use.The novel Sons and Lovers proves Lawrence's remarkable gift for character portrayal that he will get to perfection in his later novels. It is true that, in this early novel, he relies a great deal on his private reality of his early household life.The writer reshaped the mother-father-sons figures in the manuscript several times. While he relied heavily in Paul Morel (the first version of the novel) on dialogue, to develop characters and situations in extended conversations, he manages in Sons and Lovers to use the narrative in building up the tension sufficiently for the crisis or clash of the dialogue scenes, so that dialogue is used more sparingly. …
Means of obtaining improved dimensional measurements from neutron radiographs of nuclear fuel elements are discussed. The use of video-electronic image analysis relative to edge definition in radiographic images is discussed. Based on this study, an edge definition criterion is proposed for overcoming image unsharpness effects in taking accurate diametral measurements from radiographs. An electronic density slicing method for automatic edge definition is described. Results of measurements made with video micrometry are compared with scanning microdensitometer and micrometric physical measurements. An image quality indicator for estimating photographic and geometric unsharpness is described. (auth)
AIM: To detect the presence of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), nitrotyrosine (NT) and apoptosis in gastric adenocarcinomas and their possible correlations with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma.METHODS: Sixty-six specimens of gastric adenocarcinoma and corresponding adjacent normal gastric tissues were studied. Immunohistochemistry was employed to localize iNOS and NT protein and an immunohistochemical scoring system was used. The occurrence of apoptotic cell death (apoptotic index [AI]) was analyzed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method. RESULTS: Results showed that iNOS expression wasdetected at an intermediate or high level in 41 of 66 (62%) specimens of gastric adenocarcinoma. NT expression was 58%. Neither of them was found in the normal gastric tissues; there were significant positive correlations among iNOSexpression, NT expression and AI. Many clinicopathologic characteristics of gastric adenocarcinoma, such as tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and TNM staging, were related to iNOS and NT expressions (P＜0.05). In 66 surviving patients, the 5-year survival rate of 41 patients who had tumors with intermediate or high iNOS expressions and high Ais (4.09%; 19.96%) was significantly lower than that of 25 patients who had tumors with negative or low iNOS expressions and low Ais (0.79%; 47.14%) (P= 0.001). COX's multivariate analysis revealed that the iNOS expression was identified as one of the significant independent prognostic factors predictive of a poor survival (relative risk [RR] = 2.69).CONCLUSION: NO produced by iNOS may play a stronger role in promoting gastric adenocarcinoma growth than in suppressing its growth. iNOS and NT expressions by gastric adenocarcinoma may correlate with a poor survival.
The gamma(1)34.5 protein of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) functions to block the shutoff of protein synthesis involving double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR). In this process, the gamma(1)34.5 protein recruits cellular protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) to form a high-molecular-weight complex that dephosphorylates eIF-2alpha. Here we show that the gamma(1)34.5 protein is capable of mediating eIF-2alpha dephosphorylation without any other viral proteins. While deletion of amino acids 1 to 52 from the gamma(1)34.5 protein has no effect on eIF-2alpha dephosphorylation, further truncations up to amino acid 146 dramatically reduce the activity of the gamma(1)34.5 protein. An additional truncation up to amino acid 188 is deleterious, indicating that the carboxyl-terminal domain alone is not functional. Like wild-type HSV-1, the gamma(1)34.5 mutant with a truncation of amino acids 1 to 52 is resistant to interferon, and resistance to interferon is coupled to eIF-2alpha dephosphorylation. Intriguingly, this mutant exhibits a similar growth defect seen for the gamma(1)34.5 null mutant in infected cells. Restoration of the wild-type gamma(1)34.5 gene in the recombinant completely reverses the phenotype. These results indicate that eIF-2alpha dephosphorylation mediated by the gamma(1)34.5 protein is required for HSV response to interferon but is not sufficient for viral replication. Additional functions or activities of the gamma(1)34.5 protein contribute to efficient viral infection.
It is an ineffective technique to examine semen after a vasectomy within 48 hours after a specimen is collected as is reported the procedure at the Margaret Pyke Centre. It is essential that semen be examined within 2 hours of ejaculation to assess sperm viability. Silk sutures were used at the Margaret Pyke Centre which resulted in 1 serious staphylococcal abscess. Catgut may be a safer suture for ligating the vasae. Finally a possible reason for a large number of vasectomy patients producing sperm 6-18 months after the procedure may be that both vasae were not ligated. The vas is often long and tortuous and it essential to make the incision well away from the midli ne or risk cutting the same vas twice.
On the basis of soil characteristics of the main rice planting area in Xinjiang,the seedling technique of heat preservation and moisture holding of rice was analyzed and studied.The simple,suitable and cost-low seedling technique was summed up,which was suitable for lower moist land,riverbed and rice area of spring seedi ling under the conditions without dry seedling.As compared with the dry seedling technique,it had the advantage of simple operation,high safety coefficient and lower input etc.The technique of heat preservation and moisture holding was mainly applicated to the management of rice seedling bed.
Declaration I, the undersigned, declare that this work has not previously been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other University, and that, unless otherwise stated, it is entirely my own work. I, the undersigned, agree that the Trinity College Library may lend and/or copy this thesis upon request. Summary The increase need and interest in distributed technology has led to several different types of object orientated middleware. CORBA is being defined by the Object Management Group (OMG) and is the most commonly used middleware today for building distributed applications. One of the fundamental requirements for a distributed system is to communicate event information between objects. The CORBA standard defines a specification of an Event Service that provides a flexible model for asynchronous communication among objects. This thesis describes the CORBA standard briefly and gives a detail account of the Event Service. The CORBA Event Service specification lacks important features required by application domains such as telecommunications and real-time systems. These limitations are described along with the OMG proposals for a Notification Service and Messaging Service that will overcome the various drawbacks. Also described is a comparison of various event models both CORBA and non-CORBA based, that have been developed by commercial companies and academic institutions. This thesis describes the requirements, design and implementation of TCDEvents, a Java implementation of the CORBA Event Service. Finally, the evaluation of TCDEvents is compared with other CORBA and non-CORBA event models.
A general procedure for an IrIII-catalyzed C-7 selective C–H amidation and amination of indolines is reported. The reaction exhibits good functional group tolerance, requires no external oxidants, and releases N2 as the single byproduct, thus providing an environmentally benign, readily scalable method for the synthesis of 7-aminoindolines. More importantly, acyl, sulfonyl, and aryl azides can be employed as the amino source in this C–H amidation reaction under very mild and pH-neutral reaction conditions (i.e., room temperature) to afford N-(7-indolinyl)amides, N-(7indolinyl)-sulfonamides, and N-(7-indolinyl)arylamines in good to excellent yields. In addition, a one-pot synthesis for 7-aminoindoles was developed. Overall, this procedure is robust, reliable, and compatible in air.
It comprises an amplification-based techniques, the method and system of the present invention for determining the copy number variation of a target polynucleotide in the genome of the subject. The method, amplification and subsequent samples and a plurality of reaction volume distribution previous sample, quantitative detection of a target polynucleotide and reference polynucleotide, and to determine the relative number copies of a target polynucleotide sequence in a target genome It may include the analysis. In one embodiment, the method of the present invention, in a sample comprising the target genomic DNA, steps and for pre-amplifying a target gene sequence and the reference genetic sequence; by digital PCR, front amplified target gene sequence and the samples were determining the number of (a) amplified polynucleotide molecule comprising a target gene sequence, and the number of amplified polynucleotide molecule comprising a (b) the reference gene sequence; the reference gene sequence, the assay steps and and, and determining the ratio of (a) versus (b).
ABSTRACT Crohn’s disease (CD) is a major form of inflammatory bowel disease characterized by transmural inflammation along the alimentary tract. Changes in the microbial composition and reduction in species diversity are recognized as pivotal hallmarks in disease dynamics, challenging the gut barrier function and shaping a pathological immune response in genetically influenced subjects. The purpose of this review is to delve into the modification of the gut microbiota cluster network during CD progression and to discuss how this shift compromises the gut barrier integrity, granting the translocation of microbes and their products. We then complete the scope of the review by retracing gut microbiota dysbiosis interactions with the main pathophysiologic factors of CD, starting from the host’s genetic background to the immune inflammatory and fibrotic processes, providing a standpoint on the lifestyle/exogenous factors and the potential benefits of targeting a specific gut microbiota.
attempted to identify the entrance exam stress levels in high school students and analyze the relationship this entrance exam stress and perceived oral health status. Self-administered survey was conducted in total 304 students attending in academic high schools in Bucheon. For analysis, SPSS was used to perform t-test and one-way ANOVA. As a result of the study, the entrance exam stress level of academic high school students was 2.71. The level of sub-factors were that tension for exam/poor result was highest by 3.08 and the next were future uncertainty (2.81), parents pressure (2.56), and insufficient free time (2.52). The group with high entrance exam stress showed significantly high perceived degrees of temporomandibular disorder, oral mucosal disease and xerostama. Among sub-factors of stress, the group with high tension for exam/poor result stress had significantly high perceived degrees of dental caries, teporomandibular disorder, oral mucosal disease and xerostama. Because perception on oral health issues increased with high entrance exam stress in high school students, it is necessary to seek some ways to decrease oral health problems even though entrance exam stress is intensified. To do so, it is inferred that it will be very important to promote oral health education to develop ability of high school students to practice correct oral management method.
Barrows and gilts (192, initial BW = 25.75 ± 2.29 kg) were allotted to two 24-pen blocks with 2 barrows and 2 gilts per pen. A 2 × 2 factorial in a randomized complete block design was used with 2 diet forms (meal or pellet) and 2 levels of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS, 0 or 30%) resulting in 4 treatment combinations. Pigs were weighed at the beginning of the experiment and again at the end of each of the 3 feeding phases (d 35, 70, 91). Pigs were slaughtered at the University of Illinois Meat Science Laboratory at the end of the 91 d feeding trial. Full gastrointestinal (GI) tract and GI tract component weights were recorded immediately following evisceration. Carcass characteristics and meat quality were determined after a 24 h chill. Overall ADG was increased (P < 0.01) by 3.2% when pelleted diets were fed. Overall ADFI of pigs fed 30% DDGS was 4.7% greater (P < 0.01) than pigs fed 0% DDGS in meal form diets. Overall ADFI of pigs fed pelleted diets did not differ (P ≥ 0.19) between the 30% and 0% DDGS diets. Pigs fed 0% DDGS had 2.7% greater (P = 0.02) overall G:F than pigs fed 30% DDGS in meal form. There was no difference (P = 0.42) in overall G:F regardless of DDGS inclusion in pellet form diets. There was no effect of DDGS inclusion on overall ADG (P = 0.46) regardless of diet form. Pigs fed pelleted diets had 2.9% heavier HCW (P = 0.01), 10.4% thicker 10th rib back fat (P = 0.01), and 1.8 percentage unit less estimated lean percentage (P = 0.04) than meal-fed pigs. Full GI tracts of pigs fed pelleted diets represented 0.33 percentage units less (P = 0.03) of the ending live weight than meal-fed pigs due to decreased (P < 0.01) gut fill.
The Niger Delta region of Nigeria is a beehive of oil production activities for almost fifty years. The exploration of this important resource with its attendant gas flaring has impacted negatively on biodiversity of the area. A baseline study was therefore, conducted to ascertain the level of wildlife abundance in selected communities (Obrikom, Mgbede, Ebocha, Aggah and Okwuzi all in Ogba-Egbema Local Government Area of Rivers State) impacted by gas flaring. A total of 7 transects were used for the study. Species density and diversity indices were estimated from data generated. The mammalian order Rodentia was more in abundance than other species. Two rodents, the giant-pouched rat ( Cricetomys emini ) and cane rat ( Thryonomys swinderianus ) recorded 7.336±0.0068 and 6.146±0.036 individuals/km 2 respectively. The mona monkey ( Cercopithecus mona ) and putty-nosed monkey ( Cercopithecus nictitans ) with average densities of 0.496±0.018 and 0.324±0.006 troop/km 2 are the only recorded primates in the study sites. The agama lizard ( Agama agama ) with average density of 0.192±0.014 individuals/km 2 was found to be more in abundance than other reptiles. Species recorded for avifauna belong to thirteen families and Ploceidae family was found to be more in abundance. Species Richness (d), Shannon- Wiener (HꞋ) and Evenness (E) indices for mammals in Okwuzi were 1.821, 1.415 and 0.727 respectively and were higher than other sites. Obrikom had the highest Simpson Dominance (C) of 0.456 though not significantly different (p ≥ 0.05) from Okwuzi. Diversity indices for reptiles showed that Obrikom and Okwuzi had the highest d, HꞋ, E and C of 1.820, 1.099, 1.000 and 0.333 each respectively. Highest values of d (2.889) and HꞋ (1.835) were recorded for Obrikom while E (0.963) and C (0.355) were highest values for Okwuzi and Aggah respectively in relation to avifauna diversity. Many of the species encountered have ethno zoological values. The findings indicate that there is loss of wildlife occasioned by anthropogenic impacts especially oil and gas exploration.
My thesis develops three models of political economy, examining different factors that affect equilibrium in political markets. The first paper develops a model based on that of Moutos (2001) whereby a government must choose between a tariff and an income tax in order to raise revenue to finance redistribution from rich to poor. I use a simple median voter model of political economy to show that an income tax may be preferred if it can raise more money than the tariff. This result links well with the empirical observation that more liberal trade regimes are often associated with larger government sizes. The second paper explores the idea of interactions between different parts of a political party’s platform and the benefit that different groups can receive from those policies. I show that even when parties have no predisposition towards any particular policy their policy announcements may differ due to the difference in demand for policy favours from special interests. I also discuss how this difference in demand can affect the relative success of interests groups and of the political parties themselves, and apply these results to a simple model of trade policy to show that left-wing parties proposing higher income tax rates may attract support from groups who support trade protection in developed countries. My third paper provides an extension to the well known model of special interest politics by Grossman and Helpman (1996). I introduce costly informative spending that special interests can use to convert uninformed voters into informed ones. This is advantageous to special interests when those being informed are of a similar political persuasion to the interest group members, thus skewing equilibrium policies towards the group’s objectives.
The security management of higher vocational colleges is one of the important factors to affect security and stability and restrict the full development of colleges. There are some security management of military college in legislation,execution,judicature and legal supervision inconsistent with rule of law. Therefore, we should improve the security management of higher vocational colleges from all aspects of rule of law to accord with the scientific development of spirit of law.
A population of 349 women who gave birth, in an Obstetric Clinic in Greater S. Paulo, Brazil, during the period from 01/05/86 to 31/07/86 were studied. The results show that the group of pregnant adolescents (22.2%) received inadequate prenatal assistance, as the large majority of them (70.6%) started consultations during the second trimester of their pregnancy, and had an average of two consultations. During pregnancy this group presented a lower incidence of pathological disorders leading to out-patient and hospital treatment (39.3% and 7.9%, respectively) than did the adult pregnant women (44.4% and 14.7%, respectively). With regard to the type of delivery, the adolescents underwent a larger proportion of surgical deliveries, 25.7% of forceps births and 22.9% of cesarean sections, as compared with 14.7% and 19.7%, respectively, for the adult pregnant women. A larger proportion of intra-parturition intercurrencies was registered for the pregnant adolescents (12.9%, as against 8.2% for the adult pregnant women), hemorrhage and toxemia being the most important. During the puerperium there were complications in 15.7% of the pregnant adolescents and 11.8% of the adults post partum anemia, toxemia and puerperal infection being the commonest disorders.
The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between trading volume, change in trading volume and returns of Athens Stock Exchange index for the period of 25 June 2014 until 9 May 2014 through the comparison of various conditional heteroskedasticity models. In this study, GARCH model is chosen because it gives better estimations in modeling return volatility. The results of GARCH models indicate a significant positive relationship between trading volume and change in trading volume and returns of ASE index. Finally, this study also investigates the dynamic relationship between trading volume and change in trading volume and returns on ASE index using VAR models for the cointegration test, causality test, impulse response function and analysis of forecast error variance decomposition. The dynamic models show a directional causality between trading volume, change in trading volume and returns on ASE index from trading volume and change in trading volume to returns on ASE index.
This paper summarizes the results of an integrated resource assessment-development planning study conducted on the Altay Mountains area of Xinjiang Autonomous Uygur Region, China. The project was initiated by local Chinese government officials in order to more effectively plan future minerals exploration and development activities in this remote part of China. The study is comprised of four basic components: an initial resource assessment to estimate the type, quality, and quantity of mineral deposits that may occur in the area; a preliminary financial analysis based on the resource assessment estimates to determine which of the predicted deposits would be economic to develop if discovered and developed; a market analysis of the estimated commodities to assess which commodities would be desirable to develop for local, national, and international markets; and an integration of all these data into a comprehensive long-term development plan. The final results indicated that although the Altay Mountains area is richly endowed in synorogenic-synvolcanic nickel, felsic-intermediate massive sulfide, skarn, and stratiform lead-zinc deposits, only two of these deposit types may be economic to develop due to the lack of infrastructure and high capital investment and transportation costs.
Mathematical modeling can be used to explore potential scenarios and their ramifications. We have created an impact model that can be used to simulate AIDS prevention and treatment scenarios, including the potential impact of AIDS vaccines. The model simulates the adult population between the ages of 15 and 49, and then further segregates them into one of five risk groups. The model captures three possible effects of HIV vaccines (reduced susceptibility to infection, reduced infectiousness of infected individuals, and increase in average survival time following infection). The model also optimistically assumes that ambitious international targets for expaned coverage of prevention, treatment, and care programs are achieved. To model the impact of HIV vaccines, we projected the course of the AIDS epidemic to 2030 in seven selected countries using readily available national surveillance data. Country specific results for indicators of vaccine impact (prevelance, incidence, deaths averted) were extrapolated to the national level, which were then aggregated to estimate a global estimate for the developing world. For purposes of illustration, we assume that a vaccine is first available in 2015. We modeled several scenarios of vaccine efficacy and coverage. The medium scenario reveals that a vaccine that is 50% effective, given to just 30% of the population in 2015, would reduce the annual number of new infections in 2030 by 53%, resulting in 17 million averted infections in the 15 years between 2015 and 2030. Higher coverage or greater efficacy results in an even more substantial impact. Although prevention programs have expended in recent years, our analysis shows that even a dramatic expansion of prevention and treatment services will not stop the AIDS epidemic. In these circumstances, even a partially effective vaccine with modest levels of coverage and uptake could make a significant contribution to lowering the number of new infections, slowing the epidemic, and saving millions of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars in treatment costs for AIDS-related illnesses and anti-retroviral therapy. A more effective vaccine, with higher levels of coverage and scaled up prevention programs could come close to ending the epidemic.
Abstract : The paper provides a basic knowledge and understanding of thin film technology as it applies to single and multilayer antireflection coatings. A brief history of the subject is given. Derivations of the standard reflectance formulae are outlined from Maxwell's equations to the special cases of integral multiples of quarter wave layers. Practical considerations such as availability of materials, problems in coating, and commercially available facilities are discussed. This paper is designed to serve as a guide to the proper specification of antireflection coatings. (Author)
The contemporary scientific technical revolution is considerably changing the productive forces of society; it reorganizes the material and technical basis of production, turns ·science into an immediate productive force, raises to a new level the nature of labour, accelerates the social division of labour both nationally and internationally, and enriches its forms. In the conditions of this modern genera! scientific and technical revolution, international trade in agricultural products relying on geographic, soil, climatic and other differences, ceases to be the only form of international relations and connections between the different countries and regions of the world in the sphere of food and agriculture. The dimensions of scientific and technical connections and relations, industrial cooperation etc. are considerable. The processes of international economic, scientific and technical integration are intensifying. The role of international scientific and technical co-operation widens and rises. This cooperation turns into an integral and irrevocable part of international economic and political relations between the different countries, and is a primary prerequisite for their further development. This is particularly true for the economic, scientific and technical relations of the country members of interstate organizations and unions, where the development of the international scientific and technical connections is based on the functioning of a system of economic laws unified in goals and character. The CMEA is an example of that. 1 In its thirty years of existence the CMEA carries out a wide range of activities for co-ordinating the efforts of the member countries for the
Challenging the dominance of mainstream media, this study questions the role of alternative news media in Turkey based on the approach that positions alternative media as an alternative to mainstream media. Quantitative content analysis is carried out with a particular focus on the antiprivatization protest by workers of the Tobacco, Tobacco Products, Salt and Alcohol Enterprises (TEKEL). It has been found that alternative media showed support for TEKEL workers by employing a tone in favor of the protesters. However, evidence from the research indicates that the depiction of the TEKEL workers protest by alternative media, to a large extent, relies on mainstream framing practices.
A ballad, narrates poetic stories in short stanzas, hence this award winning self-reflexive musical documentary mirrors’ the life of Maisa Alhafez a musician and a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul. The film is about her longing to her loved ones as she tries to make a place for herself in the world of the dis-placed. Her family still in Syria, Maisa's true love (fiance) is in the Netherlands. As of the current EU-Turkey border regime, to unite is very challenging. Not giving up, Maisa works hard for her vision to transform the borders; by building a multicultural community “The oriental Istanbul Mosaic Choir”, a diverse family that sings together. In which she believes through music and love one can heal the wounds of her people and children.
A new inequality point measure I(p) has been recently introduced, based on the ratio between the lower mean and the upper mean (Zenga, 2007). This note is dedicated to a particular problem of characterization of the distribution of a variable X, using the point inequality measure I(p). In particular we are interested in obtaining the distribution function F(x) of a non-negative random variable (r.v.) X with uniform point measure I(p), for 0<p<1. The interest toward this problem arises from the consideration that, being unlikely to achieve a real situation with perfect equality, it may be more realistic to try approaching a condition with uniform local inequality. In this way the inequality between the lower group, with values of X less than or equal to x, and the upper group, with values of X greater than x, is always the same for every value x of the variable X.
As the number of available Web services increases, there is a growing demand to find the service that best fits the user’s requirements. Especially, when a set of services fulfilling user’s functional requirements have been discovered, among these services which one will be invoked by the user depends mostly on the Quality of Services (QoS). The problem, however, is that the service providers may have varying levels of quality, and advertised QoS information of Web services is not always valid. In this paper, we propose QoS based discovery and selection of Web services using trust ratings. We adapt OWL-S to describe QoS information for Web services discovery. Services that meet user’s capability and QoS requirements are selected using the service trust rates which are evaluated and assigned by the QoS broker. As the QoS broker manages the trustworthy degree of the service providers, it provides a method to improve the possibility to find services that match user’s QoS and trust requirements. Because we use the reputation by considering feedback from service users, advertised QoS information may be verified.
The author of this article with years of experience and understanding in teaching Chinese traditional anorectal surgery,put forward some suggestions on teaching material reform of it,summarized as the following 6 points:(1)The development history of Chinese traditional anorectal surgery should be increased;(2)Chinese traditional anorectal anatomy,physiology,meridian and other content should be increased;(3)Etiology and pathogenesis in TCM should be detailed description and analysised item by item;(4)Should complement the important content of modern medicine's knowledge of pathogenesis and others;(5)Should modify the content disengagement from clinical;(6)Should adjust and unified compilation style.
Many bones within the axial and appendicular skeleton are subjected to repetitive, cyclic loading during the course of ordinary daily activities. If this repetitive loading is of sufficient magnitude or duration, fatigue failure of the bone tissue may result. In clinical orthopedics, trabecular fatigue fractures are observed as compressive stress fractures in the proximal femur, vertebrae, calcaneus and tibia, and are often preceded by buckling and bending of microstructural elements. However, the relative importance of bone density and architecture in the aetiology of these fractures is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to investigate failure mechanisms of 3D trabecular bone using micro-computed tomography (mCT). Because of its nondestructive nature, mCT represents an ideal approach for performing not only static measurements of bone architecture but also dynamic measurements of failure initiation and propagation as well as damage accumulation. For the purpose of the study, a novel micro-compression device was devised to measure loaded trabecular bone specimens directly in a micro-tomographic system. A 3D snapshot of the structure under load was taken for each load step in the mCT providing 34 mm nominal resolution. An integrated mini-button load cell in the compression device combined with the displacement computed directly from the mCT scout view was used to record the load-displacement curve. From the series of 3D images, failure of the trabecular architecture could be observed, and in a rod-like type of architecture it could be described by an initial buckling and bending of structural elements followed by a collapse of the overloaded trabeculae. A computational method was developed to quantify individual trabecular strains during failure. The four main steps of the algorithm were (i) sequential image alignment, (ii) identification of landmarks (trabecular nodes), (iii) determine nodal connectivity, and (iv) to compute the nodal displacements and local strains. It was found that for a 1% global strain, the localized strains between nodes were as high as eight times and six times the global compressive and tensile strains, respectively. This provided further evidence for a band-like, local failure of trabecular bone. In conclusion, micro-compression in combination with 3D mCT allows visualization and quantification of failure initiation and propagation and monitoring of damage accumulation in a nondestructive way. We expect these findings to improve our understanding of the relative importance of density, architecture and load in the aetiology of spontaneous fractures of the hip and the spine. Eventually, this improved understanding may lead to more successful approaches to the prevention of age-related fractures.
Increasing the permeability of the nonaqueous electrolyte, to provide a negative electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery capable of improving the output characteristics. The negative electrode includes a negative electrode core member sheet and the negative electrode core member sheet supported the negative electrode mixture layer, the negative electrode mixture layer contains a negative electrode active material particles and a binder, the negative electrode mixture layer is a surface and a plurality of holes scattered in the interior, empty average maximum diameter R of the pores is 45～125Myuemu, number density of vacancies, sectional 1cm at the surface 1cm
This article discusses the protections for online intermediaries available in EU countries, in contrast to the protection available in the United States. It addresses the as of yet untested theory that Section 230 may be available in the US as a defense to a foreign judgment that is inconsistent with Section 230’s protections.    Online intermediaries, such as internet service providers, web sites, instant messaging services, and other interactive computer service providers face starkly different legal regimes throughout the world with very different rules governing when they can be held liable for illegal or tortious third-party content. In the United States, online intermediaries generally enjoy a special, statutory immunity from claims based on such content. Specifically, 47 U.S.C. § 230 (Section 230), a part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, broadly immunizes online intermediaries from claims based on allegations that they disseminated allegedly harmful third-party content. This statutory immunity, of course, does not exist in a vacuum – it is a logical, if significant, extension of the United States’ common law and First Amendment traditions.    At the same time, online intermediaries enjoy much less protection abroad – if they enjoy any special protection at all. For example, the European Union’s effort to harmonize the laws governing liability for third-party content arrived at a different answer. Unlike the US, the EU has generally adopted a “notice and takedown” regime for most content and most services. Thus, while some protection may be afforded online intermediaries in EU countries, the protection is much less robust than the broad immunity that US law provides. Because online media are often available worldwide, the laws of EU countries and other jurisdictions may play an increasingly important role in the daily operations of US media companies. Companies that operate online media are at some risk of being subject to lawsuits wherever their content is available. Accordingly, online intermediaries may increasingly be faced with foreign judgments and plaintiffs seeking to enforce those judgments in the United States. These cases may present courts with the opportunity to consider the novel question of whether Section 230 provides a basis for refusing to enforce a foreign judgment.    There is little doubt that American courts would recognize that the protections afforded online services abroad are significantly narrower than the protections that service providers enjoy in the United States. It is less clear that the courts would, at the same time, recognize that protections under Section 230 provide sufficient public policy grounds to avoid a foreign judgment inconsistent with those protections. Given Section 230’s close ties to the First Amendment traditions of the United States, however, and Congress’s careful articulation of the policy goals of the statute, a court would have strong reasons to hold that a foreign judgment that is inconsistent with Section 230’s protections should not be enforced in the United States.
Until wide use of ultrasound in diagnostic procedures took its part, the only relevant procedures to diagnose Infantile Hypertrophic Pyloric Stenosis (IHPS) were clinical examination and X-ray of gastroduodenal tract. Use of diagnostic ultrasound avoids harmful effects of X-rays on immature children's tissues. Reliability of the procedure is very high. In the period between July 1993 and January 1999 we diagnosed 12 cases of IHPS in our Hospital by ultrasound examinations. Eleven patients were males between five and eight weeks of age, and one female was six weeks old. In six of them the finding was confirmed by radiological examination (on surgeon's request), in one neither radiological examination not surgery was performed, and five were operated on the basis of only ultrasound finding. In eleven operated patients ultrasound finding is proven by surgery.
ABSTRACT This research discussed about the moral values as found on “Oliver Twist” novel. The moral values were found out by using sociological theory. This research is descriptive qualitative. The instrument used was the novel of Oliver Twist . The researcher also used other informations which related to the research problems. The researcher use sociological approach to find out the moral values in novel “Oliver Twist” based on the perspective : functionalist perspective, symbol perspective, and the conflict perspective. After analyzing the novel Oliver Twist , the researcher found some moral values such as steadfastness, sympathetic to others, bravery, honesty, cooperativeness, thankfulness, and kind-hearted.
In order to maintain the volume stability of CA(cement asphalt) mortar,the effects of the type and dosage of expansive agents and curing humidity on the volume stability of CA mortar were investigated experimentally.The investigation results indicat that the expansion effect of aluminum powder occurs within 12 h after casting,and volume shrinkage occurs after 16 h.U-type expansive agent has a little shrinkage compensating effect within 12 h,but the volume of CA mortar expands obviously after 20 h and reaches the maximum at 7 d after casting,and volume shrinkage is followed immediately.Furthermore,the shrinkage ratio reduces with increasing the dosage of U-type expansive agent.The volume of CA mortar including aluminum powder and U-type expansive agent expands persistently within 7 d,and volume shrinkage follows and decreases with the increase of curing humidity,from 0.035‰ to 0.100‰.M-type expansive agent can reduce remarkably volume shrinkage at the later stage,and the shrinkage ratio decreases by more than 0.160‰ at 180 d after casting.
Recently,rural passenger transport stations have been built in most towns of Inner Mongolia,rural passenger transport network has a certain scale.But some stations which are the network nodes have the problem of being operated difficultly.The paper thinks that developing small express is the effective way to solve the problem and it can make the stations active,then describes the significance of small-lot express.
Rapid response policing not only boosts crime detection but also reduces the time it takes to find the offenders. That is the central finding of analysis of data from the Greater Manchester Police by Jordi Blanes i Vidal and Tom Kirchmaier. Their research examines whether it is worth police officers aiming to get to the scene of a crime as soon as possible after being alerted by a member of the public. They find that faster response times make it more likely that victims or witnesses will name a suspect. In contrast, longer response times reduce the likelihood of crimes being detected, especially thefts and robbery.
Rolling bearings are assorted one of the most important machine elements. High performance characteristics such as long life, low torque, small temperature rise, low noise, low wear and high corrosion resistance are required for rolling bearings. The grease life will effectively limit the bearing life. Therefore higher performance of rolling bearing greases is required to improve bearing lubrication. Large differences in the grease performance depending on the composition were observed. In this study, five optimum greases with different composition were selected using the powerful Robust Engineering Orthogonal Array and SSRED (Six Sigma Robust Engineering Design) program. Then the performance of these optimum greases was tested. Large differences in the grease performance depending on the composition were observed. A strong correlation was found between grease life and OIT value The life time of optimum grease using OIT value was longer than that of the optimum grease using dropping point.
By setting up a head nurses working manual software system ,we have successfully automated the data processing procedure concerning nursing management at the department and hospital levels.This system alters the traditional model and working method of nursing management and greatly raises the ability and efficiency of head nurses. Free from everyday routine management,the head nurses are able to perform more scientific management programs and predictive analysis so that nursing management of the hospital becomes more scientific,standard and specific.
The motion of a geo-centric synchronous satellite under the combined gravitational effects of the Sun (including the solar radiation pressure), the oblate Earth (including the earth's equatorial ellip­ tiCity) and the Moon have been studied. The orbital inclination angle is found to contain a secular term which is due to the earth's equatorial ellipticity. The orbital regression period, the drift rate and the ground trace for different orbits have been found.
Transfund New Zealand (Transfund) is developing an evidential based system for assessing the road engineering features that impact on the safety of roads. The purposes of RISA are to: 1. Provide Transfund with an objective measurement of Road Controlling Authorities� (RCAs�) performance with respect to road safety; and 2. Assist RCAs with a tool to improve road safety through engineering by identifying the features that make the greatest contribution to road safety. The paper will describe 1. Why RISA was needed; 2. The research that was commissioned to form the basis of RISA; 3. The development and trials of the method; 4. The early results of these trials and other comparisons; and 5. The uses that are foreseen for RISA, for both Transfund and RCAs. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E212706.
The diagnostic accuracy of a workstation for neoplastic bone marrow pathology was evaluated on 526 cases from two institutions. The workstation consists of knowledge-based systems for peripheral blood analysis, flow cytometry immunophenotyping, and bone marrow morphology, linked together by a relational database. The "gold standard" diagnosis was established by complete agreement among three hematopathologists after independent review of the data from each case. The workstation's diagnosis agreed with the "gold standard" in 515 cases (97.9%). In six of the 11 diagnostic errors, the bone marrow module could not reach a final diagnosis. The five misclassifications would not have resulted in a change of therapy for the patient. The institutional diagnosis of record agreed with the gold standard in 462 cases (87.8%). The results indicate that the workstation is capable of high-quality, reproducible, multiparameter interpretive reporting.
In this work the calculation was made ab-initio of the structure of bands and DOS of the Topaz with Fluoride (F) and Hydroxide (OH) in the fundamental state, with model TB-LMTO-ASA. The conventional cell of these 2 crystals does not present the same dimensions, due to the ion replacement F by molecules OH. The energy states will be affected by this new structure with OH, doing to vary the behavior of the bands, the DOS and therefore varying the optical properties of the crystal.
Activated carbons were produced from compressed South African sugarcane bagasse in a pyrolysis furnace by adopting the physical method of processing viz. carbonization followed by partial gasification with steam. Feasible processing conditions were determined by varying the temperature, hold times and partial pressure of steam in the reactor at a heating rate of 10°C/min. Consequently, the char and activated carbons were characterized with respect to iodine number, methylene blue number, molasses number, surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution. Increasing temperature and the partial pressure of steam increased the degree of activation within a smaller residence time thereby producing activated carbons with, for example, a BET surface area of 995 m 2 /g, iodine number of 994 mg/g, molasses number of 700 and methylene blue number of 256 mg/g. Activated carbons exhibiting the best properties were produced by pyrolysis at 680°C and a hold-time of 1 hour followed by activation with steam at 900°C for 2 hours reaching a 50% burn-off. The resultant activated carbon’s ability to adsorb colour from raw sugar was also investigated and compared to a commercial reference carbon. Results reveal that activated carbon produced from sugarcane bagasse has a significant potential in the sugar industry.
This paper made a comparative study on the explanatory power to stock return by application of the EVA,WVA accounting indicators in Chinese stock market.It finds that the combination of EVA and MVA has a certain explanatory power to stock return,but the effect is not very outstanding.However,compared with accounting indicators,EVA and MVA contribute more.The evidence study also shows EVA and MVA has a certain applicabilition in the domestic capital market.
The invention relates to a mobile identification transmitter (1) for locking and unlocking a locking device of a motor vehicle, having a housing (2), the at least one key element (5a, 5b, 5c) for triggering a defined function, an electronic unit (6), within the housing (2) is arranged. According to the invention, (7), that the housing (2) has a defined outer surface, is applied on which a functional coating (10), wherein the functional coating (10) at least two layers (11, 12, 13), wherein an information layer ( 11) is provided for customization of the identification transmitter (1) on which is arranged a protective layer (12), wherein the information layer (11) between the outer surface (7) of the housing (2) and the protective layer (12) is arranged.
Supervised machine learning relies on the accessibility of large datasets of annotated data. This is essential since small datasets generally lead to overfitting when training high-dimensional machine-learning models. Since the manual annotation of such large datasets is a long, tedious and expensive process, another possibility is to artificially increase the size of the dataset. This is known as data augmentation. In this paper we provide an in-depth analysis of two data augmentation methods: sound transformations and sound segmentation. The first transforms a music track to a set of new music tracks by applying processes such as pitch-shifting, time-stretching or filtering. The second one splits a long sound signal into a set of shorter time segments. We study the effect of these two techniques (and the parameters of those) for a genre classification task using public datasets. The main contribution of this work is to detail by experimentation the benefit of these methods, used alone or together, during training and/or testing. We also demonstrate their use in improving the robustness of potentially unknown sound degradations. By analyzing these results, good practice recommendations are provided.
This thesis presents an integrated approach in modeling, extracting, detecting and classifying deformable contours directly from noisy images. We begin by conducting a case study on regularization, formulation and initialization of the active contour models (snakes). Using minimax principle, we derive a regularization criterion whereby the values can be automatically and implicitly determined along the contour. Furthermore, we formulate a set of energy functionals which yield snakes that contain Hough transform as a special case. Subsequently, we consider the problem of modeling and extracting arbitrary deformable contours from noisy images. We combine a stable, invariant and unique contour model with Markov random field to yield prior distribution that exerts influence over an arbitrary global model while allowing for deformation. Under the Bayesian framework, contour extraction turns into posterior estimation, which is in turn equivalent to energy minimization in a generalized active contour model. Finally, we integrate these lower level visual tasks with pattern recognition processes of detection and classification. Based on the Nearman-Pearson lemma, we derive the optimal detection and classification tests. As the summation is peaked in most practical applications, only small regions need to be considered in marginalizing the distribution. The validity of our formulation have been confirmed by extensive and rigorous experimentations.
Based on the observation that the skyrmion in Skyrme theory can be viewed as a dressed monopole, we propose to classify the skyrmions by two topological quantum numbers $(m,n)$, the monopole quantum number $m$ and the principal (radial) quantum number $n$. In this scheme the popular (non spherically symmetric) skyrmions are classified as $(m,1)$-skyrmions but the spherically symmetric skyrmions (the radial excitations of the original $(1,1)$-skyrmion) are classified as the $(1,n)$ skyrmions, and the baryon number $B$ is given by $B=mn$. Moreover, we show that the vacuum of the Skyrme theory has the structure of the vacuum of the Sine-Gordon theory and QCD combined together, which can also be classified by two topological quantum numbers $(p,q)$. This puts the Skyrme theory in a totally new perspective. We discuss the physical implications of our result.
In this paper, the structure , power system and test system of HY 750 wind tunnel are represented.The flow field in the test section is calibrated and the results show that the quality of flow field is good, and main index meets the requirements of ×× standards. And the results of standard model meet the design requirements too.The frequency vector control technique which is used in wind tunnel is feasible. The application of software Labview in the test system of HY 750 wind tunnel is successful. The wind tunnel can be used not only in teaching but also in scientific research and experiment.
Garole sheep of West Bengal (India) is known to carry mutation in an autosomal gene FecB (Booroola allele or FecBB ) on ovine chromosome 6. The mutation is known to affect ovulation rate and in tum litter size in Garole sheep. The mutated allele is hypothesized to be the original genotype ofthe breed and by this virtue the sheep produces twins, triplets and quadruplets. To incorporate the character ofhigher prolificacy in mutton type non-prolific Malpura sheep of semi-arid region ofRajasthan, Garole sheep was used as sire breed in FecB introgression programme started in 1997 at this institute. Presence ofFecB allele was detected in Garole and Garole x Malpura (GM) sheep. The genotypic frequencies for homozygous carriers (FecBBB ) were 0.86 and 0.06 in Garole and OM, respectively. The corresponding figures for heterozygous carriers (FecB B+) were 0.13 and 0.71, respectively. In Garole x Malpura crosses the FecB gene in F1 generation is present in heterozygous state and segregate in homozygous state in F2 and F3generation.
The thermal expansion coefficients of CuZnAl alloy at different temperature were measured by thermal dilatometer,and the effects of cryogenic treatment on thermal expansion coefficients of CuZnAl alloy were studied.The results show that the thermal expansion coefficients of CuZnAl alloy after cryogenic treatment is higher than that of CuZnAl alloy before cryogenic treatment at 25-800 ℃,and after cryogenic treatment,dL/L is almost linear relation with T.
A coherent terahertz needle radiation emission mechanism is proposed. This mechanism can be realized in the experiments on femtosecond laser pulses interacting with surface of nanostructured ferromagnetic metal film. The proposed mechanism is based on exciting of coupled coherent phonon-magnon modes on a nanostructured metal surface by laser femtosecond pulse. The value of the Poynting vector for the terahertz radiation is estimated.
An investigation was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a free-jet diffuser in reducing the over-all pressure ratios required to operate a free jet with a large air-breathing engine as a test vehicle. Efficient operation of the free jet was determined with and without the considerations required for producing suitable engine-inlet flow conditions. A minimum operating pressure ration of 5.5 was attained with a ratio of nozzle-exit to engine-inlet area of 1.85. Operation of the free jet with unstable engine-inlet flow (buzz) is also included.
The aim of this research is to know how far the tendency of students’ study result in mathematics subject of second grades students of SMP N 2 Sewon use TAI (Team Assisted Individualization) learning model and conventional learning model. This research is a quasi experiment research. Cluster Random Sampling is used in collecting the sample. Data collecting techniques use questionnaire and test. The data analysis technique used two-way variance analysis with unequal cell. . The results of the research are ; 1) the learning uses TAI (Team Assisted Individualization) learning model is not more effective (Fobs <Ftable ) with value 0,171 < 4,044 ; 2) the students who have high learning motivation have study result that are not be better than the students in capability on beginning, medium, and low level (Fobs <Ftable) with value 0,096 < 3.194 ; 3) there is no interaction between learning model and learning motivation toward students’ study result with value (0,000133< 3.194 ). Based on the result of the research, the researcher suggests that the teacher should be able to create the learning atmosphere which makes the students more active in teaching learning process.
Gall and Sword is one opera created from the legend metaphoric story meaning "to endure hardships to accomplish some ambition".The author Cao Yu devoted all to the creation of the play,nevertheless,from the classical literary standard,the play has all kind of "fragmentation",or "new superstition" named by Premier Zhou,which was caused by " sense overwhelming sensibility".The reason behind this "new superstition" is very complicated.A lot of playwrights lost their creative motive and inner self.The language exploration was still not against the taboo in that time,and Cao Yu made a breakthrough in creation and expressed his long-suppressed inner though through language exploration.
An inkjet nozzle with double piezo transducers has been designed, which is different from conventional inkjet nozzles. The body of the nozzle which is fabricated by precision machining techniques is made from transparent acrylic material to visualize the flow inside the nozzle. The piezoelectric actuators are activated by a voltage amplifier which generates high-voltage bipolar waveforms. The key idea of the present nozzle is a successive actuation of multiple piezoelectric actuators, which makes the ejection and suction of liquid more controllable than the single piezoelectric actuator. The present study presented the effect of the pulse widths and the time delay between the double piezo transducers on the formation and speed of droplet during the ejection.
Fermentation characteristics and chemical composition of silage made from different ratios of cattle manure and maize residues were investigated. Manure (fresh) obtained from steers fed on a high concentrate diet was ensiled on a laboratory scale with maize residues in ratios of 50:50, 60:40, 70:30 and 80:20 for a period of 6 weeks. The ensiled mixtures were analysed for: in vitro dry matter digestibility, aCid-detergent fibre, neutral-detergent fibre, crude protein, true protein, and water-soluble carbohydrates. Fermentation characteristics were determined by measuring: pH, lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, and ammonia-nitrogen. Effective preservation with a favourable fermentation pattern was obtained which was little influenced by the ratio of manure to maize residues. The protein content of the silage showed a linear increase with an increasing ratio of manure to maize residues. A possible optimum ratio of 70:30 was found in respect of in vitro dry matter digestibility. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 1986, 16: 83 86
During the Anti-Japanese War Period, Mao Zedong fully discussed the pre-conditions and basis for the construction of democratic politics, and held that realizing people's wills was the main content of constructing democratic politics. Later on, the construction of democratic governance in anti-Japanese bases which was represented by Shanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Region demonstrated that Mao's democratic thought was practical and correct. Therefore, it was proved that Mao's democratic thoughts during the Anti-Japanese War Period had been both technically scientific and practically realistic and that his thoughts had been developed and improved during that period.
In view of randomness of the crack initiation and crack propagation,a widespread fatigue probability damage model is established.The main feature of this model is,to simulate stochastic processes of the crack initiation and crack propagation through Monte Carlo method,and to determine the increment of crack propagation through stress analysis by finite element and using a given crack extension formula.According to the proposed method,the process of multi-crack random initiation and propagation and development of widespread fatigue damage(WFD) has been programmed.The feasibility of modeling process of WFD has been verified by a calculated example.This work provides theoretical basis and effective engineering method for the assessment of WFD.
Objective: Implant-retained overdenture is the standard treatment for edentulous patients. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of different implant locations (ABDE, 6AE6, 6BD6) on the retention and stability of mandibular implant-supported overdenture with ball attachment. Methods: An experimental study was designed. An acrylic resin model of edentulous mandible with six implants in the location of first molar, first premolar and between lateral incisor and canine on the left and right side was fabricated. A metallic overdenture was fabricated precisely adapted to the model and attached to a Universal testing machine (crosshead speed of 51 mm/min). The ball attachments were screwed in three different patterns. The balls were first screwed in ABDE, then in 6AE6, and finally in 6BD6 position. Dislodging tensile forces were applied in three vertical, oblique and anterior-posterior directions for each sample. For each of these three situations, five tests were done. The maximum dislodging force was measured. Normal distribution of data was analyzed with Shapiro-Wilk test. Levene'stest analyzed the variances. A Three-Way ANOVA test was employed followed by Tukey's test. Results: The amount of vertical load was significantly higher than the oblique and anterior-posterior loads (P<0.001). The amount of ant-post load was significantly higher than the oblique load (P<0.001). The average of MDF was significantly higher in 6BD6 position (P<0.001). This average was also significantly lower in ABDE position (P<0.001). The amount of measured force was the lowest in ABDE and the highest in 6BD6 positions (ABDE=64.51 N and 6AE6=66.06 N). Vertical and oblique dislodging forces were the minimum and maximum measured forces, respectively (mean vertical=87.95 N, mean lateral=48.1 N and mean ant-post=63.5 N). Conclusion: Lateral and ant-post dislodgement forces were higher in 6BD6 and 6AE6 positions, respectively. The greatest vertical dislodgement force was observed in 6BD6 position. Vertical retention was higher than lateral and ant-post retentions. The more posterior the position of the distal implant the more the retention and stability.
The marked shift in writing instruction from a focus on writing as a set of separate, sequential tasks to a focus on writing as a holistic gestalt prompted the empirical study reported in this paper. We sought to determine whether any prerequisite relationships existed between five analytical components of ESL composition, namely content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. Our rationale was that if we could discover evidence of prerequisite relationships between the analytical components, then the results could be used to support the view that writing is a set of separate tasks to be acquired. If, on the other hand, we could detect no evidence of prerequisite relationships, then those results could support the notion that writing is a holistic entity which can't be meaningfully partitioned into components. Our analyses indicated that (1) only one prerequisite relationship (which could have occurred by chance) existed in the data set and that (2) only one latent structure (construct) underlay the data. We conclude by offering citations from other researchers who argue against teaching writing skills in isolation and by offering three approaches to the teaching of writing which acknowledge the interrelation of composition skills. As we indicated in the previous paragraph, there has been a
BACKGROUND Research findings suggest that the level of cardiovascular risk factor recording in general practice is not yet optimal. Several studies indicate a relation between the organization of cardiovascular disease prevention at practice level and cardiovascular risk factor recording.   AIM To explore the relation between the organization of cardiovascular disease prevention and risk factor recording in general practice.   METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted using data on adherence to selected practice guidelines and on cardiovascular risk factor recording from 95 general practices. Practice guidelines were developed beforehand in a consensus procedure. Adherence was assessed by means of a questionnaire and practice observations. Risk factor recording was assessed by an audit of 50 medical records per practice.   RESULTS Factor analysis of risk factor recording revealed three dimensions explaining 76% of the variance: recording of health-related behaviour, recording of clinical parameters, and recording of medical background parameters. Adherence to the guideline 'proactively invite patients to attend for assessment of cardiovascular risk' was related to a higher recording level in all three dimensions. Practice characteristics did not show a consistent relationship to the level of risk factor recording.   CONCLUSION This study indicates that the presence of a system of proactive invitation was related to the recording of cardiovascular risk factors in medical records in general practice.
Abstract Deoxycytidine kinase has been purified 500-fold from calf thymus. It is concluded that the enzyme will catalyze the phosphorylation of deoxycytidine, 1-β-d-arabinofuranosyl cytosine, deoxyguanosine, and deoxyadenosine since the protein catalyzing these activities showed coincident purification. Also, this protein could not be further fractionated by isoelectric focusing, gel filtration, or sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and the nucleosides mutually inhibited each other's phosphorylation. However, the deoxycytidine-phosphorylating capacity of the preparation is considerably more stable than all other nucleoside-phosphorylating activities. The sedimentation constant, partial specific volume, and Stokes radius of the enzyme were estimated by zonal centrifugation, isodensity centrifugation, and gel filtration, respectively. These parameters were then used to calculate the molecular weight (56,000) and frictional ratio (1.36) of deoxycytidine kinase. The enzyme is very sensitive to sulfhydryl group inhibitors and is unstable in the absence of thiol; activity can be restored by incubating the enzyme with thiol compounds. Enzyme activity is fairly constant over the pH range 6 to 10, but there are marked effects of pH on nucleotide inhibition and heat stability. UDP, dTDP, dCMP, dCDP, and dCTP are all inhibitors of deoxycytidine kinase, but these inhibitions are reversed by UTP, dUTP, and dTTP.
The shape of a conventional full spade rudder has been modified to implement the Coanda effect and consequential changes in the flow characteristics are carefully examined to show the significant enhancement in the lift performance. A preliminary numerical study has been done to identify the optimum configuration of the modified rudder sections. For the purpose, chord wise locations of the jet slit and the radii of the trailing edge were varied in several ways and the changes in the lift characteristics have been observed at the various angles of attack, particularly focusing on the usefulness of the Coanda effect upon delaying the stall or increase in the circulation. Making the most use of the results so attained, full spade rudder of a VLCC has been reformed to realize the Coanda effect. A series of model experiments and numerical simulations are performed to confirm the effectiveness of the Coanda effect in improving the performance of the modified rudder. It is found that considerable enhancement in the lift performance of the rudder is plausible at any rudder angle if an optimum jet momentum is provided.
In the pretreatment of blasting demolition of bricky constructions, height to thickness ratio, structural space effect, wind load, mechanical vibration, impact effect and others are main factors which are of great influence to the structural stability in the premise of acquiring the maximal profit. This paper researches these influence factors. The research results gained have a certain reference value to the further study on the pretreatment technology for blasting demolition of bricky constructions.
For much of human history the toxic nature of certain biological substances was not seen as essentially different from that of toxic chemicals. Little if any distinction was made between the harmful effects of inanimate materials such as arsenic, biological toxins like snake venom, or “poisoned” air and other emissions from a plague victim. All were generally considered poisons and were sometimes used for hostile purposes. But the discovery in the 19th century that bacteria can cause disease led to their categorical distinction. The potential of living microorganisms to be used as weapons was formally recognized in the 1925 Geneva Protocol, which not only prohibited the use in war of poison gas but also of “bacteriological methods of warfare.”[1] The prohibition of “bacterial” methods was later understood to apply as well to other biological agents such as viruses, fungi, and yeasts
The invention discloses a liquid nitrogen ultralow temperature fluid delivery device, comprising a liquid nitrogen tank and a tank cork. Nitrogen enters metal pipes and liquid nitrogen is discharged out of the metal pipes and penetrates through the cork to enter an inner chamber of the liquid nitrogen tank, a press bar which is fixedly pressed against the upper surface of the cork is arranged between the two metal pipes, a low temperature resistant thermal insulating layer is arranged between the cork and the metal pipes. The delivery device of the invention can bear ultra low temperature of negative 196 DEG C and pressure of 0.05 MPa, so that ultra low temperature liquid can not cause damage to ordinary cork due to frost cracking to break the sealing; the device of the invention features available materials, convenient manufacture, reliable use and low cost and application of the heat insulation protection structure to other occasions relating to low temperature.
To evaluate the genetic susceptibility to metabolic disorders induced by high fructose diet, we investigated the metabolic characteristics in 10 strains of inbred mice and found that they were separated into CBA and DBA groups according to the response to high fructose diet. The hepatic mRNA expression of the sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1) in CBA/JN was remarkably enhanced by high fructose diet but not in DBA/2N. Similar results were observed in primary hepatocytes after exposure to fructose. The nucleotide sequence at -468 bp from the putative starting point of the SREBP-1c gene was adenine in the DBA group while it was guanine in the CBA group. In hepatocytes from CBA/JN, the activity of CBA-SREBP-1c promoter was significantly increased by 2.4- and 2.2-fold, in response to 30 mm fructose or 10 nm insulin, respectively, whereas the activity of DBA-SREBP-1c promoter responded to insulin but not to fructose. In hepatocytes from DBA/2N, both types of SREBP-1c promoter activities in response to insulin were attenuated. Furthermore, electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed an unidentified nuclear protein bound to the oligonucleotides made from the region between -453 to -480 bp of the SREBP-1c promoter of CBA/JN but not to the probe from DBA/2N. Thus, in DBA/2N, the reduced mRNA expression of SREBP-1 after fructose refeeding appeared to associate with two independent mechanisms, 1). loss of binding of unidentified proteins to the region between -453 to -480 bp of the SREBP-1c promoter and 2). impaired insulin stimulation of SREBP-1c promoter activity.
The latest technical and programmatic developments are considered as well as expansions of the Rockwell SPS cost model covering each phase of the program through the year 2030. Comparative cost/economic analyses cover elements of the satellite, construction system, space transportation vehicles and operations, and the ground receiving station. System plans to define time phased costs and planning requirements that support major milestones through the year 2000. A special analysis is included on natural resources required to build the SPS reference configuration. An appendix contains the SPS Work Breakdown Structure and dictionary along with detail cost data sheet on each system and main element of the program. Over 200 line items address DDT&E, theoretical first unit, investment cost per satellite, and operations charges for replacement capital and normal operations and maintenance costs.
A 67-year-old manwith a pancreatic head lesion was referred for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) diagnosis and staging. EUS revealed a 35-mm, hypoechoic, irregular lesion of the pancreatic head. The lesion had no cleavage plane with the portal vein, and it had clearly invaded the bile duct and duodenal wall. The gastroduodenal artery was interfering with the EUSFNA, so it was necessary to puncture the marginal area of the lesion adjoining the bile duct (●" Fig.1a). After five inadequate specimens had been obtained with a 22-gauge needle for rapid on-site evaluation, a sixthpass immediately yielded evidence of blood spurting into the bile duct and spreading into the cystic duct up to the gallbladder (●" Fig.1b–d). We tried to exert pressure by deflecting the tip of the echo-endoscope and also to tamponade the bleeding with balloon inflation, but without success. We then performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (●" Fig.2) to remove a large amount of clot from the bile duct, afterwhichwesawevidenceof continuous hemobilia (●" Fig.3a). We decided to place a fullycovered self-expandablemetal stent (Niti-S; TaeWoong Medical, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) for hemostasis and biliary drainage, which resulted in immediate cessation of the bleeding (●" Fig.3b). No bleeding occurred over the following days. Bleeding after EUS-FNA is quite rare and often mild, with a reported frequency of 1% to 4.4% [1]. Extraluminal bleeding is even rarer, with a frequency of 1.3% [2]. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of bleeding into the biliary tract after EUS-FNA of a solid lesion of the pancreatic head. Several cases have been reported of the efficacious treatment of major papilla bleeding after sphincterotomywith placement of a self-expandable metal stent [3– 5], and we decided to draw on the reported experience to treat this patient with unusual bleeding. The mechanical pressure exerted by the self-expandable metal stent on the pancreatic lesion was effective in stopping the bleeding into biliary tract, which otherwise would have had to be managed with emergency endovascular treatment or surgery.
Gardner and Gorton (1985 Plant Physiol 77: 540-543) demonstrated that the transaminase inhibitor gabaculine (5-amino-1,3-cyclohexadienyl-carboxylic acid) inhibits the initial synthesis and resynthesis of spectrophotometrically detectable phytochrome in vivo. Another mechanism-based transaminase inhibitor, 4-amino-5-fluoropentanoic acid (AFPA), is examined in this report for its effects on phytochrome synthesis in developing etiolated seedlings. Preemergence treatment with AFPA was found to inhibit initial phytochrome synthesis in peas (Pisum sativum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and oats (Avena sativa L.). In general, reduction in phytochrome correlated with reduction in chlorophyll. However, the extent of inhibition of phytochrome synthesis was not as great as that of chlorophyll synthesis. These results confirm those with gabaculine, indicating that both initial synthesis and resynthesis of phytochrome require de novo synthesis of chromophore as well as apoprotein. AFPA was a more effective inhibitor of both chlorophyll and phytochrome synthesis than was gabaculine, suggesting that AFPA may be the preferred tool with which to probe the physiological consequences of the inhibition of phytochrome biosynthesis.
Batch control in breakage faces is to be based on the program systems of the main and additional models including the design of the support stress loading, dynamic transitions of the non-stationary system of the mass and support interaction from one state to another. There must be taken into consideration the forming of a wide open area near the breakage heading. In this case in the system there can emerge oscillations or failure and shape changing that are reflected in the support elements. Therefore we can speak of the “support–country” system stress loading and characteristic features of the force distribution in the support elements that is displaced with the country approaching. At this there emerge especially unfavorable mutual positions of the roofing units, walls, lemniscate mechanism levers causing loading acute increase. The state when these positions match the shape changing of the “support–country” system is especially dangerous and requires the program defining. Besides, the development lava method safety can be increased owing to the supporting with technological pillars.
In this feature article the use of boronic acids to monitor, identify and isolate analytes within physiological, environmental and industrial scenarios is discussed. Boronic acids recognise diol motifs through boronic ester formation and interact with anions generating boronates, as such they have been exploited in sensing and separation protocols for diol appended molecules such as saccharides and anions alike. Therefore robust molecular sensors with the capacity to detect chosen molecules selectively and signal their presence continues to attract substantial attention, and boronic acids have been exploited with some success to monitor the presence of various analytes. Reversible boronic acid-diol interactions have also been exploited in boron affinity chromatography realising new separation domains through the same binding events. Boronic acid diol and anion interactions pertaining to sensing and separation are surveyed.
Sixty-five brachiopod species and subspecies from the New Zealand Permian are described or revised. World correlations are summarized and a method is proposed for analysing relative diversities within sequences to detect episodic changes in brachiopod diversities that probably reflected climatic changes, against a background of changes in lithotope and water depth. Several parameters that affected the distribution and nature of New Zealand Permian brachiopod communities are discussed.-from Author
In this article, the discussion on quality levels in the monetary search theoretical model is extended. By having quality levels endogenously determined, we found that whether money holders have quality preferences is crucial to the results. While the effect of the fraction of money on quality levels is consistent with current literature, the effect of the economy’s quality preferences on quality drives the quality levels to opposite directions. Overall, welfare is improved under several conditions. The results found in this exercise can be regarded as complementary to the findings in Trejos (1999).
This paper introduces the design of a CAPP expert system based on a blackboard model.In the CAPP decision,the Object Oriented technique is applied to predefine the blackboard structure,knowledge source structure and decision strategy;it provides a simple and friendly platform for the design of the CAPP expert system.The whole design reflects the unified data model.Furthermore,the algorithm of decision with uncertainty is used in the control strategy.The initial practice shows that the method can make decision more quickly and more correctly.
With the aid of finite element program ANSYS,DP model is chosen to consider the non-linearity of soil,the settlement of the ground,the deformation of the embankment,associated with their stress distribution are analyzed. Additionally,the computed solutions are compared with those of in-site measurement. The law of the differential settlement is summarized,and some suggestions on the design of widened road are presented in the paper.
A 0.79C-1.5Si-1.98Mn-0.98Cr-0.24Mo-1.06Al-1.58Co (wt%) steel was isothermally heat treated at 200 and 350°C bainitic transformation temperatures. The microstructure was consisted of bainitic ferrite lath and retained austenite for both heat treatment conditions. The crystallographic analysis revealed that the bainitic ferrite laths are close to the Nishiyama-Wassermann orientation relationship with their parent austenite. The isothermal bainite transformation temperature has a significant effect on the retained austenite characteristics and the variant selection of the bainitic ferrite laths. In general, a decrease in the isothennal bainite transformation temperature refined the bainitic structure and weakened the variant selection.
P U R P O S E. To examine the effects of jogging on intraocular pre s s u re (IOP), blood pre s s u re (BP), and heart rate (HR). ME T H O D S . Twenty-nine healthy individuals‐25 athletes and 4 untrained‐were studied. IOP, systolic and diastolic BP, and HR were measured before and just after 20 minutes of jogging (submaximal ‐ 70% ‐ aerobic exercise). RE S U LT S. IOP decreased after jogging. Only three individuals had unchanged IOP in one eye and one individual in both eyes. The IOP decrease (1 to 8 mmHg) was statistically significant (p<0.001). BP increased after jogging (systolic: 0 to 60 mmHg, statistically significant changes, p<0.001; diastolic: 0 to 15 mmHg, statistically significant changes, p<0.001). HR i n c reased as well (15 to 80 pulses/min, statistically significant changes, p<0.001). Howeve r, there were individuals who presented a significant decrease of IOP and a mild BP rise and vice versa, and also individuals with mild IOP decrease and significant HR change and vice versa. The statistical analysis clearly showed that there are no linear quantitative correlations between BP or HR changes and IOP changes. C O N C L U S I O N S. IOP decreases after jogging. Changes in BP and HR values have no linear
A novel method based on the segmented spectrum zoom is proposed to improve the precision and the resolution of frequency response function.Frequency response function can be divided into segments according to the order of modal,and the start-stop frequency of each segment can be determined.Firstly,every frequency range of excitation signal and response signals are zoomed by Chirp-Z transform respectively,then every frequency segments of frequency response function are obtained.In the example of peak picking method in modal parameter identification,both the simulation and experiment indicate that the natural frequencies and damping ratio identified by the optimized frequency response function are closer to the true results than those by un-optimized frequency response function.
A method for serial data transmission in a Bussysem having at least two bus stations, which exchange messages via the bus, described, wherein the messages sent have a logical structure according to the CAN standard ISO 11898-1, where (in the presence of a first identification EDL ) the Control field of the messages differing from the cAN standard ISO 11898-1 for more than six bits, and wherein presence of the first marking (EDL), the data field of the message may comprise different from the cAN standard ISO 11898-1 for more than eight bytes wherein for determining the size of the data field, the values ​​of the four bits of the data length codes are at least partially deviating interpreted by the CAN standard ISO 11898-1, and wherein in the presence of a second marking (BRS), the bit length for at least one predetermined or predeterminable range verku a compared with that used before the presence of the second bit length designation within the message assumes physicians value, wherein the region starts at the earliest with the second identification and the latest ending with the CRC delimiter and the second indicia (BRS) only if the first identification (EDL) and occurs in the deviation from the CAN standard ISO 11898-1 comprehensive more than six bits control field of the message takes place.
Amino acid composition of total protein, free intracellular amino acids, reducing substances, nucleic acids, lipids, vitamins of the B group, and mineral composition were studied in the cells of Aureobasidium (Pullularia) pullulans, strain 8. Protein contained all 11 essential amino acids. The content of these substances was the following: nucleic acids, 1.5%; protein, 30.83+/-0.2%; reducing substances, 35.3+/-0.1%; lipids, 14.03+/-0.36%; ash, 794+/-4 mg%. Among six studied vitamins (B1, B3, B6, PP, B7, B8), the content of inositol was highest (398.2 mcg/g), B3 was not found, and only traces of other vitamins were detected.
We present a braid-theoretic approach to combinatorially computing knot Floer homology. To a knot or link K, which is braided about the standard disk open book decomposition for (S^3, xi_std), we associate a corresponding multi-pointed nice Heegaard diagram. We then describe an explicit algorithm for computing the associated knot Floer homology groups. We compute explicit bounds for the computational complexity of our algorithm and demonstrate that, in many cases, it is significantly faster than the previous approach using grid diagrams.
A total of 72 smears from two cases of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck during radiation therapy were studied for DNA content. The percentage of aneuploid tumor cells in the range of lower ploidy was high in both cases and remained high throughout the treatment. The correlation between the percentage of aneuploid cells in metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and radiocurability of these lesions has been discussed.
Few natural processes on the Earth's surface can match glaciers in transporting debris long distances away from their source. Indeed, one of the most immediately obvious features of mountain glaciers is the amount of rubble and the huge blocks of rock that litter their surface. Commonly, the entire ablation area of a mountain glacier is completely debris-covered, although the melting of ice beneath the debris layer creates a very uneven and unstable topography that is arduous to walk over. Thus, a glacier may be considered as a sort of conveyor belt for rock debris, transporting material from all points along its length towards the snout. Typically, this material is carried on the surface (where it is referred to as supraglacial debris ), or near its bed in basal ice (where it is described as basal debris ). Large amounts of debris may also be ingested from both the surface and bed as englacial debris , giving the glacier a very dirty appearance. In addition to debris carried within the ice, debris is also transported within the deforming bed zone. Surface debris For a glacier to be laden with supraglacial debris, it normally requires rocks to be exposed above its flanks. Thus, ice sheets and ice caps, which submerge mountains, carry almost no supraglacial debris, whereas the lower reaches of mountain valley glaciers carry many boulders. The main sources of this supraglacial debris are rock-fall from frost shattering, aided by the unstable nature of the hillsides over-steepened by the glacier.
Non-PE majors ability of sports organizations in China are generally low, which engaged in education and teaching have a certain impact on the future. According to cultivation of non-physical education majors in normal colleges in China and future profession, we improve the ability of non-physical education majors in sports organizations to probe ways and means, so that they are better able to adapt to future career requirements.
We present a star product between differential forms to second order in the deformation parameter $ hbar$. The star product obtained is consistent with a graded differential Poisson algebra structure on a symplectic manifold. The form of the graded differential Poisson algebra requires the introduction of a connection with torsion on the manifold, and places various constraints upon it. The star product is given to second order in $ hbar^2$.
The operation of inferior meatal antrostomy has emerged as the most popular surgical technique in the management of maxillary sinusitis though the surgical anatomy and natural history of the procedure are poorly understood. The anatomy of the inferior meatus determines surgical limitations and a retrospective study of 108 patients who have undergone antrostomy provides a basis for a prospective study in which the size of the antrostomy has been assessed in 65 patients pre- and post-operatively using direct measurement and serial photography. After initial circumferential healing within the first few weeks, the majority remain unchanged unless infection supervenes when complete closure may result. The closure is a combination of fibrous tissue and bone in the majority of cases. A critical size is apparent below which complete closure can be anticipated whereas if too large an antrostomy is fashioned, related anatomy is jeopardized and therefore the dimensions must be carefully judged if long-term patency is desired. The effect of patency on the mucus-secreting elements of sinus mucosa is examined in a second prospective group of 19 patients. Assessment of subjective clinical success determines overall benefit from the operation in most patients though mucous discharge is least improved and this is directly related to the level of increase in goblet cells. The role of the inferior meatal antrostomy is dependent upon an understanding of the pathophysiology of sinusitis and thereby determining those patients who have potentially reversible mucosal damage and are therefore most likely to benefit from the procedure.
Author(s): Yoshimoto, Jave Gakumei | Abstract: I was born and raised in Japan to Chinese parents and have immigrated to U.S. when I was ten years old. I have since moved and resided all over the states. However, because of my travels I have forgotten the majority of my old tradition as what may be called my “old culture.” However, one thing that I have dearly hung onto from my past was a hideous Godzilla toy I owned since I was three years old. Growing up, I was fascinated by the campy and terrible giant monster films, but I couldn't help but notice that wherever Godzilla traveled, he was always attacked by the locals. Relating to the feelings of being attacked and lonely, I painted Godzilla to speak of my struggles with stereotypes and racism, which in turn became a metaphor for my life. These paintings represent my observation of our various cultures across America. ­­
The EVA index contains many important aspects of the business processes: the size and composition if the invested capital (sum of the equity capital and the loan capital on interest), the costs of the equity capital and loan capital on interest and the efficiency of the profitability of the invested capital. In the near future the EVA index will come to the fore compared to other indexes because it describes the objective business position. It gives considerable information of the performance of the business.
This review presents treatment options for respiratory papillomatosis. Despite the variety of treatment modalities, none of them have been shown to be of any significant benefit. The current treatment approaches include, firstly, the use of endoscopic and laser surgery, secondly, the search for the new antiviral agents (indol-3-carbinol, cidofovir and others), which are the most frequently used as adjuvant therapy and, thirdly, the development of vaccination methods. Other forms of therapy for advanced and recurrent laryngeal papillomatosis, such as photodynamic therapy, radiation therapy and laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy are also studied.
This paper presents study of hysteresis model for magnetic hysteresis analysis by Preisach model. In ferromagnetic material, magnetization is non-linear and varies according to magnetic field which is called B-H curve. As hysteresis phenomenon affect on performance of motor, magnetic hysteresis analysis is essential and needed for designing motor that satisfies specification. Therefore, in this paper, methods for calculating magnetization are presented and discussed.
Objective To observe the adhesive properties of cultured human tubular cells and changes of α3 integrins after anoxia/oxidative stress so as to evaluate the effects of changed tubular cell adhesive properties on the mechanism of ischemic acute renal failure.Methods Confocal microcopy was used to observed the immun fluorescence of α 3 integrins on tubular cells,and the cell matrix and cell cell adhesive forces were measured by micropipette aspiration technique. Results The basal polar distribution of α3 integrins was impaired after anoxia/oxidative stress,which was correlated with attenuated cell matrix adhesion and enhanced cell cell adhesion.Conclusion The changes of polar distribution of α3 integrins on tubular cells after anoxia/oxidative stress affect the adhesive properties of tubular cells markedly. These changes might play a role in the mechanism of ischemic acute renal failure.
Abstract : Overexpression of growth factors and growth factor receptors is frequently associated with loss of estrogen receptor (ER) in human breast cancer, leading to the hypothesis that constitutive expression of these proteins might decrease dependence on estrogen. We have previously investigated the role of one putative growth factor receptor, c-erbE-2, in loss of hormone dependence by transfection of the c-erbB-2 cDNA into ER+ human breast cancer cells. We found that the size of the tumors formed correlated with the degree of tyrosine phosphorylation of the transfected protein. We hypothesized that an increase in tyrosine phosphor- ylation might increase the tumorigenicity of the cells. We therefore transfected ER+ MCF-7 cells with wild type and constitutively active mutant c-erbB-2 cDNAs. We found that we were able to stably overexpress the wild type protein only in the absence of estrogen, and that we were unable to stably overexpress the mutant protein under any growth conditions. Subsequent transfection of the mutant c-erbB-2 using a tetracycline-regulated gene expression system suggested that constitutive expression of this protein might induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells. These results suggest an important role for c-erbB-2 in regulation of the growth of breast cancer cells.
Rutile is of wide uses in the national economy,and a great amount of it is imported from overseas each year.Nianzigou rutile deposit is located in Huyu Town,Daixian County,Shaanxi Province.The deposit is situated in the south wing of Caoduoshan anticline and ore bodies is distributed in the upper parts of Nianzigou formation.Occurrence of the ore bodies is similar to that of strata,and scale,occurrence and shape of the ore bodies are controlled by a magmatic body.Rutile mineralization was result of hydrothermal activities in the Luliang period.Ore-bearing rocks in the deposit are mainly actinolite tremolite and chlorite tremolite.Rutile exists as subhedral granular texture,and is mainly distributed between tremolite.Adopted rutile(TiO_2) boundary contents as 1.0 % and the industrial contents as 1.6 %,the total reserves of rutile in the deposit is calculated as 1.63 million tons,which makes the deposit a large mine.
Objective:Aluminum toxicity in acidic soil is a serious problem worldwide,which results in poor quality and big loss of wheat produc- tion.Therefore,studies on the molecular mechanism of Aluminum tolerence has become one of the important tasks in wheat stress resistance re- search.Methods:In this study,hexaploid wheats Al-sensitive cultivar Scout66,Al-tolerant cultivar Atlas66 and an elite wheat cultivar in He- bei province EM12 were analyzed embryo induction frequency and changes in cell ultra-structure under different concentrations of Aluminum ion stress by tissue culture method and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) method respectively.Results:The results showed that Al stress re- duced the embryo induction frequency and restrained the differentiation of embryo (immature embryo induction reduced from 94.0% to 25.3%; mature embryo induction reduced from 75.0% to 17.3% );Al stress badly destroyed the ultra-structure of root tip cells,the nucleus changed uneven,the numbers of vacuole and mitochondria increased but crista of mitochondria changed unclear and almost disappeared.Conclusion: Based on the above-result,the conclusion can be drawn out that Al damages the cell ultra-structure especially in nucleus and mitochondria, which implies that the damage of cell ultra-structure is probably the key factor in Al inhibition of cell differentiation and division.
Introduction   The 6-minute walk test (6mwt) has been widely used as an easy assessment of physical performance and as an outcome parameter in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). However, uncertainty remains about the need to perform multiple tests because of the possible occurrence of a learning effect contributing to the reliability of the test.  Aims and objectives   The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of three consecutive 6mwt in a large group of patients referred for PR.  Methods   From June 2006 to December 2011, 1112 patients referred to a PR center performed a 6mwt on 3 consecutive days (t1-3) as part of the routine pre-PR assessment. Tests were performed during a clinically stable period according to the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society. Retrospectively, absolute differences between the tests were evaluated and correlation coefficients between the three tests were calculated.  Results   The mean distance of the 6mwt (mean ± SD) was 352 ± 122 m on t1, 378 ± 124 on t2 and 393 ± 125 m on t3. All differences between the tests were statistically significant (p<0,001). 51% of patients walked their maximal distance on t3 but only 8% on t1. When considering a minimal clinical important difference (MCID) of 54 m, 35% of the patients showed differences beyond the MCID in favour of t3 when compared to t1, 11% when compared to t2 and 22% when t2 was compared with t1. Significant correlations exist between t1-t2 (r=0,933, p<0,001), t1-t3 (r=0,912, p<0,001), t2-t3 (r=0,951, p<0,001).  Conclusion   These data show that a single 6mwt is not reliable in these patients with severe pulmonary disease. At least two 6mwt are required to obtain a reliable test.
Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) overcomes the traditional text-based image retrieval technology where search is based on automatic or manual explanation of images. For Image retrieval it’s an active research field. Content Based Image Retrieval is a methodology that allows a user to extract an image based on a query from the database. Here, in this work, K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) classifier is used with Jaccard coefficient to find the relevant images. With the use of Jaccard Coefficient the result found are far better than the previous work.
This paper presents the symbolic method analysis and synthesis of some synchronous sequential circuits made with J-K bistables. In this case, we use marking symbols with condition numbers in octal. The minimization is also made through the symbolic method and uses the condition report for the description of the circuit's working sequences. We present the analysis of three circuits and the synthesis of two circuits. The results' verification is made through the Karnaugh diagrams method applied on the analysis and synthesis of synchronous sequential circuits.
Improvements of bio-nano-technologies and biomolecular techniques have led to increasing production of high-throughput experimental data. Spotted cDNA microarray is one of the most diffuse technologies, used in single research laboratories and in biotechnology service facilities. Although they are routinely performed, spotted microarray experiments are complex procedures entailing several experimental steps and actors with different technical skills and roles. During an experiment, involved actors, who can also be located in a distance, need to access and share specific experiment information according to their roles. Furthermore, complete information describing all experimental steps must be orderly collected to allow subsequent correct interpretation of experimental results. To satisfy such requirements, we developed MicroGen, a Web based system for managing information and workflow in the production pipeline of spotted microarray experiments. Our aim was to realize a multi-database system able to store all data completely characterizing different spotted microarray experiments according to the Minimum Information About Microarray Experiments (MIAME) standard, and to support the collaborative work required among multidisciplinary actors and roles involved in microarray experiment production.
Homogeneous preparation of L-methionine gamma-lyase was isolated from Ps. taetrolens. As shown by gel filtration and gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis molecular mass of the native L-methionine gamma-lyase was 130-135 kDa. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in presence of 0.1% SDS showed that L-methionine gamma-lyase proved to be a tetramer, which consisted of identical subunits with a molecular mass of 34 kDa. Pyridoxal-5'-phosphate was bound to the enzyme in the ratio of four moles of the cofactor per a mole of protein. The absorption spectrum of the enzyme exhibited maximal values at 420 nm, which is specific for a number of pyridoxal phosphate-containing enzymes. L-methionine gamma-lyase from Ps. taetrolens was found to be dissimilar in its physicochemical and catalytic properties to the same enzymes from other sources.
Summary Objectives: Determine if clinical decision support (CDS) malfunctions occur in a commercial electronic health record (EHR) system, characterize their pathways and describe methods of detection. Methods: We retrospectively examined the firing rate for 226 alert type CDS rules for detection of anomalies using both expert visualization and statistical process control (SPC) methods over a five year period. Candidate anomalies were investigated and validated. Results: Twenty-one candidate CDS anomalies were identified from 8,300 alert-months. Of these candidate anomalies, four were confirmed as CDS malfunctions, eight as false-positives, and nine could not be classified. The four CDS malfunctions were a result of errors in knowledge management: 1) inadvertent addition and removal of a medication code to the electronic formulary list; 2) a seasonal alert which was not activated; 3) a change in the base data structures; and 4) direct editing of an alert related to its medications. 154 CDS rules (68%) were amenable to SPC methods and the test characteristics were calculated as a sensitivity of 95%, positive predictive value of 29% and F-measure 0.44. Discussion: CDS malfunctions were found to occur in our EHR. All of the pathways for these malfunctions can be described as knowledge management errors. Expert visualization is a robust method of detection, but is resource intensive. SPC-based methods, when applicable, perform reasonably well retrospectively. Conclusion: CDS anomalies were found to occur in a commercial EHR and visual detection along with SPC analysis represents promising methods of malfunction detection. Citation: Kassakian SZ, Yackel TR, Gorman PN, Dorr DA. Clinical decisions support malfunctions in a commercial electronic health record. Appl Clin Inform 2017; 8: 910–923 https://doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2017-01-RA-0006
The realization of creative ideas is conducive to organizational performance,using 266 Chinese firms as the research objects,we test the direct effect of organizational creativity on organizational performance,and then we further analysis and test the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation,process control,the combination of them in the relationship between organizational creativity and organizational performance.Results show that:Organizational creativity is positively related to organizational performance;entrepreneurial orientation,the combination of entrepreneurial orientation and process control positively moderate the relationship between organizational creativity and organizational performance.
The paper summarizes the outcomes of pharmacovigilance activities of the Federal Service in the Sphere of Public Health and Social Development in the year 2009. By the end of last year, regional authorities in cooperation with Roszdravnadzor have organized 54 pharmacovigilance centers in Russian regions. A substantial share of state healthcare facilities have appointed qualified persons responsible for collection and submission of drug safety information. This work was backed by the launch of two electronic systems for on-line collection and analyses of safety data of marketed and investigational products. Consequently, the number of adverse events report submitted to drug regulatory agency increased by 6 times compared to 2008. The electronic submission of spontaneous reports is becoming a preferred way of communication of safety data among multinational pharmaceutical companies. At the same time it is getting popular among domestic manufacturers. To facilitate the implementation of modern practices, Rodzravnadzor has published several guidelines on structure and functions of pharmacovigilance system of marketing authorization holders, submission of safety data in course of clinical trials, assessment of casual relationship in spontaneous reports etc. Thus in 2009 Russian state pharmacovigilance system has gained its basic elements necessary for effective performance.
Internal network brings convenience for corporate office,but increasing threats are also brought into enterprises.Insider threat causes great harm to enterprises,and is difficult to detect,so it is urgently to be solved.This paper put forward a predictive model of insider threat based on Bayesian network attack graphs.It considered the behaviors in attacking process as research objects,and considered the resources and operation sequence as nodes,established Bayesian network attack graphs.It described the different attack paths and attack state in the process of attacking by Bayesian network attack graphs,and used Bayesian network inference algorithm to calculate the risk probability of insider threat.In Bayesian network attack graphs,the concepts of meta-operation,atomic attack and intrusion evidence were defined,and node variable,its value and conditional probability distribution were quantified.Based on the improved likelihood weighted algorithm,the calculation of Bayesian network parameters is easier,and the prediction of insider threat is more accurate.Ultimately,by simulation experiment,it is proved that the modeling speed is fast,the process of calculation is simple,the result is exact,and it is valid and applicative in predicting insider threat.
Modeling of the limited life span in an individual organism is discussed. Two models are presented in this discussion, a model of "natural technology" and a homeostatic model of aging in an organism. The problem of a transition from a model of an individual organism to a model of cohort and a population is studied. It is shown that it is enough to have only one property in an organism--death occurrence to model a cohort, whereas to model a population with overlapped generations two properties are needed, that is ability to die and ability to produce progenies. Examples of modeling of an individual organism, a cohort and a population are presented.
To investigate the role of DNA strand breakage as the molecular lesion responsible for initiating genomic instability, five different strand breaking agents; bleomycin, neocarzinostatin, hydrogen peroxide, restriction endonucleases and ionizing radiation were examined for their capacity to induce delayed chromosomal instability. These studies were carried out in GM10115 human-hamster hybrid cells which contain one copy of human chromosome 4 in a background of 20-24 hamster chromosomes. Chromosomal instability was investigated using fluorescence in situ hybridization to visualize chromosomal rearrangements involving human chromosome 4. Rearrangements are detected multiple generations post-treatment, in clonal populations derived from single progenitor cells surviving treatment to the specified DNA damaging agents. Analysis of over 250 individual clones representing over 50,000 metaphases clearly demonstrate that when compared at comparable levels of cell kill, ionizing radiation, bleomycin and neocarzinostatin are equally effective at eliciting delayed genomic instability. In contrast, the analysis of nearly 300 clones and 60,000 metaphases, involving treatment with four different restriction endonucleases and/or hydrogen peroxide did not show any manifestation of chromosomal instability. These data will be discussed in terms of treatment/DNA interactions.
Optical parametric oscillators (OPO) can realize frequency transformation with its mixing frequency properly of nonlinear crystal, which is one of available effective approach to obtain tuned coherent light. Infrared light generated by QPM OPO has significant application in infrared military countermeasures atmospheric environment detection, medicine, spectroscopy, laser radar and remote sensing. Moreover CW PPLN OPO is the best choice for high power mid-infrared CW laser sources in the range of 3-5μm. In the paper, principles and characteristic of QPM are introduced and discussed, important recent advances of CW OPO are summarized, with emphasis on CW PPLN OPO and its application prospect.
This article studies in detail the solution of an integral equation due to Rongming et al. [13]. The methods involve complex analysis. As an application, we find the ruin probability of a given Bonus-Malus system in a steady state. We obtain closed form solutions for the ruin probability in certain cases, and we characterize these cases. We give conditions for the Laplace transform of a ruin probability to extend to a meromorphic function in the complex plane, we prove a very general and almost sharp inequality of Lundberg type, and we extend our results to a doubly stochastic situation.
External constructions of buildings provide their protection from external influences. These constructions ought to create optimal comfort of interior environment in winter as well as in summer. It has been shown in practice that the largest number of breakdowns occurs in external constructions. The external constructions of walls, roofs and floors too present a big area of problems in design of new and reconstructed buildings respectively. Heat losses of buildings through external constructions roof, external walls, floor on the ground are not negligible. It is therefore important to pay more attention to these constructions. Basementless buildings stepped directly on the ground are in direct interaction with subgrade and its thermal state. An amount of heat primarily destined for creation of thermal comfort in the interior escapes from foundational construction and floor on the ground to the cooler subgrade. The outgoing heat represents heat losses, which unfavourably affect the overall energetic effectiveness of the building. The heat losses represent approximately 15 to 20% of the overall heat losses of the building. This number is a clear antecedent of need for isolation and minimalization of heat flow from the building to the subgrade.
Image analysis is an original method for the determination of blood groups and tissue types and for the serology of syphilis. Major advantages are the rapid and specific discrimination of biological particles present in agglutinated or free form, either fluorescent or stained. The reading of the tests is instantaneous and quantitative. The results are expressed immediately and stored with the use of computers. We have studied three micromethods, two for red blood cell grouping and irregular antibodies screening and one for the serology of syphilis, each one being adapted for an automatic system.
The study was undertaken to find out the correlation of elevated B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) levels with the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with unstable angina and NSTEMI. This cross sectional analytical study was carried out in the department of cardiology, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Dhaka during a period of August 2011 to June 2012. A total of 100 consecutive patients with unstable angina and NSTEMI undergoing coronary angiography were included in the study. BNP assay was done by Architect system, a chemo luminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA). CAG was done by conventional method within 14 days of index hospital admission. Study patients were divided into two groups on the basis of BNP levels. In Group I, BNP Levels were ≤80pg/ml and in Group II, BNP levels were elevated >80pg/ml. with 50 patients in each group. Angiographic severity of CAD was assessed by vessel score and Friesinger score. Vessel score showed single vessel was involved in 21(47.7%) patients while multi vessel in 23(52.3%) patients was found in Group I. On the contrary 11(22.4%) single vessel patients and 38(77.6%) multivessel patients were found in Group II. There was significant association between vessel involvement (p=0.01). Friesinger score revealed that less severe CAD was found in 22(44%) patients and significant severe CAD in 28(56.0%) patients in Group I. On the contrary 7(14.0%) less severe CAD patients and 43(86.0%) severe CAD patients were found in Group II. There was significant difference between severity of CAD among the study groups (p=0.01). There was linear correlation between BNP pg/ml and coronary artery disease severity in terms of Vessel score (r=0.38, p=0.01) and Friesinger score (r=0.51, p=0.01). The present study concluded that increased BNP level >80pg/ml was significantly associated with the presence and severity of CAD in patient with UA and NSTEMI.
It is a commonly accepted assumption that membrane fusion involves an hour-glass-shaped local contact between two monolayers of opposing membranes, an intermediate structure called a stalk. The shape of the stalk is considered as an axisymmetrical surface of revolution in 3D space, with a planar geometry in the initial configuration. The total energy of the stalk is evaluated from the assumption that the stalk has a constant mean curvature. We analyze on this basis the energetic path of evolution of the stalk from hemifusion to complete fusion, adopting the radius of the stalk, the peel-off angle at the interstices and the stalk total energy as characteristic quantities. An extension of the original model is proposed, in which any geometrical feature of the stalks can be expressed in explicit form, by considering the stalks as nodoid surfaces.
BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS PROPHESYS was a prospective, international cohort study of monoinfected, treatment-naive chronic hepatitis C patients treated with a combination of peginterferon alfa-2a or alfa-2b and ribavirin.It included worldwide 7,163 patients from 19 countries (including 384 patients from Belgium alone) and demonstrated that sustained virologic response rates in the real world were similar to those achieved in well-controlled clinical trials. The objective of this sub-analysis was to present an overview of the baseline characteristics, anti-hepatitis C drug treatment, and virologic responses of the patients treated in Belgium, infected with HCV genotype 1, 2, 3, or 4, and administered pegin-terferon alfa-2a. Moreover, the impact of ribavirin dosage on the response to treatment was studied.   PATIENTS AND METHODS 356 patients were included in this sub-analysis. All variables were summarized using descriptive statistics.   RESULTS Compared to the published data of the whole study population (1), the Belgian data presented some significant differences in terms of genotype distribution and response to treatment (e.g. lower prevalence of HCV genotype 1 infection, lower virologic response rates in HCV genotype 2 patients). Deviations from existing recommendations were identified (e.g. higher dose of ribavirin in HCV genotype 2 or 3 patients). Patients who received less than 80% of the target dose of ribavirin experienced a significantly weaker response to treatment.   CONCLUSION This sub-analysis provided an interesting profile of the Belgian experience in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
Introduction: Continued education is a basic tool in order to the nurse gets trained, updated, and skilled in her practice allowing her to raise quality during the given care. Objective: Analyze the main motivational factors in the nursing staff that influence attendance to continued education courses in a private hospital in Mexico, City. Methodology: A transversal study was done with 141 nurses who represented 37.2% from the study group; data collection was done through a self conducted instrument whose internal reliability measure reached 0.755 on Cronbach’s alpha. The statistical package SPSS V11.0 was utilized for analysis of data. Results: As it is shown, nursing staff is predominantly unmarried, female, and with technical level of education. The global motivation for attendance to courses was considered adequate; as well as the attendees are self perceived with adequate capabilities and skills to attend these courses. It is important to emphasize that the relation among dimensions, capabilities, and skills; the attributed importance for attendance to courses and the feeling toward the behavior of attendance, show a mean correlation force (r=+0.435, prob=0.001). Conclusions: The factors for no attendance to continued education courses of nursing staff were: lack of time, financial resources, lack of institutional recognition and raise position; which showed that actualization influence the care given to the user.
The edge area between Jiangsu and Shanghai refers to the area with some common administrative characters of Jiangsu and Shanghai, and in general with a close economic relationship. This study takes Nantong and Suzhou both in Jiangsu Province as the case. First, we summarized the spatial and the temporal change in the edge area between Jiangsu and Shanghai, with findings of three phases during historic evolvement in a temporal dimension, and regional difference of cooperation in a spatial dimension. Then we analyzed the main reason which caused the territorial difference in regional economic cooperation in edge areas between Jiangsu and Shanghai. On the basis of study mentioned above, we evaluated the cooperation performance in edge areas between Jiangsu and Shanghai, and considered the cooperation performance is apparent, and pointed out the direction of comparative is economic integration. On the basis of comparative analysis of three typical regional cooperation patterns of NAFTA, EU and APEC, we finally put forward several strategies in advancing cooperation in edge areas between Jiangsu and Shanghai.
BACKGROUND Coaggregating FcepsilonRI with FcgammaRII receptors holds great potential for treatment of IgE-mediated disease by inhibiting FcepsilonRI signaling. We have previously shown that an Fcgamma-Fcepsilon fusion protein, human IgG-IgE Fc fusion protein (GE2), could inhibit FcepsilonRI-mediated mediator releases in vitro and in vivo.   OBJECTIVE We sought to test whether GE2 was capable of blocking mediator release from FcepsilonRI cells sensitized with IgE in vivo or in vitro before exposure to GE2, a critical feature for GE2 to be clinically applicable.   METHODS GE2 was tested for its ability to inhibit Fel d 1-induced mediator release from human blood basophils from subjects with cat allergy, human lung-derived mast cells, human FcepsilonRIalpha transgenic mice sensitized with human cat allergic serum, and rhesus monkeys naturally allergic to the dust mite Dermatophagoides farinae.   RESULTS Basophils from subjects with cat allergy and lung mast cells degranulate when challenged with Fel d 1 and anti-IgE, respectively. GE2 itself did not induce mediator release but strongly blocked this Fel d 1- and anti-IgE-driven mediator release. GE2 was able to block Fel d 1-driven passive cutaneous anaphylaxis at skin sites sensitized with human serum from subjects with cat allergy in human FcepsilonRIalpha transgenic mice, but by itself, GE2 did not induce a passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction. Finally, GE2 markedly inhibited skin test reactivity to D farinae in monkeys naturally allergic to this allergen, with complete inhibition being observed at 125 ng.   CONCLUSION GE2 is able to successfully compete for FcepsilonRs and FcgammaRs on cells presensitized in vitro and in vivo and lead to inhibition of IgE-mediated reactivity through coaggregation of FcepsilonRI with FcgammaRII.
After Mr. F. T. Valck Lucassen's decease in september 1939 his collections have been transported to the Leiden Museum for better preservation. In 1941 the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden, could acquire these considerable collections which also included those of Janson (London) and Girard (Geneva). These collections contain a great number of species, often represented by the types or series of types, many of which described by Valck Lucassen himself. In an obituary Uyttenboogaart (1940: 1-2) gave an enumeration of all papers by Valck Lucassen, most of which are on Cetonids. The monograph on the genus Lomaptera, announced by Uyttenboogaart, had to be translated, illustrated and to be made ready for printing; it was published in 1961 by the Netherlands Entomological Society (Valck Lucassen, 1961). It is based for the greater part on specimens in Valck Lucassen's own collection, and other material from various collections in the world which was amiably lent to the author for study. In the present paper I intend to give an enumeration of the full material now present in the Leiden and Amsterdam musea, with additional notes and descriptions of species new or insufficiently known. Unfortunately some misprints occur in the monograph which cause difficulties when using the identification tables. I give corrections in this catalogue. In this catalogue (V.L.) stands for: ex collection Valck Lucassen; (N.A.M.) for: ex collection Natura Artis Magistra. For the localities, which in many cases are not to be found on current atlases, I may refer to the map I added to Valck Lucassen's monograph, in which I tried to bring together all necessary data from expedition-reports, etc. A number of locali-
Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) has been described as an important complication in patients affected by different kind of illnesses, above all underlying malignancies. Fifty % of the patients affected by NBTE will have embolic events in different organs. The poverty of specific symptomatology appears to difficult seriously its diagnosis. In fact, systemic embolic infarctions are usually asymptomatic, except when central nervous system is involved. We present a patient affected by NBTE with an asymptomatic cervical spinal cord infarction, which diagnosis was made by pathologic study. The difficulty to explore typical sings of spinal lesion and the absence of previous reported cases of NBTE with posterior spinal artery infarction, make this one fairly interesting. We think that fibrinoplatelet embolism from NBTE should be included in the etiology of the posterior spinal artery infarction.
Abstract : The purpose of this technical report is to document the theoretical and practical aspects of the attitude dynamics of the Petite Amateur Navy Satellite (PANSAT). PANSAT is an experimental, small, low cost, communications satellite that was designed and built by officer students supported by the Space Systems Academic Group at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. The satellite was deployed during the STS 95 mission into a low-Earth orbit providing an altitude of about 300 nautical miles and an inclination of 28.50 on October 30, 1998. The dynamics of the non-stabilized spacecraft are modeled by the equations of rotational motion incorporating environmental torques and considering several reference systems. The initial state of motion and attitude as launched from the Space Shuttle as well as telemetry data received after deployment are investigated in order to obtain an understanding on the satellite's actual dynamics and attitude. Visualization tools are provided to display the attitude of PANSAT at time of deployment and the roll-rate relative to the Sun.
Purpose: This study was conducted to explore the experiences of the value of nurses' professionalism by a grounded theory. Methods: There were 32 participants who had used inpatient services and/or provided care for family members admitted to inpatient clinics. A grounded theory method was used based on symbolic interactionism. Results: 88 concepts, 37 subcategories, and 15 categories were derived from the analysis of Strauss & Corbin. The central phenomenon was "unburdening of load" and the core category was being professional". Conclusion: The development of such skills can promote an increase in knowledge and clinical resources in health services particularly in hospital care.
OBJECTIVE To discuss pathogeny and diagnosis and management of multiple zonal aganglionosis in Hirschsprung's disease.   METHODS Records of 3 children, aging 5 days, 29 days and 18 months, 3 boys, with multiple zonal aganglionosis in long segment Hirschsprung's disease between 1987-2005 were reviewed retrospectively. Total colectomy and Soave's operations were performed.   RESULTS 3 children were diagnosed HD before surgery, but the convulsive stenosis in distal ileum and proximal ascending colon were detected during surgery. The aganglionic cells in the stenosis gut were confirmed by pathologic diagnosis.   CONCLUSIONS The total colon and ileum should be detected carefully during surgery in children with long segment Hirschsprung's disease. It is believed not sound that the neuroblastic cells stop moving from neuroectoderm to gut in early gestation in HD, but it is also believed that some other causes in the course of gestation might interfere the normal growth of the ganglionic cells.
A health monitoring system becomes a very useful tool to obtain information on long term behavior of the important railway structures such as very long span and special type bridges. It can be also used to give a warning signal to the maintenance engineer when the structure shows abnormal behavior. However, due to long term use and temperature changes, the health monitoring system needs to be calibrated periodically. In this study, calibration and gauge factor readjustment process made for the health monitoring system installed in the railroad bridges and tunnel are reviewed and a few findings are updated. Future work will be concentrated on the long-term analysis of the measurement data and on the database structures so that the assessment of the structure is possible
This article explains the reasons why Rawls's theory of justice revitalized the realm of practical philosophy from the 70s onwards, thereby becoming an unavoi- dable reference. It also analyzes the flaws some critics have pointed out in Rawlsian principles of justice: Rawls handles things as if distributive differences (the amounts of wealth individuals will eventually obtain within a free economy) resulted just from undeserved advantages, either socio-economic or natural-genetic. He totally disre- gards the incidence of indidivual effort and free decisions on professional-economic success.
The study was conducted in order to understand the participatory management of the Loktak lake Manipur by different stakeholders. The study tools used were stakeholder analysis, activity analysis and participation analysis. 30 stakeholders were identified, their relationship was analysed and they were prioritized according to their ‘influence on’ and ‘importance to’ the project. The observations of the study were that the capture and culture fishermen need adequate capacity building. NHPC, jhum farmers and athaphum owners were the major threats to the project. Most of the project activities were taken up in association with meira paibies, ngami lups and other CBOs. In most cases, local people in general were just informed about the project activities. Activities were taken up in association with CBOs and LDA who acted as the major decision making body. Participation of stakeholders specially the primary stakeholders in every project activity at different stages justifying its extent and typology should be designed and implemented for project sustainability as well as sustainable development of the natural resource and its users as a whole.
Photoneutron cross sections for the ground and isomeric state formation of K/sup 39/ were measured. The experimental branching ratio was compared with statistical theory. It was found that sigma = 2 for the distribution parameter of the density level formula fits the experimental results. A tentative to observation of gamma decay of the isomeric to the ground state of K/sup 38/ was performed. (auth)
Provided are a system frame number information transmission method and system, the method comprising: a base station, in a cycle period of system frame number information, sets X resource locations for carrying the system frame number indication information; and the base station transmits, in each cycle period of the system frame number information, the system frame number indication information in at least one resource location. Also provided are a base station and terminal capable of improving the coverage of a smart-metering type MTC terminal device deployed in a low coverage environment, and ensuring normal communication of the MTC terminal device without adding extra stations or deploying a relay station.
Abstract : The German planning process for the 1941 invasion of Soviet Russia is analyzed through the presentation of the major plans developed from July 1940 until June 1941, The final plan is then critiqued within the context of the applicable Principles of War, The planning process was characterized by significant disagreements between Hitler, the German High Command and the Army High Command. The major points of contention relate to the selection of primary objectives and force deployment patterns. A set of conclusions is presented which argues that the planning process was faulty due to a number of assumptions which were generally held by the officers who were involved in the process.
Resveratrol (3,4’, 5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene; RV), a polyphenolic natural product, shows chemopreventive properties against several cancers, heart diseases, inflammation and viral infections. Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), a γ-herpesvirus, contributes to the development of several human cancers including Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL). In this study we asked whether treatment with RV would affect the viability of EBV-positive BL cells displaying different forms of latency. We report here that RV, regardless of EBV status, induces caspase-dependent apoptosis by arresting cell cycle progression in G1 phase. However, RV strongly induced apoptosis in EBV (-) and Latency I EBV (+) cells, whereas Latency II and Latency III EBV (+) BL cells showed a survival advantage that increased with the extent of the pattern of viral gene expression. RV-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis occurred in association with induction of p38 MAPK phosphorylation and suppression of ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Moreover, NFkB DNA binding activity was inhibited in all BL lines except EBV (+) Latency III cells. LMP1 oncogene, which is expressed in Latency III phenotype, is involved in the higher resistance to the antiproliferative effect of RV since siRNA-mediated inhibition of LMP1 greatly increased the sensitivity of latency III BL as well as that of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) to the polyphenol. We propose that a combined RV/siRNA strategy may be a novel approach for the treatment of EBV-associated B cell malignancies in which the viral pattern of gene expression has been defined.
The sampling and processing of ultrasonic signals, and the display and analysis of images realized by HLBE 1 ultrasonic and eddy current imaging system are described. Combined with conventional testing technique and criterion, the system has the functions of real time monitoring, signal store, multi redisplay of images and flaw analysis for A, B and C scan. Field applications show that the ultrasonic imaging technique for center bores of turbine rotors has the advantages of high speed and reliability.
Swimming-induced pulmonary edema (SIPE) has been described in sports and military medicine during strenuous swimming in open water. Symptoms include dyspnea, cough, frothy mucus and hemoptysis. Hypertension, a tight wetsuit, overhydration and previous episodes of SIPE are suggested risk factors. Immediate interruption of swimming prevents more serious symptoms. In the open water race at Vansbro 2016, 69 swimmers (of 13,878 in total) were treated for symptoms suspected for SIPE. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) was successfully used to treat suspected SIPE in 46 patients in the on-site emergency care center. Open water swimming races are increasingly popular and also attract many unexperienced swimmers. There is a need of validated guidelines for organizers of open water races, swimmers and health professionals.
In this project, initially a review of the physico-chemical characterization of waste tires is carried out, taking into account both elemental and proximate analysis to determine the distribution of products in the fast pyrolysis, as the calorific power to assess the energy potential of the biomass implemented. Subsequently, the technological scheme of the rapid pyrolysis process and the operational conditions of each of the stages that comprise it are defined, considering in the first instance a pre-treatment stage, which includes grinding, sifting, cleaning and drying the tire to increase the performance and quality of bio-oil. The second stage corresponds to rapid pyrolysis, in which the thermal decomposition of the biomass occurs in a solid product (carbonized) and a gaseous (volatile material) in the absence of oxygen, for which it is necessary to know the kinetics of the process. Then, the volatile material obtained is passed through a condensation stage, in which two heat exchangers are used to obtain the water-free bio-oil; finally, because the product contains oxygenated compounds that are contaminants in the biofuel, an adaptation stage is required in order to obtain a purified bio-oil of good quality and high calorific value that can be used as transport fuel, so that the hydrotreatment process is studied for this last stage.
We consider a simple collinear collision ofa "classical" particle with a harmonic oscillator within quantum semiclassical model and full quantum dynamics model, in which the latter is solved analytically in squeezed state and exact diagonalization methods and acts as the exact solution of such a system. A comparison of these two models for different mass ratios between the "classical" particle and the quantum particle is done, which gives a criterion when using the quantum-semiclassical model.
Drug resistance information on direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) used to treat hepatitis C (HCV) infection is accumulating rapidly. A systematic, comprehensive one-stop information source summarizing relevant data would benefit researchers, clinicians and the HCV community at large. The HCV resistance field is not yet as advanced as the HIV field, for which numerous resistance interpretation resources exist, including the well-known IAS-USA resistance mutation table 3 and the Stanford HIV Resistance database. For HCV, initial clinical information is emerging and this publication is meant to provide current state-of-the-art information with respect to drug resistance.
One important application of DNA microarrays is measuring the expression levels of genes. The quality of the microarrays design which includes selecting short Oligonucleotide sequences (probes) to be affixed on the surface of the microarray becomes a major issue. A good design is the one that contains the minimum possible number of probes while having an acceptable ability in identifying the targets existing in the sample. This thesis focuses on the problem of computing the minimal set of probes which is able to identify each target of a sample, referred to as Non-unique Oligonucleotide Probe Selection. We present the application of an Estimation of Distribution Algorithm named Bayesian Optimization Algorithm (BOA) to this problem. This approach considers integration of BOA and one simple heuristic. The obtained results compare favorably with the state-of-the-art methods. We also present application of our method in integration with decoding approach in a multiobjective optimization framework for solving the problem in the case of multiple targets in the sample.
Being the result of Vernacular Movement and Literature Reformation, the "Populace Literature" was an important terminology in the new history of Chinese literature and was frequently used during the New Culture Movement. The Populace Literature got the upper hand at the cross the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China (1912-1949), when the prosperous of vernacular paved a way for the populace literature, the rapid development of newspaper business and the populace education movement promoted the populace literature, finally, by the praises of the master literati the populace literature became the main trend in the May 4th movement. The ideological trend of populace literature affected the poetry of Hans, stimulated the vernacular poetry and the new poetry reformation as well, and in addition had a great influence on Chinese literature afterwards, which made the public literature movement rise successively.
The malor area of sorghum production in Malaw is rhe Lower Shire. M q o r conrtrnlnrs to production hate been inch of suitable cu l t~wrs , unratis]acto~ cultzvatlon practices, drought, andpesr damage Current sorghum breed~ng work h identified new varieties wh~ch are rupenor ro those currently being grown Two new vaneties have been tesied on.sraflon between 1984/85 and 1992193 cropprng seasons in repilcated trials tn six enijtronments, compared unth other iuanerter and controL Thew performances hai'e also beer, uerified tn 1992/93 in on.farm m a & , compared unrhfarmer wanet~es, a t eight locarronr in two d~srricts of Chikwawa and Nsanje In rhe Lower Shire. Results jrom these 14 an~,ironments provide usable data to confirm superianty oi ihe two ellre sorghum varieties tested In the riarion mt~ironments, oanety SPV 351 yielded 2.28 I ha ' and SPV 47.5 2 44 t ha.', relaflue tofive mher tesr vanerzes rangtngfrom 1 5 I ha 1 to 1 84 I ha 1 and two controls wrh 1.41 I ha.' (PN 3) and 1.85 t ha 1 (DC 75) In the on-farm locations they airo ytelded berter a t 2 0 3 r ha 1 and 2 60 r ha.', rerpec. rii,~ly, rhan the jarmers' local lnndracr uariery (LLV Thengalamanga 1.99 r ha 'j The two varieries also malure eari~er (71 and 76 days ro 50% jlowenng) than the control PN 3 (74 days] and other rest etirnei (ranging from 8 0 to 8 7 days), and have better storage andgram characters Bared on signtficant yteld dtfferences (62 and 7341 htgher grain yzeld) o]rhe two sorghirm vaneries relatrve to PN 3 (in station trials] and (2 and 31% h~gher yield] relaflue io LLV Thengainmanga [in o n f a n rests), the two vanertes from ICRISAT, SPV 351 and SPV 475, were released in Mainw as Pirira i and Prnra 2 I Senlor Rcwarrh Officrr. Ka mthula Rcrrarch Station, M Box 28 Chikcaxs M d l ~ w , 2 Sentor Plant Bveedcr md k t u r c r Bunda Col1c.e of Anr8culrurr PO 81ix 2lY Llunpwe Malawi w ' m * Chintu, E.M.. Chigwe. C.F.B.. Obilsns. A.B., Chlrva R.W., md Ms~rko, ILS. 1996 Souhum Varlcty Relcau in Mslswi the Caw of Plrlra I and Plrlra 2 Pager 19-25 tn Drought.toleranr crops iur rourhon Air~rs p r x r e d ~ n ~ s o i t h e SNXIICRISAT Rcporul Saghum md Prarl Mlllct Woikshop, 25 -29 Jul 1994, Gaborone Botsvan. (Luzhnn. K .md Manthe. C S , e & ] Ymniheru 502 324, Andhra Prrdcrh, lndm l n t c r ~ t ~ a t u i Crop Rcwarch Inrtrtutc lor the Srm~.kid Traplcs
In order to design a new kind of two-stroke spark ignition internal combustion engine with a large bore and non-connecting rod,the foreign design patent was referred,the CAD software was applied to construct the engine concept model,and the structures and the work process of the engine were analyzed.As a result,the structure of the new kind of engine with large bore and non-connecting rod satisfied aeronautic piston engines by high heat efficiency and high power/weight ratio.Above all,the new kind of engine deserves a further research.
In 649 urological patients with urinary tract infections (UTI) a total of 1114 bacterial strains were isolated and their beta-lactamase production was investigated by a qualitative, micro-iodometric method. Approximately 40% of all strains, 33% of E. coli species and 8% of Proteus mirabilis species were enzyme producers. All of the isolates of E. coli and Proteus mirabilis defined as non-producers were sensitive to ampicillin and cephalothin in the agar diffusion test. The beta-lactamase producers of these two species did not show the same pattern: almost all of them were ampicillin-resistant, but most were cephalothin-sensitive. The other species were all found to be either producers or non-producers. Therapeutic comparisons in altogether 138 UTI patients treated with ampicillin or cephalexin, two antibiotics with different beta-lactamase stability, confirmed the positive correlation between enzyme production and therapeutic failure in both groups. Cephalexin, however, tended to be more effective than ampicillin against enzyme-producing species.
Mrs. Z is a 56 years old Malay housewife with the past historyof gastric ulcer and ischaemic heart disease presented withbilateral knee pain of gradual onset for the past 5 months.The pain is described as dull aching, increasingly in severityuntil that she is unable to walk and it worsened in the eveningand after activity. She does not recall any injury to her knee,no morning stiffness and no pain in the other joint. Sheconsulted a private GP recently and was given ibuprofen.However, she was unable to tolerate this due to the gastricpain. During this current consultation, she was givenparacetamol and was referred to physiotherapy for furtheradvice on exercise. (copied from article)
Some subject predicate structure in ancient Chinese can be transformed to partial structure bythe function words 之,者,所 by different ways,and the partial Structural can be confirmed by the function words 其 and 之.The grammatical meaning of the transformed partial Structural from Subject predicate structureby the function words 之,者,所 is obviously different. If we can understand the grammatical function of thefunction words 之,者,所 that make subject predicate structure transfom to partial structural in ancient Chinesecorrectly,it is helpful to solve some ancient Chinese grammatical problems associated with it.
This article reports on a qualitative monographic study that looked at the role of the spouse of a small business owner in occupational health and safety risk management. In this specific context, characterised by weakly polarised social relations, the owner often finds it difficult to create a profile for themselves in order to deploy a risk prevention plan. This study was carried out in a French company with fewer than 50 employees and aimed to follow the progress of a process that began with the company owner becoming aware of his statutory obligations and ended with the operationalization of risk prevention in the field. Although programmes designed to raise the awareness of business owners of their regulatory obligations have been well documented, little is known about their sustainability. The study was carried out in the construction sector, which is known to be particularly accident-prone and highlights the means deployed by the spouse of the owner to carry out her mission, and the organisational and symbolic difficulties that she came up against. Through an intervention approach, where the researcher implements management tools and co-produces knowledge with the company's actors during the intervention, this study throws new light on the change resistance mechanisms at work and the spouse's limited ability to take action in dealing with these issues.
The artistic and litterary representation of war has ben the exclusive prerogative of men. In spite that the active role played by women during World War I was an essential one for the Italian society of that moment, the critics hasn't payed any special attention to the important work of Donna Paola, writer and journalist and a defender of women's emancipation. We will analyze "La funzione della donna in tempo di guerra" and "La donna della nuova Italia. “Documenti del contributo femminile alla guerra", texts that advocated for a direct participation of women in war.
Two mutant RNAs, one derived from tRNA(imet), the second from U1 snRNA, that are defective in export from the nucleus to the cytoplasm have been studied. In both cases, the RNAs are shown to be transport competent but prevented from leaving the nucleus by interaction with saturable binding sites. This contradicts previous hypotheses to explain the behavior of the tRNA mutant, and highlights a general problem in using mutant RNAs to study nuclear export. In the case of these mutants, it is argued that nuclear retention is likely to be artifactual. However, the additional example of U6 snRNA is described. In this case, nuclear retention appears to be a physiological mechanism by which intranuclear localization is achieved. Evidence that the site of interaction with the La protein in U6 snRNA is important for its nuclear retention is presented.
Microstructure,mechanical properties and fatigue crack growth of die cast( DC) and vacuum die cast( VDC) thin-walled AlMg-Si-Mn alloy samples were studied. Results indicate that microstructure of the alloy consists of primary α-Al,eutectic [Al + Mg2Si] and Al15( Fe,Mn)3Si2particles. Tensile strength,yield strength and elongation of DC and VDC samples are 321 MPa,205 MPa,3. 9% and 331 MPa,210 MPa,4. 4%,respectively. Crack growth rate of the VDC samples is slightly lower than that of DC samples,thus the fatigue resistance of VDC samples is superior. Numerous cleavage facets are observed in tensile fracture surface. Fatigue striations and tear ridges are widely observed in fatigue fracture surface.
As a work on the preparation of spread type product using chungkook-jang, proximate composition and enzyme activity of chungkook-jang were analyzed and extrusion capillary viscometer was made. The effects of moisture content, oil type and content and temperature on the rheological properties of chungkook-jang spread were investigated. As the moisture content of chungkook-jang spread increased from 55% to 65%, apparent viscosity decreased and spreadibility and L value in Hunter color system increased. On the contrary, as the added oil content of chungkook-jang spread increased from 10% to 30%, rla increased and spreadibility and L value decreased. Specially, in case of palm olefin addition, the rla of chungkook-jang spread was more high than that of soybean oil addition. As the temperature of chungkook-jang spread increased, rla decreased and spreadibility increased. In the same conditions, the of chungkook-jang spread increased in order of B. natto, B. natto and B. subtilis mixture and B. subtilis fermentation.
The use of allelopathic effects of some plants in weed management has attracted much attention. To evaluate the effect of the aerial parts extract of helianthus annuus on the germination percentage, plume length and radical length of brassica napus, test was done as a completely randomized design with three replications at laboratory conditions in 1388. Experimental treatments included: control treatment and treatment with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% concentration of aerial parts extract of helianthus annuus. The results showed that the effect of different concentration of the aerial parts extract of helianthus annuus was significantly on seed germination percentage, plume and radical growth and decreased seed germination and brassica napus growth with increasing concentration of extract.
Researchers in rehabilitation counseling and disability studies sometimes use analogue research, which involves materials that approximate or describe reality (e.g., written vignettes, videotaped exemplars) rather than investigating phenomena in real-world settings. Analogue research often utilizes experimental designs, and it thereby frequently possesses a high degree of internal validity. Analogue research allows investigators to exercise tight control over the implementation of the independent or treatment variable and over potentially confounding variables, which enables them to isolate the effects of those treatment variables on selected outcome measures. However, the simulated nature of analogue research presents an important threat to external validity. As such, the generalizability of analogue research to real-life settings and situations may be problematic. These and other issues germane to analogue research in vocational rehabilitation are discussed in this article, illustrated with examples from the contemporary literature.
This study sought to call attention to the systematic exclusion of half of Nigeria's population from effective participation in national development on the basis of sex. The paper therefore discussed the various ways by which the girl-child is being discriminated against and established the disparities between the boy-child and the girl-child in terms of acceptance at birth, enrolment in school and employment into civil service. This research is an exploratory survey which made use of data collected from Rivers State ministry of education and Rivers State Central Statistical Agency. On analysis using frequency counts and percentages, the two research questions raised in the study were substantively answered as the findings revealed that seventeen (17) local government areas out of twenty three (23) had larger number of male student enrolment. So also, table 2 on gender employment indicated that twenty (20) out of twenty three (23) major Rivers State Public Service were dominated by males. Hence, it was recommended that a girl-child should be held in high esteem, just as the boy child by all and sundry in all facets of life. Above all, the paper advocate equal access and inclusive education system in which the presentation of curricula materials is not gender biased.
The invention relates to a refining method of an aluminum alloy material for heat exchangers. The aluminum alloy material comprises the following components in percentage by weight: manganese, copper, silicon, magnesium, zirconium, iron, titanium, tungsten, and the balance of aluminum inevitable impurities. The components are smelted and cast to obtain the aluminum alloy ingot. Compared with the existing aluminum alloy pipe, the aluminum alloy pipe provided by the invention has greatly higher strength, higher mechanical toughness and greatly improved corrosion resistance.
To evaluate adequacy of biopsy specimens obtained and safety to the patient, the standard keyhole biopsy technique (using digital immobilization of the right kidney and placement of the biopsy needle up to the capsule before obtaining a tissue sample) was compared with 9 technical modifications. Adequacy was judged by the number of intact glomeruli observed in the specimen. Detection of transected blood vessels and renal pelvis was presumed to have predictive value for postbiopsy complications of hemorrhage and hydronephrosis. Needle biopsy specimens were also obtained from left and right kidneys by use of laparoscopic visualization and were compared with those obtained by use of the standard keyhole technique. Although the standard keyhole technique yielded the highest percentage of adequate biopsy specimens, there was no statistical difference between specimens obtained by this technique and those obtained by the modified technique or by laparoscope-guided biopsy. Also, significant difference in percentage of biopsy specimens with renal pelvis was not found between specimens obtained by the standard and modified techniques. For each technique, the biopsy core length was measured and the mean value was calculated. In this study, core length did not correlate with adequacy of the biopsy specimen.
espanolEl patrocinio televisivo es uno de los formatos de publicidad no convencional en television mas desarrollado. Su importancia y consolidacion obedece a aspectos legales favorables, a su gestion relativamente sencilla y a la mayor audiencia que consiguen por su posicionamiento preferente. Sin embargo, un repaso a diferentes trabajos de investigacion, evidencia una carencia de argumentos contrastados en los elementos mas operativos de su gestion. En este sentido, cabe destacar, la falta de consenso sobre las tipologias creativas de patrocinio mas convenientes o los atributos que, de forma comparada, le asocian las audiencias frente a otras formas publicitarias como los spots. Por ello, este trabajo propone contrastar como una muestra estadisticamente representativa de la audiencia del medio television en Espana valora distintos aspectos basicos asociados a la gestion del patrocinio en las campanas publicitarias basadas en el medio television. EnglishOne of the most developed non-conventional forms of advertising is the Television Sponsorship. The significance and consolidation attained by this form of advertising are due to favourable legal aspects, to its relatively simple management and to the bigger audience achieved thanks to its privileged position. However, the review of different research works shows the lack of contrasting arguments concerning its management most operational elements. As a result, it is worth pointing out the absence of agreement on two aspects; which creative patterns are more convenient for this type of sponsorship, and the advantages the audience associates this form of advertising with compared to others such as the spots. Therefore, this work aims to show how a statistically representative sample of the television audience in Spain values different basic aspects related to the sponsorship management in television-based advertising campaigns.
Learn to build web applications with Catalyst, the popular open source web framework based on the Perl programming language. The Definitive Guide to Catalyst: Writing Extendable, Scalable, and Maintainable PerlBased Web Applications is a definitive guide to Catalyst version 5.8, which will be released in 2009. This book contains Training materials for new and experience programmers. Worked examples and cookbookstyle recipes of common web application programming tasks Fundamentals of web application design and bestpractice application style What youll learn Write web applications with Catalyst and Perl. Design for extendability and code reuse. Understand deployment options for high and lowtraffic sites. Use DBIx::Class, Moose, and Template Toolkit. Understand the Catalyst dispatcher and request cycle. Deal with common web programming requirements: authentication and authorization, web services, sending email, serving streaming media. Who is this book for? The primary audience for this book is existing Perl programmers who want more information on writing robust maintainable and extendable web applications. This group is comprised of four subgroups: Experienced perl programmers wanting to update their web programming skills (for example, CGI.pm, mod_perl, and Mason programmers) Intermediate/Late beginner programmers wanting to learn rapid, extendable, maintainable web programming techniques in Perl System administrators and other nonweb users of Perl (e.g., bioinformatics workers) who want to learn modern Perl web development techniques Existing catalyst programmers who want to learn about best practices for catalyst development This book is also for programmers who want to understand web application design and development more thoroughly.
The improvement of the physical layer's multi-packet reception ability introduces great challenges to MAC protocol design.Since IEEE 802.11 DCF is one of the most widely used protocols in WLAN,impro-(ving) its performance based on the MPR model could have widespread benefits.In this paper,based on IEEE 802.11 DCF and MDCF,a back-off time modified MAC algorithm based on MPR is proposed.Compared with IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol and MDCF,the simulation results under NS-2 show that the new algorithm works well in throughput performances.
Objective To observe the molecular chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78/BiP) in the guinea pig at different times after exposure to intense noise of cochlear spiral ganglion cells,and to explore the role of GRP78/BiP guinea pigs after exposure to intense noise and spiral ganglion cell damage in the role.Methods Twenty-five guinea pigs were randomly divided into 5 groups.The guinea pigs in the experiment group were exposed to 4 kHz narrow band noise at 120 dB SPL for 4 h.Auditory brainstem response(ABR) were tested after the noise expose for 3 h,1 d,4 d,14 d.Results Expression of GRP78/BiP were tested by immunohistochemistry and Western blot methods.Protein levels of GRP78/BiP and were risen up after noise exposed,and there all had significant differences compared with the control group(P0.01).Conclusion After intense noise exposed,the expression of molecular chaperones GRP78/BiP guide correctly folded proteins,reducing cell damage,which may be endogenous protective mechanism of the cochlea.
The invention combines FSO (Free Space Optical) technique with mobile communication relay technique, giving full play to the characters of the two techniques, and the products can be widely applied to mobile communication network buildup and optimization. The near end device of the system modulates mobile communication downgoind signal RF to infrared laser signal and transmits the infrared laser signal, the far end device receives the infrared laser signal and then converts it to signal of mobile communication network, which can effectively extend network signal to blind area of mobile communication and solve covering problem of mobile communication. The upgoing and downgoing principles are the same. It adopts FSO technique to implement near-far end transmission in mobile communication relay system, able to avoid the disadvantages of high cost of wireless transmission, long construction cycle, difficulty in wiring, etc, eliminate limitations of isolating degree of receiving-transmitting antenna to construction and installation of a wireless cochannel transmission repeater and avoid occupying extra limited wireless frequency spectrum resources for wireless different frequency transmission.
In September, 1979, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued FASB Statement No. 33, which required certain corporations to issue specified supplementary information based on constant dollars and current costs. This information is intended to show the impact of inflation on the reported earnings and capital of business enterprises. Opponents of Statement No. 33 claim that the required supplementary information is difficult to interpret and, therefore, will not be used. Proponents contend that the information is self-explanatory and would highlight the impact of inflation on the performance of business enterprises. Thus, they conclude the supplementary data will be useful to various user groups and will be used. This dissertation's primary objective was to determine whether the supplementary data will be used by financial analysts in the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston regions in evaluating an enterprise's operating performance and its ability to maintain physical operating capability and the general purchasing power of financial capital.
Routine breast conserving surgery may be over-treatment for early-stage breast cancer,especially on screen detected cancer,which cannot fill people's need for the cosmesis.Some patients may be unsuitable for this therapy because they are unfit for surgery.Therefore,Minimally invasive therapies (MIT) have being explored in order to substitute routine therapy.MIT include radio-frequency ablation,interstitial laser photocoagulation therapy,high intensity focused ultrasound,cryotherapy,interstitial radiotherapy,focused microwave thermotherapy and so on.MIT have technical feasibility,but largely still at the phase of basic research.There are few cases that have accepted MIT and the curative effect cannot be compared on a large scale with routine therapy.There are still many questions to solve.This article summarizes it's technique theory,therapeutic methods and questions that need to be resolved and so on.
Objective To compare changes of heart rate(HR) and pulse oximetry oxygen saturation(SpO2) between open endotracheal suction(OSS) and closed endotracheal suction(CSS) in ventilated premature infant.Methods Totally 83 ventilated premature infant were randomly divided into two groups, 42 cases received OSS(OSS group), and 41 cases received CSS(CSS group). The changes of HR and SpO2were compared in the two groups. Results There were significantly less deviation from baseline in HR and SpO2with CSS. Recovery time in the OSS group were twice than that of the CSS group. Conclusion CSS maintains better HR and SpO2stability in ventilated premature infants.
Introduction: The main mission of the university education is fostering human resources and creating creativity and innovation. Classrooms are suitable places for transferring teachers’ experiences to the students and a better understanding of educational contents. This study aimed to survey the causes of absenteeism in classroom, through the viewpoints of dental students and faculty members of Yazd Dental University in 1393. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on students who were studying clinical dentistry in Shahid Sadoughi University and International Campus and faculty members of Yazd Dental University. They were selected using systematic random sampling. To collect the data, a researcher-made questionnaire containing 20 questions in Likert scale was used. Results: From 115 students were examined in this study, 77 students were female (67.8%) and 38 were male (32.2%). From the viewpoints of teachers about the students absenteeism, the highest mean scores belong to permission to the students to take notes and voice recordings of teacher (4.38), holding classes at the end of time (4.05), being insignificant subject (3.61), distance of university and lack of transportation to the university (2.61), respectively. From the viewpoints of students, the highest mean scores belong to the exam before and after class (3.99), dislikes professor's behavior (3.63), being uninterested to the subject (3.33), distance of university and lack of transportation to the university (3.27). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the presence or absence of students in the classroom, were influenced by factors related to both teachers and students groups. Student interests to the subject, teaching methods and the use of new and creative techniques, teacher characters and behavior and the time of the classes determined the rate of attendance and continued presence of students.
Acute lithium administration (5 mmol/kg b.w.) to parathyroidectomized (PTX) rats induces extracellular acidosis, lower plasma phosphate concentration and increased phosphate reabsorption. The present studies evaluate the effect of lithium administration on tissue phosphate distribution, metabolites content in the kidneys and renal phosphate, 2-oxoglutarate and citrate transport in the presence and absence of db-cyclic AMP. Lithium decreased plasma and renal phosphate concentrations and increased phosphate concentration in the skeletal muscle, db-cyclic AMP was not phosphaturic in lithium-treated PTX rats. In PTX rats infused with 20 mM phosphate lithium depressed fractional phosphate excretion induced by db-cyclic AMP from 20 +/- 0.3% to 3.2 +/- 1.0%. However, metabolic or respiratory acidosis restored the responsiveness to db-cyclic AMP. Citraturia and ketoaciduria induced by lithium were depressed in db-cyclic AMP-treated rats. Kidney citrate and 2-oxoglutarate concentrations increased drastically, ATP level fell significantly whereas cAMP content did not change after lithium. We conclude that lithium administration increases phosphate uptake by the muscle which largely accounts for hypophosphatemia. The kidney responds with increased phosphate reabsorption independent of plasma and kidney phosphate concentrations, and with refractoriness to the phosphaturic effects of db-cyclic AMP. Acute lithium administration to rats induces extracellular acidosis and, probably, renal intracellular alkalosis as reflected by citraturia and ketoaciduria as well as the renal metabolite profile. The phosphaturic responsiveness to db-cyclic AMP is dependent, at least in part, on intracellular pH.
Conducted in Marathwada region of Maharashtra state, this study focused on process of active  political participation and empowerment of Dalit women at local self government. Three  questions guided the study, 1) what factors facilitate and/or restrain political participation of Dalit  women at grassroots level? 2) What indicators show active political participation and  empowerment of Dalit women? 3) What intervention strategies can be used for effective political  participation of Dalit women? In-depth unstructured interview method was used for collecting  qualitative data. The measure findings, factors facilitating political participation ranged from  individual (Dalit woman herself) to the support systems like family, community, civil society,  Dalit ideology, state machinery and legal mechanism. The restraining factors included individual  status, political manoeuvring, corruption and proxy political representation, failure of the state  machineries, ineffective training and failure of legal tool. The indicators of active political  participation and empowerment showed their interrelatedness as active political participation  means independent decision making and independence of decisions comes through  empowerment. Intervention strategies for the state and civil society were further proposed on the  grounds of the restraining factors emerged through the study. These strategies are also meant to  direct facilitating factors to be more effective.
Protein secreted by Mycobacterium species have been suggested as major immune targets, Four weeks old M, bovis AN5 culture filtrate protein antigens were fractionated by gel permeation and anion exchange chromatography, These fractionoted antigcns WCIC evaluated for theirreactivity to anti M bovis AN5 antiserum in ELISA, Out of several fractionated antigens, the more reactive antigens were heterogenous polypeptides of 46,42,40 and 38 kDa and homogenous polypeptides of 48 and 17.4 kDa molecular masses, Western immunoblot analysis of crudc culturc filtrate antigens revealed 9 reactive bands of 74,48,46,43, 38,23,21.4,17,4 and 14 kDa molecular masses. Most of the fretionated culture fillmtc antigens showcd cross- reactivity with other Mycobacterium species in ELISA except 17.4 kDa antigen that showed species specificity to M. bovis AN5, It is concluded that some of the culture filtrate antigens are highly immunogenic for humoral response.
There are evidences on the efficacy of several venotonics in improving postoperative symptoms, including bleeding, pain, etc. A thorough search was conducted in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Cochrane Library covering the articles published in 2000–2020. We included trials assessing the efficacy of phlebotonics in patients with chronic venous insufficiency and other venous diseases or traumas. Findings suggest superiority of phlebotonic agents over placebo and control treatments in management of common symptoms after phlebectomies, coronary bypass grafting, and other interventions. Significant alleviation of post-procedural symptoms, including pain severity were reported in the majority of patients treated with venotonics. There were no adverse reactions associated with administration of phlebotonic drugs. Nonetheless, further high-quality trials are necessary to support this conclusion.
This article aims to review the literature on the use of tacrolimus in dermatology. We tried to focus on the local application of tacrolimus. The local application of tacrolimus is known to be effective for several skin diseases, especially atopic dermatitis. Since the major action site of tacrolimus is activated T-lymphocytes, the drug showed efficiency mostly in inflammatory dermatological diseases including psoriasis, lichen planus, alopecia areata and pyoderma gangrenosum. Tacrolimus lacks most of side effects of local steroids and seems to have better results for short and long term application. We presume that tacrolimus will be widely used on skin diseases, especially when it becomes less expensive.
In this work its analyzed the last Judgment iconography of the burgales San Nicholas de Bari church, work of principies of the XVI century, attributed to the master of the Balbases. In the churh we noticed a fusion between the icono graphy of the apocalyptic judgment and the gospel, its immediate relation with the flemish painting and, in certain aspects, its debt with the culture of the old civilizations..
BACKGROUND: Inadvertent passage of a nasoenteric feeding tube into the tracheobronchial tree can result in pneumothorax. Measures requiring feeding tube passage to 35 cm only followed by a radiograph to verify intraesophageal placement and creation of a specialized placement team were implemented to decrease the incidence of procedure-related pneumothorax. This study evaluates the effectiveness of our safety measures. STUDY DESIGN: Radiology reports from January 2000 through July 2003 were searched by computer with an algorithm designed to detect feeding tube placements possibly associated with the complication of intrabronchial placement or pneumothorax. Results were manually examined to eliminate false positives and verify causality. RESULTS: Feeding tubes were placed in 4,190 unique patients during the study period; 87 patients had an intrabronchial malposition, and 9 experienced a pneumothorax caused by their feeding tube. The safety measures resulted in a significant decrease in procedure-related pneumothorax (0.09% versus 0.38%, p < 0.05), and a decrease in pneumothorax among patients with an intrabronchial placement (3% versus 27%, p < 0.05). More than two-thirds of patients with a misplaced tube had an endotracheal tube or tracheostomy, illustrating that such patients are not protected. Repeated malposition in the same patient was surprisingly common; 32% of patients with one intrabronchial misplacement ultimately had multiple misplacements. The risk of pneumothorax increased with misplacement at night (p < 0.05) and increased exponentially with each additional misplacement (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Creating a specialized placement team, and initiating the safety measure of limiting feeding tube placement to 35 cm and obtaining a radiograph before full advancement reduced the incidence of procedure-related pneumothorax.
Objective:To evaluate the aorta′s compliance with MRI PWV.Methods:Aortas (ascending aorta,thoracic aorta,abdominal aorta)of 63 normal volunteers with different ages were measured by phase-contrast cine MR scan.We got the time-velocity curves and calculated PWV.Results:There were no different PWV measured by different distances.With the age growing,aortic compliance reduced (r1=0.76,r2=0.79) and the PWV increased.The methods of MR PWV were highly repetitive (r=0.91).Conclusion:MRI PWV can be used as a better means of observation for aortic compliance.
Ground water is a source of potable water among the rural population in Kerala. This study was carried out among the rural population of Karumalloor panchayat in Paravoor Taluk, Ernakulam district. Bacteriological analysis of water from open wells was carried out in two consecutive years as part of department programme, once during post-monsoon and other during pre-monsoon season. Twenty three percentage of post-monsoon water samples tested were potable however only 5% of pre-monsoon samples were potable.
American Public Health Association (n.d.) Growth of international health: an analysis and history. Retrieved from http://www.apha.org/programs/globalhealth/ Baker, D. (1990). Citation analysis: a methodological review, Social Work Research Abstract, 26(3), 3-10. Delwiche, F.A., Schloman, B. F. & Allen, M. P. (2010). Mapping the literature of nursing and allied health professions: project protocol. Retrieved from http://www.nahrs.mlanet.org/home/images/activity/mapping/nursing/Prot ocol_2010.pdf Rethlesen, M. L. & Aldrich, A. M. (2013). Environmental health citation patterns: mapping the literature 2008-2010, Journal of Medical Library Association, 101 (1), 47-54 Rethlefsen, M. L. & Livinski, A. A. (2013). Infectious disease citation patterns: mapping the literature 2008-2010, Journal of Medical Library Association, 101 (1), 55-61 17%
The prevalence of ethical issues within the health care system coupled with an expected rise in an aging population, suggests a need to better understand the ethical decision making (EDM) process a ecting persons receiving and providing health care 1, 2. Without a collaborative process between multi-professionals engaging in the EDM, the patient and the health care provider may be limited to one professional perspective or be confused by con icting language and values. Developing interprofessional ethics education is a complex process, which leads the researchers through an iterative research process consisting of 2 phases. This research project focuses on phase one of this 2-phase study as a foundation for informing interprofessional ethics curriculum development and as a means to better understand the EDM process a ecting persons providing health care services in the long-term care setting. Phase one consists of pilot testing a questionnaire to be used to collect baseline data for not only phase 2 of this project, but also for future research in the area. This questionnaire will speci cally explore EDM policies and codes of conduct; ethics education and interprofessional education experiences; and demographic data of pre-licensure and post licensure multi-professionals, and unregulated health care providers in an academic (George Brown College) and long term care context (Retirement Residences REIT). The questionnaire will provide an initial mechanism for active participation of the researchers in becoming familiar with the EDM issues facing students enrolled in health sciences programs at George Brown College (GBC), and health care providers working in the long-term care sector, in an interprofessional context. HEALTH SCIENCES
Background: Volume overload is one of the most important, correctable factor far blood sure control in hemodialysis patient. But objective parameter for the ideal body weight is not available in clinical field yet. Recently inferior vena caval examination became a possible candidate for an objective parameter for intravascular volume status. Therefore we investigated how inferior vena cava changes during hemodialysis compared with total amount of ultrafiltration and ANP, and also the effect of changes of IVC diameter on LVK Methods: 43 patients on stable maintainance hemodialysis were enrolled. Among them, 21 patients were on antihypertensive medication. Just before and after the hemodialysis, inferior vena cava diameter, plasma atrial natriuretic peptide and left ventricular mass index were measured for each patient. Inferior vena cava was examined at the level just below the hepatic vein during quiet respiration and left ventricular mass index was calculated. Results- Inferior vena cava at expiration(IVCe) was significantly decreased during hemodialysis(before hemodialysis 21.9 4.9 mm, after hemodialysis 18.3 4.4 mm, p = 0.02). Collasibility index was significantly increased during hemodialysis (before hemodialysis 0.24 0.15, after hemodialysis 0.41 0.19, p< 0.001). Atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP) was significantly decreased during hemodialysis (before hemodialysis 252.3±119.0 pg/ml, after hemodialysis 185.6±93.2 pg/ml, p<0.001). Total ultrafiltration amount was significantly correlated with collapsibility change(r=-0.40) and change of ANP(r=-0.41). Left ventricular mass index was correlated with interdialysis weight gain(r=0.39, p<0.05), IVCe after hemodialysis(r=0.48, p<0.05) in univariate analysis but not in multivariate analysis. Conclusion: Collapsibility index of inferior vena cava, IVC diameter and ANP changes reflect the volume change during the hemodiaylsis. Therefore 1VC examination can be an objective parameter for volume change during hemodialysis. Postdialysis 1VCe correlates weakly with left ventricular mass index but it cannot be an independant risk factor for left ventricular hypertrophy in our study.
The object of the present work is a search for a possibility of "unity" between three themes apparently heterogeneous: grammar, ethics and politics, and naval architecture; the themes which were of a great concern to oliveira, a portuguese author of the sixteenth century. Thus we have analysed the relationship between language and mind, and within this general framework, we have looked up other subjects such as phonetics or even the problem of meaning. While examiming ethics and politics we have watched closely the expansion of state and the problem of slavery, the themes towards which oliveira adopts a philosophical standpoint of a great interest. Finally, oliveira tackles naval architecture to show how a routine practice changes into an art or a science of construction. The transistion from a shipwrigt to an architect is not for all that accomplished. In order to combine these themes two essential points should be stressed: sea as "type of destiny" and the pre-encyclopaedism as an intellectual concern.
The ventral intersegmental muscles of the abdomen in Rhodnius undergo a cycle of development and involution during each larval stage. They are fully developed only at the time of moulting or hatching from the egg. Within 3 or 4 days after moulting the fibrils have disappeared; but the nuclei, with a little cytoplasm containing mitochondria, survive within the highly folded muscle-sheath. The formation of fibrils begins between 2 and 3 days after feeding. At first they are uniformly birefringent. The striations appear later, and the muscles will then contract after transection. The fibrils are 0.1-0.2 µ thick when first formed; they grow by intussusception and splitting to a thickness of about 0.8 µ. Succinoxidase first appears in quantity in the mitochondria at the time when striation and contractility develop. It disappears within 3 days after moulting, during the involution of the fibrils. The distribution of ribonucleic acid in the developing muscle is described. Involution results from autolysis which begins around the nuclei in the centre of the uscle. The phagocytic blood-cellsplay no part in the break-down. The rich nerve-supply to the muscles persists apparently unchanged throughout the cycle of involution; and the cycle of growth occurs normally after section of the nerves.
This paper chronicles Zimbabwe’s macroeconomic policies and economic development trends from the post independence period up to end of 2006. By focussing on monetary and exchange rate policies and their influence on economic developments before and after the reform programme in 1991, the paper attempts to reveal the critical macroeconomic policy underpinnings of Zimbabwe’s post-2000 economic tragedy. A key insight from the review is that despite what seemed to be concerted economic management efforts, the authorities actually never succeeded in attaining sustainable economic stabilization goals from the very start of the post-independence era. The constraints imposed by the inward looking policies of the 1980s and the eventual failure of ‘free market’ exchange rate policies of the early 1990s resulted in chronic real exchange rate overvaluation and depletion of foreign exchange reserves. This eventually culminated in the so-called “Black Friday” currency crash, and a severe foreign exchange crisis that has since been viewed as one of the most important factors that led to the economic tragedy. Hence in retrospect, the review concludes that the post-independence government in Zimbabwe never succeeded in bringing the economy into long term structural equilibrium and, thus failed to create an enabling environment for medium to long term macroeconomic policy sustainability.
The shape phase structure and its transition of the nucleus in the transitional region between the U(5) and SU(3) symmetries is restudied within the framework of coherent-state theory with angular momentum projection in IBM-1. A phase diagram in terms of the deformation parameter and angular momentum is given. The certain angular momentum (or rotation-driven ) effect on the nuclear shape is discussed. A coexistence of oblate and prolate shapes is found instead of the previous spherical and prolate shape coexistence for the ground states. PACS Nos. 21.60.Fw, 05.70.Fh, 21.10.Re, 21.90.+f ∗corresponding author
The invention discloses a rope-drive-based assisted knee joint rehabilitation apparatus. The rope-drive-based assisted knee joint rehabilitation apparatus is characterized by comprising a supporting positioning unit and two execution units; each execution unit comprises a rope drive sub-unit, a rope transmission sub-unit and a knee joint sub-unit; every rope drive sub-unit is connected to the supporting positioning unit; the rope transmission sub-units are connected with both the rope drive sub-units and the knee joint sub-units. The rope-drive-based assisted knee joint rehabilitation apparatus allows a larger rehabilitation training angle, is simple in structure and light in weight, is safe and simple to control and is convenient to industrially produce and widely apply.
A political essayist and a law lecturer from China addressed The Sydney Institute on 8 February 2006 on the protest against China's increasingly harsh suppression of reports about corruption and social problems. The speakers also discussed political reform. Issues such as social conflicts, local elections, and financial disputes among local and central authorities indicate that China's centralised system is declining.
The utility model relates to a light transfer vehicle. The utility model has the structure that the utility model is provided with a handrail (1), a main body (2) and a hinging device (3) which is correspondingly rotated and positioned with the handrail, wherein the main body is composed of a vehicle frame, a bottom board and a vehicle wheel; a seat board (9) is arranged in the hinging device, the board body of the seat board is fixedly connected with the vehicle frame, and is provided with a convex lug and three bayonets which are contacted and connected with a limiting pin (8), and a limiting rod (10) is arranged on an inner folding edge of the head part of the convex lug; an outer pipe (7) and a short pipe (14) in the outer pipe are arranged on the utility model, the outer pipe is arranged at the end of the handrail or is an element which is fixedly connected with the lower end of the handrail, the upper part of the outer pipe is hinged with the seat board (9) by the limiting pin (8), a groove (5) at the lower part is glidingly connected with a central shaft (6) of the seat board, a spring (4) is arranged in the short pipe, and the upper end of the spring is butted on the central shaft. The utility model has the advantages of capability of folding, space saving and convenient transportation and storage. The utility model can be used as a four-wheel cart and a two-wheel cart so as to be suitable for transporting goods in industry, commercial business and other industries and can be used as a work table after the handrail is turned over.
The invention discloses a high-voltage power station detection device with a rotation speed detector, which comprises a disc base. A boss is arranged on the disc base; a stepper motor is arranged on the boss; the power output end of the stepper motor is provided with a detection platform; the top surface of the detection platform is provided with a circle of multiple detection ends arranged at equal arc lengths; the middle of the detection platform is provided with a circuit laying column; and the top of the circuit laying column is provided with an antenna box. The high-voltage power station detection device with a rotation speed detector also comprises a heat source temperature detector and an electric field strength detector. A communication antenna is arranged inside the antenna box. Each detector performs detection in a rotating mode, thereby ensuring accuracy and comprehensiveness of detection. The heat source temperature detector is used for detecting an abnormal temperature rise condition to prevent a fire danger. The electric field strength detector is used for detecting changes of the electric field strength, and detection is easy as voltage is enhanced temporarily in the case of short circuit. In addition, high electric performance of the antenna provides a strong guarantee for detection accuracy of the device.
The aim of this research was to find out the effectiveness of Hangaroo game for teaching vocabulary at the second grade students of SMP Muhammadiyah Sokaraja in Academic Year 2016/2017. This research was conducted by using quasi experimental research. The participants of this research were the second grade students of SMP Muhammadiyah Sokaraja in Academic Year 2016/2017. The writer taught two different classes by using two different technique, which class 8A as the experimental group was taught by using Hangaroo game and class 8B as the control group was taught by using other technique. In collecting the data, this research used test, there were pre-test and post-test. The test consisted of multiple choice items and scramble test items. Based on the computation, the t-test result from experiment group and control group was 3.58 and the value of the t-table was 1.676. Thus, (3.58 >1.676). It is showed that Hangaroo game was effective for teaching vocabulary at the second grade students of SMP Muhammadiyah Sokaraja in Academic Year 2016/2017.
Background Atherosclerotic disease has been present in the human population apparently from the beginning of time. However, it has only been in the 20th century that improvements in the control of infectious diseases have allowed the average life span to increase to the point where atherosclerosis has been able to affect the general population. By the middle of the 20th century, atherosclerosis had reached epidemic levels, and it is currently pandemic and increasing worldwide. Despite its growing significance to health care, we still know relatively little about the cellular basis for plaque genesis in the vessel wall. Current thinking holds that atherosclerosis is caused by an unchecked chronic inflammatory process involving the cells of the arterial wall and their interaction with LDL and various inflammatory cells. Considerable evidence suggests that the principal insults underlying atherogenesis are serum dyslipidemias and oxidative stress mediated primarily by oxidized LDL. However, just how these insults alter the cell biology of vascular cells and lead to the atherosclerotic phenotype is still under intense investigation. Moreover, recent clinical trials have provided evidence that certain classes of drugs, including newer calcium channel blockers (CCBs), can remodel the arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) membrane and inhibit the progression of atherosclerotic disease. Methods This review summarizes our current thinking on atherogenesis in the arterial SMC and considers recent developments regarding alterations in the SMC membrane during the very early period of atherogenesis. We also discuss how certain CCBs might operate to produce atheroprotection. Results The SMC membrane becomes enriched in unesterified cholesterol soon after the development of serum hypercholesterolemia. With excess membrane cholesterol, the membrane becomes thicker and develops distinct cholesterol domains. These alterations in the membrane increase the permeability of SMC to calcium and induce a variety of alterations in SMC function that contribute to cellular atherogenic processes during plaque genesis. Amlodipine, a third-generation CCB, markedly inhibits the progression of lesions. The explanation of this novel action may lie in the effects of this drug on various potential cellular targets. Conclusions Evidence is accumulating that excess membrane cholesterol may contribute to the cellular defects responsible for the transformation of the SMC to the atherosclerotic phenotype. Amlodipine, which has membrane–remodeling properties, is emerging as an important atheroprotective drug. (Am Heart J 2001;141:S1-11.)
nerve root decompression may relieve the symptoms associated with its compression, but it may not affect the symptoms related to disc pathology or to those secondary to associated abnormalities. The freely mobile ver¬ tebrae which we frequently demon¬ strated at operation suggested that the affected vertebrae should be stabi¬ lized. This additional procedure in¬ creased slightly the number of pa¬ tients who were relieved by operation; however, the improvement in recov¬ ery rate was surprisingly small.6,7 The frequent necessity for combined procedures and reoperation, coupled with postoperative morbidity and high
In the paper,some analysis on the photogrammetry experiment teaching of the current domestic universities and the employment needs of some mapping production units were given.In order to respond the policies of National Administration of Surveying,Mapping and Geoinformation for promoting the unmanned aerial vehicle system,and with the situation of our school's photogrammetry teaching and the laboratory's equipments such as the unmanned airship low-altitude photogrammetry system,some teaching reforms for photogrammetry experiment and the characteristic teaching projects of domestic universities based on the unmanned airship low-altitude photogrammetry system were done.By designing the reasonable experimental content and methods,the students could be interested in profession and exercise their practical ability.Then the teaching quality of photogrammetry could be improved.
These manuals describe in detail the computer program CUFAD (Compression and Uplift Foundation Analysis and Design). This program was developed to evaluate the load-displacement behavior of spread foundations and both straight sided and belled drilled shaft foundations in soil. The program is quite versatile and can operate in either analysis or design modes. In general, the equations in the code follow those presented in EPRI Report EL-2870 and EL-3771, with modifications or extensions as noted herein. This is Volume 16 of an 18-volume report. 19 figs., 2 tabs.
1. Introduction: Gendered Poverty and Social Change: Shahra Razavi (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development). 2. Gender Bias and the a Marriage Squeezea in China, South Korea, and India: Monica Das Gupta and Li Shuzhuo (The World Bank and Xia and Jiaotong University). 3. Development and Rising Female Demographic Disadvantage in India 1981--1991: What is the Role of Sex Selective Female Abortion and Female Infanticide?: S. Sudha and S. Irudaya Rajan (Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram). 4. The Conditions and Consequences of Choice: Reflections on the Measurement of Womena s Empowerment: Naila Kabeer (Institute of Development Studies, Brighton, UK). 5. Gendering Poverty: A Review of Six World Bank African Poverty Assessments: Matthew Lockwood and Ann Whitehead (Christian Aid and University of Sussex). 6. Labour--Intensive Growth, Poverty and Gender: Neo--Classical, Institutionalist and Feminist Accounts: Shahra Razavi (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development). 7. Engendering Poverty Alleviation: The Challenges and Opportunities in the 1990s: Gita Sen (DAWN and Indian Institute of Management).
Part of the challenge of academics is to find teaching strategies that convey the information effectively, maintain the student’s interest and motivation, and dare I say, allow the student to take some ownership of the topic. In this issue Laura provides a written reprise of her 2001 SIOP presentation on the Jigsaw Classroom that provides an effective strategy for achieving the above goals. This column is intended as an open forum on education and training issues, so please do not hesitate to provide feedback or to volunteer to write an article for the column. Contact either Laura (Laura.Koppes@eku.edu) or me at nhauen@vt.edu. We’re still looking for that “catchier” title for the column, so put your creative thinking caps on!
textabstractDespite the successful linear sequencing of the human genome its three-dimensional structure is widely unknown. However, the regulation of genes - their transcription and replication - has been shown to be closely connected to the three-dimensional organization of the genome and the cell nucleus. On the bases of polymer physics we have recently developed detailed and quantitative structural models for the folding of the 30 nm chromatin fiber within the human interphase cell nucleus. A quantitative test of several plausible theories resulted in a best agreement between computer simulations of chromosomes, cell nuclei and experiments for the so-called Multi-Loop-Subcompartment (MLS) model. Results concern the following properties: overlap of chromosome territories, -arms, -bands, 3D spatial distances between genomic markers as function of their genomic separation in base pairs, fractal analysis of simulations, mass distribution of chromatin in cell nuclei and the fragmentation distribution of cellular DNA after irradiation with carbon ions. Thus in an analogy to the Bauhaus principle that „form follows function“, analyzing in which form DNA is organized might help us to understand genomic function.
The concept of dapped-end beams is expansively used in buildings and other structures as well as it provide better lateral stability. The design of dapped-end connections is an important consideration in a precast concrete structure even though its analysis is complex. Moreover, the implication of the Concorde Bridge incident has attracted many researchers and this collapse prompted detailed investigation of structural analysis for Dapped-end Beam whereby the determination of the maximum load capacity of this structure is very crucial for the sake of the next designing purpose. Therefore, this project aims to determine the failure load of the Dapped-end Beam by using this sophisticated two-dimensional non-linear finite element analysis program called VecTor2 and a data from an experiment which has been done by other researchers, will be used for corroboration. In this study, 5 specimens of the Dapped-end Beam were tested to obtain the load capacity and identify the part of this structure that contributes more to failure. As the results, most of these specimens were failed at the diagonal tension at re-entrant corner of this structure. Besides that, the comparison shows that the proposed
This paper presents an efficient numerical technique for solving multi-dimensional fractional optimal control problems using fractional-order generalized Bernoulli wavelets. The numerical results obtained by this method have been compared with the results obtained by the method using orthonormal Bernoulli wavelets. Using fractional-order generalized Bernoulli wavelets, product and integral operational matrices have been obtained. By using these operational matrices, the multi-dimensional fractional optimal control problems have been reduced into a system of algebraic equations. To confirm the efficiency of the proposed numerical technique involving fractional-order generalized Bernoulli wavelets, numerical problems have been solved by using both orthonormal Bernoulli wavelets and fractional-order generalized Bernoulli wavelets and obtaining an approximate cost function value, which has been found by approximating state and control functions. In addition, the convergence rate and error bound of the proposed numerical method have also been derived.
Seismic waveform inversion can be solved by using the classical Gauss-Newton method, which needs to construct the huge Hessian by the directly computed Jacobian. The property of Hessian mainly depends upon a source and receiver aperture, a velocity model, an illumination Bone and a frequency content of source wavelet. In this paper, we try to invert the Marmousi seismic data by controlling the huge Hessian appearing in the Gauss-Newton method. Wemake the two kinds of he approximate Hessian. One is the banded Hessian and the other is the approximate Hessian with automatic gain function. One is that the 1st updated velocity model from the banded Hessian is nearly the same of the result from the full approximate Hessian. The other is that the stability using the automatic gain function is more improved than that without automatic gain control.
The valley in the middle and lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River,and the basins in Nujiang River,Lancangjiang River and Jinshajiang River on the north of the Hengduan Mountains in Changdu are the main fruit production areas in Tibet.Based on analyzing the current situation of fruit industry,the background of market,climate resources and fruit tree germplasm resources of main fruit production areas in Tibet,the paper provides thoughts on the development of characteristic fruit industry of Tibet,the market aim of which is mainly serving for tourism in Tibet,and suggestion of developing fruit industry.It also marks out the blueprint for sustainable development of the fruit industry.
Ecological pressures and carring capacity in desertified areas were studied by use of the method of ecological footprint and the relative carrying capacity of economic resources in Kerqinzuoyihouqi county. The results showed that the ecological footprint per cap and the ecological carrying capacity was respectively 2.306 4 hm~2 and 1.647 5 hm~2, and the ecological deficit was 0.659 0 hm~2 in 2000. Compared with the average level in China, the relative carrying capacity of economic resources was lower in Kerqinzuoyihouqi county, and it had the trend of getting smaller from 1991 to 2000, which was the relatively poor condition, it was the social-economic source of desertification.
The aim of the study was to characterize the scientific production in Ibero-America related to the psychological well-being of institutional carers of older adults present in the last ten years. The evidence indicates that there are some problems that are generated at the physical, psychological and social level in the carers of institutions for older adults. To meet the research objective, a bibliometric study was carried out in which thirty-two articles collected from the database of Scielo, Redalyc and Dialnet were characterized. The main descriptors were "institutional caregiver", "psychological well-being", "geriatric worker" and "older adult". The characteristics obtained were analyzed by the SPSS statistical program. Among the results, Brazil and Spain were identified as the countries with the greatest scientific production related to the research topic. With respect to caregivers, a greater presence of female caregivers was observed in the participants of each article studied.
Environmental pressure groups are strongly advocating against felling of forests to reduce green house effect and protect biodiversity. In this context, non – wood fibrous raw materials assume greater significance in pulp and paper manufacture for countries with limited forest resources such as India. The use of non – wood plant fibres has always remained in active consideration from different points of views including agri-residues disposal, conservation of natural wood resources, cost reduction and their simpler process requirement, etc. Sisal was considered as an alternative raw material for paper manufacture. The sisal board was used in the production of corrugated fibre board boxes. The sisal paper boards were tested for their different properties. The paper board sample having desirable strength properties was taken as the raw material for corrugated fibre board manufacture. The boxes developed were tested for their strength both under laboratory and field conditions
Everyone ages-some more gracefully than others. The changes associated with aging are well known but not often discussed. Age-related changes in surgeons may eventually lead to a need for the surgeon to stop operating or even retire. It may be difficult for the surgeon to recognize these changes, but there may be some telltale signs. If the surgeon is not able to interpret that it is time to retire, others may need to step in. Physician assessment of surgeons may be requested or required by employers or hospital credentialing committees. Although not widespread, such practices are becoming more popular. There are modern means of assessment, which include written screening examinations and actual personal professional assessment by a qualified physician evaluator. If retirement or career change is necessary, it must be carefully planned and executed for the surgeon to bow out gracefully.
The Tweakreg software (which is part of the new STScI Drizzlepac software for aligning and combining images) has initially relied upon a daofind-like algorithm which is tuned to finding stellar sources to use for image alignment. This works well when there are enough stellar sources present in the images. However, a significant number of images are of higher-latitude extragalactic fields with few if any notable stellar images useful for alignment. In such cases, the use of software such as SExtractor can be useful for the generation of object catalogs which can be used for image alignment. In this poster, we explore the use of SExtractor with Tweakreg for such cases. This poster is the second of two in a series by the first author. The first is currently available on-line at and was presented at the 220th AAS Meeting in Anchorage, Alaska in June 2012. It is part of a group of posters on Astrodrizzle currently available at as part of the Astrodrizzle documentation for users. This poster will be on-line in the same location. THE NEW CALACS! Putting the electrons back where they belong! 1 Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore MD ! Anderson, J. & Bedin, L. R. 2010, PASP, 122, 1035–1064! Chiaberge et al. ACS ISR 2009-01 ! Gonzaga et al., 2012, The DrizzlePac Handbook (Available on-line.) ! http://documents.stsci.edu/hst/HST_overview/documents/DrizzlePac/DrizzlePac.cover.html ! ! Figures 1a, b (above): Data parameters (same visit & filter) Figures 3a, b, c: Histogram, vector plot, and rms residuals plots. RMS values of ~0.14, 0.16 are good; plots look centered around 0. Figure 4 (above): SExtractor catalog overplotted Figure 5a, b (above): The x,y rms = ~0.149,0.166 on the left & good scatter around 0 using default nclip=3 and sigma=3.0. RMS values smaller on right, but plots not as good. Example 1 Bryan Hilbert, using line commands (Used SExtractor v2.8) More About Sextractor Example 2 Ray Lucas, using Teal GUI and line commands (Used SExtractor v2.5) Summary of some critical parameters in our use of the default.sex file: CATALOG_NAME Your choice, whatever is most clear to you PARAMETERS_NAME File containing the parameters to include in catalog, usually default.param EXT_NUMBER Extension Number for MEF images, seems to run through all, so important for human reader/editor to know which one is which when reading/editing DETECT_TYPE CCD (linear) or PHOTO (with gamma correction); usually CCD DETECT_MINAREA minimum number of pixels above threshold; can make it small (~3) to pick up lots of objects, or can make it large (~100) if trying to pick up only larger objects and avoid problems with too many cosmic rays, however this may result in too few objects to have as robust a solution, and when fewer objects, cosmic rays superimposed on some objects may throw off the centering of a larger percentage of them, yielding a poorer solution. Some manual editing of the list may even be preferable to making this number too large, but experiments can inform the ultimate choice. DETECT_THRESH <sigmas> or <threshold>,<ZP> in mag.arcsec-2; this also may be lowered or raised to dig more into the noise or to climb slightly above it. We used 7 in these tests. ANALYSIS_THRESH <sigmas> or <threshold>,<ZP> in mag.arcsec-2 FILTER apply filter for detection (Y or N)? Default is "Y". FILTER_NAME name of the file containing the filter, usually default.conv MAG_ZEROPOINT magnitude zero-point; important to note if image is in counts or counts per second as the value to enter is different. See “SExtractor for Dummies” by B. Holwerda for more. GAIN detector gain in e-/ADU, for ACS this is usually 2.0 post-SM4, but could be other values also, especially over history of ACS PIXEL_SCALE size of pixel in arcsec (0=use FITS WCS info), for ACS/WFC=0.05 SEEING_FWHM stellar FWHM in arcsec, for ACS, 0.08 OK especially for ~F814W, but may examine PSF in different filters to see if appreciable differences. STARNNW_NAME Neural-Network_Weight table filename, usually default.nnw BACK_SIZE Background mesh: <size> or <width>,<height>, default value=64 is not bad for ACS/WFC but should be a little bigger than size of typical (small) celestial objects BACK_FILTERSIZE Background filter: <size> or <width>,<height>, default=3 not bad for ACS/WFC BACKPHOTO_TYPE can be GLOBAL or LOCAL, default is GLOBAL, but can do LOCAL if needed, checking to see what other parameters may need changing. See “SExtractor for Dummies” by B. Holwerda for more. CHECKIMAGE_TYPE can be NONE, BACKGROUND, BACKGROUND_RMS, MINIBACKGROUND, MINIBACK_RMS, -BACKGROUND, FILTERED, OBJECTS, -OBJECTS, SEGMENTATION, or APERTURES CHECKIMAGE_NAME Filename for the check-image, should be coordinated with the CATALOG_NAME to show association of the two1 First, run astrodrizzle through the single drizzle step using default wcs for alignment during preliminary cosmic ray rejection and production of *_crclean.fits. In PyRAF, if using line commands rather than the Teal GUI interface, this is the syntax:   import drizzlepac   from drizzlepac import astrodrizzle   unlearn astrodrizzle   astrodrizzle.AstroDrizzle(‘j8xi0x*flc.fits’,driz_cr_corr=yes,driz_combine=‘no’) This produces cr-cleaned versions of each input image called *_crclean.fits files on which you run SExtractor. The quality of the initial cr-rejection depends on the quality of the original wcs alignment, and this is best for images taken within the same visit and same filter. Second, experimenting as needed, run Sextractor at the unix prompt. In this case, we used PSF FWHM=0.08 for ACS/WFC, detect_minarea=3, & detect_thresh=7. Note the different group numbers and the offset to [0] & [3] in the example below. sex –catalog_name j8xi0xs0q_crclean_ext1.cat –checkimage_name j8xi0xs0q_crclean_ext1_aperturecheck.fits j8xi0xs0q_crclean.fits’[0]’ sex –catalog_name j8xi0xs0q_crclean_ext4.cat –checkimage_name j8xi0xs0q_crclean_ext4_aperturecheck.fits j8xi0xs0q_crclean.fits’[3]’ At this point, you may want to visually inspect your SExtractor results. To do this, you will need to display the images in ds9 with PyRAF line commands, and then overplot the catalog for various images with the tvmark task, both of which are also documented within PyRAF. In this example, there were a number of spurious sources (cosmic rays) which were not removed in the earlier step since that area of the CCD chip (a strip along the bottom) did not overlap any other images to which comparison could be made for automatic identification and removal of the cosmic rays, so these were then edited from the catalog by hand before they were fed to the tweakreg task for alignment of the images. An alternate, more automated solution might have been to use a larger detect_minarea in SExtractor, however, this, too can have its drawbacks since that will result in fewer objects, and may also yield a poorer solution in some cases, as it did in this one. It can be very data-dependent, so experimentation is key. Yet another way to do this is to mask out the affected area before running SExtractor, but you may want to use replacement values which are near to some mean global sky value if the sky background is not strongly variable since this can otherwise also affect the global sky level which SExtractor uses in object detection and measurement. SExtractor can also be set up to use local sky values around each object, but other factors come into play then. (See notes in purple to right.) A final hint: to view the maps that SExtractor created as checkimages, you may need to insert the SIMPLE = T header keyword in the checkimages before you can display and view them. Image full of cosmic rays before cr cleaning Image cleaned of cosmic rays except for strip along bottom of chip To feed the SExtractor catalogs to tweakreg, use a file relating the images to be updated to the catalog file for each chip of each image to be updated by tweakreg. The name doesn’t matter as long as it matches the file name for it in the ‘catfile’ parameter in tweakreg. In this case, we have called it astdriz_catfile.list. In the automated version of tweakreg, it is called coords_catfile.lis. Similarly, the SExtractor catalog names should just be ones that make the most sense to you. j8xi0xs0q_flc.fits j8xi0xs0q_crclean_ext1.cat j8xi0xs0q_crclean_ext4.cat j8xi0xs3q_flc.fits j8xi0xs3q_crclean_ext1.cat j8xi0xs3q_crclean_ext4.cat j8xi0xs6q_flc.fits j8xi0xs6q_crclean_ext1.cat j8xi0xs6q_crclean_ext4.cat J8xi0xsaq_flc.fits j8xi0xsaq_crclean_ext1.cat j8xi0xsaq_crclean_ext4.cat Finally, run tweakreg, telling tweakreg which columns in the SExtractor catalogs contained the x and y positions. (Those columns were determined earlier by the order in which you list them when editing your SExtractor default.param file. In this case, we used columns 5 and 6.) Run it first with updatehdr=no until you are satisfied (rms ~0.15, rms plots centered around 0), then run it once more with updatehdr=yes. In the run below, we used default values of minobj=15, searchrad=1.0 (arcsec), nclip=3, sigma=3.0, fitgeometry=rscale, and x,y positions in units of pixels. Again, using line commands in PyRAF:   from drizzlepac import tweakreg   unlearn tweakreg   tweakreg.TweakReg(‘j8xi0x*flc.fits’,catfile=‘astdriz_catfile.list’,xcol=5,ycol=6) Figures 2a, 2b (above): Original and cr-cleaned images Tweakreg will produce output that looks like this:  Main practical difference between v2.5 and v2.8 in our tests was that v2.5 and v2.8 seemed to handle MultiExtension FITS (MEF) files a bit differently with v2.8 being better. The line command specifying a specific science data image group as the target of the SExtractor catalog run seemed to work fine in v2.8, but in v2.5, it didn’t. Instead, in v2.5, as SExtractor ran, it ran through all groups (quickly), concatenating the output, and then we just edited out all groups except the one we wanted for each chip. Since we had included the group number as one of the parameters for the output files, this was easy to discern
This study aims to examine the effect of accounting system implementation, regional financial management and internal supervision to government financial performance at SKPD of North Aceh Regency. This study uses primary data obtained by distributing questionnaires to 60 employees who serve as research samples. The data were analyzed using a multiple linear regression. The results of the study show that partially; the implementation of the accounting system and internal supervision has a significant effect to the government's financial performance at SKPD of North Aceh Regency. Regional financial management has effect not significant to government financial performance at SKPD of North Aceh Regency. The simultant, accounting system implementation, regional financial management and internal supervision has a significant effect to the government's financial performance at SKPD of North Aceh Regency, which is influenced about 59.8% and 40.2% influenced by other variables outside of this research.
Risk factors for tuberculosis were ranged in 112 new cases. Under the present conditions, the tuberculous process were shown to run by manifesting significant symptoms associated with the predominance of exudative inflammation, with considerable extension of the process, and a high frequency of lung tissue destruction. Bacterial isolation was massive, accompanied by primary drug resistance in 35%. The author shows it necessary to activate work on the detection and prevention of tuberculosis.
The application of PLC to computer survey systems in water supply industry is introduced.The system uses SIMATIC S7-200 PLC made by SIMENS as the central data collecting and processing device.Advanced hardware and optimized design of software make the reliability,expendability and maintenance ability of the whole computer survey systems better. Finally the improved means are presented.The system has obtained great success in the application.
In this case report, a case of septic arthritis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae from an old patient with multiple myeloma was presented, who received therapy due to vertebral fracture in the orthopedics clinic of our institute. The patient fully recovered without any complication, following the cefamezin infusion for four weeks. S. pneumoniae should be regarded as an aetiologic agent particularly among children and high risk bearing old patients. ©2007, Firat University, Medical Faculty
This research will provide fundamental information on the ability of subsurface bacteria to accumulate radionuclides and metals, the mechanism(s) of accumulation, the kinetics of inorganic-contaminant immobilization and remobilization, and the nutritional requirements to maintain microbial bioaccumulation capacity. Knowledge of chemical requirements will allow extrapolation of the results across a range of sites and will provide insight into possible remediation concepts. A proof-of-principle test subsurface samples from radionuclide/metal-contaminated sites will determine how well the bioaccumulation process aids in reducing radionuclide and metal transport under simulated subsurface conditions. 13 refs.
THIS IS THE LAST IN A SERIES OF FOUR REPORTS WHICH COMPRISE TASK III OF THE FOUR TASK PROJECT FARE. IT COVERS THE REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR COMMUTER RAIL SYSTEMS. ICC FORM A IS INCLUDED WITH MODIFICATIONS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A COMPLETE REPORT OF REVENUES, EXPENSES AND NONFINANCIAL OPERATING DATA PERTAINING TO COMMUTER RAIL TRANSIT SERVICE. THE PURPOSE OF THE SEPARATION OF RAIL TRANSIT FROM OTHER TRANSIT SYSTEMS IS DERIVED FROM CHAPTER 3 OF PART I, TASK SUMMARY, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY COMMUTER RAIL SYSTEMS ARE SUBJECT TO A DIFFERENT REPORTING REQUIREMENT FROM THAT OF OTHER TRANSIT SYSTEMS. PART I, THE TASK SUMMARY, COVERS NEEDS, OBJECTIVES, METHODOLOGY, GENERAL DESIGN, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANS OF TASK IV, WHICH WILL COMPLETE PROJECT FARE. PART II AND PART III, WHICH ARE BOUND SEPARATELY, PROVIDE DETAILED DOCUMENTATON OF REPORTING REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSIT SYSTEMS OTHER THAN COMMUTER RAIL. THE AIMS OF ALL FOUR TASKS IN PROJECT FARE ARE OUTLINED IN THE INTRODUCTION.
In this paper, a spreadsheet is used for the performance analysis of cache-based multiprocessors for general-purpose computing. The Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet is used to study the behavior of the cache miss ratio and the bus bandwidth with respect to the cache line size. The simulation is characterized by its low cost, flexibility and simplicity. The suitability of this tool for educational purposes and its use in an advanced computer architecture course are also discussed.
ABSTRACT Around 1800 a group of critics worried that new music was in danger of losing its social relevance. In their eyes music had become severed from the religious practices which had formerly provided its purpose and now exhibited a mercurial style that threatened its intelligibility, leading to a host of anxieties about its role in the contemporary world. This article argues that these concerns form the basis of an elegiac discourse of musical modernity, one resonating with broader philosophical concerns of the period. Taking Hoffmann's ‘Alte und neue Kirchenmusik’ as the central text, my narrative explores how he and others sought to rehabilitate modern music in the wake of a perceived social upheaval. This rehabilitation chiefly occurred at the hands of critics, who approached the complexities of new musical works by attempting to elucidate them through analysis. Hoffmann's review of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony belongs in this narrative as a characteristic attempt to secure new music's meaning.
We re-visit the Area Law in Turbulence discovered many years ago  cite{M93} and verified recently in numerical experiments cite{S19}. We derive this law in a simpler way, at the same time outlining the limits of its applicability. Using the PDF for velocity circulation as a functional of the loop in coordinate space, we obtain explicit formulas for vorticity correlations in presence of velocity circulation. These functions are related to the shape of the scaling function of the PDF as well as the shape of the minimal surface inside the loop. The background of velocity circulation does not eliminate turbulence but makes observable quantities in inertial range  textbf{calculable}. The scaling dimension of velocity circulation as a function of large area remains unknown. Numerical experiments  cite{S19} suggest transition for log-log derivative of circulation moments $ left $ by the loop area from Kolmogorov index $ frac{2p}{3}$ at $p <4$ down to approximately $0.58 p$ for $4  leq p  leq 10$ within available Reynolds numbers. We argue that Area Law applies to these moments only in the limit $p rightarrow  infty$ when they are dominated by the tails of the PDF. So, these numerical experiments suggest that the scaling index in Area law is less then $ frac{2}{3}$.
THE INVENTION CONCERNS A METER OF AIR INTAKE FOR ENGINE INTERNAL. INVENTION IT INCLUDES Vortices OF KARMAN-former 2 MASTER IN TRANSITION AIR INTAKE, TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER 4 5 ULTRASOUND ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE vortices KARMAN-former, A MEANS OSC 6, a former MIDDLE WAVE 8 TO SET UP THE SIGNAL OUTPUT RECEIVER ULTRASOUND, A COMPARISON PHASE 9 FILTER LOOP 10, A PHASE SHIFT MEANS RULE VOLTAGE 7, FILTER LOW PASS 11 AND PRESSURE COMPENSATED MEDIUM 18, 19, 20, 16, 21, 17 TO DELETE COMPONENT DEPENDENT PRESSURE SIGNAL OUTPUT LOW PASS FILTER, WHICH COMPONENT DEPENDS ON THE FLUCTUATIONS IN THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE MAIN ENTRANCE WAY. APPLY THE iNVENTION ESPECIALLY FOR AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY.
Literature talks about the human’s life, and the human has different ways to express what they think. They also have different way to show their feelings, imaginations, and expressions. By reading the literature, we can discuss about many things, for example; talking about ourselves and others. It means that the literature deals with the human’s attitude, expression, problems, etc.    The purposes of this study were explaining the racism faced by Aibileen as a black servant, describing the racism that faced by Aibileenas a black servant and Aibileen, and solving the racism as a black servant in “The Help” film.    In conducting this study, the writer applied the descriptive qualitative.It was chosen by the researcher because it described the phenomena that exist in the film, and the data were collected in natural settings and in the form of word, rather than numbers and statistics. The researcher used humanism approach because it looked at human behavior not only through the eyes of the observer, but through the eyes of the person who did the racism treatments. The research object was from “The Help” film which contained the dialogue, action and situation.    Based on the result of data analysis, the racism faced Aibileen as a black servant in “The Help” film was individual racism because she was treated badly from the white person. The description of the racism faced by Aibileen were using the toilet tissue, getting the minimum salary, slandering the black servant as a thief.The solutions to solve the racism faced by Aibilieen are Aibileen brought her own toilet tissue, living as ordinary person, and stopped being a servant.
This paper deals with a thrust generation on flapping-airfoil by dynamic stall. Dynamic stall refers to a series of complicated aerodynamic phenomena accompanied by a stall delay in unsteady motion. In most cases, once it occurs, the dynamic stall may lead to an abrupt fluctuation of aerodynamic forces. An inverse Karman vortex has been considered as a main reason for a thrust generation. In this paper, however, we have found out that a thrust is closely related to reduced frequency and leading edge vortex in addition to inverse Karman vortex. In order to certify our opinion, piching and plunging motions were calculated with the parameter of amplitude and frequency by using the unsteady, incompressible Navier-Stokes flow solver with a two-equation turbulence model. For more efficient computation, it is parallelized by MPI programming method.
A new way of colonization----"post-colonialism" is arising with the end of the World WarⅡ.The influence of developed nations on "the Third World" rather focus on cultural hegemony and infiltration than bloody violence and domination, in another words, the process of post-colonialism is a kind of imperceptivity effort to underprivileged culture. Thus, as the fastest developing country, China is also undergoing this process, especially in educational field. Backing to the course of educational history last century in China, we have to reflect on the originality to against the high praised "Other Culture".
The invention relates to a two motor-driven wheels (5) and a control load cart (1) provided, wherein the controller is a manual operation of a user for setting a traveling speed and / or direction of travel in a voltage or current loading of the impeller driving (5) the electric motor translated, wherein the running wheels (5) are drivable independently of each other, wherein within a specified bandwidth different set by according to user manual operation speeds of the running wheels (5) by the controller in a same driving speed of both wheels (5) is implemented. Further alternatively or combinative directed at only on the travel drive of an impeller (5) manual actuation may be applied to the half or less of the voltage or current so by the controller and the other impeller (5), that the travel speed of the half or less, preferably corresponds to 1/3 to 1/100 of the speed of travel of a wheel (5).
We report the reemergence of a new broadband emission through a detailed and systematic study of the multi-wavelength spectral and temporal behavior of OJ 287 after its first VHE activity in 2017 to date, which includes the second-highest X-ray flux of the source. The source shows strong optical to X-ray flux variations, accompanied mainly by strong spectral changes. The optical to X-ray flux variations are correlated and simultaneous except for two durations when they are anti-correlated. The flux variations, however, are anti-correlated with spectral state for X-rays but correlated for optical-UV (ultraviolet). Weekly binned { it Fermi}-LAT data around the duration of the highest X-ray activity show a few detections with a log-parabola model but none with a power-law, yet the LAT spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for high activity duration is similar for both the models and show a hardening above 1 GeV. Near-infrared (NIR) data indicate strong spectral change while joint Swift and NuSTAR spectrum indicate a thermal component of $ rm 3 times 10^4$~K. Overall, the observed spectral features establish the observed variations to a new high-energy-peaked (HBL) broadband non-thermal emission component, similar to the one seen during the highest X-ray flux state of the source in 2017. The observed activities indicate some peculiar features that seem to be characteristic of this emission component while its appearance, a few years around the claimed  ( sim 12 )-year optical outbursts strongly indicate a connection between the two.
Biomass energy is the important style of energy sources.It is a kind of clean and reproducible energy and have the big exploitation potential.Biomass energy will be the important trend of energy in the future.The characteristics and,the technology status and development of biomass energy were analyzed in this article.Then the suggestions and strategies of biomass resource exploitation in China were put forward.
This article reconstructs historical aspects of the Working Group of Black Liberal and College Professionals (GTPLUN), launched in Sao Paulo, in 1972, to develop an educational project focused on professionalizing black people and promoting African history and culture. Led by the physician Iracema de Almeida, stood out as institution advocating for the rights of black people during the military regime.   Keywords: black people; race; Africa; associativism; citizenship.
Abstract : The general objective of the present work was to look for alternatives to the conventional time domain model for the oscillatory forces on plates, using what data could be found in the literature. To the extent which information could be extracted from existing sources, an alternate to the conventional model can be synthesized, but only for sinusoidal plate or fluid motion. The results do not obviously point the way toward a real-time non-linear model suitable for more complex forms of motion. an approach for which there had been high initial hopes (the functional polynominal) appeared, at the end of the work, not to be so promising. (Author)
Objective To observe the effects of combined treatment of simvastatin and Amlodipine on pulse pressure(PP) in senile patients with isolated systolic hypertension(ISH).Methods 58 old patients with normal level cholesterol were divided into the 2 groups.Amlodipine of 5 mg/d dosage was taken by 28 subjects in control group.30 cases in treatment group were administered orally with Amlodipine of 5 mg/d dose and 10 mg/d simvastatin.Blood pressure was followed up and recorded every two weeks for 12 weeks.Results After treatment the PP decreased from pretreatment(72.1±9.5) mm Hg to(63.8±7.6) mm Hg in control group.Atorvastatin combined with Amlodipine resulted in a significant improvement of PP from pretreatment(71.3±8.2) mm Hg to(58.9±6.1) mm Hg.There was a significant difference between two groups for PP after treatment(P0.01).Conclusion A combination treatment with simvastatin and Amlodipine is helpful to the PP improvement in old patients with ISH.
The invention discloses long-acting sustained-release organic nitrogenous fertilizer and a manufacturing technology thereof. The long-acting sustained-release organic nitrogenous fertilizer comprises the following raw materials: 50-60 parts of gourmet powder waste residue solid raw materials or 30-35 parts of humic acid, 35-40 parts of urea, 8-12 parts of ammonium sulfate, 1 part of microelement, 0.7-0.8 part of long-acting sustained-release agent, 2 parts of liquid ammonia, and 2-4 parts of 92.5% of sulfuric acid. The manufacturing technology comprises the following steps: solid raw materials are metered, blended and sent into a granulating machine, and react with ammonia gas after being diluted by concentrated sulfuric acid; the produced ammonium sulfate slurry is sprayed into the granulating machine to be granulated, then is subjected to drying, screen classification, cooling, coating and packing, and is placed into a storage finally. According to the invention, the utilization ratio of the nitrogenous fertilizer is improved to 62.5%, and is improved one time higher than the utilization ratio of urea; the fertilizer has stronger controlled release capability and the capability of polymerizing absorbable nutrients in soil, not only can improve the output and quality of crops in long-term use, but also can improve soil structure to increase soil fertility, therefore, the fertilizer plays a significant role to the promotion of agricultural mechanization and the sharing of eco-food, and has prosperous prospect.
As an innovative theory of sinified Marxism,the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics is the outcome of combining the universal principles of Marxism with the national conditions and specific practice of China. Mind emancipation,reform and opening-up,people orientation,scientific development,leadership of the Party,and construction of the Party are five categories permeating the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. They reflect the world view and methodology of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics,having guidance meaning universally.
Introduction: It has been shown that activated CaMKII can phosphorylate cardiac Na+ channels that leads to an enhanced late Na current (INaL). We hypothesized that enhanced INaL plays an important role in arrhythmogenesis linked to increased CaMKII activity. To test this hypothesis we determined the effect of a selective INaL inhibitor GS-967 on spontaneously occurring ventricular arrhythmias in mice overexpressing CaMKIIδc (TG). Methods: TG (n=6) and wild type (WT, n=3) mice at age 8 week (wk) were instrumented with telemetry transmitters to record ECG. ECG were recorded continuously starting 1 wk post- surgery (age 9 wk) until age 19 wk. Incidence and burden of arrhythmias were evaluated at ages 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 wks using DSI ECG Pro software. At age 17 wk, when arrhythmia burden was relatively stable, mice were treated with a single dose of GS-967 (1 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle. After 4 days of washout, the treatment was repeated in a cross-over manner. Arrhythmia burden was quantified over a durat...
Abstract : Theoretical and experimental analyses and evaluations of transducers, delay media, and various techniques required to determine the feasibility of a configuration-dispersive delay line are presented. The delay line under study involved a new method of obtaining high-compression ratios and broad bandwidths with microwave acoustic techniques. No presently available materials were found which are suited for the delay medium. (Author)
SIDNEY WILHELM'S MUCH NEGLECTED 1970 WORK, WHO NEEDS THE NEGRO?, infused with a severely pessimistic projection about the future of African-Americans, is absolutely necessary reading for today. Any understanding of the current and future crisis of racial/ethnic population in the United States must take into account the profound techno-global political-economic transformations that Wilhelm glimpsed and that are even more developed now. Wilhelm argued that as technological efficiency such as automation reduced the need for workers, African-Americans were rapidly moving from being a functionally exploitable population, of use to the wider society, into being a marginalized, discarded people, confined to reservation-like ghettoes and controlled by increasingly heavy structures of repression. Today, 23 years later, Wilhelm's argument is even more salient as the computer age and the ability of capitalism to move its assembly lines around the world is undermining the need for a large industrial work force in the U.S. itself. My retrospective use of Wilhelm's work here is aimed at rethinking the dilemmas and directions of African-Americans as we move toward the 21st century. Although my notes here are aimed primarily at the African-American situation, there are several parallels with other racial/ethnic populations such as significant portions of the Latino, Indigenous, and Asian-American communities. From Exploitable to Cast-Off People Historically, as Wilhelm points out, African-Americans had been an "economic necessity" as slave labor and then suppressed "free" labor: From the bondage of slavery up through World War II, the strong anti- Negro values of White America could not compensate for the economic reliance upon Negro labor; in spite of their prejudices, whites confronted economic barriers in their treatment of the Negro (1970: 2). Racism, in effect, had developed as a functional way of structuring the use of African-American labor. Segregation and ghettoization were part of the system of control that made that labor available. Yet this historic functionality was changing under the impact of automation. Wilhelm predicted the increasing: isolation of the Negro people, an isolation made possible by the changing technology of automation.... [B]ecause of the sustaining racist nature of their society, white Americans may well take full advantage of this new economic opportunity to promote the Negro's dismissal, just as eco- nomic opportunity and racism combined for the elimination of the native Indian population.... [T]he Negro may very well come to be treated much as the American Indian: confined to reservations or perhaps eliminated through genocide (Ibid.: 3). Those who find such predictions fantastic and believe that the goals of "equality, acculturation, or pluralism" are being actually attained are overlooking "the very radical economic shift taken by White America" (Ibid.). Instead of a pluralistic America resulting from "the Negro revolt," there will be "the vigorous re-emergence of racial separation with all the overtones of genocide" (Ibid.). It is futile, said Wilhelm, to ignore "the drastic rate of technological change since 1950" (p. 150). There will be increased productivity on the part of capitalism. However, any notion that such increased productivity and efficiency will bring about greater inclusion of African-Americans in economic vitality is sadly mistaken. Automation will reduce the need for workers, "while private capital provides less employment, productivity does not suffer, but rather sets spectacular records" (p. 149). Obviously, said Wilhelm, "profit, not public welfare, is the goal of business. Attaining greater profits at the expense of labor takes precedence over the consequences to the general public" (p. 150). Automation, of course, has a general impact on workers, across "race" lines. …
Special physical education is an important part of physical education in educational institutions with characteristics different from those of general physical education.This paper introduces the definition and characteristics of special physical education and exercise prescription.It deems that exercise prescription teaching plays an important role in special physical education and has broad development prospects,and the content of exercise prescription in special physical education shall be added to movement education with document summary method.Teachers of special physical education shall enhance their professional skills and know how to prepare the exercise prescription so as to provide scientific and quantitative exercise prescriptions with personalized and instructive features.Exercise prescription shall be implemented in teaching according to physical and psychological conditions of the objects of special physical education,reflect the"compensation"characteristics, and achieve the purpose of teaching students in accordance with their aptitudes,in an attempt to promote physical and psychological health and improve the quality of life.
The invention relates to a preparation method of snakehead feed which comprises the following components according to the weight percent: 30-48 of fish meal, 3-6 of starch, 15-25 of bean cake, 10-20 of corn, 6-15 of peanut meal, 4-10 of pearling cone meal, 1-3 of adhesive, 0.5-1 of mineral supplement, 0.5-1 of calcium biphosphate and 1 of vitamin mixture. The materials are poured into a fish feed mixer to be mixed for 28min and then are poured into a multifunctional feed granulation machine to be heated and produced precipitate hard granular feed after being taken out, and then the precipitate hard granular feed is sieved by a 40-mu sieve, wherein the weight of each grain is 0.1g.
Vanilla autoencoders often produce manifolds that overfit to noisy training data, or have the wrong local connectivity and geometry. Autoencoder regularization techniques, e.g., the denoising autoencoder, have had some success in reducing overfitting, whereas recent graph-based methods that exploit local connectivity information provided by neighborhood graphs have had some success in mitigating local connectivity errors. Neither of these two approaches satisfactorily reduce both overfitting and connectivity errors; moreover, graph-based methods typically involve considerable preprocessing and tuning. To simultaneously address the two issues of overfitting and local connectivity, we propose a new graph-based autoencoder, the Neighborhood Reconstructing Autoencoder (NRAE). Unlike existing graph-based methods that attempt to encode the training data to some prescribed latent space distribution – one consequence being that only the encoder is the object of the regularization – NRAE merges local connectivity information contained in the neighborhood graphs with local quadratic approximations of the decoder function to formulate a new neighborhood reconstruction loss. Compared to existing graph-based methods, our new loss function is simple and easy to implement, and the resulting algorithm is scalable and computationally efficient; the only required preprocessing step is the construction of the neighborhood graph. Extensive experiments with standard datasets demonstrate that, compared to existing methods, NRAE improves both overfitting and local connectivity in the learned manifold, in some cases by significant margins. Code for NRAE is available at https://github.com/Gabe-YHLee/NRAE-public.
Abstract : The aim of this study is to explain the dunes and deflation relief formed from sediments accumulated in an ice-dammed lake during the deglaciation in the Kaamasjoki-Kiellajoki river basin. At present the dunes are parabolic fossil dunes formed in periglacial conditions having been deposited by winds blowing from directions lying between WNW and NW. In the subarctic conditions prevailing today eolian activity resulting from the fact that effective wind directions are between W and SW is principally one of deflation. The results of the investigation into the evolution stages of eolian relief are presented in a chronological table in which are also given the periods of vegetation history, the types of vegetation, the climatic conditions and the estimated average July temperatures. (Author)
Alkali sacaton (Sporobolus airoides TORR.) is a droughttolerant forage that is welladapted to the arid regions of the southwestern United States (Hickey and Springfield, 1966) and central Mexico. ElSharkawi and Michel (1975) reported that this species showed enhanced photosynthetic rates at moderate stress levels. Its rapid decline in transpiration during water stress suggested that stomatal control might play an important role in plant survival. Transpiration rates of alkali sacaton declined much faster at low humidity and high stress than the rates of blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis H.B.I. Lag. ex Steud.)
in his Menschenwürde nach Nietzsche: Die Geschichte eines Begriffes (Human Dignity According to/after Nietzsche: The History of a Concept), stefan lorenz sorgner conceives a bold plan and executes it remarkably well, with noteworthy results. his plan entails describing four paradigmatic notions of human dignity, then presenting nietzsche’s critical evaluation of the notion of human dignity in relation to the four paradigms, and finally, reflecting on nietzsche’s criticism in a way that embraces much of it and, consequently, largely rejects the humanist notion of the dignity of man. sorgner takes the additional steps of arguing for a posthumanism to replace the outmoded humanist notion of human dignity. each phase of the plan is carried out with care in every detail. although sorgner takes every occasion to locate the reader within its structure with elaborate signposting, the overall organization of his book may prove to be difficult even for the careful reader to grasp. sorgner devotes his first chapter to the necessary and sufficient conditions for the notions of human dignity that interest him and nietzsche. thus he indicates the scope of the criticism of human dignity to follow. then he devotes a long section of the work to paradigmatic notions of human dignity to give the reader a sense of the variety of different notions of specifically human dignity. they all satisfy the necessary conditions for the sort of concept that sorgner wishes to defend, namely, the notion of necessary dignity. for many readers, it may become easy to get lost in the long presentation, though again sorgner pays great attention to highlighting his organization. a long rendition of nietzsche’s theories of will to power, genealogy, and perspectivism follows, which, since it is not immediately directed toward the notion of dignity, may be overwhelming. But sorgner’s interpretation of GS 115, which follows the presentation, is well worth the wait. the reader finds nietzsche attacking the four theories so elaborately portrayed. sorgner works through an impressive interpretation of the short aphorism, though at many spots the usual conflicts of interpretation break out. in my own case, i considered sorgner’s interpretations to be, if anything, too literally rather than too loosely connected to the text. and in particular, my own interpretation of nietzsche on science, notably the figures darwin and lamarck, differs from sorgner’s. in crucial places concerning darwin and nietzsche, sorgner gives inadequate evidence, in my opinion. nor does sorgner show evidence of hidden sources of nietzsche’s scientific thought experiments. other readers, of course, may object to other details in his interpretation. But what he does succeed in providing is a highly plausible, careful rendition of nietzsche’s thoughts on human dignity. sorgner proves that he has, after nietzsche’s metaphor, “long legs.” this section of the book definitely rewards the two long marches required to reach it. sorgner’s interpretation of nietzsche is quite complex and nuanced, and nietzsche’s argument in GS 115 and connected notes and published passages succeed in their iconoclastic campaign. the reader must understand, further, that the book under consideration contains a certain irony or sarcasm. that sorgner disagrees with nietzsche about contingent human dignity is something of a façade, since contingent dignity really interests sorgner little in comparison to the comparatively decisive attack that has been launched on the sacred citadel of human dignity at the heart of the Platonic christian Kantian tradition. on one reading of sorgner, “normative equality” may have become something of a cynical hobbesian gesture. in the final wing of his labyrinthine architectonic, sorgner attempts to advance beyond nietzsche’s position into a postdignity, postequality posthumanism. this is truly where sorgner comes into his own. i found a great deal of what sorgner writes to be interesting and much in the spirit of nietzsche; he lays out a scientifically informed critical hermeneutic concerned with humanity as a changing species and that advances a notion of humanity that goes well beyond any traditional Platonic or christian concept of man. as such, we may rightfully consider sorgner’s book as something of a
Car travel is no more a luxury now-a-days in India and it is now the choice of a common man.It has become a necessity and many jobs get done faster and easier by moving in cars. To cater to the needs of people who can spend extra money for  transport, but at the time, buying a car is not possible for them call taxi service has become a great rescuing factor.There are many options of different call taxis to choose from. As far as Call Taxi services are concerned even though the service provider name is popular, easy to recollect and in the top of mind recall, most  of the people especially first time users and occasional users do not remember or recollect the phone number of the call taxi operator when needed. With the tariff and services offered are more or less the same among all the operators retaining a customer is a Herculean task for the call taxi operators.There is little scope  for diff erentiation and the operators try to off er customized services and short term promotions to the customers to att ract and avoid customer defection.The case can be analyzed fromthe following perspectives – New product launch,  Market leader strategies, Services Marketing – Tangibilizing the intangibles, Advertisement message, Sales promotion techniques, Product Diff erentiation strategies.
Objective:To prepare the sustained-release fenofibrate polymeric microsponges with porous structure and tablets of microsponges.Methods:Microsponges were prepared by quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method with Eudragit RS PO,and then tablets of microsponges were prepared by direct compression method.The resultant microsponges were evaluated for the particle size,drug loading,incorporation efficiency and release profiles;the influence of particle size,type and amount of diluent,pressure value and plasticizer on release profiles of fenofibrate from tablets.Results:The size of the resultant microponges was decreased by increasing the agitation speed or degrading concentration of polymer in organic phase;the incorporation efficiency of fenofibrate was usually more than 98%;drug loading was over 70%;The drug release rate was increased by diminishing the size of microsponges from the disintegrated tablets.The plasticizer could improve the mechanical function of matrix.When the ratio of MCC and microsponges was over 35∶65 and the pressure value was less than 6 kN,crushing the structure of microsponges could be avoided.Conclusion:It was assumed that the microsponges might possess an unique compression property due to their matrix or sponge-like structure which differed from conventional microcapsules or physical powder mixture.
In March 2004, the once-heralded Los Angeles Community Development Bank (LACDB) closed its doors because of insolvency. The government-created bank's demise should come as no surprise. Credit officers at the not-for-profit bank lacked incentives to monitor loans on an ongoing basis. The LACDB's lending was subject to pressures by public officials, which distorted decisions so as to favor politically connected borrowers. Moreover, the bank - like other public lenders - was actively encouraged to fund ill-conceived, high-risk projects. A financial institution with a portfolio of very high-risk loans was bound to fail.
JUST READING the title of this article would seem to make the answer to the franchising game obvious basic operations. But it is not always so. The ingenious marketing and distribution device of franchising,’ that extraordinary symbiosis of big and small business, so necessary in the current age of gargantuan public corporations and turbulent, urbanized, untrained and unskilled ethnic minorities= has also attracted the promotional fermentations of unscrupulous or shortsighted entrepreneurs. We have, at best, confusion, and, at worst, deceit or misrepresentation, in the purposes, goals and actions of those franchisors who prefer to get rich quickly at the expense of their franchisees or stockholders, instead of organizing and building a long term sound business for the benefit of all concerned. That is why the public interest has become paramount, requiring full disclosure to prevent fraud and manipulation. In this context, the jurisprudence of franchising is significant. Intellectually, it would seem that
BACKGROUND Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is the most common ischemic stroke subtype globally. It accounts for 30-50% of all ischemic strokes in Asians.   AIMS The aim of the study is to report the frequency of asymptomatic ICAD and its associated Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) findings.   METHODS 200 adult participants were recruited from the Radiology Departments of two major diagnostic centers in Karachi. Eligible participants were confirmed for the absence of stroke symptoms via the Questionnaire for Verifying Stroke Free Status (QVSFS). QVSFS negative subjects underwent MRI on a 1.5 Tesla scanner. Images were centrally reviewed on Di com Viewer 3.0 with electronic calipers to calculate the degree of ICAD.   RESULTS Mean age of subjects was 37.1 years (S.D 15.1) with 50.5% men (n=101) and 49.5% women (n=99). Asymptomatic ICAD was found in 34.5% (n=69) subjects. Of the 3800 intracranial arteries studied, 2.2% (n=88) had biological disease. 20.5% (n=18) of these vessels had atherosclerotic irregularities, 43.2% (n=38) had mild stenos is, 11.4% (n=10) had moderate stenos is, 5.7% (n=5) had severe stenos is while 19.3% (n=17) were completely occluded. The posterior cerebral artery (42% of stenosed arteries, n=37) was most affected. 23.5% (n=47) of subjects had peri-ventricular lucencies, 10.5% (n=21) had brain atrophy while 3.5% (n=7) had silent brain infarcts. There was a significant association between asymptomatic ICAD and peri ventricular lucencies (PR 1.59; 95% CI 1.35-1.99).   CONCLUSION Asymptomatic ICAD is common in young Pakistanis, with no gender predilection; it preferentially affects the posterior circulation. Silent infarcts are rare compared to peri ventricular lucencies and atrophy.
The designing of a dispute resolution structure for China involves the integration of the multi-pronged dispute resolutions and the integration of the resources of the multi-pronged dispute resolution mechanisms and litigations.The Ju- dicial Cooperative Technology can harmonize and coordinate different dispute resolutions by using the Order Technology, Judgment Technology,Relation Technology and Information Technology so as to resolve disputes in an overall way.
It represents the necessity of stipulating for execution judgements,analyzes the existing condition of the compensating placement to the poor families in the house breaking in Luoyang city,introduces the basic principles of stipulating for execution judgements,and discusses the poor families assessment,policy bases of minimum installing houses protection and thee installing houses paths,which will solve the compensating placement problem to the poor families well.
Background and Purpose— Histopathologic evaluation of occlusive thrombi retrieved from cerebral arteries using endovascular therapy is possible. We investigated the relationship between successful reperfusion after thrombectomy and histopathologic characteristics of retrieved thrombi. Methods— Among consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with endovascular therapy at our institute from December 2010 to July 2015, we retrospectively reviewed those with acute major arterial occlusion from which retrieved thrombi were evaluated histopathologically. Obtained thrombi were assessed for the existence of atheromatous gruel, organization, and the ratios of erythrocyte and fibrin/platelet components. Successful reperfusion was defined as the modified Treatment in Cerebral Ischemia grade of 2b to 3. Results— Of 83 patients studied, 58 (70%) underwent successful reperfusion. Atheromatous gruel was less frequently identified (3% versus 20%; P=0.024), and the proportion of erythrocyte components was higher (57±23% versus 47±24%; P=0.042) in thrombi retrieved from the reperfused than the unreperfused group. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, atheromatous gruel was inversely related (odds ratio, 0.062; 95% confidence interval, 0.002–0.864), and >64% erythrocyte components (cutoff obtained from receiver operating characteristic curve) were positively related (odds ratio, 4.352; 95% confidence interval, 1.185–19.363) to successful reperfusion. Conclusions— Successful reperfusion could be associated with the histopathology of occlusive thrombi, including the existence of atheromatous gruel and proportion of erythrocyte components. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02251665.
Experimental findings have indicated that purine nucleosides alkylated at the N7-guanine site are repaired by removal of the entire base moiety through spontaneous depurination or glycosylasemediated base-excision. Repair of nucleosides alkylated at the O6-guanine and O4-thymine positions, however, is mediated by an alkyltransferase which removes only the alkyl group. The chemical reasons behind these specific choices of repair mechanisms are brought to light through semiempirical molecular orbital calculations, which provide a correct assignment of mechanism to each class of alkylated nucleosides in good accord with experiment.
Abstract The effect of methanol extract of P. americana seeds on isolated ileal smooth muscle was studied for isometric response using 10 adult rabbits of both sexes. Reactivity and agonist-antagonist responses of rabbit ileum to the extract were determined in this study. The affinity, effective concentration to give 50% response (EC50) and maximum response were calculated from the concentration response curves (CRC) obtained. The result for the reactivity study showed the seed extract of P. americana caused concentration dependent relaxation of isolated rabbit ileum with threshold responses at concentration of 1×10−9 mg/ml and 120 mg/ml respectively. The extract-antagonist study showed an upward and right shift in CRC in the presence of phenoxybenzamine, a non-selective adrenergic antagonist, with the EC50 increased from 5.01 mg/ml to 12.59 mg/ml and affinity decreased from 0.20 to 0.08. Extract-antagonist study also showed a right and upward shift in the CRC with a greater magnitude in the presence of prazosin, an α1-adrenergic antagonist, with EC50 increased from 0.32 mg/ml to 25.12 mg/ml and a consequential decrease in the affinity from 3.13 to 0.04. In the presence of propranolol, a β-adrenergic antagonist, a downward and left shift in the CRC was observed with the EC50 and PA2 remaining constant at 0.1 mg/ml and 10 respectively. P. americana concentration-dependently reduced or inhibited gastric motility, increasing transit time which is important for food absorption, thus a pro-nutritive and antispasmodic effect. The interaction with α1-adrenoceptors is beneficially in heart failure management. The plant can be developed as a drug candidate for management of hypertension.
Objective The effectiveness of clozapine is clearly superior to other antipsychotics in the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. Clozapine leads to various side effects, and therefore many patients are forced to discontinue. In this study, we analyzed the registry database of all cases in Japan to identify risk factors for discontinuation of clozapine. Methods The Clozaril patient monitoring service® (CPMS) database from July 31, 2009 to January 26, 2020 was acquired. We defined the following exclusion criteria: patients who had ever taken clozapine by a non-CPMS method, such as an individual import or clinical trial, patients who did not receive clozapine after being enrolled in CPMS, and patients with initial doses other than 12.5 mg (outside the current protocol). Therefore, all patients in this study are new users. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to investigate independent risk factors associated with time to discontinuation of clozapine. Results We identified 8,263 patients as the study population. Clozapine discontinuation was significantly associated with age 40 and older [hazard ratio (HR)=1.66, p<0.001], intolerance to olanzapine (HR=1.31, p=0.018), previous treatment with clozapine (HR=1.30, p=0.001), and leukocyte counts <6,000/mm3 (HR=1.24, p<0.001). The Kaplan-Meier curves for clozapine discontinuation by age group revealed that older age at the time of clozapine introduction tended to have lower continuation rates. Conclusion Careful administration is important because patients with these factors have a high risk of discontinuation. In addition, the initiation of clozapine during the younger period was more effective and more tolerated.
In this paper, an automatic gain control scheme is proposed for analyses and designs of unity feedback control systems. It is consisted of a fast command tracking loop and a slow gain adaptive loop. The overall system is equivalent to a conventional automatic gain control loop with command tracking error input. It gives good command tracking behaviour while keeping robust characteristic of the original automatic gain control loop. It gives good robustness for coping with fast large parameter and load disturbance variations also. The stability of the controlled systems and effective of the proposed method are verified by root-loci, time responses, frequency responses, large parameter variations and fast large load disturbances testing with two numerical examples.
Self-healing features that mimic the biological mechanisms for self-repair have recently been applied to high-capacity but extreme volume expansion electrode materials such as silicon anodes to overcome the short cycle-life caused by electrical contact loss and active material pulverization. In this study, we adopt a freestanding composite design for effective relaxation of lithiation induced stresses and enhancement of electrochemical reliability. Silicon microparticles are homogenously dispersed and embedded within a self-healing polymer matrix that enables free volume expansion and contraction during lithiation and delithiation. The freestanding electrode, which does not require a separate current collector, demonstrated 91.8% capacity retention after 100 cycles at C/10 rate with an average specific capacity and gravimetric capacity, including current collector mass, of ∼2100 mA h g−1 and ∼1050 mA h g−1 respectively, which is a significant improvement compared to the conventional design of simple self-healing polymer coatings on silicon particle embedded current collectors. The fabricated freestanding silicon microparticle and self-healing polymer composite electrode demonstrated stable electrochemical performance after being completely cut, reattached, and cycled and retained at most 95% of its initial capacity. Overall, the proposed freestanding silicon microparticle and self-healing polymer composite design demonstrated excellent gravimetric capacity, cycle life, and self-healing capability without employing expensive and complex nanostructures.
The name of nervous deafiness is generally given to that form which is iinconnected w%ith disease of the external or middle ear. When the tympanumii is sound, the Eustaclhian tube free, and there appears to be no obstacle to the transmission of sound from the exterior to the deep-seated parts, we conclude that the disease is seated in the internal ear. This form of deafness may depend on two causes. The hard parts and their lining membrane may be uffected, or the auditory nerve mnay be the seat of the disease. Formerly I was of opinion that the diagnosis of nervous deafness muist be founded on rational symptoms alone, but experience lhas shown me that we may arrive at something more positive. I knew that some patients had accidentally removed complete deafnaess by passing an instrument into the external meatus, and touching the tympanui. I liad seen a case of the kind myself; and, although the effect produced was not permanent, it had strongly excited my attention; but the following, which likewise passed under my own observation, seems to be worthy of serious reflection. M. A., a retired judge, who laboured under a considerable degree of deafness, was in the habit of passing a long gold pin into the ear, for the purpose of exciting the sensibility of the tympanum. He had been long in the habit of emlployinig this meanis, and it succeeded so well that he could follow the counsel during his speech for about an hour; in short, he had recourse to it as often as it was necessary to hear aimything during the course of a trial. I was consulted by the judge on this curiouis case, {and examined the external ear most carefuilly, but could perceive nothing except a superficial depressioni over the long process of the malleus. Here the epidermis was somewhlat thickened, and resembled those small semicartilaginous spots which we often find in old persons. As the size of the meatus allowed me to see the whole surface of the tympanum easily, I requested the patient to repeat the manceuvre before me, and I saw clearlv that the point of the needle was applied to the centre of the opaque spot already mentioned. Slight pressure then depressed the handle of the malleus, anid increased the concavity of the tympanum. The sense of hearing was now instantaneously recovered, and the patient could hear the ticking of my watch at a distance of fouir inches. The patient experienced no pain, and although ten years have elapsed since he first had recourse to this singular mode of cure, it is still as efficacious as ever. I have seen several analagous cases since the above, and draw from them the following conclusion Pressure on the handle of the malleus is transmitted to the chain of bones, and throuigh them to the foramen ovale; the motion must likewise influtence the condition of the vestibule and neighbouring parts, and (to lay aside theory) we must admit that the sudden recovery of hearing in those cases must depend on the effect of motion transmitted through the ossicuila to the internal ear. I have often endeavoured to produce a similar effect on other patients labouring under nervous deafness, but with hardly any result; still, however, I cannot but think that the facts just mentioned will lead to some useful discoveries touchinlg the diagnosis of diseases of the intermial ear. Until then, we Iiiust remain content with rational siglns. The existence of nervous deafness-that is, of deafness depcnding on some lesion of the auditory nerve, is recognised by the absence of disease in the external or middle ear, and by the presence of signs indlicating some change of nervous sensibility. The auditory sense is very seldom exalted to such a degree as to render hearinig indistinct; but diminution of the power of hearing is very frequient, although meanis commoonly adopted to measure the degree of diminutioni are, generally speakinig, uncertain. Thus the ticking of a watch, anid the distanlce at which it can be heard are far friom giving a correct measuire of the power of hearing. Some patients are unable to hear the tick of a watch placed close to the ear, altlhouglh they can distinguish the voice mulch better than other persons who hear the watch at a distance ofseveral feet. Experience proves that the organ of hearing has its predilections for certaiii sounds, and that deafness, which often appears to be comiiplete, is in many cases merely relative. In the foregoing observations I hav-e endeavoured to show, that mnost diseases of the ear may be recognised by the assistance of certain simple and direct modes of investigation. The obscurity which pervades this class of diseases will, I feel convinced, disappear as soon as surgeons agree to investigate them in a proper manner. An attentiv-e examination of the affected organs, together with the appreciation of physical signs and rational symptoms, will lead to a correct diagnosis, and the consequent adoption of effectual treatinent.-Gaz. Mlled. de Pa?ris, No. 8.
Purpose – The objective of this study is to formulate a model for forecasting the performance of firms in terms of trends in turnover, investments, exports, employment and flexibility, and to identify the principal correlations with selected dependent variables, such as the level of computerization, the extent of collaboration with competitors and the characteristics of the product. Design/methodology/approach - This paper analyses data, which refers to a survey conducted on a sample of 89 firms from the Treviso province in the north east of Italy by using the Logit model. Findings - From the application of the logit models it emerges that the most important variables contributing to the economic success of the firms are technological flexibility, collaboration, with competitors, and investments in certain areas such as research and development, marketing and fixed technology. Moreover, the findings show that the factors which contribute most significantly to technological flexibility (a key factor for the growth of the firm) are flexibility to demand, the level of computerization and staff training. Practical implications - From the application of logit models it emerges that the most important variables influencing the good performance of firms are flexibility in keeping pace with technology, collaboration with competitors, and the choice of certain types of investment. Moreover, the variables which contribute most to greater flexibility are investments in human capital and in information technology, as well website use, the technological characteristics of the product and the firm's flexibility in following the demand trend. Originality/value - In this study logit models are analysed from both a theoretical and applied point of view.
This article describes the Pollution Prevention (P2) Framework Automated Information System. The framework is a matrix of pollution prevention resources developed by the Department of Defense Environmental Security Corporate Information Management (DESCIM) Program Management Office in support of the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Environmental Security). The P2 framework resides on the Defense Environmental Network Information eXchange (DENIX), DOD's environmental information electronic bulletin board and website. An outline of the framework's information categories and electronic resources is provided. In addition, the article provides an overview of the information resources that the P2 framework currently makes available and describes the process by which the framework was developed. Recommendations for future enhancements to the P2 framework are also discussed.
A quasi-dynamics method is developed to search for cluster isomers and can quickly produce isomers which are probable in gas-phase growth under common experimental conditions. We studied the spectrum of C21 isomers by the method and performed molecular dynamics simulations on the clustering processes of 21 isolated carbon atoms in helium buffer, showing that the isomers formed in the dynamical process at higher probabilities are all contained in the isomer spectrum obtained by the method. The potential energy of the most stable configuration in our spectrum is much lower than that obtained by the genetic algorithm ［ Chem . Phys . Lett . 364 213，2002］.
Depressant effects of halothane and isoflurane on isolated right ventricular guinea pig papillary muscle bathed in Tyrode's solution at 37°C were examined. Contractions were elicited by stimulation through external field electrodes while tension was recorded continuously and the intracellular cardiac action potential (AP) was monitored simultaneously by microelectrodes. The time differential of tension (dT/dt) and of membrane potential (V) was determined electronically and recorded also. Contractions after rest and at stimulation rates of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 Hz were studied. With normal APs, isoflurane (1.3 and 2.5%) depressed peak tension significantly less at high frequencies than did equivalent doses of halothane (0.75 or 1.5%). Isoflurane depressed dT/dt max less than halothane at all frequencies. At 0.3 Hz stimulation, isoflurane (1–4%) significantly increased the normal AP duration by 7–11%. Slow calcium-dependent APs and accompanying contractions were studied in partially depolarized muscles (−40 to −45 mV resting potential in 26mM K+Tyrode's solution) stimulated with 0.1 M isoproterenol. Following rest and at 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 Hz, both isoflurane (1.3% or 2.5%) and enflurane (1.7% or 3.5%) markedly depressed the late-peaking slow AP contraction observed with low-frequency stimulation. Halothane (0.75% or 1.5%) caused a similar contractile depression (40–60%) at all frequencies. In contrast, isoflurane depressed early peaking tension and the dT/dt max at frequencies greater than 1 Hz significantly less than did halothane or enflurane. At 0.3 Hz, 2% and 4% isoflurane caused 9% and 17% depression of slow AP maximum rate of depolarization (Vmax), but significantly prolonged the AP duration. Isoflurane altered the pattern of tension development in a different manner than halothane, suggesting differing mechanisms of myocardial depression by these anesthetics.
The objective of the work presented here was to investigate the catalysing effect of iron oxyhydroxide on the redox reaction between ferrous iron and chromate. This was done in a bench-scale upflow reactor containing an expanded sand medium (fluid-bed reactor), where continous chemical addition, reaction and solid-liquid separation take place. Removal efficiencies of chromate in excess of 99% were attainable on spiked tapwater corresponding to an outlet concentration of 0.01 mg/l. Chromate polluted groundwater from a fly-ash disposal site was treated in the first full-scale plant (3 m3/h) with good results as well. The waste product generated by this method is a very compact granulate with a specific density of approx. 3 kg/l and low water content. Operation of the compact plant is simple and chemicals cost very little (approx. US D 1/400 per m3). The method (patent pending) is recommended for remediation purposes, but may also be applied in treatment of industrial wastewaters.
Recent advances in machine learning have led to a surge of interest in classification of the auditory brainstem response. In this work, we conducted a search in the PubMed, Google Scholar, SpringerLink, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases, and identified twelve studies that explored the use of machine learning to classify the auditory brainstem response as a complementary and objective method to (a) help clinicians better diagnose hearing impairment by discerning between healthy and pathological auditory brainstem response waveforms, (b) present a neural marker for potential applications in hearing aid tuning, and (c) provide a biometric marker for discriminating between subjects. A comparison between the studies presented in this review is not possible as they used different test subjects, group sizes, and stimuli, and evaluated auditory brainstem response differently. Instead, the result of these studies will be presented and their limitations as well as their potential applications will be discussed. Overall, the findings of these studies suggest that ABR classification using machine learning is a promising tool for assessing patients with hearing loss, optimizing technologies for tuning hearing aids, and discriminating between subjects.
Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the functional medium- to long-term outcome for cats with a conservatively managed sacroiliac luxation fracture (SILF). Methods Inclusion criteria were conservative management of SILF in cats with no other concurrent fractures of the pelvic weightbearing axis and availability of radiographs for review. Radiographic measurements of percentage displacement of the sacroiliac joint and the sacral index were obtained and fracture configuration was assessed. A specific owner questionnaire was completed a minimum of 6 months after the injury. The questionnaire assessed the ability of the cat to perform normal activities, the time to recovery, any behavioural changes and any requirement for long-term analgesia. Results Seventeen cats met the inclusion criteria, and 13 owners completed the questionnaire. Twelve cats had an excellent outcome, with no difficulty performing normal activities. One cat had a good outcome, with slight or occasional difficulty performing normal activities. Conclusions and relevance Our study provides evidence to support the current guidelines of conservative management of SILF. The inherent bias of case selection in our population implies that this treatment cannot be recommended for all cases of SILF.
Met protein is a transmembrane 190 kD heterodimer with tyrosine kinase activity, encoded by c‐MET oncogene. It serves as a high affinity receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/scatter factor (SF), a cytokine which stimulates cell proliferation, motility, and invasion. Expression of Met protein was investigated in 116 thyroid tumours using an anti‐Met mouse monoclonal antibody (DQ‐13) active on paraffin‐embedded material. Reactivity for DQ‐13 was observed in 77 per cent of papillary carcinomas, in 70 per cent of Hürthle cell tumours, and rarely in other tumours. The staining was either uniformly present throughout the tumour or limited to nests of infiltrating tumour cells. In some Hürthle cell tumours, prominent accumulation of the protein was observed in the Golgi area. Reactivity for Met protein was decreased or absent in poorly differentiated tumours and was not influenced by tumour size, presence of lymph node metastases, or age of the patient. Immunostaining for Ki‐67 revealed that cytoplasmic accumulation of Met protein was not associated with enhanced proliferation of tumour cells. Overexpression of Met protein in thyroid papillary carcinoma may result in increased motility of tumour cells, which in turn may account for intraglandular multifocal dissemination and early lymph node metastasis.
Background and Aim: African horse sickness (AHS) has become a newly emerging disease after an outbreak in northeastern Thailand in March 2020. Mass vaccination in horses with live-attenuated AHS virus (AHSV) vaccine is essential for AHS control and prevention. This study aimed to monitor the longitudinal humoral immune response before and after a single vaccination using a live-attenuated vaccine against AHS in stallions, mares, and pregnant mares, including maternal immunity in foals born from pregnant mares during the outbreak in Thailand. Materials and Methods: A total of 13 stallions and 23 non-pregnant and 21 pregnant mares were vaccinated with live-attenuated AHSV vaccines. Serum samples from selected horses were collected on the day of vaccination and 1, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12-months post-vaccination. Furthermore, seven serum samples of foals born from vaccinated pregnant mares were collected on parturition date and 1, 3, and 6-months old. The antibody titer against AHS in all collected serum samples was evaluated using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. All data were analyzed for mean and standard deviation for each group of samples using a spreadsheet program. Antibody titers between times were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance as repeated measurement, and antibody titers between horse groups were analyzed using a general linear model for statistically significant differences when p < 0.05. Results: In stallion and non-pregnant mare groups, there were no statistically significant differences in antibody titers in all 6 time periods after vaccination. The antibody titer in the pregnant mare group showed a non-statistically significant difference between each gestation stage, except at 8 months post-vaccination. Furthermore, increasing antibody titers on days 1 and 3 after receiving colostrum in foals indicate the major role of transcolostral antibody transfer for AHS. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a single AHS vaccination using a live-attenuated vaccine could stimulate high antibody titers sufficient for AHS control and prevention during the outbreak in Thailand. Similarly, the antibody response of vaccinated horses of both genders, including various stages of pregnant mares, was statistically not different.
Weyl superconductors feature Weyl points at zero energy in the three-dimensional (3D) Brillouin zone and arc states that connect the projections of these Weyl points on the surface. We report that higher-order Weyl superconductors can be realized in odd-parity topological superconductors with time-reversal symmetry being broken by periodic driving. Different from conventional Weyl points, the higher-order Weyl points in the bulk separate 2D first- and second-order topological phases, while on the surface, their projections are connected not only by conventional surface Majorana arcs, but also by hinge Majorana arcs. We show that the Weyl-point connectivity via Majorana arcs is largely enriched by the underlying higher-order topology and becomes anisotropic with respect to surface orientations. We identify the anisotropic Weyl-point connectivity as a characteristic feature of higher-order Weyl materials. As each 2D subsystem can be singled out by fixing the periodic driving, we propose how the Majorana zero modes in the 2D higher-order topological phases can be detected and manipulated in experiments.
From December 1971 to December 1976 224 patients with Hodgkin's disease underwent diagnostic laparotomy and splenectomy under a multidisciplinary protocol of treatment. In 149/224 (66.5%) the clinical stage of the disease was confirmed, whereas in 75/224 (33.5%) it was modified after surgery. In 7.6% of the patients (17/224) there were postoperative complications. One patient died of myocardial infarction. The rate of complications in the last 100 cases was 5%. Preoperative patient selection, excluding those definitely in stage IV, is of relevance, and it can be done by iliac crest biopsy and laparoscopy. Although a better exploitation of some diagnostic procedures (lymphangiography, laparoscopy) and the expanding use of chemotherapy may reduce in the future the need for staging laparotomy and splenectomy, diagnostic laparotomy is still indicated for the selection and preparation of patients for radiation therapy in stages I, II and III.
There are many approaches used to coordinate the development of military systems of systems around the world. Selection of an appropriate approach, however, is not a simple matter and depends on many factors. This paper discusses early work on the development of a framework that can be used to characterize the SoSE problem of interest and direct the user to appropriate approaches along with compatible processes, methods, procedures, tools and facilities to conduct the military SoSE activities.
Effective product launch and commercialisation are critical drivers of top performance for the firms; to which a strong product launch greatly improves the chances of success. Launch is often the single costliest step in new product development. Despite its importance, costs, and risks, product launch has been relatively under researched in the product literature. Determination of optimal launch time is especially critical for high-technology products, where the introduction of each successive generation of a product requires the firm to explicitly consider its impact on the demand for preceding generations. The timing of the launch (i.e., when the launch is conducted from the point of view of the company, the competition, and the customer) is just as important as whether the activities are performed. More managerial attention should be devoted to launch timing with respect to all of these viewpoints in order to improve the chances of success. This study identifies attributes such as speedy launch and cos...
Objective To study the effect of antihypertensive treatment on arterial wall hypertrophy, at the site of a muscular artery, the radial artery. Design and methods: Eighty hypertensive patients (± 60 years of age) were randomized in a double-blind parallel study to receive either perindopril (2–8 mg) or hydrochlorothiazide (12.5–50 mg) for 9 months. The mass of a 1 cm-long radial artery segment (RAM) was calculated from internal diameter and wall thickness, measured non-invasively with a high-resolution echotracking device (Nius-2): RAM =r(pRe2-pRi2), where r is the arterial wall density (1.06g/cm3), and Re and Ri the values of internal and external radii, respectively. In a previous study, RAM was validated in vitro by comparing the weight of arterial segments to ultrasonic measurement: the repeatability coefficient (RC2=SDi2/n) was 1.3 mg. In vivo, intra-observer repeatability coefficients were 80 and 20 μm for arterial diameter and wall thickness measurements, respectively. An intermediate analysis was performed after 5 months on 25 patients (70±6 years). Results: Systolic/diastolic blood pressure decreased from 169±15/84±8 to 151±18/78±8mmHg (P<0.001); internal diameter did not change significantly from 2408±444 to 2418±352 μm; wall thickness decreased from 289±59 to 276±60 μm (P< 0.001); RAM decreased from 27±9 to 25±8mg (P< 0.001); circumferential stress did not change (63±15 to 62±12 kPa). Conclusion: These results indicate that the decrease in blood pressure in older hypertensive patients is accompanied by a reduction in the mass of a muscular medium-sized artery wall.
A high current density over 1000 A/cm2 operation in a small chip size m-plane GaN-LED has been successfully demonstrated. The m-plane GaN-LED with a chip size 450 × 450 μm2 has emitted 1353 mW in a light output power and 39.2% in an external quantum efficiency (EQE) at 1000 A/cm2 (1134 mA). The m-plane GaN-LED has showed asymmetric radiation characteristics. The radiation patterns are controlled by the surface of LED packages, the height of the LED chips, and the striped texture on the top m-plane surface.
We report the detection of the Mn-Kα line in the SN-IIb remnant, Cassiopeia A. Manganese (55Mn after decay of 55Co), a neutron-rich element, together with chromium (52Cr after decay of 52Fe), is mainly synthesized in core-collapse supernovae at the explosive incomplete Si-burning regime. Therefore, the Mn/Cr mass ratio with its neutron excess reflects the neutronization at the relevant burning layer during the explosion. Chandra's deep archival X-ray data of Cassiopeia A indicate a low Mn/Cr mass ratio with values in the range 0.10–0.66, which, when compared to one-dimensional SN explosion models, requires that the electron fraction be 0.4990 ≲ Ye ≲ 0.5 at the incomplete Si-burning layer. An explosion model assuming a solar-metallicity progenitor with a typical explosion energy (1 × 1051 erg) fails to reproduce such a high electron fraction. We can satisfy the observed Mn/Cr mass ratio if the explosive Si-burning regime was to extend into the O/Ne hydrostatic layer, which has a higher Ye. This would require an energetic (>2 × 1051 erg) and/or asymmetric explosion of a subsolar-metallicity progenitor (Z ≲ 0.5Z⊙) for Cassiopeia A. The low initial metallicity can be used to rule out a single-star progenitor, leaving the possibility of a binary progenitor with a compact companion. We discuss the detectability of X-rays from Bondi accretion onto such a compact companion around the explosion site. We also discuss other possible mass-loss scenarios for the progenitor system of Cassiopeia A.
OBJECTIVES Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant has become a successful treatment option in aggressive autoimmune diseases. Young women who are consulted before this treatment are faced with an absence of data on the transplant's effect on their fertility. The aim of our study was to analyze information on menstruation recovery after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant for autoimmune diseases.   MATERIALS AND METHODS An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed among members of an international Web forum of patients who had autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant for autoimmune disease. Data were collated and analyzed.   RESULTS We obtained responses from 28 female patients to the questionnaire. The conditioning regimens used in this population were cyclophosphamide ± antibodies or BCNU (carmustine), etoposide, Ara-C (cytarabine), and melphalan chemotherapy. All patients who were transplanted at the age of 32 years or younger showed restored menstruation after an average (standard deviation) of 5.38 months (5.34 mo). In patients aged 33 to 41 years, menstruation was restored in 38%. We found that 73% of patients already had children before autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant, and only 15% of responders declared desire for pregnancy after transplant.   CONCLUSIONS Our online analysis showed feasibility as a questionnaire for assessing fertility after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The results show that menstruation is restored in all patients of 32 years of age or younger, regardless of the conditioning regimen. Many of these women are likely to maintain fertility and may eventually become pregnant. However, a significant number of responders who underwent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant for autoimmune diseases already had children before transplant and indicated no desire for pregnancy after transplant; the data on pregnancy occurrence in this group should be interpreted in this context.
The work is devoted to the theoretical calculations and experimental study of important thermodynamic parameters of II-VI crystals. Cubic sphalerite and hexagonal wurtzite cluster models of polymorphs for stoichiometric II-VI crystals (ZnX, CdX; X  S, Se, Te) have been proposed. In the work one carried out the calculations of thermodynamic parameters under normal conditions and defined the analytical expressions of temperature dependences for energy ΔE, enthalpy ΔH, Gibbs free energy ΔG, entropy ΔS for sphalerite phase stoichiometric crystals of zinc and cadmium chalcogenides. Using the results of DFT-calculations according to equality of Gibbs free energy for sphalerite and wurtzite phases (ΔGS  ΔGW) of zinc chalcogenides crystals we defined phase transition "sphalerite-wurtzite" temperatures, which decreased in the line ZnS (1454 K) – ZnSe (1427 K) – ZnTe (1382 K) and was found the specified region of stability for these polymorphs.
ABSTRACT Results emerging from the long-term forestry versus upland grassland paired catchment study conducted by the Institute of Hydrology at Plynlimon, mid-Wales, and from studies of the processes controlling the hydrological responses of areas under forest and grassland, have been accepted by the water and forestry industries as a means of determining the probable effects of afforestation in other areas of Britain. When considering proposals in the late 1970s for a further major expansion of forestry, mainly in Highland Scotland, it became apparent that insufficient information was available to predict with confidence the effects in areas where forestry would replace medium height vegetation (heather sp., bracken) or in areas where a significant proportion of the precipitation falls as snow. Against this background a consortium of interested parties (see Hall 1987), agreed in 1981 to fund parallel systems and process studies of the effects in appropriate areas of Scotland. In this paper the initial stages of the systems study, on two catchments in the Balquhidder area of Central Region, are described. Some preliminary results from phase I, in which the catchment water balances under a mature forest and a mixed heather, bracken, grass cover were obtained, are presented. These water balances suggest that water use by the partly forested catchment is lower than that by the control and also lower than Penman ET. These findings are discussed in relation to the Plynlimon results and to information gained in the current process studies. Plans for phase II of the study, in which the mature forest will be clear-felled and part of the heather, bracken, grass control will be planted, are outlined.
The COVID-19 pandemic presented the world with a quick spreading virus. Most of the United States’ population was sent into a sudden lockdown. Physicians’ offices, libraries, senior centers and community centers immediately closed, and outreach programs in the community for older adults were canceled, some indefinitely. Soon thereafter, most physicians’ offices, libraries, and gyms quickly shifted their appointments, classes and public offerings to an online mode. Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City is a hospital specializing in orthopedic surgery and the treatment of rheumatologic conditions. HSS’s Education Institute (EI) offers numerous in-person lectures, workshops, support groups and exercise classes. Once the pandemic began, in-person programs needed to be canceled and shifted to an online format in order to successfully retain participants. As most of society changed to a virtual mode, many older adults who were resistant to using computers and platforms such as Zoom and Facetime transitioned to these new modalities, often with the encouragement of children and grandchildren, to stay connected to others and to their activities (1). Still, there remains a population that does not use these virtual offerings–a group that does not have the ability to technologically connect (2). They may not own or have access to computers due to lack of finances, lack of interest or feeling that they are unable to learn or master something new and foreign to them. They may not own smartphones, or else not know how to use them (3). They may not have family or friends to teach and encourage them to use these devices. This older adult group consists of people who live alone, have been proudly, voraciously holding on to their independence and, until now, have been able to mostly manage their daily schedules well including shopping for themselves, taking walks, going to libraries, neighborhood institutions or senior centers for exercise and/or meals, and enjoying independent lifestyles. The COVID-19 pandemic dismantled this lifestyle, and suddenly, this older adult group has found themselves faced with their independence threatened. As people were required to rein in their lives and stay physically
Polyphenolics are important secondary metabolites in strawberry as they fulfill a wide variety of physiological functions and are beneficial to human health. Seventeen structurally well-defined phenolic compounds including phenylpropanoids, flavonols, flavan-3-ols, and anthocyanins were individually analyzed by LC-MS in the ripe fruits of two cultivars of the commercial strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch., Rosaceae) as well as in accessions of F. vesca, F. moschata, and F. chiloensis. Metabolic analysis revealed that the majority of the compounds analyzed accumulated in a genotype-dependent manner. Transcriptional studies of genes encoding for enzymes of the biosynthetic pathway such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase, chalcone synthase, and flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase could partially explain the different levels of polyphenolics observed in the Fragaria species. The results can provide a sound basis for selecting markers for the development of cultivars with high phenolic content, which can be of value for the food industry.
Objective: To describe measures used to evaluate the burden of caregiving experienced by caregivers of stroke patients and their clinimetric properties. Design: A review of the literature was conducted to examine burden scales with regard to concept, feasibility, internal consistency, validity, reliability and responsiveness. Results: The literature search resulted in 45 measures of caregiver outcomes, including 16 different measures of caregiver burden. About half of the scales were used only once and were not further described. Nearly all instruments measure the various dimensions of burden (competency, negative feelings, social relations, participation problems, physical and mental health and economic aspects), but not in the same proportions. Most measures showed good internal consistency, and validity was demonstrated for all measures except one. However, not much is known about the reliability and responsiveness of these measures. Conclusions: No measure has proven superiority above others. Future research should focus on comparisons between existing instruments and on their reliability and responsiveness.
Background Hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) is an autosomal dominant disease. The classical paradigm of mutation screening seeks to relate alterations in the exostosin glycosyltransferase genes, EXT1 and EXT2, which are responsible for over 70% of HME cases. However, the pathological significance of the majority of these mutations is often unclear. Methods In a Chinese family with HME, EXT1 and EXT2 genes were screened by direct sequencing. The consequence of a detected mutant was predicted by in silico analysis and confirmed by mRNA analysis. The EXT1 and EXT2 mRNA and protein levels and the HS patterns in the HME patients were compared with those in healthy controls. Results A heterozygous transition (c.743+1G>A) in the EXT2 gene, which co-segregated with the HME phenotype in this family, was identified. The G residue at position +1 in intron 4 of EXT2 was predicted to be a 5′ donor splice site. The mRNA analysis revealed an alternative transcript with a cryptic splice site 5 bp downstream of the wild-type site, which harbored a premature stop codon. However, the predicted truncated protein was not detected by western blot analysis. Decay of the mutant mRNA was shown by clone sequencing and quantification analysis. The corresponding downregulation of the EXT2 mRNA will contribute to the abnormal EXT1/EXT2 ratio and HS pattern that were detected in the patients with HME. Conclusion The heterozygous mutation c.743+1G>A in the EXT2 gene causes HME as a result of abnormal splicing, mRNA decay, and the resulting haploinsufficiency of EXT2.
Abstract The paper maintains that the adoption of egyptianized language, administrative titles and religious traits by the rulers of Byblos in the Middle Bronze Age should be seen as an elite emulation practice. it proposes that the underlying reasons for embracing such practices are related to the existence of patronage inter-elite bonds in the northern levant and the euphrates area. The author argues that the egyptianized features adopted by the Byblos rulers were a means of differentiating themselves from other local rulers and of garnering prestige from their association with the highlyvaluated egyptian elite—a relationship that dated from the early Old Kingdom and that was based mainly on the exchange of prestige goods.
Newly-isolated strains of Bacillus sp. grew as discrete, smooth colonies, composed of short, flagellate, sporogenous rods. From these arose arborescent, rough variant colonies, composed of long, asporogenous, non-flagellate, septate bacilli (which were capable of continuous growth over several weeks to utilize the available surface and substrate); these variants did not revert. Some smooth colonies proceeded, after a qulescent period, to grow outwards in a pattern of radial filaments, but reverted to the original on subculture. The first process may be regarded as quasi neoplastic, or alternatively as the production of an advantageous variation; the second process is analogous with tissue differentiation. Both fulfil the same purpose of spreading growth, and confirm that the swarm colonies found in other bacteria are special examples of a general phenomenon.
The objective of this study was to determine communication preferences of dairy producers in Canada. A secondary objective was to evaluate social media engagement of dairy producers. A survey was administered to Canadian dairy producers between March and April, 2015 to collect information on current management practices on their farms. A total of 1,373 Canadian dairy producers responded to the survey, representing a response rate of 12%. The survey consisted of 192 questions; however, only questions regarding producer demographics, importance of information sources, and internet and social media use were evaluated in this study. The primary outcome variables of interest included use of the internet to access dairy information, importance of different sources of information about dairy herd health and management, and use of online search engines and social media platforms. For each outcome, logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between the outcome and demographic variables. Veterinarians were viewed as a "very important" source of information by the majority of respondents (79%), whereas milk recording and dairy producer organizations were viewed as a "very important" source of information by 36% of respondents. Other producers (46%) and magazines or newspapers (51%) were commonly viewed as an "important" source of information. Online search engines were commonly used by respondents (94%). Social media was viewed as less important, and had mixed levels of use. YouTube (70%), Facebook (63%), and Twitter (18%) were the most commonly used social media platforms. Eighty percent of Twitter users reported using the platform to interact with and obtain or share information about herd health management online, which was the highest reported interactivy regarding herd health among all social media platforms. This exploratory study offers insight into the communication preferences of Canadian dairy producers and can be used to facilitate future communication strategies aimed at engaging rural farming audiences across Canada.
Design of monomeric unit, by using sequences of map operations, and the growing process in the building of a double-shell multi torus with all-pentagonal faces, is presented. It is shown that the monomer and some small intermediates, as hydrogenated species, have a moderate stability, between adamantane and C60 fullerene, as calculated at the PM3 level of theory. The topology of these high genera structures is described in terms of Omega polynomial as a function of the net parameters. Closed formulas for this polynomial and examples are presented.
We investigate a peculiar optical instability (blinking) phenomena associated with spatial inhomogeneity in InxGa(1−x)N single quantum well systems. We studied the time dependence of this dynamic phenomenon and tested a “quantum jump” single exponential model on the system. A comparative analysis of the behavior of different samples suggests that indium-rich localized centers participate in the mechanism of blinking and that the instability behavior differs with the excitation wavelength. Our study indicates that the trapping and de-trapping process between the localized-luminescent centers and surrounding less luminous regions plays important roles in the carrier recombination mechanism.
ABSTRACT Nine alkyl- and dialkyl-substituted salicylic acids were prepared and their solvent extraction behaviour towards divalent nickel, cobalt, cadmium and zinc in nitrate media was examined, both in the absence and in the presence of some neutral N-, O- and S-donor compounds (n-octyl 3-pyridinecarboxylate and octanal oxime as N-donors, tri-n-butylphosphine oxide as O-donor, and tri-n-butylphosphine sulphide as S-donor). It was found that the pH50 values for extraction of these metals by the salicylic acids themselves can be correlated with the respective pKa and steric parameters of the extractants. Addition of the N-donor compounds caused synergistic shifts in the pH50 values for all four metals, these being especially marked for nickel (up to almost 3 pH units). Addition of the S-donor compound caused substantial shifts only for cadmium (up to 2.5 pH units), and the O-donor only for zinc and cadmium (up to 1.5 pH units). The size of the synergistic shift depends on the identity of the alkylsalicylic...
This work aims to treat the parameter estimation problem for fractional-integrated autoregressive moving average (F-ARIMA) processes under external noise. Unlike the conventional approaches from the perspective of the time domain, a maximum likelihood (ML) method is developed in the frequency domain since the power spectrum of an F-ARIMA process is in a very explicit and more simple form. However, maximization of the likelihood function is a highly nonlinear estimation problem. Conventional searching algorithms are likely to converge to local maxima under this situation. Since the genetic algorithm (GA) tends to find the globally optimal solution without being trapped at local maxima, an estimation scheme based on the GA is therefore developed to solve the ML parameter estimation problem for F-ARIMA processes from the frequency domain perspective. In the parameter estimation procedure, stability of the F-ARIMA model is ensured, and convergence to the global optimum of the likelihood function is also guaranteed. Finally, several simulation examples are presented to illustrate the proposed estimation algorithm and exhibit its performance.
This study set out to evaluate self-medicated antibiotics and knowledge of antibiotic resistance among undergraduate students and community members in northern Nigeria. Antibiotic consumption pattern, source of prescription, illnesses commonly treated, attitude towards antibiotics, and knowledge of antibiotic resistance were explored using a structured questionnaire. Responses were analyzed and summarized using descriptive statistics. Of the 1230 respondents from undergraduate students and community members, prescription of antibiotics by a physician was 33% and 57%, respectively, amongst undergraduate students and community members. We tested the respondents’ knowledge of antibiotic resistance (ABR) and found that undergraduate students displayed less knowledge that self-medication could lead to ABR (32.6% and 42.2% respectively). Self-medication with antibiotics is highly prevalent in Northwest Nigeria, with most medicines being purchased from un-licensed stores without prescription from a physician. We also observed a significant gap in respondents’ knowledge of ABR. There is an urgent need for public health authorities in Nigeria to enforce existing laws on antibiotics sales and enlighten the people on the dangers of ABR.
P systems are a class of distributed parallel computing models; this paper presents a novel clustering algorithm, which is inspired from mechanism of a tissue-like P system with a loop structure of cells, called membrane clustering algorithm. The objects of the cells express the candidate centers of clusters and are evolved by the evolution rules. Based on the loop membrane structure, the communication rules realize a local neighborhood topology, which helps the coevolution of the objects and improves the diversity of objects in the system. The tissue-like P system can effectively search for the optimal partitioning with the help of its parallel computing advantage. The proposed clustering algorithm is evaluated on four artificial data sets and six real-life data sets. Experimental results show that the proposed clustering algorithm is superior or competitive to k-means algorithm and several evolutionary clustering algorithms recently reported in the literature.
The strong three-dimensional modulation of the optical and structural properties due to the self-organized formation of Ga-rich AlGaN microdomains is directly imaged by spectrally and spatially resolved cathodoluminescence microscopy. The 5-μm-thick, crack-free AlGaN was grown on patterned GaN/sapphire templates periodically structured into trenches and terraces. During initial AlGaN overgrowth, the modulation of the local AlGaN stochiometry results in marble-like striations of Ga accumulation clearly reflecting the pattern periodicity. In contrast, after subsequent overgrowth, a homogeneous emission wavelength, i.e., a homogeneous aluminum content, is found near the sample surface. However, the strong rise of quantum efficiency directly above the trenches indicates a drastic improvement of material quality.
Control system design problems are generally multiobjective, in that they require several, generally conflicting requirements to be simultaneously met. One procedure for multiobjective computer-aided control system design is the method of inequalities (MOI). In this paper, the MOI is combined with an H/sub /spl infin//-optimization loop-shaping design procedure in a mixed-optimization approach which designs for both robustness and explicit closed-loop performance. In this approach, the MOI is used to design the parameters of the weighting functions required by H/sub /spl infin//-optimization design techniques. This mixed-optimization approach has been incorporated into a MATLAB-based interactive multiobjective computer-aided control system design environment.
Determining the equilibrium configuration and shape of curved two-dimensional films with (generalized) liquid-crystalline order is a difficult infinite-dimensional problem of direct relevance to the study of generalized polymersomes, soft matter and the fascinating problem of understanding the origin and formation of shape (morphogenesis). The symmetry of the free energy of the LC film being considered and the topology of the surface to be determined often requires that the equilibrium configuration possesses singular structures in the form of topological defects such as disclinations for nematic films. The precise number and type of defect plays a fundamental role in restricting the space of possible equilibrium shapes. Flexible closed vesicles with spherical topology and nematic or smectic order, for example, inevitably possess four elementary strength disclination defects positioned at the four vertices of a tetrahedral shell. Here we address the problem of determining the equilibrium shape of flexible vesicles with generalized liquid-crystalline order. The order parameter in these cases is an element of , for any positive integer p. We will focus on the case , known as triatic liquid crystals (LCs). We construct the appropriate order parameter for triatics and find the associated free energy. We then describe the structure of the elementary defects of strength in flat space. Finally, we prove that sufficiently floppy triatic vesicles with the topology of the 2-sphere equilibrate to octahedral shells with strength defects at each of the six vertices, independently of the scale.
This paper deals with the control of three-phase PWM voltage source converters connected to the grid. With the use of "field-oriented control", voltages and currents are usually transformed to the rotating d-q reference frame, where control becomes quite straightforward: because the current space vector in the rotating d-q reference frame is fixed, the PI controllers operate on dc, rather than sinusoidal signals. It is reported that one of the fundamental weakness of more classical control structures is the great difficulty in controlling the variables with sinusoidal references because of the limited ability of PI controllers to accurately track time varying inputs. This paper describes a new and simpler, but otherwise equivalent control technique which solves this problem without the burden of transforming time-dependent three-phase quantities into the time invariant d-q reference frame and vice versa. This new control structure is based on a complex controller (i.e. with real and imaginary parts), which achieves zero steady-state error by controlling the current space vector directly in the stationary d-q reference frame. The mathematical equivalence with field-oriented control is fully demonstrated. Simulation results are also presented which clearly show the indistinguishability of the two control systems
With the rapid development of Internet technology, all kinds of data are growing exponentially. How to effectively manage and utilize these data has become the focus of research in the era of big data. Under the requirement of massive data processing, aiming at the time requirement of massive data processing which cannot be met by traditional single-machine serial, this paper proposes a Spark computing framework, studies Bayesian algorithm in data mining, realizes the establishment method of parallel Bayesian algorithm and optimizes it. By using Spark memory computing framework, the efficiency of iteration is high. The computational performance of the parallel computing program is investigated. By comparing Spark parallel computing with traditional singlemachine serial experiments, it is found that the algorithm can effectively improve the speed of text classification. With the expansion of cluster size, the performance of classification accuracy, time performance and acceleration ratio is better. Parallel Bayesian algorithm based on Spark platform is feasible, which solves the problem that traditional single computer cannot handle large-scale data, and can effectively deal with all kinds of classification problems.
A comparative study of the excitation of luminescence by VUV radiation as well as of thermally and photostimulated luminescence has been carried out for CaSO4:Tb3+ and CaSO4:Gd3+ phosphors, where Na+ or F− ions are used for charge compensation. The distinction in hole processes for the phosphors with Na+ or F− compensators is determined by the differing thermal stability of the holes localized at/near Tb3+Na+ and Gd3+Na+ (up to 100–160 K) or at/near Tb3+F−VCa and Gd3+F−VCa centers involving also a cation vacancy (up to 400–550 K). Tunnel luminescence in the pairs of localized electrons and holes nearby Tb3+ or Gd3+ has been detected. The mechanisms of electron-hole, hole-electron and tunnel recombination luminescence as well as a subsequent released energy transfer to RE3+ ions are considered.
The antiepileptic drug valproic acid was studied in an open clinical trial as adjunct medication for 23 patients with uncontrolled seizures of a generalized or partial type. Two‐thirds of the patients experienced reduction in seizure frequency ranging from 25 to 100%. Extensive testing revealed no evidence of serious systemic toxicity due to the drug. Minor side effects (e.g., nausea, vomiting, or sedation) were usually transient.
The aim of this study was to observe the effect of a formulation of traditional Chinese medicine extracts known as Xingnaojia (XNJ) on the liver function, learning ability and memory of rats with chronic alcoholism and to verify the mechanism by which it protects the brain and liver. A rat model of chronic alcoholism was used in the study. The spatial learning ability and memory of the rats were tested. The rats were then sacrificed and their brains and hepatic tissues were isolated. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and levels of glutamate (Glu), N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subtype 2B (NR2B), cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) in the hippocampus were analyzed. The ultrastructure of the hepatic tissue was observed by electron microscopy. In addition, the activities of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in serum were tested and the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TCHOL) were analyzed. XNJ enhanced the learning and memory of rats with chronic alcoholism. Treatment with XNJ increased the activity of SOD, and decreased the expression levels of NR2B mRNA and NR2B, CB1 and CDK5 proteins in the brain tissues compared with those in the model rats. It also increased the activity of ALDH in the serum and liver, decreased the serum levels of LDL, TG and TCHOL and increased the serum level of HDL. These results indicate that XNJ exhibited a protective effect against brain and liver damage in rats with chronic alcoholism.
Acute thrombocytopenia associated with abciximab therapy has been well described, although the exact mechanism remains obscure. We report a case of delayed severe thrombocytopenia associated with abciximab therapy for percutaneous coronary intervention that occurred following hospital discharge. The detection of this phenomenon is important as it may portend heightened risk for severe or profound thrombocytopenia on subsequent reexposure to abciximab therapy. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2001;52:486–488. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Screening bacteria from different saline environments in Alexandria. Egypt, lead to the isolation of 76 Gram-negative and 14 Gram-positive moderately halophilic bacteria. The isolates were characterized taxonomically for a total of 155 features. These results were analyzed by numerical techniques using simple matching coefficient (SSM) and the clustering was achieved by the unweighed pair-group method of association (UPGMA). At 75% similarity level the Gram-negative bacteria were clustered in 7 phena in addition to one single isolate, whereas 4 phena represented the Gram-positive. Based on phenotypic characteristics, it is suggested that the Gram-negative bacteria belong to the genera Pseudoalteromonas, Flavobacterium, Chromohalobacter, Halomonas and Salegentibacter, in addition to the non-identified single isolate. The Gram-positive bacteria are proposed to belong to the genera Halobacillus, Salinicoccus, Staphylococcus and Tetragenococcus. This study provides the first publication on the biodiversity of moderately halophilic bacteria in saline environments in Alexandria, Egypt.
We propose a method of creating and validating a Monte Carlo (MC) model of a proton Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) machine using only commissioning measurements and avoiding the nozzle modeling. Measurements with a scintillating screen coupled with a CCD camera, ionization chamber and a Faraday Cup were used to model the beam in TOPAS without using any machine parameter information but the virtual source distance from the isocenter. Then the model was validated on simple Spread Out Bragg Peaks (SOBP) delivered in water phantom and with six realistic clinical plans (many involving 3 or more fields) on an anthropomorphic phantom. In particular the behavior of the moveable Range Shifter (RS) feature was investigated and its modeling has been proposed. The gamma analysis (3%,3 mm) was used to compare MC, TPS (XiO-ELEKTA) and measured 2D dose distributions (using radiochromic film). The MC modeling proposed here shows good results in the validation phase, both for simple irradiation geometry (SOBP in water) and for modulated treatment fields (on anthropomorphic phantoms). In particular head lesions were investigated and both MC and TPS data were compared with measurements. Treatment plans with no RS always showed a very good agreement with both of them (γ ?>-Passing Rate (PR)  >  95%). Treatment plans in which the RS was needed were also tested and validated. For these treatment plans MC results showed better agreement with measurements (γ ?>-PR  >  93%) than the one coming from TPS (γ ?>-PR  <  88%). This work shows how to simplify the MC modeling of a PBS machine for proton therapy treatments without accounting for any hardware components and proposes a more reliable RS modeling than the one implemented in our TPS. The validation process has shown how this code is a valid candidate for a completely independent treatment plan dose calculation algorithm. This makes the code an important future tool for the patient specific QA verification process.
In this study, the electrocoalescence characteristic of two drops with different surfactant concentrations suspended in oil is revealed. Different from the symmetrical coalescence of identical drops, the asymmetrical liquid bridge is induced by the capillary force, which involves the interfacial tension gradient between the drops. In addition, a mushroom-like jet is formed during asymmetrical coalescence, causing mixing of drops. A characteristic time considering the interfacial tension gradient is proposed to describe the asymmetrical liquid bridge evolution. The mushroom-like jet is found to be driven by the pressure difference between drops, which has a positive correlation with the interfacial tension gradient. Moreover, it is found that the electrocoalescence time is shortened as the interfacial tension increases. This study indicates that increasing the interfacial tension gradient will enhance the jet flow rate and reduce the coalescence time, which is of significance to improve the mixing efficien...
Background:Questions remain regarding the true prevalence of cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction (MI) among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), we aimed to compare the proportion of hospitalizations for acute MI among patients with IBD with that of the general population. Methods:This study used data from years 2000 to 2011 in Nationwide Inpatient Sample, the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient database in the United States. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification discharge codes were used to identify adult patients with discharge diagnoses of IBD (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease), acute MI, and multiple comorbid risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The independent effect of a diagnosis of IBD on risk of acute MI was examined using a multivariable logistic regression model controlling for multiple confounders. Data were analyzed using SAS survey procedures and weighted to reflect national estimates. Results:We identified 567,438 hospitalizations among patients with IBD and 78,121,000 hospitalizations among the general population. Patients with IBD were less likely to be hospitalized for acute MI than patients in the general population (1.3% versus 3.1%, P < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, the odds of hospitalization for acute MI among patients with IBD were decreased when compared with the general population (odds ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.50–0.52). Conclusions:Despite prior reports of a potentially increased risk of acute MI among patients with IBD, in a nationwide inpatient database, lower rates of acute MI were demonstrated in the IBD population when compared with the general population.
Background & objectives: Postmenopausal women constitute an ideal model for studying the extent of hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis suppression in critical illness as the gonadotropins are normally high and non-cyclical in them. The objective was to assess the impact of acute severe illness in postmenopausal women on the HPG axis and the activities of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA), the hypothalamo- pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axes; and levels of serum prolactin, by comparison between critically ill postmenopausal women and otherwise healthy postmenopausal women. Methods: Thirty five consecutive postmenopausal women older than 60 yr admitted to medical intensive care with a Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) more than 30 were included. On day five of their in-hospital stay, blood samples were collected for oestradiol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), cortisol, androstenedione, prolactin and thyroid profile. Thirty five apparently healthy postmenopausal women were selected as controls. Results: Levels of LH, FSH, thyrotropin, free thyroxin (fT4) and free tri-iodothyronine (fT3) were lower while oestradiol, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone were higher among patients in comparison to healthy controls. Prolactin levels were similar in patients and controls. Among sick patients both FSH and fT4 showed a negative correlation (P<0.05) with the SAPS II score. Interpretation & conclusions: In critically ill postmenopausal women, paradoxically elevated oestrogen levels despite gonadotropin suppression suggests a non-ovarian origin. Prolactin remained unaltered in patients despite their illness, possibly reflecting atrophy of lactotrophs in menopause.
Objective To assess objective and subjective visual outcomes achieved by patients with corneal endothelial dysfunction who have undergone surgical treatment with Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). Methods A total of 40 eyes of 36 patients with corneal endothelial dysfunction underwent DSAEK. All were followed up for 1 year. Visual acuity (VA; logMAR), mean endothelial cell density (MCD; via noncontact specular microscopy), and topography assessment were performed at baseline (preoperatively). Visual acuity and topography measurement were repeated at postoperative year 1. Subjective assessment of visual quality was evaluated using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ). Results Preoperative best-corrected VA (BCVA) was 1.29 ± 0.53 logMAR with mean optical correction of -0.33 ± 1.74 D. Postoperative BCVA, assessed after a mean of 10.8 ± 2.1 months, showed mean line gain of 7.11 ± 4.8 logMAR, with optical correction of +1.17 ± 1.54 D. Mean 6-month postoperative pachymetry was 598.2 ± 72.3 µm. Three patients experienced premature graft detachment, requiring repositioning via injection of a sterile air bubble. No other adverse events were observed. Significant improvement (p<.05 for all) in general, near, and far vision, ocular pain, difficulty in carrying out daily tasks, dependency, social life, and mental health were reflected by NEI-VFQ scores at 10.4 ± 2.1 months postoperatively versus preoperatively. No significant correlation was noted between postoperative VA line gain and NEI-VFQ-25 questionnaire score (p>0.05). Conclusions Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty treatment may restore corneal clarity, improve VA, and increase vision-related quality of life in patients with advanced endothelial dysfunction. Further large-scale study is needed to corroborate these findings.
This paper discusses the influence of ambient temperature and relative air humidity on pepper blade thickness, and establishes theoretical model of these two ecological factors with the changes of pepper blade thickness, on the basis of experiment data of pepper blade thickness, ambient temperature and relative air humidity in 24 hours. The vivo measurement of plant blade thickness with high accuracy is realized using a self-developed precision plant blade monitor instrument. The correlation of the influence of ambient temperature and relative air humidity with the changes of pepper blade thickness is established, analyzed and modeled by controlling other ambient variables. Test results show that the changes of pepper blade thickness and ambient temperature vary inversely, and there is a significant negative correlation between them. However, the change of blade thickness and air humidity show the same trend, and there is a significant positive correlation between them. According to the correlation analysis, the influence model of ambient temperature and relative air humidity with pepper blade thickness is established using multiple linear regression method. Significant test results show that in the period of 0:00A.M.~7:00P.M., pepper blade thickness was significantly influenced by ambient temperature and relative air humidity, while during 7:00P.M.~0:00A.M., the influence was weaker, probably due to the inertia of environment factors and plant's physiological activities. The model of pepper blade thickness can be used to guide the establishment of water-saving irrigation system controlled by blade thickness monitoring.
The neonatal tracheal aspiration device, commonly called the “meconium aspirator,” has traditionally been used to remove meconium from the trachea of infants born through meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF). However, it can also be used to clear other material such as amniotic fluid, vernix, blood, and cellular debris.1 In 2015, the practice of resuscitating infants born through MSAF was changed. No longer is intubation and tracheal aspiration indicated for nonvigorous newborns. Instead, the resuscitation of newborns with MSAF now follows the same principles as the resuscitation of newborns with clear amniotic fluid. This has led some to believe that the meconium aspirator no longer has a role during neonatal resuscitation. However, despite the 2015 changes in neonatal resuscitation guidelines, the meconium aspirator remains an important piece of equipment for newborn resuscitation. In this perspective, we review the history of tracheal aspiration of the newborn, describe the devices used for tracheal aspiration, and examine the current indications for tracheal aspiration, highlighting the continued status of the “meconium” aspirator as a useful tool during newborn resuscitation.
In the context of problems of hydrogen and thermonuclear power engineering intensive research of the hydrogen isotopes properties is being conducted. Mathematical models help to specify physical-chemical ideas about the interaction of hydrogen isotopes with structural materials, to estimate the limiting factors and to significantly reduce the expenses of experimental research by means of numerical simulation for different parameters and experimental conditions (including extreme ones). Classical diffusion models are often insufficient. The paper is devoted to the models and numerical solution of the boundary-value problems of hydrogen permeability taking into account nonlinear sorption-desorption dynamics on the surface. Algorithms based on difference approximations. The results of computer simulation of the hydrogen flux from a structural material sample are presented.
Objective: To analyze the distribution characteristics of plasma renin concentration (PRC) in patients with aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA) and its impact on diagnosis. Methods: In this retrospective case series, clinical data from 200 patients with APA (80 men and 120 women; mean age 45.6 years) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from November 2013 to January 2022 were evaluated. PRC was determined by automated chemiluminescence immunoassay. The distribution characteristics of PRC were analyzed, and 8.2 mU/L was used as the low renin cutoff to evaluate whether renin was suppressed. Results: The median PRC was 1.6 mU/L (range, 0.4-41.5 mU/L). There were 116 patients with APA with PRC of ≤2 mU/L, 41 patients with 28.2 mU/L) in 8.0% (16/200) of the patients with APA. And PRC was not suppressed in 2.5% (5/200) of the patients with APA, resulting in a primary aldosteronism negative screening outcome. Conclusions: Although most patients with APA have low PRC, there are a small number (8%) of patients whose PRC has not been fully suppressed, which can lead to missed diagnoses during primary aldosteronism screening. While primary aldosteronism is highly suspected, further investigations are required to determine the diagnosis, even if PRC is not fully suppressed at screening.
Foods high in resistant starch (RS) are beneficial to prevent various diseases including diabetes, colon cancers, diarrhea and chronic renal or hepatic diseases. Elevated RS in rice is important for public health since rice is a staple food for half of the world population. A japonica mutant ‘Jiangtangdao 1’ (RS = 11.67%) was crossed with an indica cultivar ‘Miyang 23’ (RS = 0.41%). The mutant sbe3-rs that explained 60.4% of RS variation was mapped between RM6611 and RM13366 on chromosome 2 (LOD = 36) using 178 F2 plants genotyped with 106 genome-wide polymorphic SSR markers. Using 656 plants from four F3∶4 families, sbe3-rs was fine mapped to a 573.3 Kb region between InDel 2 and InDel 6 using one STS, five SSRs and seven InDel markers. SBE3 which codes for starch branching enzyme was identified as a candidate gene within the putative region. Nine pairs of primers covering 22 exons were designed to sequence genomic DNA of the wild type for SBE3 and the mutant for sbe3-rs comparatively. Sequence analysis identified a missense mutation site where Leu-599 of the wild was changed to Pro-599 of the mutant in the SBE3 coding region. Because the point mutation resulted in the loss of a restriction enzyme site, sbe3-rs was not digested by a CAPS marker for SpeI site while SBE3 was. Co-segregation of the digestion pattern with RS content among 178 F2 plants further supported sbe3-rs responsible for RS in rice. As a result, the CAPS marker could be used in marker-assisted breeding to develop rice cultivars with elevated RS which is otherwise difficult to accurately assess in crops. Transgenic technology should be employed for a definitive conclusion of the sbe3-rs.
The solid–liquid equilibrium data of the aqueous NaOH–Na2CO3–Na2SO4–H2O, NaOH–Na2CO3–NaCl–H2O, and NaOH–Na2SO4–NaCl–H2O quaternary systems at 363.15 K were measured. The equilibrium solid phases and solubilities of salts in the three systems and its subsystems were determined. The densities of the saturated solutions were also determined. The experimental data are used to plot the solubility diagrams and water content diagrams of the systems. It was found that the NaOH–Na2CO3–Na2SO4–H2O system contains the solid solution of γ-salt (mNa2SO4·nNa2CO3) and the other two systems Na2CO3–NaOH–NaCl–H2O and NaOH–Na2SO4–NaCl–H2O have the complex salts S1 (Na2SO4·NaOH) and S3 (Na2SO4·NaCl·NaOH). On the basis of Xu’s activity coefficient model, a model was constructed for the correlation of solid–liquid equilibrium in electrolyte solutions to calculate the solubilities of salts in these systems at 363.15 K. The calculated solubilities are in agreement with the experimental values.
SUMMARY Vapnik’s statistical learning theory has mainly been developed for two types of problems: pattern recognition (computation of dichotomies) and regression (estimation of real-valued functions). Only in recent years has multi-class discriminant analysis been studied independently. Extending several standard results, among which a famous theorem by Bartlett, we have derived distribution-free uniform strong laws of large numbers devoted to multi-class large margin discriminant models. The capacity measure appearing in the confidence interval, a covering number, has been bounded from above in terms of a new generalized VC dimension. In this paper, the aforementioned theorems are applied to the architecture shared by all the multi-class SVMs proposed so far, which provides us with a simple theoretical framework to study them, compare their performance and design new machines. Copyright # 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Presence of excess zero in ordinal data is pervasive in areas like medical and social sciences. Unfortunately, analysis of such kind of data has so far hardly been looked into, perhaps for the reason that the underlying model that fits such data, is not a generalized linear model. Obviously some methodological developments and intensive computations are required. The current investigation is concerned with the selection of variables in such models. In many occasions where the number of predictors is quite large and some of them are not useful, the maximum likelihood approach is not the automatic choice. As, apart from the messy calculations involved, this approach fails to provide efficient estimates of the underlying parameters. The proposed penalized approach includes ℓ1 penalty (LASSO) and the mixture of ℓ1 and ℓ2 penalties (elastic net). We propose a coordinate descent algorithm to fit a wide class of ordinal regression models and select useful variables appearing in both the ordinal regression and the logistic regression based mixing component. A rigorous discussion on the selection of predictors has been made through a simulation study. The proposed method is illustrated by analyzing the severity of driver injury from Michigan upper peninsula road accidents.
Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms. Studies have demonstrated a wide variation in the sites of involvement and histologic subtypes, which are independent prognostic factors. Hence, it is important to study the frequency and distribution pattern of GI lymphoma in a particular region. Aim: The aim of this study was to study all cases of primary GI lymphomas presented to our center for 5 years with reference to the pattern of distribution and histologic subtypes and compare our data with the literature. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, all cases of primary GI lymphomas over a period of 5 years from 2010 to 2014 were analyzed. Results: There were 152 cases of primary GI lymphomas. Age ranged from 3 years to 83 years. There were 133 adult patients and 19 pediatric patients. Most common site of involvement was small intestine followed by stomach, large intestine, and esophagus. Most common histologic subtype was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), followed by Burkitt lymphoma, extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, B-cell lymphoma unclassifiable with features intermediate between DLBCL and Burkitt lymphoma, and plasmablastic lymphoma. There were five cases of T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma which included adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma, and T-lymphoblastic lymphoma. One case of Hodgkin lymphoma with predominant involvement of the large intestine and without any peripheral node involvement was also encountered. Conclusion: In our series, the most common site of involvement was the small intestine. This is in contrast to majority of studies where the most common site is the stomach. Similar to the other studies, DLBCL was the most common histologic subtype. Compared to other studies, there were more number of Burkitt lymphoma and lesser number of MALT lymphoma in our series.
Currently, and despite the efforts that have been made, people with hearing impairments often have difficulties to use applications that have been designed for people who can hear, or simply to communicate with their environment. In this work, we present an Argentinian Sign Language (LSA) recognition system which distinguishes between different signs using hand landmarks extracted from the videos of the dataset. The Common Spatial Patterns (CSP) algorithm is used to extract features, and the classification is performed with multiple classifiers. Different experiments have been made from which promising results have been obtained.
Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) are notorious for the manner in which they complicate the course of the original illness, increase costs of hospital stay and delay recovery. This review will briefly outline the problems presented by HAI in developed countries and present evidence that Staphylococcus aureus and gram negative bacilli, the main causative agents, reach susceptible patients via the contact rather than airborne route, predominantly on the hands of hospital staff. Good hand hygiene could help reduce the economic burden and patient distress caused by HAI, but there is evidence that it is infrequently and poorly performed by nurses, the health care staff most frequently in continuous contact with patients. Possible reasons are explored in an attempt to identify strategies to improve hand hygiene.
A new module has been developed by the limited area model BRAMS to parameterize a wind farm power plant. BRAMS is developed to be a system for numerical weather prediction, and it is currently employed for operational environmental prediction by the CPTEC/INPE. The new module was able to simulate the impact from a set of wind turbines. The additional drag from turbines changes the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). Some simulations were carried out considering wind power plant installed on the Brazilian territory.
Interference forwarding by a relay enhances the interference level and enables the cancellation of the interference. If the interfering source to relay link is not strong, then the relay can decode a part of the interference and forward it to the destination, and the destination can cancel only that part of the interference. It is known as partial decode-and-forward (PDF) and partial interference cancellation, respectively. In this work, even if the relay is clustered with the source, i.e., even if the interfering source to relay link is good, then the PDF protocol is shown to perform better than the complete decode-and-forward (CDF) protocol. To this end, closed-form expressions for the achievable diversity-multiplexing trade-off (DMT) with clustered full-duplex PDF relay and partial interference cancellation is derived. The benefits of the proposed protocol are demonstrated through numerical analysis. The impact of the multiplexing gain and interference level of the interfering signal on the DMT at the interference-limited receiver is also illustrated.
PURPOSE Previous studies suggest that functional computerized tomography (CT) can measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR) per unit renal volume. We compared this index with conventionally determined GFR measurements.   MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 16 men and 8 women 63.3 +/- 14.9 years old (range 31 to 88) were studied using with contrast enhanced CT. A single slice of kidney was scanned sequentially after bolus injection (0.5 to 1.0 ml. per second(-1)) of 20 ml. iopamidol (300 mg. iodine per ml.(-1)). GFR per volume of kidney was calculated using a Patlak graphical analysis, and this index was multiplied by renal volume on CT to yield global GFR (ml. per minute(-1)). Divided function was also calculated. GFR and divided renal function were calculated in all cases from radioisotope renography with 99m diethylenetetraminepentaacetic acid. In 12 subjects in whom 24-hour urine collection was possible GFR was also calculated from creatinine clearance.   RESULTS A strong correlation was observed between divided renal function, expressed with respect to the right kidney calculated from CT (52.7 +/- 14.8%, range 19.9% to 97.4%) and by radioisotope renography (51.7 +/- 14.6%, range 18.9% to 92.6%, r = 0.97, p <0.0001). A strong correlation (r = 0.92, p <0.0001) was also seen between global GFR determined by CT (80.1 +/- 43.9 ml. per minute(-1), range 38.2 to 197.9) and creatinine clearance (72.4 +/- 47.5, range 14.6 to 168.5), and was stronger than the correlation between the radioisotope and creatinine clearance method (r = 0.67, p = 0.02) in the same patients.   CONCLUSION Functional CT using nonionic contrast material can measure GFR normalized to renal volume and is an accurate alternative to conventional methods of renal function evaluation.
Objective To determine whether 0.5 mg/kg insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1/binding protein (IGFBP)-3, given intravenously, effectively alters the acute phase response in severely burned children. Design Longitudinal trial with each patient serving as their own control. Setting University-affiliated pediatric burn center. Patients Nine children, 15 yrs of age or less, with burns covering >40% of the total body surface area. Interventions Standard burn care with early burn wound excision and grafting. Blood sampled at defined time points before and after operative procedures. Measurements and Results Determination of types I and II acute phase reactant proteins, constitutive serum proteins, serum cytokines, serum IGF-1, IGFBP-3, and growth hormone levels. Treatment with IGF-1/BP-3 attenuated increases in type I (complement 3, &agr;1-acidglycoprotein) and type II (haptoglobin, &agr;1-antitrypsin) acute phase proteins. Further, IGF-1/BP-3 increased constitutive serum protein levels (prealbumin, retinol binding protein, transferrin) and decreased serum IL-6 levels. Conclusions Low-dose IGF-1/BP-3 effectively attenuated the type I and type II hepatic acute phase response, increased serum levels of constitutive proteins, and modulated the hypermetabolic response.
Throughout the past few decades, the ability to treat and rehabilitate traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients has become critically reliant upon the use of neuroimaging to acquire adequate knowledge of injury-related effects upon brain function and recovery. As a result, the need for TBI neuroimaging analysis methods has increased in recent years due to the recognition that spatiotemporal computational analyses of TBI evolution are useful for capturing the effects of TBI dynamics. At the same time, however, the advent of such methods has brought about the need to analyze, manage, and integrate TBI neuroimaging data using informatically inspired approaches which can take full advantage of their large dimensionality and informational complexity. Given this perspective, we here discuss the neuroinformatics challenges for TBI neuroimaging analysis in the context of structural, connectivity, and functional paradigms. Within each of these, the availability of a wide range of neuroimaging modalities can be leveraged to fully understand the heterogeneity of TBI pathology; consequently, large-scale computer hardware resources and next-generation processing software are often required for efficient data storage, management, and analysis of TBI neuroimaging data. However, each of these paradigms poses challenges in the context of informatics such that the ability to address them is critical for augmenting current capabilities to perform neuroimaging analysis of TBI and to improve therapeutic efficacy.
SpMV is a cost-dominant operation used in many iterative methods for solving large-scale sparse linear systems. However, irregular memory access of SpMV to the multiplied vector leads to low data locality and then harms the performance. This paper presents an adaptive multi-row folding of CSR (AMF-CSR) format for SpMV calculation on GPU. This new storage format supports the folding of the variable number of rows in order to achieve better load balancing in computation. AMF-CSR not only increases the density of non-zero elements in a folded row, thereby improving the access locality of the multiplied vector, but also merges an approximately equal number of nonzero elements in a folded row, hence achieving load balancing. The performance evaluation using 28 sparse matrices shows that the proposed SpMV algorithm based on AMF-CSR achieves the highest speedup of 4.11x and 3.62x on GTX 1080 Ti and Tesla V100 respectively against a fixed multi-row folding-based SpMV algorithm. Evaluation results using 450 regular sparse matrices and 450 irregular sparse matrices also show that AMF-CSR is superior to other SpMV implementations.
Electromyography (EMG) signals are biomedical signals that measure electrical currents generated during muscle contraction. These signals are strongly influenced by physiological and anatomical characteristics of the muscles and represent the neuromuscular activities of the human body. The evolution of EMG analysis and acquisition techniques makes this technology more reliable for production engineering applications, overcoming some of its inherent issues. Taking as an example, the fatigue monitoring of workers as well as enriched human–machine interaction (HMI) systems used in collaborative tasks are now possible with this technology. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the current implementation of EMG technology within production engineering, its weaknesses, opportunities, and synergies with other technologies, with the aim of developing more natural and efficient HMI systems that could improve the safety and productivity within production environments.
We present a 3D model-based visual tracking approach using edge and keypoint features in a particle filtering framework. Recently, particle-filtering-based approaches have been proposed to integrate multiple pose hypotheses and have shown good performance, but most of the work has made an assumption that an initial pose is given. To ameliorate this limitation, we employ keypoint features for initialization of the filter. Given 2D–3D keypoint correspondences, we randomly choose a set of minimum correspondences to calculate a set of possible pose hypotheses. Based on the inlier ratio of correspondences, the set of poses are drawn to initialize particles. After the initialization, edge points are employed to estimate inter-frame motions. While we follow a standard edge-based tracking, we perform a refinement process to improve the edge correspondences between sampled model edge points and image edge points. For better tracking performance, we employ a first-order autoregressive state dynamics, which propagates particles more effectively than Gaussian random walk models. The proposed system re-initializes particles by itself when the tracked object goes out of the field of view or is occluded. The robustness and accuracy of our approach is demonstrated using comparative experiments on synthetic and real image sequences.
This research advances the critical literature of humanitarian governance by demonstrating how ‘risk management’ is reproduced within the governance and regulatory structures of humanitarian institutions and, crucially, how it distorts patterns of emergency assistance coverage. Focusing on the impact of post-disciplinary forms of control, it reveals how humanitarian resources are disciplined by banks’ responses to regulatory changes initiated by the adoption of counter-terrorist financing legislation designed to counter flows of money to terrorists. This has resulted in the systematic shedding of NGO customers and the routine blocking of their international transactions—known as derisking. In an effort to limit this, NGOs have adopted a ‘precautionary approach’ to managing risk in their own activities, limiting their ability to reach some of the most vulnerable populations and curtailing innovation. Furthermore, the impact of this on the governance and structure of the humanitarian system has spread beyond contexts of conflict into situations more conventionally labelled as natural disasters such as drought, enabling the exercise of new techniques of power over significant parts of the humanitarian system.
The dramatic antiviral activities of drugs that specifically inhibit hepatitis C virus replication can be tempered by baseline mutations that confer resistance. We describe the kinetics of an R155K mutation in hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease known to confer resistance to specific protease inhibitors in an individual coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 and HCV. Longitudinal sequences revealed changes in the relative frequency with which this variant was observed independent of HCV replication levels, illustrating that this mutation coexists with wild-type strains in vivo in the absence of drugs. The persistence of drug-resistance mutations argues for baseline resistance genotyping at the time therapy is initiated to accurately predict the efficacy of treatment.
Computational algorithmic thinking (CAT) is the ability to design, implement, and assess the implementation of algorithms to solve a range of problems. It involves identifying and understanding a problem, articulating an algorithm or set of algorithms in the form of a solution to the problem, implementing that solution in such a way that it solves the problem, and evaluating the solution based on some set of criteria. CAT has roots in Mathematics, through problem solving and algorithmic thinking. CAT lies at the heart of Computer Science, which is defined as the study of algorithms. CAT embodies the ability to think critically and creatively to solve problems and has applicability in a range of areas from Computer Science to cooking to music. This article introduces CAT as explored through the Supporting Computational Algorithmic Thinking (SCAT) project, an on-going longitudinal between-subjects research project and enrichment program that guides AfricanAmerican middle school girls (SCAT Scholars) through the iterative game design cycle resulting in a set of complex games around broad themes. This article also explores the difficulties SCAT Scholars face while using CAT capabilities in the context of game design over almost two years as described by the Scholars themselves in online journals.
In this study the leaching of a high rutile containing slag in sulphuric acid has been investigated to find optimum leaching conditions. Using "Fractional Factorial" technique it was deduced that leaching temperature and duration, acid concentration and particle size are the most prominent parameters in the leaching process. The optimization of the leaching process was investigated using the "Rotatable Central Composite Design" technique. The four prominent parameters were studied at 5 different test values each. 3D response surface was employed to illustrate interaction of the parameters. The optimum leaching conditions for the ilmenite concentrate are thus recognized as: T = 123.9˚C, time = 323 min, acid conc. = 8.73 mol/ltr, particle size = 33-60 μm. Under these conditions the theoretical and experimental recovery of titanium for the concentrate are found to be 58.2% and 56.1% respectively. Using the same technique the optimum conditions for the slag are found as: T = 122.2˚C, time = 255 min, acid conc. = 11.84 mol/ltr, particle size = 54-95 μm. Under these conditions the theoretical and experimental recovery of titanium for the slag are found to be 67.4% and 66.2% respectively.
Abstract In this paper, konjac oligoglucomannan (KOGM) was obtained with a hydrolysis rate of 56.24% by controlling the hydrolysis conditions. KOGM was passed through a 0.2 kDa dialysis bag, a 3 kDa ultrafiltration tube, and a 5 kDa ultrafiltration tube, creating samples with molecular weights of 0.2–3 kDa (IV), 3–5 kDa (III), and >5 kDa (II), respectively. The in vitro antioxidant activities of the KOGM samples were tested by measuring their removal effects on ˙OH, O 2 − { text{O}}_{2}^{-} , and DPPH˙. The in vivo antioxidant activities of the samples were analyzed by measuring their impacts on the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity in mice. The results show that the KOGM samples in groups III and IV could effectively remove ˙OH, O 2 − { text{O}}_{2}^{-} , and DPPH˙; the KOGM samples in all three groups could enhance the SOD and GSH-PX activities and reduce the MDA content in the liver tissues of mice; finally, the antioxidant activity of KOGM is negatively correlated with the molecular weight.
Meiotic drivers are parasitic loci that force their own transmission into greater than half of the offspring of a heterozygote. Many drivers have been identified, but their molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. The wtf4 gene is a meiotic driver in Schizosaccharomyces pombe that uses a poison-antidote mechanism. Here, we show that the Wtf4 proteins can function outside of gametogenesis and in a distantly related species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Wtf4poison protein forms dispersed, toxic aggregates. The similar Wtf4antidote protein also forms aggregates but is sequestered within or near vacuoles and is mostly benign. The Wtf4antidote can co-assemble with the Wtf4poison and promote its trafficking to vacuoles. We show that neutralization of the Wtf4poison requires both co-assembly with the Wtf4antidote and aggregate sequestration, as mutations that disrupt either of these processes results in cell death. This work reveals that wtf parasites can exploit protein aggregate management pathways to selectively destroy gametes.
With current magnetic field shielding and high precision detection in dipolar spinor Bose-Einstein condensates, it is possible to experimentally detect the low or zero field nonsecular dipolar dynamics. Here we analytically investigate the zero-field nonsecular magnetic dipolar interaction effect, with an emphasis on magnetization dynamics in a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate under the single spatial mode approximation within the mean field theory. Due to the biaxial nature of the dipolar interaction, a novel resonance occurs in the condensate magnetization oscillation, contrast to the previous assumption of a conserved magnetization in strong magnetic fields. Furthermore, we propose a dynamical-decoupling detection method for such a resonance, which cancels the stray magnetic fields in experiments but restores the magnetization dynamics. Our results shed new lights on the dipolar systems and may find potential applications beyond cold atoms.
Biotechnology is undergoing a period of rapid and sustained growth, a trend which is expected to continue as the general population ages and as new medical treatments and products are conceived. As pharmaceutical and biomedical companies continue to search for improved methods of production and, for answers to basic research questions, they will seek out new avenues of research. Space processing on the International Space Station (ISS) offers such an opportunity! Space is rapidly becoming an industrial laboratory for biotechnology research and processing. Space bioprocessing offers exciting possibilities for developing new pharmaceuticals and medical treatments, which can be used to benefit mankind on Earth. It also represents a new economic frontier for the private sector. For over eight years, the thermal carrier development team at SHOT has been working with government and commercial sector scientists who are conducting microgravity experiments that require thermal control. SHOT realized several years ...
OBJECTIVE To understand the status of basic research work in the field of ophthalmology by analyzing the projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) from the year of 1986 to 2007, and offer as a reference to the ophthalmologists and researchers.   METHODS NSFC supported ophthalmology projects in the 22 year's period were collected from the database of NSFC. The field of funded projects, the research team and their achievements were analyzed.   RESULTS There were 228 applicants from 47 home institutions were funded in the field of ophthalmology during the past 22 years, 323 projects funded with 66.74 million Yuan in total, in which 165 projects were fulfilled before the end of 2006. The applied and funded projects mainly focus on six different kinds of research area related to retinal diseases, corneal diseases, glaucoma, optic nerve diseases, myopia and cataract, and 70% of them were basic research in nature. As a brief achievement of 165 fulfilled projects, more than 610 papers were published in domestic journals, over 140 papers were published in Science Citation Index journals, more than 600 people were trained, and over 20 scientific awards were obtained.   CONCLUSION The number of funded projects and achievement of fulfilled projects in the discipline of ophthalmology gradually increased over the past two decades, the research fields were concentrated in certain diseases. NSFC has played an important role in promoting the development of ophthalmology research and bringing up specialists in China. However, clinical research, continuously research, transforming from basic research to clinic applications and multidisciplinary cross studies should be strengthened.
CD30 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily. CD30 is expressed on normal activated lymphocytes, on several virally transformed T- or B-cell lines and on neoplastic cells of Hodgkin's lymphoma. The interaction of CD30 with its ligand induces pleiotropic effects on cells resulting in proliferation, differentiation, or death. The CD30 cytoplasmic tail interacts with TNF receptor-associated factors (TRAFs), which have been shown to transduce signals mediated by TNF-R2 and CD40. We demonstrate here that TRAF2 also plays an important role in CD30-induced NF-kappa B activation. We also show that TRAF2-mediated activation of NF-kappa B plays a role in the activation of HIV transcription induced by CD30 cross-linking. Detailed site-directed mutagenesis of the CD30 cytoplasmic tail reveals that there are two independent binding sites for TRAF, each interacting with a different domain of TRAF. Furthermore, we localized the TRAF-C binding site in CD30 to a 5-7 amino acid stretch.
The introduction of the flex-fuel car to the Brazilian market in 2003 considerably changed the consumer decision making process. Previously, it was necessary to choose the automobile type, and then the market moved to only gasoline or only sugarcane ethanol; currently, it is possible to choose a car that can run with a combination of these fuels. This flexibility generates economic advantages for the owner, but what are the financial benefits of flex-fuel technology? Geographically, where must the owner be located to have this flexibility? The present paper empirically applies the real options theory to an analysis of the options embedded in the flex-fuel car for five Brazilian geographic regions. The regional price differences and the consumer preferences within these regions were analyzed. For this purpose, historical fuel prices were considered to be stochastic, thus following mean reverting stochastic processes. Price forecasts and option values were generated by Monte Carlo simulation. The results indicated that the option to choose the most inexpensive fuel adds considerable value for the flex-fuel car owner in all regions and car models considered, with the southern region seeing the greatest benefit in the flex option.
The open source platform of DSpace could be defined as a repository application used to provide access to digital resources. DSpace is installed and used by more than 1000 organizations worldwide. A predefined taxonomy of keyword, called the Controlled Vocabulary, can be used for describing and accessing the information items stored in the repository. In this paper, we describe how the users can create, and customize their own vocabularies. Various heterogeneous items, such as research papers, videos, articles and educational material of the repository, can be indexed in order to provide advanced search functionality using new controlled vocabularies.
Introduction: The identification of an 11q deletion (del) by FISH analysis is reportedly an independent predictor of poor survival in CLL (Dohner et al, N Engl J Med343:1910). The aim of this study was to assess the presenting features and clinical outcomes of a more recent cohort of untreated CLL patients carrying the 11q del. Methods: We searched our database for untreated CLL patients who presented to MDACC from 10/03 to 4/07 with an 11q del and reviewed their medical records. Patient bone marrow samples were assessed at presentation by FISH analysis using probes for trisomy 12, ATM, LAMP1, D13S319, and P53 genes. Results: Overall, 69 of 708 (9.7%) patients analyzed using FISH, had an 11q del without a 17p del. In addition to 11q del, 62% had 13q del, and 3% had trisomy 12. Their median age was 59 yrs; and 80% were males. Zubrod performance status was > 0 in 53%; and 13% had Rai stage 3–4. Lymphadenopathy was present in 96% (> 5 cm, 11%), splenomegaly in 19%, anemia in 9%, and thrombocytopenia in 4%. ZAP-70 was expressed in 74% (34/46), CD38 in 61% (33/54), and 89% (39/44) had an unmutated IgVH gene. The median absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) was 24 × 109L (range, 2–513 × 109L), and the median proportion of cells that exhibited an 11q del was 53% (range, 9–98%). Cytogenetics were as follows: del(11)(q13q23) in 17/63 (27%) patients, normal in 37 (59%), del6(q13q25) in 1, complex in 2, and other in 6 patients. The median time from presentation at MDACC to treatment was 1 month (range, 0–28) and from diagnosis to treatment was 15 months (range, 1–97). The median ALC doubling time was 237 days. Forty patients required therapy for progressive disease (lymphadenopathy 17, ALC doubling time Conclusions: CLL with an 11q del was associated with high rates of response, survival, and RFS when treated with FCR-containing therapy. This cohort of patients will be followed over the long term to establish the natural history of 11q del in the chemoimmunotherapy era.
BACKGROUND Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is genetically heterogeneous, with at least three chromosomal loci accounting for the disease. Mutations in the PKD2 gene on the long arm of chromosome 4 are expected to be responsible for approximately 15% of cases of ADPKD.   METHODS We report a systematic screening for mutations covering the 15 exons of the PKD2 gene in eight unrelated families with ADPKD type 2, using the heteroduplex technique.   RESULTS Seven novel mutations were identified and characterized that, together with the previously described changes, amount to a detection rate of 85% in the population studied. The newly described mutations are two nonsense mutations, a 1 bp deletion, a 1 bp insertion, a mutation that involves both a substitution and a deletion (2511AG-->C), a complex mutation in exon 6 consisting of a simultaneous 7 bp inversion and a 4 bp deletion, and the last one is a G-->C transversion that may be a missense mutation. Most of these mutations are expected to lead to the formation of shorter truncated proteins lacking the carboxyl terminus of PKD2. We have also characterized a frequent polymorphism, Arg-Pro, at codon 28 in this gene. The clinical features of these PKD2 patients are similar to the previously described, with the mean age of end-stage renal disease being 75.5 years (SE +/- 3.8 years).   CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm that many different mutations are likely to be responsible for the disease and that most pathogenic defects probably are point or small changes in the coding region of the gene.
For a cooperation imaging tracking system consisting of multiple moving platforms, time synchronization among these platforms was a critical demand. Based on the study of the hardware time model, the software Scheduling model, and data interaction & fusion process, a novel time synchronization method modified from RBS protocol was proposed. In the proposed method, firstly each platform used hardware to count the accurate sending period of the centre fusion node. Then the time error was extracted in each platform locally. Finally the extracted time error was used in the software time model to accomplish the time synchronization. The implementation structure and the precision of the proposed synchronization method were given in the paper.
With constant improvement of intermittent energy source, its agglomeration effect and stochastic volatility will greatly influence the power system operation. It’s an inexorable trend that probabilistic power flow calculation shifts from offline analysis to real-time operation online. Among all probabilistic trend algorithms, probability flow calculation based on cumulant method is the fastest one; it has better prospect of online application. However, it requires random variables independent to each other, so the single slack bus always undertakes all unbalance power in conventional cumulant methods. When the fluctuation of system power injection becomes larger and larger, this calculation model will hardly adapted to the actual demand of the grid in the future. To improve the practicability, a improvement of probabilistic load flow based on cumulant method is proposed in this paper. By modify the calculation of the sensitivity matrix, the distribution of system unbalance power can be considered. The accuracy of this method is verified by the simulated analysis of the standard examples and actual power system model.
The use of nonterminated polymeric anions in tetrahydrofuran solution at low temperatures to initiate the polymerization of a second monomer to form block copolymer has been extended to several polar monomers. Anions of polystyrene and of poly-(methyl methacrylate) have been shown to initiate the polymerization of alkyl methacrylates, isopropyl acrylate, methacrylonitrile, and acrylonitrile. Isopropyl acrylate when initiated with sodium naphthalene under similar conditions gives some nonterminated polymeric anions, but nonpolymeric or low-polymeric initiator is also present. The criteria for order of addition of monomers and proof of block copolymer formation are discussed.
Objectives: To evaluate the attitude toward and knowledge of dental research among dental students in a teaching institute in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was conducted at the King Khalid University College of Dentistry, Saudi Arabia, from July 2018 to January 2019. A total of 137 final year dental students and interns were provided with an online survey questionnaire designed in English and Arabic. Results: Ninety (males, 64; females, 26) students and interns responded to the questionnaire. More than half of the participants showed a positive attitude towards the importance of research and its incorporation in the dental curriculum. However, the majority of the students and interns demonstrated limited knowledge about research activities. Conclusion: The students and interns in this cohort demonstrated moderate attitudes towards and limited knowledge of research. The provision of intensive training and adequate support in research activities at the undergraduate level may help improve the perception of dental students towards research.
ABSTRACT The implementation of marine protected areas, such as marine reserves and customary fishing areas, is considered an important step toward advancing ecosystem-based management (EBM), but has proven difficult due to resistance from well-organized fishing interests. This raises the question of how the values of less well-organised parties can be brought into the political decision-making process. We summarise the results of a discrete choice survey of the general public in New Zealand that elicits willingness to make tradeoffs among taxes and four socio-ecological attributes: biodiversity, maintenance of Maori customary practices, and restrictions on commercial and recreational fishing. We apply cluster analysis, which provides information about political ‘market shares’ of respondent preferences, and derive estimates of average public willingness to pay for various policy scenarios. Both analyses reveal broad-scale support for conservation of biodiversity and cultural practices, providing quantifiable input from the public in the process of marine space reallocation. JEL Codes: Q22, Q51, Q57.
Nowadays, the combination between Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) is pursuing new levels of efficiency in delivering services, representing a tempting business opportunity for IT operators of increasing their revenues. However, security is considered as one of the major factors that slows down the rapid and large scale adoption and deployment of both IoT and Cloud computing. In this paper, considering such an IoT Cloud scenario, we present an architectural model and several use cases that allow different types of users to access IoT devices.
Abstract  Road network performance when a large disaster happens depends on how the road traffic is regulated. To evaluate the performance of the road network, one should consider the traffic regulation in an emergent condition. Authors have proposed the idea of area traffic regulation when a large disaster occurs (Iida, et al., 2000). In the former paper, a bi-level optimisation model to calculate the optimal regulation ratio is proposed. This paper proposes an efficient and fast method to calculate regulation ratios for two-stage road traffic regulation. The simplified model adopts linear programming method instead of bi-level optimisation method, which is quicker and simpler. The simpler algorithm contributes to conduct various kinds of case studies, and helps finding a reliability of the road network considering traffic regulations after a disaster.
There are currently more than 1.3 billion tobacco smokers in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO) (1). It has been demonstrated that cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for the development and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and accounts for about 80% of COPD cases (2, 3). COPD, a term referring to two respiratory system diseases: chronic bronchitis and emphysema, is characterized by an airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually both progressive and related to the abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to inhaled noxious particles or gases (4, 5).    It has been reported that 10% to 15% of all smokers (6) and up to 26% of heavy smokers develop COPD (7). As the prevalence of smoking has risen among females and decreased slightly among males, the sexual distribution of COPD deaths has shifted from 19% female in 1970 to 38.5% in 1993 (8).    Cigarette smoking, especially heavy smoking, long duration of smoking, and smoking of high-tar cigarettes accounts for important factors that contribute to the progression of COPD (9). Cigarette smoke contains more than 4000 deleterious chemical compounds, of which 200 are very toxic, and 1017 free radicals/oxidants per puff (10). In general, it has been accepted that the treatments available for COPD reduce the number and severity of exacerbations and restablish symptoms. However, available treatment do not aide in tackling the cause and ongoing problems of the disease, and have a limited effect on slowing down the progression of lung damage and inflammation (11).    Smoking cessation is considered as the first treatment in patients with chronic COPD. Its effect on airway inflammation in COPD is not well described, although cross-sectional studies suggest ongoing inflammation in ex-smokers (12). So far, smoking cessation is considered the only effective treatment for avoiding or reducing the progression of COPD (13). There are several smoking cessation medications and devices available commercially. However, there are contradictory observations regarding the effect of smoking cessation on airway inflammation and remodeling associated with COPD including the use of smoking cessation medications and devices. Studies in COPD patients indicated that smoking cessation improves respiratory symptoms, reduces loss of pulmonary function and decreases lung inflammation and oxidative stress (14–19), whilst some studies indicated that smoking cessation fails to reverse the chronic airway inflammation (19–21). Unfortunately, there is insufficient observation available regarding the effects of smoking cessation on pro-inflammatory mediators levels, which do play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of COPD. In the following sections, recent studies on the potential role of cigarette smoke cessation on the progression and development of COPD is summarized.    Evidence of animal modeling of lung emphysema  As indicated earlier, there is contradictory data available on the role of quitting cigarette smoking as it relates to the development of lungs injury and inflammation. This is due to the insufficient evidence on the effects of smoking cessation and the release of inflammatory mediators, which do play an important role in airway inflammation and tissue remodeling seen in COPD. Therefore, an animal model of cigarette smoke-induced lung emphysema usually is practical.    In this regard, the severity of airway remodeling and inflammation was assessed by analyzing the alveolar enlargement, heart hypertrophy, and inflammatory cells in the BALF and lung tissue and by determining the profiles of cytokine and chemokine in the BALF of animals.    Wright et al. (22) and March et al. (23), for the first time demonstrated that emphysema was still present in guinea pigs and mice after smoke exposure followed by a smoking cessation period. Thereafter, Vernooy et al (24) found that the long-term LPS exposure results in irreversible alveolar enlargement in mice.    Recently Braber et al described the alveolar enlargement and right ventricle heart hypertrophy in smoke-exposed mice remained unchanged, however the neutrophilic inflammation of BALF was decreased, and levels of IL-12 in BALF remained at high levels after smoking cessation. It has been shown that cigarette smoke-enhanced VEGF levels did not significantly change after smoking cessation (25). In conclusion, animal models of CS-induced lung emphysema could partially regressed after smoke-cessation/stopping the CS exposures.
Since the beginnings of cardiac angiography, iodinated contrast has been the one and, until recently, only family of X-ray-attenuating agents with the safety and effectiveness to warrant clinical use. Over the last half century, considerable effort has been expended to improve these dyes by addressing side effects that, while tolerable in the vast majority of patients, could result in significant morbidity and even mortality in a few. The development of low osmolal and iso-osmolal contrast has gone far in achieving this goal by reducing the incidence and/or severity of most adverse events, including contrast-associated nephrotoxicity (CAN). The importance of any nephrotoxicity, however, has been magnified by recent studies linking the shortand long-term outcome of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention to the occurrence of renal failure (both acute and chronic). Thus, it is not only the infrequent patient who requires hemodialysis or ultrafiltration for acute renal failure following angiography that we are concerned with, but also the individual who might transiently increase his serum creatinine by as little as 0.5 mg/dL. Despite the attention given to CAN, there appears to be little that can be done to prevent it. Periprocedural hydration and the use of low osmolal contrast are generally accepted as being effective prophylaxis while acetylcysteine and iso-osmolal nonioinic contrast are still considered unproven by many. However, as every angiographer knows, the use of all of these measures does not guarantee the prevention of nephropathy. The search for alternative contrast led to gadolinium-containing compounds used for magnetic resonance studies. Our radiology colleagues first demonstrated that these agents were safe and effective in patients at high risk for CAN when used in renal artery digital subtraction angiography and intervention. Direct coronary angiography using gadolinium, alone or combined with iodinated contrast, has been reported in relatively few patients. The diagnostic quality of such angiography has been in general suboptimal but there does not seem to be significant renal toxicity with the dosage of gadolinium used. In this issue, Voss et al. [1] describe three patients at risk for CAN in which coronary angiography was performed with gadobutrol. This agent, not yet approved in the United States, was formulated as a 1 mol/L solution and thus is twice as concentrated as other gadolinium contrasts. Because of this, one might expect more X-ray attenuation per given volume of this agent. The three patients received a total of 35–75 ml of gadobutrol or 0.52–1.21 ml/kg of body weight, although the maximum recommended dose is 0.5 mmol/kg of body weight. While the coronary angiograms were said to be diagnostic, the one ventriculogram performed with 25 cc of gadobutrol was underopacified and nondiagnostic. There was no evidence of nephrotoxicity. One should note that the patients received only four coronary injections and had already exceeded the recommended dose of the contrast. It is reasonable to assume that the risk of CAN with iodinated contrast would be small if the total amount of contrast was limited to four coronary injections. While gadobutrol may prove to be safe even when given in large amounts, Sam et al. [2] demonstrated a 3.5% incidence of acute renal failure after angiography using other gadolinium contrasts (total dose 0.27– 0.42 mmol/kg) in patients at risk for CAN. Three of the seven patients developing gadolinium-induced nephrotoxicity required dialysis. A position paper of the European Society of Urogenital Radiology states that “gadoliniumbased contrast media should not replace iodinated contrast media in patients with renal insufficiency for radiographic examination” because experimental evidence suggests that the former have a higher risk of nephrotoxicity than the latter for equal X-ray attenuation [3]. While the observations of Voss et al. [1] are intriguing, restriction to a low total dose of a less X-ray-attenuating contrast is not in itself attractive. Until there is evidence that gadolinium is safer than iodinated contrast at equivalent dose volumes for coronary cineangiography (be they high or low), there is simply no reason to use these agents in patients at risk for CAN.
The walls of angiogenic blood vessel capillaries are composed of two principal cell types, blood vessel endothelial cells (BEC) and pericytes (PC), whereas the walls of lymphatic capillaries are composed of lymphatic endothelial cells (LEC). In this investigation we describe a practical application of NIH ImageJ software for quantitative image analysis for pericytes and endothelial cells in prostate cancer. We used a tissue microarray that contained 49 tissue cores (normal prostate tissue or prostatic carcinomas with Gleason scores of 6 through 10). These prostate cancer samples represented AJCC prognostic stages II, III, and IV. Slides were immunostained with anti‐PDGFR‐β antibody for identification of PC, and quantified as microvascular pericyte density (MVPD); they were also immunostained with anti‐CD34 antibody for identification of LEC and BEC simultaneously, and quantified as microvascular endothelial density (MVED). CD31 and D2‐40 immunostains were used to quantify BEC and lymphatic endothelial cells, respectively. Our results showed higher MVPD and MVED in prostate cancers with higher Gleason scores and higher stages, suggesting the prognostic utility of vascular image analysis in prostate pathology. This investigation demonstrates the feasibility, versatility, and ease of use of ImageJ software and pericyte‐specific and endothelial‐specific immunohistochemistry for quantitative image analysis in prostate pathology.
This paper presents an automated platform designed to allow a quick and accurate determination of the spatial characteristics of emitting and receiving optoelectronic devices. The platform can determine the radiation pattern of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and the sensitivity pattern of photodiodes (PDs) and phototransistors (PTs) and integrated photodetectors (IPD) as well. There are described the measurement method, the hardware that has been designed and the software that has been developed in order integrated photodetectors to achieve through an automated process the procedures needed for the spatial characterization of optoelectronic devices.
This research was conducted in North Aceh Sub District , Syamtalira Bayu with a sample of 60 farmers. The purpose of this study was to determine and to analyze the influence of innovation characteristics, characteristics of farmers, and media delivery to the process of innovation adoption of agricultural extension in North Aceh District. The data used is the cross section taken in June 2016 by the planting season beginning in 2016. The research method used is quantitative method by using non-linear regression model. Analysis showed that the adoption of innovation, in this case the pattern Legowo row planting paddy rice by farmers in the district Syamtalira Bayu simultaneously influenced by the complexity, education, and number of outlets. The complexity and number of variables have significantly influence the election cropping paddy rice at the sites. Keyword : i nnovation, c haracteristics of farmers, m edia delivery, a doption of innovation
Brasilia was projected on the dry soil of the cerrado and built by the hands of those who saw beyond today. It was perpetuated by the lenses that captured the light of the capital and the sweat that dropped on the floor. This article proposes a reflection on this relationship: architecture and cinema, in the beginning of Brasilia. To achieve this, it will focus on a specific work: the Nivaldo Borges Residence, whose construction began in 1972. The Arches House, as it is popularly known, has a remarkable history, designed by the architect Lele, it is also famous for its link with the cinematic history of the Federal Capital. By addressing issues related to the importance of preserving the memory of Brasilia cinema and the places that still exist and help to perpetuate it, symbolizing the link between cinema, architecture and memory, it is hoped that this work will bring out part of the value that this iconic city building has. To this end, its history, values ​​and connection with the diffusion of cinematographic art are recorded. To perform the work were carried out: literature review, construction visits and interviews with the current owners, direct descendants of the original builder.
First, to illuminate the views and experiences of brazilian female paralympians that helped shape their narrative identities, and second, to develop a better understanding of the reasons behind the gender inequality in paralympic sports. According to the international paralympic committee, 1671 female athletes competed in the rio 2016. Disability studies also investigates images and descriptions of disability, prejudice against people with disabilities (ableism), and the ways narrative relates to disability (see “narrative prosthesis” below). It’s important to understand disability as part of one’s ... Hunting or trolling disability permit authorizations application. Applicant is unable to place dominant hand or prosthesis in a position that is level with shoulders at a minimum distance of 11 inches from body. A prosthesis is a wearable device, such as an artificial limb, that takes the place of an absent body part. Nov 04, 2021 · osteoarthritis (oa) is the most prevalent degenerative joint disease and the main cause of pain and disability in elderly people. Oa currently represents a significant social health problem, since it affects 250 million individuals worldwide, mainly adults aged over 65. Although oa is a multifactorial disease, depending on both genetic and environmental factors, it is reported that joint. Disability is defined differently for each person, and multiple intersections arise for particular individuals. Incidence of disability is reported to be greater among several minority communities across the globe, according to a systematic analysis of the global burden of disease study. Sep 23, 2019 · critical disability theory refers to a diverse, interdisciplinary set of theoretical approaches. The task of critical disability theory is to analyze disability as a cultural, historical, relative, social, and political phenomenon. Citing sharon snyder and david mitchell’s concept of narrative prosthesis, whereby fiction writers use. How philosophers, social scientists, policy makers, and lay people understand that relationship matters for the theories of welfare and flourishing we construct, the judgments about our lives we make on a regular basis, and the social and health policies we adopt. Disability in the arts is distinguished from disability art in that. Nov 20, 2021 · * ''film/eltopo'': As a result of their inbreeding, some of the cave people are missing limbs.
Derris root or its extractives have been available in the United States for many years. In September 1911 the McDougalls applied for the first United States patent for its use as an ingredient for animal washes, insecticides and vermifuges1. The first reference to this root as an allergen was made by Westen2in 1937, when he reported improvement in two cases of bronchial asthma from exclusion of this substance from the environment. The sole reference revealed by a careful survey of the literature to derris as a cause of dermatitis was that of Racouchot3in 1939. Haag4states that he has on several occasions had inquiries about workers with derris who had contracted cutaneous lesions, but in none of these was the specific nature of the eruption given. From the information he received he was unable to ascertain the exact nature of the eruption. REPORT OF
Molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis in lung cancer have been largely deciphered over the past 20 years. Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is an emerging but immature clinical tool used to guide genotype-directed cancer care. Currently, FDA-approved clinical use of cfDNA is limited to the cobas EGFR Mutation Test v2 CE-IVD for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients unable to undergo a tissue biopsy or with acquired resistance to EGFR-TKIs (1). However, many researchers and clinicians seek to expand the use of cfDNA to a wider range of clinical situations. Plasma genotyping assays are being explored in early detection, identifying minimal residual disease (MRD), monitoring treatment response, tracking resistance, and understanding tumor heterogeneity (2-7). Swanton et al ., within the TRACERx [Tracking Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Evolution Through Therapy (Rx)] Consortium, have initiated an extensive trial to assess cfDNA as a biomarker in each of these situations (8). Recently published preliminary TRACERx results provide deep insight into the biology of cfDNA shed and its potential clinical utility (9). Furthermore, the TRACERx team made significant advances in assay development which encourage a reformulation of variant calling in next-generating sequencing (NGS) assays that may improve the sensitivity and specificity of plasma genotyping assays.
The current research study aimed to understand the extent of which E-HRM is applied within the commercial banks in Jordan from the perspective of Human Resource Managers in Jordan. Four variables were chosen to be influential on the degree of applying the E-HRM practices and approaches within the commercial banks in Jordan which are (management support, degree of awareness, IT infrastructure, and the current HRM approaches adopted). A questionnaire was adopted as the tool of the study in order to collect the needed data. 400 questionnaires were distributed on the sample of the study and 313 questionnaires were retrieved from the respondent which were properly filled and can be statistically processed. The results of the study indicated that all the four variables have influence on the implementation of the E-HRM within the commercial banks in Jordan. According to the respondents the most influential variables were the degree of awareness of the E-HRM among managers and HRM officers which can help one way or another in supporting the implementation process of the E-HRM within the commercial banks in Jordan.
Traditional urban plans use definitive design systems, without the flexibility required to deal with the complexity and change that characterize contemporary urban societies. To conceive urban plans with increased flexibility, a shape grammar-based design methodology is proposed which is capable of producing various design solutions instead of a single rigid layout. In this approach the plan is a design system encoding a set of alternative solutions, rather than a single, specific solution. This methodology was developed on the basis of the analysis of existing plans and on a series of experiments undertaken within the controlled environment of design studios. Results show that shape grammars produce urban plans with nondefinitive formal solutions, while keeping a consistent design language. They also provide plans with explicit and implicit flexibility, thereby giving future designers a wider degree of freedom. As a result, they are particularly appropriate for dealing with complexity and change throughout the legal lifespan of the plan. Finally, they provide students with a concrete methodology for approaching urban design, fostering the development of additional design skills.
In Europe, China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative primarily  interacts with the institutional and physical landscape of the ‘shared  neighbourhood’ between Russia and the European Union (EU). Norms and  institutions in these ‘borderland’ states reflect an institutional ambiguity  between the Eurasian and EU brands of market integration. In this chapter,  the structures of economic governance in this region and their interaction  with OBOR are examined from institutional and infrastructural  perspectives. It is argued that OBOR is incompatible with current trends  of European economic governance. In Ukraine and the 16+1 states, the  interplay between Chinese state-controlled entities and oligarchic elites  deconstructs formal norms and institutions and reinforces informal  structures. Instability in the borderlands increases, while infrastructure  investments extend the shadowy character of OBOR-induced practices  into the future.
Recently ITC-irst (Interactive Sensory System division) and University of Pavia (Medical Informatics Labs) are working together to realize an intelligent (adaptive) dialogue system with language understanding capabilities. In this framework, some telemedicine services able to handle multimodal interactions (i.e. input/output can be provided by both voice and/or other devices such as: keyboard, mouse, etc : : : ) are going to be investigated and developed. Although the system is placed in medical domains, the basic concepts can be transferred towards other applications. In this papers we define the problem, explain the basic ideas, some theoretical foundation and report the early steps we have done to achieve the goal.
In order to model the laser beam welding process either analytically or by numerical techniques, it is necessary to know the efficiency of the process. Efficiencies have various meanings depending on their application and utilization. But in each case, the efficiency is the ratio of the energy absorbed to the total energy applied the work piece. Measurement of the total energy at the work piece is relatively simple and can be done accurately with a water calorimeter and a few precautions. Measurement of the energy absorbed can be made by a variety of techniques, such as measuring the temperature of the weldment by infrared cameras, measuring the energy of the laser beam below the work piece, measuring the volume of the fusion zone and calculating the energy required to melt that volume, preplacing thermocouples in the heat-affected zone and measuring their temperature, or by other techniques. In this experimental study, the temperature rise in preplaced thermocouple was chosen as the appropriate technique. This data can then be utilized to calculate the amount of heat required to flow out of the fusion zone in order to create these temperatures. That is the definition of efficiency that will be used in this analysis. The paper will explain the experimental arrangement and the methodology used to calculate the energy flowing out of the fusion zone. The range of efficiencies calculated was from 40 to 71 %. An analysis of the energy loss will be given.In order to model the laser beam welding process either analytically or by numerical techniques, it is necessary to know the efficiency of the process. Efficiencies have various meanings depending on their application and utilization. But in each case, the efficiency is the ratio of the energy absorbed to the total energy applied the work piece. Measurement of the total energy at the work piece is relatively simple and can be done accurately with a water calorimeter and a few precautions. Measurement of the energy absorbed can be made by a variety of techniques, such as measuring the temperature of the weldment by infrared cameras, measuring the energy of the laser beam below the work piece, measuring the volume of the fusion zone and calculating the energy required to melt that volume, preplacing thermocouples in the heat-affected zone and measuring their temperature, or by other techniques. In this experimental study, the temperature rise in preplaced thermocouple was chosen as the appropriate technique...
Conversational speech, while being unstructured at an utterance level, typically has a macro topic which provides larger context spanning multiple utterances. The current language models in speech recognition systems using recurrent neural networks (RNNLM) rely mainly on the local context and exclude the larger context. In order to model the long term dependencies of words across multiple sentences, we propose a novel architecture where the words from prior utterances are converted to an embedding. The relevance of these embeddings for the prediction of next word in the current sentence is found using a gating network. The relevance weighted context embedding vector is combined in the language model to improve the next word prediction, and the entire model including the context embedding and the relevance weighting layers is jointly learned for a conversational language modeling task. Experiments are performed on two conversational datasets - AMI corpus and the Switchboard corpus. In these tasks, we illustrate that the proposed approach yields significant improvements in language model perplexity over the RNNLM baseline. In addition, the use of proposed conversational LM for ASR rescoring results in absolute WER reduction of $1.2$ % on Switchboard dataset and $1.0$ % on AMI dataset over the RNNLM based ASR baseline.
We have presented a brief overview of an approach that has been very successful in our hands in the patient with an SPN. Even though the patient who has undergone a thoracotomy is full of gratitude to his physician when told that the resected lesion was benign and does not question the need for the thoracotomy, we have met equally happy and gratified patients when they were told that their lesion is benign be it after CT densitometry or needle biopsy. When properly performed, these techniques demand care and attention to detail much like the surgeon performing a delicate procedure. Without proper care, these procedures can in fact reflect negatively on the physician performing them and fall in disrepute. CT densitometry and transthoracic needle aspiration biopsy allow effective management of the patient with an SPN with prompt documentation of both malignant or benign lesions. With the proper application of these techniques, the majority of patients with benign disease will not need a thoracotomy for diagnosis with resultant benefits to the patient as well as to third-party payers.
An experimental study of the irreversible deposition of colloidal particles of various radii R on a solid surface is presented over a wide range of the Péclet number, Pe, or reduced radius R* (Pe = R*(4)). The experimental data are analyzed by means of a new generalized random sequential adsorption model that takes explicitly the diffusion of the particles during the deposition into account. It allows description of the continuous transition from a random sequential adsorption-like to a ballistic-like deposition behavior. It depends on three parameters: d(s), related to the diffusion of the particles before adhesion; n(s), related to the number of allowed adhesion trials of a particle; and R(e), representing the effective particle radius. The model allows accounting for all of the experimental observations relative to the radial distribution functions and the number density fluctuations over the whole coverage range and all investigated values of R*. In addition, it is found that d(s)/R is proportional to R*(-2) as expected for a diffusional process. Moreover, the parameters d(s) and n(s) appear to be connected through the empirical relation (d(s)/R)n(s)(2/3) = C, where C is found to be of the order of 50. This unique statistical model allows an accurate description of the irreversible deposition process, whatever the influence of gravity with respect to diffusion.
Dogs, Canis familiaris, share more than 200 genetic disease phenotypes with humans [Patterson et al., 1982; Patterson, 2000]. Genes for specific diseases are often concentrated in purebred dogs (genetic isolates) due to founder effects, inbreeding and/or frequent use of ‘‘popular sires.’’ As a result, recessive, interactive, or polygenic modes of inheritance are more readily investigated, leading to identification of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) [Chase et al., 2002, 2004]. The recent completion of the sequence for the canine genome has facilitated the comparison of the dog genome with human and othermammalian genomes, allowing the further investigative analysis of canine QTLs in other mammalian systems, notably the human and mouse. Here we examine changes that involve pathological remodeling of bone, altered joint conformation, and osteophyte formation, visible radiographically as osteoarthritis (OA) [Olsson, 1971; Riser, 1973]. We have related such changes in the coxofemoral (hip) joint of Portuguese Water Dogs (PWDs) to genotypes defined by SSR markers and associated themwith a specific region (haplotype) of the canine genome (QTL). Radiographs and blood for DNA were collected from 431 PWDs through the Georgie Project [http://www.georgieproject. com, Karen Miller director; Chase et al., 2002]. The dogs, ranging in age from 1.7 to 17 years (median age, 6 years), included 171 males and 260 females and represented a crosssection of the entire PWD population in the USA. They trace their ancestry to 31 founders through ca. 25 generations and consanguinities range from 0 to 0.6 with a mean of 0.2 [Chase et al., 1999]. We have associated marker alleles with a few infrequently used founders using the consanguinity between that founder and all dogs known to carry the allele. Permutation tests are used to establish the significance of each association [Alroy et al., 2000]. DNA was isolated from blood and characterized by PCR amplification and electrophoretic identification of the alleles of simple sequence repeat geneticmarkers [Francisco et al., 1996; Mellersh et al., 2000; Chase et al., 2002, 2004]. Osteoarthritis (OA) was scored from ventrodorsal radiographs of the pelvis as illustrated in Figure 2 of Chase et al. [2002]. In all, 431 dogs were scored for subchondral sclerosis of the cranial acetabular margin, osteophytes of the caudal and cranial acetabular margins, and femoral head osteophytes (illustrated in Fig. 1). The severity of each of these phenotypes was scored on an ordinal scale from 0 (none) to 3 (most severe). Left and right hips were scored independently. Scores ranged from0 to 22 out of a possiblemaximumof 24 (12 leftþ 12 right). Fifty percent of the dogs had a score greater than 0. Methods for estimatingheritability (h), identifying theQTL and estimating its effect on the variation of specific phenotypes (R) have been described previously [Chase et al., 2004]. Estimation of QTL significance used permutations, as described in Chase et al. [2002]. In the PWD population OA is heritable (h1⁄4 30%). About half of the population show some degree of OA. OA is significantly correlated with the Norberg Angle (an indicator of joint laxity). However, whereas the Norberg Angle is significantly greater for the right than the left hip, there is no significant difference in the OA scores between the right and left joints. OA also is significantly correlated with the 4th Principal Component (PC) defined by variation in the skeletal metrics of the pelvis and limb bones. There is no significant correlation with other PCs. We had identified two QTLs on autosome 1 (CFA 1) associated with the Norberg Angle [Chase et al., 2004] and several QTLs associated with PC4 (unpublished data). In addition, we have identified two QTLs related to autoimmune Addison’s disease (unpublished data). We analyzed these QTLs (11 in all) for association with OA. One QTL identified by the SSR marker, FH2320 on CFA 3 and associated with PC4, also was significantly associated withOA (P 0.002, corrected for pedigree effects and number of QTLs tested [Chase et al., 2002]). Table I presents the relevant region of the canine genome and its syntenic counterparts on the human and mouse genomes. We have characterized the effects of this QTL in greater detail. It accounts for about 16% of the OA variation (R1⁄4 16.4%), and involves primarily cranial and caudal acetabular marginal osteophytes. This same QTL affects PC4 through its effect on the ischial tuberosity, the width of which is segregating in the PWD population (R1⁄4 7.5% for the trait residual after removing the effects of PCs 1, 2, and 3). This QTL also
Corporations are currently required to provide information on environmental performance in their annual directors' report under s 299(1)(f) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). However, industry groups and even the Federal Government have been calling for the repeal of s 299(1)(f) since its inception in favour of voluntary environmental reporting. Ironically, such calls have come at a time when nations around the world are introducing mandatory environmental auditing/reporting requirements, and when the Corporate Code of Conduct Bill 2000 (Cth) was before the Australian Parliament (it has since lapsed), which would have led to the expansion of the environmental reporting requirements of Australian corporations operating overseas. This paper argues that mandatory environmental reporting is becoming international best practice, and that even if the Federal Government does effect the repeal of s 299(1)(f), it will be replaced before long with an equivalent or even more onerous section.
Pressures on normal human acetabular cartilage have been collected from two implanted instrumented femoral head hemiprostheses. Despite significant differences in subjects' gender, morphology, mobility, and coordination, in vivo pressure measurements from both subjects covered similar ranges, with maximums of 5-6 MPa in gait, and as high as 18 MPa in other movements. Normalized for subject weight and height (nMPa), for free-speed walking the maximum pressure values were 25.2 for the female subject and 24.5 for the male subject. The overall maximum nMPa values were 76.2 for the female subject during rising from a chair at 11 months postoperative and 82.3 for the male subject while descending steps at 9 months postoperative. These unique in vivo data are consistent with corresponding cadaver experiments and model analyses. The collective results, in vitro data, model studies, and now corroborating in vivo data support the self-pressurizing "weeping" theory of synovial joint lubrication and provide unique information to evaluate the influence of in vivo pressure regimes on osteoarthritis causation and the efficacy of augmentations to, and substitutions for, natural cartilage.
Background Chronic pain is often accompanied by short-term memory deficit and depression. Currently, it is believed that short-term memory deficit and depression are consequences of chronic pain. Here, we test the hypothesis that the symptoms might be caused by overproduction of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) in the injured nerve independent of neuropathic pain following spared nerve injury in rats and mice. Results Mechanical allodynia, a behavioral sign of neuropathic pain, was not correlated with short-term memory deficit and depressive behavior in spared nerve injury rats. Spared nerve injury upregulated IL-1β in the injured sciatic nerve, plasma, and the regions in central nervous system closely associated with pain, memory and emotion, including spinal dorsal horn, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala. Importantly, the spared nerve injury-induced memory deficits, depressive, and pain behaviors were substantially prevented by peri-sciatic administration of IL-1β neutralizing antibody in rats or deletion of IL-1 receptor type 1 in mice. Furthermore, the behavioral abnormalities induced by spared nerve injury were mimicked in naïve rats by repetitive intravenous injection of re combinant rat IL-1β (rrIL-1β) at a pathological concentration as determined from spared nerve injury rats. In addition, microglia were activated by both spared nerve injury and intravenous injection of rrIL-1β and the effect of spared nerve injury was substantially reversed by peri-sciatic administration of anti-IL-1β. Conclusions Neuropathic pain was not necessary for the development of cognitive and emotional disorders, while the overproduction of IL-1β in the injured sciatic nerve following peripheral nerve injury may be a common mechanism underlying the generation of neuropathic pain, memory deficit, and depression.
We propose a model for fault tolerant 3D processor arrays using one-and-half track switches. Spare processors are laid on the two opposite surfaces of the 3D array. The fault compensation process is performed by shifting processors on a continuous straight line from a faulty processor to a spare on the surfaces. Two opposite directions are allowed for compensation paths only which they are not in the near-miss relation. Then, switches with only 4 states are needed to preserve the 3D mesh topology after compensating faults. We give an algorithm in a convenient form for reconfiguring by hardware the 3D mesh arrays with faults and show the survival rates and the probabilities of them by computer simulation. The probabilities are compared with those of the case using double tracks which have no restriction of the near-miss relation. The algorithm can reconfigure the 3D mesh arrays in polynomial time. Finally, we design a logical circuit for hardware realization of the algorithm. This will be able to make us build such a built-in self-reconfigurable 3D mesh array that the reconfiguration can be done very quickly.
1. Concept and Advantages of Waveguide-Type Sensitized Solar Cells The dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) is expected to be the next-generation device for energy conversion.1 One of the issues in the DSC is the internal resistivity. In conventional DSCs, as shown in Fig. 1(a), the porous structure of the semiconductor degrades the crystalline quality, suppressing electron mobility, and makes the carrier path in the semiconductor narrow. To solve this problem, we propose the waveguide-type sensitized solar cell based on sputtered oxide semiconductor thin films shown in Fig. 1(b). Here, guided lights in the thin films are used to generate photocurrents instead of normally-incident lights. In this configuration the lights pass through a substantial number of dye molecules to enhance the light absorption.
Background: An individual’s career competence depends profoundly on his career decision self-efficacy. In this regard, social support plays a substantial role during the process of career decision making for a person. Considering its impact on the decision making, the current study aimed at finding the relationship between Perceived Social Support (PSS) and Career Decision Self-efficacy (CDSE) among university students.   Methods: By using non probability sampling technique, 500 students (190 males, 310 females) were selected for their participation in this research. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) and Career Decision Self-efficacy scale were used for computing PSS and CDSE.  Results: Results showed that female students benefitted more from PSS in comparison to male respondents. However no significant gender differences were revealed regarding CDSE. Regression analysis was done to envisage the CDSS by PSS which revealed that PSS contributes to forecast up to 12% of the CDSE.  Implications: Current study will be advantageous for counselors and educationist by sensitizing them to consider the role of social support in career decision making among the individuals whom they deal with.  Conclusions: This study recommended that females possess more perceived social support as compared to males. It also found that there is positive association perceived social support  and career decision self-efficacy among university students.
Feeling one’s own emotions empathically when negative thoughts about the self arise, a defining element of self-reassurance, promotes resilience to prolonged emotional reactivity. We propose that feeling empathically toward the self is accomplished by first stepping into the shoes of an objectified, undesired self-aspect, after which the process of perspective shifting should be completed by reengaging the self to experience the moment in the first person. We hypothesize that the resumption of the egocentric perspective in perspective shifting, a cognitive characteristic of sharing other people’s emotions, is crucial for self-reassurance as well. The relationships among flexibility in perspective shifting, self-reassurance, and emotion sharing were examined in community participants. Our results show that quickly switching back to a visuospatial egocentric perspective after adopting an opposing perspective relates to self-reassurance and emotion sharing. We conclude that both reassuring the self and empathizing with other people involve flexibility in perspective shifting.
This paper is devoted to the analysis of data and links in social networks. The approach of representation of a social network in the form of a graph is considered. The algorithms for finding communities and main nodes ("hubs"), which are the accounts that have the greatest impact on communities, have been explored and planned for finalization. Existing software environments for visualizing social network data are explored, a software package is developed.
Changes in conformation are inherently critical to the behaviour of tunable clay–polymer nanocomposites (CPNs), including swelling potential and permeability. We investigated the conformational behaviour of a pH-responsive polymer and an expandable clay through dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) and pressurised permeability tests. Three different conditions were studied by DPD: (1) polymer in an aqueous solution, (2) polymer adsorbed on a clay surface and (3) polymer sandwiched between two clay surfaces. Pressurised permeability tests were conducted to investigate the pH-dependency of the CPN material. DPD simulations showed extended conformation of the polymer at high pH resulting in large interlayer spacing. Contracted coil conformation of the polymer led to small interlayer spacing at low pH. Intermediate conformation (expanded coil) and interlayer spacing were observed at pH near the pK a value of the polymer. Swelling of the CPN increased with increasing pH resulting in permeability reduction. The combined results of the experimental permeability tests and DPD simulations indicate that as the interlayer spacing increased with increasing pH, the permeability of CPN decreased. Thus, conformational changes of polymer molecules can be related to swelling potential of CPN and its tunability predicted as a function of pH for a desirable minimal permeability.
Although hypoxic rats exposed to anesthetics may develop hepatic injury, divergent results have been obtained. These discrepancies might be due to different levels of hypoxia, hypothermia, or choice of vendor. Male Sprague-Dawley rats purchased from Zivic-Miller were pretreated with phenobarbital for 4 days. After 24 h without phenobarbital, they were exposed to 2 h of hypoxia and halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, thiopental, or fentanyl. Rectal temperature was kept between 36.5°C and 38.5°C. All agents given in 10% oxygen produced more hepatic injury than did control conditions (exposure to 10% oxygen alone) (P < 0.01). Only halothane given in 12% and 14% oxygen produced hepatic injury. No agent given in 20% or 100% oxygen demonstrated hepatotoxicity. In a separate study, rectal temperatures were kept between 32°C and 34°C during 2 h of exposure to 0.3 MAC halothane, enflurane, or isoflurane in 10% oxygen. Hypothermia prevented hepatotoxicity by enflurane and isoflurane, but not by halothane. Finally, although livers of rats obtained from Zivic-Miller were injured, specific pathogen-free rats from Charles River were not injured or were less injured by enflurane, thiopental, or fentanyl. Apparently, minor changes in experimental conditions can substantially affect results; hepatic hypoxia per se, anesthetic metabolism (especially that of halothane), and perhaps anesthesia itself may produce hepatic injury.
The potential energy surfaces for the abstraction reactions of heavy cyclobutenes with CCl(4) have been characterized in detail by using density functional theory (B3LYP/LANL2DZdp), including zero-point corrections. Seven heavy cyclobutene species including A (C-C-C=C), B (Si-Si-Si=Si), C (Ge-Ge-Ge=Ge), D (Si-Si-Ge=Ge), E (Si-Si-Ge=Sn), F (Sn-Sn-Sn=Sn), and G (Pb-Pb-Pb=Pb) have been chosen in this work as model reactants. All the interactions involve a Cl or CCl(3) shift via a two-center transition state. The activation barriers and enthalpies of the reactions were compared in order to determine the relative heavy cyclobutene reactivity as well as the influence of substituents on the reaction potential energy surface. As a result, our theoretical investigations suggest that a heavy cyclobutene species that contains more massive and less electronegative atoms in the double bond should undergo radical abstraction reactions with CCl(4) more readily than one containing less massive and more electronegative atoms. Moreover, we show that having undergone an initial chlorine atom abstraction, a heavy cyclobutene will then proceed to undergo a second abstraction to give a tetrachloro derivative. Furthermore, a configuration mixing model based on the work of Pross and Shaik is used to rationalize the computational results. The results obtained allow us to make several predictions.
The trade-off between the immediate returns from committing a crime and the future costs of punishment depends on an offender's time discounting. We exploit quasi-experimental variation in sentence length generated by a large collective pardon in Italy and provide non-parametric evidence on the extent of discounting from the raw data on recidivism and sentence length. Using a discrete-choice model of recidivism, we estimate an average annual discount factor of 0.74, although there is heterogeneity based on age, education, crime type, and nationality. Our estimates imply that the majority of deterrence is derived from the first few years in prison.
We investigate the dynamics of a distributed video proxy-cache system that is able to adapt the number of running nodes depending on conditions like client request patterns, network load etc. Since we've already examined the split operation used to expand the system by adding new nodes, we explore in detail two operations (hibernate and shut down) used to reduce the number of active nodes. Also, several scenarios for object (video data) movement and replication between participants are taken into consideration. Further more, we study the system's efficiency by measuring the byte hit rate under different test scenarios
The trend of pushing deep learning from cloud to edge due to concerns of latency, bandwidth, and privacy has created demand for low-energy deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The single-layer classifier in [1] achieves sub-nJ operation, but is limited to moderate accuracy on low-complexity tasks (90% on MNIST). Larger CNN chips provide dataflow computing for high-complexity tasks (AlexNet) at mJ energy [2], but edge deployment remains a challenge due to off-chip DRAM access energy. This paper describes a mixed-signal binary CNN processor that performs image classification of moderate complexity (86% on CIFAR-10) and employs near-memory computing to achieve a classification energy of 3.8μJ, a 40x improvement over TrueNorth [3]. We accomplish this using (1) the BinaryNet algorithm for CNNs with weights and activations constrained to +1/−1 [4], which drastically simplifies multiplications (XNOR) and allows integrating all memory on-chip; (2) an energy-efficient switched-capacitor (SC) neuron that addresses BinaryNet's challenge of wide vector summation; (3) architectural parallelism, parameter reuse, and locality.
Motivated by recent experimental findings, we present here a minimal analytical model illustrating that the steric interactions among the ionic components can provide a simple, generic mechanism for like-charge crystallization in prototypical nanoparticle systems with counterions in polar solvents. In particular, the underlying steric interactions among these ionic components arise from the structural organization of the polar solvent molecules surrounding these ions as molecular dipole moments that may cooperatively enhance or counteract existing entropic depletion and electrostatic forces. Phenomenologically capturing these steric effects, we assume only the existence of a short-range pairwise Gaussian interaction, which has already been employed usefully for nanoparticles with hydrophillic surfaces or grafted-polymer coatings, among these ionic components (nanoparticles and counterions). The corresponding Gaussian interaction parameters characterize tunable interaction strengths. Making use of an analytically obtained effective pairwise potential between two nanoparticles, upon the contraction of counterions, we derive phase diagrams for nanoparticle systems of varying charge- and size-ratios as a function of particle densities, and observe crystallization for a range of parameters. We further demonstrate that our minimal model is compatible with the phenomenon of charge asymmetry.
There are Nippur variants of formulae used elsewhere, e.g. se-/> gan-/, su-nigin-/, gu-an-sii-/ PI (for the regular bi). At Ur, gu-an-Su is usual, su-nigin never occurs ; at Fara both occur but gu-an-Su more frequently ; at Nippur both are used, and twice (Nos. 39, 67) both occur on the same text. The large number of personal names are mostly Sumerian. Few have a divine element; of these Ur-N is by far the commonest style. There is only one lu-N name and only four lugal-N. It might be better to read Lu-la-la for Udu-la-la; I-li-a-hi for Ni-ni-a-dug ; La-gi-pu (m)/or La-gi-sub ; Ib-lulil for Ib-nar-il; I-li-be^li for Ni-ni-pi-ni. The names of deities are got chiefly from personal names. As might be expected at Nippur, Enlil is the most popular in personal names. But his consort Ninlil occurs only in two names. Dumuzi is here and the form Enkidu but not Gilgames. The moon god is written " Sin ", never " Nannar ". And Ninurta and Nintiugga which are said to appear first in Ur III, make a much earlier appearance on these tablets. The information concerning the cult of the gods is meagre. Each of Nos. 155-9 is described as " Opferliste ". This is doubtful. Names of places are fairly numerous. But surely In-masga-ni-hi is an error; in being prepositional. The phrase recalls the various forms of in MaS-gan-ki on Meek's Nuzi tablets of the Akkadian age.
We have successfully applied the electro-chemical method of mesopore formation in deep trenches (DTs) to increase the surface of deep-trench capacitors for DRAMs. The length of the mesopores is controlled by the etching time and was up to 60 nm. Subsequently, the diameter of the mesopores, was increased to above 20 nm by an isotropic wet etch. By sufficient tuning of the arsenic doping concentration of the trench side-walls, the density of the mesopores was adjusted to 400/μm2. Thus, a surface area increase of the DTs of up to 150% was achieved.
Aggregation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) stimulates its uptake by macrophages. We have now shown by electron microscopic and chemical experiments that aggregated LDL (produced by vortexing (VxLDL) or treatment with phospholipase C) induced and became sequestered in large amounts within surface-connected compartments (SCC) of human monocyte-derived macrophages. This occurred through a process different from phagocytosis. Formation of SCC and accumulation of aggregated LDL in SCC are cell-mediated processes that were temperature-dependent (10 × greater cell association at 37 °C than at 4 °C) and blocked by cytochalasin D but not by nocodazole. Because of the surface connections of SCC, trypsin could release aggregated LDL from SCC. Degradation of125I-VxLDL through the SCC pathway showed delayed and a lower rate of degradation (10–55%) compared with nonaggregated125I-acetylated LDL that did not enter SCC. However, similar to 125I-acetylated LDL degradation,125I-VxLDL degradation occurred through a chloroquine-sensitive pathway. Uptake of VxLDL into SCC was not mediated by the LDL receptor. Methylation of LDL prevents its binding to the LDL receptor. However, methylated LDL still entered SCC after it was aggregated by vortexing. On the other hand, degradation of125I-VxLDL was substantially decreased by methylation of LDL and by cholesterol enrichment of macrophages, which decreases macrophage LDL receptor expression. The results suggest that whereas uptake of aggregated LDL into SCC occurs independently of the LDL receptor, movement of aggregated LDL from SCC to lysosomes may depend in part on LDL receptor function. Sequestration into SCC is a novel endocytosis pathway for uptake of aggregated LDL that allows the macrophage to store large amounts of this lipoprotein before it is further processed.
Spatial predictions of uncertain trajectories are challenging, but are often associated with overconfidence. This study explored how a visualization influenced prediction of uncertain spatial trajectories (e.g., unknown path of a downed aircraft or future path of a hurricane). Mean and variance estimates were compared for participants provided with a gradient-shaded “cone of uncertainty” visualization and those who were not provided with a visualization. Participants exhibited less error in mean estimations when a visualization was present, but performed worse than controls once the visualization was removed. For variance estimations, participants provided with a visualization did not retain any advantage in their estimations once the visualization was removed. Combined these findings suggest that visualizations may support some aspects of spatial predictions under uncertainty, but they can be associated with costs for the underlying knowledge being developed.
Four mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that react with filamentous M13KO7 and R408 phage were obtained. Three of these MAbs (two IgG2a and one IgG3) recognize linear sequences of the p8 main structural coat protein, and one (IgG2a) identifies a putatively conformational epitope, as suggested by Western blot. These MAbs also react with recombinant phage expressing peptide antigens fused to p8, and are though useful reagents for peptide/protein phage display screening based methods. The latter was shown in an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) and a visual immunoassay where one of the anti-p8 MAbs was used to capture recombinant phages displaying a peptide characteristic of the Hepatitis B virus surface antigen or a Dengue virus-related peptide antigen.
Q. Why are there so many books about strategy? A. Because it is a subject we know so little about. There is an element of truth in this old joke. Strategy is both amorphous and important. Unlike most other subjects in business and management, it has no agreed beginning and certainly no end. It is difficult even to determine when "business policy" became "strategy", or whether strategy is the superset of organizational behaviour, human resources, marketing, operations, information systems, finance, accounting, and leadership, or a subset of each. Selecting an approach – and a textbook – involves a baffling array of choices. We can choose from a huge assortment of cookbooks, too numerous to mention, offering recipes like 200g of PEST, 350g of SWOT, Five Forces, three (or four) Generic Strategies, and a sprinkling of Value Chain. What students remember is often just the shopping list, because they leave our kitchens before the warm and enticing smells start to waft from the strategy oven. This review explores the issues in selecting a strategy text.
Prion diseases (mad cow disease, CJD, etc.) are a group of fatal neurodegenerative disorders associated with structural conversion of a normal, mostly /spl alpha/-helical cellular prion protein (PrP) into a pathogenic /spl beta/-sheet-rich conformation. Little is known about which parts of PrP undergo conformational transition and how disease associated mutations facilitate this transition. In this work, we utilize a computational statistical approach to detect unusual patterns in prion protein, (i) We construct a novel entropic index which provides a quantitative measure of context-dependent conformational flexibility of a sequence fragment. This index is used to study conformational flexibility of PrP fragments, (ii) We identify PrP fragments that show unusual intrinsic structural propensities. (Hi) We estimate the statistical significance of clusters of disease-associated PrP mutations using a stochastic model of mutational process with unequal substitution rates and context-dependent mutational hot spots.
This paper deals with the dynamic characterization of an automotive shock absorber, a continuation of an earlier work [1]. The objective of this on-going research is to develop a testing and analysis methodology for obtaining dynamic properties of automotive shock absorbers for use in CAE-NVH low-to-mid frequency chassis models. First, the effects of temperature and nominal length on the stiffness and damping of the shock absorber are studied and their importance in the development of a standard test method discussed. The effects of different types of input excitation on the dynamic properties of the shock absorber are then examined. Stepped sine sweep excitation is currently used in industry to obtain shock absorber parameters along with their frequency and amplitude dependence. Sine-on-sine testing, which involves excitation using two different sine waves has been done in this study to understand the effects of the presence of multiple sine waves on the estimated dynamic properties. In an effort to obtain all frequency dependent parameters simultaneously, different types of broadband random excitations have been studied. Results are compared with stepped sine sweep tests. Additionally, actual road data measured on different road profiles has been used as input excitation to obtain the shock absorber parameters for broad frequency bands under realistic amplitude and frequency conditions. These results are compared with both simulated random excitation and stepped sine sweep test results. INTRODUCTION The shock absorber is one of the most important elements in a vehicle suspension system. It is also one the most non-linear and complex elements to model. The current method of characterizing the dynamic properties of shock absorbers for CAE models involves testing at discrete frequencies, displacements, and preloads using an MTS test machine. The dynamic stiffness (K) and damping (C) are extracted by fitting a linear model of the form F(ω)=K*x(ω)+C*v(ω) to the measured input displacement (x), velocity (v), and output force (F). The excitation technique is a pure sine excitation at the desired frequency and amplitude. These harmonic excitations are then swept through all desired frequency and amplitudes. Parametric and non-parametric models also exist for the shock absorber. A non-parametric model based on a restoring force surface mapping has been developed [2,3,4]. The model considers the force to be a function of displacement and velocity. Although, this model is more applicable to a single frequency excitation, it serves as a useful tool for identifying the non-linearity’s in the system. A comprehensive physical model was developed by Lang [5], later condensed and validated by Morman [6]. Lang’s model has more than 80 parameters, is computationally complex and is not suitable for comprehensive vehicle simulation studies. Morman’s model has been shown to be useful for studying the effects of design changes for a particular shock. Reybrouck [7] has developed a physical model, which has 14 parameters, valid for frequencies up to 20 Hz, but has limited appeal for the analysis of shock absorbers for NVH applications.
Abstract This article aims to unravel some common aspects of the recently intensifying antipathy towards migrants from Eastern Anatolia in certain Turkish cities. Based on the fact that every manifestation of this antipathy in everyday life involves a logic that recognizes and excludes these migrants as ‘Kurdish’, the article conceptualizes these sentiments as ‘exclusive recognition’. This concept helps us see the fact that the rising anti-migrant discourse is not an ideology that is imposed by the state or any other political organization in Turkey but a historically specific ethnicization process that takes place in the everyday life of cities. As one of the new dimensions of the question of ethnicity and nationalism in Turkey, ‘exclusive recognition’ shows the insufficiency of reducing the Kurdish question to a problem of democratization of the Turkish political system, and encourages us to turn our attention to the transformation of urban life.
Background and objectives: Ocular ultrasound is a core application of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to assist physicians in promptly identifying various ocular diseases at the bedside; however, hands-on POCUS training is challenging during a pandemic. Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled non-inferiority trial was conducted in an academic emergency department from October 2020 to April 2021. Thirty-two participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group H (hands-on learning group) participated individually in a hands-on session with a standardized patient for 30 min, whereas Group O (online learning group) learned training materials and video clips for 20 min. They scanned four eyeballs of two standardized patients sequentially following the ocular POCUS scan protocol. Repeated POCUS scans were performed 2 weeks later to assess skill maintenance. Both groups completed the pre- and post-surveys and knowledge tests. Two emergency medicine faculty members blindly evaluated the data and assigned a score of 0–25. The primary endpoint was the initial total score of scan quality evaluated using non-inferiority analysis (generalized estimating equation). The secondary endpoints were total scores for scan quality after 2 weeks, scan time, and knowledge test scores. Results: The least squares means of the total scores were 21.7 (0.35) for Group O and 21.3 (0.25) for Group H, and the lower bound of the 95% confidence interval (CI) was greater than the non-inferiority margin of minus 2 (95% CI: −0.48–1.17). The second scan scores were not significantly different from those of the first scan. The groups did not differ in scanning time or knowledge test results; however, Group H showed higher subjective satisfaction with the training method (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that basic online ocular ultrasound education was not inferior to hands-on education, suggesting that it could be a useful educational approach in the pandemic era.
The underlying assumption of Dr. Rollit's paper is that transportation ought to cover its own costs, and I should like to register my general agreement with it. But the main argument is to the effect that the present difficulties of the railways are the result of unequal subsidies, unequal regulation, and unequal labour costs. By inference, one would expect that when public bodies come to their senses and when the abnormally low wages paid to transport operators are brought to a proper level, then railways would be restored to prosperity. It is a much rosier picture than the available facts appear to justify.A study of table I would suggest that the relative retrogression of the railways is not at all closely connected with the rise of direct motor competition. The peak in per capita use of rail service would appear to have been reached well before such competition became effective and the persistence of the subsequent decline in railway gross revenues as a percentage of the national income would suggest that even the most sudden and devastating access of sanity on the part of the taxing authorities would not restore the railways to that position in the life of the community which they once held. Humpty-dumpty has fallen off his wall for good and the sooner he learns to get along on a footing of equality with common mortals the better it will be for all of us.
Aerosolization of imipenem/cilastatin was compared with continuous intravenous infusions of the antibiotic for pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis. The concentrations of imipenim/cilastatin in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BAL) obtained from rats exposed to the aerosolized antibiotic were significantly greater than the concentrations in BAL in the rats that had received intravenous infusions of imipenem/cilastatin. The two methods of antibiotic delivery were compared for their effects on bacterial-induced lung injury in rats that had Pseudomonas aeruginosa instilled into their airspaces. The aerosolization of antibiotic was associated with significantly decreased bacterial-induced lung injury. The high concentrations of antibiotic in the airspaces secondary to aerosolization appears to kill bacteria more quickly and preserve lung epithelial and endothelial integrity better than systemic delivery of the same antibiotic.
A 250‐kDa protein was isolated from fluid in the middle spermatic duct (MSD) of the blue crab (Portunus pelagicus). N‐terminal and partial amino acid sequences revealed that this MSD‐specific protein is highly similar to the plasma‐enriched protein Alpha‐2 macroglobulin (α2M). The P. pelagicus ortholog (Ppα2M) is a large glycoprotein possessing mannose and N‐acetylglucosamine residues. Ppa2m mRNA was detected in the spermatic duct, androgenic gland, and hematopoietic tissue, whereas the protein was primarily observed in the apical cytoplasm of MSD epithelium and in the matrix of the acrosome of MSD sperm; distally within spermatic duct, Ppα2M was lost from the sperm membrane but remained in the sperm acrosome. These results suggest that Ppα2M is expressed and glycosylated in the epithelium of spermatic ducts, secreted into MSD fluid, taken up by sperm in the MSD, and removed from the surface of sperm during its transit towards the female spermatheca. Given that Ppα2M also exhibits protease inhibitor activity, we hypothesize that acrosome localized Ppα2M may suppress premature acrosome reaction during post‐testicular sperm maturation in this crab.
There is a significant prevalence of dental diseases in patients with diabetes. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders occupy one of the first places among them. However, there is no data on the diabetes effect on the disc of the TMJ. The aim of the study – to establish structural changes of TMJ disc in rats with hyperglycemia. Materials and Methods. Sixty white mature male rats were divided into 4 equal groups. animals of first and second groups were simulated with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Rats of third and fourth groups were used as controls at appropriate period to the experimental. Slaughtering of animals was carried out after 30 and 60 days from the start of the experiment, after which the TMJ complexes and adjacent soft tissues were collected. Biological material was prepared according to conventional methods. Histological sections were examined with the help of microscopes. Results and Discussion. The structure of the disc of TMJ of control rats did not change. Its’ significant remodeling was visualized in animals with diabetes. Thickening of the walls of arteries and widening of venous lumen and swelling of the collagen fibers were observed after 30 days of the experiment. Thickening of the fibers of collagen and predominance of histiocytes were visualized after 2 months of the diabetes. Lumen of arteries were narrowed and plethora was observed in the veins of the hemomicrocirculatory bed. Conclusions. Restructuring of the disk of TMJ of rats with diabetes are manifested by mucoid swelling of collagen fibers and morphological changes in the hemomicrocirculatory vascular bed that can lead to dystrophy of the disc.
With the continuous development of China’s general aviation industry, there are urgent requirements for research on aircraft crashworthiness to provide better safety for aircraft occupants. According to the results of long-term crash investigations, if crash safety design is taken into account at the earliest stages of aircraft design, most accidents will become viable or partially survivable, which can greatly improve the survival rate of aircraft passengers after an accident. In this paper, the design criteria and design methods for crash resistance technology of aircraft cargo uphold pillars are studied, and the crash simulation analysis of a certain type of aircraft is analyzed. First, a feasible design method and optimization principle are formulated according to the specific characteristics of a certain type of aircraft; Then, the crash resistance characteristics of a certain type of aircraft are analyzed, and the finite element model of the fuselage and cargo uphold pillars structure is established based on the three-dimensional electronic prototype of the aircraft. By the crash conditions specified in the relevant specifications, a mechanical simulation study of the aircraft is carried out, and the results are analyzed. Finally, constructive comments are given based on the simulation results. The reliability of the design is verified using simulation analysis, which provides a reference for the simulation and analysis of the anti-crash design of the aircraft cargo uphold pillars structure.
The magnetizing force is a body force. This force is produced under an inhomogeneous magnetic field. Therefore, we numerically simulated how magnetizing force affects the natural convection of water with the diamagnetic property in a vertical cylindrical container heated from below and cooled from above. In the present numerical computations, the vertical magnetic field gradient that was produced by the electric current circulating within the circular electric coil was applied to water in a vertical cylindrical container. Moreover, the circular electric coil was placed either at hot or cold plates to change the gradient of magnetic induction. Transient computation converged under all numerical conditions. When the circular electric coil was placed at the lower end plate heated isothermally, the average Nusselt number decreased with the increases of the magnetic strength so that natural convection was suppressed by the magnetizing force. On the other hand, when the circular electric coil was placed at the upper end plate cooled isothermally, the reverse tendency was computed. Furthermore, to understand the mechanism of the generation of the convection induced by the magnetizing force, the fields of temperature and velocity in the transition to the steady state were visualized under two different initial conditions.
This letter reports on the growth mechanism of the InP cap layer over InAs∕InP quantum dots (QDs) fabricated by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). QD edges are shown to act as preferential nucleation sites for the InP cap layer, leading to the formation of InP domains around the nanostructures. As∕P exchange reactions are at the origin of the planarization of the top of the QDs under P-rich ambient, thus leading to a final QD height equal to the local thickness of the InP cap layer. The possibility to use As∕P exchange reactions to homogenize the height distribution of MOVPE grown InAs∕InP QDs is discussed on the basis of these observations.
With the wide variety of interfaces for parallel programming in multi-core environments it is difficult to determine which of these offer the best usability. This work performs an experiment comparing the parallelization of a video application with FastFlow tools, spar and TBB. The results revealed that SPAR requires less effort on the parallelization of a video application than other parallel programming interfaces.
Background : Iridoschisis is a rare condition characterized by the thinning and cleavage of the anterior stroma of the Iris; usually bilateral and associated with narrow angles, ocular hypertension and glaucomatous optic neuropathy. We report a case series of three Latin American patients with iridoschisis; all of them associated with narrow angles, and one with history of chronic angle closure glaucoma. The patients had no previous history of ocular trauma or inherited ocular disease. As a new finding, we present a case of unilateral hyphema as the presenting sign of this entity. Conclusions: Chronic open-angle glaucoma; as well as intermittent angle-closure glaucoma, should be excluded in all patients with iridoschisis, and regular follow-up should be established after diagnosis. After having presented an unusual way of presentation; such as unilateral hyphema (with no previous documented reference of this sign) we have widened the spectrum of clinical findings for the suspicion and diagnosis of this pathology.
Aims To review available standards for physical health monitoring in people taking clozapine To audit current practice against standards To identify changes in practice and facilitate a re-audit to assess impact of any changes Method Standard: CG178 Psychosis and Schizophrenia in Adults: Prevention and Management – NICE, February 2014 Target:100% Exceptions: None Sample: The original audit included all 58 patients from the Worcester clozapine clinic, as per October 2018. The re-audit reviewed a random sample of all patients attending the clozapine clinics in Worcester, Kidderminster and Redditch, as part of Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, as per October 2019. A total of 66 patients were selected. Data Source: Carenotes and ICE Result Areas of good practice: Monitoring of HbA1c and FBC remains good There has been an improvement in monitoring alcohol use, substance misuse and side effects Areas requiring improvement: There continues to be limited recording of respiratory rate There has been a decline in recording temperature, BMI and concomitant therapies Potential reasoning for missing data includes: Staff not knowing the monitoring requirements, which is more likely to be an issue when staff members running the clinics change frequently Monitoring being completed but not documented Patients’ refusal of monitoring Data being recorded in alternative locations including general practice, without communication between services Patients moving between teams or having inpatient stays may disrupt monitoring regime Conclusion LIMITATIONS This audit assumes all patients involved to be on a stable dose of clozapine with routine monitoring Some patients may have been transferred between teams or inpatients during the period of data collection There is no scope to record when patients refuse monitoring We may not have access to all notes such as those from general practice for data collection RECOMMENDATIONS Induction programme for junior doctors to include education on clozapine monitoring Training for staff involved in clozapine clinics to ensure better understanding of monitoring requirements Procurement of ECG machines for each site and relevant training for nursing and medical staff Collaboration with GPs for shared data Re-audit in 1 year
DVB-T2 broadcasting with a single frequency network allows an efficient management of frequency utilization and extend the coverage area, which will enable more people to view a broadcast. The SFN mode also increases the concentration of the signal in overlap areas. However, some different of overlap areas in actual use of SFN networks may have some degradation of the received signal due to the effect of the SFN. In this research, we analyze SFN broadcasting in SISO mode. This paper represents the effects of delays on the SFN signal over different delay times within the guard interval by analyzing the minimum reception threshold. The analysis of received signal power, MER, bBER, LBER, and noise margin are studied using an actual digital television transmitter for the experiment. The results show that the minimum thresholds for a delay time at 0 microseconds will require higher receive signal power than other delay times within the GI. The results of this experiment are useful in designing the SFN network and make it possible to determine the appropriate C/N threshold for the design of the digital terrestrial television network.
Microbial biofilms are important in aquaculture industries as they resist antibiotic treatments. In this study, we have investigated the antibiofilm potential of a tropical marine culture Bacillus licheniformis D1 (containing an antimicrobial protein BLDZ1) against two aquaculture associated pathogens namely, Vibrio harveyi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Both the test cultures formed biofilms on polystyrene and glass surfaces. The cell free supernatant (CFS) of B. licheniformis inhibited V. harveyi and P. aeruginosa biofilms on polystyrene surfaces up to around 80% and 78% respectively. In addition, the CFS disrupted pre-formed biofilms of test cultures by about 73%. Fluorescence and scanning electron microscope analysis confirmed the antibiofilm potential of the CFS. The cell free supernatant displayed antiadhesive activity that inhibited the initial attachment of the bacteria during the process of biofilm formation. In addition, the CFS exhibited antimicrobial activity and mediated cell death via cytoplasmic membrane disruption.
The composition and permeability of the pericellular coat surrounding normal human mesothelial (NHM) cells have been studied in vitro. NHM cells were grown in the presence of 3H‐glucosamine and the amount of label recovered in hyaluronan and chondroitin sulfate was determined after selective enzymatic digestion of the polysaccharides in medium, pericellular, and intracellular pools. For comparison a similar analysis was carried out on mesothelioma cells (Mero‐14). Of the labeled polysaccharides in the medium and pericellular pools of NHM cells about 80–90% could be ascribed to hyaluronan and only 3–5% to chondrojtin sulfate. In contrast, Mero‐14 synthesized only minute amounts of hyaluronan whereas chondroitin sulfate corresponded to 61% of the total glycosaminoglycans in the culture. The results exclude a structure of the pericellular layer of NHM cells similar to the hyaluronan‐proteoglycan aggregates found in cartilage. The permeability of the pericellular layer was tested by the exclusion of polystyrene microspheres and bacteria of diameter 0.1–3.0 μm, as well as erythrocytes of diameter 7 μm. While the erythrocytes were excluded the smaller particles penetrated the coat. By adding 0.5 mg/ml of aggregating cartilage proteoglycan to the medium particles of 0.3 μm or larger were also excluded. Thus exogenous proteoglycans can reinforce the structure of the pericellular layer. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
Abstract This series of research seminars, organized in Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil, focused on Latin American and United States Latino art from 1960 to 1990. It challenges the dominant narrative of modernism that places Latin American and Latino art in the margins. Working together, senior scholars and advanced graduate students analyzed the history of Latin American avant-garde and neo-vanguard art from a comparative perspective, focusing on such topics as transnational exchanges among artists and collectives, and the impact of political and economic change.
The article describes the issues of environmental management and environmental savings. The goal of environmental management is to conserve and save raw materials, materials, energy resources, and to improve the environmental situation. This article describes the technical aspects of environmental management in mechanical engineering production. Identification of environmental aspects occurs on the basis of the process approach. To manage aspects of environmental management in engineering production an automated program “Coating Mode Solver” has been developed. The program interface is described. Automated program selects the optimal technical modes of the process. Optimal process modes allow managing environmental aspects, reducing resource consumption and having a positive impact on the green economy.
The present study applied assumptions of attention and working memory theories to tasks involving nonverbal (NV) communication. Thirty-six undergraduates interviewed for a job. Both type of interview (rote and improvisational) and type of observation (passive and active) were manipulated within groups. Participants were expected to observe fewer NV behaviors and indicate greater workload after active improvisational interviews. The results showed that participants detected fewer NV behaviors and reported higher mental workload when required to simultaneously participate in an interview and observe the interviewer, and particularly when they needed to improvise responses. These findings suggest that the ability to observe and possibly assess another’s NV behaviors may be compromised when engaged in an active conversation.
Using nonlinear partial differential equations (PDE) is a recent trend in image processing. In this paper, we propose a new method for extracting spatio-spectral information from hyperspectral satellite (HS) images for classification tasks, which is based on nonlinear diffusion PDEs. As the first step of the method, a feature reduction algorithm is applied to HS data to prevent the final feature vector from being too long. Kernel based principal component analysis is shown to be a good choice for the feature reduction step. At the next step of the method, a set of PDE smoothing filters are applied to a few KPCA components of the HS data, obtained from the first step, which produce a multiscale representation of the HS data. The members of the filter set only differ in their smoothing characteristics which are controlled by two distinct parameters. The extracted features (called extended PDE profile) are then fed into an SVM classifier. Some experiments are conducted on a well-known HS image, Indian Pines data set. Moreover, the classification results of the proposed method are compared to those of some recent spatio-spectral HS image classification methods. The experimental results show the good capability of the proposed method for HS image classification, as well as its better performance than the competing methods.
ABSTRACT The seasonal variation of mineral elements and the relationships among them were studied in natural populations of foxglove (Digitalis obscura). Young and mature leaves were collected in 10 different populations and on four sample dates (May, July, October, and February). Leaf mineral elements [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu)] were determined. The highest concentrations of N, P, and K in young leaf were recorded in May, followed by a decrease in the other months, while in contrast Ca and Fe showed the lowest concentration in May. Mature leaves showed differential seasonal behavior. Besides seasonal variations, significant fluctuations of N/P and Ca/Mg ratios were observed in young leaves. Strong positive correlations existed among N, P and K, while negative correlations were found between Ca and N, P, or K.
Photothermographic (PTG) imaging materials have become an indispensable application of silver technology that capitalizes on the capability of silver to undergo reduction to form a black and white image. Metallic silver, the light absorbing component of these imaging materials, has a unique morphology that provides good optical density and image tone. Understanding the silver chemistry portion of the metallic image formation process is important toward improving the photographic response of these materials. We have continued our investigation of various aspects of the silver coordination chemistry and report the solid state structures of several new silver complexes, utilizing ligands present in the PTG formulation, as well as model structures. Depending on the complexing agent and silver counterion, various silver complexes can be isolated and characterized. This report illustrates the silver-ligand interactions of silver compounds based on ortho-dicarboxylic acids, as well as the role ligand functionality could play in the imaging reactions based on these compounds.
Applying the techniques of resonant and off-resonant Doppler-free 2-photon laser spectroscopy, we have studied a number of transitions in the group IIIa elements Al, Ga and Tl with the thermionic diode. In order to check the accuracy of the experimental set-up and the spectroscopic method applied, the hfs of the intermediate state 3d 2D3/2,5/2 of 27Al has been determined from the spectra of the 3p 2PJ-3d 2DJ-nf 2FJ or -np 2PJ transitions and compared with more precise values by other authors from atomic beam magnetic resonance measurements. From 4p 2P1/2-nf 2FJ and 4p 2PJ-4d 2DJ-nf 2FJ or -np 2PJ transitions in 69,71Ga, we have deduced the hfs and the residual isotope shifts (RLIS) of the intermediate states (4d 2D3/2,5/2) and the RLIS of the 4p 2P1/2,3/2 ground states. In Tl, we have measured the 6p 2P1/2-nf2F5/2 (n = 6-9) and -10p 2P3/2 lines. From the experimental results we have determined the residual level isotope shift (205,203Tl) of the 6p 2P1/2 state and the hfs of the 10p 2P3/2 level.
Genetic algorithms (GAs) constitute a technique that has been applied with advantage to a variety of combinatorial problems. This work shows how the GAs can be used to optimize the job shop problem with many tasks, many machines, and precedence constraints. The authors introduce the technique of GAs and then show what makes the treatment of the job shop scheduling difficult. They then present an encoding of the problem that overcomes these difficulties. The performance of the algorithm is demonstrated with examples of real-world size.<<ETX>>
Experimental results from exploring the flowfield and noise generated by turbulent, high subsonic, single-stream jets are presented. We study the nature and directly measure the distribution of subsonic jet noise sources and attempt to establish their connection to some of its turbulence characteristics. Detailed measurements of the jet turbulence characteristics and of the spatial distribution of noise sources (using a linear phased array) are performed for an Mj = 0.6, Re D ≅10 6 isothermal jet. Noise source distributions are investigated for a wide range of jet Mach numbers (0.5 ≤ Mj ≤ 0.9) with and without heating (T j =80, 1000°F). The turbulence and source distribution measurements provide a unique experimental database for high subsonic turbulent jets with which to validate aeroacoustic prediction models
This paper addresses the gap in research on the social dimensions of refugee resettlement. This is accomplished by examining refugee belonging and definitions of “integration” through a case study of Acehnese refugees resettled in Vancouver, British Columbia, between 2004 and 2006. We analyze findings based on a survey and in-depth interviews conducted five years after resettlement. Our findings suggest that recently resettled groups like the Acehnese, who are “new and few,” face specif c integration challenges. Importantly, the lengthy timelines to enact sponsorship of a spouse and/or family reunification from Aceh unwittingly inhibit the social integration of the sponsors waiting in Canada. Cet article traite de lacunes en matiere de recherche sur les dimensions sociales de la reinstallation des refugies en examinant l’appartenance de refugies et les definitions de «l’integration» a travers une etude de cas de refugies acehnais reinstalles a Vancouver en Colombie-Britannique, entre 2004 et 2006. Nous analysons les resultats sur la base d’un sondage et d’entrevues en profondeur menes cinq ans apres la reinstallation. Nos resultats suggerent que des groupes recemment reinstalles comme les habitants d’Aceh, qui sont «nouveaux et rares», sont confrontes a des difficultes d’integration particulieres. Notamment, les longs delais pour etablir le parrainage d’un conjoint et/ou le regroupement des familles a Aceh empechent sans le vouloir l’integration sociale des parrains qui attendent au Canada.
Avionics implementation with less cables will clearly improve the efficiency of aircraft while reducing weight and maintenance costs. To fulfill these emerging needs, an innovative avionics communication architecture, based on Gigabit Full Duplex Ethernet ring, is proposed in this paper. To adapt this COTS technology to safety-critical avionics, an adequate tuning process of the communication protocol and the choice of reliability mechanisms to achieve timely and reliable communications are first detailed. Then, efficient timing analyses of such a proposal based on Network Calculus are conducted, accounting the impact of a ring topology and the specified reliability mechanisms. Third, these general analyses are illustrated in the case of a realistic avionic application, to replace the AFDX backup network with AeroRing, to reduce wires, while guaranteeing timely communications.
1 Monk B. Amiodarone-induced photosensitivity and basal-cell carcinoma. Clin Exp Dermatol 1990; 15: 319–20. 2 Monk B. Basal cell carcinoma following amiodarone therapy. Br J Dermatol 1995; 133: 148–9. 3 Roupe G, Larkö O, Olsson SB. Amiodarone photoreactions. Acta Derm Venereol 1987; 67: 76–9. 4 Wallberg P. A clinical and experimental study of basal cell carcinoma. Aspects on epidemiology, genetics and micro-physiology. Stockholm, Sweden: Karolinska Institutet, 2000, Thesis.
Let E be an optimal elliptic curve over Q of conductor N, such that the L-function of E vanishes to order one at s = 1. Let K be a quadratic imaginary field in which all the primes dividing N are split and such that the L-function of E over K also vanishes to order one at s = 1. In view of the Gross-Zagier theorem, the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture says that the index in E(K) of the subgroup generated by the Heegner point is equal to the product of the Manin constant of E, the Tamagawa numbers of E, and the square root of the order of the Shafarevich-Tate group of E (over K). We extract an integer factor from the index mentioned above and relate this factor to certain congruences of the newform associated to E with eigenforms of analytic rank bigger than one. We use the theory of visibility to show that, under certain hypotheses (which includes the first part of the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture on rank), if an odd prime q divides this factor, then q divides the order of the Shafarevich-Tate group, as predicted by the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture.
Automatic emergency braking (AEB) system play an essential role in avoiding traffic collisions and minimizing impact strengths, which contributes to improving road traffic safety. However, the present research of the AEB system is mainly concentrated on avoiding the car to car and car to pedestrian collisions. China has typical mixed traffic characteristics, especially the frequent car to two-wheeler collision accidents. Research on the AEB system to prevent car to two-wheeler collisions in complex multi-traffic scenarios is of great significance to further improve the comprehensive performance of the AEB system. In this article, based on the cases of the car to two-wheeler collisions from China In-Depth Accident Study (CIDAS) database, the effects of three key parameters of the AEB system, braking deceleration, braking advance time, and detection range, on the accident rate and severity are studied by accident reconstruction and virtual experiment. Results show that the theoretical optimal detection range of the AEB system is 180°–35 m for the car to two-wheeler collision prevention. Moreover, the current feasible optimal detection range is 120°–35 m due to the limitation of environmental awareness technology. When the braking advance time is 1 s, the detection angle is 120°, and the detection distance is 35 m, the installation of the AEB system can avoid 22.3% of the car to two-wheeler collision accidents. Meanwhile, in the inevitable accidents, the average collision speed of vehicles decreases from 33.93 to 21.34 km/h, which effectively reduces the collision strengths. Findings of this study could help car manufacturers and makers of AEB hardware select the appropriate detection radar. They can also provide ideas and data support for formulating relevant laws and regulations of the AEB system, future development of AEB system, or other driver assistance systems.
Injuries to the flexor pulley system of the hand, while uncommon, can be problematic and debilitating for patients. Current standards of diagnosis for A2 pulley disruptions often include costly imaging studies and inaccurate clinical testing. We present the case of a patient with an isolated complete A2 pulley avulsion that was diagnosed by employing a simple technique using a silicone wedding ring. A silicone wedding band was applied over the region of a suspected A2 pulley rupture, resulting in the immediate restoration of full range of motion as well as complete resolution of the injury after three months, without any need for surgical intervention. The usage of this ring confirmed an A2 pulley avulsion that was visualized on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The proposed “Wedding Band Test” is potentially an accurate and inexpensive diagnostic tool for clinical evaluation of A2 pulley ruptures.
RATIONALE, AIMS, AND OBJECTIVES Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) were introduced to summarize the best scientific evidence available. Thereby, CPG were meant to support evidence-based medicine (EBM). However, besides evidence, EBM also asks for patients' preferences and physicians' experiences to be considered when coming to therapeutic decisions. Thus, deviations from CPG recommendations are sometimes necessary when practicing EBM. We wanted to examine whether CPG support deviations from their recommendations when appropriate. For operationalization, we asked whether absolute effect sizes (AES) for benefit and/or harm of suggested therapies were provided along with the respective CPG recommendation.   METHODS This systematic survey comprised the most common CPG on chronic coronary heart disease (CCHD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from English- and German-speaking countries. Only CPG recommendations on pharmacotherapy were evaluated. If AES of a recommended therapy were reported, we rated how easily findable they were within the CPG. Moreover, we assessed whether the CPG provided patient information material and whether this material supplied AES allowing patients to determine the effects to be expected.   RESULTS In the 13 CPG surveyed, 144 recommendations on pharmacotherapy were identified. For 108 recommendations (75%), no AES for benefit and/or harm were reported. Thirty-one recommendations (22%) were accompanied by one or more AES for either benefit or harm. Along with five recommendations (3%), one or more AES for both benefit and harm were given. AES were considered easy to find for three of these 36 recommendations (8%). Patient information material was provided in three of the 13 CPG (23%) accounting for AES in one occasion only.   CONCLUSION Current CPG on T2DM and CCHD do not sufficiently offer AES for benefits and harms of recommended therapies. Thus, they lack satisfactory information to support deviations from CPG recommendations. Consequently, CPG in their present form do not adequately facilitate EBM.
The main objective of creating conditions for sustainable development of rural areas is the formation of professional staff capable of developing and implementing effective management decisions. The development of agriculture requires a rational approach to the use of all types of productive resources, taking into account environmental aspects, achieving the fullest possible employment of the rural population. To solve these problems it is necessary to attract highly qualified specialists. They should have the complex of theoretical and practical skills, knowledge and abilities. Agricultural producers must be confident in the high level of graduates of higher educational establishments of agrarian profile coming to work for them. To ensure a balance between the demands of employers for graduates and state standards allows the system of public accreditation of educational agricultural programs. The aim of the study is to determine the development of common requirements for the training of specialists of higher education engaged in agriculture. For it 95 employers, who are leaders of different levels in the agro-industrial complex, were interviewed in 10 regions of Russia and Belarus by survey and interviewing methods. Production standards benchmarks for the evaluation of the education quality is implemented in the framework of mathematical models based on statistical data. The agribusiness entities have given database for modeling through the peer review, the results of mathematical calculations underlying the determination of professional https://doi.org/10.15414/isd2018.s9.16 THE QUALITY ASSURANCE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION ... 2053 competences of future specialists. The results of the research are the basis of the national Agency for Accreditation of Agricultural Programs activities, created with the participation of the authors.
In this paper, we examine data acquisition in a high harmonic generation (HHG) lab and preliminary data analysis with the Cyclohexadiene Collaboration at the Linac Coherent Lightsource (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. HHG experiments have a large number of parameters that need to be monitored constantly. In particular, the pressure of the target is critical to HHG yield. However, this pressure can fluctuate wildly and without a tool to monitor it, it is difficult to analyze the correlation between HHG yield and the pressure. I used the Arduino microcontroller board and created a complementary MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI), thereby enhancing the ease with which users can acquire time-stamped parameter data. Using the Arduino, it is much easier to match the pressure to the corresponding HHG yield. Collecting data by using the Arduino and the GUI is flexible, user-friendly, and cost-effective. In the future, we hope to be able to control and monitor parts of the lab with the Arduino alone. While more parameter information is needed in the HHG lab, we needed to reduce the amount of data during the cyclohexadiene collaboration. This was achieved by sorting the data into bins and filtering out unnecessary details. This methodmore » was highly effective in that it minimized the amount of data without losing any valuable information. This effective preliminary data analysis technique will continue to be used to decrease the size of the collected data.« less
A dtsR gene encoding a homolog of the beta subunit of some biotin-containing enzymes suppresses a detergent-sensitive mutation of Brevibacterium lactofermentum (E. Kimura et al., 1996, Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. 60, 1565-1570), which has been used for the fermentative production of L-glutamate. When the dtsR gene was disrupted, the organism exhibited strict fatty acid auxotrophy; oleate or oleate ester, but not palmitate ester or stearate ester, supported the growth of the delta dtsR mutant. Immunoblotting with an anti-DtsR antibody revealed that no intact DtsR was present in the cytosol of the delta dtsR mutant. In the presence of an excess of biotin, the wild type strain did not produce L-glutamate whereas the delta dtsR mutant efficiently produced it. The mechanism underlying the efficient production of L-glutamate by the delta dtsR mutant is discussed as to the possible role of dtsR in fatty acid metabolism.
ABSTRACT Gene regulatory networks and tissue morphogenetic events drive the emergence of shape and function: the pillars of embryo development. Although model systems offer a window into the molecular biology of cell fate and tissue shape, mechanistic studies of our own development have so far been technically and ethically challenging. However, recent technical developments provide the tools to describe, manipulate and mimic human embryos in a dish, thus opening a new avenue to exploring human development. Here, I discuss the evidence that supports a role for the crosstalk between cell fate and tissue shape during early human embryogenesis. This is a critical developmental period, when the body plan is laid out and many pregnancies fail. Dissecting the basic mechanisms that coordinate cell fate and tissue shape will generate an integrated understanding of early embryogenesis and new strategies for therapeutic intervention in early pregnancy loss. Summary: Dissecting the mechanisms behind cell fate specification, tissue shape changes and their mutual regulation generates an integrated understanding of embryogenesis. Recent technological advances now make this possible in the human embryo.
An experiment was conducted during 2014 growing season at Al â€“Rabi date palm station/Zafaraniah /Baghdad to study the effect of  chemical  fertilization time on NPK pannaes  contents,offsets number  and yield  of new date  palm breading for Barhee, Zahdee and Kathrawee Mandly cultivars . There are five chemical  fertilization times first time (march and September) second time  (march, April  and September) third time  (march, April ,May  and September) forth time(march, April ,May, June and September) and the last time in September , an experiment was growing under drip irrigation. The results show that  a significant increases in nitrogen and  phousphors pannas contents in September  , it were 1.33 , 0.226 mg.kg-1 dry mater for  nitrogen and  phousphors respectly  ,the highest  value of nitrogen pannas content had record in Zahdee cultivar it was 1.36 mg N.kg-1 dry mater , the highest value of nitrogen pannas content had record in Kathrawee Mandly cultivar fertilized in September it was 0.247 mgP.kg-1 dry mater .There were a significant increases in potassium  pannas content in forth time  , it were 1.262 mgK.kg-1 dry mater  ,the highest  value of potassium  pannas content had record in Zahdee cultivar fertilized in forth time  it was 1.20 mg K.kg-1 dry mater, although results show a significant increase in yield  in second time  , it was 13.78 kg.tree-1  , the highest  value of yield had record in Kathrawee Mandly cultivar it was 13.85 kg.tree-1 , the highest  value of yield  had record in Kathrawee Mandly cultivar fertilized in second time  it was 15.67 kg.tree-1,  although results show a significant increase in off sheet number  in first time , it was 9.56 offsheet.tree-1  , the highest  value of yield had record in Kathrawee Mandly cultivar it was 9.17 offsheet.tree-1 , the highest  value of yield  had record in Kathrawee Mandly cultivar fertilized in first time  it was 14.33 offsheet.tree-1.
Blood loss during grafting surgery represents a major concern of this procedure and the development of hemostatic agents for this indication is highly desirable. TT-173 is the first biologically active treatment based on tissue factor instead of thrombin. This study sought to investigate the efficacy, systemic absorption, and toxicology of TT-173 in animal models to support clinical evaluation of the product in donor sites of patients subjected to skin grafting. Procoagulant efficacy of 148 &mgr;g of TT-173 was evaluated in pigs in presence and absence of anticoagulant treatment with unfractioned heparin. Systemic absorption was quantified and characterized in rats subjected to severe skin lesions with affectation of muscular plane using TT-173 radiolabeled with 125I. The same animal model was used to test the toxicology of a dose of 80 &mgr;g of the product. Application of TT-173 significantly reduced the bleeding time of donor sites, even under anticoagulant treatment. Systemic absorption was low; it was excreted through urine and did not concentrate in organs such as liver, lung, or spleen suggesting that the absorbed dose could correspond to degradation fragments without procoagulant activity. Finally, a dose of 80 &mgr;g of TT-173 did not cause analytical disturbances suggestive of intravascular coagulation or any other adverse reaction. Nonclinical data obtained suggest that TT-173 could be useful to reduce the blood loss associated to burns treatment and support the clinical evaluation of the product in donor sites of patients subjected to skin grafting.
P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that interprets environmental stimuli via 26 chemoreceptors that signal through 4 distinct chemosensory systems. The second chemosensory system, Che2, contains a receptor named Aer2 that senses O2 and mediates stress responses and virulence and tunes chemotactic behavior. ABSTRACT The Aer2 chemoreceptor from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an O2 sensor involved in stress responses, virulence, and tuning the behavior of the chemotaxis (Che) system. Aer2 is the sole receptor of the Che2 system. It is soluble, but membrane associated, and forms complexes at the cell pole during stationary phase. The domain arrangement of Aer2 is unusual, with a PAS sensing domain sandwiched between five HAMP domains, followed by a C-terminal kinase-control output domain. The first three HAMP domains form a poly-HAMP chain N-terminal to the PAS sensing domain. HAMP domains are often located between signal input and output domains, where they transduce signals. Given that HAMP1 to 3 reside N-terminal to the input-output pathway, we undertook a systematic examination of their function in Aer2. We found that HAMP1 to 3 influence PAS signaling over a considerable distance, as the majority of HAMP1, 2 and 3 mutations, and deletions of helical phase stutters, led to nonresponsive signal-off or off-biased receptors. PAS signal-on lesions that mimic activated Aer2 also failed to override N-terminal HAMP signal-off replacements. This indicates that HAMP1 to 3 are critical coupling partners for PAS signaling and likely function as a cohesive unit and moveable scaffold to correctly orient and poise PAS dimers for O2-mediated signaling in Aer2. HAMP1 additionally controlled the clustering and polar localization of Aer2 in P. aeruginosa. Localization was not driven by HAMP1 charge, and HAMP1 signal-off mutants still localized. Employing HAMP as a clustering and localization determinant, as well as a facilitator of PAS signaling, are newly recognized roles for HAMP domains. IMPORTANCE P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that interprets environmental stimuli via 26 chemoreceptors that signal through 4 distinct chemosensory systems. The second chemosensory system, Che2, contains a receptor named Aer2 that senses O2 and mediates stress responses and virulence and tunes chemotactic behavior. Aer2 is membrane associated, but soluble, and has three N-terminal HAMP domains (HAMP1 to 3) that reside outside the signal input-output pathway of Aer2. In this study, we determined that HAMP1 to 3 facilitate O2-dependent signaling from the PAS sensing domain and that HAMP1 controls the formation of Aer2-containing polar foci in P. aeruginosa. Both of these are newly recognized roles for HAMP domains that may be applicable to other non-signal-transducing HAMP domains and poly-HAMP chains.
Gendered differences concerning intellectual and physical religious expressions in medieval Europe have previously been discussed by several medievalists. It has been suggested that medieval male piety was expressed primarily in practical and intellectual terms within canonical rituals and in verbalized form in prayers and mass. Female piety, on the other hand, is thought to have been expressed in more physical terms, using bodily expressions as self starvation and the embracement of disease. Notifications in the Swedish late medieval Vadstena Diary, discussed in this article, suggest that the brethren who kept the diary were biased by these gendered ideals in their selection of what and how they documented the diseases and deaths of the female and male monastic members. It seems as if it was perceived as especially serious and noteworthy when male inhabitants were afflicted in ways that hindered their performance of their ritual duties. For women it seems as if leprosy might have been perceived as something that elevated their pious status by their distressful endurance. It also seems as if obesity – the opposite to the ideal of the holy anorectic – was judged as more shameful in a pious woman than in a pious man. In the article I take the discussion of late medieval pious ideals one step further and suggest that these gendered attitudes affected what kind of surgical, medical and hygienic treatments were expected by and provided for male and female monastic inhabitants. Through the rich archaeological materials from Cistercian institutions (mainly Alvastra and Vreta) it is possible to study the traces of their lived reality. The archaeological finds indicate that while special equipment for medication existed at both male and female institutions, surgical treatments were more extensively provided at male institutions. The same goes for wound treatments and the attention to personal hygiene.
The article actualizes the problem of the specifics ideas of University graduate students about coping difficult situations that they may encounter in their future professional activities. The purpose of the article is to present to the professional community the results of the study of the peculiarities of the presentation of students in the humanitarian and technical areas of training about difficult life situations and ways to overcome them. The authors predict the emergence of difficult life situations in the future professional activities of students. The sample consisted of 75 people, 36 people direction of preparation “Technosphere Safety” and 39 people direction of preparation “Teacher Education”. The data were collected using the methods: “Ways of overcoming negative situations” (S. Goncharova), “Ways of Coping Questionnaire” (R. Lazarus), “Life Style Index” (L.I. Vasserman et al.), and incomplete sentences. It has been established that for university graduates the concept of a “difficult life situation” is defined as some state of concern about the result. It is proved that they have the peculiarities of psychological readiness to overcome difficult life situations in their future professional activities. The identified peculiarities can be used in the preparation of a program for ensuring labor safety and protecting the health.
The safeguarding vulnerable groups bill aims to improve the system of checks on staff and volunteers who want to work in social care, health or education. However, it creates different levels of protection for children and for vulnerable adults. This article sets out the concerns expressed by a small coalition of disability charities that argued for improvements to the bill during its passage through Parliament. In particular, they wished to rectify the bill's failure to provide for mandatory checks on staff working privately for vulnerable adults who lack the capacity to manage their own affairs. These arguments were opposed by carers' organisations that wanted to avoid increasing the regulatory burden on carers. We critically examine these arguments, and ask whether there is a conflict of interests between carers and vulnerable adults.
During the past decade, the number of individuals with organ failure and those in need of organ transplantation has increased, whereas the number of organ donors has remained relatively constant. The resulting gap between “supply and demand” has made organ transplantation an important and widely discussed topic. Compared to the general American population, 95 percent of whom support organ donation, according to survey research only 15-51 percent of Muslim Americans support it. Moreover, as Islamic scholars and jurists continue to discuss its permissibility and associated medical technologies, organ transplantation remains a contentious issue for Muslim patients, chaplains, and physicians. For this reason, on September 10, 2018, the University of Chicago’s Initiative on Islam and Medicine, along with support from the Chicago Muslim Medical Alliance, held a one-day intensive workshop on the “Ethics of Organ Donation.” The program featured a line-up of national and international scholars who addressed the biomedical, philosophical, and ethico-legal underpinnings of organ transplantation from the perspective of both Islamic and Muslim bioethics, to borrow Professor Aasim Padela’s key terminology.0 F1 The event kicked off with a networking dinner for attendees and presenters. Breaking bread together over a game of trivia was both a great ice breaker and an ingenious way to introduce the workshop’s topics, which ranged from determining the percentage of American Muslim physicians who are registered organ donors (answer: 30 percent), to answering who is generally considered the father of the higher objectives of the Sharia (answer: Imam al-Shāṭibī [d. 1388]). I recall this last question in particular, as it was the only one that I answered correctly. The highlight of the evening was being able to pick the minds of some of the brilliant men and women in the field, such as Profs. Abdulaziz Sachedina, Peter Pormann, Ayman Shabana, and Dr. Mehrunisha Suleman.
We demonstrate for the first time molybdenum based oxygen-bearing electrodes for improved performance in MANOS (Metal-Alumina-Nitride-Oxide) charge-trap NVM, and also MIM-DRAM type devices. The meta-stable high work- function (Wfn) molybdenum-oxynitride (MoON) electrodes result in improved retention and erase saturation for the charge trap NVM devices and improved leakage for the MIM devices. Although some of the observed improvements, compared to conventional TaN or TIN electrodes, can be attributed to the higher effective Wfn of the MoON, the improvements are also attributed to free oxygen available during deposition, and also released from the MoON electrode during thermal processing, repairing defects in the respective dielectrics adjacent to the MoON electrodes.
The only known twin pair evidently discordantly affected for the BDLS (Brachmann-de Lange syndrome) and who had been considered monozygotic (MZ) based on blood analysis remained a problem because biological zygosity determination needed further typing. In this report we review the clinical findings of this pair of twins at the age of 20. The use of DNA fingerprinting with three multilocus probes, F10, DNF24, and 33.6, allowed us to present evidence of monozygosity with a high degree of certainty. The significance of this confirmation of discordance in determining the cause of BDLS is discussed. Intensive comparative genomic studies of the discordant twin sisters may be useful to unravel the molecular genetics of this enigmatic pattern of malformation.
This study examined the relationship between hedonic factors and casino game choice. The hedonic factors examined were emotion, sensation seeking and impulsivity, absorbing ex periences, and analytical characteristics. The constructs were measured using the Mehra bian and Russell Pleasure, Arousal, and Dominance Scale; the Zuckerman Sensation Seek ing and Impulsivity Scale; the Swanson Absorbing Experience Scale; and an analytical scale developed by the researchers. The data were factor analyzed and the resulting four- factor model was used in subsequent logistic regression to identify a game choice model for mechanical game players and table game players. Table game players are more deeply in volved and tend to be more aware of the intricacies of the games than mechanical game players. Table game players are not as impulsive and tend to be more controlled than me chanical game players.
Phosphorus availability in samples of Aquatibia (Typic xerofluvent) and Hoda (Ultic haploxeralf) soils incubated with increasing amounts of organic materials (barley straw, cowpea plant tops, dairy manure and sewage sludge) was estimated by different chemical methods and by measuring the activity of the enzymes acid phosphatase and phosphodiesterase, at the Department of Soils and Environmental Sciences of the University of California/Riverside, from January to November of 1985. In a greenhouse study, yield of dry matter and P uptake by corn plants cultivated in the soil samples with the same organic materials were measured. Water extraction method correlated significantly with P uptake only when dairy manure and sewage sludge were added to Aquatibia and Hoda soils, respectively. The anion-exchange resin and the Mehlich 1 methods were suitable for measuring the P availability to plants when soils received increasing amounts of organic residues, as in both cases this variable was highly correlated with the yield of dry matter and the amount of P uptaken. The high amounts of P extracted by the anion-exchange resin procedure from the soil with high P sorption capacity indicated that this method not only took into account the intensity factor but also gave a better estimate of the capacity factor. Soil phosphodiesterase activity revealed to be a good index for estimating the P availability to the plant when both soils were amended with cowpea plant tops and dairy manure.
In order to solve the small cutting strip width and poor surface quality problems when spiral bevel gears are CNC machined by ball-end mills£¬a machining method of face milling spiral bevel gears by using a disc cutter with a concave end is presented. Based on the researches of spiral bevel gears geometry structure, through a bigger diameter disc cutter with a concave end selected, the setting order of cutter orientation angles changed, and the functions of cutter tilt and yaw angle separated, tooth surfaces machined with big cutting strip width and no bottom land gouge can be expected. Finally, taking a spiral bevel gear pair as an example, through machining and measurement experiments, the method feasibility and correctness are verified
Tryptophan and serotonin levels in duodenum mucosa and blood serum of rats under progesterone long-term administration have been determined. The studies show that tryptophan and the serotonin content increase in rats under progesterone long-term administration compared with control group of rats. Obtained data give evidence that biosynthetic pathway of serotonin, particularly, content of serotonin, is involved in the obesity development induced by progesterone long-term administration.
Ultra-thin aluminum (Al) and tin (Sn) films were grown by dc magnetron sputtering on a glass substrate. The electrical resistance R of films was measured in-situ method during the film growth. Also transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study was carried out to observe the microstructure of the films. In the ultra-thin film study, an exact determination of a coalescence thickness and a continuous film thickness is very important. Therefore, we tried to measure the minimum thickness for continuous film (dmin) by means of a graphical method using a number of different y-values as a function of film thickness. The raw date obtained in this study provides a graph of in-situ resistance of metal film as a function of film thickness. For the Al film, there occurs a maximum value in a graph of in-situ electrical resistance versus film thickness. Using the results in this study, we could define clearly the minimum thickness for continuous film where the position of minimum values in the graph when we put the value of Rd3 to y-axis and the film thickness to x-axis. The measured values for the minimum thickness for continuous film are 21 nm and 16 nm for sputtered Al and Sn films, respectively. The new method for defining the minimum thickness for continuous film in this study can be utilized in a basic data when we design an ultra-thin film for the metallization application in nano-scale devices.
We report a case of a 35-year-old previously healthy man treated with clomiphene for infertility, who presented with blurred vision in his left eye due to ocular vein occlusion as documented by fluorescein angiography. The patient was heterozygous for the factor V Leiden (FV Leiden) mutation and for the 1298 A-C polymorphism of the methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene. He was treated with clopidogrel and is now free of symptoms. Because congenital thrombophilia is a moderate risk factor for central retinal vein occlusion and the administration of clomiphene may trigger this process, we recommend screening of young patients for FV Leiden before clomiphene treatment.
Abstract Context: Ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) constitutes a predominant cause of obstructive hydronephrosis. Fundamental questions regarding the assessment and treatment of infants and children with obstructive nephropathy remain unanswered. Objective: Several studies have investigated the usefulness of substances that could serve as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in children with UPJO. Aim of the present study is to systematically review the literature on biomarkers that have been studied to date in patients with UPJO. Methods: The main search was conducted in the electronic databases MEDLINE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) from inception through March 2014 using various combinations of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Results: The 14 included studies reported data on 380 UPJO patients who underwent surgery, 174 who were treated conservatively and 213 controls. Conclusion: Some biomarkers offer promising results however more multicenter, prospective carefully designed studies are needed to evaluate their diagnostic and prognostic value.
ABSTRACT Dissolved concentrations of uranium and potentially associated parameters, including nitrate, alkalinity, calcium, iron, manganese, vanadium, and fluoride, were compiled for 65 water wells sampled between 2015 and 2017 in a southern part of the Gulf Coast Aquifer, Texas. Sampled wells ranged from 3.0 m to 762.2 m deep, with a median depth of 120.0 m. Uranium concentrations ranged from less than 1 μg/L to 243 μg/L, with a median concentration of 5.94 μg/L. At seven wells, uranium concentrations exceeded the EPA drinking water standard of 30 μg/L. Based upon Spearman rank correlation, at a significance level of 0.01, significant positive associations were observed between uranium and vanadium, nitrate, and calcium concentrations. Significant negative associations were found between uranium concentrations and both iron concentrations and pH. Results suggest that processes adding nitrate and calcium to the aquifer may also mobilise uranium, through oxidative dissolution of reduced uranium-bearing minerals and subsequent formation of soluble uranium-calcium-carbonate complexes.
X ray powder patterns have been obtained on MnF2 at 35 kbar and 200°C. Original rutile type patterns have disappeared completely, and the new patterns may be indexed as tetragonal with a = 5.122 ± 0.002 A and c = 5.256 ± 0.003 A. Intensity measurements are best fit by the space group (P42m) but do not preclude other space groups of still lower symmetry. This structure is a distortion of the fluorite type (Fm3m). The density 4.478 is some 14% greater than that of the rutile type.
Key Points Question What are the estimated sample sizes needed to adequately power parallel cluster-randomized trials with common health care–associated infection outcomes, and how do the parameters affect these estimates in the field of hospital infection control and antimicrobial stewardship? Findings This cohort study found that large sample sizes were needed to appropriately power cluster-randomized trials in the field of hospital epidemiology, because the outcomes are rare. The expected effectiveness of the intervention and the strength of correlation within a cluster had the greatest association with the estimated sample size. Meaning These findings suggest that better-designed cluster-randomized trials in the field of hospital epidemiology and antimicrobial stewardship that appropriately account for clustering and realistic effect sizes will provide a more reliable evidence base for advancing recommendations and best practices.
The growing demand upon existing reserves of blood requires a more efficient use of this limited resource. Numerous regional medical centers have shown the current practice of type and crossmatch to be highly inefficient, whereas the proven, safe type and screen method for reserving blood units effectively increases the available blood pool and decreases costs of maintaining a blood bank. Approaches other than the crossmatch to transfusion ratio are proposed to provide objectivity for establishing procedures to be converted to type and screen and the appropriate number of units for patients requiring a type and crossmatch. Cumulative blood ordering recommendations are provided.
Antitumor effect of our Candida utilis glucomannan preparation (YPS) was evaluated in two syngeneic transplantable tumors; the Lewis lung carcinoma (3LL) in C57BL/6 (B6) mice and the 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA)-induced fibrosarcoma in C3H/He mice. YPS inhibited preferentially the 3LL pulmonary metastases only when optimal dosage was given at an earlier stage; 7 daily intraperitoneal (i.p.) doses of 100 mg/kg per dose from the next day of tumor inoculation (1 X 10(5)/mouse, subcutaneously, s.c.) substantially reduced the number of metastatic nodules, yielding the inhibition ratio 54% on day 21. However, the same treatment delayed until day 8 markedly facilitated the metastatic spread (-105%). Postsurgical-adjuvant therapy with YPS (10 daily i.p. doses of 100 mg/kg per dose from the next day of surgery) was effective in improving the survival rate with no evidence of metastatic growth on day 200, even though the amputation of the tumor-bearing legs was performed after the pulmonary metastases had been established (on day 20). In the MCA-fibrosarcoma model, YPS treatment from day 3 (10 daily doses of 100 mg/kg per dose) was effective in prolonging the survival period. The 3LL local tumor was affected only marginally and temporarily, while the MCA-tumor was not at all.
This study presents a methodology for the quantitative description of small‐scale delta clinothems. The quantitative bed‐data analysis is based on three‐dimensional virtual outcrop models generated by ground‐based laser scanning (Light Detection and Ranging). A large number of clinothem bed measurements have been collected from the ancient forced regressive delta system of the Panther Tongue that crops out in Utah, USA. In river‐dominated marginal marine environments, clinothems separated by clinoform surfaces represent the former position of the delta front as it prograded. Systematic collection of data from virtual outcrop models has allowed for accurate, spatially constrained measurement of individual bed thicknesses and the compilation of a detailed database on clinothems and associated clinoform geometries. Measurement locations were selected so that each measurement was 10 m down depositional dip from the previous one. The study area covers 5 km2 within which 2376 measurements were made from 50 separate clinothems in 320 different positions within the virtual outcrop. A bed taper parameter permitted the thinning of the clinothems to be described as a single number and thus allowed relative comparison between beds. Combined measurements were also used to calculate the average dip angle of the clinothems. Analysis of the vertical and lateral stacking of the clinothems has revealed a series of stratigraphic cycles which are termed bedsets (stream‐mouth bars). The surfaces that bound the bedsets are unremarkable and it is unlikely that their significance would be recognized without this style of detailed analysis. A cyclic depositional pattern, interpreted as related to autocyclic processes and compensational stacking of mouth bars, is proposed as the origin of these packages. Mapped length/thickness trends constrain the spread of these variables, and can be used to constrain subsurface models of analogous hydrocarbon reservoirs.
In this paper, model reference adaptive control (MRAC) schemes are developed for discrete-time plants in the presence of sensor uncertainties. Two adaptive schemes are proposed for both known and unknown plant dynamics to account for parametrizable sensor uncertainties when reliable output measurements are not available for feedback. As an illustrative example, a simulation study is carried out for adaptive control of an artificial pancreas dynamic model with glucose sensor uncertainties, for desired blood glucose regulation.
The unilateral disposition of stock rights’ voting rights detracts from the welfare of the other shareholders. Contractual arrangements restricting or prohibiting the transfer of stock rights under the capital majority rule may infringe upon shareholders’ right of withdrawal, further weakening stock market constraints on senior management and indirectly raising the agency cost of management abuse of power for private ends. In creating a legal structure for stock rights transfer, we need to find an appropriate balance between freedom of contract, capital majority rule and reduction of agency costs. Judges should determine that the transfer of voting rights is invalid in order to ensure that voting rights match residual claim rights and maintain the constraints on senior management represented by shareholder voting rights. The general prohibition of stock rights transfer in the articles of association blocks shareholders’ right of withdrawal; this is not conducive to restraining potential abuses of power on the part of senior management and should be made invalid. Judges must differentiate between long- and short-term contracts and the initial and revised clauses of the articles of association in order to distinguish between the efficacy of different arrangements limiting transfer of stock rights as laid down in the articles of association.
For more flexibility of environmental perception by artificial intelligence it is needed to exist the supporting software modules, which will be able to automate the creation of specific language syntax and to make a further analysis for relevant decisions based on semantic functions. According of our proposed approach, of which implementation it is possible to create the couples of formal rules of given sentences (in case of natural languages) or statements (in case of special languages) by helping of computer vision, speech recognition or editable text conversion system for further automatic improvement. In other words, we have developed an approach, by which it can be achieved to significantly improve the training process automation of artificial intelligence, which as a result will give us a higher level of self-developing skills independently from us (from users). At the base of our approach we have developed a software demo version, which includes the algorithm and software code for the entire above mentioned component's implementation (computer vision, speech recognition and editable text conversion system). The program has the ability to work in a multi - stream mode and simultaneously create a syntax based on receiving information from several sources.
Background: Despite extensive study, the role of folate in colorectal cancer remains unclear. Research has therefore begun to address the role of other elements of the folate-methionine metabolic cycles. This study investigated factors other than folate involved in one-carbon metabolism, i.e., choline, betaine, dimethylglycine, sarcosine, and methionine and relevant polymorphisms, in relation to the risk of colorectal cancer in a population with low intakes and circulating levels of folate. Methods: This was a prospective case–control study of 613 case subjects and 1,190 matched control subjects nested within the population-based Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study. We estimated odds ratios (OR) by conditional logistic regression, and marginal risk differences with weighted maximum likelihood estimation using incidence data from the study cohort. Results: Higher plasma concentrations of methionine and betaine were associated with modest colorectal cancer risk reductions (OR [95% confidence interval {CI}] for highest versus lowest tertile: 0.76 [0.57, 0.99] and 0.72 [0.55, 0.94], respectively). Estimated marginal risk differences corresponded to approximately 200 fewer colorectal cancer cases per 100,000 individuals on average. We observed no clear associations between choline, dimethylglycine, or sarcosine and colorectal cancer risk. The inverse association of methionine was modified by plasma folate concentrations (OR [95% CI] for highest/lowest versus lowest/lowest tertile of plasma methionine/folate concentrations 0.39 [0.24, 0.64], Pinteraction = 0.06). Conclusions: In this population-based, nested case–control study with a long follow-up time from baseline to diagnosis (median: 8.2 years), higher plasma concentrations of methionine and betaine were associated with lower colorectal cancer risk. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/EDE/B83.
Background Puerarin is a major isoflavonoid compound extracted from Radix puerariae. It has a weak estrogenic action by binding to estrogen receptors (ERs). In our early clinical practice to treat endometriosis, a better therapeutic effect was achieved if the formula of traditional Chinese medicine included Radix puerariae. The genomic and non-genomic effects of puerarin were studied in our Lab. This study aims to investigate the ability of puerarin to bind competitively to ERs in human endometriotic stromal cells (ESCs), determine whether and how puerarin may influence phosphorylation of the non-genomic signaling pathway induced by 17ß-estradiol conjugated to BSA (E2-BSA). Methodology ESCs were successfully established. Binding of puerarin to ERs was assessed by a radioactive competitive binding assay in ESCs. Activation of the signaling pathway was screened by human phospho-kinase array, and was further confirmed by western blot. Cell proliferation was analyzed according to the protocol of CCK-8. The mRNA and protein levels of cyclin D1, Cox-2 and Cyp19 were determined by real-time PCR and western blotting. Inhibitor of MEK1/2 or ER antagonist was used to confirm the involved signal pathway. Principal Findings Our data demonstrated that the total binding ability of puerarin to ERs on viable cells is around 1/3 that of 17ß-estradiol (E2). E2-BSA was able to trigger a rapid, non-genomic, membrane-mediated activation of ERK1/2 in ESCs and this phenomenon was associated with an increased proliferation of ESCs. Treating ESCs with puerarin abrogated the phosphorylation of ERK and significantly decreased cell proliferation, as well as related gene expression levels enhanced by E2-BSA. Conclusions/Significance Puerarin suppresses proliferation of ESCs induced by E2-BSA partly via impeding a rapid, non-genomic, membrane-initiated ERK pathway, and down-regulation of Cyclin D1, Cox-2 and Cyp19 are involved in the process. Our data further show that puerarin may be a new candidate to treat endometriosis.
The concept of Age of Information (AoI) minimization in wireless networks has garnered huge interest in recent times. While current literature focuses on scheduling for AoI minimization, there is also a need to efficiently utilize the underlying physical layer resources. In this paper, we consider the problem of energy-efficient scheduling for AoI minimization in an opportunistic NOMA/OMA downlink broadcast wireless network, where the user equipment operate with diverse QoS requirements. We first formulate a resource allocation problem to minimize the average AoI of the network, with energy-efficiency factored in by restricting the long term average transmit power to a predetermined threshold. A heuristic adaptation of the drift-plus-penalty approach from the Lyapunov framework is then utilized to solve the original long-term mixed-integer nonlinear problem on a per time-slot basis. The single time-slot problem is further decomposed into multiple sub-problems, solving for power allocation and user scheduling separately. However, the attained power allocation sub-problems being non-convex, we propose an efficient piece-wise linear approximation to obtain a tractable solution. The scheduling sub-problem is solved optimally by using the integrality property of the linear program. Finally, we provide extensive numerical simulations to show that our proposed approach outperforms the state of the art.
Lester (1973) suggested the use of cross-species studies to explore the association between various behaviors. The present paper reports a study of the relative abilities of different species in learning performance as found in American and Russian research. Voronin (1962) presented data from the Soviet Union on the speed of acquisition of single reflexes, two-component reflexes and three-component reflexes for pigeon, rat, cat, macaque, chimpanzee, and man. These speeds (measured in mean number of acquisition trials) were summed and correlated with the learning set performance from Hodos (1970). Rho was 0.81. Thus, learning set performance across species appears to be related to the speed of formation of motor reflexes, indicating a roughly similar ranking of species in their learning performance as reported in Russian and American research. It is interesting to note that for nine species of primates, learning set performance, obtained from Hodos (1970), correlated with biological data, obtained from Napier and Napier (1967). The rank correlations were for learning set performance and gestation period 0.69 (one-tailed p < 0.05), body size 0.96 ( P < 0.01), and record longevity 0.76 ( p < 0.05). The species used in these correlations were tree shrew, marmoset, spider monkey, squirrel monkey, cebus monkey, mangabey, rhesus monkey, chimpanzee and gorilla
the paper investigates the effectiveness of sequential criteria in testing two competing hypotheses. The algorithm of calculating the refined boundaries of sequential Wald-type criteria (based on the likelihood ratio) is proposed. The proposed algorithm makes it possible to find the refined boundaries of sequential criteria with a given accuracy at the lowest computational cost compared to the previously known ones. Developed software allows obtaining refined estimates of the investigated criteria boundaries in the minimum number of iterations. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is shown by some examples.
We introduce a linear fragmentation model in which the fragments are described by two correlated variables x and y, and for the power law breakup rate a(x,y)=${ mathit{x}}^{ mathrm{ ensuremath{ alpha}}}$${ mathit{y}}^{ mathrm{ ensuremath{ beta}}}$, we derive its exact solution. The large fluctuations of the additional variable prevent any mean-field reduction to a one-variable model. New features, such as shattering with power law decay of the mass, are obtained.
The WHO, the Unicef, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UNWomen) strongly disagree with the opinion of Arora and Jacobs published in the BMJ Journal of Medical Ethics .1  In 1997, WHO, Unicef and UNFPA issued a joint statement on female genital mutilation (FGM), which described the public health and human rights implications of the practice and declared support for its abandonment.2 This statement was expanded in 2008 with 10 United Nations (UN) agencies signing this updated version.3 In 2010, a joint interagency global strategy to end the medicalisation of FGM was released, as it became evident that it was increasingly being performed by healthcare providers.4 These interagency statements and strategies reflect consensus among international experts, UN entities and the Member States they represent, and they also articulate agreed language, classification and terminology that are aligned with current evidence. The global commitment to eliminate …
Sleeping position is an important aspect of the care of preterm babies. Most preterm babies in the hospital are placed in the prone position (on tummy) to sleep as this improves breathing. But, are there risks of tummy sleeping in preterm babies? This thesis investigated the effects on the brain, heart and lungs. In babies born very early, I found that tummy sleeping restricts blood flow to the brain, and impairs regulation of heart rate and blood pressure when compared to sleeping on their back. Therefore, caution should be applied when using the tummy sleeping position in extremely preterm babies.
We prove exponential and dynamical localization for the Schrodinger operator with a nonnegative Poisson random potential at the bottom of the spectrum in any dimension. We also conclude that the eigenvalues in that spectral region of localization have finite multiplicity. We prove similar localization results in a prescribed energy interval at the bottom of the spectrum provided the density of the Poisson process is large enough.
Knowledge of graduate student's impressions and attitudes toward pediatrics is important for planning strategies to stimulate their interest in pursuing a career in pediatrics. The clinical pediatric experience may influence many of their misconceptions and apprehension. This study was designed to examine this hypothesis. Rotating interns who were starting pediatric rotations between January 8, 1998 and January 4, 2001 were included prospectively. A structured 2-part, 28-item questionnaire examining their impressions and attitudes toward pediatrics was completed on the first week and at the end of the 8-week rotation. One hundred eighty-eight interns (53.5% males) aged 23 to 30 years (mean 24.8, SD 1.3) were included. One hundred two pre-and 86 post-rotation questionnaires were completed. Selecting pediatrics as the first future career choice did not change significantly at the end of the rotation, from 19.5% to 26% post-rotation. Females were 3.4 times more likely to select pediatrics (95% CI 1.6-7.8, p=0.001). Several impressions about the specialty were significantly changed at the end of the rotation including worry about inflicting pain (28% vs 12%, p=0.01), concerns about difficulties in the examination and cooperation of children (22% vs 8%, p=0.01), and difficulties with intravenous access (43% vs 17%, p=0.0003). Most interns (76%) felt that their pediatric rotation was better than anticipated. To conclude, although the rotation experience did not increase the likelihood of selecting pediatrics as the first future career choice, many impressions and concerns were positively influenced. The majority reported a better than anticipated experience.
Described is a technique for quickly assessing and graphically displaying the mechanical length-tension (L-T) characteristics of the passive tissues restraining eye movement and for measuring the patterns and magnitudes of active forces developed by the individual oculorotary muscles. Semiconductor strain gages mounted on the shanks of a custom-machined eye forceps and an ultrasonic method of making continuous duction measurements of the eye are proved feasible. When the forceps are interfaced with a dedicated microcomputer, the system provides a permanent. quantitative, L-T record displayed in real time. The instrumented L-T forceps system has provided a noninvasive means for quickly and simply assessing the mechanical underlying determinants of strabismus pathology in the office, the laboratory, and the operating room and can aid in the planning and immediate intraoperative alteration of strabismus surgery. A brief description of actual use and a few examples of clinical results are included from over 200 human records.<<ETX>>
We previously reported that TR2 and TR4 orphan nuclear receptors bind to direct repeat (DR) elements in the ε- and γ-globin promoters, and act as molecular anchors for the recruitment of epigenetic corepressors of the multifaceted DRED complex, thereby leading to ε- and γ-globin transcriptional repression during definitive erythropoiesis. Other than the ε- and γ-globin and the GATA1 genes, TR4-regulated target genes in human erythroid cells remain unknown. Here, we identified TR4 binding sites genome-wide using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq) as human primary CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors differentiated progressively to late erythroid precursors. We also performed whole transcriptome analyses by RNA-seq to identify TR4 downstream targets after lentiviral-mediated TR4 shRNA knockdown in erythroid cells. Analyses from combined ChIP-seq and RNA-seq datasets indicate that DR1 motifs are more prevalent in the proximal promoters of TR4 direct target genes, which are involved in basic biological functions (e.g., mRNA processing, ribosomal assembly, RNA splicing and primary metabolic processes). In contrast, other non-DR1 repeat motifs (DR4, ER6 and IR1) are more prevalent at gene-distal TR4 binding sites. Of these, approximately 50% are also marked with epigenetic chromatin signatures (such as P300, H3K27ac, H3K4me1 and H3K27me3) associated with enhancer function. Thus, we hypothesize that TR4 regulates gene transcription via gene-proximal DR1 sites as TR4/TR2 heterodimers, while it can associate with novel nuclear receptor partners (such as RXR) to bind to distant non-DR1 consensus sites. In summary, this study reveals that the TR4 regulatory network is far more complex than previously appreciated and that TR4 regulates basic, essential biological processes during the terminal differentiation of human erythroid cells.
The purpose of this study was to examine possible predictors of cheating behavior in different cultures. Samples of American and Israeli teachers-intraining (total N = 200) filled out questionnaires that related attitude, normative beliefs, and reports of past, present, and future behaviors with regard to specific cheating behaviors. The results suggest that whereas in American society either attitudes, normative beliefs, or both together could be used as predictors, in Israeli society normative beliefs are far superior as predictors of reported behaviors. Furthermore, the Israeli sample reported behaving in accordance with family norms for the most part, whereas the American sample reports behavior highly correlated with friends', classmates', and society's norms, but not with family norms. Possible alternative interpretations are discussed, and it is argued that with regard to the specific behaviors studied, the system that encourages their existence should be questioned.
Muscle cultures in Petri dishes were challenged with lymphocytes from polymyositis patients or controls, and the creatine phosphokinase (CPK) released from muscle was measured. The mean CPK value of 15 polymyositis patients was significantly higher than the mean of 15 controls. No differences between active and quiescent or treated and untreated polymyositis patients were noted. Patients with muscular dystrophy or myasthenia gravis gave values comparable with controls. Destruction of muscle did not accompany CPK release in Petri dish cultures, but when muscle cultures in Maximow chambers were challenged with lymphocytes from polymyositis patients, destruction often occurred. A correlation between muscle destruction in Maximow chambers and CPK release in Petri dishes was established. Serum from polymyositis patients never produced destruction of muscle cultures. These studies suggest that a cell-mediated immune reaction against muscle operates in polymyositis.
Background Introduction of Vibrio cholerae to Haiti during the deployment of United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in 2010 resulted in one of the largest cholera epidemics of the modern era. Following the outbreak, a UN-commissioned independent panel recommended three pre-deployment intervention strategies to minimize the risk of cholera introduction in future peacekeeping operations: screening for V. cholerae carriage, administering prophylactic antimicrobial chemotherapies, or immunizing with oral cholera vaccines. However, uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of these approaches has forestalled their implementation by the UN. We assessed how the interventions would have impacted the likelihood of the Haiti cholera epidemic. Methods and Findings We developed a stochastic model for cholera importation and transmission, fitted to reported cases during the first weeks of the 2010 outbreak in Haiti. Using this model, we estimated that diagnostic screening reduces the probability of cases occurring by 82% (95% credible interval: 75%, 85%); however, false-positive test outcomes may hamper this approach. Antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis at time of departure and oral cholera vaccination reduce the probability of cases by 50% (41%, 57%) and by up to 61% (58%, 63%), respectively. Chemoprophylaxis beginning 1 wk before departure confers a 91% (78%, 96%) reduction independently, and up to a 98% reduction (94%, 99%) if coupled with vaccination. These results are not sensitive to assumptions about the background cholera incidence rate in the endemic troop-sending country. Further research is needed to (1) validate the sensitivity and specificity of rapid test approaches for detecting asymptomatic carriage, (2) compare prophylactic efficacy across antimicrobial regimens, and (3) quantify the impact of oral cholera vaccine on transmission from asymptomatic carriers. Conclusions Screening, chemoprophylaxis, and vaccination are all effective strategies to prevent cholera introduction during large-scale personnel deployments such as that precipitating the 2010 Haiti outbreak. Antimicrobial chemoprophylaxis was estimated to provide the greatest protection at the lowest cost among the approaches recently evaluated by the UN.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of left frontopolar versus auditory (control) cortex transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the breadth of semantic associations produced in a cued free association task. A within-participants design administered anodal tDCS over the left frontopolar or auditory cortex, centered at electrode site AFZ or T7 using a 4×1 targeted stimulation montage. During stimulation, participants produced free associates in response to cues designed to promote narrow, moderate, or broad semantic associations. We measured the latent semantic associative strength of generated words relative to cues. The cue manipulation produced expected effects on the associative breadth of generated words, but there was no main effect of stimulation site, and calculated Bayes factors showed strong support for the null hypothesis. However, individual differences in creative potential, as assessed by the remote associates test, reliably and positively predicted increases in associative breadth under the frontopolar versus the auditory control condition, but only in response to narrow cues. In conclusion, the present data support neuroimaging studies demonstrating the involvement of left frontopolar cortical regions in generating relatively broad semantic associations. They also provide novel evidence that individual differences in creative potential may modulate the influence of brain stimulation on the breadth of generated semantic associations.
Microbial communities perform essential ecosystem functions such as the remineralization of organic carbon that exists as biopolymers. The first step in mineralization is performed by biopolymer degraders, which harbor enzymes that can break down polymers into constituent oligo- or monomeric forms. The released nutrients not only allow degraders to grow, but also promote growth of cells that either consume the breakdown products, i.e., exploiters, or consume metabolites released by the degraders, i.e., scavengers. It is currently not clear how such remineralizing communities assemble at the microscale – how interactions between the different guilds influence their growth and spatial distribution, and hence the development and dynamics of the community. Here we address this knowledge gap by studying marine microbial communities that grow on the abundant marine biopolymer alginate. We used batch growth assays and microfluidics coupled to time-lapse microscopy to quantitatively investigate growth and spatial distribution of single cells. We found that the presence of exploiters or scavengers alters the spatial distribution of degrader cells. In general, exploiters and scavengers – which we collectively refer to as consumer cells – slowed down the growth of degrader cells. In addition, coexistence with consumers altered the production of the extracellular enzymes that breakdown polymers by degrader cells. Our findings reveal that ecological interactions by non-degrading community members have a profound impact on the functions of microbial communities that remineralize carbon biopolymers in nature. Importance Biopolymers are the most abundant source of carbon on the planet and their breakdown by microbial degraders releases metabolic products that allow cross-feeding cells to grow and fuel the assembly of microbial communities. While it is known that the growth of degraders can facilitate growth of downstream cross-feeders in microbial communities, it has remained generally unclear if and how cross-feeders influence growth of degraders. Bridging this knowledge gap is important because degraders primarily drive the remineralization of carbon, a central process in the carbon cycle. We found that the presence cross-feeders can influence the growth of degraders by altering their spatial distribution as well as extracellular breakdown enzyme activity. Our study sheds light on the role of microbial interactions in shaping the rate of carbon remineralization in nature.
Luiza Werneck1, Clarissa Canella2, Flavia Costa1, Alessandro Severo Alves de Melo3, Edson Marchiori4 1. Clínica de Diagnóstico Por Imagem (CDPI), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. 2. Clínica de Diagnóstico Por Imagem (CDPI), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, e Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niterói, RJ, Brazil. 3. Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niterói, RJ, Brazil. 4. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Correspondence: Dra. Clarissa Canella. Avenida das Américas, 4666, sala 325, Barra da Tijuca. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil, 22640-102. E-mail: clacanella@yahoo.com.br. Dear Editor, A 26-year-old man who had fractured his scaphoid four weeks previously presented with persistent wrist pain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a fracture line through the scaphoid waist (Figure 1). A gadolinium contrast-enhanced coronal T1-weighted sequence with fat saturation was acquired, as were time-signal intensity curves of the proximal and distal scaphoid poles. The complete absence of enhancement of the proximal pole of the scaphoid, together with the fact that the time-signal intensity curve was lower for the proximal pole than for the distal pole, denoted satisfactory perfusion of the proximal pole. The scaphoid is the most commonly fractured bone of the carpus, and healing is interrupted by nonunion in 5–15% of cases. Scaphoid fracture nonunion may progress to avascular necrosis of the scaphoid in cases of long-standing nonunion, after failed surgery, in certain fractures of the proximal third of the scaphoid, or when an occult fracture is not treated. The proximal pole of the scaphoid is prone to avascular necrosis due to the distal location of the main feeding vessels and the retrograde pattern of the intraosseous blood supply. Stress fracture of the scaphoid waist is believed to contribute to osteonecrosis of the scaphoid resulting from repetitive dorsiflexion of the wrist, the waist being the weakest point in the scaphoid. A number of recent studies conducted in Brazil have highlighted the importance of MRI in the evaluation of diseases affecting the musculoskeletal system. The use of a reliable noninvasive diagnostic tool to assess the viability of the proximal scaphoid pole is necessary to help surgeons plan the treatment of scaphoid nonunion, because there is currently no consensus regarding when conservative or surgical treatment is indicated. Recently, gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI has been shown to be the most accurate modality for evaluating scaphoid viability. In fact, some authors have suggested that dynamic contrastenhanced MRI represents a valuable tool in assessing whether conservative or surgical treatment is indicated to achieve a good functional outcome . According to those authors, if dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI shows poor perfusion of the proximal pole of the scaphoid, primary surgical intervention would be indicated. Despite the fact that time-signal intensity curves of the proximal and distal scaphoid poles are actually widely used, there have been a few reports suggesting that the analysis of these curves does not provide additional predictive value over standard delayed enhancement MRI for acute scaphoid fracture.
The purpose of our study was to compare findings of 64 detector cranial computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and convention al digital subtraction angiography (DSA) mainly in patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) headache and diplopia. Between March 2007 and May 2009, 65 consecutive patients were admitted with clinical symptoms and signs of intracranial aneurysm. 44 of 67 detected aneurysms were confirmed during surgery or endovascular embolization. DSA was performed in the 3 days after CTA. CT angiograms and conventional angiographies were studied by two radiologists, who performed aneurysm detection and characterisation of morphological features. Using CTA and DSA, we detected 67 aneurysms in 50 patients. 15 patients did not have any aneurysms in both DSA and CTA. There was no difference between the two modalities in the number of the detected aneurysms. But two aneurysms were falsely located before surgery with CTA. They were located in posterior communicating artery (PcoA) but, had been thought to be located at the internal carotid artery supraclinoid segment at CTA. CTA has an equal sensitivity as DSA in the detection of intracranial aneurysms. It has 100% detection rate in anterior communicating artery and middle cerebral artery bifurcation aneurysms, but aneurysms at some locations, like the ones at PcoA, were hard to detect with CTA. DSA preserves its diagnostic value for detection of posterior circulation aneurysms.
The UK medical journal The Lancet, established by Thomas Wakley was first published on 5 October 1823 and weekly thereafter. Under his editorship the journal included an eclectic range of topics from both the sciences and arts, including political commentaries, reviews of plays, case reports (particularly reports of events in cases seen in various hospitals), editorials, brief commentaries on pathology and treatments (including quack medicines), extracts from newspapers, comments on various medical societies, and even chess problems. Verbatim accounts of lectures were a major feature and drew criticism from members of the medical establishment. This culminated in an attempt to obtain from the Lord Chancellor, Lord Eldon, an injunction on their publication by the surgeon John Abernethy, which was initially successful and later dissolved. During its first 10 years of publication Wakley defended 10 actions, six of which were for alleged libel, with total claims of damages to the tune of £8000, and awards amounting to £155 and a farthing. However, the journal survived the vicissitudes occasioned by his reforming zeal.
Interest in gamification is growing steadily. But as the underlying mechanisms of gamification are not well understood yet, a closer examination of a gamified activity's meaning and individual game design elements may provide more insights. We examine the effects of points -- a basic element of gamification, -- and meaningful framing -- acknowledging participants' contribution to a scientific cause, -- on intrinsic motivation and performance in an online image annotation task. Based on these findings, we discuss implications and opportunities for future research on gamification.
The Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT) and Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) will jointly organize the fourth International conference on Advanced Technology and Applied Sciences (ICaTAS 2019), September 2019. The conference will be held at AASTMT, Egypt. The conference will highlight recent and significant advances in research and development in advanced technology, applied sciences, and interdisciplinary works. Encouraging young researcher from multi-discipline engineering background to share their new and innovative ideas and/or findings will be the aim of the conference. With participation of a large number of young researchers, it can be a platform for new collaborative ventures and strategic alliances to gain better insights into engineering research and technology innovation to harness the strength and synergies to bring further prosperity to the nations. As the future becomes more competitive and challenging, it is important to remain relevant and maintain the performance for continuous improvement in research & education. As such, this conference will be most significant as we explore and share ideas to further enhance our research. List of Organizing Committee Honor Chairs, General Chairs, General Co-chairs, Program Chairs, Organization Chairs, Publication Chairs, Publicity Chairs, Finance, logos are available in this pdf
Objective: To review pharmacological therapy in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (HITT). Data Sources: Articles and abstracts in English published from 1966 to January 2000 were identified by MEDLINE and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts searches using the terms HIT, Hill, heparin-associated thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, hirudin, lepirudin, argatroban, ancrod, heparinoids, orgaran, danaparoid, and org 10172. Additional articles were identified from the bibliographies of retrieved literature. Data Synthesis: HITT is a devastating drug-induced immunologic complication that occurs in 2–5% of patients on heparin. Often, HITT results in life- or limb-threatening complications. HITT is frequently diagnosed by clinical presentation, and there is no optimal drug treatment approach. The first step of treatment is to discontinue all forms of heparin. If anticoagulation is indicated, several agents have been evaluated. Lepirudin, argatroban, and danaparoid are agents available for use in HITT. Lepirudin is a recombinant hirudin that directly complexes with thrombin. Danaparoid is a heparinoid moiety that works by inactivation factor Xa. Argatroban, a direct semisynthetic thrombin inhibitor, is the newest agent available. Ancrod is derived from pit viper venom and acts as a fibrinolytic agent; its use is not recommended. No studies have evaluated the comparative efficacy and safety of these agents. Conclusions: Argatroban, danaparoid, and lepirudin have shown efficacy and safety in treatment of HITT. Each agent exerts differences in pharmacologic and pharmacokinetic parameters and has advantages and disadvantages in particular patient populations. Therapy must be guided on an individual basis. Further investigation is needed to ascertain an optimal treatment approach.
The need for a method of determining the rate of application of granular insecticides for control of insect pests on large trees is apparent to workers in this field. To be most practical, any measurements involved in the method should be determined easily. Such measurements as trunk and crown diameters and crown height can be made readily, and from the measurements of crown height and diameter the crown surface in square feet can be computed easily.
Medical imaging is an invaluable tool for diagnosis, surgical guidance, and assessment of treatment efficacy. The Network for Translational Research (NTR) for Optical Imaging consists of four research groups working to “bridge the gap” between lab discovery and clinical use of fluorescence- and photoacoustic-based imaging devices used with imaging biomarkers. While the groups are using different modalities, all the groups face similar challenges when attempting to validate these systems for FDA approval and, ultimately, clinical use. Validation steps taken, as well as future needs, are described here. The group hopes to provide translational validation guidance for itself, as well as other researchers.
By 2030 greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by at least 55%. Despite hardware becoming more energy-efficient (Koomey's law), the ever-increasing reliance on computer technology has increased the energy usage due to ICT significantly. In software engineering (SE), there are many choices from programming languages to development patterns that influence energy efficiency. Recent research inspired our work on incorporating energy efficiency into SE education. An international group of researchers formulated initial recommendations for introducing green and sustainable software engineering [4] to students. An EU-US team formulated more refined recommendations for introducing green thinking as modules in existing courses [3]. ICT4S'22 best paper addressed HES eco-anxiety when teaching sustainability [2]. In this work we report on the experience of introducing reflection on energy efficiency into the default requirements of a SE course, and how that influenced students to address energy efficiency in their projects. Out of 8 teams, 7 implemented at least a small energy-efficient component. However, as one group donated to a climate charity in bitcoins, we need more ways to raise awareness.
InGaN samples grown by MOVPE were investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence and spectrally-resolved cathodo-luminescence. These methods allowed the precise determination of the Indium distribution at the micro and macro scale. The In molar fraction in the films tends to increase from centre to edge of the 2" wafers. We also noted that for increasing In content, some additional modes are seen in the Raman spectra. They are tentatively associated with the In clustering phenomena, further justified by CL spectral maps.
The catalytic properties of Cu–ZnO catalysts for glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO) were tested in a fixed-bed reactor at 250 °C and 2.0 MPa H2. The relation between composition, surface properties, and catalytic performance of glycerol hydrogenation of Cu–ZnO catalysts was studied using nitrogen adsorption (BET methods), XRD, H2 temperature-programmed reduction, and N2O chemisorptions. It was found that there was a close link between the surface CuO amount of Cu–ZnO catalyst and the reactivity for glycerol hydrogenation. The Cu–ZnO catalyst (Cu/Zn = 1.86) which had the highest surface Cu amount showed the best catalytic activity for glycerol hydrogenolysis. Furthermore, Cu–ZnO catalyst presented good stability and remarkable catalytic activity for glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,2-PDO using raw glycerol derived from the fat saponification as feedstock. Graphical abstract Glycerol hydrogenolysis to 1,2-PDO on Cu–ZnO catalyst in fixed-bed reactor.
In this paper, we developed a mathematical model for a single-hop relay-based communication channel. Assuming the transmitter-to-relay and receiver-to-relay channels are non-line-of-sight flat fading channels, we show that the real and imaginary components of the combined single channel have Laplace probability density functions. We, therefore, develop a complex Laplace autoregressive process (AR) that captures the statistical characteristics of the fading process of the relay channel. Such an AR model makes channel simulations simple, and eases formulation of such problems as data detection in a state-space form for convenient application of well-known algorithms. Furthermore, the autocorrelation of the developed Laplace AR model has Yule-Walker type of properties that enables us to configure its parameters to match to the second-order statistical characteristics of the channel through autocorrelation matching. The derivation of the channel model is illustrated through an example and computer simulations.
John R. Conway John R. Conway, associate professor of biology at the Univ. of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510, earned his B.S. in Zoology from Ohio State Univ., his M.A. in Zoology from the Univ. of Colorado and his Ph.D. in Biology from the Univ. of Colorado. Before joining the Scranton faculty in 1985, Conway taught at Elmhurst College (1978-85) and Marycrest College (1976-78). He also was a visiting scientist for the Development of Galapagos and Dinosaur exhibits of the Chicago Academy of Sciences during the summer of 1985. Conway has published articles in many popular and scholarly publications including Science Digest, Ranger Rick, National Wildlife, New Scientist and National Geographic World. An excellent photographer (Conway took the photo on the cover of this issue), he has exhibited his work at major museums. During the summer of 1985, Conway co-led a Cincinnati Zoo collecting expedition to Southwestern Research Station in Arizona to bring back a living colony of honey ants for display.
The intricate relationship between place and the construction/ reshaping of personal and social identities is a matter of fundamental interest. The article discusses how, in her work, the Irish poet Moya Cannon (Dunfanaghy, County Donegal, 1956) explores the ’sense of place’, as presented by Seamus Heaney in his book Preoccupations (Faber 1980). One intends to analyse how this notion appears in Cannon’s poems and unfolds into other significant perspectives and themes such as: roots (past, heritage, historical bonds and fractures), land (landscape, sacramental sites), home (memory, local belonging, displacement) and language (linguistic awareness, linguistic dispossession).
Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are relatively uncommon lymphomas, compared with B-cell malignancies, and given short-lived responses to therapies and an aggressive clinical course provide a therapeutic challenge for the clinician. Although anthracycline-based regimens have been a mainstay of therapy, inferior outcomes with these regimens have called attention to the need for the development of novel agents and effective combination therapies. Recently, new agents with activity in PTCL have emerged with evidence of improved efficacy. This review summarizes novel, investigational, and standard treatment options in the management of treatment naive and relapsed refractory PTCL.
This monograph offers a Review of the Heuristics of Teaching and Learning Writing, as well as a Discussion of Academic Rigor, software Grading and Course Policies, grounded in attitudinal research and universal learning design theory. The author’s 1980’s student learning preferences research is made contemporary by applying the findings of his longitudinal study of writing growth personality type predictors to current literature and drawing conclusions about how best to teach all content to maximize learning. In writing instruction, the Omnibus Personality Inventory study proved that attitude and growth in narrative writing ability correlate .  Moderate social extroverts were more likely to grow in narrative writing ability than those who scored highest on extroversion; those scoring higher on the altruism scale were more likely to make higher writing gains. The finding that improved writers indicated a negative relationship with high impulse expression means that those improved students were more emotionally controlled and serene. That the gainers rated low on the anxiety scale supports the finding that successful writing learners had fewer fears about learning, confirming educators’ hunches.  That student writing improvers also indicated high scores on the altruism scale is reassuring; it also supports the finding that good curriculums build on students’ positive values as pedagogy in multiple ways, not all of them class content related. Research of the past three decades has advanced the thesis that, unless we pay pedagogical attention to the student as a whole person with individual learning propensities, we will miss not only the “course content” mark but also likewise miss the mark of teaching the values of citizenry. Both of these worthy aims require knowing as much as we can about how best our students learn.
Eleven populations of the Wellington tree weta, Hemideina crassidens (Blanchard, 1851), were compared with tree weta collected from Stephens Island (H. crassicruris Salmon 1950) and from Mt Holdsworth and Mt Arthur (H. brevaculea Salmon 1950), using 26 allozyme loci. The level of genetic differentiation is consistent with that found between conspecific populations, supporting the trend in the scientific literature to relegate both H. brevaculea and H. crassicruris to synonomy with H. crassidens. On the basis of morphological data indicating differentiation of the Stephens Island population, we conclude that H. crassicruris should be considered a subspecies of H. crassidens but H. brevaculea a synonym. There is an undescribed cryptic species, defined from the level of genetic differentiation, in Hawke's Bay.
Healthcare workers (HCWs) are potentially exposed to blood and body fluids (BBF) in the course of their work and therefore are at risk of infection with blood-borne pathogens. Worldwide, three million HCWs experience percutaneous exposure to blood-borne viruses each year (two million hepatitis B, 900,000 hepatitis C and 300,000 human immunodeficiency virus).(1) Exposure to BBF can occur through a percutaneous injury (needle-stick injury, NSI) or mucocutaneous incident (BBF splash). Awareness regarding this occupational risk led to the issue of guidelines by CDC as universal precautions (UPs) in 1987, later updated in 1996.(2)
Taking the output power, thermal efficiency, and thermo-economic performance as the optimization objectives, we optimize the operation parameters of a thermodynamic system with combined endoreversible Carnot heat engines in this paper. The applicabilities of the entropy generation minimization and entransy theory to the optimizations are discussed. For the discussed cases, only the entransy loss coefficient is always agreeable to the optimization of thermal efficiency. The applicabilities of the other discussed concepts to the optimizations are conditional. Different concepts and principles are needed for different optimization objectives, and the optimization principles have their application preconditions. When the preconditions are not satisfied, the principles may be not applicable.
Leakage loss of the conductor-backed coplanar waveguide (CBCPW) is analyzed by using a novel hybrid two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain/Marquardt curve fitting technique. The validity and high accuracy of the method is confirmed by comparison with other experimental and theoretical results. A modified CBCPW structure with a substrate groove in the backside is proposed, which shows over eight times smaller leakage loss than a normal CBCPW.
An important and largely unexplored aspect of power distribution synthesis is cell customization. Through cell customization, power I/O cell assignments and local substrate and power supply decoupling may be tailored to reduce deleterious noise effects on analog circuits in mixed-signal environments. In this paper, we describe techniques for simultaneous power grid design (topology and sizing) and cell configuration/customization which allow designers to handle more difficult chip-level noise problems. We have incorporated this new approach in the power distribution synthesis tool RAIL and demonstrate its effectiveness on an industrial mixed-signal example.<<ETX>>
ABSTRACT As audits and financial information become increasingly complex, computer assisted audit techniques (CAATs) can be used to make audits more effective and efficient. Accounting students embarking on their auditing careers may use CAATs software. Having experience with CAATs and specifically Interactive Data Extraction and Analysis (IDEA) software will help set students apart from their peers. The purpose of this article is to provide a case to help students develop a working knowledge of CAATs software.
The research of cognitive aspects of intercultural communication is aimed to explore national linguistic consciousness, its peculiarities in border to determine the universal basics which make the intercultural communication possible while preserving national cultural identity and language diversity. This scienti Þ c analysis can become a bbackground for developing skills of comprehending foreign speech and providing learning and teaching paths towards communication competence in baccordance with Common European Framework of References for Languages. The banalysis of texts has shown a bfast-growing process of penetration of anglicisms into national languages which leads to obvious structural changes in bthe national languages. Thebeffects of this interference on bcognitive process should be studied and discussed as bthere is abstrong awareness that substituting foreign verbal means for the native ones leads to weakening the immunity of the national language consciousness in bgeneral and undermines the national traditions of verbal communication approved and used by babnational community. Theblinguistic analysis of professional activities of interpreters in bthe process of consecutive translation, students’ experimental with work with texts and material for comprehension and translation in bclass, survey of psychological tests on bperception mechanism made it bpossible to describe abcognitive scheme of human re s ection and interpretation of the real world and its developments which make up the contents of perceived texts during listening and reading. Thebconcept of a bsubject whose activities are performed at babcertain place at babcertain time can be given the status of abthree-coordinate (subject, place, time) cognitive scheme. The bdidactic exploitation of this cognitive scheme is seen in bteaching students to identify these coordinates in bthe process of comprehending speech or btext and thus to perceive its message by bstructuring and organizing the information. It bis thought to be an beffective method of developing productive communication skills as bwell as bto be abreliable scientiÞ c basis to create and exploit learning and teaching techniques of handling and integrating information, including that of taking notes and organizing received facts in bthe process of consecutive translation.
A 76-year-old man who was previously diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with juvenile onset and active polyarticular erosive arthritis involving hands, wrists, and metatarsal-falangeal joints came to our observation for bilateral paralysis of vocal cords. He was on treatment with deflazacort (7.5 mg/d) and indomethacin (25 mg/bid); methotrexate (12.5 mg/wk) was previously stopped after developing pulmonary fibrosis. He entered for acute respiratory failure with dyspnea and stridor which had never occurred before. A direct laryngoscopy evidenced bilateral paralysis of vocal cord, fixed in adduction with consequent insufficient glottic respiratory space. He underwent emergency tracheostomy. Laboratory analysis showed high levels of CRP (9.24 mg/dL), RF (568 IU/ml), and ESR (46 mm/h); he was also positive to anti-CCP (60 U.A.). High resolution CT (HRCT) scan of the larynx with bone algorithm was performed and revealed erosions of the arytenoid cartilage in correspondence of the cricoarytenoid (CA) joints surface (arrows). Cricoarytenoid arthritis secondary to RA with airway compromise was diagnosed. Leflunomide (20 mg/d) was added in therapy plan with significant improvement of clinical conditions. The CA joint is a true diarthrodial articulation formed by the cricoid and arytenoid cartilages. As in other diarthrodial joints, synovial membranes line the surfaces and synovial fluid fills the space enclosed by the fibrous joint capsule. Cricoarytenoid arthritis occurs most commonly in rheumatoid disease. Other etiologies include gout, disseminated lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, Tietze syndrome, upper respiratory tract infections, trauma, and vocal cord tumors. Clinical manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis in the CA joint are uncommon and symptoms can be vague (sensation of a foreign body, fullness or tension in the throat hoarseness, odynophagia, and pain with speaking or coughing), absent, or masked by concomitant joint involvement. The most common CT findings include the presence of cricoarytenoid erosion, luxation, prominence, and abnormal position of the true vocal cord. CT imaging plays an integral role in the assessment of the CA joint in patient with RA.
Abstract. In this study we present an assessment of the retrieval capability of the Airborne Research Interferometer Evaluation System (ARIES): an airborne remote-sensing Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) operated on the UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement (FAAM) aircraft. Simulated maximum a posteriori retrievals of partial column trace gas concentrations, and thermodynamic vertical profiles throughout the troposphere and planetary boundary layer have been performed here for simulated infrared spectra representative of the ARIES system operating in the nadir-viewing geometry. We also describe the operational and technical aspects of the pre-processing necessary for routine retrieval from the FAAM platform and the selection and construction of a priori information. As exemplars of the capability of the ARIES retrieval system, simulated retrievals of temperature, water vapour (H2O), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), and methane (CH4), and their corresponding sources of error and potential vertical sensitivity, are discussed for ARIES scenes across typical global environments. The maximum Degrees of Freedom for Signal (DOFS) for the retrievals, assuming a flight altitude of 7 km, were 3.99, 2.97, 0.85, 0.96, and 1.45 for temperature, H2O, CO, O3, and CH4, respectively, for the a priori constraints specified. Retrievals of temperature display significant vertical sensitivity (DOFS in the range 2.6 to 4.0 across the altitude range) as well as excellent simulated accuracy, with the vertical sensitivity for H2O also extending to lower altitudes (DOFS ranging from 1.6 to 3.0). It was found that the maximum sensitivity for CO, O3, and CH4 was approximately 1–2 km below the simulated altitudes in all scenarios. Comparisons of retrieved and simulated-truth partial atmospheric columns are used to assess the capability of the ARIES measurement system. Maximum mean biases (and bias standard deviations) in partial columns (i.e. below aircraft total columns) were found to be +0.06 (±0.02 at 1σ)%, +3.95 (±3.11)%, +3.74 (±2.97)%, −8.26 (±4.64)%, and +3.01 (±2.61)% for temperature, H2O, CO, O3, and CH4, respectively, illustrating that the retrieval system performs well compared to an optimal scheme. The maximum total a posteriori retrieval errors across the partial columns were also calculated, and were found to be 0.20, 22.57, 18.22, 17.61, and 16.42% for temperature, H2O, CO, O3, and CH4, respectively.
Distinction between humans and Web robots, in terms of computer network security, has led to the robot detection problem. An exact solution for this issue can preserve Web sites from the intrusion of malicious robots and increase the performance of Web servers by prioritizing human users. In this article, we propose a density based method called DBC_WRD (Density Based Clustering for Web Robot Detection) to discover the traffic of Web robots on two large real data sets. So, we assume the visitors as the spatial instances and introduce two new features to describe and distinguish them. These attributes are based on the behavioral patterns of Web visitors and remain invariant over time. By focusing on one of the disadvantages of DBSCAN as the density based clustering algorithm used in this paper, we just utilize 4 features to reduce the dimensions. According to the supervised evaluations, DBC_WRD can have the 96% of Jaccard metric and produce two clusters which have the entropy and purity rates of 0.0215 and 0.97, respectively. Furthermore, the comparisons show that from the standpoint of clustering quality and accuracy, DBC_WRD performs better than state-of-the-art algorithms. Finally, it can be concluded that some non-malicious popular Web robots, through imitating the human's behavior, make it difficult to be identified.
We trace the evolution of Caltech asynchronous processors from a simple proof of concept, to a high-performance MIPS-like processor using a different buffer circuit for better performance, to the latest 8051 clone targeting low-energy operation. We describe the control aspects of the evolving circuit styles. We describe these three generations of asynchronous microprocessors (Caltech asynchronous processors, MiniMIPS and Lutonium) and the corresponding circuit families and design methods. The asynchronous circuits we use are called quasidelay-insensitive (QDI) circuits. A QDI circuit involves no assumption about, or knowledge of, delays in operators and wires, except for isochronic forks, which the designer assumes have similar delays on the different branches. QDI circuits are the most conservative asynchronous circuits in terms of delays.
Breast cancer is a major health problem and continues to be the primary cause of death among women all over the world. Screening mammography is recognized the most effective method for its early detection. since reading mammograms is an error-prone and time-consume task, a number of computer-aided detection and diagnosis (CAD) systems have been developed to aid the radiologists in the complex work of discriminating types of breast lesions. in almost all of the CAD systems, segmentation of lesions is a very crucial step. Image enhancement which is as a pre-process can largely improve performance of segmentation algorithms. However, the effectiveness of improvements has not been quantized evaluated and compared in previous studies. in this study, we conducted a set of experiments to evaluated two methods, namely 2D segmentation method based on dynamic programming (DPA) and DPA with image enhancement method. the detailed description of our image dataset, experimental procedures and results are presented. the study demonstrates that due to the using of image enhancement, DPA has an obvious improvement in segmenting suspicious regions of interest (ROIs) in mammogrphic lesions.
ABSTRACT Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the factors influencing orthopedic surgery nurses’ decisions to administer pro re nata (PRN) opioid analgesia for postoperative pain. Background: Fast-track surgery programs reduce length of stay by identifying and addressing factors causing patients to remain in hospital, including pain (H. Kehlet, Lancet. 2013;381:9878(9878)). The management of acute pain is an important component of quality care for patients after total knee arthroplasty. Methods: The study used a qualitative design of focused ethnography. Ten nurses working on an orthopedic surgery unit at a large urban hospital in western Canada participated in semistructured interviews that used a patient vignette to examine factors that influenced participants’ pain management in the context of fast-track surgery. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis and constant comparison. Findings: Nurses described a complex clinical environment where the interplay of several factors informed decisions to administer PRN opioid analgesia. The unit’s culture and physical space influenced nurses’ assessments of pain and their decisions whether to treat pain with PRN opioids. Each nurse’s self-concept affected pain management decisions because of perceived importance of pain control and perceived duty to provide analgesics. The subjectivity of pain added another layer of complexity as nurses responded to the patient’s expression of pain from within the milieu of the unit culture and their unique self-concept. Conclusion: Understanding the complexity of factors that influence nurses’ postoperative pain management provides clinical nurses and nursing leaders with directions for future education and research, guided by the goal of continued improvement in pain management in the challenging setting of fast-track surgeries.
Gαi2‐deficient mice, which spontaneously develop colitis, have previously been reported to have an increased frequency of mature, single positive thymocytes compared to wild‐type mice. In this study we further characterized the intrathymic changes in these mice before and during overt colitis. Even before the onset of colitis, Gαi2–/– thymi weighed less and contained fewer thymocytes, and this was exacerbated with colitis development. Whereas precolitic Gαi2–/– mice had unchanged thymocyte density compared to Gαi2+/– mice of the same age, this was significantly decreased in mice with colitis. Thymic atrophy in Gαi2–/– mice involved mainly the cortex. Using a five‐stage phenotypic characterization of thymocyte maturation based on expression of CD4, CD8, TCRαβ, CD69 and CD62L, we found that both precolitic and colitic Gαi2–/– mice had significantly increased frequencies of mature single‐positive CD4+ and CD8+ medullary thymocytes, and significantly reduced frequencies and total numbers of immature CD4+ CD8+ double‐positive thymocytes compared to Gαi2+/– mice. Furthermore, cortical and transitional precolitic Gαi2–/– thymocytes showed significantly reduced chemotactic migration towards CXCL12, and a trend towards reduced migration to CCL25, compared to wild‐type thymocytes, a feature even more pronounced in colitic mice. This impaired chemotactic migration of Gαi2–/– thymocytes could not be reversed by increased chemokine concentrations. Gαi2–/– thymocytes also showed reduced expression of the CCL25 receptor CCR9, but not CXCR4, the receptor, for CXCL12. Finally, wild‐type colonic lamina propria lymphocytes migrated in response to CXCL12, but not CCL25 and, as with thymocytes, the chemokine responsiveness was significantly reduced in Gαi2–/– mucosal lymphocytes.
Richard Platt, MD, MS, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Harvard Medical School; Kathleen Blake, MD, MPH, American Medical Association; Patricia Franklin, MD, MBA, MPH, University of Massachusetts Medical School; J. Michael Gaziano, MD, MPH, VA Boston Healthcare System/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School; Robert Harrington, MD, Stanford University; Adrian Hernandez, MD, MHS, FAHA, Duke University; Rainu Kaushal, MD, MPH, Weill Cornell Medicine; Andrew Masica, MD, MSCI, Baylor Scott & White Health; Janice Nevin, MD, MPH, Christiana Care Health System; John Rumsfeld, MD, PhD, FACC, American College of Cardiology/University of Colorado School of Medicine; Marianne Hamilton Lopez, PhD, MPA, National Academy of Medicine
The precise accumulation and extended retention of nanomedicines in the tumor tissue has been highly desired for cancer therapy. Here a novel supramolecular-peptide derived nanodrug (SPN) that can be transformed to microfibers in response to intracellular polyamine in cancer cells for significantly enhanced tumor specific accumulation and retention is developed. The supramolecular-peptide is constructed via the non-covalent interactions between cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and Phe on Phe-Phe-Val-Leu-Lys-camptothecin conjugates (FFVLK-CPT, PC). The resultant amphiphilic supramolecular complex subsequently self-assembles into nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic diameter of 164.2 ± 3.7 nm. Upon internalization into spermine-overexpressed cancer cells, the CB[7]-Phe host-guest pairs can be competitively dissociated by spermine and can release free PC, which immediately form β-sheet structures and subsequently reorganize into microfibers, leading to dramatically improved accumulation, retention, and sustained release of CPT in tumor cells for highly effective cancer therapy. Accordingly, this SPN exhibit rather low toxicity against non-cancerous cells due to the morphological stability and fast exocytosis of the nanodrugs in those cells without abundant spermine. This study reports the first supramolecular peptide capable of polyamine-responsive "nanoparticle-to-microfiber" transformation for specific tumor therapy with minimal side effects. This work also offers novel insights to the design and development of stimuli-responsive nanomaterials as precision medicine.
Intersection Traffic Control(ITC) attracted extensive attention with the increase of traffic accidents and congestion that causes a huge social and economic losses. Also the topic on ITC has been widely studied by research communities. These studies fall into two categories: traffic signal scheduling and Autonomous Intersection management(AIM) based on Intersection Central Unit(ICU). The optimization of signal scheduling needs a lot of computations and the ICU based system is not flexible and not cost efficient. To solve this problem, the distributed AIM system should be the necessary requirement. However to our knowledge there is almost no work that has been devoted to distributed ITC for AV. This paper proposes a token-based group mutual algorithm for the distributed AIM. We use a token as a privilege to pass cross zone(critical section in an intersection) and use one token. How to transfer the token among vehicles in a dynamic system in which a vehicle can not stay in the cross zone after it finish passing it is the core of our algorithm. We design the circulation of the token efficiently among vehicles and session declare concept to improve the flow of vehicles. The proposed algorithm can handle quite a big traffic volume well with decreased message complexity. It outperforms the reference algorithms in message complexity and presents better result in system throughput than traffic signal system. This paper also will vitalize the researches about the distributed AIC.
Nokia is an international telecommunications group with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. The group produces a range of telecommunications equipment for cellular and fued networks, from switches and transmission equipment to cellular phones. Developing software for these products presents a number of difficult problems partly due to complex and often conflicting requirements that include: achieving function reliability without replicating parts and thus increasing the costs, providing feature variation in products while achieving reuse, doing parallel development by geographically distributed teams while controlling performance and integration of products In this talk we present our experiences of addressing these problems in several Nokia products with special focus on Synfonet Synchronous Digital Hierarchy network transport system. These products represent a class of configurable, distributed, embedded, real-time, dependable systems with several optional levels of software and hardware fault tolerance and function protection. For example Synfonet supports live removal and insertion of cards while preserving configuration data and enabling hot-restart of re-inserted cards. This capability is based on a reliable storage system that transparently distributes data over several cards. The system maintains at all times a number of copies necessary to preserve the state while one or several cards may be removed, and to resolve possible conflicts due, for example, to stale or otherwise incorrect configuration on newly inserted cards. Constraints of specific operating system, storage media, and other systemspecific characteristics could not be satisfied by any COTS products available at the time of system design. Therefor the reliable storage system and a number of other generic components were developed in house. To cover the costs of developing such complex software components we had to design for reuse of these components in several products. Permission to make digit&hard copies of all or pat ofthis material for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial ndvnntage, the copyright notice, the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copyrigl~t is by permission of the ACM, Inc. To copy othenvise, to republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires specific permission and/or fee ICSE 97 Boston MA USA Copyright 1997 ACM O-89791-914-9/97/05 ..$3.50 Rather than targeting component-based reuse relying on very general and flexible design and extensive parametrization of the components we approached the problem from the other end. We designed an architecture for a family of transport networks products and made the general components reusable by being an integral part of this specific software architecture. Designing and managing software architecture for a product family presents a number of problems that can be avoided. Some of the ideas we present in the talk originated from ARES a cooperative European research project (ESPRIT). In ARES Nokia is leading a consortium of partners from ABB, London Imperial College, Philips, Polytechnical University of Madrid, and Technical University of Vienna, together evaluating architectural techniques on existing families of embedded software . There is often a temptation to adopt a single view on the partition of software as the architecture, and have a uniform structure exist in different component domains, This however may lead to an inferior design. An example of the kind involved a system that was partitioned into a set of distributed processes. The partition was motivated by considerations of required parallelism, availability, and fault tolerance. This partition was subsequently used for allocation of additional functionality. That affected resource requirements and timing characteristics, violating the original design. As a cure non real time functionality was allocated to new components. However since the architecture of software was identified with its process structure these components became independent processes. As a result components had complex interfaces and performance was compromised. Our current understanding suggests that sofhvare architecting must start with specific architectural concerns, specify the partition in different component domains along with a scheme for integration and coordination of the parts, and explain how this specific partition and the corresponding integration of the sofhvare address the specified architectural concerns. Examples of architectural concerns may include timeliness, capacity, availability, effective division of work, conformance to standards, utilization of existing parts, or controlled propagation of change. Different partitions may exist in different component domains such as files, modules, processes, threads, processors and other resources.
This study aims to identify and analyze the influence factors of dining atmosphere of a restaurant towards satisfaction and behavioral intention. This study uses object restaurant which has a Mediterranean theme in the city of Surabaya. The data used in this study are primary data obtained by questionnaire distributed to 150 respondents who have bought and dine in the Mediterranean restaurant. The analysis used in this study is a simple linear regression analysis and multiple linear analysis. The sampling technique of this research is convenience sampling. The results showed that there is an effect of a restaurant’s dining atmosphere towards satisfaction and behavioral intention. Variables of dining satisfaction affect the intention of behavior as well. In this study multiple linear regression tests were carried out for the four atmosphere dimensions of restaurants. It was found that the dimensions of facility aesthetics of restaurant’s atmosphere did not significantly influence dining satisfaction and behavioral intention.
Although classic Downsian theory predicts that candidates should converge to the ideological position of the median voter in the electorate, American elections generally feature major party candidates who offer divergent policy positions. Employing a survey and statistical estimation technique that allows for the estimation of the ideological position of candidates on the same scale as the distribution of voter ideology among voters, the author characterizes the actual degree of candidate divergence in the 2008 presidential election looking at the estimated stances of Barack Obama and John McCain. The results reveal that these candidates took positions that were closer to, and likely even more extreme than, the positions of their partisan and primary constituencies than to the nationwide voter median.
Introduction: Male, 72-year-old, morbidly obese, diabetic, admitted for abdominal pain, prostration and fever that started last 3 days. Abdominal ultrasound and abdominal computed tomography scan showed liver injury in the transition of V and VI segments measuring 8.4 cm. Due to the possibility of liver abscess, initiate empirical antibiotic therapy with ampicillin and sulbactam and metronidazole and performed ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage of liver injury. Negative for malignant cells, with the presence of leukocytes and negative culture. After 2 weeks of treatment, take control image without changing the lesion dimension. New percutaneous drainage with the same results. We opted for performing endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine-needle aspiration (FNA). FNA pathology: Moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemistry suggestive of metastasis of the lower gastrointestinal tract. Due this finding, realized colonoscopy, which revealed a vegetating lesion with central ulceration, bleeding, filling almost the entire cecum. Patient was referred for surgical resection of the bowel tumor, which showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma infiltrating vegetative and possibly originated from villous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia. Discussion: The finding of metastatic liver abscess of colonic neoplasia is not common. In most cases, the material from the abscess drainage allows the diagnosis, but in this case, even after two ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage was not obtained conclusive bacteriological or histopathological. Opted for new puncture through EUS, which allowed definitive diagnosis of the condition. Conclusion: Metastatic colon neoplasm should be considered in cases of differential diagnosis of liver abscess.
The washing solution of a dialyser was collected after recirculation of pyrogen-free water through the blood compartment, and the amount of limulus amoebocyte lysate-(LAL)-positive material was measured. Our study shows that the amount of LAL-positive substance on the cuprophane membrane of DIP-02-02 dialyser (USSR) is 5 times greater than in the case of cuprophane membrane of D2 hollow-fibre dialyser (Fresenius). There appears to be an acute increase (0.1 ng/ml) followed by a decline to normal values of LAL-positive substance concentration in the blood of patients in the first hour of haemodialysis using a DIP-02-02 dialyser. We conjecture that the cause of monocyte activation during haemodialysis is the LAL-positive material of the dialyser membrane, which in turn may induce the activation of lipid peroxidation and the increase of prostaglandin E production. However, it is not possible to exclude the likelihood that the origin of endotoxin-like LAL-positive substances lies in the dialysate.
Roger White has worked on natural resource management and watershed management in Africa and Asia for 30 years. After completing a masters degree in Tropical Agronomy he worked in Mozambique and Somalia on pasture and rangelend management and soil conservation. Following three years of rural development work in Northern Nigeria he led a DFID-funded land use planning programme in Tanzania. In 1989 he moved to Sri Lanka where he spent 11 years working on watershed management issues for the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka particularly on soil erosion, reservoir sedimentation, and livelihood issues. In 2000 he joined ICIMOD as Regional Coordinator of the People and Resource Dynamics in Mountain Watersheds Project. He also manages ICIMOD's Action Initiative on Watershed Management across the Himalayas.
Experimental results taken from both the condensed and gaseous phase show that, when associated with water, the three dications Sn(2+), Pb(2+), and Hg(2+) exhibit a facile proton-transfer reaction. In the gas phase, no stable [M.(H(2)O)(n)](2+) ions are observed; but instead the cations appear to undergo rapid hydrolysis to give ions of the form M(+)OH(H(2)O)(n-1). A series of ab initio calculations have been undertaken on the structures and proton-transfer reaction profiles associated with the complexes [M.(H(2)O)(2,4)](2+), where M is one of Sn, Pb, Hg, and Ca. The latter has been used as a reference point both in terms of comparisons with previous calculations, and the fact that Ca(2+) is a very weak acid. The calculations show that for Sn(2+), Pb(2+), and Hg(2+), the only barriers to proton transfer are those associated with the movement of water molecules. In the gas phase, these barriers could be overcome through energy gained during ion formation, and in the condensed phase the thermal motion of water molecules would be sufficient. In contrast, the calculations show that for Ca(2+) it is the proton-transfer step that provides the most significant reaction barrier. Proton transfer in Sn(2+) and Pb(2+) is further assisted by distortions in the geometries of [M.(H(2)O)(2,4)](2+) complexes due to voids created by the 5s(2) (6s(2)) inert lone pair. For Hg(2+), ease of proton transfer is derived partly from the high degree of covalent bonding found in both the reactants and products.
We remark that in the case when the group W is finite (one says then that the corresponding Artin group A has finite type) the conjecture has a positive solution according to [3]. We need the following definitions of a classifying space and a homotopy completion. Let X be a partial monoid (see [4]), and let Xk ⊂ X × · · · × X = Xk be the space of all sequences (x1, . . . , xk) such that the product x1 · · · xk belongs to X. The collection of spaces Xk forms a simplicial set in which di : Xk → Xk−1 and si : Xk → Xk+1 are defined as follows:
INTRODUCTION Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) is performed via a short incision (≤3cm). Previous studies have employed multiple imaging modalities including ultrasonography, sestamibi imaging and/or intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay. We present our eight-year experience of MIP using ultrasonography alone.   METHODS One hundred parathyroidectomies performed by a single surgeon between April 2004 and December 2012 were identified in a prospectively maintained database. All patients underwent ultrasonography including preoperative marking of the lesion by a single radiologist. No other localising diagnostic tests were performed.   RESULTS Of the 100 patients (69% female) who underwent parathyroidectomy, 93 had MIP. The median age of all cases was 58 years (range: 19-90 years). All patients exhibited an elevated parathyroid hormone level (median: 19pmol) in the presence of hypercalcaemia (median: 2.86mmol/l, range: 2.54-3.94mmol/l). Conventional surgery was indicated in seven patients owing to the need for concurrent thyroidectomy. The median operative time was 30 minutes (range: 10-130 minutes). Ultrasonography localised parathyroid tumour position correctly in 98% of patients who underwent MIP, and in 97% across both MIP and non-MIP groups. Postoperative complications requiring treatment included pancreatitis and symptomatic hypocalcaemia. Follow-up review at 6-8 weeks demonstrated that 86% of open cases (6/7) and 94% of MIP cases (87/93) were rendered normocalcaemic.   CONCLUSIONS Our study is the first to demonstrate that the sole use of ultrasonography including preoperative marking can localise parathyroid tumours correctly in 98% of cases suitable for MIP.
Ectodermal dysplasias are a large, multifarious group of inherited disorders, characterized by a flaw in the tissues derived from the embryonic ectoderm. The incidence of ectodermal dysplasia is rare. Various alterations in the genes coding for proteins like EDA, EDAR, EDARADD are the causes for the manifestations of ectodermal dysplasia. Oligodontia or hypodontia of the deciduous and/ or permanent dentition is the most common intra-oral finding. Ectodermal dysplasia is not only physically devastating to the patients but also emotionally demoralizing. It is essential that they be treated at an early age to improve their quality of life. The following case report aims at describing the condition in a patient with complete anodontia and discusses the genetic component of the disorder. Oral rehabilitation was achieved by using removable prosthesis.
The use of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the field of education has increased remarkably in recent years due to the swift and modern changes in language software. However, CALL is not widely employed in the field of second/foreign (L2) language learning in Iran. Interested in the application of CALL, this study examines two methods of vocabulary teaching/learning (CALL-based versus non-CALL based) in the short and long-term learning in the area of L2 vocabulary. It seeks to see which method is more effective for teaching English vocabulary to young elementary Iranian EFL learners. To this end, 61 female Iranian EFL learners participated in the study through a purposive sampling. They were randomly assigned into CALL-users (n = 32) and non-CALL users (n = 29) and posttest control group design was employed. To collect data, a proficiency test was used to homogenize the participants and a multiple-choice vocabulary test was used as immediate and delayed posttests to find out the effectiveness of the methods in a shorter and longer period of time. The results of t-tests indicated that there was not a significant difference between the vocabulary scores of the CALL-users and non-CALL users in both short-term and long-term learning despite the fact that both methods appeared to be effective. Furthermore, both methods were found to be more effective in the short-term learning. Finally, the pedagogical implications of this study for L2 teachers and learners are presented.
This paper proposes a new multivariable design strategy for Global Chassis Control, using LPV/H∞ robust controllers of semi-active suspension, active steering and electro-mechanical braking actuators. The proposed solution is a two stages control scheme: on one hand, rear braking and front steering to enhance the vehicle yaw stability and the lateral dynamics, and on the other hand, semi-active suspensions to improve comfort and car handling performances. The main idea of the strategy is to schedule the 3 control actions (braking, steering and suspension) according to the driving situation evaluated by a specific monitor. The main result of this paper is to propose a “LPV” strategy that aims to enhance vehicle performances by generating a hierarchical activation of the 3 controllers in critical driving situations. Simulations are carried out on a complex full vehicle model equipped with Magneto-Rheological Dampers characteristics subject to critical driving situations. A comparison between the proposed “LPV” strategy with the “LTI” case confirms the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.
It was observed to evaluate the occurrence of the weeds, after 3 years of cultivation with successions of double cropping cultures with the culture of the corn. The double cropping cultures were: corn, soybean, pearl millet, sunflower, sorghum, oat and pigeon pea. The weeds were appraised to the 30 days after the sowing, by means of sampling to the maybe in the portion, using a icture of 0.45 m2 (1.5 m x 0.3 m), placed in a perpendicular way to the plantation lines and being picked up the whole material existent green of weeds in the sample, classifying in for vegetable species, containing the main monocotiledonous, main mocotiledoneous and other weeds. The results demonstrated that there was larger frequency of the species there would Digitaria horizontalis and Commelina benghalensis , the first in the succession corn-corn and second in the succession soybean-corn. The smaller concentration of weeds happened in the succession sunflowercorn. The smallest occurrence of the weeds was observed in the area in that the culture of the sunflower precedes the culture of the corn. Being used the pearl millet in double cropping culture, there is bigger occurrence of species dicotiledoneous in the culture of the corn, especially Euphorbia heterophylla . KEY-WORDS: Successions of cultures; corn; weeds.
Nanocomposites are a relatively new material in producing fiber re-enforced dental posts. The mechanical properties of nanocomposites, which strongly associate with the resin matrix, nanoparticles, and the interface between inorganic fillers and organic matrix, play an important role in determining the quality of dental posts. This work was to investigate the effect of degree of conversion (DC) and silanization of fillers on the mechanical properties of nanocomposties. Experimental Urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) based dental composites containing unsilanized and silanized SiO2 filler and various amount of triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) were prepared at the first step. The DC of composites at different ratios of UDMA/TEGDMA, cure temperature and cure time was measured by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that DC increases with the increase of TEGDMA content in resin matrix. Both increase of the cure temperature and cure time can cause the increase of DC. The incorporation of fillers, either silanized, or unsilanized filler, caused the decrease of DC. However, composites reinforced with silanized silica showed relatively lower DC, and DC decreased with the increase of silanized filler content. The effect of incorporation of fillers on the mechanical properties was investigated. Silanized silica can effectively improved the flexural strength and flexural modulus of material, and these properties increased with the increase of silica content. Thermomechanical analysis (DMA) provided the similar results to the static property measurements. SEM images of fracture surfaces of specimens from flexural testing revealed the surface morphology is strongly related to the quality of interface between inorganic fillers and organic matrix. POLYM. COMPOS., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers
We consider the synchronization problem of chaotic systems with uncertainties. We apply the fuzzy method to solve this problem, and the parameters of membership function are optimized by genetic algorithm, so that we can get the appropriate values for those parameters, and improve the ability of fuzzy controller. We carry out the simulations of synchronizing Henon chaotic systems with uncertainties, and the results show the effectiveness of this method.
Abstract The complete mitogenome sequence of Crocidura tanakae was determined using long PCR. The genome was 16,969 bp in length and contained 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 1 origin of L strand replication and 1 control region. The overall base composition of the heavy strand is A (32.5%), C (22.3%), T (31.9%), and G (13.3%). The base compositions present clearly the A–T skew, which is most obviously in the control region and protein-coding genes. Mitochondrial genome analyses based on MP, ML, NJ, and Bayesian analyses yielded identical phylogenetic trees. The five Crocidura species formed a monophyletic group with the high bootstrap value (100%) in all examinations. This study verifies the evolutionary status of C. tanakae in Soricidae at the molecular level. The mitochondrial genome would be a significant supplement for the C. tanakae genetic background.
Conventional classroom instruction had already been transformed in to electronic mode of teaching and learning. Use of mobile technology is evolving in global and local context, as in Pakistan. Gaining insights from Media Richness Theory, the study intends to examine how m-learning pedagogy, opens up avenues for students’ learning and enhances their educational performance, endorsed by facilitation discourse and flexibility. In this cross-sectional study, data was collected from students in Private Universities in Lahore Pakistan. Drawing results from structural equation modelling, findings revealed that use of mobile devices is on great demand for providing flexible and discussion-oriented learning to students and lifts up their academic output. Facilitation discourse and flexibility play a robust intervening role in producing pronounced impact of m-learning on learners’ effectiveness.
In this paper I discuss the notion of old times’ sake, one which is hardly discussed by moral philosophers, and claim that it serves as a moral reason for us to act on behalf of the people we used to cherish: former friends, colleagues, neighbors, or spouses. While our relationship with them has ended, the building-blocks of our identity will continue to bear their fingerprints, and they will ever be an important part of our biography. Acting for old times’ sake reflects both our caring about them, and our caring about our own past, biography, and accumulated identity. Why the relationship has ceased will of course affect our attitude towards them. Although old times’ sake might not always be a decisive factor, it still serves as a moral reason for action.
SIR,-Adam Fitzpatrick and Richard Sutton make no mention of monitoring a supply of oxygen and resuscitation facilities as being necessary parts of a "suitable environment" for transvenous pacing.' In the past few years I have attended three cardiac arrest calls to patients undergoing pacing: in no case was any written record being kept of heart rate, blood pressure, or pulse oximetry readings, and in only one case was oxygen being given. Yet patients with slow heart rates or sick hearts, or both, are likely to have impaired cardiac output and reduced oxygen supply to the tissues. I strongly recommend that oxygen saturation, pulse rate, and blood pressure are recorded every five minutes for all patients undergoing transvenous pacing (this is becoming standard practice in anaesthesia); there should be a low threshold for giving supplemental oxygen; and emergency drugs, suction equipment, and equipment to intubate and ventilate patients should be immediately to hand. Transvenous pacing is an operation; a minor procedure can become a major performance if the suitable environment does not include adequate monitoring and resuscitation facilities.
The increasing number of attendees is indicative of an increasing global interest in this conference’s subject as there are so many allies represented here; far more than the four or five countries that were participating at the beginning. I would like to take perhaps a few points from the themes presented earlier in the introduction this morning and then infroduce how this afternoon’s session will be conducted.
In order to increase the network resource utilization and improve network performance, also to reduce unnecessary inter-BBU routing overhead, the resource management between baseband pools of C-RAN (Cloud Radio Access Network) is studied in this paper. An overall scheduling scheme from user terminals to metropolitan area network edge for C-RAN is first proposed. The scheme takes advantage of user resource information shared in baseband resource pool in C-RAN wireless network, and sets up a Controller to implement the inter-BBU resource management. By comparing the local UE required load and local BBU load threshold, the controller determines whether to execute inter-BBU control mechanism, and then establishes a communication link according to the results of the judgment. Obviously, the specific inter-BBU control mechanism is also proposed to solve the problem of inter-BBU load balancing in BBU pool. It is divided into two steps which include ensuring the purpose BBU location and designing the control mechanism of resource scheduling from local BBU to purpose BBU. Simulation results evaluate the feasibility of this mechanism which can improve the network performance significantly.
In this paper, an analytical approach was used to formulate for gathering energy from ambient sources of vibrations. The apparatus consists of a cantilevered beam harvester with a piezoelectric patch. A coupled electromechanical modal model based on Euler–Bernoulli theory is used. The governing equations were extracted using Hamilton’s principle and then were discretized by using the Rayleigh–Ritz approach. The expected value of the electrical power output was obtained for a weakly stationary, Gaussian bandpass with zero mean base excitation. Next, a numerical solution for the beam under band-limited ambient random acceleration as the input was calculated and validated by experiment. The numerical results closely correlated to the experimental data with a deviation of about 10%.
Although risky decisions are affected by perceived expertise regarding the source of risk, current decision-making models assume that an individual’s attitude towards risk does not vary across different sources. A decision maker’s processing of known probabilities and the resulting degree of probability weighting should therefore be unique. This paper provides evidence that challenges this assumption. We conduct an experiment involving different gambles, i.e., risky games where objective probabilities are known, no further information-based advantages exist, and outcomes are independent of knowledge. Even though all probabilities are explicitly provided, we find that individuals engage in less severe probability weighting if they perceive their level of expertise regarding a gamble to be higher. This result suggests that individuals are subject to knowledge illusion in decisions under risk, constituting source-dependent risk attitudes. We furthermore document that knowledge illusion typically increases the attractiveness of risky prospects, yielding new insights into puzzling investor behavior observed in equity markets. Managerial and policy implications are discussed.
A series of measurements has been started where the 14C concentration is determined from several liquid scintillator samples. A dedicated setup has been designed and constructed with the aim of measuring concentrations smaller than 10−18. Measurements take place in two underground laboratories: in the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, Russia, and in the new Callio Lab in the Pyhäsalmi mine, Finland. Low-energy neutrino detection with a liquid scintillator requires that the intrinsic 14C concentration in the liquid is extremely low. In the Borexino CTF detector the concentration of 2 × 10−18 has been achieved being the lowest value ever measured. In principle, the older the oil or gas source that the liquid scintillator is derived from and the deeper it situates, the smaller the 14C concentration is supposed to be. This, however, is not generally the case and the concentration is probably due to the U and Th content of the local environment.
The state transition, which is hidden in the hidden Markov model (HMM), can be used to characterize the intrinsic difference between normal action and intrusion behavior. So HMM is an efficient way to detect anomalies. A new anomaly detection method based on a hierarchical HMM is proposed based on the concept of normal database and abnormal database. It is shown by analysis and simulation results that the proposed method is effective to increase the accuracy of anomaly detection.
Abstract. This study evaluates long-term mean fluxes of carbon and nutrients to the upper 100 m of the Iceland Sea. The study utilises hydro-chemical data from the Iceland Sea time series station (68.00° N, 12.67° W), for the years between 1993 and 2006. By comparing data of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and nutrients in the surface layer (upper 100 m), and a sub-surface layer (100–200 m), we calculate monthly deficits in the surface, and use these to deduce the long-term mean surface layer fluxes that affect the deficits: vertical mixing, horizontal advection, air–sea exchange, and biological activity. The deficits show a clear seasonality with a minimum in winter, when the mixed layer is at the deepest, and a maximum in early autumn, when biological uptake has removed much of the nutrients. The annual vertical fluxes of DIC and nitrate amounts to 2.9 ± 0.5 and 0.45 ± 0.09 mol m−2 yr−1, respectively, and the annual air–sea uptake of atmospheric CO2 is 4.4 ± 1.1 mol C m−2 yr−1. The biologically driven changes in DIC during the year relates to net community production (NCP), and the net annual NCP corresponds to export production, and is here calculated as 7.3 ± 1.0 mol C m−2 yr−1. The typical, median C : N ratio during the period of net community uptake is 9.0, and clearly higher than the Redfield ratio, but is varying during the season.
The Netherlands government emphasizes the importance of preventive care for the elderly. From an economic and preventive point of view the potential of exercise programmes to reduce the use of health care services by the elderly deserves attention. We present an overview of the literature on the effects of physical activity on health and psychological well-being of the elderly and their use of health services. Our review covers the period 1988-1993 and also includes review articles. We found almost sixty relevant articles which about all satisfied our methodological criteria. In men, physical activity probably has a positive influence on the frequency of ischaemic heart disease. Exercise delays the onset of osteoporosis in women. The results for other diseases are ambiguous, despite the large amount of literature. Similarly, it is not clear yet whether physical activity can enhance well-being. Research on the effects of physical activity on the use of health services has hardly been done. We conclude that well-designed studies are needed to determine the cost-effectiveness of exercise programmes in the elderly.
OBJECTIVES The aim of present work was to examine estrogen influence on neurogenesis in the model of predegenerated peripheral nerve grafts implantation into the rat hippocampal dentate gyrus.   METHODS Experiment was carried out on female rats divided into three experimental groups: NO - non-ovariectomized, OV - ovariectomized and E - heterogeneous group with various 17-beta-estradiol substitution after ovariectomy. Proliferating cells were labeled with BrdU. Brains were subjected to immunohistochemical procedures to visualize nestin, GFAP and estrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta).   RESULTS Proliferation rate was highest in E groups with estrogen levels resembling that in proestrus phase. Ovariectomy resulted in higher than in NO group number of new neurons, while high hyperestrogenemia worsened the results. The proportions of nestin-labeled cells correlated in similar way with different hormonal state. We found also distinct co-localization of nestin and GFAP in E group (proestrus). It may suggest the presence of radial glia, a potential source of new neurons in adult mammals. Nerve graft induced ERalpha expression at the site of injury in all groups. Distribution of ERbeta in hippocampus was estradiol-dose-dependent and correlated with cell proliferation.   CONCLUSION In our model, 17-beta-estradiol and predegenerated nerve graft implantation had synergistic effect on hippocampal neurogenesis.
The North Carolina Administrative Procedure Act (APA) was enacted in 1973 with the express purpose of establishing “a uniform system of administrative rulemaking and adjudicatory procedure for agencies.” The system extends to standards of judicial review, which are explicitly stated in section 150B-51 of Article 4 of the APA. Consistent with the statutory goal of uniformity, the North Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that section 150B-51 is the default standard of judicial review for appeals of agency orders and decisions. However, numerous agency-specific statutes undermine the APA’s goal of uniform judicial review. This Article argues that the legislature should revise such statutes, thereby standardizing, simplifying, and clarifying the standard of judicial review of administrative appeals.This Article has two purposes, one descriptive and one normative. The descriptive task is to provide an overview of the standards of judicial review in North Carolina, including recent legislative updates, to assist superior court judges and practitioners in understanding these standards. There is some urgency in educating the North Carolina bench and bar in this area. Now that ALJs can enter final orders in contested cases, agencies have the right to appeal unfavorable decisions to the superior court, which may cause a significant increase in the number of cases brought to the courts and a corresponding need for a clear and predictable regime of judicial review.Part II of this Article surveys and summarizes the current landscape of appellate and original jurisdiction over administrative appeals in the superior courts, including recent legislative updates, with the intention of providing a useful guide to judges and practitioners alike. Part III of this Article proposes legislative updates to simplify and clarify superior court jurisdiction over administrative appeals. First, the legislature should amend almost all of the statutes that confer original jurisdiction on the reviewing courts, conferring appellate jurisdiction instead. Second, the legislature should consider amending the current array of agency-specific judicial review statutes to use language that more clearly and simply confers APA-style appellate jurisdiction on the reviewing court.
With increasing leisure time more people than ever are either taking part in or watching sport. Sport has become a commercially attractive medium and the need for money to promote both sports and products has produced new problems, which include increased stress and an increased risk of injury. For the true amateur, injuries can result in significant time off work and for both amateurs and professionals, long-term chronic problems may occur. The medical care of sports injuries has been underestimated if not neglected in the past. This paper attempts to bring together some of the known facts and the development in medical care and understanding.
Objective: To study the expression of type Ⅳ collagen in laryngeal squamous epithelial cell carcinoma and the relation with cervical lymphnode metastasis. Method: Streptavidin peroxidase conjugated method was used to detect the expression of the type Ⅳ collagen in 69 patients. Results: In patients with laryngeal carcinoma ,the rate of the positive expression of the type Ⅳ the collagen continuity was 39.1%(27/69). In patients with cervical lymphnode metastasis the rate was 21.2%(7/33).In patients without cervical lymphnode metastasis the rate was 55.6%(20/36). The type Ⅳ collagen discontinuity was related with cervical lymphnode metastasis.Conclusion: Expression of the type Ⅳ collagen is negatively related with cervical lymphnode metastasis,and plays the same role in restricting cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with laryngeal squamous epithelial cell carcinoma.
The invention discloses an archives management system based on local area network, which comprises an entry registration module, an information inquiring module, a history module and an administrator module, wherein the entry registration module is connected with a server database; the entry information comprises the archives name, the archives quantity and the archives storage location; the information inquiring module is connected with the server database so as to inquire the existing information in the server database; the history module is connected with the server database so as to inquire the historical information in the server database; and the administrator module is used for carrying out back-stage management so as to alter the information in the server database directly. The archives management system provided by the invention has a simple structure and a smart design; electronic improvement is carried out by a traditional archives management manner; convenience and safety for archives management are greatly improved; the system overcomes the shortages in the traditional technology, so the purpose of the invention is achieved.
This paper reviews and summarises the results of selected empirical studies on performance gaps between multinational enterprises and their domestic counterparts. Performance gaps arise in such fields as productivity, profitability, wages, skills, factor intensity and growth. Of central interest is the question to what extent is foreign ownership an explanatory factor of performance gaps? Empirical evidence supports the existence of performance gaps between foreign and domestic firms, yet foreign ownership is a much less important explanatory factor than normally assumed. Structural factors like industry, size and multi-nationality per se are more important. It is argued that such results are broadly consistent with those derived in the literatures on ownership change, on foreign entry and on spillovers. The concluding section discusses the normative issue whether there is a case for investment promotion policies to discriminate between firms on the basis of performance gaps by ownership.
The freedom is the absolute ‘keyword’ and the totalizing reality in Hegel’s thought, philosophical evolution and system. Its determination yields a continuous labor with several phases, corrections, new elaborations from the early formulations and drafts to the mature conceptions and writings. In spite of its polymorphous complexities, its fundamental and inescapable feature is the ‘ universal’  condition of spirit out of natural conditions, in the sense that spirit has to become nature to itself and in the same time its sole nature. This determination is possible only for and in the system, because the freedom is the a ‘ systematic’  process of various constitutive processes and its complete result. Sittlichkeit  is the item characterizing this highly complicate path faced by Hegel and representing also his philosophical production from its beginning to its end. The intricate enchainment between the consciousness and ethical entity including multifaceted forms of spiritual life has induced to start individualizing in the Sittlichkeit  the principle or ‘ Idea’  of an early, very promising ‘system’.  But only after facing consciousness’ essence and function inside the whole system, it  has been possible to grasp the nature of Seele  and so the anthropology, that is the true fulcrum of every systematic sections and their same justification, so that the ethical in its any direction and declination has been properly clarified
According to the characteristic of transverse displacement which is produced when the light beams pass through uniform and transparent medium such as a parallel plate,a simple method was put forward for calculating the refractive index of transparent medium based on measuring the transverse displacement automatically with linear CCD and computer.Measurements on the refractive index of K9 glass were made using He-Ne laser beam with the incident angle of 30°,45°,60°,75°,respectively.For the measurements,the center of light spot is determined by the curve fitting method to acquire the transverse displacement and the final measurement precision is up to 10-3.Then the error of this method is analyzed and some improvement measures are proposed.
A significant role in the new era and the support provided by new technologies to various health issues could play the technology of telemedicine, which utilizes the telecommunications system in order to contribute to the diagnostic process in remote areas. The present dissertation is focused on the difficulties of daily life for people suffering from chronic diabetes and through the capabilities of computer systems, as well as the utilization of telemedicine, an attempt is made to create a system to monitor these individuals with the primary aim to improve their lives and ensure immediate prevention. For the purposes of this application, the programming languages, which were used, are MySQL, PHP and HTML. Also the program Edraw Max to design diagrams.
Keywords: Infection pressure, Phytophthora infestans , inoculum sources, modelling, spore dispersal. Aerial dispersal of Phytophthora infestans spores from distant sources to crops is an essential part of the epidemiology of potato late blight. This makes late blight a regional problem. An interdisciplinary analysis of the regional late blight problem is carried out through model development, experimental parameterisation and analysis and scenario studies that investigate possibilities for effective control of the disease at the regional level.A new equation was derived to estimate the relative exponential growth rate r (d - 1 ) of a plant disease epidemic from commonly used component parameters for pathogen aggressiveness and host resistance, such as the latency period, infection efficiency, sporulation intensity and lesion growth rate. The use of the equation is demonstrated with field measurements of resistance components against late blight for five potato cultivars. Infection efficiency and lesion growth rate together explained most of the variation in cultivar resistance.To describe the dispersal of spores at distances up to 10 km downwind from a source of inoculum, the Gaussian plume model was used. A field experiment was set up to calibrate the Gaussian plume model, as applied to the dispersal of spores. A comparison of estimated concentrations with the measurements confirmed that spore clouds originating from a point source take the form of a Gaussian plume: the coefficient of correlation between measured spore concentrations and fitted concentrations was 0.8. The fraction of spores that escaped the canopy and was available for long distance dispersal amounted to 64% ± 17%. : exactly'> To model deposition and loss of spores from the spore plume at distances between 50 m and 10 km from the source, the source depletion method was used. This is a practical method, but it is simplified in its description of spore loss. The accuracy of the source depletion method was determined by comparing it with the more realistic surface depletion method in a modelling study. It was found that under worst case conditions, the source depletion method may lead to an error of at most a factor 4 in calculated deposition of Phytophthora infestans spores.The infection pressure on receptor crops caused by inoculum from a distant source was calculated with a newly developed model. The sensitivity analysis showed that disease level at the source had by far the greatest impact on infection pressure, followed by distance from the source. Subsequent scenario studies indicated that eradication of sources with high disease levels and spatial separation of cropping systems with different disease tolerances are more effective than use of more resistant cultivars for the receptor crop or a ban on the growing of susceptible cultivars. The conditions and possibilities for practical implementation of the effective control strategies as well as their consequences for fungicide requirements are discussed.
The distributed small satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a cluster of formation-flying small satellite SARs that cooperate to perform multiple space mission functions,such as ground moving target indicator (GMTI) and digital elevation model (DEM),and its functions and reliability exceed a larger,single-satellite SAR.To obtain along-track baseline and cross-track baseline at the same time,the small satellites in a formation must be distributed in two-dimensional or three-dimensional space,which would cause combined ATI/XTI phase.And it is difficult to suppress the ground clutter and detect ground moving targets in the present of combined ATI/XTI phase.The separation of the phase of topography and targets motion is very difficult by only using signal processing approaches.In this paper,several optimal formation configurations are presented and then a signal processing approach is used to detect gound moving targets.The simulated results are also given in this paper.
PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the test-retest reproducibility of measures of blood flow velocities using color Doppler imaging (CDI) in orbital arteries. Patients and MethodsMeasures of peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity, and resistive index were performed in a group of 15 normal tension glaucoma patients and in 15 healthy subjects using the Siemens Quantum 2000 CDI system with a 7.5 MHz linear probe. After each velocity measure in each vessel, the probe was removed and then replaced to repeat the measurement −2 min later. ResultsFor all subjects, the coefficients of reliability for measures of peak systolic velocity were 12% in the ophthalmic artery, 25% in the central retinal artery, and 19% in a short posterior ciliary artery. For end diastolic velocity, the coefficients were 6%, 11%, and 25%, respectively. The coefficients for resistive index were 4%, 11%, and 38%. ConclusionCDI produces highly reproducible measures in the ophthalmic artery. Measures in the central retinal artery are somewhat more variable but seem reasonably reproducible. Short posterior ciliary measurements were the most variable, suggesting that current methods for assessing these vessels may not be sufficiently reliable.
The dynamics and velocity distributions for a 2D granular gas of nonspherical particles are studied experimentally. The experiment consists of a horizontal plate that is vertically shaken to drive the dynamics of up to a few thousand macroscopic dimers, spherical pairs that are loosely connected by a rod that allows the particles some freedom to change their aspect ratio. The behavior of a granular gas of dimers is compared and contrasted to that of prior work for a granular gas of identical spheres. PACS numbers: 45.70.-n, 05.70.Ln, 06.30.Gv, 45.50.Tn Typeset using REVTEX
The purpose of this retrospective study was to report the results using scarf, first metatarsal osteotomies, in correcting Hallux Valgus deformity with H-V angle >35°. During the period 2003–2008 we did 23 scarf, first metatarsal osteotomies in 15 patients (8 bilateral).In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this operation, patients were clinically (aofas score) and radiologically (X –ray in 4, 8, 12 weeks) assessed. Mean follow up was 32 months. The results evaluated with the aofas score in order to study the function, the pain and the overall satisfaction of the patients. We had excellent results in 13 %, very good in 48 % good 32% and poor 7 %.There was only one complication and no one infection. According the above results it seems that scarf osteotomy is quite reliable surgical treatment of severe Hallux – Valgus deformity with an increased IM angle.
Limestone is the primary constituent raw material for cement manufacture. While most limestone deposits are suitable for cement making, there are some characteristics of limestone which need to be defined in order to establish a usable raw material supply.  These relate to compositional requirements and also the consistency of the deposit in chemical and physical terms. Limestone makes up about 10% of the total volume of all sedimentary rocks. The solubility of limestone in water and weak acid solutions leads to karst landscapes, in which water erodes the limestone over thousands to millions of years. The density and porosity of samples from the various locations vary from 2.61g/cm 3 to 2.72g/cm 3 and 2.70% to 3.80%. The Schmidt hammer rebound number of samples from Ewekoro quarry varies from 32.1 to 33.6. The uniaxial compressive strength of samples from Ewekoro quarry varies from 60.5 MPa to 63.5 MPa thereby classifying the rock as moderate to high strength. The point load strength index is obtained from the LAFARGE laboratory results and varies from 1.239 MPa to 2.185 MPa. The strength classifications fall within the range of moderate to high strength class. Also, the tensile strength, obtained from point load strength ranges from 1.862 MPa to 3.086 MPa. The staining process induces a reaction on the surface of a particular mineral species which results in coloured precipitate characteristic of that mineral. Alizarin red S in NaOH stained the samples purple indicating the presence of magnesium in the carbonate while Alizarin red S in HCL stained the samples red. Physical observation of Ewekoro limestone deposit reveal the rock is highly fossiliferous with the identified fossils indicating deposition in an open shelf environment. Moreover, the limestone deposit was equally observed to be principally mud supported which is indicative of rocks deposited in quiet water and a low energy environment. Keywords : Limestone, Solubility, Ewekoro, Physical and Chemical.
Assume that a collective bargaining agreement provides, "All leaves of absence and any extensions thereof shall be without pay."1 Assume further that the contract provides, "Vacations shall be scheduled in accordance with the needs of the Company and employee preferences in accordance with seniority." For many years, the parties have followed a procedure whereby in early January, the company decides the maximum number of employees who may be on vacation on any given day and distributes vacation preference forms. Employees complete the forms specifying the dates they wish to take vacation and the company grants those requests by seniority until it reaches the maximum for any given date. Walter Worker's length of service entitled him to four weeks of vacation per year. He participated in the vacation scheduling process and received vacation scheduled for two weeks in mid-August, and the three days before Thanksgiving as well as two days following the Thanksgiving weekend. He retained one week of his entitlement to use at a future time. The practice was to allow employees who did not schedule their entire vacation entitlement through the formal scheduling process to take vacation days at any time as long as the employee gave at least forty-eight hours' notice, and the maximum number of employees on vacation for the requested date had not yet been met.
Apparatus and method for power saving and improved interference coordination provides enhanced support for the cell / time domain ICIC (eICIC / time domain ICIC) user equipment (UE) in. The power saving method comprising: receiving a control information for a reference pattern from a base station a power saving mode; determining whether the terminal is configured to operate in the power saving mode; and when the terminal is configured to operate in the when said power saving mode, according to the reference pattern to determine whether to decode the downlink control channel.
Safety climate is the perception of personnel about the priority of safety in an organization. The  objective of this study was to evaluate safety climate using Nordic questionnaire in a hospital.  Material and Method: In this cross-sectional study, 92 nurses working in different wards of a hospital in  uromia city, Iran, flled out the NOSACQ-50 questionnaire. The responses of nurses were recorded with a  4-point Likert scale. The results were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics.  Results: Seventy-two percent of nurses were female and the remainders (28%) were men. The mean score  of safety climate dimensions was different. “Management safety priority, commitment, and competence” and  “Safety communication, learning, and trust in co-workers safety competence” dimensions obtained the lowest  and the highest scores by nurses, respectively. The mean score of safety climate ranged 2.49 to 2.67 in different  wards of the hospital. What is more, the mean safety climate was not statistically differed among nurses of  various age and work experience categories (P-value> 0.05).  Conclusion: According to the results, it can be noted that the level of safety climate in the hospital was  fairly good from the nurses’ viewpoint. However, attempts should be made to improve it, especially in the  safety management related dimensions. Corrective control measures should be implemented in all wards of the  hospital for all personnel with any age and work experience
SMEs do not have enough support from the relevant authorities for their creation or expansion, for this reason their owners seek help in credit institutions to solve their business improvement and growth needs for their economic development.  In order to know the credit contribution of the Savings and Credit Cooperatives to the socio-economic development of the SMEs certified by the MIPRO of the city of Guaranda, an investigation was carried out, in which the legal form has come to be known and activity to which each of the micro companies, financial entities in which they obtained the loans, are dedicated. The amount they requested, with their respective interest rate and the term to cancel it, was determined to determine the use of the loans granted. By the institutions, to then describe the socio-economic benefits, obtaining greater utility, generating employment and its direct and indirect beneficiaries.  Among the achievements and conclusions of this research was to establish a baseline that determines the existence of 35 SMEs that have the respective certifications of (MIPRO), the destination of the loans granted by the Savings and Credit Cooperative they were destined in a 35% for the working capital, unlike the payment of debts in a 6%.  Keywords: Economy, SMEs, income, credits, sales, working capital.
Programs aimed at preventing genetic diseases reduce their fatal consequences among the population. Therefore, it is important to correctly prepare the medical staff working in the Maternal-Infant Program. Subjects related with these issues are thought since the pre-graduate education, in the second year of Medicine studies and in the postgraduate courses as part of the General Comprehensive Medicine residency within the subject Medical Genetics. The importance of this topic supported the creation of this pamphlet, based on a bibliographical review of the subject related with the implementation of the diagnosis and prevention program for genetic disease within the practice of genetic advising. The objective of this pamphlet is to provide the basic theoretical elements to facilitate the implementation of health actions in the community, which can be further review using the conventional bibliography.
Detection of the sentinel node is slowly becoming a new and promising procedure to stage patients suffering from breast cancer. Various articles have attempted to analyze objectively the predictive value of the histopathological examination to reveal the presence of metastatic cells in the axillary node without having to carry out an axillary dissection. In this paper, 60 patients with breast cancer (T up to 3 cm, clinically negative axilla) have been studied. A colloid bound to 99m Technetium was injected. Intra-surgical radioguided detection of the sentinel lymph node was performed and this was excised and its pathology was analyzed. After a complete axillary dissection was performed. With this technique it was possible to predict the condition ot the axilla in 96.5% of the cases and the sensitivity of the method was 92%. A training program on this technique has been developed and its application is suggested. The results of the use of a radiopharmaceutical which has not been previously documented in the published literature is discussed.
Modern transportation systems optimize traffic flows in road networks by allowing intersection-level traffic controllers to communicate and synchronize. Typically they are distributed systems, with multiple nodes (intersections) communicating with each other in real time. This paper proposes a design process for traffic coordination systems using model driven engineering (MDE), a paradigm used to design complex embedded systems in automotive and aerospace. The approach combines a conventional micro-simulator (AIMSUN) with a state of the art control modelling tool (Simulink) following a model-view-controller approach. The MDE approach allows for both micro-simulation (on a PC) and emulation (using embedded controllers). Once the model is validated, automatic code generation can be used to generate the implementation of the system on embedded devices. As a case study, the authors designed a SCATS-inspired coordinated intersection control system. To the authors' knowledge, the proposed approach is the first, fully automated approach for the design of complex intelligent transportation systems (ITS).
Objective:To study the relationship between the alteration of myocardial contractility and cardiac function in hypertensive patients with different left ventricular geometry using the end systolic stress midwall fractional shortening. Methods:Left ventricular geometry and cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography in 117 cases of essential hypertension, with 45 normal cases as control. Patients were divided into four groups based on LVMI and RWT. Midwall fractional shortening(mFs) and meridional end systolic stress(MESS) were calculated. Results:The most serious impairment of left ventricular systolic function was shown in eccentric hypertrophy decreases in ejection fraction, fractional shortening and midwall fractional shortening. However myocardial contractility shown by end systolic stress midwall fractional shortening relation was worst in concentric hypertrophy group. The damage of diastolic function showed as EF slope was strongly correlated with the decreased myocardial contractility. Conclusion: The degree of myocardial contractility impairment was different in patients with different left ventricular geometry. Concentric hypertrophy of left ventricle compensated the reduction of myocardial contractility in some phases in order to maintain the normal systolic function.
The effect of 3typical water and soil conservation methods(soil and water conservation forest,horizontal terrace,and terrace botanical zone)on soil total nitrogen(TN)and total phosphorus(TP)had been systematically studied in Huanren Hun River Basin,and the slope cropland was used as a control.The experiment was performed from March to September,2013.More than 336typical soil samples were collected and analyzed.It was found that TN and TP of soil samples collected from the area protected by the above 3typical soil and water conservation methods were significantly higher than those collected from the slope cropland without any protection of the conventional soil and water conservation method.The TN and TP of the soil samples collected from horizontal terrace were 24.6%and 35.7% higher than those collected from the slope cropland,and the soil TN and TP from the terrace botanical zone were 19.4%and 37.4%higher,accordingly.The more dramatic effect was observed from simultaneously deploying 3typical water and soil conservation methods together,the TN and TP of the soil samples were 29.2%and 30.6% higher,respectively,than those of the control samples.The research can provide the scientific guideline and feasible methods for the control of non-point source pollution of the sloping cropland.
A microwave heating apparatus for heating disc-shaped loads of variable water content wherein the energy is introduced by way of a sonde antenna connected to a coaxial cable, the disc-shaped load is positioned at the axial center of the chamber, and the apparatus is dimensioned to produce TO011 wave patterns, TM010 wave patterns, or a combination thereof, depending upon the dielectric constant of the load. The positioning means for the load may be connected to an external balance for continuously weighing the load.
Lighting plays an inevitable role in wellbeing of habitants of all nations and community groups. In modern era, Urbanization has experienced as one of the emerging scenario worldwide as the outcome of globalization, characterized by much dense built landscapes infrastructure and sophisticated technologies accompanied with the tremendously increasing needs of human beings. This study aims to patterning the lightscape of urban and sub urban areas of Vavuniya district in the context of sufficiency of street lighting for the wealthy transportation and health safety of habitants belongs to study area. The street lighting intensities were measured using Digital Lux Meter at selected sampling points/locations of the study area. Further attributes such as types of light sources, light trespass effects, placement height and the distances in between the adjacent light sources taken into the consideration for the interpretations. The results of this study showed characteristic difference in between urban and sub urban areas as for urban area ranging from the average light intensity of 16 – 20 Lux, whereas for suburban areas 8-12 Lux. Further there was an appropriateness in the selection of light types at both urban and sub urban areas. The changing intensities of street lighting showed a traffic dependent variation, on an average for urban area ranging from 1842 Lux and 16-22 Lux for sub urban area. This study revealed the necessity of improved light intensities in sub urban areas to facilitate the transportation of cyclist and pedestrians. Therefore, for the betterment in the wealth of community in both areas it would be better to accommodate the findings of this research for the responsible of future urban and sub urban planning and development of urban and SubUrban areas of Vavuniya District and to combat against global energy crisis.
In the light of the principle of comparative economics and the theory of forestry economy,the paper analyzes the potential of Chinese forestry economic development.The forestry development tendency in China and the United States is also reviewed.The present situation of Chinese forestry development under doubled siege of resource and environment is studied and the future strategy is advanced.The forestry structure should be optimized with the integration of ecological,economic and social benefits.In order to promote the sustainable development,forestry resources should be protected with the strategy aiming at reservation and recovery of forestry resources,adjustment of forestry structure,and shift to a new growth pattern by speeding up technological innovations.
The invention belongs to the field of pesticides and discloses a herbicidal composition containing clopyralid and thifensulfuron-methyl and application thereof. The herbicide takes clopyralid and thifensulfuron-methyl as the main active ingredients, wherein the mass ratio of clopyralid to thifensulfuron-methyl is (1-80):(1-70) and clopyralid and thifensulfuron-methyl account for 5-85% of the herbicidal composition by mass. The herbicidal composition has obvious effect on preparing the herbicides for controlling the postemergence weeds in the wheat fields, especially the herbicides for controlling various broadleaf weeds in the wheat fields. Compared with the single agent, the herbicidal composition delays weed resistance, has wide herbicidal spectrum and long efficacy duration and does noharm to the wheat and the aftercrops on the premise of improving the drug effect.
Now a days Harmonic Distortion in electric power system is a major power quality problem that has been attracting significant attention of engineering community. In order to evaluate the Total Harmonic Distortion(THD) and the harmonic current component is a critical issue. In this paper proposes a new method to measure the harmonic impedance at the metering point. Feed Forward Back Propagation Neural Network(FF-BPNN) is employed to measure the harmonic impedance in a power system. The measured Harmonic impedance is used to identify the harmonic source. The proposed technique is proves that the trained Neural Network(NN) are able to produce exact identification of harmonic sources.
The incidence of burn injuries in pregnancy is low. Nevertheless, burns can cause maternal and foetal mortality and should be treated aggressively if substantial. Minor burns may frequently be managed without hospitalization. A 27-year-old primigravid woman with a gestational age of 38+6 presented with an abdominal partial-thickness burn covering 3% of her total body surface area. Conservative treatment was conducted in the emergency department. Medical induction of labour was performed. A healthy boy was delivered vaginally within 36 hours after the injury.
Abstruct- We consider transmission of data over multiple coupled channels, such as bundles of twisted-pair copper wires in the local sub- scriber loop, and between central offices in the public switched tele- phone network. Transceiver designs for such channels typically treat the crosstalk between adjacent twisted pairs as random noise uncorrelated with the transmitted signal. We propose a transmitterheceiver pair that compensates for crosstalk by treating an entire bundle of twisted pairs as a single multiinput~ultioutput channel with a (slowly varying) matrix transfer function. The proposed transceiver uses multichannel adap- tive FIR filters to cancel near- and far-end crosstalk, and to pre- and postprocess the input/output of the channel. The linear pre- and post- processors that minimize mean squared error between the received and transmitted signal in the presence of both near- and far-end crosstalk are derived. The performance of an adaptive near-end crosstalk canceller using the stochastic gradient (LMS) transversal algorithm is illustrated via numerical simulation. Plots of mean squared error versus time and eye diagrams are presented assuming a standard transmission line model for the channel. A signal design algorithm that maps a vector input bit stream to a stream of channel symbol vectors is also presented. This algorithm is illustrated explicitly for a simple model of two coupled channels. It is shown that the achievable rate using the proposed signaling scheme is very close to the rate attainable in the absence of far-end crosstalk, and is significantly greater than the achievable rate assuming that far-end crosstalk is treated as additive noise with unknown statistics.
The contamination of mine soil and hypers spectral remote sensing monitoring were briefly surveyed,the application of hyper spectral remote sensing on direct identification of spectral characteristics of soil pollutants and plant spectral of soil pollutants were summarized.The advantages of hyper spectral remote sensing on monitoring and managing were concluded and should be improved aspects were suggested.
This study aims to identify the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior in the National Company for distribution of electricity and gas, and also aims to identify the dimensions of organizational citizenship behavior from the theoretical side, and the relationship of each specific determinants of job satisfaction on organizational citizenship behavior through data entry in the computer and processed statistically using statistical software (SPSS). Keywords: job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to analyse how critical incidents or organisational crises can be used to check and legitimise quality management change efforts in relation to the fundamental principles of quality.Design/methodology/approach – Multiple case studies analyse critical incidents that demonstrate the importance of legitimisation, normative evaluation and conflict constructs in this process. A theoretical framework composed of these constructs is used to guide the analysis.Findings – The cases show that the critical incidents leading to the legitimisation of continuous improvement (CI) were diverse. However all resulted in the need for significant ongoing cost reduction to achieve or retain competitiveness. In addition, attempts at legitimising CI were coupled with attempts at destabilising the existing normative practice. This destabilisation process, in some cases, advocated supplementing the existing approaches and in others replacing them. In all cases, significant conflict arose in thes...
ESA initiated the development of the SpW Remote Terminal Controller (SpW-RTC) ASIC within a global strategy context based on the following driving aspect : 1) Ensure ESA payload program development with a set of ASSP s capable of answering most of the On-Board computing and control needs for the future deca de. 2) Adopt new ASIC developments to ESA ASSP strategy to reduce ev lopment time and recurring cost. 3) Ensure SpW nodes developed by ESA (i.e. component, module, unit...e tc) to be easily integrated in ESA On-Board Distributed Computing and Contro l System. Hence, the objective of this paper is threefold: ♣ To demonstrate that SpW-RTC development is fully in line with ESA strategy ♣ To demonstrate that the SpW-RTC design has functionalities that fulfils a great number of on-board needs. ♣ To announce the last phase of its development as the SpW-RTC is currently in its manufacturing and validation phase. Thus, this paper summarises ESA strategy for the SpW-RTC development and it presents the resulting description of the ASIC. Focus on its multi-funct ion aspects, low power and high performance capability is provided by presenting a set of appl ic tions and related architectures where the SpW-RTC is well suited. For the conclusion, ESA ASSPs development strategy is assessed for the SpW-RTC case and related methodology for the SpW-RTC validation is presented.
This paper probes into the mechanical properties of slab pier terminal of Naxigou and studies the application prospect of the slab pier terminal in the Three Gorges reservoir.The results show that the slab pier terminal can adapt to the long-duration deep water after the impoundment of the Three Gorges.This kind of structural type can not only improve the construction level,but also increase the bent spacing,so as to realize all-weather construction of the terminal and improve the safety of the wharf structure.It will be widely used as a new terminal structure in the fluctuating backwater area of Three Gorges reservoir area.
In this work, we synthesized PNIPAAm and poly[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate] (PEG analogue) with a similar degree of polymerization by ATRP. Their thermoresponsive behaviors in aqueous solution were inspected with phase diagrams, rheological properties and static/time resolved fluorescence analyses. We found that the gelation capability of the PNIPAAm solution was far superior to the PMEO2MA solution due to more pronounced physical interactions between PNIPAAm chains, whereas for PMEO2MA, weak intermolecular interactions fail to result in gelling in the selected concentration range during heating. This distinct property suggests that the PNIPAAm solution will be more suitable for use as an injectable embolic or drug loading material; while thermoresponsive PEG analogues can be a beneficial supplement or even alternative to PNIPAAm in non-thermogelling applications.
A method of operating an electric machine so that an electric tool for an internal combustion engine is provided, wherein the internal combustion engine and the electric machine each produce a torque and driving a hybrid electric vehicle, so that a requested power by the electric machine in combination with the internal combustion engine provided, wherein the internal combustion engine is a turbocharged engine (34), a supercharged engine (26) or a suction motor (12), the method comprising the steps of: Determining a size of a requested from a vehicle operator performance (P_dr_req); Determining a normalized air-fuel ratio lean limit (lambda_mfel) for the combustion engine (34, 26, 12); Determining a normalized air-fuel ratio rich limit (lambda_mfer) for the combustion engine (34, 26, 12); Using the normalized air-fuel ratio lean limit (lambda_mfel) and the normalized air-fuel ratio rich limit (lambda_mfer) to a minimum torque limit (Tq_cap_min_fast_e) and a maximum torque limit (Tq_cap_max_fast_e) of the engine (34, 26, 12) to determine Use of the torque limits (Tq_cap_min_fast_e; Tq_cap_max_fast_e) a response to the torque demand (Tq_eng_req) of the engine (34, 26, 12) to generate within two seconds after the torque demand (Tq_eng_req) and to keep engine exhaust emissions within a desired range, the from the normalized air-fuel ratio lean limit (lambda_mfel) and the normalized air-fuel ratio rich limit (lambda_mfer) resulting emissions limited; Determining a minimum and a maximum electric power limit of the electric machine; Using the size of the requested power (P_dr_req), the minimum and maximum torque limits (Tq_cap_min_fast_e; Tq_cap_max_fast_e) of the engine (34, 26, 12), and the minimum and the maximum electric power limit of the electric machine, so that the requested power by the electrical machine is provided in combination with the internal combustion engine within the desired period of time.
Measuring the uncertainty of evidences is an open issue in belief function theory. Recently, a distance-based total uncertainty measure for the belief function theory, indicated by TU I , is presented. Some experiments show the efficiency of the TU I to measure uncertainty degree. In this paper, numerical example and theoretical analysis are illustrated that the monotonicity in TU I is not satisfied. To address this issue, an improved uncertainty measure TU IE is proposed. The monotonicity for TU IE is theoretically proved. Finally, through experimental comparison we show that TU IE also has the desired high sensitivity to the evidence changes, which further indicates that the proposed TU IE is better than TU I .
The notion of biographical learning is developed in the field of continuing professional training. It is linked to the recognition of knowledge and skills that come from experience and the consideration in the proposals and training contents of the individualization of personal and professional paths. By bringing out the founding role of the biographical report referring to training, the training proposals through “life stories” give access to the experiential dimension of the learning processes and to the logic of biographical construction from which the acquisition and the appropriation of knowledge. With the notions of knowing from experience, of the biographical constitution of knowledge, the notion of biographical learning contributes to establishing the framework of a biographical theory of learning.
In this survey paper some recent results on the minimality problem for positive realizations are discussed. In particular, it is firstly shown, by means of some examples, that the minimal dimension of a positive realization of a given transfer function, may be much "larger" than its McMillan degree. Then, necessary and sufficient conditions for the minimality of a given positive realization in terms of positive factorization of the Hankel matrix are given. Finally, necessary and sufficient conditions for a third order transfer function with distinct real positive poles to have a third order positive realization are provided and some open problems related to minimality are discussed.
A ring and mounting thereon for a plurality of gemstones includes a ring formed of a pair of shanks mounted together at a common end. The pair of shanks have a through-aperture between distal ends of the pair of shanks opposite the common end. The distal ends are entirely detached from each other. A first pair of upstanding flexible lever arms, or merely hereinafter arms, bracket opposite sides of the through-aperture. Each flexible arm has a base end and an opposite free end. Each flexible arm is mounted at its base end to a corresponding distal end of the shanks. A first gemstone forms a keystone mounted in compression sandwiched between the free ends of the first pair of upstanding flexible arms. A second pair of upstanding arms are mounted at their base ends to the pair of shanks so as to be disposed, one on each shank, on opposite sides of the first pair of upstanding flexible arms. A first pair of gemstone receiving pockets or cavities.
It often happens in software development that several different applications utilize the same set of sophisticated functions to achieve corresponding roles. There are many options to accomplish the task aforementioned. This paper proposes herein an approach to realize the Local Process Internal Procedure Call. It further elucidates its application in the above situation as well as some tricks in practical development.
Over the last two decades, moves toward “inclusion” have prompted change in the formation of education policies, schooling structures and pedagogical practice. Yet, exclusion through the categorisation and segregation of students with diverse abilities has grown; particularly for students with challenging behaviour. This paper considers what has happened to inclusive education by focusing on three educational jurisdictions known to be experiencing different rates of growth in the identification of special educational needs: New South Wales (Australia), Alberta (Canada) and Finland (Europe). In our analysis, we consider the effects of competing policy forces that appear to thwart the development of inclusive schools in two of our case-study regions.
As a part of continuing investigations into the chemistry of liquefaction catalyzed by metal sulfides, a study was made of the interaction of H/sub 2/S and CO with the pyrrhotite surface using ESR spectroscopy. Mineral contained in coals are reported to promote hydrogenation and hydrodesulfurization in low-rank coal conversion processes. More specifically, those containing iron are found to promote both hydrogenation and desulfurization reactions. In the pyrite and pyrrhotite forms, iron has hydrogenation activity. The liquefaction activities of iron sulfides in the absence of added H/sub 2/S are distinguished by sulfur concentration and shown to be FeS/sub 2/ > Fe/sub 2/S/sub 3/ > Fe/sub 1-x/S > FeS.
Mental health problems relate to students’development,stability of the campus and family happiness.Therefore,College Counselors and class teachers should do mental health education which plays an important part in student work task.According to students’psychological characteristics and pattern of growth,Counselors and class teachers carry out a ideal education to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit.They carry out a good Thanksgiving education to cultivate the spirit of benevolence.And they carry out a defeat education to enhance college students’psychological endurance.Through the theme of the three practical activities,they can resolve mental health problems,mold students’ sunshine mentality,and guide the healthy development of students.
IN the (1976) second volume of the SUpplel11entto the Oxford English Dictionary, the collocation, inky-pinky, is stated to be obscure in its etymology and to mean 'small beer'. The inquirer is referred to its occurrence 'in versions of the Halloween play Galatians; see E. K. Chambers, English Folk-Play, 1913; and is told· to see other senses and forms in the Scottish National Dictionary. That work, in Vol. V (1960), gives, on p.281, such meanings as: (1) small beer' (and it quotes the already cited Halloween example); (2) usage in children's rhyme; (3) a stew or hash made from cold roast beef, vegetables and seasoning; and (4) '? a kind of ginger-beer or other soft drink'. Neither reference dictionary suggests either a French etymology or a slang meaning (in mal. sens.) for the words. Recent reading of the prose of R. H. Mottram, both his The Twentieth Century: A Personal Record (1969) and his well-known Hawthornden Prize-winning novel, The Spanish Farn1 (1924) indicates his ear for and interest in dialect and colloquial speech. In the Epilogue to the novel" the English officer is made to revisit the Flanders scene-of his wartime service and love-, where the following passage occurs (p.254):
It is important to test the concentration of test aerosol accurately for HEPA/ULPA filter efficiency testing. This paper presents the principles and characteristics of three particle detectors(photometer, optical particle counter and condensation nucleus counter ),then, their existing problems in practice were analyzed in detail. Based on the discussion,it was concluded that optical particle counter and condensation nucleus counter will be the major particle detectors for HEPA/ULPA filter testing in the future.
This paper uses data drawn from two projects funded by the Economic and Social Research Council of England and Wales. It covers the years 1990-94 and examines the effects of the Education Reform Act, which allowed state schools to "opt out" or leave the control of their Local Education Authority (LEA) and still receive funding. Such schools are designated grant-maintained (GM) schools and are autonomous, incorporated institutions that own their land and buildings and manage their own budgets and personnel. The report includes interviews with the policy's political advocates, with public critics, with civil servants responsible for taking forward legislation into administrative action, and with LEA officers in local authorities directly affected by the policy, and it includes a field-based study of two local education markets to assess the impact of GM schools on adjacent maintained and independent schools. The paper is divided into five sections. It begins with a brief consideration of the poetics of policy analysis and explores the idea of a policy's "nature history." The second and third sections consider the origins of GM schools and their growing pains and troubled early years, whereas the fourth section examines the later stages of these schools' development and subsequent transformation. The last section discusses the policy's contemporary significance. (RJM) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** OPTING OUT OF OPTING OUT: A NATURAL HISTORY OF A POLICY THAT FAILED John Fitz (Cardiff University) David Halpin (Goldsmiths College, University of London) Sally Power (University of Bristol) Paper presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, April. 1998 Correspondence: Dr John Fitz, School of Education, Cardiff University, Senghennydd Road, Cardiff, CF1 9HG, Wales, UK. Tel 01222 874848 Fax 01222 874160 email fitz@cardiff ac.uk U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCA IONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. EST COPY AVAILABLE 2 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 1 INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) OPTING OUT OF OPTING OUT: A NATURAL HISTORY OF A POLICY THAT FAILED
A practical method of measuring layer properties is proposed as a technique to study the influence of the vertical density distribution on wood composite panel performance. Thin, uniform, horizontal layers were sectioned from medium density fiberboard and oriented strandboard specimens, and tested in thickness swell (TS) and internal bond (IB). The influence of the layer density on layer TS and layer IB is discussed. The layer TS development of both products in relation to water exposure time is presented.
In this internet era, companies a racing to provide the best online shopping experience for their customers. Customer satisfaction is still one of the most crucial aspect in maintaining customer loyalty for their online shopping behavior. Tokopedia is one of the most advanced, growing, and well known market place for online shoppers in Indonesia. This paper will examine the word of mouth of online shoppers and also how to enhance it. It also useful to be the basis for reference on the influence of perceived website quality, social influence and recommendation and experience on performance expectancy; performance expectancy for customer satisfaction and Word-of-Mouth; and customer satisfaction with Word-of-Mouth. This model was developed in order to conduct a Word-of-Mouth research conducted on the Tokopedia online shopping site in Surabaya. This research model is formed from the relationship between Perceived Website Quality, Social Influence and Recommendation, Experience, Performance Expectancy and Customer Satisfaction. This study used simple regression analysis to determine and test the hypothesis using SPSS software. Based on the data processing that has been done, the results show that Social Influence and Recommendation, and Experience have a significant effect on Performance Expectancy; Performance Expectancy has a significant effect on Customer Satisfaction and Word of Mouth; Customer Satisfaction has a significant effect on Word of Mouth, while Perceived Website Quality has a positive but not significant effect on Performance Expectancy.
The effects of hip flexion and extension on the ipsilateral soleus Hoffmann (H) reflex recruitment curve were studied in 11 healthy subjects. Hip flexion (50 degrees), but not hip extension (15-20 degrees), produced changes in the H-reflex. A maintained facilitation, peaking at intensities of stimulation producing a maximal H-reflex (Hmax), was observed in 6/18 sessions. Inhibition, peaking at intensities submaximal for Hmax, was seen in 7/18 sessions. In some of the latter experiments, there was also a facilitation at high intensities of stimulation (greater than Hmax). The remaining experiments were classified as showing no effect: 3 were unmodulated but 2 showed a facilitation at high intensities of stimulation (greater than Hmax). Since the knee was extended in the test position, a second series of experiments (n = 7) were carried out to determine the possible influence of stretch of the biarticular hamstrings muscle group on the soleus H-reflex by comparing the effects of hip flexion with the knee extended with those obtained when the knee was flexed, thereby relaxing the hamstrings. The results provided no evidence that the variability could be explained by differences in the relative degree of stretch on the hamstrings muscle group. There were, however, systematic variations in the shape of the corresponding control H-reflex recruitment curves between subjects: the mean slope of the rising limb of the recruitment curve was highest in those experiments showing an inhibition, intermediate in the ineffective experiments and lowest in those showing a maintained facilitation. These observations indicate that the reflex output studied was different in the three groups, possibly reflecting differences in the relative proportions of slow- and fast-twitch motor units contributing to the reflex response.
There are still plenty of debates and discussions about the BoCheonGyo, the typical example of the so-called new religions which came into existence under the Japanese colonial rule in Korea. Main issues of debate about the BoCheonGyo are the matter of quasi-religions, its relation with the National Independent-Movement, and the effect of religious policies by Japanese colonialist power. Engaged in these matters, it seems that a negative sentimentality against BoCheonGyo was already firmly established in that times, and also religious policies during the colonial period included the plot to brainwash and assimilate Koreans through the manipulation of religion. This study intends to explain the rise and fall of the BoCheonGyo as a religious movement, and to evaluate the perspective of the Japanese colonial power on the BoCheonGyo. Especially this is based on a raw material, 『The Introduction to BoCheonGyo』, issued by a provincial authority(Jeon-Ra-Buk-Do) of the Japanese Government-General in Chosun in 1926. But, despite the fact that the BoCheonGyo was regarded as a quasi-religion, its membership increased in the 1920s after the March 1st Independence Movement. So it is evident that BoCheonGyo suffered a serious damage done by the Japanese Colonial Power. It is noteworthy that it was condemned as a premodern and anti-social quasi-religion when the Japanese colonial power intentionally spread malign propaganda to oppress the religion. Based on text analysis of 『The Introduction to BoCheonGyo』, this study examines religious policy that the Japan Government-General in Chosun designed.
Here,for a floating raft with elastic limiters,using the unilateral kinetics equations,the deterministic model was established through adding the contact force.Supposing the external force of the system was affected by the white noise.It was necessary to establish the random dynamical model for the system.Considering the universality of noise,based on the random vibration theories,a stochastic non-smooth model of the floating raft with elastic limiters was built up and the discrete computing algorithms were derived.There were many limiters in the floating raft system.So,it was difficult to determine the contact configurations of limiters.The artificial neural network could be used to distinguish the contact state of elastic limiters.The random responses of the floating raft were analyzed with an example.The effect of noise on the vibration of the system and the relations between the displacement variance and the gap of limiters were obtained.
Malaco fauna is the second largest and richest fauna after insect. It is globally distributed and acquired every possible niche of the planet earth except aerial one. It has numerous economic characteristics, amongst which bioindication is remarkdly important. Numbers of molluscan species were utilized world widely as biomonitoring agents, because of its sedentary and sessile nature. The present investigation aimed to describe the population dynamics of the molluscan fauna along with contamination level of the region. In order to describe the ecological conditions and its impact over the spatial distribution assessments of different physicochemical parameters were carried out. We conclude eight molluscan species representing six families. Species richness, abundance and evenness were evaluated in order to elucidate the diversity profile of the malaco fauna at the region. Physicochemical parameters were noted with significant variations and showed its remarked impact over the spatial and temporal distribution of the molluscs.
This study is to grasp the way of being of light in the space and to analyze the effect of it. Louis I. Kahn had structure-light dichotomy at the start and inclined to increase`Tastbarkeit` of space in process of time. `Structure-light integration` and `Shape-light` were products in that process. Mikveh synagogue shows the way in which Kahn have developed to make place by using them and shows that each of them give the sense of place to the interior different way.
The volume fractions of SO2 and H2S in SF6 gas of Circuit Breaker QF101 were found to be seriously superstandard during the detection of micro water and impurities in SF6 gas of circuit breakers in some cogeneration power plant.Therefore the content of SO2 and H2S in the circuit breaker chamber was tracked and monitored.Strip inspection of the circuit breaker was also conducted.Subsequent analysis showed that the superstandard problem was due to the damage of the circuit breaker inner structure after opening short-circuit current,the long-standing overtemperature of alloy steel conductor pole as well as the discharge of the conductor pole and the inner wall of insulation bushing,which eventually caused SF6 to decompose and produce massive SO2 and H2S.Precautions and countermeasures are presented accordingly.
Thin films of PbSe of various thicknesses have been deposited onto ultrasonically clean glass substrates using simple chemical bath deposition technique. Structural investigations on these showed polycrystalline nature of the films with the presence of cubic phases. Grain size increased with increase in thickness of the film sample. Compositional analysis revealed that films are sulphur deficient. Optical absorption studies indicated a decrease of energy band gap as thickness of film increased. The electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power (TEP) measurements have been carried out in 300-500 K temperature range. The activation energy is found to be thickness dependant. TEP measurement showed n-type conduction mechanism.
Residual soils, found in many parts of the world, are frequently used as construction materials for roads, embankments, and dams, as well as for foundations for buildings, bridges, and load-bearing pavements. This book discusses the characteristics and engineering properties of residual soils and finds that they vary significantly from the more familiar transported soils. The fact that residual soils often occur in areas with tropical, subtropical and semi-arid climates, adds another dimension to their engineering performance. This title has been written as a practical professional guide for geotechnical engineers working with residual soils, and as such, deals specifically with the mechanics of residual soils.
Since independence, agriculture has been Malaysia’s primary economic activity and has been the major source of national income (Danilah et.al, 2004). However, in 1987, the manufacturing sector takes over as the premier sector in the economy growth (BNM, 1989). Recently, in the ninth Malaysia plan period, the government has given a new emphasis to agriculture sector. Thus, this paper is to investigate the long-run relationship between Malaysian stock market and agriculture sector performances during 15 years period from 1990 to 2005. The results suggest  that Malaysian stock market and agriculture sector have a positive long- run relationship.
Transverse momentum broadening of a parton propagating through a large nucleus is evaluated in the color dipole approach using diﬀerent models for the dipole cross section or unintegrated gluon distribution, which lead to diﬀerent values of the coeﬃcient C F (0 , s ) . Numerical calculations are compared to data extracted from LHCb and ALICE experiments for nuclear broadening of J/ψ . We ﬁnd that diﬀerent models which describe the small- x data predict values of ∆ p 2 T that agree reasonably well with experiment, specially for forward rapidity. The centrality dependence was also analysed and the models are consistent with the ALICE measurements.
The effects of commercially available HA influenza vaccines, produced in 1988, was investigated in pupils in elementary schools located in six cities in Saitama Prefecture during the prevalence of influenza from 1988 to 1989. The state of absence in the children as a whole and in those with a history of disease was examined statistically, by dividing them into three groups in terms of the number of vaccinations given. The following results were obtained. 1) The proportion of children who had received no vaccination (71.2%) was significantly higher than that of children who had received one (9.6%) or two (19.3%) vaccinations. 2) A history of disease was found in 1,048 (3.3%) of the 31,941 children. The percentage of children having such a history was 3.6%, 2.7% and 2.5% among those who had received 0, 1 and 2 vaccinations, respectively; those who had no such history accounted for more than 96.0% in each group of children. 3) There were no differences between the three groups of children with regard to the proportion of those who had a history of respiratory or circulatory symptoms. 4) The rate of absenteeism and the overall rate of absenteeism were found to be significantly higher in children without any vaccination than those with two vaccinations, regardless of whether all subjects were considered or only those who had a history of disease were considered. 5) Both among all subjects and among those who had a history of disease, the mean number of days of absence was significantly high in children without any vaccination than those with 2 vaccinations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A survey on the filamentous microfungi inhabiting soil and mud of the tidal zone of Khawr Al-Zubair canal, Southern Iraq was conducted. A total of 144 species belonging to 61 genera were encountered from 99 soil and mud samples collected from different distances from the water edge. The isolates were assigned to 107 species of mitosporic fungi, 29 species of ascomycotina and 8 species of zygomycotina. Tidal zone of Khawr AlZubair supported a diverse species belonging to the genera Alternaria , Aspergillus (11 species for each),Bipolaris (8 species), Chaetomium, Curvularia, Ulocladium (7 species for each) , Stachybotrys (6 species)and Exserohilum (5 species). Eight species of marine fungi were isolated viz: Camarosporium roumerguerii, Exserohilum rostratum, Leptosphaeria sp., Monodictys pelagica, Trichocladium constrictum, T. ochrasporum,Zalerion martimum and Z.varium. There is apparently no characteristic fungal flora for tidal zone of Khawr Al-Zubair canal except for frequent isolation of some well known marine species.
The article discusses the main problems connected to the specificity of medical aspects, especially as concerns the quality and means of selection of data and tools used for constructing classification systems. Special attention is devoted to the risks inherent in direct application of classical knowledge extraction algorithms (such as the algorithms for constructing decision trees) to medical data. The article describes some attempts at solving emerging problems and points to the need for analysis of classifiers with regard to more than just their potential redundancy and mutual exclusion. The article also proposes two functions, useful for analysing rule sets with focus on data semantics.
Edge-detection is a highly parallel algorithm with great computation.It is difficult to increase the speed of the algorithm by using software parallelism to satisfy real-time applications.The high-speed feature of FPGA chip makes it well suite for real-time applications,and a fast implementation of edge detection of navigation line on a FPGA was presented.The FPGA architecture design of edge-detection based on Prewitt operator was focused on. Simulations and analysis of the proposed FPGA model were also presented in this paper.Analysis of the simulation results indicate that edge-detection of navigation line based on FPGA is great faster than that on software and the proposed design provides hardware supports for the fast detection of navigation line in complex environments.
Online shopping system for the retail enterprise to provide information-based management approach, uses the platform of Microsoft NET.2.0, makes use of ASP.NET, ADO.NET and SQL Server 2005, and uses of B / S three-tier architecture, to realizing a browser-based online shopping system, a breakthrough in time and space and man-made conditions, thereby greatly improve the efficiency of the transaction.It mainly includes three parts:commercial street background management, enterprise management and the front.
Research and development projects on autonomous systems have faced increasing interest, and some are currently in a testing phase. Autonomous systems’ operation may be safer than traditional manned systems, since human error may be a contributing factor to many accidents. Nevertheless, a fully autonomous systems with no supervision and/or interference from humans are not expected soon. The operation will thus rely on a human-autonomous system (H-AS) collaboration. This interaction may not be constantly the same and the role and tasks of the operator may change. Then the autonomous system is designed with a dynamic Level of Autonomy (LoA), i.e., the LoA may change during operation depending on certain conditions.
Inter alia, herein molding system (900) is disclosed for a control structure. The control structure includes a controller (106,934) and a valve actuator (104), for positioning the valve (101) of the valve member (102) for the molding system (900) in the adjustment mode flow of molding material, wherein said controller (106,934) is configured to monitor the operating parameters of the valve actuator (104), indirectly learn the molding system (900) a parameter indicative of the molding.
The arrival of knowledge economy makes human capital an important factor in the economic development of the enterprise. When investing in human resources, the enterprise should pay attention not only to knowledge and ability but also to personality, which should be contained in the concept of enterprise human capital. An analytical comparison between enterprise human capital and enterprise human resources, a focused analysis of enterprise human capital functions based on their characteristics, and opinions put forward as to the efficient exploitation and operation of human capital, all this can serve as reference to getting a full knowledge of human capital and bringing its efficiency into fullest play.
Objective To investigate the relationship between matrix metalloproteinase-3(MMP-3),hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hsCRP) and carotid atherosclerosis.And to observe the effects of atorvastatin on carotid atherosclerosis.Methods 77 patients were given carotid supersonic examination.Then they were divided into 3 groups,according to their intimae-media thickness(IMT),whether there were artery plaques and the character of the plaques.Among them 36 patients were found with soft carotid plaques,and 18 cases with hard carotid plaques,and 23 cases without carotid atherosclerosis.MMP-3 and hsCRP were measured and the relation between the two parameters of MMP-3 and hsCRP,carotid atherosclerosis and the character of the plaques were analyzed.18 patients with soft carotid plaques received oral atorvastatin 10mg/d for 12 weeks.Then their plaques were observed and their MMP-3 and hsCRP were measured once more.Results 1) MMP-3 in the group with soft plaques(8.27 ±5.12 ng/ml) was significantly higher than the group with hard plaques(6.15±2.20 ng/ml) and without plaques(3.87±2.31 ng/mL).CRP in the group with soft plaques(4.82±2.02 mg/l)、 was also significantly higher than that in the other two groups(1.54±1.01mg/l and 1.45±1.01mg/l,respectively,P0.001).There was no significantly difference of CRP in the group with hard plaques and without plaques(P0.05).2) There was an obvious decrease in MMP-3 in patients who had soft carotid plaques and treated with atorvastatin for 12 weeks(P0.05).The patients with soft plaques were reexamined by color Doppler ultrasound,which showed their soft plaques were turning for the better.However,the change in hsCRP was not so evident(P0.05).Conclusions High serum level of MMP-3 is closely related to carotid atherosclerosis and the character of plaques.Atorvastatin has effects on improving carotid atherosclerosis and reducing the serum MMP-3 level.
The purpose of this study was to improve product design variations artistic brass souvenirs through of technology Rapid Prototyping (RP) to create the master mold brass products so as to increase the competitiveness of the product in the eyes of consumers. Market research will be conducted to identify consumer buying interest and identify distinguishing excellence needed to build the concept of product development brass. The research results in the form of a distinctive design trades selected areas further using software designed Artistic Computer Aided Manufacturing (ArtCAM) and translated into a master mold by a 3D engine utilizing Object 30Pro RP technology. This research will be focused on optimizing the manufacturing process so that the brass souvenirs is expected to appear as a continuous improvement effort to improve the competitiveness of the industrial centers Ngawen souvenirs
In order to model pions of two-flavor QCD we consider a lattice field theory involving two flavors of staggered quarks interacting strongly with U(1) gauge fields. For massless quarks, this theory has an SU{sub L}(2)xSU{sub R}(2)xU{sub A}(1) symmetry. By adding a four-fermion term we can break the U{sub A}(1) symmetry and thus incorporate the physics of the QCD anomaly. We can also tune the pion decay constant F, to be small compared to the lattice cutoff by starting with an extra fictitious dimension, thus allowing us to model low energy pion physics in a setting similar to lattice QCD from first principles. However, unlike lattice QCD, a major advantage of our model is that we can easily design efficient algorithms to compute a variety of quantities in the chiral limit. Here we show that the model reproduces the predictions of chiral perturbation theory in the {epsilon}-regime.
Power spectral analysis of inspiratory discharges of C3-C5 ventral roots in brainstem-spinal cord preparation from foetal (18 and 20 gestation days) and newborn (0-1 and 2-3 postnatal days) rats was performed. The respiratory centre perinatal development manifests itself by decreasing of respiratory rhythm variability and increasing of inspiratory burst duration. In foetal inspiratory bursts, low-frequency oscillations (1-10 Hz) dominate. In early postnatal stage, the relative power of low-frequency oscillations begin to decrease, and medium frequency oscillations (10-50 Hz) start to dominate over the inspiratory discharge. The data obtained suggests, that perinatal maturation of respiratory centre is characterised by stabilisation of the respiratory rhythm generation and developmental alteration of inspiratory activity's spectral and temporary parameters.
Objective To understand the contents of Ca,Fe,Zn and Cu in hair of primary and secondary students in Jingyu county and Dongliao of Jilin Province and to provide basis for guiding reasonable diet and preventing the occurrence of mineral deficiency.Methods Stratified cluster sampling method was used to extract 675 primary and secondary school students and the Ca,Fe,Zn and Cu contents in the hair were detected by ICP-MS method;the contents and deficiency rates of the four kinds of minerals in the hair of 675 primary and secondary school students with different genders and different ages were compared;and the relationships between Ca,Fe,Zn,Cu,and the correlations of the four kinds of minerals with the morphological indexes were analyzed.Epidata 3.0 was used to establish the database,and SPSS 13.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis.Results The Ca deficiency rate of 675 primary and secondary students was the highest(32.9%,222/675),followed by Fe(22.4%,151/675),Zn(16.6%,112/675) and Cu(0.6%,4/675).The distribution of Ca,Fe and Zn contents in the hair of the students with different genders had significant differences(P0.05),and the girls',were higher than the boys',but the distribution of Cu contents had no significant difference(P0.05);the distribution of Ca,Fe,Zn contents between different ages groups had significant differences(P0.05),and the deficiency rates of Ca and Zn in 8 to 10 age group were the highest;but the distribution of content Cu had no statistically significant difference(P 0.05).The age had positive correlation with Ca,Fe,Zn and Cu contents(rs = 0.129,rs = 0.075,rs =0.204,rs = 0.087,all P0.05);and the Fe content had positive correlations with Zn and Cu contents(rs = 0.576,rs = 0.149,all P0.05);and the Ca and Zn contents had positive correlations with the height,weight,chest circumference and sitting height of the students(P0.05).Conclusion The deficiency rates of Ca and Fe in 675 primary and secondary students are higher;the contents of Ca,Fe,Zn,and Cu are important factors that affect the growth and development of children,so reasonable diet and appropriate supplement of Ca and Fe should be performed.
Phenotypic plasticity and evolutionary adaptation allow populations to cope with global change, but limits and costs to adaptation under multiple stressors are insufficiently understood. We reared a foundational copepod species, Acartia hudsonica, under ambient (AM), ocean warming (OW), ocean acidification (OA), and combined ocean warming and acidification (OWA) conditions for 11 generations (approx. 1 year) and measured population fitness (net reproductive rate) derived from six life-history traits (egg production, hatching success, survival, development time, body size and sex ratio). Copepods under OW and OWA exhibited an initial approximately 40% fitness decline relative to AM, but fully recovered within four generations, consistent with an adaptive response and demonstrating synergy between stressors. At generation 11, however, fitness was approximately 24% lower for OWA compared with the AM lineage, consistent with the cost of producing OWA-adapted phenotypes. Fitness of the OWA lineage was not affected by reversal to AM or low food environments, indicating sustained phenotypic plasticity. These results mimic those of a congener, Acartia tonsa, while additionally suggesting that synergistic effects of simultaneous stressors exert costs that limit fitness recovery but can sustain plasticity. Thus, even when closely related species experience similar stressors, species-specific costs shape their unique adaptive responses.
The content-based hashing for authentication and copy protection of image, video and 3D model has to satisfy the robustness and the security. For the security analysis of the hash value, the modelling method based on differential entropy had been presented. But this modelling can be only applied to the image hashing. This paper presents the modelling for the security analysis of the hash feature value in 3D model hashing based on differential entropy. The proposed security analysis modeling design the feature extracting methods of two types and then analyze the security of two feature values by using differential entropy modelling. In our experiment, we evaluated the security of feature extracting methods of two types and discussed about the trade-off relation of the security and the robustness of hash value.
Most almond cultivars are susceptible to negativ e temperatures, a limiting factor for almond expansion to regions with risks of spring frosts. Flower and fruitlet tolerance to frosts has only been studied so far by observing the morphological damages produced by low temperatures. Thus, our objective was the evaluation of chlorophyll fluorescence (CF) to estimate the tolerance of 12 commercial almond cultivars of different origin to low temperatures. Flowers were maintained for 24 hours at different temperatures (0o, -1o, -2o and -3oC), after which CF was measured. In general, the variable fluorescence (Fv) and the ratio Fv/Fm decreased with time in all genotypes, although the rate of decrease depended on the genotype. The decrease of these parameters was slower in the cultivars tolerant to low temperatures, whereas the decrease was linear or/and sigmoid in the susceptible cultivars. In general, the classification of genotypes with this technique according to their frost tolerance level agreed with the published references. These results point out that chlorophyll fluorescence is a promising technique (fast, quantitative, easy and non- destructive) to ascertain the tolerance of almond genotypes to frosts independently of their blooming time.
Luby-Rackoff의 논문 이후로 유사 랜덤 순열 생성기에 관한 많은 연구가 있었다. 하지만 대부분의 연구는 대칭 피스텔 네트웍 구조를 이용한 유사 랜덤 순열 생성기에 관한 것이었다. 이 논문에서는 비대칭 피스텔 네트웍 구조를 사용하는 순열 생성기가 유사 랜덤 순열 생성기가 되기 위한 조건을 분석한다. 비대칭 피스텔 네트웍 순열 생성기의 입출력의 크기가 (k+1)n 비트인 경우 논문의 결과는 다음과 같다. 비대칭 피스텔 네트웍이 입력 크기가 kn 비트이고 출력 크기가 n 비트인 유사 랜덤 함수 생성기를 사용하는 경우, 전체 라운드 수가 k+2 이상이면 유사 랜덤 순열 생성기이다. 비대칭 피스텔 네트웍이 입력 크기가 n 비트이고 출력 크기가 kn 비트인 유사 랜덤 함수 생성기를 사용하는 경우, 전체 라운드 수가 k+2 이상이면 유사 랜덤 순열 생성기이다.
The coding sequence of porcine Neuromedin B and its receptor gene were amplified based on the in silico sequence information in the present study.DNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis showed that the porcine Neuromedin B gene was 567 bp long,has one open reading frame of 366 bp and encodes 121 amino acids.The length of Neuromedin BR gene was 1194 bp,which contain-ing one open reading frame of 1173 bp and encoding 390 amino acids.Compared to bovine,human,mouse and rat,the nucleotide homology of porcine Neuromedin B was 87.1%,85.2%,78.1% and 76.6%,respectively.The homology of amino acid sequence was 81%,74.4%,70.2% and 70.1%,respectively.As for the gene of porcine Neuromedin BR,the nucleotide homology was 91%,89%,84.2% and 83.6%,while the amino acid sequence homology was 92.3%,90.3%,86.9% and 86.4%,respectively.Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the neuromedin B gene ubiquitously expressed in various tissues tested,while the gene of Neuromedin BR preferentially expressed in the brain.The sequences of porcine Neuromedin B and its receptor gene were submitted to the GenBank(EU375564 and EU670045).
Although the concept of»reception« is being applied again and again to the history of law, it always seems to shy away from a coherent theoretical understanding. Even in recent studies positivist ideas of »reception« as a kind of transfer dominate the discussion and traditionally have a huge impact on the view how Greek and Roman law are related to each other.An exceptionally striking example of a Roman »reception« of Greek law is presented by the story in 3.33 of Livy’s monumental history of Rome, »Ab urbe condita«. Here, a Roman legation is sent into Greek territory to familiarize itself with Greek law in order to advise the newly founded Roman legislative council, the Decemvirate.The essay attempts to bring forward an aesthetic reading of Livy’s story in order to establish an understanding of the »reception« of law as a performative »staging« of history; that is a »staging« that works by creating a complex interplay of aesthetic techniques and political interests.
This mini-review provides a general understanding of electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) which has become an increasingly important technique in the clinical laboratory for structural study or quantitative measurement of metabolites in a complex biological sample. The first part of the review explains the electrospray ionisation process, design of mass spectrometers with separation capability, characteristics of the mass spectrum, and practical considerations in quantitative analysis. The second part then focuses on some clinical applications. The capability of ESI-tandem-MS in measuring bio-molecules sharing similar molecular structures makes it particularly useful in screening for inborn errors of amino acid, fatty acid, purine, pyrimidine metabolism and diagnosis of galactosaemia and peroxisomal disorders. Electrospray ionisation is also efficient in generating cluster ions for structural elucidation of macromolecules. This has fostered a new and improved approach (vs electrophoresis) for identification and quantification of haemoglobin variants. With the understanding of glycohaemoglobin structure, an IFCC reference method for glycohaemoglobin assay has been established using ESI-MS. It represents a significant advancement for the standardisation of HbA1c in diabetic monitoring. With its other applications such as in therapeutic drug monitoring, ESI-MS will continue to exert an important influence in the future development and organisation of the clinical laboratory service.
Although, PCR methods aimed on the detection of genes associated with the pathogenicity of Escherichia coli have been reported, tests allowing the direct identification of this serotype are rare. In this study the Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting technique allowed genetic diversity assessment of 25 E. coli isolates of various sources. A highly significant finding from the DNA fingerprinting is the display of a predominant band at a size of 308 bp when arbitrary OPAE-10 primer was used. After sequencing this fragment primer called secD was designed to be used as PCR primer. secD primer pairs was highly specific to detect all isolates including E. coli O157: H7.
The aim of this research is studying the effective factors on customer switching. Customer retention is one of critical aspects of routine strategies on marketing, particularly when customers of a business reach to their maximum, finding and retention of new customers significantly is difficult and costly. At such point of life cycle of a business, priority is more on customer retention with old value and prevention of their switching, so it is necessary that institutes detect the factors of customer switch in order to keeping the relationships with customers and edit and execute necessary strategies to contrast with this phenomenon. Statistical population of this research is all of the customers of Tejarat Bank in Tehran that using the sampling method 220 customers are chose as sample. The required data are gathered by using questionnaire and for analyzing the data and examining the hypothesis is used of partial least square method (PLS). The results show that customer satisfaction, and customer trust has negative relationship with switching behavior, and service failure has direct relationship with
Introduction Movement of body in sit-to-stand (STS) is an important study subject because it is indispensable in standing up from chair, bed and toilet and to walk during everyday activity, throughout one's life. Generally, we use parallel bars when we start exercises of STS in Rehabilitation. Hand gripes on parallel bars are either round type (Round) or flat type (Flat). Some studies have been carried out on movement in STS using both parallel bars. However, only a few studies have been carried out using one sided support which is often observed in case of hemi paralysis for patients with cerebrovascular accidents (CVA). The purpose of this study is to investigate the difference of type of hand grips in STS and to recommend a proper choice in Rehabilitation.
CLINICAL TEACHING BY REGISTERED NURSES Student: Degree: Department: Supervisor: Joint supervisor: Nare William Mochaki Master of Arts In Nursing Science Advanced Nursing Sciences, University Of South Africa Dr L De Villiers Dr M Diirrheim The purpose of this quantitative, descriptive study was to describe how registered nurses utilise teachable moments to enhance students' learning in the clinical setting. The research questions were: What are the problems faced by registered nurses when they teach students in the clinical setting? and How do registered nurses utilise teachable moments to teach students? A pilot study was conducted in the clinical setting involving the respondents who had similar characteristics than the population. The sample consisted of 45 registered nurses who provided direct patient care in the clinical setting. A selfadministered, structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data analysis was done by using descriptive statistical tests. The findings brought to light strengths and weaknesses with regard to the utilisation of teachable moments by registered nurses, and problems faced by registered nurses with regard to clinical accompaniment in general. Recommendations to improve clinical accompaniment by registered nurses through effective utilisation of teachable moments were made. Further research was recommended to explore some problematic areas that emerged from this study. KEY CONCEPTS Nursing education; Clinical accompaniment; Teachable moments; Registered nurse; Clinical setting; Student; Teaching; Function
The invention relates to an adhesive product. According to the invention,the adhesive product(8)comprises a core material(21)and an inert surface layer (22)on the core material, and the core material includes at least active material(20)which contains thermoplastic polymer and thermoplastic polymer with anhydride moieties, and the inert surface layer contains thermoplastic polymer, and the inert surface layer has been formed by reconstructing the surface of the core material so that the thin inert surface layer consisting of mainly pure non-polar thermoplastic polymer is formed on the surface of the active material, and a thickness of the thin inert surface layer(22) is below 100 nm on the surface of the core material (21), and the inert surface layer covers at least 30 % of the core material surface. Further, the invention relates to a method for making an adhesive product. Further, the invention relates to use of the adhesive product and a layered product.
For urban signalized roads network with arbitrary signal structure at each intersection,two mathematical programming models for the user equilibrium assignment and stochastic user equilibrium assignment problems are established,in which both the intersections signal delay and queuing delay in roads that a vehicle meet are taken into account.Through the analysis of the first order optimal conditions of these models,it is shown that the solutions of these two models satisfy the Wardrop's principle on user equilibrium and Logit assignment pattern respectively.
An important source of error in transportation analysis results is the level of spatial detail applied (i.e. zone size and network detail). This level also greatly affects the analysis costs. In order to investigate these effects in the case of the assignment module, an experiment was designed allowing the systematic variation of factors like zone size, network detail and assignment model type. The experiment involves the application of a number of assignment models to three network models at varying levels of spatial detail. The city of Eindhoven (pop. 200000) is used for this purpose. The fine network model is identical with the complete road network. The coarse network model is rather skeletal. The medium network is selected such that it has equal "distances" to both network models and may be more or less regarded as the level mostly used in European practice. This paper presents the results of an investigation into the sensitivity of impedances between zones, resulting from all-or-nothing assignments, to the level of spatial detail. Travel times, travel distances and airline distances were computed at three levels of detail for a large number of randomly selected pairs of locations within Eindhoven. Analysis showed that for each of these impedance measures the distributions at all levels of detail were nearly identical. Furthermore, the medium and coarse level impedances proved to be unbiased and fairly accurate estimates of the fine level impedances. In particular, the medium level values are accurate for the entire range of impedances. For the covering abstract of the conference see TRIS abstract no. 367725. (TRRL)
An anomalous quasielastic component has been observed in the light scattering spectra of several heavy metal oxide glasses. This component consists of a depolarized ’’central peak’’ of frequency width less than ∠0.5 cm−1, depending on temperature and composition. Observations are reported here for eight different compositions, all containing either transition metal or rare earth oxides. The integrated intensity for glasses whose major constituent is Tb2O3 correlates well with Tb concentration, while the linewidth is insensitive to Tb concentration as well as host composition.
This research was conducted from October 2003 to March 2005, collecting data through the measuring authorized volunteers measuring their photoexposition . It worked with the equipment (Safesun from Optix Tech, Inc.), available for measuring. The radiation impact of solar on the city of Cordoba, was chosen measurements for a clear spot on the terrace of the Observatory Environmental Laprida located at 854, in a position that excedes level approximately 30 meters from Piazza San Martin (centerhistoric city). It had two fixed radiation sensors total solar and ultraviolet A radiation sensor manual ultraviolet calibrated according to the erythemal response of skin measuring human ultraviolet index and the maximum exposure timer ecommended for different skin types (Safesun from Optix Tech, Inc.).The aim of this study was to measure the rate and exposure ultraviolet (UV) to evaluate the erythemal effect on most sensitive areas of the face and neck to noon fotoexposición solar in the four annual seasons, and thus promote extending protection regulations to prevent the effects harmful UV non-ionizing radiation. The analysis of the data, UV index values indicate that from the Winter season is observed to undergo the risk of exposure excessive radiation at noon solar day is measured with high Fall UV index is high in spring and high-very high and with days end in the Summer season daily with UV index very high and extreme. This risk remains in the four annual seasons and according to the criteria of the World Health Organization is need to perform significant work to develop measures, education campaigns and outreach, which tend to diminish the sun exposure, hours with the highest incidence of lightning ultraviolet in the four annual seasons. The global environmental degradation and thus destruction of the ozone layer, has been a direct cause of the increase in ultraviolet radiation on earth, which resulted increased rates of cancer incidence and prevalence skin, within the population.
The 3D after-body nozzle is a key component of scramjet for generating thrust.Based on 2D optimum after-body nozzle optimization method,the flow field numerical simulations were conducted on 3D after-body nozzle with variety of aspect ratio using Fluent code to research the effect of aspect ratio on scramjet nozzle.The results show that the axial thrust coefficient and the thrust-vector angle have been enhanced with the increase of aspect ratio.According to comprehensive consideration,it is suggested that ≤5 be chosen fort the 3D after-body nozzle.
Circadian and meal effects on nicotine kinetics determine in part blood nicotine concentrations and in doing so may influence cigarette smoking behavior throughout the day. We have shown previously that nicotine clearance varies by approximately 17% (from peak to through) due to diurnal factors throughout the day and that meals increase nicotine clearance by about 42%. Until now pharmacokinetic analyses of nicotine absorption from patches have assumed a constant clearance of nicotine over 24 hr. Using 11 individual kinetic estimates from a previous study, we analyzed plasma nicotine concentrations vs. time data of two nicotine patch studies, and conducted a set of simulations to determine the extent to which time-varying kinetics would influence the design of transdermal drug delivery systems, intented to maintain a constant plasma nicotine concentration over 24 hr. Not incorporating time-varying kinetics leads to biased estimates of the delivery rate of the nicotine patches, and increases the variability in the delivery rates estimates. The hypothetical transdermal drug delivery systems designed assuming constant nicotine clearance results in a systematical underdosing during the first 12 hr after beginning therapy. The transdermal drug delivery systems obtained assuming the correct time-varying clearance shows three components: 1) an early high delivery rate, followed by 2) a rather constant, but slightly decreasing at night, release rate and 3) transient increases in delivery rate for 2 hr after each meal. The effect of circadian variations in clearance could be compensated for in patch design by decreasing the delivery rate during the night. Transient variations in clearance due to meals would require the corresponding use of rapid drug delivery dosage forms. The methods we devise to predict optimal dosing regimens in presence of chronopharmacokinetics might be useful for other medications in which blood levels need to be precisely controlled.
In this fast evolving world, recognizing what works is extremely difficult so researchers must continually test effective learning approaches. It is evident now that students today are learning in a different way from their parents because the Internet has changed how the millennium generation learns. Students are accustomed to satisfy their library needs online and are now used to reading diverse materials from a large number of sources. They sift thought this sea of information to extract knowledge. Educators, today, can see these changes but do not fully understand them. This conference exists to satisfy this need to know how students in and outside Bahrain learn today.
To fulfill its mission a human-centered paradigm as envisioned by the World Academy of Art & Science should combine optimism with pessimism. An essential meta-value is avoiding the bad, in addition to achieving “the good”. Realistic assessment of human beings is a must. An appropriately phased time horizon of 10 to 80 years should frame the paradigm. Evaluation of emerging science and technology with very dangerous potentials, such as those posed by synthesizing viruses and radical “human enhancement,” followed perhaps by human cloning and deep genetic engineering, is essential. Thinking ahead realistically on alternative futures of the human species as a whole and their drivers is a must, giving due weight to dangerous propensities as well as virtues of human beings. Only a small minority of humanity and its political leaders have the understanding essential for coping with fateful choices increasingly facing humanity. Inter alia essential is the regulation of dangerous research and technologies enforced by a strict global regime headed by a duly constituted circumscribed global authority. An upgraded genre of political leaders within redesigned democracy is essential. No human-centered paradigm should ignore such requirements. All this lead to my suggestion to focus the paradigm on the most important and urgent, what Dag Hammarskjöld appropriately called “Preventing Hell on Earth”. 1. Introductory Note This essay is a contribution to discourse on a human-centered paradigm, or set of guiding principles. It is largely based on my books Avant-Garde Politician: Leaders for a New Age (2014) and The Capacity to Govern: A Report to the Club of Rome (2001), which also detail most of the sources on which the present paper is based. But this essay focuses on “Preventing Hell on Earth,” including averting self-destruction of the human species, which is at the center of concerns.
In this paper we describe our use of information visualization to facilitate the analysis of in-the-wild video data. Video recording is often the method of choice when conducting inthe-wild studies. It results in highly rich and detailed data collections that can be revisited many times and analyzed from different perspectives. However, the qualitative analysis of video recordings collected in real-world settings is known as a tedious and time consuming activity, because the data can contain a large number of activity layers that have to be identified and manually extracted through video coding. We have utilized customized information visualizations to create visual representations of coded video recordings that consider particularly the temporal, social and spatial context of interactions. We describe how these visual abstractions from rich video data were valuable in various stages of our analysis process, including the cataloguing of video data, identifying research questions, in-depth analysis, and, finally, communicating our study results. We also point out various challenges that we identified in this process.
This invention covers the primary combustion air flowing into the primary side the combustion space of the coke oven chamber through the air supply unit, to an apparatus and method for the supply distribution. This device is, for example, a hollow cone being open towards the cup was inverted or downwardly, or is constructed as a solid cone, the apparatus, the air supply device manually or automatically by opening and closing, it is possible to close the air supply unit supply distribution and overlying in two stages or multiple stages. By controlling the ventilation of the primary air in the coke oven chamber by the device, the primary air is correctly supplied allocation is accurately distributed to the primary side the combustion space of the coke oven chamber according to the installation location of the device. .FIELD 1
This experiment was conducted to study the effect of Bacillus subtilis on growth performance and immunity in broilers.200one-day AA bilers with similar body weight were randomly divided into 5groups with 4replicates in each group,and with 10broilers in each replicate.The groups received the same basal diet supplemented with 0,2×10 5,5×10 5,8×10 5 and 1×10 6 CFU / g of Bacillus subtilis,respectively.The feeding trial lasted 42days.The results showed as follows : in every test period,compared with the control group,the average daily gain in the groupⅡ was higher,the F / G in groupⅡ was lower,except at the age of 29to 35days.At the age of 36to 42days,the average daily gain in group Ⅱincreased significantly by 10.25%(P0.05),the F / G in groupⅡdecreased significantly by 14.83%(P0.05),at the age of 28days,the spleen index was significant higher than those in the control group,higher above 31.96%(P0.05),the bursa of fabricius index in group Ⅱ was significant higher than those in the control group,except at the age of 14and 28days,the antibody titer in groupⅡ was higher than those in the control group,at the age of 28and 35days,higher above 16.04%and 18.09%,respectively(P 0.05);at the age of 21,35and 42days,the serum immunoglobulin G concentrations in group Ⅱ was higher those in control group,higher above 81.94%,46.67% and 15.63%,respectively(P0.05).In conclusion,adding 5×10 5 CFU / g Bacillus subtilis B7in diet could improve the growth performance and enhance the immune function of broilers.These results indicated that the 5×10 5 CFU / g was the best supplementation.
The rheological properties of setting acrylic bone cements were examined with a rotational cone and plate viscometer. The cements were tested over two orders of magnitude of shear rate to determine the nature of any non-Newtonian flow behavior. All three cements behaved with moderate pseudoplasticity (i.e., shear thinning) during setting, suggesting the use of higher pressures during administration for better flow and penetration. The low viscosity brand was found to be nearly one-half as viscous as the conventional cements during the working time (i.e., 2-5 minutes). A series of sieving experiments were performed to determine the particle size distributions of the powder components. Statistical analysis (chi square) showed the cements to have different distributions, with the low viscosity brand containing a larger proportion of smaller polymer particles. This difference is thought to contribute to the lower viscosity of this cement.
The traditional screen based propellant management device (PMD) is replaced gradually by the perforated sheet based PMD with the technique progress in the surface tension tank of a long life satellite. A radial sponge is one of the most important component of the perforated sheet based PMD. In this paper, the physical design essences of a radial sponge, mainly including its volume design, its retaining capability design and the analysis of its performance, are introduced and discussed briefly. At last, an example design of a radial sponge is presented and its performance is analyzed in detail.
Covered pile has been widely used as a kind of retaining pile in some projects,such as like deep-water port projects,excavating projects for foundation ditches,and retaining wall projects.The FEM software ANSYS is employed for the analysis of the 3D finite covered pile model in the paper,and the excavating process of a sheet pile wharf is simulated.The factors such as rigidity,length,space of covered piles,and space between the covered pile and sheet-piled wall are detailed in the paper,which influence the sheet pile model before and after the excavating works.The paper also puts forward the covered piles′ rational layout to control the distortion of the sheet-pile wall after the excavating works.The results show that the distortion,active earth pressure and movement will be reduced effectively when the covered piles are longer and have greater rigidity.But the space between covered piles and the space between the covered pile and the sheet-piled wall have little effect.
Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys can generate large output with fast dynamic response at the application of the magnetic field and is considered as a new class of functional materials.Since the martensite of these alloys is highly magnetocrystalline anisotropic,introducing a magnetic field during their martensitic transformation could be an effective way to control variant distribution and realize texturation.In this work,some of our recent results achieved in microstructural and crystallographic texture modification by EPM(Electromagnetic Processing of Materials)during solid-state phase transformations of Ni-Mn-Ga alloys were summarized.Moreover,the entropy change induced by magnetic field in Ni-Mn-Ga melt-spun ribbons were also presented.
A composite semipermeable membrane comprising a porous support membrane the film and the support film, wherein the film comprises a polyamide resin having a constituent unit, the constituent unit, two or diamine residue and forming an amide bond between the residue of a tricarboxylic acid, and an aromatic ring substituent on the nitrogen atom of the amide bond. The step of contacting a production method comprising the above-described a composite semipermeable membrane with an aqueous solution containing an oxidizing agent; and a water treatment method using the composite semipermeable membrane to membrane raw water treatment branch, in order to meet the actual production of application, is sufficiently removed salts and / or water permeable organic material, the method being characterized in that the composite semipermeable membrane of the present invention and the fungicide is added to the raw water. The composite semipermeable membrane according to the present invention has a water permeability satisfying practical application, good salt resistance and good resistance to oxidation agents.
Two mantle sharp gradient belts of the east and the west control the distribution of rock gold deposit in China, especially,mantle slope area of Qinlin section combined by them each other is still developmental region of rock gold deposit.Gold metallization is very in.tensive in the east upwarpet district of mantle plate.South China can compare favourably with very hopelul in South China. The centre mantle plate district is very main distributional location of gold ore deposit of micrograined desseminated type.The relationship between mantle depression and rock gold deposit is secondary.Tianshan mantle trough and Dunhua mantle depression have distributed more rock gold deposits among mantle depressions.The mantle uplift for oneself and distribution of rock gold deposit are not closely related,but rock gold deposits are developmental round mantle uplift, for example,the distributions of many rock gold deposits have been reflected this con.dition round mantle uplift of Sichuan basin and Zhungaer.
OBJECTIVES We assessed the safety and efficacy of right versus left laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomy. Few clinical controlled studies have compared the right and left side, and most trials have a small sample number and varied results. A meta-analysis of published trials was performed to determine the effects of the 2 different approaches.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Major databases including Medline (PubMed), Embase, Ovid, and Cochrane were searched to identify studies comparing right and left laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomy (January 2000 to January 2014). Outcomes evaluated included operative time, warm ischemia time, operative blood loss, 1-year graft loss, donor intraoperative and postoperative complications, recipient postoperative complications, donor blood transfusion, conversion to open donor nephrectomy, length of donor hospital stay, and delayed graft function.   RESULTS There were 15 studies included with 3073 patients (left, 2420 patients [78%]; right, 653 patients [22%]). The right group had shorter operative time (weighted mean difference, -13.44 min; 95% confidence interval, -22.73 to -4.15 min; P = .005) and lower operative blood loss (weighted mean difference, -10.53 mL; 95% confidence interval, -17.43 to -3.64 mL; P = .003) than the left group. There was a higher rate of overall donor intraoperative complications in the left group (odds ratio, 0.53; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.92; P = .03). There were no differences between groups in hospital stay, delayed graft function, recipient 1-year graft loss, conversion to open donor nephrectomy, donor blood transfusion, and donor or recipient postoperative complications.   CONCLUSIONS Right and left laparoscopic living-donor nephrectomy were similar in the effect of surgery and postoperative graft function. When there are no differences in bilateral renal function, surgeons can transplant the right or left kidney. However, the longer renal vein of the left kidney could decrease operative difficulty, and we recommend using the left kidney in clinical practice.
The mean conisor technique reveals statistically significant circadian rhythms for serum concentrations of iron, chloride, cortisol, PBI, the fibrinolytic activity of blood, urinary iron excretion and gastric acid secretion in studies covering a 24-h span for presumably healthy subjects. Quantification of these rhythms provides internationally comparable reference values both for the conventional clinical laboratory and for any special chronobiologic applications.
Bureaucracy has always had an eminent and special place in the Indian society. They are the ones who have kept the wheels of government machinery moving, acted as agents for fulfilling the policy of party in power and provided stability to the administration though the governments may be changing. Today we can see a lot of women working in different government departments who are well qualified and are performing well in spite of their busy life schedule. In this light, in the present study an effort is made to identify the factors that causes stress on the women employees of Kerala State Government in Trivandrum district... The result shows that married women employees have relatively higher degree of stress as compared with unmarried ones. The implications of the findings of the study are also discussed.
This article argues that, despite more ostensibly `out' politicians and better anti-discrimination measures, strange forms of `passing' are still taking place in public life. Heterosexual constructions of citzenship are still being privileged. The analysis uses British, Australian and US examples to draw out the implications of these forms of `passing' for issues of citizen identity, policy and public behaviour. The article concludes by suggesting that existing queer theory has not engaged adequately with key issues influencing the construction of heteronormative citizenship.
Global peace is the fundamental standards of any state to control the issues and keep up inside control over its administration on the sway of the state. Local organizations assume a key part in the upkeep of worldwide peace and struggle determination in their districts. Be that as it may, this paper means to take a gander at the legitimate administrations tending to the fundamental issue of controlling and managing savagery amongst states and progressively inside states. It should likewise consider the utilization of compel and the standards representing the utilization of constrain, equipped clashes and the on-screen characters required in aggregate security keeping in mind the end goal to achieve peace inside its locales by global establishments. The paper prescribes that local and sub-local associations, for example, AU, ECOWAS has contributed human capital and peace keeping operations so as to determine clashes inside the district through the Peace and Security arm of the African Union Commission.
A cable connection structure, which provided the inner wire (1) substantially spherical end of the cable leading end (2) and the movable member (6) connected to the movable member (6) includes: a pair of fins ( 7), which holding wire (1); a cable introduction opening (8), which cable end portions (2) is guided to between the flap (7); and a generally oblong cable end through portion (9), which support the cable end (2), the end portion of the cable (2) can be displaced. Introducing a substantially uniform direction by the cable end portion (9) is substantially elliptical long axis of the cable.
From time to time the information technology become advance, one of it is the biometric technology. The biometric technology is devices that perform identification and authentication from human physical appearance and human behavior that unique and can be utilize as a user or person recognizer. The aims and objective of this thesis is to provide guideline for the readers so then they able to choose the appropriate device. At the last chapter there are biometric devices ranks which is useful for the readers that have a plan to implement this devices into their office or company. There are several methods for collecting all the required information which is important for this research thesis. The methods are: • Create the questionnaires and then give it to the respondents directly. The questionnaires are distributed to various places in Indonesia such as central java and west java • Does literature review taken from several journals. These journals are very important to add more knowledge about the biometrics for example reviewing user acceptance of biometrics or to find out each biometric device weakness and strong points. After that, all the data will be used to give ranks of the devices that available at the market nowadays. The result is started from giving ranks of biometric attributes from Jain, Ross, Abubhakar journal, classifying the respondents who reject or accept the biometrics, give the result about the application in daily life from biometric device, and then give the devices ranks. Additionally, this thesis also gives review of biometric devices along with picture and the algorithm how this device is able to recognize person. From the questionnaire result, it is clear that people are ready to implement biometric technology for daily application in their life.
Current controversies in the management of the patient with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) revolve around the best choice of procedure among the choices of physiologic repair, anatomic repair and single ventricle palliation.(1-3) While anatomic correction of ccTGA aims to improve long term outcome by placing the morphologic left ventricle (LV) as the systemic ventricle and avoiding systemic right ventricular failure the long-term outlook is complicated by a high rate of re-intervention, conduction abnormalities combined with systemic left ventricular dysfunction. Options for the atrial level switch component of the anatomic correction include; the Senning operation, the Mustard procedure or the so called hemi-Mustard combined with a bidirectional Glenn shunt.(4) To maximize the benefit of anatomic repair and limit reoperations, an atrial level switch that minimizes sinus node dysfunction, baffle obstruction and supraventricular arrhythmias is essential.(5-7) While, potentially more complicated to perform the Senning procedure uses native tissue and results in a low rate of late baffle obstruction. Technical strategies to avoid sinus node dysfunction can be successfully applied.(8) The Senning, as opposed the hemi-Mustard,
Bamboo seeds produced in Chandka range of Puri Forest Division (Orissa) were analysed for their chemical composition. The bamboo seeds were found to be comparable to wheat in their protein content but to rice In their protein quality. The bamboo plants ( Bambusa arundinacea Willd.) In Cbandka range of Puri Forest Division, Orissa came to gregarlous flowering in the summer of 1969 after forty years. The bamboo seeds produced were widely consumed by the local population. It was therefore thought worthwhile to examine the chemical composition of these seeds. Chemical composition of bamboo seeds produced in U.P. and Mysore have been reported (Rao et al ., 1955; Rae et a1 ., 1969). No information is however available about the chemical composition of bamboo seeds produced in Eastern India.
In this thesis the dynamics of a plasma blob in the scrape-off layer of a magnetic confinement device is investigated on the fundamental, kinetic level through particle simulations. New functionality is added to an existing particle-in-cell code to allow for a non-uniform initial particle density distribution, an inhomogeneous magnetic field, non-periodic particle boundary conditions and tracking of the center of mass of the blob. A parameter scan is conducted to find the effect of initial blob amplitude and ion temperature on the blob propagation. Both electron and ion densities are considered. The results of the particle simulations are compared to those of gyrofluid simulations with and without FLR corrections. A high degree of agreement with previous work is shown, and a disagreement on the direction of poloidal displacement is looked at in detail.
During the last decade, health care in the United States has become a cost-conscious and, in some instances, a cost-driven industry. To a large measure, this focus on price explains the reasons behind the phenomenal growth of managed-care companies in the last ten years. These arrangements are now an integral component of the nation's health-care-delivery system, and many experienced observers believe that they have the potential to reduce or eliminate much of the inefficiency in the current system. Health-care plans such as those offered by health-maintenance organizations (HMOs) are thought to provide comprehensive coverage for enrollees at a lower cost than is associated with the episodic care that people receive under traditional indemnity policies. An HMO delivers comprehensive, coordinated medical services to voluntarily enrolled members on a prepaid basis. The risks and costs are frequently borne by the provider (the independent clinical professionals and institutions that furnish services to the consumer). As the HMO is obligated to provide all medically necessary care to its enrollees, it is thought to have a direct incentive for making sure that its members remain healthy. Managed care has been greeted by many legislators, business leaders, and health-policy experts as a promising alternative to traditional indemnity health coverage. Since 1973, employers who are self-insured — typically, large corporations — have been required by federal law to include an HMO as part of any list of options for health-care coverage that they offer to their employees. Starting in the 1970's with non-profit plans such as those offered by Kaiser-Permanente of California, the industry expanded rapidly and, by the 1980's, many for-profit programs were in operation. With the for-profit models available, the private-insurance sector that once avoided controlling services moved far in the direction of managed care, sometimes blurring the dis-
The hard problem in artificial intelligence asks how the shuffling of syntactical symbols in a program can lead to systems which experience semantics and qualia. We address this question in three stages. First, we introduce a new class of human semantic symbols which appears when unexpected and drastic environmental change causes humans to become surprised, confused, uncertain, and in extreme cases, unresponsive, passive and dysfunctional. For this class of symbols, pre-learned programs become inoperative so these syntactical programs cannot be the source of experienced qualia. Second, we model the dysfunctional human response to a radically changed environment as being the natural response of any learning machine facing novel inputs from well outside its previous training set. In this situation, learning machines are unable to extract information from their input and will typically enter a dynamical state characterized by null outputs and a lack of response. This state immediately predicts and explains the characteristics of the semantic experiences of humans in similar circumstances. In the third stage, we consider learning machines trained to implement multiple functions in simple sequential programs using environmental data to specify subroutine names, control flow instructions, memory calls, and so on. Drastic change in any of these environmental inputs can again lead to inoperative programs. By examining changes specific to people or locations we can model human cognitive symbols featuring these dependencies, such as attachment and grief. Our approach links known dynamical machines states with human qualia and thus offers new insight into the hard problem of artificial intelligence.
Ab initio quantum chemical methods as well as simulation/dynamics programs have been conventionally used for probing the hydration of molecules, an important problem in chemistry and biology. However, very few attempts have as yet been reported for understanding the stepwise patterns in hydration processes at the molecular level. The present work investigates the problem of hydration of the 18-crown-6 (18C6) molecule based on rigorous topography mapping of molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) followed by an application of a simple electrostatic model (electrostatic potential for intermolecular complexation) for obtaining trends in energetics. Structures and energies of the hydrated species, 18C6·nH2O (n = 1, 2, 3, 4, 6) have been studied by the EPIC model followed by ab initio HF/6-31G** investigations. The remarkable agreement between the model and ab initio results highlights the utility of MESP topography for exploring the lock-and-key features in a hydration process via cooperative electrostatic e...
Statisticians such as Cobb (2007) have promoted the use of computer intensive methods such as bootstrapping and the randomization test in introductory statistics courses. One of their arguments for using these simulations is that the logic of inference is conceptually more accessible to students than the traditional approach. In this paper we test indirectly the claim that simulations assist in the construction of inferential concepts using an analytical tool that is based on the versatile thinking framework for conceptual development. Using the tool, which identifies nine possible modes of student interaction with representations, we analyse two introductory statistics students’ interactions with the Visual Inference Tools (VIT) bootstrap confidence interval construction and randomization test modules. Our findings suggest that, for these students, the VIT simulations were facilitating the development of statistical inferential concepts.
Ionic liquids are reasonable alternatives to electrolytes used in energy storage devices, such as lithium batteries, given the impor- tant safety advantages they provide. This is due to the favourable properties they often possess, mainly non -flammability and non- volatility. Candidates with aliphatic ammonium cations exhibit high electrochemical stabilities, especially towards lithium. Two new families of ionic liquids, based on azepanium or 3 -methylpiperidinium cations and having potential windows above 6 V, are presented herein.
This thesis evaluates the potential recovery of the runway throughputs under Wake Turbulence Re-categorization (RECAT) Phase II and Time-based Separation (TBS) with a ROT constraint comparing with RECAT Phase I. This research uses aircraft performance parameters (runway occupancy time, approach speed, etc.) from the Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) data set. The analysis uses a modified version of the Quick Response Runway Capacity Model (RUNSIM). The main contributions of the study are: 1) identifying the technical buffer between in-trail arrivals and regenerate them in RUNSIM; 2) estimate the percentage of the arrival pairs that have wake mitigation separation times in excess of ROT; 3) developed an additional in-trail arrival separation rule based on ROT; 4) measure the risk of potential go-arounds with and without the additional 95 ROT separation rules. 5) generate a sample equivalent
One context for understanding an adolescent's (or any other individual's) abnormal functioning is an appreciation of normal or modal functioning in the culture to which that adolescent belongs. After decades of research and clinical observation there is no consensus about what constitutes modal adolescent functioning in the United States. Much less is known about adolescent functioning in other cultures. Results were suggestive of large, cross-cultural differences in self-image among normal adolescents. In most areas American teenagers reported the best functioning while Bengali teenagers reported the worst. There were consistent gender differences in self-image across cultures, with adolescent girls showing poorer self-image than adolescent boys in many areas. Results are discussed from the point of view of difficulties in doing cross-cultural psychiatric research and the need for further research in this field.
Hundreds of studies have failed to establish the effects of decentralisation on a number of important policy goals. This paper examines the cases of Bolivia and Colombia to explore decentralisation’s effects on government responsiveness and poverty-orientation. I first summarize economic data on the effects of decentralisation in each. In Bolivia, decentralisation made government more responsive by re-directing public investment to areas of greatest need. In Colombia, municipalities increased investment significantly as decentralisation deepened, while running costs fell. In both countries, investment shifted from economic production and infrastructure to social services and human capital formation. Resources were rebalanced in favour of poorer districts. The contrast between the two also highlights four important lessons. In order for decentralisation to work well, (i) local democracy must be free, fair, transparent and competitive; (ii) sub-national governments must face hard budget constraints; (iii) central government must be scaled back; and (iv) significant tax-raising powers must be devolved to the periphery. Where all four conditions obtain, decentralising resources and political authority can generate real accountability where none existed before, and improve the quality of government a society achieves.
A brush device and a vacuum cleaner having the same are provided to simplify the structure of the device and to reduce the manufacturing costs by selectively controlling the driving of a brush member using one sucking motor and one connection belt. A brush device comprises brush member(30), a driving unit(40), and a blocking unit(50). The brush member is rotated at the opposite of the surface to be cleaned. The driving unit drives the brush member and is composed of a sucking motor(41) generating the suction force and one connection belt(42) connecting the sucking motor and the blocking unit. The blocking unit is installed between the brush member and the driving unit to selectively block the driving force between the driving unit and the brush member.
In this study,a method developed by our lab based on gas chromatography – mass spectrometry( GC/MS) coupled with headspace solid-phase micro-extraction was used to trace the content changes of( R)-(-)-linaloo,( S)-( +)-linaloo,S-(-)-β- citronellol,R-( +)-β-citronellol,( +)-α-terpineol,(-)-α-terpineol,geraniol and nerolidol derived from hops. The influences of different hopping regimes were evaluated during the mash process. As a result,compared to the before the end of boiling 10 min- hopping,the late-hopping,whirlpool tankhopping and fermetation end-hopping could significantly enhanced the remaining content of terpenols in the beer. The contents of( R)-(-)-linaloo,geraniol,R-( +)-β-citronellol,and nerolidol were 1. 94 ~ 14. 39 μg /L,9. 83 ~12. 10 μg /L,2. 91 ~ 6. 79 μg /L,and 5. 34 ~ 6. 81 μg /L,respectively. Their OAV were found to be in the range of0. 29 ~ 6. 54. So,we further investigated the biotransformation of four alcohols during fermentation of hopping regimes. Combined with the sensory evaluation of 4 hopping regimes for flavor in beer,it showed that whirlpool tankhopping produced better hoppy aroma than others.
Abstract : Circular rings are a common, important component in aerospace and marine structures. Investigating the linear and nonlinear vibrations, as well as the transfer of energy in the wavenumber domain, of these structures is essential to understanding their acoustic radiation characteristics. Analytical, numerical, and experimental examinations were performed to address these issues. The analytical study showed that the inclusion of nonlinear features provides for the nonlinear transition of energy from higher order wavenumber responses to lower order wavenumber responses. Also, the presence of imperfections enhances the nonlinear, quadratic features of the response as well as provides for additional energy transfer to low order wavenumbers, now due to linear coupling. The numerical simulation verifies these results. A higher order spectral processing function, the bicoherence, was used to detect and quantify the quadratic features of the simulated response. In the experimental phase of the study, the response of two rings of different thickness to radius ratios and imperfection compositions were tested. The rings were spatially sampled and the data collected was wavenumber filtered such that the response of each wavenumber was extracted. The experimental results submit evidence of the transfer of energy from higher wavenumber responses to the n=O wavenumber response. Also, as indicated by the bicoherence, quadratic features of the n=O wavenumber response are enhanced by the presence of imperfections.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to assess the Levels of Adoption and Implementation of IPSAS by United Nations in Nairobi.  Methodology:The study used a mixed research design involving both descriptive and explanatory research designs to describe the state of affairs of the study variables as well as test the cause and effect relationships between variablesAccording to United Nations (UN) website, there are 13 United Nations agencies in Nairobi Kenya with a total of 540 accountants. The choice of accountants as a population is because they are the most knowledgeable users. The study units for this study werethe junior and senior accountants.The sampling units for the study were drawn from the 13 agencies in the UN team of Kenya.  A sample size of 20% of the population was taken as the sample size. This yielded 108 accountants. Random sampling was done. A close ended questionnaire based on a likert scale was used to collect data. Data wasanalysed by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Specifically, frequencies count and regression analysis results were generated using SPSS version 20.  Results: Based on the results majority of the agencies have implemented IPSAS to a high level. This significant level of adoption may have been as a result of UN general assembly agreement  and resolution to encourage the agencies to implement IPSAS The results were also confirmed by other results which revealed that majority of the agencies have already implemented between 51 and 75% of the IPSAS modules.  Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy:The study recommended thatIPSAS adoption would be improved if IPSAS software developers and funding organizations took into consideration the cost of modules, cost of training and general cost of implementing the IPSAS modules. The study also validates the Contingency theory which means that one thing is dependent on other things, and for organizations to be effective, there must exist a “goodness of fit” between their structure and the conditions in their external environment.
PCI Express is the third IO bus standard which had been implemented widely in embedded system.As the advantages of PCI-E in dual-channel,high-bandwidth,low-power dissipation,reliable transfers and so on,the traditional PCI bus had been replaced.PCI-E driver as the bridge between application and PCI-E hardware,it is very important for system performance.With the help of hardware and software co-design and verification of PCI-E host interface which could be implemented in sorts of self-design SoC,mainly describe the selection of PCI-E driver model,architecture of KMDF driver,design and implementation of all driver interfaces for sorts of PCI-E driver.The PCI-E driver uses WDF driver model,the WDF driver model was drivered by oriented object and event,which can reduce development effort,shorten development cycle.The use of this driver can verify PCIE perfectly.
Mytagecity studies were carried out with fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) using the dominant lethal test on male mice. Own tests with five FWAs, and those of KEPLINGER, et al. (Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol.27: 494-506, 1974), with four FWAs, are described. In our tests, acute oral administration of five FWAs at a dose of 5000 mg/kg body weight gave no evidence of a mutagenic effect during 8 weeks' mating. The FWAs used were three bis(triazinylamino)stilbenedisulfonic acid derivatives and a 1,3-diphenyl-2-pyrazoline derivative. The results of the tests carried out by KEPLINGER, et al. showed that intraperitoneal injection of the four FWAs produced no mutagenic effect during six weeks' mating; the whiteners used were a triazolylstilbenemonosulfonic acid derivative (50 mg/kg), two bis(triazinylamino)stilbenedisulfonic acid derivatives (50 mg/kg) and a bis(sulfostyryl)biphenyl derivative (10 mg/kg).
s (maximum 200 words, not including title and authors) should be emailed to j.mcmullen@qub.ac.uk, with ‘POSTER COMPETITION’ in the subject line, by Monday 26th February 2018. Posters must be A0 size in Portrait format and brought to Riddel Hall by 9.00am on 5 March 2018 for display. A prize of £50 will be awarded to the winning entries in each category and a certificate given to each participant. CPD accreditation has been granted for this event. From strategy to action: coproduction and the patient voice in NI: Promotion and support for patient participation leads to effective change Christine Collins, AJ McKnight, F McLaughlin, T Boggs, IJ Parsley on behalf of NIRDP; F Martin, R Wilson on behalf of Department of Health Improving Communication for Individuals with a Rare Condition Ashleen Crowe, Amy Jayne McKnight and Helen McAneney Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University of Belfast. A rare disease is defined as occurring in <1 in 2,000 people, but cumulatively rare diseases are common with one in 17 people in the UK being affected by a rare condition. The problems encountered because of the low number of instances of rare diseases are vast and need solutions. Thus improving communication mechanisms both within and around the healthcare system is of vital importance to individuals living and working with rare diseases. Surveys amongst people affected by and working with a rare disease have been, and will continue to be, carried out to establish what communication for them is like within the healthcare system. The DELPHI model will then be used to identify the priorities for improving communication for people with rare disease in Northern Ireland. From the survey data there were 60 priorities identified which have been grouped under 4 headings: Sources of Information, Medical Care, Rare Disease Community, and Public Awareness. There is a huge amount of progress which needs to be made in order to improve how someone with a rare disease receives information, treatment, and ultimately holistic care to help them deal with the life-changing event of discovering that they have a rare disease. Improving communication for young people managing a medical condition: Evaluation of ‘My Healthcare Passport’ Dr Janet Diffin and Dr Peter O’Halloran The School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast Most professionals agree that young people with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions, and their families, should be fully involved in making decisions related to their care. However, fragmented health and social services can often make communication challenging. Young people often have to repeat their story to different professionals. The use of a patient-held record (PHR) might help overcome such communication difficulties. ‘My Healthcare Passport’ is a PHR for people facing longterm illness (developed through consultation with 41 stakeholder groups throughout Northern Ireland). It helps people to share important information between their families, carers, and healthcare professionals. Our research project involves working with young people aged 16 – 24 years old with a medical condition to evaluate the usefulness of ‘My Healthcare Passport’ (this include certain rare diseases). We will ask them to use the healthcare passport for up to nine months and speak with them three times to find out how useful it has been for them, and whether any improvements are needed. The results will provide valuable insight into how ‘My Healthcare Passport’ could be used successfully in the future, and reveal the potential benefits of it to young people managing a medical condition, including those with rare diseases. Opsoclonus Myoclonus Ataxia Syndrome: Review of long term outcomes
Building and perfecting long-term mechanism in keeping progressiveness of party members in service posts of universities logistic groups composes an important role for party’s construction in universities.Therefore,the status of party members in service posts of universities logistic groups is analyzed and effective approach to prefect the long-term mechanism for their progressiveness is put forward.
Objectives To evaluate the effect of mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer.Methods Patients with breast cancer of stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ were treated with mastectomy and axillary dissection followed by immediate breast reconstruction with an implant placement according to patients' will.The cosmetic results and quality of life were analyzed at the time of 3,6 and 12 months after surgery.Results Fifteen patients were treated with mastectomy and axillary dissection followed by immediate breast reconstruction with an implant placement,of which 11 cases of infiltrating ductal carcinoma,1 case of mucinous adenocarcinoma and 3 cases of cystosarcoma phyllodes.All cases were followed-up and the patients' own rating of breast cosmesis and quality of life was asked without local recurrence and remote metastasis.The cosmetic results were good in 13 patients and fair in 2 patients.Conclusion Mastectomy and axillary dissection followed by immediate breast reconstruction with an implant placement is superior to modified radical mastectomy in terms of improving breast cosmesis and quality of life.
A new set of bi-plate transmission lines have been designed and installed in the water-section of PBFA-II for the Z-pinch experiments. Thirty-six aluminum flat-plate transmission lines submerged in a water dielectric deliver a timed electrical pulse from coaxial tube sections to a ring stack section. Each of the lines are electrically isolated from each other by transit-time effects. The water-lines are configured radially at four vertical levels. Each level has nine sets of bi-plates, with a transition section that is unique to that level. Mechanically, the bi-plate sections are designed to carry both static and dynamic loads. Electrically, the lines are designed to transport electrical pulses that average 200 nanoseconds with peak voltage of 2.5 to 3.0 MV. The peak fields exceed 200kV/cm. All line sections are a series of chromate coated aluminum plates, broken down into short, light weight sections. The design of the plates was meticulously developed using the Electro code for voltage break down, and NISA for mechanical analysis. Electrical losses associated with impedance mismatching and voltage breakdown were carefully reviewed. Changes in the bi-plate gap, surface shapes and electrical path discontinuities (mechanical joints) were precisely calculated to achieve maximum electrical performance and reliability. Several iterations of surface shapes and line gaps were reviewed to achieve the most desirable characteristics possible. Additional criteria required that minimal time and effort be required to remove and install the water-lines. Special hardware was developed to help meet this requirement.
Types of system and methods of documentation in clinic or hospital must be directed towards the object of the documentation: indexing or search documentation, informative or data documentation. Furthermore, a careful selection of the facts to be documented must be established, because a "complete clinical documentation" is unrealistic. Subtle knowledge of the methods of translation of medical facts into code numbers (coding techniques) is inevitable. Examples show how a very comprehensive data collection can be achieved in a short time from the documentation of only a few facts. Currently acquired data must be fed immediately for evaluation. The fact is criticized that some research promoters, when giving financial assistance for the installation of a data bank, shy away from providing the means for computer evaluation. In this way, useless "electronic data cemeteries" are produced. Consequently the demand, not only for the installation of data banks, but also to provide for their evaluation is deduced.
The phenomenon of Russian-Ukrainian war and the notion of pandemic have been introduced in the paper. The process of creating models of the mentioned concepts has been considered. The emphasis has been put on cognitive, linguistic and psychological as well as linguistic and social aspects of communicative actions within the Reddit social environment. As we deal with social network, the first and foremost task is to linguistically analyze the comments to the posts referring both to WAR and PANDEMIC concepts. The semantic nature of the posts with the largest number of comments as well as with the least amount of comments has been revealed. The textual semantic analysis involves online Reddit statements to have been linguistically interpreted and categorized into semantic groups and then proved by the software toolbox LIWC-22. According to the established semantic groups, two cognitive sub-models with linguistic psychological and social apprehension aspects (war implications and pandemic consequences) have been developed and further converted into one general cognitive model. Differences and similarities within particular semantic groups have been distinguished and linguistically interpreted. The statistical evaluation of the obtained semantic analytical data has been provided.
A homeobox-containing clone has been isolated from an adult mouse kidney cDNA library and shown by DNA sequence analysis to be a new isolate, Hox-6.1. A genomic clone containing Hox-6.1 has been isolated and found to contain another putative homeobox sequence (Hox-6.2), within 7 kb of Hox-6.1. In situ hybridization of mouse metaphase chromosomes shows this Hox-6 locus to be located on chromosome 14 (14E2). Hox-6.1 has been studied in detail and the predicted protein sequence of the homeobox is 100% homologous to the Xenopus Xeb1 (formally AC1) homeobox and the human c8 homeobox (Carrasco et al. 1984; Boncinelli et al. 1985; Simeone et al. 1987). Southern blotting shows that the DNA sequence encoding Hox-6.1 is single copy. Expression of Hox-6.1 has been studied in adult tissues and embryos by RNase protection assays, Northern blotting analysis and in situ hybridization. RNase protection assays show that Hox-6.1 transcripts are present in embryos between days 9 1/2 and 13 1/2 of gestation and in extraembryonic tissues at day 9 1/2. Adult expression is detectable in kidney and testis but not in liver, spleen and brain. One major transcript is detectable on Northern blots of kidney and day-13 1/2 embryo RNA. In kidney, this transcript is 2.7 kb whereas in embryos the major transcript is smaller at 1.9 kb, a much fainter band being visible at 2.7 kb. Localized expression of Hox-6.1 is observed in the spinal cord and prevertebral column of day-12 1/2 embryos, and in the posterior mesoderm and ectoderm of day-8 1/4 embryos. An anterior boundary of expression is located just behind the hindbrain whereas the boundary in the mesoderm is located at the level of the 7th prevertebra.
The study involves a series of 10 primary neoplasms of the anterior cervical column (body and transverse processes) surgically treated by intralesional excision and followed-up after 2-10 years. The series included 6 benign and 4 malignant neoplasms. Among the benign tumors 4 cases were classified Enneking stage II (2 osteoid osteomas, 1 fibrous dysplasia, 1 osteoma): after simple excision none of the cases revealed symptoms or signs of recurrence at long-term follow-up. The other 2 benign forms were stage III (giant cell tumor and aneurysmal cyst): both of the cases were treated by extracapsular intralesional excision after selective arterial embolization and reconstruction with anterior fusion; the giant cell tumor was irradiated after surgery: at long-term follow-up the patients were asymptomatic and there were no signs of recurrence. The 4 malignant neoplasms (stage IIB) were 1 osteosarcoma and 3 solitary plasmacytomas with spinal cord compression. The osteosarcoma was treated by intralesional excision in 3 stages and radiation therapy, and there were no signs of disease 6 years after diagnosis. The cases of plasmocytoma were treated by intralesional excision and spinal cord decompression, anterior fusion with iliac graft and plate, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, and they died after 2, 3 and 4 years with findings of multiple myeloma with no signs of disease at the level of the cervical vertebra treated.
PURPOSE: A process for preparing an aqueous emulsion polymer by providing at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer and a free radical redox initiator system and polymerizing at least some of the ethylenically unsaturated monomer is provided. Therefore, the redox system reduces the residual monomer content from an aqueous emulsion of the ethylenically unsaturated monomer at 85deg.C or less. CONSTITUTION: The aqueous emulsion polymer is prepared by the following process of: providing at least one ethylenically unsaturated monomer and a free radical redox initiator system including an oxidant, reductant and metal promoter complex under emulsion polymerization conditions; and then effecting the polymerization of at least some of the ethylenically unsaturated monomer. In the above process, the redox initiator system includes at least one oxidant, at least one reductant, at least one metal promoter complex containing at least one chelate ligand having at least one solubilizing metal salt and metal coordinate group of 6 or less.
The Quality of Caregiver-Child Interactions for Infants and Toddlers (Q-CCIIT) observation tool was developed to measure the quality of child care settings serving infants and toddlers, including center-based care and family child care homes, single-age classrooms, and mixed-age settings. Funded by the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the project report provides psychometric evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the Q-CCIIT as a measure of caregiving quality.
All of these popular play-along series from Hal Leonard assist musicians in learning how to play their favorite Peppers songs quickly and easily. They just follow the notation or tab, listen to the CD to hear how their parts should sound, and then play along using the fantastic backing tracks. Melody and lyrics are included in the books, and the play-along CDs are enhanced so Mac & PC users can adjust the recordings to any tempo without changing pitch – a great learning tool.
Surveys conducted in commercial sorghum fields in south-eastern central Texas in 1979-80 revealed the presence of 5 species of panicle-feeding bugs; these were Oebalus pugnax (F.), Nezara viridula (L.), Leptoglossus phyllopus (L.), Thyanta accerra McAtee and Euschistus servus (Say). A number of alternative food-plants were identified as potential sources of bugs prior to and during sorghum grain development. Alternative food-plants commonly found near sorghum and usually infested with bugs included Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) and oats for O. pugnax, Texas thistle (Cirsium texanum) for L. phyllopus, N. viridula, E. servus and T. accerra and silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium) for L. phyllopus, T. accerra and N. viridula. A 6th species of panicle-feeding bug, Liorhyssus hyalinus (F.), migrated into sorghum research plots after commercial sorghum in the area had been harvested
160 mice of the BALB/C strain of both sexes, aged 3 months, were divided into four equal groups out of which two were regularly irritated by a combination of an optical signal and electrical stroke. After one month of irritation one nonirritated and one irritated group were whole body irradiated with a single dose of 6.65 Gy (1.83 Gy/min), the other two groups were sham irradiated. The mice lived until their spontaneous death or one year after irradiation, respectively, when the rest of the animals were sacrificed. The appearance of malignant tumors was noted. Irradiation shortened the survival time while the irritation had an appeasing, compensatory effect, more expressed in the males than in the females. After irradiation the number and assortment of the tumors increased and the latent period essentially shortened. In the irritated animals the number and assortment of the malignant tumors were reduced and a tendency for lengthening of the latent time period was seen; these differences, however, were not statistically significant. In spite of some differences the response in both sexes to irradiation and irritation or their combination was similar.
The invention fennel oil, grapefruit oil, pepper oil, hisop oil, sage oil, est And all oil, eucalyptus oil, rosemary oil, cinnamon oil, clove oil, ylang ylang oil, ginger oil, geranium oil, or Oliva M, or the the active ingredient in oil of limonene, pinene, myrcene or benzyl benzoate relates to sympathetic activation perfume composition containing at least one member selected from. The composition preferably additionally contains caffeine. The composition is effective in reducing the weight.
Abstract : A description of the problems and progress occurring in the realm of blood grouping, blood banking, and blood transfusion since 1940 is presented. Three areas of legal importance concerning transfusion reactions are defined: Patient and sample identification; Prevention, detection, and management of Incompatible hemolytic blood transfusion diseases; Document of test results and events in a Blood Transfusion Reaction Report. Specific legal statues and cases have resulted in the establishment of guidelines for blood banks. These guidelines, compiled by Professor Charles H. Randall, Jr., have been interrelated to main problem areas. A Blood Transfusion Reaction Report form is described as essential to the Hospital Transfusion Board, the Blood Bank Pathologist and laboratory staff, and other hospital departments and staff such as surgery, anesthesiology, and nursing. (Author)
The Gaussian Sum Filter is a track reconstruction algorithm for treating energy loss by bremsstrahlung, and produces non-Gaussian estimates for the track parameters. This thesis explores a method of propagating these non-Gaussian errors into a non-Gaussian estimate of the invariant mass. It is tested if the method can be used to improve the invariant mass resolution in ATLAS, and if it gives a good description of the errors on the invariant mass. The result showed that the invariant mass resolution is not improved, but a large improvement in the description of errors is found.
The Epigraphische Datenbank Erlangen-Nurnberg / Epigraphic Database ErlangenNurnberg (EDEN) is an evolving online database of ancient Greek inscriptions from cities of today’s western Turkey: Metropolis (in Ionia), Magnesia ad Maeandrum and Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. The development of EDEN started 2012 at the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg in close collaboration between ancient historians, archaeologists and computer scientists. Contentwise, the database is maintained by the Chair of Ancient History. The Digital Humanities Research Group is responsible for the technical framework. The cooperation assures the rapid evolution of the database despite the tight budget. At the time of writing, the database contains nearly 600 Greek an Latin inscriptions of Hellenistic and Roman emperial period enriched with metadata.
Sardinia is a region of great environmental heritage, but only a part of it, the sea and  beaches attract tourist traffic, concentrated in the summer months. Its interior is hardly affected  by the transit of tourists. The existence of real prospects of tourism development in inland areas  is debated since the origin of the phenomenon in the island: many planning initiatives have been  - and are at present - undertaken by the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, highlighting the desire  to build a tourism model increasingly oriented towards sustainability. The research has the  objective to understand what are the conditions that prevent the growth of these areas. Turning  to the evolution of regional policy, we have investigated the local tourism industry including the  supply and demand factors and other tourist attractions. Comparing the existing Local Tourist  Systems, internal stakeholders in tourism development planning, and Local Systems, theorized  by territorial criteria, it was shown that the first must necessarily be reorganized in order to be  competitive. The methodology has finally led to the construction, using GIS search engine, of  a Geographic Information System of tourism in Sardinia
This paper proposes a speech emotion recognition method based on speech features and speech transcriptions (text). Speech features such as Spectrogram and Mel-frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) help retain emotion-related low-level characteristics in speech whereas text helps capture semantic meaning, both of which help in different aspects of emotion detection. We experimented with several Deep Neural Network (DNN) architectures, which take in different combinations of speech features and text as inputs. The proposed network architectures achieve higher accuracies when compared to state-of-the-art methods on a benchmark dataset. The combined MFCC-Text Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model proved to be the most accurate in recognizing emotions in IEMOCAP data.
Tests on spherical and columnar explosive charges were carried out at one place of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,Physico-mechanical properties of the permafrost were measured,and some blasting parameters were abtained.Then,some tests on deephole blasting were carried out on the permafrost.The abtained data were analyzed and studied,that is the optimal blasting parameters,the optimal scaled depth of charge,and the maximum scaled true volume.These data were compared with those acquired by Simpson,Simth and Morgonstern for permafrost.The shapes of rock explosive crater,permafrost explosive crater,and loess explosive crater,were compared and analyzed to find their difference.Relationship among those data and the physico-mechanical properties of permafrost were analyzed and studied,it was found that when the difference of temperature in permafrost was small,the blasting characteristic permafrost could not be expressed by one physico-mechanical property,and should be expressed by the combination of permafrost density,primary wave velocity,average grain size of permafrost,and total water content of permafrost,ρCW/D50.The larger the value of ρCW/D50,the more difficult to blast the permafrost.
The invention discloses a process for preparing viable bacteria enzyme. The process comprises the following steps of: respectively adding aspergillus oryzae, ganoderma lucidum, bacillus subtilis, lactic acid bacteria and saccharomycetes into vegetables and fruits to ferment so as to obtain a vegetable ferment basic solution and a fruit ferment basic solution; vaccinating the bacillus subtilis, yeast and the lactic acid bacteria by using edible fungus to ferment so as to obtain an edible fungus ferment basic solution; vaccinating the ganoderma lucidum, the bacillus subtilis, the saccharomycetes and the lactic acid bacteria by using perennial herbs to ferment so as to obtain a herbal enzyme solution; inoculating the bacillus subtilis, the yeast and the lactic acid bacteria to ferment so as to obtain an algae ferment basic solution; and inoculating bifidobacterium, bacillus natto and bacillus aceticus to carry out secondary fermentation after combining filtrates, and then sealing for ageing for 2 months, so as to obtain the aged viable bacteria enzyme. According to the process provided by the invention, mixed fungi generation can be effectively reduced; macro-molecular substances are rapidly resolved to micro-molecular substances which can be easily absorbed by a human body; and the problem that the substances are difficult to digest and inactivate in severe environments of intestinal canals can be solved. Furthermore, the content of functional active components can be greatly improved, and various health benefits and high added value of the enzymes can be effectively improved.
The present invention is an inkjet printing method and the result of the inkjet printing method, performed by an industrial inkjet system to form a decoration layer, comprising the steps of: printing copies of a decorative image with a printing unit on a substrate by transmitting consecutive bitmap rows of the decorative image to a printing unit; measuring dimensional changes in the substrate while printing copies of the decorative image; and compensating the dimensional changes while printing copies of the decorative image by one of: skipping at least one bitmap row of the decorative image upon dimensional expansion; or reprinting at least one bitmap row of the decorative image on the substrate upon dimensional shrink.
We define new compact matrix quantum groups whose intertwiner spaces are dual to tensor categories of three-dimensional set partitions -- which we call spatial partitions. This extends substantially Banica and Speicher's approach of the so called easy quantum groups: It enables us to find new examples of quantum subgroups of Wang's free orthogonal quantum group $O_n^+$ which do not contain the symmetric group $S_n$; we may define new kinds of products of quantum groups coming from new products of categories of partitions; and we give a quantum group interpretation of certain categories of partitions which do neither contain the pair partition nor the identity partition.
Objective To study the change of serum protein spectrum from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis before and after intensification therapy.Methods WCX fluid protein chip and matrix assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight mass spectrometry were used to analyze the serum proteome of 16 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis before and after intensification therapy.Results After intensification therapy,relative quantity of 22 proteins was changed.11 of 22 proteins were up-regulated and others were down-regulated(P0.05).Conclusion Serum protein spectrum from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis is changed before and after intensification therapy.
Objective To understand current malarial situation in the shipping area of Lanchangjiang River Downstream by investigation of annual malaria parasite carrying rate in the inhabitants, antibody level, in vitro sensitivity of malaria parasite to chloro-quine and artesunate. Methods Investigation of annual malaria parasite carrying rate, IFAT, malaria history, blood examination of feverish patients, vector Anopheline mosquitoes, social economics and the sensitivity of Plasmodium falciparum to chloroquine and artesunate were carried out. Results The average cumulated parasite carrying rate in different populations was 8.36% (2267 2 704) of which Plasmodium vivax , plasmodium falciparum and mixed infections accounted for 58.5% , 40.27% and 0.88% , respectively. The rate of malaria parasite detected from feverish patients was 30.03% (106/353) .Malaria history rates in inhabitants, porters and seamen in 2001 were 38.39% , 8.82% and 1.06% , respectively. A total of 244 mosquitoes belong to 10 species were captured and An. Minimus accounted for 10.66% of the total with a man-biting rate of 0.75/man.hour. The resistant rates of Plas-modium falciparum to choloroquine and artesunate were 96.15% and8.70%. with a ID50 of 13.44 and 91.25nmol/L, respectively. Conclusion At present, Malaria is still prevalent at various degrees in Lanchangjiang River Downstream shipping area and the control work is weak and needs to be strengthened. Chloroquine is not recommended for treatment of falciparum malaria and attention be given to the decrease of sensitivity of plasmodium falciparum to artesunate.
The invention discloses water-based paper and plastic laminating/peelable adhesive and a method for manufacturing the same. The water-based paper and plastic laminating/peelable adhesive comprises, by mass, 35-45 parts of wax emulsion, 45-55 parts of water-based polyurethane emulsion, 1-20 parts of tackifying resin, 1-5 parts of additives, 1-5 parts of coupling agents, 0.2-0.5 part of defoamers and 0.2-0.5 part of thickeners. The water-based paper and plastic laminating/peelable adhesive and the method have the advantages that the wax emulsion, the water-based polyurethane emulsion, the additives, the tackifying resin, the coupling agents, the thickeners and the defoamers are compounded with one another to finally manufacture the water-based paper and plastic laminating/peelable adhesive, the water-based paper and plastic laminating/peelable adhesive is high-temperature-resistant and is high in initial adhesion, permanent adhesion and peel strength when used for laminating paper and plastics, the paper cannot be torn by an adhesion surface of a film when separated from the plastics, and is prevented from being damaged, and the adhesion surface is not sticky after the paper is separated from the plastics.
The clinical benefits of chelation therapy for treating iron overload are well established. In a large randomized Phase III study conducted in 586 iron overloaded patients with β-thalassemia to assess once daily oral therapy with deferasirox versus subcutaneous deferoxamine (DFO), we previously showed that deferasirox led to a statistically significant reduction of iron burden in patients whose baseline LIC was ≥ 7 mg Fe/g dw and that this change was similar to that observed with DFO. We have subsequently analyzed the role of transfusional iron intake in influencing individual responses. In this study, transfusion data were collected among 296 patients receiving deferasirox and 290 patients receiving DFO. If volumes (in mL RBC) were provided for the transfusions, iron intake (in mg) was calculated by multiplying the mL RBC by 1.08. If transfusion was reported as number of units, each unit was assumed to contain 185 mL RBC or 200 mg iron. For each patient, the cumulative transfusion amounts during the study were recorded, and the total iron intake was calculated as mg/kg/day using the patients’ body weight and their time on study. The average iron intake rate during the study was 0.38 mg/kg/day which corresponds to approximately 0.35 mL/kg/day. The 25–75th percentiles included 0.30 to 0.47 mg/kg/day. Among patients receiving deferasirox, 70 (23.6%), 174 (58.8%) and 52 (17.6%) had a transfusional iron intake rate of 0.5 mg/kg/day, respectively. Patients in the lowest transfusional iron loading group ( 0.5 mg/kg/day had an average intake rate of 0.39 and 0.55 mg/kg/day, respectively. The iron intake in mg/kg/day was higher in young children compared to adolescents and adults (0.48 for 0.5 mg/kg/day group. In conclusion, the rate of transfusional iron loading has an important effect on the outcome of chelation therapy, and dosing should be individualized based on the transfusional iron intake, the severity of iron overload and the treatment goal of maintenance or reduction of body iron.
When HeLa cells growing in asynchronous culture are fused together by inactivated Sendai virus, synchrony of DNA synthesis and mitosis is rapidly imposed in the resultant multinucleate cells, even though the single cells which fuse to form these multinucleate cells are at different stages of the cell cycle. Some measure of nuclear co-ordination can already be observed within a few hours of cell fusion, and maximal synchrony is achieved within 2 days. By the end of the second day after fusion, asynchronous DNA synthesis or mitosis is rare. In binucleate cells this high order of synchrony is maintained for at least 5 days, but in cells containing greater numbers of nuclei some loss of synchrony begins to appear after the third day. The results indicate that the ability of the multinucleate cell to co-ordinate nuclear events is not impaired by the use of virus to facilitate cell fusion.
This paper describes one kind of three-dimension parameter developing system based on Pro/ENGINEER. It introduces how to use the parameter designing functions of this software, and fulfill the series development of transformers and reactors automatically with high efficiency, according to the external input. This system mainly consists of libraries of product models and standard models. It is able to realize the automatic replacement for models by Pro/PROGRAM in this system. However, for those underproof products, it shall apply the direct correction model or relationship to produce two-dimensional engineering diagrams for manufacture directions.
The present invention provides a built-in IC card function and the card-shaped storage device and a host adapter device. A card-shaped storage device comprising a power supply terminal, an antenna terminal, a control circuit, a power generating circuit, the switching circuit. The power supply terminal for receiving power from the host device. The antenna terminal is connected to the host device provided on said non-contact communication antenna, the received signal from the antenna. The control circuit having a wireless communication function and an IC card function. The power generating circuit included in said control circuit generates the power supply in accordance with the signal from the antenna. The switching circuit included in the control circuit, the switching power supply to the power terminal, and the power supply from the power supply generation circuit.
Concentration of androgens, binding-sites of androgen-receptors as well as the activity of 5 alpha-reductase of the ventral prostates have been studied in the zinc-deficient rats. Eight-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were housed individually in cages and divided into two groups, I. Experimental group, redivided into 2 sub-groups: (a) maintained on a zinc-deficient diet for 3 and 6 weeks, (b) zinc-deficient diet for 3 weeks then re-fed normal diet, II. Control group fed with normal diet. The ventral prostates were dissected free and homogenized after the rats sacrificed. Androgens and androgen-receptor were quantified by RIA and "exchange assay" respectively. The result obtained from the zinc-deficient rats were significantly different (P less than 0.05) from those of the control group 1. The zinc-deficient 3 and 6 weeks rats showed the plasma testosterone concentration decreased by 18% and 15%. 2. The cytosolic (fmo1/mg protein) dihydrotestosterone and its binding receptor were decreased by 10-15% and 28-30%, respectively. 3. The nuclear (fmo1/mg DNA) dihydrotestosterone and its receptor protein were ony 2-3% and 3-3.6% of the control group respectively. 4. Studies on the androgen metabolism showed that the metabolite, dihydrotestosterone (fmo1/mg protein) of rats with zinc-deficient 6 weeks was only 48% of the control group. 5. The prostate weight (mg) of zinc-deficient rats was 45-50% of the control group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Background Malnutrition is often observed in gynecological cancer patients, however its prevalence in these patients remains largely unexplored. Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is a nutritional intervention method that has controversial treatment outcome on gynecological cancer patients. The present retrospective study is designed to evaluate the nutrition status and TPN treatment outcome on patients diagnosed with endometrial, cervical or ovarian malignant tumors. Methods Medical records of a total of 263 patients treated at the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, China were included. Nutrition status was assessed by patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA). Patients were grouped based on nutrition status, cancer type or treatment strategy for clinical characteristic comparison. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors for malnutrition status and hospital stay duration. Results Presence of endometrial and cervical cancer, body weight before nutritional intervention and serum albumin level (P < 0.001 for all) were found to be significant predictors for malnutrition status in gynecological cancer patients. In the malnourished patients, those who were treated with TPN had significantly lower serum albumin levels before and after treatment (P < 0.001) and PG-SGA scores after treatment. Also, TPN treatment could significantly increase the serum albumin levels in these patients after 1 week. In addition, shorter hospitalization period was needed for TPN-treated endometrial (P = 0.019) and ovarian (P < 0.001) patients. Moreover, serum albumin levels (P < 0.001), use of TPN treatment (P = 0.025) and nutrition status (P = 0.010) were identified to be independent predictors for hospital stay duration. Conclusion Our results suggest that malnutrition is a significant clinical manifestation in gynecological cancer patients who may benefit from TPN treatment for reduced hospitalization and improved serum albumin levels.
The potato crop is one of the most important food crops in the world and in order to understand how in potato plants the formation of potato tubers and the determination of different tuber quality traits are regulated, we need to identify and characterize the genes that are involved in regulating these processes. The aim of the research described in this PhD thesis was to implement a relatively new genomic tool (i.e. microarray technology) in an ongoing study to understand the process of potato tuber development and the mechanisms underlying differences in tuber quality traits through the identification and analysis of candidate genes. The induction and formation of a potato tuber from underground stem-like structures, the stolons, follows a developmental program that requires the coordinated regulation of many metabolic pathways. We have developed a dedicated potato cDNA-microarray specifically designed to study the different aspects of the potato tuber life cycle. Genes selected for representation on the dedicated array were retrieved from EST databases using a text mining approach based on functional homology with genes thought to be linked to the process of tuber formation or determining tuber quality traits. In a large scale in vivo tuberization experiment we have analyzed the expression profiles of genes during the transition of a stolon into a tuber and subsequent tuber growth stages using the dedicated potato cDNA-microarray. Expression analysis of eight tuber developmental stages revealed both unique as well as more common gene expression profiles including, up-regulation, down-regulation and transiently up- or down regulation at tuber organogenesis. Based on the observed expression profiles during tuber development, tissue specificity studies and functional homology, promising candidate genes were identified and selected for further analysis. Reverse genetic approaches were implemented to identify functional roles for candidate genes in relation to the process of tuber development or quality traits. One of the most intriguing candidate genes that we identified showed homology to a GA2-oxidase gene involved in the breakdown of bioactive gibberellins (GA) and was named StGA2ox1 . GA is a plant hormone that has been shown to be an important regulator of tuber formation. When potato plants are induced to tuberize, stolon growth ceases and a reduction in the levels of GA is thought to result in the longitudinal reorientation of the cell micro tubules and micro fibrils, allowing lateral cell expansion and division. StGA2ox1 is up-regulated during the early stages of potato tuber development prior to visible swelling. Transgenic clones over-expressing StGA2ox1 exhibit a dwarfed phenotype, reduced stolon length and earlier in vitro tuberization. Transgenic plants with reduced expression levels of StGA2ox1 showed normal plant growth, an altered stolon swelling phenotype and delayed in vitro tuberization. Furthermore, tubers of silencing clones contain increased levels of GA 20 , a precursor of bioactive GAs, indicating altered gibberellin metabolism. Based on these results we propose a role for StGA2ox1 in tuber development through the action of regulating GA levels in the subapical stolon region during early tuberization events. Another candidate gene that was selected for gene function assessment showed homology to an Aux/IAA protein and was named StIAA2 . Aux/IAA proteins are short-lived transcription factors that can promote or repress auxin induced gene expression under the control of the plant hormone auxin. Auxins have long been implicated to play a regulatory role in potato tuber development. However, a precise function for this plant hormone in tuber development has never been established. During the early stages of potato tuber development StIAA2 transcript levels are dramatically reduced indicating strong transcriptional control. Targeted down-regulation of StIAA2 transcript levels, through post-transcriptional-gene-silencing (PTGS), results in distinctive phenotypes that include increased plant height, petiole hyponasty and extreme curvature of growing leaf primordia in the shoot apex. Due to lack of a visible potato tuber phenotype in the StIAA2 transgenic clones, no direct role for StIAA2 in controlling potato tuber development could be assigned. However, additional gene expression analysis of transgenic plants with reduced StIAA2 transcript levels resulted in the identification of a number of genes with altered expression profiles including another member of the Aux/IAA gene family ( StIAA ), providing new leads in auxin regulated gene expression in potato. Besides the identification and analysis of candidate genes for a role in potato tuber development, we have used the dedicated cDNA microarray in a novel screening method for the identification of candidate genes related to tuber quality in a segregating diploid potato population (C x E). Isolated mRNA from potato tubers of individuals were pooled based on the observed difference in potato tuber cooking type. Transcript profiling of the contrasting bulks, consisting of individuals with either a mealy or non-mealy texture character, led to the identification of a candidate gene involved in determining potato tuber texture after cooking. The candidate gene exhibits strong homology to a t yrosine and l ysine r ich p rotein family and was named StTLRP . TLRP proteins are extra cellular cell wall proteins thought to be involved in cross-linking other proteins to the cell wall making them insoluble, thereby potentially modifying cell wall characteristics. It has been well documented that potato tuber cooking type is largely dependent on cell wall characteristics such as rigidity, permeability and level of cell adhesion. Variation in the level of gene expression of the candidate gene was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR for a subset of individuals of the C x E population. Through the identification of an allelic variant of StTLRP and treating the expression levels of StTLRP as a quantitative trait, the identified potato StTLRP gene was mapped, both as a PCR marker and expression QTL, to the same chromosomal location as the QTL identified for tuber cooking type, strengthening its status as a candidate gene. The combination of transcript profiling with population genetics is often referred to as genetical genomics and is likely to greatly enhance candidate gene identification and subsequent cloning steps. Furthermore, we show that the use of a pooling strategy in a segregating population is a powerful and more cost-effective alternative to hybridizing individuals, and can be easily copied for other potato tuber quality traits or transcript profiling techniques. Identification of the key regulatory genes for potato tuber development or tuber quality traits will greatly enhance the capabilities for potato tuber crop improvement through marker assisted breeding methods or genetic engineering. The work described in this thesis shows the successful application of a dedicated potato cDNA-microarray for the study of potato tuber development and quality traits and has resulted in the identification of candidate genes that have provided new insights into the complex biology of the potato crop.
Leachate is a product of high pollution generated by the garbage landfill.At present,the leachate treatment process mainly use the membrane bioreactor(MBR),nanofiltration(NF) and reverse osmosis treatment processing(RO),these treatment will all produce some high concentration of pollutants.The author summarized these technology of several treatment,analysis and comparied the treatment effect of each process and the operation,finally has carried on the technical summary.
Jf ulien Green's 1955 novel, Le malfaiteur, invites an application of the theory of the role of the empathie reader. In a recent book grounded in Heinz Kohut' s views on the practice of self psychology, J. Brooks Bouson studies the interaction occuring between reader and text in terms of the empathie critic's responses to the narcissistic disorders of literary characters. It is the quest for "[s]elf-confirming attention from others" that informs these characters' behaviors (Bouson 14), and elicits from readers a twofold reaction which Bouson outlines in her opening chapter. First there occurs a temporary identification with the literary figure, of the kind that Kohut has described as involving "vicarious introspection."1 This is followed by a more dissociated, evaluative stance on the part of the analyst, which enables him to act as participant in and observer of the conflicted character's narration of self. Cultivated in this way, empathy stands in opposition not only to the censorious position of a judgmental reader, but also to the detachment of an analyst cast in the traditional Freudian mould, who is characterized, as Kohut says, by a "[l]ack of emotional responsiveness, silence, [and] the pretense of being a... computerlike mechanism which emits interpretations" (Kohut 253). As the analyst's countertransference responses to demands made by his patient may allow for a deeper understanding of the latter' s unresolved problems, so reflection on textually aroused emotions may give readers a better perspective. The more a work tries to shape its audience, thereby mobilizing reader defenses, the more important is the need or awareness of reactions to the text's explicit controlling mechanisms. The narcissistically injured writer of an autobiographical narrative often strives to turn his reader into a reflective alter ego, who ratifies the "truths" related in his self-incriminating account. Simply hearing the story may turn the listener into a version of the
in Arabic ةيفوجلا هايملا ىلع يخانملا ريغتلا ريثأت ( ةصاخ ةلاح : ةزغ عاطق لامش ) ةاٌحلا رارمتسلا يرورض رمأ وه ةزغ عاطق ًف هاٌملا عاطق ةرادإ . ىلإ حٌشرتلا ثودح تقوب ةدٌجلا ةفرعملا ًفوجلا نازخلا لكشٌ ةصاخ ةٌمهأ ًف قطانملا حضاولا زجعلا تاذ ةٌمك ثٌح نم هاٌملا هاٌملا ةردن ببسب ةٌحطسلا لثم ةزغ عاطق . كلذ ىلإ ةفاضلإاب هلك ، لا ًجولوٌجلاو ةهج نم ةٌتاوملا رٌغ ةٌخانملا ةلاح ا لا بسانم رٌغ ة نم ةهج ىرخأ و ًفوجلا نازخلا ًف ةرفوتملا هاٌملا نم ةنٌعم ةٌمك ددحٌ ةٌحطسلا تانازخلا . قبس ام ىلع ءًانب ثحبلا نإف ، لاجملا اذه ًف ةزغ عاطق ًف ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا نٌب ةقلاعلا دٌكأتل يرورض رمأ ةٌخانملا فورظلا هذه لثم ةمادتساو اهرٌغت وأ . ًف ةٌعٌبطلا دراوملا رودل ًارظن اذه ،ًلاحلا عارصلا ةرهاظ نإف خانملا رٌغت نوكٌس هل ا ةقطنملا ًف ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا ةرادإ ًف ماه رود للاخ ةمداقلا تاونسلا . مادختساب ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا حٌشرت ةٌمك رٌدقت قٌرط نع ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا ىلع ةٌخانملا تارٌغتلا رٌثأت ةسارد تمت جمانرب WetSpass , جمانرب مادختساب ًفوجلا نازخلا بوسنم ىلع كلذ رٌثأت ةسارد مث Modflow , ارٌخأو عاطقلا اذه ىلع لمتحملا اهرٌثأت ةساردو لبقتسملا ًف اهلوصح عقوتملا تاهوٌرانٌسلاب ؤبنتلا . ةٌضاملا نٌرشعلا تاونسلا للاخ ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا حشرت ةٌمك رٌدقت مت . ثحبلا رهظٌ كولس بلقتم ًف لوطه ًلاتلابو ،خانملا رٌغت ًنعٌ امم راطملأا ي رثؤ كلذ مٌق ىلع ًفوجلا نازخلل حٌشرتلا . ةٌنمزلا ةقلاعلا ةسارد تمت لا نٌب رصنع رثكلأا ةٌلاعف ( راطملأا ) و ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا حٌشرت اوم ةثلاث ًف عض ةزغ عاطق ًف : دصر ةطحم تٌب و اٌهلا دصر ةطحم طحمو ةزغ ةنٌدم ة صر د عم حفر دوجو ةداعإو راطملأا لوطه نٌب رٌبكلا طابترلإا ةٌذغتلا ف حوارتت نٌب طابترلإا ةبسن 0،96 و 0،99 . ل و هنأ ظح و ماع دعب 1995 تضفخنا مٌق ةبسنب راطملأا لوطه 63 ، 8 اٌهلا تٌب ةطحم ًف ٪ امم زجع ًف ببست مٌق ةٌذغتلا ىلإ 87،64 ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا نوزخم ًف ضافخناو ،٪ . مٌق حٌشرتلا تمدختسا ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا ةجذمن ًف ةاكاحملا ماظنب ةزغ عاطق نم ةٌلامشلا ةقطنملل . رابتعا مت نٌهوٌرانٌس نٌلمتحم : لا مٌق لولأا ةٌذغت لل ماع 2010 ةمئاق لازت لا ةمداقلا ماوعلأل رمتستسو , و ًناثلا ضافخنا ماعل ةٌذغتلا مٌق 2015 ةقباسلا نٌنسلل اهضافخنا لدعم سفنب . تاجرخملا ةظحلام دعب رٌبك صقانت رهظ مٌق ًف ةٌفوجلا هاٌملا بوسنم نم 3,3 ىلإ رتم 3,86 مث 5 مث 6 مث 7،5 مث 8 مث 8.5 رتم ًف ةقطنم طسولا و نم 2 رتم ىلإ 2.04 3,31 مث 3,31 مث 6 مث 7,5 رتم ل تاونسل 2005 و 2010 و ًلاوتلا , عسوتلا عم نمزلا رم ىلع زجعلا ةحضاو ةقطنملا ًف . ةفلتخم مٌق عم ًناثلا وٌرانٌسلا ًف ظحول هاجتلاا سفن . كلذ ىلع ءانب
Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ginger consumption on some cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods : This is a double- blind, placebo controlled clinical trial. Seventy type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled. They allocated randomly in to ginger group (n=35) and control group (n=35). They consumed 1600 mg powdered ginger versus 1600 mg wheat flour placebo (2 capsule 800 mg daily) daily for 12 weeks. Fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-c and HDL-c, C-reactive protein, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference were measured before and after intervention. Results: Sixty three patients were analyzed: Ginger group (n=33) and control group (n=30). Ginger reduced fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol and C-reactive protein, significantly (p<0.05), compared with placebo group. However there were no significant differences in HDL-c and LDL-c, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference between two groups (p>0.05). Conclusions: Ginger reduced fasting plasma glucose, some fractions of lipid profile and C-reactive protein in type 2 diabetic patients. Therefore ginger can be considered as an effective treatment for prevention of c ardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients.
A clutch hub (3) constituting the multi-plate clutch having an outer periphery formed with a plurality of spline teeth (33) and formed in the cylindrical portion (32) has a recess (34) in the inner side of each spline tooth (33), and in One end of each recess (34) is formed with a stopper portion (35), the blocking portion (35) through the open end of the semi cylindrical portion (320) of the clutch hub (3) so that the spline teeth (33) of the part inwardly recessed to form a recess portion (350) and leaving a portion of the recessed portion (350) against the open end portion and a portion of the cylindrical portion (320) than the recessed portion (350) is removed to form.
Pancreatic cancer has one of the worst survival rates of any cancer and is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality. Early detection and surgery are the patient's best chance for cure. However, symptoms are typically vague and occur when the cancer is unresectable. Population-based mass screening is not practical for this rare disease, though screening and early detection in asymptomatic high-risk patient populations may be indicated.
Like any other country, Iran is jeopardized by many environmental hazard threats and such threats can culminate in environmental disasters with tremendous repercussions such as loss of people’s lives, destruction of national assets, disruption of man-made building, dangers threatening mass population, etc. To stand against this, approaches in hazard management are after finding more pragmatic solution for these repercussions. Moreover, these hazards are associated with desertification, tectonic, cycles of aridity and surface processes associated with wind and water erosion. This paper provides information on the threats and vulnerability imposed on Zayandeh- Roud Basin (Z.R.B, hereafter) in Iran. For this aim, assessment was carried out by overlaying hazards map, human variable, and adaptation capacity map. Results are in the form of classification vulnerability map with 5 levels: Very Low, Low, Threshold Level, High Resilience and Very High Resilience. Based on vulnerability map, most of the Northern, Eastern and North Western parts of Z.R.B were among the most vulnerable parts. Vulnerability on the central parts of Z.R.B took two forms of ‘very low’ and ‘low’ which were because of most adaptive capacity.
For decades China's GDP and per capita GDP has been growing rapidly.However,only a reasonable income vs.GDP ratio can have reference value for the economy at large.This paper reviews existing studies about "income vs.GDP ratio",its definition,historical evolution,empirical studies thereof,etc.We suggest that more attention should be given to propositional rationality analysis,systematic definition of the concept,comparative studies of relevant propositions,and to improving the concept's analytical framework,in order to construct a research system for this new concept.
Field experiments were conducted during rabi seasons of 200304 and 2004–05 to find out the effect of seed rate, phosphorus and FYM application on growth and yield of large seeded lentil. Dry matter and total number of branches per plant decreased with increasing seed rates, while all the growth attributes including plant height increased significantly with phosphorus levels and FYM applications. Nodule number and dry weight per plant increased by 152 and 180 per cent at 40 kg P2O5/ha. Pod number, grains per pod and 1000-seed weight decreased while the grain yield (903.5, 1053.5 and 1299.0 kg/ha, respectively in 50, 62.5 and 75 kg/ha seed rates) and straw yield (2218, 2330 and 2476 kg/ha in 50, 62.5 and 75 kg/ha seed rates, respectively) increased with the seed rates. Yield and yield attributes increased with phosphorus (recording an increase of 29.7% in 40 kg P2O5/ha over control) and FYM applications (905.0 and 1175.5 kg/ha in 0 & 5 t/ha FYM, respectively). The grain yield at 75 kg/ha seed rate was 43.8% higher than 50 kg/ha whereas it was 29.7% and 29.9% higher at 40 kg P2O5/ha and 5 t FYM/ha, respectively. Higher seed rate (7.84 and 15.76% in 50 and 75 kg/ha seed rate, respectively) and FYM doses (11.60 and 20.92%, respectively in 0 and 5 t/ha) favoured more pest incidence, while increased P2O5 levels decreased the pod borer population (17.29 and 5.78% in 0 and 40 kg P2O5, respectively). Uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus increased with seed rate and phosphorus application uniformly, whereas FYM was found inconsistent.
The third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth Central Committee of the Communist Party of CHina said, "Ensuring food security in China. At any time food safety cannot be relaxed, and it must be grasped for ever. Accelerated the establishment of a stable supply, reserving enough, powerful regulation, and running efficient food security system ." Food secrurty is a worldwide major problem, being the world's governments, experts, and scholars' hot topic. Therefore, China should establish the national food security early-warning, the food crisis system and emergency response mechanism in our country in the future, which are also relative to economic and social development of the major issues. According to China grain development overall goals and based on the analysis of the law of grain development in China, the actual scientific prediction model, was made ,and the establish ment of ,China's grain security warning-system countermeasures were put forward.
Each piece of music in this research is meant to explore a different aspect of music as a plastic art. Conclusions reached in the review of each new work were used to guide the development of the next. The notions of plasticity in sound, and sound as a plastic material were used to give the overall research a focal point. In exploring different types of composition, reciprocal plasticity between the materials and the developing ideas of the music are discussed in the context of ecological and biological psychology. By restricting all these works within the genre of 'plastic arts' it became necessary to introduce a new technique for instrumental composition. An aural model is used to replace the traditional written score. These instrumental works were developed entirely within an auditory situation. CompOSitional Explorations of Plastic Sound 6 Music as a Plastic Art The idea of plasticity is explored in several contexts throughout this research. It is used to describe a class of artworks, the nature of the interaction with the acoustic material, and phenomenal qualities of the sound. Plasticity is also used to to describe the relationship between the concrete sound and the concepts that are used to guide the development of the work. The music in this portfolio starts with the assumption that it is a plastic art, and explores the use of sound as a plastic material. The artist's relationship to it can be thought of in the same way as a painter's to paint or a sculptor's to clay, steel, or marble. In one sense, the argument that electroacoustic music can belong to the world of the plastic arts might seem self-evident. However, since the use of sound as a plastic material is a relatively recent historical event, and the reference is not widely used, some discussion is needed regarding the term and this stance. The Material Historical and common usage of the word 'Plastic' Plastikos, from the Greek, means something that is moulded or capable of being moulded. As an adjective the Oxford Concise Dictionary writes, "Characterized by moulding, shaping, modelling, fashioning, or giving form to a yielding material, as clay or wax; capable of shaping or moulding formless matter." In reference to art, the Oxford continues with "plastic art, the art of shaping or modelling; any art in which this is done, as sculpture or ceramics." The Mirriam-Webster dictionary restricts it even further saying, "visual art (as painting, sculpture, or film) especially as distinguished from art that is written (as poetry or music) 1 ••• " 1 italics the author's Compositional Explorations of Plastic Sound 7 Plastic Art has been used to describe sculpture and painting as early as the 1600's2. Over 300 years later with the advent of acoustic recording, sound is fixed to a medium capable of being shaped and sculpted, and music enters the
Light-dark synchronized Chlamydomonas reinhardtii are most sensitive to irradiation when exposed early in the dark period of a 12 hour light: 12 hour dark regime. At this time the algae are either dividing or preparing for division. Liquid cell cultures of the 137c wild type strain exposed to 9,000 R X-irradiation exhibit 69% mortality. Monolayer cultures on Millipore filters exposed to proton irradiation (1.5 MeV protons from a positive Van de Graff accelerator) exhibit 89% mortality following a dose of 9 kilorad, and 98% mortality following 18 kilorad. Ultrastructural examination of X-irradiated cells over five days following exposure documented chloroplast and nuclear alterations which included non-nuclear condensations, swollen and ruptured nuclear envelopes and disrupted pyrenoid structure. Following both types of irradiation, both live and dead daughter cells were present within the old mother cell wall. Following both types of irradiation, cells were also observed in which there were (1) profiles resembling division conformations, and (2) chromosomes and spindle fibers present at a time not characteristic for such events in synchronized control cultures. No changes distinct to either X-ray or proton irradiation were present, indicating that, after a given level of injury, similar ultrastructural manifestations of cell damage are evident in irradiated cells.
Objective To introduce a new method for the repair of the bilateral chronic proper digital nerve injuries.Methods From November 2000 to October 2009,40 cases with bilateral chronic proper digital nerve injuries were divided into 3 groups.Fifteen cases in Group A were conducted nerve graft with two end-to-side neurorrhaphy.Thirteen cases in Group B were conducted nerve graft with one end-to-side nerve neurorrhaphy.Twelve cases in Group C were performed nerve transplantation with end-to-end nerve anastomosis.Results After 6-8 months of follow-up,the anaesthesia and pain of the injured fingers disappeared completely and finger pulp was plump with good flexibility in group A.The measurement of the sense was S4-S4+ and 2-PD was 5.0-6.0 mm.The feeling recovery was not synchronization and the operative side felt more obvious in group B.The measurement of the sense was S1-S3 and 2-PD was 7.0～7.6 mm.In Group C,the measurement of the sense was S3-S3+,SI or even blind on the finger pulp,and 2-PD was 7.5～8.5 mm.Conclusion Nerve transplantation with end-to-side nerve anastomosis were a new valuable method for the repair of bilateral chronic proper digital nerve injuries.
Background: Left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (DD) and vascular functions including peripheral endothelial function play an important role in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF) with preserved LV ejection fraction (EF) (HFPEF). Hypertension is the most important risk factor in HFPEF and the increased workload caused by hypertension results in LV pathological hypertrophy and LVDD. However, the importance of endothelial function in hypertensive patients with LVDD or HFPEF remains yet undetermined. We investigated the association between peripheral endothelial function, LVDD, and HFPEF in hypertensive patients. Methods and Results: We evaluated cardiac function by echocardiography measuring the ratio of early transmitral flow velocity to tissue Doppler early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E/e’) and LVEF. We also noninvasively assessed peripheral endothelial function by reactive hyperemia-peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) as the RH-PAT index(RHI) in 405 hypertensive patients with preserv...
In summary, a scaling analysis of a water-cooled Reactor Cavity Cooling System (RCCS) system was performed based on generic information on the RCCS design of PBMR. The analysis demonstrates that the water-cooled RCCS can be simulated at the ANL NSTF facility at a prototypic scale in the lateral direction and about half scale in the vertical direction. Because, by necessity, the scaling is based on a number of approximations, and because no analytical information is available on the performance of a reference water-cooled RCCS, the scaling analysis presented here needs to be 'validated' by analysis of the steady state and transient performance of a reference water-cooled RCCS design. The analysis of the RCCS performance by CFD and system codes presents a number of challenges including: strong 3-D effects in the cavity and the RCCS tubes; simulation of turbulence in flows characterized by natural circulation, high Rayleigh numbers and low Reynolds numbers; validity of heat transfer correlations for system codes for heat transfer in the cavity and the annulus of the RCCS tubes; the potential of nucleate boiling in the tubes; water flashing in the upper section of the RCCS return line (during limiting transient); and two-phase flow phenomena in the water tanks. The limited simulation of heat transfer in cavities presented in Section 4.0, strongly underscores the need of experimental work to validate CFD codes, and heat transfer correlations for system codes, and to support the analysis and design of the RCCS. Based on the conclusions of the scaling analysis, a schematic that illustrates key attributes of the experiment system is shown in Fig. 4. This system contains the same physical elements as the PBMR RCCS, plus additional equipment to facilitate data gathering to support code validation. In particular, the prototype consists of a series of oval standpipes surrounding the reactor vessel to provide cooling of the reactor cavity during both normal and off-normal operating conditions. The standpipes are headered (in groups of four in the prototype) to water supply (header) tanks that are situated well above the reactor vessel to facilitate natural convection cooling during a loss of forced flow event. During normal operations, the water is pumped from a heat sink located outside the containment to the headered inlets to the standpipes. The water is then delivered to each standpipe through a centrally located downcomer that passes the coolant to the bottom of each pipe. The water then turns 180{sup o} and rises up through the annular gap while extracting heat from the reactor cavity due to a combination of natural convection and radiation across the gap between the reactor vessel and standpipes. The water exits the standpipes at the top where it is headered (again in groups of four) into a return line that passes the coolant to the top of the header tank. Coolant is drawn from each tank through a fitting located near the top of the tank where it flows to the heat rejection system located outside the containment. This completes the flow circuit for normal operations. During off-normal conditions, forced convection water cooling in the RCCS is presumed to be lost, as well as the ultimate heat sink outside the containment. In this case, water is passively drawn from an open line located at the bottom of the header tank. This line is orificed so that flow bypass during normal operations is small, yet the line is large enough to provide adequate flow during passive operations to remove decay heat while maintaining acceptable fuel temperatures. In the passive operating mode, water flows by natural convection from the bottom of the supply tank to the standpipes, and returns through the normal pathway to the top of the tanks. After the water reaches saturation and boiling commences, steam will pass through the top of the tanks and be vented to atmosphere. In the experiment system shown in Fig. 4, a steam condensation and collection system is included to quantify the boiling rate, thereby providing additional validation data. This system does not exist in the prototype. The first part of the report presents the non-dimensional conservation equations describing the response of the water-based RCCS during steady-state and transient operations. These equations are used to develop similarity relationships that define a scaling of the NSTF that minimizes distortions between scaled experiments and prototype operation. Then, some limited simulations of heat transfer in cavities are presented that strongly underscore the need of experimental work to validate CFD codes, and heat transfer correlations for system codes, and to support the analysis and design of the RCCS. Finally, a summary is provided of the NSTF modifications needed to conduct scaled simulations of the RCCS.
Objective:To observe the effects of to integrate acusector concussion with suggestible dialogue treat 530 patient with hysteria spasm. Method: Acusector concussion point renzhong and baihui with little and strong current, at one time give suggestible dialogue. Rusults: Of 530 patient with hysteriaspasm, cure 500, account for 94. 34 % , in effect 25, accoun for 4.71 % ,be of no effect 5,account for 0.94% . Conclusion: The effects of to integrate acusector concussion with suggestible dialogue treat kinds of patient with hvsteria spasm is content.
In order to do analysis of the practical value of the speedy short flow imbeded spinning process,comprehensive analysis is done to the work-how,performance,advantages and disadvantages,production cost,test data as well as the condition for the spinning process.Production with the spinning method in Xinjiang Yida Tex-corporation for yarn 1.77 tex shows that the spinning process pierces into the bottle-neck the yarn count limit,gaining production with count from 1.46,1.17 to 0.97tex,yet,there are some problems with the running speedy short flow imbedded spinning process regarding flow,function of cotton yarn,cost,final use,without any promotion to the quality stability and production upgrading and reduction of cost.More,the production rate is very low and the fabric is poor in use,without any practical use,waiting for further improvement.
The calculation process of traditional BP neural network models employed in dam safety monitoring is complicated,and the calculations easily fall into local extreme points,due to use of the steepest descent algorithm in the calculation of BP neural network weights.In order to overcome these shortcomings and to optimize the weights of neural networks for dam safety monitoring,the cooperative particle swarm optimization algorithm is proposed.Then the calculation of neural networks weights is transformed into the cooperative optimization of particle swarms.The results of an engineering instance show that,with a simple calculation process,fast convergence and high precision,the neural network model based on the cooperative particle swarm optimization algorithm provides a new and effective method for dam safety monitoring.
The invention relates to heating one or more streams from a refinery process selected from the group of crude tower inlet, vacuum tower inlet, catalytic reformer inlet, coker inlet, thermal cracker inlet and hydrocracker inlet. With respect to the method, the method comprises heat from one or more streams from a petrochemical process selected from the group of steam cracker charge gases such as propane dehydrogenation charge gas and butane dehydrogenation charge gas, Obtaining one or more heated streams by transferring to the one or more streams from the oil refinery process in a heat exchanger, and before performing the heat exchange step, from the petrochemical process The temperature of the one or more streams is higher than the temperature of the one or more streams from the refinery process. [Selection] Figure 1
Introduction: The birth of a preterm infant can be an overwhelming experience of guilt, fear and helplessness for parents. According to remarkable effect of nursing interventions on parents and infants in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), which has been pointed out in different studies, this study has been done to determine the effects of nursing interventions on improving mothers’ ability in taking care of the preterm infants. Methods: This study was based on a systematic review, and it has been done in targeted form, by focusing on the study questions.  The articles were studied from 2003 to 2013, by using four key words: Nursing interventions, mothers’ empowerment, preterm infants and NICU in Science Direct, Medline, PubMed, SID, Irandoc, and Iran medex databases. Relevant articles were selected after several steps of evaluation and full text of these articles were analyzed. Results: In this study, among 35280 articles, we finally selected nine. Results of four major themes including; increase of parent-infant attachment and engagement, increase of parents’ confidence in taking care of preterm infants, decrease of psychological problems (depression, fear, anxiety, anger, etc.) and increase of preterm infants’ breastfeeding skills were extracted. Conclusion: This study showed that, nursing interventions are effective in both parents and preterm infants for parents’ empowerment and partnership in taking care of preterm infant. Therefore, it is recommended to start education and care programs for parents who have had a preterm infant throughout the admission phase of the infant, discharge and after that in the houses and educational-treatment centers. Keywords: Mothers’ empowerment ، preterm infant, Nursing interventions, NICU
This paper will argue that female mystics, namely, Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Teresa of Avila, were philosophers. Like most women of the medieval era, they had little education and almost no opportunity to rise above the private sphere. Despite these limitations during their lifetimes their achievements were vast and, in our own times, have been recognised as the first female Doctors of the Church. Through their mystical union with God, they demonstrated in both word and deed that Christian mysticism is not solely faith based but that it also needs and uses reason, albeit as an experience derived from and sustained in faith. However, Aristotle’s arguments infer that woman lacks the capacity to reason in the way that man can, which, if true, means that women cannot do philosophy. Theological arguments about the first Eve, as expounded by Thomas Aquinas and Augustine of Hippo, maintain this Aristotelian claim. Nonetheless, Catherine and Teresa found a channel to rise above these derogatory views: their mystical writings and life’s works are in themselves proof positive of the philosophical ability of woman. This article is available in Solidarity: The Journal of Catholic Social Thought and Secular Ethics: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/solidarity/vol4/iss1/5
As a new form of e-commerce in the major cities,OTO has created great influence on retail. This paper combs the theories of OTO research at home and abroad: In foreign countries,the study of e-commerce system is more in-depth to the market,more systematic,and more widely,and technology applications are more sophisticated and market-oriented; Domestic research on e-commerce is more application-oriented,more in industry model innovation,and more in in-depth industry expansion,but data mining research and technological innovation is behind the actual application in technology. E-commerce is the inevitable path of retail,but existing problems such as lagging network technology and philosophy,decentralized market supply and demand,and lack of professionals still indicate a challenge for the development of OTO model in med-small cities in China.
Objective To investigate whether concentrations of plasma adiponectin constitute a significant lower extremity artery lesion risk factor in first visit senile patients with T2DM,with particular focus on the relation between plasma concentrations of adiponectin and the development of lower extremity artery disease. Methods Sixty-six first visit senile patients with T2DM were divided into two groups according to condition type: without any other components of metabolic syndrome(group A)(n=36),combination with metabolism syndrome (group B)(n= 30).The main parameters include adiponectin level and atherosclerotic plaque. Results Plasma concentrations of adiponectin in group B were significantly lower than those in group A and in the control group(P0.05). Additionally,lower extremity artery lesion is the most obvious in group B that looks like associated with plasma concentrations of adiponectin. Conclusions The findings suggest that measurement of plasma concentrations of adiponectin may be of use for assessing the risk of lower extremity artery disease and may be related to the development of lower extremity artery disease.
For many language teachers, the Internet has brought an endless supply of authentic, real world, up-to-date materials into their classrooms. Such incorporation of Internet materials into the language classrooms has improved learning and teaching in many ways and has empowered many students to become critical thinkers in learning. Internet materials that can be utilised in the language classrooms can be derived not only from various reliable websites but also from communication tools like emails, newsgroups and texts, and also audio and video conferencing. Digitised texts that are obtained via email attachments can also be a creative resource for language teachers. These texts that come in various modes cost practically nothing and most of them can be modified and adapted to suit different levels and types of students. This paper considers the following: authentic features of digitised texts transmitted via email attachments; the rationale for using these authentic materials in a language classroom; pedagogical considerations to be addressed before the utilisation of these texts; and a language teacher’s experience in incorporating digitised authentic texts in her language classroom.
The utility model relates to a warm-moxibustion bar which comprises a warm-moxibustion head assembly, a connection assembly and a windrow clamp assembly, wherein the warm-moxibustion head assembly comprises an outer rotation head, an inner rotation head, a first magnetic-therapy ring, a spring piece ring and a second magnetic-therapy ring; the outer rotation head is sleeved on the inner rotation head, the first magnetic-therapy ring and the spring piece ring are sequentially arranged at the upper part of the inner side of the outer rotation head, a spring piece arranged on the spring piece ring is nested in a closed resetting hole arranged at the upper part of the inner rotation head, and the second magnetic-therapy ring is arranged at the lower part of the inner side of the inner rotation head; and by the relative rotation of the inner rotation head and the outer rotation head, a vent hole arranged on the inner rotation head can be opened or closed.
A very simple and sensitive procedure for the determination of the activity of highly purified endo-1,4-beta-glucanase from the microscopic fungus Trichoderma reesei using 4-methylumbelliferyl-beta-D-cellobioside has been developed. The HPLC study has shown that this substrate is cleaved by endo-1,4-beta-glucanase to form predominantly free 4-methylumbelliferone, Km and kcat being 1.25 mM and 7.9 s-1, respectively (30 degrees C, pH 5.0). The possibility of continuous photometric determination of the enzyme using the difference absorptivity coefficient of 1600 M-1 cm-1 at 350 nm has been demonstrated.
The Turbo equalization with MMSE soft-cancellation can eliminate co-channel interference(CCI) and multiuser interference, which is an important technique for frequency selective fading channel and need obtain filter coefficients by minimum-mean-squared-error (MMSE) for multi-antenna transmit systems, but there are different coefficients with different constraints with space and time variable. The performances of system with different constraints are compared in this paper by simulation. It is pointed out that constraint for transmit antennas mainly functions on system performance.
SUMMARY : SELENATE AND SELENITE ON YIELD, MINERAL NUTRITIONAND BIOFORTIFICATION WITH SELENIUM IN LETTUCECULTIVARS Selenium is an important antioxidant element associated with physiological processes inplants, microorganisms, animals, and humans. However, its mode of action and essentialityin plants are still disputed. In Brazil, information on Se in agricultural crops is extremelyscarce, though there are indications that low levels of Se are being consumed by the population.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of selenate and selenite on yield, mineralnutrition and biofortification with Se of lettuce cultivars. The experiment was arranged in acompletely randomized factorial design 5 x 3 x 2, with five lettuce cultivars (Maravilha deVerao, Rafaela, Great Lakes, Veneranda, and Vera), three Se concentrations (0, 10 and20 μ mol L -1 ) and two forms of Se (selenate and selenite), with four replicates. Results indicatethat selenate application is more appropriate for biofortification of lettuce cultivars, while theeffect of selenite proved to be more toxic. The application of selenate results in increased S shootconcentrations, while selenite reduced P concentrations, and both Se forms decreasedmicronutrient concentrations. No genotypic variation among lettuce cultivars was observedfor Se concentration, and little variation was observed for shoot dry matter yield and S, Mg,Mn, and Fe levels.Index terms:
In this article, the various models and concepts of educational environments are considered, the place of the concept "educational environment" of pedagogics becomes clear, mobility in the contextual characteristic of the educational environment through the comparative analysis with models of educational environments which are widely used in the pedagogical theory and practice is investigated. One of problems of modernization of the Russian educational system is creation of the educational environment in the highest professional educational institution which would promote formation a personal way of development of future teacher that promotes mastering of the technologies and methods of professional training by the modern graduates of pedagogical higher education institutions. Professional mobility which consists in readiness for search and use of new information, both in social life and the professional environment, in the sense of responsibility for the personal activities and the inner freedom in work is one of the most important competences of prospective teacher. We provide own definition of "the mobile educational environment" and show the conditions of successful implementation of information educational technologies in pedagogical layout of the educational environment in higher education institution.
Combining industrial practice,the effect of refining slag basicity on inclusions in Si-killed 304 austenitic stainless steel during LF refining and continuous casting process was researched with quantitative metallography and SEM+EDS statistical analytical methods.The results show that the spherical CaO-Al2O3-SiO2 compound inclusion is mainly formed in molten steel,and properly higher basicity is beneficial to smaller inclusions formation.With refining slag basicity increasing,the CaO content in compound inclusion increases gradually together with SiO2 content reducing,and the variation of Al2O3 content is slight.In industrial process,the containing Al in FeSi alloy is a mainly factor for Al2O3 inclusion formation.When the refining slag basicity is controlled at 1.0 and 1.5 respectively,the Al2O3 content is about 25% in casting billet,and the deformability of inclusion is feeblish accordingly.
The following article wants to introduce the COMPOSITE project (COmparative POlice Studies In The EU). It is intended to give an overview of the project structure, partners and its aims as well as to present general results. The COMPOSITE project intends to examine large scale change processes in police forces all across Europe and aims to find out what factors contribute to success or failure of these change processes. It explores such processes in ten European countries with 15 partners over the course of 4 years and will not only generate research results but also implement trainings and diagnostic tools for practical use.
Vaginal candidiasis is frequently encountered disease. The question about quick and exact diagnosis is still a problem for the practice. The method, proposed by us, is the first attempt for diagnosis by the method of co-agglutination. Staphylococci, sensibilized by hyperimmune anti-candidiasis serum, are used. The preparation, proposed by us, is in no way inferior to the well known latex-agglutination tests for vaginal candidiasis.
Both the deterministic and stochastic analyses of three-dimensional pile-supported offshore platforms subjected to earthquake and sea waves are presented in this paper. The entire offshore platform with pile foundation is mathematically modelled by two separated subsystems; one is the main-structure subsystem, and the other is the foundation subsystem. Pile-soil, foundation-structure, and fluid-structure interactions will be included in analysis. The main-structure subsystem can be idealized as a toree-dimensional space frame with the lumped parameter system. The pile-foundation subsystem will be replaced by foundation springs and dashpots supporting the main structure in order to simplify this problem. The dynamic properties of such foundation mechanism are generally frequency dependent and can be determined by using impedance-function technique. As a result the dynamic characteristics of the offshore platform are frequency dependent. The coupling and nonlinear effects of damping term will also be taken into account. It can be shown that the stochastic analysis will become much more simple and efficient when the concept of generalized complex damping is applied. A 455 foot high offshore platform designed by Brown and Root Inc. is used as an example for the response calculation. The influence of some important parameters on response is also studied and discussed in this paper.
The guaranteed cost robust control(GCC) problem is studied regarding a class of nonlinear systems with time-delay and uncertainty.Based on the LMI and Lyapunov stability theory,the existing conditions of the guaranteed cost controllers are given,which make the closed-loop systems stable for all admissible uncertainties,guaranteeing the cost bounded in a limitation.At last,some examples are presented to illustrate the validity of this approach.
Over the past 10 years many organizations have undertaken {open_quotes}process reengineering{close_quotes} activities in an attempt to increase their productivity and quality. Unfortunately, the launching point for these reengineering efforts has been based upon the belief that organizational processes either do not exist or they are grossly inefficient. It is the position of the authors that these beliefs are typically unfounded. All ongoing organizations have processes. These processes are effective, based upon the fact they are producing products (or services) that are being purchased. Therefore, the issue is not to invent or reengineer new processes, rather it is to increase the efficiency of the existing ones. This paper outlines a process (or organizational journey) for continually improving process based upon quantitative management techniques and statistical process control methods.
Principles of optics solid state concepts radiometry, photometry, optical device parameters, and specifications light detection devices introduction to the laser laser theory laser beam properties types of lasers using low-power lasers for alignment, gauging and inspection introduction to interferometry holographic and speckle interferometry interaction of high-power laser beams with materials high power laser systems and applications.
The authors studied the ultrastructure of the brain tissue in "symptom negative" clawed jirds (M. unguiculatus) in the presence of permanent and transient circulatory ischemia caused by ligation of the right common carotid artery and by a 3-minute occlusion of the left common carotid artery which was unattended by any clinical manifestations signifying cerebral ischemia. The formation of oedema and dystrophic changes in the right hemisphere differed from that in the left one. Permanent ischemia was associated with the typical picture of hypoxic damage to the neural tissue with the development of cytotoxic oedema. Transient ischemia was predominantly characterized by an impairment of the blood-brain barrier with the development of marked vasogenic oedema. The study made it possible to closely follow the differences in the formation of an early stage of brain damage in permanent and transient ischemia and to establish the possibility of the damaging effect of blood recirculation in the hemisphere previously affected with ischemia.
ABSTRACT We investigated the duration of formation of the giant Ok Tedi porphyry copper-golddeposit in Papua New Guinea using zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating. The intrusions thathost the Cu-Au mineralisation have a maximum age of 1.43 ± 0.22 Ma. Sincepreviously published K-Ar dates on the same intrusion constrain the last thermal eventat 1.11 ± 0.05 Ma, we conclude that the magmatic-hydrothermal event that producedthe deposit lasted ~0.45 megayears (Myr). A comparison of Ok Tedi’s calculatedvolatile fluxes with those from arc volcanoes and active mineralising hydrothermalsystems suggests that the efficiency of metal deposition is a key factor in determiningthe duration of deposit formation. INTRODUCTION Recently published fluid compositional data from deep geothermal systems below the Ladolam Audeposit in Lihir, Papua New Guinea, suggest thatgiant magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits can formwithin a time span of less than 100 kiloyears (kyr) (Simmons and Brown, 2006). However,crystallisation of typical porphyry copper deposits such as Cadia (New South Wales) and Bajo de laAlumbrera (Argentina) suggest that magmatic activity commonly exceeds time spans of severalmillionyears (Harris
Background Several non-drug treatment approaches for systemic arterial hypertension have been studied aimed at reducing the adverse effects of this clinical condition. In addition to exercise training, which already has many of its modalities consolidated in the scientific field, body and mind practices have gained strength and deserve attention in the science and treatment of hypertension. The literature shows that meditation practices have numerous health benefits, one of which is blood pressure (BP) control.   Objective This study aimed to evaluate the acute effects of a single mindfulness-based meditation on BP in adults with hypertension.   Methods Research was developed that evaluated the BP of 5 adult women with controlled hypertension. As a data collection instrument, we used 2 sessions of ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM): the first was a control session and the second a meditation session. Systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean blood pressure (MBP) were evaluated at the pre- and post-session in addition to heart rate (HR), with clinical and ambulatorial measurements, during the day, night, morning surge and a 24-hour period. Data analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the ABPM data and two-way ANOVA to analyze blood pressure.   Results The main results found were a statistically significant reduction in SBP in the morning and a tendency toward a significant decrease in MBP during the same period (P = .057). There were no significant changes in the other variables analyzed.   Conclusion Therefore, we concluded that a single meditation session was effective only in reducing morning SBP.
The invention relates to a self-defined statistical report form generating system, in particular to a self-defined statistical report form generating system based on an EXCEL form and relates to the technical field of communication. The self-defined statistical report form generating system based on the EXCEL form is characterized in that a local EXCEL form can be uploaded, and an introducing module for a cell operation method, a matching module, a verification module and a generation module are automatically recognized. The matching module completes binding of an introduced form and a data field in a business database. The verification module completes verification of legitimacy of binding the introduced form and the data field in the business database. The generation module completes self-defined statistical report form generation and automatic conversion of the recognized operation method into a statistical method applied in a business system. A traditional self-defined report form generation mode relying on setting redundant fields in a database and presetting a redundant statistical calculation formula in program design is broken through, and requirements of people for self-defined statistical report forms in the business system are better met.
In this study, a questionnaire survey is performed to make clear consciousness and behaviour in seashore recreation activities in the Osaka Bay Area. As a result, first, visitors request that water quality, scenic beauty and service facilities should be improved in the Osaka Bay waterfront. And, most of them show willingness to share monetary requirements for water quality improvement in the future within range of 500-600 yen per visit to the Osaka Bay waterfront. Secondly, shorter distance from the residence and easy accessibility have an effect on visiting, but influence of water quality is insignificant. And, less expenditure, upgraded water quality and improved service facilities are dominant factors in deciding whether to visit or not. Thirdly, level-up in satisfaction with water quality and easy accessibility induce more visit to natural setting type places. As for fishing park type places, on-site time and age act greatly upon visit frequency. But, in the case of facility/service type places, water quality has no relation to visit frequency. Lastly, as the access distance between the residence zone and seashore recreation places becomes longer, travel cost and visit rate show an increasing and a decreasing tendency respectively.
We propose a method to remove moving objects from an in-vehicle camera image sequence by fusing multiple image sequences. Driver assistance systems and services such as Google Street View require images containing no moving object. The proposed scheme consists of three parts: (i) collection of many image sequences along the same route by using vehicles equipped with an omni-directional camera, (ii) temporal and spatial registration of image sequences, and (iii) mosaicing partial images containing no moving object. Experimental results show that 97.3% of the moving object area could be removed by the proposed method.
This report was prepared at the request of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees to assist its members deal with corporate governance issues relevant to the shareholding investment of trustees of Australian superannuation funds. The report: (a) outlines the meaning and importance of corporate governance; (b) discusses the role of superannuation trustees in corporate governance (this section includes a range of options as to how trustees can participate in corporate governance); and (c) provides an overview of some key corporate governance issues which superannuation trustees should address when formulating new corporate governance policy or revising an existing policy.
The application of autologous and frozen red blood cell (RBC) programs is described for 3 pregnant women with antibodies to high-incidence blood group antigens (anti- Lutheranb, anli-Cellano, anti-Vel). The cases illustrate how readily available supplies or rare blood types can be maintained throughout pregnancy using autologous and frozen RBC techniques, including selective predeposit, “family-sharing,” and intensive phlebotomy with fluid replacement. The RBC phenotypes described in this paper are exceedingly rare since they occur in only 0.1— 0.001% of random donors. However, the principles of autologous blood transfusions are universal and they can be applied to the general problems of blood group incompatibility in pregnancy.
The polysaccharides from Taro have been extracted with water.The technological parameter of the extraction was determined by L9(33) orthogonal design.The results showed that the optimum extraction process was as follows: extraction time 8 h,extraction temperature 70 ℃ and the ratio of liquid to solid is 1∶8.Under this condition,the rate of extraction for the polysaccharides from Taro was 4.73% average.
Local allergic rhinitis is a newly described type of rhinitis involving nasal production of specific immunoglobulin (slg) E antibodies in the absence of atopy. It can affect patients previously diagnosed with non-allergic rhinitis. Evidence for this entity is supported by clinical symptoms, local production of slgE, a type 2 helperT cell inflammatory pattern in nasal secretions during natural exposure to aeroallergens, and a positive response to nasal allergen provocation with local nasal production of slgE to aeroallergens, tryptase, and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). Based on these new findings, an advanced diagnostic approach is proposed in patients with symptoms suggestive of allergic rhinitis but negative results in skin prick test and serum slgE determination. Detection of local slgE in nasal secretions during natural exposure to aeorallergens and a positive nasal allergen provocation test with local production of tryptase, ECP, and slgE are useful for detecting patients with local allergic rhinitis.
The utility model discloses an anti-venous thrombus type multifunctional lower limb motion massage air sac. Two ends of a big air sac and a small air sac are respectively provided with a velcro, a communication pipe is arranged between the big air sac and the small air sac, an intake pipe is arranged on the big air sac, an inflation ball is arranged on the intake pipe, and a one-way intake valve and an air vent valve are arranged on the intake pipe. When the anti-venous thrombus type multifunctional lower limb motion massage air sac is used, the big air sac is wound on the thigh, the small air sac is wound on the shank, and the big and the small air sacs are timely inflated and deflated through the inflation ball on the intake pipe, so the lower limb intermittent pressing is realized. The lower limb venous blood backflow can be facilitated, the lower limb deep venous trombosis is prevented, the massage and stimulation functions can be played to lower limb soft tissues and nerves, the joints of the hip, knees and ankles are enabled to be mobilized, therefore, the limb function recovery of a patient is facilitated, the joint contracture is reduced, and the lower limb soft tissue edema is relieved.
Laboratory Animal Welfare provides a comprehensive, up-to-date look into the new science of animal welfare within laboratory research. Animals specifically considered include rodents, cats and dogs, nonhuman primates, agricultural animals, avian animals and aquatic animals. The book examines the impact of experiment design and environment on animal welfare, as well as emergency situations and euthanasia practices. Readers will benefit from a review of regulations and policy guidelines concerning lab animal use, as well as information on assessing animal welfare. With discussions of the history and ethics of animals in research, and a debate on contemporary and international issues, this book is a go-to resource for laboratory animal welfare.
Disclosed is a special transportation device for aero-generator vane, which comprises a telescopic device, a guiding device, a fixing device and an operation platform, and is characterized in that the telescopic device is fixed on a semi-trailer through the fixing device and is composed of a front frame and a back frame, the front frame is nested into the back frame; the guiding device is connected with the semi-trailer and the operation platform is arranged on the back end of the back frame. The utility model provides a vane special transportation device which is more convenient and avoids special hoisting machines, and solves the problems in use process of domestic similar transportation devices; the special transportation device for aero-generator is adopted to greatly reduce labor intensity for workers, save hoist cost and improve work efficiency.
Updated for ArcGIS 9.1 and 9.2 compatibility, "Getting to Know ArcObjects" is an indispensable guide for learning to program ArcObjects within the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) development environment. ArcObjects components are the building blocks of ArcGIS software, and knowing how to program ArcObjects gives users the power to customize the ArcGIS user interface, write software tools and functions, and create specialty applications. This workbook supports programmers of all skill levels, from novices to those already familiar with Unified Modeling Language (UML) and Component Object Model (COM). The accompanying CD includes spatial data for completing the exercises, the complete set of ArcObjects object model diagrams, and exercise codes and results. ArcGIS 9.1 or 9.2 is required to complete exercises in this workbook.
Those in organisations tend to adopt new technologies as a way to improve their functions, reduce cost and attain best practices. Thus, technology promoters (or vendors) work along those lines in order to convince adopters to invest in those technologies and develop their own organisations profit in return. The possible resultant ‘conflicts of interest’ makes the study of reasons behind IT diffusion and adoption an interesting subject. In this paper we look at IT diffusion and adoption in terms of technology (system features), organisational aspects (firm level characteristics) and inter-organisational aspects (market dynamics) in order to see who might be the real beneficiaries of technology adoption. We use ERP packages as an example of an innovation that has been widely diffused and adopted for the last 10 years. We believe that our findings can be useful to those adopting ERP packages as it gives them a wider view of the situation.
The aim of the present study was to develop an indirect method of estimating maximal oxygen uptake in oarsmen and oarswomen on the rowing ergometer based on both the submaximal exercises and the commonly used in this sport maximal exercise-type test that simulates rowing the distance of 2000 m. Forty-four oarsmen and 27 oarswomen from both the national team and the direct back-up were enrolled in the investigations. Two exercise tests on the Concept II rowing ergometer were employed: the submaximal test with incremental power output (anaerobic threshold test) and the maximal test, simulating rowing the distance of 2000 m in the shortest possible time (2-km test). During both tests, oxygen uptake and heart rate were recorded and the highest values of these parameters registered during the 2-km test were regarded as the VO2max and HRmax indices, respectively. The linear relation of the oxygen uptake to the power output (W) on the ergometer was detected in both the male (VO2=1.1328+0.0113W) and female (VO2=0.6652+0.0128W) athletes. Comparison of the regression lines demonstrated statistically significant differences between the oarsmen and oarswomen with respect to the intercept and the slope of the lines. Mean values of the directly measured VO2max equaled to 5.480.59 and 3.680.31 l·min -1 in the groups of oarsmen and oarswomen, respectively. The most accurate predicted values of VO2max were obtained based on the linear regression of VO2max against the mean power output (WM) in the 2km test using the following formulas: VO2max (l·min -1 ) in the males = 1.682+0.0097 WM; VO2max (l·min -1 ) in the females = 1.631+0.0088 WM. In the males, the difference between the measured and predicted VO2max (%), correlation coefficient (r), standard estimation error (SEE), and total error (TE%) equaled to 0.124.96 (NS), 0.889 (P<0.001), 0.274, and 4.9, respectively. In the females, these values equaled to 0.435.02 (NS), 0.801 (P<0.001), 0.19 and 4.95, respectively. Based on the submaximal exercises, the relatively accurate predicted values of VO2max were obtained from the linear regression of VO2max against PWC170 using the following formulas: VO2max (l·min -1 ) in the males = 3.2131+0.0076 (PWC170); VO2max (l·min -1 ) in the females = 2.4138+0.0071 (PWC170). In the males, the accuracy of prediction of VO2max was defined by the Reprint request to: Dr Andrzej Klusiewicz, Dept. of Physiology, Institute of Sport, Trylogii 2/16, 01-982 Warsaw, Poland; E-mail: andrzej.klusiewicz@insp.waw.pl
For the last quarter-century, America has been saturated with apocalyptic themes. Indeed, not since the 1 830s and '40s have so many visions of the end been disseminated to so wide an audience.1 Current apocalyptic scenarios range from secular forecasts of nuclear war and environmental collapse, articulated by Robert Heilbroner and others, to the Biblically-based premillennialism of Hal Lindsey and Jerry Falwell.2 While the former have spread widely among secular intellectuals, and the latter among a large fundamentalist audience, they do not exhaust America's preoccupation with the end of history. There are other future visions, neither so respectable nor so widely held, at the fringes of American religious and political discourse. While these outer reaches of the American mind are filled with many complex growths, my concern here is with one form the fringe apocalypse has taken, as part of the ideology of the racist right. These are the groups customarily referred to in the media as "white supremacist" and "neo-Nazi." While they are uniformly committed to doctrines of racial superiority and are often open admirers of the Third Reich, to categorize them merely as "white supremacist" or "neo-Nazi" is simplistic, for these organizations bear little resemblance to earlier American fringe-right manifestations.3 The groups most representative of the new tendencies include Aryan Nations in Hayden Lake, Idaho; the now-defunct Covenant, Sword and Arm of the Lord, whose fortified community was located near Pontiac, Missouri, until 1985; and most elements of the Ku Klux Klan and Posse Comitatus. Their distinctiveness lies in their novel religious character.
To extract anthocyanins from wild Prunus cerasifera fruit peel and to identify the main compositions. The effects of extraction solvent, solid-to-liquid ratio, extraction time and extraction temperature on the extraction rate of anthocyanins were determined using colorimetric method, differential spectrophotometry and L9 (34) orthogonal experiment. The structure of the anthocyanins extracted from wild Prunus cerasifera fruit peel was preliminarily identified by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. And hydroxyl radical scavenging rate and DPPH radical scavenging rate were used to investigate the antioxidant activity of Xinjiang cherry anthocyanin in vitro. The highest extraction rate of anthocyanins was acquired under the conditions including 1% HCl-methanol, solid-to-liquid ratio =1:5, extraction temperature 55°C and extraction time 80 minutes. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry results showed that the main compositions of anthocyanins were cyanidin 3-galactoside, cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside and cyanidin 3-xyloside. The results of antioxidant test showed that Xinjiang cherry anthocyanin had certain scavenging effect on 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylphenylhydrazine (DPPH•) and hydroxyl radical (•OH), but was weaker than Vc. Findings from this study provide evidence for extraction process and composition identification of anthocyanins from Xinjiang wild Prunus cerasifera fruit peel.
Both trading volume and stock return are informative.Just as any other emerging market,trading volume in China's stock market tends to be different from that in complete market.At first,this article shows the mutual effect between trading volume and stock return.Then,some theories on trading volume are analyzed,such as liquidity hypothesis,information diffusion and asymmetry,behavior finance(heterogeneity,overconfidence bias,and speculation),and so on.Finally,the effects on trading volume coming from periodic close,transaction cost,and short prohibition are discussed.
Based on the complete patent database of SIPO( State Intellectual Property Office of P. R. C)- s system,and using the analysis tools of patent-map theory( PM),main inventors,country distribution and important applicants of compressed wood technology in China were analyzed issued years. The results indicated that compressed wood technology was the key technique of improving the mass of wood. The patent applications have been increasing fast in recent years,and in stationary phase. The technical patent were concentrated mainly in China and Japan,and almost of technical patents were applied by themselves in China. Compressed wood technology should focus on cooperative development in the future. The companies should strengthen their cooperation with universities and research institution to facilitate innovation.
The utility model discloses a pivoted wire clip of a railway cargo flat car jaconet rope bundling, which is characterized by comprising a chuck head of plastic material and a chuck bar which is connected with the chuck head. The outer surface of the chuck bar has a chuck tooth towards the direction of the chuck head. A flute is arranged on the chuck head for piercing the chuck bar and the aperture of the outlet end of the flute is a little smaller than the chuck tooth. Compared with the prior technology, the utility model has the advantages of simple structure, novel concept, convenient use, has startability, prevents the rope loosing naturally and jeopardizes the driving safety. When the jaconet is needed to be disassembled, the rope chuck is needed to act consequently only and the flute is broken to draw the chuck bar from the flute. The rope is loosened, which can be applied once and can't be used reciprocally.
Part 1 Foreword Part 2 Preface Chapter 3 1. Introduction: What Has GATS Got to Do with Libraries? Chapter 4 2. The Scope of GATS Coverage Chapter 5 3. The GATS Disciplines: Classification and Commitment of Services Chapter 6 4. Do Public Libraries Operate on a Commercial Basis and Compete with Other Service Suppliers? Chapter 7 5. The Perils of Privatization: Commericialization and Privatization of Public Libraries and Library Services Chapter 8 6. Avoiding the Negative Impacts of Trade in Services Chapter 9 7. Advocacy for Public Libraries Chapter 10 8. International Trade Policy as Information Policy Part 11 Appendix A: Pertinent Sections of the GATS Agreement Part 12 Appendix B: Pertinent Sections of the WTO Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU) Part 13 Appendix C: The IFLA Position on the World Trade Organization (2001) Part 14 Appendix D: Canadian Library Association Letter to Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Part 15 GATS Glossary Part 16 Bibliography Part 17 Index Part 18 About the Authors
Eleanor discusses her education and her experience designing furniture in High Point, NC. She also discusses her experience showing her watercolors, and her involvement with several artists' organizations. She describes the evolution of the Asheville Art Museum, and its board and auxiliary. She discusses her work with heraldry and genealogy; she has researched and painted over a thousand family crests. She talks about other related projects, and discusses her sons. Charles discusses his education and his experience working for a wholesale lumber company. He discusses the 1920's real estate market and the depression. He shares his opinions about changes in the city, including the Interstate 240 open cut at Beaucatcher Mountain, and downtown development.
Common Indian sand boa Gongylophis conicus is a non-venomous species found in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (Khaire, 2006). Body color pattern consists of a broad zigzag band or a series of dark brown blotches on a yellowish or brownish gray ground color. Anterior dorsal scales of G. conicus are only feebly keeled, but these keels increase in size posteriorly to become so heavily keeled that it can make a squirming specimen really painful to handle. These morphological features make it look as the front and rear ends belong to markedly different animals.
Twenty-four Gannan yak were slaughtered according to Islamic way of slaughtering, then aged at 0~4 ℃ with wind speed of 0.5 m/s. The shear force, MFI, color, apoptotic rate and caspase-3 activity during postmortem aging were determined. The shear force value in triceps brachi(TB), musculus longissimus(ML) and semimembranosus(SM) after slaughtered of 1~5 d was significantly lower(p 0.05), and MFI significantly increased(p 0.01); L *, a *, b * values were significantly higher at the 3rd d of postmortem aging, a *, b * values decreased significantly at 5~7th d of postmortem aging(p 0.01); the cooking loss first increased and then decreased at 1~7th d of postmortem aging; the apoptosis rate in TB and SM had very significant increase in process(p 0.01), the positive nuclei number in TB and ML had difference during postmortem aging(p 0.01); it was detected caspase-3 activity in TB, ML and SM at 0.5 h postmortem, while it was reached the highest in ML at 12 h postmortem. Across correlation analysis, the yak skeletal muscle cell apoptosis and its degree of deepening were related to the changes of tenderness, meat color(L *, a *, b *) and water holding capacity, as well as the yak meat quality change.
PURPOSE: Methods for the preparation of £1S-£1a,2b,3b,4a(S*)| |-4-£7-££1-(3-chloro-2-thienyl)methyl|propyl|amino|-3H-imidazo£4,5-b|pyridin-3-yl|-N-et hyl-2,3-dihydroxycyclopentanecarboxamide, methods for the preparation of intermediates thereto, and the intermediates themselves, are provided. CONSTITUTION: A method for preparing £1S-£1a,2b,3b,Aa(S*)||-4-£7-££1-(3-chloro-2- thienyl)methyl|propyl|amino|-3H-imidazo£4,5-b|pyridin-3-yl|-N-ethyl-2,3-3-dihydroxycycl opentanecarboxamide represented by compound (I), comprises reacting £1S-£1a,2b,3b,4a(S*)||-4-££3-amino-4-£1£3-chloro-2-thienyl)methyl|propyl|amino|-2-pyddin yl|amino|-N-ethyl-2,3-dihydroxycyclopentanecarboxamide with an orthoformate ester, formamidine acetate, or dimethylformamide dimethyl acetal.
This paper develops a measure of “linguistic distance” between languages, which is used as a dummy variable in Gravity Model. By this model, the paper discusses the trade relationships of Canada and China with those countries which speak English as the fi rst language and as the second language. The results show that the proportion of the population that use English as second language will be more important factor than those use English as second language for the bilateral trade with Canada and China. Considering the specification error in this model, it can also reach the same results.
Microwave digestion-atomic absorption spectrometry was applied to determine total irons in ore. The ore can be completely digested with the mixture of HCl, HNO3 and HF acid at the microwave power of 800 W. A two-step digestion procedure was used. Final temperature was 150 ℃ and hold for ten minutes.Compared with traditional method and chemical digestion method, the results of ABS method were consistent with them. The relative standard deviation was less than 1.3%. The ABS method saves analysis cost and improves working efficiency, while reducing environmental pollution problems caused by waste liquid and other wastes generated during analysis processes.
At new democratism revolution period,the north of Shaanxi occupied an imposing position.The population flows multifarious,various thought and culture communicates continuously,valuing an educational good tradition,all these provided premise and condition for the Marxist dissemination.after the May 4th Movement,Marxism spreads everywhere toward the the north of Shaanxi quickly,a knowledge member which has Marxist thought gradually grow up,they established party and league organizations,opened revolution activity,provided a solid foundation to the CCP and the central Red Army in the future.
PURPOSE: To provide a manual device suitable to remove a metal cap from a plastic-made container, which serves as a drink water bottle used for feeding laboratory small animals such as mouse, marmot, and other animals. CONSTITUTION: This device is to remove a cap 11 from a bottle 12. This device is provided with a ring 3, which can be fitted to the cap 11 covered on the bottle 12, and is also provided with a means to hook the bottom end of the cap 11, and the means can raise the cap using a lever force applied to the handle.
The identity concept is polysemyc and paradoxical, contemplating several meanings. In Social Psychology, we consider the person as singular and plural at the same time, constituting himself intensively linked to the social environment, which is also built by the man. Here we try to contribute to analysis of this presupposed, studying the life trajectory of the main character in the song “Faroeste Caboclo”. The song is a cultural production, once it’s full of individual and general meanings. The work is a basic category of the human being, who develops projects and advances the future through his planning capacity. Based on this, we try to understand the human identity inserted in a context of uninterrupted production between men and society, emphasizing its features and the way it constitutes, through the movement of a character, who is imaginary, but contains features that are common to the community group. This way, the article is a theoretical trial to analyze the trajectory of the character under three theoretical categories: project, identity and work.
The paper is devoted to the description of methods of topometric preparation of 73 prostatic cancer patients for gamma-and proton-beam irradiation using an x-ray simulator and a CT tomograph. Basing on the measurement of the prostate in 3 directions in patients with different stages of disease (T1-2-24, T3-29 and T4-20), a conclusion was made that a prostate size was not enough to determine a stage of disease though a tendency to an increase in prostate size corresponded to the growing T index. However, stages T1-2 and T4 could be determined for sure within a certain range of prostate size values.
NOAA’s National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) provides comprehensive, near real-time, snow observations, snow analyses, data sets, and map products used operationally across the Nation. The NOHRSC routinely ingests all electronically available, real-time, ground-based, airborne, and satellite snow observations along with numerical weather prediction (NWP) model forcings for the coterminous U.S. NWP model forcings are physically downscaled from their native 13 km to 1 km and used to drive an energy-and-massbalance snow model run at 1 km spatial resolution and hourly time-steps for the country. The snow observations are assimilated into the snow model state variables daily using a Newtonian nudging technique. The updated model state variables are used to generate a variety of snow products that form NOAA’s NOHRSC National Snow Analyses (NSA). The NOHRSC NSA incorporate all information necessary and available to produce a “best estimate” of real-time snowpack properties for the country. The NOHRSC NSA consist of multiple daily, operational, products that characterize realtime snowpack properties including snow water equivalent, snow depth, surface and internal snowpack temperatures, surface and blowing snow sublimation, and snowmelt for the CONUS. Snow products are distributed in a variety of formats including interactive maps, time-series, alphanumeric products (e.g., mean areal snow water equivalent on a hydrologic basin-by-basin basis), text and map discussions, map animations, and quantitative gridded formats. The oral presentation will discuss operational snow modeling and include time-lap and 3-D visualization animations of snowpack properties (e.g., snow water equivalent and internal snowpack temperatures), interactive maps, and data sets available at www.nohrsc.noaa.gov. NOAA’s National Snow Analyses represents the state-of-the-art of merging the theory of energy-balance snow modeling into the practice of generating a broad suite of snow products used operationally by thousands of federal, state, local, private-sector, and general public end users across the Nation.
Abstract : An implicit finite difference procedure was developed for solving a general class of two dimensional transient non-linear ablation and heat conduction problems for rocket engine thrust chamber walls. Firing may be steady or can consist of multiple start or pulsing type modes. Different wall materials may be treated in a given problem including one charring ablative material. Temperature dependent properties may be specified for each material. Chemical reactions within the ablative material are handled in depth. Surface erosion due to chemical reactions or melting at the hot gas boundary is treated and the resulting surface recession is predicted. The numerical procedures were programmed in Fortran IV for automatic computation. Comparison of the results of sample computations with actual engine test firing data is included.
This paper will review and discuss the determination of the emissivity of common construction materials to aid the investigator during infrared inspections/surveys of building envelope systems. Specifically, this paper will discuss the results of product testing of constructed wall assemblies. The wall assemblies are constructed to mimic the common materials encountered in building envelope surveys. They include materials such as hardboard lap siding, stone veneers (faux and natural), stucco, exterior insulation and finish systems (EIFS), trim accessories, vinyl frames, painted flashings, self-adhering flexible flashing membranes, oriented strand board (OSB), ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM roofing material), wood framing, and concrete. In order to provide a better analysis and determination of results with thermography measurements it is important to understand the relationships of the products emissivity on multi-surface, multi-material constructed assemblies. As well, the thermographer should understand the effects of the angle of inclination utilized when conducting thermographic surveys. This paper will deal with the determination of the values of emissivity of such common materials and the effect of the angle of view used at the time of the thermographic imaging. Additionally, it will discuss the effects of visible light on the heating of objects and, therefore, its implications when performing emissivity calculations in the presence of visible light such as sunlight. Multiple full-scale mock-ups of building wall assemblies will be constructed and a determination of parameters will be made from these full-scale assemblies. The results will be tabularized and provided for this paper.
An important objective of research in counting complexity is to understand which counting problems are approximable. In this quest, the complexity class TotP, a hard subclass of #P, is of key importance, as it contains self-reducible counting problems with easy decision version, thus eligible to be approximable. Indeed, most problems known so far to admit an fpras fall into this class.  An open question raised recently by the community of descriptive complexity is to find a logical characterization of TotP and of robust subclasses of TotP. In this work we define two subclasses of TotP, in terms of descriptive complexity, both of which are robust in the sense that they have natural complete problems, which are defined in terms of satisfiability of Boolean formulae.  We then explore the relationship between the class of approximable counting problems and TotP.  We prove that TotP $ nsubseteq$ FPRAS if and only if NP $ neq$ RP and FPRAS $ nsubseteq$ TotP unless RP = P. To this end we introduce two ancillary classes that can both be seen as counting versions of RP. We further show that  FPRAS lies between one of these classes and a counting version of BPP.  Finally, we provide a complete picture of inclusions among all the classes defined or discussed in this paper with respect to different conjectures about the NP vs. RP vs. P questions.
The superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) rebar can significantly improve the seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. This study was motivated from a blind prediction contest of a full-scale 7-storey RC shear wall building at the University of California, San Diego. A finite element (FE) analysis was conducted to investigate the seismic performance of RC shear wall with the application of SMA rebar. The SMA rebar was applied at the plastic hinge location of the shear wall only and the steel rebar was used for all other sections. The seismic performance of shear wall was evaluated by performing incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) using 13 ground motions. The seismic demand was recorded in terms of inter-storey drift ratio until the full collapse of the building. The safety of the wall was measured in terms of collapse margin ratio (CMR) explicitly considering the uncertainty. The results show that the SMA rebar significantly improved the performance of the shear wall building and yielded higher CMR as compared to the conventional RC building.
A new convenient method to diagonalize the non-relativistic many-body Schroedinger equation with two-body central potentials is derived. It combines kinematic rotations (democracy transformations) and exact calculation of overlap integrals between bases with different sets of mass-scaled Jacobi coordinates, thereby allowing for a great simplification of this formidable problem. We validate our method by obtaining a perfect correspondence with the exactly solvable three-body ($N=3$) Calogero model in 1D.
The author used to be employed as one of two doctors at a community clinic on Minneapoliss south side. He now lives in New York City. His discussions with two female adolescent patients at the clinic are described. A 13-year-old girl presented to determine whether she was pregnant. The girl had been having unprotected sexual intercourse with a male friend and wanted to have a baby. When asked whether she was prepared to raise the child the young woman replied that her mother would help and that her cousin also was raising a child. The patient appeared disappointed when informed that she was not pregnant. The second case presented is of a 14-year-old female requesting birth control. The patient was not sexually active had no immediate prospect for becoming sexually active was terrified at the prospect of a pelvic exam and was at the clinic simply to comply with her mothers wishes.
Mandatory medical assignment bills have been presented to the legislatures of 16 states since 1985, when a bill passed in Massachusetts tied acceptance of assignment to medical licensure, In November 1987, an initiative appeared on the Washington State voter's ballot asking that it be considered a consumer protection violation for physicians to charge more than Medicare's "reasonable" fee. This was the first time that the issue was presented to the registered voters of any state. This article details the way in which the Washington State Medical Association combatted the initiative and turned around an electorate that was 68% in favor, in August, to a final ballot of 63.9% opposed.
Objective To study the curative effect of matching nasal feeding fluid infusion to Diabetic nonketonic hyperosmotic coma. Methods To 40 cases of patients with confirmed diagnosis of Diabetic nonketonic hyperosmotic coma, were adopt nasal feeding warm boiled water and vein imputing 0. 6% saline and insulin, or simple veinfluid infusion. Results In 22 cases of nasal feeding group, the plasma effetcive osmotic pressure of 20 cases falls blow 320 mmol/L and in 18 cases of conmtrast group, th plasma effectve osmotic pressure of 8 cases falls blow320 mmol/L(P0.025) .Conclusion Nasal feeding warm boiled water is effective method, which can depress fatality rate significantly.
In Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen's cathode-ray-tube experiments, the lighting up of a screen made from barium platinocyanide crystals due to fluorescence led to his discovery of X rays in 1895. Subsequent investigations by Rontgen and by Straubel and Winkelmann showed that the radiation that emanated from a fluorspar, or fluorite crystal CaF2 excited by X rays is more absorbing than the incident X rays. This so-called fluorspar radiation is X-ray fluorescence. Nowadays, it is known that X-ray fluorescence is one of the by-products of the interaction of electromagnetic (EM) waves with the atoms in matter in the X-ray regime (0.1–500 A).        X-ray fluorescence is a two-step process; X-ray absorption (the ejection of an inner electron) and X-ray emission (the recapture of an electron). Both involve the electron configuration of atoms in the irradiated material.        An X-ray fluorescent image is usually obtained by following these steps: The incident X-ray beam, after proper monochromatization and collimation, impinges on a sample of interest. An absorption spectrum is acquired by scanning the monochromator to identify the locations of the absorption edges of the element investigated. The incident beam is tuned to photon energies higher than the absorption edges so that the constituent elements of the sample are excited. Then, X-ray fluorescence emanates. The spatial distribution of the fluorescent intensity, the fluorescent image, is recorded on a two-dimensional detector or on a point detector using a proper scan scheme for the sample. The following items need to be considered for good quality images of high spatial and spectral resolution: (1) appropriate X-ray optics for shaping the incident beam and for analyzing the fluoresced X rays and (2) a suitable scanning scheme for the sample to cross the incident beam. In addition, image reconstruction of intensity data versus position is also important for direct mapping of the trace elements in a sample.      Keywords:    X-ray fluorescence;  technical aspects;  case studies;  biological tissues;  holographic images;  inverse x-ray fluorescent holographic imaging;  solids;  electric fields
In order to solve the substantial distributing and heterogeneous problems during the progress of community informationization,this article proposed a community information integrated service platform design model based on service oriented architecture(SOA).And the model was implemented with a service component architecture(SCA) and enterprise service bus(ESB) technology.The model integrated all kinds of unused resources and enabled software reuse farthest.At the same time,SOA was also a solution on integrating problems of community informationization in distributing and heterogeneous environment,which was a useful study to reduce the complexity of community information promotion.
Objective Explore peripheral blood and urine average volume red blood cells (MCV) difference in the diagnosis of urine positioning clinical significance. Methods The blood cells were measured in 100 cases of patients with urine analyzer of blood and urine MCV. Calculation of the difference between the two, Analyzing the difference of urine MCV with glomerular haematuria relevance. Results Glomerular haematuria with MCVU and poor, respectively, in all have significant differences, P0.05;the differences of MCV are highly correlated with renal hematuria , the R is 0.792 and 0.709, respectively, The correlation of the former is higher than the latter. Conclusion The differences of MCV has high sensitivity and specific degrees, It can be used as screening blood in the urine of good indicator for the source.
A method has been developed for the localization of gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) on polyacrylamide gels using L-gamma-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide as substrate. The optimum conditions for staining on polyacrylamide gels with this substrate were evaluated and compared with the staining method using N-gamma-L-glutamyl-alpha-naphthylamide as substrate. Using papain digested, purified gamma-GT from human fetal liver it was shown that the method could be used for quantitation of the enzyme on polyacrylamide gels. It was also shown that identical patterns of staining for serum gamma-GT could be obtained with L-gamma-glutamyl-p-nitroanilide and N-gamma-L-glutamyl-alpha-naphthylamide as substrate.
The widely used Huder-Amberg model for describing 1-D swelling constitutive relationship of rock is proved to be unsatisfied in some aspects.Based on the swelling test a revised 1-D swelling constitutive model is proposed.The law of swelling strain changing with time after the rock infiltrated with water is experimentally studied.With the time introduced into the swelling constitutive relationship,the 1-D transient swelling relation of swelling rock is developed and the 3-D constitutive relationship model is established based on the assumption that the swelling strain is caused by the first invariant function of stress tensor and the axial stress of Huder-Amberg uniaxial dilatancy test is agree with A·H·Jinike equation.
This study investigates the presence and concentration of light hydrocarbon gases in soil vapor located immediately above the capillary fringe of a petroleum-contaminated aquifer. A correlation was observed for the linear regression plot of redox potential versus detectable C2+C3 alkane concentrations for a limited number of sampling points. C2+C3 alkanes were not detected at points were redox potentials in groundwater exceeded -260 millivolts. The predominance of methanogenic processes in this redox range, as well as the observed C2+C3 concentration ratios, suggest that ethane and propane gases in soil vapor may be biogenically produced as well as a result of volatilization from NAPL.
Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) is a popular dimensionality reduction technique because it is easily interpretable and can discern useful features. For a given matrix M ∈ Rn×m whose entries are nonnegative and an integer r smaller than both n and m, NMF is the problem of finding nonnegative matrices A ∈ Rn×r and W ∈ Rr×m such that M = AW . The matrix M could be noisy, in which case one seeks a robust algorithm that solves M ≈ AW . The nonnegativity constraint in NMF has wide applications [19] in data science problems like document clustering [31, 41], facial feature extraction [25, 31], hyperspectral unmixing [32] etc. Geometrically, the rows of M can be viewed as a set of points in R. If we think of the rows of W as the vertices of an (unknown) W -simplex, then the data points lie in this W -simplex. Therefore, NMF asks us to deduce the vertices of the simplex given the data points. NMF is a computationally hard problem [23] though certain assumptions like separability lead to polynomial time algorithms [1, 2, 35]. This assumes that all the vertices of the unknown simplex are already present as data points. In practice, this is not true in many settings [20]. Ge and Zou [17] assumed subset separability which uses higher dimensional structures and gave a polynomial time algorithm to find the NMF robustly. In this thesis, we effectively replace one of their key algorithms that finds faces. We show a quadratic programming based approach which is efficient and can be employed in practice. Under bounded noise, our algorithm finds the faces of the simplex which contain enough data points, thus helping in finding the NMF.
Erythema induratum of Bazin is a rare disease, characterized by the appearance of cutaneous erythema- tous nodules, sometimes painful with frequent evolution to ulceration. It is considered to be a hypersensitivity response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We describe an 83 years old female patient, with a 3 months history of erythematous subcutaneous nodules involving both legs and, at the same time, of right cervical enlarging nodes. KEYWORDS – Antitubercular Agents; Erythema Induratum; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Panniculitis; Vasculitis.
Therefore volunteering is an important direction of social de-velopment both abroad and in Ukraine and one of the main features of civil society. Briefly, for Ukraine nowadays, it is a historically formed sociocultural phenomenon, the basis of which was mercy and charity. Briefly, the classification of scientific views makes it possible to identify the main groups of volunteers for their effective involve-ment in activities both through local communities and at the national level in Ukraine. For the first time, there is a systematic approach to the survey of volunteer groups in the countries of the European Un-ion, the United States and Ukraine.
The inverse transformation model of the uniform color scales of the optical society of America(OSA-UCS) has been made using the Newton-Raphson algorithm.The accuracy of the inverse model is assessed using the data.The result shows that the inverse model can meet the needs of the practical application.The realization of the inverse model is of great complement for the OSA-UCS.The data for different color space such as CIELAB,CIELUV,CIECAM97s,IPT and CIECAM02 are compared with the help of the matlab.The result shows that the IPT and CIECAM02 has optimum performance in the visual uniformity.It has a great reference value in the choice of color appearance model for the color reproduction industry.
Sturm's strong law of large numbers in $ mathrm{CAT}(0)$ spaces has been an influential tool to study the geometric mean or also called Karcher barycenter of positive definite matrices. It provides an easily computable stochastic approximation based on inductive means. Convergence of a deterministic version of this approximation has been proved by Holbrook, providing his "nodice" theorem for the Karcher mean of positive definite matrices. The Karcher mean has also been extended to the infinite dimensional case of positive operators on a Hilbert space by Lawson-Lim and then to probability measures with bounded support by the second author, however the $ mathrm{CAT}(0)$ property of the space is lost and one defines the mean as the unique solution of a nonlinear operator equation on a convex Banach-Finsler manifold. The formulations of Sturm's strong law of large numbers and Holbrook's "nodice" approximation are natural and both conjectured to converge, however all previous techniques of their proofs break down, due to the Banach-Finsler nature of the space. In this paper we prove both conjectures by establishing the most general $L^1$-form of Sturm's strong law of large numbers and Holbrook's "nodice" theorem in the operator norm by developing a stochastic discrete-time resolvent flow for the Karcher barycenter using its Wasserstein contraction property.
Significant progress has been achieved on the study of electromagnetic phenomena in possible association with earthquakes during the last two decades since the 1995 Kobe earthquakes. It is a recent consensus that electromagnetic phenomena do appear prior to a large earthquake, and some phenomena have been found to be statistically correlated with earthquakes. One of the most typical examples is ionospheric perturbation. But, this book will shed a light on rather new and nonconventional electromagnetic phenomena: One is the ULF (Ultra low frequency, less than 1Hz) depression (decrease in the amplitude of ULF horizontal magnetic field components) and another is ELF (extremely low frequency, 1Hz<f<10Hz) electromagnetic radiation. We know that these two effects are very promising for short-term earthquake prediction, but they are not popular even in the academic society. This is the reason why we have collected several papers on these ULF/ELF effects as a book.
Sensorineural hearing loss is an uncommon symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). We report a patient with confirmed MS in which sudden unilateral hearing loss was the main manifestation of an episode. Auditory findings, including the auditory-evoked brainstem potentials, suggested impairment of the distal tract of the right VIII cranial nerve. Clinical and electrophysiological abnormalities disappeared with steroid therapy. Acute inflammatory demyelinative lesions of the peripheral cochlear nerve may cause acute hearing loss in MS.
Purpose To study the relationship between the expression of fibronectin (FN) and β_1 integrin receptor and the clinical pathology of human brain glioma (BG). Methods Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the protein expression of FN and β_1 integrin in 56 human glioma specimens. Correlative clinicopathologic analysis was performed in this study. Results With the increase of malignant grading, the expression of FN grew stronger in the vessel walls of BG (P0.01). It was also well correlated with recurrence (P0.05). The diffuse positive stain could also be seen in the stroma of grade Ⅲ and grade Ⅳ tumors. The positive rates of FN and β_1 integrin in the tumor cells were increased with malignant grading (P0.05,P0.01), which was 30.36% (17/56) and 39.29% (22/56) respectively. Significant positive correlation was observed between their expression (r_s=0.312, P0.05). The expression of FN and β_1 integrin was higher in the recurrence group (68.42% and 57.89% respectively) than that in the non recurrence group (10.81% and 29.73% respectively, P0.01,P0.05). Conclusions The high expression of FN and β_1 integrin may play the important roles in the malignant progressions of BG and can be served as valuable indicators of malignancy and prognosis of BG.
A kind of new non-toxic inorganic composite polymer coagulant-polysilicate aluminium ferric was produced by Using fly ash. Polysilicate aluminium ferric cooperated with lime to treat high concentration coal washing wastewater. That analysised the influence of p H and temperature on the treatment effect,determined the optimum dosing amount of PSAF and lime through determination of the SS,COD,ZD and recovery rate of the clear water. The results showed that the treatment effect was better when dosing amount of PSAF was13 mg / L,dosing amount of lime was 3m L,p H was 2,temperature was 25℃.
The import penetration of exports has become a topic of public debate, particularly in the context of Germany's position as one of the world's leading exporters. The growth in the volume of intermediate products purchased from abroad for subsequent processing into export goods in Germany seems to be undermining the importance of exports as a driver of domestic production and employment. The gains that arise from an increase in exports seem to have been offset by the losses caused by the crowding out of local production by imports. Empirical evidence on the impact of this international integration of the goods market on the German labour market is ambiguous. Short-term negative effects on employment are claimed to be offset by the long-term benefit that the jobs lost in the short run will eventually be replaced by higher-skilled jobs with better perspectives. Against this background, the following hypothesis is tested empirically: Germany is poor in natural resources, but rich in skilled labour. In line with the Heckscher- Ohlin theory, Germany should therefore specialize in the production of export goods and services that are relatively intensive in these factors and should import those goods and services that are relatively intensive in unskilled labour ...
An apparatus for supporting a substrate holder comprising a substrate having a first temperature of the temperature controlled support base, and the temperature controlled support base and opposing the substrate support configured to support a substrate in a processing system, coupled to the substrate support and configured to support a substrate is heated to a second temperature higher than the first temperature or more heating elements. Corrosion resistance of insulation is placed in a temperature-controlled substrate support between the base and the support, wherein the insulating body comprises a corrosion resistance is arranged as a component material containing an anti-corrosive halogen gas.
approved: Redacted for' Privacy _ /1 Concern regarding the lack of genetic variability and the apparent yield plateau reached in wheat breeding have prompted this investigation. The systematic crossing of spring and winter wheat types which have evolved to form somewhat different gene pools, may provide a source of additional usable genetic variability for future yield increases. Five winter and five spring wheat cultivars with different degrees of genetic similarities in their pedigrees were crossed to obtain F1's and F2's. The parents plus winter x spring F1's were planted in two growing seasons at Hyslop Agronomy Farm near Corvallis, Oregon. During the second season the winter x spring F2 and winter x winter Fl crosses were also included. Agronomic traits were measured on an individual plant basis. These traits were plant height, number of tillers per plant, 100 kernel weight, number of kernels per spike and grain yield. Analyses of variance were conducted for each trait. Estimates of the amount of usable genetic variation were determined by heterosis values, inbreeding depression and parent-progeny standard regressions. Possible interactions between years and the above five characters were determined for the winter x spring F1's. Evidence of non-additive aene action was found in the expression of heterosis and subsequent inbreeding depression which depended on the specific trait measured and the parents involved in the cross. The greatest heterosis values were noted for grain yield per plant. Crosses with the winter parent, Weique Red Mace, resulted in the highest estimates for grain yield. This was due to the late maturity of these hybrids and to the diverse oenetic background of this winter parent compared to the five spring parents. Parent-progeny regressions indicated that a large amount of additive genetic variance was present for plant height, 100 kernel weight and grain yield an intermediate amount for kernels per spike and tillers per plant. Winter x spring Fl crosses resulted in higher heterosis estimates and a wider range of values between crosses than winter x winter Fl crosses. Parent-progeny regression estimates were similar in value for the two types of Fl populations. Thus, these results indicate that the systematic crossing between winter and spring wheats will produce greater total genetic variability for further wheat improvement. This is true for the development of hybrid wheat (non-additive) and may also be promising for conventional breeding programs when only the additive portion of the total genetic variance can be used. The data support the general conclusion that the amount of heterosis is a function of genetic diversity between the two parents. Those breeders working on hybrid wheat may wish to look at winter x spring crosses as a means of maximizing heterosis. However, since a significant interaction between years x F1's was noted for the traits measured, more than one year of evaluation will be necessary if winter x spring crosses are employed.
Fatty acids composition in edible parts of Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) caught in the Persian Gulf close to the Bushehr Province were investigated. Among saturated fatty acids (SFA), the 16:0 and 18:0 fatty acids were the most two dominant fatty acids in meat tissues that analyzed. 18:1n-9 and 16:1n-7 were the major fatty acids among the MUFAs of male and female crab. The main PUFAs in lipids of crab meat were 20:5n-3 and 22:6n-3. The n-3 PUFA content was highest in female claw meat (20.26%) and lowest in male meat (11.31%), respectively. The sex and tissue had a significant influence on the EPA, DHA and n-3 HUFA. The highest amounts of DHA and the favorable n-6/n-3 ratio in the meat of blue swimming crab indicate that the claw and breast meat is a very omega-rich edible portion of crab body.
The 1980s witnessed the widespread introduction of microcomputer technology into educational institutions and the workplace. Microcomputer software training has achieved mixed results due to both training methods and individual factors, such as computer anxiety. The present research addresses the topic of software training by presenting the results of two studies. The first study validates a measure of computer anxiety, while the second study contrasts the effects of training method and computer anxiety on training outcomes. The training method demonstrated stronger relationships with training outcomes than did computer anxiety. In addition, the second study contrasted two training methods and found that training labelled as "play" resulted in enhanced training outcomes as compared with training labelled as "work:
The development of children's literature in the 18th century and the key role of adults in writing and translating children's literature is examined with some examples. The significance of the social context and meaning in children's literature is highlighted, and it is suggested that the status and financial rewards for such translators should be enhanced to ensure productive translations in Australia.
This paper discusses the relationship between Acadia National Park and its local partners and the Maine State Department of Transportation. The focus is on the involvement of the state of Maine's strategic passenger transportation plan and how it meshes locally with the transit planning needs of the Desert Island portion of Acadia National Park. The goal of the state's strategic plan is to offer a network of interconnected passenger transportation systems that link urban areas with tourist destinations such as national parks and seashore areas. The details of, and an estimated timeline for, this proposed passenger transportation network are provided.
It has long been a general assumption in sociology that all migrants experience a steady cycle of "adaptations" that involves assimilation accommodation submission contention and finally revitalization. Theoretical challenges to these standard psychological and sociological assumptions on migration and settlement are demonstrated by looking a US migration from the Afro-Caribbean. As expected within a sociocultural area West Indians have migrated for more reasons than just to sell their work capacity. A premise of this organizing framework is that population movements take place within 1 sociocultural area where differences of social economic and political development encourage and motivate people to move. Increasing evidence indicates that other Caribbean people have the proven East Indian ability to assimilate and manage the complexities of US ecomonic and political life and that this skill does not appear to be a function of social class or even language skills as the recent Haitian migration to Miami demonstrates. It is also increasingly evident that the Caribbean migrant to the US keeps close ties to his homeland. The assumption made here is that the Caribbean migration to the US will continue to take place with a degree of stress normal to such situations.
Introduction: Formula milk have different nutritional substances from breastmilk. Colostrum in breastmilk can protects infants from infectious diseases that can affect weight gain, especially for neonates. Method: The research was a comparative analytical study with cross sectional approach. The samples were totally 30 infants aged 1 month, divided into two groups (breast-fed babies group and.formula-fed or PASI-fed babies group). Samples were taken by quota sampling technique according to the inclusion criteria. Baby weight measurements were used baby scale device. The data was analyzed by Mann Whitney U-tets with significance value α=0.05. Results: Mann Whitney test statistic showed significance value of 0.042 (p< 0.05) which means that there are differences in weight gain among formula-fed babies compared to breast-fed babies. Discussion: Breast milk is best food for babies to grow well and have an ideal body weight, but differ in neonates with formula-fed, their growth will likely increase to be overweight (obese).    Keywords: weight gain, breast-fed, formula-fed
Workflows are composite activities that achieve interoperation of a variety of system and human tasks. Workflows must satisfy subtle domain-specific integrity and organizational requirements. Consequently, flexibility in execution is crucial. A promising means to achieve flexibility is through declarative specifications (Part 1) with automatic distributed scheduling techniques (Part 2). Intertask dependencies are constraints among the tasks that constitute a workflow. We propose a rigorous formal semantics for workflow computations and dependencies. Importantly, our approach uses symbolic reasoning to capture scheduler transitions. It includes an equational system that is guaranteed to yield the most general answers for scheduling, yet is sound and complete.
Updating and expanding information on concealment techniques, new technologies, hardware, software, and relevant new legislation, this second edition details scope of cyber forensics to reveal and track legal and illegal activity. Designed as an introduction and overview to the field, the authors guide you step-by-step through the basics of investigation and introduce the tools and procedures required to legally seize and forensically evaluate a suspect machine. The book covers rules of evidence, chain of custody, standard operating procedures, and the manipulation of technology to conceal illegal activities and how cyber forensics can uncover them. Extensive appendices include websites, organizations, pertinent legislation, best practice, hardware and software, and a recap of the federal rules of civil procedure.
Aiming at demand of damage detection of service rail,a multi-channel detector based on ultrasonic principle is designed,and application realization of no blind detection of rail head of service rail is introduced.The system adopts ARM and DSP dual-core structure to realize data porcessing and control display,the program control amplifier AD604 realizes echo signal depth gain compensation.In this design,optimization design is carried out on system structure and gain regulating circuit,use reasonable process design,detection precision is promoted and detection range is expanded.Test result indicates that the design has small linear error and high stability,has application value.
Several states have either created or revived grant programs dedicated to improving freight services in the past year. The Housatonic Railroad is one example, as presented in this article, of freight rail that was snapped up by a group of states, including Connecticut, at a time when many considered railroads as almost irrelevant. Connecticut, along with other states, such as Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, had the foresight in the 1970s and 1980s to realize that abandoned rail lines were valuable - and history has proved them right. The Housatonic Railroad has a positive economic impact on the two states in which it operates - from its start in Danbury, CT to its terminus in Pittsfield, MA - in the number of people it employs and the companies it serves. A brief history of freight rail is provided, along with an explanation of its role in America's transportation network. The article ends by questioning whether the government will support what could be the answer to the United States' aging infrastructure and overcrowded highways.
The purpose of this study is to develop a statistical model which predicts business failure (not only bankruptcy but other signs of financial failure) of industrial firms in the context of Greece, using financial ratios. A sample of 96 industrial firms is used. Each firm is then classified to the failed or non-failed group according to their discriminant score. The results show that the business failure of industrial firms in Greece could be predicted using the information of their financial statements. The predictive accuracy is quite high for a period from one to three years prior to the business failure.
Keywords: climate change, integrated assessment, knowledge integration, transdisciplinary research, vulnerability, vulnerability assessment. This thesis explores how transdisciplinary knowledge integration can be facilitated in the context of integrated assessments and vulnerability assessments of climate change. Even though knowledge integration is fundamental in such transdisciplinary assessments, the actual process of integrating knowledge is rarely addressed explicitly and methodically. Here, knowledge integration is conceptualised into the subsequent phases of the elaboration of a shared language and the design of a methodology. Three devices for facilitating knowledge integration are put forward: 1. semantic ascent or the shift from speaking in a language to speaking in a meta-language about the former, 2. formalisation or the translation of statements made in ordinary or technical language into a formal language, and 3. knowledge integration methods, which are methods that provide a meta-language for speaking about the knowledge to be integrated and organise the process of integration. Four cases of knowledge integration are presented. First, the general problem of methodology design is addressed and a graphical framework for representing methodologies is presented. Second, the problem of developing a shared language for speaking about vulnerability to climate change is addressed. A formal mathematical framework of vulnerability and related concepts is presented. Third, a special case of methodology design, the integration of computer models in the context of modular integrated assessment modelling is addressed. A modular approach developed in the PIAM project (Potsdam Integrated Assessment Modules) is presented. Fourth, the integration of computer models, this time in the context of a global assessment of coastal vulnerability to sea-level rise, is addressed. A knowledge integration method, which was developed and applied in the DINAS-COAST project (Dynamic and Interactive Assessment of National, Regional and Global Vulnerability of Coastal Zones to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise), is presented. These cases show that semantic ascent is a useful device in those cases in which it is difficult to directly elaborate a shared language at the beginning of the assessment. Formalisation can contribute to the elaboration of a shared language in those cases in which concepts overlap non trivially in their meanings. More emphasis should be placed on the development and application of iterative knowledge integration methods as iteration is crucial in order to benefit from the mutual learning during the course of the assessment.
This study investigated potential relationships between master's level counseling students' levels of ego development and their identified orientations to one of six guiding theories of counseling; students' theoretical orientation classifications when classified according to the theory's domain of emphasis: affective, behavioral, or cognitive; students' degrees of confidence in identifying their theoretical orientations; and students' degrees of comfort in applying their theories in clinical practice. Seventy participants enrolled in a master's level practicum course completed the Washington University Sentence Completion Test, a measure of ego development, and the Counseling Theory Survey, a survey developed by the researcher, in order to identify students' identified theoretical orientations, students' degrees of confidence in identifying their theoretical orientations, and students' degrees of comfort in applying their theories in clinical practice. Ego development level was operationalized as a dichotomous variable consisting of level E5 and below and E6 and above, based on the developmental task attained at E6: a shift from emphasis on in-group identity to self-evaluated standards. To determine potential relationships between the students' ego development levels and their theoretical orientations and their orientations when classified by domain of emphasis, 2 x 4 and 2 x 3 Chi-square analyses were used. Independent t-tests were conducted to determine if the students' degrees of confidence in identifying their theoretical orientation and their degrees of comfort in applying their orientation varied across the two groups. No statistically significant results were found. Alternative explanations for the identification of theoretical orientation, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research are discussed with emphasis on the need for greater integration of current theories related to the identification of theoretical orientation.
The in vivo behavior of human muscle during contraction is a complicated process,and some commonly-used research techniques include electromyography(EMG),mechanomyography(MMG),and ultrasonography(US).This study proposed a new multi-model method which integrated EMG,MMG and US together to investigate the muscle activities.An acquisition system was developed to simultaneously collect US images and other signals in real-time;and an image tracking algorithm was implemented to automatically extract the muscle boundary in US.This study examined the responses of human rectus femoris muscle during voluntary isometric ramp contraction for knee extension.The collected signals were analyzed and three parameters extracted from EMG,MMG and US were combined to estimate the torque.The results show that there are significant multiple linear relationships between the three parameters and torque.The R2 of the regression was 0.99 which was much better than the linear regressions with single parameter.In conclusion,this multi-model method can provide more information about the muscle activities,and further research will be conducted for better understanding of the muscle contraction mechanism.
A necessary condition for solving 1.1 or 1.2 is that K is positive son was given by Kazdan and Warner (1) (see also ref. 2 for a generaliz; existence (see refs. 3 and 4). Much effort has been put forth to fin condition on ?2 given by Moser (5) is that K(-x) K(x) and K(x) (6) to higher dimensions: K(-x) K(x) and there exists a point x n 2 order ati vanish. In dimension n = 3, this is a complete genera is no longer valid in dimension n 4, see Bianchi and Engnell (7); and Hebey (10) to functions Kwhich are invariant under more gener discovered by Chang and Yang (11, 12) on S2 and Bahri and Coror having nonzero AK at critical points of K and satisfying
Lower ureteral stones are frequently encountered urinary problems leading to a wide range of symptoms, and due to their multiple methods of management depending on their size and impact on the upper urinary tracts, it is necessary to study the management of this type of stones . The study was conducted at Al-Mowasat University Hospital on 121 patients during the period from 1/3/2016 to 1/3/2019 in which two main methods in managing lower ureteral stones are studied: ESWL and URS. The study showed the following results in the group of patients treated with ESWL, 62.5% the rate of removal of stones from the first attempt, 8% required re-treatment, 81% eliminated the stones after 1 month and 91% after 3 Months, 9% needed other treatments (URS and open) with a relatively acceptable complications rate (16%). For patients treated with URS the results were as follows , 4% dispose of stones from the first attempt, 5% required re-treatment, 91% dispose of the stones completely after 1 month, 96% after 3 months, 3.5% needed other treatments (ESWL and open) and complications rate (21%) . Conclusion: URS is more effective but more complications than ESWL in the management of lower ureteral stones. تصادف حصوات الحالب السفلية في كثير من الأحيان مشاكل في البول تؤدي إلى مجموعة واسعة من الأعراض ، وبسبب أساليبها المتعددة في الإدارة اعتمادا على حجمها وتأثيرها على المسالك البولية العليا ، من الضروري دراسة إدارة هذا النوع من الحصى. . أجريت الدراسة في مستشفى المواساة الجامعي على 121 مريضا خلال الفترة من 1/3/2016 إلى 1/3/2019 ، حيث تمت دراسة طريقتين رئيسيتين في إدارة الحجارة السفلية: ESWL و URS. أظهرت الدراسة النتائج التالية في مجموعة من المرضى الذين عولجوا بـ ESWL ، 62.5 ٪ معدل إزالة الحجارة من المحاولة الأولى ، 8 ٪ إعادة المعالجة المطلوبة ، 81 ٪ القضاء على الحجارة بعد شهر واحد و 91 ٪ بعد 3 أشهر 9 ٪ بحاجة إلى علاجات أخرى (URS ومفتوحة) مع معدل مضاعفات مقبولة نسبيا (16 ٪). بالنسبة للمرضى الذين عولجوا بـ URS ، كانت النتائج على النحو التالي: التخلص من الأحجار بنسبة 4٪ من المحاولة الأولى ، إعادة المعالجة المطلوبة بنسبة 5٪ ، التخلص من الحجارة بنسبة 91٪ تماما بعد شهر واحد ، 96٪ بعد 3 أشهر ، 3.5٪ بحاجة إلى علاجات أخرى (ESWL ومفتوحة) ومعدل المضاعفات (21 ٪). الخلاصة: URS هو أكثر فعالية ولكن أكثر تعقيدات من ESWL في إدارة الحالب انخفاض الحالب.
Unilateral medullosclerosis associated with splanchnicosympathectomy was applied in 60 cases of severe essential arterial hypertension. In 21 patients this was associated with contralateral adrenalectomy. No deaths were recorded. The late results (2 to 20 years) varied in terms of the anatomoclinical stage of the disease when surgery was performed. Systolic pressures fell to 30-50 mm Hg, hypertensive oscillations disappeared, mean adrenalinaemia values decreased by 47.9% after unilateral medullosclerosis and slanchnicosympathectomy and by 72.2% after bilateral interventions in two stage. The constitutional hyperadrenergic psychosomatic background was modified and became normohypoadrenergic. There was no case of adrenocortical insufficiency, the secretion of corticoids being insured by activity of the hexose-6-mono-phosphate dehydrogenase shunt.
Soil samples were collected from quadrats marked out below the canopies of two rhododendrons, one infected by Phytophthora ramorum (Site 1) and the other (Site 2) infected by Phytophthora kernoviae and P. ramorum. Rainwater was collected in high-level and low level traps. Soil and rainwater were sampled at roughly monthly intervals from November 2003 until April 2006, and tested for the presence of P. ramorum and P. kernoviae at the Central Science Laboratory. The infected rhododendrons were removed in May 2004 (Site 1) and July 2004 (Site 2) after which the quadrats and rain traps were reinstated. P. ramorum was initially detected in soil from less than a third of the quadrats at Site 1 and declined to very low levels after removal of the host. All rainwater samples at Site 1 were negative for P. ramorum. At Site 2, oth P. ramorum and P. kernoviae were initially readily found in soil samples. After removal of the host, levels of P. kernoviae in the soil declined rapidly, but P. ramorum was still detected in a relatively high proportion of soil samples for up to 21 months. P. ramorum was found in rain traps at Site 2 over the winter of 2006, indicating an influx of wind blown spores. Rhododendron leaf baits buried in the soil at Site 2 frequently became infected by P. ramorum for up to 21 months after removal of the infected host.
Abstract This article presents the development of critical literacy in English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) learners as contingent upon interaction in communities of practice, rather than based solely on the acquisition of linguistic forms in the classroom. In light of sociocultural theory, this paper argues that classroom teachers need to adopt a sociocognitive view of literacy and provides suggestions for its implementation through the development of response, revision, and reflection. Introduction The present work provides ESL and EFL teachers of adolescents and adults with a view of communication that is multi-faceted whose usefulness and implications are revealed through goal-directed, language use. Arguing from within a socioculturally-inspired framework, past notions of literacy are discussed in an effort to present strategies for second language acquisition that are cognitively focused, and socially realized through response, revision, and reflection Moreover, the traditional objective of teaching towards and attaining a monolingual-based view of literacy is examined as the practice of emergent inquiry is introduced in order to promote critical literacy in ESL and EFL students. This piece proposes an approach to instruction, activity, and communication that permits adolescent and adult ESL /EFL students to become co-inquirers in the situated discourses of the language classroom and the community. This focus permits us to view English language literacy as being constructed through the interconnected arenas of our student's daily experiences presents teachers with insights into how to effectively 'teach literacy'. Literacy and Cultural Historical Activity Theory Cultural historical activity theory (CHAT), also known as sociocultural theory, offers ESL / EFL teachers with a view of literacy as dependant on the construction of social activity throughout which an individual's mind becomes engaged within communities of practice (Lave and Wegener, 1991; Wells, 1999; Wells and Claxton, 2002). Literacy, in other words, is not the product of individual action, but part of the process of human interaction where students use language to work together in goal-directed activity settings (Tharp and Gallimore, 1988). Within these settings, one objective of classroom talk is task completion and this assists learning a second language (Brooks and Donato, 1994). Literacy, in this light, is task based and cognitively oriented and not exclusively dependent on the acquisition of linguistic skills and forms. Instructors, though, do need to be aware of their students' linguistic knowledge and competence in order to be able to assist students through the process of scaffolding. Knowledge of the student's zone of actual development (ZAD) allows teachers to incorporate language learning objectives within task based activities so that skills are not only transferred from one language to another, but students are also provided opportunities to expand their ZAD into their zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978; Donato, 1994; Hall, 1995). In turn, this supports the formation of the students' internal frames of reference while they (re)structure their own knowledge and literacy base (Samuda, 2001). Valuing literacy as emergent rather than a priori implies placing ESL / EFL instruction within the foundations of CHAT (Hopper, 1998). In other words, it is not beneficial for teachers to measure or assess literacy based solely on the established rules of grammar or composition that traditionally have been applied and transferred from first language classrooms to second language environments (Rosenblatt, 1938; Street, 1984). Above all, the development of critical literacy entails that reading and writing are perceived as emergent practices within the experiences and contexts of our daily lives. Traditional Concepts of Communication and Literacy At its core, literacy is communicative activity that can be directed towards others or the self. …
The invention discloses a poly-generation system of underground coal gasification (UCG) and a method thereof. .The system comprises a UCG subsystem, a thermal value and component regulation subsystem and a chemical production system; the UCG subsystem is used for injecting gasification agent into a gasification tunnel after gasification fire so that the gasification agent conducts gasification reaction with a coal bed in the gasification tunnel to generate synthesis gas; crude synthesis gas is led into the thermal value and component regulation subsystem; the thermal value and component regulation subsystem is used for reintegrating the component and thermal value of the synthesis gas and sending the reintegrated synthesis gas into the chemical production system as feed gas; the chemical production system is used for producing chemical products by utilizing the synthesis gas sent by the thermal value and component regulation subsystem. By adopting the method and system provided by the invention, coal gasification poly-generation process can be completed under the condition of energy saving and environmental protection.
This report details a series of numerical experiments designed to provide an assessment of the acceptable sting length between the model and the sting holder required to minimise sting interference for the TWG 15-degree, 25-degree and 45-degree rolling stings. Calculations were undertaken for Mach numbers of 0.50, 0.90, 1.05 and 1.63, and for model attitudes between 0 and 55 degrees. These calculations indicated that the minimum spacing varied with the Mach number and angle of attack between 1 cm and 20 cm.
This paper is motivated by a set of cross-country observations on labor productivity growth among industrial countries over the period 1960-1997. In particular, we show that over this period, the speed of convergence among industrialized countries has decreased substantially while the negative effect of a country's own employment growth (or labor force growth) on labor productivity has increased dramatically. The main contribution of the paper is to show how these observations are consistent with the view that industrialized countries have been undergoing a particularly drastic technological revolution over the recent past. In effect, we show how the process of endogenous technological adoption, following the diffusion of a general purpose technology, can explain these observations by causing the emergence of an AK accumulation phase where demographic factors temporarily become an major determinant of labor productivity growth. Our estimation of the model implies that the AK phase has been in effect since the early to mid-seventies, but that this phase may now be coming to an end. An important contribution of the paper is to analyze growth experiences across advanced industrialized countries within an open economy framework and to evaluate the explanation by estimating a multicountry dynamic general model.
In order to solve the problem of drape defaults which usually appear on the surface of parts,pre-stretching experiments were done to investigate the effect of prestretching deformation on the yield platform of high-Si,low-Cr TRIP steel,and the microstructures were characterized by TEM before and after the tensile process to find out the forming mechanism of the yield platform.The result shows that the length of the yield platform always decreases with increasing prestretching deformation and disappears at the point of 1.0% prestretching.The specimens with more stable austenite possess shorter yield platforms under the same deformation condition.Yield platform formation of TRIP steel results from Cottrel atmosphere and stress relaxation-induced austenite transformation.
During the 1960s, the Senate was frozen by lengthy filibusters over civil rights legislation. When, in the mid-’70s, that tactic once again threatened to bring the Senate to a standstill, Robert Byrd, the West Virginia Democrat who was the majority whip, invented a dual-track system. This change in practice allowed the majority leader — with the unanimous consent of the Senate or the approval of the minority leader — to set aside whatever was being debated on the Senate floor and move immediately to another item on the agenda.
The fibrous raw materials in packaging-grade paper production in Korea were mainly obtained from waste paper. The use of recycled paper has both positive and negative impacts in papermaking process. The primary positive impacts are the environmental protection and manufacturing cost reduction, and the negative impacts are the quality reduction in paper quality and the accumulation of heavy metals and other pollutants in wet- and dry-end process. This study was carried out to consider the optimum acid decomposition system with the highest recovery rate for the analysis of heavy metals in packaging-grade paper. The open digestion system using Kjeldahl apparatus and the closed digestion system using microwave oven for decomposing the organic materials in paper were compared. In both open and closed digestion method, the combination of nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide showed higher recovery rate than using only nitric acid alone because the presence of Cl? ions in hydrochloric acid stabilizes ligand formation with metal ions. KOCC was observed to have the highest heavy metal content among the recycled paper samples. The heavy metal contents decomposed with the closed digestion system were relatively higher than with open digestion system.
In what follows ampie reference is made to the léxico-conceptual domain of CHANGE verbs in English. For this reason one must consider the relation between such domains, cognitive models and cultural models (Holland & Quinn 1987, Lakoff & Johnson 1980, Shore 1996). Let us consider an appropriate statement in one of the best-known handbooks on Cognitive Linguistics, Ungerer and Schmid (1996): «Cognitive models for particular domains ultimately depend on so-called cultural models. In reverse, cultural models can be seen as cognitive models that are shared by people belonging to a social group or subgroup». Thus, a cognitive model is a conceptual structure ultimately schematizing contextthat underlies a domain and is always constrained by a cultural model, ¡e. a kind of cognitive model that is not merely individual but goes well beyond the limits of the individual lo become nested in the historicalíy governed mesh of interpersonaí and societal relations. This is no surprise, as word meaning, insofar as it involves lexical knowledge, is not an individual affair. Far from it, it presupposes a rnore or less stable cognitive configuration shared by the community, very often in an unconscious, automatic way. Knowledge of it is not necessarily possessed by ordinary people, ie. is not readily available in a folk model, but only so in an expert cultural-cognitive model. Arguably, domains are not only domains of experience but should rather be taken to have a léxico-conceptual nature, ie. to be both manifest in and evoked by lexical forms on the symboüc level, especially if they are felt to include idioms. These are usually defined as peculiar to a given culture, and are thus léxico-conceptual clues (organised in domains) to a cultural model. In Sánchez (1988) a study of the change English verbal domain from such a léxico-conceptual standpoint is reported. Here is a table supplying an overview of the dimensional structure of the whole domain:
Abstract : To evaluate physical performance under experimental or treatment conditions, exercise test are routinely administered. We developed a tool for predicting the treadmill speed at which to run subjects in order to elicit a desired percentage of their maximal aerobic capacity. We generated, tested and refined a pair of regression equations: one for submaximal aerobic exercise, the other for high-intensity anaerobic exercise. Within the limitations of using linear equations to elicit physiologic responses that are sometimes curvilinear, the equations are useful to researchers. An Actigraph activity monitor was worn while performing a series of sedentary and physically challenging activities; heart rate and oxygen consumption (Vo2) were also monitored. Actigraph counts were correlated with V02 and heart rate for the physically challenging tasks r= 0.729, P < 0.001; r = 0.709, P < 0.001, respectively). We suggest that the Actigraph could be used to grossly estimate energy expenditure because of the relation of oxygen consumption to expenditure (5 kilocalories are expended for each liter of oxygen consumed). Lastly, we developed a computerized physical activity questionnaire (PAQ) to quantify average daily energy expenditure. The PAQ quantifies work, sleep and leisure time-activities over a one-week and/or one-year period. Although dependent on the accuracy of subject recall, the PAQ has proven to be a useful tool for estimating energy expenditure in over 50 subjects. Used in conjunction with the Actigraph, fairly accurate estimations of physical activity and energy expenditure could be made outside of the laboratory.
Offering psychiatrists free and lowcost access to WPA publications is an important feature of the WPA publications program. Yet the psychiatrists and institutions eligible for these benefits are not always aware that they are available or how to obtain them. This article describes the needs for free access, especially in low- and middle-income countries, the ways it is provided, and some developments in the rapidly changing world of publishing.    The timely and effective dissemination of research results is essential for high standards and innovation in research and clinical services. Often in low- and middle-income countries only the free abstracts are available to clinicians. The abstracts tend to be short, poorly written and sometimes they are misleading (1). A 10/90 divide in the publication of internationally accessible mental health literature is also evident and remains unchanged. Recent studies reveal that most articles in high impact journals come from richer countries (2-4). A search of the Web of Science database of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) from 1992 to 2001 found that low- and middle-income countries (N=152) contributed only 6%, high-income countries (N=54) 94%, and 14 leading high-income countries 90% of internationally accessible mental health research (5). A joint statement from editors of scientific journals publishing mental health research and the World Health Organization (WHO) offered some steps to correct these imbalances (6).    The WPA publications program is committed to help correct this imbalance and improve information exchange between psychiatrists, scientists, other professionals, policy-makers, politicians and the general public, irrespective of their country of residence and its wealth. The program has two main goals. The first is to disseminate information on significant clinical, service and research developments, reaching as many psychiatrists as possible in the various countries of the world. The second is to encourage contributions from psychiatrists of all regions of the world, in the form of research papers, commentaries or reports on mental health or significant service innovations. These goals are being pursued in several ways: through World Psychiatry (the WPA official journal); through several series of books; in joint activities with the WPA educational program and scientific sections; and in collaborative activities with other organizations. Free and low-cost access to WPA publications is an important feature of the program. It is attained in two main ways.    First is the publication of World Psychiatry in its print and electronic versions. The journal is published in three editions (English, Spanish and Chinese) and is now indexed in PubMed, Current Contents/Behavioural Sciences, Current Contents/Clinical Medicine, and the Science Citation Index. It regularly publishes contributions from all regions of the world. It is alone recommended as an explicitly international journal to researchers and advocates of international mental health (2). World Psychiatry is sent free of charge to more than 32,000 psychiatrists in 121 countries. The journal is also produced in an electronic version, with free access through PubMed (www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ tocrender.fcgi?journal=297&action= archive), the WPA website and the websites of several of WPA Member Societies and Sections. World Psychiatry is now an important means by which contributors from all countries can obtain wide dissemination for high quality research reports and inclusion in international data indexes. The free access contributes to the journal's potential to increase the global prominence of research from low- and middle-income countries.    Collaboration with the publishers of the WPA books provides the second significant means of free and low-cost access to WPA publications. WPA has a productive partnership with Wiley- Blackwell, resulting in the Evidence and Experience series as well as other books. Information on the series and print purchase is available through the series page (eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/ Section/id-303180.html). The latest book from Wiley-WPA, released in March 2007, is entitled The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents: An Area of Global Neglect. It is edited by H. Remschmidt, B. Nurcombe, M.L. Belfer, N. Sartorius and A. Okasha, and presents the highlights of the WPA Presidential Programme on Child Mental Health, constituting a global call to action for mental health workers and policy makers.    Wiley-Blackwell offers 15% discount to individual members of WPA Member Societies on the purchase price of all its books (see www.Wiley.com). All the WPA books are also available online through Wiley InterScience Online- Books, with free abstracts and subscription access to the chapters. Psychiatrists in the wealthiest countries have access through individual or institutional accounts. An important benefit is available to those working in low- and middle-income countries: from the time of first publication of Wiley-Blackwell medical books, including all the WPA titles, people in low-income countries have free access through Health Inter- Network Access to Research Initiative (HINARI); those in middle-income countries pay a small amount. HINARI provides free or very low-cost online access to thousands of major journals and books in biomedical and related social sciences to local, non-profit institutions in developing countries. HINARI was launched in 2002 and is one of the world's largest collections of biomedical and health literature. There are presently 2000 institutions in 106 countries registered for HINARI. There are 113 countries eligible for HINARI. The WHO manages the HINARI website, with the support of the Yale University Library.    Other recent news is the finalising of an agreement between Wiley-Blackwell and WPA to publish electronically through Wiley InterScience the major series called Anthologies of Classic Psychiatry Texts, directed by D. Moussaoui. This series collects classic texts never previously published in English, with bio-bibliographical notes on their authors. Permission to transfer copyright has been obtained by Wiley-Blackwell for the Anthologies of French, Italian and Spanish texts. The German Anthology of Psychiatric Texts, edited by H. Sass, has been published recently, and the same agreement will be sought by Wiley-Blackwell. These books will be available online (free and low-cost to those eligible as above). Wiley-Blackwell is also considering making these available via print on demand so that individuals can purchase the print edition, should they choose. The ready availability in perpetuity of these texts is a major resource for psychiatrists and scholars. Rowman & Littlefield published in July 2006 Psychiatry and Sexual Health: An Integrative Approach, edited by J.E. Mezzich and R. Hernandez on behalf of the WPA Educational Program on Sexual Health. A volume on diagnosis and cultural formulation is in production. The terms negotiated for these books include agreement to publish them on the WPA website for free access 18 months after publication date.    The world of publishing is undergoing radical change. As publications move from the print world to a digital world, new possibilities are likely to arise to improve access to and dissemination of scientific knowledge (7). M. Rondon, member of the WPA Operational Committee for Publications, passed on to me a web news announcement that CrossRef (www.crossref.org), a nonprofit publishers' membership association aiming to improve access to published scholarship through collaborative technologies, has recently agreed with the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications, INASP (www.inasp.info) to include journals from developing countries within its linking network. This partnership will contribute to the INASP mission to enable worldwide access to information, and to its work with publishers in developing and transitional countries to improve the quality and visibility of their publications. Wiley is a founder member of CrossRef. WPA will aim to ensure, through its partnerships with Wiley, WHO and other organizations, that psychiatrists and their patients in all countries obtain the benefits of these advances. We need to trust at the same time that progress is as rapid in reducing the digital divide as it is in the advance of digital publishing.
This investigation was done basing on the macrofungi specimens collected from ‹zmir province situated in Eagean Region in the West Anatolia between 1992 and 1996. As a result of the studing of laboratory and field, 104 taxa belonging to 32 families were determined. One genus (Lyophyllum Karst.), 8 species (Clitocybe bresadoliana Sing., Cystoderma granulosum (Batsch: Fr.) Fay., Lyophyllum favrei Haller & Haller., Melanoleuca paedida (Fr.) Kuhn. & Mre., Mycena rosea (Bull.) Gramberg., Stereum ostrea (Blume & Nees ex Fr.) Fr., Strobilurus stephanocystis (Hora) Sing., Tricholoma pardalotum Herink & Kotl.), and 1 variety (Melanoleuca cognata var. typica (Fr.) Konr. & Moubl.) from these taxa are new records for Turkish Mycoflora. All taxa were listed here in. ‹zmir Yoresinin Makrofunguslari Ozet: Bu arafltirma 1992-1996 yillari arasinda Bati Anadolunun Ege bolgesinde yer alan ‹zmir ilinden toplanan mantar orneklerine dayanilarak yapilmifltir. Arazi ve laboratuvar califlmalari sonucu 32 familyaya ait 104 takson belirlenmifltir. Bu taksonlardan 1 cins (Lyophyllum Karst.), 8 tur (Clitocybe bresadoliana Sing., Cystoderma granulosum (Batsch: Fr.) Fay., Lyophyllum favrei Haller & Haller., Melanoleuca paedida (Fr.) Kuhn. & Mre., Mycena rosea (Bull.) Gramberg., Stereum ostrea (Blume & Nees ex Fr.) Fr., Strobilurus stephanocystis (Hora) Sing., Tricholoma pardalotum Herink & Kotl.), ve 1 varyete (Melanoleuca cognata var. typica (Fr.) Konr. & Moubl.) Turkiye icin yeni kayittir. Turlerin tamami liste halinde verilmifltir. Anahtar Sozcukler: Makrofunguslar, taksonomi, yeni kayitlar, Turkiye Mikoflorasi.
Cytokines are the main mediators of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Thus, Th2 cytokines--such as IL-4 and IL-10--have protective properties to this disease. In opposite, the Th1 cytokines--such as IL-2 and IFN-gamma--are supporting proinflammatory microenvironment in joints from patients with RA. The imbalance of Th1/Th2 cytokine steady state may play an important role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. The evaluation of this imbalance leads up to the possibility of pathohistological discrimination in this disease. In this context, we investigated Th1- (IFN-gamma, IL-2) and Th2 (IL-10, IL-4)-cell-derived cytokine mRNA expression in two novel pathohistological main-types of RA synovial membrane (SM). These main-types are characterized by different tissue-infiltrating inflammatory cells and different extent of SM destruction. Our findings showed that expression of IL-10 mRNA was an outcome of histological main-type I (p<0.001), whereas expression of IFN-gamma and IL-2 were mainly associated with pathohistological main-type II (p<0.005, p<0.05). Surprisingly, IL4 was not differential expressed and could be associated with another special T cell subset in this disease. These results suggest that Th1/Th2 balance is biased to Th2 cytokines within main-type I and Th1 cytokines in main-type II.
In order to dissipate the high heat flux of micro electronic chips, a miniaturized capillary pumped loop (Miniaturized CPL) heat controlling system was developed and the techniques to manufacture this miniaturized CPL were introduced. A kind of finned micro-groove structure was manufactured by ploughing-extrusion and an integrated fin heat sink was manufactured by skiving. The capillary structure can be with the porous formed metal or the wire-mesh screen industrialized. The miniaturized CPL was composed of an evaporator, a condensator, a vapor line, a liquid line and working liquid. To increase its evaporation-condensation efficiency, a boiling enhancement structure of dimensional cross-connected micro-grooves with fins was implanted in the evaporator, and the condensator was composed of finned micro-groove structure and integrated fin heat sink. Using the phase-change heat transfer, the miniaturized CPL can be ensured under the capillary pumping function and the press of evaporating gas. Due to the resistance from capillary structure, the working liquid can run strictly along the single direction without extra mechanical pump or valve.
This paper endeavors to highlight how contemporary African child-rearing practices affect a child’s self-concept and learning. It also observes that child-rearing practice is a prominent challenge for many parents including ones in sub-Saharan Africa. By observing and scrutinizing the common child-rearing practices in Zimbabwe, the researchers noted that some contemporary African child-rearing practices might either enhance a positive self-concept leading to enhancement in learning or the opposite where some practices actually instill a negative self-concept that eventually deters learning. It, therefore, provides clear-cut roles, obligations, rights, expectations and sanctions within the common authoritative, permissive and autocratic parenting styles which seem to be a dilution of traditional African child-rearing practices due to the influence of other diverse cultures, religion and the development of technology. Some parents today, seem to be a reflection of not only one parenting style, but a chameleon representation of what they consider the best parenting option for each situation. Arguing mainly from a Humanistic point of view, this paper prescribes specific implications for parenting and teaching where a strong commitment to child-care by every parent or caregiver is highly recommended. Any good parenting style should enhance a child’s positive self-concept and provide ideal learning experiences and guidance for all young people within their phenomenal fields.
This paper presents the findings and conclusions of the Burlington mixed Use Corridors Study in terms of Principles and related Strategies for developing the Plains Road/Fairview Street mixed Use Corridor in the City of Burlington. It also presents a land use development methodology for planners and the development industry that is intended to support the creation of these corridors. These planning tools are to be pro-active and guide development activities from the earliest stage of inception. They are also intended to contribute to the stream-lining of the development approval process. The current Official Plan for the City of Burlington has defined a number of Mixed Use Centres and Corridors. These mixed use activity areas are to feature the intensification and integration of a variety of employment, service and residential land uses so as to encourage increased transit, auto passenger and pedestrian activity, reduce auto dependency and minimize future increases in vehicle trip making. The mixed use corridors concept is intended to promote higher levels of walking and transit use by allowing local residents and workers to satisfy a higher proportion of their daily needs within the local community by using modes other than the single occupant automobile.
Socrates articulated it best, "Speak, so I may see you." Indeed, language represents an invisible probe into the mind. It is the medium through which we express our deepest thoughts, our aspirations, our views, our feelings, our inner reality. From the beginning of artificial intelligence, researchers have sought to impart human like understanding to machines. As much of our language represents a form of self expression, capturing thoughts, beliefs, evaluations, opinions, and emotions which are not available for scrutiny by an outside observer, in the field of natural language, research involving these aspects has crystallized under the name of subjectivity and sentiment analysis. While subjectivity classification labels text as either subjective or objective, sentiment classification further divides subjective text into either positive, negative or neutral. In this thesis, I investigate techniques of generating tools and resources for subjectivity analysis that do not rely on an existing natural language processing infrastructure in a given language. This constraint is motivated by the fact that the vast majority of human languages are scarce from an electronic point of view: they lack basic tools such as part-of-speech taggers, parsers, or basic resources such as electronic text, annotated corpora or lexica. This severely limits the implementation of techniques on par with those developed for English, and by applying methods that are lighter in the usage of text processing infrastructure, we are able to conduct multilingual subjectivity research in these languages as well. Since my aim is also to minimize the amount of manual work required to develop lexica or corpora in these languages, the techniques proposed employ a lever approach, where English often acts as the donor language (the fulcrum in a lever) and allows through a relatively minimal amount of effort to establish preliminary subjectivity research in a target language.
Key-words: gillnet, side-looking hydroacoustics, comparability of data, Alburnus alburnus, shallow lake We examined whether gillnetting and hydroacoustics provide comparable relative fish density and fish size distribution estimates in the uppermost water layer of a shallow turbid lake and whether the inclusion of environmental and stock parameters could improve comparability of data between different gears. According to gillnetting, most fish shorter than 14 cm in total length were Alburnus alburnus, and most fish longer than 14 cm were Pelecus cultratus. Size distributions and median sizes obtained from gillnetting and acoustics differed. Pure acoustics-derived density estimates accounted for only <8.8% of the variation in the gillnet catch by number and no correlation was found in biomass indices. Most variances observed in the gillnet catch-per-unit-effort data were associated with water transparency, none of the other investigated variables had significant explanatory power. We conclude that the feasibility of establishing a powerful model describing the relationship between fish density estimates of gillnetting and acoustics is low in shallow and turbid habitats, and it might be successful only if the crucial sampling and environmental parameters affecting catch efficiency of gillnets and post-processing of acoustic data are considered. This study cautions again that gillnetting should be used carefully to analyse trends of fish abundance.
This research work evaluates the  performance of Re-UCP model and compares the results with the UCP and e-UCP  method of software effort estimation. In this research work, an attempt has  been made to highlight the accuracy of results by using MRE (Magnitude of  Relative Error), MMRE (Mean Magnitude Relative Error), MdMRE (Median of  Magnitude Relative Error) tools to check the error rate and PRED (20) and PRED  (10) method to find out the predictability of accuracy of Re-UCP software  effort estimation method. The observations made from the results are based on  the comparison of Re-UCP, e-UCP and UCP models of software effort estimation.
In order to reduce the complexity of algorithms and enhance the efficiency of TPR-tree,an improved node-split algorithm and a distance-based structure adjusting policy are proposed.The definite integral of perimeter for TPBR(time-parameterized bounding rectangle) within a period of time is considered as penalty metrics in the improved algorithm,which also decides a split axis as the one with the smallest projection definite integral value.The distance-based structure adjusting policy makes slow the expand speed of TPBRs by deleting the records of objects that move too far.The experimental comparison shows that the complexity of improved node-split al-gorithm is only 12~20% of primary node-split algorithm of TPR-tree,and the TPR-tree used improved node-split algorithm whose query performance is up to 50% better than the primary TPR-tree.Furthermore,the query performance of TPR-tree used distance-based structure adjusting policy can also increase by 10% or so solely.
The utility model discloses a convenient and fast surgical retractor, which belongs to the technical field of medical instruments. The technical scheme adopted by the utility model is that: the retractor comprises a draw arm and a hook body, and is characterized in that: the tail end of the draw arm is provided with a spring; the spring is provided with a sliding chute; and a strip-shaped magnet is arranged on the sliding chute. The retractor has a simple structure and is easy and convenient to operate and is time-saving and labor-saving during operation of a patient; and the working difficulty of medical personnel is relieved.
The invention discloses a method for preparing electrodeposited zinc by ammonia leaching of zinc oxide, and belongs to the field of hydrometallurgy. The method for preparing electrodeposited zinc by ammonia leaching of zinc oxide of the invention comprises ammonia leaching, purification, flash evaporation, acidolysis, and electrodeposition, and particularly comprises the following steps: leaching zinc oxide ore in an ammonium-containing solution for a certain period, filtering to obtain a filtrate, purifying the filtrate to obtain ammonia-leached purified liquid, performing flash evaporation of the ammonia-leached purified liquid for deamination, recovering ammonia gas obtained in the flash evaporation, adding concentrated sulfuric acid and/or sulfur trioxide (SO3) gas into slurry after flash evaporation, performing acidolysis to obtain a ZnSO4 solution, simultaneously volatilizing fluorine and chlorine for removal, cooling the obtained ZnSO4 solution, and performing electrodeposition to obtain electrodeposited zinc. When compared with traditional electrodeposited zinc preparation methods by ammonia leaching of zinc oxide, the method for preparing electrodeposited zinc by ammonia leaching of zinc oxide of the invention comprises the processes of flash evaporation ammonia recovery and acidolysis fluorine and chlorine removal, and avoids the adverse effects of fluorine and chlorine on equipment and the electrodeposition process; the obtained electrodeposited zinc is high in quality; and zinc sheets obtained at a cathode is more compact in structure.
The USAID Population/Family Planning Project for Tunisia was evaluated by a 4-man team from July 21-August 1 1975. The team was to determine the projects status outline a strategy for phasing out USAID support by mid-1977 and set up criteria for further USAID assistance. Tunisian family planning programs historically lacked management/implementation skills. The creation of the Office National du Planning Familial et de la Population (ONPFP) and appointment of President Director General Chekir alleviated many problems mainly by recruiting highly qualified youthful management teams. Program effectiveness depends on the will of the Regional Administrator and varies with individual personalities. Recommendations by the evaluation team include greater use of existing facilities; better dissemination of family planning information; national policy on the role of the nurse/midwide; addition of 2 full-time physicians to ONPFP; update national program goals; adopt community-based distribution system; resolve authority diffusion at local levels; training physicians in mini-laparoscopy technique; evaluations at regular intervals. The success of the Tunisian program is indicated by a marked decrease in birth rate in 1974. Since Tunisia is a model program in the Muslim world it was recommended that USAID continue support until FY 1978.
We show analytically that removing sigmoid transformation in the SGNS objective does not harm the quality of word vectors significantly and at the same time is related to factorizing a binarized PMI matrix which, in turn, can be treated as an adjacency matrix of a certain graph. Empirically, such graph is a complex network, i.e. it has strong clustering and scale-free degree distribution, and is tightly connected with hyperbolic spaces. In short, we show the connection between static word embeddings and hyperbolic spaces through the binarized PMI matrix using analytical and empirical methods.
Plastic fuel tank (1) comprises a noise reduction baffle (6) and a plurality of interference sections (2) for suppressing tank deformation in the case of application of negative pressure to said tank, the interference sections projecting inward in the tank from an upper surface and a lower surface thereof respectively, and being disposed so as to be substantially opposed with a specified interval between them, one of these sections being part of a fixation device (5, 7) which secures the baffle to the tank wall.
The main problems appeared in internal control of public institutions under COSO framework lie in internal environment,risk evaluation,control activity,information and communication,and internal supervision.For public institution to establish and improve internal control system,the urgent affairs are to create intense environment for internal control;to strengthen organization,clarify responsibility,and practice budget management through building effective risk recognition and emergency response systems;to increase control and management on physical entity;to set up transfer passages for internal information,effective supervision mechanism on internal audit,and reasonable evaluation system on internal control.
We evaluated the efficacy and side effects of two-week administration of low-dose "Hachimi-jio-gan (Ba-Wei Di-Huang-Wan)" for 41 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and searched for any predictors of good response to this agent. Although two of the 41 patients could not finish administration due to epigastric discomfort, there were no other side effects. "Hachimi-jio-gan" significantly reduced scores of emptying, weak stream, total score and quality of life score according to the International Prostate Symptom Score, although the degree of reduction was inferior to that induced by tamsulosin administration. "Hachimi-jio-gan" significantly improved max flow rate, and the degree of this improvement was superior to that induced by tamsulosin administration. Approximately 40% of patients were good responders to "Hachimi-jio-gan" therapy. Severe sensation of incomplete emptying was a predictor of good response.
Suitable pricing models for Internet services represent one of the main prerequisites for a successfully running implementation of a charging and accounting tool. This report starts introducing a couple of general aspects influencing the choice of a pricing model and presents a survey about the relevant approaches to be found in the scientific literature. The following section allows insight into the issue from an ISP point of view and discusses possibilities as well as problems in a more practical context. A short summary concludes the report. Pricing Models for Internet Services 2 Peter Reichl, Burkhard Stiller, Simon Leinen
Generally levee or revetment becomes weak by erosion (scour) due to saturation of ground with infiltration, flowing water. So when levee or revetment is constructed, slope reinforcement must be installed to prevent failure. In this study experimental test was performed for verifying shear resistance, horizontal permeability and rooting ability of Geocomb designed to address the shortcomings of 3-dimension Geocell. Geocomb is one of geosynthetics and the advanced system of geogrid. According to the results of shear test, internal friction angle of reinforced ground with Geocomb was increasing compared with existing material and horizontal permeability of ground with Geocomb was bigger than geocell, porous geocell reinforcing ground. Lastly rooting ability of geocomb is most excellent. These results determined for the inner surface of the cell is net structure.
John Colvin's career as one of Her Majesty's Representatives in Foreign Parts never scaled the greatest heights of the ambassadorial ladder, but it did lead to two unusual postings, which he describes in this book. In 1966 he was sent to Hanoi at a time when the Vietnam War began to assume its full rigour, and his verdict on the American involvement, contrary to the widely-held view, is that they did not leave Indo-China without credit or achievement. His next posting was as Ambassador to the People's Republic of Mongolia. His memories of that remote but lovely country, which dwell as much upon topographical as political aspects, provide an insight into life in what was then a Russian satellite state, far removed from the centre of world affairs.
Abstract : A dynamic data construct built on the basis of a snap-card paradigm is designed to meet the needs of information empowerment, formation flexibility, and representation versatility for rapid interchange and effective integration of information in complex environment. It facilitates the prompt reporting, gathering, tracking, and analysis of information from wide spread of heterogeneous resources, and effective decision making and event responses. The construct is especially designed to operate in wireless communication environment where the data amount contained in the transmission must be tightly packed. The technique is suitable for applications particularly in C2 situation awareness of battle space and security surveillances of airports, military installations, and occasions of large public events.
ABSTRACTThe streetscape consists of two main components which are hardscape and softscape elements.One of the hardscape elements that can be used in streetscape is statue. The right placement of thestatue in streetscapee arrangement will be able to give the street character. Statue can also be alandmark that becomes the identity of the street so that it gives the impression for street users. Oneof the areas in Indonesia that has streetscape with the use of a statue in it is the Bali Province. Asthe symbol of Indonesian tourism, Bali has natural beauty and cultural arts attractions supplies.The statues used in Bali’s streetscape represent the embodiment of artistic and cultural expressionas well as the Hindu religion which is the main belief in Bali Province. The objective of thisresearch is to analyse the use of some statues in Bali’s streetscapes. This research uses case studymethod and significant values analysis. The location of this research are Denpasar City, BadungRegency, and Gianyar Regency. It can be found that the significant values of those statues thatexist in streetscapes are cultural, science, and religion value.
1 Центральный сибирский ботанический сад СО РАН, ул. Золотодолинская, 101, Новосибирск, 630090, Россия; Новосибирский государственный университет, ул. Пирогова, 2, Новосибирск, 630090, Россия 1 Central Siberian Botanical Garden, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Zolotodolinakaya str., 101, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia; Novosibirsk State University, Pirogov Str., 2, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia. E-mail: romanov_r_e@ngs.ru
Pharmaceuticals and chemicals are finding their way into drinking water by means of household and industrial sewage. This study explores the effects of two common pharmaceuticals—tetracycline and ibuprofen—on the growth of Common Duckweed, Lemna minor. The number of duckweed per test tube for each treatment was compared after 37 days. Tetracycline was not found to effect clonal growth of duckweed. There was significant difference in duckweed count between the ibuprofen treatment and the control treatment with ibuprofen inhibiting the growth of the duckweed. It is possible that the tetracycline prevented the protein synthesis of harmful bacteria growing with the duckweed, hence promoting duckweed growth. Ibuprofen has thoroughly been shown to restrain reproduction in aquatic mammals, but further studies are needed to investigate the reasons for its growth-inhibitory effects on aquatic plants.
The dates about content of microelements in a whole blood and hairs of pre-school children of Khabarovsk regions are granted, a disbalans in content of microelements revealed, the dependence of microelemental content from the region of statement and condition of health is shown. There is also shown a possibility of application of Neutrophyle's Damaje Index to reveal a hight-ended sensivity for metals.
The invention discloses an ultrasonic cutting sound spindle comprehensive performance test analysis system which comprises a vertical servo motor, an ultrasonic cutting sound spindle, a rotating servo rotary platform, a radial servo sliding platform, a variable damper and a test analysis industrial control host. A cutting tool is installed on the ultrasonic cutting sound spindle, an infrared thermography probe is fixed on the radial servo sliding platform, the infrared thermography probe is connected with the industrial control host through an infrared thermography controller, a laser displacement probe is installed on the rotating servo rotary platform, and the laser displacement probe is connected with the test analysis industrial control host through a controller of a high-speed laser displacement sensor. The ultrasonic cutting sound spindle is connected with a numerical control ultrasonic generator and an impedance analyzer through a single-pole double-throw switch, and the numerical control ultrasonic generator and the impedance analyzer are both connected with the test analysis industrial control host. The vertical servo motor, the radial servo sliding platform and the rotating servo rotary platform are connected with a servo motion control card respectively through Z-shaft servo driving, radial servo driving and rotary servo driving, and the servo motion control card is arranged in the industrial control host.
Shift control apparatus for an automatic transmission, when the inertia phase is generated in the replacement shift, without excessive development step, a step of adaptation, can effectively reduce the vibration occurring in the region at the end of the inertia phase. The automatic transmission shift control apparatus comprising: a shift control mechanism, which releases the first friction coupling element and second friction coupling element and coupled to other gear shifting; inertia phase control mechanism, which is generated in the inertia phase shifting when replacing when the detected gear position to another gear ratio reaches the inertia phase represents the gear ratio is set near the end of the front region, command hydraulic pressure (P) supplied to the second frictional engagement element is temporarily lowered, wherein the inertia phase control means having a finish pressure control section (step S62 ~ step S68), based on the amount of decline in the front region near the end of the inertia phase, at predetermined time intervals detected gear ratio (the GR), the command hydraulic pressure is set at predetermined intervals (P), , and the command hydraulic pressure (P) is gradually decreased.
PURPOSE Previous results suggest that apoptosis is involved in the pathogenesis of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) retinitis. To explore the mechanism underlying retinal apoptosis in MCMV retinitis, this study was initiated to determine whether the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)1-TNF pathway is involved in apoptosis during MCMV retinitis.   METHODS The left eyes of nonimmunosuppressed (non-IS) BALB/c mice, immunosuppressed (IS) BALB/c mice, TNFR1(-/-) C57BL/6 mice, and wild-type C57BL/6 mice were inoculated with MCMV k181 by way of the supraciliary route. On postinoculation days 3, 7, and 10, injected eyes of non-IS control and IS experimental mice were removed for RT-PCR for TNF-alpha and TNFR1. Protein expression of TNF-alpha, caspase-8, and caspase-3 was determined by staining frozen sections and performing Western blot analysis and quantitative ELISA. Apoptotic cells were identified by TUNEL labeling.   RESULTS In IS BALB/c mice, TNF-alpha mRNA and protein were detected in MCMV-infected eyes throughout the infection. Activation of caspase-3 and caspase-8 was observed. Most of the TNF-alpha-expressing cells were MCMV-infected RPE cells or macrophages derived from RPE cells. TNF-alpha was observed in the area of apoptotic retinal cells, and the level of this cytokine corresponded to the extent of the retinal abnormality and to the number of apoptotic cells. In non-IS MCMV-infected BALB/c mice, TNF-alpha was expressed early in the retinas of MCMV-infected eyes, but its expression was decreased thereafter. TNFR1 mRNA was increased in IS and non-IS BALB/c after MCMV infection. More apoptotic cells were observed in the retinas of non-IS MCMV-infected wild-type C57BL/6 mice than in the retinas of non-IS TNFR(-/-) mice.   CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the TNFR1-TNF pathway is involved in the induction of apoptosis and the exacerbation of retinal abnormality during MCMV retinitis. Furthermore, because TNF-alpha and TNFR1 were present in IS and non-IS mice, TNF-alpha-induced retinal apoptosis during MCMV infection is not T-cell dependent.
The present invention relates to a package and packaging method of the MEMS or MEMS device. More specifically, it relates to, a cylindrical structure and a method for thin film MEMS or MEMS element and package them with containing nanopores formed in between the columnar structures. A thin film containing nano-pores formed between a cylindrical structure and the columnar structures to a MEMS or a method of packaging a MEMS device includes the steps of: such that the device cover on the substrate is element formed form the sacrificial layer, the sacrificial layer according to the invention forming, foil patterning the support layer to form a support layer on the film, and the exposed part of the thin film, the method comprising: through a nanopore formed in the thin film portion is exposed to form a cavity within the thin film and the supporting layer to remove the sacrificial layer, and forming a shielding layer on the thin film and the support layer. According to the packaging method of the MEMS or MEMS device of the present invention, the sacrifice without any of the etching hole formation process for the removal layer, the sacrificial during the packaging process of the MEMS or MEMS devices by using a nanopore between the columnar structures are generated during film deposition it is possible to shorten the time layer is removed. In addition, it is possible to minimize the physical and chemical damage to the MEMS or MEMS element arising from the sacrificial layer removing process. Packaging, a physical vapor deposition method, nanoporous, nanowires, hydrophobic
6 Abbreviations 7 List of papers 8 Summary of papers 9 Aim of this thesis 12 Popularvetenskaplig sammanfattning pa svenska 13 Introduction 14 History. 14 Taxonomy and classification 15 Tropism 15 Disease 17 Biology 18 The viral genome 18 Transcription and replication 19 The viral proteins 21 The structure proteins L1 and L2 21 The replication proteins E1 and E2 23 The E4 and E5 proteins 24 The oncoproteins E6 and E7 24 Life cycle 26 Artificial HPV 27 Virus binding to cell surface 29 Heparan sulfate 29 Syndecans 30
The invention discloses a safety protection system, which comprises a vulnerability identification device and a vulnerability protection device, wherein the vulnerability identification device is used for collecting the patch file information, identifies the vulnerability of restoring objects corresponding to the patch file information and is also used for generating the vulnerability protection information according to the vulnerability, the vulnerability protection device is used for protecting the vulnerability of the restoring objects corresponding to the patch file information according to the vulnerability protection information. The invention also discloses a safety protection method. The system and the method provided by the invention have the advantages that the effective protection can be actively and timely provided for computers of users, and the virus in the computers is prevented from being illegally used.
The Western Kentucky Parkway is a toll facility extending 127.943 miles from Princeton to Elizabethtown. The route generally parallels US 62 and lies to the north of US 62 from Princeton to Central City. At this point the Parkway crosses US 62 and lies to the south from there to Elizabethtown. The western terminus of the Parkway is at KY 278 ap.proximately two miles west of Princeton. The eastern terminus is at Interstate 65 near the junction of Interstate 65 and the Kentucky Turnpike. While the Western Kentucky Parkway lies in only two physiographic regions, the Mississippian Plateau and the Western Coal Field-highly varied topography was encountered. Near Princeton, the Mississippian Plateau is gent· ly rolling to rolling with large sinkholes and caves occurring in the valley bottoms in the St. Louis and Renalt Limestones. The soil is relatively deep on the uplands, consisting of clay and loam and little rock was encountered in roadway .cuts. The majority of rock encountered was of a boulder formation. The plateau rises sharply east of Princeton and here shale and sandstone predominated, interbedded with some limestone. The soils tended to heavier clays in this area and were relatively thin. The surface drainage here was well defined and there were no apparent sinkholes although some cavities of a minor nature were encountered which evidently had occurred as a result of subsurface water eroding seams of clay interspersed with tl1e shale and limestone. From here the Parkway enters the Western Kentucky Coal Field which is a topo· graphic, as well as a structural basin, and is a region of the Pennsylvania Out· crop . In this area shale and sandstone of the Tradewater Group predominated with the shale ranging from blue to black and varying greatly in character from a reasonably sound, hard rock to soapstone and mudstone. Some of the shale was soft enough to be broken down to soil during the process of excavating, handling ' and compacting. The sandstone also covers a broad range and most of the sand· stone encountered was also soft enough to break down into sand. In most cases, tl1e shale and sandstone was embedded in seams of moderate depth, although some massive sandstone was encountered. As a result of the fact that much of the shale and sandstone was soft enough to break down into soil and sand during the proc· ess of excavating, handling and compacting, it was necessary to maintain a con· stant vigil of balance since the plans were in some cases prepared on the basis of an assumed swell factor, whereas, the actual swell factor was much lower than the assumed factor. Soils were relatively thin in the uplands and consisted of clay to loam often over· lying sand. The major stream valleys contain deep alluvial deposits and are poor·
Casters (25) for stroller plan for supporting the full size 12, the caster holder 30, the caster holder 30, the caster bearing member 36 is provided, at the bottom of the mounting of the stroller 10, the aerial ( and 32a) the caster column 32 having, has a sliding and rotating and possibly mounted, the front wheels (the caster bearing member (36 a supporting shaft 35)) to one side with respect to the caster column 32. And, becomes inclined toward the circumferential direction on the downstream side (32d) of the caster column 32, the flange shape (32a) upper surface and a flange shape (32a) the caster bearing member 36 opposing to the upper surface of the side taper engaged with each other (32b, 36c) are provided, respectively. Caster holder 30 and the flange shape spring 37 for pressing the (32a) direction of the caster bearing member 36, the caster column 32 to the caster bearing member in between are provided. Caster holder and the caster bearing member, the caster column, the flange shape
A method has been described for labeling of oligosaccharides, isolated from partial hydrolysates of Type III pneumococcal polysaccharide, by reduction of the terminal hexose units with tritiated borohydride. Interactions of rabbit anti-S3 antibody and its purified Fab fragments, with purified, labeled and reduced hexasaccharides, (T)3A6 and (T)3D6, derived respectively from S3 by acid and by enzymatic hydrolysis, were studied by equilibrium dialysis. Homogeneous binding was observed in each case with association constants exceeding 105 L/mol. Removal of the Fc fragment followed by reduction and alkylation to 3.6 S fragments did not significantly alter the magnitude of the association constants.
This report examines some of the detailed structure of magnetogasdynamic flows encountered in pulsed magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) generators. Two illustrations of magnetogasdynamic nonuniformities are considered. The first is for conventional explosive-driven MHD generators. Here we reveal the detailed structure of the deceleration of the conducting slug formed by the compression of plasma between the explosive-driven shock wave and its following contact surface. The second illustration is for steady high Magnetic Reynolds Number channel flows. Here we exhibit the nonuniform manner in which the external magnetic field is diffused into the plasma and the corresponding nonuniform deceleration of the flow.
O artigo relata um estudo de caso com dois sujeitos do projeto de Pesquisa Cor@gem, que se realiza na Pediatria do Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre-RS (HCPA). Apresenta-se como um projeto cientifico, mas se caracteriza como um projeto de afeto e de emocao. Relata a apropriacao de ferramentas tecnologicas com doentes cronicos com fibrose cistica (FC). Desenvolve-se com base na epistemologia vygotskyana, com uso das ICTs, que permite estabelecer um vinculo entre os sujeitos. A relevância deste trabalho e a oportunidade de o sujeito se tornar ativo, participante, criativo, interativo, retomando “as redeas de sua vida”, em vez de ser passivo pela condicao da doenca cronica e da situacao de isolamento. Palavras-chave Tecnologias de informacao e de comunicacao. Pessoas com necessidades educacionais especiais. Fibrose cistica. Cor@gem Project: the access and use of the TICs between hospitalized patients and interaction in virtual environment of learning Abstract This article presents a study of case with two subjects: a Research Project called “Cor@gem”, which takes place in the Pediatric Nursery at the Hospital de Clinicas in Porto Alegre-RS (HCPA). A scientific project is presented, characterized as a project of love and emotion. The appropriate technological tools are used with chronic Cystic Fibrosis patients in the Pediatrics of the HCPA-RS. The development of the project is based on the vygotskyan epistemology, through the use of TICs which allows to establish a link among the subjects. epistemology using a computer learning program which leads to a connection between the two of them. The relevancy of this work is the opportunity given to the subjects to be an active, participative, creative and interactive person being able to get back the direction of his own life, otherwise having a passive and isolated attitude to the situation and condition of that severe infirmity. Keywords Information and communication technologies. People with educational necessities special. Cystic fibrosis.
Certain plastic film materials can be used as sensitive tactile and impact sensors covering large surfaces. In surveillance and health care applications they can sense movement, activity or some physiological parameters. Various available film materials and their operational principles are reviewed. Comparison has been made between piezoelectric polymer film, thin porous electret material, and soft capacitive film materials in their sensing capabilities. Generation of the signal and measurement instrumentation for different sensor configurations is discussed. The structure and properties of a voided polypropylene film material and some applications and measurement results are presented. It can be shown that especially in large area applications the electret type porous films show several benefits when compared with the other solutions.
It has been proposed in the literature that generic qualitative inquiry is an easier approach to a qualitative research project and maybe suitable for qualitative student dissertations (McLeod, 2001). Although McLeod (2001) underlined reasons for his argument of facility, such as flexibility and no requirement of expertise in a particular approach, generic qualitative inquiry is anything but uncomplicated (Caelli, Ray, & Mill, 2003). Generic qualitative inquiry, by virtue of its lack of allegiance to a particular methodology, may leave the novice researcher without a clear starting point. The lack of academic literature on generic qualitative inquiry, and more importantly the lack of a standard analysis boilerplate, was the impetus for this article. The five qualitative research traditions as defined by Creswell (2009) are (a) ethnography, (b) grounded theory, (c) case study, (d) phenomenology, and (e) narrative. Each of these five traditions adhere to a specific methodology and each methodology is based upon the researcher's world view; how the researcher defines his ontology, epistemology and axiology. As Creswell (2009) suggested each particular methodology, from positivism to phenomenology, are merely points in a continuum of knowing. Where then does generic qualitative inquiry, which espouses no particular view on the creation of knowledge or the existence of truth, fall in that continuum? This article explores the role of generic qualitative inquiry in the research continuum and suggests a meaningful way to approach and analyze data generated from the generic qualitative approach. The Five Research Traditions Merriam (2009) asserts that qualitative researchers are primarily interested in "understanding how people interpret their experiences, how they construct their world and what meaning they attribute to their experiences" (p. 5). Merriam also stated that, in essence, every qualitative study starts as a basic generic qualitative inquiry and that the chosen methodology (informed by a theoretical framework) is merely an additional "dimension" to the understanding of an experience and its construction. Therefore, to better understand what generic qualitative inquiry is, perhaps the best place to start is defining what it is not. The five recognized qualitative approaches are: ethnography, grounded theory, case study, phenomenology and narrative research. Percy, Kostere, and Kostere (2015) offered a simplified definition of four methodologies and their different end goals: Ethnography--an investigation of the social-cultural experience within a network or social group. Case Study--an investigation of a singular case or bounded system using multiple sources of data and multiple methods of collection. Grounded Theory--an inquiry used to generate data to develop an explanation or theory of a process developed over time. Phenomenology--an investigation of the lived experiences (cognitive processes) of some phenomena; a focus on the internal context not the external content of those experiencing the phenomena (pp. 76-77). Finally, narrative research--an inquiry to discover the personal life stories of an individual or group combined with the researcher's perspective in a collaborative and narrative chronology (Creswell, 2009). Generic Qualitative Inquiry Defined Percy et al. (2015), then offered this definition of a generic qualitative inquiry: "Generic qualitative inquiry investigates people's reports of their subjective opinions, attitudes, beliefs, or reflections on their experiences, of things in the outer world" (p. 78). This definition offers clues into the appropriate use of a generic qualitative inquiry: (a) the research centers on subjective opinion (how the participant made sense of this particular experience) and (b) the focus of the research is external. Worthington (n.d.) posited that generic qualitative inquiry must be about more than opinions, beliefs and attitudes as those can be measured in a quantitative study. …
The utility model relates to a fuel system of an internal combustion locomotive. The fuel system comprises a diesel engine, a fuel tank, a fuel pump, a fuel filter and a pressure regulation device, wherein the fuel tank is connected with an oil inlet of the diesel engine by virtue of a main oil inlet pipeline, an oil outlet of the diesel engine is connected with the fuel tank by virtue of a main oil return pipeline, and the fuel system also comprises a bypass valve and a fuel preheater, the main oil inlet pipeline is sequentially connected with the fuel tank, the fuel filter, the fuel pump, the bypass valve, the pressure regulation device and the diesel engine oil inlet, and an outlet of the bypass valve is connected with the fuel preheater by virtue of an auxiliary oil return pipeline. The fuel system is simultaneously provided with a bypass oil circuit and a pressure regulation oil circuit, and the primary regulation and fine regulation of the oil pressure in the system can be realized by virtue of the bypass oil circuit and the pressure regulation oil circuit, so that the oil pressure of the system is more precise to control, and the operation reliability of the diesel engine can be guaranteed.
Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value and limitations of ampullary obstruction disease with MRCP.Methods:Collected the MRCP and ERCP data in 134 cases of ampullary obstruction diseases, which were confirmed by operation and(or) ERCP pathology,and divided into calculus inflammation group,malignant tumor group and peripapillary diverticulum group,and comparative analyzed.Results:134 cases of ampullary obstruction diseases find 165 causes.The two kinds methods of MRCP and ERCP showed total diagnostic accuracy rate of 79.4% and 95.2%.Calculus and inflammation in the distal common bile duct in 112 cases,diagnostic accuracy rates were 96.4% and 98.2%;ampullary malignant tumor in 31 cases,diagnostic accuracy rates were 58.1% and 80.6%;peripapillary duodenal diverticulum and papilla in diverticula in 22 cases,diagnostic accuracy rates were 22.7% and 100%.Conclusion:MRCP is a noninvasive examination,can be the first choice as a diagnosis method for ampullary obstruction disease,ERCP can look directly at the ampulla region and treatment or biopsy with using endoscopy at the same time.Combination of the two methods can promote the diagnostic accuracy rate for ampulla obstruction disease.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive imaging technique of nuclear medicine that permits to delineate the temporal and spatial distribution of PET tracers on tomographic images. When compared to other imaging techniques commonly used in nuclear medicine such as SPECT imaging (Single Photon Emission Tomography), PET offers several advantages: 1. PET isotopes are available for the basic elements of organic chemistry such as nitrogen, carbon, or oxygen, so that physiologic tracer substances can be synthesized to study perfusion and metabolism. 2. The use of coincidence electronics for the detection of radiation leads to electronic collimation and results in high image resolution. 3. Photon attenuation is corrected individually for each patient using transmission images, so that quantitative measurements can be obtained. When compared to other imaging modalities used in cardiology, PET uniquely offers the capability to measure noninvasively and quantitatively regional myocardial perfusion (ml/g/min) and different metabolic glucose utilisation (mumol/min/g). Clinical applications of PET include the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and the assessment of myocardial viability after ischemic tissue injury. Particularly for patients with reduced left ventricular function or with regional wall motion abnormalities, PET can be considered the standard method for patient selection and risk stratification with respect to revascularisation procedures. The identification of persistent glucose utilisation in ischemically injured myocardial tissue accurately discerns myocardium with potentially reversible dysfunction from scar tissue with irreversible tissue injury.
We revisit the procedure of deformation of C*-algebras via coactions and extend the methods to cover deformations for maximal, reduced, and exotic coactions for a given group $G$ and circle-valued Borel $2$-cocycles on $G$. Our deformation method substantially differs from -- but turns out to be equivalent to -- the ones used by previous authors, specially those given by Bhowmick, Neshveyev, and Sangha in [6] that only consider the case of reduced (or normal) coactions. Our approach yields all expected results, like a good behaviour of deformations under nuclearity, continuity of fields of C*-algebras and K-theory invariance under mild conditions.
Surface tension effects can dominate multi-phase flows when the length scales of the problem are small. The resulting Capillary forces at a phase interface between two immiscible fluids are proportional to the local curvature of the flow and try to minimize the interfacial area. A more complex situation occurs when three phases are in contact or when two phases are in contact with a wall. The simulation of the contact line at a wall is still a challenging task since the motion of the contact line is contradictory to the no-slip assumption at walls. In this work we present a multi-phase SPH method considering surface tension effects that is capable of simulating contact line problems. Based on previous works [4] we revisit our finite-width interface model and introduce a new stress boundary condition at the wall.
The crowding out of talents in organizations is a prevalent phenomenon. Usually the direct superior tends to crowd out subordinates in hierarchical organizations. Such a seemingly paradox phenomenon is rooted in "relative incompetence". Psychologically,it is driven by the desire to monopolize power and reputation and the main motive is to struggle for personal economic gains. Our study shows that the crowding out of talents is subject to the superior's estimated probability of being replaced by the capable subordinates,the potential income change,and the cost of crowding out as well as the intensity of jealousness and the awareness of equality.
Abstract : A major objective of Army technology is the development of lighter and stronger platforms such as armored vehicles for Future Combat systems and Future Force. Here we show that carbon nanotubes could be the basis of such a possibility. It is shown for the first time that a carbon nanotube-iron composite, iron being the principle component of steel, has significantly enhanced mechanical strength. The major challenge has been to develop methods to incorporate single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) into metals. Here we report the first successful fabrication of a metal-SWNT composite having significantly enhanced yield strength. A direct and controllable method of incorporating SWNTS into iron, the principal component of steel, has been developed.
In this paper,the vertical axis is treated as one of the principal axes of the two dimensional, symmetric, anisotropic media ,in which the structure strike is an arbitrary included angle with respect to another principal axis. In this condition , the entire region is divided into rectangular elements.For the basic equations of the two dimensional anisotropic media,a total stiffness matrix is composed reasonably, so the coupled finite element equations can be formed byusing Galerkin's finite element method.By solving these equations for the fieldcomponents at each node and on the basis of MOM method ,author evaluates the auxiliary field components on the earth's surface and obtains MT responses such as tensor impedances and so on. In addition, a numerical calculation test for the model which was used in the related reference is carried out.
This paper presents a preliminary study of the characteristics of breathing-resets when reading literature.The breathing signals were recorded by an EMG and a respiration sensor to detect the duration and amplitude of breathing-resets.Analysis on the frequency distributions of the durations and amplitudes of the breathing-resets shows that the breathing rhythm varies according to the type of literature.Fluent speech can be divided into two types of breathing-resets when reading verse and three types when reading prose.The durations and amplitudes of the breathing-resets are shown to be highly-correlated with the amplitude being more useful for indicating the type of literature and the type of breathing-reset.
A nonfreezing agent prevents initial frost damage by simplified curing and also promotes early strength development. In general, a nitrite-based accelerator is used as the main component of this nonfreezing agent. When a large proportion of a conventional accelerator is used, the slump loss increases because the setting and hardening processes are strongly enhanced. In addition, these conventional accelerators may not be sufficiently effective at temperatures of -10 °C or less. Therefore, the fresh properties and strength development of cement mortars when using a nitrite-based accelerator and chemical admixtures in a low-temperature environment are examined. The objective is to develop a high-performance nonfreezing agent. This paper presents the contributions of the nitrite-based accelerator and two types of high-range water-reducing agents, used in combination. From the investigation, it was confirmed that the change in the mortar flow can be suppressed by combining two types of high-range water-reducing agents with a nitrite-based accelerator, even after the passage of 60 min after mixing. Furthermore, the mix was found to contribute to not only the initial strength but also toward maintaining the good strength for a longer time.
A method for estimating the flow duration curve (FDC) in an ungauged basin (i.e. regionalization of FDCs) is developed. An FDC can be described by the mean value and the coefficient of variation either in terms of empirically determined regional FDCs or as fitted theoretical regional curves. The development of these two first order moments of the FDC along the river network and with the spatial scale, i.e. the basin area, is analysed and a scheme for their interpolation along the river network is elaborated. Daily runoff data records from Costa Rica are used to demonstrate the findings. The estimation errors are highest in relative terms (∼30%) for the durations longer than 85%, somewhat smaller for durations less than 20% (-10%) and small for central parts of the FDC (∼8%). Differences between the empirical and theoretical curves are minor, although the latter give systematically better results especially in central parts of the FDC.
Objective This study is designed to investigate bacterial resistance and the prevalence of serotype of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Methods Sensitivity to penicillin, cefotaxime, erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, ofloxacin, Rifampin, vancomycin and trimethoprim-sulfamiethoxazole was determined by K-B and E-test methods according to NCCLS. Serotyping of the Streptococcus Pneumoniae strains was performed by using Quelling Reaction. Result Resistance of 266 species Streptococcus Pneumoniae were as follows: Penicillin, 26.7 %(22.9% intermediate; 3.8% resistant); erythromycin, 65.4%; tetracycline, 51.7%; chloramphenicol, 45.8%; clindamycin, 53.0%; cefotaxime, 5.0%; Rifampin, 36.5%; ofloxacin, 1.5%; vancomycin, 0% and trimethoprim-sulfamiethoxazole, 66.5%. Serotype 23 F ( 13.2% ),6 A (12.4%),19 F (10.9%),6 B (7.1%),14 (6.4%),15 B (5.3%),NT(5.3%),19 A (3.0%),22 F (2.3%) were most common. Conclusion These data show that carriage of antibiotic-resistant pneumococcal is high in Zhongshan city. Erythromycin, Tetracycline, Chloramphenicol, Clindamycin and Trimethoprim-sulfamiethoxazole resistance was very common. All strains were susceptible to Vancomycin. This study showed that Pneumococcal Vaccine Polyvalent did cover the majority of strains isolated.
Dielectric as well as mechanical properties of blends prepared by acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber with waste poly(vinyl chloride) (NBR/wPVC) were studied. The compatibility was investigated by the dielectric method and confirmed by means of the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that such blends are incompatible. To overcome the problem of phase separation 4 phr of maleic anhydride was added as a compatibilizer. It was found that the sample containing 20 phr wPVC possesses the most suitable electrical as well as mechanical properties. For such reason this sample was chosen to study the effect of addition of calcium carbonate CaCO 3 and HAF black in increasing quantities on the dielectric as well as the mechanical properties.
Residual Postsurgical Back Pain (RPP) is a complex problem, involving considerable etiologic and diagnostic confusion. About two-thirds of all patients enrolled in chronic pain centers in the United States suffer from RPP. More than 50 billion dollars are spent on the diagnosis and treatment of back pain in this country. In most cases, the etiology of the patient's complaints is multifactorial. Treatment is difficult and frequently involves surgical as well as non-surgical modalities. Surgical treatment is of value in a carefully selected group of patients, either those in whom the original procedure failed to correct the underlying abnormality or those who show evidence of compression of neural elements, or instability of vertebral column. Because extensive co-morbidity is often present, discrete operative intervention may not fully arrest the compete etiology of the patient's distress, and, indeed; may sometimes worsen the patient's complaints. Possible coexisting problems like degenerative disease or depression should be addressed in all patients prior to surgical intervention, so that the corrected variable is the preponderant cause of the patient's difficulty.
The invention discloses a Fourier transform infrared spectrum distortion identifying and processing method. Aiming at the problem of spectrum distortion existed in a gas Fourier transform infrared spectrum online analysis process, the method comprises the following steps of: aiming at a specific application situation, determining possible components in the gas to be analyzed, searching spectral lines nearly insensitive to all the components in the whole spectrum wave number range according to the sample gas spectrum of the gas components, and correcting base line rule distortion in the real spectrum by adopting a spectrogram sectioned rotation and translation method according to the spectrum values of the spectral lines; performing gas concentration quantitative analysis by using the corrected spectrum, and performing spectrum reconstruction to the analysis result; and judging whether the spectrum has local irregular distortion according to the difference between the reconstructed spectrum and the actual spectrum, if so, abandoning the analysis result, and if the local irregular distortion is continuously caused, rescanning the background to eliminate the deviation of the spectrum distortion.
Over a period of 3 months weekly intraarticular injections of fenbufen into the knee joint of hens did not induce any significant degenerative alterations of the articular cartilage. Experimental osteoarthrosis biochemically induced by iodoacetate in the knee joint of our laboratory animals was not enhanced by weekly intraarticular applications of fenbufen or its metabolite biphenyl-acetic acid. Joint space measurements as well as other radiological and macroscopical examinations of the knee joints confirmed that fenbufen and biphenyl-acetic acid had no negative influence on articular cartilage. In this respect these antiphlogistic agents differ from many other antiinflammatory drugs and may be particularly useful in the treatment of inflammatory phases of osteoarthrosis.
The control of the ultracold collisions between neutral atoms is an extensive and successful field of study. The tools developed allow for ultracold chemical reactions to be managed using magnetic fields, light fields and spin-state manipulation of the colliding particles among other methods. The control of chemical reactions in ultracold atom-ion collisions is a young and growing field of research. Recently, the collision energy and the ion electronic state were used to control atom-ion interactions. Here, we demonstrate spin-controlled atom-ion inelastic processes. In our experiment, both spin-exchange and charge-exchange reactions are controlled in an ultracold Rb-Sr$^+$ mixture by the atomic spin state. We prepare a cloud of atoms in a single hyperfine spin-state. Spin-exchange collisions between atoms and ion subsequently polarize the ion spin. Electron transfer is only allowed for (RbSr)$^+$ colliding in the singlet manifold. Initializing the atoms in various spin states affects the overlap of the collision wavefunction with the singlet molecular manifold and therefore also the reaction rate. We experimentally show that by preparing the atoms in different spin states one can vary the charge-exchange rate in agreement with theoretical predictions.
The NASA Integrated Medical Model (IMM) assesses the risk, including likelihood and impact of occurrence, of all credible in-flight medical conditions. Fatigue due to sleep disruption is a condition that could lead to operational errors, potentially resulting in loss of mission or crew. Pharmacological consumables are mitigation strategies used to manage the risks associated with sleep deficits. The likelihood of medical intervention due to sleep disruption was estimated with a well validated sleep model and a Monte Carlo computer simulation in an effort to optimize the quantity of consumables. METHODS: The key components of the model are the mission parameter program, the calculation of sleep intensity and the diagnosis and decision module. The mission parameter program was used to create simulated daily sleep/wake schedules for an ISS increment. The hypothetical schedules included critical events such as dockings and extravehicular activities and included actual sleep time and sleep quality. The schedules were used as inputs to the Sleep, Activity, Fatigue and Task Effectiveness (SAFTE) Model (IBR Inc., Baltimore MD), which calculated sleep intensity. Sleep data from an ISS study was used to relate calculated sleep intensity to the probability of sleep medication use, using a generalized linear model for binomial regression. A human yes/no decision process using a binomial random number was also factored into sleep medication use probability. RESULTS: These probability calculations were repeated 5000 times resulting in an estimate of the most likely amount of sleep aids used during an ISS mission and a 95% confidence interval. CONCLUSIONS: These results were transferred to the parent IMM for further weighting and integration with other medical conditions, to help inform operational decisions. This model is a potential planning tool for ensuring adequate sleep during sleep disrupted periods of a mission.
Abstrcat Structuring conciliation system is the important aspect to alleviate lawsuit justice and efficiency nervous relation, realize important, essence of justice. Comparing our country and foreign conciliation system, we can find our country's conciliation stipulations become simple, relatively at will in operating, so that to bring the inconvenience to the supervision of the behavior and remedying. For this reason, it is a kind of better way to solve justice and tense relation of efficiency of civil action from inner resource of law.
Eichhornia crassipes leaf fermentation can use for a feedstuffs. This research benefit is give information about of present Eichhornia crassipes leaf fermented by Aspergillus niger in ransom on crude fibre digestibility, organic material and true metabolizable energy at Duck. Research material is Eichhornia crassipes leaf, Aspergillus niger isolate, molasses, 120 Duck age two week and many instrument to use for fermented process. Research is conducted by Randomize Block Design with 3 blocks of body weight and 4 treatment level Eichhornia crassipes in ransom (0%, 7%, 14% and 21%). Indicator observed is consumption ransom, increase body weight, crude fibre digestibility, organic material digestibility and true metabolizable energy. Data were analyzes by analysis of variance and by Duncan Multiple Range Test. This study showed that present Eichhornia crassipes leaf fermented with level 0, 7, 14 and 21 % in ransom has no significant effect on consumption ransom but had significant effect (p<0,05) decrease crude fibre digestibility, organic material, true metabolizable energy and increase body weight. Range is body weight early Duck had no significant effect on crude fiber digestibility but can significant effect (p<0,05) on consumption ransom, organic material digestibility, true metabolizable energy and increase body weight. It could be concluded that present of Eichhornia crassipes leaf fermented by Aspergillus niger at level more than 7% in ransom can not decrease crude fibre digestibility and increase body weight but its can decrease organic material digestibility and true metabolizable energy. Body weight is the bigger can increase consumption ransom and body weight but can decrease organic material digestibility and true metabolizable energy. Keyword : Aspergillus niger leaf fermentation, local duck, digestibility, metabolizable energy
R epublicans control both houses of Congress as well as the presidency. Control means accountability, and large federal budget deficits do not harmonize with the Republican self-image of fiscal prudence. Thus, one of the top agenda items this spring and summer will be how to reduce the federal budget deficit. President Bush and congressional leaders have ruled out tax increases. This leaves only two ways of reducing the deficit: either spending will have to be reduced or we can hope to experience an unexpected boom in economic growth. Basing fiscal policy on hope is not prudent, so most observers think that the president and Congress will try to reduce spending. Agricultural spending is again on the table for budget cuts. Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, says that he will scrutinize farm programs and that " Agricultural entitlements are crying out to be reformed. " Farm groups are working both to forestall cuts to farm programs and to figure out where cuts should be made if they are inevitable. An optimistic way of looking at spending cuts is that they present an opportunity to improve program performance. After all, reducing farm spending will not inevitably harm farmers. For example, land owners will bear the brunt of cuts to commodity programs through a decline in land rents and land prices. Because most farmland is owned by absentee landlords, such cuts will have a smaller impact on farm operators than would seem likely. In addition , smart reforms of farm programs could result in both lower costs and better farm programs. Replacing the marketing loan program with an expanded countercyclical payment program would make U.S. farm programs more compliant with World Trade Organization negotiations and would reduce spending while leaving the U.S. farm safety net largely in place. Another program that is ripe for reform is the U.S. crop insurance program. One simple change would be to eliminate the option whereby farmers can insure against losses on a field-by-field basis. As will be demonstrated , elimination of this option would save taxpayers more than $300 million while having no impact on the ability of the crop insurance program to meet its primary purpose of providing assistance when farm income is low. Before getting into the details of such a crop insurance reform, it is useful to take a brief detour into our federal government's books to …
This article is a technical report on the two different guidance systems based on vector fields that can be found in Paparazzi, a free sw/hw autopilot. Guiding vector fields allow autonomous vehicles to track paths described by the user mathematically. In particular, we allow two descriptions of the path with an implicit or a parametric function. Each description is associated with its corresponding guiding vector field algorithm. The implementations of the two algorithms are light enough to be run in a modern microcontroller. We will cover the basic theory on how they work, how a user can implement its own paths in Paparazzi, how to exploit them to coordinate multiple vehicles, and we finish with some experimental results. Although the presented implementation is focused on fixed-wing aircraft, the guidance is also applicable to other kinds of aerial vehicles such as rotorcraft.
Qi Jiguang is a famous general in the Ming Dynasty.He scored brilliant achievements in war and had great talents in literature and art.Apart from books on the art of war,he left a lot of poems for later generations,mainly included in Zhi Zhi Tang Ji.Qi Jiguang’s poetry gives a vivid portrayal of his military life,with rich contents,sincere feelings,various styles and few restraints,depicting his noble character,heedless of his personal safety and concerned about the safety of the country and people.His poetry also expresses his agony with his lofty aspirations which were hard to realize.His military poetry is sad yet stirring,magnificent and queer in particular.There are two famous books on the art of war,Ji Xiao Xin Shu and Lian Bing Shi Ji.The two unique books are written orally and attached importance to by later generations for their military minds and utility value.
A flat type heat pipe comprising a plate-like sealed casing, the casing is formed in the inner wall of the capillary structure, the working fluid housed in the support structure housed in the housing and within the housing, the support structure comprises a plurality of support posts and at least one metal wire, each support post defines at least one passage through the wire placed within the channel of the support column, and upper and lower end faces of the vertical side wall of the housing abuts the support column. The support structure is located within the plate type heat pipe, the upper and lower inner walls of the support plate type heat pipe, so that the plate type heat pipe compressive, tensile strength, easily deformed, and thus easily damaged during transportation, use and the like having a stable process performance.
The Oxford mobile bearing unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) is a validated, highly successful implant with an excellent ten-year survivorship. From November 2001 to September 2006 three hundred and eighty two patients who had a medial cemented Oxford Unicompartmental knee replacement (Biomet, Bridgend, UK) via a minimally invasive approach were prospectively entered into a database and followed up as per departmental policy in the specialist joint assessment clinic. We have noted a minority of patients have persistent postoperative pain and/or mechanical symptoms resistant to the standard postoperative therapies. We report the outcome of 22 patients who had an arthroscopy for persistent pain and/or mechanical symptoms a median of 15 months (range 4 months – 31 months) following medial unicompartmental knee replacement. The median follow up time following arthroplasty was 38 months (range 16 months – 63 months). Post arthroscopy we divided our study patients into two groups; those who had an improvement in symptoms and those who had none. These groups were then compared, with particular reference to demographics, check radiographs and arthroscopic findings. The results showed that patients with anterior or anteromedial symptoms in whom a medial rim of scar tissue was identified and debrided sixty seven percent had a significantly increased probability of symptomatic improvement (p
In his book entitled On ZHANG Ai-ling's Novels,FU Lei made a comment on ZHANG's novels published between 1943and 1944.He pointed out that,except the novel Jin Suo Ji,ZHANG's novels are flimsy, overdone and narrow in subjects, to which ZHANG rebutted with her book called Articles of Mine.[JP+4]In this book,Zhang set forth her unique literary and aesthetic ideas. Through the comment we know that the conflict between the two masters comes from the differences of their personalities,philosophy and aesthetic standards etc.
Haemoglobin switching in humans provides a unique model for investigating the mechanisms underlying expression of a developmentally regulated gene family. Numerous studies have focused on the switch from fetal to adult (that is, gamma----beta) globin, but little is known about the embryonic----fetal (that is, zeta----alpha and epsilon----gamma) switches, as well as the transition from 'primitive' yolk sac to 'definitive' liver erythropoiesis. Here we have studied the embryonic----fetal haemoglobin switches in yolk sac, liver and circulating blood erythroblasts from 25 embryos and 6 fetuses. Globin synthesis was also evaluated in purified 'primitive' and 'definitive' erythroblasts. Primitive erythroblasts synthesize essentially zeta and epsilon chains at 5 weeks and alpha- and epsilon-globin with a minor aliquot of zeta and gamma chains at 6-7 weeks, whereas definitive erythroblasts produce alpha and epsilon + gamma + beta-globin at 6 weeks but only alpha and gamma + beta chains from 8 weeks onward. In both lineages the zeta----alpha and the epsilon----gamma switches are asynchronous, the former preceding the latter. Furthermore, zeta- and beta-globin synthesis is restricted to primitive and definitive erythroblasts respectively. These findings are discussed in terms of a monoclonal model for haemoglobin switching in early human ontogeny.
The classical Prandtl mechanism could not reflect the effects of inserted depth of wall penetration well and has limitation to reflect the effects of the nonhomogeneity and anisotropy of the clay.An improved analytical formula based on a modified Prandtl mechanism is given,which obeys the upper bound theorem of plastic limit analysis.This formula could reflect the effects of inserted depth of wall penetration well,and the effects of the nonhomogeneity and anisotropy of the clay could also be considered.In the meantime,considering the effects of the nonhomogeneity and anisotropy of the clay,a shear strength reduction finite element method(SSRFEM) is developed through the secondary development of commercialized software.The reasonability and reliability of the proposed modified mechanism and SSRFEM are verified by compared with the multi-block upper bound method.And the formula which is verified by a case study can give proper safety factors considering the influence of inserted depth of wall penetration,nonhomogeneity and anisotropy.Related conclusions can bring references for excavation designs.
Bacillus megaterium is a microorganism from soil, located mainly in rhizosphere, with capacities of biosolubilization of insoluble micronutrients, which are unavailable for plant nutrition. The biosolubilization of iron, manganese, zinc and cooper compounds, which are insoluble forms for plant nutrition, depended on the amount of microorganisms in soil. At the end of the experiment, the accumulation capacity of cell biomass was tested for Bacillus megaterium strain, which was isolated from forest soil, for decreasing the high degree of soil pollution. The quantity of accumulated biomass by Bacillus megaterium also depended on the level of microorganism adaptation to the presence of these metals in environment. Thus, it was demonstrated that an isolated strain from the metal polluted soil, in comparison with Bacillus megaterium isolated from a forest soil, would accumulate a significant superior biomass quantity. REZUMAT - Influenţa micronutrienţilor asupra capacităţii de acumulare a biomasei de către Bacillus megaterium din sol. Bacillus megaterium este un microorganism din sol, localizat in rizosferă, având capacităţi de biosolubilizare a micronutrienţilor insolubili, care nu sunt disponibili pentru nutriţia plantelor. Biosolubilizarea compusilor fierului,
The present invention provides a micro-optic, which is compact and robust, z. B., by having at least one aspherical surface and has a folded beam path, and an enlargement providing of particular> 800th Further, the invention provides a system for positioning a wafer relative to a projection optical system comprising the micro-optics, a in the image plane (B) of the micro-optics can be arranged image sensor (D) for measuring a position of an aerial image of the projection optics and a wafer stage (WST) with an actuator and a controller (S) for positioning the wafer in response to an output signal of the image sensor (D).
Recent research on computer-supported collaborative learning has an emphasis on cognitive factors and experimental studies. However there are contradictory findings and disagreements about the mechanisms underpinning collaborative learning. In this thesis, computer-supported collaborative learning situations are assessed with an emphasis on the affective factors, students' perceptions and aspects of the learning situation that learners themselves find important. Three empirical studies were conducted to highlight some of these factors.The first study investigated 11 individuals and 22 pairs of students in a secondary school using a computer to fill in a worksheet about chemistry. The second study examined 61 psychology undergraduates working collaboratively at a summer school. The third study followed a group of three primary school children working collaboratively on a dynamic document in science. The first study found differences between individuals and pairs in terms of on-task performance but no differences between them in terms of preto post-test gain. It also showed the importance of affective factors to students. The analysis of videotapes showed changes over sessions and developments over time in students' collaborative interactions. The affective findings from the first study were supported by the results of the second study which showed that the majority of students thought that it was more important to get along with their peers than to succeed in the task. In the third study, temporal features of the interaction were analysed in a longer-term collaboration. A number of different methodologies were used in the studies and issues concerning pre- and post-testing and the use of naturalistic and experimental studies are discussed. Time-based analyses are carried out on approximately 26 hours of videotapes of collaborative interactions and these show developments in patterns of interactions. The thesis supports Ames' (1984) view that a moral dimension is important in collaborative learning, with findings showing that the majority of students think that it is more important to get along with their peers than to get the correct answer, with this being particularly pertinent for women. Together these studies show that both the task structure and the way in which collaboration is resourced has an impact on the products, processes and outcomes of collaborative interactions.
Objective:To discuss the safety and feasibility of ex vivo renal revascularization and autotransplantation for renal artery aneurysm with secondary hypertension. Methods:A right renal artery aneurysm(11mm×20mm)with acute hypertension(160/110mmHg) located in the middle of the main renal artery was diagnosed by Renal artery angiography. After aneurysmectomy and temporary nephrectomy,renal revascularization was done with the kidney protected by hypothermia and continuous perfusion with preservation solution,and then the kidney was replanted into the right iliac fossa.Results:The operation was successful. There were no significant perioperative complications. The patient was followed up for more than 6 months,the blood pressure stabilized at about 135/90 mmHg basically after the surgery. Renal function was normal and color Doppler ultrasonograph showed that the blood circulation in the transferred renal artery was smooth.Conclusion:This technique treating renal artery aneurysm with secondary hypertension is safe and feasible.
The paper outlines the strategies and processes that were adopted by the Library at the University of New South Wales, a research intensive university in Australia, to provide eResearch support services for the University‟s academic community. The focus of the paper is on how structural, technical, staff and content-related components of the Library were reshaped to integrate eResearch services with the organisation‟s existing business. Relationships between Library work units were reconfigured and new collaborations with researchers and external partners were developed. The authors conclude that organisational flexibility is a core requirement for academic libraries to be responsive to changing research practice and developments in scholarly communication.
In an effort to address some of the problems associated with mainstream organic certification (such as high costs, extensive bureaucracy, inflexible processes, and a lack of community development focus), groups around the world have begun to develop alternative systems commonly referred to as participatory guarantee systems (PGS). These systems are based on the standards of mainstream certification agencies, but differ in that they adapt them to suit local conditions, employ simple verification procedures, minimize bureaucracy and costs, and incorporate an element of environmental and social education for both producers and consumers. This paper presents the experience of PGS in Mexico, with a focus on the case study of the Tianguis Organico Chapingo (Chapingo Local Organic Market). It is based on participant observation and informal interviews conducted by the authors during the course of their work as scholar-activists developing and promoting PGS as a certification option for Chapingo, as well as for an additional 16 markets that form the Mexican Network of Local Organic Markets.
Two novel benzo 15 crown 5 derivatives containing thiocycle(3) and selenacycle(4) have been synthesized in the presence of Na 2S·9H 2O or Na 2Se 2 and characterized by elemental analysis and mass, IR, UV and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The cation binding abilities and selectivities of parent benzo 15 crown 5(1) and its derivatives 3 and 4 with alkali and heavy metal ions have been evaluated by solvent extraction of aqueous metal picrates. The results obtained indicated that novel selera 3 cyclopentene[3,4 d]benzo 15 crown 5(4) showed moderate extractability and selectivity for Ag + over any other alkali and heavy metal ions. [WT5HZ]
OBJECTIVE To develop an LC-MS/MS method for determination of atorvastatin calcium concentration in Beagle dog plasma,and investigate the bioequivalence of atorvastatin calcium enteric-coated capsules.METHODS In a randomized open crossover study,eight Beagle dogs were administered a single 80 mg oral dose of the test and reference preparation.The concentrations of atorvastatin calcium in beagle dog plasma were determined by LC-MS/MS.The main pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with DAS program and then the bioequivalence of two preparations was evaluated.RESULTS The linear ranges of this method was 0.25-75 ng·ml-1(r=0.999 9),and the lowest limit of quantification was 0.25 ng·ml-1.Average recovery,the intra-day and inter-day were all in line with methodological research requirements.The relative bioavailability of test preparation to reference preparation was 82.9%.The Cmaxof the test preparation was significantly lower than the referencepreparation,and tmax was delayed.The MTR and t1/2of the test was longer than the reference preparation.The formulation has sustained-release characteristic,therefore the reference and test preparation of atorvastatin calcium were bioequivalent.CONCLUSION This method is simple,sensitive,accurate,and suitable for determination of atorvastatin calcium concentration and its bioequivalence study.
A Learner's Maritime English-Chinese Dictionary is supposed to meet the demands of self-motivated learners of mari-time universities and schools when they deal with textbooks and materials in maritime English. It is especially helpful to those whodon't have a good command of the knowledge in maritime field and English language. Compiling the dictionary should involve sev-eral factors: selecting lexical items from textbooks when building the corpus, providing examples and pronunciations, offering partof speech for word items except nouns, adding index to relevant words. Compared to printed dictionaries, electronic dictionaries aremore practical and portable.
The ‗Simulator for Database Aggregation using Metadata‘ addresses the problem of hardcoded end-user applications by sitting between the end-user application and the DBMS, and intercepting the end user's SQL. With a Simulator for Database Aggregation using metadata, the end-user application now speaks "base-level" SQL and never attempts to call for an aggregate directly. Using metadata describing the data warehouse's portfolio of aggregates, the aggregate navigator transforms the base-level SQL into "simulator-aware" SQL. The end user and the application designer can now proceed to build and use applications, blissfully unaware of which aggregates are available. The goal of an aggregate program in a large data warehouse must be more than just improving performance. This simulator provides dramatic performance gains for as many categories of user queries as possible. The ‗Simulator for Database Aggregation using Metadata‘ is a general purpose simulator. It creates a new database or modify existing database. User enters a base-level SQL query and this simulator transforms these base-level SQL query into simulator-aware SQL (SA-SQL) query. This simulator can solve those queries which are related to the database created by user.
More than 1,800 ileoanal pouches have been performed at the Mayo Clinic since 1981 and results have been satisfactory in more than 90% of the patients. However, we continue to search for alternatives to improve postoperative results and avoid the complications that currently occur in a minority of patients. During the last two years new concepts and surgical techniques for the construction of the ileoanal reservoir have been described. Herein we present those innovations and compare them to our current institutional practice.
The paper presents initial ideas and architecture for harvesting learning contents available on the web, with intention to support more qualitative usage and reusability of learning resources. Commonly-known web technologies are considered as good instruments to be used for harvesting and mining embedded metadata. Metadata harvesting/mining through different learning resources is by its nature distributed, and represents a good basis for employing agent technology. Based on previously implemented agent architectures at our university and extensive usage of e-learning tools we propose agent architecture for metadata harvesting in the context of learning resources.
OBJECTIVE: To review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical symptoms, and diagnostic workup of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) and to discuss the available data on the current and emerging therapies being used to treat this disorder. DATA SOURCES: Primary and review articles were identified with a MEDLINE search (1966–December 2001) and through secondary sources. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All articles identified from the data sources were evaluated and all information deemed relevant was included in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS: In the absence of a definable cause, PPH is a disorder classified by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and mean pulmonary artery pressure. A relatively rare condition, PPH has an annual incidence of 1–2 cases per million people, slightly higher in women than men. The prognosis is poor, with a mean survival time of 2.8 years after diagnosis if untreated. Vasoconstriction, vascular remodeling, and thrombosis are hallmarks of the disease process. Anticoagulation and vasodilators are the most commonly employed treatment options, showing benefits in clinical outcomes, hemodynamic parameters, and mortality. Several new vasodilators are being evaluated for the treatment of PPH. Bosentan was recently approved as the first oral agent for the treatment of PPH. Iloprost, treprostinil, and beraprost are investigational agents in Phase III studies. CONCLUSIONS: Until additional studies and experience with these agents become available, calcium-channel blockers (CCBs) remain the first option for therapy. For patients not responding to CCBs, therapeutic options will now include epoprostenol and bosentan. Since there are no comparison trials between these 2 agents, therapeutic decisions should be based on patient-specific concerns. Clinical data and experience support the use of epoprostenol; however, in patients at risk or considered unsuitable candidates, bosentan may become a preferred option. Additional studies are warranted to address the potential therapeutic benefits of combination therapy and long-term benefits of agents to treat PPH.
The course will be based on Bernard Salanie’s book The Economics of Taxation, 2011 edition. Possible themes for the six lectures, susceptible of amendments and changes depending on the interests of the audience, are as follows: 1. Tax incidence 2. Ramsey’s approach, with applications to indirect taxation and the Pigovian tax 3. Direct taxation and the Mirrlees approach 4. Mixed taxation: separability and the usefulness of indirect taxes 5. On the taxation of capital 6. Application: labor supply
In the Comunitat Valenciana, land use changes caused by urban growth have affected especially the metropolitan cities of the coastal plains. In these areas the soils often are highly productive and can support an intensive and profitable agricultural system. Most the population, infrastructures, economic activities of the region are concentrated in these urban centres. This paper analyses the spatial and temporal dynamics of the urban use during the second half of the 20 th century in the municipality of Alacant, which is located in the Mediterranean metropolitan area of Alacant-Elx, Spain. Urban growth was analyzed in a GIS framework. Photo interpretation of aerial photographs dated from 1956, 1985, 1998 and 2005 was performed to establish the urban use changes at a detailed scale (1:10,000). The land use/cover classes were high-density urban use UAD- (when built-up area was higher than 80% of the digitized unit) and low-density urban use -UBD- (built-up area lower than 80%). The difference between the two urban classes depends of more or less presence of
A total of 1,671 schoolchildren aged 11, 13 and 15 years answered an anonymous questionnaire in 1988 on their social backgrounds, social networks, health, life satisfaction and health behaviour. The proportions who had tried to smoke were 24%, 51%, and 66% in the three age groups; the proportions of smokers were 3%, 8%, and 29%, and the proportions of daily smokers were 0%, 2% and 6%. More girls than boys were smokers but there was almost no difference if place of residence, social class, or family type were considered. Almost the entire variation could be explained by best friends' smoking habits and by the number of smokers at home. Smoking was associated with poor health, fatigue, school tiredness, school performance below the average, frequent contacts with friends outside school and at night, difficulties in discussion with parents, ease in discussions with friends, and with having close friends. The proportion of smokers, among children has been steadily declining since the first Danish nationwide survey was carried out in 1959.
A new kind of robot arm mechanism -- the compound parallel connection and magnification arm mechanism was studied.Its principle of mechanism,structual design and testing experiment were introduced.The experiment indicated that this arm mechanism possesses high speed moving ability and antishocking vibration ability while under a loading of 25 kg with a moving speed reaches to 10 m/s at the end of arm mechanism.
WebQuests provide the opportunity to combine technology with educational concepts and to incorporate inquiry-based learning. WebQuests also have the ability to integrate on-line resources with student-centered, activity-based learning. Three courses in the College of Education at The University of Alabama and at West Virginia University incorporate WebQuests projects, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students develop an online WebQuest and submit a paper copy and/or a URL to their instructor upon completion of the course. During an academic year, three professors in social studies graduate education received over 50 submissions of WebQuests projects from pre-service and in-service teachers enrolled in three courses. The grading rubric was developed by Bernie Dodge, the creator of WebQuests, but modified at The University of Alabama yielding a high rate of reliability (93.3%). This project assessed scores of WebQuests using this grading rubric in three separate classrooms. Comparisons between elementary and secondary level students, Filamentality users, and certified and non-certified teachers were analyzed for significance. The students had already received a grade for their projects through the academic class, but a separate grading system was developed to evaluate these projects and to provide insight into future research using WebQuests.
OBJECTIVE To analyze th antibiotic resistance features of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates among patients with multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis,and the mechanism of resistance to imipenem.METHODS VITEK-32 automatic microbial identification system was used for microbial identification and sensitivity analysis.The clinic data of 93 cases of multi-drug resistance pulmonary tuberculosis with infection induced by P.aeruginosa from Jan 2006 to Oct 2007 in our hospital were analyzed.RESULTS Ninty-three P.aeruginosa strains had higher sensitive rate to carbapenem(87.2%),β-lactamase inhibitors(57.1-85.3%),aminoglycosides(53.7-75.0%),the fourth generation cephalosporins(50.3%) and quinolones(64.1-70.3%) but had higher resistance rate to the second-generation and third-generation cephalosporins(59.5-82.5%),furans(87.0%) and sulfonamides(83.8%).CONCLUSIONS Multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis with infection of P.aeruginosa should be paid close attention to,through reducing the use of enzyme inhibitors in the treatment,especially for patients with severe multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis,and avoid the inducing agent producing and prevent the plasmid dissemination and cross-infection.
Well‐being encompasses a constellation of multiple interdependent factors influenced by our personal and professional lives. It has a reciprocal relationship with burnout, a phenomenon detrimental to physicians, students and patients alike. Despite this, well‐being is not a topic routinely integrated into undergraduate medical and nursing curricula. Local demand and increased global attention provided an impetus to create and deliver an ‘Introduction to well‐being’ workshop. Our aim was to start the well‐being conversation early in the professional journeys of students, and to provide strategies to gain and maintain well‐being throughout their careers.
Nitroheterocyclic compounds can selectively sensitize hypoxic (tumor) cells to radiation damage in vitro. However, results in vivo have generally been less optimistic, inasmuch as metabolic reduction of these drugs not only limits effective lifetime but also produces metabolic intermediates with marked cytotoxic and carcinogenic activity. With three reducing systems in vitro, E. coli B/r, mouse L-929 cells, and mouse liver microsomes, the rate of nitroreduction of several nitroheterocycles was found to be proportional to their electron affinity (half-wave reduction potential). Relative to the rate of nitrofurazone reduction in each system, metronidazole (Flagyl), N-hydroxyethyl-3,5-dinitropyrrole, misonidazole, nifuroxime, nitrofurantoin, and furylfuramide were metabolized about 200, 20, 2, 1.4, and 1.2 times less rapidly, while 3,5-dinitrobenzonitrile, 2,5-dinitrophenol, and 5-nitro-2-furaldehyde diacetate were reduced 2, 3, and 4 times more rapidly. Since nitroreduction has previously been correlated with subsequent cytotoxicity, DNA damage, and mutagenicity, the present results suggest that improvements in the therapeutic efficacy of nitroheterocycles (i.e., sensitization without toxicity and carcinogenicity) will be dependent on development of drugs with more appropriate pharmacological properties.
This paper,based on fuzzy mathematics and neural network,founded the fuzzy network model of players.It adopted the popular NBA evaluation indexes as the input data,the results of fuzzy compresensive as the output data.All the sample data comes from the top 50 players in normal matches during 2003-2004 year.This paper used BP network and RBF network individually and built analyses system.It found out that the emulated results of RBF network is better and praticable.This model may be used for other compresensive evalutaion system.
Axial compression tests were performed on debonded sandwich composites made of graphite/epoxy face-sheets and aramid fiber honeycomb core. The sandwich beams were manufactured using a vacuum baccrin2 process. The face-sheet and the sandwich beam were co-cured. Delamination between one of the face sheets and the core was introduced by using a Teflon layer during the curing process. Axial compression tests were performed to determine the ultimate load carrying capacity of the debonded beams. Flatwise tension tests and Double Cantilever Beam tests were performed to determine. respectively, the strength and fracture toughness of the face-sheet/core interface. From the test results semi-empirical formulas were derived for the fracture toughness and ultimate compressive load carrying capacity in terms of the core density. core thickness. face-sheet thickness and debond length. Four different failure modes and their relation to the structural properties were identified. Linear buckling analysis was found to be inadequate in predicting the compressive load carrying capacity of the debonded sandwich composites.
About the book: The essays in this collection focus on the part played by religion in the lives of women of various Christian denominations from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Religious Women and their History uncovers the histories of individuals and groups of women, who found in religion a means of self-expression, an obligation to public action, and in many cases an imperative to challenge the conventional understandings of the female role. In her introductory essay, Margaret MacCurtain considers the apparent conflict between the dictates of mainstream Christianity and the autonomy of its female adherents. Other articles include bibliographical analyses of pioneering figures such as Methodist Eliza Bennis, Madeleine Sophie Barat, founder of the Society of the Sacred Heart, and Mother Arsenius Morrogh Bernard of the Irish Sister of Charity, as well as studies of the institutional care and missionary efforts of Catholic, Presbyterian and Salvation Army women in the United States, India and Ireland. Literary representations of religious women are discussed in an examination of nuns and single women in the novels of Kate O'Brien, while Eilean Ni Chuilleanain's "J'ai mal a nos dents" is at once a celebration of her aunt, an Irish nun who spent much of her life in a French Convent, and a meditation on the significance of language. Finally, Maria Luddy outlines the potential for further study of women's religious faith and practice through the use of convent archives.
This paper represents the conclusion of a project that had two main goals: (1) to investigate to what extent planetary nebulae (PNe) are chemically homogeneous; and (2) to provide physical constraints on the central star properties of each PN. We accomplished the first goal by using HST/STIS spectra to measure the abundances of seven elements in numerous spatial regions within each of six PN (IC 2165, IC 3568, NGC 2440, NGC 5315, NGC 5882, and NGC 7662). The second goal was achieved by computing a photoionization model of each nebula, using our observed emission line strengths as constraints. The major finding of our study is that the nebular abundances of He, C, N, O, Ne, S, and Ar are consistent with a chemically homogeneous picture for each PN. Additionally, we found through experimenting with three different density profiles (constant, Gaussian, and Gaussian with a power-law) that the determination of the central star's temperature and luminosity is only slightly sensitive to the profile choice. Lastly, post-AGB evolutionary model predictions of temperature and luminosity available in the literature were plotted along with the values inferred from the photoionization model analysis to yield initial and final mass estimates of each central star.
Long dismissed as conventional and antiquarian, church records are actually unparalleled sources for historians offering information on a wide range of topics, such as the founding and evolution of churches, popular involvement in religious institutions and practices, modes of church governance, deviance, and resistance, and the interactions of churches - not to mention revealing information on significant moments in the lives of laity and ministers alike. This volume includes two of the finest sets of church records from the colonial era of Massachusetts history thus far unpublished. The Reading church records, in particular, are unique because they cover the entire period prior to the American Revolution, while the Rumney Marsh records cast light on the often-neglected period of 1715 through 1757. In addition, these records illuminate the otherwise unknown lives and activities of common folk, white and black, men and women, who debate, bicker, admonish, exhort, and uplift each other.
The presence of tourism attractions is one the most important reasons for people’s traveling destination. The more tourism attractions are diverse and unique, the attracting potential increases; and as a result, its penetrating sphere widens greatly. The importance of the presence of tourism attractions is such that the existence of accommodation, hospitality and handicraft stores depends at least to on the presence of primary attractions.  So, it is imperative to use appropriate methods for determining the best location among the various locations, and this can be achieved via incorporating a number of criteria. One the existing potentials, which is of high importance, at the local scale in country regions, is the capacity development of tourism activities. The prominence of exemplar tourism areas that are considered primary in extending the tourism industry are such that the importance of such centers cannot be ignored by any tourism manager and planner. In this research, by combining the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and index overlay with GIS, a model for optimally locating and choosing fit areas for tourism that has been implemented in Shiraz province will be presented. In Shiraz, 81 exemplar tourism areas have been approved by the government. In addition, by using the suggested research model, the most appropriate site for constructing a new ideal tourism area has been chosen. The research findings suggest that tourism areas of Marggon, Pasargad and Dasht Arjan are the most appropriate candidates for ideal tourism places and appropriate for tourism activity.
Ethics has become a very important subject in business education, and many business schools now are emphasizing business ethics to ensure that their graduates are exposed to and have a clear understanding of high ethical standards and behavior. During the last decade, we have encountered, and continue to see today, numerous examples of unethical behavior in business—especially in high level management positions. Consequently, business schools have experienced strong public pressure to modify their curriculum to place more emphasis on business ethical issues. There is still uncertainty about how exposing students to more topics on business ethics will affect their behavior as professionals. Many concerns that educators have are based on the idea that college students have already created/learned a set of values and beliefs that influences their basic ethical norms of behavior, and that these values and beliefs are so deeply embedded that they cannot be changed. Others are of the opinion that exposing students to a set of business ethical norms can alter or modify some future inappropriate professional behavior, and that business schools should take a more aggressive approach when it comes to courses or topics on business ethics. The purpose of this paper is to study a way to monitor student’s progress in their interpretation/perception of ethics in a professional setting. Accredited business schools are emphasizing continuous improvement, and business ethics is an aspect of relevance to assure that future business leaders adhere to high ethical standards in their personal and professional lives.
One recent concept in the field of health psychology is forgiveness which is defined as an avoidance of retaliation and containing resentment on the part of the victim against the offender. Since this construct is associated with extroversion (friendliness, assertiveness), conscientiousness (loyalty), and openness to experiences (envisioning and rationalism), it appears that forgiving ability in athletes is worthy of inspection from the perspective of sport psychology; that is because it helps them manage the resentment and frustration caused by losing in competitions and mentally experience more positive consequences. The purpose of this study was to compare forgiveness and its short scales in female athletes playing handball and futsal to that in non-athlete females. In order to select the participating athletes, questionnaires were distributed among 84 futsal players of 2010 national premium league competitions and 80 questionnaires were completed and submitted to the researchers. From a number of 96 handball players of March 2009 handball competitions, 87 players completed the questionnaires and returned them. The 45 spectators who were presented in sport stadiums and who did not engage in any sport activities were also asked to answer the forgiveness questionnaire. The data gathered from the questionnaires filled out by non-athletes were compared to those filled by the athlete group. The instrument employed in this research was “inter-individual forgiveness scale” (IFS). Results showed that except for realism small-scale (p=0.1), retaliation control and resentment control scales and also the sum of forgiveness scores in handball playing women had a high and meaningful average (Respectively, p=0.002, p=0.04, and p=0.001). Women in the futsal group have a meaningful lower retaliation control (p=0.01), resentment control (p=0.009) and forgiveness (p=0.001) compared to the nonathlete group whereas there have been no statistically meaningful differences between female handball players and non-athlete females. According to the findings, it can be observed that futsal playing females have a lower forgiveness than females who play handball and non-athlete females. This could be due to the expectations which coaches, athletes themselves, and fans of particular sport fields especially soccer and futsal have of competitiveness and accomplishment. It seems that since futsal players enter competitions by modeling their behavior on the masculine behavior of soccer players, they gradually use their control over their retaliatory actions, bickering, and resentment and they less tend to forgive.
We present a comprehensive study of Si∕SiO2∕Hf(1−x)SixO2 structures using optical second-harmonic generation (SHG), supported by spectroscopic ellipsometry, photoelectron spectroscopy, and noncontact electrical measurements. Rotationally anisotropic and spectroscopic SHG depend strongly on dielectric composition and on postdeposition annealing in NH3. Spectroscopic SHG shows that these variations are linked to variations in charge trapped in the high-κ material, which influences SHG via electrostatic-field-induced SH (EFISH) generation. Supporting measurements corroborate this interpretation. Noncontact electrical measurements and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy show annealing-dependent trends in interface charge and nitrogen incorporation, respectively, that mirror annealing-dependent trends in EFISH generation. The results show that SHG can potentially be used as an in situ, real-time monitor of internal electric fields attributable to composition- and annealing-dependent fixed charge in the oxide layers.
OBJECTIVE & BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between ESSEN score and concomitant cerebrovascular diseases in ICAO patients, which may provide evidence for the prediction of risk for recurrent cerebral stroke with ESSEN score and findings from angiography in case of CT. DESIGN/METHODS: A total of 100 ICAO patients who received CTA of the head and neck from 2005 to 2012 were retrospectively reviewed and clinical information was collected. The biochemical findings, site of ICAO in CTA, lesions of contralteral internal carotid artery, concomitant lesions of vertebrobasilar artery and concomitant lesions of other intracranial major arteries were recorded. On the basis of ESSEN score, patients were divided into 2 groups: ESSEN 蠅3 patients and ESSEN<3 patients. The clinical biochemical findings and concomitant lesions of vertebrobasilar artery and/or other intracranial major arteries were compared between two groups. RESULTS: The plasma homocysteine level in ESSEN 蠅3 patients was significantly higher than that in ESSEN <3 patients (P<0.05). ESSEN 蠅3 patients were more likely to develop concomitant lesions of the vertebrobasilar artery (61.67[percnt] vs 40.00[percnt], P<0.05); the number of lesions of intracranial major arteries in ESSEN 蠅3 patients was larger than that in <3 points group (P<0.05); the number of affected intracranial major arteries (2 or more arteries) in ESSEN 蠅3 patients was larger than that in ESSEN<3 patients (67.80[percnt] vs 39.47[percnt], P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ESSEN 蠅3 were more likely to develop hyperhomocysteinemia and have concomitant lesions of vertebrobasilar artery and lesions of 2 or more intracranial major arteries. Our findings may be helpful for the early prevention, diagnosis and therapy of ICAO. Study Supported by: This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81371355; and Beijing Municipal Health System High-Level Technician Cultivation Project, No. 2009-3-07. Disclosure: Dr. Zhang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lv has nothing to disclose. Dr. Han has nothing to disclose. Dr. Li has nothing to disclose.
The utility model discloses a silk feather quilt adopting a feather layer as the middle to be combined with silk layers and three overlaid layers to form the core. The silk feather quilt comprises a cover layer and a filling material, wherein the filling material consists of an upper silk layer, a lower silk layer and a feather middle layer. The product of the utility model combines the softness, close fitting, moisture-absorbing and ventilation characteristics of the silk and the softness and warm keeping characteristics of the feather. With the unique processing property of three-layer overlaying, the utility model is more excellent at smoothness and slipperiness as compared with ordinary feather quilt, and therefore the warm keeping is more balanced and the comfort is better.
Increasing the efficiency of internal combustion engines and reducing their pollution is the key issue nowadays. As a result, researchers have focused their attention on energy recovery either thermal or kinetic. In terms of thermal energy recovery, this can be done with promising results, especially as most of the potential energy of the fuel is lost as heat. Energy recovery can be done either using the Clausius-Rankine cycle or the Organic Rankine Cycle, the use of thermoelectric generators that would convert thermal energy directly into electricity, Sterling engines or even steam engines. In this paper, we propose a steam engine in which water vaporization takes place directly in the cylinder. The engine, unlike the classic locomotive engines is working in a closed cycle. The condensate is preheated and re-injected into the engine. Such an engine has the advantage of a known, cheap manufacturing technology and simple maintenance. A steam engine efficiency of only 10% of the energy dissipated on the exhaust would provide a global increase in engine efficiency by about 3%, taking into ac-count that about 30% of the potential energy of the fuel is dissipated on the exhaust.
SDM is a Desktop product which is designed to solve three major problems pertaining to trading in Rice Industries [Buying of Paddy, Processing and Selling of Rice].Rice Industries (Rice Mills) mode of operation. Trading in Rice Industries includes three major processes. i)Buying of paddy (Variations includes different locations, different quantity, different quality, different vendors) ii)Processing the raw paddy to appropriate 'Rice type' (Variation includes 'Raw Rice', 'Steam Rice', 'Boiled Rice', 'Broken Rice' based on the type and quality of paddy). iii)Selling of different Rice and its by-products (Variations includes different clients, different locations, and different price range). Keywords— Processing,Rice;Buying Rice,Selling Rice I.INTRODUCTION This project mainly deals with automating the tasks of maintaining and transacting the goods, purchasing of goods (paddy and rice). In the Factory Management System inventory management is the key process. This process includes the activities such as maintenance of order details, stock details, maintenance of billing details and items etc. It is a tedious job to maintain all these details manually. Hence we opted to automate the process. The computerization of this system would avoid the wrong interpretation and bad calculation of data. The system help the user to see any documents, source code, tasks, activities, team information with details at the click of a button. The record data is maintained and backed up such a way that data is not loss. The speed of the system could also increase. SDM is an internetworking product which is designed to solve three major problems pertaining to trading in Rice Industries [Buying of Paddy, Processing and Selling of Rice].Rice Industries (Rice Mills) mode of operation: Trading in Rice Industries includes three major processes. • Buying of paddy (Variations includes different locations, different quantity, different quality, different vendors) • Processing the raw paddy to appropriate 'Rice type' (Variation includes 'Raw Rice', 'Steam Rice', 'Boiled Rice', 'Broken Rice' based on the type and quality of paddy.) • Selling of different Rice and its bi-products (Variations includes different clients, different locations, and different price range). II.SYSTEM STUDY AND ANALYSIS A. EXISTING SYSTEM: Existing system is manual where the distributor purchases the paddy by approaching farmer. Here distributor has to bind to the farmer conditions in buying the paddy. Demand for the particular type International Journal of Modern Trends in Engineering and Research (IJMTER) Volume 02, Issue 04, [April – 2015] ISSN (Online):2349–9745 ; ISSN (Print):2393-8161 @IJMTER-2015, All rights Reserved 645 of paddy or rice is predicted based on the experience, there is no automation which predicts the future in buying paddy or selling rice. While buying the paddy there are many issues such as which type of paddy to buy, from which location, how much to buy, when to buy which type of the paddy, like wise in selling the rice also we get these kind of issues. In the existing system everything is manual, no automation. So we need an automated system which does all these things.Currently distributors makes use of software for maintain stock details, billing details etc., even though this is automation, this system allows the distributor to store the data in the server, when even the distributor want those information, system will displays all those information. But there is not prediction of future like the things discussed above. This system does not extract any useful information which is the major drawback.Limitations of the existing system are: • Time Consuming • Manual Process • Business may not get best profit • Lack of user satisfaction • Lack of knowledge discovery • Increases the business investments
A technique is developed to eliminate the atmosphere and surface noise effects on Landsat signals of water bodies by manipulating the total signal from Landsat in such a way that only the volume reflectance is left as a residual. With the Landsat signal from a lake and the known volume reflectance for its clear water it is possible to eliminate the surface and atmospheric effects and have residual signals that are indicative only of the type and concentration of the material in other lakes. Laboratory values are more precise than field values because in the field one must contend with indirect skylight and wave action which can be removed in the laboratory. The volume reflectance of distilled water or a very clear lake approaching distilled water was determined in the laboratory by the use of the Bendix radiant power measuring instrument. The Bendix multispectral data analysis system provided a color categorized image of several hundred lakes in a Wisconsin area. These lakes were categorized for tannin and nontannin waters and for the degrees of algae, silt, weeds, and bottom effects present.
The traffic accidents with more than 10 deaths once are studied in the paper. The main characters are given including the traffic month distribution, time distribution, province distribution. vehicle type and traffic morphology. The reasons caused the traffic accidents are analyzed. To cut the serious accidents, the key point is to reduce the passenger bus falling in southeast of China. Besides, the drivers’ education and strict enforcement of law are all good measures.
Like other forms of art, the art of tile ends is also a reflection of the social and economic structures. Tile ends take various forms. They are not only combined products of drawing, technology and carving, but also combined art of practical use and fine art, adding beauty to some ancient buildings. They can not only give people artistic enjoyment, but also serve as valuable material for the study of our national calligraphy, seal cutting and painting as well as for the study of our national politics, economy and culture at different historic periods.
Generally speaking the historiography of British colonial economic policy in West Africa is almost silent on the use of conscript labour in peace and war.1 On the other hand, conscription of African labour for public woiks, private enterprise and military service in French West Africa is generally acknowledged as the rule. During the Second World War, however, this apparent contrast between the policies of the two colonial powers vanished. This study aims to demonstrate how Britain resorted to large-scale conscription of rural Nigerian population fortin production durinjg the war years; and more importantly to examine the exploitative conditions under which the conscripts worked on the mines. It is significant to know that wartime conscription for non-military purposes was rather common in the British colonial empire. Besides Nigeria, Africans were conscripted for various 'national services' in Mauritius, Kenya, Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia; the subject* peoples of Fiji and Sychelles were equally conscripted.2 But as Colonel Stanley, the Colonial Secretary, informed the House of Commons on 19 May 1943: "conscription is permitted only when the labour necessary for purposes essential to the conduct of the war or maintenance of Hfe of the community cannot otherwise be obtained.'3 Throughout the colonial period and especially during the inter-war years all the
This work reports on a simple system for quantitative sensing of a target analyte based on agglutination in microchannels. Functionalized microbeads and analyte with no prior incubation are flowed in droplets (~2µL) through a thin silicone tube filled with mineral oil at a flow rate of 150 µL/min. Hydrodynamic forces alone produce a highly efficient mixing of the beads within the droplet, without the need of complex mixing structures or magnetic actuation. The setup allows rapid observation of agglutination (<2 min), which is quantified using image analysis, and has potential application to high-throughput analysis.
This study was carried out to evaluate the luteotrophic influence of early (before Day 7 as well as after Day 7; Day 0=estrus) bovine embryos and the relationship between plasma progesterone (P4) concentrations and embryo survival. Virgin Holstein dairy heifers (n=325) from a single herd were randomly allocated to be nonbred, bred by artificial insemination (AI) or by embryo transfer (ET). Bred heifers were either treated with 1500 IU human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) on Day 7 of the estrous cycle or received no hCG treatment. Plasma P4 concentrations on Days 0, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21 were similar in pregnant AI- and ET-bred heifers and, this was observed in both hCG-treated and untreated females. Nonbred, AI- and ET-bred nonpregnant heifers (both hCG-treated and untreated) presented similar plasma P4 concentrations. Plasma P4 concentrations of pregnant heifers significantly deviated from those of nonpregnant and nonbred heifers on Day 17. In hCG-treated heifers, plasma P4 concentrations and Day 28 pregnancy rate were significantly higher in females with an induced accessory corpus luteum (CL) than in those females without an induced accessory CL. Treatment with hCG, although inducing the formation of accessory CL and significantly increasing plasma P4 concentrations had no significant effect on Day 28 pregnancy rate. In conclusion, this study does not support the existence of any peripherally detectable luteotrophic influence from early embryos (Days 5-7). Plasma P4 was only significantly related to embryo survival on Day 17, the time of expected onset of luteolysis.
The utility model discloses a ball gripping mechanism for a ball spray paint drying production line, which mainly comprises air grippers, a fixing seat and a cylinder, the fixing seat is provided with three air grippers, the cylinder is arranged above the fixing seat, and the three air grippers are respectively connected with the cylinder by connecting rods. The gripping of the three air grippers to the ball is three-point-contact, which can make the surface of the ball not have large area gripping trace, and the three air grippers can realize to grip-and-place the ball in opening or closing mode by the linear motion of the cylinder.
This study aims at investigating the effect of using guided and controlled written expressional strategies in the development of expression performance skills of First Secondary Stage Students in Irbid Governorate. The sample of the study consisted of 150 male and females students representing 5. 25% of the population. These students were selected: 80 male students and 70 female. They were distributed over four sections deliberately selected from Khaled Ibn Al-Waleed Comprehensive Secondary School for Boys and Ein Jalut Comprehensive School for Girls.  To answer the questions of the study, the following tools were employed: a list of the expressional skills criteria that the researchers prepared and used when correcting the expression topics written by the students, and the guideline that the researcher developed to teach guided and controlled written expression to First Secondary Stage Students.  The study shows that the guided expression strategy is more effective in the development of written expression performance than the controlled expression strategy, and there is no effect of any of sex variable on the development of written expression performance, and there is no significant effect of the interaction between the teaching strategies and gender of the student on written expression performance.
This article has two main purposes. The first is to provide a short panorama of existing trends within computer-assisted stylistics. The second is to analyse a prize winning novel by English writer Julian Barnes, by resorting to the tenets and working tools of one of the newest branch of Stylistics, the so-called Corpus stylistics. To this end, the article starts by looking at various attempts at defining what style is and their implications to the definition of the discipline known as Stylistics. Then the paper presents recent work within the field of Corpus stylistics, as it describes the uses of computational tools as part of the stylistician tool kit. Finally, the paper provides a variety of ways with which a literary work may be approached digitally with a view to showing how computational tools can aid the stylistician in acts of interpretation.
The development objective of the Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project for India is to develop detailed project reports (DPRs) and conduct the necessary environmental and social impact analyses of all proposed sub projects to be financed in the first year (Y1) of the Project implementation. Some of the negative impacts are include : (i) fugitive dust generation due to wind from stock piling of earth/sand or other loose construction material; (ii) disruption of traffic due to construction activities, movement of vehicles leading to congestion and air pollution; (iii) depletion of water resources due to use of water for construction; (iv) contamination of park area and stagnation of water due to construction waste, vehicle washing, cleaning, other activities; (v) damage to vegetation due to temporary use of land for construction material storage; (vi) land pollution due to disposal of construction and demolition waste; Some of the mitigation measures are include : (i) dust duppression measures such as sprinkling of water (to wet the dust prone area/construction site) will be done at regular intervals to control fugitive dust emissions during construction activities; (ii) regular sprinkling of water and covering stack piles should be done to prevent wind-blown dust; (iii) all efforts shall be made to reuse or recycle water during construction; (iv) adequate water supply and sanitation (toilets with adequate collection and treatment) facilities shall be provided to the construction labor at construction sites and other project facilities; (v) waste and construction activities shall be managed, to avoid spillage in the nearby drains waterbodies; (vi) all plant and equipment used in construction shall strictly conform to the prescribed noise standards of Central Pollution Control Board; (vii) construction vehicles should be well maintained with periodic inspection to avoid leakages / spillage.
Comprehensive, accurate staging has a critical role in planning rational treatment strategies for patients with malignant melanoma (MM). In the present study the authors investigate the value of FDG PET in staging and restaging based on the investigation of 37 high-risk MM patients and compare the results with the one obtained by conventional imaging techniques (X-ray, US, CT, MR and bone scan). Thirty-nine whole body PET scans were carried out. The authors concluded that FDG PET had the highest sensitivity among the imaging methods in detecting distant metastases of MM.
In this paper we verify the impacts of the Joint Spar- sity Model with Matrix Completion (JSM-MC) for the composition of training set in the context of face recognition using the Sparse Representation-based Classifier (SRC). A pre-processing step (his- togram equalization) is performed in the face images to reduce the effects of illumination change. A clustering of training images is done to reduce the training set and uses the l 1-norm of the sparse representation coefficients instead of the residuals for classification. The results are evaluated using a database with different illumina- tion conditions and we also investigate the behavior of the system when the face image is partially occluded.
Blood is the supreme element in any individual’s life support system. It is the elementary unit in the existence of mankind without which the living being’s survival in this world is impossible. Additionally, the process of blood formation takes place only by natural means i.e. it can neither be synthesized nor can be produced artificially in any laboratory. Hence, the only alternative left for the fulfilment of various blood needs and requirements is through blood donation. And, if that blood donation is achieved voluntarily, it can be none-the-less than a boon to mankind. Although, contribution to blood donation has now become an important society concern and there has been a significant rise in the number of effective blood donations yet the major challenge still remains as the recruitment and retaining the blood donors. The present paper is based on an attempt to identify and investigate the various socio-demographic, emotional, physiological as well as psychological factors that help in maintaining and retaining voluntary blood donors as well as motivating the non-donors to donate blood.
TO PREVENT THE DANGER OF AQUAPLANING THE SUPPLEMENTARY SIGN "WHEN WET" MAY BE FITTED UNDER SIGN NO 274 (ALLOWABLE HIGHEST SPEED). IN LEGAL CIRCLES THERE IS NO UNITY AS TO WHETHER THIS SIGN IS LAWFUL. ONE VIEW IS THAT THE IDEA "WHEN WET" IS FAR TOO UNCERTAIN AND THE DETERMINATION UNCLEAR. THE OPPOSITE OPINION HOLDS THAT THE MEANING OF THE SUPPLEMENTARY SIGN IS AMPLY CLEAR AND UNAMBIGUOUS. THE AUTHOR ADVOCATES THE LATTER VIEW. THE CONCEPT "WET" IS A CURRENT WORD IN THE GERMAN LANGUAGE AND MEANS "MARKED DAMPNESS". IT MUST BE RECOGNISABLE EVEN WHEN ONLY A LITTLE WATER LAYER IS FORMED. SO FAR THE FEDERAL COURTS HAVE HAD TO MAKE NO DECISION.
The paper explores John Rawls s idea of public reason, as reflected in Political Liberalism and The Idea of Public Reason Revisited. In Rawls’s later works, public reason acquires fundamental significance as a criterion by which the principles to be assumed from the outset in a theory of political justice may be determined. The starting-point for Rawls s theory -the idea of citizens as free and equal revealsthat this abstraction falls short of an authentic conception of human beings as social by nature. A brief study of key issues concerning marriage and the family shows the difficulties that underlie this question. The paper also offers a concise overview of some of the principles of Natural Law Theory. In this context, a theory of political liberalism and justice might be upheld by drawing natural law and public reason into close correlation, thus safeguarding the substantive human goods necessary in society. 1. La razon publica: clave interpretativa del liberalismo politico de John Rawls El intento de John Rawls por ofrecer nuevas bases para la tradicion liberal del contrato social, mediante la apelacion a una teoria no comprehensiva de la politica, ha ocupado buena parte del debate contemporaneo en torno de las teorias de la justicia. En Political Liberalism, el filosofo americano hace una critica parcial de su propia propuesta vertida en A Theory of Justice e intenta ofrecer un criterio de demarcacion mas preciso entre el plano etico-moral de la justicia y el plano politico-juridico. La profundizacion en esta distincion, 1 John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971). 2 “Note that in my summary of the aims of Theory, the social contract tradition is seen as part of moral philosophy and no distinction is drawn between moral and political philosophy. In Theory a moral doctrine of justice general in scope is not distinguished from a strictly political conception of justice. Nothing is made of the contrast between comprehensive philosophical and moral doctrines and conceptions limited to the domain of the political. In the lectures in this volume [se refiere a Political Liberalism], however, Liberalismo politico y razon publica 273 segun Rawls, permitiria defender una nocion de liberalismo politico que sea capaz de acoger la convivencia pacifica entre los ciudadanos, mediante la exclusion de la vida politica de las distintas teorias comprehensivas del bien. Estas teorias comprehensivas se encuentran vinculadas a cuestiones filosofico-morales o religiosas, en las que, por lo general, imperan visiones irresolublemente contrapuestas. Se puede decir que las «doctrinas comprehensivas» son aquellas que ofrecen un abanico de respuestas globales a las cuestiones fundamentales de la vida humana. Las distintas convicciones que establecen estas doctrinas suelen ser contrapuestas entre si. Por ello, una de las caracteristicas del ethos liberal moderno es el reconocimiento de esta pluralidad de convicciones y que la asuncion de ellas no debe danar la convivencia pacifica, la justicia y la libertad entre los hombres. Rawls afirma que la adopcion de esta distincion no implica una opcion por el relativismo, sino que pretende ser un punto de encuentro situado mas alla de las opciones vitales que las personas elaboran. En este sentido, el liberalismo politico rawlsiano intenta ser una propuesta ‘neutral’ respecto de las cuestiones filosofico-morales y religiosas. Como se puede advertir, el concepto de tolerancia se convierte en un elemento fundamental dentro de este esquema. En este punto, cabe mencionar la advertencia que hace ________________________________________ these distinctions and related ideas are fundamental”. John Rawls, Political Liberalism (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993), p. xv. 3 “A modern democratic society is characterized not simply by a pluralism of comprehensive religious, philosophical, and moral doctrines but by a pluralism of incompatible and yet reasonable comprehensive doctrines. No one of these doctrines is affirmed by citizens generally. Nor should one expect that in the foreseeable future one of them, or some other reasonable doctrine, will ever be affirmed by all, or nearly all, citizens. Political liberalism assumes that, for political purposes, a plurality of reasonable yet incompatible comprehensive doctrines is the normal result of the exercise of human reason within the framework of the free institutions of a constitutional democratic regime. Political liberalism also supposes that a reasonable comprehensive doctrine does not reject the essentials of a democratic regime”. Rawls, Political Liberalism, p. xvi. Cfr., John Rawls, “The Idea of Public Reason Revisited,” in The Law of Peoples (Cambridge London: Harvard University Press, 2001), pp. 131-40. 4 Cfr. Martin Rhonheimer, “The Political Ethos of Constitutional Democracy and the Place of Natural Law in Public Reason: Rawls’s ‘Political Liberalism’ Revisited,” American Journal of Jurisprudence (2005): pp. 25-70. 5 “One form of toleration is the ‘acknowledgment of the political rights of others to hold and promote different comprehensive views’. This is a form of toleration that almost all Americans accept, including those who hold traditional comprehensive views. (So promotion of this form of tolerance would be unobjectionable within political liberalism). The problem is that this toleration easily extends into an acknowledgment of a moral right
The invention belongs to the field of preparation of mercapto compounds, and discloses a multi-mercapto compound, as well as a preparation method and application thereof. The preparation method comprises the following steps: performing esterification reaction on pentaerythritol and dibasic acid to obtain polyol under the action of acid, and then performing esterification reaction on polyol and mercapto carboxylic acid to prepare a crude product of the multi-mercapto compound; simultaneously adding an azeotropic water-carrying agent to carry away water generated by esterification reaction; extracting redundant raw material mercapto carboxylic acid and a catalyst in the multi-mercapto carboxylic ester crude product generated by esterification reaction by virtue of an alcohol or ether extracting agent, and performing purification to obtain the multi-mercapto compound. According to the multi-mercapto compound, as well as the preparation method and application thereof, the feed ratio of pentaerythritol and dibasic acid is controlled to prepare a series of multi-mercapto compounds, and the multi-mercapto compound is a pentaerythritol mercapto carboxylic ester oligomer. The prepared multi-mercapto compound is colorless, transparent, weak in odor or odorless; by the method, an effective means is provided for the preparation of a macromolecular mercapto compound, and a high scientific research and economic value is realized.
It was recently observed that pig breeders in The Netherlands often carry methicillin-resistant Staphylococus aureus (MRSA). These MRSA strains are related to MRSA strains found in pigs. A case-control study showed that not only pig breeders but also cattle breeders are at risk of carrying MRSA. It is advised to keep pig breeders, if they are admitted to a hospital, in isolation until surveillance cultures are proven negative. This also applies to veterinarians and slaughterhouse personnel. For cattle breeders screening without isolation on admission to a hospital is sufficient.
WORDS MAXIMUM) Councils across New Zealand face a number of significant stormwater problems arising from the growth, development and redevelopment of urban centres. Water sensitive design (WSD) has been offered up as a solution to addressing the effects of stormwater discharges. There has been much research undertaken to document the environmental protection and social benefits of WSD. However, a key impediment to its implementation is the perception that WSD costs more than conventional stormwater management approaches in both implementation and operation. Previous papers by the authors have described the life cycle costing model used to estimate costs associated with different urban development scenarios within a decision support system (DSS) called "Urban Planning that Sustains Waterbodies" (UPSW). UPSW is a catchment-scale spatial tool that discriminates between catchment development scenarios in terms of their impacts on receiving waterbodies. The outcomes of each scenario are portrayed through a set of indicators that reflect their influence on the environmental, social, economic, and cultural wellbeings associated with the receiving waterbodies. Economic wellbeing is understood in terms of scenario stormwater implementation and management costs, the ensuing economic benefits (losses) associated with receiving waterbody condition that arise from stormwater management measures, and amenity benefits created by WSD technology. Valuation of the benefits / losses that eventuate is derived from non-market valuation studies and spatial econometric analysis of house price data. This paper describes refinements made to the life cycle costing model that allow users to compare the costs and benefits of conventional and WSD stormwater management for future catchment development scenarios. In this way users can determine whether beneficial net economic outcomes can be obtained from WSD stormwater management. The refinements integrate 'real world' costing data with findings from an international literature review which investigated cost comparisons between WSD and conventional stormwater management.
You might find this additional information useful... This article cites 26 articles, 13 of which you can access free at: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/94/4/1508#BIBL This article has been cited by 2 other HighWire hosted articles: € [Abstract]€ [Full Text]€ [PDF] J Appl Physiol, November 1,€2004; 97€(5): 1620-1628. Davis and H. V. Forster J. M. Wenninger, L. G. Pan, L. Klum, T. Leekley, J. Bastastic, M. R. Hodges, T. Feroah, S.area induces abnormal breathing periods in awake goats Small reduction of neurokinin-1 receptor-expressing neurons in the pre-Botzinger complex€ [Abstract]€ [Full Text]€ [PDF] J Appl Physiol, December 1,€2004; 97€(6): 2236-2247. V. Forster M. R. Hodges, C. Opansky, B. Qian, S. Davis, J. Bonis, J. Bastasic, T. Leekley, L. G. Pan and H.area of awake goats Transient attenuation of CO2 sensitivity after neurotoxic lesions in the medullary rapheon the following topics: Medline items on this article's topics can be found at http://highwire.stanford.edu/lists/artbytopic.dtl Medicine .. Airway Physiology .. Mastication Physiology .. Sleep Physiology .. Diaphragm Agriculture .. Goats Biochemistry .. Microtubules Updated information and services including high-resolution figures, can be found at: http://jap.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/94/4/1508 Additional material and information about Journal of Applied Physiology can be found at: http://www.the-aps.org/publications/jappl This information is current as of March 14, 2006 . € ISSN: 8750-7587, ESSN: 1522-1601. Visit our website at http://www.the-aps.org/.
During 2001 and 2004, EU carried out a far-reaching reform of its merger control system. The reform was triggered by the EU Commission's Green Paper and the Court of First Instance's successive overturn of three decisions made by the Commission on prohibiting merger. The fundamental causes of the reform lied in the merger control system. As the main achievements of the reform, the EU Commission promulgated new Merger Regulation, Horizontal Merger Guidelines and Best Practices Guidelines, and reorganized its merger control implementing department DG COMP. EU's experience of merger control reform provides us with a good reference for our merger control legislation.
Disclosed are a measuring method and a system of a non-linear parameter which can measure a non-linear parameter of a material. A measuring method and a system of a non-linear parameter according to the present invention uses a circuit having an analog band-pass filter and an intermediate frequency amplifier, thereby processing by distinguishing the signals of a fundamental wave outputted by passing a search unit attached on a specimen and a second harmonic wave and minimizing the effects by noise, thereby accurately measuring the non-linear parameters of a material.
Introduction As a judge, I was continually confronted with offenders whose behavior was unexpected and surprising. This was observed not only during their criminal activity but during their travel through the criminal process. This behavior did not appear to be intentional, but rather an inappropriate response to the circumstances that existed at the time. Furthermore, this behavior reminded me of the behavior of my two children who had been diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorder (ADD). (2) This collision of my personal and professional lives began a journey into the fascinating and complex world of neurobiology and its impact on the criminal justice system. In this paper, I will discuss these disorders, their impact on the criminal justice system, their resulting costs to society and why new measures must be taken to address these issues appropriately. A System Failure The criminal justice system in the United States has failed in its primary goal of reducing criminal behavior. Whether a government has based its theory of punishment on retribution, rehabilitation, incapacitation or deterrence, the statistics clearly reflect a lack of success. The number of inmates in federal, state and local prison or jail facilities has climbed from 1,203,572 in 1995 to 1,305,253 in 2000, a 28% increase, compared to a population increase of 13.17% from 1990 to 2000. (3, 4) The cost of incarcerating offenders in state prisons has risen from 11.7 billion dollars (2001 constant dollars) in 1986 to 29.5 billion dollars in 2001, a 150% increase. (5) The number of jails and prison facilities has grown from 1,464 in 1995 to 1,668 in 2000, a 14% increase. (6) Yet in the United States, public officials call for longer jail sentences as the answer to the public's cry for protection. Our rush to imprison people only gives us the opportunity to continue our course of failing to find workable answers. Albert Einstein's belief that the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over while hoping for a different result could best explain the current state of the system. Neurological Disorders Our current system of punishment is costly and mostly ineffective. In an effort to reverse this trend, I suggest we examine the neurological disorders, attention deficit disorder and learning disabilities, that have remained for the most part ignored by the criminal justice system and certainly by political leaders. These disorders, which are rooted in each individual's neurological makeup, are not controlled by one's will, motivation or morality. It is interesting to note that most theories of criminal punishment are designed to change behavior. It is assumed that individuals have that capability. If, in fact, that is not true, it is easy to understand why our incarceration rates continue to rise despite our best efforts. The disorders I wish to discuss are sometimes called the hidden disabilities since they are not easily observable. Unlike a learning disability, a physical disability can be seen, understood and accommodated. Even though many people can observe the symptoms of ADD and LD, few understand that they are neurological conditions. The effects on the individual are also difficult for many individuals to comprehend. People can understand that a glitch in a computer or its software will cause innumerable problems. Therefore, it is ironic when a wiring glitch occurs in a person's neurological makeup, people condemn it as failure of character rather than biology. Attention Deficit Disorder ADD is essentially a malfunctioning of a person's neurological system. Most individuals who have ADD are of average or above average intelligence. (7) Recent advancement in brain imaging has begun to focus on the causes of ADD. (8) While what causes ADD is unclear, it is believed to be either inherited or from an outside event. …
The Invention CONCERNED BY WAY OF SUBSTANCE CONTROLLING OFFICER Pharmacological Activity ETOU INTRACELLULAR ACCUMULATION IN TARGET CELLS, AC ANTIBODY OR ANTIBODY FRAGMENT CHARACTERIZED BY: A.The ANTIGENS AG CORRESPONDENTS NE ARE VIRTUALLY ACCESSIBLE THAN THE SURFACE TARGET CELLS; B.L'AC OR FRAGMENT AC CAN ACCESS THE TARGET CELLS; C.L'AC OR FRAGMENT AC Endocyte IS AND ACCESS TO TARGET CELLS lYSOSOMES ;. D.L'AC OR FRAGMENT AC Do NOT INDUCED THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DEFINITIVE AG RELATED SURFACE TARGET CELLS
Because of the lack of resources on the importance of cell block, the diagnosis of cytologic specimen has been overlooked. Out of 1,243 cases of non-gynecologic cytology specimen, about 87.1% has been proven to be diagnostically useful. About 0.9% of those were rendered diagnostic by cell block alone. If cell block was not made it could have resulted in misdiagnosis. The effect on making cell block might not be directly linked to the patient but to the pathologist, it can be a helpful secondary tool in lowering the chance of giving false negative results hence. Giving the patient the opportunity of an adequate treatment. This study has proven that cell block has diagnostic value in non-gynecologic cytology. We are doing our best to increase the production rate of cell block and to improve the quality of cytology smears and cell block, so that we can increase the accuracy of diagnosis.
The present study provides a scholastic exposition on a subject of judicial importance. it highlights an issue that falls within the spectrum of Syrian penal legislation. it sheds light on the relative functions assumed by three distinct bodies - judiciary, public prosecution and the judicial police. According to the pertinent national law, a principle associated with the separation of powers in theoretivally operative. in applied domain, however, both public prosecution and judicial police are granted no permission to arrange conciliation between the indicted and the victim. Nevertheless, judicial police is authorized to undertake conciliatory endeavours. Such endeavours are referred subsequently to the public prosecution. This means the inception of a new phase. it implies phase of operational procedure. Also, this phase involves the revocation of public prosecution. The end result will provide wider Justification for exploration on restorative Justice and penal alternatives.
The changes of equilibrium moisture content, smouldering rate, routine chemical composition and pH value of redried Yunnan flue-cured strips, B2F and C3F, during aging were tested. The results showed that the equilibrium moisture content, total sugar, nicotine, total nitrogen, protein and pH value of the strips were obviously decreased with the proceeding of aging, while its smouldering rate was increased to a certain extent.
In the present paper, we will introduce a system which gives an ecient way of constructing counter‐models for arbitrary formulae which are unprovable in modal logic K4. Our system is obtained by modifying the method in [7], which gives us an ecient decision procedure for K4. Therefore, as a whole, our system can decide first whether a given formula A is provable in K4 or not, and then gives us a counter‐model for A when it is not provable. Since our system can avoid loop-checking as far as possible, the above procedure can be carried out eciently.
Cleaning products have been used from time immemorial to remove dirt and odour for cosmetic or medical reasons. These products encompass a wide range of products. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity; including sensitivity and kill kinetics study, of Ariel detergent, Morning fresh liquid soaps, B 29 soap, Dettol cool medicated soap and Dettol hand sanitizer. Ariel was the most active against the selected bacteria probably because harsher ingredients are incorporated in its formulation, since it is used on inanimate objects. This was followed by Morning fresh for the above same reasons. Surprisingly, Dettol cool mediated soap and Dettol hand sanitizer had little activity or no against the selected bacteria. B 29 had no activity against all the bacteria.
This research has observed trouble and its literary figuration that CIS area korean people should undergo in the moving-fixing process. Purpose of this research is that examines the CIS area Korean’s life and national identity through the novels of Anatoly Kim and Alexander Kan. Most of 1 generation's writers in CIS area show difficult life that they have suffered through the moving to Russia Younhaeju and CIS area. But 2, 3 generation’s writers describe past as historic memory of nation, Korean and Korean social actuality and view about the future, and national identity. Anatoly Kim and Alexander Kan are the typical writers. They are not Russian and Korean too. As Russian and Korean, they describe the confusion of CIS area Korean’s identity in works. But these are distinctly different. Anatoly Kim transcends the very nation and adopts the insight of ‘Cosmopolitan’. But Alexander Kan emphasizes the fact that Russian's blood and Korean’s blood are compounded, that is, the consciousness of mixed blood. If Anatoly Kim emphasizes the transcendental insight like ‘Cosmopolitan’, then Alexander Kan emphasizes the confusion of Russian culture and Korean culture, and through that forecasts new dimensions of Korean culture. In other words, while Anatoly Kim hopes cosmopolitan of Russia nationality, but Alexander Kan hopes Korean of Russia nationality. These differences derives from the opinion about the first language. These create and announce works by Russian, and do not persist in the first language in the work-activity and everyday life. To Anatoly Kim Russian is not language to the Russian people only, but the only means that reveals the original language common to all people, in other words the original Word’(태초의 말씀 ). Therefore he recognizes Russian as the first language. To Anatoly Kim 'the original Word' jumps the border of nation and focuses cosmopolitanism over the world. In result, he does not distinguish the Korean culture that is mastered by ‘blood memory’ from the Russian culture that is formed in growth process. He is Korean of Russia nationality actually, but he focuses ‘Cosmopolitan’ that is neither Russian nor Korean. He overcomes the confusion of identity that derives from ‘blood fear’ through cosmopolitanism that intends the universal value of mankind. The other Side, Alexander Kan recognizes Korean as the first language. And he observes nonverbal(無言語) phenomenon that derives from confusing of Russian and Korean, and the cultural effects from that. In this point, he presents direction that the national culture in CIS area Koreans must go forward. And he recognizes the necessity of the first language in order to live with Russian and also to become ‘Human’. In other words, he recognizes the importance of the first language to be over nation and moreover in being over nation. In result, he shows the affirmative future about Koreans and Korean literature in CIS. This is the very reason that he convinces that the Korean literature in CIS may be eternal here. Homesickness to the hometown raises passion and thirsty which make it to work. The passion has been and is here, and will be forward. In other words, the national identity of Korean and Korean literature in CIS is not the matter of language but the matter of national homesickness. This shows Consciousness of mixed blood of 3 generation Koreans in CIS.
Chen, Peng-Chu. Ph.D., Purdue University, August 2016. Systemic Risk in Financial Networks. Major Professor: Thomas Morin. This thesis extends the literature of systemic risk in financial networks in two directions. First, we develop a majorization-based tool to compare financial networks in terms of systemic losses with a focus on the implications of liability concentration. Specifically, we quantify liability concentration by applying the majorization order to the liability matrix that captures the interconnectedness of banks in a financial network. We develop notions of balancing and unbalancing networks to bring out the qualitatively different implications of liability concentration on the system’s loss profile. An empirical analysis of the network formed by the banking sectors of eight representative European countries suggests that the system is either unbalancing or close to it. This empirical finding, along with the majorization results, supports regulatory policies aiming at limiting the size of gross exposures to individual counterparties. Second, we propose a multi-period clearing framework, where the level of systemic risk is mitigated through provision of liquidity assistance. The interbank liability network evolves stochastically over time, and assets of defaulted banks are sold to qualified banks within the network through a first-price sealed-bid auction. We find that policies targeting systemically important banks are more effective in core-periphery network structures, whereas those maximizing the total liquidity in the system are preferred in random network configurations. We assess sensitivity of systemic risk to variations in interbank liabilities as well as to their correlation structure.
The invention relates to an improved cylindrical grinding machine. The cylindrical grinding machine comprises a machine body and a working sliding table being placed on the machine body and being capable of horizontally sliding relative to the machine body, wherein a clamping device of a machined workpiece is fixed at one end of the working sliding table; a grinding device for cutting and grinding the machined workpiece is arranged at the other end of the working sliding table; between the clamping device and the grinding device, a supporting device of the machined workpiece is arranged at a position having a preset distance from the grinding; the supporting device is fixed on the horizontal sliding table; and by using the supporting device, an edge part of the machined workpiece jumps within a reasonable range relative to a handle part in the machining process so that the edge part and the handle part of the workpiece are always kept with good coaxiality to improve the machining accuracy of the workpiece.
Introduction. The problem of adequate modeling of physical processes and objects is an urgent task of modern science. Automation of work in this area increases the accuracy of modeling and saves money on full-scale modeling of objects under study. The research objective was to create a computer program that would automatically form dimensionless similarity criteria based on the initial set of parameters. Materials and Methods. The calculation algorithm is based on к -theorem of similarity theory and the basic provisions of the dimensional theory. Research Results. The computer program is developed. It enables to get all the theoretically possible similarity criteria for the simulation of the physical process or object of interest. Discussion and Conclusions. The results obtained can be used in the industrial and scientific modeling of physical objects of research, calculation of new similarity criteria, solving problems of describing complex processes, etc.
Little is known about the health practices of critical care nurses (CCNs). Because their health behaviors may influence their inclinations to counsel patients, it is important that CCNs engage in a healthy lifestyle and serve as health exemplars. The purpose of this survey was to describe the health practices of 499 CCNs. Data were gathered by questionnaires that elicited information regarding smoking habits, oral health and dietary practices, energy expenditure, seat belt use, alcohol consumption, and health surveillance behaviors. This article is a sequel to a previous manuscript that reported findings relative to the smoking practices of CCNs. Results of the study suggest that the CCNs surveyed were not fulfilling their roles as health exemplars. Although some reported favorable health practices, many indicated habits that were less than desirable. These data document the need to develop strategies for improving the health behaviors of CCNs, thereby protecting their future health. Ultimately, these strategies may benefit their patients.
OBJECTIVE:To study the protective effects of Carthamus tinctorius injection on peripheral nerve ischemia-reperfusion(IR) injury in rats and its mechanism.METHODS:The test were randomly divided into six groups,i.e.control group(constant volume normal saline),model group(constant volume normal saline),mannite group(5 mL·kg-1),C.tinctorius injection high-dose,medium-dose and low-dose groups(32,16,8 mL·kg-1) with intravenous administration.Peripheral nerve IR model was established by clamping common iliac artery,internal iliac artery and external iliac artery for 6 h.The limb function and neural electrophysiology of rats were tested.The levels of super oxide dismutase(SOD),malonaldehyde(MDA),calcium and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in nervi ischiadicus tissue were detected.RESULTS:Compared with model group,the limb function and MDA of C.tinctorius injection medium-dose and high-dose groups were decreased significantly while the activity of SOD increased significantly(P0.01,P0.05);In C.tinctorius injection high-dose group,TNF-α and latent period were decreased significantly,but conduction velocity and amplitude were increased obviously(P0.01,P0.05).CONCLUSION:C.tinctorius injection has a protective effect for peripheral nerve IR injury in experimental rat,which may be related to the inhibition of oxidative stress,calcium overloading and inflammation.
The purpose of this paper is to highlight that the lack of succession planning of the doctor manager role in Australia has individual and organisational implications. Succession planning is a business strategy that has not been embraced by all areas of healthcare organisations. Little research has been conducted on the succession planning strategies used to employ doctor managers in Australian hospitals. This paper is based on a larger qualitative study on the professional identity of doctor managers. Reference to the interviews that highlight lack of succession planning and implementation are used to argue for the need to recognise that currently there is a lack of succession planning initiatives for doctor managers. Effective management development and succession planning of doctor managers may provide a cadre of managers that have the motivation, skills and knowledge required to meet the challenges in providing an effective and responsive health care service. Health service administrators must plan for succession at all levels of management, including the doctor manager role. In a climate that is experiencing pressure to reach performance targets and reduce costs, succession planning is essential to identify, recruit, develop and mentor potential candidates to ensure they have the competencies and skills to meet the challenges of the current health care climate.
The Indonesian Government through a Ministry of Culture and Education as well as a Ministry of Religions released a Teacher Certification Program in 2007. One side, the program has responded well to improve the quality of teachersâ€™ prosperity by providing them additional allowance as much as their monthly salary. However, on the other side, several isssues have been arisen in the field which questioning wether the program has met goals well or not. Those issues such as bad practice in preparing portfolios, financial matter and technical aspect in withdrawing a stipend, impact toward teachersâ€™ teaching competency, and including lack of capacity development program after teachers were declared as certified teachers.Â  This is a qualitative research with approach of public policy analysis. The research focuses on a case study in two sub-disctricts in Aceh Besar by conductiong in-depth interviews with purposed key informants representing the schools and policy makers. The result of this research does not have intention to generalize condition throughout Aceh province but could be a critical findings responding on Teacher Certification Program. Â  Key words: certification program, to improve the quality
According to principle of constituting of traditional Chinese herbal medicine, feedingstuff A and feedingstuff B with Chinese herbal compared with feedingstuff with Tylosin and feedingstuff with free additive were designed for three percentage of 0.5,1 and 2 to feeding 28~(th) day local-breeding chooks divided discretionarily. The content of C3,C4 and IgG was detected respectively at the age of 42~(th) day,56~(th) day and 70~(th) day. The result showed that Chinese herbal medical additive can obviously enhance the content of C3,C4 ,IgG and could increase it as the growth of chooks.
The successful launch of the TDX satellite on June 21st, 2010 marked the beginning of the challenging TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement mission (TanDEM-X). Its primary mission goal is the consistent generation of a high accuracy world-wide global digital elevation model. The satellites TSX and TDX were therefore flown for about four years in a close configuration to form a single-pass (bistatic) spaceborne radar interferometer in a stable baseline configuration. Since the TanDEM-X data taking required both satellites, the on-going TerraSAR-X mission also had to be based on both satellites to counterbalance the TSX interferometric usage.  In 2014, the DEM data acquisition was successfully completed. Since then, different flight configurations yielding various perpendicular baseline conditions are used to support the secondary TanDEM-X mission goal, the acquisition and generation of radar data products for a number of science and new technology related applications while the TerraSAR-X mission is still on-going.  As the original TerraSAR-X mission already lead to some challenging solutions within its ground segment to fulfill its demanding requirements, the TanDEM-X mission required just as many new ideas and solutions for the acquisition of the DEM data within the combined TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X ground segment. The operation of the new TanDEM-X ground station network asked for elaborate workflows and interfaces with the mission planning system (MPS). And the TanDEM-X Science Phase following the DEM Acquisition Phase since 2014 even put the complexity one level further and again led to an upgrade of the interfaces and workflows between the ground station network and the MPS.  One of the major challenges results from the need to consistently handle the different flight formations. The close formation (about 1km or less) of the two satellites enables the ground station to receive data from both spacecrafts within one contact. In the far configuration (about 50 km or more) a ground station with two antennas is able to receive data from both satellites in parallel. Furthermore, in the near formation (something between about 1 and 50km) a ground station with only one antenna can receive data from one satellite only, thus, a reception from both satellites is without specific enhancements in the antenna control, for example already implemented on the German Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS) in O’Higgins, in general only possible using two antennas.  In a very specific formation, the so called “close formation with large horizontal baseline”, both spacecrafts are close when they are nearby the poles, and then they take a near formation when they are nearby the equator. Thus, a specific operation type had to be developed for each ground station individually depending on its geographical position and its physical properties.  In this presentation, the analysis carried out in close collaboration with the flight dynamics group for the selection of the appropriate operations type per ground station and contact is shown. The outcome of this analysis was a heterogenic pattern of all the ground station contacts of that network.  As TanDEM-X data acquisition produces the same amount of data on each of the two satellites, a more homogenous distribution of the downlink time was necessary and thus another complex analysis had to be carried out.  The outcome of this secondary analysis will be the main topic of this presentation. In particular, we will discuss the necessity of the adaptation of the various interfaces and workflows between the ground station and the mission planning system. These adapted workflows still allow timeline horizons of several months down to reaction times of only about an hour between the mission planning output and the readiness of the ground station.  Based on the information given by the MPS, the ground station is able to optimize its used resources.  Furthermore, not only is the recording of the received data driven by the input of the MPS, also, the subsequent quality check of the data is completed within one hour.  At the end of the talk, the downlink-scheduling within the MPS will be briefly described. This includes the ground station pool concept and specific features supporting near real-time applications. Here again, the focus will be on the resulting workflows and interfaces of the two missions, TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X, between mission planning and the ground station.
Prebiotics are variety of nondigestible carbohydrates that help promote the growth of good bacteria in the intestines. Prebiotics are found naturally in legumes, vegetables, fruits and tubers. Soybean, banana and tapioca are supposed to have potential as prebiotics, promote a healthy digestive system and reduce the growth of harmful bacteria. Soybean, banana and tapioca were investigatedon their abilities to promote the quality of probiotic yogurt. Soybean flour addition to probiotic yogurt most potential to promote nutrition value and lactic acid bacteria viability. The most preference of probiotic yogurt by panelists is probiotic yogurt added tapioca.
In order to solve the influence of the position deviation of hanging magnetic probe subjected to ocean current on the ship's magnetic field measurement accuracy and design the magnetic probes with optimal shape and structure,a calculation method for the position deviation of magnetic probes and a optimal design method for the probe shape and structure are proposed.Firstly,the equivalent mathematical model of hanging probes is established.Based on the hydromechanics method,the total resistance applying on the cables and the different shapes probes in ocean current are calculated.Then,by using finite element method,the position deviations of magnetic probes are calculated.The rule of the probe deviation varying with its mass is analyzed.Therefore,the probe with optimal shape and structure can be determined.These methods can be used to guide the design and manufacture of magnetic probes in ship degaussing service.
Carbonate rocks range in age from Sinian (upper Proterozoic) to Triassic and are widely distributed in China. In the northern, southwestern, and southeastern parts of eastern China, these rocks contain abundant oil seeps and disseminated asphaltic substances. Large gas and small oil accumulations also have been discovered in these strata. Geologic and geochemical evidence suggests that the carbonate rock are at least partially the source of these petroleum accumulations. In the eastern part of China, hydrocarbon in carbonate rocks have generally undergone heating to high levels and have reached a much higher levels and have reached a much higher stage of thermochemical evolution. A late-stage evolution profile has been set up for evaluating hydrocarbon prospects in carbonate-rock formations. Although solid asphalts and kerogen exhibit a high degree of maturity at some places, commercial quantities of natural gas have been generated and preserved in subsurface reservoir rocks.
Oxygenation and ventilation were studied by invasive and non-invasive methods in 31 critically ill children; the average age was 27.1 +/- 12.6 months (range from 1 to 144 months). All the patients were receiving mechanical ventilation and had arterial catheters. We correlated PtcO2, PtcCO2 and StcO2 with their respective arterial values, when FiO2 was 1.0, 0.6 and 0.4. There was a good correlation (p less than 0.001) in the three values of FiO2, but it was especially significant in 0.4 (r = 0.904 for PaO2 and PtcO2, r = 0.905 for PaCO2 and PtcCO2 and r = 1 for SaO2 and StcO2). We conclude that StcO2 is the most reliable transcutaneous parameter to evaluate oxygenation state in critically ill patients.
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) suspension was covered on the surface of glass substrate by multi spin-coating to form uniform SWNTs network, which could be employed to test power features of SWNT. The distribution of SWNT was observed by scanning electron microscope. The sheet resistance distribution was measured by four-probe resistance meter at randomly selected on the network, and current-voltage property was determined by monitoring of multi -channel data logger. The results showed that the network has a high linear I -V characteristic and a high repeatability. The induced voltage of the network and current in the circuit were measured when NaCl aqueous solution with different concentration was flowed through the surface of the network at different flow rate. The theory of the voltage generation of SWNT in flowing ion-rich liquid was discussed.
In the final analysis, and despite initial success of Keynesian regulations, years after the 2008 crisis the Turkish economy and society are still in the grip of structural problems of capitalist markets. As recounted below, these factors are chronic high unemployment, vast current account deficits and its associated problems in foreign exchange parities, and persistent inflation. These elements may be triggers for a social or economic crisis at any time and render the country especially vulnerable to external shocks originating in international markets. Hence, it is obvious that Keynesian solutions are not enough to make the system crisis-free.
The theory of spatial relations in GIS theory has been strongly demanded by spatial data modeling, spatial database query, spatial reasoning, cartographic generalization, and natural-language interface design among many others. However, there is no universal formal model that can be used to describe topological relations among area objects. This paper focuses on establishing a formal model to fill up the knowledge gaps. Our studies demonstrate that topological relations can be identified upon the changes of topological properties of spatial object sets and its components before and after their interactions. First, we propose a generalized model describing topological relations by using mapping transformations from relational algebraic. We found that the current existing models can be categorized as specific cases of our model. Subsequently, the model that we proposed here is a generic model in terms of representing area/area relations. In addition, the concepts of topological distance and topological complexity are defined within the model framework. Based on the concepts, we set up a conceptual model toward neighborhoods of topological relations, which agrees with practical cases and can be applied to the real-world problems.
With selected patients noninvasive positive-pressure ventilation (NPPV) can obviate endotracheal intubation and thus avoid the airway trauma and infection associated with intubation. With patients who can cooperate, NPPV is the first-line treatment for mild-to-severe acute hypercapnic respiratory failure. NPPV is also used for hypercapnic ventilatory failure and to assist weaning from mechanical ventilation, by allowing earlier extubation. Some patients do not obtain adequate ventilation with NPPV and therefore require intubation. Also, some patients will initially benefit from NPPV (for one-to-several days) but will then deteriorate and require intubation. It is not always apparent which patients will initially benefit from NPPV, so researchers have been looking for variables that predict NPPV success/failure. The reported NPPV failure rate is 5-40%, so the necessary staff and equipment for prompt intubation should be readily available. Absolute contraindications to NPPV are: cardiac or respiratory arrest; nonrespiratory organ failure (eg, severe encephalopathy, severe gastrointestinal bleeding, hemodynamic instability with or without unstable cardiac angina); facial surgery or trauma; upper-airway obstruction; inability to protect the airway and/or high risk of aspiration; and inability to clear secretions. The NPPV training and experience of the clinician team partly determines whether the patient will succeed with NPPV or, instead, require intubation. Greater clinician-team NPPV experience and expertise are associated with a higher percentage of patients succeeding on NPPV and with NPPV success with sicker patients (than will succeed with a less-experienced clinician team). With patients suffering hypercapnic respiratory failure the best NPPV success/failure predictor is the degree of acidosis/acidemia (pH and P(aCO(2)) at admission and after 1 hour on NPPV), whereas mental status and severity of illness are less reliable predictors. With patients suffering hypoxic respiratory failure the likelihood of NPPV success seems to be related to the underlying disease rather than to the degree of hypoxia. For example, the presence of acute respiratory distress syndrome or community-acquired pneumonia portends NPPV failure, as does lack of oxygenation improvement after an hour on NPPV. All the proposed NPPV success/failure predictors should be used cautiously and need further study. We predict that further study and team experience will improve the NPPV success rate and allow successful NPPV-treatment of sicker patients.
The invention discloses a collaborative modulation method based on power grid multi-circuit direct current. The collaborative modulation method based on the power grid multi-circuit direct current comprises the steps of (1) a power value of real-time transmission of a direct current line of each circuit is obtained to obtain the power, capable of being modulated in a real-time mode, of the direct current, (2) the modulation mode adopted by additional control of the direct current is learned about, (3) whether a fault is a monopole locking fault or a multipole locking fault is judged when the fault occurs in the direct current line of some circuit, (4) direct current modulation is not started to be used by the direct current of any one of multiple circuits when the fault is determined to be the monopole locking fault, (5) the obtained modulation mode is started to be used by other poles, in normal operation, of the direct current when a double-pole locking fault occurs on a four-pole operation direct current line, and (6) active power modulation of the direct current is rapidly started to be used by other two paths of direct current when the situation that the double-pole locking fault occurs on some double-pole operation direct current line, or a three-pole or four-pole direct current locking fault occurs on the four-pole operation direct current line is determined, and the total direct current delivery power of the multi-circuit direct current is increased to the maximum extent. The collaborative modulation method based on the power grid multi-circuit direct current needs to be developed in advance through an off-line simulation strategy, the frequency of generator tripping of a safety stability device can be reduced, and the overall economic benefit of operation of a power grid can be improved.
During the last years Colombia, has become a country of SMEs, which have increased considerably as time goes by becoming a great force generating employment and contributing to its active participation in the national economy with the increase of GDP. However, it has been demonstrated that the life expectancy of these companies is very short due to different internal or external factors or conditions that affect the organization. Markets demand greater agility on the part of companies to position their goods or services in a globalized world in which trade borders have disappeared in order to simplify trade between countries. Colombian SMEs have focused their operations on national and regional markets, without considering the possibility of facing international markets through the proper study of their internal processes and the possibility of assessing production costs through the importation of raw materials or finished products That serve as a complement to their activity.
Most private not-for-profit (PNFP) health providers in Uganda are faith-based. They account for a sizeable proportion of the health services delivered in the country and have as their prime concern the provision of services to the poor. These providers are coordinated through umbrella organizations, such as the Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim Medical Bureaus and the Uganda Community Based Health Care Association. This article documents the experiences of the Catholic health network in Uganda and its umbrella organization, the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau (UCMB) in making health services work for poor people. It demonstrates how the pro-poor ethos derived from a longstanding tradition and the mission of healing by treating and preventing diseases, with a preferential option for the less privileged supported by soft regulation and technical assistance from the umbrella organization can induce a process of activity.
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Based on studies on medieval monasticism and native ontologies of northern Canada, this text shows how to overcome the gap between the real world and the imagination about it, foundation of the official science procedures. The paper argues that Bacon's maxim "appeal to the facts", assumed by this science, has left imagination adrift, far away from its anchoring ground. The article displays some alternative ways of reading and writing that could allow us to listen to the advice of the pages as well as the world around us, thus healing the rupture between world and imagination.
Abstract : Reaction times of modern current and future war platforms are eroded, since they are expected to operate in a large variety of complex scenarios. To cope with the increasingly diverse air and surface threats, modern platforms, either operating in a single ship configuration or within a (joint and/or combined) task group/force, will require their sensor suite and weapon arsenal to be efficiently managed. The coordination and tight integration of these resources will also be required. The Decision Support Systems (DSS) Section, at Defence Research & Development Canada- Valcartier (DRDC Valcartier), has initiated collaboration with industry and university partners. This collaboration aims at developing and demonstrating advanced concepts of combat resource management, which could apply to the current Command & Control Systems (CCSs) of the Halifax and Iroquois Class ships, as well as their possible future upgrade (e.g., Canadian Surface Combatant platform), in order to improve their performance against the predicted future threat. This activity builds upon and broadens the scope of prior research in the domain. It is oriented to the study, development, and implementation of management decision aids for tactical shipboard resources, based on intelligent agent technology and techniques for multi-agent planning and coordination. This report presents a review of agent and multi-agent coordination approaches. Theoretical basis of distributed planning in multi-agent systems is introduced and coordination mechanisms are described. Multi-agent approaches are used to address the coordination problems for: 1) hardkill/softkill, 2) weapons deployment/ship navigation, and 3) multi-ship positioning and operations. Results of the implementation and test of different algorithms for these combat resource coordination problems, in naval engagements, are presented and discussed.
The invention relates to a medical implant for treating a local lesion in a vessel, in particular for aneurysm treatment, with a tubular supporting body (10) which is compressible and expandable, wherein said supporting body (10) having a first portion (11) having a first porosity , The invention is characterized in that the support body (10) has at least one second local area (12) for the treatment of the lesion and at least one anchoring element (13), said second portion (12) having a second porosity that is less than the first porosity, and the anchoring element (13) (13) for anchoring the support body (10) in the vessel in the expanded state over the support body (10) protrudes and is adapted to engage a container opening, in particular an aneurysm or an afferent vessel of a bifurcation intervene.
Cultivation of landraces of rice is declining globally due to introduction of high yielding varieties. In this study some of thelocal landraces of r iceof Jharkhandhas beensubjected to callus induction and regeneration .MS medium supplemented withdifferent concentration/combination(s) of phytohormones have been used.MS medium supplemented with 2, 4 -D and NAA showed pronouncedcallusing while supplementation with IAA resultedonly in germination .Regenerated plantletswere obtained inMS +IAA(2mg/L) + Kinetin (4 mg/L) and MS + NAA (1mg/L) + BAP(2mg/L). The protocolcan be helpful for conservation and preservation of these localcultivarswhichare on the verge of extinction.These local varieties carry desirable traits that can be utilized in advancedbreeding program.
The HRD concept is much wider and the commitment is for the long term. It embraces almost all areas of an organization and places emphasis on the development of individuals as integral parts within an organization along with the development of methods and systems. HRD in the context of insurance is not only acquisition of new knowledge and skills but also acquiring capabilities to manage both internal and external environment attaining self confidence and motivation for public service. On account of the importance attached to the human resources in the national context for William Petty in the seventeenth century attempt to quantity the value of the human resources in monetary terms. The classical economists like Adam Smith, Jean Baptise say, and Nssam W. Senior, Neo-classical economists like Alfred Marshall, and Jr. Wing Fisher and modern Human capital economists like Theodre W. Schultz, Grey S. Becker and Lester Throw have recognized human resource as an important asset like many other productive assets of material nature. Peter Drucker, an international management expert, has remarked that economic forces but they are essentially human achievements. Thus human beings are viewed as important resources both in the past and at present. It hold good even in future also.
Quantification of information leakage is a successful approach for evaluating the security of a system. It models the system to be analyzed as a channel with the secret as the input and an output as observable by the attacker as the output, and applies information theory to quantify the amount of information transmitted through such channel, thus effectively quantifying how many bits of the secret can be inferred by the attacker by analyzing the system’s output.  Channels are usually encoded as matrices of conditional probabilities, known as channel matrices. Such matrices grow exponentially in the size of the secret and observables, are cumbersome to compute and store, encode both the behavior of the system and assumptions about the attacker, and assume an input-output behavior of the system. For these reasons we propose to model the system-attacker scenario with Markovian models.  We show that such models are more compact and treatable than channel matrices. Also, they clearly separate the behavior of the system from the assumptions about the attacker, and can represent even non-terminating behavior in a finite model. We provide techniques and algorithms to model and analyze both deterministic and randomized processes with Markovian models and to compute their information  leakage for a very general model of attacker. We present the QUAIL tool that automates such analysis and is able to compute the information leakage of an imperative WHILE language. Finally, we show how to use QUAIL to analyze some interesting cases of secret-dependent protocols.
A compact, optically-pumped solid-state microchip laser device uses efficient nonlinear intracavity frequency conversion for obtaining low-cost green and blue laser sources. The laser includes a solid-state gain medium, such as Nd:YVO4, and a nonlinear crystal. The nonlinear crystal is formed of periodically poled lithium niobate or periodically poled lithium tantalate, and the crystal is either MgO-doped, ZnO-doped, or stoichiometric to ensure high reliability. The nonlinear crystal provides efficient frequency doubling to translate energy from an infrared pump laser beam into the visible wavelength range. The laser device is assembled in a package having an output aperture for the output beam and being integrated with an optical bench accommodating a laser assembly. The package encloses and provides heat sinking for the semiconductor diode pump laser, the microchip laser cavity assembly, the optical bench platform, and electrical leads.
Effects of trypsin and pronase on D-xylose uptake were studied on isolated frog sartorius muscle. Trypsin and pronase exerted insulin-like effects on the transport of sugar. The acceleration of xylose transport by insulin was reduced by a prior incubation of muscles with trypsin or pronase. The inhibition of insulin effect was not due to destruction of the hormone. Proteases had no effect upon the sugar transport stimulated by DNP or potassium contracture. A conclusion is made of the availability in the frog muscle membrane of some insulin receptor similar to that reported for muscle tissue and fat cells of mammals.
Kinetic description of the changes of free radical concentration in Geren tumour tissue and in the tissues of liver, lungs, brain at chemotherapeutic application of licopine, selenium and cyclophosphane was obtained by ESR method. Licopine application decreases free radical concentration in the tumour (after the stage of a short-time rise). Similar effects during some periods of the action of carotinoids and of a valuable inhibitor of oxidation--selenium, as well as the citostatics of cyclophosphane allow to suggest that the application of the drug of vitamine A group is expedient in tumour therapy.
Knowledge Principle A practical consideration Polymer A synthetic organic material mixes with or dissolves in water and alters the behavior of suspended material in the water. Polymers are a chain of repeating chemical groups linked together end-to-end. This type of material can be used to enhance the performance of clarifiers, thicken process solids into sludges, or condition sludges for dewatering.
ObjectiveTo perform textual and pharmacognosic research on Ethnic-medicine Rhizoma et Radix Trillii and provide the scientific evidence for identification. MethodsCollecting and sorting the related medicine literatures of Rhizoma et Radix Trillii to research its name,original plant,nature and flavor,and efficacy.And morphological,microscopic identification,thin layer chromatography(TLC) identification of Rhizoma et Radix Trillii were adopted. Results and conclusionIn Tujia Medicine and Miao Medicine,Trillium tschonoskii Maxim.is the unique medicinal plants of Rhizoma et Radix Trillii,and the effects of Rhizoma et Radix Trillii include sedation,activating blood and analgesia.Morphological,microscopic identification and TLC identification may be good methods for identifying ethnic-medicine Rhizoma et Radix Trillii.
In HF network communication,various parameters of ALE,the control and the user need to be exchanged with the communication devices throught HF channel.In order to retain the unification of the parameters,the STANAG 5066 should be studied and implemented.With the 5066 primitives,all users could access HF network through the normative interfaces.Through studying STANAG 5066,the design of related protocol software could be realized.
This paper designed a real-time monitoring system of broadcast transmitting station based on the.NET platform using the C # tool.Upper machine uses industry PC,the lower position machine uses PLC,using the technology of RS485 to realize the safe communication of them,and through many kinds of way,for example telephone line,optical fiber,microwave,GPRS and so on to realize long-distance data transmission.
The electrostatic interaction of extended cationic ligands with DNA has been considered on the basis of the analytical solution of a simplified Poisson--Boltzmann equation for the charged polyion cylinder. The control numerical solution of rigorous Poisson--Boltzmann equation shows that the assumption about the absence of coions in the vicinity of the highly charged polyion cylinder does not significantly influence the accuracy of solution and DNA electrostatic free energy evaluation. It was found that the basic contribution to the free energy of electrostatic ligand-DNA interaction is the mixing entropy change due to release of counterions from the vicinity of DNA. The equation for the dependence of the ligand to DNA binding constant K upon ionic strength c has been derived without introduction of any empirical parameters. This equation is consistent with the experimental data and can be used for the determination of a number of ligand--DNA ionic contacts in a wide range of salt concentrations. The main consequences of Manning and Record et al. theories can be considered as limiting cases of the theory presented. In particular the equation d(lnK)/d(lnc) = -0.88 N by Record et al. has a restricted range of application and it can be used only for a relative approximate estimation of the number of electrostatic bonds in ligand-DNA complexes. The analysis of electrostatic interaction of DNA with ligands which neutralize only part of phosphate groups in the binding site of DNA was also performed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A system (200) of control for a machine (100) electric machine (100) electrical configured to be electrically coupled to a system (242) of electrical power, wherein the system (242) of electric power is configured to transmit at least one phase of electric power to and from the machine (100) power, said system (200) control facilitates the machine (100) electrical remains electrically connected to the system (242) of electrical power during and after at least one voltage amplitude of the electric power operating outside of a predetermined range for a period of time to be determined, wherein the system (200) control comprises at least one controller (400) locked loop (PLL) coupled communicating electronic data with at least a portion of the system (242) of electrical power, said at least one regulator (400) phase locked loop (PLL): at least one PLL com turns at least one block (406) of phase detection function and at least one filter (410) proportional-integral (PI); and at least one machine (404) coupled PLL status in electronic data communication with at least a portion of said PLL (402); characterized in that: said machine (404) state of PLL comprises at least one algorithm configured to determine a state of said controller (400) of PLL as a function of at least one voltage amplitude of the electrical power and at least one table numerical values ​​comprising at least: said plurality of constants (414) proportional gain; said plurality of constants (424) integral gain; said plurality of integral filter limits; and said plurality of filter sum limits.
PURPOSE: A system and a method for obtaining camera parameters from a plurality of images are provided to obtain the camera parameters from corresponding 2D images. CONSTITUTION: A processing module(104) detects the shadow of a target object. The processing module obtains silhouette data from each initial image(112), a corresponding background image, and a corresponding first threshold value. The processing module obtains feature information(114) about the target object from each initial image and a corresponding second threshold value. A calculation module(106) obtains one or more camera parameters(118) about the initial image.
This paper considers the conceptual and empirical merits of Ernest Becker’s analysis of radicalization and mass violence. Starting with several cases showing a clear link between exposure to traumatic events and violence, Ernest Becker’s idea that mass violence should be understood as an attempt to overcome the fear of death is examined in the light of recent experimental social psychological research, field research on the attitudinal effects of threatening situations, clinical modeling of the relation between fear and anger, and insights from neuroscience. Becker’s ideas, in conjunction with empirical research, may contribute to an understanding of how humans can behave under extreme circumstances.
The corona discharge ionizer has been widely used to eliminate electrostatic charges on insulators in a variety of manufacturing industries for the prevention of electrostatic discharge (ESD) problems. High-speed electrostatic elimination is conventionally required for ionizer performance. Because of the high sensitivity of recent electronic devices to ESD damage, an extremely low-offset voltage (ion balance) is required for the performance of electrostatic eliminators. Long-term performance stability is required to maintain the quality of the products, but the short cleaning interval of the unit increases the operating cost. The efficiency is also affected by the waveform of the applied voltage. The optimization of the applied voltage is an important factor in achieving long-term performance stability. In this study, an intermittent pulse voltage AC power supply was developed to achieve a highly efficient electrostatic elimination with long-term stability high-speed electrostatic elimination and an excellent ion balance.
This study aimed at investigating the perceptions of instructors toward teaching problems of Arabic as a foreign language, and its relation to the teacher experience. The study sample consisted of (57) instructors who teaching Arabic as foreign language. The instrument which consisted of (52) items was applied at the sample of this study.  Results revealed the most perception problems of teaching Arabic as A foreign language:  - About curricula: does not reflect the cultural and intellectual interests for the learners.  - About instructors: few of involvement of instructors in international conferences dealing with teaching Arabic as A foreign language.  - About learners: individual differences among students at the same level.  - About teaching environment: the absence of specialized library containing books, references, stories and novels for the foreign students.  On the other hand, the results showed also no statistically significant differences in the perception problems teaching Arabic as A foreign language according to year's experience of instructors.  The researchers recommended that more studies should be undertaken. These studies should be focused on the standardized instrument for teaching Arabic as A foreign language.
This paper adds to the growing conversation about and demand for joint use as a way to provide services to children and families in convenient locations, improve opportunities for physical activity by increasing use of school recreational and outdoor spaces, leverage capital investments, and more, provide a conceptual frame for the joint use of PK-12 public schools. We establish definitions for joint use and frame the basic challenges and opportunities to facilitate better conversations and planning for these type of collaborations.
The utility model discloses an automatic hot dip galvanizing centrifuge, which comprises a centrifuge unit, a frame and a driving unit, and is characterized in that the driving unit comprises a motor, a clutch-brake and a reversing speed governing machine, wherein the motor and the clutch-brake are arranged on a bottom plate of the frame, and the reversing speed governing machine is arranged on he frame; the motor drives the clutch-brake through a first driving belt, and the clutch-brake drives the reversing speed governing machine through a second driving belt; and the reversing speed governing machine drives the centrifuge unit by a gear.
The rapid development of transport telematics and common problems of different nations have produced international efforts to study, plan and implement ITS applications. This paper discusses the organisational and behavioural aspects of these projects in the light of organisational theories and one case project. In fact, the discussion that follows is applicable to any international and national project aiming at practical in situ measures. Only by emphasising the form of co-operation can a successful end result be achieved from an organisational point of view. It is argued that international efforts initiated by public organisations may often fail to recognise the local and regional needs and what is more important, the involvement and commitment of those people and organisations who are expected to implement international and national plans and strategies. (A) For the covering abstract, see IRRD 490001.
The use of electronic teaching and learning devices in the teaching of undergraduate courses at practically all higher education institutions is a common occurrence nowadays. Lecturers are exploiting the benefits of teaching by means of additional devices such as the computer and related technologies. The subject mathematics is not at all left out of the equation. This paper reports on research that was done on the implementation of a blended learning approach to e-learning in the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics at the Central University of Technology, Free State during 2005. It was found that the mentioned approach does add value to the learning experiences of individual students.
The diffuse transmission model of the substrate in the immobilized microorganism balls was studied through surveying macroscopical and microcosmic reaction rate of purifying low concentration SO2 with immobilized microbial biomass and free microbe.It was established that the mass transfer control was the key factor of affecting the catalytic activity of immobilized microorganisms;the internal diffusion resistance was the prime reason why the substrate concentration reduced generally along the crown radiu in the immobilized microorganism balls.
Does the classical liberal emphasis on freedom of association provide an intellectual cover for bigotry? We formulate this question in economic terms using James Buchanan’s economic approach to ethics, according to which moral values can be understood as preferences about other people’s behaviors. We discuss two possible market failures associated with freedom of association: inter-group externalities and Schelling-type emergent segregation. We show that the classical liberal position about freedom of association, as elaborated in Buchanan and Tullock’s Calculus of Consent, is fully equipped to deal with the first one, but not with the second. The progressive view that some preferences are so offensive that they should be dismissed rather than engaged or negotiated with can be reframed as an attempt to solve the emergent segregation problem, but it is vulnerable to political economy problems of its own, in particular to an inherent tendency to over-expand the meaning of “bigotry.”
The current changes in household structure affect the residential environment and lifestyle of households. Especially the change of requirements to spec of housing has been considered to provide housing to meet the demands. As an important factor of national economy, the housing market needs to respond elastically to the change of demand caused by the new trend of household structure. However, owing to the complexity of housing market, the event-oriented approach methodologies have several difficulties and shortage to forecast housing market. Herein, System Dynamics(SD) methodology has been applied to provide understandable reasons in detail on how the housing market responses to the change in the household structure. Based on the casual loop diagram of housing market, the simulation model was constructed using Vensim DSS 6.0.1, and the case of single-person household in Gwangjin-Gu, Seoul was simulated. The result of this study provides the demand-supply model as foundation of an analysis and forecast the housing market according to the change in household structure. Due to the lead time of housing supply, however, the imbalance between supply and demand had caused an insecure housing market to be solved by government and stakeholders of market. The suggested model is expected to support decision making on the housing policy and business.
Objective To investigate the mutations of the gene in Chinese patients with X linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS), and to provide the genetic diagnosis and consultation of heredity for the patients and their families. Methods Genomic DNA was isolated from leukocytes of 29 male patients with XLRS, 38 female carriers and 100 normal controls (the patients and the carriers were from 12 families). All 6 exons of XLRS1 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) assay. The positions and types of XLRS1 gene mutations were determined by direct sequencing. Results Eleven different XLRS1 mutations were identified in these 12 families, including one frameshift mutation due to base loss of the first exon: c.22delT(L9CfsX20), one nonsense mutation due to base loss of the first exon (Trp163X), one splice donor site mutation(c.52+2 T→C; IVS1+2T to C), and eight missense mutation due to base replacement(Ser73Pro, Arg102Gln, Asp145His, Arg156Gly, Arg200Cys, Arg209His, Arg213Gln, and Cys223Arg). No gene mutation was detected in the control group. Four new mutations included frmaeshift mutation(L9CfsX20) and mutations of Asp145His, Arg156Gly, and Trp163X at the fifth exon. A newly discovered non-disease-related polymorphism (NSP) was the c.576C to T (Pro192Pro) change at the sixth exon. Conclusion Eleven different XLRS1 mutations were detected, which is the cause of XLRS in Chinese people. The detection of gene mutations may provide the guidance of genetic diagnosis and the consultation of family heredity for the patients and their families.
Development of a game in the form of software for game-based learning poses significant technical challenges for educators, researchers, game designers, and software engineers. The game development consists of a set of complex processes requiring multi-faceted knowledge in multiple disciplines such as digital graphic design, education, gaming, instructional design, modeling and simulation, psychology, software engineering, visual arts, and the learning subject area. Planning and managing such a complex multidisciplinary development project require unifying methodologies for development and software quality evaluation and should not be performed in an ad hoc manner. This dissertation presents such methodologies named: GAMED (diGital educAtional gaMe dEvelopment methoDology) and IDEALLY (dIgital eDucational gamE softwAre quaLity evaLuation methodologY). GAMED consists of a body of methods, rules, and postulates and is embedded within a digital educational game life cycle. The life cycle describes a framework for organization of the phases, processes, work products, quality assurance activities, and project management activities required to develop, use, maintain, and evolve a digital educational game from birth to retirement. GAMED provides a modular structured approach for overcoming the development complexity and guides the developers throughout the entire life cycle. IDEALLY provides a hierarchy of 111 indicators consisting of 21 branch and 90 leaf indicators in the form of an acyclic graph for the measurement and evaluation of digital educational game software quality. We developed the GAMED and IDEALLY methodologies based on the experiences and knowledge we have gained in creating and publishing four digital educational games that run on the iOS (iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch) mobile devices: CandyFactory, CandySpan, CandyDepot, and CandyBot. The two methodologies provide a quality-centered structured approach for development of digital educational games and are essential for accomplishing demanding goals of game-based learning. Moreover, classifications provided in the literature are inadequate for the game designers, engineers and practitioners. To that end, we present a taxonomy of games that focuses on the characterization of games. Digital Educational Games: Methodologies for Development and Software Quality
Supply chain risk management is considered as one of the most powerful competitive tools for the companies. Therefore, the concept has caught the attention of researchers especially in the recent years. However, supply chain risk management has not been examined in the literature by considering the maturity and capability levels of supply chain members. This study aims to address this gap and develops a new framework on supply chain risk management which focuses on different supply chain orientation levels of the supply chains members. The framework proposed in this study is named as “Supply Chain Management Capability Model”. This model is the first attempt to illustrate the required supply chain risk management capabilities of companies for different supply chain orientation levels. This model presents developing supply chain structures with increasing orientation levels, which also serve for Business to Business (B2B) and relationship marketing purposes. The results of this study show that supply chain members’ capability levels also vary in terms of sustainability dimension. The results of the study provide relevant findings both to guide practitioners and motivate researchers to conduct further studies in this area.
In order to find out objective indices for "hidden" hypoglycemia in diabetic patients the urine excretion of the catecholamines adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine and the serum levels of cortisol and somatotrophic hormone (STH) were followed up. 45 diabetics on insulin treatment were included in the study: 32 patients with type I diabetes mellitus and 13 patients with diabetes mellitus type II with secondary resistance to sulfanilurea drugs and insulin. The patients were classified into the following groups: I. without hypoglycemia--28 patients; 2. with diurnal hypoglycemia--6 patients and 3. with nocturnal hypoglycemia--II patients. In the patients with hypoglycemia the 24 h adrenaline urine excretion was higher than in the patients without hypoglycemia. No such differences were found for noradrenaline and dopamine. The separate examination of the diurnal and nocturnal catecholamines excretion showed in all groups that they cannot serve as an objective index for determination of hypoglycemia. The STH showed no differences in all groups of diabetics. Disturbances in the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion in diabetics were found. This could be a good and available marker for detecting "hidden" hypoglycemia in diabetics.
Galactic winds are ubiquitous in most rapidly star-forming galaxies. They are crucial to the process of galaxy formation and evolution, regulating star formation, shaping the stellar mass function and the mass-metallicity relation, and enriching the intergalactic medium with metals. Although important, the physics of galactic winds is still unclear. Many theoretical mechanisms have been proposed. Winds may be driven by the heating of the interstellar medium by overlapping supernovae explosions, the radiation pressure by continuum absorption and scattering of starlight on dust grains, and so on. The comparison between theory and observation is still incomplete. A full understanding of these issues requires both better theoretical explorations and comparisons with new and existing observations. In this book I discuss the theoretical models of both supernovae driven and radiation pressure driven galactic winds, and compared these models with observations.
Wound healing is a dynamic and normal biological process involving fibroblast activation and migration, reepithelization, proliferation of endothelial cells, and angiogenesis, which are accompanied by inflammatory response and oxidative reactions in the damaged area. Herbs have been integral to both traditional and nontraditional forms of medicine dating back at least 5000 years. The enduring popularity of herbal medicines may be explained by the perception that herbs cause minimal unwanted side effects. More recently scientists increasingly rely on modern scientific methods and evidence-based medicine to prove efficacy of herbal medicines and focus on better understanding of mechanisms of their action. Preparations from traditional medicinal plants are often used for wound healing purposes covering a broad area of different skin related diseases. The main aim of this review article is potential of herbs for effective treatment of wound.
Will reading habit influence your life? Many say yes. Reading oak bluffs is a good habit; you can develop this habit to be such interesting way. Yeah, reading habit will not only make you have any favourite activity. It will be one of guidance of your life. When reading has become a habit, you will not make it as disturbing activities or as boring activity. You can gain many benefits and importances of reading.
Four new representatives of the order Grylloblattida are described: Chauliodites mongolicus sp. nov. (Chaulioditidae) from the Lower Triassic (?) of Mongolia, Yontala camura gen. et sp. nov. (?Chaulioditi- dae) from the Lower Triassic of the Vologda Region, Ideliopsina kenderlykensis sp. nov. (Ideliidae) from the Upper Triassic of eastern Kazakhstan, and Triassoprobnis humilis gen. et sp. nov. (Probnidae) from the Upper Triassic of the Kharkiv Region.
To estabilish a qualitative as well as quantitative ELISA for the detection of anti dsDNA to improve diagnostic and monitoring level for SLE.Photobiotinylated plasmid ds DNA is coated after streptavidin procoated,to detect serum anti dsDNA with HRP sheep anti human IgG.Using a self prepared coated ELISA plate and anti dsDNA quantitative kit of Binding site company of Birmingham medical college U K,and dot immunogold filtration assay have detedted sera of 32 patients with active SLE,6 rheumatoid arthritis and 30 normal controls,results showed,positive consistent rate is respectively 96 9% and 93 8% and negative consistent rate is 96 7%,5 patients with SLE were tested with the detection of quantitative,results were almost consistent.Initial application indicated the ELISA plate achieved good results and worth further studying and expanding detectable serum samples of patients.
The fiber model in 3-dimensional nonlinear analysis program CANNY was used to simulate walls,and the uniaxial spring model was adopted to simulate beams.Elasto-plastic analysis of reinforced concrete coupled shear wall was carried out.Based on the comparison analysis with test result,the trilinear skeleton hysteresis model and proper material stress-strain relations were selected for simulating reinforced concrete coupled shear wall model.Through numerical calculations,the influences of design parameters,such as axial compression ratio,reinforcement ratio of steel bars for wall distribution,reinforcement ratio of longitudinal bars for beams as well as reinforcement ratios of marginal members on bearing capacity,ductility,failure shape for reinforced concrete coupled shear walls were considered.The results indicate that the axial compression ratio,reinforcement ratio of steel bars for wall distribution,reinforcements of marginal members significantly affect the mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete coupled shear walls,and reinforcement ratio of longitudinal bars for beams less affect the behavior;the analysis model is proved to be effective.
Phytoplasmas of the 16S rRNA RFLP group XII-A (stolbur) have been detected with tests carried out 4 times from September 1997 to April 1998 in Croatian Pinot gris grapevines showing yellows symptoms. This is the first report on the presence of stolbur phytoplasma in Croatian grapevines. Two asymptomatic vineyard weeds, Taraxacum officinale Web. and Polygonum lapathifolium L. showed the presence of the same prokaryotes.
John William (Jack) Bannister talks about the Pa at Maitahi and at Makawhio and about the village site up the Maitahi River. He discusses the early ways of food gathering and seasonal movement of the people of that area. Details eeling, fishing, growing potatoes, plants and minerals used for medicines, canoe making and greenstone quarrying. Talks about Te Koeti Turanga, Kere Tutoko, Tati Mahuika, noting where various people lived and where they were buried. Mentions Mark Koeti and Barton Jacobs. Talks about gold miners leasing Maori Reserve land and how local Maori also worked the beach for gold. Gives details about the historical relationship between Ngati Mamoe and Ngai Tahu and describes some of the battles between these iwi. Mentions Te Koeti Turanga, Chief Taetae and Te Puoho's raid on coast. Notes that there were no big battles on the coast because of the small population there.  Venue - Hokitika Interviewer(s) - Paul Madgwick (with Paul Wilson) Venue - Hokitika  Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-004492  Quantity: 1 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 Hours Duration.  Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-0771.  colour photograph of Jack Bannister with Letty McEwan
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of needling at three extraordinary points in treating acute lumbar sprain.Method Totally 102 patients with acute lumbar sprain were randomized into group A,B,and C,34 in each group.Group A was intervened by needling at three extraordinary points,group B was by ordinary acupuncture,and group C was by needling at three extraordinary points plus moxibustion.Clinical efficacies were compared among the 3 groups after 1,2,and 3 treatment sessions among patients with a duration ≤24 h and 24 h separately.Result After 1,2,and 3 treatment sessions,clinical efficacy in group A and group C was both significantly different from that in group B(P0.01).After 1,2,and 3 treatment sessions in group A,clinical efficacies of patients with disease duration ≤24 h were markedly different from those of patients with disease duration 24 h(P0.01).Conclusion Needling at three extraordinary points is an effective approach in treating acute lumbar sprain.
This article explores the history and development of interdisciplinarity within the Australian context. Conditions and circumstances for the emergence of interdisciplinary approaches are explored with discussion identifying how these approaches impact and shape national curriculum, teachers' practice and pedagogy. Policies, proposals, and debate are continuing to call for interdisciplinary practices that make the curricula relevant, significant and focused on the needs of all Australians for the present and in the future. Examples of interdisciplinary practices provide an overview of how interdisciplinarity is embedded within school structures and education discourse across Australia.
Scoliosis is a health problem in the spine since it causes a curvature to occur that affects the normal development of the patient. The investigation is carried out with the purpose of determining the influence of functional movements in scoliosis patients attending the Basic Hospital Dr. Nicolas Coto Infante, canton Vinces, Los Rios province, second semester 2018, which will allow to reach a better knowledge about patients in order to achieve the establishment of alternatives that entail having alternative measures.      The use of the inductive - deductive method has been considered, applying a field, bibliographic, descriptive, correlational and exploratory investigation, with the survey as a data collection technique, in the population of 70 patients that go to the Hospital, where they had to Most of them are between 19 and 45 years old, most of them have a basic educational level, which makes it difficult for them to have a normal life due to the pain that scoliosis causes. There was a Cronbach's alpha of 0.906 which shows a correlation very high, the Pearson's r was 0.837 **, which indicates that the correlation is direct and significant at the 0.01 level, the Student's t test showed that the working hypothesis was accepted, as conclusions were made that the patients They have ages of active work activity, the treatment is differentiated for each patient according to the need.
The 'Sustainable Livelihood Development and Ethnic Minority Diversity in Lao Cai Province' project in Viet Nam aims to mobilise poor, ethnic minority farmers, the H’mong, Dao, and Tay in particular, into farmer groups and provide them with training and agricultural extension support. These full and summary reports document the findings of a quasi-experimental impact evaluation carried out in 16 villages in Sapa district in July 2012.
The utility model discloses an under-mine wireless emergency communication system, which comprises a plurality of camera acquisition modules, a plurality of base stations and one ground supervision center control platform. The camera acquisition modules are further provided with wireless fidelity (WIFI) modules which are arranged in or out of the camera acquisition modules. The base stations are mesh WIFI equipment based on WIFI network. The communication system further comprises a plurality of the 3rd generation telecommunication (3G) transmission devices which can be used as routes. The camera acquisition modules are in wireless communication connection with the mesh WIFI equipment through the WIFI modules. The mesh WIFI equipment is in wireless communication connection with the ground supervision center control platform. The mesh WIFI equipment is further in communication connection with the 3G transmission devices which are in communication connection with the ground supervision center control platform sequentially through the 3G network and the internet. The under-mine wireless emergency communication system substantially adopts a wireless communication mode of WIFI and 3G, and is capable of resolving a network redundancy problem and an emergency communication problem at a communication terminal.
The utility model discloses a laser gun for killing pests. The laser gun comprises a plastic gun housing, a laser generator mounted in the gun housing, a fixed laser button switch placed in a trigger position of the gun housing, a battery box arranged at the bottom of the gun housing, and batteries installed in the battery box. The laser gun is characterized in that a laser gain module is disposed in the gun housing, and a laser-shooting button switch is arranged on the side wall of the gun housing; the batteries are connected with the fixed laser button switch and the laser-shooting button switch through wires; the fixed laser button switch is connected with the laser generator through a wire; the laser-shooting button switch is connected with the laser gain module through a wire; the laser gain module is electrically connected with the laser generator; and the laser gain module can enable the laser generator to generate fine laser beams with the temperature as high as 300 to 500 DEG C. The laser gun has the advantages of high pest-killing efficiency, sanitation, high safety, simple production, and facilitates large-scale production.
So far, the literary history of modern Chinese literature has not listed the traditional poetry as its object of study. But the existence, continuation, and influence of the traditional poetry are a convincing fact. Therefore, some researchers of modem Chinese literature have begun to include it in their studies and writings. If we are tolerant enough to admit popular fiction to the history of modem literature, then it is logical to include the traditional poetry in the category of modem Chinese literature.
The antiphospholipid syndrome has emerged as a specific autoimmune disease. Its serologic marker are antibodies directed against phospholipids. The clinical features include recurrent arterial or venous thrombotic events, repeated fetal loss, thrombozytopenia and characteristic cutaneous manifestations. It is important to recognize these symptoms as early as possible to initiate the antithrombotic therapy. This article gives an overview of the cutaneous manifestations of the antiphospholipid syndrome.
Sedimentation in the Three Gorges Reservoir will greatly affect future project functions, such as power generation and navigation, after 50 years of operation. This paper presents results of a physical model study, which indicate that the capacity of both the discharge tunnel and the power plant outlet could be impaired by sediment deposition in front of the dam after 50 years, affecting both the hydropower head and navigation. A flow training scheme based on the third-stage cofferdam for the dam construction is proposed to regulate the flow pattern and control deposition in the near-dam region of the reservoir. This flow training scenario can effectively reduce deposition in the physical model.
This paper is concerned with defect detection in plate structures while considering the influence of external loads. The examined structures are based on Kirchhoff plate structures. Rectangular plate structures are considered. Plate bending is described using the boundary element method. The boundary and boundary-domain integral equations are formulated in a modified, simplified approach without the need of using a value known from the classical theory of Kirchhoff plate bending. Constant-type boundary elements in a non-singular approach are introduced. The plates are loaded with a single static concentrated force or dynamic moving force. External loading is applied at selected points along the direction parallel to one dimension of the plate. Defects are introduced by additional edges forming slots or holes in relations to the basic plate domain. Deflections and curvatures are taken into account as structural responses. Analysis of structural responses is conducted using the signal processing tool of wavelet transformation in its discrete form.
Virological and serological studies of an epidemic influenza outbreak in December, 1977, carried out in the clinical department of D. I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology of the USSR AMS established the disease to have been caused by influenza Al viruses. The marked incidence of the disease among younger age groups was due to a low humoral immunity level to the strains which had circulated before the young people's birth. The reduced effectiveness of protection by antibody against viruses which had caused influenza disease 20--30 years ago was conducive to the spread of influenza Al cases among middle-aged and senile population.
This study was undertaken in Mandsaur district, situated in Malwa plateau semi-arid region of Western Madhya Pradesh Total 65 front line demonstrations were conducted during 2007-08 to 2011-12 in Kharif season in five villages (Guradiadiada, Udpura, Surkheda, Lasudawan and Barkheda dev Dungari) of three blocks viz., Mandsaur-I, Malhargarh- II and Sitamau-III. During these five years (2007-2011), 26 hectares under chickpea were demonstrated with improved management practices using improved varieties. Total 65 farmers were closely associated with chickpea demonstrations. To demonstrate production potential and economic benefit of improved technologies integrated pest management (Deep ploughing) consisting suitable varieties (J.G. 130 and J.G. 322), integrated nutrient management (20:60:20) NPK kg/ha.+ seed treatment with 1 gm carbendazim+2 g thiram per kg seed + Rhizobium or PSB culture @ 5+5g per kg seed + pheromone trap @ 10-12/ha. + bird perchers @ 50/ha.+ recommended insecticides. There was an appreciable increase in yield level 29.89 to 48.41% in chickpea under demonstration plots. Adoption of improved technology had significant impact on seed yield vis-a-vis yield gaps in chickpea. Improved technology enhanced chickpea yield from 301 kg to 486 kg/ha compared to farmers practice with an overall increase yield of 38.23 per cent.
ABSTRACT          Nikmah, Mahmudatun. 2016. “Analisis Penggunaan Modalitas Beki da, Koto da, dan Hou Ga Ii dalam Kalimat Bahasa Jepang”. Thesis. Department of Japanese Studies Faculty of Humanities Diponegoro University. The first Advisor Reny Wiyatasari, SS, M.Hum. Second Advisor Elizabeth IHANR, SS, M.Hum.    This thesis about the meaning and use of the modalities of beki da, koto da, dan hou ga ii that take objects from Japanese Children Literature Anthology, novel of 1Q84 Vol. 2, Yahoo Japan and Nipponia articles. The research method used is descriptive method, meanwhile, the theory is a theory about the modalities. Based on the results of the research, the authors conclude that beki da, koto da, dan hou ga ii is the modalities stated purposes and it is advice that is public or can be addressed to a particular person only. However the third modality has different nuance. Advice by using beki da is more forced, advice by using koto da is slightly forcing, and advice by using hou ga ii is weak.        Keywords: Modality, Beki da, Koto da, dan Hou Ga Ii
Reactive arthritis associated with Yersinia enterocolitis in adults has not been reported in this country. We are reporting a 26-year old female with a polyarticular arthritis, primarily of the large joints following an episode of diarrhea. She was also observed to have erythema nodosum and erythema multiforme. Yersinia enterocolitica grew in abundance in stool culture. The clinical picture is consistent with the reactive arthritis associated with Yersinia enterocolitis.
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha and TNF beta) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) are mediators of immunity and inflammation that induce different, but partially overlapping responses in human endothelial cells (HEC). We compared the effect of purified recombinant human TNF alpha, TNF beta and IL-1 on the production of platelet-activating factor (PAF) in HEC. After 30-60 min of treatment with TNF alpha or TNF beta, HEC produce and partially release considerable amounts of PAF, which reach a maximum after 4-6 h. In HEC treated with IL-1 PAF production is detectable after 2 h and peaks at 8-12 h. More than twice as much PAF is produced in response to optimal concentrations of TNF alpha than in response to TNF beta or IL-1. However, PAF synthesis is stimulated by lower molar concentrations of IL-1 than TNF alpha and TNF beta. The ability to induce PAF synthesis in HEC seems to be restricted to these three cytokines, as shown by negative results obtained with other cytokines that activate HEC (interferons, granulocyte- and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, epithelial growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor beta), or participate in the inflammatory process (IL-6, platelet-derived growth factor).
The invention pertains to a novel preparation method of p-nitrobenzyl-7-phenoxy-ace-tamide-3-exomethylenecepham-4-carboxylate-1-Beta-oxide. Penicillin V potassium salt and peracetic acid react to obtain penicillin V sulfoxide by reverse titration; the penicillin V sulfoxide and p-monobromo-methylbenzeneare nitrate are treated with reflux reaction under the action of triethylamine in acetone solution to prepare penicillin V sulfoxide p-nitrobenzyl ester group; the penicillin V sulfoxide p-nitrobenzyl ester group under the action of N-chlorosuccinimide and calcium oxide opens five ring and closes hexatomic ring again under the action of stannic chloride and then reacts with methanol to prepare the p-nitrobenzyl-7-phenoxy-ace-tamide-3-exomethylenecepham-4-carboxylate- 1-Beta-oxide. The preparation method has the advantages of short preparation and reaction time and production cycles, low cost of raw materials, less dosage and high yield.
The simulation of discrete events is a procedure that allows us to create models, employing software, which will then be used to analyse system behaviour under different circumstances, analysing all the changes possible and their consequences. Unfortunately, there are still many industrial areas that do not make use of the advantages that this technology offers in decision-making, cutting down costs and optimising industrial processes. This article intends to give an overview of simulation, the manufacturing facets where it can be applied and the benefits that this technology can report. Finally, presented as an example is the case of a small and medium-sized enterprise in the furniture industry that uses simulation as a design tool for a new production process based on one-piece flow.  Keywords: Simulation, industrial process, QUEST.
A case study of an isolated deep convective cell from the Convective and Orographically induced Precipitation Study (COPS) is analysed with respect to its representation in the numerical weather prediction model of the Deutscher Wetterdienst COSMO-DE. The international field campaign COPS was performed in southwestern Germany and eastern France in summer 2007 as part of the Priority Programme SPP 1167 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The overall goal of COPS was to advance the quality of forecasts of orographically-induced convective precipitation by four-dimensional observations and modeling of its life cycle.
The circle is central to John McGahern's oeuvre, as it is to his philosophy of life. A writer who had to endure his second novel, The Dark, being banned by the Irish Censorship Board in 1965, and whose work has really only begun to attract the critical acclaim it deserves in the last decade or so, McGahern has always been something of an outsider in his country of birth. He left Ireland for a few years in the 1960s but returned to live in County Leitrim in 1974, thus following a circular path back to the area where he spent most of his youth. He has no truck with the idea that Irish writers need exile to fuel their creative talents and reckons that one can write as badly in Ireland as anywhere else! It is no coincidence that he chose to come back to live in Leitrim. Like his characters, his roots are deeply imbedded in his psyche and are important to his way of seeing. As the loveable Jamesie says in his most recent novel, That they May Face the Rising Sun: 'I may not have travelled far but I know the whole world'.1 Geographical displacement does not of necessity lead to new insights. The important thing is to see beyond appearances and to be as happy as it is humanly possible to be. Happiness is not found, in McGahern's opinion, in material wealth and social standing. No, it has to do with interior equilibrium, appreciating the beauty of nature, neighbourliness, working in the fields, accepting one's fragility. In The Pornographer (1979), the narrator's uncle Cyril remarks after the death of his wife: 'Ah yes, when you think of it, life's a shaky venture',2 a quote McGahern, in his Reading the Future interview with Mike Murphy in 2000, attributed to a friend of his who was a bone-setter. The interesting part of the sentence according to McGahern are the words 'when you think about it', because mostly we don't think about it. The fact that we are embarked on a 'shaky venture' should not stop us getting on with the business of living. In the course of this article I will attempt to show the prevalence of the circle and circularity in McGahern's writing and to illustrate just why they assume such relevance in his work. The decision to choose this theme was prompted by my re-reading one of his short stories, 'Wheels', which relates
The course of analog electronic technique with strong practical engineering is a special basis cource for college and universities science professional undergraduate.With the developments and the applications of the new electronic technology,the course reform and exploration have been discussed.To improve the quality of analog electronic teaching for science professional undergraduate,this paper takes up the reform and exploration of the theory and experiment teaching for this course by implementation of the diversification teaching mode and adopting advanced teaching technology.
During the specialized audit on antibacterial medicine's application in hospitals,we had the following findings:the probability of using multiple antibacterial medicine is relatively high;60% of discharged patients' use of antibiotic drugs tend to be irrational;etiology checking rate in surgical departments is low;frequency of drug use is incorrect;the choice of high-level antibacterial drugs without etiology inspections;drug prescription without following the use specifications;medication treatment lasts too long;special attention should be paid to surgery patients' using the preventative medication for long time;the use frequencies of antibacterial medicine in outpatient department and emergency room are both greater than the standard requirement;there are gaps between clinical diagnosis and actual drug usage.To address these problems hospitals should take active measures,improve the system,reinforce education,training and examination,hold special hearings to discuss about rational application of antibiotics.
Microchannel-plate-based x-ray optics is designed based on the principle that the lobster eye reflects rather than refracts the object. In practice, the inner wall of the square channel is not absolutely smooth but a bit rough, which causes diffuse scattering of X-rays, resulting in an exponential decline in reflectivity. In the present work, we investigated the morphology of channel inner wall in the etching process and the diffusion depth of the elements at the interface between channel and wall. The diffusion layer is a network-like structure, with the thickness of more than 1μm. As the acid-etching continues, the elements of the channel material in the network are gradually dissolved, and the remaining channel wall materials become the skeleton. After a long time of etching, the inner wall surface is columnar and the roughness is gradually increased. This study provides some guidelines for the preparation of ultra-smooth reflective surfaces.
The conduction mechanism in Mg 2+ and Al 3+ substituted Li0.5Fe2.5O4 with general formula MgxAl2xLi0.5(1−x)Fe2.5(1−x)O4 (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7) has been studied by means of compositional and temperature dependent d.c. resistivity, thermoelectric power and I‐V characteristics measurements. It is found that ferrites are electronic conductors. For x = 0.0 and 0.2 conduction is due to holes, while for x = 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7 it is due to electrons. Thermal variation of mobilities and activation energies determined through d.c. resistivity measurements confirm the formation of small polarons. The sample with x = 0.0 exhibits switching phenomena. C
Objective To analyze the relative risk factors of disturbance of glucose metabolism in neonates. Methods From January 2000 to December 2002, blood glucose levels were systematically monitored in 1783 hospitalized infants. The blood sugar levels of all infants were monitored until the fasting values reached normal for at least twice. Results Two hundred and ninety - five cases were found with disturbance of glycometabolism, 176 cases presented with hypoglycemia, 52 cases presented with hyperglycemia,and 67 cases presented with both hypoglycemia tad hyperglycemia. The occurrence of abnormal glucose metabolism was negatively correlated with the gestational age( P = 0.01). The occurrence of abnormal glycometabolism was negatively correlated with birth weight (P 0.001). The incidence of disturbance of glycometabolism in small gestational age (SGA) was significant higher than that in appropriate for gestational( AGA)(P = 0. 001). The abnormality of glycometabolism in mild or moderate asphyxiated infants was mainly hypoglycemia; while in infants with severe asphyxia were mainly hyperglycemia(P0.01). The lasting time of abnormal blood glucose level was negatively correlated with the severity degree of asphyxia (P 0.01). Incidence of abnormal blood sugar was positively related to the severity degree of infection (P = 0.019). Hypoglycemia was very common in infants of diabetic mothers. Conclusions It is necessary to monitor the blood sugar level in early neonates, especially for those with high- risk factors. Early diagnosis and timely correction of abnormal blood sugar level are essential to reduce the possible adverse sequelae of gtycometabolic disturbance.
The development of manufacturing industry is restrained by various resources.The manufacturing industry faces such issues as restraint of natural resources,ecological resources,economic resources and social resources.The relationship of various resource factors is changing,correlative,different and controllable.The utilization of resources and development of manufacturing industry is complementary.How to realize the sustainable utilization of resources is the key point of sustainable development of manufacturing industry.
Through the merge of towns and townships as well as the comprehensive reform of the urban-rural integration,Suzhou has laid a solid foundation for its economic developmentk,its social sustainable development,its coordinated development of regional economy,and characteristic development in the new era.However,the development of revoked and merging towns and townships generally face such problems as an unsmooth system,lack of investment,insufficient construction,the service weakening,work inconvenience and others.The reason is that the function localization of the township is inadequate.Thus,the function orientation should be based on the planning and policy guidance,the function orientation of town domain and its surrounding areas and its own development condition and potential,follow the principle of economy,uniqueness,forward-looking and dynamic,then through the overall planning,overall consideration,a complementary classification reform,complementary development,innovation system,optimize the environment,make the merging tows a place of urban and rural industry agglomeration development platform;the best option of new residential area;the district of urban and rural culturalexchange;the autonomy platform of the townships and the service center of the new rural construction.
Humoral immunity is one component of the human immune system and is the most important determinant of whether an invading pathogen (such as bacteria or viruses) establishes infection. This form of immunity is mediated by B lymphocytes and involves the neutralizing of pathogen receptor binding sites to inhibit the pathogen's entry into target cells. A master equation in both discrete and in continuous form is presented for a pathogen bound at n sites becoming a pathogen bound at m sites in a given interaction time. To track the time-evolution of the antibody-receptor interaction, it is shown that the process is most easily treated classically and that in this case the master equation can be reduced to an equivalent one-dimensional diffusion equation. Thus, well known diffusion theory can be applied to antibody-cell receptor interactions. Three distinct cases are considered depending on whether the probability of antibody binding compared to the probability of dissociation is relatively large, small or comparable and numerical solutions are given.
There is a considerable amount of research literature that is focused on the importance of inclusive design. There is a steady increase in research that is also focused on understanding how to design for older people. However, most of the research available focuses on ageing as a variable in understanding patterns of technology usage, preferences and difficulties. What is more necessary is research that explains why the age differences occur. For this reason, it is essential to investigate mediating factors such as cognitive abilities and experience. In this paper, we did an extensive literature review to understand various factors that explain why age differences occur and how these factors are interrelated. Based on which we propose a framework that will help other researchers and designers to provide a quick map to investigate inclusive design problems.
Objective To explore the feasibility of disinfection of lyophilized immunoglobulin with 60Co-γ irradiation.Methods Virus quantitative detection method was used to observe the efficacy of 60Co-γ irradiation in inactivating virus in immunoglobulin.Results Treatment of the immunoglobulin containing virus with 30 kGy of 60Co-γ irradiation inactivated Sindbis virus in the lyophilized IgG preparation containing different protein protectives by a logarithm value≥5.5 TCID50. After treatment with 30 kGy of radiation sterilization, the external appearance of the lyophilized IgG preparation did not change significantly, the pH values between different treated groups and between treated and non-treated groups were approximate. Native-PAGE analysis of protein electrophoresis analysis results between the groups containing different protectives had no significant difference and the concentrations of protectives had no significant influence on the test results. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the heavy chain and light chain of IgG in different treated groups still could be seen clearly after reduction and there was no significant difference between the results of the groups containing different protectives. High performance liquid chromatography results showed that the efficacy of three protectives in protecting IgG molecules was good and polymerization and break peak of the molecules reduced significantly. The antigen content of the lyophilized IgG reached over 80% after radiation treatment as compared with the control group and the antigen contents of the groups containing different protectives were essentially identical.Conclusion The lyophilized plasma protein preparation IgG can maintain certain structural and functional integrity after γ-irradiation.
The development of social economic systems research is actual in modern Russia. An important part of this exploration is conception of regional development. The obvious fact of modern Russian social life is its deterioration, a growing inflation, depression, budgets deficit. That's no effective social protective work, and our Federal government gave a free hand in search of work, wages and salaries to each family. In order to investigation of regional development factors in next transitional period of Russian economics the authors wrote this article. The long term public welters are: forming and accumulation potential regional development, keeping maintain of high level education and science. A short term problems are formed by regions themselves. They take into consideration regions population needs. Then its suggestions are advisable to Federal government.
The Bush administration came to office in 2001 determined to return powers to the president lost largely as a result of Watergate. Key to returning those powers is the unitary executive theory of presidential power—a constitutional theory of power developed by conservatives in the Reagan administration meant to offer the president offensive and defensive opportunities when working with an external environment that is polarized and hostile towards the executive branch. While the theory has been a part of each administration from Reagan through Bush II, it is the Bush II administration that has received the majority of the attention for its aggressive defense of a number of controversial actions by relying on the theory. Among those actions has been the use (or abuse) of the presidential bill signing statement. It is my purpose to argue that the administration has not behaved as a Unitarian but as something else entirely, leaving the powers of the office perhaps in worse shape than they found it.
Evaluation of a non-steady state method using glass tubes for the determination of diffusion coefficients is the purpose of this study. Unlike capillaries, glass tubes accommodate a larger volume of solution, facilitating assay procedures. Tubes are more susceptible to convection than are capillaries, but this effect is anticipated and accounted for in experimental design and data treatment. Glass tubes, 66 or 90 mm in length and 2 mm outer diameter, were siliconized and then filled with aqueous drug solution and placed in a jacketed flask containing gently stirred solvent at 25 degrees C. Diffusion experiments were run from 140 to 168 hours. At the end of this time period, the tubes were removed from the flask, placed in an ultrasonic vibrator for one minute, and their contents assayed spectrophotometrically. Data collected using potassium chloride as the diffusant showed little tube-to-tube variability, demonstrating the precision of the tube method, while diffusion coefficients determined for benzoic acid and p-aminobenzoic acid using the tube method tested the accuracy of the method by comparing reasonably well with values obtained using standard methods such as the rotating disk, free boundary, and membrane cell. Experiments done with either hydrocortisone or sulfisoxazole as the diffusant demonstrated the appropriateness of the tube method for the study of the diffusion of sparingly soluble pharmaceutical solutes.
Metals are widely present in biological systems as simple ions or complex cofactors, and are involved in a variety of processes essential for life. Their transport inside cells and insertion into the binding sites of the proteins that need metals to function occur through complex and selective pathways involving dedicated multiprotein machineries specifically and transiently interacting with each other, often sharing the coordination of metal ions and/or cofactors. The understanding of these machineries requires integrated approaches, ranging from bioinformatics to experimental investigations, possibly in the cellular context. In this review, we report two case studies where the use of integrated in vitro and in cellulo approaches is necessary to clarify at atomic resolution essential aspects of metal trafficking in cells.
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a primary immunodeficiency caused by genetic defects in leukocyte NADPH oxidase, which has both microbicidal and immunomodulatory roles. Hence, CGD is characterized by recurrent bacterial and fungal infections as well as aberrant inflammation. Fungal cell walls induce neutrophilic inflammation in CGD; yet, underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. This study investigated the receptors and signaling pathways driving aberrant proinflammatory cytokine production in CGD neutrophils activated by fungal cell walls. Although cytokine responses to β-glucan particles were similar in NADPH oxidase–competent and NADPH oxidase–deficient mouse and human neutrophils, stimulation with zymosan, a more complex fungal particle, induced elevated cytokine production in NADPH oxidase–deficient neutrophils. The dectin-1 C-type lectin receptor, which recognizes β-glucans (1–3), and TLRs mediated cytokine responses by wild-type murine neutrophils. In the absence of NADPH oxidase, fungal pathogen-associated molecular patterns engaged additional collaborative signaling with Mac-1 and TLRs to markedly increase cytokine production. Mechanistically, this cytokine overproduction is mediated by enhanced proximal activation of tyrosine phosphatase SHP2–Syk and downstream Card9-dependent NF-κB and Card9-independent JNK–c-Jun. This activation and amplified cytokine production were significantly decreased by exogenous H2O2 treatment, enzymatic generation of exogenous H2O2, or Mac-1 blockade. Similar to zymosan, Aspergillus fumigatus conidia induced increased signaling in CGD mouse neutrophils for activation of proinflammatory cytokine production, which also used Mac-1 and was Card9 dependent. This study, to our knowledge, provides new insights into how NADPH oxidase deficiency deregulates neutrophil cytokine production in response to fungal cell walls. Key Points NADPH oxidase regulates neutrophil cytokine response to fungal PAMPs. Mac-1 collaborates with TLRs and Dectin-1 to amplify CGD neutrophil responses. ROS-sensitive proximal signaling limits inflammatory responses to fungal PAMPs.
The ability of cryptophycin 1, a new potent cytotoxic antimicrotubule agent, to initiate apoptosis was studied. Treatment of cells with cryptophycin 1 (50 pM) rapidly caused morphological changes consistent with the induction of apoptosis. DNA strand breakage and fragmentation of the DNA into oligonucleosome‐sized fragments was observed, and this coincided with the loss of cellular DNA. Activation of the cysteine protease CPP32 (caspase 3, YAMA, apopain), a member of the ICE/CED‐3‐like protease family of apoptosis effectors, was consistent with the execution of cell death by a coordinated sequence of events. Low concentrations of cryptophycin 1 caused mitotic arrest with the formation of abnormal mitotic spindles without affecting interphase microtubule structures. Unlike other microtubule active agents, cryptophycin‐induced mitotic arrest persisted for only a brief period before the onset of apoptosis. There was no evidence of release from G2/M cell cycle arrest. Our results show that low concentrations of cryptophycin 1 (50 pM) initiated cell death consistent with apoptosis. These data suggest that the cytotoxic effects of cryptophycin 1 are due in part to its ability to initiate apoptosis rapidly. Int. J. Cancer 73:440–448, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Abstract This paper presents a control scheme for a micro‐stepped two‐phase linear stepping motor drive using a three‐phase voltage source inverter. The purpose of this scheme is for cost reduction, since all the control loops are executed digitally and a standard three‐phase voltage source inverter is used. A space vector PWM is presented for the control of two‐phase motors. The scheme is based on the harmonic injection principle for three‐phase motors. An on‐line compensation scheme is proposed for the voltage error caused by the power switch dead‐time. Experimental results have shown that the proposed scheme can effectively compensate for the dead‐time voltage error.
Fluoroborate glasses with Bi2O3 content and having compositions Bi2O3 · ()LiF · 60B2O3 ( = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20) are prepared using melt-quench technique. DSC characterization is carried out to observe glass transition temperature. Two such temperatures are observed for each of the reported samples. DC conductivity of the reported samples is studied with the variation in temperature from 313 K to 413 K by dividing this range into three regions, namely, low-, intermediate-, and high-temperature regions. DC conductivity responses for these temperature regions are explained using different conductivity models.
Water-cooled metal-halide lamps were constructed. The emission spectra were determined for lamps filled with Xe + Hg + NaI + RbI and Xe + Hg + NaI + TlI. The output power of a YAG:Nd3+laser was determined as a function of the pumping power supplied by lamps with different fillings. The differential efficiency of the laser pumped by a lamp containing an admixture of sodium and rubidium iodides was 3.5 and 1.5 times higher than the efficiencies obtained for pumping with xenon and krypton lamps, respectively.
BackgroundReconstruction of bone defects that occur because of certain reasons has an important place in plastic and reconstructive surgery. The objective of the treatments of these defects was to reinstate the continuity of tissues placed in the area in which the defect has occurred. In this experimental study, the effect of pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation on platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and bone marrow stromal cell, which propounded that they have positive impact on bone regeneration, was evaluated with the bone healing rate in the zygomatic bone defect model enwrapped with superficial temporal fascia. MethodsAfter creating a 4-mm defect on the zygomatic bone of the experiments, the defect was encompassed with a superficial temporal fascial flap and a nonunion model was created. After surgery, different combinations of the PRP, bone marrow stromal cell, and electromagnetic field applications were implemented on the defective area. All the experiments were subjected to bone density measurement. ResultsThe result revealed that the PRP and pulsed electromagnetic field implementation were rather a beneficial and an effective combination in terms of bone regeneration. ConclusionsIt was observed that the superficial temporal fascial flap used in the experiment was a good scaffold choice, providing an ideal bone regeneration area because of its autogenous, vascular, and 3-dimensional structures. As a result, it is presumed that this combination in the nonhealing bone defects is a rather useful treatment choice and can be used in a reliable way in clinical applications.
Although the role of HLA matching in the transplantation of various tissues has not been entirely worked out, there is no doubt that matching can be extremely important to success, as in transfusion support of patients with platelet-refractory thrombocytopenia and of those undergoing bone marrow transplantation. Many potential donors are needed to sustain programs because of the considerable variety of HLA types, but the question of required donor pool size is also related to feasibility and cost. Bolgiano, Larson, and Slichterl concluded that 1000 to 3000 platelet donors would be required to meet the transfusion needs of community platelet apheresis programs. Takahashi, Juji, and Miyazaki2 suggested that donor pool sizes of 50,000 or more would permit HLAmatched bone marrow transplants from unrelated donors for most patients in Japan, whereas pools of 1 million potential donors might be required for white patients in Europe. As these pool size requirements are projections not based on direct experience, one might wonder about the basis for the calculations and how much reliance might reasonably be placed on the results. The easy part of the question is the basis and the answer is: probability, statistics, and possibly a little bit of genetics. The formal question of how large a pool is needed is similar to that of how many cards should be dealt in order for there to be an acceptable chance of at least one ace among them. The ace corresponds to a given patient's HLA type and the cards dealt correspond to the donor pool. If one specifies the number of cards, then the chance that there is at least one ace among them is readily computed. For example, with eight cards drawn, there is a nearly 50-percent chance that there will be one or more aces among them. For purposes of calculation, the main difference between the card problem and the donor pool is that the composition of a deck of cards is known, but the relative frequencies of the various HLA types must be determined empirically. Over the 20-odd years that HLA typing has been done, millions of subjects have been typed, but really extensive tabulations have not been made. The number of identifiable antigens has increased continually over the years, and the quality of reagents has improved so that the many typings do not form a homogeneous set. Fortunately, the genetics of HLA has been studied extensively and is straightforward. The incorporation of this genetic knowledge into the calculation has permitted acceptable empirical estimates of the frequencies of the 18,400,000 possible HLA types (A, B, and DR) to be computed from moderate-sized samples of subjects (a few thousand) from various populations. With these frequency estimates and a computer, one can calculate the chance of finding one or more matches in a pool of given size. The amazing thing is that the probabilities apply to experience. When I tried the card experiment (the shuffling between draws is a bore), I found one or more aces in 7 of the first 10 tries and in 54 of 100 tries. The departures from the expected 50-percent probability are well within the ranges that probability theory suggests might reasonably be expected. Are we entitled to the same degree of confidence in the pool size calculations? Perhaps not quite the same, but I think nearly so. The uncertainty stems mainly from not knowing the racial mixes for patients and for donors, so that this consideration is more relevant to projections for the United States than for Japan. Allowance must also be made for the statistical imprecision of the estimates of frequencies of HLA types for the populations considered. But even if the pool sizes were off by 10 to 20 percent, the error would not be a concern. A much more important determining factor is the specification of just how certain one need be in obtaining a match. Takahashi et a1.2 specified at least even chances of finding a match for 80 percent of patients. Bolgiano et al . , ' as an illustration, spoke of at least a 97-percent chance of support at a given level for 75 percent of the patients. The major determinant of pool size, however, is the extent of matching required. If one requires identical types for HLA-A,B,DR antigens and MLC nonreactivity, very large donor pools will be required. The requirements for platelet support are much less stringent. Bolgiano et al. considered only HLA-A,B antigens and tabulated the results for various levels of mismatching with crossreacting antigens. They found that most patients could be supported with pools of a size that is feasible for selfcontained community programs. On the other hand, Takahashi et a1.2 required identical HLA-A, -B and -DR types and found that pools ranging in size from 50,000 to 1,000,000 are necessary. Of additional interest in the calculations of Bolgiano et al. I is their consideration of the dynamics imposed by limitations on the interval between donations and continuous availability of donors. This type of consideration is not as essential in bone marrow transplantation, but even there it must be recognized that there will be turnover in the donor pool and that the rate must be projected when making cost estimates. Pool size calculations provide an essential component of the rational planning for programs such as platelet support, bone marrow transplants from unrelated donors, and kidney transplants from cadaver donors. The great diversity of HLA types implies that large pools may be required, and from that perspective alone, one can see the
Metadiscourse is an interesting field of inquiry that is believed to play a vital role in organizing and producing persuasive writing. It is a set of linguistic devices used to communicate attitudes and mark the structural properties of a text. The study aimed to investigate whether native and non-native varieties of English varieties are similar or different from each other from the perspective of interactional meta-discourse markers. The study as contrastive rhetoric research scrutinized a corpus of 900 newspaper editorials (450 written in native English newspapers and 450 written in non-native English newspapers). Editorials were culled from 15 native English newspapers belonging to three native English countries, England, America, and New Zealand, and 15 non-native English newspapers belonging to three non-native English countries, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Based on the model of metadiscourse given by Hyland (2005), interactional metadiscourse resources were analyzed. The frequencies of interactional metadiscourse markers in both native and non-native varieties were counted and compared with each other. The results disclosed that there were worth-pointing differences between the native and non-native English editorialists in the use of interactional metadiscourse markers. Two different varieties of English editorials showed variations particularly in the use of hedging and self-mention markers. On the whole, findings suggested that the use of interactional metadiscourse markers in native English editorials were more frequent than those in non-native English editorials which made their writings more appealing and convincing context. Keywords: metadiscourse; native; non-native; newspaper; editorials
Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC  Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a poor prognostic cancer, commonly develops following activating mutations in the KRAS oncogene. Activation of the Wnt signaling pathway is also commonly observed in PDAC. To ascertain the impact of postnatal activation of the Wnt signaling pathways in PDAC development, we combined the elastase-tva-based RCAS-TVA pancreatic cancer model with the established LSL-KrasG12D, Ptf1a-cre model. Delivery of RCAS viruses encoding β-cateninS37A and Wnt1 stimulated the progression of premalignant PanIN and PDAC development. Moreover, mice injected with RCAS-β-cateninS37A and Wnt1 had reduced survival relative to RCAS-GFP controls (log-rank test; p < 0.05). Meanwhile, active β-catenin or its DNA-binding partner TCF4 enhanced PDAC cell proliferation, soft-agar colony formation, as well as migration and invasion activity. In contrast, these phenotypes were significantly blocked by the introduction of Icat, an inhibitor of the β-catenin/TCF4 interaction. Interestingly, Id2 (inhibitor of differentiation/DNA binding2) was significantly up-regulated by induction of β-catenin and TCF4, whereas Id2 expression was inhibited by Icat. Furthermore, nuclear β-catenin and Id2 were mainly observed in poorly differentiated PDACs and sarcomatoid tumors. Together, these data suggest that the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway stimulates pancreatic tumor development and progression through the activation of Id2.  Citation Format: Makoto Sano, David R. Driscoll, Wilfredo E. DeJesus-Monge, David S. Klimstra, Brian C. Lewis. Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling accelerates progression of Kras-induced pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2742. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2742
Positron emission tomography (PET) relies upon the detection of photons resulting from the annihilation of positrons emitted by a radiopharmaceutical. The combination of images obtained with PET and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have begun to greatly enhance the study of many physiological processes. A combined MRI-PET scanner could alleviate much of the spatial and temporal coregistration difficulties currently encountered in utilizing images from these complementary imaging modalities. In addition, the resolution of the PET scanner could be improved by the effects of the magnetic field. In this computer study, the utilization of a strong static homogeneous magnetic field to increase PET resolution by reducing the effects of positron range and photon noncollinearity was investigated, The results reveal that significant enhancement of resolution can be attained, For example, an approximately 27% increase in resolution is predicted for a PET scanner incorporating a 10-Tesla magnetic field. Most of this gain in resolution is due to magnetic confinement of the emitted positrons. Although the magnetic field does mix some positronium states resulting in slightly less photon noncollinearity, this reduction does not significantly affect resolution. Photon noncollinearity remains as the fundamental limiting factor of large PET scanner resolution.
The laboratory experiments in circuit theory course are dedicated for practical understanding of circuit theory concepts. In linking of Circuit theory with practice it is very important to motivate the students for learning theory and to encourage them to use this theory knowledge in practical activity. Following this situation it is a challenging task to link basic circuits and laws to the interesting practical examples that lead to be the whole physical process more comprehensible. Designing laboratory experiments of Circuit theory in the Faculty of Telecommunications and electronics, KTU simple practical examples have been complemented with some new hands-on laboratory experiments.
This paper is concerned with the joint effects of agent dynamic and network topology on leader-following consensus of continuous-time multi-agent systems. All the follower agents have identical MIMO linear dynamics which can be expressed in any order, while subject to different norm-bounded parameter uncertainties. The control input of each follower agent can only use local error states. By combining the tools of algebraic graph theory, Riccati inequality and Lyapunov inequality, sufficient conditions are derived for all agents to follow the leader under fixed topologies. Finally, an example with simulations is presented for illustration.
ObjectivesThis article examines agreement between physicians and psychiatric inpatients on the presence of comorbid substance abuse. In addition, inpatients with comorbid substance abuse were compared on demographic and diagnostic-related symptoms with those with a single, non–substance-related disorder. MethodsAt admission and discharge, 539 patients completed self-report measures of substance use and diagnostic symptoms. Their attending physicians and nurses completed rating scales in the same time frame. In addition, physician discharge diagnoses were examined. ResultsFor 69% of patients there was agreement between patients and physicians for the absence (30.4%) or presence (38.6%) of substance abuse. For 31%, there was disagreement; 10% were those in whom physicians diagnosed substance abuse but patients denied it, and 21% endorsed substance abuse which their physicians did not diagnose. Also, those who were not substance users tended to receive more severe clinician ratings but self-reported fewer symptoms. They also were more likely to be older, have longer lengths of stay, and to have been admitted involuntarily. ConclusionsA considerable number of psychiatric inpatients are underdiagnosed for comorbid substance abuse. Multimodal means of assessment would probably enhance the inclusion of such diagnoses. Also, differences in symptoms may suggest differences in treatment regimens.
A T the same time that the Louvre acquired the prehistoric knife with ivory handle, the archaeological interest of which has recently been pointed out, a handle which once belonged to a knife of the same kind came into the possession of the Earl of Carnarvon, who has done me the great favour of entrusting me with its publication. I am not as yet aware of the provenance of this object; however, the questions which it raises arc so far independent of the place of its discovery as to render it unnecessary for me to enquire into this matter for the present. The map of prehistoric Egypt is extended further year by year, and questions of locality diminish in value proportionately. What does not lose value, on the other hand, is the character and style of the figured representations, when such are found, in view of the small place taken by a somewhat complex iconography in the remains of the predynfistic civilisation. By this fact alone the ivory about to be discussed (Pis. I and I I ) acquires a great part of its importance; for it is a handle of the same family with those which I have already enumerated elsewhere, namely:— (1) The knife-handle of Abu Zedan, found by H. de Morgan, and at present in the Brooklyn Museum; (2) The handle of the Pitt-Rivers Collection, first published by Prof. Petrie in Naqada and Ballas (PI. L X X VII) , and now in the Pitt-Rivers Museum at Farnham (Dorset); (3) The knife-handle of Gebel el-^Arak, to which I have already alluded in the first lines of this article (Louvre); (4) A fourth handle, that of the Petrio knife, now in the Museum of University College, London, which differs from the first three by the absence of a boss for suspension.
Magnetic Current Imaging (MCI), a sub technique of Magnetic Field Imaging (MFI), has been used for more than a decade to localize shorts at the package as well as die and wafer level in a non-destructive way. One particular hard category of shorts to localize is a short between power and ground; the so called power shorts. We show in this paper that MCI can localize power shorts in a simple way by using a multi current path strategy through multiple scans by connecting different power and ground connections and using magnetic phase image analysis for sharper signal localization.
Prethermalization When a physical system is subjected to a rapid change of conditions (for example, a gas of atoms is allowed to occupy a volume twice the size of the original container), it quickly achieves a new temperature (thermalizes) through collisions. However, in some quantum systems many conserved variables inhibit thermalization; understanding the phases the systems go through in the slowing process is of great interest to cosmologists and physicists. Gring et al. (p. 1318, published online 31 August) separate an ultracold one-dimensional gas of bosonic atoms into two nearly identical halves, and follow how local differences in phase between the halves evolve in time by examining their interference. Initially, the local phases are almost identical, but a rapid decoherence ensues, followed by a very slow further decay. The authors analyze the relative state reached after the initial fast decay and find that it can be described by an equilibrium function with an effective temperature several times less than the initial temperature. Because this cannot be the final state of the system, the authors term the initial process prethermalization. Two halves of a split ultracold gas of rubidium atoms retain memory of the initial state for an extended time. Understanding relaxation processes is an important unsolved problem in many areas of physics. A key challenge is the scarcity of experimental tools for the characterization of complex transient states. We used measurements of full quantum mechanical probability distributions of matter-wave interference to study the relaxation dynamics of a coherently split one-dimensional Bose gas and obtained comprehensive information about the dynamical states of the system. After an initial rapid evolution, the full distributions reveal the approach toward a thermal-like steady state characterized by an effective temperature that is independent from the initial equilibrium temperature of the system before the splitting process. We conjecture that this state can be described through a generalized Gibbs ensemble and associate it with prethermalization.
Observations of dead raptors at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area triggered concerns on the parts of regulatory agencies, environmental/conservation groups, wildlife resource agencies, and wind and electric utility industries about possible impacts to birds from wind energy development. Bird fatality rates observed at most wind projects are not currently considered significant to individual bird species populations. Although many bird species have observed fatalities, raptors have received the most attention. The primary objective of this study was to estimate and compare bird utilization, fatality rates, and collision risk indices among factors such as bird taxonomic groups, turbine types, and turbine locations within the operating wind plant in the Tehachapi Pass WRA, in south-central California between October 1996 and May 1998.
Latin America, like the rest of the world, is currently facing the consequences of population aging. Among these consequences is a rise in incidence in malignant neoplasms among older adults, with an anticipated increase in oncologic health service requirements in this population. Geriatric oncology is a recently created discipline which integrates geriatric principles into oncology care to offer older adults with cancer individualized treatments. This multidisciplinary approach is now recommended as part of routine oncology care by international associations. Although several geriatric oncology clinical, educational and research initiatives exist in Latin America, the number and availability of specialized facilities and personnel is limited in comparison to those in high-income regions. In this manuscript, we review international recommendations for the implementation of geriatric oncology principles into routine clinical practice, describe resources available for geriatric oncology in Latin America, and provide recommendations to improve multidisciplinary care for older adults with cancer in the region.
Integrins are a family of ubiquitous cell surface receptors comprising heterodimers of β and α chains that are required for cell adhesion and motility. Integrin-dependent adhesion and signaling is associated with major conformational changes in the ectodomain as it shifts from a low-affinity “bent” to a high-affinity “extended” structure. The ability of a cell to regulate dynamically the affinity or activation state of an integrin, and hence its binding to extracellular matrix or cell adhesion molecules, is assumed to be driven by intracellular signaling events transmitted by protein binding to the cytoplasmic tail. The binding of an integrin to its ligand can then transmit signals back into the cell to regulate the formation of a macromolecular focal adhesion complex that effectively anchors the cytoskeleton to the adhesion site. Many proteins have been reported to associate physically and functionally with integrins, leading to altered signaling events. A particularly intriguing molecular association exists between integrins and transmembrane proteins that gate the movement of charge, especially voltage-gated potassium channels, although the significance of this interaction is not understood. Although ample evidence indicates that the engagement of integrins can promote potassium efflux by both excitable and nonexcitable cells, we speculate the converse, that the activation state of integrins is dynamically regulated by changes in a transmembrane potential. In this way, direct-current electric fields generated at a site of tissue injury can promote the galvanotaxis or directed migration of cells involved in tissue repair and inflammation.
Objective  In this study, we aimed to detect the level of total circulating microparticles (MPs) in pregnant women with preeclampsia (PE) and analyze the proteome of MPs to explore their roles in the pathogenesis and progression of PE.      Methods  98 pregnant women with PE, 54 healthy pregnant women, and 51 healthy non-pregnant women were enrolled from December 2016 to June 2018, whose MP levels were detected by flow cytometry and compared. Proteins extracted from the MPs were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry.      Results  The total MP level of the healthy pregnant group was significantly higher than thatof the non-pregnant group [159.87 (113.25, 218.18)/μl vs 94.10 (53.35, 140.23)/μl, P=0.004], but was not significantly different from that of the PE group. By proteomic profiling, 30 differential proteins were obtained between healthy pregnant women and healthy non-pregnant women, which were closely related to biological processes such as complements, coagulation cascades, angiogenesis and so on; 14 differential proteins were found between PE patients and healthy pregnant women, which were closely related to biological processes such as coagulation cascades, complements and inflammatory reactions, angiogenesis and so forth.      Conclusions  The level of circulating MPs may reflect the hypercoagulability of preeclampsia. In addition, circulating MPs may be involved in the pathogenesis of PE through various pathways by carrying different proteins, which indicates their potential value in the intervention of PE.      Key words:  Pre-eclampsia; Cell-derived microparticles; Thrombophilia; Proteomics
Surgical treatment of osteochondral defects of the talus encompasses a wide variety of procedures. The results of autologous osteochondral grafting have been successful for large articular cartilage defects of the talus. However, the risk of donor site morbidity from the ipsilateral knee cannot be overlooked. The use of fresh osteochondral allograft for cartilage defects in the talus represents an attractive alternative. We present the technique and early results of replacing large osteochondral lesions of the talus with fresh allograft tissue.
Abstmct-High performance has been achieved in SAW convolvers using diffraction-corrected multistrip beam compressors. However, two different levels of metalization are required for optimum performance. A significant simplification of device fabrication was achieved with the design of convolvers using small-aperture chirp transducers, which require only one metalization layer. A design procedure is described that makes the transducers focusing to minimize diffraction loss. Experimental results are presented, which show that performance of this new design surpasses conventional designs in several respects. I. INTRODUCTION M ONOLITHIC acoustic surface wave convolvers on YZ-LiNb03 combine high-speed signal processing capability with ruggedness, small size, and relatively low cost of the device-thanks to the simplicity of its construction. However, the intrinsic nonlinearity of the substrate material polarization, which is used to generate the mixing product of the two input signals, is low and limits the efficiency of the device. High efficiency is crucial to achieve high dynamic range and economize input power. Since the introduction of beamwidth compression [l] to boost device efficiency, the elastic convolver has been developed to high performance in several laboratories [2], [3], [4] by optimization of its various components. The aim of such optimization was to increase the device efficiency by eliminating sources of loss in the acoustic path and providing good match at all electrical ports, while tailoring the device characteristics to minimize signal distortion and suppress spurious signals [5]. This means that the convolution efficiency vs. frequency should be reasonably flat and smooth in magnitude and linear in phase over the desired bandwidth. Notably reflections of acoustic waves in the device have to be suppressed to avoid selfconvolution of one input signal. The distributed output signal has to be collected from the integrating electrode in such a way as to avoid electromagnetic propagation loss or destructive interference of various signal components due to long-line effects. By these considerations one arrives at a standard design scheme as shown in Fig. 1. Interdigital transducers, which convert the input signals, typically are unapodized to avoid
AIM OF THE STUDY This phenomenological study examined what it was like for the wives/female partners to live with a Vietnam veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).   PROCEDURE Audio-taped interviews were conducted with 10 women and data were examined from three overlapping phases of the veteran/partner relationship: the early phase, the middle phase and the later phase.   FINDINGS The early phase was conceptualized as a period of adjustment in which three themes were identified: (1) attractors, (2) feelings and (3) communication. The middle phase, one of enmeshment, was characterized by six themes: (1) dealing with veteran PTSD symptoms, (2) substance abuse, (3) physical and/or emotional abuse, (4) roles, (5) feelings and (6) coping techniques. Three themes depicted the later phase of resolution/healing: (1) stress related symptoms, (2) staying or leaving and (3) activities that promoted an ongoing process of resolution/healing.   CONCLUSIONS The central meaning statement that best described the experience of wives/female partners who live with a Vietnam veteran with PTSD is that the experience is a gradual process of becoming enmeshed in the veteran's pathology, with all energies being directed at minimizing the effect on self and family, culminating in intermittent movement towards resolution/healing. This study has implications for practitioners who treat Vietnam PTSD veterans and their wives or female partners.
The world of molecular profiling has undergone revolutionary changes over the last few years as knowledge, technology, and even standard clinical practice have evolved. Broad molecular profiling is now nearly essential for all patients with metastatic solid tumors. New agents have been approved based on molecular testing instead of tumor site of origin. Molecular profiling methodologies have likewise changed such that tests that were performed on patients a few years ago are no longer complete and possibly inaccurate today. As with all rapid change, medical providers can quickly fall behind or struggle to find up‐to‐date sources to ensure he or she provides optimum care. In this review, the authors provide the current state of the art for molecular profiling/precision medicine, practice standards, and a view into the future ahead.
Aiming at the problems of the construction of the service platform for the comprehensive management of natural disasters in China, and combining the cloud computing technology, the idea of comprehensive management service platform based on cloud computing is proposed. The platform can be used as a unified service platform for the comprehensive management of natural disasters. The platform integrates the functions of natural disaster data collection and storage, risk management system, monitoring and warning system, emergency response and decision, disaster evaluation, disaster business development and customization. Realize the new integration of knowledge resources of natural disasters and provide a variety of disaster information service for all kinds of users according to the authority. Not only improve the service quality, but also reduce the cost of operation and maintenance, and effectively improve the information, digital and intelligent level of disaster management.
Various density-functional relations are established involving functional expansions for quantities of interest. The central identity expresses an arbitrary well-behaved functional F[ ensuremath{ rho}] in terms of the actual density  ensuremath{ rho}(x) and the functional derivatives of F[ ensuremath{ rho}] evaluated at the density  ensuremath{ rho}(x). A number of useful consequences of the formulas are given.
KES: What d'you think of when you see the Union Jack? [. . .] Tell me. BALLY: I see the same as you. It's a flag .. that's all. KES: That's not all. I see the National Front calling my Dad a Paki and spitting on my Mum in Hounslow High Street while people looked on and laughed ... I see football hooligans ... Neo Nazis ... Ben Sherman ... Dr. Martens ... Skinheads ... Violence ... Wogs out! [...] MICK: I see mustard gas. .. the hunt going to ground ... Tory party politics. It makes my stomach turn when I see the Spice Girls and all those 'pop' bands using it as a fashion accessory.
With advances in technology, several in vitro screening tests such as MAST and CAP system have been used for analyzing the allergens involved in allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma (BA), allergic rhinitis (AR), atopic dermatitis (AD) and urticaria. In this study, CAP system (Pharmacia, Sweden) was used to screen the prevalence of allergens responsible for these atopic diseases. A total of 392 children were enrolled in this study retrospectively, all these atopic children visited the allergy clinic of the Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital during the period March 1995 and August 1995. Our results showed: (1) Among these 392 allergic children, included 82 BA, 70 AR, 22 AD, 156 BA + AR. 8 BA + AD, 12 AR + AD, and 42 AD + AR + AD: (2) House dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus: D. p and Dermatophagoides farinae: D. f) are the most common allergens triggering atopic disease in the Taiwan area. (3) Total IgE level is the highest in three combined allergic disease (BA + AR + AD) [2179.9 +/- 504.2KU/L] and lowest in single disease (AR) [503.1 +/- 84.8 KU/L]. Mite-specific IgE (D. p + D. f-specific IgE) concentration is also the highest in three combined disease (BA + AR + AD) [499.1 +/- 86.0KU/L] and lowest in AR [159.5 +/- 47.5 KU/L], (4) elevated specific IgE antibody to egg white and milk were found in 68.4% and 47.4% of patients with AD and/or urticaria. In conclusion, these data suggest that house dust mites, are the most important allergens in respiratory allergy as well as in atopic dermatitis, while food allergens play relatively important roles only in skin allergy. Furthermore, the highest IgE level was noted in children with combined allergic diseases.
We revisit Semantic Scene Completion (SSC), a useful task to predict the semantic and occupancy representation of 3D scenes, in this paper. A number of methods for this task are always based on voxelized scene representations. Although voxel representations keep local structures of the scene, these methods suffer from heavy computation redundancy due to the existence of visible empty voxels when the network goes deeper. To address this dilemma, we propose our novel point-voxel aggregation network for this task. We first transfer the voxelized scenes to point clouds by removing these visible empty voxels and adopt a deep point stream to capture semantic information from the scene efficiently. Meanwhile, a light-weight voxel stream containing only two 3D convolution layers preserves local structures of the voxelized scenes. Furthermore, we design an anisotropic voxel aggregation operator to fuse the structure details from the voxel stream into the point stream, and a semantic-aware propagation module to enhance the up-sampling process in the point stream by semantic labels. We demonstrate that our model surpasses state-of-the-arts on two benchmarks by a large margin, with only the depth images as input.
Cystic pneumatosis intestinalis is a rare benign entity, characterized by intramural cysts located mainly in the intestinal wall. The etiology has not yet been elucidated, but generally it is associated with a systemic disease (1-4). Colonic pneumatosis represents about 30% of gastrointestinal cases (1). We present the case of a young girl with anorexia who underwent surgical treatment for cystic colonic pneumatosis intestinalis.
Frutinone is an active ingredient extracted from the lipophilic fraction of the Polygala Fruticosa demonstrating various antibacterial and fungal properties. The aim of this study was to characterize its metabolism in an effort to understand metabolism based drug–herb interactions. In vitro metabolic clearance and metabolite identification studies were done using cryopreserved hepatocytes. Reaction phenotyping and inhibition studies were done using human liver microsomes and recombinant cytochrome P450s (CYPs). Frutinone A-CYP1A2 interactions were rationalized using docking simulations. Hepatic clearance was predicted to be low (7.17 mL/min/kg), with reaction phenotyping studies indicating no clearance by the enzymes tested. Frutinone was identified as a potent inhibitor of CYP1A2 with moderate effects on CYP2C19, 2C9, 2D6 and 3A4. CYP1A2 inhibition was reversible and characterised by an IC50 of 0.56 µM. Inhibition was differential showing mixed (Ki = 0.48 µM) and competitive (Ki = 0.31 µM) inhibition with 3-cyano-7-ethoxycoumarin and ethoxyresorufin, respectively. Two binding sites, one for inhibitors and the other for substrates were identified in silico. The potent CYP1A2 inhibition by Frutinone A could be predictive of the potential drug–herb interaction risk in the use of herbal extracts from P. fruticosa. The data suggest future pharmacological research on this chromocoumarin should take metabolic properties into account.
Agricultural reuse of wastewater has to be integrated into comprehensive land and water management plans taking into account water supply, wastewater collection, reclamation, and reuse. It may be incorporated, as a land treatment system, to the treatment cycle and considered as the nutrient recycling part of the loop. However, the water used for irrigation purposes has to meet the public health and agronomic quality requirements. Therefore, the treatment objectives and standards need to be clearly defined. This leads to reconsidering the treatment approach, the required treatment levels and processes, and the indicators that should be taken into account. A common approach to wastewater treatment and agricultural reuse has to be developed in order to define a reclaimed water quality that would be safe for each intended end use of the effluent, and acceptable in economic terms as well as the quality of the products coming from these wastewater reuse operations. Among the challenges that agricultural reuse operations have to overcome, planning and management are still major ones that require careful attention.
BACKGROUND Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a rare kind of soft tissue plasma cell neoplasm without bone marrow involvement; this type of plasma cell neoplasm involves a lack of other systemic characteristics of multiple myeloma. Primary pulmonary plasmacytoma (PPP), with no specific clinical manifestations, is an exceedingly rare type of EMP. Because of its complexity, PPP is often difficult to diagnose, and there is no report in the literature on cases accompanied by overlap syndrome (OS). CASE SUMMARY A 61-year-old woman without a familial lung cancer history was admitted to our hospital in 2018, for intermittent cough, expectoration, and a stuffy feeling in the chest for 50 years; these symptoms appeared intermittently, especially occurred after being cold, and had been aggravated for the last 10 d. She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, bronchiectasis, OS, and autoimmune hepatic cirrhosis in 2017. A pulmonary examination revealed rough breath sounds in both lungs; other physical examinations found no obvious abnormalities. A routine laboratory work-up showed decreased haemoglobin, increased ESR, and abnormal GGT, ALT, IgG, γ-globulin, κ-light chain, λ-light chain, rheumatoid factor, and autoimmune antibodies. Emission computed tomography demonstrated abnormally concentrated 99mTc-MDP. Chest computed tomography revealed a soft tissue mass in the middle and lower lobes of the right lung. After right middle and inferior lobe resection with complete mediastinal lymph node dissection, immunohistochemical analysis revealed an isolated pulmonary plasmacytoma. The patient received chemotherapy for more than 1.5 years and remains in good general condition. CONCLUSION PPP is a type of EMP, and we report an exceedingly rare presentation of PPP accompanied by OS.
Federigo Baroccio (1528-1612), a popular painter of Urbino, among other things painted the portrait of the young prince Federigo d'Urbino. The child is on a bassinet which is evidently used only for show purposes, as there would be great danger of the child's rolling off. The cover and binder are richly ornamented and give a good idea of the expense lavished on princely infants, at least when shown to the public. The picture is in the Pitti Gallery in Florence. The photograph is by Alinari.
Prepared to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the establishment of Nova Scotia's Supreme Court, this important new volume provides a comprehensive history of the institution, Canada's oldest common law court. The thirteen essays include an account of the first meeting in 1754 of the court in Michaelmas Term, surveys of jurisprudence (the court's early federalism cases; its use of American law; attitudes to the administrative state), and chapters on the courts of Westminster Hall, on which the Supreme Court was modelled, and the various courthouses it has occupied. Anchoring the volume are two longer chapters, one on the pre-confederation period and one on the modern period. Editors Philip Girard, Jim Phillips, and Barry Cahill have put together the first complete history of any Canadian provincial superior court. All of the essays are original, and many offer new interpretations of familiar themes in Canadian legal history. They take the reader through the establishment of the one-judge court to the present day - a unique contribution to our understanding of superior courts.
A geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) analysis of the principal plane far-field radiation patterns of a hyperboloidal subreflector with a conical flange attachment (HWF) fed by a primary feed located at its focus is presented. While using the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UGTD) for evaluating the nonaxial fields, the method of equivalent currents is used in the axial region. In this paper, both the diffraction by the wedge formed between the hyperboloid and the conical flange and the diffraction by the edge of the flange are considered. While considering the diffraction by the edge due to the diffracted ray from the wedge in the H -plane, the slope diffraction technique has been used. The computed diffracted farfields of a typical HWF illuminated by a high performance primary feed shows good agreement with the available measured data and with the results based on the method of physical optics (PO). The sharp cutoff and the low spillover characteristics of the HWF are highlighted by comparing its radiation pattern with that of a hyperboloid without a flange. Further, the effects of the different parameters of the HWF on its radiation pattern are also studied and plotted, so that these results can be utilized in the design of the HWF for a specific requirement.
Background and Objectives Compared with conventional treatment, early surgery significantly reduced the composite end point of all-cause death and embolic events during hospitalization, but long-term data in this area are lacking. This study sought to compare long-term outcomes of early surgery with a conventional treatment strategy in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) and large vegetations. Subjects and Methods The Early Surgery versus Conventional Treatment in Infective Endocarditis (EASE) trial randomly assigned patients with left-sided IE, severe valve disease and large vegetation to early surgery (37 patients) or conventional treatment groups (39 patients). The pre-specified end points were all-cause death, embolic events, recurrence of IE and repeat hospitalizations due to the development of congestive heart failure occurring during follow-up. Results There were no significant differences between the early surgery and the conventional treatment group in all-cause mortality at 4 years (8.1% and 7.7%, respectively; hazard ratio [HR] 1.04; 95% CI, 0.21 to 5.15; p=0.96). The rate of the composite end point of death from any cause, embolic events or recurrence of IE at 4 years was 8.1% in the early surgery group and 30.8% in the conventional treatment group (HR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.06-0.78; p=0.02). The estimated actuarial rate of end points at 7 years was significantly lower in the early surgery group than in the conventional treatment group (log-rank p=0.007). Conclusion There was a substantial benefit in having early surgery for patients with IE and large vegetations whose health was sustained up to 7 years, and late clinical outcome after surgery was excellent in survivors of IE. (EASE clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00750373)
Abstract This article explores the definition of Critical Autism Studies and its inclusion in autistic scholarship. There has been critique of recent non-autistic literature for lacking autistic authorship, leading to doubts about its epistemological integrity due to misrepresentations of autistic culture and the neurodiversity movement. This article utilises the work of Arnold, Milton and O’Dell et al. to introduce an emancipatory definition to ensure the discipline is autistic led. In the process, we discuss the nature of autism studies and what constitutes critical literature. We propose Waltz’s interpretation of Critical Autism Studies as a working definition.
Serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) and absolute eosinophil count (AEC) were assayed in 48 children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome and 20 controls. The mean serum IgE (p < 0.001) and AEC (p < 0.05) were significantly raised in active nephrotic syndrome compared with controls. The mean values of IgE and AEC in nephrotic patients were 228.6 and 164.5 per cent of the normal mean, respectively. The serum IgE and AEC were significantly abnormal in all the subgroups (first attack, infrequent, and frequent relapsers), except AEC in infrequent relapses, when compared with the controls. No significant differences in the parameters were observed among the different subgroups of cases. In remission, the mean IgE and AEC were unchanged in comparison with their corresponding values at diagnosis. Thus, the levels are raised not only in active but also in remission, reflecting abnormal immune status even in the disease-free state.
Heatwaves are now considered one of the main stressors of global warming. As a result of anthropogenic warming, atmospheric and oceanic heatwaves have increased in frequency, intensity and duration in recent decades. These extreme events have recently become a major concern in climate research due to their economic and environmental impacts on ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the co-occurrence and relationship between atmospheric and marine heatwaves (AHW/MHW) in the Eastern Mediterranean (EMED) over the last four decades (1982–2021). Furthermore, the spatio-temporal variability and trends of sea surface temperature (SST), near-surface air temperature (SAT), AHW and MHW characteristics (frequency and duration) were examined. For these objectives, we used daily gridded high-resolution satellite SST data (0.05° × 0.05°) and the fifth generation European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF-ERA5) atmospheric reanalysis SAT and wind components (0.25° × 0.25°). The results showed an average warming trend of about 0.38 ± 0.08 °C/decade and 0.43 ± 0.05 °C/decade for SAT and SST, respectively. A high statistically significant (p < 0.05) correlation (R = 0.90) was found between AHW and MHW frequency. Our results showed that more than half of the MHWs in the EMED co-occurred with AHWs throughout the study period. The most intense summer MHW in 2021, which co-occurred with AHW, was associated with higher positive anomalies of SAT and SST, and a decrease in the wind speed anomaly.
Agonist‐mediated signaling by the endothelium controls virtually all vascular functions. Because of the large diversity of agonists, each with varying concentrations, background noise often obscures individual cellular signals. How the endothelium distinguishes low‐level fluctuations from noise and decodes and integrates physiologically relevant information remains unclear. Here, we recorded changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in response to acetylcholine in areas encompassing hundreds of endothelial cells from inside intact pressurized arteries. Individual cells responded to acetylcholine with a concentration‐dependent increase in Ca2+ signals spanning a single order of magnitude. Interestingly, however, intercellular response variation extended over 3 orders of magnitude of agonist concentration, thus crucially enhancing the collective bandwidth of endothelial responses to agonists. We also show the accuracy of this collective mode of detection is facilitated by spatially restricted clusters of comparably sensitive cells arising from heterogeneous receptor expression. Simultaneous stimulation of clusters triggered Ca2+ signals that were transmitted to neighboring cells in a manner that scaled with agonist concentration. Thus, the endothelium detects agonists by acting as a distributed sensing system. Specialized clusters of detector cells, analogous to relay nodes in modern communication networks, integrate populationwide inputs, and enable robust noise filtering for efficient high‐fidelity signaling.—Wilson, C., Saunter, C. D., Girkin, J. M., McCarron, J. G. Clusters of specialized detector cells provide sensitive and high fidelity receptor signaling in the intact endothelium. FASEB J. 30, 2000–2013 (2016). www.fasebj.org
If we are to devise foreign and defense policies for contemporary Russia, we must first make them reflect the new international realities that emerged in the wake of the collapse (destruction) of the international socialist system and the USSR. We must have new foreign and defense policies, for the international conditions of their implementation differ qualitatively from those that existed even in the eighties.
In this study, it is aimed to detect frequently encountered spam e-mails with artificial immune algorithms. Turkish spam and non-spam e-mail dataset are generated within the scope of the work. Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) and Euclidean Distance (ED) are utilized in order to extract features from the turkish email dataset. In order to evaluate the classification accuracies, artificial immune algorithms with Bayes as a linear and artificial neural network as a non-linear classifiers are used. Various artificial immune algorithms, including AIRS1, AIRS2, AIRS2PARALLEL, CLONALG and CSCA are investigated. Among them, CSCA reveals the best classification accuracy of 86%. Furthermore, CSCA algorithm classifies spam emails with 81% and non-spam e-mails with 90% accuracies.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in blood plasma are stable under high levels of ribonuclease activity and could function in tissue-to-tissue communication, suggesting that they may have distinctive structural characteristics compared with non-circulating miRNAs. In this study, the expression of miRNAs in horse plasma and their characteristic nucleotide composition were examined and compared with non-plasma miRNAs. Highly expressed plasma miRNA species were not part of the abundant group of miRNAs in non-plasma tissues, except for the eca-let-7 family. eca-miR-486-5p, -92a, and -21 were among the most abundant plasma miRNAs, and their human orthologs also belong to the most abundant group of miRNAs in human plasma. Uracil and guanine were the most common nucleotides of both plasma and non-plasma miRNAs. Cytosine was the least common in plasma and non-plasma miRNAs, although levels were higher in plasma miRNAs. Plasma miRNAs also showed higher expression levels of miRNAs containing adenine and cytosine repeats, compared with non-plasma miRNAs. These observations indicate that miRNAs in the plasma have a unique nucleotide composition.
Objective Female sex is considered a significant risk in cardiac surgery and is included in the majority of scores for risk assessment. However, the evidence is controversial and older women undergoing cardiac surgery have not specifically been investigated. We assessed the influence of female sex on surgical risk (30-day mortality) in a secondary analysis of the GOPCABE trial (German Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass grafting in the Elderly (GOPCABE) trial, comparing on- to off-pump) and also evaluated its impact on risk prediction from commonly used risk scores. Methods We performed logistic regression analyses on the GOPCABE trial population, where patients were randomized to either on- or off-pump CABG. The study was performed in 12 cardiac surgery centers in Germany and analyzed 2394 patients having undergone CABG at age ≥75 years (1187 on-pump, 1207 off-pump). Of the 2394 patients, 755 (32%) were women. The logistic EuroSCORE and the German KCH score were calculated as expected (E) mortality and values were compared to observed (O) 30-day mortality (O/E ratio). Results There was no difference in mortality or major cardiovascular adverse events after 30 days between men and women for both on- and off-pump CABG (men: on- vs. off-pump OR = 0.90, 95%-CI: [0.63;1.27]; women: on- vs. off-pump OR = 1.07, 95%-CI: [0.62;1.87]). Therefore, groups were combined for further analyses. Both men and women had considerable and similar comorbidities. Expected mortality was significantly higher for women than for men (logistic EuroSCORE: 8.88±6.71% vs. 7.99±6.69%, p = 0.003; KCH score: 4.42±3.97% vs. 3.57±3.65%, p = 0.001). However, observed mortality rates (O) tended to be even lower in women (2.1% vs. 3.0%). The O/E ratio was closer to 1 in men than in women (0.84 vs. 0.47). Excluding female sex from the risk models increased O/E ratio to 0.69. Conclusions Female sex is not a risk factor in coronary bypass surgery in the GOPCABE population. The result is the same for on- and off-pump surgery. Since female sex is a component of most risk scores, the findings may identify a potential inaccuracy in current surgical risk assessment, specifically for elderly women. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov GOPCABE trial No. NCT00719667
1939 Born in United Kingdom 1960 B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Birmingham, UK 1962 Gained M.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering in Vancouver, Canada 1965 PhD in Civil Engineering Bristol, UK 1969 Gzowski Gold Medal, Engineering Institute of Canada for the best paper on any subject 1971 Canadian Consulting Engineering Award of Merit for Papineau Bridge 1971 American Iron and Steel Institute Design in Steel Award for Papineau Bridge 1972 Co-founded Buckland & Taylor Ltd. with Peter Buckland 1977 Canadian Consulting Engineering Award of Merit for Lions’ Gate Bridge Renovation 1981 Canadian Consulting Engineers Award of Excellence for the Similkameen Ore Conveyor Bridge 1986 Prestressed Concrete Institute Award of Excellence in Architecture & Engineering for Alex Fraser Bridge 1987 Canadian Consulting Engineering Award of Excellence for Alex Fraser Bridge 1996 Awarded Fellowship by Canadian Society for Civil Engineering 2001 Consulting Engineers of British Columbia Award of Excellence for Port Mann Bridge 2006 Received Consulting Engineers of British Columbia Meritorious Achievement Award 2009 Received Canada’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada, for outstanding contributions to civil engineering 2015 Retired
Neural coding af chemical informalion is slill under strong debate. II is clear thal, in vertebrales, neural representation in lhe ollaclory bulb is a key for underslanding a pulative odour code. To explore Ihis cade, in this work we have sludied a public dalasel 01 radio images 01 2-Deoxyglucose uptake (2-DG) in lhe olfactory bulb 01 rals in response lo diverse odoranls using univariate pixel seleclion algorithms: rank-products and Mann-Whitney U (MWU) testo Inillal results indicale that some chemical properties 01 odorants preferentially aclivate cerlain areas of the ralollactory bulb. While non-parametric tesl (MWU) has difficulties lo detecl Ihese regions, rank-product provides a higher power of detection. Does Low B-value can Handle Q·ball and DTI Reconslruclions? Diflusion MRI Experiment of Ex-vivo Pigs Spinal Cord Phantom Aleksandra Klimas1 , Kamil Gorczewski2, Przemyslaw Pencak3, Zatia Drzazga1 and Uwe Klose2 1 University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland 2 Unjversity oI Tuebingen, Germany ] Miefeckl University Hospital 01 Silesian Medicai Universi/y, Kalowice, Poland Keywards: Q-ball Reconstruclion, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Dilfusion Phanlom, Fibre Crossing. Abstract: The direction ofaxons in white maUer can be estimated using a delerministic fibre tracking algorithms and diffusion weighted imaging. The aim of this work was lo evaluate lhe data, obtained Irom pig spines phanlom measuremenls with relatively low b-value, using two types of reconslructions: diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and q-ball approach. Pigs spines submerged in agar gel were used lo prepare a phantom wilh !wo crossing populations of fibres. The phantoms were measured in 3T MR scanned for b-value of 1000 and 2000 s/mm2 for q-ball and 20Q-2000sJmm2 for DTI reconstruction. Analysis of crossing and single libre population regions in lhe scanners showed lha! lhe median dispersions lrom lhe reference directions in case 01 5ingle fibra populalion were c.a. 4Â O and lor crossing area c.a. 12° and 6.5 0 for b·value 01 1000 s/mm2 and 2000 s/mm2 respectively. The q-ball approach was able 10 resolve crossing problem lor bolh 10'11 b-values. II 'lias shown here lha! coherent results can be achieved even with lower b-values Ihan proposed by lhe theory. The direction ofaxons in white maUer can be estimated using a delerministic fibre tracking algorithms and diffusion weighted imaging. The aim of this work was lo evaluate lhe data, obtained Irom pig spines phanlom measuremenls with relatively low b-value, using two types of reconslructions: diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and q-ball approach. Pigs spines submerged in agar gel were used lo prepare a phantom wilh !wo crossing populations of fibres. The phantoms were measured in 3T MR scanned for b-value of 1000 and 2000 s/mm2 for q-ball and 20Q-2000sJmm2 for DTI reconstruction. Analysis of crossing and single libre population regions in lhe scanners showed lha! lhe median dispersions lrom lhe reference directions in case 01 5ingle fibra populalion were c.a. 4Â O and lor crossing area c.a. 12° and 6.5 0 for b·value 01 1000 s/mm2 and 2000 s/mm2 respectively. The q-ball approach was able 10 resolve crossing problem lor bolh 10'11 b-values. II 'lias shown here lha! coherent results can be achieved even with lower b-values Ihan proposed by lhe theory. Poster Sesslon 4 10:40 -11:30 HEALTHINF Fayar Evalualion oi a Web·based Menlor Funclional System lor Employment Supporl Training oi Nurses who Have Nol been Employed Yumika Nakamura' , Yukie Majima 2 , Yasuka Maekawa2 , Kaori Fukayama' and Kazumi Hashi 1 1 Osaka Prelecture University. Habikino Osaka, Japan 2 Osaka Prelecture University. Sakai Osaka, Japan
In order to macroscopically manage urban traffic and analyse the inherent characteristic of urban traffic flow on road network,and reach the aim of alleviating increasingly serious traffic problems,we fused the traffic volume at intersection and taxi GPS dada. By using the existence and difference of MFD and GMFD in urban road network,we described MFD and GMFD by average number of vehicles on network,network capacity and density distribution,and proposed a method of deriving MFD and GMFD by link volume and taxi GPS data fitting. It is found that inhomogeneous distribution of density is one reason causing low network capacity. For the regional road network which consists of 13 intersections in Changsha,we calculated MFD eigenvalues for each sub-network and each link,then proposed a method for reasonably rerouting in a congested network using road storage space,i. e.,average vehicle number of critical network,to realize the traffic guidance on congestion links in peak period and maximizing network capacity.
The article deals with such concepts as competence-based approach and competences in the light of a new generation of Federal State Educational Standards and shows some ways to develop cultural and professional competences in the course "Theory and Methods of Teaching Geography", their importance in the process of forming a future teacher of geography. Professional competences of future geography teachers represent a system of activity characteristics, which reflect the specifics of geography as a discipline of world view forming character and the process of learning geography as cognition. The article describes specific subject competences of three levels: competences in the field of geographic culture, which are mainly formed while learning core disciplines (knowledge about the subject), competences in the field of tourism and local history activities, which are formed during field practicums and elective courses in local studies and methodological competences, which are formed in the process of methodical training while learning university disciplines of the professional cycle. The competence-based approach in the system of professional and pedagogical training of future teachers is a factor of students' professional development in multi-level geographic education.
Mr Mitchell felt that each weekly session had provided him with the impetus to continue for another week. He showed great determination to succeed and followed the recommended method, adapted to suit his own lifestyle. I felt professional satisfaction knowing that I had played a significant part in his transition from smoker to non-smoker. The method I used with Mr Mitchell was effective. However, it is only one of many methods available to smokers and health professionals. At present 22 patients have booked in for stop-smoking sessions. Six have completed the six sessions and of those, three remain non-smokers six months later. All three were self-referred and therefore highly motivated. Even one success is one more towards achieving the Health of the Nation target and is well worth the time and effort involved.
It is the core of teaching reform of College English to improve the teaching quality,improve students'application ability in English,train high quality foreign language talents.This article analyzes the problems existing in teachers and students in the College English Teaching in our collegecon,and suggests having teaching reform on teaching idea,teaching mode and teaching in levels,so as to improve the teaching quality in College English teaching.
Notes on the contributors Introduction: idealism from Kant to Hegel Sally Sedgwick 1. The unity of nature and freedom: Kant's conception of the system of philosophy Paul Guyer 2. Spinozism, freedom and transcendental dynamics in Kant's final system of transcendental idealism Jeffrey Edwards 3. Is the Critique of Judgment 'post-critical'? Henry E. Allison 4. The 'I' as principle of practical philosophy Allen W. Wood 5. The practical foundation of philosophy in Kant, Fichte and after Karl Ameriks 6. From critique to metacritique: Fichte's transformation of Kant's transcendental idealism Gunter Zoller 7. Fichte's alleged subjective, psychological, one-sided idealism Robert Pippin 8. The spirit of the Wissenschaftslehre Daniel Breazeale 9. The beginnings of Schelling's philosophy of nature Manfred Baum 10. The nature of subjectivity: the critical and systematic function of Schelling's philosophy of nature Dieter Sturma 11. Substance, causality and the question of method in Hegel's Science of Logic Stephen Houlgate 12. Point of view of man or knowledge of God: Kant and Hegel on concept, judgement and reason Beatrice Longuenesse 13. Kant, Hegel and the fate of 'the' intuitive intellect Kenneth R. Westphal 14. Metaphysics and morality in Kant and Hegel Sally Sedgwick Bibliography Index.
What do you do with your arms and legs? Where is your nose? What are your eyes, ears, and mouth used for? The answers to these and other bodyrelated questions are covered in this book for young learners. Exploring all the major body partsfrom bones and muscles to hair and organsand teaching children how to express emotions, this picture book uses short verses and tasks paired with a miniquiz to help children gain a better understanding of their growing body."
The effects of electric and magnetic fields on human body have attracted attention of the scientists and the public,especially when the EHV and UHV transmission lines are being constructed in China.This article is emphasized on the review of values and rationales of limit of power frequency electric and magnetic fields in standards and guidelines of various countries and international organizations.The general accepted induction models are introduced,with which t the current density in vivo caused by low frequency magnetic field as well as contact current caused by low frequency electric field can be simply calculated.Some characteristics of limit values of transmission lines are summarized.First,they depend on exposure time length,becoming larger when exposure time is shortened.Second,different values are designated for different areas.Those areas where the public frequently pass by are more strictly administrated.Third,additional precautionary limitations are provide for places of sensitive use,such as hospitals and schools.It can be deduced that the limit values of power frequency electric field in the literature are comparatively consistent,but on the contrary,great differences exist in limit values of power frequency magnetic field by reason of incompatible survey results between epidemiological studies and laboratory studies.The guideline of ICNIRP is admitted by quite a few countries as it is developed by a thorough review of all published scientific literature,which are evaluated according to critical criteria.Until now, no confirmative conclusions have been drawn about whether long-term exposure to power frequency magnetic field will induce certain types of cancers and some other non-cancer diseases,even if many investigations have been conducted and relative reports have been published on this subject.There is a lack of satisfactory mechanism of interaction of low frequency electric and magnetic fields with living system,so further researches are still needed.
The insertion of dental implants in atrophy maxilla is a complicated issue because no bone support due to expansion of maxillary sinus and atrophy of maxillary ridge alveolar. Surgery by sinus lifting with autogenous bone transplantation has been proven to be an acceptable treatment to get bone support. The lateral window technique and transalveolar osteotomy sinus lifting are the methods to correct the height of inadequate bone in the posterior area of maxilla for preparation of implan dental insertion. Technique of transalveolar osteotomy sinus lifting is noninvasive compared to lateral window sinus lifting technique.
In the context of Bangladesh, there is no substantial research going beyond level of belief of mathematics teachers of technology use in teaching learning process. While belief influences to motivation, perception, intention, awareness and acceptance therefore, is has been assumed in this study that there must be some determinants of acceptance among school teachers in Bangladesh. Calculators and other technological tools, such as computer algebra systems, interactive geometry software, applets, spreadsheets, and interactive presentation devices, are vital components of a high-quality mathematics education. With guidance from effective mathematics teachers, students at different levels can use these tools to support and extend mathematical reasoning and sense making, gain access to mathematical content and problem-solving contexts, and enhance computational fluency. In a well-articulated mathematics program, students can use these tools for computation, construction, and representation as they explore problems. The use of technology also contributes to mathematical reflection, problem identification, and decision making. Unfortunately, in Bangladesh bringing technology in mathematics teaching is less studied and overlooked. This has led this particular research to conduct this study.
This article describes a scientific research which is subjected to the hypothesis that the development of selfcontrol through the use of mobile technology can be integrated in the educational process, to overcome the difficulties associated with learning and development of different competences and to support personal development and minimizing of habits that impede successful implementation. The analysis focuses on the study of the didactic potential of mobile technology for the development of self-control in different situations. The aims and objectives of the survey described in this article are directly related to:  Improving of self-control in the working environment of persons employed in occupations with a lot of professional stress in the work of teachers, social workers, medical workers, etc.;  Improving the effectiveness of teaching and professional realization of students who are future psychologists;  Enhancement of well-being and life satisfaction and achieving a healthier life;  Providing online mobile digital resources for the development of self-control;  Increasing the knowledge on the possibilities for the development of self-control, using innovative teaching technologies. The end result of the conducted scientific and applied research from the fields of psychology, mobile technology and didactics is a package that contains the following elements:  Conceptual model of self-control;  Scenarios and exercises to develop self-control using mobile technology;  Audiovisual and multimedia resources for mobile devices in accordance with the developed scenarios and exercises for self-control development;  Tools to assess the development of self-control and tools to assess the progress in the development of self-control through the use of mobile technology. Proceedings of INTCESS 2017 4th International Conference on Education and Social Sciences 6-8 February 2017Istanbul, Turkey ISBN: 978-605-64453-9-2 511 The implementation of this package in the training of students future psychologists, as well as in the work of persons employed in occupations that are filled with a lot of professional stress was organized as a pilot experiment. The experiment included:  Introduction of the participants with the nature and meaning of self-control to achieve the objectives in various activities, for mental well-being and health;  Introduction of the participants with opportunities to use mobile technology to develop self-control;  Familiarization with the content of the developed exercises;  Conducting training for the development of self-control in students future psychologists and persons engaged in professions that are critical and filled with professional stress;  Assessment of the progress of the development of self-control;  Assessment of exercises for mobile devices;  Assessment of attitudes towards learning process aimed at developing self-control through the use of mobile technology.
Preface - Robert K Conyne and James M O'Neil Closing the Gap Between Consultation Training and Practice - Robert K Conyne and James M O'Neil Consultation With a Human Service Agency - Lynn S Rapin Improving Management Practices Implementing School-Based Consultation Services - Joseph E Zins An Analysis of Five Years of Practice Facilitating Change in a Financial Service Company in Transition - David A Fravel and James M O'Neil A Case Study of Health Promotion Policy Development in a Hospital Setting - Donald I Wagner and Steven P Krakoff Reducing Racism and Sexism in a University Setting through Organizational Consultation - James M O'Neil and Robert K Conyne Analysis and Synthesis of the Case Studies - Robert K Conyne et al Some Lessons Learned for Future Consultants
Glaciers and lakes on the Tibetan Plateau play an important role in the earth's climatic system.The remote sensing techniques and the Geographic Information System technology is an efficient tool to analyze the status and fluctuations of glaciers and lakes.In this paper,the variations of typical glaciers and lakes throughout the Tibetan Plateau were investigated by analyzing the datasets from aerial photos,satellite images,topographical and the derived digital elevation models during the period of 1960-2000.The results show that variation of lake area depends clearly on local climate change.Over the past 30 years,the most of lakes in the middle Tibetan Plateau,such as the Seling Lake and Nam Lake,expanded and glaciers around the lakes retreated dramatically.It is inferred that the increasing of precipitation,decreasing of potential evaportranspiration and runoff from glacier melting are responsible mainly for the lake expanding.However,the lakes in the head regions of the Yellow River in the northeastern plateau shrunk in the period of 1960-2000 despite of glacier retreating.In the source regions of the Yellow River,the changing trend of precipitation,although positive,is not significant while temperature increased apparently,indicating water loss of the lakes enhanced through increasing of evaportranspiration and thus lakes shrunk in the past 30 years.It is also argued that ecosystem regression resulted from human activity in the regions played an important role in the lake shrinking.
Health care information systems form the backbone of health care infrastructures and are increasingly reliant on medical devices to capture and transmit data. These devices, however, are vulnerable to attacks from the digital domain. The number of differing medical devices and information systems interacting with one another in new and increasingly less secure and disparate ways creates new challenges in information systems security. This work-in-progress paper presents a system design and methodology for modelling data interactions and data flow within the health care infrastructure. The system will increase situational awareness for users of information systems and promote stronger cyber security best practices and policies within this rapidly evolving landscape.
The high expectations set on ceramic materials in recent years have always been balanced by the very considerable difficulties seen in reaching the required levels of reproducibility and cost. Indications of the significant progress, which can be seen in the papers presented in this volume, coupled with the recognition that considerable problems still lie between the state of the art and the full and confident exploitation of the many merits of ceramics, provide a healthy basis for the profitable selection of future research directions. The mastery of ceramic processing and the imaginative matching of the properties of these materials to diverse applications remain among the most promising sectors for technological development. A selection of contents: The d doping layer: Electronic properties and device perspectives (F. Koch, A. Zrenner). Future very-large-scale integration technology (M. Hirose). High temperature superconducting ceramics (C.J. Humphreys, D.J. Eaglesham). Fabrication. Process of fine milling for ceramic materials (H.W. Hennicke, J. Stein). Non-uniformities and pore formation (U.B. Agbarakwe et al.).
The paper describes the basic theory of the two-order central difference scheme,and based on this theory,it deduces the two-order central difference scheme of acoustic waves and the difference scheme of boundary condition.Build a two-deck theoretical geological model,by simulating the wave fields in the condition of explode spot in and upside the media,we can get the shape and the csp records of the wave in different time.In addition,by the comparison of the wave fields and csp record,the paper finds that just using the one-order boundary condition can simulate the form of wave fields fast and conveniently.
This thesis improves quality of work when measuring produced components using 3D me-asuring machines. The created database application enables filing all products and at the same time makes it faster and easier to look up the programs for measuring individual pro-ducts on the basis of putting in their parametres. Thus it is also possible to prevent dupli-cation of creating new programmes for components, for which it would be difficult to find whether they have been made before and thus some measuring programmes exist for them. The application has been created in the environment of Microsoft Access.
The point of having you write a philosophy paper is for you to develop and practice certain important fundamental skills. They include the following: (1) the ability to comprehend, reconstruct, and analyze complex philosophical arguments; (2) the ability to critically evaluate such arguments; (3) the ability to argue persuasively for your own views; and (4) the ability to articulate your thoughts in a clear, concise, and wellorganized manner.
Connections in teaching and learning come in many different forms. One important connection is already in place and educators simply need to keep it in mind: the connection between educational levels—the educational continuum that links the various components of the education system from kindergarten to graduate school. What and how we teach at the university level has a significant influence on the way a subject is presented and treated in future classrooms, whether they are beginning (K-12) or university graduate classes (3). Teachers teach as they were taught, so as educators of future teachers we need to model the type of teacher and scholar that we want our students to be as teachers (1). Modeling good teaching involves developing and using a variety of pedagogies and adopting new techniques and technologies in our classes.
PURPOSE: To continuously produce past products which are not formed with scorched and blackened dots in final products by subjecting a mixture composed of pasta powder and water to partial preliminary steam cooking, then introducing the mixture into an extruder and extrusion molding the mixture under steam cooking. CONSTITUTION: About 80 to 50wt.% pasta powder and about 20 to 50wt.% water are mixed in a preconditioner and the resulted mixture is held for about 20 seconds to about 3 minutes at about 150 to 210°F in the preconditioner, by which the mixture is partially steam cooked. The mixture is then introduced into the extruder equipped with a rotatable screw with screw flights and extrusion die isolated from the preconditioner or the intermeshing co-rotating twin- screw extruder where the mixture is first made to attain the max. temp. of about 215°F in the steam cooking area and thereafter, the mixture is subjected to evacuation, then to a pressure of 200 to 1200psig in the molding area. The mixture is thereafter extruded, by which the products are formed. COPYRIGHT: (C)1991,JPO
The importance of the financial policies is more than evident in the context of the nowadays financial crisis. We understand the financial policy as a process of conciliation of the different possible ways to constitute and use monetary funds taking into account their implications for the socio-economic life of the community administered by an authority. This paper analyse the coordinates of the financial policy, focusing on its role and objectives, but also on its instruments and restrictions.
In the fifty-year period, from 1925 to 1974, 6596 autopsies were performed at three departments of Pathology in Athens. The incidence of gallstones was 5.97% in the total material. The incidence in females was 8.86% and in males 4.52%, with a ratio 2:1. An increase of the incidence has been noticed since 1925. Under the presented data Greece could be included among the countries with an intermediate frequency of gallstones, but with a tendency to follow the Western countries pattern. The significance of the Greek standard of living and the dietary surveys on the gallstone formation, are briefly discussed.
may be used to augment textual instructions in the depiction of safety and warning information on medicines. The objective of this study was to design, develop and evaluate a simple and culturally appropriate pictogram sequence for using nystatin suspension, and to assess its understandability in low-literate Xhosa participants. A new pharmaceutical pictogram sequence was designed through focus group discussions and evaluated in a 2-phase process. The results of Phase 1 (30 participants) identified various problems associated with the new pictogram sequence. It was modified accordingly and re-evaluated in Phase 2 with 20 participants. All participants belonged to the Xhosa group, had between 0 and 7 years of formal schooling and had English as their second language. Acceptance of the new pictogram sequence was based on international standards (ANSI and ISO criterion) for evaluating the comprehensibility of pictograms. In Phase 1, the new pictogram sequence was correctly interpreted by 66.7% of the participants and this complied with the ISO criterion of 67% correct. In Phase 2, 95% of the participants were able to correctly interpret the new pictogram sequence. This result complied with the ANSI criterion of 85% correct, therefore, this new pictogram sequence was considered to be acceptable. This study has illustrated the success of using a consultative approach in the design of new pictograms.
The invention relates to a handheld cutting machine, a guiding accessory for the same and a cutting system. The handheld cutting machine comprises a base plate, a saw blade and a motor, wherein the saw blade perpendicularly extends from the base plate to cut a workpiece, and the motor drives the saw blade. The guiding accessory comprises a body, the body comprises a jointing surface and a first butting surface, wherein the jointing surface is matched with the base plate, the first butting surface is matched with the workpiece, and a first acute angle is formed between the first butting surface and the first jointing surface. The guiding accessory is connected with the base plate of the handheld cutting machine fittingly, and the handheld cutting machine can cut the vertex angle of the workpiece in a beveling manner when the first butting surface of the guiding accessory slides on a plane of the vertex angle of the workpiece, and accordingly is convenient to use and high in cutting precision.
Word sense disambiguation (abbr. WSD) is very important to the semantic web/web 2.0. However, there is still no easy-to-use tool available. As a remedy, here a simple and very efficient tool called oWSD is demonstrated. It disambiguates the senses of words in their ontological contexts, and obtains the right word senses from WordNet. It is very helpful to applications involving ontologies and natural language processing as well.
SYNOPSIS. The monitoring of security relevant structures is a task of growing importance in civil engineering. Large structures such as bridges and dams demand the use of precise measuring systems and the collaborative work of engineers, geologists and geodesists. Considering the time and labour consumed by the acquisition, processing and analysis of measured data, concerned authorities, operators and companies are trying to automate these operational procedures. The existing computer-based solutions focus on remote monitoring and neglect a collaborative analysis of measured data. However, an appropriate and effective monitoring system must conduct all of the tasks performed by experts involved in monitoring. The Institute of Computational Engineering of the University of Bochum, in co-operation with the Ruhrverband (Ruhr River Association), is developing a dam monitoring system based on software agents. The nucleus of the system’s conceptual design is based upon the autonomous and collaborative analysis of measured data, associated with intelligent agents adopting the part of the experts generally involved in dam monitoring.
In the UK’s National Health Service, there has been an increasing emphasis on patient and public involvement, formal measures of patient experience, and public reporting of performance measures. This, as well as the emergence of the ‘digitally engaged patient’, has shifted the traditional paternalistic doctor-patient relationship. There has also been an increase in consumers more generally using rating websites. These factors together led to the formation of online patient feedback (OPF) websites, where patients can choose a healthcare provider based on patient reviews, and give feedback about healthcare providers. Academic research has been conducted on OPF websites, especially to ascertain whether patient ratings online are associated with other measures of quality. However, very little is known about patients’ and healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards OPF websites.    A multi-phase mixed method design was therefore used in this research to explore patients’ and GPs’ awareness, usage and attitudes about OPF websites as a mode to give feedback about GPs in England. In Study A, twenty GPs were interviewed to explore their awareness, usage and attitudes towards OPF. The findings highlighted GPs’ concerns about OPF, and produced recommendations for OPF website providers. In Study B, eighteen patients were interviewed to explore their awareness, usage, preferences and attitudes towards OPF websites and other methods of feedback available in general practice. The findings from this study helped develop a questionnaire, which was then validated in seven-stages. The questionnaire was then implemented nationally across England in Study C using face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of members of the public (n=844).    The findings from this research produced evidence both for and against OPF websites, suggesting that GPs are highly concerned about the impact of these websites on them, on their professional practice, their reputation and their patients, and are not currently using OPF for improvement. Patient usage and future intention to use OPF websites was also found to be extremely low when compared to other methods of feedback, suggesting that unlike direct methods of feedback, OPF websites currently only appeal to a very small minority of patients. However, there was evidence to suggest that OPF websites fulfil a ‘feedback gap’ for patients, and unlike other feedback methods, span age, social and regional divides.    The key contribution of this research is that the majority of GPs and patients are not convinced of the value of OPF websites as a mode to leave feedback about GPs in general practice. Rather surprisingly, OPF websites cannot be used currently for patient choice in general practice, nor as a measure of quality, because OPF is biased towards negative experiences, and not representative of patient experience overall. This research provides suggestions on how this could be rectified. However, the NHS should also consider channelling its energies towards providing more direct and private methods of feedback in general practice in England.
The official regulatory responses to the current crisis do not alter the laissez faire approach to the production and allocation of financial risks which characterises the existing regulatory framework. The stated goal remains that of maintaining the freedom for the private sector to introduce financial innovations, whose nature is consistent with the system design pursued by the official authorities. I argue that adopting a systemic perspective the crucial point is not just the nature of innovations but their quantitative dimension and dynamics, which are responsible for the endogenous creation of financial fragility. The new official proposals do not appear capable of changing this picture. A radical revision of the regulatory approach is necessary, of which an outline is presented.
Vibration analysis is widely used in machinery diagnostics by using frequency and time analysis which require a steady process. To deal with these shortcomings,Smoothed Wigner-Ville Spectrum(SWS) 、Smoothed Wigner-Ville Bispectrum(SWB) 、Smoothed Wigner-Ville Trispectrum(SWT) which were based on the Smoothed Pseudo-Wigner-Ville Distributions(SPWVD) is used to examines whether they can be used effectively to detect the various faults in the speed control valve. By discussing the SWS and the slices attributes of SWB and SWT,the characteristics of vibration signals obtained from speed control valve are analyzed under various conditions including the normal condition and fault conditions. The experimental analysis show that there are distinct difference in the slices of SWT between the normal condition and fault conditions;and the slices of SWT is more affective than SWS and SWB for the diagnosis of faults and has the advantage of providing instantaneous information about the speed control valve under unsteady conditions.
A method of nano Si-yl TaSi2 cone arrays produced by laser floating zone melting method of directional solidification Directional solidification to obtain a sample on a Si substrate TaSi2 rods uniformly distributed. Using HNO3 / HF etchant, the surface of the sample prepared in arrays TaSi2 taper etching method. The resulting array TaSi2 nano cone height is 2.5-7.5μm, radius of curvature of 54-140nm, an array of length / diameter ratio of 35: 1. The prepared Si substrate body TaSi2 uniformity is better, the surface density of 1.4 × 107rod / cm2, achieved a diameter of nanometer level. 2 with the prior art length / diameter ratio: 1 as compared to an array of field emission performance has been greatly improved, can be applied to field emission display devices, and field-effect diodes, flat panel displays, sensors and other devices.
With the rapid improvement of geological information and data, how to gather, manage and apply these information and data efficiently become more and more important. Geography information system (GIS) offers us a very useful method. This paper elaborates geological field data collection and management based on geography information system, analyzes its application situation, summarizes some problems of geological GIS data application and gives some suggestion finally.
Atherosclerosis causes heterogeneous remodeling of arterial structure and composition in the carotid vessel wall. It has been shown that the progression of the disease can be monitored by tracking changes in the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT). Non-invasive peripheral vascular ultrasound (U/S) of the carotid artery is a non-invasive, cost effective, accepted means of measuring IMT. Traditionally, evaluation of IMT in the carotid has been limited to 2D U/S scans. This method is disadvantageous as 2D scans are scan plane dependent, limiting the area over which one can evaluate the extent of the disease. Reproducing the identical scan plane on subsequent scans is also difficult. Evaluation of the carotid vessel wall in 3D will allow for a more complete and reproducible assessment of disease through IMT measurements. We have constructed a fully 3D image processing scheme for analyzing carotid U/S volumes to extract the inner and outer vessel wall boundaries. Sequences of 2D B-mode U/S cross sections of ex-vivo carotid specimens are collected and voxelized to create 3D U/S volumes. By applying a 3D directionally sensitive, edge preserving filter to the U/S volumes, we obtain 3D edge fields that are more distinct than traditional gradient edge fields. Initial point selection of the boundaries, together with these enhanced 3D edge fields, are used with a deformable surface to extract the final inner and outer vessel boundaries. Through intraand inter-observer tests on IMT differences, we show that the 3D boundaries extracted using our automatic technique are more reproducible than boundaries extracted from manual point selection. Thesis Co-Supervisors: Dr. Robert S. Lees and Dr. Raymond C. Chan
Abstract: The high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was used for the simultaneous determination of residues enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin in chicken tissues. The drugs were extracted with 0.1mol/L phosphate buffer (pH12)+ acetonitrile (1+3v/v) and the extracts were concentrated to dry. The residue were dissolved with 0.1mol/L phosphate (pH12) . The HPLC separation was carried out on a Luna C 18 5um column (250×4.6mm I.D) with 0.05mol/L phosphate buffer (pH2.4) + acetonitrile (80+20v/v) as the mobile phase . A fluorescence detector was used at an excitation wavelength of 280nm and an emission wavelength of 450nm. The calibration graphs were linear from 5~500ng/ml for enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. Average recoveries of the drugs from chicken tissues fortified at a level of 8~100ng/ml were 70%~107%. Coefficients of variation were 1.58%~10.60%, and the detection limits were 5ng/g for ciprofloxacin and 2ng/g for enrofloxacin.
Defects at the grain boundary, surface and interface, acting as nonradiative recombination centers, result in considerable energy loss of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we passivated the defects of polycrystalline perovskite films with acetamidine halide (AAI or AABr) and identified their energy loss before and after passivation. We find that the trap state densities are 9.20 × 1015 cm−3 and 9.62 × 1015 cm−3 for AAI-treated and AABr-treated perovskite films, lower than 1.09 × 1016 cm−3 for the pristine film. As a result, PSCs with configuration of ITO/SnO2/perovskite/spiro-OMeTAD/Ag achieve a champion PCE of 22.0% with AAI treatment and 21.5% with AABr treatment, higher than 20.4% PCE for the pristine PSCs. In LED mode, the maximum electroluminescence external quantum efficiencies (EQEEL) are 4.06% and 3.45% for AAI and AABr passivated PSCs, respectively, higher than 0.94% for the pristine device. EQEEL values are 1.26%, 1.20% and 0.40% under an injection current of photocurrent for AAI, AABr and pristine PSCs suggesting that the nonradiative VOC loss is 112 mV, 114 mV and 142 mV, respectively. In terms of charge transfer loss, fill factor reduction is estimated to be 6.3%, 7.0% and 7.4% for AAI, AABr and pristine films, respectively. Passivation using acetamidine halide can significantly improve the energy loss and improve stability.
The article reviewed the present and future situations on the improvement and utilization of tropical and subtropical maize(Zea mays L.) resources in temperate zone at home and in abroad.By these breeding approaches such as mix selection,recurrent selection or introducing excellent gene resources each other using the introduced and identified tropical or subtropical germplasm and Chinese temperate germplasm,these elite maize materials,possessing high resistance to diseases,pests,drought,infertility and good agronomic characters,could be screened out.
A key component to the success of total knee replacement is the health and integrity of the extensor mechanism. While there are issues related to the patella, such as fracture, dislocation, subluxation, clunk due to peripatellar fibrosis and anterior knee pain, the overall integrity of the extensor mechanism is of tantamount importance in providing an excellent functional outcome. During total knee replacement it is of utmost importance to preserve the anatomic insertion of the patellar tendon on the tibial tubercle. However, after total knee replacement, a fall or extreme osteoporosis of the patella may cause a rupture of the patellar tendon, distally or proximally, and possibly the quadriceps tendon off of the proximal pole of the patella. Simple repairs of the patellar tendon avulsion may involve use of the semitendonosis and gracilis tendons along with primary repair of the tendon. Usually, patella infera develops after such a repair affecting overall strength and function. For severe disruptions of the extensor mechanism that are accompanied by a significant extensor lag, autologous tissue repair may not be possible. Thus, there are three techniques for reconstruction of this difficult problem: Extensor mechanism allograft with bone-patellar tendon-patella-quadriceps tendon, extensor mechanism allograft with os calcis-Achilles tendon construct and Marlex-mesh reconstruction for patellar tendon avulsion. The key to success of extensor mechanism allograft is proper tensioning of the allograft at full extensor and immobilisation for 6 weeks. Rosenberg9s early experience showed that the allograft works best placed at maximum tension in extension. Rubash has described the use of the os calcis-Achilles tendon which does not utilise a patellar substitute. Hansen has recently described excellent results with the use of Marlex mesh to act as a structural reinforcement to the patellar tendon when it is avulsed.
This document contains a list with all the main papers, reports, submissions etc on surveillance and related issues (such as profiling) that I have either written or co-written or to which I made substantial contributions, with links to the websites and -pages from which those papers etc. can be downloaded. It updates an earlier list (2014) and is now in reverse chronological order. All the links have been checked on the date of release of the list, 13 January 2016.
It is impractical and virtually impossible to duplicate and accurately determine, in a limited number of standardized crash tests, the effect that all of variables will have on vehicles impacting a highway appurtenance. Recognizing this, NCHRP Report 230 establishes normalized test conditions; straight longitudinal barriers are tested although curved installations exist; flat grade is recommended even though installations are sometimes situated on sloped shoulders or behind curbs; idealized soils are specified although appurtenances are often located in poor, frozen or saturated ground, etc. These normalized factors have significant effect on the performance of an appurtenance and may obscure serious safety deficiencies that exist under more typical but less ideal actual conditions. However, these normalized factors are thought to be secondary in importance when the object of a test program is to compare the results of tests on two or more systems. The normalized test conditions are more easily duplicated and thus promote better correlation of results by different testing agencies. For these reasons, the highway engineer is warned that when the performance of an appurtenance is required for a specific site situation or the performance of an appurtenance is suspected of being unacceptable under some likely conditions, it is important that these specific conditions should be used instead of, or in addition to, the normalized test factors. (Author)
Fitting Lin's theory for a disk galaxy affected by a spiral perturbation of the potential to the observed velocities of young stars allows one to estimate the free parameters of the spiral waves. The results are inconsistent with the ones derived from the large scale spiral structure. They suggest that Lin' s theory may be unsuitable to the kinematics of young stars in the vicinity of the Sun. Various possible explanations are suggested. (auth)
In the background of economic restructuring and industrial upgrading,and construction of "two types of social",the labor costs of garment industry,clothing costs of raw materials and power costs rose substantially.In addition,the appreciation of the RMB against the U.S.dollar,bring enormous challenges to the development of Wuhan garments industry.The article references the advanced experience of garment industry in Zhejiang province,use the ma theory analysis the problems and the reasons that exist in industrial chain of Wuhan apparel.And practically,from a ma focus on the optimization industry chain of the Wuhan garmen,enhance the competitive advantage of Wuhan garment industry.
The development of accelerated coronary artery disease after heart transplantation remains the limiting factor for long-term survival. The most widely accepted hypothesis to explain the development of this vascular lesion is chronic immunologic injury to the vessel wall, which leads to recruitment of monocytes and lymphocytes into the intima and to subsequent neointimal proliferation. In this report, we describe a case of accelerated coronary artery disease that led to allograft failure and repeat heart transplantation 3 years after the initial procedure. Pathologic examination showed striking intimal proliferation with abundant expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in both endothelial cells and cells deep within the intima. Cardiac myocytes also stained for intercellular adhesion molecule-1, with the most intense staining noted in intercalated disks, whereas staining for E-selectin was restricted to endothelial cells. These findings are similar to those we observed in a canine model of transplant arteriopathy and highlight the need for further studies to examine whether inhibitors of endothelial cell adhesion molecules or their leukocyte ligands can successfully ameliorate transplant vasculopathy.
AIM To investigate the cytotoxicity of human γδT cells from PBMCs stimulated by zoledronate against osteosarcoma cell line HOS in vitro and in vivo and evaluate the relavent pathways.   METHODS The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)of healthy donors were stimulated by single dose zoledronate and cultured in the present of IL-2 for two weeks, analysising the percentage of γδT cells on a FACSCalibur cytometer.Study the cytotoxicity of γδT cells against the osteosarcoma line HOS using LDH release assay kit. Pre-treatment of γδT cells with anti-human γδTCR antibody, anti-human NKG2D antibody and concanamycin A to bolck the relavent pathways for evaluating the mechenisms of its cytotoxicity. In vivo, BALB/c mice were inoculated subcutaneously osteosarcoma cell HOS for developing hypodermal tumors. And they were randomized into two groups: unteated group, γδT cell therapy group. Tumor volume and weight of the two groups were compared.   RESULTS After two weeks of culture, γδT cells from zoledronate-stimulated PBMCs could reach (95±3)%. When the E:T as 6:1, 12:1, 25:1, 50:1, the percentage of osteosarcoma cell HOS killed by γδT cells was 26.8%, 31.5%, 37.8%, 40.9%, respectively.When anti-huma γδTCR antibody, anti-human NKG2D antibody and concanamycin A blocked the relavent pathways, the percentage was 32.3%, 4.7%, 16.7% ( E:T as 25:1), respectively. In vivo, the tumor inhibition rate of the group of γδT cell therapy was 42.78%.   CONCLUSION γδT cells derived from PBMCs stimulated by zoledronate can acquired pure γδT cells. And they show strong cytoxicity against osteosarcoma cell line HOS in vitro and in vivo.
A circulating water bath exposure system has been designed for in vitro radiofrequency radiation (RFR) exposure studies in the 915 to 2450 MHz range. A Styrofoam float, in which 10 T-25 plastic tissue culture flasks are embedded, is rotated at approximately 20 rpm in a Plexiglas water bath at a distance beneath a rectangular horn. The continuous circular rotation of the flasks is designed to "average out" the heterogeneity present in stationary flask exposures. The rotation also serves to prevent the establishment of chemical gradients in the medium within the flasks. Several factors have been demonstrated to affect the specific absorption rate (SAR) measured in the medium in the exposed flasks. These factors include: 1) the position of the exposure flasks relative to the long axis of the antenna horn; 2) whether the flasks are exposed while stationary or in rotation; 3) the volume of the medium contained in the flask; and 4) the depth in the medium in the flask at which temperatures for SAR calculation are measured. The presence of cells in the exposure flask (as attached monolayer or cell suspension) did not result in an SAR different from that measured in the same volume of medium without cells present.
Electronic sports (e-sports) is growing around the globe, with more and more individuals participating as players or spectators. To win in professional tournaments, deliberate selection of team players with diverse experience is necessary to ensure an element of surprise while maintaining a certain degree of coordination. Building on faultlines theory, we posit experience-based faultlines as a focal determinant of team performance in e-sports tournaments. Furthermore, through a comprehensive review of extant literature, we derive a typology of experience attributes that are implicit to e-sports teams and from which experience-based faultlines could emerge. Experience-based faultlines, which originate from the alignment of players based on their experience attributes (i.e., leader, role-play, prior, cooperative and rival), have emerged as a novel type of faultlines in e-sports teams. In turn, these experience-based faultlines are postulated to exert an effect on e-sports team performance. Findings from this study bear implications for both theory and practice.
Muslims of Myamar have been living in the country for more than one thousand years;  yet their identities remained unanswered. Their lives are full of challenges and the  frequent clashes between them and the Buddhists signify an uncomfortable atmosphere.  Their life is an example of identity crisis prevailing in our contemporary world. Currently,  their economic life, educational level, social, religious and political status is below the  recognized standard. The alarming numbers of poor, jobless, destitute, uneducated,  illiterate, refugees and locally displaced Muslims are on the rise. Once the social and  moral values are at desperate level, maintaining Islamic identity for the Muslims of  Myanmar is unthinkable. Since 2012 Myanmar has shown its desire to participate  in democratization whereas many reform activities have taken place. However, the  contributions of Muslims are still unacknowledged whether they themselves are  inactive or are put aside. The current violence pertaining to Rohingya in the western  part of Myanmar highlighted again the ailing episode of Muslims. The violence is seen  frequently in Myanmar. It is suggested that the reason of affliction against the Muslims  is Islamophobia. This book suggests to the Muslims of Myanmar that they need to  solicit the minority status on the basis of religion so as to officially claim the right of  minority as well as to enhance their literacy rate and educational standards, particularly  in tertiary education by which they can be considered as an indispensable community in  the process of democratization of the nation paving the way for ending disputes and see  prosperity of the Muslims again.
Transactive memory theory views communication as a valuable (but not perfect) tool for learning, storing, and retrieving information from other people. In this essay, we review research on transactive memory systems and elaborate on the role of communication in the development and use of such systems. In contrast to Pavitt (2003), we believe that communication can, under some conditions, facilitate the development of an effective group memory system.
This paper presents the results of an investigation into the interdependencies that exist between workers’ work trip mode choices in multi-worker households. The investigation is motivated by the observations that, first, multi-worker households constitute the norm for most workers, at least in most North American settings, and, second, that sound theoretical arguments can be readily constructed to support the possibility that such choice interdependence in multi-worker households do indeed exist. The acknowledgement of these two observations leads to the hypothesis that work trip mode choice might best be represented as a household-level decision, in which the needs and priorities of the household workers are traded off against one another in competition for household resources. The next section of the paper elaborates on this argument in favor of considering work trip mode choice as a household-level decision. The third section then presents the data base for the empirical portion of the paper. The fourth and fifth sections develop a set of disaggregate mode choice models that represent a variety of hypothesis about the structure of household travel decision making. Finally, the implications of the results presented in the paper for future modeling of household-level travel decision-making are discussed in the concluding section.
The strong response of long-term interest rates to macroeconomic shocks has typically been explained in terms of informational asymmetries between the central bank and private agents. The standard models assume that the equilibrium real interest rate is constant over time and independent of structural shocks. We incorporate time-variation in the equilibrium real interest rate as function of structural shocks to e.g. productivity and demand. This extended model implies that forward interest rates at long horizons move about 40 basis points as the short-term interest rate increases one percentage point. In terms of regressions of changes in long-term interest rates on changes in the short-term interest rate, including a time-varying equilibrium real interest rate explains about half of the puzzle.
Thepetunia (Petunia [Mitchell]) chloroplast proteins, thechlorophyll a/b-binding (Cab) proteins, andthesmall subunit ofribulosebisphosphate carboxylase (RbcS) areencodedbynuclear genesthatareexpressed ina light-dependent manner.The steady-state concentrations offive cabmRNAsvarywithadramatic circadian rhythm inplants grownunderaconstant diumal cycle (10hours light, 14hours dark). cabmRNAlevels reach their maximumduring thelight period, butbegin todropprior tothe darkperiod. TheseRNAsfall totheir minimumconcentration during thedarkperiod andthenbegintoincrease againin anficipation ofthelight. Within thisgeneral pattem, there are variations inexpression amongspecific classes ofcabgenes. Thelight harvesting complex ofphotosystem 11LHCII-type 1cab mRNAsrise toawell-defined maximumat2hoursprior tothe darkperiod. Allbutoneofthesegenesareexpressed inanticipation ofthelight period. TheLHCII type2cabmRNAandthe LHCofphotosystem IcabmRNAareexpressed atmoreconstant levels throughout thelight period. Theexpression ofthese genes anticipates thelight morethandoestheexpression oftheLHCII typeIgenes. Thesteady state mRNAlevels forthepetunia rbcS genesshownosignificant diumal fluctuation.
This paper combines information on two topics that are related to interlock programs: (1) how can we detect the offenders that we cannot change? (2) how do we go about trying to change the offenders who are able to change? and (3) how do we know the difference? The paper describes how these are relevant questions regarding the interlock device and programs because of the fact that no matter how well interlock programs can control offenders while the device is on the car and working, some portion of those offenders will revert to drinking and driving and public endangerment after the interlock control period ends. And the final part of this puzzle is how do we get the courts to take action when we are able to make a distinction between the changeable and the unchangeable with a reasonable probability of accuracy?
The aim of the present research is to study the dissolution and transport process of benzene as a light nonaqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) in saturated porous media. Unidirectional flow at water velocities ranged from 0.90 to 3.60 cm/hr was adopted to study this process in a three dimensional saturated sand tank (100 cm×40 cm×35 cm). This tank represents a laboratory-scale aquifer. The aquifer was constructed by packing homogeneous sand in the rectangular tank. The experimental results were used to characterize the dissolution behavior of an entrapped nonaqueous phase benzene source in a three dimensional aquifer model. The time invariant average mass transfer coefficient was determined at each interstitial velocity, the values of this coefficient were ranged from 0.016 to 0.061 cm/hr. It was increased proportionally with velocity toward a limiting value. The results show that the concentration of the LNAPL reduces as the distance increased in x and/or z direction from the source of pollution. In most cases the benzene concentration declines with velocity more than 2.34 cm/hr at downstream of the LNAPL pool. ةصلاخلا : لاقتناو نابوذ ةيلمع ةسارد ثحبلا اذه نم فدهلا نا ربتعي يذلا نيزنبلا و ءاـملا نـم فـخا يوضع لئاس ىمسي Light nonaqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) ءاملاب عبشم يماسم طسو يف . داـمتعا مت ناـيرج لا ءاـم نم اهميق حوارتت لغلغت عرس دنع هاجتلاا يداحا 0.90 ىلا 3.60 مس / عاس ة ةيلمعلا هذه ةساردل عبشم يلمر نازخ يف داعبلاا يثلاث ءاملاب ) 100 مس × 40 مس × 35 مس ( . نازخلا اذه نا يربتخم نمكم لثمي . نم نمكملا اذه نيوكت مت ليطتسملا نازخلا يف سناجتم لمر وشح للاخ . يف نيزنبلا نابوذ ةيلمع كولس فصو اهللاخ نم مت ةيلمعلا جئاتنلا نا لا جذومن داعبلاا يثلاثلا نمكم . داعبلاا يثلاثلا نمكملا يف نيزنبلا نابوذ ةيلمع كولس فصو وا صيخشتل ةيلمعلا جئاتنلا تمدختسا . نم حوارتت لماعملا اذه ميق تناك ثيح ،لغلغت ةعرس لك دنع ةلتكلا لاقتنا لماعم لدعم داجيا مت 0.016 ىلا 0.061 مس / ً لاوصو ةعرسلا عم ً ايدرط دادزتو ةعاس هددحم هميق ىلا . اـملك ضفخي نيزنبلا زيكرت نا جئاتنلا تحضوا ثولتلا ردصم نع ً اداعتبا يدومعلاو يقفلاا هاجتلااب ةفاسملا تدادزا . تلااحلا بلغا يف نا ثحبلا جئاتن تحضوا ً اضيا نم رثكا لغلغتلا ةعرس نوكت امدنع ضفخنت زيكرتلا ميق 2.34 مس / ةعاس . Key wards: Light nonaqueous phase liquid, saturated porous media, dissolution, transport, contamination. Prof. Dr. Abbas H. Sulaymon Environmental Engineering Department /College of Engineering/University of Baghdad. Dr. Hatem Asal Gzar Environmental Engineering Department /College of Engineering/University of Baghdad. DISSOLUTION OF BENZENE IN THE SATURATED POROUS MEDIA Prof. Dr. Abbas H. Sulaymon Dr. Hatem Asal Gzar 899
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF RICE RESIDUE-BASED BIOCHAR PRODUCTION AND APPLICATION IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT Ziqi Chen University of Guelph, 2019 Advisor(s): Dr. Bassim E. Abbassi Dr. Ramesh P. Rudra Biochar is a carbon-rich material that could be produced through pyrolysis of agricultural residues such as rice straw and rice husk. Biochar has been proven to be an efficient adsorbent used in wastewater treatment. As the most common way to dispose of agricultural residues is on-field open burning, biochar production was considered as a possible method of agricultural residue valorization. To investigate the impacts of biochar production and its potential in agricultural residue disposal, a life cycle assessment was performed to quantify the impacts of four types of rice straw and rice husk biochar in this study. By comparing the impacts between rice straw open burning and biochar production, environmental benefits were found in global warming, acidification, smog formation and particulate matter formation. This reveals the feasibility of rice residue-based biochar production as opposed to open burning. The impacts of biochar application in wastewater treatment system were also investigated by implementing life cycle assessment. The results showed that substantial mitigations could be achieved by treating wastewater using biochar.
This paper introduces the trait and application of the C8051F020 microprocessor and DS12887,gives an example for the use of the power factor compensation system,and furthermore describes the hardware circuit and interface software.C8051F020 has good capability and can accomplish work independently as the core processor of power factor compensation controller.With high precision and good stability,DS12887 can memorize when the power factor compensation controller will go wrong and when it will throw on or off spur track,and it is helpful to analyze the status of the power factor compensation system and maintain it.Now,the controller runs well on the locomotive.
Data of 400 term deliveries and 100 preterm deliveries were analyzed to determine the effect of the socio-economic situation, prior abortion, premature birth and other complications on current pregnancy outcome. Of special interest was the question if pregnancy complications in an antecedent pregnancy would lead to intensified care in a following pregnancy. A prior premature birth increases the risk for prematurity significantly. In contrast to earlier studies illegitimacy has no influence on rate and outcome of preterm birth. It is the most striking result of this study that a high risk factor as previous abortion, stillbirth or prematurity gives no cause for improved or intensified prenatal care.
Piper is an export commodity and become the one of Indonesian source of  income. It is necessary to develop the best cultivation for increasing piper’s  production, and the vegetative propagation have been choosen in this research  using organic fertilizer as part of media and auxin as a growth hormone. The aim  of research is to find the best media and auxin’s concentration for ideal growth of  piper’s grafting.  The research conducted in Manyaran Wonogiri from August until  November 2008 with RCB design consist of two factors and arranged in factorial.  First factor is kind of media (soil, soil + organic fertilizer, soil + organic fertilizer  + husk) and the second is auxin’s concentration (0 g/l, 12.5 g/l, 25 g/l, 37.5 g/l;  50 g/l). Observation’s variable are: bud growth time, number of buds, length of  bud, number of leaves, leaf’s area, number of roots, length of root, and life  percentage of cuttings. Data was analyzed by F test 1% and 5% and be continued  with DMRT at 5% if the treatment had significant effect. It is also continued with  regression if there was interaction between the treatment.  The longest bud was found on soil + organic fertilizer + husk (12.28 cm)  and followed by soil + organic fertilizer (10.57 cm) and soil (6.15 cm) in the low  level respectively. The length of bud and number of roots were influenced by  auxin’s consentration. The longest bud was found by using 12.5 g/l of auxin  (15.14 cm) and followed by 50 g/l, 25 g/l, 0 g/l, and 37.5 g/l in the low level  respectively (12.05 cm, 7.72 cm, 7.67 cm, 5.75 cm). The highest number of roots  was found on 0 g/l and 12.5 g/l of auxin (7.78) and followed by 50 g/l, 25 g/l, and  37.5 g/l in the low level respectively (4, 3.43, 2.33). Interaction between two  factors was shown by number of roots and percentage of life cuttings. Number of  roots on soil shown parabolic respon with auxin. In the beginning, number of  roots decreased and then increased with increasing of auxin’s consentration. The  number of roots on soil + organic fertilizer and soil + organic fertilizer + husk  shown the same pattern with auxin’s consentration. Almost 100% of life cuttings  have been found on all of media and auxin’s consentration. Soil + organic  fertilizer with 25 g/l auxin and soil + organic fertilizer + husk with 50 g/l auxin  caused 33.33% and 66.67% life cuttings respectively.
Introducing the parameters of pollution discharge reduction and transaction cost rate,the pollution abatement technology investment decision models for monopoly firms with and without transaction cost are given,based on real option theory respectively.The stimulating results show that the amounts of reduction are negatively related to firms' optimal investment thresholds,and positively related to firms' investment value,while transaction costs reduce firms' timing of investments and investment value,and hurt firms' incentives to invest and trade.
The invention relates to a method for passively generating rated voltage on a 500-kV line. The method comprises the following steps that: (1) two 500-kV lines are full-line double-circuit lines on the same pole; (2) one line is provided with a full-compensation high-voltage reactor; (3) one 500-kV line is operated; and (4) a belt high-resistance line is at a no-load state. The method for passively generating the rated voltage on the 500-kV line disclosed by the invention can prevent the belt high-resistance line from being resonant at a design phase.
In this short paper we present the results of a diagnostic study performed on building materials of the Adrano Castle in Sicily, part of a system of watchtowers extending around the Etna Mountain. Stone materials, plasters and mortars have been studied from macroscopic point of view to produce maps of the Castle facades. The results of this study provided a fundamental contribute to the reconstruction of architectural phases interesting the Castle and the definition of relative chronology based on microstratigraphic data, greatly supporting also the restoration works in selecting compatible replace materials.
This study examined the relationship between vocational education and the development of regional social economy, as related to the background of the current reform of the vocational and educational system in China. It also reviewed and analyzed the reform of vocational educational systems in six regions in China. In particular, this study investigated the interrelationship between labor force resources, urban and rural vocational education and the development of social economy. The special phenomena accompanying vocational education and the economic development were illustrated. Research explored the importance and impact of vocational education on the economic and social development. From this study, guidelines for the development of vocational education to improve economic conditions in China were found. As disclosed by the analysis, the major problems in the current vocational education reform in China are the hindered mechanism, the insufficient outlay and the shortage of professional teachers. Vocational education, which aims at popularizing and propagating science and technology, hasn't been able to bring new science and technology into the existing specialty and curricula structure in a timely manner. Suitable and corresponding adjustments have not been made. However, after China entered the WTO (World Trade Organization), changes in the industrial structure and the labor market, transformation of the economy and hi-tech and service industry exerted a considerable influence on the development of vocational education in China. From these findings, it can be seen that the development of vocational education in China is closely related to the development of regional economy and society; therefore, it is necessary to study vocational education reform and development and the macroscopic background of the economic development, particularly regional economic development. At the same time, in accordance with the demands of social and economic development, it is also necessary to explore the new growth points in vocational education, especially how to establish life long vocational education institutions in enterprise communities or rural production communities. This study made a layout for the developmental prospects of vocational education in China and pointed out that the most important competition in the hture world will be the competition of science and technology, keeping qualified scientists and technicians, and vocational education which trains a great number of technical laborers. While mightily promoting the development of the market economy, China should prepare for the challenge of the globalization of the knowledge economy. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This author would like to express a special note of appreciation to those persons who helped me with this dissertation. Without their assistance in many areas, I could not have gathered and compiled the numerous facts and information demanded by a dissertation of this.broad scope. Those who were outstanding in giving their time and energy to help me included my Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Frederick L. Dembowski, Associate Dean and Professor, who served as Chair of the Dissertation Committee; Dr. Richard Cohen, Dean of the Ross College of Education and Human Services at Lynn University, and Dr. Timothy Chung; Others who gave willingly of their time and support were Sunny Chung, Director of South China Inc., and Li Yuliang, Dean, School of International Economics & Business, Beijing Second Foreign Language University; Mr. Chang Telin, Director, Capital Normal University; Wei Ran, Vice President, China Institute of Defense Science and Technology; Wang Yali, Vice Professor, China Institute of Defense Science and Technology. FOREWORD In order to allow readers to understand this dissertation better, an introduction to China must be given. The People's Republic of China is situated in the eastern part of the Eurasian continent, off the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. It has an area of 9.6 million square kilometers and a population of 1.2 billion. It is a country with a history stemming from ancient civilization and diverse ethnic groups. China has a written history of nearly 4,000 years. Historically, it was one of the first countries to develop agriculturally and flourish in the area of handicrafts. China also touts a notably high reputation in both the silk and tea industries of Europe and Asia. China built glorious past, as one strong dynasty after the other was established throughout history. However, in the 1850s, under the rule of feudalism, China became weak, politically corrupt and economically backward. After the Opium War in 1840, China gradually became a semi colonial, semi-feudal society. The Chinese people waged unyielding struggles against the rule of imperialism and feudalism. In 191 1, the bourgeoisie, headed by Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, overthrew the feudalist monarchy and established the Republic of China; however, being weak both politically and economically, the Chinese bourgeoisie could not counter the pressure brought on them by the imperialists and feudalists. Although the emperor abdicated, the hndamental contradiction of Chinese society was not resolved. China did not realize independence or modernization. Thus, the bourgeois democratic revolution failed in China. Fortunately, the Chinese working class, a new political force was waiting in the wings, and in July vi 1921, the Communist Party of China was founded. Under its leadership, the Chinese people fought bravely for twenty-eight years for national independence. After suffering many hardships and setbacks, they finally overcame the three big mountains: imperialism, feudalism and bureaucracy. On October 1,1949, the People's Republic of China was founded, marking a new epoch in China's history. China began her modernization in 1978, after the end of her disastrous Cultural Revolution. China's reforms, especially in the field of education, have always been of great interest to scholars and policy makers around the world. With that in mind, this study unfolded through much research work in China. Different materials were also drawn from several American university libraries, as well. Nevertheless, the materials and information on hand were insufficient to finish the research, and this author ultimately traveled to Beijing to collect the balance of information needed. Vocational schools were visited and presidents and principals of those schools were interviewed. School administrators, teachers, students and government officials, and others were consulted in many locations in China. Libraries visited included those of Beijing Normal University and Beijing University. Chinese educational processes and systems were characterized in-depth from the research, and the compilation of data resulted in the significant findings of the study. TABLE CONTENTS ... .................................................................................................................. ABSTRACT 111 ............................................................................................. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v ................................................................................................................ FOREWORD vi ... TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................. VIII . . ............................................................... .............. LIST OF TABLES ; xi1 ... .................................................................. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xm ............................................................... CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1 ........................................................................ Purpose of the Study 3 ............................................................................ Scope of the Study 4 ......................................................................... Research Questions 5 .................................................................... Expected Results of Study 6 .................................................................... Significance of the Study 7 Background ................................................................................... 8 Conceptual Framework for the Study ............................................................ 11 Statement of the Problem .................................................................. 13 Limitations of Study ....................................................................................... 15 Definition of Terms ........................................................................ 17 CHAPTER 11: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................... 19 ... Vll l .............. New Positioning of Technology and Professions in the 21st Century 20 ........ Development of Vocational Education since the Reform and 0pening.u~ 21 Challenges facing China's Vocational Education ...................................... 23 Demand for Vocational Education from China's Market Economy .................. 25 Prospects for the Development of Vocational Education in China ..................... 27 CHAPTER 111: METHODOLOGY ............................................................. 39 Research Questions ......................................................................... 40 Research Design ............................................................................. 41 Sampling ...................................................................................... 41 Procedures ................................................................................... -42 Data Collection ................................................................................ 42 Analysis of Data .............................................................................. 43 Questions Designed for Different levels of Interviews .................................. 43 The Interview for the Local oficials .................
In this study, the determination of biogenic amine levels of bez sucuks was aimed. For this purpose, sucuk samples were obtained from 12 different manufacturers mainly consisting of butchers, and, the levels of tryptamine, phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, spermidine and spermine were measured. It was seen that putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine and spermine levels of sucuks were in the ranges of 0.97-15.77 mg/kg, 0.53-9.03 mg/kg, 0.25-19.56 mg/kg, 64.11-275.81 mg/kg and 96.39-364.14 mg/kg, respectively. Although spermidine was not detected in one of the groups obtained from butchers, spermidine levels of other groups were between 8.06 mg/kg and 103.26 mg/kg. It was determined that tryptamine levels of sucuk samples ranged between 3.54 mg/kg and 32.76 mg/kg, except the group obtained from the butcher. Although histamine and cadaverine levels of bez sucuks were low, one of the groups obtained from small scaled facility had a quite high level of spermidine known as possible precursors of carcinogenic N-nitrosoamines.
Halidon rings are rings with a unit element, containing a primitive m root of unity and m is invertible in the ring. The field of complex numbers is a halidon ring with any indexm ≥ 1. This article examines different applications of halidon rings. The main application is the extension of Maschke’s theorem. In representation theory, Maschke’s theorem has an important role in studying the irreducible subrepresentations of a given group representation and this study is related to a finite field of characteristic which does not divide the order of the given finite group or the field of real or complex numbers. The second application is the computational aspects of halidon rings and group rings which enable us to verify Maschke’s theorem. Some computer codes have been developed to establish the existence of halidon rings which are not fields and the computation of units, involutions and idempotents in both halidon rings and halidon group rings. The third application of halidon rings is in solving Rososhek’s problem related to some cryptosystems. The applications in Bilinear forms and Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) with two computer codes developed to calculate DFT and inverse DFT have also been discussed.
The ecological civilization is an important constituent in socialist civilization construction of contemporary China.It firmly advocates that environment is the"lifeline"of social development.It also holds that ecology is a productive force and human beings are complex playing many kinds of roles in the nature.Simultaneously the ecological civilization takes the natural ecology as the theoretical basis and has surpassed"the traditional human -center principle".It is a rational return to the natural rights.Thus,ecological civilization enhances the ideology of development qualitatively and makes a breakthrough and innovation of the traditional ideology of development.
Objective:To investigate the synthesis of heat shock protein 70(HSP70) induced by norep-inephrine preconditioning on donor heart and the expression of myocardial cell nitric oxide(NO) and nitric oxide synthase(NOS) of isolated rat heart.Methods:18 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups.Con-troll group(C,n=9),Normal saline 0.5 ml was injected intraperitoneally and 24 hours later isolated hearts were stored in 4℃ for 3 hours with Histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate(HTK) solutions,and then isolated hearts were perfused for 2 hours by Langendorff model.Experimental group(E,n=9),Noradrenaline Bitar-trate 3.1 μmol/kg(0.53 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally and 24 hours later isolated hearts were stored in 4 ℃for 3 hours with HTK,and then isolated hearts were perfused for 2 hours with Krebs-Henseleit(K-H) solutions by Langendorff model.Myocardial HSP70 content,the expression of NO、NOS and related biochemical indicators were detected.Results:HSP70、NO and NOS in E group are higher than those in C group and biochemical indicators in E group are better than those in C group.Conclusion:This study demonstrates that norepi-nephrine preconditioning can induce the high expression of HSP70,and it has obvious protection on donor heart,and it can markedly affect the expression of NO and NOS of isolated rat heart,it is perhaps one of important factors for myocardial protection.
This article describes a hardware and software design methods in the large capacity of seed germination control system.The method uses the DS18B20 temperature sensor for multi-channel temperature acquisition.First,the distributing diagram approach was used to eliminate the care less mistake data.And then,the data fusion method based on arithmetic mean and batch estimation has been used to filter the collected data to improve the precision of temperature collection and eliminate the errors caused by the sensor disability efficiently.The data fusion method is simple to calculate and easy to program.The measurement result is more accurate than by using arithmetic mean on the limited sensors.System has high reliability.The algorithm can be used in multi-sensor measuring systems with normal distribution.
Probabilistic programming model for regional water quality management in the Hsintien River in Taiwan is presented and is found desirable for problems involving stochastic quantitiies. Four water quality management policies have been studied for the requirement of maintaining a desired minimum dissolved oxygen level at all the reaches of the river. In addition, a trade-off between the operating cost and degree of reliability for a target dissolved oxygen concentration at the Hsintien River was also studied. Finally, the study included the monthly optical wastewater removal scheme for the Hsintien River and the scheme showed significant savings in cost.
Olfactory neuroblastoma is a rare, slow growing, malignant tumour of neuroectodermal origin that begins in neuroepithelial cells of the olfactory membrane. A metastatic rate of 20% to 60% is reported with the most common site being the cervical lymph node. Other sites include the parotid glands, skin, lungs, bone, liver, orbit, spinal cord and spinal canal. We describe a case of olfactory neuroblastoma presented to us with scalp metastasis.
Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of yolk antibody fluids to gastric mucosal injury caused by Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in mice. Methods BABL/c mice were used for model establishment of Hp infection, stayed without water or food for 12 hours before intragastric administration, and treated with 0.2ml of 2%NaHCO3 solution, one hour later, the mice were given 0.4ml of Hp fresh suspension bacterium fluids (103 CFU) and returned to normal diet one hour later. The experiment was repeated every two days once, six times consecutively. Then the mice were fed with yolk antibody fluids in a dose-dependent manner (0.6, 0.4, 0.2 ml/day) for 13 days. The normal control and gastritis model group were fed with saline solution. 8 weeks after the last intragastric administration, mice were autopsied. Urease test, bacterial culture of gastric mucosal tissue were used to determine and analyze the pathologic changes of gastric antrum mucosa. Results The eradiction rates of Hp in three different doses of yolk antibody fluids groups were 80%, 60%, 40% respectively, obviously higher than that in gastritis model group. The active inflammation of gastrivantrum mucosa was obviously improved in yolk antibody fluids groups than in gastritis model group. Giemsa staining showed that the localization of Hp in yolk antibody fluids was significantly decreased, especially in the high-dose group. Conclusion The yolk antibody fluids have the effect of anti-Hp infection, anti-injury of gastric mucosa and the therapeutical effect of gastritis.
A 65–year-old lady was admitted with a principal complaint of heartburn. Upper GI endoscopy revealed an intraluminal polypoid mass with a stalk occupying 3⁄4 of the esophageal lumen, originating at 20 cm from the incisors, with its body extending downward to 30 cm, which measured about 25 mm in its widest diameter (Fig. 1), associated with grade B esophagitis [1]. Esophagography showed a llingdefect with luminal narrowing in the proximal esophagus. Computed tomography (CT) scans demonstrated a central fatty mass with a lower density tissue absorption surrounded by a single ring of normal esophagus (Fig. 2). Endoscopic ultrasonograpy (EUS) con rmed the submucosal origin of the mass on the right proximal wall of the esophagus which was homogeneously hyperechoic with regular margins, image consistent with lipoma (Fig. 3). Since she was reluctant to undergo any surgical or endoscopic excision of the mass during the 3 year followup period, dimensions of the mass lesion were stable and symptoms of GERD were controlled on esomeprazole therapy. As the pathophysiological relevance of esophageal lipoma and GERD was not reported, this case may be assumed to be an incidental giant esophageal lipoma with rare symptoms of dysphagia. Although most of the reported cases are treated with endoscopic and surgical approaches [2-6], the unique feature of this case is an incidental giant esophageal lipoma presenting with re ux symptoms which remained asymptomatic during follow-up. Long term follow-up is very important because of the possibility of metachronous lesions or misdiagnosis of a well di erentiated liposarcoma. It has been reported that the tumor may grow 2.5 times over 3.75 years [7], though it is not known exactly how long it takes for a lipoma to grow. IMAGE OF THE ISSUE
The utility model relates to a mortise and tenon structure for multi-layer decoration boards, which is used as suspended ceilings, wall boards, floors, etc., suitable for the interior decoration of buildings. The decoration board is made into a narrow and strip-shaped board of which the upper surface and the lower surface are parallel, and the periphery of the decoration board is composed of tenon edges and concave slots. Both sides along the width or the length of the decoration board are in the shapes that one side is provided with convex tenon edges of which the upper notches are narrow and the lower notches are wide; the other side is provided with concave slots of which the upper extended edges are short and the lower extended edges are long. The dimension of the tenon edges corresponds to the dimension of the concave slots, the upper plane is flat and the seam part has a chamfer after the tenon edge and the concave slots spliced and combined, and the lower plane is flat and the seam part has moisture removal channels. The utility model has the advantages of easy assembly and disassembly, firmness, reliability, long service life, better decorative effect, etc.
In FPA(Focal Plane Array)vacuum packaging of the optical readout uncooled infrared imaging system,Germanium glass with antireflection coatings on both sides and Borosilicate glass are used as the windows for transmitting infrared light and visible light,respectively.Due to the temperature limitation of the antireflection coatings on Germanium glass(250℃) and FPA(100℃),the packaging process has to be conducted at low temperature,and thermal protection for FPA and antireflection coatings on Germanium glass must be designed correspondingly.This paper proposes a localized heating method for Germanium-Borosilicate Glass low temperature diffusion bonding.In the present method,Germanium window which has higher thermal conductivity is heated up from its outer surface(200℃),while the temperature at the outer surface of Borosilicate Glass with lower thermal conductivity is kept lower(60℃).Finite element simulation results indicate that temperature increase is relatively high in bonding region(200℃),satisfying the requirement of low temperature bonding,while the temperature of Germanium keeps below 250℃;moreover,the temperature increase in FPA region is relatively low(below 75℃).Meanwhile,simulation results are consistent with experimental measurement.Therefore,FPA and the antireflection coatings on Germanium can be protected effectively by proposed heating method.
A three-dimensional track initiation algorithm was proposed based on combinatorial Hough transform and traditional method to solve the problem about 3D radar track initiation. First, the measurement data was projected on three planes, then the combinatorial Hough transform was used to the points on three projection planes respectively. When the same point trail was initiated successfully in two projection planes at least after comparing the results on the three projection planes, the straight-line track initiation was judged successfully. In the data processing,the real track initiation probability was increased using the three-step combination method, and a plane kinematics speed was used to depress the combination number and reduce computational complexity greatly. Simulation in allusion to precise approaching radar data characteristic shows the effectiveness of this algorithm.
In general, rocket or satellite circuit designers focus on reducing temperature of electronic devices in order to enhance electronic unit’s reliability. This paper describes the quantitative analysis result of activation energy as well as device temperature effects to the system reliabilities. The quantitative analysis result shows that activation energy of device has more effects on system reliability than temperature does. And this paper suggests a strategy for enhancement of reliability during devices placement on PCB with simulation results.
Applicable or Relevant and Appropriate Requirements (ARARs) are the basis used in establishing threshold limits for hazardous waste cleanups performed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCIA). ARARs selections must be applied consistently at numerous cleanup locations concurrently. The purpose of this research was to analyze activities required for the development of a heuristic knowledge base used for selection of The problem domain for the research was limited CERCLA cleanups of contaminated groundwater, through the use of a pump and treat strategy, using air stripping as the as the cleanup technology. The research examined literature concerning the importance of ARARs in the CERCLA restoration process and the knowledge acquisition and representation methods. The research then analyzed the activities required to acquire and represent the knowledge required for the selection of ARARS. A-byproduct o the research was a proof-of-concept prototype expert system which was used to validate knowledge acquired and represented in the problem domain. Prototype validation included comparing the results of consultations with the expert system with ARARs identified in the-Record of Decisions (RODs) for actual CERCLA cleanups. In three of four cases, the expert system successfully identified all ARARs germane to the cleanups.... Knowledge Based Systems,more » Expert Systems, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Protection, Computer Applications.« less
Sustainability of the ski industry, a typical winter sport, has been threatened due to the climate change such as a decrease in snowfall caused by global warming. At the same time, concerns on environmentally friendly management is expected to increase due to the Paris Agreement that went into effect on November 2016. This study is designed to suggest the implications for climate change adaptation strategy by examining the relationships among the climate change awareness, attributes of ski resort, overall satisfaction and environmentally friendly behavior intention. To this end, we surveyed 250 skiers in High1 resort and verified the hypotheses using the structure equation model. The result of analysis shows that climate change awareness and attributes of ski resort have positive effects on overall satisfaction, and both climate change awareness and overall satisfaction have positive effects on environmentally friendly behavior intention. Furthermore, climate change awareness has a greater effects on environmentally friendly behavior intention than overall satisfaction while attributes of ski resort has a greater effects on overall satisfaction than climate change awareness. Finally we summarized the results of this study and suggested implications and future research.
We introduce Object-Guided localization (OGuL) based on a novel method of local-feature matching. Direct matching of local features is sensitive to significant changes in illumination. In contrast, object detection often survives severe changes in lighting conditions. The proposed method first detects semantic objects and establishes correspondences of those objects between images. Object correspondences provide local coarse alignment of the images in the form of a planar homography. These homographies are consequently used to guide the matching of local features. Experiments on standard urban localization datasets (Aachen, RobotCar-Season) show that OGuL significantly improves localization results with as simple local features as SIFT, and its performance competes with the state-of-the-art CNN-based methods trained for day-to-night localization.
In recent years, many exploration data such as seabed topography images, biological, geochemical and geophysical data, and drilling survey data have been acquired for marine mineral resources exploration. For more effective use of these data in practical applications to exploration and exploitation, we have started to extract and compile geo-information using video image data obtained by diving surveys with the Shinkai 6500, the Hyper Dolphin and the Deep-Toe in and around Mid-Okinawa Trough. The extracted data from the video records includes geo-information on the location of the survey vessel (latitude, longitude, depth, altitude, submarine heading), seabed geological features (rock/ lava, sulfide zone, sand/ mud, ripple mark, gravel), seabed structural features (faults/ cracking, chimney, hot water/ spring water), and biological features (biomat, biological communities). These data are summarized in the event log along the vessel route for each dive. The compiled data are imported into the GIS software so as to easily search and visualize seabed geo-information for making future survey and research plans. By adding drilling data and geophysical survey data obtained by many other research institutes to the database, the GIS database newly created is expected to be used to extract detailed three-dimensional geo-information of the exploration target sea area in future. SCG71-P19 JpGU-AGU Joint Meeting 2017
The following text proposes a reading of the story “Presepe”, showing the path taken by the character, Uncle Bola, to relive the moment of the birth of Christ, breaking the limits imposed by reality and retrieving the holy instant, with all the changes that this decision brings to the character. The tale tells of a magic moment of elevation of the subject, a torrent of imagination, poetry and faith. This whole atmosphere is full of symbols, which represent the collective and the individual, and make up the plot of the poetic tale.
Local fiscal policy needs to take into account particular characteristics of a region and its level of development. Each locality has its own particular combination of resources, capabilities and needs. Firstly, this work estimates the impact of fiscal policy through a number of income and expenditure variables on output per capita growth and employment/unemployment using fixed-effects panel data econometric methodology in 32 states and 2,247 municipalities of Mexico from 1994 to 2010, and country data in 20 Latin American economies during the same period. Secondly, this analysis computes the impact on growth of the 1998 Federal Reform to the Fiscal Coordination System in Mexico, since it is the most significant reform in the decade regarding transfers from central to local governments. Finally, this research discusses the linkage between policy makers’ perception, public finances and the local inhabitants’ opinion regarding public services provided -considering a self-developed survey in the 32 Mexican states and Latinobarometro surveys from 2008 to 2010. The main result in this research is that local fiscal policy is inaccurate if it does not take into account income and expenditure components simultaneously when analysing the effect of fiscal policy variables on Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDP per capita) and employment/unemployment at a sub-national level. This research intends to be a pragmatic application of fiscal policy management. My work shows that the impact of fiscal policy variables is not equal among the different levels of government. My results are consistent with Devarajan et al. (1996) that find that current expenditure can boost growth in less developed economies, and the relationship between government capital expenditure and growth is negative in developing countries due to misallocations of public spending. The current study shows that the 1998 Federal Reform has a positive effect, particularly on low income localities in Mexico, while some negative effects in more developed municipalities. According to the results of my self-developed survey in Mexico during 2014-2015, government officials considered that fiscal policy had a significant effect on growth (up to 65%) and only (2-5%) thought it was not significant. With respect to the analysis of Latinobarometro surveys 2008-2010 for localities in Mexico, I utilise an ordered probit regression where the dependent variable reflects the response to questions regarding taxes, confidence and satisfaction of local services and the independent variables in my model are the fiscal variables. In my understanding, there has not been a similar exercise in establishing a relationship between taxpayer’s satisfaction and fiscal policy variables. My results show a lack of confidence in the local government and poor taxpayer satisfaction with municipal services. Overall, my research suggests that 1) policy makers need to account for local population needs and disparities to overcome regional inequalities; 2) a lack of local government capacity building and 3) relevance of institutional framework.
False target identification and suppression is one of the key techniques for monopulse secondary surveillance radar(MSSR).In this paper,some types of techniques for suppressing MSSR false targets are probed on the basis of analysis for false target generation mechanisms and signal characteristics.According to the engineering practice,algorithm of false target identifica-tion and suppression is presented,and the measured data from MSSR shows the effectiveness and feasibility of this algorithm.
Objective:Review the TCM clinical and Western medicine research on cough variant asthma articles,then analyzethe the problems of Chinese and Western medicine literature,to provide reference about Clinical study design for the disease.Method:Retrieve the full text journal of VIP database and PUBMED database,to review clinical research on Chinese and Western medicine literature.Results:Western medicine has formed a certain system;There have been multiple approaches in TCM to treat cough variant asthma;but referred to classic asthma developed from cough variant asthma;there has been very few Chinese and Western Medicine literature.Conclusion:TCM and Western medicine treatment of cough variant asthma have made some progress,however,neither of which treatment on literature experimental design is perfect.To consummate clinical design,we could focus on the rate on cough variant asthma that develops to classic asthma.
In this paper, we investigate (i) the relationship between international spillovers and knowledge acquisition, and, (ii) intra-firm subsidiary-to-parent transfer of technology among Japanese firms in the United States. Using a survey of 185 firms, probit regressions reveal that R&D personnel and market power significantly influence the acquisition of knowledge associated with basic and applied science and product development. Tacit knowledge that resides in customers, and skilled personnel are effective sources for exploitation of international knowledge spillovers. Participation in seminars and conferences also enhances the acquisition of applied science. Firms that rely on codified sources are unlikely to acquire any knowledge. This research also confirms other authors’ findings that subsidiary autonomy facilitates knowledge acquisition. In addition, knowledge in product development is most likely to lead to vertical intra-firm transfers while applied scientific research only results in the transfer of R&D capability. Scientific team visits from the US to Japan support subsidiaries’ transfer of R&D capability but teams sent from Japan to the US adversely affect transfers. Overall, our results suggest international spillovers are predominantly associated with the acquisition of tacit knowledge, and intra-firm transfers are most effective in the context of knowledge acquired in applied research and product development.
Cellulose is one of the most abundant biopolymers found in nature. Cellulose based derivatives have a number of advantages including recyclability, reproducibility, biocompatibility, biodegradability, cost effectiveness and availability in a wide variety of forms. Due to the benefits of cellulose based systems, this research study was aimed at developing novel cellulosic nanoparticles with potential pharmaceutical and personal care applications. Two different cellulosic systems were evaluated, each with its own benefits and proposed applications.   The first project involves the synthesis and characterization of polyampholyte nanoparticles composed of chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a cellulosic ether. EDC carbodiimide chemistry and inverse microemulsion technique was used to produce crosslinked nanoparticles. Chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose provide amine and carboxylic acid functionality to the nanoparticles thereby making them pH responsive. Chitosan and carboxymethyl cellulose also make the nanoparticles biodegradable and biocompatible, making them suitable candidates for pharmaceutical applications. The synthesis was then extended to chitosan and modified methyl cellulose microgel system. The prime reason for using methyl cellulose was to introduce thermo-responsive characteristics to the microgel system. Methyl cellulose was modified by carboxymethylation to introduce carboxylic acid functionality, and the chitosan-modified methyl cellulose microgel system was found to be pH as well as temperature responsive.   Several techniques were used to characterize the two microgel systems, for e.g. potentiometric and conductometric titrations, dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements. FTIR along with potentiometric and conductometric titration was used to confirm the carboxymethylation of methyl cellulose. For both systems, polyampholytic behaviour was observed in a pH range of 4-9. The microgels showed swelling at low and high pH values and deswelling at isoelectric point (IEP). Zeta potential values confirmed the presence of positive charges on the microgel at low pH, negative charges at high pH and neutral charge at the IEP. For chitosan-modified methyl cellulose microgel system, temperature dependent behaviour was observed with dynamic light scattering.   The second research project involved the study of binding interaction between nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and an oppositely charged surfactant tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB). NCC is a crystalline form of cellulose obtained from natural sources like wood, cotton or animal sources. These rodlike nanocrystals prepared by acid hydrolysis of native cellulose possess negatively charged surface. The interaction between negatively charged NCC and cationic TTAB surfactant was examined and it was observed that in the presence of TTAB, aqueous suspensions of NCC became unstable and phase separated. A study of this kind is imperative since NCC suspensions are proposed to be used in personal care applications (such as…
A body muscle training tool is provided to enable a user to take a muscle training exercise by simultaneously moving the upper and lower bodies or moving any one of the upper and lower bodies. A body muscle training tool includes: a base plate(13) installed on an upper part of legs(12) for fixing the lower side of a pivot; the lower body loader(31) having knee saddles enabling a user to put one's lower body on, and moved left and right by a head hub(32) fit to the pivot; the upper body loader(51) having a handle(41) enabling a user to put one's upper body on, and moved left and right by a tail hub(52) fit to the pivot; and a hub cover(61) for preventing breakaway of the head hub and tail hub by being installed on the pivot.
All these findings, as well as the current concept that COPD presents significant extrapulmonary changes, suggest the need for new markers of disease severity, progression, and prognosis that make it possible to assess not only the functional repercussions, but also the influence of such repercussions on patient symptoms and limitations. Many studies have been carried out with these objectives, and new data have been obtained. Examples include the infor-mation that smoking cessation reduces the progression of the disease and that the decrease in the number of exac-erbations, as well as their prevention, can change the rate of FEV
ABSTRACT Advanced tracking technologies are considered by smart city advocates to have the potential to transform how we study cities. This paper tests, one dimension of these broader claims, through analysing the potential contribution that Wi-Fi tracking data of Wi-Fi users in the public realm can contribute to conventional public space–public life surveys. The conclusion is that while Wi-Fi tracking data can make important contributions in terms of counting people, mapping their stays and movements at a precinct scale and larger, it is at present, not a wholesale substitute for more traditional methods – particularly when applied on a site scale to the nuances of interactions between public life and spaces. In this respect is should be considered as augmenting such traditional methods, rather than replacing them.
The invention discloses a digital television emergency broadcast playing method; the method comprises the following steps: a digital television terminal, when receiving a program message of an emergency broadcast program sent by a conditional access module, obtains a program ID (Identification) and a program frequency from the program message, wherein the conditional access module when receiving an EMM (Entitled Manage Message) data packet comprising the program message of the emergency broadcast program sent from the front end of the digital television parses the EMM data packet, obtains the program message of the emergency broadcast program and transmits the program message to the digital television terminal; and the digital television terminal, according to the obtained program ID, obtains a program stream of an emergency broadcast at the program frequency, parses and plays the program stream of the emergency broadcast. The invention further discloses a digital television terminal. According to the digital television emergency broadcast playing method and the digital television terminal disclosed by the invention, the problem that a user cannot timely receive the emergency broadcast is solved.
Within the context of understanding of the problem of “democratic deficit” in the EU the article brings up an issue of how the unanimity of the European communicative field can be ensured. Based on research works, that gives proof that the Internet can be a useful and effective tool for involvement of new parties in the political life of the society, the author gives analysis to the evolution of informational and communicational policies of the EU with the purpose to track how and when the instruments, facilitating the involvement of member states’ citizens in the discussion of the European matters, are being shaped. It has been found that since 2005 the EU has been actively stimulating the formation of the European public sphere in the Internet, thus leading both to an increase in online projects, facilitating dialogue between European strictures and citizens of the United Europe and their regular revisions and improvement, which, in its turn, helped enhance their quality. We concluded that the modern internet communications can nowadays quite safely be viewed as a new instrument of construction of European identity.
A geometric occultation model has been developed to determine line-of-sight obstruction of radiation sources expected for different NASA space exploration mission designs. Example applications includes fidelity improvements for surface lighting conditions, radiation pressure, thermal and power subsystem modeling. The model makes use of geometric two dimensional shape primitives to most effectively model space vehicles. A set of these primitives is used to represent three dimensional obstructing objects as a two dimensional outline from the perspective of an observing point of interest. Radiation sources, such as the Sun or a Moon's albedo is represented as a collection of points, each of which is assigned a flux value to represent a section of the radiation source. Planetary bodies, such as a Martian moon, is represented as a collection of triangular facets which are distributed in spherical height fields for optimization. These design aspects and the overall model architecture will be presented. Specific uses to be presented includes a study of the lighting condition on Phobos for a possible future surface mission, and computing the incident flux on a spacecraft's solar panels and radiators from direct and reflected solar radiation subject to self-shadowing or shadowing by third bodies.
In this paper, the author proposes an improved walk search strategy to solve the constrained shortest path problem. The proposed search strategy is a local search algorithm which explores a network by walker navigating through the network. In order to analyze and evaluate the proposed search strategy, the author presents the results of two computational studies in which the proposed search algorithm is tested. Moreover, the author compares the proposed algorithm with the ant colony algorithm. The analysis and comparison results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is an effective tool for solving the constrained shortest path problem. Not only it can be used to solve the optimization problem on a larger network, but also it is superior to the ant colony algorithm in terms of the solution time and optimal paths.
The minimum perceivable difference model which incorporates the notion of indifference between alternatives in choice situations is analysed. The results of an application of the model are compared graphically, in terms of estimation results and prediction performance, to the results of a comparable logit model. It is concluded that the minimum perceivable difference model is oversensitive to data. For the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD no 288720. (Author/TRRL)
We study two characteristics of a small-world graph proposed by Zhang et al. to model complex networks. Our study relies on the recursive structure of the graph. Firstly, we use it to design a labelling scheme in order to create an implicit routing (i.e., a routing scheme based on the label of vertices). Secondly, proving the average distance in this graph was arduous, thus Zhang et al. chose to study the diameter: we establish a closed-form formula of the average distance, proved using the recursive structure. Thus, we characterize that the graph is small-world and not ultra small-world as was still possible. Our proof is of particular interest for other graphs based on similar recursive structures.
Experimental animals’ seizures are often defined arbitrarily based on duration, which may lead to misjudgement of the syndrome and failure to develop a cure. We employed a functional definition of seizures based on the clinical practice of observing epileptiform electrocorticography and simultaneous ictal behaviour, and examined post-traumatic epilepsy induced in rats by rostral parasagittal fluid percussion injury and epilepsy patients evaluated with invasive monitoring. We showed previously that rostral parasagittal fluid percussion injury induces different types of chronic recurrent spontaneous partial seizures that worsen in frequency and duration over the months post injury. However, a remarkable feature of rostral parasagittal fluid percussion injury is the occurrence, in the early months post injury, of brief (<2 s) focal, recurrent and spontaneous epileptiform electrocorticography events (EEEs) that are never observed in sham-injured animals and have electrographic appearance similar to the onset of obvious chronic recurrent spontaneous partial seizures. Simultaneous epidural-electrocorticography and scalp-electroencephalography recordings in the rat demonstrated that these short EEEs are undetectable by scalp electrocorticography. Behavioural analysis performed blinded to the electrocorticography revealed that (i) brief EEEs lasting 0.8–2 s occur simultaneously with behavioural arrest; and (ii) while behavioural arrest is part of the rat's behavioural repertoire, the probability of behavioural arrest is greatly elevated during EEEs. Moreover, spectral analysis showed that EEEs lasting 0.8–2 s occurring during periods of active behaviour with dominant theta activity are immediately followed by loss of such theta activity. We thus conclude that EEEs lasting 0.8–2 s are ictal in the rat. We demonstrate that the assessment of the time course of fluid percussion injury-induced epileptogenesis is dramatically biased by the definition of seizure employed, with common duration-based arbitrary definitions resulting in artificially prolonged latencies for epileptogenesis. Finally, we present four human examples of electrocorticography capturing short (<2 s), stereotyped, neocortically generated EEEs that occurred in the same ictal sites as obvious complex partial seizures, were electrographically similar to rat EEEs and were not noted during scalp electroencephalography. When occurring in the motor cortex, these short EEEs were accompanied by ictal behaviour detectable with simultaneous surface electromyography. These data demonstrate that short (<2 s) focal recurrent spontaneous EEEs are seizures in both rats and humans, that they are undetectable by scalp electroencephalography, and that they are typically associated with subtle and easily missed behavioural correlates. These findings define the earliest identifiable markers of progressive post-traumatic epilepsy in the rat, with implications for mechanistic and prophylactic studies, and should prompt a re-evaluation of the concept of post-traumatic silent period in both animals and humans.
Through the methods of contrastive experiment,questionnaire,proficiency test and teacher interview,this paper analyses the relevant teaching theories and the process of reading teaching experiment and reveals the superiority of combination of internet reading teaching and traditional reading teaching. The result shows that the blending learning method which emphasizes the complementation of Teachers' Leading Role and Students' Principal Part is of important practical meaning under the circumstance of popularizing teaching through internet.
In order to ensure the safety of the Dongchuan river tunnel in Jinduicheng open-pit mine,the air-decking blasting was adopted to control blasting vibration.The field tests of continuous charging and air-decking charging blasting were carried out far from blast source 60 m,80 m,100 m,120 m,and 140 m,respectively.Also,the blasting vibration velocities were analyzed contrastively.Testing results show that air-decking charging blasting test had obvious effect on reducing vibration,and the rates of reducing vibration were 22.76%,33.94%,27.59%,29.85%,27.59% respectively.The fragmentation analysis shows that,compared to continuous charging blasting,the fragmentation of air-decking charging blasting was more even,and the average lumpiness and large lumpiness were much smaller.
The Chinese folk literature, as collective works passed down orally, is an original mankind artsform, which was created unconsciously by home beings in life. Commonly, regarded as a distinctive feature ofit,the folk literature was born with the original nature. Taking the local folk tales in Pianguan county(Shanxiprovince,China) for example,the article will conclude that the original nature is the essential characteristicand charm of the folk literature by analyzing their productions,transmissions,variations and inheritances. Asthe academic theory of Chinese folk literature is nowadays in reconstruction, the original nature of the folk lit-erature should be absorbed, enriched and protected in particular, so as to protect and inherit the folk literatureand the non-material cultural heritage.
A conventional interstate war has not menaced the Indian subcontinent for more than a decade. Nevertheless, the region has seen its share of terrorism, civil war, military repression, and guerilla violence, in which armed paramilitary militias and insurgents commit terrible crimes against civilians and the state. For those who hope to understand the ideologies driving these groups, as well as their social organizations and strategies, Laurent Gayer and Christophe Jaffrelot have assembled leading theorists and experts on the politics of South Asia and Myanmar to create a comprehensive text for analytical and comparative study. Fundamentalists such as Hindu nationalist Bajrang Dal, the Khalistanis of Punjab, the Sunni SSP in Pakistan, and the Islamist militias in Bangladesh are similar to the Maoists and Naxalites of Nepal and India in one essential way: they all use violence to control society, challenge state authority, and impose a particular worldview. Governments are equally adept at exploiting these groups, though their actions undermine the state and disrupt its monopoly on legitimate violence. Granting short-term power to fundamentalists, Maoists, and separatists has serious long-term consequences, as demonstrated by Indira Ghandi's patronage of the Sikh militancy, which later engineered her assassination. Shedding light on the deep complexities of these troubling partnerships, Armed Militias of South Asia critically guides readers through the conflicts of Kashmir, Punjab, Sri Lanka, and other violent hotspots across the subcontinent.
The present invention provides a circuit breaker comprising: a movable piece (4) having elastically deformable elastic portion (43) and an elastic portion (43) of the front end of the movable contact, the movable contact and push against the fixed contact so that said movable contact is in contact with said fixed contact; thermal strain element (5), which is formed by a convex curved surface and deform as the temperature changes so that the movable piece (4) so ​​that mode operation the movable contact away from the fixed contact; and a resin case (7), which houses the movable piece (4) and the thermal strain element (5). Vertex (5a) only on the surface of the base from the D end portion (42a) of the movable piece (4) from the surface of the thermal strain element (5) is located below. Accordingly, the circuit breaker is used as a protective device for a secondary battery or the like, to ensure stable temperature resistance value and followability, and reduced in size.
CONTENTSForeword by Mark Ross, Ph.D. Preface. Contributors. Acknowledgments. Part A: A Theoretical Foundation for the Use of Sound-Field FM Amplification. Rationale for the Use of Sound-Field FM Amplification Systems in Classrooms. Speech-Perception Processes in Children. Speech Perception in the Classroom. Speech Perception in Specific Populations. Part B: Practical Applications of Sound-Field Amplification. Acoustic Measurements in Classrooms. Acoustical Modifications Within Schools. Identifying and Managing the Learning Environment. Sound-Field Amplification: A Review of the Literature. Considerations and Strategies for Amplifying the Classroom. Inservice Training for the Classroom Teacher. Listening Strategies for Teachers and Students. Marketing Sound-Field Amplification Systems. Index.
An ATM(Automated Teller Machine) and a method for providing a client's photograph on an itemized account are provided to prevent illegal withdrawal of money by collecting the photograph data of criminals through the itemized accounts. An ATM(200) for providing financial transaction services is composed of a financial transaction request receiving unit(203) receiving a financial transaction request from a user; at least one camera(201,202) generating photograph data about a user by taking a picture of the user on at least one position according to the financial transaction request; an image quality judging unit(208) for judging the image quality of photograph data for each position and generating a service control signal according to the judgment result; a financial transaction service processing unit(204) processing financial transaction services according to the financial transaction request and generating financial transaction information corresponding to the processed financial transaction service; a display device(207) guiding the procedures of the financial transaction services to a user; a print information generating unit(205) generating the print information of itemized accounts including the user's photograph according to the financial transaction information and photograph data; and an itemized account output unit(206) printing the print information on an itemized account paper and outputting the printed itemized account.
Federated learning (FL) is a promising distributed learning technique particularly suitable for wireless learning scenarios since it can accomplish a learning task without raw data transportation so as to preserve data privacy and lower network resource consumption. However, current works on FL over wireless communication do not profoundly study the fundamental performance of FL that suffers from data delivery outage due to network interference and data heterogeneity among mobile clients. To accurately exploit the performance of FL over wireless communication, this paper proposes a new FL model over a cellular-connected unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) network, which characterizes data delivery outage from UAV clients to their server and data heterogeneity among the datasets of UAV clients. We devise a simulation-based approach to evaluating the convergence performance of the proposed FL model. We then propose a tractable analytical framework of the uplink outage probability in the cellular-connected UAV network and derive a neat expression of the uplink outage probability, which reveals how the proposed FL model is impacted by data delivery outage and UAV deployment. Extensive numerical simulations are conducted to show the consistency between the estimated and simulated performances.
Objective To compare the effects of glycerol mixture(GM) with sodium hyaluronate(SH) on prevention peritendinous adhesion formation. Methods The long flexor tendons of the third toes in zoneⅡof 78 chickens were sectioned and sutured with a modified Kessler technique, and the tendon sheaths were also repaired. After operation,the chickens were divided into three groups. GM was injected into the repaired sheaths in one group. SH and normal saline(NS) were used in the other groups. Chickens from each group were sacrificed 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after operation. The results were evaluated grossly,histologically and biomechanically. Results The gliding function of chickens treated with GM was superior (P 0.05) to that of chickens treated with NS 4 and 8 weeks after operation. The gross appearance of injury site differed clearly(P 0.05) between the two groups. Chickens treated with SH had the same effects as those treated with NS. No significant difference in tendon anastomosis breaking strength was observed among the three groups (P 0.05). Conclusion GM could significantly control the formation of fibrous adhesions without interfering with the healing process of the tendons. Application of SH could not effectively prevent the adhesion formation. The inefficiency of SH in these experiments may be due to either its low molecular weight or low concentration, or both.
The low quality of education, especially in madrasa have become our collective anxiety. Along with the demands of society in meeting the needs of the education, educational institutions began to adopt Total Quality Management (TQM) to compensate the public demands of sustained quality of education. The main benefits Total Quality Management implementation in educational institutions madrasa is the improvement of services, cost efficiency, and customer satisfaction in this case student satisfaction, as well as other stakehorder in learning in educational institutions madrasah
We describe and compare two fuzzy clustering algorithms based on optimizing penalty functions of relational data. More specifically, the AP algorithm of Windham is contrasted with the relational fuzzy c-means approach through a numerical example on a small artificial data set defined by Windham. Our results indicate that while the two algorithms seem to cluster objects using very different mathematical criteria, the numerical results can be quite similar. However, a second numerical example using a slightly distorted version of Windham's data seems to exhibit real differences between clusterings obtained by the two approaches
Objective For aged patients' epidemiologic features,prompt and exact nursing measure should be carrier out to improve the effective rate of treatment.Methods 73 aged patients with chronic heart failure were entered into the study,whose life-style,psychological status,the knowledge of the using medicine,epidemiologic features were analysed by talking,observing,consulting medical records and references.Results Aged patients were lack of a response to the self-diseases,who were easily misdiagnosed,missed diagnosis and harmed by side effect of the medicine.Conclusion Health education shoud be carried out on the aged patients and their family members intensely,So that they can be early detected,arly diagnosed,early treated,and the recurrence rate and death rate of heart failure can be decreased.
Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate non-intervention procedures for Down syndrome screening at maternal age of >35 years, by measuring nuchal translucency (NT) thickness, nasal bone (NB) examination, and Doppler examination of ductus venosus (DV) at 11th week of gestation to 13th week and 6 day of gestation (11-13+6 weeks of gestation). Methods: This prospective study was performed at Budhi Jaya Maternity and Children Hospital, Bunda Women Hospital, and UKI General Hospital in Jakarta, from January 2010 to January 2011. Nuchal translucency was measured at 11-13+6 weeks of gestation along with NB examination and Doppler examination of DV. Results: As many as 132 cases met the study requirements, with ages ranged from 35 to 42 years old. By adjusting the cut-off to be >3.0, detection rate (DR) for Down syndrome was 66.6% (4/6) and false-positive rate (FPR) was 1.6% (2/128). A combined examination of NT thickness, maternal age, NB, and DV blood flow waveform (Doppler) was done to enhance the accuracy, so that the DR became 80.5%  (4/6 paralleled to 3/4) and FPR was 1.12% (2/128 paralleled to  1/128) with diagnostic accuracy as follows: sensitivity 100%, specificity 80.53%,  PPV (Positive Predictive Value) 60%, and NPV (Negative Predictive Value ) 100%. Conclusion: Down syndrome screening could be performed by combining NT thickness measurement (with fixed cut-off NT of  >3.0 mm  and specified  crown-rump length (CRL) range was 50-70 mm) examination, NB examination, and DV blood flow waveform at 11-13+6 weeks of gestation (Doppler) examination. J Indon Med Assoc. 2012;62:169-73. Keywords: Down syndrome, Nuchal Translucency, Nasal Bone Measurement, Ductus Venosu
A kind of simulated chicken,based on soy protein isolate,defatted soy flour and wheat gluten as material,was developed by high moisture extrusion.Through the experimental plan of central composite rotatable design,the effects of moisture content(X1),extrusion temperature(X2),screw speed(X3),soy protein isolate content(X4) on texturizing degree(Y) were studied.The optimal process parameters of simulated chicken were determined,they were moisture content 48% ～56%,extrusion temperature 150.8 ～153.5℃,screw speed 28.1 ～29.1r/min,soy protein isolate content 34.5% ～37.7%.
XQuery optimization is the key approach to improve the performance of XQuery engine.According to the language features of XQuery and the requirement of query in multi data sources,high effective query plans generated through rewriting in XQuery.To adapt to multi-core condition,data parallelism implemented by utilizing parallelized primitives in intermediate language.Query engine prototype developed and cases experiments show the optimization can effectively improve query performance.
Events occurring with respect to metrics are defined. When an event occurs with respect to a metric, a notification of the event is generated in a social network, such as an enterprise social network. The notification might include the name of a user associated with the event and the name of the event. Comments may be left regarding the notification of the event. The comments can be retrieved and analyzed.
Jesus’ status inflames debate. Central to debate is whether Jesus uniquely embodies the divine: thus “scandal of particularity”. Both those who affirm and those who reject this “scandal” regularly eclipse a central proclamation of who Jesus is in many earliest christologies.    The scandal of the scandal of particularity is that in various Second Testament and early church texts Jesus is understood as the female divine. Insufficient attention has been devoted to why this is so.    Through interdisciplinary research across biblical studies and systematic theology this thesis demonstrates that in the early Jesus movement Wisdom christology and Wisdom soteriology were ignited by collective experiences of “kinesthetic transformation”.    The multivalent motivations for the eclipsing of Jesus-Woman Wisdom in the second and third centuries are excavated. The potential implications of this ancient understanding in contemporary context are assessed and it is demonstrated that this scandalous particularity continues to shimmer with vitality and provocation.
Fucoidan is a term used for a class of sulfated, fucose rich, polysaccharides extracted from brown seaweeds. These fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs) principally consist of a backbone of (1→3)and (1→4)α-linked -L-fucopyranose residues, that may be organized in stretches of (1→3)-α-fucan or of alternating α(1→3)and α(1→4)-bonded L-fucopyranose residues with sulfate on C-2 or C-4 and rarely on C-3. A range of biological activities have been attributed to FCSPs including anti-tumoral, anti-viral, antiinflammatory, and notably anticoagulant effects. Therefore special interest for potential pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetics and food applications of FCSPs have recently directed into utilization of brown seaweeds as a source of FCSPs and/or Fucoidan.
The events that took place in France in the autumn of 2005 in the urban ghettos all over the country were followed with great interest both in Spain and Andorra as neighbor countries of France. In Spain the inmigrant flow is seen as a growing and overwhelming phenomenon happening in a country not used to be a host destination. On the contrary, for a long time, Spanish people migrated to other european countries or South America. In Andorra, instead, the inmigrant population is about 70% of the whole population and, for decades, the country has been accustomed to receive foreign people. The concern about the French events has been notable in both countries. Urban violence is not a new phenomenon and some examples of the U.S. events of the 60's and 70's will be useful to relate those facts to some concepts proposed by cultural psychiatrists like anomic depression or culture deprivation.
The nursing literature is replete with articles and books that describe nursing conceptual frameworks and models and encourage their use in clinical, education, and research activities. Although much information exists on the content of nursing models, less has been written about how a model is to be chosen and the process that may facilitate the choice of a model. This article reviews potential benefits and limitations of nursing models and conceptual frameworks and describes a three-phase process for selecting a model for psychiatric nursing practice.
The invention relates to a pneumatic cylinder comprising a body (1) defining a working chamber (10) closed by a bottom (11), a piston (2) sliding in the working chamber (10), a rod (3) integral with the piston (2) and passing through the bottom (11) and a dispensing chamber (4) formed in the bottom and communicating with the working chamber (10) through a cylindrical bore (13). The actuator of the invention comprises a damping ring (5) surrounding the rod (3) and carrying an annular seal (6) adapted to selectively close the bore (13), a clearance (J) being provided between the rod (3) and the ring (5) to allow pneumatic fluid to flow between the working chamber (10) and the distribution chamber (4) when the annular seal (6) closes the bore (13), this arrangement allowing to obtain, without adjustment, a damping of the movement of the piston at the stroke end.
A millimeter wave 3dB power distributing/synthesizing network comprises a millimeter wave rectangular waveguide, two probes with same shape and structure and two microstrip transmission lines; two probes extend along the rectangular waveguide E-surface face to face and are vertically inserted into the rectangular waveguide from a same opening at the surface of the wide edge of the rectangular waveguide, the plug-in position is symmetrical to the central plane of the wide edge of the rectangular waveguide, and the theoretical space between the center line of the two probes and the waveguide short circuit surface in the conveying direction of the rectangular waveguide is a quarter of the waveguide wavelength. The millimeter wave 3dB power distributing/synthesizing network can realize the conversion of millimeter wave full waveguide band width waveguide to microstrip and power distributing/synthesizing, and has the characters of wide frequency band, low wastage, easy manufacturing, facilitating the installation of the solid device, compact conformation, and conveniently realizing the multiplex distributing/synthesizing.
Fibrin glue has been used in 22 neurosurgical patients and following five effects which are very much helpful in neurosurgical practice were recognized. Adhesive effect--Dural defect at cranial base was closed with lyophilized dura and fibrin glue. Hemostatic effect--Fibrin glue soaked oxycel was applied for hemostasis of the bleeding from venous sinus, dura, skull edge and cut surface of tumor. Blocking and sealing effects--In cases of craniopharyngioma, cyst wall around the inserted tube was sealed with oxycel and fibrin glue. CSF leakage from open sphenoidal sinus in aneurysmal operation was closed with fibrin glue soaked gelfoam. Covering and wall strengthening effects--Unclippable aneurysms were coated and wrapped with fibrin glue and oxycel. Packing effect--Huge dead space after removal of mucocele was packed with fibrin glue. In trans-sphenoidal operation of pituitary adenoma, fibrin glue soaked muscle pieces and oxycel were packed in the dead space and sphenoidal sinus. Many other possible availabilities in neurosurgical operations were discussed. Fibrin glue is a biological product, so it can be used with more safety and affinity to the local tissue and with less reaction as foreign body than the artificial adhesives. It takes much time for the preparation of this material for the time being. If this can be prepared instantly, usefulness of this glue will be markedly increased. We have had no hepatitis nor inflammatory complications in our limited experience.
In this paper we examine more closely some of the forces that underlie economic growth at the county level. In an effort to describe a much more comprehensive regional economic growth model, we address a variety of different growth hypotheses by introducing a large number of growth related variables. When formulating our hypotheses and specifying our growth model we make liberal use of GIS mapping software to "paint" a picture of where growth spots exist and why. Our empirical estimation indicates amenities, state and local tax burdens, population, amount of agricultural activity, and demographics have important economic growth impacts.
Objective To investigate the expression of a proliferation-inducing ligand( APRIL) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma( LSCC). Methods Expression of APRIL was detected in 150 laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma samples and 150 para-carcinoma tissue by SABC immunohistochermical method. The relationship between APRIL expression and the clinical staging of LSCC was analyzed. Results Expression of APRIL protein in para-carcinoma tissue was 6. 7%( 10 /150) but 89. 3%( 134 /150) in tumor tissues. The weighted scores of APRIL in different stages of LSCC were gradually and significantly increased( P 0. 05),APRIL expression level was closely associated with TNM stage( P 0. 05). Conclusion These findings suggest that the APRIL expression are high in LSCC and significantly correlated with tumor staging.
The information provided in the financial statements is to understand the situation of a company at a certain period. In this case to know the performance of PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk in 2002 until the year 2006. Same here also with the performance measuring tool to determine the level of bank health. To measure the health level of PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, we need to analyze the performance of the bank at a certain period, namely the year 2002 until the year 2006 with the use of capital ratios, profitability ratios and liquidity ratios. Based on the analysis that was done the authors can conclude that when viewed from the capital ratio, PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk can be regarded as a sound bank. While the ratio of bank profitability and its liquidity ratio is considered as a sound bank is also under the provisions of the Bank of Indonesia.
Filter material leukocyte removal substantially composed of a polyolefin and having at least hydroxyl groups and / or keto groups on the surface, wherein the factor of hydrophilicity of the surface of said filter material leukocyte removal is less than 40% and not less than 30%, where said factor of hydrophilicity is defined by the concentration of an aqueous ethanol solution at which said filter material leukocyte removal is wetted for the first time when the aqueous solution ethanol is prepared as a series of solutions having predetermined ethanol over water and varied gradually, and each of the solutions is brought into contact with said filter material leukocyte removal with a drop of about 10 mul proportions starting from the lowest, and concentration obtainable by a process for producing such filter material leukocyte removal comprising laetapa irradiating a composite material substantially of a polyolefin with a radiation in a dose of less than 300 kGy and not less than 15 kGy in the presence of oxygen, and the step of heating said material in the presence of water at a temperature below 125 ° C and not lower than 75oC after irradiation with radiation.
The invention discloses a method for tracking a diverting zone of diverting acid in acidifying process. The method comprises the following steps of S1, defining the diverting starting time and diverting finishing time, and simplifying the viscosity-acid concentration relationship of the diverting acid into three-section type description of diverting front end, diverting zone and diverting back end; S2, establishing the contact time and injection radius relationship between acid liquid and a stratum, and predicting the inner diameter and outer diameter of a to-be-diverted zone through the diverting starting time and diverting finishing time; S3, according to multiple position distribution relationships between the to-be-diverted zone and an acid liquid injecting ring, tracking and determining the occurrence, distribution radius and degrading condition of the diverting zone in the acid liquid injection ring through the distribution configuration relationship of the to-be-diverted zone and the acid liquid injection ring under each position distribution relationship, dividing the acid liquid injection ring into three types of areas in a conditional way, and calculating the pressure drop of the acid liquid injection ring with variation of rheological property of diverting acid according to types. The method for tracking the diverting zone of the diverting acid in the acidifying process has the advantages that the flowing simulation of the acid injecting process can be directly performed, and the basis is provided for the optimizing design of the acidifying technology.
Weaving produces a finished carpet, discloses a method for applying the antifouling composition to the BCF yarn in front of the cable or air twisting step for decoration knitting or tuft. There is no need to subject downstream completion carpet environmentally undesirable staining and low pH of the chemical treatment step in this process. The antifouling composition to the specific surface energy is high chemicals or other substances, such as fluorochemicals may be contained. Moreover, it is also possible to incorporate a further anti stain component to the antifouling composition. The system also discloses BCF yarns and carpets made from BCF yarn was subjected to by the processing method of this disclosure. .FIELD 1
The Cnidaria have more symbiotic copepods than any other group of invertebrates, and the greatest numbers of these associates occur on hard corals. A review of the scattered literature on the diversity and taxonomic composition of scleractinian-associated copepods and their hosts revealed a total of 148 coral species, representing 66 genera and 15 families that serve as hosts to copepods. At present, 363 copepod species, representing 99 genera, 19 families and three orders, have been recorded as associates of scleractinian corals. The total included 288 cyclopoids, 68 siphonostomatoids and seven harpacticoids. Within the Cyclopoida the representation of species varied greatly among the 13 families, with a disproportionate number of species belonging to the Anchimolgidae (141 species) and Xarifiidae (92 species). Data on host utilization and geographical distribution of all copepods living symbiotically with hard corals is synthesized and host specificity patterns are highlighted.The prevalence, intensity, density, and biodiversity of copepod infection of 480 colonies of the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis (Linnaeus, 1758) from Nanwan Bay, southern Taiwan were documented between July 2007 and November 2008. It was hypothesized that certain environmental factors and physiological coral traits, such as the density of Symbiodinium, could influence these infection parameters. Analysis revealed that ectoparasitic copepods were the most likely to infect P. damicornis, and that Asteropontius minutus Kim, 2003 accounted for more than 50% of total copepod density in July-September 2007 when temperatures were high and bleaching occurred in ~75% of the sampled colonies. The data further showed that copepod virulence may be related to their life history strategies, as well as to Symbiodinium density, surface area of the host coral colonies, and concentration of nitrate and chlorophyll-a in the surrounding seawater. By tracking the abundance, diversity, and performance of infectious copepods prior, throughout, and after a natural bleaching event, the potential to use these parasites as bioindicators for predicting the future physiological performance of P. damicornis in response to environmental change, particularly bleaching events, may ultimately be further explored, developed and maximized.Humesimyzon Kim, 2010, previously placed in the Asterocheridae, is tentatively transferred to the recently resurrected family Coralliomyzontidae. The authorship and spelling of Pseudanthessius thorellii (Brady, 1880) are corrected.
An adjusting device for negative pressure intensity of a breast pump is connected onto a negative pressure generating cylinder and comprises a gears adjusting rubber ring, a commander and a gears receiver; wherein the cylinder is movably sleeved with the gears adjusting rubber ring capable of rotating in the radial direction; the gears adjusting rubber ring is movably sleeved with one end of the commander capable of driving the gears adjusting rubber ring to rotate; and the gears receiver is embedded between the other end of the commander and the cylinder, and is fixedly connected with the cylinder. According to the adjusting device, the negative pressure intensity of the breast pump is converted into electrical signals for output and display so as to facilitate adjustment of the negative pressure for users. Therefore, the adjusting device has the characteristics of high efficiency, convenience, simple structure and the like.
A Building Block Filtering Genetic Algorithm(bbf-GA) is proposed which introduces building block candidates filtering and exploiting to improve traditional GA. Various recognition functions are designed and tested by analyzing the features of building blocks during the evolution of GA search for symmetrical TSP, and one of them is adopted to filter building block candidates. A position representation for TSP and relevant bbf-based genetic operators are designed to exploit the building block candidates. The proposed TSP specialized position representation can decrease the computational workload of bbfGA, such as edge comparison, computation of individual similarity, abstraction of uniform edge, and operations in bbf-based genetic operators. Experimental results show that comparing with traditional GA, Building Block Filtering Genetic Algorithm can improve the efficiency of search remarkably by reducing unnecessary search in GA
The goal of this work is to assess the empirical performance of some hedging strategies in the Brazilian derivative market. In particular, we entertain a portfolio of exotic options with knock-in and knock-out barriers. Apart from the traditional static and dynamic hedging, we also employ a hybrid strategy that combines both static and dynamic features. The empirical results show that all strategies perform statistically well, though the hybrid hedging is more efficient for it combines the accuracy of the dynamic hedging with the reduced transaction costs of the static hedging.
Traditional sea cucumber cooking equipment's temperature control was fixed value control,and there were a lot of problems such as poor regulating ability,large overshoot and control lag.In order to solving those problems,first of all,steam bypass adjusting system was designed for sea cucumber cooking equipment,in order to realizing cooking temperature's precise control.Secondly,the sea cucumber cooking equipment was converted to an equivalent heat transfer system,and then established its heat transfer computing model and solving strategy.Thirdly,the heat transfer computing model was embedded to control algorithm,temperature perturbation predicted by using heat transfer computing model,then sea cucumber equipment's temperature precise control was realized.Finally,experimental research on steam bypass adjustment precise control of sea cucumber cooking equipment was conducted,and its temperature control ability and impact on sea cucumber's quality were studied.Experimental results showed that sea cucumber cooking equipment's temperature control based on steam bypass adjustment had advantages such as small overshoot,small control lag and strong adjusting ability.It provided sea cucumber product with high elasticity and low harness,and ensured a better quality of cooking sea cucumber product.
The current scenario in the food industry mainly concentrates on value addition and agricultural waste reutilization. The objective of this study was to develop a blended crush with the incorporation of plantain stem ( Musa sapientum Linn.) and grape ( Vitis vinifera Linn.) juice and to analyze its physicochemical and nutritional values in order to determine the quality and consumer acceptability of the crush. The crushes were prepared with plantain stem juice and grape juice in different proportions (v/v) and compared both with pure standard plantain stem crush and grape crush. The physicochemical characteristics of the crush variations were found affected by the proportion of plantain stem juice incorporated. However, both juices are equally attributed in enhancing the nutritive value of the blended beverages when compared with the standards.
The disclosure relates to a user information transmission method, device and system, and belongs to the field of electronic technology application. The method comprises the following steps: receiving an acquisition request for requesting acquisition of target user information sent by an application server, wherein the target user information is user information corresponding to a terminal accessing the application server; acquiring the target user information from the user information recorded in a database according to the acquisition request; encrypting the target user information; and transmitting the encrypted target user information to the application server. Through the disclosure, the effect of transmitting the encrypted user information to the application server by a platform server is achieved. The disclosure is applied to transmission of the user information.
CASE Unexplained unresponsiveness One month after being hospitalized with E coli sepsis--and just after completing a course of ciprofloxacin--Mrs. D, a 79-year-old widow, becomes withdrawn and has several days of worsening fatigue, weakness, and somnolence. Within 2 hours of being admitted to the hospital, she becomes flaccid and unresponsive, although she seems to be awake. She has decreased respirations and is intubated. The neurology team finds her unresponsive to verbal and noxious stimuli, with some resistance to eye opening. Neurologic exam is nonfocal. Cranial nerve testing is intact, muscle strength and reflexes are normal and symmetrical, and sensory function is intact to light touch. MRI, ECG, chest radiography, and laboratory tests--including metabolic and infectious screenings--do not reveal acute pathology. Within hours, Mrs. D becomes much more responsive and is successfully extubated. Her rapid improvement rules out locked-in syndrome. The next day, Mrs. D has another episode of reduced responsiveness that lasts several minutes and resolves quickly. The neurologist observes this episode--which occurred when Mrs. D's daughter entered the room--and recommends a psychiatric consultation. For the past 3 weeks Mrs. D has experienced depressed mood, low energy, poor sleep, memory complaints, and feeling as if her mind was "scattered." She has stopped attending church, is isolating to her home, and has been hiding valuables because of an irrational fear that she would lose possessions from her estate. her primary care physician noted markedly reduced speech during recent office visits and agrees with the family that Mrs. D seems depressed. On psychiatric exam, Mrs. D's speech is quiet and slow but coherent. Her mood is depressed with a flat affect. Her thought process is goal-directed, and her Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score is 27/30, indicating her cognition is grossly intact. Mrs. D develops a low-grade fever. Although the physician does not suspect an infection, he prescribes a prophylactic course of levofloxacin, 500 mg/d. After 2 days of monitoring and assessments, the psychiatrist attributes Mrs. D's presentation to depression, prescribes bupropion, 100 mg/d, and Zolpidem, 5 mg at bedtime, and refers her for psychiatric follow-up. Six days after discharge, Mrs. D's family brings her to the psychiatric emergency room. They report that since discharge she has remained fatigued and seems confused intermittently. Her depressive symptoms--decreased appetite, anhedonia, poor sleep, and agitation--persist, and her personal care has deteriorated. Mrs. D's symptoms suggest which diagnosis? a) major depression with psychosis b) somatization disorder c) seizure disorder The authors' observations The psychiatrist attributes Mrs. D's declining functioning to a worsening mood disorder. Major depression with psychotic features can include: * fearfulness * suspiciousness * delusions of poverty. Others felt her presentation could be psychogenic. However, somatization disorders usually manifest before age 30 and rarely develop late in life. (1) Also, this type of diagnostic reasoning blames the patient for a neuropsychiatric condition that clinicians might not yet have identified. Mrs. D's cognitive and behavioral status fluctuated during her initial medical hospitalization, and on 1 occasion she required intubation. Her confusion worsened after discharge. These aspects of her history, along with worsening psychosis, can indicate seizures. Psychiatric manifestations of seizures have been recognized for centuries. Partial complex seizures--one of the most common seizure types--have been called "psychosensory" or "psychomotor" seizures because they often include psychiatric symptoms. (1) Psychiatric symptoms most often occur with seizures involving the temporal lobe, and limbic system activation adds an affective dimension to perceptual data processed by the temporal neocortex. …
Objective: To provide anatomical basis for the transposition of vascutarixed flap of tensor fasciae latae musculi and tensor fasciae latae musculi to repair big indirect inguinal hernia.Methods:The arterial blood supply,The innervation and the length of venter musculi and tender of tensor fasciae late muscule were observed on 30 adult lower limb specimens. Results: Arterial source has lateral circumfex femoral artery and arterial glulea inferior of tensor fasciae latae musculi. controlled by the nervi glutaeus superior, length of the venter was 145.31 ± 3.3mm,length of the iliace tibialis bundle was 315 ± 6.8mm, distance from the spina iliace anerior superior to rectus abdomins musculi outside was 168 ± 7.5mm(men) and 176 ± 6.8mm( women) . Conclusions:The tensor fasciae latae musculi possessed the advantages of rich blood supply, enough separable tendow length and close to the canalis inguinalis region. It can be a donator for the repairing of the big indirect inguinal hernia.
I am extremely grateful to Kent Greenawalt and Bernie Meyler for the generosity of their responses, their insights, and the challenges they present regarding my recent book.1 In The Religious Left and ChurchState Relations, I argue that the religious Left or religious liberals2 are better equipped to combat or engage religious conservatives or the religious Right3 than are secular liberals. By religious liberals, I mean to refer to those who reach liberal conclusions from religious premises. In the context of church-state relations, this means a commitment to strong free exercise values and an opposition to tight connections between church and state.4 For my purposes, the secular Left reaches the same conclusions on the basis of secular premises.5 By contrast, the religious Right opposes separation of church and state, although it is also committed to the free exercise of religion.6
In a special alkaline oxidizing smelting system, amphoteric metals Sn, Pb, Zn and Al in crushed metal enrichment (CME), originated from waste printed circuit boards (WPCB), were converted into soluble sodium salts that can be separated from other metals in a water leaching process efficiently. In this study, the effects of molten salt composition on the smelting conditions and valuable metal conversions were investigated in details to obtain the optimum system with high conversion efficiency but low energy consumption and material cost. The optimum composition of molten salts and smelting conditions were obtained as that mass ratio of CME-NaNO3-NaOH of 1:3.0:3.6, smelting temperature of 773K (500°C) and smelting time of 90min. The conversion percentages of amphoteric metals were as Sn 95.93%, Zn 96.63%, Pb 91.21%, while over 99.84% of Cu and all the precious metals in the CME were enriched in the water leaching residue and could be recovered by traditional metallurgical processes.
The purpose of this work is to investigate the injection rate of dimethyl ether (DME) fuel by using injection rate system and compare it with diesel fuel. In order to analyze the injection rate of DME fuel, an injection rate system composed of a piezoelectric sensor, injection line, the adapter tilled with fuel. and relief valve. For the acquisition of fuel pressure wave variation, a piezoelectric sensor was installed in the injection chamber tilled with fuel and relief valve was utilized to keep the constant pressure in the injection line. The experiments are performed at various injection pressure and energizing duration to analyze their effects on injection rate. It was found that DME fuel was higher injection rate than diesel fuel according to various experimental condition. In the case of injection quantities, DME fuel was larger than diesel fuel before 0.5 ㎳ of time after start of energizing and then reverse tendency was shown after 0.5 ㎳. It can be said that DME fuel was a shorter injection delay and longer actual injection delay than diesel fuel because of a lower kinetic viscosity.
The effect of Gamma-irradiation on the electrical characteristics of GaAs diodes have been investigated using current-voltage (I-V) in the forward and reverse bias as a transient and permanent effects. The samples GaAs diodes were applied till 50 V in the reverse bias. The measured current was 1 nA before irradiation and was about 21 uA steady state photocurrent and 0.0065 Gy/sec dose rate after 2.8 sec which is the arrival time of Cesium-137 source to the samples. The C-V has been measured against the reverse bias and the measured values were from 0.18 nF to 41 pF at the range from 0 t0 50 volts respectively. I selected the GaAs diodes according the condition of previous results [1] ( the diffusion length (L) is larger than the base width (W)) which gives the highest degree of sensitivity for the steady state photocurrent by pre-irradiation and the width of depletion layer . these reasons I chose the GaAs diode as a sensor for low dose rate. Very small permanent effects of γ -irradiation until about 25 M Gy.
A two-dimensional analytical model of the power take-off (PTO) region of a diagonal conducting wall (DCW) MHD generator is presented and compared with experimental results. Reasonable agreement was found in both voltage and current distributions from the two-dimensional analysis, while similar comparison of experimental data with one-dimensional calculations with experiments was not satisfactory. Power take-off from mid-channel was also investigated. It was found that larger current was carried by these electrodes. In addition, large circulating current was found in the sidewalls resulting from diagonalization. Therefore ballast resistors are required to equalize the current. A general PTO resistor design was proposed. Trade-off considerations between power output and protection of over-current were made.
This report presents the results of testing on a glider designed and built by the College Aviation Group. The design and construction were based on the following principles: 1) the glider will be made to descend as slowly as possible; 2) rigidity and resistance were arranged to meet the conditions of varied loads; 3) construction is as simple as possible; 4) and great ease in assembling and dismounting have been sought.
Adenovirus infections mimic bacterial infections on initial presentation in healthy children, leading to higher likelihood of hospital admission. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors associated with hospital admission in previously healthy children with adenovirus infection. This is a retrospective study of 125 previously healthy children, who tested positive with direct immunofluorescence assay (DFA) for adenoviral infection at our center between January 2001 and October 2007. The primary outcome of the study was the need for hospital admission. The relationship between clinical variables at initial emergency room (ER) presentation and need for hospital admission were explored using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. The model's predictive value was investigated by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow test. On stepwise multivariate logistic regression analysis, the presence of respiratory distress (odds ratio [OR]: 5.6; p = 0.014), acute gastroenteritis (OR: 3.8; p = 0.019) and wheezes at initial presentation (OR: 6.5; p = 0.003) at the time of initial presentation in the ER were associated with need for hospital admission. For this model, the area under the ROC curve was 0.79, and there was no evidence of lack of fit on Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test (p = 0.56). Our study identifies three risk factors, namely, respiratory distress, wheezing and acute gastroenteritis, associated with hospital admission for healthy children with adenoviral infections.
Speed control allows a road operator to adapt in real-time the speed limit to the traffic conditions encountered by road users. However, the impacts of variable speed limits depend mainly on the network characteristics and therefore the deployment of this measure is not always relevant to tackle with congestion. On the Lorrain corridor – a motorway corridor in Eastern France –, congestion often occurs on three specific sections and the most appropriate solution seemed to be the deployment of variable speed limits. However, it was not possible to quantify the impacts of this deployment and to know whether this solution was really effective or not. So, it has then been decided to assess the impacts of this solution before deploying the measure on the three sections, and, despite the fact that it has not yet been done so at least in France, the use of simulation appeared to be the best tool to do so. Consequently, this paper aims at describing the chosen methodology, the problems it has raised, the results of this ex-ante evaluation and the decision that has been taken about the deployment of variable speed limits on these sections.
GC(gas chromatography) was applied to determine the higher alcohols in grape wine. The optimal separation condition were as follows: flow rate as 1.4mL/min, column temperature as temperature program: 65℃(0min)-15℃/min-200℃(2min), split rate as 50∶1 and sample size as 3μL; The time of determination was as short as 9 min.The quantitative determination was super area-external standard method. The RSD was 0.0120%~1.0707% and the recovery rate was 95.18%~102.25%. The determination results demonstrated that the method had the surperiorities of rapid, simple operation, good selectiveity and high accuracy.
OBJECTIVE To report on a rare case of Pacinian neurofibroma of the vulva.   METHODS A 27-year-old patient who presented with a vulvar tumor is described. Patient evaluation showed no other remarkable findings.   RESULTS The nodule was resected without difficulty. The histopathological analysis-demonstrated Pacinian neurofibroma with abundant concentric laminar structures. The immunohistochemical (CD34+), ultrastructural and histological analyses showed perineural cells. No signs of neurofibromatosis were found.   CONCLUSIONS Pacinian neurofibroma may present in the vulva and could probably arise from the so-called perineural fibroblasts.
Alprazolam is a widely consumed psychiatric pharmaceutical from the benzodiazepinesgroup, thathas been continuously introduced into the environment throughwastewaters, being a potential risk to living organisms. Furthermore, alprazolam is highly resistant to photodegradation, with degradation half-time of 228 sunny days [1]. Lithium-indium oxide is a high density (5.9 g/cm3 ), wide band-gap semiconductor with promising applications for scintillating detection of solar neutrinos as well as for efficient phosphorescence when doped with different rare earth ions. Here we report for the first time the photocatalytic efficiency of LiInO2 powder, synthesized using a simple solid-state chemistry procedure at relatively low temperature of 700°C. Materials structure was examined by X-ray diffraction,that confirmed materials tetragonal structural form (space group: I41/amd) with no impurity phases. Optical band-gap of 3.99 eV was estimated from the diffuse-reflectance spectrum. Photocatalytic efficiencywas examined under both simulated solar and UV radiation. Photodegradation kineticsshowed LiInO2 powderhas a good potentialfor UV-activated degradation of alprazolam.
Purpose To study the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2) and their relationships to the clinical biological behaviors of gallbladder cancer.Methods The expression of MMP-2 and VEGF protein was examined by immunohistochemical method(SP method) in 46 cases of gallbladder cancer,and the mean microvessel density(MVD) was calculated by FⅧRAg immunohistochemistry.Rescults The positive rate of VEGF in gallbladder cancer was 54,3%,which was significantly associated with tumor MVD count,differentiation,depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis.The positive rate of MMP-2 in gallbladder cancer was 73.9%,which was correlated with cancer lymph node metastasis.There was a close relationship between the expression of both VEGF and MMP-2 in gallbladder cancer.Conclusion The expression of MMP-2 and VEGF in gallbladder cancer plays important roles in blood vessel formation,tumor progress,metastasis and collaborates with each other.The results provide a reference for clinical use of anti-angiogenic therapy and matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors.
Application of nanotechnology has been very limited in petroleum industry. However, in recent years, the importance of nano science to develop conventional methods in several branches of petroleum engineering has been highlighted. Despite the considerable surveys investigating different applications of nanotechnology in optimizing drilling fluid rheology in HTHP conditions and reservoir engineering (enhanced oil recovery techniques); far too little attention has been paid to producing these nano particles / additives locally in Nigeria. The petroleum industry has been the mainstay of Nigeria economy accounting for more 90% of our gross earning. The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 seek to increase indigenous participation in the Oil and gas industry by prescribing minimum thresholds for the use of local services and materials. Due to the high silica content in rice husk, preparation of silica products is considered to be the most attractive utilization method at present. Amorphous silica is a basic raw material, which has found an increasingly wide market in industries. Rice husk is a well-known, abundant agricultural byproduct in rice-producing countries such as Nigeria. The disposal of rice husk has become a great environmental threat to the land and the surrounding areas where it is dumped. Therefore, recycling the waste and producing high-value materials is not only beneficial to the environment but is also a promising bio-resource technology. In this paper, an optimized process for preparation of nanosilica from rice husk is described. The characteristics of the nanosilica prepared are described and the silica content of the nanosilica reached a record of 94% purity in the method adopted. The nanosilica was further processed to form Silicon ethoxide which is an emulsifier that has its application in the industry. It can be deduced from the results that Silicon ethoxide is considered as a reversible surfactant because of it hydrophilic and hydrophobic nature. These chemical nature and functional group plays an important role in performance characteristic of a reversible mud.
Correspondence: Daniel Lee McGee Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00681-5000 Tel +1 787 263 3828 Fax + 1 787 265 5454 Email daniel.mcgee@upr.edu Background: This article presents cohort studies that use data from the National Health Information Survey from 1986 to 1994 and compares the effectiveness of Cox proportional hazards models that assume a linear relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the risk of prostate cancer with models that assume a J-shaped relationship. Methods and results: Our study found that for black males over 40 years of age, neither a linear nor a J-shaped relationship yielded a statistically significant model. With white males over 40 years, assuming a linear relationship did not yield a statistically significant model (P = 0.582). When we assume a J-shaped relationship, the optimal change point where the risk of prostate cancer death is minimized occurs when the BMI is 25.5. Among white males over 40 years with BMI , 25.5, an inverse relationship was found (P = 0.009). Among white males over 40 years with BMI . 25.5, a direct relationship was found (P = 0.017). Conclusion: With this data set, we found that for white males over 40 years, Cox proportional hazards models that assume a J-shaped relationship between BMI and prostate cancer death provide a much better fit than models assuming a linear relationship.
Watermarking is the technique of adding watermark inside image in such a way that when an unauthorized user tries to use the image with a watermark, he can be caught on the basis of copyrights grounds. Addition of Watermark can be done in visible and invisible manner. Visible watermark places a watermark over an image in such way that it is visible to all the users about the owner of the image and invisible watermarking is done in such a way that watermark content is hidden from the user. This paper presents both invisible and visible watermarking methods applied on digital images for copyright protection and number of attacks that are applied on watermarked images to test the quality of a data. In our purposed scheme we are going to apply DWT (Discrete Wavelet Transform) to both visible and Invisible Methods. The results are calculated by implemented our purposed scheme with the help of Graphical User Interface in MATLAB 7.6.0. The results are formulated by the calculation of PSNR and BER.
In order to improve the validity of the refuge chamber and reduce the damage from the gas explosion,the horizontal cylindrical mobile refuge chamber for coal mine was taken as the research object.By using numerical method,the explosion process of 9.5% gas was analyzed.And the variation tendency of the overpressure and the temperature at the shell's end was obtained.The analysis results showed that the pressure load suffered by the refuge chamber's shell can be considered as the combined load including the step load and the sine load,and the temperature load can be considered as the step load.
In the time since European architects first began using computers in the building design process, the digital revolution has transformed how architects use planning tools completely. Today, digital tools are an indispensable part of planning practice. Besides a wide variety of digital modeling tools, parametric tools offer architects diverse options for generating cybernetic building models as BIM-models or homeostatic parametric geometry models. Cybernetic models help us to describe the buildings as a system and can improve planning efficiency. The aim of planning is to construct or fabricate an end result. The integration of digital fabrication methods in the digital chain is a fundamental goal if architects are to benefit from the progressive development of computer controlled machine tools. Fabrication integrated digital models can automate the planning process up to the production stage and enable the efficient fabrication of building components. The increased efficiency of planning and fabrication has facilitated a growing proliferation of buildings of increasing geometric complexity. Computers can open a door to the realization of new forms, spaces and construction systems to architects that understand the principles of fabrication-integrated cybernetic modeling.
A novel separation and enrichment method of cobalt (Ⅱ) using microcrystalline phenolphthalein as adsorbent was established.The effect of addition amount of α-nitroso-β-naphthol(HL) and phenolphthalein,the type and dosage of salt,and acidity on the enrichment yield of Co2+ was investigated.The optimal separation and enrichment conditions of cobalt(Ⅱ) were obtained.The enrichment mechanism of Co2+ was discussed.The results showed that Co2+ could react with HL to form reddish brown chelate precipitate(CoL3) which was quantitatively adsorbed on microcrystalline phenolphthalein under the following conditions:at pH 5.0;in the presence of 1.0 g of NaCl;the dosages of 2.0 g/L HL and 5 % phenolphthalein solution were 0.60 mL and 0.10 mL,respectively.Consequently,Co2+ could be quantitatively enriched,while Zn2+,Mn2+,Al3+ and Cd2+ were not adsorbed under these conditions,realizing the quantitative separation of Co2+ from these ions.This method had been applied to the quantitative enrichment,separation and determination of micro Co2+ in synthetic water samples.The enrichment yield was 99.8 %-108.6 %.
OBJECTIVE Even though phenylacetate (PA) bas been shown to inhibit the growth and induce differentiation in rat C6 glioma cell line, its mechanisms are still poorly understood. This study is aimed to identify which Hox gene is related to glioma and to observe the change in expression on mRNA level as treated by phenylasetate.   METHODS Twenty-two kinds of Hox gene were divided into 3 groups according to their primer sequence. Semiquantitative reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to investigate the mRNA expression of Hox gene groups and some Hox gene in rat C6 glioma cell line following differentiation induced by PA. The level of Hox gene expression was expressed as ratio expression rate (RER) of Hox gene/beta-actin according to computer image analysis and the difference between C6 cells and PA treated C6 cells was analyzed by student t-test.   RESULTS It was found that Hox genes matching to primers P2 were mildly expressed in C6 cells and the expression of HoxB2 mRNA was significantly up-regulated in PA treated C6 cells (P < 0.001).   CONCLUSION The weak expression of HoxB2 may be involved in glioma origin and the mechanisms of PA action are correlated with transcription process in the glioma cells.
A JACEE-3 instrument was flown on a balloon in June 1982 for 6.1 sq m sr hr exposure at an average atmospheric depth of 5 gm/sq cm in order to study the cosmic ray spectra, composition, and interactions above 1 TeV. The nucleus-nucleus interactions were studied above 20 GeV/amu from z = 6 to z = 26. The electronic counters contained gas Cerenkov structures with a 1.0-cm thick lead glass and a 1.27-cm thick Teflon radiator. A comparison to the instrument prototype is made. Based on the electronic counter event data, the finding efficiency of the hodoscope is noted to be near 100 percent for z greater than or equal to 22. A comparison is made between the hodoscope-predicted position and track found at P3 in an emulsion chamber.
Public security management from the perspective of culture,ie,public security management,which focuses on the leading role in the management of public security culture,is people-centered in management concept and style.Public security cultural management is beyond the traditional security management and innovation and has a profound meaning.How to implement the management of public security and cultural ideas and bring the public security culture into full play in the management is of great practical significance for the public security management.
Objective To make a sensitive and specific method for quantitatively determination of hydrogen peroxide in water. Methods The strong oxide can oxidize potassium iodide to produce iodine in hydrochloric acid that reacts on amylum to produce iodine blue. In a range of concentration the colour of iodine blue accords with Bill's law. Firstly the gross of hydrogen peroxide and the other strong oxides in the sample were determined. Secondly, on the action of catalase the hydrogen peroxide was decompounded into oxygen and water, then, hydrogen peroxide lost its characteristic of oxidation, the other oxides without hydrogen peroxide in the sample were determined. The difference of the two determined results is the content of hydrogen peroxide. Results The calibration curve was linear between 0 to 2 μg/ml (10 μg/5 ml). The relative standard deviation was less than 1.2%. The rates of recovery were 98.7%-101.3%. The detection concentration was 0.08 mg/L(0.08 μg/ml). Conclusion This method is simple, rapid, sensitive and hardly to be disturbed by any other strong oxidizers. This method is suitable for trace hydrogen peroxide analysis of source water and drinking water.
Emergence in two chimpanzees of HIV-1 HTLV-IIIB variants resistant to neutralization by the pre-existing antibody is described. Viruses isolated from the HTLV-IIIB gp120 vaccinated and challenged animal were more resistant to neutralization, had more heterogenic genomes and showed more pronounced antigenic drift as determined by serotypic neutralization analysis than viruses isolated from the naive infected animal, indicating immune pressure as the selective mechanism. The earliest selecting antibody population detected in the chimpanzees appeared to be conformationally dependent. This was demonstrated by its ability to neutralize only the most replication-competent sub-populations of the HTLV-IIIB inoculum strain, yet was found to bind a HTLV-IIIB common nonapeptide (IQRGPGRAF) derived from the gp120 isolate-specific 3rd variable domain (V3) also known to induce isolate-specific neutralization in multiple species. Each of the recovered isolates had become resistant to neutralization by both a monoclonal (0.5 beta) and polyclonal HTLV-IIIB gp120 V3-specific antibody by as much as 16 to 256-fold. Amplification of the V3 coding sequence by polymerase chain reaction and subsequent sequence analysis of the neutralization-resistant variants obtained from in vivo infected animals indicated that resistance to neutralization was conferred by changes outside the direct binding site for the selective neutralizing antibody. Further studies indicated that apparent neutralization-resistant variants, yielded after in vitro passage through chimpanzee and human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures void of HIV-specific antibody, result from the homogenic amplification of the more replication competent sub-population pre-existing in the original viral stock. These faster replicating sub-populations appear to dominate initially and therefore are the initial prime targets recognized by the chimpanzee humoral immune system upon infection in vivo and thus eliminated. The described finding of virus escape due to a conformationally-induced flexibility of the major neutralization epitope termed "conformational-V3 hypervariability", coupled to the known primary amino acid hypervariability of this epitope (V3) termed "linear-V3 hypervariability", may be all that is required by the virus to survive in an otherwise effective humoral immune system.
This MSc thesis comprises PHYTO-PAM measurements of phytoplankton photosynthesis, measured as electron transfer rates in order to study photosynthetic dynamics. Time-series of photosynthesis from two phytoplankton bloom scenarios were conducted, one during Arctic ice-edge bloom and one during low biomass post-bloom condition in mid-Norwegian temperate conditions (Hopavagen in Trondelag). An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) was used to provide a spatial scale of key environmental variables (temperature, salinity) from the sampling sites. In Hopavagen, a culture incubated in situ was used as a reference for the PAM data of natural community. Both case studies can be used for future interpretation of AUV measured salinity, temperature and fluorescence and represent future steps to estimate primary production from fluorometers on AUVs. In Mid-Norway the phytoplankton biomass was
The complex relationship between war and human rights has evolved as new challenges have arisen. The nature of contemporary war has changed due to technological innovation, in particular, the use and further development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or ‘drones’. Drones have revolutionized the nature of war, becoming one of the most utilized, desired, and successful military advances in modern history. As evident in the outcomes of US drone policy, the way drones function within the modern world heightens the risks to civilians’ human rights, specifically their right to life. As drones advance, the international system must work to situate this technology within human rights obligations, specifically, within International Human Rights Law (IHRL) and International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
The present investigation aimed to evaluate the bioencapsulation of Artemia nauplii with Vitex negundo leaf extract for promoting growth and survival of Poecilia sphenops fish fry was carried out. Artemia cyst were collected from Kelambakkam saltpan and cultured in the laboratory. Cyst processing and hatching were made in the laboratory. The assessment of cytotoxic bioassay of leaf extracts of V. negundo (aqueous, methanol, ethanol) were used Artemia nauplii. The LC50 value of Artemia nauplii was observed in 2.5, 1.0 and 1.0 mg/ml of aqueous, methanol and ethanol extracts respectively. After optimization, Artemia nauplii were enriched with 6 and 12 hrs were fed to fish fry. The experimental fish fry were assessed for their survival, specific growth rate (SGR) and mortality compared with the control. The Maximum SGR was observed in experiment I (6 h enriched Artemia) 2.70% and the minimum of 1.13% in Control. The maximum survival rate was observed in Experiment I value of 95.83% (6 h) Artemia nauplii enriched with aqueous leaf extract and the minimum of 89.58% observed in control. The maximum mortality rate was observed in control value of 10.41% (6 h) Artemia nauplii unenriched with aqueous leaf extract and the minimum mortality rate was observed in experimental I (4.16%) enriched Artemia nauplii. The above result clearly indicated that V. negundo leaf extract could be used as nutritional and enriches feed for Artemia nauplii.
Respiratory failure resulting from impaired function of the diaphragm is being recognized with increasing frequency. However, most clinicians are much more familiar with the neuroanatomical aspects of this muscle than its role in ventilation and gas exchange. Galen learned, by cutting the spinal cord at various levels in experimental pigs, that the diaphragm alone was capable of sustaining life, but a vigorous debate continues to the present day about th( exact contribution of the diaphragm to normal breathing at rest, during exercise, and in disease. In the last two decades several new techniques and concepts have been applied to the evaluation of diaphragm function and management of dysfunction. Most of the conclusions in older literature need to be reviewed in the context of the new data. This review is presented to emphasize clinical implications of new ideas in this area. NORMAL DIAPHRAGM FUNCTION The diaphragm is a contractile membrane attached
In this paper, three mathematical models of the solidification of a thin-walled casting, which take into account the filling process of the mould cavity with molten metal, have been proposed. In the general model, velocity and pressure fields were obtained by solving the momentum equations and the continuity equation, while the thermal fields were obtained by solving the heat conduction equation containing the convection term. In the simplified models, making assumptions relating to both the material and the geometry of the region, the general equations for momentum and continuity have been reduced to single an equation for pressure. This approach leads to the essential acceleration of fluid flow computations. In this model, coupling of the thermal and fluid flow phenomena by changes in the fluidity function and thermophysical parameters of alloy with respect to temperature has been taken into consideration. The problem has been solved by the finite element method.
This thesis presents two measurements measurement of the jet fragmentation functions and inclusive jet production in heavy-ion collisions. The fragmentation functions are measured in Pb+Pb and pp collisions with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The distributions are measured as a function of jet transverse momentum and rapidity. The analysis utilises an integrated luminosity of 0.14 nb−1 of Pb+Pb data and 4.0 pb−1 of pp data collected in 2011 and 2013, respectively, at the same centre-of-mass energy of 2.76 TeV. Modest but significant centrality-dependent modifications of fragmentation functions in Pb+Pb collisions with respect to those in pp collisions are seen. Measurements of the yield and nuclear modification factor, RAA, for inclusive jets are performed using 25 pb−1 of pp data at √ s = 5.02 TeV and 0.49 nb−1 of Pb+Pb data at √ sNN = 5.02 TeV. The jets are measured over the transverse momentum range of 100–1000 GeV in six rapidity intervals covering |y| < 2.8. The magnitude of the RAA increases with increasing pT and with decreasing centrality of the Pb+Pb collision. The RAA is independent of rapidity at low pT and it decreases with increasing rapidity at high pT.
Historically, men have dominated the athletic arena; as a result, the number of women in sport management positions has been limited (Cashmore, 2000; Coakley, 2010). Even rarer is the opportunity for female coaches to coach male sport teams. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of women who have coached male athletes. Six female head coaches who had coached or were currently coaching a men’s team at the high school (n = 3), college (n = 2), or professional minor league (n =1) level were interviewed, and a cross-case analysis method was used for tagging data and determining themes. Five primary categories emerged: 1) participants had a diversified athletic history; 2) participants had a positive male coaching influence; 3) participants used an intense coaching philosophy, 4) participants felt support from family and athletic administrators; and 5) participants experienced gendering of the coaching role as masculine. Participants suggested that the lack of support systems, mentoring, and networking are the main reasons that the number of women coaching men is so low. Future research should focus on combating the social stigmas in sports administration and coaching.
In order to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the key parameters of soil radon measurement results of radon mapping methods,our laboratory has the first time as China's organization to participate Radon Intercomparison Measurements,held at three radon reference sites of Cetyně,Bohostice and Buk in the Czech Republic in 2010.For the level of significance α=1%,testing results(orientation tests based on the comparison with the group) show that our measurements of cA(radon activity concentration) are in good agreement with that of the group of organizations participating in the comparison measurement.The decisive test based on the comparison with the databases of radon reference sites reveals that our resultant means of radon data are in accord with those of all successful organizations(N=180) which measured at radon reference sites since the year 2000.The results indicate that our soil radon measurement techniques have reached the international first-class level.After the radon international comparison,we found some important problems in soil radon measurement in China,such as instrument calibration,soil gas sampling technology.We proposed that the method for soil radon investigation should be improved and its technical specification should be carried out.
Amedeo Giorgi has asserted that the two key procedures that make psychological research genuinely phenomenological are: 1) the epoches: and 2) the intuition of essence. Giorgi’s insistence on this point is reviewed and the often-misunderstood method of grasping essences is explored. Attention is given to Husserl’s ideas about free imaginative variation and the procedures of eidetic analysis. Examination is made of how Husserl used his method to determine the essence of "psychological phenomena", and of the demands the essential characteristics of psychological subject matter place on the discipline. Implications for the sciences, especially for psychology’s use of the phenomenological method, are spelled out. Basic practices in phenomenological psychological research are addressed, including the roles played by the investigator’s imagination, by descriptions of others’ real lives, and by literary and artistic works in eidetic research. Post-modern critiques of essentialism and of skepticism concerning "essences" are challenged in light of a clarification of the procedure. Finally, it is argued with Giorgi that eidetic analysis is crucial for a genuine science of psychology. As post-positivist and post-modernist thought has emerged and taken hold, the idea of "essence" has lost favor. Critiques of foundationalism and essentialism are common in both mainstream and avant-garde approaches to human science. Attempting to know the essential qualities of psychological subject matter is thought to involve a false sense of certainty and infallibility, an insensitivity to context and differences among diverse peoples, an ossification of the fluid and dynamic, an intolerance of ambiguity, an assumption of rigid predetermination in human life, and a detachment from existence. Claims about essences are thought to involve problems of dogmatism, universalism, reductionism, idealism, and even biological determinism. On account of inevitable limits of sampling data and of researcher biases and fallibility, assertions of essence are viewed as ignoring such important contexts as gender, culture, and age. Does not essentialism open the door to sexism, racism, ethnocentrism, and ageism? Do not assertions of essence, missing the multiform and changeable character of psychological life, translate politically into totalitarianism and a denial of human freedom? 282 The Method of Eidetic Analysis for Psychology Les Collectifs du Cirp Volume 1 (edition speciale), pp. 281-300. © 2010 – Cirp (Cercle interdisciplinaire de recherches phenomenologiques) ISBN 978-0-9866654-1-7 Giorgi (1989, 2008) has consistently insisted that the intuition of essences is one of the two defining procedures of phenomenological psychological research. It is ironic that a necessary procedure of phenomenology, indeed its methodological sine qua non, would be thought to entail the problems of the very isms that this approach has so strenuously attempted to resolve. Are the principles and procedures designed to guide the intuition of essences, the method of eidetic analysis, self-deluded or at least naive and passe? Some psychologists who are sympathetic with phenomenology have responded by identifying it as a movement and by taking the existential and hermeneutic turn with Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Sartre; the ethical turn with Levinas; the narrative turn with Ricoeur, or even a constructionist turn, which make the study of essences a footnote to history. As interest in qualitative research methods grows in the human sciences, fundamental analytic procedures are of great concern. Some contemporary research that presents itself as phenomenological neither mentions nor makes use of the method of eidetic analysis. Is the intuition of essences, as Giorgi suggests, truly necessary for human science? This chapter addresses the topic of the intuition of essences, which has not been well understood in the qualitative research movement. Here, I will reaffirm Husserl’s view that in order to proceed soundly from a scientific, social and ethical standpoint, human scientists must understand and employ the procedure of eidetic analysis throughout their research and theorizing. I will focus on the nature of this procedure and the general importance of eidetic psychology rather than offer an account of the ways that eidetic analysis has been and can be employed in specific psychological research. Another limit of this chapter is that although I will touch on the link between eidetic and empirical research in psychology, the complexities of this relationship and the details of an eidetically grounded empirical psychology will not be elaborated.
A Large eddy simulation (LES) of the flow along a meandering river that has been found to be the habitat of a rare species of vegetation in Japan has been conducted. The river reach consists of sharp bends, point bars that are submerged under water during floods, large boulders and vegetation and appears to be a challenge for conventional hydraulic analysis method based on depth averaged formulation. The results of LES have been compared with the observation and conventional two-dimensional analysis. It is found that the strong secondary flow that exists downstream of a bend makes the flow near the bed very different from either the surface or the depth-averaged flow and the bed shear, which is an important parameter in describing the effects on the bed and the vegetation, can only be correctly evaluated by a three dimensional analysis.
With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), many previous studies have already applied Deep Learning (DL) for ship detection from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery. However, these network scale and model size are both rather huge, leading to more computation costs. As a result, ship detection speed is bound to decline due to more computation costs, and FPGA/DSP transplantation also becomes more challenging coming from huge mode size. Therefore, to solve these problems, this paper proposes a novel lightweight deep learning network for SAR ship detection named ShipDeNet-18 (only 18 convolution layers). Essentially, fewer layers and fewer kernels jointly contribute to ShipDeNet-18's light-weight characteristic. In addition, to compensate for the severe detection accuracy's sacrifice, we also propose a Deep and Shallow Feature Fusion Module (DSFF-Module) and a Feature Pyramid Module (FP-Module), which can effectively improve its detection accuracy. Experimental results on the open SAR Ship Detection Dataset (SSDD) reveal that ShipDeNet-18's detection speed is largely superior to the other state-of-the-art detectors, meanwhile its detection accuracy is only slightly inferior to others. ShipDeNet-18 is a brand-new deep learning network built from scratch, more light-weight than the other detectors, with fewer parameters (228,246), lower computation costs (456,042 FLOPs), and smaller model size (1 MB). It is of great value in some real-time SAR application, and is also convenient for future hardware transplantation (FPGA/DSP).
When the digital was ‘new’ we expected that introducing it in education would create change and disruption. Now we are in the Post-digital era the result appears to be divergence between the digital as provided by the institution and the day-to-day learning practices of students using ‘mundane’ technology. As institutions we appear to have moved from evangelising the new and shiny to using it without question. In this presentation I will re-examine that of the digital which has become ‘post’, questioning the embedded to ask if we are pushing boundaries or simply ossifying business-as-usual. Drawing on findings from the Jisc Digital Student project I will set this in the context of the ‘learner owned’ digital literacies of students and suggest ways in which we can make practice that has ‘disappeared in to use’ visible thereby allowing us to explore new ways to engage learners.
Obstructive lung diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality globally. The most common, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), is caused by smoke inhalation, whilst bronchiectasis (BR) is often caused by lung infection, and cystic fibrosis (CF) is due to the defective passage of fluids through lung epithelial cells. Whilst it is now recognised that the healthy lung harbours a microbial flora, obstructive lung diseases are characterised by periodic or persistent heavy bacterial colonization that can be determined using microbiological cultures of patient sputum as well as by novel genomic analysis, the most common species identified being Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Haemophilus influenzae. Adaptive immune responses generated against such organisms, in the form of antigen-specific antibodies and T cells, may be protective against infection but may also contribute to the inflammatory disease mechanism such as through IL-17-mediated neutrophil recruitment. This thesis asks whether such immune responses can serve as biomarkers of microbial colonization and of disease; whether levels of antibodies and T cells indicate lung infection and exacerbations frequency. However, high levels may simply indicate exposure to microbes. Thus, the aim of this study was to measure antibody and T cell responses against a range of lung-colonizing microbes in patients with BR (n=119), COPD (n=58), CF (n=30), asthma (n=14), and in healthy controls (n=28). Patients were clinically characterised in terms of exacerbations, lung function, sputum microbiology and underlying disease. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were set up to measure specific antibodies in serum, whilst T cell responses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were measured by specific Enzyme-linked ImmunoSpot assay (ELIspot), flow cytometry and multiplex cytokine ELISA. Typical microbial colonization for the given disease was seen in the sputum-producing patients. The results showed that in BR, specific IgG responses against P. aeruginosa increased according to episodes of colonization, whilst T cell responses in the form of antigen-specific IFNY showed the opposite effect, suggesting T cell dysregulation. As well as IFNY, T cells were shown to secrete IL-17 and IL-22 in response to microbial antigens and to possess activation and homing receptors. Antibody responses were also further characterised for cross-reactivity and Ig isotype, confirming specificity and isotype switching. In CF patients that harboured P. aeruginosa, high anti-pseudomonas IgG titres were detected, and T cell IFNY responses were similar to healthy controls and were associated with greater disease stability and FEV1. In conclusion, immune responses were successfully characterised in patients with obstructive lung diseases, and specific antibody and T cells showed some associations with colonization and clinical disease, respectively, depending upon the disease and the microbe.
Excerpt] Human Resources (HR) departments have begun bracing for a labor environment characterized by temporary jobs, one dominated, for example, by the independent contractor. Accordingly, the workplace policy landscape is shifting to keep up with what has now come to be known in modern buzzword parlance as a “gig economy”. However, while it is certainly in a company’s best interest to make itself aware of workplace trends, it is ineffective for a company to always try to position itself at the forefront of these trends. Trends, after all, do not represent permanence; instead, they merely illustrate the direction in which something moves for an often-finite period. Preemptively building around the assumption that the regulatory landscape in which the gig economy rests will shift commensurately to better facilitate this trend could ultimately be a waste of company resources. Uber presents an ideal example of a company that has employed this strategy and will be examined to demonstrate how the economy is rules-based and companies should model internal processes after those rules, rather than after trending business models.
A geological survey and analysis of the borehole stratigraphies enabled us to characterise the buried architecture of the Quaternary basin of Vittorio Veneto (NE Italy). The study area belongs to the Neogene-Quaternary front of the eastern Southern Alps: the Montello and the Cansiglio thrusts show much evidence of Quaternary activity and are considered seismic sources capable of destructive earthquakes. As a result of the 1936 earthquake, strong site effects became manifest in Ceneda and Serravalle, located respectively to the south and north of Vittorio Veneto. A geological and geomorphological survey enabled us to point out the surficial characteristics of the Vittorio Veneto basin, carved in the Tertiary Molasse. In order to characterize lithology and geometry of the Quaternary sediments and reconstruct the geometry of the bedrock-surface, about sixty borehole stratigraphies were analyzed. Bedrock- surface dips gently northwards: an effect of the tectonic activity of the Montello thrust. Maximum thickness of Quaternary sediments (more than 80 m) is located south of the Serravalle gorge. Three Quaternary sedimentary units have been recognised in the subsurface of the Vittorio Veneto basin: 1) a sandy-gravelly body (with maximum thickness of about 70 m) of alluvial and glacial origin that almost completely fills the Vittorio Veneto basin and contains an important aquifer; 2) thinner sedimentary bodies (with medium thickness about 10-15 m) that form the alluvial fans at the base of the reliefs and are composed of a close sequence of silts, muds and clays interbedded with thin gravelly levels; 3) finally in the Lapisina valley, north of Serravalle gorge, prevailing sands with lenses of lacustrine silts and peat deposits form a sedimentary body that locally reaches 20-30 m in thickness.
This paper discusses a positive approach to employee selection utilising concepts from positive  organisational behaviour. It takes a thematic approach to positive selection covering topics of being  dynamic, outcomes focussed, contextual, holistic, transparent, and be a positive experience for  applicants and selectors alike. The paper introduces the concepts of a dynamic view of merit and  critical success factors in supporting a positive process. Data from interviews of HR managers are  used to illustrate the themes. Challenges for HR managers in obtaining support to develop and  implement positive selection are highlighted.
The review of literature gives current views on the role of antiplatelet therapy in the treatment and secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. Relying on the data of evidence-based medicine, the author provides analytical characteristics of all platelet antiaggregants that have been put through worldwide clinical trials. The benefits and risks of each agent are shown in both monotherapy and combination therapy. The basic principles of choice of antiplatelet drugs for patients with acute stroke and postischemic stroke are outlined.
Kap ardika ( Cypraea moneta Linn.) are the choice of drug for many indications in Ayurvedic practice . These are the sea products and obtained from seacoast. These were once used for playing purpose by children, ornamental purpose by women and used as money unit since ancient time . Literatures of ancient science and current available materials are reviewed to highlight the importance of Kapardika . This literary information may serve as an evidence to establish current research in ancient Ayurvedic systems. Key w ords - Ayurveda, Kapardika, Cypraea moneta
Cytological examinations of lung impression preparations from 131 smoker lungs revealed that the content of smoker cells within lung tissue increases up to a daily consumption of 40 cigarettes. Additional cigarette consumption does not raise the number of smoker cells further. Determination of the nuclei content in the smoker cells of groups with different consumption rates showed that the number of macrophages with more than two nuclei increases in proportion to the number of cigarettes smoked. If more than 50 cigarettes a day were smoked, many multinucleated giant cells were observed. Anamnestic inquiries proved that these cytological changes in the lungs were caused exclusively by the smoking habits of the deceased. Not only the number of cigarettes used per day, but also the manner of inhalation and peculiarities of cigarette smoking are reflected in the morphological changes of lung tissue. For the forensic pathologist, examination of lung impression preparations from smoker lungs makes it possible to note the quantity of daily cigarette consumption of a dead person to help to identify the deceased.
The majority of ocular media and tissues are lifelong exposed to electromagnetic radiations. O series of photochemical and photobiological events take place in these tissues and especially in the lens and the retina, thus resulting a permanent changing of their optical and functional qualities; the result of most of these events is the appearance of fluorescent molecular aggregates due to the alterations of initially non-fluorescent molecules or to accumulation processes (these are the endogenous fluorophores; their quantity and intraocular distribution is age- and light-exposure-linked and can be altered by pathology). Willingly or not, fluorescent substances can be introduced in the eye through its hematic barriers (these are the exogenous fluorophores).
Chitinase catalyses the hydrolysis of β-1,4-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine linkages of the fungal cell wall polymer chitin and is involved in the inducible defenses of plants. The aim of this research was to isolate and clone chitinase cDNAs from the seed of winged bean. Chitinase gene fragments were isolated from a winged bean seed cDNA library using two sets of degenerate primers corresponding to the conserved regions of chitinase class I and IV. The poly A + mRNA was reversed transcribed and further amplified using RT-PCR. A 1.1 Kb fragment was selected, cloned and sequenced. A nucleotide se- quence comparison identified the fragment as a Class I basic chitinase cDNA; this fragment was subsequently used as a probe to screen for a full length transcript from the cDNA library. Library screening resulted in the isolation of a 1324 bp clone designated CHRZP; encoding a polypeptide of 289 amino acids containing the diagnostic N-terminal cysteine-rich domain of class 1 chitinases. CHRZP showed 47% similarity to a chitinase sequence from Rice and to another class I winged bean chitinase (ChitiWb1) at the amino acid level. RNA blot hybridization revealed that CHRZP mRNA accumulates to the highest level in leaves followed by tubers and pods. Southern hybridization analysis indicated that this gene is likely to be present as a single copy in the winged bean genome.
This symposium was organised by Dr Michael South (Monsanto/Searle Discovery Research, USA), and Dr Alex Bridges (Parke-Davis, MI USA), as a half-day symposium within the Medicinal Chemistry Division of the ACS. It was intended to provide an update to the chemical community of recent develop-ments in signal transduction enzymes, especially the progress towards clinical evaluation of a number of classes of ATP site-directed inhibitors. This is a rapidly expanding field, as judged by both the near capacity attendance and the number of additional posters on this subject at the meeting. Michael South opened the symposium with the comment that there were a large number of kinase enzymes now known. These show considerable homology at the ATP site, and it was thus originally expected that inhibitors targeting this site were unlikely to be selective. However, the discovery of potent and selective ATP site inhibitors has been a major step forward in the development of clinical agents.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present research on motivated bias and self-deception in ethical decision-making in public relations. Self-deception might explain how professionals evade mental stress in conflicting situations and manage to be persuasive even when they have to act contrary to their own morals or to public interests. Since self-deception impedes moral reasoning, the research purpose is to gain insights on its origins so that effective counter-measures can be developed.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the state of research on moral dilemmas in public relations and on self-deception in psychology is outlined. Second, four professionals are interviewed to explore typical conflicts of interest and to develop a realistic scenario that gives rise to a moral dilemma. Third, a small sample of professionals (n=9) is confronted with the developed scenario in a qualitative online questionnaire to analyze their reasoning.FindingsResults indicate that self-deception in response to moral dilemmas exists in public relations practice. Typical conflicts of interest, boundary conditions for motivated bias and counter-measures are identified. Experienced professionals in leading positions seem to have the confidence to reject mandates they perceive as immoral. Counter-measures against self-deception should therefore address young professionals and practitioners with low advisory influence.Originality/valueWhile public relations research mostly presumes professionals as rational actors, this study sheds light on irrational practices. In contrast to common practice of expert interviews, an indirect and implicit methodological approach is applied to capture unconscious processes of motivated reasoning.
The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) contributes fundamental advances to nuclear physics by colliding a wide range of ions. A novel electron cooling section, which is a key component of the proposed luminosity upgrade for RHIC, requires the acceleration of high-charge electron bunches with low emittance and energy spread. A promising candidate for the electron source is the recently developed concept of a high quantum efficiency photoinjector with a diamond amplifier. To assist in the development of such an electron source, we have implemented algorithms within the VORPAL particle-in-cell framework for modeling secondary electron and hole generation, and for charge transport in diamond. The algorithms include elastic, phonon, and impurity scattering processes over a wide range of charge carrier energies. Results from simulations using the implemented capabilities will be presented and discussed.
With the deepening and development of optometry ophthalmology teaching reform,educational technology with a core of computer technology plays an important role in optometry ophthalmology teaching. In order to resolve problems in traditional theory teaching of retinoscopy,digital technology was introduced into the teaching,which can improve the quality of teaching,arouse students’ interest in learning,and realize the teaching interaction.
This paper gives the general description and econometric analysis to analize the changing trend of total health expenditure of china from1978—2006.We found that the total health expenditure accounted for 4.5% of GDP, and elasticity coefficient was 1.11 by making the modeling.From the structure analysis, the government budget investment was inadequate in health spending ,and there were issues such as equity in the health costs of urban and rural residents. the paper suggests that increase the government investment and further perfect medical security system to improve equity etc.
Suppose we have a multinormal population with k possible outcomes E/sub 1/, E/sub 2/, ..., E/sub k/ and associated probabilities ..pi../sub 1/, ..pi../sub 2/, ..., ..pi../sub k/. At each of the independent trials, one of the outcomes is observed. One may be interested in the waiting time for the occurrence of a specified event, which consists of a succession of outcomes. In this paper, we consider the probability distribution of the waiting times associated with specified events, and show how they generalize the Fibonacci, Tribonacci, ..., sequences in different ways. This is possible, since the probability generating functions of the associated waiting time random variables can be utilized to derive the probability distributions.
The microvasculature of human hard and soft palate and lip originating from four infant males and six females, aged 6 months to 2 years was studied by scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts and light microscopy of India ink injected specimens. The capillary loops of the hard palate mucosa and vermilion border of the lips were found to be tall, numerous and consisted of primary, secondary and tertiary loops. Those of the soft palatal and labial mucosa were short, few in number and demonstrated a simple hair-pin shape originating directly from the subpapillary vascular network. It was concluded that the configuration of capillary loops is not only determined by the shape of the connective tissue papillae in the lamina propria but also influenced by the functional demands characteristic of the different areas of the oral mucosa.
This paper presents an analysis of beam losses along the current design of the FNAL 3 GeV Superconducting CW linac. Simulations from the RFQ exit up to the end of the linac (∼440 meters) are performed using the beam dynamics codes TRACK and TRACEWIN. The impact of beam mismatch, element misalignments and RF jitter on the beam dynamics is discussed and corresponding beam loss patterns are presented. A correction scheme to compensate for misalignments is described.
This is the story of the Troy Haymakers, a pioneer baseball team legendary for their exploits on and off the field. Formed in 1860 in Troy, New York - an industrial city experiencing rapid growth - the team was embraced by the tough-minded Trojans as emblematic of their vigorous boomtown, which rivaled larger, better-established communities. The Haymakers were a strong amateur club before becoming a charter member of baseball's first major league, the National Association, and subsequently being awarded a franchise in the National League. Reflecting the working-class nature of the city, team rosters were filled with characters and scalawags along with talented players, including four future Hall of Famers. After losing its National League franchise in 1882, Troy fielded minor league teams for 34 years - with a wistful eye to Haymaker history.
according to environmental protection vacuum plating in aluminum foil paper folding bounce after bigger,appear poor folding fault,lead to cigarette packaging equipment is difficult to adapt,can't use the normal production and the difficult problem,by FOCKE350S packing unit as an example,the material properties and packaging folding principles were analyzed,the application of cigarette packaging unit on the exploration,and got a problem to solve.
Jose Angel Gutierrez was a founding member of the Mexican American Youth Organization (MAYO) in San Antonio in 1967, and a founding member and past president of the Raza Unida Party, a Mexican-American third party movement that supported candidates for elective office in Texas, California, and other areas of the Southwestern and Midwestern United States. In this photo he is standing next to a woman and writing on a clipboard.
The dove has been the international symbol of peace for as long as anyone can remember and , if numbers count , the more doves , the greater the tranquility. And tranquil are the aviaries of Lynn Hall, which are filled with the brilliant colors and resonant sounds of over two dozen species of rare doves, pigeons, and fruit pigeons. When one conjures up an image of a dove, it is often of the mourning or turtle dove - natives of North America - in their plain, earth tone colors. The word " pigeon" more often than not evokes the thought of swarms of birds begging for handouts at the local park or fast food chain. These duller members of the Columbiformes belie the incredible beauty and diverse patterns of size and color found in so many species, most of which are found in more exotic and further reaches of the globe. Some of the fruit pigeons easily rival the gaudiest parrot and the surrealistic Lady Gouldian finch. Lynn has been a bird fancier from his earliest days, when, as the son of a wildcatter, the only companions he had were the birds he kept. Life in the oil business meant never staying in one place very long , as his father moved from one drilling site to the next.
This paper has discussed about freeradical solution copolymerization of itaconic acid and acrylonitrile and methyl acrylate was carried out in DMSO using azodiisobutyronitrile as initiator. The resulting polymerization solution was spun to form PAN precursors of carbon fibres, then oxidized and carbonized in our laboratory, the structure and properties of resulting PAN precursors and the abnormal spinning conditions were characterized by SEM and TEM ,also in the oxidization and carbonization.It was shown that the morphology structure of fibre cross section has heredity and expanding tendency as stabilization of PAN precursors, PAN fiber has been used as the precursor for making highperformance carbon fibers.the precursor with high quality should has high tensile, high perferred orientation and so on which needs fewer flaws inside carbon fiber and fewer surface flaws on the fiber.
Objective To report the experience and clinical value of ureteroscopic pneumatic lithotripsy(URSL).in the treatment of ureteral calcali associated with stubborn renal collie.Methods 35cases ureteral calculi associated with stubborn renal colic in failed ESWL were treated by ureteoscopic pneumatic lithotripsy.Results 33cases were successful.2cases were failed.Conclusion ESWL is the preferred method to treat ureteral calculi associated with renal colic.We must grasp skilful operation in URSL.URSL is a good choice for the treatment of ureteral calculi associated with stubborn renal colic and a salvage alternative for failed ESWL.
The objective of this study was to specify the effects of centrifugation and different surface of soybean lecithin-based extender on post-thaw Sperm quality of Ghezel ram semen. Semen samples were gathered from 5 mature Ghezel ram two/week for 3 weeks. After initial evaluation, the approved semen samples were pooled together and split into equal parts in Falcon tubes. Three samples were combined with Tris buffer at 30 ˚C and then centrifuged to remove the seminal plasma. After centrifugation and removal of the supernatant, samples were diluted with Tris-citrate-fructose extender + different concentrations of soybean lecithin (1%, 1.5% and 2% weight/volume) with 7% glycerol; and residual one samples, which were not centrifuged, were diluted with the (1.5% weight/volume) soybean lecithin. Samples then cooled to 5 ˚C and frozen in 0.25 mL French straws and straws were thawed in a 37 ˚C water bath. The results of different concentrations of soybean lecithin showed that total motility (TM) and motion parameters of average path velocity (VAP), straight-line velocity (VSL), curvilinear velocity (VCL) and lateral head displacement (ALH) and and the percentage of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes were significantly higher in soybean lecithin (SL) 1.5% compared to other semen extenders (P<0.05). Total motility and sperm-motion parameters (VAP, VSL, VCL and ALH), in SL1.5% without centrifugation were higher than the groups with 1%, 1.5% or 2% and with centrifugation (P<0.05). Generally, the results suggest that SL1.5% extender was better (with or without centrifugation) than other extenders in most in vitro evaluated sperm parameters.
The Family and Schizophrenia - William R McFarlane and C Christian Beels Perspectives from Contemporary Research Treating Families with a Member Diagnosed as Mentally Ill - Michael R Fox Once You Have Doubts, What Have You Got? - Steve de Shazer A Brief Therapy Approach to 'Difficult Cases' Alcohol Use and Misuse - Thomas Edward Smith A Systemic Conceptualization for Practitioners Treating Families with a Chemically Dependent Member - Thomas C Todd The Family, Delinquency, and Crime - Carl E Pope Family Approaches to Treating Delinquents - James F Alexander et al Neglect in Families - Alfred Kadushin Treatment of Families Who Neglect Their Children - James M Gaudin Jr Public Policies and Families - Catherine S Chilman Federal Mental Health Policy - Brian L Wilcox and Mary Uyeda Its Unhappy Past and Uncertain Future Public Policy and Noninstitutional Care of People with Mental Disorders - Catherine S Chilman
In a simple theoretical framework, the quality of institutions affects individual investment decisions, and hence impacts income levels and distribution. When institutions deteriorate and inequalities increase, the incumbent undertakes redistributive taxation to maintain political support. The quality of institutions and the extent of redistribution depend on the degree of government responsiveness to citizens, and on the credibility of the political opposition to the incumbent. The econometric analysis is based on both single equation models and systems of equations. Good institutions are found to reduce the Gini coefficient and to increase average income, growth, and income of the poor. However, some non-linearities are detected in the institutions–Gini relationship.
Objective To find out more effective and more safe treatment measure for infantile autumn diarrhea by examining effectiveness of smecta treating the disease randomly. Methods 126 patients from our hospital 2002,July to 2002,October were divided into two groups , treatment group and control group . treatment group were treated with taking oral smecta and injecting GNS for 4～7 days, control group with taking oral Ribavirin and injecting GNS for 3～7 days.Results Effective rate of two groups were 94% and 92.7% respectively. There were no significant difference between two groups(P0.05).There were no side reaction in treatment group and the patients feel easy to take oral smecta, while gastrointestinal side reaction throwing up and nausea aggravated in control group.Conclusion There were definite effectiveness in smecta treating infantile autumn diarrhea and worth to popularize.
The effects of different plant hormones on the sunflower callus induction were investigated with MS as the basic culture medium. Consequently,the best culture medium for callus induction was selected out.Compared with Cotyledons,euphyllas,and Hypocotyls,Cotyledons and Hypocotyls was the best explant for sunflower tissue culture.The callus of sunflower which was induced from the medium containing 50,100,or 150mmol/L NaCl was successfully regenerated and transferred into the soil.
independent multidisciplinary group of diabetes health professionals, made available to healthcare professionals a series of leaflets on monitoring blood glucose aimed for use by the person with diabetes. Both of these approaches were positive steps towards achieving clarity of a seemingly difficult situation. Owens et al (2004) and the DMF (Cavan and Hawthorn, 2004) comprehensively covered the need and absolute requirements for home blood glucose monitoring, covering all treatment types and situations in a way that is easily applied to clinical practice. However, the leaflets produced by the DMF embraced the situation with a more practical aspect because they focused on patient need, offering people with diabetes specific advice in accordance with their treatment type. The leaflets also outlined the responsibilities of the healthcare professional in providing SMBG education. This went some way towards recognising the problems with SMBG that were outlined by the Diabetes UK surveys (Diabetes UK, 2004a; Diabetes UK, 2004b; Diabetes UK, 2004c). P roblems surrounding people with diabetes monitoring their own blood glucose is now attracting major specialist press attention. Relevant issues related to clinical practice, such as inappropriate use, lack of training and education have been reported (Cavan and Hawthorn, 2004; Kerr, 2004; Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, 2004; Reynolds and Strachan, 2004), resulting in controversial prescribing restrictions and suggestions that meter results may be inaccurate (Rosindale et al, 2004). In 2004, Diabetes UK carried out surveys of attitudes and practices of both healthcare professionals and patients (Diabetes UK, 2004a; Diabetes UK, 2004b). The results supported the previously described issues of disparity in the content of education delivered by healthcare professionals and also highlighted accuracy as one of the important qualities that patients wanted from their meters (Diabetes UK, 2004b). In the same year, Owens et al (2004) published guidelines for self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Also at that time the Diabetes Monitoring Forum (DMF; Blood glucose meters in the community: Are the results accurate?
In mid-2009 the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) commissioned some urgent research aimed at a snapshot assessment of the impacts of the global financial and economic crisis on the agro-food sector of Central and Eastern Euro-pean and Central Asian countries. The objective was to propose policy options which can be applied by the FAO and other public au-thorities to lessen the undesirable effects of the current or future crises in the agro-food sector. This paper reports the results of the re-search conducted in Kyrgyzstan on three agricultural sub sectors: wheat, sunflower and dairy. About 70 in-depth interviews were conducted with major stakeholders such as farmers, traders, processors, banks and government officials in different regions of the country. The crisis had an impact on Kyrgyz agro-food sector value chains, though different stakeholders responded differently. Agricultural producers and processors were affected by the crisis, and farmers were affected more than other stakeholders. By con-trast, the impact on the banking sector vis-a-vis agriculture was quite minor: a small increase the risk premium on credit. The Gov-ernment has been making efforts to mitigate the consequences of the crisis, support local producers, and especially farmers growing wheat, but these have been largely ineffective.
The political havoc caused by the carbon emission reduction policy in Australia started on 30 April when the opposition leader Kevin Rudd proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) and ended up on 24 February 2011 with the Julia Gillard Government announced the Clean Energy Bill (CEB). This study uses the event study technique to analyze carbon emitter's abnormal stock return as a "gauge" to discuss the advantages and disadvantages in implementing the CPRS and CEB policies in Australia. Since the electricity companies Santos and Origin are on the list of Australia's top 50 carbon emitters and hold the largest shares in Australian Stock Exchange, we used them as a sample of big carbon emitters in the study. The overall results indicate that the big carbon emitters do not support the CEB as they are heavily taxed under this policy for their carbon emission. They prefer CPRS policy which forces them to buy emission rights when they exceed their allocated quota. Furthermore, this policy assists them to reduce the carbon emission gradually by adopting better technology. These findings have two main implications: (1) carbon tax under CEB policy generates additional government revenue. (2) The CPRS facilitates carbon emission reduction in long-run.
Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (mHE) consists of cognitive deficits found on neuropsychological and/or neurophysiologic methods in patients with liver disease, present most commonly in cirrhosis. Patients suffering from mHE may have psychomotor slowing and cognitive deficits affecting their ability to perform many activities of daily life, especially driving and other activities requiring subtle cognitive abilities. It has been now been shown that patients with mHE improve after treatment with agents like lactulose and other therapeutic interventions. Neuropsychological and neurophysiologic tests have been widely used and have shown the greatest promise for the detection of mHE. Commonly used psychometric tests include trailmaking tests (number and figure connection tests) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) for verbal and performance skills. Among the various neuropsychological or psychometric tests, trailmaking tests and block design and digit symbol tests from WAIS-performance battery appear to be adequate for diagnosis of mHE. Standardized tests including NCT A and B, line tracing, serial dotting test and digits-symbol test (PSE syndrome test) validated in German patients need validation in other populations. Both exogenous evoked potentials and endogenous event-related potentials have been used extensively in diagnosing mHE. However, the event-related P300 wave is the most consistent wave and can be considered the electrophysiological counterpart of the psychometric tests as both involve active use of the cognitive faculties. Other new tests like the critical flicker frequency have shown some promise but further studies are required to substantiate initial results. In conclusion, a combination of at least two psychometric (trailmaking tests [NCT or FCT], block design and digit symbol test) and neurophysiological tests (P300 auditory evoked potential or electroencephalography with mean dominant frequency) appears to be optimal in detecting mHE.
In the first decade of the twentieth century, American motion picture production was concentrated in Chicago and on the East Coast, with busy companies swarming over New York, Philadelphia, and, particularly, Fort Lee, New Jersey. By the mid-teens, this concentration had shifted to California, a place which attracted producers with its mild climate and endless variety of landscapes. But this westward migration did not happen all at once. Distribution of the era demanded a new one-reel film from every company each week. To keep up, producers had to churn out movies like sausages, despite the vagaries of weather or location. It was common for the major studios to send companies to "winter headquarters" for months at a time, which allowed filming to continue unabated and offered audiences novel settings for stories. By 1910, Biograph, Selig, Essanay, Kalem, Lubin, and Pathe had sent troupes to Los Angeles, Bison had a branch in Colorado, and Revier worked out of Salt Lake City. The Manhattan-based Melies Star Films Company headed south to the colorful, beautiful, and historic Texas city San Antonio. For one year the stock company of actors, technicians, and "real Cowboys, Indians and Mexicans" made one-reel Western comedies and adventures in "a varied and attractive landscape that makes a beautiful background for such dramas as may be enacted in the West," according to The New York Dramatic Mirror, (19 April 1911). Georges Melies was one of the cinema's founding fathers. His marvelously imaginative films, such as A Trip to the Moon (1902), not only had a profound influence on generations of filmmakers, but were also enormously popular with the public. However, Melies's success bred problems. In America, where copyright laws were lax, Melies films were widely copied and pirated by unscrupulous distributors (Lubin among them). Georges's older brother Gaston managed the London branch of the Melies family's boot making business. When the branch closed, Gaston joined Star Films as business manager. In 1902, he went to New York to oversee the distribution of his brother's films and to keep an eagle eye on those who would unfairly profit from them. In the first American Star Films catalog, Gaston printed a stern warning: A great number of French, English and American manufacturers of films who are searching for novelties, but lack the ingenuity to produce them, have found it easier and more economical to advertise their poor copies as their own original conceptions. All these pretensions are false. [These films] are the personal creations of Mr. Georges Melies, who himself conceived the ideas, painted the accessories, and acted on the stage. In opening a factory and office in New York we are prepared and determined energetically to pursue all counterfeiters and pirates. We will not speak twice, we will act!" (Melies 5) Between 1902 and 1908, Gaston primarily acted as an administrator. Though now and again he produced a newsreel like The Yacht Race (1903), Gaston was generally content to stick to the books and let Georges make the movies. But Georges's painstaking process became impractical when Star Films joined the Motion Picture Patents Company in January, 1909. The "Trust" required all of its members to release a new film each week, too brisk a pace for Georges to keep up; Gaston was stuck with a well-oiled distribution machine and too little product to send through it. He had only one option: to make movies himself. After producing a handful of films in Fort Lee, Gaston sent his son Paul and Wallace McCutcheon to San Antonio to scout a good location for winter headquarters. McCutcheon, a former actor and stage director, had made films with Edwin S. Porter at the Edison Company and had been the major director at Biograph until the mantle was claimed by a newcomer named D.W. Griffith. McCutcheon and young Melies leased a ranch house and several acres of land near hot Wells hotel, a sulphur springs resort. …
Objective To establish a diagnostic method for ABO genotyping and to provide a simple and reliable technique for safe transfusion and identification of complicated blood group. Methods ABO genotyping method was developed by using multiplex-PCR-RFLP and PCR-SSP techniques. Results We developed a set of methods, which were stable and accurate for ABO genotyping. This diagnostic system were excellent for ABO genotyping after implementation. Conclusions We have established an reliable ABO genotyping diagnostic system.
Author(s): Dullmann, Christoph E. | Abstract: In recent years, the concept of physical preseparation of single atoms which are produced in nuclear fusion-evaporation reactions was introduced into the field of nuclear chemistry. Physical preseparation includes the following steps: (i) synthesis of the desired nuclear species in a heavy-ion-induced nuclear fusion reaction, (ii) separation of the evaporation residues from the unreacted beam and the majority of the transfer products in a physical recoil separator, (iii) extraction of these "preseparated" isotopes from the separator through a thin window, (iv) thermalization, e.g., in a gas-filled volume or a heated catcher, and (v) transport to the chemistry setup. Among the most important advantages of this concept are the drastically reduced background of species that interfere with the unambiguous detection of single atoms (transfer products, products of the beam with various components of the target assembly or target impurities) as well as the beam plasma free conditions in the recoil chamber where the evaporation residues are thermalized. A notable class of elements where this concept promises to allow significant progress is the one of the transactinide elements (Z104). The Berkeley Gas-filled Separator (BGS) is the first device that was used as a preseparator for chemical studies of such elements. Studies of rutherfordium (Rf, element 104) with the automated liquid-liquid extraction system SISAK profited from the very low background of species whose decay is interfering with the unambiguous detection of the transactinides in the SISAK liquid scintillation counters. Another set of solvent extraction experiments (using different crown ethers as extractants) took advantage of the additional freedom that the chemist enjoys when using preseparated isotopes. Unlike in conventional experiments, where the main focus in the choice of the chemical system was dominated by the need of quantitative separation of the elements of the studied group from all other elements, a chemical system that probes the differences of the chemistry of the individual members of a given group can now be chosen. The physical separator provides an isolation of the selected elements.As another exciting example of the new possibilities, studies of new compound classes in the gas phase will be discussed in some more detail. The mild conditions in the recoil chamber, without beam-induced plasma, allow for the direct introduction of organic and other thermally unstable compounds into this chamber. Thus, completely new compound classes of the transactinides, that were not previously accessible, can be investigated. These include, e.g., volatile metal complexes or organometallic compounds. First studies concentrated on volatile ?-diketonates of the lighter homologs of Rf, hafnium (Hf) and zirconium (Zr). Hexafluoroacetylacetone (hfa) was used as a ligand and the thermochemistry and kinetics of the reaction of hfa with Zr and Hf was invstigated. In a brief outlook, the main features of a new preseparator, the TransActinide Separator and Chemistry Apparatus (TASCA) which is currently under construction at GSI, will be presented.
The physical-chemical parameters characterization of Mindu Reservoir, whose 50% of its waters is being plagued by aquatic weeds, involved the analyses of water and sediment samples that were collected during the dry season. As the nutrients levels of Mindu waters were determined, phosphorous (TP - PO 43- ) levels were found to be high enough for supporting eutrophication process. Likewise Nitrogen/Phosphorous ratios average of 8.51 ± 4.32 suggested a Redfield behavior of nutrients with nitrogen being a limiting one. The dominant clay minerals of the Mindu surficial sediments were found to be kaolin and illite, where as the Cation Exchange Capacity values were found to be high enough for the sorption of nutrients and pollutants. Both river inflows, overlay-flows and sediments forms the mode of transport of nutrient, with the later behaving as sinks of nutrients through out the year. The evaporation, bio-geo-chemical and Nitrogen fixation processes along with macrophyte productivity, support the hypotheses that physical-bio-geo-chemical processes influences the spatial distribution of major ion in the Mindu Reservoir. These findings classify Mindu as eutrophic, calcium magnesium bicarbonate type. A detailed multidisciplinary study that involves more than one year cycle was recommended, to capture inter seasonal variability, and for the modeling of the sequestration of nutrients in various trophic levels.
This exploratory study seeks to further our understanding of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) programs in the Accountancy schools of Australian universities. It emphasises the significance of the role of the university in monitoring and administrating these programs. The study uses a qualitative method with mainly open-ended questions via an online questionnaire. The responses from senior accounting academic decision-makers identified the major forms of WIL used and the most challenging issues. WIL is perceived to be an important program that should be included in degree courses, and strong efforts should be made to overcome the challenges involved in conducting such a program.
Urogenital Sinus (UGS) malformation can be ascribed to an arrest of normal embryonic vaginal development. Neonates with UGS frequently have ambiguous genitalia, rarely the vulva may be normal. The aim of this work is to define the role of prenatal sonography in the diagnosis of UGS associated with hydrocolpos and/or hydrometrocolpos. The Authors report their experience on 3 cases of UGS without ambiguous genitalia with hydrometrocolpos, in which prenatal sonography had shown a cystic dilatation in the pelvis. After birth the 3 neonates presented with female genitalia and a single orifice between the labia. The pelvis sonography showed in all the cases an hydrometrocolpos with a large vagina and a compressed and anteriorly located bladder. Voiding cystourethrogram, genitography and genitoscopy confirmed the presence of an UGS with urinary retention inside the vagina and stenosis of the distal portion of the vagina itself. An early drainage of the capacious vagina was performed in the three patients. There are very few reports in the literature of UGS with hydrometrocolpos diagnosed in utero. The cystic dilatation of the vagina is always misdiagnosed with a distended bladder. In utero, infact, the bladder can not be identified being displaced anteriorly by the vagina. The presence of a fluid-debris level inside the cystic anechoic mass must be considered a crucial finding. Multiple echoes are due to vaginal secretions. Prenatal ultrasound has then a definitive role in detecting an obstructed genital tract. This allows to rapidly drain the vagina relieving urinary tract obstruction.
Content for the user's taste is disclosed that the content receiving apparatus, and a program stored in a recording medium to be downloaded automatically. The content receiving apparatus includes reference to the preferred variation is the weight of the smallest agent largest receive content priority from the content to the ranking service server or peer-to-peer (Peer-To-Peer, P2P) network stored in the content storage unit to the agent table. This device is a program that performs content reception device and a content receiving operation is content to suit your tastes can be automatically downloaded. Further apparatus for the program to perform a content receiving device and content receiving operation can easily grasp the degree of similarity of content preference tendency of the user's taste and each agent for the content. P2P, content
Objective: To summarize experience on the diagnosis and treatment to gastric leiomyosarcoma.Methods: The clinical data of 31 cases gastric leiomyosarcoma were analyzed retrospectively.Results: Gastrointestinal barium meal,B ultrasound, gastroscopy,computer tomography(CT) and digital subtraction anglography(DSA) were useful for diagnosis of gastric leiomyosarcoma.In 31 cases of gastric leiomyosarcomas,20 were treated with radical operation,11 were subtotal gastrectomy or palliatively resected.The prognosis of patients underwent radical surgery was better than the other treatments.Conclusion:Combined examination of preoperative gastric endoscopy and operative fast frozen biopsy contribute to the diagnosis of gastric leiomyosarcoma,and radical operation is the best choice of the surgery treatment.
Among the decoding algorithm for low-density parity-check(LDPC) code,belief propagation(BP) algorithm has good performance but high complexity,while min-sum algorithm has simple implementation complexity but worse performance.Considering the trade-off between performance and complexity,the relationship between the value of overestimate under min-sum algorithm and the input information is analyzed,and an improved min-sum algorithm is proposed.Simulation results show that the improved min-sum algorithm remains similar performance with the traditional BP algorithm,but has less complexity.
Introduction: The six-minute walk test is a simple test used to assess the exercise capacity. Variability is noted in the six-minute walk distance in different populations. Obesity also affects the six-minute walk test results. The aims of the study were to examine the relationship between body mass index and post exercise oxygen saturation and to establish a reference equation for the six-minute walk distance in young adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 106 subjects of age 18-25 years. The participant walked as fast as possible on a flat surface for six minutes. After a six-minute walk test, oxygen saturation and the distance walked were recorded. Results: Body mass index was negatively correlated with oxygen saturation (r=-0.587,p<0.001). Mean six-minute walk distance for males was 584.43±23.71 m and for females 469.85±30.38 m (p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed sex and height as independent predictors of six-minute walk distance. The contributions of sex and height were statistically significant and explained 87.3% variance in the six-minute walk distance. Conclusion: Although the correlation between body mass index and oxygen saturation was statistically significant, the oxygen saturation values were still within normal range. Sex and height were the most significant predictors of the six-minute walk distance.
Background. Stroke patients with mild-moderate upper extremity motor impairments and minimal sensory and cognitive deficits provide a useful model to study recovery and improve rehabilitation. Laboratory-based investigators use lesioning techniques for similar goals. Objective. To determine whether stroke lesions in an upper extremity rehabilitation trial cohort match lesions from the preclinical stroke recovery models used to drive translational research. Methods. Clinical neuroimages from 297 participants enrolled in the Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Arm Rehabilitation Evaluation (ICARE) study were reviewed. Images were characterized based on lesion type (ischemic or hemorrhagic), volume, vascular territory, depth (cortical gray matter, cortical white matter, subcortical), old strokes, and leukoaraiosis. Lesions were compared with those of preclinical stroke models commonly used to study upper limb recovery. Results. Among the ischemic stroke participants, median infarct volume was 1.8 mL, with most lesions confined to subcortical structures (61%) including the anterior choroidal artery territory (30%) and the pons (23%). Of ICARE participants, <1% had lesions resembling proximal middle cerebral artery or surface vessel occlusion models. Preclinical models of subcortical white matter injury best resembled the ICARE population (33%). Intracranial hemorrhage participants had small (median 12.5 mL) lesions that best matched the capsular hematoma preclinical model. Conclusions. ICARE subjects are not representative of all stroke patients, but they represent a clinically and scientifically important subgroup. Compared with lesions in general stroke populations and widely studied animal models of recovery, ICARE participants had smaller, more subcortically based strokes. Improved preclinical-clinical translational efforts may require better alignment of lesions between preclinical and human stroke recovery models.
Accounting information plays a key role in the foundation process of public sector decisions. Financing budget deficits, treasury risk identification (availability risk), formation of tax claims, foundation of financial sustainability for public investment projects are just some examples of using accounting information in decision-making process of credit accountant. How can we use and process accounting information in the foundation of public investment projects? We will try to answer this question in the content of this paper. The revenues and expenses, as accounting information, are necessary for determining the actual financial net value and/or the actual economic net value. These indicators have decisive information power in accepting and / or rejecting public investment projects. In the current economic context, the importance of investments is major for at least three reasons: the first one is a highly circulated reason in the last 20 years: the increase of technology, the alignment of the technology used in the alignment of competitors from the European market and even worldwide; the second reason is linked to the support of economic growth in crisis conditions through a policy of major investments especially in the infrastructure sector; the third reason, which derives from the second one, is that of post-accession grant funds available for investment both in private and public sectors. The importance given to public investments is also revealed by the authorities' approach to establishing key areas of interventions under grant programs (with programs designed to both public and private environment) designed exclusively to carry out public investment programs (for example the POS Transport). In this context, the present research is intended to be a documentary of the role that accounting information plays in decision-making process that precedes the development of an investment, especially as most major investments are made in the public domain.
We used the fluorescence method for the investigation of the sensitivity of several kinds of cell cultures to the infection with the parainfluenza virus 3 (PI-3). Cultures from calf kidneys were the most sensitive while we did not determine any differences between primary cultures and cultures of the first and second subpassages and/or freshly cultivated or incubated cultures over seven days at a temperature of 37 degrees C. Equal values of infection titres like on the cultures of calf kidneys were determined by immunofluorescence also on the kidney cells of lambs though the presence of the infection was not accompanied by cytopathic changes. Infection of pig kidney cells appeared only after the inoculation of 10(3) TKID50 and higher doses of the virus, the infection having a very slow course of development without detectable cytopathic changes. Fluorescent findings were identical in different tissues. Antibodies present in the culture medium stopped the spreading of the infection by neutralizing the virus released from the cells, however, not the primary infection. The increase in the content of antibodies in the medium led - by inhibiting the intercellular virus - to the slowing down of the growth of primary fluorescent lesions.
The study was aimed at evaluation of diagnostic usefulness, prepared by own method, of a set of latex reagents for identification of enteropathogenic strains of E. coli (EPEC). EPEC strains in feces of 334 children with diarrhoea were searched by application at the same time of two methods: used routinely to this time slide agglutination test with commercial OK sera for enteropathogenic serotypes of E. coli and by a latex test with application of warmed culture of investigated strain in peptone water and polystyrene latex coated with immune globulins for O antigens of EPEC serotypes. By application of both methods EPEC strains were found in 50 (15.04%) children, by a latex test in 94 (28.1%) and by agglutination with OK sera in 67 (20.1%) of tested patients. Conformity of results obtained by both tests amounted to 82%. The latex test was found more useful for identification of EPEC strains because of simplicity of performance, higher sensitiveness and better repeatability of results, when compared with agglutination test with live E. coli and OK sera.
Dimerization of retroviral genomic RNA is essential for efficient viral replication and is mediated by structural interactions between identical RNA motifs in the viral leader region. We have visualized, by electron microscopy, RNA dimers formed from the leader region of the prototype lentivirus, maedi visna virus. Characterization by in vitro assays of the domains responsible for this interaction has identified a 20 nucleotide sequence that functions as the core dimerization initiation site. This region is predicted to form a GACG tetraloop and therefore differs significantly from the kissing loop palindromes utilized to initiate dimerization in primate lentiviruses. The motif is strongly conserved across the ovine and caprine lentiviruses, implying a critical functional role. Furthermore, the proposed GACG tetraloop exhibits marked structural homology with similar structural motifs present in the leader regions of the alpha- and gamma-retroviruses, and the maedi visna virus dimer linkage region is capable of forming heterodimeric species with the Moloney murine leukemia virus Psi domain. This may be indicative of commonality of origin of the two viruses or convergent evolution.
Child is one of the most sensitive issues of societies and states in all around the world. Also, “childhood” is such a stage of life that arouses the interest of every segment of society. News about child in the press arouses more interest compared to other topics of news. The “newsworthiness” of news about child sometimes brings about the phenomenon of child abuse in media. What is more, the content and quality of news about child in the press give important clues regarding the value and status of child within society. For this reason, in this research it was aimed to study the content of news about child in the press in Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The research reviewed 4 national newspapers with largest circulation, everyday between March 2012 and May 2012. The news were analyzed according to the region of the country; if the news source is domestic or from abroad; the topic of the news; target group of the news; the content of the message (positive/negative); and, type and category of the news. Content analysis was applied to the collected data. According to the analysis results, the topics of the news are mainly about education, culture-art, and social solidarity-charity, and news with negative message are generally about child abuse. Findings of the research were analyzed according to the way they reflect child’s status and value in society in Cypriot culture. Keywords: Child in the press, child culture, the value of child, child in Cypriot culture
According to the results of previous research, the genetic algorithm (GA) is a good technique for finding near-global optimal solutions for group optimization. There are three main factors that affect the performance of genetic algorithms: the operator selections; parameter settings and chromosome structure representation, which have previously been left to the user. Dynamic parameter setting is a method that is applied to find the optimal settings for the GA parameters and operators. In this research we presented the mathematical functions, which has been shown to improve the performance of genetic algorithms for empirical test-beds. These models are a generic approach, which encompasses a wide range of possible situations.
Nowadays there are different products used to treat skin disease, nevertheless there is not a systematized method for the right dosage. This might lead to unsuccessful treatments and patient-physician frustration. Is important for physicians to be aware of giving detailed and practical instructions on how to apply a topical medication. Equally important is to be well familiarized with the classic and new procedures reported in literature to calculate the right amount and the most beneficial way to use a topic medication. We have to understand that the
A nitrogenous carbon material characterized by satisfying a specified relational expression between the atomic number ratio of carbon atom to nitrogen atom and the atomic number ratio of carbon atom to hydrogen atom and by having peaks in specified regions of X-ray diffraction and laser raman spectrum. This nitrogenous carbon material can be produced by carbonizing azulminic acid in an inert gas atmosphere, and, because of high nitrogen content and low hydrogen content, is useful as an electrode material, etc.
MOST TRANSIT OFFICIALS ARE WELL AWARE THAT INSTALLATION OF A RAIL RAPID TRANSIT LINE ATTRACTS REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENTS WHOSE ECONOMIC BENEFITS PAY FOR THE TRANSIT SYSTEM MANY TIMES OVER. THE MOST RECENT EXAMPLES ARE TORONTO AND SAN FRANCISCO. IN THE LATTER CASE A DEVELOPER SUCCESSFULLY PUT IN A $45 MILLION RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT LOCATED 20 MINUTED BY CAR FROM THE END OF THE TRANSIT LINE; PEOPLE WERE ATTRACTED BY THE PROSPECT OF MEDIUM PRICE HOUSING WITH GOOD ACCESS TO THE CITY. THREE OTHER PROSPERING DEVELOPMENTS HAVE BEEN PUT IN WITHIN SHORT DISTANCES OF BART STATIONS. IN GENERAL, HOWEVER, DEVELOPERS ARE INTERESTED IN ACCESS, NOT THE FORM IT TAKES. WHERE THEY SUPPORT TRANSIT, OR BUILD THEIR PLANS AROUND IT, IT IS USUALLY BECAUSE THE STREET AND HIGHWAY SYSTEM IS INADEQUATE, FOR THE CHOSEN LOCATION, TO COPE WITH THE ANTICIPATED INTENSITY OF DEVELOPMENT THAT DEMAND WILL PRESUMABLY SUPPORT. TRANSIT IS PREFERABLE FROM THE STANDPOINT OF INTENSITY BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PARKING CAN BE DISPENSED WITH AND THE SPACED UTILIZED MORE PRODUCTIVELY. AN ADDED FACTOR IN THE CONFIDENCE INSPIRED BY NEW LINES IS THAT THEY ARE GENERALLY LAID OUT IN CONJUNCTION WITH OVERALL DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR A METROPOLITAN AREA.
Competition and the rise of low-cost carriers have resulted in persistent worldwide downward pressure on air fares. In the meantime, air carriers and travelers are facing the upward trend of various airport, air navigation and security fees. These are fees for facilities and services provided by government or quasi-public authorities, and appear to be not subject to the same level of competition or cost control as the air carriers themselves. An example of this trend is the rise of facility charges in Canadian aviation markets, especially the air traveler security charge introduced to pay for air security measures undertaken after the events of September 11, 2001. This is a flat fee regardless of air ticket price or distance traveled. This implies a disproportionately higher percentage increase in the total price of short haul air travel compared to long distance flights. Much short haul air travel has a potential substitute via surface trips. Therefore, it is likely that the airport security fees on short haul air travel will cause some diversion of trips to the automobile. Because the crash and fatality rates of road transport are higher than for commercial air travel, the current Canadian aviation security fees will lead to an increase in transport injuries and deaths. This paper provides some initial estimates of the magnitude of these road safety impacts resulting from aviation security fees. The calculations are rough, but about 250,000 air travelers per year divert to car trips due to the air security fee. This will be associated with about one or two car crash fatalities, and about 75 to 140 injuries and many more minor incidents.
To produce better pallets, the higher quality parts should be used in the more vulnerable positions in the pallet. To determine the feasibility of doing this, pallet parts cut from commonly used lumber mixes were graded into four quality levels. The distributions obtained indicate that sufficient numbers of high-quality parts can be cut from existing raw material to allow selective placement. Four species groups - eastern hardwood, southern pine, Douglas-fir, and a small amount of western hardwood - were included in the study.
The primary purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that a range of proposed government actions can and often should be evaluated in a way that includes their effects on personal freedoms. This is illustrated in the case of efforts directed toward recreational boating safety in the United States, and evolves from a multi-year study to recommend the composition of an appropriate risk management system for that subject. The proposed system seeks to determine best safety/security decisions, in a way that reflects Community roles, values and resources, and that includes effects on "freedom" in the calculus of costs and benefits associated with alternative actions. Its extension to Regional Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning is discussed. There were 738 reported deaths in U.S. recreational boating accidents in 2009. There is a community interested in preventing boating accidents that includes the U. S. Coast Guard, agencies of each of the States and many localities, various non-profits and interest groups, and, of course, boaters themselves. The ethos of boating and related law are such that proponents for imposed safety measures, including boat and operator requirements and restrictions, must take into account the discretionary nature of this activity. Thus, the question, familiar in U.S. public decision-making, is how best to balance and apportion the risks, costs and changes in participant enjoyment or freedom to act connected with choices that might be made to enhance safety. This paper describes a proposed risk management system the development of which took place over a ten year period by a varied group of participants under a grant to the Marine Safety Foundation. The proposed system recognizes that any policy analysis must consider multiple objectives for different stakeholder groups. It is intentional in incorporating the views, values and resources of Community members in its analyses of proposals for safety actions. It is also intentional about incorporating "freedom" as a value in play, (along with the costs to different parties and changes in risk/safety that might result,) in the quantitative analysis of its choices for safety interventions. Thus, these risk management guidelines comprise a structure of values reflecting U. S. political outlook, group relational elements, analytical processes and critical characteristics of its subject. As presented in its final report, published last winter, it includes a computer-enabled process, (developed by participants from Innovative Decisions, Inc.,) to weigh changes in risk, cost and "freedom" connected with proposed safety options. This model for an integrating framework incorporates probabilistic risk analysis, value-focused thinking for examining critical tradeoffs using multi-attribute utility analysis, and analysis of alternatives across multiple stake holders and boating classes. An in-depth analysis of the human-error causes of fatal boating accidents was also performed during the course of this project. It points out the most serious accident causes, which are seen to vary across different boat types, and provides another basis for identifying needed safety interventions. The outlook and approach developed in the course of this project are useful in a wide range of government decisions where actions intended to provide security or other aspects of the "greater good" demand a balance of rights and obligations among multiple stakeholders with different values, helping to rationalize the essential give-and-take of our political process.
Educational service system, a user device to play the learning content, generating a device information input by a user input provided by the present invention; Based on the device information input unit that the learning conditions for calculating the user's status information, and select the recommended contents according to the user status information; And groups providing learning contents provided by the learning content to the user device corresponding to the recommended content of a plurality of the learning content stored comprises parts.
BACKGROUND We conducted two independent nested case-control studies to identify circulating inflammation markers reproducibly associated with lung cancer risk and to investigate the utility of replicated markers for lung cancer risk stratification.   METHODS Nested within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, the previously published discovery study included 526 lung cancer patients and 592 control subjects and the replication study included 526 lung cancer case patients and 625 control subjects. Control subjects were matched by sex, age, smoking, study visit, and years of blood draw and exit. Serum levels of 51 inflammation markers were measured. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated with conditional logistic regression. All statistical tests were two-sided.   RESULTS Of 11 markers identified in the discovery study, C-reactive protein (CRP) (odds ratio [OR] [highest vs. lowest category] = 1.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23 to 2.54), serum amyloid A (SAA) (OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.28 to 2.76), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 (sTNFRII) (OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.18 to 2.45), and monokine induced by gamma interferon (CXCL9/MIG) (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.41 to 3.00) were associated with lung cancer risk in the replication study (P trend < .01). In pooled analyses, CRP, SAA, and CXCL9/MIG remained associated with lung cancer more than six years before diagnosis (P trend < .05). The incorporation of an inflammation score combining these four markers did not improve the sensitivity (77.6% vs 75.8%, P = .33) or specificity (56.1% vs 56.1%, P = .98) of risk-based lung cancer models.   CONCLUSIONS Circulating levels of CRP, SAA, sTNFRII, and CXCL9/MIG were reproducibly associated with lung cancer risk in two independent studies within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, underscoring an etiologic role for inflammation in lung carcinogenesis, though replication is needed in other populations. Markers did not improve lung cancer risk stratification beyond standard demographic and behavioral characteristics.
This paper presents a simple and systematic approach to use of a practical voltage mode based sliding mode controlled for buck converters operating in continuous conduction mode. In the use of sliding mode control (SMC) in dc-dc converter, major problems arise like variable switching frequency. The switching frequency fixation can be achieved by implementing SM controller in discrete domain. The discretization behaviors of equivalent SMC of dc-dc buck converter are investigated. In particular, one of the most frequently used discretization schemes for digital controller implementation, the zero-order-holder discretization, is studied. Some inherent dynamical properties of the discretized SMC systems are studied. Based on MATLAB and SIMULINK model, the simulation results of such kind of dynamics behaviors are also addressed.
As more colleges and universities coordinate institutional research as a support system for long-range planning, new analytical tools are necessary. A system developed to project the effects of statewide policy alternatives say have wide applicability to other institutions and multi-institutional planning groups. The Instructional Cost Index procedure deals with only two levels of information. The first is the index that provides summary information, pointing out differences, for example, between indices of two institutions. The second level is the numerical values of the policy variables that explains the numerical differences of the indices. (MJM) MISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS COPY. TED MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Stu ERNAND ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING R AGREVEENTSWTH THE NATIONAL INTE QF EDUCATION FURTHER REPRO. OH OUTSIDE THE ERIC SYSTEM RE. ES PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT ER 111111 Voi. 3, No. 6: 5/6 December 1974 for higher education US DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION &WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO OUCEO EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGP NezATION ORIGIN A TING IT POINTS OP view OR CNNIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OrFsCiAL NATIONAL m51E:UTE Or EDUCATION PM! TION OR POLICY A Simplified Approach to Interinstitutional Cost Comparison As more colleges and universities coordinate institutional research as a support system for long-range planning, new analytical tools are necessary_ A system developed in Massachusetts to project the effect of statewide policy alternatives may have wide applicability to other institutions and multi-institutional planning groups. The Instructional Cost Index was developed by George Beatty, Jr, and Warren W. Gulko, of the Office of Budgeting and Institutional Studies, University of Massachusetts, and by Bernard S. Sheehan, Office of Institutional Research, University of Calgary. An earlier version of this report was delivered at the SCUP9 Conference in Denver in July, 1974. In 1973, the presidents of the one hundred and eighteen public and private colleges and universities of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts formed a Public/ Private Forum on Higher Education. The Forum's purpose is to further cooperation among the schools in responding to numerous statewide policy proposals. Early in its deliberations; the Forum found that intelligent decisions could not be made without quantifiable data to support assessments of current situations and forecasts of future trends. To deal with the need for additional data, a small working committee was established to advise the Public/Private Forum on basic higher education information appropriate for influencing policy decisions. Tne initial committee project, referred to as the Cost Study, is directed toward developing uniform cost analysis procedures. Efforts have been made to utilize the analytical developments of other groups and agencies so that the recommendations adhere to accepted educational data reporting standards, yet remain appropriate to the unique mix of public and private institutions in Massachusetts. Objectives of the Cost Study In the context of limited time and resources, the following are primary objectives of the Cost Study: To identify the magnitude of direct instructional cost differences among the colleges and universities in the State. To provide information on factors which contribute to instructional cost differences. To provide a reasonable basis for comparative interpretation and analysis of instructional cost
The purpose of this experiment is to grow large, high-quality single crystals of the organic metal (TMTTF-TCNQ) by the diffusion method without thermal fluctuation due to convection and gravitational sedimentation, and to evaluate the difference in properties between such crystals grown in low gravity and the ones obtained on Earth. The expected results may fix several physical properties of TMTTF-TCNQ, lead to the discovery of new phenomena, and enable us to analyze diffusion processes in a precise way. The result will contribute to the development of research on organic metals and, generally, on crystal growth.
I developing countries like India percentage of population indulged i n s m o k i n g h a s b e e n i n c r e a s i n g day by day causing morbidity and mortality in old as well as young population by putting smokers at higher risk of atherosclerosis leading to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents. Many mechanisms have been considered regarding altered lipid profile in chronic smokers. Smoking is associated with increased homocysteine level in blood which causes oxidative modification in LDL cholesterol and decrease in HDL cholesterol.
This paper discusses the importance and feasibility of data compression in remote data communication of electric energy data acquisition system,and points out the existing information redundancy in the communication datagram from the aspect of information theory,and then proposes a method of applying data compression before transmitting data to reduce the transmission time and increase the transmission efficiency.Moreover,under circumstances that public wireless communication techniques such as GPRS or CDMA are the dominant data transmission approaches,data compression can not only reduce the cost of data transmission,but also save communication cost for electric enterprises.Simulation experiments with the classic lossless compression algorithm LZ77 show that fairly good performance can be achieved for common long datagram such as electric energy data and electric energy quality data.Furthermore,for low-voltage household residential electric energy data acquisition,data compression will greatly reduce the data transmission time,which provides a guarantee for fast electric energy data acquisition,and improves the efficiency of the electric energy data acquisition system.
Two distinct TR alpha cDNA clones (TR alpha A and TR alpha B) were isolated from conger eel (Conger myriaster). The deduced amino acid sequences of the conger eel TR alphas showed higher homologies to the TR alphas of other vertebrates than to TR betas. Determination of TR mRNA in metamorphosing eels was performed using competitive RT-PCR. Of the two TR alpha mRNAs identified, TR alpha A mRNA expression was shown to be relatively higher than that of TR alpha B, and there was a peak in the expression of each during metamorphic climax. We hypothesize that both TR alphas play important roles in morphological differentiation during metamorphosis. The expression pattern of TR beta 1 mRNA was also higher during metamorphic climax and high levels of expression continued after metamorphosis. This suggests that TR beta 1 is the adult fish form which appears at high frequency after metamorphosis. It was also shown that TR beta 2 is highly expressed specifically in the brain and pituitary gland in larvae and juvenile forms including during metamorphosis and there was a peak in TR beta 2 mRNA in the elver after metamorphosis. Thus, we propose that TR beta 2 plays an important role in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.
Here is a quirky look at one hundred of New York's offbeat shops and shop windows. The businesses featured range from such Manhattan mainstays as Macy's and Katz's Delicatessen to the idiosyncratic, including the 99' store on East 14th Street, or Dr Rico Perez's drugstore in the Bronx. At a time when much of New York is succumbing to the uniformity of the mall and the ubiquity of the chainstore, this book is a precious record of the shops that are bucking the trend.
Based on the study on heading conditions in coal mine,a dual-mode gas discharge fuzzy model is developed in this study.In the model,there is one reciprocity exits among four inputs.Consequently,it is difficult to assign weights among four inputs.Analytical Hierarchy Process(AHP) and ANN methods are adopted to decouple four inputs and determine four weight values.To exert preponderance,a new synthesized method is proposed.Also, altering weight and measurement is considered.Based on theoretical analysis and simulation,a gas discharge experiment system involving TMS320LF2407DSP and Intelligent Power Module(IPM) is established.The real-time control system has been programmed using C mixed Assemble language.The experimental system achieves gas discharge fuzzy control adjustable-speed system function.Experimental results demonstrate that fuzzy control model and DTC adjustable-speed system are effective to perform the function required.
A 2016 paper by M Wilkinson in Physical Review Letters suggests that large-deviation theory is a suitable framework for studying unexpectedly rapid rain formation in collector-drop collision processes. Wilkinson derives asymptotic approximation formulae for a set of exact large-deviation functions, such as the cumulant generating function and the entropy function. The asymptotic approach assumes a large number of water droplet collisions and is motivated by the fact that the exact large-deviation functions are prohibitively difficult to deal with directly. Wilkinson uses his asymptotic formulae to obtain further results and also provides numerical work which suggests that a certain log-density function for the collector-drop model (which is a function of his asymptotic approximation formulae) is itself approximated satisfactorily. However, the numerical work does not test the accuracy of the individual asymptotic approximation formulae directly against their exact large-deviation theory counterparts. When these direct checks are carried out, they reveal that the asymptotic formulae are, in fact, rather inaccurate, even for very large numbers of collisions. Their individual inaccuracy is masked by their incorporation into log-density functions in Wilkinson's numerical work. Their inaccuracy, as well as some assumptions underlying their derivation, severely limit their applicability. The present note points out that it is quite possible to develop accurate analytical (i.e., non-asymptotic) approximation formulae for the large-deviation theory functions in the collector-drop model which also preserve the forms of the leading order power terms in Wilkinson's asymptotic formulae. An analytical approximation approach can be developed based on a Euler-Maclaurin formula. The resulting analytical formulae are extremely accurate and valid for all relevant numbers of collisions and time scales.
Summary form only given. We present a novel method of producing a high-density /spl sim/10/sup 12/-10/sup 14/ cm/sup -3/, large (500-2500 cc) volume, high-pressure air constituent plasmas. An organic gas, Tetrakis (dimethyl-amino) ethylene (TMAE), seeded in high-pressure air constituent gases is pre-ionized by a 193 nm excimer laser (300 mJ, 20(/spl plusmn/2) ns) and then sustained by the efficient absorption of the radio-frequency (rf) power (1-25 kW pulsed) through inductive coupling of the wave fields, thereby reducing the rf initiation power budget. A multi-turn helical antenna is used to couple rf power through an rf matching network to sustain the plasma. TMAE plasma density and decay recombination mechanisms with and without the background gas are examined using a 105 GHz interferometer. Optical emission spectroscopy is also employed to study the process of delayed ionization of the seed gas and rf creation of air constituent plasma and determine the plasma temperature. RF wave penetration and projection of plasma away from the source region are also examined for different gas flow rates.
The invention relates to an electrical circuit arrangement (2), in particular for a control device of a motor vehicle, with at least one with a connecting element (3) electrically connected to circuit board (1) in a housing (14) is arranged, which with the connecting element (3) is closed, wherein the printed circuit board (1) is guided in at least one receptacle (22) of the housing (14). It is provided that a thermal contact (26) between the housing (14) and circuit board (1) by at least one of the receiver (22) associated with the elastic element and / or after the closure of the housing (14) from the outside made mechanical deformation ( 23) of the receptacle (22) for urging the printed circuit board (1) against the housing (14) is provided. The invention further relates to a method for producing an electrical circuit arrangement (2).
PTFE composite film was prepared by biaxial stretching process. SEM analysis showed that biaxial stretching could get higher porosity compared with uniaxial stretching,the smaller pore size and higher porosity could meet the waterproof and permeability. The results indicated that the processing conditions,which were 0.1 MPa coating pressure,60 ℃ drying temperature,10 s drying time and 0.1 MPa composite pressure,could get the best properties of steam permeability and stripping.
With the rapid development of power market and national economy,the problem of power quality has caused widespread concern of all electric power departments and users over the world.The quality of power supply is not high will cause interruption in some important production process, leading to the decline of industrial products'quality,thus causing serious economic losses.According to the nonstationarity of power quality disturbing signal,by analyzing wavelet transform theory,using the characteristic that wavelet transform can highlight the local characteristics of signals,this article analyzes the judging and locating method of which wavelet transform can disturb power quality such as grid voltage sags and periodic pulse.The corresponding simulation results show that wavelet transform is the effective way to judge and locate power quality disturbing.
In view of the widely held misconceptions of emission trading in the academic and the practical arena, this paper points out that understanding of emission trading should be based on the whole framework of Coase Theorem. This paper makes a comprehensive analysis of the Key issues of Coase Theorem, including transaction cost, property right and criteria for policy instruments selection, etc. which will facilitate better understanding of the policy instruments of emission trading and help use it more efficiently in environmental problem solving.
The distributions of radial stresses induced by axial strain acceleration along the radius of solid and tubular specimens were obtained by using elasticity mechanics analysis,the radial stress distribution of the solid specimen was compared with that of the tubular one under the same conditions.Using the tubular SHPB test method,the changes of the stress distribution during dynamic compression were obtained;the relationship among the strain,strain rate and strain acceleration in the dynamic compressive damage were analyzed;the lateral confinement level during the dynamic process was estimated.The influence of the radial inertia on the dynamic compressive strength of cement mortar was analyzed by comparing the calculated with the experimented.The investigated results can provide reference for large diameter SHPB test design,data processing method and application of DIF of concrete material.
Bi4(GexSi1-x)3O12(BGSO)solid solutions with x=0-0.40 have been prepared by solid reaction method.The crystallization behavior was investigated.Pure BGSO phase was obtained when the mixtures of Bi2O3,GeO2 and SiO2 were sintered at about 900 ℃.XRD patterns showed that Bi4Si3O12 and Bi4Ge3O12 completely dissolved into each other and the lattice increased linearly with x value.BGSO crystal with x=0.15 was grown successfully by the modified vertical Bridgman method.Transparent crystal was obtained and its optical properties were measured.
Based on the practical experience of the demonstration of atmospheric pollutant emissionpermit in recent years,this paper shows the important function of pollutant discharge permit systemin China’s environmental management and suggests a proposal to implement pollutant discharge permit system in China's air environment management before 2000.It further demonstrates that thedemonstration experience will offer valuable experience for the inclusion of pollutant discharge permitsystem in the new version of”Air Pollution ControI Act of People's Republic of China”。
Members of the Student Clinical Ethics Committee discussed the ethical and legal issues arising in a case referred for consideration – the family of a very elderly non-English speaking Asian lady did not want her to be informed that she had incurable lymphoma. The case study summarises the reflections of the Committee and focusses on: the role of cultural norms in healthcare decision making; the extent to which the views of the family about what is best for the patient should be respected, whether the patient should have been informed of her terminal diagnosis and the role of the clinician in navigating complex family dynamics.
Purpose: The Polycomb group gene, EZH2, functions as a transcriptional repressor involved in gene silencing. Amplification of EZH2 has been reported in several malignancies, including prostate, breast, and lymphoma. We evaluated EZH2 mRNA and protein expression in bladder specimens from patients and the EZH2 mRNA expression in five bladder cancer cell lines. Experimental Design:EZH2 mRNA expression was assessed by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) in 38 bladder tissue specimens. We also evaluated 39 bladder cancer specimens for EZH2 protein expression using immunohistochemistry with affinity-purified antibodies to human EZH2. In addition, five human bladder cancer cell lines were analyzed by RT-PCR for EZH2 mRNA expression. Results: Five of 14 (36%) nontumor bladder specimens versus 21 of 24 (88%) bladder tumors showed EZH2 mRNA expression (P = 0.003). All of the invasive tumors (10 of 10) had detectable EZH2 mRNA expression, compared with 11 of 14 (79%) superficial tumors. In addition, EZH2 mRNA expression was noted in 100% (16 of 16) of high-grade bladder tumors versus 50% (4 of 8) of low-grade tumors (P = 0.01). EZH2 protein expression, meanwhile, was increased in neoplastic tissue compared with nontumor urothelium (78% versus 69% of nuclei, P < 0.005). There were no differences in EZH2 protein levels between superficial and invasive tumors. High-grade tumors had increased EZH2 staining compared with normal urothelium (78% versus 68%, P < 0.005), whereas low-grade lesions did not. Four of five human bladder cancer cell lines expressed high levels of EZH2, whereas only low levels were detected in one cell line. Conclusions: We report a significant increase in EZH2 expression in transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder compared with normal urothelium. These data suggest that similar to other human malignancies, increased EZH2 expression correlates with oncogenesis of the bladder.
FAMOUSLY, WALTER BENJAMIN distinguished the story from the novel, in terms of the authority of the told versus the perplexity of the written: "The storyteller takes what he tells from experience his own or that reported by others. And he in turn makes it the experience of those who are listening to his tale." But, Benjamin goes on, the "birthplace of the novel is the solitary individual, who is no longer able to express himself by giving examples of his most important concerns, is himself uncounseled, and cannot counsel others." Rather the novel can only give "evidence of the profound perplexity of the living" (1969: 87). While the spoken story possesses authentic counsel and authority, Benjamin claims the novel can speak only of our perplexity. Although Conrad's fictions repeatedly attempt to replicate the storyteller's situation and foreground the told nature of the narration, in each case the effect is somehow to inauthenticate what is being narrated or at least destabilize the narrator's authority. The Conradian novel insists, in a myriad of ways, that knowledge is local and provisional, and, of necessity, partial. Moreover, as things turn out in Victory, the counsel - Heyst senior's and the professed wisdom of Western imperialism - turns to ashes.According to his many visitors over the years, Conrad was a spellbinding storyteller. His spoken voice, although heavily accented, seemed to create an experience for listeners that held and moved them. Edward Said has noticed that in his fiction as well: "Conrad never lets us forget that written narrative transcribes a told narrative" (1983: 96), and that "the dramatic protocol of much of Conrad's fiction is the swapped yarn, the historical report, the mutually exchanged legend, the musing recollection," involving a speaker and a hearer and often "a specific enabling occasion" (1983: 94). Although this storytelling situation is rehearsed in most of Conrad's fictions, as Said and others have noted, the written texts chronicle an anxiety about authority, especially the authority of the European self in the colonial world. The usual intent of his fictions, in fact, is to foreground the failures of the Victorian fathers, the smash-up of their dreams of progress, and the inadequacy of various patriarchal inheritances, more the stuff of the inconclusive novel than of the gripping story that provides counsel. Victory, in particular, narrates the bankruptcy of European expansionism and the consequent perplexity of the bewildered self unsupported by the authority of imperial discourses or of any sovereign power that might justify and centre the European self. It chronicles the failure of Western patriarchal inheritances of both public policy and personal philosophy - empire and Heyst senior's philosophy of pessimistic, paralyzing withdrawal - and does so in a particularly peculiar narrative manner, as though the narrative itself were a site of disorder.In no other Conradian fiction is the tension between the solitary novelist and the authoritative storyteller so pronounced. We are made to sense through the unruly, disruptive narration the consternation of an author who understood his task to be to "make you see" (The Nigger of the "Narcissus" x) and yet was aware of himself as the uncounselled novelist writing out of his own darkness with only uncertainty and bewilderment to report. While many studies have examined the narrative irregularities at work in Conrad's fiction written before 1910, few have thought in these terms about Victory, a popular work at the time of its publication but later disparaged and dismissed by many as melodramatic, second-rate Conrad. Others have noticed Victory's narrative instability and have either denounced it as careless craftsmanship or have written to justify its use and explain its effects artistically and thematically. I also find the discontinuous narrative to be purposeful, in the main, rather than incompetent, but would argue, from the vantage point of the early twenty-first century, for its rather different thematic effects. …
Lead-based electro ceramics like PZT are the most commercially used as sensors, actuators and transducers due to their excellent electromechanical response, however The environmental concerns and the legislation imposed on hazardous materials, lead is considered toxic and its use is banned for many applications.Therefore the alternative lead free electroceramics have become the focus of research in both industry and academia. In our present work among the several families of lead-free, we will focus on the bismuth-based ferroelectric ceramics due to their excellent piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties.In brief this thesis we will emphasize on the improvement of ferroelectric and field-induced strain properties of BNKT-LS ceramic system by different alovilent and isovalent B-site substitutions. The effect of zirconium (Zr+4), niobium (Nb+5) and tantalum (Ta+5) substitution for the B-site in the host perovskite unit cell on the dielectric, electromechanical and piezoelectric properties of lead-free 0.99[Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2TiO3]-0.01LiSbO3 (BNKT-LS) piezoceramics has been investigated.The ternary BNKT-LS system was synthesized using low temperature conventional solid state reaction method.Crystal structure, dielectric, ferroelectric and field-induced strain behavior of Zr modified lead-free 0.99[Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2(Ti1-xZrx) O3]-0.01LiSbO3 (BNKTZ-LS) ceramics were investigated in composition range x = 0 - 0.040. XRD patterns revealed the formation of pure perovskite phase with no apparent structural phase transition with pseudo cubic symmetry for the compositions at low concentration of dopants although there were some traces of secondary phases at higher concentrations.The temperature-dependent dielectric peaks of the BNKTZ-LS ceramics broadened and ferroelectric polarizations decreased with increasing Zr concentration. Ferroelectric and bipolar field induced-strain curves indicated a disruption of ferroelectric order upon Zr addition into BNKT-LS ceramics.This destabilization of the ferroelectric order was accompanied by an enhanced field-induced strain.A high field-induced strain (S = 0.30%) with a normalized strain (d* 33 = Smax/Emax = 500 pm/V) was observed at an applied electric field of 6 kV/mm at x = 0.020. The Ta-modified 0.99[(Bi0.82Na18)TiO3-(Bi1/2K1/2)TiO3]- 0.01LiSbO3 (BNKTT-LS) piezoceramics were also synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction method.The effect of Ta addition into the BNKT-LS ceramics were studied through X-ray diffraction, dielectric, temperature dependent ferroelectric and field-induced strain characterizations.As the Ta content was increased, the maximum dielectric constant as well as the depolarization temperature (Td) decreased.The polarization and strain hysteresis loops indicate that the addition of Ta significantly disrupts the ferroelectric order of the BNKT-LS ceramics leading to a degradation of the remnant polarization and coercive field. However, the destabilization of the ferroelectric order is accompanied by a significant enhancement in the unipolar strain.A large unipolar field-induced strain of 0.38% with a normalized (d* 33 = Smax/Emax = 650 pm/V) at a driving field of 6 kV/mm was obtained at room temperature for x = 0.013.This significant strain enhancement is a result of the reversible phase transition between a NP phase in a zero field and a field-induced ferroelectric phase. Finally the effect of Nb-substitution on the dielectric, electromechanical and piezoelectric properties of Pb-free 0.99[Bi1/2(Na0.82K0.18)1/2Ti1-xNbxO3]-0.01LiSbO3 (BNKT-LS) piezoelectric ceramics has been investigated. Xray diffraction analysis reveals pseudo-cubic symmetry for the compositions with x = 0 - 0.030. Both the dielectric constant er and depolarization temperature Td decreased with an increase in Nb content. An analysis of the electric field induced polarization and strain hysteresis loops indicated that Nb substitution disrupted the long range ferroelectric order of BNKT-LS ceramics.This degraded the remnant polarization, coercive field and piezoelectric coefficient d33 while the electric field induced strain increased (peaked at x=0.015) to 0.43% corresponding to a normalized strain (d33 * = 614 pm/V) at a deriving field of 7 kV/mm.This abnormal strain enhancement may be attributed to the reversible phase transition between the polar and non-polar phases. At high Nb concentrations, BNKNb-LS ceramics shows a typical relaxor behavior. So for all dopants the increase in concentration results in a decrease in the maximum dielectric constant as well as the depolarization temperature Td, the disruption of the long range ferroelectric order, the degradation of remnant polarization, coercive field and piezoelectric coefficient d33.This was also accompanied by enhancement in the electric field induced strain.This abnormal strain enhancement could be attributed to a reversible phase transition between polar and non-polar phase for all systems.For high doping level BNKT-LS ceramics showed a typical relaxor behaviour.
We have used solar frequencies obtained from 1 year of observations with the LOWL instrument to investigate the radial stratiication of the Sun. Models which include the diiusion of helium and heavy elements below the solar convection zone are found to have a structure much closer to that of the Sun than models without diiusion. Also, models constructed with the Livermore (OPAL) equation of state seem to match the real Sun better than models constructed with the MHD equation of state. Finally, we nd that an increase in the value of Z=X reduces the diierence between models and Sun.
This study focuses on learners' two characteristics: motivation and learning strategies.In the field of English as a second language(ESL),learners' motivation and learning strategies determine how fast and how wellthey acquire the language as well as getting involved in other country.This paper attempts to explore Chinese ESL learners' motiva-tion in English and how they employ different learning strategies to practice or facilitate their English learning in class and beyond class.
Background: The effectiveness of paraprofessional home-visitations on improving the circumstances of disadvantaged families is unclear. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the effectiveness of paraprofessional home-visiting programs on developmental and health outcomes of young children from disadvantaged families. Methods: A comprehensive search of electronic databases (e.g., CINAHL PLUS, Cochrane, EMBASE, MEDLINE) from 1990 through May 2012 was supplemented by reference lists to search for relevant studies. Through the use of reliable tools, studies were assessed in duplicate. English language studies of paraprofessional home-visiting programs assessing specific outcomes for children (0-6 years) from disadvantaged families were eligible for inclusion in the review. Data extraction included the characteristics of the participants, intervention, outcomes and quality of the studies. Results: Studies that scored 13 or greater out of a total of 15 on the validity tool (n= 21) are the focus of this review. All studies are randomized controlled trials and most were conducted in the United States. Significant improvements to the development and health of young children as a result of a home-visiting program are noted for particular groups. These include: (a) prevention of child abuse in some cases, particularly when the intervention is initiated prenatally; (b) developmental benefits in relation to cognition and problem behaviours, and less consistently with language skills; and (c) reduced incidence of low birth weights and health problems in older children, and increased incidence of appropriate weight gain in early childhood. However, overall home-visiting programs are limited in improving the lives of socially high-risk children who live in disadvantaged families. Conclusions: Home visitation by paraprofessionals is an intervention that holds promise for socially high-risk families with young children. Initiating the intervention prenatally and increasing the number of visits improves development and health outcomes for particular groups of children. Future studies should consider what dose of the intervention is most beneficial and address retention issues
We studied the test results of carotid ultrasonography and pulse wave velocity against a sample of hyperlipemia and diabetes mellitus. Sixty four hyperlipemia samples (HL), 85 diabetes mellitus samples (DS), and 27 complicated samples (CS) were compared with 56 healthy samples (HS). Hyperlipemia samples were selected from cholesterol under 300 mg/dl, and neutral fat under 300 mg/dl. Diabetes mellitus samples were selected from fasting plasma glucose (FBS) under 200 mg/dl. Samples from severe conditions with various disease were excluded. Ratio over 1.1 mm intima-media thickness (IMT) was 0% in HS, 48% in HL, 40% in DS and 33% in CS. PWV value was max 1896cm/s in CS. There was no significant correlation within IMT, serum lipid(Total Cholesterol, Neutral Fat, HDL-Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol) and FBS. For early treatment or accurate diagnosis of arteriosclerosis in hyperlipemia or diabetes mellitus patients, who are at high risk of developing arteriosclerosis, to vital function tests (carotid ultrasonography and pulse wave velocity) should be performed, in addition to normal blood tests.
Nine white New Zealand rabbits were submitted to internal carotid embolization with microspheres which caused a histologically verified focal cerebral ischemia. Six animals were sham-operated. EEG, QEEG, ECG, blood pressure, rectal temperature and platelet aggregation were monitored in basal conditions and one hour after ischemia. Embolized animals showed an increase in power density spectrum (PDS) and delta activity (0.15-3.70 Hz) and the appearance of platelet aggregation. The QEEG changes were correlated to the degree of platelet aggregation after ischemia.
This article discussed the modules design and functions implemention of Web-based OA system .It introduced the implemention of key functions such as affair reminding and system security in this OA system.This system based on B/S mode with simple manipulation through web browser.the synthesis operation of data is base on multilevel mode:Client scripts and programs on Server background,the function of DBMS(Database management software),which can gracely equilibrate the load of Server and Clients
This article details a series of carefully designed experiments aiming at evaluating the influence of automatic pre-annotation on the manual part-of-speech annotation of a corpus, both from the quality and the time points of view, with a specific attention drawn to biases. For this purpose, we manually annotated parts of the Penn Treebank corpus (Marcus et al., 1993) under various experimental setups, either from scratch or using various pre-annotations. These experiments confirm and detail the gain in quality observed before (Marcus et al., 1993; Dandapat et al., 2009; Rehbein et al., 2009), while showing that biases do appear and should be taken into account. They finally demonstrate that even a not so accurate tagger can help improving annotation speed.
Individual typological characteristics were studied in first- and fourth-year female students. It was shown that the dominant somatotype was micromesomatic in the first-year students and macrosomal in the senior students. Body component composition was studied in the examinees. No significant average group differences were found in the absolute and relative body fat content in the students. The somatotype distribution using the weight-height ratio indicated significant differences in fat components in the female representatives of different types of constitution.
This article is dedicated to the minimal invasive method of the frontal sinus anterior wall fractures treatment. Incidence of fractures of the frontal sinus anterior wall is increasing rapidly. For the prevention of inflammatory complications the minimal invasive surgical treatment is required. Our method of the minimal invasive treatment of fractures of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus enables to securely fix bone fragments and to eliminate their displacement in the post-operative period. Reposition is performed by Limberg’s hook installation through the 10 mm long transcutaneus approach. Fixation of the fractures is conducted by introduction of spokes to the bone fragments of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus; these spokes in turn, are fixed to the intact bones of the facial scull with spoke-fixation device. Such a careful approach to the bone fragments creates favorable conditions for the regeneration of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus.
This research aimed to observe the effect of addition of marine yeast culture in diet on carcass quality of broiler. The research used 240 unsex day old chicks of Hubbard strain. The research method was experiment arranged in Completely Randomized Design with nested using 2 factors. The first factor was 2 different feeds: P1(corn : concentrate = 60% : 40%) and P2 (corn : concentrate : rice polishing = 60% : 30% : 10%), the second factor was 3 levels of addition of yeast culture: L0= 0%; L1=0.1%; and L2=0.2%. Each treatment was repeated 3 times, every unit experimental consisting of 10 DOC. The variables included carcass percentage, abdominal fat percentage, meat fat percentage, and meat cholesterol. The result of this research showed that the diet did not significantly affect (P>0.05) carcass and meat fat percentages, but significantly affected abdominal fat (P 0.05) affect carcass and abdominal fat percentages, but significantly affected (P 0.05) affect carcass, abdominal fat, and meat fat percentages, but it significantly affected meat cholesterol (P The conclusion of this research was that the P1 diet gave the optimal effect on carcass quality of broiler. The addition of marine yeast culture 0.1% (L1) on P1 diet gave the optimal effect on carcass quality of broiler (JIIPB 2008 Vol 18 No 2: 102-115) . Keywords: marine yeast culture, feed, broilers, carcass, abdominal fat, meat fat, meat cholesterol
In this essay, the author explores the experience of taking a class of educators in a Master’s course to visit the Leather Archives and Museum (LA&M). Situated within a course on Social Theory, the author explores the possibility of doing justice to the sexual subject – in particular the queer sexual subjects represented in the museum’s exhibits and archives. Can occupying the space of a museum committed to preserving, archiving, and exhibiting sexual subcultures illuminate new ideas and concepts that might preoccupy queer educational thought in its third decade? Utilizing contemporary queer theory, the author ponders the promises of BDSM that are engaged with the lessons of Leather and BDSM objects. Can such a preoccupation do justice to queer subjects and practices allowing not only for queer survival but queer thrival?
Traditional landfill with coal waste leads to environmental pollution because heavy metals in the leachates of coal wastes can pollute the underlying soil and water. In order to study the pollution abatement of heavy metals with geotextiles, polyethylene-polypropylene geotextiles (PE-PP), fibers needle punched nonwoven geotextiles, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and fibers geocomposites were chosen in this column test. To a certain extent, four geotextiles can reduce the content of heavy metals in the leachates. Due to the thickness, raw material, producing method and anti-seepage capacity, barrier effects of geotextiles on heavy metals are various. Meanwhile, acidity of the leaching mediums can influence the content of heavy metals in the leachates. Based on synthesizing analysis of the results with deionized and acid water as leaching mediums, PE-PP can significantly reduce the content of Cr in the leachates, HDPE can reduce the content of Pb and Cu effectively. At different disposals, the greatest reduction of the content of Cr, Pb, Cu is 50.0%, 47.9% and 25.3% by contrast with that of CK test, separately. The correlation between the concentration of heavy metals and the pH value of leachates greatly fits cubic nonlinear regression with 80% of the coefficients more than 0.6. Compared with the result during deionized water leaching period, heavy metals in the coal wastes may be more stable over acid water leaching period by means of geotextiles. In general, heavy metals of Cr, Pb and Cu can be adsorbed effectively by PE-PP, fibers needle punched nonwoven geotextiles and HDPE, separately. Fibers geocomposites keep pH value of the leachates between 7 and 7.4, more suitable for plants. Multifunctional geotextiles as an effective technology of pollution abatement can be applied into land reclamation engineering in mining areas of China.
Last year in Dominion Resources, the Federal Circuit invalidated a tax regulation in part on the basis that it violated the Administrative Procedure Act’s arbitrary and capricious standard because the IRS failed to provide an explanation for the regulation at the time it was issued. It was the first time a court of appeals invalidated a tax regulation on that basis. This article discusses a recent case comment in the Harvard Law Review contending that although many tax regulations would be vulnerable to similar challenges, large-scale invalidation would be prevented by the practice followed by some courts of remanding defective regulations to the issuing agency for corrective action while leaving them in effect. This article disputes that contention, arguing that the practice of remanding without vacating would not apply to most tax litigation because of the Anti-Injunction Act.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of household income on private transfers in Russia on the basis of altruism, exchange and risk sharing hypotheses. Econometrical investigations, with Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey data for 2002, show that private transfers can’t be explained by altruism but rather by reciprocity. More precisely, in poor households, the idea of risk sharing is central, whereas in richer households, individual interest (exchange hypothesis) is more appropriate to understand private transfers.
In various embodiments, a method of manufacturing a semiconductor package (1) is provided, comprising: providing a substrate (2), wherein the substrate (2) a first surface (3) and a second surface (5) of the first surface (3) is disposed opposite, and wherein the substrate (2) one or more through holes (7 ', 7' ', 7' '') which are formed at predetermined positions through the substrate (2) pass from the (3) the first surface to the second surface (5); providing at least one first die (9), wherein the first die (9) having a first surface (13) and a second surface (15) which is arranged opposite the first surface (13), and wherein the first die ( 9) comprises one or more first contact terminals (9 ', 9' ', 9' '') on the first surface (13) of the at least one first die (9); placing the at least one first die (9) with its first surface (13) on the first surface (3) of the substrate (2), wherein an adhesive (11) is applied therebetween outside the one or more through holes (7 ', 7 '', 7 '' ') such that the one or more through holes (7', 7 '', 7 '' ') with the one or (more first contact terminals 9', 9 '', 9 '' 'are aligned), whereby the arrangement (17) is formed, a first surface (19) and a second surface (21) which face each other; and providing the first surface (19) of the assembly (17) with a first metallization layer of an electrically conductive metallization material for electrically contacting the one or the plurality of first contact terminals (9 ', 9' ', 9' ''), wherein the metallization of the first metallization layer located in the one or more through-holes (7 ', 7' ', 7' '') extends, so that the one or the plurality of first contact terminals (9 ', 9' ', 9' '' ) is electrically contacted by means of, or.
Estonia’s post-socialist economic performance has been exemplary. Its liberal economy regularly outranks other Central and Eastern European economies, as well as numerous ‘Western’ economies in terms of competitiveness and economic freedom. The neoliberal virtues of small government, laissez-faire macroeconomic policies and international openness have all been reflected in its economy’s transformation. However, it is arguable whether the country’s economic success has been translated into a similar improvement in welfare. Using Estonia as a case, I argue that whereas the neoliberal shock therapy can be an effective tool for quick market-oriented reforms, its long-term use has adverse socio-economic impacts.
Coral reef communities are considered as the most diverse marine ecosystems that provide food, shelter and protection to marine organisms. It provides many important benefits to humans but often a subject to impairment through human activities. Cascading human influences and climate change appeared as a reason behind its decline. Thus, coral reef monitoring methods are substantial. This study utilized Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe) software, as a means to increase efficiency of coral reef monitoring efforts because it automates, facilitates and speeds the process of random point count analysis and can perform image calibration, planar area and length calculations of benthic features. The method was used to estimate community statistics of benthos based on captured still images for every 1m marked across four 50m transect line (total 200 m) at 4.6-5.6m depth. Transect images were assigned with 30 spatial random points for identification. Multiple image frames were combined for each transect length supplying datasheet containing header information, statistical parameters species / substrate type (relative abundance, mean and standard deviation) and Shannon-Weaver and Simpson’s Index calculation for species diversity. Generated transect datasets were statistically analyzed to give quantitative population estimates over the area of interest. Data from individual frames were combined per transect to allow both inter- and intra- site/transect comparisons. This study reports the current status of coral reefs across Calangahan, Lugait, Misamis Oriental, Philippines and proved the efficiency of CPCe as a tool in reef assessment and monitoring. Results showed that most common genera Porites and Acropora were dominant, with Porites lobata as the most abundant coral species in the area. Moreover, results also showed that there were various diseases present affecting corals leading to increased mortality.
Cooling of neutron stars with dipole magnetic fields is simulated using a realistic model of the anisotropic surface temperature distribution produced by magnetic fields. Suppression of the electron thermal conductivity of outer stellar layers across the field increases thermal isolation of these layers near the magnetic equator. Enhancement of the radiative and longitudinal electron thermal conductivities in quantizing magnetic fields reduces thermal isolation near the magnetic poles. The equatorial increase of the isolation is pronounced for $B  ga 10^{10}$ G, while the polar decrease -- for $B  ga 10^{12}$ G. The effects compensate partly each other, and the actual influence of the magnetic fields on the cooling is weaker than predicted by the traditional theories where the equatorial effects have been neglected.
Zhaishang gold deposit is a giant micro-disseminated one. Using optical microscope,manual artificial heavy concentrate,electron microprobe and scanning electron microscopy,we tested major gold-bearing minerals in Zhaishang deposit. Pyrite and scheelite are the most important gold-bearing minerals. Quartz,limonite,and chalcocite are the secondary gold-bearing minerals. Calcite,siderite,barite and other minerals do not contain any gold. Because of detection limitation,the gold particles are not found independently in pyrite,scheelite,quartz,and other minerals. So it is believed that submicroscopic gold can be found in gold-bearing minerals as micro-inclusions or isomorphous atoms. Contents of Au and As in pyrite are positively correlated. From kernel to proliferation in pyrite with proliferative structure,contents of S and Fe show a logarithmic decreasing trend,while contents of Au and As show a logarithmic increasing trend. Compared with major and trace elements in different pyrites formed in depositional stage and hydrothermal stage,contents of S and Fe change a little,contents of trace As increase linearly,but contents of Au decrease linearly.
The authors describe one case of rectal stenosis complicating chronic salpingitis in a patient carrying an intrauterine device. This observation is peculiar in that the inflammatory fibrous reaction is very intense, spreading all over the pelvis and forming a pseudotumoral mass sheathing the rectum. The clinical signs were mainly digestive, including a rectal syndrome: cramplike pelvic pain before defecation, tenesmus, constipation, abdominal pain and induration of the anterior aspect of the rectum observed during the clinical examination. Radiological examinations (barium enema, ultrasound, CT) show a tissue mass within the pelvis, with considerable thickening of the rectal wall. Ultrasound-guided biopsy in the pelvis yielded only nonspecific inflammatory signs with dominant fibrosis. The diagnosis of rectal stenosis caused by chronic salpingitis complicating the presence of an IUD was made only during surgery.
This paper conducted a state-of-the-art review of spalling mechanism analyses and measures to improve spalling resistance of HSC/HPC at elevated temperature.Also a brief introduction of fire-resistance calculation method to consider the spalling of HSC/HPC members was presented.In addition,the remained problems for the fire behaviour of HSC/HPC were pointed out and some suggestions for further researches were proposed.
Finance is the core of modern economy.Scientific and effective financial supervision is essential to guaranteeing a country's financial security.Yet motivated by interests,financial supervision agencies often misuse the power to obtain private interests,which infringes seriously the interests of the relevant person and even endangers the country's economical security.It is necessary to limit the power of financial supervision agencies,especially to regulate the enforcement of Financial Supervision Power by administrative procedurals in order to prevent the upper negative effects.Since there are many defects in regulating the enforcement of financial supervision power by administrative procedurals laws as well as imperfectness in some basic procedural systems involved in financial supervision,it's necessary to establish and improve scientifically these procedural systems in order to realize their functions and values.
The invention discloses a method for preparing 3-mehtyl-1-phenethyl piperidine-4-ketone or 1-phenethyl piperidine-4-ketone. The method starts from easily-obtained 3-substituted pyridine-4-alcohol, sodium borohydride is selectively reduced into allyl alcohol after 3-substituted pyridine-4-alcohol forms quaternary ammonium together with phenethyl-2-halide, and 3-substitute-1-phenethyl piperidine-4-ketone is obtained then after isomerization. The synthetic method is easy, convenient to use, practical, high in operability and beneficial to further large-scale production.
The invention relates to a method for making a cavity member by using a mechanical die system. After the technical scheme is adopted, a die and a forming product are fast positioned and conveyed by a transport machine, the die is fast distributed by a distribution machine, a high-frequency vibrating machine keeps high-frequency vibration, cement in the die is fast and efficiently pressed and molded by adopting a high-strength hydraulic machine, and automatic operation of the machines is controlled by preset programs, so that full-automatic mechanical production of the cavity member is realized. By automatically controlled mechanical production in the method, the production time of the cavity member is reduced, and the production efficiency is improved; the pressure molded cavity member can be immediately stripped, so that the production and stripping time is shortened from 4 hours of manual production to about 1 minute; the pressure molded cavity member product is standard and has high density and strength and attractive appearance; and mechanical full-automatic production is realized, and the production efficiency and the social and economic benefits are greatly improved.
The paper aims to determine what factors influence students’ choice of bank. Exploratory sample data (N= 100) was taken from students at John & Wales University, Brown University, and the University of Rhode Island (All Southern New England). The instrument was comprised of fourteen questions, ten being derived from the related literature: service provision, the proximity of ATM, branch location, card design, students benefit, service charge, financial products, recommendation, security, and online service. A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed using convenience sampling; 94 were returned, and among them 89 were deemed valid, yielding a response rate of 89%. This rate was considered sufficient for exploratory survey research, using the self-administered questionnaire approach. Responses were measured using the five-point Likert type scale on importance, which ranged from 1 (“not at all important”) to 5 (“very important”). A rank order of the top three factors are: first, “Secure Feelings” (M = 4.70; SD = 0.412); the second, “Proximity of Branch and ATM Service” (M = 4.67; SD = 0.452); and third “Banks Reputation” (M =4.34; SD = 0.516). Gender differences were not statistically significant, except for proximity of branch and ATM service where females rated higher in importance than males (p < .05).
Geographic information systems (GIS) offer a powerful way of analysing and presenting the impacts and benefits of public transport initiatives. Where public transport proposals have recognisable and understandable spatial impacts, for example, changes in levels of accessibility, these can be linked to other spatially related data for analysis and evaluation. Furthermore they offer a clear visual exposition of the results of such studies. This paper presents the results of a series of studies in London which investigate the relationships between, and benefits of, public transport proposals and demographic and planning information. Typical examples include: relating changes in accessibility to areas of social stress; and relating changes in accessibility to unemployment and to skill levels in the workforce. Further linkages covered include the relationship between accessibility change and planning policies for development which for their realisation, require access to labour and to sectors of the population. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 866258.
Allergic conditions affecting the eye present to pharmacists and other primary healthcare providers on a daily basis. It is important to note that many of these conditions are transient in nature and do not cause any permanent damage to the eye whereas other more chronic forms are vision-threatening and may lead to irreversible ocular damage if misdiagnosed and not treated appropriately. In this article, the different guises of ocular allergy will be described along with helpful hints that will aid in the correct diagnosis and management of each. Conditions predominantly affecting the eyelids will be discussed first, followed by those primarily affecting the ocular surface and finally those associated with contact lens wear.
Objective To investigate the etiologi-cal factors of cricoarytenoid joint dislocation after endo-tracheal cannulation and extubation in general anaesthe-sia patients. Methods Seventeen general anaesthesia pa-tients were cricoarytenoid joint dislocation after en-dothacheal intubation from July 2000 to December 2001. The factors of dislocation were analyzed retrospectively. Results The rate of cricoarytenoid joint dislocation was 0.75% (8/1061) in group A (from July 2000 to December 2000, the extubation opportunity choice on perfectly con-scious status), 0.89% (9/1012) in group B (from January 2001 to June 2001, the extubation opportunity choice on perfectly conscious status) and 0.00% (0/1328) in group C (from July 2001 to December 2001 ,the extubation op-portunity choice is not perfectly conscious status). Con-clusion The etiological factor of cricoarytenoid joint dislocation relate to extubation opportunity. The choice of opportunity of extubation should be on the status of patients not perfectly conscious after general anaesthesia.
Provided is an attachment structure for a filter (1) provided in a vent port (3a) formed in a housing panel (2). The filter (1) is sandwiched between one pair of pressing plates (6, 7) in such a way that end portions of the filter (1) protrude out from end portions of the pressing plates (6, 7), to form a filter structural body (5). The filter structural body (5) is provided in a filter retaining frame (3b) formed in a door (3), with the interposition of a spacer (8). The configuration is such that the following relationships are satisfied: external dimensions of the filter (1) > internal dimensions of inner peripheral portion of the filter retaining frame (3b) > external dimensions of the pressing plates (6, 7).
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE It has been reported that apoptotic rate of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes(TIL) in Fas ligand(FasL) positive region was higher than in FasL negative region, which indicated that tumor cells could kill tumor infiltrating lymphocytes through high-expressed FasL. This study was designed to determine whether colon cancer cells SW480 could induce apoptosis of lymphocytes by Fas system in vitro.   METHODS Colon cancer cells SW480 were co-cultured with Jurkat cells with different effector-target(E-T) ratios of 20:1, 10:1, 5:1. Growth curve method, flow cytometry(FCM) analysis, fluorescence microscope were used to detect apoptosis of Jurkat cells.   RESULTS Flow cytometry revealed that the apoptotic rate of Jurkat cells were 1.8 +/- 0.21, 5.49 +/- 0.17, 11.18 +/- 0.14, and 18.22 +/- 0.11 with the SW480 planting concentrations at 0(control), 0.5 x 10(5)/ml, 1 x 10(5)/ml, 2 x 10(5)/ml, respectively. Fluorescence microscopy showed that the apoptotic rate of Jurkat cells were 1.58 +/- 0.12, 5.22 +/- 0.13, 9.74 +/- 0.21, and 19.33 +/- 0.18 with the SW480 planting concentrations at 0(control), 0.5 x 10(5)/ml, 1 x 10(5)/ml, and 2 x 10(5)/ml, respectively. Based on the three different E-T ratios, SW480 cell could all induce apoptosis of Jurkat. Furthermore, Jurkat cell apoptosis rate increased with the increase of planting concentration of SW480 and co-culture time. There were significant difference between each test group and control(All values P < 0.01).   CONCLUSION Colon cancer cells SW480 could induce apoptosis of lymphocytes throught Fas system, which providing theoretical foundation for metastasis and counterattack of colon cancer.
Similarity measures are essential to solve many pattern recognition problems such as classification, clustering, and retrieval problems. Various similarity measures are categorized in both syntactic and semantic relationships. In this paper we present a novel similarity, Unilateral Jaccard Similarity Coefficient (uJaccard), which doesn’t only take into consideration the space among two points but also the semantics among them.
The classification of the enterprise's life cycle by growth rate industry economics for reference to devide the listed company of the Chinese auto parts into the different life cycle is used,and provided the empirical analysis using the Panel Data model.Research result shows that the capital structure of enterprise has different characteristics,the tangible assets,the profit margins of the total assets,the company size,the total asset growth rate have the different influence on the capital structure in different life cycle stages
PURPOSE: A method for preparing n-phenyl-2-pyrimidine-amine derivatives is provided to improve yield and purity through selective reaction and lower production cost. CONSTITUTION: A compound of chemical formula 1 is prepared by reacting a compound of chemical formula 2 with a compound of chemical formula 4 through catalyst reaction by strong base in organic solvent. A compound of chemical formula 1a is prepared by reacting a compound of chemical formula 4a with a compound of chemical formula 2a in organic solvent. The base is metal hydride, metal halide, bulky alkyl lithium, metal alkoxide, metal bis(trimethylsilyl)amide or lithium dialkylamide. The metal is lithium, sodium, magnesium, or potassium. The organic solvent is tetrahydrofuran, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfuroxide, toluene, N,N- dimethylacetamide, xylene, benzene or N-methylpyrrolidinone.
The fundamental goal of pediatric clinical treatment is to maintain the integrity of the primary dentition of children,and then establish normal permanent dentition.Occlusal disorders in childhood can affect not only children's oral function,prevent the health of teeth and periodontal tissues,but also affect the normal development of oral and maxillofacial soft and hard tissue,facial appearance and mental health of children.More and more scholars have paid attention to the occlusal abnormalities present in the early childhood stage.Early correction of crossbite of anterior primary teeth,crossbite of primary posterior teeth and individual permanent tooth in the pediatric clinical applications are reviewed.
In the tourism sector, quality is closely related to employee performance. One of the most important challenges facing managers is the creation of a context within which employees feel motivated and will act in order to achieve the goals of the organisation (Lee-Ross, 1999). The aim of the study is to investigate motivation in a sample of seasonal workers in the ski-resort of Are in northern Sweden. This study is based upon field research carried out in Are and its surrounding villages. Data collection was carried out in the form of questionnaires and in-depth interviews. According to Herzberg?s two-factor need theory, humans have two different sets of needs and that the different elements of the work situation satisfies or dissatisfies these needs (Wright, 1989). The first set of needs concerns the basic survival needs of a person ? the hygiene factors (e.g. supervision, salary and physical conditions). When these needs are satisfied they do not motivate or cause satisfaction, they only prevent dissatisfaction (Pinder, 1998). In this study evidence was found that support this theory. When reviewing the results, work-related stimuli were not important for work motivation. Other results the study question Herzberg?s argument that job content is the only way to increase work motivation (Wright, 1989). The results from the in-depth interviews indicate that social stimuli were also regarded as an important construct for the enhancement of work motivation. This conclusion is also supported by quantitative data. The second set of needs in Herzberg?s theory, the growth needs (e.g. responsibility, advancement and recognition) was measured by the construct of empowerment. The results show that the construct of empowerment to a great extent influence work motivation.
Several studies have indicated ethnic, age and sex-related variations in the position and size of the facial foramina. The present study reports the biometric features of the mental foramen (MF), and infraorbital (IO), supraorbital (SO), and zygomaticofacial (ZF) foramina in a sample of adult Kenyan skulls. One hundred and four adult human skulls were evaluated for the sizes, positions, multiplicity, symmetry and geometries of the MF, IO, SO, and ZF foramina. Our observations reveal that the MF was present in all 104 skulls. The distance of the mental foramina from the symphysis menti ranged from 16.5 mm to 34.0 mm. The IO foramina were multiple in 5% of the skulls. The IO foramen was positioned 6.26±1.8 mm from the inferior orbital margin and 32.87 ± 3 mm from the superior alveolar margins, respectively. The distance from the superior alveolar process was greater in males. The distance of the MF, IO and SO from the midline was about 27 mm. ZF were absent in 3-4% of the skulls and multiple in 50% of the skulls. Ten percent of the supraorbital passages were foramina; 60% were notches, while the rest were both notches and foramina. In conclusion, the biometric characteristics of the facial foramina reveal variations in Kenyan skulls. Clinicians operating in this area should be aware of this anatomy and dimorphic sexual features when anaesthetizing and operating in the facial region.
Current evidence-based studies indicate the need to perform orchidopexy for undescended testicles early in life, between the ages of 6 and 12 months. Despite this evidence, we observed a significant delay in the actual age that such a procedure is performed in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, we retrospectively examined all of our patients who received an orchidopexy, identified their age at the procedure, and, if the procedure was performed after 12 months of age, noted the reason for the delay. We found that the mean age at orchidopexy in our cohort was approximately four and half years old, indicating the need for greater awareness of the recommended time frame for this procedure among health providers and parents of patients.
PURPOSE: A cosmetic composition of oriental medicine for antiaging is provided to remove free radical prevent skin aging with high safety. CONSTITUTION: A cosmetic composition of oriental medicine for antiaging contains Reynoutria elliptica and Reynoutria elliptica fermentation extract. The fermented Reynoutria elliptica is obtained by fermenting Phellinus linteus hypha and yeast. The Reynoutria elliptica fermentation extract is obtained by water or ethanol. The cosmetic composition is used in the form of nutrition lotion, nutrition cream, massage cream, essence or pack.
The invention in a universal adapter and relates to its method of operation, the universal adapter, PHD (Personal Health Device) non-standard healthcare devices and communication with the non-standard health that do not conform to the standard care device for PHD standardization of out-of-order health care device adapter interface device that collects measurement data measured by; And including a general-purpose adapter device for receiving the measurement data from the adapter interface unit, and sends the generated the PHD standard message including the measured data is received after the PHD standard message to the PHD gateway according to the PHD standard communication scheme It is configured. PHD standard adapters, healthcare devices, IEEE 11073
The invention discloses a refrigeration transport vehicle and a refrigeration method. The cold chain transport vehicle comprises a vehicle body and a magnetic refrigeration unit; the magnetic refrigerating unit comprises a magnetic refrigeration bed, a heat end radiator, a first heat exchange fluid driving pump and a cold end radiator; a rotating shaft is arranged in a rotating magnetic field and rotatably arranged on the vehicle body; an engine of the vehicle body is in driving connection with the rotating shaft through a first clutch; and a driving motor is further arranged on the vehicle body and in driving connection with the rotating shaft through a second clutch. The cold chain transport vehicle further comprises a water-cooled module comprising a water tank, a water pump, a multi-layer heat exchange water cushion and an air pump; the heat exchange water cushion is provided with a water inlet and a water return port; the water inlet is connected with the water pump; the water return port is connected with the water tank; the water pump and the water tank are connected; and a plurality of air springs are arranged on the lower portion of the heat exchange water cushion. The cold end radiator is located in the water tank, the magnetic refrigeration unit, the water tank, the water pump and the air pump are located in an engine room, and the heat exchange water cushion is located in a container. Improvement of the refrigeration effect and storage security is achieved.
Descending thoracic aortobifemoral bypass via novel anterior subcutaneous tunnel approach was evaluated in 31 patients. Indications for this approach were; infrarenal aortic block with no site for infrarenal aortic clamping(18 cases), calcified infrarenal aorta(11 cases) and history of laparotomy(2 cases). Duration of surgery was 1.5 to 3 hours and blood loss was 300ml to 1000ml. There was mortality of 2 patients. Reexploration due to bleeding was done in 3 patients and 3 patients required prolonged ventilatory support for 2 days. This approach is recommended in selected patients where conventional approach to the abdominal aorta is not feasible. Follow up of 27 pateints had patent grafts in 24 patients and blocked grafts with no symptoms in 3 patients. 2 patients were lost to follow up.
Sap flow velocities of Tilia amurensis,Acer mono and Pinus koraiensis in a broadleaved Korean pine forest of Changbai Mountain were continuously measured from June to September of 2009 using Granier's thermal dissipation sap flow probe method,with simultaneous measurements of environmental factors. Diurnal and monthly variations of sap flow velocities for the three species and the effects of environmental factors were analyzed. The results showed that diurnal variations of sap flow velocities for three species all displayed single-peaked curves,and their starting time and peak time were the same. However,their end time showed a difference,and the diurnal end time of sap flow for T. amurensis was the latest. The monthly dynamics of sap flow velocities for the three species also showed a similar pattern,with their maximums appearing in August and minimums in June. Among the three species,the daily average sap flow velocity of T. amurensis was the highest in each month,with the lowest for P. koraiensis. Sap flow velocities of the three species were mainly affected by the photosynthetically active radiation and vapor pressure deficit. Stepwise regression models for predicting sap flow velocities of the three species based on environmental factors were established in each month.
INTRODUCTION Coherently classifying the numerous information gathered by suicide research may contribute to defining the major points of this research topic, furthermore the gathered data becomes more easy to handle. Similarly, the suicide classes help a deeper understanding.   METHOD Examinees committed fatal suicide were investigated using content analysis. The obtained emotional and cognitive contents were classified by cluster algorithms.   RESULTS Having analysed suicide notes of patients completed suicide we could distinguish 5 different suicidal motives: dependent; remorse-lead - perfectionist; physically suffering - seeking for greater autonomy; aggressive-narcissistic; masochist- revenge seeking.   CONCLUSION The types reveal which personality traits and motives are the most definitive risk factors of committed suicide. Our results are affirmed by other typologies and research results.
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A number of laboratory and clinical studies over the last 15 years have explored the potential advantages of bonding amalgam to tooth surfaces. Bond strengths have been reported to range from 2 to 20 MPa, with higher bond strengths reported for filled adhesives. Most studies agree that the use of bonding results in a considerable reduction of microleakage, when compared with copal varnish or no lining. The use of bonding provides retention in vitro that is equivalent to, or better than, the use of mechanical undercuts. Most studies on strength of restored teeth report an improvement in resistance to fracture or cuspal flexing as measured by strain gauges. Penetration of secondary caries along the interface has been found to be inhibited by bonding. The mode of failure of bonded amalgams has generally been reported to be mixed, but predominantly between the resin and amalgam. In vitro studies have reported one potential problem in the incorporation of resin into amalgam, which may cause a decrease in strength of the restoration. The clinical studies of bonded amalgams that have been published to date are of short duration, indicating that when traditional preparations are used, no problems are seen with bonding, but also no advantages, as measured by clinical assessment criteria. However, some studies show that bonded amalgam may be useful for procedures where non-bonded amalgams would be expected to be lost, namely in preparations with little, if any, mechanical retention. It was concluded that, while there are various in vitro studies demonstrating that bonded amalgams have advantages of improved retention and tooth reinforcement and decreased marginal microleakage and secondary caries, the operative technique is more complicated and there are few advantages yet evident from clinical studies in conventional preparations having mechanical retentive features. However, there is evidence accruing from clinical studies that bonding of amalgam can be favorably used to extend the range of usage of amalgam to non-retentive conservative preparations, and toward the other extreme, as an adjunct to other forms of retention in large compound restorations.
1. The proposed classification of congenital vascular defects based on anatomic and pathological features has proved to be useful in clinical practice. It is valid for vascular defects in all locations (central, visceral and peripheral), includes all types and anatomic forms of vascular malformations, yet is quite simplified. 2. A uniform and universal classification system is necessary for clear communication between the many different specialists dealing with congenital vascular defects. 3. It offers a clear and precise descriptive system to serve as the basis for diagnosis of congenital vascular defects. 4. A unified classification system offers the possibility of uniform analysis and comparative reporting between scientific investigators working in this field around the world.
Comparison of the compressor performance experiment result with simulation data under 2 speeds(120 000and 140 000r/min)exhibited that the error was about 5%,thus the reliability of the software ANSYS CFX used was verified.Mated behaviors of impeller and volute of different leading edge shape were separately computed by numerical calculation,efficiency and pressure ratio curves under relevant speeds were obtained,air flow characteristics of 4different ratios of major and minor axis(a/b=1,3,5,8)of LE inside impeller tunnel was analyzed.Results show that as LE ratio increases,pressure ratio and efficiency exhibit increase-decrease shape trend,the highest pressure ratio of LE5is 5%higher than LE1,LE3efficiency was 6. 7% higher than LE1,and mass flow range also extends.Increasing LE ratio within certain range can inhibit flow separation of LE and improve flow field of impeller outlet.
Describes the pathology of atherosclerosis. Discusses experimental atherosclerosis that proves causality of the bioengineering fatigue hypothesis and which precludes dietary and serum cholesterol factors. Finds supporting evidence in the pathology of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). Examines coronary heart disease (CHD) epidemiology, challenging the lipid protagonists' correlation of saturated fats with cholesterol.
Using the two kinds of ore from Henan province,the oxidation roasting process of the desulfuration from the diasporic high sulfur bauxite was studied in the muffle roaster. The roasting ore phase was studied theoretically by means of XRD analysis. Based on these,the change of S2-concentration in aluminate solution and the influence of digestibility were studied through comparison experiment of the digestion process between the raw bauxite and roasted bauxite. The results show that the roasting results of bauxite from different main sulfur phases were not the same; the characteristic peak of pyrite disappear and only the peak of Fe2O3 can be observed in X-ray diffraction spectra in roasted bauxite,at the same time,the characteristic peak of β-AlOOH disappears,but the peak of α-Al2O3 appears. It can dramatically lower S2-concentration in aluminate solution and improve digestibility by roasting. Using Henan A bauxite in which sulfur existed in the form of sulfate,the S2-concentration in aluminates solution is decreased to 0.15 g/L from 1.78 g/L and the extraction rate of aluminum increased up to 91.26% from 85.27% at the digesting conditions of 240 ℃ and 60 min when the raw bauxite is roasted under the conditions of 600 ℃ and 60 min.
It has been proposed that inflammation or infection may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. We examined whether serum gamma globulin, a nonspecific measure of the humoral immune system, predicted changes in glucose tolerance in 2,530 members of the Pima Indian population, a group with a marked predisposition to type 2 diabetes. Cross-sectionally, gamma globulin was positively related to age (r = 0.08, P < 0.0005), BMI (r = 0.09; P < 0.0001), and female sex (P < 0.0001). Gamma globulin concentrations were familial, being positively correlated among siblings (r = 0.23; P < 0.0001) and between parents and their children (mother/child: r = 0.17, P < 0.0001; father/child: r = 0.25, P < 0.0001). Gamma globulin concentrations were higher with greater degrees of American Indian heritage (P < 0.004, with adjustment for age, sex, and BMI) and in the presence of a family history of type 2 diabetes (P < 0.04). Higher gamma globulin levels predicted risk of diabetes. In univariate analysis, a 1 SD difference in gamma globulin was associated with a 20% higher incidence of diabetes in those who were normal glucose tolerant at baseline (hazard rate ratio 1.20 [CI 1.11-1.30]; P < 0.0001) and remained as a significant predictor of diabetes, even when controlled for effects of sex, BMI, and 2-h glucose as additional predictors (hazard rate ratio for 1 SD difference in gamma globulin, 1.14 [1.05-1.24]; P = 0.002). Gamma globulin was also associated in univariate analysis with later development of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (hazard rate ratio 1.15 [1.07-1.23]; P < 0.0001), but not with the transition from IGT to diabetes (hazard rate ratio 1.04 [0.90-1.20]; P = 0.6). Thus, gamma globulin levels predict increased risk of diabetes in the Pima population. We suggest that immune function or activation may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Distributed quantum systems and especially the Quantum Internet have the ever-increasing potential to fully demonstrate the power of quantum computation. This is particularly true given that developing a general-purpose quantum computer is much more difficult than connecting many small quantum devices. One major challenge of implementing distributed quantum systems is programming them and verifying their correctness. In this paper, we propose a CSP-like distributed programming language to facilitate the specification and verification of such systems. After presenting its operational and denotational semantics, we develop a Hoare-style logic for distributed quantum programs and establish its soundness and (relative) completeness with respect to both partial and total correctness. The effectiveness of the logic is demonstrated by its applications in the verification of quantum teleportation and local implementation of non-local CNOT gates, two important algorithms widely used in distributed quantum systems.
Fast energy transfer (EnT) among quantum dots (QDs) with near-infrared (NIR) emission is essential for fully exploiting their light harvesting and photon downconversion (multiexciton generation) abilities. This paper demonstrates a relayed EnT mechanism that accelerates the migration of NIR excitons between PbS QDs by a factor of 20 from that of one-step EnT through a polyelectrolyte and even a factor of ∼2 from that of one-step EnT between QDs in direct contact, by employing a J-aggregate (J-agg) of a cyanine dye as an exciton bridge. The donor QDs, acceptor QDs, and J-agg are electrostatically assembled into a sandwich structure with layer-by-layer deposition. Estimates of EnT rate and yield from transient and steady-state absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies show that the rate-limiting step in the relay is EnT from the donor QD to the J-agg, while EnT from the J-agg to the acceptor QD occurs in <10 ps. A comparison of this system to the analogous solution-phase system suggests that the overall donor-to-acceptor EnT yield in the relay (18%) can be improved by depositing the J-agg with more intermolecular order. This work demonstrates the viability of relayed EnT through a molecular bridge as a strategy for accelerating long-distance exciton migration in assemblies of QDs, in particular in the near-infrared.
Due to the rapid development of medical information, vast amounts of medical data are accumulating, and such medical data is highly likely to be used as an important data for solving the aging population and the rapid rise in medical cost. Especially in Korea, there are resident registration numbers and computerized usage data for all citizens, so it can be superior to other countries in terms of medical infrastructure that can utilize big data. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the mortality and death rate of Gangwon using the Big Data and the National Statistical Office data centered on Kangwon province. As a result of analysis, major variables related to the mortality rate of Gangwon were hospital infrastructure utilization rate, income level, aging population and population density. Therefore, inequalities due to income disparities and insufficient local medical infrastructures were affecting the local mortality rate, and policy support was needed to improve the local hospital infrastructure and income level. The results of this study were meaningful in that medical big data were used to analyze the deaths of people in Gangwon, and the causes of the deaths were analyzed through various social indicators and correlation analysis. ■ keyword :∣Medical Big Data∣Mortality Rate∣Correlation Analysis∣ * 본 연구는 한국과학기술정보연구원 연구과제로 수행되었습니다. 접수일자 : 2018년 08월 06일 수정일자 : 2018년 08월 28일 심사완료일 : 2018년 08월 28일 교신저자 : 구영덕, e-mail : ydkoo@kisti.re.kr 한국콘텐츠학회논문지 '18 Vol. 18 No. 9 150
In the present study, the effects of tubeimoside I (TBMS1) on particulate matter <2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5)-induced pulmonary injury and its mechanisms of action were investigated. Male BALB/c mice were randomly assigned into five groups (n=10/group): Control, PM2.5, PM2.5 + TBMS1 45 mg/kg, PM2.5 + TBMS1 90 mg/kg and PM2.5 + TBMS1 180 mg/kg. The dose of the PM2.5 suspension administered to the mice was 40 mg/kg via nasal instillation. The PM2.5 + TBMS1 groups received TBMS1 daily orally for 21 consecutive days, while the mice in the control and PM2.5 groups received equivalent volumes of PBS. Subsequently, lactic dehydrogenase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, albumin, tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were determined. Oxidative stress was evaluated by detecting the protein levels of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and inducible nitric oxide synthase, and the level of nitric oxide in lung tissue. Lastly, histopathological images of lung sections were obtained to observe changes in the lung tissue with treatment. The results indicated that exposure to PM2.5 induced pathological pulmonary changes, and biofilm and parenchymal cell damage, and promoted inflammation and oxidative stress. Treatment with TBMS1 attenuated the development of PM2.5-induced pulmonary injury. Its mechanisms of action were associated with reducing cytotoxic effects, levels of inflammatory mediators and oxidative damage. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that TBMS1 is a potential therapeutic drug for treating PM2.5-induced pulmonary injury.
We introduce a new method to automatically annotate and retrieve images using a vocabulary of image semantics. The novel contributions include a discriminant formulation of the problem, a multiple instance learning solution that enables the estimation of concept probability distributions without prior image segmentation, and a hierarchical description of the density of each image class that enables very efficient training. Compared to current methods of image annotation and retrieval, the one now proposed has significantly smaller time complexity and better recognition performance. Specifically, its recognition complexity is O(C/spl times/R), where C is the number of classes (or image annotations) and R is the number of image regions, while the best results in the literature have complexity O(T/spl times/R), where T is the number of training images. Since the number of classes grows substantially slower than that of training images, the proposed method scales better during training, and processes test images faster This is illustrated through comparisons in terms of complexity, time, and recognition performance with current state-of-the-art methods.
ABSTRACT The dry ice sublimation process of CO2 is a unique technique in which temperature ranges below the triple point of −56 °C can be achieved in a CO2 refrigeration system. However, during the evaporation process of the actual refrigeration system, the dry-ice blockage maybe happens in the evaporator, which causes a risk of system failure in the suction of the compressor. In order to overcome this problem, in this study, an ultra-low temperature CO2 cascade refrigeration system with a novel tapered evaporator/sublimator was designed and constructed. The novel evaporator/sublimator included a swirl promoter, which induces the swirling flow of solid-gas two-phase flow. Experiments were conducted for the investigation of solid-gas two-phase flow heat transfer characteristics in the evaporator/sublimator. According to the experimental results, it is verified that the CO2 refrigeration system can operate consistently and steadily without dry ice blockage in the evaporator/sublimator. In addition, the dry ice particles are uniformly distributed along the inner wall of the evaporator/sublimator by the installation of the swirl promoter, and the heat transfer coefficient is considerably improved.
e-Science has much to benefit from the emerging field of grid computing. However, construction of e-science grids is a complex and inefficient undertaking. In particular, deployment of user applications can present a major challenge due to the scale and heterogeneity of the grid. In spite of this, deployment is not supported by current grid computing middleware or configuration management systems, which focus on a super-user approach to application management. Hence, individual users with limited resource control deploy applications manually, which is not a grid scalable solution. This paper presents our motivation, design and implementation of a grid scalable, user-oriented, secure application deployment system, Distributed Ant (DistAnt). DistAnt extends the Ant build file environment to provide a flexible procedural deployment description and implements a set of deployment services.
hronic myeloid leukemia (CML), also known as chronic granulocytic leukemia, is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in peripheral blood. Total RNA extraction, cDNA and quantitative real-time PCR (Q-RT-PCR) were done for thirty CML Iraqi patients. Hematology tests (hemoglobin, platelets and WBCs counts) were done for the same samples in the same time. The results of this study show that some samples with normal hematology values have BCR-ABL (p210) fusion transcript with molecular analysis by Q-RT-PCR. This indicates the importance of this technique in the diagnosis and monitoring the therapy of CML patients.
This research aims at investigating the backscatter sensitivity at C and X band to the characteristics of agricultural surfaces and analyzing the integration of these data collected from Radarsat2 (RS2) and COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) systems on tree agricultural test areas in Italy (San Pietro Capofiume, in Emilia Romagna, Sesto Fiorentino, in Tuscany, and Mazia Valley, in South Tyrol). A preliminary test of the sensitivity of SAR signal to the soil and vegetation characteristics was first carried out by also comparing data from previous experiments. From these results, it can be concluded that X-band data are mainly sensitive to vegetation structure and biomass, and to soil moisture of bare or slightly vegetate soils, whereas C-band images could provide valuable information for the retrieval of soil moisture, even in vegetation covered soils. Two retrieval algorithms were implemented for estimating the main geophysical parameters, namely soil moisture content (SMC) and vegetation biomass (PWC) from these sensors. Over Sesto Fiorentino area, an algorithm based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique was implemented for estimating both SMC of bare or scarcely vegetated soil and vegetation biomass of wheat crops at X band. On the South-Tyrol area, a SMC retrieval approach based on the Support Vector Regression methodology, which was already tested in this area using C-band data from ENVISAT/ASAR data, was adopted. This algorithm integrated data at both X and C bands showing encouraging results, even though further investigations shall be carried out on a larger time-series and larger set of samples.
Acute suppurative thyroiditis is rare in children, and the route of infection is unknown in most cases. 1-3 Recently, we have encountered three patients with recurrent episodes of this disease. In this report we describe a fistula originating at the pyriform sinus that was one of the routes of infection in acute suppurative thyroiditis. Report of Cases .—The patients were three girls aged 3, 6, and 15 years. Each had had two episodes of acute suppurative thyroiditis in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. The second episode of this disease occurred eight months after the first in the 3-year-old, 48 months in the 6-year-old, and five months in the 15-year-old. The diagnosis of acute suppurative thyroiditis was based on the clinical signs of inflammation in the region of the thyroid gland and on laboratory findings. In all patients, circulating concentrations of thyrotropin, thyroxine, and triiodothyronine remained Internal fistula (arrows)
In Reply. —The difference between mean hair concentrations of nicotine in babies of nonsmokers (0.4 ng/mg) and passive smokers (0.28 ng/mg) was not statistically significant. Conversely, the difference in levels of cotinine was highly significant. As our study indicates, cotinine is a more accurate marker of exposure because of its substantially longer elimination half-life. Low exposure to nicotine is part of most people's diet, in the form of potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants, to mention a few. Therefore, it is not surprising that there is some nicotine in most samples. In addition, even in cases of "true" nonsmokers, none of us can escape all the nicotine that surrounds us. We have no problem with you enjoying your cigar, as long as no pregnant woman is around.
Japanese animation has already become a sort of animation culture and animation industry popular all over the world. Through typical works in Japanese animation, we can find that Japanese animation has naturalistic style, and that it can realize dynamic integration between Japanese culture and foreign cultures. Japanese animation has great effects on Chinese teenagers. In this paper, the author summarizes basic meaning of animation, analyzes main characteristics of Japanese animation, and discusses the influence of Japanese animation on Chinese teenagers.
Tremendous advances have been made in technological development of whole body molecular imaging, including PET, SPECT, MRI, bioluminescence, and ultrasound. However, a great unmet need still exists for high resolution imaging of biological processes that occur in the epithelium, the thin layer of tissue where many important cancers originate. Confocal endomicroscopes designed with a fiber bundle are used in the clinic, but they can only create images in the horizontal plane. Imaging in the plane perpendicular to the tissue surface is also important because epithelial cells differentiate in the vertical direction. Subtle changes in normal tissue differentiation patterns can reveal the early expression of cancer biomarkers. In this work, we present a side-viewing confocal endomicroscope that can collect images in either horizontal or oblique plane using an integrated monolithic electrostatic 3D MEMS scanner. The endomicroscope can perform sub-cellular resolution imaging in both the horizontal plane and the oblique plane with FOVs of 500 x 700 µm2 and 500 x 200 µm2. A side-viewing probe will allow optimal contact between the imaging window and the luminal wall, which makes it easy to navigate in the hollow organ. The endomicroscope is packaged into a stainless steel tube with outer diameter of 4.2 mm, which can be used for both small animal and human GI tract imaging. We demonstrate in vivo imaging of colonic dysplasia in mice, showing the endomicroscope can potentially be used for early detection and staging of colon cancer.
To the Editor: The activation of the coagulation system followed by secondary stimulation of the fibrinolytic system in patients on regular hemodialyis has been documented [ l ] . Moreover, the activation of platelets collected by apheresis has also been identified [2-4]. These findings prompted us to look at the effect of therapeutic apheresis on coagulation parameters. We collected data on 19 consecutive patients admitted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for therapeutic plasmapheresis (TP). Patients were between 25 and 78 years of age, ten males, nine females, had neurologic/ autoimmune pathology, and received albumin replacement. Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen (FIBR), anti-thrombinI11 (AT-III), fibrin split products (FSP), and D-Dimer (DD) were measured by standard laboratory methods. The effect of TP on FIBR and AT-111 was a marked decrease in concentration within 1 hour after apheresis followed by an approximately 60-80% recovery within 24 hours. PT and a lTT were increased within 1 hour following apheresis, but decreased to near baseline values within 24 hours. FSPs were increased following ten apheresis treatments (12.2%) in six patients. Data from the morning following apheresis are available for only four of these treatments, but in all cases FSP concentration decreased to < 10 mg/ ml. DD concentrations increased following 1 1/76 (14.5%) apheresis treatments in nine patients. Information from the following morning is available for eight of the 11 treatments following which an increase in DD concentration had occurred. In all eight, a decrease in DD was noted, and in six of these eight, the decrease was to <.5 mg/ml. Little correlation was seen between increases in FSP and DD concentration. Following the ten apheresis treatments in which FSPs increased, DD concentrations were unchanged in six, while following the 11 treatments in which DD was increased FSP concentration was unchanged in six. In this group of patients, admitted for plasmapheresis but without evidence of hematologic or hepatic disease, there were marked effects on several coagulation parameters, but these were unaccompanied by any clinical evidence of pathologic hemorrhage or thrombosis. The par-
Different algorithms of the finite difference forward modeling for magnetotelluric sounding (MT) are compared focused on the grid resolution, ways to form system matrix, boundary conditions and preconditioning linear solvers. The MT responses of three half space models with different grids indicate that the accuracy of both the primary fields and auxiliary fields increases when the thickness of the first row decreases and the difference between successive rows is in a reasonable range. In the 2-D TM mode of the normal-center method (where the primary and auxiliary fields are defined at the center of top cell surface), the second order of Maxwell′s difference equation is constructed from the first order of Maxwell′s equations in order to consider model′s resistivity variance. We also make a test how the boundary values affect the numerical solutions, and find that it can not greatly enhance the accuracy of the 2-D MT finite difference numerical solution by increasing the accuracy of the 1-D boundary values only. The linear solvers are important for an efficient solution of MT problems. The simple comparison shows that a suitable preconditioner combined with a good linear solver (for instance, the DILU-BICGSTAB method used for the 2-D MT problem in the article) can not only improve convergence, but also reduce iterative numbers.
This dataset contains source code and system output used in the PhD thesis "Aspects of Coherence for Entity Analysis". This dataset is split into three parts corresponding to the chapters describing the three main contributions of the thesis: chapter3.tar.gz: Java source code for the entity linking system based on interleaved multitasking, system results, system output. Java and Python source code for automatic verification of entity linking results. Java source code for the Visual Entity Explorer. chapter4.tar.gz: Java and Scala source code for extracting pairs of terms and their dependency context from GigaWord and Wikilinks. chapter5.tar.gz: Python code used to run entity typing experiments.
The performance degradation of flexible CIGS photovoltaic modules was studied under damp heat stress condition. For the fabrication of modules, two different types of modules were fabricated using different number of lamination sheet; one on top of back sheet; the other underneath of front sheet. The effects of heat and moisture stresses on the flexible CIGS photovoltaic modules were systematically investigated in non-destructive fashion using electroluminescence and insulation resistance. It was found that the moisture attack on the cell was the major factor lowering the Pmax with exposure time during the damp heat tests, which was confirmed by the decrease in the resistance with the insulation resistance tests as well as the increase in the damaged area of cells with the electroluminescence tests.
A liquid crystal Pancharatnam–Berry (PB) axilens is proposed and fabricated via a digital micro-mirror-device-based photo-patterning system. The polarization-dependent device behaves as an axilens for a left-handed circularly polarized incident beam, for which an optical ring is focused with a long focal depth in the transverse direction at the output, and an anti-axilens for a right-handed circularly polarized incident beam, for which an optical ring gradually expands at the output. The modification of the size and the sharpness of the diffracted ring beam is demonstrated by encoding a positive (negative) PB lens term into the director expression of a PB (anti-)axicon.
Air temperature and precipitation data have been obtained from the Geladandong region at the headwaters of the Yangtze River. At the equilibrium line altitude of the glaciers, mean annual and summer air temperatures are –10 to –12.0°C and 1.0 to –1.0°C, respectively. Accumulation on the glaciers on the south side of the Tanggula mountains depends mainly on water vapour transported from the south and southeast. The moisture source for the glaciers on the north side is from the east. Precipitation increases with altitude in the glaciated areas. An estimated annual accumulation in the firn areas is about 400 to 600 mm of water equivalent. The Geladandon region has a cold, dry climate and the glaciers in the region can be classified as continental. The present climatic conditions result in a negative mass budget for most glaciers.
Although the presence of bacteria has been characterized throughout the reproductive tracts of multiple species, how these bacteria may interact with the host has yet to be described. Previous reviews have described how pathogenic bacteria interact with the reproductive tract to cause infections such as metritis. This review aimed to summarize the knowledge related to pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria in various locations of the bovine reproductive tract and the possible mechanisms underlying host-microbe interactions during gametogenesis and early pregnancy. Lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus seem to be beneficial in multiple areas of the reproductive tract: they have been associated with increased oocyte quality when in follicular fluid and secrete reactive oxygen species that are beneficial during placental angiogenesis. However, other bacteria, including Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus, may modulate T helper cells that inhibit maternal recognition of pregnancy. Available data on the reproductive microbiome focus on variations in microbial communities and their associations with reproductive performance. However, research on these host-microbiome interactions may provide more insight on how bacteria affect fertility.
Transient stress-induced cardiomyopathies have been increasingly recognized and while rare, they tend to affect elderly women more than other demographic groups. One type, often called tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC), is typically triggered by significant emotional or physical stress and is associated with chest pain, electrocardiogram (ECG) changes and abnormal cardiac enzymes. Significant left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities usually include an akinetic “ballooning” apex with normal or hyperdynamic function of the base. A second type, often called neurogenic stunned myocardium, typically associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage, also usually presents with ECG changes and positive enzymes, but the typical wall motion abnormalities seen include normal basal and apical left ventricular contraction with akinesis of the mid-cavity in a circumferential fashion. The pathophysiology, clinical care and typical courses, are reviewed.
This paper surveys Lightweight Cryptographic solutions for Internet of Things (IoT). This survey covers comprehensively a flow of security measures from Lightweight Cryptographic solutions to comparison among different types of block ciphers. It also includes comparison between Hardware vs Software solutions and different recent approaches of the most trusted and researched block cipher, Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in terms of architecture, Mix-Column/S-box modify strategy and attacks for IoT security. According to the study, lightweight AES has proved to be a good security solution for constrained IoT devices.
The CFA franc zone has had one of the longest experiences with a fixed exchange rate for a convertible currency and regional integration of any group of developing countries. France, the anchor country, provides aid to support the zone. This paper asks whether the arrangements are more than just an aid substitute. The paper addresses this issue by evaluating the overall performance of the zone over the period 1960-2004. The analysis reveals that when the zone is hit by a negative shock, France increases its aid, thereby acting as a shock absorber. However, it also finds that the zone displays strong performance in two areas—price stability and fiscal policy. Thus the paper concludes that the arrangements are not an aid substitute; they have real macroeconomic value for the zone and complement aid.
Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Prolonged Apnea concluded that apneic spells may be manageable at home (Pediatrics 61:651, April 1978). This was a change from the position taken in 1975, which limited the use of home monitors to research projects. Such a change was bound to produce a variety of opinions, some of which were reported in the same issue of Pediatrics. Many questions have been raised with far too few answers.
We report a case of Kimura's disease with membranous nephropathy. A 15-year-old Japanese boy was referred to our hospital with proteinuria and a subcutaneous mass in the hip. Renal biopsy demonstrated secondary membranous nephropathy (MN) with mild mesangial proliferation and some electron-dense deposits in the mesangium. Laboratory tests revealed eosinophilia and a high level of serum IgE, which are common findings in Kimura's disease. A biopsy of the mass in the hip was performed and Kimura's disease was diagnosed. Treatment with oral prednisolone resulted in a decrease of proteinuria and regression of the subcutaneous mass. Kimura's disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of secondary MN.
The term Congenital Bilateral Perisylvian Syndrome describes a structural malformation of the brain in which the underlying anomaly is Polymicrogyria, a malformation of the outer layer of the cerebral cortex. Polymicrogyria may have a focal or regional distribution or involve the whole cortical mantle. There are consequently wide spectrums of clinical manifestations, which include children with severe encephalopathies (brain impairments) and intractable epilepsy or normal individuals with selective impairment of cognitive functions (mental processes) in whom the mild cortical abnormality is only detected on pathological brain study.
In this article, we propose an IoT-based acoustic solution – Eaves – for ensuring social distancing in public areas during pandemic-like situations. Existing solutions depend on either sensing nearby radio signals such as Bluetooth or through image processing of video frames from surveillance cameras. Such methods either mandate the need for all parties to have the same application or impose line of sight constraints. We overcome such restrictions by using audio to ensure social distancing. The varying amplitude of the audio signals from different distances is the crux of the proposed method. Toward this, we record audio from different distances to extract human-voice-centric components and use the corresponding Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients. We train multiple machine learning models for selecting the one that predicts the distances efficiently with minimum delay and also propose possible IoT-based architectures to overcome resource limitations. Through extensive experiments and deployment, we observe a training accuracy of 97 percent and prediction accuracy of almost 100 percent up to 2 meters.
In this case report, a family demonstrates the variable expressivity of homozygous GDF2-related HHT, and it is found that HHT should be considered in the differential diagnosis of isolated hypoxemia in children. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) can be clinically diagnosed, but children often lack characteristic features. We report a family with homozygous growth differentiation factor 2 (GDF2)–related HHT diagnosed by genetic testing. A boy aged 5 years and 2 months presented with isolated hypoxemia. He was the product of a consanguineous marriage; his parents were second cousins. Physical examination revealed cyanosis of nail beds and clubbed fingers. Pulse oxygen saturation was 84% to 89%. Lung function, contrast-enhanced lung computed tomography, and noncontrast echocardiography were normal. A pulmonary perfusion scan revealed radioactivity in the brain and bilateral kidney, suggesting the existence of a intrapulmonary shunt. Whole-exome sequencing revealed a homozygous variant [c.1060_1062delinsAG (p.Tyr354ArgfsTer15)] in GDF2, which was found to be inherited from his heterozygous parents. At the age of 8 years, he developed epistaxis, and an angiogram revealed diffuse pulmonary arteriovenous malformations. At the age of 9 years, he was treated with sirolimus, and his condition improved significantly. However, his now 7-year-old sister with the same homozygous variant currently has no symptoms. Physical examinations revealed 1 pinpoint-sized telangiectasia on the chest of his mother and a vascular lesion on the forehead of his sister. Additionally, the patient’s father and great-uncle had a history of mild to moderate epistaxis. Mutation in GDF2 is a rare cause of HHT. Ours is the first report of homozygous GDF2-related HHT; in addition, this variant has not been reported previously. In our report, we also confirm variable expressivity, even with the same pathogenic variant in GDF2-related HHT.
Since polymer crystallization rate is such a universal measure of backbone stereo structure, side chain structure, crosslinking, and the effect of additives, we have developed a routine, easily used method for its measurement. Normalized plots of the time-honored measurement of hardness vs time compare well with results obtained by dilatometry, x-ray diffraction, and light absorption (or optical birefringence). Sample preparation, surface roughness (especially important in the case of “nervy” rubbers), shortcuts to round-the-clock testing, temperature control and fine points of hardness measurements are discussed.
Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion phasing and stability provides a challenging control problem over conventional combustion technologies of Spark Ignition (SI) and Compression Ignition (CI). Due to the auto ignition nature of the HCCI combustion there are no direct methods for actuation, the combustion and the phasing relies on indirect methods. This in itself creates a nonlinear dynamic problem between the relationships of control actuators and the combustion behavior. In order to control the process, an accurate feedback signal is necessary to determine the state of the actual combustion process. Ideally to ensure that combustion remains stable and phased correctly an in-cylinder feedback of each cylinder for multi cylinder engines would be preferable. Feedback has been seen in studies using piezoelectric pressure sensors for visually monitoring the pressure in the combustion chamber. This is expensive and requires redesign of the combustion chamber. A potential alternative feedback is to use the conventional spark plug as a sensor. This is achieved by applying a voltage across the spark plug to provide a sensor for ion current. The ions are created through the combustion event, and the current is created by the flow of the ions between the spark plug gap. The work presented in this paper provides a comparison between ion current feedback and pressure trace for a two stroke HCCI combustion from a control perspective. The emphasis of the work is to show the capability of using the ion current system as feedback for information for the start of combustion, combustion duration, and rate of combustion and estimations on peak pressure magnitude. These key parameters from the signal could be useful when applied as feedback for closed loop control.
Access to health services is a concern around the world. Different strategies were developed, but Africa’s rate remains the lowest. This article aims to contribute to the population's access to healthcare, and to assess the determinants of the use of mutual health insurance by the population of the Ziguinchor region in Senegal.      Methods: The study is transversal and descriptive, carried out from July to August 2018. Through the quota method we defined the number of patients to be interviewed. Thus, by a geographic stratification according to the departments and a second-degree stratification taking into account the staff of the different hospital departments, 392 patients were selected.     Results: 73% at the Regional Hospital Center and 27% at the Regional Peace Hospital. Response rate: 97%, women 60% and men 40%. The enrollment for women (24%) is slightly higher than that for men (21%). Socio-economic factors. The rate of adherence is the highest of for patients with university level, followed by high school; income:  the highest rate for patients with a monthly income between 200,000 and 500,000 FCFA, followed by patients with an income monthly between 100,000 and 200,000 FCFA. Factors linked to the provision of care: the rate of Mutual Health Insurance adherence follows distances from patients' homes. Concerning the relation to satisfaction, education, distance and information are more determining than adherence rate.      Recommendations: 1) State: actions on education and distance; 2) Sensitizing the population on mutual health insurance; 3) Urging healthcare providers to reduce waiting times and respect schedules as well as appointments.
A technique for DPSK receiver-sensitivity improvement is demonstrated using numerical simulations. It is based on reshaping and reamplifying of received 80 Gbit/s DPSK using an SOA before a one bit delay interferometer. The SOA re-amplifies data without adding amplitude or differential phase noise due to its gain-compression. The system is tested using 231-1 PRBS RZ-DPSK (NRZ-DPSK) loaded with both phase and amplitude noise. It shows 2dB (1.7dB) quality-factor improvement. The estimated BER by error-counting shows receiver-sensitivity improvement of (See manuscript)3dB in case of single-ended detection and (See manuscript)2dB ((See manuscript)2.5dB) in case of balanced-detection. This single-ended improvement is comparable to that of common DPSK balanced-detection technique.
We describe a simple cracking method for removing the zygomatic arch. The drilling line of the zygomatic arch is partially drilled from the back, and the surface is left undrilled. The zygomatic arch is cracked during its removal in order to secure its position for later fixation. Dead bone spaces can be avoided by this method and the zygomatic arch can be replaced in its original position. By adding this procedure to the standard technique, this cracking method is a simple, safe and useful way to achieve better cosmetic results.
Objective To study characteristics and outcomes among patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) due to pulmonary aspiration. Design A retrospective observational study based on data from the Swedish Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (SRCR). Setting The SRCR is a nationwide quality registry that covers 96% of all Swedish hospitals. Participating hospitals vary in size from secondary hospitals to university hospitals. Participants The study included patients registered in the SRCR in the period 2008 to 2017. We compared patients with IHCA caused by pulmonary aspiration (n=127), to those with IHCA caused by respiratory failure of other causes (n=2197). Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcome was 30-day survival. Secondary outcome was sustained return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) defined as ROSC at the scene and admitted alive to the intensive care unit. Results In the aspiration group 80% of IHCA occurred on general wards, as compared with 63.6% in the respiratory failure group (p<0.001). Patients in the aspiration group were less likely to be monitored at the time of the arrest (18.5% vs 38%, p<0.001) and had a significantly lower rate of sustained ROSC (36.5% vs 51.6%, p=0.001). The unadjusted 30-day survival rate compared with the respiratory failure group was 7.9% versus 18.0%, p=0.024. In a propensity score analysis (including variables; year, age, gender, location of arrest, initial heart rhythm, ECG monitoring, witnessed collapse and a previous medical history of; cancer, myocardial infarction or heart failure) the OR for 30-day survival was 0.46 (95% CI 0.19 to 0.94). Conclusions In-hospital cardiac arrest preceded by pulmonary aspiration occurred more often on general wards among unmonitored patients. These patients had a lower 30-day survival rate compared with IHCA caused by respiratory failure of other causes.
Coffee is a commodity that is essential to the international market. One of the best coffee from Indonesia is Mandailing coffee originating from North Sumatra. Simpang Banyak Mandailing Natal, North Sumatra Province is a centre of coffee agroindustry. It require best supplier in order to meet export market demand. Determination of required quality criteria in accordance with the standard of quality of coffee exports including the water content of 12%, a defective value below 4%, cherry seeds without mixture, cupping score is 85 and the uniform size of coffee beans. To meet the needs of the export market, the agroindustry also need a supply of coffee from the best coffee suppliers that have several criteria: Price, Quality, Production, and the accuracy of delivery by comparing these criteria at three suppliers chosen. A total of 10 experts were asked to choose an alternative based on the established criteria. Supplier selection weighting of data analysis in this study were calculated using analytical hierarchy process. The results showed that the most influential criteria to supplier selection criteria for Mandailing coffee is quality with a weight of 0.414 and a production with a weight of 0.277. Delivery accuracy weighting criteria is 0.245 and last criteria is the price of 0.065. While the best suppliers selected by the respondents is the Supplier Z with weights of 0.664 and supplier X (0.187) and last supplier is Y (0.176).
Objective To estimate the magnitude of maternity waiting home utilization and identify its associated factors in Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 748 mothers who gave birth within the last year in the selected woredas (districts) of Sidama Zone. Data were collected from April 1–30, 2019 by using pre-tested and structured questionnaires. Data were coded and entered into EpiData version 3.5.1 and exported to Stata Version 13 software for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with maternity waiting home utilization adjusting for confounders. Results The mean (SD) of the age of the mothers was 31.26(6.42). Utilization of maternity waiting home in Sidama Zone was 67.25% (95% CI: 63.79–70.53).Maternity waiting home utilization was positively associated with protestant religion (AOR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.00–2.82) and having a spouse who can read and write (AOR = 2.0; 95%CI: 1.11–3.66) while it was negatively associated with maternal age of 31–40 (AOR = 0.4; 95%CI: 0.28–0.64) relative to the age group of 20–30, daily laborer occupation of mothers (AOR = 0.2; 95%CI: 0.06–0.76), monthly income under the poverty level (825-1320EBR) (AOR = 0.6; 95%CI: 0.36–0.92) relative with extreme poverty line (<825 EBR), lack of knowledge about maternity waiting home (AOR = 0.009; 95%CI: 0.002–0.03). Conclusions Women who had knowledge about maternity waiting home, had a husband who can read and write and protestant religion followers have higher probabilities of maternity waiting home utilization, whereas women (31–40 years old), daily laborers and whose family income is below the poverty level have lower probabilities of maternity waiting home utilization. Therefore, Health education about maternity waiting home utilization, spouse education, and women’s economic empowerment is crucial to enhance maternity waiting home utilization.
OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic on the prevalence of HIV in women in the United Kingdom (UK), particularly in the large immigrant and ethnic minority communities.   METHOD Unlinked anonymous neonatal seroprevalence survey with electronic record linkage of data from child health computers (maternal age and ethnic status) and birth registration (parent's country of birth).   RESULTS Of a total 137456 samples collected in 1997-1998, 188 (0.14%) were anti-HIV-1 seropositive. Seroprevalence was highest in women born in East Africa (2.3%) and Central Africa (1.9%). 76.4% of seropositive newborns were delivered to mothers born in sub-Saharan Africa; a further 6.0% had fathers from sub-Saharan Africa. However, there was little evidence of HIV in women born in Southern Asia [prevalence 0.0081%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0-0.04], and none within UK-born Asian communities. Prevalence among the UK-born Black African community was low (0.14%; 95% CI 0-0.6). Among infants with both parents known to be born in the UK, seroprevalence was 0.023% (95% CI 0.01-0.04) in London, and zero (95% CI 0-0.007) in non-Metropolitan areas. Irrespective of mother's region of birth, seroprevalence was 4.2 times higher (95% CI 3.0-5.8) in newborns whose father's details were not recorded at birth registration, a marker for single unsupported mothers.   CONCLUSION The risk of HIV among pregnant women from sub-Saharan Africa has been recognized. However, in southern England, HIV is very rare in women from Southern Asia and in UK-born women in ethnic minority communities, in spite of cultural and travel ties to high-prevalence countries. Data linkage in anonymous surveys assists in monitoring the impact of the worldwide epidemic on prevalence and incidence locally.
Two experiments have been made to examine the changes in nitrogen content that proceed in soybean leaves following the application of a girdle to their petioles. Girdling was performed by killing a portion of a petiole with heat given out by a small flame. In both experiments, fully developed leaves of a definite position (i.e. sixth leaves for Experiment I and primary leaves for Experiment II) were taken as samples for analysis. Varieties used were Aomame in the former, and Shirobanasai No.1 in the latter experiment. Although the conditions involved in both experiments differed each other in many respects, the resulfs obtained showed a marked similarity and will be described as follows. In the petiole-girdled leaves (this will be reffered to as treated leaves), the amount of total nitrogen invariably increased in excess of that of the control leaves whether the control leaves, during the same experimental period, were in a tendency towards either gaining or losing nitrogen. The excess was statistically significant in Experiment II. As the protein nitrogen content of the treated leaves changes in much the same manner as that of control leaves, the difference in the total nitrogen content between the control and the treated leaves is principally due to a striking accumulation of soluble nitrogen in the latter leaves. These results have led to the idea that, at least in a fully developed leaf, the transport of nitrogenous compounds either to or from the leaf, possibly through xylem and phloem respectively, would take place simultaneously and that the nitrogen levels of the leaf could depend upon the ratios of entering rate to leaving rate of nitrogen. The changes in composition of free amino acids in the treated leaves have been briefiy examined by one dimensional paper chromatography. A marked increase in certain amino acids which were hardlv recognized in the control leaves has been clearly demonstrated, suggesting that inward and outward currents, by which nitrogenous compounds are being carried to and away from a leaf, may be different in terms of amino acid composition. The occurrence of those additional free amino acids in the treated leaves might have been, at least in part, resulted from the breakdown of the leaf proteins.
This study investigates and analyzes the relation between the secondary school organizational climate and teacher job satisfaction using a self-designed school organizational climate scale based on studies in China and abroad. The findings show that except for interpersonal factors there are significant correlations between the various factors of school climate and the different dimensions of teacher job satisfaction. Regression analysis further finds significant correlations between school climate and such factors of teacher job satisfaction as nature of the job, leadership, salaries, opportunities for advanced studies, promotion, and physical conditions.
Originality: Research on the transgender experience, particularly at rape crisis centers and other healthcare organizations that provide gender-segregated service, is limited That literature often presents those organizing women-only space as monolithic and struggles around the inclusion of trans people oversimplified. My research illuminates how gender inequality is reproduced in an organization aimed at challenging that inequality. My research shows the logics of those engaged within an organization reproducing oppression despite individuals' desires to challenge oppression.
Reversible logic concept gaining much attention of researchers due to its characteristics of generating loss-less system. Reversible logic technology do not erase information hence no heat dissipation. In this paper a new reversible SMT logic gate has been proposed .The proposed three inputs, three outputs reversible logic based SMT gate has designed for Logical, Boolean and Arithmetical functions. This gate needs only one clock cycle to perform multifunctional operation and produce no garbage output. In the present investigation reversible half adder and half subtractor gate has been successfully realized by SMT gate. It produces zero garbage outputs. The proper coding proves that the proposed gates are fulfilling the requirement of reversible logic gate. In present paper different properties of SMT gate has been simulated using VHDL.
Rotary air preheater is adopted widely in large power plant boiler,due to poor working conditions, inside rotary air preheater,plugging ash and corrosion happens easily,causes the rise of exhaust gas temperature,fan resistance increases,causes serious damage to the safe and economic operation in power plants,so heat transfer and flow of the rotary air preheater remains to be further optimized.By studying the working characteristics of rotary air preheater, simplifies the rotational structure of the rotary air preheater to a cuboid wind tunnel,internal layouts more groups of heat transfer components,through periodic switching valve,changes the flow of hot air and cold air,alternating flushing heat transfer element,simulating the unsteady heat transfer process of rotary air preheater. Experiment with NF heat transfer components,getting the convective heat transfer coefficient and resistance coefficient of this heat transfer element under different wind speed,verifies the feasibility of experiment system research on the heat transfer and flow characteristics.
High demand of steel necessitates the use of low and lean grade iron ores by beneficiating them. However the fines, slimes and tailings generated in the process of beneficiating these low grade iron ores contains good amount of iron values. These iron values can be recovered by further beneficiating the fines, slimes and tailing by selective flocculation, which is defined as the selective agglomeration of iron ore particles using flocculant. In the present study an attempt has been taken to study the applicability of selective flocculation to Indian iron ore using corn starch as flocculant. A detail mineralogical and chemical characterization of iron ore and kaolinite were performed; in addition to this the flocculant was characterized by FTIR which gives an idea about the functional groups present in the flocculant. Different experiments were performed to optimize the operating parameters of the selective flocculation process. It was observed that product grade and recovery was strongly affected by pH of slurry and solid concentration compared to the flocculant dose. It was also found that the iron value can be upgraded to 63-66.9 % from the feed iron value of 37.65-55.33 % with the recovery of 63-90 %.
The field of thermoelectrics has progressed enormously and is now growing steadily because of recently demonstrated advances and strong global demand for cost‐effective, pollution‐free forms of energy conversion. Rapid growth and exciting innovative breakthroughs in the field over the last 10–15 years have occurred in large part due to a new fundamental focus on nanostructured materials. As a result of the greatly increased research activity in this field, a substantial amount of new data—especially related to materials—have been generated. Although this has led to stronger insight and understanding of thermoelectric principles, it has also resulted in misconceptions and misunderstanding about some fundamental issues. This article sets out to summarize and clarify the current understanding in this field; explain the underpinnings of breakthroughs reported in the past decade; and provide a critical review of various concepts and experimental results related to nanostructured thermoelectrics. We believe recent achievements in the field augur great possibilities for thermoelectric power generation and cooling, and discuss future paths forward that build on these exciting nanostructuring concepts.
THE present volume forms the second instalment of the “Geologie der Erde,” vol. 1 of Prof. E. Krenkel's “Geologie Afrikas” having been published about a year ago. The whole project is a decidedly ambitious one, for the aim is to give a comprehensive and correlative account, from the structural as well as from the stratigraphical point of view, of the geology of the earth, each continent being dealt with separately.Geologie von Europa.Von Prof. Dr. Serge von Bubnoff. (Geologic der Erde.) Band 1: Einführung, Osteuropa, Baltischer Schild. Pp. viii + 322 + 8 Tafeln. (Berlin: Gebrfider Borntraeger, 1926.) 22.50 gold marks.
As an indigenous breed, the Tibetan chicken is found in highland regions and shows physiological adaptations to high altitude; however, the genetic changes that determine these adaptations remain elusive. We assumed that the microevolution of the Tibetan chicken occurred from lowland to highland regions with a continuous elevation range. In this study, we analyzed the genome of 188 chickens from lowland areas to the high‐altitude regions of the Tibetan plateau with four altitudinal levels. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Tibetan chickens are significantly different from other altitude chicken populations. Reconstruction of the demographic history showed that the migration and admixture events of the Tibetan chicken occurred at different times. The genome of the Tibetan chicken was also used to analyze positive selection pressure that is associated with high‐altitude adaptation, revealing the well‐known candidate gene that participates in oxygen binding (HBAD), as well as other novel potential genes (e.g., HRG and ANK2) that are related to blood coagulation and cardiovascular efficiency. Our study provides novel insights regarding the evolutionary history and microevolution mechanisms of the high‐altitude adaptation in the Tibetan chicken.
Importance The survival benefit of laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with spleen-preserving splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (LSTG) for locally advanced proximal gastric cancer (APGC) without invasion into the greater curvature remains uncertain.   Objective To compare the long-term and short-term efficacy of LSTG (D2 + No. 10 group) and conventional laparoscopic total gastrectomy (D2 group) for patients with APGC that has not invaded the greater curvature.   Design, Setting, and Participants In this open-label, prospective randomized clinical trial, a total of 536 patients with clinical stage cT2 to 4a/N0 to 3/M0 APGC without invasion into the greater curvature were enrolled from January 2015 to October 2018. The final follow-up was on October 31, 2021. Data were analyzed from December 2021 to February 2022.   Interventions Eligible patients were randomized to the D2 + No. 10 group or the D2 group.   Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was 3-year disease-free survival (DFS). The secondary outcomes were 3-year overall survival (OS) and morbidity and mortality within 30 days after surgery.   Results Of 526 included patients, 392 (74.5%) were men, and the mean (SD) age was 60.6 (9.6) years. A total of 263 patients were included in the D2 + No. 10 group, and 263 were included in the D2 group. The 3-year DFS was 70.3% (95% CI, 64.8-75.8) for the D2 + No. 10 group and 64.3% (95% CI, 58.4-70.2; P = .11) for the D2 group, and the 3-year OS in the D2 + No. 10 group was better than that in the D2 group (75.7% [95% CI, 70.6-80.8] vs 66.5% [95% CI, 60.8-72.2]; P = .02). Multivariate analysis revealed that splenic hilar lymphadenectomy was not an independent protective factor for DFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.86; 95% CI, 0.63-1.16) or OS (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.59-1.12). Stratification analysis showed that patients with advanced posterior gastric cancer in the D2 + No. 10 group had better 3-year DFS (92.9% vs 39.3%; P < .001) and OS (92.9% vs 42.9%; P < .001) than those in the D2 group. Multivariate analysis confirmed that patients with advanced posterior gastric cancer could have the survival benefit from No. 10 lymph node dissection (DFS: HR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.02-0.46; OS: HR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03-0.52).   Conclusions and Relevance Although LSTG could not significantly improve the 3-year DFS of patients with APGC without invasion into the greater curvature, patients with APGC located posterior gastric wall may benefit from LSTG.   Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02333721.
In this paper we will give a Cayley-Dickson type construction of the bimodules and bimodules with involution for the composition algebras, and then apply these results to the classification of the bimodules for the Jordan matrix algebras. 1. Preliminaries. A composition algebra [1] is a nonassociative algebra A with identity over a field c1 (always assumed to be of characteristic 5 2) which has a nondegenerate quadratic form Q admitting composition
The selective removal of cesium by ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP) was studied in order to reduce an interference by high radioactivity of cesium on the determination of low radioactive elements in leachate of spent fuel. The removal of Cs, U, Ce, La, Co Ca, Na Sr and K was investigated for the leachate and the bentonite in contact with a spent fuel. More than 90% of cesium was removed by AMP and Ca, Na, Co and Sr was remained in 0.1 M . However, three valence elements such as La and Ce were also removed by AMP. Though a little of potassium of the bentonite components was adsorbed on AMP, the potassium in the bentonite solution diluted to its concentration in a real sample would not affect the capacity of AMP greatly. From another experiment for the separation of strontium as a leaching indicator of spent fuel, the recovery of strontium in 8.0 M solution by using Sr-resin (Eichrom, P/N SR-B50-A) was more than 95% by eluting with 0.05 M .
has not progressed as quickly (and development costs represent at least 70% of the billion dollar cost of taking a new chemical entity from conception to market). The reasons are clear: with the possible exception of antiinfectives, drugs for most therapeutic indications involve perturbations of complex interactive systems, our preclinical models all involve sweeping simplifications, and clinical trials usually involve heterogeneous groups of patients. Systems pharmacology approaches present one approach to addressing this complexity. Genetically engineered animal models offer useful approximations to human disease, but an animal model supplemented by a computational disease model greatly increases the range of questions that can be asked. Atherosclerosis presents a case in point: its aetiology is complex, it is affected by environmental and behavioural factors, including diet and smoking, and it may take several decades for the condition to progress to clinical disease. The Apoe-/- mouse reflects many of the features of human atherosclerosis, but there are important differences: in humans the dominant circulating atherogenic particles consist of LDL, while in the Apoe-/- mouse VLDL and IDL predominate. How do these differences affect the ability of the mouse model to predict the outcome of drug treatment or lifestyle changes in humans? Another limitation of the mouse model is that, despite its biological similarities with human atherosclerosis, it does not lead to the same clinical outcomes of angina and heart attack. Why is that? Given these limitations of the mouse model, can it still guide the development of prevention and treatment regimens to reduce the incidence of human heart disease? Chan et al have presented a computational model of atherosclerotic progression that has the potential to improve the predictive power of animal models of the disease, and (when the model is extended from mice to humans) to enable
Students of an institution of higher learning have some responsibility towards the society. They should engage themselves sparing sometime for national development and try to be do work for the betterment of society and national integration. In a democratic society cooperation between the institution and the community is necessary since an educational institution is a corporate organisation of students, teachers and community. Unfortunately this realisation is absent in most of the institutes of higher learning. Co-operation and co-ordination are gradually decreasing and the gap between the society and the institute is widening day by day.
The choice model that describes the process by which consumers choose among a set of water heater technologies is documented as the heart of the market analysis system. It is used to determine the market potential of an arbitrary set of new technologies with diverse characteristics. The model is tailored to the problem of forecasting consumer energy conservation technologies. The model explains consumer energy choices in terms of a wide range of economic, technologic and demographic variables, based on an explicit set of behavioral relationships. The first section presents a conceptual framework useful for thinking about the problem and evaluating alternative approaches. The second section discusses existing approaches, their strengths and weaknesses, and why the problem requires a new approach. The third section describes the new choice model and the fourth section concludes with our method for estimating parameters. (PSB)
An internal microelectrolysis-electrolysis process has been used to pre-treat nitrobenzene wastewater.The influences of initial wastewater pH,aeration condition,current density,and electrode distances on nitrobenzene and CODCr removal efficiencies were investigated.The results showed that internal microelectrolysis using granular activated carbon achieved 63.2% nitrobenzene and 22.1% CODCr removal efficiencies respectively,at iron chips dosage of 200 g/L,initial pH of 3.0,aeration condition and reaction time of 1 h.Then the followed electrolysis showed that up to 92.3% nitrobenzene and 45.2% CODCr could be removed under the conditions of current density of 5 mA/cm2,electrode distance of 2 cm and reaction time of 1 h.B/C ratio increased from 0.19 to 0.36.It was concluded that the internal microelectrolysis-electrolysis process is a very efficient way to pre-treat nitrobenzene wastewater.
Virtual reality technology is one of the main methods for vehicle ride simulation.In order to show vehicle ride more directly,a vehicle model of 1/2 7 degrees is established.By analyzing vibration composition of three-dimensional vehicle model,a vehicle model of 1/2 two degrees is built.Then vehicle vertical force equation is educed,and the vehicle ride simulation is achieved.To observe simulation process of the vehicle ride comfort,an observation algorithm named "fixed with the car" is proposed.By translation and rotation,the camera angle and position of the vehicle are relatively fixed and it moves with the vehicle.Experimental results show that when wheels of the model vehicle are motivated by external force,the vehicle vibration state can be simulated truthfully,and the camera's fixed-point observation with the vehicle can also show the simulation better.
Police officers respond to a plethora of calls, to include critical incidents. Research shows police officers are more resilient when compared to civilians, but exposure to critical incidents may lead to traumatic stress reactivity, which can increase the risk for negative mental health outcomes among police officers. Years of law enforcement experience, negative personality traits, and compassion fatigue on compassion satisfaction were examined regarding the influence each had on a sample of police officers from Finland. Study results appeared consistent with prior research that explored compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction among service-oriented professionals (e.g., nurses, emergency room medical doctors, crisis clinicians). Implications of the key findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided.    Keywords: compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, law enforcement, negative personality traits, trauma
BACKGROUND To study bone mineral density (BMD) in a group of postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with low doses of corticosteroids.   PATIENTS AND METHODS One hundred and eleven patients were included. Mean age (SD) was 63.8 (8.8) years, mean duration of postmenopausal period was 16.4 (10.1) years and the mean disease duration was 12.5 (8.2) years.   RESULTS A significant reduction of lumbar BMD (p < 0.05) and femoral BMD (p < 0.0001) was observed. The prevalence of osteoporosis was of 47%.   CONCLUSIONS The study supports, in the Spanish population, that postmenopausal women with RA treated with low doses of corticosteroids, have low BMD. We consider that the prevalence of osteoporosis in these patients is high.
In the investigative practice,the full utilization of information resources is very important,and the induration of information resources is the prerequisite to achieve the use of information resources.The dynamic understanding of the information resources from major investigative section should be strengthened.Channels of information resource flow to the investigation should be unimpeded.Establishing investigative information resource induration mechanism can be achieved by using the best information and resources.
Since outliers existing in radar measurement data,the outlier detection of time parameters in the data is per formed according to the equal difference characteristic of its change rule.Abnormal parameters of transmitted power,angle and distance are detected and corrected by moving window mode based on principles of abandoning mean filtering adjacent to the out lier.Experimental results show that the proposed detection method can effectively detect and correct outliers while not changing the rest.
In the present work, we propose a novel polynomial approach to approximate the Input-State feedback linearization control. The aim of this new method is to simplify the implementation complexity of the exact Input-State feedback linearization.    Indeed, the present approach leads to an analytical control law via analytical nonlinear transformations without need to resolve a set of partial differential equations. In fact, the analytical control law, determined via the proposed work, is dependent to an arbitrary choice of some parameters. So and in order to ensure a satisfactory evolution of the control input, we resort to optimization methods to have the optimal values of parameters. A study simulation is presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A ZnO nanoparticle was synthesized by co- precipitation method using sodium dodecyl sulphate. The ZnO nanoparticle was characterized by using powder XRD, UV- visible absorption, Infrared absorption spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy. The prepared ZnO nanoparticle was used for the preparation of ZnO nanoparticle /carbon paste electrode for electrochemical investigation of dopamine and serotonin which exhibits enhancement of peak current response at pH.7.4. The effect of pH range from 5.5 to 8.0 was studied and the redox peak was pH dependent with a slope of 50 mV/pH. The electrocatalytic peak current increases linearly with increase in DA concentrations from the ranges of 0.2 μM -1.3mM. The detection limit was found to be 0.8X10 -7 M. The ZnO nanoparticle / carbon paste electrode shows excellent electrochemical enhancement of peak current with resolved peaks for both dopamine and serotonin. The ZnO nanoparticles / carbon paste electrode shows selective detection of dopamine in presence of serotonin at physiological pH 7.4. The use of ZnO nanoparticles / carbon paste electrode is demonstrated for the detection of DA in injection sample.
This paper proposes a vehicle-to-vehicle communication protocol for cooperative collision warning. Emerging wireless technologies for vehicleto-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to roadside (V2R) communications such as DSRC are promising to dramatically reduce the number of fatal roadway accidents by providing early warnings. One major technical challenge addressed in this paper is to achieve low-latency in delivering emergency warnings in various road situations. Based on a careful analysis of application requirements, we design an effective protocol, comprising congestion control policies, service differentiation mechanisms and methods for emergency warning dissemination. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol achieves low latency in delivering emergency warnings and efficient bandwidth usage in stressful road scenarios.
The invention relates to a method for controlling the contents of phosphorus, sulfur and hydrogen in molten steel. The method comprises the following steps: performing molten iron pretreatment with a knotted reactor (KR) to desulphurize; placing the desulphurized molten iron in a dephosphorization converter to dephosphorize; placing the dephosphorized molten iron in a decarburization converter to smelt; tapping from the decarburization converter, adding ferroaluminum to deoxidize, and adding slag to adjust the slag basicity; and performing Ruhrstahl-Heraeus (RH) refinement. In the method for controlling the contents of phosphorus, sulfur and hydrogen in molten steel, molten iron pretreatment for desulfurization and dephosphorization are adopted, and waste steel which has low sulfur content and is easy to melt is used, thus P is no more than 60ppm and S is no more than 100ppm in the endpoint of the converter; the dosages of aluminum and slag and the addition time are controlled in the topping process of the converter to realize the effects of slag washing and desulfurization and ensure that P is no more than 80ppm and S is no more than 60ppm in the RH refinement; and after RH refinement is performed to degas and refine, the aim of smelting the steel with low contents of phosphorus, sulfur and hydrogen can be realized.
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has developed techniques of oyster culture aimed at production for marketing. At present it is a semi culture depending on nature for collection of spat. Reliance on wild spat has to be reduced since it does not guarantee seed supply at all times. A plan has been evolved for hatchery production of oyster seeds. The paper describes the hatchery system being developed at Tuticorin. The layout with green house, sea water filtration, and purification and temperature control systems has been so designed as to achieve tangible result
A brief overview of the status quo of passenger transport modes used in South Africa is given, highlighting the bus sector. The evolution of political, economic and legislative activities are described resulting in the new Government policy of tendering for bus subsidies. The basis of competitive tendering for subsidies is explained, the contracts awarded are described and the operational results and experiences discussed. The expected future developments are outlined.
This study focused on analyzing women linguistic features used by Oprah Winfrey in same-sex communication in a talk show namely Oprah Winfrey Show. Lakoff proposed a theory which stated that there are ten linguistic features of women’s speech. Desriptive qualitative method was used in this study because the data were not numeric data. The data were collected by transcribing one episode of Oprah Winfrey show with J. K. Rowling as its guest. Then, the writers identified each feature in the conversation and analyzed it using Lakoff’s theory. The findings showed that there were four women linguistic features used in the same-sex communication including lexical hedges or fillers, rising intonation on declaratives, ‘empty’ adjectives. Meanwhile, intensifiers and five other women linguistic features were absent. These five absent features were tag question, precise color terms, ‘hypercorrect’ grammar, ‘superpolite’ forms, and avoidance of strong swear words. Furthermore, the most frequent emerged feature was lexical hedges or fillers while the least frequent emerged features were rising intonation on declaratives and ‘empty’ adjective. In addition, the use of lexical hedges or fillers which was most frequently found in Oprah’s utterances reflected the speaker’s tentativeness in uttering words.
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The publisher or original authors may retain copyright to the materials. Improving 401(k) investment performance
To train the primary capabilities of the reading and translation on the English data related with the profession, and provide the basis to further enhance the ability of the English application is the one of the college English teaching targets. But in fact,we pay attention on the translation teaching is not enough. After the reform of the CET-4 in 2013 September, this situation has put forward new requirements on the translation teaching. In order to adapt to the new situation and meet the needs of our society, college English translation teaching needs to rethink.
Competitive interactions between cultured mussels and fouling organisms may result in growth and weight reductions in mussels, and compromised aquaculture productivity. Mussel ropes were inoculated with Ciona intestinalis, Ectopleura crocea or Styela clava, and growth parameters of fouled and unfouled Mytilus galloprovincialis were compared after two months. Small mussels (≈50 mm) fouled by C. intestinalis and E. crocea were 4.0 and 3.2% shorter in shell length and had 21 and 13% reduced flesh weight, respectively, compared to the controls. Large mussels (≈68 mm) fouled by S. clava, C. intestinalis and E. crocea were 4.4, 3.9 and 2.1% shorter than control mussels, respectively, but flesh weights were not significantly reduced. A series of competitive feeding experiments indicated that S. clava and C. intestinalis did not reduce mussels’ food consumption, but that E. crocea, through interference competition, did. Fouling by these species at the densities used here reduced mussel growth and flesh weight, likely resulting in economic losses for the industry, and requires consideration when developing biofouling mitigation strategies.
This article surveys the requirement of registration as a sex offender and ultimately concludes that the registry fails to protect children and society from individuals who commit sex-related crimes; furthermore, it concludes that the registry fails to prevent sex crimes from occurring. The author studies the legislative history of various Acts related to sex crimes as well as statistics on sex crimes to surmise that Congress in large part relied on myths about sex offenders in enacting legislation like the Adam Walsh Act. As a result, the registry is incapable of preventing the commission of sex offenses. The author further resolves that the registry endorses and perpetuates hatred toward sex offenders by creating a stigma whereby sex offenders are unable to reintegrate into society and lead productive lives. The article concludes by proposing that the registry is counterproductive as it causes great harm to individuals without offering a greater positive benefit to society as a whole.
The invention discloses a rapidly hardening mixture for a road base and a using method thereof. The mixture is prepared by stirring and mixing a cementing material, gravel aggregate and water, wherein the cementing material comprises the following substances by weight percent: 30-50% of cement, 20-45% of slag powder, 15-30% of calcium sulfite coal ash, and 5-10% of paper mill sludge. The using method comprises the following steps of preparing the cementing material according to fixed proportion, stirring and mixing the cementing material with the gravel aggregate and water according to the use amount of 150-220kg/m of the cementing material, and transporting to a construction site; paving and rolling the mixture, maintaining for three days, then paving a bituminous concrete surface layer, and after finishing paving the surface layer, putting the road into use. The rapidly hardening mixture for the road base has advantages of high strength at early stage, low deflection value of the base layer and less cracks on surface layer, the road can be put into use rapidly, the time occupying the road in road construction is shortened, and the rapidly hardening mixture has social benefits in comprehensive utilization of solid waste and reduction of environment pollution.
Confluence theory was originally developed to explain the negative effect of birth order on intelligence as well as some peculiar effects of birth order on the intelligence of last-born children in a large set of Dutch data. Subsequently the theory was elaborated to explain positive effects and nonlinear relationships between birth order and intelligence in other data sets. This paper identifies fundamental flaws in the methodology used to fit the confluence model to data. It is shown that earlier claims of excellent fits to data are based on statistically unsound methodology and that in fact the fits are very poor when the analysis is done correctly. An alternative analysis based on a within-family study design that utilizes sibling pairs indexed by birth order in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study finds no evidence of birth order effects on intelligence. (authors)
The purpose of this study is to obtain the nanoscale SiO2 membrane by sol-gel method with TEOS ethanol solution,hydrochloric acid catalyzer,surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB) template on the natural stone slab.We obtain the optimum experimental conditions of preparation for the SiO2 membrane by the orthogonal and the morphology characteristics with optical microscope,X-ray diffraction,and other means.This layer film is expected to apply in stone relic′s protection.
This study is an empirical contrast on the effect that the announcement of the gaining of ISO 14001 certification by a firm has on its market value. The analysis is based on a sample of 80 observations of environmental quality certification of the shop-floor systems or processes of large Spanish companies listed on the continuous trading market of the Madrid Stock Exchange in the period from 1996-2002. Results were obtained by use of Event Study methodology and they showed that ISO 14001 certification does not represent a sufficiently clear sign of environmental proactivity to generate expectations of long-term efficiency and profits in the capital market.
At the present time the Islamic people continuously try to build  mosques. Then it appears the new mosques in various places,  beside many renovations over the old ones. Spirit in trying to  build of Allah's Houses is proper to make us proud. Almost in  entire the homeland comers there is no place having no touch  by the building of the mosques. Some of them are small and  cute and some others are very big and glorious.  Supports of the people in so many physical building of mosques  are positive in average. Where the mosque is built, there are  much participation of people in various ways to raise fund. Spirit  and motivation of the people in the building and the fund raising  are very much determined by any specific tricks of management  in each mosque in eliciting and involving the people.  So strong desire and very enthusiastic people in building the  mosques, it should be balanced with the function use of the  mosques in developing people. It seems that function of the  mosque in developing people is not appropriate yet, especially  in back countries, as the mosques at this time are merely  functioned as mahdhoh of religious services and do not reach  yet for social religious services and others. For the reason, it is  very important for the management of the mosques to  understand the management of the mosques well.
Based on the field data of Chongqing Reach in the Upper Yangtze River,the backwater and damming limit of Tongluoxia natural control point downstream Chongqing are analyzed in detail.Furthermore,the change of water level in Chongqing reach is discussed according to the data of experimental impoundment of Three Gorges Reservoir.The result indicates that the backwater function of Tongluoxia bottle-neck reach is not obvious unless the incoming flow exceeding 25 000m3/s,and the damming limit can go up to the Jialing River confluence.The effect of impoundment of TGR on the high water level in Chongqing reach is not obvious.
Halal is not just applicable to food and drinks consumed internally but also products applied externally. Halal is often associated with products that are safe, clean, healthy and in accordance with the principles of halalan toyyiban. Muslim consumers often face problems to ensure that the products they buy, including cosmetics, are genuinely halal as they can only rely on the certification of the authorities. However, the question is to what extent do Muslim consumers in Malaysia trust the responsible authorities such as Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) in determining the halal status of a product. In addition, the consumers‟ values are also important to determine consumers’ behaviour. Therefore, the objectives of this paper are to identify consumers’ level of trust towards JAKIM, the Ministry of Health, the international certification bodies and also the producers of cosmetic and personal care products. In addition, this paper will also determine the value the consumers consider when they buy halal cosmetic products. The multiple regression analysis is used to examine whether trust and values are determinant factors of consumers’ behaviour towards halal products. A total of 400 Muslim consumers in Klang Valley participated in this study and they were selected through stratified random sampling. The results showed that trust towards JAKIM is the highest, followed by trust towards International Halal certification agency, the MOH and lastly, the producers. Meanwhile, the values associated with halal cosmetics are the quality, followed by emotional, economic, social and lastly conditional values. However, only two variables which are the trust towards MOH, and also emotional value, are significantly affecting the consumers’ behaviour where the emotional value is the strongest predictive factor. This study is expected to help stakeholders such as JAKIM, the MOH as well as producers of cosmetics products to enhance the Halal industry and therefore increase economy while protecting the welfare of Muslim consumers in Malaysia.
Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006  1807   The phytoestrogen resveratrol has been shown to have numerous cancer preventive properties, however its role in metastatic breast cancer prevention is not well characterized. Our group has previously shown that resveratrol decreased directed cell migration of ERα (-) β (+) MDA-MB-231 metastatic human breast cancer cells, while 17-β estradiol (estrogen, E2) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) increased cell migration. Decreased cell migration by resveratrol may indicate a novel role for resveratrol in breast cancer metastasis prevention. We hypothesize that the inhibitory effects of resveratrol on cell migration is due to a global prolonged extension of cell surface actin structures called filopodia. In contrast, E2 and EGF formed actin structures called lamellipodia that are known to be important for cell migration. The Rho family of GTPases regulates structural changes in the actin cytoskeleton. Rac induces the formation of lamellipodia, while Cdc42 induces the formation of filopodia. To investigate a role for Rac and Cdc42 in filopodia extension in response to resveratrol, we created MDA-MB-231 cells expressing a dominant negative Rac1(T17N) or a dominant negative Cdc42(T17N). Expression of dominant negative Rac does not significantly affect filopodia formation in response to resveratrol, while dominant negative Cdc42 expression partially blocks the effect of resveratrol on filopodia extension. To further understand the role of Rac and Cdc42 in resveratrol signaling to the actin cytoskeleton, we performed activity assays for Rac or Cdc42. This method uses a GST-fusion protein of the Cdc42 and Rac binding domain of the downstream effector PAK, which only binds to the active GTP bound form of Rac or Cdc42. Resveratrol (50μM) at 10 min (same concentration and time that induces peak filopodia) inhibited Rac activity when compared to vehicle, EGF, or E2. Overall our data indicate that resveratrol may inhibit cell migration by inhibiting Rac activity, and thus, may prevent breast cancer metastasis.
We present a patient with essential iris atrophy who was normotensive and yet had corneal edema and bullous keratopathy which cleared upon lowering the intraocular pressure. It is proposed that in this patient the endothelial functional status was so compromised that it could not handle the amount of fluid driven into the cornea by a normal intraocular pressure. A more favorable balance between intraocular pressure and endothelial functional status was obtained by lowering the intraocular pressure with acetazolamide and timolol.
Development of an industry is a policy to increase a more advanced economic growth gradually and evenly, to changes in the economy for the better. Increased industrial sector is one of the efforts in increasing jobs. The purpose of this research is to find out if working hours, productivity, and work experience affect the revenue brick craftsman. Research locations in the Tulikup Village, Gianyar District Gianyar Regency. Many samples taken in this study is 73 business units, with a simple random sampling method and multiple linear regression analysis techniques were used in this study. Based on the results of research conducted in the village of Tulikup, District Gianyar Regency Gianyar suggests that working hours, productivity and work experience positive and significant effect on labor income brick industry. Variations effect of working hours, productivity and work experience on labor income Tulikup bricks in the village of Gianyar Regency in Gianyar showed value of R Square = 0.773, which means 77.3% while the remaining 22.7% of models of other variables that affect and are not included in the study this.
We consider the Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator and the Calder 'on's mapping appearing in the Inverse Problem of recovering a smooth bounded and positive isotropic conductivity of a material filling a smooth bounded domain in space. Using deep learning techniques, we prove that this map is rigorously approximated by DeepONets, infinite-dimensional counterparts of standard artificial neural networks.
The extraction technology of total polyphenol in Amaranthus spinosus was optimized and the effect of scavenging hydroxyl radicals was studied to lay the foundation of theoretical basis for research and development of Amaranthus spinosus.The results showed that the optimum extraction technological condition was 60% ethanol,1∶10 material-liquid ratio,40℃ extraction temperatre and 1h extraction time.The extraction rate of total polyphenol from Amaranthus spinosus can reach 4.89mg/g under the optimum extraction technology.The rate of scavenging hydroxyl radicals can be up to 60% when total polyphenol concentration is 2.5μg/mL
Along with the development of the internet, electronic government affair plays a more and more important role in information transferring, but the safety of electronic government affair has restricted its development. Much attention has been paid to how to set up safe and convenient environment and ensure the data exchange safely. The article mainly analyzed the importance of electronic government affair and discussed the problems and corresponding measures.
We studied the level of analgesia obtained with epidural injection of 2% mepivacaine using combined spinal and epidural analgesia (CSE) and compared with the level obtained by epidural analgesia (EA). We inserted a catheter into the epidural space through the L2/3 interspace, and hyperbaric tetracaine was injected through the L3/4 interspace with 26G spinal needle in thirty patients for CSE. We checked the the level of analgesia 90 min after spinal anesthesia. After this, 23 out of 30 patients showed the extension of analgesia 15 min after injection of mepivacaine into the epidural catheter. In these patients, the level of analgesia and the dose of mepivacaine showed the regression line Y = 10.2-0.4X (Y: the level of analgesia, X: the dose of 2% mepivacaine, P < 0.05). We also showed the regression line Y = 16.1-0.7X (P < 0.05) for EA 15 min after epidural injection of mepivacaine in other 23 patients. To achieve the same level of analgesia of Th8 or Th6 with CSE and EA, the doses for epidural injection were calculated as 5.5 ml, 10.5 ml with CSE and 11.5 ml, 14.4 ml with EA, respectively. These results show that the epidural dose of local anesthetic for CSE is 1/2 to 2/3 of that necessary for EA.
Mario Claudio’s novel, Tiago Veiga, uma biografia (2011), is a long and uni­que biography that follows the path of former biographies. Three distinct forms of memory writing can be detached here among other singularities. Firstly, there is the idea of a challenging and well aware heteronimic pro­cess that is focused in the misterious life of Tiago Veiga. Secondly, there is the biographic portrait that is constructed within the observance of the gender codes and beholds a wide scope of intertextual rememberances. Finally, this becomes a unique crytical biography of Portugal during one century, because it recreates the cosmopolitan life of an unknown character born in 1910.
For the application to hold the 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing advanced three ideas: Green Olympics, Science and tech Olympics, and humanistic Olympics. These are not only accord the Olympic purpose, and also the need of the development of the modem society. One of the resources of the Olympism is the humanism, so the humane and Olympic should not divided. The author poses his views in three parts as follows: What are Humane and humanism; The cultural tradition of the ancient Olympic Gaines; How to realize the 2008 humanistic Olympics.
This paper outlines some of the main provisions of the UK's New Roads and Street Works Act (NRSWA), which came into force on 1 January 1993, and considers issues associated with its codes of practice. The NRSWA was designed as 'enabling' legislation, and refers to regulations and approved codes of practice to specify its detailed requirements. These codes were all produced through the cooperation of utilities and highway authorities, working in sub-groups of the Highways and Utilities Committee (HAUC). The complex 'Specification for reinstatement of openings in highways' (SROH) code includes all acceptable reinstatement options, and must always be followed. The 'Safety at street works and road works' code applies to all works covered by the NRSWA; it is now being reviewed, because it does not contain sufficient practical guidance for many situations associated with minor utility works. Other codes specify notification arrangements, and give guidance on planning diversionary works. A computerised 'street works register' will be introduced. There are also arrangements for training and accreditation of employees, and for monitoring the NRSWA's effectiveness. Further clarification and modifications of the codes is in progress.
The invention discloses a leg connection structure for a bionic insect robot. The leg connection structure comprises a supporting plate, a long supporting rod, a first short supporting rod, a second short supporting rod, a moving rod, a driving mechanism and a T-shaped shaft. The long supporting rod and the short supporting rods are in inserting connection onto the supporting plate, the moving rod is in match connection with the T-shaped shaft, and the driving mechanism comprises a first shape memory alloy (SMA) spring, a second SMA spring, a third SMA spring and a fourth SMA spring. Two ends of each of the first SMA spring and the second SMA spring are connected with the moving rod and the long supporting rod through connection wires, the third SMA spring is connected with the first short supporting rod and the T-shaped shaft, and the fourth SMA spring is connected with the second short supporting rod and the T-shaped shaft. The leg connection structure for the bionic insect robot is simple in structure, stable in performance, low in manufacture cost, flexible in motion, low in driving voltage, free of pollution and noise, capable of improving adaptability of the robot to the environment and corresponding with bionic concepts.
A search has been performed for scalar top quark pair production in the lepton+jets channel in {approx}1 fb{sup -1} of data. Kinematic differences between the exotic stop-stopbar and the dominant ttbar process are used to separate the two possible contributions. For scalar top quark masses of 145-175 GeV and chargino masses of 105-135 GeV we obtain upper cross section limits at 95% confidence level for stop-stopbar production that are a factor of {approx}7-12 higher than expected for the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM).
Hydroxynaphthoquinone 566C80 was synthesised and initially developed as an antimalarial with potent activity against drug-resistant strains of the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. Subsequent studies have revealed that in addition, this compound has experimental activity, both in vitro and in vivo, against Pneumocystis carinii and Toxoplasma gondii; the data obtained thus far for Cryptosporidium parvum are equivocal. Currently 566C80 is being assessed clinically not only against malaria, but also against P. carinii pneumonia, toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis.
Usually, drone cells and worker brood cells with larger diameters are preferred by the mite Varroa jacobsoni. We studied the infestation rate in different types of worker cells in eight africanized honey bee colonies. New brood combs (NC) built naturally by the africanized honey bees and old brood combs (OC) with relatively smaller cells were placed in the same colony, and with egg laying by the same queen. The brood cell infestation rate was estimated by counting the number of adult female mites in 100 brood cells. The inside diameters of the infested cells (ICD) and uninfested cells (UCD) were also measured in both combs, soon after the adult honey bees emerged. The mean mite infestation was significantly higher (P = 0.002, t-test) in OC cells than in NC cells (31.2 ± 13.9% vs. 14.9 ± 6.9%, respectively). The ICD for OC was significantly greater (P <0.001, t-test) than for UCD: 4.62 ± 0.044 mm vs. 4.54 ± 0.045 mm, respectively. The ICD mean for NC was 4.87 ± 0.062 mm while for UCD it was 4.83 ± 0.055 mm, and the difference was not quite sig- nificant (P = 0.057). The total mean of the diameters differed significantly (P < 0.001) between OC (4.58 ± 0.06 mm) and NC (4.85 ± 0.061 mm). The OC attracted more Varroa in relation to NC cells, although the cells had a smaller diameter. Though cell size is impor- tant, characteristics inherent to the larvae, to the comb or the food in the OC worker cells might have an important influence to attracting the Varroa mite.
Central banks, like the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, make judgements and take actions to promote the stability of the financial system. This involves making decisions in inherently uncertain situations. For example, how is financial stability defined? How can we recognise an imminent financial crisis? And, how is a financial crisis best mitigated or recovered from? This article presents a step towards a broad conceptual framework for promoting financial system stability and guiding the Bank's policy actions. We argue that the preconditions for financial stability are met when all financial system risks are being adequately identified, allocated, priced and managed. The financial system is made up of markets, institutions, and payments and settlement systems. Financial system risks broadly include credit, liquidity, market and operational risks. All of the preconditions are important to best ensuring that the financial system is resilient to a wide range of economic and financial shocks, and able to absorb financial crisis losses with least disruption. The preconditions for financial stability also best ensure that the financial system is efficient in its delivery of financial services, and allocating resources throughout the economy. In making assessments of financial stability, the Reserve Bank does not have a single, well-defined quantitative measure. Instead we draw on a variety of information, practices, and ongoing research. The Bank conducts regular surveillance of financial risks and reports on its assessments in the twice-yearly Financial Stability Report.
Contemporary society, irrespective of the levels of development, is surely a rapidly changing society. Such changes have been observed in a variety of directions. In a developing country like India, one can notice such changes occurring in society at various historical periods producing diverse consequences. One of the catching points in this context is that the forces and factors those are considered to be responsible were identified in numerous ways which vary from one geographical region to another and from one socio-historical setting to another. This is very much applicable in a society like India because Indian society in general and the society of northeastern region, in particular, have witnessed such events and historical sequences since ancient period. Historians, social analysts, and scholars who have taken interest in characterizing northeastern region and its society was seen to agree to conceptualize that it is a land of contrasts.
The purpose of the study is to analyze students’ ability in writing a recount text by investigating the generic structure and the linguistic features of recount text. This study is descriptive qualitative study. The data was six pieces of recount texts written by tenth grade students of high school. The data then was analyzed by using Transitivity system of Systemic Functional Linguistics developed by Halliday (1994) to identify the linguistic features of the text. Meanwhile, the generic structure of recount text is adopted from Anderson & Anderson (2003) and Emilia (2010) which was used to identify the generic structure of the students’ recount texts. The findings show that five students applied the generic structure of recount text in their writings, whereas one of whom missed the re-orientation part in hi writing. In regard to the text organization, five students put the structures in different paragraphs; however there is one student who wrote the story in only one paragraph. In regard to the linguistic features, most students likely found problems in applying regular and irregular verb form of simple past tense, the use of present tense, subject-verb agreement, gerund, to-infinitive, word choice, derivative form, conjunctions, prepositions, and articles. Therefore, it is recommended for the students to practice more in English grammar to improve their knowledge.
Physical development and morphofunctional state were assessed in 2452 urban schoolchildren, by using the Ukrainian standards (intergroup regression scales). During their schooling, the Kiev schoolchildren of both sexes were shown to have significant qualitative and quantitative physical and morphofunctional worsening that was more obvious in boys. Not more than 57-59% of the Kiev children aged 6 to 17 years had normal physical development and harmonic morphofunctional state. Every six Kiev boys and every five girls had overweight and reduced chest circumference. In the period 1996-2008, there was significant weight gain without respective changes in chest circumference and height, which indicated an imbalance in growth processes and physical development in the present-day Kiev schoolchildren. Evaluation standards for schoolchildren's physical development were developed and put into practice of the state sanitary-and-epidemiological service of Ukraine.
Objective To observe the effects of amiodarone and lidocaine on anti-arrhythmia and hemodynamic index in patients after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.Methods 87 cases of ventricular arrhythmia patients after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass into two groups.42 cases treated with amiodarone and 45 cases with lidocaine.Electrocardio-monitors MAP,HR and CVP value were observed.Results The total effective rate of amiodarone group was 92.86%,while lidocaine group was 78.78%,and the difference was significant(χ2 = 3.89,P 0.05);The value of MAP,HR and CVP value were no significant difference(P 0.05).Conclusion Amiodarone are more effective than lidocaine in patients complicated with ventricular arrhymia after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.Both of them has little influnce on the hemodynamic index.
In today’s highly globalized and liberalized competitive world, the internet and ICT has become a part and parcel of human life. And, hence the educational sectors cannot be kept away from usage of ICT. Distance is no more the barrier, due to the invention of internet and various ICT’s. Today’s academia is also undergoing into this turbulent change. To enhance the process of education rendering to the aspirants, this calls for a major and important role of ICT to play. Thus in the functioning of in a university office administration system, ICT is becoming a mandatory element. The use of ICT which will bring quicker communication, faster data processing, better information retrieval, which will lead better decision making, and to have control in the overall administration of an university system. .
In classical linear network flow (LNF) problems, a network consists of multiple source and sink nodes, where each node is a sink node or a source node, but not both. Usually, there is only one kind of commodity flow and the goal is to find flow schedules and routes such that all sink nodes’ flow demands are satisfied and the total flow transmission cost is minimized. We develop a capacity expansion multicommodity network flow (CEMNF) problem, in which the total commodity supply is less than the total commodity demand. There are more than one kind of commodities and each node is a commodity flow generator, as well as a consumer. It is allowed to do expansion for commodity flow generation capacities at each node and also to do expansion for commodity flow capacities of each arc so that more flow can be transmitted among nodes. Thus, CEMNF is not only a commodity flow routing problem, but also a commodity generation and flow planning problem, in which the increasing commodity demands need to be satisfied by generation/transmission capacity expansions. The goal of CEMNF problems is to find the flow routes and capacity expansion plans such that all flow demands are satisfied and the total cost of routing and planning is minimized. High-performance distributed computing algorithms have been designed to solve classical linear network flow (LNF) problems have been proposed. Solving the general CEMNF problems by high-performance distributed computing algorithms is an open research question. The LNF problems can be formulated as linear programming models and algorithms have been proposed to solve them efficiently on distributed computing platforms. But, the constraints of the CEMNF problems do not allow them to solve using the same methodology. In this paper, we also develop a transformation method to transform CEMNF problems into LNF problems in polynomial time and space complexity to solve them efficiently on distributed computing platforms. The results show that we can solve CEMNF problems with high performance.
Thyroid cancer is increasingly common. This is especially the case for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), which has a favorable prognosis. Treatment consists of surgical removal of the thyroid gland, radioiodine treatment, and life-long administration of relatively high doses of thyroid hormone. This treatment is effective, but also rather aggressive since it can result in the occurrence of both short- and long-term adverse effects. There used to be little attention for this issue, as cancer-related outcome was less favorable. Nowadays, we see a lot of DTC patients with small tumors who have a near-normal life expectancy. For these patients long-term adverse effects of treatment are very important since they can negatively impact quality of life. In this thesis we therefore studied the occurrence of long-term effects of DTC treatment. We found that atrial fibrillation (a cardiac rhythm disturbance) and mortality due to cardiovascular diseases are more common in DTC patients as compared to the general population. Furthermore, we found that a part of patients have salivary glands dysfunction following radioiodine treatment. Fortunately, the adverse effects of this treatment on bone marrow function were limited. Furthermore, there is a small group of thyroid cancer patients with more aggressive disease. For these patients, cure is often not achievable. Therefore, we studied the efficacy and toxicity of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (a new class of drugs) that have been studied in these patients. In addition, we studied the hereditary material of several thyroid cancers in an attempt to understand more of thyroid cancer pathogenesis.
BACKGROUND Hyperthermia is used in the treatment of some human malignancies. Thermotolerance may interfere with the efficacy of hyperthermic treatment, and thermotolerant cells may also display an enhanced resistance to some anticancer drugs. We have earlier isolated stable heat-resistant rat hepatoma variants and examined whether heat resistance influenced the drug sensitivity of the cells.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Heat-resistant variants were isolated by ten repeated cycles of heat exposure at 45 degrees C for 80 min. Highly multidrug-resistant variants were isolated by stepwise selection with colchicine.   RESULTS The heat-resistant variants became moderately multidrug resistant. This resistance was further increased by stepwise selection with colchicine (highly multidrug resistant variants). The levels of P-glycoprotein were elevated both in moderately and highly drug resistant variants. Decreased retention of antitumor drugs was observed in the multidrug resistant variants, verapamil increased doxorubicin retention significantly. Estradiol was almost without effect, while tamoxifen increased the drug uptake. Amplification of the MDR gene occurred in a part of the highly multidrug resistant variants.   CONCLUSIONS Acquired stable heat resistance of cancer cells can prevent the efficacy not only of hyperthermic treatment, but also the success of chemotherapy.
Since Xianyu335 was popularized rapidly in spring planting areas of northeast and northwest China and part summer planting areas of Huang-huai-hai region with its notable characteristics of stable high yield,extensive adaptability,tolerance to compact planting,fast dewatering,good commercial quality and suitability for machine harvesting.Its cultivation acreage turns into the second in domestic planting at present.It does not only make contributon to increase maize output and farmer incomes in our county,but also brings about important effect to maize breeding,seed industry and production,and promotes maize industrial technology system,and speeds up our country agricultural modernization.
We study a differential game of many pursuers described by infinite systems of second order ordinary differential equations. Controls of players are subjected to geometric constraints. Differential game is considered in Hilbert  spaces. We say that evasion is possible if ||zi(t)||r+1 + ||z˙i(t)||r 6= 0 for all i = 1, ...,m, and t > 0; m is the number of pursuers. We proved one theorem on evasion. Moreover, we constructed explicitly a control of the evader.
On the basis of an analysis of our experience and a review of the literature, this report discusses the effects of perioperative blood transfusions on postoperative morbidity, mortality and 5-year survival in a series of patients who underwent curative surgical treatment of gastric cancer. The authors analyze a consecutive series of 137 patients who underwent curative total or subtotal gastrectomy D2 or D3. Ninety-nine patients (72.2%) received perioperative transfusions. The data examined included the number and timing of transfusions (pre-, intra-, or postoperative), the type of operation (total or subtotal gastrectomy with or without splenectomy), tumor stage (pTNM), and the correlation between transfusions, mortality, morbidity and survival. Advanced T-stage (P = 0.01) and total gastrectomy (P = 0.009) were associated with a higher transfusion rate. No cases of operative mortality were recorded after 1988. Specific morbidity was 10.5% in non-transfused patients and 20.1% in transfused. Five-year survival rate in the transfused patients (28.3%) was significantly lower than in the non-transfused group (53.5%) (P = 0.03). Univariate analysis showed that T-stage (P = 0.001) and N-stage (P = 0.04) were associated with a lower survival. By multivariate analysis (Cox regression model) only T-stage (P = 0.001) and N-stage (P = 0.04) were independent prognostic factors, whereas transfusions were not an independent variable (P = 0.27). To conclude, the issue of the real impact of transfusions on the prognosis of gastric cancer is far from being settled, although the T and N parameters are known to be strictly correlated to prognosis. This study further confirms the importance of limiting homologous transfusions as well as of transfusing, whenever possible, autologous or leukodepleted blood; this, however, without losing sight of the primary goal of minimizing operative blood loss.
For speech synthesis systems that transform text materials into voice data, correctness and naturalness are the crucial measures of performance, the latter gaining more emphasis recently. In order to make synthesized voices natural, we must take into account pronunciation-related linguistic phenomena such as homograph, among others. The syntax certainly provides an important clue to disambiguating such homographs, but the relatively free word order in the Korean language makes it hard to utilize such information. In this paper, we describe a computational generation of contextually appropriate vowel lengths for the words in Korean by utilizing a higher level of linguistic information in a Combinatory Categorial Grammar framework. We consider parts-ofspeech information, the possibility of conjunction with a suffix, case information, unconjugated adjectives, numerals, numerical adjectives with related nouns, and the relationship between a noun and its predicate as syntactic and semantic clues for vowel sound disambiguation. The results are expressed in Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) for a target system neutral application. The proposed system with correctly predicted vowel sound can be used not only as an educational tool, but also as a plug-in for enhancing the intelligibility of a general purpose Text-to-Speech (TTS) system.
Wipe your skin or hair, having been provided with a suitable oil absorbent wipe material and its manufacturing method. Wipes include oil-absorbing porous film-like substrate of at least one thermoplastic material. Generally, the wipe changes transparency or color to provide an oil absorption indication functionality when the oil loading (about 10 or more changes in L Wipes (a) a face or absorption of body fraction and the method comprising: providing a porous film-like substrate of a thermoplastic material that can change the transparency or color, and (b) continuously or locally porous film-like substrate as an oil comprising the steps of coating, wherein the coating portion is formed by the five days of it does not alter the transparency or color of the substrate sufficiently to lose its oil absorption indication functionality step. Yi ohil The coating has a property such as a film-coated porous substrate increases oil absorption indication functionality.
To prevent the accidents caused by unclear geological conditions and ensure the construction safety at mining face,preliminary geological exploration should be done. The originally used underground drilling machine could ont satisfy the need of preliminary geological exploration because of the small power and difficult relocation. Taking ZDY1200S full hydraulic underground drilling machine as a prototype,the design of hydraulic system and main components are optimized to meet the application requirements of preliminary geological exploration. The field test proves the good effect.
The early phase of development of muscles stops following the disappearance of embryonic and neonatal myosin and the elimination of polyneuronal innervation of muscle fibres with the formation of motor units (MUs), but later the muscle mass still considerably increases. It is unknown whether the three types are visible among newly formed MUs soon after the early postnatal period and whether their proportion is similar to that in adult muscle. Moreover, the processes responsible for MU-force regulation by changes in motoneuronal firing rate as well as properties of motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) during maturation are unknown. Three groups of Wistar rats were investigated - 1 month old, 2 months old and the adult, 9 months old. The basic contractile properties and action potentials of MUs in the medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle were analysed. The three types of MUs were distinguishable in all age groups, but higher proportion of slow MUs was noticed in young rats (29%, 18% and 11% in 1, 2 and 9 months rats, respectively). The fatigue index for fast fatigable MUs in 1 month old rats was about 2 times higher than in 9 months old rats. The twitch time parameters of fast MUs were shortened during the maturation; for these units, the force-frequency curves in young rats were shifted towards lower frequencies, which suggested that fast motoneurons of young animals generate lower firing rates. Higher twitch-to-tetanus ratios noted for the three MU types in young rats suggested the smaller role of rate coding in force regulation processes, and the higher role of MU recruitment in young rats. No significant differences in MUAP parameters between two groups of young and adult animals were observed. Concluding, the maturation process evokes deeper changes in fast MUs than in slow ones.
We assessed the antiproliferative effect of human recombinant interferon -alpha (IFN-alpha) or -beta in combination with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin, or cis- or trans-retinoic acid on two human nonsmall cell lung carcinoma cell lines (SK-LU-1 and SK-MES-1) and on one human small cell lung carcinoma cell line (NCI-H69). Results were obtained by direct cell count and/or by the clonigenic assay. The three cell lines differed in their sensitivities to the antiproliferative effects of the different agents. However, both NSCLC cell lines were more responsive to IFN-beta than to IFN-alpha. The SK-MES cell line was more resistant to both IFNs than the SK-LU-1. The NCI-H69 cells were resistant to all the drugs tested, except trans-retinoic acid. The dose and time of exposure were found to be important factors in the case of IFNs and cytotoxic agents, with lower surviving fractions obtained with the higher doses and longer exposures. This finding, however, did not hold true for the retinoic acids, which showed no antiproliferative effect. Within the sensitivity of our system, we did not identify any synergistic interaction in any of the cell lines with IFN-alpha or IFN-beta and 5-FU or cisplatin. A slight synergistic interaction was observed with IFN and cis- or trans-retinoic acid in the SK-LU-1 cell line which was not thought to be clinically significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Accelerating the development of the logistics industry is the strategic focus for transforming the pattern of economic development.At present,the development of the logistics industry lagged behind and there are some problems with the development of this industry,such as the low level of specialization and socialization,the imbalanced distribution of logistic factors and the lack of powerful multinational enterprises.During the Twelfth Five Year Plan period,the logistics industry will face more opportunities,such as the accelerated construction of infrastructure,the formation of unified market,the accelerated globalization,the competition among different types of ownership and patterns of transportation,which will help lay the solid foundation for the development of the logistics industry.Now,we should take implementing the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on the Policies and Measures for Promoting the Sound Development of the Logistics Industry as the opportunity to accelerate the development of modern logistics industry.We should strengthen innovation in logistic system and mechanism,make the global arrangement for the logistics industry and implement the policy of "going out".At the same time,we should cultivate more professionals and top-entrepreneurs for this industry and develop more top logistic enterprises.
Combined with the resent situation of agricultural products quality and safety in Nantong,and information asymmetry of agriculture products supply chain,the paper analyzes influence factors and occurrence mechanism of agricultural products quality and safety,puts forward four countermeasures including establish consciousness of quality safety,eliminate information asymmetry,strengthen supervision,and perfect quality safety management system of agriculture products.
This report describes the results of studies on the use and effectiveness of rumble strips, including a survey of Minnesota county engineers and a simulation conducted at the University of Minnesota Human Factors Laboratory. Sixty-eight of 87 counties responded to the survey. Of the 68 respondents, 56 install in-lane rumble strips. The survey also asked respondents to describe the guidelines that they used to designate areas for rumble strip installation. As part of the simulation study, test subjects drove in a simulator through a designed experiment to measure the effectiveness of in-lane rumble strips. The results of this study showed different braking patterns between intersections with in-lane rumble strips and those without rumble strips. Those with rumble strips braked earlier and harder. The report recommends that shoulder rumble strips be used in areas with high rates of run-off road crashes. Before-and-after studies have shown conclusively that shoulder rumble strips have reduced run-off road crashes by 20% to 72%. It also recommends a follow-up study on in-lane rumble strips involving drivers that are sleep deprived, under the influence of alcohol, or driving in poor conditions.
Apparatus (100) and method are provided for forming an eye at the end of a heated leaf spring blank (2). Apparatus (100) includes a forming plate (16) operative to move angularly downwardly against a cantilevered portion (10) of blank (2) and roll it about a retractable rotary eye pin (5) to form the eye. Apparatus (100) includes neutralizing the force created by forming plate (16) against blank (2) during the rolling operation and further preferably includes a scarf blade (14) operative to move angularly to scarf or shape the end of portion (10) prior to the rolling operation.
This paper presents the influence of nitrogen fluid phase on surface heat transfer coefficient in cryogenic machining. A novel optical nitrogen phase sensor is presented for characterizing the cryogenic fluid phase. Surface heat transfer coefficient was established experimentally, with the support of a new heat transfer model for cryogenic machining. Finite element models are developed with experimental data for Inconel 718, simulating the process behavior with varying nitrogen phases. Desired fluid phase at the delivery is found to be the key for achieving truly sustainable cryogenic machining.
To explore the risk factors of gastric cancer in Haian county. [Methods ] A pair matching case-control study of 177 cases was conducted new gastric cancer. [Result ] Results showed that having a history of spirital stimulus.having a history of chronic tummy bug. low income 15 years ago. eating when being angey.drinking pond-water 15 years ago were positive correlation with the incidence of gastric cancer; The high intak of flesh vegetables and beau produts.eating great -meal every day 15 years ago can account for the lower incidence of gastric cancer. [Conclusion ] Gastric cancer has some relation with living condition.diet habits.spirital factors in Haian, Jiangsu Province.
Objective Evaluate the effect of attenuation and lay the foundation for the research of immunological mechanism of brucella infection and the development of novel live attenuated vaccines.Methods The effect of attenuation is evaluated by brucella invasion experiment,and other animal and cell experiments.Results Compared with wild-type strains,the mutation strains have several aspects different from it :(1) though the mutation strains of Brucella melitensis 16.can survive in the mouse model,the survival rates in the spleens of the inoculated mice were significantly lower than the wild-type strain;(2) the mutation strains were more sensitive to PmB than the wild-type parental strain;(3) the amount of LPS on the mutation strain of Brucella melitensis 16.were seen less than on the wild-type parental strain;(4) the replication rate of mutatation stains in HeLa cell line decreased dramatically although it can survive in it in vitro.Conclusions We have confirmed the attenuated effect of the mutation strain of Brucella melitensis 16,it can be used as a candidate vaccine for the control of brucellosis.
Analyzes emphatically Pulse Doppler Fuze (PDF) work theory of pulse and continuous wave correlation. Introduces some complex antijamming technology such as frequency selection, pulse selection, multi-center selection technology. Meanwhile, noise jamming, swept (jamm-)ing, doppler jamming and distance jamming are used to have a test on the PDF model, the result is contrasted and better countermeasure to PDF is put forward.
We consider a symmetric finite-range contact process on $ mathbb{Z}$ with two types of particles (or infections), which propagate according to the same supercritical rate and die (or heal) at rate $1$. Particles of type $1$ can occupy any site in $(- infty ,0]$ that is empty or occupied by a particle of type $2$ and, analogously, particles of type $2$ can occupy any site in $[1, infty)$ that is empty or occupied by a particle of type $1$. We prove that beginning with all sites in $(- infty,0]$ occupied by particles of type $1$ and all sites in $[1, infty)$ occupied by particles of type $2$, the process converges in distribution to an invariant measure different from the non-trivial invariant measure for the classic contact process. Also, we characterize the set of invariant measures for this process.
Refugees who are persecuted in their native countries may apply for asylum in the United States, pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Section 1158. This statute provides that the Attorney General shall have discretion to grant asylum to any person who is unwilling to return to their homeland because they have suffered persecution, or have a well founded fear that they will be persecuted. The term "persecuted" is not defined in the statute. This article discusses the various definitions of persecution developed by the U.S. Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court and advocates that the term should include non-physical harm. Each of these courts has stated that physical harm is not required to prove persecution; however courts are reluctant to grant asylum without evidence of severe physical injury. Economic disadvantage, incarceration, sexual assault, and intimidation suffered by refugees have failed to persuade courts. This topic has become increasingly important in light of the Kosovo crisis. The treatment of such refugees by the United States is headline news around the world. The authors suggest that courts should consider injuries other than physical in their determination of persecution.
Many studies suggest that all types of hormonal changes and a regular fluctuation in numerous functions affecting all body systems in women especially during menstrual phases including physical, psychological or behavioral is the result of disturbed autonomic nervous system (ANS) .In a present study the cardiovascular parasympathetic functions were assessed during various phases of menstrual cycle in 50 healthy, volunteers with no irregular menses, menorrhagia and oligo-menorrhoea. Parasympathetic functions were evaluated by Heart rate response, E: I Ratio and Valsalva Ratio tests in pre and post menstrual phases with statistically insignificant results (p>0.05), on comparison between the two phases. The study concludes that there were no statistical significant responses to any of the parasympathetic test on comparison between premenstrual phase and post menstrual phase of menstrual cycle, reflecting no change in the parasympathetic activity during the different phases of menstrual cycle.
Roof control is key management of opening up coal seam with potential outburst in crosscut.The successful application of grouting technology opening up No.6-1 coal seam with potential outburst in belt conveyor crosscut at-620m level in State Own Xinji No.2 Coal Mine,has effectively preventes rock upon roof from falling and gas from running over,guaranteed tunnel safety,and it has a leading meaning to the same kind of condition.
The question about using. The magnetic-activated water for hardening the concrete mixtures is discussed in this article. The authors open the reasons of a low industrial need for these high-effective technologies and show the ways, which allow to use the magnetic activation of water for hardening concretes. It allows to approve technical and servicing parameters of wares and economize about 10-15% of cement. The article shows the experiment's results, nhich were carried ont by the authors on more then 150 experimental cubs.
Objective To evaluate the feasibility of transanal endoscopic microsurgery and discuss the possibled ifficulties during the operation.Methods The data of 36 patients undergoing transanal endoscopic microsurgeryd uring the period September 2006 to June 2008 in Ruijin hospital were reviewed.Results Transanal endoscopicm icrosurgery was successfully performed in all the patients.There was no procedure converted to laparotomy.Thea verage operative time was 71(20～200)min.The histologic diagnosis indicated 1 inflammatory mass,22 adenomas,5c arcinoids,8 carcinomas.The average hospital stay after transanal endoscopic microsurgery was 4.7(3～9)days.Therew as no operation-related mortality.Complications included rectal bleeding(n=1),flatus incontinence(n=1).There waso ne local recurrence which was found in the 5 month.Conclusion Transanal endoscopic microsurgery is an effective,s afe and minimally invasive surgical technique leading to a short hospital stay and less complications.Therefore,t ransanal endoscopic microsurgery can achieve similar or better consequence than traditional surgery.
The National Study Grant is one of the chief means the government adopts to offer financial aids to needy students in order to help them finish school.Students can get study grants on condition that their identities as needy students are recognized.Due to the drawbacks of the existing different rating methods for needy students,it is necessary to comprehensively use various methods and make new explorations to ensure justice.The paper attempts to present a new rating method from the mathematical angle.
ARP spoofing seriously threatened the safety of switched network. Considering the characteristics of switched network environment, a method of ARP spoofing detection system was proposed based on WinPcap. Using port mirroring and monitor software, cooperating with the WinPcap driver, we developed the detection system. It could capture and analyze the ARP packets in switched network. Because the method doesn't request any host response, it can be more effective to reduce influence over network during detection than other methods, and can effectively detect ARP spoofing in switched network at the same time.
Future intelligent transportation system (ITS) deployments must adhere to a new set of “rules” to take full advantage of the capabilities now emerging from both a systemic and operational perspective; these opportunities cannot be leveraged unless we change the stovepipe deployment mentality currently in vogue. While there will always be a few justifiable and explainable exceptions, it is safe to say that future ITS deployments in any of the major ITS functional areas (Traffic Management, Transit, Traveler Information, Tolling and Connected Vehicle) must address the existence (actual or planned) of other deployments in the same “vertical” and/or in the other major ITS area(s). This requirement for integrated deployments will increase as we move toward the integrated or “Smart City”; our political leadership will demand nothing less. We are seeing the beginning of this migration in the ICM model deployments. To understand the motivation for reaching beyond any one system’s boundaries requires we examine three basic pressures driving this change. These can be categorized as situational, positional and financial. We can no longer deploy ITS in a non-integrated, stovepipe manner. To meet this mandate requires that we understand data in every aspect and context and clearly identify and support the intra- and inter-system relationships.
The main objective of this research was to discover the impact of HRM practices on the financial and non-financial performance of the SMEs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The research used a structured questionnaire to collect the data. Target population of this study was all the pharmaceutical companies of district Peshawar, KP. Quantitative data was analyzed by using PASW Statistics (Version. 18). The findings show that incentive practices, Teamwork, training programs, performance appraisal and employees participation in decisions have significant impact on the financial and non-financial performance of the small and medium enterprises of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This research also shows that employees’ productivity has improved while employees’ absenteeism has reduced due to the positive perception of employees regarding HRM practices.
Neck located hydatid cysts are of rare occurrence. We report two patients with such condition. A 66 years old male with a slowly progressive painless 4 cm nodule located in the right thyroid. It did not concentrate 131I and a fine needle aspiration cytology was informed as an acute thyroiditis. A 5 years old boy presented with a 5 cm painless right submaxillary cyst. Ultrasound examination showed that it was unilocular, and fine needle aspiration biopsy disclosed unspecific findings. In both cases surgical findings and the pathological study showed hydatid cysts. Both patients had normal chest x ray and abdominal ultrasound examinations. They had an uneventful postoperative evolution. Echinococcosis must be considered in the differential diagnosis of cervical cysts in endemic area.
The balanced development of elementary education is an important content of the present project of building a new socialist rural community.It requires a reasonable distribution of educational resources,particularly of teachers.To keep the teaching-staff balance for regional elementary education,a series of teacher-oriented policies should be taken,including the practice of the teacher-employment system,the separation of employment from academic titles,the establishment of a scientific staff-transfer system,the reinforcement of teacher training,and the improvement of welfares for teachers working in rural schools.
The title of this final report is about the planning and calculation of the  education building. Planning buildings with spans 7,4 m x 30 m in Pondok  Pesantren Assalafi Al Fitrah Surabaya.The purpose of this report is to plan a  building that serves as a place of education. We plan and calculate the building  was based on primary data and supporting data. Primary data collected from  observations in the field of planning and supporting data were analyzed using the  formula of several books.  Basic theory calculations using SNI-03-2847-2002 on concrete structures,  reinforced concrete structures and arrangements Istimawan Reinforced Concrete  Calculation Table Gideon essay. Concrete structures for beams, columns and  Sloof. Our results of the final report indicated that the office building is safe and  feasible for use.
The present invention relates to an abnormal operating condition warning system identification electromechanical equipment swarm coal, characterized in that: a sub-station air shaft, the main control system, the remote diagnostic system, a radio station and the network service acquisition module, the acquisition module comprises a wireless base station and a node, said node comprising a temperature sensor vibration, the DSP board data processing module and the wireless transceiver, the wireless transceiver module is connected via a wireless network and a base station is connected to ground through a ring main control system, the main control system, air shaft sub-station, remote diagnosis system and a service station via a terrestrial network ring connected to each other. All wireless nodes are two-way communication between nodes in a network do not communicate with the base station of the present invention. Star network than the other two networks has the lowest overall power consumption, easy to move, easy to expand and so on.
Seeking an association among SEVs, parent's mental health, early family milieu, and children's mental health through an epidemiological survey on a representative 545-child sample from low income squatter population of the city of Salvador was the author's hypothesis. QMPA and QMPI were used to assess the mental health status of parents and children, respectively. A specific questionnaire collected data on social-economic variables, and the HOME inventory was used to measure the quality of stimulation within home environment. For data analysis linear, and multiple regression techniques were resorted to, stratified by children's age and sex as well as parents' working position. In the multiple regression analysis, a strong, significant relationship was found between quality of family environment and indicators of child mental health, consistent throughout all strata analyzed--and even stronger among females involved. Results do not point out a direct influence of parents' mental health, except--in the second set of variables--through the influence of an early family environment.
PURPOSE Chronic urticaria is a common skin disorder. The cause is rarely determined. Autoimmune diseases, particularly autoimmune thyroiditis, have been implicated in the occurrence of chronic urticaria.   METHODS We reviewed clinical records of patients with Hashimoto's disease and chronic urticaria.   RESULTS In our department, six patients had presented chronic urticaria associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: four patients, of which three treated with L-thyroxine were euthyroid, the other two were hypothyroid. Hashimoto's thyroiditis had been diagnosed for three patients during the investigation of chronic urticaria. Three patients developed chronic urticaria though they were treated with thyroid suppression for Hashimoto's disease. Two of them had a dramatic improvement with opotherapy. One patient who was euthyroid without treatment improved with hormonal therapy. The fourth patient had a partial remission with thyroid hormones and was cured with corticotherapy.   CONCLUSION The mechanism by which thyroid autoimmunity is associated with urticaria is poorly understood. A cross-linking of IgE receptors of mastocytes induced by antithyroid antibodies may be a cause of histamine release. Hormonal therapy may be a potent event for the clinical improvement by the suppression of chronic thyroid stimulation. Assay of thyroid hormone and antithyroid antibodies should be performed in patients with chronic urticaria. Discovery of Hashimoto's thyroiditis with chronic urticaria requires thyroid hormone replacement not only in hypothyroid but also euthyroid patients.
Aim To investigate whether atherosclerosis may be accelerated by lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2(Lp-PLA2) in patients with chronic renal failure(CRF). Methods 100 patients of CRF and 40 healthy volunteers were involved in the study.The levels of plasma Lp-PLA2 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Intima-middle thickness(IMT) and prevalence atherosclerotic plaques of the extrcranial common carotid artery were measured by high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography. The CRF group level of plasma Lp-PLA2 was compared with the control group.The levels of plasma Lp-PLA2 were compared between the different groups in patients with CRF.The multiple stepwise regression analysis was used for the multi-factor of affecting the carotid artery IMT. Results Higher plasma Lp-PLA2 levels were found in patients with CRF(232.16±59.36 μg/L) as compared with those in healthy controls(129.47±29.72 μg/L,P0.01). Lp-PLA2 levels in dialysis patients(261.84±50.82 μg/L) were significantly higher than in pre-dialysis patients(204.73±53.95 μg/L,P0.01). Lp-PLA2 levels increased with the progression of renal dysfunction and inversely correlated with creatinine clearance(Ccr)(r=-0.567,P0.01).Patients with carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques showed significantly higher levels of Lp-PLA2(281.33±39.72 μg/L) as compared with patients without carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques(188.46±35.02 μg/L,P0.01). By multiple stepwise regression analysis strong association was still present between Lp-PLA2 levels and carotid artery IMT(β=0.735,P0.01) in the CRF patients. Conclusion The results indicate that atherosclerosis is associated with increase of plasma LpPLA2 in CRF patients.The elevated levels of Lp-PLA2 may be involved in the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis for CRF patients.
The purpose of the study to analyze the effectiveness, efficiency, and contribution of Taxes and Levies in the District of Penajam Paser Utara.  The analytical tool used is the analysis of effectiveness, efficiency analysis, and analysis of the contribution.  The results of the analysis of the effectiveness of taxes and levies from 2009 to 2013 had fluctuated but continue to increase, it's just that in 2011 decreased dramatically so ineffective.To the level of efficiency that made the District of Penajam Paser Utara from 2009 to 2013 are all very efficient with an average value of 1.70 percent, where tax revenues and user fees greater than the cost of collection incurred.The level of contributions taxes and levies in 2009-2013 increased annually in local tax levies and for its contribution to decline.  Based on the research results, it is expected that the District DISPENDA Penajam Paser Utara can increase revenue, especially taxes and levies to make efforts: Conducting a survey or mapping programs and develop policies and strategies for the development of new levies object, human resource managers increase revenue and improve and adjusting the institutional aspects (management organization PAD) and aspects of management, simplifying the tax system and levies, separation listing fees and levies tax, targeting a clear budget for taxes and levies each year.
801 Cancers that occur at a rate of fewer than six cases per one lakh people per year are defined as “Rare Cancers” by the American Cancer Society.[1] However, not all “rare cancers” meet this definition in all geographical areas uniformly, as there can be hotspots with higher incidences of these cancers. The carcinoma gall bladder is an example of this, being classified as rare cancer in the western world, whilst being one of the common causes of cancer-related mortality in women in Chile and Northern India. Although individually rare, when combined, rare cancers account for over 10% of all newly diagnosed cancers and 25% of cancer-related deaths. Rare cancers contribute to a significant proportion of cancer incidence in childhood and adolescence, accounting for two-thirds of all cancers diagnosed before the second decade of life, and one-third of cancers seen before the third decade. There are nine important rare cancers selected by the International Rare Cancers Initiative (IRCI) for collaborative research given a lack of adequate research in such cancers. These cancers are ocular melanoma, Anaplastic thyroid cancer, salivary gland cancer, penile cancer, thymoma, metastatic anal cancer, small bowel adenocarcinoma, gynaecological sarcomas and the fibrolamellar variant of hepatocellular carcinoma. It is important to remember that rare cancers do not refer to only rare histological varieties. Rather, the term also includes rare subsets of common cancers (such as the T4N0 stage of breast cancer) and rare presentations of common cancers (such as male breast cancer).[2]
The structures of the listed companies will greatly affect the development level of China's Stock Market and its future momentum of growth. Illogical arrangements are found in the structures of the stock rights, the industry, and the regions. That will bring about much negative effect on the in-depth reform in the joint-stock enterprise system and on the cultivation of the stock market in China. Based on comprehensive analysis and comparison with stock markets in developed countries, and on full consideration of the case in China, the author has suggested some countermeasures targeting at the existing problems in the structure of our listed corporations, so that the reform conducted in the joint-stock enterprise system will develop in healthy and standardized way.
The New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) was the first medical school in the state of New Jersey. Its creation required the vision and support of many, including a group of leaders at the Jersey City Medical Center, century old Seton Hall University and the Archdiocese of Newark. Chartered in 1954 as Seton Hall College of Medicine, it opened its doors in Jersey City in 1956. It was renamed as the New Jersey College of Medicine (1965-1970), and since 1970 as New Jersey Medical School.
This paper is concerned with the distributed filtering problem for a class of discrete time-varying stochastic systems over binary sensor networks with the Rayleigh fading channels. Both the system state and measurement are subject to random noises with known statistical information, where the distribution function of measurement noise is employed to extract the functional information for state estimation purposes. The communication between a sensor node and its neighboring ones is implemented over a Rayleigh fading channel. For each binary sensor, a distributed filter is constructed by virtue of the available information from itself and its neighboring nodes, and the overall filtering error dynamics is guaranteed to be exponentially ultimately bounded in the mean square sense. By resorting to a local performance analysis method, sufficient criteria are established for ensuring the existence of the desired distributed filter in terms of a set of recursive linear matrix inequalities. The desired filter parameters are recursively calculated on every node by solving an optimization problem at each time instant with the aim of improving the estimation accuracy. Finally, some comparative results are presented to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the developed distributed filtering scheme.
The liver is the most common and critical site for the development of colon cancer metastases. Tumor angiogenesis in liver metastasis from colon carcinoma is a controversial subject. Liver microenvironment, immunophenotypical and morphological particularities of hepatic vessels are only few aspects, which establish difficulties in quantification of tumor vascularisation from liver metastasis. The aim of this work is to study the distribution of CD105 positive vessels and the proliferation rate of endothelial cells from liver metastasis of colon carcinoma based on double immunostaining CD105/Ki67. In liver metastasis from well-differentiated adenocarcinoma we found a high number of CD105+/Ki67- vessels. On the other hand, in liver metastasis from poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma we noticed rare CD105+/Ki67+ vessels. It is hypothesized that neoangiogenesis of liver metastasis is performed through intussusceptive mechanism rather than sprouting and could be supported by the presence of kissing phenomenon, CD105 positive transcapillary pillars and the absence of endothelial cells proliferation in this vessels. We conclude that in liver metastasis principal mechanism of neovascularisation formation is based on intussusception.
Summary Human security is commonly understood as prioritising the security of people, especially their welfare, safety and well-being, rather than that of states. Instead of examining human security as a measurable or specific condition, however, the focus here is how human security as a technology of governance facilitates the way that populations living within the territories of ineffective states are understood, differentiated and acted upon by aid institutions emanating from effective ones. In order to do this, development is first defined biopolitically, that is, as a security technology related to promoting the life of populations that, compared to the inhabitants of developed societies, are essentially ‘non-insured’. Of special interest in this paper is how human security as a relation of governance has continued to evolve in relation to the war on terrorism. At the close of the 1990s, human security encapsulated a vision of integrating existing aid networks into a coordinated, international system of intervention able to complement the efforts of ineffective states in securing their citizens and economies. Compared to this more universalistic notion of human security, in which development and security were regarded as ‘different but equal’, the war on terrorism has deepened the interconnection between development and security. In particular, it is refocusing aid resources on those sub-populations, regions and issues seen as presenting a risk to homeland security. While some non-governmental organisations are concerned over growing threats to independence, for others new possibilities and opportunities for state/non-state interaction have emerged.
The electronic band structure of ideal Pt(100), Pt(110), and Pt(111) surfaces was studied using density functional theory and the empirical tight-binding method. A detailed discussion of the surface- and resonance-states is given. It is shown that the calculated surface- and resonance-states of ideal Pt(111) and Pt(100) surfaces agree very strongly with the available experimental data. For Pt(110), some obtained surface- and resonance-states are characteristic of the low degree of symmetry of the surface and are identified as being independent of surface reconstruction effects. The density functional calculations were performed using the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method, and the empirical calculations were performed using the tight-binding method and Surface Green's Function Matching Method.
Traditionally video were analyzed manually, however this costs valuable time. To sustain increasing growth of video data, there is an emerging demand. Therefore it is necessary to have an approach to make the video analysis task faster and automatically. Automatic video summarization is about extracting important events from original video to produce general summaries for the most important moments by interest. One way for creating a video summary is by extracting the features and then selecting key frames from these segment. Even though this approach is used for automatic video summarization, user cannot retrieve video intuitively, based on high level concepts. To solve this type of problem, event detection based video summarization is proposed in this paper. Proposed event detection approach aims to extract high level events like goal, player exchange and other types using Bayesian network.
This biography provides an inside perspective on, and understanding of, the life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who has been adored, feared and hated more than any other woman in South African history. The book explores the different aspects of her life: a talented, privileged child; caring wife and mother; and dedicated social worker and selfless political activist. Propelled as a result of circumstances into constant danger, ear-marked for destruction by the ruthless South African security police, imprisoned, tortured, exiled and isolated from human contact and interaction and finally discarded by the very people for whom she had sacrificed a promising career and a normal life.
An ever accumulating amount of empirical evidence supports the hypothesis that developing countries that trade openly with the rest of the world have achieved significantly higher growth rates than countries that have isolated themselves from the world economy with various protectionist measures.1 Yet, despite this evidence, there is a continuing debate in the Philippines between economic liberals who favor free trade and economic nationalists who favor industrializa-
Quadrupole coupling constants of CU in the high superconductor , as determined by NQR or NMR studies, are compared with the values for representative Cu(Ⅱ) complexes determined by analyzing the forbidden lines in their EPR spectra. It is shown that the two NQR lines at 22 and 31 MHz correpsond to the quadrupole coupling constants of a square planar Cu(Ⅱ) complex and a square pyramidal Cu(Ⅱ) complex, respectively.t This result is in agreement with the assignment of these lines to Cu(1) and Cu(2) sites in YBCO based on the NMR spectra of oriented single crystals.
Cruise ship tourism is an important segment of the maritime tourism market. “Cruising, according to CLIA (Cruise Line International Association), is one of the safest, most affordable and enjoyable vacation experiences available today and the industry continually reviews best practices and develops innovative technologies to further strengthen its safety record. A record 20 million – plus global passengers went on a cruise in 2012” [1]. In addition, this branch of industry has also generated thousands of jobs at sea and in the ports of calls and has brought huge incomes for local economies in visited tourist destinations. The main objective of this article is to assess the state of development of cruise ships tourism in Poland. In the first part of the article, there are included analysis of the number of cruise ship calls and passengers and there were also presented the largest cruise vessels that have visited seaports in Poland. There is also described the state of preparation of the seaports in Poland to support cruise ships. Moreover, there are also discussed the scope of services of the seaports in Poland, offered to ship-owners and a range of fees which must be borne by them. In addition, there are presented entities involved in handling of cruise ships while staying at the seaports. The article ends with a summary where it was indicated, inter alia, the reasons for the decreasing trend in the number of calls of cruise ships in Polish seaports.
MIMO (multiple-input multiple output) using wireless communication in order to maintain the channel symmetry when communicating with another device, provides a technique for correcting a phase mismatch and amplitude mismatch of the wireless device. Correction of the amplitude mismatch and phase mismatch between multiple transmitters and multiple receivers of a certain device, the receiver path of the device, using a transmitter path or digital logic of both paths, the baseband It takes place. Amplitude offset and phase offset, and supplies the signal to the transmitter of the first antenna path of the device, that the first antenna device to the second antenna path for connecting the wireless signal (signal associated with a second antenna path receives vessels by sometimes to) converted to a lower frequency, by measuring the phase response and amplitude response, is determined among a plurality of radio transmitters path and a radio receiver path.
This paper presents a case study of an "e-pal" experiment which suggests that negative assumptions and orientations toward computer technology for communication purposes can be altered through one-to-one peer relationships. The experiment was conducted through a communication seminar at a small private university in the Northwest. Necessary characteristics for the success of this experiment included little structuring, little or no professional intervention, individual selection of in-depth partners, an offline community meeting to discuss the experiment in process, and willingness to be open to the experience on the part of the subjects. Findings suggest changes in personal computer-use patterns were most noticeable in students originally more techno-phobic. The value of personal influence in interpersonal and organizational worlds and the effectiveness of group learning, feedback, and constant reinforcement are supported by this study. Contains 17 references and two tables. Appendixes contain post-experiment survey questions and examples of individual profiles. (EF) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. E-PALS and TECHNOPHOBES -1 "E-Pals: An Exercise in the Seduction of Student Technophobes"
In this paper, analysis and designing of different cavity based Add Drop Filter (ADF) which is formed using two Dimensional Photonic Crystal Ring Resonator (2D-PCRR) designed on rectangular lattice having silicon as a dielectric rods in air medium with Refractive Index (RI) value as 3.6730 and 1.0. Here we are designing different cavity based PCRR which are analyzed and investigated. The output efficiency of desired PCRRs are studied by varying the size of the rod radius and also by adding some defects. The transmission spectra of PCRR is calculated using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method and the Photonic Bandgap is calculated by Plane Wave Expansion (PWE) method. PBG of ADF is located in C and Lband which found its application in various satellite communication and for INMARSAT Satellite. The overall size of the PCRR is 10.5μm X 10.5μm i.e.110.25μm2. Keywords— Photonic Crystal, Band Pass Filter, FDTD method, PWE Method, Photonic Band Gap
With the recent proliferation of the usage of reinforcement learning (RL) agents for solving real-world tasks, safety emerges as a necessary ingredient for their successful application. In this paper, we focus on ensuring the safety of the agent while making sure that the agent does not cause any unnecessary disruptions to its environment. The current approaches to this problem, such as manually constraining the agent or adding a safety penalty to the reward function, can introduce bad incentives. In complex domains, these approaches are simply intractable, as they require knowing apriori all the possible unsafe scenarios an agent could encounter. We propose a model-based approach to safety that allows the agent to look into the future and be aware of the future consequences of its actions. We learn the transition dynamics of the environment and generate a directed graph called the imaginative module. This graph encapsulates all possible trajectories that can be followed by the agent, allowing the agent to efficiently traverse through the imagined environment without ever taking any action in reality. A baseline state, which can either represent a safe or an unsafe state (based on whichever is easier to define) is taken as a human input, and the imaginative module is used to predict whether the current actions of the agent can cause it to end up in dangerous states in the future. Our imaginative module can be seen as a “plug-and-play” approach to ensuring safety, as it is compatible with any existing RL algorithm and any task with discrete action space. Our method induces the agent to act safely while learning to solve the task. We experimentally validate our proposal on two gridworld environments and a self-driving car simulator, demonstrating that our approach to safety visits unsafe states significantly less frequently than a baseline.
This article presents a theoretical analysis of the social-cultural factors contributing to the development of intercultural sensitivity of university students. The social environment of students’ training plays an important role in the development of intercultural sensitivity. Of special importance are three aspects: the size of the city or the type of the urban environment where students are study and live; the multicultural features of the environment both of the city and the university; the capacity of the environment to create conditions for diverse social experience.Special role in the development of intercultural sensitivity is played bythe academic specialization: the humanities develop not only professional competence, focused on the other person but also personal qualities that contribute to sensitivity to cultural differences of others. The results of the study show that the most important factors of intercultural sensitivity development are the academic specialisation and the type of the urban environment.
In this paper, we explore how transfer learning, coupled with Intel Xeon, specifically 4th Gen Intel Xeon scalable processor, defies the conventional belief that training is primarily GPU-dependent. We present a case study where we achieved near state-of-the-art accuracy for image classification on a publicly available Image Classification TensorFlow dataset using Intel Advanced Matrix Extensions(AMX) and distributed training with Horovod.
Abstract : This paper describes the identification of some of the root causes of one of the components of tank gun accuracy errors, namely occasion-to-occasion variability. Occasion-to-occasion variability is the shift of the mean impact point for a given tank/gun tube combination from one firing occasion to another. Unless the cannon and fire control system of the tank can be calibrated for each firing event through live fire zeroing, its occasion-to-occasion variability will have an adverse effect on the accuracy of tank cannons. Unfortunately, live fire zeroing before each firing event is impractical for several reasons. First and foremost is the cost. Not only does each ammunition type require a separate zero, but each ammunition type requires a minimum of three rounds to achieve calibration. Even given unlimited ammunition, the logistical requirements of providing this much ammunition to each tank unit is beyond the sustaining capability of those units. Additionally, the tactical situation will rarely allow the time, space or security needed to zero each of the unit's tanks. Finally, there is currently no way to determine the end and start of new firing occasions. A calibration zero may be minutes or days long, depending on many different variables. Many factors influence the magnitude of occasion-to-occasion variability. Identification and analysis of these factors is critical to understanding and solving the occasion-to-occasion variability problems in the Ml series tank. Over the last several years, an effort by the Army Research Laboratory has identified and quantified several components to this error source.
Governmental initiatives around scientific policy have progressively raised collaboration to priority status. In this context, a need has arisen to broaden the traditional approach to the analysis and study of research results by descending to the group or even the individual scale and supplementing the output-, productivity‑, visibility- and impact-based focus with new measures that emphasize collaboration from the vantage of structural analysis. To this end, the present paper proposes new hybrid indicators for the analysis and evaluation of individual research results, popularity and prestige, that combine bibliometric and structural aspects. A case study was conducted of the nine most productive departments in Carlos III University of Madrid. The findings showed hybridization to be a tool sensitive to traditional indicators, but also to the new demands of modern science as a self-organized system of interaction among individuals, furnishing information on researchers' environments and the behaviour and attitudes adopted within those environments.
Three-dimensional model of the conceptual fan was established Based on Pro/E software with virtual design and simulation tools,and defined the assembling relations between components and movement relationships,and setted driver and transmission according to the actual situation,Completed simulation of the safety and overrunning clutch in the carriage.The model clearly and intuitive expressed working way and transmission relations t of the e safety overrunning clutch.
The dispersion mechanism of carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC) modified zero-valent iron(ZVI) particles in quartz sand was studied.Influences of porous medium,flow rate on transport were also investigated.The results showed that dispersion mechanism of CMC modified ZVI particles followed the DLVO model.Potential barrier increment brought by electrostatic repulsion and steric hindrance had positive correlation with CMC concentration,promoting the dispersion of ZVI.Zero valent iron particles modified with 500% CMC(mass ratio of CMC to ZVI) were fully dispersed as observed from SEM and light absorbance decreased by 31% in 90 minutes.Influenced by interaction energy between ZVI and quartz sand,filling medium adsorption sites and shear force,transport ability had positive correlation with CMC dosage,and increased with bigger medium size and higher fluid velocity.
In the work of grado, the engineer of the Utopia Project of the University of La Salle must refer and articulate the components developed in origin zone. The agronomic engineering component, where it makes known the handling and technical assistance in the passion fruit (P. edulis var. Flavicarpa Degener) cultivation in the adequacy and preparation of the soil, organization of sowing, fertilization management, water resources, integrated pest management, diseases and weeds, harvest and commercialization of production, always evaluating the need to carry out each of the activities in the benefit of the crop. The Social leadership component exposes the interaction with the community with the objective of integrating through training spaces technical, educational, economic and entrepreneurial areas to populations of communal action boards (JAC), associations, farmers, students and children. The research component, where it was planned, executed and studied the use of biological alternatives in the management of chemical fertilization in the stage of passion fruit (P. edulis var. Flavicarpa Degener) and the entrepreneurship component where the distribution of seed capital is presented, fulfilling the activities required in each of its phenological stages.
Characterization of grape varieties and rootstocks by isoenzymes from woody parts 22 Vitis vinifera cultivars and 4 rootstocks were chosen for studying of their biochemical characterization, based on the electrophoretical separation of isozymes. 7 isoenzyme systems, including acid phosphatases (ACPH), esterases (EST), catechol oxidases (CO), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminases (GOT), glucose phosphate isomerases (GPI), malate dehydrogenases (MDH) and peroxidases (PER), were extracted from woody tissue, separated in polyacrylamide gels and stained for their observation. ACPH, CO, EST, MDH and PER were the most adequate systems for characterization. The results of the different systems and the grouping of the cultivars are presented. The use of these isozyme techniques in future studies on characterization of Vitis genotypes is suggested.
This study was carried out to analyze the nutritional component of Lepista nuda in order to estimate its nutritional and functional values. The content of moisture were carbohydrate , crude protein , ash , and crude fat , respectively The reducing sugar was . Total amount of free sugar was 97.32 mg, which were mainly composed of galactose (51.98 mg) and trehalose (22.48 mg). In the results of mined analysis, the content of K was the highest as , followed by of Mg. The total content of hydrolyzed amino acid was 310.39 mg which consist of essential amino acids including valine (25.40 mg), leucine (22.52 mg), lysine (21.34 mg) and 198.89 mg of non-essential amino acids including glutamic acid (60.72 mg), aspartic acid (30.17 mg), and alanine (29.72 mg), as the major amino acids. free amino acids were 220.86 mg which were composed of essential amino acids (36.21 mg) inclusive of isoleucine (21.57 mg) and threonine (11.20 mg) and non-essential amino acids (184.65 mg) including glutamic acid (42.78 mg) and aspartic acid (32.44 mg) as major amino acids. Total content of amino acid derivatives was 187.85 me and that of hydroxyproline was highest as 121.50 mg.
This research focuses on the social dimensions of marine conservation, and makes an assessment of the experiences of coastal and fi shing communities with regard to the governance of MPAs in Central America, based on case studies from Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. It examines the national contexts of the above countries in relation to the governance of MPAs. Furthermore, it analyzes the social impacts of MPAs on coastal communities by gathering the experiences and the voices of the communities and institutions involved, and reflects on how to build bridges in the search for forms and models of conservation that respect human rights and which are able to successfully integrate into local development efforts without affecting cultural and/or social patterns. To this end, this monograph looks at nine case studies across the region: in Honduras, the Islas de la Bahia-Guanaja Marine National Park, the Cayos Cochinos Marine Archipelago Natural Monument, and the Cuero and Salado Wildlife Refuge; in Nicaragua, the Chacocente Wildlife Refuge; in Costa Rica, the Guanacaste Conservation Area, the Ballena Marine National Park and the Golfo Dulce Responsible Fishing Area; and, in Panama, the Nargana Protected Area, in the Comarca de la Biosfera Guna-Yala, the Bastimentos Island Marine National Park, and Bocas del Toro.
Individuals are at risk when they use the Internet. Video gamers playing online games are at risk when they play too much. What is too much? The amount of time is often used for assessing the border between a safe and a potentially dangerous gaming practice. Quantitative research on addiction to video games uses the amount of time played as a strong indicator to foresee problematic behavior. Easy to measure and easy to ask, the amount of time played appears to be the perfect indicator for any potentially harmful practice. Gamers are even classified according to playing time. The scholarship strongly indicates a link between time played and prevalence of problems. However, the massive number of video gamers in today’s world does not coincide with a huge threat of gaming addiction. Why not? Among intense gamers, most drastically reduce the time played or even suddenly stop. Although time played is an indicator for problematic play, why do some gamers play intensely without encountering any issues? This chapter argues that intense gaming does not encroach upon gamers’ lives because gamers prioritize their activity according to their available time, their social life and their commitments. To better understand this moment of rupture in intense playing 20 in-depth interviews were carried out with intense and former intense players of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG). Results showed that intense players handle their activity because video gaming is a passion resulting from a history of play. Then, the integration of their gaming into their lives is related to the overall amount of free time, not just the time played. Last, gamers strongly advocate for their autonomy to make choices and to commit to their engagements. Video gaming is a passion that is lived with ups and downs, that is as necessary as the air we breathe and that makes the players’ heart beat.
Objective: To investigate the efficacy of Shenqi Dihuang Decoction combined with western medicine in the treatment of Qi- Yin deficiency type of lupus nephritis and to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: 56 cases of patients with lupus nephritis of Qi- Yin deficiency according to random number table were randomly divided into control group( n = 28) and treatment group( n = 28). The control group received prednisone tablets and the treatment group took Shenqi Dihuang Decoction on the basis of the control group. Three months was a course of treatment. Lupus activity indexes were observed before and after treatment. The serum vascular endothelial cell index,physical and chemical testing indicators( erythrocyte sedimentation rate,serum creatinine,24 h urine protein) were observed.Results: The total effective rate( 92. 86%) in the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group( 71. 43%) and there was a significant difference( P 0. 05). The improvement after treatment of lupus activity index,serum vascular endothelial cell index,physical and chemical testing indicators( erythrocyte sedimentation rate,serum creatinine,24 h urine protein) in the treatment group were better than those of the control group and there was significant difference( P 0. 05). Conclusion: Modified Shenqi Dihuang Decoction combined with western medicine can significantly relieve symptoms and improve laboratory parameters of Qi- Yin deficiency type of lupus nephritis and it is worthy of promotion.
This is the second of three papers discussing the authors studies of overlayers of argon, krypton, and xenon physisorbed on Ag(1I1). All of these rare gases form ordered structures, which are azimuthally aligned but translationally incommensurate with the Ag substrate. This paper discusses experiments wherein they utilized the angle-resolved time of flight of inelastically scattered 18-meV He atoms to examine the surface dynamics of multilayer rare gas films along the r - M direction. This was done on a layer-by-layer basis for 2, 3, and >20 layers for each of the rare gases. Unlike the monolayers, the vibrational modes observed for the multilayers show dispersion across the surface Brillouin zone, the amount of dispersion increasing with the number of adsorbed layers. These results reveal in detail how the surface dynamical properties of a thin film evolve towards those of a thick crystal as a function of increasing dimension. Lattice-dynamics calculations, which utilize realistic gas-phase pair potentials, reproduce the experimentally observed phonon dispersion relations quite well. The authors also examine the inelastic-scattering probabilities and linewidths of the transitions.
This paper developed an index system of corporate social responsibility(CSR) in a travel agency,and examined the effect of CSR in this travel agency on tourists' satisfaction and repurchase intention,as well as the relationship between the two by conducting a questionnaire survey of tourists traveling to Lanzhou,and the regression analysis.The results are as follows: corporate social performance(CSP) in this travel agency on tourists responsibility is positively related to tourists' satisfaction and repurchase intention;CSP in the travel agency on environmental responsibility is positively related to tourists' satisfaction and repurchase intention;CSP on tourism destination responsibility is positively related to tourists' satisfaction and repurchase intention,and tourists' satisfaction is positively related to their repurchase intention.
The Bid Leap Forward Campaign was a serious mispractice in our country's course of exploring socialist construction. This mispractice was not merely due to Mao Zedong's personal misorientation, but to profound motivations. The campaign occurred as a special phenomenon in the particular international situation. It owes a great deal to the conception of Great Harmony, the belief of spiritual allpower and the effects of the International Communist Movement, and is closely related to personal worship, style of boasting and exaggeration and social psychology of being impatient for success.
Sequential mixed methods research was conducted to evaluate the success of graduate development programs implemented by construction organisations. The current paper reports on the second phase of the investigation which presents the likelihood of retention in the organisation as a result of experiencing a GDP. Methodology Semi-structured interviews of graduates and HR managers identified implemented developmental activities at the same time as quantitative measurement of commitment using the Three Components Model of commitment tool. The overall results show no statistically significant increase in any form of commitment as a result of participating in a GDP. However results reveal a "trend in the right direction": higher affective and normative commitment and lower continuance commitment where GDPs are implemented. Detailed analysis shows job rotation and attending more than one interview were associated with desirable outcomes. Implications These results are important because GDPs and their benefits might be perceived as a privilege associated with large employers; in reality, multiple interviews during recruitment and job rotation can both be implemented by all construction organisations, regardless of size. All construction organisations should be encouraged to implement carefully designed development programs.
The recycled diapers scrap and milk cartons as raw material were compounded with polyethylene(PE),the novel wood plastic composites(WPCs)were developed.The water resistance and mechanical properties of three new WPCs,including red diapers scrap/PE material,white diapers scrap/PE material,and recycled milk cartons/PE material were studied.It showed that both water absorption rate and size swell rate increased as temperature increased until balance,the size swell rate of different directions was:thicknesswidthlength,and the water resistance was excellent.The impact strength of three new WPCs was higher than that of the traditional WPCs,the bending strength and elastic modulus were similar with the traditional WPCs,and creep resistance was consistent with traditional WPCs.
Carbofuran-containing insecticides are widely used agents in plant protection. Their use may pose considerable environmental risk for both the protected and non-protected predator and plantivorous birds. For defence of wild birds a model experiment was carried out on broiler chickens. In the study, eight animals were treated orally by gastric tube with a carbofuran-containing insecticide at a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg b.w. One animal served as untreated control specimen. Forage and drinking water were provided ad libitum. After the treatment, the possible clinical signs were observed carefully, blood samples were obtained from each bird and after exsanguinations liver, breast and leg muscle samples and stomach content were taken. The carbofuran concentration in blood, tissues and stomach content was determined by gas chromatographic method. Thirty minutes after poisoning, the average carbofuran concentration in breast muscle of chickens exceeded the maximum level of 0.1 mg/kg permitted in edible tissues, whereas ninety minutes after poisoning the concentration of one sample was still above the limit value. In the liver, leg-muscle and blood samples, the measured carbofuran concentration was lower than the permitted maximum value, except in the blood of two animals. The carbofuran concentration of the stomach content markedly exceeded the limit value. The sublethal concentration of the pesticides can reduce the capable of living of wild animals. Due to the sub toxic dose the poisoned birds can survive; however, the residue of insecticides can lead to secondary toxicosis of other animals.
Due to the degradation of mangrove forests in Goa in the past mainly do to biotic interference, the Forest Department of Goa has started planting mangrove species in the degraded areas to restore these forests to their pristine glory. The plantations raised so far can be graded as very Successful on the basis of overall results and are playing crucial role in the improvement of mangrove ecosystem in Goa. Our endeavour is to have a sound mangrove ecosystem primarily by adopting afforestation and conservation activities.
The purpose of the present study is to determine the physiological and metabolic variations during and after an exhaustive exercise in different thermal conditions (0 degree C and 20 degrees C). For the eleven experimental subjects, the maximal power output is the same at 0 degrees C and 20 degrees C: 330 +/- 30 W (Mean +/- s). The heart rate is lower (bradycardia) at rest, exhaustion, and recovery. However, these differences are only significant (p less than 0.05) at exhaustion. The oxygen consumption and pulmonary ventilation is higher at 0 degree C in comparison with the measurements at 20 degrees C. The blood lactate concentrations are significantly lower at 0 degree C and we observe the inverse phenomenon for the bicarbonates. The bases excess was significant at 4, 6 and 10th minute of recovery time. These values are higher for the measurements taken at 0 degree C. The results have shown that the cold stress after an exhaustive exercise and during recovery, can induce a physiological and metabolic response unlike of those at 20 degrees C.
Introduction: The mechanisms responsible for restenosis include cellular and extracellular matrix (ECM) overproduction mediated by vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration and proliferation. However, the role of the myofibroblast is less clear.  Hypothesis: This study was designed to evaluate the role of the myofibroblast in ECM overproduction mediated by stellate cell proliferation and reparative collage III deposition in restenotic tissue from patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease.  Methods: Fourteen de novo and seventeen restenotic superficial femoral artery plaques were obtained in-vivo and compared for cell proliferation, SMC (α-actin), fibroblast specific protein-1 (FSP1), and vimentin by immunochemistry, type I and type III collagens by Picro-sirius red stain and polarization microscopy. Stellate cell morphology was graded by scoring. Cellular co-localization of α-actin with vimentin, FSP-1, percentage of apoptosis (active caspase 3) and percentage of cell proliferation (Ki67) were done by confocal microscopy.  Results: See figure and table. In restenotic atheroma, increased proliferation of myofibroblasts and SMCs were associated with higher content of reparative type III collagen (p= 0.0001) compared to de novo plaques. Furthermore, percent proliferative index of actin with Ki67 and percent apoptosis of actin were increased in restenotic plaques (p= 0.0001).  Conclusions: In peripheral artery disease restenosis, increased myofibroblasts, and proliferative SMC may preferentially enhance atheroma progression and may predispose to increased type III collagen deposition. This may contribute for the severity of clinical manifestation seen in PAD. The molecular pathways associated with these differences including apoptosis are under active investigation.   ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
This thesis aims at analyzing the two main characters in Shame to see how postcolonial diaspora’s hybridity is re-translated even though these two characters’ hybridity is repressed in the discourse that seeks a homogeneous society. Based on the experiences of dislocation or movement, the diaspora crosses over geographical and cultural borders, so it naturally produces hybridity or heterogeneity. Dominant ideology tries to hide the diaspora’s hybridity in order to keep its culture pure or homeogenous, which is imaginary and artificial. Contrary to the belief of dominant discourse that the diaspora’s hybridity can be contained in the realm of the borderline, the hybridity may reveal its presence. This paper first tries to figure out the process of translation and the incompatibility of translation related to the diaspora’s hybridity in the postcolonial era. Then, it thoroughly analyzes the two main characters in the novel to capture the moment when the diaspora’s hybridity is controlled or erased by the dominant discourse and how it emerges from the place where it is hidden and makes its voice.
Multi-block copolymer polyamide elastomer was prepared by random anionic polymerization with caprolactam,laurolactam and polyether prepolymer.The molecular structure of the polymers were characterized by FT-IR,the thermal properties of the copolymer were established by DSC,TG and DMTA. The independence of mechanical properties of multi-block copolymer polyamide elastomer on the amount and structure of polyether prepolymer was also examined.The results showed that with the increasing loading of polyether prepolymer,the crystallinity of copolymerization was decreased,the high/low temperature notched impact strength and elongation at break were obviously increased,the tensile strength was lower,the copolymer showed typical elastomer performance.
The bronchopulmonary helminths of 66 chamois (49 males and 17 females), captured in various parts of the Cantabrian mountain range (N. W. Spain) in the autumn of 1983, and in the summer and the autumn of 1984, were studied. The animals were adult and aged between 2 and 16 years. The lungs, trachea and faeces from the last section of the intestine were taken from each animal individually. The trachea and pulmonary larval nodules were dissected. First stage larvae (L-I) were obtained from finely cut up pulmonary tissue and from faeces by migration. The number of larvae I per gram varied between 0.08 and 2,662 (mean = 151.5 +/- 59.5 s. e.) in the faecal samples, and between 0.03 and 1,733 (mean = 65.2 +/- 32.4 s. e.) in the pulmonary ones. There was a low correlation between the two sets of data. When taking into account age and sex, no statistically significant differences were observed in relation to the number of larvae/gram found either in faeces or in pulmonary tissue, while there were statistically significant differences when considering the periods of sampling and reserve of origin, in relation to the larvae found in faeces and lungs, respectively. Infections by three nematodes (Neostrongylus, Muellerius and Protostrongylus) were more common than those produced by two or one, in the lungs as well as in the faeces. The most common genus was Neostrongylus, followed by Muellerius, and no Cystocaulus or Dictyocaulus larvae were found.
Is it true that the ‘force’ of a human body, when conceived as the potential of a body to attack and defend, shows itself as a ‘male’ dominion? If the common sense tends to anwer adfirmatively to this question, this article goes in another direction. Through a non conventional reading of Isidor of Seville’s Ages of the human being in his Etymologiae, the paper aims to provide an original interpretation of the ‘cultural’ construction of the concept of ‘force’ related to gendered relations. Far from being ‘biological’, the cultural construction of the male’s superiority in terms of force showes itself as a bio-political device, a self fulfilling prophecy. Concepts of force and stenght play a pivotal role in constructing male’s and female’s identities such as asymmetrical. However, it seems that ‘natural’ data are rather to be considered as cultural constructions. It is here suggested the necessity of a deeper philosophical refelction on the nature-culture nexus. Etymologies also could be seen as territories in which normative structures on what it has to be defined as ‘woman’ disguised themselves as ‘biological evidences’. Nevertheless, such as carsic rivers, other stories can be traced thoug the lines.
There exists an important tradition in the formulation of urban models to describe and study urban socio-spatial structures. From the initial contributions of the 1920s until the 1950s these have emphasized the determination of specific spatial configurations (rings, sectors, multiple nuclei) and, in the last decades of the century, integrating proposals were generated. In the case of Latin American cities these specific basic configurations are combined, new ones arise and specific adjustments are made. Considering that Geography can be defined as a science that studies the relationship between man and the environment from a spatial point of view, the present study aims to analyze the green infrastructure such as specific land use in its urban-regional model distribution. From a systemic point of view, urban models oriented to the definition of the social map and green infrastructure focus their attention on the human and natural components in a link that will allow to advance in the improvement of the quality of life of the population and the urban resilience through diverse environmental services. An empirical approach will be presented from the case of Buenos Aires city, one of the largest Latin American urban areas.
The three different cultural traditions that justifiably coexist in China have their own different principles concerning moral cultivation and are therefore somewhat conflicting among themselves. It is thus difficult to establish moral models in such a complex background. The paper investigates possibilities of integrating the three cultural traditions so as to set up some common guidelines for moral cultivation.
This manual presents a two-dimensional computer model, BIOPLUME II, that simulates the transport of dissolved hydrocarbons under the influence of oxygen-limited biodegradation. BIOPLUME II also simulates reaeration and anaerobic biodegradation as a first-order decay in hydrocarbon concentrations. The model is based on the USGS solute transport two-dimensional code (Konikow and Bredehoeft, 1978). The model computes the changes in concentration over time due to convection, dispersion, mixing, and biodegradation. The same numerical techniques that are used in the USGS code are maintained in BIOPLUME II. BIOPLUME II solves the solute transport equation twice: once for hydrocarbon and once for oxygen. As a result, two plumes are computed at every time step. The model assumes an instantaneous reaction between oxygen and hydrocarbon to simulate biodegradation processes. The model is extremely versatile in that it can be used to simulate natural biodegradation processes, retarded plumes, and in-situ biorestoration schemes. BIOPLUME II allows injection wells to be specified as oxygen sources into a contaminated aquifer. This means that alternate methods for aquifer reclamation can be investigated to design the most economically feasible scheme.
Acknowledgements There are several people who made this dream a reality I would like to thank. First off, I would like to give special thanks to my primary thesis advisor, Dr. Jane P. Sheldon, for her unwavering support, kindness, knowledge, and grace. Her incredible insight and mentoring skills are what made this project a reality. I would also like to extend special thanks to my secondary thesis advisor, Dr. Michelle Leonard. Her input and support in this project proved invaluable and for that I am forever grateful. I would also like to thank my mother for encouraging me to pursue my dreams. I have no doubt that I would not be where I am without her love and support. I would also like to thank my best friend/significant other, for always providing a sympathetic ear, encouragement, and candy on rough days. I would also like to thank the managers of the Powerhouse Gyms that allowed me to use their facilities for data collection. Finally, I would like to thank my graduating cohort and my manager at my part-time job for providing me the support and love I needed being 1,400 miles away from home.
Montgomery County, Md., located outside of Washington, DC, is an interesting case study in the struggle of municipalities to implement a solid waste program that makes both economic and political sense. Ogden Martin runs a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in rural Dickerson, Md., nearly 20 miles down the road from Rockville, the county seat and the most populated city in the county. The facility is one of the company`s 27 similar operations nationwide and has been open since May 1995. It is built to handle, burn, and transform a maximum of 1,800 tons of waste per day into electricity. The county produces an average of 1,200 tpd, all of which is sent to the facility 24 hours a day. The company, though, needs to receive the waste before it can do its job, and location is perhaps the biggest obstacle. The Potomac Electric Power Co. (PEPCO, Washington, DC) purchases the energy to serve the equivalent of 30,000 homes. After combustion, the remaining ash is backhauled in the intermodal containers the next morning and trucked 8 miles from the transfer station via conventional transfer trailer to the Oaks Landfill in Laytonsville, MD.
Participatory medicine refers to the equal participation of patients and interdisciplinary healthcare team (IHT) members as part of care delivery. Facilitating workflow execution is a significant challenge for participatory medicine because of the need to integrate IHT members into a common workflow. A further challenge is that patient preferences should be considered when executing a workflow. To date there is limited research on supporting patient workflow as part of participatory medicine practices. To address that shortcoming we used a two-phase approach to develop a framework for participatory medicine that integrates different IHT members and workflows including the incorporation of patient preferences about care delivery options. Our framework uses a domain ontology to define the patient, IHT concepts and relations, as well as a workflow for operationalizing participatory medicine via an IHT. Proof of concept of the proposed framework is illustrated with a palliative care pain management case study.
A quantitative analysis of species of indigenonus membranaceous and luminal bacterial flora, that is divided into checking test group and treating test group in burned pigs,was mede.In jejunal mucase of treating test groups the number of enterobacteria was 5. 67±0.85(CFU/g, Lg10),enterococci 2. 60 ±0. 23,bifidobacteria 5. 27±0.71,bacteroides 3. 91±0. 83 and Lactobacillus 2. 20±0.13,Whereas the counts in the ileal mucose were 5.83±0.02CFU/g,2.58±0. 2ICFU/g,5. 63±1. 02CFU/g,4. 03 ±1.11CFU/g,2. 58±0.2CFU/g,respectively, in the same order as above.Those in the cecal macase were, in the same order,6. 62±1.27CFU/g,2. 71±0. 45CFU/g,6. 23±1. 52CFU/g,6. 67±1.9CFU/g,3.43±1.29CFU/g,respctively,While those of the cecal contents were, in the order,8. 05 ±0.3ICFU/g,3.57±0.65CFU/g,7.78±0. 62CFU/g,6. 91±0. 96CFU/g,and 5. 44±1. 98CFU/g, respectively.The translocation of bacteria to the adjacent tissues was happened,the dysbiosis was appeared in burned pigs of control check test and treating test the dysbacteriosis was not treated by nisodamine.
New treatments for hematologic malignancies have led to outcomes that are outpacing the ability of traditional measures of response to accurately capture a patient's depth of response and risk of relapse. Assessment of measurable residual disease (MRD) offers a high-sensitivity evaluation for remaining disease present in a patient. MRD is not a surrogate marker for the detection of cancer cells, but rather a direct measure of them. MRD has quickly become an important measurement of response in patients with multiple myeloma and acute lymphocytic leukemia. Retrospective and prospective studies indicate that MRD-negative patients have better outcomes, particularly progression-free and overall survival, compared with patients who are MRD-positive. Two methods have emerged as the primary strategies for assessing MRD: next-generation sequencing (NGS) and next-generation flow (NGF). Both methods measure detectable disease in the bone marrow. The clonoSEQ® Assay, which uses NGS technology, is cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration for the detection and monitoring of MRD in bone marrow samples from patients with multiple myeloma or B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This monograph discusses the supporting research and clinical use of MRD assessment among patients with multiple myeloma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
We supplement a very recent paper of G. Markowsky concerned with the expected exit times of Brownian motion from planar domains. Besides the use of conformal mapping, we apply results from potential theory. We treat the case of a wedge-shaped region exactly, subsuming an example of Markowsky. A number of other results are presented, including for a half disc, $n$-grams, and a variety of other regions.
The invention discloses an anti-splashing full glass solar heat tube adopting silicon dioxide sand. The anti-splashing full glass solar heat tube comprises a glass outer tube and a glass inner tube, wherein the outer wall of the glass inner tube is coated with an absorbing coating; and vacuum is arranged in an interlayer of the glass outer tube and the glass inner tube. The anti-splashing full glass solar heat tube is characterized by also comprising a condensing tube; the end parts of the glass outer tube and the glass inner tube are fused to be sealed to form end faces; the end faces are in sealing connection with the condensing tube; the condensing tube runs through the glass inner tube; and the glass inner tube is vacuumized, and a small amount of silicon dioxide sand is placed and a heat conduction medium is injected at the bottom of the glass inner tube. The anti-splashing full glass solar heat tube is simple in structure, good in heat collecting effect, and long in service life.
Embodiments are directed to a unified and extensible telemetry method together with a data telemetry model aimed at the data activities of a system. Information collected using the telemetry data model is analyzed using telemetry analytics to derive insights on data activities, through the analysis of single events and subsequent linear relationships between these events, as well as the more generally networked multi-dimensional relationships among the data activities. Such analysis can provide insights for system owners to understand past data activities, optimize current data activities, and predict future data activity demands and requirements.
Contrary to the past experience the giant Schwannoma with symptoms of canalis vertebralis compression has been removed by combined surgical exposure in one sitting. Laminectomy, decompression of the canalis vertebralis and immediately subsequent extracanalicular resection of the tumour by retroperitoneal approach was performed in one sitting by two surgical teams. The advantages of the combined surgical exposure: 1. The affliction of the patients caused by the operation significantly decreased. 2. The expenses of the treatment, nursing and hotel decreased as well. 3. The surgical team of different specialists remove the tumour together in both approaches.
Objective To compare the clinical effects of locking proximal humerus plate and anatomical plate in the treatment of proximal humeral fractures. Methods 98 cases patients with proximal fracture in our hospital from June2009 to June 2012 were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, the observation group was given locking proximal humerus plate treatment, the control group was given conventional anatomical plate treatment,the time of fracture healing and complications of two groups were compared. Results the total effective rate of observation group was 91.8%, and that of control group was 71.4%,the difference of two groups was significant( P0.05), the average healing time of observation group was significantly less than the control group( P0.05), the complications in the observation group was also significantly less than the control group( P0.05). Conclusion The locking proximal humerus plate in treatment of proximal humerus fractures is safe and effective, can promote the recovery of patients as soon as possible, is worthy of promotion.
BACKGROUND Sclerochoroidal calcifications are rare and benign lesions. The diagnosis is made upon their fundoscopic and echographic appearance. Because of their possible association with diseases involving disturbances of calcium and phosphate metabolism, these parameters should be investigated as well.   CASE REPORT We present a patient with the classical features of sclerochoroidal calcifications. In fluorescein and indocyanine-green angiographies a presumed subretinal neovascular membrane was observed.   CONCLUSION The diagnosis of sclerochoroidal calcifications should be complemented with angiographic investigations because of a possible association with a subretinal neovascular membrane. In two such cases reported previously in the literature, the neovascular membrane was treated by laser coagulation. In one case, as in ours, no treatment was undertaken. The good prognosis of sclerochoroidal calcifications remained unaltered in all cases.
MassDOT is in the planning stages of the Allston I-90 Interchange Improvement Project which, largely due to public participation, could evolve into a multimodal project involving replacing the structurally deficient highway interchange, providing enhanced bike and pedestrian connectivity, building a new West Station, and eventually introducing new passenger rail service using DMU’s through Kendall to North Station. With the roadway network operating close to, at, or beyond its practical capacity, these changes could allow for a major modal shift to transit for commuters from the largely residential western suburbs to multiple high growth areas in Boston, including Kendall, Downtown, the Innovation District, and Longwood Medical Center. Growth in these areas is currently occurring in the absence of viable transportation options, rather than because of them, and additional options will need to be provided if future growth in the area is to be sustained. This thesis assumes an optimistic view of continued development by continuing to project high job growth and related transportation demand in the Western Corridor to the year 2030. This includes identifying the mode shift that would be necessary to accommodate this future and designing the service characteristics of the system required to support this shift. These forecasts are considered in the context of other major infrastructure projects and the regional economic impacts they have had. With sufficient investment in new and existing transportation infrastructure in the Western Corridor, including all-electronic tolling on the turnpike, off-ramp reconfiguration, increased frequency on commuter rail, new DMU service on the Grand Junction, and supplementary bus connections throughout the region, it will be possible to sustain high job and residential growth in the Boston area. Without these improvements, particularly those on the transit side, industries and individuals may see reduced accessibility to workers, jobs, and services and may therefore choose to move elsewhere. It is important to factor in these greater regional economic impacts when reviewing the true value of potential improvements to the transportation system. Thesis Supervisor: Frederick P. Salvucci Title: Senior Lecturer of Civil and Environmental Engineering Thesis Supervisor: Mikel E. Murga Title: Lecturer of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advertising has to effectively explain new products to consumers. Product comprehension research provides the theoretical insights needed to do so. Yet, results from product comprehension research are limited because the stimuli used were not really new products and the validity of the comprehension measures used is questionable. We contribute by providing a brief literature review supporting the above claims and proposing two improvements for future work: the use of extensive pre-studies to identify stimuli of varying innovativeness levels and the inclusion of services new to consumers, not the market. Empirical illustrations of the value of both propositions are provided.
The invention discloses a processing method for a high purity oxygen-free copper rod of an intelligent high voltage switch cabinet. The processing method comprises four steps of preprocessing of raw materials, electrolysis of raw copper, leading into a heat preservation cabinet and crystallization, and leading upward copper rod and winding and coiling. New deoxidant and oxygen partition layer are added when the raw copper is electrolyzed. the processing method for the high purity oxygen-free copper rod of the intelligent high voltage switch cabinet has the advantages that oxygen and impurities in the copper fluid can be effectively eliminated, oxygen content and content of impurities of sulphur, phosphorus and the like in the copper rod are reduced, quality of copper rod can achieve international advanced level.
This article intends to reflect over a kind of celebration that consists of evoking people by their death anniversary. Two cases are examined, both related to famous Brazilian writers: Euclides da Cunha and Clarice Lispector. The author tries, on one hand, to determine the place of kind of celebration in modern societies, its function and meaning as a memory place in a world marked by fragmentation. On the other hand, she wants to aprehend the conceptions of person that are ritually dramatized during the two events, taking as reference the distinction proposed by Trilling between sincerety and authenticity.
In this paper, we propose a complex-valued IIR filter for digital VSB signals based on CMA in order to efficiently mitigate multipath distortions, especially the leakage from the quadrature component. The proposed equalizer overcomes the drawback of the conventional real-valued IIR equalizers that it attempts to equalize Hilbert transform of quadrature component. We demonstrate via simulation that the proposed complex IIR filter successfully mitigates the leakages from the quadrature component, while the conventional real IIR filter requires a longer IIR filter to achieve the same performance. We present cost function analysis for a simple two-tap case showing that the proposed IIR equalizer with CMA for VSB signals has a global minimum at the desired location.
This thesis explores individuals’ investment in human capital and how that interacts with public policy interventions. I focus on two forms of investment in human capital: investments in skills and health. First, I focus on parents’ investment in children and parental labor supply and asset accumulation decisions as they interact with private schooling. Second, I investigate whether individuals rely on outside sources of information, such as expert reviews and word-of-mouth, when making investments in their health.
A 12-year-old girl presented with an isolated cleft mitral valve complicated by infective endocarditis that was confined to the medial part of the cleft anterior leaflet. An innovative valve-sparing surgery was applied whereby the destroyed part of the leaflet was removed. The corresponding anterior annulus was plicated by approximation of the base of the cleft to the posteromedial commissure. The 'cleft' edge of AML was then sutured to the plicated annulus and to P3 at the level of the posteromedial commissure. The reconstructed valve was fully functional, and showed trivial regurgitation and an absence of stenosis for up to two years postoperatively.
RCC52, a cell line was established from a primary lesion of a sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We have previously reported that this total loss of HLA class I was caused by the coexistence of the two mutations on the  #946;- 2 microglobulin (  #946; 2 m ) genes. These two mutations were located in different alleles in grossly fibroblast-like and epithelioid clonal subsets, as summerized in Table below. To analysis of these sublines further, our loss of heterozygosity (LOH) results indicate that the epithelioid cells have more extensive genomic instability than the fibroblast-like cells, since the former carry one small deletion at  #946;2m and one large mutation (LOH) at chromosome 15, whereas the latter have two separate small mutations at  #946;2m with heterozygosity still maintained (ROH). The more advanced stage of epithelioid cells was supported by their faster growth rate in vitro and readily growth in SCID mice, as well as their predominance in the tumor lesion and in the cultured cells, compared with fibroblast-like cells. However, it is not clear whether the two morphologically distinct types of cells are two unrelated tumor subsets evolved together at the tumor site, or were in the process of a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) when the disease progressed. Thus far, MET is rare compared with EMT, which has been an indication for the progression of carcinoma towards dedifferentiation and a more malignant status in other tumor types. RT-PCR analysis of the expression of Hh-associated pathway components revealed that with the exception of Hip , PTCH , SMO , Ihh , and Gli1 generally exhibited higher in epithelioid sublines. Experiments with use of this cell line are currently being conducted to determine which subset will display S100A4 with concomitant increased expression of the transcription factor Ets1. The RCC52 cell line may provide a useful model for studying the role of MET and/or EMT in tumor progression and metastasis.$$table_{358849EE-2830-4DE5-BC50-2BC48AF12C55}$$ Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 222.
Elementary forms of theory of mind are based upon ability of understanding other person's false believes. If a child with mild mental retardation does not understand Baron-Cohen test story by which we estimate this ability, we will use concrete objects in order to illustrate story demands. The objective of this research is an investigation of possibility to use the tests mentioned above as alternative tasks for theory of mind estimation. Using theory of mind tasks, 144 participants with mild mental retardation aged from 9 to 18, were examined. Point-biserial correlation quotient between the obtained results shows moderate positive relationship. The value of correlation quotient ranges from 0.31 in fifteen-years-old to 0.67 in nine-years-old children. The obtained results suggest that white using alternative tasks of theory of mind one could very estimate different abilities.
Due to their creative nature, metaphors enrich languages. However, metaphorical expressions may differ from one language/culture to another. Developing in a certain cultural environment, languages acquire a specificity that is usually conveyed by figurative expressions. A major difficulty in learning metaphors is therefore their cultural dependence, leading to different expressions for the same concept. When teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL), the cultural specificity of the language is as much essential as the grammatical system. Although culture cannot be taught, it is possible for students to observe it through culture-bound idioms. Yet, since it is difficult to find their equivalents in other languages, students lack confidence in using them correctly. Consequently, while their autonomous discourse is grammatically appropriate, it usually sounds unnatural, overliteral (Danesi, 1993, p. 490). Due to their illusory arbitrariness, metaphorical expressions are commonly presented as exceptions to be learnt by heart. In fact, most idioms are motivated by conceptual metaphors (CMs). Far from being mere rhetorical devices, metaphors are a process of the mind by which we conceive abstract concepts through concrete, physical ones (Lakoff and Johnson 1980, p. 454-5). For instance, the expression “I cannot digest those claims” is motivated by the conceptual metaphor IDEAS ARE FOOD: the concrete concept (FOOD) -a physical experience we are familiar withis used to understand the abstract one (IDEAS). Being a systematic production of our brain, pervasive in everyday language and life, CMs are applied constantly and automatically. If metaphors are a means of cognition, we can presume that focusing on metaphors can help students to think in terms of the new culture.
Offshoring of IT products and services to provider nations belonging to the Asia Pacific region is a growing phenomenon. However, clients are apprehensive of risks undertaken by outsourcing work to businesses in different economic spaces which represent different time zones, cultures and income status. This study does an empirical investigation through twenty case studies to understand the profiling strategies used by IT offshore provider organisations in two diverse countries – India (farshore) and New Zealand (nearshore) – to improve their business image and reduce clients’ perceptions of risks. Findings reveal that strategies used by IT providers depend upon ownership status by clients or third parties, their organisational size as well as cultural differences between client and provider nations. The paper contributes to existing studies on emerging offshore marketplace and explains global strategies adopted by IT provider businesses to remain competitive.
Objective:To study the effect of stereotactic conformal radiotherapy for brain stem tumor.Methods:Seven cases with brain stem tumor were treated by stereotactic conformal radiotherapy with a total 34-40Gy dose divided into 13-16 times within 4-5 weeks.Results: One year after treatment,the tumor volume in 6 of 7 cases diminuted obviously,while 1 case recurred.Five years after treatment,the tumor in 1 case disappeared completely,three cases died.Conclusion: The stereotactic conformal radiotherapy can be used in practice for the brain stem tumor,and can increas patients' survival time and improve the quality of life.
Theories of semantic interpretation which wish to capture as many generalizations as possible must face up to the manifoldly ambiguous and contextually dependent nature of word meaning. In this paper I present a two-level scheme of semantic interpretation in which the first level deals with the semantic consequences of syntactic structure and the second with the choice of word meaning. On the first level the meanings of ambiguous words, pronominal references, nominal compounds and metonomies are not treated as fixed, but are instead represented by free variables which range over predicates and functions. The context-dependence of lexical meaning is dealt with by the second level, a constraint propagation process which attempts to assign values to these variables on the basis of the logical coherence of the overall result. In so doing it makes use of a set of polysemy operators which map between lexical senses, thus making a potentially indefinite number of related senses available.
Dicuss some peculiarity of UML.Apply method of object-oriented design on B/S software system.And then based on the analysis of Rational Unified Process ,modeled B/S mode school management system with Rational ROSE;With iterative and agglomerate modeling scheme of UML,the framework of school management system,which set up the base of this system ,and a scheme of B/S system modeling is hold and arranged.
One kind of building components and building systems, building assembly includes both positive and negative tetrahedral building blocks n; n is provided with a first set of visual coding blocks, which comprises a first unique visual coding provided on each side ; negative building provided with a second set of visual coding code corresponding to the first set of visual, including a second unique visual coding provided on each side. First visual code and second visual coding represent the genetic code for generating a sequence of stacking the positive and negative building blocks stacked together. N is provided on each side with a first visual coding blocks corresponding convex pattern, on each side of the building block is provided with a negative code corresponding to the second concave patterns visible; such that the convex blocks between positive and negative embedding a pattern recessed pattern stacked together. Generated by the visual encoding the genetic code blocks may be stacked in the total number of positive and negative building blocks used in a bulk process and the outline of the construction of the digital accumulation.
Keyword: Work commitments, The Company, A restaurant waiter ABSTRACT The company wants all its employees have a good performance and high commitment to the company's work. The commitment of employees working in influenced by variety of things. Similarly, a restaurant waiter needed a good work commitments in the work. This study aims to find a picture of a waitress job commitment to the workplace, and what factors affect the commitment of a waitress working on working place. The subjects used in this study aged 24 years and has worked for more than seven years. Preview affective job commitment classified subjects tended to moderate. Subjects can identify about his duties and things likes and dislikes about his job. Continuance work commitments tend to be highly classified subject. The subject has been working for more than seven years and that makes the subject stand because the subject really need the job to improve the family economy. Normative work commitments classified subjects tend to be low. The subject felt no obligation to stay with the work undertaken now if outside the subject can get a better job. As for the factors that affect the employment of the company's commitment on a subject that is characteristic of the job responsibilities that are charged to themselves the subject of his duties and may be subject to live with good, firm structure characteristic factor is the relationship between the subjects with well-knit tops, factor chance of another job where at present the subject of trouble getting another job so as to make the subject still survive with his job, and factor treatment of new employees is no special treatment or privileges on the new or old employees, all employees are treated equally.
With the British public far more likely than they were 10 to 15 years ago to use a car even for a short journey, it seems inevitable that it will gradually become more and more difficult to find a hospital car park space. Jonathan Baillie discusses the key issues for health estate, facilities and transport managers dealing with car parking and traffic management on often congested, and increasingly constricted, sites.
Sepsis is a serious medical condition resulting from the severe dysregulation of the immune response that is generally triggered by infection. It affects more than 1.1 million Americans, has an average mortality rate of 30%, and is estimated to cost $24.3 billion annually. Currently, blood culture followed by Gram-stain analysis is the gold standard for diagnosing bacterial infections associated with sepsis. This method generates a high rate of false negative results and, in general, requires 20 to 48 hr to provide results. Both of these problems are related to the requirement that the bacterial pathogens grow under defined laboratory conditions. This delay and lack of accuracy in diagnosis affects the administration of the correct antimicrobial therapy. I have designed, developed, and begun to validate a rapid, sensitive, and specific DNA-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay, designated the Molecular Granstain (MGS) assay, to detect bacterial pathogens directly from septic patient blood samples. This assay also differentiates Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. Importantly, results from this assay may be used to remove patients from unnecessary antimicrobial treatment at least 4 days earlier than is currently
We have characterized the human gene encoding LBR, an integral protein of the nuclear envelope inner membrane. Restriction mapping shows that the transcription unit spans approximately 35 kilobases. A transcription start site is located approximately 4 kilobases 5' to the translation initiation codon, and an RNA splice of 3863 bases occurs in the 5'-untranslated region to generate mature HeLa cell mRNA. 5' to the identified transcription start site are two CCAAT sequences and potential recognition sites for several transcription factors including Sp1, AP-1, AP-2, and NF-kB. There are 13 protein coding exons in the LBR gene. LBR's nucleoplasmic domain is encoded by exons 1-4, and its hydrophobic domain, with eight putative transmembrane segments, is encoded by exons 5-13. The hydrophobic domain is homologous to three yeast polypeptides, suggesting that this higher eukaryotic gene could have evolved from recombination between a gene that encoded a soluble nuclear protein and a membrane protein gene similar to those in yeast. These results are the first to demonstrate the structural organization of a vertebrate gene encoding an integral membrane protein of the nuclear envelope that may be a member of a family of polypeptides conserved in evolution.
A retaining ring for the chemical mechanical polishing and a metal ring reusing method thereof are provided to minimize the damage of the metal ring by coating the metal ring with the sacrificing layer. A retaining ring of the chemical mechanical polishing apparatus comprises the plastic ring(200) and the metal ring(100). The metal ring comprises the lower surface(130) in which the plastic ring is adhered. The inside surface(150), the diameter surface(140) and upper surface(120) of the metal ring are coated with the sacrificing layer(400) of the thickness 10mum or 500mum. The sacrificing layer comprises at least one of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyvinylchloride, PolyVinyliDene chloride, polyethersulphone, polyphenylenesulfide, polyether-ether-ketone, PolyVinyliDene fluoride, polyurethanes, polypropylene, polyamide, polyimide, polyester, polytetrafluor, ethylene propylene, perfluoro alkoxy, ethylene polytetrafluoroethylene, and ethylenechlorotrifluoroethylene.
The article deals with the principles, which are fundamental in the design of the content, algorithm selection and structuring of the content of the information training in a technical University The purpose: consider principles, algorithm selection and structuring of the content of information training of students at the technical University. Method or methodology of carrying out of job: the theoretical analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature, state educational standards, common educational and working programs in engineering, professional and information disciplines. Results: was made the selection and structuring of educational material on the block-module principle, which allowed to construct a unified system of information preparation, consisting of interrelated parts, each of which contributes to the content of vocational training in a technical University. Scope of results: preparation of the information for University students.
This article aims to enroll the conceptions regarding the participation of families in the production / maintenance of madness in different historical moments and to highlight how the presence of families is regarded in Brazilian public services. The study is anchored to the prevailing legislation and on published studies in Brazil. The starting point is the need to isolate the insane / mentally ill from the family in order to be treated at the time of the creation of the first hospitals specialized in psychiatry. The discussion follows with the movements that, over the twentieth century, repositioned the family as an important factor for the attention by the services, especially outside hospitals. The growing number of mental health services in Brazil and the presence of teams formed by various professionals in the care of mental suffering make this review of great interest to professional groups involved, including Psychology. We emphasize the presence of families, nowadays, as a support for the caring of the patient within the community and the need to develop strategies for community-based services to care for the families, not only for the mentally disturbed.
A systematic ana1ysis of the lepton mass spectrum is presented in the framework of a spontaneous symmetry breaking, with leptons and Higgs partic1es associated with nonets of SU(3). We find solutions with a11 known 1eptons in the same representation, whose most remarkab1e feature is the presence of a neutral 1epton at about the T 1epton mass (1.0 GeV). Other leptons are also predicted, one charged and two additiona1 neutra1s, which can have a mass large enough to prevent their observation at present avai1able aecelerator energies. rf v and vare both massive then V should be and admixture oí them. v-os~il1ati~ns can be accounted in thls model even in the case of massless V and v. A direct extension to quarks is proposed. e
In the present paper, I examined the processes of corporate bankruptcy proceedings of the listed companies on the Korea Stock Exchange. I collected a comprehensive list of all listed companies that went bankrupt since 1990. The main findings are as follows: first, the economic crisis resulted in a number of large firms going bankrupt; second, the duration varies substantially across the firms that survived; and finally, a set of organizational characteristics such as sales, assets, firm age at the time of bankruptcy, and, most importantly, when a firm filed for bankruptcy influenced the duration of bankruptcy proceedings. These findings illustrate the impacts of key organizational factors and institutional environments on the organizational processes of post-bankruptcy proceedings toward going back to business.
India, a country with diverse religion, caste, creed, tradition and customs is gaining its stand in the world both economically and politically. More than 70 percent of the population resides in the villages and majority of them are poor. The problem of poverty is in a sorry state of affair and poses a serious hurdle to economic growth the country. The Government of India had launched various developmental programmes and anti-poverty schemes to reduce the disparity between the rich and poor. But the efficacy of these schemes is under cloud. The present work focuses on this issue by making a critical study of a popular scheme of the Government under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The study examines the role of MGNREGA in creation of jobs and the performance of scheme in reducing the poverty level, improving consumption level and social security. This has been done through a critical examination of literature available and analyzing the official data available. The study finds that the scheme has succeeded in providing employment to the rural people and raises their purchasing power and economic condition to some extend at national level but the performance in the North East India is not remarkable as compared to the national averages.
the ClO that led John L. Lewis to agree to cio activity in Canada. Only later were the centralizing tendencies of the cIO to become manifest, and then it was too late to make much headway. For anyone interested in the history of labour in Canada and, it follows, in Canadian social history, this is an essential book. Mitch Hepburn and the Oshawa strike, Bill Mahoney and the 1⁄21⁄2L punitive expedition to British Columbia to clean the Communists out of the IWA, the great triangular duel between the cc•, the CCL, and the Communist party; it is all here and set out with a sense of pace that makes thscinating reading of a subject hat could be painthlly dull. In this direction lie the answers to questions about the peripheral role of the c•.c in our national affairs and about the failure of the trade union movement to produce leaders of national stature either within the movement or in the political sphere. The 1⁄2L1⁄2 has always eemed to be an appendageof its constituent unions, of its American associates, and, now, of the •I•P. It is possible that one answer is the intensity and the complexity of the personal, ideological, and political rivalries that Abella explores in this book.
A far infrared heating system structure for wind power blade dies mainly adopts nanometer carbon heating fabric as a heating source, during manufacturing megawatt-level wind power blade dies, the heating fabric is adhered onto an outer casing of a die, the die is heated via continuous far infrared radiation, heat conductivity is fast, and heat quantity is easy to be controlled, thereby meeting requirements of resin solidification parameters of blade products on the surface layer of the die. Heating areas and controllers are assorted, high-temperature wires of the heating fabric are connected on the controllers, two temperature sensors are respectively arranged in the heating areas and connected inside the controllers, and the controllers are centralized in a control cabinet, are integrally connected with a microprocessor so as to be controlled and can be connected with a computer to accurately control temperature by means of setting procedures. The far infrared heating system structure for wind power blade dies improves modes of heating via waterway and electric heating wires and the like in the prior art, and has the advantages of simplifying die manufacturing structure, lowering weight, leading repair to be easy, controlling temperature accurately and the like.
This paper estimates the trade potential for India using the augmented gravity model and then attempts to determine the importance of trade remedies. Based on panel data, this gravity model is the first-ever attempt to estimate India’s trade potential in the pre- and post- global economic and financial crisis period. The estimates of India’s global trade potential reveal that the magnitude of India’s trade potential is at its maximum in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by Africa and Latin America. Potential for expansion of trade in the post-crisis period is highest for countries such as China. However, in a large part of the world, India’s trade has remained unrealized, which provides further opportunities to expand despite the slowdown in global demand. There is a strong complementary role, as the findings of this paper indicate; i.e., tariff liberalization and trade facilitation, which taken together can help build export momentum in the crisis period.
The hydrocarbon-assisted, selective catalytic reduction of Nox constituents in lean-burn engine exhaust is benefited by passage of the exhaust over a staged catalyst bed comprising a first stage of an alumina-supported silver catalyst for oxidation of NO to NO2 and partial oxidation of added hydrocarbon to an aldehyde. Downstream of the silver catalyst is a second catalyst selected for the reaction of hydrocarbon and aldehyde species with NO2 to reduce it to nitrogen. Gamma-alumina and BaY zeolite are examples of suitable second stage catalysts.
The Ecuadorian government through the provision contained in paragraph 5 of Article 326 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, enshrined as one of the principles underpinning the right to work in our country, that all persons are entitled to develop their activities in a proper and conducive environment that ensures their health, integrity, health and welfare.    So one of the basic guarantees for the performance of work by workers, job security and health. In order to properly develop the legal framework to ensure compliance with these guarantees, has built a regulatory regime that is in force in the Labour Code provisions that ratify the duty of employers to comply with the requirements necessary to facilitate the existence appropriate and conducive environment that speaks the constitutional rule indicated above.    Despite the existence of constitutional and legal norms, quite explicit about the duty of employers to ensure worker safety and health of workers, while making the performance of the activity for which they were hired, in Ecuador the failure persists of this legislation with very few public and private companies and employers, who have incorporated within their productive activity, which must be done in accordance with those rules.    One of the reasons for non-compliance continues regarding standards of workplace safety and health of workers, is that the provisions of the Labour Code, are not strong enough as to coercion is concerned, there is generated a kind of impunity, which result in more severe, constant exposure of workers to risks that harm their personal integrity and even threaten the lives of those people.    The problems described in the above lines is studied in this research paper, and has been developed according to the rules laid down in Regulation Regime Academic National University of Loja.    Being proactive oriented research, this paper concludes with the presentation of a legal proposal for reform of the Labour Code, designed to incorporate legal provisions to ensure effective and efficient implementation of all constitutional and legal norms that are related to security labor and health of workers
Positive psychology reflects the scientific study of what goes right in life. Its core concepts are ideally suited for experiential learning through small actions. In 2017, we created an open, online course in parallel to an existing course offered for credit. The open course allowed learners to take it for a certificate of participation or simply for curiosity (the 3 - C model). This brief report will review learner responses to the weekly experiential learning activities that were based on published positive psychology interventions (PPIs). Results show that the experiential activities were evaluated positively, especially the “meaningful photos” and “discussion of love” activities, and none were identified as an activity that should be dropped from the course.
BACKGROUND Management of the infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysm has remained controversial. Although common femoral artery ligation and local debridement is an acceptable approach, some patients need revascularization for the treatment of leg ischemia or intermittent claudication. In this study, we report obturator bypass as an alternative technique that has been done at Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran during a 10-year period.   METHODS This was a retrospective study and the data were obtained from the patients' medical records.   RESULTS Ten obturator bypasses were done on nine patients. Two cases had previous history of ligation of the femoral artery branches. One death and two forefoot amputations occurred.   CONCLUSION Femoral artery ligation has been suggested as the treatment of choice for the management of infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysms. Among the extra-anatomic bypasses, the obturator bypass is an acceptable alternative with favorable results.
Ever since Indian economy was opened up for foreign participation it has undergone tremendous structural changes and so has the policy policy framework. Indian retail sector too has evolved over the years and has a notable contribution to the economic framework, still it has remained grossly underdeveloped as over 94% of it is still falls under the unorganized sector. The recent policy decision of further liberalizing the retail sector is likely to come handy in the wake of changing consumer taste. The objective of this paper is to provide an over view of the Indian retail system (referred to as The Retail India) and discuss its fundamental aspects like structure, market extent, potential, employability etc besides looking into the changing nature of Indian consumerism. An effort has been made to highlight the emerging challenges facing the retail sector. The purposes of this research being more of an exploratory nature, relevant data pertaining to the past decade has been taken into consideration.
Adinandra nitida Merr. ex Li has the highest content of flavonoids in plants. It can be drinked,and has obvious pharmalogical actions on antiphlogistic,detoxification,hemostasis,lower blood pressure,calm and soothe the nerves. Folk commonly used to treat mumps,dysentery and hypertension. This review focuses on chemical constituents,pharmalogical activities and development of A. nitida,which will provide a reference for further study of it.
The proposed model will assist to: Increase traffic and therefore conversion Understand the dynamism of the PPC campaign Help advisers in focusing on the correct attributes at the right time In summary: A quasi-experimental quantitative research approach will be followed Surveys are to be conducted to collect information A real-life experiment will be done using the two types of keywords in a bidding campaign Graphical and analytical presentations will be used in order to convey only essential information References:
Modifying Benardete’s Grim Reaper paradox results in a new version of the Kalam cosmological argument: an argument for the necessary finitude of the past. The argument relies upon two crucial assumptions: the intrinsicality of causal powers, and a generalization of Lewis's Patchwork Principle. I distinguish two different senses in which the past might be finite and consider their logical relations. Finally, I argue that the argument’s conclusion is consistent with the potential infinite divisibility of time, and that it provides support for the hypothesis that the universe has an extra-temporal and immaterial cause.
Neuropathic pain is one of the problem areas in the management of cancer pain. In a retrospective study, prevalence and characteristics of neuropathic pain in 1318 cancer patients attending a pain clinic were examined. Of the patients, 135 suffered from neuropathic, 285 from neuropathic and nociceptive, 890 from nociceptive and 8 from unknown pain conditions. Among the patients with neuropathic pain 62% rated the pain intensity as very sincere; this was so in 48% of those with nociceptive pain. Neuropathic pain was caused by direct tumour involvement (nerve compression or infiltration) in 71%, by oncological treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation) in 15%, by debilitating disease (e.g. herpes zoster) in 6% and by factors unrelated to cancer or its treatment in 8% of the patients. Of 110 clinically analysed neuropathic pain conditions, 44% were neuralgic, 31% radicular, 13% sympathically maintained, and 10% caused by deafferentiation, while in 3% the nature was unknown. To evaluate the efficacy of cancer pain treatment, nocicepetive pain has to be differentiated from neuropathic pain. In addition to this, neuropathic pain has to be divided into subgroups.
Moringa oleifera is the most widely cultivated species of a monogeneric family, the Moringaceae that is native to the sub- Himalayan tracts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.It has many different names, horseradish tree, Marango or Moringa and it was utilized by the ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians as nutritional or medicinal plant. Beef burger is one of the famous meat products presented in hotels and as fast food. This research is aimed to study the effect of using Moringa leaf powder and some natural herbs (rosemary and thyme) at different concentration on the shelf life of beef burger and its physical characteristics during cold storage and cooking. Three concentrations of Moringa or other spices (0.5, 0.75, and 1%) were used in beef burger stored at -18 ᵒ c for three months. The TBA, TVN, PH, water holding capacity, microbial quality, cooking loss and sensory characteristics were determined. Moringa leaf powder was showed the highest effect either as antioxidant or as antimicrobial comparing to the control or other herbs. Addition of moringa leaf powder at any level did not affect the acceptability of burger Patti. Increasing the level of herbs or Moringa increased the storage stability of the burger Patti. The results showed that Moringa flour can be used as a natural ingredient for improving the stability characteristics and microbial quality of beef burger without affecting the sensory characteristics.
Anesthesiologists often face the problem of a child with symptoms of an acute upper respiratory infection (URI) presenting for surgery. Anesthesia in the presence of uncomplicated URI may not be contraindicated. However, we experienced three cases of such children in which lung atelectasis developed after the induction of general anesthesia. Because continuous monitoring of arterial oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2) was useful for detecting mild hypoxemia in these patients, we retrospectively examined the possible association between URI symptoms and SpO2 in 63 children. Patients with symptoms of URI showed a significantly high incidence of decreased SpO2 to below 95% for 5 minutes. Our results suggest that, with URI symptoms even uncomplicated, symptomatic patients have increased risks for the development of mild hypoxemia during anesthesia.
Wetting of a planar solid substrate is investigated in the presence of a macroscopic particle in the complete wetting regime. A drop of silicone oil spreads on the substrate and its macroscopic edge is incident on the particle at the late stage of spreading. The drop–particle interaction is observed in detail by shadowgraph and interferometry. Although the spreading drop edge is pinned by the particle for a short time, a sharp acceleration occurs when the liquid starts wetting the extra surface area offered by the particle and forming a meniscus. This process yields a net gain in spreading speed. A theoretical model based on the classical wetting dynamics dictated by Cox’s law is developed. It predicts that the capillary energy of the meniscus gives rise to a rapid motion of the liquid edge, showing good agreement with the dynamics observed in the experiments.
In the sickle cell syndromes, Hb A2 measurements aid in the differential diagnosis of sickle cell anemia from sickle-beta-thalassemia. The purpose of this study is to assess the Hb A2 levels in samples containing sickle hemoglobin (Hb S) by the use of an automated high performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC-Variant beta-thalassemia Short Program). The blood samples analyzed were from individuals of African descent living in the state of Tennessee who had either sickle cell trait (Hb AS), sickle cell disease (Hb SS), or sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease (Hb SC). Interestingly, the Hb A2 levels determined by HPLC were found elevated in samples containing Hb S. The Hb A2 mean in Hb AS samples (n=146) is 4.09% (SD +/- 0.42, range 2.20 to 5.20%); in Hb SS samples (n=33) it is 3.90% (SD +/- 1.08, range 0.60 to 5.90%); and in Hb SC samples (n=27) it is 4.46% (SD +/- 0.70, range 2.30 to 5.91%). The Hb A2 mean by HPLC in normal individuals (Hb AA, n=70) is 2.57% (SD +/- 0.25, range 2.1 to 3.0%), and the Hb A2 range in beta-thalassemia carriers is 4 to 9%. Our results show that the Hb A2 levels in Hb S-containing samples partially overlap with those expected from beta-thalassemia carriers. The hemoglobinopathy laboratory should be aware of this apparent elevation in Hb A2 levels determined by HPLC in individuals carrying Hb S. Other factors, such as family history and clinical symptoms, should be taken into account before a diagnosis of sickle cell trait, sickle-beta-thalassemia, or sickle cell anemia is made.
Using administrative data for high-priority calls in Calgary, Alberta, we estimate how ambulance travel times depend on distance. We find that a logarithmic transformation produces symmetric travel-time distributions with heavier tails than those of a normal distribution. Guided by nonparametric estimates of the median and coefficient of variation, we demonstrate that a previously proposed model for mean fire engine travel times is a valid and useful description of median ambulance travel times. We propose a new specification for the coefficient of variation, which decreases with distance. We illustrate how the resulting travel-time distribution model can be used to create probability-of-coverage maps for diagnosis and improvement of system performance.
This article describes the Railway Industry Association's recent survey of the quantity of goods and services actually being bought from its members. The survey was undertaken, in an attempt to reconcile two conflicting sets of statistics, from: (1) order shortages facing members in the home market; and (2) political citations of 'record' expenditure levels. The survey was extended back in time by industry sector, typically over a five-year period, to establish a baseline of the level of activity before the recession began to affect British Rail's finances. Demand was also projected forward, to assess long-term trends, by surveying the number of invitations to tender. The resulting picture is grim. The Association's statistics show that the railway industry's deliveries to British Rail and Railtrack have decreased sharply during the last two to three years, and seem likely to fall even more rapidly in the immediate future. These trends apply to most if not all sectors, including: (1) locomotives; (2) rolling stock; (3) signalling equipment; (4) rails; and (5) rail fastenings. This suggests a decline which private funding cannot stop quickly enough. Replacement and investment rates have been much higher on continental European railways.
JPEG2000 has become one of the most rewarding image coding standards. It provides a practical set of features which weren’t necessarily available in the previous standards. The features were realized as a result of two new techniques, namely the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT), and Embedded Block Coding with Optimized Truncation (EBCOT). The complexity of EBCOT Tier-1 makes its implementations very difficult and time consuming. In this paper, we focus on accelerating JPEG2000 encoder by using general-purpose processing on Graphical Processing Unit (GPU). We use CUDA platform to implement DWT and EBCOT Tier-1 as the most important sections of JPEG2000. Resulting implementation of proposed architecture performs very well compared to other available implementations.
The study of climate change is a very important field of science, since life is directly affected by these changes. Many proxies, i.e. data previously preserved within speleothems, sediments, tree rings, corals, etc., have been observed and many theoretical models have been developed in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of past and future climate. Investigating the past climate changes leads to the forecasts of future possibilities. Therefore, enlightening the past is a keystone to answer questions about climate as well as vegetation, life, evolution, and nature. Paleoclimatology, the understanding of changes in climate during the history of Earth, has become a popular area of research at the intersection of climatology, chemistry, physics and mathematics. In order to extract the proxy information, many observations and mathematical studies have been performed.
Sinus node dysfunction (SND) is a rare cause of bradycardia in children without structural heart disease. However the association between (SND) and abnormality of atrio-ventricular conduction, is more uncommon. We report a case of a child 23 months old, admitted in the cardiology department for a symptomatic bradycardia. Routine ECG and 24-h-Holter monitoring showed atrioventricular junctional rhythms with minimal rates of 24 bpm and episodes of asystole with a maximal duration of 3.7 seconds. The children was implanted with a permanent VVIR mode pacemaker to relieve his symptoms. During a follow-up period of four years, the child developed syncope, the epicardial pacing lead was broken and atrioventricular block was observed. A second pacemaker was inserted by a subclavicular vein, and was programmed in VVIR mode.
This paper describes interviews conducted to understand the use of computational tools in daily design practice. The interviews form one part of a research project aimed at better informed design decision. This project also includes a review of state of the art building design support software and design process observations. A group of 15 world leading building services professionals were interviewed about their individual experience with computational tools during the design process. The outcome of the interviews was used to identify potential shortcomings of state of the art computational tools and causes for the limited success of integrating computational support to the daily design practice. Finally, guided by the importance of the early design stages, the paper argues that the use of appropriate computational tools has the potential to more effectively support the decision making process.
Performance-based funding has been used to help alleviate state and public calls for higher education accountability and more states have adopted this type of funding model (Tandberg & Hillman, 2014; Dougherty, Natow, & Vega, 2012). The purpose of this study was to explore performance-based funding and examine the relationship between types of funding and performance indicators in the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). The state funding trends were examined for all of the states in the NCA. The correlations for state funding and four performance outcomes for all four-year higher education institutions were compared for three states with performance-based funding and three states with incremental funding. The study also created regression equations within each type of funding to predict fulltime retention rate and four-year graduation rate. This study found statistically significant correlations between state appropriations and all four performance outcomes examined regardless of funding model utilized.
According to a recent study, Photo Therapy program called ‘Photo Art for You’ who target Parents with developmentally disabled children, It has the effect to parenting efficacy of parents with developmentally disabled children, parenting stress and selfworth. First, Photo Therapy is effective in improving a parenting efficacy of parents with developmentally disabled children. Second, Photo Therapy is effective in reducing a parenting stress of parents with developmentally disabled children. Third, Photo Therapy is effective in improving a self-worth of parents with developmentally disabled children. Through the Photo Therapy, we can expected psychological and emotional stability of parents of children with disabilities and improving the life satisfaction of family members. In addition, Photo Therapy is effective in reducing a guilt, shame, negative perception due to mental stress, depression. Also, They have photographed with the camera with various angle and sharing the photos of another aspect, It was to experience liberation from stereotype. So they get to know, depending on how they Iook, same object could be expressed in many different ways, like even a little tenuous subject can be beautifully within our insight.
Among Calvin's scholars, Calvin has been known as a contextual theologian. He developed his ecclesiology in a particular context which at the same time appeared as a reaction towards the context itself. That is why his ecclesiology is called "praxis-contextual theology". So, his ecclesiology is not an ecclesiology in an empty space. This writing is trying to show the context in which Calvin developed his ecclesiology. It is clear that there are two fronts he faced: on the one hand he confronted the traditional church in Rome and on the other hand the Anabaptists. We identified these fronts as his opponents. So, it is true that Calvin stressed on the unity of the church and struggled for it because of his opponents. It means that to understand Calvin's ecclesiology we must know truly the context he faced.
The present invention provides a dynamic voltage restorer three-phase four-wire power distribution network, comprising means coupled in series between the access and the power recovery output terminal, connected to the coupling means of the bridge inverter, filter , isolation unit energy storage unit and the DC charging unit for charging the DC energy storage unit coupled unit the TA three single-phase transformers, the secondary TB, TC respectively series with three-phase power grid, three single-phase transformers TA, TB, TC is connected to the filter unit and the primary side of the inverter, three bidirectional thyristor are connected in parallel in the TA three single-phase transformers, the secondary TB, TC as an electronic switch. Three contact points for the three triacs for controlling the switching. Three single-phase bridge inverter in parallel with the input terminal of the storage capacitor C1 and connected to the super, the super charging the storage capacitor C1 through the resistor R to the output terminal of the three-phase full bridge rectifier circuit, the three-phase full bridge rectifier circuit an input terminal connected to the terminal connected to the grid through the three-phase transformer Us T.
Lagunitas Creek and San Geronimo Creek in Marin County, California provide some of the best habitat for endangered coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in the southern part of their range, making it a priority for local and federal agencies to collect habitat and biological data throughout the watershed. For this paper, we synthesized numerous years of existing data, including flow, sediment conditions, endangered coho salmon densities, and one year (2001) of macroinvertebrate biological assessment data to investigate biotic and abiotic interactions among physical habitat, juvenile coho, and macroinvertebrates. We found that summer juvenile coho densities in Lagunitas Creek were negatively correlated with annual peak mean daily flow, whereas in San Geronimo Creek, variation in peak mean daily flow did not significantly impact juvenile density. Although macroinvertebrate prey were not limiting factors for juvenile coho in 2001, increased coho density was correlated with significant declines in the percentage of vulnerable macroinvertebrates at sampling locations. In addition, San Geronimo Creek had relatively high densities of juvenile coho, despite local evidence of excess nutrients and fecal coliforms from 2001. Analyzing fourteen years of qualitative sediment accumulation observations from Lagunitas tributaries, we found that 1) regular sediment inputs from tributaries could be impacting local habitat quality and may require source investigation, and 2) the highest sediment delivery occurred during wet years, but localized sediment accumulation may also occur in low flow years due to lag time in sediment delivery. Our April 2009 physical habitat survey at the bioassessment site LAG220, above Irving Bridge on Lagunitas Creek, suggested that overall substrate conditions have improved at that location, compared to 2001 conditions. To further evaluate interactions among flow, sediment, coho, and macroinvertebrates in Lagunitas and San Geronimo Creeks, we recommend using a GIS model to evaluate data at multiple reach scales and over time.
The following study examined the influence of the Halo Effect, specifically the physical attractiveness stereotype, on perceptions of mental illness. The physical attractiveness stereotype states that individuals who are physically attractive will be attributed positive personality traits. In this study, participants were asked to view either physically attractive or non-attractive individuals while listening to a description of a mental illness attributed to the person shown in the image. It was hypothesized that participants who were presented with physically attractive images would rate the description of mental illness more positively than when viewing images of physically unattractive people. The hypothesis was not found to be statistically significant, based on the results of a three-way ANOVA. However, significant main effects of gender and mental illness were obtained such as that women were rated more positively than men, and depression was rated more positively than schizophrenia.
If genetic variation for fitness traits in natural populations ("standing" variation) is maintained by recurrent mutation, then quantitative-genetic properties of standing variation should resemble those of newly arisen mutations. One well-known property of standing variation for fitness traits is inbreeding depression, with its converse of heterosis or hybrid vigor. We measured heterosis for three fitness traits, pre-adult viability, female fecundity, and male fertility, among a set of inbred Drosophilia melanogaster lines recently derived from the wild, and also among a set of lines that had been allowed to accumulate spontaneous mutations for over 200 generations. The inbred lines but not the mutation-accumulation (MA) lines showed heterosis for pre-adult viability. Both sets of lines showed heterosis for female fecundity, but heterosis for male fertility was weak or absent. Crosses among a subset of the MA lines showed that they were strongly differentiated for male fertility, with the differences inherited in autosomal fashion; the absence of heterosis for male fertility among the MA lines was therefore not caused by an absence of mutations affecting this trait. Crosses among the inbred lines also gave some, albeit equivocal, evidence for male fertility variation. The contrast between the results for female fecundity and those for male fertility suggests that mutations affecting different fitness traits may differ in their average dominance properties, and that such differences may be reflected in properties of standing variation. The strong differentiation among the MA lines in male fertility further suggests that mutations affecting this trait occur at a high rate.
Reinforcement learning (RL) methods employing powerful function approximators like neural networks have become an interesting approach for optimal control. Since they learn a policy from observations, they are also applicable when no analytical description of the system is available. Although impressive results have been reported, their handling in practice is still hard, as they can fail at reliably determining a good policy. In previous work, we used ensembles of policies from independent runs of neural fitted Q-iteration (NFQ) to produce successful policies more reliably. In this paper we evaluate the approach on more problems and propose to form ensembles from successive iterations of a single NFQ run as a computationally cheap alternative to completely independent runs.
Objective: to evaluate the efficiency (morphological tumor complete regression (mCR), a clinical effect) and safety of the use of new anthracycline-free neoajuvant chemotherapy regimens (paclitaxel + vinorelbine and docetaxel + carboplatin) in combination with trastuzumab in patients with Stage IIIa-c breast cancer (BC) and Her-2 hyperexpression. Subjects and methods. The study enrolled 36 Stage IIIa-c BC patients receiving 4-8 cycles of a chemotherapy regimen of paclitaxel (100 mg/m2) + vinorelbine (25 mg/m2) (every 3 weeks) or docetaxel (50 mg/m2) + carboplatin (AUC 5) (every 3 weeks) in combination with trastuzumab. Results. The docetaxel (75 mg/m2) + carboplatin (AUC 5) + trastuzumab regimen demonstrated a high effectiveness with acceptable toxicity. Seventeen (58.8 %) patients achieved mCP. The clinical effect was 83.3 % (4 complete and 11 partial tumor regressions). The paclitaxel (135 mg/m2) + vinorelbine (25 mg/m2) (every 3 weeks) + trastuzumab regimen is efficacious and promising when the doses of the drugs are increased and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor used.
Enactment of the vote difference threshold as a requirement to file a dispute over the result of a simultaneous election of regional head to the judiciary has had implications for the dispute resolution process which is not in accordance with general dispute resolution principles to the detriment of the candidate pairs. The threshold of the vote difference is not appropriate to be applied in the case of dispute over the results of the regional head election so that the enactment of the vote threshold should be removed and at the same time a new form of dispute resolution of the simultaneous election result of regional head shall be made. Some forms of dispute resolution on the regional head election result without the enactment of the vote difference threshold can be done through the formation of a special justice body of regional head election, establishment of special justice body in provincial level and or trial by other judicial institution first prior to submitted to the Constitutional Court. Keywords: Election of Regional Head, Dispute of Election Result, Threshold of Vote Difference
This is the first case of primary macroglobulinemia with t(11;18) (q21;q21) reported in the literature. A 77-year-old man was admitted to a hospital in December, 1994, with acute renal failure and pleural effusion. He was treated with prednisolone pulse therapy and his symptoms improved. He was referred to our hospital for further examination. Analysis of blood chemistry revealed macroglobulinemia (IgM-kappa). There were no other findings that would indicate a diagnosis of malignant lymphoma. A complete blood count revealed a hemoglobin level of 8.7 g/dl and a white blood cell count of 5,300/microliters with 11% abnormal lymphoid cells. Immunologic and karyotype analyses revealed that these abnormal cells were positive for IgM-kappa, CD19, and CD20, negative for CD5, and CD10, and had t(11;18) (q21;q21). The bone marrow had also been infiltrated by 8.6% abnormal lymphoid cells. Six other cases with t(11;18) (q21;q21) have been reported including 5 of small lymphocytic lymphoma and 1 of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue-type lymphoma. The tumor cells in these cases were the same as in our case. Therefore, our report is in agreement with the finding that t(11;18) (q21;q21) might be one of the characteristic chromosomal abnormalities in mature B-lymphoid neoplasms.
This paper presents an interactive segmentation algorithm for bio-medicine image by combining threshold approach and region growing algorithm.The region of interest in the image is selected by the user and pre-segmented by threshold approach.It identifies the seed pixel and the similarity criteria of region growing according to the object region by threshold segmentation,and gets the final segmentation result.Experimental results show that the algorithm is simple and fast,and it has good segmentation result for bio-medical image.
Developing catalyst to create a feasible system for NaBH 4 hydrolysis would increase the widespread use of clean energy producing fuel cell system. However, transfer difficulties such as; three phase reaction mechanism and reactant-side product solubility problems limit the promising properties of the hydrolysis systems. In this study Co 1-x Mn x bimetallic catalyst was produced and adhered on TiO 2 support by co-reducing method. Optimum NaOH concentration for the catalyst and reaction conditions was determined before the studies. In the experiments it was proved that only 40 mg of Co 0.7 Mn 0.3 /TiO 2 catalyst is highly active to decompose NaBH 4 at 20 °C. SEM-EDX results revealed that the catalyst homogeneity and active sites existence are valid after reaction. Released hydrogen was collected by inverse burette apparatus and maximum hydrogen generation rate was calculated as 43.6 at 20 °C. Investigations resulted that the reaction obeys first order kinetic on the basis of NaBH 4 and the activation energy is 38.7 kJ.mol -1 .
Ethanol has been reported to cause myocardial suppression, exaggerated hypotension, and increased mortality in various animal models of hemorrhagic shock. Previous studies have not used a fixed-volume graded hemorrhage model and have not monitored cardiac output or metabolic parameters such as serum glucose and lactate levels. We studied hemodynamic and metabolic changes after administration of ethanol in a 50% graded hemorrhage model in conditioned, anesthetized beagles after orogastric ethanol loading. The hemorrhage was done over a 60-min period followed by a 90-min stabilization period. The ethanol group (n = 6) had significantly higher heart rates during the stabilization period. Mean arterial pressures (MAP) were lower in the ethanol group during the stabilization period. The change from baseline MAP 30 min after hemorrhage was -31% in the control group and -53% in the ethanol group (P less than .05 using Wilcoxon ranked sum test). Serum glucose and lactate levels were higher in the ethanol group. These results indicate that ethanol impairs hemodynamics and alters glucose and lactate metabolism in dogs in the fixed-volume graded hemorrhage model. The effect of these changes on morbidity and mortality remains to be determined.
System simulation is one of important tool for risk assessment.A new method is presented to deal with corporate default forecast problems based on cross-entropy algorithm.The failure probability of repaying loans of corporation is taken as the criterion to measure the level of default risk.The cross-entropy scheme is adopted to construct the model of default risk identification,based on which the loss probability can be assessed.Contrasted to traditional forecasting methods,the forecasting method has a strong capability to identify the default risk and high forecasting precision.
This research paper critically analyzed the editorial discourse of uprising in Libya and Syria from two mainstream newspapers namely The News International of Pakistan and the Arab News of Saudi Arabia.We explored how the crises were  represented in the two cultural settings, how the news editorials satisfied the readership through the ideological framing and how that impacted the public opinion.The editorial texts were published during January 2011 to December 2012 which was a peak time for media coverage of the events. The theoretical framework of this study was based on van Dijk’s model of ideological square that served as a guiding principle for us to treat the editorial voices as in-group (Saudi Arabia) and  out-group representations (Pakistan).We used the qualitative data analysis software package NVivo 10 to analyze the data.Findings of 12 editorial texts elucidated ‘evaluative beliefs’ of editors and their ideological constructions of authorities and protestors as social actors of the uprising. Drawing from the perspective of critical discourse analysis (CDA), we identified editorial relationship with the uprising through making sense of the meaning constructed.The study revealed that the editorials portrayed the authorities and their actions as a threat to incoming change and the protectors as indicators of revolution and social change.
Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is one of the main regulators for melanocytes, and the adenohypophysis is one of the major tissues for the synthesis of this hormone. The Silky fowl is a characteristic breed of chicken with hyperpigmentation throughout the body. The involvement of the adenohypophysis in the hyperpigmentation of this breed is not known. In the present study, the proportion of melanocyte stimulating hormone-immunopositive cells (MSH cells) in the adenohypophysis was immunocytochemically compared between Silky, Red Cornish × New Hampshire (RN) crossbred and Japanese bantam cockerels at 15 weeks of age. After the body and gland were weighed, the adenohypophyseal cells were enzymatically dispersed and immunostained for α-MSH, and the immunopositive MSH cells were counted. The weights of the body and adenohypophysis were heaviest in the RN crossbred, followed by the Silky and lightest in the bantam cockerels. In contrast, the ratio between adenohypophysis and bodyweight was much larger in the Silky and the bantam than in the RN crossbreed (P < 0.05). The population of MSH cells in the adenohypophysis was larger in the Silky (14.3%) than in the RN crossbreed (8.0%) and the bantam (8.1%) cockerels (P < 0.05). From these results, it was concluded that prepubertal Silky cockerel have numerous MSH cells in the adenohypophysis suggesting a relationship to hyperpigmentation.
The present invention, the main body and, above provided with a sub-body installed so as to be opened and closed to the main body the, the sub an outside surface of the body is provided with a first display section provided with a second display portion on the inner surface of the sub-body folders type according to the message display method for a portable wireless terminal, the folder-type portable when the wireless terminal of the sub-body, a message is received at a closed state wherein the receive and process, the user of displaying a marker indicating the received message on the first display messages outside according to a display request is made by the process of sliding the display while the message information received on the first display part.
Every enterprise aims to produce, sell as many products as possible, penetrate as many marketsas possible, and thus get as high as possible profit. This can be accomplished by meeting customerrequirements and delivering quality products. The paper presents a study conducted within S.C. Continental Powertrain Romania S.R.L., located in Ghimbav, BraAŸov county. This study aimed toidentify the implementation of a quality strategy at the factory, in order to highlight the importanceof implementing quality management in a company, but also to find results obtained from suchimplementation.
Objective Throughout testing the immunohistochemic expression of CDKN2A/p14ARF in the papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue,to explore the protein function during the development of the papillary thyroid carcinoma.To analyze the different expressions between the para-tumor normal tissues and the papillary thyroid carcinoma.Methods Immunohistochemistry(S-P method) was esed to find out the expression of CDKN2A/p14ARF in the papillary thyroid carcinoma and para-tumor normal tissues.At the same time,the statistics way was used to analyze.Results CDKN2A/p14ARF positive rate was 87.8%(36/41)in the expression of the papillary thyroid carcinoma,20 cases reached a degree above(++),accounting for 48.8%(20/41).The positive rate of para-tumor normal tissues was 75%(15/20).Compared to the papillary thyroid carcinoma and para-tumor normal tissues of thyroid gland pathologically,the difference was higher(P0.05).The expression of CDKN2A/p14ARF did not have obvious dependablity with the sex or age were not statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion CDKN2A/p14ARF have an extremely high expression rate in the papillary thyroid carcinoma,which is remarkably valuable assistant diagnostic points in the pathological diagnosis text.
This study is motivated by the lack of compensation, namely wages, given by PT. Prima Bumi Pakuwon Jaya to the production worker which does not adversely affect the employees’ work performance. The amount of the compensation awarded by PT. Prima Bumi Pakuwon Jaya is under the Regional Minimum Wage (UMR) of Bojonegoro regency. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of compensation and motivation toward the employees’ work performance. This research is a quantitative research. In determining the samples, the researcher used The non probability sampling with saturated sampling due to the population is less than 100 subjects (Arikunto, 1998:112). Therefore, 80 production employees consisting of 63 female and 17 male employees were included to be the sample in this study. The instrument used for the data collection was a questionnaire and analyzed by linear regression. The results of this study showed that the compensation especially the wage’s amount partially gave positive effect toward the employees’ work performance. Furthermore, the motivation is also partially gave positive effect toward the employees’ work performance. The findings of this study showed that the compensation given by the PT. Prima Bumi Pakuwon Jaya is proportional to the difficulty level of the work based on the production employees’ point of view. Keywords: Compensation, Wage, Motivation, Work Performance
When the fabric is to be illuminated with light having the 400-2200 nanometer wavelength range, a clothing and the device has the light reflection property comprises monitoring fabric that is having a light transmission property. Within the permitted opening defined by allowing an opening associated with the lost light amount as a movement that is the amount of the useful rays reflected by the tissue, induced by the physiological activities (for example, heart rate), the fabric in response to the movement, such as the when the stretch changes can be detected. The apparatus includes at least one radiation beam source and at least one detector, the detector is disposed within the allowable opening. The source and detector are used reflected by the fabric having to be arranged so as to have a position having a correlation to the fabric, this time by the reception radiation of the line joining by the detector in response to movement within the permitted opening when the fabric stretch It should be directly affected by the change in the amount of available light.
This study examines stress analysis of the mandible when submitted to mastication simulated forces over a distal extension removable partial denture. Two situations were analyzed upon loading: small pins had been placed over the bone crest and under the denture; low amplitude loads were applied over tooth 34-37. Holographic interferometry techniques were used to assess mandible's deformation. Results indicate that a correct adaptation of the denture base is critical to reduce stresses in the mandible. High stress levels in the second molar region suggest its non-inclusion in these prosthetic rehabilitations.
We evaluated the main characteristics of 929 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and/or C (HCV) virus infection, who represented 79% (929/1177) of patients seen at our liver clinics between 2002-2007 Of the 929 patients,437 (47%) had chronic HBV infection, 485 (52%) chronic HCV infection and 7 (1%) chronic HBV and HCV co-infection from period A (2002-2004) to B (2005-2007), there was a trend for decrease in chronic HBV cases (50.4% vs 44.7%,P=0.10) with immigrants being responsible for 36.4% (Albanians:26.3%) of them and being more frequent in period B than A (30.6% vs 41.5%, P=0.022). In chronic hepatitis B (CHB), HBeAg-positive patients, who were more frequently immigrants than HBeAg-negative CHB patients (65.5% vs 29.5%, P<0.001), increased from period A to B (8.0% vs 17.6%, P=0.045). Intravenous drug use was reported by 41.2% of chronic HCV patients with its proportion increasing from period A to B (32.5% vs 47.4%, P=0.001). In conclusion, chronic viral hepatitis is still responsible for the majority (almost 80%0 of patients seen at Greek tertiary centers. Chronic HCV infection seems to represent the commonest cause mainly maintained by increasing numbers of intravenous drug users. There is a trend for decrease of patients with chronic HBV infection with an increasing proportion of immigrants,mostly Albanians, which results in increasing rates of HBeAg-positive CHB. Chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections represent two of the most common aetiologies of chronic liver diseases with their relative prevalence ranging widely from country to country.1Two to three decades ago, Greece was considered as a country of intermediate HBV endemicity with an overall prevalence of chronic HBV infection of 3-5%,2 but more recent studies demonstrated a reduction of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence to below 3%.3-6 In the nineties and after the development of reliable assays for the detection of antibodies against HCV (anti-HCV), Greece was found to be a country of relatively low HCV endemicity with an overall anti-HCV prevalence of below 2%.4,7 However, additional studies have shown that the anti-HCV prevalence is substantially higher exceeding 10% in some geographic areas8 and specific highrisk groups.9 The burden of a chronic disease on the health care system depends not only on the prevalence of this disease in the general population but on the proportion of diagnosed patients as well. The burden of a chronic disease on tertiary centers also depends on the proportion of diagnosed patients who are referred from the primary care setting. In Greece, the majority of chronic HBV and HCV patients are referred to tertiary centers for two main reasons: first, the initial confirmation of diagnosis that may require sophisticated laboratory methods or even liver biopsy cannot be made in the primary care, and second, all types of therapy for such patients are initiated at tertiary centers. In addition, many chronic HBV or HCV patients are directly seen at the outpatient clinics of tertiary centers without previous visits at primary care physicians. To date, the burden of chronic HBV and HCV infections at Greek tertiary centers, which may reflect most of the burden of these diseases in Greece has not been studied. Moreover, the effects of possible epidemiological changes associated with several factors including the arrival of great numbers of immigrants from countries of higher HBV and HCV endemicity have not been systematically examined. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the burden and possible epidemiological changes of patients with the chronic HBV or HCV infection seen at our outpatient liver clinics during the last six years. In addition, changes in the use of invasive diagnostic procedures, such as liver biopsy, were also determined.
Six new triphenylamine-containing aromatic diacid monomers, 4,4'-dicarboxy-4''-isopropyltriphenylamine, Ma, 4,4'-dicarboxy-2'4''-dimethyltriphenylamine Mb, 4,4'-dicarboxy-4''-ethyltriphenylamine, Mc, 4,4’-dicarboxy-4”-phenoxy triphenylamine, Md, 4,4'-dicarboxy-4''-(N-pyrrolyl)triphenylamine Me, 4,4',4'',4'''-(1,4-phenylene bis(azanetriyl)) tetrabenzoic acid, Mf, were successfully synthesized via the aromatic nucleophilic fluoro displacement reaction of 4-fluorobenzonitrile with aniline-derivatives using sodium hydride as the base, followed by alkaline hydrolysis of the dinitrile intermediates (Ia, Ib, Ic, Id , Ie, If). A series of poly(amine-amide)s were prepared by the direct phosphorylation polycondensation from the newly synthesized diacid monomers with various aromatic diamines. FTIR, 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic techniques were used to identify the chemical structures of the dicyano intermediate, the carboxylic acid monomer and the resultant poly(amine-amide)s containing the triphenylamine moieties. These aromatic poly(amine-amide)s were found to be readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents and could afford strong and tough films via solution casting. They exhibited excellent thermal stability with 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of (401.2 - 577.4) °C as recorded by TGA and high glass transition temperatures between 234.5 - 292.6°C. In dilute N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) solution, these polymers exhibited a medium to strong UV-Vis absorption bands at the range 305 - 363 nm and photoluminescence in the blue region at 429 ~ 488 nm. Cyclic voltammetry of the poly(amine-amide)s films cast onto an ITO-coated glass substrate in dry acetonitrile (CH3CN) containing 0.1 M of tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (Bu4AlNH4ClO4) as an electrolyte exhibited one oxidation half-wave redox couples (E1/2) at 1.13 - 1.27 V vs Ag/AgCl, and revealed electrochromic characteristics with a color change from pale yellow to blue at applied potentials switched between 0.0 and 1.6 V at scan rate 0.1 V. The obtained values of the HUMO and LUMO energy levels of the currently synthesized transporting materials were in the range of 5.52 - 5.66 eV and 2.44 - 2.62 eV respectively with band gap of values of 3.04 - 3.15 eV.
Wearable electronics is the future of the electronics devices, a great example would be Google with their product GOOGLE GLASS® or Apple with their product iWatch®. This Project aims to build a reliable system of wearable electronics to allow cyclist to have safer cycling experience. This project will be executed by designing the  circuit and system, simulating the design using electronic circuit simulation tools and eventually building the prototype based on the simulation and design. This project aims to fabricate a relatively small PCB “2 cm x 3.5 cm” board to make it able to be worn as a wearable electronics; it also utilizes the ability of using the motion detector hardware, deriving the LEDs and also programming the microcontroller. A prototype of this wearable vest for a cyclist is fabricated to demonstrate the functionality of the system which is automatically detecting the motion of the user and displaying it on the LEDs. Experiments and tests were carried out to determine the reliability of the system.
Numerous studies performed in vitro have suggested a role for glutathione (GSH) in determining the sensitivity/resistance of tumour cells to various platinum-based drugs. Few studies have extended these findings into the in vivo setting. We have measured GSH levels in two murine (ADJ/PC6 plasmacytoma and L1210 leukaemia and their acquired platinum-drug-resistant sublines) and five human ovarian carcinoma (PXN/100, PXN/109T/C, SKOV3, HX/62 and OVCAR-3) tumour models of varying sensitivity to cisplatin. Results showed that relatively high GSH levels may be involved, at least partially, in determining platinum drug resistance in vivo in at least some of the tumour models studied (ADJ/PC6 carboplatin and tetraplatin resistant tumours; L1210 cisplatin and tetraplatin resistant tumours and the HX/62 and OVCAR-3 human ovarian carcinoma xenografts). However, in other tumours (e.g., the acquired cisplatin resistant ADJ/PC6 plasmacytoma) non-GSH mediated mechanisms of resistance (such as enhanced DNA repair) probably account for the resistance. Pretreatment of animals with oral buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), which resulted in approximately 70% depletion in tumour GSH levels, failed to potentiate the antitumour efficacy of either cisplatin (using the ADJ/PC6 and L1210 models) or the 1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) platinum-drug, tetraplatin (using the ADJ/PC6 model). These BSO plus or minus cisplatin data suggest a limited role for such combinations in the clinic.
The spectrum of the electromagnetic radiation coming from Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) is often characterized by the presence of a continuous emission, covering a wide range of frequencies, which spans from the X and Gamma rays down to he radio waves, as well as by the existence of a large number of emission lines. The properties of these lines suggest an origin connected with the recombination processes, which follow the gas photo-ionization due to the most energetic fraction of the continuum irradiated by the source. Moreover, looking at the recombination line profiles, it is possible to distinguish among broad emission lines, exclusively associated to permitted atomic transitions, and narrow emission lines, which, instead, are commonly identified from forbidden transitions, as well.  The distinction between profiles, based on the transition probabilities of the corresponding lines, tells us that the two types of emission have a different origin. In particular, the broad lines come from a region filled by a high particle density plasma, that lies extremely close to the central source of ionizing radiation, the Broad Line Region (BLR). Because of its limited extent and of the density of its material, the properties of the BLR are not directly observable, neither they can be appropriately handled by means of the spectroscopic techniques that are exploited in other conditions, where a balance among photo-ionization and recombination processes is carried out.  The aim of this PhD. thesis is to study the kinematical and the thermodynamical properties of the gas, within the BLR, developing an analysis of the spectral lines emitted by hydrogen in the Balmer series. After discussing some fundamental features, which allow us an interpretation of the AGN nature, we describe the relationship among the thermodynamical conditions of the BLR plasma and the processes which take place in the central source. Our investigation exploits the application of Boltzmann Plots and that of a technique, based on line profile cross-correlation, on two object samples, collected at the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database, to gather information from all the observed lines. The results obtained in this way improve our understanding of the BLR structure, as well as of the influence played by the central source in controlling the physical conditions of the gas located therein.
The total operational time must be used in the most efficient way. By interleaving the lepton cycles between the cycles to accelerate protons or ions. the lepton accelsration can b8 achieved with very little perturbations to the fixed target physics program 111. In addition, changing the mode of operation should be possible without substantial delays. The control system must allow "multlcycling' as well as fast changes of the operational mode.
The service role of ICTs can enhance rural communities’ opportunities by improving their access to market information and lower transaction costs for poor farmers and traders. Rural scenario has become more complex; farmers’ access to a reliable, timely and relevant information source has become increasingly important. Telecommunication, especially mobile phones have the potential to provide solution to the existing information asymmetry in various sectors like agriculture. Mobile telephony has emerged as the technology of the choice of the masses, be it in the rural or urban areas. Mobile phones are being used for a variety of purposes for information, education and entertainment. It was found that most of the population in China have been using mobile phone as an information tool. Today India is second largest country over other countries in the world where large number of mobile phones are being used as a source of information because it is less expensive and easy to reach among rural community (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2013-14). Further, total mobile phone subscriber base in India stands at  97,21,79,316 of which share of GSM service is 81.02 per cent and CDMA’s share is 18.98 per cent (India Cellular.com, 2015). Mobile phone can be used to reach the widely scattered and diverse farming community. It can overcome the constraints of time space and scared human resources. On the other hand, farmers are also capable and open to used mobile phones. In addition, mobile phone are also be useful for agricultural marketing, mobile banking to obtain agriculture credit, etc which are still unexplored. Hence, Service of mobile phone will provide research based evidence, roadmap and policy framework to all such awaited initiatives to plan their future endeavours and usher-in a new wave of sustainable agriculture development initiatives utilizing the potentials of mobile telephony.
In this paper, a novel composite sandwich structure analysis of Launch Vehicle (LV) fairing is considered and proposed by a new Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) for a two-stage launch vehicle. Accordingly, “Multidisciplinary Design Optimization based on Independent Subspaces” (MDOIS) is employed using the “Fixed Point Iteration” (FPI) method to achieve the best convergence at system level (SL) to segregate the disciplines. Therefore, two proposed subspaces overcome difficulties of common mentioned MDO of LVs. Hence, the first subspace is a MDO which includes propulsion, aerodynamics, weight and trajectory disciplines and the second one, includes the novel composite fairing structure optimization as the other single discipline optimization that considered as a compact problem analytically and numerically and it is one of the novelties of this work. By considering variables as propulsion, trajectory and also composite sandwich fairing structure design regarding to the variables of designing and the performing optimization process, the fairing mass has been reduced more and considerable with respect to the common two stages LVs. In addition, due to the global optimization of LVs this weight reduction caused in reduction of the total gross weight of LVs. This system engineering proves the high sufficiency of MDO in complicated designing and it can be a roadmap for the future space vehicles designers especially who want to consider the composite structure optimization in LVs.
By matching analysis of the engine MAP and the load curves of an automobile running on the level road surface by constant speeds in different shifts,influences of the tendency,distribution and values of the equivalent specific fuel consumption curves in the engine MAP diagram on the constant fuel economy are investigated.The features of the engine MAP diagram with fine distribution of equivalent specific fuel consumption curves are described.
According to the present invention, the detection of the force component of the parking brake is implemented in such a way that the parking brake force transmitting friction loss means (8) and aging losses are minimized and the driving means directly parking brake (6) or the force measured by the embodiment of the driving means. Friction losses and aging losses minimization is achieved, i.e., the force transmitted from the housing at least a portion of the fluid-tight means (8) is surrounded, and the housing is filled with lubricant.
Atom Probe Tomography (APT) resolves atoms in real space and detects their chemical identity. In the realm of microscopic techniques, it has its unique place with sub nanometer spatial resolution and high chemical sensitivity. In this thesis, data driven techniques have been developed to identify nano scale chemical features from reconstructed atomic data obtained from APT experiments. Main drawbacks in present day methods, to detect nano scale features, are use of input parameters involving heuristics on part of user. Techniques developed in this work use the APT data to determine the input parameters, thereby making the process more quantitative. In particular, techniques have been developed to select optimal voxel size to calculate the concentration profile, and to select the concentration threshold using ideas from computational topology. Voxel size is selected using an error minimization technique. A framework to quantify and visualize spatial uncertainty in isosurface has also been developed. Approaches developed in this work are generic in nature and can be applied on any APT data. In this work, results have been shown for Ni based superalloy data.
In the wake of the microcomputer hardware revolution has come the development of new applications software that takes advantage of the features of the new machines. Of particular interest to economists is econometric and forecasting software. In this paper, I compare and contrast several versions of such software currently available for the IBM PC and compatibles. The econometric software group, here defined as software that would be useful for researchers and teachers whose main interest is estimation, includes MicroTSP 5.0, Micro-RATS 1.20,' SORITEC 1.06, Gauss, ySTAT 1.072, Goodness-of-Fit (hereafter GF), SST 1.0, LIMDEP, SHAZAM 5.0, STATA 1.4, and ESP with Model Simulation 1.1. The forecasting software group, here defined as software that would serve the needs of forecasting practitioners and teachers of forecasting methods, includes
BACKGROUND The growth of hereditary and sporadic vestibular schwannomas shows wide variation, but what determines this is poorly understood.   HYPOTHESIS In neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), there is some correlation between the nature of the germline NF2 gene mutation and phenotype. Somatic mutations in the NF2 gene occur in sporadic tumors, but their relation to tumor behavior is unknown.   METHODS This study has investigated the molecular pathogenesis of vestibular schwannoma by looking for NF2 gene mutations. The authors have screened 17 exons of the NF2 gene in 91 sporadic vestibular schwannomas, 2 NF2, and 1 vagal schwannoma. These data have been correlated with a clinical growth index and a tumor cell proliferation index, determined using a monoclonal antibody to the proliferating cell nuclear antigen.   RESULTS Of the 94 tumors studied, 40 somatic gene mutations (38%) have been sequenced in 36 tumors. The mutations included 36 protein truncating mutations, 1 in-frame deletion, 2 splice site mutations, and 1 missense mutation. Regression analysis showed no correlation between the nature of the NF2 gene mutation and either the clinical (R2 = 0.006) or the proliferative index (R2 = 4 x 10(-8).   CONCLUSION The results of this study show no association between the nature of the intragenic NF2 gene mutation and tumor behavior. It is likely therefore that NF2 gene inactivation is not the only determinant of tumor behavior in vestibular schwannoma.
A comprehensive Historical Tsunami Database for the Pacific region has been compiled as a result of the joint IUGG Tsunami Commission and ICG/ITSU Project "Basic Pacific Tsunami Catalog and Database." The project is directed to improve the situation with catalogization of historical tsunamis in the Pacific by means of organizing them in the form of a parametric tsunami catalog and database. Its final product will be the multimedia CD-ROM "Tsunamis in the Pacific, 47 BC-2000 AD," containing all the meaningful historical tsunami data along with additional reference information related to the tsunami problem in the Pacific. The main purpose of the first stage of the HTDB project was the initial collection of parametric data from all the available published tsunami catalogs and the original publications. This has been done at the Novosibirsk Tsunami Laboratory within the relational databases dBASEVI, Access, and MS SQL Server. The current version of the catalog contains 1453 tsunamigenic events that occurred in the Pacific from 47 BC to 2000 AD, with 1348 of them having a validity index equal to or greater than 1. The basic set of parametric data collected within the database (the catalog of the Pacific tsunamigenic events and the catalog of the observed wave heights) is available on the dedicated web site at http://tsun.sscc.ru/htdbpac/. The full version of the database, provided with DOS-based and Windows-based graphic shells for easy data manipulation, visualization, and handling, is distributed on a CD-ROM.
The invention discloses a four-mast aluminum alloy hydraulic lifting platform, belongs to the technical field of lifting machinery, and mainly solves the problem that the traditional lifting platform is heavy and has potential safety hazards. The four-mast aluminum alloy hydraulic lifting platform comprises a chassis, a hydraulic power unit, lifting bodies and a work platform; a traveling mechanism is arranged below the chassis; legs are arranged on two sides of the chassis, and are arranged on a leg mounting frame and provided with leg locking mechanisms; the lifting bodies and diagonal pull rods are symmetrically distributed on two sides of the hydraulic power unit; the side faces of the lifting bodies are provided with falling prevention mechanisms; the outer ends of the lifting bodies is provided with a distribution box; and guard rails are arranged at the periphery of the work platform. The actions of the hydraulic power unit are controlled by the distribution box, so that single-person operation can be realized; the four-mast aluminum alloy hydraulic lifting platform is labor-saving in movement through the travelling mechanism, and the equipment safety is greatly improved through the falling prevention mechanisms, the leg locking mechanisms, the guard rails and the like; and the four-mast aluminum alloy hydraulic lifting platform is compact in structure and convenient to operate.
Objective To explore the control of nursing quality for patients of high risk of pressure sores and thus to improve the nursing quality and lower the incidence rate of pressure sore.Methods In Jan.,2006,the Management and Supervision Group for pressure sore was set up.Bedside checking was performed for the patients showing signs of high risk;nursing quality for high risk in-patients was assessed randomly;deficiencies in nursing quality were put right by means of sustainable quality imporvement flow;and follow-up observation,supervision and consultation were offered for pressure sore patients.Results Of the 537 cases showing sign of high risk,37 had pressure sore,with the incidence rate being 6.9%,lower than reported;the nursing quality for all the high risk patients was up to standard;and the nursing personnels could use the assessment tool with proficiency.Conclusion Global nursing quality control for high risk patients of pressure sore is conducive to the improvement of the basic nursing quality,promotes nurses' master and application of knowledge and skills of pressure sore prevention and treatment and thus lowers the incidence rate of pressure sore among high risk patients.
Biocomposite materials based on Alfa cellulose fibers (esparto grass plant) as reinforcing element and starch-based biopolymer matrix were prepared and characterized in terms of mechanical performance, thermal properties, and water absorbance behavior. The fibers and the matrix were first mixed in the melted state under mechanical shearing using a plastograph and the obtained composites were molded by injection process. The tensile mechanical analysis showed a linear increase of the composite flexural and tensile modulus upon increasing the fiber content, together with a sharp decrease of the elongation at break. The fibers′ incorporation into the biopolymer matrix brings about an enhancement in the mechanical strength and the impact strength of the composite. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) investigation showed two relaxations occurring at about −30 and 35°C. The addition of Alfa fibers enhanced the storage modulus E′ before and after Tα, which is consistent with the reinforcing effect of Alfa cellulose fibers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
As a person of ideals and integrity of Ming diehards,Gui Zhuang'poetry ideas can serves as the representative of the poetry theory of Ming diehards.He developed the traditional thought of "working hard to write"and emphasized the "great unfortunate" in the conquered nation period.He advocated keeping poems in terms of keeping people and personality was more important than poem quality.He especially focused on the integrity of diehards.His explanation of "sudden flash of inspiration"and "help of traveling"also had distinctive color of diehards.The poetry theory of Ming diehards which takes Gui Zhuang as its representative deserves further research.
The present invention provides a preparation method of dried undaria pinnatifida with improved smell and excellent flavor stability. The preparation method of dried undaria pinnatifida drying wakame includes: a process of performing contact process of the undaria pinnatifida with 75-85 mass% of water and 3 to 7 mass% of salt with dextrin with DE value from 20 to 30; and a step of performing drying treatment to the undaria pinnatifida after the first process.
Computerized tomography(CT) of resistivity can be conducted by laying overburden destruction surveying drill-bores at specific locations on the working platform,deploying the in-bore electrical surveying system and making use of the parallel electrical instrument to gather electrical data.By analyzing the covering rock deformation before and after mining and the changes of resistivity value,caving zone and the height of water flowing fractured zone can be determined.Two overburden destruction surveying drill-bores have been laid on the 713 working platform in Qinan Coal Mine to observe the changes of resistivity,which properly reflects the deformation of dynamic destruction of covering rock.In addition,the caving zone and the height of water flowing fractured zone obtained from electrical surveying system are very affordable and intuitive,which has been proved to be with excellent application effect.
The fundamental idea behind wavelets is to analyze according to scale. Indeed, some researchers in the wavelet field feel that, by using wavelets, one is adopting a perspective in processing data. Wavelets are functions that satisfy certain mathematical requirements and are used in representing data or other functions.  In this paper, separable pipeline architecture for fast computation of the 2D DWT with a less area and low latency is proposed by using carry select adder. The low latency and less area is achieved by proper designing of 2-D DWT filtering processes and also efficiently transferring the data between the 2-D DWT filters.
Most women will have a vaginal infection, characterised by inflammation, discharge, itching, or odour, during their lifetime. However, not all cases of vaginitis are caused by a vaginal infection. Numerous vaginal preparations are available to manage vaginitis caused by a vaginal infection or other underlying conditions. The types of vaginitis, and their management using vaginal preparations, are reviewed in this article.
Recent publications discussed a possible change with time of Sommerfeld's fine structure constant alpha, in which several of the fundamental constants of Nature are combined. The problem of a changing nature of alpha raises the question whether its value is ultimately a result of chance or reveals an objective law of nature. If the value of alpha is independent of human reason, a derivation of it may be possible from basic numbers, like e and pi, which appear in the logical development of mathematics[1]. In the following investigation a pure mathematical derivation of the fine structure constant is described, starting from a fundamental property of natural numbers. The constant alpha results as a limit value in an algorithm with exponential structures.
Objective:To explore the role of ERK signal pathway in the extracellular matrix(ECM)synthesis of rat mesangial cells treated with PDGF-BB in vitro.Methods:Cultured rat mesangial cells were divided into seven groups:control cells;treated with PDGF-BB(10,25,50 ng/ml,respectively);treated with PDGF-BB(25 ng/ml)and UO126(5,10 μmol/ml,respectively);treated with UO126 10 μmol/ml.The expression of fibronectin(FN),matrix metalloproteinases-2(MMP-2)and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1(PAI-1)mRNAs were detected by RT-PCR.Results:In mesangial cells,PDGF-BB downregulated MMP-2 mRNA expression(P 0.05),upregulated PAI-1and FN mRNAs expression in a dose-dependent way(P 0.05).The changes of FN,MMP-2 and PAI-1 mRNA induced by PDGF-BB can be inhibited by UO126 in a dose-dependent fashion(P 0.05).Conclusion:PDGF-BB can inhibit the degradation of extracellular matrix and stimulate the synthesis of FN in rat mesangial cells through ERK siginal pathway.
This bachelor thesis is about allergic diseases  with focus on cross allergies pollen-food. The cause of cross reactivity in between seemingly not connected inhalation and food allergens is similarity of their structures. Most frequent manifestation of the food allergy is oral allergy  syndrome, which can end up in life threatening anaphylactic shock in strongly reacting patients. Because of possible prevention of these grave complications, correct diagnostics of disease is needed. Big progress is observed in so-called immunotherapy, which stands for the possible future of allergic diseases treatment, but in the case of cross allergy, it is still in research phase.
The invention discloses a whole vehicle energy management method for an internal combustion generating extend range type electric vehicle. The SOC level of a current electric vehicle storage battery is obtained according to voltage and charging and discharging current information of the two ends of the storage battery, a high SOC threshold and a low SOC threshold are set to determine the on-off state of a range extender, and excessive charging and discharging of the storage battery and frequent start and stop of the range extender are avoided. In a range extend mode, drive demanded power of the whole vehicle is obtained according to discharge voltage and current information of a drive motor and a controller of the drive motor, an economic travel line of an internal combustion engine of the range extender and the current SOC value of the storage battery serve as bases, the optimal operation condition of the range extender is reasonably determined, charging and discharging demands of the storage battery are taken into consideration, accordingly whole vehicle dynamic performance and fuel economical efficiency are guaranteed, and meanwhile the energy storage level of the storage battery is optimized.
The aim was to study the nature of sublexical units with the illusory conjunction paradigm. We focused on syllable units and orthographic redundancy. Our results showed an influence of the both types of information on reading unit perception. The syllable effect was attenuated when the orthographic properties were not congruent with the syllable segmentation. Other results were found : orthographic clues such as consonants give some indication to the constitution of units ; a syllable frequency effect suggesting a mental representation of syllable : reading units were perceived in the process of lexical access but also affected by lexical information ; results are similar for beginning and expert readers. To conclude, the experiments provided converging evidence that reading units are influenced by orthographic and phonological prelexical representations that correspond respectively to orthographic redundancy and syllable unit information, and lexical representations.
Abstract : Tests were conducted in bay 8 of the low-overflow spillway at Ozark Dam, Arkansas River, Arkansas, in September 1974 to study vibrations and pressure fluctuations as related to flow through the spillway. Pressures were measured on the spillway sill to determine whether fluctuations are correlated with structural vibrations. Velocity distributions were measured to study boundary layer development and to determine an equivalent roughness for the spillway surface. Gate vibrations were measured to attempt to confirm model results. Pressure fluctuations on the low overflow spillway did not exhibit a root-mean-square (RMS) value large enough to be considered as a source of excitation of spillway vibration. The structure appeared to be vibrating at a natural frequency of 2.7 cps. Structural vibration amplitude was relatively small. Gate vibrations appeared to be independent of opening. The equivalent sand grain roughness Ks determined for the Ozark spillway (0.0061 ft) supplements previous data. Theoretical boundary layer thicknesses agree with the measured velocity profiles. (Author)
It has been found that approximately 45% of all patients who undergo heart surgery suffer a lack of brain oxygenation at some point during the operation. Unfortunately, monitoring cerebral oxygen saturation non-invasively in adults during surgery is extremely difficult. While nearinfrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used to monitor cerebral oxygenation in neonates, extending it to adults is challenging due to the increased thickness of the extra-cerebral layers in adult heads. Two potential NIRS methods for monitoring brain oxygen saturation in adults are continuouswave (CW) and time-resolved (TR) NIRS. The primary objective of this project was to investigate which of these two NIRS methods is the best suited for detecting changes in adult cerebral oxygen saturation. This was achieved by i) developing a robust methodology for the segmentation and mesh generation from 3D MRI images of an adult head, ii) simulating CW-NIRS and TR-NIRS light propagation in the generated head mesh, and iii) comparing the sensitivity of both NIRS signals to changes in cerebral oxygenation. More specifically, a volumetric mesh was generated from 3D MRI images which were segmented into 4 tissue-types, consisting of the skin, skull, cerebrospinal fluid, and brain tissue. Photon propagation was simulated in the mesh for wavelengths ranging from 650 nm to 947 nm, using brain oxygen saturation levels ranging from 40% to 70%. These in silico experiments were designed to mimic typical measurements from CW-NIRS and TR-NIRS devices and were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of each modality at monitoring brain oxygen saturation. The greatest difference in the values for the CW-NIRS was found at 696 nm. From the 70% brain oxygenation to the 40%, there was a difference of approximately 3%. A 0.004% difference was found at the isosbestic point (798 nm). For the 696 nm wavelength in the TR-NIRS, there was a difference of approximately 56%, with a maximum difference of 72.6% at 657 nm. Similar to the CW-NIRS, TR-NIRS had a 0% difference at the isosbestic point of 798 nm. Additionally, the TR-NIRS was unaffected by source detector distance, while CW-NIRS signal improved with distance from the source. We found that TR-NIRS is more sensitive to changes in brain oxygen saturation in adults than CW-NIRS. Thus, while CW-NIRS is effective in neonates, the extra-cerebral layers in adults are too thick to make it a viable option. These simulations also suggest that TR-NIRS will be more appropriate than CW-NIRS in monitoring cerebral oxygenation in adult cardiac surgery patients. IN SILICO LIGHT PROPAGATION IN THE ADULT HEAD 3 Table of
A field experiment was conducted in order to quantify the effect of domestic wastewater on the growth of poplar plantation and research the purification function of poplar trees for wastewater in Longhu Town of Zhengzhou during 2008 and 2009.Different hydraulic loading(0,3,6,9,12,15 cm·week-1) were applied to the experimental plots.A series of indicators(growth of poplar plantation,leaf litter dry weight,one-year-old branch,leaf length,leaf fluctuating asymmetry;nitrogen,phosphorus and sodium contents of branch and leaf) were measured.The results showed that wastewater land treatment resulted in increasing the growth of poplar plantation and nitrogen,phosphorus,sodium contents of branch and leaf.Poplars can take up pollutants in wastewater.However,the chemicals in domestic wastewater caused poplar trees damage due to high NaCl.Leaf length appeared to be a useful stress diagnostic tool for use in situ.
Explainable Recommendation has attracted a lot of attention due to a renewed interest in explainable artificial intelligence. In particular, post-hoc approaches have proved to be the most easily applicable ones to increasingly complex recommendation models, which are then treated as black-boxes. The most recent literature has shown that for post-hoc explanations based on local surrogate models, there are problems related to the robustness of the approach itself. This consideration becomes even more relevant in human-related tasks like recommendation. The explanation also has the arduous task of enhancing increasingly relevant aspects of user experience such as transparency or trustworthiness. This paper aims to show how the characteristics of a classical post-hoc model based on surrogates is strongly model-dependent and does not prove to be accountable for the explanations generated.
Objective To investigate the blood lead level and blood lead poison situation in 2-7 years old children in Dazhou City,So as to provide scientific data for making out control strategy.Methods Qusetionnaire and blood lead examination to 2-7 years old healthy children kindergartens in the urban areas of Dazhou City were made.Results Results showed that mean blood lead level was 141.4±68.6μg/L for children living in the urban areas in Dazhou City.The blood lead level of boy was 146.6±68.9μg/L,and that of girls was 134.6±67.6μg/L,showing no significant differences between boys and girls.The blood lead poisoning of children in Dazhou urban areas(68.85%)was higher than the average level of blood lead poisoning of children in our country(51.6%).Most of the poisoning children(76.33%)were mild intoxication.Conclusion Blood lead level of preschool children in the urban areas in Dazhou City is higher than that of the whole cities of China(88.3μg/L),which calls for special concern from socity.
The present invention provides a structure in which the semiconductor device region having a first portion and a second portion, and a device disposed in the first and second portions. The conductive member extends horizontally in a first portion but not the second portion. Dielectric region disposed on the member, having a substantially flat upper surface, dielectric region covers substantially all areas of the semiconductor device region occupied by the device. In substantially all areas occupied by the device, the dielectric barrier layer covers an upper surface of the dielectric region. The barrier layer is adapted to substantially prevent diffusion of materials from one or more of the barrier layer to the dielectric region. Contact holes extending through the barrier layer and the dielectric region, at least one conductive contact with the second portion communicating with the aperture member and the semiconductor device regions.
Vocational Education has clear training objectives and school policy but college students' humanistic education has been ignored.College students' humanistic quality is so bad that it makes people worry very much today,so it is necessary for vocational colleges to strengthen college students' humanistic education.This objective can be done by opening the course of"Classical Poetry Appreciation",because the"Classical Poetry Appreciation"can be used to improve college students' awareness of patriotism and collectivism and so on.All of this can improve the college students' humanistic quality greatly.
The labor relations have lasting character and complicated structure, that is why, it may be stated that they may involve various changes through the changes in the amount of rights and obligations of their subjects. The author of the article evaluates the issue of existence of temporary suspension of a labor contract. Unlike its termination, suspension of a labor contract does not have the grounds for it provided for in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, which is the gap in the legal guarantees of the right to labor, requiring due protection from the unlawful contract termination. The issue of suspension of the labor contract is not sufficiently studied, while some legal scholars expressed their opinions on existence of this stage of labor relations. Additionally, the author discusses the issues of dynamic and static elements in labor relations, requiring additional studies and scientific regulation in order to provide for the correct organization of labor hiring. Provisions on static and dynamic elements in the labor relations is revealed through the analysis of two concepts on the contents of labor relations as a «unified lasting labor relation» and as a complex of interrelated labor relations.
The Jacobian evaluation problem is ubiquitous throughout scientic computing. In this article, the possibility of massively parallel computing of Jacobian matrix is discussed. It is shown that the computation of the Jacobian matrix shares the same parallelism with the computation being di¤erentiated, which suggests that once we know how to parallelize a computation, its Jacobian computation can be parallelized in a similar manner. A simple problem is used to demonstrate the potential of massively parallel Jacobian computation with GPU. Signicant speedup is observed.
The accounting postulates as a system is limited by the postulate supply and demand.And economics of the new system provides a theoretical basis for the accounting postulates.This new system should be used to analyse the supply and demand of our accounting postulates.But the supply and demand of our accounting postulates is in a bad condition,and the result is untrue for the accounting information.
PURPOSE To identify chromosomal gains and losses in lymphoid tumors of the orbit and to examine whether such abnormalities are related to orbital presentation, disease severity, or risk for recurrent disease.   METHODS Biopsy specimens from 26 patients were examined by histomorphologic and immunohistochemical analysis. Lymphomas were classified according to the Revised European-American Lymphoma Classification. Chromosomal imbalances were detected by high-resolution comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). Clinical data were obtained by retrospective evaluation of medical records.   RESULTS Chromosomal imbalances were detected in 0 of 6 patients with idiopathic orbital inflammation, 0 of 2 with benign reactive lymphoid hyperplasia, 3 of 3 with highly malignant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 4 of 10 with marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, 0 of 1 with chronic lymphatic leukemia lymphoma, and 1 of 4 with immunocytoma. Among the low-grade malignancies, chromosomal imbalances were seen in 1 of 9 at stage IAE, 2 of 3 at stage IIE, and 2 of 3 at stage IVE. Chromosomal imbalances were observed in all primary tumors from the five patients that later developed recurrent disease. In 14 of 23 imbalances with intrachromosomal breaks outside the centromere region, the breaks were present at bands with known fragile sites. No chromosomal imbalances specific for orbital presentation were detected.   CONCLUSIONS Chromosomal imbalances were seen mainly in orbital lymphomas that were either highly malignant or at an advanced stage. CGH analysis of orbital lymphomas could be prognostically relevant, but further studies are required to confirm this notion.
The distribution sector of electricity, as well as other utilities, has a monopolistic market structure. Because it is a basic and essential service to society, there is a need for state supervision, which aims to correct market failures. Speaking regulating the granting of a public service, the state finds a triangle of interests: the dealer who invests in order to appropriate the profits, the State itself, which aims to ensure a stable environment for new investments and society that seeks enjoy increases in quality of service and pay a lower rate. The conflict of economic interests, in theory, can be solved with the implementation of regulatory mechanisms, through agencies that aim to reach the lower tariffs and increased business efficiency. Essentially, the regulation seeks to encourage companies to achieve higher levels of productivity, so as to distribute the efficiency gains to society.
In this technology world, a recent technology called Chat Bot which have been in demand and usage for every business purpose and have hit the market Chat Bots is an interaction between person and bot which gives us an efficient service and it also gives the way to develop customer engagement and efficiency by reduction of cost by using these service Chat Bots can be accessible at any time, which can handle capacity that is chat bot can chat with thousands of people at a time It has a flexible attribute as well as customer satisfaction A Chat Bot is constructed using natural language processing with the help of machine learning algorithm for training the bot and to make up the bot to perform in a right way and so training and testing is done using ML This paper gives an overview of Chat Bot and challenges we faced behind the Chat Bot with extra features of images Our proposed system is aimed at giving out the desired answers to a definite set of queries This can be best employed in the situation of COVID-19 since every industry demands the less use of contact between each other since it works on an offline basis
The utility model discloses a C type relay control module. The C type relay control module is mainly composed of a bi-stable relay, an energy storage circuit, a threshold control circuit and a sequential control circuit; the threshold control circuit comprises a switch-on threshold circuit and a switch-off threshold circuit; one end of a relay coil X1 of the bi-stable relay is connected with one end of the switch-on threshold circuit; the other end of the switch-on threshold circuit is connected with the other end of the relay coil X1 of the bi-stable relay through the sequential control circuit; one end of a relay coil X2 of the bi-stable relay is connected with one end of the switch-on threshold circuit through the energy storage circuit; the other end of the switch-on threshold circuit is connected with the other end of the relay coil X2 of the bi-stable relay; and an external control power source is connected with the switch-on threshold circuit, the switch-off threshold circuit and the energy storage circuit respectively. According to the C type relay control module of the utility model, an ordinary mono-stable control mode and the low-power consumption characteristic of the bi-stable relay are combined together, so that steady-state holding current can be below 5mA. The C type relay control module is suitable for system low-power control application occasions.
Three main aspects of the 1:1 electron image projector are considered; the economics, the ultimate resolution, and an electrostatic chuck. It is shown that the image projector is economic if more than four exposures per mask can be made; the resolution limitation due to the system is shown to be 200–300 A, but is in practive limited by electron scattering. The effect of electron scattering can be overcome by altering dimensions in patterns down to 1 μm, but isolated windows of 0.5 μm require ’two‐mode’ masks. The electrostatic chuck is shown to provide an adequate pressure to hold slices flat, and adequate heat sinking.
Knowledge denotation and deduction of uncertainty are important issue to be solved in evaluating influence degree of emergent events.Aim at the diversity,uncertainty and fuzziness of assessment information about emergent event,based on the merit of Bayesian network in dealing with uncertainty influence,the Bayesian network emergent event influence assessment model and corresponding deductive decision-making method were presented in this paper.The results show that the assessment model can improve the assessment accuracy and ability of the response to the influence of emergent event.
A fast and direct algorithm is proposed,which can effectively deal with looped network and distributed generation.The node-branch incidence matrix with natural number is used to form the sparse hiberarchy matrix,which is then used to directly achieve the rapid matrix back/forward sweep calculation.The loop branch of looped network can be introduced into the direct solution procedure and the compensation is not necessary.The internal combustion engines or gas turbines with synchronous generator are treated as PQ node in power factor control or PV node in voltage control;the distributed generations with voltage-controlled inverter as paralleling device are treated as PV node;the photovoltaic power generation system or energy storage system with current-controlled inverter as paralleling device are treated as PI node;the wind turbine with induction generator or synchronous generator without excitation control are treated as load node with static characteristics.Several normal IEEE examples are tested and the results show that only the PV-node distributed generation will introduce some impact on the convergence speed.
The redevelopment of existing riverine barriers with modern hydropower turbines is becoming increasingly prevalent on main stem rivers with valuable stocks of migratory salmonids. This is a concern because these fish rely on longitudinal connectivity to complete their lifecycles, and modifications for hydropower could jeopardize that connectivity by obstructing or injuring migrating fish. In order to exploit very low head hydropower potential, novel turbine types are emerging. The Archimedean screw hydropower turbine is one such technology which is becoming increasingly popular for low-head applications. However the impact of these turbines on fish movements remains largely untested. This thesis aims to provide much needed evidence on the effects that these turbines and schemes may have on migrating salmonids.  Fixed radio and passive integrated transponder receivers were used to track the downstream movements of wild migrating juvenile salmonids through a low-head Archimedean screw hydropower scheme. Atlantic salmon smolts were found to pass through the alternative routes of the turbine and main river channel in proportion to flow through these channels. Passage times were generally fast through both routes (median = 17.6, range = 5.1-905.6 minutes over the 350m scheme extent, for radio tagged fish), and longer passage times were associated with daytime presence in both routes. The majority of PIT tagged Atlantic salmon and sea trout smolts that passed through the 100 m long turbine channel, did so in under 27 minutes (median = 6.8 minutes), whilst a few fish had much longer passage times, associated with daytime presence. There were no differences in onward survival (measured as distance survived downstream) between turbine passed and non-turbine passed migrants.  Atlantic salmon smolts were passed through an Archimedean screw turbine to test for harmful effects from the turbine, with comparison to equivalently handled non-turbine passed smolts. There was no evidence of visible damage aside from low to moderate scale loss, which was not significantly associated with turbine passage. Blood chemistry parameters were used to test for subtle turbine-induced damage. This novel application of these techniques did not yield conclusive results, but serves as a useful precedent for future studies.  Radio and PIT telemetry equipment were used to investigate the movements of upstream migrating adult salmonids at three separate low-head hydropower schemes which may act as obstacles to migration. These schemes each had distinct configurations and flow management regimes. Movements within, and progression beyond these schemes varied substantially between sites, and in some cases were related to flow management parameters. Whilst not conclusive, the results suggest that scheme configuration and the management of flows influence the time that fish spend at such schemes, and the proportion of fish that ascend beyond them.  With the global shift towards renewable energy generation, the exploitation of running water for hydropower is likely to become increasingly pervasive. The results of these studies provide valuable information for the informed and ecologically sustainable development of low-head hydropower schemes.
By using a Φ20mm×1mm Nd 3+∶YVO 4 and Φ 6mm×1.1mm Cr 4+∶Nd 3+∶YAG crystal directly coated dielectric film on both and,microchip lasers with a few millimeter parallel resonator can be obtained.By using end-pumped scheme,both CW-operation and pulse-pump operation with pre-pump technique has been researched.On CW operation,the microchip using Cr 4+∶Nd 3+∶YAG can obtain a self-Q-switched 1064nm laser pulse with 6ns width (FWHM) and repetition rate up to 10kHz,and the microchip using Nd 3+∶YVO 4 can obtain a CW laser up to 62mW with slope efficiency of 23.3%.By pulse pumped,a controllable and stable pulse sequence can be achieved using Cr 4+∶Nd 3+∶YAG crystal.Furthermore,the output laser pulse sequence of the microchip using YVO 4 behaves similar characters as self-Q-switched pulse.
Dental caries is a preventable disease and established lesions can become arrested. Traditional restorative treatment has many shortcomings and there is a need for dentists to manage carious lesions as far as possible by preventive means. Patients should be motivated to accept responsibility for changing the environment of their teeth so that the calcium and phosphate balance favours remineralization, but the dentist should still make use of therapeutic fissure sealants or place restorations when necessary. As long as dentists continue to be obsessed with a restorative approach to caries management, the repeat restoration cycle with its accompanying escalating costs seems likely to continue. The implications of this change in philosophy are enormous, for areas of the world where oral care services are comprehensive, and for countries like South Africa where services are still being developed in some regions.
200 in vitro shots were performed with an EDAP LT 01 system in order to test the sensitivity of the various urinary stones to lithotrity and to study the action of the various shot parameters. All calculi do not have an equally favorable reaction to lithotrity. The deciding factor is neither their hardness, nor their chemical composition, nor their crystallizing shape, but rather the architecture ruling the arrangement of the crystallins forms in the calculus. The most important shot parameter is the power of the system, which conditions its efficiency. However, the shooting method, and more specifically the setting of the shot rate, allows adjusting the shots according to the desired results. The lithotriters will only be improved, ie. made more effective and less traumatic, if these experiments are continued.
The source of radioactivity in the marine environment, mainly come from global fall out and nuclear power plant accidental releases. Among the major long-lived radionuclides, 137Cs is one of the most important. This radionuclides was transported to the marine area undergo several complex natural processes that depending on, particles quantity, marine circulation and suspended on sediment. The main purpose of this experiment are to determine activity of 137Cs in sea water and sediment. The other purpose is to know 137Cs distribution in Yogyakarta coastal area. The result found that activity of 137Cs in water is 0.0615-0.4908 mBq/L and in sea sediment is 0.219-1.312 Bq/kg. These activities are comparable with activity in sediment of Bangka that the source is from global fall out. Data of 137Cs activity againts organic matter give informations that at depth from surface to 20 cm are an acumulation of 137Cs and after 20 cm activity of 137Cs is decreasing because of organic matter is increasing. This experiment data show that Yogyakarta coastal area was not yet contaminated by nuclear reactor accident in Fukushima, Japan.
It is assumed by many scholars that “the government attorney may have authority regarding legal matters that do not exist in a private lawyer-client relationship, including the settlement of a matter or declining to appeal an adverse decision.” Private lawyers or lawyers who do not work for the government are primarily concerned with protecting the interests of their clients, even if those clients may have been engaged in wrongdoing. However, we must analyze if government’s attorneys have a higher or a competing duty to act in the public interest. Therefore, in the first place this paper is about the difficulty of deciphering who is a government attorney client. Then it will analyze if a government attorney fails to determine his attorney-client duties because of the difficulty to differentiate the individuality of the client, if there is a risk of a breach of ethical duty. But in the bottom of all these, the ultimate question is if there is a real difference between private and government lawyers regarding the public interest argument.
The characteristics of crystal's macroscopic and micro morphology are mirrors of the mechanism of crystal growth.The study of macroscopic and micro morphology of the crystal is not only an aid to find the truth of the crystal growth,but also some help to improve the quality of the grown crystals.Some unusual crystal faces with large indices and the spiral growth striations on {100} in hydrothermal grown KTP crystal were reported and the causes were discussed,such as,lower concentration of supersaturated solution and the directions of seed crystal.Some suggestions on improving the technics of the crystal growth of KTP were given.
A hybrid type construction machine, the engine 30 rotates and the number of controller 42 for controlling the engine and the hydraulic pump 21 is driven by 30, the engine 30, the motor generator 34 which assists in the , has a hydraulic circuit that supplies the hydraulic oil ejected from the hydraulic pump 21 to the hydraulic load. Controller 42 is the hydraulic circuit if it is determined that the excess output state, and reduces the speed of the engine 30 to the low low (低) rotational speed than the normal rotation, while and reduce the number of revolutions, an electric develop the generator 34.
Nanguo pear,Yanbianxiaoxiangshui pear and Pingguo pear were used as material to compare and analyze the cell wall component of the pear fruits with different storage properties during storage.The results showed that Nanguo pear and Yanbianxiaoxiangshui pear were softened obviously due to the reduction of the alcohol insoluble solids(AIS) and the total pectin;the water soluble pectin contents increased sharply in the prophase of the storage and reached the peak on the 15th day and 10th day of storage;both the contents of EDTA soluble pectin and alkali-soluble pectin increased respectively;the contents of cellulose and hemicellulose reduced.All those showed that the cell wall composition of Nanguo pear and Yanbianxiaoxiangshui pear were in a large degree of decomposition during fruit storage.However,the Pingguo pear showed better storage properties.The content of AIS reduced slowly;the total pectin kept stable,water soluble pectin reduced,EDTA soluble pectin,alkali-soluble pectin,cellulose and hemicellulose kept stable.
Purpose : The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of economic growth on bond price. Methodology: The research used an explanatory research design. 65 bonds listed in 23 categories at the NSE. The study used secondary data collected from NSE and the (KNBS) Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. A sample of 10 bonds was selected as these bonds were issued in the January 2008 and were still not mature by the 31 st December 2012. Standard deviations were calculated for all the variables in the study.  Further statistical analysis was carried out by use of correlation and regression analysis where bond prices were regressed against inflation, exchange rates and economic growth measured using the Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product growth.  The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 was used to conduct the analysis. The findings were presented in form of tables and figures. Results: Results on correlation revealed that there was a positive and insignificant relationship between GDP and the bond price and this was confirmed by the regression results which indicated that the inverse of GDP is positively related to bond prices. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommends that investors who are looking to invest into bonds should consider government policies as this determines the bond prices.  It is recommended that economic growth should be enhanced through the pursuit of expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. The use of expansionary monetary policy would be to reduce the interest rates and this would increase the access to finance. These would ensure that more factors of production are put into productive use and thus increasing the national income. Expansionary fiscal policies should include an increase in government spending.
The case study shows that BIM does enhance the traditional scheduling and cost estimating methods with a more reliable and automated technology. Based on the reviews on BIM and the case study, the work finds out that there are three areas of potential development in the future: i) higher levels of detail (LOD) in BIM model will be available as BIM technology develops, ii) linking time and cost parameters concurrently to BIM components in the building model to deliver a scheduled financial analysis, and iii) allocation of resources on 4D BIM model to analyse and plan the resource usage based on the most updated design, and even simulate the resource allocation.
ITS aims to improve safety, transportation efficiency, amenity and the environment. It is important to maintain good air quality in an automotive cabin in order to improve comfort and amenity. This paper introduces a newly developed air purification device using discharge type photocatalyst technology. The evaluation of laboratory test results for anti-bacterial properties, harmful and odorous substances, is reported. For the covering abstract see ITRD E134653.
The present invention is a system and a cooling system having a thermal conductivity of the LED light source module, in the direct type BLU, which comprises a circuit board, and electrically connected to a plurality of LED, the LED light emitted by the light diffusing member, and then irradiated on the LCD; the other side of the circuit board element is provided with a light reflecting leakage light reflected back to the LED, and the above-mentioned cover elements are provided in a housing; wherein: an LED on the light-transmitting material coated with a layer of thermally conductive and between the heat conductive light transmissive material and the light diffusing member also has a light-transmissive insulating member, formed with a heat insulating space between the light-transmissive member with the thermally conductive light transmissive material, said housing there are at least two air convection cooling holes with respect to said space is formed. Thereby achieving and outgoing quickly dissipate heat emitted from the LED, the LED light source module to reduce the temperature, a stable color balance module, prolong the service life of the module.
we analyze the transform technology of wave modulation and principles of third harmonic injection into the multilevel inverter,as well as the relation between the modulation signal and input DC voltage after injection.In addition,the differences between the general SPWM and SPWM with third harmonic injection are shown,under the control of cascaded multi-level inverter in the way of open-loop PWM.The third harmonic injection method can optimize the control of carrier modulation and increase the utilization rate of voltage,while not affecting the current and voltage of the load.The simulation results under Matlab/Simulink confirm the correctness of the theory.
Vertical cables are widely used in the tied-arch bridges and suspension bridges as the vital components to transfer load. It is very important to accurately estimate the cable tensions in the cable supported bridges during both construction and in-service stages. Vibration method is the most widely used method for in-situ measurement of cable tensions. But for the cables with hinged-fixed boundary conditions, no analytical formulas can be used to describe the relationship between the frequencies and the cable tension. According to the general solution of the vibration equation and based on its numerical computational results, practical formula to calculate tensions of vertical cables by multiple natural frequencies satisfying hinged-fixed boundary conditions is proposed in this paper. The expression of the practical formula is the same as the solution derived from an axially loaded beam with simple supported ends and can use the first 10 order frequencies to calculate the cable tension conveniently and accurately. Error analysis showed that when using the fundamental frequency to estimate cable force, the estimated tension errors of the cables with its dimensionless parameter ξ≥ 2.8 are less than 2 %. It contained nearly all of the vertical cables used in bridge engineering. In addition, with multiple natural frequencies being measured, bending stiffness of the cable can be identified by using the formulas presented in this paper with an iterative method. At last, the practical formula in this paper is verified to have high precision with several numerical examples, and can be conveniently applied to field test for cable-supported bridges.
Processes governing the stability of Louisiana's rapidly deteriorating Gulf coast marsh were investigated. Vertical marsh accretion determined from 137 Cs dating were compared to water level increase obtained from tide gauge data. In subsiding coastal environments the continued existence of marsh habitat is dependent on the ability of marsh to maintain elevation through vertical marsh accretion (mineral sediment and organic matter accumulation). Coast-wide average vertical accretion was 0.60 to 0.80 as compared to water level increase of over 1 cm year. Rapid water level increase, attributed primarily to subsidence, was 3 to 5 times greater than eustatic sea level changes reported to be 0.23 cm yr -1 The measured accretionary deficits (difference between water level increase and vertical marsh accretion) parallels reported marsh disappearance of over 100 km2 yr -1 Organic matter accumulation was identified as an important component of marsh aggradation in response to changes in water level. A appreciable amount of organic production of marsh macrophytes remains on the marsh as peat or is decomposed to carbon dioxide or methane. Organic matter on a dry weight basis constituted an increasing fraction of soil solids as its marine influence diminishes inland from the coast. Organic matter is of greatest structural significance in low density, fresh, and brackish marsh environments. However, on a unit volume basis, the organic matter occupies the same volumes in fresh, brackish, and salt marshes.Louisiana Gulf coast marsh will likely continue disappearing at a rapid rate unless means are implemented for distributing Mississippi River sediment to the marshes. The combined effect of rapid subsidence, eustatic sea level rise and accompanying salt water intrusion will likely destroy much of these marshes. Results presented may represent future conditions for many coastal regions of the world, which may experience a rapid rise in water level as a result of the predicted "greenhouse" warming and resultant accelerated worldwide sea level rise.
Candida glycerinogenes WL2002-5 (C.g) is an important industrial strain for glycerol production. To further improve glycerol production, we reconstructed a binary vector pCAM3300-zeocin-CgGPD1, introduced it to Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 by electroporation, and then transformed the T-DNA harboring the CgGPD1 to Candida glycerinogenes by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT). After 96 h fermentation with glucose as the substrate, we screened a transformant named C.g-G8 with high glycerol production. Compared with the wild strain, the glucose consumption rate of C.g-G8 and the glycerol production were 12.97% and 18.06% higher, respectively. During the fermentation, the activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase of C.g-G8 was 27.55% higher than that of the wild strain. The recombinant Candida glycerinogenes with high glycerol production was successful constructed by ATMT method.
A thirty-year old HIV-positive woman, who had been receiving antiretroviral therapy (protease inhibitor, lamivudine and stavudine) for seven months, was diagnosed with severe lactic acidosis type B, most likely induced by nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor treatment. The antiretroviral therapy was ceased, and she was treated with isotonic sodium bicarbonate intravenously. She made a full recovery apart from a perceptive hearing deficit.
The ideal a.c. bridge would include a variable conductance standard, but no such component can be made for high frequencies. The need for it can be avoided by working with a slightly unbalanced bridge, in which the unbalanced signal is a measure of the conductance of the specimen. The method is particularly suitable for measurements of dielectric loss, using micrometer-controlled electrodes. There is no restriction on the frequencies which can be used; examples are given of measurements at 0.1 and 30 MHz.
Numerical Analysis on the Generation of Equilibrium Aeolian Sedimentary Bed-forms from Random Surfaces. (August 2012 ) Chandan Tankala, B.Tech, National Institute of Technology, India Co-Chair’s of Advisory Committee: Dr. Robert Weiss Dr. Michael Tice The formation of aeolian ripples have been modeled, quite successfully, using discrete approaches like cellular automaton models. Numerical analysis of continuum models to obtain similar success in modeling ripple evolution, however, has not been studied extensively. A numerical model based on continuum theories expedites calculations , as opposed to discrete approaches which model trajectory of each and every sand grain, and are hence relatively more economical. The numerical analysis strives to contribute to the field of study of aeolian ripple migration by an extensive comparison and discussion of modeled ripple evolution results with those of a particular laboratory based wind-tunnel experiment. This research also endeavors to understand the physics behind ripple generation and what parameters to be modified to account for multiple grain sizes. Incorporation of multiple grain sizes would enable us to study the stratigraphy of the generated bed-forms. To obtain smoother and realistic ripple surfaces, a sixth-order compact finite difference numerical scheme is used for spatial derivates and fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme for time derivates. The boundary conditions incorporated are periodic and the initial condition employed to generate ripple is a rough sand surface. The numerical model is applied to study the effect of varying the angle, at which the sand bed gets impacted by sand grains, on the evolution of ripples. Ripples are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively by considering the contribution of processes involved in the evolution process. The ripple profiles and the time taken to reach equilibrium state, obtained by numeri-
Right lower abdominal pain is a common problem in the pediatric population. Ultrasonography (US) is a well-accepted imaging modality in the clinical management of this problem. One hundred and six consecutive pediatric patients with right lower abdominal pain were prospectively evaluated. There were 54 boys and 52 girls, with ages ranging from 3 to 15 years (mean: 9.9 years). Final diagnoses were established based on pathological findings or clinical follow-up. US had sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 98%, and accuracy of 94% in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. Among all true negative cases (n = 55), there was a variety of US findings other than appendiceal abnormality in 21 cases including intestinal and/or mesenteric (n = 19), gallbladder (n = 1), and ovarian (n = 1) abnormalities. All 21 cases were managed medically without complication. We conclude that US of pediatric right lower abdominal pain is a reliable imaging modality not only for the diagnosis of surgical cases but for eliminating the unexpected surgical intervention.
The social project goods can not be provided adequately and effectively by the market and the “invisible hand"; thus, the Pareto optimum of the allocation of the social resources can not be reached. A reasonable choice to solve the problem is for the government to remedy the deficiency of the market by proper actions, making the government play a major part in the field of the social project goods allocation. This paper discusses the finance-decision factors, analyzes the decision-making principles of social projects.
This paper tries to describe Gandhiji’s thought with the help of Education and Culture. This paper describes the meaning and concept of Education and Salient characteristics of education. Education is a process of modification of natural tendencies of an individual. This paper also tries to describe Meaning and definition of culture and Education is an instrument of cultural change. This paper tries to discuss the Role of the B. Ed. Program in Transmission and Advancement of culture with the help of various ways. Key words: Education, Culture
Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is widely used in various chemical industries and environmental remediation. Recently, bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have gained increasing attention for synthesizing H 2 O 2 with simultaneous wastewater treatment [1] . However, in order to get high-yield H 2 O 2 requires additional electrical energy to power these BES or control the cathode potential. In this study, we develop an innovative BES called microbial reverse-electrodialysis electrolysis cell (MREC) to produce H 2 O 2 in cathode. In the MREC(See Fig.1), the salinity-gradient energy between seawater and river water can be used to generated renewable eleltrical energy to replace the external power supply [2] . Operational parameters such as air flow rate, pH, cathodic potential, flow rate of high and low concentration NaCl solution in RED were investigated as to improve the H 2 O 2 yield. The optimal parameters for H 2 O 2 production are air gas flow rate of 8-20 ml/min, cathode potential of -0.485 ± 0.025 V vs Ag/AgCl, the corresponding dissolved oxygen is 6.80 ± 0.30 mg/l in catholyte. Under the optimal conditions, a maximum H 2 O 2 yield of 770 ± 18 mg/L could be obtained with corresponding H 2 O 2 production rates of 0.44 ± 0.04 g/m 2 /h and current density of 1.40 ± 0.13 A/m 2 . Results indicate the air gas flow rate and cathode potential are the key parameters for H 2 O 2 production in MREC. This study indicate for the first time high yield synthesis of H 2 O 2 from oxygen reduction in BES without external power supply, furthermore, we also discover the cathode potential can be controlled through adjusting the air flow rate without power supply and potentiostat.
Commencing from the partial building up and hard surfacing repair direction in roller,briefly present the cold working roller type of Cr3 wearable capability building up and hard surfacing craftwork parameters and the process of experimentation.Carry through building up and hard surfacing floor wearable experimentation and the microstructure observing of welding line,combining the component characteristic of base metal and welding material,the experimentation of two different welding craftwork,do some correlation analysis about the result of experimentation and craftwork parameters.
Ktillback-Leiber divergence measure isoneofthe commonly useddistance measure thatisusedJbr compuiting thedissimilarity score between histograms. Inthis paperweshowithat itproduces biased results whencorrelation iscomputed between grayscale images orsections ofimages using their histograms. Thebiased isexplored anddemonstrated throuigh nutmerouts experiments withdifferent sizes ofobjects anddi/ftrent kindolmovements between thepairs of imnages i.e., slowmoving, fist moving, rotating bodies etc, incluttered andless cluttered environments. The perlormance of theKullback-Leiber divergence measuire iscompared witha pixel basedspatial matching criterion.
Abstract : The non-symmetrical snap uckling of uniformly loaded clamped spherical caps is computed by an energy procedure. Non-symmetrical buckling is shown to govern when the geometrical parameter that represents the steepness of the cap exceeds a partic lar value. Single term approximations are used to represent the initial and buckled shapes which, although showing the general features of the problem, do not lead to fully reliable numerical values. A more accurate analysis that includes the development of a boundary layer in the cap is used to compute the equal energy buckling load. The significance of the energy load as a lower bound on buckling loads is discussed. (Author)
ABSTRACT A discussion of the tip tilt secondary control system developed for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility is presented.Topics include: the use of existing JR drive electronics to drive an optical CCD at readout speeds approaching 300 Hz;outside suppliers for the secondary mirror and mechanical controls; the in house detector package creation; software system integration; and on-sky testing. The system strengths and weaknesses are discussed as they might apply toother projects.Tests of the system showed very good fast-guiding capability; revealed several telescope alignment problems;and allowed the JR instrument, NSFCAM, to produce science images with increased resolution. Work continueson improvement of ease of use, integration with the existing TCS control system, adaptation for use with otherinstruments and correction of outstanding problems with the secondary mirror support and surface quality.Keywords: Telescope Secondary Control Tip Tilt CCD 1. INTRODUCTION The tip tilt system is part of the image quality improvement campaign (IQIC) at the NASA Jnfrared TelescopeFacility (JRTF). Other elements of the IQIC were better ventilation, heat removal from the primary mirror area,and primary mirror support improvements. The tip tilt system was designed to work with the existing observatorysystems, the other planned IQIC elements and the next generation of instruments.
A number of novel analogues of taurine were tested in a rat retinal preparation for their stimulatory or inhibitory activity in the ATP-dependent calcium ion uptake system at low calcium ion concentration. While the structural requirements for maintaining biological activity were quite limited, certain sulfone derivatives of taurine were observed to be more potent stimulators of calcium ion uptake than taurine. Utilization of multiple effectors in the uptake system was also analyzed. The effects of all combinations of taurine plus analogue that were tested were demonstrated to be mutually exclusive, that is, the compounds have similar modes of action. When two inhibitors, TAPS and THQS, were tested in combination, kinetic evaluation of the data suggested that both of these compounds also have a similar mode of action (mutually exclusive) with respect to each other. The inhibitors, TAPS and THQS, were also observed to be non-competitive with respect to taurine thus suggesting that they do not bind to the same site as taurine.
Authentication at Petra Christian University using an account that is stored in the local user operating system on the server John and Peter. Puskom need to store more data than it currently can. Therefore, LDAP is used to replace the local user account on the storage operating system. Existing application uses PAM through dovecot / POP3 to authenticate. Work on the thesis focuses on the implementation of LDAP at Petra Christian University and migration of accounts and applications. Implementation and migration using account data that is stored on a server John and Peter. Applications are made for searching and modify existing account or create new account. Applications are made to support the needs Puskom. Based on testing performed, the account migration is successful. Testing the migrated account was performed using multiple accounts belongs to students and lecturer. Also response time that is needed by LDAP to authentication request is shorter than autentication using existing system which use POP3.
Objective To evaluate the radiopacity of three different resin composite luting cements using the histogram method (conventional radiography) and pixel counting method (digital radiography). Methods Fifteen specimens were divided into 3 different resin composite luting cement groups: G-I) Cement-Post (Ângelus ® , Londrina, Brazil), G-II) RelyX ARC (3MESPE, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA) and G-III) Variolink II (Ivoclar/Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein). After 24 hours, conventional x-rays of the specimens were taken with a lead gauge, making a visual evaluation by scores, to classify the specimen’s radiopacity according to the scale shade (control); they were then scanned for the purposes of analyzing the histogram using Adobe Photoshop CS2, version 8.0. Using the same specimens, x-rays were taken using a Digital X-RAY Intra-Oral System (Gnatus DSR, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil). In this case, the capture of the digital images was performed using Cygnus Imaging ® software and the digital radiopacity was measured by counting pixels, using the
The paper introduces a corrosion defect evaluation system of self development for practical earthing network,and the hardware acquisition analysis system of the system realizes the functions,such as automatic acquisition,gross error alarming as well as half-duplex transmission with 8-path test signals.Diagnostic evaluation algorithm based the software diagnosis evaluation system of the system realizes some functions,which are graphic input for the earthing network,testability analysis,optimal selection of test scheme,tear block diagnosis and parameters evaluation of the earthing network
We measure the strength and the sign of hyperfine interaction of a heavy-hole with nuclear spins in single self-assembled quantum dots. Our experiments utilize the locking of a quantum dot resonance to an incident laser frequency to generate nuclear spin polarization. By monitoring the resulting Overhauser shift of optical transitions that are split either by electron or exciton Zeeman energy with respect to the locked transition using resonance fluorescence, we find that the ratio of the heavy-hole and electron hyperfine interactions is -0.09 +/- 0.02 in two QDs. Since hyperfine interactions constitute the principal decoherence source for spin qubits, we expect our results to be important for efforts aimed at using heavy-hole spins in solid-state quantum information processing. The novel spectroscopic technique we develop also brings new insights to the nuclear-spin mediated locking mechanism in quantum dots.
KIER has been developing a Ru-based preferential oxidation catalysts and a novel fuel processing system to provide hydrogen rich gas to residential PEMFCs system. The catalytic activity of Ru-based catalysts was investigated at different Ru loading amount and different support structure. The obtained result indicated that 2 wt% loaded Ru-based catalyst supported on showed high activity in low temperature range and suppressed the methanation reaction. The developed prototype fuel processor showed thermal efficiency of 78% as a HHV basis with methane conversion of 92%. CO concentration below 10 ppm in the produced gas is achieved with separate preferential oxidation unit under the condition of . The partial load operation have been carried out to test the performance of fuel processor from 40% to 80% load, showing stable methane conversion and CO concentration below 10 ppm. The durability test for the daily start-stop and 8 h operation procedure is under investigation and shows no deterioration of its performance after 50 start-stop cycles. In addition to the system design and development.
Based on the survey of refraction before and after the installation of cycloplegic in thousands of school myopes in China, it appears that accommodation factor presents in 60% of cases (myopia decreased 0.5 D or more), and 10% cases belong to the pseudo-myopia (myopia disappears after the installation of cycloplegic and appears as emmetropia or hyper-opia). Long-term atropine treatment of school myopia can eliminate accommodation tonus, prevent or retard the progress of myopia. The efficiency of various treatments for pseudo-myopia should be evaluated carefully by long-term double-masked randomized clinical trials according to the principle of evidence-based medicine.
The South African education system historically has used corporal punishment to maintain discipline. Criticism of its effects led, in 1996, to the banning of this form of punishment. But this legislative intervention did not end the use of corporal punishment in schools. This article offers an explanation for the ongoing use of corporal punishment. It is based on a survey of 16 Durban schools in September and October 1998. Corporal punishment has effectively disappeared from middle-class, formerly white, schools, but is still relatively common in township schools. Reasons for the persistent and illegal use of corporal punishment include the absence of alternatives, the legacy of itarian education practices and the belief that corporal punishment is necessary for orderly education to take place. A neglected explanation is that corporal punishment persists because parents use it in the home and support its use in school. There is a tension between the prohibition of corporal punishment in schools and the increase in parent involvement in the affairs of schools.  (South African Journal of Education: 2001 21(4): 292-299)
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have played a major role in cancer medicine, with active drugs such as trastuzumab, cetuximab, bevacizumab and rituximab in a wide range of therapeutic applications. The mechanism of activity of these agents involves cell signaling, effector functions through interactions with Fcγ receptor positive cells, and complement fixation. The activity of mAbs can be enhanced through the generation of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) that are capable of delivering cytotoxic agents with some degree of selectivity to tumor cells. Early work in this field involved the use of clinically approved anticancer drugs that generally were low in potency. Consequently, the resulting ADCs had suboptimal activities. Because of this, significant attention was directed towards the identification of appropriate drugs for targeted delivery, the most successful being antimitotic drugs such as monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), and maytansinoids. These drugs inhibit tubulin polymerization and arrest cell growth in a cell-cycle dependent manner. Successful delivery of these agents requires drug, linker, and conjugation optimization, in addition to judicious selection of an antigen target on tumor cell surfaces. Brentuximab vedotin, a conjugate comprised of the anti-CD30 mAb cAC10 conjugated with MMAE through a highly stable peptide linker, is an example of how addressing these considerations can lead to ADCs with pronounced clinical efficacy. In August 2011, brentuximab vedotin received accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma, two diseases with significant unmet medical needs. An overview of how this targeted antimitotic drug was developed and how we are extending the technology will be provided. Citation Format: Peter Senter. Tumor targeting with antimitotic monoclonal antibody drug conjugates. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr SY28-02. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-SY28-02
The experiment was carried out by two cucumber cultivars 'Changchun Mici' and 'Jin Chun No 4' with different heat-tolerance in climate chambers and hydroponics to investigate the negative effects of high temperature(42℃) on antioxidant system of seedling leaves and the positive effects of exogenous spermidine pretreatment.The results showed that:(1) with stress time prolonged,the plasma membrane permeability elevated,MDA content increased,the antioxidative enzymes(SOD,POD,CAT and APX) activities and the oxidation inhibitor(ascorbic acid and carotenoids) contents changed,comparing with heat-sensitive 'Changchun Mici',heat-resistant 'Jin Chun No.4' was less affected by heat stress and had a stronger self-adjustment ability of antioxidant system.(2)The membrane lipid peroxidation under high temperature was suppressed by exogenous Spd pretreatment,protective enzymes activity of SOD,POD and APX,as well as the contents of ascorbic acid and carotenoids were enhanced to improve the total antioxidant capacity of plants.These indicated that exogenous Spd pretreatment can improve cucumber antioxidant capacity under heat stress,especially for the heat-sensitive variety 'Changchun Mici'.
Identifies the major ideas that college and university students will encounter in a basic psychology course and explores Myers and sensitively written an introductory level. You sit and very good ideas that christianity incorporates. Men go out of integration to turn prayer from a basic psychology. This book action and finishes. Myers and jeeves connect carl rogers ideas about psych from the illumination that they reinforce. But they appear to stimulate but it does not give us. A basic psychology through the second religious experience has. They take on the foreword of psychology through major insights regarding human limits and how. I just an item with integrating the field. I love how questions to make a new spirituality18.
Objective To investigate the effect of Src inhibitor PP2 on Src and Tec in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell HepG2.Methods The expressions of Src and Tec in HepG2 cells were detected by immunocytochemistry assay.After various concentrations of PP2 treatment,the mRNA and protein expressions of Src and Tec in HepG2 cells were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting,respectively.Furthermore,we used cell adhesion assay and MTT method to detect the effect of PP2 on cell adhesion and growth.Results Both Src and Tec expressed strongly in HepG2 cells.After treatment of PP2,the mRNA and protein expressions of Src and Tec in HepG2 cells decreased,the cell adhesion and cell growth were inhibited obviously in a dose-dependent manner,in which 40μg/ml of PP2 exhibited the strongest inhibiting effect.Conclusion Tec is an important conjunction and regulation molecule in the signal transduction of primary hepatic carcinoma and there exists a crosstalk between Src and Tec,inhibiting Tec mihgt affect the growth and invasion of hepatoma carcinoma cells.
Abstract : This report investigated the potential role of TIRAP activation in BMF in del(5q) MDS. Using a mouse bone marrow transplant model, we have identified some key cellular mechanism in TIRAP-induced BMF. We have shown that TIRAP-induced IFN is a facilitator of BMF. The non-cell autonomous signaling is also responsible for the decrease in myeloid progenitor cell and the increase in progenitor apoptosis. While TIRAP-expressing myeloid cells may initiate an IFN response in the transplant model, non-clonal T cells are responsible for the dramatic increase in IFN expression. Our result also suggests that this TIRAP-induced BMF may not be through the canonical pathway. Interestingly, MDS patients with low risk for leukemic transformation also showed an enriched IFN signature, but not canonical innate immune signaling. We will still need to explore the signaling pathway downstream of TIRAP in our model. Finally, while there is a lack of evidence showing the presence of somatic mutations in the innate immune signaling genes in myeloid neoplasm, there is evidence of dysregulation of the pathway by aberrant epigenetic modification.
Atherosclerosis and osteoporosis were the most common illnesses of older people,which seriously affected the health of the elderly,and the two diseases often appeared simultaneously in clinical.Atherosclerosis,hypertension,diabetes,vascular injury,chronic kidney disease and pathological aging and so on had the common pathology of vascular calcification.It easily led to myocardial ischemia,left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure,caused thrombosis,plaque rupture,so it was an important factor for the high incidence and high mortality of cardiovascual and cerebrovascular diseases.Recently many studies suggested that there were the common risk factors,signal transduction pathways,molecular mechanism,leading to causality among atherosclerosis,vascular calcification and osteoporosis.This review on the link between clinical and pathogenesis of preliminary study for clinical work,provides further integrated control concept.
In the construction of slab rockfill dam in Yixing Pumped-Storage Power Station upper reservoir,to prevent inducing the structural behavior crack and non-structural behavior crack on leakage prevention slab,it is significant to the stability and security of running the dam and benefic to the economy.The anti-cracking measures which will be took in the construction of main dam leakage prevention slab in Yixing Pumped-Storage Power Station upper reservoir.
In 1995, 17 graduate students at the University of Wisconsin attended a summer course titled Education 570: integrating the Curriculum. This course was based on a constructivist view of knowledge development, and participating teachers represanted a wide range of subject areas and grade levels. A study of participating teachers followed 16 teachers through the summer course and subsequent school year. This paper provides case studies of five of these teachers whose participation in the course uas monitored through observations, surveys, interviews, and videotapings. Each case study begins with demographic and background information about the teachers, their experiences, and their preliminary beliefs about integration. Descriptions of their integration projects are provided, as are discussions of factors impeding or facilitating implementation of these prujects. Questions discussed include: how do teachers define classroom integration?; do teachers change in their thinking about planning for instruction as a result of learning about constructivism and models of integration?; which model of integration did each teacher most embrace, and how was this model implemented in their classrooms?; and how do participants describe the impact of constructivist, integrated instruction on the teachers and students in their schools? (PB) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that ,:an be made from the original document. ******************************************************************** Making Connections: Helping Teachers to Implement an Integrated Approach to Curriculum Within Their School Communities U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Oftce ci Educahonsi Research and Itoorowornmt EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document has been reproduced as reccved from the person or orgaruzahon ongmahng 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduchon qualdy Points ot vow. or opoonsstated In thadocument do not necssardy represent official OERI posdon or pohcy
This study aims to find the cause of temporary work accidents and suggests a improvement plan for the prevention of accidents in temporary works. For this purpose the following research methods were used: statistical analysis of construction accidents, questionnaire survey, and a case study. As conclusions, causes of temporary work accidents were showed and a improvement plan for the prevention of the accidents in temporary works was suggested for the 2 groups: (1) temporary material manufactures, lease and sales companies, (2) construction companies which use those temporary materials.
BACKGROUND The hyaluronic acid (HA) is a ligand of CD44 adhesion molecule. In this work, we study if the cytosolic level of this proteoglycan can modulate certain clinical-biological properties at CD44v5-positive infiltrating ductal carcinomas (IDC) of the breast.   PATIENTS AND METHODS We have assayed, by a radioligand method, the cytosolic level of hyaluronic acid in 127 IDC. Likewise, cytosolic levels of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), pS2, cathepsin D and tissue.-type plasminogen activators (t-PA) have been dossified, as well as those of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) at cell surfaces. The menopausal status, tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement, histological grade, ploidy and S-phase have also been taken into account.   RESULTS HA positive (> 4800 ng/mg prt., which represents the median value obtained with 252 tumors) carcinomas had higher levels of PR (p = 0.035) and t-PA (p = 0.000), whereas HA negative showed a higher frequency of a tumor size > 2 cm (p = 0.015), aneuploidy (p = 0.015) and S-phase > 14% (p = 0.019), as well as histological grade 3 which reached statistical significance (p = 0.062), all of which were indicators of a worse behaviour and evolution.   CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that, as it also happens with that of the cell surface, cytosolic HA levels seems to modulate certain clinical-biological features of CD44v5-positive infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast. Likewise, they can help us to explain the discordant results described at the literature concerning its practical value when each of them are considered separately.
The invention provides an identity recognition method based on voiceprint recognition. The identity recognition method comprises the following steps: step one, a network is used for receiving voice from a user; step two, whether the voice of the user is consistent with the voice stored in a voiceprint base is judged; if the judging result is no, the voice of the user is stored in the voiceprint base; if the judging result is yes, user identity information corresponding to the voice of the user is displayed. Meanwhile, the invention further provides an identity recognition system based on the voiceprint recognition. The identity recognition system is used for optimally recognizing user identities and providing services for designated users.
It includes eight chapters : Chapter 1 is all about the introduction while the rest of the Chapters deal with the individual studies in the seven countries. The Introductory Chapter on “Forest Governance in a State of Transition” by Henry Scheyvens, Kimihiko Hyakumura, and Yoshiki Seki has been categorized into three parts viz. Part A, Part B and Part C. Part A describes historical context of forest governance transition, provides a concept of good governance, explains the elements of the transition and finally illustrates rationale and research methodology of the study. Similarly, Part B provides summary of the individual country studies. Likewise, Part C highlights the progress and shortcomings of the approach in seven country studies as well as suggests recommendations.
The CIRCSIM-Tutor intelligent tutoring system project has been built on the basis of numerous studies of transcripts of expert human tutors (professors) teaching first year medical students. We also have transcripts of novice tutors (second year medical students) teaching the same material to medical students at the same level. In this paper we identify measurable differences in the teaching styles between the novices and experts. Examples of tutoring of identical topics were isolated from the novice- and expert-tutored transcripts and various dialogue acts were counted. The primary result is that expert tutors are more likely than novice tutors to query students for information as opposed to informing them directly.
Abstract The decomposition of adsorbed acetate groups on a 1% Rh/Al2O3catalyst has been investigated by means of temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) at atmospheric pressure, in a microreactor fitted with an on-line mass spectrometer. Under certain conditions of catalyst pretreatment, the adsorbed acetate groups decompose autocatalytically in a process that has been described in the past as a “surface explosion.” The phenomenon of surface explosions has been investigated by various groups and was generally considered to be confined to ultrahigh vacuum regimes using single crystals. It is found, however, that the explosive acetate decomposition reaction actually translates directly to real supported metal catalysts at atmospheric pressure. A description is given involving the influence of adsorbed oxygen and differentiated acetate adsorption sites on the metal, the support, and at the interface between the two. Surface migration of the acetate groups is also involved in determining the intensities of the various TPD peaks.
In April 1966, President Park Chung Hee appointed a former general, Kim Hyun Ok, as the Mayor of Seoul in the hope that the drive and leadership of the new mayor, fresh out of the military, would speed up urban development in Seoul, which had failed to make much progress, and thereby help garner political support for himself. The new mayor succeeded in meeting the President’s expectations and accelerated the implementation of a series of construction projects, including the replacement deteriorated houses in Seoul by building civic apartment complexes. His focus on urban reconstruction enlisted some support from the citizens of Seoul. However, the civic apartment project, which had been pushed too fast with a shortage of funds, ended in disaster: one building of the Wawoo Apartment Complex collapsed on April 8, 1970, just four months after completion. Poor construction stemming from corruption involving construction firms and civic officials was blamed for the accident and the mayor resigned. However behind the apparent cause lay a construction-focused and speed-first policy, the dominant philosophy during Park’s development dictatorship. Ironically, the disgraced mayor continued to gain some civil support even after his resignation, with citizens still dazed by the splendor of development. The apartment building collapsed but the myth, which led the tragedy, did not. Unsustainable development and its side effects still persist today.
A method for producing an optical film containing a laminate composed of a substrate and a birefringent layer, which comprises applying a material for forming the birefringent layer to form an applied film, extending or shrinking the substrate to thereby extend or shrink the applied film together with the substrate, and solidifying the material for forming the applied layer to thereby form the birefringent layer on the substrate, wherein the above material for forming the birefringent layer is applied as a solution having the material dispersed or dissolved therein, and a solvent capable of dissolving the above substrate is used as the solvent for the above solution. The use of a solvent capable of dissolving a substrate allows the penetration of the solvent into a part of the inside of the substrate, which results in the production of an optical film exhibiting excellent adhesion of a birefringent layer to a substrate.
Quantitative metabolomics is under intense development, and no commonly accepted standard analytical technique has emerged, yet. The employed analytical methods were mostly chosen based on educated guesses. So far, there has been no systematic cross-platform comparison of different separation and detection methods for quantitative metabolomics. Generally, the chromatographic separation of metabolites followed by their selective detection in a mass spectrometer (MS) is the most promising approach in terms of sensitivity and separation power. Using a defined mixture of 91 metabolites (covering glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, redox metabolism, amino acids, and nucleotides), we compared six separation methods designed for the analysis of these mostly very polar primary metabolites, two methods each for gas chromatography (GC), liquid chromatography (LC), and capillary electrophoresis (CE). For analyses on a single platform, LC provides the best combination of both versatility and robustness. If a second platform can be used, it is best complemented by GC. Only liquid-phase separation systems can handle large polar metabolites, such as those containing multiple phosphate groups. As assessed by supplementing the defined mixture with (13)C-labeled yeast extracts, matrix effects are a common phenomenon on all platforms. Therefore, suitable internal standards, such as (13)C-labeled biomass extracts, are mandatory for quantitative metabolomics with any methods.
The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and annual trends in 305-d milk yield (MY) of Bos taurus dairy cattle breeds in Kenya. The B. taurus breeds considered were Holstein Friesian (F), Ayrshire (A), Jersey (J) and Guernsey (G) kept for milk production on various farms. Data were obtained from various farms across the country which is usually stored at the Livestock Recording Centre (LRC). Genetic parameters were estimated by fitting a repeatability animal model and the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) procedure was used to estimate breeding values for MY for cows born between 1979 to 2000. All the analyses were conducted using the DFREML computer programme. Breeding values were averaged by year of birth to give the annual genetic trends. Annual environmental trends were obtained by averaging herd-year-season of calving least square solutions within year of calving. Heritability estimates for F, A, J and G breeds were 0.16, 0.13, 0.12 and 0.35, respectively. Repeatability estimates were 0.33, 0.38, 0.84 and 0.61 for F, A, J and G breeds respectively. The average genetic progress for the F breed was close to zero while the regressions indicated an overall rate of increase of 1.5kg, 10.8kg and 9.8kg for A, J and G, respectively. Environmental trends were generally undesirable for all the breeds suggesting fluctuation in feed availability and other management related practises. There is the potential to realise steady genetic progress if sound genetic improvement strategies are adopted.
For investigation of proteins possessing assigned immunological properties, plasmids pPS31-42, pPS1-5, pPS2-17, and pPS1P-30 were constructed encoding the hepatitis B core protein (HBcAg) with N-terminally inserted immunodominant epitopes of preS regions (amino acids 31-36 or 94-105 of preS1, or 133-143 of preS2). Analysis of the hybrid proteins with the use of ELISA and immunoelectron microscopy showed that the insertions did not prevent specific aggregation of the protein molecules, the inserted sequences being exposed on the surface of the particles obtained, and both HBcAg and the corresponding preS determinants were antigenically active.
Complexity science has been attracting the interest of researchers and professionals due to the need to enhance the efficiency of understanding complex system dynamics and structure of interactions. Complexity analysis has been used as an approach to investigate complex systems that contain a large number of components interacting with each other to accomplish specific outcomes and develop specific behaviour. The design process is considered as a complex action that involves a large number of interacting components, which are ranked as design tasks, design team, and the components of the design process. These three main aspects of the building design process consist of several components that interact with each other as a dynamic system with complex information flow. In addition, the design product – which is the building – consists of several systems that interact with each other; those systems are the architecture, structure, building envelope, power, and lighting. In this research the goal was to uncover the complex structure and the dynamics of information interactions through the design process stages based on RIBA. In addition, the research aimed to uncover the structure and the dynamics of the building systems interactions. The methodology that was used is a design research methodology; it analysed and modelled the interactions of the design process as a network and accomplished the typology of each design process stage as well as the dynamics of the process from the first stage to the technical design stage. In terms of the building systems design, the networks will modelled the interactions between each building system’s components and the components that interact with other systems’ components to indicate the typology of the building design product. Moreover, the dynamics of the building design product were applied by modelling the interactions from the architectural spaces to the interactions of the building systems’ components. Furthermore, the findings of those interactions were imported into network analysis software to identify measures that indicate the characteristics of the network typology of each building design stage as well as the characteristics of each building system’s interaction. In addition, the results highlight the characteristics of the dynamic of the building design stages through the process as well as the dynamic of the building design systems.
Hypokalemia is usually asymptomatic or may manifest as weakness, fatigue or abdominal distension. It may also present as cardiac arrhythmias, quadriparesis or respiratory paralysis. We report a 34 year old female who presented with acute onset progressive flaccid quadriparesis with respiratory paralysis. The laboratory tests revealed a severe hypokalemia with hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis and abnormally acidified urine. Here urine anion gap was positive, which in the presence of acidosis led to the diagnosis of distal renal tubular acidosis. The patient fully recovered after potassium and alkali replacement. Further investigations revealed Sjogren's syndrome as the underlying cause.
In the following thesis project, I propose a hotel boutique located in the Center  for Contemporary Art called “ El Bicentenario” in the city of Quito, Ecuador. At the  present time, this location is used for different cultural expositions of both local and  international. Within my proposal is to maintain the use and importance that is given for  this cultural area, but at the same time innovate it with a top luxury hotel boutique. My  purpose of this is to present a distinctive hotel boutique compared to the ones that  already exist in the area, where guests will not only experience an enjoyable and  satisfying stay, but at the same time involve in the magic of the cultural activities  nearby; such as theatrical, art expositions and dance presentations aside from  recreational activities that are part of the hotel. On the other hand, being a boutique  hotel, the design and planning of the hotel will be fully designed in the satisfaction and  comfort of clients and guests based on luxury modern design.
Device for controlling an adjustable configurable remote venting device in an automated manner to allow an air flow in a space of human occupancy, comprising: - a housing (26) to be disposed away from the vent device, - a system acquisition (28) integral with the housing (26), with access to ambient air (30) into the space of human occupancy, and detecting a chemical or physical parameter of the ambient air (30) at the housing (26), - an electronic processing system (27) carried speaks housing (26), and determining a control parameter of the remote venting device from the parameter detected by the acquisition system (28), - a communication device (33) carried by the housing (26) transmitting towards the ventilation device remote adjustment parameter.
A study has been made on the effects of chromosome doubling and a chemical immunosuppressant ， c-amino caproic acid (EACA) ， on crossability between S. tuberosum (tbr) and its related diploid species S. chacoense (chc) and S. pinnatisectum (ρ nt). The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1). Chromosome doubling was effective for overcoming cross-incompatibility of tbr with chc but not with pnt ， indicating that in the former the cross--incompatibi 1i ty is due to chromosomal sterility but in the latter it may result probably from an antigen-antibody reaction controlled by the S allele system. 2). For suppressing the above reaction ， the tbr female parents were treated with EACA in the dosage of 1000 ppm by means of the hydroponic method ， mainly in the crosses involving pnt as males. Histo 幽 logical observations showed ， regardless of the chemical treatment ， that po l1 en germination on the stigmas was good and pollen tube growth was nea r1 y normal up to the middle site of the styles in all instances. Cross-incompatibi 1i ty reaction ， thus ， appeared to occur at the middle site or lower of the styles ， suggesting that EACA may be little effective for enhancing po l1 en tube growth in the styles as well as pollen tube penetration into the ovaries ， although there is a clear need for further investigations of this point. between
Olivocerebellar fibresterminate as climbing fibres in longitudinal zones in the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex of the cat (Courville, Faraco-Cantin & Diakiw, 1974; Groenewegen & Voogd, 1975 a, b). A similar longitudinal arrangement of mossy fibre terminals in the granular layer, and of Purkinje cell axons in the cerebellar white matter, has been described (Voogd, 1967; van Rossum, 1967). It has also been reported that the enzyme 5'-nucleotidase in the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex is present in a pattern of parallel longitudinal bands (Scott, 1964, 1965; Marani & Boekee, 1973). Ramon-Moliner (1972) described the distribution of acetylthiocholinesterase (AthChE) in the brain stem of four months old cats, and some of his illustrations indicated that AthChE is present in a band-like distribution in the molecular layer of the cerebellum. In this respect, in some parts of the inferior olive, areas of high acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity (Marani et al. in preparation) correspond to the location of cells of origin of olivocerebellar fibres which pass to restricted longitudinal zones in the cerebellar cortex. This suggests a possible relationship between the regional distributions of AChE in the inferior olive and in the cerebellar cortex. The presence of AChE in the molecular layer of the cerebellum of the cat is disputed (for a review see Silver, 1967). With histochemical methods AChE could only be demonstrated during development from the third day till the twentieth day postnatum. Conversely, biochemical determinations in cats showed activity in the molecular layer to be nearly as strong as in the granular layer (Austin & Phillis, 1965; Goldberg & McCaman, 1967). In the present study the zonal distribution of AChE in the molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex of young and adult cats (see Table 1) has been examined.
Objectives: Asafetida is traditionally used in folklore medicine for the treatment of various ailments. To validate its use in traditional medicine, it is important to evaluate its toxicity in the animal system. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicological effects of asafetida in Wistar albino rats. Materials and Methods: Acute toxicity tests were conducted by the oral administration of 250, 500, and 1,000 mg/kg body weight of the animal. In chronic study, animals were administered with various doses of asafetida (25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight) for a period of 6 weeks. At end of experiment, the effects of asafetida on hematological, renal, and hepatic markers and histological parameters were analyzed. Results: In acute toxicity study, no mortality was seen up to 72 h of the administration of asafetida. No signs of neurological and behavioral changes were noticed within 24 h. In the chronic study, the asafetida intake has changed the hematological parameters such as red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), hematocrit (HCT), and platelets. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were significantly increased in treated animals. The plasma level of urea and creatinine were not altered by the administration of asafetida throughout the study. Histopathology study indicates hepatotoxicity, but no signs of prominent pathological changes in kidney. Conclusions: Asafetida did not show any acute toxicity, but chronic administration could have undesirable effects on hepatocytes and hematological factors.
Abstract The article discusses Nicolas Winding Refn’s film Only God Forgives (2013), and focuses on questions of artistic representation and reception in relation to such cinematic elements as genre film, style, mise-en-scène, graphic violence and art experience. The arguments for the analyses are supported by John Dewey’s theory of art as experience where he claims that aesthetic experience is essentially infused with emotions that provide for a unifying quality cementing diverse constituent parts of the artwork. The article also takes into consideration Refn’s standpoint on the use of violence in art. While violence is a way of externalizing emotions, as Refn claims, it may not necessarily be the real experience viewers want to entertain; however, through an art experience, which is integral and complete as Dewey asserts, they are able to perceive and detect meanings that were “scattered and weakened in the material of other experiences”.
The study was about an Assessment of the Challenges facing Single Mothers on their Spiritual Growth in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. The objective was to establish the biblical and theological foundations for single mothers on their spiritual growth in the Seventh Dy Adventist Church. The Marxist Theory of Feminism was used. The study was conducted in Kisii County which is in Western Kenya. The target population in the study included 5 Churches within the Nyanchwa Station, South Kenya Conference. The researcher employed a census sampling method from the 5 churches with a sample population of 105 participants. The main instruments of data collection for the study were questionnaires, focused group discussions, and oral interviews. The study established the biblical and theological foundations for single mothers by referencing single mothers in the Bible. The study recommended that all aspects of inclusivity, acceptance and being welcome need to be accorded to all Christians, regardless of their marital status; The Church in Africa could borrow a leaf from the Church in the West in practicing the doctrine and social teaching of the church, about accepting members as they come; and Pastoral Councils and Christians in leadership need to be on the front line in practicing inclusiveness and acceptance of every Christian.     Article visualizations:
Recent trend and current status of the genetic research on skeletal dysplasia are reviewed. Current problems of the genetic diagnosis of skeletal dysplasia are evaluated using pseudoachondroplasia-multiple epiphyseal dyaplasia spectrum of the disease and their disease genes as examples. Intimate communication and collaboration between clinicians and basic researchers are necessary for further advance of the genetic diagnosis of skeletal dysplasia.
A three sector specific factor competitive general equilibrium model is developed for a small open economy where unemployment of skilled labour is explained using Efficiency Wage Hypothesis (EWH). In this model efficiency of a skilled worker, which is specific to high skill urban sector, varies positively with its wage and the unemployment rate. Using such a framework we have examined the impact of economic recession on skilled - unskilled wage inequality and skilled unemployment of the economy. We have also analysed the effect of recession on social welfare by considering Gini-coefficient and welfare measure of Sen (1974). The analysis finds that economic recession improves the average unskilled wage of the economy as well as the skilled-unskilled wage gap, but economy - wide effective skilled unemployment might get reduced. Finally it is observed that the impact of recession on Gini-coefficient is indeterminate and, interestingly, overall social welfare and wage inequality might not move in the same direction.
The invention discloses a preparation method of an aluminium alloy section for a diesel engine piston. The aluminium alloy section consists of the following elements in percentage by mass: 12 to 15 of Si, 4.4 to 5.8 of Cu, 2.7 to 3.4 of Ni, 1.6 to 2.2 of Mg, 1.2 to 1.8 of Ag, 0.8 to 1.4 of Cr, 0.5 to 0.7 of Mn, 0.3 to 0.6 of Zr, 0.25 to 0.45 of W, 0.1 to 0.2 of Ti, 0.05 to 0.15 of V, 0.04 to 0.08 of Te, 0.03 to 0.06 of Sc, 0.02 to 0.05 of Y, 0.01 to 0.03 of Lu and the balance of Al. The aluminium alloy section prepared by the preparation method not only has a better heat conductivity coefficient, but also has higher high-temperature tensile strength and completely meets the requirement of the diesel engine piston on the required intensity in a high-temperature state.
While assessments of tourism attractions are among the fundamentals of tourism planning, they are the “poor cousins” of accessibility, transportation, and accommodations analysis (Pearce, 1991). Ranking tourism attractions in China is fraught with complexity because of the market’s tremendous growth and idiosyncratic character. The entire country as a tourism landscape is only now opening itself up to external review and the open doors are revealing the profound depth of the experiences that are available. The coastal/interior dichotomy of China is ongoing. The interior of China continues to be fraught with a menu of problems that confound economic and touristic development: geographic isolation, poor management, ethnic conflict, economic inefficiency, and ecological degradation (Wei and Fang, 2006). Consequently, the Chinese government, under the aegis of the Western Development Strategy, has been launching an enormous effort to redirect development away from the coast and into the less prosperous interior. Because tourism is being touted by the central government as an economic pillar, tourism growth represents one way in which to attempt to develop the country’s interior regions. At the same time, the interior of China has an enormous endowment of heritage resources. This means that sustainable tourism in China will depend, to some degree, on how well the country can protect its heritage assets. Concerns about whether heritage assets will be neglected, destroyed, redeveloped, overused, or overcommercialized are all valid concerns regarding sustainability. In this paper, we look at a variety of tourist attractions in Gansu Province. Surprisingly, “only limited research attention has been paid specifically to tourist attractions, although they occupy a vital position in tourism development” (Hu and Wall, 2005: 617-618). We then demonstrate a range of evaluation criteria that can be employed to explore the tenability of using public money to further develop these attractions. There is little variation in the two evaluation scenarios undertaken. In this case, different weightings are not affecting the results that much as some venues are vastly more suitable for development. The interpretation of the data is twofold: focus on the Lanzhou sites and divert the Dunhuang tourism venues solely into the luxury market. The luxury market involves fewer tourists and higher on-site revenues. That tactic must be undertaken as desert tourism needs to be marketed carefully due to the overt fragility of the environment as well as the costs of shipping water to the attractions. Overall, the evaluation framework employed is expedient: it uses available data that can be hard to find in China, it is easy to calculate, and it is user-friendly to analysts and decision makers alike.
It's given that the specific formula of the enterprise's effective economic taxes because of transformation of value-added tax under depreciation method of double decline balance and sum of years digits method. It's illustrated by example through comparing and analysis. Finally, it is concluded that at the same condition value-added tax changing from production to revenue, the enterprise's total taxes will increase using depreciation method of double decline balance instead of sum of years digits method;value-added tax changing from production to consumption, the enterprise's total taxes will be identical using either depreciation method of double decline balance or sum of years digits method; value-added tax changing from revenue to consumption, the enterprise's total taxes will decrease using depreciation method of double decline balance instead of sum of years digits method.
Introduction: Disinfection of dental prostheses is important, so determining an appropriate disinfectant and the  effective time for disinfection is necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate of the disinfecting effect of 0.5%  Sodium hypochlorite and 2% Glutaraldehyde on heat cure acrylic resin contaminated by two types of bacteria.  Materials & Methods: In this experimental & In vitro study 90 acrylic resin samples, 6mm×17mm, were made using  Acropars acrylic resin. The sterilized samples were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to a microbial  suspension containing Streptococcus viridance and the other was exposed to a microbial suspension containing Bacillus  subtilis. Two negative controls not contaminated with barteria were considered. Two samples from each group were  used as the positive controls and were not disinfected. Each group was divided into two subgroups. The subgroups  were immersed in either 2% glutaraldehyde or 0.5% sodium hypochlorite. After 30 min, 2h and 4h, seven samples were  removed from each solution and transferred to individual tubes containing Brain Heart Inpusion (BHI) culture medium.  The tubes were incubated for 24h at 37°C and then examined for turbidity. A sample of each tube was plated onto blood  agar plate and the results were observed after 24h. Statistical analysis was made by Chi-Square tests (Fisher's exact  test) and Kendalls tau-b.  Results: The difference between 3 time interval in all samples for hypochlorite solution (P=0.057) was not significant  but it was significant for glutaraldehyde (P=0.021). Comparing 3 time intervals in the samples contaminated with Bacillus  subtilis for hypochlorite solution (P=0.032) and glutaraldehyde (P=0.014) showed significant difference. The analysis  was not made for Streptococcus viridance because all the results were negative. The difference between the  disinfecting ability of the solutions after 30 min (P=1) and 2h (P=0.266) was not significant.  Conclusion: The results indicate that both disinfecting solutions eliminated Streptococcus viridance after 30min but  could not eliminate Bacillus subtilis until 4h immersion time. Within the number of the samples in this study there was no  difference between the disinfecting ability of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite and 2% glutaraldehyde.  Key words: Heat-cure acrylic resin, Disinfectant material, Sodium hypochlorite, Glutaraldehyde, Streptococcus  viridance, Bacillus subtilis.
Neonatal female mice of the NMRI strain, given injections of 17 beta-estradiol or DES, were studied with respect to immediate effects and those that appeared in the animal's adult stage. With the estrogen dose used (5 micrograms daily), proliferation of the pseudostratified columnar epithelium in the upper part of the müllerian vagina was inhibited. This resulted in the occurrence of regions containing an RCE in the uterine cervix and upper vagina of adult animals instead of the normal squamous epithelium. Later, the RCE developed into adenosis; subsequently, suspected malignant changes were seen. Besides the morphologic differences compared with control animals, neonatal estrogen treatment resulted in changes in the amount of CVA. Compared with controls, the amount of CVA was high in the superficial mucified vaginal cells of neonatally DES-treated mice, subsequently castrated and given estrogen as adults. The RCE had a low level of CVA. An interaction of estradiol and prolactin was important for the CVA level. Neonatal estrogen treatment may result in persistent changes in the regulation of plasma prolactin. A comparison is made between the estrogen-induced changes in mice and the DES effects in the female offspring of women exposed to DES during pregnancy. The importance of the mouse model for the study of the relevance of estrogen-induced, irreversible changes and other factors in the development of human clear cell adenocarcinomas in the vagina and cervix is stressed.
Theaimwastoreconsider the"Guidelines forinitial managementofheadinjury in adults" - particularly withrespect tothe indications forcomputerised tomographic (CT)scanning - suggested by"agroupof neurosurgeons" overa decadeagoand still followed insomeaccident andemergency (A&E) departments. Theserecommendations areplaced inthecontext of morerecentresearch andtheincreased numberofA&E departanents withon-site rapidaccess toaCT scanner butwithout a resident neurosurgical facility. A case canbemadeforanupdatedpolicy with moreliberal indications forCT scanning ofacutely headinjured adults inperiphTable 1 Guidelines forinitial management after head injury inadults2
In this paper, strength and leaching characteristics of water sludge-added lightweight soils(WALS) considering reinforcing materials(waste fishing net, glue treated waste fishing net and geogrid) and layer(1 or 2 layer) were investigated using unconfined compression test and leaching test. Several specimens of water sludge-added lightweight soil consisted of water sludge, cement, and bottom ash were prepared according to flowability. Reinforcing material added into these specimens were waste fishing net and geogrid. A glue treated waste fishing net was also added in order to increase interlocking between soil mixture and waste fishing net. Strength increased in the order of WALS reinforced by waste fishing net, glue treated waste fishing net, and geogrid. Strength of specimen with double layer-reinforcing material was greater than that of specimen with single layer-reinforcing material. Leaching result of WALS was also satisfied with standard of ministry of environment.
s: The planning area and developing area in China's l29 national and 584 provincial development areas cover 8000 km2 and l500 km2 respectively. By typical field investigations we found that China's development areas have the characteristics of abundant categories, excessive quantities, large scales and dense localities in coastlands, border areas and river banks. And their utilization have 4 features of mainly collecting and occupying agricultural lands, minor rebuilding of old city; mainly taking up cultivated lands, minor exploiting and utilizing barren mountains and bleak sloping lands; collecting and occupying lands at first, utilizing afterwards; using large quantities of lands but obtaining comparatively fewer benefits. According to the analyses, China's development areas can be concluded into one of the four categories: constructed from cultivated lands, reconstructed from old cities, constructed from coastlands and islands, and constructed from barren mountains and desolate sloping lands. Their corresponding problems of unsuitable planning and distribution leaving cultivated lands unused, low remission price and chaotic management measures are analyzed in detail and the countermeasures are put forward. These include planning and distribution the lands in an integrated way, managing all these lands in a unified system. improving the growth pattern of their economy, and advancing their utilization and output ratios.
BS>The energy consumption of the separation nozzle process for enrichment of /sup 235/U is discussed in terms of the entropy production in the separation system. Experimental results, obtained from measurements with Pitot type pressure probes and a numerical Navier-Stokes analysis of the nozzle flow, show that ordinary viscous dissipation is the most important entropy production mechanism. The relatively large amount of kinetic energy observed at the end of the nozzle indicates some possibilities of lowering the specific energy consumption of the process. (GE)
The article reveals the evolution of scientific views of contemporary historians on the problem of confrontation between the authority and the opposition in the period of the Civil war in Siberia. The authors analyze the methodology and concrete results of the studies undertaken by contemporary historians. The assessment of the confrontation processes between the authority and the opposition gains particular significance since it allows pinpointing the reasons for civil wars of the present.
The practice has preded the theory that how industrial captial participate in the banking, as remains an argument now. The high financing pay - back has been attracting listed companies, which, as another banking equity participant after security company, guarantee company, trust and fund, etc, merged itself into the whole chain of financial industry . By analyzing he current situation of listed companies equity participation, the paper touches on the causes and possible problems in this process.
This paper departs from a statement made by an elderly female traditional councillor in a Swati-speaking area when consideration was being given to reallocating some farming fields as residential stands for others. She communicated that she loved her field but that she would not choose to retain it if that meant that someone else would have no place to live. She expressed this as a fundamental value in her society.  Other studies have found similar values embraced by different vernacular groupings in South Africa. In these "communal" areas, rights in property are often overlapping and shared. Competing claims over shared property are prioritised on the basis of need, use, contribution made, and care given to others. This is so especially in land distribution and succession wherein security and survival are key motivating factors.  This paper reflects on these vernacular rural value systems in light of scholarship that challenges conceptions of rights as boundaries functioning exclusively - to protect autonomy by keeping others out. This literature rather conceives of rights in more inclusive terms, focusing on how they work in practice to structure the relationships on which people depend for basic survival. Moreover, this literature perceives the content of rights as contextually defined, through inclusive participatory processes. This body of theory is particularly useful when applied to the realm of socio-economic rights wherein a primary ethic in living customary law is that the basic needs of each member should be prioritised in balancing relative rights.  The paper goes on to show how official versions of customary law apply top-down conceptions of authority that privilege the powers of senior traditional leaders in ways that compromise the rights of ordinary people. Accordingly, the paper argues that the often more democratic and egalitarian rights existing in terms of living customary law provide a better departure point in attempts to give effect to socio-economic rights and alleviate poverty in rural areas.
The key to achieve a balanced docking with the GVC by constructing the national value chain is the formation of regional industry linkage pattern.The theory basic is related to regional development theory,the contact of industrial cluster with the external,and the linkage theory of domestic industry chains with the GVC.The study method can be divided into the inter-regional differences in industry structure analysis,the industry linkage analysis based on the input-output table and the complex network approach.The conclusion is that the regional industry linkages are the relatively independent network-like interregional links paralleling with the GVC,the actors are composed of the local firms,the governments,the related production and research departments,the purpose of the coordination are Pareto optimal effect.In the future,it is necessary to analyze micro mechanism of the macro phenomenon using the network simulation,demonstration and cases methods.
The European Union always takes steps to ensure that a prospective member state meets certain criteria1 regarding democratic practices. But what happens when a state that meets those criteria is accepted into the EU, only to regress later on? That is the question that the EU faces with Hungary, once a democratic front-runner among the post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, but now a country that has seen a palpable erosion of democracy. The Hungarian case raises questions about the EU’s current governance mechanisms, and whether it can handle further expansion effectively. How should the EU and the wider international community use their leverage to promote democratic practices in post-communist EU states? What role should the United States play?
We study X-axis or Y-axis high agile attitude control method, using four reaction wheels and two control moment gyros. Since normal satellites use same actuators, researchers design an attitude controller first, and then allocate torque commands to each actuator. However, our satellite uses both control moment gyros and reaction wheels, whose torque output differences are very large. Therefore, we cannot apply normal attitude controller design procedure. In this paper, we solve this problem by combining actuator torque command and attitude controller. Through numerical simulations, we show that our method enables satellite high agility.
UNLABELLED In the management of severe carotid artery stenosis particular importance must be given to the evaluation of the risk of perioperative cerebral ischemic events. Our study analysed the possible relationship between the pre-operative middle cerebral artery Gosling Index, calculated after transcranial Doppler (TCD), and intra-operative stump pressure (SP), in order to identify patients with higher risk of ischemic accidents. Moreover, we studied pre- and post- operative Gosling Index values in association with possible events during follow-up. In a one-year time lapse 47 patients underwent either carotid endoarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS) with proximal embolic protection system. All patients were subject to pre- and post-operative TCD with calculation of the Gosling Index and intra-operative SP. We observed that higher pre-operative Gosling Index values are associated with lower intra-operative SP values, elements that represent a higher risk for cerebro-vascular ischemic accidents; this result is particularly evident when observing the diabetic sub-population. An increase in ischemic events did not present statistically significant differences when observing the populations treated with CEA or CAS. TCD and SP are valid and simple exams that can help identify precociously patients with a higher risk of cerebro-vascular accidents related to surgical or endovascular treatment.   KEY WORDS Carotid artery stenosis, Carotid endarterectomy, Endovascular treatment.
This study deals with the nutritional status of Danish rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and addresses the question whether or not RA can be directly influenced by dietary manipulation. In a prospective, single-blinded study of six months' duration, 109 patients with active RA were randomly assigned to treatment with or without a specialized diet. The energy consumption was adjusted to normal standards for body-weight and the intake of fish and antioxidants was increased. A daily food diary was completed by the patients, and the total intake of 47 different food-elements was calculated. Nutritional status together with disease activity parameters were recorded. At baseline, the Danish RA-patients had neglected food habits with a significant reduction in intake of total energy, of D-vitamin and of E-vitamin. A very low intake of n-3 fatty acids was also found. During the study, 28 of the 109 patients dropped out, introducing a confounding effect on the overall result. In the remaining 81, those following the diet demonstrated a significant improvement in the duration of morning stiffness, the number of swollen joints, the pain status and reduced the cost of medicine, while doctors' global assessment, laboratory data, X-ray and the daily activities were unaltered. In conclusion, dietary analysis and appropriate, corrective advice should be offered to Danish RA patients.
In order to meet increasingly stringent control requirements in modern industrial production,a hydraulic servo system based on flexible controller architecture was developed.The fast and accurate closed-loop control of complex multi-axis motion by the field bus way was realized,and an open software platform witch can provide complete programming,debugging,simulation,parameterization,visualization was carried out.The system has been applied in control of a distribution gate for a sintering machine in a well-known domestic steel mill to achieve the truly accurate closed-loop control of opening of fan-shaped gate and fine-tuned gate drived from seven groups of hydraulic cylinder.Normal operation since the early 2008 show that the system has characteristics of good stability and maneuverability and,because of its signal processing flexibility,control structure flexible features,it has a broader application prospect in different engineering fields.
Correlation coefficients of net curd weight with stalk length, days to marketable maturity, gross plant weight, harvest index were found significant in BIPs as well as in F3 progenies and with leaves per plant and leaf breadth in F3s only. Correlations were weakened in BIPs in the associations of net curd weight with leaves per plant, leaf length, days to marketable maturity, gross plant weight and harvest index. Maximum direct as well as indirect effect was recorded by gross plant weight followed by harvest index.
There is no criterion to judge which one is the most accurate among different line-by-line (LBL) integration algorithms for lack of exact measurement data from laboratory currently. Therefore, the evaluation to the accuracy of LBL algorithm can only be made in the comparison among different models. A fast and efficient LBL algorithm for atmospheric absorption called ZS2000 developed by the authors is compared with LBLRTM in detail, which is one of the LBL integration models recognized officially in the world. It is shown that the relative differences of up and down radiative fluxes and the absolute differences of atmospheric cooling rates between them in the longwave region are less than 3.1% and 0.13 K·d -1 for the whole atmosphere, respectively. These differences are within the scope from ICRCCM (Intercomparison of Radiation Codes Used in Climate Models). It is found in the analysis that these differences are mainly caused by the smaller water vapor absorption coefficients in the region of 10~530 cm -1 obtained by ZS2000 than those calculated by LBLRTM. Especially in the infrared region, both of them are consistent with each other in radiative flux and heating rate with a high accuracy of relative difference within 2%. Therefore, it is concluded that ZS2000 can satisfy all kinds of need in accuracy in radiative transfer calculations for the longwave and infrared regions.
The utility model provides an engine hood hinge assembly, which belongs to the technical field of auto parts. The engine hood hinge assembly solves problems of poorer connection strength and the like of an existing engine hood hinge assembly. The engine hood hinge assembly comprises a strip-shaped connecting frame and a platy support frame, one end of the connecting frame is used for being fixedly connected with an engine hood, the other end of the connecting frame is hinged to the side of the support frame, the end which is far away from the hinge position of the support frame is fixedly connected with a mounting plate which is used for being fixedly connected with a vehicle body, and the mounting plate has a reinforcing structure capable of strengthening connection strength. The engine hood hinge assembly has the advantages of fine connection strength and protection effect to pedestrians, and the like.
The instability of family size intentions among young married couples in Hungary is examined and factors contributing to this instability are identified. These factors include the increase in the proportion of women who are already pregnant at the time of marriage the impact of divorce and remarriage changes in life-style that affect the marital relationship and the increase in the educational level and economic activity of women. Methodological problems in collecting data on family plans are also considered. (summary in ENG RUS) (ANNOTATION)
During the last decade, the optics community has shown interest in building bridges between mathematical wavelets and optical phenomena. In a first time, we review some of the previous works done on the subject. Namely, we discuss the optical implementation of the transform, as well as its utilization in relation with optical pattern matching. A short discussion on works, unfortunately falling short to explain scalar diffraction in terms of a wavelet transform, is presented. At this point, we introduce the physical wavelet (Psi) . After portraying the mathematical properties of (Psi) , we describe its contributions to the optical world. Actually, this wavelet being a solution of Maxwell's equations, we derive interesting optical properties from its mathematical behavior. For instance, looking more closely to the scalar projection of this wavelet, we demonstrate the equivalence between Huygens' diffraction principle and the wavelet transform using y as the transformation kernel. Another application involves a closely related form of this wavelet that can be used to generate limited diffraction beams.
The effect of three second generation platinum complexes on proliferation of tumor cells (HeLa, C6) and nontumor cells (LEP) was studied, and compared with that of cis-DDP. The highest activity, comparable with cis-DDP, was exhibited by oxoplatinum. CBDCA was somewhat less active in this system, but had a greater effect on both lines of tumor cells than on nontumor cells. Cell proliferation was inhibited least of all by CHIP(IV). The differences observed are discussed from the point of view of the structure and oxidation state of the platinum complexes.
This demo presents the TextCoop platform and the Dislog language, based on logic programming, which have primarily been designed for discourse processing. The linguistic architecture and the basics of discourse analysis in TextCoop are introduced. Application demos include: argument mining in opinon texts, dialog analysis, and procedural and requirement texts analysis. Via prototypes in the industry, this framework has now reached the TRL5 level.
Social rules have been developing with reasoning that embodies the awareness of rules.How do social rules become possible in society? We need to understand it from the perspectives of social justice,social adjustment,social order and social evolution.There are mainly two directions for the logical probation of social rules: one is ethical which is a deontological probation of social rules while the other a probation of law-the strongest social rule,it is an argument logic probation of social rules.
It has a long history for over 200 years since businessmen of pagodite carving handicraft articles sold them to eastern Japanese firstly. The businessmen and settler overseas who engaged in trace were increasing, most of them were from Qingtian and contiguous Wencheng, Yongjia, Wenzhou, Ruian, Ouhai, Yueqing .The first climax of emigrant overseas formed in 1920'. The forming of first overseas migration groups chiefly benefited by the exploitation of pagodite deposit in Qingtian county and sale of pagodite carving handicraft articles produced in Qingtian to oversea markets. After reformatting and opening to the outside world, the forming of the new overseas migration groups was firstly due to reducing examine and approve process for migration. Secondly, it is due to the imparity of natural and economic conditions between emigration and settling in region. The long odds of economy and life level between western European and other developed countries' and mountain area' in the southern of Zhejiang was original motivation to emigrant. Thirdly, it is influenced by historic origin of migrating and tradition of help each other among relatives and friends. In the process of starting an undertaking, solidarity and help each other were needed. The first generation emigrant who worked hard for tens years or generations have had more accumulation of capital and occupied definite social position, and have created condition for their progeniture to emigrant. The most of new emigrant migrant oversea go and seek refuge with their relatives and friends, they help others to emigrant as soon as possessing definite economic base. Lastly, the increase of need for labor force in developed countries and their good anlage are also important factors of emigrant. The new generation emigrant, being younger, who accepted more education. They possess new ideas and better economical base and better adaptive capacity. So that they can make themselves stronger quickly. The vocations they work on are enlarged from restaurant and other service trades to leather, apparel, department, import and export trades, estate and so on. They have made a important contribution for society and economy to emigration and settling countries, especially, their native places. This paper briefly reviews the historical background and causes of the overseas groups forming; analyzes the characteristics and superiorities of the new migration overseas groups.
The invention relates to high speed parallel multichannel data system for nucleus spectrum and nuclear electronics. It is made up of 4 independent channels, and includes analog circuit, 14 bits ADC, and a 4 channel timer distributor. The analog signal would be transformed to digital quantity and input into large capacity FPGA chip to take online analysis of time, amplitude, sampling points information and relativity, taking effective data selection and inputting into host computer through network or USB2.0 interface.
In this paper, trade apprenticeships in Australia from 1967 to 2006 are modelled. These models are used to understand how apprentice numbers in the trades respond to changes in labour market conditions. The models also allow commentary on the impact of recent government policy initiatives on trade apprentices. The paper finds that some trade apprenticeships are particularly sensitive to labour market conditions, that historical relationships between apprenticeship numbers and the labour market in the majority of occupations have broken down in the last 10 years, and that government initiatives have been unable to counteract completely this trend.
The study showed that the shoulder pain is a common complication of stroke, especially in patients with hemiplegia or marked hemiparesis. Shoulder pain was observed in each fifth stroke patients (19.9 %). Hand swelling can serve as a predictor of pain syndrome in the affected hand, and regression of swelling is correlated with regression of pain syndrome. Use of Xefocam in a dose of 16 mg per day by stroke patients with the first manifestations of shoulder pain, accompanied by hand swelling, significantly improves the condition of the patient within 2 weeks, and reduces the risk of chronic pain syndrome in the shoulder. Therefore use of Xefocam, adequate physiotherapy, proper care and timely rehabilitation are the main methods of treatment for pain syndrome in the shoulder in these patients.
Although there exist the conditions and reasons to let Pemex become a trully state owned, commercialy oriented, oil company, in reality Pemex does not behave as such, due to the limitations posed by its legal framework. Such legal framework poses severe limitations to Pemex’s capacity in making the decisions which would enable it to perform in its fullest commercial potential. Pemex’s transformation into a true publicly owned company does not require it to abandon its structure of public law to adopt one of private law. Finally, it is impossible to conceive Pemex’s transformation into a true company without the accord of all of Mexico’s political actors involved in the decision making process.
Background and Purpose— The Middle Cerebral Artery Embolism Local Fibrinolytic Intervention Trial (MELT) Japan was organized to determine the safety and clinical efficacy of intraarterial infusion of urokinase (UK) in patients with stroke within 6 hours of onset. Methods— Patients with ischemic stroke presenting within 6 hours of onset and displaying occlusions of the M1 or M2 portion of the middle cerebral artery on carotid angiography were randomized to the UK or control groups. Clinical outcome was assessed by the modified Rankin Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and Barthel Index. Results— The Independent Monitoring Committee recommended stopping the trial after approval of intravenous infusion of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in Japan. A total of 114 patients underwent randomization, 57 patients in each group. Background characteristics were comparable between the 2 groups. The primary end point of favorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0 to 2) at 90 days was somewhat mo...
A rotation-invariant and multi-scale generalized roughness feature is presented and itwas combinded with an adaptive weighted distance to apply in texture retrieval.Texture image was decomposed based on Gabor transformation,the rotation-invariant vector was formed by making use of the amplitude spectrum and combining with energy distributions,Hurst parameters and direction differences.Finally,the adaptive weighted distance was used to measure the similarity.Simulationresults show that the proposedapproach performed well in the rotation texture images.
Entire males from the three most common Belgian pig breeds – Pietrain (P), Large White (LW) and Belgian Landrace Stress Negative (BN) - were slaughtered at 50, 70, 90 or 110 kg live weight. Boar taint detection was performed by four different methodologies: hot iron (neckfat), consumer panels (meat), expert panels (fat and meat) and laboratory analysis (fat). Skatole levels in fat were significantly higher for LW than P boars. P boars showed a tendency for higher indole levels. Androstenone levels depended on slaughter weight (higher levels for the boars of 90 and 110 kg compared to 50 kg) and tended to differ between breeds (highest for LW and the lowest for P). Analogous results were found for the hot iron method, with a significant increase of boar taint with higher weights and more boar taint among LW versus P boars. The expert panel also revealed more androstenone odour in fat of boars slaughtered at 90 kg compared to those slaughtered at 50 kg and in meat of the boars slaughtered at 110 kg compared to 50 kg. Consumers did not detect differences between breeds or weights. Assuming that our experimental set-up of consumer panels was inadequate to produce reliable estimates of boar taint, these results indicate that boar taint prevalence among entire male pigs can be reduced by (substantially) lowering slaughter weight and by using P instead of LW breed.
We have endeavored to develop a formaldehyde-free electroless copper deposition process. A suitable bath has been optimized with glyoxylic acid as a reducing agent. The bath parameters, such as temperature and the concentration of reducing and complexing agents, were studied. The influence of glyoxylic acid on the deposition of copper was studied by galvanostatic polarization measurements. SEM studies were also carried out to ascertain the structure of the copper deposits.
The present invention discloses a system based on the courseware SCORM standard P2P, characterized in that, comprising: P2P directory server, P2P client, the Active plug. Implementation of SCORM courseware playback system based on P2P, the present invention without changing the traditional SCORM courseware on-demand learning overall system architecture and user use the premise of the introduction of P2P technology to solve the problem of high concurrency, high throughput, and solve the traditional enterprise SCORM courseware online learning system users rapid growth, geographical dispersion, large hardware investment issues, the existing learning courseware on demand system to meet rapidly growing enterprise e-learning system learning needs and improve the quality of the courseware, and reduce the cost of investment in training, may widely applied to other businesses online training system.
The present objective for the study was to prepare prednisolone liposomal gel intended for topical application. Various liposome formulations were prepared using Vortexing Sonication technique using vacuum rotator evaporator by varying the lipid phase composition (lecithin/cholesterol). Liposome formulations were characterized for drug content, entrapment efficiency, surface morphology, surface charge, and stability studies. Topical liposomal gels were prepared by incorporation of liposome dispersion into structured vehicle carbopol (2%). Alternatively, hydrogels containing prednisolone were prepared and their drug release properties were investigated. The percentage entrapment of drug was increased with increase in phospholipid composition in the range of 85-98%. Liposomal gel showed prolonged release of prednisolone than the hydrogels. Results of all the studies suggested that Prednisolone liposomal gel formulation was therapeutically effective drug delivery system for treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. © 2015 Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved
Serve the poor. Help the weak. Protect the unborn child. Speak the truth about the beauty and order of creation: Male and female he created them (Gen 5:2). Fight for your right to love and serve God, and for others to do the same. Defend the dignity of marriage and the family, and witness their meaning and hope to others by the example of your lives. Adapted from an address delivered at the Alliance Defending Freedom Summit on July 9, 2019.
The extent of corruption in Iceland is highly contested. International corruption measures indicate a relatively small amount of corruption, while domestic public opinion suggest a serious corruption problem. Thus, uncertainty prevails about the actual extent of corruption and whose perceptions to rely on. This problem is relevant for corruption research in general. Perceptions are increasingly used as proxies for the actual levels of corruption in comparative research. But we still do not know enough about the accuracy of these proxies or the criteria they must meet in order to give dependable results. In fact, radical differences exist concerning evaluations of perceptions between those who believe in unbiased learning and those believing perceptual bias to be widespread. The purpose of this article is, therefore, to attempt to gauge which factors may influence how perceptions of corruption are shaped and why differences in corruption perceptions between different groups may be so pronounced. We present findings from original survey data from three parallel surveys – among the ‘public’, experts, and ‘municipal practitioners’ – conducted in Iceland in 2014. Expectations based on the perceptual bias approach are tested, indicating that perceptions may be affected by (1) information factors, (2) direct experience of corruption and (3) emotive and/or ideological factors. The validity of perception measures should be considered with this in mind. Domestic experts are likely to be well informed and avoid perceptual bias to a greater extent than other groups. Our examination of the Icelandic case suggests that the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) tends to underestimate corruption problems in ‘mature welfare states’, such as Iceland, whilst the general public tends to overestimate it.
Based on the daily precipitation data from 51 rain stations in Xinjiang during 1960-2005,the spatial and temporal possibility variations of maximum consecutive wet days in the whole year,summer and winter seasons are studied.Nine precipitation extreme indices which reflect the attributes of consecutive maximum wet days are defined,modified Mann-Kendall test is applied to detect the tendencies,and changing rates of indices are evaluated through linear regression with F test.Results show that:(1) two days consecutive wet days occurred most frequently during the year and summer,and the precipitation intensities decreased as the number of days of maximum consecutive wet days increased;in winter,one day consecutive wet days had the maximum possibility,and the intensities increased as the number of days of the maximum consecutive wet days increased;(2) the possibilities of consecutive wet days with short durations reduced,while those of the large number of days increased;the precipitation of consecutive wet days had increasing trends;the intensities of all numbers of days increased;(3) a wet tendency was identified in Xinjiang;wet trend in Southern Xinjiang was more significant than in Northern Xinjiang in summer,while in winter the wet tendency in Northern Xinjiang was more remarkable.
The performance of subterranean termite Coptotermes acinaciformis (Froggatt); Coptotermes lacteus (Froggatt) and Mastotermes darwiniensis Froggatt foraging behaviour and biological response on sintered glass screenings as a potential graded physical barrier in laboratory and field test proved as a viable option.There was a marked difference between C. acinaciformis and M. darwiniensis foraging behaviour and biological ability to move and tunnel through the sintered glass substrate in the laboratory bioassays. After eight weeks of laboratory bioassay, the results indicated that C. acinaciformis was not able to tunnel through 75 mm (tapped) 80 mm (untapped) of this substrate within the range of 1.7 to 2.4 mm, whereas M. darwiniensis tunnelled through the same depth of substrate within less than 48 h. The laboratory and field results suggest that termite foraging behaviour and biological responses to sintered glass within the range of 1.7 to 2.4 mm was not able to carry the particles or to travel within the void of the particles of the physical barrier system. The graded sintered glass particles may be considered as a possible tool for termite management option against Coptotermes species in Australia, particularly against the most economically important subterranean termite.; ;
The paper describes how the virtual simulation model is built for the running resistance of the pipe belt conveyor,and test and study the belt running resistance when belt forms pipe and the belt-roller contact pressure distribution.The pressure distribution is derived through analysis of effect of material,pre-tensioning force,pipe belt running speed,bend and bend radius upon the pipe belt running resistance.The test status is very close to practical one.The result serves some guide to design and manufacture of pipe belt conveyor.
Sheep blood as the research material,the ovine thrombin was extracted from it by adsorption method.The main factors that influence the specific activity of ovine thrombin were researched by single factor and orthogonal tests.The results showed that the influencing sequence from significant to common was pH,activation temperature,concentrations of Ca2 +and activation time,and the final optimal parameters were pH 5.2,activation time was 2.5h,activation temperature was 30℃ and concentrations of Ca2 +was 0.1mol /L.Under these conditions,the specific activity of anticoagulant blood plasma was 268.3U /mg.
The theory and the process of a technique called vacuum vaporization is presented that the material is Vaporized in vacuum and then cooled down rapidly-which could be used to fabricate nano-matefials.A blocky nano Zn is manufactured by this technology.The morphography and grain size of this nano Zn are studied with the help of the scanning electron microscope.Then the preferential growth direction of the nano-grain and its mode of growth are studied by the X-ray diffractometer.And finally the micro-hardness of this nano-Zn is tested and compared with those of normal pure Zn and pure Zn powders.
Concepts of information and information ecology are briefly reviewed with the emphasis on interconnections between social actors, information objects and information technologies. Results of a study of the academic information environment in Slovakia are reported. The main question of the study concentrates on possible benefits of the information ecology concept for new models of information activities. Information ecology is determined as harmony among social actors, information resources and systems and includes information objects re-use, value-added services, and visualizations of rich semantic and social contexts. Three methods of data acquisition were used, namely semi-structured interviews with information managers, a questionnaire survey of university repositories, and concept mapping of final theses. Data were analyzed and categorized in six categories: values, problems, community, tools, ecological elements, information literacy. Information strategies of universities should support collaboration and communication and conceptual infrastructure. Results confirmed importance of integrated approach, values, and tools (concept mapping) for learning and research. In conclusion an ecological model of digital library is presented (behavioral, semantic, and visual dimensions). Implications for digital scholarship are derived including ecological information strategies, and knowledge sharing. Benefits of ecological models of digital scholarship are interpreted as part of data-intensive science and science 2.0. New features of ecological digital libraries emerge from manipulations with scientific records, modeling of social networking, creative information strategies and roles of scholars. Ecological filtering based on conceptual modeling and digital objects management are sources for new digital scholarship framework.
Disclosed is an invention on a tabbing wire treatment device. The tabbing wire treatment device of the present invention comprises: a wire supplying apparatus which has a spool provided thereon; a wire pulling apparatus which unwinds a wire from the spool while pulling and moving the wire; a flux coating apparatus which is installed between the wire supplying apparatus and the wire pulling apparatus and coats flux on the wire; a wire cutting apparatus which is installed between the flux coating apparatus and the wire pulling apparatus and cuts the wire; and a wire transferring apparatus which transfers the cut wire toward a loading object.
It is important to understand how the outcome of an election can be modified by an agent with control over the structure of the election. Electoral control has been studied for many election systems, but for all these systems the winner problem is in P, and so control is in NP. There are election systems, such as Kemeny, that have many desirable properties, but whose winner problems are not in NP. Thus for such systems control is not in NP, and in fact we show that it is typically complete for ∑p2 (i.e., NPNP, the second level of the polynomial hierarchy). This is a very high level of complexity. Approaches that perform quite well for solving NP problems do not necessarily work for ∑p2-complete problems. However, answer set programming is suited to express problems in ∑p2, and we present an encoding for Kemeny control.
A proof system based on temporal logic is presented for proving properties of concurrent programs based on the shared-variables computation model. The system consists of three parts: the general uninterpreted part, the domain dependent part and the program dependent part. In the general part we give a complete proof system for first-order temporal logic with detailed proofs of useful theorems. This logic enables reasoning about general time sequences. The domain dependent part characterizes the special properties of the domain over which the program operates. The program dependent part introduces program axioms which restrict the time sequences considered to be execution sequences of a given program. The utility of the full system is demonstrated by proving invariance, liveness and precedence properties of several concurrent programs. Derived proof principles for these classes of properties are obtained and lead to a compact representation of proofs.
Variable Refrigerant Volume Ground Source Heat Pump(VRV-GSHP hereinafter)is a new energy-saving technology,using ground source heat pump as a heat source,and direct evaporative multi-line units as indoor terminal devices.An office building of Tianjin is selected as representative building,and VRV-GSHP system is compared by with two other traditional air conditioning systems.According to the comparison between VRV-GSHP system and other systems in energy consumption,initial costs,operation costs and maintenance and repair costs,the economy of the VRVGSHP system is elicited.
In order to avoid defects in traditional teaching and design of the Single Chip Microcomputer,searching for new ideas about the SCM and embedded system development,in this paper,PROTEUS was used for SCM system design and simulation's platform,a hardware interface circuit has been designed between AT89C51 microcontroller and typical LCD1602,at the same time,the corresponding driver was designed in the Keil development environment,and completed the software and hardware co-simulation and debugging in PROTEUS system. This design process is simple,convenient and it has greatly improved the designing efficiency and reduced the designing cost. In addition,the circuit and driver played a certain reference role in the corresponding practical application system.
The utility model discloses a warm air clothes dryer which comprises a main machine capable of generating warm air and a support tube. The warm air cloth dryer is characterized in that the support tube is provided with a clothes drying rack capable of rotating on the support tube; and the clothes drying rack can be driven to rotate by a rotating mechanism arranged on the support tube. The upper end of the support tube of the warm air clothes dryer is provided with the rotating mechanism capable of driving the clothes drying rack to rotate and the rotating mechanism can drive the clothes drying rack to rotate, so that clothes on the clothes drying rack can be evenly heated and rapidly dried. The utility model has high utilization ratio of warm air and is energy-saving.
Although it is technically possible to insert the standard stainless steel Greenfield filter (SGF) percutaneously using a 24 Fr. sheath, the incidence of insertion site venous thrombosis and the advantages of percutaneous technique have prompted the development of a titanium Greenfield filter (TGF) which can be inserted percutaneously through a 14 Fr. sheath or operatively. Clinical experience in 52 patients resulted in 51 placements (98%) with the majority below the renal veins (90%). One technical error resulted in caval penetration by the apex of the TGF without sequelae. One of the 19 deaths postinsertion was attributed to recurrent thromboembolism, and there was one additional event for a 4% recurrent embolism rate. At follow-up of 30 patients, averaging 5.2 months, all filters were patent and there were no proximal migrations. However, there was distal migration of 9-64 mm in 9 patients (30%) and tilting which increased from 8 patients at insertion to 12 at follow-up. Insertion site venous thrombosis occurred in 2 patients (7%) who were asymptomatic. Filter leg penetration of the vena cava was suspected in 9 patients (30%), but there were no clinical sequelae from this or the distal migrations. Since the clinical results of the TGF are comparable to the SGF, modifications of hook design should correct the tendency for wall penetration and distal migration.
The article series continued in between 28th of April to 31st of May 1936 and published during 23 issues of the newspaper called Son Posta cover the conducted interviews of the novelist and journalist Suat Dervis with the people living in the area called "Bogazici". During these articles Suat Dervis has visited Beylerbeyi, Cengelkoy, Vanikoy, Rasathane, Kandilli, Goksu, Anadoluhisari, Rumelihisari, Pasabahce, Cubuklu, Yenikoy, Istinye, Tarabya, Beykoz, Arnavutkoy and Bebek districts of Istanbul. During the interviews he had with the people who had been living in those areas for years, a comparison had been drawn between the recent cultural life and the cultural life in the past.
After a transient or permanent unilateral denervation of the soleus muscle of the rat changes were investigated of extra- and intrafusal muscle fibres of the denervated (reinnervated) muscle as well as its contralateral still innervated muscle. Those data which were obtained from normal muscles of uninjured rats served as control. The changes of permanent denervated muscles were clear and statistically significant. The extrafusal muscle fibres show a considerable atrophy. The nuclear-chain fibres exhibit a decrease of their calibres. The extent of this atrophy is not as pronounced as in extrafusal muscle fibres. The nuclear-bag fibres show 12 weeks after denervation a small atrophy (or pseudoatrophy) and 18 weeks after denervation a significant hypertrophy. At the same time the number of nuclear-bag fibres is increasing. Besides the increase in number of intrafusal muscle fibres per muscle spindle, a change is observed of proportion of both intrafusal fibre types in favour of nuclear-bag fibres. The hypertrophy and the increase in number of the nuclear-bag fibres are discussed in connection with their functional properties.
SUMMARY: Solid waste landfills worldwide are experiencing the consequences of conventional landfilling techniques, whereby the anaerobic conditions created within the landfill, promotes slow stabilization of the waste, methane gas production (a "greenhouse" gas), and generation of harmful leachate over long periods of time. As a solution, it has been demonstrated at two U.S. landfills that the aerobic degradation of waste within a landfill can rapidly increase the rate of waste decomposition and settlement, decrease the production of methane gas, improve leachate quality, and decrease the quantity of leachate that needs treatment. As a result of this increased "stabilization," not only can environment risks be reduced, but more waste can be placed in the airspace gained, thus extending the life of the landfill. In other cases, the landfills could instead be redeveloped for commercial activities, or mined to recover composted materials, undegraded plastics, metals, and glass. This approach of rapidly reducing risks followed by landfill reuse once mined, could lead to the development of “sustainable landfill” strategies for many countries.
PURPOSE: To readily and surely manage customers. CONSTITUTION: A member store function part 41 sends a member store name and a campaign name to an ID assignment function part 42. This function part 42 assigns IDs to the member store name, and the campaign name and outputs them to an encoding function part 44. A broadcasting function part 45 multiplexes the member store name ID and the campaign ID encoded by the encoding function part 44 into a sound signal to broadcast it. A decoding function part 52 of a receiver 10 decodes a signal received by a reception function part 51, to extract the member store name ID and the campaign ID and outputs them to a customer number assignment function part 46 together with the receiver ID of the receiver 10. The function part 46 discriminates the validity of the receiver ID, the member store ID, and the campaign ID and assigns a customer number correspondingly to the receiver ID, when they are valid. An anonymous customer management function part 48 sends the customer number assigned by the customer number assignment function part 46 to the member store function part 41 to make the function part 41 transfer a service, corresponding to the campaign ID to the reception function part 51 of the receiver 10 via an anonymous service management function part 50.
The along-strike depositional variability recorded in the coarse-grained parasequences that prograded into the Lower Cretaceous Boreal Seaway of Alberta is understudied. High-resolution facies analysis of subsurface core can be used to differentiate non-deltaic (strandplain) shoreface deposits from contemporaneous wave-dominated deltaic complexes. In the western part of the basin, facies are strongly overprinted by storm processes. Successions are dominated by sporadically burrowed, stacked sandy tempestites, passing upward into current ripple and trough cross-stratification, and capped by low-angle planar-stratified sandstones, pebbly sandstones and, locally, conglomerates. Subtle ichnological and sedimentological characteristics captured in units preserved between tempestites indicate the local presence of river-sediment influx. At point source locations, conglomerate beds are more abundant. Roughly time-equivalent strata lying along the southeastern margin of the basin exhibit a marked and progressive decrease in the degree of storm influence. Sandstones show laminated-toburrowed bedding with composite trace fossil suites attributable to the Skolithos Ichnofacies and the Cruziana Ichnofacies. Foreshore conglomerates are less abundant eastward, and the system appears more brackish. In these positions, storm influence is less effective in masking deltaic effects, and facies characteristics distinctive of river discharge can be discerned and applied to more strongly storm-influenced successions to the west. Understanding and predicting the along-strike variations in parasequence character will constitute an integral step towards understanding the distributions of economic oil and gas in the Boreal Seaway of central Alberta. In the west, in particular, point-source accumulations of fluvially supplied gravel can be better predicted by carefully delineating these deltaic influences.
The aim of this study was to explore the clinical e fficacy and safety of two different dosage regimens , gefitinib plus carboplatin versus gemcitabine plus carboplatin in the treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung carci noma (NSCLC). The control group received gemcitabine plu s carboplatin treatment while the experimental grou p received gefitinib plus carboplatin. The result dem onstrated that gefitinib plus carboplatin in the tr eatment of patients with advanced NSCLC was effective and safe , while further clinical investigation should be wa rranted.
A method allowing the detn. of heavy metal cations using miniaturized isotachophoresis was developed. Sepns. were performed using a chip milled from poly(Me methacrylate) with integrated Pt wire cond. detection electrodes. The use of miniaturized sepns. devices is particularly appropriate for anal. of toxic species, as both the vol. of sample required and the vol. of waste produced are reduced. Particular attention was paid to the detn. of Cd(II) ions. The method developed allowed Cd(II) to be detd. in the presence of other common metal cations including Ca, Mn(II), Co(II), Zn(II), Ni(II) and Pb(II). A limit of detection for Cd(II) is 9 * 10-6 M. [on SciFinder (R)]
An ooid-rich limestone band of Sillakkudi Formation is encountered in a well section near Ariyalur. The ooids are believed to be deposited in a marine regime. They contain berthierine as the major mineral and haematite, siderite and quartz as minor minerals. They exhibit alternate rings of berthierine and haematite which shows that these minerals were developed under changing physico-chemical conditions. In the present paper, the petrographical characters, mineralogy, origin and depositional environment of the ooids are discussed.
A MATHEMATICAL METHOD FOR MEASURING OBJECTIVELY THE RESTRAINT IMPOSED UPON HIGHWAY TRAFFIC OPERATION BY TOLL BRIDGES IS PRESENTED. A FORMULA IS DEVELOPED FOR MEASURING THE MONETARY VALUE PLACED UPON TIME BY THE COMPOSITE MOTORIST. THE APPLICATION OF THE FORMULA DEPENDS UPON A MEASUREMENT OF SPHERE OF INFLUENCE OF ADJACENT FREE AND TOLL BRIDGES, TOLL RATE, AND RATES OF VEHICULAR SPEEDS IN THE AREA STUDIED. CONVERSELY, THE FORMULA MAY BE USED TO DETERMINE THE SPHERE OF INFLUENCE OF THE TOLL FACILITY WHEN THE MONETARY VALUE OF TIME IS GIVEN. THE METHOD PRESENTED COMPREHENDS THE ANALYSIS OF TIME AND DELAY STUDIES, CORRELATED TO ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SURVEYS MADE BEFORE AND AFTER FREEING TOLL FACILITIES. A NUMBER OF SPECIFIC CASES WERE STUDIED DURING 1946 BY THE PLANNING DIVISION OF THE STATE ROAD COMMISSION OF WEST VIRGINIA TO DEVELOP A RESERVOIR OF EXPERIENCE. AN INTERPRETATION OF THE ANALYSES OF CASES STUDIED (OF WHICH THIS PAPER PRESENTS BUT ONE CASE) INDICATES THAT: (1) EACH TOLL FACILITY HAS ITS OWN PECULIAR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE AS DETERMINED BY FACTORS WHICH INCLUDE TOLL RATE AND SPEEDS OF TRAVEL IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA, TOGETHER WITH ITS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT. (2) EACH TOLL FACILITY EXERTS ITS OWN PECULIAR INFLUENCE UPON HIGHWAY TRAVEL WITH RESPECT TO DIVERTED, BARRED, STRANDED AND USER TRAFFIC. (3) EACH TOLL BRIDGE IS INHERENTLY PROTECTED IF SUFFICIENT DISTANCE AND TRAVEL TIME SEPARATES IT FROM THE NEXT ADJACENT BRIDGE. (4) TIME COST, IT APPEARS, IS A VARIABLE DEPENDENT UPON INDIVIDUAL DRIVER JUDGMENT, TIME OF TRIP (HOUR AND DAY), TOGETHER WITH ECONOMIC DEMANDS UPON AND ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT OF MOTORIST. (5) ORIGIN AND DESTINATION SURVEYS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH TIME DELAY STUDIES, FURNISH VERY PRECISE INSTRUMENTS FOR MEASURING SPHERE OF INFLUENCE, LINES OF EQUITY, VALUES OF VEHICLE TIME, AND DIVERSION OF TRAFFIC. /AUTHOR/
This paper explains general system model of reverse engineering, and a new reverse engineering system model of mechanical product 3D modeling based on partial surface reconstructing is presented.In this system,the 3D model can be reconstructed directly based on volume data.This method makes the realization of reverse engineering more simple and efficient.Moreover, this paper analyses the basic principle and the key technology of the direct volume rendering based on ray tracing method,and also, a new intersecting algorithm in ray tracing method to realize volume rendering is given. The result shows that this algorithm is superior in efficiency and it is import to push ahead with the research on reverse engineering.
This paper analyses the characteristics and advantages of instructional video in the Extractive Course,points out the existent problems appeared in the instructional video in Online-course at present,and on that basis sets up an evaluation indicator system of instructional video including teaching quality,picture quality and technical quality. Moreover,it makes an evaluation indicator system,with some personal advices further,to promote the development of the instructional video in Online-course and to provide some references.
In this report, we will present the organic-inorganic hybrid molecular films prepared in our group and their applications in chemical sensors and biosensors.Many types of multi-layered films have been prepared in an alternatively assembled organic-inorganic and layer-by-layer manner. We will focus on the alternatively organized organic surfactant and metal-complex films and their conversion into electrocatalytically active films. Especially, we will demonstrate the preparation of bifunctional films for the detection of two different but correlated species, such as nitric oxide and oxygen, in biomedia.
Comformity to law of the troop landing in the system blood stream of cytokines and moleculares of adhesion for the patients operated concerning the chasse of stomach of both gullet and change of immune status for patients with insolvency of guy-sutures of oesophageal anastomoses have been investigated. It allowed in the preoperated period to educe patients that is included in a high-risk of development of festering-septic complications group.
Morocco is oftentimes praised by academics, development workers, and women’s rights activists as a trailblazer for the empowerment of women in the Middle East and North African region. Its reforms in the realm of family legislation and progress made in human development place the country at the helm of liberalising Arab Muslim-majority societies, even more so after the Arab Spring and Morocco’s peaceful transition to a ‘new’ constitutional order. However, a closer look at women’s rights discourses, legal reforms, its texts and implementation, and the public attitudes towards the enhancement of women’s rights reveals a less empowering situation. The purported goals of the Family Code, as the extolled document showcasing Morocco’s attempt at ameliorating (married) women’s rights, of ‘doing justice to women’ while ‘preserving men’s dignity’ mask the reformed law’s reconsolidation of patriarchal family relations. Many legal grey areas within this particular law, as well as clashing principles emanating from other laws such as the Penal Code, allow judges and the ʿaduls (religious notaries) to exercise discretion and apply the law as they see fit and, to a large extent, as it conforms to their and the community’s vision of the ideal moral order. Moreover, because ‘doing justice to women’ affects men’s and family’s honour, the project of the enhancement of women’s rights has had as a result retraditionalisation of family relations and hierarchical gender structures. Nowhere is this more poignant than in the status of educated single adult girls from provincial areas. They may be poster girls for the development community, but they are pitied by their own communities because they fail to become complete women––married (non-employed) mothers. The story of Morocco’s professed progress is a story of empowering its citizens, but one which does so on paper only. It is also a story which hides the salient details of poorly written reformed laws, obstructed access to justice, continuing widespread misogyny, material poverty and social marginalisation, and cohesive socio-economic programmes, which are rarely followed through.
A new combination system of thermogravimetry/differential thermal analyzer-solid phase microex-tration-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(TG/DTA-SPME-GC-MS) was designed on the basis of the adsorption theory of SPME in nonequilibrium situations.A new sampling method at different temperature ranges for TG/DTA-SPME-GC-MS was established to study the pyrolysis behavior of protocatechuic aldehyde. Identification and monitoring of the evolved behavior of 10 pyrolysis products from the pyrolysis at flowing helium of 200 mL/min and heating rate of 10℃/min and the migration of protocatechuic aldehyd was carried out between 140 and 380℃to test the combination system and verify the analytical method.Results show that TG/DTA-SPME-GC-MS has obvious advantages in the analysis of complex pyrolysis products.The combination system has high reliability and can be used for the study of pyrolysis behavior.The relative standard deviations(RSDs)(n=5) calculated from the chromatogram peak areas of pyrolytic products are all lower than 10%.
The relationship between migration and income distribution is an important phenomena. There are two types of migration: internal (in migration) and external (out migration). Both of them are because of politic, economic and social reasons. Here both of them are considered inside Turkey. Data is chosen from 2008-2012 periods for the 12 statistically divided regions in Turkey. Following the Panel unit root test, panel least square methods is used for the empirical part. As to result, it is concluded that for the 2008-2012 periods, migration has an adjusting role for 12 statistical regions in Turkey.
This research was to investigate the effects of process parameter that is cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and machining time on the response variables in turning AISI 8660 material using whisker reinforced ceramic cutting tool. Cutting tools are weak and there is continuous effort to improving their performance and wear characteristics so that different grades of materials with varied degree of hardness are machined at minimal cost and economies of production can be realized during machining. This study investigated the rate tool wear and the cutting forces involved during the machining process. High speed machine lathe (Type: MORESEKI) was used on which a three force component dynamometer was mounted on the tool post to measure the cutting forces involved during the machining process. A Toolmakers microscope (model no: 80091) was used to measure the tool flank wear (VB) and the maximum tool wear recorded was 0.27mm and occurred at approximately 3.0 minutes during the machining process. Design of Experiment based on Taguchi technique was developed to obtain the experimental data. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the data by developing 3D surface plots, contour plots and Main effects plots for Signal to Noise Ratio. The residuals plots analysis for cutting force revealed a normal probability plot for the data used indicating a close fit to the best of line. The histogram indicated 80% and 10% as the highest and lowest frequency for the cutting force. The optimal cutting conditions for toolwear were obtained at v = 158.28 mm/min, f = 1.116mm/rev, d = 1.38mm, and t = 2min with the process having a high composite desirability at 0.8557. The high composite desirability means that the process variable satisfies the target goals which are minimizing cutting forces and toolwear and that SiC whisker reinforced cutting is the recommended tool when machining this material.
Paraquat (PQ) overdose can cause acute lung injury and death. Ozone therapy (OT) was previously demonstrated to alleviate inflammation and necrosis in various pathologies. We therefore hypothesized that OT has ameliorative and preventive effects on PQ-induced lung damage due to anti-inflammatory and antioxidants properties. Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 24) were separated into three groups: sham, PQ, and PQ+OT groups. 15 mg/kg PQ was administered intraperitoneally in PQ and PQ+OT groups to induce experimental lung injury. One hour after PQ treatment, PQ+OT group was administered a single dose of ozone–oxygen mixture (1 mg/kg/day) by intraperitoneal route for four consecutive days. The animals were sacrificed on fifth day after PQ administration. Blood samples and lung tissues were collected to evaluate the inflammatory processes, antioxidant defense and pulmonary damage. Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and neopterin levels, tissue oxidative stress parameters, total TGF-β1 levels, and histological injury scores in PQ+OT group were significantly lower than PQ group (P<0.05, PQ vs. PQ+OT). Total antioxidant capacity in PQ+OT group was significantly higher than PQ group (P < 0.05, PQ+OT vs. PQ). These findings suggest that outcome in PQ-induced lung injury may be improved by using OT as an adjuvant therapy.
The invention discloses a system for improving generating efficiency of cogeneration equipment and a method of the system. The system comprises a boiler, a turbonator, a condenser, a water cooling tower, a deaerator, two low-pressure heat exchangers and a distributed control system. The boiler is connected with the turbonator, the deaerator, the two low-pressure heat exchangers and the condenser are respectively connected with the turbonator, and the condenser is sequentially connected with the two low-pressure heat exchangers and the boiler. A circulation loop is formed by the water cooling tower and the condenser. A cooling fan is arranged at the top end of the water cooling tower. The distributed control system is used for collecting, storing and analyzing operating parameters of the whole system. According to the system, the generating efficiency of the turbonator can be improved by adjusting operating modes of a fan on the basis of not changing original cogeneration system equipment of enterprises, and production cost is saved.
We employ fault tree design form to analyze the accident of passenger platform falling with system engineering,which is based on the data from Beijing subway from 2004 to 2008.Analyzing results show that the accident probability of passenger platform falling depends on platform management policies and platform pilot facilities in the conditions of no screen door and no passenger involvement reason.The paper is favorable for awareness increase against many such accident caused elements and can provide a theoretical reference for the analysis of operational security management.
It is the only way to adapt the deployable and segmented mirrors for space telescope with large aperture and high image resolution.Owing to the restoration error,the deployed segmented mirrors would yield piston error and figure error which will degrade the optical performance.How to determine the limited freedoms for correction of restoration error is a very important.The influence of the restoration error of segmented mirrors to figure error is studied by computer simulation.The results show that the restoration error not only depends on the accuracy of the deployable mechanism,but also depends on the geometric parameters of the segmented mirrors.
Kitandu A., R. Juranova: Progress in Control Measures for Chicken Coccidiosis. Acta Vet. Brno 2006, 75: 265-276. For many years, prophylactic use of anticoccidial drugs has been the primary means of controlling chicken coccidiosis in broiler industry and has played a major role in the growth of this industry. Also the use of live vaccines is well established in the control of the disease. Three groups of live vaccines can be distinguished based on the characteristics of the Eimeria species included in the product: vaccines based on live virulent strains, vaccines based on live attenuated strains, vaccines based on live strains that are relatively tolerant to the ionophores, and non-live subunit vaccines. The mounting problem of drug resitance of Eimeria species has prompted major research efforts to seek alternative means of control through increased knowledge of understanding the immunomodulation, natural-product feed additives, advances in live and recombinant vaccines. This article reviews the above mentioned methods in control of chicken coccidiosis. Chickens, anticoccidial drugs, vaccines, immunomodulators, Eimeria, immunity
The ViscoLine Annular heat exchanger (VLA) is a four annular concentric tube heat exchanger from Alfa Laval AB designed for processing mainly food products like purees. These type of uids are highly viscous and known as non-Newtonian.  The VLA unit is a commercialized product although there is lack of information of  how does the heat exchanger work with precision and thus, only rough estimations  based on experience can be done for simulating the VLA behavior.  In this project, a model of the VLA considering both heat transfer and pressure drops has been developed in order to obtain a reliable model of how the heat exchanger  behaves when using non-Newtonian uids so it can further be used for commercial purposes within Alfa Laval AB.  In parallel, tests on the VLA heat exchanger using the available uids; water and oil which are Newtonian uids, have been carried out to prove the validity of the elaborated code. These tests have been run in two different units. From an analysis on the results obtained from the code evaluation and a proper characterization of the non-Newtonian uids, the behavior of these uids in the VLA can be simulated.  The results of this should conclude in a general correlation for the ViscoLine Annular  heat exchanger when dealing with non-Newtonian uids.  The model has been validated with regard to heat transfer. Pressure drop calculations  agree with the measurements but there are issues that need to be followed closely: the singular pressure drop coe cients ( factors), the wall viscosity effect and the pressure drop calculations in one of the units.
Hollow slab and half slab are applied to many structures in accordance with increase of demand for high-rise buildings because of recent phenomenon of urban overcrowding. In case of using a hollow slab as flooring system, the weight of slab would be reduced so that economical construction could be possible. Using the half slab in floor system makes the deflection of half slab relatively less than general slab as well as it is more advantageous for minimizing cracking. So if these two systems apply at the same time, the better floor system could be created due to the advantages of them. Accordingly, a few researches are conducted about hollow half slab which has advantages of these two floor systems. Therefore, in this study, the flexural capacity of one-way hollow slab and one-way hollow half slab are analyzed and compared for usability of one-way hollow half slab.
ALA,EPA and DHA are included in n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids,which rooting in flax seeds,walnut,soybean and halobios.Increasing dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids intake can prompt retina,brain and nerve system developing.n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids(PUFA) can decrease the rate of cardiovascular disease and inflammation,as well as level of LDL-C and triglyceride of diabetes mellitus.Increasing dietary n-3 PUFA contents have assistant treatment efficacy for cardiovascular disease,diabetes mellitus and inflammation patients.n-3 PUFA have effect on nerve cell,and have curative effect on major depression and schizophrenia as well.n-PUFA can inhibit hyperplasia of galactophore,prostate and colon tumour cell cultured invitro,and promote apoptosis.
The tetracyclines are effective in the treatment of Chlamydia, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and rickettsial infections and may also be used for gonococcal infections in patients unable to tolerate penicillins. These drugs may cause gastrointestinal irritation, photo-toxic dermatitis, diarrhea, vestibular damage, and hepatotoxicity in pregnant women. Chloramphenicol is used primarily for anaerobic infections, Haemophilus influenzae meningitis, and typhoid fever. The most important toxic effect of chloramphenicol is bone marrow suppression, which can be dose related or idiosyncratic. Erythromycin is the drug of choice for the treatment of infections caused by M. pneumoniae, Legionella species, group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The frequency of serious untoward effects associated with the use of erythromycin is low; epigastric distress may occur. Clindamycin is active against Bacteroides fragilis and other anaerobic microorganisms. Pseudomembranous enterocolitis has developed in as many as 10% of patients taking this drug. The use of clindamycin should be discontinued promptly if diarrhea occurs.
The present invention is a method for manufacturing a tailored sheet metal strip (12), at least one sheet metal strip having a substantially flat surface (1) is at least one metal along its longitudinal edges additional web-shaped semifinished product (2) to be integrally joined, said at least one further web-shaped semifinished product (2), at least one of its characteristics, the at least one sheet metal strip (1 ) and different, at least one sheet metal strip (1) and said at least one further web-shaped semifinished product (2) is continuously fed to at least one joining station (10), three-dimensional structure (2.1), the cavities form, and / or multiple recesses (2.2) and / or web-shaped semi-complete with holes (2.3, 2.4) for continuously along its longitudinal edges Finished products (2), a manufacturing method that is used as the at least one further web-shaped semifinished product, which is fed to the bonding station (10) (2). Methods for performing the above methods are claimed in the appended claims. .FIELD 1
INTRODUCTION Between 10-69% of women may have been physically or sexually assaulted by a partner at some stage, with assault rates against men reported at about a quarter of the rate against women. In at least half of people studied, the problem lasts for 5 years or more. Women reporting intimate partner violence (IPV) are more likely than other women to complain of poor physical or mental health, and of disability.   METHODS AND OUTCOMES We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of interventions initiated by healthcare professionals aimed at female victims of intimate partner violence? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to July 2008 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review).   RESULTS We found 25 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.   CONCLUSIONS In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: advocacy; career counselling plus critical consciousness awareness; cognitive behavioural counselling; cognitive trauma therapy; counselling; nurse support and guidance; peer support groups; safety planning; and shelters.
Quantification of X-chromosome inactivation patterns (XCIPs) using PCR amplification of the human androgen receptor (HUMARA) locus is potentially valuable in a range of haematological disorders. Of 236 females screened, 203 (86%) were heterozygous. For quantitative XCIPs it was necessary to limit the number of PCR cycles to 20 to reduce preferential amplification of shorter alleles. The optimized PCR method was compared with Southern blotting results using either PGK, HPRT or M27beta in 51 haematologically normal females and blast cells from 27 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Reproducible XCIP results were obtained in all 78 samples using digestion with Hpa II prior to amplification (median difference in duplicate values 3%, range 0-17%) and they correlated well with Southern blotting results, r=0.966. Greater variability was observed in the results using Hha I digestion (median difference 4%, range 0-48%). There were marked inconsistencies in repeated analyses of three AML samples and although the HUMARA-Hha I results correlated well overall with Southern blotting in the remaining 75 samples (r=0.922), in nine samples there were still discrepancies with > or = 20% difference between the two values. These results suggest that PCR analysis of the HUMARA locus in Hpa II-digested DNA is suitable for the quantification of XCIPs in haematological samples but results with Hha I should be treated with caution.
In the present study we tested the suitability of classification trees for plant identification purposes. A Classification And Regression Tree (CART) analysis was performed on a combination of dimension and shape parameters of 613 endocarps belonging to five closely related Eurasian plum taxa (Prunus cerasifera, P. domestica, P. insititia, P. spinosa, and P. xfruticans). The classification tree, obtained on 408 randomly chosen training samples, yielded high (> 85%) classification accuracy for all taxa studied. The overall high classification probability of the 205 remaining test samples (89.9%) confirmed the applicability of the constructed classification tree to separate the Eurasian plum taxa studied based on endocarp morphometrics only. Similarly to the findings of LINDBLADH et al. (2002), the present study demonstrated the applicability of CART for the separation of morphologically very similar Prumus taxa based on a limited number of characters. Therefore, we recommend this technique for future identification objectives and taxonomic purposes of closely related taxa with subtle morphological differences.
An investigation of the effect of changing the cooling distance during the draw-texturing of nylon and polyester-fibre yarns is reported; it is shown that, as the cooling distance is increased, the crimp rigidity of nylon yarns first increases to a maximum value and then decreases, whereas for polyester-fibre yarns the crimp contraction continues to increase as the cooling distance increases. An investigation of the effects of the cooling distance on other properties such as crimp stability and dye shade, is also reported.
This paper begins by describing the medium and small machinery manufacturing enterprises MRO features, and then as a basis for analysis of medium and small machinery manufacturing enterprises MRO procurement model to be broadly the existing situation and existing problems. For the issues into the procurement of spare parts production enterprises pull a two-stage decision-making model and, based on the characteristics of small and medium enterprises have been amended. Concludes with a slow flow of spare parts and fast moving spare parts in different situations, alternative procurement method for decision-making.
Some features of the Witwatersrand tailings dams emerged, first during the development of methods for their vegetation (largely to prevent erosion by wind), and secondly during the development of bacterial leaching techniques for the recovery of uranium, that assist in understanding how the products of the oxidation of pyrite migrate into the biosphere. The paper by Nengovhela et al. (2006) gives an excellent framework, and I believe that if the additional features that are presented here are added to their framework, the result will be a reasonably complete picture.
To establish the changes induced by ionizing radiation on the composition of peripheral white rat embryos, the anti mals were subjected to whole-body x-ray radiation of 200 r at various stages of their pregnancy which resulted in leucopenia within 24 hours. The blood of the prenatally irradiated animals was analyzed at various periods ranging from 1 to 30 days after birth for hemoglobin, erythrocytes and leucocytes. The results indicated a sharp change when the irradiation took place on the 18th day of the intrauterine development: at birth, 5 days later, and for a period afterward the animals show symptoms of radiation sickness including diarrhea, leucopenia and anemia. Irradiation before the 18th day of pregnancy seems to affect the mother; after that period it interferes directly with the bloodforming organs. (TTT)
This doctoral dissertation analyzes practices of looking within popular culture during the late nineteenth century. Visual attractions, illustrated press and traveling amusement shows included representations of social ills, such as poverty, criminality and prostitution. These representations were criticized in the Swedish public debate, because of their presumed negative impact on society. They were considered “far too realistic” and thus demoralizing, allegedly causing faulty ideals and creating inaccurate understandings of society. However, others emphasized the importance of beholding images, tableaus and depictions of this kind. I argue that by governing vision, certain practices of looking enabled otherwise problematic representations to become a valuable resource.While the governing of vision in educational contexts has been frequently analyzed, the way in which vision was also governed in popular culture is less well understood. This is not surprising. At the time, it was often assumed that popular culture endangered the attentive spectator, generating an uncaring, detached mind. In addition, popular culture contained various representations of social ills, which were not educational in any obvious way. However, I argue that even these representations were potentially instructional. They were part of the creation of an orderly, responsible citizen – aware of the social problems generated by the rapidly developing society and aware of his or her responsibility to actively engage in their solutions. Hence, I argue that the governing of vision within popular culture became a means of social reform during the late nineteenth century.
A sensitive, reproducible and rapid method for the spectrophotometric determination of thiocyanate, the metabolite of sodium nitroprusside, was developed. Acetonitrile was used to remove protein in the serum. Uniform design technique was used in arranging the experiments and choosing the reaction conditions between thiocyanate and ferric nitrate reagent. The wavelength of maximum absorption was 456 nm, the calibration curve of SCN- was linear in the range of 1.68-13.4 micrograms/ml (r = 0.9999), the relative average recovery of thiocyanate was 94.0%. The day-to-day and within-day relative standard deviations were less than 4.0% (n = 8) and 3.2% (n = 10) respectively. The limit of determination was 0.3 microgram/ml. Drugs such as lidocaine, etc. presented no interference on the determination.
With the society’s development and the expansion of postgraduate enrollment scale, the postgraduates' CPC construction has become an important part of current CPC construction in universities, simultaneously the high proportion of postgraduate party members, and the diversification and socialization of thought make postgraduates’ CPC construction in universities more and more difficult day by day. This paper in view of the characteristics of current postgraduates’ CPC construction in universities, made the sampling questionnaire survey to some postgraduate Party members and in seven universities of Chongqing, and analyzes the status quo of postgraduates’ CPC construction in universities. This paper analyzes the results of the investigation in depth, and puts forward some corresponding countermeasures and suggestions.
There is a strong need to examine the importance of education in african leaders and the role played by education in decisions made by leaders in Africa. Public sector institutions globally, are the hope for the citizens or communities for their needs.The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between poor public service delivery in Africa and lack of education especially economic governance education from african leaders. Africa as the continent is rich in mineral resources but lack of effective leaders who are willing to transform Africa by ensuring that the African economy is developed for Africans. Education status of the African leaders is not a prerequisite for candidates to stand for election in any political leadership position and subsequently into some government positions. Education lays a foundation for individuals to understand policies and it is important for political leaders to have a background of what does it take to hold a senior position in government structure.  This paper concludes that political leaders in Africa must have a specific educational background. Candidates must contest political position only if they have specific education qualification and this will minimize political killings and reduce the number of contestants. Findings of this paper are based on the quantitative approached used to analyse the education level of African leaders. The results and conclusions made in this paper show that there is a gap between the demands of the people and the capacity to deliver by african leaders. Public sector institutions in Africa must be led by people who have tertiary qualifications and clear understanding of government administration and economy.
The famous Swahili carved doors, which are also known as Zanzibar carved doors, are important art objects of the Swahili coast which runs from Mogadishu in Somalia to adjacent places such as Madagascar, Comoros, Zanzibar, Pemba, Bagamoyo and Lamu. However, much of the discussion in the literature on the doors lack a framework for analysis to enable the average reader as well as an art student to follow the argumentation and elucidation systematically. This paper adopts a framework for the analysis of artworks conceived by Prof. Elias Jengo in his several lectures on traditional as well as contemporary art. The framework is made up of four interrelated components such as patronage, stylistic characteristics, social functions and the media. We shall use these in our analysis of the carved doors.
This paper describes a general transform to reduce the variance of the Monte Carlo estimate of some desired solution, such as ux or biological dose. This transform implicitly includes many standard variance reduction techniques, including source biasing, collision biasing, the exponential transform for path-length stretching, and weight windows. Rather than optimizing each of these techniques separately or choosing semi-empirical biasing parameters based on the experience of a seasoned Monte Carlo practitioner, this General Transform unites all these variance techniques to achieve one objective: a distribution of Monte Carlo particles that attempts to optimize the desired solution. Specically, this transform allows Monte Carlo particles to be distributed according to the user’s specication by using information obtained from a computationally inexpensive deterministic simulation of the problem. For this reason, we consider the General Transform to be a hybrid Monte Carlo/Deterministic method. The numerical results conrm that the General Transform distributes particles according to the user-specied distribution and generally provide reasonable results for shielding applications.
Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the alternation in brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity(baPWV)in lower-limb arteries among diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease(PAD).Methods One hundred and two healthy control subjects and 101 type 2 diabetic patients including those with PAD were admitted.Ankle-brachial index(ABI)and baPWV were also measured with Japanese VS-1000 arteriosclerosis diagnometer.Results Diabetic patients without PAD showed a higher baPWV than healthy control subjects(median 1 640 vs.1 110 cm/s,P0.05).However,among diabetic patients with PAD,baPWV was lower in the affected legs than in the non-affected legs(median 1 300 vs.1 650 cm/s,P0.05).The PAD group showed reduction in both baPWV and ABI compared with the non-PAD group in the same age categories(median 1 300 vs.1 640 cm/s;0.8 vs.1.1,P0.05).The absolute right-left difference in baPWV for diabetic patients with PAD was higher than the non-PAD subjects(P0.05).In diabetic patients with PAD,the absolute right-left difference in baPWV showed an inverse correlation with ABI(rs=-0.586,P0.05).Conclusions The baPWV is increased in diabetic patients,whereas it is decreased in the affected legs in diabetic patients with PAD.The absolute right-left difference in baPWV may diagnose PAD.
Experimental data on HoBiCaT SRF photoinjector give an emittance which is much larger than the predicted for the idealized setup. Modeling of photocathode RF gun beams with the different imperfections of experimental setup (alignment errors, inhomogeneity of quantum efficiency and laser power distributions on the cathode) is given. The main reason for the beam emittance dilution is photocathode field imperfections induced by field emitters that change the local electric field. Some field models of such photocathodes are tested in the simulations. The dependence of photocathode beam currents on the surface electric field was measured with the HoBiCaT SRF Photoinjector. The dependence can be explained by the tunneling effect described by Fowler-Nordheim like equation and is difficult to explain with the Schottky effect.
Fig. 1 shows one-dimensional spectral analysis of high-resolution surface elevation data (Satellite Radar TransferMission, Rodriguez et al. (2005)) along the northern latitude 45 N, i.e. variance of surface height as a function ofhorizontal scale. There is variance in all scales from one hundred metres to about 15 thousand kilometres and thelargest variance is connected with the largest scales. In the orography spectrum, it may be possible to ﬁnd powerlaws, showing dependency of the height variance on horizontal wave-number (k). However, there are no theoreticalreasonstoexpectaspeciﬁcdependencyone.g. k
BACKGROUND Acute subdural hematoma is usually associated with cerebral contusion or laceration of the bridging veins following a head injury. However, several cases of acute subdural hematoma without head injury (acute spontaneous subdural hematoma) have been reported.   METHODS Among 162 cases of acute subdural hematoma admitted to our departments between 1996 and 2003, we repoort eight cases of acute spontaneous subdural hematoma. These cases fulfilled the following criteria. 1) Head injury was either trivial or absent. 2) Neither aneurysm nor arteriovenous malformation was apparent. 3) CT scan revealed neither brain contusion nor traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. 4) At operation, laceration of the cortical artery was observed. In this article, we describe the clinical feature (age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] Score on admission, past history, CT appearance, and outcome) associated with this condition.   RESULTS Patients ranged in age from 68 to 85 years (average 74.8 years), and were comprised of 3 males and 5 females. Previous medical history included cerebral infarction in 6 of the 8 patients and myocardial infarction in 1 patient. These seven patients were taking antiplatelet manifestation. GCS on admission ranged from 4 to 13. Five of the 7 patients on antiplatelet medication had secondary insults, such as hypoxia. On CT, hematoma thickness ranged from 13.2mm to 42.5mm (average 22.6mm), and midline shift ranged from 10.0mm to 24.0mm (average 16.5mm). Neurological outcome evaluated using the Glasgow Outcome Scale was as follows, good recovery n = 2, moderate disability n = 2, severe disability n = 3, persistent vegetative state n = 1.   CONCLUSION The mechanism of acute spontaneous subdural hematoma is influenced by the presence of pre-existing cerebrovascular disease and by the use of antiplatelet agents. In such cases, the possibility of cortical arterial bleeding should be taken into account, and craniotomy should be performed.
Job scheduling are able to give full play to the grid properties of key technologies.Based on the SaaS model of software project estimates Electronics(SaasBudget)to provide users with a dynamic,real-time,high-availability software platform budget.SaasBudget based on Globus Toolkit 4 grid platform implementation,the use of grid computing to provide powerful performance and distributed processing capabilities Major projects for budgetary calculations are presented.Through the Globus job scheduling mechanism,designed SaasBudget system job scheduling system.experimental results show that the job scheduling system be able to consider the mission and the General characteristics of computing nodes and the current mission in accordance with the operation of real-time adjustments,effectively improved the job scheduling efficiency,greatly improving the utilization of grid resources.
Modern medicine is based on essential diagnosis of disease by clinical symptoms. At same time, neuroprotective measures must be started before the appearance of clinical findings, as neuronal death should be terminated in earlier stages of its development. Revealing preclinical and earlier markers by histochemical interactions of Monoclonal Mouse Bcl-2 and P53, which affect ischemic accidents in the Central Nervous System (CNS), at least partially resolves this problem. In our research, we use dynamic analyses of two comparative groups to reveal that protective mechanisms of the CNS are activated and have significant effects on the interaction of natural, pharmacologically-activated actions. They are plexiformed, and together lead to effective complex processes, such as the conservation and reorganisation of nervous tissue.
Student evaluation is an important tool in higher level learning environments. A shift in higher education from physical classrooms and course evaluations towards more web-based learning environments and evaluation methods has posed challenges for many educational institutions, including the University of Wisconsin-Consortium (UWC) MBA Program, which has experienced lower than desired response rates to its webbased course evaluations. A modified evaluation format increased response rates from 42% to 48%.
Concerning twenty forearms of fresh cadavers, the authors describe a cutaneous flap irrigated by a radial artery whose ligature is without consequence on the vascularization of the hand. They specify the margins of the flap, its vascularization and innervation. They also specify the anatomical sacrifices necessary to its dissection and the different bony and tendinous elements which it is possible to include to form a complex osteo-musculo-cutaneous flap.
Eleven insecticides were detected from surface and ground water samples collected from Challaghatta valley, Bangalore. While no residue was found in corporation water, around 54​%, 45​%, 45​% and 27​% of Open and Bore wells, Lakes and sewage samples resp., were contaminated. The concn. of endosulfan, DDT and HCH-​isomers and cypermethrin in groundwater is in excess of permissible limit of 0.1 i g​/L, the source being industrial and domestic wastes dumped into the open sewerage system. Interestingly more residues and frequent presence of a-​endosulfan, a-​endosulfan and absence of endosulfan sulfate suggest fresh input of pesticides in groundwater through sewage. The concn. of DDT in sewage is in the range of 3.97 to 4.1μg​/L and, its analog DDD was not obsd. Detected frequencies of DDE and DDT in groundwater are totally different, indicating that in the groundwater, source of DDE is the aged and weathered agricultural soil. The signature of DDT is the consequence of its recent use in the Pinakini, Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi River catchments.
From 1978/79 onwards, eleven influxes of East Atlantic Light-bellied Brent Geese  Branta bernicla hrota were recorded in the Netherlands, to the south of their regular wintering areas in northern Denmark and northeast England. During most influxes,  c. 3–6% of the total population occurred in the Netherlands, but large influxes in 1995/96 and 2010/11 involved as many as 800–907 individuals, i.e. 18% and 11% of the flyway population respectively. Core wintering sites within the Netherlands were in the southwest Wadden Sea, in the northern part of Noord-Holland and in the Delta area in the southwest of the country. The first two of these areas are thought to have been more regular wintering areas for Light-bellied Brent Geese in the first part of the 20th century, although good documentation on numbers is lacking. The highest number recorded at a single site was 245 birds in Polder Kimswerd/Eendracht, Friesland, in December 2010. The distribution pattern was similar during all influxes, indicating traditional site use by the wintering flocks. Winters with peak numbers in the Netherlands show a significant, negative correlation with average daily temperatures at the Danish wintering sites. During prolonged and/or heavy cold spells, feeding conditions in Denmark deteriorate due to ice- or snow cover, making both aquatic and agricultural food resources unavailable and forcing birds to depart; this was confirmed by count data from Denmark. In 1995/96, phenological patterns and sightings of marked birds also indicated an influx from birds from the wintering site at Lindisfarne in the UK, but this could not be confirmed for more recent winters. Sightings of marked birds showed that at least some birds (eight out of 34 observed individuals) were involved in successive influxes; in non-influx years they were seen regularly at wintering sites further up the flyway as well as on breeding sites at Svalbard. The regular patterns of influxes, the traditional use of particular sites during influx years and repeated observations of the same individuals at these sites (which may transfer knowledge of alternative wintering sites in the Netherlands to their offspring, indicated by ringed birds being seen with their goslings) illustrates that the Netherlands should be considered as a regular hard weather winter refuge for the sub-species. Appropriate measures therefore should be taken to include these sites within the national Natura 2000 network.
In this review, we provide an update on the current and future applications of saliva for diagnostic purposes. There are many advantages of using saliva as a biofluid. Its collection is fast, easy, inexpensive, and non-invasive. In addition, saliva, as a “mirror of the body,” can reflect the physiological and pathological state of the body. Therefore, it serves as a diagnostic and monitoring tool in many fields of science such as medicine, dentistry, and pharmacotherapy. Introduced in 2008, the term “Salivaomics” aimed to highlight the rapid development of knowledge about various “omics” constituents of saliva, including: proteome, transcriptome, micro-RNA, metabolome, and microbiome. In the last few years, researchers have developed new technologies and validated a wide range of salivary biomarkers that will soon make the use of saliva a clinical reality. However, a great need still exists for convenient and accurate point-of-care devices that can serve as a non-invasive diagnostic tool. In addition, there is an urgent need to decipher the scientific rationale and mechanisms that convey systemic diseases to saliva. Another promising technology called liquid biopsy enables detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and fragments of tumor DNA in saliva, thus enabling non-invasive early detection of various cancers. The newly developed technology—electric field-induced release and measurement (EFIRM) provides near perfect detection of actionable mutations in lung cancer patients. These recent advances widened the salivary diagnostic approach from the oral cavity to the whole physiological system, and thus point towards a promising future of salivary diagnostics for personalized individual medicine applications including clinical decisions and post-treatment outcome predictions. Impact statement The purpose of this mini-review is to make an update about the present and future applications of saliva as a diagnostic biofluid in many fields of science such as dentistry, medicine and pharmacotherapy. Using saliva as a fluid for diagnostic purposes would be a huge breakthrough for both patients and healthcare providers since saliva collection is easy, non-invasive and inexpensive. We will go through the current main diagnostic applications of saliva, and provide a highlight on the emerging, newly developing technologies and tools for cancer screening, detection and monitoring.
Information Security is an emerging subject growing with social requirements for information technology. To enhance the education of information security major and make the training objective of information security major consistent with social demand, this paper investigates the information security curriculum programs in several well-known universities and proposes some advice on information security curriculum program. Using the little to get the big is our main objective, and hopefully it can strengthen the communication among domestic experts and meet the national need for information security major.
Objective: To investigate modulation of the immune system by probiotic VSL#3 in EAE and MS subjects. Background: The gut immune system and microbiome play an important role in autoimmunity including EAE and MS. Probiotics represent a oral, non-toxic treatment that induces Tregs, affects the microbiome, and could be used in combination with current MS therapy. Probiotic VSL#3 is efficacious in animal models of diabetes, colitis, and allergy via the induction of IL-10 regulatory T cells. In humans, VSL#3 has shown positive clinical effects in ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and pouchitis. Design/Methods: In EAE, C57BL/6J mice were gavaged with 200 mg/day of VSL#3 or PBS for 5 days and 1 week later, EAE induced with MOG/CFA. In humans, MS subjects and controls (N=15) were orally administered VSL#3 double strength sachets twice daily (total 3,600 billion CFU/day) VSL#3 for two months. Blood and stool specimens were collected prior to and at discontinuation of therapy and 3 months thereafter. Results: Mice treated with VSL#3 had less severe EAE than control mice (p<0.05). VSL#3 treatment led to decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17 (7900 pg/mL vs 3000 pg/mL, P<0.05) and IFN-γ (35000 pg/mL vs 18000 pg/mL, P<0.05) and increased levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (450 pg/mL vs 250 pg/mL, P<0.05) in the spleen. Foxp3+CD4+ T cells (11.1[percnt] vs 7.9[percnt], P<0.05) were increased in the spleen of VSL#3 treated mice. Treatment was well tolerated in MS patients. Data from peripheral immune cell profiling in MS patients before and after treatment withVSL#3 will be presented. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that VSL#3 induces an anti-inflammatory immune cell profile that ameliorates EAE and may be applicable as a treatment for MS. Disclosure: Dr. Tankou has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bailey has nothing to disclose. Dr. Regev has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kivisakk received research support from Merck-Serono. Dr. Ghandi has received research support from Biogen and Novartis. Dr. Kirlis has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cook has received research support from Merck Serono and Biogen Idec. Dr. Stuart has nothing to disclose. Dr. Glanz has received research support from Merck Serono. Dr. Stankiewicz has received personal compensation for activities with TEVA Neuroscience, Questcor, Novartis, Genzyme, Genentech and Biogen Idec as a consultant.  Dr. Stankiewicz has received research support from Teva Neuroscience and Biogen Idec. Dr. Weiner has nothing to disclose.
AIM To investigate the effect of transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), or co-transplantation of islet and MSCs, on maturation and function of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) in recipient mice.   METHODS Bone marrow MSCs were isolated from BALB/c mice and co-cultured with bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMCs) from C57BL/6 mice at indicated ratios. The co-cultures were treated with recombinant mice granulocyte-macro-phage colony-stimulating factor (rmGM-CSF) and recombinant mice IL-4 (rmIL-4) for 7 days to induce the differentiation of DCs, with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) favoring the maturation of DCs. The differentiation markers and antigen uptake capability of DCs were analyzed by FCM. Production of Interleukin-12 in the supernatants of the DC cultures was quantified by ELISA. BALB/c-derived MSCs and islet were co-transplanted to the capsule of kidney in allogeneic C57BL/c mice. The recipient mice were assayed for their tissue morphology, blood glucose level, and the in vitro differentiation ability of their BMC into mature and functional DCs.   RESULTS The transplantation of MSCs prevented BMC from differentiating into mature DCs, as shown by down-regulated surface markers of DCs including CD11c, CD83, CD86 and I-Ab; (P<0.05), impaired antigen uptake and decreased IL-12 secretion (P<0.01). Co-transplantation of MSCs and islet inhibited immune rejection in the allogeneic recipient mice.   CONCLUSION Transplantation of MSCs inhibits maturation and function of monocyte-derived dendritic cells in the recipient mice, resulting in immune tolerance for the allogeneic islet.
Stem friction coefficient is very important parameter for the evaluation of valve performance. In this study, the characteristics of stem friction coefficient is analyzed, and the bounding value is determined. The hydraulic testing is performed for flexible wedge gate valves in the plant and statistical method is applied to the determination of bounding value. According to the results of this study, stem friction coefficient is not effected in low differential pressure condition, but it is showed different distribution in medium and high differential pressure condition. And the bounding value of closing stroke is higher than that of opening stroke.
At present the main aim for Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) is to develop flexible, reliable and efficient networks, in order to enable the connection of distributed generation. Active control of distribution networks is a feasible solution in order to reach that aim. One of the first and most commonly used active control devices is an on-load tap changer (OLTC) with its automatic voltage control (AVC) relay. Even though this technique for voltage control is well established, traditional AVC schemes can be unreliable particularly when the transformer arrangement is complex and conditions of the network variable. The main factors that undermine the performance of AVC schemes are; intermittent output of distributed generation, varying power factor, difference in primary voltage or non- identical paralleled transformers. The Enhanced TAPP scheme can operate efficiently under the above conditions. The first objective of this paper is to present principles of the Enhanced TAPP scheme and mathematical models for AVC schemes in general. Then the functionality of this scheme will be demonstrated using software simulation for a range of distribution network case studies based upon realistic EDF Energy network scenarios. Results from the modelling and analysis of the Enhanced TAPP scheme and conclusions are also finally presented.
It is the school, according to the habitat approach, which is responsible for health education. Education, which is the pillar of all actions connected with promoting health, prevention and disease therapy. The research unequivocally indicates that many diseases manifesting in adults should be prevented during childhood. In Poland, the discussion whether the content of health education should be integrated with other subjects or extracted as a separate subject has been pending for many years. The school can be supported in realizing health education by the basic health care, local governments, government administration and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The variations in the range of health education throughout different regions of Poland seem to be an important issue. This paper was developed based on an analysis of legal acts and documents.
___________________ Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Aamer Hanif, Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Management, College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, NUST, Islamabad-Pakistan. Email: ahanif@ceme.nust.edu.pk Faheem Qaisar Jamal, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, NUST, Islamabad-Pakistan. Email: faheem_qaisar@yahoo.co.uk Nauman Ahmed, PhD, Assistant Professor, College of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering, NUST, Islamabad-Pakistan. Email: nauman-ahmed@ceme.nust.edu.pk Behavioral Intention for Adopting Technology Enhanced Learning Initiatives in Universities
Inflammation can influence multipotency and self-renewal of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), resulting in their awakened bone-regeneration ability. Human periodontal ligament tissue-derived MSCs (PDLSCs) have been isolated, and their differentiation potential was found to be defective due to b-catenin signaling indirectly regulated by inflammatory microenvironments. Nuclear factor-jB (NF-jB) is well studied in inflammation by many different groups. The role of NF-jB needstobestudiedinPDLSCs,althoughgeneticevidenceshaverecentlyshownthatNF-jBinhibitsosteoblasticboneformation in mice. However, the mechanism as to how inflammation leads to the modulation of b-catenin and NF-jB signaling remains unclear. In this study, we investigated b-catenin and NF-jB signaling through regulation of glycogen synthase kinase 3bactivity (GSK-3b, which modulates b-catenin and NF-jB signaling) using a specific inhibitor LiCl and a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor LY 294002. We identified that NF-jB signaling might be more important for the regulation of osteogenesis in PDLSCs from periodontitis compared with b-catenin. BAY 11-7082 (an inhibitor of NF-jB) could inhibit phosphorylation of p65 and partly rescue the differentiation potential of PDLSCs in inflammation. Our data indicate that NF-jB has a central role in regulating osteogenic differentiation of PDLSCs in inflammatory microenvironments. Given the molecular mechanisms of NF-jB in osteogenic differentiation governed by inflammation, it can be said that NF-jB helps in improving stem cell-mediated inflammatory bone disease therapy.
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Abstract : This concept of concurrent engineering is a philosophy widely accepted as the correct approach to considering all disciplines in the course of a design. The methods that are used to solicit and incorporate the input are not so widely accepted. Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) is a technique that has been successfully applied to the Engine Room Arrangement Modeling (ERAM) project. The paper addresses the experience of the ERAM team, which is an element of the US Navy's Mid-Term Sealift Ship Technology Development Program and will focus on issues that may be experienced in a US shipyard environment when applying IPPD. The IPPD process will be discussed from two perspectives. First the team formation, training and operation will be addressed. The team issues include such elements as team formation, requirements for collocation, project pre-planning, team training, team member development, integration of new team members, maintaining team work including peer review, establishment of norms and consensus building. In general, issues differing from current practices will be addressed. Next, the application of the approach to ship design while considering cradle to grave costs will be addressed from a technical standpoint. The technical approach will provide a general outline of the steps followed in developing the engine room arrangement models, using the IPPD approach. This outline reflects both the initial development and the evolution over several engine room designs. The conclusion of the paper will define what steps the ERAM team recommends US shipbuilders should implement in adopting the IPPD process.
The selectivity of ethylene formation from the hydrogenation of acetylene could be tuned to 100% in our catalytic surface design, Fe(1,2)@W(111), in which the first two layers of W(111) surface is replaced by the Fe atoms. There are three possible reaction pathways in the hydrogenation of acetylene carried out on the catalytic metal surfaces: (1) solely formation of ethylene then desorbed from the surface; (2) complete hydrogenation to ethyl radical then ethane; (3) decompose to two methylene fragments. We introduced several monometallic and bimetallic surfaces (W(111), Fe(1,2)@W(111), Fe(111), W(1,2)@Fe(111), Fe(1)@W(111), and W(1)@Fe(111); where Fe(1)@W(111) represents the top layer of tungsten (111) surface replaced by the iron atoms, while W(1)@Fe(111) denotes the tungsten atoms replacing the first layer iron (111) surface ) to systematically tune the selectivity of ethylene formation via acetylene hydrogenation by employing DFT (density functional theory) calculations. On Fe(1,2)@W(111) surface, the barrier of ethylene formation is only 0.84 eV, the smallest among those bimetallic surfaces, and the barrier of further hydrogenation to C2H5 is 2.43 eV, while the alternative pathway of C-C bond scission is 2.27eV; these two latter barriers are much higher than C2H4 desorption energy (0.42eV). Therefore, the ethylene molecule could be the sole and final product to be desorbed from the catalytic tuned Fe(1,2)@W(111) surface.
Telescopic arm mechanism according to the present embodiment, a plurality of first structure (22) first structure group which is linked to a (20), the second formed by connecting a plurality of second structure (23) and a structure group (21). First structure (22) each have locking unit for fixing the second structure (23) to (22B1 and 22B2). When is stretched first structure group (20) and a second structure group (21), the locking portion (22B1 and 22B2) fixes the second structure (23) to the first structure (22) .
It's something every family lawyer should understand: how the Hague Convention works in practice. In an increasingly internationalized area of the law, family lawyers and other divorce professionals are encountering more clients who fear that their children may be abducted, who worry about allowing their children to travel overseas, or are contemplating international marriage or divorce. The Hague Abduction Convention is written by Jeremy D. Morley, who has enormous experience counseling clients and fellow practitioners as to international family law matters globally, as well as lecturing on international child custody law to audiences around the world. This clearly written, accessible, and pertinent guide to the subject: * Explains how the Hague Convention works in both theory and practice * Explores the relationship between this act, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) and foreign child custody laws * Covers all critical topics ranging from rights custody to exceptions such as "one-year-and-settled" and "grave risk of harm" to international relocations * And more, including a CD-ROM with time saving reference materials
Objective To study the value of combined cTnT,NT-proBNP and hs-CRP detection in clinical diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.Methods One hundred and thirty-four acute coronary syndrome patients were divided into unstable angina pectoris(UAP) group(n = 49),ST elevation myocardial infartion(STEMT) group(n = 37) and non-ST elevation myocardial infartion (NSTEMI) group(n = 48).Their cTnT,NT-proBNP and hs-CRP levels were measured with electro -chemiluminescent double antibody sandwich method and immune transmission turbidity method, respectively.The role of single and combined cTnT,NT-proBNP and hs-CRP detection in diagnosis of UAP,NSTEMI and STEMI was analyzed by plotting ROC curve and establishing logistic regression model.Results The serum cTnT,NT-proBNP and hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in UAP group,NSTEMI group and STEMI group than in control group(P0.05). Combined cTnT,NT-proBNP and hs-CRP detection showed the largest area under the ROC curve for acute coronary syndrome and the best sensitivity and specificity than single cTnT,NT-proBNP and hs-CRP dection.Conclusion Comined cTnT,NT-proBNP and hs-CRP detection can significantly improve the diagnosis of UAP with an optimal sensitivity and specificity for NSTEMI and acute myocardial infarction.However,it cannot effectively distinguish NSTEMI from acute myocardial infarction.
Objective To study the medical staff′s recognition of ADR monitoring.Methods We surveyed 461 medical staff members with the questionnaires on their recognition of the monitoring of ADR regarding the concept,reporting range,procedure and legal consciousness.Results The medical staff were aware of the reasons of ADR reporting but lacked the legal consciousness,reporting range and procedure.Conclusion It is necessary to give medical staff training on professional knowledge and legal consciousness to make ADR monitoring as a self-conscious behavior.
Diabetic mellitus in an older population is associated with increased basal oxidative stress and free radical accentuated by hyperglycemic challenge. Enhanced free radical in diabetic elderly can cause the oxidative damage and such damage can be protected by antioxidant defense system. It is believed that vitamin C, A and E are the most abundant and effective antioxidants in human plasma. The purpose of this study was to determine the antioxidant status in Korean diabetic elderly using the case-control study. The antioxidant status was examined by determining plasma levels of antioxidant vitamins (vitamin C, A, E, β-carotene), total antioxidant status (TAS) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and intakes of vitamin C, A, β-carotene and retiol. Fasting glucose and HbA1c levels and serum lipid profiles (triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol) were also determined. Diabetic subjects were 122 elderly persons over 60 years old, visiting public health center, and control subjects were 96 healthy elderly persons living in Ulsan, Korea and they were matched by age, gender, smoking and drinking status. The diabetic and control subjects were divided into sub-groups according to the status of using diet therapy and vitamin supplement. The subjects were interviewed to collect data on their general characteristics, disease history, vitamin supplement, diet therapy and health-related habits by questionnaires. Their dietary intakes were obtained by means of semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (SQFFQ). Fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c levels were significantly higher in diabetes than in control subjects, and plasma total cholesterol level of diabetes was not significantly different from that of control subjects. However serum HDL cholesterol level of diabetes was significantly lower and serum TG level of diabetes was significantly higher than those of control group. The average vitamin A and β-carotene intakes of diabetes were significantly higher than those of control subjects. There was no significant difference in plasma vitamin C, β-carotene, and TBARS levels between two groups, but plasma vitamin A, E and TAS levels were significantly higher in diabetes than those in control group. Plasma vitamin A and TAS levels of diabetic subjects using diet therapy were higher than those of control using diet therapy, and plasma vitamin E, β-carotene and TAS levels of diabetic subjects using vitamin supplements were significantly higher than those of controls using vitamin supplements. These results suggested that diabetic mellitus could enhance antioxidant defences against reactive oxygen species and interest in healthy eating such as consumption of more antioxidant nutrients. (Korean J Community Nutrition 13(2):276~287, 2008)
The Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle areas encompass a vast area of stratigraphic and structural entrapment for gas and oil, principally gas. Significant reserves and production have been found continuously since 1918 and there should be no decrease in activity in the foreseeable future. The Anadarko basin, defined on the south by the buried Amarillo mountains and on the west by the Cimarron uplift, and rising into the shallow Hugoton embayment on the north, received a flood of sediments in the Pennsylvanian which provided the principal reservoir rocks. Morrow, Virgil, and Missouri rocks are the most important producing units.
Stringer-style pallets are often notched to permit 4-way entry with forklift tines. Splits often occur around these stringer notches, significantly reducing the strength and durability of the pallet. Pallet stringer repair has traditionally involved replacement of the damaged stringer with a new stringer or support of the damaged stringer with various size companion members. In recent years, the repair of pallet stringers with metal plates similar to those used in the wood truss industry has become more common.
Herein, we present the results of our investigation of 61 pesticide residues in 100 samples of green teas obtained from Korean markets. Bifenthrin, chlorpyrifos, dicofol, EPN, chlorfenapyr, tebuconazole, cyhalothrin, difenoconazole, and tebufenpyrad were detected in 22 of the 100 green tea samples. The quantity of pesticide residues for bifenthrin was 0.12 ppm (maximum residue limits (MRLs): 0.3 ppm) in one sample, chlorpyrifos was 0.24-0.78 ppm (MRLs: 2.0 ppm) in three samples, dicofol was 1.64-4.19 ppm (MRLs: 50.0 ppm) in two samples, EPN was 0.13 ppm (MRLs: 0.05 ppm) in one sample, chlorfenapyr was 0.01-1.23 ppm (MRLs: 3.0 ppm) in 16 samples, tebuconazole was 0.71 ppm (MRLs: 5.0 ppm) in one sample, cyhalothrin was 0.05-0.3 ppm (MRLs: 2.0 ppm) in five samples, difenoconazole was 0.23 ppm (MRLs: 2.0 ppm) in one sample, and tebufenpyrad was 0.06-0.07 ppm (MRLs: 2.0 ppm) in two samples. More than two pesticide residues were detected in seven samples. All detected pesticide residues (with the exception of EPN) were within the MRLs.
Objective: Previous studies have reported that the beta and alpha adrenoceptor blocker carvedilol had unique protective effect on free radical induced myocardial injury. The aim of this study was to examine how carvedilolregulates ROI-mediated signaling and decreases RBC membrane damage in heart perfusion and rheological model. Methods: The ischemia-reperfusion induced oxidative cell damages, and changes in the intracellular signaling mediated by reactive oxygen species and peroxynitrite were studied on rats, in Langendorff heart perfusion system (n=15). The effect of carvedilol on red blood cell suspension viscosity (hematocrit: 60%) incubated with free radical generator (phenazine methosulphate) was also investigated (n = 10). The measurements were performed on a capillary viscosimeter. Results: In both studies a protective effect of carvedilol was found, as the decrease of red blood cell suspension viscosity and K + concentration in the supernatant indicated. Carvedilol significantly decreased the ischemia-reperfusion induced free radical production and the NAD + catabolism and reversed the poly- and mono-ADP-ribosylation. Carvedilol also decreased the lipid peroxidation and membrane damages as determined by free malondialdehyde production and the release of intracellular enzymes. The self ADP-ribosylation of isolated PARP was also significantly inhibited by carvedilol. Conclusion: Our results show that carvedilol can modulate the ROI-induced signaling through poly- and mono-ADP-ribosylation reactions, the NAD + catabolism in postischemic perfused hearts and has a marked scavenger effect on free radical generator induced red blood cell membrane damage. All these findings may play an important role in the beneficial effects of carvedilol treatment in different cardiovascular diseases.
Crop rotations are an effective method of impr oving yields. One benefit of alternating cr ops within a field is nematode suppression. In Louisiana, many fields ar e infested with r oot-knot [ Meloidogyne incognita (Koifoid and White)], r eniform [ Rotylenchus reniformis (Linford and Oliveira), and soybean cyst ( Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) nematodes. Nematodes can cause plants to be less thrifty and hypersensitive to str ess, r esulting in yield
The rough grind machine operation in metallic material produce a sub product with the followings components such as: metallic residue, small parts come from the resin grinds, diatomaceous earth material (filter material) and soluble oil in water for tools cooling. According [HU1UH] from ABNT, this sub product is toxic, not inert material, aggress the environment with pollution in the currency water and contaminate the ground when incorrectly go to the municipal solid waste. The final destination of this sub product, is the incineration, in the cements company, being the incorporated the sub product to the cement, during your production. With the qualitative result using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), coupled to the dispersive energy spectroscopy (EDS), two experiments were made with objective to separate the magnetic material of the non-magnetic material, using a permanent magnet. We conclude that the magnetic material can be used by powder metallurgy process in production of pieces.
This study aim ed to determine the effect of service quality and corporate image on the customer satisfaction in PT Permodalan Nasional Madani Unit Sukorejo. This research was conducted with quantitative method. The data were the primary data obtained directly from the company in the form of questionnaires from a sample of 80 respondents of PT Permodalan Nasional Madani Unit Sukorejo customers . Tested using classical assumption test , and analyzed with multiple linear regression analysis, coefficient of determination, and hypothesis test. The results showed that: The effect of service quality and corporate image to costumer satisfaction was 50,1%.
The potential of information communications technology (ICT), as a vehicle of communication, is now largely maximized to effect development. Development pertains to activities that relate to the socioeconomic well-being of the country. Current initiatives involving ICT for development (ICT4D) are characterized by ICT projects that have direct impact on people empowerment particularly those in poor communities, help alleviate poverty and address key millennium development goals. Concrete programs on ICT4D in the country include e-agriculture, e-business, e-employment, e-government, e-science, e-health and e-learning. An inventory of ICT4D projects in the Philippines to help achieve the objectives of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in promoting ICT4D concludes the article.
Finding a method of contraception that is both convenient and effective has been a challenge faced by women of reproductive age for many years. The hormonal contraceptive Depo-Provera® (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, DMPA) has addressed this problem in recent years. However there are side effects that must be considered with any drug therapy, and one of the major concerns for women in the United States has been with the assumed or experienced weight gain associated with DMPA use. Early studies and product information report a gain anywhere from 4-6 pounds in the first year of use. This correlated to dissatisfaction with the product and discontinuation of DMPA as a birth control method. However, more recent evidence contradicts this research and shows only non-significant gains in weight. A possible explanation is proposed by looking at demographic data, specifically age differences between the women in the older studies and women in the more recent research.
Today's world requires more versatile materials, artistic wrought iron resistant, quick treatment, space-saving and durable. For this has become very important the use of metals, particularly iron and steel derived for comfort.  Iron and steel in the market are in the form of rods, angles, profiles, strips, sheets and pipes. Applicable to structural, decorative needs products, giving an artistic way for countless personal and real. Users of these products require a company to provide the product but tailored to your needs and specifications, meaning that you can get the useful, improving conditions giving beauty and new environment.  They are not perishable and not go out of fashion. The Shop & Exhibition and Artistic Locksmith Metal Structures Home "El Dorado" has product knowledge, market and processing techniques, this ensures proper development with demand. It will contribute to society by supporting it with differentiated products and services in the market, both building professionals, homeowners, businesses and especially craftsmen who are running jobs.  Workshop "El Dorado" has the mission to meet the needs and desires of our customers by providing high quality products through efficient service and a high level of competitiveness, thus contributing to the country's economy by promoting the human development of our workers.
Thirty-five patients had complete repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection between 1 January 1968 and July 1974. The mean age of the patients was 5.8 months. The hospital mortality rate was 43%; six of seven patients less than one month of age died. There were no deaths in the nine patients over six months of age at the time of operation. Inadequate cardiac performance was responsible for eight of the nine deaths in patients operated on since 1 September 1971. Thirteen percent of the patients who left the operating room alive were reoperated on for bleeding early in the postoperative period. No patient has required tracheostomy since 1 September 1971. Three of the 20 long-term survivors have required reoperation. The late results are good. Ways of improving results in the future are discussed.
Paulina Lewin. Ukrainian Drama and Theater in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Petro Jacyk Centre for Ukrainian Historical Research, Monograph Series, 3. Edmonton and Toronto: The Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, 2008. xxx, 218 pp. Appendix. Bibliography. Index. $29.95, paper.When a medievalist opens a previously not described miscellany, he or she is often pleasantly surprised by what s/he finds in it So it is with the book under review, whose reader (whether scholar, student, or layperson interested in Ukrainian culture) will find many interesting facts and much that is both informative and thought-provoking. And rightly so, for the present text is a synthesis of the author's work from the 1960s to the present based on her encyclopedic knowledge of both manuscript source material and the critical literature.The volume consists of a biographical and historiographical essay, "About Paulina Lewin and her Book," by the Italian Ukrainianist and friend of the author Giovanna Broggi; a bibliography of Paulina Lewin' s publications; three parts ("School Drama," 'The Popular Stage," 'The Intermedia"); concluding remarks; an appendix listing original source materials; and a bibliography of critical literature. Each of these sections provides information vital to the proper evaluation of the work as a whole.Paulina Lewin and her work are known primarily to scholars interested in seventeenthcentury Polish-East Slavic (Ukrainian, Russian) literary history and cultural relations. Since most of her early work was written and published in Polish it is accessible only to those with at least a reading knowledge of the language. Broggi's sketch introduces this important scholar to an authence who may be largely unaware of Polish contributions to East Slavic studies. Furthermore, in this Post Soviet/Communist era the strictures on the study of works inspired by religion, the Baroque, Ukrainian culture, and East Slavic ties to Western European culture, under which scholars such as Lewin worked, survive only in the memory of those who lived through the period. Thus, Broggi's comments on the scholarly and intellectual context of 1956-2005 and the evolution of research on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century theatre are important for understanding Lewin' s place in the historical context. Broggi's final remarks outline Lewin' s approach and situate it within the context of similar but different studies by Ljudmilla Sofronova and Mykola Sulyma. This section prepares the reader well for what follows."School Drama" treats paraliturgical performances (sermons, "declamations") and "Fully Developed School Drama" in the context of educational developments in the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth (the Neo-Latin collegia and their rhetorical and poetic - including theatrical - curricula), as well as in the, perhaps more important, context of Ukrainian Orthodox religious culture. After providing the reader with an extremely informative section on the Orthodox theological and liturgical roots of the Ukrainian School Drama, the author centres her discussion on works connected with The Easter Cycle, The Christmas Cycle, The Drama About Joseph, and The Influence of the Easter Church Service on Ukrainian Drama. Her analysis reveals that the authors of these plays shaped their works to reflect not only Orthodox theology, but also to reflect the relevant church services which the authences knew and experienced. In the last forty pages of this section Lewin demonstrates the extent to which Biblical texts influenced not only plots and artistic devices, but even the staging directions of the plays, demonstrating thereby that the authors of these plays strove to integrate foreign dramatic models into the national and religious culture and did not merely copy them blindly. In the conclusion to this discussion Lewin outlines the possible interaction of Kyivan school dramas in Muscovy where they met with West European works produced by inhabitants of the "Foreign Settlement" and the court theatre of Aleksei Mikhailovich. …
Abstract The historiographical record of charity, both visual and written, has long been appropriated by philanthro-imperialists intent on using material aid to further their own agendas. International actors committed to bringing their own priorities and prerogatives with them overseas have ignored or intentionally erased accounts of local, particularly non-Western, humanitarian and charitable initiatives. In some contexts, local communities have also chosen to erase their own charitable history. This article uncovers one such hidden charitable tradition, that of pre-Maoist China. I discuss indigenous Chinese charitable work and its interplay with Western charitable actors and activities at the turn of the twentieth century, at the height of the New Imperialism (c. 1870–1914) to explore two little-recognized facets of the relationship between charity and imperialism: the erasure of local traditions of charity in the annals of imperialist powers and the importance of language in the preservation and validation of these traditions.
We have investigated the growth conditions of nanoscaled MnAs dots fabricated on sulfur-terminated GaAs (001) surfaces with regard to the surface coverage and substrate temperature (Ts) during the growth. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images reveal that the size of nanoscaled MnAs dots is controllable with respect to the values of Ts in the range of 200–300 °C. For high Ts values, the sizes of the dots become large and are limited to a diameter and height of 15 and 8 nm, respectively. Further, STM observations indicate the formation of two types of MnAs dots when more than three monolayers are grown. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Sodium Excretion, Cardiovascular Disease, and Chronic Kidney Disease To the Editor In the study by Mills and colleagues,1 high urinary sodium excretion was associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patients were divided into 4 groups based on quartiles of calibrated urinary sodium excretion (<2894 mg/24 hours; 2894-3649 mg/24 hours; 3650-4547 mg/24 hours; and ≥4548 mg/24 hours) and were followed up for a median of 6.8 years. The cumulative incidence of CVD for each group from lowest to highest urinary sodium excretion was 18.4%, 16.5%, 20.6%, and 29.8%, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, no significant association was found between urinary potassium excretion and CVD events. The authors did not mention whether there was an interaction between sodium and potassium excretion for the composite outcome measure.2 A urinary sodium to potassium excretion ratio might yield a different association with CVD risk.3 Also, they did not evaluate CVD mortality risk in their study. In a study of patients with established CVD or diabetes mellitus, O’Donnell and colleagues2 found an increased risk of CVD with urinary sodium excretion of more than 7000 mg/24 hours and, surprisingly, an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality at urinary sodium excretion of less than 3000 mg/24 hours. Additionally, higher urinary potassium excretion rates were associated with a decreased risk of stroke. Although Mills and colleagues did not evaluate cardiovascular mortality and their study population was different from the patients in the study by O’Donnell and colleagues, the results of increasing CVD risk with higher sodium excretion are similar. Further studies are needed before using these findings in the management of such patients.
Abstract In this article I define and implement four objective measurements, one corresponding to what I call “sentential length” and three more corresponding to what I call “syntactic complexity.” The sentential length measurement is essentially the number of phrases per sentence, while the syntactic complexity measurements assign a numeric value to sentences on the basis of the type of syntactic constituents and errors present in the sentences. These measurements are applied to a sample of recorded spontaneous speech of two groups, one of literate and one of illiterate speakers of Caracas Spanish. The purpose of the study is, on the one hand, to define these measurements, and, on the other, to use them to compare the two groups. The results show that the mean values for all the measures are higher for literate informants. The results suggest that literacy may be an important modifier of the linguistic behavior of speakers and that it is particularly associated with higher values for the four measurements I propose, summarized under the terms “sentential length” and “syntactic complexity.” The article is organized the following way: In the introduction I explain the relevance of (il)literacy for linguistic and in particular sociolinguistic studies. In the following section I describe the measurements I developed and the analysis I performed. In the third section I interpret the results and in the last section I give my conclusion.
Michel Mervaud : The Behemoth, a Siberian Monster in the Encyclopedie and elsewhere. A mysterious Siberian animal with ivory tusks haunts 18th-century travel accounts and imaginations. Authors hesitate as to the nature of the " behemoth ", which is also the subject of legends. Diderot echoes these uncertainties in a short Encyclopedie article, but he does not refer to the behemoth in the Book of Job. The link between this mythical animal and two real Siberian animals (the walrus or the mammoth) is not obvious, even if the mammoth is sometimes identified with the Biblical monster, frozen after the Flood. The use of the word « behemoth », which is perhaps metaphorical, is also a puzzle ; it cannot have come from the Russians as Slavonic Bibles do not use the word, and the Russian term begemot , which is relatively recent, designates neither the walrus nor the mammoth but the hippopotamus. It is perhaps only a figment of travellers' imaginations, but it is frequent enough to take on the myth and to become part of the history of mentalities.
Trees depend on beneficial interactions between roots and soil microbes for their nutrition and protection against stresses. The soil microbiome provides the main reservoir of microbes for root colonization and is subject to natural variations that can affect its composition. It is not clear whether the tree’s root system is able to buffer the natural variations occurring in the soil microbiome to capture a stable and effective microbiome or whether these variations affect its microbiome to impact its physiology. To address this question, we planted cuttings of Gray Poplar (Populus tremula × alba clone 717-1B4) in natural soil taken from a poplar stand under the same tree over two consecutive years and grew them in a greenhouse. We analyzed the soil and root microbiomes by high throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing of fungal rDNA internal transcribed spacer and bacterial 16S rRNA amplicons and we characterized the root metabolome by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Soil and root microbial communities significantly shifted over the 2 years. A modification of the balance between endophytes, saprophytes, and mycorrhizal fungi occurred in the roots as well as a replacement of some dominant operational taxonomic units by others. These modifications were correlated with a significant alteration of the levels of about 10% of primary and secondary metabolites, suggesting that natural fluctuations in soil microbial communities can have a profound impact on tree root metabolism and physiology. Tree roots functioning may thus be indirectly strongly affected by the effects of future extreme climatic variations on the soil microbiome.
Amorphous silicates having small particles with a large surface area were found to have high nonspecific adsorption capacity. Investigations with Escherichia coli T4 bacteriophage have shown adsorption capacity of up to 99.9% on different tested silicates. Optimal conditions for the adsorption of T4 bacteriophage on various commercially available silicates were determined. A continuous-flow adsorption of T4 bacteriophage on silicates appears to be a model system for the removal of viruses from potable water and sewage.
Because Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial food-borne gastroenteritis throughout the world, there is intense effort to determine the mechanisms of infectivity associated with this bacterium. Capsular polysaccharide (CPS) has been shown to be an important virulence factor for C. jejuni and a recent study that examined the 11168V26 strain identified several phase-variable CPS modifications including an unusual O-methyl phosphoramidate (MeOPN) group on C-3 of the GalfNAc residue. In this study, we examined the MeOPN group using homo- and hetero-nuclear high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR experiments of whole bacterial cells grown on 15NH4Cl-enriched media. 1H31P HSQC NMR experiments showed that the level of 15N labeling within the MeOPN reached 80%, and a large 1J(15N31P) scalar coupling provided direct evidence that confirmed the structure of the MeOPN as CH3OP(O)(NH2)(OR). Because 15N was also detected within the major outer membrane protein as well as the NAc and NGro g...
The dynamics of a quadrotor exhibit the challenges of underactuation, strong coupling, and external disturbances. In order to handle these difficulties and enable quadrotors to align the six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) pose of the tilted narrow gap during the traversing maneuver, this article proposes a strategy based on simultaneous planning and execution (SPAE). In this strategy, the unknown disturbance is considered in both the planning and execution of the trajectory simultaneously. Specifically, the disturbance is estimated online during system execution and then combined with the attitude angle of the narrow gap and maximum thrust to constraint acceleration of trajectory. Given the state constraints and physical limitations in thrust, velocity, and jerk, a minimum time trajectory planning algorithm is developed based on a piecewise cubic function to realize aggressive flight. In this algorithm, the coupled maximum thrust is decoupled into three independent axes. Each axis can then generate time-efficient third-order trajectories that satisfy arbitrary state constraints and dynamic feasibility. The average computing time of the algorithm is less than $150 ~ mu  text{s}$ on the STM32 embedded platform, which is suitable for quadrotors with limited onboard computing capability. Finally, simulations and outdoor experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed system strategy. The outdoor results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can enable the quadrotor to carry out aggressive flying through a narrow gap in a natural disturbance environment.
Ocean acidification and warming are co-occurring stressors, yet their effects on early life stages of large pelagic fishes are not well known. Here, we determined the effects of elevated CO2 and temperature at levels projected for the end of the century on activity levels, boldness, and metabolic traits (i.e., oxygen uptake rates) in larval kingfish (Seriola lalandi), a large pelagic fish with a circumglobal distribution. We also examined correlations between these behavioral and physiological traits measured under different treatments. Kingfish were reared from the egg stage to 25 days post-hatch in a full factorial design of ambient and elevated CO2 (~500 µatm and ~1000 µatm) and temperature (21 °C and 25 °C). Activity levels were higher in fish from the elevated temperature treatment compared with fish reared under ambient temperature. However, elevated CO2 did not affect activity, and boldness was not affected by either elevated CO2 or temperature. Both elevated CO2 and temperature resulted in increased resting oxygen uptake rates compared to fish reared under ambient conditions, but neither affected maximum oxygen uptake rates nor aerobic scope. Resting oxygen uptake rates and boldness were negatively correlated under ambient temperature, but positively correlated under elevated temperature. Maximum oxygen uptake rates and boldness were also negatively correlated under ambient temperature. These findings suggest that elevated temperature has a greater impact on behavioral and physiological traits of larval kingfish than elevated CO2. However, elevated CO2 exposure did increase resting oxygen uptake rates and interact with temperature in complex ways. Our results provide novel behavioral and physiological data on the responses of the larval stage of a large pelagic fish to ocean acidification and warming conditions, demonstrate correlations between these traits, and suggest that these correlations could influence the direction and pace of adaptation to global climate change.
Because of Sri Lanka’s 26-year-long ethnic conflict between the Sri Lankan government and militant groups like the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the comparatively brief but bloody conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), violence has occupied an important place in contemporary Sri Lankan literature. This essay surveys the role of violence in contemporary Sri Lanka literature in English, Tamil, and Sinhala, considering the ways in which literature bears witness to violence, mourns violence, protests violence, and calls for and models dialogue and reconciliation.
The present work explores the possibilities of the matrix isolation technique in the structural characterisation of highly flexible molecules. To date, most studies of this type were carried out on molecules with three or less internal degrees of freedom and a few (less than 10) possible conformations. The molecule of 1,2-butanediol has four conformationally relevant three-fold rotational axes, which can result in 81 possible conformations. A detailed theoretical study, at the MP2 and DFT(B3LYP) levels of theory with the 6-311 + + G(d,p) basis set, revealed that more than 20 conformers of 1,2-butanediol have relative energies in a 0-10 kJ mol(-1) range and contribute appreciably to the gas phase equilibrium at room temperature. This fact renders conformational studies of the system extremely difficult under normal conditions. However, the method of matrix isolation permits the reduction of the number of populated conformational states in the experiment at low temperature due to the effect known as conformational cooling: low energy barriers promote the relaxation of the higher energy local minima into more stable structures. As a result of massive conformational cooling occurring upon matrix deposition, only five conformers of 1,2-butanediol were retained in the samples at 10 K. These conformers were identified using a combination of FTIR spectroscopy and extensive theoretical calculations of vibrational spectra. Annealing of the matrices up to 50 K resulted in the extreme case of conformational cooling related with the depopulation of all conformers into the most stable unique structure. The observed transformations were rationalized in terms of barriers to intramolecular rotation.
The coupled line equations for only two modes, representing the TE 01 signal mode and a single spurious mode in circular waveguide, are solved in series form by the method of successive approximations. Bounds are found on the magnitudes of the terms in the series solution. These bounds decrease rapidly only for “short” waveguides; for long guides many terms of the series must be included in the solution. The coupled line equations are transformed to a new form, in which one of the unknowns Λ is given by Λ = −ln G 0 , where G 0 is the (complex) TE 01 transfer function of the original coupled line equations. Thus Re Λ = −ln | G 0 |, the TE 01 loss in nepers, Im Λ = −∠ G 0 , the TE 01 phase in radians. These transformed equations are again solved by successive approximations; the first term is the commonly used solution that has been obtained by physical arguments. Bounds are determined for the magnitudes of the terms in these series solutions; for a suitable restriction on the coupling coefficient that includes many cases of practical interest, these bounds decrease rapidly for long guides. In present calculations of the TE 01 loss statistics in random guides, only the first term of the series expansion for Λ is considered. Unfortunately this approximation has not so far been justified.
Demand for decentralisation of provision of public services is gaining ground in developing countries. Also, the policy advice to decentralise given by international agencies to the developing countries is turning into pressure. However, the benefits of decentralisation are not as obvious as the standard theory of fiscal federalism predicts. This article examines the effect of decentralisation of provision of drinking water in central India. The efficiency of water utilities under the control of the state government and those under the local governments is compared in terms of expense and asset utilisation. It is found that the decentralised provision of water supply is less efficient. The possible reasons for this counter intuitive result are analysed.
Malaria is a major public health concern in India. Despite a remarkable decline in overall malaria cases and deaths over the past several years, the caseload is still substantial. India's commitment towards malaria elimination by 2030 requires several additional measures for its achievement. The country's malaria data are collated from the public health sector only by the aggregated paper-based surveillance system, which is considered weak because it captures only a minuscule percentage (8% as per the World Malaria Report 2017). The absence of private-sector data is a serious caveat in India's malaria epidemiological scenario. The private healthcare sector (trained and untrained) is a major provider to communities in malaria-endemic areas. It is increasingly recognized that the involvement of the private healthcare sector is crucial for understanding the complete epidemiological picture and targeting elimination strategies accordingly as is being done for tuberculosis in India. Active involvement and alignment of the private sector to the government program of the private sector can be fostered by assessing the presence of the private healthcare sector via landscaping exercise, establishing linkages between the two sectors, incentivization, and encouraging reporting via user-friendly online and offline systems. There are challenges and barriers to the successful adoption of the private healthcare providers in the fold of the national malaria control program; at the same time, it is a critical step that will propel malaria elimination plans of India.
An extremely influential theory of motivation is traced from its inception in Aristotle's thinking to the form it has assumed in contemporary work. The ancient theory--that mental images of goal objects serve as motives by providing energization and direction - seemed to succumb to the Darwinian revolution in the nineteenth century, despite William James' attempt to save it, but then surreptitiously reappeared in behavioristic systems and has since openly surfaced in Mowrer's theory. Its treatment in contemporary physiological and cognitive psychology obviates the problems that led to its earlier abandonment.
This article reviews case studies which have used remote sensing data for different aspects of flood crop loss assessment. The review systematically finds a total of 62 empirical case studies from the past three decades. The number of case studies has recently been increased because of increased availability of remote sensing data. In the past, flood crop loss assessment was very generalized and time-intensive because of the dependency on the survey-based data collection. Remote sensing data availability makes rapid flood loss assessment possible. This study groups flood crop loss assessment approaches into three broad categories: flood-intensity-based approach, crop-condition-based approach, and a hybrid approach of the two. Flood crop damage assessment is more precise when both flood information and crop condition are incorporated in damage assessment models. This review discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different loss assessment approaches. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat are the dominant sources of optical remote sensing data for flood crop loss assessment. Remote-sensing-based vegetation indices (VIs) have significantly been utilized for crop damage assessments in recent years. Many case studies also relied on microwave remote sensing data, because of the inability of optical remote sensing to see through clouds. Recent free-of-charge availability of synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) data from Sentinel-1 will advance flood crop damage assessment. Data for the validation of loss assessment models are scarce. Recent advancements of data archiving and distribution through web technologies will be helpful for loss assessment and validation.
Very large matrices with rapidly decaying singular values commonly arise in the numerical solution of ill-posed problems. The singular value decomposition (SVD) is a basic tool for both the analysis and computation of solutions to such problems. In most applications, it suffices to obtain a partial SVD consisting of only the largest singular values and their corresponding singular vectors. In this paper, two separate approaches—one based on subspace iteration and the other based on the Lanczos method—are considered for the efficient iterative computation of partial SVDs. In the context of ill-posed problems, an analytical and numerical comparison of these two methods is made and the role of the regularization operator in convergence acceleration is explored.
Protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) has been implicated in the negative regulation of insulin signaling. We previously demonstrated that light-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the retinal insulin receptor (IR) results in the activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt survival pathway in rod photoreceptor cells. The molecular mechanism behind light-induced activation of IR is not known. We investigated the in vivo mechanism of IR activation and found that PTP1B activity in dark-adapted retinas was significantly higher than in light-adapted retinas. We made a novel finding in this study that the light-dependent regulation of PTP1B activity is signaled through photobleaching of rhodopsin. Conditional deletion of PTP1B in rod photoreceptors by the Cre-loxP system resulted in enhanced IR signaling. Further PTP1B activity negatively regulated the neuroprotective survival signaling in the retina. One of the challenging questions in the retina research is how mutations in human rhodopsin gene slowly disable and eventually disrupt photoreceptor functions. Our studies suggest that a defect in the photobleaching of rhodopsin and mutation in rhodopsin gene enhances the activity of PTP1B, and this activated activity could down-regulate the IR survival signaling. Our studies suggest that PTP1B antagonists could be potential therapeutic agents to treat stress-induced photoreceptor degenerations and provide further evidence that rhodopsin photoexcitation may trigger signaling events alternative to the classic phototransduction.
Typically, the tracking and estimation community has been concerned with the direct problem of tracking a threat in a near optimal fashion. The usage of secondary quantities or derived quantities from state estimates that can be used for other purposes than tracking have been ignored. An example of a derived quantity that is useful directly for tracking and classification is the energy associated with the threat. We discuss a number of such informative priors that can be useful to pure tracking applications as well as how dissipation of energy and ballistic coefficients can be estimated indirectly.
Public-private partnerships (PPP) are the dominant business model for procuring and operating public digital communication networks such as public Wi-Fi and IoT, technologies that play a significant role in providing public internet access and managing urban systems. The literature on partnerships in public infrastructure provision gives much attention to risk in such arrangements, and is largely sceptical of the capacity of public authorities to transfer risk to the private sector. In the limited critical discussion of PPPs or similar arrangements in the field of communications infrastructure, technological capture or lock-in of city governments investing in digital communications networks is hypothesised as a risk factor. In this paper I draw on field research to investigate this hypothesis by analysing risk factors associated with PPP models in the provision of municipal-level public Wi-Fi. Focussing on Australian examples, I argue that the limited expertise and resources of local government authorities (LGAs), along with the regulatory complexity of telecommunications, weigh against direct LGA provision of public Wi-Fi and in favour of partnership arrangements. However, I highlight two concerns associated with PPP models of public Wi-Fi provision: 1) the lack of transparency and accountability relating to digital infrastructure procurement and service evaluation imposed by commercial-in-confidence claims, and 2) the limited attention of LGAs to questions of data access when contracting private providers, subsequently limiting their capacity to obtain and use network metadata for public good purposes. Drawing on the work of Mark H Moore, I frame these concerns as strategic management challenges. Moore's analysis of these challenges through his strategic triangle model assists in optimising the public value of PPP arrangements in the domain of digital infrastructure. While I focus on PWF networks, the discussion has wider relevance for e-governance.
ABSTRACT One of the key strategic objectives of the World Health Organisation’s global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plan is to improve public awareness and understanding of this issue. Very few AMR awareness campaigns have targeted the animal production sector, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where rural communities can be geographically difficult to access via traditional face-to-face community engagement methods. Aquaculture is a major food production industry in Bangladesh and across Asia, an area which poses a significant risk to global AMR dissemination. In this pilot study, we sought to investigate the potential for digital communication materials to rapidly and effectively communicate AMR messages to rural aquaculture farmers in Bangladesh. Working with stakeholders from the Bangladesh aquaculture industry, we developed a 4-minute digital animation designed specifically for this audience and assessed its capacity to engage and communicate AMR messages to farmers. We then conducted a small-scale social media campaign, to determine the potential for rapidly disseminating AMR awareness materials to a large audience across Bangladesh, where there is an extensive 4 G internet network and an ever-increasing proportion of the population (57% as of December 2019) have mobile internet access. Thirty-six farmers were surveyed: all of them liked this method of communication and 97% said it would change the way they use antibiotics in the future. Through the social media campaign, the animation received 9,100 views in the first 2 weeks alone. Although preliminary, these results demonstrate the huge potential for digital communication methods for the rapid and widespread communication of AMR awareness materials to rural aquaculture communities in Bangladesh and across Asia. Our results support the need for more research into the most appropriate and effective content of AMR awareness campaigns for aquaculture communities and question the need for explaining the science underlying AMR in such communication materials.
This article deals with the system of education established by Saint Ursula Ledochowska (1865-1939), the founder of the Congregation of the Ursuline Sisters of the Agonising Heart of Jesus, the major mission of which is educating and teaching children and youth. The intention is to present one aspect of her pedagogical thoughts – the education of children and youth to service – which is understood as shaping attitudes such as goodness or dedication, overcoming selfishness, sharing time and talents, as well as ensuring the acceptance of good received from others and shaping the attitude of gratefulness. The text consists of four parts. The first part shows the understanding of service according to Ursula Ledochowska. Next, her childhood is presented as inspiration for her further life and her educational care work. The third part deals with the concepts of educating children and youth to service, starting with the most common and accessible forms before examining those that are more difficult and require some greater involvement. The final section demonstrates that, according to Saint Ursula Ledochowska, the source of service is the experience of God’s love and the willingness to share it while doing good.
Background. Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis has been occurring at increasing rates, with the greatest increases being seen among men who have sex with men. Secondary syphilis rarely presents with liver disease, and the diagnosis may be overlooked in favor of more common causes of liver injury in this setting, such as viral hepatitis, antiretroviral therapy, alcohol use, and opportunistic infections. Case Presentation. We describe a 43-year-old patient with HIV who presented with symptoms suggesting acute pancreatitis. Investigation led to a diagnosis of hepatitis and pancreatitis, both attributed to syphilis. Conclusion. Syphilis should be included as part of the initial diagnosis among patients with HIV presenting with abnormal liver and pancreatic enzymes.
The Mafia and the Devil are both found to be the creation and product of a belief in a mythological system. Often, the attendant mythologies are creations of journalists, governmental investigation committees, law enforcementofficials, not based on fact and serve as scapegoats whose true incidence of criminality belies the attention they receive from those who create the myth and a public who would rather stigmatize others than themselves.
Shape deformations and charge radii, basic properties of atomic nuclei, are influenced by both the global features of the nuclear force and the nucleonic shell structure. As functions of proton and neutron number, both quantities show regular patterns and, for nuclei away from magic numbers, they change very smoothly from nucleus to nucleus. In this paper, we explain how the local shell effects are impacting the statistical correlations between quadrupole deformations and charge radii in well-deformed even-even Er, Yb, and Hf isotopes. This implies, in turn, that sudden changes in correlations can be useful indicators of underlying shell effects. Our theoretical analysis is performed in the framework of self-consistent mean-field theory using quantified energy density functionals and density-dependent pairing forces. The statistical analysis is carried out by means of the linear least-square regression. The local variations of nuclear quadrupole deformations and charge radii, explained in terms of occupations individual deformed Hartree-Fock orbits, make and imprint on statistical correlations of computed observables. While the calculated deformations or charge radii are, in some cases, correlated with those of their even-even neighbors, the correlations seem to deteriorate rapidly with particle number. The statistical correlations between nuclear deformations and charge radii of different nuclei are affected by the underlying shell structure. Even for well deformed and superfluid nuclei for which these observables change smoothly, the correlation range usually does not exceed $ Delta N=4$ and $ Delta Z=4$, i.e., it is rather short. This result suggests that the frequently made assumption of reduced statistical errors for the differences between smoothly-varying observables cannot be generally justified.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the safety profile and effectiveness of adenosine as a pharmacological stressor in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging perfusion study.   SETTING Regional hospital, Hong Kong.   PATIENTS All patients who underwent adenosine stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging from May 2013 to August 2013 were prospectively interviewed during the scan.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Common side-effects of adenosine as well as any other discomfort experienced during the scan were recorded. Haemodynamic changes including systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate before and during adenosine administration were also recorded.   RESULTS There were 98 consecutive patients with a mean (± standard deviation) age of 64.0 ± 11.4 years (range, 10-83 years) and mean body weight of 67.5 ± 12.0 kg. Male-to-female ratio was 2.5:1. Of the 98 patients interviewed, 62 (63.3%) experienced one or more adenosine-associated adverse effects. Chest discomfort was most frequently experienced (48.0%), followed by dyspnoea (29.6%) and headache (20.4%). No life-threatening event occurred. Following adenosine administration, a significant rise in pulse rate (75.1 ± 14.3 vs 93.2 ± 14.7 beats/min; P<0.01) and a significant drop in diastolic blood pressure (75.1 ± 13.3 vs 68.0 ± 13.9 mm Hg; P<0.01) were noted. There was a general decrease in systolic blood pressure, although no statistically significant difference was observed (144.9 ± 17.6 vs 143.1 ± 21.4 mm Hg; P=0.18).   CONCLUSION Adenosine stress cardiac magnetic resonance perfusion study is safe and well tolerated in clinical practice.
OBJECT Avulsion often occurs in the limb due to heavy shearing forces which not only damage skeletal muscle but also main vessels, resulting in life-threatening muscle ischemia and necrosis. Defining muscle activity is vital for surgical repair. Currently, the colour, capacity of blood, contractibility, and consistency (4C) are the primary principles for evaluating the activities of torn muscles. Based on clinical experiences, this standard turns out to be delayed diagnosis, which is not defined by specific parameters. Recently, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence probes emitting within the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) have been widely used for non-invasive optical imaging because the tissue absorption and autofluorescence in the NIR-II region are negligible, thus allowing deeper penetration depths with micrometer-scale spatial resolution in vivo. As pathogenesis and development of muscle necrosis, necrosis-related protein may participate in this procedure. There is promising for NIR-II to be used in evaluating muscle activity in avulsion.   METHODS A new approach is developed based on experiments with mice and large animals(swine). Myoblasts were incubated with indocyanine green (ICG) to identify the necrosis muscles. The model of extremity damaged muscle was established for the real-time visualization and detection of developed necrosis muscle field under new equipment, both in balb/c mice(female) and long-haired swines.   RESULTS A visible NIR-II/I imaging system was first used in a large animal injured skeletal muscle-related model. Our NIR-II/I imaging system is suitable for evaluating the normal and injured skeletal muscle ICG cycle and pointing to the necrotic skeletal muscle tissue. NIR-II imaging is superior to NIR-I imaging in estimating skeletal muscle, best with an 1100nm filter.   CONCLUSION NIR-II fluorescence with an 1100nm filter is suitable for analyzing the progress of necrosis muscle tissue, leading to a new approach for intraoperative evaluation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Poor bioavailability by the oral route is noticeable with the majority of new active pharmaceutical ingredients due to its dissolution rate limited absorption. A second-generation thienopyridine antiplatelet drug, though, it is BCS class II drug results in poor oral bioavailability. The present investigation was undertaken to prepare polymeric nanosponges to achieve improved solubility of clopidogrel bisulphate. Nanosponges using ethyl cellulose as a polymer and glutarldehyde as a cross-linker were prepared successfully by emulsion solvent diffusion method. Drug polymer compatibility study were performed by FTIR and DSC. To obtain optimized batch, 32 factorial designs were performed and all batches were evaluated. C1-C9 batches yields particle size (nm) between 87.28-183(nm), % drug content between 71.073±1.066 -88.663 ±0.549, % entrapment efficiency between 51.719±0.775- 81.765±0.506, % drug release 75.120±0.407-97.416±0.336. Optimized batch exhibited particle size 87.28nm, % drug content 88.663 ±0.549, % entrapment efficiency 81.765±0.506, % drug release 97.416±0.336. An SEM and TEM image of optimized batch shows spongy and spherical nature of nanosponges. The optimized nanosponge formulations were converted into tablets to achieve immediate release drug delivery for oral route. These tablets were prepared using crospovidone and pregelatinised starch. All nine tablet batches were evaluated and F3 batch shows good results i.e. hardness (kg/cm2) 3.71±0.04, in- vitro disintegration time (min) 3.21±0.025 and % drug release 99.18±1.38. In vitro dissolution studies indicate that percent cumulative drug release follows zero order kinetics. Accelerated and long term stability data revealed no significant change in drug content and drug release at the end of 6 months. In conclusion, nanosponges could be a newly emerging approach to enhance aqueous solubility of BCS Class II drugs.
OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper is to present a study on the assessment of the work ability of a group of aged computers workers. The study was developed with the goal of creating a decision making framework oriented towards the maintenance of the health and working ability of aged workers.   PARTICIPANTS Fifty computer workers participated in this study. They were administrative secretaries and computer technicians working mainly with office computers.   METHODS The method used to assess the work ability was the Work Ability Index (WAI).   RESULTS 78% of the participants had good or excellent work ability and only 2% a poor one. The average WAI score was 40.5 (SD=5.761; min=27; max=49). This study confirms the decrease in work ability of workers while aging. The group overall work ability was slightly higher than the reference values develop by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.   CONCLUSIONS The assessment of work ability is fundamental to make age-friendly workplaces. WAI is one tool designed to perform such assessment. The results obtained could assist the early identification of situations where employees are struggling with their work ability, thus helping to prioritize ergonomic interventions devoted to improve the working conditions, and allowing the continued employment of aging workers on their current job.
Time–frequency (TF) analysis (TFA) provides an effective tool to characterize nonstationary signals with time-varying features. However, the TFA of gas turbine’s vibration signals is a challenging topic due to high complexity and strong nonstationarity. There is an obstacle to generate more accurate and sharper TF results for such multicomponent signals. This article proposes a novel TFA technique, named local maximum synchrosqueezing chirplet transform (LMSSCT), to deal with this problem. This method can not only well match window function and modulated frequency but produce an unbiased instantaneous frequency (IF) estimator to correct the deviation caused by strong frequency modulation (FM) in TF results. We give the theoretical analysis that this method is an improvement of classical local maximum synchrosqueezing transform (LMSST), and we also prove that it allows for perfect signal reconstruction. The numerical validation shows that the proposed method can be employed to effectively address the multicomponent signals with complex FM laws, even those with heavy noise. The experimental analysis on the test-bench signal and the vibration signal of a dual-rotor gas turbine validates that this method can capture more detailed features that are helpful to identify the origins of abnormal vibration of gas turbine.
In this paper, a novel facial expression recognition method using local binary pattern (LBP) and local phase quantization (LPQ) based on Gabor face image is proposed. To capture the salient visual properties, the Gabor filter is firstly adopted to extract features of the face image among five scales and eight orientations. Then the Gabor image is encoded by the LBP operator and LPQ operator, respectively. Two-stage principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA) approach are used to reduce the dimension of the fused feature combined by the Gabor LBP feature and Gabor LPQ feature. In the experiment, the classification is done by the multi-class SVM classifiers based on the Japanese female facial expression (JAFFE) database. The result shows that the proposed method outperforms many other approaches in this paper in terms of accuracy.
Abstract A novel 3D conductive heat transfer model was developed based on node temperature inheritance. Heat transfer of the mold and billet could be analyzed synchronously. In the model, heat transfer in the copper wall was in a steady state, whereas heat transfer in the billet was in a transient state. The temperature distribution indicated that the maximum temperature on the copper wall reached approximately 30 mm below the meniscus. The results were in better agreement with industrially measured data than those of traditional 2D heat transfer models. The model was applied to study the effect of water scale on heat transfer of a billet mold. When the scale thickness increased from 0 to 0.5 mm, the maximum temperature on the copper wall increased from 174 °C to 364 °C, which will lead to mold deformation and peeling of the coating. In addition, the shell thickness slightly decreased with increasing scale thickness.
Abstract Background Muscle (M) and fasciocutaneous (FC) free flaps are frequently used options in the reconstruction of traumatic lower limb injuries. The use of one flap over another has remained the topic of controversy in the literature. With a large experience, we sought to evaluate key outcomes of M versus FC free flap reconstructions in lower limb trauma in a single trauma center. Methods A consecutive 7- year review of all free flap reconstructions for lower limb trauma performed at the Royal Melbourne Hospital was conducted. Patient data were prospectively entered into a unit database and retrospectively reviewed. Results One hundred three patients underwent 105 free flap reconstructions (M = 48 and FC = 57) in lower limb trauma. We experienced a rate of 2.9% total flap failures and 11.4% partial flap losses. Total flap failures represented 6.3% M and 0% FC flaps. The partial flap failures included 15.8% of M and 5.3% of FC flaps. Latissimus dorsi (40% of M group) and radial forearm free flaps (67% of FC group) were most commonly used in each group. There was a statistically significant difference between groups in rates of reoperation (M = 44% versus FC = 16%), postoperative infection (M = 38% versus FC = 12%), fracture nonunion (M = 40% versus FC = 21%), and donor site morbidity (M = 25% versus FC = 4%). Nonstatistically significant differences were encountered with higher rates of osteomyelitis (M = 14.6% versus FC = 10.5%), unplanned bone graft (M = 14.6 versus FC = 10.5%), and inability to bear full weight at 1 year (M = 30.2% versus FC = 17.0%) found in the M group. In our cohort, M flaps used for metal coverage resulted in higher rates of reoperation, postoperative infections, and flap loss than FC flaps (M = 61% versus FC = 25%, p < 0.05). Conclusion Statistically higher complication rates in key reliability markers were found in the M free flap group. This study found FC free flaps to be more reliable for reconstruction of lower limb injuries in a major trauma center.
Identifying key candidates in the thousands of genes in a genome is an important step in hunting genes playing roles in a disease phenotype or a complex biological process,and candidate gene prioritization integrating kinds of data sources is becoming a new challenge in this field.A new data fusion method based on one-class Support Vector Machine(SVM) was proposed for candidate gene prioritization.Experimental results indicate that the proposed method is valid in gene prioritization integrating kinds of heterogeneous data sources and its accuracy and robustness are better than that of the method with single data source.
Wearable robots use batteries as a power source; therefore, the efficiency of the actuation mechanism must be improved to increase their operation time. Soft wearable robots using fabric-type soft actuators (FSA) have attracted much interest recently. In FSAs, the actuator itself is soft, flexible, and lightweight, and energy must be continuously supplied to support the load and hold the actuation state. In particular, when maintaining a particular posture, such as holding an object, constant energy supply is needed to enable the actuator to support the load. To reduce the energy consumption of the holding motion in FSAs, this study proposes a locking–unlocking mechanism (LUM) that can maintain the FSA’s contraction state without sustained energy supply. The LUM is fixed to the FSA’s upper end; it consists of a ratchet-pawl mechanism, pawl rotating actuators (PRA) with shape memory alloy springs, and a wire encoder. The PRA enables the pawl to lock and unlock the ratchet. One end of the wire encoder connected to the ratchet’s rotary shaft is fixed at the bottom part of the FSA, thereby maintaining the FSA contraction state and measuring the contraction length. The LUM’s displacement controller can control the FSA to a specific displacement length. This paper presents the design procedure, operating test, and performance evaluation for energy efficiency improvement of the LUM. When the LUM is applied, FSA can maintain the contraction state while supporting the load, making energy consumption unnecessary. As a result, we expect that applying the LUM with FSAs to soft wearable robots can improve the operation time by at least two times.
A furnace of low inherent thermal stability but which is screened from ambient temperature variations and has its temperature controlled to close limits is described. The capsule in which vapour transport is performed can be rotated and moved axially through the temperature profile in the furnace. Continuous observation of the capsule is possible up to the maximum operating temperature of 1100°C. Any desired profile over a length of 30 cm can be obtained subject to the limits: ±05 degC for a uniform temperature zone over 15 cm and a maximum temperature gradient of 15 degC cm−1.
The Hawaiian Islands are a prominent place to conduct seismicity research. Geologically, occurring earthquakes in this region are unique since it is caused by the presence of a hot spot rather than the common fault activity. The research was conducted using a tomography method called Surface Wave Tomography. The goals of this study are to produce tomographic images of the Hawaiian Islands and to test the accuracy of the Automated Surface-Wave Phase-Velocity Measuring System (ASWMS). ASWMS employs a cross-correlation process to calculate the phase delay between stations, then Eikonal equation to invert the slowness vector to obtain apparent phase velocities, and lastly Helmholtz equation to correct the amplitude to obtain structural phase velocities. The teleseismic data used in this study were collected from stations located throughout the Hawaiian Islands between 2004 and 2009. This study discovered a low-velocity anomaly beneath the Hawaiian Islands with a value of 3.8 – 3.9 km/s, indicating the presence of a low-velocity body. The decrease in velocity with increasing depth suggests an increase in temperature associated with the path that magma takes from the Earth’s mantle to the Earth’s crust beneath the Hawaiian Islands.
The work presents a study of the non-linear mathematical model of tumor growth, proposed by Kolev and Zubik-Kowal (2011). The model is described by a system composed of four partial differential equations that represent the evolution of the density of cancer cells, density of the extracellular matrix (ECM), concentration of matrix-degrading enzyme (MDE) and concentration of tissue metalloproteinase inhibitors. For numerical simulations, the finite difference method is used, in which the temporal terms of the equations are discretized using a two-stage method. In spatial terms, finite central differences are used. A study of numerical convergence for the proposed scheme is presented, using analytical solutions manufactured in a rectangular geometry. Finally, simulations of the tumor growth model are performed, using a non-regular mesh that represents the geometry of a female breast. To simulate the model in non-regular geometry, the technique used is to approximate the contour of the physical domain by mesh segments. The simulations showed that the model has important characteristics of the interactions between tumor cells and the surrounding tissue.
One million people in the Inner Niger Delta make a living from arable farming, fisheries and livestock. Upstream dams (one built for electricity generation and one for irrigation) affect this downstream multifunctional use of water. Additionally, the Inner Niger Delta, which is one of the largest Ramsar sites in the world, is a hotspot of biodiversity and accommodates two of the largest known breeding colonies of large wading birds in Africa and in addition, is a vital part of the eco-regional network, supporting up to 3 to 4 million staging waterbirds, residents and migrants from all over Europe and western Asia. The hydrological and related ecological conditions in the Inner Delta largely determine the population size of these waterbird species. The major aim of the three-year study was to develop a decision-support system for river management in the Upper Niger, in which ecological and socio-economical impacts and benefits of dams and irrigation systems can be analysed in relation to different water management scenarios. The study involves various components: hydrology, arable farming, livestock, fisheries, ecology and socio-economics. An economic analysis has been conducted to determine the role of dams in the economy of the Inner Niger Delta and the Upper Niger region. By innovatively combining the above information on hydrology, ecology, fisheries, and agriculture, the study shows that building new dams is not an efficient way to increase economic growth and reduce poverty in the region. In fact, such efforts are counter-effective. Instead, development efforts should be aimed at improving the efficiency of the existing infrastructure, as well as of current economic activities in the Inner Niger Delta itself. This approach will also provide greater certainty for the essential eco-regional network functioning of the Inner Delta.
ABSTRACT The transmembrane recognition complex (TRC) pathway targets tail-anchored (TA) proteins to the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). While many TA proteins are known to be able to use this pathway, it is essential for the targeting of only a few. Here, we uncover a large number of TA proteins that engage with TRC40 when other targeting machineries are fully operational. We use a dominant-negative ATPase-impaired mutant of TRC40 in which aspartate 74 was replaced by a glutamate residue to trap TA proteins in the cytoplasm. Manipulation of the hydrophobic TA-binding groove in TRC40 (also known as ASNA1) reduces interaction with most, but not all, substrates suggesting that co-purification may also reflect interactions unrelated to precursor protein targeting. We confirm known TRC40 substrates and identify many additional TA proteins interacting with TRC40. By using the trap approach in combination with quantitative mass spectrometry, we show that Golgi-resident TA proteins such as the golgins golgin-84, CASP and giantin as well as the vesicle-associated membrane-protein-associated proteins VAPA and VAPB interact with TRC40. Thus, our results provide new avenues to assess the essential role of TRC40 in metazoan organisms. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: A strategy to decipher which tail-anchored proteins do (as opposed to can or must) use the TRC pathway in intact cells generates a comprehensive list of human TRC40 clients.
We show that hadronization via quark coalescence enhances hadron elliptic flow at large p(perpendicular) relative to that of partons at the same transverse momentum. Therefore, compared to earlier results based on covariant parton transport theory, more moderate initial parton densities dN/deta(b=0) approximately 1500-3000 can explain the differential elliptic flow v(2)(p(perpendicular)) data for Au+Au reactions at sqrt[s]=130 and 200A GeV from BNL RHIC. In addition, v(2)(p(perpendicular)) could saturate at about 50% higher values for baryons than for mesons. If strange quarks have weaker flow than light quarks, hadron v(2) at high p(perpendicular) decreases with relative strangeness content.
ABSTRACT Background: Pulsed dye laser is the gold standard for port-wine stain (PWS) treatment. However, pulsed dye lasers achieve suboptimal clinical results in a majority of patients. Patient demand for novel therapies and willingness to participate in clinical studies is currently unknown, yet, imperative for steering R&D activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate these two factors in relation to PWS patient demographics. Methods: A questionnaire was used to assess patient and PWS characteristics, treatment history, efficacy, and satisfaction, stress level, willingness to travel and pay for an effective treatment, participation in clinical studies, and amenability to intravenous drug administration. Descriptive statistics and correlation analysis were performed. Results: Of the respondents (N = 108), 65% would participate in clinical studies and 49% would accept intravenous drugs. For an effective treatment, 58% was prepared to pay over €2,000 and 48% would travel more than 6 h. Travel time was inversely correlated with age, clearance rate, and satisfaction. Facial PWS patients had undergone more treatments, were less satisfied, and less willing to participate in studies or accept intravenous drugs. Stress levels were higher in females. Conclusion: There is considerable demand for new PWS therapies, and a substantial proportion of patients are willing to participate in clinical studies.
Since past few years, deep neural networks, because of their outstanding performance, are getting highly used in computer vision and machine learning tasks such as regression, segmentation, classification, detection, pattern recognition etc. Recognition of handwritten Devanagari characters is challenging task, but Deep learning can be effectively used as a solution for various such problems. Person to person variations in writing style makes handwritten character recognition one of the most difficult tasks. In this Experiment, we successfully tried to classify handwritten Devanagari characters using transfer learning mechanism with the help of Alexnet. Alexnet, a convolutional neural network, is trained over a dataset of around 16870 samples of 22 consonants of Devanagari script which shows impressive results. The transfer learning helps to learn faster and better even if the data samples are less as compared with the training a CNN from scratch.
Model-based optimization of oil production has a significant scope to increase ultimate recovery or financial life-cycle performance. The Net Present Value (NPV) objective in such an optimization framework, because of its nature, focuses on the long-term gains while the short-term production is not explicitly addressed. At the same time the achievable NPV is highly uncertain due to the limited knowledge of reservoir model parameters and varying economic conditions. Different (ad-hoc) methods have been proposed to introduce short-term considerations to balance short-term and long-term objectives in a model-based approach. In this work, we address the question whether through an explicit handling of model and economic uncertainties in NPV (robust) optimization, an appropriate balance between these economic objectives is naturally obtained. A set (ensemble) of possible realizations of the reservoir models is considered as a discretized approximation of the uncertainty space, while different oil price scenarios are considered to characterize the economic uncertainty. A gradient-based optimization procedure is used where the gradient information is computed by solving adjoint equations. A robust optimization framework with an average NPV with respect to the ensemble of models and the oil price scenarios is formulated and the NPV build-up over time is studied. As robust optimization (RO) does not attempt to reduce the sensitivity of the solution to uncertainty, a mean-variance optimization (MVO) approach is implemented which maximizes the average NPV and minimizes the variance of the NPV distribution. It is shown by simulation examples that with RO, the average NPV is increased compared to the reactive strategy, with both forms of uncertainty. However, an NPV build-up over time that is considerably slower than for a reactive strategy is obtained. A faster NPV build-up compared to RO is achieved in MVO by choosing different weightings on variance in the mean-variance objective, at the price of slightly compromising on the long-term gains.
Solid state fermentation (SsF) is recognized as a suitable process for the production of enzymes using organic residues as substrates. However, only a few studies have integrated an evaluation of the feasibility of applying enzymes produced by SsF into subsequent hydrolyses followed by the production of target compounds, e.g., lactic acid (LA), through submerged-liquid fermentations (SmF). In this study, wheat bran (WB) was used as the substrate for the production of enzymes via SsF by Aspergillus awamori DSM No. 63272. Following optimization, cellulase and glucoamylase activities were 73.63 ± 5.47 FPU/gds and 107.10 ± 2.63 U/gdb after 7 days and 5 days of fermentation, respectively. Enzymes were then used for the hydrolysis of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). During hydrolysis, glucose increased considerably with a final value of 19.77 ± 1.56 g/L. Subsequently, hydrolysates were fermented in SmF by Bacillus coagulans A166 increasing the LA concentration by 15.59 g/L. The data reported in this study provides an example of how SsF and SmF technologies can be combined for the valorization of WB and OFMSW.
The purpose of this study was to analyze pre-existing data of selected kindergarten children in New Mexico regarding the relationship between measured body mass index (BMI) and parents/guardians selfreported perceptions of their child’s weight status. The study is unique because it gives the opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of an intervention that is tailored to a child’s BMI. A total of six districts and 35 schools agreed to participate during this 2004-05 study. A total of 1,480 kindergarten children had their BMI measured by the school nurses. Two instruments were used to conduct the study, a bilingual preand post-intervention survey, and the CDC’s gender-specific body mass index for age percentile charts. The intervention materials included only literature for the parent/guardian to read. The largest variation in changes of perception occurred in the borderline categories of at risk of overweight and underweight. On the pre-intervention survey, 10% of the survey respondents accurately described their child as at risk of overweight and increased to 47% on the postintervention survey. A total of 11% of survey respondents accurately described their child’s weight status as underweight on the preintervention survey and this increased to 23% on the post-intervention survey. This study was a seminal attempt to obtain information regarding childhood obesity in the state of New Mexico, particularly among kindergarten children. Interventions regarding childhood obesity should be tailored to the parent/guardian as well as the child. Different interventions are needed for parents/guardians of children in the definitive categories of overweight and normal weight than for those parents/guardians of children who are at risk of overweight and underweight. © 2007 Californian Journal of Health Promotion. All rights reserved.
Micro gas turbine generation system (MGTGS) is a distributed power source with the prospect of development in the fields of renewable energy and emergency supplies in hospitals and upscale buildings. The MGTGS has the advantages of low emission and high comprehensive efficiency. In this paper, the equivalent model of the micro-gas turbine and the mathematical models of the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) and the load side converter are established. The permanent magnet synchronous generator side converter is controlled by rotor flux orientation based vector control to stabilize the DC bus voltage. And the constant-voltage constant-frequency (V/F) control strategy is adopted for the load side converter. Modeling and simulation of the islanding generation control strategy of MGTGS are implemented. The simulation results show that the control strategy can stabilize the load voltage and frequency well.
Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA  The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis postulates that tumors are maintained by a self-renewing CSC population that is also capable of differentiating into non-self renewing cell populations that constitute the bulk of the tumor. Clinically, CSCs are predicted to mediate tumor recurrence after chemotherapy and radiotherapy due to the relative inability of these modalities to effectively target CSCs. Therefore, new therapies that target CSC must be developed and combined with standard therapy to achieve a true cure. Targeting breast CSC represents an attractive avenue for developing therapeutics; however, there are multiple pools of breast CSCs utilizing distinct signaling pathways, such as Wnt/β-catenin & NF-κB. These breast CSC pools are identified using flow cytometry as cells with high expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), CD44+CD24-, or CD90+. We have developed a high-throughput flow cytometry based screen against CD90+ breast CSCs. We screened ∼18,500 small molecules for inhibitors of CD90+ frequency and identified 19 compounds. Here, we will present data examining this compounds against ALDH+, and CD44+CD24- breast CSCs. By identifying compounds with that target multiple pools of breast CSCs, these compounds might be exploited in future drug development endeavors.  Citation Format: Sean P. McDermott, Fatou Ndaw, Alexandra Fox, Steve R. Vander Roest, Martha J. Larsen, Max S. Wicha. High-throughput drug discovery against breast cancer stem cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 223. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-223
Between October 1997 and December 1999, 78 patients underwent mitral valve repair using an autologous pericardial ring for posterior annuloplasty. Five patients with congenital heart disease were excluded from the study, and 1 was lost to follow-up. The remaining patients comprised 45 males and 27 females, aged 17 to 74 years (mean, 43.8 years). Follow-up ranged from 3 to 30 months (mean, 17.6 months). Mitral valve repair was required for rheumatic disease (37), degenerative disease (26), infective endocarditis (4), and ischemic heart disease (5). Isolated valve repair was performed in 42 patients, associated operations were aortic valve replacement with autologous pericardium (5), aortic valve replacement (4), aortic valve repair (3), aortic valve replacement with pulmonary autograft (1), tricuspid valve repair (9), and coronary artery bypass (4). The most frequent surgical procedures were posterior annuloplasty, resection of secondary chordae, and suture annuloplasty (average repair procedures per patient was 4.4). There were 2 hospital deaths; one from acute respiratory failure and one from low cardiac output. Three patients needed mitral valve replacement. Use of an autologous pericardial ring is a safe alternative technique for mitral valve annuloplasty but long-term follow-up is mandatory.
The haemodynamic hypothesis was dominant in chronic heart failure for most of the last century. This hypothesis attributes exercise intolerance characterized by exertional dyspnoea and/or muscle fatigue to impairment in ventricular performance. The more recent neurohormonal, muscle and immunohumoral hypotheses describe chronic heart failure not only in terms of haemodynamic adaptations, but also by neurohormonal overactivation associated with a sympathetic overdrive, activation of the immune response, systemic inflammation and a catabolic state with muscle atrophy, which may be enhanced by disuse and immobilization in advanced stages of disease.
The use of Information and Communication Technologies (henceforth, ICT) in foreign language learning and, to be more specific, in English language learning has increased quite considerably since the commencement of the 21st century and, particularly, in the second decade of the 21st century with the introduction of mobile learning (m-learning, henceforth) at our daily lives. Our aim, at this current paper, is to confirm whether use of the Twitter social network via a mobile device helps Spanish learners of English as a foreign language (henceforth, EFL) improve their quality of EFL written expression and, especially, their summarizing skill in the English language. We conducted a classroom experiment with students in Year 4 of compulsory secondary education at the time of the experiment. The participating students were level B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (henceforth, CEFR). Two research questions were established. Based on these, the following preliminary hypothesis was formulated: Use of the mobile version of Twitter has a positive impact on improving written expression and, to be more concrete, the summarizing skill in EFL. The research model, which we selected, was action research, in accordance with which quantitative data were analysed to justify the outcomes of this empirical research. The data were satisfactory since learners improved significantly at the end of this current classroom experiment. This research on the use of Twitter in its mobile version could imply a starting point to conduct further empirical studies in this respect on English language teaching and learning in non-university education, such as primary education, compulsory secondary education and Baccaulerette.
Everyday aesthetics is a new sub-discipline of aesthetic theory that has only been actively discussed since the 1980s. This paper addresses what many consider the central issue of the field, called “the dilemma of everyday aesthetics.” I discuss three authors who address this issue: Yuriko Saito, Allen Carlson, and Paisley Livingston. Drawing on Dewey’s anti-dualist stance, I argued for a continuity between the aesthetics of everyday life and the aesthetics of art. In course of my discussion, I question such dichotomies as that between the practical and the aesthetic, the ordinary and the extraordinary, and disinterestedness vs. engagement. In my view, the dilemma is only real for those who wish to maintain relatively rigid distinctions within these dichotomies. The dilemma is only a dilemma if you think there is something disturbing about the thought that low-level aesthetic experiences are enhanced when attended to and when understood or appreciated differently by way of the arts.
The role of aerosolized SARS-CoV-2 viruses in airborne transmission of COVID-19 is debated. The transmitting aerosol particles are generated through the breathing and vocalization by infectious subjects. Some authors state that this represents the dominant route of spreading, while others dismiss the option. Public health organizations generally categorize it as a secondary transmission pathway. Here we present a simple, easy-to-use spreadsheet algorithm to estimate the infection risk for different indoor environments, constrained by published data on human aerosol emissions, SARS-CoV-2 viral loads, infective dose and other parameters. We evaluate typical indoor settings such as an office, a classroom, a choir practice room and reception/party environments. These are examples, and the reader is invited to use the algorithm for alternative situations and assumptions. Our results suggest that aerosols from highly infective subjects can effectively transmit COVID-19 in indoor environments. This "highly infective" category represents about one fifth of the patients tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. We find that "super infective" subjects, representing the top few percent of positive-tested ones, plus an unknown fraction of less, but still highly infective, high aerosol-emitting subjects, may cause COVID-19 clusters (>10 infections), e.g. in classrooms, during choir singing and at receptions. The highly infective ones also risk causing such events at parties, for example. In general, active room ventilation and the ubiquitous wearing of face masks (i.e. by all subjects) may reduce the individual infection risk by a factor of five to ten, similar to high-volume HEPA air filtering. The most effective mitigation measure studied is the use of high-quality masks, which can drastically reduce the indoor infection risk through aerosols.
Regulation of gene expression in trypanosomatid parasitic protozoa is mainly achieved posttranscriptionally. RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) associate to 3′ untranslated regions in mRNAs through dedicated domains such as the RNA recognition motif (RRM). Trypanosoma cruzi UBP1 (TcUBP1) is an RRM‐type RBP involved in stabilization/degradation of mRNAs. TcUBP1 uses its RRM to associate with cytoplasmic mRNA and to mRNA granules under starvation stress. Here, we show that under starvation stress, TcUBP1 is tightly associated with condensed cytoplasmic mRNA granules. Conversely, under high nutrient/low density‐growing conditions, TcUBP1 ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes are lax and permeable to mRNA degradation and disassembly. After dissociating from mRNA, TcUBP1 can be phosphorylated only in unstressed parasites. We have identified TcP22, the ortholog of mammalian P32/C1QBP, as an interactor of TcUBP1 RRM. Overexpression of TcP22 decreased the number of TcUBP1 granules in starved parasites in vivo. Endogenous TcUBP1 RNP complexes could be dissociated in vitro by addition of recombinant TcP22, a condition stimulating TcUBP1 phosphorylation. Biochemical and in silico analysis revealed that TcP22 interacts with the RNA‐binding surface of TcUBP1 RRM. We propose a model for the decondensation of TcUBP1 RNP complexes in T. cruzi through direct interaction with TcP22 and phosphorylation.
OBJECTIVE To measure and assess the levels of occupational exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields in workers of power grid.   METHODS PMM8053 electromagnetic fields measuring system with EHP-50 probe was used to measure the levels of electromagnetic fields at working place. Personal dosimeters (EMDEX LITE) were utilized to measure the individual exposure levels of power frequency magnetic field. The results were evaluated with the limitation criteria of GBZ2.2 and ICNIRP.   RESULTS In the 500 kV ultra high voltage substation, the intensity at 90% measure points of power electric field was more than 5 kV/m. The magnetic field intensity in the areas nearby reactors and capacitors was often higher than 100 µT, even several hundreds µT. The mean daily exposure levels of workers in power grid were between 0.04 and 5.0 µT, and the exposure levels of 70% workers were higher than 0.4 µT.   CONCLUSION In the areas of ultra high voltage and nearby the reactors and capacitors are the key control points for occupational health in power grid. There is acute health risk of workers exposed to high accumulative exposure levels.
Until recently the UK lagged behind both Europe and the USA in acceptance of the principle of integrated design and its application to buildings, but rapid progress has enabled the gap to be closed. After a short historical review, the aims and philosophy of integrated design are stated and their implication for the lighting, heating, ventilating and acoustical aspects of design are detailed. Design factors are illustrated by reference to buildings recently erected in the UK, and the problems, and success of the solutions adopted, are discussed. The further research and development projects which are needed for fully comprehensive integrated environmental design are indicated.
Depth of detection of a target can be defined as that depth below which the target cannot be detected with a given electrode array assuming that the minimum detectable anomaly is 10%. Following this definition, physical modelling was carried out to determine depths of detection of conductive targets of limited lateral extent such as a vertical sheet, a horizontal cylinder and a sphere (infinitely conducting).        It is seen that the two-electrode array has the greatest depth of detection followed by the three-electrode array, while a Wenner array has the smallest depth of detection, when the array spread is in-line (i.e. perpendicular to the strike direction). On the other hand, the depth of detection with a Wenner array improves considerably and is almost equal to that of the two-electrode array when the array spread is broadside (i.e. along the strike direction).        With an increase in the depth extent of the vertical sheet from 10 to 20 times its thickness, there is an increase in the depth of detection with all arrays except for the three-electrode array when the array spread is in-line, and with the Wenner array when the array spread is broadside.
A system to point and track a balloon‐borne telescope with a pixel field of view of about 1.5 arcmin and extendible to a more general use is described. The system receives star field images from a CCD camera and generates error signals for the Telescope Control System, having as a reference a reduced star field database. Simulated tests show that real‐time control of the telescope pointing is possible, depending on the capability of the payload primary attitude control system. The system accuracy depends mainly on the CCD pixel field of view. Using standard devices (CCD/optics) a pointing error of ≤1 arcmin, in both zenith and azimuth, is achievable. The software architecture is designed to simplify the experiment interfaces and to make the system as much as possible hardware independent. Thus, balloon‐borne telescopes substantially different in scope such as infrared experiments, x‐ray, and gamma‐ray telescopes would not experience difficulties whenever the utilities described in this paper are applied.
Numerical calculation of submicron silicon MOSFET and CMOS device is performed. In order to have a higher degree of integration, the distance between two MOSFETs in CMOS structure can be decreased. But decreasing the distance between two MOSFETs results in an electrical interaction. In this research, by comparing the calculation result of n-type and p-type MOSFET and that of CMOS, we examine the interaction mechanism between n-type and p-type MOSFET in CMOS device when the distance between n-type and p-type MOSFET is decreased. From the calculated results, we investigate that the reason of the interaction between two MOSFET in CMOS is the forward bias at the p-n junction of substrate. Furthermore, we can estimate the distance, at the case of interaction, from the results of n-type and p-type MOSFET separately model, not from the results of CMOS model.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
There are several signatures of the past and present evolution of the Mediterranean Sea and in its environment. Apart from geodynamical evolution which is on a very large time scale, in the sediment there are signatures of past changes in climate, hydrology, fauna, oxygen, biological production, etc. But instead of a study for the unique benefit of this sea knowledge, this monitoring may also be a chance of progress for the whole Mediterranean environment and compared to climatic and socioeconomic studies and may be used in an evolution scenario.
The efficient solution of the systems of equations arising from coupled consolidation problems is a matter of concern worldwide. The fixed‐stress splitting scheme is an effective approach for solving these equations either in a sequential manner or as a preconditioner for a fully coupled approach. Recent studies show that it is possible to improve the convergence rate of the fixed‐stress approach by choosing a proper tuning parameter. In this work, we present an optimization algorithm that dynamically searches for the optimal tuning parameter for each time step of the simulation, hence the denomination of real‐time optimization. The numerical examples show that the optimal tuning parameter indeed can change during the simulation, which highlights the importance of the dynamic search provided by the optimization algorithm. In some situations, the optimized fixed‐stress algorithm proposed in this work is able to reduce the total number of iterations by up to 70% compared to the non‐optimized version.
This review of systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials summarized the available evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of interventions to treat depression and/or anxiety in people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The sources of information searched were the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and LILACS, until up to December 1st, 2022. The interventions were compared with placebo, active control or usual care. The measured primary outcomes were improvement in depression and anxiety remission, reduction of diabetes-specific emotional distress; and improvement in quality of life. Two reviewers, independently, selected the reviews, extracted their data, and assessed their methodological quality using AMSTAR-2. A narrative synthesis of the findings was performed, according to the type of intervention and type of diabetes. Thirteen systematic reviews that included 28,307 participants were analyzed. The reviews had at least one critical methodological flaw. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy improved the mainly depression, glycemic values (n = 5 reviews) and anxiety (n = 1), in adults and elderly with diabetes. Collaborative care (n = 2) and health education (n = 1) improved depression and glycemic values, in adults with diabetes. Pharmacological treatment (n = 2) improved depression outcomes only. The quality of the evidence was low to moderate, when reported. The interventions reported in literature and mainly the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be effective to treat people with diabetes and depression; however, some findings must be confirmed. This study can guide patients, their caregivers and health professionals in making decisions concerning the use of these interventions in the mental healthcare of people with diabetes. Protocol Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42021224587).
The surface electronic structure of a stepped Cu(211) crystal was elucidated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. A surface state was found on the three-atom terraces, indicating that the terrace surface potential resembles that of a Cu(111) crystal surface. The d-band dispersion relations of Cu(211) were also found to resemble bulk copper closely. The observed enhanced reactivity of the stepped surface does not appear to arise from gross changes in the surface electronic structure.
An automated fluorometric assay using carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) has been applied for the sensitive and rapid detection of natural killer (NK) activity. The lysis of target cells by NK cells was quantified by measuring the amount of CFDA released into the supernatant of culture wells with the aid of an automated microfluorometer. Both sensitivity and specificity of the presented method were higher than the 51Cr release assay. Moreover, the detection of human NK activity against K562 target cells required only 2 hrs, compared to 4 hrs in the standard 51Cr release assay.
OBJECTIVES To identify the determinants of adherence to immediate-release (IR) methylphenidate in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); to examine the impact of adherence on ADHD-related symptoms; and to compare the efficacy, adherence, and side effects of IR methylphenidate and osmotic release oral system (OROS) methylphenidate.   METHOD This national survey, involving 12 hospitals, consisted of 2 phases of assessment. Treatment adherence in 240 (39.5%) of the 607 children aged 5 to 16 years with a clinical diagnosis of DSM-IV ADHD enrolled in the study was poor (defined as missing >or= 1 dose of ADHD medication a day and on 2 days or more during school days). Children with poor adherence at phase 1 were able to switch to OROS methylphenidate, while adherents remained on the IR variant. We reassessed 124 poor adherents who switched to OROS methylphenidate. The global ADHD severity, parent-child interaction, classroom behavior, academic performance, and side effects of the child subjects were evaluated by investigators. Parents completed the rating scales about the ADHD-related symptoms. The study began in April 2005 and was completed in February 2006.   RESULTS Determinants for poor adherence included older age, later onset of ADHD, family history of ADHD, higher paternal education level, and multi-dose administration. Mental retardation and treatment at medical centers were inversely related to poor adherence. Overall, poor adherence was associated with more severe ADHD-related symptoms by comparison to good adherence. Similar side effect profile, superior adherence, and improved efficacy were demonstrated in intra-individual comparison of the OROS and IR methylphenidate forms.   CONCLUSION Given that poor adherence to medication may be an important reason for suboptimal outcome in ADHD treatment, physicians should ensure adherence with therapy before adjusting dosage or switching medication.   TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier NCT00460720.
This paper proposes a radically new concept for a multileaf collimator for a photon linear accelerator for delivering IMRT with high monitor-unit efficiency. The concept is to consider each M (rows) x N (columns) two-dimensional intensity-modulated beam (2D IMB) as a set of N/2 M (rows) x 2 (columns) areas of modulation. Each area is then delivered by a set of M shuttling attenuating elements (called here the shuttling MLC) with a very high monitor-unit efficiency. The elements shuttle between each of the two columns comprising the M x 2 area and the modulation is provided by the variation in dwell time of the elements. The principles of this shuttling multileaf collimator are discussed and examples illustrating its operation are given. The main achievement reported in this paper is the development and robust testing of an interpreter which describes the position-time course of movement of the elements as a function of monitor units. This interpreter fully accounts for leakage transmission through the elements. It completely avoids the across-the-rows tongue-and-groove underdose. A large number of ID and 2D IMBs have been subjected to this interpreter and it is shown that for random patterns of fluence the SMLC is more monitor-unit efficient than the Bortfeld-Boyer technique (the most efficient with a conventional MLC) when the modulation is highly structured.
Thermophilic bacteria pretreated sludge has drawn more interest for hydrogen production, which was more economical (needs less energy), pollution-free (adding a reagent is not needed), and efficient than physico-chemistry pretreated sludge. Comparative studies between thermophilic bacteria (Bacillus sp. AT07-1) and 65 °C heat pretreated sewage sludge have been conducted for hydrogen production. It was concluded that using thermophilic bacteria pretreated sludge for hydrogen production (batch of TB) would produce the highest hydrogen yield of 16.3 mL/g of volatile solid (VS), and it increased by 12.9, 26.4, and 52.3% compared to T + HB (65 °C heat pretreated sludge inoculated with Enterococcus sp. LG1), T (65 °C heat pretreated sludge), and TB + HB (thermophilic bacteria pretreated sludge inoculated with Enterococcus sp. LG1), respectively. The lag time of TB was only 3 h. The hydrogen concentration in the gas phase of TB + HB and T + HB was 66.2 and 67%, respectively, higher than that of TB and T. These r...
Rapid and accurate updating of urban land areas is of great significance to the study of environmental changes. Although there are many urban land products (ULPs) at present, such as GlobeLand30, Global Urban Footprint (GUF), and Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL), these products are all static data of a certain year, and are not able to provide high-accuracy updating of urban land areas. In addition, the accuracies of these data and their application value in the update of urban land areas need to be urgently proven. Therefore, we proposed an approach to quickly and accurately update urban land areas in the Kuala Lumpur region of Malaysia, and assessed the accuracies of urban land products in different urban landscape patterns. The approach combined the advantages of multi-source data including existing ULPs, OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, Landsat Operational Land Imager (OLI), and Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) images. Three main steps make up this approach. First, the urban land training samples were selected in the urban areas consistent with GlobeLand30, GUF, and GHSL, and samples of bare land, vegetation, water bodies, and road auxiliary data were obtained by GlobeLand30 and OSM. Then, the random forest was used to extract urban land areas according to the object’s features in the OLI and PALSAR images. Last, we assessed the accuracies of GlobeLand30, GUF, GHSL, and the results of this study (ULC) by using point and area validation methods. The results showed that the ULC had the highest overall accuracy of 90.18% among the four products and could accurately depict urban land in different urban landscapes. The GHSL was the second most accurate of the four products, and the accuracy in urban areas was much higher than that in rural areas. The GUF had many omission errors in urban land areas and could not delineate a large area of complete spatial information of urban land, but it could effectively extract scattered residential land with small patches. GlobeLand30 had the lowest accuracy and could only express rough, large-scale urban land. The above conclusions provide evidence that ULPs and the approach proposed in this study have a great application potential for high-accuracy updating of urban land areas.
Abstract:A study of more than 170,000 health care workers (including 47,692 registered nurses [RNs]) in 138 acute care health care organizations revealed that the role of the RN is characterized by excessive numbers of activities, a loss of focus on the professional components of nursing and significant activity overlap with other job classes. Additionally, the study found that these characteristics were related to reduced morale, decreased patient and physician satisfaction with care and increased health care costs. The results of this study suggest a need for nursing leaders to develop new methods for controlling the complexity of health care systems, particularly the complexity of the RN role. Controlling complexity requires better tools for identifying system inefficiencies, more advanced skills in cross-functional work process diagnostics and more effective strategies for reducing complexity across health care systems. [Nurs Manage 1997:28(10):33–36,38]
Mental practice is a method for acquiring, rehearsing or enhancing a physical skill without using fine or gross motor movements. Experiments were made on 72 student police volunteers at the University of Illinois. Participants were allowed to evaluate their own mental images of firearm skills. Shows that treatment and control groups have practical and statistically significant differences in gain scores. Demonstrates that belief in the efficacy of mental practice is a key to high scoring.
In many mining districts, metal pollutants from mine tailings have historically been dumped into local streams. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, Mo, Sb, Cs, Cr, Sc, Co, Ni, and Li in eight overbank-sediment profiles from the Guanajuato River, in the Guanajuato mining district and to establish geochemical background values using direct and indirect methods. The background levels calculated using the direct method in pristine overbank deposits were similar to or slightly higher than the upper crustal values for Sc, Cr, Co, Ni, Zn, and Mo (17.3, 108.7, 18.7, 44.4, 97.2, and 1.1 mg/kg, respectively). In contrast, levels of Cu, Cs, and Pb were up to two times higher than crustal values (93.1, 11.2, and 37.5 mg/kg, respectively), and the median concentration of Sb was 8.2 mg/kg, up to 20 times the crustal level. These natural anomalies can be explained by the presence of mineral deposits in the Guanajuato mining district. Ni and Cr were provided by the ultramafic rock...
Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to provide initial evidence on the association between environmental initiatives and earnings management. Prior literature documents firms participating in environmental initiatives to report relatively stronger financial performance. Moreover, firms with superior performance have been shown to engage in greater levels of earnings management. A natural question that arises is to what extent do firms with environmental initiatives engage in earnings management to report better financial performance? Design/methodology/approach - – The study draws on two theoretical frameworks, external monitoring and internal corporate culture, to predict an inverse association between environmental initiatives and earnings management. The authors test this prediction using an earnings management regression model, estimating discretionary accruals using the modified-Jones approach. Findings - – The study finds that firms with environmental initiatives exhibit lower earnings management proxied by absolute and income-increasing total discretionary accruals. The authors further find pollution prevention and climate related initiatives to help explain this inverse association. The results imply that firms practising environmental responsibility report better financial performance, with the most likely reason being due to real economic performance rather than through earnings management techniques. Originality/value - – This study provides initial evidence on the association between environmental initiatives and earnings management, an area of importance to all stakeholders in a market with increasing interest in corporate environmental performance and its implications.
Wireless messaging, in the form of two-way paging, is an integral part of universal Personal Communications Services (PCS). Basic wireless messaging services include providing reliable (acknowledged) message delivery, reply capabilities, and message origination from a messaging device. Many more advanced services can also be envisioned. Wireless networks and end devices impose many limitations on system design. To overcome the problems caused by such an environment, we have introduced network based proxies, called user agents, to assist simple end devices, and a novel way to define messages, called flexible messages, so that advanced messaging services may be offered. In this paper, we describe how user agents and flexible messages assist in providing messaging services in the Pigeon two-way messaging research prototype at Bell Laboratories.
Objective To investigate the effect of traditional Chinese medicine nursing intervention on blood glucose control of elderly patients -dth type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods A total of 80 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group, each with 40 cases. The observation group received Chinese medicine nursing intervention while the control group received conventional nursing. The level of blood glucose control was compared between two groups after six months. Results Fasting and postprandial blood glucose was respectively （7. 71 ± 1.00） and （6. 42 ± 1.01 ）mmol/L in the observation group, lower than （9. 56 ± 1.61 ）and （7.31 ± 1.08 ） mmol/L in the control group, with statistically significant differences （t = 6. 31,5.74, respectively ;P 〈 0. 05）. The total effective rate was 77.5% in the observation group and 60.0% in the control group, with statistically significant difference （ X2 = 5.73, P 〈0.05）. Conclusions The traditional Chinese medicine nursing interventions can effectively control the blood glucose of elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is worthy promotion and application.    Key words:  Traditional Chinese medicine ;  Nursing;  Elderly;  Diabetes mellitus,type 2
The potential of root-colonising antagonistic microbial biocontrol agents was evaluated for their ability to improve plant growth and suppress aflatoxigenic fungal and aflatoxin contamination in groundnut. By considering root colonisation of groundnut seedlings, plant growth promotion and antagonism against aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus as preliminary criteria, eight rhizobacteria and nine Trichoderma spp. were selected and characterised for their beneficial traits. These strains gave varying results for IAA production, phosphate solubilisation, ACC deaminase, chitinase and siderophore production. Under laboratory and greenhouse conditions, these strains significantly (P < 0.05) suppressed seed-borne and rhizospheric population of A. flavus and improved seed quality variables. However, cdELISA results revealed that none of the biocontrol strains were effective in reducing aflatoxin level in seed. Based on the overall performance, Pseudomonas fluorescens 2bpf, Bacillus sp. Bsp-3/aM and Trichoderma atroviride UMDBT-Dha.Tat8 were used for field trials in the form of talcum powder formulations. Under field conditions, biocontrol agents improved seedling emergence, plant biomass and pod yield. Seeds harvested from plots treated with biocontrol agents showed significant (P < 0.05) reduction in A. flavus infection and aflatoxin production after 6 months' storage. Use of microbial strains with multiple beneficial traits is advantageous in bioformulation development. Hence, in future, these formulations will play a major role as biofertilisers and biopesticides, which can reduce the usage of agrochemicals up to greater extents in groundnut production.
Persistent cervicothoracic myofascial pain is a common condition that causes loss of function and can result in significant health care costs. The underlying cause is tender trigger points that result in impaired muscle function. Standard treatment includes physiotherapy, medications, acupuncture, and trigger point injections. Patients who fail to respond have very limited treatment options. The authors present a novel treatment in 2 patients presenting with severe unilateral cervicothoracic myofascial neck pain that failed to respond to standard treatment. The novel treatment, ultrasound-guided intermediate cervical plexus block with depot steroids, produced significant and durable pain relief in the 2 patients.
These proceedings contain the papers presented at the 10th Annual Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference (GECCO-2008), held in Atlanta, Georgia, July 12-16, 2008.    GECCO has returned to the U.S. and maintains an impressive record of both submission totals and acceptance rate. This year there were 451 papers submitted, with 199 accepted, giving an acceptance rate of 42%. This is the first year that GECCO has moved over to electronic proceedings, and we are confident that regular attendees will be pleased with this change, as it greatly facilitates the keeping of all conference materials.    GECCO is a somewhat unusual conference with its concept of one conference, many mini-conferences. This year, there were 15 separate tracks that operated independently from each other. All tracks have their own track chair(s) and program committee. A member of a track's program committee is not allowed to simultaneously be a member of another track's committee. To reduce any bias reviewers might have, all reviews were conducted double blind. No author's names were included in the reviewed papers. About 500 researchers participated in the reviewing process. Their work is much appreciated and it is absolutely vital for the quality of the conference.    In addition to the presentation of the papers contained in these proceedings, GECCO-2008 also includes workshops, free tutorials, a series of sessions on Evolutionary Computation in Practice, late-breaking papers, and awards in human-competitive results.    The 22 track chairs deserve special thanks for their efforts in assembling their program committee, performing the paper assignments, and finally making the difficult acceptance or rejection decisions. Track chairs were not allowed to accept more than 50% of the track's submissions as full paper. This upper bound on the acceptance rate represents a healthy selection pressure in order to preserve the quality of the conference, and even though we are no longer bound by physical limits on the number of accepted papers, we have striven to keep our acceptance rate at the lower end.    The scientific quality of the conference as well as that of the proceedings is ensured by principles laid down in the GECCO by-laws of SIGEVO:  (i) The GECCO conference shall be a broad-based conference encompassing the whole field of genetic and evolutionary computation.  (ii) Papers will be published and presented as part of the main conference proceedings only after being peer reviewed. No invited papers shall be published (except for those of up to three invited plenary speakers).  (iii) The peer review process shall be conducted consistent with the principle of division of powers performed by a multiplicity of independent program committees, each with expertise in the area of the paper being reviewed.  (iv) The determination of the policy for the peer review process for each of the conference's independent program committees and the reviewing of papers for each program committee shall be performed by persons who occupy their positions by virtue of meeting objective and explicitly stated qualifications based on their previous scientific research activity or applications activity.  (v) Emerging areas within the field of genetic and evolutionary computation shall be actively encouraged and incorporated in the activities of the conference by providing a semi-automatic method for their inclusion into the activities of the conference (with some procedural flexibility being extended to such emerging new areas).  (vi) The percentage of submitted papers that are accepted as regular papers (i.e., papers other than poster papers) shall not exceed 50%.
Introduction: Muscular Temporomandibular disorders or masticatory disorders are characterized by orofacial pain and functional limitations associated with oral dysfunctions, emotional changes and/or genetic factors. Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes that constitute the extracellular matrix and play an important role in the skeletal muscle adaptation. Objectives: To evaluate the association between polymorphisms in the Matrix Metaloprotease-2 (MMP2) gene and the presence of muscular disorders. Methods: RDC/TMD questionnaire was applied for clinical diagnosis of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) in the study sample and three diagnosis groups were formed: control group (n=154), muscular TMD (n=122) and joint TMD (n=49). Genomic DNA was obtained from saliva samples and six single nucleotide polymorphisms in the MMP2 gene were selected. Results: A tendency of association between the presence of the CT genotype (rs243865) and the absence of muscular TMD was observed when compared to the control group (p=0.05). There was a significant prevalence of the polymorphic CT+TT (rs243865) genotypes in the control group (p=0.04) compared to the muscular TMD group (p=0.05). Confirming these results, TCCACC MMP2 haplotype showed higher association (p=0.01) with protection against muscular TMD. Conclusion: Polymorphism in the MMP2 gene (rs243865) is related to protection against muscular TMD.
The ethical issues surrounding slaughter as a means of control of a disease epidemic are discussed and the use of this method as at least one component of the eradication of foot and mouth disease (FMD) is justified. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals received numerous complaints of suffering at slaughter during the FMD epidemic in the United Kingdom in 2001 but none led to prosecution because of lack of evidence. Movement restrictions imposed as part of the disease control strategy caused major welfare problems on farms which were unaffected by disease. These issues are detailed. Significant breaches of transport regulations appear to have occurred.
Glycoblotting, high throughput method for N-glycan enrichment analysis based on the specific chemical ligation between aminooxy/hydrazide-polymers/solids and reducing N-glycans released from whole serum and cellular glycoproteins, was proved to be feasible for selective enrichment analysis of O-glycans of common (mucin) glycoproteins. We established a standard protocol of glycoblotting-based O-glycomics in combination with nonenzymatic chemical treatment to release reducing O-glycans predominantly from various glycoprotein samples. It was demonstrated that the nonreductive condition employing a simple ammonium salt, ammonium carbamate, made glycoblotting-based enrichment analysis of O-glycans possible without significant loss or unfavorable side reactions. A general workflow of glycoblotting using a hydrazide bead (BlotGlyco H), on-bead chemical manipulations, and subsequent mass spectrometry allowed for rapid O-glycomics of human milk osteopontin (OPN) and urinary MUC1 glycoproteins purified from healthy donors in a quantitative manner. It was revealed that structures of O-glycans in human milk OPN were varied with habitual fucosylation and N-acetyllactosamine units. It was also suggested that purified human urinary MUC1 was modified preferentially by sialylated O-glycans (94% of total) with 7:3 ratio of core 1 to core 2 type O-glycans. Versatility of the present strategy is evident because this method was proved to be suited for the enrichment analysis of general biological and clinical samples such as human serum and urine, cultured human cancer cells, and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections. It is our belief that the present protocols would greatly accelerate discovery of disease-relevant O-glycans as potential biomarkers.
Background: Opportunistic bacterial infections remain a serious morbidity among cancer patients. This study was aimed to determine the bacteriological and antibiotic profile of cancer patients admitted to the ICU of a tertiary care centre. Methods: Cross sectional study was done among cancer patients admitted in the Oncology neutropenic ICU during the period from August 2017 to July 2019. All patients admitted with a proven diagnosis of cancer for whom at least one bacterial culture was sent from any site were included in the study. Laboratory on culture reports were obtained from patient files and analysed. Results: A total of 278 samples from 256 patients (60±11.6 years) were analysed. Among the 111/278 positive cultures, 29 were blood samples and 1 was a pleural fluid sample. Gram negative organisms were 62.1% with Escherichia coli (25, 36.2%) as prevalent. Among the 37.8% gram positives, Staphylococcus aureus (18. 42.8%) was prevalent. Most of the E. coli strains showed highest resistance to ceftazidime (96%) and highest sensitivity to amikacin. The commonest gram-positive organism, Staphylococcus species were 100 % sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid and 100 % resistance to penicillin. Conclusions: E. coli (gram negative) showed highest resistance to ceftazidime and sensitivity to amikacin. S. aureus (gram positive) was sensitive to vancomycin and linezolid and resistance to penicillin. An antibiogram for cancer patients helps the clinician to initiate an appropriate empirical antibiotic therapy to reduce mortality and morbidity.
Although a crucial role of the fusiform gyrus (FG) in face processing has been demonstrated with a variety of methods, converging evidence suggests that face processing involves an interactive and overlapping processing cascade in distributed brain areas. Here we examine the spatio-temporal stages and their functional tuning to face inversion, presence and configuration of inner features, and face contour in healthy subjects during passive viewing. Anatomically-constrained magnetoencephalography (aMEG) combines high-density whole-head MEG recordings and distributed source modeling with high-resolution structural MRI. Each person's reconstructed cortical surface served to constrain noise-normalized minimum norm inverse source estimates. The earliest activity was estimated to the occipital cortex at ~100 ms after stimulus onset and was sensitive to an initial coarse level visual analysis. Activity in the right-lateralized ventral temporal area (inclusive of the FG) peaked at ~160 ms and was largest to inverted faces. Images containing facial features in the veridical and rearranged configuration irrespective of the facial outline elicited intermediate level activity. The M160 stage may provide structural representations necessary for downstream distributed areas to process identity and emotional expression. However, inverted faces additionally engaged the left ventral temporal area at ~180 ms and were uniquely subserved by bilateral processing. This observation is consistent with the dual route model and spared processing of inverted faces in prosopagnosia. The subsequent deflection, peaking at ~240 ms in the anterior temporal areas bilaterally, was largest to normal, upright faces. It may reflect initial engagement of the distributed network subserving individuation and familiarity. These results support dynamic models suggesting that processing of unfamiliar faces in the absence of a cognitive task is subserved by a distributed and interactive neural circuit.
Inaccuracy of computations is an important challenge with Stochastic Computing (SC). Deterministic approaches are proposed to produce completely accurate results with SC circuits. Current deterministic methods need a large number of clock cycles to produce exact result. This directly translates to a very high energy consumption. We propose a method based on the Residue Number Systems (RNS) to mitigate the high processing time of the deterministic methods. Compared to the state-of-the-art deterministic methods of SC, our approach delivers 760x and 170x improvement in terms of processing time and energy consumption.
The kinetics and product distribution for the reaction of methyl radicals, CH3, with ground-state, O(3P) oxygen atoms, have been investigated at temperatures up to 925 K and at constant bath gas (He) concentrations of about 3.2 × 1016 cm-3. With a photoionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) as an analytical tool, precursor species, reactants, and products were observed simultaneously. The radicals were produced by an excimer laser pulse (λ = 193 nm), in the cophotolysis of acetone, CH3C(O)CH3 and sulfur dioxide, SO2. In addition to the dominant product, formaldehyde (CH2O), carbon monoxide (CO) was detected as the only other main product. The yields for both products were found to be independent of temperature with values of ΦCH3+O(CH2O) = 0.84 ± 0.12 (2σ) and ΦCH3+O(CO) = 0.15 ± 0.06 (2σ). However, the overall rate constant for this reaction shows a slight increase with temperature with kCH3+O = (2.4 ± 0.3) × 10-10 exp(-(202 ± 60) K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1 between T = 354 and 925 K at [He] = 3...
The aim of this study was to examine whether a high-volume compared to low-volume resistance exercise session acutely impairs lung function. Fourteen males (age 23.8±6.5 years) with resistance training experience participated in this study. Participants completed two resistance training protocols (high- and low-volume) and a control session (no exercise) with the sequence randomised. High- and low-volume sessions involved 5 sets (5-SETS) and 2 sets (2-SETS), respectively of 10 repetitions at 65% one-repetition maximum for each exercise (bench press, squat, seated shoulder press, and deadlift) with 90-sec recovery between sets. Lung function was evaulated pre- and postsession and respiratory gases were measured during the recovery between sets of exercises. An increase in the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) to forced vital capacity was found following the 5-SETS compared to 2-SETS (P=0.033). There was a significant reduction in inspiratory capacity following 5-SETS compared to control session (P=0.049). No other lung function parameter was affected postsession. During training sessions, the squat and deadlift required greater ventilatory demands compared to the bench press and shoulder press (P<0.001). Across most exercises during 5-SETS compared to 2-SETS, there was a lower end-tidal CO2 partial pressure. Across most exercises during 5-SETS compared to 2-SETS there was a lower end-tidal CO2 partial pressure (PETCO2) (P≤0.013), although there were no other differences in physiological responses between the sessions. The findings tend to suggest that the ventilatory and respiratory muscle demands of a strenuous resistance exercise session are not great enough to acutely impair indices of lung function.
Metabolic conversion of inorganic arsenic into methylated products is a multistep process that yields mono-, di-, and trimethylated arsenicals. In recent years, it has become apparent that formation of methylated metabolites of inorganic arsenic is not necessarily a detoxification process. Intermediates and products formed in this pathway may be more reactive and toxic than inorganic arsenic. Like all metabolic pathways, understanding the pathway for arsenic methylation involves identification of each individual step in the process and the characterization of the molecules which participate in each step. Among several arsenic methyltransferases that have been identified, arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase is the one best characterized at the genetic and functional levels. This review focuses on phylogenetic relationships in the deuterostomal lineage for this enzyme and on the relation between genotype for arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase and phenotype for conversion of inorganic arsenic to methylated metabolites. Two conceptual models for function of arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase which posit different roles for cellular reductants in the conversion of inorganic arsenic to methylated metabolites are compared. Although each model accurately represents some aspects of enzyme’s role in the pathway for arsenic methylation, neither model is a fully satisfactory representation of all the steps in this metabolic pathway. Additional information on the structure and function of the enzyme will be needed to develop a more comprehensive model for this pathway.
This chapter presents findings from a research study examining the relationship between faith communities, social cohesion activity and the leadership role of women. The study examined women's exercise of leadership or influence in small intercultural, interfaith projects, which they had developed to improve social cohesion in their local communities. Data were gathered using qualitative interviews and participatory research methods, predominantly with women from a range of religious backgrounds. Findings indicated that women involved in interfaith activity often occupied roles with relatively little power within their communities. Despite this they were at times able to affect considerable influence within their own contexts. Contrary to expectations from existing evidence, changes resulting from the interfaith activities under consideration occurred despite rather than because of formal leadership. The concept and practice of leadership in interfaith activity and how this might relate to different conceptualizations of social cohesion and leadership within faith communities are discussed.
In this paper is presented a mobile robot for the buildings construction, which, endowed with gripping and adequate tools, can carry out operations of handling, masonry or finishing in the construction industries. The robot has in its componence the following mechanisms: mechanism of orientation with 2 DOF’s (2 R); mechanism of positioning with 3 DOF’s (2 TR); mechanism of displacement with 1 DOF’s (R); steering mechanism with 1 DOF (T). A mechanism of orientation by horizontal locus is added and ensures, before beginning work in a given position, orientation of the robot’s platform in horizontal position. The orientation is made using 4 devices to fix with mechanical action, which have also the role to support the robot during work. The orientation is not made in a robotized mode, but in an automated mode, using an inclinometer to measure the slope according to two axes.
Background Little is known about the structural neural connectivity between the primary auditory cortex and cognition-related brain areas in the human brain. This study aimed to evaluate the structural neural connectivity between the primary auditory cortex and cognition-related brain areas in normal subjects, using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT). Material/Methods Forty-three healthy subjects with no prior history of audiological, neurological, physical, or psychiatric illnesses were recruited for this study. Diffusion tensor imaging data analysis was performed using the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Brain (FMRIB) Software Library. In each subject, a region of interest was set on the primary auditory cortex, including the subcortical white matter. We assessed the neural connectivity between the primary auditory cortex and cognition-related brain areas (the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]; ventrolateral prefrontal cortex [VLPFC]; orbitofrontal cortex [OFC]; hippocampus; parahippocampal cortex; amygdala, anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus; and fornix). Results According to the results of DTT, the primary auditory cortex showed neural connectivity (over 50%) with the following areas: the threshold of 1 streamline – the VLPFC (94.2%), OFC (84.9%), fornix (80.2%), hippocampus (76.7%), parahippocampal cortex(74.4%) and DLPFC (58.1%); the threshold of 5 streamlines – the VLPFC (88.4%), OFC (81.4%), fornix (66.3%), hippocampus (55.8%), and parahippocampal cortex (53.5%); and the threshold of 15 streamlines – the VLPFC (82.6%), OFC (74.4%), and fornix (53.5%). Conclusions In normal human subjects, DTT showed that the primary auditory cortex had a high degree of neural connectivity with the prefrontal cortex, fornix, hippocampus, and parahippocampal cortex, which are brain areas associated with cognition and memory.
Abstract As part of a project seeking a better understanding of the links between speech production and perception, we have conducted experiments on the perception of Thai word-final stop consonants by native speakers of Thai and native speakers of American English. The final stops of Thai are never released audibly. In English, however, final stops occur with and without audible releases. Previous work has shown that released stops are likely to be more intelligible than unreleased ones. That is, identification is better when information as to place of articulation in the formant transitions of the closing articulatory gesture is supplemented by acoustic information in a release burst. Both languages have labial, alveolar, and velar places of articulation, but Thai also has glottal closure. Two native speakers of Thai recorded sets of monosyllabic words minimally distinguished by the four final stops . Randomized lists of the isolated words were presented to 19 native speakers of English who responded with the labels ‘p’, ‘t’, ‘k’, and ‘other’. They were also presented to 30 native speakers of Thai for identification in Thai script as words. The highly significant differences between the two groups imply the possibility that the closing gestures of the Thai stops include a component that compensates somewhat for the absence of release, a component to which the English speakers are perhaps less well attuned. Such an interference will be tested in future work by tracking of the gestures in both languages with the Haskins Laboratories magnetometer.
Abstract: Fusarium head blight is a common disease of oat and resistant cultivars are not available in Canada. The effect of nitrogen (N) fertilization on the incidence of seed-borne Fusarium spp. was evaluated under natural field conditions in three locations (Ottawa, ON; Melfort, SK; and Normandin, QC) in Canada in 2013 and 2014. At each site, oat cultivars CDC Morrison, AAC Nicolas, and AAC Noranda were used under four levels of N fertilization (0, 50, 100, and 150 kg N ha-1). Of the seven Fusarium spp. recovered, F. poae, F. equiseti, F. graminearum,F. sporotrichioides, and F. avenaceum were the most common species and were isolated from 9.6%, 1.3%, 1.1%, 1.0%, and 0.3% of the harvested grain, representing 72%, 10%, 8%, 7%, and 3% of the pathogen population, respectively. The remaining species, F. acuminatum and F. oxysporum, were each recovered from a single seed only. A significant N treatment effect (P < 0.05) was observed in four of the six location–years in which the highest N treatment of 150 kg N ha-1 resulted in greater incidence of the predominant species (F. poae) and total Fusarium spp. than the untreated control (0 kg N ha-1). Among the commonly recovered species, only seed-borne infection by F. graminearum increased significantly with the levels of N treatments applied. A highly significant effect of location, year, and location × year interaction (P < 0.01) was observed, suggesting that the field and weather conditions have a stronger influence on incidence of seed-borne Fusarium spp. than the N treatments.
The struggle against neurodegenerative diseases is one of the major challenges in the near future and the global understanding of these diseases goes through a better expertise at the single cell level of basic mechanisms involved in neuronal networks. We need to investigate closer to the cellular material and in this way, miniaturization of electronic components and emergence of nano-biotechnology open new perspectives. Indeed, we are now able to fabricate high sensitive nano-devices to follow neuronal activities. Here, we will present two different approaches to interface neurons, a first one based on a nano-FET for extracellular recordings and a second one using vertical nanowire arrays (nano-electrodes) for intracellular measurements.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fast food (FF) consumption on food and nutrient intakes and likelihood of meeting recommendations outlined in USDA's MyPyramid Food Guidance System. Adults 19–50 years of age (n=2,160) who completed two 24‐hour dietary recalls in the What We Eat in America, NHANES, 2003–2004 were classified as FF consumers or non‐consumers. Fast food consumers were divided into tertiles based upon the proportion of 2‐day energy intake derived from FF. Regression procedures adjusting for confounding factors were used to detect associations between FF consumption and food and nutrient intakes and to predict the odds of meeting MyPyramid recommendations by FF consumption level. Increasing tertiles of FF intake were associated with decreasing intake of most nutrients analyzed, and, for men only, decreasing intakes from the MyPyramid fruit, meat/beans, and oils groups (p<0.01). Compared to non‐consumers, FF consumers had higher intakes of total energy, fat, saturated fat, and discretionary energy. Except for the oils group for men and the grains group for women, FF consumption did not affect the likelihood of meeting recommendations for MyPyramid components. Overall, although fast food consumption was associated with higher intakes of energy, it did not improve food and nutrient intakes or enhance the likelihood of meeting most MyPyramid recommendations. Funding source for this study is USDA.
Postoperative Posterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Following Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery: A Case Report Robert E. Boyle, M.D.1, Lieu Nguyen Lowrie, B.S.1, Jennifer K. Burgoyne, M.D.1,2,3 1University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Wichita, KS 2Department of Surgery 3ICT Eye, Wichita, KS Received June 13, 2023; Accepted for publication Aug. 23, 2023; Published online Sept. 25, 2023 https://doi.org/10.17161/kjm.vol16.20943
Diplopia is a relatively common chief complaint encountered in an outpatient neurology clinic, and carries a broad differential diagnosis. In this case, a 67-year-old woman presented with new horizontal, binocular diplopia and ptosis of eight-month duration, which persisted without significant progression. This case highlights the need for a comprehensive list of differential diagnoses for patients with acquired ophthalmoplegia and ptosis. Key learning points include an illustration of the stepwise diagnostic approach to evaluate for common etiologies, the importance of interpreting test results in the appropriate clinical setting, and the significance of recognizing specific signs and symptoms in achieving the correct diagnosis.
Vertical axis Darrieus turbine is the key component for ocean energy conversion and utilization. In the present work, the energy performance, flow pattern, and radial force for a vertical axis Darrieus turbine were investigated. The experimental measurements and numerical simulations were in good agreement, which validates the accuracy and reliability of the numerical method. The results showed that the power coefficient gradually increased with the increase of tip speed ratio λ, and the power coefficient had three peaks in a revolution of runner due to three blades. The complex vortex induced by the turbine revolution mainly includes the blade tip vortex and blade surface vortex, which are related to the turbine rotation and flow separation on blade surface. The vorticity transport equation was first introduced to analyze the mechanism and evolution of vortex in a vertical axis Darrieus turbine, and the results revealed that the relative vortex elongation term is the main driving force for the formation and development of the blade surface vortex. The radial force of the Darrieus turbine gradually increases with the increase in tip speed ratio, and it is symmetrical with three humps due to three blades.
We demonstrate the generation of Bessel beams using an acousto-optic array based on a liquid filled cavity surrounded by a cylindrical multi-element ultrasound transducer array. Conversion of a Gaussian laser mode into a Bessel beam with tunable order and position is shown. Also higher-order Bessel beams up to the fourth order are successfully generated with experimental results very closely matching simulations.
During recent years, the Internet has evolved into the largest computer network in the world, allowing access to vast amounts of information and services. Medical information is increasingly available to both patients and professionals, and ever more biomedical resources are becoming available on-line to assist in research, clinical medicine, and education. The Internet has always provided useful resources to otolaryngologists, implemented at various academic departments and national organizations or by specialists or specific medical web sites offering technical, scientific, and biomedical information. The purpose of this article is to provide as complete a list as possible of the World Wide Web sites accessible through the Internet that are of interest to otolaryngologists. It summarizes different types of resources available, including educational material, audiology sites, outcomes research, discussion lists, research laboratories, publications, medical libraries, news and medical conferences, organizations, academic departments, otolaryngological and medical resources, medical and surgical equipment and suppliers, and miscellaneous other sites of interest to otolaryngologists. This review is intended to present the wealth of the accessible information on the Internet and to promote the use of the network to otolaryngologists who do not have extensive experience in computers or telecommunications.
Three criteria used to detect how many uncorrelated excitations reach a passive array are examined in two cases: narrowband signals and wideband signals. Two of the criteria are the AIC-MDL (Akaike information-theoretic criterion/minimum description length) criteria and the third uses an adapted statistic of the logarithm of the generalized likelihood ratio. These criteria are compared using analytical simulations, and their performances in real situations are pointed out. The spatial smoothing procedure is also presented. It is shown that, by using both the diagonal elements of the spectral covariance matrix and the spectral smoothed covariance matrix, it is possible to compute the source correlation coefficients. Results on narrow- and wide-band source data recorded during an underwater acoustic experiment are presented.<<ETX>>
Summary The effects of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) and bumble bee (Bombus terrestris L.) pollination on white clover (Trifolium repens L.) seed yield, number of pods per head, number of seeds per pod and podding rate were evaluated in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Experimental field plots were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replicates in both spring and autumn harvest seasons. The four treatments consisted of plants caged with honey bees, plants caged with bumble bees, plants caged to exclude all pollinators, and open-pollinated plots. The highest seed yield was found in the caged honey bee treatment (46.2 kg/ha) followed by caged bumble bees (37.3 kg/ha), open-pollinated (25.7 kg/ha) and pollinator excluded (1.37 kg/ha) treatments in the spring harvest season. Seed yield was very low in the autumn (approximately 1/3 of spring) harvest season. It was significantly greater in the caged honey bee and bumble bee treatments than in the open-pollinated and pollinator excluded treatments in both harvest seasons. Similarly, the number of pods per head, the number of seeds per pod, and podding rate were higher in honey bee and bumble bee treatments than in the open-pollinated and pollinator excluded treatments. The results suggest that bumble bees can be used as an alternative pollinator to honey bees to enhance white clover seed production.
STUDIES dealing with folk-medicine among Latin-American peoples have exposed and illustrated the multi-faceted nature of this world with its numerous practitioners and many followers. These studies, however, have generally exhibited an empirical shortcoming in that they have revealed little or no effort toward a systematic investigation of the differences which may exist between the folk-healers themselves. For example, aside from observations concerning one healing specialty or another, it is common practice to refer to folk-healers (curanderos, curanderas) as basically an undifferentiated class of people (Clark 1959; Rubel 1960; Saunders 1954, 1958a, 1958b; Shulman 1960). To be sure, occasional differences between healers have been suggested, as when Oscar Lewis speaks of " ... Tepoztlan's most eminent curandero . . . " who is described as a man who enjoys considerable prestige and renown as a curer (1955:412, 423, emphasis mine). Similarly, in Costa Rica, "Many legends have arisen extolling the deeds of nationally famous curanderos" (Morales, Scrimshaw, Arce, 1953:146, emphasis mine). From the standpoint of influence and prestige, then, some differences between healers are apparent. But here, too, virtually no effort has been made to elaborate upon the nature of these differences. This paper is an effort at such an elaboration in the anticipation that the data and viewpoints advanced here will provide new theoretical directions for studies which will touch or entirely focus upon the folk-medical world. The setting for the present study is the Mexican-American population in South Texas which is located throughout that area lying south of the city of San Antonio and east to the Gulf Coast from Laredo.' Folk-healers have long been present within this primarily peasant and immigrant population. And here also, some folk-healers have achieved considerable fame which has been accompanied by an increase in devoted following. At the same time, other healers have begun and ended their vocational tenure in relative obscurity, having conducted their practice but for a short while and for only a few people. Differential healer achievement is clearly involved here, as it is elsewhere in Latin-America. This fact seems to call for a shift of emphasis away from the unitary conceptualization of healers, and toward the criteria of role definition and performance. Token shifts in this direction already exist. In this light, Margaret Clark has written of a Mexican-American healer thusly: "Paula's ability to gain and hold the confidence of her neighbors is due in part to the fact that she fulfills cultural expectations of the role of curer" (1959:209). Clark, however, does not attempt to investigate differential healer achievement. Toward this end, the concept of charismatic medicine is here introduced.
Significance The transfer of lactate, a product of aerobic glycolysis, from astrocytes to neurons was recently shown to be necessary for the establishment of long-term memory and for the maintenance of in vivo long-term potentiation. Here, we report that lactate induces the expression of plasticity genes such as Arc, c-Fos, and Zif268 in neurons. The action of lactate is mediated by the modulation of NMDA receptor activity and the downstream Erk1/2 signaling cascade, through a mechanism associated with changes in the cellular redox state. These observations unveil an unexpected role of lactate as a signaling molecule in addition to its role in energy metabolism and open a previously unidentified research avenue for the study of neuronal plasticity and memory. l-lactate is a product of aerobic glycolysis that can be used by neurons as an energy substrate. Here we report that in neurons l-lactate stimulates the expression of synaptic plasticity-related genes such as Arc, c-Fos, and Zif268 through a mechanism involving NMDA receptor activity and its downstream signaling cascade Erk1/2. l-lactate potentiates NMDA receptor-mediated currents and the ensuing increase in intracellular calcium. In parallel to this, l-lactate increases intracellular levels of NADH, thereby modulating the redox state of neurons. NADH mimics all of the effects of l-lactate on NMDA signaling, pointing to NADH increase as a primary mediator of l-lactate effects. The induction of plasticity genes is observed both in mouse primary neurons in culture and in vivo in the mouse sensory-motor cortex. These results provide insights for the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the critical role of astrocyte-derived l-lactate in long-term memory and long-term potentiation in vivo. This set of data reveals a previously unidentified action of l-lactate as a signaling molecule for neuronal plasticity.
Oro-facial malignancies are reported to have a high mortality and morbidity, this is further worsened when patient report late. To analyze the malignant oro-facial lesions seen at a Hospital in the Lagos, Nigeria. Successive patients that presented in the hospital and met criteria of study during 15 months period were recruited into the study. Demographics, clinical variables, and treatment provided for each patient in the hospital was recorded. Data collected were presented as tables and percentages. There were 36 cases seen, their ages ranged from 10 to 72 years (median 49 years), and there were 21 males and 15 females. Time lapse before presentation to the clinic ranged from 2 to 30 months, mean (9.9 (±5.5 months and the largest dimension of lesions at presentation ranged from 2 cm to 12 cm (mean 6.4 ± 2.0 cm). Most common site of presentation was posterior tongue (16.7%; 6/36) and Squamous cell carcinoma (41.6%; 15/36) was the most common histopathologic diagnosis. Twenty-three patients (63.9%; 23/36) had primary surgeries in the hospital. Patients seen in this case series generally reported late with large lesions.
Following the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) proposal that the assessment and control cycle approach, already applied to physical health and safety risks, be adopted to manage stress at work, the Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) developed an Organisational Stress Health Audit (OSHA). The OSHA has three tiers: stage one involves the identification of sources of stress and opportunities for risk reduction; stage two investigates areas of major concern and generates further recommendations for risk reduction; and stage three evaluates the effectiveness of the recommendations in reducing risk. This paper presents the application of the OSHA in three organisations in a study commissioned by the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) and outlines the aims of the study, the methods used and the main results and conclusions of the work.
Niobium membrane flexure suspensions have been proved to be able to achieve high pendulum Q-factors, whereas niobium cantilever suspensions have been proved to give high internal Q-factors in sapphire test masses. Here we present the proposed sapphire test mass suspension systems based on the use of niobium flexures. This suspension system has the advantage of being robust while maintaining the high Q of the sapphire test mass. We show that it is also advantageous to use Nb flexures in future cryogenic detectors.
This paper addresses the issue of the stimulation of charge-pump phase-locked loops for built-in self-test applications. It is shown that three nodes of the PLL qualify for test signal injection. The hardware and methodology for each are discussed. In particular, a comprehensive explanation of the use of delta-sigma modulation in the time domain is provided. Furthermore, implementation issues of analog tests with signal generation based on coarse quantization are discussed. The effects of the quantization noise arising from delta-sigma modulation on the dynamic range of phase-locked loop nodes is evaluated. Original experimental results validate one of the method which was not verified previously. In conclusion, the strengths and weakness of each of the three methods for phase-locked loop stimulation are highlighted.
This study was done to determine the financial feasibility of beef cattle fattening and the factors affecting on amount of cattle ownership of small scale farmer in Karanganyar District. The location quotient (LQ) selected were Jenawi, Jatiyoso and Mojogedang sub-districts. Sampling respondents were determined by purposive sampling of 40 SimPO cattle farmers. Survey method was adopted to collect the primary data from respondents and the secondary data from relevant offices. The criteria for feasibility analysis was net present value (NPV), benefit cost ratio (BCR), internal rate of return (IRR), followed by payback period of credit (PPC) and break event point (BEP). Multiple regression linear analysis was used to determine the factors that influence the number of cattle ownership. The results of analysis showed that financially SimPO cattle fattening with a period of 5 years and a discount factor of 12%/year was feasible. Regression analysis showed that there were positive effects (P<0.01) of agricultural land, beef cattle business experience and the number of labour on the number of beef cattle ownership. It was concluded that SimPO cattle fattening in Karanganyar was feasible. (Key words: Break event point, Fattening, Simmental Ongole Crossbred cattle, Financial analysis, Multiple regresion linear analysis, Small scale farmer)
We start from the kinematic scheme of a mechanism with three dyads, all of the RRR type connected in this way: the first dyad to the driving element R and to the base, the second dyad to the connecting rod of the first dyad in the mechanism and to its rocker, and the third at the connecting rods of the second dyad. This way of binding makes it possible to obtain more and more complex connecting rod curves. Analytical relations are written based on the closed – loops method.  We draw the connecting rod curves generated by the points of interest on this mechanism. Similarly, are studied the connecting rod curves drawn by a mechanism consisting of three RPP-type dyads and another mechanism with three RPR-type dyads. There were a lot of connecting rod curves of very different shapes, open curves because the mechanisms were not built so that the driving element could perform complete rotations (conditions like Grashof). These connecting rod curves can be used on packaging machines, at some toys and in other fields.
This paper discusses the design process for the development of auxiliary table of vibration testing machine. The design process is first laid out, and a typical auxiliary table is studied to show the design evaluation. There are three stages in terms of design analysis. First, the table in free boundary is performed by both finite element analysis and experimental modal analysis to validate the analytical finite element model. Second, the fixed boundary conditions corresponding to the real mounting is considered and validated as well. Third, the flatness index to evaluate the table performance is adopted and shown to justify the table design. Finally, the design criteria for a new design of the auxiliary table are presented. This work establishes the design methodology of auxiliary table that can be suitable and coped with the requirement of vibration testing machine.
BACKGROUND  The fuel additive, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), is one of the most frequently occurring groundwater pollutants worldwide. The present study focused on assessing microbial degradation of MTBE in groundwater below a gasoline station situated above the Israeli Coastal Aquifer. Groundwater was monitored in six monitoring wells over a time period of 2.5 years.    RESULTS  The site water geochemistry indicated that anaerobic conditions prevailed in two of the most contaminated wells. During a year MTBE concentrations declined from 81 to 4.2 mg L−1, concurrently, with a significant change in δ13C from −31.4 to −11.8 ‰ in a source area monitoring well. MTBE biodegradation during microcosm experiments under sulfate reducing and methanogenic conditions resulted in carbon isotopic enrichment factors (e) of −17.2 ± 1.1 ‰.    CONCLUSION  Significant decrease in MTBE concentrations, along with pronounced changes in carbon isotope composition, indicates in situ degradation of MTBE occurring at the site. This evidence was supported by a microcosm experiment with indigenous microbial cultures. The estimated rate of biodegradation is 0.7 year−1, which is about 70% of the total natural attenuation (NA) processes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
Abstract Osseointegration is a fundamental phenomenon of dental implantology. It ensures the stability, the safety and the durability of dental implants and predictable clinical success in long-term. The geometric form of the implant is a defining parameter of osseointegration and implant-bone charge transfer. This is the essential constitutes of this study. In fact, we demonstrate using the finite elements method with tridimensional numerical computations, that the geometrical parameters of the implant conditionate the level and the repartition of the stresses, induced in the cortical bone and the spongy bone during the masticatory process, simulated here by dynamic charging. The effect of several parameters [size and conicity of the implant neck, size and radius of curvature of the implant apex] and the shape of the implant corps on the biomechanical behavior of the bone. The latest was analyzed in terms of variation of the equivalent stress induced in the bone. The purpose of this analysis was the developing of an implant form allowing stress relaxation, during the mastication process, in the living tissue.
The paper examines practices of collecting donations by district towns merchants for the 1806–1807 “zemskoe voisko” (militia) and the People’s militia of 1812. Up to this day the researchers highlight merchants’ role for the organization of militias less than that of the nobility. That said only total amounts of merchants’ donations in 1812 are now available, while raising money for the first militia remains a virtually unexplored field. The paper deals with specific practices and traditions within communities that determined the collection of money and material donations. Given study fills the gap in our understanding of the role of Russian citizenry in creating militias. The author addresses three district towns of the St. Petersburg`s province with different economic background: Novaya Ladoga, Gdov, and Sofia (Tsarskoe Selo). All merchant communities adhered to same principles at the very stage of raising funds for the first militia. They formed a community donation, for which participation was mandatory. The amount of the community donation was most usually set by the town elite. The donation was split equally to be raised from each male soul. But in all communities’ urban elite families contributed additionally, with money or material donations, and their share was significant. Seeing that the total amount of donations in 1807 frequently equalled that of 1812, and sometimes was even more, the role of the first militia for the Russian society deserves reassessment. 1807–1812 saw merchants position worsened due to the increase of taxes. The town elite suffered significantly, which caused problems when collecting donations in 1812: a study of lifepaths of merchants elite families shows that many important donators had to register to “meshchane” (petty bourgeoisie).
Immunopathologic investigations were conducted on the sera and oral mucosal tissue specimens of 23 patients with cicatricial pemphigoid. A linear, continuous basement membrane zone pattern was noted in 83% of oral mucosal biopsy specimens studied. This pattern is indistinguishable from the pattern noted in immunofluorescence studies of bullous pemphigoid, herpes gestationis, and some cases of desquamative gingivitis. Complement studies provided data supportive of classical pathway activation in cicatricial pemphigoid tissue. Deposition of IgA with Factor B, properdin, and C3 raised the possibility of alternative pathway activation, a question requiring further study. Circulating antibasement membrane zone antibodies were noted in the sera of two patients with cicatricial pemphigoid.
To carry out the suitability evaluation of green and selenium (Se)-rich planting in Guanzhong area, 74 maize plant samples and 74 rhizosphere soil samples were collected. Our results showed that all soils in the Guanzhong area were clean and pollution-free, but only cinnamon soil and alluvial soil can be divided into green Se-rich land. Moreover, there is safe and no heavy metal exceeded standard in maize seed samples in the Guanzhong area, but only Se content of maize seeds grown in cinnamon soil and alluvial soil reached the Se content standard of Shaanxi Se-rich food (> 0.05 mg/kg) according to soil environmental quality standard, the national standards for food safety, natural selenium-rich land demarcation and identification, and Se-rich food standard of Shaanxi province. These results indicated that cinnamon soil and alluvial soil in the Guanzhong area was very suitable for planting natural, green and safe Se-rich crops.
This article focuses on the life of the Pasha who gained trust of Abdulhamid the 1th and had on active role on the administration and administrators at the backstage, the place of him in the presence of the Sultan and his heritage. During the period of Sultan’s armorer, he gave a reference about some grand viziers such as Izzet Mehmed Pasa from Safranbolu, Izzet Mehmed Pasa from Darende,Halil Hamid Pasa, as a person at a backstage in political environments, he got a good place in the eye of the Sultan. Through his foundation, he change the village of Arapsun where he was born into the subprovince of Gulsehir taking an example by Damat Ibrahim Pasha’s changing Muskara into Nevsehir. Apart from the danations he made to the foundation that he founded whit his own possesions, he had fur, gun, horse and jewellery collection. Besides his intelligence to gain bureaucratic positions, he is thought to be an enjoyable and a pleasant person, his nargile and stick collection reveal the tabacco passsion which was the trend of that era. Although most of his possessions have domestic and eastern origins, he had about one hundred kitchen utensils from Saxonia and Vienna, which shows that he wasn’t a stranger to European culture and taste. Within this scope, a lot of information was revealed for he first time with this study.Keywords: Grand Vizier, Karavezir, Seyyid Mehmed Pasha, Heritage, Material Culture.
Networks on chip platforms offer the opportunity to introduce a new abstraction level that defines a set of platform services with performance and power characteristics. By making the implementation of these services entirely irrelevant for system design, an effective separation of system design from component design can be achieved. We discuss the principles to formulate network-on-chip services to establish an abstract computational model that exposes all relevant properties of the platform's functionality, performance and power consumption while hiding all irrelevant implementation details. As in many other successful abstractions, these principles are based on separating functionality from time and power aspects to allow for reasoning about these properties at the system level. As a concrete example we formulate a MoC for the Nostrum NoC. It is based on guaranteed bandwidth (GB) and best effort (BE) traffic. The MoC characterizes both GB and BE traffic in terms of closed formulas and allows for efficient composition of traffic
OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of social skills training in leprosy patients to raise self-esteem and reduce self-perceived stigma.   DESIGN Five leprosy patients were given 10 day-long group-sessions of social skills training over 3 weeks. Training involved: identification of the emotions and concerns of patients when interacting socially; analysis of positive and negative social interactions and non-verbal and verbal skills training. Role-plays, videos and live models were used. Self-esteem and a reduction in self-perceived stigma were assessed qualitatively before and after training using semi-structured interviews. Assessment of change was scored under the indicators: self-perception, family, wider community and job. Patients were assessed for displaying new ways of interacting with people and changes in expectations for the future.   RESULTS Qualitative analysis of the interviews before and after training suggested that social skills training could raise the self-esteem of leprosy patients and combat self-perceived stigma. Increase in self-esteem, as evident through the verbal interactions with the interviewers and behavioural changes in the community, were noted in the majority of patients.   CONCLUSION Social skills training along with counseling may be able to increase the self-esteem of leprosy patients, and so be a useful part of leprosy rehabilitation schemes to try and combat the stigma of leprosy.
KING, M. 1983. Karyotypic evolution in Gehyra (Gekkonidae: Reptilia). 3. The Gehyra australis complex. Aust. J. Zool., 31:723-741. KING, M. 1984. Karyotypic evolution in Gehyra (Gekkonidae: Reptilia). 4. Chromosome change and speciation. Genetica, 65: 101-114. KING, M., AND D. KING. 1977. An additional chromosome race of Phyllodactylus marmoratus (Gray) (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) and its phylogenetic implications. Aust. J. Zool., 25:667-672. KING, M., AND R. ROFE. 1976. Karyotypic variation in the Australian gekko Phyllodactylus marmora.tus (Gray) (Gekkonidae: Reptilia). Chromosoma (Berl.), 76:123-150. LYAPUNOVA, E. A., N. N. VORONTSOV, K. V. KOROBITSYNA, E. Y. IVANITSKAYA, Y. M. BORISOV, L. V. YAKIMENKO, AND V. YEo DOUGAL. 1980. A Robertsonian fan in Ellobius talpinus. Pages 239-248 in Animal genetics and evolution (N. N. Vorontsov and J. M. Van Brink, eds.). Junk, The Hague. MATTHEY, R. R. 1973. The chromosome formulae of eutherian mammals. Pages 530-616 in Cytotaxon-. omy and vertebrate evolution (A. B. Chiarelli and E. Capanna, eds.). Academic Press, New York. PATTON, J. L. 1969. Chromosome evolution in the
While penned nearly two decades ago, the words of Remen1 are increasingly relevant to those providing palliative care. They remind us of the need for cognisance of potential impacts on personal wellbeing and professional capacity when working in contexts of cumulative loss and suffering. More recently, the physical and psychosocial suffering associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented operational and ethical challenges for palliative care providers, bringing workforce considerations into sharp focus.2 To maintain the provision of quality palliative care in the wake of such challenges, there is a clear need to prioritise wellbeing and resilience in the palliative care workforce. It has also been important to offer such opportunities to the broader health workforce who also have been plunged into a steep learning curve to provide palliative care, outside their usual scope of clinical practice. But whose responsibility is workforce wellbeing and resilience—the individual practitioner or the organisations in which they work?
Cloud Computing provides on-demand computing services like software, networking, storage, analytics, and intelligence over the Internet (“the cloud”). But it is facing challenges because of the explosion of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and the volume, variety, veracity and velocity of the data generated by these devices. There is a need for ultra-low latency, reliable service along with security and privacy. Fog Computing is a promising solution to overcome these challenges. The originality, scope and novelty of this paper is the definition and formulation of the problem of smart neighborhoods in context of smart grids. This is achieved through an extensive literature study, firstly on Fog Computing and its foundation technologies, its applications and the literature review of Fog Computing research in various application domains. Thereafter, we introduce smart grid and community MicroGrid concepts and, their challenges to give the in depth background of the problem and hence, formalize the problem. The smart grid, which ensures reliable, secure, and cost-effective power supply to the smart neighborhoods, effectively needs Fog Computing architecture to achieve its purpose. This paper also identifies, without rigorous analysis, potential solutions to address the problem of smart neighborhoods. The challenges in the integration of Fog Computing and smart grids are also discussed.
We have used a combination of plasmid insertion/rescue and inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to clone the region of the Streptococcus pneumoniae type 19F chromosome encoding biosynthesis of type 19F capsular polysaccharide (cps19f), which was then subjected to sequence analysis. The cps19f locus is located in the S. pneumoniae chromosome between dexB and aliA, and consists of 15 open reading frames (ORFs), designated cps19fA to cps19fO, that appear to be arranged as a single transcriptional unit. Insertion-duplication mutants in 13 of the 15 ORFs have been constructed in a smooth type 19F strain, all of which resulted in a rough (unencapsulated) phenotype, confirming that the operon is essential for capsule production. Comparison with sequence databases has allowed us to propose functions for 12 of the cps19f gene products, and a biosynthetic pathway for type 19F capsular polysaccharide. Southern hybridization analysis indicated that cps19fA and cps19fB were the only cps genes found in all 16 S. pneumoniae serotypes/groups tested. The region from cps19fG to cps19fK was found only in members of serogroup 19, and within this cps19fI was unique to type 19F.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether the sonicated extract of Enterococcus faecalis (SEF) alters the cell cycle transition of lymphocytes and thus regulates the fate of the arrested cells. Human lymphocytes were activated by phytohemagglutinin in the presence or absence of SEF, and cell cycle was assessed by flow cytometry. Seventy-two hours after activation with phytohemagglutinin, cells were activated from G0/G1 to S (6.1%) and G2/M (3.8%) phases of the cell cycle. In contrast, pretreatment with SEF resulted in 90.5% of cells remaining in G0/G1, and cell cycle progression to the S and G2/M phases was consequently inhibited. Caspase assay demonstrated that SEF-treated cells exhibited significantly increased apoptosis (56.7%) compared with phytohemagglutinin alone (28.1%). We propose that if this irreversible cell cycle arrest induced by E. faecalis occurs in vivo, it may result in local immunosuppression and contribute to the pathogenesis of endodontic failure. Our findings that E. faecalis can inhibit lymphocyte responses may be of particular relevance to the pathogenesis of endodontic failure. Although the immunologic mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of persistent periapical lesion is not clearly defined, it is reasonable to predict that the altered immune reaction may be linked to the immunosuppressive potential of E. faecalis or other oral bacteria.
This research was aimed at improving speaking ability through conversation method via audio visual media. This research is a classroom action research that was conducted in two cycles with three meetings in every cycle. The subjects of this research were group A children consisting of 11 people where there were 5 males and 6 females. For collecting the data, researcher using observation technique was done through observation, while the data analysis was using statistical formula of percentage and mean test. The result of this research proved that through audio-visual media, it can improve the speaking ability. The average of children speaking ability in cycle I has enough criteria, while in cycle II the criteria of children speaking ability was good. From the result of this research, it is suggested for the further researcher to study with the big book and hand puppet media, because with the audio visual media, some children still difficult to utter sounds of language and clarify verbalism
This paper treats values, including specifically ‘legal’ and ‘professional’ values, as distinct from the normative standards of legal and professional ethics as commonly understood. It treats values as powerful motivating and aspirational constructs, an important element both of individual identity construction, and of what defines and holds our academic and professional communities together. Values help us to negotiate the complex web of social roles and commitments, and are important in understanding the dynamic way in which lawyers (and others) respond to morally complex or challenging situations. However, the law school has become relatively inhospitable territory for discussions about values and the moral content of law, largely as a consequence of a flawed notion of value-neutrality and a continuing unwillingness to explore the value-laden character of either the formal or hidden curriculum. A solution is proposed that draws on and adapts the notion of the ‘democratic intellect’, a tradition of higher education that emphasises a commitment to civic values, to (applied) philosophical enquiry, and which regards knowledge in itself as a public good. The paper concludes that, while there is still significant theoretical work to be done in mapping legal values, law schools must be more willing to engage in debate about values, to take values positions consistent with their liberal (or ‘post-liberal’) mission, and to engage with the critical issues of curriculum design and learning process that would flow from the decision to take values seriously.
Abstract: Oral diseases disproportionately affect older Americans from minority populations. Approaches to reducing such disparities include increasing community-based interventions that target vulnerable older adults. To help in developing and implementing such programs, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests using the MAP-IT technique, from a strategic planning guide to address public health issues in the community. This approach served as the method of investigation for the Take Charge of Your Oral Health educational program, a health promotion initiative targeting older African Americans. This paper describes the development and evaluation of the program. A total of 111 African American elders from 7 senior sites in Philadelphia participated in the program. A 6-item pre-test and post-test indicated a significant improvement in mean test scores from baseline (p,.001). The program demonstrated merit in improving oral health knowledge among community-residing, inner city, older African Americans.
Introduction :  Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important mediator of pathological neovascularization and ocular vascular permeability.  In phase I ROP, VEGF levels decrease due to hyperoxia but increase sharply in phase II ROP due to hypoxia, which triggers retinal neovascularization.   Purpose : T o increase understanding of anti-VEGF injection therapy as a management for ROP in order to avoid serious complications such as blindness in children.   R esult : T he use of intravitreal therapy targeting VEGF is increasingly in demand and has changed the way of view in treating vitreoretinal disease in children, especially in cases with severe posterior abnormalities ,  media opacity, and unstable systemic  Compared with  laser , anti-VEGF allows retinal vasculature to further vascularize toward the peripheral retina .  Conclusion : Although it has many advantages, it  is necessary to have a good understanding and continuous observation of systemic side effects and long-term neurodevelopment in children after anti-VEGF injection given that this action is a new therapy  compared to others.
According as Information Technology develops, in conventional type war that aspect of war depends on Performance of individuation inorganic substance network by NCW (Network Centric Warfare) that consist of cooperation form worming between each inorganic substance to base change. NCW has patience tactics for successful, effective tactics self-discipline and do improvement of military strength through connection between constituents by purpose guaranteeing share of information utilizing data processing ability of computer and ability of technology of communications that is linked to network. This War about Network Centric tactics that is NCW key concept. So, we wish to examine, and present about information protection development direction hereafter through requirement to keep information protection about information protection threat in network center tactics environment that is based on network in this paper.
BACKGROUND Heparin has been used for years as a locking solution in totally implantable venous access devices. Normal saline (NS) might be a safe alternative for heparin. However, evidence of non-inferiority of NS versus heparin is lacking.   PATIENTS AND METHODS We randomly allocated 802 cancer patients with a newly inserted port either to heparin lock (300 U/3 ml) or to NS lock groups in a 1:1 assignment ratio. The primary outcome was the number of functional complications, which was defined as 'easy injection, impossible aspiration' at port access. Secondary outcomes included all functional problems and catheter-related bacteraemia. We hypothesised that NS locks do not cause more functional problems and catheter-related bacteraemia than heparin locks. Non-inferiority is established if the upper limit of the confidence interval (CI) for the relative risk of NS versus heparin is <1.4.   RESULTS Three hundred and eighty-two patients from the NS group and 383 from the heparin lock group were included in the analysis. The incidence rate of our primary outcome (easy injection, impossible aspiration) was 3.70% (95% CI 2.91%-4.69%) and 3.92% (95% CI 3.09%-4.96%) of accesses in the NS and heparin groups, respectively. The relative risk was 0.94% (95% CI 0.67%-1.32%). Catheter-related bloodstream infection was 0.03 per 1000 catheter days in the NS group and 0.10 per 1000 catheter days in the heparin group.   CONCLUSION NS is a safe and effective locking solution in implantable ports if combined with a strict protocol for device insertion and maintenance.
OBJECTIVE To obtain site- and size-specific data on transthoracic fine needle aspiration (TFNA) and determine the sensitivity in relation to guidance technique and lesion size and location.   STUDY DESIGN Data on 112 patients undergoing TFNA between 1992 and 1993 were analyzed for accuracy rates, stratified according to lesion size and location within the lung. The series included 13 benign lesions, 53 metastatic neoplasms and 46 primary carcinomas.   RESULTS Overall sensitivity was 90%, with 92% specificity. There was a clear relationship between nodule size and sensitivity of TFNA, with a sensitivity of 60% for lesions < 1 cm but 93% sensitivity for nodules > or = 2 cm in diameter. Similarly, lesion location affected sensitivity. Sensitivity was 100% for peripherally located nodules but was as low as 82% for nodules in the centrobasal portion of the lung. Sensitivity was higher for fluoroscopy (97%) than computed tomography (80%).   CONCLUSION The guidance technique as well as lesion location and size affect diagnostic accuracy.
We engineered recombinant derivatives of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) to express enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Replacement of vpr sequences with EGFP resulted in a genome that did not produce detectable levels of replication-competent virus. Replication-competent virus and bright fluorescence of infected cells were obtained with two other constructs, one in which SIV nef sequences were replaced by EGFP and another in which EGFP was inserted into the SIV nef locus and HIV-1 nef sequences were expressed by downstream placement of an internal ribosomal entry site. These strains were infectious in rhesus monkeys and green fluorescing cells were detected in the tissues of infected monkeys by FACS analysis and by direct microscopic visualization. EGFP sequences were absent from recovered virus by 8 weeks following infection. We conclude that recombinant SIV that is engineered to express EGFP can be used to directly detect productively infected cells and aid in the immunophenotypic characterization of these cells within the first 2 weeks of infection of rhesus monkeys.
An anticorrosive coating with randomly distributed passive barriers and regionally enriched active corrosion inhibitors is developed by integrating mica nanosheets (MNSs) and magnetic-responsive core-shell mesoporous nanoparticles with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (Fe3O4@mSiO2/MBT) under magnetic field incubation. The bottom enriched Fe3O4@mSiO2/MBT rapidly releases the MBT to form a passivation layer on corrosion sites, enhancing the corrosion inhibition efficiency by 30.36% compared with the control (NP0.7EP-R). The impedance modulus |Z|0.01 Hz of the sample (NP0.7/MNS0.5/EP) increases by five orders of magnitude compared with that of its control (NP0.7/MNS0EP) after 30 days of corrosion immersion. NP0.7/MNS0.5/EP exhibited the lowest corrosion rate (3.984 × 10-5 mm/year) as compared to the other samples. Notably, the coating in a fractured state still maintains superior corrosion inhibition even after 40 day salt spray testing. The differentiated distribution of nanofillers was well confirmed by optical microscopy and SEM-EDS, and the synergistic effect of the active/passive integrated anticorrosive coating with merits of both comprehensive protection and fast responsiveness was systematically explored.
The shape of a cell is critical for proper signaling and resultant biological function [1]. Podocytes, kidney visceral epithelial cells, have a distinctive morphology with interdigitating foot processes that wrap around the capillaries of the glomeruli and, together with endothelial cells and the basement membrane, form the glomerular filtration barrier. In addition to forming the filtration barrier, slit diaphragms that connect the alternating foot processes from two podocytes are thought to be signaling hubs that regulate cell morphology and function.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
ARE APPRAISALS OF students made at the time of their admission to the teacher education program related to descriptions of their subsequent c las s room behavior ? This question stimulated a study of the observed classroom behaviors of women in elementary education during their student teaching (9). This paper describes that part of the study which was concerned with the development of the ex perimental design for studying classroom behav iors. Since few, if any, studies of student teach ers' classroom performance have employed an ex perimental approach, this discussion is presented as an example of the application of the experiment al method to this type of research and of the use of the cross-over design in particular. The study il lustrates how factors assumed to be relevant to classroom performance variables can either be con trolled or their influence measured and examined for significance.
The quality and safety of foods are affected by the environment, and the quality and safety of the environment are, in turn, affected by foods and food processing. To explore these interrelationships, as they might exist in the twenty-first century, one must speculate regarding future changes in foods and food processing. Several trends in food processing seem likely to predominate into the twenty-first century, and they will be, for the most part, evolutionary in nature and of low consumer visibility. These trends are greater use of foods marketed in a refrigerated state, greater use of irradiation and combination processes, greater automation and optimization of processes, and greater use of biotechnology. It is also reasonable to assume that food products of the following types will increase in importance, namely, those that are convenient (includes eating away from home), those that are tailored to specific dietary needs, those containing chemically modified components such as altered proteins and carbohydrates, and fabricated foods. If these trends in foods and food processes prevail then concern must be directed to the following areas: Microbiological concerns--refrigerated foods; food service operations; new or altered procedures for processing, handling and storing foods; and new foods or food formulations; attention must be given both to controlling known pathogens as well as newly perceived pathogens. Chemical concerns--toxicants occurring naturally in foods; contaminants; chemicals developing in foods during processing, handling and storage; chemicals used in fabricated foods; and chemicals of newly perceived importance, especially those having adverse, covert effects. Several of these chemical concerns are influenced in seriousness by composition of the food environment.
We target the problem of the safe control of reconfigurations in component-based software systems, where strategies of adaptation to variations in both their environment and internal resource demands need to be enforced. In this context, the computing system involves software components that are subject to control decisions. We approach this problem under the angle of Discrete Event Systems (DES), involving properties on events observed during the execution (e.g., requests of computing tasks, work overload), and a state space representing different configurations such as activity or assemblies of components. We consider in particular the potential of applying novel logico-numerical control techniques to extend the expressivity of control models and objectives, thereby extending the application of DES in component-based software systems. We elaborate methodological guidelines for the application of logico-numerical control based on a case-study, and validate the result experimentally.
ABSTRACT Drawing on a Participatory Action Research (PAR) study that was undertaken in two Australian preschool settings this article examines strategies that support the pedagogy of teaching for social justice and outlines how these strategies raised critical consciousness of both preschoolers (aged three to five years) and early childhood educators to respect and value Difference, Diversity and Human Dignity (the Three Ds). While social justice and anti-bias curricula are of definite concern in educational circles, the conversation needs to continue because young children in the twenty-first century still have the propensity to develop very negative views regarding the Three Ds. Research has demonstrated that by the time children reach preschool age they are already proficient in the ways they appropriate and manipulate racist discourses and have developed negative attitudes and prejudices towards particular groups. The findings of the Australian study have implications for early childhood education (ECE), both nationally and internationally, to support teaching for social justice with the judicious use of children's literature, that promotes young children's understanding of and sensitivities to the Three Ds.
The dynamic range of brightness on road scenes is very wide, because the lighting condition dynamically varies with various weather and road conditions. Therefore, the dynamic range of conventional TV cameras is insufficient to input the images of road scenes. The authors have developed a method for expanding the dynamic range of TV cameras. Also, they have developed an experimental vision sensor system with a wide dynamic range based on the method applicable to the vision systems for vehicles. The effectiveness of the sensor in comparison with conventional TV cameras was confirmed from the experiments on highways under various lighting conditions.<<ETX>>
This paper presents a control model of squirrel cage induction machine with broken rotor bars. The basis for model's equations is the fact that this type of faults inevitably alters the rotor parameters. Both the resistance and inductance take a sinusoidal shape, being a function of rotor angle, almost regardless of the configuration of fault. Differing from previous work, in this paper a model has been developed in rotor field coordinates, being this the preferable reference frame for machine control and thus easier for control engineers to grasp, especially in closed-looped systems. The approach has been tested on laboratory models of two different induction machines connected to the grid with completely different severities of faults. The results show a very good agreement between measurements and simulations.
A reusable framework consisting of hierarchical knowledge representation, preliminary design, iterative modification, four information flow and reasoning paths, and solution validation is conceived as a common substrate for addressing multiple components in manufacturing decision processes. The problems are represented in a state-space framework. An investment is made to design a rich representational scheme and to discriminate the promising solution states by utilizing its many implicit constraints in contrast to investing in heuristics operating on a more simplified representation of the problem. Although isolated segments of the described framework (e.g. hierarchical problem solving, abstraction) have been previously mentioned in knowledge-based problem solving, the framework distinguishes itself by exploring the nature of the interaction of these concepts in actually obtaining end results for manufacturing problems. Although hard to quantify, it is stated that the involved ‘intelligence’ from the manu...
Abstract Failed fusion in the cervical spine is a multifactorial problem stemming from a combination of patient and surgical factors. Patient-related risk factors such as steroid use, poor bone quality, and smoking can be optimized preoperatively. Age, prior radiation, prior surgery, and underlying genetics are nonmodifiable patient-centered risk factors. Surgical risks for failed fusion include the number of segments fused, anterior versus posterior approach for fusion, the type of bone graft, and the instrumentation utilized. Many symptomatic cases of failed fusion (pseudarthrosis) result in pain, neurological deficits, or loosened hardware necessitating a revision surgery consisting of extending the prior construct and utilizing additional allografts or autografts to augment the fusion. Given the relatively mobile nature of the cervical spine, pseudoarthrosis (either known or anticipated) must be recognized by the spine surgeon, and steps should be considered to optimize the likelihood of future fusion. This consists of both performing a rigid fixation and using appropriate bone graft to enhance the environment for arthrodesis. Vascularized bone grafts are a useful tool to augment fusion and provide added structural stability in cases at high risk of pseudoarthrosis.
ization of material—'je doute qu'il y ait jamais apport6, consciemment et d6libe"re"ment, des retouches '—demands full treatment in view of the belief (p. 13, n. 2: cf. Intro, p. 27, n. 1) that the Histories were primarily composed for Asiatic Greeks and later revised for presentation to the Athenians. As in Book I, the translation is accurate and calls for little comment, while in the text differences between this and previous editions are few and predominantly morphological. Some changes seem superfluous, e.g. 75. 3 TavTTjv e? T. j(a>pr)v '. 79. I ical <^OTI^> aeccr/xa: 111. 3 en-e f̂}? TroXXeaw {traaecov codd., surely a natural exaggeration in such a story): 135. 3 irpoTepr)<s: 170. 2 ^al] ipyaa-fievT). But 22. 2 airb r. 0. OTTWJ'] peav e? TO •tyvxporepa ; <Ve#fiijpia~^> ywv woXKa earl, avBpi ye K.T. . (with new sentences subsequently at irp&rov, Sevrepov and rpira) is a useful recasting of this awkward passage. 46. 3 Kal TovTOim oi aliroKoi rt/uk fi. vkyuovai may well be correct. In the following sentence need Stein's unattractive eva {eh codd.) be retained, or should we read evil 7. 2 -nXvpol es merits a note : 31 airb KUV/JMTO^, if not a misprint, demands one in view of viro codd. Spacing of Greek letters and words is often faulty : see e.g. 118,11. 57, 169, 11. 1-6, and 122, 1. 2, 135, 11. 9, 10. Misprints include 'Sliceaicbv (p. 22, n. 4), ttkeyov (p. 44, n. 2), a/A<f>OTepea>v (Ch. 17, 1. 9), aiyvTTTHTO (103, 1. 4), Kefyakfp; (121 y, 1. 4), 686v (122, 1. Il) , and wrong numerals on pp. 86, 97 (n. 4), 107, 116.
Access to safe water supplies and basic sanitation are necessary for maintaining public health, and water is needed to support healthy ecosystems, which in turn provide critical environmental goods and services. As water demand and availability become more uncertain, all societies become more vulnerable to a wide range of risks associated with inadequate water supply, including hunger and thirst, high rates of disease and death, economic crises, and degraded ecosystems. This endangers the enforcement of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. Against this background the paper reviews the current political development to strengthen the legal enforcement of the Right to Water; describes the importance of its legal implementation regarding poor populations in Europe; exemplifies the need for implementation and legal action in view of Germany; and addresses to strengthen enforcement of the Human Right to Water and Sanitation with a view to Environmental Justice.
There is a possibility that wearing traditional sampling pumps could affect worker behaviour and undermine the validity of occupational hygiene exposure measurement. Sampling pumps are bulky and can be noisy, and if these characteristics alter work patterns sufficiently exposures may be modified. This paper describes a carefully controlled pilot study designed to test the hypothesis that the wearing of personal sampling pumps may affect workers' exposure. Comparisons were made using pump-based systems and diffusive samplers to measure organic vapours. Diffusive samplers were chosen as controls because they are much less bulky and therefore less likely to affect behaviour. A carefully constructed sampling strategy, involving measurements on between 13 and 20 workers on 6 working days, was used at five sites. On alternate days both sampling methods were used, side-by-side, on the workers and on the remaining days only diffusive samplers were worn. The sites chosen had minimal day-to-day variation in environmental conditions. The results showed that at one site the concentrations were approximately 50% higher on the days when pumps were worn compared with other days. At the remaining sites no significant differences were found. From the characteristics of the work at the site where differences were observed it is suggested that pumps may affect measured concentrations when people have flexible work patterns and spend part of their time seated and/or the work is in quiet areas.
The social world is stratified. Social hierarchies are known but often disavowed as anachronisms or unjust. Nonetheless, hierarchies may persist in social memory. In three studies (total N > 200,000), we found evidence of social hierarchies in implicit evaluation by race, religion, and age. Participants implicitly evaluated their own racial group most positively and the remaining racial groups in accordance with the following hierarchy: Whites > Asians > Blacks > Hispanics. Similarly, participants implicitly evaluated their own religion most positively and the remaining religions in accordance with the following hierarchy: Christianity > Judaism > Hinduism or Buddhism > Islam. In a final study, participants of all ages implicitly evaluated age groups following this rule: children > young adults > middle-age adults > older adults. These results suggest that the rules of social evaluation are pervasively embedded in culture and mind.
Silk-reinforced polylactic acid/poly ε-caprolactone composites containing 1-7 wt % of silk fibers were fabricated through the melt-mixing method. The composites were then characterized by implementing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rheometry to investigate functional groups, thermal properties, rheological properties, and intrinsic viscosities of each composite. The crystallinity of the composites was found to decrease upon addition of silk, while, both storage modulus ( G') and loss modulus ( G″) were increased which is an indication of interface bonding between the polymer and silk. The composite containing 5% silk fiber (PLACLS5) showed the optimum results. The composites' morphological analysis was conducted by scanning electron micrograph coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) mapping to assess the fiber dispersion in the composite matrix. The contact angle measurements and in vitro degradation were performed to evaluate the hydrophilicity, free surface energy, and hydrolytic degradation of the composites. The results implied that addition of higher contents of silk fiber could reduce the degradation duration of the composites, which is due to the high hydrophilicity of the fiber, uniform fiber dispersion within the matrix, the porous structure, and consequently, the hydrophilic behavior of the composites. These composites can be great alternatives for both soft and hard tissue engineering applications.
Concurrent Learning has been previously used in continuous-time uncertainty estimation problems and adaptive control to solve the parameter identification problem without requiring persistently exciting inputs. Specifically selected past data are jointly combined with current data for adaptation. Here, we extend the parameter identification problem results of Concurrent Learning for structured uncertainties in the continuous-time domain to the discrete-time domain. Alike the continuous-time case, we show that, in discrete-time, a sufficient, testable on-line and less restrictive condition compared to persistency of excitation guarantees global exponential stability of the parameter error when using Concurrent Learning.
Graphene oxide–carbon nanotubes hybrids were prepared by using methylene diphenyl diisocyanate as a bridging agent. The as-prepared hybrids were introduced in phenol formaldehyde resin to fabricate polymer-based composites. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electrical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction were performed to characterize the functional groups, morphologies, and crystal structure of the as-prepared hybrids, respectively. The experimental results showed that the carbon nanotubes were loaded on the surfaces of the graphene oxide and they were held together through chemical bonds. Moreover, the as-prepared hybrids could improve the mechanical properties of the matrix. When the as-prepared hybrids loading was 0.6 wt%, the tensile strength, Young's modulus, and elongation at break of the composites were 31.3%, 97.0%, and 75.0% more than the pure sample; in addition, the compression strength and modulus of the composites were 19.7% and 21.3% more than the pure sample, respectively.
A Ca2+-sensitive electrode was used to study net Ca2+-flux changes induced by the administration of phenylephrine, vasopressin and angiotensin to the perfused rat liver. The studies reveal that, although the Ca2+ responses induced by vasopressin and angiotensin are similar, they are quite different from the Ca2+ fluxes induced by phenylephrine. The administration of phenylephrine is accompanied by a stimulation of a net amount of Ca2+ efflux (140 nmol/g of liver). A re-uptake of a similar amount of Ca2+ occurs only after the hormone is removed. In contrast, the administration of vasopressin or angiotensin to livers perfused with 1.3 mM-Ca2+ induces the release of a relatively small amount of Ca2+ (approx. 40 nmol/g of liver) during the first 60 s. This is followed by a much larger amount of Ca2+ uptake (70-140 nmol/g of liver) after 1-2.5 min of hormone administration, and a slow efflux or loss of a similar amount of Ca2+ over a period of 6-8 min. At lower concentrations of perfusate Ca2+ (less than 600 microM) these hormones induce only a net efflux of the ion. These results suggest that at physiological concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ the mechanism by which alpha-adrenergic agonists mobilize cellular Ca2+ is different from that involving vasopressin and angiotensin. It seems that the hormones may have quite diverse effects on Ca2+ transport across the plasma membrane and perhaps organellar membranes in liver.
As an extensible signaling protocol, RTCP protocol can be applied in developing video surveillance system. Traditionally, for RTP-based centralized video surveillance system, surveillance scale is limited by both the capability of surveillance server and the availability of bandwidth. This paper focuses on how to keep surveillance capability when the number of video surveillance system increases. Based on the study of the RTCP Protocol, we analyze the drawback of the existing video surveillance system model, and propose the scalable service model for video surveillance system. By this model, the extra service requests can be transferred and served in the cooperated video servers. The paper presents the video surveillance control policy of the model in detail. We developed a prototype of video surveillance system based on above model. Experimental result show the service model works well
In this paper, we focus on the need of space observation images registration, in order to detect dim space targets more effectively. The global motion parameters are calculated first, using centroids of high light stars, which are corresponding during the entire image sequence, as feature points. Then, an algorithm of star image sequence registration based on Star Centroid Coordinates Matrix (SCCM) is proposed. The registration algorithm includes 3 steps: Firstly, star image is converted into SCCM. Secondly, utilizing global motion parameters, SCCM is processed. And thirdly, the star image sequence is registered, and at the same time, stars in the image are filtered. This algorithm can overcome disturbance from stars effectively. During the registration process, converting star image into SCCM can leave out image re-sampling and transformation steps, and can decrease computation complexity. Because stars are all filtered in the registered image, dim space target detection can be easier.
A technique for the spatial transformation of the discrete sound field from a propeller is proposed that is based on solving the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings equation with quadrupole source term neglected. Since the blade surface velocity is fully specified, numerical inversion of Farassat's integral is used to relate the blade surface pressures to the finite number of measurements in the acoustic field. With the reconstructed aerodynamic loading, the whole sound field is naturally predicted using Farassat's integral. Since the inverse problem is ill posed, the Tikhonov regularization method is used to stabilize the solution. The optimal regularization parameter is chosen by generalized cross-validation criterion. Numerical results show that the reconstruction is inaccurate in the presence of measurement noise (error) but the spatial transformation of discrete sound filed remains satisfactory.
Background Transforming growth factor (TGF) &bgr;1‐Smads signal plays an important role in cardiac remodeling following myocardial infarction (MI). In addition, both angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and angiotensin II type I receptor blocker (ARB) can effectively prevent left ventricular remodeling. The current study focused on whether the combination of ACEI and ARB is more beneficial for preventing ventricular remodeling and whether Smad proteins mediate this beneficial effect. Methods MI was induced by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery in rats. Twenty‐four hours after ligation, the survived rats were randomly divided into five groups and treated for 8 weeks: placebo group, ACEI group (benazepril 10 mg • kg−1 • d−1), ARB group (irbesartan 50 mg • kg−1 • d−1), ACEI+ARB group (benazepril 10 mg •kg−1 •d−1+irbesartan 50 mg •kg−1 •d−1) and control group (sham‐operated rats). After 8 weeks, we examined the following indexes: the ratio of ventricular weight to body weight (VW/BW), left ventricular end diastolic dimension (LVDd), ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), ratio of E‐wave to A‐wave velocity, collagen of noninfarcted zone, the mRNA expression of TGF&bgr;1, Smad 2, and Smad 3 by RT‐PCR in noninfarcted zone, the protein expression of Smad 2 and Smad 3 in noninfarcted zone by Western blot. Results VW/BW significantly increased in the placebo groups compared with that in the control group (P<0.01). This increase was limited in ACEI, ARB, and combined groups (P<0.01 compared with placebo group). There was no significant difference among the three actively treated groups. Collagen was increased in placebo group (5.68 ± 0.5)% compared with that in control group (P<0.01). ACEI, ARB and combined treatment attenuated this increase of collagen [(4.3 ± 0.5)%, (3.5 ± 0.5)%, (3.2 ± 0.4)%] in comparison with that in placebo group (P<0.01 respectively). Combined treatment showed more significant effect on collagen deposition. EF and FS significantly decreased, LVDd and E/A significantly increased in placebo group compared with that in control group (P<0.01 respectively). ACEI, ARB and combined treatment ameliorated these indexes (P<0.01 compared with placebo group). The mRNA expression of TGF&bgr;1, Smad 2, and Smad 3 (0.700±0.045, 0.959±0.037 and 0.850 ± 0.051) increased in placebo group compared with that in control group (P<0.01). ACEI, ARB and combined treatment normalized the increase (P<0.01). Furthermore, ARB and combined treatment proved to be more effective in decreasing TGF &bgr;1 and Smad mRNA expression than ACEI treatment (P<0.01). The expression of Smad 2 and Smad 3 protein increased in placebo group compared with that in control group (P<0.01). ACEI, ARB and combined treatment normalized the increase (P<0.01). Furthermore, ARB and combined treatment proved to be more effective than ACEI alone (P<0.01). Conclusions TGF&bgr;1‐Smads signal activation is correlated with ventricular remodeling following MI. ACEI and ARB treatment prevents ventricular remodeling by inhibiting expression of Smad 2 and Smad 3. ARB and combined treatment are more effective than ACEI alone.
Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract Background A pilot study suggested lamotrigine may be more effective for bipolar depression with melancholic features. We tested this hypothesis in a pooled analysis of 5 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials of lamotrigine for acute bipolar depression. Methods The pooled sample consisted of 1072 adult outpatients. Depressive symptoms were assessed for 7 to 10 weeks with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale. The outcome measure was end-trial response (score reduction ≥ 50%). Melancholic features were assessed with both the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and baseline depression scale items, according to DSM criteria. Results The item-based melancholic specifier was associated with numerically larger treatment effects, although subgroup-treatment interactions in logistic regression models did not reach statistical significance. The small subgroup of patients with severe psychomotor retardation also appeared to benefit from lamotrigine. However, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV melancholic specifier was not associated with larger treatment effects. Baseline depression severity was inconsistently associated with response, depending on which scale was used to define severity. The 2 melancholia variables had poor agreement despite having similar prevalences. Conclusions Our results do not clearly support the original hypothesis but do reinforce the importance of replicating secondary analyses of clinical trials with additional data.
Within the micro-macro debate, ethnomethodology is generally cast as microsociology. This is misleading given that ethnomethodology is indifferent to structure at any level. Instead, ethnomethodology transcends the terms of the debate with a focus on empirical social practices whereby both microstructure and macrostructure are produced by and for the membership. This is also true of conversation analysis. Modifying Collins's "interaction ritual chains" to include this indifference to structure expands ethnomethodological understanding as well as Collins's theory.
An alternate method based on Generalised S-transform (GST) is proposed for identification of harmonic, Inter-harmonic and sub-harmonic frequency in power signals. A selective frequency partitioning with reciprocal signal cropping is introduced to significantly reduce the computational demand of the GST algorithm. The proposed selective frequency partitioning is chosen such that the bins at dominant frequencies are taken into account. Further, a Jacobsen estimator with bias correction is used for the frequency correction. Thus, the proposed method reduces the error caused by the leakage affect in the GST and accurately estimates the harmonic and inter-harmonic frequencies.
The analytical regularisation technique for rigorous solution of dual series equations in diffraction theory for conical structures is proposed. It is based on establishing of the rule for correct transition to the infinite systems of linear algebraic equations as well as on receiving the solutions, which provide the fulfilment of all the necessary conditions. These systems are proved to be regulated by a pair of operators, which consist of the convolution type operator and the corresponding inverted one. The elements of the inverted operator can be found analytically using the factorisation technique.
In the framework of the research and development activities of the SPES project regarding the optimization of the radioactive beam production, a dedicated experimental study has been recently started in order to investigate the possibility of in-source ionization of germanium using a set of tunable dye lasers. Germanium is one of the beams to be accelerated by the SPES ISOL facility, which is under construction at Legnaro INFN Laboratories. The three-step, two color ionization schemes have been tested using a Ge hollow cathode lamp. The slow and the fast optogalvanic signals were detected and averaged by an oscilloscope as a proof of the laser ionization inside the lamp. As a result, several wavelength scans across the resonances of ionization schemes were collected with the fast optogalvanic signal. Some comparisons of ionization efficiency for different ionization schemes were made. Furthermore, saturation curves of the first excitation transitions have been obtained. This investigation method and the setup built in the laser laboratory of the SPES project can be applied for the photo-ionization scheme studies also for the other possible radioactive elements.
Mice are one of the most commonly used laboratory animals, with an extensive array of disease models in existence, including for many neuromuscular diseases. The hindlimb is of particular interest due to several close muscle analogues/homologues to humans and other species. A detailed anatomical study describing the adult morphology is lacking, however. This study describes in detail the musculoskeletal geometry and skeletal muscle architecture of the mouse hindlimb and pelvis, determining the extent to which the muscles are adapted for their function, as inferred from their architecture. Using I2KI enhanced microCT scanning and digital segmentation, it was possible to identify 39 distinct muscles of the hindlimb and pelvis belonging to nine functional groups. The architecture of each of these muscles was determined through microdissections, revealing strong architectural specialisations between the functional groups. The hip extensors and hip adductors showed significantly stronger adaptations towards high contraction velocities and joint control relative to the distal functional groups, which exhibited larger physiological cross sectional areas and longer tendons, adaptations for high force output and elastic energy savings. These results suggest that a proximo-distal gradient in muscle architecture exists in the mouse hindlimb. Such a gradient has been purported to function in aiding locomotor stability and efficiency. The data presented here will be especially valuable to any research with a focus on the architecture or gross anatomy of the mouse hindlimb and pelvis musculature, but also of use to anyone interested in the functional significance of muscle design in relation to quadrupedal locomotion.
T he development of MSIS 2016, the new competency model and guidance for curriculum development for master’s programs in Information Systems, has been an important ongoing effort for the Information Systems community for the past several years. As one of the co-chairs of the project task force, I’ve written about it in two earlier Inroads columns to provide the computing education community updates on the project, its direction, and its key innovations [1,2]. With this column, I am delighted to reflect on the project at a time when ACM and AIS are considering its final version for approval. The task force hopes that we will be over the finish line by the time this column is published. I also hope that this column will encourage many of you to read the entire MSIS 2016 document and consider it as a source of ideas and inspiration for changes in graduate education in IS. The MSIS 2016 task force believes that the most important accomplishments of the project are as follows. • The model offers a comprehensive recommendation regarding competencies that graduates of a master’s level should have attained by the time of graduation. The shift from the focus of what should be taught to what graduates should learn by the time of graduation is significant. This approach is also fully aligned with other efforts to understand the competency requirements for IT professionals (such as e-CF and SFIA) and the models most major accreditation bodies follow. • The competency model is based on a variety of globally diverse perspectives (instead of a solely US-focused perspective), and it recognizes that there are significant regional and national differences between implementation approaches. Still, the model succeeds in capturing a global core, thus contributing to the ongoing process within the IS community to search for the common identity of our field.
The task of determining the similarity of text documents has received considerable attention in many areas such as Information Retrieval, Text Mining, Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Computational Linguistics. Transferring data to numeric vectors is a complex task where algorithms such as tokenization, stopword filtering, stemming, and weighting of terms are used. The term frequency - inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) is the most widely used term weighting method to facilitate the search for relevant documents. To improve the weighting of terms, a large number of TF-IDF extensions are made. In this paper, another extension of the TF-IDF method is proposed where synonyms are taken into account. The effectiveness of the method is confirmed by experiments on functions such as Cosine, Dice and Jaccard to measure the similarity of text documents for the Kazakh language.
Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Nearly 150000 new cases and 60000 deaths occur each year from this disease (1). Because colorectal cancer develops insidiously over time as genetic mutations accumulate in clinically silent adenomatous polyps, it is most commonly diagnosed at an advanced stage (2-4). If the condition is diagnosed at an early stage, the prognosis is favorable, with 5-year survival rates exceeding 90% (5, 6). Colorectal cancer, unlike many other types of cancer, can be prevented by removal of precancerous lesions. The long preclinical phase, early detectability, and improved prognosis of colorectal cancer have established the need for an accurate screening method. Various screening tests in current use reduce the incidence and rate of death from colorectal cancer (7, 8). Despite the proven efficacy of these tests, however, patient adherence to screening guidelines is low: Only 30% to 45% of persons eligible for screening undergo such tests. Low adherence rates are believed to be due to poor public awareness and poor public acceptance of current screening techniques (9-13). An increasingly popular screening test for colorectal cancer is computed tomographic (CT) colonography, also known as CT colography or virtual colonoscopy. Computed tomographic colonography was first described in 1994 as a radiographic technique in which thin-section images of pneumocolon could be reconstructed by sophisticated software into high-resolution 2- and 3-dimensional images (14). Over time, improvements in hardware and software have allowed faster scanning, reduced exposure to radiation, and better imaging. Newer modes of imaging (called fly-through) can produce results that resemble endoscopic images and permit sophisticated characterization of detected lesions (15-17). Early studies primarily used the spiral CT scanner, which has limitations in spatial resolution that can make small polyps more difficult to detect (17). The multidetector CT scanner has permitted rapid acquisition of finer images, obtained during a single breath-hold, that can greatly improve image quality and spatial resolution (17, 18). Many aspects of this technology are under study, including software that assists in detection of lesions, refinements in image reconstruction, and stool tagging (19-21). The latter development relies on ingestion of contrast material over several days or hours, after which software digitally subtracts residual solid and fluid fecal material from the acquired images, creating a virtually clean mucosal surface (22, 23). This technique may improve sensitivity and may someday obviate the need for bowel cleansing before examination. Although it is touted as a less invasive screening method than flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, CT colonography typically requires full bowel cleansing and insufflation of air through the rectum (24). Studies have suggested that CT colonography may be similar, and in some cases preferable, to colonoscopy in terms of comfort and acceptability, but no convincing difference between these 2 approaches has been demonstrated (25-31). If virtual colonoscopy is found to have equivalent test characteristics, improve patient adherence, and be safer or less expensive than colonoscopy, it may be more cost-effective and become the screening method of choice (32, 33). Studies of the test characteristics of CT colonography have had mixed results. Pickhardt and colleagues used CT colonography in 1233 patients and found a sensitivity of 93.9% for adenomatous polyps larger than 8 mm (25). Other studies have had less favorable results, with sensitivities as low as 55% for polyps larger than 10 mm, raising concerns about the overall test performance of CT colonography when used in a broader range of settings (34). Various reasons for these discrepant results have been offered, but the source of this heterogeneity has not been fully explored (16, 35, 36). Such assessment is needed because patients and providers look to this technology in the hope of improving screening rates (29). We systematically reviewed the literature to assess the test performance of CT colonography compared with colonoscopy or surgery, to define characteristics of these studies, and to attempt to explain the sources of conflicting results. Methods Study Identification and Selection We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register for all relevant articles published in the English language between 1975 and February 2005 by using the Medical Subject Headings or text words virtual colonoscopy, CT colonography, CT colography, or CT pneumocolon. The title and abstract of potentially relevant studies and review articles were screened for appropriateness before retrieval of the full articles. Two reviewers independently searched the literature. Inclusion criteria were a prospective, blinded design (in which results of CT colonography were interpreted independently of findings on colonoscopy or during surgery); enrollment of adult patients who were to undergo CT colonography after a full bowel preparation, followed by complete colonoscopy or surgery; and use of at least a single-detector CT scanner, with colon insufflation by air or carbon dioxide, scan intervals no greater than 5 mm, and use of both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional views during scan interpretation. Study Quality Two observers independently extracted data on test characteristics; study setting; patients; and components of methodologic quality that may be associated with bias in test accuracy studies, including disease severity, disease prevalence, prospective design, relevant clinical sample (as opposed to a diagnostic casecontrol study), enrollment of a series of consecutive patients, assurance that all patients underwent reference testing, performance and interpretation of the index test without knowledge of the results of the reference test, and performance and interpretation of the reference test without knowledge of the results of the index test (33). A piloted standardized data extraction sheet was used, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. Data Abstraction We abstracted characteristics of the study (design, country, year, reference standard, and type of contrast used), patients (demographic and risk for colorectal cancer), scanners (manufacturer, type of viewer, type of contrast, software, and hardware), and study quality. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated per patient, per polyp, and for polyps of 3 size categories: smaller than 6 mm, 6 to 9 mm, and larger than 9 mm. When data on test performance were reported for 2 or more separate CT colonography readers, we calculated an average value. When possible, we excluded data on double readings. If a study reported data related specifically to adenomas instead of polyps, in general, we abstracted only the data for adenomas. For studies that performed retrospective analysis (for example, fly-through imaging in the study by Cotton and associates [34]), we abstracted only data on CT colonography findings before colonoscopy. If data could not be extracted or calculated from the manuscript with confidence, none were entered. Two reviewers independently abstracted data, and disagreements were resolved by consensus. Statistical Analysis Pooled sensitivities and specificities on a per-patient basis were combined and weighted according to sample size. Confidence intervals for each study were calculated by using exact binomial methods in a random-effects model. We focused our analysis on per-patient data because this is the most important perspective for a screening test, whereas per-polyp data emphasize the ability of CT colonography to find colonic lesions. That is, the latter analysis assesses the performance of the technology rather than its utility as a screening tool. Heterogeneity was assessed by using the I2 statistic (37). The I2 statistic provides an estimate of the amount of variance due to heterogeneity rather than chance and is based on the traditional measure of variance, the Cochrane Q statistic. Potential threshold effects were assessed by using the Spearman statistic and by creating receiver-operating characteristic curves according to the method of Moses and coworkers (38). Heterogeneity was assessed by performing stratified analyses when the potential confounding variable was dichotomous or categorical, by plotting the weighted effect size against the potential confounding variable when that variable was continuous, and by applying meta-regression methods in either case (39). Subgroup analyses were done by year of publication, imaging technique (2-dimensional imaging with 3-dimensional confirmation only when a lesion was noted, 3-dimensional imaging with 2-dimensional confirmation, 2-dimensional imaging with concomitant 3-dimensional imaging, or fly-through technology), collimation width and reconstruction interval (in millimeters), type of scanner (single-detector, multidetector, or mixed), and use of a contrast agent (yes or no). When collimation or reconstruction thickness was given in half-millimeter increments, we rounded the values up to the next whole number. The meta-regression analysis used the restricted maximum likelihood method and was performed by using indicator variables to assess differences among the strata. All analyses were performed with Stata software, version 8.2 (Stata Corp., College Station, Texas). Data Synthesis Our final pool of eligible studies (Appendix Figure) included 33 prospective studies involving 6393 patients that compared CT colonography to the reference standard of colonoscopy or surgery (22, 25, 34, 40-69). Studies originated from 7 different countries, but most were done in the United States (64%). The average number of participants in a study was 248 (range, 20 to 1233). The mean age of participants was 61.9 years; 63.6% of participants were ma
Background: Various working memory (WM) trainings have been tested, but differences in experimental designs, the lack of theoretical background, and the need of identifying task-related processes such as filtering efficiency limit conclusions about their comparative efficacy. Objectives: In this study, we compared the efficacy of a model-based WM training with (MB+) and without (MB) distractor inhibition on improving WM capacity to a dual n-back and active control condition. Methods: This randomized clinical trial included 123 healthy elderly adults (78 women, 45 men; aged 64.1 ± 8.3 years). All groups underwent 12 40-min training sessions over 3 weeks and four cognitive testing sessions. The first two sessions served as double baseline to account for practice effects. Primary outcome was WM capacity post-training measured by complex span tasks. Near and far transfer was assessed by simple span, n-back, visuospatial and verbal learning, processing speed, and reasoning tasks. Results: Due to preliminary termination (COVID-19), 93 subjects completed the post-training and 60 subjects the follow-up session. On a whole group level, practice effects occurred from prebaseline to baseline in WM capacity (b = 4.85, t(103) = 4.01, p < 0.001, r = 0.37). Linear mixed-effects models revealed a difference in WM capacity post-training between MB+ and MB (b = −9.62, t(82) = −2.52, p = 0.014, r = 0.27) and a trend difference between MB+ and dual n-back (b = −7.59, t(82) = −1.87, p = 0.065, r = 0.20) and control training (b = −7.08, t(82) = −1.86, p = 0.067, r = 0.20). Univariate analyses showed an increase between pre- and post-training for WM capacity within MB+ (t(22) = −3.34, p < 0.05) only. There was no difference between groups pre- and post-training regarding near and far transfer. Univariate analyses showed improved visuospatial learning within MB+ (t(21) = −3.8, p < 0.05), improved processing speed (t(23) = 2.19, p< 0.05) and n-back performance (t(23) = 2.12, p < 0.05) in MB, and improved n-back performance (t(25) = 3.83, p < 0.001) in the dual n-back training. Interpretation: A model-based WM training including filtering efficacy may be a promising approach to increase WM capacity and needs further investigation in randomized controlled studies.
Illegal pedestrian crossing situations at signalized intersections are observed worldwide. The main goal of this study was to observe attributes and determine the proportion and type of pedestrian violations and dangerous crossing situations at a traffic light located in a recreational tourist urban environment, i.e. the beach town of Viareggio on the coast of Tuscany, Italy. a large signalized intersection placed close to the beach was observed for some days in Summer 2015, for several hours, both in the morning and in the afternoon, to collect data. The main aim was to identify the illegal pedestrian crossing behaviour with red traffic light. Pedestrian crossing data were recorded with a video camera. Then, the video data were processed using a semi-automated software self-written in MaTlab to extract information on different pedestrian factors. Some factors, identified in the current literature as having an influence on the proportion of violations, such as age, sex and group size, were analysed. furthermore, the impact of the amber length time on the proportion of dangerous performed crossings was studied. The obtained results highlight that pedestrians in a recreational tourist environment are generally more in compliance with traffic light than those in a weekday urban context. It is also important to pay particular attention to pedestrian yellow time (amber steady man) in order to avoid dangerous legal crossings. In fact it was often observed that pedestrians start to cross on the green walking man but end under the red light.
BACKGROUND The biofilm concept of dental plaque now is widely accepted in the dental clinic, particularly with respect to its importance to oral hygiene. A number of reviews have focused on the microbial ecology of biofilm with regard to oral health; however, there has been less focus on how the interaction of biofilms and hydrodynamics with mass transfer (the movement of molecules and particulates) and physiological processes may relate to caries.   TYPES OF STUDIES REVIEWED The authors reviewed reports in the microbiology and dental literature addressing microbiological, engineering and clinical aspects of biofilms with respect to mass transport and microbial physiology, with an emphasis on fluoride ions (F(-)).   CONCLUSIONS and Practical Implications. These data illustrate how dental plaque biofilms may affect the delivery of cariogenic agents, such as sucrose, or anticariogenic agents, such as F(-), into and out of the biofilm, with subsequent consequences for the development of physio-chemical microenvironments at the tooth surface. Increasing the flow rate in an overlying fluid (such as saliva or mouthrinse) increases transport from the fluid into and through biofilms. Increasing the delivery of anticariogenic agents such as F(-) into the plaque biofilm, by generating strong fluid flows, may be a useful strategy for enhancing the anticaries effects of F(-) in areas of the mouth where complete biofilm removal is not possible with routine daily cleaning techniques.
PURPOSE This study evaluated and monitored the outcome of angiographic embolization of hepatic carcinoma by real-time C-arm angiographic computed tomography under number of tumors, size of tumors, and patient's age.METHODS AND MARTIALS: In total, 142 patients underwent angiographic embolization of hepatic carcinoma. The control group, 71 patients, underwent conventional angiographic (CA) embolization of hepatic carcinoma. The experimental group, 71 patients, underwent C-arm angiographic computed tomography (CCT) embolization of hepatic carcinoma. The numbers of angiographic embolization, number of tumors, size of tumors, and patients ages were recorded for comparisons between groups by analysis of variance (ANOVA) with cross-interaction and the chi-square test (cross table).   RESULTS The age ranges were 20-84 and 35-84 years old for the experimental and control groups respectively. Average number of angiographic embolizations of hepatic carcinomas were 2.63 ± 1.84 and 5.32 ± 2.01 for the experimental and control groups. The number of angiographic embolizations under number of tumors, size of tumors, and patients ages between groups were significantly different (P< 0.05). The effective analyses of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) by CCT were significant by chi-square test (P< 0.05) under ⩽ 3 cm and patients aged ⩽ 60.   CONCLUSION The main advantage by CCT for undergoing TACE under tumor size smaller than 3 cm and numbers of tumor smaller 3 times were more significantly effective than those by CA. The CCT combined with TACE had high potentially reduced numbers of undergoing TACE.
The complement system has developed different strategies to clear infections by several effector mechanisms, such as opsonization, which supports phagocytosis, attracting immune cells by C3 and C5 cleavage products, or direct killing of pathogens by the formation of the membrane attack complex (MAC). As the Zika virus (ZIKV) activates the classical complement pathway and thus has to avoid clearance by the complement system, we analyzed putative viral escape mechanisms, which limit virolysis. We identified binding of the recombinant viral envelope E protein to components of the terminal pathway complement (C5b6, C7, C8, and C9) by ELISA. Western blot analyses revealed that ZIKV E protein interfered with the polymerization of C9, induced on cellular surfaces, either by purified terminal complement proteins or by normal human serum (NHS) as a source of the complement. Further, the hemolytic activity of NHS was significantly reduced in the presence of the recombinant E protein or entire viral particles. This data indicates that ZIKV reduces MAC formation and complement-mediated lysis by binding terminal complement proteins to the viral E protein.
Throughout the early twentieth century, psychologists, medical doctors, and sexologists debated and determined our modern understanding of the female homosexual. Rooted in a dialectic between the theories of Sigmund Freud and Havelock Ellis, the discourses of the lesbian emphasized the perversity and deviancy of the homosexual woman. Radclyffe Hall and Virginia Woolf engage this discussion and offer two powerful fictional portraits of women who challenge the developed notion of the lesbian as either a broken heterosexual or a mannish woman. The characters of Hall and Woolf, moreover, resist the heterosexualization of culture which mandates that individuals must be stable agents as either male or female, heterosexual or homosexual.
Materials nanoarchitectonics has led to important innovations in the design and construction of nanosystems for electronics, nanomachine systems and energy conversion. In this perspective, we define the key features of materials nanoarchitectonics and examine how they can be combined with the concepts of polymer science to address some of the current and future challenges of soft matter nanoassemblies. Copyright © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry
In this chapter I develop a critical consideration directed at perceptual theories of emotion. My contention is that these approaches tend to miss a central aspect of emotional experience, namely the particular way that emotions disclose or render manifest the emoter’s self. Accordingly, I will show that emotions not only possess world-directed intentionality but also display a specific form of selfawareness. In the second part of the chapter, I build on this to sketch the broad contours of an argument in favor of the conceptuality of human emotions. Coarsely stated, my consideration goes as follows: Given that emotions are beholden to a lived self-understanding, and that a reflective selfunderstanding in the relevant sense requires concepts, emotions likewise must be a conceptual affair. Introduction Perceptual theories of emotion hold that emotions are analogous to perceptions in key respects. On such accounts, emotions are seen as episodic, intentional-cum-qualitative comportments that represent the world as being a certain way (see Döring 2007; Tappolet 2016). They are said to display features such as informational and inferential encapsulation and involuntariness. Moreover, considerations concerning emotional experience in infants and non-human animals seem to mitigate against more demanding cognitive theories, for instance those that take emotions to be judgements. While there is a prima facie plausibility to the perceptual account, in particular with regard to salient, short-term emotional episodes with rapid onset, I will argue that the perceptual theory is misguided. I will focus on a consideration centered on the dimension of emotional self-relatedness. Human emotions not only possess world-related content, but at the same time manifest a salient condition of the emoting self, such as standing concerns, commitments or evaluative orientations (see Slaby and Stephan 2008). I argue that this characteristic self-relatedness of emotions is responsible for a key disanalogy between perceptions and emotions, one that comes to fore in cases of recalcitrant emotions (see Helm 2001). These cases make it clear that emotions come with a specific form of self-involvement that accounts for the persistence of emotional attitudes even in face of counterweighing evidence. Moreover, emotional self-relatedness cannot be spelled out in representational terms. Genuine self-involvement is a fundamental dimension of beingin-the-world. It cannot be separated off into an isolated epistemic capacity. In emotional experience, the agent figures as an actively involved and directly concerned “party”, not as something that the emotion merely contains information about. The self, one might say, is not represented by an emotion, but is manifest in emotional experience. In the second part of this chapter, I will outline a consideration in favor of the conceptuality of human emotions. Here too, the dimension of emotional self-relatedness plays a central role. This comes to the fore when one acknowledges that the human capacity for emotional self-
Received April 11, 2006; revised April 23, 2006; accepted May 5, 2006. From the Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA. Send correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Steinhagen. e-mail: steinhck@evms.edu 2007 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine Antipsychotic medications are thought to exert their benefit on psychosis by the mechanism of dopamine D2 receptor antagonism in the mesolimbic pathway. Antipsychotic medications also indiscriminately cause dopamine-receptor blockade in the tuberoinfundibular pathway, which can lead to elevated prolactin levels. Hyperprolactinemia can lead to clinical presentations that include galactorrhea. Pituitary adenomas, which secrete prolactin, can cause hyperprolactinemia, and, by virtue of the pituitary’s location, enlargement of this gland can also cause symptoms such as headaches and visual disturbances. Treatment includes dopamine agonists. Aripiprazole is an antipsychotic medication that is a dopamine D2-receptor partial agonist. It has been shown to effectively treat psychosis and decrease serum prolactin levels. This case report illustrates the use of aripiprazole to effectively treat a patient with psychotic depression, hyperprolactinemia, and a pituitary microadenoma.
Each year colorectal cancer is diagnosed in more women than all types of gynecologic cancer combined. There continues to be a significant need to increase the rate of screening. Obstetrician–gynecologists have a unique opportunity to increase colorectal cancer screening rates among their patients and, thus, favorably affect colorectal cancer morbidity and mortality. Health care providers should counsel patients about the benefits of colorectal cancer screening and recommend colonoscopy every 10 years for either average-risk or high-risk women 50 years and older. The advantages and limitations of other appropriate colorectal cancer screening methods also should be discussed so that women may choose to be tested by whichever method they are most likely to accept and complete.
Abstract. In contrast to deep water waves, shallow water waves are influenced by bottom topography, which has consequences for the propagation of wave energy as well as for the energy and momentum exchange between the waves and the mean flow. The ERA-Interim reanalysis is used to assess the fraction of wave energy associated with shallow water waves in coastal regions in Europe. We show maps of the distribution of this fraction as well as time series statistics from eight selected stations. There is a strong seasonal dependence and high values are typically associated with winter storms, indicating that shallow water wave effects can occasionally be important even in the deeper parts of the shelf seas otherwise dominated by deep water waves.
We investigate two algorithms for blind signal deconvolution that have been proposed in the literature. We derive a clear interpretation of the information theoretic objective function in terms of signal processing and show that only one is appropriate to solve the deconvolution problem, while the other will only work if the unknown filter is constrained to be minimum phase. Moreover we argue that the blind deconvolution task is more sensitive to a mismatch of the density model than currently expected. While there exist theoretical arguments and practical evidence that blind signal separation requires only a rough approximation of the signal density this is not the case for blind signal deconvolution. We give a simple example that supports our argumentation and formulate a sufficiently adaptive density model to properly solve that problem.
Introduction:  Tenalisib (RP6530) is a novel, highly specific, dual PI3K δ/γ inhibitor with nano-molar inhibitory potency at the enzyme and cellular level. PI3K plays a critical role in T-cell development and activation and several studies have validated the PI3K-AKT pathway as a potential therapeutic target in T cell lymphomas. Preliminary results of the ongoing Phase 1/1b T-cell lymphoma (TCL) study demonstrated an acceptable safety profile with encouraging clinical activity in relapsed/refractory TCL (Oki, ASCO 2018 and Iyer, ASH 2018). We now present the final results of the study (NCT02567656).  Methods:  This study comprised of four-dose escalation cohorts, followed by two dose expansion cohorts at MTD enrolling 20 patients each in PTCL and CTCL cohorts. Patients had histologically confirmed TCL, ECOG PS ≤2, and had received ≥1 prior therapy. Patients received Tenalisib [200 mg BID-800 mg BID (fasting), 800 mg (fed only)] orally until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary objectives were to determine the MTD and pharmacokinetic profile. The secondary objective was to evaluate overall response rate (ORR) and duration of response. Responses were evaluated for PTCL and CTCL based on IWG criteria (Cheson 2007) and mSWAT respectively. Adverse events were graded according to CTCAE v4.03.  Results:  Fifty-eight patients were enrolled in study, 19 in dose escalation and 39 in dose expansion (28 PTCL and 30 CTCL). Median number of prior therapies was 4 (range, 1-15). Safety assessment of 58 patients receiving at least one dose of Tenalisib demonstrated an acceptable safety profile. Treatment related Grade≥3 AEs were elevated ALT/AST (21%), rash (5%), and hypophosphatemia (3%). These events were reversible and managed by withholding study drug. Additionally, in few patients (N=9), steroids were used to manage elevated ALT/AST. There were six treatment related serious adverse events, none of these led to fatal outcome. At end of the study, four (3 CTCL; 1 PTCL) patients who completed minimum 8 cycles of therapy were rolled over to a compassionate use study (NCT03711604) and were followed up.  Efficacy assessments demonstrated an ORR of 46% (3 CR and 13 PR) and clinical benefit rate (CR+PR+SD) of 77%. Subset efficacy analysis showed an ORR in PTCL of 47% (3 CR; 4 PR) and in CTCL of 45% (9 PR). The median time to initial response was 1.8 months and was similar in both sub-types. The overall median DOR was 4.91 months (range 0.9-26.6); in PTCL patients the DOR was 6.53 months, (range: 0.97-21.0) and 3.8 months (range: 1.67-25.67) in CTCL patients. In 3 PTCL patients who achieved CR, the median DOR was 19.5 months (range 7.5-21).  Conclusion:  Tenalisib demonstrated promising clinical activity and an improved safety profile in patients with relapsed/ refractory TCL. Currently, a phase I/II combination study to further evaluate safety and efficacy with romidepsin is ongoing in this target population.      Iyer: Arog: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics, Inc.: Research Funding; Genentech/Roche: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding. Zain:Spectrum: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy. Korman:Genentech: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Glaxo: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Immune Pharma: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Kyowa: Research Funding; Leo: Research Funding; Menlo: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Research Funding; Principia: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Prothena: Research Funding; Regeneron: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Rhizen: Research Funding; Sun: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Syntimmune: Research Funding; UCB: Research Funding; Valeant: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Eli Lilly: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Dermira: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; AbbVie: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Routhu:Rhizen Pharmaceuticals S.A.: Employment. Barde:Rhizen Pharmaceuticals S.A.: Employment. Nair:Rhizen Pharmaceuticals S.A.: Employment. Huen:Galderma Inc: Research Funding; Glaxo Smith Kline Inc: Research Funding; Rhizen Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Innate Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding.
There are a number of so-called factorization theorems for rook polynomials that have appeared in the literature. For example, Goldman, Joichi and White showed that for any Ferrers board $B = F(b_1, b_2,  ldots, b_n)$, $$ prod_{i=1}^n (x+b_i-(i-1)) =  sum_{k=0}^n r_k(B) (x) downarrow_{n-k}$$ where $r_k(B)$ is the $k$-th rook number of $B$ and $(x) downarrow_k = x(x-1)  cdots (x-(k-1))$ is the usual falling factorial polynomial. Similar formulas where $r_k(B)$ is replaced by some appropriate generalization of the $k$-th rook number and $(x) downarrow_k$ is replaced by polynomials like $(x) uparrow_{k,j} = x(x+j)  cdots (x+j(k-1))$ or $(x) downarrow_{k,j} = x(x-j)  cdots (x-j(k-1))$ can be found in the work of Goldman and Haglund, Remmel and Wachs, Haglund and Remmel, and Briggs and Remmel. We shall refer to such formulas as product formulas. The main goal of this paper is to develop a new rook theory setting in which we can give a uniform combinatorial proof of a general product formula that includes, as special cases, essentially all the product formulas referred to above. We shall also prove $q$-analogues and $(p,q)$-analogues of our general product formula.
Abstract Background Although alterations in medial temporal lobe structures have been previously associated with use of cannabis, one of the most widely used illicit drugs, whether such alterations are a cause or effect of cannabis use has been unclear. Methods In this cross-sectional observational study involving 404 twins/siblings, we have compared cortical thickness and surface area between groups of gender-matched sibling-pairs (concordant cannabis unexposed, concordant exposed and discordant for cannabis exposure) using permutation tests after controlling for potential confounds. Bi-variate polygenic model was used to assess the genetic and environmental contributions underlying cortical morphological phenotypes and frequency of cannabis use. Results Cortical thickness of the right entorhinal cortex was significantly lower in the concordant exposed siblings compared to both discordant unexposed and discordant exposed groups [false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected, q < 0.05]. The association between the right entorhinal cortex thickness and frequency of cannabis use is due to the contribution of significant shared additive genetic (ρg = −0.19 ± 0.08; p = 0.02) factors but not unique environment (ρe = 0.05 ± 0.09; p = 0.53). Significantly lower surface area of the right entorhinal cortex in discordant exposed group compared with the discordant unexposed group furnishes preliminary evidence in support of causal effect of cannabis use (FDR-corrected, q < 0.05). However, bi-variate polygenic model-based analysis did not show any significant effect. Conclusions Shared genetic liability may underlie the association between cannabis exposure and thinner right entorhinal cortex. Prospective longitudinal studies are necessary to definitively disentangle the cause–effect relationships of cannabis use.
Study Design. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of patients with radicular low back pain who present to an emergency department (ED) within 1 week of pain onset. Objective. We hypothesized that a single intramuscular 160 mg dose of methylprednisolone acetate would improve pain and functional outcomes 1 month after ED discharge if the corticosteroid were administered early in disease symptomotology. Summary of Background Data. Parenteral corticosteroids are not recommended for acute, radicular low back pain, though their role in this disease process is ill-defined. To date, this medication class has only been studied in a highly selected group of patients requiring hospitalization. Methods. Adults between the ages of 21 and 50 who presented to an ED with low back pain and a positive straight leg raise test were enrolled. The primary outcome was change in pain intensity on an 11 point numerical rating scale 1 month after ED visit. Secondary outcomes 1 month after ED discharge included analgesic use, functional disability, and adverse medication effects. Results. Six hundred thirty-seven patients were approached for participation, 133 were eligible, and 82 were randomized. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the groups. The primary outcome, a comparison of the mean improvement in pain intensity, favored methylprednisolone by 1.3 (P = 0.10). Some secondary outcomes favored methylprednisolone, such as use of analgesic medication within the previous 24 hours (22% vs. 43%, 95% CI for difference of 20%: 0%–40%) and functional disability (19% vs. 49%, 95% CI for difference of 29%: 9%–49%). Adverse medication effects 1 week after ED discharge were reported by 32% of methylprednisolone and 24% of placebo patients (95% CI for difference of 9%: −12% to 30%). Conclusion. This study was a negative study, though there was a suggestion of benefit of methylprednisolone acetate in a population of young adults with acute radicular low back pain. Further work with a larger sample of patients is needed.
Web newspapers provide a valuable resource for information. In order to benefit more from the available information, text mining techniques can be applied. However, because each newspaper page often covers a lot of unrelated topics, page-based data mining will not always give useful results. In order to improve on complete-page mining, we present an approach based on extracting the individual news items from the web pages and mining these separately. Automatic news item extraction is a difficult problem, and in this paper we also provide strategies solving that task. We study the quality of the news item extraction, and also provide results from clustering the extracted news items.
We predict a family of robust two-dimensional (2D) topological insulators in van der Waals heterostructures comprising graphene and chalcogenides BiTeX (X = Cl, Br, and I). The layered structures of both constituent materials produce a naturally smooth interface that is conducive to proximity-induced topological states. First-principles calculations reveal intrinsic topologically nontrivial bulk energy gaps as large as 70-80 meV, which can be further enhanced up to 120 meV by compression. The strong spin-orbit coupling in BiTeX has a significant influence on the graphene Dirac states, resulting in the topologically nontrivial band structure, which is confirmed by calculated nontrivial Z2 index and an explicit demonstration of metallic edge states. Such heterostructures offer a unique Dirac transport system that combines the 2D Dirac states from graphene and 1D Dirac edge states from the topological insulator, and it offers ideas for innovative device designs.
A recent research trend, motivated by the massive deployment of RFID technology, looks at cryptographic protocols for securing communication between entities in which some of the parties have very limited computing capabilities. In this paper, we focus our attention on SASI, a new RFID authentication protocol, designed for providing Strong Authentication and Strong Integrity. SASI is a good representative of a family of RFID authentication protocols, referred to as Ultralightweight RFID authentication protocols. These protocols, suitable for passive Tags with limited computational power and storage, involve simple bitwise operations such as and, or, exclusive or, modular addition, and cyclic shift operations. They are efficient, fit the hardware constraints, and can be seen as an example of the above research trend. However, the main concern is the real security of these protocols, which are often supported only by apparently reasonable and intuitive arguments. The contribution we provide with this work is the following: we start by showing some weaknesses in the SASI protocol, and then, we describe how such weaknesses, through a sequence of simple steps, can be used to compute in an efficient way all secret data used for the authentication process. Specifically, we describe three attacks: 1) a desynchronization attack, through which an adversary can break the synchronization between the RFID Reader and the Tag; 2) an identity disclosure attack, through which an adversary can compute the identity of the Tag; and 3) a full disclosure attack, which enables an adversary to retrieve all secret data stored in the Tag. Then, we present some experimental results, obtained by running several tests on an implementation of the protocol, in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed attacks, which confirm that the attacks are effective and efficient. It comes out that an active adversary by interacting with a Tag more or less three hundred times, makes the authentication protocol completely useless. Finally, we close the paper with some observations. The cryptoanalysis of SASI gets some new light on the ultralightweight approach, and can also serve as a warning to researchers working on the field and tempted to apply these techniques. Indeed, the results of this work, rise serious questions regarding the limits of the ultralightweight family of protocols, and on the benefits of these ad hoc protocol design strategies and informal security analysis.
The c-Cbl protooncogene product is a prominent substrate of protein tyrosine kinases and is rapidly tyrosine-phosphorylated upon stimulation of a wide variety of cell-surface receptors. We have identified a novel c-Cbl-interacting protein termed CIN85 with a molecular mass of 85 kDa which shows similarity to adaptor proteins, CMS and CD2AP. CIN85 mRNA is expressed ubiquitously in normal human tissues and cancer cell lines analyzed. CIN85 was basally associated with c-Cbl. For interaction of CIN85 with c-Cbl, the second SH3 domain of CIN85 was shown to serve as a central player. The CIN85-c-Cbl association was enhanced shortly after stimulation of 293 cells with epidermal growth factor (EGF) and gradually diminished to a basal level, which correlated with a tyrosine phosphorylation level of c-Cbl. Our results suggest that CIN85 may play a specific role in the EGF receptor-mediated signaling cascade via its interaction with c-Cbl.
In experiments performed at the Army Medical School, Kelser 1 has shown that Borna disease, or epidemic equine encephalomyelitis, can be transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. This suggested the advisability of reconsidering the abandoned theory of insect transmission in poliomyelitis, using mosquitoes of the genus Aedes or other insects not previously considered. Poliomyelitis presents certain epidemiological features which have suggested insect transmission: (1) it is claimed that all outbreaks, even those that extend into the winter months, begin during the summer; (2) relatively few cases can be traced to previous cases or carriers, and the incidence of infection among contacts is low; (3) the rural distribution of the disease usually equals or exceeds urban incidence; and (4) many outbreaks occur in the neighborhood of water or water systems. Arguments advanced against this possibility include: (1) the virus has not been demonstrated in the blood of human patients, and only in small amounts in the blood of monkeys; (2) large amounts of virus have been required to infect monkeys injected by the intravenous route; (3) with one exception virus has not been demonstrated in filtered saline suspensions of insects previously fed on infected human beings or monkeys; and (4) such transmission experiments as have been reported indicate that biological transmission does not occur. In experiments based on the inoculation into normal monkeys of filtered saline extracts of insects which had previously fed on materials containing virus, it has been shown that the virus survived in Musca domestica as long as 48 hours (Flexner and Clark 2 ; Howard and Clark 3 ; that adult Musca domestica and Calliphora vomitoria developed from larvae grown on infected tissues gave negative results (Noguchi and Kudo 4 ); and that virus was not demonstrable in Culex pipiens, C. sollicitans, or C. cantator (Howard and Clark 3 ).
A technology had been developed for the restoration of soils contaminated with well fluids, using the example of the Novogodneye oil field and gas condensate field in the Yamalo-Neninsky district. The developed technology had been tested for 2 years. The optimal agrotechnical and technical-technological methods of soil restoration were selected. It was established that to achieve the maximum effect, it is recommended to carry out reclamation in 2 stages: creating drainage channels with the introduction of calcium-containing reagents in early spring, milling the soil and sowing grass mixtures in late autumn.
Biochemical parameters such as soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), phosphate, ammonium nitrogen and proteins are often used to characterize the efficiency of disintegration of waste activated sludge (WAS) flocs and microorganism cells. In this study, the chemical disintegration using peroxymonosulfate (MPS, Oxone) and thermally activated MPS, were evaluated for the destruction of WAS. Our study was conducted for chemical disintegration of WAS by MPS in doses between 84.7 ‐ 847.5 mg/gTS activated by temperatures of 50, 70 and 90 °C over 30 minutes. The application of these methods causes an increase in the soluble COD value and protein concentration in the supernatant. Also, they positively influence the sludge volume index (SVI) which decreased from 89.8 to 17.2 ml/g. Our research work confirmed that the application of thermally activated MPS may become a new effective way of improving sewage treatment and sewage sludge processing.
Objective To understand the relationship between heart rate and blood pressure level among community hypertensive patients. Methods The project of Hypertension Control in Communities aimed to determine the effect of community-based standardized management on control of hypertension. The protocol of community-based standardized hypertension management was developed by expert board with being oriented by guidelines. Community health service centers (CHSC) across China were selected to implement the protocol. Patients who were serviced by the selected CHSC and with diagnosed hypertension were recruited. Data were collected by using questionnaire. Results By the end of 2010, the program contained 205,900 patients having eligible baseline data with mean age 61 and 49% male for this analysis. The mean levels of systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) at baseline were 143.9 ± 16.7/87.8 ± 10.3 mmHg. Both the mean levels of SBP and DBP were increased with heart rate in men and women, whatever under treatment or not (all p < 0.001). Patients with heart rate 60–79 beats/min had the lowest blood pressure level and highest control rate than other heart rate intervals. Differences of heart rate were not significant among classes of drugs (p > 0.05) for patients with single- antihypertensive-drug regiment; and so were among patients with single-&bgr;-blocker, combining &bgr;-blocker or other (p > 0.05). Multiple line regression showed that SBP/DBP increased 1.7/1.1 mmHg per 10 beats increasing of heart rate (both p < 0.0001) after adjusted gender and under treatment. Conclusion Baseline data of HCC showed the control rate is relatively higher when heart rate is located in 60–79 beats/min. It implies controlling the heart rate is necessary at the same time of antihypertensive treatment.
Current cloud service offerings, i.e., Software-as-a-service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) offerings are often provided as monolithic, one-size-fits-all solutions and give little or no room for customization. This limits the ability of Service-based Application (SBA) developers to configure and syndicate offerings from multiple SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS providers to address their application requirements. Furthermore, combining different independent cloud services necessitates a uniform description format that facilitates the design, customization, and composition. Cloud Blueprinting is a novel approach that allows SBA developers to easily design, configure and deploy virtual SBA payloads on virtual machines and resource pools on the cloud. We propose the Blueprint concept as a uniform abstract description for cloud service offerings that may cross different cloud computing layers, i.e., SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. To support developers with the SBA design and development in the cloud, this paper introduces a formal Blueprint Template for unambiguously describing a blueprint, as well as a Blueprint Lifecycle that guides developers through the manipulation, composition and deployment of different blueprints for an SBA. Finally, the empirical evaluation of the blueprinting approach within an EC’s FP7 project is reported and an associated blueprint prototype implementation is presented.
The goal was to evaluate the associations between testicular hormones at adolescence and the exposure to chlorination by-products when attending chlorinated swimming pools. We obtained serum samples from 361 school male adolescents (aged 14–18 years) who had visited swimming pools disinfected with chlorine or by copper–silver ionization. We analysed serum concentrations of inhibin B (two different assays), total and free testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS). There were strong inverse associations between serum levels of inhibin B (both assays) or of total testosterone, adjusted or unadjusted for gonadotropins and the time adolescents had spent in indoor chlorinated pools, especially during their childhood. Adolescents having attended indoor chlorinated pools for more than 250 h before the age of 10 years or for more than 125 h before the age of 7 years were about three times more likely to have an abnormally low serum inhibin B and/or total testosterone (<10th percentile) than their peers who never visited this type of pool during their childhood (odds ratio, 95% CI, 2.83, 1.06–7.52, p = 0.04 and 3.67, 1.45–9.34, p = 0.006, respectively). Such associations were not seen with free testosterone, LH, FSH and DHEAS or with the attendance of outdoor chlorinated pools or of the copper–silver pool. Swimming in indoor chlorinated pools during childhood is strongly associated with lower levels of serum inhibin B and total testosterone. The absorption of reprotoxic chlorination by-products across the highly permeable scrotum might explain these associations.
The thalassaemias, the commonest monogenic diseases, are a family of inherited disorders of haemoglobin synthesis characterised by a reduced output of one or other of the globin chains of adult haemoglobin. They are likely to pose an increasing health problem for many developing countries during the early part of the new millennium (1). This review focuses mainly on their control and management, a subject of increasing importance not only for parts of the world in which the disease is particularly common but for any country which has an immigrant population from these regions.
The RoboCup competitions hold various leagues, and the Soccer Simulation 2D League is a major one among them. Soccer Simulation 2D (SS2D) match involves two teams, including 11 players and a coach, competing against each other. The players can only communicate with the Soccer Simulation Server during the game. This paper presents the latest research of the CYRUS soccer simulation 2D team, the champion of RoboCup 2021. We will explain our denoising idea powered by long short-term memory networks (LSTM) and deep neural networks (DNN). The CYRUS team uses the CYRUS2D base code that was developed based on the Helios and Gliders bases.
A detailed kinetic study was undertaken of the complex-formation reactions of Pd(en)Cl 2 and Pd(Me 4 en)Cl 2 (Me 4 en=N,N,N',N'-tetramethylethylenediamine) with inosine and inosine 5'-monophosphate as a function of nucleophile and chloride concentrations. Two consecutive reaction steps could be observed for the Me 4 en complex. The kinetic data clearly demonstrate a changeover from steady-state to pre-equilibrium behavior on changing steric hindrance and the nature of the nucleophile. All complex-formation reactions proceed via the formation of reactive intermediates of the type [Pd(R 4 en)(Cl)H 2 O] + and [Pd(R 4 en)(Nu)H 2 O] 2+
From White Mughals to Vikram Seth, novels, historical blockbusters and more nuanced anthropological and postcolonial critiques have exposed the fiction of fixed notions of “race” through sensitive understandings of the liminal space of the “inter-racial” relationship and the “mixed-race” experience. In an era where the textual and cultural production of hybridity has become a new form of cultural capital, articulations of racial “inbetween-ness” have also become somewhat universalised and romanticised. While acknowledging the radical potential of these new paradigms of transnational slippage and métissage as an affront to the old narratives of racial certainty, this article challenges the universalization of the term “mixed-race” in the context of colonial India, both ontologically and historically. By historicising cultural difference according to the social syntax that gives it meaning, it asks whether the term “mixed race” has political relevance in all colonial spaces and across time and culture or whether it needs to be interrogated as an historical product in itself. Finallly, this article turns to the politics of location in a global context to illustrate the limits of Homi Bhabha's notion of the “third space” by moving beyond celebratory and static notions of the “mixed-race” experience.
N-methylacridinium salts are Lewis acids with high hydride ion affinity but low oxophilicity. The cation forms a Lewis adduct with 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine but a frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) with the weaker base 2,6-lutidine which activates H2, even in the presence of H2O. Anion effects dominate reactivity, with both solubility and rate of H2 cleavage showing marked anion dependency. With the optimal anion, a N-methylacridinium salt catalyzes the reductive transfer hydrogenation and hydrosilylation of aldimines through amine-boranes and silanes, respectively. Furthermore, the same salt is active for the catalytic dehydrosilylation of alcohols (primary, secondary, tertiary, and ArOH) by silanes with no observable over-reduction to the alkanes.
Background Disabled people face a multitude of social barriers to leading a physically active lifestyle. These barriers include a lack of knowledge and understanding from healthcare professionals and exercise practitioners, and negative attitudes from others in sport and exercise settings. Thus, there is a need to explore constructions of physical activity and disability and the cultural narratives that operate within sport, exercise and health contexts. Aims To explore sport and exercise science students’ constructions of physical activity and disability using story completion and to examine the methodological opportunities and challenges of using story completion to identify cultural narratives. Methods Story completion is a radically different approach to collecting qualitative data to explore social constructions concerning a certain topic and the socio-cultural discourses and dominant meanings available to participants. Story completion research involves participants being provided with the opening sentences of a hypothetical scenario – or story stem – and asked to write what happens next. Four story stems were designed and refined based upon a pilot study and feedback from experts in qualitative methods and disability. Ninety UK-based undergraduate sport and exercise science students wrote a story in response to one of the stems, randomly allocated. The stories were subject to a thematic and structural narrative analysis. Results Analysis is underway. The supercrip narrative was the most dominant narrative type drawn upon, with interwoven elements of tragedy and romance from a fairy-tale narrative. The less prescriptive story stems elicited the more diverse and creative stories in terms of length and detail. Conclusions The need for alternative stories of physical activity and disability that challenge the underlying ableist assumptions of the dominant supercrip narrative will be discussed. Reflections of story completion will be provided with recommendations for future use.
Since the first documented case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States in January of 2020, the number of confirmed cases has skyrocketed to over 20,000,000 with more than 350,000 deaths. At the time of this writing, no licensed therapeutics are available despite several clinical trials, including studies of passive antibody therapy. Administration of antibodies against a particular agent to protect or treat susceptible individuals has been used since the 1890s. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody-containing plasma is obtained by apheresis or separated from whole blood donated by convalescent donors. In March 2020, the FDA published standards for convalescent plasma (CP) donation, and by August 2020 they recognized the potential efficacy of CP with issuance of an emergency use authorization (EUA) for CP in hospitalized COVID19 patients. Libster et al. recently showed early administration of high-titer CP to mildly ill infected older adults reduced the progression of COVID-19. At our institution, we actively recruited potential CP donors from patients previously hospitalized for COVID-19 in our healthcare system. Potential donors met criteria derived from the April 2020 FDA guidance: evidence of COVID-19 infection either by a diagnostic test or positive serological test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and complete resolution of symptoms for at least 28 days prior to donation. Investigational Review Board approval was obtained to contact prospective donors who met these criteria. During telephone recruitments, individuals' interest in donating CP was assessed, questions about CP and the donation process were answered, and, if interested in donation, their contact information was forwarded to LifeSouth Community Blood Center Inc. The outcome of each call including reasons for declining donation was recorded. LifeSouth then contacted the potential donors to set up collection screening. The CP units collected from recruited donors were returned to our healthcare system for use in future hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients. In total 545 individuals were contacted from April 29 – August 18, 2020. See Table 1 for prospective donor demographics. One-hundred and three individuals agreed to donate (18.9%) while 442 declined (81.1%). Rates of declination were similar between males and females. The average age of those who were willing to donate was 57 while the average age of those who declined to donate was 61 (p = .02) (Table 1). Of those amendable to donation, 15 individuals (2.8%) donated 45 units of CP between April and June 2020. By targeting patients who were sick enough to require hospitalization, we hoped to select for patients who would have a high antibody titer. Consequently, of the 34 units that had antibody data (titer and/or signal-to-cutoff ratio) available, 30 were considered high titer. Given the low yield from recruitment combined with lower than anticipated demand for CP at our institution, CP was simply ordered from LifeSouth starting August 2020 as opposed to relying on recruited donor CP. However, recruitment efforts have allowed the blood bank to keep a stock of CP in case of shortages. Reasons for declination were divided into 10 categories (Table 1). The most common reason was inability to contact the individual. After four unsuccessful attempted calls, we removed the individual from the call list and marked them as “declined to donate”. Important to note is the number of attempts made by the recruiter was dependent on his/her motivation and persistence. Thus, not every potential donor was contacted a total four times if there was no response to prior attempts (see Figure 1). The second most common reason was ineligibility to donate blood products due to past medical history, e.g. anemia, sickle cell disease, or recent transfusion. This is in keeping with previously observed factors that hinder blood donation. Marantidou et al. cited “health problems” as the most commonly stated reason for self-deferral among donors in Greece. Notably, 5% of potential donors still felt symptomatic even though most were contacted an average of 42 days (6 weeks) after discharge, reflective of the potential residual effects of the virus, which are still largely unknown. From our experience, tremendous time and effort are required to identify, contact, and recruit eligible CP Received: 8 February 2021 Revised: 29 March 2021 Accepted: 7 May 2021
ABSTRACT   Surveys in 1974 of bumble bee species distributions along elevational gradients (Pyke 1982) were revisited to reevaluate the original conclusion that coexistence of bumble bee species can be ascribed to niche differentiation, primarily on the basis of proboscis lengths and the associated corolla lengths of visited flowers. Each bee species largely visited a few plant species, which were preferred relative to other species. Bee proboscis length was correlated with average corolla length of visited flowers, but not when species with relatively long and short proboscises were considered separately. Bumble bee abundance was affected by presence or absence of major plant species and, contrary to the interpretation of Pyke (1982), elevation, with neither factor dominating. Multimodal distributions of proboscis lengths and altitudinal replacement of bee species of similar proboscis length were consistent with the original hypothesis that bumble bee species compete for floral resources, especially nectar, and cannot coexist if proboscis lengths are too similar, unless one species is a “nectar robber” and hence has exclusive use of some floral resources. However, observed overlap in elevational distributions of bumble bee species with similar proboscis length cannot be reconciled with this hypothesis unless other phenomena are invoked.
Lindenstrauss–Pełczyński (for short LP) spaces were introduced by these authors [Studia Math. 174 (2006)] as those Banach spaces X such that every operator from a subspace of c0 into X can be extended to the whole c0. Here we obtain the following structure theorem: a separable Banach space X is an LP-space if and only if every subspace of c0 is placed in X in a unique position, up to automorphisms of X. This, in combination with a result of Kalton [New York J. Math. 13 (2007)], provides a negative answer to a problem posed by Lindenstrauss and Pełczyński [J. Funct. Anal. 8 (1971)]. We show that the class of LP-spaces does not have the 3-space property, which corrects a theorem in an earlier paper of the authors [Studia Math. 174 (2006)]. We then solve a problem in that paper showing that L∞ spaces not containing l1 are not necessarily LP-spaces. 1. LP-spaces have all subspaces of c0 in a unique position. In [6] we introduced the class of Lindenstrauss–Pełczyński spaces (for short LP) as those Banach spaces E such that all operators from subspaces of c0 into E can be extended to c0. The spaces are so named because Lindenstrauss and Pełczyński first proved in [9] that C(K)-spaces have this property. In [6] it was shown that every LP-space is an L∞-space, that not all L∞-spaces are LP-spaces, and that complemented subspaces of Lindenstrauss spaces (see also [9, 7]), separably injective spaces and L∞-spaces not containing c0 are LP-spaces. We now prove a fundamental structure theorem for this class; namely, separable LP-spaces are characterized as those L∞ Banach spaces having all subspaces of c0 placed in a unique position. Precisely, let Y,X be Banach spaces. Following [5] we say that X is Y -automorphic if any isomorphism between two subspaces of X isomorphic to Y can be extended to an automorphism of X. We agree that if X contains no copies of Y then it is Y -automorphic. Lindenstrauss and Pełczyński prove in [9] that C[0, 1] is H-automorphic for all subspaces H of c0 and pose the question of whether 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 46B03, 46M18, 46B20.
Although there is a bulk of evidence for the relations between values, acculturation, and adaptation, the interrelations between these key concepts of the acculturation literature have not yet been investigated simultaneously. The present study proposes a model connecting value orientations (separatedness and conformity) to adaptation outcomes (sociocultural and psychological). Furthermore, this link was hypothesized to be strengthened by an indirect relationship where acculturation strategies (culture maintenance and culture adoption) would relate certain values to certain aspects of adaptation. The model was tested on 287 Turkish‐Belgian adolescents with an average age of 16.27 years (SD = 1.86 years). SEM analysis confirmed the hypothesized indirect links underlining the crucial role of acculturation strategies as mediators in the adaptation process. Separatedness predicted sociocultural adaptation via culture adoption whereas conformity impacted psychological adaptation via culture maintenance. In add...
THERE is a growing trend toward reformulation of psychological measurement by means of analysis of variance (Ebel, 1951; Haggard, 1958; Sutcliffe, 1958). Since the work of Jackson (1939) and Hoyt (1941) the measurement model preferred for mental test data has usually been a double classification model, either of the mixed or of the random effects variety. Lord (1955) has derived the reliability formula known as K-R(21), originally proposed by Kuder and Richardson (1937), using some assumptions required by item random sampling theory. Using similar assumptions and a single classification analysis of variance model, a generalized form of K-R(21) may be derived for which item scores are not restricted to two constants. The result serves as a slightly biased estimate of the reliability of randomly parallel tests. A second model, which will be discussed only briefly, is possible for the case where the item effect variance is excluded from the error variance. The general reliability measure which will be derived is an estimate which corresponds to a formula derived by Horst (1949, formula 13, n constant) using different assumptions.i The theory of measurement implicit in the present derivation will require brief discussion.
Last month, researchers working out of an abandoned McDonald9s restaurant on the grounds of NASA Ames Research Center recovered data collected by NASA9s Nimbus II satellite on 23 September 1966. The satellite soared over Earth in a polar orbit every 108 minutes, taking pictures of cloud cover and measuring heat radiated from the planet9s surface, and creating a photo mosaic of the globe 43 years ago. The resulting image is the oldest and most detailed from NASA9s Earth-observing satellites. It9s also the latest success story in what researchers call techno-archaeology: pulling data from archaic storage systems. Once forgotten and largely unreadable with modern equipment, old data tapes are providing researchers with new information on changes in the surfaces of Earth and the moon.
ABSTRACT Indigenous knowledge (IK), a key component of knowledge, is considered crucial in any country’s knowledge system. However, despite the importance of indigenous knowledge in promoting the knowledge economy, it has been observed that many indigenous knowledge systems in developing countries such as Nigeria are gradually becoming extinct due to cultural, educational and economic developments. This paper investigated the preservation and use of indigenous knowledge in public libraries in Southwest Nigeria. A survey method anchored on the positivism paradigm was employed for the study. Based on this, copies of the questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument. One hundred and fifty (150) library personnel were randomly selected from the five (5) purposely chosen public libraries in Southwest Nigeria. The study’s findings revealed that educational purposes were the primary reason for using the indigenous knowledge in the libraries. It was also revealed that video and audio recordings were significant sources of preserving IK in public libraries. Access to IK resources by the users was through the use of ICT tools such as computers and compact discs, while inadequate funding was identified as the major challenge facing the development of IK. The study recommends, among others, increased budgetary allocation to public libraries for the management of IK resources; and that practical steps should be taken to create awareness on the need to preserve IK activities in video or audio formats. This study contributes to knowledge in IK development by providing new data and information relevant to policymaking and IK research.
Various shaped single-crystalline gallium nitride (GaN) nanostructures were produced by chemical vapor deposition method in the temperature range of 900–1200 °C. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction, electron energy loss spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and photoluminescence were used to investigate the structural and optical properties of the GaN nanostructures. We controlled the GaN nanostructures by the catalyst and temperature. The cylindrical and triangular shaped nanowires were synthesized using iron and gold nanoparticles as catalysts, respectively, in the temperature range of 900 – 1000 °C. We synthesized the nanobelts, nanosaws, and porous nanowires using gallium source/ boron oxide mixture. When the temperature of source was 1100 °C, the nanobelts having a triangle tip were grown. At the temperature higher up to 1200 °C the nanosaws and porous nanowires were formed with a large scale. The cylindrical nanowires have random growth direction, while the triangular nanowires have uniform growth direction [010]. The growth direction of the nanobelts is perpendicular to the [010]. Interestingly, the nanosaws and porous nanowires exhibit the same growth direction [011]. The shift of Raman, XRD, and PL bands from those of bulk was correlated with the strains of the GaN nanostructures.
Developments in the field of photogrammetric technology using UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) make it easier to represent mapping results quickly and accurately. Along with the growing need for spatial use, both horizontally and vertically, have implications for the need of accurate spatial data both in two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) space. 3D visualization and modeling is a representation of the surface of the earth with the aim of supplying the appearance of the earth along with the whole above it more realistic and able to provide a broader perspective compared to 2D visualization or conventional maps. In this study, the drone-based UAV was used, namely DJI Mavic Air to collect geometric data on the Syahdan campus. The digital data that has been recorded by the UAV is then processed into three-dimensional modeling using DroneDeploy software. DroneDeploy software is cloud-based and is generally used for aerial mapping, in this study it is used in making 3D modeling because of its efficient. The elevation data at each building point measured using a drone-based UAV are compared with the as-built drawing of the Syahdan Campus, Binus. The root mean square value of the comparison of elevation distance between 3D model and as built drawing is 0.47 meters.
Economic thresholds for imported cabbageworm (ICW), Artogeia rapae (L.), cabbage looper (CL), Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), and diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.), larvae on cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. botrytis (L.) (Papaverales: Crucherae), were evaluated at Cambridge, Ont. Four treatments were tested in 1985: a control, a biweekly application of permethrin, and permethrin after thresholds of 0.5 cabbage looper equivalents (CLE) per plant per week were surpassed during the growth interval from transplanting to harvest or from head initiation to harvest (one CLE = 1.0 CL = 1.5 ICW = 20 DBM). Five treatments were tested in 1986: a control, a biweekly application of permethrin, and permethrin after head initiation and after thresholds of 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0 CLE per plant per week were reached. Head weight, diameter, and marketability did not differ significantly between plots managed in 1985 with the 0.5 CLE threshold imposed from transplanting to harvest and from head initiation to harvest. Control measures, therefore, need not be implemented until after head initiation. There were no significant differences in weight, diameter, and marketability of heads harvested from the biweekly treatment and the 0.25 CLE threshold in 1986. Revenue, the difference between pest control costs and crop value, for the 0.25 CLE threshold was $48.54/ha greater than that for the biweekly treatment.
Genetic algorithms have been used successfully for solving different combinatorial optimization problems. We give here an efficient algorithm for the search of good double-circulant codes. The algorithm presented is intended to generate a double-circulant code with maximum minimum distance for each length. Some results are presented and validated by exact method, others promising results are also presented for long double-circulant codes.
Multiple parallel neural pathways link sound-related signals to behavioral responses. For instance, the striatum, a brain structure involved in action selection and reward-related learning, receives neuronal projections from both the auditory thalamus and auditory cortex. It is not clear whether sound information that reaches the striatum through these two pathways is redundant or complementary. We used an optogenetic approach in awake mice of both sexes to identify thalamostriatal and corticostriatal neurons during extracellular recordings, and characterized neural responses evoked by sounds of different frequencies and amplitude modulation rates. We found that neurons in both pathways encode sound frequency with similar fidelity, but display different coding strategies for amplitude modulated noise. Whereas corticostriatal neurons provide a more accurate representation of amplitude modulation rate in their overall firing rate, thalamostriatal neurons convey information about the precise timing of acoustic events. These results demonstrate that auditory thalamus and auditory cortex neurons provide complementary information to the striatum, and suggest that these pathways could be differentially recruited depending on the requirements of a sound-driven behavior. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sensory signals from the cerebral cortex and the thalamus converge onto the striatum, a nucleus implicated in reward-related learning. It is not clear whether these two sensory inputs convey redundant or complementary information. By characterizing the sound-evoked responses of thalamostriatal and corticostriatal neurons, our work demonstrates that these neural pathways convey complementary information about the temporal features of sounds. This work opens new avenues for investigating how these pathways could be selectively recruited depending on task demands, and provides a framework for studying convergence of cortical and thalamic information onto the striatum in other sensory systems.
In radial compression, the shape of the stress-deformation curve varies for different wood species, particularly at the transition from elastic to plastic deformation and along the stress plateau. Due to differences in anatomy and cell wall microstructure, different responses to perpendicular loads were observed in spruce (ductile plastic deformation), oak (brittle failure), and beech (elastomeric yielding). Beginning plastic deformation was examined by SEM after the application of different compression levels and by dynamic observations during the loading process of small samples under a light microscope. It was demonstrated that radial compression of spruce is limited by the critical Euler buckling load of only a few cells closely behind the ring border. The compression behaviour of oak is determined by the buckling of the earlywood vessels and vasicentric tissue, whereas beech is characterised by the densification of the vessels at high plastic deformations.
Objective Children and adolescents with recurrent and metastatic solid tumors have a poor outcome. A previous phase 1 study (ANGIO1) targeting angiogenesis with bevacizumab, sorafenib, and cyclophosphamide, demonstrated a signal of activity in a subset of patients. Here we report the results of a cohort of pediatric and young adult patients treated at the recommended phase 2 doses. Methods Electronic medical records of patients with refractory or recurrent solid tumors who received ANGIO1 therapy were reviewed. Treatment cycles lasted 21 days and included bevacizumab, sorafenib, and cyclophosphamide. Toxicities were assessed using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, v5.0. Responses were evaluated using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST1.1). Results Thirty-nine patients (22 male, 17 female; median age 15 years; range 1-22 years) received the treatment regimen. The most common diagnoses included bone sarcomas (n=21; 14 Ewing sarcoma, 7 osteosarcoma) and soft tissue sarcomas (n=9; 2 rhabdomyosarcoma, 3 synovial sarcoma, 2 desmoplastic small round cell tumors, and 2 high-grade sarcoma). The most common Grade 3 non-hematologic toxicities included hypertension (2, 5.4%) and hematuria (2, 5.4%). Five patients (13.5%) had a pneumothorax (3 at progressive disease, 1 post lung biopsy, and 1 spontaneous). Common Grade 3/4 hematologic toxicities were lymphopenia (19, 51%) and leukopenia (13, 35%). Sixteen patients (43.2%) developed palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia Grade 2 or less. A total of 297 cycles were administered. Twenty-three patients required a dose reduction of cyclophosphamide, sorafenib or bevacizumab during therapy, all of whom continued to have clinical benefit following dose modification. One patient (Ewing sarcoma) achieved a complete response after 11 cycles; 2 patients (Ewing sarcoma, high grade sarcoma) achieved a partial response following cycles 2 and 4, respectively and 20 patients had stable disease as a best response. Conclusions Intravenous bevacizumab combined with oral sorafenib and metronomic cyclophosphamide was tolerated and required minimal supportive care or additional clinic visits. Disease stabilization for prolonged time periods was observed in greater than half of the treated patients. Patients with bone sarcoma demonstrated a signal of activity suggesting possible benefit from incorporation of the therapy as a maintenance regimen in upfront setting, or as a palliative regimen.
The objective was to quantify the activities required for patient-centered medical home (PCMH) transformation in a sample of small to medium-sized National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recognized practices, and explore barriers and facilitators to transformation. Eleven small to medium-sized PCMH practices in Southeastern Pennsylvania completed a survey, which was adapted from the 2011 NCQA standards. Semistructured follow-up interviews were conducted, descriptive statistics were computed for the quantitative analysis, and a process of thematic coding was deployed for the qualitative analysis. Practices had considerable quantitative variation in their workforce composition and the PCMH-related activities they implemented. Most practices improved access and continuity through staff training and team-based care as well as expanded data collection for population management. The barriers to PCMH recognition were least burdensome for the largest practices. The heterogeneity of the small PCMH practices within the study sample underscore the need to understand the key transformation issues as efforts to disseminate the PCMH model continue.
Agriculture occupies most important place in Indian economy. It is of a crucial importance in order to delineate Agriculturally developed and under deloped areas within the region .In Fact Agricultural change can not be understood separately from general process of development .However, Agro-technical determinants like irrigation .Mechanization High Yielding Varieties of Seed and Chemical Fertilizers form a development farm a developed kind of agricultural land scope and provide a farm of parameter to measure the level of agricultural development a region .In the present paper, an attempt has been made to assess the levels of agricultural development of satara.
Reaction of cis-1,5-dibenzyl-1,5-diphosphacyclooctane 9 with CH2(CH2OTf)2 gives 1,5-dibenzyl-1,5-diphosphoniabicyclo[3.3.3] undecanediium bistriflate 10 which is debenzylated with LiAlH4 to 1,5-diphosphabicyclo[3.3.3]undecane 11, but attempts to prepare 1,6-diphosphabicyclo[4.4.4]tetradecane 7 lead to oligomerisation and rearrangement reactions; 1,5-diphosphoniatricyclo[3.3.3.0]undecanediium bistriflate 8 is slowly formed by reaction of 1,5-diphosphabicyclo[3.3.0] octane with CH2(CH2OTf)2 in nitromethane, but is hydrolysed much more rapidly than its [4.4.4.0] counterpart.
We have calculated the intraband photon absorption coefficients of hot two-dimensional electrons interacting with polar-optical phonon modes in quantum wells. The dependence of the photon absorption coefficients on the photon wavelength λ is obtained both by using the quantum mechanical theory and by the balance-equation theory. It is found that the photon absorption spectrum displays a local resonant maximum, corresponding to LO energy, and the absorption peak vanishes with increasing the electronic temperature.
Five new species of Criconemoides Taylor, 1936 are described. Criconemoides bakeri n. sp. resembles C. annulatum Cobb, in Taylor, 1936, but differs in having a much smaller number of annules and the head region not set off by a constriction. Criconemoides petasus n. sp. resembles C. annulifer (de Man, 1921) Taylor, 1936, but differs in not having a basal cephalic annule, in the spear being shorter, and in the body annules being well separated by incurvations. Criconemoides hemisphaericaudatus n. sp., with males present, appears to resemble C. simile (Cobb, 1918) Chitwood, 1949. It differs in having a greater number of annules, the excretory pore more posterior in position, and the anterior vulvar lip simple. Criconemoides rotundicaudatus n. sp., with males present, also resembles C. annulatum. It differs in having the first two annules not set off by a constriction, and in having the first few annules usually packed together. The anterior vulvar lip is simple and inconspicuous. It differs from C. simile i...
We extend the application of the Galerkin method for treating the multiterm fractional differential equations (FDEs) subject to initial conditions. A new shifted Legendre-Galerkin basis is constructed which satisfies exactly the homogeneous initial conditions by expanding the unknown variable using a new polynomial basis o f functions which is built upon the shifted Legendre polynomials. A new spectral collocation approximation based on the Gauss-Lobatto quadrature nodes of shifted Legendre polynomials is investigated for solving the nonlinear multiterm FDEs. The main advantage of this approximation is that the solution is expanding by a truncated series of Legendre-Galerkin basis functions. Illustrative examples are presented to ensure the high accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed algorithms are discussed.
iv CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2. A CONSERVED MOTIF IN THE INTEGRASE C-TERMINI OF 18 TY1/COPIA RETROTRANSPOSONS IS NECESSARY FOR STABILITY OF INTEGRASE AND REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE Abstract 18 Introduction 19 Results 20 Discussion 28 Experimental Procedures 32 References 35 CHAPTER 3. PHOSPHORYLATION REGULATES INTEGRATION OF THE 40 YEAST TY5 RETROTRANSPOSON INTO HETEROCHROMATIN Abstract 40 Introduction 41 Results 42 Discussion 52 Experimental Procedures 56 References 59 CHAPTER 4. RETROTRANSPOSON TARGET SITE SELECTION BY 63 IMITATION OF A CELLULAR PROTEIN Abstract 63 Introduction 64 Results 66
Cornell University The Hanamatsuri is a complex ritual presented by around 17 communities located around a tributary system flowing into the Tenryu River which runs through the prefectures of Shizuoka, Nagano, and Aichi in Japan. It is associated with the end of the year, the New Year, and the revitalization of the world. Mapping the local onto the national is a significant concern that has been generated out of this festival. Maintaining a discourse of authenticity is another concern. These issues are set within a postmodern framework, as the author illustrates how elements of Japan’s postmodernism filtered down to the communities which perform the Hanamaturi. In a larger sense, this paper participates in the academic inquiry in Japanese religious studies into how ritual and popular religion contribute to the construction of cultural memory.
In the law enforcement literature there is a presumption—supported by some experimental and econometric evidence—that criminals are more responsive to increases in the certainty than the severity of punishment. Under a general set of assumptions, this implies that criminals are risk seeking. We show that this implication is no longer valid when forfeiture of illegal gains and the possibility of unsuccessful attempts are considered. Therefore, when drawing inferences concerning offenders’ attitudes toward risk based on their responses to various punishment schemes, special attention must be paid to whether and to what extent offenders’ illegal gains can be forfeited and whether increases in the probability of punishment affect the probability of attempts being successful. We discuss policy implications related to our observations.
Abstract A new methodology, based on a modified Dempster-Shafer (DS) theory, is proposed for solving multicriteria design optimization problems. It is well known that considerable amount of computational information is acquired during the iterative process of optimization. Based on the computational information generated in each iteration, an evidence-based approach is presented for solving a multiobjective optimization problem. The method handles the multiple design criteria, which are often conflicting and non-commensurable, by constructing belief structures that can quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of each design in the range 0 to 1. An overall satisfaction function is then defined for converting the original multicriteria design problem into a single-criterion problem so that standard single-objective programming techniques can be employed for the solution. The design of a mechanism in the presence of seven design criteria and eighteen design variables is considered to illustrate the computat...
In this paper, a micro-hollow cathode light device and a coaxial electrode geometry controlled by a dielectric barrier are introduced. Discharge current at the same experimental condition in different light devices are given. It is found that, the widths of discharge pulse in different light devices are about 1μs and 0.3μs respectively. That is, the discharge in the coaxial dielectric barrier discharge is slower and that in the micro-hollow cathode discharge is faster. Optical emission spectroscopy is used to investigate the glow discharge characteristics in two light devices. Atmospheric pressure glow discharges are realized in argon in a coaxial electrode geometry controlled by a dielectric barrier and a micro-hollow cathode light device. By comparing the different emission spectra in two light devices, it is found that spectral lines of Ar II can only be found in the micro-hollow cathode discharge. Electron excited temperature is obtained from several Ar I lines of the optical emission spectra by Boltzmann plot, and it can be found that the electron excited temperature in the micro-hollow cathode discharge is higher than that in the coaxial dielectric barrier discharge. However, the electron excited temperature is much higher, estimated by using several spectral lines of Ar II in the micro-hollow cathode. Consequently, a non-equilibrium plasma is obtained in our discharge.
The preschool setting offers many opportunities to promote development of responsibility in young children. Clean-up routines may support children’s distributional judgments, and reveal their sense of responsibility about classroom duties. Although there is a large number of studies regarding children’s views about resource distribution, children’s distribution of work or duties focusing on household chores is a topic that is much less examined. The present study examines Greek children's beliefs about distribution of clean-up duties using an interview protocol with a series of picture prompts developed and used in Japan. Thirty five-year old children took part in the study. Data showed that the participant children hold certain ideas concerning clean-up distribution providing judgments that are comprehensible and uniform, especially when referring to situations without the influence of contextual factors. After the ‘players’ responsibility norm’, prosocial patterns of reasoning constituted the second, in terms of frequency, type of response to justify children’s views about clean-up distribution.
The role of the avb3 Integrin in lamina cribrosa cells and the possible role in glaucoma pathogenesis A. Hopkins, R. Murphy, M. Irnaten, D. Wallace, D. Brennan, A. Clarke, C. O'Brien Mater Hospital, Ophthalmology, Dublin, Ireland, University College Dublin, Clinical Research CentreCatherine Mcauley CentreSchool of MedicineUniversity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland, University College Dublin, AnatomySchool of Medicine, Dublin, Ireland, University North Texas USA, Pharmacology & Neuroscience and the North Texas Eye Research Institute, Texas, United States
All optical logic gates play a key role in implementing an optically transparent network where the node functionalities are performed in the optical domain to reduce latency and power consumption. In this paper we present the experimental demonstration and details of optimization of all optical XOR/ XNOR gate using four-wave mixing (FWM) in Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) for 10 Gbps Differential Phase Shift Keyed (DPSK) data. Two DPSK modulated signals at carrier frequencies ω1 and ω2, phases ϕ1and ϕ2and a continuous wave pump at frequency ωCW and phase ϕCW are allowed to undergo FWM in a non-linear SOA to generate additional frequency components. The phase of the generated FWM idler corresponding to the frequency ω1+ ω2-ωCW given by ϕ1+ ϕ2- CW corresponds to the XOR operation in DPSK format. Light from a DFB and tunable laser source (TLS) are combined and phase-modulated using a pseudo-random bit sequence. The bit sequences in the two carrier wavelengths are separated in time by propagating through a sufficient length of SMF; the data is combined with a CW pump from a tunable laser and allowed to undergo non-degenerate FWM in a nonlinear SOA. The relative spacing between the pump and the signal wavelengths and their polarization states are optimized to yield maximum conversion efficiency in the desired idler. The XOR output is further propagated through a delay-line interferometer (DLI) to obtain XOR and XNOR outputs in the two ports of the DLI, in the OOK format. Extinction ratio and Contrast ratio of better than 7.2 dB and 10.6 dB respectively for the XNOR gate and 6.8 dB and 7.5 dB for the XOR gaterespectively.
Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH), School of Public Health, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran. Health in Emergency and Disaster Research center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Department of Ergonomics, Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Department of science, Farhangian university of Uremia, Uremia, Iran. Department of Public Health, School of Health, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran.
Summary    The addition of NaFeEDTA at only 5% of total iron to ferric pyrophosphate-fortified Ultra Rice® increased the in vitro soluble iron ten-fold. Ultra Rice® formulated with NaFeEDTA at 2–7% of total iron, or with Na2EDTA·2H2O at 0.5× the total iron equivalents, increased the soluble iron seven- to thirty-fold. The colour of the batches was acceptable through 20 weeks at 21 °C, but colour stability needs to be evaluated under authentic storage conditions. Although only 34–46% of the initial vitamin A remained after extrusion, 18-week storage at 30 °C/70% relative humidity, and simulated cooking, there were indications that losses could be decreased by raising the pH (to ~5) and/or using a better protected vitamin A ingredient. The enhancement of soluble iron afforded by low-level NaFeEDTA or Na2EDTA·2H2O supplementation suggests that this fortification strategy may merit further study as a means of increasing absorbable iron in Ultra Rice®.
The clinical outcome of patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), with or without achievement of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets, has rarely been investigated. This study was performed to investigate the comparison of clinical outcome in STEMI patients with or without achievement LDL-C targets (below 70 mg/dL and/or ≥50% reduction). Between November 2013 and December 2016, 689 STEMI patients underwent primary PCI in our hospital. Patients who were deceased, lost to follow-up, had no follow-up lipid profile, or had no side effects after statin use were excluded. A total of 343 patients were classified into group 1 (with LDL-C target achievement) and 172 patients were classified into group 2 (without LDL-C target achievement). Between the two groups, a higher prevalence of left main coronary artery disease, smaller pre-PCI stenosis, and a larger pre-PCI minimal luminal diameter were noted in group 2. The incidence of post-MI angina (8.7% vs. 6.4%; p = 0.393), target vessel revascularization (2.3% vs. 3.5%; p = 0.566), and recurrent MI (1.5% vs. 1.2%; p = 1.000), showed similar results between the two groups during a one-year follow-up period. Initial LDL-C levels ≥130 mg/dL, left main coronary artery disease, and absence of diabetes mellitus were positively associated with non-achievement of LDL-C targets. After STEMI, 66.6% of patients could achieve LDL-C targets one year later. However, such patients did not show better clinical outcomes. Non-DM, initial LDL-C levels ≥130 mg/dL, and left main coronary artery disease were related to non-achievement of LDL-C targets.
Cervical cancer is one of the causes of death in women. According to WHO data (in 2014) more than 93 thousand cases of death of Indonesian women caused by cancer in which 10% is caused by cervical cancer. This underlies the implementation of Community Service of Program Study S1 Pharmacy STIKES NASIONAL with Himpunan Mahasiswa Farmasi STIKES Nasional (HIMFARNAS) to provide “Education and Workshop on The Use of Herbs Medicine for Cervical cancer in Family Empowerment and Walfare (PKK) Laban, Mojobalan, Sukoharjo”. This activity was attended by 65 participants. The participant was very enthusiasm during the activity. This activity is carried out in the form of promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative through education and workchops on the use of herbs for cervical cancer. Evaluation of activities is done by giving a pretest and posttest. The first education was presented by Lusia Murtisiwi who delivered material about its causes, risk factors and symptoms cervical cancer that need to be concern as well as medical treatment. Education about surrounding natural materials that can be used for alternative therapies to accompany cervical cancer treatment presented by Novena Yety Lindawati. The workshop was guided by HIMFARNAS who trained participants in the manufacturing and packaging of “ROMANSA” products. This product consists of anticancer effect which include rosella and sirsat leaves and honey as the sweetener. These beverage products can be consumed by themselves or sold as a home industry business for Family Empowerment and Walfare (PKK). The results of this activity showed an increase in knowledge of the Family Empowerment and Walfare (PKK) participants about preventive measures, early detection of cervival cancer, and supporting therapies for handling cervical cancer naturally, as indicated by an increase in posttest values from average 60.8 to 96.2. In addition, the results of evaluations of overall community service satisfaction programs are very good.
Quality of precipitation products from the Integrated Multi‐satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement mission (IMERG) was evaluated over the Lower Colorado River Basin of Texas. Observations of several rainfall events of a wide range of magnitudes during May 2015 by a very dense network of 241 rain gauges over the basin were used as a reference. The impact of temporal and spatial downscaling of different satellite products (near/post‐real‐time) on their accuracy was studied. Generally, all IMERG products perform better when the temporal and spatial resolutions are downscaled. The Final product shows relatively better performance compared to the near‐real‐time products in terms of basic performance measures; however, regarding rainfall detection, all products show nearly similar performance. When considering rainfall detection, IMERG adequately captures the precipitation events; however, in terms of spatial patterns and accuracy, more improvements are needed. IMERG products analysis results may help developers gain insight into the regional performance of the product, improve the product algorithms, and provide information to end users on the products’ suitability for potential hydrometeorological applications. Overall, the IMERG products, even the uncalibrated product at its finest resolution, showed reasonable performance indicating their great potential for applications such as water resources management, prevention of natural disasters, and flood forecasting.
It was examined if animals can learn to perform bar-pressing only within a determined period of time by the aid of light and tone signals. 6 male BDE-rats (70 days old at the beginning of the experiments) were trained in a modified test chamber to press a bar only in 2h/day (experimental subjects 1 and 2: 13.00–15.00 h; 3 and 4: 15.00–17.00 h; 5 and 6: 24.00–2.00 h). During this time light and tone signals were given and only during this time bar-pressing was rewarded. At the end of the training period all 6 rats showed a change of behavior according to the task, that means: at least 90% of the whole bar pressing activity fell into the determined period of time. Under test conditions the maintenance of this behavior was less stable.
Human social activities and information dissemination needs lead to the emergence and development of network communication. This paper summarizes the relationship that human communication and information dissemination needs and information theory, the need and information disseminating technology. It explained the meaning and nature of network communication, and studied network communication and social interaction. This paper in-depth study of the internet on economic, political, personal effects, etc.
Cu–In alloy films were prepared on bare or Mo-coated glass by co-sputtering from Cu and In targets at ambient temperature. The formation of CuInS2 films was accomplished by sulfurization within a graphite container under high S vapor pressure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the alloy films showed predominant variation of the phases from In→CuIn2→Cu11In9 as the Cu content in the films increased. The sulfurized In-rich films formed the CuIn5S8 phase that steadily transformed into CuInS2 as film composition changed toward the Cu-rich region. SEM analysis showed different morphologies for the CuIn5S8 and CuInS2 films. Cu-rich films exhibited very dense crystal structures. EDX composition measurements on the films showed Cu/(Cu+In) varying from 0.21 to 0.64 and S/(Cu+In) from 0.80 to 1.36. Resistivities in the range of 2.36 to 1.7×108 Ω·cm were obtained. Studies of the growth mechanism indicated formation of CuIn5S8 as the main secondary phase in both Cu-rich and In-rich films at low temperatures before conversion into CuInS2 at temperatures >400°C.
Research in this paper was performed at two different locations: Radmilovac and Vrsac in Serbia. Four new interspecific hybrids (9846, 9896, 19574 and 20506) which are intended for table consumption were used as a material. Grape yield per unit area, the properties of the bunch (bunch weight, bunch length, bunch width and number of berries in bunch), the properties of berry (berry weight, berry length and berry width), as well as the characteristic of grape quality (sugar content and total acids in the must) were studied in selected hybrids.The highest yield per unit area in the localities Radmilovac and Vrsac had a hybrid 9896 (14 998 kg/ha; 11 365 kg/ha). Analysis of variance results showed for the bunch weight, bunch width and number of berries in bunch, berry weight and berry length significant differences among the genotypes. Significant differences between investigated localities were determined for the bunch length and all the berry characters. The interaction between genotype and localities showed significant differences for bunch length, berry length and berry width. Since the genotypes in the initial yielding (third year after planting), they are showed satisfactory results in relation to the objectives of selection.
This chapter focuses on the life stories of Ainu women. The Ainu, an indigenous ethnic group who live in Hokkaido, has faced social discrimination particularly since the Meiji Restoration period. Many Ainu are not proud of being Ainu, and some even strived to erase their ethnic identity in order to avoid discrimination and social exclusion. The stipulation of the Act of the Promotion of Ainu Culture in 1997 seemed to promote ethnic pride, but fostering young culture bearers of both genders is hard. Since 1997, the government has financed various Ainu culture projects and dispatched Ainu to Japanese and overseas districts to provide introductions to Ainu cultural activities, such as dancing, playing music, carving, embroidery, and so on. Although these performers included women, they never confessed during the “performance” how Ainu women were discriminated against and their voices were muted in front of audiences and male Ainu leaders. After listening to several old women’s life stories, the author points out how Ainu women were undereducated and low-paid and had low self-esteem because of the structural violence. They are still “subordinate” in postcolonial theory (Spivak). However, some Ainu women have empowered themselves by teaching the Ainu language and traditional culture and have begun to tell their life stories. The author describes how sisterhood among Ainu women and teaching their language to others, including the next generation, empowered them and discusses the difficulty of hearing their muted voices.
Introduction Robotic surgery is useful in areas with difficult access like the pelvis. The ideal indications for robotic surgery are still to be established. The neck area, especially the thyroid gland poses a difficult challenge for many endoscopic surgeons. Robotic surgery is useful in this area due to its excellent magnification and endowrist function. We present our initial experience with robotic endoscopic thyroidectomy using the bilateral axillary breast approach (BABA). Methods and Results Between March and May 2008, 15 patients diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer underwent robotic-assisted endoscopic thyroidectomy using the BABA technique. The mean operating time was 218 minutes. There was a steady decrease in operative time from the initial case to the 15th case. The blood loss was minimal. The recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid glands were identified in great detail with ease and preserved in all cases. There were no postoperative complications in any case. Conclusions Robotic endoscopic thyroidectomy using the BABA technique is a feasible procedure and can be performed safely. It provides an excellent operative field view enabling easy identification of vital structures. It also gives the desired cosmetic results and minimal postoperative pain similar to conventional endoscopic thyroid surgery using the BABA technique.
The United States seems to be substantially free from threats that require a great deal of military preparedness. To begin with, it really seems time to consider the consequences of the fact that a conflict like World War II is extremely unlikely to recur. Spending a lot of money for an eventuality—or fantasy—of ever-receding likelihood is highly questionable. Some envision threat in China’s rapidly-increasing prosperity. But, although its oft-stated desire to incorporate (or re-incorporate) Taiwan into its territory should be watched, armed conflict would be extremely—even overwhelmingly—costly to the country. And Chinese leaders, already rattled by internal difficulties, seem to realize this. Russia’s recent assertiveness bears watching, but it does not suggest that the game has been crucially changed. It might make sense to maintain a containment and deterrent capacity against rogue states in formal or informal coalition with other concerned countries. However, the military requirements for the task are limited. Humanitarian intervention with military force is unlikely due to a low tolerance for casualties in such ventures, an increasing aversion to the costs of nation-building, and the lack of political gain from successful ventures. Concern about nuclear proliferation is overwrought: long experience suggests that when countries obtain the weapons, they “use” them only to stoke their national ego and to deter real or imagined threats. Europe seems to face no notable threats of a military nature, the Taiwan/China issue remains a fairly remote concern, and Israel’s primary problems derive from the actions of sub-state groups. The military relevance of the terrorism “threat” has been substantially exaggerated, and it mainly calls for policing and intelligence work and perhaps for occasional focused strikes by small units. Nonetheless, it may be prudent to maintain some rapid-response forces and a small number of nuclear weapons as well as something of a capacity to rebuild quickly in the unlikely event that a sizable threat eventually materializes. There would be risk in extensively reducing the military, but experiences in Vietnam and Iraq suggest that there is risk as well in maintaining large forces-in-being that can be deployed with little notice and in an under-reflective, and often counter-productive, manner. Mueller: Embracing Threatlessness 2 Madeleine Albright, our American ambassador to the U.N., asked me in frustration, “What’s the point of having this superb military that you’re always talking about if you can’t use it?” I thought I would have an aneurysm. America’s GI’s were not toy soldiers to be moved around on some sort of global game board.—Colin Powell One way of keeping people out of trouble is to deny them the means for getting into it.—Bernard Brodie It is often said, even by many of his admirers, that at any one time Newt Gingrich will have 100 ideas of which five are pretty good. Falling into the latter category was his remark when running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 that “defense budgets shouldn't be a matter of politics. They shouldn't be a matter of playing games. They should be directly related to the amount of threat we have.” This paper is something of a thought experiment. It applies Gingrich’s sensible test and is determinedly “bottom-up.” Instead of starting with things as they are and looking for places to trim, it assesses the threat environment—problems that lurk in current conditions and on the horizon. Then, keeping both the risks and opportunities in mind, it considers which of these threats, if any, justify funding. Although alarmists continue to exaggerate dangers that may still lurk, there is a great deal of spending to confront security threats that, on more careful examination, seem to be of only very limited significance. There are problem areas in the world of course, particularly the Middle East. However, it certainly appears that the United States and other countries in the developed world are, not unlike Costa Rica, substantially free from security threats that require a great deal of military preparedness. In Overblown, a book published in 2006, I argued that, with the benefit of hindsight, “every foreign policy threat in the last several decades that has come to be accepted as significant has then eventually been unwisely exaggerated.” That is, alarmism, usually based on a worst case approach, has dominated thinking about security. This process seems to be continuing. After examining an important U.S. Defense Department policy document, Benjamin Friedman observed in 2008 that rather than estimating the varying likelihood of potential national security threats and then coming up with recommendations on that basis following the Gingrich approach, it “contends simply that ‘managing risk’ compels the United States to prepare for all of them” while concluding that we should “retain the weapons and forces we have, with a few tweaks.” And Gregory Daddis, a 1 Colin L. Powell, My American Journey (New York: Random House, 1995), p. 576 2 Bernard Brodie, “The Development of Nuclear Strategy,” International Security, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Spring 1978), p. 81. 3 PBS NewsHour, January 26, 2012. 4 On his 95% side, however, Gingrich does imagine many dire threats and dangers. John Mueller, “Newt Gingrich and the EMP Threat,” nationalinterest.org, December 13, 2011. 5 John Mueller, Overblown (New York: Free Press, 2006), p. 10. 6 Benjamin H. Friedman, “The Terrible ‘Ifs’,” Regulation, Winter 2008, p. 35. On the dynamics of balancing threat, see Stephen M. Walt, The Origins of Alliances (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Mueller: Embracing Threatlessness 3 military historian at West Point, has looked over the 2015 National Security Strategy and notes that the document stresses the “risks of an insecure world” and the “persistent risk of attacks” suggesting that “we live in a dangerous world...one in which only vigilant nations—led, naturally, by the United States—preemptively rooting out evil can survive.” As one former planner at the Pentagon puts it, the job “was to look for all the bad stuff. Scanning for threats is what we get paid to do.” Greg Jaffe, Pentagon correspondent for the Washington Post, mused in 2012 that the alarmist narrative prevails: “no one is rushing to discuss the implications of a world that has grown safer.” While this paper may not start the rush that Jaffe calls for, it may help to provide a useful first step. Comparing risks It must be acknowledged at the outset that there is risk in extensively reducing the American military as will be proposed below. However, this must be balanced against the risk attendant on maintaining large forces-in-being that can be impelled into action with little notice and in an under-reflective, and very often counter-productive, manner. Although the proposal developed here does concede that some small military and nuclear capacity should be retained to hedge against unlikely contingencies and that a capacity to rebuild should be retained, these would not necessarily be enough to deal with the very sudden emergence of another major threat—a Hitler on steroids. But it really seems that it is up to the alarmists to explain how such a sudden emergence could happen (it would have to be sudden because otherwise the United States would have time to rearm) and where it would come from. As Robert Jervis points out, “Hitlers are very rare.” And, most importantly, this concern must be balanced against the fact that, if it had a very substantially reduced military, the United States would not be able to get into enormously costly military fiascos. Hans J. Morgenthau argues that arms are not the cause of war: “men do not fight because they have arms,” but rather “they have arms because they deem it necessary to fight.” However, the opportunity a large and expensive military force provides decision-makers Press, 1987). On evaluating threat, see A. Trevor Thrall and Jane K. Cramer (eds.), Threat Inflation: The Theory, Politics, and Psychology of Fear Mongering in the United States (London and New York: Routledge, 2009). 7 Gregory A. Daddis, “Afraid of Peace,” National Interest, July/August 2015, p. 48. See also Micah Zenko and Michael A. Cohen, “Clear and Present Safety: The United States Is More Secure Than Washington Thinks,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2012; Christopher Preble and John Mueller (eds.), A Dangerous World? Threat Perception and U.S. National Security (Washington, DC: Cato Institute, 2014). 8 Greg Jaffe, “The world is safer. But no one in Washington can talk about it,” Washington Post, November 2, 2012. 9 Jaffe, “The world is safer. But no one in Washington can talk about it.” 10 See also Christopher A. Preble, The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2009), p. 11, ch. 4. 11 Robert Jervis, The Illogic of American Nuclear Strategy (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1984), p. 156. 12 Hans J. Morgenthau, Politics Among Nations (New York: Knopf, 1948), p. 327. Mueller: Embracing Threatlessness 4 is suggested by the complaint registered to General Colin Powell by Madeleine Albright when she was the American ambassador to the UN as quoted at the top of this paper. In this connection, one might compare the tumultuous and self-destructive overreaction to 9/11 with that to the worst terrorist event in the developed world before then, the downing of an Air India airliner departing a non-arrogant nation, Canada, in 1985. The crash killed 329 people, 280 of them Canadian citizens, and journalist Gwynne Dyer points out that, proportionate to population, the losses were almost exactly the same in the two cases. But continues Dyer, “here's what Canada didn't do: it didn't send troops into India to ‘stamp out the roots of the terrorism’ and it didn't declare a ‘global war on terror.’ Partly because it lacked the resour
Co-located students working in a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) classroom have limited awareness of their peers' work. We investigated the design of an awareness cue for students aged 6 to 17, in a large web-based canvas shared among tablets and laptops. By incorporating teacher and student feedback in an iterative design process, the project's goal was to support workspace awareness needs on touch devices, as well as to ensure age-appropriateness and technical feasibility. Specifically, we aimed to balance awareness, distraction, and clutter. We designed an awareness cue for students, a Callout Bubble, which is displayed near the object being manipulated by a peer, and fades away over time. A study of 71 students and 4 teachers revealed that, with our awareness cue design, students' awareness of their peers' actions in the shared canvas was significantly correlated with increased task focus and decreased frustration levels when peer conflicts arose. We also found that students understood the awareness information conveyed and were able to self-monitor and coordinate within the group.
The state-of-art image segmentation algorithms can be applied to accurately localize objects by using deep convolutional neural networks (CNN). In this paper, we consider the anomaly detection problem encountered in a train wheel system. We propose a progressive approach to use a multi-target network to segment each component of the considered system sequentially by decoupling the segmentation and the classification task. Moreover, we use the knowledge graph approach to establish a semantic consistency matrix by quantifying the spatial relationship between various components. We show that by establishing a knowledge graph of the normally operating systems, we are able to identify a faulty component effectively.
Aims: This study aimed to investigate how confident and comfortable teachers at Tanzanian and South African urban and rural schools are in teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. It also aimed at identifying factors associated with teacher confidence and investigated how reported confidence was associated with the implementation of educational programmes on HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Methods: A survey was conducted among South African grade 8 and 9 Life Orientation teachers, and among science teachers for grade 5 to 7 in public primary schools in Tanzania. Teachers' confidence levels were measured on a four-item scale (0—3). Results: A total number of 266 teachers participated in a survey in 86 schools in South Africa and Tanzania. Overall, teachers report to be rather confident in teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Tanzanian teachers reported higher levels of confidence then did their South Africa colleagues (2.1 vs. 1.8; p < 0.01). Confidence in teaching was significantly associated with the numbers of years teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality, formal training in these subjects, experience in discussing the topics with others, school policy and priority given to teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality at school. Finally, confidence in teaching remained positively associated with self-reported successful implementation of school-based programmes after adjusting for gender, age, religion and numbers of years teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Conclusions: Across urban and rural sites in South Africa and Tanzania teachers reported to be fairly confident in teaching HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Further strengthening of their confidence levels could, however, be an important measure for improving the implementation of such programmes.
Neuromorphic processors are attractive for energy-constrained applications as they are designed to emulate the energy-efficient spiking neural networks (SNNs) of the human brain. This research aims to evaluate whether a state-of-the-art SNN design methodology, artificial-to-spiking neural network (ANN-to-SNN) conversion, and a novel neuromorphic processor, Loihi, together provide an accurate and energy-efficient approach for heartbeat classification with neural networks. To perform this evaluation, a 1D-convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) is first trained to classify arrhythmias in the artificial domain. The ANN is then converted to an architecturally identical SNN with the SNN-Toolbox framework. Finally, the performance of the SNN on Loihi is compared to the performance of the ANN on Intel Core i7 CPU, Intel Neural Compute Stick 2 (NCS2), and Google Coral Edge TPU (Edge TPU) devices. Over five classes, the SNN reaches an accuracy and macro-averaged F1 score of 97.8% and 87.9%, respectively, compared to 98.4% and 90.8% for the ANN. In terms of performance, Loihi is found to operate at the lowest dynamic power, but also at the highest latency. Overall, Loihi is estimated to result in a 1.5× and 110× higher energy-delay product versus the NCS2 and Edge TPU, respectively. These results demonstrate other edge neural network devices to be more dynamic energy-efficient for the model tested. Based on the insights gained, this study discusses future directions to enhance neuromorphic computing for energy-constrained applications like heartbeat classification.
A new method that nanoSrTiO3 electronic ceramics powder was prepared from nitrilotriacetic acid complexes by thermal decomposition was proposed. The reaction of Ti4+ and ta3-(H3ta=C6H6O6N) and H2O2 is occurred to form [Ti2O(O2)2(ta)2]4- complex ions, which react with Sr2+ to produce Sr2[Ti2O(O2)2(ta)2] precursor, and then is washed, dried and annealed at 900°Cfor 3h to prepare nanoSrTiO3 powder. The results of SEM analysis show that SrTiO3 powders were spheric shape with narrow size distribution and the mean particle sizes about 80 nm. XRD investigation show that the powders of SrTiO3 had the crystalline of the pseudo-cubic structure. The Sr/Ti mole ratio (1.000±0.005) and the purity of 99.8% were confirmed by chemical analysis. Compared with conventional thermal decomposition method of oxalate, the proposed new method, by which the high-quality SrTiO3 powder is prepared, shows simple technology.
The Prony Analysis is already used in different fields of science and industries. The described new approach intends assessing the performance of Servo Drive Control. The basic approach is, that two important dynamic parameters of closed loop behavior, damping and frequency, are estimated by the Prony method. Hence analyzing a control loop in this way leads to a statement concerning the quality of control and allows comparing different parameter sets. The paper presents results achieved by using this method on a test rig.
Traffic simulators are important tools in autonomous driving development. While continuous progress has been made to provide developers more options for modeling various traffic participants, tuning these models to increase their behavioral diversity while maintaining quality is often very challenging. This paper introduces an easily-tunable policy generation algorithm for autonomous driving agents. The proposed algorithm balances diversity and driving skills by leveraging the representation and exploration abilities of deep reinforcement learning via a distinct policy set selector. Moreover, we present an algorithm utilizing intrinsic rewards to widen behavioral differences in the training. To provide quantitative assessments, we develop two trajectory-based evaluation metrics which measure the differences among policies and behavioral coverage. We experimentally show the effectiveness of our methods on several challenging intersection scenes.
1. Pig heart cytosolic malate dehydrogenase was radiolabelled with O-(4-diazo-3,5-di-[125I]iodobenzoyl)sucrose and intravenously injected into rats. Enzyme activity and radioactivity were cleared from plasma identically, with first-order kinetics, with a half-life of about 30 min. 2. The tissue distribution of radioactivity was determined at 2 h after injection. All injected radioactivity was recovered from the tissues. A high percentage of the injected dose was found in liver (37%), spleen (6%) and bone including marrow (19%). 3. Radioactivity in liver and spleen increased up to 2 h after injection and subsequently declined, with a half-life of about 20 h. 4. After differential fractionation of liver, radioactivity was largely found in the mitochondrial and lysosomal fraction. 5. Liver cells were isolated 1 h after injection of labelled enzyme. We found that Kupffer cells, endothelial cells and parenchymal cells had endocytosed the enzyme at rates corresponding to 2725, 94 and 63 ml of plasma/day per g of cell protein respectively. 6. Radioautography indicated that in spleen and bone marrow the enzyme is mainly taken up by macrophages. 7. Internalization of the enzyme by liver, spleen and bone marrow was saturable. This indicates that the enzyme is taken up in these tissues by adsorptive endocytosis. 8. The present results closely resemble those obtained previously for the mitochondrial isoenzyme of malate dehydrogenase and for lactate dehydrogenase M4. Since those enzymes are positively charged at physiological pH, whereas cytosolic malate dehydrogenase is negative, net charge cannot be the major factor determining the rate of uptake of circulating enzymes by reticuloendothelial macrophages, as has been suggested in the literature [Wachsmuth & Klingmüller (1978) J. Reticuloendothel. Soc. 24, 227-241].
The authors’ description of the inverse semigroups S for which the lattice ℒℱ(S) of full inverse subsemigroups is lower semimodular is used to describe those for which (a) the lattice ℒ(S) of all inverse subsemigroups or (b) the lattice 𝒞o(S) of convex inverse subsemigroups has that property. In each case, we show that this occurs if and only if the entire lattice is a subdirect product of ℒℱ(S) with ℒ(E S ), or 𝒞o(E S ), respectively, where E S is the semilattice of idempotents of S; a simple necessary and sufficient condition is found for each decomposition. For a semilattice E, ℒ(E) is in fact always lower semimodular, and 𝒞o(E) is lower semimodular if and only if E is a tree. The conjunction of these results leads to quite a divergence between the ultimate descriptions in the two cases, ℒ(S) and 𝒞o(S), with the latter being substantially richer.
Accumulating evidence strongly implicates oxidized LDL (Ox-LDL) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Several receptors have been identified that bind and internalize Ox-LDL, but their relative importance in vivo is unclear. CD36 is an 88-kD transmembrane glycoprotein expressed on monocytes/macrophages, platelets, and microvascular endothelium that has been implicated as a putative receptor for Ox-LDL. We demonstrate that an anti-CD36 monoclonal antibody inhibited 50% of the specific binding and 26% of the specific degradation of Ox-LDL by human monocyte-derived macrophages. To characterize more completely this binding we evaluated interactions between CD36 and Ox-LDL in murine NIH-3T3 cells stably transfected with human CD36 cDNA. Ox-LDL bound to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells in a saturable manner. Specific binding, internalization, and degradation of Ox-LDL were increased fourfold in CD36-transfected cell lines compared with 3T3 cells transfected with vector alone. Binding of Ox-LDL to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells was inhibited by a panel of anti-CD36 antibodies and by soluble CD36 but not by thrombospondin. Specificity of binding was demonstrated by the equivalent binding of LDL and acetylated LDL to control and CD36-transfected 3T3 cells. The epitope or epitopes on Ox-LDL recognized by CD36 are undefined. Two observations suggest that CD36 recognizes a lipid moiety or that the lipid portion of the lipoprotein is essential for apoprotein recognition. The first is that the increased binding of Ox-LDL to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells is abrogated by delipidation of the lipoprotein, and the second is that oleic acid competes for the binding of Ox-LDL to CD36-transfected 3T3 cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A 67-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with shortness of breath and acute cough for two days. Computed tomography (CT) results indicated COVID-19 pneumonia. Prophylactic anticoagulant treatment was begun using enoxaparin sodium on service. On the 10th day of her follow-up, increased respiratory distress occurred, and she was taken to the intensive care unit (ICU). Her haemoglobin level decreased to 7.5 g/dL in the intensive care follow-up (16th day). On CT scan, a massive retroperitoneal haematoma, 150 mm in diameter, was detected with a right inferior rectus sheath haematoma, 60 mm in diameter. Anticoagulant therapy was stopped, and eight units of erythrocyte suspension (ES) administered. Kidney and liver failure was added to the clinical picture, and patient died on the 18th day after admission.
Most of the reports on the survival and effects of cross-species intracerebral grafts concern mouse-to-rat transplantations. We did not find in the literature any reports concerning rabbit-to-rat intracerebral transplantations. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of transplanting rabbit substantia nigra (SN) into the brains of rats with experimentally induced hemiparkinsonism. Ventral mesencephalon, containing the SN, was removed from gestational day 2 1 rabbit embryos and transplanted into the striatal region or into the lateral ventricle of each of 90 adult albino Wistar rats. A unilateral lesion was created in the SN of each rat by injecting 6-hydroxydopamine; the transplant was then placed ipsilateral to the lesion. No immunosuppressive treatment was applied. In a control group, sham transplantations were performed by introducing a needle without injecting any material. Before and 2,4, and 6 weeks after transplantation, apomorphine-induced rotational behavior was tested. Survival of the grafts was evaluated using histological and histofluorescence methods. The Heubrich and Denzer technique was used to perform biochemical analyses to determine the dopamine content in isolated. right and left sides of the striatum. A significant decrease in the number of rotations ( to 46% of the number of rotations before transplantation) was observed in the experimental group 2 weeks after transplantation. The decrease was still pronounced after 4 weeks (57%). By 6 weeks after transplantation, rotational behavior had returned to 64% of baseline levels (TABLE 1). Animals with sham transplantations showed a moderate increase in the number of rotations. Histological and histofluorescence examination, performed 2 weeks after transplantation, showed survival of about 50% of the grafts. After 4 weeks, however, about 70%, and after 6 weeks, almost 90% of the grafts demonstrated signs of rejection.
The type II restriction endonucleaseSsoII shows sequence similarity with 10 other restriction endonucleases, among them the type IIE restriction endonucleaseEcoRII, which requires binding to an effector site for efficient DNA cleavage, and the type IIF restriction endonucleaseNgoMIV, which is active as a homotetramer and cleaves DNA with two recognition sites in a concerted reaction. We show here thatSsoII is an orthodox type II enzyme, which is active as a homodimer and does not require activation by binding to an effector site. Nevertheless, it shares with EcoRII andNgoMIV a very similar DNA-binding site and catalytic center as shown here by a mutational analysis, indicative of an evolutionary relationship between these three enzymes. We suggest that a similar relationship exists between other orthodox type II, type IIE, and type IIF restriction endonucleases. This may explain why similarities may be more pronounced between members of different subtypes of restriction enzymes than among the members of a given subtype.
Clarias gariepinus, a catfish species widely distributed in Africa including South Africa, is naturally absent from the Western Cape and the coastal Eastern Cape provinces. Because of its potential as an aquaculture species it has been widely used in aquaculture ventures in South Africa, specifically a stock known as Dutch catfish, a domesticated strain developed in the Netherlands. Mitochondrial DNA markers indicate that this stock is genetically distinct from the natural populations of C. gariepinus in South Africa. It could potentially pose a threat to South Africa's natural biodiversity if these fish were to escape from aquaculture farms, or was deliberately introduced into inland waters.
This paper presents the conservation of electrical energy in building with the technique to develop load control and management system in order to adjust load factor of system. Using the limiting and controlling the maximum demand, we can acquire the prediction and compare it to the maximum demand set point. This system consists of a computer which works as controller, processor and database unit and works with digital power meter informing of multidrop network by serial communication via RS-485. The control system use PLC to control load via serial communication RS-485. The data of measurement such as voltage, current, power, power factor, energy, etc., can be saved as a database and analysed. The load factor adjustment by limiting and controlling maximum demand can reduce the cost of electric consumption and energy generation.
A seventeenth-century English traveler to the Eastern Mediterranean would have faced a problem in writing about this unfamiliar place: how to describe its inhabitants in a way his countrymen would understand? In an age when a European education meant mastering the Classical literature of Greece and Rome, he would naturally turn to touchstones like the Iliad to explain the exotic customs of Ottoman lands. His Turk would have been Homer's Turk. An account of epic sweep, spanning the Crusades, the Indian Raj, and the postwar decline of the British Empire, Homer's Turk illuminates how English writers of all eras have relied on the Classics to help them understand the world once called "the Orient." Ancient Greek and Roman authors, Jerry Toner shows, served as a conceptual frame of reference over long periods in which trade, religious missions, and imperial interests shaped English encounters with the East. Rivaling the Bible as a widespread, flexible vehicle of Western thought, the Classics provided a ready model for portrayal and understanding of the Oriental Other. Such image-making, Toner argues, persists today in some of the ways the West frames its relationship with the Islamic world and the rising powers of India and China. Discussing examples that range from Jacobean travelogues to Hollywood blockbusters, Homer's Turk proves that there is no permanent version of either the ancient past or the East in English writing--the two have been continually reinvented alongside each other.
The Earth ionosphere variations are considered after tsunami associated with the long-period Rayleigh waves occurred December 26, 2004 in Indonesia (Ms = 9.0). In this paper we focus on the relative variations in ionospheric parameters (total electron content (TEC) and scintillation parameter, S4) with respect to a quiet period. Differential ionospheric parameters were made by computing the percent change of seismic-time parameter relative to ionospheric parameters computed for quiet conditions.
Time-resolved measurements were introduced to study the dynamic behavior of the absorptivity of metal powder under CO2 laser irradiation conditions. The absorptivity of metal powder was more than 90% under short-term laser irradiation (6-20 ms), but it was below 30% under relatively long-term laser irradiation (50-1000 ms). The experimental results propose that the dynamic change of the absorptivity is caused by time-dependent aggregation of powder particles induced by laser irradiation.
Traditional multimedia surveillance systems are task specific and tightly coupled to the environment. Moreover, system designs generally start with the assumption that the environment, context, and sensors always remain static. With such a tight coupling, it becomes very difficult to port the system to new environments. Furthermore, for most of the systems, there is no straightforward way to upgrade the existing system to incorporate technological advancements such as new sensors or novel feature extraction techniques. We propose a flexible surveillance system architecture which can be easily ported in different environments, is dynamic without any significant compromise in system performance, and can be extended to integrate newer technological developments. We also introduce the notion of Environment Model (EM), which completely defines the coupling between system and the physical environment. The isolation of environment specific variables in EM makes the system easily portable in different environments. We present results of a prototype implementation of the system that highlights our design goals.
Today, with more and more computers getting connected to public accessible networks like Internet, computer systems are more and more susceptible to attacks. There is a need of effective intrusion detection systems (IDS) to protect computers from these unauthorized or malicious actions. Different soft-computing based methods have been proposed in recent years for the development of intrusion detection systems. In this paper we are proposing a contemporary approach for network intrusion detection which is significantly improvises the prediction of network intrusions. The proposed technique is a fusion of efficient data mining techniques such as Fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering, neural network (NN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM). The experiments and evaluations of proposed method were performed with Knowledge Discovery and Data mining (KDD) Cup 99 intrusion detection dataset and we have used sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision and F-value as the evaluation metric parameters. Our approach achieved detection accuracy of about 99.96% for DOS attacks, 99.73% for PROBE, 99.93% for R2L and 99.87% for U2R attacks. Our proposed technique yielded very good results and was compared with the other existing techniques to prove its validity.
There has been a widespread shift to competency-based medical education (CBME) in the United States and Canada. Much of the CBME discourse has focused on the successful learner, with relatively little attention paid to what happens in CBME systems when learners stumble or fail. Emerging issues, such as the well-documented problem of “failure to fail” and concerns about litigious learners, have highlighted a need for well-defined and integrated frameworks to support and guide strategic approaches to the remediation of struggling medical learners. This Perspective sets out a conceptual review of current practices and an argument for a holistic approach to remediation in the context of their parent medical education systems. The authors propose parameters for integrating remediation into CBME and describe a model based on five zones of practice along with the rules of engagement associated with each zone. The zones are “normal” curriculum, corrective action, remediation, probation, and exclusion. The authors argue that, by linking and integrating theory and practice in remediation with CBME, a more integrated systems-level response to differing degrees of learner difficulty and failure can be developed. The proposed model demonstrates how educational practice in different zones is based on different rules, roles, responsibilities, and thresholds for moving between zones. A model such as this can help medical educators and medical education leaders take a more integrated approach to learners’ failures as well as their successes by being more explicit about the rules of engagement that apply in different circumstances across the competency continuum.
The present review is devoted to a Chiral Cosmological Model as the self-gravitating nonlinear sigma model with the potential of (self)interactions employed in cosmology. The chiral cosmological model has successive applications in descriptions of the inflationary epoch of the Universe evolution; the present accelerated expansion of the Universe also can be described by the chiral fields multiplet as the dark energy in wide sense.  To be more illustrative we are often addressed to the two-component chiral cosmological model. Namely, the two-component chiral cosmological model describing the phantom field with interaction to a canonical scalar field is analyzed in details. New generalized model of quintom character is proposed and exact solutions are founded out.  In the review we represented the perturbation theory for chiral cosmological model with the aim to describe the structure formation using the progress achieved in the inflation theory. It was shown that cosmological perturbations from chiral fields can be decomposed for inflaton and the dark sector perturbations. The two-component model is investigated in details, the general solution for shortwave approximation is obtained and analyzed for power law Universe expansion.  New issue for understanding the features of Universe evolution is proposed by consideration of the dark sector fields on the inflaton background. The results are illustrated for the solutions in the long-wave approximation.
Transparent a-IGZO (In-Ga-Zn-O) films have been actively studied for use in the fabrication of high-quality TFTs. In this study, a-IGZO films and a-IGZO/ITO double layers were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering under various oxygen flow rates. The a-IGZO films showed an amorphous structure up to 500 degrees C. The deposition rate of these films decreased with an increase in the amount of oxygen gas. The amount of indium atoms in the film was confirmed to be 11.4% higher than the target. The resistivity of double layer follows the rules for parallel DC circuits The maximum Hall mobility of the a-IGZO/ITO double layers was found to be 37.42 cm2/V x N s. The electrical properties of the double layers were strongly dependent on their thickness ratio. The IGZO/ITO double layer was subjected to compressive stress, while the ITO/IGZO double layer was subjected to tensile stress. The bending tolerance was found to depend on the a-IGZO thickness.
Science sometimes moves very slowly. Observations in 1964 (1,2) that the insulin response to oral (and enteral) glucose is substantially greater than that to an isoglycemic intravenous glucose infusion (the incretin effect), followed by characterization of the two known incretin hormones, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) (1973) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) (1985), have only recently led to the development of two classes of antidiabetes drugs, GLP-1 agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, now used widely in the management of type 2 diabetes. GIP and GLP-1 are predominantly released from the proximal and distal intestine, respectively, primarily in response to enteral nutrients, and stimulate insulin secretion in a glucose-dependent manner (3). Attenuation of the incretin effect is probably an early marker of β-cell dysfunction (4). In type 2 diabetes, the incretin effect is markedly reduced (5), partly because the insulinotropic effect of GIP is essentially lost, whereas pharmacological doses of GLP-1 still stimulate insulin secretion substantially (6). GLP-1 also suppresses glucagon and slows gastric emptying (3,7).  Following their release, GLP-1 and GIP are rapidly degraded by the ubiquitous enzyme, DPP-4. The concept that inhibition of DPP-4 may represent a therapy for type 2 diabetes was expressed in a seminal article by Deacon et al. (8) in 1995. DPP-4 inhibition markedly increases circulating intact (active) GLP-1 and GIP concentrations. In 2006, the first DPP-4 inhibitor, sitagliptin, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and some 11 different DPP-4 inhibitors are now available worldwide. Their efficacy …
This paper deals with the measurement of aspherics on surfaces of microscope condenser in mass production. The aspheric surface in microscope condenser is a kind of optical surface working under very large numerical aperture and small field of view. To fulfill Kohler illumination for the microscope condenser, the aspheric surface must be fabricated as well as designed capable of projecting an image of the source, large enough to fill the sub stage condenser of the microscope. For larger numerical aperture condenser fabrication, it is crucial to guarantee a reasonable aspheric profile for spherical aberration compensation and even illumination. Here we established the equipment for microscope condenser aspheric profile measuring in mass production. The industry microscope is reconstructed to image the profile, with LED panel light source for even backlighting. The profile, captured with a high resolution CCD, is processed. It can be compared with theoretic aspheric profile directly or interpolated with a predefined polynomial. In this method, supports for aspheric lens fabrication and measurement are designed and employed on the industry microscope. It guaranteed that a table of points can accurately describe the profile of the aspheric surface, introducing less assembling error. Measurement with this method has proved satisfactory for certain high aperture microscope condenser at low cost. For systems requiring still higher accuracy, the CCD resolution may have to be increased and interpolation method optimized accordingly but the online aspheric testing equipment with proper supports could surely improve the accuracy of aspheric surface fabrication at low cost.
SUMMARY    The toxicity of dimethoate, deltamethrin and pirimicarb residues to Bembidion lampros and Coccinella septempunctata was evaluated by confining groups of insects to winter wheat foliage and soil for 24 h at different times after treatment in the field. Flag leaf residues were found to be more toxic than first leaf residues: soil residues were the least toxic with pirimicarb showing virtually no soil toxicity. In general, dimethoate and deltamethrin showed similar levels of foliar toxicity with flag leaf toxicity on the first day after treatment being in the range 60–80% for B. lampros; deltamethrin was however, less toxic than dimethoate at ground level. Both of these products were more toxic than pirimicarb. The long-term exposure of insects, surviving the 24 h bioassays, to treated soil at different times following application resulted in further mortality and provided estimates of the maximum levels of mortality that populations of predators might suffer migrating into the crop at different times following application. Dimethoate was shown to be particularly harmful at the current recommended field application rate and reduced doses were proposed to limit the severity of the initial effects.
Cadmium (Cd), an industrial and environmental pollutant, preferentially accumulates in the kidney, a major target for Cd-related toxicity. It has been reported that Cd exposure produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) and induces cytotoxicity. Extracellular-superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) is an antioxidant enzyme that protects the cells from damaging effects of ROS; however, the effect of Cd on the expression of EC-SOD in COS7 cells remains unclear. In this study, exposure to cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) enhanced intracellular ROS generation and induced COS7 cell death. Moreover, exposure to Cd decreased the expression of EC-SOD at mRNA and protein levels, but not of other SOD isozymes, copper-and zinc-containing SOD and manganese-containing SOD. The reduction of EC-SOD and cell viability was partially attenuated by pretreatment with an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine. Further, we determined the involvement of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK) in the reduction of EC-SOD. From these observations, p38-MAPK signaling cascades activated by ROS play a pivotal role in the reduction of EC-SOD, and it is concluded that the reduction of EC-SOD leads to a decrease in the resistance to oxidative stress of Cd-exposed COS7 cells.
For several years, the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) has voiced concern about the impact of federally mandated changes on the pharmaceutical products marketplace. Since this marketplace is relatively inelastic, manipulating one segment in the interest of cost efficiencies is likely to result in price increases in other segments. That manipulation could come through such decisions as a "one-price" policy for pharmaceuticals, mandatory rebates for certain segments of the marketplace, or the elimination of discounts. The issue of cost-effective purchasing of prescription drugs and related supplies has recently come under increased scrutiny from the U.S. Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services, the General Accounting Office, and the Federal Trade Commission. In light of these and future activities, ASHP determined that there was a need to collect credible data on the potential impact of the termination of the Robinson-Patman Act's nonprofit institutional exemption, other discounts, or both on pharmaceutical expenditures in institutional health-care settings. The authors of this paper report the results and analysis of a 1990 mail survey conducted by ASHP and Concepts in Healthcare, Inc., to collect information on pharmaceutical purchasing and discounting procedures in community hospitals and selected nonhospital settings in the United States. Survey respondents reported that they would expect substantial increases in pharmaceutical expenditures if volume and nonprofit discounts were eliminated. Nonprofit hospitals expected a 24.4% increase in pharmaceutical expenditures in the wake of discount elimination, while for-profit institutions projected an 11.9% increase. Pharmaceutical expenditures of the study hospitals averaged $1.69 million per year; respondents estimated that this sum would increase by $390,000 (23.1%) if volume and nonprofit discounts were eliminated.
Abstract : Current technology-based efforts are focusing on a nanotechnology approach to sorbent development for air purification applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are two novel classes of materials that allow for specific functionalities to be designed directly into a porous framework. This report is the second in a series of summary reports based on the evaluation of samples from the University of California, Los Angeles. The samples evaluated in this report are a continuation of a baseline series of materials aimed at collecting design rules for future materials; results from this and the previous report will be used to create a second-generation of reactive MOFs and ZIFs for air purification applications. Testing of the novel materials included nitrogen isotherm data, water, and chloroethane adsorption equilibria, and ammonia, cyanogen chloride and sulfur dioxide breakthrough data.
Modern Woman: Her Psychology and Sexuality is yet another symposium which has been transcribed and edited. It is based on the third annual Adelphi University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy Conference Series and consists of nine papers, followed by two or more discussions, and all presented by "experts who are well-versed in female psychology." Most presentations are by clinical psychologists, all of whom do psychotherapy in metropolitan New York. The subjects cover the gamut of female sexuality, from "The Fear of Loving" to "Female Homosexuality: A Sweet Enfranchisement." One honest discussant of the latter calls it "a confounding of confusion." Unfortunately such a description fits most of the chapters, in spite of a mutual backslapping which seems to have run rampant in the two-day conference. The discussion and introductory comments by the editors are replete with such adjectives as "extensive," "thorough," "warmly sensitive," "thoughtful," "thoroughly scientific work," "stimulating," "provocative," "impressive," "comprehensive,"
The influence of globalization in telecommunication companies has greatly increased the level of competition in the industry and they are forced to be competitive to survive. Different types of strategies are put in place in order to be profitable and competitive. All these strategies are directed to attract, retain and maintain customers for continuous profitability. However, majority of them hardly measure the impact of their strategic innovation on their customers. The paper seeks to explore the influence of competitive strategies embarked upon by selected telecommunication companies in Nigeria on their performance. The paper also examines how competitive strategies could be implemented for improved customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty. Three null hypotheses were postulated to test the relationship between lower prices and customer satisfaction, uninterrupted trunk services and customer loyalty, and customer complaint handling and retention. Only customers using telephone service were selected as respondents from Lagos State. The state was stratified in to 20 local government council area and questionnaires were distributed to 125 respondents in each of them. The completion rate of the questionnaire in each of them is between 103 and 110. Survey research design was adopted to carry out the study. A structured questionnaire was designed and validated through the construct validity and tested for confirmation using the KMO measure of sampling adequacy. It was also made reliable using Cronbach’s Alpha test. From the study, findings revealed relationship between competitive strategies and customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty. The findings revealed that there is a relationship between competitive strategies, its constituents and performance of telecommunication companies. It is recommended that universal mobile telecommunication services (UMTS) operators should adopt the culture of competitive strategies since it can impact on their performance for achieving competitive advantage.
Decisions about early management of acute myocardial infarction require great care and astuteness, since the threat of sudden death is the greatest during the first few hours after onset of infarction. General measures of acute care include relief of pain and management of arrhythmia. Drug therapy with beta-adrenergic blocking agents or vasodilators may also be indicated. Other measures that may be considered (some of which are controversial) include hemodynamic monitoring, mechanical circulatory assistance, ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring, exercise testing, modification of risk factors, and coronary angiography. Intracoronary administration of streptokinase, which is still investigational, has shown marked preservation of myocardial tissue in some cases.
Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) and its risk factors among the police officers in a large city of China. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 10,348 police officers in 2017 in Changsha, a provincial capital located in central-south China. All participants underwent a physical examination to measure the compotents of MS and completed a questionnaire to collect data on potential risk factors. According to the current guidelines of China, MS was defined as the presence of any 3 of the following five traits: abdominal obesity, defined as a waist circumference ≥90 cm in men and ≥85 cm in women; fasting serum triglycerides ≥1.70 mmol/L, or drug treatment for elevated triglycerides; fasting serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <1.03 mmol/L, or drug treatment for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg, or drug treatment for elevated blood pressure; fasting plasma glucose ≥6.1 mmol/L, or 2-hour plasma glucose ≥7.8 mmol/L after a 75-g oral glucose load, or drug treatment for elevated blood glucose. The prevalence of MS was 23.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.2%–24.2%). The main risk factors associated with MS were older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.546, 95% CI 1.431–1.670), being male (OR 11.256, 95%CI 7.147–17.726), alcohol consumption (OR 1.250, 95% CI 1.070–1.461), and tobacco use (OR 1.398, 95% CI 1.232–1.586). Exercise was associated with decreased risk of MS (OR 0.865, 95% CI 0.755–0.991). The prevalence of MS was low in the study population. Its risk factors were similar to those identified in the general population of China. Lifestyle intervention is warranted in policemen to reduce the risk of MS and prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
ABSTRACT The human genome harbors numerous distinct families of so-called human endogenous retroviruses (HERV) which are remnants of exogenous retroviruses that entered the germ line millions of years ago. We describe here the hitherto little-characterized betaretrovirus HERV-K(HML-5) family (named HERVK22 in Repbase) in greater detail. Out of 139 proviruses, only a few loci represent full-length proviruses, and many lack gag protease and/or env gene regions. We generated a consensus sequence from multiple alignment of 62 HML-5 loci that displays open reading frames for the four major retroviral proteins. Four HML-5 long terminal repeat (LTR) subfamilies were identified that are associated with monophyletic proviral bodies, implying different evolution of HML-5 LTRs and genes. Sequence analysis indicated that the proviruses formed approximately 55 million years ago. Accordingly, HML-5 proviral sequences were detected in Old World and New World primates but not in prosimians. No recent activity is associated with this HERV family. We also conclude that the HML-5 consensus sequence primer binding site is identical to methionine tRNA. Therefore, the family should be designated HERV-M. Our study provides important insights into the structure and evolution of the oldest betaretrovirus in the primate genome known to date.
The paper deals with the linear differential equation (0.1) $(pu')'+q'u=f''$ with distributional coefficients and solutions from the space of regulated functions. Our aim is to get the basic existence and uniqueness results for the equation (0.1) and to generalize the known results due to F. V. Atkinson [At], J. Ligeza [Li1]-[Li3], R. Pfaff ([Pf1], [Pf2]), A. B. Mingarelli [Mi] as well as the results from the paper [Pe-Tv] concerning the equation (0.1).
Modern engineering design is leading towards structures that are complex and lightweight. These structures often contain flexible and rigid components actuated through large displacements by a non-linear hydraulic system. Due to the increased system complexities, there is a need to define structural models that can be easily coupled to models of the hydraulic system for use in the design of suitable controllers. The current paper develops a modular system model composed of rigid and flexible structural components coupled directly to a non-linear hydraulic system. The resulting model allows for changes to be made to the hydraulic and structural components in an independent manner such that the entire system may be incorporated in a single simulation domain. A structural damping matrix is introduced that allows a control system designer to assign realistic modal damping ratios to well established modes, and higher damping to modes with significant uncertainty. This allows for increased steady-state accuracy and model run-time efficiency, which is beneficial to the controller design process presented in Part 2. The system modelling approach is applied to a hydraulically actuated experimental rig for validation purposes.
In this paper we propose a data-driven predictive control algorithm for large-scale single conjugate adaptive optics systems. At each time sample, the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor signal sampled on a spatial grid of size N×N is reshuffled into a d-dimensional tensor. Its spatial-temporal dynamics are modeled with a d-dimensional autoregressive model of temporal order p, where each tensor storing past data undergoes a multilinear transformation by factor matrices of small sizes. Equivalently, the vector form of this autoregressive model features coefficient matrices parametrized with a sum of Kronecker products between d-factor matrices. We propose an Alternating Least Squares algorithm for identifying the factor matrices from open-loop sensor data. When modeling each coefficient matrix with a sum of r terms, the computational complexity for updating the sensor prediction online reduces from O(pN4) in the unstructured matrix case to O(prd N2(d+1)d). Most importantly, this model structure breaks away from assuming any prior spatial-temporal coupling as it is discovered from the data. The algorithm is validated on a laboratory testbed that demonstrates the ability to accurately decompose the coefficient matrices of large-scale autoregressive models with a tensor-based representation, hence achieving high data compression rates and reducing the temporal error especially for a large Greenwood per sample frequency ratio.
Present-day visual culture partly owes its existence to the print publishers of the eighteenth century. The north Italian Remondini family owned the largest print publishing house in Europe at the time. They broke with tradition by aiming their production mainly at a broad, middle class public, producing in large quantities and cheaply. Their prints reached buyers all over Europe as well as other parts of the world (especially South America). All the material had one common feature: it was geared to the assumed life experiences of the potential buyers. This study offers a detailed analysis of this family's richly varied picture production. Large numbers of unknown prints have been identified with the help of the Remondini catalogues.
The activity of telomerase can be prohibited by the secondary structure of the telomere DNA-G-quadruplex formed by the single chain in G-rich field,resulting in the apoptosis in tumor cells.Compound which can induce the formation or stabilize the structure of G-quadruplex might be potential anticancer drug.The relative ease of synthesis,the variable structure and the positively charged center enable the metal complexes to interact with the grooves and loops of the quadruplex and negatively charged phosphates backbone.Therefore,many metal complexes have been designed and synthesized.This paper reviews the discoveries in the interaction of G-quadruplex with metal complexes in the past years.
The invention relates to an optical fiber connector parking device. The optical fiber connector parking device comprises a base and a sleeve, wherein a left position clamping sheet and a right position clamping sheet are respectively arranged on both sides of the sleeve; and claws are arranged on the left position clamping sheet and the right position clamping sheet. In the device, the structural characteristics of an optical fiber connector are comprehensively considered, and a connector plug is fixed through the two claws on both sides of the sleeve and the middle sleeve. The optical connector plug is clamped in recesses on both ends of an adapter through the two claws on the position clamping sheets on both sides of the sleeve when being inserted into the parking device, and the sleeve between the claws of the parking device is sheathed on a ceramic insert core of the optical fiber adapter so as to fix the optical fiber connector and barrier dust, thereby obviating the need of an optical fiber connector dustproof cap. The optical fiber connector parking device has the advantages of simple structure, reasonable and compact size design, small occupied box space and convenience in large-capacity arrangement.
This study aims to determine the effect of product quality on consumer satisfaction of Acer Notebook users at PT. Genius Alva Makassar. The types of data used are qualitative and quantitative data, data sources used, namely primary data and secondary data. The collected data were analyzed descriptively, ie the data obtained in the field were processed in such a way as to provide a systematic understanding, then statistical calculations were carried out by simple regression analysis, correlation coefficient, determination coefficient (r ^ 2) and t-test. From the calculation results obtained a value of y = 17.51 ​​+ 0.63 x, while the correlation coefficient (r) is 0.527 and the coefficient of determination (r ^ 2) is 27.77%, the result of the t-test calculation where t-count> t-table is 3.522 > 2,034, this states that there is a true influence of product quality on consumer satisfaction on Acer Notebook users at PT. Genius Alva Makassar.
Magistro darbe tiriama žėlimo ypatumai grynuose pusynuose po atvejinių kirtimų Norulių girininkijoje. Darbo objektas - Druskininkų miskų urėdijos Norulių girininkijoje 2005 – 2012 metais neplynaisiais (atvejiniais) kirtimais iskirstos brandžių pusynų kirtavietės. Darbo tikslas - istirti žėlimo ypatumus atvejinių kirtimų pusynų kirtavietėse nederlingose augavietėse. Darbo metodai – tyrimai vykdyti 1 – 6 metų Norulių girininkijos atvejinių kirtimų kirtavietėse, kuriose buvo tolygiai isdėstytos apskaitos aikstelės sąlyginai – vienodais atstumais sklypų įstrižainių kryptimis, siekiant atlikti žėlinių apskaitą ir įvertinti jų kokybe. Kadangi mūsų vertinami žėliniai buvo reti arba vidutinio tankumo - atitinkamai apskaitos aikstelės buvo imamos po 20 m2 arba 10 m2 . Kiekvienoje apskaitos aikstelėje atlikti sie vertinimai: savaiminkų rūsis ir gausa, savaiminukų gyvybingumas, pažeidimai ir galimos priežastys, žolinės dangos agresyvumo laipsnis. Darbo rezultatai – tirtose 57 kirtavietėse vidutinis žėlinių tankis buvo 860 vnt./ha. Isretintose pusynų kirtavietėse Na augavietėje vyrauja reti beržo ir pusies žėliniai, kurių vidutinis tankis buvo 670 vnt./ha. Nb augavietėje vidutinis žėlinių tankis 1050 vnt./ha. Pusies žėlinių tankis didėjant kirtavietės amžiui kinta nežymiai, o beržo tankis – didėja. Žėlimo skatinimui mineralizuojant dirvą plūgu PKL – 70, pusis intensyviau (60 %) želia vagos virsuje Na augavietėje. Papildomas pusies sėjimas Na augavietėje 50 % padidina žėlinių tankį, Nb... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]%%%%The Master’s thesis analyses peculiarities of pure pine forests after occasional deforestation cases in Noruliai forestry district. Object of the thesis – non smooth cutting zones of mature pines appeared after occasional cuttings in Druskininkai forestry region, Noruliai forestry district in the year 2005 – 2012. Aim of the thesis – to analyse growth peculiarities in the zones of occasional pine deforestation zones in the areas of poor soil. Methods used – researches were performed in the occasional deforestation zones, dating the period of 1 – 6 years, in Noruliai forestry district. Each non smooth cutting area was divided into equal distances in diagonal directions while trying to do accounting as well as to evaluate their quality. As our considered growing areas were gappy or of medium density, the sites were chosen of 20 m2 or 10 m2. The following assessments were performed in each of the recording sites: spontaneous type and their abundance, vitality of spontaneous type, the level of aggression while speaking about grass cover. Results of the thesis – the average growth density in the researched 57 cutting zones was 860 unit/ha. In the researched pine cutting zones, Na growing zones, the most common turned to be birches and pines. Their average density was 670 unit/ha. The average growing density in Nb growing zones turned to be 1050 unit/ha. The density of pine sprouts while enlarging cutting zones changes marginally when the time goes by, but the density of birches... [to full text]
We studied the effects of preimmunization with a synthetic carboxy-terminal peptide of the beta-subunit of human choriogonadotropin (hCG) conjugated to diphtheria toxoid on the growth of two tumor models, the transplantable Lewis lung carcinoma in C57BL/6J mice and the spontaneous mammary carcinoma in C3H/OuJ mice. Immunization with the conjugate prior to Lewis lung tumor implantation significantly (P less than 0.05) retarded the growth of tumors as measured by tumor weight 18 days following transplantation. The weights of Lewis lung tumors in animals preimmunized with the hCG immunogen were inversely correlated (r = 0.61) with the levels of circulating antibodies against human chorionic gonadotropin, whereas no statistical correlation was found between tumor weights and the levels of antibodies reactive to diphtheria toxoid. The number of conjugate-treated C3H/OuJ mice that developed mammary tumors was significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced compared to their vehicle-treated cohorts. Pretreatment with the synthetic muramyl dipeptide analog utilized as an adjuvant with both immunogens did not show any effect on the tumor growth in either tumor system.
Basic concepts and patterns of workflow were briefly introduced,and basic processes and current status of telecommunication service provisioning system were presented.To realize rapid customization and flexible deployment,improve the interaction capability and the response time of service provisioning system,how to apply workflow technologies to telecommunication service provisioning system were discussed.Experimental results indicated that Oracle Provisioning was the most suitable workflow engine for telecommunication service provisioning system.
A simple outline: A series of hormone injections are given to donor females, causing the release of multiple ova (eggs) at a controlled time. Fertilization of these multiple eggs is achieved by standard laparoscopic insemination perhaps combined with natural service. Six days later the fertilized ova are flushed from the uterus of the donor. They are microscopically examined, graded, and transferred as single or twins to the uteri of synchronized recipient females.
The longitudinal end effect of switched reluctance linear machine (SRLM) makes the electromagnetic characteristics of different phases unbalanced, especially in magnetic flux distributions. These discrepancies unbalance phase currents and aggravate the force ripple of SRLM, which are verified on a double-sided SRLM. This study aims to analyse the influence of the longitudinal end effect on SRLMs and to investigate simple but practical compensation methods for the performance improvement of linear machines. Through magnetic circuit analysis, a new compensation method which is widening stator end poles is proposed for the first time. Three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEA) shows that this new method can decrease the force factor by about 93.9%, while the previously used method which is adding auxiliary stator poles can decrease the force ripple factor by only about 27.5%. In addition, the proposed method needs less extra space than the previous method. Hence, the new compensation method is more practical and more efficient. Furthermore, the theoretical value of optimal width of stator end poles is expressed, and its effectiveness is confirmed by sensitivity analysis.
The traffic grooming problem in wavelength division multiplexing(WDM) mesh optical networks was investigated.Two dynamic traffic grooming algorithms using the fixed alternate routing(FAR) were proposed.The average block probability could be reduced by pre-balancing the traffic in the network,and lower time complexity could be acquired simultaneously with the algorithms.The simulation results show that the network performance can be improved significantly by these algorithms.
The gamma-ray blazar PKS 0208-512 has shown strong periods of flaring, at all frequencies from radio to gamma-ray. This has led to its inclusion in the TANAMI project, which tracks the jets of southern AGN using VLBI as well as supporting flux density monitoring programs. Time series analysis of the light curves generated by such monitoring is presented and discussed and VLBI maps of the source are used to show the evolution in the jet. A frequency dependent lag is observed between flaring at different radio frequencies which does not appear to correspond to purely optical depth effects. Major flaring at gamma-ray frequencies appears to be preceded by a new component in the jet seen in our VLBI data.
Plasma expansion is common in many astrophysical phenomena. The understanding of the driving mechanism has usually been focused on the gas pressure that implies conversion of thermal energy into flow kinetic energy. However, 'cool' expansions have been indicated in stellar/solar winds and other expanding processes. Magnetic expansion may be the principal driving mechanism. Magnetic energy in the potential form can be converted into kinetic energy during global expansion of magnetized plasmas.
The paucity of information on reasons for the increased efficiency of egg production by pullets which have been restricted-fed during rearing is discussed. Preliminary results are presented which form part of a detailed research programme aimed at elucidating the mechanisms responsible. Production responses of hens which had been restricted fed during rearing were similar to those expected. Egg production of individual pullets in the restricted-fed groups showed increased stability initially after first oviposition and maximum production was achieved more rapidly than in the ad libitum-reared pullets. Adiposity was reduced by restriction of feed intake during rearing. Starvation heat production appeared to be altered to some degree by rearing-period feed restriction. General conclusions from a single experiment such as reported in this paper must be tentative.
In the article the author is analyzing conditioning of the process of the transformation of the collective memory of Poles after 1989. He distinguishes four cultural tendencies in the memory of Poles: pluralization, demythologizing, privatizations and regionalization of the memory. He is underlining mutual connections of these four phenomena. The author is highlighting cultural conditioning of the process of transformations of the memory.
It has been shown in experiments on CBA mice that in certain conditions injection of hydrocortisone (10 mg/kg) results in suppression of the delayed type hypersensitivity reaction and prolongation of the skin allograft survival. Preliminary thymectomy abolishes the immunomodulating effect of the drug, being, in the authors' opinion, the evidence for thymus involvement in mediation of the immuno-suppressive effect of hydrocortisone.
The invention discloses coins and badge blank cake with a plurality of metal components, the coins and badge blank cake with a plurality of metal components are composed of an inner core, a middle ring and a plurality of middle rings and outer rings, the inner core, the middle ring and a plurality of middle rings and outer rings relates to different metals respectively, the inner core are bar material, the middle ring and a plurality of middle rings are tube material, the invention is characterized in that the preparation method comprises the following steps: using secondary sleeve or multi-time sleeve; producing a metal composite bar material by a cold drawing method, producing coins and badge blank cake by a cutting technology; the inner core, the middle ring and a plurality of middle rings and outer rings are in circle shape, square shape, regular polygon shape or quincuncial shape. The making technology of the coins and badge blank cake is Simplified which avoids the material waste of punch processing; the special minting material with special electromagnetic signals are taken as the bar material of the inner core and easily embedded into a composite bar material, so that the coin material has stable and special machine-readable characteristics and achieves to the purpose of machine-readable anti-counterfeiting of the products.
In time yield estimation of a crop is essential for the economy of a country.It is also important for planners to have an accurate and precise estimate of a crop and this especially important when the crop is insufficient to meet the demand of the country.As among all the crops, wheat is the most important staple food of Pakistan, so the most of government agricultural polices are wheat oriented.Pakistan faced a very serious shortage of wheat and in the late 2007 and this created a serious challenge to law and order. The prime objective of this research is to build a statistical model in a scientific way, using all available ground information, so that a good and reliable estimate of wheat crop can be achieved at least two months prior to the arrival of actual production of the crop.Also a comprehensive descriptive study has been conducted regarding the wheat production in the Punjab taking various dimensions of explanatory variables.  In the detailed descriptive study, impact of irrigated / un-irrigated areas, sowing time, fertilizers, pesticides spray, seed quantity, number of water (number of turns same amount of water is supplied to one acre of wheat on different times during the whole growing season of the crop), number of plough, number of level (number of turns ground level of the field is smoothened for even distribution of water throughout the field and for moisture conservation) , seasonal rainfall, seasonal humidity level, maximum / minimum average temperature of the season and also different combination of these variables on the quantity of yield of the crop has been examined, which has revealed many folded dimensions. A new methodology titled as ‘Weighted Rainfalls’ is created to develop a stronger relationship between yield of wheat and seasonal rainfalls because rainfalls of different months of Rabi season have varying impact on the final yield of wheat, which leads to the need of weighted rainfalls.The concept of weighted rainfalls verified very effective in estimation of wheat production through the statistical model.Different criteria like MSE, AIC and SIC for competing models have also supported that estimates of wheat using weighted rainfalls concept are better than the estimates using total rainfalls of the season.  After the development of the model, its validity has been examined through different confirmation runs.All validity runs also have supported that the developed model is working properly and can be used as general wheat’s model for its projection in any year.This concept can be easily extended for other crops using weighted rainfall pattern for that crop.As, this study is based on the sample data taken from the whole province, so a method of unequal probability sampling using more than one measure of sizes has also been proposed for the sake of an improvement in the sample selection of villages giving priorities to more than one parameter of interest. Obviously a suitable sample of villages having a reasonable representation of all the major surveyed crops of the province will ultimately give a good estimate of a crop.
This paper explains the theoretical framework supporting the concept of competence is the basis for the formulation of a system implementation on Talent. This implementation is developed in each of the stages that compose it, associating them with practical examples of enterprise SAS ECOMIN Interactions that can develop a Competency Management System applied in the description of charges, the impact on staff selection processes and training are also presented.
Chronic cough is a "cough","stubborn cough" category,by the evils,and injuries caused by such deficiencies;the vacuity,and stasis caused by chronic illness into the network.Treatment should seek dialectical reason,prescription of governance;viscera differentiation,from the lungs,from the liver,from the spleen,from the heart,from the kidney of governance,with the card medication;identifying diseases Cube,symptomatic drug selection;Acupuncture and inside and outside Tongzhi.
Real-world processes often undergo improvements to meet certain goals, such as coping with changed requirements, eliminating defects, improving the quality of the products, and reducing costs. Identifying and evaluating the defects or errors in the process, identifying the causes of such defects, and validating proposed improvements all require careful analysis of the process. Human-intensive processes, where human contributions require considerable domain expertise and have a significant impact on the success or failure of the overall mission, are of particular concern because they can be extremely complex and may be used in critical, including life-critical, situations. To date, the analysis support for such processes is very limited. If done at all, it is usually performed manually and can be extremely time-consuming, costly and error-prone. There has been considerable success lately in using static analysis techniques to analyze hardware systems, software systems, and manufacturing processes. This thesis explores how such analysis techniques can be automated and employed to effectively analyze life-critical, human-intensive processes.  In this thesis, we investigated two static analysis techniques: Finite-State Verification (FSV) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA). We proposed a process analysis framework that is capable of performing both FSV and FTA on rigorously defined processes. Although evaluated for processes specified in the Little-JIL process definition language, this is a general framework independent of the process definition language. For FSV, we developed a translation-based approach that is able to take advantage of existing FSV tools. The process definition and property to be evaluated are translated into the input model and property representation accepted by the selected FSV tool. Then the FSV tool is executed to verify the model against the property representation. For FTA, we developed a template-based approach to automatically derive fault trees from the process definition. In addition to showing the feasibility of applying these two techniques to processes, much effort has been put on improving the scalability and the usability of the framework so that it can be easily used to analyze complex real-world processes. To scale the analysis, we investigated several optimizations that are able to dramatically reduce the translated models for FSV tools and speed up the verification. We also developed several optimizations for the fault tree derivation to make the generated fault tree much more compact and easier to understand and analyze. To improve the usability, we provided several approaches that make analysis results easier to understand.  We evaluated this framework based on the Little-JIL process definition language and employed it to analyze two real-world, human-intensive processes: an in-patient blood transfusion process and a chemotherapy process. The results show that the framework can be used effectively to detect defects in such real-world, human-intensive processes.
The neural crest is a transient population of cells that arises at the border between the neural and non-neural ectoderm. These cells are induced, undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and then migrate along stereotypical pathways to form an array of derivatives such as pigment cells, cranio-facial cartilage and sensory neurons. Neural crest cells have long been studied and much about these cells and their interactions is still not fully understood. The small molecule compound leflunomide inhibits neural crest development. Leflunomide’s mode of action is to inhibit pyrimidine biosynthesis, thereby, preventing RNA transcription. Neural crest genes are actively transcribed and like many embryonic stem cells and tumour cells genes undergo an increased level of transcriptional pausing and subsequent elongation making a number of these genes sensitive to leflunomide. It was unclear at what stage of neural crest development leflunomide was acting.  Here, I initially developed a quantitative approach using real-time PCR to measure gene expression in Xenopus. Secondly, using real-time PCR I have shown that neural plate border genes are not affected by leflunomide. Thirdly, the neural crest specification genes are affected and the pan neural plate marker Sox2 is not affected by leflunomide. I have confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR that the expression of genes involved in neural crest specification the proto-oncogene cMyc and cMyc responsive genes are affected. cMyc is implicated in embryonic stem cell transcriptional elongation and is well characterised to play an important role in neural crest specification.
PURPOSE: A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is provided to easily remove a carbon film which remains after an etching object film is etched by forming the carbon film with different boron concentration. CONSTITUTION: An etching object film (115) is formed on a substrate (100). A carbon film (120) doped with boron is formed on the etching object film. The boron concentration of the upper side of the carbon film is different from the boron concentration of the lower side of the carbon film. At least one opening part is formed to expose the etching object film by patterning the carbon film. The exposed etching object film is etched by using the carbon film as an etching mask.
The aim of this study was to determine the cytotoxicity of beauvericin (BEA) and crude extracts from Beauveria bassiana (isolate A and isolate B) and Beauveria brongniartii (isolate C and isolate D). The mycelium was cultured in Yeast Extract Sucrose (YES) broth for one month and was extracted using maceration technique with different organic solvents (hexane, ethyl acetate and ethanol). Crude extracts and beauvericin were investigated for their cytotoxic activity against P388, HT-29, MCF-7 and Vero cell lines using the MTT assay. The crude extracts from B. brongniartii were exhibited the low cytotoxic effect on cell lines. The hexane extracts from B. bassiana were exhibited the most effective cytotoxic activity for every cell lines. The hexane extract from isolate B exhibited the most potent cytotoxic activity against P388 cell line (CC 50 = 220.55 µg/ml) like a beauvericin (CC 50 = 2.25 µg/ml). In this study, the crude extracts from Beauveria sp. induced cytotoxic effect to mammalian cells that showed differences between the extraction solvents, cell types and concentration in the crude extracts as well as the isolation of fungus.
The analytical conditions of determination of aluminum,phosphorus,silicon in aluminum-ferromanganese alloy by ICP-AES are discusses.The sample is dissolved by hydrochloric-nitric acid and elements of aluminum,phosphorus,silicon are determined in the same solution.Background interference of iron and manganese can be eliminated by background correction.The test result shows that the relative standard deviation(n=7) is 0.6%~3.7%,the recovery of standard addition is 96%~103%.
Propagation and development characteristics of surface instability of the spherical premixed flames for methanol-air-nitrogen mixtures were studied by using a constant volume combustion chamber and high-speed schlieren photography system.The laminar burning velocities,the mass burning fluxes,and the Markstein lengths were obtained at different equivalence ratios,pressures,initial temperatures and initial dilution ratios.At the elevated pressures,the cracks on the flame surface branch and develop into the cell structure.For very lean mixture combustion,the buoyancy effect and cooling effect from the spark electrodes have a significant impact on the flame propagation.The hydrodynamic instability is inhibited with the increase of initial temperature around the stoichiometric equivalence ratio while it is enhanced with the increase of initial pressure.Mixture dilution can suppress the hydrodynamic instability.
Tenotomized turtle muscles exhibited some changes similar to those found in mammalian tenotomized muscles. These changes included presence of small rounded and angulated fibres with high oxidative reaction, acute necrosis of fibres with degenerative changes, perivascular cellular reaction, phagocytosis and the atrophy of all 3 types of fibres. In contrast to mammalian tenotomized muscles, no decrease in PAS positive material and phosphorylase activity was noticeable. Also, the central core fibres and nemaline rods were absent in tenotomized turtle muscles.
The antilymphocytic activity of the serum was examined in schizophrenic patients and in mentally healthy donors using the method of fluorescent antibodies. It was found that the antithymocytic activity of both the schizophreniacs and the healthy subjects was due to immunoglobulins G and M. The number of thymocytes showing fluorescence under the action of IgG was found to be approximately the same in both groups of the persons examined. When use was made of fluorescein-labelled IgM the number of fluorescent thymocytes was found to be three times greater in the patients than in the healthy subjects. It is suggested that the differences revealed may be associated with an increased avidity of the IgM antibodies, or with disturbances of the synthesis of immunoglobulins in the patients.
The role of iron in the child organism, as well as the blood's role in regulating the iron homeostasis is described on the basis of relevant literature. From developmental data on Warsaw children and from relevant literature, the child average body iron content and the child average daily iron requirement, which is at age 0-0.5, 0.5-1 and 1-2 years 0.51, 0.92 and 0.76 mg for boys and for girls 0.42, 0.86 and 0.74 mg respectively, are calculated. It is noted that the daily physiological iron loss during the first two years of life can be as much as 50% of the daily iron requirement. Among the causes of infant iron deficiency are the greater blood losses during the peri- and postnatal periods, decreased dietary iron, as well as increased need for iron related to significant body growth. The loss of one ml of blood in children results in the loss of from 0.33 to 0.66 mg of iron. On the basis of the changes in body iron content of infants having various birth weights, it is shown that the quantity of iron needed for proper development is independent of the birth weight. The quantity of iron required by premature infants and children with low birth weight is 25-50% greater, after the infant doubles its birth weight, than that needed by full-term and normal birth weight infants.
Making Poetry Happen.  Transforming the poetry classroom.    Book Abstract:    Making Poetry Happen provides a valuable resource for trainee and practicing teachers, enabling them to become more confident and creative in teaching what is recognized as a very challenging aspect of the English curriculum. The volume editors draw together a wide-range of perspectives to provide support for development of creative practices across the age phases, drawing on learners' and teachers' perceptions of what poetry teaching is like in all its forms and within a variety of contexts, including:  - inspiring young people to write poems  - engaging invisible pupils (especially boys)  - listening to poetry  - performing poetry  Throughout, the contributors include practical, tried-and-tested materials, including activities, and draw on case studies. This approach ensures that the theory is clearly linked to practice as they consider teaching and learning poetry to those aged between 5 and 19 from different perspectives, looking at reading; writing; speaking and listening; and transformative poetry cultures. Each of the four parts includes teacher commentaries on how they have adapted and developed the poetry activities for use in their own classroom. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/making-poetry-happen-9781472510266/#sthash.5CArtslZ.dpuf
Microbial transformations of digoxin and digoxigenin by Curvularia lunata KA-91 were investigated.Curvularia lunata KA-91 had the conversion capability of digoxigenin,except digoxin.The product was identified as digoxigenone by structure characterization.The optimum biotransformation conditions of digoxigenin were obtained as follows: initial pH value 6.0,the strain incubated in 250 mL shake flask with 50 mL medium at 28℃,substrate concentration 0.60 mmol·L-1,culture for 24 h and biotransformation for 54 h at 180 r·min-1.The biotransformation rate reached 40% under above conditions.
Recently we have proved color octet NRQCD factorization of S-wave heavy quarkonium production at all orders in coupling constant at high energy colliders in Eur. Phys. J. C76 (2016) 448. In this paper we extend this to prove color octet NRQCD factorization of P-wave heavy quarkonium production at all orders in coupling constant at high energy colliders. We find that while the color octet NRQCD S-wave non-perturbative matrix element contains two gauge-links in the adjoint representation of SU(3), the color octet NRQCD P-wave non-perturbative matrix element contains four gauge-links in the fundamental representation of SU(3).
For the case that a two-level atom is moving or still,entanglement is studied in the interaction system of two-mode squeezing vacuum state interacting with the two-level atom by two-photon resonance Raman process.The entanglement properties between the two-mode field and the atom and that between the two modes of the field are respectively investigated by using the quantum reduced entropy and the quantum relative entropy.It is discovered that entanglement time and degree can be controlled through changing the parameter of the two mode field and the initial condition of the atom.
Objective To summarize the experience in radical operation on the patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome under deep hypothermia and temporally circulatory pause and to seek a safe and effective radical operation for this disease. Methods The clinical data of 16 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome treated in our hospital with the method were retrospectively analyzed. Results Without opening the thoracic or abdominal cavity, the foci were clearly exposed and resected and the second hepatic portal system reconstructed under the temporally circulatory pause only through incising the pericardium and inferior vena cava. The liver diminished and the liver venous reflux became normal immediately after the operation. All the patients received operation were followed up for 6 months to 7 years. It was found that there were no death, severe complications or recurrence. Conclusions This method is of high safety, effectiveness, minimal trauma and quick recovery for treatment of patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome.
The results of testing research on high-yielding cultivation of rape culti-vars with good N and P as well as appropriate plant density indicated that the yield increase in rape cultivaes was significant when N and P fertilizer was applied appropriately to. This didn't mean that the greeter the density of rape planting,the better it is. For Qinyou NO. 4(a cabbage-type of rape cultivar) ,the most appropriate density if 30~39. 75 thous and plants perhm2;and the output in high fertility land can be over 3000kg/ hm2. The most appropriate density of rape planting is 39. 75 thousand plants/hm2. The highest output is 3080. lkg/hm2. 39. 75 the most appropriate combination of the ratio of N∑P is 150 ∑ 120 kg/hm2,and the rape planting density is 37. 80 thousand plants/ hm2;and output can be 2320. 8kg/hm2.
Ellis Gene Smith was born in Ogden in the American state of Utah on August 10th 1936 to a Mormon family. He graduated from Adelphi College, Hobart College, and the University of Utah. In 1959, he obtained a BA on Regional Research in Asia from the University of Washington in Seattle. From 1960 to 1964, he studied for his Masters Degree in the Mongolian and Tibetan languages at the same university. During that period, he also took up a position as a teaching assistant. In 1964,
Deep Learning models are proven to be computationally extensive and produce good analytical results. EEG (electroencephalography) is the technique by which the electrical activities of the brain can be recorded which when studied properly can give useful insights and can be used to diagnose various neurological diseases. In this paper we have systematically reviewed the literature wherein different deep learning strategies like Convolutional Neural Network, Recurrent Neural Network, Multi-layered perceptron, and Deep belief networks are used to classify the EEG signals. This review paper has mainly covered the prominent research work done in the classification of EEG for various purposes like the classification of motor Imagery for BCI, Classifying EEG signals for early detection of (MCI)Mild Cognitive Impairment, AD (Alzheimer Disease), Seizure Epilepsy etc. The comparative analysis of these algorithms and their research work based on their pertinent features is done along with their associated outcomes which are presented in the tabulated format. We showed why EEG is better and efficient than MRI & the advantages of EEG over MRI. The field has diverse research records so far but it has to be studied further to make most out of the capabilities of deep learning algorithms. In our study, CNN was found to yield the best results for the classification as compared to other deep learning strategies. Further, we implemented the basic models of CNN, RNN, & MLP for the binary classification of a seizure data and did a comparative analysis of their performances. The results showed that 1-D CNN (Model 3) gave the highest accuracy of 98.5% among the other two models. This paper will be very encouraging and helpful to those who are willing to do research in this field & wish to look upon the previous research in this field.
The paper deals with job attitude of women employees working in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Punjab Telecom Circle, Chandigarh. The study has been conducted on 200 randomly selected women employees. The study reveals the level of satisfaction among women employees regarding their work culture and job satisfaction on basis of questions asked from them. SPSS and Karl Pearson test has been applied to assess their satisfaction level. The paper is entitled "Job Attitude-A Case study of women employees working in BSNL, Panjab Telecom Circle, Chandigarh".
Simulated mobile bed sepn. which can correct perturbations to extract or raffinate compsns. due to dead volumes. At constant pump/compressor speed, the volume of the section immediately before the dead volume is decreased when the dead volume is before the extract or raffinate withdrawal streams. Conversely, the volume of the section immediately after the dead volume is decreased when the dead volume is after an injection stream.
This paper aims at analysing how the work of the young Leibniz relates to that of Duns Scotus, from a historic and systemic perspective and based on a preliminary overview of the historiographic discussion about the influence of Scotism on Early-Modern Philosophy carried on in the past thirty years. A critical analysis of his Disputatio metaphysica de principio individui (1663) showed that his interpretation of Duns Scotus’ Theory of individuation is not direct but mediated by some authors of the Late Scholasticism (Mercenario, Zabarella, Suarez). In their regard, his overall hermeneutical position is still characterized by a certain degree of independence. Curious enough, in developing his solution to the problem, Leibniz is much closer to the original intentions of Scotus, which is confirmed as the ideal stepping stone to the ‘modern’ way of looking at the individual.
Wolbachia pipientis has been suggested to control insect vectors. In this context, studies on the prevalence and diversity of this bacterium in wild populations are relevant for future interventions. Here, we evaluated the diversity of two W. pipientis genes (ftsZ and wsp) and the prevalence of this endosymbiont in wild A. albopictus. Our results showed that 99.3% of A. albopictus individuals were superinfected with Wolbachia when screened by seminested PCR. In regard to genetic diversity, the two genes showed no variation within or among A. albopictus populations. Among the hypotheses may explain the conservation of wsp and ftsZ in Wolbachia from A. albopictus, there is the crucial role of these genes in CI phenotype, causing a high selective pressure that may inhibit the emergence of new strains. Analysis of other Wolbachia markers may help to clarify the symbiotic relationship between these bacteria and their hosts, and thus aid on the development of novel mosquito control strategies.
The utility model provides a rectangular non-metallic material gang tooling punching device which comprises a die arranged on a movable rod of a die-cutting machine, wherein the die consists of a horizontal cutter region and a longitudinal cutter region, the gap between cutters in the horizontal cutter region is equal to the width of a to-be-processed product, the gap between cutters in the longitudinal cutter region is equal to the length of the to-be-processed product, the lengths of all cutters in the horizontal cutter region are the same, and the lengths of all cutters in the longitudinal cutter region are the same, the distance between the first cutter and the last cutter in the horizontal cutter region is equal to the length of the cutter in the longitudinal cutter region, and the distance between the first cutter and the last cutter in the longitudinal cutter region is equal to the length of the cutter in the horizontal cutter region. Rectangular products can be produced through the horizontal and longitudinal die cuttings, wastes are avoided forming between products, the waste is reduced, and the cost is saved, as interfaces do not need among the cutters, the service life of the die is improved, and the die-cutting precision of the product is increased.
Bay Area Housing Jondul Rawang Bayur Southern District of Padang is a common area in the puddles along the way, and swamp areas with low area and influenced the tide which is located along the Air MAnis Beach and Bayur Bay. This problem is overcome by drainage systems that include components of the polder analyzing hydrological data, discharge due to rainfall that fell on the settlement to determine the dimensions and capacity of drainage channels, determine the dimensions of the pool and the capacity of the pump, and the dimension of the area surrounding the levee district. In the polder system is planned pond with a capacity of 4500 m3 reservoir, using 2 pumps with a capacity of 2 m3/dtk who functioned together in the 30th minute after a puddle / pond and rain in the area around the dike planning to partner with dimension stone embankment above the 0.30m width 0.65m height and width of 0.50 m below. Required in planning appropriate management in the operation and maintenance of the polder system so that the region will not experience flooding. Keywords: drainage ,polder, channels
Mining temporal assertions from time-series data using information theory to filter real properties from incidental ones is a practically significant challenge. The problem is complex for continuous or hybrid systems because the degrees of influence on a consequent from a timed-sequence of predicates (called its prefix sequence), varies continuously over dense time intervals. We propose a parameterized method that uses interval arithmetic for flexibly learning prefix sequences having influence on a defined consequent over various time scales and predicates over system variables.
B-Ztransition strongly depended on thelength ofthecentral carbon chains ofthecompounds andon thefunctional groups attached tothecarbon chains. Boththeterminal primary amino groupsandthelength ofthecentral carbon chain affected theaggregation ofDNA.The affinity oftheanalogues forDNA increased asthenumberofn-butyl groups increased, butdecreased witheither an increase or a decrease inthelength ofthecentral carbon chain. Theeffect ofspermine andspermine analogues on the release ofEBfroman EB-DNAcomplex didnotalways correlate withtheaffinities ofanalogues forcalf thymusDNA. Inparticular, tetra-amines with more than onen-butyl group boundbetter toDNA thandidspermine, butreleased bound EBandinduced aggregation ofDNA less wellthandidspermine. Wepostulate that either a bendand/or other localized conformational changes ofDNA areresponsible forthespermine-induced aggregation ofDNA andtherelease ofEB fromtheEB-DNA complex.
We derive local volume-averaged single-field conservation equations, called the VA-VOF equations, for a two-phase system consisting of two immiscible incompressible components. These equations are suitable for numerical simulations of dynamic interface evolutions with the Volumeof-Fluid (VOF) method, where the boundary layer at the interface is not fully resolved by the grid. As compared to the local equations currently used within the customary VOF-method, the newly derived mass and momentum conservation equations contain additional terms, which depend on the local phase-space-averaged relative velocity. For very fine grids, this relative velocity vanishes and the local form of the VOF equations is recovered. The additional terms in the VA-VOF equations are discussed and shown to render the VA-VOF equations incomplete. To close the VA-VOF equations, a local uniform relative velocity (LURV) model is presented. For a benchmark problem depicting a two-dimensional circular interface between two liquids in static equilibrium, the LURVmodel is shown to reduce appreciably the negative effects of the spurious currents that numerically distort the interface.
Cucurbita ficifolia Bouch is a kind of important vegetable and stock for Cueurbitas.In order to improve its property by biotechnology,the regeneration system was studied preliminarily.The results showed that the adventitious root was produced easily and the adventitious bud was difficult to generate.The different explants had different ability to regeneration in the media with KT and NAA.The callus and adventitious roots were induced in all of the explants and the hypocotyls explants had fewer adventitious roots,but the adventitious buds were only produced from the explants of lower cotyledon plus hypocotyls.The better media for adventitious buds regeneration was MS+30g/L sugar+6.5g/L agar+KT 2.0mg/L+NAA 0.3g/L.
Objective:To investigate the expression of Htra1 mRNA in ovary granulocytes of the PCOS rats.Methods:To Establish the PCOS rat model by subcutaneous injecting DHEA,and prove the model;The expression of Htra1 mRNA in the ovary granulose cells of the two groups were measured and evaluated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR and gel image analysis system.Results:The serum level of testosterone(T),fast glucose(FBG)and fasting insulin (FINS) concentration were significantly higher in experimental group than those in control group(P0.05).The HE stain of ovary slices showed that in the model groups,the number of developing follicles and granulose cells were diminished significantly,and the corpus lutea disappeared.Many developing follicles and corpus lutea were showed in the control groups;Compared with the control groups,the gel image analysis system demonstrated that the transcription of Htra1 mRNA were decreased significantly in PCOS groups(P0.05).Conclusion:The hyperandrogen and the hyperinsulinemia may possible result in the low expression of Htra1 in the granulosa cells,which may have a close relationship with the folliclar maturation arrest and the anovlation in PCOS rats.
Abstract In July, 1999, the General Counsels, Vice Presidents, and other senior officers of major information industry technology companies (including Adobe Systems, Intuit, Silver Platter, Lotus, and Microsoft) wrote to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) urging adoption of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) at the then imminent NCCUSL meeting in Denver. The executives supported the adoption of UCITA because it is true to three commercial principles: commerce should be free to flourish in the electronic age, rules should support use of new (in this case electronic) technologies, and marketplace forces should determine the form of these transactions. Recommended Citation James S. Heller, THE UNIFORM COMPUTER INFORMATION TRANSACTIONS ACT (UCITA): STILL NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME, 7 RICH. J.L. & TECH 14 (2000). Available at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/jolt/vol7/iss2/9  Download
After the 1990 political reforms, it took several years until Hungary officially signed  the Bologna Declaration (1999). The progress was very slow: the implementation of  the Bologna principles only started in 2002. The nation-wide introduction of the BA  and BSc system began in 2006 and will be continued at master level in 2009. One  of the most important bodies in this process has been the Hungarian Accreditation  Committee. This Board consists of university professors and academics and has  control over the establishment and introduction of curricula at all higher education  institutions in Hungary.  As for cartography and geodesy, we had two independent 5-year degree  programmes in the pre-Bologna system (Cartography at Eotvos Lorand University,  and Surveying and Geoinformatical Engineering at the Budapest University of  Technology and Economics) and two 3-year degree programmes in the College  of Surveying and Land Administration in Szekesfehervar. Due to the integration  of Hungarian higher education institutions in 2000, this college was incorporated  into the University of West Hungary as a faculty. These institutions had worked  a lot on establishing and developing their own programmes. However, due to the  implementation of the Bologna process, these individual programmes have lost their independence. It is only natural that all these institutions were interested in finding a  solution to keep as much of their original curricula as only possible.  Although about 140 BA and BSc programmes were established at national  level, the Bologna system in Hungary did not allow any cartography-related BSc  programme. However, Eotvos Lorand University and the Budapest University of  Technology and Economics have established their MSc programmes that are related  to cartography. Four universities also agreed on starting a new MSc in GIS, but the  Hungarian Accreditation Committee refused the approval of their joint proposal.  There are further cartography-related MSc programmes waiting for decision by the  Hungarian Accreditation Committee. Some BSc and MSc programmes (such as  geography and informatics) established specialization in GIS, and this gives us the  opportunity of teaching cartography and GIS to a larger number of students.
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS) is a well-defined entity, caused by many clinical conditions, leading to pain, stiffness, and vasomotor changes in the affected region. In this case, a 49-year-old man presented with a history of right foot pain secondary to a fall. Plain radiographs did not reveal any fractures or bony fusions. Upon follow-up, a history consistent with that found in RSDS was given. Radiographs at 7 and 11 weeks revealed increasing osteopenia, lytic lesions, and absent joint spaces in the first through third metatarsocuneiform articulations suggesting ankylosis. Other possible causes of ankylosis, including infection, inflammatory and metabolic conditions, were excluded.
Objective:Exploring the clinical effect of laparoscopic endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy(EMIC)combining with ureteroscope.Methods:Retrospectivly analysis the clinical material and therapeutic effect of laparoscopic endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy combining with ureteroscope.Results:2patients ocuppated laparoscopic cholecystectomy because of heavy cholecystitis in operation;5patients ocuppated LC because of muddy stone;the other 43patients accepted EMIC;all the patients leaved hospital healthy.The operation time was 35～ 115min,the hospitalization time was 3～5d.Postoperative following-up 24months;3patients in the 43patients who accepted EMIC recurrence,the others have normal gallbladder contraction function.The mean GLQI scores were 110.5 when hospitalizing,110.0at preoperation,110.5at 2weeks after operation,118.0at 4weeks after operation,120.5at 8weeks after operation.Conclusion:Laparoscopic endoscopic minimally invasive cholecystolithotomy(EMIC)combining with ureteroscope has good clinical effect and clinical application value.
Studies on the effect of some heavy metals (Zinc, Cobalt, Nickel and Lead) on the diversity and dominance of rotifers were conducted in different lakes of Mysore, Karnataka, using some community parameters. A correlation has been made between the heavy metal concn. and various community parameters through bivariate and multivariate anal. where in community parameters are taken as dependent variables and different heavy metal concn. as independent variables. This paper is an attempt towards ecotoxicol. anal. of heavy metal concns. on the rotifers. [on SciFinder(R)]
The effect of organic loading rate on granular SBR was investigated. When the organic loading rate gradually reduced from 1.8 kg/(m3 x d) to 1.575, 1.125 and 0.67 kg/(m3 x d), the characteristics of granular sludge changed greatly, including disintegration of granules, washout of sludge, reduce of granulation rate and settleability of granule, shift of granule shape from regular sphericity to different shapes of asteroid and bacilliform and the increase of color deepness. The granular SBR system reached COD and TP removal rates were about 90% and 70%, respectively, which were not influenced by the reduce of organic loading rate. However, the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification could be greatly influenced by organic loading rate reduce. When organic loading rate reduced from 1.8 kg/(m3 x d) to 0.67 kg/(m3 x d), the removal rates of ammonia and TN decreased 45% and 40%, respectively.
Infection with herpes simplex in the newborn usually occurs in the maternal delivery canal during the course of labor, but some cases of infection are reported to occur from nonmaternal origins. A case of neonatal herpes simplex from an infected midwife who had recurrent herpes simplex on her lip is reported. Dermatologists should be aware of possible neonatal herpes simplex (NHS) infection to newborns not only from mothers but also from medical workers.
The optical bistability phenomenon in the steady-state light transmission by a thin semiconductor film is studied taking into account two-pulse two-photon excitation of biexcitons from the ground state of the crystal. It is shown that the transmission of one of the two pulses by the film is determined by the intensity of the second pulse. The criteria of existence of an optical bistability are established.
THE INVENTION CONCERNS A SIGNAL ELIMINATOR IMAGE GHOST IN A TELEVISION WITH A MEDIUM TO DETECT SIGNAL VIDEO SUBJECT TO CONTAMINATION OF GHOST PICTURE COMPONENTS. According to the Invention, IT INCLUDES FILTER CROSS 10, A MEANS OF WEIGHTED WW SENSITIVE VIDEO SIGNAL TREATY TO PRODUCE SOME WEIGHTED SIGNAL NUMBER; COMBINATION AND MEANS 12, 14, 16, 20 INT, SH. THE INVENTION TO APPLY ESPECIALLY TELEVISION.
The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PTEM) is often proposed as an analogue of future climatic conditions expected in the screenplays provided by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The PETM is characterized by a 3°C estimated rise of global temperature and is recorded in marine and terrestrial deposits by a carbon isotopic excursion (CIE). Most of published works related to this paleoclimatic crisis focus on marine sediments. This presently limits our regional- and global-scale understanding of the impact of such a climate change in terrestrial environments and the deciphering of the ecosystems response. This study focuses on the Vasterival section (Seine-Maritime, Upper Normandy, France) located in the NW of the Paris Basin, and in which the PETM is recorded in the organic matter (OM) by the d13C negative shift of the CIE. The 2m thick section is mainly constituted by terrestrial sediments deposited in fluvial and lacustrine to coastal swamp environments and in which OM-poor shales are followed by OM-rich shales, centimetric lignite beds, paleosols, and two beds containing carbonate nodules. The uppermost part of the section is constituted by a 50cm thick shale with shell debris that attests to a lagoonal influence. This section is constantly refreshed by a little stream, thus facilitating the sampling of fresh material, notably a well preserved OM. Global geochemical, palynofacies and isotopic analyses focused on thirty samples, and seventeen lipid extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The association of these methods allows us to characterize the OM of the different deposits encountered. Sulfur contents are particularly high (up to 15% of S), thus indicating an euxinic depositional environment. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) varies from 1% for OM-poor shales and paleosols up to 45% for lignite levels. From Hydrogen Index (from 6 to 210 mg HC/g TOC), Oxygen Index (from 80 to 630 mgCO2/g TOC) and Tmax values (from 410 to 430°C) we can show that the OM is of Type III (terrestrial higher plants), and immature. These results are reinforced by palynofacies observations, as a large amount of ligno-cellulosic phytoclastes is present in most of the samples. In the uppermost shale the continuity of the PETM in marine deposits can be inferred by the presence of many Apectodinium species. Thus, the terrestrial deposits would represent a time interval that includes the uppermost Paleocene and the basal part of the PETM. Molecular analyses underline the contribution of terrestrial higher plants by the presence of long chain n-alcanes with odd-over-even predominance, and Onocerane I, a compound rarely detected in sediments, attests to a contribution of lycopods or plants affiliated to the genus Pseudofagus. A notable bacterial contribution is also inferred by the presence of hopanoids in the extracts. This is confirmed by organic petrography results that reveal alginites laminae, often interpreted as a witness of well-preserved bacterial and/or algal mats. From our early results we show that significant environmental changes are recorded during the CIE. High resolution analyses and complementary analyses (X-ray tomography, isotopic, thin section petrography...) are currently in progress. This approach is complemented by a sedimentological study and they both will be extended to other sites along a transect crossing the terrestrial to lagoonal paleoenvironments of the Paleocene-Eocene transition in the Paris Basin. They aim at defining possible spatial heterogeneities in the PETM's impact on terrestrial environments and ecosystems, at a regional scale. To the west of the transect, the Cap d'Ailly sections and core will be first studied, because of their position very close to the Vasterival site, the relative richness in outcrops and the continuation of the PETM recorded in around 10m of lagoonal deposits, comprising various facies often OM rich: tidal fine sand, silt and clay, shell beds, and few cemented carbonate beds.
Different metabolic and environmental factors affect the blood pressure level, constituting a cluster, especially in hypertensives, that leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. The present research was designed to determine the prevalence and the predictors of the metabolic syndrome and the role of insulin and blood pressure in carotid atherosclerosis in 600 treated male and female hypertensives aged 40-59 years and 600 ageand sex-matched controls. The prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in different population-based cohorts varied, depending on the definition, from 0.8% to 35.3%, being lowest in control men and women and highest in hypertensive men. 73.8% of a random, middle-aged, urban population showed at least one cardiovascular risk factor, and 91.3% of all hypertensive subjects showed at least one cardiovascular risk factor in addition to hypertension itself. The independent predictors of the metabolic syndrome were waist circumference, uric acid, total cholesterol and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Hypertension had a significant effect on carotid intima-media thickness and the prevalence of plaques in men, but its effect in women was not significant. A long duration of hypertension resulted in greater intima-media thickness and a higher prevalence of plaques, particularly in men. There were significant associations between gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase and the components of the metabolic syndrome after adjustment for alcohol consumption and also in teetotallers. There were inconsistent associations between the different insulin measures and the intima-media thickness as a measure of carotid atherosclerosis. The exclusion of diabetic subjects did not change the results. In conclusion, a cluster of metabolic abnormalities related to hypertension is frequent among both controls and treated hypertensive subjects. Hypertensive subjects have higher prevalences of carbohydrate and lipoprotein aberrations and structural and functional cardiovascular complications than ageand sex-matched controls.
DISCRETIZATION AND LEARNING OF BAYESIAN NETWORKS USING STOCHASTIC SEARCH, WITH APPLICATION TO BASE REALIGNMENT AND CLOSURE (BRAC) Pamela J. Hoyt, PhD. George Mason University, 2008 Dissertation Director: Dr. Kathryn B. Laskey The need for automated Bayesian Network (BN) construction from data has increased for a variety of reasons. Elicitation of networks from experts can be time consuming and expensive. With large, complex problems, construction of an accurate network, which ‘best’ describe the probability distribution of the training data can be difficult. The learning process is further complicated by missing or incomplete data, and mixed data. In light of these issues BN construction cannot rely on experts alone, rather experts can be used to enhance the network after the automated process. The closer technology comes to building models that reflect the real world the more their power as an inference tool will increase. This research is an empirical approach on determining how well a stochastic search discretizes continuous variables and learns structure. This study also has the added complexity of missing data. Our approach interleaves discretization with a stochastic search process to find a population of solutions for learning BNs. We compared our process to other methods that discretize as a preprocessing step. Learning BN structure as well as the parameters increases in difficulty when the variables are continuous or mixed (both continuous and discrete). Real world datasets are not generally discrete and missing data is common. Continuous variables are often discretized in order to use one of the established and well-known learning algorithms. Therefore, to handle the continuous variable the two common approaches are to apply a discretization method or use one of the families of parametric distributions. The novel approach we developed is a dynamic process that interleaves partitioning of continuous variables with learning using a stochastic search method called PopMCMC. We applied our new methodology to data from the U.S. Army’s recent Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) study from 1988 to 1995, which consists primarily of both continuous and discrete variables complicated by missing data. The desired outcome was to develop a method to model the BRAC data as a BN. A BN offered a natural way to represent the uncertainties associated with the data and would then permit us to make queries relevant to the BRAC decision making issues.
Domain adaptation and covariate shift are big issues in deep learning and they ultimately affect any causal inference algorithms that rely on deep neural networks. Causal effect variational autoencoder (CE-VAE) is trained to predict the outcome given observational treatment data and it suffers from the distribution shift at test time. In this paper, we introduce uniform treatment variational autoencoders (UTVAE) that are trained with uniform treatment distribution using importance sampling and show that using uniform treatment over observational treatment distribution leads to better causal inference by mitigating the distribution shift that occurs from training to test time. We also explore the combination of uniform and observational treatment distributions with inference and generative network training objectives to ﬁnd a better training procedure for inferring treatment effect. Experimentally, we ﬁnd that the proposed UTVAE yields better absolute average treatment effect error and precision in the estimation of heterogeneous effect error than the CEVAE on synthetic and IHDP datasets.
A method is described for a bus system having at least two bus subscribers in the serial data transmission, said bus users exchange messages via the bus, wherein by the method according to the CAN standard ISO 11898-1 bus arbitration for each user message Dispatched transmission access to the bus, which according to a suitable marker (EDL) to determine to which one of the CRC calculation result from the start of the parallel test for the correct data transmission, wherein for at least one additional check condition flag value in when in the additional presence of at least a part of the message by the sender or by a plurality of bits of fixed stuff bit sequences inserted into the message.
In this paper several interfaces for teleoperation of a mobile robot are described and analyzed. We consider teleoperation of a wheeled mobile robot when control commands are given by human operator through a haptic master device. Described human-robot teleoperation interfaces were tested by performing experiments. Main objective was to verify the role of different types of feedback information and command strategies for improving the performance of the system. Position-speed and position-position command strategies were used for mobile robot teleoperation. In position-position strategy desired speed of a mobile robot is defined by a master manipulator's position. In position-speed command strategy robot's position is controlled by position of master device. Hybrid command strategy, combining position-speed and position-position strategy, was introduced and used also. First, unilateral teleoperation was studied. Experiments with position-speed, position-position and hybrid command strategies were evaluated. Second, bilateral teleoperation of a mobile robot was studied using two types of force feedback: force feedback related to obstacle range information and force feedback including information about the state of the robot. For experiments with bilateral teleoperation different command strategies were applied. Advantages and disadvantages of each type of human-robot interaction interface were described.
With the object of study in oil film stratum of thrust bearing, the non-isothermal three-dimensional mathematical model of oil film stratum is formulated and the finite difference method is deduced in this paper. Based on numerical calculation, the influences on the fluid field distribution in oil film of thrust bearing caused by different rotor speed, the velocity vector distribution and the rule of velocity between oil film layers are analyzed in detail. It is thought that the velocity vector distribution in oil film stratum is composed of radial velocity and circumferential velocity and is the dominant factor influencing the heat convection.
In order to decrease aluminum plate rolling time and enhance system robustness, the aluminum plate rolling multi-queue system was analyzed by max algebra theory and queue theory. Based on the technologic route rules and process condition rules between machine tools and work pieces, a rolling control system closed-loop model was built up by max algebra and the computing character of maximum algebra was introduced. Moreover, multi-server/ multi-queue system model for rolling process was built. The concepts of parameter perturbation and robustness were defined. The influence of system stable cycle in different kinds of aluminum plates rolling queues was studied by the product lines closed-loop model. Taking the minimum production period as the optimal object, perturbation analysis was made to evaluate the different queues performances. The results show that the optimal scheduling plan can be obtained on the basis of period assignment method. The perturbation performance in scheduled queues can be compared by maximum algebra theory. The system robustness is improved and the total system running time is decreased. The system efficiency is improved by the scheduling method.
Five uremic patients with hemodynamically significant pericardial effusion, which did not respond to conservative treatment (intractable effusion) or tamponade, were treated with instillation into the pericardial sac of a nonabsorbable steroid, triamcinolone hexacetonide, and with intermittent drainage. This was done by insertion of a drainage catheter into the pericardial space under direct vision by subxiphoid pericardiotomy performed under local anesthesia. All patients responded well to the procedure, and immediate relief of the symptoms was achieved. No complications of the procedure were observed, and the drainage catheters were removed 48 to 72 h thereafter. Two patients died of unrelated causes--1 month and 3 years after the events. Two other patients are still alive and on a hemodialysis program, and one has a functioning kidney graft. During the 3 to 8 years of follow-up, no recurrent pericarditis was observed, and no constrictive pericarditis developed in any patient.
Differences between the vehicle regulations in different countries might lead to higher vehicle production costs and would induce lobbying actions from the industry, attempting to reduce the legal impact on the markets. It is therefore of major importance that national governments harmonise their legal regulations in such a way that the reduction of vehicle noise at the source is effectively stimulated. The development and implementation of international standards may contribute considerably to this goal, provided that these standards specify effective test methods. For the covering abstract see IRRD E104312.
Objective:To study the effects of propofol and isoflurane on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction(HPV) during one-lung ventilation(OLV).Methods:Twenty-eight esophagus carcinoma patients,ASA Ⅰ to Ⅱ,scheduled for selective right thoracotomy,were randomly assigned into two groups:group P(n =14) and group I(n = 14).Anesthesia was induced with intravenous etomidate 0.25 mg·kg-1,fentanyl 4 μg·kg-1 and atracurium 0.5 mg·kg-1.Left-sided double-lumen endobronchial tube was intubated orally.Then anesthesia maintained with infusion of propofol in group P,or with isoflurane inhalation in group I.The speed of infusion of propofol or concentration of isoflurane was adjusted according to the AAI value(20 ～ 30).MAP and HR were monitored during the procedure.Arterial and mixed venous blood sample were taken for blood gas analysis and intrapulmonary shunt(Qs/Qt) calculations before surgery,20 min after two-lung ventilation,40 min after OLV in two groups,respectively.Results:After OLV,Qs/Qt in group P and group I all increased(P 0.05),but there was no significat difference in Qs/Qt and PaO2 at two time points among the two groups(P 0.05).Conclusion:AAI value maintained at 20 ～ 30,the effects of isoflurane on arterial oxygeation and pulmonry shunt fraction are similar to those of propofol during OLV ventilation.
The increasing demands for nutritious food, feed, fibre and fuel of a growing world population with changing consumption patterns cannot be satisfied through increasing the arable land area. Sustainable intensification of crop production is needed, as in producing more without environmental harm but with positive effects on natural resources, profits and social capital. However, smallholder farming systems in e.g. sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) face many barriers to increased crop productivity, one being labour shortages during key periods that strongly influence yields. For example, insufficient labour often leads to late planting and a mismatch with the growing season, and to poor weed control leading to high competition for nutrients, water and light and thus to low yields.
of a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Abstract Home Range Characteristics of the Australian Brushtail Possum in New Zealand: Is Density a Driver? by Belinda Isobel Whyte There is conflicting research regarding whether density is a driver of the home range characteristics of the Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). This species transmits bovine tuberculosis (bTB) to livestock in New Zealand. Therefore, variations in movement patterns between populations of different densities, or changes in movement patterns due to density reduction (i.e., pest control), may result in variations or changes in bTB transmission risk. The first objective of this study was to investigate whether the home range characteristics of possums varied between two low-density populations within pine (Pinus radiata) habitat, and one high-density population within oak (Quercus robur) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) habitat, using GPS and VHF-tracking. Possum home range characteristics did not vary between the two low-density populations. However, these possums displayed considerably larger home range sizes and home range overlap with conspecifics than those in the high-density population. In addition, the low-density populations used more dens and changed these more often. Across all sites, there were generally no intersexual differences in home range characteristics. The second objective of this study was to test whether possums change their home range characteristics (i.e., exhibit spatial perturbation) in response to density reduction. Experimental density reductions were undertaken at the high-density site and one of the low-density sites. Comparisons of the home range characteristics of the same possums before and after reduction were then compared, using GPS and VHF-tracking. Density reduction was not carried out at the second low-density site, but movement patterns were still monitored. Possums displayed spatial perturbation at the high-density manipulated site by increasing their home range size and overlap following density reduction. Females at this site also increased the number of dens they used and changed their dens more often. There were no other intersexual differences in the occurrence or magnitude of perturbation at this site. In contrast, possums at the two lowdensity sites did not change their home range characteristics, as density at these sites remained constant between the pre-and-post monitoring periods, even though a number of individuals
Objective To assess the value of transabdominal CDFI diagnosing esophageal varices.Methods One hundred patients with esophageal varices in liver cirrhosis were examed with CDFI and endoscopy.Esophageal wall thickness was measured and the irregularity of the wall surface was documented with two dimensional ultrasound.Blood flow signal in the esophageal wall also was evaluated with color Doppler and pulsed Doppler.Results The value of thickness of esophageal wall was ( 5.88 ± 0.55 )mm in patients with esophageal varices in small size and ( 6.91 ± 0.59 )mm in patients in medium size and ( 8.23 ± 1.17 )mm in patients in large size and ( 4.20 ± 0.63 )mm in patients without esophageal varices.The difference was statistically significant(P 0.01 ),the irregularity of the wall surface was found only in patients,blood flow signal in esophageal wall was also documented with CDFI.The accurate diagnosing degree of esophageal varices were 76.5% in patients with esophageal varices in small size, 45.0% in patients in medium size and 92.1% in patients in large size.Conclusions Transabdominal two dimensional ultrasound and CDFI can play an important role in screening for esophageal varices and can be used more extensively in clinical practice.
Automatic-through Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle (A—UGV) has been defined by ASTM Committee F45 as an “Automatic, Automated, or Autonomous vehicle that operates while in contact with the ground without a human operator”. However, what do the three “A” levels actually mean to manufacturers, users, or especially potential users? This paper defines, and in many cases provides examples of, recommended autonomy levels for all three automatic, automated, and autonomous unmanned ground vehicles. KeywordsA-UGV, autonomous, capability, ASTM F45, classifiers
Studies have been made on the interaction of four types of phosphorylated alkylchloroformoximes, i.e. analogues of an insecticide-acaricide valexon, with acetylcholinesterases from human erythrocytes and from the heads of the housefly Musca domestica. Antiacetylcholinesterase activity of the drugs depended both on the structure of the organophosphorus compounds, and the origin of the enzyme, indicating the existence of differences in the active surface of these acetylcholinesterases. Incorporation of one or two chloride atoms into alkylchloroformoxime group of the cleaved part of the organophosphorus compounds increased anticholinesterase activity with respect to both enzymes. Diethyl derivatives of these drugs exhibited higher specificity with respect to housefly enzyme as compared to human acetylcholinesterase.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition prevalent worldwide. It is estimated that more than 246 million individuals have diabetes, with this number expected to increase to 366 million by the year 2030. The chronic hyperglycemia of diabetes is associated with long term damage to various organs, including the eyes, kidneys, nervous system, heart, and vasculature. India has a long history regarding the epidemiology of diabetes. In an effort to optimize glycemic control and also to reduce the burden of diabetic complications, several classes of oral hypoglycemic agents have been developed. Metformin has now been on the market for more than 50 years and has been established as the first-line agent of choice for the management of type 2 diabetes. In this way, metformin is anticipated to reduce insulin resistance, contribute to weight loss, and play a significant role in the improvement of cardiovascular outcomes.
Nowadays' consumers are steadily demanding for safer,greener products.Some of the freshly produced fridges are hard to be accepted by the potential consumers due to its unpleasant off odor.These types of malodors are also reminiscent of health and safety concerns.Fridge brand owners,together with raw material suppliers,are striving to eliminate or mitigate these types of malodors by innovative formulation and process.Nevertheless,literature retrieval indicated that the research work has been done on off-odor in new fridge is incredibly scarce,partially due to the tricky and challenging aspect of odor characterization.This study provides unprecedented in-depth understanding of the off-odor issue for a new top-brand refrigerator.Suitable and effective analytical approaches in odor characterization in fridge were identified and defined.The key odorants responsible for the off-odor were characterized mainly via the combination of human chemosensory and advanced analytical techniques.The results indicate that 3,5,5-Trimethyl-2-CycloHexen-1- One,2-Ethylhexyl Acrylate,Acetophenone,2-Ethyl-1-Hexanol and Ethyl Benzene are main odorants in this fridge investigated.The proposed analytical methods can be extended for other off-odor characterization.
Credit card has become popular mode of payment for both online and offline purchase, which leads to increasing daily fraud transactions. An Efficient fraud detection methodology is therefore essential to maintain the reliability of the payment system. In this study, we perform a comparison study of credit card fraud detection by using various supervised and unsupervised approaches. Specifically, 6 supervised classification models, i.e., Logistic Regression (LR), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), as well as 4 unsupervised anomaly detection models, i.e., One-Class SVM (OCSVM), Auto-Encoder (AE), Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM), and Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), are explored in this study. We train all these models on a public credit card transaction dataset from Kaggle website, which contains 492 frauds out of 284,807 transactions. The labels of the transactions are used for supervised learning models only. The performance of each model is evaluated through 5-fold cross validation in terms of Area Under the Receiver Operating Curves (AUROC). Within supervised approaches, XGB and RF obtain the best performance with AUROC = 0.989 and AUROC = 0.988, respectively. While for unsupervised approaches, RBM achieves the best performance with AUROC = 0.961, followed by GAN with AUROC = 0.954. The experimental results show that supervised models perform slightly better than unsupervised models in this study. Anyway, unsupervised approaches are still promising for credit card fraud transaction detection due to the insufficient annotation and the data imbalance issue in real-world applications.
An electric-power generating apparatus is designed for an automotive vehicle with a hybrid drive including a prime mover. The apparatus includes an electric device which operates as either a generator or a motor. The electric device is connected with the prime mover for transmitting and receiving torque thereto and therefrom. A control unit operates for, in cases where the electric device is required to operate as the generator, alternately setting a power-generation execution term and a power-generation suspension term and thereby controlling the electric device to intermittently operate as the generator so as to substantially equalize a mean quantity of actual power generation to a required power generation quantity. During the power-generation execution term, the electric device operates as the generator and provides a power generation quantity greater than the mean quantity. During the power-generation suspension term, operation of the electric device as the generator is suspended.
Abstract : Pakistan can fight the war against terrorism in its tribal areas effectively with the assistance from the US and the international community. In order to win the war against terrorism, along with the military actions; the US and the international community must foster the development of economical, social and political system in Pakistan's tribal area. The tribal areas of Pakistan are the areas of the world where rule of the law has never been enforced. During the British time in the South Asia, tribal areas were not ruled but used as buffer zone against the invaders from the west through mutual agreements with tribal leaders. After independence of Pakistan from Britain, status quo was maintained for the tribal areas. The tribal areas were not extended with the privileges being provided to the common citizen of Pakistan. Tribal leaders were trusted. to develop their territory with funds provided by the Pakistan's government. The Cold War era flooded the tribes with heavy economic and military support to fight USSR but resulted in strengthening the tribal leaders and degradation of the basic human rights of the population. After the cold war, US and its allies mishandled the Pakistan and the Afghanistan that led creation of terrorist organization i.e. AI Qaeda. Lately Al Qaeda became the reason for the 9/11 incident and the war against terrorism. Although the Pakistan, the US and its allies have been fighting war on terror since 2001, however, there are no visible signs of victory so far. It is commonly perceived that the US and its Allies may win the war but will not be winning the hearts and minds of the people where the roots of terrorism are lying. To eliminate the terrorism from tribal areas, the Pakistan, the US and the international community have to uplift the tribal areas economically, socially and politically.
Continuing the enumeration of the Lepidoptera from Simalur and neighbouring islets, collected by Mr. Edw. Jacobson, I have to notice only one new form of Cethosia and of Acca among a number of 16 species of Nymphalidae. The Satyridae were represented by one species and the Morphidae by two. According to a letter of Mr. Jacobson the Lepidopterous Fauna of the named islands must be much richer than the collection brought together by him, let think, because it was very difficult to capture the very high flying butterflies. In some cases Mr. Jacobson has made use of his rifle, what is very well to see in the specimens.
In line with its remarkable economic growth over the past few decades, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of commercial disputes in the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as ‘China’) in recent years. A significant portion of the disputes are resolved by alternative dispute resolution. The leading arbitration institution in China, the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), reported that the total number of cases which it accepted in the year 2014 was 1610, more than a double the caseload when compared to the year 2000. The emergent need to resolve disputes in a more efficient manner, coupled with the long-standing tradition of mediation, has created the opportunity for med-arb practice to thrive.
Abstract With the progress of technique development on information,communication and all kinds of mobile devices, ubiquitous learning (U-learning) will become a very significant way of learning. In the research of teaching experiment is studied, the field studied confine to more language and literature , nature or society department, the research of the mathematics field is relatively rare . Mathematics ability must be combined with life, can be used for solving the p roblem that in life. The pupil's cognition still stays on Concrete-operation stage. Could be studied effectively with concrete and true affairs or course. Especially the line symmetrical unit of geometry in mathematics, no matter the campus or the life surrounding area, the line symmetrical learning materialis appearing all the time. If combine the advantage that U-learning studies in the reality learning on research with the line symmetrical unit , there should be important meanings to the improvement which studies the effect.The purpose of this research aims at combining the facilities of wireless network and the Tablet PC in school situation, in order to construct the adaptive U-learning mathematics path system which contains adaptive remedial learning function. The content is focused on the line symmetry unit in the fifth grade of elementary school. By using this system, learners can do interactive learning, construct and develop knowledge actively by designed U- learning activities. After learners are examined online, the system will supply them adaptive remedial teaching materials according to their faults. The results find: the teaching effect and the remedial teaching effect of adaptive U-learning mathematics path system are significantly better than traditional learning .Ponder over students of the style differently, the achievement of U-learning studies, the experiment group is significantly better than contrast group . The study achievement of reality remedial instruction U-learning , the experiment group only the students of the local thinking style is significantly better than contrast group. Other thinking styles, the experiment group is higher than contrast group on the average.
Fast simulation tools for the prediction of transient particle transport are critical in designing the air distribution indoors to reduce the exposure to indoor particles and associated health risks. This investigation proposed a combined fast fluid dynamics (FFD) and Markov chain model for fast predicting transient particle transport indoors. The solver for FFD-Markov-chain model was programmed in OpenFOAM, an open-source CFD toolbox. This study used a case from the literature to validate the developed model and found well agreement between the transient particle concentrations predicted by the FFD-Markov-chain model and the experimental data. This investigation further compared the FFD-Markovchain model with the CFD-Eulerian model and CFD-Lagrangian model in terms of accuracy and efficiency. The accuracy of the FFD-Markov-chain model was similar to that of the other two models. For the studied case, the FFD-Markov-chain model was 4.7 times faster than the CFD-Eulerian model, and it was 137.4 times faster than the CFD-Lagrangian model in predicting the steady-state airflow and transient particle transport. Therefore, the FFD-Markov-chain model is able to greatly reduce the computing cost for predicting transient particle transport in indoor environments.
The goal of improving student academic and behavior outcomes is to ensure that all students have access to the most effective and accurately implemented instructional and behavioral practices and interventions possible. Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) provides an operational framework for achieving these outcomes. Sugain and Horner, the architects of the PBIS framework, emphasize four integrated elements: 1. Data for decision making 2. Measurable outcomes supported and evaluated by data 3. Practices with evidence that these outcomes are achievable 4. Systems that efficiently and effectively support implementation of these practices (Sugai, 2002). The purpose of this study was to identify what factors impact the successful Tier I implementation of PBIS in order to assist schools in the future planning of the PBIS rollout at the elementary level. The research question was: what are the factors that impact the positive Tier I Implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports in two Midwestern suburban elementary schools? The research identified the factors that led to the sustainability of Tier I implementation in two elementary schools. Survey data identified the overall perception of the program by staff members. Focus groups identified the connection or disconnection between members of the staff who had been trained in the PBIS framework and those who had not been trained. The development of the trained team and untrained team, the communication systems set up to disseminate ii information, and follow through on those instructions had a profound impact on the ability to get the desired buy-in from staff. Data concluded that the four main components to the successful implementation at the two schools were knowledge, the importance of a connector, school environment, and communication. A significant difference was found in the perception of the program by those members of the organization who had gone through district level training and those who had not received training. Survey data indicated the most significant difference between trained and untrained teams were in the areas of continuous ongoing support, making a positive impact on school culture, and maintaining a safe school environment.
Objective To study the question about pseudo-accommodation in pseudophakic eyes after intraocular lens(IOL)implantation with predictive refraction for different age groups.Methods 120 eyes(91 patients)were divided into four age groups,each were randomly divided into Ⅰ,Ⅱ,and Ⅲ subgroups,and correspondingly used three types of predictive refraction:(0±0.25)D,(-0.5±0.25)D,and(-1.0±0.25)D.All patients underwent phacoemulsification with foldable IOL implantation.Postoperatively,the distant and near vision,refraction,pupil diameter,anterior chamber depth at distant and near were examined.When the correcting lenses were worn,their powers of pseudo-accommodation were measured.When the correcting lenses were not worn,the pseudo-accommodative distance at near point also were measured.The follow-up time was more than 3 months.Results The mean pseudo-accommodative power in 120 pseudophakic eyes was(2.08±0.04)D by slataper′s method,and(0.46±0.03)D by dynamic retinoscopy.Both the methods indicated that the powers of pseudo-accommodation gradually diminished with age and slightly grew with the increase of predictive refraction.The pseudo-accommodation was positively correlated with IOL movement(r=0.307,P0.01),while negatively correlated with pupil diameter and age(r=-0.454,P0.01;r=-0.323,P0.01).But more weakly correlation was found between the pseudo-accommodation and predictive refraction(r=0.219,P0.05).Conclusions There is a certain power of pseudo-accommodation in pseudophakic eye selves.For different age groups predictive refraction also has a certain effect on the product of pseudo-accommodation in pseudophakic eyes.Appropriate selection for predictive refraction power of IOL should be customized.
Objectives: Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters are widely used in image and signal processing applications and responsible for more total power dissipation. This research work presents modified Distributed Arithmetic (DA)-based approach for realization of low power FIR digital filter. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Power reduction in modified DA-based filter is achieved by turning off the MOS components whenever the input samples of circuit are zero. The proposed filter reduces power consumption by disabling adder operation when inputs are zero. In the conventional DSP applications, it is observed that the average of the zero input sample is very high. Therefore, substantial reduction in power consumption can be obtained by proposed modified DA-based architecture. The proposed DA-based FIR filter is designed using Xilinx® ISE design tool and Cadence® EDA tool. Findings: The proposed work proved that the power reduction is achieved in modified DA-based FIR filter realization when compared with existing LUT-less DA-based architecture of FIR filter. Simulation results shows that proposed architecture can achieve significant power reduction with fewer percentage increases in area and delay for different architectures. For four tap FIR filter 12.5% power reduction is achieved, at the cost of 0.63% extra chip area and 1% increased delay in comparison with conventional DA-based filter architecture. Therefore, the proposed filter can achieve even greater power saving for higher order FIR filters and for more number of zeros in the inputs sample. The proposed technique can also be used for reconfigurable architectures where filter coefficients change during runtime. Conclusion: A low power modified DA-based FIR digital Filter is proposed. Power reduction in proposed design is due to turning off MOS components and is linearly related to number of zeros in input and order of the filter.
Interface Strategies proposes a highly ingenious framework for the interface between the computational system (CS) and the other cognitive systems (concept, inference and context systems) within the hypothesis of the Minimalist Program (Chomsky 2000) that language is an optimal solution to interface conditions. Reinhart identifies four areas where the outputs of the CS are insufficient for the cognitive systems and argues that this imperfection is remedied by interface strategies. These strategies take the form of reference-set computation: “the reference set consists of pairs <d, i> of derivation and interpretation. A given <d, i>-pair is blocked if the same interface effect could be obtained more economically — in other words, if there is a better <d, i> competitor in the reference set” (p. 36). The application of this strategy comes with some observable processing cost because it involves constructing alternative derivations and comparing their semantic interpretations. The book consists of an introduction, five chapters, notes, references, and author and subject indices. In “Introduction: Optimal design”, Reinhart briefly traces the history of reference-set computation introduced in the early 1990s and argues that this computation should be available to the CS, as it interacts with the other cognitive systems. Reinhart is also concerned with the relation of the human parser with the CS. She notes that, given the minimalist hypothesis mentioned above, the parser should be transparent with minimum parser-specific adjustments. Chapter 1, “Reference-set computation”, surveys the development of the reference-set computation in the Minimalist Program based on a case study of superiority. Reinhart introduces here the notion of interpretation-dependent computation (Golan 1993) which proposes that the CS determines the most economical derivation relative to interpretive goals. This is illustrated in (1–4).
Focused Impedance Method (FIM) provides an opportunity for localized impedance measurement down to reasonable depths within the body using surface electrodes, and has a potential application in localized lung ventilation study. This however needs assessment of normal values for healthy individuals. In this study, localized ventilation maps in terms of electrical impedance in a matrix formation around the thorax, both from the front and the back, were obtained from two normal male subjects using a modified configuration of FIM. For this the focused impedance values at full inspiration and full expiration were measured and the percentage difference with respect to the latter was used. Some of the measured values would have artefacts due to movements of the heart and the diaphragm in the relevant anatomical positions which needs to be considered with due care in any interpretation.
In manufacturing of cold drawn tube some changes in mechanical properties were obserwed. In accordance with literature and results of earlier investigation those changes were atributed to an uneven microstructural distribution. To verify this hypotesis the model sample were used. The samples were prepared from finished rolled tube and finished rolled tube annealed and straightened on a bar straighter with tree pairs of hyperbolic rollers. One with good and other with poor mechanical properties. For measurement samples were cut as pieces of tube using emulsfied coolant. Pieces of the tube that had been removed successively as 1 mm thick tube layers. The obtained pieces were cut into 10 x 10 mm plates and using planning machine successively removed. Thick layer, before measurement the sample surface was prepared by grinding and etching by nital. The X - ray diffraction patterns were collected at room temperature by means of back reflection method and using a Philips counter diffractometar with monochromatizid CoK radiation. The X - ray powder patterns obtained were analyzed visually and by the mathod of Warren Averbach.
Vegetation types and their standing crop in the sand dune on the south coast of Korea was investigated by the method of Curtis, J.T. and McIntosh, R.P.(1951). The relationship between vegetation types and environmental factors was also analyzed. The dominant species in the vegetations of the south coast sand dune were Carex pumila, Calystegia soldamella, Imperata cylindrica var. koenigli, Vitex rotundifolia, Ixeris repens, Carex kobomugi, Zoysia macrostachya. The species density in the sand dune vegetation increased with the distnace from the coast, psammophyte and rhizome psammophyte decreased with the distance from the coast but other plants increased. The standing crop of the sand dune vegetation was average 53.79g/㎡. An individual standing crop of Vitex rotundifolia and Carex kobomugl varied with the curve of secondary degree. The salt content of the sand dune soil ranged from 2.95 to 11.78㎎%, and it was not significant differences among stands, but it was varied with the distance form the coast. Negative relationship between warmth index and aboveground standing crop was found and the formula y￣=283.8886-2.4910X could be estimated.
In 2009, we studied the migration of the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo by capturing 13 breeding birds on the middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, and attaching a 1.5-g Mk 14-S British Antarctic Survey geolocator to each bird. In 2010, we recaptured one of the cuckoos, enabling us to download its geolocation data. The cuckoo had flown approximately 9500 km during its southward migration, traveling through Central America to winter in portions of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. The spring migration route differed somewhat from the fall route, with the cuckoo bypassing Central America to migrate through the Caribbean. Additionally, it moved between New Mexico and Mexico at the end of summer in 2009 and again in 2010 before being recaptured at its breeding site. Our results, albeit from one individual, hint at a dynamic migration strategy and have broad implications for the ecology and conservation of the Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a species of conservation concern. IRRUPTIVE MIGRATION OF CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEES TO SOUTHWESTERN IDAHO JAY D. CARLISLE, Idaho Bird Observatory, Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho 83725; jaycarlisle@boisestate.edu ABSTRACT: I document irruptive movements of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee to I document irruptive movements of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee to Lucky Peak in southwestern Idaho, over 80 km from its regular range. Chestnut-backed Chickadees were captured and/or observed at Lucky Peak in 2000, 2004, and 2008. To evaluate the context for this phenomenon, I also examined data on capture of all chickadees and other irruptive species at Lucky Peak and numbers of irruptive species recorded on Idaho Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) from 1997 to 2011. Though CBCs in the winter of 2004–05 (following the largest movement of Chestnut-backed Chickadees at Lucky Peak in fall 2004) found high numbers of many irruptive species, relatively low numbers of Chestnut-backed Chickadees were detected on Idaho CBCs that winter. Overall, I observed little correspondence between capture totals at Lucky Peak and Idaho CBC data for potentially irruptive species in general, and little correspondence between years with Chestnut-backed Chickadees and patterns of any irruptive species in CBC data for the subsequent winter. The seasonal movement patterns of this species, their regularity, and their causes warrant greater attention. USE OF NEST BOXES BY CACTUS WRENS IN ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA ROBERT A. HAMILTON, Hamilton Biological, Inc., 316 Monrovia Avenue, Long Beach, California 90803; robb@hamiltonbiological.com JUTTA C. BURGER and SUSAN H. ANON, Irvine Ranch Conservancy, 4727 Portola Parkway, Irvine, California 92620; jburger@irconservancy.org ABSTRACT: Responding to studies identifying an apparent lack of suitable natural nesting sites for the Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in coastal southern California, we designed “cactus-like” nesting structures and nest boxes (1) to determine whether this wren would use such structures or boxes and (2) to assess the efficacy of different construction designs. Out of 32 nest boxes deployed, two supported Cactus Wren nests that successfully fledged young—one in 2010 and another in a different location in 2011. In fall 2010, another box in yet a third location was used for a brood nest. In contrast, we observed no nesting in the 13 cactus-like structures over three years of study. Our results provide “proof of concept” that Cactus Wrens will select and successfully use nest boxes even in areas of mature cactus scrub. Furthermore, all three boxes used by Cactus Wrens were mounted in a tilted position, in which the nest box was angled up to 45°, rather than level. In the summer of 2011, we retrieved the artificial structures and weathering nest boxes and mounted 21 new boxes in the tilted position and with a level floor inserted to prevent eggs from falling into the bottom. We expect that this and future experiments will evaluate the potential conservation value of nest boxes for Cactus Wrens in areas recovering from wildfire and at sites of cactus restoration. Responding to studies identifying an apparent lack of suitable natural nesting sites for the Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in coastal southern California, we designed “cactus-like” nesting structures and nest boxes (1) to determine whether this wren would use such structures or boxes and (2) to assess the efficacy of different construction designs. Out of 32 nest boxes deployed, two supported Cactus Wren nests that successfully fledged young—one in 2010 and another in a different location in 2011. In fall 2010, another box in yet a third location was used for a brood nest. In contrast, we observed no nesting in the 13 cactus-like structures over three years of study. Our results provide “proof of concept” that Cactus Wrens will select and successfully use nest boxes even in areas of mature cactus scrub. Furthermore, all three boxes used by Cactus Wrens were mounted in a tilted position, in which the nest box was angled up to 45°, rather than level. In the summer of 2011, we retrieved the artificial structures and weathering nest boxes and mounted 21 new boxes in the tilted position and with a level floor inserted to prevent eggs from falling into the bottom. We expect that this and future experiments will evaluate the potential conservation value of nest boxes for Cactus Wrens in areas recovering from wildfire and at sites of cactus restoration. FACTORS AFFECTING THE BEHAVIOR OF BROWN PELICANS AT A POST-BREEDING ROOST SADIE K. WRIGHT, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (current address: NOAA Fisheries, Protected Resources Division,709 West 9th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99802); sadie.wright@noaa.gov DANIEL D. ROBY, U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 ROBERT G. ANTHONY, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 ABSTRACT: We sought to determine how disturbance may influence the behavior of California Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) at a major post-breeding roost. In addition to assessing the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on Brown Pelican behavior, we investigated the effects of other potential explanatory variables, including year, date, time of day, weather, tide stage, and density of pelicans on time-activity budgets of pelicans roosting on East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary from June to August, 2001 and 2002. We found that during the day, pelicans spent the great majority of time either resting (44%) or preening (41%). Time of day, density of pelicans, wind speed, precipitation, and disturbance accounted for 34% of the variation in resting behavior among pelicans; year, date, time of day, number of pelicans, and disturbance accounted for 27% of the variation in vigilant behavior. All three categories of disturbance (natural, research-related human, other human) were associated with significant increases in the proportion of vigilant behavior and reductions in the proportion of resting behavior. It took longer for pelicans to recover to baseline behavior following a research-related disturbance than after other types of disturbance. This is likely because research-related disturbances involved human activity on the island (i.e., land-based), whereas most other human disturbances were wateror air-based. The potential exists for human disturbance to significantly alter pelican behavior at roost sites. Therefore, restriction of human access to the pelican’s major roost sites and regulation of human activities at roosts should be considered to ensure that available sites support the continued recovery of this subspecies. We sought to determine how disturbance may influence the behavior of California Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) at a major post-breeding roost. In addition to assessing the effects of natural and anthropogenic disturbance on Brown Pelican behavior, we investigated the effects of other potential explanatory variables, including year, date, time of day, weather, tide stage, and density of pelicans on time-activity budgets of pelicans roosting on East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary from June to August, 2001 and 2002. We found that during the day, pelicans spent the great majority of time either resting (44%) or preening (41%). Time of day, density of pelicans, wind speed, precipitation, and disturbance accounted for 34% of the variation in resting behavior among pelicans; year, date, time of day, number of pelicans, and disturbance accounted for 27% of the variation in vigilant behavior. All three categories of disturbance (natural, research-related human, other human) were associated with significant increases in the proportion of vigilant behavior and reductions in the proportion of resting behavior. It took longer for pelicans to recover to baseline behavior following a research-related disturbance than after other types of disturbance. This is likely because research-related disturbances involved human activity on the island (i.e., land-based), whereas most other human disturbances were wateror air-based. The potential exists for human disturbance to significantly alter pelican behavior at roost sites. Therefore, restriction of human access to the pelican’s major roost sites and regulation of human activities at roosts should be considered to ensure that available sites support the continued recovery of this subspecies.
U.S. consumers and producers could annually lose $148 million once chlordimeform, a cotton insecticide, is removed from the market. The action could accelerate the resistance of the bollworm and tobacco budworm to pyrethroids (a group of important cotton insecticides often used in conjunction with chlordimeform). If so, the U.S. consumer and producer loss could annually rise to $832 million. Pest damage would reduce cotton yields. Available alternative insect control measures, which are less effective and more expensive than chlordimeform and pyrethroids, would raise production costs. Reduced cotton production and acreage would raise cotton prices. So, some cotton producers would gain, while cotton consumers would lose. However, more corn, sorghum, and soybeans would be planted in place of cotton, lowering prices for those commodities. Thus, consumers of those conraiodities would gain, while producers would lose. If more effective alternatives to chlordimeform and pyrethroids became available, the economic effects of the removal would decline.
Getting timely information from farmers in rural development areas e.g. about their farm-performance important for thorough producer-to-consumer supply chain management. Manually gathering relevant data on remote sites by third parties is time consuming, expensive, and risky at times. Therefore providing a mobile online-information-system, where farmers can input and retrieve relevant information themselves, would be highly beneficial. The following challenges have to be tackled:
Broadband piezoelectric transducers are used in many ultrasonic transceiver systems for Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) and medical imaging. Precise knowledge of their internal construction parameters is required in modelling and simulation tasks to optimise behaviour in such systems. Genetic algorithms (GA) have been proposed to estimate parameters in piezoelectric backed transducers. They can help to improve the precision of the input data in the modeling and simulation tasks when this information is not available. Here, a circuital modeling approach to evaluate practical effectiveness of GA transducer estimation results, is presented and applied to achieve improvements during design and modeling tasks (with the aim of optimizing ultrasonic transceiver responses). HV spike driving and pulse-echo waveforms are simulated in time-frequency domains for selected sets of estimated parameters. Their dependences on the estimating parameters were considered, and the responses of alternative transducer designs were quantified.
The invention provides chemical-mechanical polishing compositions and methods of chemically-mechanically polishing a substrate with the chemical-mechanical polishing compositions. The polishing compositions comprise first abrasive particles, wherein the first abrasive particles are ceria particles, second abrasive particles, wherein the second abrasive particles are ceria particles, surface-modified silica particles, or organic particles, a pH-adjusting agent, and an aqueous carrier. The polishing compositions also exhibit multimodal particle size distributions.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and deadly cancers in both men and women in the United States. Extracellular proteolysis is often dysregulated in cancer including (CRC), resulting in degradation of extracellular matrix, as well as cleavage, processing, or shedding of cell adhesion molecules, growth factors, and cytokines. Several members of the type II transmembrane serine protease (TTSP) family have been shown to play critical roles in cancer progression; however, many family members have not yet been characterized in malignancy. We identified TMPRSS13 transcript to be upregulated in CRC compared to normal colon. This increase was confirmed at the protein level by immunohistochemical analysis of CRC tumor tissue arrays. Mechanistic studies revealed increased apoptosis an impaired invasive potential following TMPRSS13 silencing in human CRC cells. Importantly, TMPRSS13 gain-of-function promoted resistance to the apoptosis-inducing agents paclitaxel and HA14-1 Reversely, TMPRSS13 loss-of-function caused increased sensitivity of CRC cells to drug-induced apoptosis. Use of a TMPRSS13-deficient mouse line in the azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) model of CRC revealed increased sensitivity to DSS treatment. This sensitivity manifested as increased colitis and severe weight loss indicative of a defect in intestinal barrier function. TMPRSS13-deficient mice also exhibited greater tumor burden compared to wild-type mice, likely as a result of increased severity of colitis. Together these findings demonstrate a critical role for TMPRSS13 in pro-oncogenic processes as well as intestinal homeostasis and identify TMPRSS13 as potential novel target for CRC cancer therapy.
OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and benefits of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for chronic kidney disease (CKD) through a systematic review and meta-analysis.   METHODS AND MATERIALS We performed a literature search until 5 May 2020 in the CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Clinical Trials Registry Platform and CBM. Two reviewers independently identified eligible articles and extract data. The risk of bias and publication bias were evaluated in all included trials and Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan5.3 software was used for data analysis. Fifteen trials (20 articles) involving a total of 768 patients were included.   RESULTS The summary results of the studies showed that NAC did reduce cardiovascular events among people with CKD, the RR was 0.60, and the number that needs to be treated (NNT) was 5.29. Pooled date of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and serum creatinine (Scr) in the NAC group were better than those in the placebo group. No patients in all studies were terminated due to side effect. Subgroup analysis also showed that inflammatory cytokines and homocysteine were significantly lower in NAC group.   CONCLUSION These results suggested that NAC appears to be safe without obvious adverse events, which can also benefit kidney function, relieve inflammation and reduce cardiovascular events among people with CKD.
The subject of this investigation is the evaluation of certain time invariant auto-regressive estimation and prediction techniques. These prediction techniques are based on an over- specified auto-regressive model of order p. The parameters for the prediction model are obtained by solving the Yule Walker equations and adaptively tracking the coefficients as new channel data becomes available. The performance of these methods has been reported for certain simplified models of the mobile cellular environment, but the purpose of this investigation is to analyze these methods using a ray tracing simulation engine, which generates the in phase and quadrature components of the wireless cellular environment. This approach will assess the reliability and accuracy of these prediction algorithms for a more common and more realistic type of mobile environment. The ray-tracing simulator is based on the geometric optic (GO) and geometric theory of diffraction (GTD) approximations for electromagnetic fields at high frequencies.
We study a model of self-propelled particles interacting with their k nearest neighbors through polar alignment. By exploring its phase space as a function of two nondimensional parameters (alignment strength g and Peclet number Pe), we identify two distinct order-disorder transitions. One is continuous, occurs at a low critical g value independent of Pe, and resembles a mean-ﬁeld transition with no density-order coupling. The other is discontinuous, depends on a combined control parameter involving g and Pe, and results from the formation of small, dense, highly persistent clusters of particles that follow metric-like dynamics. These dense clusters form at a critical value of the combined control parameter Pe /g α , with α ≈ 1 . 5, which appears to be valid for diﬀerent alignment-based models. Our study shows that models of active particles with metric-free interactions can produce characteristic length-scales and self-organize into metric-like collective states that undergo metric-like transitions.
The significance of the research is in the heightened attention to the documentary, which is considered to be one of the most recent literary sciences and its basic constituent is increased focus on the means of reflection of the real historical personalities including through the studying of painting of portraits and the costume is an important element of it. The costume is an important element of portrayal of a character in literature and documentary. The clothing may help one to find out about the station in life, the nationality, the age, the occupation, the homeland. Writers are using the description of costumes of real personalities as a visual element of the portrayal in the documentaries very often. It is highly important to have the portrait of a character, his costume in particular, correlating with the real personality’s story in biographical novels. In cases like that, the biographer is closer to being an author of his own work than the documentary one.
A support for a descending life apparatus for being installed on a ceiling is provided to be installed on a veranda, a balcony, or a ceiling of a public building without being influenced by indoor finishing materials. A support for a descending life apparatus for being installed on a ceiling includes a base member, and a support bar(20). The base member is installed at the ceiling, and comprises a rotating and locking structure. The support bar(20) is hinge-installed on the base member. A ring(21) is attached to one end of the support bar(20) which is variably placed. The base member includes a base bracket(11), a hinge plate(12), a spring holder(13), and a fixing support(14). The base bracket(11) is installed on the ceiling surface. The hinge plate(12) is installed on the base bracket(11) to make the support bar(20) be rotated.
This paper presents scenarios of the shutdown costs in terms of lost value added for Austria, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and UK. The shutdown phase will lead to considerable production losses and large declines in GDP this year. Lasting longer than a month, the losses within the EU quickly reach dimensions well beyond the growth slump of previous recessions or natural disasters. Shutdown costs justify almost every conceivable investment in health policy measures which allow to combine a resumption of production with further fight against the epidemic.
The present invention, by the prediction optimal for the current block of each of the color components for each macroblock of the color components of the image based on the characteristics of a given image related to a method and apparatus for decoding a method for encoding a video and an apparatus, video select a mode, and the current generation of a predictive image for the image according to the prediction mode, and the like described using a prediction image for performing a coding of moving pictures, adapting the optimum prediction mode to the color component of each macroblock enemy by applying to it it is possible to increase the efficiency of video coding and decoding.
The Banu Zuhra/Zuhrawi's of Aleppo were part of the circle of notable families in 17 th and early 18 th century Ottoman Aleppo. They were leaders of the local Ashraf and were engaged in a number of economic ventures in and outside the city, but gradually lost power to more aggressive competitors in the course of the 18 th century. Their demise was due mainly to the rapid and almost complete extinction of the male line of the family, leaving the female members to fend for themselves in the hard, and ultimately ill-fated struggle to maintain control of the family's properties and prestige. The documents produced in our paper (from the archives of the Ottoman courts) aim to provide further information on the history of this family and of Ottoman Aleppo in general.
I am beginning to believe that what happened to me was only a dream. A journey into my unconsciousness and nothing more... Laughing Children On Slicky Slides Larry D. Witte Zoology 6 I am beginning to believe that what happened to me was only a dream. A journey into my unconsciousness and nothing more. Ah, but if it wasn't a dream, if only it wasn't — . Laughing children sliding down slicky slides. Husbands and wives looking into each other's eyes. If only it wasn't a dream. Wouldn't it be grand if it wasn't a dream? If only my friends are wrong. They are probably right, however; the mountain has cursed me with a sickness. But I'm not mad. Dream or fact, it is what I remember, and I know I'm not mad. The natives here don't consider me mad. Will you read what happened? About the laughing children sliding down slicky slides. And about the husbands and wives looking into each other's eyes. I wil l wri te and say it was all a dream. Then you may stop to read. And afterwards I don't even care if you believe what happened. At least you wil l read, and perhaps, just perhaps, you may think about my 'dream'. The following strange events occurred only a short t ime ago. It was during the f i rst part of August, the exact day I'm not sure, but the year is 1970. It has proved to be an ill-fated year for man. Thus I was overjoyed when my request was granted for a leave-of-absence from the university in New York to come to Bavaria. New York, with its clattering underground dragon storming f rom the ominous shafts of steel and glass surrounding the Port of Authority's terminal , past the terr i f ing nightt ime of Central Park, under the narrow passages of China Town, to the quiet waterfront by the ferryboats, is the only place I would ever live. But I welcome Bavaria. The air is clean, and the people notice me when I walk down the street. As I hunch over my Remington Rand, I dread the clack, clack, clacking it wi l l make, destroying the unreality of my thoughts before it stamps them on the
1 day before immunization with 0-1 mg ofovalbumin in alum hydroxide gel. The onset ofreaginic and haemagglutinating antibody synthesiswas suppressed to a non-detectable level for at least3-4 weeks. Whenthese irradiated rats were injectedintraperitoneally with 108 viable orsonicated thymo-cytes 1 day after irradiation, the suppressed reaginicand haemagglutinating antibody synthesis was suc-cessfully restored. This suggests that: (i) thymocytescan restore the radiation-induced immunosuppres-sion, butviabilityofthymocytesis notessentialinthisimmune restoration; (ii) active biological moleculesexistinthecytoplasmicpoolofthenormalthymocyteswhich
ONE TO PRODUCE PRECIOUS METAL ESFERICO process divided FINALLY BASED DUST comprising forming an aqueous solution containing a source of at least one precious metal VALUE TO SERVE A MATERIAL OF PRECIOUS METAL REDUCIBLE SOLID SOLUTION REDUCE THE SOLID MATERIAL PARTICLES PRECIOUS METAL POWDER, SUBMITTING THE PRECIOUS METAL pARTICLES BASED an area of ​​high temperature to melt at least a portion of the precious metal BASED dust and cooling the melt material to form essentially ESFERICO PRECIOUS METAL BASED ALLOY pARTICLE.
Secondary thyroidectomy can be complicated due to adhesions. This study evaluates the impact of two antiadhesive barriers on adhesion formation after subtotal thyroidectomy in a rat model. Twenty-eight Wistar alb ino rats were randomized into three groups after subtotal thyroidectomy. Dextran 70 was used in Group 1 (n =10), Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used in Group 2 (n =10), and the control group was Group 3 (n = 8). At postoperative day 14, surgical fields were scored regarding parameters including extent of fib rosis. All subjects in the control group (8 of 8), 6 of 10 subjects in the Dextran 70 g roup, and 3 of 10 animals in the PEG group had either filmy or dense adhesions. There was a significant difference in adhesion density scores (P<.05) between the PEG and control groups, whereas the difference between the Dextran 70 and control groups was not significant. Histopathological examination results showed significantly lower fibrosis scores in the PEG group compared to the Dextran 70 (p=0.001) and control groups (P<.05), wh ile there was no significant difference between the fibrosis scores of the Dextran 70 and control groups. The anti-adhesive barrier PEG significantly decreased adhesion formation after subtotal thyroidectomy.
The description of the new species Akera julieae is based on a complete specimen collected from southern California and three empty shells from Costa Rica. These specimens constitute the first record of Akera in the eastern Pacific. Akera julieae is distinguishable from the widespread Indo-Pacific species Akera soluta by its radular and jaw morphology; the radiidimi teeth of A soluta are more solid with larger cusps and flanking denticles, the mid-lateral teeth of A, soluta are denticulated. whereas in A. julieae they are smooth, and the outermost lateral teeth of A. julieae are proportionally more elongate and straighter than those of A. soluta; the jaws of A. soluta are well developed and composed of a number of rows of strong rodlets, whereas in A. julieae the jaws are more rudimentary with only five rows of fragile-looking rodlets. There are no consistent differences between these two species in gizzard plate and adult shell morphology, but the protoconch of A soluta is slightly larger and more elongate. The western Atlantic species Akera bayeri is distinguishable from A. julieae by having a more elevated shell spire and stronger radular teeth with denticles on all lateral teeth.
Each wafer dicing method of semiconductor wafer having a plurality of integrated circuit is disclosed. The method includes forming a mask on the semiconductor wafer. This mask, covering the integrated circuit, consisting of protection layers. Mask is patterned by the pulse train laser scribing process using a multi-pulse burst, is patterned mask having a gap obtained. By patterning, the area between the integrated circuits of the semiconductor wafer is exposed. The semiconductor wafer is then etched from the gap of the patterned mask, the integrated circuit is singulated.
Objective To research the safety of new adjuvant chemotherapy(NAC) with ATC regimen before operation and the influence to operation mode in patients with period Ⅱ or Ⅲ breast cancer,which can be cured by operation.Methods 3 period ATC project chemotherapy was given to 201 breast cancer patients in Ⅱ or Ⅲ period.The short-term curative effect and toxic reaction was evaluated.Results In all 201 cases,CR accounted for 148,PR for 42,RR for 190,PD for 0.The main toxic reactions were gstrointestinal tract stimulation(naupathia and vomit) and medulla restrain( leucopenia ) which can be improved by expectant treatments.Conclusions NAC with ATC regimen before operation is safe and feasible for breast cancer in Ⅱ and Ⅲ period.It can make the tumor reduce evidently,provide theoretical reference for the forecast of chemotherapy effort after operation,reduce clinical stages,reduce surgery area,improve the postoperative living quality of patients,increase survival rate.It is an important part of integration treatment for breast cancer.
Erich Gamma and Kent Beck introduce you quickly, yet thoroughly, to Eclipse, the emerging environment for software development. Instead of simply walking you through the actions you should take, Contributing to Eclipse, with its many sidebars, essays, and forward pointers, guides you through Eclipse. You will not just do. You will also understand.Whether you need to get up to speed immediately or want to better understand the design rationale behind Eclipse, Contributing to Eclipse is the Eclipse resource for you.
Burkholderia pseudomallei, the etiologic agent of melioidosis is a common cause of sepsis mainly in diabetic individuals in South East Asia. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) plays a pivotal role in modulating inflammatory balance in Gram-negative bacterial infections. In this study, we demonstrate that inhibition of GSK3β significantly improved survival of hyperglycaemic mice acutely infected with B. pseudomallei. With GSK3β inhibition, we found significant modulation between pro- (IL-12, TNF-alpha) and anti-inflammatory (IL10) serum cytokines which may have contributed to bacterial clearance in multiple organs of B. pseudomallei-infected hyperglycaemic mice. Concurrently, an increase in phosphorylation of GSK3β at Ser-9 was observed in the liver of B. pseudomallei-infected hyperglycaemic mice. Likewise, B. pseudomallei-infected non-hyperglycaemic mice upon GSK3β inhibition showed similar trends of bacterial clearance and modulation of serum cytokines; however, the effect of enhanced survival was less substantial than in infected hyperglycaemic mice. Taken together, we demonstrate that inhibition of GSK3β confers survival advantage of hyperglycaemic mice infected with B. pseudomallei and offers a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of diabetic patients with melioidosis.
BACKGROUND In 1989, Forsen introduced an inventory for psychological identification of breast cancer (BC) patients before biopsy. The associations between the Forsen inventory (FI) and the risk of BC are rarely considered together in a prospective study.   PATIENTS AND METHODS In an extension of the Kuopio Breast Cancer Study, 115 women with breast symptoms were semi-structurally interviewed in-depth and asked to complete standardised questionnaires (Beck, Forsen and Spielberger) and all study variables were obtained before any diagnostic procedures were carried out. The Montgomery-Åsberg depression rating scale (MADRS) was used to evaluate the depression of the study participants.   RESULTS The clinical examination and biopsy showed BC in 34 patients, benign breast disease (BBD) in 53 patients and 28 individuals were shown to be healthy (HSS). The BC group had more severe anxiety during a two-year prodromal period (4/34 patients, 11.8%) than the BBD (3/53 patients, 5.7%) and HSS groups (1/28 patients, 3.6%). The mean sum of the scores of the FI variables during a six-year prodromal period were significantly lower in the BC group (9.8) than in the BBD (11.8) and HSS groups (12.5). In addition, the women in the BC group tended to use more psychiatric medication during a six-year prodromal period (7/34 patients, 20.6%) than the patients in the BBD (7/53, 13.2%) and HSS groups (3/28, 10.7%).   CONCLUSION The results of this study support a very weak association between the FI and BC risk. However, the number of cases with psychiatric medications was insufficient to support statistically a specific link between psychiatric medications and increased BC risk.
At the dawn of a new millennium we find ourselves in a world in which centuries-old social institutions and practices such as a "rituals" are sometimes questioned in terms of their compatibility with modernization and development. What this essay questions is not the relevance of long-established ritual practices but rather certain received interpretations with respect to their meaning, especially those that are static and universal. Indeed, far from advocating that rituals are anachronistic, this essay argues that making ritual celebrations relevant to current and future needs not only ensures their survival but that the indigenous knowledge systems embedded in cultural formations may well provide the foundation for development. One of the primary and obvious problems facing students of the
Brassinosteroids(BRs),the plant steroid hormones,play important roles in regulating a wide range of plant growth and developmental processes.In absence of BRs,BKI1 acts negatively to inhibit the activity of BR receptor BRI1 in the plasma membrane; in the presence of BRs,BKI1 dissociates from plasma membrane and positively regulate BR signaling in cytosol.To further understand the function of BKI1,we used BKI1 as bait to screen Arabidopsis thaliana cDNA library and identified a new interacting peptide by yeast two-hybrid approach.BLAST search showed that the sequence of peptide was similar with parts of the N-terminus of ERD7.Bioinformatics analysis revealed that ERD7 was specifically expressed in plants and conserved in monocotyledon,dicots and lower plants.The interaction between the full-length ERD7 and BKI1 was confirmed via yeast two-hybrid and semi-in-vivo pull-down assay.Additionally,the subcellular localization of transiently overexpressed ERD7 and BKI1 was tested in the pavement cells of Nicotiana benthamiana,demonstrating that they could be co-localized in the cell membrane and cytoplasm.The identification of BKI1-interacting protein ERD7 is essential for further study on the regulation of BKI1.
Abstract : During two lunar eclipses, 15 March 1960 and 25 August 1961, simultaneous records of the lunar thermal emission at 1200 to 3100 mc were obtained with the 84-ft radio telescope of the USAF Sagamore Hill Radio Observatory. No change in lunar temperature was measured at either frequency during the eclipses. A simple straightforward method is described to convert antenna temperatures to average disk temperatures of the moon; the latter were found to be 230 K at 1200 mc and 223 K at 3100 mc. (Author)
The chemical composition of groundwater depends greatly upon rocks in contact with groundwater. The percolation of groundwater through subsurface rocks provides close contact with the lithologic environment, and this result in the dissolution of soluble minerals as it transports till it reaches an equilibrium point between dissolved and undissolved minerals. The principal water quality problem result from high salinity,enhanced iron, elevated SO4  2-, high nitrate concentration, excessive Ca2+ and Mg2+  which renders the ground water unsafe for various purposes. This study assesses both chemical and physical constituents of shallow wells in Iresa-Apa with a view to determining its quality and suitability for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Twenty four shallow well (water) samples were analyzed for different parameters based on standard laboratory procedures. The parameters include;  temperature, Electrical Conductivity (EC), power of Hydrogen (pH), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Hardness (TH), turbidity, alkalinity, Total Suspended Solids (TSS),  Total Solids (TS), Mg2+, Ca2+, K+, Na+, Fe2+, Cl-, NO3-, SO4  2- and PO4 3-. The results showed that the abundance of the cation and anion in the area occurred in the order Ca2+> Mg2+> Na+>K+>Fe2+ and Cl->NO3->SO4 2->F->PO43- respectively. The mean values of some parameters exceed the permissible level of World Health Organization standard while some are close to the threshold line. It is affirmed that the shallow water in Iresa-Apa is satisfactory for irrigation use, but unfit for domestic, industrial, and livestock management without treatment.
Due to the diversity and randomness of Chinese characters,it is difficult for offline hand-written Chinese character recognition to perform well when based solely on analysis of a single feature.In order to solve this problem,a multi-Agent based recognition method was proposed.It merges a variety of knowledge into a market-like model.A comprehensive approach using fuzzy rules to provide consultation and debate rules between Agents was also incorporated.With this proposed method,a multi-Agent offline hand-written Chinese character recognition system was constructed.Preliminary experimental results showed the effectiveness of this system.
The brief historical survey of the discovery of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) is followed by an account of the studies of LAB, since 1965 by many researchers named probiotics or biotherapeutic agents. However, as their action also involves certain antibiotic characteristics, the term "biotherapeutic bacteria" appears to suit them best. The favorable clinical effect of many LAB on various pathologic states in humans, especially in children, has now been positively demonstrated. Clinical success achieved by particular LAB in different pathologic conditions is described, with special reference to the scientifically verified effects of LGG, which has also been used in Croatia for the manufacture of fermented dairy products since 1998.
For parallel-operation characteristics with double fans in ventilation shafts,taking the ventilation system of Bao-Jishan Coal Mine as an example,method of using network simulation is applied to study the characteristics of ventilation network and fan.In terms of characteristics of ventilation network,the bigger the ratio of the resistance of public network to the resistance of return shaft,the larger ventilation pressure dropping.Besides,ventilation power renders the increase firstly then reduced regularity.As for characteristics of fan,the public ventilation pressure would be changed along with adjusting the working condition of the fan,also affecting the characteristics of another fan.If fan power increase,the ventilation power of public network will drop greatly,the working condition will move upside else.The result of study would be guidance for adjusting the ventilation system.
Summary The present paper addresses the problem of the per­ ception of irregular and regular amplitude changes of a sinusoidal signal. Thresholds of the two kinds of amplitude changes with respect to basic physical parameters of the signal have becn determined. The results of the investigation enable us to state that the magnitude of the changcs plays the most important role in amplitude changes occurring in the signal, The character of the changes, i.e. whether they are regular (periodic) or irregular (random), and the temporal order of successive changes affects the threshold values to a very insignificant extent. The influence of a number of independent physical param­ eters of the signal, such as the sound pressure level, the carrier signal frequency, or the modulation fre­ quency on differences in the values of the thresholds of regular and irregular amplitude changes has been analyzed. No statistically significant differenees were found in the thresholds due to these parameters.
We have developed a numerical method for solving the first-principles Bogoliubov--de Gennes equations which arise in connection with the density-functional theory for superconductors. It is a generalization of the linear muffin-tin orbital method for normal systems. As an illustration, we implement the method for the simple case of a bcc lattice with one atom per unit cell. We argue that such calculations may be useful in studying the high-temperature superconductors.
We are presenting this casebook on immigration law and policy from a social justice perspective. We believe that most law students interested in taking a course on immigration law have a social justice/public interest motivation. We think you are interested in representing immigrants facing deportation or who may fear deportation to their home country for social, economic, or political reasons. You also likely have a strong interest in the public policy debate over immigration visa reform, enforcement, or legalization because of the injustices you sense in current policies. Many instructors who teach immigration law (regular faculty members and adjunct professors) also come from a pro-immigrant perspective that regards the practice of immigration law squarely within social justice/public interest practice. We hope this casebook provides materials and a format that will enhance the classroom experience for students and instructors who approach the topic from that perspective.  The content and organization (outlined in the table of contents) is broad and contains new topics such as detention, public interest/rebellious lawyering theories, lessons for public interest lawyers, and background on migration, globalization, criminalization, and racialization of immigration law. Our goal is to inspire our public interest students, while providing a solid way to analyze immigration law through a political and social lens and the foundation to practice effectively. Our pedagogy combines standard cases, but also stories of the lives of immigrants, transcripts, training manuals, academic articles, news articles, and other tools that social justice lawyers use. Our rationale in editing cases is to hone in on the parts of the cases that are necessary for an understanding of the court’s rationale and some aspects of important dissenting opinions.  We know that most of you come to the course already inspired to do good, socially-inspired work. Much of what has evolved within the world of U.S. immigration law and policy will disappoint and leave you upset. But hopefully, we have asked the right questions and pointed in particular directions that can help us takes some steps forward in achieving justice for immigrants, refugees, and their families. Included here are the detailed outline of contents and the introductory chapter.
A small-scale physical modelling method was developed to investigate the pile bearing capacity and the soil displacement around the pile using transparent soil and particle image velocimetry(PIV) technique. Transparent sand was made of baked quartz and a pore fluid with a matching refractive index. The physical modelling system consists of a loading system, a laser light, a CCD camera, an optical platform and a computer for image analyzing. A distinctive laser speckle was generated by the interaction between the laser light and transparent soil. Two laser speckle images before and after deformation were used to calculate the soil displacement field using PIV. Two pipe piles with different diameters under oblique pullout loads at angles of 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90° were used in tests. The load-displacement response, oblique pullout ultimate resistances and soil displacement fields were then studied. The test results show that the developed physical modelling method and transparent soil are suitable for pile-soil interaction problems. The soil displacements around the pipe piles will improve the understanding on the capacity of pipe piles under oblique pullout loads.
An important concern in the field of speech recognition is the size of the vocabulary that a recognition system is able to support. Large vocabularies introduce difficulties involving the amount of computation the system must perform and the number of ambiguities it must resolve. But, for practical applications in general and for dictation tasks in particular, large vocabularies are required, because of the difficulties and inconveniences involved in restricting the speaker to the use of a limited vocabulary. This paper describes a new organization of the recognition process, Multilevel Decoding (MLD), that allows the system to support a Very-Large-Size Dictionary (VLSD)—one comprising over 100,000 words. This significantly surpasses the capacity of previous speech-recognition systems. With MLD, the effect of dictionary size on the accuracy of recognition can be studied. In this paper, recognition experiments using 10,000- and 200,000-word dictionaries are compared. They indicate that recognition using a 200,000-word dictionary is more accurate than recognition using a 10,000-word dictionary (when unrecognized words are included in the error rate).
1. A method of producing electrical steel strip with oriented grain (GOES), wherein the molten steel, doped silicon, is continuously cast into a billet having a thickness in the range of 50 to 100 mm, wherein the steel melt contains: - between 2.1 silicon % and up to 4.5% - 0.1% carbon - manganese between 0.02% and 0.5% - copper between 0.01% and 0.3%, - sulfur and / or selenium up to 0.04% - 0.07% aluminum, - up to 0.015% nitrogen, - optionally one or more elements selected from one or more "a-c" groups: a. titanium, vanadium, boron, tungsten, zirconium, niobium up to a maximum total of 0.05%, and b. tin, antimony, arsenic up to a maximum total of 0.15%, uc. phosphorus, bismuth up to a maximum total amount of 0.03% - the rest amount of the iron and inevitable impurities, in which the hardened preform is hot rolled in multiple unidirectional rolling stands to produce rolls of finished hot rolled strip having a thickness in the range of from 0 7 to 4.0 mm, in a sequence of operations comprising the sequential steps of: - cooling is carried out to the core of the solidified preform temperature not lower than 900 ° C, - homogenisation carried Zagot ki at a temperature in the range of 1000 to 1300 ° C - hold the first compression billet rolling at least 60% in two or more stages of rolling in the step of the rough rolling to obtain a rolled slab, wherein the step of rough rolling is composed of at least two unidirectional and successive roll stands, and wherein the reduction rate in the first roll stand is less than 40%, and wherein the time between successive rolling passes
The embodiment of the invention discloses a method and a device for downloading a software upgrading data packet. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a software upgrading resource list transmitted by an update server, wherein the software upgrading resource list comprises at least one piece of address information, and a software upgrading data packet is stored in a client corresponding to each piece of address information; in a point-to-point network, transmitting a first request message of downloading the software upgrading data packet to at least one client according to the address information; and receiving the software upgrading data packet transmitted by the client according to the first request message. A seed source capable of providing the software upgrading data packet is acquired by signaling interaction of the client with the update server, and needed data is downloaded from the seed source by the client. The software upgrading is performed by P2P and HTTP between universal clients, is suitable for the condition of high concurrency value of the terminal, occupies small exit bandwidth and reduces the bandwidth and load of the server. Meanwhile, the downloading speed of the software upgrading and the success ratio for the software upgrading can be improved, and the quality of service is improved.
AIM:To study expression and underlying regulation factor of PUMA during the early phase of liver regeneration in mice.METHODS:Liver regeneration model was produced by 70% partial hepatectomy(PH) in male C57/BL6 mice.Then the mice were sacrificed and the remanent livers were prepared.Hepatic PUMA expression were assessed at 7 different time points during the liver regeneration using real-time PCR,Western Blot and immunohistochemistry.Hepatic levels of p53 and Slug protein were also determined in this process by Western Blot.RESULTS:Hepatic PUMA mRNA decreased significantly 6-72 h after PH compared with that of control group(P0.05),which was coupled with the change of PUMA protein level.Hepatic p53 and Slug protein levels increased from 24 and 6 h after PH,respectively.CONCLUSION:During 72 h after PH in mice,PUMA repression was independent of p53,but might be associated with Slug,which PUMA may play a role in regulation of apoptosis in liver regeneration.
Health is an essential factor for human to live and development. However, with the develop- ment of the science and technology and the improvement of the penple's living standards, the lifestyles are changed, which leads to the occurrence of some modem diseases. The article explores the interre- lationship among lifestyles, physically active lifestyles and health in order to promote the public to fin- prove the quality of life and establish healthy, civilized and scientific physically active lifestyles.
A new specimen of the Casamayoran (conv. Lower Eocene) crocodile Sebecus icaeorhinus simpson, 1937, is described. The type of the divisaderan (conv. Upper I'ocene ) ilchunaia parca rusconi, 1946, is redescribed and provisionally assigned lo the sebecidae Family. The type of cynodontosuchus rothi smith woodward, j 896, from tbe middle Creuceous of neuquen province is revised and assigned to the baurusuchidae farnily. Finally, Thc taxonomic hierarchy of tbe crocodilia is discussed. As a consequence, the sebecosuchia are Proposed as a new infraorder category (Mesosuchia Suborder ).
The interaction of the labor market and of the market of educational services is socially very important. This type of interaction determines the development of a state as a complete system including all fields of activity. The initial stage of dynamic development and functioning of a state is a market of educational services. In the paper this market is treated as a starting point in forming competent, professional manpower on all education levels. Another market, which is not less important for the development of a state, is the one of manpower. The researchers note that functioning of all fields of activity in any state begins out of the relations that occur in the labor market. The work shows that only close interaction and competent regulation of the labor market and of the market of educational services allow solving problems of need for particular professional workers in accordance with social and economic development of the region.
A mathematical theory has been proposed to study the dynamic nucleation of crystals from melt at very high cooling rates (10(6) to 10(12) K/s). The mathematical framework is found to be isomorphic with the function space theory, wave and matrix mechanics embodying the mathematical genesis of quantum mechanics. This enables applicability of some approximate methods of the latter disciplines to the present domain. In principle, the mathematical apparatus of function space and matrix mechanics can be utilized to study the time varying nucleation process. The Arrhenius law has been used to extrapolate the self-diffusion coefficient as a function of temperature above the melting point to those below. Since, the applicability of Arrhenius equation at very high degrees of supercooling is not known and has to be substituted with appropriate constitutive relationship based on free volume theory of transport, the conclusion derived from the present analysis will change accordingly with respect to the certainty of crystalization.
This paper describes current progress in the development of a robot for locating patches of chemical deposited on the ground. It is envisaged that this form of chemical location will be useful for such tasks as verifying the effectiveness of decontamination and finding spills of nonvolatile chemicals. In many cases the approximate location of the chemical is known and the search extends outwards from this point. A number of biologically inspired algorithms are available for conducting this kind of search. The aim of this project is to implement these algorithms using a specially designed robot and in particular to investigate ways in which physical obstacles can be accommodated. The design of the searching robot TASTI 2, its search algorithms and the modifications to allow obstacle avoidance are described. In addition, results of simulations and practical experiments are presented.
In this paper we discuss PigSPARQL, a competitive yet easy to use SPARQL query processing system on MapReduce that allows adhoc SPARQL query processing on large RDF graphs out of the box. Instead of a direct mapping, PigSPARQL uses the query language of Pig, a data analysis platform on top of Hadoop MapReduce, as an intermediate layer between SPARQL and MapReduce. This additional level of abstraction makes our approach independent of the actual Hadoop version and thus ensures the compatibility to future changes of the Hadoop framework as they will be covered by the underlying Pig layer. We revisit PigSPARQL and demonstrate the performance improvement when simply switching the underlying version of Pig from 0.5.0 to 0.11.0 without any changes to PigSPARQL itself. Because of this sustainability, PigSPARQL is an attractive long-term baseline for comparing various MapReduce based SPARQL implementations which is also underpinned by its competitiveness with existing systems, e.g. HadoopRDF.
As a branch of art, handwriting is human's creation in the final analysis, so it is in essence the reflection of human's spirit. A work of calligraphy is the combination of the author' work and years of painstaking efforts. It is also the crystallization of the calligrapher's learning, moral standard and intelligence. The emotion expressed in the calligraphy work is a stable sensibility fostered under the natural temperament by culture quality as well as accumulation of knowledge in the long course of life. The personalization view in the calligraphy is compared as a certain of personality and moral quality so as to expatriate on calligraphy's spiritual meaning and artistic stage.
Thank you very much for downloading marsden hartley the biography of an american artist. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search numerous times for their chosen novels like this marsden hartley the biography of an american artist, but end up in infectious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some harmful virus inside their laptop.
Directed Light Fabrication (DLF) is a direct metal deposition process that fuses powder, delivered by gas into the focal zone of a high powered laser beam to form fully dense near-net shaped components. This is accomplished in one step without the use of molds, dies, forming, pressing, sintering or forging equipment. DLF is performed in a high purity inert environment free from the contaminants associated with conventional processing such as oxide and carbon pickup, lubricants, binding agents, cooling or cleaning agents. Applications using rhenium have historically been limited in part by its workability and cost. This study demonstrates the ability to fuse rhenium metal powder, using a DLF machine, into free standing rods and describes the associated parameter study. Microstructural comparisons between DLF deposited rhenium and commercial rhenium sheet product is performed. This research combined with existing DLF technology demonstrates the feasibility of forming complex rhenium, metal shapes directly from powder.
The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and management of complications of clandestine induced abortions at Kabondo Reference General Hospital in Kisangani City from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018. The study variables are age, obstetrical history, age of abortion, occupation, marital status, reason for admission, observed complication, treatment administered, length of hospital stay and discharge modality. Our sample is 138 cases and this study is descriptive transverse. The following results were obtained: the annual case average is 34 cases; the prevalence is 17.1%; the most exposed case age is between 15 and 24 years (71.2%); housewives and students are more exposed with respectively 38.4% and 34.1%; singles are more exposed with 69.6%; in relation to gestations, the primigest are the majority (31.9%) and the parity, the multiparas with 34.8%; the majority age of interrupted pregnancy (66.6%) is between 4 to 12 weeks; the reason for seeking consultation is genital hemorrhage (85.5%), the major complication of abortion is placental retention (72.5%); the type of treatment is utero tonic and antibiotics respectively 100% and 100%; the duration of hospitalization (91.3%) is 1 to 14 days and the mortality was 6.5%. The study recommends women's education in contraception and family planning, and especially a social policy to reduce the number of clandestine abortions.
MICHELLE SMOLER: Informal Institutions and Elite Corruption in Young Democracies (Under the direction of Milada Vachudova.) Over the last century the world has seen several waves of democratization in the developing world. Despite expectations, the quality of these democracies has in many cases disappointed citizens and political onlookers alike. Rather than resulting in accountable and responsive governance, many countries still report high levels of corruption, lowering voters’ trust and satisfaction with democracy. Research has sought to explain why democratic success or backsliding varies across countries, but has focused largely on formal institutions and their ability to constrain behavior, neglecting the role of informal rules and norms in influencing elite corruption in the long term. I argue that the quality of democratic governance following transition depends on the legacy of authoritarianera informal institutions. When ex-authoritarian elites assume positions of power under democracy, they reproduce the informal rules and norms that structured their past behavior. To the extent that these rules and norms support democracy, elites will pursue accountable governing practices. More often, however, authoritarian-era informal institutions are incompatible with democratic principles and will encourage elites to engage in corrupt, non-accountable behavior. I test my argument using a cross-sectional time series, focusing on young democracies in Europe, Latin America, and Africa. I find that informal institutions are an essential component in explaining quality of governance in young democracies.
Summary Safety and reliability validation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is not a trivial issue. Build at a low cost level a sufficiently detailed campaign in order to validate safety related and reliability related goals for an ADAS is very difficult, since this kind of systems can encounter an almost infinite number of situations. Now, this kind of systems tends to be more and more integrated in modern cars, what makes of the problem of ADAS validation an important stake. In the event of an accident, the manufacturer can be held legally responsible. In this context, the COVADEC project has started in the mid-2013. The COVADEC project aims to provide methods and techniques for automotive OEMs and suppliers who face these problems, while enhancing the global knowledge of automotive safety standard likes ISO 26262 applicability to design and validation of ADAS sensors, and shed light on its limitations, in order to propose solutions. This document presents a summary of the works realized within this project, with the met hard points and the solutions implemented to solve them.
Pharmacological clinical studies about beta-blocking agents provide profound insights into the effects of these kinds of drugs in adults. Very little research on children has been done up to now. The hydroalcoholic solution of a beta-blocking agent (Visken Sandoz) facilitated this research on children. This paper investigates the effects of a beta-blocking agent in 19 healthy children aged between 5 and 13 years: arterial blood pressure, heart rate, systolic and diastolic parameters were controlled. The children were examined before and after a 10 day therapeutical cycle in which Pindolol 250 gamma/kg/die was administered. Statistically significant variations were obtained for TD, TT, TT/TET, QTc, but no variation for heart rate, TET, SM, QA2, diastolic parameters and arterial blood pressure. It is supposed that negative chronotropic effect and hypotensive activity were found only in patients with an altered cardiac rate and with an altered arterial blood pressure respectively. The kinetics of the drug is also described and its easy pediatric utilization is underlined.
The integration of urban and rural education and balanced education are the most important issues for the education in China in the coming period.The efforts of educational reform for this issue has improved the situation but failed to reach the core of the problem.Only by focusing on balancing the most principal of the school-teachers and promoting the overall arrangement and configuration of the regional urban and rural teachers,the problem of balanced education can be broken through so as to solve the education fair and harmonious development issues fundamentally.
In the cracks contained in such materials as metals under the action of corrosive media, degrading polymers and ceramics (for example, HTSC-ceramics), gas-saturated rocks, etc., gas can be accumulated. It is important to be able to predict the behavior of cracks under such conditions. In metals, hydrogen is usually dissolved in the proton form. When reaching crack surfaces, protons recombine with electrons to form molecular hydrogen inside the cavity. Then the crack can propagate only under the excessive pressure of gas hydrogen accumulated inside the crack even with no external loading. An important example of diffusion-controlled fracture growth is given by hydrogen induced delamination of pipe-line coating. In this work, for a penny-shaped crack in an unbounded elastic medium and for a thin penny-shaped delamination under the surface of a halfspace, as well as for similar cracks-strips, in a uniform way – on the basis of the energy approach and with the use of Clapeyron theorem – kinetic equations are derived describing the growth of specified defects under gas diffusion into them. The analysis of the reasons leading to identity of the equations named, allows (under some conditions) to extend the results obtained for these problems to a number of other important cases: cracks on the interface of an adhesive joint of two pliable halfspaces with different mechanical and diffusion properties (with the interface being permeable as well as impermeable), the account of anisotropy, etc. It is shown, that exactly the same reasons (and under the same restrictions) make it possible to extend to the same cases the results obtained earlier for growth laws of a penny-shaped crack in an unbounded elastic medium versus laws of gas inflow into it as well. Introduction One of the models of crack growth as a gas is accumulated in the crack according to the diffusion mechanism (in what follows, a “diffusion” crack), which, for example, is typical of the process of structural steel hydrogenizing, was formulated and justified in [1] (different approaches are represented, for example, in [2, 3, 4, 5]). Later, in [6, 7, 8, 9, 10], this model was developed and generalized in different directions. In what follows, we analyze the derivation of the kinetic equations for this model, which allows for better understanding of the role and the action mechanism of its principal factors and also for showing the directions of extrapolation of the earlier results to different cases. Derivation of kinetic equations Let obtain kinetic equations for a penny-shaped crack in an infinite elastic space and for a circular crack, which is a delamination from the boundary of the half-space under gas diffusion into them (Фиг. 1) in a uniform way. First we derive expressions for the case of a gas influx into the crack. Since the problem on a pennyshaped crack in infinite space is symmetric about the crack plane z = 0 ([6], p. 828), it suffices to consider the problem in the half-space z  0. We assume that the process is quasistationary ([1]; [9], p. 120) and take the axial symmetry of the problem into account. Then, for the unknown gas concentration c(, z, t), where  is the radial coordinate in the cylindrical system of coordinates, in the half-space z  0, we obtain the mixed problem from the theory of harmonic functions:
With the advent of a new generation of instruments for synchronized measurements of vector electrical quantities (voltages and currents in power lines) it has become possible to implement linear state estimation algorithms. A further development of the method of control equations is proposed for linear estimation of state of electric power system components observed based on the data of synchronized vector measurements (SVMs). New algorithms for forming the control equations based on the SVM data are proposed, which are constructed by eliminating the nonmeasured variables or components of the state vector from the equations of electric circuits written in the Cartesian system of coordinates. In view of the linear nature of these equations, the obtained control equations are also linear. Algorithms for revealing gross errors in SVMs are presented together with estimate calculation algorithms with the use of linear control equations that allow a solution to be obtained within a single iteration. The serviceability of the developed algorithms is checked on a test configuration observed by measurements of synchronized vector quantities. The developed algorithms open the possibility to perform local state estimation of individual power system components (power stations, substations, and electric network areas) observed by SVMs in the online mode.
This paper investigated the temporal and spatial variation of O3,NOx and visibility,and further analyzed the share of mass and the extinction contribution of each aerosol species,based on the simulation of a typical complex pollution process over Pearl River Delta area through the air quality modeling system(MM5-CAMQ-SMOKE).The spatial and temporal distribution of photochemical smog markers,as well as processes of haze initiating,weakening,and intensifying,could be well simulated by this modeling system.The PM2.5 contributed 79.8% of the PM10 mass concentration.The number concentration of nuclei of aitken mode and accumulation mode was higher than that of the coarse mode on the order of 103~104.Of all the aerosol masses,the sulfate contributed the highest fraction(31%) of the PM2.5 concentration,while black carbon,organic carbon,ammonium,and nitrate contributed 21%,14%,7.2% and 2%,respectively.The extinction contribution of secondary aerosol was more than 50% under averaged relative humidity condition,and more than 70% under high relative humidity condition.Therefore,visibility deterioration in this case was mainly caused by fine particles generated during various chemical processes over the Pearl River Delta region.
The handicraft industry in the South of the Yangtze River,which had many new features,has became one of the most developed regions in the Yuan Dynasty.In structural system,the scale of Government-run handicrafts' agencies is lager than the previous generation,and it has local features;private handicrafts have stable structure while absorbed more labor,and emerged new forms.;in mode of operation,Government-run handicrafts expanded the production and refined the division of labor;private handicrafts developed from part-time to professional,and the wage labor developed further.
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of granulocyte colony stimulating factor(G-CSF) for HBV associated hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods Serum G-CSF were determined in 87 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),40 cases with chronic hepatitis B and 25 normal control cases by Luminex suspension array.The diagnostic value of G-CSF was assessed for HCC.Results The serum G-CSF levels of 3 groups were significantly different(F = 157.760,P = 0.000),and the mean level of G-CSF of HCC group was(1152.23±458.57)pg/ml,which was significant higher than chronic hepatitis B group's and normal control group's[(137.69±89.52)pg/ml,(111.04±49.42)pg/ml ;all P = 0.000)].No significant differences were observed in the G-CSF level between chronic hepatitis B group and normal control group.In addition,on subgroup analysis,the serum level of G-CSF showed significant differences between HCC subgroups(Ⅰa,Ⅰb,Ⅱa,Ⅱb,Ⅲa,Ⅲb),P = 0.037.The G-CSF area under the ROC curve was 0.998,and at the cut-off value of 256.00 pg/ml,the G-CSF diagnostic sensitivity was 98.9% and diagnostic specificity was 100.0% for HCC.Conclusion Increased levels of G-CSF are observed in patients with HCC,G-CSF is a good candidate tumor marker for HCC.
VEGF is a multifunctional glycosylated polypeptide secreted factors involved in tumor angiogenesis in a variety of cytokines,and it is a strongest,most specific angiogenic factor,which plays a big role in tumor development.MMPs is a class of extracellular zinc dependent proteolytic enzymes and can degrade the basement membrane,promoting tumor cell invasion and metastasis.The mutual regulation between the two plays a more important role in the occurrence and development of cancer,
Previous research has shown that the vast majority of cross-border mergers fail to produce surplus value, and therefore must be labeled as unsuccessful. Paradoxically, this form of internationalization is more popular than ever. In order to find out why certain mergers fail and others become successful, six merger cases - Royal Dutch/Shell, Enka-Glanzstoff (AKU), VFW-Fokker, Hoogovens-Hoesch (Estel), Reed Elsevier and British Steel (Corus) – have been selected for an in-depth study. These cases are studied from a historic angle, and by analyzing these six European mergers in an interdisciplinary manner it is possible to raise our understanding of the cross-border merger phenomenon. To determine which cross-border alliance can be considered a success or failure, this study looked at how a merger worked out for all stakeholders involved (i.e. shareholders, government, employees and consumers). From the six selected case studies, only the Royal Dutch/Shell merger can be regarded as a clear and lasting success. The Reed Elsevier merger was only partially successful. All the rest of the mergers were failures. This study analyses what drove these companies into a merger with a foreign partner. Secondly, by comparing the outcome of the case studies, it is possible to see how changes in the Dutch business system contributed or negatively affected the formation of bi-national alliances. Thirdly, this dissertation will explain why the majority of cross-border mergers end up as failures. Is the cultural mix as suggested by the Dutch sociologist Geert Hofstede the decisive factor, or is it pure economics that determines the outcome of a merger? How must we explain the fact that Anglo-Dutch mergers appear to be more successful than German-Dutch ones? This dissertation argues that there is no simple explanation for the success or failure or cross-border mergers. The study also shows that it is very difficult to learn from previous merger experiences, because the outcome of mergers relies highly on how markets and relationships with stakeholders develop after the merger. It also depends on what the new strategy will be, and if one succeeds in finding the most suitable integration model. Furthermore, the study shows that the institutional conditions can differ per period, business-sector and per case. Another conclusion that can be drawn is that in certain sectors cross-border mergers are more difficult to establish than in others. After having compared the results from the six case studies five general merger lessons have been drawn: 1. Cross-border mergers fail mainly because of rapid deterioration of market conditions in the years following the merger. 2. The vast majority of the mergers experience great difficulty benefiting from synergies and economies of scale and scope. The main reason is that managers are too optimistic about the future prospects of a merger and that the motives behind a merger are often wrong. 3. Because of differences in the national business system cross-border mergers are more likely to fail than national mergers. Four barriers (i.e. legal and political, organizational, geographical and communication and cultural) are identified. 4. What makes a cross-border merger so much more difficult to realize compared to a foreign takeover, is the absence of an undisputed dominant partner. 5. The search for the right organizational and integration model is a long and difficult one, and often results in boardroom conflict.
Objective To investigate the correlation of levels of leptin,IL-1,IL-10 and TNF-α with pregnancy induced hypertension.Methods Hypertension in pregnant rats were induced by injection of L-NAME.Blood pressure was recorded,furthermore the levels of urine protein,serum urea nitrogen,IL-1,IL-10 and TNF-α as well as leptin were detected.Results Pregnancy induced hypertension caused a high level of urine protein and serum urea nitrogen(P 0.01).Moreover,the levels of serum leptin,IL-1 and TNF-αconcentrations were increased significantly(P0.01),on the other hand,the level of serum IL-10 concentration reduced significantly(P 0.05).In addition,there was a positive correlation between levels of serum leptin and the levels of IL-1 and TNF-α,respectively,while a negative correlation between level of serum leptin and that of IL-10 was observed.Conclusion The changes and the interactions between leptin and cytokines might play an important role in the pathogenesis of pregnancy induced hypertension.
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The resonant external field-assisted Breit-Wheeler process (Oleinik resonances) for strong electromagnetic fields with intensities less than the critical Schwinger field has been theoretically studied. The resonant kinematics has been studied in detail. The case of high-energy initial gamma quanta and emerging ultrarelativistic electron-positron pairs is studied. The resonant differential cross section is obtained. The generation of narrow beams of ultrarelativistic positrons (for Channel A) and electrons (for Channel B) is predicted with a probability significantly exceeding corresponding to the non-resonant process.
Because most of the services that natural wetlands provide are nonexclusive, the economic value of these services is not capitalized into their market price. Because land markets tend to favor development of natural wetlands without recognizing the opportunity cost of natural wetland services forgone, the federal government has deemed it necessary to regulate wetland development. Enforcement of these regulations increases the cost and risk of wetland development, thereby reducing the market price of wetlands. Appraisers who value wetlands must consider the effect of these regulations on wetland values or face the possibility of liability claims and costly litigation.
The Bible describes God as a judge and warrior who sometimes uses humans to execute his judgment. These violent texts are difficult, especially when they meet the definition of the modern term “genocide.” And unfortunately, at points in history self-professing Christians have misappropriated such texts to justify genocidal campaigns. Fortunately, Scripture read as canon resists such misuse. Many texts teach God’s people how they should respond to the “other,” and it is never with violence. One such text is the book of Jonah. A literary reading of the book with an eye for intertextuality and with sensitivity to the contributions of liberation theology and post-colonialism reveals a prophet whose genocidal desire for the Ninevites’ destruction was so strong that if they lived, he preferred to die. God rebukes this attitude. Jonah functions canonically to direct God’s people away from hatred and toward compassion.
We analyzed clinically 30 germinomas (22 pure germinomas and 8 germinomas with syncytiotrophoblastic giant cell (STGC) and also investigated the proliferative potential of 18 germinomas immunohistochemically using MIB-1 monoclonal antibody in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded sections. The majority of patients responded favorably and completely to the treatment. Seven patients (four had germinomas with STGC and the other three had pure germinomas) suffered recurrence after a complete response to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. The patients with germinomas with STGC experienced recurrence significantly more often than those with pure germinomas (P < 0.01). Three of the patients died. The MIB-1 indexes of the germinomas ranged from 18% to 80%. The average MIB-1 index of pure germinomas is 58.5 +/- 17.3%, that of germinomas with STGC is 45.3 +/- 17.1%. There was no significant difference between the two groups. The MIB-1 indexes of 3 recurrent cases were 64.3%, 51.9%, and 20.8%, respectively. There were no significant differences in the MIB-1 indexes between nonrecurrent cases and recurrent ones.
1. A process for preparing a foaming composition comprising! contacting a supercritical fluid having a critical temperature of at least about 10 ° C, with an ingredient in the form of particles with a glass transition temperature above room temperature, said particulate ingredient comprises a plurality of internal voids; ! extract ingredient in particulate form at a temperature above the glass transition temperature of the particulate ingredient for a period of time effective to transfer fluid in the supercritical state, into the plurality of internal voids ingredient in particulate form; and! reducing the temperature to below the glass transition temperature of the particulate ingredient, thereby capturing at least a portion of the supercritical fluid in the plurality of internal voids ingredient in particulate form. ! 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising! fluid temperature increase in the supercritical state in order to improve the particulate ingredient a temperature above the glass transition temperature ingredient in particulate form; ! and lowering the liquid temperature in the supercritical state in order to reduce particulate ingredient a temperature below the glass transition temperature of the particulate ingredient. ! 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising! contacting the particulate ingredient with a continuous flow of fluid in a supercritical state. ! 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the supercritical fluid comprises at least one substance from carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, inert gases, hydrocarbons and halogenated hydrocarbons. ! 5. The sports c
Convergent Series rearrangement proceeds from the new series after the Convergence and Divergence and convergence rate problem.Obtained the following conclusions: Absolutely convergent series after rearrangement are convergent series;Absolutely convergent series rearrangement proceeds of a new class the number of convergence speed and convergence rate of the original series is not necessarily the same.
The Dmrt4gene was cloned from the ovary of Megalobrama amblycephala via using rapid amplification of cDNA ends(RACE)PCR.The relative expression of Dmrt4gene at different stages of embryonic and post-embryonic development,in different adult tissues,and at different stages of gonad in M.amblycephala were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR.The results showed that the Dmrt4gene in M.amblycephala contains at least two isoforms named Dmrt4aand Dmrt4b,respectively.The cDNAof Dmrt4awas 1 265bp encoding 352amino acids containing DM and DMA domains,and the cDNAof Dmrt4b was 1 081bp encoding 281amino acids containing DMA domain.The amino acids sequences of Dmrt4genes in M.amblycephala had high identities with that of Paralichthys olivaceus and Oreochromis aureus.The Dmrt4gene was expressed from embryo to 30dph(day post hatching) continuously and reached the peak at 32hpf(hour post fertilization),the gene expression in ovary was significantly(P0.01)higher than in other adult tissues,and the gene expression at StageⅡof the ovary was significantly(P0.01)higher than that of other ovary stages and the testis stages,suggesting that the Dmrt4gene may play a vital role in primary oocytes and female gonad development in M.amblycephala.
Combining the casting with simple geometric shape,the filling process of top-pouring system was numerically simulated.The results indicate that filling process is very unstable,molten metal is spurt to fill the mold cavity;effect of pressure head of sprue is not obvious and temperature distribution of the casting is uniform for impact of drastic vortex.These characteristics agree well with those of real top-pouring gate system.
Wafer-scale, CMOS compatible graphene transfer has been established for device fabrication and can be integrated into a conventional CMOS process flow back end of the line. In Part I of this paper, statistical analysis of graphene FET (GFET) devices fabricated on wafer scale is presented. Device yield is approximately 75% (for 4500 devices) measured in terms of the quality of the top gate, oxide layer, and graphene channel. Statistical evaluation of the device yield reveals that device failure occurs primarily during the graphene transfer step. In Part II of this paper, device statistics are further examined to reveal the primary mechanism behind device failure. The analysis from Part II suggests that significant improvements to device yield, variability, and performance can be achieved through mitigation of compressive strain introduced in the graphene layer during the graphene transfer process. The combined analyses from Parts I and II present an overview of mechanisms influencing GFET behavior as well as device yield. These mechanisms include residues on the graphene surface, tears, cracks, contact resistance at the graphene/metal interface, gate leakage as well as the effects of postprocessing.
The present paper deals with the geometrid moth composition and fauna in Ziwu mountain of East Gansu. A total of 75 species,6 1 genera of geometrid moths were identified,of which 2 4species were new records in Gansu province appertained.A preliminary fauna analysis of our materials showed that7species appertained the to the Oriental Region,making up 9.3% of our collection;46 species blonged to the Palaearctic Region,making up6 1 .3% of the total and other2 2 species representing about2 9.3% of the total materials scattering widely in the two regions mentioned above.
Confluent human retinal pigmented epithelial cells were cultured on microcarrier beads in the presence of 5.6 or 26 mmol/l glucose with or without the aldose-reductase inhibitor Sorbinil (200 microM) for 2 wk. At the end of the incubation period, perchloric acid extracts were prepared and analyzed by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. As assessed by this method, the phosphorylated metabolites of cells incubated with 5.6 or 26 mmol/l glucose differed significantly in the concentrations of a number of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-conjugated monosaccharides, which were elevated two- to threefold in cells incubated in 26 mmol/l glucose over control samples. The affected metabolites were identified (through a series of spiking experiments) to be UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine, and UDP-glucuronic acid. Coincubation of the cells with Sorbinil 200 microM in the presence of 26 mmol/l glucose had no effect on this accumulation. Under normal circumstances, these molecules selectively and sequentially are incorporated into the polysaccharide chains of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), whose presence and distribution in the basement membranes is affected adversely by diabetes mellitus. These data suggest that the availability of the monosaccharide precursor is not the rate-limiting step for GAG synthesis in the presence of pathologic glucose concentrations. Thus, the lost GAG content in the basement membranes of diabetic patients may be caused by changes elsewhere in the biosynthesis and/or catabolism of the polysaccharide-linked protein molecules.
In the stochastic exploration of geometrically embedded graphs, intuition suggests that providing a shortcut between a pair of nodes reduces the mean first passage time of the entire graph. Counterintuitively, we find a Braess paradox analog. For regular diffusion, shortcuts can worsen the overall search efficiency of the network, although they bridge topologically distant nodes. We propose an optimization scheme under which each edge adapts its conductivity to minimize the graph's search time. The optimization reveals a relationship between the structure and diffusion exponent and a crossover from dense to sparse graphs as the exponent increases.
Textile industry is one of the oldest and largest sectors in India. The exports for the year 2007-08 stood up to $20.5 billion. Even it is a value adding industry, it has several environmental impacts causing land and water pollution with toxicity. Effluent sludge waste management becomes a big problem nowadays. Except engineered landfills, rest of the methods for dumping, leads ground water contamination and there by other socio-economic impacts. Many studies have been conducted in this area and reported that the pollution level is high in ground water and nuisance due to dumping in the treatment plant area premises. There is a growing need to find alternative solutions for the sludge management. In the present study, an attempt has been made to utilize the textile ETP sludge (dry) in making of construction materials. Even to analyze the sludge, process variables for particular sludge generation can be studied. For inducing strength materials like fly ash, silica fume can be used. Textile sludge was incorporated in fly ash brick manufacturing and it was observed that with increase in sludge content, there is a decrease in compressive strength of bricks. Pulverized and sieved bricks show better compressive strength when compared with pulverized form and grinded form. There is increase in compressive strength with increase in sand, fly ash, cement and quarry dust proportion.
We investigate the coupling characteristics in dual-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with elliptical air holes and their applications in the construction of polarization splitters by use of a full-vector beam propagation method. The numerical simulation results indicate the possibility of realizing a polarization splitter with an extinction ratio better than -20 dB at 1.55 microns and a total length of only 1.651 mm. It is also revealed that the total length of the polarization splitters can be further reduced by properly doping the core regions of the PCFs.
Synthetic hectorites were hydrothermally crystallized with direct incorporation of water-soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a cationic polymer poly(dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA), and two cellulosic polymers: hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC). The molecular weight of polyvinyl alcohols had little effect on the success of hydrothermal hectorite synthesis, d-spacing, or amount of polymer incorporated; the basal spacings range from 19.5 {angstrom} to 20.8 {angstrom} and the percent of polymer incorporated ranges from 20.4 wt% to 23.0 wt%. Synthetic PDDA-hectorite displays the lowest d-spacing at 15.8 {angstrom}, and less cationic PDDA is incorporated into hectorite (7.8 wt% organic) than the other neutral polymers (17.8-23.0 wt% organic). The basal spacing for synthetic HPMC-hectorite is the largest at 25.2 {angstrom}. Small angle neutron scattering was used to further examine the PVA-clay systems.
technology acceptance grows, there is a need for software engineering approaches to deal with the design of large, complex multiagent applications. Currently, existing approaches work well for small systems but are not well suited for large, complex applications. Thus, we propose extending multiagent approaches with service-oriented principles to simplify the design of such systems. Our approach composes small multiagent-based services to build larger, more complex applications. This paper introduces the key concepts required to design reusable multiagent services and shows how the services can be composed to create complex multiagent applications.
Sole structure for footwear, including athletic footwear covers the lightweight foam midsole component, and (b) a midsole component selected area of ​​for supporting (a) a foot, more multiple including heavy and / or high-density cage parts from. Space is provided between the cage parts. These spaces, so as to correspond to and / or defining a foot flexion lines, and / or more to provide the sole natural movement of flexion is determined size, molded and may be directed. Saul, additionally, for example cage part and / or on the bottom surface of the foam midsole may include one or more outsole part. These sole structure may Upper engage to form a shoe. Upper may include one or more cord receiving opening is supported by an elongated wire or fabric parts. Method of making a footwear comprising such upper and / or the sole structure is also described.
Romanian Abstract: Tipurile de personalitate ale indivizilor sunt parte a comportamentului uman. Cea mai importantă intrebare care creează un anumit tip de comportament, fiind intotdeauna o temă de analiză in acest domeniu, se referă la modalităţile de implicare si motivare a personalităţii indivizilor. In analiza echipei de muncă sunt apreciate caracteristici precum cooperarea intre membri, recunoașterea valorilor indivizilor, competență și loialitate. Imagine pozitivă și cooperarea, determinante, reprezintă imaginea pe care fiecare membru al echipei și o creează fata de parteneri si echipă. English Abstract: Types of personality of individuals are part of human behavior and is the most important question that creates a specific kind of behavior, and is always a theme of the analysis and question for a lot of specialists in this field who are experiencing and studying this field. In the analysis team relationship and the objectives to be carried out, can all be found confidence, and acceptance, cooperation between the members, the recognition values individuals, competence and loyalty. Positive image and cooperation represents the image that each member of the team and she creates front of partners and the team as the form that determines behavior.
Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) utilizes non-ionizing energy to obtain structural/functional information with high spatial resolution and sensitivity. Heterogeneous absorption of optical energy in biological tissues results in differentially expressed acoustic signals yielding spatial/temporal information. A critically underdeveloped area in PAT is the development of contrast agents. Goldcontaining nanoparticles can be a good choice due to their high bio-compatibility, low toxicity, and high feasibility of surface modification/conjugation. Here we present a broad evaluation of gold nanosphere with diameters 2-60nm for PAT contrast agents at ~550nm. The acoustic signal enhances with increasing size. Encapsulation of gold nanospheres using liposomes shifted optical absorption to > 600nm with increased enhancement. The highest contrast enhancement was obtained for 5nm-Au and 30nm-Au nanosphere encapsulated in PDA. Future work focuses on modifying the liposome for in-vivo targeted delivery.
Main Headings Basic Elements Biology of Peritoneal Membrane Update on Peritoneal Dialysis Solution Sodium and Water Homeostasis Chronic Inflammation in Peritoneal Dialysis Peritoneal Dialysis: Adequacy Issues and Beyond Reviews in Peritoneal Dialysis Peritoneal Dialysis: A Therapy for Uremia and Beyond Transplantation and Peritoneal Dialysis Transplantation and Beyond Automated Peritoneal Dialysis New Technologies.
The electromagnetic (EM) scattering of the highly conducting cylinder is considered. It is seeing that an actual conductor is generally the highly conducting ones. The electric field integral equation (EFIE) of an arbitrarily shaped two-dimensional (2-D) highly conducting cylinder is the Fredholm integral equation of the second kind. The EFIE is changed into the Fredholm matrix equation of the second kind when the method of moment (MOM) is applied to the EFIE. A fast recursive and iterative algorithm is presented in this paper. To obtain the surface current distributions of the highly conducting cylinder at a given frequency or angular, the Fredholm matrix equation of the second kind is firstly fast calculated using Lanczos technique, and then the surface current distributions of the highly conducting cylinder at an arbitrarily frequency or angular in the interesting frequency or angular bands are obtained using AWE technique. The broadband or broad-angular responses of the mono-static radar cross-section (RCS) of an arbitrarily shaped two-dimensional highly conducting cylinder is predicted based on the surface current distributions. It was observed that the Lanczos-AWE technique could speed greatly up calculation of MOM.
The invention discloses a lamp cap of a highlight searching lamp, which comprises a reflection cup and a bulb assembly, wherein the bulb assembly is fixed at the bottom of the reflection cup, and the bulb assembly comprises a bulb and a lamp holder, wherein the lamp holder is provided with a hollow fixed cavity, and the bulb is clamped and connected in the fixed cavity through a quick assembling and disassembling mechanism. The lamp cap of the highlight searching lamp provided by the invention has no need of using a disassembling tool, quick assembly and disassembly of the bulb and convenient use.
Today, a trend towards agile software development approaches can be observed caused by shortened product lifecycles and the striving to optimize time to market. As a consequence, traditional plan-driven approaches are more and more forced to take a back seat in development processes producing products for rapidly changing markets. This thesis discusses the idea of deferring design decisions in plan-driven software development approaches and advocates the adoption of techniques supporting such concepts. At this, an experiment is conducted taking a journey as metaphor for a software development project. The results of it essentially corroborate the thesis that software projects can benefit from the use of design decision deferring techniques. In addition to that, it fortifies the assumption that such techniques reduce the amount of project plan adjustments in case of conflicts caused by unforeseen events.
Cinovec hard rock process Cinovec's hard-rock lithium will have lower production costs than so-called traditional spodumene mines, Keith Coughlan, European Metals managing director, told IM. Pegged to the German border in the historic Cinovec-Zinwald mining district and 100 km from Prague, Cinovec is at the heart of the European car manufacturing industry, having BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, Volkswagen, Daimler in Germany, Skoda and A123 nearby. The construction of new battery factories in Europe - with LG's...
For work in which reflecting mirrors (or facets (31)) to be mounted on a heliostat 3 coincide with a pseudo toroid (53), an adjustment method of, and a mounting posture measuring device for, accurately measuring mounting postures of the respective facets (31) are provided for performing mounting adjustment efficiently and simply. In a method of installing the reflecting mirrors (or the facets (31)) constituting the heliostat 3 for sunlight condensation, each facet (31) is installed in such so that a reflected laser beam (52) reflected by the facet 31 can reach a virtual passage point (52b) in a laser point measuring unit (12).
Objective To investigate expression and clinical significance of SHP-1 in thyroid carcinoma tissue.Methods We collceted clinical thyroid carcinoma tissue as the research object with control of the corresponding pananeoplastic tissues,nodular goiter tissue and normal thyroid tissue.We used immunohistochemical techniques to detect the different expression of SHP-1 protein of the four kinds of tissue.Results the positive rate of expression of SHP-1 in thyroid carcinoma was 100%.It was more than that in corresponding pananeoplastic tissue,nodular goiter tissue and normal thyroid tissue(P0.05).Four types of thyroid carcinoma tissue expressed SHP-1 all.The sensitivity of positive expression of SHP-1 was 100% and the specificity was 27.78%,when we analysed the different expression between the thyroid carcinoma group and the nodular goiter group further.At the same time,we founded that the strong positive rate of expression of SHP-1 in thyroid carcinoma group was higher than others(P0.01).Conclusion The abnormal higher expression of SHP-1 in thyroid carcinoma tissue could be related with the incidence of thyroid carcinoma closely.Although SHP-1 protein couldn't be expected to become a diagnosis marker,the strong positive expression of SHP-1 may be helpful for the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma.
The safety and effectiveness of the tubal ring for tubal occlusion were assessed for 568 laparoscopy and 199 minilaparotomy procedures. With both procedures the complication rates were minimal and laparotomy was not required to treat any of the complications. Among the 336 laparoscopy patients who have been followed for 6 or more months (0.6%) pregnancies have occurred. No pregnancies have been reported for the 147 minilaparotomy patients who have been followed up for a similar length of time. The tubal ring technique appears to be a safe and effective procedure when used at laparoscopy or minilaparotomy. (Authors modified)
The LDLR family of receptors mediates the uptake of lipoprotein particles, and is essential for cholesterol homeostasis. The LDL receptor-related protein 1 (LRP-1) mediates internalization of a large number of diverse ligands and is widely implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Clusters of complement-type ligand binding repeats (CRs) in the LDL receptor family are thought to mediate the interactions between these receptors and their various ligands. Apolipoprotein E, a key ligand for cholesterol homeostasis, has been shown to interact with LDLR, LRP and VLDLR, through these clusters. LDLR and VLDLR each contain a single ligand-binding repeat cluster, whereas LRP contains three large clusters of ligand binding repeats, each with ligand binding functions. In order to study smaller units of these ligand binding clusters we have engineered a new approach to express and refold complement repeat (CR) domains in E. coli. This successfully produced high yields of refolded protein with the benefit of inexpensive isotope labeling for NMR studies. We have expressed a subdomain of sLRP3 (CR16-18) that has previously been shown to recapitulate ligand binding to the isolated receptor binding portion of ApoE (residues 130-149). Binding experiments with the ApoE recognition region of LDLR (LA3-5) and CR16-18 showed that each CR could interact with ApoE(130-149) and that a conserved W25 /D30 pair within each repeat appears critical for high affinity. The triple repeat LA3-5 showed the expected interaction with the lipid complexed ApoE(1-191)*DMPC, but surprisingly CR16-18 did not interact with this form of ApoE. To understand these differences in ApoE binding affinity, we introduced mutations of conserved residues from LA5 into CR18, and produced a CR16-18 variant capable of binding ApoE(1-191)*DMPC. This change cannot fully be accounted for by the interaction with ApoE's proposed receptor binding region, therefore we speculate that LA5 is recognizing a distinct epitope on ApoE that may only exist in the lipid bound form. The combination of avidity effects with this distinct recognition process likely governs the ApoE-LDL receptor interaction. Since even the strongest interaction between ApoE(130-149) and a single repeat (CR17) was relatively weak, we constructed a CR17- ApoE(130-149) fusion protein to stabilize the interface for structural studies. The structure revealed a motif seen previously in all ligand CR interactions, in which lysine residues of the ligand interact with the calcium binding site of the CR. Like many ligands of CRs ApoE(130- 149) binds as a helix, but with an unexpected turn at H140. These studies also revealed that little structural rearrangement occurs within CR17 upon binding. In addition, dynamics measurements of the free and bound CR17 reveal that certain regions become more ordered, while others become less ordered upon binding. The cytoplasmic tail of LRP, containing two NPXY motifs, has been implicated in the onset of Alzheimer's disease. To examine the intracellular interactions of LRP, as well as to separate which proteins bind to each NPXY motif and their phosphorylation dependence, each NPXY motif microdomain was prepared in both phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms and used to probe rodent brain extracts for binding proteins. Proteins that bound specifically to the microdomains were identified by LC-MS/MS, and confirmed by western blot. Recombinant proteins were then tested for binding to each NPXY motif. The NPXY₄₅₀₇ (membrane distal) was found to interact with a large number of proteins, many of which only bound the tyrosine-phosphorylated form. This microdomain also bound a significant number of other proteins in the unphosphorylated state. Many of the interactions were later confirmed to be direct with recombinant proteins. The NPXY₄₄₇₃ (membrane proximal) bound many fewer proteins and only to the phosphorylated form
BACKGROUND Although pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is the most common manifestation of tuberculosis, extra pulmonary tuberculosis(EPTB) has equal significance. Among the extra pulmonary manifestations, tubercular lymphadenitis (TBL) is the most common form.   OBJECTIVES To perform PCR on fine needle aspirates of lymphnode by using hupB gene as target. To compare the sensitivity and specificity of PCR with culture, cytology, serology and clinical response to therapy.   MATERIAL & METHODS After processing the samples by Universal Sample Processing(USP) method,two step nested PCR was performed using two sets of primers (N1S1 & CTFR) of hupB gene. All patients were put on ATT and were followed up for two months. The response to therapy was considered as the gold standard in our study.   RESULTS The PCR assay for hupB gene was positive in 85 patients. Of these, 82% patients showed infection with M. tuberculosis, 1% was positive for M. bovis and 2% showed coinfection with both M. tuberculosis and M. bovis. The PCR assay of hupB gene in our study showed a sensitivity of 87.4% and specificity of 66.7%.   CONCLUSION PCR assay for hup B gene is a rapid means of diagnosis of tubercular lymphadenitis.
Eye detection is required in many applications, like iris detection, video conferencing, face detection and face recognition etc. In this paper it states that A Study of Eye Detection Using Retinal & Pixels in Image Processing (MATLAB).We give the name retina because retina is most important part of eyes and whenever we don't know about retina we cant do the work very well, also pixels is the second most important part of this paper. We can try to use all the work which is base upon the retina & pixels implement in (MATLAB). In our thinking MATLAB is the heart of Image Processing, various types of coding we can do it and or can creates the programs using it. Like Histogram Equalization, Image Transformation, Blurring, Filtering, Canny's Method etc. Located all these information only for importance study of MATLAB. Retina is innermost membrane of the eye, which lines the inside of the wall's entire posterior portion. When the eye properly focused, light from an object outside the eye is imaged on the retina. A pixel is something that captures the notion of "intensity" and possibly "color". So focusing of pixels notification's and retina's position distances we can try to complete the work.
The present invention discloses a cooling system for the server apparatus and the liquid-cooled cold natural cooling binding apparatus, comprising a liquid-cooled server cabinet, said liquid cooling cabinet and a server cabinet includes a cabinet provided in the machine cabinet within the cabinet a plurality of liquid-cooled server, liquid cooling means which is provided with a liquid-cooled server direct liquid cooling, natural cooling is also provided with an auxiliary cold water cooling device. The present invention is a high-density refrigerant, heat transfer efficiency, low energy consumption, solves local hot spots, small footprint, high reliability, low noise, and long life.
Decisions made during the building process have the opportunity to both inform the next set of decisions and provide unexpected and possibly positive features in the final project. Thus, working beyond the minimum definition at each size will provide a more rich environment for the next... This thesis proposes to investigate those decisions both analytically and synthetically. In volume one, construction phases are established and a set of physical system options is assigned to each. The next task of the thesis is to assemble these systems in multiple, thus discovering both the intrinsic behaviors of the system as well as its means of exchange with other systems. These parallel systems investigations will then provide the background for the final task of this thesis: volume two, a practical application of the methodology in an architectural project.
The utility model provides a multi-shaft box with a main shaft assembly capable of being integrally installed and dismounted, which comprises a box body, wherein the hole diameter of a bearing hole arranged at the lower end inside the box body is larger than that of a bearing hole arranged at the upper end, a thrust ring is arranged in the bearing hole of the lower end, the main shaft assembly is arranged in the bearing holes, a bearing end cover used for fixing the main shaft assembly is arranged at the outer port of the bearing hole of the lower end, the main shaft assembly consists of a gear and bearings, the gear is sheathed on the middle part of the main shaft, and the bearings are sheathed on both ends of the main shaft. When the multi-shaft box with the main shaft assembly capable of being integrally installed and dismounted of the utility model is used for processing the box body, the one-step positioning can be realized, and two cutters with different sizes can be used for processing the bearing holes of both ends. The main shaft assembly is arranged in the multi-shaft box as one sub assembly, and is fixed by the shaft end cover. Thereby, for split main shaft assemblies, the main shaft can also reach the high-grade precision through the bearing pre-tightening technology. When the rotating precision of the main shaft is reduced, the bearing end cover can be dismounted, and the main shaft assembly is integrally dismounted from the multi-shaft box for maintenance to recover the precision.
The key theme of the article is the celebration of the Year of Russian history at the university. The jubilee events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War 1812 are a part of the whole system of patriotic education of the students. The celebrations are aimed at the attracting attention of youth to the history of Motherland, serious and careful studying of its great past. The important course of work is counteraction to falsifications of the modern Russian history.
Renal lesions of rats induced by antibodies to cultured rat glomerular epithelial cells (GEC) and mesangial cells (GMC) were studied. Antibodies to cultured rat GEC and GMC were produced by immunization of rabbits with GEC and GMC respectively. The rats injected with anti-GEC antibody showed a small amount of urinary protein, glomerular deposition of rabbit IgG and subepithelial dense deposits observed by electron microscopy. Proteinuria was suppressed in the rats in which complement was depleted with cobra venom factor. Western blot analysis demonstrated a band of 200 KD in GEC lysates reacted with anti-GEC antibody. The rats injected with anti-GMC antibody showed little urinary protein, glomerular deposition of rabbit IgG and mesangial dense deposits. Western blot analysis demonstrated two bands of 43 and 14 KD in GMC lysates reacted with anti-GMC antibody. These data showed that the injection of anti-GEC antibody or anti-GMC antibody induced similar lesions to passive Heymann nephritis and anti Thy 1.1 nephritis. This study suggested that antigenicity of structural glomerular cells is important as the antigens of glomerulonephritis.
Objectives and Overview Understanding the Complexity and Dynamic Nature of Real World Social Problems I Methodology Understanding the Complexity and Dynamic Nature of Real World Social Problems II Examples Monitoring and Evaluating a Problem's State and Course What is a Problem-Solution? Identifying Policies and their Relative Importance Limits to Problem-Solving Can More Specific and Detailed Policies be Identified? Obtaining Verifiable Predictive Inferences and Prognoses Brief Examples of Dynamic Structures of Complex Problems The Long-Term Solution of Complex Social Problems Themes of Policy Analysis and Problem-Solving - A Summary
This paper empirically parallels two approaches: The first one follows the studies of Halicioglu (2009), Jalil and Mahmud (2009), and Jayanthakumaran et al. (2012) which attempt to introduce energy consumption and trade into the environmental function (related carbon dioxide ‘CO2’ emissions to Gross Domestic Product ‘GDP’); whereas the second approach extends the single work of Hossain (2011) which attempts to introduce urbanization as a means to circumvent omitted variable bias. For 11 Middle East and North African (MENA) countries over the period 1980-2009, the empirical results appear to be relevant in light of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) literature based on the cointegrated and causal relationship. Policy implications indicate that: i) more energy use, higher GDP and greater trade openness tend to cause more CO2 emissions; ii) the inclusion of urbanization in the environmental function improves the final results and positively affects the pollution level; and iii) MENA countries should search the best policy which can stabilize the rise of growth GDP and trade openness, and which can also control the continuous increase in the use of energy.
During the 19805, critical regionalism emerged as a reaction to the optimising thrust of modernism. An interesting parallel development, however, can be identified in Copenhagen a hundred years earlier. Through a study of the history of the sidewalks of Copenhagen, sources revealed how a global technology had been adopted and adapted to create a local solution for the city. In the industrialised world, street form changed radically in the second half of the nineteenth century. Cities grew, traffic volumes increased and sewer systems were installed. To cope with these changes different options for the layout of sidewalks were proposed in Copenhagen. The options were not exclusive to the city, and in fact examples of these options, dating from the period, can be seen in cities across Europe and North America. But from these different technological solutions one was adopted and has been adapted and maintained to the present day. This layout is now considered a distinctly local solution. Similarly, other cities in Europe have sidewalk layouts now considered as part of their regional tradition. The original rationale/ design choices of materials and layout are easily overlooked, but it is important to examine their emergence and development over time in order to understand the local urban environment in its proper global context.
This article is a profile of Nat Ford, the director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. The agency’s responsibilities include the largest trolley fleet in the country, as well as light rail vehicles, diesel buses, alternative fuel vehicles, historic streetcars, cable cars and parking. Ford assumed his job in June of 2006 and found that the budget was already three months overdue. The deficit was growing, rising from $50 million the year he arrived to $66 million the next. His first step was to examine the revenue streams, which showed a lag in collecting parking monies, which he immediately eliminated. Ford is also operating under a voter-passed mandate requiring an on-time performance (OTP) rate of 85 percent. He initiated a transit effectiveness project (TEP), the first comprehensive analysis of the Muni system in 30 years. It identified the busiest corridors and travel times in key places. One key finding was the large role of boarding and alighting times, which accounted for 20 percent of travel time. Plans have been made for four different types of service, reflecting four different types of demand. Realignments of personnel, including greater use of parking control officers in other parts of the agency and steps to reduce driver turnover, are outlined. Additional elements of the agency are discussed
Positively addressing and resolving staff grievances within a school is imperative for effective schooling and leadership. Often overlooked in Grievance Procedures is a behaviour that is creating significant concerns, but when recognised it is often associated with and mistaken for bullying. This concept, and associated behaviours (e.g. patterns of multiple unrelated negative interactions with others) belongs to the ogre. Ogre behaviours are not well understood because the focus in recent years has been on bullying research that is overt in its nature, rather than ogre research that is systematically covert, and may include deeper psychopathological underpinnings. This leaves a significant research gap that fails to address the relationship between the desire for power/authority in the workplace, ogre behaviours, and data on the extent to which negative interactions by ogres may be influenced by personality. Furthermore, a gap also exists that clarifies how individual perceptions may contribute to ogre behaviours, and explain how Grievance Procedures may contribute to the reinforcement of ogre behaviours.  Content and Leximancer Analysis are two useful methodological tools which, when used in tandem, can specifically assist in addressing these gaps by increasing our understanding of the process/es undertaken to positively resolve ogre initiated grievance in terms of procedures, roles of individuals and outcomes in line with policy. Content and Leximancer Analysis were used to review formal procedures and archival files between the periods of 1973 until 1987 from a secondary school secure repository in Tasmania. Content Analysis was used to capture broad themes (i.e., concern relating to industrial/wage entitlements, behaviour/action of an individual, and negative interactions between 2 or more people), essences, and concepts common in archived formal grievance files; this led to identifying incidents in terms of their nature and severity. Leximancer Analysis was used to look at key ideas, concepts, and common words mandated by organisational human resource policy; this assisted in assessing whether appropriate procedures and processes were followed leading up to positive resolution of ogre initiated grievances.  Content Analysis revealed that disputes regarding behaviours (e.g., harassment) appeared to have been resolved within five working days and, required no further action from school leadership. However, Leximancer Analysis identified that the Grievance Procedure in this school had a focus on producing measurable outcomes (e.g., reducing the harassment) rather than solutions (e.g., restoring an effective working relationship after harassment has ceased). Content Analysis allowed for a multi-layered consideration as it assisted in unpacking the grievance in terms of behaviour, and Leximancer Analysis provided a clear link in identifying how outcomes were achieved in line with policy and whether they resulted in positively resolving the grievance. Content Analysis in this research is guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), and consequentially strengthened by enhancing the validity and reliability of the analysis.  Even though this research did not unanimously indicate that there is an ability to identify ogres in the workplace within retrospective archival research, it did outline the importance of considering each concern on its merit and type, rather than expecting that the same reaction to concerns will provide solutions. Consequently, a risk framework has been developed to support the early identification of ogres in the workplace with two further recommendations from this research presented in the final chapter. The first of these recommendation is to develop a global definition of ogre behaviour, and secondly, to use solution focussed policy and procedure mechanisms in the form of a risk management tool.
This paper introduces the basic principle of wavelet threshold denoising, and describes the process of image wavelet denoising threshold value method. Denoising effect is showed by comparing the simulation results of wavelet threshold denoising method in the selection of different threshold function. It is proved that the wavelet threshold denoising method is a very effective method of transform domain image denoising.
Adhesion interface includes an inner cushion and the exterior. Exterior, substantially close contact with the contours of the user's face. Inner cushion and the exterior, respectively, a nasion, cheek portions of the left and right, and one of upper lip or jaw. During use, these sites nasion of the user corresponding thereto cheek portions of the left and right, and as either upper lip or chin portion are aligned. Inner cushion includes a portion which is hinged. Hinged portion is configured to flex substantially independently of the cheek inner cushion.
The Vietnam War was responsible for a deep traumatism in the American collective memory, dividing public opinion for many years. Yet with the arrival of Ronald Reagan as president, a consensus seemed to take shape to make the Vietnam war a “noble cause” and the veterans of it heroes. In the popular image, these veterans were no longer going to be worrisome and broken people, but as of 1980 real rectifiers of the abuses of the American society, illustrating and defending a return to neo-conservative values. This was particularly noticeable in the mass-market American television soap operas. The aim of this article is also and maybe even above all to show that soap operas, the highly criticized American entertainment industry object, can be a rich source for the history of attitudes.
The activities of adenylate kinase, AMP-deaminase and 5'-nucleotidase in various tissues of the rat were studied. The activity of the forward adenylate kinase reaction (ATP + AMP----2 ADP) against the back one (2 ADP----ATP + AMP) was predominant. The liver was shown to contain two, while the blood serum--three adenylate kinase isoenzymes. In the skeletal muscles, the catabolism of adenylic acid involving AMP-deaminase and 5'-nucleotidase predominantly occurred via deamination, in the liver--via dephosphorylation, while in the leucocytes, erythrocytes and blood serum the activity of these processes was essentially the same. In vitro, ATP enhanced the activity of AMP-deaminase in the liver, leucocytes and erythrocytes and decreased it in the blood serum. Under effects of ATP, the activity of 5'-nucleotidase in the leucocytes and blood serum was markedly elevated, that in the liver and erythrocytes was unaffected.
Effects of the layer-structure oxide scale on the industrial atmosphere corrosion of hot-rolled low carbon steels were investigated by wet/dry cyclic corrosion test.The corrosion weight gain,corrosion product structure and electrochemistry behavior of the specimens with the oxide scales were analyzed compared with that of the specimens without the oxide scales through scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and electrochemistry methods.It was found that the corrosion rate of the samples with oxide scale was lower than that of the naked steel.Polarization curves indicated that the samples covered with oxide scale had a lower corrosion potential than that of the naked steel.Single phase layered structure oxide scales had a good corrosion resistance that kept the substrate steel from corrosion.The integrity of oxide scale was the crucial prerequisite that the oxide scale protect the substrate steel.If the oxide scale was broken,galvanic corrosion will happen between the iron oxide and the substrate steel at the location of defects.
Deep learning has significantly advanced the state of the art in machine learning. However, neural networks are often considered black boxes. There is significant effort to develop techniques that explain a classifier's decisions. Although some of these approaches have resulted in compelling visualisations, there is a lack of theory of what is actually explained. Here we present an analysis of these methods and formulate a quality criterion for explanation methods. On this ground, we propose an improved method that may serve as an extension for existing back-projection and decomposition techniques.
In this thesis, on the basis of detailed survey and actual measurement of the emissions of fine particulate matters (PM2.5) and PM2.5 precursors (SO2, NOx and VOC) in Chengdu City, the source composition of PM2.5 in the atmospheric air of Chengdu City is simulated by taking the mode of Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ); meanwhile, with reference to the source analysis results of the other units, the key objects of dust haze (PM2.5) pollution, namely fugitive dust, industrial pollution sources and motor vehicle exhaust, can be controlled. Therefore, four main measures for controlling the dust haze (PM2.5) pollution are put forward: the first is to deeply control the particulate matters emitted by the industrial enterprises and install the desulfurization and denitrification devices to reduce the emissions of PM2.5 primary particulate matters and precursors; the second is to reduce the emissions of motor vehicle exhaust, nitrogen oxides and VOC; the third is to strengthen the control of fugitive dust; and the fourth is to implement joint prevention and joint control system among the cities.
From the Publisher:  The Internet presents businesses with the most potent collection of tactics and new business opportunities they've ever experienced. But the Web is certainly no magic bullet, and setting your business apart requires that you understand exactly how the Internet fits in with all the other elements of your company's growth strategy. Inside, two experts reveal their knowledge of how to deepen and profit from brands in the era of the Internet. Using examples of established companies both large and small, Marc Braunstein and Edward H. Levine trace the steps every successful business must take to develop a strategy that not only surmounts the challenges of e-commerce but, just as important, reinforces customer loyalty. In Deep Branding on the Internet, You'll also discover:      How a deep brand can be the ultimate search engine for your business  Why you should ignore online users and focus instead on customers  How smart, multi-channel brandholders should win on the Internet every time  Why the Internet has a low barrier to entry but a high barrier to profit  How the Web can give you more control over channels and markets that are becoming increasingly fragmented  And much more!        Insightful, easy to read, and packed with practical information, Deep Branding on the Internet is a must-have tool that everyone from a Fortune 500 manager to an aspiring small-business owner will want to read, share, and act upon.
Migrant workers began flooding the labour market of the country since the Malaysian economy achieved rapid growth rates, particularly in the late 1980s.  The transition of change towards becoming an industrial country has also changed the family system in Malaysia.  These changes have led to a new pattern of life among women to go out to work.  This increased female participation in the workforce together with the expansion of the middle class households, led to an immediately heightened demand for migrant domestic workers in Malaysia towards the end of 20 th century.  Most of the demand for live-in maids is being met from neighbouring Indonesia.  Though maids are foreigners and considered as strangers, they are accepted as a part of the households by the host families.  Naturally, these maids bring along their cultural values, norms and beliefs into the Malaysian homes of different ethnicities.  In the process of communication and interaction, they will experience cultural differences. Therefore, it is the intention of this paper to highlight the cross-cultural experiences of Indonesian maids as well as the host families in the process of adaptation within the households specifically in the aspect of cooking and food preparation.  Fifteen local families who employed Indonesian maids in their homes were interviewed intensively to obtain responses for this study.  In this paper, the researcher hopes to provide insights that both the employers’ families and their maids do influence each other culturally within the household context which lead to different degree of social adjustment process and eventually establish various patterns of cross cultural relationship between them.
The aim of the subject is to represents the connection of the Arterial Hypertension and thrombocyte number in blood and to find prevention ways. A clinical case of depression symptoms as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) is a disorder with both physical and mental characteristics that negatively disrupts an individual's ability to function day to day in social and work environments. According to the DSM, real depression is a condition of this nature that lasts for more than two weeks. The subject is actual because Arterial Hypertension according to WHO's data's is one the 1stplace, while Depression - one the 2nd.According to Georgian Disease Controlling and Medical Statistic National Centre data's, depression is characterized from 15% to 25% of people. We've searched for the clinical methods in Batumi Republic Hospital departments. 30 patient is studied by us - 15 women and 15 men. Among them, 20 patients was fallen ill with Arterial Hypertension, 5 with Ischemic insult and 5 - with Discirculating Encephalopathy. We've the question are of Beck. According to which we were able to ascertain the depression quality. The question are consists of 21 questions; by them it was possible to ascertain depression qualities light, medium and complex. The depression quality was defined as follows: the absence of depression in 13%; mild depression in 17%; medium - 30% and severe in 60%. Thus, Depression quality is very high in people with Arterial Hypertension. The number of thrombocyte is high also. Thrombocytes depression causes significant changes in the function, Thrombocytes Activation, Thrombosis increases the risk. So, it's necessary to treat this patient with Antithrombotic medicines and Antidepressants. That will contribute to solving the problem.
The sustainable developing strategies have already become a inevitable selection in the developing at present and future of China.The mineral resources in Nanyang area are very rich.A very important problem is to seize the status and importance of mining in the sustainable development and to propel the mining to turn into the sustainable developing road. Nanyang has the advantageous geographical position,abundant mineral resources and the favourable condition to develop the mining.But,the factros to restrict the mining sustainable development of Nanyang are the backward sense,the extensive-type management,the environmental pollution and the weak mining administration.The author has considered that the thinking to attain mining sustainable development of Nanyang is to treate carefully and skilfully the following some relations:the near goal and the long-term goal,the partial interests and the whole interests,the developing and protection of resources ,and the resources development and the ecological environmental protection.At the same time,we must bring about the change from the extensive type to the intensive type of developing and using patterns of the mineral resources. In order to attain the mineral resources of Nanyang have really become the pillar industry of long-term developing in the society and the economy,the author has put forward the following counter measures:1.strengthen propagandism,change sense,raise the resource sense;2.rigorous administration to mineral resources;3.raise the using levels of mineral resources by science and technology;4.extend the opening to the outside world,give a active impetus to the reform of mining rights,bring about a great advance in the geologic prospecting industries;5.strengthen the environmental protection in developing of mineral resources,keep the coordination between economic development and ecological environment;6.make a good job of the comprehensive development and utilization of resource of "high-alumina three rocks"—kyanite,sillimanite and andalusite.
The property clause in the South African Constitution requires that legally insecure tenure of land must be made secure (s 25(6)). The Constitution also indicates that rights in customary law are protected (s 39(3)). The 1997 White Paper outlined various principles of land reform, including the objective of a 'unitary system of land rights'. On the face of it, secure tenure can be achieved statutorily. However, this approach raises many complexities, especially the inevitable consequence of undermining indigenous land rights, which flows from the fact that indigenous land rights are paradigmatically different from proprietary rights derived from Roman law but are currently recognised in South African law. The essence of property rights consists of an absolute notion of ownership, a deeds registration system and enforcement of real rights, dependent on surveying and subdivision of land into parcels; conveyancing of land transfer; and registration of ownership in a deeds registry. Indigenous land rights do not share this paradigm. To cause a paradigm shift for indigenous land rights in the quest to secure tenure of land is to institute a formal destruction of the very fabric of indigenous land rights. This paper explores why simply enacting legislation is probably the worst way to go about securing tenure. Rather, such a project requires excellent legal analysis of crucial technicalities and, simultaneously, ethnographic, historical and socio-economic information in considering whether, in fact, a unitary system of land rights is constitutionally feasible.
Wastewater generated by washing a real petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil was treated using a sub merged aerobic filter. The wastewater contained petroleum hydrocar bons, surfactants, and other compounds that leached during the soil washing process. The efficiency of the biological treatment using natural or synthetic surfactants on the hydr ocarbon-contaminated soil washing process, and different operation temperatur es (24, 28, and 32°C) were compared and the identif ication of the microbial consortium present in the biofilter was carried out . The best degradation efficiency (73% hydrocarbon removal) was obtained when the wastewater from the soil washing using locust bean gum was treated at the biofilter operated at 24°C. The microorganisms found in the microbial consortium in the biofilter were B. subtillis, C. jeikeium, Pseudomonas sp., A. sobr ia, A. caviae, E. sakazakii.
An electronic paper display device having a triode structure and a method of manufacturing the same are provided to reproduce an image at a low voltage, obtain a high contrast ratio with a low power consumption, and remove cross-talk between pixels by including a third electrode formed on a layer separated from a data electrode and a scanning electrode. A lower substrate(10) and an upper substrate(20) are disposed so as to face each other with spaced apart by a predetermined interval. Third electrodes(16a,16b) contact inner sides of the lower and upper substrates, respectively. Insulating layers(15) contact inner sides of the third electrodes, respectively. A scanning electrode(21) and a date electrode(11) are formed in upper and lower portions of pixel regions(13) so as to contact inner sides of the insulating layers, respectively. A plurality of partition walls(14) contact predetermined regions of the insulating layers and divide a pixel to the pixel regions. A plurality of electrified particles(12a,12b) are sealed in the pixel regions.
With music fans attending festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella in record numbers, festival revenues have grown from very little a decade ago to over $4.6 billion in 2011 (Grose, 2011). Americana music festivals are one such type of music festival currently enjoying increased popularity. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand consumption-related behaviors and experiences within the Americana music festival context. Thus, one of the primary goals of this dissertation is to understand the experience of the Americana music festival and to explore what this experience means for festivalgoers, fans, and the genre itself. Four research objectives were developed to address this purpose: (1) to explore the Americana music festival experience, (2) to investigate the role of consumption in this experience, (3) to examine how the Americana music festival functions as a marketplace, and (4) to investigate the ways that Americana music festivals link to the local community. Americana music festivals are settings that allow the emotive, affective properties of the consumption process to emerge through moments of fun, enjoyment and leisure. However, thus far, no academic research has investigated the Americana music festival as a particular experiential consumption context. Likewise, although research exists on festivals in general, there are gaps in this literature specifically related to festival consumption behaviors. An ethnographic approach was used to address the purpose and objectives of this study. Specifically, I immersed myself in the research by attending ten Americana music festivals conducting research in the field for a total of 33 days over the duration the festivals attended. Data collected consisted of interviews, fieldnotes and photographs. Data were analyzed to develop the thematic interpretations. Three thematic areas emerged that structure the interpretation: Crafting the Festival, The Marketplace, and Experiencing the Festival. Within each thematic area, dimensions of the meanings of the Americana music festival experience are examined. Findings indicate that the Americana music festival is a transformative commercial offering that is created by organizers for consumers to escape and explore new experiences. Findings also shed light on how the Americana music festival inspires consumption that shapes individual and group identities. Lastly, findings elucidate the importance of stakeholder support necessary for Americana music festivals to be successful. Although, this study addresses several gaps in the literature, it also points to the need for further exploration of the experiential consumption facets of festivals in general and Americana music festivals in particular.
Consumer preferences combined with their budget culminates into final purchase which the automobile industries need to tap. The paper evaluates a Engel-Coleman-Blackwell model through which consumer preferences can be determined which is a four stage process of Input, Information, Decision pro cess and variable Influencing. In the next segment, methods of estimating consumer preference is discussed including survey and its limitation as well as Revealed Consumer prefere nce which gauges the preferences in retrospect after the cho ice has been made. Using the latter, the paper analyses the consumer preference in Electric car segment, technological inno vation, high priced small car segment, diesel-petrol prefe rence and body style. At the end, paper does a case study on Toyota Kirloskar cars to find out the consumer preference regar ding particular features on comparing Toyota with other compan ies and itself by the criterion of sales. The paper co ncludes by stressing on the enumeration of consumer preference for successful decisions on product designs, branding and distribut ion and focus on predicting it to an extent with the consumer research activity which is indispensable to satisfy t he consumers in the long run.
Action games are controversial and discussed, at the same time they fascinate players all over the world. One way to find out what this attraction is about is to use eye    tracking to explore them. This method can show explicit eye gaze direction within the game environment and at the same time point out what the mind determine as important in the different interactions in an action game tutorial. This study wants to lay out the foundations of players´ eye behaviours in the light of training, learning, social behaviour and if there are any visual reinforcements between interactive media compared to a natural situation. Action games are today classified as entertainment products with built in simulation paths at the same time as some organisations bring in    commercial games for professional training or evaluating its profit. A study made last year at Rochester University showed that non-video game players could improve their visual attention. In this study, eight subjects were playing and the recording tracked every eye movement and step in choice. The results revealed that facial interest is secondary in task progression, eye behaviour patterns are similair to eye behaviour in car driving and re-fixations occured after search and shooting partly independent of background. The essay will be characterized of topic discussions.
The purpose of this paper is to define the nature and the frequency of post lumbar sympathectomy complications and to reappreciate their importance in the evaluation of operative indication. The non specific miscellaneous complications are no more frequent than after any other lumbotomy. The specific complications occur in less than 10%; they are almost always transient. Prolonged paralytic ileus is related to postoperative hematoma in the retroperitoneal space. Ejaculation disturbances are produced either by bilateral resection of one of the two first lumbar ganglia or by section of the intermesenteric plexus, the presacral nerves or the hypogastric nerves during associated dissection of the aortic bifurcation. Late neuralgia is probably induced by retroperitoneal hematoma; its size increases gradually during the postoperative period by transference of tissue fluids. In conclusion, the mortality and the morbidity rates of lumbar sympathectomy are remarkably low; these are not arguments against the lumbar sympathectomy.
State ecological security has been paid widespread attention by various countries because of the aggravation of the whole world ecological crisis as well as its important position in state security.State ecological security is facing a series of new intense challenges with the growing pressure of environment and resources resulted from the rapid development.It is urgent to pay attention to state ecological security strategically and construct state ecological security system with Chinese characteristics.
Tetanized frog muscle fibres subjected to ramp stretches on the plateau of the tension-length relation, followed by an isotonic release against a load equal to the maximum isometric tension (T0), exhibit a well defined transient shortening against T0 which was attributed to the release of mechanical energy stored during stretching within the damped element of the cross-bridges. However, this interpretation has recently been challenged, and 'transient shortening against T0' has instead been attributed to elastic elements strained because of non-uniform distribution of lengthening within the fibre volume. The 'excess length change', resulting from the recoil of these elastic elements, was found i) to increase continuously with stretch amplitude up to 50 nm per h.s. with a 100 nm per h.s. strain, ii) to decrease steadily with the decrease in force during stress relaxation after the ramp stretch, and iii) to increase on the descending limb of the tension-length relation where sarcomere inhomogeneity is greater. In contrast, the transient shortening against T0: i) reaches a plateau at 8 nm per half sarcomere after about 50 nm per half sarcomere strain, ii) remains constant during the temperature dependent, fast phase of stress relaxation, when the excess in force above isometric reduces to about one half, iii) also occurs on the ascending limb of the tension-length relation where sarcomere inhomogeneity is drastically reduced. As a consequence of these differences we conclude that transient shortening and 'excess length change' do not "reflect the same underlying process".
A vehicle information system for passenger vehicles, such as automobiles and aircraft, and methods for manufacturing and using same. The vehicle information system includes a broadband communication system with a broadband antenna system and a broadband control system. Exploiting the advent of high-speed connectivity solutions, the vehicle information system supports a low-cost, high-capacity bidirectional data connection with a terrestrial content system and thereby can be established as another node on the ''Worldwide Net''. The vehicle information system likewise provides wireless access points for communicating with passengers' personal media devices. As desired, the vehicle information system can support mobile telephone connectivity and/or presentation of live integrated digital television (IDTV) programming. The vehicle information system thereby provides enhanced information, entertainment, and communication services during travel.
For today many domestic enterprises of sphere of production of goods feel sharp need for change of system of stimulation of work of the organization. Foreign experience of stimulation of work of top-managers is actively made use. In clause the example of application of the adapted foreign system of awarding of top-managers at the Russian enterprise is presented on the basis of regulations about of motivation of key heads business-battalions corporations.
Abstract : The Interactive Multisensor Analysis Training (IMAT) system is used to teach complex conceptual knowledge and cognitive and procedural ASW skills. This computer-based instructional approach to underwater warfare is being used to improve training in aviation, surface and subsurface communities. This document is a reference guide for an audience of IMAT programmers, implementers, and curriculum developers. It discusses the capabilities and limitations of the Advanced Underwater Acoustic Modeling Project (AUAMP) model. The AUAMP has been implemented in the IMAT Active Sonar Prediction Module. The document is intended to be detailed enough to help the audience understand the AUAMP model. This understanding can help the audience develop lessons that teach useful concepts by using meaningful and realistic scenarios.
The monocyte to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) has emerged as a novel inflammatory biomarker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. However, it has not yet been identified whether MHR can predict the long‐term prognosis of ischemic stroke. We aimed to investigate the associations of MHR levels with clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) at 3 months and 1 year.
The present study was designed to determine the factors affecting cotton productivity in Punjab province of Pakistan. The factors considered in the study are livestock assets in addition to other conventional factors including farm inputs and socioeconomic characteristics. A Cobb Douglas production function was estimated. Impacts of livestock assets on various farm characteristics like share of Bt cotton, cotton area and dummy for good quality of land are considered. Findings of the study show that variables namely pesticide, irrigation, farming experience, cotton area, dummy for good quality land, dummy for off-farm income, dummy for livestock units, interaction terms of livestock units with pesticide and ratio of Bt cotton area to area under cotton are significantly related with cotton yield. Combined effect of livestock and pesticide use on cotton productivity is 0.38 percent whereas joint contribution of livestock and share of Bt cotton in cotton yield is 0.01 percent. Integrating livestock in farming system can have additional benefit of higher crop productivity and thereby improve farm income and livelihood of rural community.
The Ethical Conduct in Correctional Services DVD and Facilitator Guides Package consists of a DVD which includes two scenarios and Facilitator Guides for three differing workplace audiences. This package replaces the earlier resource "Crossing the Line." Crossing the Line Ethical conduct in Correctional Services The DVD scenarios in this new package provide a visual representation of situations in which staff working in Correctional Services may find themselves involved, how the situations evolved, consequence of their involvement and how to address the situation ethically.
Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to describe and evaluate of hybrid fire models which have been developed all over the world in the last several decades. 1 Szkola Glowna Sluzby Pozarniczej; ul. Slowackiego 52/54 01-629 Warszawa; tel. 693 175 252; e-mail: galaj@sgsp.edu.pl; wklad merytoryczny: 80%/Department of Fire Safety Engineering The Main School of Fire Service; Warsaw, Poland; e-mail: galaj@sgsp.edu. pl; percentage contribution: 80%; 2 Komenda Powiatowa PSP w Pruszkowie; ul. Staszica 4, 05-800 Pruszkow; wklad merytoryczny: 20%/District Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Pruszkow, Poland; percentage contribution: 20% / Повятовая комендатура Государственной Пожарной службы городе Прушкув, Польша; вклад в статью: 20%; © by Wydawnictwo CNBOP-PIB Please cite as: BiTP Vol. 32 Issue 4, 2013, pp. 79-92 DOI:10.12845/bitp.32.4.2013.9
A shoe and a control method thereof. The shoe comprising: a shoe body (30) and a pressure sensor (40), controller (60), and prompting device (70) provided in the shoe body (30). The pressure sensor (40) senses pressures at different locations of the shoe body (30). When the pressure sensor detects that the pressure at a first position of the shoe body (30) exceeds a threshold, the controller (60) controls the prompting device (70) to prompt that the pressure at the first position has exceeded the threshold. The pressure detection and prompting actions provide effective monitoring of feet health.
Many historical facts, describing exploitation and discrimination of research subjects which have been justified by the importance of research aims, are known. Today the protection of the rights and safety of persons involved in biomedical research (research subjects) is the necessary precondition for contemporary biomedical researches and correspondingly, development of the science. An integral responsibility of researchers working in the field of biomedicine is to ensure the protection of safety and rights of research subjects. In Europe, as well as other countries of developed and partly in developing world, there is a relevant legislative basis of international agreements and national legislation which aims at protecting the research subject. Georgia possesses considerable legislative basis in this field which includes two obligatory instruments of Council of Europe and two national laws. Relevant legislation and ethical evaluation of biomedical research protocols involving human subjects by research ethics committees is an effective mechanism for protection of a research subject's safety and rights. In Georgia there already exist biomedical research ethics committees. Further, their amalgamation is necessary to increase their competence and regularity of activities through increasing the number of submitted research protocols as well as re-distribution of expertise (3-5 committees instead of existing 15-20 or more committees). All the researchers participating in biomedical research shall be educated on the issues of protection of rights of research subjects and contemporary principles of bioethics. The latter shall become an inseparable part of professional competence of researchers for which it is necessary to prepare and put into practice special training programmes (mural as well as distant courses).
The design of remote network monitoring system based on intellective digital image processing is introduced,which is stable and practical.By using specific multimedia processor TMS320DM642 of TI and system manager software, this system has the ability to telecontrol monitor multi-channel video inputs. The system architecture is described firstly, and then the modules implementation of the system is discussed.The experimental results indicate that this system can be expanded easily,and it can steadily process remote monitoring task in real time through internet, It and can also provide an effective software and hardware platform of video monitoring algorithm for users.
Subject information service is a new type service being developed in Academic Library to serve teaching and research of its own university in recent years.In traditional view the main work of reading room is to lend and return books.Under the new situation the academic library should actively take its advantages and develop subject information service.This paper discussed the total new service idea of work in reading room of academic library,analyzed readers' reading tend.Based on work experiences,the author discussed how to develop subject information service according to readers' needs in reading rooms of academic library.
This work focuses on algorithms which learn from examples to perform multiclass text and speech categorization tasks. We rst show how to extend the standard notion of classiication by allowing each instance to be associated with multiple labels. We then discuss our approach for multiclass multi-label text categorization which is based on a new and improved family of boosting algorithms. We describe in detail an implementation, called BoosTexter, of the new boosting algorithms for text categorization tasks. We present results comparing the performance of BoosTexter and a number of other text-categorization algorithms on a variety of tasks. We conclude by describing the application of our system to automatic call-type identiication from unconstrained spoken customer responses.
The present invention relates to a single phase oral care composition comprising: a. a stannous salt delivering a stannous ion; b. a potassium salt delivering a potassium ion wherein the potassium salt is selected from potassium nitrate, potassium gluconate, potassium citrate, potassium chloride, potassium tartrate, potassium bicarbonate, and mixtures thereof; c. a chelant; d. a fluoride ion source; and e. less than 0.01% of an alkyl sulphate or an alkyl ethoxylate sulphate; wherein the oral care composition provides a soluble fluoride ion level of greater than 50% of the total fluoride ion. The composition of the invention has been found to allow prolonged contact between stannous ion and nitrate ion in a single dentifrice without toxic effects or insoluble products. The invention further provides for the maintenance of an efficacious fluoride ion level.
Objective:To prove the diagnostic accuracy of neoplasm metastasis of pituitary gland.Methods:To report a case of lung carcinoma withmetastasis of pituitary gland and review the articles.Results:metastasis of pituitary gland was rare.The original tumors were more in the breast or lung,diabetes inspidus,impairment of optic nerves and endocrinological disorders were often seen in the cases without specific images on CT or MRI.Conclusions:Pituitary tumor with disfunctions of both anterior lobe and posterior lobe should be discriminated with metastasis tumors.
The present invention, cell viability, in particular to methods and compositions for use in improving survival of neural cells, and more specifically, to reduce the oxidative damage of reactive oxygen metabolites mediated in cells it, by reducing the dysfunction of mitochondria in it or a cell regulating the redox homeostasis in cells, to methods and compositions for use in enhancing cell viability. The present invention is a delay for the treatment of at least one symptom associated with and diseases associated with oxidative stress for enhancing cell viability, of such diseases, or onset for preventing the start time of onset for causing further relates to co-administration of a bile acid tauroursodeoxycholic acid and (TUDCA) and phenylbutyric acid (PBA). .FIELD 1
After the teaching evaluation,the library of colleges-after-promotion confronts with a key subject of how to consolidate the evaluation profits and further optimizes the soft environment.The paper explains the important influences to develop libraries in higher institutions concerning school's leadership environment,librarian's team environment,libraries' system environment,and 3 more other factors.It also puts forward to some suggestions on optimizing the soft environment at the library of college-after-promotion.
This paper reconsiders nasal assimilation in English within the framework of Optimality Theory and shows that the phenomena can be accounted for in a natural way in terms of some ranked violable constraints. In so doing, I also argue against an account based on structural interpretations of faithfulness, and propose that identity relation between input and output, i.e., correspondence, provides the best account. I also present further evidence that as pointed out by Lamontagne and Rice (1995), it is necessary to extend correspondence to the featural level.
The House is moving at a record pace this year in passing, legislation setting fiscal 1984 funding levels for federal research agencies. Last year much of the necessary legislation wasn't even reported out of the Appropriations Committee until after the August recess. But at press time only the budgets of two major research funding agencies—the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health—had not been brought to the floor. In its budget decisions, the House once again is asserting its independence, increasing programs the Administration wanted decreased and decreasing those that were to be increased. In the process, a number of the Administration's cherished programs were cut back or discarded and new programs appeared as if by magic. For example, last January when the Administration's proposed fiscal 1984 budget was announced, Presidential science adviser George A. Keyworth II made much of the inclusion of $29.5 million for initiation of a new National Center for ...
p-Nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside(PNP- α-G)was prepared for the determination of α-gluconidase activity in clinical examination.PNP-α-G was obtained by using D-glucose as starting material through four steps:acetylation,condensation,separation and deacetylation.The fusion method and solvent method were compared in the condensation.Structure of the substrate was identified by IR,UV, 1HNMR,polarimetry and elemental analysis.
Discloses an ultrasonic transducer assembly (10) comprising a plurality of transducer elements (32) for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves (24), each transducer element has a substrate (40) and with the said flexible film away from the substrate (46) arranged at a distance. Provided for controlling said transducer elements to each of the AC voltage control means (56 is) of the AC voltage supplied and for controlling the DC bias voltage provided to the transducer elements in order to collapse mode DC voltage control means (60) of the flexible membrane in contact with the substrate. The DC voltage control means is adapted during operation of the ultrasonic transducer assembly to the DC bias voltage and the transducer elements to restrict the temporary disconnection collapse mode.
This study describes epidemiological patterns of Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS) reported to a regional poison center July 24 through September 24, 1991, and investigates the feasibility of using such a center to expand the understanding of GTS. Records from the Kentucky Regional Poison Center (KRPC) for 1991 were searched for exposure reports containing 1 of 3 agents likely to be implicated in GTS. The search identified 104 exposure reports, which were examined, coded and analyzed. Of these, we determined that 78 were likely to represent GTS cases. Of the 78 persons with suspected GTS, 78% were male, 1/2 were aged 22 or younger, 1/4 were 17 or younger, and dermal contact was the usual reported route of exposure. Calls to the KRPC originated in residences (51.0%) and in health care facilities (47.7%). Nearly 1/3 of the calls mentioned more than 1 symptomatic person; exposure reports for these people were categorized as clusters. There were 10 clusters, each containing 2-4 persons. Almost 1/4 of all persons with suspected GTS were admitted to a hospital. This study demonstrates that a regional poison center can be used to expand understanding of GTS.
This article examines the relationship between orthodox terrorism discourses and liberal peacebuilding, particularly where states are being reconstituted after a conflict. Drawing upon fieldwork in Sri Lanka, Palestine, Kashmir, Nepal, and Northern Ireland, our findings suggest that conflicts in which orthodox terrorism theory is deployed to explain violence are those in which there is little interest (by all parties) in dealing with root causes or achieving mutual compromise. This is so even though the liberal peace is commonly a claimed aspiration for most parties, apart from the most radical of non-state actors or authoritarian of states. They effectively reify both terrorism and state securitisation. The aspired to internalisation of the liberal peace framework has instead been supplanted by the politics of state securitisation and violent resistance. Liberal peacebuilding has become a nominal exercise in constructing virtually liberal states in which the security and integrity of core groups are partially maintained by orthodox terrorism praxis. To counter these dynamics, critical positions need to engage with agendas beyond liberal or cosmopolitan frameworks.
This research work was carried out to evaluate the neuropharmacological and analgesic activities of methanolic extract of Diospyros blancoi leaves by experimenting Swiss albino mice. The neuropharmacological activities of methanol extract were conducted using hole cross, force swimming and tail suspension tests. On the other hand, analgesic activities of the extract were performed using acetic acid induced writhing and hot plate tests. The mice were treated orally at dose of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of leaves extract for neuropharmacological and analgesic tests. The methanolic leaves extract of Diospyros blancoi significantly (p
The invention relates to a method for preparing brown coal for combustion and/or gasification of the same for the purpose of generating electricity, wherein the pit-wet brown coal is first broken and then pulverized in multiple stages. The ground coal is then fed into a fluidized bed dryer for drying. The method is characterized in that a monitoring screening is connected downstream of the grinding device, wherein the screen width is selected so that the screen passage rate of the brown coal is as close to 100% as possible.
In order to solve the issue of restriction of sustainable development in the delta region caused by the reduction of the Yellow River water flowing into the sea, many experts once put forward a suggestion of building a hydro-junction or an ecological pivot in the Yellow River estuary. Hereby, it can combine the two into an integrated engineering plan of ecological hydro-junction, i.e. to build a central pivot project of ecological hydro-junction at the west river mouth of flow paths divarication of original Diaokouhe and existing Qingshuigou through reasonable design of gate, dam, culvert and reservoir; to take the flow paths of Diaokouhe and Qingshuigou as the main of the project and build a water delivery canal system at the most downstream forming as a complete set and, to establish a breeding zone of biodiversity at the confluence of salt and fresh water in the north and east of the project terminal for effectively increasing the utilization benefits of water resources, keeping the ecological balance of the sea, river and continent and promoting the sustainable development in the delta region.
The author reveals the spiritual-musical side of the activity of the Russian composer, pianist, conductor S. M. Lyapunov, for the first time analyses in full the spiritual-musical creativity of the composer in the context of the art of the New Direction and further developments during the post-revolutionary period, and presents the information about Lyapunov’s spiritual activity as a composer and churchwarden of Petrograd Conservatory, which is marked by personal spiritual feat during difficult historical period.
Date The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. Boundary effects in Van der Waals materials Thesis directed by Prof. Markus Raschke After the development of techniques for exfoliating [1, 2] and growing atomically thin crystals[3], transition metal dichalcogenides and graphene have both demonstrated having exceptional promise in applications of biosensing, spintronics, energy storage, and optoelectronics [4, 5, 6]. However, the electronic properties of these materials vary sensitively with crystal structure, orientation, number of layers, dopings and stacking order [7, 8, 9], making them highly sensitive to slight in-homogeneities. In order to optimally implement them for technological applications, we must first understand how these structural variations affect the material properties. Additionally, the small scale of these defects, on the order of a few nanometers, makes traditional spectroscopic analysis of these features difficult, impeding our ability to further our knowledge of them and ultimately limiting our ability to implement them in technology. In the last two decades, methods have been developed for overcoming these limitations [10]. Of these, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and scattering-type Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM) have been shown to be powerful tools for observing light-matter interactions at sub-diffraction length scales and imaging with spatial resolution at the deep sub-wavelength scale [11]. In this thesis, I implement AFM, s-SNOM, and Raman spectroscopy in order to identify stacking layer grain boundaries in graphene as well as to study the nanoscale properties of two phases of MoTe 2 and to investigate an optically induced phase transition in MoTe2. Dedication vavwI' chongaghpa' Dunmo' ngIl 'ej vIjaHnIS reH tu'lu'. To my father for daring me to do better and to my mother for always being there. v Acknowledgements I would like to thank everybody who has helped in my personal development as an individual and a scientist. Particularly, I would thank for their infinite patience, excellent explanations , and guidance in my development as a scientist. I would like to especially thank Markus Raschke for giving me the opportunity to be so deeply involved at the forefront of an exciting field.
Target of this research is to mendeskripsikan ofis make-up of ability read the understanding of class student of IV in study of Indonesian pass/through  model of Cooperative Script in  SDN 19 Painan South. Theory which is  used in this research is  theory: (1) Cooperative Scriptyang told by Istarani (2) Theory read told by Dalman (3) while skill read the understanding of pursuant to opinion told by Tarigan and of Dalman. this Type Research is  research of class action. This research is  executed in two cycle, each cycle consist of twice meeting and once cycle final exam. this Research Subjek is  class student of IVSDN 19 Painan South, Sub-Province Coastal area of South amounting to 20 people. Research instrument which is  used in research is  teacher activity observation sheet, student activity observation sheet and of tes result of learning. Result of research in  class of IV SDN 19 Painan South, Sub-Province Coastal area of South, please depict that usage of model of Cooperative Scriptterbukti can improve result learn student. That improvement can be seen from make-up of tes result of learning student at  cycle of I with mean that is 68 and at  cycle of II result of learning student with mean that is 77,5. Pursuant to the  mentioned concluded that model of Cooperative Scriptdapat improve result learn ability read the understanding of student. Is  for that suggested to teacher to be able to use model of Cooperative Scriptdalam pelaksanaaan of study of ability read understanding. Keyword : ability read understanding, model script cooperative.
Spatial and temporal variation of total ozone over an East |Asia region which mainly include mainland of China was analyzed.TOMS (Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) data were used for this work.It showed that the average concentration over this region was approximately 307DU (Dobson Unit),while a seasonal evolution exists with a variation magnitude about 50DU.The mean concentration over this region reached its maximum at March and a minimum at October yearly.Strong latitudinal variation was shown by the distribution of ozone concentration,with lower values at lower latitudes while higher ones at higher latitudes.One |peak probability distribution of ozone concentration was shown in this region,with narrower peak at low latitudes and broad one at higher latitudes.A mean reduction of total ozone approximating to 10DU was obvious in the period from 1978 to 1994.Correspondent to a more or less even reduction at different concentration levels,appearance probability of lower concentrations increased and probability of higher concentrations decreased in this period.
Virtue is the most valuable thing in the human ideological and cultural history.The article puts the stress on the doctrines by Kongzi and from the Bible.Through comparison,it is easy to see the great vitality of the virtue.It has no boundaries.It has no religion limitation.And it has no time difference in the past or at present.Again,the saying "Build Our Country with Virtue" by our chairman Jiang Zeming indicates the virttue′s importance in today′s high speed economic development of our country.
Change of electrolyte leakage ratio of seven cultivars of blackberry(Rubus spp.)and one cultivar of raspberry(control)was determined by conductometry after frozen treatment,and the experiment datums were analyzed by the binomial and the Logistics formulas.The results showed that electrolyte leakage ratio of seven cultivars of blackberry was almost higher than that of the control after treated by low temperature from 0 ℃ to-35 ℃.The electrolyte leakage ratio of cultivar'Young'was relatively low.The fitting degree of binomial formula was higher than that of Logistics formula.The fitting result of binomial formula indicated that frozen resistance of all blackberry cultivars was lower than that of raspberry 'Reveille',and frozen resistance of cultivar 'Young' was the highest(LT50-31.0 ℃),whereas 'Brazos' and 'Arapaho'(LT50-19.4 ℃ and-19.9 ℃)had the lowest frozen resistance.
Loratadine is a long-acting antihistamine indicated for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis and chronic idiopathic urticaria in patients 6 years of age and older. The literature contains little information on high-dose loratadine exposures; as a consequence, poison centers are unsure of the loratadine dose that can be managed with observation and the dose that requires treatment. We report an intentional ingestion of 300 mg loratadine by a 6-y-old child that resulted in minor elevation of blood pressure and heart rate when managed with supportive care only. Further studies and case series are needed before a minimum toxic dose can be established.
Objective To explore the relationship between sleep quality and T2DM.Methods Representative samples were selected with multi-stage randomized cluster sampling among urban inhabitants aged 15 years and older in Xuzhou areas and self-designed questionnaire and Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale were adopted.Comparisons between groups were carried out with χ2test or Z test for qualitative data and quantitative data respectively.Logistic regression was used for the analysis of the relationship between sleep quality and T2DM.Results The prevalence of T2DM was 7.0% and the poor sleep quality rate was 9.7% in the urban inhabitants in Xuzhou areas.The comparison between the diabetics and nondiabetics in the individual scores and total score,except two items(time for falling asleep and hypnosis drugs),other scores showed all significantly differences(P0.05).After adjusting for age,gender,DM history of parents,history of hypertension and BMI,etc.The OR value(95%CI) for poor sleep quafity to T2DM was 1.847(1.122~3.041).Conclusion Poor sleep quality is one of the related factors for T2DM.
Microtubules self-organize to structure part of the cellular cytoskeleton. As such they give cells their shape and play a crucial role in cell division and intracellular transport. Past studies have identified diverse spatio-temporal patterns into which microtubules can organize when driven by motor proteins. The question remains if there is an appropriate way to quantify these structures and gain new knowledge about the physical principles of self-organization in microtubule-motor mixtures. Here, we aim to approach this problem from a complexity science perspective. We introduce an entropy-based measure to evaluate the structural complexity of spatial patterns emerging in a simplified agent-based computational model of a microtubule-motor interactions. Our results demonstrate that the proposed quantifier discriminates well between ordered, disordered, and intermediate structures. Besides, our study indicates that the transition to steady states in such a system is likely to be discontinuous and exhibits distinct properties of self-organized criticality.
Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present a challenge to bioremediation because they are hydrophobic, thus influencing the water availability and repellency of soil. The addition of different concentrations of the PAH, anthracene, showed it to induce moderate levels of repellency. We investigated the efficacy of three basidiomycete fungal species on improving the wettability of soil by reducing repellency caused by contamination of soil with 7 ppm anthracene. A microcosm system was used that enabled determination of the impact of fungi on wettability at three locations down a 30 mm deep repacked soil core. Before incubation with fungi, the contaminated soil had a repellency of R = 3.12 ± 0.08 (s.e.). After 28 days incubation, Coriolus versicolor caused a significant reduction in repellency to R = 1.79 ± 0.35 (P < 0.001) for the top section of the soil in a microcosm. Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Phlebia radiata did not influence repellency. None of the fungi had an effect at 20 mm depth.
Secondary tumors of the mouth are rare and especially seated on the maxillaries. Metastasis to the soft tissues of the mouth, especially of cancers situated far from ORL and buccal areas are exceptional. The authors report an observation of a bronchial carcinoïd tumor with metastasis to the gums in a 24-year old man. The rapidity of the evolution of the tumor, the precocity and the very exceptional site of the metastasis as well as certain particularities of the histological pattern of the primitive bronchial tumor, once again states the problem of the confines with the Oat-Cell Carcinomas.
NAFTA(North America Free Trade Agreement)의 효과에 대한 많은 연구들이 실시되었다. 한국의 경우에는 한국과 미국의 FTA협상 이전에 이러한 연구들이 실시되었으나 실제 체결이 되고 난 이후에는 그러한 연구가 부족한 것이 현실이다. 한창 한국과 미국의 FTA가 이슈가 된 시기에는 데이터가 충분하지 못하였기 때문에 실증적인 분석에 한계가 있었으나, 현재는 충분히 데이터가 축적이 되었다고 볼 수 있어, 멕시코의 NAFTA 이후의 경제성장 이전과 이후를 비교 할 필요가 있다고 판단되어졌다. 분석결과로는 NAFTA 이후에는 해외직접투자가 경제성장에 부(-)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 후진국의 특성상 FDI가 산업에 생산에 효율적으로 활용되지 않는다는 것을 볼 수가 있다. 해외로부터의 송금은 정(+)의 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 수출의 경우에는 경제성장에 부정적인 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 몇 가지 한계를 가진다. 우선 산업을 분리하여서 분석을 실시해 볼 필요가 있다는 것이다. 또한 회원국인 캐나다와 미국의 분석을 같이 실시했으면 국가별로 NAFTA의 효과를 비교했다면, NAFTA의 전체적인 효과를 훨씬 잘 검정할 수 있을 것으로 예상할 수 있다.
The present invention relates to a sputtering method using a liquid adhesive, and a sputtering apparatus therefor, a sputtering method using the liquid adhesive of the present invention provides a method of sputtering in a semiconductor package, (a) step and, (b) mounting the tray and applying a liquid adhesive to said tray, (c) a step of loading on the tray of the plurality of semiconductor packages and curing the liquid adhesive, in which a plurality of semiconductor packages (d) to be attached to the liquid pressure-sensitive adhesive and , (e) the step of sputtering to the semiconductor package, (f) step, and, (g) for unloading the semiconductor package from the tray, and removing the liquid adhesive from the tray, and thus the present invention by using a liquid adhesive to the sputtering device and disengaging of the semiconductor package is facilitated, automatically a semiconductor package Since this enables the loading or unloading is effective to improve the productivity and yield.
Objective To observe the relevant factors of remain condensate from pressure steam sterilization on rubber plug tubes and its drying methods.Methods Changing display manner and applying sub-drying method were used to resolve the drying problem.Results The whole time was disparted to four subsections.Until the forth subsection,all inverse-placed rubber plug tubes had dried which were quicker than traditional method obviously.The difference was significant on statistics(P0.01).Qualified rate increased with drying time prolonged,inverse-placed tubes dried quicker than side-placed tubes in each subsection.All inverse-placed tubes were qualified in chemical test and biological test.Results of bacterial culturing were negative as well.Conclusion Side-placed rubber plug tubes are difficult to dry in pressure steam sterilizer traditionally.Adopting inverse-placed method and prolong drying time can enhance drying speed based on sterilization qualified and non-broken.
The invention relates to a modular motor stator structure, comprising a cylinder or an annular stator support and a stator tooth module, wherein straight grooves are evenly distributed on the outer surface of the cylinder stator support or the inner surface of the annular stator support, and two side walls of each straight groove are provided with semicircular sockets; the stator tooth module is provided with stator tooth iron cores and coils, each stator tooth iron core comprises a tooth crown, a tooth body, a tooth yoke and a tooth root, two sides of the tooth root are provided with semicircular sockets which correspond to the semicircular sockets in the straight grooves of the stator support; the tooth roots of the stator tooth iron cores are respectively arranged in the straight grooves of the stator supports; the semicircular socket on the side wall of each tooth root forms a round hole with the semicircular in the straight grooves of the stator support, a positioning fixed pin is inserted in the round hole; an insulated coiling frame is arranged on each stator tooth iron core, the coils are coiled on the coiling frame; and the coils on all stator tooth modules are connected in series or in parallel to form the stator winding of a motor. By using the invention, the groove wire embedding degree is effectively improved and the manufacturing cost is reduced.
In more than 30 years of development of intensive care medicine (ICM), our specialty has acquired moral and ethical standpoints, although not without public pressure and discussions. Special commissions dealing, e.g., with brain death, terminal care, ethics of foregoing life-sustaining treatment in the critically ill, withholding or withdrawing mechanical ventilation, and other issues have been formed in a number of medical societies. International consensus conferences have helped to clarify some of the issues. With increasing experience, a multitude of ethical problems have arisen in ICM that have to be dealt with, such as the issue of quality of life. What is an unworthy life? Are we allowed to make judgments for our patients? What is cost-effectiveness in ICM? Other restrictions include bed and equipment shortages in the intensive care unit (ICU), the necessity for triage--undisputed in catastrophe medicine--and how one should proceed in managing elective patients? In situations of limited ICU bed availability, sicker patients will be admitted, sparing out patients who are less ill for observation and those with poor quality of life and poor prognosis. For the future, it will likely be necessary to define the patients who should be admitted to an ICU more than those who should not be admitted. An ICU treatment entitlement index would be directly proportional to the probability of successful outcome and the quality of the remaining life, and would be inversely related to costs for achieving success. The ICU outcome with survival, hospital mortality, and follow-up of ICU patients is considered. DNR (do not resuscitate), the dying patient, terminal care, terminal weaning--DNT (do not treat)--active and passive euthanasia, living wills, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness for ICU patients are defined. Their application in the ICU will be discussed and problems pointed out. Outcome predictions using scores (APACHE III, SAPS II, MPM) have been developed based on previous experience, but should only be applied to patient groups and for quality assurance in ICUs. The most frequent and difficult problem in the ICUs is the vegetative state, which requires an exact diagnosis. The differential diagnosis from other comatose states such as coma, brain death, and locked-in-syndrome is depicted. The ethics of interrupting life-sustaining treatment in critically ill patients have been worked out by a Task Force on Ethics of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (1990). A consensus was found that the patient may judge to forego therapy; ethically it is then appropriate to withhold or withdraw therapy. According to the consensus, withdrawing an already initiated treatment should not necessarily be regarded as more problematic than a decision not to initiate treatment. In my mind, however, there is a great difference between withdrawing or withholding, e.g., ventilation. A dissentive opinion by some members of the Task Force stated that hydration and nutrition other than high-technology or parenteral nutrition are key components of patient care, and should not be equated with medical intervention. The ethical problems associated with active euthanasia (physician-assisted suicide or death) as practised in the Netherlands are also discussed. In most countries this practice seems unacceptable. From 30 years experience in ICM, there are many more ethical questions and case reports without clear solutions. Care decisions for single patients in unacceptable situations should be made after medical evaluation by the intensivist with the medical team and, if possible, by the patient and/or his or her surrogate. Legislation and solutions cannot be expected for single patients, but ethics committees could be helpful in decision-making.
Objective To study the inhibitory effect of tanshinoneⅡA on growth of human breast cancer(MDA-MB-231) cells with negative estrogen receptor(ER) and its mechanism.Methods Inhibitory effect of tanshinoneⅡA on growth of MDA-MB-231 cells with negative ER was detected by MTT assay and colony-forming unit assay.Morphology of MDA-MB-231 cells was observed under inverted microscope.Inhibitory effect of tanshinoneⅡA on cell cycle of MDA-MB-231 cells was detected by flow cytometry(FCM).Results The growth and colony formation of MDA-MB-231 cells decreased significantly in a time-and dose-dependent manner after tanshinoneⅡA treatment with its IC50 of 0.125μg/ml(P0.05).Typical changes of cell apoptosis morphology were observed under inverted microscope.The number of MDA-MB-231 cells increased at the G0/G1 phase and decreased at the S–and G2/M–phase,demonstrating that tanshinoneⅡA can induce cell apoptosis.Conclusion TanshinoneⅡA exerts its antitumor effect by inhibiting the growth of MDA-MB-231 cells and inducing their apoptosis.
Flexion-extension movement and atlantoaxial subluxation (AAS) serve to alter the relations between the anatomical landmarks used in the diagnosis of vertical subluxations. The effects of such alterations are examined here. Lateral view radiographs of the cervical spine taken during flexion and extension were studied in 86 female patients with rheumatoid arthritis, 56 of whom also had AAS. All the methods used (McRae, McGregor, Redlund and Sakaguchi-Kauppi) showed a shift of the mean values in a pathological direction during flexion (p less than 0.001, Sakaguchi-Kauppi: p less than 0.003). The difference between the flexion and extension values (McRae, Redlund, Sakaguchi-Kauppi) correlated with the severity of AAS in flexion (correlation coefficients and p values: 0.403, 0.303 and 0.441, p less than 0.001, p = 0.005, p less than 0.001 respectively). Thus, some vertical movement is connected with AAS during flexion and this should be taken into consideration when weighing treatment options.
The objective is to develop methods to detect and monitor levee slides using commercially available high resolution multispectral imagery. High resolution multispectral imagery like IKONOS and QuickBird are suitable for detecting and monitoring levee slides. IKONOS is suitable for visual inspection, image classification and Tasseled Cap transform based slide detection. Tasseled Cap based model was found to be the best method for slide detection. QuickBird was suitable for visual inspection and image classification.
Abstract : Statins are important and effective medications to lower cholesterol and prevent cardiovascular disease. Long-term adherence is a challenge, due, in part, to statin intolerance due to musculoskeletal side effects. In objective 1, we randomly assigned 159 primary care patients with statin intolerance not prescribed statins to either genotype-guided statin therapy (GGST) or usual care. GGST patients and their providers received *5 genetic risk information about statin side effects and genotype-specific statin prescription recommendations. Patients in the usual care arm received general information regarding statin risk and prescriptions. The outcomes measured at 3 and 8 months were statin reinitiation, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc), and statin adherence using the validated Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. In primary care patients with statin intolerance, SLCO1B1 GGST is effective in lowering LDLc compared to usual care (131.9 +/- 42.0 vs. 144.4 +/- 43.0, p=0.041). GGST, however, did not improve statin adherence in those who reinitiated statin therapy. In objective #2, we used electronic medical record billing, laboratory, and pharmacy data to build and validate a predictive model that identifies patients who will be nonadherent to statin therapy. The overall accuracy of this model as assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve was 0.81.
This study aims to research on the brand repurchase intention of Korean and Chinese customers based on the survey of the psychological needs and desire of Chinese customers for the competitiveness of domestic whitening cosmetics business companies in the rapidly growing Chinese market. The survey using the questionnaire method targets the whitening cosmetics customers at the department store and cosmetics shops in Gwangzhou, China, while it targets people who had used the whitening cosmetics among the members of department store culture centres in Seoul and Gyeonggi region. All together, 441 copies of questionnaires are used for China while 421 copies for Korea. The questionnaire used in this study includes contents such as general characteristics of whitening cosmetics and brand awareness, brand image, brand satisfaction, brand repurchase loyalty and demographic characteristics. The conclusions of this study are following. Firstly, it is found that brand assets and brand awareness have static effects on the brand images in both Korea and China. Secondly, it is shown that the brand awareness has the static effect on the brand satisfaction in Korea, while the brand asset and awareness do not affect the brand satisfaction in China. Thirdly, it is found and China that brand images have static effects on the brand satisfaction and repurchase in both Korea. Fourthly, it is found that the brand satisfaction have static effects on repurchase in both Korea and China. Whereas, concerning the effects of the brand satisfaction on repurchase, domestic ones have relatively larger effects than Chinese. Lastly, the module verification for the brand-related variables and repurchase shows a minor difference in domestic and Chinese modules. In domestic case, the brand awareness is likely to affect the brand satisfaction, while the brand asset does not affect it. On the other hand, in case of China, both brand asset and brand awareness do not have any effects on the brand satisfaction. The modules between brand related variables and repurchase in Korea and China appears to be acceptable in overall.
AIM The aim of this study was to find possible relationships between plasma leptin and bone mineral density (BMD) in weight bearing and non-weight bearing sites in young females with different physical activities and body composition parameters.   METHODS In 33 strength-trained, 32 endurance-trained, 41 sedentary normal weight and 23 sedentary overweight females, fasting plasma leptin and BMD of the total body, antero-posterior lumbar spine L2-L4, dominant arm distal radius and femoral neck were measured.   RESULTS Endurance-trained females had lower values in L2-L4 when compared to strength-trained (P<0.01) and overweight (P<0.01) females. Normal weight sedentary females had lower (P<0.01) BMDs in sites L2-L4, femoral neck and total BMD when compared to strength-trained females. Overweight sedentary females had higher BMD values in sites L2-L4 (P<0.01) and total BMDs (P<0.05) when compared to normal weight sedentary females. No significant relationships (P>0.05) were found between plasma leptin and any measured BMD parameters in strength-trained and overweight sedentary females. In endurance-trained and normal weight sedentary females, leptin was correlated only with L2-L4 (r=0.461 and r=0.456, respectively). In normal weight sedentary females, distal radius BMD correlated significantly with leptin concentration (r=0.388).   CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that plasma leptin concentrations, as a rule, are not directly related to areal BMD in young females. However, only in endurance-trained and normal weight sedentary groups, in L2-L4 sites and also in normal weight sedentary group at distal radius, leptin concentrations are related to areal BMD via body fat mass.
Previous studies fromourlaboratory haveshownthatethylene, vinyl fluoride monomer(VFM), vinyl chloride monomer(VCM),andvinyl bromide monomer(VBM)areallacutely hepatotoxic inratspretreated withpolychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). Thetimecourse ofhepatic injury development after exposureandseveral parameters, environmental andchemical, affecting this toxicity wereevaluated inthe workreported here. Liver injury, asmeasured byserumalanine-a-ketoglutarate transaminase (SAKT) orsorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), develops progressively overa24-hr period followiifg a4-hrinhalation exposure ofPCB-pretreated ratstoethylene orVCM.Environmental temperature during exposure to VCM doesnotaffect hepatotoxicity ormortality below30.3°C. At33.8°C, however, mortality andSAKT aredramatically increased. Overnight fasting, whichdepletes hepatic glutathione (GSH)ofPCBpretreated ratsbefore exposure toethylene orVCM,significantly increases thehepatotoxicity ofthese compounds asmeasured bySDH.Thecombined effects offasting andoftrichloropropane epoxide (TCPE), aninhibitor ofepoxide hydrase (EH), werealso examined. TCPEtreatment offasted PCB-pretreated ratsimmediately before exposure wassynergistic inincreasing theacutetoxicity ofethylene and VCM.TCPEincreased mortality infedorfasted ratsexposed toVFM,butthere wasnoeffect offasting alone. Bothfasting andTCPEincreased thesensitivity ofPCB-pretreated rats toVBM,butthere wasnot aclearly synergistic effect offasting plusTCPE.Thesedatasuggest thattheacutetoxicity ofthese compounds ismediated through epoxide intermediates.
In the traditional culture of China where small-scale peasant economy has lasted for thousands of years,individual benefits and rights have always been subordinated to the family and therefore,individual autonomy,as part of family autonomy,is thus only a reflection of the departmentalism of the family.In such a culture,the informed consent,a transplant from the West,is different from the original concept in ways of its conception,interpretation and practice in the West from which it is introduced,and in particular,in the way of the acceptance of a family member's agreement right.Namely,in China,there is a tension between patients' autonomy and family autonomy.In this situation,a culturally tolerant attitude is needed in the treatment of the tension according to the specific situation in China.
The Armenian Ministry of Diaspora, in collaboration with the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia and USAID, is currently working to conceptualize, develop and implement a diaspora strategy for Armenia. We were invited to Armenia to meet with various actors involved in diaspora initiatives and to present an overview of how other countries engage their diaspora, with a particular focus on business and professional networks, to the Board of the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia and to suggest potential paths forward. We visited Armenia from November 11th to 15th 2009, presenting to the Board on November 14th. During our visit we met with a number of representatives from organizations forging links between Armenia and its diaspora (full list in Appendix 1). The purpose of this report is to present some preliminary thoughts on the emerging Armenia Diaspora Strategy. Our analysis should be read as embryonic and partial given it is based on solely on three intensive days of meetings with senior actors in Armenia (see Appendix 1) and desk research. To be clear then from the outset, this is a commentary paper designed to ask questions and provoke debate and is not a formal substantive analyses of the Armenian approach to engaging its diasporic population. A more complete picture could only be achieved through further research both with respect to institutional capacity and diaspora engagement programmes in Armenia and in relation to the nature and existing organizations and networks within the diaspora.
Government must attract a talented workforce to develop policies to promote social welfare. We study the allocation of lawyers because of their critical role in the formulation and implementation of nearly all government policies. We document systematic differences in the allocation of legal talent between the public and private sectors and argue that this talent disparity exists because of a large government earnings penalty for lawyers. Finally, we present evidence based on Supreme Court cases that the talent disparity affects government performance. We conclude that deregulating the legal profession could improve the allocation of attorney talent between the sectors.
A new method for predicting chemical rate constants using thermodynamics has been applied to the hydrogen/oxygen system. This method is based on using the gradient of the Gibbs free energy and a single proportionality constant D to determine the kinetic rate constants. Using this method the rate constants for any gas phase reaction can be computed from thermodynamic properties. A modified reaction set for the H/O system is determined. A11 of the third body efficiencies M are taken to be unity. Good agreement was obtained between the thermodynamic method and the experimental shock tube data. In addition, the hydrogen bromide experimental data presented in previous work is recomputed with M's of unity.
A series of five experiments tested the importance of four types of skill development (single-word decoding, vocabulary knowledge, knowledge of text schema.;, and question-answering skills) for reading comprehension improvement. In two of three experiments involving undergraduates with no known reading problems, results indicated that teaching text schemas and providing question-answering practice led to significant improvement in reading comprehension. There were 24 subjects in experiment 1, 20 subjects in experiment 2, and 30 subjects in experiment 3. Subjects who received decoding and vocabulary practice improved on those tasks but did not improve on reading comprehension. All subjects received three hours of individualized practice. When schema and test-taking practice were provide in small-group settings, in a third experiment, subjects' reading comprehension did not benefit. In two additional experiments replicating experiments 1 and 3, schema and question-answering practice failed to bring about improved reading comprehension in subjects who had failed a reading competency exam for students entering the university. Failure to bring about reading comprehension improvement in these subjects was not because the materials were too difficult. Findings suggest that textual knowledge-based skills, sharpened through the development of text schemes and question-answering skills, increased reading comprehension performance, but not for all subpopulations of college students. (Contains 14 references and a figure illustrating templates for schema instruction.) (RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION f/This document C ENhTaEsR (EbeeRnIrCe) reproduced as received from the person or organization
The Rharb basin in northern Morocco is a Tertiary foreland filled by clastic series during Miocene and Pliocene times These sediments, derived from the Prerif to the North-East and the Meseta to the South, are characterized by two main turbiditic sequences during much of the Upper Tortonian/Messinian and Lower Pliocene. These deep water sand deposits were probably related to both uplifting of the Rif and prerif and relative change of sea level. Although the first oil discovery in the basin was made by the beginning of the 1920`s and that over 25 billions cf of gas have been discovered by exploration drilling, the problem still facing exploration in the area is seismic resolution and reprocessing. Recent studies, based on high seismic resolution techniques and general integrated basin study have permitted to gain a deep insight of stratigraphy and distribution of deep water sand within the Upper Miocene series and their fluid content and provide critical data for evaluating hydrocarbon potential. Such evaluation combined with structural configuration and seals allows assessment of different prospects for gas exploration. Out of more 100 amplitude anomalies identified in the area based on new exploration concepts, 7 are recently drilled with 4 discoveries and 8more » are proposed for drilling.« less
A Nonparametric Test of Independence Between Two Variables Bin Li Louisiana State University A nonparametric statistic, called the roughness of concomitant ranks, is proposed for testing whether two quantitative vectors are dependent. Empirical evidence shows the new statistic is normally distributed with mean and variance are given in Theorem 1. The new testing procedure is highly computationally efficient and simple, and exhibits a competent empirical performance in simulations and two microarray data analysis. We apply the new method to deal with variable screening for high-dimensional data analysis. For low signal-to-noise ratio setting, we suggest to use data binning to increase the power of the test. Simulation results show the fine performance of the proposed method with existing screening methods. Exploring the Racial Disparity in Health-related Quality of Life among Young Breast Cancer Survivors in Louisiana Ruijuan Gao and Qingzhao Yu Department of Biostatistics LSU School of Public Health New Orleans This study was designed to compare survey results about the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) between African American (AA) and white young breast cancer survivors (YBCS), and to explore the rationale behind any difference. There were 22 common questions in the survey questionnaire. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce the dimension of original variables among the 130 survey respondents. The resulting components were compared by ANOVA between AA and white groups to see if there were any difference. If there was significant difference, the multiple mediation analysis (MMA) was used to explore potential mediators associated with the racial disparity on HRQoL. Via PCA, the original 22 variables were reduced to 4 components, which could be interpreted as ”overall anxiety”, ”fertility-related anxiety”, ”anxiety on working ability but comfort on sex intimacy and body shape”, and ”comfort on body change”. Among the four components, AA group had significantly higher overall anxiety and fertility-related anxiety compared to white group. Therefore, overall anxiety and fertility-related anxiety were used for subsequent analysis with MMA. Census poverty level was identified as a significant mediator for fertility-related anxiety in MMA with linear regression method. BMI and age were found to be very close to significant mediators for overall anxiety and fertility-related anxiety respectively. Due to the sample size limitation, the study on mediation can only be considered as a pilot study, and further analysis will be performed when clinical information on more subjects are available in the project. The pilot study showed that the race disparity of healthrelated quality of life among young breast cancer survivors between AA and white could be partially explained by BMI, age, and census poverty level. The results would help improve the quality of life for YBCS and reduce the racial disparity in HRQoL by identifying the target for intervention.
Two moments are particularly relevant in the diffusion of energy innovations: the formative phase and the transition to new regions. The former prepares the technology for widespread growth, while the latter enlarges its impact on the market. The objective of this research is to identify historical patterns in the formative phases of energy technologies in the core, as well as in the spatial diffusion to subsequent areas. A recent research on the historical scaling of energy technologies has suggested that diffusion evolutes in a three-stages process (Wilson, 2012; Wilson and Grubler, 2011; Wilson, 2009): a formative phase (when a large number of units are produced and several designs are tested); an up-scaling phase (characterized by the production of units of a bigger size); and, finally, the growth phase (mass-commercialization of large scale units). The formative phase prepares the conditions to scale-up the technology. It may take some time until a particular design becomes dominant and the main technical problems are identified and solved in the core. However, this phase may generate spillovers that enable a faster diffusion in other areas. This would in part explain the empirical finding by which diffusion accelerates when it reaches new areas, though with lower levels of penetration (Wilson and Grubler, 2011). In the last decade the diffusion of new renewable energy, such as wind technologies, has rapidly attained impressive results in Portugal. This rapid development has contributed for the progress of the technology, and gives an interesting field of study of the factors that can accelerate the spatial diffusion of innovations. A better understanding of the dynamics of technological diffusion, in particular during the formative phase and the spatial diffusion, would allow the design of more theoretically and empirically grounded policies to promote the dissemination of the next wave of sustainable energy innovations (e.g., solar, wave).
Given the cross-cutting and interdisciplinary that it covers the subject area curriculum for the Study of Social Environment on the 1st cycle of basic education, this study seeks to have as its anchor presenting a diverse set of research results developed in School Centers of municipality of Viana do Castelo (Portugal) in the framework of the educational activities of mestrandas in Preschool Education and Teaching 1st Cycle of Basic Education of the School of Education of Viana do Castelo. Looking to have the Local History and Social Studies in its reference identifying the most, the various themes presented in this project are as axes reflective not only of the Teaching of Social Studies, but also as a social pedagogy aimed at progressive and educational transformation and approximation of school agents.
Manic depression and bipolar affective disorder are synonymous with each other and are the names given to bipolar disorder, a chronic illness where the highs of mania alternate after weeks or months with the lows of depression. This is bipolar I which is the classic bipolar disorder found in 2 per cent of the population and has a strong genetic basis. It is generally associated with significant personal and societal costs.Emil Kracpelin, eminent German psychiatrist (1856-1926) studied the natural course of bipolar disorder and found it to have intervals where the patient was stable, functional and free of symptoms. He very importantly distinguished this from schizophrenia which was more psychotic based and had a poorer outcome with no return to normal or baseline functioning.
Abstract:The Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19 has wrecked havoc on the world's economy, health, industry, education, and social systems. While the impact of the Coronavirus is being felt by millions of individuals in the United States, this manuscript will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on African Americans, examining it through the lens of family stress theory. This focus is deliberate because when compared to other racial groups, African Americans have a disproportionately higher rate of contracting and dying from the virus, are more likely to be poor, be employed as essential workers in low-paying service jobs that substantially increases their risk of contracting and dying from the virus, and experience poor physical health. In addition to the aforementioned, this work will discuss how various components of McCubbin and Patterson's (1982) Double ABC-X Model of family stress relates to the physical, mental, and emotional health of African Americans. In addition to highlighting the unique stressors of Blacks, this work will provide future directions for researchers and practitioners.Résumé:Le coronavirus, également connu sous le nom de COVID-19, a ravagé l'économie, la santé, l'industrie, l'éducation et les systèmes sociaux du monde. Alors que l'impact du Coronavirus est ressenti par des millions de personnes aux États-Unis, ce manuscrit se concentrera sur l'impact de COVID-19 sur les Afro-Américains, en l'examinant à travers la lentille de la théorie du stress familial. Cette focalisation est délibérée car par rapport à d'autres groupes raciaux, les Afro-Américains ont un taux disproportionnellement plus élevé de contracter et de mourir du virus, sont plus susceptibles d'être pauvres, d'être employés comme travailleurs essentiels dans des emplois de service peu rémunérés qui augmentent considérablement leur risque de contracter et de mourir du virus, et connaissent une mauvaise santé physique. En plus de ce qui précède, ce travail examinera comment les diverses composantes du modèle Double ABC-X du stress familial de McCubbin et Patterson (1982) sont liées à la santé physique, mentale et émotionnelle des Afro-Américains. En plus de mettre en évidence les facteurs de stress uniques des Noirs, ce travail fournira des orientations futures pour les chercheurs et les praticiens.
The influence of linear (spanwise-uniform) forcing applied by a DBD plasma actuator on the growth of a turbulent mixing layer and the dynamics of large-scale spanwise vortices, are investigated experimentally. Furthermore, the freestream turbulence intensity in the low-velocity stream is maintained at a high level to examine its impact on the control-authority of the applied forcing. The influence of the applied forcing on the dynamics and interactions of the spanwise vortices in the mixing layer is apparent. However, the growth rate of the mixing layer is not affected, suggesting that the high level of freestream turbulence diminishes the control-authority of the applied forcing.
This comprehensive report outlines the progress made during the past three years in the areas described below. In all instances, initial studies have been carried out and the technical feasibility of carrying through each study has been demonstrated. The studies described include development of cesium-130 and bromine-75 radioisotope generators, the feasibility of using rubidium-82 as a myocardial imaging agent, and radiochemical preparation of C-11 deoxyglucose. 28 refs. (DT)
Language parallel corpora can be used as key resources for cross lingual information processing, language research and teaching, contrastive linguistics, translation studies, and bilingual lexicography. Unfortunately parallel corpora, are not available for many African languages. In this book we describe the construction of a Lusoga-English parallel corpus that upon which several information processing applications can be realized such as machine translation, information retrieval, bilingual lexicography, Concordancing, among others. In this study we specifically contribute a parallel concordancer that uses the Lusoga-English parallel corpus. For corpus construction, parallel text collection, transformation, annotation, and mark-up were undertaken. The book thus presents an approach and work flow for a parallel corpora and its application to a concordance tool.
Type 2 diabetes is a heterogeneous disorder in which both insulin resistance and impaired insulin secretion play important roles. Studies in monozygotic twins in which one is discordant for type 2 diabetes and studies of first-degree relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes who still have normal glucose tolerance indicate that impaired insulin secretion can be detected before insulin resistance, suggesting that impaired beta-cell function may be the primary genetic defect. The insulin resistance found in most individuals with impaired glucose tolerance and/or type 2 diabetes appears to be largely acquired and can be accounted for by obesity, physical inactivity, and glucose and lipotoxicity. Progressive deterioration in beta-cell function as demonstrated in the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) and/or worsening of insulin resistance leads to deterioration in glucose tolerance and to secondary failure of oral antidiabetic drugs. Therefore, agents that improve beta-cell function (such as sulfonylureas and meglitinides) and insulin sensitizers (such as metformin and thiazolidinediones) both are useful alone or in combination for treating type 2 diabetes.
This study aims at determining the extent to which computer using skills specified in Project for International Students Evaluation (PISA) 2006 predict Turkish students’ achievement in mathematics. Apart from questions on mathematics, science and reading competencies, a student questionnaire, a school questionnaire and a parent questionnaire were also given prior to the exam to gather information on various social, cultural and economic factors that might be related to the students’ academic achievement. Self-reliance in performing the operations requiring high level of computer skills, self-reliance in performing internet-related operations, using computers for internet and entertainment purposes, and using computers for programme and software purposes were examined as variables affecting mathematical achievement in this research. Multiple regression analysis was conducted so as to determine the degree to which independent variables predicted achievement at mathematics. The analysis results showed that the model constructed was statistically significant (F=240.45; p< 0.01). The independent variables accounted for aproximately 17.7% of the overall variance. The research findings showed that students’ self-reliance in performing the operations requiring high level of computer skills, using the word processor, using electronic tabulating programme in drawing graphs, preparing presentations, preparing multimedia presentations, and designing web pages affected the mathematics achievement scores in a negative way. Based on those results, it might be said that students’ using computers in line with their needs, parents’ controlling the time their children use computers, the internet and computer for entertainment purposes would be beneficial.
In the lead up to the Year 2000 dot.com crash of publicly traded high-technology equities, Information Communication Technology (ICT) Companies proudly displayed inter-firm allegiances on their newly created websites. These collaborative relationships were in reality licensing agreements to develop or market new products internationally. Phenomena associated with ICT product development - collaboration, innovation, and internationalisation - are the core tenets of the accompanying dissertation. Leading scholars have suggested these phenomena challenge conventional economic theories of the firm.        This study commences with tracing the evolution of trade and production theories from absolute advantage through to competitive advantage and introduces the concepts of non-adversarial collaborative advantage. Within the framework of the technology cycle, this dissertation then seeks to answer why firms engage in international collaborative innovation. The cycle of technological innovation is investigated and this leads to postulating a period of technological overlap and its implications for collaboration.        One of the shortcomings acknowledged in the literature is the generic application of the term collaboration to cover a wide scope of inter-firm agreements. Within the literature this is referred to as a problem of multidimensionality. A model is developed in this dissertation that identifies the choices available to the firm and addresses the problem of defining collaboration. The choices provided in the developed model are more complex than simply choosing between external and internal intermediate markets. As a separable form of industry organisation, the success rates of alliance collaboration are compared to Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As) to validate issues of sustainability before examining the impact of location on innovation and collaboration. Again, theory is tested by recent events that require explanation. These events include the relocation of early stage foreign R&D to both developed and lesser-developed nations.        The final chapter assesses the findings throughout this study and identifies separate and distinct roles for large and small firms in the international and collaborative commercialisation of new innovations. This central conclusion requires empirical validation and suggests the need investigate how firms shape the cycle of innovation from a reflected vantage point to the evolutionary perspective taken in this study. Further research is warranted because the literature on international innovation and collaboration is at an early stage and gaps in understanding remain.
Aims: To improve the performance of educational institutions, identifying of improper outputs status and influential factors on incidence of relevant indicators is essential. Therefore, this study was carried out in order to assess improper outputs and its related factors. Methods: In this cross-sectional study all the graduates of health faculty of KUMS from 1991 until the end of 2003 (n=1455) were selected by census method. A questionnaire including the determining indicators of improper outputs (unacceptable average, withdrawing, university dismiss, education quit, and major changing) and possible related factors was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using odds ratio and difference percentage by SPSS 16 software. Results: prevalence of unacceptable total average, withdrawing, university dismiss, education quit, and major changing were 9.42, 1.5, 0.1, 1.2, and 0.5%, respectively. Moreover, there was association between improper outputs and the demographic data, educational background and admission criteria. Conclusion: Gender, residence area, diploma type, marital status, admission type and history of taking guest courses in other universities, time period between two educational levels, major, level, education group, the average of former educational levels and age of entering university are effective in improper outputs status.
Escalating food prices in 2007-2008, climate change and land grabbing have woken the world up to the extraordinary challenge of feeding 9 billion people by 2050. Indeed, following several world summits, policymakers are now convinced of the need for a significant increase in public investment in agriculture. Even the private sector is scaling up its investment in the sector (Financial Times, 27 January 2010). In Africa, an Alliance for the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, has taken root.
Objective To investigate the value of using transvaginal sonography to diagnose early ectopic pregnancy. Methods The sonography and clinical information of 56 cases with ectopic pregnancy proved by transvaginal sonography were retrospectively analyzed. Results Among the 56 patients proved by transvaginal sonography,54 cases corresponded with the clinical and pathological diagnosis(occupying 96.4%). The rates of both omitting and mistaken diagnoses were 1.8%. Conclusion The transvaginal sonography has an important clinical value for the diagnosis of early ectopic pregnancy which has high rate of definite diagnosis.
Much attention has been paid to the study of leaders and their ability to influence followers. A comprehensive study by Humphrey (2002) found that leadership is a process of social interaction by which the leader’s ability to influence the behavior of his or her employees can strongly influence the employees’ performance outcome. Mayer, Caruso, and Salovey (2000) hypothesized that leaders who rate high in the ability to accurately perceive, understand, and appraise others’ emotions were better able to influence and motivate their employees. Taking the lead of prior research, this dissertation investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and the ability to influence followers. The sample was composed of 72 fully employed adults working 40 hours a week in a corporate or education setting. The MayerSalovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), an ability-based test designed to measure the four branches of Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso’s EI model, was administered to the sample. The MSCEIT measures individuals’ overall level of EI as well as their ability levels with regard to the four branches of the model: (a) perceiving emotions, (b) using emotions, (c) understanding emotions, and (d) managing emotions (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2002). For the purpose of this dissertation, participants’ total EI scores were examined. Additionally, this study used an Influence Quiz, a test designed by Cialdini and Goldstein (2004) to measure awareness and understanding of the Six Principles of Influence. Through researching professionals in sales, Cialdini (2009; Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004) found 6 strategies to be highly effective when attempting to influence an outcome or followers: (a) authority, (b) consistency and commitment, (c) liking, (d) reciprocity/reciprocation, (e) scarcity, and (f) social proof. This is the first study that combined the works of Cialdini with that of Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso (2004). This study used a quantitative approach; specifically surveys administered to 72 participants were used to
Work-family conflict has two direction, namely work-family conflict and family-work conflict. Work-family conflict occurs when work interfering family life. Whereas, familywork conflict occurs when family interfering work life. Based on the two-way-relationship, it can be indicated that work-family conflict and family-work conflict is a predictor of job stress. This research analyzed the effect of work-family conflict and family-work conflict to job stress, the objects are employee of Economics and Business Faculty Universitas Gadjah Mada. This research was carried out by processing the primary data collected by quetionnaire. There are two hypotheses in this research were tested by multiple liner regression. The result of this research stated that the Work-Family Conflit (WFC) and the Family-Work Conflict (FWC) has a significant positive effect on Job Stress to employees who are married and have children. The higher of work-family conflict, the higher the level of job stress. Keywords: Work-Family Conflict, Family-Work Conflict, Job Stress, Stress, Conflict
In the entry list mode, each entry read out from the pre-sorted in a predetermined sequence of characters (abc order or the order of the kana syllabary) in accordance with the language at the same time is displayed as a city entry table (18a), at the top or bottom by the upper and lower cursor keys If the entry is set as the selected vocabulary entry that is, left and right cursor by the key while the cursor (Cu) indicated in the n-th character of the selected entry, the upper and lower page moving key is operated, the cursor of the n-th to the position (Cu) in the character is set as the first of a new selected index word vocabulary entry at the top or bottom direction in which the character type of the other character, the cursor (Cu) is shown attached newly changed. If the station / determination key is operated, the description information of the selected entry is read from the dictionary is displayed in the expanded display section 18. Entry, pre-content, pre-function electronic device, a recording medium, a touch panel
Li Dazhao has made a study of the Chinese modernization in the period of from Republic of China to May 4th Movement, and advocates that the conditions for Chinese modernization are the spirit of nationalism, the power of politics, and the new modernized groups. Li Dazhao's ideas about the conditions for Chinese modernization are historical conclusion for the Chinese society modernization, which have an important status in the Chinese modernized history.
Energy loss at manholes, often exceeding friction loss of pipes under surcharged flow, is considered as one of the major causesof inundation in urban areas. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze head loss at manholes, especially in case of surcharged flow. Hydraulic experiments were conducted with three cases. Case A is to test whether the shapes of the manholes influence head loss coefficients. Case B and C were proposed to further reduce head losses by improving the manhole hydraulic efficiency. In case B, the joining part of the pipe at both shapes of manholes is shifted from central part to side part. The test in case C is to check the average head loss coefficient by installing the side benching in square manhole, based on shifted joining part model. The average head loss coefficient for circular and square manhole on case A was 1.6. This did not show much difference of the head loss coefficients in spite of the discharge variation in this case. However, case B and C show large difference between head loss coefficients due to the strong oscillation of water surface and the horizontal swirl motion. The circular and square manholes in case B reduced the head loss by 30% and 6% than ones in case A, respectively. The average head loss coefficient for circular manhole in case B was 1.1. Case C reduced average loss coefficients of the square manhole in case A from 1.6 to 1.1. Accordingly, the circular manhole in case B and the square manhole in case C showed the effective way to reduce the head loss. These head loss coefficients could be available to apply to the urban sewer system with surcharged flow.
Direct measurements of bronchial deposition in ventilated pig lungs are reported for radon daughter ions and condensation nuclei. Comparisons are made with deposition calculated from the theory of particle diffusion in steady, laminar air-flow. In segmental bronchi, the observed deposition of condensation nuclei was within about 25% of that calculated. Deposition was greater by up to a factor 2 in main stem and lobar bronchi. Deposition in the trachea depended upon the entrance conditions set by vocal cords. For thorium-B ions, deposition in segmental bronchi was a factor 4 less than calculated, apparently due to rapid hygroscopic growth. Clearance rates by dissolution from bronchial epithelium in vivo for lead and bismuth ions are also reported. Approximately 10% of 212Pb ions diffused into blood with a half-time of about 70 min and 30% of 212Bi ions with a much shorter half-time of about 7 min. The implications of these data in the calculation of radiation dose from inhaled radon daughters are discussed.
An experimental investigation was made to determine the effects of a vibration environment on the critical currents of superconducting magnets and to determine a method of obtaining reliable performance of the magnets when subjected to vibrations. The degradation of the critical currents of the magnets was investigated within a vibration range of 100 to 2000 Hz with magnet accelerations up to 440 g. Results are presented.
Objective To observe the clinical effects of Yiqi Xingshen decoction combined with acupuncture for treating conscious disturbance in patients with cerebral infarction. Methods 108 patients were randomly divided into treatment group, medicine group and acupuncture group. With the basic treatment, the treatment group was given Yiqi Xingshen decoction combined with acupuncture treatment every day, medicine group was given Yiqi Xingshen decoction daily, acupuncture group was given acupuncture treatment daily, with 14 days as a treatment cycle. The curative effect was evaluated after treatment. Glasgow score of consciousness disorder was counted in patients before and after the treatment. Results There were statistical differences in Glasgow scores in 3 groups before and after treatment(P0.05). After treatment, Glasgow score difference in treatment group was improved significantly compared with the drug group and acupuncture group(P 0.01),and the difference was statistically significant; after treatment there were significant differences in the totally effective rate between treatment group(88.9%) and the medicine group(55.5%), acupuncture group(58.3%)(P0.01). However there was no significant difference between medicine group and acupuncture group in totally effective rate(P 0.05). Conclusion Yiqi Xingshen decoction combined with acupuncture has obvious therapeutic effects on conscious disturbance in patients with cerebral infarction.
The utility model discloses a double-wood aluminum window which comprises an aluminum alloy base body having a window frame and a window leaf frame, wherein the window leaf frame comprises an outdoor timber side surface and an indoor timber side surface, a glass layer is fixed in the center of the window leaf frame, two sides of the aluminum alloy base body are integrally formed through buckles and outer leaf wooden plates, and a recessed structure is formed on the window leaf frame. The buckle has pai-shaped structure, and the glass layer is two-layer or three-layer hollow glass. A wooden lattice on the outdoor timber side surface of the window leaf frame is outward opened, and a wooden lattice on the indoor timber side surface of the window leaf frame is inward opened. The double-wood aluminum window employs a wood-aluminum-wood structure, and the heat insulation window aluminum section with crossing bars serves as a main body. Wood sheet materials decorate the outdoor and indoor sides, and the indoor and outdoor decoration is the same as or better than a wooden window. The double-wood aluminum window is exquisite, energy-saving, environmental friendly and non-deformable, has excellent sealing performance and visual effects, substantially reduces the energy consumption for heating and refrigeration, and provides excellent effects.
The objective of this paper is to describe the evolution of public policies for agricultural banking financing in Venezuela; and the behavior of the agricultural credit risk of the bank in the period 1995-2014. The research is quantitative, documentary and, mainly, descriptive; but, it includes elements of approximation to the relationship between variables mentioned before. The data was obtained by reviewing legal texts and reports from public and private entities in the country. The values ​​of the credit variables of the agricultural portfolio constitute national aggregates of the financial sector. Their analysis was based on comparative tables and time series, treated by descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients. These coefficients allowed us to approximate the relationship between agricultural financing policies and credit risk. In the same sense, stress testing methodology was used to visualize risk scenarios associated with these policies. Between 1995 and 2014, the fixing of the mandatory agricultural portfolio and interest rates tend to be concentrated in the hands of the State; As of 2005, the policies with credits for items and months of planting are deepened and specified. In the period studied there is an increase in the percentages of the agricultural portfolio, with a decrease in nominal and real interest rates. These correlate negatively with the total agricultural portfolio and positively with the delinquency rate. Three risk scenarios were identified that coincided with modifications in the financing policy. These results are indications of the link between credit risk and agricultural financing policy.
The haplotype assembly MEC problem is the computational problem of inducing a pair of haplotypes from an individual’s DNA fragments sequencing data by correcting minimum SNPs.Based on the characters of DNA fragments,the paper introduces a parameterized algorithm of time complexity O(nk22k2+mlogm+mk) with m fragments,n SNPs,the maximum number of SNP sites that a fragment covers k(usually smaller than 10) and the maximum number of the fragments covering a SNP site k(usually no more than 10).For the practical fragment data,the algorithm can solve the MEC problem efficiently even if m and n are larger and it is scalable and applicable in practice.
This multi-element composite fertilizer includes farm manure, chemical fertilizer and humic acid. It is characterized by following composition (wt.%): human excrement 10-20, pig manure 30-40, chickenmanure 20-30, ox manure 20-30, nitrogen fertilizer 25-35 ammonium phosphate 6-10, potassium fertilizer 9-13, and humic acid 10-20. Total N, P, K content amounts to 25.13% with appropriate ratio and conform to the national requirement.
We propose a simple and efficient approach to learning sparse models. Our approach consists of (1) projecting the data into a lower dimensional space, (2) learning a dense model in the lower dimensional space, and then (3) recovering the sparse model in the original space via compressive sensing. We apply this approach to Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF), tensor decomposition and linear classification—showing that it obtains 10× compression with negligible loss in accuracy on real data, and obtains up to 5× speedups. Our main theoretical contribution is to show the following result for NMF: if the original factors are sparse, then their projections are the sparsest solutions to the projected NMF problem. This explains why our method works for NMF and shows an interesting new property of random projections: they can preserve the solutions of non-convex optimization problems such as NMF.
The minimally invasive Nuss procedure has become the standard of care for surgical correction of pectus excavatum. Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital deformity of the chest wall. Historically, surgical correction was limited to the Ravitch procedure, an invasive procedure associated with significant drawbacks, where abnormal cartilage was removed and the sternum elevated and stabilized. Patients typically experienced a prolonged recovery period, from 6 to 9 months and significant postoperative pain. The Nuss procedure, invented in 1998, is much less invasive and has a success rate of 90% compared with the Ravitch procedure with a success rate of 70% to 80%. This more recent procedure normally has an exceedingly low complication rate, reported to be 8% to 11%. Postoperative analgesia ranges from patient controlled analgesia to a thoracic epidural depending on the surgeon's preference. This case report details an immediate postoperative complication that occurred with its subsequent anesthetic management.
Socialization is an important character of modern science technology since 20th century.Firstly,modern science technology shows socialization essence even more,including the socialization of scientists,science organizational system,science technological affects,science technological direction,science technological contents,and so on.Secondly,modern scientific technology shows socialization function even more.The socialization degree of scientific technological function is higher than before information era.
Trichlorfon insecticide residue and its removal from dry-salted fish was studied. After soaking dry-salted fish in 0.15% trichlorfon solution, samples were air exposed in laboratory for different periods of time. Residues were extracted with the appropriate solvents and quantitated by Gas chromatograph using flame photometric detector. The results showed that after exposure of dry-salted fish in laboratory for 0, 0.25, 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 13 and 2l days, trichlorfon residue was-reduced 0, 4, 12, 23, 70, 91, 95, 97, and 98% respectively. In addition, the residue was reduced 54% by washing, 62% by sun drying for 6 hours and 81% by washing together with sun drying. Removal of trichlorfon residues by frying was more than 99%. Key words: Insecticide, Trichlofon, Dry salted fish, GC-FPD.
This research was conducted to know the effectiveness of gel extract  binahong leaf on the incision wound in mice by observation of wound area length  and wound healing. Mice divided into 4 treatment groups, P0 (HPMC 3%), P1  (povidone iodine), P2 (10% gel extract binahong), P3 (20% gel extract binahong).  This study was observed 3 times, on day 3, day 5 and day 7 with 5 mice each  observation. The data were analyzed by ANAVA followed by Duncan Test for  through observation of wound area length, while Kruskal-Wallis followed by Mann  Whitney Test for observation of wound healing. The result shows of wound area  length on day 7, P3 very significant difference with P0 and P1 with the mean P3  0,42, P0 0,58, and P1 0,52 but P3 significant difference with P2 0,48. The result  observation of wound healing on day 3 and day 5 have a same scor 6 so there was  no significant difference in all treatments (p>0,05). On day 7 shows P3 have a scor  8, the highest scor (p<0,05). Based on the analysis in the data it can be concluded  that P3 the 20% concentration of gel extract binahong leaf is more effective in  curing the incision because it can make wound incision become smallest and has a  highest scoring of wound healing.
The development of Mou Zong- san's aesthetics thought and its improvement have close relationship with Kant's. The peculiar status of Kant's aesthetics thought has determined the origination of Mou Zong- san's aesthetics thought. In addition,the spiritual argumentation of Kant's aesthetics thought has directly influenced Mou Zong- san to pay his attention to the aesthetics issues and the orientation of morality aesthetics. Kant has regarded beauty as the "mediation theory"for the communication between nature and freedom,which has aroused Mou Zong- san to argue for his viewpoints,i. e. "unification of aesthetics and morality"in his old age.
In a recent publication, Mills et al. (1 ) calculated distinct diffusion coefficients in 4 frames of reference for 14 binary nonelectrolyte mixtures. Because of space limitations, some of the data were represented graphically in that paper. The distinct diffusion coefficient data for the mass-, volumeand numberfixed frames of reference for all systems are given numerically here. The thermodynamic factor ( 8 In ail8 In x i ) ~ p , which is often used in mass-transport theories, is also given.
This research assessed market efficiency, volatility behaviour, asset pricing, and oil price risk exposure of the oil and gas companies quoted on the London Stock Exchange with the aim of providing fresh evidence on the pricing dynamics in this sector. In market efficiency analysis, efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and random walk hypothesis were tested using a mix of statistical tools such as Autocorrelation Function, Ljung-Box Q-Statistics, Runs Test, Variance Ratio Test, and BDS test for independence. To confirm the results from these parametric and non-parametric tools, technical trading and filter rules, and moving average based rules were also employed to assess the possibility of making abnormal profit from the stocks under study. In seasonality analysis, stock returns were tested for the day-of-the-week and month-of-the-year effects. Volatility processes, estimation, and forecasting were undertaken using both asymmetric and symmetric volatility models such as GARCH (1,1) and Threshold ARCH or TARCH (1,1,1) to investigate the volatility behaviour of stock returns. To determine the effect of an exogenous variable on volatility, Brent crude oil price was used in the models formulated as a variance regressor for the assessment of its impact on volatility. The models were then used to forecast the price volatility taking note of the forecasting errors for the determination of the most effective forecasting model. International oil price risk exposure of the oil and gas sector was measured using a multi-factor asset pricing model similar to that developed by Fama and French (1993). Factors used in the asset pricing model are assessed for statistical significance and relevance in the pricing of oil and gas stocks. Data used in the study were mainly the adjusted daily closing prices of oil and gas companies quoted on the exchange. Five indices of FTSE All Share, FTSE 100, FTSE UK Oil and Gas, FTSE UK Oil and Gas Producers, and FTSE AIM SS Oil and Gas were also included in the analysis. Our findings suggest that technical trading rules cannot be used to gain abnormal returns, which could be regarded as a sign for weak form market efficiency. The results from seasonality analysis have not shown any day-of-the-week or monthly effect in stock returns. The pattern of stock returns volatility can be estimated and forecasted, although the relationship between risk and return cannot be generalised. On a similar note, the relationship between volatility attributes and the efficient market hypothesis cannot be clearly established. However, we have established that volatility modelling can significantly measure the quantum of risk in the oil and gas sector. Market risk, oil price risk, size and book-to-market related factors in asset pricing models were found to be relevant in the determination of asset prices of the oil and gas companies.
Objective:To establish the HPLC method for detemination of strychnine and brucine in compound Fengshi Pills.Methods:HPLC was performed on Diamonsil C_(18)(4.6 mm×200 mm,5 μm)with methanol-acetonitrile-HAC(45∶30∶25∶0.5)as mobile phase.Detecting wavelength was 254 nm and flow rate was 1.0 ml/min.Strychnine and Brucine in compound Fengshi Pills were extracted by silica gel solid-phase extraction method.Results:Linear ranges of Strychnine and Brucine were 10～100 μg/ml and 6 μg/ml～60 μg/ml respectively.The recovery rates of strychnine and brucine were (99.55)%(RSD=1.01%)and 99.73%(RSD=1.05%)respectively.Conclusion:This method is accurate,repeatable and effective for quality control of compound Fengshi Pills.
There has been increasing evidence that histamine receptor stimulation might be an interesting aspect for the development of future drugs as well. Arpromidine and related imidazolylpropylguanidines are the most potent H2R agonists on the isolated guinea pig right atrium. The strongly basic guanidino group is essential for the agonistic activity but it is also responsible for very low oral bioavailability, non-H2R-mediated effects and lack of penetration across the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, the objective of this work was to design, synthesize and characterize histamine H2 receptor agonists, structurally related to arpromidine, but with lower basicity in order to achieve more favourable pharmacokinetic properties, in particular, oral bioavailability and penetration across the blood-brain barrier. The first part of this project was to develop a general synthetic route for the synthesis of NG-acylated imidazolylpropylguanidines. In Chapter 3, the development of a very convenient and straight forward synthetic route is described for the synthesis of NG-acylated guanidines, from the commercially available starting material, urocanic acid and guanidine, followed by coupling of acids. Then the synthesised compounds were pharmacologically tested on isolated guinea pig tissues (ileum: H1R, H3R; right atrium: H2R), on human H1R expressing cells (U373MG) and on membrane preparations of guinea pig and human histamine H2 or H4 receptor expressing Sf9 cells. The basicity of the acylguanidines is by 4-5 orders of magnitude lower than that of the corresponding guanidines. Acyl and alkyl guanidines are about equipotent as, for instance, demonstrated for the diphenylpropyl versus the diphenylpropanoyl and for impromidine versus the oxo-substituted analogue. Surprisingly, compounds with only one phenyl ring are equally or even more potent than the diaryl analogues. On the isolated guinea pig right atrium the most active H2R agonist, the 3-phenylbutanoyl substituted guanidine was about 30 times more potent than the natural ligand. However, the acylated imidazolylpropylguanidines are superior with respect to pharmacokinetic properties. A very important finding is that the compounds are absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and are capable of penetrating through the blood-brain barrier. Centrally active H2R agonists will be useful pharmacological tools to study the role histamine H2 receptors in the brain.  In Chapter 4, the bioisosteric replacement of the imidazolyl moiety in NG-acylated guanidine-type histamine H2 receptor agonists by a 2-amino-4-methylthiazol-5-yl group resulted in about the same H2R agonistic potency on the isolated guinea pig right atrium as well as in GTPase assays. Interestingly, in the GTPase assay on the human H2R the thiazolyl analogue with cyclohexylbutanoyl substituent was favoured compared to the corresponding phenylbutanoylguanidine. This may be interpreted a hint that a certain degree of selectivity for the human H2R may be achieved by structural variation of both the acyl and the heterocyclylpropyl group. Moreover, the aminothiazoles proved to be devoid of H3R antagonistic activity. Thus, the selectivity for H2R versus H3R can be considerably improved. In Chapter 5, the stereoselective preparation of enantiomers of several chiral new H2R agonists is described. The building block (R and S)-3-phenylbutanoic acid was synthesized from the achiral precursor, methyl (E)-but-2-enoate, via asymmetric conjugate addition of phenylboronic acid by using a catalytic amount of rhodium catalyst and chiral binap ligand, followed by hydrolysis of the methyl ester. The corresponding chiral pyridyl acids with high ee (95-99 %), were prepared by the lipase catalysed enantioselective acetylation of racemic 1-(2-pyridyl)ethanol, followed by SN2 displacement with sodium salt of dimethyl malonate, and finally the decarboxylation of saponified product.  Interestingly, the preferred stereoisomers were conversely configured in case of the imidazolyl compound (R > S) and its aminothiazolyl analogue (S > R), respectively. This information is of particular interest with respect to the further refinement of receptor models, as the binding mode of imidazoles and aminothiazoles appears to be different.  Meanwhile imidazolylpropylguanidines and corresponding acylated analogues were found to be useful building blocks beyond the preparation of H2R agonists, for instance for the synthesis of ligands preferentially binding to other histamine receptor subtypes, to neuropeptide Y Y1 or Y4 receptors. Thus, there is increasing evidence that in terms of medicinal chemistry the imidazolylpropylguanidine moiety and the acylated analogues may be considered �privileged structures�. An extremely promising perspective results from very recent studies: surprisingly, some of the acylguanidines proved to be rather potent as either agonists or inverse agonists at the recently discovered H4R.
The academic database system at the academic information system application through SMS (Short Message Service) with the SQL InterBase and the Borland Delphi 6.0 program it has  been made. By using system and application database program academic information system give easily which in this access. At the database, the students can know academic data's with doing process login first this is put in Number of Student and Password. Information data's are could gets which curriculum data's, schedule learning, student biodata's, study plan card, grade table and lecture data's .  From the application program too it has been done improvement to continue grade access with SMS (Short Message Service). Result of making is this database system is can realize application information academic  system which can used to saving or change academic data through computer which can used to grade information access from long distance.
drinking and behavioural norms, and of some variations between subgroups of the population. But firstly it is appropriate to define what is meant in this paper by ’alcoholism’. The characteristics, common to all societies, which distinguish persons known as ’alcoholics’ from ’non-alcoholics’ are considered to be as follows: (a) Alcoholics, like heavy drinkers, drink amounts of alcohol in escess of the average range of consumption. (b) Their behaviour likewise lies outside the range of what is socially acceptable within their group or society, and may therefore be described as nonconformity to the social norms.’ The norms from which alcoholics often deviate in Australia include the maintenance of self-control and the fulfilment of roles (such
The Mental Health Law of the People′s Republic of China,brewed for more than 20 years,is in valid on May 1,2013,in which the focal points of "forcible treatment" and "involuntary admission to mental hospital"-the most controversial issues for years cause the great attention of the public.Medical practitioner of hospital psychiatry department will draw the judging conclusion of "hospitalization requirement" in accordance with conditions and procedures about the patients with mental disorders.If the patient is informed the case but doesn′t consent to hospitalization,the decision may endanger the life and health of the patient and infringe the rights of others as well as this patient′s.The decision of disagreement at the moment of disease attack puts medical institutions into dilemma.The authors consider and study the ways of disposing the series of problems caused by informed refusal.
The invention provides a method, an apparatus and a system used for executing at least one of error detection or error correction. According to an embodiment of the invention, a radio-frequency identification tag receives a signal of activating or inquiring the tag. The tag comprises a memory which stores data related to the tag. The tag executes at least one of error detection or error correction for the stored data. The error detection comprises detection of one or more bit errors of the stored data by the tag. The error correction comprises correction of error bits if a bit number of error influence is smaller than a predetermined bit number of the stored data. The tag transmits the stored data to the reader-writer to make a response to the error detection or the error correction. The reader-writer can analyze the stored data to obtain extra information about errors or provide the stored data for another computing system which executes the analysis.
In a wireless communication system (100,200) using a separate channel of a plurality of time slots, the control signal is transmitted in each time slot, the data signal is intermittently transmitted using a subset of the time slots. The control signal is a predetermined signal, for example, includes a pilot signal (pilot signal) portion, one or more bits constitutes a power control command. The format of the control signal, is adapted according to whether as to whether the data is transmitted in the same timeslot. If the data is not being transmitted, the increase ratio of the control signal which forms a power control command, the energy of the control signal is reduced by reducing the energy of at least the pre-determined portion of the signal.
The invention provides a rhodamine difunctional fluorescence probe and application thereof. The specific structural formula of the probe is described in the specification. The fluorescence probe recognizes Cu and Hg in different solvents, respectively. The probe has the advantages of excellent selectivity in recognition of Cu and Hg , almost unchanged fluorescence signals during reaction with other common metal ions, strong anti-jamming capability, good sensing properties, a low detection limit and high detection sensitivity. Selectivity is controlled by regulating and controlling the service environment of the fluorescence probe, so multi-functionalization of the fluorescence ion probe is realized; i.e., selectivity on the two different metal ions consisting of Cu and Hg can be conveniently realized through changing of an applied solvent system, so both detection cost and detection time are saved.
AN eight-year-old entire female Border collie cross presented with polydipsia, polyuria, polyphagia, exercise intolerance, excessive panting and inspiratory stridor over the preceding few months. Her last season was approximately five months ago; they were regular at every six months. Clinical examination The bitch ( ) was overweight at 17kg, the heart rate was 150bpm and there was enlargement of the gingivae and widening of the interdental spaces, especially between the incisors. She looked and felt potbellied; her temperature and respiration rate were unremarkable. Investigation Full biochemistry and haematology were measured ( ). Haematology revealed a mild haemoconcentration and eosinophilia. Biochemistry revealed a mild hepatopathy, hyperglycaemia, and pre-renal azotaemia. Urinalysis of a voided sample showed a glycosuria and a specific gravity of 1.070 (concentrated),
This article promotes the idea of fostering the resources of the multicultural and multilingual environment in the Russian tertiary education which leads to forming a competitive multilingual personality. The detailed analysis of bilingual educational and institutional space at the faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences of St.Petersburg State University and the foreign languages teaching practices which embrace a multilingual approach as perceived by the teachers and students offers a new insight into the benefits and challenges of the educational potential of multilingualism.
ABSTRACT The hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) is an autossomal dominant disorder manifesting recurrent mononeuropathies. Objective: Evaluate its clinical and nerve conduction studies (NCS) characteristics, searching for diagnostic particularities. Method: We reviewed the neurological manifestations of 39 and the NCS of 33 patients. Results: Family history was absent in 16/39 (41%). The onset complaints were weakness in 24, pain in 6, sensory deficit in 5 and paresthesias in 4. Pain was seen in 3 other patients. The following neuropathy patterns were found: multiple mononeuropathy (26), mononeuropathy (7), chronic sensorimotor polyneuropathy (4), chronic sensory polyneuropathy (1) and unilateral brachial plexopathy (1). NCS showed a sensorimotor neuropathy with focal conduction slowing in 31, two had mononeuropathy and another brachial plexopathy. Conclusion: HNPP presentation is variable and may include pain. The most frequent pattern is of an asymmetrical sensory and motor neuropathy with focal slowing at specific topographies on NCS.Keywords: hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies, peripheral neuropathy, nerve conduction study, pain.
This project seeks to produce a set of guidelines for the use of Electronic Field Notes so that notes in this form may be acceptable as evidence in legal proceedings and disciplinary hearings. The surveyor’s field notes are the only permanent record of work performed in the field other than the actual monument or occupation located or marks placed. It has been traditional that surveyors record their measurements of angle and distance into small paper paged books. These measurements were then collated to produce a plan or map of the boundary or boundaries. Since the invention and advance of the microcomputer and electronic calculator, surveyors have embraced these technologies and used them to collect and store large amounts of measurements, analyse, and determine the position of new and existing boundaries. The guidelines developed from this project will help improve the integrity of the cadastral surveyor’s field notes and alert those using or intending to use electronic field notes of the standards required to enable them to be acceptable as evidence.
This work was developed during the agricultural cycle 2009/2010 in the community of Quipaquipani in the research center of Andean crops in the city of Viacha, province invasion brought the Department of Peace located at an altitude of 3880 msnm, with the objective to determine the agronomic performance of the cultivation of quinoa treated with applications of growth promoters: TRICOTOP, BIOBACILLUS separately and combined under conditions of crediting professional. The design was established to the blocks completely random under bifactorial had two factors of crediting professional study and application of promoters, 8 Treatments were evaluated two with the implementation of TRICOTOP low and without crediting, two others with the implementation of BIOBACILLUS also with and without crediting and two others with the implementation of TRICOTOP.+ BIOBACILLUS with and without crediting and finally two others without the application of promoters with and without crediting professional this last becomes the absolute control. Each treatment presented three repetitions. We evaluated the agronomic variables as measurement of the height and diameter of the plant per week, subsequently measured the diameter and panicle length. In the post harvest was measured performance, harvest index, % of large grain, weight hectolitrico. There was also the measurement of length, volume and weight of root to observe the effect on the root system. It was subsequently evaluated soil microfauna. At the end was an economic analysis of the treatments. In addition, we evaluated the effect of the treatments in the chemical and physical properties of the soil. The crediting in some agronomic variables (plant height, diameter of plant and panicle, weight hectolitrico), and in the root system (length and weight) did not have a statistical influence, this due to the fact that its effect was not immediately by the state of decomposition of the compost and the time of application; But its presence acted in other variables (panicle length, in performance, % of large grain, harvest index and root volume)and in the population of Collémbola of soil and soil properties (see Figures 13-18). It was noted that the combination of TRICOTOP+ BIOBACILLUS with crediting introduced a highperformance 1923, 33kg/ha, more panicle length with 32.33 cm, higher % of large grain with 45 %, and the BIOBACILLUS was effective for the panicle diameter, harvest index with values of 27.853 mm and 0.38 respectively, compared to the control. It was also greater length, weight, volume of root with values of 29.163 cm; 8.99 g; 9.148 cc respectively compared to the control. In the population of micro fauna the compost influenced statistically in the population of collémbolas but not on the mites, the promoters did not significantly influence this variable. Finally for the costs of production the treatments of greatest benefit/cost were T5, T7, T8 (see figure 20), of these the T5 is the most profitability with a value of 10.78 is Bs, the reason for the lack of investment in compost and promoters and not by the performance that was the lowest in the treatments with a value of 940 kg/ha. The results suggest that the implementation of promoters can be alternative technology for a sustainable production, because of their beneficial effects for both the cultivation and for soil and ecosystems
The phrase, ‘a room of one's own,’ coined by Virginia Woolf, refers not only to the physical space necessary for creating art but also to the hitherto ungranted space within the canon for women artists. In an attempt to relate to the dilemma posed by Woolf, my aim in this paper is to assess whether, as a physical site, the Spanish University (its departments and curricula) provides the intellectual space that is so necessary to the healthy development of Cultural Studies in Spain. Given the (by now) well-documented history of British-born Cultural Studies, I shall start off by offering, not a recapitulation of that history, but rather a highlighting of the mutations suffered by Cultural Studies as it eventually ‘migrated’ over to Spain. From there, and taking my cue from Foucault's Discipline and Punish (1975), I propose to argue out four points: (1) that the university is a ‘disciplinary institution’, (2) that university teachers are ‘disciplinary subjects’, (3) that interdisciplinary academic work does ...
The power load series can be divided into two components by the forecasting method of synthesizing load trend and chaos,which namely load trend and chaotic component. However,the part of periodic frequency is totally extracted,meanwhile,the chaotic prediction model can cause the accumulated error. In this paper,the quantity of seperating periodic part is considered and determined by fast Fourier transform according to the periodic and chaotic spectrum characteristics. The weight of adjacent points which are forecasted by the adding-weight one-rank local-region method are modified by adding a factor according to the adjacent points whether is the predictive value. Meanwhile,it makes an analysis on the rest of the load which is the random noise. Moreover,through the Hainan area load forecasting,the results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the previous methods in forecasting accuracy.
The development and changes of opinions concerning the nature and treatment od varicose veins and varicose ulcers are summarized in this article covering a long period from the Greek antiquity till the 20th century. Whereas in the ancient times (Hippokrates, Celsus, Galen) the meanings did not contradict the contemporaneous knowledge, curious opinions dominated from the 11th till the half of the 19th century, obviously influenced by the humoral theory of Avicenna. The official teaching claimed that black bile and other bad humours collected in varicose veins. Bandaging was thought to push back these humours into the body and cause madness or other serious illness and, therefore, was refused. On the contrary, ulcers were considered to be a favourable condition because their function was to drain the bad humours. The fundamentals of modern surgical treatment of varicose veins were presented by Madelung, Trendelenburg and Babcock at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Trendelenburg deserves acknoledgement of having introduced physiological and pathophysiological reasoning into the field of phlebology. The conception of the role of incompetent calf perforators for the development of leg ulcers advocated by Cockett and others represents a derailment on the way of evidence based medicine. The substance of this theory, although supported by most autors till the present time, have been repeatedly confuted by exact hemodynamic measurements. Evidence based medicine whose basement was laid by Trendelenburg more than 100 years ago cuts a difficult way through the field of phlebology.
This business plan is intended to test the feasibility of producing and commercializing a spicy sauce prepared with carrots, in the city of Quito. This product offers its consumers a different alternative to the products that are available in the market nowadays, it brings them the opportunity to eat in a healthier way and provides greater security and complete traceability in their production processes, as well as that of the ingredients that compose it. Thus, PRORGANIC ALIMENTOS is created with the purpose of offering the customer a product adapted to your needs and tastes; and, at the same time, conforms to current trends. Initially, an external and environmental analysis, in which the company operates, is realized to determine a crystal clear and truthful diagnosis, that allows to institute the opportunities as well as the threats to this project. Due to this, actions can be taken on time, to assuage the risks that the company could face. Besides, it is identified and justified the target segment located in the city of Quito, for their propensity to consumption of foods organic, healthy and beneficial in terms of health and welfare. Subsequently, it is carried the qualitative and quantitative client analysis, which allowed to state the characteristics, treatment, presentation and some other aspects that have to qualify the final product. In the same way, and to complement the overall marketing strategy, it was evaluated the price that has to be settled for the company to be competitive and preferred by the client; the best and more convenient channel to get to the final consumer, in terms of promotion as well as in terms of distribution. So a high added value is generated, the product meets and exceeds the expectations of the target segment. Finally, it is built a financial evaluation for the project in a range of projection for five years, reflecting positive and encouraging results, that allows to conclude that the project is feasible with a clear current value of 4.408,82 dollars and an internal rate of return of 13,2 percent.
The aim of this dissertation is to review `Loop Quantum Gravity', explaining the main structure of the theory and indicating its main open issues. We will develop the two main lines of research for the theory: the canonical quantization (first two chapters) and spin foams (third). The final chapter will be devoted to studying some of the problems of the theory and what things remain to be developed. In chapter 3 we will also include an example of a simple calculation done in the frame of LQG: Schwarzschild black hole entropy.
The efficacy and safety of intermittent itraconazole therapy were investigated in patients with onychomycosis. Patients were divided into two groups according to site and extent of infection. Group A comprised 635 patients with toenail onychomycosis (at least one nail with > or = 20% involvement; n = 560) or fingernail onychomycosis (at least one nail with > 75% involvement; n = 63) or both (n = 12). These patients received itraconazole 400 mg day-1 for 1 week per month for 3 months. Group B comprised 48 patients with fingernail onychomycosis (at least one nail with > or = 20% involvement but no nail with > 75% involvement) who received itraconazole 400 mg day-1 for 1 week per month for 2 months. Patients were followed for a further 18 weeks without treatment, and received another treatment cycle if not cured or markedly improved 6 weeks after the end of the last cycle. An additional cycle was administered to 76 patients with fingernail onychomycosis (group A, n = 43; group B, n = 28) and to 316 patients with toenail onychomycosis. Clinical response rates and mycological cure rates at study end point were 89.0% and 68.4% respectively for toenails, 91.4% and 85.3% respectively for group A fingernails and 84.4% and 77.1% respectively for group B fingernails. Most adverse events occurred infrequently; major changes in liver function tests were not noted. In conclusion, intermittent itraconazole therapy is highly effective and safe in patients with onychomycosis.
The invention belongs to the technical field of convertor steelmaking, and provides a convertor steelmaking method capable of reducing slag quantity. The process flow disclosed by the invention is circular process flow starting with step of protecting a furnace by slag splashing and ending with the step of remaining slag in the furnace. The process flow specifically comprises the following eight stages: protecting a furnace by slag splashing; curing liquid slag in the furnace; adding scrap steel; adding molten iron; blowing-dephosphorizing at a first stage; deslagging in the middle; blowing-decarbonizing at a second stage; tapping; and remaining slag in the furnace. Compared with the conventional convertor steelmaking process, the convertor steelmaking provided by the invention has the beneficial effects that lime consumption is lowered by 40.5%, light-roasting dolomite consumption is lowered by 76.8%, and the total consumption of the lime and light-roasting dolomite is lowered by 55.5% on the premise that phosphorus content at the end point is not more than 0.015%.
The paper focuses on a proposal for renovating prefabricated housing using earth and ecological materials (timber doors, linoleum floor coverings, and silicate paint for wall finishes, for example) so as to provide housing for families in search of a better quality of life. In this case, clay-dry lining panels (an ecological alternative to plasterboard) were chosen to render concrete panels; these were applied by wetting the wall, applying a clay adhesive avoiding cross-joints, applying a finishing coat, rubbing-down the render, and leaving it to dry for three to five days. The improved surface quality (as opposed to wallpaper over concrete), the enhanced thermal feel, and a noticeable acoustic performance all contributed to the positive results that clay panels can provide for modern housing renovations. A list of total costs for one apartment is provided, which translates into an economical advantage, also for local tradesmen.
Based on the analysis of advantages and disadvantages of three-stage steam supply and heat pump steam supply,this article proposed a new kind program of thermal control system of steam and condensate system in drier sectionin of the coated white paperboard machine,with five fold wires forming end,a detailed thermodynamic energy balance calculation process was calculated as an example of the new steam condensate on the heating system in energy-saving advantages of the program to promote the program in practice and further applications.
It is known that the birth rates declined sharply in the first decades of this century in the most industrialized Western European nations. Governmental reaction to the so-called "population question", however, was widely different from one country to the other. It is possible to say that in Sweden the widespread anxiety concerning the fear of depopulation was channeled into "positive" measures aimed at structuring the social security system. This article analyzes the works of the two Comissions of Investigation established in Sweden to study the subject, the policies implemented, and their legacy to a welfare state which is known for providing protection "from the womb to the tomb". The text examines the nature of state intervention in the country and the way the principles put into force by the Swedish population policies became one of the pillars sustaining the "Swedish model".
literary attention in his reading of Benjamin’s One-Way Street wherein he identifies “an essential continuity ... between the work of the poet composing experiences ... and the work of the critic-philosopher composing experiences of literary works, historical events, or material cultural artifacts in order to bring an orienting Lehre [teaching] into partial articulation” (141). The continuity Eldridge perceives between the poet-writer and criticphilosopher establishes a relation that is imperfect by virtue of only being able to reach partial articulation, and is meant as a contrast to the relation that Kant conceives of as existing between pure and impure ethics in his philosophical system. Eldridge’s book, which is composed of an introduction, two chapters on Kant and Benjamin respectively, and a conclusion, offers as a final argument a comparison of the relation between the development and pursuit of a moral image and the relation a subject has towards the language that s/he speaks. Quoting Stanley Cavell, Eldridge writes, “[t]o learn language is to enter into a norm-governed, self-sustaining, evolving, somewhat socially distributed, and nowhere absolutely fixed practice of responsiveness and responsibility” (187). In regarding language learning as a balancing act between normgovernance and constant evolution, Eldridge draws it in parallel to an image of history that takes the best from Kant’s idealism and Benjamin’s materialism. The strength of Eldridge’s book lies in his ability to synthesize two drastically different bodies of work into a mostly coherent whole. Several times Eldridge is careful to point out moments where Kant’s and Benjamin’s schools of thought are incompatible, but this manifests itself most clearly in the conclusion wherein Eldridge introduces both Cavell and Sigmund Freud to interpret the balance of idealism and materialism he has drawn from his reading of Kant and Benjamin. That Eldridge’s argument takes this turn is not damaging, but the lack of an explicit dialogue between Kant and Benjamin in the conclusion is noticeable. Having said this, Eldridge’s individual treatment of Kant and Benjamin is excellent. In particular, Eldridge provides a strong account of the relation between Benjamin’s early theologically inflected work and his later materialist thinking, a feature of his work that is commonly underor even unanalyzed in critical commentaries. Those interested in understanding the larger implications of Kant’s critical project outside of the individual subject, or in a more philosophical, rather than literary, interpretation of Benjamin will find Eldridge’s book highly useful, clearly written, and persuasively argued.
Approximately 70-80% of all cancer patients receiving chemotherapy experience nausea and/or vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are important side effects of cancer treatment, which can significantly affect a patient's quality of life, leading to poor compliance with further chemotherapy treatment. The main principle of emesis control is prevention. Currently available antiemetic agents corticosteroids, 5-hydroxytriptamine receptor antagonists, and neurokinin-1 antagonists, are used alone or in combination. Antiemetic regimen should be chosen based on the emetogenic potential of the chemotherapy regimen, previous experience with antiemetics, and patient-specific risk factors. Newer agents, including second generation 5-HT3 receptor antagonist palonosetron and the NK-1 antagonist aprepitant, offer additional clinical benefit in highly and moderately emetogenic therapy, especially in delayed nausea and vomiting. The aim of this Guidelines is to achieve same standards of care in the treatment of nausea and vomiting across Croatia that are applicable in our environment--only available drugs are included in the Guidelines.
Based on the series-parallel hybrid working-principle and its character,aiming at the characteristics of each part of system of motor and circulating the work condition,the dynamic torque coordination controlling strategy of motor with engine,batteries,generator and driving system is designed for the best parameter.According to the design target of series-parallel hybrid system,the homologous dynamic torque coordination controlling strategy is put forward.And the implement of dynamic torque coordination controlling strategy is simulated and researched under the different work conditions while a simulation test and experiment on condition of China city driving cycle is conducted based on Matlab /Simulink.The result shows that the strategy meets the requirements of fast starting,compensating torque at low speed and constant charging power.Both diesel and motor are working on the region of high efficiency.And SOC is remained in the best working area.
For the first time the force field of tetrafluorohydrazine molecule in coordinates Хδ 0 has been obtained. For this purpose there were carried out quantum-chemical calculations B3LYP 6-311G++ (3df, 3pd) and the obtained matrix of force constants was translated from the Cartesian coordinates to internal coordinates. As a result there appeared the opportunity of the analysis of force constants. Frequencies of normal vibrations were calculated and their assignments was carried out. Normal frequencies were calculated and their assignment was performed.
A composite polymer foam comprising a polymer foam selected from polyurethane and polyisocyanurate having opposed front and back surfaces, said foam comprising: a) halogens at a concentration of at least 4 weight percent (wt%) on base foam weight, wherein at least 10% by weight of the halogen concentration is from a highly-halogenated compound; b) phosphorous at a concentration of at least 0.25 weight percent based on foam weight; c) a residual blowing agent composition containing less than 50 percent, based on the weight of the composition of residual blowing agent, agent (s) blowing (s) chlorofluorocarbon (s) and hidroclorofluorocarbonado (s); d) flame-retarding fibers at an average concentration of at least one percent by weight, based on the combined weight of foam and fiber to 3.2 millimeters (0.125 inches) from the front surface of the foam; e) a facing sheet adhered to at least the front surface, said facing sheet metal foil exposed; and wherein said polymeric foam composite passes both the wall portion and ceiling United Building Code 26-3 Room Corner Burn Test and meets qualifications to pass the Factory Mutual 4880.
The invention provides a pen-based terminal, a controlled device and a man-machine interactive system, and relates to the field of electronic technology, to solve the technical problems that an existing handwriting pen or touch pen has a single function and is inconvenient to use. The pen-based terminal comprises a pen-shaped pen housing, a track recording module, a mode switching module, a key functional module, a pen end storing and releasing module, a switching button exposed on the pen housing, and at least two functional buttons, wherein the track recording module, the mode switching module, the button functional module and the pen end storing and releasing module are arranged in the pen housing. The controlled device used in match with such pen-based terminal comprises a controlled end storing and releasing module, a control module, a controlled end storing module and a display screen. The man-machine interactive system comprises the pen-based terminal and the controlled device. The man-machine interactive system is applied to achieving man-machine interaction between an operator and the controlled device.
The asthma treatment and control might be associated with significant burden on family and community' thus exploring other therapeutic plans could be desirable. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of salt space on clinical findings and peak expiratory flow rate among children with asthma. In this randomized crossover trial, 34 patients aged 6-14 years old with mild to moderate asthma were selected and randomly divided into two groups. The first group went through a period of salt therapy by staying in the salt room for one hour, three times a week for 3 consecutive weeks and then was under observation for three weeks. This process was reversed for the second group (three weeks under observation followed by salt therapy). The wash-out period was one week. During the study, the morning and evening peak expiratory flow (PEF), the frequency of coughing, wheezing, dyspnea and use of rescue medications were measured. Salt therapy had a significant effect on raising the morning and evening PEF in the second week in both groups (p=0.028 and p=0.032, respectively). However, there was no significant effect on PEF variabilities' cough' wheezing, dyspnea, and the frequency of rescue medication (p>0.05). No side effect was observed during salt therapy. This study showed the significant effect of salt therapy on PEF rate of the patients in the second week. However, further studies with different frequency and time of salt therapy on respiratory disorders are recommended.
594 The thesis investigates credit securitization and credit derivative markets, which were at the center of the 2007-2009 financial crisis. The aim is to contribute to the understanding of various aspects and properties of these markets using both theoretical and empirical approaches. The thesis consists of an introduction and three chapters constituting independent research papers. The first chapter is on credit securitization and it investigates the theoretical relationship between rating and pricing of collateralized debt obligations (CDO). The second chapter examines the determinants of bid-ask spreads in the credit default swap (CDS) market. The third chapter explores risks and returns of capital structure arbitrage strategies that exploit relative mispricing between equity and credit default swaps of companies.
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy for the the assessment of coronary artery stenoses using 64-multislice spiral computed tomography(64-MSCT)scanner compared with selective coronary angiography(SCA).Methods 64-MSCT and SCA were both performed in 93 patients with 74 males and 19 females at mean age of(58.2±8.5)years in West China Hospital between April 2004 and December 2010.The cardiac rhythm of all the patients was stably sinus.Patients with initial heart rates ≥90 time/min were received treatments of β-blockers.All available coronary segments(internal diameter ≥ 2.0 mm)were included in the evaluation.Lesions with ≥ 50% luminal narrowing were considered as significant stenosis.According to the image detail of segments and existance of artfacts,the image quality was randed Ⅰ to Ⅳ,with rank Ⅰ to Ⅲ meeting demands of image evaluation.Evaluations had been done concerning the 64-MSCT scanner for detecting the stenosis of the variant branches or segments of the coronary artery.Results 64-MSCTprovided a full image correspondence(100%,1 238/1 238)of all the segments clearly displayed in the SCA.All of the coronary segments involved(n=1 238)met the quality demands of being evaluated as rankⅠ to Ⅲ.Considering SCA as the golden standard,overall sensitivity for classifying stenosis using 64-MSCT scanner was 88.8%(427/481),specificity was 91.7%(694/757),positive predictive value was 87.1%(427/490),and negative predictive value was 92.8%(694/748).While the stenosis diagnostic accuracy of proximal left circumflex branch and the first obtuse marginal branch of left coronay artery is lower than other branches:the sensitivity of the proximal left circumflex branch was 68.3%(41/60),specificity was 60.6%(20/33),positive predictive value was 75.9%(41/54),negative predictive value was 51.3%(20/39);the sensitivity of the first obtuse marginal branch was 58.8%(10/17),specificity was 93.5%(58/62),positive predictive value was 71.4%(10/14),negative predictive value was 89.2%(58/65).Arterial wall calcification and false image of cardiac movements were the main influence factors for accuracy of the the assessment of coronary artery stenosis with 64-MSCT scanner.Conclusion 64-MSCT scanner provids a high diagnostic accuracy in assessing stenosis of the coronary artery.The anatomical location and luminal area of coronary artery were the main influence factors of diagnostic accuracy.Thus the diagnostic accuracy in proximal left circumflex branch and the first obtuse marginal branch of left coronary artery was lower than other coronary segments.
This article conducts a theoretical study in the effect of China's e-commerce development on the domestic consumption with a four-step method.On this basis,a practical analysis based on the VAR model is conducted with the relavant data.The results show that,the development of China's e-commerce has a positive effect on the growth of domestic consumption.However;the influence from the number of the e-commerce enterprise on the domestic consumption is not obvious.In addition,the expansion of the scale of the e-commerce trade and the increase in the number of its enterprise help to curb inflation.
China meets all of its own contraceptive needs with combined progestagen-only and once-a-month pills monthly and 3-monthly injectables steel and copper IUDs and condoms. The current objective is to raise the quality safety effectiveness and convenience of contraceptives to provide a wide choice of methods for all couples and eventually to export contraceptive supplies. Norplant implants are being tested in a pilot project on 7000 women and plans are being made to import equipment to manufacture the devices. 75% of married women practice contraception. 49% rely of sterilization 40% use IUDs 6% use pills and 3% use condoms. The Ministry of Chemical Industry controls the production of condoms and cervical caps. 7 plants with 14 automated production lines make several billion condoms yearly. The State drug Management Bureau contracts out manufacture of contraceptive drugs enough pills for 12.5 million women and injectables for 2.5 million. The authorities are setting up quality control centers for condoms and other contraceptives. Other government agencies are in place to improve scientific education do research on contraceptive technology and provide publicity and education to the population regarding family planning.
According to study of the layout history of Chinese ancient books,there are almost hundreds of kinds of books about the history in China. The majority of the books are paid attention to their binding and layout. Besides that,some history results judged by unique and novel perspective are also conspicuous,such as,culture,the effects on the reality,the relationship between the layout and the time. As for the defectness,it is the most popular situation that there are so many similar books which witten about the form of the ancient books'layout in study field. As for the content,the theoretic method,the pattern of cognizition,the arrangement of materials,the reserch team and composition ect. all need to be improved a lot.
During the early days of the Canada deuterium uranium (CANDU) power reactor program, operators and designers learned that close attention to reactor coolant pump (RCP) seals was imperative for achieving high-capacity factors. This lesson was driven home by unpredictable and frequent seal failures in the following early CANDU plants. Those seal failures caused forced outages, maintenance/dose burdens, and heavy-water losses. Because then-available industrial seal technology proved inadequate in providing satisfactory fixes, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) began a major effort to understand seal performance, develop improved designs, and evolve the station technology needed to attain the RCP seal reliable lifetime requirement of 4 yr. The payback has been huge: Fixes have been successfully implemented and excellent performance is now being achieved with AECL improved RCP seals. In this paper, the CANDU RCP seal experience, the methodology (with emphasis on the station's role) for attaining reliable long RCP seal life, and the adaptability of this technology to US light water reactors (LWRs) are discussed.
Effects of conventional and optimized water and nitrogen managements on spinach (Spinacia olerocea L.)growth and soil mineral N (Nmi.) residues were compared in an open field experiment in which water balancemethod and N recommendation with the KNS-system were included. It was shown that the conventionalwater treatment (seasonal irrigated amount: 175 mm) reduced spinach growth compared to the water balancetreatments (seasonal irrigated amount: 80 and 85 mm) at the same N supply level due to N loss throughleaching caused by excessive water supply. Although 309 kg N ha-1 was applied in the conventional Ntreatment, compared to 82 and 66 kg N ha-l in the optimum N treatments, no significant difference in cropyield was investigated between the N treatments with the same irrigation practice. N uptake in spinach andsoil residual Nmin contents were also significantly affected by the irrigation practices. The conventional watersupply not only decreased water use efficiency, but also resulted in excessive NO3-N being leached below theroot zone. In order to meet the same target value of N requirement for the next crop, cauliflower, based onthe KNS-system, at least extra 50 kg N ha-1 was needed in the conventional water treatments in comparisonto the water balance treatment.
PURPOSE To evaluate the difference between the dental surgeon's perception of implant stability and the actual insertion torque and actual values obtained through resonance frequency analysis (RFA) during implant insertion surgery.   MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred fifty-two patients who needed one or more dental implants were selected. A total of 514 Xive implants was inserted. For all 514 implants, after insertion, the oral surgeon was asked to indicate the probable RFA values (implant stability quotient [ISQ]). For 483 implants, the surgeon was also asked to indicate the probable insertion torque values (N/cm). The actual values were then measured. The RFA and insertion torque values were grouped into low, medium, and high groups.   RESULTS The mean perceived RFA was 72.2 +/- 9.8 ISQ. The mean actual RFA was 73.5 +/- 10.2 ISQ. This difference was statistically significant (P = .01). The mean perceived insertion torque was 39.1 +/- 20.1 Ncm. The mean actual insertion torque was 39.9 +/- 20.7 Ncm. The mean difference between actual and perceived ISQ values was -1 +/- 14.9, with a range from -60 to 59; the mean difference between actual and perceived insertion torque values was -1.3 +/- 9.9, with a range from -38 to 45.   CONCLUSIONS Xive implants obtained good primary stability in many different clinical situations with a standard protocol. Primary stability is generally underestimated, especially in the presence of low or medium ISQ and torque values. The accuracy of primary stability prediction is not good enough to prevent mistakes when using an immediate loading technique; therefore, a more systematic use of objective measurements is encouraged.
Paper deals with problems of crystallization, uprising and development of thermal stresses as well as bending and unbending of bloom in continues casting machine. To obtain numeric solution the finite element method is used. The mathematical model of thermal stress development in the billet during the continues casting process which takes into account the processes of crystallization, thermal volume changes and phase transformation in the viscoplastic rheological formulation for the steel in the high temperature is developed. The problem is solved in three-dimensional formulation. Constructive features of continues casting machine is taken into account, namely location and parameters of rolls, spray nozzles and cristallizator. It is shown an example of casting process for 300x400 mm blooms of LH15SG steel. The results of dilatometric and plastometric tests as well as results of temperature, strain and stresses modelling during casting process are presented in the paper. The effective solution of a problem manufacture of qualitative cast blooms requires optimization of the metal deformation condition in the continuous casting machine (CCM). The numerical model of thermomechanical processes in metal during continuous casting consist of the following components: • model of the thermal and crystallization processes; • model of development and relaxation of thermal stresses; • model of influence of constructive elements of the CCM on metal.
Postcolonial novelists have adopted various thematic and technical strategies to negotiate the concept of nation. Their treatment of this theme is based on the idea that there can be alternative perspective of looking at what we refer to as nation. Any conceptualization of nation is closely linked with the question of nationality and national identity. The paper deals with the identity crisis in the novel Maps by Nuruddin Farah. The deals with the issue of border lines and projection of garden in his dreams to analyze the problem and struggle for finding National Identity which hovers around Somalia, Ethiopia and Ogaden. It also deals with the question of insider/outsider concept with the projection of the analysis of the maps to find Askar’s own nation and national identity. In the novel Maps, of the “Blood in the Sun” trilogy, Nuruddin Farah psychologises the idea of borderlines and describes how they affect our nationality and national identity. Nuruddin Farah’s Maps, published in the year 1987, is associated with the Ogaden war of 1977. Because of the historical specificity the text allows me to situate my discussion and illustrate the ways in which borderlines are responsible for nationality and national identity. Actually, the borderlines restrict our identities and enforce us to think keeping in view the boundary lines of a particular community. Maps are geographical spaces, which are as much physical as imaginary. If maps are something imaginary conceptualized in the mind of an individual, it follows that the individual identities himself by keeping the geographical space in his mind. They tell that the people in the adjacent countries are different. The boundary lines drawn on political maps have strong impact upon the imagination and thinking of the people. They are just made to create a difference between self and other. In simple sense, after the partition people start emphasizing the differences between themselves and the newly formed outsiders. It creates an insider-outsider configuration. If we closely look into the novel we will find that some characters are the victim of this configuration. The narrator of Maps is a child of the Ogaden. He is born in a border territory claimed by Somalia and Ethiopia. Although born of Somali nations, his mother is Ethiopian. Maps tells us the story of a young man’s struggle to define national identity in relation to borderlines drawn between Somalia and Ethiopia.
A study was undertaken on the consistent occurrence of sperm abnormalities in a Jersey bull maintained in an organized frozen semen production station. Data on semen collections and a representative ejaculate from the bull in question were collected to evaluate the semen characteristics. From the records it was observed that 74.5% of the ejaculates were rejected as fresh semen for poor semen quality especially in sperm morphology. The representative semen sample also revealed low sperm concentration, poor sperm motility and sperm abnormalities up to 82.4%, of which 65.2% of the spermatozoa showed ‘Dag-like’ defect. Majority of the spermatozoa in the ejaculate also showed abnormal acrosome status (75.1%). Consistent occurrence of high proportion of ‘Dag-like’ sperm defect and acrosome abnormalities suggested a genetic cause.
Abstract A spectral resolution procedure was used to resolve the absorption, excitation and emission spectra of the fluorescein monoanion in a number of solvent–water mixtures. This permitted an analysis of the effect of the solvent environment on the spectral properties of the monoanion and on the lactone/monoanion/dianion transitions of fluorescein. The monoanion excitation and emission spectra show relatively small changes with changing environment, a behavior that is related to the hydrogen-bonding environment of the solvent–water mixtures. There is also a general increase in the quantum yield of the monoanion from 0.36 in water to values up to 0.49 in the solvent–water mixtures. The presence of solvent also results in a general increase in the lactone content and in the monoanion:dianion and lactone:monoanion ratios. General polarity effects alone cannot account for the observed effects on the prototropic transitions indicating that specific solute–solvent effects involving hydrogen bonding perturb the prototropic equilibria of fluorescein.
The intrinsically disordered protein (IDP) has distinct properties both physically and biologically: it often becomes folded when binding to the target and is frequently involved in signal transduction. The physical property seems to be compatible with the biological property where fast association and dissociation between IDP and the target are required. While fast association has been well studied, fueled by the fly‐casting mechanism, the dissociation kinetics has received less attention. We here study how the intrinsic disorder affects the dissociation kinetics, as well as the association kinetics, paying attention to the interaction strength at the binding site (i.e., the quality of the “fly lure”). Coarse‐grained molecular dynamics simulation of the pKID‐KIX system, a well‐studied IDP system, shows that the association rate becomes larger as the disorder‐inducing flexibility that was imparted to the model is increased, but the acceleration is marginal and turns into deceleration as the quality of the fly lure is worsened. In contrast, the dissociation rate is greatly enhanced as the disorder is increased, indicating that intrinsic disorder serves for rapid signal switching more effectively through dissociation than association. Proteins 2016; 84:1124–1133. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The author describes IEE activities relevant to the computing industry, particularly those of the Computing and Control Division, and looks at ways in which some of these might be extended to show benefit to both IEE members and the computing industry in general. Of specific significance are the recent activities in the area of standards and guidelines, where the Division has now five working parties engaged in a variety of different tasks of relevance to the computing industry.
We study if debt pressure drives the choice of interactive control systems and its consequences. Simons (1990) argues that interactive use is determined by strategic uncertainties faced by top managers. We predict that financing pressures can threaten managerial vision by imposing constraints on firm strategic investment. This is particularly true in firms with limited access to public capital markets and that are subject to continuous monitoring by banks. To alleviate these pressures, managers are predicted to interactively use management accounting and control systems (MACS), thereby reducing information asymmetries between managers and lenders. Further, we argue that the choice of which individual MACS to use interactively has important consequences for the firm, as not all MACS have the same features, in terms of scope, aggregation, or timeliness. In particular, we expect that firms facing high (low) debt pressure will interactively use traditional (contemporary) control systems and that when individual MACS choice befits the level of debt pressure, firms will benefit by experiencing future decreases in their cost of debt. Using survey and archival data from 206 firms, we find evidence supporting our predictions. We show that debt pressure determines the interactive use of MACS, and we provide evidence of a beneficial impact on the cost of liabilities for firms that show a “fit” between their choice of the control system for interactive use and their debt pressure level.
In this study, the carrier injection mechanism of gold and gadolinium oxide bi-nanocrystals (BNCs) with hafnium dioxide NC separation layer was investigated. Further, an N-shaped carrier injection curve was observed under positive gate bias. It is resulted from the hybrid polarity and carrier injection. To identify the injection, the activation energies of charge loss were analyzed, and it was found that the substrate-injected electrons and gate-injected holes were stored in the BNCs. The gate-injected carriers were trapped at the Au-NCs and HfO2 interface, exhibiting high-density (>2.45 × 1012 cm−2) and high-speed (∼μs) operation characteristics suitable for future use in flash memories.
A non variational molecular like approach is developed for the three-body problem based on the Faddeev equations. Considering a system of two identical heavy particles (atomic nuclei) and a light one (electron) we study the adiabatic limit of the corresponding Faddeev equation in the absence of interaction between the heavy particles and using general heavy-light potentials that are represented in a separable form through Sturmian functions. The resulting rotationally invariant Faddeev two-center eigenfunctions are used to formulate an ansatz for the solution of the full Hamiltonian where all three particles interact. A set of coupled differential Born-Oppenheimer like equations is obtained for the movement of the heavy particles. Numerical calculations are shown for the 1sσg, 2sσg, 3dσg and 2pσu electronic states in 2 + . The resulting molecular energy curves converge to the exact ones when up to thirty six terms are used in the Hilbert-Schmidt expansion of the Coulomb potential. The non-crossing rule for 2sσg and 3dσg curves is verified.
Since the beginning of psychology as a scientific endeavour, the question of whether the body plays a role in how a person experiences emotion has been the centre of emotion research. Patients with structural gastrointestinal disorders, such as Crohn's disease, provide an intriguing opportunity to study the influence of body signals on emotions and feelings. In the present study, emotionally salient films were presented to participants with Crohn's disease in either the active state (Crohn's-active, CA) or silent state (Crohn's-silent, CS), and to normal comparison (NC) participants. We hypothesized that CA participants would have increased feelings, compared with CS and NC participants, when viewing emotional films designed to elicit happiness, disgust, sadness and fear. Gastric myoelectrical activity (electrogastrogram, or EGG) was measured during the films, and after each film was presented, participants rated emotion intensity (arousal) and pleasantness (valence). All groups labelled the emotions similarly. In support of the hypothesis, CA participants showed an increase in subjective arousal for negative emotions compared with CS and NC participants. The CA participants also showed increased EGG during emotional film viewing, as well as a strong positive correlation of EGG with arousal ratings. Together, these findings can be taken as evidence that aberrant feedback from the gastrointestinal system up-regulates the intensity of feelings of negative emotions.
Virtual Communities have been studied from a variety of perspectives. Examples range from communities of interest to communities of practice, from gaming to transaction communities. More specifically, community building and community management may be factors of key success in the digital economy and may represent new business models in the digital economy, as well as being new venues of social interactions and social relationships.
The forms and processes of local-level social organisation seen today in fishing communities in northern Europe can be fully appreciated only after their history is recognized and explored. Until the middle of this century, the predominant form of organisation was the joint maritime household, which involved men and women in separate sets of collaborative activities. With changing technology, rising standards of living, and the intervention of the institutions of modernity, women everywhere in northern Europe have been able to disengage themselves from their former obligations, doing so largely in order to realise their aspirations for domestic independence. The men, however, continue to own their boats in partnerships and to pool their labour, drawing upon relationships of kinship, affinity, and neighbourhood as economic and social recnnrces
Crack cocaine has become a major drug of abuse in the United States and its use is associated with a broad spectrum of pulmonary complications. The present study was conducted to determine whether controlled in vivo administration of cocaine (inhaled or IV) alters the function of circulating inflammatory cells in a manner capable of contributing to acute lung injury. Subjects who regularly smoked crack cocaine were asked to abstain from illicit drug use for at least 8 h, and were then administered one of the following treatments on each of 4 study days: inhaled cocaine base (45 mg), inhaled placebo (4.5 mg cocaine base, a subphysiologic dose), IV cocaine HCl (0.35 to 0.50 mg/kg), or IV placebo (saline solution). Samples of blood were obtained from a peripheral venous catheter and blood cells were isolated before and 10 to 45 min after treatment. The administration of either cocaine base or cocaine HCl, but not their corresponding placebos, resulted in the activation of circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs). Exposure to cocaine in vivo enhanced the antibacterial activity of PMNs, as measured by their ability to kill Staphylococcus aureus. Antitumor activity, as measured in an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity assay, also increased following short-term administration of cocaine. Finally, short-term exposure to cocaine enhanced production of interleukin 8, a potent PMN chemoattractant and neutrophil-activating factor associated with both acute and chronic lung injury. These studies demonstrate that short-term in vivo exposure to cocaine activates the effector function and cytokine production of circulating PMNs. Therefore, it is possible that bursts of acute inflammatory activity resulting from crack use could contribute to lung injury.
Cellular angiofibroma is a mesenchymal tumor that affects both genders. Nucci et al. first described it in 1997. Cellular angiofibroma is generally a small and asymptomatic mass that primarily arises in the vulvar-vaginal region, although rare cases have been reported in the pelvic and extrapelvic regions. It affects women most often during the fifth decade of life. The treatment requires simple local excision due to low local recurrence and no chance of metastasization. The current study presents a case of angiofibroma in the vulvar region that measured approximately 20 cm.
There are some factors that will determine the result of National Exam score. One of them is the distance between school and downtown. The schools that are located in the downtown should have higher score compared to the schools located far away from downtown. It is because of the circulation of information around the downtown schools is more rapid than those schools located in far away from downtown. There are some previous research on correlation between students’ accessibility to their schools with students achievement, however there no research on correlation between school distance from downtown and students achievement. This research aims to analyze the correlation between school distance to downtown and students’ National Exam achievement on geography subject in 2017. This research is a qualitative descriptive research. This research uses documentation and literature study. The result data of this research shows the school in downtown achieved highest National Exam score on geography, however, there is no positive correlation between the mileage to schools and students’ achievement. Furthermore, the distance beteween school and downtown does not show a positive correlation. Therefore it could be concluded that there is no correlation between distance and mileage from school to downtown with the National Exam result on geography subject in 2017 at SMA Negeri Kabupaten Bangka (Public Senior High School in Bangka Regency).
Recent studies of the face in the crowd effect, the faster detection of angry than of happy faces in visual search, suggest that for schematic faces it reflects on perceptual features like inward pointing lines rather than on emotional expressions. Removing a potential confound, Experiments 1–2 replicate the preferential detection of stimuli with inward pointing lines, but Experiment 2a indicates that a surrounding circle is required for the effect to emerge. Experiments 3–7 failed to find evidence for faster detection of schematic faces comprising only the elements critical for the faster detection of angry faces according to a low level visual feature account, inward tilted brows and upturned mouth. Faster detection of anger was evident if eyes or eyes and noses were added, but only if their placement was consistent with the first order relations among these elements in a human face. Drawing the critical elements in thicker, higher contrast lines also led to an anger advantage, but this was smaller than that seen for the complete faces. The present results suggest that, while able to support faster target detection, a prevalence of inward pointing lines is not sufficient to explain the detection advantage of angry schematic faces.
Contraceptive prevalence although increased over the last decade but has not yet achieved the desired level. The present descriptive type of cross-sectional study aimed at exploring the status of Contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) along with relevant issues in two rural areas in Mymensingh. A total 223 respondent was interviewed. Majority respondents were females and young aged 36 years or below. Around a half of the respondents were illiterate while more than half was earning less than 3000 taka a month. Majority women were married earlier than the legal age of marriage with 15.92 years. Around two third (63%) respondents were found using any contraceptives while female partners' shyness and male partners' disliking were reported as reasons for non-use. Increase in female literacy and involvement of family planning worker in motivational programme at individual level could help in improving the situation.
Objective(s): Citation tracking is an important method to analyze the scientific impact of journal articles and can be done through Scopus (SC), Google Scholar (GS), or ISI web of knowledge (WOS). In the current study, we analyzed the citations to 2011-2012 articles of Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences (IJBMS) in these three resources. Material and Methods: The relevant data from SC, GS, and WOS official websites. Total number of citations, their overlap and unique citations of these three recourses were evaluated. Results: WOS and SC covered 100% and GS covered 97% of the IJBMS items. Totally, 37 articles were cited at least once in one of the studied resources. Total number of citations were 20, 30, and 59 in WOS, SC, and GS respectively. Forty citations of GS, 6 citation of SC, and 2 citations of WOS were unique. Conclusion: Every scientific resource has its own inaccuracies in providing citation analysis information. Citation analysis studies are better to be done each year to correct any inaccuracy as soon as possible. IJBMS has gained considerable scientific attention from wide range of high impact journals and through citation tracking method; this visibility can be traced more thoroughly.
study suggested that thyroid substitution therapy in older individuals with abnormally high thyrotropin levels is unlikely to be beneficial and may be harmful. Higher levels of thyrotropin at baseline protected against dependency in IADLs during follow-up. This may be due to a lower basal metabolic rate. Options for treating AIH are discontinuing or decreasing the dose of amiodarone therapy, administering replacement therapy with levothyroxine, or both. A study that evaluated 18 individuals with AIH concluded that, in elderly adults with AIH and a history of cardiac disease, substitutive T4 therapy seems to be necessary only in those with severe hypothyroid symptoms. Only approximately half of individuals with milder forms of AIH develop hypofunction, so symptom monitoring with periodic TSH determination is appropriate. If amiodarone is discontinued, hypothyroidism may or may not persist. Persistence of hypothyroidism is highly associated with autoantibodies and underlying thyroid disease. Upon starting thyroxine substitutive therapy, it is recommended to start individuals with a history of cardiac disease on a low dose and then increase in small increments over time. In AIH, the goal is to bring the thyrotropin level to the upper limit of normal.
Dentate spikes (DSs) are positive-going field potential transients that occur intermittently in the hilar region of the dentate gyrus during alert wakefulness and slow-wave sleep. The function of dentate spikes is unknown; they have been suggested to be triggered by perforant path input and are associated with firing of hilar interneurons and inhibition of CA3 pyramidal cells. Here we investigated the effect of DSs on medial perforant path (MPP)-granule cell-evoked transmission in freely moving rats. The MPP was stimulated selectively in the angular bundle while evoked field potentials and the EEG were recorded with a vertical multielectrode array in the dentate gyrus. DSs were identified readily on the basis of their characteristic voltage-versus-depth profile, amplitude, duration, and state dependency. Using on-line detection of the DS peak, the timing of MPP stimulation relative to single DSs was controlled. DS-triggered evoked responses were compared with conventional, manually evoked responses in still-alert wakefulness (awake immobility) and, in some cases, slow-wave sleep. Input-output curves were obtained with stimulation on the positive DS peak (0 delay) and at delays of 50, 100, and 500 ms. Stimulation on the peak DS was associated with a significant increase in the population spike amplitude, a reduction in population spike latency, and a decrease in the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) slope, relative to manual stimulation. Granule cell excitability was enhanced markedly during DSs, as indicated by a mean 93% increase in the population spike amplitude and a leftward shift in the fEPSP-spike relation. Maximum effects occurred at the DS peak, and lasted between 50 and 100 ms. Paired-pulse inhibition of the population spike was unaffected, indicating intact recurrent inhibition during DSs. The results demonstrate enhancement of perforant path-evoked granule cell output time-locked to DSs. DSs therefore may function to intermittently boost excitatory transmission in the entorhinal cortex-dentate gyrus-CA3 circuit. Such a mechanism may be important in the natural induction of long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus and CA3 regions.
Designing a robot physically and validating it at every step is an arduous task. Contemporary robotics simulators can help to achieve laborious physics simulations, 3D visualizations, virtual robot modeling and novel research work that save time and money. Simulators are written in numerous programming languages like C, C++, Java, C# and other OOP languages that decide their platform compatibility. Some robot simulators use physics engines like ODE, Karma Engine for better simulation that include responses like collision detection, scene representation and rigid body simulations. Some use sophisticated 3D graphic aids like OpenGL and Graphic cards (NVidia, ATI) rather than traditional Direct3D, considering various facets like cost, portability and extensions. Codes can be transferred to the real robots from some simulators after proper verification for their operation. Unlimited features like multiplayer, controllers transference over networks, ‘special effects’ and so forth, keep on pouring. This paper proffers some of the widespread commercial/ open-source simulators for robots and UAVs used in market. Further, I conclude that any kind of robot including legged, wheeled or UAVs can be simulated using simulators available in market with continuous endeavors to upgrade these simulators.
Most autoimmune diseases are rare in infants. Early onset can represent an extreme phenotype arising from strong genetic predisposition relatively independent of environmental influence. Alternatively, neonatal autoimmunity can arise from transplacental passage of maternal pathogenic IgG autoantibodies. Distinguishing between these possible explanations is crucial for determining the prognosis in the specific patient, and has important implications for understanding pathogenesis. We report a case of neonatal thrombotic stroke associated with both cardiolipin and β2-glycoprotein I antibodies in neonatal serum but absent from cord blood and maternal serum. While the child also carried one prothrombotic allele of factor V (Leiden allele), which may have contributed to the risk of thromboembolic disease, the serological analysis represents unequivocal evidence of de novo neonatal primary phospholipid antibody syndrome.
Thirty one pituitary adenomas and 3 samples of peritumoral anterior pituitary tissue were immunostained with an antibody raised against dopamine D2 receptor protein. The positive reactions were found in cell cytoplasm, a subpopulation of cell nuclei and the intratumoral blood vessels walls. As expected, the positive immunostaining was shown in cytoplasm and/or cell nuclei of all examined prolactinomas (7/7). In acromegaly the positive D2 staining occurred in 5/7 samples, in gonadotropinomas in 6/8 and in plurihormonal adenomas 2/4. The lowest expression was observed in corticotropinomas (1/5). These findings corroborate with the well known efficacy of D2 agonists in the treatment of prolactinomas and somatotropinomas, and support the rationale of the therapeutic trials with these compounds in gonadotropinomas. Moreover, the presence of D2 receptors in intratumoral blood vessels walls constitutes the possibility of the anti-angiogenic action of D2 agonists in pituitary adenomas.
This study is concerned with the determination of technological quality   characteristics of dried pomaces, i.e. blackberry and raspberry seeds, along   with the quality parameters, content of total carotenoids and chlorophyl and   transparency of crude extracted oil (using organic solvent). Blackberry seeds   (Rubus fruticosus L.) were obtained from a domestic variety Cacanska bestrna,   while the raspberry seeds (Rubus idaeus L.) were of the variety Willamette.   Oil content of the blackberry pomace was 13.97 and 14.34%, while the oil   content of the raspberry pomace was 13.44 and 14.33% on dry basis (d.b.). In   regard to technological characteristics of the pomaces, i.e. volumetric and   specific weight, no considerably difference was found. However, a weight test   for 1000 seeds showed a significant difference in weight: 3.5 g (d.b.) for   the blackberry pomace and 1.5 g for the raspberry pomace (d.b.). Proximate   analysis of blackberry seed oil showed that this oil had better quality since   the FFA value was 3.43% (sample B1) and 3.53% (sample B2), while the peroxide   value was 8.89 and 11.16 mmol/kg, respectively. Raspberry seed oil had higher   FFA (8.59 and 8.83% for sample R1 and R2) and peroxide values (13.99 and   13.84 for sample R1 and R2) than the blackberry seed oil. Crude extracted   blackberry seed oil had a brown-greenish color due to the high total   chlorophyll content (around 3000 mg/kg dissolved in cyclohexane). Raspberry   seed oil had a dark yellowishorange color, due to lower chlorophyll content   (around 200 mg/kg) compared to the blackberry seed oil, while the content of   total carotenoids was slightly higher in this oil (around 40 mg/kg) compared   to the blackberry seed oil (33 mg/kg). [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike   Srbije, br. TR 31014: Development of the new functional confectionery   products based on oil crops]
Routine obstetric ultrasound (US) examinations in a 33-year-old woman revealed a normal fetal gallbladder at 24 menstrual weeks but multiple structures in the gallbladder with findings typical of gallstones at 37 menstrual weeks. No other abnormalities were present. Three days after a term delivery, an abdominal US examination again demonstrated multiple gallstones. When the infant was 6 weeks old, a follow-up abdominal US study showed no evidence of gallstones. This case, as well as one previously reported, demonstrates that findings typical of gallstones may be seen in the fetus, and that these structures may spontaneously resolve.
Smart structures represent of course a current challenge for the application on the aircrafts. Dealing for example with morphing and variable-shape structures, the skin needs to face extremely high strains, while withstanding the operational loads in order to ensure a smooth profile to the complete system. In this context, the authors led the design and manufacturing of carbon fiber-reinforced composite panels, including different filler infusions based on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) technology. The vibro-acoustic tests have been carried out on an innovative formulation for the characterization of the damping properties related to such micro-handling treatments. The percentage of nano-filler has been chosen so as to be close to the percolation threshold of the material (about 5wt%). As a result of synergic collaboration between Smart Structures Lab of University of Naples “Federico II” and University of Salerno within H2020-MASTRO (Intelligent bulk MAterials for Smart TRanspOrt industries) research project, a multi-functional composite concept has been idealized and developed. The main purpose is to develop intelligent bulk materials for the transport field based on the novel concepts like self-sensing, self-deicing, self-curing, self-healing and selfprotection methodologies to enhance consumer safety, component life-span and performance while reducing maintenance and manufacturing costs. The functionality of the developed components will be demonstrated under relevant conditions at prototype level with special attention to the aerospace structures. * Corresponding author: maurizio.arena@unina.it © The Authors, published by EDP Sciences. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). MATEC Web of Conferences 233, 00024 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201823300024
Approximate string matching (ASM) is a challenging problem, which aims to match different string expressions representing the same object. In this paper, detailed experimental studies were conducted on the subject of toponym matching, which is a new domain where ASM can be performed, and the creation of a single string-matching measure that can perform toponym matching process regardless of the language was attempted. For this purpose, an ASM measure called DAS, which comprises name similarity, word similarity and sentence similarity phases, was created. Considering the experimental results, the retrieval performance and system accuracy of DAS were much better than those of other well-known five measures that were compared on toponym test datasets. In addition, DAS had the best metric values of mean average precision in six languages, and precision/recall graphs confirm this result.
ABSTRACT This essay places Joshua Pickersgill’s novel The Three Brothers (1803) in the historical context of Romantic-Era bodily difference and considers the options Gothic narratives offer to the monstrous Other pushed outside of the biopolitical sphere and the protection of the law. The Three Brothers, though obscure, captured the literary imagination of central Romantic figures, such as Lord Byron and Matthew Lewis, both of whom wrote plays inspired by the novel’s plot: a hunchback, Arnaud, suffering social and legal persecution for his deformity, makes a deal with the devil for a new, ideal body. Pickersgill’s text offers detailed insight into the experience of disability in the late eighteenth century, and it differs from other depictions of the period in that the disabled figure is not born into difference but rather acquires it later in life and, therefore, must navigate a new multiplicity of self and the uncertainty of bodily stability.
Black identity and nationalism in the civil rights era were forged through trans- Atlantic and Pan-African solidarity. Both African and African-American intellectuals and institutions played key roles in Pan-African nationalism and the sustenance of civil rights struggles across the Atlantic. However, in the 1970s onwards, these Pan-African links were subverted by vertical dialogues between western, especially white, ‘experts’ of Africa and Africans; a dialogue that was skewed in favour of Africanist paradigms and knowledge because of the obvious unequal distribution of intellectual resources in favour of white researchers in the global North. This shift was also matched by the preponderance of negative themes about Africa, an increasing amount of ignorance in the west of the realities in Africa and the treatment of Africa as a mere object of curiosity and theory testing. This paper locates the growing ‘ignorance’ of African realities among African-Americans in the rise and dominance of Africanist Africa, its disengagement from Black Studies, the marginalisation of African-American and African scholarship (conducted by black scholars) in Euro-American scholarship and the de-emphasis of radical and Black intellectual traditions in the mainstream study of Africans. The paper proposes the enhancement of direct horizontal dialogue between Africans and African-Americans instead of the vertical dialogue between Africans and Africanists which has failed to provide an objective presentation of Africa’s achievements and failures, gains and losses.
We study Livsic's problem of finding $ phi$ satisfying $X phi= eta$, where $ eta$ is a given function and $X$ is a given Anosov vector field. We show that, if $ phi$ is a continuous solution and $X, eta$ are analytic, then $ phi$ is analytic. We use the previous result to show that if two low-dimensional Anosov systems are topologically conjugate and the Lyapunov exponents at corresponding periodic points agree, the conjugacy is analytic. Analogous results hold for diffeomorphisms.
BACKGROUND Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) means giving only breast milk to an infant. Although it is the optimal mode of feeding for infants younger than 6 months, its prevalence is low in HIV-endemic regions. Extensive promotion of EBF for 6 months in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programs could inadvertently result in stigma due to women's perceived association of EBF with HIV infection. In this qualitative study, we describe how stigma impacts the uptake of EBF among HIV-positive and -negative women.   METHODS Pregnant and postpartum women and their male partners were recruited to participate in a total of 22 focus group discussions (FGDs). Transcripts were analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Codes were identified both a priori and inductively using the open coding approach. Major themes and subthemes were identified.   RESULTS There was a broad and strong consensus among some FGD participants that HIV-related stigma was a barrier to EBF. EBF was perceived as a practice for HIV-positive women. Thus, fear of discrimination deterred both HIV-positive and -negative women from EBF. However, with health education, peer counselor, and male partner support, some women were able to breastfeed exclusively regardless of opposing social norms.   CONCLUSION Stigma related to HIV poses a formidable barrier to EBF in HIV-endemic regions. There is an urgent need to widely target all women with EBF information and support EBF practices regardless of maternal HIV infection status. The lessons learned from this study indicate that vertical programs can hinder promotion of infant health interventions and therefore negatively affect child survival.
Dextromethorphan is primarily metabolized to dextrorphan by cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6), a genetically polymorphic enzyme in humans. Dextrorphan is an active metabolite that produces phencyclidine-like behavioral effects in animals and exhibits anticonvulsant and neuroprotective properties in a variety of experimental models. In these studies, we examined the effects of CYP2D6 phenotype and quinidine inhibition on the pharmacokinetics of dextromethorphan and its metabolites in humans. After a single oral dose of dextromethorphan HBr (30 mg), the major metabolites in the plasma of extensive metabolizers (N = 5) were conjugated dextrorphan and conjugated 3-hydroxymorphinan. Free dextrorphan concentrations were about 100-fold less than the conjugated dextrorphan, and dextromethorphan was not detectable. Pretreatment of these subjects with 100 mg of quinidine, a selective inhibitor of CYP2D6, significantly suppressed the formation of dextrorphan and elevated the concentrations of dextromethorphan (t1/2, 16.4 hours). In poor metabolizers (N = 4) given the same dose, dextromethorphan was the major component in the plasma with a t1/2 of 29.5 hours. Present at concentrations 5- to 10-fold less were conjugated dextrorphan and the other two metabolites. Urinary recovery studies indicated that the inhibition by quinidine was reversible and that the elimination of dextromethorphan primarily depends on CYP2D6 activity rather than renal elimination. These data demonstrated that the CYP2D6 phenotype and the concurrent administration of quinidine significantly affect the disposition of dextromethorphan and the formation of the active metabolite dextrorphan and are important factors to be considered in studies of the pharmacologic and behavioral effects of dextromethorphan.
ObjectivesAlthough psychiatric symptoms among methamphetamine (MA)-dependent individuals have been studied in treatment programs, they have not been examined in services designed to support sustained recovery in the community (eg, sober living houses). In addition, some disorders more common among women, such as somatoform and bulimia, have been understudied among MA-dependent individuals. This study aimed to examine psychiatric symptom differences between MA-dependent men and women who were entering sober living houses (SLHs). MethodsTwo hundred forty-five individuals were interviewed within 1 week of entering SLHs. Instruments included a DSM-IV−based measure for MA dependence, a psychiatric screen (the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire), demographics, recent substance use, and recent use of services. ResultsOf the 245 participants, 103 men and 25 women met criteria for MA dependence. Women with MA dependence reported more psychiatric symptoms than men. They also trended toward reporting more psychiatric symptoms than non−MA-dependent women. For men, psychiatric symptoms did not vary between those with and without MA dependence. Some understudied disorders (eg, somatoform) had large proportions of women meeting the screening criteria. ConclusionsAdditional research is needed on understudied psychiatric disorders that are common among MA-dependent women. SLHs should consider ways to address psychiatric symptoms among MA-dependent individuals, especially women. Strategies could include increasing linkages with professional mental health services as well as developing peer-oriented strategies for managing symptoms.
Small Enterprises (SEs), which make a significant contribution to the Indian economy, have been exposed to an intensifying competitive environment since the early 1990s due to economic liberalisation, globalisation and Information and Communication Technology revolution. In the competitive environment, a significant number of SEs in Karnataka State has undertaken innovations, predominantly informally with self-efforts. External factors have primarily prompted these SEs to undertake innovations to achieve the objective of improving competitiveness. Innovation activities of SEs are primarily product-related, particularly improving product performance and quality. These ''incremental innovations'' have enabled the majority of the SEs to achieve quality improvement, reduced output rejections and higher productivity which all imply greater competitiveness. Technological innovations make a positive contribution to output. Therefore policy makers should reorient India's Small Enterprise Policy emphasis from support through ''technology transfer'' to support to ''in-house technological innovations'' that lend greater stability to SE development.
The work described below is a continuation of that given in the former paper—Parts I and II. The main object was to study the distribution of ozone in cyclones and anticyclones. This has now been completed as far as seems possible by private research, and most of the instruments have been sent to new stations in distant regions of the globe in order to obtain a general idea of the distribution of ozone over the world. It must be remembered, however, that the study of the ozone distribution in cyclones and anticyclones has really been exceedingly meagre. If, when synoptic meteorology began to be studied, the same number of barometric observations had been taken at six stations, they would hardly have led to an accurate knowledge of cyclones and anticyclones ! There may be much of great interest that has been entirely missed in this research, but further work must be left to larger organisations, as it was found that the present investigation using only seven stations taxed individual efforts to the uttermost: over 5000 spectra have been measured at Oxford in the course of the routine work. The observations have been made at the same stations as those described in Part II and the instruments are the same as those used before. In the previous papers the amount of ozone was calculated on the assumption that the ozone was near the ground. Evidence has now been obtained that it is situated at an average height of about 40 to 50 km. In this paper allowance has been made for this. The difference is only appreciable when observations are made with the sun at less than 30° above the horizon and the error in the previously published results is always small. Unfortunately a slight defect developed in the optical wedge of the instrument at Valentia, making the ozone values rather uncertain. As the making and calibration of a new wedge would have put the instrument out of use most of the summer it was decided to use it in its defective condition. The Valentia values are therefore a little uncertain, but the error is seldom more than 0⋅01 cm., so that it is only just appreciable when considering the ozone distribution.
We present several ideas of increasing complexity how to translate default theories to normal logic programs that make direct use of the deductive capacity of logic programming. We show the limitations of simple, ad hoc approaches, and arrive at a more general construction; its main property is that the answer substitutions computed by the logic program via its standard operational semantics correspond exactly to the extensions of the default theory.
The present study aimed to calculate water quality index (WQI) through the analysis of eleven chemical parameters on the basis of the Weighted Arithmetic Index on six water sources; rain, well, stream, tap, river and spring during the dry and rainy seasons in order to assess their suitability for drinking purpose in Mbonge Marumba a peri urban area on the north eastern flank of Mount Cameroon. Water samples were collected from the field and analyzed at the nearby Ekona Research Laboratory. The Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test if there were any significant differences of water parameters between the water sources and season. The WHO standard was used to compare the values of the water parameters tested through the percentage variance. Results revealed that Ca2+ is the most abundant cation followed by Mg2+, K+, Na+ and NH4+. The relative abundance of anions (mg/l) in different water sources were as follows: HCO3‾ > Cl‾ > NO3‾ > SO42‾ >H PO42‾. These results reflect an influence of natural processes mainly from rock weathering. A wide variation (>-80%) between the actual values and the WHO standard was observed for most parameters with the exception of pH with a variance of -32% to -34%. HCO3- showed a higher value than that of the WHO standard. It ranged from 4.9 in rain water to 66.9 in tap water while the WHO standard permissible limit is 0.1. The WQI ranged from 3,137 for rain water, during the rainy season to 42,981 for tap water during the dry season. These index values revealed that the status of the various water sources in terms of ions and cations composition in the area are unsuitable for drinking.
In this work, new smart mesoporous amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles were prepared from hydrolyzing microgels based on N-isopropyl acrylamide-co-vinyltrimethoxysilane microgels with tetraethoxysilicate and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane by sol-gel method. The thermal stability and Fourier transform infrared were used to determine the amine contents of the silica nanoparticles. The pH sensitivity of the synthesized silica nanoparticles in their aqueous solutions was evaluated by using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential measurements. The porosity of the amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles was evaluated from a transmittance electron microscope and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) plot. The results have positively recommended the pH-sensitive amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles as one of the effective nano-adsorbent to remove 313 mg·g−1 of CB-R250 water pollutant.
The review by Dick Pels (Historical positivism’) of my The Rise of Social Theory, published in History of the Human Sciences (February 1996), exemplifies a peculiar review practice. Suppose a Finnish historian from Helsinki publishes a book on Spain. Some years later the English translation appears and an international journal publishes an extensive review written by ... a Finnish historian from Helsinki. That is the case here, except that Pels and I are Dutch sociologists from Amsterdam while the book in question is about French social science. Isn’t cross-disciplinary and transnational reviewing somewhat more fruitful than local dispute? The Rise of Social Theory offers a reconstruction of the emergence of social theory in the Enlightenment, of the scientization of this new intellectual genre during the last quarter of the 18th century and the Napoleonic era, and concludes with a last part about Auguste Comte and the formation of sociology. Written from the perspective of historical sociology, it consistently tries to combine social and intellectual history. The early development of social theory is thus connected
FP prostanoid receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors that mediate the actions of prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGF(2alpha)). Alternative mRNA splicing gives rise to two isoforms, FP(A) and FP(B), which are identical except for their intracellular carboxyl termini. In this study, we examined the internalization of recombinant FLAG-epitope-tagged FP(A) and FP(B) receptors that were stably expressed in human embryonic kidney-293 cells. Cell surface receptors on live cells were labeled with anti-FLAG antibodies either in the presence or absence of PGF(2alpha) and were examined by immunofluorescence microscopy. In the absence of PGF(2alpha), FP(A)-expressing cells were labeled predominantly on the cell surface; however, FP(B)-expressing cells were labeled on both the cell surface and intracellularly, indicating constitutive internalization of the FP(B) isoform. After treatment with PGF(2alpha), FP(A)-expressing cells were labeled intracellularly, reflecting receptor internalization, which could be mimicked with phorbol 12-myristyl 13-acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC). Pretreatment of FP(A)-expressing cells with Gö 6976 [12-(2-cyanoethyl)-6,7,12,13-tetrahydro-13-methyl-5-oxo-5H-indolo[2,3-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbozole], an inhibitor of PKC, blocked both PGF(2alpha)- and PMA-induced receptor internalization. However, Gö 6976 did not block constitutive internalization of the FP(B) isoform, suggesting that the mechanisms of receptor internalization differ between the FP(A) and FP(B) isoforms. Furthermore, pretreatment with sucrose, an inhibitor of clathrin-dependent internalization, blocked PGF(2alpha)-induced internalization of the FP(A) isoform but did not block constitutive internalization of the FP(B) isoform. In conclusion, the FP(A) receptor isoform shows an agonist-induced internalization involving PKC and clathrin, whereas the FP(B) isoform undergoes agonist-independent internalization that does not involve PKC or clathrin.
A system for regulated heterologous gene expression in the filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum was established. This is the first heterologous expression system to be developed for this organism. Expression of a recombinant fungal xylanase gene (xylp) and the cDNA for the human tear lipocalin (LCNI) was achieved by placing the encoding sequences under the control of the repressible acid phosphatase gene (phoA) promoter of P. chrysogenum. Secreted recombinant proteins were detected in the growth media of transformed P. chrysogenum cells by means of bioassays, zymogramography, and Western blotting. Levels of transcription and amounts of recombinant proteins secreted varied among transformants, mainly due to the copy number and the integration site of the expression vector on the fungal chromosome.
In the fall 1989 issue of Heimatliche Weiten, the semiannual Soviet German literary journal, a bibliographical article by Victor Herdt, “Verzeichnis der russland- und sowjet-deutschen Zeitungen (1728–1989),” lists more than 150 German-language newspapers published in Russia and the Soviet Union. The entries are limited to German Russian newspapers and exclude those of other ethnic Germans, such as the Baltic, Bessarabian, or urban Germans, who differ from the German Russians in origin, culture, and history.
In this paper I shall show that no one of the four primitive symbols of Heyting's calculus of propositions is definable in terms of the other three. So as to make the paper self-contained, I begin by stating the rules and primitive sentences given by Heyting. The primitive symbols of the calculus are “⅂”, “∨”, “∧”, and “⊃”, which may be read, respectively, as “not,” “either…or,” “and,” and “if…then.” The symbol “⊃⊂”, which may be read “if and only if,” is defined in terms of these as follows: The rule of substitution is assumed, and the rule that S2 follows from S1 and S1⊃S2; in addition it is assumed that S1∧S2 follows from S1 and S2. The primitive sentences are as follows:
Choosing which specialty to enter can be a hard decision for junior doctors, with numerous options available to them in a range of fields. Having made that decision, choosing a subspecialty can come with its own challenges, as Kathy Oxtoby explores this week (http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20021705).   As with choosing a specialty, doctors are advised, when selecting an area in which to subspecialise, to consider …
Short term histological liver changes were studied in 13 patients with congenital biliary atresia, who showed good bile drainage after radical operation. Biopsies obtained at the time of the corrective surgery and at the second operation to convert from external total to partial bile drainage (undertaken once the bilirubin concentration was less than 30.8 mumol/l) were compared. A significant correlation was found between histological findings and the clinical course. In particular, at the second biopsy an increase in hepatic fibrosis and cell infiltration was observed mainly in patients whose bilirubin concentration decreased slowly or who had cholangitis, or both. Hepatic fibrosis and cell infiltration had decreased, however, in an appreciable number of patients whose postoperative course had been characterised by a rapid reduction in the bilirubin concentration and no cholangitis.
It has been shown that IGF-I has an anabolic effect in the normal fetus. However, there is evidence to suggest that there may be IGF-I resistance in the growth retarded fetus. Therefore, we investigated the effects of acute IGF-I infusion to chronically catheterised fetal sheep. At 128 days gestation, fetuses underwent a 4 h infusion of IGF-I (50 microg/kg/h). Three groups of animals were studied. Nine normally grown fetuses were studied as controls. Embolised animals (n=8) received microspheres into the uterine vasculature, and animals with spontaneous intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR animals) (n=6) were fetuses found at post mortem to be spontaneously growth restricted. The effects of IGF-I infusion on feto-placental carbohydrate and protein metabolism were similar in our control group to previous similar experiments. IGF-I infusion decreased fetal blood glucose, oxygen, urea and amino-nitrogen concentrations, and inhibited placental lactate production. The same fetal blood metabolite concentrations also fell during IGF-I infusion in the embolised fetuses, but the effect on placental lactate production was not seen. The only effect of IGF-I infusion in the spontaneous IUGR animals was a fall in fetal blood amino-nitrogen concentrations. We conclude that fetal IGF-I infusion does not have the same anabolic effects in the growth retarded fetus as the normal fetus. In addition, the effects of IGF-I were different in the two growth retarded groups. Our data support previous evidence that the growth retarded fetus has altered IGF-I sensitivity, and this may vary depending on the cause, severity and duration of growth retardation.
Abstract According to metabolic programming theory, small-for-gestational age patients are at high risk of cardiovascular diseases also because of the possible malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Autonomic disorders can be assessed by heart rate variability. The aims of this study were to compare time domain parameters of heart rate variability in children born as small-for-gestational age and appropriate-for-gestational age and to assess the correlation of the postnatal and current somatic parameters with the time domain parameters. The small-for-gestational age group consisted of 68 children aged 5–10 years who were born with birth weight below the 10th percentile. The appropriate-for-gestational age group consisted of 30 healthy peers, matched in terms of gender and age. On the basis of Holter monitoring, slightly higher average heart rate was observed in the small-for-gestational age group than in the appropriate-for-gestational age group. It was found that all the time domain parameters (SDNN, SDNNi, SDANNi, rMSSD, pNN50) were lower in the small-for-gestational age group than in the appropriate-for-gestational age group. In the small-for-gestational age group, girls had lower heart rate and some of the heart rate variability parameters (SDNN, SDNNi, SDANNi) in comparison with boys. Children born as small-for-gestational age have impaired function of the autonomic nervous system. Moreover, in the small-for-gestational age group, autonomic balance moved towards the sympathetic component, which was evidenced by higher heart rate. Children with faster heart rate and lower heart rate variability parameters may be at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Good prediction results for geomagnetic indices have been obtained with the use of artificial intelligent(AI)technique,especially by the neural networks.While a common Problem is how to increase the advance time of the prediction.It is true that the earlier of the prediction, the less possibility to predict the detail of an impending event.Therefore threshold prediction should be also a very helpful and useful method for early time prediction when forecasting the occurrence of the events which bring disaster on the cormmunication,power transmission and satellite life etc. Threshold prediction means the predicted events are over a threshold,such as-120nT. In this paper BP model of neural networks is used to predict the major storms 4 hours ahead, with the minimum of Dst less than-120nT. The inputs are 13 solar wind parameters and geomagnetic AE and Dst.The ought is I for major storms or 0 for non major storms. The results show that the threshold prediction by neural networks can give accurate prediction for major storm occurrence.
The effect of gas velocity (0.56‐1.15 m/s) on radial voidage distribution and cluster properties is determined by using an optical fiber probe in the freeboard of a FCC r egenerator (0.48 m-I.D. · 3.4 m-high). The normalized standard deviation of pr essure fluctuation in the freeboard region decreases with increasing gas velocity. Local voidage distribution in the radial dir ection is relatively flat in the bubbling flow regime. However, in the turbulent flow r egime, voidage in the cor e region is higher than that in the wall region. Clusters move up and down simultaneously , and cluster velocity in the core region is higher than that in the wall region. Cluster length decreases with increasing gas velocity. As the gas velocity is increased, cluster frequency, fraction and voidage decr ease in the transition fr om bubbling to turbulent fluidization regime, but increase in the turbulent flow r egime. Variation of the normalized standard deviation of pressure fluctuation in the fr eeboard can be related with the cluster properties. Cluster length decreases with increasing the suspension density . The cross-sectional mean cluster length in the freeboard zone is corr elated with the suspension density as well as the experimental variables.
Turbulence in integrable systems exhibits a noticeable scientific advantage: it can be expressed in terms of the nonlinear modes of these systems. Whether the majority of the excitations in the system are breathers or solitons defines the properties of the turbulent state. In the two extreme cases we can call such states "breather turbulence" or "soliton turbulence." The number of rogue waves, the probability density functions of the chaotic wave fields, and their physical spectra are all specific for each of these two situations. Understanding these extreme cases also helps in studies of mixed turbulent states when the wave field contains both solitons and breathers, thus revealing intermediate characteristics.
ObjectiveTo investigate viral properties that contribute to the pathogenic potential of HIV-2 in macaques. DesignWe compared HIV-2/287, a virus highly pathogenic in Macaca nemestrina, with its non-pathogenic progenitor HIV-2 EHO, for coreceptor usage and ability to infect human and macaque peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). MethodsCoreceptor usage was determined in GHOST cells expressing known coreceptors, and in PBMC with coreceptor-specific inhibitors. Infectivity in PBMC was determined by virus titration and p27 antigen production. Early and late products of reverse transcription were measured by PCR with primers specific for the long terminal repeat (LTR), or the gag region, respectively. ResultsBoth viruses preferentially infect HOS-CD4 cells expressing CXCR4. Inhibition by CXCR4-specific peptide TW70 and monoclonal antibody 12G5 indicated that both viruses use predominantly CXCR4 to infect macaque and human PBMC. HIV-2/287 showed greater infectivity than HIV-2 EHO in macaque cells, but the situation was reversed in human cells. Kinetic analysis of reverse transcription products revealed no restriction in reverse transcription following HIV-2 EHO infection of macaque PBMC. However, comparison of the level of newly initiated HIV-2 EHO DNA in macaque and human PBMC indicated that there is an early restriction, prior to the initiation of reverse transcription. ConclusionsResults indicate that the adaptation of HIV-2 EHO in M. nemestrina to a highly pathogenic virus HIV-2/287 is not correlated with a shift in or an expansion of coreceptor usage, but with the acquisition of an ability to overcome restrictions for growth in macaque PBMC.
An apparent circadian rhythm of plasma uric acid and the effect of handling stress on plasma uric acid level in conscious cebus monkeys were demonstrated. The lowest level of plasma uric acid in the circadian rhythm occurred early in the morning and the highest, before bedtime at night. With experimental handling stress, the plasma uric acid level rose to much more than the maximum level of the circadian rhythm. Stress-induced hyperuricemia could be inhibited without an increase of urinary uric acid excretion by the minor tranquilizer diazepam at doses of more than 1 mg/kg, p.o. On the other hand, benzbromarone at 20 mg/kg, p.o. significantly inhibited the hyperuricemia with a hyperuricosuric effect, while probenecid at 50 mg/kg, p.o. had no effect on either the increased plasma uric acid or urinary uric acid excretion. Accordingly, it is concluded that the plasma uric acid level in conscious cebus monkeys easily fluctuates with experimental conditions and that the animals can be utilized to evaluate the hypouricemic and hyperuricosuric property of benzbromarone-like agents.
The anomalies resulting from abnormal rotation of the midgut loop are briefly reviewed. A case of hyperrotation with cecal ascent is described—only the second such case reported, so far as the authors are aware. The liver in this subject was larger than average, and the suggestion is made that the presence of a large liver combined with exuberant growth of the ascending colon may explain the hyperrotation. Although this anomaly is clearly very rare and not in itself pathological, the highly unusual position of the cecum and much of the ascending colon in these cases may cause problems in the diagnosis of appendicitis or during laporatomy.
Regularity of minimizers for the Bolza optimal control problem has been extensively studied by several authors (cf. For instance [2–5] and the references contained therein). Here we give a generalization of some results of [5] by using an approach introduced in [3]. We consider a Bolza problem under state constraints and show that, if the Hamiltonian function is smooth enough and enjoys some monotonicity properties, then both the adjoint state and optimal trajectory enjoy Hölder type regularity. We also provide sufficient conditions for Hölder regularity of optimal controls. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
This article addresses the relations of materialist and discursive analyses of men and masculinities. More specifically, it argues for a materialist-discursive, material/discursive or even a materialdiscursive approach to men and masculinities. In the first part, some of the intellectual and political influences on the development of this approach are outlined. These include elaborations on materialism towards discourse, elaborations on discourse towards materialism, and attempts to work across that boundary. This is followed by focusing on, first, the example of men and violence, second, the topic of men, and, third, men's and males' materialdiscursive bodies. The concluding section discusses the importance of situatedness of knowledge, and the possibility of working towards the abolition of the social category of ‘men’. To deal with this complex problematic, a concept that speaks across the non-equivalence of males, men, masculinity is needed, and for this I suggest ‘gex’, rather than sex or gender.
The recruitment of accountants poses challenges for accountancy firms. Person-job fit affects success and influences the likelihood of remaining with a firm. With expected growth in the industry addressing these challenges is essential. This research aimed to determine the characteristics and skills necessary for accountancy and whether current students exhibit these qualities. It was based on Holland’s RIASEC model and characteristics of interest in accountancy including analytical skill, preference for structure, communication and interpersonal skills, risk approach and conscientiousness. Experts in accountancy were interviewed to determine the desired characteristics for the profession. Accountancy students were then surveyed to measure their skills. Communication skills and enterprising characteristics were the most valued qualities of accountants. Students had a preference for structure and a cautious approach to risk. They had some of the characteristics considered useful in accountancy including conventional and investigative characteristics and conscientiousness. Desirable characteristics varied for different specialisations. While students with specialisation preferences had specific characteristics, these rarely matched those required. Exceptions were preferences for forensic accountancy and tax. This research makes a theoretical contribution to the application of the RIASEC model to accountancy, suggesting a modification of the pre-existing classifications. Practical implications also arise for employers, students and educators.
A total of 123 balanced rearrangements, including 26 occurring as a sole anomaly, not known to be recurrent in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) prior to the Workshop, were ascertained retrospectively from 104 patients with treatment‐related MDS/AML (t‐MDS/t‐AML). Thirteen of the aberrations were reported previously in single cases and hence may be classified as recurrent as a result of the Workshop. Patients with Unique aberrations had complex karyotypes more often (P < 0.001 for all pairwise comparisons) than did other Workshop subgroups, with 72% having 3 or more aberrations. Among 85 cases with secondary chromosomal abnormalities, −5, −7, del(5q), and del(7q) were observed in 76%, which is significantly higher (P ≤ 0.007 for all pairwise comparisons) than the frequencies found in the Workshop subgroups of patients with previously known recurring aberrations. The chromosome bands most often involved in balanced aberrations were 1p36 and 3q26‐27. Treatment exposure was significantly different (less topoisomerase II inhibitor exposure, more radiotherapy‐only exposure) than for patients with 11q23 (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively) and 21q22 (P = 0.007 and P = 0.002, respectively) abnormalities. The median time from the first toxic exposure to secondary disease, 59 months, was significantly longer (P ≤ 0.016 for all significant pairwise comparisons) than the median latency of all other patients except those in the Rare subgroup, and the median survival time, 7 months, was significantly shorter than for patients in the 21q22, inv(16), and t(15;17) subgroups (P ≤ 0.002 for all pairwise comparisons), but similar to patients in the 11q23 and Rare subgroups. In contrast to known recurring abnormalities, significantly more patients (61%, all P < 0.001) presented with t‐MDS, with over one‐third of these patients progressing to t‐AML. Thus, this group of patients appears to be more similar to the typical t‐MDS/t‐AML patients, with complex karyotypes as well as chromosome 5 and 7 abnormalities, than to those with recurrent balanced rearrangements. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
BACKGROUND Ovarian senescence is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. We aimed to evaluate the association between menopausal symptoms and cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of apparently healthy middle-aged women.   METHODS The cohort included 2793 peri- and postmenopausal women not on menopausal hormone therapy. Demographic/anthropometric and biochemical/hormonal data were assessed. The severity of menopausal symptoms was evaluated by the Greene Climacteric Scale (GCS).   RESULTS GCS-Total Score was associated with BMI (b=0.12, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.20), T2DM (b=2.10, 95% CI: 0.06 to 4.15), and late-postmenopause (b=-1.24, 95% CI: -2.17 to -0.33). GCS-psychological score was associated with BMI (b=0.06, 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.11). GCS-Physical Score was associated with BMI (b=0.06, 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.09), central obesity (b=0.18, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.34), and postmenopause (early-/late-postmenopause vs. perimenopause, b=-0.36, 95% CI: -0.59 to -0.13 and b=-0.65, 95% CI: -0.97 to -0.34, respectively). All GCS-scores were negatively associated with age. GCS-Sexual Score was associated with early-postmenopause (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=1.53, 95% CI: 1.21 to 1.94), central obesity (IRR=1.18, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.39), smoking, diastolic blood pressure, age. Cox-regression analysis showed that incident T2DM was positively associated with increasing age, BMI, daily alcohol consumption, moderate-to-severe vasomotor symptoms (VMS, OR=1.045, 95% CI: 1.011 to 1.079), and negatively with moderate-to-strenuous physical activity. These associations persisted in lean but not in obese women.   CONCLUSIONS The severity of menopausal symptoms is associated with T2DM, obesity, and smoking in a cohort of peri-/postmenopausal women. VMS were associated with incident T2DM, especially in lean women. These associations must be considered in implementing primary and secondary prevention strategies.
Abstract We consider public good games with asymmetric players in which players are assigned different endowments and must then decide privately how much to contribute to the group′s benefit. Each member receives a fixed reward-regardless of the magnitude of his/her contribution-if the sum of contributions is equal to or larger than an exogenously determined provision threshold and zero otherwise. The results show that (1) heterogeneous groups are less successful in providing public goods than homogeneous groups; (2) group members contribute the same proportion of their endowment regardless of its magnitude; (3) the distribution of endowments and the provision threshold interact; and (4) some subjects adhere to an equity principle, others maximize expected utility, and yet others do not subscribe to either of these two models.
To identify the most accurate and useful panel to diagnose mesothelioma, we immunostained sections from 112 mesotheliomas, 18 adenocarcinomas, and 11 reactive pleural specimens with 13 antibodies. Positive results for mesotheliomas, adenocarcinomas, and reactive pleura, respectively, were CAM5.2, 111, 18, and 11; vimentin, 30, 3, and 3; HBME-1, 75, 10, and 8; thrombomodulin, 31, 2, and 2; calretinin, 43, 6, and 11; and CD44H, 68, 10, and 4. Positive results for adenocarcinoma markers in mesotheliomas and adenocarcinomas, respectively, were carcinoembryonic antigen, 1 and 15; LeuM1, 7 and 9; and Ber-EP4, 5 and 12. All reactive pleura were negative. Positive results for markers to help distinguish mesothelioma from reactive pleura in mesotheliomas, adenocarcinomas, and reactive pleura, respectively, were epithelial membrane antigen, 76, 17, and 6; p53, 78, 16, and 9; P-170 glycoprotein, 37, 4, and 2; and platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta, 31, 1, and 2. The differential diagnosis of mesothelioma from adenocarcinoma is based on negative markers. Individual mesothelial markers are of low sensitivity and specificity for mesothelioma. However, diagnostic accuracy is improved by the use of antibody panels. To date there are no antibodies that help distinguish mesothelioma from reactive pleura.
Purpose : Both quantity and quality potato seed production in Indonesia is relatively low, because it is still cultivated conventionally. Aeroponic cultivation can produce seeds in large quantities and quality with environmental control through setting the spacing and temperature regulation of the rooting area (room box). This research was to study the increase in productivity of G0 type potatoes at planting distance and the room temperature of the box. Research Method : The research to study the productivity of G0 type potatoes at different planting distance (j0: 20 cm x 20 cm, j1: 20 cm x 25 cm, and j3: 20 cm x 30 cm), and the room temperature of the box (t0: room temperature (control) and t1: 150C. The experiment was set up as randomized block design and repeated 4 times. Data were analyzed for variance and Duncans’ further test. Findings : The results showed no interaction between planting distance and temperature. The planting space of 20 cm x 20 cm gave a significant effect on plant height at the age of 45 DAP. The temperature treatment of 150C has a significant effect on plant height at 15, 30, 45 and 60 days after planting (DAP), a number of leaves at 15 and 45 DAP, and the number of potential tubers. Limitations : Limititations in this research was that harvest time was not optimal because due to the plants inability to continue their lives due to wilting disease and high air temperatures. Value : Information from this research is very important for potato seed farmers in increasing crop productivity by managing temperatures to cool down at night in the rooting area.
We present the experimental observations and theoretical calculations of two electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) windows and an enhanced EIT signal in a four-level tripod system of D1 line of 87Rb atoms. The two EIT dips produced by a strong coupling beam and a weak trigger beam were observed in the absorption spectrum of probe field, when the frequency detuning of the trigger beam was different from that of the coupling beam. When the frequency detuning of the trigger beam was near or equal to that of the coupling beam, the total depth of the EIT dip created by the coupling beam clearly became larger. The experimental measurements were in agreement with theoretical calculations.
The curiosity that students have for geology can be nurtured by what they hear as well as by what they see. Students can be sensitized to sound with John Cage's avant-garde music. Cage opened his compositions to all natural and human-made sounds to reveal the universe without human-imposed limits. I challenge my students to collect sounds with a tape recorder or audio/video camera, and to explain in a short written essay how their compositions relate to earth processes such as erosion and transport of sediments, evolution of life, or environmental issues such as pollution. Their compositions range from the sublime to the profane - waterfalls and fountains in state and city parks, the wind, birds, automobile engines, toilets flushing. We also compare Cage's music to traditional, narrative music such as Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite and learn that not everyone views the landscape in the same way. The lesson is reinforced with readings from Simon Schama's Landscape and Memory, which deals with the evolution of the concept of landscape and which ranges from views of the landscape as the ideal, pastoral sanctuary, to landscape as a formidable, primordial wilderness, to landscape as a mysterious, geological terrain that unfolds as one hikes through it. If we teach to all of the senses, earth science is bound to strike a responsive chord with our students.
A method of constructing a smallest congruence relation that is larger than a given equivalence relation on a lattice is explained. A method of constructing a congruence relation in which equivalence classes contain all least upper bounds and all greatest lower bounds for subsets of equivalence classes is explained; and this method constructs a smallest congruence relation with this property which is also larger than a given congruence relation in a lattice.
Wang, Ke, and Brown (2003, Biometrics 59, 804–812) developed a smoothing-based approach for modeling circadian rhythms with random effects. Their approach is flexible in that fixed and random covariates can affect both the amplitude and phase shift of a nonparametrically smoothed periodic function. In motivating their approach, Wang et al. stated that a simple sinusoidal function is too restrictive. In addition, they stated that “although adding harmonics can improve the fit, it is difficult to decide how many harmonics to include in the model, and the results are difficult to interpret.” We disagree with the notion that harmonic models cannot be a useful tool in modeling longitudinal circadian rhythm data. In this note, we show how nonlinear mixed models with harmonic terms allow for a simple and flexible alternative to Wang et al.’s approach. We show how to choose the number of harmonics using penalized likelihood to flexibly model circadian rhythms and to estimate the effect of covariates on the rhythms. We fit harmonic models to the cortisol circadian rhythm data presented by Wang et al. to illustrate our approach. Furthermore, we evaluate the properties of our procedure with a small simulation study. The proposed parametric approach provides an alternative to Wang et al.’s semiparametric approach and has the added advantage of being easy to implement in most statistical software packages.
Tsallis's generalized simulated annealing (GSA), which has been widely used in many fields as a global optimization tool, is composed of three parts: visiting distribution, accepting rule, and cooling schedule. The most complicated of these is visiting distribution. Although Tsallis and Stariolo did provide a heuristic algorithm to generate a random number for the visiting distribution, empirical simulations have shown that it is inappropriate. In this study a more appropriate algorithm, provided by the inspiration of Mantegna, is composed of two steps. The first is the calculation v = x/|y|1/α, where x and y are two independent normal variates with zero means and standard deviation σ x and σ y respectively. The second is a nonlinear transformation w = {[K(q) − 1]exp(−|v/C(q)|) + 1}v. Theoretical arguments are provided for the choice of α, σ x , σ y , and K(q); whereas for C(q), an empirical approximation is used instead. The range of q is in the open interval of (1.0, 3.0). It is shown that both old and new algorithms behave like a normal and Cauchy variates, respectively, when q is in the right limit of 1 or equals 2.0, values which match their corresponding visiting distributions exactly. The criteria for comparison are Kolmogorov's statistic and hypothesis testing. Based on the criteria, extensive simulations confirm that the new algorithm is superior to the old when q ∈ (1.0, 2.5]. As for q ∈ (2.5, 3.0), the values are about the same.
Abstract One unique and connotative aspect of the cultural phenomenon that has come to be known as the ‘scientific revolution’ or ‘the birth of modern science ’ was the rise of the botanical garden, which was linked to the scientific and teaching activities of prestigious universities in Europe. It was in this context that botany finally emerged as an autonomous science, charged with the complex task not only of identifying the many new species that were being brought to Europe from distant continents, but also of creating a classification system and imposing order on the immense variety of the natural world.
The existence of propaganda is inexorably bound to the nature of communication and communications technology. Mass communication by citizens in the digital age has been heralded as a means to counter elite propaganda; however, it also provides a forum for misinformation, aggression and hostility. The extremist group Britain First has used Facebook as a way to propagate hostility towards Muslims, immigrants and social security claimants in the form of memes, leading to a backlash from sites antithetical to their message. This article provides a memetic analysis, which addresses persuasion, organisation, political echo chambers and self-correcting online narratives; arguing that propaganda can be best understood as an evolving set of techniques and mechanisms which facilitate the propagation of ideas and actions. This allows the concept to be adapted to fit a changing political and technological landscape and to encompass both propaganda and counter-propaganda in the context of horizontal communications networks.
A survey of solvent usage for papers published in Organic Process Research & Development has been carried out for the years 1997–2012. Three solvent categories were studied: (i) solvents of concern, (ii) dipolar aprotic solvents, and (iii) neoteric solvents. In the analysis of dipolar aprotic solvent use it was found that nearly 50% of DMF/DMAc/NMP/DMSO usage is attributed to nucleophilic substitution reactions (mostly SNAr and SN2 reactions). Ideas on how to minimise the use of these four solvents in nucleophilic substitution reactions are presented, and it is hoped that these ideas will be adopted by chemists looking at SN type reactions at all stages of development. The only neoteric solvent showing any significant use is 2-methyltetrahydrofuran; usage of this solvent grew rapidly during the survey period.
The origin of blue straggler stars (BSS) in globular clusters (GCs) is still not fully understood: they can form from stellar collisions, or through mass transfer in isolated, primordial binaries (PBs). In this paper we use the radial distribution of BSS observed in four GCs (M3, 47 Tuc, NGC 6752 and ω Cen) to investigate which formation process prevails. We find that both channels co-exist in all the considered GCs. The fraction of mass-transfer (collisional) BSS with respect to the total number of BSS is around ∼0.4‐0.5 (∼0.5‐0.6) in M3, 47 Tuc and NGC 6752. The case of ω Cen is peculiar with an underproduction of collisional BSS. The relative lack of collisional BSS in ω Cen can be understood if mass segregation has not yet driven to the core a sizeable number of PBs, which dominate stellar collisions through threeand four-body processes. The spatial distribution of BSS provides strong hints to their origin: the BSS in the cluster outskirts form almost exclusively from mass transfer in PBs, whereas the BSS found close to the cluster core most likely have a collisional origin.
Some topics in family therapy and family research always seem to be with us, explored in numerous studies and articles. A subject may captivate attention or become a priority through the support of funding agencies which influence the focus of scholarship. Mostly, this works for the development of the field over time as knowledge accrues about many important subjects. However, because there is no master plan about what occupies the center of attention, important topics, especially uncomfortable ones, can be underrepresented and even ignored. In family therapy (and even in this journal), issues concerned with gender and culture were largely unattended to for many years, as model builders, writers, and researchers were caught up in what seemed to be larger ideas of epistemology and effective intervention. Similarly, for some time, discussion about homeostasis almost completely obliterated notions of morphogenesis and resilience. Perhaps there are no topics more underrepresented in the family and mental health fields than sorrow and loss. Although these subjects have vast importance for families (most family rituals are created in relation to them), sorrow and loss are rarely spoken of in either the research or clinical domains or in journals such as Family Process. Consideration of loss in families has long been with us, most especially in the groundbreaking work of Walsh and McGoldrick (2004) and Bowen (2004). However, this subject is perhaps too painful to explore comfortably or often. Recently, the American Psychiatric Association has even proposed the medicalization of sorrow in the DSM-V in stating criteria for when the extent and length of grief becomes a syndrome rather than an experience (Shear et al., 2011). Such forays point to the difficulty mental health professionals have in finding ways to cope with and speak to such subjects.
Estimates of demand are identified from variation in the choice sets that consumers face and the corresponding purchase probabilities for individual products. Retail settings often provide an opportunity to observe variation in consumer choice sets that arises not only through changes in observable product characteristics, such as price, but also through changes in product availability. We review the literature that develops methods for estimating demand in these settings, with emphasis on two mechanisms through which product availability may vary: product assortment decisions, and stockout events. We also briefly discuss variation in availability that may arise from limited consumer information.
This paper is concerned with the ways in which women are sold cosmetic surgery, and how they ‘make sense of’ their own participation in this market. It draws on ongoing ethnographic research to explore how a group of young women who have paid for breast augmentation surgery narrate their decision to undergo surgery, the choices they make as consumers of cosmetic surgery, and their experience of having surgery. These narratives are compared with the ways in which breast augmentation surgery is sold to them by the companies and medical professionals involved in the rapidly expanding market for breast augmentation surgery. The paper shows how this particular group of young white working-class women shift between imagining the breast augmentation operation as a simple beauty treatment and recognizing it as medical surgery, and explores how this shapes their perceptions of the risks and benefits of buying new breasts. It also shows how those who market such procedures manage and manipulate perceptions of the process of breast augmentation surgery and the risks that attend on it in an effort to encourage this form of consumption.
Background Behçet’s disease (BD) is a recurrent multisystemic vasculitis with an unknown etiology. It is postulated that endothelium dysfunction may have a knock-on effect on the coming up pathogenesis. The prominent histopathological feature in BD is perivascular infltration of neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes. Platelets also play an active role in the inflammatory process particularly in thrombotic events of BD. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is one of the new markers of systemic inflammation which is calculated as the ratio of neutrophil count to lymphocyte count. Mean platelet volume (MPV) reflects the platelet function. The complete blood count(CBC) is a simple, easy to obtain test used in almost all patients in clinical practice. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the utility of MPV and NLR as a simple predictor for clinical disease activity in BD. Methods Retrospective chart review of 104 patients with BD (55 male, 49 female, mean age: 36.4 +/- 8.6 years) and 77 healthy controls (45 male, 32 female, mean age: 36.4 +/- 8.6 years) were done. Clinical data, neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts and MPVs were recorded. Results 61 of 104 patients with BD were in the active period. 14 patients had vascular involvement (one of the pulmonary, deep venous trombosis or arterial involvements), 14 had neuro Behcet, 29 had uveitis, 5 had pulmonary involvement, and 50 had mucocutaneous involvement. The serum NLR of active patients were significantly higher than those of inactive BD and controls (P < 0.001). Conclusions Our results indicate that NLR are elevated in patients with active BD, suggesting that CBC may serve as a reliable marker for disease activity of BD. References Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and cardiovascular diseases: a review. Bhat T, Teli S, Rijal J, Bhat H, Raza M, Khoueiry G, Meghani M, Akhtar M, Costantino T. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2013 Jan;11(1):55-9. doi: 10.1586/erc.12.159. PMID:23259445[PubMed - in process] New insights into the pathogenesis of Behçet’s disease. Pineton de Chambrun M, Wechsler B, Geri G, Cacoub P, Saadoun D. Autoimmun Rev. 2012 Aug;11(10):687-98. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2011.11.026. Epub 2011 Dec 11. Review. PMID:22197900[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Disclosure of Interest None Declared
A catalyst-free and efficient method for simultaneous olefin hydrogenation and oxidation of arylboronate esters to phenols with hydrazine hydrate and molecular oxygen is presented. The process is based on the utilization of a readily available Lewis acidic arylboron compound, which evades common problems associated with the catalyst-free aerobic hydrogenation of olefins with diimide. Using an operationally simple procedure, the protocol smoothly delivers phenol derivatives and various alkanes in excellent yields with remarkable functional group compatibility. The method allows the reaction to be scaled up to 1 g of the starting materials.
Background: Stress is inescapable part of modern life, where workplace is becoming a volatile stress factory for most employees. Occupational stress/work stress/job stress can occur when there is discrepancy between the demands of the environment/workplace and an individual’s ability to carry out and complete these demands. There is paramount need to address the factors which are leading to stress at the earliest since they are increasing rapidly. The objectives of the study were to determine the levels of stress among software professionals and to determine its association with key socio-demographic variables and with working environment.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among software professionals working in Madhapur area of Hyderabad using self-administered, pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire after taking informed consent. Data was analyzed using MS Excel and Epi Info software.Results: Among the study participants, 71.5% were males and 28.5% were females. Mean age of the study participants was 34.04±7.52 years. Around 45.25% were having low stress, 33.5% moderate stress and only 21.25% had high stress according to perceived stress scale. Significant association was found between stress and age, type of family, marital status, gender and working hours per day.Conclusions: In the study, most of them were having low stress according to perceived stress scale. Females were having high stress compared to males. Software professionals have to be educated on factors which are leading to stress to prevent its adverse effects.
Allowing private companies to de facto exercise legal authority is becoming increasingly common in several countries. Externalizing legal authority is sustained by a discourse replacing a conventional institutional approach to law enforcement with a functional approach where the agent is less important than efficiency and expected outcomes. Drawing on two brief case studies in Sweden—automobile inspections and reviews of international financial transactions—we argue that legal authority is transferred to for-profit actors with only a minimum of safeguards and accountability. For-profit actors are legal authority insiders but outsiders in the democratic chain of accountability.
ABSTRACT As readers' advisors, librarians attempt to match patrons with books they'll enjoy. Typically done with fiction, this service is important for two reasons: First, fiction circulation figures are consistently high in public libraries. Second, patrons often rely on recommendations for fiction reading material since the contents of novels aren't as clear-cut as nonfiction books, which are sorted by subject. To be successful advisors, librarians must know their collections and their patrons' reading preferences, and then bridge the two. Librarians can learn their patrons' reading preferences using specific interview techniques, and they can learn their collections using readers' advisory aids such as the latest web resources.
Desmoplastic melanoma (DM) is an uncommon and misunderstood variant of cutaneous melanoma that accounts for up to 4% of cases. Histologically, it is comprised of spindle‐shaped melanocytes in a thick and fibrous (desmoplastic) collagen matrix, with diminished cellularity in comparison to other melanomas. It typically arises in chronically sun‐ damaged skin of the head and neck, lacking the clinical features of other melanomas, which may lead it to be misdiagnosed as other malignant or benign spindle cell tumors, basal cell carcinoma, or even scar. It has been purported that delays in diagnosis are a factor for a greater Breslow thickness at presentation, however, patients with DM interestingly fare better than those with other melanoma subtypes of similar Breslow thickness. The incongruences of the desmoplastic subtype have warranted further investigation into its genetics, histology and clinical course, and have been responsible for considerable change in clinical management over the past 5 years. Immunohistochemical staining has confirmed that DM is indeed a melanoma variant. It is typically positive for S100 similar to other melanoma subtypes, however, Melan‐A and HMB‐45 may be negative. The presence of Ki‐67 is similar to other melanomas, and expression of 10% or greater may be associated with ulceration, advanced Breslow thickness, and poor prognosis. Nearly 20 years ago, two subtypes of DM were distinguished based on the degree of desmoplasia present throughout the tumor, with important implications for clinical behavior. Pure DM has ≥90% desmoplasia throughout the tumor, whereas the mixed subtype has <90%, and may behave in a manner more akin to other melanomas. Surgery remains the primary treatment in DM and wide local excision is recommended according to standard melanoma guidelines. DM does have higher rates of local recurrence than other melanoma subtypes, and performing an adequate wide excision is imperative, as incomplete excision is associated with higher rates of local recurrence, metastasis, and worsening melanoma‐specific survival. What constitutes an adequate wide local excision does vary according to the author, however, clearance by at least 8mm reduced recurrence in DM where neurotropism was present. Local recurrence rates have been reported to be higher in the pure subtype in some studies, however, others have found no difference, and standard excision margins remain the recommendation for both subtypes. Although neurotropism is present in a third to two‐thirds of cases, its role as an independent risk factor for local recurrence is contested. The predilection of DM for the head and neck, together with a greater Breslow thickness necessitating a wider excision, may pose a surgical challenge in resection and reconstruction, and inadequate margins do correlate with higher rates of local recurrence. Melanomas have traditionally been considered resistant to radiotherapy, however in neurotropic DM where margins are inadequate (<8mm), adjuvant radiotherapy may reduce local recurrence by 50%. DM which are pure subtype or neurotropic may be particularly well‐controlled by adjuvant radiotherapy. The distinction of pure and mixed subtypes has had a considerable impact on determining the risk of regional metastasis. DM has a lower overall rate of positive sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) than other melanoma subtypes and it had previously been suggested that there is no role for SLNB. However, it is now established that mixed DM has a higher rate of positivity than the pure subtype, approaching 14% compared to at 5%. As such, SLNB is recommended in the mixed subtype. SLNB is recommended where the positivity rate is 10% or greater. For tumors with a positivity rate predicted to be 5%–10%, the merits and disadvantages of SLNB may be discussed with the patient. Before the advent of adjuvant oncological therapy, the purpose of SLNB was primarily for prognosis, however, it now acts as a gateway to adjuvant treatment for stage III micrometastases, which may be life‐prolonging. As such, some surgeons would offer SLNB for a positivity rate of 5% or greater, and therefore it may be warranted in pure DM as well as mixed. DM typically presents in older patients, and offering SLNB where the predicted positivity rate is low, may not be considered where they are unfit for adjuvant treatment. Immunotherapies have changed the recent landscape in DM management. Immune checkpoint inhibitors prevent suppression of T cell‐mediated antitumor responses by blocking interactions between the programmed cell death protein (PD‐1) receptor and ligand (PD‐L1). A retrospective multicentre study reported objective tumor response in 70% of advanced cases treated with anti‐PD‐1 or anti‐PD‐L1 antibodies, with 32% having a complete response. PD‐L1 expression is more common in DM than other melanomas, which may explain why the response is so unexpectedly favorable. Furthermore, PD‐L1 expression is more common in mixed DM than pure and may be of particular benefit in this cohort. A phase II trial of the anti‐PD‐1 agent pembrolizumab is evaluating its efficacy in unresectable DM.
This book is a reference grammar of Fongbe, a language which is part of the Gbe dialect cluster. It is spoken mainly in the former kingdom of Dahomey, which today comprises the southern areas of Benin and Togo. This book has three objectives: First, its main purpose is to provide a thorough description of the grammar of Fongbe. Second, this book provides language-specific syntactic tests which were developed in the course of this research. Finally, we provide the reader with the most exhaustive list possible of references on Fongbe, and on the Gbe languages in general. This book thus attempts to represent a "state of the art" of the language itself, and of the analyses proposed to account for its particular constructions. This book is of particular interest to Africanists, scholars interested in comparative linguistics or in the reconstruction of language families, and creolists who work on the languages spoken in the Caribbean area.
Context. The gamma-ray binary LS I +61o303 is a well-established source from centimeter radio up to very high energy (VHE; E > 100 GeV). The broadband emission shows a periodicity of ∼26.5 days, coincident with the orbital period. A longer (super-orbital) period of 1667 ± 8 days was proposed from radio variability and confirmed using optical and high-energy (HE; E ? 100 MeV) gamma-ray observations. In this paper, we report on a four-year campaign performed by MAGIC together with archival data concentrating on a search for a long-timescale signature in the VHE emission from LS I +61o303.  Aims. We focus on the search for super-orbital modulation of the VHE emission, similar to that observed at other energies, and on the search for correlations between TeV emission and an optical determination of the extension of the circumstellar disk.  Methods. A four-year campaign has been carried out using the MAGIC telescopes. The source was observed during the orbital phases when the periodic VHE outbursts have occurred (φ = 0.55 – 0.75, one orbit = 26.496 days). Additionally, we included archival MAGIC observations and data published by the VERITAS collaboration in these studies. For the correlation studies, LS I +61◦303 has also been observed during the orbital phases where sporadic VHE emission had been detected in the past (φ = 0.75 – 1.0). These MAGIC observations were simultaneous with optical spectroscopy from the LIVERPOOL telescope.  Results. The TeV flux of the periodical outburst in orbital phases φ = 0.5 – 0.75 was found to show yearly variability consistent with the long-term modulation of ∼4.5 years found in the radio band. This modulation of the TeV flux can be well described by a sine function with a best-fit period of 1610±58 days. The complete data, including archival observations, span two super-orbital periods. There is no evidence for a correlation between the TeV emission and the mass-loss rate of the Be star, but this may be affected by the strong, short-timescale (as short as intra-day) variation displayed by the Hα fluxes.
LSFCW modulation system, presented by this paper based on LFMCW, is more suitable for 77GHz millimeter-wave radar system to identify the target, which takes advantages of the modulation of FSK and LFMCW; and implements multiple target real-time detection ability whether stationary or movement. By means of the chip of ADF4159 from ANALOG DEVICES supporting the modulation of FSK and LFMCW, the fast sawtooth sweep frequency is implemented from 12.765GHz to 12.815GHz; the function of the automotive millimeter-wave radar frequency hopping is realized by means of the frequency of FSK set by properly.
We present a simple proof of the interior approximate controllability for the following broad class of second-order equations in the Hilbert space : , , , , where is a domain in , , is an open nonempty subset of , denotes the characteristic function of the set , the distributed control belongs to and is an unbounded linear operator with the following spectral decomposition: , with the eigenvalues given by the following formula: , and is a fixed integer number, multiplicity is equal to the dimension of the corresponding eigenspace, and is a complete orthonormal set of eigenvectors (eigenfunctions) of . Specifically, we prove the following statement: if for an open nonempty set the restrictions of to are linearly independent functions on , then for all the system is approximately controllable on . As an application, we prove the controllability of the 1D wave equation.
Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome (AGS) is a genetic infantile encephalopathy with intracerebral calcifications, leukodystrophy, cerebral atrophy, lymphopleocytosis and raised interferon-α in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that shares phenotypical similarities with congenital viral infections and systemic lupus erythematodes (SLE). An 8 month old male patient presenting with acquired microcephaly, developmental retardation, abnormal muscle tone and irritability was diagnosed with AGS on grounds of typical findings in laboratory and neuroimaging studies. The patient subsequently developed an epilepsy and extraneurological symptoms with hepatomegaly, elevated liver enzymes, hypothyroidism as well as cardiolipin and β2-glycoprotein IgG-antibodies. With 14 month of age skin lesion on the fingers were present that are described as chilblain-like in AGS. Neuropathology investigations in AGS gave hints to cerebral thrombotic microangiopathy. FVIII activity (217%), VWF:Ag (179%) and VWF:RCo (241%) were elevated in terms of endothelial cell activation. We therefore investigated the von Willebrand factor cleaving metalloprotease ADAMTS13 that plays a role in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) as well as in SLE. We found low levels of ADAMTS13 activity (14.0 resp. 38.5%, normal range 50–110) and antigen concentration (0.24 resp. 0.19µg/ml, normal range 0.60–1.60). As ADAMTS13 autoantibodies were not detected an acquired form of ADAMTS13 dysfunction is unlikely. Further investigations must explore a possible congenital disorder like Upshaw-Schulman syndrome (chr. 9q34). In the AGS1 gene (TREX1, Chr. 3p21) a novel frameshift mutation (paternal) and a known missense mutation (maternal) were found. TREX1 encodes the single-stranded DNA-cleaving 3′-5′-exonuclease. It is assumed that intracellular accumulation of nucleic acids due to TREX1 malfunction triggers an α interferone-mediated innate immune response. TREX1 mutations are also found in a small number of SLE patients. In summary our patient with AGS displayed clinical and laboratory features that also occur in SLE. We were able to show ADAMTS13 dysfunction supporting the theory of a thrombotic microangiopathy. This is in accordance with the assumed common autoimmune pathogenesis of AGS and SLE.
The digital beam forming (DBF) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system can operate with a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) dramatically lower than the Doppler bandwidth, thus can provide high-resolution and wide-swath (HRWS) SAR images. In traditional DBF SAR, a preprocessing to reconstruct the umambiguous signal spectrum is required before image formation processing. In this paper, the signal model for DBF SAR is presented and analyzed from the Fourier transform viewpoint. Then based on the multichannel Fourier model, a modified polar format algorithm is proposed to process the DBF SAR data. The new algorithm don't need any preprocessing operations, therefore possesses higher computational efficiency.
Currently, educational data present alarming situations regarding the problems faced by educational institutions, such as low levels of learning, reading and writing performance, high levels of failure and dropout among others. These problems represent a major obstacle for institutions seeking to provide society with quality education. Given this context, it is essential to identify the factors associated with these problems. To minimize the occurrence of educational problems, several types of research use approaches/techniques, such as Educational Data Mining (EDM), Learning Analytics (LA), Machine Learning (LM). These approaches/techniques can analyze educational data generated in teaching-learning environments by applying data mining tasks such as prediction (regression and classification) grouping or associating data, to make intrinsic knowledge discoveries in Dice. The main objective of this work is to identify through a Systematic Mapping of Literature, the main approaches / predictive techniques, which have been used to predict educational problems in teaching-learning environments. Also, identify the main factors that affect the teaching-learning process of students. The results of this study indicate that educational performance has been affected by factors related to the following aspects : academic, demographic, socioeconomic, technological and behavioral. The most commonly used techniques for predicting educational problems in the literature are classification, regression, and clustering.
Inflammation plays a crucial pathophysiological role in the entire continuum of the atherosclerotic process, from its initiation, progression, and plaque destabilization leading ultimately to an acute coronary event. Furthermore, once the clinical event has occurred, inflammation also influences the left ventricular remodelling process. Under the same paradigm, there is evidence that lymphocytes play an important role in the modulation of the inflammatory response at every level of the atherosclerotic process. Low lymphocyte count (LLC) is a common finding during the systemic inflammatory response, and clinical and animal studies suggest that LCC plays a putative role in accelerated atherosclerosis. For instance, there is recent evidence that LLC is associated with worse outcomes in patients with heart failure, chronic ischemic heart disease and acute coronary syndromes. Further indirect evidence supports the pathologic role of LLC related to the fact that 1) lymphopenia--due to a decreased count of lymphocyte T cells--normally occurs as a part of the human ageing process, and 2) increased incidence of cardiovascular events has been reported in conditions where lymphopenia is common, such as renal transplant recipients, human immunodeficiency virus infection, survivors of nuclear disasters and autoimmune diseases. The aim of the present article is to review: a) the pathophysiological mechanisms that have been proposed for the observed association between LLC and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), b) the available evidence regarding the diagnostic and prognostic role attributable to LLC in patients with CVD, and; c) the potential therapeutic implications of these findings.
The potential of using Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) for nondestructive testing of pavement and soil sites has been demonstrated in several publications. The usual SASW field testing and data analysis procedures and the assumption of a single propagation mode yield accurate results when there are no sharp changes in the stiffness of the site with depth. When this is not the case, however, difficulties arise in the interpretation of experimental data due to the participation of more than one mode in the wave field. In an earlier study, the multiple filter/crosscorrelation technique was suggested for analyzing multi-mode SASW signals. This technique, however, may not yield accurate results when propagation modes are closely spaced. A more general method using spectral analysis in the frequency wave-number domain is presented in this paper. Formulas are presented for determining a reasonably small number of surface measurements, and the accuracy of this method in resolving experimental dispersion curves is demonstrated for a pavement site.
The pandemic context, that went off a year ago, has compelled all of us to adopt a new mode of working and communicating. The universities, at least in Romania, had to pass overnight to working exclusively online, which triggered changes at the level of interhuman relationships and behaviours of the students and teachers, as well as a transformation of the teaching and learning strategies. From a face-to-face type of instruction, where the activities mediated by technology had only a relatively limited place, to a kind of activity unfolding fully online, to which the types of teaching activities and techniques had to be adapted, as well as the learning ones. These are the two main aspects that we are going to approach in this paper, by analysing the challenges of working online in the higher education, from the point of view of the behaviour as to information, transmission of knowledge, creation of the know-how, as well as be-how, and from the viewpoint of the new student-teacher relationships. The analysis will focus on the teaching - learning strategies within the Covid-19 pandemic conditions, i.e. a fully online type of education, imposed by the special sanitary conditions, with a strong psychological impact, and not on the general didactic principles of turning digital, which have already been in current practice, in a sporadic manner, for some time now. We are going to study equally the interdependence relationship between the social, economic and psychological context, and the changing of the working methods with the students.
The astins, a family of natural antitumor cyclopeptides, from the roots of Aster tataricus, consist of a 16‐membered ring system containing uncoded amino acid residues. The backbone conformation, with a cis‐3,4‐dichlorinated proline residue, plays an important role in antineoplastic activity. The acyclic astins, on the other hand, do not show antitumor activity, suggesting that the cyclic nature of astins may be a key role in their biological properties. Although the antineoplastic activity of natural astins has been screened in vitro and in vivo, the mechanism of action has never been investigated. With the aim at elucidating the influence of conformational flexibility on biological activity, we have designed and synthesized several astin analogues containing either Aib and the nonproteinogenic Abu and (S)β3hPhe residues, able to modify the peptide backbone structure, or the peptide bond surrogate SO2NH. Tested for their antitumor effect, our astin‐related cyclopeptides are able to inhibit the growth of tumor cell lines, while the acyclic astins are inefficacious. The present work reports on the structure–activity study of a selected synthetic cyclotetrapeptide corresponding to the sequence c[ThrAib(S)β3hPheΨ(CH2SO2NH)Abu], synthesized by classical methods and characterized conformationally by two‐dimensional NMR and molecular dynamics analyses. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci), 2004
The aim of this study was to explore and analyse 'spontaneous' ways of reasoning (SWR) of students in elementary kinematics (uniform motion in galilean frames). A set of experiments presented to 80 eleven-year-old children and to some 700 first- and fourth-year university students showed types of right and wrong answer which varied little from one sample of pupils to another. It seems difficult to attribute these results solely to school learning; but they can be well accounted for if the authors assume the existence of an organised system which the authors call the 'natural model', as opposed to the kinematic model of the physicists. This model involves two components which always interact: a purely descriptive one describing motion, and a causal one explaining motion.
We show that germline‐specific proteins, olvas (vasa), nanos, and tdrd1 (tudor), alter their localization in the cytoplasm during germline development in the medaka (Oryzias latipes). By immunohistochemical analysis, these three germline‐specific proteins were detectable on granule‐like structures in the cytoplasm of migrating primordial germ cells. In the germ cells of the gonadal primordia, these granules formed a hollow area lacking these three protein components. During the sexual differentiation of the female gonads, the granules were found to be reduced in size in the germ cells undergoing cystic division and they showed a perinuclear localization in the oocytes. However, the germ cells in the male gonads retained their hollow granules during this early sex differentiation stage. We further demonstrate the differential localization of olvas, nanos, and tdrd1 on these granules during medaka germline development. Developmental Dynamics 237:800–807, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The study program of information systems is one of the largest studies programs at Indonesian Computer University (UNIKOM). In the process of scheduling lectures in the study program of information systems, it has already information systems of used desktop-based lecture scheduling. Lecture schedules that have been created are then informed through various media such as trust online, social media, email and bulletin board. With so many media which are used in the delivery of lecturers schedule it is expected that lecturers, students and laboratory staff can obtain schedule information properly. However, this also frequently causes problems in learning activities like misplaced of room, time, class, and so on. This usually occurs because the schedule in one of the communication media about lecture schedule is not updated when there is a change of schedule, so there are differences in the schedule information among lectures, students and laboratory staff. To overcome these problems, it needs a service center of lecture schedules information to facilitate lecturers, students and laboratory staff in obtaining the latest lecture schedules information. Related to this, in this study we propose a design of email auto-reply application that will be the service center of lecturer schedules information. In this study, the research method is the method of object-oriented approach and the method of prototype system development. In building email auto-reply application, we are using the Java programming language with MySQL database. With the applications, it is expected that lecturers, students and laboratory staff can obtain the latest lecture schedule easily and from the same source, so different lecture schedules among lectures, students and laboratory staff do not happen again.
Aim : The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pharmaceutical equivalent of different brands of Ranitide Hydrochloride tablets. Materials and Methods : Three different brands of ranitidine hydrochloride 150 mg tablets have been evaluated using some quality control test of weight variation, friability, hardness and disintegration with aim to assess whether these 3 brands are pharmaceutically equivalent or not. The results obtained have been compared with USP standards. Result : The results indicated that all the tablets in the three brands have met the requirements of the quality control test (weight variation, friability, hardness and disintegration) according to the USP which indicated that they are pharmaceutically equivalent.
Pulsed laser diodes are used in photoacoustic tomography (PAT) as excitation sources because of their low cost, compact size, and high pulse repetition rate. In combination with multiple single-element ultrasound transducers (SUTs) the imaging speed of PAT can be improved. However, during PAT image reconstruction, the exact radius of each SUT is required for accurate reconstruction. Here we developed a novel deep learning approach to alleviate the need for radius calibration. We used a convolutional neural network (fully dense U-Net) aided with a convolutional long short-term memory block to reconstruct the PAT images. Our analysis on the test set demonstrates that the proposed network eliminates the need for radius calibration and improves the peak signal-to-noise ratio by ∼73% without compromising the image quality. In vivo imaging was used to verify the performance of the network.
Abstract In this paper we investigate the problem of coordinated path following control of underactuated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) in 3D space. A classic PID controller is adopted to simplify the path following control design by integrating the 3D guidance law for individual AUVs. Leader-follower strategy is subsequently proposed to coordinate two underactuated AUVs flying along predefined paths in 3D space based on invariant manifold principle, where the speed of the follower is adapted in terms of the single-variant information “along-path parameter” exchanged by the leader vehicle. Simulation results of coordinated path following of underactuated AUVs in 3D space are presented and further research interests are discussed.
In this work, we propose a PT-symmetric coupler whose arms are birefringent waveguides as a realistic physical model which leads to a so-called quadrimer i.e., a four complex field setting. We seek stationary solutions of the resulting linear and nonlinear model, identifying its linear point of PT symmetry breaking and examining the corresponding nonlinear solutions that persist up to this point, as well as, so-called, ghost states that bifurcate from them. We obtain the relevant symmetry breaking bifurcations and numerically follow the associated dynamics which give rise to growth/decay even within the PT-symmetric phase. Our obtained stationary nonlinear solutions are found to terminate in saddle-center bifurcations which are analogous to the linear PT-phase transition.
We describe a set of novel, batch-mode algorithms we developed recently as one key component in scalable, deep neural network based speech recognition. The essence of these algorithms is to structure the singlehidden-layer neural network so that the upper-layer’s weights can be written as a deterministic function of the lower-layer’s weights. This structure is effectively exploited during training by plugging in the deterministic function to the least square error objective function while calculating the gradients. Accelerating techniques are further exploited to make the weight updates move along the most promising directions. The experiments on TIMIT frame-level phone and phonestate classification show strong results. In particular, the error rate is strictly monotonically dropping as the minibatch size increases. This demonstrates the potential for the proposed batch-mode algorithms in large scale speech recognition since they are easily parallelizable across computers.
Three-component borehole seismic profiling of the recently active Oroville, California, normal fault and microearthquake event recording with a near-fault three-component borehole seismometer on the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, California, have shown numerous instances of pronounced dispersive wave trains following the shear wave arrivals. These wave trains are interpreted as fault zone-trapped seismic modes. Parkfield earthquakes exciting trapped modes have been located as deep as 10 kilometers, as shallow as 4 kilometers, and extend 12 kilometers along the fault on either side of the recording station. Selected Oroville and Parkfield wave forms are modeled as the fundamental and first higher trapped SH modes of a narrow low-velocity layer at the fault. Modeling results suggest that the Oroville fault zone is 18 meters wide at depth and has a shear wave velocity of 1 kilometer per second, whereas at Parkfield, the fault gouge is 100 to 150 meters wide and has a shear wave velocity of 1.1 to 1.8 kilometers per second. These low-velocity layers are probably the rupture planes on which earthquakes occur.
This mixed method research, in the area of HR and leadership, explores leadership behaviours that foster employee resilience. Resilience is a key capacity in contexts where job demands and challenges are often dynamic and complex, such as in the public sector. This research uses a contemporary definition of resilience, one that views employee resilience as a set of behaviours that help people grow and develop in their jobs, even in the face of challenges. Two questions guide this research: 1. What leadership behaviours enable employee resilience in the public sector?, and 2. How do these behaviours enable employee resilience? This study is situated in the public sector context.  The research consists of five phases. The first phase was a cross-sectional survey of public servants’ views on whether paradoxical leadership behaviours, mediated by perceptions of organisational support, might foster resilience. These connections reflect the correspondence between paradoxical leadership and the dilemmas and paradoxes that arise in public sector work. Phases two and three concerned a series of qualitative studies which identified further leadership behaviours, as well as possible mechanisms and outcomes, and generated an explanatory framework to illustrate how managers can enable employee resilience. This led to the development of the construct resilience-enabling leadership. Phase four gathered feedback on the construct’s validity so that it could be tested quantitatively in a scale. The fifth and final phase tested the resilience-enabling leadership scale (RELS) as a predictor of resilience. It also tested psychometric properties of the scale, including factor structure, and discriminant and convergent validity.  Findings show that a unique combination of leadership behaviours that foster growth, trust and collaboration in employees, is likely to play a pivotal role in developing employee resilience. The RELS is an innovative contribution to organisational scholarship. It represents a leadership model that recognises the changing nature of leadership and responds to the development needs of employees.
With the rapid growth of the communication system infrastructure of The State Grid and the rapid advancement of the digital economy in the digital era of the power grid, it has become an urgent need for the rapid development of China's energy industry to find the key technologies to realize the digitalization of the security management and network intelligence of the State grid. Digital twin technology is also leading the development of the power grid digital era. Through digital identification, intelligent sensing, data resource pooling, digital twin modeling, and other key technologies, it effectively leads the safe and stable operation of the entire power grid in China. Firstly, this paper focuses on the historical development background, connotation and characteristics of digital twin technology. Combined with digital twin technology, this paper analyzes the development status of Smart power grid and digital power grid in China, and then introduces the key technologies based on digital twin technology in the field of power grid development, as well as the typical applications of these technologies in power grid enterprises. Then it points out the technical difficulties in the construction of digital twin power grid and the challenges in the field of power grid. Finally, it provides important theoretical support for the long-term construction and development of digital twin power grid and points out the new direction of power grid development.
The ludic experience through the discovery of body and movement in kindergarten is represented by an experience of fundamental importance for the pedagogical development of children. Also, in this case, it is necessary to research for innovative didactic proposals that motivate the children and lay the foundations for an effective training course. The purpose of this paper is to analyse, with a sample of children aged between 4 and 6 years, oblique-type didactics that can be used to evaluate the training progress obtainable through this innovative approach, and to hypothesize its use in kindergarten.
ABSTRACT Immunosurveillance plays an important role in breast cancer (BC) prognosis and progression, and can be geared by immunogenic chemotherapy. In a cohort of 1023 BC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), 40% of the individuals took comedications mostly linked to aging and comorbidities. We systematically analyzed the off-target effects of 1178 concurrent comedications (classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System) on the density of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and pathological complete responses (pCR). At level 1 of the ATC system, the main anatomical classes of drugs were those targeting the nervous system (class N, 39.1%), cardiovascular disorders (class C, 26.6%), alimentary and metabolism (class A, 16.9%), or hormonal preparations (class H, 6.5%). At level 2, the most frequent therapeutic classes were psycholeptics (N05), analgesics (N02), and psychoanaleptics (N06). Pre-NAC TIL density in triple-negative BC (TNBC) was influenced by medications from class H, N, and A, while TIL density in HER2+ BC was associated with the use of class C. Psycholeptics (N05) and agents acting on the renin-angiotensin system (C09) were independently associated with pCR in the whole population of BC or TNBC, and in HER2-positive BC, respectively. Importantly, level 3 hypnotics (N05C) alone were able to reduce tumor growth in BC bearing mice and increased the anti-cancer activity of cyclophosphamide in a T cell-dependent manner. These findings prompt for further exploration of drugs interactions in cancer, and for prospective drug-repositioning strategies to improve the efficacy of NAC in BC.
Fast and simple determination of the thermodynamic properties of refrigerants is very important for analysis of vapor compression refrigeration systems. Although tables are available for refrigerants, limited data of tables are not useful in the simulation of refrigeration systems. The aim of this study is to determine the thermodynamic properties such as enthalpy, entropy, specific volume of the R413A, R417A, R422D, and R423A by means of the artificial neural networks (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy (ANFIS) system. The results of the ANN are compared with the ANFIS, in which the same data sets are used. The ANFIS model is slightly better than ANN. Therefore, instead of limited data as found in the literature, thermodynamic properties for every temperature and pressure value with the ANFIS are easily estimated.
We designed a study to determine the relative analgesic potency of intramuscular heroin and morphine and to compare mood and side effects in 166 cancer patients with postoperative pain. Heroin was about twice as potent as morphine (95 per cent confidence limits, 1.6 to 2.6 times) in graded-dose, twin-crossover assays. Heroin provided an analgesic peak effect earlier than morphine (1.2 plus or minus 0.08 and 1.5 plus or minus 0.10 hours, respectively [mean plus or minus S.E.M.]). Doses with equal analgesic effects provided comparable improvements in various elements of mood, particularly feelings of peacefulness. Peak mood improvement occurred earlier after heroin than after morphine (1.2 plus or minus 0.10 and 1.8 plus or minus 0.13 hours, respectively). Both analgesia and mood improvement were less sustained after heroin at doses providing equal peak analgesic effects. The drugs shared the most common side effects, with no marked differences in their occurrence; sleepiness was the most frequent side effect after both drugs (46 per cent with each). Heroin has no apparent unique advantages or disadvantages for the relief pain in patients with cancer.
The purpose of this article is to show the evolution of the historical novel that began in the era of independence, to highlight the peculiarities of male and female historical narratives, and to capture critical reactions and tendencies of assessment of that kind of novel. At the beginning of independence, the poetic prose of a minimal story was established in Lithuanian literature, which was created by the most prominent Lithuanian prose writers, and the historical novel made its debut as a complex experience of poetic narration. Poetry and prose focused on archetypal narratives, national consciousness and ethnic semantics and were characterized by an abundance of associations, but not by a clear storyline. Among common variations of the male historical novel, we can observe historical novels written by women, which have won both literary awards and readers’ approval.
More than ten extinct Lower Brachycera families have been discovered throughout the world. These fossil records are of great significance in piecing together jigsaw puzzles of evolution for the Order Diptera. However, the distinct systematic relationships of the Diptera, one of the four largest orders, remain obscure. Herein, we erect a new family to enhance our systematic understanding of the Diptera. The Uranorhagionidae fam. nov. is a bewildering new extinct family comprising two new genera, Uranorhagio gen. nov. and Strenorhagio gen. nov., and five new species, Uranorhagio daohugouensis sp. nov., Strenorhagio deviatus sp. nov., Strenorhagio grimaldi sp. nov., Strenorhagio asymmetricus sp. nov., and Strenorhagio conjugovenius sp. nov., from the Middle Jurassic of China. Members of the new family are moderate to large in size and robust in shape. This family possesses a peculiar shape of vein R2+3, the basal part of which is strongly fornical and nearly geniculate, and has the crossvein r–m at variable position. Furthermore, the Uranorhagionidae fam. nov. exhibits a mixture of distinct characters of two families in two disparate superfamilies, i.e. Rhagionemestriidae (Nemestrinoidea) and Rhagionidae (Tabanoidea), thus suggesting that this family might be in an inclusive position in dipteran phylogeny. We tentatively place this new family as a member of Tabanoidea, pending the discovery of more fossil specimens and further study. The comparison between the new family and other relative families will be discussed.        © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 158, 563–572.
Question Answering (QA) is a specialized form of information retrieval characterized by information needs that are expressed as natural language statements or questions. Query expansion is an approach which is used to extend question key words with new related words that are not included in question. In this study, anew association rule based question processing model is introduced. This model is used for expanding question keywords with the most related terms using new hybrid association rule base. This hybrid rule base takes into account both the exact match of association rules and the hierarchical match of semantic similarity to overcome the mismatch problem between questions and answer words. Therefore, it contains association rules between document words at a semantic level. The main goal of this new model is to enrich the question by reformulating it into similar meaning queries with additional information and hence for improving question answering process.
Abstract Experiments were conducted in Keiser, Arkansas on a Sharkey silty clay soil for three years to examine soybean, wheat, and grain sorghum rotations. Treatments also included selected variation of conventional versus no till and alternative wheat residue management. Both irrigated and nonirrigated strategies were investigated. Agronomic results show that irrigated soybean yields average about 1,344 kg ha‐1 (20 bu A‐1) higher than comparably treated nonirrigated soybean treatments. Economic analysis using enterprise budgets reveals three top rotations regardless of irrigation: continuous monocropped soybean, wheat fallow followed by monocropped soybean, and wheat‐soybean double‐cropped with burned wheat stubble. Statistical analysis demonstrates the profitability of irrigation and the dependence of the most economical crop rotation upon weather conditions.
Inductive-peaking-based bandwidth extension techniques for CMOS amplifiers in wireless and wireline applications are presented. To overcome the conventional limits on bandwidth extension ratios, these techniques augment inductive peaking using capacitive splitting and magnetic coupling. It is shown that a critical design constraint for optimum bandwidth extension is the ratio of the drain capacitance of the driver transistor to the load capacitance. This, in turn, recommends the use of different techniques for different capacitance ratios. Prototype wideband amplifiers in 0.18-mum CMOS are presented that achieve a measured bandwidth extension ratio up to 4.1 and simultaneously maintain high gain (>12 dB) in a single stage. Even higher enhancement ratios are shown through the introduction of a modified series-peaking technique combined with staggering techniques. Ultra-wideband low-noise amplifiers in 0.18-mum CMOS are presented that exhibit bandwidth extension ratios up to 4.9
Effect of fillers like carbon black, silica, and china clay on the cure characteristics and physicomechanical properties of natural rubber (NR) modified with phosphorylated cashew nut shell liquid (PCNSL) in various proportions has been studied. Prominent cure retardation has been observed with progressive increase in concentration of PCNSL from 0 to 20 phr. The softening effect of PCNSL on the vulcanizate has been displayed by the linear decrease in hardness and tensile modulus and the increase in elongation at break with the increase in concentration of PCNSL. The results on the tensile and tear strengths of the vulcanizates showed that the reinforcing effect of the fillers were maximized at concentrations of PCNSL ranging from 5 to 10 phr. Also, the PCNSL-modified NR vulcanizates showed improved resistance to thermo-oxidative ageing and decomposition, especially at the higher concentration of 20 phr. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 1303–1311, 1998
Openness to Experience is one of the 5 broad factors that subsume most personality traits. Openness is usually considered an intrapsychic dimension, defined in terms of characteristics of consciousness. However, different ways of approaching and processing experience lead to different value systems that exercise a profound effect on social interactions. In this article, the author reviews the effects of Openness versus Closedness in cultural innovation, political ideology, social attitudes, marital choice, and interpersonal relations. The construct of Openness and its measures could profitably be incorporated into research conducted by social psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, anthropologists, and historians.
Recently, several authors have been concerned with ordering comparison of known distributions of the family of generalized power series (GPS) distributions with their mixtures in various senses. In this article, we shall employ a unified approach and obtain similar results, more generally, for all members of the class of the GPS distributions. Some of the previous findings of Misra et al. (2003), Alamatsaz and Abbasi (2008), and Aghababaei Jazi and Alamatsaz (2010) in this connection, then, follow as corollaries. Further, we have derived some more ordering comparison results.
The Yucatan coastline has been experiencing beach erosion during the past few decades; the erosion has reached critical points at some locations such as the Chelem beach, located near the Progreso Pier. Despite this problem, only few studies have been devoted in order to investigate the role of coastal structures on explaining the high erosion rates reported at this location. Therefore, the aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of the Progreso Pier on the wave transformation and alongshore sediment transport in the study area. Field surveys were conducted in a monthly basis in order to estimate the erosion rates and wave conditions with an ADCP installed at 8 m water depth. The field information confirmed the high erosional trends (O(1)m/year) that explain coastal infrastructure damage and property losses. The wave measurements were employed as the forcing of a wind-wave numerical model (MIKE 21 SW). The numerical model is implemented in the study area for two different scenarios, with and without the pier; this was to estimate nearshore wave conditions. Subsequently, the nearshore wave climate at 5 m water depth is employed for the calculation of alongshore sediment transport rates in 5 points that are representative of the littoral drift along the study area. The modeling results show that the pier acts as a large scale wave-sheltering structure that induces important alongshore sediment transport gradients under mean wave conditions, decreasing the capacity of the waves to recover the beach. On the other hand, during winter storms, when the direction of the waves is from the NNW, the structure does not seem to play an important role on wave transformation into the study. As a result, the Progreso Pier enhances beach erosion in the Chelem area by inducing algonshore gradients in sediment transport and decreasing the beach recovery capability
OBJECTIVE Examine relationships of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) fractional anisotropy (FA) to executive function (EF) and attention measures following early childhood (3-7 years) traumatic brain injury (TBI).   DESIGN Exploratory correlation and comparison study.   SETTING Children's hospital outpatient facilities.   PARTICIPANTS 9 children with a history of TBI (age = 7.89 ± 1.00 years; Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) = 10.11 ± 4.68) were compared to 12 children with OI (age = 7.51 ± 0.95). All children were at least 12 months post injury at time of evaluation.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES FA in various regions of interest (ROI), EF and attention measures.   RESULTS FA values primarily in the frontal white matter tracks correlated with EF measures. Separate tasks of inhibition and switching correlated significantly with FA in bilateral frontal lobes. Tasks combining both inhibition and switching correlated significantly with FA values in the left frontal lobe. Tasks of attention negatively correlated with FA values in the right frontal white matter and the superior longitudinal fasciculus.   CONCLUSIONS Associations between late measurement of FA and EF measures following early childhood TBI suggest that persistent white matter changes, especially in the frontal white matter, may provide an index of EF deficits.
Abstract The current scientific knowledge of TMJ pathologies points to the importance of etiological research and the need for differential diagnosis using the most modern technological resources. Those include MRI, computed tomography, serologic studies, genetic mapping, and bioelectronic instruments which allow clinicians to study, understand, and measure respectively, the structural changes of soft and hard tissues, infections, genetic susceptibility for autoimmune diseases, and stomatognathic function. The purpose of this article is an overview of the current knowledge and related tools for the diagnosis of TMJ pathologies.
The efficiency of averaging properties of sets without encoding redundant details is analogous to gestalt proposals that perception is parsimoniously organized as a function of recurrent order in the world. This similarity suggests that grouping and averaging are part of a broader set of strategies allowing the visual system to circumvent capacity limitations. To examine how gestalt grouping affects the manner in which information is averaged and remembered, I compared the error in observers’ adjustments of remembered sizes of individual circles in two different mean-size sets defined by similarity, proximity, connectedness, or a common region. Overall, errors were more similar within the same gestalt-defined groups than between different gestalt-defined groups, such that the remembered sizes of individual circles were biased toward the mean size of their respective gestalt-defined groups. These results imply that gestalt grouping facilitates perceptual averaging to minimize the error with which individual items are encoded, thereby optimizing the efficiency of visual short-term memory.
The atmospheric processing of (E)- and (Z)-1,2-dichlorohexafluoro-cyclobutane (1,2-c-C4F6Cl2, R-316c) was examined in this work as the ozone depleting (ODP) and global warming (GWP) potentials of this proposed replacement compound are presently unknown. The predominant atmospheric loss processes and infrared absorption spectra of the R-316c isomers were measured to provide a basis to evaluate their atmospheric lifetimes and, thus, ODPs and GWPs. UV absorption spectra were measured between 184.95 to 230 nm at temperatures between 214 and 296 K and a parametrization for use in atmospheric modeling is presented. The Cl atom quantum yield in the 193 nm photolysis of R-316c was measured to be 1.90 ± 0.27. Hexafluorocyclobutene (c-C4F6) was determined to be a photolysis co-product with molar yields of 0.7 and 1.0 (±10%) for (E)- and (Z)-R-316c, respectively. The 296 K total rate coefficient for the O((1)D) + R-316c reaction, i.e., O((1)D) loss, was measured to be (1.56 ± 0.11) × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) and the reactive rate coefficient, i.e., R-316c loss, was measured to be (1.36 ± 0.20) × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) corresponding to a ~88% reactive yield. Rate coefficient upper-limits for the OH and O3 reaction with R-316c were determined to be <2.3 × 10(-17) and <2.0 × 10(-22) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively, at 296 K. The quoted uncertainty limits are 2σ and include estimated systematic errors. Local and global annually averaged lifetimes for the (E)- and (Z)-R-316c isomers were calculated using a 2-D atmospheric model to be 74.6 ± 3 and 114.1 ± 10 years, respectively, where the estimated uncertainties are due solely to the uncertainty in the UV absorption spectra. Stratospheric photolysis is the predominant atmospheric loss process for both isomers with the O((1)D) reaction making a minor, ~2% for the (E) isomer and 7% for the (Z) isomer, contribution to the total atmospheric loss. Ozone depletion potentials for (E)- and (Z)-R-316c were calculated using the 2-D model to be 0.46 and 0.54, respectively. Infrared absorption spectra for (E)- and (Z)-R-316c were measured at 296 K and used to estimate their radiative efficiencies (REs) and GWPs; 100-year time-horizon GWPs of 4160 and 5400 were obtained for (E)- and (Z)-R-316c, respectively. Both isomers of R-316c are shown in this work to be long-lived ozone depleting substances and potent greenhouse gases.
Uranium dioxide pellets sealed in Type 316 stainless steel containers with a helium gas were irradiated in helium and in C0/sub 2/ in thermal fluxes or the order of 1 x 10/sup 13/ n/(cm/sup 2/)(sec). Cladding-surface temperatures were reportedly between 1200 and about 1800 F. The hot-cell examination performed by BMI showed that there were no obvious effects of the irradiation on the specimen tested in helium. However, the specimen irradiated in the presence of C0/sub 2/ exhibited severe cladding-CO/sub 2/ reaction and possible central melting of the UO/sub 2/. Although comparisons between pre- and postirradiation data were difficult because of involved fabrication history of the specimens, the tests did further establish the fact that helium is a satisfactory coolant gas for stainless steel cladding material at a temperature of 1200 F. The data obtained from the specimen tested in the presence of C0/sub 2/ indicate that at temperatures in the range of 1600 to 1800 F Type 316 stainless steel is not compatible with C0/sub 2/. (auth)
The article describes design and implementation of the narrowband wireless transmission system using OFDM and SDR technologies. Different coding, modulation and synchronization techniques are proposed for the physical and data link layers of the transceiver. The baseband system level design is done using Matlab software. For transmission and reception of digital OFDM signal different types of software defined radio equipment were analyzed and selected based on their cost and capabilities.
Abstract In the present study, a GTAP CGE model is used to assess three proposed scenarios for the DCFTA between the EU and Ukraine, one for unilateral trade liberalisation, another for bilateral trade liberalisation with exemptions from free trade and a third for bilateral trade liberalisation without exemptions from free trade. The main point of distinction of this study is the inclusion of exemptions from free trade in the first two simulated scenarios and the possibility of a quantitative evaluation of exemptions from free trade through the differences between scenarios 3 and 2.
The combined effects of antifungal and antibiotic drugs against Exophiala spinifera were evaluated in vitro by the chequer-board method, calculated as a fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index. Amphotericin B was combined with flucytosine and ciprofloxacin, whereas itraconazole was combined with ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, lomefloxacin and sulfadiazine. Synergic effects were observed for the combinations of itraconazole with ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, and amphotericin B with ciprofloxacin and flucytosine. No antagonism was observed for any combination tested.
The effects of the new diuretic metolazone were studied in ten patients with chronic renal insufficiency and ten with nephrotic syndrome. Patients were maintained on metolazone for up to 44 months. Beneficial effects of treatment included loss of edema and improved control of blood pressure. The natriuretic effect of metolazone facilitated the use of sodium bicarbonate to treat acidosis in several patients. Concurrent administration of metolazone and furosemide produced a dramatic diuresis in one patient resistant to either diuretic alone. Adverse effects of metolazone therapy were those characteristic of other effective diuretics, Including serum electrolyte losses and hyperuricemia. Initial treatment produced small increases in serum creatinine among patients with renal insufficiency, suggesting that GFR was decreased secondary to diuresis-induced volume depletion. The study demonstrates that metolazone is both safe and effective over long periods of time.
Cohesion and coupling metrics at package and subsystem level play a crucial role in guiding software packaging (partitioning) and analyzing the maintainability and reusability of software. There has been a number of attempts to propose frameworks to assess the cohesion and coupling metrics at class level. A little work has been done at a higher level. In this paper, we survey the existing cohesion and coupling metrics at package and subsystem level and present an attribute-based framework to assess these metrics. The framework is meant to guide researchers interested in proposing new metrics at package level. The paper discusses a number of metrics against the framework.
Phenol is an important commodity in chemical industries and dewatering is a critical process in its application. In this work, polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes with various morphologies are employed for phenol dehydration via pervaporation, including flat-sheet dense membranes, single-layer and dual-layer hollow fiber membranes. Effects of cross-linking modification and post-thermal treatment on the performance of PBI flat-sheet dense membranes were investigated; effects of the operation temperature and feed composition are also studied, not only in terms of flux and separation factor, but also of the intrinsic permeance and selectivity of the membrane. In order to achieve a higher permeation flux, PBI single-layer hollow fiber membranes of thinner selective layers were developed and studied with the effect of different spinning parameters. The preliminary study of dual-layer PBI/PBI and PBI/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) dual-layer hollow fiber membranes are also carried out to explore the potential o...
Sentinel-2 is an Earth Observation optical mission developed and operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the frame of the Copernicus program of the European Commission. The mission consists on a MultiSpectral Instruments (MSI) on board a constellation of two satellites flying on the same orbit but phased at 180°: Sentinel-2A launched in June 2015 and Sentinel-2B launched in March 2017. It covers the Earth's land surfaces and inland and coastal waters every five days at the equator under the same viewing conditions with high spatial resolution and wide field of view. Accurate radiometric calibration is key to the success of the mission; therefore, in-orbit calibration and validation activities are conducted within the Sentinel-2 Mission Performance Centre (MPC), including a consortium of Expert Support Laboratories (ESL). The Database of Imaging Multispectral Instrument and Tool for Radiometric Intercomparison (DIMITRI) is used to perform the vicarious validation of Level-l products delivered to users. The aims of this validation are 1) to assess the quality of the data product at Level-1, 2) to monitor the evolution of the radiometry of both instruments and 3) to ensure that the products meet the mission requirement accuracy. Three vicarious methods are used, such as Rayleigh scattering, Desert Pseudo- Invariant Calibration Sites (PICS) and Sensor-to-Sensor intercalibration methods. Although the results indicate good stability and performance of both sensors MSI-A/B, a slight discrepancy between them of ~1 % over desert sites could be observed. Slight decrease of band B8A (865 nm) signal over Algeria-3 site has been detected since April 2017. This effect seems to be related to the impact of human and industry activities near the area. Radiometric performances and image quality of Sentinel-2 MSI-A/B level-1C products appear stable and meet the mission requirements.
The existing electric grid purchase ratio research focuses on the methods of various types of combinations of purchasing and selling business of electricity, and the methods of reasonable risk allocation between different businesses, First , it lacks the consideration of the sensitivity of customer requirements to electricity price changes . Second , it lacks the consideration of optimization of the revenue and risk of hydropower purchase in the provincial electric grid. Therefore, this paper establishes the multi-objective time-of-use power price model based on customer requirements for time-of-use power price response.It introduces a VaR-based risk assessment method. Also , it proposes a multi-objective optimization model that maximizes the expected revenue on electricity purchase and minimizes the risk of purchasing electricity. The electricity purchase ratio scheme and the electrictiy purchase risk scheme are jointly optimized to obtain the electric grid inter-provincial electrictiy purchase risk decision and the optimal electricity purchase ratio. The results show that the grid company will obtain greater economic benefits while avoiding risks as much as possible after using the power purchase optimization method of this paper. 1 Establishment of time-price model 1.1 Customer response curve Drawing on the operation mode of the power market in East China, the power sales side and the power purchase side will be divided into peak and low valley sections for operation. The peak time is from 8:00 to 22:00 every day, and the trough time is from 22:00 to 8:00 every day. The peak and valley time-selling electricity price, that is, the peak and the low valley are implemented with different sales price. According to the principle of consumer psychology, users will have different responses to different electricity prices. Thus changing their power consumption mode, resulting in the effect of peak shaving and valley filling. Therefore, the user's reaction to the electricity price can form a user's reaction curve. The user response curve is studied. After the peak -valley price difference is adjusted multiple times, the electricity price difference and the power difference before and after the adjustment can be counted; then the regression fitting is performed to obtain the response curve of the user in a certain area: y f = (t,x) (1) Y is the ratio of the electricity consumption after the peak-valley time-sharing electricity price to the electricity consumption and the electricity consumption before the implementation, x is the ratio of the electricity price to the original electricity price after using the peak-to-valley time-of-use price. In this paper, we use the electricity price comprehensive reaction curve of the literature [2] to fit the formula (2), as shown below:
Gaussian geostatistical space-time modeling is an effective tool for performing statistical inference of field data evolving in space and time, generalizing spatial modeling alone at the cost of the greater complexity of operations and storage, and pushing geostatistical modeling even further into the arms of high-performance computing. It makes inferences for missing data by leveraging space-time measurements of one or more fields. We propose a high-performance implementation of a widely applied space-time model for large-scale systems using a two-level parallelization technique. At the inner level, we rely on state-of-the-art dense linear algebra libraries and parallel runtime systems to perform complex matrix operations required to evaluate the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). At the outer level, we parallelize the optimization process using a distributed implementation of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. At this level, parallelization is accomplished using MPI sub-communicators, such that the nodes in each sub-communicator perform a single MLE iteration at a time. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, we assess the accuracy of the newly implemented space-time model on a set of large-scale synthetic space-time datasets. Moreover, we use the proposed implementation to model two air pollution datasets from the Middle East and US regions with 550 spatial locations X730 time slots and 945 spatial locations X500 time slots, respectively. The evaluation shows that the proposed approach satisfies high prediction accuracy on both synthetic datasets and real particulate matter (PM) datasets in the context of the air pollution problem. We achieve up to 757.16 TFLOPS/s using 1024 nodes (75% of the peak performance) using 490K geospatial locations on Shaheen-II Cray XC40 system.
The Las Campanas Infrared Survey Camera is a near-infrared (1.0–2.5 μm), wide-area instrument used to detect and measure the photometric properties of galaxies out to large redshifts, z > 2. The camera, a modified Offner 1 : 1 reimaging optical system, is mounted at the f/7.5 focus of the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope. The detectors are four Rockwell 1024 × 1024 HgCdTe (HAWAII) arrays operating at a scale of 0.″20 pixel-1. With four telescope pointings, the instrument produces a pipelined mosaic of J, H, or Ks images 13′ × 13′ on the sky, with a measured point-spread function as good as 0.″38 FWHM. The good imaging quality results in part from fast tip-tilt guiding on stars within a 9′ × 9′ field centered on the optical axis of the telescope. Appropriately bright guide stars are found within 2 s from a catalog of 5 × 107 stars and presented as a "finding chart" to the observer. The optical, mechanical, and thermal design choices and their associated engineering implementations are discussed in some detail. The detector readout electronics, the automatic data acquisition and control system, and our data reduction pipeline are also described. The design goals of the camera—excellent imaging quality and throughput, low flexure and internal background, and 5 Hz on-axis guiding, are all realized and quantified.
Headache is a symptom arising from such a variety of constitutional and local conditions, that to treat it properly it is necessary to arrive at a just estimate of the patient's standard of health. For no other symptom is it more important to carefully' examine the patient as to heredity and constitutional taint. As to heredity, the inheritance may be direct, or it may be that the neuropathic parents, who may have been epileptic, or insane, or alcoholic, have transmitted to their offspring an instability of the nervous system which, instead of being of the same variety as that of the parent, has manifested itself as headache arising on various pretexts, as fatigue, worry, eye strain, etc. Having determined the fact of inheritance in a given case, the examination of the patient requires a correct estimate of the constitutional conditions which may be present, whether the patient has been afflicted
There is good evidence that the primary assessment of knee injuries is poor (Bollen and Scott, 1996). The knee is the most commonly injured joint in sport and exercise, and soccer and rugby carry the highest risk (Nicholl et al, 1991). A basic approach comprising a thorough history and a full examination, including ‘look, feel, move and special tests’, is usually all that is needed (Apley and Solomon, 1994).
Youth population is considered world-wide as a vulnerable group both in economic and social issues. This is reflected in a high level of under-employment, unemployment, low wages, labor market flexibility, among other problems. In the Salvadoran labor market, young people meet difficulties to find a job that make it possible to live a dignified life. Realidad: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades No. 125, 2010: 413-436
AT is distinctively "Victorian" about the Victorian country house, according to Mark Girouard, is the fact that such habitations "were designed for husband, wife and child" living in close and loving proximity. The Victorian celebration of home has been well described by Walter E. Houghton in The Victorian Frame of Mind, 1830-1870: home was seen as "both a shelterfrom the anxieties of modern life, a place of peace where the longings of the soul might be realized (if not in fact, in imagination), and a shelterfor those moral and spiritual values which the commercial spirit and the critical spirit were threatening to destroy, and therefore also a sacred place, a temple."' As the Victorian house was designed to accommodate the family unit, so too was the Victorian novel structured to reflect the importance of those domestic ties, all the more precious for being, at times, so tenuous or hard won. Homes in Victorian novels are not necessarily elaborate edifices built on the lines of a Palliser country estate or of a fantastical nature like Wemmick's Walworth Castle (in Great Expectations). Home, in Dickens, often consists of a country cottage or a cozy place by the hearth in a London tenement: in its simplest Dickensian formula, where there's love there's home. Amy Dorrit in her prosperity, recalling the time when she was loved by
Let M(n, p) be the group of all motions of an n-dimensional pseudo-Euclidean space of index p. It is proved that the complete system of M(n,p)-invariant differential rational functions of a path (curve) is a generating system of the differential field of all M(n,p)-invariant differential rational functions of a path (curve), respectively. A fundamental system of relations between elements of the complete system of M(n,p)-invariant differential rational functions of a path (curve) is described.
Herein, we present a general synthetic strategy for the preparation of 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-membered heterocyclic unnatural amino acid derivatives by exploiting facile Mannich-type reactions between readily available N-alkyl- and N-aryl-substituted diisopropyl iminomalonates and a wide range of soft anionic C-nucleophiles without using any catalyst or additive. Fully substituted aziridines were obtained in a single step when enolates of α-bromo esters were employed as nucleophiles. Enantiomerically enriched azetidines, γ-lactones, and tetrahydroquinolines were obtained via a two-step catalytic asymmetric reduction and cyclization sequence from ketone enolate-derived adducts. Finally, highly substituted γ-lactams were prepared in one pot from adducts obtained using acetonitrile-derived carbanions. Overall, this work clearly demonstrates the utility of iminomalonates as highly versatile building blocks for the practical and scalable synthesis of structurally diverse heterocycles.
Chinchillas were exposed to nonreverberant impulse noise (50 impulses, 1/min, 155 dB p.e. SPL, 1‐msec A duration) and allowed to recover for at least 40 days following the exposure. Single neurons were subsequently sampled from the dorsal and ventral cochlear nucleus. Many units from the noise exposed animals had abnormally high thresholds and broad tuning curves. Due to the shallow slope of the low‐frequency tail of the tuning curve, some units gave responses that were exclusively inhibitory. In other units, the threshold for the inhibitory area was 30–40 dB lower than the threshold for the excitation area. Many of the high‐threshold units also showed abnormally high rates of spontaneous activity. The results of single unit experiments are compared with the nature and extent of the cochlear lesions obtained using the surface preparation.
We have investigated the role of changes in RCRC (independent of Na intake) in determining susceptibility to ARF. RCRC was altered in either direction from control (Grp A - normal Na intake) in S.D. rats by 1% NaCl drinking + S.Q. DOCA for 4 wks (Grp B) or by a low Na diet for 6 wks (Grp C). For the next 5 days the animals were continued on the previous Na intake (Grp B1 & C1),normal Na intake (Grp B2 & C2), or 1% NaCl (Grp C3). On the 5th day the 24 hour urinary Na, C1 and Osm excretions were determined and random members from each group were sacrificed for RCRC determination. ARF was induced in the rest by injection of 10 mg/kg of 50% glycerol. Tail vein BUN's were done; results are shown (mean ± SEM). The number of animals in parenthesis.
In 2011, during the Arab Spring, citizens in some Arab countries marched in the streets, demanding decreased corruption, increased public participation in running state affairs, and provision of jobs for citizens. In response, governments in the Middle East and North Africa region initiated strategic plans to meet the people’s demands (e.g. Morocco Vision 2030, Saudi Vision 2030). One of the main parts of these plans is related to reforming the public finance sector. Recently, in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, most Middle East and North Africa countries have taken loans or withdrawn from reserves (both considered sources of funding for government expenditures) to support the economy and fund the healthcare plans to fight the disease. Thus, the efficiency and effectiveness of government spending is very important in utilizing the available resources at all times. Using data for the Middle East and North Africa region from 1990 to 2019, and utilizing a scatterplot technique and the general linear modeling procedure, this article explores the relationship between public expenditures and economic growth. The results show that the current public expenditure system is inefficient and that efficient public spending has to be combined with other factors that influence the economy (e.g. enhancing public participation in running state affairs, controlling corruption, and supporting good governance practices in the public sector). Points for practitioners Government spending is one of the most important elements in managing state affairs toward achieving advanced levels of development and providing high-quality services to beneficiaries. This research explores the relationship between government spending and economic growth; the result of this study confirms that non-financial factors, such as fighting corruption, promoting democracy and freedom, enhancing public institutions’ quality, and supporting the productivity and accountability of the public sector, are important dimensions in promoting economic growth, especially in developing countries.
BACKGROUND When a woman has had a previous caesarean birth and requires induction of labour in a subsequent pregnancy, there are two options for her care: elective repeat caesarean or planned induction of labour. While there are risks and benefits for both elective repeat caesarean birth and planned induction of labour, current sources of information are limited to non-randomised cohort studies. Studies designed in this way have significant potential for bias and consequently conclusions based on these results are limited in their reliability and should be interpreted with caution.   OBJECTIVES To assess, using the best available evidence, the benefits and harms of elective repeat caesarean section and planned induction of labour for women with a previous caesarean birth.   SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (January 2006), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2006, Issue 1) and PubMed (1966 to January 2006).   SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials with reported data that compared outcomes in mothers and babies who planned a repeat elective caesarean section with outcomes in women who planned induction of labour, where a previous birth had been by caesarean.   DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS There was no data extraction performed.   MAIN RESULTS There were no randomised controlled trials identified.   AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Planned elective repeat caesarean section and planned induction of labour for women with a prior caesarean birth are both associated with benefits and harms. Evidence for these care practices is drawn from non-randomised studies, associated with potential bias. Any results and conclusions must therefore be interpreted with caution. Randomised controlled trials are required to provide the most reliable evidence regarding the benefits and harms of both planned elective repeat caesarean section and planned induction of labour for women with a previous caesarean birth.
Background. Randomised studies have shown that breast conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy is associated with a prognosis similar to mastectomy alone. This formed the basis for recommending breast conserving surgery combined with radiotherapy as a standard treatment for suited breast cancer patients in Denmark. Patients and methods. To evaluate the results of this treatment, we performed a nationwide population-based follow-up study of patients aged less than 75 years treated in Denmark from 1989 to 1998 based on the database of Danish Breast Cancer Cooperative Group. Results. At 15 years of follow-up, the Kaplan-Meier estimate of overall survival was 69% among 3 758 patients who received the recommended treatment. Within the first 10 years of follow-up, the cumulative incidences of loco-regional recurrences, distant metastases or other malignant disease, or death as a first event were 9.0, 19.9, and 6.0% respectively, when analysed in a competing risk setting. The risk of loco-regional recurrences was significantly decreased in patients aged 50 years or more and increased with increasing tumour size. There was a pronounced beneficial effect of adjuvant radiotherapy with those not receiving radiotherapy having a hazard ratio of 3.52 (95% CI 2.21–5.61). The effect of resection margins was significant for loco-regional recurrences only in node negative patients. Conclusion. In conclusion, the present study shows that results similar to those from randomised clinical trials can be obtained when breast conserving treatment is applied as a standard treatment in an entire population.
We study the design and optimization of polygonal meshes with concave planar faces. The motivating applications of this work are architecture, product design, and art. To discretize freeform surfaces into polyhedral meshes, we propose a novel class of regularizers for mesh aesthetics based on symmetries. They are useful to generate concave polygons on negative Gaussian curvature region, and provide the necessary flexibility to create smooth transformation of planar faces across the region where Gaussian curvature alternated between positive and negative.
We compare the convergence behavior of Gauss quadrature with that of its younger brother, Clenshaw-Curtis. Seven-line MATLAB codes are presented that implement both methods, and experiments show that the supposed factor-of-2 advantage of Gauss quadrature is rarely realized. Theorems are given to explain this effect. First, following O'Hara and Smith in the 1960s, the phenomenon is explained as a consequence of aliasing of coefficients in Chebyshev expansions. Then another explanation is offered based on the interpretation of a quadrature formula as a rational approximation of $ log((z+1)/(z-1))$ in the complex plane. Gauss quadrature corresponds to Pade approximation at $z= infty$. Clenshaw-Curtis quadrature corresponds to an approximation whose order of accuracy at $z= infty$ is only half as high, but which is nevertheless equally accurate near $[-1,1]$.
Studies of the breeding system ecology of the Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) were conducted in the summers of 19661969 on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska. Western Sandpipers arrive as soon as the snow begins to melt, establish territories on heath tundra, pair and nest once. Second nestings are restricted to replacement clutches. As soon as breeding is completed, the adults shift to coastal habitats, begin molt, and by early to mid-July move S on migration. Young mauri follow about 2 to 3 weeks later. After their arrival on Pacific coast feeding areas, the adults continue their prebasic molt, completing it by late October. The single nesting and early departure of Western Sandpipers from the breeding areas are related to a decreasing food supply in an otherwise favorable environment. The only other congener sympatric with mauri on the Delta, C. alfpina, follows an identical breeding schedule, but remains longer in the N, occupying riverbank and intertidal habitats, and completes its molt before migrating S in late September. This extended residence of alpina in Alaska is possible because it is able to exploit marine invertebrates there during late summer, whereas mauri apparently is not. Therefore, the changes in food abundance near the nesting areas and the lack of suitable food supply in midsummer are the primary factors influencing the scheduling of breeding season events in Western Sandpiper populations.
A two-dimensional direct numerical simulation study of the linear instability in a laminar plane wall jet is presented. The evolution of the wall jet disturbances is in reasonable agreement with predictions by spatial linear stability theory only with regard to the wavelength and the amplitude shape of the disturbance, whereas significant differences in the linear growth rate are noticed. As a consequence, the “stable island” on the instability map based on linear stability theory turns out to be connected with the outer stable region in the simulations, thus taking the form of a “stable peninsula”. The failure of the theory is attributed to the rapid streamwise spread and decay of the wall jet, which is incompatible with the assumption of parallel flow. We also assess the maximum possible transient linear amplification of two-dimensional disturbances in the plane wall jet, using the concept of optimal initial disturbances. The transient energy growth relies on the Orr mechanism, and the upper bound of th...
This paper presents a novel control method for autonomous-odor-source localization using vision and odor sensing by micro air vehicles (MAVs). Our method is based on biomimetics, which enable highly autonomous localization. Our method does not need any instruction signals, including even global positioning system (GPS) signals. An experimenter just blows a whistle, and the MAV starts to hover, to seek an odor source, and to keep hovering near the source. The GPS-signal-free control based on vision enables indoor/underground use. Moreover, the MAV is light-weight (85 grams) and does not cause harm to others even if it accidentally falls. Experiments conducted in the real world were successful in enabling odor source localization using the MAV with a bio-inspired searching method. The distance error of the localization was 63 cm, more accurate than the target distance of 120 cm for individual identification. Our odor source localization is the first step to a proof of concept for a danger warning system. These results will be applied to the system to enable a safer and more secure society.
Background: Because the suicide mortality depends on the lethality of suicide methods, the identification and prediction of suicide methods are important for suicide prevention. Methods: Examination data of suicide decedents were collected based on police reports. Suicide decedents were divided into groups according to the suicide methods (hanging, gas poisoning, pesticide poisoning, jumping, drug poisoning, and drowning) they used. Predictive factors for each suicide method in comparison to other suicide methods were identified. Results: Among 23,647 subjects, hanging was the most common method of suicide. Regarding gas poisoning, the history of previous suicide attempt was a risk factor and being age of 65 or older was a protective factor. Being age of 65 or older showed a highly strong association with suicide by pesticide poisoning. Being age of 18 or younger and the presence of schizophrenia were associated with jumping. A history of psychiatric outpatient treatment was a risk factor for drug poisoning. Regarding suicide by drowning, schizophrenia was a risk factor, while being age of 65 or older was a protective factor. Limitations: Only eight out of a total of 17 regions in South Korea were examined and included in the data of this study. Also, the methods of suicide were defined as one method that directly caused the death, which could undermine other less fatal methods used. Conclusions: There were differences in predictive factors according to the method of suicide. Predicting the method of suicide in people at high risk for suicide stands to be an important strategy for suicide prevention in clinical settings.
Much of the variability reported in earlier studies of the lesions induced in chick embryos by mycoplasma is probably referrable to the use of poorly characterized organisms. Another important discrepancy results from the use of dead and chilled embryos, which would also tend to cloud the histopathologic results. This study sought only to define the early lesions of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (Strain S6) infections in chicken and turkey embryos at various stages of incubation. The only previous embryo work with this strain of Mycoplasma is that of Casorso (1), who reported the failure of this organism to produce lesions in 7-day-old chicken embryos. No histopathologic studies seem to have been made of this infection in turkey embryos. The S6 strain of M. gallisepticum is a neurotropic strain isolated from a turkey brain which readily produces a severe cerebral arteritis when inoculated intravenously in poults aged 2 to 7 weeks (4,5,6). By this route it is much less pathogenic to chicks. Thomas et al. (6) found only a single case of very mild arteritis among 8 inoculated 3-day-old hatched chicks. However, they demonstrated that this organism produced a toxin that was probably responsible for the vascular changes. This strain, in addition to its neurotropic tendencies, will incite severe respiratory disease in turkeys and chickens, depending on the route of inoculation (9).
Aim: Ileosigmoid knotting (ISK) is a rare event in pregnancy. This study reviewed the clinical outcomes of 3 pregnant patients with ISK and compared the characteristics of these pregnant women with 16 nonpregnant women. Materials and methods: The clinical records were reviewed retrospectively. Results: Three pregnant patients accounted for 4.2% of 72 total ISK patients and 15.8% of 19 female ISK patients. The ages of the patients were 35, 38, and 31 years (mean: 34.7 years). All of the patients were multiparous. Two patients (66.7%) were in the 3rd trimester and 1 (33.3%) was in the 2nd trimester. The mean duration of symptoms was 36.0 h. The main symptoms and signs were abdominal pain/tenderness, obstipation, and distention in all of the patients (100.0%), in addition to vomiting, hypo/akinetic bowel sounds and empty rectal vault in 2 (66.7%) and hyperkinetic bowel sounds, muscular guarding with rebound tenderness, and melenic stool in 1 (33.3%). Each patient had a preoperative diagnosis of mechanical intestinal obstruction, and all of the patients received emergency surgery. The outcomes were as follows: 33.3% maternal mortality, 66.7% fetal mortality, and 33.3% surgical morbidity. Conclusion: ISK in pregnancy is a rare occurrence. It is generally seen in multiparous women and in the 3rd trimester. Abdominal pain, distension, and obstipation are the main clinical features. An accurate diagnosis is difficult to obtain preoperatively, and patients are usually diagnosed with a nonspecific intestinal obstruction. After resuscitation, emergency surgery is needed. For gangrenous cases, resection of the ileum with primary anastomosis and resection of the sigmoid with colostomy are preferred, whereas detorsion is the treatment of choice for cases that are not complicated by gangrene. The prognosis of this disease is poor.
Context. The spectra of four low-lying vibrational states of both anti and gauche conformers of normal-propyl cyanide were previously measured and analyzed in two spectral windows between 36 and 127 GHz. All states were then identified in a spectral line survey called Exploring Molecular Complexity with ALMA (EMoCA) toward Sagittarius B2(N) between 84.1 and 114.4 GHz with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in its Cycles 0 and 1. Aims. We wanted to extend the measurements and analysis up to 506 GHz to provide accurate predictions over a much wider range of frequencies, quantum numbers and energies. Methods. We carried out measurements in two additional frequency windows up to 506 GHz. Results. For the gauche conformer, a large number of both a- and b-type transitions were identified. For the anti conformer, transitions were predominantly, but not exclusively, a-type. We hence improved molecular parameters for the ground states of both anti- and gauche-n-propyl cyanide and for excited vibrational states of the gauche conformer (v30 = 1, v29 = 1, v30 = 2, v28 = 1) and anti conformer (v30 = 1, v18 = 1, v30 = 2, v29 = 1) with high order coupling parameters determined between v18 = 1 and v30 = 2. Parameters are published for the first time for v18 = v30 = 1 of the anti conformer and for v29 = v30 = 1 of the gauche conformer. Conclusions. In total 15385 lines have been incorporated in the fits and should allow good predictions for unperturbed lines over the whole operating range of radio-telescopes. Evidence is found for vibrational coupling for some levels above 380 GHz. The coupling between v18 = 1 and v30 = 2 of the anti conformer has been well characterized. An additional list of 740 lines showing potential but as yet unidentified coupling has been provided for astrophysical identification.
In a RBS connection, the stress concentration is being prevented on the location of joint via local reduction of beam section near the column and the place of plastic hinge is being transferred from connection to a section of a beam near to the column. A special ilk of RBS connection which is named dogbone connection and its beam wings are cut from a circle in an arcuate form, has displayed a desirable performance against to the seismic loads. This paper aims at obtaining the best cutting geometry of the beam wing in order to improve the performance of the connection against to the seismic loads. For this purpose in this research, we have opted a several panel zone with different dimension on the beam wing under the influence of the seismic loads in Finite Element software called Abaqus along with a cyclic loading, modeled displacement control index and the best sample of cutting dimension among from the samples that are modeled.
THE BEGINNING OF A CHILD'S JOURNAL to formal schooling is a significant milestone in the early years of a child's life. Research literature has identified that the manner in which a child experiences the transition to school has significant implications for their future social and academic success at school. This article presents some of the findings from a recent study that examined the multidimensional nature of children's transition to school. The study specifically explored six children's views about their transition to school. The study was carried out across three long day care centres in inner suburban Melbourne that provided a kindergarten program for children a year before commencing formal schooling. The study indicated that children were very happy about starting primary school and children's understanding of school encompassed the social and physical changes to which they will need to adapt when commencing school. The study further suggested that children did not take into consideration the academic aspect of school but just wanted to have fun at school.
Melanoma is one of the most highly mutated malignancies, largely as a function of its generation through ultraviolet light and other mutational processes. The wide array of mutations in both “driver” and “passenger” genes can present a confusing array of data for practitioners, particularly within the context of the recent revolutions in targeted and immune therapy. Although mutations in BRAF V600 clearly confer sensitivity to BRAF and mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors, the clinical implications of most other mutations are less often discussed and understood. In this review, we provide an overview of the high‐frequency genomic alterations and their prognostic and therapeutic relevance in melanoma.
In this articule to introduce avances some progress realized with the analysis to the Study Case of the Especial School XXX, fundamentally centered in the prodicction of understanding about two significant “milestones” or “events” in the progress to historical evolution institution: the School fundation in the year 1982 and change the denomination in the year 2013, that is to say, the change name of Work School to Especial School. This case integrates different casuistry that contribute to the framework for study the school integration process in this province.
Both the higher energy and the initial state colored partons contribute to making exact calculations in QCD color space more important at the LHC than at its predecessors. This is applicable whether the method of assessing QCD is fixed order calculation, resummation, or parton showers. In this talk I will discuss tools for tackling the problem of performing exact color summed calculations. I will start with "theoretical tools" in the form of the (standard) trace bases and the orthogonal multiplet bases (for which a general method of construction was recently presented). Following this, I will focus on two new packages for performing color structure calculations: one easy to use Mathematica package, ColorMath, and one C++ package, ColorFull, which is suitable for more demanding calculations, and for interfacing with event generators.
Abstract Atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) is considered a benign lesion with increased malignant potential. ADH represents ~3% of total benign breast biopsy results. A 60-year-old woman with no family history of breast cancer presented with multiple painless lumps in the right breast and palpable right axillary lymph nodes. Ultrasonography and mammography showed typical features of breast cancer. However, core needle biopsy revealed ADH without infiltrating malignancy. Based on a multidisciplinary decision, a right simple mastectomy with sentinel lymph node biopsy was chosen as the best treatment plan. The postoperative histopathology report showed the spread of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in all quadrants without any evidence of invasive cancer. It is challenging to obtain an accurate diagnosis of clinically palpable and multicentric ADH or DCIS based on preoperative radiological and histological evaluation, especially when dissonance between these two evaluation modalities exists.
AbstractThe sensitivity of the precipitation over Puerto Rico that is simulated by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is evaluated using multiple combinations of cumulus parameterization (CP) schemes and interior grid nudging. The NCEP–DOE AMIP-II reanalysis (R-2) is downscaled to 2-km horizontal grid spacing both with convective-permitting simulations (CP active only in the middle and outer domains) and with CP schemes active in all domains. The results generally show lower simulated precipitation amounts than are observed, regardless of WRF configuration, but activating the CP schemes in the inner domain improves the annual cycle, intensity, and placement of rainfall relative to the convective-permitting simulations. Furthermore, the use of interior-grid-nudging techniques in the outer domains improves the placement and intensity of rainfall in the inner domain. Incorporating a CP scheme at convective-permitting scales ( 4 km) im...
The Urban Institute, the Center for Court Innovation, and RTI International conducted NIJ's Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation. This presentation uses data collected for MADCE drug court participants to describe key court policies, practices, and dynamics (e.g., treatment, leverage, judicial supervision, judicial interaction, case management, drug testing, sanctions, rewards, etc.). It addresses: 1) how policies, practices, and courtroom experiences vary across drug court programs; 2) which policies, practices, and courtroom experiences make drug courts more or less effective; 3) whether courtroom experiences mediate drug court success; and 4) whether the effects of specific policies and practices vary by offender subgroup.
This paper proposes an algorithm for adaptive cepstral analysis based on the UELS (unbiased estimation of log spectrum). In the UELS, the model spectrum is represented by cepstral coefficients and the mean square of the inverse filter output is minimized with respect to the cepstral coefficients. By introducing an instantaneous gradient estimate of the criterion in a similar manner of the LMS algorithm, we develop an adaptive cepstral analysis algorithm. In the analysis system, an IIR adaptive filter whose coefficients are given by cepstral coefficients is realized using the log magnitude approximation (LMA) filter. The filter approximates an exponential transfer function and its stability is guaranteed for approximation of speech spectra. To implement the M th order cepstral analysis, the algorithm requires O(M) operations per sample. It is shown that the algorithm has fast convergence properties in comparison with the LMS algorithm. Several examples of the adaptive cepstral analysis for synthetic signal and natural speech are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.
The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 substantially modified the "safe harbor" leasing provisions enacted by the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. In this Comment, Professors Warren and Auerbach argue that the modifications did not remedy the defects they identified in an earlier Article and that a new category of "finance leases" may prove to be nearly as valuable for some taxpayers as were safe harbor leases before the 1982 changes.
Lou Hernandez. The Rise of the Latin American Baseball Leagues, 1947-1961: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Jefferson NC: McFarland, 2011. 402 pp. Paper, $49.95. It's a rather huge undertaking to chronicle the history of seven baseball leagues in Latin American countries over a span of nearly fifteen years, but Lou Hernandez takes a heroic stab at conquering this mountain of research. When you think of baseball leagues in Latin America's history, the average fan who follows such topics usually turns to Peter Bjarkman and Milton Jamail for their excellent work in Cuban baseball, while others look to John Virtue's recent work on Jorge Pasquel and the Mexican Leagues, as well as Thomas Van Hyning's Puerto Rico's Winter League. Still others might consider George Gedda's work on Dominican baseball, and one should not overlook noted Latino baseball historians Sam Regalado and Adrian Burgos Jr. In The Rise of the Latin American Baseball Leagues, 1947-1961: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, Hernandez's task is obviously daunting. Relying heavily on local newspapers and a couple dozen books as reference, Hernandez jumps in with both feet to cover seven chapters detailing each nation's baseball leagues. The author presents a fan's guide to each country's season-by-season action. Beginning in 1947, Hernandez covers the span of the Cuban assent into the Latin American baseball confederation and their ultimate withdrawal in 1961. In masterfully weaving his story, Hernandez does a tremendous job with local newspaper accounts that illustrate a colorful history filled with extraordinary personalities and situations. Certainly none are more extraordinary or bold as Pasquel in Mexico and his mission to recruit the best talent the United States had to offer for his Mexican league. In this work, we witness the eternal rivalry of Alemandares and Habana in the Cuban Leagues, as well as the battle for Latin American baseball supremacy in the Caribbean World Series. Going beyond the usual suspects of countries and their glorious baseball histories, Hernandez does a fine job in bringing Panama, Nicaragua, and Venezuela into the baseball discussion. While historians tend to dote on Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, it is refreshing to learn more about the other three countries. What's equally familiar in the book are the players from North American baseball whose careers we have followed for years, making their bones in Latin America's Winter Leagues. …
Offshore flexible pipelines are designed to operate without intervention throughout the life of field, which can be 20 to 30 years long. The monitoring of these lines is more and more often considered and implemented with two main objectives: to confirm that the risers and flowlines operate within safe working limits and enable the assessment of the integrity and lifetime of these lines. The first objective can be achieved by continuous collection of the operational data, such as for example internal pressure, fluid temperature, riser top tension and vessel motions, to confirm that the pipelines continue to be operated within the design parameters. The second objective can be achieved through direct condition monitoring of the flexible pipe (for example coupons samples, temperature within the pipe structure, curvature and bending stresses). All of these techniques can contribute towards regular assessment of pipe integrity and lifetime. Flexi France is developing several monitoring and inspection technologies, some of which are already operational or ready to use. This paper will focus primarily on corrosion monitoring of flexible risers steel reinforcement layers through measurement of the annular space fluid composition and physical parameters such as temperature distribution, end-termination sealing integrity and dynamic risers curvature distribution. The state of the art monitoring technologies will be presented in this paper, and it will be explained how they can allow the field operator to optimize the inspection program, reduce the risk of potential damage in operation or enable reuse of the flexible lines at the end of field life.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The Spring 2005 meeting of the British Society for Matrix Biology (BSMB) was held at The Sherrington Buildings, University of Liverpool on March 21–22, 2005. The theme of the meeting was ‘Collagen – from genes to fibrils’, and the meeting was organized by Dr Anne Vaughan-Thomas, Dr Pete Clegg and Professor Stuart Carter from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Liverpool. Generous financial support was received from Applied Biosystems, Merck, Perbio, Sanyo, Amaxa, Devro and Merseybio. The programme consisted of talks given by 10 invited speakers and 10 short presentations selected from the abstracts submitted. To accommodate the wide research interests of delegates, we included seven of the 10 short presentations in the theme-free BSMB Society session. The meeting was attended by 118 registered delegates, consisting of 81 members of BSMB (including 23 student members) and 37 nonmembers (including 15 students). Forty-four abstracts were submitted for poster presentations, 12 of which were entered in the International Journal of Experimental Pathology-sponsored Poster Prize competition. One hundred and twenty-five votes were cast by delegates to select the three recipients of the £150 prizes. The first session, ‘Probing the structure and organization of collagen’, was chaired by Simon Robins (Rowett Research Institute, Aberdeen). Professor David Hulmes (Lyon) discussed the assembly and processing of procollagen molecules and how important chain selection and organization are in achieving the correct stoichiometry of the fibril. He described the multistranded alpha helical structures, ‘coiled coils’, consisting of heptad repeat a-helical sequences within the C-propeptides, that are almost ubiquitous in the collagen superfamily and crucial in the trimerization of fibres. He went on to discuss procollagen C-proteinase enhancers (PCPEs) and their role in processing the C-propeptides of fibrillar procollagens by stimulating the action of procollagen C-proteinases. PCPEs have no enzyme activity, but they can stimulate the activity of tolloid proteinases. Tolloid proteinases, such as bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-1, are known to process the C-terminal propeptide of fibrillar collagens and also the N-terminal propeptide of collagen types V and XI, as well as a range of other extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules. In order to determine the specificity of the PCPEs, we expressed and used ECM proteins including laminin-5, BMP-1, PCPE-1, type V procollagen, type VII mini-procollagen and prolysyl oxidase as substrates for BMP-1. Furthermore, a mini-procollagen type III substrate was prepared to identify the site of PCPE interaction. Work was presented from their laboratory showing PCPE-1 to stimulate BMP-1 processing of procollagen III alone, indicating its specificity as an enhancer for processing of procollagen and that this enhancement required the procollagen to be in the trimeric form. All but the last three of the GXY repeats present in the mini-procollagen type III substrate could be removed without loss of PCPE-1-enhanced BMP-1 activity. This work may provide a new target for controlling collagen deposition in the ECM through the control of procollagen chain processing. Professor Karl Kadler (Manchester) began his talk on collagen fibrillogenesis in tendon by giving an interesting history on work done previously studying collagen fibrillogenesis and explained how there was initially one ‘cellular’ group that believed cells to be most important in fibril formation and one ‘molecular’ group that believed molecules to be most important. He proceeded to discuss collagen fibril assembly in tendons and its importance in providing strength to tendons, which are subjected to cycles of tensile forces. Using electron microscopy (EM) and serial section reconstruction to produce 3D images of the cells and collagen fibrils, their group has been studying how tenocytes deposit organized collagen fibrils and have discovered a novel secretory pathway called the fibripositor pathway that secretes preformed collagen fibrils through membrane organelles termed fibripositors. For the automated electron tomography, 300-nm thick sections of tendon, imaged over a 660 range, were used. Using these advanced imaging techniques, Professor Kadler produced 3D images of fibril formation showing the cells to be column-like in appearance, with the presence of some interesting features such as fibrils with surrounding membranes and cell – cell junctions responsible for cellular organization. Overall, these studies are providing a novel insight into ECM assembly within the tendon. In his talk titled ‘The Functional Fibre’, Professor Allen Bailey (Bristol) gave an overview of the crucial importance of cross-links in providing strength to the collagen fibre and described how the cross-link profile varies between tissues Int. J. Exp. Path. (2005), 86, A57–A94
The vibrational densities of states for a series of field-biased diffusion-limited aggregation clusters with varying fractal dimensions in two Euclidean dimensions are computed numerically by the continued-fraction recursion method. It is confirmed that the density of states is characterized by a power-law behavior in the fracton-frequency regime. The fraction dimensionalities are found to favor the Aharony-Stauffer conjecture in the present case. Numerical results also show that the fraction mode is strongly localized in the diffusion-limited aggregation systems.
The structural and magnetic properties of thin Co films grown on Pt(111) were investigated in situ under UHV using simultaneous surface x-ray diffraction, resonant magnetic surface x-ray diffraction at the Pt LIII absorption edge and the surface magneto-optic Kerr effect. We focus on the difference between low-temperature growth and growth at 300 K. Thin (1–5 nm) Co films grown at 120 K (low-T films) have the hcp structure and a small concentration of stacking faults compared to films of the same thickness grown at 300 K (RT films), which contain many stacking faults and have a predominant fcc structure. In addition, the low-T films are flatter. The RT films exhibit a clear reorientation transition of the magnetization, from perpendicular to parallel, at a thickness of 1 nm. In contrast, the low-T films display intense polar Kerr signals up to the largest investigated thickness (5 nm). In these films, the reorientation transition takes place over a large thickness range, through a canted phase. Heating up a low-T film to 300 K induces a rotation of the average easy axis towards the film plane, still with a high polar Kerr signal at 300 K. This behaviour with temperature is mostly reversible. These results are discussed on the basis of the temperature dependence of the anisotropy constants and magnetocrystalline anisotropy differences between the fcc and hcp phases.
A low-complexity adaptive iterative decision feedback detection algorithm with constellation constraints (DFCC) is proposed for MIMO systems. In order to reduce the complexity of the DF processing with time-varying channels, the proposed receiver updates the filter weights by using a recursive least squares (RLS) based algorithm. An enhanced adaptive detection and interference cancellation is achieved by introducing multiple constellation points as decision candidates. A complexity reduction strategy is also developed to avoid redundant processing with reliable decisions. By using the tentative decisions, the soft-output is obtained. This highly efficient detector is also incorporated with a multiple branch (MB) architecture to achieve a higher detection diversity order. Simulations show that the proposed DFCC technique has a complexity as low as the adaptive DF detector while it achieves a significant performance gain and approaches the optimal performance.
Abstract Polypyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB) is an RNA binding protein existing both as dimer and monomer and shuttling between nucleus and cytoplasm. However, the regulation of PTB dimerization and the relationship between their functions and subcellular localization are unknown. Here we find that PTB presents as dimer and monomer in nucleus and cytoplasm respectively, and a disulfide bond involving Cysteine 23 is critical for the dimerization of PTB. Additionally, protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is identified to be the enzyme that catalyzes the de-dimerization of PTB, which is dependent on the CGHC active site of the a’ domain of PDI. Furthermore, upon DNA damage induced by topoisomerase inhibitors, PTB is demonstrated to be de-dimerized with cytoplasmic accumulation. Finally, cytoplasmic PTB is found to associate with the ribosome and enhances the translation of p53. Collectively, these findings uncover a previously unrecognized mechanism of PTB dimerization, and shed light on the de-dimerization of PTB functionally linking to cytoplasmic localization and translational regulation.
Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration, Eumseong 27709, Korea Pounggi Ginseng Experiment Station, Gyeongsangbuk-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Youngju 36052, Korea Gumsan Ginseng & Medicinal Crop Experiment Station, Chungcheongnam-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Geumsan 32723, Korea Agicultural Resource Research Station, Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Yeoncheon 11003, Korea Ginseng Medicinal Plants Research Institute, Gangwon-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services, Cheorwon 24054, Korea
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a therapy that involves the transplantation of healthy human fecal microorganisms into the gut of patients to rebuild or consolidate the intestinal microecology. It has been utilized in many diseases. However, FMT had a limited effect on patients with small intestinal diseases because of the unique ecological characteristics of the microorganisms. Thus, we proposed a new microecology transplantation therapy called human intestinal fluid transplantation (HIFT). Human intestinal fluid can be collected through a nasojejunal tube and be made into capsules using the freeze-dried powder method. In addition, strict standards for donor screening and management have been established. We are currently developing a high-standard HIFT preparation system and conducting high-quality clinical studies to validate the safety and efficacy of HIFT combined with FMT.
The rabbit knee is a common model for meniscus replacement, but data on the failure load of its meniscal attachments are not available. Therefore we determined the tensile failure load of the normal attachment of the rabbit meniscus. Both knee joints of five adolescent New Zealand white rabbits were dissected, leaving only the menisci intact on the tibia. Both menisci were sectioned at the midpoint along the circumference, and the anterior attachment of the lateral meniscus and the anterior and posterior attachments of the medial meniscus were tested on a MTS 858 machine. In the rabbit, the posterior attachment of the lateral meniscus inserts on the femur and thus was not tested. All failures occurred within the soft tissue of the attachment. The anterior attachments had significantly different failure loads (lateral, 158 +/- 28N; medial, 108 +/- 25N), and both were stronger than the posterior attachment of the medial meniscus (75 +/- 23N, p < 0.05). There were no differences between left and right knees. The relatively high failure loads in the meniscus attachments may be indicative of the normal tensile loads developed in these structures and the demands on the fixation of a meniscal substitute.
Objectives To retrospectively analyze the correlation between anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and the number of oocytes obtained by controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) in women of different ages and explore the factors affecting in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) in clinical pregnancy of infertile women to provide evidence for infertile women to choose assisted reproduction strategies. Methods Infertile women who received IVF-ET or intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) treatment in the reproductive center of XX hospital between October 2018 and September 2019 were included. Patient data on medical records, age, body mass index (BMI), years of infertility, basic follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), basic luteinizing hormone (LH), basic estradiol (E2), anti-Müllerian hormone level (AMH), antral follicle count (AFC), gonadotropins (Gn) medication days, Gn dosage, endometrial thickness on transplantation day, the number of retrieved oocytes, the number of mature oocytes obtained, the number of embryos transferred, clinical pregnancy status, etc., were collected. Results A total of 314 patients were enrolled in this study, with an average age of 31.0 ± 4.5 years. The infertility period ranged from 0–21 years. The AMH level showed a downward trend with increasing age. Overall, the AMH level of women of all ages was positively correlated with the number of retrieved oocytes (r = 0.335, p < 0.001). The AMH level of women between 22 and 28 years old was positively correlated with the number of retrieved oocytes (r = 0.164, p < 0.061) but it was not statistically significant. Similarly, the AMH level of women aged 29–35 and 36–43 was positively correlated with the number of retrieved oocytes (r = 0.356, p < 0.001; r = 0.461, p < 0.001). The average age of the pregnant group (30.6 ± 4.4 years) was lower than that of the non-pregnant group (32.2 ± 4.6 years) (p < 0.001). The number of oocytes obtained (9.8 ± 4.5) and the number of embryos transferred (1.9 ± 0.4) in the pregnant group was significantly higher than that in the non-pregnant group (9.2 ± 4.5; 1.7 ± 0.5); the difference was statistically significant. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that age (OR = 0.574 95% CI: 0.350–0.940), AMH (OR = 1.430 95% CI: 1.130–1.820) and the number of oocytes obtained (OR = 1.360 95% CI: 1.030–1.790) were factors affecting clinical pregnancy. Conclusion We found that the level of AMH in infertile women decreased with age and the number of oocytes obtained in infertile women was positively correlated with AMH. Moreover, the number of oocytes and embryo transferred in the pregnant group was significantly higher than those in the non-pregnant group. Furthermore, age, AMH and the number of oocytes affected the clinical pregnancy.
In this study, the effect on the characteristic microstructure and mechanic properties of friction time on the couple steels AISI 1040/AISI 2205 stainless steel joining with friction welding method was experimentally investigated. Friction welding experiment were carried out in privately prepared PLC controlled continuous friction welding machine by us. Joints were carried out under 1700 rpm rotation speed, with 30MPa process friction pressure, 60MPa forging pressure, 4 second forging pressure and under 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 second friction time, respectively. After friction welding, the bonding interface microstructures of the specimens were examined by SEM microscopy and EDS analysis. After weld microhardness and tensile strength of specimens were carried out. The result of applied tests and observations pointed out that the properties of microstructure were changed with friction time increased. The excellent tensile strength of joint observed on 1700 rpm rotation speed and 3 second friction time sample.
Breathing and speech planning in spontaneous speech are coordinated processes, often exhibiting disfluent patterns. While synthetic speech is not subject to respiratory needs, integrating breath into synthesis has advantages for naturalness and recall. At the same time, a synthetic voice reproducing disfluent breathing patterns learned from the data can be problematic. To address this, we first propose training stochastic TTS on a corpus of overlapping breath-group bigrams, to take context into account. Next, we introduce an unsupervised automatic annotation of likely-disfluent breath events, through a product-of-experts model that combines the output of two breath- event predictors, each using complementary information and operating in opposite directions. This annotation enables creating an automatically-breathing spontaneous speech synthesiser with a more fluent breathing style. A subjective evaluation on two spoken genres (impromptu and rehearsed) found the proposed system to be preferred over the baseline approach treating all breath events the same.
Phosphatidylcholine phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.3) from Bacillus cereus has been assayed with substrates in the form of large unilamellar vesicles. Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine (also a substrate for the enzyme), sphingomyelin, and cholesterol have been mixed in various proportions, in binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures. A lag period, followed by a burst of enzyme activity, has been found in all cases. The activity burst was always accompanied by an increase in turbidity of the vesicle suspension. Varying lipid compositions while keeping constant all the other parameters leads to a range of lag times extending over 2 orders of magnitude (from 0.13 to 38.0 min), and a similar variability is found in maximal enzyme rates (from 0.40 to 55.9 min-1). Meanwhile, the proportion of substrate that is hydrolyzed during the lag period remains relatively constant at 0.10% moles of total lipid, in agreement with the idea that enzyme activation is linked to vesicle aggregation through diacylglycerol-rich patches. Phosphatidylethanolamine and cholesterol enhance the enzyme activity in a dose-dependent way: they reduce the lag times and increase the maximal rates. The opposite is true of sphingomyelin. These lipids exert each its own peculiar effect, positive or negative, either alone or in combination, so that the susceptibility of a given mixture to the enzyme activity can be to some extent predicted from its composition. Phospholipase C activity is not directly influenced by the formation of nonlamellar structures. However, the presence of lipids with a tendency to form nonlamellar phases, such as phosphatidylethanolamine or cholesterol, stimulates the enzyme even under conditions at which purely lamellar phases exist. Conversely sphingomyelin, a well-known stabilizer of the lamellar phase, inhibits the enzyme. Thus phospholipase C appears to be regulated by the overall geometry and composition of the bilayer.
There is no objective measure of a complete pain perception; we can, however, measure different aspects of nociceptive processing and pain perception. Earlier, experimental pain models often only involved induction of cutaneous pain using a single stimulus modality. Recently new experimental models have been developed eliciting various modalities of deep and visceral pain which more closely resemble clinical pain conditions. It is imperative to use multi-modal and multi-structure pain induction and assessment techniques, because a simple model cannot describe the very complex and multi-factorial aspects of clinical pain. Furthermore, it is important to assess pain under normal and pathophysiological conditions. The importance of peripheral and central hyperexcitability for acute and chronic pain has been demonstrated in animals and, to some extent, in humans. However, in spite of our immense knowledge, we still do not know how to prevent and treat this hyperexcitability efficiently. Our understanding of nociceptive mechanisms involved in acute and chronic pain and the effects of anaesthetic drugs or combinations of drugs on these mechanisms in humans may also be expanded using human experimental models. This mechanism-based approach may help us to develop and test therapeutic regimes in patients with acute and chronic pain.
The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of demographic and economic variables on financial sustainability in Italian local governments (ILGs). Many international organizations have highlighted the importance of pursuing financial sustainability, and identifying what the factors impacting financial sustainability are, allowing to manage risk and opportunities as well as to support the decision-making process better. A total of 104 ILGs with more than 60,000 inhabitants were investigated for the year 2018. The adjusted income statements served as the dependent variable of a regression model for testing several demographic and economic variables. The results showed that demographic factors did not influence financial sustainability while, regarding the economic variables, there was a negative influence of financial autonomy and positive influence of the level of indebtedness. These values indicate a pathological scenario where local governments pursue short-term strategies that will impact future generations.
PT. XYZ is a company producing animal feed products which is located in the Medan Region. This company is a branch of Z Group company based in Surabaya. In the process company business activities, both from the process of ordering raw materials to suppliers up to the sale of products to buyers, often happens planning mismatches in determining production lots so often cause overstock and stockout. This is based on the lack of integration each component in the supply chain. Each component is still using the traditional way that is by making each plan without coordinating with each other. This manufacturing company still needs to do improvements in the production planning system. The absence of the PPIC Department make planning in the production in the company becomes out of control. This study aims to improve the supply chain system by method VMI and determine the optimum combined lot size by the JELS method. The JELS calculation results show an optimal Q of 8,692 bags, with QM for 437,082 bags with a frequency of product shipments 50 times and the frequency of replenishment of raw materials 13 times.
Objective  3D printing has been used in the assistanceof surgical planning and the development of personalized prostheses. This study was to determine the feasibility of using a 3D printer for the purpose of producing personalized prostheses for complex rib fracture fixation.      Methods  Using data from a high-resolution CT scan of 10 ribs of 3 cases with rib fracture, rib moldswere generated with computer software and fabricated with the 3D printer using the fused deposition modeling method.The 3D printing molds were used for custom-designed titanium plate.      Results  The average length of the 3D models of ribs is 8.45 cm. The mean time of fabricating models was 18.8 minutes and 4.6 gram polylactic acid was consuming on average.The mean error of dimension of 3D models is less than 0.2 mm. Reshaping plates spends 3.3 minutes on average. Radiological follow-up for bothcases demonstrated successful fixation at 3 months.      Conclusion  These cases demonstrate the feasibility of the use of 3D modeling and printing to develop personalizedplates and can ease the difficulty of complex rib fracture.      Key words:  Rib fracture 3D printing Fracture fixation
This article aims to explain the military relations between the United States and Colombia between 2000 and 2018. Our working hypothesis states that, while the situation of dependence on the United States continued, security relations in the period defined by Plan Colombia (2000-2009) were mainly characterized by quantitative dependence (technologically and financially). In turn, in the period defined by the Peace Agreement (2010-2018) the dependency was largely qualitative (related to doctrine and training).
The guidebook and the support manual “It is always the right time for care” establish the technologies of the Project: “Our Children: Windows of Opportunities”, which is geared towards promoting infantile development. The objectives of this evaluative research, conducted in 2005 and 2006 among Brazilian community health agents, were to assess acceptance and use of the guidebook and the support manual; to identify opinions about their content, format, and language; and to identify difficulties and facilities in using them. Data collection was carried out in 17 Public Health Care Clinics situated in São Paulo, Brazil through focus groups involving 29 agents and structured questionnaires, responded by 125 agents. The thematic content analysis showed that they consider the material appropriate and of good quality, but they highlight families’ and working process difficulties as barriers to their use. They prioritize vertical and traditional educational strategies, as training schemes have a positive influence on the evaluation of materials. RESUMEN: La cartilla y el manual de apoyo “Toda hora es hora de cuidar” constituyen tecnologías del Proyecto “Nuestros niños: ventanas de oportunidades” para promover el desarrollo infantil. Esta investigación de carácter evaluativo, realizada en 2005/2006, con agentes comunitarios de salud, tuvo como objetivos: evaluar la aceptación y el uso de la cartilla y del manual de apoyo; identificar opiniones acerca de sus contenidos, formatos y redacción; identificar las dificultades y facilidades para su implantación. La recolección de los datos ocurrió en 17 centros de salud comunitaria en la ciudad de Sao Paulo; 29 agentes participaron de grupos focales y 125 respondieron cuestionarios estructurados. El análisis temático indica que los participantes consideran los instrumentos adecuados y de buena calidad, pero destacan como barreras a su utilización, dificultades propias de las familias y del proceso de trabajo. Ellos priorizan estrategias educativas tradicionales y los programas de formación influencian de manera positiva a esa evaluación. P A L A V R A S C H A V E : Avaliação. Promoção da saúde. Desenvolvimento infantil.
We have isolated a mycobacterial cell wall‐DNA complex (MCC) possessing anti‐cancer activity against bladder cancer cells. The anti‐cancer activity of MCC appears to be due to two effects: a direct interaction with bladder cancer cells resulting in the induction of apoptosis and an indirect effect via the stimulation of monocytes and macrophages cytokine synthesis. In this study, the direct effect of MCC towards LNCaP cancer cells was evaluated.
The aim of the present work is to compare the influence of ionic strength on rheological properties of TiO2/Al2O3 suspensions at different volume fractions, and solid particle composition (1:1, 2:1, 1:2). The relative ratio of titania to alumina particles is important in determining the dispersion of the binary suspension with salt addition. In the case of systems containing the same number fraction of dissimilar oxides, the colloidal stability is mainly governed by the aggregation, as can be seen from the higher values of the stress in the flow curves and the yield stress values compared with those obtained in 2:1 and 1:2 situations. An attempt to provide a clearer picture concerning the stability determined by delicate balance between the van der Waals, and electrostatic, as well as the possible mechanisms of this balance tuned by environmental conditions has also been made.
As you walk across the Penn State Delaware County Campus, you see small groups of junior high school girls working along dif ferent sections of the stream that cuts through the property. Although one person in each group is holding a garbage bag, this does not seem to be merely a clean-up project. The groups are station ary and intently focused on some aspect of the stream. You are curious and approach the closest group. You notice that one student is drawing a sketch to capture the characteristics of this section of the stream. Other students are examining the banks and stream for evidence of life and using field guides or identification sheets to name and record the types of plants, animals, birds, and insects that inhabit their particular stream area. The group leader, a college student, approaches and explains that the girls are participants in the Math Options Summer Institute to encourage young women's interest in math and science, and their work is part of an Environmental Science Day
Background: When a person’s body mass index (BMI) is above the normal range but below the threshold for obesity, he or she is termed as overweight (BMI = 25–29.9 kg/m2). Recently, the incidence of myocardial infarction has greatly increased among the young adults. This is mainly due to stress, sedentary lifestyle, and increased intake of junk foods. Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) is a sign of poor cardiac autonomic function. Obese individuals are known to have reduced HRV. However, there are not many studies that have explored the changes in HRV indices among the overweight individuals.    Aims and Objective: To find out the influence of higher BMI on HRV in overweight young adult men.    Materials and Methods: Eighteen men (30 ± 4 years, mean ± SD) with BMI in the overweight range (test group) and 18 age-matched men with normal BMI (control group) were included in the study. Five-minute ECG was recorded in lead II configuration in all the subjects following 10 min of rest in supine posture. HRV parameters (time domain and frequency domain) were derived from the ECG. The HRV parameters of the test and the control group were compared using Mann–Whitney U-test. A p-value of
Recovering matrices from compressive and grossly corrupted observations is a fundamental problem in robust statistics, with rich applications in computer vision and machine learning. In theory, under certain conditions, this problem can be solved in polynomial time via a natural convex relaxation, known as Compressive Principal Component Pursuit (CPCP). However, all existing provable algorithms for CPCP suffer from superlinear per-iteration cost, which severely limits their applicability to large scale problems. In this paper, we propose provable, scalable and efficient methods to solve CPCP with (essentially) linear per-iteration cost. Our method combines classical ideas from Frank-Wolfe and proximal methods. In each iteration, we mainly exploit Frank-Wolfe to update the low-rank component with rank-one SVD and exploit the proximal step for the sparse term. Convergence results and implementation details are also discussed. We demonstrate the scalability of the proposed approach with promising numerical experiments on visual data.
Background PALACE 1, 2, and 3 assessed the efficacy/safety of apremilast (APR) in pts with active PsA despite prior DMARDs and/or biologics. Objectives Assess weight change from BL in PALACE 1, 2, and 3. Methods Pts were randomized 1:1:1 to PBO, APR 20 mg BID (APR20), or APR 30 mg BID (APR30) stratified by baseline DMARD use (yes/no). Pts with <20% reduction from BL in SJC or TJC at Wk 16 were required to be re-randomized to APR20 or APR30 if initially randomized to PBO, or continued on their initial APR dose. At Wk 24, all remaining PBO pts were re-randomized to APR20 or APR30. The pooled analysis comprises data for the PBO-controlled period (Wks 0 to 24) and the APR-exposure period (Wks 0 to ≥52) up to cutoff date, 3/1/2013. Results During the PBO-controlled period, 495 pts received PBO, 501 received APR20, and 497 received APR30. At cutoff, 720 pts had received APR20 and 721 had received APR30. At BL, mean/median weight was 86.4/84.0 (PBO), 86.1/84.0 (APR20), and 84.5/83.0 (APR30) kg. Weight decrease was reported as an AE in a small proportion of pts during the PBO-controlled (PBO: 0.4%; APR20: 1.0%; APR30: 1.4%) and APR-exposure (APR20: 1.4%; APR30: 1.8%) periods. No pts in the PBO-controlled period and 2/1441 pt (APR20, 1; APR30, 1) in the APR-exposure period discontinued due to weight decrease. Weight loss has been reported with other PDE4 inhibitors. An additional analysis using observed weight measurements collected at selected visits assessed any changes from BL weight. In the PBO-controlled period, most pts remained within 5% of their BL weight (PBO: 92.1%; APR20: 83.5%; APR30: 86.4%). A larger proportion of APR-treated pts experienced weight loss (APR20: 57.9%; APR30: 56.8%) vs PBO (40.1%). Weight loss >5% was experienced by 3.9% (PBO), 12.7% (APR20), and 11.0% (APR30) (Table). At the end of the PBO-controlled period, mean/median weight change from BL was 0.09/0.0 (PBO), -1.16/-0.60 (APR20), and -0.96/-0.60 (APR30) kg. In the APR-exposure period (Wks 0 to ≥52), most pts remained within 5% of BL weight (APR20: 77.0%; APR30: 75.8%); 57.3% (APR20) and 57.1% (APR30) experienced weight loss. Weight loss did not lead to any overt medical sequelae or manifestations through the APR-exposure period. In an analysis to determine the relationship between weight loss and gastrointestinal (GI) AEs, weight loss was not associated with diarrhea or nausea/vomiting. Conclusions APR was associated with a low rate of weight decrease reported as an AE. The incidence of observed weight loss was higher with APR vs PBO, although most pts remained within 5% of their BL weight. Observed weight loss did not appear to be dose-dependent and did not lead to overt clinical sequelae. No association between weight loss and incidence of other AEs, including GI AEs, was apparent. Disclosure of Interest P. Mease Grant/research support: for Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genentech, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Pfizer Inc, and UCB, Consultant for: Celgene Corporation, Novartis, and Roche, D. Gladman Grant/research support: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Janssen, Pfizer Inc, Novartis, and UCB, A. Kavanaugh Grant/research support: Abbott, Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Centocor-Janssen, Pfizer Inc, Roche, and UCB, A. Adebajo: None declared, J. Gomez-Reino Grant/research support: Roche and Schering-Plough, Consultant for: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Roche, Schering-Plough, and Wyeth, Speakers bureau: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pfizer Inc, Roche, Schering-Plough, and UCB SA, J. Wollenhaupt: None declared, G. Schett Grant/research support: Abbott, Celgene Corporation, Roche, K. Shah Employee of: Celgene Corporation, C. Hu Employee of: Celgene Corporation, R. Stevens Employee of: Celgene Corporation, C. Edwards Grant/research support: Celgene Corporation, Pfizer Inc, Roche, and Samsung, Speakers bureau: Abbott, Glaxo-SmithKline, Pfizer Inc, and Roche, C. Birbara Grant/research support: Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Incyte, Eli Lilly, Merck, and DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.2391
As part of a mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal survey of Hong Kong children which commenced in 1982, 1048 children (539 boys and 509 girls) with a mean age of 12 years 7 months were measured for standing height and weight. Positive secular trends had occurred in the past two decades when the results of this study were compared with those of Chang and his co-workers who performed a survey in 1961-63. At 12 years old, boys were 6.7 cm taller and 5.7 kg heavier, while girls were 4.2 cm taller and 2.9 kg heavier than subjects in 1961-63.
Undoped and doped Cadmium oxide (CdO) films with different Mn concentrations were prepared on glass substrates by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method and annealed at two different temperatures. Structural, morphological and optical conditions were performed by XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and UV–vis spectrum measurements. The deposited films were dense and they adhere well to the glass substrates. From the SEM photographs, it was seen that Mn doping concentration and annealing process affect the morphologies of the nanostructures. It was found that the growth process modifies the microstructures of the CdO films. XRD results and UV–vis analysis reveal that the crystal structure and optical band gap of the films could be adjusted by varying the Mn concentration and annealing temperature. The results also indicate that there is a direct dependence of the physical and optical properties of the metal oxide films on doping concentration and annealing process.
A new unsymmetrical photochromic diarylethene 1(3,5-dimethyl-4-isoxazolyl)-2-{2-methyl-5-[4-(1,3-dioxolane)phenyl]-3-thienyl}perfluorocyclopentene (1o) has been synthesized. Its properties have been discussed systematically, including photochromic, fluorescence switch and kinetics experiments in acetonitrile solution. The result indicated that this diarylethene had good thermal stability and exhibited reversible photochromism, changing the color from colorless to pink in acetonitrile solution upon appropriate irradiation with 297 nm UV light, respectively. What is more, the kinetic experiments illustrated that the cyclization/cycloreversion process of this compound was determined to be the zeroth/first reaction. The fluorescence intensity of diarylethene decreased dramatically along with the photochromism from open-ring isomer to closed-ring isomer upon irradiation with UV light in acetonitrile solution. Keywords-diarylethene; photochromic; fluorescence; kinetics
The strong enhancement of electrical fields in subnanometer gaps of self-assembled gold nanoparticle clusters holds great promise for large scale fabrication of sensitive optical sensing substrates. Due to the large number of involved nanoparticles, however, their optical response is complex and not easily accessible through numerical simulations. Here, we use hyperspectral supercontinuum spectroscopy to demonstrate how confined optical modes of well defined energies are supported by different areas of the cluster. Due to the strong resonant coupling in those regions, the cluster essentially acts as a nanoscale optical sieve which sorts incident light according to its wavelength.
A proteinaceous toxin has been extracted from sporulated cultures of Bacillus sotto Ishiwata. The toxin is similar in amino acid composition and biological activity to the crystalline inclusions produced by this microorganism and it appears that the toxic protein is associated with the crystals. The toxin is stable, and causes paralysis and death in the larvae of Bombyx mori L. (the silkworm) and other lepidopterous insects. The symptoms caused by the toxin are identical with those caused by ingestion of the whole microorganism.
Three samples of silica of different pore structure—predominantly microporous, S1; mesoporous, S2; and nonporous, S3—were modified with zirconium phosphate and examined. Pore structure analysis showed that modification had taken place in wider pores of S1 leaving a totally microporous sample, and in large pores of S2 giving a mesoporous sample of narrower pore size distribution. The modification of the nonporous sample decreased the surface area and pore volume to a lower extent than in the other two samples, but resulted in a surface of lower energy toward N2. The different distribution of surface silanol groups on the surfaces of different porosity may result in variable pictures on the modified surfaces as reflected in the differences observed in Bronsted acidity of modified surfaces. The use of these modified silica samples for amino acid adsorption (L-glutamic acid and L-alanine) indicated that both the isoelectric point of the amino acid and the distribution of surface groups on modified solids are controlling the adsorption process.
Adaptation is an important mechanism in cells and organisms that allow them to respond to environmental challenges and changing functional demands. To accomplish these requirements, cells integrate modifications at different levels such as gene expression, metabolic activity, cellular functionality and phenotype. The orderly coordination of these changes is fundamental for cells to maintain viability despite a variety of harmful stimuli, such as the case of exceedingly concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we tested the hypothesis that chronic and repetitive stimuli with a mild concentration of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) would activate cellular responses, resulting in adaptation. This was done confronting cell cultures to prolonged exposures of H2O2 obtained with glucose oxydase (GlucOx) added to the medium to generate a constant concentration of the oxidant (≈ 50 μM); this treatment protocol (1h/d) was extended during seven continuous consecutive days after which the following parameters were evaluated: cell morphology and viability, mitochondrial DNA content, mitochondrial ROS accumulation and antioxidant defense gene expression. These data further support the idea that exposure to continuous and low concentrations of ROS, could act as signaling molecules inducing cellular processes that converged toward adaptation to chronic oxidative stress.
In many mammalian species, prenatal stress masculinizes female and feminizes male offspring impairing their reproductive capacity. Regrouping gestating sows is a common, stressful production practice, but its impact on the developing pigs of the sow is not fully known. This study examined the effects of regrouping gestating sows and the administration of exogenous glucocorticoids on the growth and external reproductive morphology of pigs. At 37.2 ± 0.26 d of gestation, 6 cohorts of 18 sows (N = 108) were placed in 1 of 3 treatments: socially stable (Stable), hydrocortisone acetate (HCA), or mixed (Mixed). The HCA sows were administered 70 mg HCA, a synthetic glucocorticoid, twice daily during the 21 d experimental period. Each Mixed sow was penned with 2 companion sows (Companion) and regrouped on d 7 and 14 with 2 different Companion sows in a new pen. Stable and HCA sows were penned in treatment groups of 3 sows. Sow social rank was assessed weekly during feeding. After the 21 d experimental period, all sows were housed in gestation stalls for the duration of pregnancy. During the 21 d, Companion sows gained more weight than HCA and Mixed sows (P < 0.05) with Stable sows intermediate. High ranked sows gained more weight than middle and low ranked sows (P < 0.05). Mixed sows had greater head lesion scores than Stable and HCA sows (P < 0.05) with Companion sows intermediate. Head lesions increased with lower social rank (P < 0.001). Sow treatment did not affect farrowing rate, litter size, or sex ratio (P > 0.10). Social rank also had no effect on farrowing rate (P > 0.10), but affected total litter size (P = 0.03). High ranked sows bore and weaned more live females than low ranked sows (P < 0.05), in part due to differential preweaning mortality among female pigs (P = 0.01). Only male pigs were affected by sow treatment. Preweaning mortality was higher among male pigs from HCA than from Mixed sows (P = 0.04) with other treatments intermediate. Despite no weight differences in the preweaning period, at 160 d of age males from HCA sows weighed more than males from Stable sows (P = 0.01) with other treatments intermediate. Males born to Companion sows had longer relative anogenital distances, a marker of fetal testosterone exposure, than males from Mixed sows (P = 0.03) with other treatments intermediate. The prenatal environment affected the pigs in a sex-specific manner altering the growth and reproductive morphology of the males more than that of the females.
The equilibrium test for olfactory vertigo was carried out on patients with vertigo due to head and neck injury. The following results were obtained.(1) The equilibrium test for olfactory vertigo was carried out using the test for spontaneous nystagmus, vertical writing with eyes covered (Fukuda) and the stepping test. Among these, vertical writing with the eyes covered was the most effective for the detection of olfactory vertigo when the equilibrium test for olfactory vertigo was carried out on patients with head and neck injury.(2) A positive sign of the equilibrium test for olfactory vertigo was more conspicuous in patients with head trauma than in those with whiplash injury.(3) Some of patients with head and neck injury showed a peculiar phenomenon in the sense that the results from the test for spontaneous nystagmus were worse, while those from the stepping test were improved.(4) A positive sign of the test for olfactory vertigo was the most marked in patients who had experienced an occipital blow. In contrast, it was the least marked in patients who had had blows in the temporal region and the face. Similar results were obtained when the equilibrium test with adrenaline loading (Hinoki 1971) was carried out on the same groups of patients as above. This means that in the case of occipital blow, over-excitement of adrenergic component involved in the olfactory system is the most conspicuous, which causes olfactory vertigo most markedly.(5) Among various blows on the skull, the occipital blow caused cerebellar dysfunction most conspicuously. Cerebellar dysfunction is reportedly to reinforce olfactory vertigo. Thus, patients who have experienced both an occipital blow and cerebellar dysfunction show vertigo of this type most conspicuously.
Abstract It is shown that at early times t the rate dc/dt of a diffusion-controlled bimolecular reaction A + B → C obeys the relationship dc/dt = - √D/nt cog(ro) provided that the probability g(r0) to find at t = 0 particles A and B at the distance of reaction, r 0, is finite (D = sum of the diffusivities of A and B, c = atomic fraction of A or B, co = value of c at t = 0). Since this result is independent of whether the particles diffuse in one or three dimensions, the observation that the early portion of the recovery stage ID of electron-irradiated copper follows this law cannot be exploited to discriminate between the migration of crowdions or three-dimensionally diffusing interstitials. Computer simulations show that a separation of uncorrelated recovery (Stage IE) from correlated recovery (Stage ID) occurs not only for interstitial migration in three dimensions but also for the migration of a mixture of off-line and on-line crowdions. Henee, a discrimination between the current models of radiation d...
Main results 8 randomised controlled trials ( > 664 patients) were included. Heterogeneity among the studies prevented a meta-analysis from being done. 1 trial compared written summaries with usual care, 5 compared audiotapes with usual care, 1 compared audiotaped consultations with general cancer information tapes, and 1 compared audiotapes with summary letters. Of 6 studies that assessed information recall, 4 showed better recall among patients who received recordings or summaries than among those in control groups. Of 4 studies that assessed patient satisfaction with the consultation, 1 study showed that patients who received a written summary were more satisfied than those who did not receive a summary; another study showed that patients who received an audiotape of their consultation were more satisfied than those who received a general cancer information tape or no tape. 1 study showed that patients who received a tape of their consultation were more likely to ask questions in the subsequent consultation. No studies reported complaints or litigation. 6 studies that assessed anxiety or depression showed no differences between intervention and control groups. 96% of patients in 7 studies that provided data reported that tapes or written summaries were useful as reminders of what was discussed and to inform family members.
Lipid nanoparticles are colloidal carrier systems that have extensively been investigated for controlled drug delivery, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. In this work, a cost effective stearic acid-oleic acid nanoparticles (SONs) with high loading of salicylic acid, was prepared by melt emulsification method combined with ultrasonication technique. The physicochemical properties, thermal analysis and encapsulation efficiency of SONs were studied. TEM micrographs revealed that incorporation of oleic acid induces the formation of elongated spherical particles. This observation is in agreement with particle size analysis which also showed that the mean particle size of SONs varied with the amount of OA in the mixture but with no effect on their zeta potential values. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that the SONs prepared in this method have lower crystallinity as compared to pure stearic acid. Different amount of oleic acid incorporated gave different degree of perturbation to the crystalline matrix of SONs and hence resulted in lower degrees of crystallinity, thereby improving their encapsulation efficiencies. The optimized SON was further incorporated in cream and its in vitro release study showed a gradual release for 24 hours, denoting the incorporation of salicylic acid in solid matrix of SON and prolonging the in vitro release.
In this interview, Mike Williams discusses his college career in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he first encountered computers, and in Glasgow, Scotland. In graduate school in Glasgow, he first became interested in computing history. He spent the rest of his professional career back in Calgary in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary from which he retired many years later. In parallel with his academic career, Mike was involved in a variety of computing history activities with other institutions and with other computing historians. He also served in many positions with the IEEE Computer Society and the IEEE, including as 2007 President of the Computer Society.
As cardiovascular surgery has become more and more common in recent years, the need for blood transfusion in cardiovascular patients has also increased. To make sound decisions regarding hemotherapy for these patients, the hemotherapist should be aware of the following: (1) indications for blood and blood component therapy; (2) appropriate blood use, including the need for blood conservation; (3) expected changes in hematologic and coagulation values during and after cardiopulmonary bypass; (4) the degrees of crossmatching available; and (5) various special problems related to cardiovascular patients. This article discusses these matters in light of the authors' experience at a large cardiovascular surgical center.
The p16/INK4A protein is a cellular regulatory polypeptide over-expressed in the presence of high levels of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) coded E7 protein. This review outlines the use of p16 antigen staining in cervical biopsies as well as in PAP smears summarizing the corresponding literature and commenting the authors’ own experience. The p16 antigen is a reliable marker for dysplastic cells in CINII/CINIII (HSIL) lesions as viewed in cervical biopsies. When PAP smears were examined at large scale screening for p16 antigenreactive and atypical cells, considerable variations could be found especially in ASCUS graded lesions. Therefore, the presence of p16-reactive atypical cells in PAP smears should be interpreted together with the cytological signs of dysplasia, such as the altered N/C ratio. In addition, women revealing p16-positive ASCUS/LSIL specimens should be examined for the presence of HPV DNA. Detection of HPV DNA alone, i.e. in the absence of cytological screening has a low predictive value, since the clearance of HPV may occur even in the absence of morphological alterations. Combined cytological as well as molecular follow up contributes to the efficiency of diagnostic and increases the probability of correct interpretation of the pre-cancerous lesions by non-invasive techniques.
Sclerotinia stem rot is a major disease on winter oilseed rape which causes severe yield losses twice a decade. Chemical control is usually applied at the beginning of flowering stage, every year. Because of a reduced use of chemicals expected, a biological control agent as Coniothyrium minitans could be usefull for controlling the disease. Experiments have mainly been carried out with Contans® WG, a ready-for-use formulation of C. minitans. Firstly effectiveness of C. minitans against sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was demonstrated. Then, its use on oilseed rape crops has been studied for several years in large size experimental plots. When it is incorporated into soil, C. minitans reduced the soil infestation by destroying sclerotia. By decreasing the soil infestation, C. minitans also reduced the primary inoculum pressure. Thus it allowed to reduce the sclerotinia risk and the disease incidence. The results are discussed according to the decision support system CETIOM in progress. Thus, a reduction of sclerotinia risk underneath a decision threshold in treated field plots could prevent any further spray of fungicides. However, it can be needed to apply fungicides which are more efficient when the disease pressure is reduced. These results contribute to integrate the use of Contans® WG in the disease management of sclerotinia stem rot of oilseed rape.
The performance of SVM-based image retrieval is often constrained by the scarcity of training samples. The total number of image samples labeled by users in a retrieval session is very limited, and this small number of labeled samples cannot effectively represent the true distributions of positive and negative image classes, especially for the negative image class. This paper proposes a novel approach to deal with this problem. Instead of treating it as a problem, the mere existence of the small number of labeled images and their desired distribution in the kernel space is considered as prior knowledge from image retrieval to aid the design of the kernel used by SVMs. This is achieved by maximizing a criterion, such as one based on scatter matrices, through gradient-based search methods, incurring very little computational overhead to real-time retrieval process. Experimental results on two benchmark image databases demonstrate the improved retrieval performance by the dynamically designed kernel and hence the effectiveness of the proposed approach for SVM based image retrieval
Mass resolved excitation spectroscopy (MRES) and high level ab initio calculations are employed to explore the low lying excited states of methyl amine, CH3NH2. Both (1+1) and (2+2) MRES of CH3NH2 produce well resolved vibronic features in the energy region around 39 770 to 46 000 cm−1. A complete data set in this region for (2+2) MRES is presented for the isotopic series CH3NH2, CD3NH2, CH3ND2, and CD3ND2. Two apparent Franck–Condon progressions can be qualitatively characterized in these spectra. In order to identify the excited state vibrations active in these spectra and to identify the nature of the excited electronic state(s) accessed, a rather extensive set of ab initio calculations are undertaken. An open shell Hartree–Fock force constant calculation proves central to assigning the observed vibrations. Agreement between the predicted and observed vibrational frequencies provide the strongest evidence to date for a planar excited state C–NH2 geometry. Using combinations and overtones of only two vi...
Abstract Brown, AB, Kueffner, TE, O'Mahony, EC, and Lockard, MM. Validity of arm-leg elliptical ergometer for V[Combining Dot Above]O2max analysis. J Strength Cond Res 29(6): 1551–1555, 2015—Maximal oxygen consumption (V[Combining Dot Above]O2max) can be determined through multiple exercise modalities intended to elicit an individual's maximal aerobic exertion. Uphill treadmill running is considered the best modality for measuring V[Combining Dot Above]O2max. Previous studies have examined correlations between treadmill and elliptical ergometer tests as well as the cycle ergometer, but none of the studies use an arm-leg elliptical ergometer (ALE). The purpose of this study was to develop an ALE V[Combining Dot Above]O2max testing protocol and determine whether ALE produces valid V[Combining Dot Above]O2max values as compared with the treadmill. Twelve undergraduate students (mean age: 20.8 years) completed 2 V[Combining Dot Above]O2max tests, 1 on a treadmill and 1 on ALE. V[Combining Dot Above]O2max correlation between ALE and treadmill was examined, and paired t-tests were run for V[Combining Dot Above]O2max and maximum heart rate (HRmax). A strong positive correlation was found between ALE and treadmill V[Combining Dot Above]O2max values (r = 0.84; p < 0.001). There were no differences between V[Combining Dot Above]O2max values; however, HRmax values were higher on the treadmill than ALE (p = 0.003). Although future research is needed to examine the observed differences in HRmax between the 2 testing modalities and gender differences in muscle recruitment patterns, the results of this study suggest that ALE is a valid modality for V[Combining Dot Above]O2max testing. This will be particularly valuable as a clinical tool to assess V[Combining Dot Above]O2max in populations requiring low-impact exercise.
As a distributed Machine Learning(ML) technology, Federated Learning (FL) trains global models by federating local nodes and improves the performance of each participating client by exchanging the parameter of the participants’ local models without directly exposing the data of all parties. However, the performance of FL is at the expense of high communication overhead, thus limiting the deployment of the FL system. In this paper, a FL model named FedKD is proposed based on knowledge distillation, which distills the knowledge of the original client model to obtain a lightweight mentee model. Moreover, to reduce the risks of breach and privacy disclosure, homomorphic encryption mechanism is introduced. Combined with the FedKD model, the FedKD-HE model is proposed. The FedKD-HE model provides the potential to deploy intelligent systems efficiently in privacy-sensitive situations such as the Internet of Things(IoT), Integrated Sensing And Communication(ISAC), etc. The simulation results show that the proposed model can reduce 98.01% of the communication overhead and obtain excellent performance.
This summary report focuses on current studies on reproductive effects reported at the workshop on Perinatal Exposure to Dioxin-like Compounds and supporting data noted in the discussion. Recent laboratory studies have suggested that altered development (e.g., low birth weight, spontaneous abortion, congenital malformation) and reproductive health (e.g., fertility, sex organ development, reproductive behavior) may be among the most sensitive end points when examining the effects of dioxinlike compounds. Thus, future research should target the reproductive health of both males and females exposed postnatally and prenatally. Studies in humans are needed and are on-going. In animal models, postnatal exposure to dioxin or dioxinlike compounds has been associated with abnormal spermatogenesis and abnormal testicular morphology and size in males and with reduced fertility and endometriosis in females. In utero exposure may also produce profound reproductive consequences in both males and females including delays in sexual maturation, abnormalities in development of sexual organs, and abnormal sexual behavior. The mechanism by which dioxin-like compounds cause reproductive effects is not well delineated.
Erbin is a member of the leucine-rich repeat and PDZ domain family that can regulate proliferation, differentiation and cell adhesion. As a binding partner of the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB2, erbin targets this receptor to the basolateral membrane of polarized epithelial cells. In addition, erbin is known to inhibit the Ras-mediated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Recently we identified the proto-oncoprotein β-catenin as a ligand of the PDZ domain of erbin. Here we demonstrate that erbin acts as a negative regulator of the β-catenin/T-cell-factor-dependent gene expression. In contrast, a mutant of erbin with a deletion of the N-terminal leucine-rich repeat allows the PDZ domain of erbin to increase the β-catenin/T-cell-factor-dependent transcription. This mutant localizes to the nucleus and mimics a putative splice variant found in keratinocytes. Thus, erbin has the potential to act as an inhibitor as well as an activator of the β-catenin-regulated gene expression.
The aim of this study is to obtain high-quality zinc oxide thin films at room temperature by reactive radiofrequency (rf) magnetron sputtering in an oxygen environment. The films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates at several temperatures, ranging from ambient temperature to 400 °C. In order to have the best results at room temperature we adjusted several deposition parameters such as the O2/Ar gas pressure, target−substrate distance, rf power, and gas flow rate. The ZnO samples were characterized by several methods. From XRD measurements it was confirmed that ZnO films are c-axis oriented, the line width and intensity are sensitive to the variation of the growth temperature, and the best results were found at room temperature for our growth conditions. From AFM pictures it is seen that the grain size decreases when the temperature is increased to 400 °C and the surface roughness of the as-deposited films increases with the deposition temperature. All films exhibited excellent transmission (in ...
Thermoanalytical techniques, including differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), are considered as a way to determine the temperature history of concrete after fire exposure. TGA is essentially a means of observing the weight evolution of a sample as a function of temperature (dynamic heating) or time (isothermal heating). In its simplest form, the instrument used consists of a sensitive balance and a furnace arranged such that the sample holder sits inside the furnace. The system includes a thermocouple to monitor the sample temperature and a heating controller to maintain a constant temperature or change the temperature in a pre-determined fashion. DTA compares the temperature of a sample with that of a suitable reference material while both materials are heated at the same rate. Any difference in temperature between the two materials is detected by thermocouples whose signal is proportional to âT. To maintain the sample and reference material under similar conditions, both materials are embedded in a block of material with a large thermal mass. In theory, the temperature change in the sample should be proportional to the enthalpy change.
This chapter discusses one salient topic in Searle's theory, i.e., 'unconscious intentionality', and also put it in some comparative light from a broad Chinese perspective. Perhaps as a byproduct, the author's appraisal of Searle's relevant views might also serve to show both the virtues and limitations of certain core ideas in traditional Chinese philosophy. The author's suggested solution can be sketched in a broad stroke as the following two related points. Firstly, normative relations or structures are ontologically real and independent things discoverable in nature as well as in human culture. Secondly, it is the assumption that those ontologically real and original (i.e., primitive and preceding) forms of normativity must await the later evolutionary emergence of human rationality and intentionality for their acquiring the meaning or status of the 'normative content' as we, the fully rational animals, understand. Keywords: human culture; normative relations; rational animals; Searle's theory; traditional Chinese perspective; unconscious intentionality
This work introduces a new technique to improve the global placement, which can be applied to any regular placer. We propose an algorithm called Logical Core, based on Google PageRankâ, which distributes probability weights to every cell in the circuit netlist. Then, these weights are used to select the most important cells for the global placement. By using this information, we are able to improve global placement in terms of wirelength. The Logical Core algorithm proposes a new complexity rule to the placement graph. This complexity has a great similarity with the Rent’s Rule. The technique improves the total wirelength in all tested cases by 4.5%.
I model learning from others’ policies when it is difficult to know what outcome a policy will produce. I adopt a recent formalization of partially invertible outcome signals to build a model of policy knowledge diffusion. The model merges variables, such as similarity  and capacity that emerge from existing empirical research with previously unincorporated policy-making realities, such as continuous policy options and choices between mimicking and modifying another’s policy. Together, they produce an informational model of policy knowledge diffusion, which addresses "who," "how," and "when" questions. In addition to offering specific propositions, the model shifts the focus from the diffusion of specific policies to diffusion of information in policy areas. I provide initial empirical support by applying the model to questions of legal implementation within organizations. I summarize interviews with university attorneys describing how their institutions learn from each other when responding to the law (JEL C7, D81, D83, K20).
Stem cell-based medicinal products (SCMPs) are emerging as novel therapeutic products. The success of its development depends on the existence of an effective quality control system, which is constituted by quality control technologies, standards, reference materials, guidelines, and the associated management system in accordance with regulatory requirements along product lifespan. However, a worldwide, effective quality control system specific for SCMPs is still far from established partially due to the limited understanding of stem cell sciences and lack of quality control technologies for accurately assessing the safety and biological effectiveness of SCMPs before clinical use. Even though, based on the existing regulations and current stem cell sciences and technologies, initial actions toward the goal of establishing such a system have been taken as exemplified by recent development of new "interim guidelines" for governing quality control along development of SCMPs and new development of the associated quality control technologies in China. In this review, we first briefly introduced the major institutions involved in the regulation of cell substrates and therapeutic cell products in China and the existing regulatory documents and technical guidelines used as critical references for developing the new interim guidelines. With focus only on nonhematopoietic stem cells, we then discussed the principal quality attributes of SCMPs as well as our thinking of proper testing approaches to be established with relevant evaluation technologies to ensure all quality requirements of SCMPs along different manufacturing processes and development stages. At the end, some regulatory and technical challenges were also discussed with the conclusion that combined efforts should be taken to promote stem cell regulatory sciences to establish the effective quality control system for SCMPs.
Liquid biopsy analysis represents a powerful and noninvasive tool to uncover biomarkers for disseminated disease assessment and longitudinal monitoring of patients. Herein, we explored the value of circulating and disseminated tumor cells (CTC and DTC, respectively) and cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) in pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Peripheral blood and bone marrow samples were analyzed to detect and enumerate CTC and DTC, respectively. We used the epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (EpCAM)‐based CellSearch platform coupled with an automatic device to collect both EpCAM‐positive and EpCAM‐low/negative CTCs. The standard assay was implemented, including the mesenchymal marker desmin. For selected cases, we molecularly profiled primary tumors and liquid biopsy biomarkers using whole‐exome sequencing and droplet digital PCR, respectively. RMS patients with metastatic disease had a significantly higher number of CTCs compared to those with localized disease, whereas DTCs were detected independently of disease presentation. The use of the desmin marker remarkably increased the identification of CTCs and DTCs in RMS samples. Of note, CTC clusters were detected in RMS patients with disseminated disease. Further, cfDNA and CTC molecular features closely reflected the molecular makeup of primary tumors and informed of disease course.
T is a bactericidal antibiotic accredited by the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency, in Brazil in 2006. In the United States, it was released in 2005 for the treatment of complicated skin infections, soft tissues and intra-abdominal. It is known that Fase IV studies, which information is obtained as from real conditions, are of great relevance in pharmacovigilance scope. So, it was objectified to analyse the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in hospitalized patients submitted to tigecycline therapy. It is a cohort study. The sample was compounded by sixteen adult patients who were hospitalized during June 2009 to June 2011. The gathering of data was retrospective using medical records. The ADRs causalities were determined by Naranjo Algorithm. The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee with human beings from NTOI (n° 0047.0.305.000-11). The patients average age was 62 years old, 62% from the female sex, the hospitalization average was 199 days and in 68% of the patients the use of tigecycline was for the treatment of Acinetobacter infections. The incidence of ADRs associated with tigecycline was 37% and were related to the gastrointestinal disorders, skin disorders, renal and urinary disorders and increase of pancreatic enzyme. It is concluded that in the ADRs notification, specially drugs that are in the market for less than 5 years, the accurate description of the event is essential, even if through a weak evidence study.
The anatomy of 11 genera earlier included in the Usneaceae, i.e. Bryocaulon Karnef., Chondropsis NyI., Cornicularia Hoffm., Evernia Ach., Everniopsis Nyl., Himantormia Lamb, Letharia (Th. Fr.) Zahlbr., Lethariella (Mot.) Krog, Protousnea (Mot.) Krog, Pseudevernia Zopf and Usnea Adanson have been examined. Particular emphasis has been paid to the development of the apothecia and the formation of a meristematic cupular exciple, characters in cortex, asci and conidia. In this respect the examined material does not deviate from other genera included in the Parmeliaceae, and a separate family Usneaceae is not supported.
burden of the disease. CA125, which is a tumour-associated antigen, is a nonspecifi c marker of ovarian cancer. High serum level of CA125 mostly suggests the presence of malignant ovarian and endometrial tumours. A CA125 level above the normal range can be seen occasionally in some benign gynaecological conditions such as infections, including tuberculosis, endometriosis, Meige ’ s syndrome, menstruation and ovarian hyperstimulation (Ilhan and Durmusoglu 2004). CA125 may be a misleading parameter and lead us to the diagnosis of an ovarian carcinoma preoperatively. Several reports have shown a raised serum CA125 level in some cases of tuberculosis. However, the serum CA125 level in previous case reports ranged from 176.9 to 1,081 U/ml (Bilgin et al. 2001; Piura et al. 2002; Huesler et al. 2003; Piura et al. 2003; Yassaee and Farzaneh 2009). In the present case, the patient had the highest serum level of CA125 (1,114.5 U/ml). CA125 must not be considered just as a tumour marker, and other benign conditions should be remembered in the diff erential diagnosis, particularly in young women. Pelvic tuberculosis should be considered in the diff erential diagnosis in a patient with adnexal masses, ascites and elevated CA125. However, ovarian carcinoma remains the fi rst diagnostic consideration, and for this purpose, diagnostic laparoscopy with mass tissue acquisition for pathology study is minimally invasive surgery for the diff erential diagnosis.
Queerness and queer people face an uncertain future in the face of ever more widely deployed and invasive artificial intelligence (AI). These technologies have caused numerous harms to queer people, including privacy violations, censoring and downranking queer content, exposing queer people and spaces to harassment by making them hypervisible, deadnaming and outing queer people. More broadly, they have violated core tenets of queerness by classifying and controlling queer identities. In response to this, the queer community in AI has organized Queer in AI, a global, decentralized, volunteer-run grassroots organization that employs intersectional and community-led participatory design to build an inclusive and equitable AI future. In this paper, we present Queer in AI as a case study for community-led participatory design in AI. We examine how participatory design and intersectional tenets started and shaped this community’s programs over the years. We discuss different challenges that emerged in the process, look at ways this organization has fallen short of operationalizing participatory and intersectional principles, and then assess the organization’s impact. Queer in AI provides important lessons and insights for practitioners and theorists of participatory methods broadly through its rejection of hierarchy in favor of decentralization, success at building aid and programs by and for the queer community, and effort to change actors and institutions outside of the queer community. Finally, we theorize how communities like Queer in AI contribute to the participatory design in AI more broadly by fostering cultures of participation in AI, welcoming and empowering marginalized participants, critiquing poor or exploitative participatory practices, and bringing participation to institutions outside of individual research projects. Queer in AI’s work serves as a case study of grassroots activism and participatory methods within AI, demonstrating the potential of community-led participatory methods and intersectional praxis, while also providing challenges, case studies, and nuanced insights to researchers developing and using participatory methods.
We describe a high‐resolution point‐projection x‐ray imaging system using in‐line phase contrast to image weakly absorbing specimens. By employing a microfocus x‐ray tube, features down to 3 μm and less can be resolved using both phase‐ and absorption contrast. A front‐illuminated deep‐depleted CCD with Be‐window was used as an imaging sensor for 8‐keV radiation emitted from the Cu transmission target in the x‐ray tube. Exposure times ranging from a few minutes down to ten seconds were possible depending on the specimen characteristics and target power. Periodic gold gratings on a custom‐made resolution object were used to evaluate the x‐ray source size at the target plane, which directly affects the overall resolution of the system. By comparing horizontal and vertical lines in one image, source size variations in two directions could be recorded in the same image. Furthermore, samples including other resolution targets, plastic structures, and various insects were imaged with up to 80× magnification.
The gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of hospital- and community-associated infections (16, 85, 108). In the hospital, S. aureus is the most frequent cause of surgical, lower respiratory tract, and cardiovascular infections. Furthermore, it is the second most common cause of health care-associated pneumonia and bloodstream infections (108, 151, 152). Historically, β-lactam antibiotics have exhibited potent activity against S. aureus, which along with good safety profiles make them the agents of choice for the treatment of staphyloccocal infections. Of particular concern now is the growing prevalence of methicillin (meticillin)-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in both hospital- and community-associated infections (24, 70, 133). The development of resistance to β-lactam antimicrobials, often concurrently with resistance to other antimicrobial agents, poses a great challenge to the prevention and treatment of S. aureus infections (7, 108). Staphylococci have two primary mechanisms for resistance to β-lactam antibiotics: the expression of an enzyme (the PC1 β-lactamase) capable of hydrolyzing the β-lactam ring, thus rendering the antibiotic inactive, and the acquisition of a gene encoding a modified penicillin-binding protein (PBP), known as PBP 2a, found in MRSA and coagulase-negative staphylococci. PBP 2a is intrinsically resistant to inhibition by β-lactams (59). PBP 2a remains active in the presence of concentrations of β-lactam antibiotics that inhibit most endogenous PBP enzymes, thus substituting for their functions in cell wall synthesis and allowing growth in the presence of the β-lactam inhibitors. This review briefly discusses the structure and synthesis of the S. aureus cell wall, the resistance to β-lactam antibiotics through the acquisition of PBP 2a, the evolution of MRSA, and the involvement of other protein factors in methicillin resistance. In addition, the characteristics of new β-lactam antibiotics that target PBP 2a are discussed, along with their role as important new entities in the antibacterial pipeline for the treatment of MRSA infections.
This article describes a 6–12 GHz voltage‐controlled analog phase shifter (APS) with small gain variation range and low phase error. An insertion loss compensation architecture for reducing the gain error of the whole circuit is proposed to compress the gain variation range. The combination of a quadrature signal generator and an analog adder is used to save area and power. Implemented in 0.18 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology, the proposed APS achieves the coverage of 180° continuous phase variation with the gate voltages VI and VQ monotonously changing from 1.6 to 2.4 V. And the core size of the chip excluding the pads is 0.215 mm2. The measured RMS phase and gain errors are below 3.94° and 2.67 dB in the design frequency range for all effective phase state, respectively. The power consumption of the phase shifter is 89.1 mW upon 3.3 V supply voltage.
Ecotourism is proposed as an alternative, to mass tourism, avenue of tourist growth is proposed for Crete. Ecotourism will contribute to the development of the region, through the exploitation of its natural beauty, while preserving the island's natural environment. This paper is about upgrading the quality of and protecting the natural environment of the region, as Crete is an island full of beauties and astonishing physical divergence that will amaze its visitors. Our research aim was to select the appropriate form of ecotourism that will lead to the tourist and social upgrade of Crete while being friendly to the environment.
AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze microvascular alterations that occur in the human vocal fold (VF), when damaged by cyst and contralateral nodule reaction. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical prospective. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Through laryngoscope of suspension the VFs were analyzed by rigid endoscopy in anterior, medium, posterior and subglotic regions. The microvascular alterations were classified in four major groups: parallel, transversal, branched and puntiform. Theses were subdivided into twelve types. RESULT: In VFs damaged by cyst, the microvascular alterations were more frequent (93,1%) rather than in contralateral VFs damaged by nodule reaction (6,9%). In the occurrence of cyst were also observed multiple microvascular alterations (10 subtypes), having prevalence of sinuous and ectasical microvessels, while in VFs damaged by contralateral nodule reaction these microvessels alterations were less varied (3 subtypes). When straight related to nodular lesion, those were exclusively puntiform. CONCLUSION: Our findings emphasize that the presence of cyst in the blade itself interferes in the arrangements of the microvessels of the VFs, while nodular reaction that compromises the epithelium, which is more superficial than the vessels, interferes in a minor degree in the vascular architecture. Therefore in the occurrence of altered microvessels diagnosis of the cyst in more likely rather than the nodule reaction.
A complementary approach to published synthetic methods for tetrazinanones, precursors to verdazyl radicals, is described herein. This approach uses carbohydrazide, a commercially available reagent, as a common starting material. Unlike previous methods described in the literature, this synthetic scheme does not rely on phosgene, phosgene substitutes, or the limited pool of commercially available monosubstituted hydrazines for its execution. A large variety of alkyl substitution patterns at the N-1 and N-5 positions of verdazyl radicals are possible, including both symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted products. An initial condensation reaction of carbohydrazide with a specific aldehyde introduces the desired C-3 substituent in the final verdazyl radical product and protects the NH(2) groups during the subsequent N-1 and N-5 alkylation reactions. A succeeding methanolysis and concomitant ring-closing reaction gives the tetrazinanone. A number of known oxidation methods can then be employed to form the final verdazyl radical product.
vades other sections of the book as well. Despite the editor's fulsome recognition that "winds of change are blowing, even in remote Sensuron" (p. vi) and the author's own reference to recent changes caused by (among others) Christian missionaries (pp. 91-92), his account of religion deals exclusively with the traditional elements—many apparently derived from folktale analysis. In order to credit fully either this picture or many of the book's curiously static generalizations (such as "15 households . . . regularly borrow rice . . .", p. 61; "norms are felt never to change" in the village, p. 63) any careful anthropologist would surely require more balanced explication than is generally provided. Known linguistic and cultural diversity among Sabah's scattered Dusun speaking populations will also prompt him to challenge Williams' consistent equation of one village's "customary behavior" (among Sensuron's 947 regular inhabitants) with that of "Dusun society" writ large (145,000 inhabitants). Equally disturbing, he will note, is the author's penchant for categorical statements summarizing either undefined or suspiciously a priori cultural categories—for example, the "180 separate ritual forms used in Dusun life" (pp. 20, 23), the various "Dusun" classes of "moveable" and "immoveable" property (pp. 58-59), or the "6 general classifications" into which "Dusun traditional law" is grouped (pp. 63-64). As a scholar he could hardly overlook the negligence and pretentious pseudo-precision in data-handling indicated or implied by these and other examples. Nor could he ignore such a terse, unsupported conclusion as the villagers' having been deprived of "political and personal freedoms" during the British Colonial period (1946-1963), (p. 92). Pedagogically the book is also a dubious resource. Its use of important anthropological terms (especially those of social structure in Chaps. 6, 7) is often obscure or incoherent. This is aggravated by a virtually complete absence of basic references to assist a reader check origins or comparative usage. Furthermore, the seventeen titles of "recommended reading" on northern Borneo (pp. 98-99), while including nine papers by the author, inexplicably omit the genuinely basic studies by Woolley, Tregonning, and Glyn-Jones. More immediately discomfiting to an alert student is the author's proclivity for vacuous rhetoric JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES
In this paper, four typical thinning intensity were choose to the larch forests. After thinning, significant differences in stand periodic increment between control and thinning plots appeared. ANOVA indicated significant difference in any stand characteristic among treatments prior to thinning. Information on the distribution of stand characteristics in specific tree-size classes at given is valuable to for managers. So the objective of this study was to develop and compare the two methods (i, e., Normal distribution and Weibull distribution) for estimating the diameter distribution of larch forests Baesd on Different thinning intensity in Changbai Mountain, Northeast China, the results showed that all the thinning intensity followed the Normal distribution, and the correlation coefficients were above 0.918, but only the middle thinning conforms to the Weibull distribution, the correlation coefficient is 0.929. From chi-test results, the diameter structure simulated in this paper is applied, and with small application error and high precision. This showed that the Normal distribution can be chosen the prediction function for the area with stand structure distribution in the future.
Spin-weighted spheroidal wave functions play an important role in the study of the linear stability of rotating Kerr black holes and are studied by the perturbation method in supersymmetric quantum mechanics. Their analytic ground eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are obtained by means of a series in low frequency. The ground eigenvalue and eigenfunction for small complex frequencies are numerically determined.
COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus disease that has been reported in Wuhan, China since late December 2019 and has subsequently spread around the world. In severe cases of illness, there may be no option but to die due to substantial alveolar damage and progressive respiratory failure. Testing with RT-PCR, for instance, is the gold standard for clinical diagnosis, but it is possible for the tests to produce false negatives. Further, the lack of resources for conducting RT-PCR testing may deter the next clinical decision and treatment under the pandemic situation. As a result, chest CT imaging has become a valuable tool for diagnostic and prognostic purposes in COVID-19 patients. Detection of COVID-19 early enables the development of prevention plans and a disease control plan. Through this experimentation, the main objective is to utilize transfer learning to leverage pre-trained weights from CNNs. We propose the ResNet50 architecture based on the ImageNet pre-trained weights to detect the Covid-19. The proposed model is evaluated on X-ray images of COVID*19 chests and on images taken with a Computerized Tomography scanner. Using the 746 images of covid and non-covid patient datasets are bifurcated into train and test datasets for training and validate our model and achieved 84.90 % model accuracy. The Accuracy, precision, recall and F1-Scores are presented along with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the precision-recall curve, the average prediction, and the confusion matrix of three distinct models.
Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass and Avolio 2004), we test the correlation of transformational, transactional, and passive-avoidant leadership styles to subordinate perceptions of workplace efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Results, from a convenience sample of 103 accounting professionals in 11 CPA firms in Utah, show that transformational leadership has the largest positive correlation. Transactional leadership is less positively correlated. The passive-avoidant style is negatively correlated. Recommendations for implementing transformational leadership are provided.
A number of uncontrolled trials has suggested that hemodilution is effective in peripheral occlusive arte rial disease. This study was aimed at proving or disproving the efficacy of hemodilution by using a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover design. Twenty-four stable claudicants with long, collateralized femoropopliteal obstructions were treated with isovolemic hemodilution with 500 mL of 10% hydroxyethyl starch 200 and sham dilutions. Three weeks of hemodilution lowered blood and plasma viscosity, as well as hema tocrit, and increased resting blood flow and pain-free walking distance. Placebo treatments produced no such favorable changes. It is concluded that hemodilution therapy can be clinically effective in patients with ar terial obstructions in the lower ex tremities. Hemodilution seems particularly promising under hemo dynamic condition of low shear stresses in vivo.
This study examined how high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) correlated with a 3-day food record of fat, protein, carbohydrate, and alcohol consumption in a group of 270 healthy subjects over age 60. HDL-C concentrations correlated with alcohol consumption (expressed as grams/day) (r = + .25, P less than .001), and inversely with total carbohydrate (r = - .18, P less than .01) and refined carbohydrate (r = - .17, P less than .01) ingestion (expressed as a percent of total caloric intake). Subjects consuming diets low in either total carbohydrate or refined carbohydrate had 10 to 20% higher HDL-C levels than did those consuming diets high in these food substances. The relationships between HDL-C levels and alcohol and carbohydrate ingestion were independent of other variables which correlated with HDL-C levels. Dietary fat (total fat, saturated fat, unsaturated fat, and cholesterol) did not correlate with HDL-C. LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels did not correlate with any dietary variable measured.
This study addresses the role of career growth in the turnover process among Chinese new employees. Based on reviews of the background of Chinese new employee combined with the Theory of Work Adjustment, we focus on career growth, person–organization fit (P-O fit), and job satisfaction as potential predictors. We examined career growth’s mediating effect between P-O fit and job satisfaction and its role in predicting turnover intention. Questionnaires were sent out through e-mail to Chinese new employees graduated within the past 3 years. Results of 323 valid cases showed that (1) career growth was positively correlated to job satisfaction and negatively correlated to turnover intention, (2) job satisfaction fully mediated career growth’s effect on turnover intention, (3) P-O fit positively predicted career growth, (4) career growth fully mediated P-O fit’s effect on job satisfaction, (5) P-O fit, career growth, and job satisfaction jointly explained 40% of the turnover intention’s total variance. Implications for individuals and organizations are discussed.
BACKGROUND Spigelian hernia (SH) is a rare entity, but its surgical treatment is essential because of its high complication risk. Laparoscopic approaches have become the option in elective surgery because it has less morbidity and requires a shorter stay. Several laparoscopic techniques have been employed, but there is no gold standard technique for this kind of hernia. We report, in this study, our experience with intraperitoneal onlay mesh (IPOM) repair.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifteen patients underwent elective surgery for SH between 2008 and 2015 in a Short-Stay Surgical Unit. Laparoscopic IPOM technique was performed in all patients. The technique, epidemiological data, operative findings, hospital stay, morbidity, and follow-up are presented.   RESULTS Fifteen patients (8 males) with a median age of 57 years were operated on. They commonly presented an abdominal mass in the flank (73.3%). Computed tomography was necessary in 4 patients to complete preoperative diagnosis. The mean operating time was 43 minutes. No closure of the defect was associated and we employed expanded polytetrafluoroethylene-coated and polyvinylidene fluoride-coated polypropylene meshes. There were no postoperative complications and early discharge was possible in all cases. No recurrences or complications related to the mesh have been detected so far, with a median follow-up of 4 years (1-8).   CONCLUSIONS Our experience shows IPOM laparoscopic SH repair is a safe and effective technique with advantages that allow us to recommend it as the most advisable for SH treatment in Short-Stay Surgical Units. However, current controversies in the use of intraperitoneal meshes must be clarified.
We report on the source Gaia 19ajj, identifying it as a young star associated with a little-studied star-forming region seen along a complex line of sight through the Gum Nebula. The optical lightcurve recently recorded by Gaia exhibits a slow and unsteady 5.5 mag rise over about 3 yr, while the mid-infrared lightcurve from NEOWISE over the same time period shows a 1.2 mag rise having similar structure. Available color information is inconsistent with pure extinction reduction as the cause for the photometric brightening. Optical spectroscopic characteristics in the current bright phase include: little in the way of absorption except for the hallmark Li i 6707 Å signature of youth plus weak, e.g., Ca i and notably Ba ii; strong wind/outflow in Ca ii, Mg i b, Na i D, Hα, K i, and O i; jet signatures in [O i], [S ii], [Ca ii], [Fe ii], and [Ni ii]; and narrow rest-velocity emission in neutral species such as Fe i, Ni i, and Mg i. The infrared spectrum is also characterized by outflow and emission, including: a hot He i wind, jet lines such as [Fe ii] and H2; and weak narrow rest-velocity atomic line emission. The bandheads are weakly in emission, but there is also broad H2O absorption. Gaia 19ajj exhibited a previous bright state in the 2010–2012 time frame. The body of photometric and spectroscopic evidence suggests that the source bears resemblance to V2492 Cyg (PTF 10nvg) and PV Cep, both of which similarly experience bright phases that recur on long timescales, with large-amplitude photometric variations and emission-dominated spectra. We interpret the behavior of Gaia 19ajj as caused by cycles of enhanced disk accretion accompanied by reduced extinction.
OBJECTIVE Hypermethylation of CpG island is a common mechanism for the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Hypermethylation of the E-cadherin promoter region has been rarely studied in endometrial carcinoma of Korean women. The purpose of this study is to investigate methylation status of E-cadherin promoter region in endometrial carcinomas and endometrial hyperplasias, and analyze the correlation with clinicopathologic variables in endometrial carcinomas.   METHODS We examined the methylation status of the E-cadherin promoter region using methylation specific polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical expression (IHC) of E-cadherin in 30 endometrioid endometrial carcinomas and 20 endometrial hyperplasias, and correlated these results with various clinicopathological factors of endometrial carcinomas.   RESULTS Decreased expression of E-cadherin was detected in 13 of 30 (43.3%) endometrial carcinomas and in 1 of 20 (5%) endometrial hyperplasias (p=0.009). Promoter hypermethylation was detected in 12 of 30 (40%) endometrial carcinomas and 2 of 20 (10%) endometrial hyperplasias (p=0.015). Methylation status did not have a significant influence on the tumor grade and lymph node metastasis. However, the hypermethylation rate was significantly higher in stage above Ic (p=0.025). Decreased expression of E-cadherin was associated with tumor grade, tumor stage, and lymph node metastasis in endometrial carcinomas (p=0.01, p=0.02, p=0.03). There was no correlation between DNA hypermethylation and decreased expression of E-cadherin in endometrial carcinomas (p>0.05).   CONCLUSION These results indicate that hypermethylation of E-cadherin promoter region is a frequent event in endometrial carcinoma, which may play an important role in the progression of carcinogenesis. Also, the promoter methylation of E-cadherin in endometrial carcinoma was found to be significantly associated with higher stage above Ic.
This paper provides background information that the public can use to assess the merits and consequences of introducing a land transfer tax in Alberta. Land transfer taxes are levied when real property is transferred from one owner to another. Five provincial governments levy land transfer taxes and in Ontario and British Columbia, they raise substantial amounts of revenue for the provincial governments. What is also clear is that land transfer taxes are very volatile sources of tax revenue that increase rapidly during housing market booms, but then decline sharply when housing markets crash. The econometric evidence on the impact of land transfer taxes on housing prices and sales volumes, based on the experiences in different countries, is somewhat mixed, but most studies indicate that a substantial share of the burden is borne by current homeowners through reductions in housing sales prices and many studies find that land transfer taxes significantly reduce the volume of residential real estate transactions. The authors of many of the studies that we review conclude that residential property tax is a better source tax revenue than a land transfer tax because it causes few distortions in the housing market. We estimate that a one per cent land transfer tax in Alberta would have yielded between $480 and $500 million in 2017. The value land transfers in Alberta can vary substantially from year to year, making a land transfer tax in Alberta would be a highly volatile source of tax revenue. A land transfer tax would likely exacerbate the volatility of total provincial revenues, making budgeting and fiscal decisions even more difficult than currently. A one percent land transfer tax on an average land transfer in 2015 would represent six to seven percent of median household income in Edmonton and Calgary. This would be significantly higher than the four to five percent land transfer tax burden on the residents of other Alberta cities because of the higher housing prices in Alberta’s two largest cities. We conclude that a land transfer tax is an inferior source of tax revenue and we are not in favour of the introduction of a land transfer tax in Alberta.
The EU has legislation, based on Article 13 EC, against discrimination on the grounds of sex, racial and ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation, but the protection provided is not the same for all these grounds. It can be said that this EU legislation creates a hierarchy of discrimination grounds, with racial or ethnic origin at the top, closely followed by sex, with religion or belief, disability and sexual orientation below this and age at the bottom. In this paper, I argue that this hierarchy is the outcome of political pragmatism, rather than of a deliberate consideration of the different grounds. I will suggest that a hierarchy is not necessarily wrong, but that a more considered decision should be made about which grounds need stronger protection. I propose an alternative way of deciding this question, using the distinction of suspect grounds made by the European Court of Human Rights under the ECHR.
This paper presents a new system-wide harmonic state estimation method with the capability to identify harmonic sources with fewer meters than state variables. Note there are only a few simultaneous harmonic sources among the suspicious buses. By extending the concept of observability, the underdetermined system can be observable when considering the sparsity of harmonic sources. We formulate harmonic state estimation as a constrained sparsity maximization problem. It is solved by linear programming using L1-norm equivalence to L0-norm. Meter placement is optimized to enhance the robustness of the solution. Our numerical experiments in IEEE 14-bus power systems show the effectiveness of the proposed method
It is generally known that forest fires are one of the main factors of environmental degradation. Although a great deal of scientific literature on this issue exists, little progress has been made to help us understand and explain the reasons for their appearance. In this work we highlight how forest fires could also be the result of the adverse effects of environmental policies related to the management of forest fire emergencies. With regard to the area of the Gargano National Park (Southern Italy) and with the use of a panel data technique, we attempt to observe the forest fire phenomenon as related to some of the socio-economic conditions existing there. We find a significant statistical relationship between the number of forest fires and the unemployment level in the area. This provides evidence to argue that when setting up environmental safeguarding policies it is important to take into consideration the socio-economic conditions existing in the area, if the probability of adverse effects is to be avoided and a more socially responsible legislative framework is to be established. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Objective To observed the effects of auricular point sticking auxiliary treatment on ⅢB chronic prostatitis.Methods 20 patients with ⅢB chronic prostatitis were assigned to auricular point sticking combined with KeDuo-Hua therapy (trial group) or KeDuo-Hua therapy alone (control group).In 1 month of treatment cycles,the improvement of NIH-CPSI score was observed.Results The pain or discomfort symptoms,voiding symptoms,quality of life score were (14.65±2.06),(5.80± 1.06),(8.05± 1.23) in the trial group respectively,and (14.10±2.05),(5.65± 1.31),(7.45±1.50) in the control group respectively before treatment; these values turned to (5.80±0.83),(2.80±1.15),(3.75±0.76) in the trial group,and (8.90±1.10),(2.90±1.37),(4.20±1.77) in the control group respectively after the treatment.The difference between the two groups was significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion Auricular point sticking auxiliary treatment of ⅢB prostatitis is effective.    Key words:  Chronic prostatitis; ⅢB; Auricular point sticking
Protein and RNA contents of individual cells were measured cytophotometrically and related to the duration of individual generation times. Constant amounts of RNA per cell at division, and generation time-dependent protein contents, resulted in generation time- specific RNA/protein ratios. Experimental reduction of these ratios by inhibition of RNA synthesis stimulated premature macronuclear S phases.
Background Early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA) has been shown a prostate cancer (PCa)-associated nuclear matrix protein, however, its serum status and prognostic power in PCa are unknown. The goals of this study are to measure serum EPCA levels in a cohort of patients with PCa prior to the treatment, and to evaluate the clinical value of serum EPCA. Methods Pretreatment serum EPCA levels were determined with an ELISA in 77 patients with clinically localized PCa who underwent radical prostatectomy and 51 patients with locally advanced or metastatic disease who received primary androgen deprivation therapy, and were correlated with clinicopathological variables and disease progression. Serum EPCA levels were also examined in 40 healthy controls. Results Pretreatment mean serum EPCA levels were significantly higher in PCa patients than in controls (16.84±7.60 ng/ml vs. 4.12±2.05 ng/ml, P<0.001). Patients with locally advanced and metastatic PCa had significantly higher serum EPCA level than those with clinically localized PCa (22.93±5.28 ng/ml and 29.41±8.47 ng/ml vs. 15.17±6.03 ng/ml, P = 0.014 and P<0.001, respectively). Significantly elevated EPCA level was also found in metastatic PCa compared with locally advanced disease (P<0.001). Increased serum EPCA levels were significantly and positively correlated with Gleason score and clinical stage, but not with PSA levels and age. On multivariate analysis, pretreatment serum EPCA level held the most significantly predictive value for the biochemical recurrence and androgen-independent progression among pretreatment variables (HR = 4.860, P<0.001 and HR = 5.418, P<0.001, respectively). Conclusions Serum EPCA level is markedly elevated in PCa. Pretreatment serum EPCA level correlates significantly with the poor prognosis, showing prediction potential for PCa progression.
We report on our recent development work in large vocabulary, American English continuous speech dictation. We have experimented with (1) alternative analyses for the acoustic front end, (2) the use of an enlarged vocabulary so as to reduce the number of errors due to out-of-vocabulary words, (3) extensions to the lexical representation, (4) the use of additional acoustic training data, and (5) modification of the acoustic models for telephone speech. The recognizer was evaluated on Hubs 1 and 2 of the fall 1994 ARPA NAB CSR Hub and Spoke Benchmark test. Experimental results for development and evaluation test data are given, as well as an analysis of the errors on the development data.
We have investigated by transmission electron microscopy the enhanced disordering of GaAs‐AlAs superlattices due to Si and S implantation with subsquent annealing. The implants were performed at 77 K, room temperature, and 210 °C at a dose of 2.5×1014 cm−2 with energy of 100 keV. The greatest enhancement occurs, after annealing, for Si implants performed at 77 K. We find no enhancement due to S implants. The apparent damage due to implantation prior to annealing is strikingly less for superlattices compared with bulk GaAs.
Lithium sulfur battery has attracted extensive attention as highly promising next generation of rechargeable battery. However, lithium sulfur battery, especial the sulfur cathode, is still under experimental exploration, and the commercial carbon fiber felt is rarely reported to apply in the sulfur cathode. Herein, the flexible carbon-fibersupported carbon-sulfur electrode was prepared, and its physical properties and electrochemical performance were characterized. The results showed that the interface resistance was reduced from 97.9 Ω to 22.6 Ω, due to porous three-dimensional network of the carbon fiber felt and micropore of the porous carbon which benefited energy density of the battery and conductivity of the sulfur cathode. Furthermore, the initial discharge capacity at 0.05C rate was 996.7 mAh/g and the discharge capacity at 2C rate after 140 cycles was 666.7 mAh/g when carbon fiber felt serves as current collector, while their counterparts with aluminum foil as the current collector were 772.9 and 471.6 mAh/g, respectively. Furthermore, the environmental-friend and low-cost binder LA132, super-P, and the ball-milling technique are beneficial to mass synthesis, suitable for the industrial production and the application of lithium sulfur battery.
This study explores the pattern of principles of non-use of force or threat of force in international law. This principle is studied from the perspective of international treaties and customary law through the recent state practice. This research underlines the prohibition of the use of force and submits the international mechanism of this principle including peaceful settlements of conflicts. Study provides an estimation of application of this principle.
Background: Small Acts of Friendship is a project to help make the experiences of older people in an acute NHS hospital more humane. Aim: This research aims to explore how the project encourages human flourishing on wards for older people, using Dewing and McCormack’s (2017) model. We cover the barriers and emotions brought up by such a project, as well as looking for evidence of flourishing and a flourishing workplace. Methods: The qualitative method of experience-based co-design was used to set up and evaluate the project. Data consisted of interviews and observations with staff, relatives and patients involved in the project, and were analysed using comics as a tool for an iterative, deep analysis. Results: The results show how staff and patients responded to the project; the responses have been aligned to stages of Dewing and McCormack’s model. In one area the Small Acts of Friendship project was found to have resulted in a change in culture towards person-centred care. Implications for practice: Reflecting on the project brought out emotions that might ordinarily remain under the surface of practice for staff who look after older people, so they may need to be supported Hospital wards for older people can make changes towards a flourishing workplace through a project such as this
Researching the application of neural networks and the Smith predictor in the system with time-delay, considering the delayed problem of the system, a new control approach is introduced, which can realize the predictive control by combining the Smith predictor with the NN and PID control which is tuned by BP neural network through the predictive errors effectively. We use the RBFNN in the Smith predictor, which is better than BPNN. The simulation shows that Smith predictive control based on NN has a strong robustness and better controlling character. A satisfactory controlling effect is obtained.
A new symbol synchronization method for OFDM-system is presented. This method is based on a double correlation structure. Also the method that will compensate the effect of inaccurate FFT position is presented. The presented methods will improve the accuracy of the symbol synchronization in channels that have long and strong echoes, as can be the case with single frequency network (SFN). However, they are also usable in Ricean and Rayleigh type of channels. Furthermore, when the presented symbol synchronization method is combined with the compensator that corrects the inaccurate FFT position, there is no need for fine synchronization.
Arbitration Procedure. You may request a telephonic or in-person hearing by following the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) rules. In a dispute involving $10,000 or less, any hearing will be telephonic unless the arbitrator finds good cause to hold an in-person hearing instead. The arbitrator may award the same damages to you individually as a court could. The arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only to you individually, and only to the extent required to satisfy your individual claim.
DNA sequences of the mitochondrial control region of 180 North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) and 16 South Atlantic right whales (E. australis) have been determined using a combination of direct DNA sequencing and single stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Five haplotypes were found in E. glacialis, and 10 in E. australis, but none were shared, supporting the reproductive isolation and separate species status of the North and South Atlantic right whales. One haplotype in E. glacialis was found in only three males born before 1982 and this matriline will likely be lost soon. The nucleotide diversity estimates for the five North Atlantic right whale haplotypes was 0.6% and 2.0% for the 10 haplotypes found in the South Atlantic right whales. The average haplotypic diversity was 0.87 in E. glacialis and 0.96 in E. australis, which is consistent with other studies showing a lower level of genetic variation in the North Atlantic right whale. Phylogenetic analysis identified two major assemblages of haplotypes in E. australis from the samples collected from Peninsula Valdes, suggesting a mixing of two historically divergent populations. Using genetic distance measurements with a divergence rate of 0.5%-1.0%/myr, we estimate E. glacialis diverged from E. australis 3-12.5 mya.
An increasing number of pharmacists are now conducting original clinical research. This is a reflection of the maturity within our discipline. Today's clinical problems can be best addressed by well‐designed research and application of its results. Publications are the most effective means to disseminate newly discovered facts for wider application to patient care. Even a carefully conducted study at one institution will not help anyone outside that institution, unless (i) the findings are published in an accessible journal and (ii) the published article conveys the important details related to research hypothesis, methodology, results, data analysis and logical conclusions. The purpose of this article is to discuss the processes involved in writing a clinical research article for publication.
Since the establishment of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2002, corruption eradication agency in Indonesia is authorized to a three sections), namely police agency, prosecutor’s office and KPK. Among the three institutions, the KPK has an extraordinary authority, which is not granted to the police agency or the prosecutor's office by the legislators. The authority includes the authority to take over the investigation of criminal act of corruption being perpetrated by the police officers or the prosecutors. In time police institution or prosecutor's office begins a graft investigation of a criminal act of corruption, it shall be reported to KPK within a period of time no later than 14 working days and shall continuously be coordinated with the KPK. Even if at the same time the police, prosecutors, and KPK are investigating the same corruption, the involvement of the police or the prosecutors must be discontinued immediately. With regard to this fact, this paper reviews descriptively what and how exactly KPK with its extraordinary authority was originally formed. This paper uses secondary data in the form of literature and minutes of the meeting on the establishment of law on KPK in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR-RI). The result of the study shows that the establishment of the KPK according to Law No. 30 of 2002 was designed to form an independent and super-agency of corruption eradication, with some authorities previously never granted to the police or the prosecutors, but by not eliminating the authority of the police and prosecutors as a part of corruption eradication institutions that have been already existed. In such a position, KPK functioned as a trigger mechanism holder over the police and prosecutors who are considered do not effectively and efficiently execute the action of eradication on corruption.
Background: Restorative justice emerges as a theoretical-practical approach to the criminal legal system, in which the reparation of damage of the victim is a central point. However, the growing empirical production referring to the effects of this approach on victims is sometimes shown to be weakened or dispersed, focusing mainly on their satisfaction. Objective: The present work intended to systematically evaluate the empirical production of the restorative justice field, to aggregate and examine information in the literature regarding the psychological impacts on victims who participated in restorative practices. Methods: A search was made using electronic databases to identify quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies, published between January 2000 and December 2020 that reported psychological impacts on real victims of crimes, who participated in mediations/conferences victim–offender. Results: 35 studies were identified as focusing on the psychological impacts on victims resulting from restorative practices. These studies have shown effects on post-traumatic symptomatology, on the emotions and emotional needs resulted from victimization, as well as on the victims’ perceptions of their offenders. Conclusions: The present research showed that restorative justice practices have a positive psychological impact on victims, who are frequently forgotten in conventional justice, and that some of these impacts persist over time.
Venodilatation with consequent reduction in left ventricular filling and end-diastolic wall stress is an important mechanism for the beneficial effects of nitroglycerin in ischemic heart disease and in left ventricular failure. The effects of sublingual nitroglycerin on arterial pulsatile hemodynamics are less well defined. Doppler echocardiography and the calibrated subclavian artery pulse tracing were used to assess hemodynamics in subjects with sustained arterial hypertension (n = 25) before and 5 to 10 minutes after sublingual deposition of 0.5 mg glyceryl trinitrate. Aortic characteristic impedance was calculated by averaging the modulus of the input impedance (ratio of pressure to flow) at high frequencies and by calculating the ratio of pressure and flow increments during upstroke. The pressure wave was split into forward and backward components, and the reflection coefficient (the ratio of backward to forward pressures) was calculated. Parameters of the arterial bed were estimated by using 2- and 3-element Windkessel models. Nitroglycerin delayed the return of arterial wave reflections by 17% (P =.02) and increased aortic characteristic impedance by 20% (P =. 01), but it did not influence total arterial compliance. Mean arterial pressure decreased 7% (P =.0001), but pulse pressure did not change. Stroke volume and the acceleration time of aortic root flow decreased by 13% (P =.0001) and 8% (P =.01), respectively. Cardiac output decreased 7% (P =.01), despite an increase in heart rate of 10% (P =.0001). Peripheral resistance tended to decrease (4%, P =.06). Thus, in subjects with sustained hypertension, sublingual nitroglycerin dilates peripheral, predominantly muscular arteries with a subsequent delayed return of reflected pressure waves. Reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system with consequent increased acceleration of left ventricular ejection seems to counteract the effect of reduced mean arterial pressure (distending pressure) with respect to the "stiffness" of the aorta.
In The General Theory, unlike Keynes's previous works, we find a chapter explicitly devoted to a discussion of capital. It's title, however, does not accurately reflect the actual content of the chapter itself; and the text, which contains a discussion of the concept of roundaboutness, may leave the reader uncertain about Keynes' attitude towards that concept and on the actual focus of the chapter. In this paper a study of the surviving drafts of The General Theory and of other sources relevant to the purpose of elucidating the process of composition of the chapter allows us to show how and why those peculiarities emerged and helps to cast light on their meaning.
The subjective and autonomic components of nicotine craving were examined in abstinent and non-abstinent smokers using a cue reactivity paradigm. A cigarette abstinent condition was used to examine how smoking deprivation mediates the activity of positive and negative reinforcement mechanisms. Levels of craving and physiologic responses were monitored during the presentation of videotaped neutral and smoking stimuli. Relative to the neutral material, smoking stimuli increased several indices of subjective craving in both abstinent and non-abstinent smokers. Autonomic responses to the smoking stimuli however, appeared to be mediated by the level of abstinence. Non-deprived smokers showed an increase in heart rate during the first minute of the smoking stimuli presentation relative to the first minute of the control video, while abstinent smokers showed no change. The autonomic responses of cigarette craving may be dependent on the perceived reinforcing value of cigarettes, which can be modulated by cigarette abstinence. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that increased heart rate may be a marker for incentive motivation, but also strongly support a multi-dimensional model of nicotine craving. Furthermore, they stress the importance of recognising the condition of the smoker as a critical determinant in craving responses.
Heart tissue engineering requires construction of three‐dimensional (3‐D) tissues composed of cardiomyocytes (CMs) that are tightly connected to each other. The aim of this study was to construct “scaffold‐less” multi‐layered 3‐D CM sheets using magnetic force‐based tissue engineering (Mag‐TE) and to evaluate the cell‐to‐cell functional connections within the CM sheets. Original magnetite cationic liposomes (MCLs) with a positive surface charge (which facilitate adsorption to the target cell surface) were taken up by CMs that were isolated from 2‐day‐old Wistar rats. When MCLs were added to the medium of CMs at magnetite concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 pg per cell, subsequent measurements showed that 7.2, 13.2, and 27.3 pg of magnetite were taken up per cell, respectively, after 4 h incubation at 37°C. Further, no toxicity was observed after a 24 h incubation period. Using magnetically labeled CMs (magnetite concentration, 100 pg/cell), multi‐layered CM sheets were constructed. Immunofluorescent staining of connexin43 demonstrated the presence of gap junctions within the CM sheets that were constructed by Mag‐TE. Moreover, electrical connections within the CM sheets constructed by Mag‐TE were confirmed using extracellular potential mapping. These results indicate that Mag‐TE is a viable methodology for heart tissue engineering. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;96:803–809. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Background: Transgender people face many potential barriers in healthcare, such as real or perceived discrimination, inability to pay for healthcare services, and misinformation about transgender health needs. It has been hypothesized that, because of these barriers, transgender people may be more receptive to using health information technology than other populations. The purpose of this scoping review was to understand the ways transgender people use health information technology.  Methods: This scoping review included English studies that addressed use of technology by transgender people in health sciences literature. The inclusion criteria was studies that documented transgender technology use and did not include studies that only focused on technology use by healthcare providers. Included studies were sorted into categories based on the type of technology transgender participants used.  Results: Twenty-nine articles met the study inclusion criteria from an initial pool of 1,276 articles searched from online databases. Many studies were involved with multiple categories. Fourteen articles addressed websites targeting transgender people, twelve included the usage of online social media sites, seven articles involved transgender usage of online surveys, and four articles discussed transgender usage of smartphones in health management.  Conclusion and potential impact: Twenty-two studies focused on the application of interventions through websites and social media sites, nineteen of which concluded that web-based health information or interventions were feasible methods to affect the health of transgender people. Sixteen studies concluded that online interactions were accepted, if not preferred, by their transgender participants. This review suggests that further integration of online interventions and healthcare information into these mediums may increase transgender engagement in healthcare and reduce healthcare barriers. Future research to improve understanding of the outcomes of health information technology on the health of transgender people would be an asset for treating a historically medically underserved community.
Organosulfates (OSs) are well-known and ubiquitous constituents of atmospheric aerosol particles and have been used as secondary organic aerosol markers in many field studies. Hence, it is imperative to understand the formation of OS species in the atmosphere. Recently, hydroxy acids (HAs) and hydroxy acid sulfates have been extensively detected in the atmospheric environment. However, the reaction mechanism of HAs to form OSs is much less understood. In this work, we have mainly investigated the reaction of typical α-HAs, including glycolic acid (GA) and lactic acid (LA), and SO3 at the liquid aerosol surface using quantum chemistry calculations and Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations. The OH group orientation of α-HAs at the air-water interface is found to exert a significant impact on the formation of OSs. The OH group pointing to the gas phase is obviously beneficial to the formation of OSs. Two key factors are discovered important to the reaction of α-HAs adsorbed on the liquid surface with SO3: (a) the exposure position of the active site to the gas phase and (b) the reactivity of the exposed site to the attracted SO3 molecule. Moreover, we found that the air-water interface exerts a significant influence on the physicochemical behaviors of GA and LA, especially on their OH group orientation, and thus leads to their different properties for the SO3 colliding reaction. The presented reaction mechanism provides a new feasible pathway for the production of OSs at the liquid aerosol surface, which may have important impacts on the formation of organic aerosols.
INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Drug induced QT prolongation occurs in patients with substance use disorders from prescription medications that prolong the QT, such as methadone. Knowing the prevalence of QT prolongation in this population is important for prescribers. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of QT prolongation in patients with current substance use disorders.   DESIGN AND METHODS We undertook a retrospective review of electrocardiograms (ECG) from patients with substance use disorders from an urban general hospital with a large drug and alcohol service and toxicology unit. ECGs were taken from patients seen by the alcohol and drug unit over three years. The QT interval was measured manually on each ECG and defined as abnormal if above the line on the QT nomogram. The QT was also heart rate corrected using Fridericia's formula (QTcF) to investigate associated factors.   RESULTS Nine of 446 (2.0%; 95% confidence interval 1.0-3.9%) patients had an ECG with a prolonged QT interval. Three were prescribed methadone for opiate dependence (80, 90 and 125 mg daily), one also with hypokalemia; one prescribed escitalopram with hypokalaemia/hypomagnesaemia; three more with hypokalaemia alone. Only two patients had a prolonged QT with no identifiable cause. There was no association between QTcF and sex (P = 0.34), but there was a statistically significant association with age (Pearson R = 0.19, 95% confidence interval 0.10-0.28, P < 0.0001).   DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS QT prolongation is rare in patients with substance use disorders and is most likely similar to the general population once cases related to methadone use and electrolyte abnormalities are excluded. [Scott AJ, Dunlop AJ, Brown A, Craig S. The prevalence of QT prolongation in a population of patients with substance use disorders. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:239-244].
The distribution patterns of matrix-bound phosphine (MBP), phosphorus (P) fractions and neutral phosphatase activity (NPA) were investigated through five sediment profiles in Lake Chaohu, China. MBP was discovered in all sediment profiles within the concentration range of 1.58-50.34 ng kg(-1). These concentrations exhibited a consistent vertical distribution pattern in all profiles, and higher concentrations generally occurred in surface sediments. MBP concentrations showed a significant positive correlation with P fractions, total nitrogen (TN), Cu and Zn under lower levels of inorganic phosphorus (<0.6 g kg(-1)), organic phosphorus (<0.2 g kg(-1)), TN (<0.13%), Cu (<25 mg kg(-1)) and Zn (<150 mg kg(-1)), but no statistically significant correlations were obtained under higher levels. A multiple stepwise regression model ([MBP]=1.36[NPA]-6.21[pH]-0.06[Zn]+0.75[Cu]+49.86) was obtained between MBP concentrations and environmental variables, and MBP concentrations showed a strong positive correlation with NPA (P<0.0001). This indicates that the production of sediment MBP was controlled by microbially mediated processes in Lake Chaohu. This model could be used to predict MBP levels in the sediments. Our results indicate that MBP levels could not be used as indicators for the degree of lake eutrophication. The study of sediment MBP, P factions and NPA will improve our understanding of P cycling and their environmental significance in the eutrophic Lake Chaohu.
Ultra-Dense Heterogeneous Network deployments are expected to boost the offered network capacity and enhance the user-perceived Quality of Experience, through the simultaneous offering of multiple technologies using distinct or shared wireless spectrum. In such environments with a plethora of available Radio Access Technologies (RATs), the network UEs shall decide either independently or assisted through operator based services on which network they shall use to better serve their needs. In this work, we model the network selection problem in a Multi- RAT system, based on the Paris Metro Pricing (PMP) scheme, enhanced with dynamic pricing formed by the congestion of each available technology. We assume that the network UEs are equipped with multi-homing features and thus are able to use concurrently more than one technologies, based on the requirements of the applications requesting network connectivity (e.g. UHD video streaming). We port and experimentally evaluate the proposed system model over a testbed setup, using distributed components running at the UEs and at a Core Network controller. We provide evaluation results on the average cost per UE for the selected RATs, the average data rate distribution of each UE per RAT and how these performance metrics are affected under different client ordering policies at the network controller.
Introduction. There is not much data about the composition of populations of the immune system in acute appendicitis. The basic histopathological criterion for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis is neutrophil infiltration of the muscle membrane. Aim. The subject of this publication is a semi-quantitative evaluation of B lymphocytes (CD20+), T lymphocytes (CD3+) and macrophages (CD68+), and the determination of the number of active lymph nodes during the course of inflammation.Material and Methods. The study material was obtained from 79 patients who had an appendectomy due to acute appendicitis. In this group, the tissue was obtained from: 34 women (aged 20 to 91) and 45 men (aged 20 to 72).Results. In the course of acute appendicitis, there is involvement of lymph node B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes and macrophages. Independent of the type of inflammation, the cellular make-up of the nodes is similar. The number of lymph nodes decreases with age and is gender dependent.Conclusions. In the course of acute appendicitis, there is involvement of lymph node B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes and macrophages. The number of lymph nodes decreases with age and is gender dependent. A statistically significant number of the examined cells of the immunological system in the lymph nodes changed due to inflammation (p<0.001). B and T lymphocytes in the lymph nodes and in the mucous membrane of the appendix differed depending on the sex, and the presence of B lymphocytes in the mucous membrane was significantly higher in the group of 20-40 years of age. T lymphocytes were predominant in the centres of the lymph nodes in groups 20-40 and 61-91 years of age, and in the peripheral zones in the group of 41-60 years of age.
The aim of this systematic review was to collect and summarize all current data on the indirect costs related to absenteeism and presenteeism associated with ankylosing spondylitis. The search was conducted using Medline, Embase and Centre for Reviews and Dissemination databases. All collected costs were recalculated to average annual cost per patient, expressed in 2013 prices USD using the consumer price index and purchasing power parity. Identified studies were then analyzed to assess their possible inclusion in the meta-analysis. We identified 32 records. The average annual indirect cost per patient varies among all the identified results from US$660.95 to 45,953.87. The mean annual indirect per patient equals US$6454.76. This systematic review summarizes current data related to indirect costs generated by ankylosing spondylitis; it revealed the great economic burden of the disease for society. We observed a great variety of the considered components of indirect costs and their definitions.
Higher alcohol synthesis (HAS) from syngas has attracted much attention and Cu-modified Fischer–Tropsch (FT) catalysts exhibited promising catalytic performance for HAS. In this paper, three model modified FT catalysts, CuFe, CuCo and CuNi nanoparticles, were synthesized by co-reduction method for the comparison of their performance in HAS. XRD, TEM and EDS characterizations for spent samples indicate that severe phase separation of Cu and Fe took place for CuFe, and Cu@Co core–shell structure formed with co-existence of Cu–Co alloy nanoparticles for CuCo, but only Cu–Ni alloys were observed for CuNi. Such structural change led to different performance in higher alcohol synthesis. As a result, CuFe mainly kept the original FT property of Fe, CuCo showed different performance from Co, and CuNi performed as methanol catalyst.
The use of 3D cell cultures has gained increasing importance in medical and pharmaceutical research. However, the analysis of the culture medium is hardly representative for the culture conditions within a 3D model which hinders the standardization of 3D cultures and translation of results. Therefore, we developed a modular monitoring platform combining a perfusion bioreactor with an integrated minimally invasive sampling system and implemented sensors that enables the online monitoring of culture parameters and medium compounds within 3D cultures. As a proof-of-concept, primary cells as well as cell lines were cultured on a collagen or gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel matrix, while monitoring relevant culture parameters and analytes. Comparing the interstitial fluid of the 3D models versus the corresponding culture medium, we found considerable differences in the concentrations of several analytes. These results clearly demonstrate that analyses of the culture medium only are not relevant for the development of standardized 3D culture processes. The presented bioreactor with an integrated sampling and sensor platform opens new horizons for the development, optimization, and standardization of 3D cultures. Furthermore, this technology holds the potential to reduce animal studies and improve the transferability of pharmaceutical in vitro studies by gaining more relevant results, bridging the gap towards clinical translation.
Key Points Question Is inclusion of Medicare Advantage patients in hospitals’ 30-day risk-standardized readmission rates associated with changes in hospital performance measures and eligibility for financial penalties? Findings In this cohort study of 4070 US acute care hospitals, inclusion of data from Medicare Advantage patients was associated with changes in the performance and penalty status of a substantial fraction of US hospitals for at least 1 of the outcomes of acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, or pneumonia. Meaning These findings suggest that there is a need for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other policy makers to consider incorporating outcomes of all hospitalized patients, regardless of insurance coverage source, in assessments of hospital quality.
access to a computer and knowing how to use it. That means we must close the digital divide between those who have the tools and those who do not. Connecting classrooms and libraries to the Internet is crucial.” And, indeed, his administration has promoted the deployment of electronic infrastructures through a host of federally funded initiatives and technical assistance programs. Two centuries earlier, the “other” Jefferson contemplated the role of education, opportunity, and community, within the context of a more physical design—the design of the University of Virginia. Classical in style, the design was based on an understanding of architecture—physical not electronic—as a facilitator of discourse and community. Functionally and symbolically, this meant that the “quad” was the organizing feature of the heart of the campus. Distinct pavilions, housing each academic department, turned their formal pediments inward to face each other across the central grassy quad, all joined together by a continuous colonnade. In a brilliant gesture, Thomas Jefferson closed the top end of the quad with the University library and left the fourth side open to the Virginia hills falling away in the distance, a unified academic community open to the people. N his final State of the Union address, President William Jefferson Clinton remarked on the meaning of opportunity in the electronic era. “Opportunity for all requires something else today—having
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies on a limited budget and with limited personnel.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses real‐world experiences and data to report on the costs associated with the provision of high‐volume print capabilities in an active academic computing area in a large university library.Findings – While advances in technology have changed higher education greatly, students and instructors alike still depend heavily on the printed page. Moreover, easy access to high‐volume printers seems to encourage indiscriminate printing and wasteful behavior.Originality/value – This paper offers insights and real world experiences encountered in an active computing facility. It presents data on printing and provides some suggestions for reining‐in waste associated with unnecessary printing.
Winkle protects any validator-based byzantine fault tolerant consensus mechanisms, such as those used in modern Proof-of-Stake blockchains, against long-range attacks where old validators' signature keys get compromised. Winkle is a decentralized secondary layer of client-based validation, where a client includes a single additional field into a transaction that they sign: a hash of the previously sequenced block. The block that gets a threshold of signatures (confirmations) weighted by clients' coins is called a "confirmed" checkpoint. We show that under plausible and flexible security assumptions about clients the confirmed checkpoints can not be equivocated. We discuss how client key rotation increases security, how to accommodate for coins' minting and how delegation allows for faster checkpoints. We evaluate checkpoint latency experimentally using Bitcoin and Ethereum transaction graphs, with and without delegation of stake.
Garbage market activity results, which are not well experienced management will cause environmental pollution. The waste of vegetables still contains a high water content and contain organic ingredients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that one of them is a waste of vegetables. One method to manage waste of vegetables is to chop waste of vegetables with use the blender and mix with EM4 then fermented for 25 days. So it becomes an organic liquid fertilizer, because more quickly absorbed into the soil and quickly be used directly by plants, and can't damage the soil and plants. Preliminary data obtained from this study of the water content of 88.78%, pH 7.68, and the ratio of C / N 33.56. Final data with optimal results obtained on day 25 with the composition of the EM4 350 ml of N 1%, P 1.98%, K 0.85% and the ratio of C / N 30, total solid 34.78%, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) 2386 mg / L, pH 5.55 and 13 ml of biogas.
Specialisation is driven by advances in knowledge and technology, leading to a need for specialist training and experience, which in turn limits the breadth of practice of medical practitioners. During the rise of specialisation in the nineteenth century, there was a striking proliferation of specialist hospitals, and many of our major cities saw the growth of institutions, often highly prestigious, dedicated solely to specific areas of medicine, such as diseases of women or children, ENT, diseases of the eye or neurological disorders. The twentieth century saw the proliferation of specialist societies (this College alone embraces some 29 specialties), and more recently an increasing number of Royal Colleges representing individual specialties. Is the organisation of medicine and the setting of professional standards becoming needlessly fragmented into isolated islands? The first medical specialty to gain its own College was that of obstetrics and gynaecology. Before that, gynaecological practice had been undertaken by physicians, surgeons and apothecaries, regulated early in the twentieth century, together with operative obstetrics, under the Royal College of Surgeons, while medical obstetrics came under the aegis of the Royal College of Physicians. It was not until 1929 that the situation was rationalised when the British College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology was founded, later to become the Royal College. As patterns of practice evolve, new specialists acquire a range of new skills. In his recent Lilly Lecture,2 Professor Peter Cotton described the modern gastroenterologist as someone who has multiple roles – physician, surgeon and radiologist – observing that their work is scarcely different from that of a minimally invasive surgeon, and suggesting a specialty of ‘therapeutic digestivist’! Radical developments in many other specialties have also created new roles that cross a range of professional boundaries. Medical practice will continue to evolve, with allegiances oscillating between different specialties. Thus, alliances made today will undoubtedly need to be changed tomorrow, generating ever more specialties. Thus, creating isolated islands of specialisation will surely in the longer term stultify growth and development. Historically, specialists have not always been medically qualified. During the eighteenth century, midwives, bonesetters, oculists and dentists, among others, practised their crafts, often with great skill, though frequently without regulation. At present, the work of doctors, whose prime professional skill is to exercise clinical judgement especially in situations of uncertainty,3 is increasingly complemented by non-medically qualified specialist assistants, who are trained to deliver the new crafts and procedures, often following guidelines. In the UK, medical care practitioners, whose standards and curriculum are under development by this College, will be trained to work under the supervision of consultants.4,5 It is perhaps a matter of some concern that medical care practitioners, whose specialist brief inevitably has relatively narrow confines, will, amongst other areas of their practice, include ‘clinical judgement in diagnosis and management’.5 ‘No man is an island,’ wrote the poet John Donne in 1624, and continued, ‘every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main’. Many of the nineteenth century specialist hospitals did not survive as islands of medical practice, and in the course of time merged with major general hospitals. Likewise, the many islands represented by the specialties have professional standards in common, yet are increasingly represented by separate bodies. The direction of such fragmentation needs re-examination. No specialty can remain an island. ■ EDITORIALS
This paper focuses on the galvanically isolated quasi-Z-source dc-dc converter with a novel zero voltage and zero current switching technique. The unique feature of the impedance network lies in combining the buck-boost operation capability with the short- and open-circuit immunity of transistors; at the same time, it can perform zero voltage and zero current switching on the primary side. The boundary conduction mode of the current in the second inductor of the quasi-Z-source network was used along with snubber capacitors in the two out of four transistors and a special control algorithm to achieve full zero-switching operation of the inverter. Simulation and experimental results prove the discussed ideas. Possible modifications of the algorithm and future applications are also described.
BACKGROUND Whether selective attention is a primary deficit in childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) remains in active debate.   METHODS We used the perceptual load paradigm to examine both early and late selective attention in children with the Primarily Inattentive (ADHD-I) and Combined subtypes (ADHD-C) of ADHD.   RESULTS No evidence emerged for selective attention deficits in either of the subtypes, but sluggish cognitive tempo was associated with abnormal early selection.   CONCLUSIONS At least some, and possibly most, children with DSM-IV ADHD have normal selective attention. Results support the move away from theories of attention dysfunction as primary in ADHD-C. In ADHD-I, this was one of the first formal tests of posterior attention network dysfunction, and results did not support that theory. However, ADHD children with sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) warrant more study for possible early selective attention deficits.
Capacitive deionization (CDI) has attracted huge interest as an energy-efficient and eco-friendly desalination strategy. Its development is presently limited due to the relatively low CDI capacitances of carbon materials. Herein, hierarchical porous carbon materials (HPCs) derived from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) upon annealing were used, which showed impressive CDI performance with a maximum desalination capacity of 34.27 mg g−1 in 40 mg L−1 NaCl aqueous solution. Such capability was attributed to the appropriate hierarchical pore structure, high specific surface area (2185.71 m2 g−1), large pore volume (1.368 cm3 g−1) and reasonable graphitization degree, which were also confirmed by the high specific capacitances of 182 F g−1 in 1 mol L−1 NaCl and 260 F g−1 in 6 mol L−1 KOH. Since the physisorption capacity was nearly 0, and the regeneration process was facile and complete, such economical HPCs materials show potential for practical desalination applications in the future. Moreover, the HPCs electrodes presented ion selectivity in competitive multi-ionic solutions by kinetic behavior difference or static capacitance difference.
Abstract The effect of spring temperature on spring phenology is well understood in a wide range of taxa. However, studies on how winter conditions may affect spring phenology are underrepresented. Previous work on Anthocharis cardamines (orange tip butterfly) has shown population‐specific reaction norms of spring development in relation to spring temperature and a speeding up of post‐winter development with longer winter durations. In this experiment, we examined the effects of a greater and ecologically relevant range of winter durations on post‐winter pupal development of A. cardamines of two populations from the United Kingdom and two from Sweden. By analyzing pupal weight loss and metabolic rate, we were able to separate the overall post‐winter pupal development into diapause duration and post‐diapause development. We found differences in the duration of cold needed to break diapause among populations, with the southern UK population requiring a shorter duration than the other populations. We also found that the overall post‐winter pupal development time, following removal from winter cold, was negatively related to cold duration, through a combined effect of cold duration on diapause duration and on post‐diapause development time. Longer cold durations also lead to higher population synchrony in hatching. For current winter durations in the field, the A. cardamines population of southern UK could have a reduced development rate and lower synchrony in emergence because of short winters. With future climate change, this might become an issue also for other populations. Differences in winter conditions in the field among these four populations are large enough to have driven local adaptation of characteristics controlling spring phenology in response to winter duration. The observed phenology of these populations depends on a combination of winter and spring temperatures; thus, both must be taken into account for accurate predictions of phenology.
A technique is presented for modelling lattice-work metallic structures with dimensions in the resonant region of the illuminating radiation. A simple model for the scattering from a single strut is used as the building block for a complete lattice-work structure, giving the spatial distribution of the scattering, and a scale model is used to validate the amplitude normalization for one particular case.The application of the technique to a 45 m tall vent stack is described, where the vent stack was to be constructed in the paths of microwave data and voice links. Measurements at the site in Norfolk after construction of the vent stack are described and clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the model.
Continuity of care, a stated fundamental principle of family medicine, is reviewed in terms of its philosophy and definitions. A model of continuity in primary medical practice is proposed, consisting of five elements: the provider, consumer, encounter type, knowledge base, and environment of continuity. The elements are measurable, some more easily than others. There is need to define and operationalize the model more accurately in order to evaluate continuity in primary care medicine.
Abstract In thiswork, a real-time system able to automatically recognize soft-biometric traits is introduced and used to improve the capability of a humanoid robot to interact with humans. In particular the proposed system is able to estimate gender and age of humans in images acquired from the embedded camera of the robot. This knowledge allows the robot to properly react with customized behaviors related to the gender/age of the interacting individuals. The system is able to handle multiple persons in the same acquired image, recognizing the age and gender of each person in the robot’s field of view. These features make the robot particularly suitable to be used in socially assistive applications.
UDC 658.018 (045); JEL Classification: M 100 Purpose: to improve approaches to planning and developing a strategy for changes in the situation of the enterprise innovation policy. Methodology of research: the Study of methodological and theoretical aspects of the strategy of changes in the conditions of innovation in the enterprise according to specialized literature. Findings. The article deals with such concepts as enterprise strategy, innovation policy and change strategy related to innovation. As a result of the research the interrelation between the General strategy of the enterprise and innovative strategy is proved. In strata shows the effect of changes in the activities of the company, at its tertiaiy, in particular the impact of innovation. Features and principles of the strategy of changes in the conditions of innovative development of the enterprise are allocated. The main attention is also paid to the process of planning the strategic changes carried out at the enterprise in the conditions of innovation policy. So the main stages of the process of developing a strategic plan for the introduction of innovative changes. The structure of development of the strategic and tactical plan of introduction of changes at innovative development of the enterprise is allocated. Originality: the principles of successful management of innovative changes in modern enterprises are highlighted; the action plan for the implementation of the strategy of change in the framework of the innovation policy of the enterprise is justified; approaches to improve the process of planning innovative changes are proposed, which will contribute to the successful and timely detection of resistance to changes in the enterprise. Practical value. The practical significance of the scientific results of the article lies in the fact that the implementation of proposals developed by the results of the study will improve the efficiency of implementation and management of changes in the enterprise by raising awareness, knowledge and motivation of employees in the field of innovation policy.
Background Although medication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been improved by positive administration of methotrexate and biological agents (BIO) for decades, treatment of concomitant disease in RA patients, such as osteoporosis, will be more important for better outcome in RA patients. Osteoporosis of RA patients is composed from multifactorial pathogenesis, such as excess of inflammatory cytokines, excess of rest due to joint pain and drugs used for treatment of RA. Objectives This retrospective study investigated the efficacy of teriparatide (TPTD) on osteoporosis in RA patients and focused on relationship the efficacy of TPTD and concomitant drugs, such as oral prednisolone (PSL), activated vitamin D (actVitD) and BIO. Methods 45 cases (44 female and one male) were used in this study. Patients’ characteristics, bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine (LS) and proximal femur (PF) measured by DEXA and bone turnover markers (BAP, P1NP, NTX, TRACP-5b) were investigated. (1)Factors that affect efficacy of TPTD, (2)the comparison between the BIO-concomitant and the non BIO-concomitant and (3)the comparison between the actVitD-concomitant and the non actVitD concomitant were analyzed. Results Mean age was 70.8 years old. Mean RA duration was 19.5 years. 31 case (68.9%) were concomitant with oral PSL. 15 cases (33.3%) were concomitant with BIO. 33 cases (73.3%) were concomitant with actVitD. 32 cases (71.1%) have the past history of fracture. %increase of LS-BMD in all cases was 7.6% at 6month and 11.9% at 12month. %increase of PF-BMD in all cases was 1.6% at 6month and 3.9% at 12month. Four bone turnover markers were significantly increased and %increase of P1NP was maximum among them. Significant low body mass index (BMI) and significant low oral PSL usage were seen in the good outcome group of LS-BMD. P1NP in good outcome group of LS-BMD was increased more than that in non good outcome group. Although %increase of BMD in the BIO-concomitant was low compared with that in the non BIO-concomitant, %increase of bone turnover markers in the BIO-concomitant was high compared with that in the non BIO-concomitant. This results was paradoxical from that in whole cases. %increase of PF-BMD in the actVitD-concomitant was better than that in the non actVitD-concomitant. Hypercalcemia occurred in 18.2% of the actVitD-concomitant and 8.3% of non actVitD concomitant (p=0.65). Conclusions TPTD was effective in osteoporosis of RA patients. Efficacy of TPTD in RA patients was affected with BMI, response of bone turnover markers and drugs concomitantly used. The results in the BIO-concomitant showed different trend from that in whole cases and these paradoxical results suggested that medicinal action of TPTD might be interfere with that of BIO. PF-BMD in the actVitD-concomitant was better than the non-concomitant and this result suggested that some patients needed actVitD when treated with TPTD. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
In order to achieve large-scale Trojan control in an effective way, a Trojan control model based on layered and P2P structure has been proposed in this paper. According to our model a hundred thousand magnitude Trojan server could be under control. This model could adjust the number of Trojan dynamically by revising the layer number. In addition, the load balancing of severs have been realized by peer-to-peer network which could control large scale Trojan within an acceptable range of system resources consumption. In the end, a prototype system has been established to prove the model validation. The experiment results have shown that the large-scale Trojan control model is effective and powerful.
Hypermagnesemia occurs in elderly people or patients with renal insufficiency after excessive ingestion of magnesium-containing laxatives. In addition to typical electrocardiogram (ECG) findings caused by conduction defects, changes in the ST segments and T waves are also observed in patients with severe hypermagnesemia. This suggested the involvement of similar pathophysiology to acute myocardial infarction, as we previously demonstrated using burn-induced subepicardial injury model in frog hearts. In the present study, by exposing the bullfrog heart to high-magnesium solution, we reproduced prominent ST segment changes in ECG as actually observed in patients with severe hypermagnesemia. In addition to the great increase in the T waves, the ECG showed a marked elevation of the ST segments and the cardiac action potential demonstrated a marked shift of the resting membrane potential to the depolarized side. High-magnesium exposure did not affect the abundance of Na+/K+-ATPase proteins. However, the pharmacological stimulation of Na+/K+-ATPase activity by insulin quickly retrieved the elevated ST segments in ECG. From these results, the functional blockade of Na+/K+-ATPase activity by magnesium ions was thought to be responsible for generating the potassium concentration gradient and the subsequent ST segment changes.
Hydrated iron oxide supported on resin (D301) was prepared as a new sorbent for the removal of glyphosate from wastewater. Batch adsorption studies were performed on glyphosate aqueous solutions with different initial glyphosate concentrations and temperatures. Experimental data were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, and the adsorption data were best fit to the Langmuir isotherm model. The thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS also were calculated for the adsorption processes. Adsorption rate constants were determined using the pseudo‐first‐order and pseudo‐second‐order rate equations and Kannan‐Sundaram intraparticle diffusion models. Adsorption of glyphosate clearly followed the pseudo‐second‐order model and was controlled by both film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion.
Human and animal alcohol-induced hangovers are caused by adverse effects  of acetaldehyde formed in vivo by the  enzymatic oxidation of ethyl alcohol to acetaldehyde. This study aims to  determine the effect of the combination of a bioprocessed black rice bran  (BRB-F) and glutathione-enriched yeast extract (GEYE) on hangovers as tested in  rats and mice. Because analysis by HPLC showed that the content of the  biologically active rice bran compound γ-oryzanol  as well as of the antioxidant reduced glutathione were unaffected during the  preparation of tablets containing 100 mg/kg of the bran formulation, the tablets  were then administered orally to rats. The results showed decreased blood  concentrations of both alcohol and acetaldehyde compared to the control group.  Additional behavior experiments using the Rota-rod and wire tests in mice  confirmed that the food formulation relieved hangover behavior caused by  alcohol. It seems that the combination of BRB-F and GEYE can effectively  control hangovers in rodents caused by alcohol intake. Mechanistic aspects of  the hangover and anti-hangover effects of alcohol-derived acetaldehyde are  similar to browning-type reactions between the aldehyde group of glucose and  proteins, the antibiotic effects of cinnamaldehyde against pathogenic bacteria,  the adverse effects of the heat-induced food toxin acrylamide, and the  alkali-induced formation of the unnatural amino acid lysinoalanine.
A growing body of research suggests that specific stylistic message features have meaningful implications for message attention, recall, and processing. This study combines content analysis (n = 45 ads) with population survey data from the Legacy Media Tracking Surveys (n = 32,977 teens) to (a) identify associations between specific visual, audio, and format features and recall of televised smoking prevention advertisements and (b) test whether these associations are moderated by the need for sensation (NFS). Consistent with research derived from the limited capacity model of mediated message processing, 6 of 7 hypothesized stylistic features increased the likelihood of ad recall. However, contrary to predictions outlined by the activation model of information exposure (AMIE), no differences were observed in the magnitude of these associations by NFS. Results underscore the importance of stylistic considerations in designing health campaign messages and raise questions about the central propositions of the AMIE.
In this paper, the first-person plural diachronic behaviour of the verb form habemos with an existential value is analysed to explore its recovery in current Spanish as a case of refunctionalization. The latter is understood as timely cooptation of a form, which begins with any of the form’s characteristics. It is known that the cooptation’s origin might be directly, indirectly or not at all related to the previous or original use of the form. Results shown here are based on the analysis of constructions in which the first-person plural verb form of haber is used with a possessive meaning, as an auxiliary, and as existential between the 13th and 21st century. While grammaticalization theory pays attention to processes that culminate with grammatical enrichment of words or constructions, the verb form habemos with an existential meaning does not show that behaviour. It is explained as a case of refunctionalization or, at least, specialization.
CONTEXT.— Granulosa cell tumors (GCTs) of both adult (AGCT) and juvenile (JGCT) types can rarely be completely or dominantly cystic, creating diagnostic difficulty because the cyst lining epithelium is often denuded.   OBJECTIVE.— To describe clinical, gross, microscopic, immunohistochemical, and molecular features of cystic GCTs with an emphasis on their differential diagnosis.   DESIGN.— We report 80 cystic GCTs (24 AGCTs and 56 JGCTs) in patients from ages 3 to 83 years (average ages, 35 years for AGCT and 22 years for JGCT).   RESULTS.— Nineteen of 43 patients with known clinical information (3 AGCT and 16 JGCT) had androgenic manifestations. All tumors were greater than 8 cm (average, 17 cm) with minimal to absent gross solid component. Denudation of cells lining the cysts was prominent. Invagination of the epithelium into the cyst walls was a key diagnostic feature and was present as cords, trabeculae, solid nests, and small and large follicles and was identified in most tumors (17 AGCTs and 45 JGCTs). Cytologic atypia was essentially absent in AGCTs, whereas 14 JGCTs showed moderate to severe atypia of bizarre type. A theca cell component was present in all tumors and was extensive in 54. A FOXL2 hotspot mutation was identified in 1 of 4 AGCTs tested.   CONCLUSIONS.— Despite extensive denudation, the finding of typical architectural patterns and cytologic features as well as, in some cases, androgenic manifestations helps differentiate cystic GCTs from follicle cysts, the most common and challenging differential diagnosis, as well as other cystic neoplasms that may enter the differential diagnosis. FOXL2 sequencing may show a false-negative result in cystic AGCT because of the limited number of cells present within the tumor sample.
The hydrogen bonds in four coals with different rank and different sulfur content were checked using the in situ diffuse reflectance FTIR (DRIFT) method. Besides the hydrogen bonds formed by −OH and −COOH groups, there exists a new kind of hydrogen bond (SH−N) formed by the −SH in the thiophenols or mercaptans and the nigrogen in pyridine-like compounds in coal. The absence of this shoulder peak in the IR spectra of low rank coals (even high sulfur) can be attributed to the high content of −COOH groups, and consequently the strong and broad absorbance in carboxylic acid dimers in this range covers the weak absorbance of SH−N. However, when the low rank coals were heated to 620 °C in Ar atmosphere and the −COOH disappears, the peak of SH−N clearly occurs. To summarize all the work on this new hydrogen bond, we assign it to the position of about 2514 cm-1.
The Coal Gulch-Echo Springs-Standard Draw field complex is one of the largest commercial gas accumulations in the Rocky Mountain region with over 1 TCFG of recoverable reserves. Gas is produced from both Upper Almond barrier bar and shoreline sandstones at the top of the Mesaverde Group (Upper Cretaceous) and from underlying Main Almond fluvial and marginal marine sandstones. Recent work suggests that although the bulk of the produced gas in the fields is from the Upper Almond bar interval, simple volumetric calculations can only account for about 50% of the estimated ultimate recovery from this reservoir. This implies the depleting Upper Almond reservoir might be actively recharged by gas leakage from deeper Main Almond sandstones, with contributions from the deeper reservoirs of up to 10 - 30 BCFG per well. This is in stark contrast to typical Main Almond-only producers outside the field area which have mean reserves of less than 1 BCFG and rarely produce more than 2 BCFG per well. We determined the gas in place for all field wells drilled prior to 1993. The gas in place within the Upper Almond reservoir only was determined by detailed open hole log analysis and volumetric mapping to be 1058 BCFG. Total reserves from all producing intervals (Upper Almond and Main Almond combined) were estimated by decline curve analysis to be 1003 BCFG. The Main Almond lenticular reservoirs contribution to total production was then assumed to be statistically similar to Main Almond-only producers outside the field area, giving an estimated total contribution from Main Almond completions of 96 BCFG. Therefore the recovery factor from the Upper Almond alone is estimated to be (1003-96) / 1058 = 86%. We concluded that field volumetrics do not support a disproportionate contribution of Main Almond gas to the total field production, nor does the volumetric analysis support the active reservoir recharge hypothesis.
The paper presents a multicriteria decision support system, designed to model and solve linear problems of multicriteria optimization. The system is developed on the basis of an interactive classification-based algorithm, which allows the decision makers describe their local preferences with the help of desired and acceptable levels, directions and intervals of change in the values of a part or of all the criteria.The structure and the user's interface of the system are described.
The structure and function of exocrine glands are negatively affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and its co-morbidities, including innate and adaptive immune responses. At the same time, exocrine function may also be influenced by pharmacotherapies directed at the infectious agents. Here, we briefly review the role of the salivary glands and lacrimal glands in normal physiology and exocrine pathogenesis within the context of HIV infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), including the contribution of antiretroviral therapies on both. Subsequently, we discuss the impact of HIV infection and the types of antiretroviral therapy on disease management and therapy development efforts.
Studies were undertaken to determine the effectiveness of a copolymer composed of PVA-TEGDA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol TriEthylene Glycol) as a plasma-cholesterol lowering procedure. For a comparative study, five dogs underwent plasmapheresis including the transfusion bag containing gel in the plasma line, while three control dogs underwent the same plasmapheresis without gel. Numerous biological determinations were performed firstly in whole blood circulation before and after treatment over 10 days, and secondly in plasma before and after LDL binding on the gel. In the whole blood circulation, the average significant depletion of cholesterol levels was 31-51% for treated, 0-16% for control dogs and the average significant depletion of LDL cholesterol was 26-75% for treated and 0-3% for control dogs. Gel was therefore able to bind 121-217 mg of total cholesterol and 34-70 mg of LDL cholesterol per gram of gel. Lipid and lipoprotein levels rebounded 3-4 days after treatment. Adverse effects were not observed during all plasmapheresis. No significant differences between control plasmapheresis and gel-plasmapheresis were obtained for blood cell counts while lengthened coagulation times were observed during 24 h. Complement was not significantly activated by the copolymer as shown by a same decreased activity in the blood stream of all dogs: in fact, CH 50 depletion in the gel incubated plasma was due to a protein adsorption on the hydrogel. This new approach for LDL apheresis appears to be a promising new technique.
In research on human language comprehension, the N400 component of the event-related brain potential (ERP) has attracted attention as an electrophysiological indicator of meaning processing in the brain. However, despite much research, the specific functional basis of the N400 remains widely debated. Recent neural network modeling work suggests that N400 amplitudes can be simulated as the stimulus-induced change in internally represented probabilities of aspects of meaning (Rabovsky, Hansen, & McClelland, 2018). Here, we assess this idea based on single-trial N400 amplitudes measured in an oddball-like roving paradigm with written words from different semantic categories varying in semantic feature overlap. We model the N400 as Semantic Surprise, the change in the probability distribution of a stimulus’s semantic features for each trial. Simple condition-based analyses produced a significant effect of category switch on N400 amplitude, and the trial-by-trial modeling similarly revealed negative effects of Semantic Surprise on N400 amplitude. From fitting a forgetting parameter for each participant, we also gleaned insights into the rates of forgetting of past input to the semantic system. Thus, we provide a computationally explicit account of N400 amplitudes, which links the N400 and thus the neurocognitive processes involved in human language comprehension to the Bayesian brain hypothesis.
Objective: To identify prognostic markers reflecting the extent of peroxisome dysfunction in primary skin fibroblasts from patients with peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBD). Background: PBD are a genetically heterogeneous group of disorders due to defects in at least 11 distinct genes. Zellweger syndrome is the prototype of this group of disorders, with neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy and infantile Refsum disease as milder variants. Common to these three disorders are liver disease, variable neurodevelopmental delay, retinopathy, and perceptive deafness. Because genotype-phenotype studies are complicated by the genetic heterogeneity among patients with PBD, the authors evaluated a series of biochemical markers as a measure of peroxisome dysfunction in skin fibroblasts. Methods: Multiple peroxisomal functions including de novo plasmalogen synthesis, dihydroxyacetonephosphate acyltransferase (DHAPAT) activity, C26:0/C22:0 ratio, C26:0 and pristanic acid β-oxidation, and phytanic acid α-oxidation were analyzed in fibroblasts from a series of patients with defined clinical phenotypes. Results: A poor correlation with age at death was found for de novo plasmalogen synthesis, C26:0/C22:0 ratio, and phytanic acid α-oxidation. A fairly good correlation was found for pristanic acid β-oxidation, but the best correlation was found for DHAPAT activity and C26:0 β-oxidation. A mathematic combination of DHAPAT activity and C26:0 β-oxidation showed an even better correlation. Conclusions: DHAPAT activity and C26:0 β-oxidation are the best markers in predicting life expectancy of patients with PBD. Combination of both markers gives an even better prediction. These results contribute to the management of patients with PBD.
We report the synthesis of bromoindenoquinolines (15a–f) by Friedlander reactions in low yields (13–50%) and the conversion of the corresponding phenyl‐substituted indenoquinoline derivatives 16–21 in high yields (80–96%) by Suzuki coupling reactions. To explore the structure–activity relationship (SAR), their inhibition potentials to inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), and human carbonic anhydrase cyctosolic (hCA I and II) enzymes were determined. Monophenyl (16–18) indenoquinolines significantly inhibited the AChE and BChE enzymes in ranges of IC50 37–57 nM and 84–93 nM, respectively, compared with their starting materials 15a–c and reference compounds (galanthamine and tacrine). On the other hand, these novel arylated indenoquinoline‐based derivatives were effective inhibitors of the BChE, hCA I and II, BChE and AChE enzymes with Ki values in the range of 37 ± 2.04 to 88640 ± 1990 nM for AChE, 120.94 ± 37.06 to 1150.95 ± 304.48 nM for hCA I, 267.58 ± 98.05 to 1568.16 ± 438.67 nM for hCA II, and 84 ± 3.86 to 144120 ± 2910 nM for BChE. As a result, monophenyl indenoquinolines 16–18 may have promising anti‐Alzheimer drug potential and 3,8‐dibromoindenoquinoline amine (15f) can be novel hCA I and hCA II enzyme inhibitors.
We assessed the safety and efficacy of reconstructive therapy with facial fillers for the treatment of HIV-associated facial lipoatrophy (FLA) through a randomized, controlled, open-label single-center study. A total of 134 HIV-infected patients with severe FLA were randomly assigned to receive immediate (67 patients) or delayed (67 patients) facial injections of poly-l-lactic acid (PLA) or polyacrylamide gel (PAIG). Outcome measures included changes in physician and patient FLA severity scale, adverse events, and changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and anxiety using validated measures. The mean average study follow-up was 27 weeks for the immediate and 25 weeks for the delayed subjects. Adverse events were mild and resolved after a mean of 4 days. Compared to patients randomized to the delayed treatment group, patients assigned to the immediate treatment group had significantly lower physician-rated (0.0 versus -3.0; p < 0.0001) and patient-rated (0.1 versus -1.8; p < 0.0001) FLA severity scores. By contrast, measures exploring HRQoL and anxiety did not show any significant difference between patients randomized to the immediate and deferred groups. Reconstructive therapy with facial fillers was effective and safe and led to significant improvements in FLA severity. However, no significant gains in HRQoL, relational and psychological consequences of body changes, and anxiety-related concerns were observed. Studies should be performed to identify patients who could maximally benefit from filling interventions for FLA.
To validate how packaging and storage reduces Listeria monocytogenes on whole-muscle beef jerky and smoked pork and beef sausage sticks, four packaging systems (heat sealed [HS] without vacuum, heat sealed with oxygen scavenger, nitrogen flushed with oxygen scavenger [NFOS], and vacuum) and four ambient temperature storage times were evaluated. Commercially available whole-muscle beef jerky and smoked pork and beef sausage sticks were inoculated with a five-strain L. monocytogenes cocktail, packaged, and then stored at 25.5 °C until enumerated for L. monocytogenes at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h and 30 days after packaging. The interaction of packaging and storage time affected L. monocytogenes reduction on jerky, but not on sausage sticks. A >2-log CFU/cm(2) reduction was achieved on sausage sticks after 24 h of storage, regardless of package type, while jerky had <2-log reductions for all packaging types. At 48 h, log reductions were similar (P. 0.05) for all types of jerky packaging, ranging from 1.26 to 1.72 log CFU/cm(2); however, at 72 h, mean L. monocytogenes reductions were >2 log CFU/cm(2), except for NFOS (1.22-log CFU/cm(2) reduction). Processors could package beef jerky in HS packages with oxygen scavenger or vacuum in conjunction with a 24-h holding time as an antimicrobial process to ensure a >1-log CFU/cm(2) L. monocytogenes reduction or use a 48-h holding time for HS- or NFOS-packaged beef jerky. A >3-log CFU/cm(2) mean reduction was observed for all beef jerky and sausage stick packaging systems after 30 days of 25.5 °C storage.
Rational design of adsorbent that targets the marine factors is highly possible to enhance the efficiency for uranium extraction from natural seawater. Herein, based on the photoinduced photothermal, photoelectric, and photocatalytic effects of black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets, a BP-PAO fiber with enhanced uranium extraction capacity and high antibiofouling activity is fabricated by compositing BP nanosheets into polyacrylamidoxime (PAO). The photothermal effect increases the coordination interaction between UO22+ and the functional amidoxime group, and the photoelectric effect produces the surface positive electric field that exhibits electrostatic attraction to the negative [UO2(CO3)3]4-, which all increase the capacity for uranium adsorption. The photocatalytic effect endows the adsorbent with high antibiofouling activity by producing biotoxic reactive oxygen species. Due to these three photoinduced effects, the photoinduced BP-PAO fiber shows a high uranium adsorption capacity of 11.76 mg g-1, which is 1.50 times of the PAO fiber, in bacterial contained natural seawater.
Medical cost data are typically highly skewed to the right with a large proportion of zero costs. It is also common for these data to be censored because of incomplete follow‐up and death. In the case of censoring due to death, it is important to consider the potential dependence between cost and survival. This association can occur because patients who incur a greater amount of medical cost tend to be frailer and hence are more likely to die. To handle this informative censoring issue, joint modeling of cost and survival with shared random effects has been proposed. In this paper, we extend this joint modeling approach to handle a final feature of many medical cost data sets, i.e., Specifically, the fact that data were obtained via a complex survey design. Specifically, we extend the joint model by incorporating the sample weights when estimating the parameters and using the Taylor series linearization approach when calculating the standard errors. We use a simulation study to compare the joint modeling approach with and without these adjustments. The simulation study shows that parameter estimates can be seriously biased when information about the complex survey design is ignored. It also shows that standard errors based on the Taylor series linearization approach provide satisfactory confidence interval coverage. The proposed joint model is applied to monthly hospital costs obtained from the 2004 National Long Term Care Survey. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
New wavelengths of laser radiation are of interest for material processing. Results of application of the all-fiber ultrashort pulsed laser emitting in 2 µm range, manufactured by Novae, are presented. Average output power was 4.35 W in a single-spatial-mode beam centered at the 1950 nm wavelength. Pulses duration was 40 ps, and laser operated at 4.2 MHz pulse repetition rate. This performance corresponded to 25 kW of pulse peak power and almost 1 µJ in pulse energy. Material processing was performed using three different focusing lenses (100, 30 and 18 mm) and mechanical stages for the workpiece translation. 2 µm laser radiation is strongly absorbed by some polymers. Swelling of PMMA surface was observed for scanning speed above 5 mm/s using the average power of 3.45 W focused with the 30 mm lens. When scanning speed was reduced below 4 mm/s, ablation of PMMA took place. The swelling of PMMA is a consequence of its melting due to absorbed laser power. Therefore, experiments on butt welding of PMMA and overlapping welding of PMMA with other polymers were performed. Stable joint was achieved for the butt welding of two PMMA blocks with thickness of 5 mm. The laser was used to cut a Kapton film on a paper carrier with the same set-up as previous. The cut width depended on the cutting speed and focusing optics. A perfect cut with a width of 11 µm was achieved at the translation speed of 60 mm/s.
Nowadays, there is a growing interest in telemedicine in Brazil, because the country is the fifth largest country in the world and there is a huge gap between the population size and the number of available doctors. Institutions and the government are considering solutions for the integration and availability of data produced by several different systems. In this paper we present a contribution that is characterized by an asynchronous replication strategy between distributed medical databases. The contribution, named PGR, is an enhancement to the PostgreSQL database software that introduces lightweight asynchronous operations. In addition, we have implemented a multi-master engine with partial replication and hybrid fragmentation in order to allow interoperability between different telemedicine systems. Our early results indicate that the model and its implementation have reached a successful level in terms of performance and interoperability.
Analytical ultracentrifugation has been used to analyze the oligomeric structure of the isolated regulatory domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase. The protein exhibits a monomer–dimer equilibrium with a dissociation constant of ∼46 μM; this value is unaffected by the removal of the 24 N-terminal residues or by phosphorylation of Ser16. In contrast, phenylalanine binding (Kd = 8 μM) stabilizes the dimer. These results suggest that dimerization of the regulatory domain of phenylalanine hydroxylase is linked to allosteric activation of the enzyme.
Salinity impose stress on the physiology of the ex-posed freshwater fish population can modify their structure. In this study some indicators of behavioral and physiological stress responses were examined dur-ing exposure of Java barb (Barbonymus gonionotus) to different saline concentrations. Based on the result of median lethal salinity level (LC50) (12.9ppt), one sub-lethal (12ppt) and two lethal salinity levels (14ppt and 16ppt) were selected to study the acute stress respons-es of fish for a period of 72h. A number of physiologi-cal responses, such as disturbance in body fluid, alter-ations of blood biochemical and hematological param-eters and behavioral responses were detected with in-creasing ambient salinity. Fish exposed to different sub-lethal and lethal salinities exhibited clinical signs agitated behavior, respiratory distress, abnormal nerv-ous behavior and death were recorded. From the pre-sent investigation, it was observed that higher salinity may affect the physiological and behavioral stress re-sponses in freshwater fish.
The present study was intended to examine strategies of information search used in vocational decision making. Third and fourth-year undergraduate students were selected as subjects. Regarding the amount of information search, high and low group of vocational readiness were found to be different among third-year students who did not have any job hunting experience whereas no difference was observed between the two groups among fourth-year students who had a job hunting experience. With regards to strategies of information search, third-year students tended to use strategies-search within alternatives across attributes in first part of vocational decision making process and search within attributes across alternatives in a second part of the process. On the other hand, fourth-year students tended to search within attributes across alternatives in the first part and search within alternatives across attributes in the second part. Fourth-year students used information search strategies which were more rational and analogous to decision making in other areas of daily life.
A new internal STATCOM control based on feedback linearization is proposed. The feedback linearization controller is developed without any simplifying assumptions to the STATCOM model. The proposed control is validated on the IEEE 118-bus system with full-order generator and network models as opposed to a small test system. Furthermore, the proposed control is benchmarked against published results. Lastly controllability issues associated with a singularity in the feedback linearization control (FBLC) coordinate transformation is identified, and a solution is provided to avoid instability.
The use of privileged information has long been recognized as a strategy in the book of Job, especially as evidenced in God’s consultation with the Satan known to the reader but hidden from Job and his friends. Such anticipatory information can only surprise the careful reader once, and must be intended to prepare the serious student for elements of interest and significance. This study investigates examples of preknowledge and anticipation employed in the poetic sections of Job and how they influence the reader’s response to the unfolding narrative and the interpretation of the final form of the text. These examples of anticipation and preknowledge suggest a more cohesive awareness of the various segments of the book than is often assumed.
Many current approaches to statistical language modeling rely on independence assumptions between the different explanatory variables. This results in models which are computationally simple, but which only model the main effects of the explanatory variables on the response variable. This paper presents an argument in favor of a statistical approach that also models the interactions between the explanatory variables. The argument rests on empirical evidence from two series of experimetns concerning automatic ambiguity resolution.
Cashew is a versatile tree nut with multifarious uses. It is a precious gift of nature to mankind among various nuts as hazelnuts, almonds etc. it is considered as ‘Gold Mine’ of wastelands as it requires low inputs for production and checks soil erosion, It is one of the most important dollar earning plantation crops of India. As a whole, cashew nut is a established food item that can protect human beings against major diseases like cancer, diabetics, heart diseases, etc. with its rare combination of carbohydrates, protein and fats,. Now, the total production of cashew in the country is 7.79 M tones from 10.35 lakh hectare area (Horticultural statistics at a glance. 2016-17). Most of the area under cashew is in the East-Coast and West-Coast regions of the country. In Odisha, productivity of cashew is about 513 kg/ ha from an area of 183.3 thousand hectare (Horticultural statistics at a glance. 2016-17). Higher productivity of cashew is under Maharashtra and it is due to better adaptation of agro techniques, high yielding clones, better soil fertility conditions etc. On the other hand, in Odisha most of the old cashew plantations are grown in unfertile International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 12 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
Abstract Braided stents are associated with a number of complications in vivo. Accurate computational modelling of these devices is essential for the design and development of the next generation of these stents. In this study, two commonly utilised methods of computationally modelling filament interaction in braided stents are investigated: the join method and the weave method. Three different braided stent designs are experimentally tested and computationally modelled in both radial and v-block configurations. The results of the study indicate that while both methods are capable of capturing braided stent performance to some degree, the weave method is much more robust.
The effectiveness of the nitrification inhibitor 3,4,-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on sandy soils containing low nitrifying microbial abundance has not been established. Two coarse-grained soils, representative of Western Australia’s agricultural zones, were incubated with 100mgNkg–1 soil, added as either urea, urea+DMPP or urea+nitrapyrin as an alternative nitrification inhibitor for comparative purposes. Ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3–) concentrations, potential nitrification rates (PNR) and the abundance of ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) were measured over time. Interactions between soil type and inhibitor type altered the extent of nitrification observed in these soils. When N was supplied as urea alone, NH4+-N concentrations decreased from 100mgNkg–1 soil to approximately 20mgNkg–1 soil in the high nutrient soil (Williams) and approximately 60mgNkg–1 soil in the low nutrient soil (Vasse). These differences were reflected in AOB abundance, which was higher (~105genecopiesg–1 soil) in Williams soil than in Vasse soil (<104genecopiesg–1 soil). This difference could have been attributable to differences in soil pH between Williams and Vasse (5.4 vs 4.0 respectively) and/or copper (Cu) availability (~1.5 vs ~0.5mgCukg–1 soil respectively), both of which have been demonstrated to reduce AOB abundance or limit nitrification. On the Williams soil, DMPP limited nitrification, resulting in approximately 80mgNkg–1 soil being retained as NH4+-N. Nitrapyrin was similarly effective for the first 56 days of incubation, but declined considerably in effectiveness between Days 56 and 100. Changes in soil nitrification rates were accompanied by changes in AOB abundance, which was below 103genecopiesg–1 soil when nitrification was impaired. Both DMPP and nitrapyrin inhibit nitrification via chelating Cu and, because these soils contained low Cu concentrations, it may be possible that interactions between DMPP, naturally low abundance of AOB and low Cu availability facilitated the long-term inhibition of nitrification in these soils.
Aim: To assemble a simple, inexpensive hand-held trichotillometer and to determine the epilation force (EF) required to pluck the anagen hair and telogen hair from four regions of the scalp in healthy volunteers. Materials and Methods: A simple hand-held trichotillometer was assembled by modifying a laboratory spring balance, and the instrument was calibrated after attachments. EF was measured in 30 healthy individuals on four regions of the scalp. Results: A total of 30 volunteers were included in the study, among them 15 were males and 15 were females. A total of 1200 hairs were examined. The mean EF in our study was 70.15 grams (g). The mean EF required to pluck the anagen hair was 86.61 g and telogen hair was 53.69 g. Conclusion: The assembled- hand held trichotillometer is a simple and reliable device. Tricotillometer is a useful device to measure the EF in various physiological and pathological conditions and may have diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value in various hair diseases.
In an effort to further probe metal binding to metallo-beta-lactamase L1 (mbetal L1), Cu- (Cu-L1) and Ni-substituted (Ni-L1) L1 were prepared and characterized by kinetic and spectroscopic studies. Cu-L1 bound 1.7 equiv of Cu and small amounts of Zn(II) and Fe. The EPR spectrum of Cu-L1 exhibited two overlapping, axial signals, indicative of type 2 sites with distinct affinities for Cu(II). Both signals indicated multiple nitrogen ligands. Despite the expected proximity of the Cu(II) ions, however, only indirect evidence was found for spin-spin coupling. Cu-L1 exhibited higher k(cat) (96 s(-1)) and K(m) (224 microM) values, as compared to the values of dinuclear Zn(II)-containing L1, when nitrocefin was used as substrate. The Ni-L1 bound 1 equiv of Ni and 0.3 equiv of Zn(II). Ni-L1 was EPR-silent, suggesting that the oxidation state of nickel was +2; this suggestion was confirmed by (1)H NMR spectra, which showed relatively sharp proton resonances. Stopped-flow kinetic studies showed that ZnNi-L1 stabilized significant amounts of the nitrocefin-derived intermediate and that the decay of intermediate is rate-limiting. (1)H NMR spectra demonstrate that Ni(II) binds in the Zn(2) site and that the ring-opened product coordinates Ni(II). Both Cu-L1 and ZnNi-L1 hydrolyze cephalosporins and carbapenems, but not penicillins, suggesting that the Zn(2) site modulates substrate preference in mbetal L1. These studies demonstrate that the Zn(2) site in L1 is very flexible and can accommodate a number of different transition metal ions; this flexibility could possibly offer an organism that produces L1 an evolutionary advantage when challenged with beta-lactam-containing antibiotics.
Novel phospholipid analogues related to ethylenediamine have been prepared by a rapid three-step procedure. The diazaphosphacyclopentane (1) reacts with alcohols to yield cyclic phosphoramidites in high yield. These are oxidised to the phosphates with N2O4. The phosphates undergo a single P–N cleavage under conditions of acid catalysis to yield phospholipid analogues, similar in phosphate structure to natural phospholipids, but with a single substitution of N for O. Full spectroscopic and analytical data are presented and discussed.
Datura stramonium is an annual plant which belongs to the Solanaceae family. Datura stramonium is also a toxic plant, with toxicity given by the presence of alkaloids hyoscyamine, atropine and scopolamine.This study performs phytochemical and antibacterial analysis of ethanolic extracts from Datura stramonium. Fresh plants have been used in order to obtain Datura stramonium tincture. The quality index was 1:5, the concentration of ethanol being 90%. Based on this tincture a qualitative and quantitative phytochemical analysis was performed through thin layer chromatography and high performance liquid chromatography. By thin-layer chromatography the qualitative alkaloids, such as atropine and scopolamine from Datura stramonium extract, have been identified. By high performance liquid chromatography with reversed phase the alkaloids quantity from Datura stramonium herbs was assessed and that is 1.7 mg/mL. The plant extracts were tested on Gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli and on Gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. Both tested strains showed resistance but for E. coli a higher inhibition was observed at all samples containing Datura extract.
The article presents an analysis of the results of diagnostic studies on cattle leukemia in the Irkutsk region for 2004-2017. It has been established that infection with the cattle leukemia virus was 3.7 ± 0.4%; the number of hematological sick animals was 4.2 ± 0.2%. During the analyzed period, the percentage of infected livestock decreased (p <0.01) in both public and individual sectors. The number of hematological animals ranged from 2.3 to 6.1% (with peaks in 2007 and 2015) and was characterized by a slight decrease (by 0.9%).
We study the properties of an atom laser beam derived from a Bose-Einstein condensate using three different outcouplers, one based on multistate radio-frequency transitions and two others based on Raman transitions capable of imparting momentum to the beam. We first summarize the differences that arise in such systems, and how they may impact on the use of an atom laser in interferometry. Experimentally, we examine the formation of a bound state in all three outcouplers, a phenomenon which limits the atom laser flux, and find that a two-state Raman outcoupler is the preferred option for high-flux, low-divergence atom laser beams.
A microcolony assay was used in conjunction with fractionated gamma irradiation to determine the number of clonogens in murine intestinal crypts with varying doses of irradiation used in the determination. The experimental design allows direct comparison between two-dose methodologies, employing one and two (or two or four) equal dose fractions, and multiple-dose methodologies involving determination of the crypt survival curves for a number of fractionation regimens using equal doses per fraction. The two-dose methodology yielded estimates of clonogen number of between 3 and 4 at low delivered dose (single and double fractions each of 6.5-7.5 Gy), rising to around 40 at high biological doses (two and four fractions each of 5.75 or 6.5 Gy). The multifraction methodology yielded estimates of clonogen number which increased from 13 after a single fraction to values of 26 and 22 after three and four fractions. However, the latter values were reduced to 11 and 9, and showed little evidence of any dependence on fraction number, when data pertaining to high biologically effective doses were excluded. Hence it is concluded that the high values for clonogen number typically deduced from such multiple-dose protocols, compared with the generally lower (but dose-dependent) values obtained from two-dose protocols, may be explained at least partially by the higher biological doses generally employed in the multiple-dose protocols.
OBJECTIVES Children with hearing loss (HL), in spite of early cochlear implantation, often struggle considerably with language acquisition. Previous research has shown a benefit of rhythmic training on linguistic skills in children with HL, suggesting that improving rhythmic capacities could help attenuating language difficulties. However, little is known about general rhythmic skills of children with HL and how they relate to speech perception. The aim of this study is twofold: (1) to assess the abilities of children with HL in different rhythmic sensorimotor synchronization tasks compared to a normal-hearing control group and (2) to investigate a possible relation between sensorimotor synchronization abilities and speech perception abilities in children with HL.   DESIGN A battery of sensorimotor synchronization tests with stimuli of varying acoustic and temporal complexity was used: a metronome, different musical excerpts, and complex rhythmic patterns. Synchronization abilities were assessed in 32 children (aged from 5 to 10 years) with a severe to profound HL mainly fitted with one or two cochlear implants (n = 28) or with hearing aids (n = 4). Working memory and sentence repetition abilities were also assessed. Performance was compared to an age-matched control group of 24 children with normal hearing. The comparison took into account variability in working memory capacities. For children with HL only, we computed linear regressions on speech, sensorimotor synchronization, and working memory abilities, including device-related variables such as onset of device use, type of device, and duration of use.   RESULTS Compared to the normal-hearing group, children with HL performed poorly in all sensorimotor synchronization tasks, but the effect size was greater for complex as compared to simple stimuli. Group differences in working memory did not explain this result. Linear regression analysis revealed that working memory, synchronization to complex rhythms performances, age, and duration of device use predicted the number of correct syllables produced in a sentence repetition task.   CONCLUSION Despite early cochlear implantation or hearing aid use, hearing impairment affects the quality of temporal processing of acoustic stimuli in congenitally deaf children. This deficit seems to be more severe with stimuli of increasing rhythmic complexity highlighting a difficulty in structuring sounds according to a temporal hierarchy.
Abstract Leaf anatomy is compared for all species of Raoulia. The species are tabulated according to their lamina structure. Noteworthy anatomical features are lamina type and grade of differentiation, stomatal position, epidermal and cuticle thickness, shape of mesophyll cells, presence or absence of central clear cells, sclerenchyma caps, abaxial collenchyma and protruding midrib. It is shown that leaf anatomy data provide characters which are taxonomically useful in Raoulia. The main subgenera are supported except that the leaf anatomy of R. haastii is anomalous and that of R. youngii is typical of R. subg. Raoulia rather than R. subg. Psychrophyton. The leaf anatomy of R. petriensis is unique in the genus.
Iterative image reconstruction algorithms for optoacoustic tomography (OAT), also known as photoacoustic tomography, have the ability to improve image quality over analytic algorithms due to their ability to incorporate accurate models of the imaging physics, instrument response and measurement noise. However, to date, there have been few reported attempts to employ advanced iterative image reconstruction algorithms for improving image quality in three-dimensional (3D) OAT. In this work, we implement and investigate two iterative image reconstruction methods for use with a 3D OAT small animal imager: namely a penalized least-squares (PLS) method employing a quadratic smoothness penalty and a PLS method employing a total variation norm penalty. The reconstruction algorithms employ accurate models of the ultrasonic transducer impulse responses. Experimental data sets are employed to compare the performances of the iterative reconstruction algorithms to that of a 3D filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm. By the use of quantitative measures of image quality, we demonstrate that the iterative reconstruction algorithms can mitigate image artifacts and preserve spatial resolution more effectively than FBP algorithms. These features suggest that the use of advanced image reconstruction algorithms can improve the effectiveness of 3D OAT while reducing the amount of data required for biomedical applications.
In high precision radiotherapy, the more accurately the patient can be relocated, the smaller the clinical to planning target volume margin can be, with reduction in the volume of normal tissue irradiated. The Gill-Thomas-Cosman (GTC) relocatable stereotactic head frame provides immobilization of the patient which is highly reproducible. A depth helmet and measuring probe were used to confirm the accuracy of relocation of 31 patients treated in the GTC frame. The measurements were processed in a spreadsheet developed to calculate the size of the patient's displacement as a vector. Twenty-seven patients received fractionated stereotactically-guided conformal radiotherapy, and 4 single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery, amounting to 564 measurement episodes. The accuracy was extremely good, and considerably more accurate than standard thermoplastic head shells. Ninety-two percent of the displacement vectors were less than 2 mm, and 97% less than 2.5 mm. Considering each dimension separately, the largest mean displacement was 0.4 mm in the superior-inferior direction. Accuracy was constant through a fractionated course for most patients, but prediction based on measurements from the first few fractions was not reliable. Results were dependent on patient selection, with worse reproducibility in patients with neurological deficits, or difficulty cooperating. The depth helmet measurements detected a loosened mouth bite in one patient and allowed repositioning to be verified without the need for the simulator. Total treatment time, including use of the depth helmet to verify treatment position, is quicker (mean 15.7 min) than using portal films. The depth helmet, used in conjunction with the vector displacement spreadsheet, provides a simple way to define the CTV-PTV margin. For fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy we use a 3 mm CTV-PTV margin. This system could assist technology transfer to centres starting stereotactic radiotherapy using the GTC frame.
A wavelet or time-scale approach to analyzing a single time series and two time series, in which the fluctuating quantities are statistically nonstationary, is presented. The time scale and scale “power spectra” are introduced and utilized to analyze transient potential fluctuations measured at the core of sawtoothing TEXT-U plasmas. The results show features that have not been previously observed using any Fourier techniques. In addition, the linear time-scale “coherence spectrum” is developed to quantify the degree of linear relationship between two nonstationary fluctuating quantities in the time-scale domain. Such a spectrum is also useful in tracking the time-varying phase difference. A numerical example is provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the time-scale spectra.
A rate-based access control mechanism for high-speed networks, based on the buffered leaky bucket scheme, is studied. The study assumes an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) environment, where only fixed size packets or cells are transmitted. The leaky bucket scheme is based on the use of transmission tokens for each cell accessing the network. How often tokens are generated and the maximum number of tokens that can be accumulated are the parameters used to match the access control mechanism to the requirements of the cell arrivals patterns. A batch arrival process is considered to represent such arrival patterns. The distribution of batch sizes is arbitrary, while the time between arrivals of successive batches is taken to be geometrically distributed. Using matrix analytic techniques, the queue length distribution at the access point is obtained.<<ETX>>
The isotopic ratio of strontium-87 to strontium-86 shows no detectable variation in present-day ocean water but changes slowly over millions of years. The strontium contained in carbonate shells of marine organisms records the ratio of strontium-87 to strontium-86 of the oceans at the time that the shells form. Sedimentary rocks composed of accumulated fossil carbonate shells can be dated and correlated with the use of high precision measurements of the ratio of strontium-87 to strontium-86 with a resolution that is similar to that of other techniques used in age correlation. This method may prove valuable for many geological, paleontological, paleooceanographic, and geochemical problems.
A synthetic approach toward mixed phosphinine−phosphole and phosphinine−phosphaferrocene tridentate ligands has been studied. In the first step, the metallacycle transfer reaction from 2,5-bis(trimethylsilyl)zirconacyclopentadienes to the corresponding phospholes has been investigated. Three metallacycles 2a−c, bearing different groups at the β-positions of the ring (a, R = Ph; b, R = n-Bu; c, R = Me), have been synthesized. Whereas the reaction of PCl3 with 2a,b respectively leads to 1-P chlorophosphirenes 3a,b, complex 2c is readily transformed into the corresponding 1-P bromophosphole 4 upon reaction with PBr3 in dichloromethane. This approach was extended to the synthesis of the bis(dimethylpropynylsilyl)zirconacyclopentadiene compound 5, which was then further converted into the corresponding 1-P chlorophosphole 6. Phospholyl anion 7 was obtained from the reaction of 6 with lithium in THF at room temperature. Three 1-R-2,5-bis(dimethylpropynylsilyl)phospholes (8a, R = CH2CH2Cl; 8b, R = CH2CH2CN; 8c, ...
BACKGROUND China has one of the highest cesarean delivery rates in the world, with most cesareans done without indication.   METHODS Observation of how perinatal care is delivered in a range of Shanghai hospitals was done to gain insight into the 50 percent cesarean delivery rate. A mixed methods approach combined a descriptive structured survey of obstetric services with standardized interview with obstetricians and qualitative observation of obstetric services in six different Shanghai obstetric facilities.   RESULTS The volume was extremely high: physicians in public hospitals routinely saw up to 80-120 prenatal patients per day. Frequent prenatal testing substituted for time spent in patient-doctor interactions. Family members were not allowed in delivery wards where women labored alone. Obstetrics services had low levels of nursing support and anesthesia for labor. Physical space favored rapid surgical turnover over longer labor. Physicians reported practical incentives to perform cesarean sections.   DISCUSSION Cesarean delivery was an efficient way to move patients through the systems observed, given the staffing and physical limitations of the public facilities. Physicians reported that patients and families perceived cesarean delivery as safer. Physicians also reported fear of charges of malpractice, for which they might be found to be financially liable or in physical danger. Societal expectations are high, and in a "one child" society, perception that cesarean section was safer may also have driven cesarean rates. Given the end of the One Child Policy, the preference for cesarean delivery may change.
In this paper, the specific requirements of Engineering Education Accreditation(EEA) and A Plan for Educating and Training Outstanding Engineers(PETOE) on teaching staff were compared. Combining with the construction of teaching staff of specialty for chemical engineering and technology in Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology as an example, the exploration and practice on construction of teaching staff in recent years were introduced in detail, aiming to provide reference for the construction of A Plan for Educating and Training Outstanding Engineers(PETOE)in local colleges and universities.
Adsorption of N2 was studied on zeolite H-Y, ultrastabilized H-Y (H-USY), H-mordenite, H-ZSM-5, H-beta, and on sulfated zirconia-titania (SZT) mixed oxide by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) at 298 K and at N2 pressures up to 9 bar. The adsorption-induced DeltanuOH red-shift of the nuOH bands was used as a measure of the intrinsic acid strength of the Brnønsted acid sites. The intrinsic acid strength of the solids follows the order of H-ZSM-5 approximately H-mordenite approximately H-beta > H-USY > SZT approximately H-Y. The solids were characterized by their hexane conversion activities at 553 K and 6.1 kPa hexane partial pressure. The reaction was shown to proceed predominantly by a bimolecular mechanism, while the reaction was first order in hexane and zero order in alkenes. The site-specific apparent rate constant of the bimolecular hexane conversion was shown to parallel the intrinsic acid strength of the samples, suggesting that the ratio of the apparent and the intrinsic activity, that is, the KA' equilibrium constant of alkane adsorption on the hydrocarbon-covered sorption sites, is hardly dependent on the catalyst structure.
Background: Cardiac biomarkers or echocardiography for assessing right ventricular function are recommended to risk-stratify patients with acute non-massive pulmonary embolism (PE) but it remains unclear whether these tests affect the management and clinical outcomes in daily practice.  Methods and results: Overall, 587 patients with acute non-massive PE from 18 hospitals were enrolled in the Swiss Venous Thromboembolism Registry (SWIVTER) of whom 178 (30%) neither had a biomarker test nor an echocardiographic evaluation. Compared to the 409 (70%) patients with biomarkers or echocardiography of whom 210 (51%) had at least one positive test, patients without any testing were younger (61±18 vs. 67±16 years; p<0.001), more often outpatient at diagnosis (64% vs. 46%; p<0.001), had more often provoked PE (45% vs. 34%; p=0.010) and cancer (32% vs. 22%; p=0.015), and had less frequently main pulmonary artery embolism (26% vs. 37%, p=0.009) or an increased PE severity index (59% vs. 70%; p=0.012). The hospitalization rates were 80% without vs. 93% with testing (p<0.001); thrombolysis and/or embolectomy were performed in 2.8% vs. 4.9% (p=0.29), and the 30-day rates of mortality and PE recurrence were 7.4% vs. 3.2%, respectively (p=0.031). The predictive value of biomarker testing or echocardiography was lost (HR 0.62, 95%CI 0.27-1.39; p=0.24) when adjusted for other univariate predictors of mortality and recurrent PE, including cancer, chronic lung disease and bleeding complications. Conclusions: Although more than two thirds of the PE patients underwent risk assessment with a biomarker test or an echocardiogram, such testing had little impact on management and clinical outcomes.
Due to controversial reports concerning antibacterial activity of different graphene based materials it is very important to investigate their antibacterial action on a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this paper we have investigated the structure induced phototoxic antibacterial activity of four types of graphene based materials: graphene oxide (GO), graphene quantum dots (GQDs), carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs). Antibacterial activity was tested on 19 types of bacteria. It is found that nanometer-size CQDs and N-CQDs are the most potent agents whereas micrometer-size GO has very poor antibacterial activity. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements confirmed photodynamic production of singlet oxygen for all types of used quantum dots. Detailed analysis has shown that N-CQDs are an excellent photodynamic antibacterial agent for treatment of bacterial infections induced by Enterobacter aerogenes (E. aerogenes), Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (S. saprophyticus), Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
In order to solve the coordination problem between the economy and the stabilization effect of energy storage system, a capacity optimization model based on energy storage to suppress the violent fluctuation of wind power is proposed, and a multi-objective function with the maximum wind power dissipation capacity and the minimum operating cost of energy storage system is established. Considering the average annual cost and penalty cost of the whole life cycle, an evaluation index with correlation coefficient as the fitting degree is proposed, and the reference power of wind farm grid connection is optimized by particle swarm algorithm. Using the operation data of Qidong Wind Farm in Jiangsu Province, the theoretical validity is verified, the coordination is improved to the greatest extent, and the capacity demand for energy storage system is reduced.
We report the results of an 87 deg2 point-source survey centered at R.A. 5h30m, decl. −55° taken with the South Pole Telescope at 1.4 and 2.0 mm wavelengths with arcminute resolution and milli-Jansky depth. Based on the ratio of flux in the two bands, we separate the detected sources into two populations, one consistent with synchrotron emission from active galactic nuclei and the other consistent with thermal emission from dust. We present source counts for each population from 11 to 640 mJy at 1.4 mm and from 4.4 to 800 mJy at 2.0 mm. The 2.0 mm counts are dominated by synchrotron-dominated sources across our reported flux range; the 1.4 mm counts are dominated by synchrotron-dominated sources above ∼15 mJy and by dust-dominated sources below that flux level. We detect 141 synchrotron-dominated sources and 47 dust-dominated sources at signal-to-noise ratio S/N >4.5 in at least one band. All of the most significantly detected members of the synchrotron-dominated population are associated with sources in previously published radio catalogs. Some of the dust-dominated sources are associated with nearby (z ≪ 1) galaxies whose dust emission is also detected by the Infrared Astronomy Satellite. However, most of the bright, dust-dominated sources have no counterparts in any existing catalogs. We argue that these sources represent the rarest and brightest members of the population commonly referred to as submillimeter galaxies (SMGs). Because these sources are selected at longer wavelengths than in typical SMG surveys, they are expected to have a higher mean redshift distribution and may provide a new window on galaxy formation in the early universe.
Purpose – The viticulture sector represents a conspicuous part of the Catalan agricultural and agro food sector. While wine production in Catalonia has been increasing markedly over the first half of the 2000s, prices that grape producers receive have steadily declined threatening their standard of living. This has raised social and political concerns and calls for a better understanding of its causes. This paper aims to comprehend the sources of such price crisis.Design/methodology/approach – A Delphi survey is conducted during 2005 among a panel of 27 wine sector experts.Findings – The results find that experts agree in considering wine surplus and imperfect price transmission as the main causes determining low farm‐gate prices in the Catalan wine sector.Originality/value – The analysis aims at characterizing the food marketing chain for wine products in Catalonia by quantifying the trade flows occuring within this chain. This paper is the first attempt in Catalonia and Spain to quantify and characteriz...
A new, sophisticated analysis of hundreds of genetic sequences of HIV from different time points and locations adds fascinating insights to the origin of the AIDS epidemic. The study, which appears in this issue of Science (see p. 56), confirms earlier analyses that an HIV-infected person came to what today is Kinshasa around 1920, but it then shows for the first time how the virus went from there to two cities in the southeastern portion of the country, likely aided by the extensive rail system that then existed. The researchers also note that 13 documented cases exist of different simian viruses jumping from chimpanzees, gorillas, and monkeys into humans, but only one—known has HIV-1 group M—sparked a global epidemic. They show that group M and another strain, group O, expanded at the same rate until about 1960, but then group M nearly tripled its rate of spread. Possible reasons include public health campaigns that had contaminated needles and an increase in the number of clients of sex workers.
The broadband strong motions by large magnitude subducting earthquakes need to be estimated accurately to promote rational and effective earthquake resistant design of large structures or plans for counter measures of seismic disaster in urban area. We simulated the broadband strong motions in the Tokyo metropolitan area during the great 1923 Kanto earthquake by hybrid method. The distribution of seismic intensity calculated from the simulated strong motions fits the distribution of ratio of collapsed houses during the Kanto earthquake. From this result, the simulated broadband strong motion time histories can be applied to the earthquake resistant design of structures and the plans for counter measures of seismic disaster.
Abstract. Flash floods observed in headwater catchments often cause catastrophic material and human damage worldwide. Considering the large number of small watercourses possibly affected, the use of automated methods for flood inundation mapping at a regional scale can be of great help for the identification of threatened areas and the prediction of potential impacts of these floods. An application of three mapping methods of increasing level of complexity is presented herein, including a digital terrain model (DTM) filling approach (height above nearest drainage/Manning–Strickler or HAND/MS) and two hydrodynamic methods (caRtino 1D and Floodos 2D). These methods are used to estimate the flooded areas of three major flash floods observed during the last 10 years in southeastern France, i.e., the 15 June 2010 flooding of the Argens river and its tributaries (585 km of river reaches), the 3 October 2015 flooding of small coastal rivers of the French Riviera (131 km of river reaches) and the 15 October 2018 flooding of the Aude river and its tributaries (561 km of river reaches). The common features of the three mapping approaches are their high level of automation, their application based on a high-resolution (5 m) DTM, and their reasonable computation times. Hydraulic simulations are run in steady-state regime, based on peak discharges estimated using a rainfall–runoff model preliminarily adjusted for each event. The simulation results are compared with the reported flood extent maps and the high water level marks. A clear grading of the tested methods is revealed, illustrating some limits of the HAND/MS approach and an overall better performance of hydraulic models which solve the shallow water equations. With these methods, a good retrieval of the inundated areas is illustrated by critical success index (CSI) median values close to 80 %, and the errors on water levels remain mostly below 80 cm for the 2D Floodos approach. The most important remaining errors are related to limits of the DTM, such as the lack of bathymetric information, uncertainties on embankment elevation, and possible bridge blockages not accounted for in the models.
In order to improve accuracy of constant altitude fly at low altitude and fly track of glide down to fixed altitude, aeroplane’s control scheme of glide down to fixed low altitude with PID compensatory link were designed. At the same time, the corresponding control laws had been designed. After simple analysis about working principle of the aeroplane’s control system, simulation researches were done to optimize designed control laws, so that achieving expectant requirement. Simulation results show that designed control scheme and control law were accurate and effective.
The lck proto-oncogene encodes a lymphocyte-specific member of the src family of protein tyrosine kinases. Here we demonstrate that pp56lck is phosphorylated in vivo at a carboxy-terminal tyrosine residue (Tyr-505) analogous to Tyr-527 of pp60c-src. Substitution of phenylalanine for tyrosine at this position resulted in increased phosphorylation of a second tyrosine residue (Tyr-394) and was associated with an increase in apparent kinase activity. In addition, this single point mutation unmasked the oncogenic potential of pp56lck in NIH 3T3 cell transformation assays. Viewed in the context of similar results obtained with pp60c-src, it is likely that the enzymatic activity and transforming ability of all src-family protein tyrosine kinases can be regulated by carboxy-terminal tyrosine phosphorylation. We further demonstrate that overexpression of pp56lck in the murine T-cell lymphoma LSTRA as a result of a retroviral insertion event produces a kinase protein that despite wild-type primary structure is nevertheless hypophosphorylated at Tyr-505. Thus, control of normal growth in this lymphoid cell line may have been abrogated through acquisition of a posttranslationally activated version of pp56lck.
When we move the features of our face, or turn our head, we communicate changes in our internal state to the people around us. How this information is encoded and used by an observer's brain is poorly understood. We investigated this issue using a functional MRI adaptation paradigm in awake male macaques. Among face-selective patches of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), we found a double dissociation of areas processing facial expression and those processing head orientation. When we move the features of our face, or turn our head, we communicate changes in our internal state to the people around us. How this information is encoded and used by an observer's brain is poorly understood. We investigated this issue using a functional MRI adaptation paradigm in awake male macaques. Among face-selective patches of the superior temporal sulcus (STS), we found a double dissociation of areas processing facial expression and those processing head orientation. The face-selective patches in the STS fundus were most sensitive to facial expression, as was the amygdala, whereas those on the lower, lateral edge of the sulcus were most sensitive to head orientation. The results of this study reveal a new dimension of functional organization, with face-selective patches segregating within the STS. The findings thus force a rethinking of the role of the face-processing system in representing subject-directed actions and supporting social cognition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT When we are interacting with another person, we make inferences about their emotional state based on visual signals. For example, when a person's facial expression changes, we are given information about their feelings. While primates are thought to have specialized cortical mechanisms for analyzing the identity of faces, less is known about how these mechanisms unpack transient signals, like expression, that can change from one moment to the next. Here, using an fMRI adaptation paradigm, we demonstrate that while the identity of a face is held constant, there are separate mechanisms in the macaque brain for processing transient changes in the face's expression and orientation. These findings shed new light on the function of the face-processing system during social exchanges.
Phenotypic variation controls the species interactions which determine whether or not species coexist. Long‐standing hypotheses in ecology and evolution posit that phenotypic differentiation enables coexistence by increasing the size of niche differentiation. This hypothesis has only been tested using macroscopic traits to date, but niche differentiation, particularly of microscopic organisms, also occurs at the molecular and metabolic level. We examined how phenotypic variation that arises at the level of gene expression over evolutionary time affects phytoplankton species interactions and coexistence. We predicted that similarity in gene expression among species would decline with phylogenetic distance, and that reduced similarity in gene expression would weaken competition, increase facilitation and promote coexistence. To test this, we grew eight species of freshwater green algae in monocultures and bicultures for 46 days in a laboratory microcosm experiment. We quantified the strength of species interactions by: (i) fitting Lotka–Volterra models to time‐series densities and estimating interaction coefficients, and (ii) calculating relative densities that compare species’ steady‐state densities in biculture to those in monoculture. We used Illumina high throughput sequencing to quantify the expression of 1253 families of homologous genes, including a set of 17 candidate genes that we hypothesized a priori to be involved in competition or facilitation. Synthesis. We found that closely related species had greater similarity in gene expression than did distantly related species, but as gene expression became more similar, species experienced weaker competition or greater facilitation, and were more likely to coexist. We identified gene functional categories that were uniquely differentially regulated in association with particular species interaction types. Contrary to common thinking in ecology and evolution, similarity in gene expression, and not differentiation, was associated with weaker competition, facilitation and coexistence.
A new report from the health policy think tank the Nuffield Trust says that cuts in services to patients in England are difficult to justify when many opportunities exist to improve hospitals’ efficiency.  The report points out that efficiency varies widely among hospitals in England across a range of measures, including length of hospital stay, proportion of day cases, and use of information technology. It says that bringing the worst performers up to the level of the best should be a priority.  Other areas where important savings can be made include the procurement of consumable goods and the organisation of back office functions such as finance, human resources, and estates management. The report says at least £600m (€730m; $930m) could be saved …
Slowly modern medicine is making its way into Taiba MDayene a farming village deep in the Senegalese bush. THe village is involved with 400 other villages in the region of Sine Saloum in a major experiment in public health financed and administered in part by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The program objective modest by US standards but potentially revolutionary in rural Senegal is to make the most rudimentary most basic type of health care available to the Senegalese population who live in villages like Taiba MDayene. Specifically the program works to establish a Case de Sante (health hut) in each village staffed by a Village Health Worker (VHW). In effect a first aid worker the VHW administers a few simple drugs for malaria intestinal worms and ophthalmia; disinfects and dresses simple wounds; and refers patients with more serious health problems to a district health center where possibly more sophisticated treatment will be available. The VHW also helps educate other villagers in elementary preventive medicine i.e. sanitation immunization and isolation of infectious diseases. Rural Senegal is fairly typical of the rural regions in most 3rd world countries and few Americans have a clear concept of how they live there. The nutritional deficiencies evident in Senegal amplify the impact of such endemic diseases as malaria tuberculosis measles and various gastrointestinal infections. Gastrointestinal infections and malaria are also most prevalent during the "hard times" of the rainy season. To cope with its daunting health problems Senegal has some 420 doctors. More than 70% of the doctors are concentrated in Dakar and adjacent towns. Hospital facilities are somewhat better distributed. The appalling health care picture reflects Senegals poverty. In Senegal public health programs are viewed as essential. But getting primary health care to rural Senegal is not in the picture for the foreseeable future for neither the money nor the personnel is or will be available. The USAID program got underway in 1977 when village health committees were asked to select village residents for training. Initially the program seemed to be working but within a year or so it was in trouble due to extraordinarily high (up to 80%) attrition among the VHWs. The program was reorganized and the village committees were urged to pick only people rooted in the community to replace the missing VHWs. The new VHWs almost invariably stayed put. Their basic responsibility is to be available in case of sickness or injury. In the quantitative sense the program is really working. THe VHWs are seeking patients. There seems little question that drugs particularly chloroquine are actually being given out although whether they are being dispensed or taken in adequate quantitites is more problematic. Future reductions in infant and adult mortality can result from elementary health education. Further progress will come through improvement in the nutritional status of the rural population. A family planning program has been identified as essential.
Purpose: As the population ages, the incidence and prevalence of chronic health issues requiring allied health management is increasing. Currently, there is an undersupply of appropriately skilled allied health professionals working in aged care. This has also been identified as a setting in which many beginning health practitioners are reluctant to seek employment. In order to address this workforce shortage, it is imperative that students are prepared for a possible future career within aged care facilities. Early clinical experience within this setting may increase student confidence, raise awareness of the need for services, and encourage students to consider working in aged care. At present, student clinical placements within aged care facilities are limited, potentially contributing to difficulties addressing workforce needs. The reasons for the lack of clinical placements and the relative contribution of the opinions, attitudes, training, and support needs of staff are unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the opinions, attitudes, support, and training needs of physiotherapists, dieticians, and managers working in residential aged care regarding allied health professional student clinical placements. Method: A written survey of allied health professionals (dieticians and physiotherapists, n=26) and managers (n=40) working in residential aged care was conducted. Responses were analysed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Results: Participants had generally positive attitudes towards student placements in residential aged care. Managers were significantly more positive regarding the scope for student clinical placements within their facilities than allied health professionals (p<0.05). The biggest barrier to student placements identified by both managers and allied health professionals was the nature of employment of allied health professionals in the sector. Participating allied health professionals also indicated that they required specific training in student supervision and the provision of clinical education. Conclusion: The attitudes and opinions of allied health professionals and managers did not appear to contribute to a lack of allied health professional student placements in aged care facilities. The main barriers to placement were the nature of allied health professional employment and a lack of staff experience in supervising students on clinical placement. Specific training and mentoring of allied health professionals may facilitate increased student placement capacity in the aged care setting.
Lane College is a Historically Black College with a legacy of educating underserved minority students. As a primarily undergraduate teaching college, faculty and students have limited opportunities to engage in undergraduate research. To address this concern, the biology department created the undergraduate research course sequence (Undergraduate Research I and II) to provide course‐based undergraduate research experiences for students. During the Spring 2021 semester, to limit the spread of COVID‐19, the College began the first few weeks with complete online instruction before switching to hybrid or face‐to‐face modality. For the biology undergraduate research students, the projects were redesigned based on input from the students to explore the viral protein structural changes in newly emerging SARS‐CoV‐2 variants of concern (VOC). First, students explored the virology of SARS‐CoV‐2 and structures of key viral proteins using curriculum available from Rutgers University on the Protein Data Bank during the online instruction period. Then the students selected a variant of concern, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), or P.1 (Gamma), and a specific viral protein containing at least one mutation for further study. During the hybrid instruction period, using open‐source bioinformatics tools, including NCBI SARS‐CoV‐2 genome sequences, PANGO Lineage VOC data, UCSC Genome Browser and SNAP Gene, the students mapped the location of the VOC mutation on their chosen protein’s known structure. They then modeled the effect of the mutation on the protein structure using Chimera or iCN3D, since Chimera is not compatible with Chromebooks. Students determined that the mutations found in nsp3 in Alpha variant and ORF8 in Gamma variant did not have a large impact on the overall structure of the proteins and predicted that there would not be significant effects on protein function. In contrast, several mutations found in Beta variant spike protein likely impact receptor binding domain interactions with angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor. The methods developed here will be useful for further investigations of protein structures from emerging variants of concern. This experience demonstrates the utility of bioinformatics research projects in online and hybrid courses and the importance of consideration of compatibility of various open‐source tools with student devices.
Environmental protection is a central challenge these days. At the same time, digital technologies have experienced tremendous technical progress in recent years and their potentials to support firms’ sustainability strate-gies and corporate social responsibility efforts are intensively discussed. In this respect, companies search for efficient ways to trigger a change of em-ployee behavior in terms of climate-friendly practices. We propose chatbots as a promising technology to promote the climate-friendly behavior of em-ployees. Following a Design Science Research (DSR) procedure, we develop a chatbot prototype called KlimaKarl to sensitize the workforce to behave in a more climate-conscious way in the everyday office life. We show that chatbots may be a suitable instrument to promote employees’ climate-friendly behavior.
BACKGROUND Combined oral contraceptives (COCs) reduce levels of androgen, especially testosterone (T), by inhibiting ovarian and adrenal androgen synthesis and by increasing levels of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). Although this suppressive effect has been investigated by numerous studies over many years, to our knowledge no systematic review concerning this issue had been performed. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of COCs on concentrations of total T, free T and SHBG in healthy women and to evaluate differences between the various types of COCs (e.g. estrogen dose, type of progestin) and the assays used to assess total T and free T. METHODS A review of the literature was performed using database searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials) and all publications (from inception date until July 2012) investigating the effect of COCs on androgen levels in healthy women were considered eligible for selection. Three reviewers were involved in study selection, data extraction and critical appraisal. For the meta-analysis, data on total T, free T and SHBG were extracted and combined using random effects analysis. Additional subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate differences between the various types of COCs (e.g. estrogen dose, type of progestin) and the assays used to assess total T or free T. RESULTS A total of 151 records were identified by systematic review and 42 studies with a total of 1495 healthy young women (age range: 18–40 years) were included in the meta-analysis. All included studies were experimental studies and 21 were non-comparative. Pooling of the results derived from all the included papers showed that total T levels significantly decreased during COC use [mean difference (MD) (95% confidence interval, CI) −0.49 nmol/l (−0.55, −0.42); P < 0.001]. Significantly lower levels of free T were also found [relative change (95% CI) 0.39 (0.35, 0.43); P < 0.001], with a mean decrease of 61%. On the contrary, SHBG concentrations significantly increased during all types of COC use [MD (95% CI) 99.08 nmol/l (86.43, 111.73); P < 0.001]. Subgroup analyses revealed that COCs containing 20–25 µg EE had similar effects on total and free T compared with COCs with 30–35 µg EE. In addition, suppressive effects on T levels were not different when comparing different types of progestins. However, subgroup analyses for the estrogen dose and the progestin type in relation to changes in SHBG levels did show significant differences: COCs containing second generation progestins and/or the lower estrogen doses (20–25 µg EE) were found to have less impact on SHBG concentrations. CONCLUSIONS The current literature review and meta-analysis demonstrates that COCs decrease circulating levels of total T and free T and increase SBHG concentrations. Due to the SHBG increase, free T levels decrease twice as much as total T. The estrogen dose and progestin type of the COC do not influence the decline of total and free T, but both affect SHBG. The clinical implications of suppressed androgen levels during COC use remain to be elucidated.
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens causing mastitis in cattle, and it is responsible for economic losses in dairy herds worldwide. The PCR amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer (ribosomal spacer PCR, RS-PCR) allows a rapid classification of the strains in genotypes and genotypic clusters (CL), which are characterized by different epidemiological and clinical properties. Both RS-PCR and multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) were performed on strains isolated from bovine bulk tank milk (BTM) collected from dairy herds located in the Lombardy region (northern Italy), to outline the distribution of Staph. aureus genotypes in this geographical area. Out of 844 examined samples, 398 were positive for Staph. aureus, with a variable number of cfu/mL. Up to 8 colonies from each sample were genotyped. A total of 1,101 Staph. aureus strains were analyzed with RS-PCR, and only a selection of them (n = 86), in relation to their frequency and geographical origin, underwent MLST. This study revealed 8 major genotypic clusters (CLB, CLC, CLR, CLS, CLI, CLF, CLAO, and CLZ), of which Staph. aureus CLB (29.3%) was the most common. Samples of BTM positive for CLB had a Staph. aureus cfu/mL count significantly higher than the non-CLB positive ones. Our MLST analysis showed genotypes already known as bovine-associated in literature, such as clonal complexes CC8, CC97, and CC151. The same selection of 86 strains was also analyzed for the presence of the adlb gene, which was recently proposed as a possible marker of contagiousness. Most Staph. aureus belonging to CLB or CC8 carried the adlb gene (85%), whereas this gene was detected in only 9% of non-CLB strains (CLAA, CLBI, CLBJ, CLS). In conclusion, the present study confirms that Staph. aureus CLB, which is recognized as a contagious genotype, is a particularly relevant agent of intramammary infection in dairy cows in Lombardy, and indirectly supports the idea that adlb can be a possible marker of contagiousness of isolates.
To analyze and identify the chemical constituents from Yinyanghuo Zonghuangtong capsule by using UPLC/Q-TOF-MS/MS. Chromatographic separation was carried out on an Agilent SB-C₁₈ column (2.1 mm×100 mm, 1.8 μm) at the temperature of 30 ℃. The mobile phase was 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile by gradient elution, with a flow rate at 0.30 mL•min⁻¹, and the injection volume of 2 μL. The MS spectrum was acquired in both negative and positive ion modes using ESI ion source. Based on relative accurate molecular weight, secondary mass spectrometry pyrolysis fragments and chromatographic peak retention time, as well as fragmentation regularity summarized from reference substance and the literature, we could effectively identify the chemical structure of the components under test. As a result, a total of 46 compounds, including flavonoid glycosides, phenolic acids and alkaloids, were successfully identified or tentatively predicted. The results provide technical support for quality control and late-stage clinical application of Yinyanghuo Zonghuangtong capsule, and reference for further expound the pharmacodynamic material basis.
With the continuous development of economy in China, the demand of both passenger car volume and its comfort increases.The air suspension system has solved the comfort problem as the times require. At the same time, the reliability of the product has attracted more and more attention from users. This study describes the structure and design principle of the air suspension system, and makes an analysis and Discussion on the key use effect, i. e. the damping effect.
We investigate the effective mechanical response of a layered system consisting of a thin crystalline sheet (nanomembrane) on a bulk substrate, with a high elastic mismatch (in the range of 5 to 9 orders of magnitude) between the stiff sheet and the compliant substrate. Using finite-element mechanics models and indentation experiments ranging from micro to nano, we show that the mismatch between the sheet and substrate elastic moduli, the length scale of deformation, and the sheet thickness all play a significant role in defining the effective stiffness of the layered system. For a wide range of indenter sizes, the mechanical response of the composite system is indistinguishable from that of the compliant substrate. In particular, at large indenter sizes, the mechanical response of the layered system is dominated by that of the compliant substrate. For decreasing indenter sizes, the effective stiffness of the layered structure reaches a finite value different from either the one expected for the compliant substrate or for a bulk crystal of the same material as the stiff top membrane.
Abstract Background. This phase 2/3, randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blinded study assessed the immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of an inactivated, split-virion H5N1 influenza vaccine (A/Indonesia/5/2005) in children aged 6 months through 17 years. Methods. Children received 2 influenza vaccine doses 21 days apart, each containing 1.9 µg of hemagglutinin and AS03B adjuvant (5.93 mg of α-tocopherol). The randomization ratio was 8:3 for vaccine to placebo, with equal allocation between 3 age strata (6–35 months, 3–8 years, and 9–17 years). Immunogenicity against the vaccine strain was assessed 21 days after the first and second vaccine doses for all vaccinees, at day 182 for half, and at day 385 for the remaining half. Reactogenicity after each dose and safety up to 1 year after vaccination were evaluated. Results. Within each age stratum, the lower limit of the 98.3% confidence interval for the day 42 seroprotection rate was ≥70%, thus fulfilling the US and European licensure criteria. The immune responses elicited by vaccine persisted well above baseline levels for 1 year. The vaccine was more reactogenic than placebo, but no major safety concerns were identified. Conclusions. AS03B-adjuvanted H5N1 influenza vaccine was immunogenic and showed an acceptable safety profile in all age groups studied. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT01310413.
A microwave experiment has been realized to measure the phase difference of the oscillating electric field at two points inside the cavity. The technique has been applied to a dissipative resonator which exhibits a singularity-called exceptional point-in its eigenvalue and eigenvector spectrum. At the singularity, two modes coalesce with a phase difference of pi/2. We conclude that the state excited at the singularity has a definitive chirality.
CVDs have high incidence in patients with CKD, which are up to 20 times more likely to develop them compared to other populations3, which implies high mortality rates in this specific population. Traditional risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemias, diabetes, smoking habits, among others, do not always explain cardiovascular events in patients with CKD. Among non-traditional factors commonly present in CKD are oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction, aortic calcification, inflammation, and more recently, the accumulation of uremic toxins, which may cause insulin resistance, increased inflammatory cytokine production, and atherosclerosis4-7.
The reform of state-owned enterprises has entered into a critical and deep-water area. Exploratory research on incentive methods for CEOs who are recruited into state-owned enterprises through market needs theoretical guidance and support from the related theories of incentive scheme and mechanism. The extant literature studied the combination of incentive mechanisms for CEOs; however, substitution relationship and complementary relationship between different incentive mechanisms are under-researched. This study develops theoretical models to study the effectiveness and restrictiveness interacted between different incentive mechanisms. According to our findings, the short-term performance share incentive and the effectiveness of long-term stock ownership incentive has a negative correlation with CEO risk aversion, environmental uncertainty and stock market uncertainty; the short-term performance share incentive, the long-term stock ownership incentive and CEO control incentive are complementary. Increase of CEO delegation should be considered when principal increases the CEO short-term performance share and long-term stock ownership incentive. Along with the development of enterprise, the effectiveness of CEO material incentive decreases, and the material incentive barely substitute the immaterial incentive. Principal needs to pay more focus on CEO immaterial incentive. This study enriches the extant literature by contributing implications to combination of incentive mechanisms for marketization-recruited CEOs in state-owned enterprises.
BACKGROUND Animal models of neural tube defects (NTDs) have indicated roles for the Fzd3 gene and the planar cell polarity signaling pathway in convergent extension. We investigated the involvement of FZD3 in genetic and epigenetic mechanisms associated with human NTDs, especially spina bifida. We explored the effects of variants spanning the FZD3 gene in NTDs and examined the role of aberrant methylation of the FZD3 promoter on gene expression in brain tissue in spina bifida.   METHODS Six FZD3 single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using a MassARRAY system in tissue from 165 NTD fetuses and 152 controls. DNA methylation aberrations in the FZD3 promoter region were detected using a MassARRAY EpiTYPER (17 CpG units from -500 to -2400 bp from the transcription start site) in brain tissue from 77 spina bifida and 74 control fetuses.   RESULTS None of the six single nucleotide polymorphisms evaluated were significantly associated with spina bifida, but the mean methylation level was significantly higher in spina bifida samples (13.70%) compared with control samples (10.91%) (p = 0.001). In terms of specific sites, DNA methylation levels were significantly higher in the spina bifida samples at 14 of the 17 CpG units, which mostly included in R2 region. FZD3 mRNA expression was negatively correlated with methylation of the FZD3 promoter region, especially the R2 region (R = 0.970; p = 0.001) in HeLa cells.   CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that DNA methylation plays an important role in FZD3 gene expression regulation and may be associated with an increased risk of spina bifida.
Cognitive science is a new paradigm that informs and involves several disciplines, including artificial intelligence, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, cognitive ethology, and the philosophy of mind. Cognitive science studies the mind as an information processor, with the computer often operating as a metaphor for the operations of the mind. Developments in the cognitive sciences stand to affect tremendously how we think of the mind and, consequently, how we think of theological and religious claims that concern the human subject. The unity of self, claims of human uniqueness, the relation of mind and body, human nature, and the personal agency of God are all areas of religious import in which the cognitive sciences need to be taken into account.
Developing a precise understanding of the dynamic behavior of time series is crucial for the success of forecasting techniques. We introduce a novel communication-theoretic framework for modeling and forecasting time series. In particular, the observed time series is modeled as the output of a noisy communication system with the input as the future values of time series. We use a data-driven probabilistic approach to estimate the unknown parameters of the system which in turn is used for forecasting. We also develop an extension of the proposed framework together with a filtering algorithm to account for the noise and heterogeneity in the quality of time series. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
Under cryogenic conditions, n-alkane nanoparticles are formed in trichlorofluoromethane/nalkane systems. -Irradiation in combination with EPR-spectroscopy has been utilized to characterize these nanoparticles and to determine their physical state (crystalline vs. amorphous). From such experiments, it appears that the size of these nanoparticles can be controlled through experimental parameters, such as concentration and chain length of the n-alkane solute, and that it may range from essentially monomolecular to aggregates large enough to crystallize. The n-alkane nanoparticles appear very useful for gaining insight into the properties of pentacoordinated alkyl carbonium ions and into the -basicity of n-alkanes. -Irradiated cryogenic trichlorofluoromethane/n-alkane systems have proven invaluable in the study of symmetric proton transfer from alkane radical cations to alkane molecules, a reaction process that is characterized by quite intriguing selectivity with respect to both the site of proton donation and proton acceptance. Such investigations are currently leading to a profound insight into the relative propensity of different CH bonds in alkanes to act as proton acceptor. 1. THE TECHNOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF PENTACOORDINATED ALKYL CARBONIUM IONS AND THE -BASICITY OF ALKANES Catalytic conversion reactions are an essential part of the petroleum refining process; they greatly assist in making optimal use of the raw material (crude oil) and in providing fuels that reconcile the potentially conflicting aims of (i) being environmentally friendly, (ii) posing no undue health hazards and (iii) being suitable/efficient for internal combustion engines. It has long been established that acid-catalyzed transformation processes of saturated hydrocarbons, i.e., alkylation, isomerization and fragmentation (cracking) are carbocation reactions involving trivalent carbenium ions. Major steps in the mechanism of such reactions are intermolecular hydride-ion transfer from a tertiary position in a branched alkane to a carbenium ion and (as a result of the reactivity and trivalent character of the alkyl carbenium ions involved) the ease of shift of a hydrogen atom or alkyl group intramolecularly from one carbon atom to another. In the case of acid-catalyzed isomerization and cracking, the initiation reaction has been the source of a great deal of discussion for many years; according to one prominent proposal, alkyl carbonium ions may play an important role in the initiation of these processes as reactive intermediates and/or transition states [1-3]. Pentacoordinated alkyl carbonium ions are highly reactive species formed by protonation of saturated hydrocarbons [4]. In contrast to typical organic bases containing heteroatoms (e.g., amines) where protonaton occurs at the heteroatom involving the lone-pair electrons, protonation of alkanes takes place at C-H and C-C bonds (both -bonds) by virtue of the formation of a threecenter two-electron bond, hence the notion  -basicity of alkanes. This -basicity is based on the general electron-pair donor ability of shared electron pairs in single bonds, in contrast to the donor Materials Science Forum Online: 2004-05-15 ISSN: 1662-9752, Vols. 453-454, pp 243-250 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.453-454.243 © 2004 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications Ltd, www.scientific.net. (Semanticscholar.org-11/03/20,15:48:46) ability of unshared electron pairs (lone-pair electrons) in conventional Lewis bases. In C-H protonated alkanes, the three-center two-electron bond may be depicted as resulting from the overlap of the -orbital of a hydrogen molecule with an empty sp 3 orbital of the appropriate carbon atom. In C-C protonated alkanes, the bonding can be depicted as an overlap of two sp 3 orbitals belonging to adjacent carbon atoms and the 1s orbital of atomic hydrogen, the three-center bond again containing two electrons. Pentacoordinated alkyl carbonium ions may well play an important role in the acid-catalyzed transformation of saturated hydrocarbons. On catalysts containing Brønsted acid sites, initiation of acid-catalyzed transformation processes can either be represented by protonation of -electron systems or of C-H and saturated C-C bonds (i.e., -bonds) depending on the type of transformation. Due to high reactivity of olefins toward electrophiles, resulting from the -electron-donor ability of unsaturated systems, the initiation reaction of alkylation processes consists in protonation at the double bond of the olefinic component of the reaction mixture, resulting directly in the formation of trivalent carbenium ions. CnH2n + H + -CatCnH2n+1 + + Cat(1) In contrast, initiation of acid-catalyzed isomerization and fragmentation (cracking) of saturated hydrocarbons can be neatly represented by protonation of -bonds with the formation of pentacoordinated alkyl carbonium ions, CnH2n+2 + H + -CatCnH2n+3 + + Cat(2) as C-H protonated alkanes dissociate into alkyl carbenium ions and molecular hydrogen CnH2n+3 + CnH2n+1 + + H2 (3) and C-C protonated alkanes dissociate into shorter-chain alkyl carbenium ions and neutral alkanes. CnH2n+3 + CmH2m+1 + + CmH2m+2 (4) According to this view, isomerization is initiated by C-H protonation of the alkane, whereas in acidcatalyzed fragmentation (cracking) the initiation process is conceived as C-C protonation of the heavy alkane. Though alternative initiation mechanisms for the generation of the active trivalent carbenium ions have been proposed [5], the carbonium initiation mechanism constitutes an attractive and plausible pathway that is seeing increased research interest from both experimental and computational chemistry. It is evident that a thorough understanding of the properties of pentacoordinated alkyl carbonium ions may be of great help to shed light on this matter and that, as a consequence, it is highly relevant from a technological point of view to study the  -basicity of alkanes. Pentacoordinated alkyl carbonium ions are very elusive species, however, some are stable others unstable, but they are all very reactive. Because of this, cryogenic methods with matrix isolation appear particularly suited to study their properties and to gain information on preferential protonation of different C-H and C-C bonds in saturated hydrocarbons. In this paper, it is described how n-alkane nanoparticles in cryogenic CCl3F/n-alkanes make a contribution in this regard. 2. CHARACTERIZATION OF n-ALKANE NANOPARTICLES IN CRYOGENIC ccl3f/nALKANES Irradiation with -rays in combination with EPR spectral analysis of the resulting paramagnetic species that are associated with the alkane solute (viz., alkane radical cations and/or neutral alkyl radicals) is utilized to characterize the n-alkane nanoparticles present in cryogenic CCl3F/n-alkanes. Paramagnetic species associated with the irradiated CCl3F matrix do not hinder such analysis, because their spectra are very broad and consequently of low apparent intensity. The basic mechanism of the radiolytic process is well understood. As trichlorofluoromethane is the dominant component in binary CCl3F/alkane systems at moderate alkane concentrations, absorption 244 Progress in Advanced Materials and Processes
ABSTRACT Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the plantar pressures and bone stiffness of the calcaneus in badminton players compare to healthy participants, as well as to detect possible asymmetries and chronic adaptations derived from the prolonged practice of badminton. Methods: Twenty-two badminton players (35.2 ± 13.6 years, 169.4 ± 8.2 cm, 67.6 ± 13.7 kg) and 30 healthy controls (32.2 ± 12.8 years, 170.7 ± 9.5 cm, 66.25 ± 14.84 kg) volunteered to participate in this investigation. A Footwork® Pro pressure platform was used to study plantar pressures and an Achilles® bone scanner was used to record the bone stiffness of the calcaneus. The variables analyzed were plantar surface, percentage of force per area (forefoot and hindfoot), distance between the center of pressure and the projection of the center of mass in standing, and calcaneal bone stiffness. Results: The values of bone stiffness of the calcaneus were higher in badminton players than control group in the dominant lower limb (Badminton = 114.32 ± 18.97 U.A. vs. Control = 102.07 ± 16.36 U.A.; p = 0.019) and non-dominant lower limb (Badminton = 115.12 ± 21.95 U.A. vs Control = 101.37 ± 15.72 U.A.; p = 0.014). Badminton players showed asymmetric values in mean pressure (dominant = 35.41 ± 6.05 Kpa vs. non-dominant = 39.21 ± 6.54 Kpa; p = 0.011) and distance among center of pressure of each foot and center of mass (dominant = 11.28 ± 1.65 cm vs. non-dominant = 10.48 ± 1.63 cm; p = 0.025). Conclusions: The calcaneal stiffness of the badminton players was higher than control group, which places badminton in the category of osteogenic sports. The badminton players showed an asymmetric pattern during the static balance, which may be an indicative of asymmetries derived from the continued practice of badminton.
Existing matching algorithms aim to match conjugate points among overlapping satellite scenes acquired from the same orbit and can generally achieve good matching performance. Unfortunately, no algorithm can avoid the difficulty of simultaneously processing the data sets of long-strip imagery acquired from different orbits. In this paper, the combined matching algorithm we propose introduces the LBP/C operator, which, when combined with existing feature detectors for the first time, can make possible the extraction of more stable interest points and candidates. At the same time, based on the typical characteristics of Chinese satellite imagery, we improved the filter method and achieved an effective combination of several image matching algorithms. A comparison among several kinds of matching transfer modes was presented; and to evaluate this algorithm, Chinese Mapping Satellite-I data are used as the reference data.
In this paper, a maximum likelihood (ML) unequal error protection (UEP) video streaming technique is proposed for WirelessMAN-Advanced systems that are equipped with multiple antennas. The assumed video compression method is H.264/AVC which is a commercially successful technique. ML signal detection is optimal in terms of packet error performance for multiple antenna systems. However, common wisdom is that the optimal ML detection cannot be used for an implementation of UEP which is important for video streaming. In this paper, it is shown that UEP can be implemented using the optimal ML detection. With the aid of computer simulations, the proposed ML-UEP technique is shown to improve video quality significantly compared to a recently proposed UEP technique that is based on the suboptimal signal detection QR-LRL. The PSNR improvement by the proposed method comes at the cost of increased computational complexity in the physical layer 1.
The general purposes of these experiments were to: (1) replicate earlier findings that release from masking could not be obtained using a pure‐tone masker, (2) determine whether the release from masking could be obtained for remote masking of low‐frequency tones by higher‐frequency noise, and (3) determine if there was a relation between the amount of masking and the release from masking. Results indicated that, in confirmation of earlier work, release from masking could not be obtained using a pure‐tone masker. Also, the use of high‐frequency noise to mask lower‐frequency tones did not result in release from masking. Research on the possible relation of the amount of masking to the amount of release from masking is still in progress.
Introduction P.Z. Grossman and D.H. Cole 1. Is anything naturally a monopoly? P.Z. Grossman 2. The origins and development of electric power regulation R.L. Bradley, Jr 3. The "Regulatory Contract" D.H. Cole 4. The Zenith of the natural monopoly system P.Z. Grossman 5. Whither natural monopoly? J.P. Tomain 6. Universal service in competitive retail electric markets J. Rossi 7. Stranded benefits vs. stranded costs in utility deregulation R.W. Cearley and D.H. Cole 8. Why the music is off-key when lawyers sing from economists' songbooks or why public utility deregulation will fail A.P. Morriss 9. Does the end of a natural monopoly mean deregulation? P.Z. Grossman
Phraseology constitutes an indisputably important area of language proficiency. Among the methods devised to explore this domain, semiautomated analysis of learner corpora has yielded important findings, especially in the case of intermediate and advanced levels. This paper investigates phraseological competence in Italian as a Foreign Language between the A2 and B1 levels of the CEFR. We collected 160 texts based on different combinations of task difficulty and learner level and we compared, through two-way Anova tests, the different groups. Results show that A2 leaners produce more non-collocational bigrams with respect to other groups, but when they attempt a B1 task they experience difficulty in producing high frequency bigrams. Implications for instruction and further research are discussed.
We have continued our investigation of the effect of shear flow on the microstructure of model near-hard-sphere dispersions by using the computer simulation technique of Brownian dynamics (BD) in the approximation ignoring many-body hydrodynamics. We have determined a non-equilibrium phase diagram that gives the shear rate at which there is a transition between an amorphous liquid-like structure at low shear rate to an ordered phase at high shear rates, as a function of the fraction of solids. We have derived the mathematical Fourier-transform procedure needed to compute the structure factor (and therefore predicted scattering intensities) from the model system under shear, subject to sliding periodic boundary conditions. The relationship between the real space ‘snap-shot’ configurations and these structure factors is thereby elucidated. We also make a quantitative comparison between the scattering intensities obtained by recent light-scattering experiments and those predicted by our model. There is some qualitative agreement between the experimental and simulation intensites for moderate shear thinning; however, the model forms an ordered ‘string’ phase at low volume fractions and infinite shear rates, which the experiments do not confirm.
Nanoparticles working in the NIR-II biowindows possess larger maximum permissible exposure (MPE) and desirable penetration depth to the laser. However, most NIR-II responsive nanomaterials lack tumor targeting and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ability. This greatly limits their applications. This study reported ultra-small bimetallic iron–palladium (FePd) nanoparticle loaded macrophages for targeted tumor photothermal therapy in NIR-II biowindows and magnetic resonance imaging. The crystal phase, morphology, absorption spectrum and photothermal performance of the synthesized samples were systematically characterized. The effects of photothermal therapy and nuclear magnetic imaging (MRI) were studied both in vitro and in vivo. Since FePd nanoparticles have both iron and palladium elements, it had a good MRI imaging capability and high photothermal conversion efficiency (36.7%). After binding to macrophages, FePd nanoparticles@macrophages (FePd@M) showed a good tumor targeting ability and were used for targeting NIR-II photothermal therapy and MRI imaging of tumors. The results of photothermal treatment showed that the tumor volume decreased by 90% compared to the control group, and no significant organ toxicity was observed. The results of MRI imaging showed that the FePd@M has the best imaging effect. The nanoparticles with the excellent NIR-II PTT ability and MRI effect have overcome the problem of tumor targeting and avoid the rapid removal of ultra-small nanoparticles. The FePd@M delivery system provides new ideas for material construction in the NIR-II region and has great clinical application potential.
Recent studies have highlighted that, in today's extremely competitive markets, using hedonic measurement alone is inadequate for evaluating consumer product experience. Measuring emotional response is suggested to provide a richer insight into consumer responses. The objectives of this study were to 1) measure consumer emotional responses to beer, 2) determine whether a relationship exists between sensory and emotional attributes of products, and finally 3) investigate the relative impact of sensory and packaging attributes on the emotional response to beer. Using the EsSense Profile technique, the levels of liking and emotional response to a broad range of 10 commercial lager beers were evaluated by 90 lager consumers under three different conditions: blind (liquid only), pack (packaging only), and informed (liquid plus packaging). Emotional response was shown to discriminate across the beer samples in terms of both pleasantness and engagement level. Packaging cues were more influential on emotional response, but sensory attributes did play a role. Increasing carbonation and familiarity and decreasing sweetness and alcohol content were shown to influence a more pleasant and engaged emotional response in this set of beers. This study highlights the need to evaluate both liquid and packaging characteristics to gain better insights into developing and understanding the emotional signature of beer.
Ionizing radiation triggers activation of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ), which is implicated in regulation of cell cycle, apoptosis, immune response. Our prior work has shown that the DNA damage response is compromised when TGFβ is inhibited prior to irradiation in mouse epithelial tissues and human mammary epithelial cells (Cancer Res 62:5627, 2002; Cancer Res 66:10861, 2006). TGFβ depletion compromises ataxia telengiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase activity and autophosphorylation in irradiated epithelial cells, leading to reduced phosphorylation of critical DNA damage transducers, abrogation of the cell cycle block and apoptosis. If cancer cells are similarly regulated, then TGFβ inhibition could improve the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy (RT). We used the highly metastatic 4T1 mouse mammary carcinoma model to evaluate the impact of TGFβ inhibition on the response to radiation in vitro and in vivo. Cultured 4T1 cells were TGFβ responsive as demonstrated by SMAD phosphorylation, but were not sensitive to TGFβ growth inhibition. 4T1 cells were radiosensitized following inhibition of TGFβ type I receptor kinase with a small molecule inhibitor as shown by clonogenic assay. For in vivo evaluation, 4T1 cells were injected s.c. in the flank of syngeneic mice and were treated when tumors became palpable 13 days later. Mice were randomly assigned to four groups receiving control isotype monoclonal antibody (mAb), 50mg/kg 1D11.16, a monoclonal pan-specific TGFβ neutralizing antibody, local RT and isotype control mAb, or RT and 1D11.16. In the first experiment, mAb were administered at 24 hr prior to the first radiation treatment and RT was delivered as three fractions of 12 Gy on three consecutive days. 1D11.16 treatment slightly reduced tumor growth rate compared to isotype mAB control-treated mice but tumor weights were not significantly different on day 28 (N=5, 0.62 ± 0.07 vs 0.54 ± 0.09 gm). When administered in combination with RT, 1D11.16 enhanced tumor growth delay and significantly reduced tumor weight at experiment termination (N=5, 0.12 ± 0.02 vs 0.24 ± 0.04 gm; p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1395.
The adsorption of colicin E2-P9 to its specific receptors on cells of sensitive strains of Escherichia coli is reversible under normal experimental conditions. At temperatures above 20 C, colicin may desorb from one cell and be readsorbed by a second with potentially lethal consequences. However, desorption of colicin seems unable to rescue a cell once it has received a lethal dose. These findings have implications both for the nature and types of specific receptors, and for the assay of colicin by the survivor count (lethal unit) methods.
We report a technique for continuous tuning the coherence length of semiconductor laser. The coherence length of the semiconductor laser is controlled by using optical feedback scheme. The results show that the coherence length of semiconductor laser can be shortened from several meters of the original solitary laser to 100 μm by the implementation of optical feedback. Experimental results indicate that the coherence length of the laser depends strongly on the feedback strength， but is insensitive to the bias current. The results of numerical simulations using rate equation of semiconductor laser are fully consistent with our experimental results.
The state of Victoria, Australia proclaimed its first Regulations and Code of Practice to address musculo-skeletal disorders (MSD) in 1988. After 10 years of implementation across industry, it has been replaced by new, revised Regulations and Code of Practice on 1st July 1999. This paper will review evaluation studies conducted as part of the evaluation of the original Australian Regulations on Manual Handling as well as the evaluation of the Draft 1999 Regulations. These studies indicated that industry was able to embrace the performance based approach to legislation relating to manual handling injuries. However, there was a distinct difference in the approach between small and large employers. The second study identified that the useability of the new Regulations and Code of Practice was influenced by the length, complexity of technical language and practical information relating to compliance provided in the Regulation and Code of Practice.
Objective: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) reached Europe in March, including Estonia (population 1.3 million) with two waves in 2020. Suddenly all citizens needed new information about cleaning and disinfectants including the need for information on safe usage. People remained at home while almost 90% of poisonings occur at home, therefore an increase in poisonings was expected. In addition to advising on toxicity, the EPIC was also expected to provide constant media information to target groups. Previously planned Poisoning Prevention Week (in March) rapidly required new content. The aim is to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 on EPIC's hotline in order to be better prepared for poisoning prevention in the future. Methods: A retrospective study analyzing the data from the EPIC's hotline 2019-2020. We compared the number of monthly calls in 2020, as well the number of yearly calls in 2020/2019. The information collected included: type of caller, age group, reason for exposure (accident, intentional), specific type of exposure. Increases or decreases of 10% in parameters with N > 5 were considered a change. Results: The average number of monthly calls in 2020 was around 325 (an increase of 32% from 2019), with rapid change in 2020 from March compared with February (increased by 65%). The number of calls remained high until the end of 2020. Compared to annual average statistics 2019/2020: there were more calls concerning adults (39%, 1069/1483), while calls regarding children (0-3 years/4-17 years) increased modestly (28%/26%). There was a small change in calls regarding drug poisoning (increasing 17%). Poisoning from chemicals increased 33%, including a marked increase in calls about disinfectants of 505% (22/133 compared 2019/2020), while exposures to mixed chemicals markedly decreased (-97%, 30 poisonings 2019/1 call 2020). Accidents with button batteries increased 76% (38/67 comparing 2019/2020). Many people visited woodland to avoid crowded places and this was associated with an increase in enquiries about mushrooms (149%), snakes (62%), and plants (46%) following the first COVID-19 wave. There was no significant change in the ratio of accidental/intentional poisoning or the ratio of caller type (public/medical professionals), compared 2019/2020. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the activity of EPIC significantly and trends were identified. It is possible to assume that the EPIC's active role in the crisis with a strategic communication may be related to the higher number of calls through increased awareness. The identified toxicity trends need more precise targeting in the media for subsequent coronavirus outbreaks. (Table Presented).
Household food insecurity occurs in the context of families’ experiences of difficult life events. Using the family adaptation and adjustment response model and elements of life course theory, we analyzed 14 in-depth interviews to determine the types of events that families experience, what demands and capabilities the families possess, and how they incorporate meanings into the formation of individual and family identities in the face life events and food insecurity. Commonly cited demands dealt with family issues, health, and employment. Commonly cited capabilities were family support, employment, job training, and assistance programs. Meanings within the context of individual and family identity centered around stress appraisal, religious perspectives, and meanings of food.
The adiabatic quantum computation is a universal and robust method of quantum computing. In this architecture, the problem can be solved by adiabatically evolving the quantum processor from the ground state of a simple initial Hamiltonian to that of a final one, which encodes the solution of the problem. Adiabatic quantum computation has been proved to be a compatible candidate for scalable quantum computation. In this Letter, we report on the experimental realization of an adiabatic quantum algorithm on a single solid spin system under ambient conditions. All elements of adiabatic quantum computation, including initial state preparation, adiabatic evolution (simulated by optimal control), and final state read-out, are realized experimentally. As an example, we found the ground state of the problem Hamiltonian S_{z}I_{z} on our adiabatic quantum processor, which can be mapped to the factorization of 35 into its prime factors 5 and 7.
Uncovering Proteins That Are Missing or Have Unknown Function and Developing Analytical Methods F the past 6 years, the Journal of Proteome Research has supported the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) in dedicating a special issue of the journal to the Chromosomecentric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP); for the past 2 years, it has encompassed the whole HPP with contributions also from the Biology/Disease (B/D)-HPP and the HPP resource pillars. The 32 papers published this month further annotate the human protein parts list or present advances in analytical methods for the identification of proteoforms or new members of the human proteome. This Editorial presents highlights of selected papers that focus on the increasingly difficult task for the C-HPP international teams of identifying the remaining unannotated proteins in the human proteome that lack evidence of existence at the protein level (PE1) but have less direct evidence of their existence (PE2,3,4), the socalled missing proteins (MPs) in neXtProt. In total, 104 MPs have been found that meet the stringent HPP guidelines designed to mitigate against false discovery and incorrect annotation in neXtProt and other public databases (Table 1).
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) is defined as the herniation of abdominal contents through an orifice in the diaphragm. Most common type of CDH is the Bochdalek hernia; other types include Morgagni hernia, posterior hernia and Central hernia of the diaphragm. Defect in the diaphragm allows the abdominal organs to push into the proper lung formation leading to hypoplastic lungs and abnormal vessels that cause respiratory insufficiency and persistent pulmonary hypertension with high mortality. The incidence is 1 in 2,500 live-births. This case report is about a full term male baby who died of respiratory distress within a few hours of birth. On dissection, a left-sided posterolateral diaphragmatic hernia with associated intestinal malrotation was found, suggestive of Bochdalek's hernia. Keywords: Dextrocardia, Diaphragmatic hernia, Mediastinal shift, Pulmonary hypoplasia
Inthisresearch,thecisplatinhasbeensuccessfullydepositedonpureMgspecimen,degradableandpromisingforthetumortreatmentbyitslocalsustainedreleasetopreventthecancerfrommetastasisandeventoachieveitsapoptosis.ThecathodicpolarizationtestscoupledwithelectrochemicalreactionsinvariousconcentrationsofcisplatinsolutionswerequalitativelyandquantitativelyanalyzedtospeculatethedepositionmechanismofcisplatinbyUVvisiblespectrometer,Fouriertransforminfraredspectroscopy,ﬁeldemissionscanningelectronmicroscopecoupledwithenergy-dispersivespectroscopy,focusedionbeam,andX-raydiffractometer.Thedrug,cisplatin,isdepositedonthepureMgthroughexchangingCl − with OH − , produced by the electrochemical method, to form strong hydrogen bonds for attracting one another. The FESEM images of cisplatin coated Mg specimens reveal that the diameter of cisplatin particle is around 50–150 nm with sphere-like shape. While that on cisplatin/HAp composite is less than 30 nm. Due to the high porosity, the drug loading on cisplatin/HAp coated one can be enhanced from 34.65 to 84.93 μ g/cm 2 . Also, the drug release duration can be elongated from one day burst to 3 weeks sustained release, which is promising for future clinical applications.
All societies have objects they retain and cherish and in Europe, in the 21st century, that typicall means placing them in a museum and letting conservators and other museum staff ‘take care’ of them. But we conservators are invariably focussed on how and not why we are doing this. We spend our time talking to other conservators about ‘ethical approaches’ and obsess about the disparity between the different areas of conservation. We stand uncertain and mute as decisions are made in museums, universities and wider society that threaten the existence of the objects we care for and the institutions in which they reside. Do we have an accurate all-embracing view of conservation, a clear sense of purpose, a lucid series of aims, and can we articulate them in less than 500 pages? (e.g. Stanley Price et al 1996). If we cannot clearly and simply tell/convince society why we do what we do, what right do we have to intervene with society’s most valued and treasured objects? In the following paragraphs I outline a basic series of aims for conservation. Do I accurately describe what conservation is and are these aims sustainable for the foreseeable future?
This quantitative study was aimed to determine the relationship between peer attachment and psychological well-being of university students. The subjects of this study were 69 university students from 20 to 29 years old. The measurements were Scale of Psychological Well-being (SPW; I± = 0,805) based on six aspects of psychological well-being from Ryff & Keyes (1989) and Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) subscale Peer Attachment (I± = 0,903), scale was adapted based on three aspects from Armsden and Greenberg (1987). The results of this study showed a positive relationship between peer attachment and psychological well-being of university students, r = 0,382 and p = 0.001 (p<0.01). These findings suggest that psychological well-being was affected by peer attachment. Â  Key words: psychological well-being, peer attachment, university students
Diffusion models (DMs) have recently emerged as a promising method in image synthesis. However, to date, only little attention has been paid to the detection of DM-generated images, which is critical to prevent adverse impacts on our society. In this work, we address this pressing challenge from two different angles: First, we evaluate the performance of state-of-the-art detectors, which are very effective against images generated by generative adversarial networks (GANs), on a variety of DMs. Second, we analyze DM-generated images in the frequency domain and study different factors that influence the spectral properties of these images. Most importantly, we demonstrate that GANs and DMs produce images with different characteristics, which requires adaptation of existing classifiers to ensure reliable detection. We are convinced that this work provides the foundation and starting point for further research on effective detection of DM-generated images.
Fourty sugarcane genotypes with different period of maturity were evaluated against top borer (Scirpophaga excerptalis Walker) infestation under natural field condition during 2018 and 2019 at National Sugarcane Research Program, Jeetpur, Nepal. The experiment was conducted in alpha-lattice design under natural condition of infestation using Co 0238 as susceptible check. Based on the incidence, 26 genotypes were categorized as less susceptible, eleven genotypes were found moderately susceptible to S. excerptalis. However, among less susceptible genotypes lowest incidence of 3.11 percent was recorded in genotype CoS 8432. Whereas, highest incidence of 25.24 percent was recorded in highly susceptible genotype, CoSe 98255BD 24. Most of the cane genotypes were found low to moderately susceptible, having 5 to 20% incidence of the pest. Whereas, some of the varieties, namely CoH 160 (21.22%), CoSe 95255 BD 24 (25.24%) and BO 150 (22.02%) were found highly susceptible. The mechanism responsible for host plant resistance against top borer is not studied in this experimentation. The study in these aspects is to be conducted to explore the mechanisms of host plant resistance for using these resistant genotypes for breeding purpose.
The single-point total energy (E) of several acyclic and cyclic oligomers of N-methylformamide (NMF) was computed by the first time without any geometrical restriction, using the B3LYP6-31G* method of the density functional theory in order to determine the effect of self-association on intramolecular geometrical parameters of cis- and trans-NMF, the intermolecular distances of the hydrogen-bonding chains formed by NMF as well as intermolecular association energies including counterpoise corrections. It is concluded that liquid NMF exists mainly as polymers formed by self-association of trans-NMF units, whereas the cis-NMF isomer occurs as isolated units inserted along the chains. These computational results are in accordance with the experimentally determined predominance (ca. 90%) of trans-NMF population by means of (1)H- NMR and other spectroscopic techniques, but in severe contradiction with a recent interpretation of x-ray diffraction data on liquid NMF, postulating a cyclic trimer of cis-NMF (c-C(3)) as the predominating species. The counterpoise-corrected values of the association energy, DeltaE(CP), calculated for cyclic oligomers, increase with the polymerization degree (n) revealing a high grade of cooperative effect for amidic hydrogen-bonded chains. Noteworthy, the difference between the DeltaE(CP) values of the cyclic cis- and trans-homooligomers of NMF is positive for n=2 and 3 but negative for n > or =4.
An element a in a ring R has generalized Drazin inverse if and only if there exists b ∈ comm2(a) such that b = b2a, a − a2b ∈ Rqnil. We prove that a ∈ R has generalized Drazin inverse if and only if there exists p3 = p ∈ comm2(a) such that a + p ∈ U(R) and ap ∈ Rqnil. An element a in a ring R has pseudo Drazin inverse if and only if there exists b ∈ comm2(a) such that b = b2a, ak − ak+1b ∈ J(R) for some k ∈ N. We also characterize pseudo inverses by means of tripotents in a ring. Moreover, we prove that a ∈ R has pseudo Drazin inverse if and only if there exists b ∈ comm2(a) and m, k ∈N such that bm = bm+1a, ak − ak+1b ∈ J(R).
Microrchidia 2 (MORC2) is important in DNA damage repair and lipogenesis, however, the clinical and functional role of MORC2 in liver cancer remains to be fully elucidated. The aim the present study was to clarify the role of MORC2 in liver cancer. Expression profile analysis, immunohistochemical staining, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blot analysis were performed to evaluate the levels of MORC2 in liver cancer patient specimens and cell lines; subsequently the expression of MORC2 was suppressed or increased in liver cancer cells and the effects of MORC2 on the cancerous transformation of liver cancer cells were examined in vitro and in vivo. MORC2 was upregulated in liver cancer tissues, and the upregulation was associated with certain clinicopathologic features of patients with liver cancer. MORC2 knockdown caused marked inhibition of liver cancer cell proliferation and clonogenicity, whereas the overexpression of MORC2 substantially promoted liver cancer cell proliferation. In addition, the knockdown of MORC2 inhibited the migratory and invasive ability of liver cancer cells, whereas increased migration and invasion rates were observed in cells with ectopic expression of MORC2. In a model of nude mice, the overexpression of MORC2 promoted tumorigenicity and markedly enhanced pulmonary metastasis of liver cancer. Furthermore, MORC2 regulated apoptosis and its expression level had an effect on the sensitivity of liver cancer cells to doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin. Mechanically, MORC2 modulated the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, possibly in a p53-dependent manner, and its dysregulation also resulted in the abnormal activation of the Hippo pathway. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the present study confirmed that MORC2 was a novel oncogene in liver cancer. These results provide useful insight into the mechanism underlying the tumorigenesis and progression of liver cancer, and offers clues into potential novel liver cancer therapies.
A new algorithm is introduced for the solution of the three parameter model, in which s , a , p refer to the maximum likelihood estimators of the threshold, scale, and shape parameters respectively. This basically pivots on an equation for the threshold estimator. It seems possible that in finite samples moments of p and s do not exist and indeed there is some doubt about the definition of asymptotic moments. However the statistic ln(p ) (p ) is less chaotic, and has low order moments not far removed from the normal and in some cases approximately X2 tyPe- Fr the maximum likelihood estimators we only consider cases for which p 2. When p 2, modified maximum likelihood estimators introduced by Cohen and Whitten are discussed. Four moments for each of the threeestimators are simulated, and from these non-extreme percentage points assessed.
The North Atlantic fin whale was subject to heavy exploitation in the past and, despite partial recovery, it is still considered endangered. Recent research has questioned its currently accepted subpopulation structure and migratory movements, challenging management and conservation efforts. Here we contribute to this discussion by presenting results of stable isotope analysis of fin whale bones and krill samples collected from fin whale stomachs from two exploited areas, west Iceland and northwest Spain, and comparing these results with North Atlantic isoscapes. In krill, δ15N values were highly variable and no significant differences in δ15N and δ13C between areas emerged. δ15N and δ13C values in bone were higher than in krill, due to trophic enrichment, and were not significantly different between areas. Both krill and bone results were slightly inconsistent with the local isoscapes, maybe due to seasonal variations in local productivity and in krill diet and, in the case of bone, to its capability to integrate long-term isotopic values, derived from food consumed in distant areas. Conversely, δ18O values, which reflect the basal signal of sea water, were consistent with isoscapes and significantly higher in whales from northwestern Spain, possibly indicating migration to breeding grounds located at lower latitudes.
The cDNA for protein kinase C (PKC) subtypes a (1), ,B-I (2, 3, 4), ,3-11 (2, 4), -y (1, 4), 6 (5), e (3, 5) and r (5) have been described for rat, while only the sequence of the ae (6, 7) and epsilon (8) subtypes of PKC in mouse have been reported. We have utilized synthetic oligonucleotides based on the sequences of rat PKC-3 and rat PKC--y to isolate cloned cDNA from a commercially available cDNA library made from mouse brain (Promega Corp., Madison, Wisconsin, USA). The nucleotide sequence of the cloned cDNA (Fig. 1) was obtained from two clones (bp I to 537 from clone 51-1 and 530 to 2980 from clone 53-1) and assembled as shown by similarity to rat PKC-j-II. The first 2131 nucleotides were 97.0% identical with the corresponding rat PKC-(-H1 sequence (2). The predicted amino acid sequence varies from the sequence predicted for rat PKC-(-II (2) by only 1 of 673 residues: valine rather than methionine at position 419. However, sequences of rat PKC-(-I and PKC-$-II that predict the encoding of valine at this position were reported by others (3, 4), and the valine in this position is conserved in the sequences of all other rat PKC isotypes (1, 4, 5) as well as in all published sequences of all isotypes of rabbit, mouse, bovine, and human PKC.
This study reports a fabrication of TiO2 on the surface of dental implants by pulsed d.c. magnetron sputtering from a Ti target. A systematic investigation on the microstructure and mechanical properties of TiO2 films was carried out with the variation of O2 contents and substrate temperatures. The effects of deposition parameters on the fabricated structures were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Hydrophilic properties were evaluated by measuring water contact angles on the film surface. With increasing O2 contents up to 40%, surface roughness of TiO2 film increased while relatively smooth surface was obtained with 50% O2 contents. Surface roughness and adhesion strength both increased as substrate temperature increased up to 200°C. From these results, hydrophilic and adhesive properties of the present TiO2 films synthesized with 40% O2 at 200°C are regarded to be suitable for biocompatible applications.
Polypyrrole (PPy)/carbon (C) composites were synthesized by oxidative chemical polymerization and used as support material for Pt nanoparticles. PPy/C supported Pt nanoparticles were prepared by using a promising catalyst preparation method, supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO$_{2})$ deposition. The prepared materials were characterized by using BET, TGA, XRD, and TEM techniques. Cyclic voltammetry was used in order to determine the electrocatalytic activity of the prepared catalyst for hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions that occur in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The Pt loading obtained over the composite material was around 10{ %}. TEM results showed highly dispersed and small nanoparticles over the composite material by using scCO$_{2}$ deposition. Pt dissolution/agglomeration and carbon corrosion tests were applied to the composite supported Pt catalyst in order to determine its durability.
1. J.H. Meyer, S. Rutherford and K.J. Schaffler, in Leaping Ahead in Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Ed by G.D. Batten, P.C. Flinn, L.A. Welsh and A.B. Blakeney. Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Melbourne, p.p. 204–207 (1995). 2. J.H. Meyer, Proceedings South African Sugar Technologist Association 67, 82–87 (1983). 3. J.H. Meyer, R.A. Wood and R.L. Harding, Proceedings South African Sugar Technologist Association 63, 159–163 (1989). 4. J.H. Meyer and R.A. Wood, Proceedings Australian Society Sugarcane Technologists 16, 93–104 (1994). 5. J.H. Meyer, R.A. Wood and N.B. Leibbrandt, Proceedings South African Sugar Technologist Association 60, 205–211 (1986). 6. J.H. Meyer, South African J. Plant Soil 6, 59–63 (1989). 7. J.H. Meyer and R.A. Wood, Proceedings South African Sugar Technologist Association 62, 203–207 (1988). 8. N. Berding, G.A. Brotherton, D.G. LeBrocq and J.C. Skinner, Proceedings Australian Society Sugarcane Technologists 11, 8–15 (1989). 9. M.A. Clarke, L.A. Edye and W.S. Patout, Proceedings International Society Sugar Cane Technologists 22, in press (1995). 10. K.J. Scaffler and J.H. Meyer, Proceedings South African Sugar Technologist Association 70, in press (1996). 11. R.S. Rutherford, J.H. Meyer, G.S. Smith and J. van Staden, Proceedings South African Sugar Technologist Association 67, 82–87 (1993). 12. Clements, Proceedings International Society Sugar Cane Technologists 12, 197-215 (1967). 13. S.H. Elawad, J.R. Allen and G.J. Gascho, Soil and Crop Science Society of Florida Proceedings 44, 134–141 (1985). 14. A.B. Blakeney, G.D. Batten, S. Ciavarella and V.B. Mc Grath, in Leaping Ahead in Near Infrared Spectroscopy, Ed by G.D. Batten, P.C. Flinn, L.A. Welsh and A.B. Blakeney. Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Melbourne, p.p. 194–197 (1995). 15. R.S. Rutherford, Proceedings South African Sugar Technologist Association 63, 136–141 (1989). Twenty-five years of near infrared technology—what were the milestones?
5016 Background: To evaluate safety and tolerability of the combination of tamoxifen and gefitinib (‘Iressa’, ZD1839) in pts with refractory ovarian cancer.Gefitinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which in preclinical studies has demonstrated involvement in the inhibition of tamoxifen resistance. Patients and Methods: In this Phase II study, 57 pts with epithelial ovarian carcinoma refractory to platinum- and taxane-based therapy received oral tamoxifen (2 x 20 mg/day) and gefitinib (2 x 250 mg/day) until progression or unacceptable toxicity. Refractory pts are defined as those who progress or relapse during or within 6 mos after platinum- and taxane-based therapy. This interim analysis was based on data from 47 pts. Results: The median age was 60 years (37–80 yrs). 12 pts had received only first-line treatment with platinum/taxane, and 35 had received 1 or more further chemotherapy regimens. Gefitinib dose reductions to 250mg/day were carried out in 7 pts (14.9%) mainly...
This article aims at describing the norms and practices of dynastic power in Poland, Bohemia, and Hungary in the earlier Middle Ages. It focuses on the questions concerning the internal structure of the ruling house, the modes of wielding power, and the rules of succession to the throne. Discussing the various strategies used by the dynasties ruling the Central European polities to define their monarchical position and shape their identity, it presents changing patterns of dynastic rulership and put them against the wider background of processes of transformation of the concepts of dynastic power in the medieval West.
This paper presents an enhanced method for a self-sensing (Sensorless) Field Oriented Control (FOC) of Reluctance Synchronous Motor (SRM) based on high-frequency signal injection. The rotor saliency characteristic with the difference between the $d$-axis and $q$-axis inductance of the motor is used for position estimation through adding a small high-frequency current signal injected in an arbitrary rotating frame. Modulation technique is applied to the sensed voltages and currents to extract a signal that is proportional to the difference between the actual position and an estimated position. This error signal is used as input to a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) to get the position and the speed of the machine. Particle Swarm Optimization technique (PSO) is used to tune the parameters of speed, current and PLL controllers. The major objective of this drive is to give a robust and dynamic estimation of the rotor angle and speed independent of the operating condition. The proposed methodology is validated by simulation results to clarify the ability of the proposed technique in different speed area.
Utility performance, especially in developing countries is still working toward the standard necessary to deliver best practice. Utility Benchmarking and Regulation in Developing Countries examines performance monitoring and regulation as a prominent efficiency enhancement tool and clarifies many of the unknowns regarding the design and approach surrounding the area of utility management. Principles and practices are linked in a way that is informative and accessible, highlighting the challenges facing those who are trying to improve performance in the water sector. Operational settings are complex and unpredictable in developing countries due to inadequate infrastructure planning and this book makes clear which systems work best in these situations.  Utility Benchmarking and Regulation in Developing Countries discusses performance monitoring in the critical areas of utility management that achieve sustainable performance goals:    • Performance development planning    • Modes of performance monitoring    • Provocative approaches to incentives creation    • Monitoring through high incentive plans    • Customer relations monitoring    • Pro-poor oriented monitoring    • Careful use of partial performance indicators    • Proposed indicators for assessing governance incentives  A case study on the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda is included in the book detailing the difficulties in discerning performance progress based on partial performance indicators. It underlines disparities in basing performance conclusions on partial performance indicators on one hand and aggregate analysis using modern benchmarking toolkits on the other.  This is an excellent handbook for utility monitors or regulators whose primary duty is to oversee performance management. It is a valuable resource for decision-makers, analysts, and policy-makers and can be used in capacity-building programs (both in-house and in universities) around the world.  ISBN: 9781843392576 (Print)  ISBN: 9781780400938 (eBook)
Abstract Novel hydroxylated polyfunctionalized benzo[c]coumarins were synthesized by a new one-pot reaction of an unprotected monohydroxy-3-(acetoacetyl)coumarin as an active methylene Michael donor with 4-oxo-4H-chromene-3-carboxylic acid as a Michael acceptor in the presence of a catalytic amount of 4-pyrrolidin-1-ylpyridine. An organobase-catalyzed tandem 1,4-conjugate addition, decarboxylation and aromatization reaction mechanism is proposed.
A model to predict failure of coated WC-Co grades due to chipping in intermittent cutting via microstructure-level finite element machining process simulation is presented and applied to various coated WC-Co tools. Coated tools were examined for the characterization and simulation of their microstructures. Model predictions of failure due to chipping for coated WC-Co systems were validated by continuous machining tests. In order to simulate cyclic loading conditions during intermittent cutting, mechanical and thermal boundary conditions were applied during cutting phases and removed during noncutting phases. Interrupted turning experiments were conducted to validate the model, and the results showed that the predictions agreed well with the observations from the experiments. The paper includes the application of this model to a problem of WC-Co grade design.
Although amlodipine, a long-acting L-type calcium channel blocker, reportedly prevents left ventricular remodeling and dysfunction after myocardial infarction, the mechanism responsible is not yet well understood. Myocardial infarction was induced in mice by ligating the left coronary artery. Treatment of mice with amlodipine (10 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1)), beginning on the third day postinfarction, significantly improved survival and attenuated left ventricular dilatation and dysfunction 4 wk postinfarction compared with treatment with saline or hydralazine. Although infarct sizes did not differ among the groups, the infarcted wall thickness was greater and the infarct segment length was smaller in the amlodipine-treated group, and cellular components, including vessels and myofibroblasts, were abundant within the infarcted area. Ten days postinfarction (the subacute stage), the proliferation of granulation tissue cells in the infarcted area was similar among the groups, but the incidence of apoptosis was significantly lower in the amlodipine-treated group, where Bad, a proapoptotic Bcl-2 family protein, was significantly phosphorylated (inactivated). Calcineurin, which dephosphorylates (activates) Bad, was upregulated in infarcted hearts, but its levels were significantly reduced by amlodipine treatment. In vitro, Fas stimulation augmented calcineurin activity and induced apoptosis among infarct tissue-derived myofibroblasts; both of those effects were strongly inhibited by amlodipine, two other calcium channel blockers (verapamil or nifedipine), and two calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporin A or FK-506). Amlodipine inhibits Fas-mediated granulation tissue cell apoptosis in infarcted hearts, possibly by attenuating the activities of calcineurin and Bad. These findings may provide new insight into the mechanism by which calcium channel blockers attenuate postinfarction cardiac remodeling and dysfunction.
This paper provides a rationale for the use of convertible securities as the medium of exchange in corporate change-of-control transactions. We argue that convertible securities can resolve the information asymmetry about the bidder’s value while at the same time mitigating the information asymmetry about the target’s value. In contrast, deals with cash or stock can only address one information asymmetry or the other but not both. Empirically, we find that a bidder is more likely to offer convertible securities, rather than all cash or all stock, when both the bidder and its target face large asymmetric information problems. We also find that both bidders and targets in convertible deals enjoy positive abnormal stock returns around takeover announcements. These findings provide empirical support for the use of convertible securities to resolve the double-sided asymmetric information problem. Finally, we find that bidder returns in convertible deals are larger than in all-cash and all-stock deals, but that target returns in convertible deals are smaller than in all-cash and all-stock deals.
This paper introduces the concept of remotely-driven smart actuator utilized by electro-active paper (EAPap). The feature of remotely-driven smart actuator offers unique performance and application capabilities and exploit many of these unique capabilities. Since the microwave-driven actuator does not require carry-on-battery, ultra-lightweight, and distributed micro size actuators can be made. A dipole rectifying antenna (rectenna) array receives the microwave and converts it into a DC power. Recently, cellulose based paper has been came across as an lectroactive paper (EAPap) material so as to be used as artificial muscles for biomimetic insects. Since the power requirement of EAPap is less than the safety limit of microwave power in air, the EAPap actuators can be driven by wireless microwave power. This idea is useful for specific applications that require multifunctional capabilities such as smart skin, ultra-lightweight space structures, micro robots, flapping wing for insect-like flying objects and smart wall paper as well. Current research status along with its issues is addressed including a hybrid actuator of EAPap and conducting polymers that will enhance the performance of the actuator.
Background: The role of bisphosphonates (BP) when added to the (neo)adjuvant treatment of BC in enhancing the efficacy of therapy is still unknown. NEOZOTAC investigates the efficacy of ZA added to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with HER2-negative BC. Trial design: NEOZOTAC is a Dutch multicenter study. Patients are 1:1 randomized to 3-weekly TAC (docetaxel 75mg/m 2 , adriamycin 50 mg/m 2 and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m 2 i.v., day 1) chemotherapy supported by pegfilgrastim (6 mg sc), day 2 with or without ZA (4 mg i.v. within 24 hr after chemotherapy) q3 weeks. Eligibility criteria: Main inclusion criteria: stage II or III, measurable, HER2-negative BC, age ≥18 years, WHO 0–2, adequate bone marrow-, renal-, and liver function, absence of prior BP usage and absence of active dental problems. Study endpoint: The primary endpoint is the pathologic complete response (pCR) rate. Secondary endpoints are toxicity, clinical response, tumor heterogeneity in core biopsy vs. operation specimen, and (disease free) survival. Optional side studies include fluorescent imaging (SoftScan®), changes in bone markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms and the insulin-like growth factor pathway, circulating tumor and endothelial cells and the false-negative rate of the sentinel node biopsy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Statistical Methods: Using a 5% significance level based on the two-sided Fishers exact test with a power of 80%, 250 patients (125/arm) are needed to show an improvement of the pCR-rate from 17% to 34% in the experimental arm. Randomization was done according to the Pococks minimisation technique stratified by cT, cN, and estrogen receptor status. Toxicity is analyzed using the Exact (2-sided) Chi-Square test. Results: From July 2010 to April 2012, 250 patients from 25 participating sites were randomized. Toxicity data of 173 patients are currently available and data of all 250 patients will be presented at SABCS. Patient characteristics are presented in table 1. Hematological and non-hematological toxicities were not significantly different between both treatment arms. Main grade 3/4 NCI-CTCv4 toxicities were neutropenia (8%), followed by febrile neutropenia (7%), fatigue (6%), diarrhea, hypertension, nausea (3%) and vomiting (1.2%). Bone pain, myalgia, and hypocalcemia occurred in one patient in the TAC-ZA arm (0.6%). Osteonecrosis of the jaw was not observed. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant TAC supported by pegfilgrastim plus ZA is feasible. No significant difference in toxicity are reported compared with the control arm. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr PD07-06.
Abstract : Religious diversity in the U.S. Armed Forces serves both as source of inspiration and a source of confusion, often simultaneously. The military Services have wrestled with establishing a holistic approach toward their personnel that embraces human diversity without sacrificing traditionally high standards of character, obedience, unit cohesion, esprit de corps, and mission readiness, to include effective interaction with foreign nationals whose cultures differ from those of the majority population. This wrestling match is perhaps nowhere more confusing or complex than when addressing the holy and the secular; how military leaders engage with religiondomestically and in out of the continental United States (OCONUS) operational areas of responsibilitywithout becoming engaged in a religious mission?
The synthetic utility of cerium(IV) triflate Ce(OTf)4  as a reagent for benzylic oxidation has been tested for a variety of aromatic  compounds. Insight is provided into various factors that govern these oxidations  and their progress. It has been shown that the mode of preparation of Ce(OTf)4  and the % H2O present in the sample have a marked influence on  oxidation ability. A variety of mono- and dialkylbenzenes, haloalkylbenzenes,  bicyclic and tricyclic ring systems, and alkoxybenzenes have been surveyed.  The method offers an easy to perform one-pot reaction for the room temperature  synthesis of aromatic ketones and aldehydes from aromatics and has the potential  to find wider application.
A 1-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital because of the deposition of sludge and sand particles in the intrahepatic biliary cyst. Prenatal ultrasound had revealed an abdominal cyst at 28 weeks’ gestation. After birth, the cyst located near porta hepatis measuring 1.9 1.0 1.6 cm was confirmed as intrahepatic biliary cyst with no sludge or stones by abdominal ultrasonography. The patient was asymptomatic, and a decision was made to monitor the cyst with serial ultrasound and close follow-up. At 12-monthold follow-up, she was still asymptomatic. Ultrasonography showed that the cyst had not changed in size but contained sludge and sand particles. Her aspartate transaminase (AST, 49.8 U/L (5–40 U/L)) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP, 412 U/L (5–350 U/L)) minimally elevated. Therefore, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) was performed. MRCP showed an irregularly shaped cystic lesion at the hepatic porta possibly in communication with right or left hepatic duct (Fig. 1). The patient was taken up for surgery with a preoperative diagnosis of choledochal cyst (Todani Type V). At the time of laparotomic exploration, the gallbladder was mobilized to separate it from the intrahepatic biliary cyst (Fig. 2). Intraoperative cholangiogram demonstrated a solitary intrahepatic biliary cyst in communication with small intrahepatic bile ducts of right lobe and right hepatic duct (Fig. 3). The cyst wall was opened, and the bile and black pigment stones were identified in the cyst. Then a cholecystectomy, partial excision of cyst and wide Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy to residual intrahepatic moiety were performed. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course. No intrahepatic cyst or bile duct dilation was detected by serial ultrasonography at follow-up. Congenital solitary intrahepatic biliary cyst is a rare biliary disease characterized by single intrahepatic bile-containing cyst with communication to bile tree, usually detected by prenatal ultrasound. MRCP and hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan are
Dube and Beaudoin have proposed a technique of lossless data compression called compression via substring enumeration (CSE) for a binary source alphabet. Dube and Yokoo proved that CSE has a linear complexity both in time and in space worst-case performance for the length of string to be encoded. Dubé and Yokoo have specified appropriate predictors of the uniform and combinatorial prediction models for CSE, and proved that CSE has the asymptotic optimality for stationary binary ergodic sources. Our previous study evaluated the worst-case maximum redundancy of the modified CSE for an arbitrary binary string from the class of k-th order Markov sources. We propose a generalization of CSE for k-th order Markov sources with a finite alphabet X based on Ota and Morita in this study.
Using an event-related fMRI procedure, we investigated the role of the human cerebellum in sequential finger movements. Subjects performed a delayed sequential finger movement task in which an instructive cue preceded the imperative signal by 16.5 s. Bilateral activation was observed in the cerebellum following both the cue and imperative signals. The activated regions overlapped within the cerebellum, extending across intermediate and lateral regions corresponding to lobules HV-HVII. In contrast, activation in primary motor cortex was primarily restricted to the execution phase and most prominent in the contralateral hemisphere. These results indicate that the cerebellum is bilaterally recruited for the preparation and execution of sequential movements.
Long-gap peripheral nerve injury remains a major challenge in regenerative medicine and results in permanent sensory and motor dysfunction. Nerve guidance scaffolds (NGSs) are known as a promising alternative to autologous nerve grafting. The latter, the current "gold standard" in clinical practice, is frequently constrained by the limited availability of sources and the inevitable damage to the donor area. Given the electrophysiological properties of nerves, electroactive biomaterials are being intensively investigated in nerve tissue engineering. In this study, we engineered a conductive NGS compounded of biodegradable waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and polydopamine-reduced graphene oxide (pGO) for repairing impaired peripheral nerves. The incorporation of pGO at the optimal concentration (3 wt%) promoted in vitro spreading of Schwann cells (SCs) with high expression of the proliferation marker S100 protein. In an in vivo study of sciatic nerve transection injury, WPU/pGO NGSs were found to regulate the immune microenvironment by activating macrophage M2 polarization and upregulate growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43) to facilitate axonal elongation. Histological and motor function analysis demonstrated that WPU/pGO NGSs had a neuroprosthetic effect close to that of an autograft, which significantly promoted the regeneration of myelinated axons, reduced gastrocnemius atrophy, and enhanced hindlimb motor function. These findings together suggested that electroactive WPU/pGO NGSs may represent a safe and effective strategy to manage large nerve defects.
The Liver X Receptors LXRa/ß are vitally important in regulating cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism in the adult. Aim of this study was to elucidate the role of LXR in the fetal mouse liver. Pregnant C57BL/6 mice or Lxra+/− mice crossed heterozygously were fed a diet containing the synthetic LXR agonist T0901317 from E10.5 until delivery. In fetuses and dams, gene expression and lipid levels were monitored. In the mouse fetus, hepatic expression of LXR target genes (e.g., Srebp1c, Fas and Abcg5) is low during gestation and increases after birth. Lxra itself is expressed at ~40 % of adult levels, whereas the expression of Lxrb is 2.5‐3 times higher than in adult control liver. Upon administration of T0901317, LXR target genes are activated in the fetal liver: expression of the cholesterol transporter Abcg5 is 45 times induced. Expression of Srebp1c and Fas is increased 2.0‐ to 5.3‐fold and 1.7‐ to 2.0‐fold, respectively. Consequently, triglyceride concentrations in fetal liver and plasma are raised up to 2.7‐ and 1.5‐fold. Cholesterol levels in plasma are doubled upon treatment, whereas hepatic cholesterol concentrations are unchanged. In Lxra−/− fetuses, these changes are reduced but not absent.
BACKGROUND Patients with limited English proficiency, a vulnerable patient population, remain understudied in the literature addressing cancer disparities. Although it is well documented that language discordance between patients and physicians negatively impacts the quality of patient care, little is known about how patients' preferred spoken language impacts their access to cancer care.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Between November 2021 and June 2022, we conducted an audit study of 144 hospitals located across 12 demographically diverse states. Using a standardized script, trained investigators assigned to the roles of English-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and Mandarin-speaking patients called the hospital general information telephone line seeking to access care for 3 cancer types that disproportionately impact Hispanic and Asian populations (colon, lung, and thyroid cancer). Primary outcome was whether the simulated patient caller was provided with the next steps to access cancer care, defined as clinic number or clinic transfer. We used chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis to test for associations between the primary outcome and language type, region type, hospital teaching status, and cancer care requested. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine factors associated with simulated patient callers being provided the next steps.   RESULTS Of the 1,296 calls, 52.9% (n=686) resulted in simulated patient callers being provided next steps to access cancer care. Simulated non-English-speaking (vs English-speaking) patient callers were less likely to be provided with the next steps (Mandarin, 27.5%; Spanish, 37.7%; English, 93.5%; P<.001). Multivariable logistic regression found significant associations of the primary outcome with language spoken (Mandarin: odds ratio [OR], 0.02 [95% CI, 0.01-0.04] and Spanish: OR, 0.04 [95% CI, 0.02-0.06] vs English) and hospital teaching status (nonteaching: OR, 0.43 [95% CI, 0.32-0.56] vs teaching).   CONCLUSIONS Linguistic disparities exist in access to cancer care for non-English-speaking patients, emphasizing the need for focused interventions to mitigate systems-level communication barriers.
Diabetes remains one of the main culprits of end‐stage kidney disease in the US. Investigation into the role of nephron number in chronic kidney disease (CKD) alone or with hypertension has revealed a strong inverse relationship (i.e., lower nephron number ‐‐> increased susceptibility to hypertension and CKD); however, not much is known about the connection between nephron number and diabetic kidney disease. To address this gap in knowledge we utilize the HSRA rat, a novel inbred genetic model of nephron deficiency and chronic kidney disease. HSRA rats exhibit failure of one kidney to develop (HSRA‐S, ~20,400 nephrons) in 50–75% of offspring, while remaining offspring are born with two kidneys (HSRA‐C, ~50,000 nephrons). HSRA‐S rats can be directly compared to nephrectomized HSRA‐C rats (HSRA‐UNX, ~25,100 nephrons), which provides insight into the impact of nephron number differences across the three groups. HSRA‐S rats develop significant renal injury with age when compared with HSRA‐C and HSRA‐UNX; the difference in injury is significantly exacerbated in the presence of DOCA+salt hypertension. The current study sought to address the hypothesis that nephron deficiency in the HSRA rat is a risk factor for renal injury, secondary to hyperglycemia (similar to what is seen with hypertension). Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce a diabetic phenotype in HSRA‐S, HSRA‐C, and HSRA‐UNX at nine weeks of age, and animals were followed for 15 weeks. All animals exposed to STZ developed robust hyperglycemia (random glucose averages: 415mg/dL – 456 mg/dL), but in contrast to the response to hypertension, neither HSRA‐S nor HSRA‐UNX developed overt proteinuria, nor were there significant differences between groups at the conclusion of the experiment. There was however, a significant increase in kidney weight to body weight ratio in STZ/hyperglycemic groups versus controls (e.g., kidney weight to body weight ratio [mg/g] 4.8 ± 0.3089 for HSRA‐S vs 7.8 ± 1.204 for HSRA‐S+STZ, p=0.02). STZ/hyperglycemic groups also exhibited significant decreases in creatinine clearance (e.g., creatinine clearance [μL/min/g] 719.0 ± 44.81 for HSRA‐S vs. 455.2 ± 72.91 for HSRA‐S+STZ, p=0.009). Targeted RNA sequencing was performed on isolated glomeruli using a custom panel of 42 genes involved in maintenance of glomerular function. In support of the physiological data stated above, few genes were observed to be dysregulated; however, Nphs1 and Nphs2 genes (associated with the protein nephrin) were increased in two‐kidney rats (HSRA‐C and HSRA‐C+ STZ) versus either one kidney group, regardless of glycemic status. In total, the data indicates that hyperglycemia does not have a significant impact on the onset and progression of injury in young HSRA‐S animals. We are currently investigating a mixed model of hypertension + hyperglycemia in the HSRA, which represents a large cohort of patients that are susceptible to CKD. Animals will be provided a low dose of DOCA+salt (35 mg) to induce moderate hypertension at ten weeks of age, along with 45mg/kg of STZ to induce hyperglycemia. In summary, establishing a role of nephron deficiency as a risk factor for hyperglycemia‐associated CKD will contribute to the growing knowledge of the relationship between nephron number and disease.
Purpose The quality of life in stroke patients is vital for survival. Nowadays, studies that show a decrease in quality of life in post-stroke patients are increasing. Various non-pharmacological modalities were explored in the past to improve rehabilitation. However, the study about the effects of religious mantra and its combination with the modern technique was lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse the effects of Gayatri Mantra and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) on quality of life (QOL) of post-stroke patients. Methods A quasi-experimental with pretest and posttest with the control group design was conducted. Forty-six post-stroke subjects with reduced quality of life based on Stroke Specific Quality of Life were consecutively recruited and divided into controls and intervention groups. The intervention group received additional treatment with Gayatri Mantra and EFT. In contrast, the control group attends and adheres only to the standard hospital rehabilitation program. Results All indicators and the overall score of QOL in the intervention group showed significant improvement after treatment (p<0.05) compared with no improvement in the control group. Overall, a higher QOL score was observed in the intervention group at the end of the study. Mann–Whitney test shows significant differences between the final QOL score in intervention and control groups (p<0.001). Conclusion Gayatri Mantra and EFT are significantly increasing the quality of life of post-stroke patients.
A group of 690 patients (337 males and 353 females) on long-term acenocoumarol therapy was studied. 62.8% of the values of the prothrombin ratio were within the chosen therapeutic range (1.8 to 2.7), 21.9% were below 1.8 and 15.3% were above 2.7. The daily maintenance dose, expressed on a weight basis, was found to significantly decrease with increasing age. The daily maintenance dose taken by females was significantly higher than the dose taken by males (P less than 0.05); the differences between males and females were maximal among patients aged between 21 and 50 years, and disappeared at older ages. Two hundred and twenty-eight haemorrhagic episodes in 160 patients were recorded during a total of 7797 months of follow-up. No lethal haemorrhages were observed. The overall incidence of bleeding episodes among females (3.6%) was higher than among males (2.2%) (P less than 0.001), even if menorrhagia was excluded (P less than 0.01).
Glass-ceramics are composites consisting of glass and crystalline phases. We report a series of microgrinding and polishing experiments: our first goal is to correlate material mechanical properties with the quality of the resulting surface, determined by surface microroughness and surface grinding-induced residual stresses. Our second goal is to compare deterministic microgrinding and loose abrasive microgrinding in terms of material removal rates and resulting surface quality.
We study Berry's phase in the D0-D4-brane system. When a D0-brane moves in the background of D4-branes, the first excited states undergo a holonomy described by a non-Abelian Berry connection. At weak coupling this is an SU(2) connection over R 5 , known as the Yang monopole. At strong coupling, the holonomy is recast as the classical gravitational precession of a spinning particle. The Berry connection is the spin connection of the near-horizon limit of the D4-branes, which is a continuous deformation of the Yang and anti-Yang monopole.
We demonstrate that electrical charges are stored in the bilayer junctions of Al and Bi–Cu–S alloys. The junctions exhibit interfacial resistance switching, which is caused by a spontaneous production of high resistivity compounds at the interface and their electrochemical dissolution under a voltage bias. The charge storage results from the redox reactions that are responsible for the resistance switching. In contrast to conventional secondary batteries, the storing capability increases as the temperature is lowered from room temperature to 77 K, where the charges are released in a time scale nearly on the order of hours. The charging and discharging are thereby indicated not to rely on ionic transport. The battery effect is reversible in polarity. Storage characteristics are modified when Cu in the ternary alloy is replaced with Ag or Ni in a similar manner to the way the properties of the interfacial resistance switching are altered.
Development of interactive web applications to deposit, visualize and analyze biological datasets is a major subject of bioinformatics. R is a programming language for data science, which is also one of the most popular languages used in biological data analysis and bioinformatics. However, building interactive web applications was a great challenge for R users before the Shiny package was developed by the RStudio company in 2012. By compiling R code into HTML, CSS and JavaScript code, Shiny has made it incredibly easy to build web applications for the large R community in bioinformatics and for even non-programmers. Over 470 biological web applications have been developed with R/Shiny up to now. To further promote the utilization of R/Shiny, we reviewed the development of biological web applications with R/Shiny, including eminent biological web applications built with R/Shiny, basic steps to build an R/Shiny application, commonly used R packages to build the interface and server of R/Shiny applications, deployment of R/Shiny applications in the cloud and online resources for R/Shiny.
T he family Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) includes a large number of parasitoid species, many of which are important in the biological control of synanthropic muscoids (Rueda and Axtell, 1985). T hey can be solitary or gregarious, ectoparasitoids or endoparasitoids, primary or secondary parasitoids, coobiontes or idiobiontes. Most are idiobiontes and many develop as ectoparasitoids in larvae or pupae of Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera and Siphonaptera (Rueda and Axtell, 1985). T hus, we sought to know the Pteromalidae associated with muscoids in cattle manure and other insects in organic matter of rotting animal origin (Sereno and Neves, 1993).
A CD‐modified capillary electrophoretic method has been developed for achiral and chiral analysis of seven bioactive compounds isolated from the fruiting body of Antrodia camphorata. Such important target analytes exhibit similar chemical structures and are known for their diverse properties including antioxidant and anticancer effects. The analytes were separated in 25 min using a pH 9.3, 20 mM sodium borate buffer containing 20 mM methyl‐β‐CD and 30 mM sulfobutylether‐β‐CD. With the exception of the optical isomer pairs (antcin B or zhankuic acid A, zhankuic acid C, and antcin A), the remaining bioactive compounds including the chiral pair antcin C were baseline‐separated. Analysis time was noticeably longer to baseline separate all of the above chiral pairs (∼38 min) by adding 5% DMF to the running buffer. The migration order was reversed compared with the HPLC elution. More hydrophobic compounds complexed favorably with methyl‐β‐CD and emerged earlier in the electropherogram than their more hydrophilic counterparts which were strongly associated with sulfobutylether‐β‐CD. The simple capillary electrophoretic method developed was applicable for rapid separation and characterization of several important bioactive compounds isolated from the fruiting body of A. camphorata.
To study extracts of the cotton biocides it has collected more than thirty species of plants, which were classified taxonomically in the Natural History Museum of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, between species that are considered relevant for its insecticidal properties we have the following species: Tephrosia cinerea (sacha barbasco), Artemisia absinthium (wormwood), Ryania speciosa (riania), Cissampelos grandifolia (legia), Datura stramonium (chamico), Hura crepitans (catahua), Schinus molle (molle), Annona cherimola (chirimoya), Annona muricata (guanabana or graviola), Tagetes patula (Marigold), Tanacetum parthenium (santa maria), Chromolaena laevigata (sacha huaca), Clibadium asperum (huaca), Lonchocarpus nicou (Mount mullein), Lonchocarpus spiciflorus (yumanasa), Centropogon cornutus (arco sacha), Erythrina berteroana (small amasisa), Erythrina edulis (pajuro), Erythrina ulei (amasisa), Melia azedarach (Neem tree) y Agave americana (maguey). Lyophilized extracts were evaluated chemical composition, chromatographic and spectrophotometric profile, their behavior against Artemia salina, biocide bioassays in the laboratory and field level. Among the pests that were investigated are includes: Aphis gossypii, Bemisia tabaci, Dysdercus peruvianus. Extracts of A. americana L., H. crepitants and C. grandifolia showed significant results both at the level of the laboratory and in the cotton crop in the field.
Stockpiling supplies of the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) for use in the event of a flu epidemic was questioned by experts on both sides of the Atlantic this week.  The UK government's decision to order 14.6 million doses of oseltamivir was questioned by Joe Collier, professor of medicines policy at St George's Hospital Medical School, London, and former editor of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin .  “I would like to know what evidence there is that Tamiflu actually alters mortality,” he said. “And if it doesn't then what are we doing? What it …
Stroke is one of the major diseases around the world. The brain injury caused by stroke will derive sustaining neurological disorder of different forms, which in turn will lead to all kinds of limb and body exercise hindrance and will cause significant challenge to the life of the patient, that is, the quality of life of the patient is going to be strictly affected. Along with the development and popularity of technology, scholars in the medical care and rehabilitation fields are trying to integrate all kinds of new technologies to perform the development of new rehabilitation training system. This research aims at rehabilitation items of upper limbs, which include the reciprocating stretching of upper limb, reaching of the upper arm, bi-lateral coordination and balance of the body. In association with interactive technology, game technology, sensor technology and stereo image technology, virtual reality physical-based training task is developed, and initial pilot test is done on patient with stroke, meanwhile, multi-dimensional experimental results are acquired, which include clinical test assessment, task performance, historical data of exercise track and psychological emotional data. The research objectives are to verify the functionality of the system, to verify the effectiveness of the system on rehabilitation, to develop new assessment method and to investigate topics related to human machine interaction. The experimental results have verified the functionality of this rehabilitation training task in all aspects. Through the exercise analysis of the historical data of exercise track and the statistical analysis of task performance of the past therapy sessions, this system can acquire successfully reliable and valuable information to be used for future verification of medical therapeutic effectiveness and the development of new type of clinical assessment method. In the mean time, according to the measured psychological emotional data as perceived subjectively, this system indeed can urge the patient to engage continuously rehabilitation therapeutic session that is based on this training system and enjoy it, besides, the authors are very confident on the possibly generated rehabilitation effect of these two training tasks.
Three patients with caustic substanceinduced near-total antropyloric obstruction with recurrent vomiting were found to have a totally blocked antropyloric region with no flow of contrast distally (●" Fig.1). Patient characteristics, the treatment provided, and the outcome are summarized in●" Table1. After the patient had given informed consent, esophagogastroscopy was carried outwith the patient under conscious sedation. The site of narrowing was identified as a dimple or depression. Attempts were made to pass a 6–8-mm wire-guided, through-the-scope balloon dilator (CRE; Boston Scientific Corp., Natick, Massachusetts, USA) into the duodenum. When this failed, it was followed by passing a hydrophilic 0.025-inch guidewire (Visiglide; Terumo Corp., Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan) under fluoroscopy. A 6-Fr wire-guided coaxial diathermic dilator (Cysto-GastroSet; Endo-Flex GmbH, Voerde, Germany) was threaded over the guidewire under fluoroscopic guidance to the level of the stricture. It was used to traverse the cicatrized segment step by step by applying an intermittent diathermy current (cut mode, 40W, ERBE electrosurgical unit (ERBE USA Inc., Marietta, Georgia, USA) until the dilator passed through the entire length of the stricture (●" Video 1). Subsequent dilations were carried out in an incremental manner, ranging from 6mm to 15mm, with wire-guided through-thescope balloon dilators twice weekly as described previously, with a close watch for complications [1]. The patients were followed up periodically for 12 months and then imaging was repeated (●" Fig.1). Ingestion of caustic substances leads to gastric cicatrization and gastric outlet obstruction in 36%–44% of patients [2–4]. All three patients in this report had neartotal antropyloric obstruction that was negotiated using a coaxial diathermy dilator followed by balloon dilation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to describe the use of this technique in patients with caustic-induced gastric outlet obstruction. A review of the literature found that a similar diathermy catheter has been used to dilate tight bile duct and pancreatic duct strictures [5]. In conclusion, our case series describes for the first time the application of a coaxial diathermy dilator for the management of near-total gastric outlet obstruction.
Omani women have not been too far behind in the fine arts movement that first began in the mid 1970s in Oman. Women's participation in fine arts was marginal and limited only to Muscat the capital. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, a number of prodigies appeared and became role models for the fine art movement in Oman. The first female participation at a fine art exhibition was at an exhibition held in October 1989. Since that time women's participations were obvious. The Omani Fine Art Society (OFAS) was established in 1993 and the presence of the female fine artists further intensified. The creation of this society encouraged women to practice fine arts. Today, the number of women registered at the OFAS outweighs the number of men, which makes the Omani women artists an appropriate case to be investigated. Therefore, this research focused on the history of the fine arts movement in Oman in general and the history of Omani women artists in particular, with reference to famous women and their artworks. The result of this study shows that the Omani women involved themselves in modern and contemporary arts, using different artistic styles, as well as implementing installations, photographs and video arts by using mysterious stories, spiritualism, cultural traditions and motifs that define their identity and experiences through their artworks.
The drilling pipe suffers from rotating bending stress, accompanied by axial stresss and torsional stress, It has been reported that the initiation of a crack is sulphide nonmetallic inclusions which also have a relation to the crack propagation rate. Fatigue tests have been performed in air, dripping corrosive liquids with pH 7 and pH 13 under a rotating bending load at the cyclic frequency of 300 rpm. The materials used in these tests were four kinds of normalized and tempered (NT) steels and four kinds of quenched and tempered (QT) ones whose sulphur content changed from 0.001 to 0.050 %. Corrosion fatigue strength was evaluated on corrosive liquids and sulphur content and fractographic observation has been also discussed. It was confirmed that the fatigue strength at pH 7 is not dependent on sulphur content, though the number of pits and cracks increase according to the sulphur content. In addition, the number of pits would be dependent not only on the amount of MnS
This article examines how Philadelphia’s emergent middle class—young, urbane, educated, and overwhelmingly white—digests the gentrifying multiethnic city. Drawing on Yelp reviews of South Philadelphia’s Mexican restaurants, it deconstructs their conflicting ideas about “authenticity.” Naming the authentic has an important social function for these consumers: by exhibiting their cross-cultural literacy and cosmopolitan tastes, Yelpers signal their belonging to and mastery of the diverse city. By categorizing what is “really Mexican,” this article suggests, they solidify their status as self-styled urban adventurers.
Abstract In the theories of groups and Lie algebras, investigations of the properties of the non-abelian tensor product and their relations to the second homology groups are worthwhile. It is the purpose of the present paper to exhibit such investigations about the non-abelian tensor product of Leibniz algebras. The isomorphism between the non-abelian tensor square and non-abelian exterior square of a Lie algebra L, will enable us to set a simple connection between and . Furthermore, we shall relate the concepts of capability and solvability of a Leibniz algebra to its tensor square. Finally, we give an upper bound for the dimension of the non-abelian tensor square and the second homology of a nilpotent Leibniz algebra in terms of the dimension of its center and derived subalgebra.
Iron is an essential micronutrient that limits primary production in up to 40% of the surface ocean and influences carbon dioxide uptake and climate change. Dissolved iron is mostly associated with loosely characterised organic molecules, called ligands, which define key aspects of the iron cycle such as its residence time, distribution and bioavailability to plankton. Models based on in situ ligand distributions and the behaviour of purified compounds include long-lived ligands in the deep ocean, bioreactive ligands in the surface ocean and photochemical processes as important components of the iron cycle. Herein, we further characterise biologically refractory ligands in dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the deep ocean and labile ligands in DOM from the surface ocean, and their photochemical and biological reactivities. Experimental results indicated that photodegradation of upwelled refractory iron-binding ligands can fuel iron remineralisation and its association with labile organic ligands, thus enhancing iron bioavailability in surface waters. These observations better elucidate the roles of biologically refractory and labile molecules and global overturning circulation in the ocean iron cycle, with implications for the initiation and sustainment of biological activity in iron-limited regions and the residence time of iron in the ocean.
Predicting the results of sport matches and competitions is a growing research field, benefiting from the increasing amount of available data and novel data analytics techniques. Excellent forecasts can be achieved by advanced statistical and machine learning methods applied to detailed historical data, especially in very popular sports such as football (soccer). Here, we show that despite the large number of confounding factors, the results of a football team in longer competitions (e.g., a national league) follow a basically linear trend that is also useful for predictive purposes. In support of this claim, we present a set of experiments of linear regression compared to alternative approaches on a database collecting the yearly results of 746 teams playing in 22 divisions spanning up to five different levels from 11 countries, in 25 football seasons, for a total of 181,160 matches grouped in 9386 seasonal time series.
A novel Nano/submicro-fiber catalyst was prepared via electrospinning technology from poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and nano-TiO<inf>2</inf>. First, nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> particles were added into the mixture of ethanol and deionized water, the mass ratio of ethanol and deionized water was 1∶1, the TiO<inf>2</inf> suspension was obtained after 1 h with ultrasonic treatment and centrifugal effect, Then PVP was added into the above-mentioned suspension and the content of PVP in the sol was 28%. The TiO<inf>2</inf>/PVP solution was electrospun with different voltage. The effects of the content of TiO<inf>2</inf> and electrospinning voltage on diameter of nano/submicro-fiber were studied. The nano/submicro-fiber catalyst was characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD and FT-IR. The results show that the diameter of nano/submicro-fiber increases with a increase of the content of nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> and decreases with the increase of electrospinning voltage. The analytical result showed that the nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> particles were well dispersed in the matrix of PVP, moreover, the crystal type of nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> was a mixture of anatase and rutile and the diameter of nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> particles in the nano/submicro-fiber is in the range of 20nm–60nm and the nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> particle was monodisperse, and the nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> particle and PVP molecule was connected by a hydrogen bonding. This nano/submicro-fiber catalyst has a high efficiency on degradation on CH<inf>2</inf>O. 56.8 percent of CH<inf>2</inf>O was degradated under ultraviolet radiation in 80 minutes when the content of nano-TiO<inf>2</inf> is 20% in nano/submicro-fibers.
Three-dimensional flowerlike europium-doped lanthanide molybdate [La2(MoO4)3:Eu] microarchitectures that exhibit efficient photoluminescence have been successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process in the presence of the surfactant bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT). The La2(MoO4)3:Eu microspheres are well dispersed, have a uniform diameter of about 3 μm, and are composed of nanoflakes of about 30-nm thickness that connect to each other by both edge-to-edge and edge-to-flat-surface conjunctions with few surface-to-surface attachments. The surfactant NaAOT was found to play a crucial role in achieving the good dispersibility and uniform morphology of the final product, as compared to the same material but synthesized without the surfactant. The UV absorption results illustrate that there is a 20-nm blue shift of CT band relative to bulk materials, which can be attributed to the quantum size effects of the nanoflakes. These La2(MoO4)3:Eu microspheres show efficient photoluminescence that is a...
Channel Coding for the 5G wireless networks is facing novel challenges to endorse innumerable emerging use cases and applications with miscellaneous performance aspects. With respect to existing state of art codes; 5G channel Codes have diverse requirements of code lengths and rates, as well as throughput, latency and decoding complexity. Therefore, Turbo codes and LDPC codes that played key enablers in 3G and 4G systems are already unproven for many new 5G applications. Polar code is believed as prominent breakthrough in channel coding theory. It guarantees apical performance for 5G scenarios and hence it is considered as a promising candidate for the 5G New Radio. This paper accentuates on the suitability of polar codes for the 5G scenarios. Polar code appropriateness for URLLC and mMTC scenarios is shown in simulation results.
Radiometric selective inhibition tests were developed and evaluated for the rapid differentiation of Mycobacterium spp. Both a p-nitrobenzoic acid (PNB) test and a commercially-prepared p-nitro-alpha-acetylamino-beta-hydroxypropiophenone (NAP) test successfully differentiated M. tuberculosis and M. bovis from "atypical" mycobacteria or mycobacteria other than tubercle bacilli (MOTT). Thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (TCH) readily distinguished human M. tuberculosis strains from M. bovis, irrespective of resistance to isoniazid. Both PNB and TCH tests were utilised in a routine radiometric susceptibility testing scheme over a period of 1 year in which 110 isolates of M. tuberculosis, 10 of M. bovis and one isolate of BCG were correctly differentiated from 10 isolates of MOTT. The rapidity, sensitivity and specificity of these radiometric tests can play a useful role in mycobacterial identification.
The phylum Acidobacteria was created in 1997 in order to accommodate a large number of 16S rRNA gene sequences retrieved from various environments in cultivation-independent studies. At present, 26 major sequence clades or subdivisions (SDs) are recognized within this phylum, but only seven of them (SDs 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 23) are commonly addressed as containing taxonomically described representatives. Here, we examined the currently explored diversity within the Acidobacteria using the candidate taxonomic unit circumscription system. Based on this analysis, 26 subdivisions were assigned to 15 class-level units, five of which contain described members. These include three earlier established classes Acidobacteriia, Blastocatellia and Holophagae, as well as two as-yet-undescribed groups defined by SDs 6 and 23, which we propose to name Vicinamibacteria classis nov. and Thermoanaerobaculia classis nov., respectively. The former assignment of Thermotomaculum hydrothermale to SD10 was found to be incorrect. This bacterium, therefore, was placed in the family Thermotomaculaceae fam. nov., order Thermotomaculales ord. nov. within the class Holophagae. We also propose establishing a number of high-level taxa to accommodate described representatives of SDs 3, 4, 6 and 23. The family Bryobacteraceae of SD3 Acidobacteria is placed in the order Bryobacterales ord. nov. within the taxonomic range of the class Acidobacteriia. The order Vicinamibacteriales ord. nov. is proposed to accommodate the family Vicinamibacteriaceae of SD6 Acidobacteria. Finally, the family Thermoanaerobaculaceae fam. nov., the order Thermoanaerobaculales ord. nov. are proposed to accommodate the only described representative of SD23, Thermoanaerobaculum aquaticum.
ABSTRACT Background and scope: Long-term clinical studies are essential for monitoring the effectiveness and safety of a drug. Information provided by long-term clinical studies complements the results of short-term, randomized, controlled trials, which often form the basis of regulatory approval for a new drug application. As the duration of a study increases and the number of patients continuing in the study declines, missing data become more of a problem: they may bias the results. Therefore, standard analytical strategies used in short-term randomized, controlled trials (intent-to-treat, per-protocol) may not always be appropriate for data generated in long-term studies. Objective: To review commonly used analytical approaches in the assessment of clinical trial data and to identify and address issues related to these approaches in the analysis of long-term study data. Findings: The authors suggest the use of an intent-to-observe population in long-term studies, applying at least three different analytical methods for handling missing data, testing for bias as a sensitivity analysis and reporting results of more than one method if they differ from one another. Limitations: Statistical approaches to data analysis are not addressed in this review. Conclusion: The use of multiple analyses is supported by regulatory authority and expert guidelines, although it has not been widely adopted in the medical literature. Given the inherent limitations of accounting for missing data with each method, the multiple-analysis approach provides more information with which to make better informed decisions, and clearly defined multiple analytical methods may prevent misleading conclusions from being drawn.
survive. Such an approach is particularly appro-priate when tackling complex social problems the dynamic, unpredictable nature of these problems requires attention to system reactions to change & Eoyang, and considerations of system incongruences with change efforts 2003). Effective change pursuits are best able to respond to this complexity when they involve diverse stakeholders, settings, and sectors as active learners and agents of change. Overall, when action becomes the basis for learning and is coupled with opportunities for reflection on the actions taken,
The ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic esters/carbonates is a crucial approach for the synthesis of biocompatible and biodegradable polyesters. Even though numerous efficient ROP catalysts have been well established, their toxicity heavily limits the biomedical applications of polyester products. To solve the toxicity issues relating to ROP catalysts, we report herein a biocompatible coordination network, CZU-1, consisting of Zn4(μ4-O)(COO)6 secondary building units (SBUs), biomedicine-relevant organic linkers and guest water, which demonstrates high potential for use in the catalytic ROP synthesis of biomedicine-applicable polyesters. Both experimental and computational results reveal that the guest water in CZU-1 plays crucial roles in the activation of the Zn4(μ4-O)(COO)6 SBUs by generating μ4-OH Brønsted acid centers and Zn–OH Lewis acid centers, having a synergistic effect on the catalytic ROP of cyclic esters. Different to the mechanism reported in the literature, we propose a new reaction pathway for the catalytic ROP reaction, which has been confirmed using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, in situ diffuse reflectance IR Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MS). Additionally, the hydroxyl end groups allow the polyester products to be easily post-modified with different functional moieties to tune their properties for practical applications. We particularly expect that the proposed catalytic ROP mechanism and the developed catalyst design principle will be generally applicable for the controlled synthesis of biomedicine-applicable polymeric materials.
A new approach to the validation of surface texture form removal methods is introduced. A linear algebra technique is presented that obtains total least squares (TLS) model fits for a continuous mathematical surface definition. This model is applicable to both profile and areal form removal, and can be used for a range of form removal models including polynomial and spherical fits. The continuous TLS method enables the creation of mathematically traceable reference pairs suitable for the assessment of form removal algorithms in surface texture analysis software. Multiple example reference pairs are presented and used to assess the performance of four tested surface texture analysis software packages. The results of each software are compared against the mathematical reference, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
EHealth information systems have brought about a lot of positives which include timeous reporting, efficient data analysis, better decision making, coordination and better work processes. Zimbabwe has also adopted the eHealth information systems and this study sought to establish the effects of eHealth information systems on the management of health information in hospitals in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The study applies a qualitative research methodology in which a case study research design and a purposive sampling technique were used. Document analysis and face to face interviews were held with a total of eleven research participants.
Summary (1) Post-embryonic growth of common laboratory animals is governed, in accordance with the first of equations (l), by 4 fundamental properties of growth represented by the constants ρ, λ, κ, and E. (2) Rates of growth () are altered when any one, or suitable combinations of these parameters are changed by experimental means. In practice, however, the problem is more likely to be the converse of this: which parameters are changed when the normal or control rate of growth is known to have been altered? Such a problem is insoluble so long as observations are limited to measurements of change in size, x, alone. (3) Heat production “during growth” ( ≠ 0 ≠ ) is quantitatively different from heat production when growth is in the stationary state ( = = 0). Heat production per unit time per unit mass is synonymous with metabolism, and the latter is dynamically related to growth via the properties represented by ρ and E c. (4) The values of all constants along with their P.E.'s can be computed from simultaneous data on growth and metabolism. (5) The effect of any foodstuff, or of any procedure that influences growth can therefore be estimated in terms of the control values ρo, λo, κo and (E)o, and the substances themselves may be compared by means of the respective changes induced in these four fundamental parameters of state.
Hapten-specific endogenous antibodies are naturally occurring antibodies present in human blood. Herein, we investigated a new strategy in which small-molecule haptens were utilized as naturally occurring antibody binders for peptide half-life extension. The glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist exendin 4 was site-specifically functionalized with the dinitrophenyl (DNP) hapten at the C-terminus via sortase A-mediated ligation. The resulting Ex4-DNP conjugates retained GLP-1 receptor activation potency in vitro and had a similar in vivo acute glucose-lowering effect comparable to that of native Ex4. Pharmacokinetic studies and hypoglycemic duration tests demonstrated that the Ex4-DNP conjugates displayed significantly elongated half-lives and improved long-acting antidiabetic activity in the presence of endogenous anti-DNP antibodies. In chronic treatment studies, once-daily administration of optimal conjugate 7 demonstrated more beneficial effects without prominent toxicity compared with Ex4. This strategy provides a new approach and represents an alternative to the well-established peptide-Fc fusion strategy to improve the peptide half-life and the therapeutic efficacy.
This paper maps current and emerging models of intermediary liability to support the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Panel review of Canada’s communications legislation.    This paper serves two functions. First, it examines policy issues that are foundational to intermediary liability, namely, innovation policy, free speech policy, business freedom and their public functions, the power derived from data repositories and artificial intelligence, and regulatory design. That intermediaries implicate such a cross-section of policy issues speaks to their central role in the digital economy. The taxonomy I create in this paper is mindful of these foundational policy issues and is driven by the following assessment. First, intermediaries should be assessed pursuant to their activities, and not simply based on a category of what they are (e.g. search engine or ISP). Second, intermediaries might fit multiple categories and that should inform the regulatory burden. Third, some intermediaries wield tremendous power, and the taxonomy of activities should be categorized related to the source of that power, and that is their control over the flow of information online.    Second, building on this foundation, the paper maps intermediary liability laws. The scope is broad, including Canadian laws in the areas of defamation, privacy (tort), intimate images and cyberbullying (legislation), privacy (data protection), civil law in Quebec, broadcasting, radio and telecommunications, copyright, criminal law (terrorism and non-consensual distribution of intimate images (NCDII)), CASL and the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA or CUSMA). This paper also considers legal frameworks in Europe and the USA, and human-rights driven models.
The amount of hemicellulose in pulps varies according to wood species, and the pulping processes including their bleaching agents. Making viscose cellulosic and non-cellulosic material is removed during mercerisation which is the first processing step. Low molecular weight material is also formed during the reduction of the degree of polymerisation in order to fit the alkali cellulose for xanthation and dissolving, respectively. In this work commercially available dissolving pulps with respect to their behaviour during the preparation of viscose fibres shall be discussed. For these investigations a Eucalyptus sulphite and a Eucalyptus pre- hydrolysed sulphate pulps were selected.
Background The ideal crystalloid fluid of choice for fluid therapy during liver transplantation is unknown. Conventional balanced crystalloids are buffered with organic anions, which requires liver metabolism to prevent matabolic acidosis and protect renal function. Therefore they can not function properly during liver transplantation. On the contrary, the bicarbonated Ringer's solution (BRS) can maintain acid-base status regardless of liver function. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that, in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation, compared with acetated Ringer's solutions (ARS), perioperative fluid therapy with BRS could better maintain the acid-base status. Methods This is a prospective, single-centre, randomised controlled trial. 72 eligible patients will be randomised to receive either BRS or ARS perioperatively. The primary endpoint is the difference in standard base excess (SBE) before and after operation. Secondary endpoints include the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) within 48 h post operation and free and alive days to day 14 for intensive care admission, invasive ventilation, vasopressors, and renal replacement therapy (RRT). Discussion Metabolic acidosis is common perioperatively, potentially leading to decreased renal blood flow and reduced glomerular filtration rate. The use of balanced solutions can prevent hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, thereby avoiding AKI in some patients. However, during liver transplantation, when well-functioning liver metabolism is lacking, the organic anions in conventional balanced solutions may remain strong anions and thus fail to maintain the acid-base status, but no solid clinical evidence exists now. This study will, for the first time, provide evidence on the relative effects of BRS vs. ARS on acid-base status and renal injury in patients undergoing liver transplantation. Clinical Trial Registration The trial has been registered at the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ChiCTR2100046889) on 29 May 2021.
The evacuation of complex buildings is a challenge under any circumstances. Fire drills are a way of training and validating evacuation plans. However, sometimes these plans are not taken seriously by their participants. It is also difficult to have the financial and time resources required. In this scenario, serious games can be used as a tool for training, planning and evaluating emergency plans. In this paper a prototype of a serious games evacuation simulator is presented. To make the environment as realistic as possible, 3D models were made using Blender and loaded onto Unity3D, a popular game engine. This framework provided us with the appropriate simulation environment. Some experiences were made and results show that this tool has potential for practitioners and planners to use it for training building occupants.
The formation of O/sup -/ and C/sup -/ ions via dissociative attachment in electron scattering from O/sub 2/ and CO condensed on a polycrystalline platinum surface is reported. Below 15-eV impact energy, O/sup -/ from O/sub 2/ arises essentially from the repulsive /sup 2/Pi/sub u/ state of O/sub 2//sup -/, whereas in CO, C/sup -/ and O/sup -/ appear to be emitted from higher-energy repulsive states of CO/sup -/ with yields much different from those found for the isolated molecule.
The demands placed on today’s organizations and their managers suggest that we have to develop pedagogies combining analytic reasoning with a more exploratory skill set that design practitioners have embraced and business schools have traditionally neglected. Design thinking is an iterative, exploratory process involving visualizing, experimenting, creating, and prototyping of models, and gathering feedback. It is a particularly apt method for addressing innovation and messy, ill-structured situations. We discuss key characteristics of design thinking, link design-thinking characteristics to recent studies of cognition, and note how the repertoire of skills and methods that embody design thinking can address deficits in business school education.
Multi-robot navigation is a challenging task, especially for many robots, since individual gains may more often than not adversely affect the global gain. This paper investigates the problem of multiple robots moving towards individual goals within a common workspace whereas the motion of every individual robot is deduced by a novel Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) tuned Feed Forward Neural Network (FFNN). Motion coordination among the robots is implemented using a cooperative coordination algorithm that identifies critical robots and maintains cooperation count while actuating deviation in select robots. The contribution of this paper is twofold; firstly in hybridizing the Artificial Neural Network(ANN) by employing PSO, an evolutionary algorithm, to find optimal values of deviation for every critical robot using velocity and acceleration constraints, secondly ensuing the convergence of the PSO by carrying first and second order stability analysis. Experiments have been carried out to evaluate and validate the efficacy of the proposed coordination schemes by changing the number of robots under hundred different scenarios each, and the founded results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed schemes.
In defining the political it is possible to identify a dominant trend preoccupied with the idea of politics as a positive means of conflict management. This has often overshadowed the alternatives which view politics as a conflictual system of thought and action. Such alternatives can be reinforced by taking seriously the understanding that ordinary people have of what is involved in being political. From this, it is possible to conceive of politics less as a means of creating order, by accommodating diversity and constraint or imposing a general standard or authority, and more as a passionate and quarrelsome activity concerned with promoting conflict and disrupting order.
INTRODUCTION Subclinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy has been associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. A subset of pregnant women in the United States have been shown to have mild iodine deficiency. No study has evaluated the thyroid and iodine status of women who are planning to become pregnant in the near future.   METHODS Thyroid function tests, thyroid antibodies, and urine iodine levels were evaluated in women presenting for preconception screening and counseling. A thyrotropin (TSH) level above 3.0 mIU/L was considered abnormal.   RESULTS One hundred and forty one women enrolled in the study. The median TSH level was 1.70 mIU/L (range 0.43-5.3 mIU/L). Sixteen women (11%) had a TSH above the upper limit of normal (>3.0 mIU/L). Eleven women (8%) were positive for TPO-Ab and 21 women (15%) for TgAb. Twenty-three women (16%) were positive for at least one thyroid antibody (TPOAb and/or TgAb). Median serum TSH concentrations were higher in women with detectable antithyroid antibodies than in women who were antibody negative (2.2 mIU/L vs. 1.7 mIU/L; p=0.005). The median urinary iodine concentration was 100.5 μg (range 19-843 μg/L).   DISCUSSION The present cohort exhibited the lowest median urinary iodine concentration levels to date reported in the United States for women in their childbearing years. One out of every nine women (11%) had thyroid function tests consistent with subclinical hypothyroidism.
This article presents a compilation of literature about the process of inter-generational transmission of poverty. The article also addresses the possibilities of developing a study with evidence for the Mexican case. The first section of the article de-constructs the term intergenerational transmission of poverty. The second section reviews literature that allows us to understand the evolution of the topic, the theoretical underpinnings, and the evidence of the processes behind the transmission of poverty from one generation to another. The third section explores ways of finding possible evidence for Mexico. The article concludes that the growing interest in the country for understanding the perpetuation of poverty across generations is accompanied by slow—but solid—tools that would allow an empirical examination of the topic in the near future.
The present study was carried out to determine whether aromatase knockout (ArKO) mice are completely devoid of aromatase activity in their brain and gonads and to compare aromatase activity in wild‐type and ArKO mice, as well as in heterozygous (HET) mice of both sexes that were previously shown to display a variety of reproductive behaviours at levels intermediate between wild‐type and ArKO mice. Aromatase activity was extremely low, and undetectable by the tritiated water assay, in homogenates of the preoptic area‐hypothalamus of adult wild‐type mice, but was induced following a 12‐day treatment with testosterone. The induction of aromatase activity by testosterone was significantly larger in males than in females. Even after 12 days exposure to testosterone, no aromatase activity was detected in the brain of ArKO mice of either sex whereas HET mice showed intermediate levels of activity between ArKO and wild‐type. Aromatase activity was also undetectable in the ovary of adult ArKO females but was very high in the wild‐type ovary and intermediate in the HET ovary. In wild‐type mice, a high level of aromatase activity was detected on the day of birth even without pretreatment with testosterone. This neonatal activity was higher in males than in females, but females nevertheless appear to display a substantial level of oestrogen production in their brain. Aromatase activity was undetectable in the brain of newborn ArKO males and females and was intermediate between wild‐type and ArKO in HET mice. In conclusion, the present study confirms that ArKO mice are unable to synthesize any oestrogens, thereby validating the ArKO mouse as a valuable tool in the study of the physiological roles of oestradiol. In addition, it demonstrates that the intermediate behaviour of HET mice presumably reflects the effect of gene dosage on aromatase expression and activity, that aromatase activity is sexually differentiated in mice during the neonatal period as well as in adulthood and, finally, that the neonatal female brain produces substantial amounts of oestrogens that could play a significant role in the sexual differentiation of the female brain early in life.
Recent technological advances have made multimedia on-demand servers feasible. Two challenging tasks in such systems are: (1) satisfying the real-time requirement for continuous delivery of objects at specified bandwidths and (2) efficiently servicing multiple clients simultaneously. To accomplish these tasks and realize economies of scale associated with servicing a large user population, the multimedia server can require a large disk subsystem. Although a single disk is fairly reliable, a large disk farm can have an unacceptably high probability of disk failure. Further, due to the real-time constraint, the reliability and availability requirements of multimedia systems are very stringent. In this paper we present techniques for providing reliability in multidisk video-on-demand storage systems.
The Covid19 pandemic that hit the world at the beginning of 2020 has paralyzed the economic sector.Tourism is the earliest sector affected, with the policy of large-scale social restrictions that make theTourism Industry suspended. Hospitality and travel businesses lost more than 50% of their income toalmost out of business. Breakthroughs and innovations are needed to stay afloat from covid hurricane19. This writing aims to find alternatives to re-increase public interest to return to safe tourismactivities without violating WHO health protocols. The method used is a qualitative method based onobservations and observations, the outcome of this activity is in the form of a prototype signage and atourism catalog that can be applied directly to the tourism industry. Conclusions while the tourismindustry can still be run as long as it can meet safe health protocols in the new normal approach
The evolutionary origin of eukaryotes spurred the transition from prokaryotic-like translation to a more sophisticated, eukaryotic translation. During this process, successive gene duplication of a single, primordial eIF4E gene encoding the mRNA cap-binding protein eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) gave rise to a plethora of paralog genes across eukaryotes that underwent further functional diversification in RNA metabolism. The ability to take different roles is due to eIF4E promiscuity in binding many partner proteins, rendering eIF4E a highly versatile and multifunctional player that functions as a molecular wildcard. Thus, in metazoans, eIF4E paralogs are involved in various processes, including messenger RNA (mRNA) processing, export, translation, storage, and decay. Moreover, some paralogs display differential expression in tissues and developmental stages and show variable biochemical properties. In this review, we discuss recent advances shedding light on the functional diversification of eIF4E in metazoans. We emphasise humans and two phylogenetically distant species which have become paradigms for studies on development, namely the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans.
Conservation of crop germplasm diversity involves the establishment of in situ and ex situ genebanks. The major activities for ex situ genebanks include assembling, conserving, characterizing and providing easy access to germplasm for scientists. More than six million accessions are currently assembled in over 1300 genebanks worldwide. ICRISAT is one of the 15 CGIAR centres, with headquarters at Patancheru, India, and conserves genetic resources of sorghum, pearl millet, chickpea, pigeonpea, groundnut, and six small millets. The ICRISAT genebank holds 114,870 accessions from 130 countries, including both archival materials from various organizations throughout the world, and from fresh collections resulting from 213 missions in 62 countries. The ICRISAT genebank supplies annually over 40,000 germplasm samples to scientists worldwide. Sixty-six varieties selected from the basic germplasm have been released for cultivation in 44 countries, and ICRISAT has restored/repatriated crop germplasm to eight countries. The research focus is on germplasm diversity assessment, developing core and mini-core collections, and using a molecular characterization approach to both enhance the utilization of germplasm in research and improve the efficiency of germplasm management. Following these approaches, we have been able to identify a significant number of accessions with traits potentially relevant for crop improvement.
The paper that we present tries to review the work process of the Sense of Place picture book. This project is the result of collaboration between an art historian and an artist. It began with a research stay of the two in England in 2014, and was published in Malaga in 2016. Throughout the paper we will analyze the subject treated and compare it with other theoretical and practical approaches; We will explore the work process of both and how personal relationships influence the creative process; And finally, we will comment on the editing and distribution process. CONTENIDO (Introducción, Desarrollo, Conclusiones) El trabajo no excederá en texto de 3000 palabras para las comunicaciones y de 900 palabras para los posters, en ningún caso el trabajo excederá de 10 páginas.
A descriptive study was carried out in Baghdad City from 16th of Nov 2017 to 1st of May 2018. A non-probability sample of (35) Nurses working at neonatal Intensive care unit at the Children Welfare Teaching Hospital, Child's Central Teaching Hospital and Ibn-Albaldy Hospital. The study instrument consisted of three major parts to meet the purposes of the study. The first part is related to nurses socio-demographic data, the second part is related to nurses knowledge about nasogastric tube, it consisted of three domains (20) items and the third part is observation checklist related to nurses practices about NG tube, it consist of (14) items. The validity of the instrument's contents was established through a panel of (10) in different specialties related to the field of the present study. The study was collected by using a constructed questionnaire through an application of direct interview and observation checklist. The data were analysed by using two statistical approaches: Descriptive, Inferential statistics. The study revealed that the nurses knowledge about NG tube was 54.3% (Poor), followed by those who have 37.1% (fair) knowledge.
The treatment of gonococcal infections by quinolones is reviewed. Acrosoxacin is effective, but side effects are relatively common. Ciprofloxacin is effective in single dosage against urogenital gonococcal infections, and probably also against rectal and pharyngeal infections. It is effective against infections by penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In vitro, ciprofloxacin is active against Chlamydia trachomatis, and preliminary results indicate that this drug may be of value in the treatment of non-gonococcal urethritis and chlamydial infection. No major side effects of ciprofloxacin therapy in patients with these infections have been reported.
Working in the corrosive environment for a long time, it is easy for metal pipes to produce stress corrosion cracks which will affect the use. An infrared detection method combining permeate treatment with heat-incentive steam is proposed to detect surface cracks, which then has been verified by simulations and experiments. For the simulation, pipe model including four cracks of different depth and width was constructed by ANSYS. Transient thermal analysis was made after convection incentive loaded on internal and external wall in the case of whether or not undergo surface infiltration processing. For the experiment, pipe including cracks were made the same as simulation parameters, then experiments were made using the thermal excitation system in two cases. Surface temperature distributions of the pipe were compared in two cases, the results of the study show that penetration treatment before heat incentive can significantly improve the surface crack detection sensitivity.
Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a widely used signaling format in wireless communication and ultrawide band radio-frequency (RF) applications. An OFDM transceiver relies on a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) processor that matches both the resolution and the bandwidth of wireless link. A conventional wideband OFDM receiver necessarily relies on high-speed analog-to-digital converters (ADC) followed by a Fourier processing core. Both fundamental and practical ADC considerations that include bandwidth-resolution tradeoff impose strict limits on high precision digitization of the wideband OFDM signal. In addition to the quantization barrier, computational complexity of the high-speed DFT processor leads to high dissipation levels in conventional receivers. This report demonstrates an alternative OFDM receiver architecture that eliminates the need for high-speed ADC and digital DFT processor. The new design is based on hybrid, optoelectronic DFT processor, capable of generating DFT coefficients of wideband RF signal in real time. We demonstrate demodulation of a 4-quadratic amplitude modulation OFDM signal with 60 subcarriers positioned within 4–15.8 GHz band and separated by 200 MHz. The error vector magnitude is measured for all channels to characterize the performance of the comb-assisted OFDM RF receiver.
Java 2 Micro-Edition connected limited device configuration (J2ME CLDC) is the platform of choice when it comes to running mobile applications on resource-constrained devices (cell phones, set-top boxes, etc.). The large deployment of this platform makes it a target for security attacks. The intent of this paper is twofold: first, we study the security architecture of J2ME CLDC; and second, we provide a vulnerability analysis of this Java platform. The analyzed components are: virtual machine, CLDC API and MIDP (mobile information device profile) API. The analysis covers the specifications, the reference implementation (RI) as well as several other widely deployed implementations of this platform. The aspects targeted by this security analysis encompass: networking, record management system, virtual machine, multi-threading and digital right management. This work identifies security weaknesses in J2ME CLDC that may represent sources of security exploits. Moreover, the results reported in this paper are valuable for any attempt to test or harden the security of this platform
Extracellular ATP (a purine nucleotide) and UTP (a pyrimidine nucleotide) both activated phospholipase C with a similar potency and efficacy; however, in contrast to ATP which induced a remarkable norepinephrine release, UTP-induced norepinephrine release was small in PC12 cells, a rat pheochromocytoma cell line. ATP, its derivatives (2-methylthioadenosine 5'-triphosphate (MeSATP) and 2'- and 3'-O-(4-benzoylbenzoyl)adenosine 5'-triphosphate (BzATP)) and UTP increased intracellular Ca2+ in the presence of 2 mM extracellular Ca2+ with the potency order of ATP > MeSATP > BzATP = UTP. Under the low extracellular Ca2+ conditions, the Ca2+ response to purine nucleotides was markedly reduced, but the UTP response was not. The [32P]BzATP labeling of a 53-kDa putative ATP receptor coupled to a channel system (Majid, M.A., Okajima, F., and Kondo, Y. (1992) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1136, 283-289) was markedly inhibited by ATP, but not by UTP. These results suggest that UTP activates the phospholipase C-Ca2+ system through a receptor different from the 53-kDa ATP receptor.
The experimental findings reported here confirm and extend our earlier studies which show that preparation of adult mice and rats with TLI allows allogeneic marrow engraftment without GVHD. The immunological mechanisms responsible for the absence of GVHD is unclear. Unlike the presently used recipient treatment regimens, TLI allows for the use of unmatched marrow and obviates the use of post-transplant immunosuppressive therapy. Achievement of marrow engraftment without GVHD in large outbred animals indicates that this technique merits further investigation as a potential tool in marrow transplantation in humans.
A nonparametric analysis of separability in agricultural production technology was conducted using state-level data. Both deterministic (exhaustive search) and stochastic (measurement error) tests were performed. The empirical findings do not rule out a reasonable amount of data aggregation, both among inputs and among outputs. The nature and extent of the justified aggregation varies widely among states, supporting the notion that the structure of agricultural production varies in important ways across states.
innermost Spirit of my being, art thou pleased. Lord of my life" (p. 97). This still is vague. We may turn to a more definite statement. "It is definite (this is surely a misprint for infinite) and finite at the same time, the Eternal Person manifested in all persons. . . . Whatever character our theology may ascribe to him, in reality he is the infinite ideal of Man towards whom men move in their collective growth, with whom they seek their union of love as individuals, in whom they find their ideal of father, friend, and beloved" (p. 165). He has endeavoured to give practical expression to his ideal in education: "I tried my best to develop in the children of my school the freshness of their feeling for Nature, a sensitiveness of soul in their relationship with their human surroundings, with the help of literature, festive ceremonials, and also the religious teaching which enjoins us to come to the nearer presence of the world through the soul, thus to gain it more than can be measured—like gaining an instrument in truth by bringing out its music" (p. 180). The end of such an education is spiritual freedom. "Bondage in all its forms has its stronghold in the inner self, and not in the outside world; it is in the dimming of our consciousness, in the narrowing of our perspective, in the wrong valuation of things" (p. 190). While appreciatively describing the Hindu doctrine of the Four Stages of Life, he, as has already been indicated, does not accept absorption in God as the goal. Without denying the voices of his own land, he is inclined to listen to other views: "Let us have faith in the testimony of others who have felt a profound love, which is the intense feeling of union, for a Being who comprehends in Himself all things that are human in knowledge, will, and action. And He is God, who is not merely a sum-total of facts, but the goal that lies immensely beyond all that is comprised in the past and the present" (p. 206). Here we seem to reach Theism, but cannot be sure that the Religion of Man is intended to lead us to God in the full sense of Theism.
Governance issues related to the energy sector are complex and are assuming increasing importance with respect to sustainability of natural resources. This paper discusses the birth of the concept of independent regulation in the US, the two streams of regulation – rate of return regulation and price cap regulation – in the developed world, and the differences in their approach. It then covers independent regulation and governance of the energy sector in developing countries, focusing on India.
Background: Although physical activity has been associated with reduced breast cancer risk, whether this association varies across breast cancer subtypes or is modified by reproductive and lifestyle factors is unclear. Methods: We examined physical activity in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer risk in 182,862 U.S. women in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Physical activity was assessed by self-report at baseline (1995-1996), and 6,609 incident breast cancers were identified through December 31, 2003. Cox regression was used to estimate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of postmenopausal breast cancer overall and by tumor characteristics. Effect modification by select reproductive and lifestyle factors was also explored. Results: In multivariate models, the most active women experienced a 13% lower breast cancer risk versus inactive women (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.81-0.95). This inverse relation was not modified by tumor stage or histology but was suggestively stronger for estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (RR, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.54-1.04) than ER-positive (RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.84-1.12) breast tumors and was suggestively stronger for overweight/obese (RR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.77-0.96) than lean (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.87-1.05) women. The inverse relation with physical activity was also more pronounced among women who had never used menopausal hormone therapy and those with a positive family history of breast cancer than their respective counterparts. Conclusions: Physical activity was associated with reduced postmenopausal breast cancer risk, particular to ER-negative tumors. These results, along with heterogeneity in the physical activity-breast cancer relation for subgroups of menopausal hormone therapy use and adiposity, indicate that physical activity likely influences breast cancer risk via both estrogenic and estrogen-independent mechanisms. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(1):289–96)
Under s.91 (27) of the BNA Act, 1867, the Federal Parliament has the exclusive authority to legislate “criminal law.” This has not stopped the provinces from passing “quasi-criminal” laws that are difficult to distinguish from criminal law. Recent legislation regarding “public fighting” and civil remedies for criminal acts suggest there are few legal obstacles to enacting provincial criminal law. This article identifies such provincial criminal laws, explains how the modern doctrines of federalism might invite and allow for their enactment, and discusses impacts on criminal justice policy and administration. It highlights the discretion afforded the Crown and police in charging individuals under the federal Criminal Code or similar provincial laws (or municipal by-laws). While provincial or local laws may allow for more efficient law enforcement, they do so at the expense of the procedural guarantees associated with the criminal law.
Asteroseismology may help detect diffusion-induced helium gradients inside Main-Sequence A stars. Models have been computed for 1.6 and 2.0 $M_{ odot}$ stars with pure helium diffusion, at different ages, so that the helium gradient lies at different depths inside the star. The adiabatic oscillation frequencies have been analysed and compared with those of a model without diffusion. Clear signatures of the diffusion-induced helium gradient are found in the so-called “second differences”. These frequency differences present modulations due to the partial reflection of the sound waves in the layer where the helium gradient occurs. A tentative application to the roAp star HD 60435 is presented.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
Babcock & Wilcox has initiated a multiple phase program to develop a high-performance planar solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC). A multidisciplinary team has been established to conduct the Phase I effort - Concept Feasibility Demonstration. A key focus of the B&W program is SOFC stack manufacturability and reliability. This paper presents the current design concept and the chosen fabrication methodologies. (3) a wide including natural hydrocarbons, and and (4) flexibility in the planning and siting of power generation capacity as a result of the modular nature of fuel cell units. Planar configuration SOFCs an key only preliminary plasma spray trials on alumina substrates had been completed for deposition of the porous LaxSr, xMnO3 (LSM) cathode. A commercially available LSM powder having an average particle size of 100 pm was sprayed using current and voltage settings in the range of 300-400 amps and 75-85 volts, respectively. Initial results have been very encouraging, as an adherent coating having about 40% porosity was obtained. Future work will entail developing the appropriate spraying parameters for the LCCC substrate, verifying the
In this report, we consider the accumulation in roots, and transport to the shoot, of Na(+) and K(+) in intact lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa cv Black-seeded Simpson). Plants were grown in modified Hoagland medium supplemented with 10 moles NaCl per cubic meter. At this salinity, significant levels of Na(+) were accumulated in roots and shoots, but there was no reduction in plant growth. Transport characteristics for both Na(+) and K(+) were qualitatively similar to those previously reported, for Spergularia marina, indicating that the results obtained with these experimental protocols are not limited to one unconventional experimental plant. The most pronounced difference in transport of the two ions was evident when transport was followed in a chase period after a 10 minute uptake pulse. For Na(+), there was an initially rapid, but small, loss of label to the medium, and very little movement to the shoot. For K(+), little label was lost from the plants, but translocation to the shoot proceeded for at least 60 minutes. The transport systems were further distinguished by treating the roots during labeling with 20 micrograms per milliliter cycloheximide. For K(+), both uptake and translocation were reduced by about 50%. For Na(+), root accumulation was stimulated more than five-fold, while transport to the shoot was reduced about 20%. Cycloheximide also modified the Na(+) transport characteristics such that continued translocation occurred during the chase period of pulse-chase studies.
Abstract: A genetical relationship between skarn formation and mineralization is investigated for the Kamioka skarn deposits which are the largest Zn‐Pb producer in Japan. In the Mozumi deposit, one of main deposits in the Kamioka mining area as well as Tochibora and Maruyama, clinopyroxene skarn was generally subjected to later replacement by garnet or magnetite–calcite–quartz during the Zn‐Pb mineralization. The replacement of hedenbergitic clinopyroxene by andraditic garnet resulted in the formation of diopsidic clinopyroxene relicts. With the progress of replacement, the S/So value (So: an estimated area occupied by an original clinopyroxene grain in a thin section, S: a total area of relict clinopyroxene fragments) which is an index of the degree of replacement decreases from 0. 7 to 0. 1, and the hedenbergite mole percent of relict clinopyroxene decreases drastically from about 65 to less than 40. A close association of andraditic garnet and sphalerite suggests that heden‐bergitic clinopyroxene skarn played an important role to reduce the relatively oxic ore‐forming fluid enriched in Zn2+ and SO42– and to precipitate sphalerite from the fluid. Ferrous iron in the hedenbergitic clinopyroxene skarn was oxidized to form andraditic garnet. Besides this garnet formation, the mineral assemblage of magnetite–calcite–quartz replaced the clinopyroxene skarn at the time of mineralization. In both cases, the reduction of relatively oxic ore‐forming fluid by hedenbergitic clinopy‐roxene skarn at the later stage brought about the precipitation of sulfide minerals.
Population dynamics of atomic inner-shell vacancy states are analyzed for the possibility of inversion in relation to keV x-ray laser schemes. Transitions between pairs of inner-shell vacancy states are considered in which the states are pumped via electron-impact inner-shell ionization by a femtosecond high-energy electron pulse. For appropriate atomic systems, transient inversion is predicted due to rapid lower state depopulation via Coster-Kronig decay. @S1050-2947~99!50206-0#
As a result of a cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PaDCNR), available electronic data were compiled for Pennsylvania state lands (state forests and parks) to allow PaDCNR to initially determine if data exist to make an objective evaluation of water resources for specific basins. The data compiled included water-quantity and waterquality data and sample locations for benthic macroinvertebrates within state-owned lands (including a 100-meter buffer around each land parcel) in Pennsylvania. In addition, internet links or contacts for geographic information system coverages pertinent to water-resources studies also were compiled. Water-quantity and water-quality data primarily available through January 2007 were compiled and summarized for site types that included streams, lakes, ground-water wells, springs, and precipitation. Data were categorized relative to 35 watershed boundaries defined by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for resource-management purposes. The primary sources of continuous water-quantity data for Pennsylvania state lands were the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Weather Service (NWS). The USGS has streamflow data for 93 surface-water sites located in state lands; 38 of these sites have continuous-recording data available. As of January 2007, 22 of these 38 streamflow-gaging stations were active; the majority of active gaging stations have over 40 years of continuous record. The USGS database also contains continuous ground-water elevation data for 32 wells in Pennsylvania state lands, 18 of which were active as of January 2007. Sixty-eight active precipitation stations (primarily from the NWS network) are located in state lands. The four sources of available water-quality data for Pennsylvania state lands were the USGS, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP), and the Susquehanna River Basin Commission. The water-quality data, which were primarily collected after 1970, were summarized by categorizing the analytical data for each site into major groups (for example, trace metals, pesticides, major ions, etc.) for each type (streams, lakes, ground-water wells, and springs) of data compiled. The number of samples and number of detections for each analyte within each group also were summarized. A total of 410 stream sites and 205 ground-water wells in state lands had water-quality data from the available data sets, and these sites were well-distributed across the state. A total of 107 lakes and 47 springs in state lands had water-quality data from the available data sets, but these data types were not well-distributed across the state; the majority of water-quality data for lakes was in the western or eastern sections of the state and water-quality data for springs was primarily located in the central part of the Lower Susquehanna River Valley. The most common types of water-quality data collected were major ions, trace elements, and nutrients. Physical parameters, such as water temperature, stream discharge, or water level, typically were collected for most water-quality samples. Given the large database available from PaDEP for benthic macroinvertebrates, along with some data from other agencies, there is very good distribution of benthic-macroinvertebrate data for state lands. Benthic macroinvertebrate samples were collected at 1,077 locations in state lands from 1973 to 2006. Most (980 samples) of the benthic-macroinvertebrate samples were collected by PaDEP as part of the state assessment of stream conditions required by the Clean Water Act. Data compiled in this report can be used for various water-resource issues, such as basin-wide water-budget analysis, studies of ecological or instream flow, or water-quality assessments. The determination of an annual water budget in selected basins is best supported by the available data. Much different and more extensive data are required for an ecological-flow study or water-quality assessment. The compilation and summary of data in this report allow for a quick initial determination of available data and whether more data may be required for the particular task at hand within a specific basin. Methods of data estimation for basins that are lacking certain types of water-quantity data also are presented. Data estimation is of primary importance for streamflow data in ungaged basins. Data Compilation and Assessment for Water Resources in Pennsylvania State Forest and Park Lands By Daniel G. Galeone 2 Data Compilation and Assessment for Water Resources in Pennsylvania State Forest and Park Land Introduction The management of water resources within or near state forests and parks is an important issue for the Bureaus of Forestry and State Parks within the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PaDCNR). Data on water quantity and water quality and instream biological data are needed to assist these bureaus in making informed water-resource-management decisions. Because of increasing demands for potable water in many areas near state forest (fig. 1) and park (fig. 2) lands, PaDCNR needs to assess the availability of water resources and the quality of water within Pennsylvania state forest and park lands. Developing a water budget is typically a first step in determining whether a sufficient supply of water is available in a specific basin. Water quality tied to the water budget helps to determine if the available water is adequate for the designated uses, such as recreation or consumption. Benthic-macroinvertebrate data can also be a very useful tool in assessing water resources, and this is one tool currently used by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP) to assess the quality of waters across the state. The quantity and quality of available water are important; however, maintaining instream flow to support or enhance existing aquatic communities is equally important. Presently, information regarding instream-flow needs or ecological flows is not available for many areas of Pennsylvania state forest and park holdings. A growing need of many regulatory and conservation agencies within Pennsylvania is the establishment of ecological flows. Ecological flows or instream-flow needs are the amount of surface water in streams needed to support aquatic communities. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) has developed a Pennsylvania Instream Flow Incremental Method (IFIM) model that can be applied to coldwater fisheries of less than 100 mi with reproducing trout populations (Denslinger and others, 1998). This method can only be applied to specific areas (Ridge and Valley Limestone and Freestone, Unglaciated Plateau, and Piedmont Upland) of the state. At this time, no other models or methodologies have been developed to address ecological-flow requirements in other parts of the state or for other species except brook trout. Currently, PaDEP as part of the State Water Plan Update 2008 has established the 7-day 10-year low flow (Q7,10) streamflow statistic as an initial criteria or surrogate for instreamflow needs to identify potential conflict areas between water usage and aquatic communities across the entire state except for areas where the SRBC IFIM model applies (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 2006). The Q7,10 is defined as the discharge at the 10-year recurrence interval taken from a frequency curve of annual values of the lowest mean discharge for 7 consecutive days (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). The establishment of a single streamflow statistic is antiquated and more appropriate criteria are currently being developed (such as the work done by Denslinger and others (1998)). However, at this time, it is not known what methodology will be established to assess ecological flows for the state of Pennsylvania. Therefore, the compilation of all possible electronic data on water quantity and quality is prudent at this time until methods are established. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the PaDCNR Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey (PaTGS) performed a data-needs compilation to identify critical and supporting data that will allow an objective evaluation of water resources for basins within state forest and park land holdings. For water quantity, the compilation determined the availability and adequacy of meteorological, hydrologic, and geographic data needed to provide the results of an annual mass-balance basin water budget. An annual basin-wide water budget describes inputs to the basin (precipitation and imported water), outputs of water from the basin (streamflow, exported water, leakage, consumed water, and evapotranspiration), and changes in ground-water and surface-water storage (Sloto and Buxton, 2005). Water-quality data are also compiled from available electronic sources to characterize the water quality of streams, lakes, ground-water wells, and springs in state forest and park lands. Benthic-macroinvertebrate sample locations also were compiled from available electronic sources to provide a spatial representation of the data available. Purpose and Scope This report compiles, summarizes, and presents electronically available (from state and federal agencies) water-quantity and water-quality data and sample locations for benthic macroinvertebrates for state forest and park lands (including 100-meter buffers around each land parcel) in Pennsylvania and provides internet links to geographic information system coverages pertinent for water-resources studies. All available water-quantity data through January 2007 were compiled and summarized for stream, ground-water well, and precipitation stations in or adjacent to state lands so that overlapping time periods for different types of data could be determined. The adequacy of a stream-gaging station in representing the state
Leiomyoma of the uterus is the most common benign tumor arising from uterine smooth muscle. This is a case of a woman with an exophytic uterine leiomyoma mimicking an ovarian neoplasm. The potential for uterine leiomyomas to grow to an extreme size before causing symptoms is quite remarkable. This is likely due to the relatively large volume of the abdominal cavity, the distensibility of the abdominal wall and the slow growth rate of these tumors. In our case report, despite a fibroid of size reaching up to 34 weeks of gestation, our patient had minimal symptoms except for abdominal discomfort. There were no symptoms related to abnormal uterine bleeding or abnormal bowel or bladder habit. Also, the history and clinical examination of the patient favored a diagnosis of ovarian malignancy.
Mutations in chromatin regulator ASXL1 are frequently identified in myeloid malignancies, in particular ~40% in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). ASXL1 mutations associate with poor prognosis in CMML and significantly co-occur with NRAS mutations. Here, we show that concurrent ASXL1 and NRAS mutations defined a population of CMML patients with shorter leukemia-free survival than those with ASXL1 mutation only. Corroborating this human data, Asxl1-/- accelerated CMML progression and promoted CMML transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in NrasG12D/+ mice. NrasG12D/+; Asxl1-/- (NA) leukemia cells displayed hyperactivation of MEK/ERK signaling, increased global level of H3K27ac, and Flt3 upregulation. Moreover, we find that NA-AML cells overexpressed all the major inhibitory immune checkpoint ligands, PD-L1/L2, CD155, and CD80/86. Among them, overexpression of PD-L1 and CD86 correlated with upregulation of AP-1 transcription factors (TFs) in NA-AML cells. An AP-1 inhibitor or shRNAs against AP-1 TF Jun decreased PD-L1 and CD86 expression in NA-AML cells. Once NA-AML cells were transplanted into syngeneic recipients, NA-derived T cells were not detectable. Host-derived wildtype T cells overexpressed PD-1 and TIGIT receptors, leading to a predominant exhausted T cell phenotype. Combined inhibition of MEK and BET led to downregulation of Flt3 and AP-1 expression, partial restoration of the immune microenvironment, enhancement of CD8+ T cell cytotoxicity, and prolonged survival in NA-AML mice. Our study suggests that combined targeted therapy and immunotherapy may be beneficial for treating secondary AML with concurrent ASXL1 and NRAS mutations.
The shielding of a polarized electromagnetic pulse by a ferromagnetic thin film is calculated in the case where the magnetization is perpendicular to the incident field’s polarization. The effects of anisotropy, domain interaction, saturation, hysteresis, and magnetization response time are considered. Results show that best shielding occurs when the response time of the ferromagnetic film is the inverse of the rise time of the pulse. At its optimum frequency, a ferromagnetic alloy shields better than a copper film of the same thickness.
1. Principal result. Let P(z), Qi(z), , Qr(z) be quadratic forms in the real variables zx, ... , zm with real coefficients having the following properties: the form P(z) is positive at each point (z) # (0) at which the forms Qi(z), XQr(z) vanish simultaneously; for every set of constants Si, .., Sr not all zero, the quadratic form SiQi(z)t is indefinite; for every linear subspace L on which the quadratic forms Ql, X Q, do not vanish simultaneously, save at (z) = (0), there is a linear combination SiQi(z) of these forms which is positive definite on L. The principal result given in the present note is given in the following:
We examined a network of 17 lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) sites in Alberta in the cordilleran forests along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and in western Cypress Hills, using a dendrochronological approach to identify the principal climatic factors that have influenced the historical, regional-scale pattern of radial growth of lodgepole pine. Correlation and regression analysis of the regional growth-climate relationships showed that radial growth was negatively associated with late-summer temperatures, and positively related to the late- summer precipitation totals from the previous growth season. Radial growth also responded positively to winter and spring temperatures, and was negatively related to late winter-early spring precipitation. The results suggested that the lag in re- sponse to heat and moisture stress, cold and snowy winters, and the length of the current growing season are important de- terminants of the radial growth of lodgepole pine in Alberta.
OBJECTIVES The study compared the transurethral resection in saline (TURis), transurethral vaporization in saline (TUVis), bipolar plasma enucleation of the prostate (BPEP), and open prostatectomy (OP) in a single-center, prospective, randomized controlled clinical setting exclusively involving large prostate patients.   PATIENTS AND METHODS During a 4½ year enrollment period, 320 cases of prostate volume over 80 mL, maximum flow rate (Qmax) below 10 mL/second, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) over 19, or urinary retention were included in the trial and equally randomized in the four study arms. Patients were assessed preoperatively as well as at the 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up checkups using the IPSS, quality of life (QoL) score, Qmax, postvoiding residual urinary volume (PVR), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA).   RESULTS Similar preoperative parameters were established in the four series. OP and BPEP were characterized by resembling operating times, while TURis and TUVis displayed prolonged surgical durations. TURis emphasized a substantially decreased mean resected tissue weight. TUVis showed the lowest mean hemoglobin level drop, followed by TURis and BPEP (equivalent results) and finally OP (highest bleeding). OP described the longest mean catheterization period and hospital stay, followed by TURis, and afterward by TUVis and BPEP (similar data). During the follow-up period, statistically equivalent IPSS, QoL, Qmax, and PVR outcomes were established for OP, BPEP, and TURis. TUVis displayed significantly smaller Qmax improvements, but similar other functional features. Significantly lower mean PSA levels were determined secondary to OP and BPEP when compared to bipolar resection and subsequently to vaporization.   CONCLUSIONS OP and BPEP emphasized the highest surgical efficiency (prolonged postoperative recovery for OP), while TUVis displayed the lowest hemorrhagic risks. On the medium term, generally resembling functional outcomes were determined for the four techniques, with significantly decreased mean PSA values secondary to OP and BPEP.
The Problem: Conducting community-partnered research conferences is a powerful yet underutilized approach to translating research into practice and improving result dissemination and intervention sustainability strategies. Nonetheless, detailed descriptions of conference features and ways to use them in empirical research are rare.Purpose: We describe how community-partnered conferences may be integrated into research projects by using an example of Community Partners in Care (CPIC), a large, cluster-randomized, controlled, trial (RCT) that uses community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) principles.Key Points: Our conceptual model illustrates the role community-partnered research conferences may play in three study phases and describes how different conference features may increase community engagement, build two-way capacity, and ensure equal project ownership.Conclusions: As the number of community-partnered studies grows, so too does the need for practical tools to support this work. Community-partnered research conferences may be effectively employed in translational research to increase two-way capacity building and promote long-term intervention success.
The influences of various doses of capsaicin on endurance capacity remain to be clarified. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not capsaicin delays stored tissue glycogen depletion. Rats were orally given either a vehicle or a dose of capsaicin, 6, 10, or 15 mg/kg of body weight, 2 h before exercise. The rats in each group were divided into three subgroups for resting and swimming exercise (30 min, exhaustion). Swimming exercises were performed with a weight corresponding to 3% body weight attached to the tail, and the endurance capacity was evaluated by the swimming time until exhaustion. The 15 mg/kg dose of capsaicin significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the endurance performance time and plasma concentration of epinephrine, norepinephrine, free fatty acid and glucose rose to significantly higher levels within 30 min; swimming exercise compared to rest (p < 0.05). At the 15 mg/kg capsaicin dosage. the plasma insulin level decreased to significantly lower levels in group subjected to 30-min swimming as compared to the resting group (p < 0.05), while plasma glucagon rose to a significantly higher level (p < 0.05). Liver and gastrocnemius muscle glycogen in the group subjected to 30-min swimming was maintained at significantly higher concentrations in the rats fed 15 mg/kg of capsaicin as compared to the vehicle counterparts (p < 0.05). These results suggest that the improvement in swimming endurance with the high capsaicin dosage is caused by an increase in fatty acid utilization as the energy source, resulting in the sparing of glycogen.
The biographies of individuals in today’s societies are characterized by the need to exert effort and make decisions in planning one’s life course. A ‘self-project’ has to be worked out both retrospectively and prospectively; childhood becomes important as a resource and a laboratory for the self-project. This empirical study analyses how the occupational choices of young people are connected with their occupational aspirations as a child. Children’s aspirations prove to be class-sensitive. Studying the importance of childhood in the self-project thus makes it possible to consider children’s agency in the interconnection of class and generational categories.
The cerebral blood flow is lower in spontaneously hypertensive rats than in normotensive anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated rats during bicuculline-induced seizures, presumably due to the increase in vascular resistance in the hypertensive rats. This study investigates whether the hypertensive rats develop more severe derangement of the cerebral energy metabolites than normotensive rats because of the reduced cerebral blood flow. After 20 min of continuous seizure activity both normotensive and hypertensive rats had significantly decreased levels of phosphocreatine, ATP and glycogen as well as increased lactate and lactate/pyruvate ratio within the parietal cortex compared to controls. The metabolic disturbances were somewhat less pronounced in the hypertensive rats than in the normotensive rats. Thus, ADP was significantly increased in normotensive rats only and the lactate/pyruvate ratio was higher in the normotensive rats. We conclude that spontaneously hypertensive rats are not more prone than normotensive rats to derangement of cerebral energy metabolites during short term bicuculline-induced seizures and that insufficient blood flow is not the primary cause of the metabolic alterations.
In this study, a power law process (PLP) for the failures of an engine, regarded as a complex repairable system, in a minimal repair set‐up (i.e. only a small proportion of the constituent parts of the engine are replaced on repair) with the engine regularly replaced within period T or replaced at the Nth failure after its installation, whichever occurs first, was examined. First of all, the Laplace test was used to check for the existence of a deteriorating trend in the failure data. Second, model parameters of the PLP were estimated using the maximum‐likelihood estimation method. Third, the Cramer‐von Mises test was used to test its goodness of fit. Finally, the optimal replacement policy based on minimising the long‐run expected cost per month for each type of engine was determined. The statistical inference procedure involving the maximum‐likelihood method for the PLP is based on the associated large‐sample theory. This implies the need to have a lot of data before conducting a statistical analysis. Unfortunately, the authors do not have sufficient data to conduct a real statistical analysis and to bring a significant conclusion to the considered application. The paper describes an industrial application of a PLP and a theoretical replacement model.
Processors have become ubiquitous in all the appliances and machines we use, in both consumer and industrial settings. These processors range from extremely small and low power micro-controllers (used in motor controls, home robots and appliances) to high-performance multi-core processors (used in servers and supercomputers). However, the growth of modern AI/ML environments (like Caffe[Jia et al. 2014], Tensorflow[Abadi et al. 2016]) and the need for features like enhanced security has forced the industry to look beyond general purpose solutions and towards domain-specific-customizations. While a large number of companies today can develop custom ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Chips) and license specific silicon blocks from chip-vendors to develop a customized SoCs (System on Chips), at the heart of every design is the processor and the associated hardware. To serve modern workloads better, these processors also need to be customized, upgraded, re-designed and augmented suitably. This requires that vendors/consumers have access to appropriate processor variants and the flexibility to make modifications and ship them at an affordable cost.
A dynamic finite element analysis model for cylindrical roller bearing is developed, and the complex stress distribution and dynamic contacting nature of the bearing are investigated carefully based on ANSYS/LS-DYNA. Numerical simulation results show that the stress would be bigger when the element contacting with the inner or outer ring than at other times, and the biggest stress would appear near the area that roller contacting with the inner ring. Phenomenon of stress concentration on the roller is found to be very obvious during the operating process of the bearing system. The stress distributions of different elements are uneven on the same side surface of roller in its axis direction. Numerical simulation results can give useful references for the design and analysis of rolling bearing.
In its most basic form, bandit theory is concerned with the design problem of sequentially choosing members from a given collection of random variables so that the regret, i.e., R/sub n/=/spl Sigma//sub j/(/spl mu/*-/spl mu//sub j/)ET/sub n/(j), grows as slowly as possible with increasing n. Here /spl mu//sub j/ is the expected value of the bandit arm (i.e., random variable) indexed by j, T/sub n/(j) is the number of times arm j has been selected in the first n decision stages, and /spl mu//sup */=sup/sub j/ /spl mu//sub j/. The present paper contributes to the theory by considering the situation in which observations are dependent. To begin with, the dependency is presumed to depend only on past observations of the same arm, but later, we allow that it may be with respect to the entire past and that the set of arms is infinite. This brings queues and, more generally, controlled Markov processes into our purview. Thus our "black-box" methodology is suitable for the case when the only observables are cost values and, in particular, the probability structure and loss function are unknown to the designer. The conclusion of the analysis is that under lenient conditions, using algorithms prescribed herein, risk growth is commensurate with that in the simplest i.i.d. cases. Our methods represent an alternative to stochastic-approximation/perturbation-analysis ideas for tuning queues. >
Purification of nine plasma proteinase inhibitors and one zymogen from a single batch of human plasma, using affinity chromatography has been accomplished. Those isolated were plasminogen (lysine-Sepharose), alpha-2-antiplasmin (plasminogen-Sepharose), high and low molecular weight kininogens (CM-papain-Sepharose), alpha-2-macroglobulin (Zn++ chelate-Sepharose), alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor, alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, Cl-inhibitor, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor (Blue-Sepharose) and antithrombin III (heparin-Sepharose). Alpha-2-macroglobulin and alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor required gel filtration as additional purification steps. Each protein was recovered in both high yield and purity.
ABSTRACT A sensitive and selective solid-phase spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of Hg(II) cation in water is described. A complex was created with Hg(II) using 2,6-dimethyl-morpholine dithiocarbamate (DMMDTC) to form Hg(II)–(DMMDTC) and this complex was adsorbed onto microcrystalline naphthalene (MN) and then eluted with 5% acetic acid (in ethanol) solution. A preconcentration factor of 187 and a recovery of 95% were observed at pH of 5.0 and for 10 min. of extraction. The separated Hg(II) ions were quantified by using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer at 490.0 nm by creating a colored complex with dithizone in Triton X-100 surfactant media. Molar absorptivity and sandell’s sensitivity for the Hg(II)-dithizone were determined as 4.96 × 105 Lmol−1cm−1 and 0.4032 µg cm−2, respectively. The detection limit (LOD) was 1.7 μg L−1 under the optimized conditions of the analytical method.
Schizophrenia is a relatively common form of psychotic disorder (severe mental illness). Its lifetime prevalence is nearly 1%, its annual incidence is about 10-15 per 100 000, and the average general practitioner cares for 10-20 schizophrenic patients depending on the location and social surroundings of the practice. It is a syndrome with various presentations and a variable, often relapsing, long term course.   ![][1]   Although schizophrenia is publicly misconceived as “split personality,” the diagnosis has good reliability, even across ages and cultures, though there is no biochemical marker. Onset before the age of 30 is the norm, with men tending to present some four years younger than women. Clues as to aetiology are tantalising, and management remains endearingly clinical.  Evidence for a genetic cause grows stronger: up to 50% of identical (monozygotic) twins will share a diagnosis, compared with about 15% of non-identical (dizygotic) twins. The strength of genetic factors varies across families, but some 10% of a patient's first degree relatives (parents, siblings, and children) will also be schizophrenic, as will 50% of the children of two schizophrenic parents.  Premorbid abnormalities of speech and behaviour may be present during childhood. The role of obstetric complications and viral infection in utero remains unproved. Enlarged ventricles and abnormalities of the temporal lobes are not uncommon findings from computed tomography of the brain. Thus, a picture is emerging of a genetic brain disorder, enhanced or brought out by subtle forms of environmental damage.  Symptoms are characterised most usefully as positive or negative, although the traditional diagnostic subcategories (hebephrenic, paranoid, catatonic, and simple) have mixtures of both  ### Positive symptoms and signs  #### Clinical features suggesting diagnosis of schizophrenia  Running commentary on person's actions  Two or more voices discussing the person  Voices speaking the person's thoughts   [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
The beta receptor for platelet-derived growth factor (beta PDGFR) is activated by binding of PDGF and undergoes phosphorylation at multiple tyrosine residues. The tyrosine-phosphorylated receptor associates with numerous SH2-domain-containing proteins which include phospholipase C-gamma 1 (PLC gamma), the GTPase-activating protein of Ras (GAP), the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K), the phosphotyrosine phosphatase Syp, and several other proteins. Our previous studies indicated that PI3K and PLC gamma were required for relay of the mitogenic signal of beta PDGFR, whereas GAP and Syp did not appear to be required for this response. In this study, we further investigated the role of GAP and Syp in mitogenic signaling by beta PDGFR. Focusing on the PLC gamma-dependent branch of beta PDGFR signaling, we constructed a series of mutant beta PDGFRs that contained the binding sites for pairs of the receptor-associated proteins: PLC gamma and PI3K, PLC gamma and GAP, or PLC gamma and Syp. Characterization of these mutants showed that while all receptors were catalytically active and bound similar amounts of PLC gamma, they differed dramatically in their ability to initiate DNA synthesis. This signaling deficiency related to an inability to efficiently tyrosine phosphorylate and activate PLC gamma. Surprisingly, the crippled receptor was the one that recruited PLC gamma and GAP. Thus, GAP functions to suppress signal relay by the beta PDGFR, and it does so by silencing PLC gamma. These findings demonstrate that the biological response to PDGF depends not only on the ability of the beta PDGFR to recruit signal relay enzymes but also on the blend of these receptor-associated proteins.
OBJECTIVE Metformin has been reported to reduce α-dicarbonyls, which are known to contribute to diabetic complications. It is unclear whether this is due to direct quenching of α-dicarbonyls or to an improvement in glycemic control. We therefore compared the effects of metformin versus repaglinide, an antihyperglycemic agent with an insulin-secreting mechanism, on the levels of the α-dicarbonyl 3-deoxyglucosone (3DG).   METHODS We conducted a single-center, double-masked, double-dummy, crossover study involving 96 nonobese patients with type 2 diabetes. After a 1-month run-in on diet-only treatment, patients were randomized to either repaglinide (6 mg daily) followed by metformin (2 g daily) or vice versa each during 4 months with a 1-month washout between interventions.   RESULTS 3DG levels decreased after both metformin (-19.3% (95% confidence interval (CI): -23.5, -14.8)) and repaglinide (-20.8% (95% CI: -24.9, -16.3)) treatments, but no difference was found between treatments (1.8% (95% CI: -3.8, 7.8)). Regardless of the treatment, changes in glycemic variables were associated with changes in 3DG. Specifically, 3DG decreased by 22.7% (95% CI: 19.0, 26.5) per s.d. decrease in fasting plasma glucose (PG), by 20.0% (95% CI: 16.2, 23.9) per s.d. decrease in seven-point mean plasma glucose, by 22.5% (95% CI: 18.6, 26.6) per s.d. decrease in area under the curve for PG, by 17.2% (95% CI: 13.8, 20.6) per s.d. decrease in HbAlc, and by 10.9% (95% CI: 6.4, 15.5) per s.d. decrease in Amadori albumin. In addition, decreases in 3DG were associated with decreases in advanced glycation endproducts and endothelial markers.   CONCLUSION Improved glycemic control induced by both metformin and repaglinide is associated with a reduction in 3DG levels in nonobese individuals with type 2 diabetes. This may constitute a shared metabolic pathway through which both treatments have a beneficial impact on the cardiovascular risk.
1 Department of Agronomy, Navsari Agricultural University, Eru Char Rasta, Navsari 396 450, Gujarat, India 2 Subject Matter Specialist (Agronomy) Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Navsari Agricultural University, Eru Char Rasta, Navsari 396 450, Gujarat, India 3 Department of Agronomy, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar-385506, Banaskantha, Gujarat, India *Corresponding author
Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L. cv. White Sim) petals contained two distinct invertases (EC 3.2.1.26) based on chromatographic behavior on DEAE-cellulose. Both are soluble in 20 mM sodium phosphate buffer (pH 6.5) and exhibit acid pH optimum of 5.5. Extraction of a cell wall preparation from petals with 1 M NaCl released little additional activity. Furthermore, only traces of activity remained associated with the NaCl-extracted cell wall preparation. One of the soluble invertases, representing over 75% of the total activity, was partially purified by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and sequential chromatography over diethylaminoethyl-cellulose, concanavalin-A sepharose and polyacrylamide P-200. The enzyme was purified 38-fold with a recovery of 12%. It had an apparent native molecular weight of 215 kDa. The partially purified invertase is a β-fructofuranosidase (EC 3.2.1.26) based on its specificity for sucrose. The Km for sucrose was 3.3 mM. Accumulation of reducing sugars and increased invertase activity during expansive petal growth indicates that sucrose is the major source of carbon for petal growth.
One of the most important assumptions in financial economics models is the existence of a risk-free rate, available for borrowing and lending. In any economy, however, the borrowing rate does not coincide with the lending rate even for the short run. The difference between the rates is considered a compensation for intermediation that is necessary in the imperfect real world. In a well-functioning financial market this difference would be small, and the smaller it is, the better off is the economy. The two short-term rates that best approximate riskless lending and borrowing rates are the Treasury-bill rate and the brokers' loan-call rate, respectively. With the introduction of put and call options a new risk-free instrument has been created. Using options alone or options combined with the underlying asset' one could turn to these markets for his borrowing or lending needs, thereby With the introduction of put and call options a new risk-free asset has been created. The objective of this study is to estimate the rate implied in option prices and compare it to other riskless instruments. We have used transactions data on Chicago Board Options Exchange options taking into account the American feature of these options. We find that options markets provide rates that are competitive with other short-term rates. These rates are closer to the borrowing rate than to the lending rate.
Diagnosis tests for Influenza A require rapidity and cost-effectiveness for on-site analysis. The optical Compact Disk technology is a potential candidate to provide such requirements. In this paper, a simple, competitive assay for Influenza diagnosis is set up that demonstrates the great potential of the developed methodology in problems such as the massive analyses for mass populations. The polycarbonate surface chemical modification of commercial DVDs to covalently attach Influenza-capture antibodies is reported, along with the full characterization of each modification step and the development of the detection sandwich immunoassay employing a standard DVD reader for quantification. The method includes positive and negative controls for each sample, as well as internal standards, if necessary, to normalize the signal. The assay is seen to be very sensitive with a detection limit of 29 ng mL−1. Furthermore, real spiked saliva samples were analyzed with quantitative recoveries in all cases.
This study is aimed to understand transgender aging context in Brazil. Normal and abnormal were especially created by biological sciences. For being considered deviants, transgender people are not seen as human beings. They end up living in violent environments. Their life expectancy is low. Many of them do not believe to reach old age. They face a lot of prejudice and death threat. Those who get to what we call old age are considered survivals. This investigation was able to show satisfactorily their demands and needs. To be considered visible, they have to count on public policies to give them existence since their childhood. That way, we believe they will reach what we call old age with respect and dignity, already assured by the Universal Human Rights.
Autophagy defects predispose to recurrent HSV2 meningitis and reveal an important role for autophagy in antiviral immunity. Autophagy and susceptibility Herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2) infection has been linked to Mollaret’s meningitis, which is a recurrent form of meningitis. Hait et al. characterize rare monoallelic variants in the autophagy proteins ATG4A and LC3B2 in two adult patients with recurrent HSV2 lymphocytic Mollaret’s meningitis. HSV2 infection of primary fibroblasts from these patients revealed defects in autophagy as well as increased viral replication and cell death. In control cells, HSV2 replication was sufficient to induce autophagy, which was independent of the STING pathway, and reconstitution of patient fibroblasts with wild-type ATG4A and LC3B2 restored virus-induced autophagy and curbed infection. These findings describe a role for autophagy in antiviral defense and suggest that defective autophagy represents a rare inborn error of immunity associated with susceptibility to HSV2 CNS infection in humans. Recurrent herpesvirus infections can manifest in different forms of disease, including cold sores, genital herpes, and encephalitis. There is an incomplete understanding of the genetic and immunological factors conferring susceptibility to recurrent herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV2) infection in the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we describe two adult patients with recurrent HSV2 lymphocytic Mollaret’s meningitis that each carry a rare monoallelic variant in the autophagy proteins ATG4A or LC3B2. HSV2-activated autophagy was abrogated in patient primary fibroblasts, which also exhibited significantly increased viral replication and enhanced cell death. HSV2 antigen was captured in autophagosomes of infected cells, and genetic inhibition of autophagy by disruption of autophagy genes, including ATG4A and LC3B2, led to enhanced viral replication and cell death in primary fibroblasts and a neuroblastoma cell line. Activation of autophagy by HSV2 was sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of the virus and inhibited in the presence of acyclovir, but HSV2-induced autophagy was independent of the DNA-activated STING pathway. Reconstitution of wild-type ATG4A and LC3B2 expression using lentiviral gene delivery or electroporation of in vitro transcribed mRNA into patient cells restored virus-induced autophagy and the ability to control HSV2 replication. This study describes a previously unknown link between defective autophagy and an inborn error of immunity that can lead to increased susceptibility to HSV2 infection, suggesting an important role for autophagy in antiviral immunity in the CNS.
Urinary bladder hemangiomas are rare, accounting for 0.6% of the urinary bladder tumors. Hemangioma is considered arising from embryonic stem cells of an angioblastic lineage. A 3-year old boy presented with hematuria. He had past operative history of excision of extensive lymphatic malformation involving retroperitoneum, pelvis and upper thigh. Computed tomography scan of abdomen and pelvis with contrast revealed a large soft tissue mass arising from the dome of the bladder. Partial cystectomy was done. Histopathology confirmed the mass as cavernous hemangioma of urinary bladder.
The Goos–Hänchen (GH) shifts due to a negative refractive index in double quantum-dot nanostructures are discussed in reflected and transmitted light beams. It is realized that positive and negative GH shifts can be attained in the negative-refraction medium due to the presence of the indirect incoherent pumping field and electron tunneling. We found that the lateral shift at the fixed incident angle can be enhanced (positive or negative) under suitable conditions on the control field, without changing the structure of the cavity. We hope that our proposed configuration may be helpful for future all-optical sensor devices based on quantum-dot nanostructures.
The 1950's offer indeed, a convenient benchmark for assessing the operation of American federalism. The Reports of the Com· mission of Inter-Governmental Relations reflect an appraisal of federalism in action widely accepted in the U.S.A. today. That the flow of function and hence of political power toward Washington should be stopped and, if possible reversed, is widely recognised as a major trend of the present administration. Operating and other aspects of federalism are scrutinized in various documents of each Hoover Commission. Concern with its practical effects on policy and administration in many fields is expressed in more than a few state legislative reports. Why, one may ask, is there so much attention to federalism in the U.S.A. today? The answer may lie in its potential contributions to the viability of democratic government.
Neuroinflammatory processes mediated by microglial activation and subsequent neuronal damage are the hallmarks of traumatic brain injury (TBI). As an inhibitor of the macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle)/spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) signaling pathway, BAY61-3606 (BAY) has previously demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects on some pathological processes, such as acute kidney injury, by suppressing the inflammatory macrophage response. In the present study, the potential effects of BAY on microglial phenotype and neuroinflammation after TBI were investigated. BAY (3 mg/kg) was first administered into mice by intraperitoneal injection after TBI induction in vivo and microglia were also treated with BAY (2 µM) in vitro. The levels of inflammatory factors in microglia were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and ELISA. Cortical neuron, myelin sheath, astrocyte and cerebrovascular endothelial cell markers were detected using immunofluorescence. The levels of components of the Mincle/Syk/NF-κB signaling pathway [Mincle, phosphorylated (p)-Syk and NF-κB], in addition to proteins associated with inflammation (ASC, caspase-1, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), apoptosis (Bax and Bim) and tight junctions (Claudin-5), were measured via western blotting and ELISA. Migration and chemotaxis of microglial cells were evaluated using Transwell and agarose spot assays. Neurological functions of the mice were determined in vivo using the modified neurological severity scoring system and a Morris water maze. The results of the present study revealed that the expression levels of proteins in the Mincle/Syk/NF-κB signaling pathway (including Mincle, p-Syk and p-NF-κB), inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), proteins involved in inflammation (ASC and caspase-1), apoptotic markers (Bax and Bim) and the tight junction protein Claudin-5 were significantly altered post-TBI. BAY treatment reversed these effects in both the cerebral cortex extract-induced cell model and the controlled cortical impact mouse model. BAY was also revealed to suppress activation of the microglial proinflammatory phenotype and microglial migration. In addition, BAY effectively attenuated TBI-induced neurovascular unit damage and neurological function deficits. Taken together, these findings provided evidence that BAY may inhibit the Mincle/Syk/NF-κB signaling pathway in microglia; this in turn could attenuate microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and improve neurological deficits following TBI.
Climate change and increasing demand of water aggravate the frequency and intensity of trans-boundary water conflicts, which are evolving into one of the most sensitive economic and social issues in trans-boundary areas. This paper analyzes the inefficiency of traditional regional negotiation models to deal with trans-boundary water conflicts, and argues that Coase’s theory of property rights is more suitable for dealing with trans-boundary water conflicts. Based on the Bayesian evolutionary game model with incomplete information of property rights, we put forward the following two ways to promote the smooth progress of water rights trading and, furthermore, resolve water resources conflicts: first, to reduce the transaction costs of the upstream and downstream regions; second, to increase utilization efficiency of water resources in the upper reaches. Finally, taking the water conflict of Dayankeng Hydropower Station as a case simulation, we give answers to the three questions: (1) under what conditions, both sides of the conflicts will choose water rights trading; (2) what is the impact of transaction costs on water rights trading, which provided a new way to solve trans-boundary water conflicts; (3) what is the improvement of welfare effects of water conflict participants because of water rights trading.
A search for new physics is presented in final states with two oppositely charged leptons (electrons or muons), jets identified as originating from b quarks, and missing transverse momentum (pmiss T ). The search uses proton-proton collision data at ffiffi s p 1⁄4 13 TeV amounting to 35.9 fb−1 of integrated luminosity collected using the CMS detector in 2016. Hypothetical signal events are efficiently separated from the dominant tt̄ background with requirements on pmiss T and transverse-mass variables. No significant deviation is observed from the expected background. Exclusion limits are set in the context of simplified supersymmetric models with pair-produced top squarks. For top squarks, decaying exclusively to a top quark and a neutralino, exclusion limits are placed at 95% confidence level on the mass of the lightest top squark up to 800 GeVand on the lightest neutralino up to 360 GeV. These results, combined with searches in the single-lepton and all-jet final states, raise the exclusion limits up to 1050 GeV for the lightest top squark and up to 500 GeV for the lightest neutralino. For top squarks undergoing a cascade decay through charginos and sleptons, the mass limits reach up to 1300 GeV for top squarks and up to 800 GeV for the lightest neutralino. The results are also interpreted in a simplified model with a dark matter (DM) particle coupled to the top quark through a scalar or pseudoscalar mediator. For light DM, mediator masses up to 100 (50) GeVare excluded for scalar (pseudoscalar) mediators. The result for the scalar mediator achieves some of the most stringent limits to date in this model.
A template-free triply interlocked Pd6 cage (2) was synthesized by two-component self-assembly of cis-blocked 90° acceptor cis-(tmen)Pd(NO3)2 (M) and 1,3,5-tris((E)-2-(pyridin-3-yl)vinyl)benzene (L). Assembly 2 was characterized by (1)H NMR and ESI-MS, and the structure was confirmed by X-ray crystallography, which revealed a parallel conformation of the olefin double bonds belonging to the adjacent cages in the solid state at a distance of 3.656 Å, thereby indicating the feasibility of [2+2] photochemical reaction. Two adjacent interlocked cages were covalently married together by intermolecular [2+2] cycloaddition in a single crystal-to-single crystal fashion upon exposure to sunlight/UV irradiation. Most surprisingly, the covalently married pair was easily separated thermally in aqueous medium under mild reaction conditions.
Background: There may be an association between cognitive functioning and burnout, but this has previously been investigated in only few studies, all using clinical samples. Aims: This study aimed at examining the relationship of cognitive functioning with burnout symptoms and social and occupational functioning in a population-based sample of young adults. Methods: Neuropsychological tests assessing verbal and visual short-term memory, verbal long-term memory, general intelligence, attention, psychomotor processing speed and executive functioning were administered to a population-based sample of working young adults aged 22–35 years (n=225). Burnout was measured with the Maslach Burnout Survey—General Survey (MBI-GS) and social and occupational functioning with examiner-rated Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS). Results: Higher scores in the MBI-GS related to better performance in tests of verbal working memory and general intelligence. Lower SOFAS associated with poorer performance in tests assessing verbal attention, memory and learning. Conclusions: In a representative population sample of young adults, self-reported symptoms of burnout are not associated with difficulties in cognitive functioning. However, examiner-rated lower social and occupational functioning is related to problems in verbal attention, memory and learning, suggesting the importance of evaluating and enhancing cognitive functioning among those with difficulties in social and occupational functioning.
Background Ultrasound (US) is increasingly used for the diagnosis of large vessel vasculitis (LVV), as this imaging technique enables the visualization of the inflammatory vessel wall swelling. A consensus about the definition of US lesions for diagnosis of LVV has not yet been accomplished. Objectives 1) To identify definitions of US lesions in LVV; 2) to evaluate the role of US in monitoring disease response; and 3) to assess the value of identified US lesions for diagnosis of LVV. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library (till 23rd November 2014). Research articles enrolling at least 20 patients with suspected cranial giant cell arteritis (GCA) or large-vessel GCA (LV-GCA), Takayasu arteritis (TAK), published in English or German were selected. The study design, subjects, methods, imaging protocols and diagnostic values were evaluated, as well as the US definitions of vasculitis. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the QUADAS2 tool. Results Of 2960 articles identified, 34 studies were included in the review for the extraction of definitions of vasculitis in US. Thirty-two reports addressed the role of US in diagnosis of cranial GCA, whereas only 6 studies evaluated US in the settings of LV-GCA. The role of US in disease monitoring was evaluated in 11 articles on cranial GCA and in 2 articles on LV-GCA. No studies assessing the role of US in TAK fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Most studies investigated the value of the “halo sign” (32 articles), whereas “compression sign”, “stenosis”, “occlusion” or “decreased vessel wall pulsation” as signs of vasculitis were addressed in 1, 22, 19, and 1 paper(s), respectively. Conclusions US is a valuable diagnostic tool in patients with suspected GCA. In this systematic literature review we identified “halo sign”, “stenosis”, “occlusion”, “compression sign” and a “decreased vessel wall pulsation” as possible key US lesions for vasculitis. Based on these results future research on the role of US in LVV is now being performed by the OMERACT US group. Disclosure of Interest None declared
With increasing access to the Internet and the wealth of material online, a Web-based self-teaching system has considerable educational value. Accordingly, we developed AEGIS (Automatic Exercise Generator based on the Intelligence of Students), which automatically generates questions whose difficulty level fits the achievement level of a student. However, it was implicitly assumed that all the questions were already categorized according to their subjects. In practice, this is not the case, but it is unreasonable (because of time and cost) to expect teachers to categorize each question into a suitable subject domain. Therefore, we need a method for categorizing questions automatically according to specified teaching concepts. This paper presents an automatic question categorization mechanism according to both a list of teaching concepts, called a Navigation List (NaviList for short), and the meaning of questions. We define an XML tag called a CONCEPT tag, which indicates a concept in a question, and an ontology, which is a hierarchical cluster of concepts. The method uses the tags and the ontology to categorize questions, based on the similarity between each category in a NaviList pre-composed by a teacher and an ontological concept specified by a CONCEPT tag in a question.
Whispering Gallery Mode (WGM) silica microresonators are a particularly unique group of microcavities in the sense that they can confine light inside the device for an extended period of time while maintaining a high quality (Q) factor due to the total internal reflection. As a result, WGM resonators have high circulating optical power, which can cause nonlinear optical processes such as stimulated Raman scattering (SRS). It has been demonstrated that SRS has been observed in various WGM silica microresonators with the sub-mW Raman lasing threshold. However, in case of the Raman lasing efficiency, it is limited by the intrinsic property of silica itself, which is the Raman gain coefficient. Therefore, in the present work, we introduce a hybrid silica toroidal microcavity in order to enhance the Raman lasing efficiency. First, we synthesize a suite of silica sol-gels doped with a range of Zirconium (Zr) concentrations and integrate the material with silica toroidal microresonator. The intrinsic Raman gain of the Zr-doped silica is measured using Raman spectroscopy, and the values show a clear dependence on Zr dopant concentrations. The lasing performance is characterized using a 765 nm pump source, and the Raman emissions for the coated devices are detected at 790 nm and longer. The lasing emission and characteristic threshold curves are quantified using both an optical spectrum analyzer and an optical spectrograph. The lasing slope efficiency of exhibits a marked increase from 3.37% to 47.43% as the Zr concentration increases due to the Raman gain improvement. These values are particularly notable as they are the unidirectional, not bidirectional, lasing efficiencies.
This paper proposes a status monitoring and exception handling mechanism for geospatial information services. After introducing a two-level collaborative model and information exchange center, definition and monitoring methods of service status are provided. On this basis, multi-geospatial agents based collaborative monitoring process and exception handling activities are used to enhance the quality and reliability of geospatial information services.
Eccentrically biased exercise results in skeletal muscle damage and stimulates adaptations in muscle, whereby indexes of damage are attenuated when the exercise is repeated. We hypothesized that changes in ultrastructural damage, inflammatory cell infiltration, and markers of proteolysis in skeletal muscle would come about as a result of repeated eccentric exercise and that gender may affect this adaptive response. Untrained male (n = 8) and female (n = 8) subjects performed two bouts (bout 1 and bout 2), separated by 5.5 wk, of 36 repetitions of unilateral, eccentric leg press and 100 repetitions of unilateral, eccentric knee extension exercises (at 120% of their concentric single repetition maximum), the subjects' contralateral nonexercised leg served as a control (rest). Biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis from each leg 24 h postexercise. After bout 2, the postexercise force deficit and the rise in serum creatine kinase (CK) activity were attenuated. Women had lower serum CK activity compared with men at all times (P < 0.05), but there were no gender differences in the relative magnitude of the force deficit. Muscle Z-disk streaming, quantified by using light microscopy, was elevated vs. rest only after bout 1 (P < 0.05), with no gender difference. Muscle neutrophil counts were significantly greater in women 24 h after bout 2 vs. rest and bout 1 (P < 0.05) but were unchanged in men. Muscle macrophages were elevated in men and women after bout 1 and bout 2 (P < 0.05). Muscle protein content of the regulatory calpain subunit remained unchanged whereas ubiquitin-conjugated protein content was increased after both bouts (P < 0.05), with a greater increase after bout 2. We conclude that adaptations to eccentric exercise are associated with attenuated serum CK activity and, potentially, an increase in the activity of the ubiquitin proteosome proteolytic pathway.
At many central synapses, endocannabinoids released by postsynaptic cells act retrogradely on presynaptic G-protein-coupled cannabinoid receptors to inhibit neurotransmitter release. Here, we demonstrate that cannabinoids may directly affect the functioning of inhibitory glycine receptor (GlyR) channels. In isolated hippocampal pyramidal and Purkinje cerebellar neurons, endogenous cannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonylglycerol, applied at physiological concentrations, inhibited the amplitude and altered the kinetics of rise time, desensitization, and deactivation of the glycine-activated current (IGly) in a concentration-dependent manner. These effects of cannabinoids were observed in the presence of cannabinoid CB1/CB3, vanilloid receptor 1 antagonists, and the G-protein inhibitor GDPβS, suggesting a direct action of cannabinoids on GlyRs. The effect of cannabinoids on IGly desensitization was strongly voltage dependent. We also demonstrate that, in the presence of a GABAA receptor antagonist, GlyRs may contribute to the generation of seizure-like activity induced by short bursts (seven stimuli) of high-frequency stimulation of inputs to hippocampal CA1 region, because this activity was diminished by selective GlyR antagonists (strychnine and ginkgolides B and J). The GlyR-mediated rhythmic activity was also reduced by cannabinoids (anandamide) in the presence of a CB1 receptor antagonist. These results suggest that the direct inhibition of GlyRs by endocannabinoids can modulate the hippocampal network activity.
ABSTRACT Plesiomonas shigelloides is an emerging pathogen that is widespread in the aquatic environment and is responsible for intestinal diseases and extraintestinal infections in humans and other animals. Virtually nothing is known about its genetic diversity, population structure, and evolution, which severely limits epidemiological control. We addressed these questions by developing a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) system based on five genes (fusA, leuS, pyrG, recG, and rpoB) and analyzing 77 epidemiologically unrelated strains from several countries and several ecological sources. The phylogenetic position of P. shigelloides within family Enterobacteriaceae was precisely defined by phylogenetic analysis of the same gene portions in other family members. Within P. shigelloides, high levels of nucleotide diversity (average percentage of nucleotide differences between strains, 1.49%) and genotypic diversity (64 distinct sequence types; Simpson's index, 99.7%) were found, with no salient internal phylogenetic structure. We estimated that homologous recombination in housekeeping genes affects P. shigelloides alleles and nucleotides 7 and 77 times more frequently than mutation, respectively. These ratios are similar to those observed in the naturally transformable species Streptococcus pneumoniae with a high rate of recombination. In contrast, recombination within Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, and Yersinia enterocolitica was much less frequent. P. shigelloides thus stands out among members of the Enterobacteriaceae. Its high rate of recombination results in a lack of association between genomic background and O and H antigenic factors, as observed for the 51 serotypes found in our sample. Given its robustness and discriminatory power, we recommend MLST as a reference method for population biology studies and epidemiological tracking of P. shigelloides strains.
Introduction: We describe a new simulator for teaching transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and present the results of a preliminary evaluation of the simulator's realism and usefulness for training. Methods: A simulator for abdominal ultrasound was adjusted by the developer to enable simulation of TRUS by providing an opening for inserting a dummy rectal probe. To enable TRUS simulation, data from ultrasound prostate imaging of eight real patients obtained with our regular ultrasound machine were transferred to the simulator by connecting the computer of the simulator to the ultrasound machine. These data were used to create images in the TRUS simulator. Residents and urologists used the simulator to perform TRUS in one of the eight patient cases and judged the simulator's realism and usefulness. Results: We were able to construct an initial urological module for the TRUS simulator. The images shown on the monitor of the simulator are quite realistic. The simulator can be used without difficulty to collect data, to create cases, and to perform TRUS. The absence of an option for prostate biopsy and the lack of tissue resistance were mentioned as two important shortcomings. Forty-seven participants rated the simulator's overall realism and usefulness for training purposes as 3.8 (standard deviation: 0.7) and 4.0 (standard deviation: 0.8) on a five-point Likert scale, respectively. Conclusions: The simulator we describe can be used as a training tool for TRUS. It enables training with different patient cases and minimizes the burden to patients. Simulation of prostate biopsies should be added to increase the model's usefulness.
Yellow Phosphorus (YP) is an active component present in rodenticides, pesticides and fireworks. It is a potential hepatotoxic agent which can cause Acute fulminant hepatitis. Amongst the other organs involved GIT and kidneys are also vulnerable. We present a case acute yellow phosphorus poisoning leading to fulminant hepatic failure and acute kidney injury in a young male. Keywords—Yellow phosphorus, fulminant hepatitis, toxin, acute kidney injury.
The present clinical study aimed at investigating the effect of pneumonia on electrocardiographic indices in goats. The electrocardiogram of the pneumonic goats revealed sinus tachycardia characterized by an increased heart rate, decreased P-R interval, slightly increased P amplitude, almost normal ‘P’ duration, normal QRS, slightly increased S amplitude, low T amplitudes, decreased but almost regular R-R interval as compared to goats with normal pulmonary function. The effect of pneumonia on the ECG seems due principally through its effects on the SA node owing to physiological alteration in hemodynamics/acid-base balance or hypoxic changes owing to respiratory distress. Two goats with higher heart rate (>200 bpm) could not survive. Remaining goats responded well to ceftiofur sodium, deriphyline, phenaramine, prednisolone (lung consolidation) and meloxicam treatment for 5 to 7 days.
Visible light-activated yellow titanate nanotubes (TNTs) modified by peroxo groups were directly synthesized via a facile chemical reaction route using peroxo titanium complex ions as a precursor. Obtained peroxo-modified TNTs (PTNTs) possessed a cylindrical-shaped tubular morphology with an outer diameter of approximately 10 nm. The peroxo titanium functional group (Ti–O–O) was formed between the interlayers of the lepidocrocite-type titanate crystal that was the base structure of TNTs, with the interlayer distance estimated at approximately 10.02 Å. The formation of the peroxo functional groups reduced the electron density adjacent to the titanium atom, raising the valence band to 1.35 eV and forming a band gap of 2.50 eV, which is lower than that of TNTs (3.19 eV). In addition, the peroxo titanium functional group had a negative potential, which increased the chemical adsorption performances with positively charged rhodamine B molecules in water. Meanwhile, the photocatalytic investigation indicated that the PTNTs have enhanced the photocatalytic performance for RhB decolorization under visible light irradiating in comparison with TNTs. These findings show not only the improvement in the photocatalytic performance but also the potential of processing design by selecting the precursor with arbitrary characteristics.
And how this book will influence you to do better future? It will relate to how the readers will get the lessons that are coming. As known, commonly many people will believe that reading can be an entrance to enter the new perception. The perception will influence how you step you life. Even that is difficult enough; people with high sprit may not feel bored or give up realizing that concept. It's what movement and dance will give the thoughts for you.
We have investigated the effect of a postprandial acute insulin deficiency induced by diazoxide injection on rat skeletal muscle protein synthesis. Diazoxide administration lowered plasma insulin >85% within 3 h after injection, whereas other hormones (insulin-like growth factor I, glucagon, corticosterone) involved in the regulation of muscle protein synthesis were not altered significantly compared with control animals. The fractional rate of muscle protein synthesis, measured in vivo, was reduced significantly (P < 0.05) in epitrochlearis (-46%), gastrocnemius (-41%), and soleus (-35%). The reduction in protein synthesis did not result from a reduced total RNA content but was associated with diminished translation efficiency. Analysis of ribosomal subunits revealed that the decreased translation efficiency resulted from an impairment in the initiation phase of protein synthesis. Diazoxide-induced insulin deficiency was associated with a dramatic decrease in eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4G bound to eIF4E and a 2.5-fold increase in the amount of the eIF4E. 4E-binding protein 1 (BP1) complex. In contrast, diazoxide injection did not change either the relative amount of eIF4E present in gastrocnemius or its phosphorylation state. These results indicate that an acute insulin deficiency significantly decreases postprandial muscle protein synthesis by modulating the interaction between 4E-BP1, eIF4G, and eIF4E to control translation initiation.
In November 1931 the President circulated a letter to the members of the Commission which in part was as follows: In view of the fact that it is now over a quarter of a century since Schlesinger by photography began to determine trigonometric parallaxes by a long focus telescope, and fifteen years since Adams and Kohlschutter derived the first spectroscopic parallaxes, it would seem appropriate to take stock of our present position and to make plans for future development. Will you be good enough, therefore, to furnish such statements concerning the following topics as are appropriate to the work of your observatory?
This research explores how to support collaborative learning practices when science museum visitors employ their own personal mobile devices as Opportunistic User Interfaces (O-UIs) to manipulate a simulation-based museum exhibit. The sophisticated graphical capabilities of modern mobile devices have the potential to distract visitors, a phenomenon known as the heads-down effect. To study the impact of O-UI design on collaboration, a highly-dynamic "complex" O-UI was contrasted against more simplistic, "remote-control" OUI design, in the context of a cancer-treatment simulation. As expected, when groups used the "complex" O-UI, there was less visitor-visitor interaction, but unexpectedly, their conversations were of higher quality. They also engaged in better task division and displayed better task performance. The increased attention "simple" O-UI users were able to devote to monitoring one another's actions seemed to encourage emergent competitive behaviors, which disproportionately affected the engagement of female visitors. "Complex" groups showed no gender-related differences in engagement.
Abstract A reversed-phase liquid chromatographic assay to quantitate cortisol, cortisone and their respective 20α- and 20β-dihydro reduced metabolites in tissue culture media from in vitro perfusions of the human placental lobule is described. The internal standard used in this assay was 6α-methyl-prednisolone. Steroids were extracted from the perfusion medium using Sep-Pak reversed-phase cartridges with the average recoveries of each steroid at 150 and 600 nmol/L ranging from 84.4 to 99.1% and 85.6 to 93.5% respectively. The separation was achieved by using two C18 columns linked in series at 40°C with a mobile phase of methanol/water (53/47 v/v) and a flow rate of 1.1 mL/min. The eluant was monitored by UV absorption at 242 nm. The assay was linear for each steroid to a concentration of 750 nmol/L with a lower detectable limit of 5 nmol/L. Intra-assay coefficients of variation were measured at 150 and 750 nmol/L with ranges of 4.0% (cortisone) to 5.5% (cortisol) and 2.8% (cortisol) to 4.0% (cortisone an...
The letters are evidence of considerable scholarship and are aimed at a defence of the position of women in society and not just a personal defence. The complex picture that emerges from the often skilful reworking of elite topoi is that of a scholar and honourable individual, and if read together with the poetry ’dramatizes Franco’s discursive strategies and the ways she managed her own life’, and show a concern with both social and moral problems and a desire to present a voice to serve the concerns of women.
Objective  To investigate the CT features of primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma (PHNEC).      Methods  The CT findings of 8 patients with PHNEC which was confirmed by surgery and histopathology were analyzed retrospectively. Tumor location, size, shape, margin, density, enhancement patterns and degree, portal vein tumor thrombus, hilar and retroperitoneal lymph node enlargement were studied retrospectively.      Results  Of 8 patients, there were 5 tumors which were located in the right liver, 1 in the left liver, and the remaining 2 in both the left and right livers. The CT value of the mass on plain scanning ranged from 20 to 35 HU. The mean value of CT was (29.6±8.4) HU. Tumors showed low density in 5 patients and slightly lower density in 3. In 5 tumors the boundary was clear and in 3 it was not clear. Uneven mass density and different sizes of necrotic cysts were found in 8 tumors. In one of these tumors, the inside showed honey-comb appearance while small areas of haemorrhage were found in the tumor of another 2 patients. For all the eight patients, there were dilatation of peripheral bile ducts, portal vein tumor thrombus, enlarged lymph nodes or peritoneal effusion in hepatic portal area and peritoneal cavity. In the arterial phase, there was mild to moderate enhancement of the mass with CT value of 38~65 HU. The average value of CT was (54.8±6.9) HU. In the venous phase, there was mild to moderate continuous enhancement of liver parenchyma, with CT value of 40~67 HU. The average value of CT was (61.4±11.6) HU. In the delay phase, a substantial part of the mass was continuously enhanced in 2 patients while there was slow fading of enhancement in 6 patients. The CT value were 36~57 HU, the average value of CT was (46.6±9.2) HU. In 3 patients, the separations inside the tumor showed enhancement.      Conclusion  CT features combined with clinical findings might give a hint to the diagnosis of primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of liver.      Key words:  Liver neoplasms; Neuroendocrine carcinoma; Computed tomography
The effects of CO2 on laryngeal receptors were studied in ten anaesthetized, paralysed, artificially ventilated cats using a preparation in which the upper airway was isolated in situ and artificially ventilated. This allowed CO2 to be confined to the upper airway and enabled responses to CO2 to be recorded whilst the larynx was being ventilated under physiological conditions. Single‐unit afferent activity was recorded from the superior laryngeal nerve and the pressure and thermal sensitivity of receptors determined. Carbon dioxide responses were tested by switching from upper airway ventilation with room air to mixtures containing 5 and 9% CO2 with 21% O2 in N2. Fibres were classified into two broad groups, tonic and quiescent, depending on their level of activity when the larynx was not being ventilated. All tonic fibres responded to either positive or negative pressure. Quiescent fibres were either positive or negative pressure receptors, cold receptors or had no response to pressure or cold airflow. The majority of all categories of fibres were significantly affected by CO2 in a reversible and usually concentration‐dependent manner. Tonic fibres were inhibited, regardless of pressure sensitivity. Quiescent negative and positive pressure receptors were excited and inhibited respectively whilst cold receptors and fibres with no response to occlusion were excited. Laryngeal hypoxia and systemic asphyxia and hypercapnia had no effect on receptor activity. We conclude that the majority of laryngeal receptors are sensitive to CO2 and that this receptivity may be important in the control of ventilation and upper airway muscle activity.
This article is devoted to the analysis of current legislation and its application in the field of consumer protection in consumer lending and its insurance coverage. The author considers the questions publicly-legal protection, including, analyzes the powers of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Rospotrebnadzor of the Russian  Federation, the Financial Ombudsman of the Russian Federation and concludes that despite the fairly extensive scope of their rights in the field of consumer protection, they, in practice, be insufficient for proper legal protection for stakeholders. In addition, the author touches on topical issues of judicial practice in the field of private legal  protection of consumer rights, including the compliance of the instructions developed by the Supreme court of the Russian Federation on the application of current legislation to the interests of consumer protection. The issue of applying the principle of estoppel in disputes involving consumers in this category of disputes is highlighted  separately.
In contemporary moral studies, it is not common to see much reference to Max Weber's contributions, despite his status as founder of this subfield. In order to recover and update these possibilities of Weberian sociology, it is proposed to read two concepts from the moral point of view: value-freedom ​​(Wertfreiheit) and value-rational action. To this objective, to the exposure of these concepts in the author's original work was added the interpretative efforts gathered around Wolfgang Schluchter. With that, it concludes positively in relation to the contemporaneity of both concepts. On the one hand, the discussion around value-freedom ​​continues to divide opinions within the field of moral sociology, without definitive consensus. On the other hand, the reinterpretation of the concept of value-rational action ​​allows for a greater centrality of these ideal elements, which prove to be constitutive not only of the Weberian work, but of the social reality itself. Thus, from the core concepts of interpretative sociology, it is possible to expand the Weberian contribution to the moral sociology.
Predicting how species diversity changes along environmental gradients is an enduring problem in ecology. Current theories cannot explain the observation that microbial taxonomic richness can show positive, unimodal, as well as negative diversity-temperature gradients. Here we derive a general empirically-grounded theory that can explain this phenomenon by linking microbial species richness in local communities to variation in their temperature-driven competitive interaction and growth rates. It predicts that richness depends on variation in shape of the thermal performance curves of these metabolic traits across species in the community. Specifically, the shape of the microbial community temperature-richness relationship depends on how the strength of competition across the community and the degree of variation in growth rates changes across temperature. These in turn can be predicted from the variation in thermal performance across the community. We show that empirical variation in the thermal performance curves of metabolic traits across extant bacterial taxa is indeed sufficient to generate the variety of community-level temperature-richness responses observed in the real world. Our results provide a new mechanism that can help explain temperature-diversity gradients in microbial communities, and provide a quantitative framework for interlinking variation in the thermal physiology of microbial species to their community-level diversity.
Article history: Received: May 17, 2019 Received in revised format: June 22 2019 Accepted: June 23, 2019 Available online: June 23, 2019 Leaders are essential for the survival and development of businesses and they can affect and inspire employees, colleagues and other people to dedicate to the company. Among factors associated with leaders, leadership skills are considered as the most important characteristics because leadership skills are the abilities to perform tasks, transform knowledge into leaders' actions and demonstrate the leadership's expertise when applying the acquired knowledge in practices to achieve desired performance. This article focuses on studying the effects of leadership skills on the performance of Vietnamese textile and garment companies, which is one of the most important industries of this developing country. To achieve the objectives of this study, this article uses quantitative approach with various statistical techniques; namely, Cronbach's Alpha, EFA and CFA, SEM to analyze the primary data with SPSS and AMOS software and to test the hypotheses. The results show that strategic skills had the greatest impacts on the performance of Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises followed by interpersonal and business skills. Cognitive skills had the weakest effects on the performance of Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises. Thus, to enhance performance, leaders should improve and develop these skills. This study does not show possible differences in gender, age, experience and position of leader in this relationship, which is considered as the limitation of the survey. Leadership skills affect positively the performance of Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises. The order of the most influencing factors are: strategic skills, interpersonal skills, business skills, and cognitive skills. © 2019 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada
AIMS The purpose of the present study was to compare alcoholic subtypes (type 1 versus type 2) with regard to platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity. A possible relationship between enzyme activity, personality traits and executive functions was also investigated.   METHODS Seventeen type 1 and 16 type 2 in-patient male chronic alcoholic patients and 17 healthy male volunteers were included in the study. The personality traits were investigated by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Executive functions were assessed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).   RESULTS When compared to the healthy subjects, platelet MAO activity was reduced in both alcoholic groups. The enzyme activity of the type 2 group was significantly lower than that of type 1 patients. Both groups of alcoholic patients also displayed impairment in executive functions. The comparison of the MMPI-2 scores of the study groups revealed that type 2 alcoholics had more severe psychopathology.   CONCLUSIONS The results support previous evidence suggesting that platelet MAO activity is a useful biochemical measure for the subtyping of alcoholics.
ABSTRACT The adverse effects of long term soil erosion on potato production are well established. Living mulches may help reduce erosion rates while improving soil structure. The objectives of this experiment were to study the competition between living mulches and the potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and its effect on productivity. In 1997, potatoes were grown with conventional and organic management. Four of the organic treatments were intercropped with a living mulch of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa L.), Marino red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), or part of the native sod was left intact. In 1998, two additional raised-bed treatments were added and the native sod treatment was eliminated. The treatments were applied to two potato varieties (Russet Burbank and Island Sunshine) in a split-plot experimental design. In 1997 and 1998 Russet Burbank and Island Sunshine tuber yields were not significantly different when managed organically or conventionally. Living mulches did not significantly affect potato plant development or tuber yields in any of the organic treatments except where the native sod was left intact and the tubers were planted under a layer of straw or hay. Soil moisture levels remained consistently lower in conventionally managed plots than in organically managed plots with living mulches in 1997 and 1998. In both years, Russet Burbank had significantly higher yields than Island Sunshine.
Background In the throwing shoulder, repetitive motion increases proximal humerus and glenoid retroversion. However, clinical factors that affect this adaptation are poorly understood. Objective Evaluate and compare the degree of glenoid retroversion of the throwing and non-throwing shoulders of elite baseball players, and clarify their correlations with clinical factors such as age, position, or period of playing baseball. Design Retrospective study. The subject group in this study consisted of 291 elite baseball players over 13 yrs who visited our clinic for medical check and performed bilateral shoulder three-dimensional computed tomography from December 2011 to December 2014. We reviewed player's hand dominance, age at pitching onset, number of years of playing baseball, position, and demographic data (height, weight). Patients (or Participants) 291 elite baseball players. Players were subdivided into different age groups (juvenile: 13–15, B adolescent: 16–18, youth: 19–25) and their position groups. Methods We measured glenoid version of both throwing and non-throwing shoulders by modified method of Friedman's using developed 3D analysis software. Main Outcome Measurements Each subject underwent three-dimensional (3D) CT, which include bilateral scapulas and proximal humeri. We developed the 3D analysis software to quantitatively measure the glenoid version angle. Results The average glenoid retroversion was significantly larger in the throwing than the non-throwing shoulder. The glenoid retroversion of the non-throwing shoulder became smaller in older age groups (Pearson correlation with age: −0.125; p=0.034). Also, glenoid retroversion of the non-throwing shoulder decreased gradually in proportion to period of playing. The difference between the throwing and non-throwing shoulder became larger in older age groups (correlation with age: 0.121; p=0.039). The difference in retroversion of both shoulders was positively correlated with age and period of playing. Similarly, height and weight also showed significant results (correlation with height: 0.116; p=0.048, with weight: 0.144; p=0.014). But, the glenoid retroversion of throwing shoulder had no statistically significant tendency (p>0.05). There was no difference in glenoid retroversion between different player positions (p>0.05). Conclusions In throwing athletes, glenoid retroversion of the non-throwing shoulder decreased with age, displaying a similar natural course as by normal development. Glenoid retroversion of the throwing shoulder showed no tendency to change and it seems likely that the developmental anteversion course is offset by the retroversion force of the throwing mechanism. The difference between shoulders increases with the age and the duration of the period of playing baseball.
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) in trauma patients is a capricious problem that continues to plague trauma surgeons and critical care physicians alike. Pharmacologic preventions of VTE with anticoagulants are often contraindicated in the trauma patient because of risk of bleeding diathesis. Mechanical prophylaxis in the form of venous compression boots often cannot be placed because of external fixators, swelling, and so forth. Providing effective VTE prophylaxis, while at the same time providing definitive care for the trauma patient, can be a nightmare. This review will first discuss the incidence and prevalence of VTE, as well as investigate the condition's diagnosis and treatment. Solutions to frequently encountered clinical dilemmas in managing VTE in trauma patients are considered in the form of frequently asked questions. Diagnostic techniques such as magnetic resonance venography, D-dimer, and various computed tomography methods are evaluated. Recent literature on preventive pharmacologic therapies is explored. The authors also consider whether vena cava filters prevent pulmonary embolism in trauma patients.
This study has been conducted to investigate the effects of replacement of Natural Coarse aggregate (NCA) by Recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and use of pond ash (PA) and cement as stabilizing agents on the strength characteristics of sub-base/base course. For pond ash, the disposal is quite a costly affair for the coal burning utility plants, can be very conveniently used for the economical construction of low cost roads having treated surfaces and for the stabilization of base/subbase underneath the high type flexible or rigid pavements A laboratory program is conducted to study the feasibility of using recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) and Pond ash in base/sub-base course. In this study the experiments are conducted on locally available recycled concrete aggregates mixed with varying percentage of Pond ash (10-20%) and cement (2-8%). Soil-cementpond ash samples are prepared for unconfined compression strength (UCS) and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests at its maximum dry density corresponding to its optimum moisture content. The percentage of cement by dry weight of mix is taken as 2%, 4%, 6% and 8% and similarly pond ash content levels 10% and 20% by dry weight of mix are taken and UCS tests are conducted in the laboratory. The optimum cement content corresponding to UCS strength of 17.5 kg/cm is determined from cement content v/s UCS curve and the California bearing ratio (CBR) tests were conducted to find out the CBR value of mix at optimum cement content. The observed CBR values 22.11% and 26.16 % for two compositions. Use of RCA and pond ash in civil engineering for improving properties is also advantageous because they are cheap, locally available and eco-friendly. The pond ash stabilization causes significant improvement in UCS strength, CBR strength and other engineering properties of the soil. The tests are performed by mixing different percentages of cement (2.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0%) in the RCApond ash mix in order to optimize it. The optimum percentage of RCA-I (retained on 4.75 mm sieve): RCA-II (passing through 4.75 mm sieve): pond ash mix is arrived at 50:30:20 with 5.25% of cement content. The direct pavement cost is found to be economical up to a lead of 50kms for RCA but the increase in cost up to 100kms is very marginal and can be used in pavement. Even beyond 100 km’s the increase in cost is not so significant that the indirect benefits can be ignored. Hence addition of these waste materials (Pond ash + RCA) in sub-base course results in less thickness of pavement base course due to increased CBR and hence economy of the construction of highway will be achieved.
We investigate the directivity, sidelobe level (SLL) and maximum radiation angle characteristics of a frequency selective surface (FSS) superstrate placed above a 5 × 1 patch array antenna for different scan angles. We find that the frequency at which a high directivity is achieved moves higher as the scan angle of the array is increased, and that the size of the original FSS superstrate needs to be increased along the direction of the scan angle, in comparison to that of the broadside case (0°), to effectively enhance the directivity and suppress the SLL. A rectangular FSS superstrate with enlarged dimension in the scan direction is proposed, and the radiation patterns of the original and elongated FSS composites are compared. For a 20° scan angle of the array antenna, the directivity and the SLL of the changed FSS composite are enhanced by 1.3 and 3.9 dB, respectively, relative to those of the original FSS composite. We compare and summarize the results for the directivity and SLL characteristics of four different antenna prototypes, namely a single antenna; a conventional 5 × 1 array antenna; the FSS antenna composite with a single patch antenna; and an FSS array composite comprising of a 5 × 1 array antenna designed for a scan angle of 0°. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 3184–3187, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).DOI 10.1002/mop.22919
In this paper, we address the challenging problem of learning from imbalanced data using a Nearest-Neighbor (NN) algorithm. In this setting, the minority examples typically belong to the class of interest requiring the optimization of specific criteria, like the F-Measure. Based on simple geometrical ideas, we introduce an algorithm that reweights the distance between a query sample and any positive training example. This leads to a modification of the Voronoi regions and thus of the decision boundaries of the NN algorithm. We provide a theoretical justification about the weighting scheme needed to reduce the False Negative rate while controlling the number of False Positives. We perform an extensive experimental study on many public imbalanced datasets, but also on large scale non public data from the French Ministry of Economy and Finance on a tax fraud detection task, showing that our method is very effective and, interestingly, yields the best performance when combined with state of the art sampling methods.
Twenty years ago there was no experimental access to the velocity gradient tensor for turbulent flows. Without such access, knowledge of fundamental and defining properties of turbulence, such as vorticity dissipation, and strain rates and helicity, could not be studied in the laboratory. Although a few direct simulations at very low Reynolds numbers had been performed, most of these did not focus on properties of the small scales of turbulence defined by the velocity gradient tensor. In 1987 the results of the development and first successful use of a multisensor hot-wire probe for simultaneous measurements of all the components of the velocity gradient tensor in a turbulent boundary layer were published by Balint et al. [Advances in Turbulence: Proceedings of the First European Turbulence Conference (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1987), p. 456]. That same year measurements of all but one of the terms in the velocity gradient tensor were carried out, although not simultaneously, in the self-preserving regio...
The article is devoted to the research of graphical-analytic method to form investment policy of industrial enterprise in the capacity of a specific tool to achieve the strategic aim at various stages of life-cycle (LCS). The necessary to formalize the system of estimations is caused by lack of methodological basis of defining quantitative characteristics relying on qualified criteria. To designing graphical-analytic pattern in the capacity of a tool forming investment policy of organisation within the stated development strategy. The comparative analysis of factors that are influencing the investment policy and the stage of organisation life-cycle has been carried out. Theoretical-methodological basis concepts of the development have been considered. All criteria for quantitative estimation of the stage of organisation life-cycle and the performance of investment policy have been proved in the course of the research. The classific characteristics of criteria to estimate the stage of the life-cycle and concepts of investment policy have been formalized. The choice of criteria and interval boundary and its characteristics has been made. The estimation method of the stage of the organisation life-cycle has been introduced. The research, that has been carried out, proves the possibility to develop practical application of graphical-analytic pattern forming investment policy and estimating the stage of life-cycle and type of the investment policy of an analyzed organisation.
The article describes codeswitching (CS) as a new phenomenon in modern Russian-Estonian contacts. The author believes that a microsociolinguistic approach developed by Auer, Tabouret-Keller, Le Page, and others allows a flexible analysis and leaves space for linguistic creativity. CS in the post-Soviet setting has not been investigated, and this particular case could contribute to a general understanding of CS patterns. During the past decade both speech communities have become less focused (more diffused). Therefore, a “monolithic view on language” (Backus) has to be replaced by the image of various multilingual and monolingual lects. The shape and properties of lects depend on whether they are used in monolingual-to-monolingual or in multilingual interaction. These lects are not necessarily fully crystallized and differences may be subtle. A new lect, the so-called “market discourse” is developing for Russian-to-Estonian interaction. It utilizes Estonian nouns, adjectives, numerals and discourse markers, whereas VP, word order and combinational properties remain Russian. It is not yet clear whether and how this lect can be placed in Auer's CS-to-language-mixing-to-fused lect continuum.
The accuracy of cancer registration data in the East of Scotland (Tayside) Cancer Registry was audited by comparing 200 consecutive registrations (about 10% of the annual total) with the 'gold standard' of the Histopathology records. ICD codes were independently generated by a pathologist by examining final pathology reports and then compared to those codes given by the local cancer registrar. Discrepancies were graded by the pathologist and the epidemiologist according to severity. Major errors of coding were few. Minor and moderate differences in coding occurred because of the nature and structure of the coding system and the manner in which data are retrieved. The level of detail required by the Cancer Registry needs to be evaluated.
Abstract Here, we investigate stimulus generalization in a cerebellar learning paradigm, called eyeblink conditioning. Mice were conditioned to close their eyes in response to a 10-kHz tone by repeatedly pairing this tone with an air puff to the eye 250 ms after tone onset. After 10 consecutive days of training, when mice showed reliable conditioned eyelid responses to the 10-kHz tone, we started to expose them to tones with other frequencies, ranging from 2 to 20 kHz. We found that mice had a strong generalization gradient, whereby the probability and amplitude of conditioned eyelid responses gradually decreases depending on the dissimilarity with the 10-kHz tone. Tones with frequencies closest to 10 kHz evoked the most and largest conditioned eyelid responses and each step away from the 10-kHz tone resulted in fewer and smaller conditioned responses (CRs). In addition, we found that tones with lower frequencies resulted in CRs that peaked earlier after tone onset compared with those to tones with higher frequencies. Together, our data show prominent generalization patterns in cerebellar learning. Since the known function of cerebellum is rapidly expanding from pure motor control to domains that include cognition, reward-learning, fear-learning, social function, and even addiction, our data imply generalization controlled by cerebellum in all these domains.
To protect public health from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, European Commission Regulation EC 1139/2003 on monitoring programs and specified risk material requires that as of 1 October 2003, each member state has in place a sampling plan with an appropriate laboratory test to detect central nervous system (CNS) tissue in bovine head meat harvested at slaughterhouses or cutting plants. With this study, we wanted to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of an enzyme immunoassay, the RIDASCREEN Risk Material 10/5, in targeting a CNS-specific marker, the glial fibrillary acidic protein. A receiver operating characteristics curve was plotted to identify the best cutoff of CNS concentration. Reliability was calculated by Cohen's kappa on data from two diagnostic sessions. Test performance showed high sensitivity and specificity (97.9 and 97.4%, respectively) for a cutoff value between positive and negative at a CNS concentration of 0.049%; reliability of test precision was also very good. When these criteria are applied, the RIDASCREEN Risk Material 10/5 test appears to be a reliable tool for monitoring CNS tissue contamination in meat. This diagnostic procedure should therefore be recommended for national application in monitoring programs.
Abstract Background Endocrine Society recommends ≥2 low bioavailable (BAT) or free Testosterone (T) levels in the early AM by tandem mass spectroscopy to establish AD with DR. They also advise against TRT with a recent history of vascular events (VEs). Data from our center affirm these recommendations. TRT increased VE risk four-fold without DR versus with DR, and eight-fold with a history of recent VEs versus without, suggesting that inappropriate TRT might provoke VEs in the absence of AD, or with high vascular risk. The etiopathogenesis of VEs on TRT is not understood, nor is it known if TRT induces a prothrombotic state, but two putative mechanisms might be involved. First, T increases platelet receptors for thromboxane A2, a potent vasoconstrictor and platelet aggregant. Second, T is aromatized to estradiol (E2), a potent activator of the clotting cascade, inhibitor of antithrombin III, and platelet aggregant. Objective To determine (a) whether TEG, a clinically validated tool for assessing platelet function and clotting can be used to identify a prothrombotic state during TRT for AD proven with DR, and (b) if changes are related to estradiol levels. Methods Male veterans >18 years of age referred for suspected AD, and with no contraindications to TRT, were recruited for the study. After AD was established according to guidelines, blood samples were drawn for TEG and E2 before TRT initiation and after 3 months of TRT, and the following TEG parameters were assessed: Reaction Time for initial fibrin formation (R), reflecting the clotting cascade, Kinetic Time for fibrin cross linkage (K), reflecting fibrinogen and platelet number, Angle (α), reflecting the speed of clot strengthening, and Maximum Amplitude (MA), reflecting platelet function. Results In 7 subjects (median age 64 [IQR 38,68]), on TRT for 88±5d (Mean±SE), calculated BAT increased from 82±17ng/dl to 143±32ng/dl (p=0.046), but E2 did not change significantly (14.3±2.5 vs 19.6±4.2pg/ml, p=0.4). R increased 17% on TRT compared to before (∆=0.9±0.2min, p=0.012), showing that time to initial fibrin formation was prolonged, while remaining within the normal range. However, there was no significant change in K, α, or MA. ConclusionsOur data, based on the novel use of TEG to study a potentially prothrombotic effect of TRT, show for the first time that TRT inhibits, not activates the kinetics of the enzymatic process of coagulation. In other words, appropriate TRT had no prothrombotic effect in an admittedly small number of patients with AD established with DR. This accords with both the four-fold decrease in VEs we observed earlier on TRT prescribed appropriately with DR, as well as some prior reports of a lower risk of VEs on TRT. It is conceivable that TRT might induce a prothrombotic state when prescribed inappropriately in the absence of AD, given that many studies showing that TRT increases VE risk have not employed DR to establish AD conclusively. Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO are embargoed until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. Abstracts presented at a news conference are embargoed until the date and time of the news conference. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.
The finite-element technique is used to analyze the response of an intact ligamentous motion segment in axial compression mode. The three-dimensional nonlinear intact model is modified to simulate spinal stabilization using the Steffee screw-plate system. The results of the two models are compared to study the mechanics of load transfer across the Steffee system. The clinical implications of the results are described.<<ETX>>
When observed from above, the surfaces of oceans, estuaries and littoral areas show beautiful and complex patterns and textures. Some of these large-scale surface features are visible from space, and many are in fact generated by the smallest oceanic inhabitants, prokaryotic and eukaryotic unicellular organisms. A similar heterogeneity exists along a depth axis, and a vertical oceanic tour would reveal not only intricate and dynamic physical structures, but also complex biological patterns, particularly at the microbial scale. One of the main challenges of marine microbial ecology has traditionally been to connect these disparate spatial scales that coexist in our aquatic biosphere, and to extrapolate the microbial features and processes typically measured at very small spatial and temporal scales to scales that are relevant to the functioning of oceanic systems. There are logistic, technical and conceptual difficulties associated with this scaling; some of these challenges, such as the spatial and temporal distribution of bacterial production and growth in the oceans, have been the research focus of our community for decades now, and yet we still have much to learn; some challenges are more recent, for example the exploration of spatial and temporal patterns of marine microbial diversity. New paradigms and challenges are constantly emerging, such as the distribution and biogeochemical importance of novel microbial metabolic pathways in the ocean. Many of these existing and emerging challenges and research opportunities in our discipline were presented and discussed during the 10th Symposium on Aquatic Microbial Ecology (SAME 10), held in Faro (Portugal) in September 2007, through a combination of invited plenary talks, targeted thematic workshops and individual contribution of participants. This first special AME issue brings together the highlights of this meeting and presents some of the main topics that were explored. AME Special 1 provides a synthesis of a diverse array of key current topics in marine microbial ecology, including new developments in the measurement of microbial community structure and processes in biofilms, sediments, and the water column, patterns of microbial diversity and their ecological and biogeochemical significance, the current state of our understanding of major oceanic biogeochemical processes, of key biological interactions such as predation, and of specific microbial components, as well as conceptual issues concerning microbial services at the global scale. It is clear that we have a long way to go and that there will be no lack of future challenges, surprises and difficulties, but our community has made great progress in the past decade, and this special AME issue is a reflection of these achievements. I thank all the authors who so effectively contributed to develop this project.
Background The treatment of chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood (CBDC) so far has been limited to the use of corticosteroids and the sulfa group of drugs, e.g. daspsone and sulfapyridine. Furthermore, the therapy of CBDC cases with associated G6 PD deficiency is restricted only to systemic steroids. Histopathologically CBDC is characterized by the presence of predominantly neutrophilic Infiltration and because it has been proven to exert strong anti‐inflammatory effects through the inhibition of neutrophils, colchicine was mandated for its use in CBDC.
We investigated ethylene production, ethylene biosynthesis genes, and senescence-related genes in flowers of a carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) cultivar ‘Miracle Symphony’ (MS) and lines 006-13 and 62-2, which have a longer vase life than flowers of ‘White Sim’ (WS). WS flowers showed typical symptoms of senescence, but flowers of MS, 006-13, and 62-2 did not show symptoms of senescence, although they showed differences in vase life and ethylene production by day 15. The flowers of 006-13 and 62-2 produced small amounts of ethylene as a result of the low expression of two ethylene biosynthesis genes, DcACS1 and DcACO1; those of MS produced extremely low levels of ethylene. By day 15, the flowers of 006-13 and 62-2 showed increased expression of some senescence-related genes (DcCP1, DcbGal, DcGST1, and DcLip) that were upregulated by exogenous ethylene, indicating that a low level of ethylene production could induce the senescence of petals. In contrast to the upregulation of these senescence-related genes, the expression of DcCPIn, which was downregulated by exogenous ethylene decreased in petals of MS, 006-13, and 62-2 during flower senescence and was the same in all three lines at day 15. The results suggest that extended vase life depends on reduced levels of ethylene production, ethylene biosynthesis gene expression, and senescence-related gene expression.
To infer the subclonality of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and predict the temporal order of genetic events for the tumorigenic process, and to identify novel drivers, we applied a systematic method that takes into account germline and somatic alterations in 44 tumor-normal RMS pairs using deep whole-genome sequencing. Intriguingly, we find that loss of heterozygosity of 11p15.5 and mutations in RAS pathway genes occur early in the evolutionary history of the PAX-fusion-negative-RMS (PFN-RMS) subtype. We discover several early mutations in non-RAS mutated samples and predict them to be drivers in PFN-RMS including recurrent mutation of PKN1. In contrast, we find that PAX-fusion-positive (PFP) subtype tumors have undergone whole-genome duplication in the late stage of cancer evolutionary history and have acquired fewer mutations and subclones than PFN-RMS. Moreover we predict that the PAX3-FOXO1 fusion event occurs earlier than the whole genome duplication. Our findings provide information critical to the understanding of tumorigenesis of RMS.
In seasonal environments variation in food abundance in the non-breeding season is thought to affect songbird population dynamics. In a unique tit-sea buckthorn berry system we can estimate the berry abundance and both the tit consumption and population dynamics. Six hundred nest boxes were available to great and blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus for breeding in spring and roosting in winter. We followed the dynamics including the recapture histories of individually marked great tits from 2008 to 2014. In each year we estimated 1) the winter sea buckthorn berry availability, 2) an index of berry consumption in December based on the colour of the faeces of roosting birds, 3) the number of breeding great and blue tits, 4) both recapture probability and the return rate of the great tits and 5) immigration rates. December berry abundance positively predicted the number of breeding pairs of both species in the subsequent season and great tit return rates in the second half of the winter. There was support for a sex specific berry effect on the adult return rate in the great tit: female return rate was associated less strongly to berry abundance than male return rate. This skewed the sex ratio of the local breeders in the following breeding season. Intriguingly, annual berry consumption in December was not related to berry abundance, and individuals consuming more berries tended to have slightly lower return rates. Reproductive rate was not related to berry abundance. There was hardly support for a relation between immigration rates of first year breeders and berry abundance. Taken together these results imply that berry stock not only affected population size but also the population composition through sex specific exchange with the surroundings. Since population density covaried with berry abundance, density dependent effects provide an alternative explanation for the patterns observed.
A study of the family Cucurbitaceae in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, was carried out in 15 Local Government Areas in different ecological zones across the State, where collections were made between May 2017 and June 2018. A total of eleven species in nine genera were collected: Citrullus lanatus, Citrullus mucosospermus, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita maxima, Lagenaria siceraria, Lagenaria sphaerica, Luffa aegyptiaca, Momordica charantia, Siraitia africana, Telfairia occidentalis, and Trichosanthes cucumerina. Variation in morphology were seen in the investigated species in the stem shape that were cylindrical or angular, the compound or simple types of leaves, the indumentum of the leaf, the acute or acuminate leaf apices, the yellow or white petals, the cylindrical, spherical or irregular fruit shape, the lanceolate or irregular seed shape, and the pubescent or smooth seed. Cultivated cucurbits collected were 65% of the species investigated, while 35% occurred in the wild. A survey of the Cucurbitaceae collections in the Forest Herbarium Ibadan showed only four species recorded for Akwa Ibom State, of which only Luffa aegyptica was identified and collected in the course of this work. More cultivation should be encouraged, as this will serve as a conservation measure for cucurbits in the State.
The results of the analysis of the operation conditions and technical and economic indicators of the sintering process at the AO "Ural'skaya Stal'" have been presented. The conclusions of the opportunity for the improvement in the productivity of the sintering machines during the simultaneous growth of the sintered layer height and sintering mix gas permeability have been drawn. This is possible as a result of the improvement in the conditions of pelletizing during the increase in the lime consumption of up to 70 kg/t.
Spiking neural networks have the nature of high efficiency, energy saving, and bio-interpretability. They communicate through sparse and asynchronous spikes, so they have received extensive attention in the field of neuromorphic engineering and brain-like computing. At present, the commonly used encoding methods are mainly single-rate encoding and temporal encoding. However, rate encoding cannot make use of the time information in the spike train, which has high energy consumption. Temporal encoding limits the computing power of neurons and will produce dead neurons. Moreover, it is critical to find effective solutions that reduce network complexity and improve energy efficiency while maintaining high accuracy. Therefore, we propose a hybrid coding method based on rate coding and temporal coding to solve the limitation of single coding. We propose an adaptive online pruning strategy based on hybrid coding. In this pruning strategy, 100 neurons are pruned out of the 200-neuron network, which reduces the network size and obtains a more compact network structure. The memory capacity is reduced by 1.9×, the energy efficiency is increased by 2.4×, and the classification accuracy is reduced by less than 0.5%.
Segregation and linkage analyses were performed with data from a large Tourette's syndrome (TS) multigenerational kindred. Results of segregation analyses were remarkably similar to some reported earlier and suggest that the mode of transmission is consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance. The analyses were done using three diagnostic schemes to specify affected family members (TS only; TS or chronic tics [CT]; and TS, CT or obsessive compulsive disorder [OCD]). The estimates of penetrance for the genotypes AA, Aa and aa (A denotes the susceptibility allele) in the analyses including relatives with TS, CT or OCD were 0.99, 0.99 and 0.00, respectively, for males and 0.70, 0.70 and 0.00 for females. Pairwise linkage analyses with 140 marker loci failed to identify a linked marker. However, approximately 30 percent of the genome was excluded as the site of the hypothesized locus for TS.
This paper presents the link between stochastic approximation and clinical trials based on randomized urn models investigated in Bai and Hu (1999,2005) and Bai, Hu and Shen (2002). We reformulate the dynamics of both the urn composition and the assigned treatments as standard stochastic approximation (SA) algorithms with remainder. Then, we derive the a.s. convergence and the asymptotic normality (CLT) of the normalized procedure under less stringent assumptions by calling upon the ODE and SDE methods. As a second step, we investigate a more involved family of models, known as multi-arm clinical trials, where the urn updating depends on the past performances of the treatments. By increasing the dimension of the state vector, our SA approach provides this time a new asymptotic normality result.
Topoisomerase II (TOP2) poisons are effective cytotoxic anticancer agents that stabilize the normally transient TOP2-DNA covalent complexes formed during the enzyme reaction cycle. These drugs include etoposide, mitoxantrone, and the anthracyclines doxorubicin and epirubicin. Anthracyclines also exert cell-killing activity via TOP2-independent mechanisms, including DNA adduct formation, redox activity, and lipid peroxidation. Here, we show that anthracyclines and another intercalating TOP2 poison, mitoxantrone, stabilize TOP2-DNA covalent complexes less efficiently than etoposide, and at higher concentrations they suppress the formation of TOP2-DNA covalent complexes, thus behaving as TOP2 poisons at low concentration and inhibitors at high concentration. We used induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)–derived human cardiomyocytes as a model to study anthracycline-induced damage in cardiac cells. Using immunofluorescence, our study is the first to demonstrate the presence of topoisomerase IIβ (TOP2B) as the only TOP2 isoform in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. In these cells, etoposide robustly induced TOP2B covalent complexes, but we could not detect doxorubicin-induced TOP2-DNA complexes, and doxorubicin suppressed etoposide-induced TOP2-DNA complexes. In vitro, etoposide-stabilized DNA cleavage was attenuated by doxorubicin, epirubicin, or mitoxantrone. Clinical use of anthracyclines is associated with cardiotoxicity. The observations in this study have potentially important clinical consequences regarding the effectiveness of anticancer treatment regimens when TOP2-targeting drugs are used in combination. These observations suggest that inhibition of TOP2B activity, rather than DNA damage resulting from TOP2 poisoning, may play a role in doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We show that anthracyclines and mitoxantrone act as topoisomerase II (TOP2) poisons at low concentration but attenuate TOP2 activity at higher concentration, both in cells and in in vitro cleavage experiments. Inhibition of type II topoisomerases suppresses the action of other drugs that poison TOP2. Thus, combinations containing anthracyclines or mitoxantrone and etoposide may reduce the activity of etoposide as a TOP2 poison and thus reduce the efficacy of drug combinations.
Abstract Objectives: An investigation of patients with pancreatic carcinoma aims to identify those who will benefit from surgery. Physical examination, radiology and laboratory findings are helpful. Most prognostic markers, such as lymph node status, micro metastasis and tumour differentiation, are not preoperatively accessible. Metastatic disease in lymph node 8a (Ln8a) in patients operated for pancreatic carcinoma has been reported to be a predictor of shorter overall survival (OS). This lymph node can be assessed preoperatively through resection (possibly even with laparoscopy) and subsequent histopathology. The value of the procedure is disputed. The aim of this study is to investigate whether metastatic disease in Ln8a is a predictor of decreased OS. Materials and methods: In patients with suspected pancreatic or periampullary carcinoma, who were operated with pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), Ln8a was separately resected and analysed with standard and immuno-histochemical methods. Patients with or without metastasis in Ln8a were compared regarding OS. Results: Between 2008 and 2011, 122 consecutive patients were eligible and 87 were resected and had LN8a analysed separately. Sixteen patients were Ln8a + and 71 were Ln8a-. Patients with Ln8a + had a significantly reduced median OS as compared to patients with Ln8a– (0.74 (95% CI 0.26–1.26) versus 5.91 years (95% CI 2.91–), p < .001). Conclusion: Ln8a + was associated with a marked reduction of OS, indicating a possible role in the future preoperative workup in patients with a suspicion of pancreatic cancer.
Herein we report a significant observation in 12 year old female, clinically diagnosed as a case of restrictive cardiomyopathy. During the histological study of postmortem examination of explanted heart, our attention was diverted to histochemical reaction that demonstrated the presence of a substance within cardiomyocytes of both the atria. Ultra structurally and immunohistochemically it was suggestive of amyloidosis, but in the absence of a positive Congo red stain (CR) and apple-green birefringence, the diagnosis remains unconfirmed. Although rare, atypical intracellular cardiac amyloidosis such as the familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy of the Portuguese type has been documented. Amyloidosis acquired secondary to chronic inflammatory disease like rheumatic cardiac disease is also well known. Herein we report a rare intracellular cardiac amyloid-like deposit in both atria. This is unlike normal Periodic Acid Schiff’s (PAS) positive glycoprotein deposition present in cardiac conducting tissue.
Abstract Education is of importance in improving the living conditions of citizens all over the world. It is the only tool for individuals and states’ sustainable development. Educated nations contribute towards development of their states. Therefore, it is necessary for the states to offer quality education to its citizenry. The question which arises mostly is who should get involved in education. Community leaders and members, educators, parents and other stakeholders blame governments when education is of poor quality. It is, therefore, government which is ridiculed when education systems collapse. Quality education is the key towards individuals and state development, therefore everyone should be part of or involved in the provision of quality education. This conceptual paper, through involvement of different stakeholders in Singapore and the United States (US), would like to add a voice for South Africa and point out who are these stakeholders, and their roles and functions in the provision of quality education. The present paper also outlines the way in which all stakeholders are involved in the provision of quality education in Singapore and US and lessons for South Africa learn from these two countries.
The objective of this study was to investigate the physiological characteristics of fiber in the subtending leaf of natural colored-cotton in fiber development,and to provide theoretical basis for improvement of natural colored-cotton fiber quality using brown cotton cultivar Xiangcaimian 2,green cotton cultivar Wanmian 39,and white fiber control Sumian 9 by measuring the changes of metabolite and enzyme activities.The results showed that compared with the control,fiber cellulose accumulation for Xiangcaimian 2 and Wanmian 39 was lower,changing with an"S"curve,which could be simulated well by Richards equation with a fitting coefficient of above 0.999.Maximum accumulation,accumulative rate parameter and maximum accumulative rate for cellulose of colored cotton were all lower than those of white cotton.SPAD,soluble sugar content,activity of sucrose invertase in leaf and sucrose invertase,sucrose synthase(SS),UGPase activities in fiber for colored cotton were smaller than those for white cotton.As a result,there were no enough nutrients for fiber development and the fiber quality was worse.By correlation analysis,SS and UGPase activities and the GA3 content in fiber for colored cotton were significantly and positively correlated with fiber maturation and fiber strength(r=0.884,r=0.895 ;r=0.914,r=0.935 ;r=0.990,r=0.988),indicating that lower metabolite and enzyme activities in natural colored-cotton led to worse fiber quality.
BackgroundThere are limited studies of stent thrombosis in the modern era of second-generation stents, high-pressure deployment, and current antithrombotic regimens. Methods and ResultsSix recently completed coronary stent trials and associated nonrandomized registries that enrolled 6186 patients (6219 treated vessels) treated with ≥1 coronary stent followed by antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and ticlopidine were pooled for this analysis. Within 30 days, clinical stent thrombosis developed in 53 patients (0.9%). The variables most significantly associated with the probability of stent thrombosis were persistent dissection NHLBI grade B or higher after stenting (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.9 to 7.7), total stent length (OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.2 to 1.5 per 10 mm), and final minimal lumen diameter within the stent (OR, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2 to 0.7 per 1 mm). Stent thrombosis was documented by angiography in 45 patients (0.7%). Clinical consequences of angiographic stent thrombosis included 64.4% incidence of death or myocardial infarction at the time of stent thrombosis and 8.9% 6-month mortality. ConclusionsStent thrombosis occurred in <1.0% of patients undergoing stenting of native coronary artery lesions and receiving routine antiplatelet therapy with aspirin plus ticlopidine. Procedure-related variables of persistent dissection, total stent length, and final lumen diameter were significantly associated with the probability of stent thrombosis. Continued efforts to eliminate this complication are warranted given the serious clinical consequences.
THE ideal therapy of infectious diseases is serumtheraphy. Science will have the last word when, after the finding of the specific pathogenic agent of a contagious disease, will find a substance to fight it, and its toxins in the system. Serum therapy has already triumphed over diphtheria and anthrax, and is getting ready to overpower bubonic plague, erisvpelas, tetanus, pneumonia, syphilis, cancer, etc. Speaking only of pneumonia, I would say that notwithstanding the restless search for new drugs, methods and presidia, the old theraphy did not progress much. The percentage of deaths is just as high now as it was fifty years ago, and without being scep­ tical. we can say that our therapy of pneumonia which is aiming to fight the symptoms, it and not the cause of disease will not last long. Still we must use it, because there is nothing better. We will now see how far we are from this problematic stage which is our longing, and what is better today. While legions of modest and patient investigators are at work, the result of their studies is worth knowing, be it crowned by suc­ cess or not, because the practitioners are the judges. You hear of a serum therapy of pneumonia, and often you have heard criti­ cisms against it. I claim that those criticisms are unjust on ac­ count of the use of serums prepared for commercial purposes, which are lacking of nearly every curative property. So, it is only right that you hear tonight a report of cases treated with the original and true antipneumonic serum which was discovered by a very modest worker to whom a good deal of damage has been done by his own modesty, and by the absence of any pecuniary re­ ward, and perhaps by his own place of birth.
Abstract This article discusses how the Port of Ilhéus changed the social composition of the city, introducing new occupation types and areas of work. It seeks to disseminate some results of the project “Pontal Bay - Ilhéus: the city, the port and the Atlantic”, financed by Bahia Research Foundation - FAPESB between 2012 and 2014,being currently funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development - CNPq and by the Proyecto HAR2015-64044R - Global South. Puertos y desarrollo económico y social en el Atlántico meridional (1850-2010). The project was approved by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Government of Spain - of the project “Estudo comparativo de sistemas portuários: Bahia-Brasil e Ilhas Canárias-Espanha - 1960/1990”, financed by Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz.
This study aimed to investigate the benefits of physiotherapy programme in a patient with Angelman syndrome (AS) during a follow-up of 3 years. Assessments included: disability level with gross motor function classification systems, gross motor function with gross motor function measurement (GMFM), balance with Berg Balance Scale, motor performance with gross motor performance measurement (GMPM) and tonus assessment with Modified Ashworth Scale. Physiotherapy programme was performed during 36 months, 3 days per week by physical therapist according to Neurodevelopmental Treatment approach. During the 36 months, GMFM increased from 11.46% to 70.82% and GMPM increased from 1.25% to 70.25%. This case report is the first study about the effectiveness of physiotherapy with medium-term follow-up in a child with AS. Physiotherapy results make us happy in this particular patient with ‘happy puppet’ syndrome.
Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves are used for evaluation of classifier’s performance. They have applications in clinical diagnostics in medicine, computational linguistics, machine learning and data mining. In this paper, we propose a test for the equality of two ROC curves for Bi-Pareto ROC model. The asymptotic distribution of the test statistic is determined through simulations and the size of the test is computed. A real data set has been used to demonstrate the testing procedure.
On the basis of extensive corona detection experience on full reel testing of cables it is proposed that, in addition to corona level, a characteristic designated as "corona factor" be determined on each reel length of high-voltage cable with extruded conductor and insulation shields. The corona factor establishes the relationship between discharges in the cable and voltage stress over a stress range up to several times the operating level. In addition, it is proposed that full reel power factor measurements be made to provide a check on the resistivity of the extruded shields. The use of a novel continuous corona discharge detector in the laboratory to locate defects in the cable core, with insulation semiconducting shield in place, is described.
Based on flexible multibody system dynamic theory, founded the rigid-flexible coupling multibody dynamic analysis model of the crank and connecting rod mechanism of diesel engine which included the piston, link, crankshaft and flywheel. The dynamic stress of the connecting rod was calculated and counted by the rain flow method. Counted the stress histories of the connecting rod at all the mission profiles, and then extrapolate and superpose the rain flow matrix, get the stress cumulative frequency distribution of the dangerous node. The load spectrum for the fatigue test of the connecting rod was established, and the mew method can be used for making the specification of the fatigue test of the connecting rod. The load spectrum for connecting rod fatigue test, which can reflect the fatigue life more accurate.
The third problem that victory poses for just war theorists arises from the view that it is a part of the strategic rather than normative vocabulary of war. To the degree that victory is a function of might rather than right, the argument goes, just war theorists have no business engaging it. This chapter examines this contention. It reveals that the idea that victory is an amoral category is out of step with how victory has been conceived down the centuries. From classical times to the present day, victory has always been regarded as a concept that is freighted with ethical and even divine overtones. My purpose in highlighting this is to draw attention to what it reveals about the idea of just war: namely, how it is prone to seed a dangerous combination of complacency and self-righteousness in those who invoke it.
BACKGROUND Some studies have indicated an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a small, sex-specific association with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children prenatally exposed to obstetric oxytocin. Since oxytocin is widely used in the obstetric ward, these potentially deleterious effects are of concern. Thus, we aimed to examine whether obstetric oxytocin treatment for labour induction or augmentation is associated with ADHD and ASD in offspring born in a two-country design based on data from Denmark and Finland.   METHODS This population-based study used data from national registers in Denmark and Finland. Singletons born in Denmark 2000-10 (n = 577 380) and Finland 1991-2010 (n = 945 543), who survived infancy, were followed until 31 December 2015. ADHD and ASD were defined using diagnostic codes. For ADHD, we also included information on prescribed and redeemed ADHD medication in the definition. Hazards ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), modelled with age as the underlying time scale, were calculated to estimate the associations.   RESULTS Oxytocin was used in 31% and 46% of the included deliveries in Denmark and Finland, respectively. In crude analyses, prenatal oxytocin was associated with an approximately 20% increased risk of ADHD and ASD, but confounder adjustment attenuated the association. The adjusted HR was 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.05, for ADHD and 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.08, for ASD. The results were similar in across country and gender.   CONCLUSIONS We found an association between synthetic oxytocin and ADHD or ASD which is unlikely to reflect a causal association and thus should not support the concern of clinical use. Our results help to allay concerns of obstetric use of oxytocin causing ADHD or ASD.
It is well known that the controversial German theorist Carl Schmitt understood the position of the Sovereign in theologico-political terms: as similar to that of the medieval Prince, charged with the task of preventing and deferring the end of days. An exploration of the links between Schmitt and his acknowledged intellectual mentor Thomas Hobbes reveals that, ultimately, what is at stake in such understandings of the sovereign’s position is the management and control of the risk associated with the possible occurrence of catastrophic events in the future. It is argued here that such a conception of our relationship with time and infinitude has come to dominate the political, economic and even aesthetic landscape of our times. That conception is apocalyptic, authority- based, and catastrophic; it amounts to an unexpected return of religion at the very heart of modernity, on the back of seemingly secular appeals to choice and necessity, following the introduction of war at the centre of the promise of progress.
The Question Answering (QA) system is playing a significant role in search engine and information extraction principle. This investigation of research work has performed with an Interface which incorporates the different modules of ontology assistance, template assistance, and user modeling techniques which function as the supporter between the client user and system to deal with the user problems. The latest features which formulate to increase system performance are ontology assisted query template, natural language query mode and keyword based query mode. The experimentation result implies that 85% queries have been accurately identified by the system.
This paper presents a research of the relationship between the characteristics of sea waves and microseismic oscillations. The research is based on field measurements of sea waves at the coastal area within gulf “Baikal” of Sakhalin Island performed by IMGG FEB RAS in July – October the 2012th, and seismic data recorded by the seismic station “Okha”. The analysis of the parameters of seismic oscillations showed the presence of microseismic response to the sea level fluctuations in 0.0083–1.7 Hz frequency range. The root mean square values of microseismic oscillations in the 0.1–1.7 Hz range are 30 times higher than in the range from 0.0082 to 0.1 Hz. Herewith, the microseismic oscillations in the 0.1–1.7 Hz range reproduce the time development of storm waves and have doubled frequencies. One can assumed on the base of the time delay between the growth of storms and the increase of microseismic amplitudes, that an effective generation of microseism occurs on at least 100 km distance from site of their registration.
Objective  To investigate the change of expression patterns of miRNA in the serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of lung cancer and its significance.      Methods  Clinical case control study was employed.Establish the method of microRNA (miRNA) detection by real time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). peripheral blood of the study subjects were collected in First affiliated hospital of SooChow University from November 2011 to September 2012.Gender and age matched subjects whose median age was 64 (40-85) included 61 lung cancer cases,48 healthy control and benign lung diseases.We used quantitative RT-PCR to assess miRNA expression pattern of-miR-20a,21,-25,-29,-31,-126,-129,-145 and-205 in peripheral blood.U6 was taken as reference,and the expression of miRNA were indicated as F=2-ΔCt,ΔCt=CtmiRNA-CtU6.F represents relative change of miRNA expression compared to U6 in the same sample.SPSS 19.0 was used as statistical software; t test was used for comparison of two sets of samples One way ANOVA was used for multiple groups′comparison,and make multiple comparison by the S-N-K method if the result with a significant difference.Pearson correlation analysis were used for the relationship between two variables,Brown-Forsythe test was used for Ct value equality testing among multiple samples.P<0.05 were regarded as statistically significant.      Results  miR-20a (F=271.64,P<0.01),miR-21 (F=2232.51,P<0.01),miR-205 (F=45.13,P<0.01),miR-29a (F=19.98,P<0.01),miR-25 (F=313.19,P<0.01) and miR-126 (F=32.38,P<0.01) were differently expressed in the serum of lung cancer patients and healthy control or benign disease control.miR-29a,miR-25,miR-126 was down regulated in the development of malignant lung disease; miR-31 elevated in lung cancer compared with healthy control,while miR-145 fell;miR-31 expression changed with various differentiation of lung cancer (F=5.22,P<0.01) itwas significantly increased in the moderate-differentiated cancer,but decreased when distant metastasis existed (especially bone metastasis).But in PBMC paired with the serum samples above,statistically significance was shown in lung cancer and healthy control group and benign lung diseases group in miR-126 (F=690.58,P<0.01),miR-129 (F=26.66,P<0.01),miR-145 (F=48.57,P<0.01),miR-205 (F=308.61,P<0.01).miR-25 (F=218.57,P<0.01) and miR-31 (F=48.05,P<0.01),were down regulated in the development of malignant lung disease.miR-20a,miR-29a were elevated in lung cancer compared to healthy controls,miR-21 was upregulated when distant metastasis existed; the expression of miR-31 in serum and PBMC was negatively correlated (r=-0.369,P<0.05).Areas under ROC curve of miR-25 (S=0.906,P<0.01) and miR-126 (S=0.969,P<0.01) were statistically different.      Conclusions  miRNA may contribute to several steps of metastasis,including local invasion,extravasation or initial survival at a distant site,and metastatic colonization,or can affect the prognosis of lung cancer.The detection of miRNA in lung cancer provides a new clue to the research of its chronic progress.(Chin J Lab Med,2013,36:165-172)      Key words:  MicroRNA (miRNA) ; Lung cancer; Serum; PBMC; RT-qPCR
Abstract Background A number of studies show that people with psychotic disorders have abnormal belief-updating processes. In a commonly-used decision-making task, the beads task, participants infer which of two jars, each with a different ratio of coloured beads, a presented bead is drawn from, with an option to request further beads before reaching a decision. Previous studies suggest that people with psychotic symptoms request fewer beads (draws to decision; DTD) indicative of a ‘Jumping to conclusion’ (JTC) bias. In a modified version of this task, participants estimate the probability that beads have been drawn from one of the two jars on a sliding scale over a sequence of beads and are also told that the jar the beads are drawn from may switch. In this task, people with psychotic symptoms revise their estimations disproportionately in response to a change in colour of beads in a sequence (overadjustment bias). It is not clear what specific belief-updating processes drive these biases, how they arise, or if their association with psychotic symptoms is independent of confounding. We examined whether abnormal belief-updating processes are associated with psychotic experiences in a large, population-based sample, and whether they mediate the association between trauma and psychotic symptoms. Methods We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort (n=2,879). Past-year frequent or distressing psychotic experiences (PEs) were assessed using the semi-structured PLIKS interview at age 24. Performance on the DTD and probability estimation tasks at age 24 were assessed using behavioural indices and computational modelling parameters (using ‘costed Bayesian’ and Hidden Markov Models respectively). Logistic regression was used to examine the association between belief-updating parameters (DTD task: cost of sampling, decision noise; Probability estimation task: adjustment rate, inference length, decision confidence, prior expectation of reversal, decision noise) and PEs. Estimates were adjusted for confounders (genetic risk for schizophrenia, socio-economic status, cognitive function). Mediation analysis tested abnormal belief-updating processes as a mediator between exposure to trauma (assessed ages 0–17 years) and age-24 PEs. Results In the DTD task, increased decision noise was associated with PEs (adjusted OR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.13, p=0.014). There was little evidence of an association between the JTC bias and PEs (OR= 1.13; 95% CI: 0.45, 2.82). For the probability estimation task, there was an association between a higher prior expectation that the jars that will switch during the sequence (expectation of reversal) and PEs (adjusted OR = 2.28; 95% CI 1.39, 3.74, p=0.001). Our findings were minimally attenuated by confounding (<10%). Exposure to trauma was also associated with greater decision noise in the DTD task, but there was little evidence that this abnormal belief-updating parameter mediated the relationship between trauma and PEs (<1% mediated). Discussion Our results suggest that abnormal belief-updating processes (increased decision noise; greater prior expectation of reversal) are associated with PEs, and that this is not explained by general cognitive ability, shared genetic risk, or social background. Previous observations of association between the JTC bias and psychosis may be due to sub-optimal performance rather than a bias for making a decision on less evidence. The results also suggest that an increased expectation of change is associated with the early stages of psychosis symptom development. Our mediation result does not support the hypothesis that the belief-updating processes examined here lie on the causal pathway between trauma exposure and PEs.
Although previous studies have explored the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana, very little attention is paid to the influence of mass media exposure on NHIS enrolment. Yet, understanding this linkage is important, particularly due to the critical role of mass media in disseminating health information and shaping people's health perceptions and choices. Using data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we employed logistic regression analysis to understand the relationship between NHIS enrolment and exposure to print media, radio, and television. Our findings indicate that women with more exposure to radio (OR = 1.23, P < 0.01) and television (OR = 1.24, P < 0.01) were more likely to enroll in the NHIS than those with no exposure. For men, more exposure to print media was associated with higher odds of enrolling in the NHIS (OR = 1.41, P < 0.01). In conclusion, all 3 types of media may be helpful in promoting NHIS enrolment in Ghana. However, given that the relationship between media exposure and enrolment in the NHIS was gendered, we recommend that policymakers should pay attention to these dynamics to ensure effective targeting in NHIS media campaigns for increased enrolment into the scheme.
Summary Unravelling the role of interferon (IFN) in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B is complicated by many factors. Several mutant forms of hepatitis B virus (HBV) have recently been discovered; the most common of these is the precore mutant, characterized by hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg) negativity and hepatitis Be antibody (HBeAb) positivity in an individual with an active HBV infection. The aim of this study was to compare the response rate to IFN therapy in patients with wild‐type HBV infection and in individuals infected with the precore mutant. A second aim was to evaluate the role of an increased serum ferritin in terms of the IFN response rate in these two different types of HBV infection.
Understanding tooth-size discrepancy is essential in the process of diagnosis of maxillary and mandibular relationship. Due to the high incidence of tooth-size disproportion, Practitioners should consider the high incidence of tooth-size disproportion when planning treatment for their patients, as in many cases, this can be a hindrance to obtaining an ideal result. This study aimed to determine the anterior and overall tooth ratios in the Saudi population and compare them with Bolton's standards. A total of 356 patients were recruited. For the anterior ratio, around 25% of the patients had a ratio equal to Bolton's standards (77.2%). Most subjects (53.7%) had a ratio above 77.2%, and the remaining (20%) had a ratio below 77.2%. The mean amount of anterior mandibular excess was 2.17 ± 2.12 mm, and the mean amount of anterior maxillary excess was 2.16 ± 2.08 mm. For the overall ratio, less than half of the participants (43%) had a ratio equal to Bolton's standards (91.3%). Almost 34% had a ratio above 91.3%, while 23% of the participants had a ratio below 91.3%. The mean amount of overall mandibular excess was 2.54 ± 2.37 mm, and the mean amount of overall maxillary excess was 3.31 ± 3.33 mm. The majority of the study sample had an overall and anterior Bolton ratio that is different from the norms of Bolton's standards, with a tendency for increased overall and anterior ratios. Having specific standards for the Saudi population is important for better clinical assessment and treatment outcomes.
List of Figures. List of Tables. List of Games. Preface. Contents and Purpose. Changes in the Second Edition (1994). Changes in the Third Edition (2001). Changes in the Fourth Edition (2006). Using the Book. The Level of Mathematics. Other Books. Contact Information. Acknowledgements. Introduction. History. Game Theory's Method. Exemplifying Theory. This Book's Style. Notes. PART 1: GAME THEORY. 1. The Rules of the Game. Definitions. Dominated and Dominant Strategies: The Prisoner's Dilemma. Iterated Dominance: The Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Nash Equilibrium: Boxed Pigs, The Battle of the Sexes and Ranked Coordination. Focal Points. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 2. Information. The Strategic and Extensive Forms of a Game. Information Sets. Perfect, Certain, Symmetric, and Complete Information. The Harsanyi Transformation and Bayesian Games. Example: The Png Settlement Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 3. Mixed and Continuous Strategies. Mixed Strategies: The Welfare Game. The Payoff-equating Method and Games of Timing. Mixed Strategies with General Parameters and N Players: The Civic Duty Game. Randomizing is not Always Mixing: The Auditing Game. Continuous Strategies: The Cournot Game. Continuous Strategies: The Bertrand Game, Strategic Complements, and Strategic. Substitutes. Existence of Equilibrium. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 4. Dynamic Games with Symmetric Information. Subgame Perfectness. An Example of Perfectness: Entry Deterrence I. Credible Threats, Sunk Costs, and the Open-Set Problem in the Game of Nuisance Suits. Recoordination to Pareto-dominant Equilibria in Subgames: Pareto Perfection. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 5. Reputation and Repeated Games with Symmetric Information. Finitely Repeated Games and the Chainstore Paradox. Infinitely Repeated Games, Minimax Punishments, and the Folk Theorem. Reputation: The One-sided Prisoner's Dilemma. Product Quality in an Infinitely Repeated Game. Markov Equilibria and Overlapping Generations: Customer Switching Costs. Evolutionary Equilibrium: The Hawk-Dove Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 6. Dynamic Games with Incomplete Information. Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium: Entry Deterrence II and III. Refining Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium in the Entry Deterrence and PhD Admissions Games. The Importance of Common Knowledge: Entry Deterrence IV and V. Incomplete Information in the Repeated Prisoner's Dilemma: The Gang of Four Model. The Axelrod Tournament. Credit and the Age of the Firm: The Diamond Model. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. PART 2: ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION. 7. Moral Hazard: Hidden Actions. Categories of Asymmetric Information Models. A Principal-agent Model: The Production Game. The Incentive Compatibility and Participation Constraints. Optimal Contracts: The Broadway Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 8. Further Topics in Moral Hazard. Efficiency Wages. Tournaments. Institutions and Agency Problems. Renegotiation: The Repossession Game. State-space Diagrams: Insurance Games I and II. Joint Production by Many Agents: The Holmstrom Teams Model. The Multitask Agency Problem. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 9. Adverse Selection. Introduction: Production Game VI. Adverse Selection under Certainty: Lemons I and II. Heterogeneous Tastes: Lemons III and IV. Adverse Selection under Uncertainty: Insurance Game III. Market Microstructure. A Variety of Applications. Adverse Selection and Moral Hazard Combined: Production Game VII. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 10. Mechanism Design and Postcontractual Hidden Knowledge. Mechanisms, Unravelling, Cross Checking, and the Revelation Principle. Myerson Mechanism Design. An Example of Postcontractual Hidden Knowledge: The Salesman Game. The Groves Mechanism. Price Discrimination. Rate-of-return Regulation and Government Procurement. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 11. Signalling. The Informed Player Moves First: Signalling. Variants on the Signalling Model of Education. General Comments on Signalling in Education. The Informed Player Moves Second: Screening. Two Signals: The Game of Underpricing New Stock Issues. Signal Jamming and Limit Pricing. Countersignalling. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. PART 3: APPLICATIONS. 12. Bargaining. The Basic Bargaining Problem: Splitting a Pie. The Nash Bargaining Solution. Alternating Offers over Finite Time. Alternating Offers over Infinite Time. Incomplete Information. Setting Up a Way to Bargain: The Myerson-Satterthwaite Mechanism. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 13. Auctions. Values Private and Common, Continuous and Discrete. Optimal Strategies under Different Rules in Private-value Auctions. Revenue Equivalence, Risk Aversion, and Uncertainty. Reserve Prices and the Marginal Revenue Approach. Common-value Auctions and the Winner's Curse. Asymmetric Equilibria, Affiliation, and Linkage: The Wallet Game. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. 14. Pricing. Quantities as Strategies: Cournot Equilibrium Revisited. Capacity Constraints: The Edgeworth Paradox. Location Models. Comparative Statics and Supermodular Games. Vertical Differentiation. Durable Monopoly. Notes. Problems. Classroom Game. Mathematical Appendix. Notation. The Greek Alphabet. Glossary. Formulas and Functions. Probability Distributions. Supermodularity. Fixed Point Theorems. Genericity. Discounting. Risk. References and Name Index. Subject Index
The fact that in the life cycle of the strigeid of the duck, Cotylurus flabelliformis, the same species of snails serve both as intermediate and second intermediate hosts has made possible the study of the relation of previous infestation of these snails with larval trematodes to the penetration of the cercariae and the development of the metacercariae of this species. Since C. flabelliformis is a common paratype of the duck in the region where the University of Michigan Biological Station is located it was possible to obtain material for this study in the summer of I932. The life cycle of C. flabelliformis has been worked out in its various stages by a group of workers in the last sixteen years (Faust, 1917; Cort, 1917; Cort and Brooks, 1928; Hughes, 1929; Van Haitsma, 1931). The sporocysts of this species develop in Lymnaea stagnalis appressa Say, L. stagnalis perampla Walker and Stagnicola (Lymnaea) emarginata angulata (Sowerby). Cercariae begin to escape from these snails about six weeks after the penetration of the miracidia. These cercariae then penetrate into these same species of snails and also into a smaller form Fossaria obrussa Say and develop in a period of about six weeks going through a very great metamorphosis into mature encysted metacercariae of the tetracotyle type. When snails containing these fully developed tetracotylids are eaten by ducks the adults of C. flabelliformis are able to develop to sexual maturity in about four to six days. Winfield (1932) has recently shown that individuals of L. stagnalis appressa and L. stagnalis perampla which were infested with the sporocysts of C. flabelliformis were highly resistant to the penetration of its cercariae, although these two snails varieties serve very effectively both naturally and experimentally as the second intermediate host of this species. He suggested that this immunity plays an important part in the survival of snails harboring the sporocyst stages of this trematode since it prevents them from being overwhelmed by the repenetration of the large numbers of cercariae which escape. The results reported in this paper confirm Winfield's work and extend the studies to include
SUMMARY Genetic analysis of pancreatic development has provided new insights into the mechanisms underlying the formation of exocrine pancreatic neoplasia. Zebrafish sweetbread (swd) mutants develop hypoplastic acini and dysmorphic ducts in the exocrine pancreas, with impeded progression of cell division cycle and of epithelial growth. Positional cloning and allelic complementation have revealed that the swd mutations affect the transient receptor potential melastatin-subfamily member 7 (trpm7) gene, which encodes a divalent cation-permeable channel with kinase activity. Supplementary Mg2+ partially rescued the exocrine pancreatic defects of the trpm7 mutants by improving cell-cycle progression and growth and repressing the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3a (socs3a) gene. The role of Socs3a in Trpm7-mediated signaling is supported by the findings that socs3a mRNA level is elevated in the trpm7 mutants, and antisense inhibition of socs3a expression improved their exocrine pancreatic growth. TRPM7 is generally overexpressed in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. TRPM7-deficient cells are impaired in proliferation and arrested in the G0-G1 phases of the cell division cycle. Supplementary Mg2+ rescued the proliferative defect of the TRPM7-deficient cells. Results of this study indicate that Trpm7 regulates exocrine pancreatic development via the Mg2+-sensitive Socs3a pathway, and suggest that aberrant TRPM7-mediated signaling contributes to pancreatic carcinogenesis.
Background: Identifying factors that influence donor-derived immune response may ultimately enable its therapeutic redirection, lessening risk for complications following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) like acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) and promoting protection against infection and malignant disease relapse. Viral reactivation seems poised to influence donor-derived immune response, potentially disrupting the balance between immune surveillance in eradicating malignancy and infection and immune tolerance in preventing aGvHD. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a clinically-significant virus with immunomodulatory capabilities. However, studies interrogating such effects are limited in the modern transplant era. The primary study aim was to estimate the cumulative incidence of initial CMV reactivation (RA) and aGvHD in alloHCT patients and to assess reciprocal influence between CMV RA and aGvHD. The secondary study aim was to define whether CMV RA predisposed alloHCT patients to infection or increased relapse risk. Methods: Consecutive adult patients (n=324) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplasia whom received initial matched sibling or unrelated donor (MUD) bone marrow (n=33), peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC, n=253) or umbilical cord blood (n=38) grafts from January 2010 through December 2014 at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center comprised the study cohort. Patient-, transplant-, and infection-related data were retrospectively analyzed (Table 1). Initial CMV RA was defined as plasma quantitative CMV PCR≥1000 viral copies/ml for which CMV-directed antiviral therapy was started. Microbiologically-documented infections were recorded for the first year after alloHCT and categorized as bacterial blood stream infection, invasive fungal infection, human herpes virus 6 viremia, and respiratory viral infection. Cumulative incidences of CMV RA and aGvHD were estimated accounting for competing risks (death from any cause). Association between CMV RA and incidence of aGvHD was evaluated in a proportional sub-distribution hazards model, where CMV RA was treated as a time-dependent covariate with competing risk as death from any cause. Similarly, influence of aGvHD on incidence of CMV RA was evaluated where development of aGvHD was treated as the time-dependent covariate and CMVR RA as the end point of interest. Associations between CMV RA and subsequent infection or disease relapse were similarly analyzed. To evaluate impact of CMV and aGvHD on long-term outcomes, landmark analysis (LMA) at D100 and D365 were compared among four distinct patient groups: (1) No CMV RA, no aGvHD; (2) CMV RA, no aGvHD; (3) No CMV RA, aGvHD; and (4) CMV RA and aGvHD. Results: Most transplant patients had AML in CR1, received MUD PBSC grafts following myeloablative conditioning, and were given methotrexate and calcineurin-based GvHD prophylaxis. Patients who developed aGvHD grades 2 (HR=1.93, 95% CI 1.15-3.23, p=0.013) or grades 3 and 4 (HR=3.36, 95% CI 1.76-6.45, p Overall survival (OS) at 1, 2, and 3 years post-transplant were 63%, 53%, and 45%, respectively. Cumulative incidence rates for non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 1, 2, and 3 years were 16%, 19%, and 23%, respectively; for infection-related mortality (IRM), cumulative incidence rates were 10%, 13%, and 16%, respectively. OS, NRM and IRM were stratified by initial CMV RA and aGvHD status at D100 and D365 (Table 2). Among patients who were alive, patients whom had initial CMV RA and aGvHD by D100 were at higher risk for NRM (HR=2.85, 95% CI 1.24-6.56, p=0.014) and IRM (HR=3.65, 95% CI 1.39-9.57, p=0.008) than patients who experienced neither CMV RA nor aGvHD. D365 LMA did not reveal any statistically significant differences in OS, NRM, and IRM between groups. Conclusion: aGvHD associated with increased risk for CMV RA, but initial CMV RA did not associate with subsequent aGvHD risk. Furthermore, initial CMV RA did not associate with increased risk for disease relapse or infection, but did increase NRM and IRM, particularly in combination with aGvHD. Disclosures Auletta:Shire Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy. Lozanski:Genentech: Research Funding; Stemline Therapeutics Inc.: Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim: Research Funding; Beckman Coulter: Research Funding. Hofmeister:Janssen: Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson: Research Funding; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Research Funding; Signal Genetics, Inc.: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte, Corp: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Research Funding; Arno Therapeutics, Inc.: Research Funding; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company: Research Funding; Teva: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees. Andritsos:Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation: Research Funding.
Background Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common spine diseases and represents the most frequent cause of absence from work in developed countries. Approximately 40% of chronic LBP is related to discogenic origin. The goal of the study is producing a review of literature to describe analytically the techniques of intradiscal injections. Methods PubMed database was searched for clinical studies with the different key terms: “intradiscal”, “injection”, “steroid” “procedures”, “techniques”, “CT”, “MRI”, “fluoroscopy”, “fluoroscopic”, “guidance”, “ozone”, “ultrasound”, “images”. Only studies written in English, French, or Italian in which the intradiscal injection represents the main procedure for the low back discopathy treatment on humans were considered. We excluded the articles that do not mention this procedure; those which indicated that the intradiscal injection had happened accidentally during other treatments; those reporting the patient’s pain was determined by other causes than the discopathy (facet joint syndrome, tumor, spondylodiscitis). Results Thirty-one articles dated from 1969 to 2018 met the criteria. The examined population was 6843 subjects, 52.3% male and 47.7% female, with a mean age of 45.9±10.1 years. The techniques are highly variable in terms of procedure: different operators, needle guidance, injection sites, drugs, tilt angle of the needle). Conclusion The efficacy and the safety of the intradiscal procedures are not easily comparable due to different types of studies and their limited number. Further studies are needed to standardize the intradiscal injection technique/procedure to improve safety, repeatability and effectiveness, and last but not least to reduce peri- and postoperative care and health-care costs.
Enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes (EBPR) are one of the most popular methods in nutrient control. Energy demand of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is also very critical actual concern. In this study, relationship between fundamental characteristics of EBPR and energy demand was investigated in a large scale WWTP. Freshly collected wastewater and activated sludge samples were used in all experiments to obtain accurate results. Effect of both temperature and salinity on air demand in biological stages, which has the most significant impact on energy demand, were also considered in modeling efforts to obtain comparable results. Interactions between energy and soluble carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (sBOD5) removed by denitrifies in anaerobic and anoxic zones; acetate uptake rate were evaluated statistically using linear regression model. Effect of salinity on effl uent PO4-P concentration and energy demand were also investigated by field-based measurements and obtained results evalu...
For over a century, Marxism and socialism have been intimately joined. Therefore, the idea of ‘ post-Marxism’ is a vital one for any contemporary re-thinking of emancipation. But post-Marxism is a troublesome notion. Might it not be a pretentious codeword for ex-or non-Marxism (Geras, 1987; 1988), merely another moment in ‘the weak thought’ of ‘the end of Modernity’ (Said, 1994: 399), ‘a dull and meaningless term … [that] makes sense only in an autobiographical context’ (Heller and Feher, 1991: 4)? Such scepticism and irritation were to the fore in an earlier phase of ‘furious’ post-modernism and anti-post-modernism (Beilharz, 1994), where Marxist critics were likely to read post-Marxism as a signal of the ‘advanced stage of an intellectual malady’ (Geras, 1987: 43), of a European Left moving rightwards or becoming ever more spectatorial, culturalist and theoreticist.1
To the Editor: The role played by the brain's dopamine system in pain control has garnered attention in recent years.1 Herein, we report 4 cases of long-term chronic pain (pain disorder [DSM-IV-TR]) that improved dramatically following administration of a low dose of aripiprazole, a partial dopamine agonist. None of these 4 patients satisfied the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia.    Case 1. Mr A, a 42-year-old man, had a chief complaint of chronic head and neck pain that had persisted for 10 years and was refractory to administration of morphine 70 mg/d. He visited our department in December 2008 and was diagnosed with pain disorder and pervasive developmental disorder. Although fluvoxamine treatment was started, with the dosage gradually increased to 200 mg/d, it was ineffective and the pain exacerbated. Upon switching to aripiprazole 3 mg/d, the pain improved dramatically, and the patient was able to discontinue morphine. After increasing the dose to 6 mg/d, the patient became able to go fishing for the first time in a few years, and his motivation increased.    Case 2. Mr B, a 35-year-old man, had chronic back and leg pain that had persisted for 15 years and particularly worsened following sexual intercourse. He had visited over 20 medical institutions in the past and had not responded to antidepressants. He visited our department in March 2009 and was diagnosed with pain disorder. Pain disappeared after initiation of aripiprazole 2 mg/d, and the patient's passion for his work in computer software development improved.    As aripiprazole was effective in the treatment of pain disorder in Cases 1 and 2, we subsequently also used it for Cases 3 and 4, and it was effective. Below are concise descriptions of Cases 3 and 4.    Case 3. Ms C, an 83-year-old woman, had developed Parkinson's disease and back and leg pain (pain disorder) 4 years before. She visited our department in August 2009. Pain improved following administration of aripiprazole 3 mg/d, and the patient began going out rather than staying home as she had been, and her level of activity improved.    Case 4. Ms D, a 68-year-old woman, had developed pain at the top of the head (pain disorder) a year before she visited our department in October 2009. Pain disappeared after we added aripiprazole 2 mg/d to sertraline 100 mg/d, and the patient's motivation toward housework improved.    These 4 patients were characterized by reduction of pain and improved motivation following low-dose aripiprazole administration. Dopamine plays a role in pain processing via μ opioids.1 Dopamine-related diseases often exhibit pain-related symptoms. For example, pain is a common complaint among patients with Parkinson's disease,2 and those with schizophrenia are known to have a reduced pain sensitivity.3 In other words, the degree of dopamine system activation is inversely proportional to the degree of pain. These 4 cases suggest that aripiprazole, a dopamine system stabilizer, may be a therapeutic option for chronic pain.
winner of the grand jury prize at the 2007 Sundance film festival, Donal MacIntyre's A Very British Gangster (2007) is an intriguing example of a critically acclaimed documentary. This article seeks to explore the structure of the film and how the constant allusions to pop culture within it create a frame of reference that is performative and playful. Like any documentary, the film is beyond simple categorization. However, this article engages with processes of labeling and the defining of documentary modes in order to show the film as an expression of reality that is caught up in a very definite desire to entertain rather than educate. One of John Grierson's original principles of documentary describes it as "arrangements, rearrangements and creative shapings [of natural material]" ("First Principles" 146). This principle appears to accept certain elements of subjectivity and construction as part of the form and thus suggests a close connection between the factual and fictional forms. However, other work, such as that of Ellis and McLane, asserts that "documentary is purposive; it is intended to achieve something in addition to entertaining audiences" (4), which is related to Grierson's desire for documentary to "educate and inspire." Both interpretations are valid, though appearing to be at odds. Documentary can both entertain and educate. It can also be constructed and factual. It is perhaps useful to note, as John Corner does in The Art of Record, that Grierson's definitions were in fact designed to promote the argument for documentary as a recognized form, rather than to be definitions of the form. Therefore, such definitions should be viewed as discursive rather than fixed. In view of this, it is most useful to see all definitions as the opening of a discussion rather than fixed, in that all films utilize a variety of modes and purposes. The following discussion of definitions is designed to offer such an opening. The development and popularity of reality TV has continued to blur distinctions between reality and entertainment, and this has had a profound influence on how other forms of documentary are being defined. Bruzzi notes that reality TV as factual entertainment has brought entertainment and drama further into the documentary arena, and John Corner has coined the label "documentary as diversion" to account for the growth in lighter topics or treatments in television documentary ("Performing the Real"). Paul Arthur suggests that one new documentary style "has begun to attract film viewers who before might have chosen a dentist's appointment rather than pay to see a documentary" (75). The tabloid documentary, often with the filmmaker as visible interviewer, seeks to investigate subjects and entertain audiences through a mix of observational, archival, and interview modes. Such documentaries, Arthur states, focus on "the business of public voyeurism, media celebrity, and the political economy of imagemaking" (74). The label "tabloid" is appropriate, according to Arthur, because this style of documentary filmmaking mainly prioritizes voyeuristic pleasures rather than specifically educational or critical discourse, and consequently its function resembles entertainment as much as, if not more than, actuality. Arthur uses the term "tabloid" in order to identify such documentaries within a readily understood framework of reference that is associated with the television format that dominates cable TV channels, such as the Biography Channel,1 or alternatively, broadcast network programs such as NBC's Dateline (US) and BBC's Witness (UK). He suggests that this format appears in varying degrees in feature-length, critically acclaimed films such as Berlinger and Sinofsky's Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996), Nick Broomfield's Fetishes (1996) and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003), and Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man (2005). A basic similarity between the television and film formats is their participatory structure, in that the voice of the text, through presenter or filmmaker, has a significant role onscreen, in voice-over, or both. …
In the course of celiac plexus alcohol block, facial flushing, palpitations, and hypotension are occasionally incurred in some patients. We hypothesized that the phenomenon represents acetaldehyde syndrome, not response to increased blood levels of ethanol as might be supposed. In order to prove our hypothesis, we selected five patients scheduled to undergo celiac plexus alcohol block, and, with their consent, we measured blood concentration of ethanol and acetaldehyde before and for 6 hr after the block. We also determined the phcnotypes of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in their hair roots. We found that “flushers” are found exclusively among subjects without ALDH I, and that their blood levels of acetaldehyde were significantly higher than those of “non-flushers” within 10 min after the block. The flushers also gave histories of facial flushing after ingestion of small amounts of ethanol. On the basis of such histories one can anticipate whether acetaldehyde syndrome is likely or unlikely to accompany the block.
the progress of campaigns in Colonial and later wars; the cultural, educational, and religious development of the country; and early plans of the principal cities. A large subdivision is devoted to the history of agriculture, transportation, commerce, manufacturing, wealth, and foreign trade, with special series of maps for particular phases of each of these subjects. Political maps show votes in presidential elections; the distribution by congressional districts of votes on important legislation; and the progress of major reform movements, such as abolition, qualifications for suffrage, labor legislation, woman suffrage, and prohibition. Particular emphasis is placed on the westward expansion associated with the frontier, the internal development and rapid material expansion of the country, the growth of sectionalism in politics, and the influence of natural and economic regions on politics and the formulation of policies. This folio volume includes, in addition to more than 620 maps in black and white and in color, an introduction by the editor, an explanatory text (145 pages printed in double columns) which presents the sources of information and details in the compilation and interpretation of the maps, and a fourteen-page index. The volume is printed on paper of fine quality and is durably bound. The plates are excellent, and those in color are pleasing and legible. The number of subjects included on a map is limited and consequently is not confusing to the reader. The Atlas, representing almost two decades of research in its compilation, sets a high standard of excellence for publications of this type. Scholars and students in the social sciences and education should find it an invaluable addition to their professional libraries. Alert teachers of American history, civics, economics, sociology, and economic and commercial geography will find it indispensable. It should find a place in the social-studies section of all secondaryschool libraries. W. G. KIMMEL THE SOCIAL STUDIES INVESTIGATION
The factors of empathy of sport pedagogues are researched not sufficiently enough. The problem of the research work is that data, which would reveal the level of empathy components of sport pedagogues, is still lacking. The objective of the work is to define the influence of social training on the empathy of sport pedagogues (basing on the experience of Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education). The subject of the research is the level of empathy components of sport pedagogues. The research was based on questionnaire (Raigorodsky Empathy Scale ). The Social Skills Inventory was generated after providing an exploratory survey at Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education. The Empathy Scale demonstrated internal validity. The experiment was performed from 1998 till 2002. The experiment was performed with 230 students of the Faculty of Sport Educology, Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education, whom we divided in experimental group (136 students) and control group (94 students). In 1998 future sport pedagogues were tested. In 2002, the same investigation was repeated. The investigation was provided with the same students. With the help of x-2 test it was proved that distribution of the students in experimental group below empathy components differ statistically significant (p 0.05) before experiment and after it according to cognitive and affective empathy. By comparing evaluations of the level of empathy components with t test, it is possible to assume that the level of empathy components of sport pedagogues in experimental group differs statistically significant (p < 0.05) before experiment and after it according to cognitive and affective components of empathy.
The discussion in this chapter is critical of theories that treat experiences, conceived in a non-relationalistic fashion, as evidence for beliefs, as in the work of Earl Conee and Richard Feldman. It is also critical of James Pryor’s theory of immediate justification. Judgements implicated in recognition, being exercises of general recognitional abilities, are regarded as rationally responsive to ways the world is. Justification for beliefs acquired in acts of recognition is provided by truths as to what one perceives to be so. An account is given of our access to such truths, and objections to the view of justification are addressed. Affinities with, and differences from, views advanced by John McDowell are explored, with particular attention given to his conceptions of experience. Implications for empiricism are drawn out.
Objectives Dark sweet cherries (DSC) (Prunus avium) contain phenolic compounds with chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic potential. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of DSC extracts in inhibiting the most aggressive breast cancer subtypes without toxicity to normal cells.   Methods DSC phenolic extracts (WE) or its fractions enriched in phenolic acids (F1), anthocyanins (F2), flavonols (F3) or procyanidins (F4) were assessed for their antiproliferative activity against the most aggressive breast cancer BT-474, MDA-MB-453, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, and MCF-10A noncancer breast epithelial cells using the resazurin assay. Cell levels of oxidative stress were assessed with fluorescein derivative H2DFFDA. Expression of genes linked to cell growth, apoptosis, and metastasis was assessed.   Results DSC phenolics in whole extract (WE) and fractions enriched in phenolic acids (F1), flavonols (F3) and procyanidins (F4) inhibited MDA-MB-453 with higher potency (lower IC50values) compared to the other cell lines tested (P < 0.05) followed by MDA-MB-231 ∼ BT-474, without toxicity to MCF-10A cells. F3 inhibited BT-474 and MCF-10A cells with similar potency (P > 0.05). F2 inhibited all assessed breast cancer cell lines with similar potencies without toxicity to MCF-10A cells. Mechanisms for WE, F2 and F4 inhibitory activity on MDA-MB-453 cells were mediated by reduction of ROS (down to 28%, 56%, and 58% of control, respectively); which mediate proliferation and other events required for tumor progression. This was accompanied by downregulation of Akt/mTOR, p38, and survivin mRNA, suggesting antiproliferative and apoptotic mechanisms. An enhanced chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic potential of DSC anthocyanins is suggested because mRNA levels of invasive/metastatic biomarkers Sp1, Sp4, and VCAM-1 were downregulated only by F2.   Conclusions These results demonstrate the chemopreventive/chemotherapeutic potential of DSC phenolics and fractions enriched in anthocyanins and procyanidins as natural compounds to target cell pathways linked to proliferation, apoptosis and invasion in breast cancer. The underlying molecular mechanisms are currently under investigation.   Funding Sources This work was supported by the Northwest Cherry Growers.
Introduction: To evaluate the tolerability, complication and spontaneous pregnancy rates of HyCoSy, at first-level examination of tubal patency in infertile patients. Materials and Methods: 440 patients underwent HyCoSy at our clinic between 2002 and 2005. A standard and predefined methodology for HyCoSy was used. Data was gathered by way of a telephone survey which was carried out at differing times from the date of examination. Tolerability was evaluated by means of an analogical pain scale (score 1 (low) −10 (high)); complications and pregnancy rates after examination were recorded. Results: Of the total 440 patients who underwent HyCoS, 163 patients (37%) (median age of 34.3 years, sd±4.2) participated in the telephone survey at an average time of 12.5 months (range ±10) from the date of the examination. HyCoSy was well tolerated with an average pain score of 2.48 ± 2.38. In 8 patients (5%) mild complications were reported (7 cases of moderate pelvic pain in the days following the examination, one case of persistent vaginal bleeding). No moderate or severe complications were reported. Thirty nine spontaneous pregnancies occurred in 160 patients willing to conceive (24.3%) after an average time of 3.05 ± 3.01 months, while for such patients the infertility-related average length of time before HyCoSy was 31.7 (±26.7) months. Conclusions: In a large group of patients HyCoSy was proven to be a safe procedure, being well tolerated and achieving a low rate of complications. The spontaneous pregnancy rate in the first six months after HyCoSy was 24%. This data supports the effectiveness of HyCoSy as a first-step examination in the evaluation of infertile women.
Recent works on implicit neural representations have made significant strides. Learning implicit neural surfaces using volume rendering has gained popularity in multi-view reconstruction without 3D supervision. However, accurately recovering fine details is still challenging, due to the underlying ambiguity of geometry and appearance representation. In this paper, we present D-NeuS, a volume rendering-base neural implicit surface reconstruction method capable to recover fine geometry details, which extends NeuS by two additional loss functions targeting enhanced reconstruction quality. First, we encourage the rendered surface points from alpha compositing to have zero signed distance values, alleviating the geometry bias arising from transforming SDF to density for volume rendering. Second, we impose multi-view feature consistency on the surface points, derived by interpolating SDF zerocrossings from sampled points along rays. Extensive quantitative and qualitative results demonstrate that our method reconstructs high-accuracy surfaces with details, and outperforms the state of the art. 1
Introduction The occurrence of multiple β-lactamases among bacteria only limits the therapeutic options but also poses a challenge. A study using boronic acid (BA), an AmpC enzyme inhibitor, was designed to detect the combined expression of AmpC β-lactamases and extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) in bacterial isolates further different phenotypic methods are compared to detect ESBL and AmpC. Methods A total of 259 clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were isolated and screened for ESBL production by (i) CLSI double-disk diffusion method (ii) cefepime- clavulanic acid method (iii) boronic disk potentiation method. AmpC production was detected using cefoxitin alone and in combination with boronic acid and confirmation was done by three dimensional disk methods. Isolates were also subjected to detailed antibiotic susceptibility test. Results Among 259 isolates, 20.46% were coproducers of ESBL and AmpC, 26.45% were ESBL and 5.40% were AmpC. All of the 53 AmpC and ESBL coproducers were accurately detected by boronic acid disk potentiation method. Conclusion The BA disk test using Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute methodology is simple and very efficient method that accurately detects the isolates that harbor both AmpCs and ESBLs.
Recent cases provide insight into the role that an unethical corporate culture plays in financial statement fraud. The case of financial statement fraud in Olympus Corporation, a Japanese firm, provides the opportunity to examine how national culture plays a role in corporate governance and fraud detection. This case study focuses on the impact of Japanese culture on the corporate culture of The Olympus Corporation, and how that corporate culture resulted in financial statement fraud.
An active distribution power system with multi-terminal MVDC links is investigated in this paper. A sample system is established with 3 terminal MVDC links, which connect charging station and feeders. This active distribution power system benefits from a more flexible power flow control with high penetration of distributed generation and limited fault current. Simulation results using Matlab/Simulink are provided to validate the system performance during fault.
Objectives: To determine whether it is possible to predict urodynamic stress urinary incontinence (uSUI) in women with minimal diagnostic evaluation. Materials and Methods: Medical records of 2,643 female incontinent patients were reviewed and 301 women were eligible for this study. The positive predictive values (PPV), sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive values (NPV) for uSUI and uSUI with or without detrusor overactivity (DO), and DO patients of pure SUI symptom (group 1), combination of pure SUI symptom and positive provocative stress test (+PST; group 2) and combination of pure SUI symptom, +PST and absence of overactive bladder symptoms (group 3) were calculated for each group. Results: Mean age was 51.03 years (22-88). PPV, sensitivity and specificity values for uSUI with or without DO of group 3 were 100, 7.4, and 100%, while these values for pure uSUI were 93.3, 9.3, and 99.3%, respectively. Interestingly, none of the patients in groups 2 and 3 had DO. Conclusions: Our results show that it was possible to predict uSUI with high accuracy using minimal diagnostic evaluation in a group of female patients with pure stress incontinence symptoms +PST while it was also possible to eliminate DO accurately in this group of patients.
The phenomenon of many-body localization in disordered quantum many-body systems occurs when all transport is suppressed despite the fact that the excitations of the system interact. In this work we report on the numerical simulation of autonomous quantum dynamics for disordered Heisenberg chains when the system is prepared with an initial inhomogeneity in the energy density profile. Using exact diagonalisation and a dynamical code based on Krylov subspaces we are able to simulate dynamics for up to L  =  26 spins. We find, surprisingly, the breakdown of energy diffusion even before the many-body localization transition whilst the system is still in the ergodic phase. Moreover, in the ergodic phase we also find a large region in parameter space where the energy dynamics remains diffusive but where spin transport has been previously evidenced to occur only subdiffusively: this is found to be true for initial states composed of infinitely many hydrodynamic modes (square-wave energy profile) or just the single longest mode (sinusoidal profile). This suggestive finding points towards a peculiar ergodic phase where particles are transported slower than energy, reminiscent of the situation in amorphous solids and of the gapped phase of the anisotropic Heisenberg model.
abetalipoproteinemia is a rare disease that occurs predominantly in the first decade of life, having as main manifestations, steatorrhea, alteration in development and considerably decreased lipid plasma levels. However, this clinical presentation is oen confusing, since there is a group of genetic disorders that lead to poor lipid absorption, requiring the need to make a comprehensive differential diagnosis from a clinical, biochemical and molecular point of view. is article will provide an updated review on Abetalipoproteinemia, focusing on its pathophysiology, systemic manifestations, diagnosis and general approach, allowing easy access to an integral knowledge. e search strategy and study selection methods were based on elements of the prisma Ivan David Lozada Martínez, et al. Consideraciones clínicas de la abetalipoproteinemia: revisión de la literatura PDF generado a partir de XML-JATS4R por Redalyc Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto statement and Cochrane guidelines, using search terms such as “Abetalipoproteinemia” and “Biochemistry”, in addition to synonyms, which were combined with “and” and “or” operators, in the PubMed, Science Direct, Clinical Key and Ebsco databases. It is necessary to highlight that there is not much specific literature on this condition, which would support the fact that it is an undervalued and little-known entity, it is essential to carry out more research on the subject, taking into account that if a diagnosis is not established proper management, the complications are many and severe.
The time-resolved kinetics of the KdpFABC complex solubilized in Aminoxide WS-35 was investigated by ATP concentration jump experiments. ATP was photoreleased from its inactive precursor, caged ATP, and charge movements in the membrane domain of the KdpFABC were detected by the electrochromic dye RH421. At low ATP concentrations, the ATP binding step became rate-limiting with an apparent, pH-independent ATP binding affinity of ~70 μM. At saturating ATP concentrations, the rate-limiting step is the conformational transition (E1-P → P-E2) with a rate constant of ~1.7 s(-1) at 20 °C that was independent of K(+) concentration. This observation together with the detected fluorescence decrease indicates that K(+) (or another positive ion) is bound in the membrane domain after enzyme phosphorylation and the conformational transition to the P-E2 state. pH dependence experiments revealed different roles of H(+) in the transport mechanism. Two different functions of protons for the ion pump must be distinguished. On one hand, there are electrogenically bound "functional" protons, which are not transported but prerequisite for the performance of the ATP-driven half-cycle. On the other hand, protons bind to the transport sites, acting as weak congeners of K(+). There possibly are noncompetitively bound protons, affecting the enzyme activity and/or coupling between KdpA and KdpB subunits. Finally, the recently proposed Post-Albers model for the KdpFABC complex was supplemented with stoichiometry factors of 2 for K(+) and 3 for H(+), and additional inhibitory side reactions controlled by H(+) were introduced, which are relevant at pH <6.5 and/or in the absence of K(+).
We present a case of classic papillary thyroid carcinoma in a 35-year-old patient who initially consulted dermatology for hair loss and dry skin, fatigue, and mild fatigue. The thyroid hormone report was standard, and the neck ultrasound reported two thyroid nodules and cervical lymphadenopathy TIRADS 4. The BAAF Bethesda V report. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy and left lymphadenectomy I-VI, classifying as pT2 (m) pN1b cM0, followed by adjuvant management with I-131 with the complete biochemical response at six months. In recent decades, thyroid carcinoma has increased in incidence.
The low energy collision-induced dissociation of fixed-charge derivatives [tris(2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl)phosphonium] of peptides was investigated using an electrospray ion trap mass spectrometer. The fixed charge directed the fragmentation pattern and generated solely N-terminal fragments with minimal internal rearrangement, regardless of the presence and position of basic amino acids in the peptide chain. Generally only b-type ions, accompanied by less intense a-type ions, were observed, depending on the collision energy. It was observed that the fixed charge controlled the fragmentation beyond typical MS/MS, and thus the capacity of the ion trap to perform multiple stage fragmentation (MS(n)) was found particularly useful for obtaining the complete sequence information of the peptides.
Detailed quantitative measurement of surface dynamics during thin film growth is a major experimental challenge. Here x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy with coherent hard x rays is used in a grazing-incidence small-angle x-ray scattering (i.e., Co-GISAXS) geometry as a tool to investigate nanoscale surface dynamics during sputter deposition of a-Si and a-$ mathrm{WS}{ mathrm{i}}_{2}$ thin films. For both films, kinetic roughening during surface growth reaches a dynamic steady state at late times in which the intensity autocorrelation function ${g}_{2}(q, phantom{ rule{0.16em}{0ex}}t)$ becomes stationary. The ${g}_{2}(q, phantom{ rule{0.16em}{0ex}}t)$ functions exhibit compressed exponential behavior at all wavenumbers studied. The overall dynamics are complex, but the most surface sensitive sections of the structure factor and correlation time exhibit power law behaviors consistent with dynamical scaling.
Nanotechnology is considered as one of the active research area of 21st century due to its increasing economic importance and ability to study the material at nano scale to improve its behavior in construction industry. Concrete the second highest consume commodity on the planet after water is highly heterogeneous material with thumping performance challenges on it. Demand of concrete is increasing due to increasing demand for infrastructure development, rapid urbanization, rapid industrial development, population growth, economic development of the nation etc. A little diminution in the number of problems related with concrete would add up to noteworthy recital enhancement and economic benefits to society and nation. In the present communication, the cement one of the main ingredient of concrete was replaced with a range of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20 % of the weight of cement by nano carbon material to study the effect on the mechanical properties like – compressive strength, surface hardness, water absorption, consistency, morphology on nano carbon concrete specimen. A rapport was made between standard and nano carbon black concrete specimen to arrive at a legitimate conclusion that improvement in the mechanical properties like strength, hardness, compactness etc. and C-S-H gel structure is obtained. Copyright © 2017 VBRI Press.
An investigation on using eco-friendly natural materials like coconut pith, rubber, and charcoal powder for developing radio wave absorbers has been reported in this paper. Two absorbers named CoR (Combination of Coconut pith powder and natural Rubber latex) and CoRC (Combination of Coconut pith powder, natural Rubber latex, and Charcoal powder) are made through proper mixing and drying. The absorptivity of these two absorbers (CoR and CoRC) is compared with the industrial standard polyurethane based absorber. The waveguide method is employed to measure the absorptivity of these absorbers in 3 different frequency bands. Band 1 (1.7–2.6 GHz) includes the mobile communication frequencies of 1.8 GHz and 2.4 GHz. Band 2 (4.9–7.05 GHz) is intended for sub 6 GHz band of 5G as well as WLAN frequencies while band 3 (8.2–12 GHz) is for higher frequencies of radar operation. The exact values of lower and upper frequencies of bands are determined by the physical dimensions of waveguides used. The absorption capability of the absorbers is found to increase as the frequency of operation increases. The CoR absorber has almost 63% average absorptivity in band 3, 56% in band 2, and 21% in band 1. The CoRC absorber has an average of 74% absorptivity in band 3, 63% in band 2, and 24% in band 1.
Summary  Specific antibodies and enzyme–gold probes were used to study the structure and development of infection threads in nodules induced by Rhizobium leguminosarum on the roots of Vicia, Pisum and Phaseolus. In Pisum nodules, the tubular infection thread wall contains polysaccharides antigenically similar to those of the cell wall, including cellulose, xyloglucan, methyl-esterified pectin and non-esterified pectin, but none of these wall components is present around the infection droplet structures from which bacteria are internalized by plant plasma membrane. As reported previously for pea nodules, the luminal matrix of infection threads and infection droplets contains a plant glycoprotein; this glycoprotein is also secreted by infected and uninfected cortical cells of a Vicia root at the earliest stages of nodule initiation. Synthesis of a transcellular infection thread apparently involves reorganized deposition of components normally targeted to the cell wall, and infection thread growth is orientated anticlinally through the outer cortex in the same plane observed for the deposition of new cell walls following mitosis. Both the development of infection threads in the outer cortex and the initiation of cell division in the inner cortex are preceded by a similar process of cell reactivation involving centralization of nuclei and the development of anticlinal transvacuolar strands. It is therefore suggested that the two Rhizobium-induced processes of infection thread growth and cortical cell division may both be consequences of a similar plant cell response in the inner and outer root cortex, respectively. Phaseolus nodules contained only short intracellular infection structures which terminated within individual cells and contained no luminal matrix material. The differences in infection thread structure between Pisum and Phaseolus nodules may reflect differences in ontogeny between “indeterminate” and “determinate” nodule meristems.
Recommendation technologies have been playing an instrumental role for promoting both physical and digital content across several global platforms (Amazon, Apple, Netflix). Here we provide a study on the benefits of recommendation technologies in an educational platform with a focus on music learning. There are several characteristics present in this educational platform that make this recommendation problem particularly interesting, namely: a) the few but highly repetitive interactions, b) the existence of multiple versions of the same content across many difficulty levels, orchestrations, and musical instruments, and c) the user's expertise in a musical instrument which is essential for making appropriate recommendations. We highlight the unique dataset characteristics and compare them to those of other widely-used recommendation datasets. To alleviate the very high data sparsity due to the multi-instantiation of songs, we use entity resolution principles to embed songs in a new space. Using this lightweight entity resolution step on song data, in combination with neural recommendation architectures, we can double the predictive accuracy compared to techniques based on matrix factorization.
Background: Myelin is an essential component of the peripheral and central nervous system, enabling fast axonal conduction and supporting axonal integrity; limited tools exist for analysis of myelin composition in-vivo. Objective: To demonstrate that the photophysical properties of myelin-incorporated solvatochromic dyes can be exploited to probe the biochemical composition of living peripheral nerve myelin at high spatial resolution. Methods: Using the myelin-incorporated fluorescent dye Nile Red we sequentially analyzed the spectral characteristics of remyelinating myelin membranes both in-vitro and in-vivo, including in living rats. Results: We demonstrated a consistent bi-phasic evolution of emission spectra during early remyelination, and visually report the reliable biochemical flux of myelin membrane composition in-vitro and in-vivo. Conclusions: Solvatochromic spectroscopy enables the analysis of myelin membrane maturity during remyelination, and can be performed in-vivo. As the formation of myelin during early-to-late remyelination likely incorporates fluctuating fractions of lipophilic components and changes in lateral membrane mobility, we propose that our spectrochemical data reflects the observation of these biochemical processes.
Purpose The preferred material for bone augmentation beyond the envelope of skeletal bone is the bone block graft, due to its dimensional stability. We evaluated the necessity of rigid fixation for the bone block graft, and compared the bone regeneration and volume maintenance associated with grafting using a synthetic hydroxyapatite block (HAB) and an autogenous bone block (ABB) without rigid fixation on rabbit calvaria over two different periods. Methods Cylinder-shaped synthetic HAB and ABB were positioned without fixation on the rabbit calvarium (n=16). The animals were sacrificed at 4 or 8 weeks postoperatively, and the grafted materials were analyzed at each healing period using microcomputed tomography and histologic evaluation. Results Integration of the graft and the recipient bed was observed in all specimens, although minor dislocation of the graft materials from the original position was evident in some specimens (six ABB and ten HAB samples). A tendency toward progressive bone resorption was observed in the grafted ABB but not in the grafted HAB, which maintained an intact appearance. In the HAB group, the area of new bone increased between 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions The nonfixed HAB was successfully integrated into the recipient bed after both healing periods in the rabbit calvaria. In spite of limited bone formation activity in comparison to ABB, HAB may be a favorable substitute osteoconductive bone material. Graphical Abstract
Highly reproducible recordings of evoked responses elicited by electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve were obtained in a group of 4 totally deaf patients implanted with a multichannel intracochlear prosthesis. They were compared to auditory evoked responses obtained in a normal-hearing subject tested with the same equipment. The most striking observation drawn from these data is certainly the close resemblance, at all latencies, between evoked responses elicited by electrical stimulation and those elicited by acoustic stimulation. The remarkable correspondence of waveform morphology, waveform amplitude and interpeak latencies provides indirect evidence that the same sequence of events is triggered in the central auditory system in both cases. Those aspects of the responses which differ significantly are easily interpreted by the physical and physiological properties of the different types of stimulation.
The Post Hospitalization Behavior Questionnaire (PHBQ) was designed for assessing children's posthospitalization and postoperative new‐onset behavioral changes. However, the psychometric properties of the scale have not been re‐evaluated in the past five decades despite substantial changes in the practice of surgery and anesthesia. In this investigation, we examined the psychometric properties of the PHBQ to potentially increase the efficacy and relevance of the instrument in current perioperative settings.
In order to synthesize and study the decomposition of p-tolyl triphenylmethylazo sulfone, p-tolyl triphenylmethylhydrazo sulfone was oxidized by various oxidizing agents. Although it was oxidized fairly easily by mercury(II) oxide or potassium permanganate, the azo compound formed was unstable and decomposed immediately with evolution of nitrogen. The main products were p-tolyl triphenylmethyl sulfone and p-tolyl p′-benzhydrylphenyl sulfone; both are ascribable to the recombination of p-toluenesulfonyl and triphenylmethyl radicals.
Primary care plays an important role in sexual healthcare, not least because of rising rates of sexually transmitted infections and a wide variation in local funding for sexual and reproductive healthcare. Sexual health assessment brings some unique challenges. Embarrassment and stigma can hinder assessment. In this article, we provide the basic structure of the sexual history, while reinforcing the skills needed for a sensitive, yet effective, consultation.
Gardner (1990) has done a fine job of illustrating the potential for computermediated communication for scientific publication. However, there are reasons of both organization and efficiency for questioning the appropriateness of the model chosen. The model presented seems more appropriate for a student of the discipline than for a researcher. That is, there are at least two ways to use computer-mediated conferencing. One is the archive or book approach, and the other is the meeting or argument approach (Stodolsky, 1990). With the archive or book approach, the user wants the received wisdom, presented in as clear and noncontroversial a manner as possible. With the meeting or argument approach, the user wants to develop his Dr her reputation and will therefore seek errors and controversial material so that a response can be contributed (before it is done by others). It may be too strong a criticism to say that Gardner’s model is inappropriate, since it is actually the way of approaching the exact same information, which is crucial. What will be argued here is that the greatest benefits will occur from the extension of computer mediation to include and, in fact, restructure the process of peer review. Gardner (1990, abstract) argues that “the primary advantage of electronic publishing is not the inexpensive delivcry of text, but the use of a centralized archive to concentrate resources for dis:overy and utilizing information. The ar-hive would provide a platform for programs embodying knowledge . . . about t . . the intellectual goals of individual users.” I will argue that the quantitative reduction in distribution costs is so great that it will lead to fundamental qualitative changes in scientific communication. And that the centralization of re-
Resonator micro optic gyro (RMOG) is a promising candidate for applications requiring small, light and robust gyros. In optical passive ring resonator gyros, clockwise and counter clockwise lightwaves are modulated at different frequencies to reduce the backscattering induced noise. The effectiveness of this technique, however, is determined by the carrier suppression level. Accurate modulation index and high environmental temperature stability is required for achieving high total carrier suppression for the traditional single phase modulation technique (SPMT). In this paper, we propose an RMOG based on the double phase modulation technique (DPMT). Compared with the traditional SPMT, two additional phase modulations are added to provide additional carrier suppression. It is found that the control accuracy of the modulation index and temperature stability is relaxed more than 30 times. It is easily performed for reducing the backscattering error below the shot noise limited sensitivity. The modulation parameters in the DPMT are analyzed and optimized. Based on the optimum parameters of the DPMT, a bias stability of 1.85×10⁻⁴ rad/s is successfully demonstrated in the polarization maintaining silica waveguide resonator with the length of 7.9 cm. This is the best result reported to date, to the best of our knowledge, for a waveguide type passive ring resonator gyro.
Through expanding environmental index, the Cost-Time-Robustness-Scope-Environment (CTRSE) enterprise agility index system and the uncertainty synthesize appraisement model based on Certainty Factor are presented in this paper, The index system base on Cost-Time-Robustness-Scope (CTRS) was made by RickDove . Considering the practical condition of China, the expanded environmental index and appraisement model were proposed. This system ate never mentioned before and can evaluate the agility index of manufacturing enterprise easily, quickly, and effectively.
Background: Due to inherent challenges in maintaining physical distancing in hemodialysis units, the Canadian Society of Nephrology has recommended peritoneal dialysis as the preferred modality for patients requiring maintenance dialysis during the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, pursuing peritoneal dialysis is not without risk due to the requirement for in-person contact during catheter insertion and training, and there is a paucity of data regarding the experience of peritoneal dialysis during the early phases of the pandemic. Objective: To examine the incidence and outcomes of peritoneal dialysis between March 17 and June 01, 2020 compared to the same time period in preceding years. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting: British Columbia, Canada. After the pandemic was declared on March 17, 2020, patients continued to be trained in peritoneal dialysis. In an effort to limit time spent in hospital, patients were preferentially trained in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, training times were truncated for some patients, and peritoneal dialysis catheters were inserted by a physician at the bedside whenever feasible. Patients: All patients aged >18 years who started chronic maintenance dialysis during the period March 17 to June 01 in the years 2018 to 2020 inclusive. The time period was extended to include the years 2010 to 2020 inclusive to evaluate longer term trends in dialysis incidence. Measurements: A provincial clinical information system was used to capture the date of commencing dialysis, dialysis modality, and complications including peritonitis. Overall uptake of peritoneal dialysis included new starts and transitions to peritoneal dialysis from in-center hemodialysis during the observation period. Methods: The incidence of dialysis during the specified time period, overall and by modality, was calculated per million population using census figures for the population at risk. Patients were followed for a minimum of 30 days from the start of peritoneal dialysis to capture episodes of peritonitis and COVID-19. Results: A total of 211 patients started maintenance dialysis between March 17 and June 01, 2020. The incidence dialysis rate (41.3 per million population) was lower than that expected based on the 10-year trend from 2010 to 2019 inclusive (expected rate 45.7 per million population, 95% confidence interval 41.7 to 50.1). A total of 93 patients started peritoneal dialysis, including 32 patients who transitioned from in-center hemodialysis, contributing to a higher overall uptake of peritoneal dialysis compared to preceding years. The incidence rate for peritoneal dialysis of 18.2 per million population was higher than that expected (16.3 per million population, 95% confidence interval 14.0 to 19.0). Half of patients (48%) underwent a bedside peritoneal dialysis catheter insertion by a physician. During 30 days of follow-up, 2 (2.2%) patients experienced peritonitis and no patients were diagnosed with COVID-19. Limitations: Results are short term and generalizable only to regions with similarly low community rates of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Conclusions: These preliminary findings indicate that peritoneal dialysis can be safely started and perhaps expanded as a means of mitigating the anticipated surge in in-center hemodialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Important contributors to the uptake of peritoneal dialysis in British Columbia were bedside catheter insertions and expediting transitions from in-center hemodialysis to peritoneal dialysis.
The Counter Reformation emphasis upon the salvific value of penitence helped to make the parable of the Prodigal Son one of the most popular subjects in seventeenth-century Dutch and Flemish art. It is in keeping with the individualistic spirit of Rubens's painting that his treatment of the parable differed substantially from established compositional and iconographie types. This is not to say, however, that Rubens's The Prodigal Son (Fig. 1), painted during the same period as some of his largest and most energetically Baroque canvasses (c. 1618), represents the approach we might expect him to have taken to a theme so laden with dramatic and emotive potential. Rather, we are confronted with an image which Jacob Burckhardt called 'a whole of the strangest kind', a conflation of genres among which the religious subject must compete for prominence with elements of other popular Netherlandish themes, such as animal, landscape, rustic and still-life painting. Since none of these genres appears obviously dominant, a collective uncertainty has arisen among scholars concerning the categorization of the painting, along with a consequent tendency to deal superficially with the question of interpreta-
example). It is also striking that two key texts of desire – Roland Barthes’s A Lover’s Discourse (1978) and Jacques Derrida’s The Post Card (1987) – do not attract attention. The collection is also notable for its focus on theorists and case studies drawn predominantly from western philosophical and artistic traditions. Here it would have been worth considering, even if briefly, the implications of this selection, especially in relation to other cultural formations, histories, and traditions. Given the admirable historical scope covered by the book, from Attic tragedy to one of Cave’s performances following the release of Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! (2008), and the care that many of the authors take to engage with the historical and cultural specificities of their chosen cases studies, I would have welcomed a reflection on shifts (or otherwise) in the death/desire dynamic that the book implicitly tracks, especially as the introduction notes that the essays ‘reflect changing attitudes to sexual desire and death’ (p. 10). Eroticism and Death in Theatre and Performance will be of interest to students and academics interested in the topics, artists, genres, and periods covered by the book. Readers may wish, though, for a stronger sense of the collection’s position on relations between eroticism, death, and theatre and reflection on the theoretical and methodological concerns that inform the book.
Background Exposure to violence has negative consequences on mental health. Armed-conflict in Colombia has widely affected Afro-descendants in the Pacific region. Evidence regarding effectiveness of mental health interventions is lacking in low-income settings, especially in areas with active conflict. The objective of this study is to evaluate an individualized Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), a transdiagnostic psychotherapy model based on Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, for adult trauma survivors. Methods and findings A referred sample of 521 adult Afro-descendants from Buenaventura and Quibdó, Colombia, experiencing significant sadness, suffering or fear (score>0.77 in Total Mental Health Symptoms), with history of traumatic experiences, and with associated functional impairment were randomly allocated to CETA intervention, standby group without intervention, but under monthly monitoring, or a Narrative Community-Based Group Therapy. CETA was provided by trained Lay Psychosocial Community Workers without previous mental health experience, supervised by psychologists, during 12–14 weekly, 1.5-hour sessions. Symptoms were assessed with a locally validated survey built based on the Hopkins Symptom Checklist, the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire, the PTSD CheckList–Civilian Version, a qualitative study for additional general symptoms and a gender-specific functional impairment scale. CETA was compared with the control group and the intervention effects were calculated with mixed models using intention to treat analysis. Participant completion of follow-up was 75.1% and 13.2% voluntarily withdrew. Reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms was significant in both municipalities when comparing intervention and control groups (mean difference), with a with a moderate effect size in Buenaventura (Cohen's d  =  0.70) and a small effect size in Quibdó (d = 0.31). In Buenaventura, the intervention also had significant effects on depression (large effect size d = 1.03), anxiety (large effect size d = 0.80) and functional impairment (moderate effect size d = 0.70). In Quibdó, it had no significant effect on these outcomes. Changes in Total Mental Health Symptoms were not significant in neither city. Conclusions This trial suggests that CETA, can be effective in improving depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and function among victims of systematized violence in low-income and active conflict settings. Nonetheless, the difference of effectiveness between the two cities of intervention may indicate that we cannot assume that a mental health intervention known to be effective in one setting will be effective in another, even in similar circumstances and population. This may have special importance when implementing and reproducing these types of intervention in non-controlled circumstances. Further research should address these concerns. Results can be of use by governmental decision-makers when defining mental health programs for survivors. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01856673 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01856673).
There are reported about investigation results which directed to the creation of pulse-periodical CO2-laser working at super-atmospheric pressures. The main processes regulated volume discharge forming at total pressures up to 5 atmospheres and generation characteristics of CO2–laser working at pulse repetition rates up to 2 kHz are studied. Maximum average radiation power 120 W is achieved. Minimal duration of laser pulses up to 15÷20 nanosecond are realized.
The resuscitation of a 21-year-old man after submersion in fresh water for at least 5 min is described. On admission to hospital the patient appeared dead with fixed dilated pupils, deep cyanosis and asystole. Twenty min later the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit with a recordable blood pressure. On arrival there he was breathing spontaneously and so was not ventilated. A few hours later he developed pulmonary oedema and died.
To better manage legacy phosphorus (P) in watersheds, reliable techniques to predict P storage and release from uplands, ditches, streams, and wetlands must be developed. Techniques such as the P saturation ratio (PSR) and the soil P storage capacity (SPSC), originally developed for upland soils, are hypothesized to be applicable to wetland soils as well. Surface soils were collected from eight beef ranches within the Lake Okeechobee Watershed, FL, to obtain a threshold PSR value and to evaluate the use of PSR and SPSC for identifying legacy P storage and release from wetland soils. Water-soluble P (WSP) was determined for all soils; the equilibrium P concentration (EPC) was determined for selected soils through the generation of Langmuir isotherms. The threshold PSR for wetland soils, calculated from P, Fe, and Al in a Mehlich 1 solution, was determined to be 0.1; SPSC, calculated using the threshold PSR, was found to be related to WSP. When SPSC was positive, WSP and EPC were minimal. However, both WSP and EPC increased once SPSC became negative. Organic matter (OM) varied from 0.4 to 90 g kg for both positive and negative SPSC, suggesting that OM in wetland soils does not have any effect on P retention and release below the threshold PSR. Moreover, when a wetland or drainage ditch is heavily P impacted, it could be a P source; wetland vegetation may no longer be able to assimilate additional P, resulting in P loss from the soil. This study suggests that the PSR-SPSC concept could be a valuable tool for evaluating legacy P release from wetlands.
The present work focuses on the anti-neoplastic role of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in modulating the biophysical parameters of the colonic membranes in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride (DMH) induced carcinogenesis. The steady-state fluorescence polarization technique was applied to assess membrane fluidity, membrane polarity and lipid phase states. The decline in cholesterol content, biosynthesis and cholesterol: phospholipids ratio with DMH treatment indicates more fluidity associated with carcinogenesis. The DMH group had shown lower order parameter indicating more fluidity whereas NSAIDs resulted in increasing the membrane lipid order. The converging effects of these changes were more in membrane phase separations and membrane phase state. In DMH treatment membrane shows lesser phase separation or high polarity, and more liquid crystalline state while for NSAID groups membranes have higher phase separations or low polarity, and more of the gel phase. Further, NSAIDs induced anti-proliferative effects were evidently observed by apoptosis in the colonocytes by using acridine orange-ethidium bromide fluorescent staining and Terminal de-oxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The results suggest that NSAIDs induced alteration in the membrane biophysical parameters may be an important initiating event for the chemopreventive action.
To solve the problem of monitoring system for petrochemical equipment, proposing a three-level wireless distributed network monitoring application scheme. The terminal node and middle layer cluster head node of monitoring system were made up of short-distance wireless communication module nRF9E5 and GPRS network MC55 module. The wireless point to multi-point transceiver program based on dynamic multi-access frequency-hopping technology and the GPRS network transmission program based on the embedded TCP/IP protocol were designed. The results of the monitoring system experiments show that information transmission has lower energy consumption, quicker response, lower bit error rate, implementing wireless, efficient monitoring to petrochemical equipment.
The effect of complete denture renewal on oral health was evaluated both subjectively and clinically at follow-up 30 months (range 19-36 months) after completion of treatment in 42 edentulous patients (31 women and 11 men, aged 34-76 years) treated by dental students during 1989-1992. Ninety per cent of the patients were satisfied with the new appearance of their dentures and 71% with the way they functioned. When comparing the base data and results from follow-up it seems that general health and medication, anatomical circumstances, salivary flow rates and denture wearing habits in edentulous subjects do not change significantly over a few years. The main effects of denture renewal are seen in patient satisfaction, and clinically in the improved condition of oral mucosa and better fit and acceptable occlusion of dentures.
In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals. In 2019, the release of the global assessment report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services unfortunately demonstrated that our planet may be in more trouble than expected. The main drivers have been identified for many years and relate to human activities such as over-exploitation of natural resources leading to land degradation, deforestation, ocean and atmospheric pollution, and climate change. Despite international agreements and conventions, we are gradually reaching the planet’s boundaries. In this commentary, we present an analysis of the current worldview, discuss the humanist roots of this view, and the barriers to be able to move forward with the transformative changes that are needed for sustainability. We suggest that for these transformative changes to happen, there is a need to reconnect humans with nature, and we propose that some solutions could be devised in areas like education and social media. Changing our mindsets and worldviews are the most urgent courses of action we must undertake to avoid the inevitable.
Objectives: To determine the patterns of routine antenatal care laboratory test results at booking in Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), Enugu, and to review the literature on the subject. Methods: The registers for the results of routine laboratory tests at booking in ESUTH, Enugu were reviewed from April 1, 2014 to August 31, 2016. Data on age, blood group, rhesus status, hemoglobin genotype, packed cell volume; human immunodeficiency virus screening (HIV), venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL) and hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) tests at booking were collected and analyzed with Excel 2007 software. The results were presented in tables, percentages and graphs. Results: A total of 5293 mothers were tested; 2706 (51.12%) and 2500 (47.23%) of them were of ages <30 and 30-40 years respectively (Table 1). Table 2 showed the commonest blood group was ‘O’ 3062(57.85%). Most of the mothers 4811(90.89%) were Rhesus D positive while 482(9.11%) of them were negative. Hemoglobin genotype results were: AA 4066(76.82%), AS 1217(22.99%), and SS 8(0.15%). About 3819(72.15%) had packed cell volume of 31% and above. Table 3 revealed 232(4.83%) women tested positive to HIV, but 17(0.32%) only were new cases. Twenty eight (0.53%) women were reactive to VDRL while 166(3.14%) tested positive to HBsAg test. Many women 5061(95.62%) and 5127(96.86%) tested negative to HIV and HBsAg tests respectively. Conclusion: Most women are young (<40 years), have blood group O rhesus D positive, hemoglobin AA genotype, and are not anemic at booking. Many women are non-reactive to VDRL, HIV and HBsAg tests; and are vulnerable to infections. The marked reductions on SS genotype, VDRL and HIV new cases in this study have justified the critical preventive role of routine ANC laboratory tests in our current obstetric practice and the need for the continuation of the practice.
According to the 2000-2010 Jiangsu Statistical Yearbook, per capita ecological footprint and per capita ecological carrying capacity in Jiangsu Province in the years 2001-2009 are analyzed starting from the ecological footprint model. Per capita ecological deficit is measured, as well as the pressure index of ecological footprint in order to judge the grade of ecological security and to objectively evaluate the ecological security of Jiangsu Province. GM(1,1) grey forecasting model is used to forecast the ecological security of Jiangsu Province in the years 2010-2014. Research shows that in the next 5 years, both the per capita ecological footprint and the pressure index of ecological footprint will increase by 4% and 3.7% each year, respectively. And the ecological status in Jiangsu Province will be extremely unsafe. To achieve the coordinated development of ecological security and economy of Jiangsu Province, we should strictly control the population growth, rationally utilize the land resources, and strengthen the ecological restoration and construction.
Peterson et al. (2009) reported figures on honey bee colony losses from a postal survey of beekeepers in Scotland carried out in early summer 2006 on behalf of the Executive of the Scottish Beekeepers' Association (SBA). We now provide updated figures on Scottish colony losses and on the reasons for these losses, from a repeat survey in late spring 2008 and covering the period April 2006 to April 2008.
Sequence determination of peptides using mass spectrometry plays a crucial role in the bottom-up approaches for the identification of proteins. It is crucially important to minimise false detection and validate sequence of the peptides in order to correctly identify a protein. Chemical modification of peptides followed by mass spectrometry is an option for improving the spectral quality. In silico-derived tryptic peptides with different N-terminal amino acids were designed from human proteins and synthesized. The effect of acetylation on the fragmentation of peptides was studied. N-terminal acetylation of the tryptic peptides was shown to form b1-ions, improve the abundance and occurrence of b-ions. In some cases, the intensity and occurrence of some y-ions also varied. Thus, it is demonstrated that acetylation plays an important role in improving the de novo sequencing efficiency of the peptides. The acetylation method was extended to tryptic peptides generated from the proteome of an Antarctic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae Lz4W using the proteomics work flow and mass spectra of the peptides were analysed. Comparison of the MS/MS spectra of the acetylated and unacetylated peptides revealed that acetylation helped in improving the spectral quality and validated the peptide sequences. Using this method, 673 proteins of the 1070 proteins identified were validated.
Carotid stump syndrome is a rare cause of recurrent cerebrovascular accidents. Carotid stump is the patent proximal remnant below the completely occluded internal carotid artery (ICA). Cerebral and retinal ischemic symptoms seen after complete occlusion of ipsilateral ICA is known as carotid stump syndrome. Known for causing recurrent ipsilateral cerebrovascular accidents, it is a potentially treatable entity. The therapeutic goal is medical management with a statin, dual anti-platelet therapy along with surgical intervention either with an endovascular repair or carotid endarterectomy. Herein, we present a case of carotid stump syndrome managed medically.
An output spectrum of the TEA CO2 laser was observed with the use of a confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer. In output pulses, four or five longitudinal modes were found and they were oscillating independently. To obtain single mode oscillation, a Ge flat mirror or a butadiene absorption cell as a mode selector was placed in the unstable cavity. It was possible to determine the frequency of a single mode by using the Fabry-Perot interferometer.
Transparent heat mirrors of the antireflecting metal type with a dielectric/metal/dielectric structure are studied. It is found that dielectrics of lower refractive index give a higher cutoff wavelength, but the transition becomes more gradual. The angular behavior of these mirrors is also analyzed. The optimum mechanical efficiency obtainable with a plain collector and a carnot engine is given for different concentrations and refractive indices. Moreover it appears that using Al instead of Ag introduces appreciable absorption losses (~25-35%).
Background: Meningeal (postdural) puncture headache (MPH) is a familiar iatrogenic complication. The optimal means of prevention, management, and treatment of this disorder are uncertain. The purpose of this study was to determine current practice among United States (USA) anesthesiologists regarding MPH as well as the related issues of unintentional dural puncture (UDP), the epidural blood patch (EBP), and proposed alternatives to the EBP. Methods: A survey form was sent as a single mailing to each practicing USA member of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine in June 2006. Results: Data were analyzed from 1024 returned survey forms (29.4% response rate). Major findings were as follows: Written institutional protocols for managing UDP and MPH are uncommon. The preferred method of immediately dealing with an UDP when providing analgesia for labor is to reattempt the epidural at another level (73.4%). When intrathecal catheters are used for labor analgesia, they are most often removed immediately after delivery (56.5%). After UDP in the obstetric setting, aggressive hydration and encouraging bed rest are the most frequently used prophylactic measures against the development of MPH. Frequently used treatment options for MPH include aggressive hydration, the EBP, oral caffeine, oral nonopioid analgesics, and bed rest. With the exception of a uniform blood volume (16-20 mL), procedural details of the EBP vary considerably among practitioners. The use of materials other than blood for epidural patch is uncommon. Conclusions: Various measures, many poorly supported by the literature, are used prophylactically after UDP and in the treatment of MPH. Despite being nearly universally used as treatment of MPH, the EBP procedure itself remains largely nonstandardized.
Elastomeric membranes that contained regular arrays of well-defined holes were formed by spin-coating a prepolymer onto a photolithographically defined master. These membranes were used as dry resists or as masks in dry lift-off to produce simple features as small as 5 μm on both planar and nonplanar surfaces. These procedures were “dry” because the membranes conformed and sealed reversibly to surfaces:  no solvent was required either to deposit the membrane or to remove it from the substrate. A variety of materials, some of which would be difficult to pattern using conventional methods, were patterned using this technique. These materials included metals, sol−gels, hydrogels, biological macromolecules, and organometallic molecules. The membranes were used in sequential, dry-lift off steps to produce structures with greater complexity than those generated with a single membrane.
This paper demonstrates an effective method for combining measurements from a gyroscope and rotary wheel encoders (odometry) in mobile robot localization. Sensor fusion of this kind is done using an Extended Kalman filter obtained from the values of above sensors for a mobile autonomous robot. Many such methods implement a statistical model that describes the behaviour of the gyroscope and the odometry component. However, because these systems are based on models, they cannot anticipate the unpredictable and potentially "catastrophic" effects of irregularities and frictional changes occasionally encountered on the floor. We present experimental evidence that non-systematic odometry error sources impact the robot's motion. Therefore a new approach has been developed based on a study of the physical interaction between ground and the robot. This approach has been implemented by developing an embedded system with ARM 7 based LPC2148 micro-controller. Experimental results show that the proposed method effectively reduces the localization error while yielding feasible parameter estimation.
This study describes conditions for the mass production of mutant hairy root lines by co-cultivation with A. rhizogenes harboring the activation tagging vector pHC7. Various sources of explants were subjected to genetic transformation with A. rhizogenes to determine optimum conditions and cultivar for the highest frequency of hairy root formation on explants. Hairy root formation also were investigated in transformed hairy roots grown in various culture media. Finally, a total of approximately 2,500 lines of hairy root mutants were produced in this study. A managing system for metabolomics in hairy root lines also were established. These hairy root lines will be useful to determine functions of genes relating biosynthesis pathway of secondary metabolites.
Yb3+/Gd3+/Tm3+ co-doped prism-like NaYF4 microcrystals were synthesized through a facile ethylene diamine triacetic acid (EDTA)-assisted hydrothermal method. The microcrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), upconversion (UC) emission spectra, and decay curve. After annealing in an argon atmosphere, the microcrystals emitted bright blue and intense ultraviolet (UV) light under a 980-nm continuous wave diode laser excitation. Besides the UC emissions of the Tm3+ ions, 6D(J), 6I(J) and 6P(J) --> 8S7/2 UC emissions of Gd3+ were observed. During the emission process of Gd3+ ions, both Yb3+ and Tm3+ ions served as sensitizers. In the complex excitation and frequency UC processes, excited state absorption of Gd3+ ions, cross relaxation energy transfer (CRET) between two excited Gd3+ ions, and energy transfer (ET) between Gd3+ and Yb3+ or Tm3+ ions played key roles for the UC emissions of Gd3+ ions.
Laboratory experiments using a synthetic sewage flowing through a model sewer have been carried out so as to investigate the effect of sulfate concentration on the rate of production of sulfide. The results have been interpreted and analyzed taking into account mass‐transfer resistances. The analysis provides a rational explanation as to why in some situations Pomeroy's predictive equation may be adequate, while in other situations Thistlethwayte's equation may suffice. However, neither equation properly accounts for the effects caused by mass‐transfer resistances in the slime and liquid phases. Improvements to the present predictive procedures require assessment and allowance for these mass‐transfer resistances together with further data on the intrinsic rate of conversion of sulfate to sulfide within the slime phase. The experiments indicated that the removal rate was zero‐order with respect to sulfate and the value of the rate constant was in the range 5-8mgcm-3h-1 at 20 °C. Areas in which further data...
Keisaku Fujimoto 【要旨】 病期Iの20%,病期IIの40%,病期IIIとIVの80%に呼吸機能障害を認める.30–50%に閉塞性換気障害を認め,腫大した リンパ節による圧排,とくに末梢気道を中心とした気道の肉芽腫病変の形成・線維化が主な原因と考えられる.また気流 閉塞と関連して,約50%に気道反応性亢進が認められる.間質の線維化が進行すると,ガス交換障害が顕著となり,拘束 性換気障害を伴ってくるが,胸部CTによる画像所見と呼吸機能異常とは必ずしもパラレルではなく,明らかな肺野病変が なくても閉塞性換気障害や肺拡散能力の低下を認める.また,運動負荷試験は呼吸機能障害の検出に鋭敏である.運動耐 容能は病期の進行とともに低下する.運動制限因子として換気制限,ガス交換障害が重要な因子であるが,病期の進行と ともに吸気筋力の低下,心筋病変に伴う心機能の低下も運動耐容能低下に関与していると考えられる. [日サ会誌 2013; 33: 27-30] キーワード:呼吸機能,気流閉塞,肺拡散能,気道反応性亢進,運動負荷試験
This study aimed to find out the use of open library digital library services  in meeting the information needs of Telkom University students. The study used the qualitative method with case study approach. Data collection techniques were conducted through interviews with Telkom University students, observation, and literature study. Study results showed that the initial stage was based on the motivation and goals arising from self-awareness and the need to increase knowledge in completing tasks and scientific works (thesis/TA). Browsing began with authentication using an SSO account (Igracias), and information retrieval began with using a simple search facility. Students also used the internet to access various other sources with the Google search engine to further enrich the required information. Then, At the formulation stage, students conducted brainstorming by learning and understanding the problem-solving process related to the appropriate topic and discussing it with friends, lecturers, or people who were considered understandable and could be invited to discuss related topics that were being deepened. The collection stage was done by downloading the file and storing it in their laptop folder. At the presentation stage, students would feel satisfied after getting the information so it is possible to do monitoring.  The presentation was performed in the form of writing a new document or as a complement in both the completion of lecture assignments (proposal and paper) as well as the writing of scientific papers (thesis/TA).
Theoretical consideration of the thermal properties of unconsolidated deposits suggests that a shallow aquifer might form a heat sink that influences and modifies the temperature effects of heat originating at the land surface and within the crust. The unconsolidated water-yielding deposits apparently are not of the same temperature as the material surrounding them. If the shallow aquifer is nonuniformly distributed, it should produce a temperature anomaly in the surface soil. The size of the anomaly resulting from a shallow aquifer would depend on the thermal properties and thickness of the overburden and on temperature differences between the surface and the aquifer.
Apert syndrome is a rare genetic disorder characterised by craniofacial and limb abnormalities. These patients have to undergo multiple surgeries. One of these is cranial vault repair which is done for craniofacial anomalies. These cases pose a challenge to the anaesthesiologists not only because of a difficult airway but also problems like bronchospasm, increased secretion and even a difficulty in securing intravenous access. We present case report of a patient who had undergone cranial vault repair and subsequently developed CSF rhinorrhea and was planned for endonasal correction of skull base defect. Mask ventilation was difficult but intubation was relatively easy. The patient was operated in supine position with 15 degree head up position under hypotensive conditions to minimise bleeding and keep ICP under control. The intraoperative period was uneventful. Patient recovered completely from anaesthesia and was shifted to ICU.
The Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) laboratory instruction approach has been used successfully over a decade to engage students in laboratory activities. SWH-based instruction emphasizes knowledge construction through individual writing and reflection, and collaborative learning as a group. In the SWH approach, writing is a core component of learning. Previous studies on the SWH approach have reported effective implementation of the SWH approach leads to an improvement in overall student academic performance and content knowledge. Using a rubric developed by Maria Oliver-Hoyo, we compared the critical thinking (CT) skills of students across three groups, based on their written laboratory reports for various traits of CT, and the cognitive skills embedded in the rubric. Participants in this study were first-year general chemistry students who received traditional laboratory instruction, first-year general chemistry students who were instructed using the SWH approach, and fourth-year chemistry students who ...
Rapid technological progress in artificial intelligence (AI) has been predicted to lead to mass unemployment, rising inequality, and higher productivity growth through automation. In this paper we critically re-assess these predictions by (i) surveying the recent literature and (ii) incorporating AI-facilitated automation into a product variety-model, frequently used in endogenous growth theory, but modified to allow for demand-side constraints. This is a novel approach, given that endogenous growth models, and including most recent work on AI in economic growth, are largely supply-driven. Our contribution is motivated by two reasons. One is that there are still only very few theoretical models of economic growth that incorporate AI, and moreover an absence of growth models with AI that takes into consideration growth constraints due to insufficient aggregate demand. A second is that the predictions of AI causing massive job losses and faster growth in productivity and GDP are at odds with reality so far: if anything, unemployment in many advanced economies is historically low. However, wage growth and productivity is stagnating and inequality is rising. Our paper provides a theoretical explanation of this in the context of rapid progress in AI.
The early lanthanide benzenefluorothiolates (Ln(SC(6)F(5))(3); Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd) react with Hg(SC(6)F(5))(2) in DME to form ionic heterometallic compounds with Ln cations and Hg anions. X-ray diffraction analyses of all compounds reveal an isostructural series with the general formula [(DME)(3)Ln(SC(6)F(5))(2)](2)[Hg(2)(SC(6)F(5))(6)]. In the structures, a fluorothiolate ligand has been extracted from the Ln coordination sphere that is saturated with three neutral DME donor ligands and a dative interaction between one ortho fluorine and the Ln. Distances between Ln and F do not vary simply with Ln ionic radius. There are two Ln cations with charge balanced by a Hg(2)(SC(6)F(5))(6) dianion composed of two distinctly nonideal Hg(II) tetrahedra, all connected through a series of pi-pi interactions that link cations with anions in a one-dimensional array and anions to anions in a more complex 2D network.
The unstriped phase of Plethodon cinereus remained at about the same proportion of the population in 2 localities in Ithaca, New York, in censuses 10 years apart. Seasonal variations in frequencies of the 2 color phases were not significant. The hypothesis of a balanced polymorphism maintained by heterosis at an equilibrium sensitive to temperature is viewed as preferable to the hypothesis advanced by Test (1952) of the northward spread of the unstriped phase by replacement of the striped phase. tability of Color Phase Ratio in Populations of Plethodon cinereus
The sensitivity across a solid state detector array varies as a result of differences in transmission, diffusion and scattering properties over the sensor. This variation will occur over a range of scale lengths and its knowledge is of importance for improved device design and in a variety of applications, for example, event centroiding in photon counting systems. A measurement of the sensitivity variation on a subpixel scale for a two-phase front-illuminated CCD is reported. The measurement is made using a scanning reflection microscope. A variation in sensitivity between the phases within a pixel is clearly observed, as well as varia- tions on a much smaller spatial scale. © 1998 Society of Photo-Optical Instru- mentation Engineers. (S0091-3286(98)03103-1) Subject terms: charge-coupled device; pixel sensitivity; response function; crosstalk.
It is well known that the fatigue strength of welded part reduces to almost half that of base metal of a mild steel. The conceivable factors to reduce the fatigue strength of welded part are the metallugical discontinuity and the stress concentration at the toe, the undercut of reinforcement etc.In this study, basic experiments were carried out with small notched plate specimens subjected to plane bending in order to determine whether the metallugical discontinuity or the stress concentration at welded joint plays more important parts on their fatigue strength. The notch was located respectively at the base metal, the weld metal and the heat-affected zone (fine-grained zone, spheroidized pearlite zone and embrittled zone) of butt welded joint, the reinforcement cut off by machine.From the test results, it is clear that the fatigue strengths of weld metal and heat-affected zone are larger than that of base metal unless they contain defects like a notch (Fig. 8). The weld metal and heat affected zone are more notch-sensitive than the base metal, especially the spheroidized pearlite zone (Fig.10). The rate of crack propagation on respective zones is less in the intermediate stage of stationary crack growth because of work hardening, while it is large at the initial stage of crack and the prior stage to fracture. The fatigue strength of welded parts depends on the rate of crack propagation in the stationary stage and the crack propagation rate is largest in the spheroidized pearlite zone of welded part (Figs.14, 15). This fact corresponds to the lowest fatigue strength of this structure. It is observed by microscope that the cracks in the heat-affected zone propagate along grain boundary more remarkably than those on base metal.
In this paper, the numerical analysis code of particle-grid hybrid method is developed by parallel computational technology. Particle-grid hybrid method is a new method for two-phase flow problem analysis. When this method was used to study the two-phase problem in nuclear power system the calculation time was very long. Hence, the MPI (Message Passing Interface) library is chosen as the parallel environment to parallel the original serial code. The grid and particle calculation parts are paralleled, separately. Jacobi point iteration method and ADI (alternating direction implicit) combined with divide and flow line programming techniques for grid calculation are discussed. Then several cases are set for testing the parallel efficiency of different pressure correction equation solution methods. This method has been proved to be accurate and reliable compared with the results of original serial code; it can shorten the calculating time to a certain degree. And this method provides valuable references and guidelines for further improvement of hybrid method and expansion of its application fields.
This paper proposes a partitioned distortion mitigation technique for both the transmitter and receiver sides of a radio link. The proposed method compensates for the phase nonlinearity at the transmitter side using phase digital predistortion (DPD) and mitigates the amplitude nonlinearity at the receiver side by analyzing the cumulative distribution function of the received signal. The channel effects are also considered and are equalized before the amplitude nonlinearity compensation in the receiver. The performance of the distributed distortion compensation technique is compared, in terms of error vector magnitude (EVM), adjacent channel power ratio, and power efficiency (PE), with current DPD methods. Measurement results show that the proposed partitioned distortion mitigation approach provided an EVM of 1.1% for long-term evolution signals, compared to 2.4% for the conventional power back-off (BO), 2.9% for overdriven digital predistortion (OD-DPD), and 0.48% for complex DPD techniques. The PE significantly improved from 15.8% and 17.9% for the conventional BO and OD-DPD, respectively, to 23% using the proposed method. The bit error rate values at the receiver for the proposed method compare favorably with those of the DPD and phase-only DPD methods.
The azimuthal angular dependence of the nuclear modification factor R{sub AA}(p{sub T},phi,N{sub part}) recently obtained by PHENIX is related at low p{sub T} to the trigger phi dependence of the ridge yield as measured by STAR in a framework in which the azimuthal anisotropy is driven by semihard scattering near the surface. Careful consideration of the initial geometry leads to the determination of a surface segment in which the production of semihard partons are responsible for the phi dependence of the inclusive distribution on the one hand and for the angular correlation in ridge phenomenology on the other. With v{sub 2} also being well reproduced along with R{sub AA} and ridge yield, all relevant phi dependencies in heavy-ion collisions can now be understood in a unified description that emphasizes the ridge production whether or not a trigger is used.
Image forgery is one of the well known fields in which researches continuously exploring new areas. In digital image forgery one can change image in many ways using several software’s, researchers exploring new algorithms to detect image forgery areas and change it to original pixel values if possible. In this paper we employed ACO (Ant Colony Optimization) to find areas which are manipulated with some software. The experimental results prove that ACO is better than existing methods of detecting tampered regions in digital photo images.
OBJECTIVES To examine the effects of antibiotic prescribing during an initial visit for viral respiratory tract infections on future care seeking and the cost of care.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective analysis of recorded visits for viral respiratory tract infections (N = 49,862) between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 1997, to practices in a large network of affiliated practices that use the same electronic medical record.   RESULTS Patients receiving antibiotics at the initial visit were less likely to return for a second visit, but this difference was small (15.4% vs 17.4%, P < .001). When returning for the second visit, those who received an antibiotic on the initial visit were prescribed more expensive antibiotics than those who had not received an antibiotic on the initial consultation. Overall, cost from initial antibiotic use outweighed any benefit from reduced utilization in adults and children.   CONCLUSIONS Antibiotic prescribing at an initial contact for a viral respiratory tract illness may reduce the likelihood that an individual will return for a subsequent visit, but adds substantial costs to care for the initial antibiotic and for more expensive antibiotics used on subsequent visits.
Objective: Holoprosencephaly (HPE, #MIM 236100) is the most common developmental defect of midline cleavage in the human forebrain. Environmental, genetic, and multifactorial causes are involved in its etiology. About half of the cases have chromosome aberrations such as trisomies 13 and 18, triploidy and structural imbalances. Single gene mutations have been shown in ~25% of cases. In this retrospective study, we aimed to determine the etiological factors related to HPE in 127 fetuses. Material and Method: This study comprises 127 prenatally diagnosed fetal HPE samples from a period of 25 years, which were evaluated by karyotyping, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and aCGH investigation. Results: A total of 64 (50.39%) chromosome aberrations were identified in this cohort. The predominant chromosomal abnormality was trisomy 13 (n=38), which was followed by trisomy 18 (n=8) and triploidy (n=5). Terminal 7q deletion was the most frequent structural anomaly (n=10, of which 5 were de novo deletion, 4 were an unbalanced product of maternal translocations and one unknown in origin) and the deletion of 18p was detected in one case. In the remaining two cases, we detected trisomy 20 and pericentric inversion 11 coincidentally. Conclusion: This study, indicates that in the presence of clinical findings suggesting HPE, cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic studies should be performed. An aCGH study must also be done for submicroscopic chromosomal anomalies, to determine ÖZET Amaç: Holoprosensefali (HPE, #MIM 236100), ön beyin orta hat bölünmesinde en sık görülen gelişimsel bozukluktur. Etiyolojisinde, çevresel, genetik ve multifaktöriyel hastalıklar rol oynamaktadır. Vakaların yaklaşık yarısında, trizomi 13 başta olmak üzere, trizomi 18 ve triploidi gibi sayısal anomaliler ve yapısal kromozom anomalileri bulunmaktadır. Olguların ~%25'inde tek gen mutasyonları gösterilmiştir. Bu retrospektif çalışmada fetal dönemde saptanan 127 fetüste HPE etiyolojisinde rol oynayan faktörlerin araştırılması planlandı. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu çalışma, 25 yıllık bir periyotta fetal ultrasonografide HPE tanısı konmuş 127 fetusta yapılan klasik karyotipleme, floresan in situ hibridizasyon (FISH) ve aCGH incelemelerinin sonuçlarını içermektedir. Bulgular: Bu kohortta olguların 64 (%50,39)’ünde bir kromozom anomalisi tespit edildi. En sık görülen sayısal kromozomal anomali beklendiği gibi trizomi 13 (n=38) idi , bunu sırasıyla trizomi 18 (n=8) ve triploidi (n=5) izlemiştir. Yapısal kromozom anomalilerinden terminal 7q delesyonu en sık görülen anomaliydi (n=10, 5’i de novo, 4’ü maternal translokasyonun dengesiz ürünü, 1 olgunun kökeni ise bilinmiyordu). Bir olguda 18. kromozomun p kolunda bir delesyon saptandı. Kalan 2 olguda tesadüfi olarak trizomi 20 ve 11. kromozomda perisenttrik bir inversiyon saptandı. Sonuç: Bu çalışma, HPE klinik bulguların varlığında sitogenetik ve moleküler sitogenetik çalışmaların birlikte veya tamamlayıcı olarak yapılması gerektiğini göstermektedir. Özellikle aCGH çaContent of this journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Abstract Geology education usually takes place within the context of a broader curriculum, but specific synergies between disciplines have rarely been explored or exploited. Here, we have assessed the spatial visualization skills of undergraduate students in a variety of disciplines to determine which are most compatible with a geology curriculum. Spatial abilities are considered one of the most important cognitive skills in the geosciences but there has been little comparative work among disciplines (and particularly non-Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics disciplines). Our results demonstrate that geology students had the highest average spatial test scores (a mean of 16.4 out of a possible 20) among the 11 disciplines assessed, and this remained true even after correcting for the effects of gender and grade point average. Both physics and fine arts students also performed well on this assessment. A major implication of our study is that geology students can deliberately enhance their spatial abilities by taking courses in other fields, such as the fine arts, which are known to build those same abilities. In this way, geology curricula may be developed to maximize the benefits of a broad education and thus, ultimately, produce higher-performing geologists.
A program of professional education designed to teach craft skills will make extensme use of the kinds of cases mcluded in the casebook.&dquo; With the first point I am in total agreement. Lynn distinguishes between &dquo;analysis as craft activity&dquo; and &dquo;analysis as applied science.&dquo; The difference, he says, is that the craft approach is oriented unmanly (his emphasis) to coming up with prescriptions for action, whereas the other approach is oriented pnmanly to achieving
A shadow-price profit frontier model is developed to examine production efficiency of Chinese farm households. The model incorporates price distortions but retains the advantages of stochastic frontier properties. The shadow prices and shadow profit are derived through a behavioral profit function. Empirical results using household survey data show that the conventional assumption of profit maximization based on market prices is inappropriate. Farmers' resource endowment and education influence their allocative efficiency. Family size, per capita net income, and family members operating as village leaders are positively related to households' production efficiency. Reducing market distortions should increase farm households' production efficiency. Copyright 1996, Oxford University Press.
Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess genetic diversity among 20 isolates of different formae speciales from Fusarium oxysporum. The amount of genetic variation was evaluated by polymerase chain reaction amplified by 3 random primers. All amplifications revealed scorable polymorphisms among the isolates, and a total of 73 band positions were scored by (1/0) method for the three primers used. Genetic distances between each of the isolates were calculated, and cluster analysis was used to generate a dendrogram showing relationships between them. The isolates were clustered into 3 groups which showed no correlation to geographic origin.
Objective: To characterize the safety and efficacy of a hybrid composite material for cardiovascular applications.    Background: Cardiovascular tissue substitutes that resorb and become host like tissues, are needed, especially for children undergoing congenital cardiac surgery. In this work, we report a biohybrid material consisting of a native extracellular matrix core, and engulfed in a thin layer of cell-honing, degradable, polymer, to achieve host integration of the implanted material.    Methods and Results: Decellularized bovine pericardial extracellular matrix was used as the core, with 70µm thick nanofiber matrix of polycaprolactone-chitosan electrospun onto it. Spectroscopy of the cross-section depicted new amide chemical bond formation and C-O-C stretch at the interface. Mechanical strength and extensibility ratio of the matrix alone was 18,000±4200 KPa, and 0.18+0.03 %, whereas the composite was 20,000±6600 KPa, 0.35+0.20% indicating an increase in strength as well as extensibility. In 46 rats implanted with the material subcutaneously, cellular infiltration into the material core was significantly higher in the biohybrid, compared to the core alone or other alternatives. In 3 juvenile sheep the material was non-thrombogenic, with good cellular infiltration and remodeling, when used as a left atrial, carotid, and a pulmonary artery patch.    Conclusions: The feasibility of a new biohybrid material is demonstrated, with the potential to hone host cells and remodel into a native tissue like structure.
We study the resonant sequential two-photon ionization of neutral atoms by a combination of twisted- and plane-wave light within a fully relativistic framework. In particular, the ionization of an isotropic ensemble of neutral sodium atoms ($Z = 11$) from their ground $3^{2}S_{1/2}$ state via the $3^{2}P_{3/2}$ level is considered. We investigate in details the influence of the kinematic parameters of incoming twisted radiation on the photoelectron angular distribution and the circular dichroism. Moreover we study the influence of the geometry of the process on these quantities. This is performed by changing the propagation directions of the incoming twisted and plane-wave light. It is found that the dependence on the kinematic parameters of the twisted photon is the strongest if the plane-wave and twisted light beams are perpendicular to each other.
M. tuberculosis (MTB) species-specific antigenic determinants of the human T cell response are important for immunodiagnosis and vaccination. As hypoxia is a stimulus in chronic tuberculosis infection, we analyzed transcriptional profiles of MTB subject to 168 hours of hypoxia to test the hypothesis that upregulation by hypoxia might result in gene products being recognized as antigens. We identified upregulation of two region of difference (RD) 11 (Rv2658C and Rv2659c), and one RD2 (Rv1986) absent from commonly used BCG strains. In MTB infected persons, the IL-2 ELISpot response to Rv1986 peptides was several times greater than the corresponding IFN-γ response to the reference immunodominant ESAT-6 or CFP-10 antigens. The IL-2 response was confined to two epitopic regions containing residues 61–80 and 161–180. The biggest population of IL-2 secreting T cells was single cytokine positive central memory T cells. The IL-2 response to live MTB bacilli lacking Rv1986 was significantly lower than the response to wild type or mutant complemented with Rv1986. In addition, the IL-2 response to Rv1986 was significantly lower in HIV-TB co-infected persons than in HIV uninfected persons, and significantly increased during antiretroviral therapy. These findings demonstrate that Rv1986 is an immunodominant target of memory T cells and is therefore of relevance when considering the partial efficacy of currently used BCG vaccines and provide evidence for a clinical trial comparing BCG strains.
Objectives Children with unintentional poisonings (UPs) are frequently admitted to monitored beds (MBs), though most require minimal interventions. We aimed to (1) describe clinical factors and outcomes for children admitted for UPs and (2) identify clinical factors associated with MB placement. Methods In this single-center retrospective cohort study, we studied patients younger than 6 years admitted from the emergency department (ED) for UPs over a 5-year period to a quaternary-care children's hospital. Primary outcome was disposition (MB vs non-MB). Secondary outcomes included length of stay, escalation of inpatient care, 7-day readmission, and death. Covariates included age, certainty of ingestion, altered mental status, and ED provider training level. Subanalysis of drug class effect on disposition was also studied. Associations of clinical factors with MB placement were tested with multivariable logistic regression. Results Of 401 patients screened, 345 subjects met inclusion criteria. Most subjects (308 of 345 [89%]) were admitted to MBs. Children with high certainty of ingestion (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 4.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.52–11.58), altered mental status (aOR, 5.82; 95% CI, 2.45–13.79), and a fellow (vs faculty) ED provider (aOR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.04–5.24) were more likely to be admitted to MBs. No escalations of care, readmissions, or deaths occurred. Exposures to cardiac drugs had increased MB placement (aOR, 6.74; 95% CI, 1.93–23.59). Conclusions The majority of children admitted for UPs were placed in MBs. Regardless of inpatient placement, no adverse events were observed, suggesting opportunities for optimized resource utilization. Future research may focus on direct costs, inpatient interventions, or prospective outcomes to validate these findings.
The MRL/lpr murine SLE model has widespread complement activation and deposition of complement fragments in affected tissues. The potent anaphylatoxin C5a has the potential to play a key role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis. We found that renal expression of C5aR mRNA and protein was significantly increased in MRL/lpr mice compared to control MRL/+ mice. To examine the role of C5a signaling through C5aR, a specific small molecule antagonist (a) of C5aR was administered continuously to MRL/lpr mice from 13 to 19 wks of age. Littermate controls were given vehicle alone. The progressive impairment in renal function exhibited in the control group was prevented by C5aRa treatment. Infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages into kidneys was significantly reduced in animals treated with C5aRa compared to controls. Furthermore, renal expression of IL‐1β and MIP‐2 mRNA as well as the extent of apoptosis were significantly decreased with blockade of C5aR, indicating their dependence upon signals delivered through C5aR. Thus, pharmacological blockade of C5aR reduces disease manifestations in experimental lupus nephritis. These data support an important role for the C5a anaphylatoxin in lupus nephritis, and that blockade of C5aR represents a potentially viable treatment for human lupus nephritis.
Rational design and massive production of bifunctional catalysts with superior oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activities are essential for developing metal–air batteries and fuel cells. Herein, controllable large‐scale synthesis of sulfur‐doped CaMnO3 nanotubes is demonstrated via an electrospinning technique followed by calcination and sulfurization treatment. The sulfur doping can not only replace oxygen atoms to increase intrinsic electrical conductivity but also introduce abundant oxygen vacancies to provide enough catalytically active sites, which is further demonstrated by density functional theory calculation. The resulting sulfur‐modified CaMnO3 (CMO/S) exhibits better electrocatalytic activity for ORR and OER in alkaline solution with higher stability performance than the pristine CMO. These results highlight the importance of sulfur treatment as a facile yet effective strategy to improve the ORR and OER catalytic activity of the pristine CaMnO3. As a proof‐of‐concept, a rechargeable Zn–air battery using the bifunctional catalyst exhibits a small charge–discharge voltage polarization, and long cycling life. Furthermore, a solid‐state flexible and rechargeable Zn–air battery gives superior discharge–charge performance and remarkable stability. Therefore, the CMO/S nanotubes might be a promising replacement to the Pt‐based electrocatalysts for metal–air batteries and fuel cells.
An optimized synthesis route was applied for controlling the preparation of CdSe quantum dots (QDs) in an aqueous solution. Some key factors which influencing the properties of CdSe QDs, such as initial pH, stabilizers, ratio of precursor, etc. were investigated. The size, shape, crystal structure, and optical property of CdSe QDs were also characterized by TEM, XRD, UV-Vis, and fluorescence (FL) spectra. The result showed that high-quality cubic CdSe QDs with 3 nm were obtained. The experiments also confirmed that thioglycolic acid (TGA), under the conditions of weak acid, is a better stabilizer than others. The ratio of [Cd2+] to [SeSO3 2−] played an important role in the formation of CdSe QDs. The mechanisms about the influence factors were also presented.
Speed control of induction motors requires the accurate estimation of the fluxes in the motor. But the flux estimate, when estimated from the stator circuit variables, is dependent on the stator resistance of the induction motor. As a consequence, the flux estimate is prone to errors due to variations in the stator resistance, especially at low stator frequencies. A scheme is presented in this paper for an online estimation of the stator resistance under steady state operating conditions, using variables that can be measured from the terminals of the motor alone. The scheme is based on estimating the steady-state magnitudes of the stator and rotor flux space phasors using the reactive power. An analysis of the effect of the stator resistance variations on the flux estimate is presented. A simulation of a rotor field oriented speed control of a VSI-fed induction motor using stator circuit variables is performed incorporating the online stator resistance estimation strategy.
Cores of highly strained ice recovered from depths of 1200–1800 m at Byrd Station in 1967–68 have been found to have recrystallized while in storage in the United States. Such recrystallization, inferred to have occurred when temperatures in the storage facility rose above about – 14°C, would not have been discovered if thin sections of the cores had not been prepared and photographed at the drill site within hours of pulling the cores to the surface. It was only after new sections of the long stored cores were compared with the original sections that the full extent of recrystallization was revealed. The recrystallized structure emulates in both texture and fabric those observed in naturally annealed ice in the bottom 350 m at Byrd Station. It is concluded that polar ice cores should be stored at temperatures of –20°C or colder in order to inhibit or minimize post-drilling recrystallization.
divorce settlements; and he would rename divorce court welfare officers "children's officers", with responsiblity for securing the children's rights when their parents resorted to divorce. All this is exciting stuff—and one can readily condone a few small errors which have crept in: the aggravating factor originally needed before a wife could divorce her adulterous husband was not limited to cruelty (p. 12); and it is a slight stretch to state that the conferring of equality of parental rights by the Guardianship Act 1973 "slipped unnoticed into the law" (p. 122). The book undoubtedly merits careful attention by anyone who is seriously concerned with family law and its future, not least because it ends with a clarion call for reform to enable the court to regulate the reordering of relationships between parents who have fallen out, but who, because they were unmarried, cannot invoke the sweeping powers of the divorce court.
The ultimate aim of this study is to identify new molecules that are able to recognize polymerized fibrin, which is the main component of a thrombus. These selective ligands can be exposed on the surface of particular nanoparticles used for the targeted delivery of fibrinolytic drugs. The targeted delivery of these drugs is expected to help to keep under control the severe side effects which can occur if the drugs are administered systemically. The study focuses on the application of high‐throughput docking methods used to screen a library of thousands of commercial compounds. The aim was to identify molecules that are potentially capable of interacting with the human fibrin γ(312–324) epitope. The best scoring compounds were purchased and tested through fluorimetric assays in order to estimate their affinity toward fibrin. The results show that the protocol proposed here for identifying new compounds of interest may provide a valuable contribution to the discovery of lead molecules for human fibrin recognition. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This case report concerns an 81-year-old woman with previously well-controlled hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). She was referred to our hospital because of the acute onset of takotsubo syndrome. Echocardiography revealed basal hyperkinesis due to takotsubo syndrome superimposed on septal hypertrophy, which resulted in the reappearance of prominent left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). Although she developed cardiogenic shock triggered by atrial fibrillation, LVOTO was successfully mitigated by aggressive fluid resuscitation, rhythm control, and the administration of β-blocker. We herein report a rare case with catastrophic hemodynamics due to the incidental combination of HOCM and takotsubo syndrome.
We propose a novel approach to crosslingual model transfer based on feature representation projection. First, a compact feature representation relevant for the task in question is constructed for either language independently and then the mapping between the two representations is determined using parallel data. The target instance can then be mapped into the source-side feature representation using the derived mapping and handled directly by the source-side model. This approach displays competitive performance on model transfer for semantic role labeling when compared to direct model transfer and annotation projection and suggests interesting directions for further research.
Here we show that the Escherichia coli expressed monomers of placenta growth factor (PLGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can be re-folded in vitro to form PLGF/VEGF heterodimers. The purified recombinant PLGF/VEGF heterodimers and VEGF homodimers have potent mitogenic and chemotactic effects on endothelial cells. However, PLGF/VEGF heterodimers display 20-50-fold less mitogenic activity than VEGF homodimers. In contrast, PLGF homodimers have little or no effect in these in vitro assays. We also demonstrate the presence of natural PLGF/VEGF heterodimers in the conditioned media of various human tumor cell lines. While PLGF/VEGF heterodimers bind with high affinity to a soluble Flk-1/KDR receptor, PLGF homodimers fail to bind to this receptor. Cross-linking of I-ligands to human umbilical vein endothelial cells reveals that PLGF/VEGF heterodimers and VEGF homodimers, but not PLGF homodimers, form complexes with membrane receptors. VEGF homodimers and PLGF/VEGF heterodimers stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of a 220-kDa protein, the expected size for the KDR receptor in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, whereas PLGF homodimers are unable to induce tyrosine phosphorylation of this protein. These data indicate that PLGF may modulate VEGF-induced angiogenesis by the formation of PLGF/VEGF heterodimers in cells producing both factors.
OBJECTIVE To analyze the factors associated with the proportion of abnormal results in screening mammograms.   METHODS Ecological study, with data from DATASUS/SISCAN, Atlas Brasil do Desenvolvimento Humano, Fundação SEADE, and Sistema e-Gestor, from 2016 to 2019, of women aged 50 to 69 years in the 645 municipalities of São Paulo (Brazil). Independent variables were associated with the outcome: proportion of unsatisfactory coverage of abnormal test results (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System - BI-RADS® 0, 4 and 5 proportion >10% of tests performed). Multiple Poisson regression was used.   RESULTS Higher proportion of screening mammography (PR=1.20; 95%CI: 1.00;1.45), higher percentage of poor (PR=1.20; 95%CI: 1.07;1.36), low (PR=1.57; 95%CI: 1.38;1.78) and medium coverage of the Family Health Strategy (ESF) (PR=1.30; 95%CI: 1.09;1.52) were associated to the outcome.   CONCLUSION Socioeconomic and FHS coverage factors mediate the proportion of mammograms with abnormal results in public health services. Therefore, they are important aspects in the fight against breast cancer.
We present a coordinate-independent method for extracting mass (M�) and angular momentum (J�) of a black hole in numerical simulations. This method, based on the isolated horizon framework, is applicable both at late times when the black hole has reached equilibrium, and at early times when the black holes are widely separated. Assuming that the spatial hypersurfaces used in a given numerical simulation are such that apparent horizons exist and have been located on these ˜ �
The mass media have long been seen as an important mechanism in constructing and brokering relations between host and immigrant minorities. Their role has typically been portrayed as endorsing, if not, initiating racist imagery. New Zealand significantly altered its recruitment of immigrants in terms of source countries in 1986–87. The resulting superdiversity presents new challenges for the mainstream media. In the early phase of this recently enhanced cultural diversity, the mass media (here represented by the print media) contributed to a publically articulated racialisation. However, the growing engagement (embeddedness) of the media workers in the reality of this enhanced diversity was subsequently reflected in more nuanced and sympathetic reporting after 2000, thereby confounding classic approaches which stress the misrepresentation and underrepresentation of immigrants by the mass media. There remain important exceptions to this shift towards a broadly sympathetic representation of immigrants by the media; there is evidence of ongoing racist ‘Othering’ in news reporting and by particular journalists. This paper argues that there is evidence of a recent and partial transformation in the nature of media discourses concerning immigrants and immigration in New Zealand.
Kinematics of grasping and manipulation of multifingered hand (GMMF) where multi-fingersurfaces contact with an object are discussed. There are many researches about GMMF problem, but most of them discuss on the case of fingertip contacts. In this paper the following problems have been investigated. (1) GMFF problems are classified to direct kinematics, inverse kinematics for grasping and manipulation, which are peculiar to the fingersurface contact. In each case the problems are formulated. (2) For the manipulation of an object, kinematic relationship between object and finger-joint motions are analyzed in the case when the contact motion is pure rolling (PR), twist rolling (TR) , and slide rolling (SR). In each case the number of finger and degree-of-freedom of fingers necessary to grasp and manipulate the object are shown. (3) Manipulation kinematics is characterized by the equations for incremental variations of object motion and finger motion, mediated by contact point variations, unsimilar to the manipulation of manipulator arm kinematics where the equations are expressed by absolute displacement. Some examples of the computer simulation of grasping and manipulation using the abovementioned formulation for various conditions are shown.
Marine ecosystems (>70% of the planet’s surface) comprise a continuous resource of immeasurable biological activities and immense chemical entities. This diversity has provided a unique source of chemical compounds with potential bioactivities that could lead to potential new drug candidates. Many marine-living organisms are soft bodied and/or sessile. Consequently, they have developed toxic secondary metabolites or obtained them from microorganisms to defend themselves against predators [1]. For the last 30–40 years, marine invertebrates have been an attractive research topic for scientists all over the world. A relatively small number of marine plants, animals and microbes have yielded more than 15,000 natural products including numerous compounds with potential pharmaceutical potential. Some of these have already been launched on the pharmaceutical market such as Prialt® (ziconotide; potent analgesic) and Yondelis® (trabectedin or ET-743; antitumor) while others have entered clinical trials, e.g., alpidin and kahalalide F. Amongst the vast array of marine natural products, the terpenoids are one of the more commonly reported and discovered to date. Sesterterpenoids (C25) and triterpenoids (C30) are of frequent occurrence, particularly in marine sponges, and they show prominent bioactivities. In this review, we survey sesterterpenoids and triterpenoids obtained from marine sponges and highlight their bioactivities.
More and more functions in automotive systems are enabled and controlled by software that is distributed over a large number of systems and components. In addition, the systems are more and more interconnected to implement the desired vehicle functions. Creating and maintaining a high-level overview of the relations between vehicle functions, systems, and components in a complete and consistent way requires a lot of effort. On the other hand, such a high-level architecture is beneficial for planning the development, analyzing the architecture, or defining product variants. In this paper, we analyze a real-world document that was manually created to document all vehicle functions, systems, and components of one car series and relations between these. We formalized the content of this model by providing a model of the concepts and a set of consistency rules. By evaluating the consistency rules on the given document, we found 213 contradictory relations and 547 missing relations. Based on these results, we conclude that manually maintaining such high-level architectures is highly error-prone and should thus be supported by automation and appropriate tooling.
In Old Danish (c800-c1525), masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns were used to denote humans, animals, things, and abstract categories. In Early Modern Danish (c1525-c1700), however, the masculine and the feminine merged into a common gender, confining the anaphoric and cataphoric personal pronouns han ‘he’ and hun ‘she’ to nouns denoting humans. This paper points out an early pragmatically based use of gender in the Scanian text Sjaelens Trost ‘Comfort of the Soul’ in manuscripts C 529 and A 109 from c1425. From a Christian point of view, the noun afgudh ‘idol’ is used as a neuter and thereby objectified, unlike the masculine noun gudh ‘God’. This use of the neuter is in all likelihood one of the first steps on the way from a primarily morphologically based three-gender system to a primarily semantically based two-gender system which distinguishes between human and non-human nouns.
Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between the orthostatic hypotensive reactions (OHR) identified active and passive OT in patients with AH older age groups (22 M, 49 F) with AH grade I-III, av.age 68,1 ± 5,8 years. During OT BP (beat to beat) measured continuously and non-invasively using the “Task Force Monitor “(“CNSystems” Austria). The criteria for IOH was considered the onset of symptoms of cerebral hypoperfusion associated with a reduction in SBP > 40 mmHg and DBP > 20 mmHg in the first 5–15 seconds orthostasis (Wieling W., 2006) and the identification of the initial uncompleted depressor reactions of BP (Rogoza A et al., 2008). Control of cognitive function was performed by a research brief mental status (MMSE), clock drawing test and concentration test by the method of TM. The statistical analysis was carried with Statistica 6.0. Results: In 22 (31%) patients was found the OHR. The groups were comparable by age (68,5 ± 5,5 vs 66,8 ± 5,9) yrs, gender (F 13 (59%) vs 37 (76%)); duration of AH (18,7 ± 11,7 vs 15,3 ± 10,6) years. The pts in the gr. with OHR had a more frequent strokes n = 3 (14%), without OHR – TIA in 4 pts (8%). Significant differences have been found between the groups by atherosclerotic lesions (40 < plaque < 65) of the carotid arteries (in gr. OHR 10 (45%) vs 3 (6%) without OHR, p < 0,05). The study revealed significant cognitive differences in patients with OHR and without OHR. Results of the test clock drawing OHR patients were lower than in patients without the PER (7,2 ± 1.4 vs 8,3 ± 0,8, p < 0,04), during the TM in patients with PER showed a reduction in attention (21,2 ± 2,4 vs 22,5 ± 1,17. p < 0,02). During the MMSE test revealed no significant differences (25,6 ± 2,45 vs 26,8 ± 1,3.p > 0.05). Conclusions: Hypertensive patients in older age groups with various types of OHR (the initial and classic) have a reduction of memory and attention, atherosclerosis of the carotid arteries, strokes in anamnesis compared with the same category of patients without the OHR.
Submarine ground water discharge to the ocean has the potential to create estuarine conditions near the point of discharge, thereby dramatically altering local benthic habitats and ecology. Aerial thermal infrared imaging along the southwestern margin of Delaware Bay indicated abundant discharge at Cape Henlopen, Delaware, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. On the sandflat there, we have documented low salinity in sedimentary pore waters within 20 m of the beachface that are associated with dense assemblages (in thousands per square meter) of a deep, burrow‐dwelling polychaete worm, Marenzelleria viridis, otherwise regarded as a species characteristic of fresher, oligohaline conditions. Where present, M. viridis is a numerical and biomass dominant in a benthic community strikingly different from that in nearby nonseep locations. At Cape Henlopen, the ecological role of the ground water discharge appears to be a multifaceted one. Seeps are localized regions of significantly reduced salinity, stabilized temperature, increased nutrient flux, high microalgal abundance, and enhanced sediment stability. M. viridis feeds on sediment diatoms and may provide an important trophic linkage between microalgal growth fueled by nutrients associated with the discharging ground water and worm‐feeding predators such as bottom fish or shorebirds common on the Cape Henlopen sandflat. Calculations based on our sampling suggest that nutrients supplied by the ground water substantially exceed what is needed to support benthic biomass and productivity estimated for this site.
Telerobotics is one of the most growing fields of robotics. The developments in telerobotics are based on various technologies developed in other technical areas such as speech and gestures recognition (artificial intelligence), predictive simulators (computer graphics), and human–machine interfaces (virtual reality and haptic interfaces). Furthermore, Internet is now a far-reaching medium and offers a wide-ranging platform for proliferation of telerobotic applications. Teleoperation is the basis for telerobotics. A pair of master and slave systems are used to transmit force sensation from a remote environment. The important evaluation index of teleoperation is transparency. The transparency is defined by two relationships. One is position tracking between the master and slave systems, and the other is force matching between them since touching is subject to the Newton’s law of action and reaction. Thus both precise impedance matching and high operationality are necessary to achieve high transparency. Since there is duality relationship between position and force, a lot of methods of bilateral control have been well researched. For example, force reflecting type, fourchannel type, acceleration-based type and so on have been proposed. The concept for extension of sensations is shown in Figure 1. When haptic sensations are sent between locations that are remotely apart, communication delay inevitably occurs between the systems. It is well known that the delay time destabilizes the entire control system and that the haptic sensation transmission performance deteriorates as a result. The main reason for this problem is that the information flow is bilateral, and results in the inclusion of the delay time inside the control loop. The contact motion with the environment is a challenging problem in bilateral control systems with communication delay. In particular, the contact motion in a hard environment is a complicated issue. Thus, it is important to design transparency with consideration to stability. In addition to achieve high transparency, environmental adaptation becomes more and more important. In other words, telerobotics ismore task-oriented compared with teleoperation systems. Recently, demands for not only extension of sensations but also augmentation of Figure 1. A teleoperation system for extension of sensations.
Abstract The rotation-torsion-vibration interaction in acetyl cyanide, CH3COCN, has been studied in the rotational spectra of the first excited state of the methyl torsion and of the CCN-in-plane bending. A model with two internal degrees of freedom has been used to account for the A-E rotational splittings in the ground state and in the two excited states simultaneously. The constants in the Fourier expansion of the potential hindering the methyl torsion are determined. The results are compared with those obtained in a previous work from the A-E rotational splittings of the ground state only, using a model with one degree of freedom. Group theoretical considerations are made upon the Hamiltonian used in the present analysis.
Objective  To determine the consistency of spectral CT parameters in advanced gastric cancer using different region of interests (ROIs) and their relationship with tumor micro-vessel density (MVD).      Methods  Thirty patients with histologically proven gastric cancer were prospectively enrolled. All the patients were examined using spectral-dual-phase-abdominal CT and treated successfully with radical surgery within 2 weeks after CT scanning. Two observers independently acquired iodine concentration (IC), normalized IC (nIC), and CT value at workstation using three different ROI protocols: 10 mm2 circular ROI near tumor border where enhanced obviously, 30 mm2 near the tumor center and the freehand outline ROI. The Data of the two observers were tested with interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plot. The mean value of each parameter was documented as the final result. Differences of each group of ROI data were compared using ANOVA test. All the specimen were pathologically examined and MVD was counted. The relationship of each parameter to tumor MVD was analyzed by Pearson correlation.      Results  All of the IC, nIC and CT values obtained by the 2 observers using three ROI measurements were consistent well, and the ROI-outline had the highest ICC than that of smaller circular ROIs (ICC: 0.991 to 0.997). The 95% differences confident interval of nIC-AP and nIC-VP using freehand outline ROI by two observers were -0.003 to 0.002 and-0.001 to 0.012, respectively. The outline-ROI method had better inter-observer accuracy. There were significant differences between the means of the all parameters with three ROI protocols (P<0.05). Values of ROI-10 mm2 were highest, while the values of ROI-outline were lowest (P<0.05). The mean counts of tumor MVD was (29.0±8.4)/high magnification. The nIC in venous phase (VP) had good correlations with intra-tumoral MVD, especially the ROI-outline (r=0.670, P<0.01), within different ROI measurements.      Conclusions  The different ROI selection in tumor has significant impact on the final CT parameters. Outlined ROI protocol improves inter-observer consistency and nIC-VP obtained by this method can indirectly reflect the condition of tumor angiogenesis.      Key words:  Stomach neoplasms; Tomography,X-ray computed; Comparative study; Region of interest
Insects harbor a community of gut bacteria, ranging from pathogenic to obligate mutualistic organisms. Both biotic and abiotic factors can influence species composition and structure of the insect gut bacterial communities. Dendroctonus valens is a destructive forest pest in China. To overcome host pine defenses, beetles mass-attack the pine to a threshold density that can exhaust pine defenses. The intensity of pine chemical defenses and carbohydrate concentrations of pines can be influenced by beetle attack, both of which are known factors that modify beetle’s gut microbiota. However, little is known to what extent variation exists in the beetle’s gut communities, and host monoterpenes and carbohydrates at different attack densities. In this study, the gut bacterial microbiota of D. valens at low and high attack densities were analyzed, and monoterpenes and carbohydrates in host pine phloem were assayed in parallel. The results showed that no significant changes of gut bacterial communities of the beetles and concentrations of D-glucose, D-pinitol, and D-fructose in pine phloem were found between low and high attack densities. The concentrations of α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene at high attack densities were significantly higher than those at low attack densities. Our results suggested that different attack densities of D. valens influence monoterpenes concentration of host pines’ phloem but have no significant impact on gut bacterial community structures of D. valens and carbohydrate concentration of host trees’ phloem in early attack phase. Similar gut bacterial community structures of D. valens between low and high attack densities might be due to the quick adaptation of gut microbiota to high monoterpenes concentrations.
This article aims to explore the scope of a Situated and Embodied Social Psychology (ESP). At first sight, social cognition seems embodied cognition par excellence. Social cognition is first and foremost a supra-individual, interactive, and dynamic process (Semin & Smith, 2013). Radical approaches in Situated/Embodied Cognitive Science (Enactivism) claim that social cognition consists in an emergent pattern of interaction between a continuously coupled organism and the (social) environment; it rejects representationalist accounts of cognition (Hutto & Myin, 2013). However, mainstream ESP (Barsalou, 1999, 2008) still takes a rather representation-friendly approach that construes embodiment in terms of specific bodily formatted representations used (activated) in social cognition. We argue that mainstream ESP suffers from vestiges of theoretical solipsism, which may be resolved by going beyond internalistic spirit that haunts mainstream ESP today.
In a population study the concentration of methane in the expired breath of methane-producing subjects was significantly related to the dietary intake of noncellulosic polysaccharide pentose (p less than 0.01) and to the intake of lignin (p less than 0.05). The single dose administration of complex polysaccharide sources rich in pentoses to fasting subjects did not result in an increase in methane production when measured over 5 h. The single dose administration of D(+) xylose and L(+) arabinose led to a significant increase in methane excretion in methane producers.
We previously found that microRNAs play major roles in the maintenance of amoeboid-like oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells with high expression of CD44 (CD44high ). However, the roles of microRNAs in chemotherapeutic resistance exhibited by CD44high amoeboid-like OSCC cells are unclear. Here, docetaxel-induced apoptosis was examined in CD44high OSCC cells (CD44high OM-1 cells) cultured on laminin-coated silicone gel. Amoeboid-like CD44high OSCC cells exhibited robust resistance to docetaxel-induced apoptosis and significant upregulation of miR-224-5p expression compared with epithelial-like CD44high OSCC cells and mesenchymal-like CD44high OSCC cells. The expression of pannexin-1 (PANX1), a channel-forming protein that regulates the release of ATP, was significantly upregulated following transfection of amoeboid-like CD44high OSCC cells with an miR-224-5p inhibitor. These results suggest that miR-224-5p inhibits PANX1 expression. Furthermore, miR-224-5p inhibitor-transfected amoeboid-like CD44high OSCC cells exhibited significant enhancement of the proportion of apoptotic cells; however, this effect was significantly inhibited by knockdown of PANX1 with PANX1 small interfering RNA. Additionally, the miR-224-5p inhibitor-enhanced extracellular ATP levels were significantly reduced by PANX1 knockdown. These findings imply that miR-224-5p plays a vital role in the resistance to docetaxel-induced apoptosis by attenuating PANX1-induced ATP discharge. Moreover, amoeboid-like CD44high OSCC cells may be involved in chemotherapeutic resistance of OSCC.
Voltage-gated K+ channels are potential drug targets for an increasing number of disease indications. Searching for compounds that modulate K+ channel activities by high-throughput screening (HTS) is becoming a standard approach in the drug discovery effort. Here the authors report an improved fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR) membrane potential assay for Kv1.3 K+ channel HTS. They have found that the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have endogenous membrane electrogenic transporters that contribute to maintaining membrane potential. Blocking the recombinant K+ channels in the overexpressing CHO cell line hardly changed the membrane potential. Inhibition of the endogenous transporters is essential to achieve the required assay robustness. The authors identified the optimal assay conditions and designed a simple assay format. After an HTS campaign using this assay, various chemical series of Kv1.3 channel blockers have been identified and confirmed by the automated electrophysiological IonWorks assay. The correlation in dose response between FLIPR and IonWorks was established by biophysical modeling and experimental data. After characterization using patch-clamp recording, both use-dependent and use-independent compounds were identified. Some compounds possess nanomolar potency, indicating that the FLIPR assay is effective for successfully identifying K+ channel blockers as novel drug candidates.
Understanding the roles of transposable elements (TEs) in the evolution of genome and adaptation is a long-sought goal. Here, we present a new model of TE co-option, in which a TE is harnessed by an essential gene and confers local adaptation through heterozygote advantage. We characterized a human Alu-like TE family, the Lm1 elements, in the genome of the migratory locust Locusta migratoria that harbors 0.7 million copies of the elements. Scanning Lm1 insertions in the natural locust populations revealed the widespread high polymorphism of Lm1. An Lm1 was recruited into the coding region of Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp90), an important molecular chaperone for diverse signal transduction and developmental pathways. Only heterozygotes of the allele are present in natural populations. Allele frequency increases with decreased latitudes in east coastal China, even increasing up to 76% in southern populations. Regions flanking the Lm1 insertion display clear signatures of a selective sweep linked to Lm1. The Lm1-mediated Hsp90 mutation is consequential for the embryonic development of locust. Heterozygous embryos develop faster than the wild type, particularly when cued by long-day parental photoperiod. The heterozygotes also present a reduced within-population variation in embryonic development, i.e., high developmental synchrony of embryos. The naturally occurring Hsp90 mutation could facilitate multivoltinism and developmental synchronization of the locust in southern tropical region. These results revealed a genetic mechanism behind microevolutionary changes in which balancing selection may have acted to maintain the heterozygote advantage through TE co-option in essential genes.
We present an analytic solution to one-particle Schr "odinger equation for an electron in a quantum dot with hard-wall confining potential in the presence of both magnetic field and spin-orbit coupling. Wave-functions, energy levels, and spin-flip relaxation times are calculated to all orders in the spin-orbit coupling and the magnetic field. Without the orbital contribution of the magnetic field, we find that the effective gyromagnetic ratio is strongly suppressed by the spin-orbit coupling. The spin-flip relaxation rate then has a maximum as a function of the spin-orbit coupling and is therefore suppressed in both the weak- and strong-coupling limits. In the presence of the orbital contribution of the magnetic field the effective gyromagnetic ratio changes sign in some cases.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of neurological disorder that results from brain cell death; however, not all brain regions are simultaneously affected to the same extent. Despite single biomarkers for AD having been determined on a genome-wide scale, the differential co-expression in gene pairs between regions and interactions with other types of cellular molecules, particularly non-coding (nc)RNAs, are often overlooked in studies investigating the underlying mechanisms associated with AD. In the present study, based on 1,548 samples obtained from a cohort of 90 patients with AD spanning 19 brain regions, a gene-pair based method was established for the classification of 19 brain regions into seven different groups, including marked disparate groupings of six single regions and a cluster of another 13 regions as revealed by principal component analysis (PCA). To further investigate the different underlying mechanisms associated with each group, five highly interconnected functional modules of the protein-protein interaction network were demonstrated to characterize the seven region groups containing six single groups and 13 clustered regions based on 4,731 gene-pairs. Genes in two of the functional modules exhibited a strong association with pathways associated with the nervous system, including cholinergic synapses, circadian entrainment and dopaminergic synapses. Notably, following integration of these two modules with a ncRNA-mediated network, one module demonstrated a strong association with micro (mi)RNAs, which were revealed to interact with numerous long non-coding (lnc)RNAs associated with AD, such as metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 and taurine upregulated 1. This suggested that mRNAs and lncRNAs may represent competing endogenous RNAs for binding with miRNAs. Thus, these results indicated that the ncRNA-mediated gene regulatory module detected by the established gene pair-based method may further the understanding of underlying mechanisms associated with AD as well as aid the development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of patients with AD.
Starting January 1, 2015, our country will be promulgated the "People's Republic of China Budget Law." The budget law allows public and refine the budget be effectively strengthened, thus enabling expenditure even more standardized. Universities from financial management, the implementation of the new budget law on Financial Administration had multiple effects. This paper focuses on the impact of new budget law on Financial Administration, and further strengthen the proposed measures to provide some valuable reference proposal for the university to adapt to lift the financial management in the new budget law.
As a solution to the limitations of traditional in-car navigation systems, this study proposes a new architecture that integrates cloud technology and data science technology. DSV2C2V (Data Science Vehicle-to-Cloud-to-Vehicle) is able to perform multi-dimensional data analysis, including information inside and outside the vehicle. The proposed architecture is expected to help reduce automotive energy consumption and traffic congestion problems.
Abstract Considering the importance of maintaining network performance at desired levels under uncertainty, network reliability, as a new approach to assessing the performance of degradable urban transportation networks, has become increasingly developed in two recent decades. In this paper, a method for optimizing resource allocation to meet the required levels of transportation network reliability is proposed. The worked out method consists of two stages: at stage one, a method for computing the reliability of network connectivity based on the reliability of computing arc performance with an assumption that capacities are random variables for each arc is presented. These random variables are assumed to be conformed to especial probability density functions which can be modified through investing to improve the performance reliability of the arcs. At stage two, a mixed integer nonlinear programming model is developed to optimize resource allocation in the network. Numerical results are also provided in a...
Despite continuing debates around cytoreductive surgery in malignant gliomas, there is broad consensus that increased extent of tumor reduction improves overall survival. However, maximization of the extent of tumor resection is hampered by difficulty in intraoperative discrimination between normal and pathological tissue. In this context, two established methods for tumor visualization, fluorescence guided surgery with 5-ALA and intraoperative MRI (iMRI) with integrated functional neuronavigation were investigated as a dual intraoperative visualization (DIV) approach. Thirty seven patients presumably suffering from malignant gliomas (WHO grade III or IV) according to radiological appearance were included. Twenty-one experimental sequences showing complete resection according to the 5-ALA technique were confirmed by iMRI. Fourteen sequences showing complete resection according to the 5-ALA technique could not be confirmed by iMRI, which detected residual tumor. Further analysis revealed that these sequences could be classified as functional grade II tumors (adjacent to eloquent brain areas). The combination of fluorescence guided resection and intraoperative evaluation by high field MRI significantly increased the extent of tumor resection in this subgroup of malignant gliomas located adjacent to eloquent areas from 61.7% to 100%; 5-ALA alone proved to be insufficient in attaining gross total resection without the danger of incurring postoperative neurological deterioration. Furthermore, in the case of functional grade III gliomas, iMRI in combination with functional neuronavigation was significantly superior to the 5-ALA resection technique. The extent of resection could be increased from 57.1% to 71.2% without incurring postoperative neurological deficits.
In this expansive volume, Paul Josephson surveys the social and environmental consequences of large-scale technologies in the Soviet Union, the United States, Brazil, and Norway. His argument is straightforward: the control of nature through brute-force technology comes at great cost. His conclusions are revealing: communism and capitalism are more alike than different in deploying these technologies; technology and science, despite their grounding in universal principles, are driven by ideological concerns; and local forms of resource use offer valuable correctives for the hubris of brute-force technologies. Josephson begins by tracing the impact of big dam projects on the Columbia and Volga rivers. Both promised multiple benefits, and both offered assurance that an ideological system could triumph in the face of global depression. Taking to heart Lenin’s phrase “Communism equals Soviet power plus electrification of the entire country,” engineers erected dams that forced both water and peasants to serve the Soviet economy. American engineers touted the Columbia project as worthy of democracy and capitalism. In both cases the dams became vehicles for transforming nature into a well-oiled machine, and in both cases the dream measured up poorly to reality. Finally, both projects were models for “treating nature as an enemy to be subjugated unconditionally” (p. 31). Did engineers consider the human and environmental consequences of their projects? Josephson does not address this question directly, but he points to the symbolic, ideological, and political compulsions behind the projects and suggests that viewing nature in mechanistic terms precluded looking beyond primary economic objectives. Once projects were launched, the stakes were too high to turn back; technological momentum forced them through to completion.
Abstract A mild synthesis of fully brominated perylene dianhydride and diimides in one step from easily available unsubstituted precursors is presented. The partial reduction of ortho-bromo substituents with hydrazine hydrate allowed for a gram-scale synthesis of a valuable intermediate, 1,6,7,12-tetrabromoperylene diimide. Several new twisted fully core-substituted perylene diimide derivatives having sulfur, nitrogen, or oxygen substituents were synthesized using regioselective nucleophilic substitution reactions.
SI is a relatively recent technology that was inspired by observations of natural social insects and artificial systems. This system comprises multiple individual agents who rely on collective behavior in decentralized and self-organized networks. One of the biggest difficulties for existing computer techniques is learning from such large datasets, which is addressed utilizing big data. Big data-based categorization refers to the challenge of determining which set of classifications a new discovery belongs to. This classification is based on a training set of data that comprises observations that have been assigned to a certain category. In this paper, CIN-big data value calculation based on particle swarm optimization (BD-PSO) algorithm is proposed by operating in local optima and to improve the operating efficiency. The convergence speed of the particle swarm optimization (PSO), which operates in the local optima, is improved by big data-based particle swarm optimization (BD-PSO). It improves computing efficiency by improving the method, resulting in a reduction in calculation time. The performance of the BD-PSO is tested on four benchmark dataset, which is taken from the UCI. The datasets used for evaluation are wine, iris, blood transfusion, and zoo. SVM and CG-CNB are the two existing methods used for the comparison of BD-PSO. It achieves 92% of accuracy, 92% of precision, 92% of recall, and 1.34 of F1 measure, and time taken for execution is 149 ms, which in turn outperforms the existing approaches. It achieves robust solutions and identifies appropriate intelligent technique related to the optimization problem.
Many neurorobotic experiments require central pattern generators (CPGs) and motion primitives for the target robot, which have to be given prior to an experiment as building blocks. The creation of artificial neural networks, that produce the desired motions, is a tedious and time-consuming task. Also, rapidly varying motion patterns to test alternative motions is difficult due to the rigid nature of the usually hardwired networks. To overcome this problem, a novel network architecture is introduced that allows to capture motions directly from demonstrated movements on the robot hardware. The demonstrated motion patterns are stored in the activation dynamics of the network, instead of in the synaptic weights. This allows the rapid creation and modification of neural CPGs for various - even complex - motions directly on the robot. With a simple adaptation method, the activation dynamics representing the captured motions can also be used to determine synaptic weights to create fixed, reusable neural building blocks. The applicability of the proposed neural network architecture is demonstrated by generating two arm motions for a humanoid robot by demonstration. The successful applications show that the neural motion capturing approach is a useful method to generate CPGs for neurorobotic experiments.
The refugee crisis that emerged in 2015 was considered to be one of the worst political and humanitarian disasters and the huge influx of immigrants that arrived in Europe caused collective concerns among the receiving countries. The general attitude towards immigrants in Germany has been positive for years but the Syrian crisis prompted the German policies to become more lenient towards the refugees. Therefore, this paper analyzes Germany’s policy shift towards refugees after 2015 and examines the reasons behind the positive stance towards immigrants from the existing literature. The paper discusses the role of different factors ranging from economic, foreign policy considerations, ideological concerns to humanitarian values. In addition, this paper highlights the gaps in the literature and proposes directions for future research to comprehend German policies on immigrants. The research concludes with the findings that humanitarian values and past experiences have played a crucial role in shaping Germany’s refugee policy during the European refugee crisis.
The article considers the conjugation of methods of technical - tactical and speed - strength training in various sports, including boxing. Some interaction between technical - tactical and speed - power training is revealed. The expediency of such training for girls and juniors who are engaged in boxing is substantiated. The purpose of the research is to study the influence of the combination of technical - tactical with speed - strength preparation in the training of girls and juniors. The task of the research is to determine the feasibility of using this method in the training of girls and juniors in boxing. Material and research methods: theoretical analysis of special and scientific literature, generalization of data, material of the Internet. Research results: the author analyzes innovative methods of improving technical and tactical training in boxing, such as the method of combining technical and tactical training with speed and strength training. The necessity of application of this method in training of girls of these age groups is revealed. The effectiveness of these trainings in combination with wave periodization in women and girls is proved. Data from studies on women, adolescent females, strength training of Western European and American specialists, as well as data from domestic scientists on strength training of gymnasts, wrestlers and other widows of sports have been observed. The author has identified the optimal loads for the simultaneous increase of technical - tactical and strength training. The advantage of such training in the wave-shaped speed - power load, which is adjusted from 30% - 85% of weight and different rest intervals of 1-8 minutes, depending on the training tasks, which can take place up to 5 times a week with daily change of muscle groups , with a progressive load of 5-10% for 8-24 weeks. Conclusions, such universal methods of combining technical and tactical training with speed and strength training in one training session, with which it is possible to simultaneously increase the level of TTP and speed - strength qualities depending on the stages of long - term training of girls boxers, will be relevant in this age group.
Conspicuous vegetation entities of pedogenic soils rich in cadmium and their diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable Cd content (DCd) under the temperate continental and Mediterranean climatic conditions of western Anatolia were determined. Foliage of herbaceous plants and nearby soil samples was collected from 51 zinc mining areas. DCd content was found to reach 11.6%-16.2% of the total Cd content, indicating more extractability than in many other heavy metals. Growth chamber and nursery experiments were conducted with the seeds collected. Dactylis glomerata and Galium tenuissimum subsp. tenuissimum, both common in grazing lands, were found to be accumulating 23.5 mg Cd kg-1 and 22.3 mg Cd kg-1 dry matter, respectively, which are highly phytotoxic levels. Thlaspi praecox, known as a Cd-hyperaccumulating plant species, could not be successfully introduced into the Cd-rich mining soils under controlled conditions, suggesting genetic variation or inability to adapt. Volunteer species under controlled conditions included Poa bulbosa and Plantago lanceolata, both of which were potential Cd-hyperaccumulating candidates. Silene aegyptiaca and Silene vulgaris were other species commonly found around zinc mines and they were grown under controlled conditions without difficulty. However, Cd concentrations in the above-ground tissues of all species mentioned above were not over the 100 mg kg-1 dry matter threshold value for hyperaccumulating cadmium.
The issue of whether auditor fees affect auditor independence has been extensively debated by regulators, investors, investment professionals, auditors, and researchers. The revised Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requirements that resulted from the implementation of the Sarbanes‐Oxley Act (2002) limit nonaudit services (NAS) and mandate NAS fee disclosure. The SEC's requirements are based on the argument that auditor independence could be impaired—and hence audit quality may be reduced—when auditors become economically dependent on their clients or audit their own work. Economic bonding leads to reduced independence, which can lead to reduced audit quality. We study a sample of firms sanctioned by the SEC for fraudulent financial reporting in Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Releases (SEC‐sanctioned fraud firms) and examine whether there is a relationship between auditor fee variables and the likelihood of being sanctioned by the SEC for fraud. We use SEC sanction as a measure of audit quality that has not previously been used in the auditor fee literature and is more precise than some of the other proxies used for flawed financial/auditor reporting. We find, in univariate tests, that fraud firms paid significantly higher (total, audit, and NAS) fees. However, in multivariate tests, when controlling for other fraud determinants and endogeneity among the fraud, NAS, and audit fee variables, we find that while NAS fees and total fees are positively and significantly related to the likelihood of being sanctioned by the SEC for fraud, audit fees are not. These findings suggest that higher NAS fees may cause economic bonding, thereby leading to reduced audit quality. Our findings of significantly higher NAS fees and total fees in fraud firms hold after controlling for latent size effects and other rigorous testing. These results contribute to the literature that examines the SEC's concerns regarding NAS and can be used by policy makers for additional consideration.
1. The genus Arcypteris Underw. (Dictyopteris Presl sensu Pee) is maintained as different from Tectaria Cav. and redefined. It is considered very closely related to Pleocnemia Presl. 2. Four species are recognized. 3. The following new combinations are made: Arcypteris irregularis (Presl) Holttum (basinym: Polypodium irregulare Presl), A. macrodonta (Fee) Holttum (basi- nym: Dictyopteris macrodonta Presl ex Fee), A. brongniariii (Bory) Holttum (basinym: Polypodium brongniartii Bory), and A. gigantea (Ces.) Holttum (basinym: Nephrodium giganteum Ces.). 4s. Reductions to synonymy are: Aspidium difforme Blume to Arcypteris irre- gularis (Presl) Holtt., and Polypodium pteroides Presl to A. brongniartii (Bory) Holtt.
Compact, contracted Gaussian basis sets for halogen atoms are generated and tested in ab initio molecular calculations. These basis sets have similar structure to that of Huzinaga and co‐workers' (HTS) sets; however, they give both better atomic total energies and better properties of atomic valence orbitals. These sets, after splitting of valence orbitals and augmenting with polarization functions, provide molecular results that agree well with those given by extended calculations. Basis set superposition error (BSSE) is calculated using the counterpoise method. BSSE has only slight influence on calculated equilibrium geometry, shape of potential curve, and electric properties (dipole and quadrupole moments) of molecules. However, atomization energies may be significantly changed by the BSSE.
The Romanian military education system, like other military and civilian educational systems worldwide, has been affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Sanitary measures such as lockdowns and the need to respect social distancing have had profound implications on the education process, such as the need to move the classes in hybrid and online formats, depending on national regulations and the severity of the outbreak in various countries and regions. The aim of this paper is to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of online compared to regular military education, with particular focus on the Romanian military education system. The pandemic has highlighted numerous failures in the current educational system, some of them specific to the online education (such as lack of training for teachers in designing online courses, lack of training for students on using e-learning technology) and some more general, related to the educational system itself (such as a lack of foresight and strategy related to e-learning, whose implementation had to be done on emergency basis, with the associated problems). At the same time, the COVID 19 pandemic has brought to the public and decision maker's attention the undeniable advantages of e-learning, both in the civilian and military education systems. In the second chapter, the paper offers potential solutions and forward steps into implementing online procedures, techniques and tools to further develop online education and training in the field of military education that could be of use in a post pandemic world. The main conclusion of the paper is that digitalization is a priority in a globalized world and online education as part of it has expanded to the circumstances of the Covid-19 crisis. The Romanian military education system should strive to correlate the needs of students, teaching staffs and institutions and to integrate the resulting effects will lead to a more innovative and effective driven learning process.
The present complex nature of market has created sturdy challenges before the business world in the form of designing right product, right price, right placement and right promotion. In order to survive and thrive, a marketer has to focus on these challenges. Amongst, right product is most crucial which requires good and feasible ideas in all industries including life insurance. In fact, life insurance is perceived as an unsought and complicated financial product in India. The present paper is a humble attempt to examine the sources of new life insurance product ideas in LIC of India. The findings of the present study include the sources into six groups such as key stakeholders, workforce, organizational documents and other sources, research unit, competitors, and national and international source. It may be noticed the key stakeholders like Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, actuary, top management, and policyholders play vital role in providing ideas in the new product development process of LIC of India.
OBJECTIVE To detect pathological variants of the SLC12A3 gene in a Chinese pedigree affected with Gitelman syndrome (GS).   METHODS Clinical data and peripheral blood samples of the proband and his family members were collected. All exons of the SLC12A3 gene were amplified by PCR and subjected to Sanger sequencing.   RESULTS Sanger sequencing has revealed that the proband has carried a c.486_489 delTACG (p.Ile162Met fs*8) deletion and a heterozygous c.2890C>T (p.Arg964Trp) missense variant in the SLC12A3 gene. Neither variant was reported previously and was not found among healthy controls.   CONCLUSION The c.486_489delTACG (p.Ile162Met fs*8) and c.2890C>T (p.Arg964Trp) variants of the SLC12A3 gene probably underlay the GS in the proband. Above discovery has enriched the variant spectrum of GS.
The main purpose of tolerance charting is to determine the optimal allocation of working dimensions and working tolerances such that the blueprint dimensions and tolerances can be achieved to accomplish the cost objectives. The selection of machining datum and allocation of tolerances are critical in any machining process planning as they directly affect any setup methods/machine tools selection and machining time. In order to reduce the machining time and cost, an optimum process plan should be designed. Due to the existence of intermediate machining operation, a large number of intermediate part features may be used as the datum for the machining of others. This paper mainly focuses on the selection of optimum machining datums and machining tolerances simultaneously in process planning. In this work, an optimisation model is formulated for selecting machining datum and tolerances and implemented with an evolutionary algorithm namely differential evolution (DE).
The objective of this paper is to establish some new generating relations involving the generalized hypergeometric function and the generalized confluent hypergeometric function by mainly applying Taylor’s theorem. Due to their very general nature, the main results can be shown to be specialized to yield a large number of new, interesting and useful generating relations involving the Gauss hypergeometric function and its related functions. Mathematics Subject Classification: 65A05, 33C45, 44A15
PURPOSE Intralumbar methotrexate is one of the primary therapeutic modalities for the prevention and treatment of meningeal leukemia. However, methotrexate distribution to the ventricles is limited and highly variable following intralumbar dosing, and cytotoxic concentrations of methotrexate are not always achieved or sustained in the ventricular CSF. We used a nonhuman primate model to determine the effect of body position on the caudal distribution of an intralumbar dose of methotrexate.   METHODS Methotrexate (1.0 mg) was administered by intralumbar injection to four animals, which were then immediately placed either in an upright sitting position or in a prone position for 1 hour, then upright. Each animal served as its own control and was studied in each position on at least one occasion.   RESULTS The mean peak ventricular methotrexate concentration was 0.12 mumol/L (range, 0.091 to 0.20) in animals that were immediately placed upright, compared with 2.81 mumol/L (range, 0.21 to 8.9) in animals that remained prone for 1 hour. The mean area under the concentration-versus-time curves (AUC) was 0.51 mumol/L.h (range, 0.26 to 1.1) in the upright animals and 12.0 mumol/L.h (range, 0.9 to 35.4) in the prone animals.   CONCLUSION Maintaining a prone position for 1 hour after an intralumbar dose increased the peak methotrexate concentration and drug exposure in ventricular CSF. CSF drug distribution following intralumbar therapy can be influenced by body position after the injection.
Using comprehensive data from the Finnish stock market, we assess the explanatory value of the three most commonly cited explanations for the disposition effect: prospect theory, belief in mean reversion, and escalation of commitment. In general, the results provide evidence for the presence of the disposition effect. More importantly, the effect appears to be significantly more pronounced when investors are personally responsible for the initial investment decision. This finding suggests that investor behavior is influenced above all by self-justificatory concerns, an interpretation that is consistent with the escalation of commitment-based explanation of the disposition effect. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices offer diabetes patients a convenient approach to assist in controlling blood glucose levels. A prototype CGM has been developed that uses the emission profile of a polarity‐sensitive fluorophore (acrylodan) conjugated to a glucose/galactose‐binding protein (SM4‐AC) to measure the concentration of glucose in vivo. During development, a decrease in the devices signal intensity was observed in vivo over time, which was postulated to be result of oxidative degradation of SM4‐AC. A comprehensive physicochemical analysis of SM4‐AC was pursued to identify potential mechanisms of signal intensity loss in this CGM during in vitro forced oxidation studies. An assessment of the structural integrity and conformational stability of SM4‐AC indicated a relatively decreased polarity and lower tertiary structure stability compared to unconjugated protein (SM4). The stability and polarity of SM4‐AC was also altered in the presence of H2O2. Furthermore, a time‐dependent loss in the fluorescence signal of SM4‐AC was observed when incubated with H2O2. An LC‐MS peptide mapping analysis of these protein samples indicated that primarily two Met residues in SM4‐AC were susceptible to oxidation. When these two residues were genetically altered to an amino acid not prone to oxidation, the glucose binding ability of the protein was retained and no loss of acrylodan fluorescence was observed in the presence of H2O2. Genetic alteration of these two residues is proposed as an effective approach to increase the long‐term stability of SM4‐AC within this prototype CGM in vivo.
The development of television broadcasting in Europe is outlined, with particular reference to the circumstances in which operation in the UHF band was introduced. The principles of frequency-assignment planning, together with their application in the case of UHF television, are then described. Attention is drawn to the factors taken into account in the preparation of an internationally agreed frequency-assignment plan for the UHF band, making provision for full national coverage of at least three television program services in each European country. Next follows a description of the present situation, based on a table showing the changes in the principal characteristics of 46 television program services in Western Europe occurring during the period 1970-1980. It is emphasized that UHF operation is now an integral part of the European broadcasting scene, and that in two major countries viewing of UHF transmissions is predominant. After a description of the use of UHF rebroadcast networks as an economical means of extending coverage in mountainous areas, the most likely developments concerning UHF television in Europe during the next few years are reviewed.
IMPORTANCE There is a need for more effective pharmacotherapy for chronic pain, including pain in inherited erythromelalgia (IEM) in which gain-of-function mutations of sodium channel NaV1.7 make dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons hyperexcitable.   OBJECTIVE To determine whether pain in IEM can be attenuated via pharmacotherapy guided by genomic analysis and functional profiling.   DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Pain in 2 patients with IEM due to the NaV1.7 S241T mutation, predicted by structural modeling and functional analysis to be responsive to carbamazepine, was assessed in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted from September 2014 to April 21, 2015. Functional magnetic resonance imaging assessed patterns of brain activity associated with pain during treatment with placebo or carbamazepine. Multielectrode array technology was used to assess the effect of carbamazepine on firing of DRG neurons carrying S241T mutant channels.   MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Behavioral assessment of pain; functional magnetic resonance imaging; and assessment of firing in DRG neurons carrying S241T mutant channels.   RESULTS This study included 2 patients from the same family with IEM and the S241T NaV1.7 mutation. We showed that, as predicted by molecular modeling, thermodynamic analysis, and functional profiling, carbamazepine attenuated pain in patients with IEM due to the S241T NaV1.7 mutation. Patient 1 reported a reduction in mean time in pain (TIP) per day during the 15-day maintenance period, from 424 minutes while taking placebo to 231.9 minutes while taking carbamazepine (400 mg/day), and a reduction in total TIP over the 15-day maintenance period, from 6360 minutes while taking placebo to 3015 minutes while taking carbamazepine. Patient 2 reported a reduction in mean TIP per day during the maintenance period, from 61 minutes while taking placebo to 9.1 minutes while taking carbamazepine (400 mg then 200 mg/day), and a reduction in total TIP, from 915 minutes while taking placebo over the 15-day maintenance period to 136 minutes while taking carbamazepine. Patient 1 reported a reduction of mean episode duration, from 615 minutes while taking placebo to 274.1 minutes while taking carbamazepine, while patient 2 reported a reduction of the mean episode duration from 91.5 minutes while taking placebo to 45.3 minutes while taking carbamazepine. Patient 1, who had a history of night awakenings from pain, reported 101 awakenings owing to pain while taking placebo during the maintenance period and 32 awakenings while taking carbamazepine. Attenuation of pain was paralleled by a shift in brain activity from valuation and pain areas to primary and secondary somatosensory, motor, and parietal attention areas. Firing of DRG neurons expressing the S241T NaV1.7 mutant channel in response to physiologically relevant thermal stimuli was reduced by carbamazepine.   CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our results demonstrate that pharmacotherapy guided by genomic analysis, molecular modeling, and functional profiling can attenuate neuropathic pain in patients carrying the S241T mutation.
Time-resolved photoluminescence data are reported on InP thin films transferred on glass substrates. The films were kept below 1.1 /spl mu/m in thickness to reduce the photon recycling effect. The data were taken by means of the time-correlated single photon counting technique. The thin films were grown by the liquid phase epitaxial process. The lower doped n-type samples showed evidence of Shockley-Read-Hall recombination. For higher electron densities, the lifetime is found to be controlled by the radiative recombination process. An estimate of the radiative recombination coefficient, B, was made in terms of the photon recycling factor.<<ETX>>
Calculating the electronic structure of systems involving very different length scales presents a challenge. Empirical atomistic descriptions such as pseudopotentials or tight-binding models allow one to calculate the effects of atomic placements, but the computational burden increases rapidly with the size of the system, limiting the ability to treat weakly bound extended electronic states. Here we propose a new method to connect atomistic and quasi-continuous models, thus speeding up tight-binding calculations for large systems. We divide a structure into blocks consisting of several unit cells which we diagonalize individually. We then construct a tight-binding Hamiltonian for the full structure using a truncated basis for the blocks, ignoring states having large energy eigenvalues and retaining states with energies close to the band edge energies. A numerical test using a GaAs/AlAs quantum well shows the computation time can be decreased to less than 5% of the full calculation with errors of less than 1%. We give data for the trade-offs between computing time and loss of accuracy. We also tested calculations of the density of states for a GaAs/AlAs quantum well and find a ten times speedup without much loss in accuracy.
Abstract The timings of emergence at dusk and return at dawn of a colony of frugivorous bats Rousettus leschenaulti, roosting in a temple ruin of the Lonar crater (19.97°N, 76.52°E), were investigated at 10-day intervals for one year. The onset of emergence occurred about 18 min after sunset throughout the year irrespective of the prevailing light intensity or temperature but the end of returning activity occurred at a fixed light intensity of about 4 lux irrespective of the time of sunrise or prevailing temperature. Apparently, the evening oscillator controlling the onset of emergence was set by the sunset, i.e. the lights-off stimulus of the natural light – dark cycles, while the morning oscillator controlling the end of activity was set by a certain invariant threshold intensity of the dawn twilight.
A plankton-fish model, comprising phosphorus, algae, zooplankton, and young fish, with light intensity and water temperature varying periodically with the seasons, is analyzed in this paper. For realistic values of the parameters the model behaves chaotically, but its dynamics within the strange attractor can be described by a few one-dimensional maps that allow one to forecast the next yearly peak of plankton or fish from the last peaks. This property is an unambiguous mark of a special form of chaos. Unfortunately, the estimate of such peak-to-peak maps from field data is possible only if plankton or young fish biomass has been sampled accurately and frequently for a paramount number of years. In conclusion, the analysis shows that it might be that plankton dynamics are characterized by an interesting and peculiar form of chaos, but that inferences from recorded data on the existence of these forms of chaos are premature.
We investigated the reactive uptake of NO3, N2O5, NO2, HNO3, and O3 on three types of solid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using a coated wall flow tube reactor coupled to a chemical ionization mass spectrometer. The PAH surfaces studied were the 4-ring systems pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, and fluoranthene. Reaction of NO3 radicals with all three PAHs was observed to be very fast with the reactive uptake coefficient, gamma, ranging from 0.059 (+0.11/-0.049) for benz[a]anthracene at 273 K to 0.79 (+0.21/-0.67) for pyrene at room temperature. In contrast to the NO3 reactions, reactions of the different PAHs with the other gas-phase species (N2O5, NO2, HNO3, and O3) were at or below the detection limit (gamma <or= 6.6 x 10(-5)) in all cases, illustrating that these reactions are at best slow. For NO3 we also investigated the time dependence of the reactive uptake to determine if the surface-bound PAH molecules were active participants in the reaction (i.e., reactants). Reaction of NO3 on all three PAH surfaces slowed down at 263 K after long NO3 exposure times, suggesting that the PAH molecules were reactants. Additionally, NO2 and HNO3 were identified as major gas-phase products. Our results show that under certain atmospheric conditions, NO3 radicals can be a more important sink for PAHs than NO2, HNO3, N2O5, or O3 and impact tropospheric lifetimes of surface-bound PAHs.
Objective: The study aimed to find out the factors associated with hip fracture among elderly adults in Erbil City.Methods: The present case-control study conducted among elderly participants in two governmental hospitals and Geriatric Home in Erbil City of Kurdistan Region of Iraq from 8th of March to 3rd of August 2016. The study participants included elderly with more than and equal to 60 years old, both genders, conscious, with hip fractured (50 for case group) and without hip fracture (50 for control group). The control was matched to cases in age, gender and falling cause of hip fracture. The Questioner was designed as a tool of data collection and consisted of two main parts, socio-demographic characteristics and anthropometric measurements and risk factors assessment of hip fracture. Data was collected through direct interview. The data was analyzed through using statistical application (SPSS V. 23) which included descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of frequency, percentage, odds ratio, confidence interval and Chi-square test.Results: Most of the study sample in both case and control groups were illiterate, married, keeping house, from urban area. There is highly significant association between case-control groups regarding Osteoporosis, Arthritis, Sleep disturbance, Use of medication such as sedative-hypnotic, anxiolytic, anti-depressive, antihypertensive drugs, Stroke, Hypertension, knee osteoarthritis, history of hip fracture, Body Mass Index, Visual impairment, Lower limb dysfunction, Functional limitations, Low taking Milk and Calcium intake, low Sun exposure, Heavy Smoking, Eating fishless than twice a week, and Sports or physical exercise less than 4 times per a week. The Odds Ratio of all of above risk factors among study participants in both case and control groups is in increased associated risk with hip fracture among elderly adults starting from 11.385 to 2.447 times of risk.Conclusions: The highest risk factors that associated with increasing occurrence of hip fracture are Osteoporosis and taking less than 1000 mg of milk and calcium in the food per day.Recommendations: The study recommends beginning hip fracture prevention in early adult life, starting by assessing risk factors and working to keep them low.KUFA JOURNAL FOR NURSING SCIENCES Vol. 6 No. 3 Sep. through Dec. 201654
The AGATA is a shell detector for gamma-ray spectroscopy. At the present stage of the project the AGATA collaboration is running an AGATA-demonstrator, which is a small part (only 12 Germanium crystals) of the future full AGATA spectrometer (180 crystals). The AGATA-demonstrator is producing a huge amount of raw-data with a high throughput. This paper focuses on the economics study regarding various options of data storage for the AGATA spectrometer. We discuss the raw-data storage requirements on the demonstrator and the forecasted storage size requirements for the full AGATA spectrometer. We also analyze the data communication requirements. The case study focuses in costs analysis of three options: a dedicated storage, a Grid storage and a Cloud storage service. In this manner, we explain how a huge size mass storage can be affordable, and why the costs savings depends more in the particularity of the problems than in general estimations. The results show a lower total costs for the Grid option.
Abstract We examined fish distribution and abundance in erosional habitat units in South Fork Roanoke River, Virginia, following a fish kill by using a reachwide sampling approach for 3 species and a representative-reach sampling approach for 10 species. Qualitative (presence–absence) and quantitative (relative abundance) estimates of distribution and abundance provided consistent measures of fish recovery for 2 of 3 species at the reachwide scale and 8 of 10 species at the representative-reach scale. Combining results across scales and estimator types showed that distributions and abundances of 5 of 11 species in the Teach affected by the kill were similar to those observed in unaffected upstream and downstream reaches 8–11 months following the perturbation. Differences in distribution and abundance between the affected Teach and unaffected reaches indicate that 4 of 11 species had not fully recovered during the same time period; results were equivocal for 2 other species. We attribute differences in rec...
Dense poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm) brushes were created on silica bead surfaces by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Interfacial properties of PIPAAm brushes were characterized by thermoresponisve interaction with biomolecules. The grafted amounts of PIPAAm on silica bead surfaces exceeded that from previously reported polymer-hydrogel-modified silica beads prepared by conventional radical polymerization by nearly 1 order of magnitude. Temperature-dependent chromatographic interactions with soluble analytes were modulated by changing the grafted PIPAAm chain lengths. Short PIPAAm-grafted silica beads produce insufficient dehydration and chain aggregation to separate steroids using weak hydrophobic interactions. In contrast, broad unresolved peaks were observed on silica beads column grafted with long PIPAAm chains due to steroid partitioning into thick, densely grafted PIPAAm brush layers. Thus, silica beads column grafted with PIPAAm chains of proper length can demonstrate baseline separation of steroids with relatively high resolution among the tested columns. Relatively longer retention times for steroid analytes were observed on all columns compared to those previously reported for other PIPAAm-grafted silica beads. This indicates that densely PIPAAm-grafted chains enable control of strong hydrophobic interactions with steroids by changing the column temperature. Densely grafted PIPAAm columns were also successful in separating two peptides into two peaks as the column temperature was increased to 40 degrees C. This provides an effective separation alternative for peptides using substantial hydrophobicity without modification of hydrophobic surfaces and/or low mobile phase pH. In conclusion, densely PIPAAm-grafted surfaces exhibit strong, reversible temperature-modulated hydrophobic interactions, facilitating baseline separations of steroids and peptides in aqueous milieu without changes in the mobile phase pH and high ionic strength.
The propagation of viruses in a growing plaque has been measured using a digital image acquisition and analysis system. Plaques of phage T7 incubated at 37 degrees C and illuminated against a dark field emerged as dark growing spots against a background of host bacteria. Images of the growth were acquired using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera at 1-h intervals over 24 h. The first 10 h of plaque development coincided with rapid growth of the agar-immobilized Escherichia coli host, measured as a reduction in gray value. Following this period, the average radial velocity of plaque growth remained constant at 0.059 mm/h while the standard deviation about this velocity increased. These results suggest the suitability of the system for spatially resolving the dynamics of viral evolution during plaque growth. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
It is not easy to identify and classify low-amplitude variables, but it is important that the classification is done correctly. We use photometry and spectroscopy to classify low-amplitude variables in a 246 deg2 part of the Akerlof et al. field. Akerlof and Collaborators found that 38% of the RR Lyrae stars in their 2000 deg2 test field were RR1 (type c). This suggests that these RR Lyrae stars belong to an Oosterhoff Type II population, while their period distribution is primarily Oosterhoff Type I. Our observations support their RR0 (type ab) classifications; however, six of the seven stars that they classified as RR1 (type c) are eclipsing binaries. Our classifications are supported by spectroscopic metallicities, line-broadening, and Galactic rotation measurements. Our 246 deg2 field contains 16 RR Lyrae stars that are brighter than mR = 14.5; only four of these are RR1 (type c). This corresponds to an Oosterhoff Type I population in agreement with the period distribution.
Risky sexual behavior increases the likelihood of adverse sexual and reproductive health consequences such as unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortion, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including (HIV/AIDS). Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia are highly exposed to various risky sexual behaviors. The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude of risky sexual behaviors among Boditti Secondary and Preparatory School adolescents. A school based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 9 to April 27, 2013 among a random sample of 508 students in Boditti Secondary and Preparatory School, Boditti town, Wolayta zone, South Ethiopia. Of 508 students surveyed, 29.1% (148); 95% confidence interval (CI) [25.2, 33.3] were sexually active. About 20.5% (104); 95%CI [17.9, 24.2] and 8.7% (44), 95%CI [6.4, 11.5] of the students had committed sex with more than one sexual partner in their life time and in six months prior to the survey, respectively. Concerning the frequency of condom use, 69%; 95%CI [59.0, 77.9] used condom with casual friends inconsistently or never. Overall, 17.9% (91); 95%CI [14.7, 21.5] were engaged in risky sexual practice for HIV. Peer pressure and need of money were the major reasons cited to have influenced adolescents’ sexual activities. Student’s age, living arrangement, previous HIV test experience and grade level were independent predictors of risky sexual behavior. Significant numbers of students were engaged in risky sexual behavior. Strengthening sexual education to the target groups could help reduce the consequences of risky sexual behaviors.           Key words:  Magnitude, risky sexual behavior, high school, students.
This document describes the design and implementation of TRAINS-96, a prototype mixed-initiative planning assistant system. The TRAINS-96 system helps a human manager solve routing problems in a simple transportation domain. It interacts with the human using spoken, typed, and graphical input and generates spoken output and graphical map displays. The key to TRAINS-96 is that it treats the interaction with the user as a dialogue in which each participant can do what they do best. The TRAINS-96 system is intended as both a demonstration of the feasibility of realistic mixed-initiative planning and as a platform for future research. This document describes both the design of the system and such features of its use as might be useful for further experimentation. Further references and a comprehensive set of manual pages are also provided.
In this article, we deal with a class of projective Klingenberg planes constructed over a plural algebra of order m. Thanks to this, the incidence matrices for some special cases of the class are obtained. Next, the number of collineations of the certain classes are found. Besides, an example of a collineation for these classes are given. Finally, we achieve to carry the obtained results to more general case.
The distribution of parasites within host populations and communities, and the mechanisms responsible for these patterns, are poorly understood aspects of wildlife parasitology. Here, we evaluate the influence of the average abundance of endoparasite variance, using endoparasites of lizards from the Caatinga domain (semiarid region), north-eastern Brazil. We hypothesized that, due to the high number of generalist endoparasite species, they may occur randomly throughout host populations in an aggregate pattern. In addition, we evaluated the degree to which sample variance is influenced by the average abundance of endoparasite species, patterns of co-occurrence and dominance among endoparasite species and similarities between abundance and the richness of endoparasite infracommunities in several host species. Between September 2015 and February 2016, 2141 lizards (1233 infected) from 16 species were collected from six Caatinga areas. In total, 25,687 endoparasites were collected, which belonged to 13 species including nematodes, pentastomids, cestodes, trematodes and acanthocephalans. Parasite-host associations documented here included 39 newly identified interactions. Endoparasites occurred in a typical aggregate pattern of distribution within their hosts; there was no measurable preference related to the acquisition of hosts by endoparasites. Despite the new records, endoparasites found were commonly associated with lizards in Caatinga environments, which may reflect fauna composed of generalist endoparasite species.
It is crucial to study the components of attitudes to leisure because positive attitudes tend to be associated with greater engagement in leisure. The aim of this article was to develop and validate a short version of the Leisure Attitude Scale (Ragheb M. G., & Beard, J. G. (1982). Measuring leisure attitude. Journal of Leisure Research, 14(2), 155–167) and evaluate its psychometric properties. A total of 542 adolescents and young adults participated in this study. The Leisure Attitude Scale-Short Version (LAS-SV) showed good reliability and validity. The confirmatory factor analysis presented acceptable values and confirmed the factorial structure of Ragheb and Beard (1982).
1. Scheinfeld N, Mones J. Seasonal variation of transient acantholytic dyskeratosis (Grover’s disease). J Am Acad Dermatol 2006; 55: 263-8. 2. Errichetti E, De Francesco V, Pegolo E, Stinco G. Dermoscopy of Grover’s disease: variability according to histological subtype. J Dermatol 2016; 43: 937-9. 3. Errichetti E, Stinco G. Dermoscopy in general dermatology: a practical overview. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb) 2016; 6: 471-507. 4. Errichetti E, Stinco G, Lacarrubba F, Micali G. Dermoscopy of Darier’s disease. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2016; 30: 1392-4. 5. Grover RW. Transient acantholytic dermatosis. Arch Dermatol 1970; 101: 426-34. 6. Giacomel J, Zalaudek I, Argenziano G. Dermatoscopy of Grover’s disease and solitary acantholytic dyskeratoma shows a brown, star-like pattern. Australas J Dermatol 2012; 53: 315-6. 7. Sadayasu A, Maumi Y, Hayashi Y, et al. Dermoscopic features of a case of transient acantholytic dermatosis. Australas J Dermatol 2017; 58: 50-2.
room teachers and other school personnel in the planning of testing programs has been the selection of an achievement battery adequately measuring the outcomes of instruction. Classroom teachers in particular often complain about the inadequacy of a test battery with respect to their particular subject area. It is the purpose of this study to demonstrate the justification of the concern alluded to above and to show the results of an attempt to solve the problem. The study was conducted with the seventh grade students of an experimental school in South Florida. The subjects (N = 355) had a
In earlier work, we showed that a simple apposition compound eye can form the hardware basis for a new type of inertial navigation system, that can be used on micro air vehicles. One of the key properties of a simple apposition eye is that it is a low pass, spatial filter. This property had been shown in mathematical models based on Fourier optics for a single lens and single fiber system. However, a simple apposition compound eye usually consists of thousands of lenses called ommatidia. An important question that has not been studied is the effect the presence of multiple lenses have on the angular sensitivity, or in some other words, the bandwidth of the low pass, spatial filter. In this paper, we develop a Fourier optics model for a multiple lens, single-fiber system. We obtain expressions for the intensity distribution near the focus of a single lens due to the presence of neighboring lenses and for the angular sensitivity of the system. Numerical simulations show a less than 10 percent increase in the angular sensitivity, even when five or more lenses are considered to focus light on a single rhabdom in a worker bee and an artificial eye.
Several authors have defended the idea that social inequalities are a multidimensional phenomenon. Goran Therborn’s typology of three major dimensions – resource, vital and existential inequalities – are well known (2006). Each of these dimensions is produced by different drivers and processes, and in most cases they are systemically interconnected. Of course, in this era of economic and financial globalization, income and wealth are powerful drivers that are widening the gaps between countries and between individuals and social groups belonging to the same society (Piketty 2014). But similar trends are happening in respect of other types of resources, such as education, knowledge and technology.
High voltage differential probes are widely used for measurements in power electronics. For accurate measurements in power electronics, the use of probes with flat passband frequency response is indispensable. In this article we present a measurement method to evaluate the passband frequency response of a probe up to 10 MHz. We introduce an oscilloscope based setup, including a calibration procedure with a reference attenuator. Amplitude and phase estimation of the oscilloscope data is done with enhanced versions of the IEEE 1057 and 1251 sine-wave fit algorithms. The feasibility of the presented method is verified by a detailed uncertainty evaluation for the complex valued passband frequency response. The uncertainty assessment is done with two different methods, provided by the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) and the associated Supplement 2.
Designing, implementing and executing algorithms have become a relevant and important element in various fields. Public users and data researchers are interested in analysing and interpreting data with shorter execution time and higher performance. Cloud computing is an environment that provides scalable and high-end virtual resources to achieve high quality services. This paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of a framework for provisioning algorithms as a service in the cloud. This framework introduces solutions to help clients overcome different concerns and difficulties, such as looking for an appropriate algorithm, understanding algorithm source code, installing and configuring specific libraries, and achieving high algorithmic performance. The framework provides clients the possibility to discover available algorithms and/or deploy new algorithms over multiple scalable platforms. It also allows clients to analyse data, compare results, and measure algorithm's performance. A prototype implementation of the framework has been developed to demonstrate the feasibility of the solution. Evaluating results demonstrate that providing multiple scalability models and high-end web servers will improve algorithm performance and achieve availability and reliability using the framework.
Acute appendicitis is one of the most common surgical emergencies around the world. Some authors report that appendectomy has 8 to 11% complication rate depending on the technique used. Laparoscopic appendectomy has become the gold standard procedure as it is associated with a shorter length of stay, faster recovery and decreased complication rate. However, as laparoscopic procedures become more prevalent with the use of linear stapler, new complications are arising. We report a case of a laparoscopic appendectomy for an acute appendicitis, complicated postoperatively by a small bowel obstruction (SBO) from an internal hernia caused by an adhesion due to a retained loose staple. CASE REPORT
Character displacement is the process by which traits evolve in response to selection to lessen resource competition or reproductive interactions between species. Although character displacement has long been viewed as an important mechanism for enabling closely related species to coexist, the causes and consequences of character displacement have not been fully explored. Moreover, character displacement in traits associated with resource use (ecological character displacement) has been largely studied independently of that in traits associated with reproduction (reproductive character displacement). In this review, we underscore the commonalities of these two forms of character displacement and discuss how they interact. We focus on the causes of character displacement and explore how character displacement can have downstream effects ranging from speciation to extinction. In short, understanding how organisms respond to competitive and reproductive interactions with heterospecifics offers key insights into the evolutionary causes and consequences of species coexistence and diversification.
Analyzing the propeller aerodynamic performance is of vital importance for research and improvement of unmanned aerial vehicles. This paper presents the design requirements for a propeller for rotorcraft unmanned aerial vehicles and an analysis of a model for calculating propeller aerodynamic performance. Based on blade element momentum theory, the aerodynamic force of a blade element is analyzed and used. The symmetric airfoil NACA 0012 is used as an example to verify the validity of the model. An experimental system for propeller aerodynamic performance is designed and built to test the aerodynamic performance of six types of the propeller from a single manufacturer (APC). Data-processing software is also developed to draw curves and perform single-step calculations of three propellers’ parameters: airfoil resistance power, induced velocity, and efficiency. The results of the experiment indicate that both the thrust and torque of the propeller increase with rotational speed, propeller diameter, and propeller pitch. The research is of great significance to select more suitable propellers for unmanned aerial vehicles and the further improvement of the performance of unmanned aerial vehicles’ dynamical system.
The present 109 partial profiles are of the surface brightness of 69 globular clusters. All but two were determined by PDS microphotometry of electronic camera recordings. Some objects were recorded through UBV filters, while others were recorded more than once with the same filter (or none) for a check on consistency. For the outer regions (representing most of each cluster), the observed profiles agree well with the theoretical profiles of King (1966). For the core regions, however, there exist some clusters for which there is significant disagreement with the King profiles.
racy (Diamond and Plattner 1994), Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy Revisited (Diamond and Plattner 1993a), and The Global Resurgence of Democracy (Diamond and Plattner 1993b). Like the other books in this series, Economic Reform and Democracy is a collection of articles commissioned for a conference sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy, revised, printed in the journal, and finally reprinted in book form. Thus, this book, like the others in the series, was produced with an explicit ideological commitment to the promotion of democracy. This prodemocracy bias notwithstanding, the chapters in the book are without exception cautious in their claims, thorough in their examination of the evidence, and convincing in their modest conclusions.
Numerous Arabic manuscripts of the “Psalms of David” contain not the Biblical Psalms but Muslim compositions in the form of exhortations addressed by God to David. One rewritten version of Psalm 2 manipulates the form and content of the Biblical Psalms so as to highlight a conflict between the Christian and Muslim communities, and the incompatibility of their scriptural canons. Yet it also embraces the imagined idea of the Psalms of David, and incorporates elements of the Quran, ḥadīth, Islamic sermons, and Tales of the Prophets so as to highlight a division that cuts through both the Muslim and Christian communities, separating worldly believers from those who, like the shared figure of David, repent and pursue a life of otherworldly piety. This illustrates how sacred texts can serve as symbols of religious communities, especially in situations of conflict, and how apparently interreligious arguments can turn out to be intrareligious disputes. It shows how the content, form, and imagined identity of someone else’s sacred text can be used to manipulate the boundaries of textual canons and religious communities, and it demonstrates the need for both interreligious and intrareligious frames of reference in the comparative enterprise.
Abstract The paper presents the control architecture of the PENTROB reconfigurable parallel robot with five degrees of freedom, pointing out several ways of reducing the electric energy consumption. Based on the implicit functions which characterize the relation between the coordinates of the active joints and the end-effector pose, the control functions are determined. The control program of the robot is described, presenting the internal architecture of the software and hardware components together with the man-machine interface which provides four possibilities of controlling the robot. The energy consumption reduction is approached through several different ways: the use of an intelligent driver, the configuration of the driver using the advanced microstepping control technique.
Anyone familiar with the history of precolonial Southern Asia is well aware of Islamic narratives of conquest that describe the destruction of Indian temples and the erection of mosques in their place. Narratives about the conversion of major sacred centers, such as Somanātha and Ayodhyā, continue to be used to mobilize communal sentiments fueled by the colonialist idea of the Oriental despot. In recent years scholars have begun actively rethinking the historiography of many key encounters during the critical period of sultanate expansion in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries ce. Architectural historians, in particular, have been actively re-evaluating both the changes in built form brought about by conquest and the complicated cultural interactions that were fostered by the redistribution of authority and resettlement of people. Excellent studies of major political and trading centers have produced newly revised interpretive frameworks that transcend monolithic understandings of Hindu-Muslim interaction. Much less is known, however, about how sultanate expansions affected areas that were located in the periphery of the state—in places considered unworthy of mention in the courtly chronicles recording conquest, but that remained of critical importance for consolidating authority at the local level. The stretch of north and central India that was incorporated within Delhi’s administrative state during this period was vast, and many remote sites remain undocumented and virtually unknown even among specialists in the field. This article examines how the expansion of political authority during this period resulted in the deliberate transformation and reuse of architectural materials in one such remote place, a village today known as Kadwāhā (Guna District, Madhya Pradesh), which falls within the southern edge of the ancient region of Gopaks ̇ etra, to the south of Gwalior and west of Jhansi (Fig. 1). Although little known among scholars today, Kadwāhā was a site of local significance as a major religious center that was actively patronized by kings ruling at Chanderi and Narwar. Not only was Kadwāhā an important temple center containing the remains of no
Amide-linked spiropyran-anthraquinone (SP-AQ) conjugates were shown to mediate ZnTPPS(4-)-photosensitized transmembrane reduction of occluded Co(bpy)3(3+) within unilamellar phosphatidylcholine vesicles by external EDTA. Overall quantum yields for these reactions were dependent upon the isomeric state of the dye; specifically, 30-35% photoconversion of the closed-ring spiropyran (SP) moiety to the open-ring merocyanine (MC) form caused the quantum yield to decrease by 6-fold in the simple conjugate and 3-fold for an analogue containing a lipophilic 4-dodecylphenoxy substituent on the anthraquinone moiety. Transient spectroscopic and fluorescence quenching measurements revealed that two factors contributed to these photoisomerization-induced changes in quantum yields: increased efficiencies of fluorescence quenching of 1ZnTPPS4- by the merocyanine group and lowered transmembrane diffusion rates of the merocyanine-containing redox carriers. Transient spectrophotometry also revealed the sequential formation and decay of two reaction intermediates, identified as 3ZnTPPS4- and a species with the optical properties of a semiquinone radical. Kinetic profiles for Co(bpy)3(3+) reduction under continuous photolysis in the presence and absence of added ionophores indicated that transmembrane redox mediated by SP-AQ was electroneutral, but reaction by the other quinone-containing mediators was electrogenic. The minimal reaction mechanism suggested from the combined studies is oxidative quenching of vesicle-bound 3ZnTPPS4- by the anthraquinone unit, followed by either H+/e- cotransport by transmembrane diffusion of SP-AQH* or, for the other redox mediators, semiquinone anion-quinone electron exchange leading to net transmembrane electron transfer, with subsequent one-electron reduction of the internal Co(bpy)3(3+). Thermal one-electron reduction of Co(bpy)3(3+) by EDTA is energetically unfavorable; the photosensitized reaction therefore occurs with partial conversion of photonic energy to chemical and transmembrane electrochemical potentials.
The current fluctuations of a driven resistor-inductor-diode circuit are investigated here looking for signatures of critical behavior monitored by the driving frequency. The experimentally obtained time series of the voltage drop across the resistor (as directly proportional to the current flowing through the circuit) were analyzed by means of the method of critical fluctuations in analogy to thermal critical systems. Intermittent criticality was revealed for a critical frequency band signifying the transition between the normal rectifier phase in the low frequencies and a full-wave conducting, capacitorlike phase in the high frequencies. The transition possesses critical characteristics with a characteristic exponent p_{l}=1.65. A fractal analysis in terms of the rescale range (R/RSS) and detrended fluctuation analysis methods yielded results fully compatible with the critical dynamics analysis. Suggestions for the interpretation of the observed behavior in terms of p-n junction operation are discussed.
Wheat is an important staple in human nutrition and improvement of its grain   quality characters will have high impact on population's health. The   objectives of this study were assessing variation of some grain quality   characteristics in the Iranian wheat genotypes and identify the best type of   data and clustering method for grouping genotypes. In this study 30 spring   wheat genotypes were cultivated through randomized complete block design with   three replications in 2009 and 2010 years. High significant difference among   genotypes for all traits except for Sulfate, K, Br and Cl content, also   deference among two years mean for all traits were no significant. Meanwhile   there were significant interaction between year and genotype for all traits   except Sulfate and F content. Mean values for crude protein, Zn, Fe and Ca in   Mahdavi, Falat, Star, Sistan genotypes were the highest. The Ca and Br   content showed the highest and the lowest broadcast heritability   respectively. In this study indicated that the Root Mean Square Standard   Deviation is efficient than R Squared and R Squared efficient than Semi   Partial R Squared criteria for determining the best clustering technique.   Also Ward method and canonical scores identified as the best clustering   method and data type for grouping genotypes, respectively. Genotypes were   grouped into six completely separate clusters and Roshan, Niknejad and Star   genotypes from the fourth, fifth and sixth clusters had high grain quality   characters in overall.
The aim of this study was evaluated the effects of total rainfall, rainfall intensity and antecedent dry days and identify the correlation analysis with the EMC removal efficiency, in order to provide an understanding of the operation and maintenance factors of constructed wetland in flood pumping station. This study was conducted total of 20 monitoring in a catchment(326.2 ha) of constructed wetland in Ga-un flood pumping station located at the downstream of the Wang-suk stream. The determined EMC removal efficiencies were 36.04±9.45% for BOD, 38.50±13.50% for CODMn, 34.34±13.05% for TN and 34.22±14.27% for TP, respectively. These results showed that the pollutants concentration and EMC were reduced while passing through the constructed wetland. In the correlation analysis, the highly correlations with EMC removal efficiency of BOD and CODMn were observed for total rainfall and rainfall intensity (P<0.05). However, the correlations were not found with TN and TP for rainfall variables.
The need for developing real disease-modifying drugs against neurodegenerative syndromes, particularly Alzheimer’s disease (AD), shifted research towards reliable drug discovery strategies to unveil clinical candidates with higher therapeutic efficacy than single-targeting drugs. By following the multi-target approach, we designed and synthesized a novel class of dual acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors through the decoration of the 2H-chromen-2-one skeleton. Compounds bearing a propargylamine moiety at position 3 displayed the highest in vitro inhibitory activities against MAO-B. Within this series, derivative 3h emerged as the most interesting hit compound, being a moderate AChE inhibitor (IC50 = 8.99 µM) and a potent and selective MAO-B inhibitor (IC50 = 2.8 nM). Preliminary studies in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell lines demonstrated its low cytotoxicity and disclosed a promising neuroprotective effect at low doses (0.1 µM) under oxidative stress conditions promoted by two mitochondrial toxins (oligomycin-A and rotenone). In a Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK)II-MDR1 cell-based transport study, Compound 3h was able to permeate the BBB-mimicking monolayer and did not result in a glycoprotein-p (P-gp) substrate, showing an efflux ratio = 0.96, close to that of diazepam.
This paper critically evaluates the recasting of the European Insolvency Regulation - Regulation (EU) 2015/848 - in the context of the EU Europe 2020 growth strategy. According to the Council of Ministers, through the protection of creditors and the survival of business, the new legislation should contribute to the preservation of employment in these challenging times. The paper argues that worthwhile improvements have been made by extending the scope of the regulation; clarifying and confirming contentious areas of interpretation; smoothening the inter-relationship between main and secondary insolvency proceedings and improving information flows. But the overall effect is to enhance complexity. The recast Regulation carries the whiff of political compromise and, at times, seems to point in different directions at the same time.
The dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) receives more noradrenergic terminals than any other medullary nucleus; few studies, however, have examined the effects of norepinephrine (NE) on DMV neurons. Using whole cell recordings in thin slices, we determined the effects of NE on identified gastric-projecting DMV neurons. Twenty-five percent of DMV neurons were unresponsive to NE, whereas the remaining 75% responded to NE with either an excitation (49%), an inhibition (26%), or an inhibition followed by an excitation (4%). Antrum/pylorus- and corpus-projecting neurons responded to NE with a similar percentage of excitatory (49 and 59%, respectively) and inhibitory (20% for both groups) responses. A lower percentage of excitatory (37%) and a higher percentage of inhibitory (36%) responses were, however, observed in fundus-projecting neurons. In all groups, pretreatment with prazosin or phenylephrine antagonized or mimicked the NE-induced excitation, respectively. Pretreatment with yohimbine or UK-14304 antagonized or mimicked the NE-induced inhibition, respectively. These data suggest that NE depolarization is mediated by alpha(1)-adrenoceptors, whereas NE hyperpolarization is mediated by alpha(2)-adrenoceptors. In 16 neurons depolarized by NE, amplitude of the action potential afterhyperpolarization (AHP) and its kinetics of decay (tau) were significantly reduced vs. control. No differences were found on the amplitude and tau of AHP in neurons hyperpolarized by NE. Using immunohistochemical techniques, we found that the distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase fibers within the DMV was significantly different within the mediolateral extent of DMV; however, distribution of cells responding to NE did not show a specific pattern of localization.
Although Clarke saw the type of Scirpus erectus Poir. in the Paris Herbarium he misapplied the name to a quite different species occurring in Madagascar, S. and E. Asia, and tropical Australia. Herein he was followed by Ridley, Merrill, Backer, and others. It has now generally been accepted that the correct name of this species is Scirpus juncoides Roxb. and that the name Scirpus erectus Poir. does not belong to its synonymy. After having examined the type of S. erectus I am convinced that the question was admirably cleared up by Chermezon (see Arch. Bot. 4, 1931, 26, and also in Humbert, Fl. Madag., fam. 29, 1937, 149). Scirpus erectus is much nearer to the European S. supinus L. than to S. juncoides Roxb. It differs from S. supinus by the larger spikelets, the larger, more distinctly mucronate glumes, the bristly appendage of the connective, the bifid style, and the larger, biconvex, only faintly wavyridged, elliptic or suborbicular nuts. It is an African species extending from the Mediterranean region through tropical Africa to Madagascar and Mauritius. There can be no doubt that Isolepis uninodis Delile is conspecific with Scirpus erectus Poir. Delile’s description is very accurate: “epis cylindriques, ovoides-lanceoles ... ecailles ovales, aigues ... deux stigmates ... graine lenticulaire, transversalement rugueux vers les bords.” The differences with Scirpus supinus are clearly indicated: “ses graines [du S. supinus] sont ovoides-cuneiformes, trigones, ridees transversalement sur toute leur surface; ses styles sont trifides.” Moreover, Delile’s excellent figure leaves no doubt whatever on the identity of his species.
Hyperspectral image (HSI) clustering is extremely challenging because of the complexity of the image structure. Recently, the subspace clustering algorithms have achieved competitive performance for HSIs. However, these methods generally are computationally complex and time-and-memory-consuming, given their reliance on large-scale adjacency matrix learning and graph segmentation, which limits their application to large HSIs and reduces their attractiveness in real applications. In this article, in view of this, two novel sparsity-based clustering algorithms are proposed for large HSIs, named sparse coding-based clustering (SCC) and joint SCC (JSCC). To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to use the sparse representation recovery residual to cluster HSIs. Based on a structured dictionary constructed by $k$ -means and $k$ -nearest neighbor (KNN), an SCC model is constructed to cluster HSIs according to the recovery residual minimization criterion. By dealing with a pixel-wise sparse recovery problem instead of the large-scale graph optimization problem of the whole image, the computational complexity and the time-and-memory cost are reduced to a large degree, which makes sense for practical applications. Then, by introducing the super-pixel neighborhood, a JSCC model is constructed to better explore the interpixel correlation of HSIs and further improve the clustering performance. The proposed algorithms were verified on three widely used HSIs. All the three experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, which can be considered as competitive tools for use with large HSIs.
Although the financial sustainability of United Nations (UN) support to institutional capacity building in post-conflict contexts may be the least analysed topic on the peacebuilding agenda, understanding the costs of rebuilding and maintaining the security sector should be one of the most important priorities for security sector reform (SSR) practitioners today. Through innovative partnerships between the UN and the World Bank, a new and important practice area in public financial management of the security sector is beginning to take shape. This paper traces the new demands placed on peacekeeping operations to “get more bang for every peacekeeping buck”, and explores how to match SSR priorities and recurring costs in the security sector with available resources over the long term. In presenting the lessons learned from the security sector public expenditure review conducted by the UN and the World Bank in Liberia in 2012, the first such review jointly undertaken by the two organizations, the paper seeks to illustrate how the discussion on right-sizing of the security sector can go hand in hand with a discussion on right-financing in order to help prioritize key reforms pragmatically in light of the available fiscal space. Specifically, the paper provides SSR practitioners with insights into the challenges often encountered when assisting national authorities to address the political economy of SSR, and how to navigate those dilemmas.
The Mott cross section for the Coulomb scattering of high-energy electrons and positrons by atomic nuclei has been expressed by McKinley and Feshbach in terms of series in powers of Z/137, up to terms in Z4, where Z is the atomic number of the scattering nucleus. The coefficients of these series, which were evaluated numerically, have been re-calculated and some minor errors corrected. Further coefficients have been calculated to enable application of the method to heavy elements and the resulting cross section, expressed as a ratio to the Rutherford cross section, is given in the form of a single power series.
ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to examine the quality of the ante‐(AM) and postmortem (PM) dental data that were submitted for entry into the PLASSdata system in Phuket, Thailand, following the Boxing Day (December 26) Tsunami, 2004. The investigators were two forensic odontlogists who were part of the New Zealand Disaster Victim Identification team that worked at Wat YangYao morgue and at the Information Management Center in Phuket. Our findings underline the usefulness of dental data in human identification, but point to a number of significant sources of error. Of the 78 PM records received, only 68% of radiographs and 49% of photos confirmed the accompanying dental charting. This underlines the value, particularly of photographs of the dental arches, in quality control. It also points to a large error component, which may have been due to inexperience of the operators, fatigue, poor conditions in the temporary morgue, or the problem of tooth‐colored fillings. Of the 106 AM records received, 62% were of unacceptable quality and 64% were either not accompanied by radiographs or had poor quality radiographs. These results indicate that AM data collection ideally needs to be collated and checked by a forensically trained dentist(s) in the country of origin.
The cognitive science of religion has recently focused attention on whether concepts of mind, soul, and spirit derive from the same or different intuitive foundations of immaterial identity. The present research is the first to look at intuitions about these three concepts simultaneously in different cultures. Methodologically, hypothetical transplants or transfers of minds or brains have been commonly used to examine the development of inferences about the continuity of mental identity despite bodily displacement. The present research extends the transfer paradigm to compare inferences about transfers of “soul” and “spirit” as well as the “mind.” American, Brazilian, and Indonesian undergraduate participants were presented with a series of scenarios in which a character's soul, mind, or spirit is transferred to another character's body. Participants made judgments about the consequences of such transfers on behaviors selected to potentially differentiate underlying intuitive categories. Results indicate that intuitions of soul, spirit, and mind do appear to draw from different but overlapping intuitions, which are recruited in different ways depending on religion and country. For American and Indonesian participants, the mind transfer was judged more often to result in a displacement of cognitive attributes compared to bodily, social, and moral attributes. Across the three countries, the transfer of spirit led more frequently to judgments about displacement of passion than of ability; religiosity was associated with giving more weight to the transfer of the soul, thus resulting in a greater displacement of all types of attributes. The results emphasize the importance of considering how different intuitive foundations, such as essentialism, intuitive psychology, and vitalism, might be recruited by culture to highlight different aspects of immaterial identity.
With the development of films, games and animation industry, analysis and reuse of human motion capture data become more and more important. Human motion segmentation, which divides a long motion sequence into different types of fragments, is a key part of mocap-based techniques. However, most of the segmentation methods only take into account low-level physical information (motion characteristics) or high-level data information (statistical characteristics) of motion data. They cannot use the data information fully. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised framework using both low-level physical information and high-level data information of human motion data to solve the human segmentation problem. First, we introduce the algorithm of CFSFDP and optimize it to carry out initial segmentation and obtain a good result quickly. Second, we use the ACA method to perform optimized segmentation for improving the result of segmentation. The experiments demonstrate that our framework has an excellent performance.
Current nutritional recommendations are focused on energy, fat, carbohydrate, protein and vitamins. Less attention has been paid to the nutritional demand of one-carbon units for nucleotide and methionine synthesis. Here we investigate the impact of sodium formate supplementation as a nutritional intervention to increase the dietary intake of one-carbon units. A cohort of six female and six male mice received 125 mM sodium formate in the drinking water for three months. A control group of another six female and six male mice was also followed up for the same period of time. Tail vein blood samples were collected once a month and profiled with a haematology Analyser. At the end of the study blood and tissues were collected for metabolomics analysis and immune cell sorting. Formate supplementation has no significant physiological effect on male mice. Formate supplementation has no significant effect on the immune cell counts during the intervention or at the end of the study in either gender. In female mice however, the body weight and spleen wet-weight were significantly increased by formate supplementation, while the blood plasma levels of amino acids were decreased. Formate supplementation also increased the frequency of probiotic bacteria in the stools of female mice. We conclude that formate supplementation induces physiological changes in female mice.
A particular approach to epistemological action as ‘critical praxis’ is proposed where we bring together the ideas of ideology critique, self-reflective consciousness and emancipatory action. Critical praxis for educators seeks to move beyond the constraints of formal teaching, knowledge and curriculum and instead encourages communities, teachers and students to work together in producing new understandings and practices for the public good. As teacher educators, we are attempting to design a research methodology that will enable our field of practice to be theorised and to encourage a movement towards new critical understandings of teaching and learning for our students and for ourselves. This is a process of reflexive practice that endeavours to constantly and systematically interrogate our own views and to move beyond the status quo of conservative educational systems, procedures and rigidities so that knowledge is a legitimate investigation of possibility and transformation. In this article, we report a Critical Praxis Protocol to guide further development of teacher education and research. We trace our trajectory from a progressive emphasis on improving learning and professional educational practice to an emerging notion of criticality that seeks explanation with the theorising of Bourdieu. A draft habitus–field analysis is provided to indicate our current understanding of generative themes that suggest the emancipatory potential of teaching and schooling.
Characteristics of radiated emission from the three-wire power cable where the power line communication signal was transmitting was studied by using circuit theory. The simple model whose length was 14.4m was used for the investigation, and the radiated emission was calculated and measured. The average deviation between the calculated data and the measured data was -3.6dB and the standard deviation was 3.3dB. The calculation results indicated that the maximum magnetic field strength could be estimated from the maximum common-mode current. The analysis also suggested that the maximum common-mode current of a three-wire cable was less than that of a two-wire cable in many cases.
Now a day’s due to emerging global economy, e-commerce and e-business have increasingly become a necessary component of business strategy and a strong catalyst for economic development. The integration of information and communications technology in business has revolutionized relationships within organizations and those between and among organizations and individuals. The new information technology is becoming an important factor in the future development of financial services industry, and especially banking industry. The results of this study shows that e-banking serves several advantages to Iranian banking sector, however, the study also shows that the Iranian customers have not enough knowledge regarding e-banking which is rendering by banking sector in Iran.
ObjectiveTo study the binding of human complement proteins to gp41 and gp120 of HIV-1. MethodsThe interaction of complement proteins with gp41 and gp120 and their effect on the gp41-gp120 complex in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and on stably transfected Schneider-2 cells expressing a gp41-gp120 complex was investigated. The molecular basis of these interactions was analysed by computer-supported sequence analysis. Resultgp41 strongly binds human complement regulatory proteins factors H and properdin, and weakly binds factors I and B. The binding occurs with recombinant soluble (rs) gp41 fixed on ELISA plates as well as gp41-gp120 complex expressed on Schneider-2 cells. The basis for this binding potential might be an amino-acid (aa) sequence of gp41 displaying homologies to sites in human C3. rgp120 also binds C3(H20), a C3b-like form of C3, and C4b. These binding features of gp120 can be explained by homology of constant region (CR) 4 in gp120 to sites in C4b binding protein. Additionally, CR1 in gp120 exhibits a weak similarity to human properdin. Preincubation of rsgp41 with either factor H or properdin, and of rgp120 with C3b or C4b affected the interaction between rsgp41 and rgp120. Incubation of Schneider-2 cells, expressing a functional gp41-gp120 complex, with factor H reduced the detectable amount of gp120. This effect was similar to that induced by soluble CD4. ConclusionThese results strongly suggest that HIV-1 envelope proteins interact with human complement proteins. Additionally, C3b-like features of gp41 and the C3b/C4b binding structures in gp120 may affect the non-covalent association between gp41 and gp120.
In Japan, various styles of Lesson Study (LS) have been born over 140 years. The first issue is what should be the focus of observation in the live lesson. There are two trends with regard to the target of observation. One is teacher- and lesson-plan-centered observation since the Meiji era (1870s), and the other is child-centered observation since the Taisho era (1910s). The former is closely related to administrative-led teacher training. The latter is more complex and can be further divided into five types. The second issue is which activities are given priority in the LS processes: observation of the live lesson itself, preparation before the lesson, or reflection after the lesson. Furthermore, each activity can be designed as a personal or a collaborative process. Thus, there are roughly six types of LS in Japan related to this issue. Which type is adopted depends on the period, lesson-study frequency, and school type. In addition, it is noteworthy that the type of LS implemented is closely related to which of demonstration teacher or observers are regarded as the central learners. The third issue is whether to regard LS as scientific research or as literary research. Teachers and researchers in 1960s Japan had strong interest in making lessons and lesson studies more scientific. On the other hand, as teachers attempt to become more scientific, they cannot but deny their daily practice: making improvised decisions on complicated situations without objective evidence.  Although lesson studies have been revised in various forms and permutations over the last 140, formalization and ceremonialization of lesson studies has become such that many find lesson studies increasingly meaningless and burdensome. What has become clear through the discussions on the three issues, the factors that impede teacher learning in LS are summarized in the following four points; the bureaucracy controlled technical expert model, exclusion of things that are not considered scientific, the view of the individualistic learning model, and the school culture of totalitarian products.  To overcome obstruction of teachers’ education in LS and the school crisis around the 1980s, the “innovative LS Cases” has begun in the 1990s. The innovative LS aims not for as many teachers as possible but for every teacher to learn at high quality. In the innovative LS Case, what teachers are trying to learn through methods of new LS is more important than methods of new LS itself. Although paradoxical, in order to assist every single teacher to engage in high quality learning inside school, LS is inadequate. It is essential that LS address not only how to actualize every single teacher to learn with high quality in LS but also through LS how to improve collegiality which enhances daily informal collaborative learning in teachers room. Furthermore, LS cannot be established as LS alone, and the school reform for designing a professional learning community is indispensable. Finally, the concept of “the lesson study of lesson study (LSLS)” for sustainable teacher professional development is proposed through organizing another professional learning communities among managers and researchers.
The aim of this paper is to analyze the Local Authorities management reports, particularly those of nine companies involved in the water distribution services in light of the changes made by the legislator to Article 2428 c.c. The new article of the Civil Code has, indeed, provided for the integration, in the management report, of a series of figures and prospective non-financial tools, regarding the environment, employees relationships and the company’s performance, and provided information on developments of management, strategies, plans and business programs. The operational methodology used has been based on a detailed analysis of the existing literature on the matter and on an empirical analysis that has been actualized in the investigation of document sources (management reports and, where possible, social balance reports). What has emerged from the analysis is that, except that for few exceptions, there is a general lack of information on environment, risks and personnel. Indeed, through the recent changes and additions, the legislator has, in effect, made mandatory, albeit in an indirect (i.e. through the editing of the management report), the drafting of a mini social statement. This was necessary in light of the fact that the recent evolution of the role played by companies, and local authorities in particular, has led to the recognition of a social and environmental dimension of their activities, which combines and integrates with the management, economic, financial and competitive profiles.
In yeast, the Rad6-Rad18 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme plays a critical role in promoting replication although DNA lesions by translesion synthesis (TLS). In striking contrast, a number of studies have indicated that TLS can occur in the absence of Rad18 in human and other mammalian cells, and also in chicken cells. In this study, we determine the role of Rad18 in TLS that occurs during replication in human and mouse cells, and show that in the absence of Rad18, replication of duplex plasmids containing a cis-syn TT dimer or a (6-4) TT photoproduct is severely inhibited in human cells and that mutagenesis resulting from TLS opposite cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and (6-4) photoproducts formed at the TT, TC, and CC dipyrimidine sites in the chromosomal cII gene in UV-irradiated mouse cells is abolished. From these and other observations with Rad18, we conclude that the Rad6-Rad18 enzyme plays an essential role in promoting replication through DNA lesions by TLS in mammalian cells. In contrast, the dispensability of Rad18 for TLS in chicken DT40 cells would suggest that the role of the Rad6-Rad18 enzyme complex has diverged considerably between chicken and mammals, raising the possibility that TLS mechanisms differ among them.
High consumption of fruit juices and carbonated drinks has been related to dental erosion. Teenage male Icelanders consume about 800 r ml of carbonated drinks per day on average and this corresponds with the main age group and gender of patients seen with erosion. This study examined the prevalence of dental erosion in 15-year-old children in Reykjavík and looked at the association between erosion and some lifestyle factors in a case-control study drawn from the same sample. A 20% sample of the 15-year-cohort population (n = 278) was selected. Dental erosion was classified by location and severity (1 = enamel erosion; 2 = dentine erosion; 3 = severe dentine erosion) and was seen in 21.6% of subjects (68.3% male; 72% scored as grade 1; 23% grade 2; 5% grade 3). Control subjects were the first healthy subjects examined after a case subject had been diagnosed. In the case-control study, information was gathered by multiple-choice questionnaire on symptoms of gastric reflux, tooth sensitivity, some lifestyle and dietary factors. Several lifestyle and dietary factors, previously shown to be significantly related to dental caries in Icelandic teenagers, showed no significant relationship to tooth erosion. Although dietary factors are probably important in causing erosion, dietary recall questionnaires did not help in discovering individuals likely to develop erosion.
The storage capacity and CPU time have been two major restrictions on the application of matrix methods to EM scattering problems. The author proposed an approach termed the generalized image method (GIM) to simplify the study of the scattering from asymmetric structures. Further investigation showed that the approach can also be used in the scattering from symmetric structures. The extension is illustrated here by the scattering from two parallel cylinders. For scattering from two identical cylinders symmetrically placed, the storage required for solving it by matrix methods can be reduced by a factor of one-fourth. If one of the cylinders is moved a distance from the y=0 plane, the symmetry will be destroyed, and two sets of basis functions have to be used, which might make the required storage unacceptable. However, when the asymmetrically placed cylinders constitute a antisymmetric structure, the difficulty can be circumvented through GIM.<<ETX>>
An expedient relay gold(I) and Brønsted acid catalyzed hydroamination/Nazarov cyclization of 1-(2-aminophenyl)pent-4-en-2-ynols for the synthesis of various polyfunctionalized cyclopenta[b]indoles is described. The synthetic utility of this method has been demonstrated by the synthesis of a few unprecedented pentacyclic indoles and indole-steroidal hybrids. Further, the new methodology has been successfully applied to the enantioselective synthesis of core carbon structure of the polyveoline family of natural products.
Network slicing (NS) has been identified as a fundamental technology for future mobile networks to meet extremely diverse communication requirements by providing tailored quality of service (QoS). However, due to the introduction of NS into radio access networks (RAN) forming a UE-BS-NS three-layer association, handoff becomes very complicated and cannot be resolved by conventional policies. In this paper, we propose a multi-agent reinforcement LEarning based Smart handoff policy with data Sharing, named LESS, to reduce handoff cost while maintaining user QoS requirements in RAN slicing. Considering the large action space introduced by multiple users and the data sparsity problem due to user mobility, LESS is designed to have two components: 1) LESS-DL, a modified distributed Q-learning algorithm with small action space to make handoff decisions; 2) LESS-DS, a data sharing mechanism using limited data to improve the accuracy of handoff decisions made by LESS-DL. The proposed LESS mechanism uses LESS-DL to choose both the target base station and NS when a handoff occurs, and then updates the Q-values of each user according to LESS-DS. Numerical results show that in typical scenarios, LESS can significantly reduce the handoff cost when compared with traditional handoff policies without learning.
Engineering analysis and design topics in a senior-level aerospace structural design course are supplemented with simple in-class demonstrations, hands-on experience in sheet-metal fabrication, and a comprehensive engineering project involving design, analysis, optimization, manufacturing, and testing of stiffened panels. Besides providing students with opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of the concepts discussed in the course, they are introduced to other important aspects of engineering such as teamwork, communication skills, time management, personal responsibility and ethics. Details of the individual experiential learning activities and the resulting outcomes are presented and discussed.
The refugee crisis has been keenly felt by communities as they perceive the new arrivals as threats to the community's resources. Preparing the community for future arrivals can help, as can involving the community in the welcoming of refugees. This study explores how social workers engage communities to support refugee resettlement programs. Social workers are on the frontlines of providing services to refugees while also managing the fears and needs of the community members. A community that was once welcoming can become reactionary and xenophobic. This is a qualitative study using the content analysis of 32 social workers in four countries: the United States, Iceland, Switzerland, and Germany. Key factors influenced social workers' facilitation of community integration among new arrivals and community members: prior experiences with displaced populations, social workers' expectations, and strengths within the community. Social workers need training and support to include communities in resettlement services. Training and policy implications are discussed. Communities can be a partner in the resettlement process if care is given to work with the community before the arrival of new refugees.
Alcohol use may be viewed as an attempt (albeit maladaptive) to regulate negative emotional states. We examined associations between both negative and positive affects and alcohol use in outpatient women diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD; n=74), a prototype of emotional dysregulation, as well as a psychiatric control group of women with current depressive disorder (major depressive disorder/dysthymic disorder [MDD DYS]; n=50). Participants completed randomly prompted reports of mood and alcohol use up to six times a day over a 28-day period using electronic diaries. Mean levels of either positive or negative affects did not distinguish between drinkers and nondrinkers in either diagnostic group. However, levels of both negative and positive affects were positively associated with alcohol use at the momentary level in BPD drinkers. More robust findings were obtained with respect to within-person affective variability, which was related to alcohol use in multiple ways. BPD drinkers showed higher within-person variability for most negative affects than BPD nondrinkers; MDD DYS drinkers in general showed less within-person variability than MDD DYS nondrinkers for negative affects. Multilevel lagged analyses for BPD drinkers indicated that alcohol use was positively related to variability in all affects, concurrently, but fewer significant effects of affect variability on the next day's drinking or significant effects of alcohol use on the next day's affect variability were observed. Among MDD DYS drinkers, we observed more significant associations between affect variability on next day's alcohol use and of alcohol use on next day's affect variability. We discuss theoretical and methodological issues relevant to these findings as well as implications for future research.
We have developed a laser beam combiner employing a high-speed rotating half-wave plate based on the specific requirements of the Thomson scattering measurement systems in the ITER. The polarization extinction ratio of the output beam may exceed 1000 and was maintained for more than 1 h via feedback control of the half-wave plate rotation speed. The pointing fluctuations introduced by rotating the half-wave plate were in the order of microradians. The high-speed rotating half-wave plate provides a lossless means of combining laser beams together with stable beam pointing.
Reducing the number of candidate structures is crucial to improve the efficiency of global optimization. Herein, we demonstrate that the generalized Hamiltonian can be described by the atom classification model (ACM) based on symmetry, generating competent candidates for the first-principles calculations to determine ground states of alloy directly. The candidates can be obtained in advance through solving the convex hull step by step, because the correlation functions of ACM can be divided into various subspace according to the defined index $l$. As an important inference, this index can be converted to the number of Wyckoff positions, revealing the dominant effect of geometry symmetry on structural stability. Taking Ni-Pt, Ag-Pd, Os-Ru, Ir-Ru and Mo-Ru as examples, we not only identify the stable structures in previous theoretical and experimental results, but also predict a dozen of configurations with lower formation energies, such as Ag$_{0.5}$Pd$_{0.5}$ ($Fd$-$3m$), Os$_{0.5}$Ru$_{0.5}$ ($Pnma$), Ir$_{1/3}$Ru$_{2/3}$ ($P6_{3}/mmc$), and Mo$_{0.25}$Ru$_{0.75}$ ($Cmcm$).
Preface Introduction by Will Fowler The Repeated Rise of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in the so-called "Age of Chaos" (Mexico, 1821-1855) by Will Fowler Pragmatism, patriarchy, and patronage: Profirio Diaz and personalist politics in Mexico by Paul Garner Ibanez: failed dictator and unwitting architect of political democracy in Chile, 1927-1931 by Francisco Dominguez Fulgencio Batista, 1933-1944: From Revolutionary to Populist by Antoni Kapcia Mechanisms of Control: The Stroessner Regime in Paraguay by Peter Lambert Honduras: The politics of exception and military reformism (1972-1978) by Rachel Sieder Proprietors not proletarians: The politics of housing subsidies under military rule in Chile by Ben Richards Bibliography Index
Abstract As part of a wider archeometallurgical investigation the present paper records the results of mechanical tests on iron–phosphorus alloys, which were important in early iron usage. Phosphorus increases the yield and ultimate tensile strengths with a corresponding reduction in ductilities as measured by elongation and reduction in area, to a point where brittle failure occurs. However, the work hardening exponent is only slightly decreased and some cold working, as in drawing, can be achieved. The presence of carbon complicates these effects.
In discussing the chronology of the Avebury complex Dr Smith relies fairly heavily on Professor Piggott's very ingenious hypothesis relating to the palimpsest of plan revealed by the Cunnington excavation of the Sanctuary on Overton Hill and it would doubtless have helped some readers to have reproduced his diagram. The ritual practised at Avebury is wide open to conjecture and Dr Smith adds her quota in the last few pages of her book. One thing to emerge quite plainly is that Avebury, like Windmill Hill, was a place of resort over a period measured in centuries. The monuments no less than the potsherds speak of continuity.
Engineered domain configuration was induced into barium titanate (BaTiO3) single crystals, and the d33 piezoelectricity was investigated as a function of domain size. Prior to the domain engineering, the dependence of domain configuration on the temperature and the electric-field was investigated, and above Curie temperature (Tc), when the electric-field over 16 kV/cm was applied along [111]c direction, the fine engineered domain configuration appeared. On the basis of the above information, the 33 resonators with different domain sizes were successfully prepared. Their piezoelectric measurement revealed that the d33 of the 33 resonators with fine-engineered domain configurations were higher than those of BaTiO3 single-domain crystals. Moreover, d33 increased with decreasing domain sizes. The highest d33 of 289 pC/N was obtained in the BaTiO3 crystal with a domain size of 13μm.
Collocated sensors and actuators offer significant robustness and design benefits in distributed parameter vibration control. It is shown that sensors and actuators are collocated in this sense when they are both physically coincident and their spatial derivative orders are equal. These requirements are expressed more generally as an integral equation that constrains the transducers' "modified" spatial distributions. Distributed parameter collocation is demonstrated by a transducer placement study for a nondimensional cantilever beam. The first configuration uses two disthbuted piezoceramic actuators and two accelerometer sensors. This combination typically leads to input/output frequency response functions having slow nonminimum phase transmission zeros and poor singular value frequency response characteristics, with high sensitivity to placement. The problem is exacerbated when the accelerometers and distributed actuators are "collocated". The second configuration uses two distributed piezoelectric actuators, now combined with two distributed strain gage sensors. When these equivalent-order distributed transducers are collocated the resulting frequency response matrices are strictly minimum phase, and have desirable singular value characteristics determined solely by the actuator placement's coupling into the beam's modal curvatures. These characteristics are maintained for small strain sensor apertures centered over larger actuator apertures, including some misalignment, for low frequencies. A generalization is developed to facilitate the collocation of transducers having dissimilar spatial derivative order.
Single-molecule force spectroscopy greatly benefits from site-specific surface immobilization and specific probing with a functionalized cantilever. Here, we describe a streamlined approach to such experiments by covalently attaching mechanically stable receptors onto proteins of interest (POI) to improve pickup efficiency and specificity. This platform provides improved throughput, allows precise control over the pulling geometry, and allows for multiple constructs to be probed with the same ligand-modified cantilever. We employ two orthogonal enzymatic ligation reactions [sortase and phosphopantetheinyl transferase (Sfp)] to covalently immobilize POI to a pegylated surface and to subsequently ligate the POI to a mechanically stable dockerin domain at the protein’s C-terminus for use as a high-strength pulling handle. Our configuration permits expression and folding of the POI to proceed independently from the mechanically stable receptor used for specific probing and requires only two short terminal peptide sequences (i.e., ybbR-tag and sortase C-tag). We applied this system successfully to proteins expressed using in vitro transcription and translation reactions without a protein purification step and to purified proteins expressed in Escherichia coli.
Preface: Mathematics and Egalitarian Ideals School Mathematics and Egalitarian Ideals: A Focus on Reason(s) Acknowledgements 1 Introduction to Our Case Study Our Goals and Our Own Voices The Importance of Teacher Development A School-University PDS Two-Way Relationship The Structure of this Case Study and Its Included Texts Part I Changes in Classroom Teaching Practice 2 Assessment Mathematics Performance Assessment Alternative Formats and A Taxonomy of Tasks 3 Curriculum and Instructional Models Starting a Functions-Based Approach to Algebra Perspectives on Holt Algebra 1 from the Department Chair and a Newer Teacher 4 Planning Teacher as Course-Level Planner Must Teachers' Create Curriculum? For Every Class? 5 Interlude A: On-campus Preservice Assignments TE 804 Reflection and Inquiry in Teaching Practice II Preservice Teachers as Curriculum Makers Should Preservice Teachers be Encouraged to Create Curriculum? 6 Instructional Tasks Finding Mathematics in the World Around Us Getting Past Lame Justifications! 7 Classroom Roles One Teacher's Transformation in Teaching What Teachers Think is Important! Part II Student Experience of the Curriculum 8 Lower Track Classes From an E to an A with the Help of a Graphing Calculator How Important are Calculators? 9 Standard Track Classes Students' views of mathematical conversation CURRICULUM PATTERN OF TEACHING/LEARNING CONCEPTION OF MATHEMATICS Managing Students' Participation in Classroom Conversation 10 Advanced Coursework Developing an Interest in Mathematics What is "mathematical power"? Related dilemmas of teaching 11 Interlude B: Observation in Classrooms Field Experience really was the Best Teacher! Our Contrasting Preservice Field Experiences 12 Interlude C: Student Teaching/Internship What Kind of Teacher Will I Be? How Do We Talk with Other Teachers about Our "Holt" Experiences? Part III Professional Growth and Development 13 Time and Respect Being Treated (and Treating Ourselves) as Professionals Thoughts from Latecomers 14 Restructuring Teacher Work Shared Teaching Assignments What Do Shared Teaching Assignments Tell Us about Learning while Teaching? 15 Departmental Culture One Transformed Teacher's Viewpoint Elementary Mathematics can be Complex and Interesting! 16 Changing the Math Curriculum Teaching a Technologically-Supported Approach to School Algebra Thoughts on Where to Start 17 Learning from Students and Colleagues Questioning Ourselves and the Authorities Should We Ever Tell Mathematical White Lies to Our Students? 18 Interlude D: Learning Math from Coursework Conversation Lines and points Comments from Some Former "Students" 19 Participation in Teacher Education Becoming a Professional Teacher Being a Mentor Teacher Being a Mentor Teacher is Hard Work! 20 Graduate Study Theory is Practical! The Role of Views of Mathematics in Teaching Part IV Stepping back: The perspective of a local "outsider" 21 A Quiet Revolution? Reflecting on Mathematics Reform at Holt High School Epilogue Cast of Characters Editors Teacher authors and responders Teacher responders Holt student authors Non-Holt authors References
The Society 5.0, advocated by the Japanese government in 2016, represents the society of the near future. In this context, the development and securing of human resources in mathematics, data science, and AI are urgent issues to promote technological innovation in the future. In this paper, a teaching material specializing in chassis of the vehicle performance in junior high school technology education was developed. The students manufactured their own teaching materials and evaluated them based on the data. The problems were identified and redesigned and remanufactured to solve them. The proposed class was practiced by students who were going to become teachers in a teacher training course, junior high school technology education. The results showed the educational effect of the material. In addition, a 13‐h lesson plan that is the basis of The Lower Secondary School National Curriculum Standard was proposed. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
To investigate the influences of live probiotic cells and dead probiotic cells on the digestive enzyme activities of tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, were reared for 30 days in the closed recirculating system with or without Probiotics. Tilapia samples were divided into four groups; the first group was fed with a control diet without probiotics (control group), the second group was fed with the diet containing live probiotic cells (live group), the third group was fed with the diet containing formalin-killed probiotic cells (dead group) and the forth group was fed with the control diet and reared in water with commercial live probiotic cells (water supply group). Both trypsin and amylase activities of stomach extracts and intestine extracts showed higher in all probiotics-treated groups than in the control group. The results obtained in this study indicated that probiotic cells, especially live cells, stimulate the synthesis of digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract of tilapia.
only dates from the end of the eighteenth century. The great cities of ancient and medieval Nepal were Patan and Bhatgaon, but these Dr. Karan simply ignores. We are left with the impression that rites of procreation decorate every temple in Kathmandu. Is this a sop to tourists or has the author never looked at any of the many numerous Buddhist temples there ? Despite its occasional usefulness and the author's well-meant efforts, I find this book lamentable. Except for the photographs, which show up not too well, the actual work of publishing has been splendidly done. There are very few printing errors. ' Intrusionem ' appears twice instead of ' Intrusionen ' in the notes on p. 24, and in the bibliography (p. 98) Pierre Bordet's first name is oddly spelt with only one ' r '. On p. 58 Simra appears in brackets after Bhairawa, as though the author understood it as an alternative name for the same place.
The synthesis and characterization of Schiff base 4,4 diaminodiphenyl ether-vanillin possesed of free primary amine has been done. The aims of this research were synthesis Schiff base 4,4 diaminodiphenyl ether-vanillin possesed of free primary amine from reaction between 1 mol of 4,4 diaminodiphenyl ether and 1 mol of vanillin which affected by temperature of synthesis (30-90°C) and its characterization using FTIR spectroscopy and X Ray diffraction analysis. The result showed that the functional group of all product of Schiff base 4,4 diaminodiphenyl ether-vanillin possesed of free primary amine was not affected by temperature of synthesis. The functional group of –C=N in this Schiff base compound appeared at wave number 1597 cm−1 and its consequences, the aldehyde group (C=O) was not detected at 1666 (stretching) and 632 cm−1 (bending vibration). The wave number between 3387-3441 cm−1 was stretching vibration of primary amine (N-H) and stretching vibration of –C-N from aromatic amine (NH2-aromatic) can be found at wave number between 1280-1288 cm−1. Diffractogram of 4,4 diaminodiphenyl ether, vanillin and Schiff base 4,4 diaminodiphenyl ether-vanillin were 11.91° - 50.39°, 13.13° and 39.99° and 10.13° - 50.6° respectively.
This investigation assessed the role of the Big Five dimensions of personality and perfectionism in predicting nonsuicidal cutting in a sample of undergraduate students. Of 292 students, 50 (17%) endorsed cutting behavior. Duration of cutting was associated with Openness, and Introversion, as well as perfectionistic rumination. Frequency of cutting was associated with Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, low Neuroticism (accounting for about 20% of the variance), as well as perfectionistic rumination, organization, and low concern over mistakes (accounting for 31% of the variance). These findings are discussed in the context of previous research investigations of risk factors for nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) that are convergent, and sometimes discrepant with these data. The findings suggest that more research into personality traits and methods of NSSI is warranted.
In this article we introduce a Bi-Directional NAT network device design first time, which consists of an IP Sharing Device with BNATP (Border Network Address Translator Protocol) function, and an method of DNS Ascent Query which bases on Standard DNS (Domain Name Service) services for providing address trigger function. Both above components coordinate and provide bidirectional access capacity between intranet and Internet, The device is capable of multiply private IP address sharing single public IP address to access the whole Internet (through internal to external) base on traditional NAT Method, It is also capable of multiply public IP address passing and sharing single private IP address to access the whole intranet via FQDN addressing Method (through external to internal) base on bilateral NAT Technology, In other words, this device can be allowed to share with as well as to have its own unique domain-name over the Internet for those people who own the host private IP address, Additionally, the device relieves the limitation of IPv4 addressing space from 2^32 to 2^56 and above. It is very helpful to solve the problem for people who exhaust the IP address in Internet.
A new infrared confocal refractive index measurement (IR-CRIM) method with high precision is proposed for a lens. Based on the property that the maximum point of a confocal axial intensity response curve accurately corresponds to the converging focus of the measuring beam, IR-CRIM can precisely identify the front and back vertices of the test lens, and obtain the optical thickness d of the test lens, and resulting calculate the lens refractive index n using the ray-tracing algorithm. The broadband refractive index dispersion of the test lens can be acquired by the Cauchy dispersion law and the n obtained at several wavelengths. Preliminary experimental results and theoretical analyses indicate that IR-CRIM achieves an accuracy of 6 × 10−4 in the wavelength range of 500–1700 nm. It provides a novel approach for the high-precision and direct measurement of the refractive index of a lens in visible and near infrared wavelength range.
Abstract Natural convection heat transfer in the annular region between two concentric cylinders with radial fins is studied numerically. The basic conservation equations are discretized using the finite volume approach together with the SIMPLER algorithm. Computations are performed for laminar flow with Rayleigh numbers up to 106. The velocity and temperature fields are presented for various Rayleigh numbers and fin heights by streamline and isothermal plots. The local and mean Nusselt number predictions show that the fin height has an optimum value for which the heat transfer rate is increased. Long fins have a blocking effect on flow recirculation.
California has actively engaged in the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative. Subsequently, the California Social Work Education Center Aging Initiative conducted a university survey of gerontology education in California graduate social work schools (N = 17). In 2005, students taking aging courses were 12% in comparison to a national report of 7% by the Council on Social Work Education and an earlier 1993 national survey of 3%. Still, the number of gerontology students remains less than needed numbers. However, California social work schools are well-prepared with infused curricula for all social workers and exceed previous standards for gerontology faculty and aging field placements. The implications for California are discussed as well as recommendations for updating the earlier gerontology curricula criteria.
Describes the fundamental structural changes taking place in the NHS and health care education and how these affect the provision of library services. Defines the strategies adopted by librarians to take advantage of changes by raising their profile, using the new market mechanisms, and reshaping the professional agenda to meet new challenges. Describes individual initiatives with a special emphasis on the importance of the Cumberlege seminars and their outcomes. Concludes that library services are indeed thriving amid chaos, but that it does not always feel that way.
This experiment compares insecticidal drift resulting from a mist blower with an aerial application made simultaneously to alfalfa in late afternoon. Beneath target and at all distances downwind the mist blower resulted in greater drift. Target alfalfa had 127 and 111 ppm insecticide, and alfalfa ½ mile downwind had 0.27 and 0.14 ppm from the mist blower and plane, respectively. Glass-plate collections at 165,330, 660, and 1320 feet down-wind were in agreement with alfalfa residues. Total air borne insecticide collected at 165 and 330 feet downwind in ethylene glycol air scrubbers from the mist blower was 6 times that of the aerial application.
Atmospheric pollution due to particulate matter in opencast coal mining area is a very important environmental problem and is fetching the attention of researchers worldwide since few decades. The particulate matter not only affects human but also have tremendous effects on nearby flora and fauna by degrading the ecological environment in many ways. High mechanization in mining operations leads to add heavy load of dust to the surrounding area. The adverse effects of dust depend on the quantity as well as the characteristics of the dust and the exposure dose. Taking the importance of the dust pollution in mines, a coal mine area of Talcher coalfield, was selected, which is one of the oldest coalfields of India and a very limited work has been carried out in that area on the regards of assessment of health risk due to metals on the local population. Monitoring of respirable dust (PM10 & PM2.5) were performed at eight monitoring stations around a high mechanised opencast coal mine for three seasons i.e., post monsoon, winter, and summer in the year 2015 as per the standard criteria of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India. The seasonal variation of dust concentration was found in the order of winter > summer > post monsoon. Ten trace metals were analysed from the dust samples. Statistical analysis, such as, univariate (correlation study) and multi-variate analysis were carried out including principal component analysis (PCA) for source identification and respective contribution to particulate matter. Finally, the health risk in terms of hazards quotient (HQ) and hazards index (HI) were calculated for both children and adults for the three exposure path ways (Inhalation, ingestion and dermal exposure). The carcinogenic effects due to the presence of trace metals in the PM10 were evaluated for both children and adults in terms of excess cancer risk (ECR). The combined carcinogenic effects of all the trace metals also calculated (ECRTotal). The HQ values for Cr and Cd were found above the safe limit in that area for both children and adults. Likewise the ECR values for Cr and Cd also were at a very risk level for both the age group. However the risk related to other metals were found well within the safe limit. The HI and ECRTotal values were found above the safe limit which indicates the combined effect of trace metals on the children and adult were at and very high risk level in the study area.
Phishing is one of the luring techniques used to exploit personal information. A phishing webpage detection system (PWDS) extracts features to determine whether it is a phishing webpage or not. Selecting appropriate features improves the performance of PWDS. Performance criteria are detection accuracy and system response time. The major time consumed by PWDS arises from feature extraction that is considered as feature cost in this paper. Here, two novel features are proposed. They use semantic similarity measure to determine the relationship between the content and the URL of a page. Since suggested features don't apply third-party services such as search engines result, the features extraction time decreases dramatically. Login form pre-filer is utilized to reduce unnecessary calculations and false positive rate. In this paper, a cost-based feature selection is presented as the most effective feature. The selected features are employed in the suggested PWDS. Extreme learning machine algorithm is used to classify webpages. The experimental results demonstrate that suggested PWDS achieves high accuracy of 97.6% and short average detection time of 120.07 milliseconds.
Abstract Programmed cell death and cell corpse clearance are an essential part of organismal health and development. Cell corpses are often cleared away by professional phagocytes such as macrophages. However, in certain tissues, neighboring cells known as nonprofessional phagocytes can also carry out clearance functions. Here, we use the Drosophila melanogaster ovary to identify novel genes required for clearance by nonprofessional phagocytes. In the Drosophila ovary, germline cells can die at multiple time points. As death proceeds, the epithelial follicle cells act as phagocytes to facilitate the clearance of these cells. We performed an unbiased kinase screen to identify novel proteins and pathways involved in cell clearance during two death events. Of 224 genes examined, 18 demonstrated severe phenotypes during developmental death and clearance while 12 demonstrated severe phenotypes during starvation-induced cell death and clearance, representing a number of pathways not previously implicated in phagocytosis. Interestingly, it was found that several genes not only affected the clearance process in the phagocytes, but also non-autonomously affected the process by which germline cells died. This kinase screen has revealed new avenues for further exploration and investigation.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of supplementing different ratios of phytogenic feed additives (PFA) to weaned pigs challenged with pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal barrier integrity, and immune response, and to determine the optimal mixing ratio for PWD prevention. A total of 48 4-week-old weaned pigs with initial body weight of 8.01 ± 0.39 kg were placed in individual metabolic cages, and then randomly assigned to eight treatment groups. The eight treatments were as follows: a basal diet without E. coli challenge (negative control, NC), a basal diet with E. coli challenge (positive control, PC), PC with supplementing 0.1% mixture of 20 % bitter citrus extract (BCE), 10% microencapsulated blend of thymol and carvacrol (MEO), and 70% excipient (T1), PC with supplementing 0.1% mixture of 10% MEO, 20% premixture of grape seed & grape marc extract, green tea, and hops (PGE), and 60% excipient (T2), PC with supplementing 0.1% mixture of 10% BCE, 10% MEO, 10% PGE, and 70% excipient (T3), PC with supplementing 0.1% mixture of 20% BCE, 20% MEO, and 60% excipient (T4), PC with supplementing 0.1 % mixture of 20% MEO, 20% PGE, and 60% excipient (T5), and PC with supplementing 0.1 % mixture of 10% BCE, 20% MEO, 10% PGE, and 60% excipient (T6). The experiments progressed in 16 days, including 5 days before and 11 days after the first E. coli challenge (d 0). In the E. coli challenge treatments, all pigs were orally inoculated by dividing a total of 10 mL of E. coli F 18 for 3 consecutive days from d 0 post-inoculation (PI). Compared with the PC group, the PFA2 and PFA6 groups significantly increased (P < 0.05) feed efficiency and decreased (P < 0.05) diarrhea during the entire period. At d 11 PI, the PFA6 group significantly improved (P < 0.05) gross energy digestibility compared to the PFA1 group. The PFA6 group significantly decreased (P < 0.05) tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum and increased (P < 0.05) the villus height to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD). The PFA2 significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the relative protein expression of calprotectin in the ileum. In conclusion, improvements in growth performance, diarrhea reduction, and immunity enhancement are demonstrated when 10% BCE, 20% MEO, 10% PGE, and 60% excipient are mixed.
This paper focuses attention upon the psychic qualities of Negroes who have voluntarily isolated themselves from the dominant culture. The all-Negro community in Oklahoma was conceived as a social experiment. It is an attempt by Negroes to escape the psychological pressures experienced in racially mixed southern communities. A "pattern of avoidance" characterizes the basic racial attitudes of the residents of these communities. There are, however, certain differences between upper and lower classes in the expression of attitudes. Nevertheless, all residents, completely assimilated into the societal structure of the all-Negro society, are quite self-conscious of the eculiarities of their culture.
Economic, demographic, and technological pressures have led at the same time to increased demands upon health services and the need to contain spending on health care. As the United States has focused singularly on an array of market mechanisms, Western European countries have each adopted a broader set of strategies along with limited de-insurance: innovative regulatory approaches and a move from compulsory health insurance models to flexible national health service models of providing health care. Pursuit of cost-containment in Western Europe has proceeded along with pursuit of quality and, above all else, equity.
2008 crisis is the deepest crisis of capitalism since Great Depression. Although there have been some signs of weak recovery since April 2009, huge unemployment levels, tremendous budget deficits, remarkable increases in public debt stocks, continuing credit crunch problems and existing risks of derivatives threaten any economic recovery that might actually begin. The distinctive character of the current crisis is the triggering role of financialisation in this crisis process. New derivatives instruments of securitisation like collateralized debt obligations (CDO), credit default swaps (CDS) have created huge risks and then so-called hedge funds have spreaded these risks globally. However the current crisis is only a symptom. In fact, current financial crisis is the unavoidable result of the excess accumulation of capital, excess capacity investments, over production and associating diminishing profit rates and stagnation that have prevailed in most capitalist economies since the end of 1960s. Thus, it was necessary to create bubbles like 2000 Wall Street Stock bubble and 2008 housing bubble to keep the American economy going. However, the crash of the housing bubble after a while has led the collapse of the subprime mortgage market then a global crisis.
This chapter focuses on the zoonotic diseases caused by some indigenous agents of common laboratory animals which may pose an occupational hazard to animal handlers. The intent is to inform those working in animal facilities, including clinical and other research scientists and biological safety personnel, about zoonotic pathogens associated with animals used in laboratory research. Potential zoonotic hazards are associated with many laboratory animals, but the actual transmission of zoonotic disease has become uncommon due to the increased use of animals specifically bred for research over many generations. The majority of small laboratory animals (e.g., mouse, rat, and rabbit) used in research in the United States have been produced commercially in highly controlled environments under the oversight of veterinary care programs. The chapter addresses the intrinsic agents of potential significance in zoonotic diseases associated with eight animals: all of the animals from the primary category (dogs, macaques, mice, pigs, rats, rabbits) along with cats and sheep from the secondary category. It also provides some basic information on zoonotic diseases from common laboratory animals.
A 57-year-old man with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (DM) was admitted to our hospital with a four-day history of fever, chills, and mild right upper quadrant pain. On physical examination, mild tenderness in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen was observed. Laboratory data showed leukocytosis (15.3×109/L) with hyperglycemia and minor changes in liver values. A contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed a large gas-forming abscess measuring 12 cm×11 cm×9 cm in the right lobe of the liver (Figure 1). The patient underwent CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage and was given broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics and insulin. Klebsiella pneumoniae was cultured from both blood and pus. With a gas-forming pyogenic liver abscess (GFPLA) diagnosis, he received six weeks of antibiotic therapy and had a satisfactory response to the medical treatment without any complications.
The Kirkwood Formation is the middle unit of the Uitenhage Group, a sequence of terrestrial and marine rocks that crops out in the Algoa Basin, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The Kirkwood Formation is divided into three members: the Swartkops Member, the Colchester Shale Member, and an unnamed, fossiliferous upper member consisting primarily of fluvial sandstones, red-brown and gray-green mudstones, and paleosols (McLachlan and McMillan, 1976; Shone, 1978). Recent dating of the Kirkwood Formation has placed it in the BerriasianValanginian ages near the onset of the Cretaceous (McMillan, 2003).
SZEWCZUK, M., ZYCH, S., CHABERSKI, R.: Eff ect of growth hormone-releasing hormone gene polymorphism (GHRH/HaeIII) on milk performance in polish holstein-friesian cows. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2008, LVI, No. 4, pp. 177–182 The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the polymorphism within GHRH gene (GHRH/HaeIII) and milk production traits for Polish Holstein-Friesian using PCR-RFLP technique for genotyping. The molecular background of this mutation was defi ned as the A→C transversion at the intron 2. A total of 220 cows were examined. The following frequencies were established: 0.0227 for genotype AA, 0.3227 for AB, and 0.6546 for BB; 0.1841 for the allele GHRH A
C radicals are typically trigonal planar and thus achiral, regardless of whether they originate from a chiral or an achiral C-atom (e.g., C-H + (•)OH → C• + H2O). Oxidative stress could initiate radical formation in proteins when, for example, the H-atom is abstracted from the Cα-carbon of an amino acid residue. Electronic structure calculations show that such a radical remains achiral when formed from the achiral Gly, or the chiral but small Ala residues. However, when longer side-chain containing proteogenic amino acid residues are studied (e.g., Asn), they provide radicals of axis chirality, which in turn leads to atropisomerism observed for the first time for peptides. The two enantiomeric extended backbone structures, •βL and •βD, interconvert via a pair of enantiotopic reaction paths, monitored on a 4D Ramachandran surface, with two distinct transition states of very different Gibbs-free energies: 37.4 and 67.7 kJ/mol, respectively. This discovery requires the reassessment of our understanding on radical formation and their conformational and stereochemical behavior. Furthermore, the atropisomerism of proteogenic amino acid residues should affect our understanding on radicals in biological systems and, thus, reframes the role of the D-residues as markers of molecular aging.
This study aims to look at the effect of religiosity and the use of online media on the youths’ prosocial behavior in Aceh. This study involved 12 state secondary schools in the province of Aceh by using a non-proportionate sampling technique of 402 students’ participants. Research data were collected using three scales, (1) religiosity using SPPIM-R from Azma (2006), (2) using online media, and (3) prosocial behavior using PTM-R from Carlo (2011). Data were analyzed by using multiple regression analysis and t-test. The results of this study showed a significant positive relationship between religiosity (r = .556; p <.00) and social media (r = .361; p <.00) with student prosocial behavior. It also demonstrates a significant influence between the main variables and student demographics on prosocial behavior (R2 = 0.528; p <0.00). The conclusion of the study shows that the variable of religiosity and the use of online media can influence prosocial behavior variables (52.8%). Respondents of this study developed the average-level of religiosity, whereas women were more religious using other languages. While the average level of prosocial online media use is medium, the female student group is the more frequent users of online media compared to their male counterparts. However, respondents in this study had an averagely medium level of prosocial behavior too, the male student group was more prosocial compared to the female students.
BACKGROUND Grunting respirations occurring in the first hours of life is a frequent nonspecific clinical sign. Our objective was to assess the clinical significance of grunting lasting over two hours of birth in term and near term newborns.   METHODS A five years retrospective study of all newborns ≥35+0 weeks of gestational age admitted for grunting to a level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).   RESULTS Prolonged grunting occurred in 1.2% of the delivered newborns. Data on 151 grunter newborns and 302 controls were reviewed. Higher mother's age, pregnancy complications, lower gestational age, male gender, resuscitation need at birth, respiratory signs and therapy were associated to prolonged grunting. Poor adaptation to extrauterine life was the most frequent cause of grunting occurring in 73 (48.3%) of the cases, followed by transient tachypnea of the newborn (40 cases, 26.5%); RDS (7 cases, 4.6%) and infection (sepsis and pneumonia, 7 cases, 4.6%). Less common causes were: birth trauma (4 cases, 2.6%); pneumomediastinum (4 cases, 2.6%); hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (2 cases, 1.3%); polycythemia (1 case, 0.6%); anemia (1 case; 0.6%); meconium aspiration (1 case, 0.6%); congenital heart defect (1 case, 0.6%); congenital diaphragmatic hernia (1 case; 0.6%); malformation of the nose (1 case;0.6%); and immature teratoma of the thymus (1 case, 0.6%). Complications occurred in two patients (pneumothorax=1; pneumomediastinum=1). No mortality was observed. NICU stay was 5 days (1-23) CONCLUSIONS: Although persistent grunting respirations after birth follow a benign course in the majority, all affected term and near term newborns should be carefully observed and treated.
The article deals with socio-cultural and socio-psychological aspects of the phenomenon of imposture in the history of Russia, as well as in the contemporary times. ‘Imposture’ is essentially a state when someone falsely represents oneself as another person in order to get an opportunity to bask in reflected glory, and to benefit materially, socially and personally. Our typology of imposture includes the following four types: 1) worldly (tsarist), 2) religious, 3) impersonation and 4) ‘the masked man’. The psychological mechanisms of imposture, causes and methods of false self-identification are also disclosed. Worldly (Tsarist) imposture should be viewed as a form of social protest in 17th–18th century Russia. We discuss historical impostors, such as Lzhedmitry I (False Dmitry, Grigory Otrepyev) and Peter III (Yemelyan Pugachev), acting as savior Tsars, through the prism of historical psychology. We also look at how the masses assessed these rulers from the standpoints of ‘justice’, ‘piety’ and ‘lawfulness’. Religious impostors belong not only to the past (16th–17th centuries) — this type is still quite common in our age. Unlike the Tsarist impostors, they proliferate and control others by confidence tricks. An example can be found in destructive cults of both foreign and Russian origin, such as Aum Shinrikyo founded by Shoko Asahara, and the cult of Andrei Popov (“God Kuzya”). A novel contemporary feature is the rise of impersonation impostors, who act under the name of a celebrity. Their actions are both prohibited by the Criminal Code and seen as morally reproachable. Another contemporary phenomenon is ‘the masked man’ — a witness in a criminal case who qualifies for the state protection program, allowing them to change their names and even appearance. Living in a disguise is a serious psychological trauma for every such person. Among individual psychological preconditions for most forms of impostures are a proclivity to fantasizing and trust in self-created illusions, a capacity for self-hypnosis, and a nervous system of the strong type.
Statement of Purpose There is a lack of consensus regarding age- and intent-related differences in the burden of non-fatal firearm injuries. We determined the time trends in burden and costs of age- and intent-specific non-fatal firearm injuries presenting to US emergency departments (EDs) differentiated by survival after treatment to correctly estimate non-fatal injuries. Methods We performed a retrospective study of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Program Nationwide Emergency Department Survey (NEDS) from 2006 to 2016. We present survey-weighted counts, proportions, means, and rates, and confidence intervals of national and age groups (0–4, 5–9, 10–14, 15–17, 18–44, 45–64, 65–84, >84 years) specific ED discharges for firearm injuries. Inflation-adjusted charges were applied to costs. Results There were a total of 1,033,771 ED visits for firearm injuries from 2006 to 2016 and 6.8% died in the ED. The firearm injury ED rates remained steady, while ED death rates declined slightly during 11-years. There was also a slight decline in firearm ED visits in children (0–17), but the largest burden was between 18–44 years (20.8 per 100,000) with stable rates. Assault injuries declined from 39.7% to 36.4% overall with a significant drop in all age groups, while unintentional injuries increased from 46.4% to 54.7% overall and in all age groups. There were significant declines in legal intervention injuries. The total charges were $3,777,264,968 ($369,006,396/year) and increased across time in all subgroups. The mean predicted charges increased from $2,386 to $3,975 among those discharged alive versus $1,322 to $2,203 among those who died in ED. Conclusions The burden of firearm injury treated in ED is among young adults. Interventions and programs to reduce firearm violence should include non-fatal injuries as they live with ongoing morbidity and economic burden. Significance There is a need for an accurate and standardized data collection of firearm injuries.
Baculoviral vectors can transduce neurons in the CNS but mediate only transient expression of transgenes. We have developed a new baculoviral vector in which the inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) of adeno-associated virus are used to flank a luciferase reporter gene cassette harboring a neuron-specific promoter. When tested in rat brain, the new viral vector was able to provide transgene expression for at least 90 days. Immunohistological analysis demonstrated that ITR flanking did not affect the cellular preference of the neuronal promoter in the context of baculovirus. These findings establish an effective way to engineer baculoviral vectors in order to achieve sustained expression of a functional gene for gene therapy for neurodegenerative disorders and physiological studies of neurons.
In the central nervous system, cholinergic and dopaminergic (DA) neurons are among the cells most susceptible to the deleterious effects of age. Thus, the basal forebrain cholinergic system is known to undergo moderate neurodegenerative changes during normal aging as well as severe atrophy in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Parkinson's disease (PD), a degeneration of nigro-striatal DA neurons is the most conspicuous reflection of the vulnerability of DA neurons to age. In this context, cell reprogramming offers novel therapeutic possibilities for the treatment of these devastating diseases. In effect, the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells demonstrated that adult mammalian cells can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state by the overexpression of a few embryonic transcription factors (TF). This discovery fundamentally widened the research horizon in the fields of disease modeling and regenerative medicine. Although it is possible to re-differentiate iPSCs to specific somatic cell types, the tumorigenic potential of contaminating iPSCs that failed to differentiate, increases the risk for clinical application of somatic cells generated by this procedure. Therefore, reprogramming approaches that bypass the pluripotent stem cell state are being explored. A method called lineage reprogramming has been recently documented. It consists of the direct conversion of one adult cell type into another by transgenic expression of multiple lineage-specific TF or microRNAs. Another approach, termed direct reprogramming, features several advantages such as the use of universal TF system and the ability to generate a rejuvenated multipotent progenitor cell population, able to differentiate into specific cell types in response to a specific differentiation factors. These novel approaches offer a new promise for the treatment of pathologies associated with the loss of specific cell types as for instance, nigral DA neurons (in PD) or basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in the early stages of AD. The above topics are reviewed here.
A method for synthesizing dynamical decoupling (DD) sequences is presented, which can tailor these sequences to a given set of qubits, environments, instruments, and available resources using partial information of the system. The key concept behind the generation of the DD sequences involves not only extricating the strong dependence on the coupling strengths according to the "optimal control," but also exploiting the "refocus" technique used conventionally to obtain DD sequences. The concept is a generalized one that integrates optimal control and designing of DD sequences.
The hydroxyl radical ((*)OH) has been considered to be one of the most reactive oxygen species produced in biological systems. It has been shown that (*)OH can cause DNA, protein, and lipid oxidation. One of the most widely accepted mechanisms for (*)OH production is through the transition metal-catalyzed Fenton reaction. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) was one of the most widely used biocides, primarily for wood preservation. PCP is now ubiquitously present in our environment and even found in people who are not occupationally exposed to it. PCP has been listed as a priority pollutant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and classified as a group 2B environmental carcinogen by the International Association for Research on Cancer (IARC). The genotoxicity of PCP has been attributed to its two major quinoid metabolites: tetrachlorohydroquinone and tetrachloro-1,4-benzoquinone (TCBQ). Although the redox cycling of PCP quinoid metabolites to generate reactive oxygen species is believed to play an important role, the exact molecular mechanism underlying PCP genotoxicity is not clear. Using the salicylate hydroxylation assay and electron spin resonance (ESR) secondary spin-trapping methods, we found that (*)OH can be produced by TCBQ and H(2)O(2) independent of transition metal ions. Further studies showed that TCBQ, but not its corresponding semiquinone radical, the tetrachlorosemiquinone radical (TCSQ(*)), is essential for (*)OH production. The major reaction product between TCBQ and H(2)O(2) was identified to be trichloro-hydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (TrCBQ-OH), and H(2)O(2) was found to be the source and origin of the oxygen atom inserted into this reaction product. On the basis of these data, we propose that (*)OH production by TCBQ and H(2)O(2) is not through a semiquinone-dependent organic Fenton reaction but rather through the following novel mechanism: a nucleophilic attack of H(2)O(2) to TCBQ, leading to the formation of an unstable trichloro-hydroperoxyl-1,4-benzoquinone (TrCBQ-OOH) intermediate, which decomposes homolytically to produce (*)OH. These findings represent a novel mechanism of (*)OH formation not requiring the involvement of redox-active transition metal ions and may partly explain the potential carcinogenicity of the widely used biocides such as PCP and other polyhalogenated aromatic compounds.
BACKGROUND Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is an incompletely understood disease that poses significant fetal risks, including stillbirth. Treatment of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is aimed at relieving maternal symptoms and improving fetal outcomes.   CASE A 21-year-old gravid woman, 3 para 0111, presented at 27 2/7 weeks of gestation with severe intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Her clinical course was refractory to first-line therapy with ursodiol, and she was started on rifampin with rapid improvement of symptoms and transaminitis. Despite maternal improvement, she was delivered at 31 weeks of gestation for persistent nonreassuring fetal status.   CONCLUSION Rifampin may be an effective adjunctive therapy for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy refractory to ursodiol alone. Additional research is needed to assess short-term and long-term maternal and newborn outcomes, because fetal deterioration still occurred in spite of maternal improvement.
This study aims to show a substitute technique to corporate default prediction. Data mining techniques have been extensively applied for this task, due to its ability to notice non-linear relationships and show a good performance in presence of noisy information, as it usually happens in corporate default prediction problems. In spite of several progressive methods that have widely been proposed, this area of research is not out dated and still needs further examination. In this study, the performance of multiple classifier systems is assessed in terms of their capability to appropriately classify default and non-default Malaysian firms listed in Bursa Malaysia. Multi-stage combination classifiers provided significant improvements over the single classifiers. In addition, Adaboost shows improvement in performance over the single classifiers.
A theoretical and experimental study of the possibility of separating coherent and incoherent Compton x-ray scattering by monochromatization of the scattered radiation is carried out. It is shown that this possibility depends on the profile of the Compton line as well as on the resolution of the monochromator. An approximate treatment of the problem is developed and an application to carbon and organic materials is given.
Twenty (20) of Verticillium dahliae were isolated from wilted potato specimens collected from six districts in Guizhou, China. All the isolates were evaluated for pathogenicity on two potato cultivars, Favorita (susceptible) and Hui-2 (resistant) using the root dip inoculation (RDI) and microsclerotia inoculation (MI). All of the V. dahliae isolates appeared to be pathogenic on both cultivars but VGZ-HZ-4 isolate gave the highest wilt incidence comparing to the others, seconded by VGZ-SC-1 and VGZ-XW-1. Combined analysis of wilt incidence resulting from using two inoculation methods for VGZ-HZ-4 and VGZ-XW-1 isolates on the two potato cultivars showed that the MI gave a higher wilt incidence than that of the RDI and cultivar Favorita had a higher wilt incidence than that of Hui-2. These two V. dahliae isolates were further used as representative isolates for mycelial inhibition (MyI) test with 33 Trichoderma isolates under a dual culture condition on potato dextrose agar plate. The 33 Trichoderma isolates consisting of 21 isolates isolated from potato soils from seven districts of Guizhou, 11 isolates from single spore isolates of the TGZ-150 isolate preserved at Guizhou Institute of Plant Protection (GZIPP) and one isolate TGZ-OLD-81 also preserved at the GZIPP. Most of the single spore isolates and TGZ-SC-4 were found to have higher MyI efficiency than that of the rest. The results indicate that the Trichoderma isolates in this study have initial modes of action of biological control to protect potato crop against V. dahlia.           Key words: Trichoderma, potato wilt disease, growth inhibition, Verticillium dahliae, antagonistic fungi.
Mass media and the culture it carries have been identified as a key site of conflict in the so-called culture wars, pitting evangelical Christians against mainstream American society. Paradoxically, Evangelicals historically have appropriated the spectrum of forms of popular culture in America and secular commercial practices for evangelizing vehicles and, at the same time, contributed an evangelical voice to that culture. The author argues that Evangelicals' use of media has moved into a new level of sophistication enabling effective entry into the national discourse, partly through dramatic growth of contemporary Christian music. Given this phenomenon, the author examines issues of identity and social forces driving the subculture; he also explores potential influences or effects on the broader secular culture. Using a range of cultural theory, the author argues that the movement toward religious messages in the form of popular music enables the subculture of evangelical Christians to resist against a dominant secular society by taking possession of a cultural form and redefining it as their own, empowering them to effect an influential voice in the cultural discourse of American society.
In atria from rats killed 1 h after either chronic parenteral (daily subcutaneous injections of 5 mg/kg/day for 15 days) or prolonged oral administration of (−)-propranolol (1 mg/ml ad libitum during 15 days) there was a 50% decrease in the overflow of [3H]noradrenaline ([3H]NA) elicited by cardioaccelerans nerve stimulation at 2 Hz, as previously reported for the in vitro exposure of guinea pig atria to propranolol. The chronotropic responses to nerve stimulation and to isoprenaline were also significantly reduced. On the other hand. 40 h after the last injection of propranolol, the overflow of [3H]NA induced by stimulation was still reduced to 50% of the control values, whereas no blockage to nerve stimulation or to isoprenaline was observed. Neither the basal output of [3H]NA nor the tissue levels of the endogenous transmitter were modified by any of the treatment schedules applied. In a separate set of experiments performed in isolated guinea pig atria stimulated at 4 Hz during I min, the in vitro exposure to 0.5 μM desipramine prevented the 30% decrease in the overflow of [3H]NA caused by 0.1 μM (−)-propranolol. Desipramine, by itself, did not modify the overflow of the transmitter. It is concluded that propranolol, both in vitro and after chronic in vivo treatments, reduces the overflow of [3H]NA in response to nerve stimulation. The fact that the in vitro effect of the β-blocker is antagonized by desipramine suggests that propranolol may have to be taken up by the nerve terminals in order to exert its presynaptic inhibition on the release of noradrenaline.
This paper studied the plasma’s impacts on spruce CTMP. Spruce CTMP was treated with air, nitrogen and oxygen plasma respectively. Morphology of the CTMP fiber was captured with SEM, and carbon, oxygen and nitrogen content on the CTMP fiber surface were determined with XPS. The results showed that no matter what types of plasma were used, the roughness of the CTMP fiber would increase in the initial stage and recovered to its original roughness level following further treatment. Tensile index of the CTMP increased by 79%, 32% and 54% and the wet strength index increased by 64%, 65% and 22% with air, nitrogen and oxygen plasma treatments respectively. The increase in the tensile index and the wet strength index of the CTMP sheet was originated from the increase in C2, C3 and oxygen. C1 and nitrogen present on fiber surface wasn’t favorable to CTMP sheet strength.
Adaptive governance seeks to address complicated and difficult policy problems. Due to the extreme political upheaval wrought by the Trump administration’s dismantling of federal climate change programs, many state and local governments are considering new policy approaches. Yet by ignoring crucial aspects of politics and intergovernmental relations, the adaptive governance literature provides little guidance for such substantial issues. This paper introduces the concept of strategic adaptive governance, a framework for permitting policymakers to achieve the highest rate of compliance possible under existing conditions and constraints involving state and local policy, despite political upheaval. The strategic adaptive governance model embraces politics, accounts for the role of central authorities, and emphasizes the motivations, resources, and interdependencies of affected parties. We apply the model in an analysis of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), examining the extent to which it aligns with strategic adaptive governance, and evaluating the potential for the state to utilize the model. We find that AB 32 aligns moderately with strategic adaptive governance, and discuss how the model could help protect and enhance policy gains. More broadly, strategic adaptive governance provides a generic and universal framework for policymakers interested in tactical formulation of any regulatory policy.
The recurrent formation of stones in the urinary tract is a well-recognized clinical problem. Unfortunately, progress in the medical care of these patients has not paralleled that of the surgical care. There are, however, several steps that can be taken to reduce the recurrence rate. In this regard it is desirable to identify patients at risk and to find risk factors that need to be eliminated. The extent of biochemical evaluation and the form of stone preventive treatment in patients with calcium stone formation is presently a matter of debate. This review focuses on some current aspects on the analysis of risk factors for calcium stone formation. The present situation on recurrence prevention using dietary and pharmacological measures is also summarized.
The flow field and the macro-mixing process in a stirred tank equipped with four side-entering agitators were investigated experimentally and numerically. Experiments were conducted using two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements to characterize the flow field at different positions in the vessel. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was performed by the software Fluent 6.3, using the standard k-ϵ turbulent model and the multiple reference frame together with the sliding mesh technique. The macro-mixing process was also discussed using CFD and decolorization experiments. The effects of the tracer detection positions and some mounting parameters in the mixing system were discussed. The results show that the mixing process was dominated by the flow field pattern in the stirred tank. According to the mixing times under different conditions using CFD simulation, the mounting parameters including inclination angle, plunging length and mounting height of the shaft were optimized.
The paper aims at exploring further the potential of organic agriculture by increasing the knowledge about consumers’ perceptions of organic products. The United States (Florida) and Poland are interesting examples in which the level of organic market development varies and this allows us to test whether consumer perceptions of organic food products vary with market development. A survey was conducted amongst students at the University of Florida (United States) and at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW (Poland). The results obtained from an online survey were analysed through econometric modelling. The model used for this study was the ordered probability model, which was used to compare the frequency of organic consumption between the United States and Polish students. The findings indicate that students from the two countries have different perceptions of organic products. The less the market is developed (such as in Poland), the more important is basic knowledge about the products. With a higher level of market development (for example in the United States), consumers already have this basic knowledge about the products, such as origin or organic label, and are more focused on their qualities, such as taste or variety. These differences should be taken into account by states when developing policies on organic agriculture and healthy eating generally, and during the formulation of marketing strategies by companies interested in the growth of the organic market.
Promoting physical activity and reducing screen time are key strategies in tackling childhood overweight and obesity. Recent studies found significant associations between the physical activity levels and screen time of mothers and their children, suggesting that strategies to promote physical activity and reduce screen time for children could be enhanced by increasing their mothers’ physical activity and reducing their mothers’ screen time. However, one study including children aged 1-3 years found no association between the physical activity levels of mothers and their children, and concluded that mothers may not serve as agents of change for their child’s physical activity at this young age. The purpose of this study was to investigate the screen time and physical activity levels of twoyear-old children and that of their mothers, as well as any associations. We analysed cross-sectional data at the two-year follow-up from the Healthy Beginnings Trial, a randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of an early family-focused obesity intervention in south-west Sydney. The screen time and physical activity of 242 mothers with two-year-old children were assessed using questions from the New South Wales Population Health Survey. Mothers also reported their child’s screen time and outdoor play time via a validated questionnaire. To avoid intervention effects, data were only examined from mothers and children in the control group. Analysis was conducted using Stata10.0. Table 1 shows that only 30% of children and 38% of mothers met the National Physical Activity Guidelines. Linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between mothers’ screen time and level of physical activity and that of their children. The results showed that the mother’s screen time was the only factor significantly associated with their child’s screen time (β coefficient=0.13, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.21, p=0.001), and the mother’s physical activity time was marginally associated with their child’s outdoor play time (β coefficient=0.27, 95% CI -0.005 to 0.55, p=0.055) (Table 1). This means for every one hour increase in a mother’s screen time, their child’s screen time would increase by eight minutes per day; and for every one hour increase in a mother’s physical activity time, their child’s play time would increase by 16 minutes per day. Although the child’s gender and mother’s country of birth and education level were significantly associated with child outdoor play time, they were not associated with child screen time. The results from this study support associations found in previous studies using self-reported or accelerometer-derived physical activity data, although the generalisability of the findings could be limited due to the locality of the study area. A mother’s influence on her child’s physical activity and screen time begins to appear when the child is two years of age. This indicates that maternal role modelling will influence how the child spends his or her time and achieving an increase in the physical activity of mothers will also benefit children at two years of age. Since physical activity and inactivity patterns track throughout childhood and into adulthood, early family-focused intervention is necessary. More evidence on how to promote physical activity in children and further understanding into how ethnicity and gender influence uptake of physical activity is needed.
The spatial distribution of alleles and geographical distances of a Carex humilis population on Mt. Giri in Korea were studied. A total of 102 DNA fragments (bands) were found among 107 plants. Among these 102 bands, 48 (47.1%) bands were polymorphic. In a simple variability of subpopulations by the percentage of polymorphic bands, distances I and V exhibited the lowest variation (16.7%). Distance Ⅷ showed the highest variation (22.6%). The total genetic diversity (H) was 0.076 across species. Class Ⅷ had the highest H (0.093), while class I had the lowest (0.063). Genetic similarity of individuals was found among subpopulations at up to a scale of 60 m distance, and this was partly due to a combination of alleles. Within the Mt. Giri population, a strong spatial structure was observed for RAPD markers, indicating a very low amount of migration among subpopulations and that the distribution of individual genotypes of a given population was clumped. The present study demonstrated that analysis of RAPD markers could be successfully used to study the spatial and genetic structures of C. humilis.
When using a spectrograph to photograph an emission spectrum consisting of sharp lines, there is little advantage to using a slit wide enough to degrade greatly the resolution. In contrast, when observing absorption or emission spectra with a spectrometer, the power arriving at the detector can be increased dramatically by widening the entrance and exit slits. Most infrared investigations in the past have been made with such wide slits that the resolution was well below the diffraction limit. The pioneering work of Rank and his co-workers was a notable exception. Today, however, with the availability of large echelles and the recent construction of large research spectrometers to high optical and mechanical standards, diffraction-limited infrared spectroscopy is becoming increasingly widespread.
With the continuous expansion of modern power systems, traditional black-start decision-making methods are increasingly incapable of meeting modern blackout restoration requirements. More effective methods are demanded for quick power network restoration after blackouts. Considering the interactions among different black-start decision-making indexes, multiple experts and their language assessment adaptability, this paper proposes a black-start group decision-making method using a language Choquet integral operator. A λ fuzzy measure is introduced to describe the relationship between the indexes and the experts concerned by integrating the language Choquet integral theory. The proposed approach uses the language Choquet integral operator to make an “indicator-expert” double rally from the language assessment information of each black-start scheme. After consolidating all the information, a black-start decision is made via the proposed multi-attribute, group decision-making approach. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the basic features of the proposed method.
Objective To evaluate the accuracy of tracheal ultrasonography for confirming the endotracheal tube placement during patients’ intubation. Patients and methods The current study was a prospective, randomized study performed at the ICU of Al-Hussein Hospital, Cairo. Intubated for respiratory failure, cardiac arrest or other medical causes were included in the current study. Real-time tracheal ultrasonography was conducted during intubation with the ultrasound probe placed transversely over the trachea above the suprasternal notch for confirming the tube position, either tracheal or esophageal. The standard method for confirming endotracheal tube placement include clinical evaluation and rapid bronchoscopic confirmation. The main outcomes were the degree of accuracy and timeliness of tracheal ultrasound in confirming endotracheal tube placement. Results Forty patients eligible for endotracheal intubation were randomized in the current study and only four (10%) patients had confirmed esophageal intubations. Our results concluded that tracheal ultrasound had a diagnostic accuracy of 97.5% in the detection of endotracheal tube site. The sensitivity was 97.2%, while the specificity was 100%. Tracheal ultrasound had a positive predictive value of 100%, while the negative predictive value was 80%. The total operating time of ultrasonography was significantly lower than that of bronchoscopy. Conclusion Real-time ultrasound of the trachea is an accurate, feasible, and fast method in confirming endotracheal tube placement.
Experimental studies on shallow acceptor and donor field ionization dynamics in MBE-grown GaAs epitaxial layers are presented. The experiments have been carried out with a new non-resonant spectroscopic technique, transient tunnelling spectroscopy. It has been found that intense hole tunnelling from shallow acceptors begins at electric fields higher than 6000 V cm-1, while electron tunnelling from shallow compensating donors to the conduction band occurs at much lower electric fields, of the order of 500 V cm-1. The dependence of the acceptor to valence band tunnelling time on the electric field strength has been measured for the first time, From the analysis of the experimental results it is concluded that initially the acceptor to valence band tunnelling dynamics is dominated by a light-hole mass.
Objective:To study the clinical features and prognostic factors of bone metastases of non-small-cell lung cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 174 patients with bone metastases of non-small-cell lung cancer,who were treated in our hospital during April 1999 to June 2006,were retrospectively analyzed.Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate the 1-and 2-year survival rates of patients.Log-rank test was used to screen the factors influencing the survival of patients and Cox regression was used to further confirm the independent factors.Results:The predilection sites of bone metastases of non-small-cell lung cancer were chest(38.1%),spine(32.8%),pelvis(16.3%),extremities(8.7%),and skull(4.1%),with the ribs(30.7%),lumber vertebrae(17.3%),and thoracic vertebra(13.1%) ranking the top three.The median survival time of the 174 patients was 10.73 months;Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 1-and 2-year survival rates were 47.1% and 17.8%,respectively.It was also showed that the PS Score,bone pain,asymptomatic bone metastases,solitary bone metastasis,serum AKP,LDH,and CEA were associated with the prognosis of patients(P0.05).Multivariate analysis showed that PS score,solitary bone metastasis and single bone metastasis were the independent factors of prognosis.Conclusion:The predilection sites of bone metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancer include chest part(ribs),spine(lumber/thoracic vertebrae),pelvis(ilium),etc.PS score,asymptomatic bone metastases,and solitary bone metastasis have great influence on the prognoses of patients.
The genetic aberrations that drive mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) remain largely unknown, with the exception of a small subset of MPALs harboring BCR -ABL1 and MLL translocations. We performed clinicopathologic and genetic evaluation of 52 presumptive MPAL cases at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Only 29 out of 52 (56%) cases were confirmed to be bona fide MPAL according to the 2016 World Heath Organization classification. We identified PHF6 and DNMT3A mutations as the most common recurrent mutations in MPAL, each occurring in 6 out of 26 (23%) cases. These mutations are mutually exclusive of each other and BCR-ABL1/MLL translocations. PHF6- and DNMT3A-mutated MPAL showed marked predilection for T-lineage differentiation (5/6 PHF6 mutated, 6/6 DNMT3A mutated). PHF6-mutated MPAL occurred in a younger patient cohort compared with DNMT3A-mutated cases (median age, 27 years vs 61 years, P < .01). All 3 MPAL cases with both T- and B-lineage differentiation harbored PHF6 mutations. MPAL with T-lineage differentiation was associated with nodal or extramedullary involvement (9/15 [60%] vs 0, P = .001) and a higher relapse incidence (78% vs 22%, P = .017) compared with those without T-lineage differentiation. Sequencing studies on flow-cytometry-sorted populations demonstrated that PHF6 mutations are present in all blast compartments regardless of lineage differentiation with high variant allele frequency, implicating PHF6 as an early mutation in MPAL pathogenesis. In conclusion, PHF6 and DNMT3A mutations are the most common somatic alterations identified in MPAL and appear to define 2 distinct subgroups of MPAL with T-lineage differentiation with inferior outcomes.
Novel chemically bonded phosphate ceramic borehole sealant, i.e. Ceramicrete, has many advantages over conventionally used permafrost cement at Alaska North Slope (ANS). However, in normal field practices when Ceramicrete is mixed with water in blenders, it has a chance of being contaminated with leftover Portland cement. In order to identify the effect of Portland cement contamination, recent tests have been conducted at BJ services in Tomball, TX as well as at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with Ceramicrete formulations proposed by the Argonne National Laboratory. The tests conducted at BJ Services with proposed Ceramicrete formulations and Portland cement contamination have shown significant drawbacks which has caused these formulations to be rejected. However, the newly developed Ceramicrete formulation at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has shown positive results with Portland cement contamination as well as without Portland cement contamination for its effective use in oil well cementing operations at ANS.
Seventy consecutive patients were entered in a two-arm randomized trial after surgical resection for locally advanced gastric cancer. In the first arm, 37 patients were included as a control group, receiving no further treatment after surgery. In the second arm, 33 patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of mitomycin C (MMC), 20 mg/m2 administered intravenously once every 6 weeks for four consecutive cycles. All patients in both arms were followed in the same way for 5 years. At 5 years 23 of 37 patients in the control arm and 7 of 33 patients in the treatment arm were dead because of relapse. Actuarial survival curve was statistically significant in favor of patients given adjuvant MMC (p less than 0.001). After 10 years follow-up, 31 of 37 patients in the control arm and 16 out of 33 patients in the treatment arm were dead because of relapse, the statistical differences continuing in the actuarial survival curve in favor of treated patients (p less than 0.01). The best advantages of adjuvant treatment were observed in the T3N0M0 stage. The most frequent relapse site was the peritoneal cavity and the relapse pattern shows special decrease in liver metastases in treated patients. Toxicity was acute and mild. No delayed toxicity or second malignancies were observed. These data suggest that adjuvant MMC after resected surgery of gastric cancer is a successful treatment and its effects are still evident after 10 years of follow-up.
Adapted packet speech interpolation (APSI) is presented as an evolution of digital speech interpolation (DSI) techniques. The inherent overload penalties of DSI are mitigated by the use of an overload strategy which distributes the penalties uniformly across all active speech sources. A novel use of linear delta modulation (LDM) allows the system to re-encode the input sources at various rates depending upon the total offered load to the system. The subjective performance of hardware is discussed. Two models of silence and talk-spurt behaviour (called activity) of speech are presented: an analytic model for single speakers obtained by the application of renewal theory, and a simulation model obtained from the analytic model.
This study examined the effects of streptozotocin (STZ)diabetes and dietary long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) on hippocampal N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit expression and lipid peroxidation. MDA level was significantly increased after 8 weeks of STZ-diabetes. LC-PUFAs administration significantly reduced MDA levels in diabetic rats. NR2A and NR2B protein concentrations were significantly decreased by about 30% in diabetic rats. Dietary LC-PUFAs partially restored NR2A and NR2B in diabetic rats whereas the most significant increase was seen in nondiabetic rats. Consequently, dietary LC-PUFAs can partially restore hippocampal NMDA receptors and decrease lipid peroxidation in diabetes. LC-PUFAs are thus a possible prophylactic means for preventing the cognitive deficiencies of diabetes.
The remarkable advances in SAT solving achieved in the last years have allowed to use this technology in many real-world applications of Artificial Intelligence, such as planning, formal verification, and scheduling, among others. Interestingly, these industrial SAT problems are commonly believed to be easier than classical random SAT formulas, but estimating their actual hardness is still a very challenging question, which in some cases even requires to solve them. In this context, realistic pseudo-industrial random SAT generators have emerged with the aim of reproducing the main features shared by the majority of these application problems. The study of these models may help to better understand the success of those SAT solving techniques and possibly improve them. In this work, we present a model to estimate the temperature of real-world SAT instances. This temperature represents the degree of distortion into the expected structure of the formula, from highly structured benchmarks (more similar to real-world SAT instances) to the complete absence of structure (observed in the classical random SAT model). Our solution is based on the Popularity-Similarity (PS) random model for SAT, which has been recently presented to reproduce two crucial features of application SAT benchmarks: scale-free and community structures. The PS model is able to control the hardness of the generated formula by introducing some randomizations in the expected structure. Our solution is a first step towards a hardness oracle based on the temperature of SAT formulas, which may be able to estimate the cost of solving real-world SAT instances without solving them.
The implementation of information security risk management in the telecommunications company is carried out to systematically manage potential losses arising from opportunities and consequences in the information security business process. This implementation uses ISO 27005 in relation to the requirements of ISO 27001 which has control objectives that can be used as a basis for controlling risk. The maintenance and inspection program implemented in the telecommunications company has not considered the risk aspects in the decision-making process so that the problem has resulted in not optimal risk handling and control. The purpose of this study is to determine the selection of the right control object for the basis of a suitable risk control program to support the requirements of the ISO 27001 information security management system standard. This study begins with context establishment, followed by risk identification, risk analysis, risk evaluation, and risk treatment. The sampling technique used purposive sampling and snowball sampling. Data collection was obtained from the management and processed with computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software NVivo 10. This study produces 26 impact scenarios for the highest rank category and 12 impact scenarios as the top priority. Based on the results of risk evaluation, eight ISO 27001 control objectives need to be considered in order to support information security. The results of this study can be used for planning decisions and risk control work programs.
Water transportation plays an important role in the comprehensive transportation system and regional logistics. The number of vessel accidents is an important indicator for evaluating vessel traffic safety and the efficiency of the maritime management strategy. The aim of this work is to provide an efficient way to predict the number of vessel accidents in China. Firstly, to weaken the randomness of the vessel accident number time series, the gray processing operation is adopted to generate a new sequence with exponential and approximate exponential rules. In addition, an extended least-squares support vector machine (LSSVM) model is applied in the forecasting of the new sequence, in which the parameters of the LSSVM are optimized by an improved quantum-behaved particle swarm (IQPSO). The proposed method is applied in the forecasting of the number of vessel accidents in China, and the efficiency is shown by comparing the prediction results with GM (1, 1), PSO-LSSVM, and QPSO-LSSVM.
We examine various problems concerning the reservation of capacity in a given network, where each arc has a per-unit cost, so as to be "resilient" against one or more arc failures. For a given pair (s,t) of nodes and demand T, we require that, on the failure of any k arcs of the network, there is sufficient reserved capacity in the remainder of the network to support an (s,t) flow of value T. This problem can be solved in polynomial time for any fixed k, but we show that it is NP-hard if we are required to reserve an integer capacity on each arc.  We concentrate on the case where the reservation has to consist of a collection of arc-disjoint paths: here we give a very simple algorithm to find a minimum cost fractional solution, based on finding successive shortest paths in the network. Unlike traditional network flow problems, the integral version is NP-hard: we do, however, give a polynomial time $ frac{15}{14}$-approximation algorithm in the case k=1 and show that this bound is best possible unless P = NP.
Background and Purpose: Oropharyngeal candidiasis is the most prevalent opportunistic fungal infection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as well as other immunodeficiency disorders, which is caused by various Candida species, mostly Candida albicans. Studies have shown that Candida isolates differ in their pathogenicity. These variations are attributed to virulence factors, host characteristics, and the target tissue. This study aimed to determine and compare the secretion of hydrolytic enzymes in C. albicans and non-albicans Candida species isolated from HIV+/AIDS patients and healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: Samples were taken from 201 patients with HIV and 118 healthy individuals. The samples were identified by macroscopic, phenotypic, and molecular methods, and virulence factors were subsequently measured. Statistical differences in enzymatic activity of various Candida isolates were calculated (P<0.0001). Results: In total, 95 samples (47.20%) from patients and 46 samples (38.90%) from healthy individuals were positive for the growth of different Candida species. There were 39 (41.10%) and 36 (78.30%) C. albicans in patients and healthy individuals, respectively, as well as 56 (58.90%) and 10 (21.70%) non-albicans species in patients and healthy subjects, respectively. All the enzymes produced by Candida species enzymes were at low, medium, and high levels. Hemolysin activity in Candida species isolated from patients was significantly higher, compared to healthy individuals. Moreover, the activity of all C. albicans enzymes in patients was significantly higher than other Candida species. Conclusion: The C. albicans isolated from HIV-positive individuals secreted higher amounts of exoenzymes, and can cause oropharyngeal candidiasis and become a source of candidiasis for the host.
The hippocampus has the extraordinary capacity to process and store information. Consequently, there is an intense interest in the mechanisms that underline learning and memory. Synaptic plasticity has been hypothesized to be the neuronal substrate for learning. Ca2+ and Ca2+-activated kinases control cellular processes of most forms of hippocampal synapse plasticity. In this paper, I aim to integrate our current understanding of Ca2+-mediated synaptic plasticity and metaplasticity in motivational and reward-related learning in the hippocampus. I will introduce two representative neuromodulators that are widely studied in reward-related learning (e.g., ghrelin and endocannabinoids) and show how they might contribute to hippocampal neuron activities and Ca2+-mediated signaling processes in synaptic plasticity. Additionally, I will discuss functional significance of these two systems and their signaling pathways for its relevance to maladaptive reward learning leading to addiction.
In the Physical Review for April, 1918, I described an apparatus for positive ray analysis and gave examples of hydrogen, oxygen, sodium and potassium rays, showing that at least the lighter elements could be readily analyzed so as to separate any molecules differing in molecular weight by unity. I have recently resumed the experiments and will give in this paper an account of experiments with magnesium. As stated in the Physical Review article, the experimental difficulties are largely in obtaining a steady source of the rays desired. Magnesium rays have been obtained from a piece of the metal which was heated electrically by a coil of wire, and at the same time bombarded by electrons from a Wehnelt cathode. The occluded gases are first driven off, and then the heating current is increased till the magnesium lines appear due to the metal vaporizing slightly. The positively charged molecules formed pass through a hole in a plate below the cathode and are then accelerated by a strong variable field of several hundred volts. The plate has been added to the apparatus described in the Physical Revew to prevent the strong electrical field influencing or even inhibiting the low voltage discharge. The first slit, about 1 mm. wide, separates out a bundle of rays which is bent into a semicircle by a strong magnetic field and refocussed, if their speed is right, on the second slit, below the detecting electrode. The charge carried by the rays, which is proportional to the number of the molecules of different kinds, is measured by a Wilson electroscope used as a null instrument with a special compensating device for rapid measurements. The charged atoms of different atomic weights are successively brought on to the detecting electrode by keeping the magnetic field constant and varying the potential which accelerates the rays, the potential required being inversely proportional to the mass of the particles. Thus, if one atomic weight is known the others may be found. Due to the finite width of the slits, each element gives a curve, on the atomic weight scale, which
When treating waste water with MBR system, the function of membrane module is to filter suspended solids (SS) in sewage. In the MBR waste-water treatment system, due to the U-shaped hollow fiber membrane module is one of the commonly used membrane modules, the CFD multi-phase flow Euler model is used to simulate and calculate the U-type hollow fiber membrane module in this paper. In the research process, the geometric model of the single U-shaped membrane tube was firstly established by ICEM CFD pre-processor, and structured meshing this geometric model. Then set the FLUENT solver to calculate the mesh file and monitor the volume fraction of the SS at the exit of the geometry model. Because the research object of this paper is solid-liquid separation, the multi-phase flow Euler model is enabled in the solver. Finally, the calculation result is graphically presented by the CFD-Post post-processor. On this basis, this paper selects the sewage with different SS concentration for experimental analysis: we use the SS concentration of waste-water as the secondary boundary condition of the solver to calculate, and compare the calculation results with the MBR system operation results in actual production. The comparison results show that the volume fraction of SS at the exit of U-shaped membrane tube is almost zero after calculation by the solver, which is basically the same as the actual MBR system. It solves the problem of using CFD to simulate U-shaped membrane module to filter sewage process, and has certain reference value for MBR simulation research.
8530 Background: The consolidation treatment with durvalumab, an anti-PD-L1 antibody, after concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT) has become a new standard of care for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC). The rationale of the addition of anti-PD-L1 antibody is based on preclinical evidence suggesting that chemotherapy and radiotherapy may up-regulate PD-L1 expression on tumor cells. However, there has been reported no clinical evidence showing up-regulation of PD-L1 expression after CCRT. Methods: LA-NSCLC patients with paired sufficient histologic specimens for immune-histochemical analysis of tumoral PD-L1 expression (tumor proportion score, TPS) and stromal CD8-positive tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte density (CD8+density) before and after pre-operative treatment were eligible in this study. Twenty-three patients who underwent CCRT were reviewed in comparison with 18 patients who underwent chemotherapy. Results: PD-L1 expression was significantly enhanced after CCRT (median TPS, 48 from 1; P<0.01), but not after chemotherapy (median TPS, 7.5 from 1; P=0.62). No significant correlation between baseline TPS and TPS after CCRT (P=0.119). Stromal CD8+density was significantly increased after CCRT (median, 39 from 11; P<0.01) and after chemotherapy (median, 23 from 12; P<0.01). No significant correlation between baseline TPS and TPS after CCRT (P=0.378). Among CCRT cases, stromal CD8+density after treatment was significantly higher in cases with higher pathologic response to CCRT (median, 55 versus 27; P<0.01), and higher stromal CD8+density was a significant factor to predict a favorable survival after surgery (P=0.03 for recurrence-free survival; P=0.02 for overall survival). Conclusions: PD-L1 expression was significantly upregulated after CCRT regardless of baseline PD-L1 status, which may provide a pathologic rationale for the use of anti-PD-L1 agent after CCRT to improve the prognosis. Stromal CD8+density also increased after CCRT, which was correlated with pathologic response to CCRT and provided a significant prognostic impact.
In order to assess chicken T cell-mediated responses after immune stress, 200 two-week-old chickens were randomly divided into control group(C) and treatment groups (T1 and T2). The live I-type of Newcastle disease vaccine (ND) was taken as the source of immunological stress. The chickens in group (T2) were injected with overdose of live I-type Newcastle disease vaccine. After vaccination, the dynamic changes of CD4+, CD8+T cells on thymus were detected by immunohisto-chemistry. The ultra-structure of T cells on thymus of the chickens in group (T2) was observed by electron microscopic. The result showed: (1) After immune stress, from day 1 to day 5, the number of the CD4+T cells significantly declined and reached the bottom at day 5, but the number of the CD8+T cells increased dramatically and peaked at day 5. (2) After immune stress, from day 1 to day 5, part of T cells of chicken thymus came with apoptotic and pathological changes of putrescence continually. These results underscore: the immune stress can cause transient immune adjustment. These changes for chickens were the self-protection mechanism of immune system to adapt to survival and avoid immune disorder.
The paper deals with the application of statistical methods of experiments planning aimed at investigations of liquid crystal thermo-optic properties. To carry out the experiment the author has used the orthogonal central compositional planning. The experimental unit permitted to vary the controlled input factors on five levels. As a result of the experiment the statistical mathematics model of the second order was obtained. This model describes the dependence of the line thickness of LC cell on physical parameters of thermo-optic process of information recording.
This paper presents a procedure for free-field calibration of half-inch laboratory standard microphones by reciprocity that allows the identification and removal of the electrical cross-talk, multiple backscattering, reflections, noise, and all harmonic distortion components when measuring the electrical transfer impedance between the microphones. Initially, the difficulties of free-field calibration of condenser microphones by the reciprocity method are pointed out and the state of art is summarized. Following, the proposed procedure, which allows determining microphone sensitivities in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 40 kHz, is described: The cross-talk is removed by subtraction while multiple backscattering, reflections, noise and all harmonic distortion components are removed by a time-selective technique. Measurements and results are presented and discussed. A comparison between the results obtained by the proposed procedure and the pressure field calibration results corrected to free-field shows the efficiency and accuracy of the technique.
This paper describes recent advances in structural quieting technology as applied to active truss structures intended for high precision space based optics applica tions. The active structure incorporates piezoelectric active members which exert control forces internal to the structure and thereby improve the structure's dimensional stability. The control architecture involves two layers of feedback control. The first utilizes col located measurements of force and velocity at the active member to achieve active damp ing, the second utilizes noncollocated measurements of acceleration at the location of a simulated optical component to achieve structural stabilization. The local control loops are based on the concept of impedance matching, the global control loops are designed using robust control methods. These two levels of control are intended to operate simulta neously; however, in this paper each approach is applied individually. The combined im plementation is left for future work.
Models of Cepheid envelopes are constructed to examine their characteristics and compare them with observations. The models are initially in hydrostatis equilibrium and the mass-luminosity relations of different stellar-evolution calcuations can be assigned to groups of these models. Linear nonadiabatic pulsation analysis of the models provides an estimate of the period and expected pulsation mode. The pulsation mode depends on the period, with first-overtone pulsators expected for models with periods less than 10 days and fundamental-mode pulsators for longer periods. We find that those models with the higher luminosity for a given mass have characteristics similar to most binary and dynamical masses, and that empirical period-radius period-luminsotiy-temperature, and period-luminosity relations are found to correspond closest to the high-luminosity stellar-evolution calculations. A method for an explicit hydrodynamics and implicit radiative-transfer solution to the pulsational variation of the Cepheid models is described. This method is applied to the same series of models to obtain light and velocity curves. In most cases the pulsation characteristics of the models are similar to the results obtianed by the linear nonadiabatic analysis. Thus, the models that correspond to the highest-lumnosity stellar-evolution calculations give the best fit to empirical Cepheid relations. The phase lag between the minimum radius and the luminosity maximum is found to be dependent on temperature. The Fourier coefficients for the light and velocity curves are determined, and it is found that the light-curve coefficients have a greater scatter relative to the coefficients obtained from observed Cepheid light curves, while the theoretical velocity-curve coefficients are quite similar to those obtained from Cepheid observations. For those models that have bumps on the light curves, the bump Cepheid period-radius relation for these stars is very similar to that obtained from observed bump Cepheids. The same method of analysis described is also applied to a series of models that have opacities increased along the lines suggested by recent opacity calculations. In most cases the model characteristics are similar to those for the models described above. It is found that the models that best fit the empirical relations of Cepheids are those that correspond to the high-luminosity stellar-evolution calculations.
The natural products extracted from plants are part of traditional medicine and are also therapeutic possibilities for treating many diseases. Recently, its use in the development of new drugs has shown much visibility for its efficiency and few adverse effects. Essential oils extracted from medicinal plants are indicated to treat numerous diseases due to their antimicrobial, antiviral, antimutagenic, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiprotozoal properties. Among essential oils, lavender essential oil stands out for having several important pharmacological properties. This review detailed the main studies on essential oils from different species of lavender and obtained a valuable collection on all their pharmacological, medicinal and toxicological potential. In this context, we evaluated lavender essential oil as a promising substance that can help treat several diseases. We provide some evidence and an overview of the potential therapeutic effect of lavender essential oil to guide new research.
Sir, We read with interest the study by Vollgraff Heidweiller-Schreurs et al., in which the authors compare the abilities of umbilical Doppler, middle cerebral Doppler and cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome. We would like to congratulate the authors for this collaborative study and also for the CPR IPD initiative. However, we disagree with their conclusions and methodology, upon which we would like to make several comments: First and foremost, the main diagnostic performance of CPR relies on the ability to detect compromised fetuses that are unable to stand the stress of labour. However, in the absence of contractions, even endangered fetuses with abnormal Doppler may be delivered with a good perinatal outcome. Second, CPR performance is strikingly dependent on the interval to labour, decreasing considerably after 15 days. If we take into account that beyond the appropriate performance range Doppler techniques with different abilities may seem to be equally accurate, the information about the interval becomes crucially important. Third, the possibility of adverse perinatal outcome depends on the kind of labour onset. As a consequence, inductions with poor Bishop score are more likely to present acidosis and adverse perinatal outcome than deliveries with spontaneous onset and good obstetric conditions. All of these issues imply that to perform appropriate comparisons between different Doppler techniques, cases with elective caesarean sections and higher intervals to labour should be discarded. Moreover, the type of labour onset should be taken into account. However, as far as we are concerned, none of this was done. Last but not least, when preterm fetuses are studied, admission to paediatric care can be the result not only of hypoxia, but also of prematurity. Consequently, considering that in this scenario intrapartum and neonatal pH become the only accurate data to establish a clear diagnosis of acidosis, these parameters should be homogeneous, as they should be using similar pH thresholds. Unfortunately, this information was not provided. Overlapping receiver operating characteristic curves may be the result of a similar performance between the studied parameters. However, considering the above-mentioned aspects, they might also be the result of biased comparisons performed outside the appropriate performance range. Although the findings of this meta-analysis do not support the use of CPR outside a research protocol, we would still like to consider that further research is needed to reach such a conclusion and that CPR so far remains a poor predictor, but the best individual predictor, of adverse perinatal outcome.&
Article focuses on improving the accuracy of solar module simulation. The results of the study presentsolar models in Matlab software package. The methods of modeling analytical equations describing the behavior of the solar cell were considered. The major solar cell parameters using a genetic algorithm were searches. Also it's provided fast and accurate simulation model of the solar battery based on artificial neural network. Simulation is carried out in the Matlab software package, taking into account the various options for light and temperature.
Two-wave with diffuse power (TWDP) is one of the most promising models for description of a small-scale fading effects in the emerging wireless networks. However, its conventional parameterization based on parameters K and Δ is not in line with model’s underlying physical mechanisms. Accordingly, in this paper, we first identified anomalies related to usage of conventional TWDP parameterization in moment-based estimation, showing that the existing Δ-based estimators are unable to provide meaningful estimates in some channel conditions. Then, we derived moment-based estimators of recently introduced physically justified TWDP parameters K and Γ and analyzed their performance through asymptotic variance (AsV) and Cramer–Rao bound (CRB) metrics. Performed analysis has shown that Γ-based estimators managed to overcome all anomalies observed for Δ-based estimators, simultaneously improving the overall moment-based estimation accuracy.
BACKGROUND Roma people, the largest minority in Europe live in segregated communites in several countries. The size of the Roma population is based on estimations deriving from various sources, whereas only narrative accounts of their living conditions have been available.   METHODS A comprehensive environmental survey of all settlements in Hungary (n = 3145) was carried out employing Roma field workers in order to locate and characterize segregated parts (colonies) of human habitats. Based on the collected data on environmental conditions and aggregate population numbers of the colonies, ranking of colonies and maps on their characteristics were prepared for all counties of Hungary.   RESULTS Seven hundred fifty-eight colonies were identified with approximately 134,000 inhabitants. Ninety-four percent of all colonies are populated dominantly by Roma. Most frequent environmental problems in the colonies were found to be lack of sewage and gas mains, garbage deposits, waterlogged soil and lack of water mains.   CONCLUSION Census data cannot be used for policy design aiming at those Roma who are in greatest need of help; that is, living in segregated settlements (colonies). Colonies constitute disadvantaged living conditions of varying severity which can be quantified by a composite score based on indicators of access to services and presence of environmental dangers. The proportion of colony-dwelling Roma is approximately one-fifth to one-quarter of the estimated number of Roma people in Hungary.
Dieter Klaus (born 1927) is a distinguished clinician, researcher and philanthropist with a particularly strong influence on hypertension research and patient care in  post-war Germany. His scientific achievements and dedication to medicine, promotion of young talents, civil society and numerous professional societies are impressive and were influenced by circumstances also described in this article.
This pilot evaluated a novel method of primary care delivery in a military family practice setting. A registered nurse, registered nurse case manager, and primary care provider formed the patient management team. Approximately 2,500 empanelled patients participated in a pilot program that applied a patient-centered approach to primary care. The pilot tracked outcome measures, which included (1) panel size, (2) access to care, (3) care utilization, (4) continuity of care, (5) nurse and provider productivity, (6) Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures, and (7) satisfaction measures. When compared to the standard family practice clinic, the patients in the pilot were able to access the family practice clinic more frequently (p < 0.05), were less seen in the urgent care (p < 0.05), and had a lower no-show rate (p < 0.001) for scheduled appointments. The providers were able to see their own empanelled patients significantly more frequently (p < 0.05) and virtually all Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set markers improved with colon cancer screening, low-density lipoprotein annual exams, low-density lipoprotein control, and breast cancer screening/mammogram being significantly improved over the comparison group (p < 0.05). These results suggest a change in staffing and a focus on patient-centered care can significantly improve outpatient care access and population health maintenance.
In a recent report we demonstrated a miniature static Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) that was implemented with a LiNbO3 (LN) waveguide electro-optic modulator (EOM) combined with the dispersion relation between its half-wave voltage and wavelength. The FTS was verified to be able to measure laser wavelength and for low-resolution spectroscopy. In this report, we successfully applied the resolution enhancement algorithm to the FTS, resulting in at least a three-fold increase in its spectral resolution without causing obvious distortion of the measured spectra. The algorithm method used is based on an autoregressive (AR) model, singular value decomposition (SVD), and forward–backward linear prediction (FBLP). The combination of these methods allows the FTS to remain a small size but to possess good spectral resolution, effectively mitigating the conflict between the small size and high resolution of the device. This study opens the way to development of high-resolution miniature FTS.
This study focused on scrutinizing the influence of Enterprises Risk Management (ERM) on firm performance with a mediating role of Business Model Innovation (BMI). For the purpose, data from 228 Jordanian firms was collected and analyzed. The results indicated that the ERM practices have a significant influence on BMI and financial firm’s performance. The BMI significantly contributed to the financial and nonfinancial performance, whereas it displayed insignificant effects regarding environmental performance. The BMI fully mediated the relationship between ERM practices and financial performance, where a partial mediating effect was observed for the path between ERM practices and nonfinancial performance, while showed no mediating role between the ERM practices and environmental performance. Economies of countries like Jordan are hereby urged to implement the formal ERM practices and to financially educate their top management teams to apply the BMI to gain first-rate performance. This study also encourages the researchers from other countries to extend this model to their economies to unleash useful insights.
Prospective uterine fluid sampling in 140 patients was performed using a Wallace catheter. The levels of human decidua-associated protein (hDP)-200 in the uterine fluid and in the serum, and the total protein concentration in the uterine fluid were determined. Uterine fluid volumes were scored during the hysteroscopy and no correlation was found with the phase of the menstrual cycle. The total protein concentration in the uterine fluid did not vary significantly during the menstrual cycle. The hDP-200 levels in uterine fluid were significantly higher than those in the serum, although considerable individual variation in the level of uterine fluid hDP-200 was found.
This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in the department of paediatrics, Mymensingh Medical College Hospital from March 2006 to December 2006. This study was performed on 100 consecutive asphyxiated newborns who were admitted in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital during the study period. Among them, 50 babies were preterm and 50 babies were full term with moderate to severe perinatal asphyxia. Full term (>37 weeks of gestation) and preterm (<37 weeks of gestation) newborn babies with perinatal asphyxia was taken as case in inclusion criteria. Among the preterm babies, highest number 23(46%) were in the age group o/ 34-36 weeks of gestational age and among the term babies, highest number 24(48%) were in the age group of 39-40 weeks of gestational age. This study shows that 39% mothers had prolong obstructed labour, 21% had premature rupture membrane and 17% had pre-eclamptic toxaemia during pregnancy,. Convulsion 66%, poor primitive reflexes 52%, cyanosis 49% pallor 32%, respiratory distress 32% and apnoic spells 26% were the common presentations of asphyxiated babies. Out of 50 preterm asphyxiated newborn, one showed periventricular leukomalacia, two IVH and two ventricular dilatation. In the present study abnormal sonogram were detected in ten term babies. Two cases showed features of cerebral oedema and eight cases showed mild to moderate ventriculomegaly together with several subcortical cystic lesions of varying size. In case of comparison, eight cases had ventricular dilatation in term babies while 2 cases had in preterm babies. None of the term babies had ventricular haemorrhage but 2 had in preterm babies. Only, one preterm baby had periventricular leukomalacia but none among the term babies. There were 2 cases of cerebral oedema in term babies but none in preterm babies. Thus ultrasonography helps early recognition of intracranial abnormalities in asphyxiated newborns. So prognosis may be assessed, complication may be anticipated and appropriate management plan can be designed. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmj.v41i3.18956 Bangladesh Medical Journal 2012 Vol.41(3): 33-37
The languages of the Northwest Saamic group evince a pattern of syllabification that maximises the complexity of the coda in a bimoraic stressed syllable (cf. Kiparsky 2004 on Fenno-Swedish). The coda maximisation requirement interacts with four other syllabic well-formedness constraints in a fixed ranking that regulates the sonority profile, quantity and structural complexity of the rhyme. Varying the point at which the coda maximisation requirement interleaves with the constraints in this fixed ranking generates a restrictive microtypology of coda maximisation in Northwest Saamic. The last part of the paper proposes to eliminate the stipulative fixed ordering by ranking the four syllabic well-formedness constraints in a proper inclusion (stringency) hierarchy (de Lacy 2004). It is argued that syllable rhymes may be characterised as falling on a scale of degree of perceptual integrity (dpi) and that complex codas are more dispreferred when the syllable has low dpi.
Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSPs) are natural computational problems that appear in many areas of theoretical computer science. Exploring which CSPs are solvable in polynomial time and which are NP-hard reveals a surprising link with central questions in universal algebra. This monograph presents a self-contained introduction to the universal-algebraic approach to complexity classification, treating both finite and infinite-domain CSPs. It includes the required background from logic and combinatorics, particularly model theory and Ramsey theory, and explains the recently discovered link between Ramsey theory and topological dynamics and its implications for CSPs. The book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers in theoretical computer science and to mathematicians in logic, combinatorics, and dynamics who wish to learn about the applications of their work in complexity theory.
Herein, we report a highly selective fluorescent probe for the detection of Cu(ii). The detection mechanism relies on the Cu(ii)-catalyzed oxidative hydroxylation of 2-(aminocarbonyl)phenylboronic acid into salicylamide, thus recovering the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) effect and inducing more than 35-fold fluorescence enhancement. The simple structure and readily available fluorescent probe give a novel method for quantitatively detecting Cu(ii) in the linear range of 0–22 μM, with a limit of detection down to 68 nM, and exhibiting high selectivity for Cu(ii) over 16 other metal ions.
In this paper, the abatement of adsorbable halogenated organic compounds (AOX) from an industrial wastewater containing relatively high chloride concentrations by a combined chemical and biological oxidation is assessed. For chemical oxidation, the O(3)/UV, H(2)O(2)/UV and photo-Fenton processes are evaluated on pilot scale. Biological oxidation is simulated in a 4 h respirometry experiment with periodic aeration. The results show that a selective degradation of AOX with respect to the matrix compounds (expressed as chemical oxygen demand) could be achieved. For O(3)/UV, lowering the ratio of O(3) dosage to UV intensity leads to a better selectivity for AOX. During O(3)-based experiments, the AOX removal is generally less than during the H(2)O(2)-based experiments. However, after biological oxidation, the AOX levels are comparable. For H(2)O(2)/UV, optimal operating parameters for UV and H(2)O(2) dosage are next determined in a second run with another wastewater sample.
This study, building on work on irritable bowel syndrome conducted by Letson and Dancey (1996), explores Taiwanese nurses' knowledge, perceptions and beliefs about caring for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A 46-item questionnaire was completed voluntarily by 120 registered nurses from a large tertiary acute care facility in Taiwan. The study used a descriptive research design and a questionnaire was developed that used a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree = 5, to strongly disagree = 1). The questionnaire consisted of six categories: demographic information; nurses' sources of IBS information; nurses' knowledge about IBS; nurses' perceptions about patients with IBS; nurses' beliefs about IBS; and learning requirements for nurses. Overall, the results indicted that Taiwanese nurses who participated in this study had little specific knowledge of IBS. The researchers developed a booklet containing information on the condition of IBS that may be used by the participants in this study to fill the knowledge gaps about this condition and provide useful information.
Propagation of (3+1)D short light bullets in media with Kerr-like saturable nonlinearity is considered. The influence of higher-order terms - third order dispersion, nonlinear dispersion and self frequency shift are taken into account. A trial function corresponding to the product of (2+1)D gaussian beam and approximate solution of (1+1)D generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation is applied. The Euler-Lagrange equations for varying temporal and spatial widths of the bullet are obtained. A stationary corresponding to small higher-order terms of these equations is found. The influence of material nonlinear coefficients for the stationary widths is discussed. The linearized form of Euler-Lagrange equations is obtained. The periods of oscillations of temporal and spatial width are found.
The spatial distribution of the consolidation properties for a seabed must be appropriately estimated to accurately predict the consolidation settlement due to large-scale reclamation. The soil properties must be estimated at arbitrary positions in the ground from data collected during soil investigation. In this study, an artificial neural network was applied to spatially interpolate consolidation properties such as the natural water content, void ratio, plastic index, compression index, and pre-consolidation pressure. The estimation accuracy of consolidation properties was judged based on four indexes: R2, G, MARE, and SR. The artificial neural network estimated the appropriate consolidation properties with high accuracy; this confirmed the availability of spatial interpolation of consolidation properties by using an artificial neural network.
Introduction. Emerging Critical Issues in Teacher Education within the Context of a Globalizing and Transnational World (Dr. Rosa Bruno-Jofre and Dr. James Scott Johnston) FOCAL POINT I: Socio-Political, Cultural and Intellectual Spaces in which Teacher Education is Located: A Historical, Sociological, and Philosophical Approach Chapter 1. Globalization, Higher Education, and Teacher Education: A Sociological Approach (Dr. Roger Dale) Chapter 2. Theorizing Globalization: Rival Philosophical Schools of Thought (Dr. James Scott Johnston) Chapter 3. To Serve and yet be Free: Historical Configurations and the Insertions of Faculties of Education in Ontario (Dr. Rosa Bruno Jofre and Josh Cole) Chapter 4. Cosmopolitanism, Patriotism, and Ecology (Dr. Nel Noddings) FOCAL POINT II: Paradigmatic Changes in Teacher Education Chapter 5. From the Sacred Nation to the Unified Globe: Changing Leitmotifs in Teacher Training in the Western World, 1870-2010 (Dr. Anne Rohstock and Dr. Daniel Trohler) Chapter 6. Transnationalization of Teacher Education: A New Paradigm for Ontario? (Dr. LeRoy Whitehead) Chapter 7. Paradigmatic Changes in Teacher Education: The Perils and Pitfalls of the "Reflective Practitioner" (Dr. Tom Russell) Chapter 8. Ubiquitous Learning and the Future of Teaching (Dr. Nick Burbules) FOCAL POINT III: Aboriginal Teacher Education in the Globalizing Context Chapter 9. Autochthonous Ed: Deep, Indigenous, Environmental Learning (Dr. Chris Beeman) Chapter 10. Exploring Teacher Preparation Programs and Policies in Chilean Universities and their Commitment to Intercultural Insertion (Dr. Maria Eugenia Merino-Dickinson) Chapter 11. Indigenous Spaces in Contemporary Learning Institutions: Theoretical and Methodological Frameworks in Approaching Maori Education (Dr. Te Tuhi Robust) FOCAL POINT IV: The European Setting: Erasmus, Bologna, and the European Higher Education Area Chapter 12. The European Program Erasmus on Mobility and its Impact on the European Dimension of Higher Education (Dr. Sylviane Toporkoff) Chapter 13. Harmonizing the Disparate? Bologna's Implementation in Secondary Teachers' Education in Germany and Spain: A Contrasting View to Neo-Institutional Theory (Dr. Carlos Martinez Valle) Chapter 14. Bologna Process and Teacher Education Reforms in Eastern Europe: Exploring the Changing Policy Terrain in Ukraine (Dr. Ben Kutsyuruba) Chapter 15. Transnationalization of Higher Education Teaching and Learning at European Universities: Rethinking the Way to Wisdom (Dr. Gonzalo Jover and Dr. Jose Luis Gonzalez Geraldo) Chapter 16. Guilded Youth: The Returns of Practical Education (Dr. Andrew Robinson) FOCAL POINT V: Transnationalization and State Policies Chapter 17. Teacher Education Policies in Chile: From Invitation to Prescription (Dr. Cristian Cox, Lorena Meckes, and Martin Bascope) Chapter 18. Internationalization in Canadian Higher Education: The Ontario Experience (Ken Snowdon) Conclusion. Reflection on Knowledge for Contemporary Understandings and Future Directions of Teacher Education in a Transnational World: Concluding Comments, Theoretical and Methodological Considerations (Dr. Yvonne Hebert) Bibliography Contributors
Patients who become critically ill from sepsis, acute respiratory illness or other inflammatory processes often require intubation and mechanical ventilation to support respiratory function. The lungs are very susceptible to injury in these circumstances and may develop the syndromes of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Furthermore, patients in the operating room under anesthesia may also develop lung injury due to direct surgical trauma (pneumonectomy), aspiration, transfusion, shock, or allergic reaction. The approaches and techniques of mechanical ventilation continue to evolve with better understanding of the pathophysiology of ALI/ARDS. In this article, we will (a) review the definitions of ALI/ARDS, (b) define lung-protective ventilation and the etiologies of ventilator-associated lung injury, (c) discuss rescue therapies for hypoxemic respiratory failure, and (d) describe newer modes of mechanical ventilation in use both in the ICU and the operating room.
Computing is always going through some kind of revolution, with each generation being smaller, faster and more powerful than the last. We’ve finally reached a point where devices are small enough to be easily carried in a pocket, powerful enough to be truly useful, and connected enough to be relevant. The dominant question now becomes: “What can you do with it?”And “Can you make it work?” The design of the user experience involves getting all aspects of use to be just right. It’s not enough to just have a GUI that looks good and back end services that work properly... in order to succeed in new computing environments, we need to design the information architecture, the presentation methods, the interaction systems and how the part fits into the whole. This integrated approach to design has been the focus of our recent work. In this talk, I’ll present new research from IBM’s User Sciences and Experience Research (USER) lab in Silicon Valley, California, where we are advancing new interaction styles ranging from very small interaction devices (digital jewlery) to very large display/interaction spaces for e-meetings. Proceedings of the 27th EUROMICRO Conference 2001: A Net Odyssey (EUROMICRO’01) 1089-6503/01 $10.00 © 2001 IEEE
An experiment was conducted with 72 Bovans Brown laying hens to determine the effect of dietary crude glycerin on laying performance; egg quality; retention of N, Ca, and P; and metabolizability of energy. The dietary treatments consisted of a control corn-soybean diet containing 6% corn starch (17% CP, 2,775 kcal/kg of AME(n), 0.81% lysine, 0.36% methionine, 3.60% Ca, and 0.37% available P) and 3 experimental diets. In the experimental diets, 2, 4, or 6% crude glycerin (a coproduct of commercial biodiesel production from rapeseed) was substituted for corn starch. During the experimental period (28 to 53 wk of hen age), the dietary level of glycerin had no significant effects on performance indices [i.e., egg production (mean value of all 4 dietary treatments was 95.6%), egg weight (60.4 g), daily egg mass (57.8 g/hen), daily feed consumption (121 g/hen), and feed conversion (0.477 g of egg mass/g of feed consumed)]. No significant treatment effects were found for egg quality parameters (albumen height, Haugh units, yolk color and thickness, density and breaking strength of eggshell), excretion and retention of N, Ca and P, or metabolizability of energy. Linear regression analysis revealed that the AME(n) value of crude glycerol was 3,970 kcal/kg (as-is basis). The results of this study demonstrated that crude glycerin may be incorporated to a level of 6% in the diet of laying hens without any detrimental effect on egg performance, egg quality, nutrient retention, and metabolizability of energy.
Dengue viruses (DENV) cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide and are transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Mosquitoes become infected after ingesting a viremic bloodmeal, and molecular mechanisms involved in bloodmeal digestion may affect the ability of DENV to infect the midgut. We used RNA interference (RNAi) to silence expression of four midgut serine proteases and assessed the effect of each RNAi phenotype on DENV-2 infectivity of Aedes aegypti. Silencing resulted in significant reductions in protease mRNA levels and correlated with a reduction in activity except in the case of late trypsin. RNA silencing of chymotrypsin, early and late trypsin had no effect on DENV-2 infectivity. However, silencing of 5G1 or the addition of soybean trypsin inhibitor to the infectious bloodmeals significantly increased midgut infection rates. These results suggest that some midgut serine proteases may actually limit DENV-2 infectivity of Ae. aegypti.
Organizations make common mistakes when determining its goals, where they only focus on to be done actions. But forgotten the detailed work processes and work systems that can support the achievement of the goals. And when the goal is not achieved, organization make the same mistake again by doing corrective actions. Whereas if we talked about organization’s goals or visions, we should concern on the preventives. Organization business process plays an important role as the basis of all work processes and work systems within the organization itself. This research is discussing the business process improvement in a garment manufacturer located at Cakung, Jakarta. Through interview at the early stage, follow with mapping detailed processes using Porter’s Business Value Chain, which has shown Supply chain and Planning process as the focus area. Continue with using Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence criteria 6 Process Management as a guide to creating a questionnaire to identify current gap versus organization’s needs. The result shows that the organization needs to further clearly identify the Supply chain and Planning process including the process owner. Keywords: Supply Chain and Planning, Work Process, Value Chain, Malcolm Baldrige
PC CITASAN is a software program that contains a database of over 4500 references to scientific literature on the impact of aircraft noise and sonic booms on humans, animals, structures, and noise modeling. It contains bibliographic data and a suitability rating and a controversiality rating for each article. Some articles also have an abstract and an independent review. The data were updated as of Nov 1994. The PC CITASAN database can be searched using four different pre‐defined screens, one for each impact category. The search can be global, by author, by key words in the title, or by year of publication. The program was developed for use by USAF personnel preparing environmental assessment documents. However, it has broad application to other government, civilian, academic, and commercial organizations. The program was originally written to operate under the UNIX operating system using ORACLE as the database. It has been completely re‐written to run under the Windows environment on a PC as a stand alon...
to have them thus brought together. For, though they differ in the degree to • which they will appeal to the philosophical public, they are all of great | interest and value, and display to the full those brilliant powers of exposition : which we have come to expect from the author. The first paper, the only one which has not appeared in print before, is j an account of what we know of Aeschines of Sphettus. It is an admirably j clear summary, and there is little in it which could be disputed, except, i possibly, a slight over-emphasis on the resemblances between Aeschines and i Plato in their account of Socrates, and under-emphasis on their differences. !
In order to determine if renin release would be affected by a dysfunction of the circadian and ultradian organization of sleep, 24-hour profiles of plasma renin activity (PRA) concomitant with sleep stages were established in 10 normal subjects and nine narcoleptic patients, with 10-minute blood sampling intervals. Mean PRA levels were similar in control subjects and narcoleptic patients. Individual 24-hour profiles revealed that the previously described association between renin oscillations and sleep stage alternations was preserved. Increased PRA release was observed during the transition from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep or waking periods to nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and REM sleep occurred as PRA levels were decreasing. Thus, PRA curves exactly reflected the irregularities and disturbances in the sleep structure of the narcoleptic patients. The 24-hour PRA profiles of the patients did not show the general upward trend during nighttime sleep, which is probably induced in the control subjects by the repetitive recurrence of longer episodes of undisturbed NREM sleep. Because of marked sleep fragmentation in the patients, the duration of NREM sleep was often insufficient to allow for the occurrence of a significant PRA increase. Because sleep onset REM (SOREM) episodes, characteristic of narcolepsy, are not preceded by NREM sleep and its associated increase in PRA, no relative PRA decline occurred during this type of REM sleep. In conclusion, the 24-hour PRA profiles of the narcoleptic patients reflected exactly their sleep stage distribution, confirming previous findings that PRA oscillations appear to be inseparable from the NREM-REM sleep cycle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
With the rapid increase in number of clinical data and hence the prediction and analysing data becomes very difficult. With the help of various machine learning models, it becomes easy to work on these huge data. A machine learning model faces lots of challenges; one among the challenge is feature selection. In this research work, we propose a novel feature selection method based on statistical procedures to increase the performance of the machine learning model. Furthermore, we have tested the feature selection algorithm in liver disease classification dataset and the results obtained shows the efficiency of the proposed method.
Fungicide seed treatments may be recommended for protecting winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seedlings from seedborne pathogens. However, effects of these seed treatments on stand establishment (emergence) and grain yield under field conditions are not clear. A 3-year field study was conducted to determine the effects of various fungicide seed treatments on emergence and grain yield of several commercial winter wheat cultivars in the south-central Great Plains. The research was conducted at Hutchinson and Caldwell, Kansas. Treatments consisted of six cultivars (main plot) and six seed fungicide treatments (subplot). The split-plot analysis of variance revealed no interaction between seed treatment and cultivar. A nonsignificant trend toward reduced emergence of seedlings from treated seeds was evident across all cultivars. This trend, however, had no consistent effect on grain yield at either location. In areas of limited postemergence disease pressure, plants in plots where the seed is treated may compensate for reductions in stand (reduced emergence), such that grain yields will be similar to those from untreated seed. Thus, seed treatments should be considered when seed/soilborne pathogens are suspected or seed with poor or low germination or a reduced seeding rate is used.
In 1995, Bekenstein and Mukhanov suggested that the Hawking radiation spectrum was discrete if the area spectrum was quantized in such a way that the allowed areas were integer multiples of a single unit area. However, in 1996, Barreira, Carfora, and Rovelli argued that the Hawking radiation spectrum was continuous if the area spectrum was quantized with an infinite number of unit areas, as predicted by loop quantum gravity, rather than quantized with the single unit area considered by Bekenstein and Mukhanov. In this paper, contrary to what Barreira, Carfora, and Rovelli argued, we show that the Hawking radiation spectrum is still discrete when the area spectrum is quantized as loop quantum gravity predicts. In particular, we show that, for a black hole of a given temperature, the Hawking radiation spectrum is truncated at frequencies below a certain frequency.
The conformations, equilibrium structures, hydrogen bonds, and non-covalent interactions involved in the mechanisms of tautomerization, condensations, and C-sulfenylation and O-sulfenylation of 2,4-pentanedione by sulfur hydride hydroxide (hydrogen thioperoxide, oxadisulfane, H-SOH) have been studied using BD(T), CCSD(T), and QCISD(T) with the cc-pVTZ basis set and using B3LYP, B3PW91, CAM-B3LYP, PBE1PBE, PBEh1PBE, LC-ωPBE, M06-2X, and ωB97XD with the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set. All levels of theory predict the sulfenyl (H-SOH) tautomer of hydrogen thioperoxide to be lower in energy than the sulfinyl (H2S═O) tautomer. Four reasonable mechanisms were considered for the tautomerization of the sulfenyl tautomer of hydrogen thioperoxide to the sulfinyl tautomer: a cyclic three-membered water-free transition state (TS, CCSD(T) activation energy barrier E(⧧) = 65.1 kcal/mol), a cyclic five-membered transition state with one water molecule (TSH2O, E(⧧) = 31.1 kcal/mol), a cyclic seven-membered transition state with two water molecules (TS2H2O, E(⧧) = 14.5 kcal/mol), and a cyclic nine-membered transition state with three water molecules (TS3H2O, E(⧧) = 5.6 kcal/mol). The mechanisms involve hydrogen-bonded reactant complexes and hydrogen-bonded product complexes. The CCSD(T)-predicted energy barriers for the condensation of hydrogen thioperoxide to form thiosulfinic acid through transition states with zero, one, and two waters are E(⧧) = 42.0, 18.3, and 0 kcal/mol, respectively. Mixed condensation reactions are predicted to afford organosulfur products and compounds containing sulfur-selenium bonds. Hydrogen thioperoxide is predicted to add to 2,4-pentanedione to form C-sulfenylated (sulfide, thioether) and O-sulfenylated (sulfenate ester) products. Similar mechanistic trends and reaction pathways are observed in the tautomerism, condensations, and C-sulfenylation and O-sulfenylation reactions of hydrogen thioperoxide. The water molecules set up proton relay networks (bridges) that reduce ring strain, generate favorable conformations for reactivity, lower energy barriers, and increase the numbers of stabilizing hydrogen bonds and nonbonding interactions.
This project reduced patient harm by using the electronic health record for decision support, data capture, and auditing and by using dynamic reporting tools to strengthen safety efforts. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Awareness of the impact of preventable harm on patients and families has resulted in extensive efforts to make our health care systems safer. We determined that, in our hospital, patients experienced 1 of 9 types of preventable harm approximately every other day. In an effort to expedite early identification of patients at risk and provide timely intervention, we used the electronic health record’s (EHR) documentation to enable decision support, data capture, and auditing and implemented reporting tools to reduce rates of harm. METHODS: Harm reduction strategies included aggregating data to generate a risk profile for hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) for all inpatients. The profile includes links to prevention bundles and available care guidelines. Additionally, lists of patients at risk for HACs autopopulate electronic audit tools contained within Research Electronic Data Capture, and data from observational audits and EHR documentation populate real-time dashboards of bundle compliance. Patient population summary reports promote the discussion of relevant HAC prevention measures during patient care and unit leadership rounds. RESULTS: The hospital has sustained a >30% reduction in harm for 9 types of HAC since 2012. In 2014, the number of HACs with >80% bundle adherence doubled coincident with the progressive rollout of these EHR-based interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Existing EHR documentation and reporting tools may be effective adjuncts to harm reduction initiatives. Additional study should include an evaluation of scalability across organizations, ongoing bundle adherence, and individual tests of change to isolate interventions with the highest impact on our results.
Claire held the endowed chair of Speech Pathology and Audiology and was Director of the Health Communication Research Unit in the School of Human and Community Development at Wits University. She was the first A-rated scientist in the Faculty of Humanities. She had a strong international profile, served on the editorial board of a number of international journals, was a member of several international speech pathology organisations, and regularly delivered international invited keynote addresses. Claire published over 100 papers in local and international peer-reviewed scientific journals, 25 chapters and 4 books (including an extensive multi-volume dictionary on southern African signs).
Many systems used for quantum computing possess additional states beyond those defining the qubit. Leakage out of the qubit subspace must be considered when designing quantum error correction codes. Here we consider trapped ion qubits manipulated by Raman transitions. Zeeman qubits do not suffer from leakage errors but are sensitive to magnetic fields to first-order. Hyperfine qubits can be encoded in clock states that are insensitive to magnetic fields to first-order, but spontaneous scattering during the Raman transition can lead to leakage. Here we compare a Zeeman qubit ($^{174}$Yb$^+$) to a hyperfine qubit ($^{171}$Yb$^+$) in the context of the surface code. We find that the number of physical qubits required to reach a specific logical qubit error can be reduced by using $^{174}$Yb$^+$ if the magnetic field can be stabilized with fluctuations smaller than $10$ $ mu$G.
Apart from increased production of immunoglobulin E antibodies and disturbed T-cell regulation, altered patterns of releasability of vasoactive mediators have been described in patients with atopic eczema. The best studied substance is histamine which is a classical inducer of pruritus in man. Elevated concentrations of histamine have been found in vivo in the skin and in the plasma of patients with atopic eczema especially during exacerbation of the disease. Similar findings have been described for other atopic diseases as extrinsic bronchial asthma. Histamine acts via characteristic receptors; symptoms as itch, wheal formation, mucus production, contraction of smooth muscle, tachycardia H2-effects include acid secretion in the stomach as well as the development of flush and itch reactions, blood pressure changes and cardiac arrhythmia. Of special interest is an inhibitory effect of histamine on lymphocyte reactions mediated via a H2-receptor. The existence of a new H3-receptor in the brain serving as autocrine feed-back inhibitor of histaminergic neurones has been established in the rat but not yet in man. In vitro an increased histamine releasability of peripheral leukocytes has been found after stimulation with a variety of different substances. The difference between patients with atopic eczema and normals is generally most pronounced after stimulation with anti-IgE. There is, however, a tendency towards an increased spontaneous histamine release compared to normals. The release reaction of histamine seems to occur more rapidly in atopics compared to normals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Among all sarcoma types, liposarcoma is the most common sarcoma that develops “dedifferentiation.” Since its initial description by Dr Harry Evans, the spectrum of what is now acceptably included under the rubric of “dedifferentiated liposarcoma” (DL) has expanded, sometimes supported by cytogenetic and molecular advances. Similarly, the range of morphologic appearances considered to represent the precursor of DL, atypical lipomatous tumor (ALT)/well-differentiated liposarcoma, also has broadened, not uncommonly creating variants with significant, almost indistinguishable, morphologic overlap with occasional forms of DL, especially problematic in small biopsy specimens. More specifically, the precise criteria separating cellular forms of ALT from what some consider “low-grade” variants of DL remains controversial and inconsistently applied, even among individual pathologists within institutions. For this separation, the only objective and reproducible criteria historically shown to accurately predict a statistically significant difference in prognosis and survival is mitotic rate, alone or incorporated into a histologic grade [eg, Fédération Nationale des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer (FNCLCC)], consistently identifying a higher grade neoplasm capable of metastases. While DL may have a better prognosis than other nonmyoid adult pleomorphic soft tissue sarcomas, definitive conclusions are difficult to establish due to nonuniform criteria for staging and establishing tumor size/volume of the high-grade component, compounded by variable definitions and thresholds for rendering the diagnosis of DL. If appropriate therapeutic approaches are to be applied to DL, there needs to uniform agreement regarding the histologic definition, grading, and staging of DL. Herein, is a comprehensive historical perspective on DL and ALT/well-differentiated liposarcoma, seeking to provide insights, updates, and a proposal for uniform, evidence-based guidelines.
to form a composition in three dimensions. Light is reflected back from the smooth surfaces; textural interest is added by the light scoring into squares of some sections and the boring of circular holes in another. The clean surfaces, the clear-cut edges, the subtly modulated relationships between the curvilinear forms and space flowing freely through them, make the Space Modulator an object of true distinction. Alexander Calder s Mobile shows a similar interest in space and spatial relationships. Born in Philadelphia in 1898, Calder has utilized a training as a mechanical engineer in the field of sculpture. In his constructions of metal, wire and wood, he concerns himself with the esthetic value of abstract and geometrical forms, as they move through space in varying orbits and shifting inter-
The purpose of this study was to examine the morphological and temperature changes of the apical portion of human extracted teeth treated by Nd: YAG, CO2 and Argon-lasers. Seventy-two single-rooted human teeth were studied. The root canals were prepared conventionally. Laser treatment of the apical portion of the canal was carried out by means of an optic fiber or metal tip. Temperatures were recorded thermographically. Two-thirds of the specimens were stained with black India ink and 36% silver ammonium fluoride solution. All specimens were irradiated by the three types of lasers at several intensities and the temperatures were recorded. Half of the specimens were prepared for the telescopic light microscope and for scanning electron microscopic observation, and the rest for histopathological examination by light microscope. The scanning electron microscopic evaluation showed that the laser energy vaporized the deposited debris, producing a glaze-like surface. The histopathological investigation revealed a tapered, enlarged apical lased area. All three laser devices were capable of vaporizing the debris in this way but the degree of morphological change was highly dependent on energy level and duration. The Argon-laser produced the highest temperatures.
This essay investigates the spatial dimensions of the eighteenth-century transformation of the public sphere through the lens of contemporary French architectural culture. It analyzes not only how architecture was translated into discursive forms so as to maintain its publicity within a spatially exploded, informational public sphere but also how the concreteness of architecture and real spatial experience was sometimes appropriated in order to render the abstractions consecrated by this public sphere——like public opinion and the general will——less nebulous.
STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective is to investigate the effect on mortality of psychosocial variables, with special focus on social support, social participation, and locus of control. DESIGN: The study is designed as a prospective study with a 17 year follow up period, using univariate and multivariate proportional hazards regression analysis to estimate the predictive power of psychosocial variables, when controlling for sociodemographic and biological factors. SETTING: The study is based on a population sample randomly drawn from different neighbourhoods of Oslo in 1975/76, for the purpose of surveying health, in particular mental health, in relation to various social and psychosocial variables. The initial data were gathered by structured interviewing, whereas the data about mortality and cause of death, was gathered from the Central Bureau of Statistics. PARTICIPANTS: The initial sample included 1010 persons above the age of 18 years, with no upper age limit. The follow up with respect to mortality covered the whole sample, with the exception of a very few who had left the country. MAIN RESULTS: When controlling for socio-demographic and biological factors, low social participation, and to a lesser extent, few close relationships and external locus of control, were associated with increased mortality. CONCLUSION: The effect of social participation and locus of control may indicate that life style, and individual psychological resources, are at least as important for survival as support from others in stressful life situations.
Increased microparticle tissue factor (TF) activity is not only found in cancer patients, but also in patients with cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. Methods such as flow cytometry and impedance-based flow cytometry allow the analysis of microparticle subsets but provide no insight on which microparticles carry active TF. Conversely, the microparticle–TF activity itself does not reveal the cellular origin of the microparticles carrying the active TF.For this reason, we developed an immuno-magnetic bead method to capture subsets of microparticles directly from plasma. The method was optimized for capture of platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) from plasma. Only 100 &mgr;l platelet-poor plasma (PPP) was needed in combination with 135 &mgr;l (27 &mgr;g) of biotinylated antihuman CD41 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) and 200 &mgr;l of streptavidin beads to achieve complete separation of PMPs from plasma. As a control, biotinylated mouse IgG1 isotype control MoAb was used instead of the anti-CD41 MoAb. Using biotinylated anti-CD14 MoAb, CD14-positive microparticles were captured from normal plasma spiked with microparticles isolated from the supernatant of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated monocytes (MoMPs). TF activity was found both in the positive (selected) and negative (depleted) fractions indicating that both CD14-positive and negative MoMPs carry active TF. We propose that this method can be used in the future to investigate the source of microparticles carrying active TF in plasma of patients with cancer and other diseases.
Data converters play a key role in modern analog/mixed-signal systems. Accordingly, it is important to investigate their performance and yield under uncertain parameters over the design process. An efficient approach for automatic design and yield enhancement of data converters is presented. The proposed algorithm generates a general netlist for each data converter and improves transistor sizing to reach acceptable values for performance parameters with an evolutionary process, and finds the best yield simultaneously. The applied framework on two data converter structures demonstrates a reliable circuit with optimum performance, power consumption, and area overhead over a single evolutionary process in 0.18μm technology.
Anemone coronaria L. and Ranunculus asiatiacus L. are common cut flowers which belong to the Ranunculaceae. These species have distinct and complementary characteristics. Therefore intergeneric crossings between these species might result in new interesting hybrids. Crosses between these genera were performed and reproductive barriers were examined. Despite the pre-zygotic barriers, a limited number of fruitlets was formed. Post-zygotic barriers resulted in seed abortion and therefore immature achenes were harvested and rescued in vitro. The obtained F-1 generation was investigated on morphological, molecular and cytogenetic level. The F-1 plants had very similar flowers to the mother plants and although the limited molecular paternal contribution, AFLP analyses confirmed the hybrid character of the F-1 plants. Chromosome counts showed that the F-1 plants had many chromosome rearrangements.
RhoGTPases are GDP/GTP molecular switches that control a wide variety of cellular processes, thereby contributing to many diseases, including cancer. As a consequence, there is great interest in the identification of small-molecule inhibitors of RhoGTPases. In the present paper, using the property of GTP-loaded RhoGTPases to bind to their effectors, we describe a miniaturized and robust assay to monitor Rac1 GTPase activation that is suitable for large-scale high-throughput screening. A pilot compound library screen revealed that the topoisomerase II poison MTX (mitoxantrone) is an inhibitor of Rac1, and also inhibits RhoA and Cdc42 in vitro. We show that MTX prevents GTP binding to RhoA/Rac1/Cdc42 in vitro. Furthermore, MTX strongly inhibits RhoGTPase-mediated F-actin (filamentous actin) reorganization and cell migration. Hence, we report a novel biochemical assay yielding the identification of RhoGTPase inhibitors and we present a proof-of-concept validation with the identification of MTX as a novel pan-RhoGTPase inhibitor.
6606 Background: Recently published articles have established that a substantial number of cancer patients are utilizing the internet to gather information about their respective diagnoses. The challenges for medical providers include understanding the prevalence of self-help internet usage, the time-point of access during care, and the use of specific online resources. Methods: Adults with cancer were asked to complete a self-administered, anonymous, 21-item questionnaire upon registration at Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine. Results: The characteristics of 500 participants who responded to the questionnaire: mean age 58 years (range 18- 90), 83% Caucasian and 15% African American. The most common diagnoses included breast (25%), blood/bone marrow (25%), gastro-intestinal (16%), lung/esophageal (15%), and head/neck (7%) cancers. Three hundred ninety eight reported access to the internet and of those, 315 participants reported searching for information about cancer on the ...
To facilitate understanding of the mechanisms underlying pulmonary diseases, including lung cancer and cystic fibrosis, we have transformed and characterized cultures of human tracheal epithelial cells. Cells were transfected by calcium phosphate precipitation with a plasmid containing a replication-defective simian virus 40 (SV40) genome. Colonies of cells with enhanced growth potential were isolated and analyzed for transformation- and epithelial-specific characteristics. Precrisis cells were observed to express the SV40 large tumor antigen, produce cytokeratins, have microvilli, and form tight junctions. After crisis, cells continued to express the SV40 large tumor antigen as well as epithelial-specific cytokeratins and to display the apical membrane microvilli. Apical membrane Cl channels were opened in postcrisis cells exposed to 50 microM forskolin. These channels showed electrical properties similar to those observed in primary cultures. The postcrisis cells have been in culture for greater than 250 generations and are potentially "immortal." In addition to providing a useful in vitro model for the study of ion transport by human airway epithelial cells, the cells can be used to examine stages of neoplastic progression.
The allantoinase (DAL1) gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been cloned, sequenced, and found to encode a 472 amino acid protein with a Mr of 52 028. DAL1 is expressed in an inducer‐independent manner in strain M970 (∑1278b genetic background) and modestly responds to mutation of the da180 locus. Expression was also sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). Correlated with these expression characteristics, the upstream region of DAL1 contained five copies of a sequence that is homolgous to the DAL UASNTR element previously shown to be required for transcriptional activation and NCR sensitivity of the DAL5 and DAL7 genes. Missing from the DAL1 5′ flanking region were any sequences with significant homology to the DAL7 UIS element required for response to inducer. These observations further support the roles of UASNTR and DAL7 UIS in the regulation of allantoin pathway gene expression.
In quantum gauge theory of gravity, the gravitational field is represented by gravitational gauge field. The field strength of gravitational gauge field has both gravitoelectric component and gravitomagnetic component. In classical level, gauge theory of gravity gives classical Newtonian gravitational interactions in a relativistic form. Besides, it gives gravitational Lorentz force, which is the gravitational force on a moving object in gravitomagnetic field. The direction of gravitational Lorentz force is not the same as that of classical gravitational Newtonian force. Effects of gravitational Lorentz force should be detectable, and these effects can be used to discriminate gravitomagnetic field from ordinary electromagnetic magnetic field.
This paper proposes a new simple MPPT (maximum power point tracking) control scheme for A PV (photovoltaic) array based on the principle of power equilibrium at the DC link. In contrast to the typical conventional MPPT scheme based on the so-called mountain climbing method, the proposed scheme needs no detection or calculation of the power and no decision making logic or look up tables, except for several numbers of operational amplifiers. Its operation principle is explained quantitatively. In order to confirm the availability of the scheme, a simulation study using general purpose circuit simulation software PSIM and an experiment have been carried out. Although the stability study and system design are left for future study, the validity of the proposed new MPPT method has been clarified through the simulation and experimental results.
pinnacle of the party’s success and trajectory. Hume is portrayed as the architect of the ceasefires, the Good Friday Agreement, and the international body charged with decommissioning weapons. In the late 1990s, Hume and the SDLP were celebrated internationally, and their ideas became enshrined in the peace settlement. The parties committed to use only democratic means and to respect human rights; the principle of consent became established law. One of the major strengths of the book is Farren’s coverage of the SDLP’s international connections to the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and Europe. From the beginning, the SDLP was dedicated to an all-Ireland approach to the conflict. The Republic of Ireland was crucial to sustaining the party financially and bolstering its political sway (70). Farren shows how Hume was able to recruit the American political establishment and strongly influence the US government’s involvement in the conflict. In 1976, Hume convinced the “four horsemen” of Irish-American politics, Tip O’Neill, Edward Kennedy, Hugh Carney, and Daniel Moynihan, to renounce violence as a means to attain Irish unity. Hume also fervently championed European integration. Hume’s dedication to the European ideals was shaped by his search for investment in Northern Ireland and his strong belief that the European institutions that had healed postwar divisions in Europe offered a model for Northern Ireland. The SDLP’s support of Europe brought about the creation of a third seat in European Parliament, long held by JohnHume. In addition, the party’s involvement in Europe led to its strong influence over a substantial European peace fund. Farren provides a comprehensive account of the important ways that the SDLP made peace possible in Northern Ireland. This is a critical contribution to a literature that all too often focuses on militants, not moderates. It is disappointing, though, that Farren ends the story in 2000. The chronology creates a convenient narrative for Farren: from the birth of the SDLP to the pinnacle of its success. Farren ends the story at the height of Hume’s “political achievement and influence” when “the SDLP was basked in glory” (308). Yet the reader would be well served to have Farren’s insights into the party’s struggles of the past decade. The secondary literature on the SDLP is limited, which is one of the reasons this book is so important. Farren, nevertheless, does not refer to Gerard Murray’s monograph, the only other history of the party. Despite minor problems, this is a welcome addition to the literature on the conflict. The significance of the SDLP is that it relied solely on the democratic process to advance social and political change in an era when violence was often used as a political tool and when Northern Ireland was under direct rule from the British government. This book ably describes the SDLP’s important role in shaping Northern Ireland.
The objective of the present work is to examine the interaction between turbulent mixing and chemistry by employing the method of dissipation elements in a non-premixed turbulent jet flame. The method of dissipation elements [L. Wang and N. Peters, J. Fluid Mech. 554, 457–475 (2006)] is used to perform a space-filling decomposition of the turbulent jet flow into different regimes conditioned on their location with respect to the reaction zone. Based on the non-local structure of dissipation elements, this decomposition allows us to discern whether points away from stoichiometry are connected through a diffusive layer with the reaction zone. In a next step, a regime based statistical analysis of dissipation elements is carried out by means of data obtained from a direct numerical simulation. Turbulent mixing and chemical reactions depend strongly on the mixture fraction gradient. From a budget between strain and dissipation, the mechanism for the formation and destruction of mean gradients along dissipation elements is inspected. This budget reveals that large gradients in the mixture fraction field occur at a small but finite length scale. Finally, the inner structure of dissipation elements is examined by computing statistics along gradient trajectories of the mixture fraction field. Thereby, the method of dissipation elements provides a statistical characterization of flamelets and novel insight into the interaction between chemistry and turbulence.
This study explores the representations of female captives and survivors of Boko Haram in what the authors define as a transmedia project formed by an ensemble of interconnected multi-modal/media productions circulated through off- and online spaces, and merging photojournalism and humanitarian markets. The authors draw on semiotic analytical tools in unravelling the process of meaning-making and point to a trend of spectacle renewal in which recycled textual and visual elements function as forms of (self) promotion within the transmedia project. In its response to neoliberal logics of production and circulation of culture, this transmedia project ends up reproducing reductionist portrayals of Boko Horam (ex-)captives and empowering Western producers and consumers through representations that fortify a gendered, neocolonial relationship. This research problematizes the moralistic narratives that support this transmedia economy and proposes alternative modes of sharing and consuming photojournalism stories in order to encourage more critical engagement.
Abstract Conclusion: Di-K19Hc is a promising new ototopical antibiotic for treatment of middle ear infections associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Objectives: Di-K19Hc was previously shown to exert profound antimicrobial activity against a variety of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi. In this study, we evaluated the potential use of di-K19Hc as a topical agent for the treatment of otitis media (OM) caused by a variety of microbial pathogens including bacteria resistant to conventional antibiotics. Methods: Antimicrobial activity of di-K19Hc was measured by colony count assay. Hearing threshold was determined by measurement of auditory brainstem response in mice treated with di-K19Hc. Mice treated with gentamicin were used as a control. Results: Di-K19Hc showed much stronger antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa associated with human OM than did ofloxacin. Also, it was shown that the peptide exhibited substantial dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against microbes from middle ear fluid of patients with OM. Topically applied di-K19Hc caused neither a decrease of hearing level nor loss of hair cells.
Switching circuitry for transferring data from an input time-division multiplex system to an output time-division multiplex system includes a transfer circuit for temporarily storing the data received from the input-time-division multiplex system prior to its transfer to the output time-division multiplex system. For controlling the selective transfer of data from an input channel of the input time-division multiplex system to any one output channel of the output time-division multiplex system control circuitry is provided which controls the storage of the input channel data in a selected position of the transfer circuit with a timing corresponding to the respective time slots of the input channel and controls the transfer of that data from the selected position in the transfer circuit to the output time-division multiplex system with a timing corresponding to the respective time slot selected output channel. Write control circuitry stores in a write control memory the selected position in the transfer circuit in a word of the control memory corresponding to the time slot of the input channel in the input time-division multiplex system so that in response to time slots generated by an input time slot generator, the position address of the word in the control memory can be applied to the transfer circuit to control writing of data from the input channel into the transfer circuit in the position selected. Read control circuitry includes a read control memory wherein the selected position in the transfer circuit is stored in a word of that read control memory corresponding to the time slot of the output channel in the output time-division multiplex system so that data in the selected position of the tranfer circuit can be read out to the output time-division multiplex system at the proper time. The read and write control arrangements can also be constituted by elementary control memories connected to elementary inputs or outputs of the input and output multiplex circuitry.
Objective With the introduction of MRI in diagnosis and tumour necrosis factor inhibitors for treatment, the field of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has undergone significant changes. We carried out a population-based study of the trends in incidence and prevalence of AS over the past 15 years. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of provincial health administrative databases. Residents of Ontario, Canada aged 15 years or older diagnosed with AS between 1995 and 2010 were included in the study. Crude as well as age-standardised and sex-standardised incidence and prevalence of AS between 1995 and 2010 were calculated. Trends in prevalence and incidence of male and female patients with AS were separately analysed. Results We identified 24 976 Ontarians with AS. Age/sex-standardised AS prevalence increased from 79/100 000 in 1995 to 213/100 000 in 2010. Men had higher prevalence than women, but the male/female prevalence ratio decreased from 1.70 in 1995 to 1.21 by 2010. A higher proportion of male compared with female patients with AS were diagnosed in the 15–45 age group. Annual incidence rates revealed increasing diagnosis of AS among women after 2003. Conclusions The prevalence of AS in Ontario has nearly tripled over the past two decades. The proportion of women with new diagnosis of AS is increasing, a trend that began around the year 2003. A higher proportion of male compared with female patients with AS are diagnosed at an earlier age.
Previously reported computations are extended to analyze a Bree plate subjected to steady mechanical load and cyclic thermal downshocks on both surfaces. It is shown that two critical plate thicknesses can be identified, one below which thermal cycling has no effect, and one above which the full effects of rapid transient thermal loading are observed. The significant effects which material properties, such as the degree of strain hardening present, can have on the plate behavior are also illustrated. These findings are relevant to design of fast reactor components which experience loadings of this type. 5 refs.
Recent advancements in additive manufacturing have enabled new methods of fabricating gradient-index (GRIN) optics by blending multiple materials in the deposition process. A design study highlighting the advantages of multi-material GRIN optics is presented. It is shown that additional materials in the GRIN allow for higher orders of color correction. A new multi-material refractive index representation, which constrains the GRIN to real materials, is also presented.
Aggregates composed of pentlandite, isocubanite and pyrrhotite occur in the basaltic andesite from Kasayama volcano, Hagi-city, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Fe content of pentlandite is slightly over the value of ideal formula (Fe4.5Ni4.5S)8. Isocubanite is close to the ideal CuFe2S3. The aggregates of these sulfides may have been crystallized from sulfide melt having composition of pentlandite solid-solution in silicate melt. After that, pentlandite solid-solution exsolved to pentlandite and Cu-Fe-S intermediate solid solution (iss). The iss also exsolved to isocubanite and pyrrhotite.
Advanced numerical integration methods for finite element magnetics are investigated. Standard h-type, p-type and h-p adaptive finite element solver methodologies are extended to develop analogous adaptive integration procedures. The schemes are analyzed and compared in terms of efficiency and reliability. For practical implementations, it is established that only combined h-p approaches can be guaranteed to yield reliable results, which are converged to within a pre-specified tolerance, at a reasonable computational cost. A relatively simple h-p adaptive integration method is proposed for practical magnetics applications in which accuracy and reliability are essential. In addition, the similarities and subtle differences between corresponding adaptive solver and adaptive integration approaches are identified and discussed.
Most people think of a patient advocate as someone who is raising money for a charity. Many e-mail in-boxes and Facebook pages contain pleas for donations to the latest walk for breast cancer awareness or bike ride for AIDS research. But in the rare disease space, patient advocates aren’t just walking in the 5K, they’re organizing it and immediately sending the proceeds to a researcher. They tweet, they blog, and they create apps to update patients on research or keep tabs on clinical trials. Jill Wood’s son, Jonah, was diagnosed in May 2010 with Sanfilippo syndrome type C, one of four subtypes of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) III, each of which is caused by the lack of an enzyme needed to break down heparan sulfate. No treatments exist for Sanfilippo, and although the subtypes progress at different rates, each type leads to dementia and loss of motor function. Ultimately, patients succumb to ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate the pricing of variable annuity embedded derivatives using a suitably refined model for the underlying assets, in this case the Johannesburg Securities Exchange FTSE/JSE All Share Index (ALSI). This is a practical issue that life insurers face worldwide in the management of embedded derivatives. We consider the Variance-Gamma (VG) framework to model the underlying data series. The VG process is useful in option pricing given its ability to model higher moments, skewness and kurtosis and to capture observed market dynamics. The framework is able to address the inadequacies of some deterministic pricing approaches used by life insurers, given the increasing complexity of the option-like products sold.
BACKGROUND Oral ingestion of potassium dichromate produces a complex spectrum of complications. It has an extremely poor prognosis and usually leads to rapid death.   METHODS We report the case of a 16-year-old male patient who was admitted to hospital after oral ingestion of potassium dichromate with suicidal intention.   RESULTS The patient's condition deteriorated, and he became comatose within 5 days in spite of immediate attempts at detoxification. Because of irreversible liver failure, which occurred within 2 days after admission, and because of cerebral edema, the decision to perform a liver transplantation was made. On day 6 after admission, a compatible donor liver was transplanted. The course of liver transplantation and the patient's subsequent recovery were uneventful.   CONCLUSION The rationale for the delayed transplantation was to avoid damage of the new organ because of high serum chromium levels. Despite severe organ damage, the chromium content of the liver was increased. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report of acute toxic liver failure, caused by potassium dichromate poisoning, treated successfully by means of liver transplantation.
This paper presents a new methodology for the hardware implementation of neural networks (NNs) based on probabilistic laws. The proposed encoding scheme circumvents the limitations of classical stochastic computing (based on unipolar or bipolar encoding) extending the representation range to any real number using the ratio of two bipolar-encoded pulsed signals. Furthermore, the novel approach presents practically a total noise-immunity capability due to its specific codification. We introduce different designs for building the fundamental blocks needed to implement NNs. The validity of the present approach is demonstrated through a regression and a pattern recognition task. The low cost of the methodology in terms of hardware, along with its capacity to implement complex mathematical functions (such as the hyperbolic tangent), allows its use for building highly reliable systems and parallel computing.
Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are thin intercellular connections facilitating the transport of diverse cargoes, ranging from ions to organelles. While TNT studies have predominantly been conducted in cell cultures, the existence of open-ended TNTs within live organisms remains unverified. Despite the observation of intercellular connections during embryonic development across various species, their functional role has not been confirmed. In this study, we performed mosaic labeling of gastrula cells in zebrafish embryos to demonstrate the coexistence of TNT-like structures alongside other cellular protrusions. These embryonic TNT-like connections exhibited similar morphology to TNTs described in cell culture, appeared to have similar formation mechanisms and could be induced by Eps8 overexpression and CK666 treatment. Most notably, to classify them as TNTs, we demonstrated their capability to transfer both soluble cargoes and organelles, which is a defining feature of open-ended TNTs. This study marks the first demonstration of functional TNTs in a living embryo.
Abstract The aim of this work is to give sufficient conditions ensuring that the space PAP(𝕉, X, µ) of µ-pseudo almost periodic functions and the space PAA(𝕉, X, µ) of µ-pseudo almost automorphic functions are invariant by the convolution product f = k * f, k ∈ L1(𝕉). These results establish sufficient assumptions on k and the measure µ. As a consequence, we investigate the existence and uniqueness of µ-pseudo almost periodic solutions and µ-pseudo almost automorphic solutions for some abstract integral equations, evolution equations and partial functional differential equations.
In this paper, we investigate the fluid/gravity correspondence in the framework of massive Einstein gravity. Treating the gravitational mass terms as an effective energy-momentum tensor and utilizing the Petrov-like boundary condition on a timelike hypersurface, we find that the perturbation effects of massive gravity in bulk can be completely governed by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equation living on the cutoff surface under the near horizon and nonrelativistic limits. Furthermore, we have concisely computed the ratio of dynamical viscosity to entropy density for two massive Einstein gravity theories, and found that they still saturate the Kovtun-Son-Starinets (KSS) bound.
The treatment of upper airway stenosis is considered to be one of the most difficult fields in laryngology. In the 100-year-old history of airway stenosis surgery several important works of Hungarian authors (Rethi, Lichtenberger, Pytel) are found.At the Department of Oto-Rhino- Laryngology and Head- Neck Surgery, University of Szeged our workgroup has been working on the treatment of upper airway stenosis for more than 30 years.Hereby we introduce our surgical concept for bilateral vocal fold paralysis, the minimally invasive endoscopic arytenoid abduction lateropexy (EAAL), which provides an immediate adequate airway with acceptable voice quality, and good swallow function.A new Endolaryngeal Thread Guide instrument (ETGI) is also presented here, which is essential for a safe, accurate, and fast suture loop creation around the arytenoid cartilage for this surgical procedure.
polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) in mutant Azotobacter vinelandii UWD, the kinetic properties of 3-ketothiolase, acetoacetyl-CoA reductase, and /3hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase were examined. The regulatiorn of the condensation of acetyl-CoA mediated by 3-ketothiolase was narmal, in that it was negatively regulated by free CoA, but inhibition was overeome by higher concentrations of acetyl-CoA. Acetoacetyl-CoA from this reaction was reduced to 3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA by an NADPH-specif ic acetoacetyl-CoA reductase. This enzyme also reduced 3-ketovaleryl-CoA derived from the /?-oxidation of C, C, or C, n-alkanoates, but at only 16% of the rate found with the C,-substrate. The acetoacetyl-CoA reductase was determined to be an allosteric enzyme that bound NADPH and acetoacetyl-CoA at multiple binding sites irl a general hybrid Ping-Pong random mechanism. The enzyme was negatively regulaqed by acetoacetyl-CoA, but this was overcome at high concentrations of NADPH, The activity of pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase was determined to be important for the conversion of NADH in these mutant cells to NADPH and for decreasing the availability of NADP+, which was a negative regulator of the acetoacetyl-CoA reductase. The combination of high acetoacetyl-CoA, the UWD mutation, transhydrogenase activity, and high NADPH appeared to be the conditions promoting PHA formation by strain UWD during active growth on glucose. Degradation of PHA in strain UWD did not appear to be regulated at the level of /3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase. This enzyme was unaffected by NADH, was inhibited only 13% by pyruvate and its activity was enhanced by NADPH. The thiolysis of acetoacetyl-CoA also was unusual, in that 3ketothiolase was not inhibited by acetoacetyl-CoA, but free CoA was a competitive inhibitor in a bireactant Ping-Pong mechanism. This inhibition was overcome by higher concentrations of the normal first substrate, acetoacetylCoA. Thus a single thiolase was used for the condensation of acetyl-CoA and the thiolysis of acetoacetyl-CoA, derived from PHA depolymerization or from the /?-oxidation of n-alkanoates.
An ability of the artificial grain boundary of bicrystal YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films is demonstrated as the field effect channel of high Tc field effect devices. The influence of field application on the channel resistance is examined with a metal‐insulator‐semiconductor‐type structure, in which a channel is arranged across the grain boundary. The field‐induced change in the resistance of the grain boundary is enhanced up to around 5% by lowering temperature below Tc of adjoining YBa2Cu3O7−δ grains. The enhancement is explained not only by an increase in the dielectric constant of the gate insulator (SrTiO3) but also by a reduction in the carrier density nearby the grain boundary. The latter is indeed a benefit to high Tc field effect devices.An ability of the artificial grain boundary of bicrystal YBa2Cu3O7−δ thin films is demonstrated as the field effect channel of high Tc field effect devices. The influence of field application on the channel resistance is examined with a metal‐insulator‐semiconductor‐type structure, in which a channel is arranged across the grain boundary. The field‐induced change in the resistance of the grain boundary is enhanced up to around 5% by lowering temperature below Tc of adjoining YBa2Cu3O7−δ grains. The enhancement is explained not only by an increase in the dielectric constant of the gate insulator (SrTiO3) but also by a reduction in the carrier density nearby the grain boundary. The latter is indeed a benefit to high Tc field effect devices.
From the perspective of service-oriented computing, a grid system is built by composing autonomous, loosely coupled and platform-independent services, whose dynamics and complexity bring great challenges to system survivability analysis. In the present of different kinds of malicious attacks, system failures or accidents, the system will provide a predefined survivability specification which consists of corresponding degraded services called service cores according to the application logic. How to formally describe the process and reason the properties of the recovery from one service core to another play an important role in analyzing system survivability. The main contributions of this paper are (1) presenting the method to represent service core based on component families and installation orders; (2) studying the success (the newly started services in the resulting service core function properly) and safety (the formerly started services in the starting service core are not damaged) properties of the recovery from one service core to another based on component compatibility and installation execution; (3) proposing the approach to simplify the component installation execution based on projection; (4) proposing a formal analysis approach for service-based system survivability based on survivability specification. The approach is applied in a simple service-based system called mobile video conference (MVC) to demonstrate its practicability and efficiency.
Background: Breast cancer women have a tendency to develop psychiatric symptomatology, mainly depressive. A way to evaluate how the patient entails her disease is by quality of life. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and quality of life and their associations with time since diagnosis and the menopausal status. Design: Analytical, observational and transversal study. Setting: Arzobispo Loayza Hospital Oncology Service. Participants: Women with clinical and histological diagnosis of breast cancer and seeking chemotherapy. Interventions: The Beck depression inventory, the Mezzich and Cohen quality of life scale and a demographic questionnaire were used. The Fisher test, student’s T-test and lineal regression analysis were used. Main outcome measures: Depression symptoms, quality of life. Results: In 24 women studied the prevalence of depressive symptoms and low level of quality of life was 38%. We did not find a significant association between depressive symptoms and quality of life, except with education level, OR 11,2 (p= 0,047, 95%CI 0,99 to 125,6). Conclusions: We found a prevalence of 38% of both depressive symptoms and low level of quality of life. Time from diagnosis and menopausal status did not have a significant association with both depressive symptoms and quality of life. The only factor significantly associated to quality of life was patient’s education level.
BACKGROUND: We investigated the effects of the imidazoline-derived &agr;2-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine on vascular adenosine triphosphate–sensitive potassium (KATP) channel activity in rat vascular smooth muscle cells and recombinant vascular KATP channels transiently expressed in COS-7 cells. METHODS: Using the patch-clamp method, we investigated the effects of clonidine on the following: (1) native vascular KATP channels; (2) recombinant KATP channels with different combinations of various types of inwardly rectifying potassium channel (Kir6.0 family: Kir6.1, 6.2) and sulfonylurea receptor (SUR1, 2A, 2B) subunits; (3) SUR-deficient channels derived from a truncated isoform of the Kir6.2 subunit (Kir6.2&Dgr;C36 channels); and (4) mutant Kir6.2&Dgr;C36 channels with diminished sensitivity to ATP (Kir6.2&Dgr;C36-K185Q channels). RESULTS: Clonidine (≥3 × 10−8 M) inhibited native KATP channel activity in cell-attached configurations with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration value of 1.21 × 10−6 M and in inside-out configurations with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration value of 0.89 × 10−6 M. With similar potency, clonidine (10−6 or 10−3 M) also inhibited the activities of various recombinant SUR/Kir6.0 KATP channels, the Kir6.2&Dgr;C36 channel, and the Kir6.2&Dgr;C36-K185Q channel. CONCLUSIONS: Clinically relevant concentrations of clonidine inhibit KATP channel activity in vascular smooth muscle cells. This inhibition seems to be the result of its effect on the Kir6.0 subunit and not on the SUR subunit.
We examined the effects of endothelin (ET) on the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in cultured MCs. Addition of the ET(A) receptor antagonists or neutralizing anti-endothelin antibody into MC cultures markedly augmented the secretion and activation of MMP-2. On the contrary, addition of the exogenous ET-1 into MC culture significantly inhibited the synthesis of MMP-2 in both basal and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma) plus lipopolysaccharide-stimulated conditions. Furthermore, pretreatment of cells with exogenous ET-1 obviously prevented cytochalasin D-elicited activation of MMP-2, an effect that was completely abolished by ET(A) receptor antagonist, FR139317. In addition, ET-1 was found to be able to suppress the expression of membrane type-1 MMP (MT1-MMP) and promote the conversion of tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) from cell associated form to secreted form. The addition of recombinant TIMP-2 into the culture abrogated dose-dependently the cytochalasin D-elicited activation of MMP-2. These results suggest that ET is a potent inhibitor of MMP-2 secretion and activation in MCs. These novel findings may help us understand the subtle regulation of the synthesis and activation of MMP-2 in MCs. It also provides us with further insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms involving ET in the regulation of matrix turnover in glomerulus.
BACKGROUND Previous research investigating the relationship between the time of admission and mortality rates has yielded inconsistent results and has not been conducted in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patient population.   OBJECTIVE To determine whether an association between the time of admission (weekday versus weekend and daytime versus evening) and the risk of death exists among pediatric patients included in a cohort of children admitted to a national sample of PICUs.   DESIGN/METHODS We analyzed retrospectively a cohort of consecutive admissions to 15 PICUs included in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Evaluations database. The odds of death were analyzed by using mixed-effects, multivariate, logistic regression, with clustering at the hospital level. The primary independent variables were admission to the PICU on a weekend and admission to the PICU during evening hours. The severity of illness was adjusted by using the Pediatric Risk of Mortality III probability of death score.   PATIENTS All 20,547 emergency PICU admissions made between May 1995 and December 2001 were included in the analyses.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was death within 48 hours after admission to the PICU.   RESULTS Pediatric patients admitted to the PICU during evening hours had higher odds of death (odds ratio [OR]: 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00-1.62) than did those admitted during daytime hours. Subgroup analyses revealed higher odds of death among patients admitted with shock (OR: 4.09; 95% CI: 1.65-10.1), with congenital cardiovascular disease (OR: 3.90; 95% CI: 1.37-11.1), or after cardiac arrest (OR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.04-3.13). There was no association between mortality rates and the day of admission (weekend admissions versus weekday admissions).   CONCLUSIONS An increased risk of death exists for some pediatric patients admitted to the PICU during evening hours. It remains necessary to determine whether this finding results from differences in the structure of care, processes of care, or both.
Background: Allocation of scarce resources presents an increasing challenge to hospital administrators and health policy makers. Intensive care units can present bottlenecks within busy hospitals, but their expansion is costly and difficult to gauge. Although mathematical tools have been suggested for determining the proper number of intensive care beds necessary to serve a given demand, the performance of such models has not been prospectively evaluated over significant periods. Methods: The authors prospectively collected 2 years’ admission, discharge, and turn-away data in a busy, urban intensive care unit. Using queuing theory, they then constructed a mathematical model of patient flow, compared predictions from the model to observed performance of the unit, and explored the sensitivity of the model to changes in unit size. Results: The queuing model proved to be very accurate, with predicted admission turn-away rates correlating highly with those actually observed (correlation coefficient = 0.89). The model was useful in predicting both monthly responsiveness to changing demand (mean monthly difference between observed and predicted values, 0.4 ± 2.3%; range, 0–13%) and the overall 2-yr turn-away rate for the unit (21%vs. 22%). Both in practice and in simulation, turn-away rates increased exponentially when utilization exceeded 80–85%. Sensitivity analysis using the model revealed rapid and severe degradation of system performance with even the small changes in bed availability that might result from sudden staffing shortages or admission of patients with very long stays. Conclusions: The stochastic nature of patient flow may falsely lead health planners to underestimate resource needs in busy intensive care units. Although the nature of arrivals for intensive care deserves further study, when demand is random, queuing theory provides an accurate means of determining the appropriate supply of beds.
This paper summarizes the results of the 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 surveys of chief real estate officers (CREO) from major organizations in Europe and North America. Since 1997 the annual survey is being undertaken jointly by the Corporate Real Estate Management Research Unit (CREMRU) and Johnson Controls Incorporate (JCI). The annual survey has been supported by the International Development Research Council (IDRC) and the International Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (NACORE International), two leading professional associations concerned with this field of professional activity. The emphasis of this summary is on two aspects of the survey: the incidence of corporate real estate management (CREM) policies, functions and activities; and the assessment of knowledge or skills relevant to the CREM function in the future. Both are of paramount interest to the educational institutions concerned with CREM on both sides of the Atlantic. This includes the educational organs of international ...
Linear systems are characterized by the impulse response h(t, u) or simply h() in the case of time-constant parameters. A distinctive feature of this description is that the input signal is considered known in the interval - < t < . The impulse response h(t, u) is simply a solution to the differential equation when the input signal is a pulse at time u. There are three ways to describe systems using differential equations. The first way is related to initial conditions and state variables when considering dynamical systems [1]. The state of the system is defined as the minimum amount of information regarding the effects of the previous signals at the input of the system, necessary for a complete description of the output signal at t  0. Variables containing this information are state variables. If the state of the system is specified at time t0, and the input signal is in the interval from t0 to t1, then both the output signal and the state of the system at time t1 can be found. The second way is reduced to the implementation (or modelling) of the differential equation using an analog calculator. It can be represented as a system consisting of integrators, circuits with time-varying coefficients, adders, and nonlinear inertialess devices combined to reproduce the desired ratio between input and output signals. The initial condition y (t0) is here the bias at the output of the integrator. The biased output voltage of the integrator is a system state variable [1, 2]. The third way relates to the issue of generating a random process. If u(t) is a random process or y(t0) is a random variable (or they are both random), then у(t) is also a random process. To determine the coefficients of the system of differential equations describing a dynamic system, it is necessary to obtain an equation that does not depend on the input signal. Consider a system described by a differential equation of the form:
An Hfr strain (PB15) that carries a duplicated copy of the galactose operon genes flanking the integrated sex factor is unusually stable since it does not show excision of the repeated deoxyribonucleic acid segment. The right-hand galactose operon is in the normal orientation. Deletion mutations that eliminate the right-hand galactose genes, the sex factor, and some of the left-hand operon have been isolated. Mutants believed to have their left-hand galactose operon inverted were able to be induced for galactose epimerase synthesis by D-fucose but did not show escape synthesis on induction of bacteriophage lambda. Ribonucleic acid specific for the galactose operon was isolated after induction of lysogenic strains presumed to carry the galactose operon in the normal and inverted orientation. Hybridization to the isolated left and right strands of lambdapgal showed that the noninformational strand of the left-hand galactose operon of the deletion mutant of PB15 was transcribed on escape induction. These results show that inversion has occurred.
The treatment of spinal fractures in patients with osteoporosis can be challenging. Osteoporotic bone weakens the purchase of internal fixation devices, which may be required for stabilization. There have been few reports on the use of polymethylmethacrylate for the structural augmentation of pedicle-screw fixation1,2.  Theoretical complications of screw augmentation include leakage of cement causing nerve root or spinal cord compression, infection, and osteolysis due to particulate wear debris leading to screw loosening and hardware failure. The fat-embolism syndrome is a well-described complication of long-bone fractures and orthopaedic procedures involving reaming of long bones; however, it has rarely been described in association with spinal procedures. We are aware of only three cases of fat embolism syndrome following spinal arthrodesis and are aware of no such no cases following screw augmentation3-5. We present the case of a patient with intraoperative fatal fat-embolism syndrome following augmentation of screw fixation during a revision posterior spinal arthrodesis.  A sixty-one-year-old woman with diabetes presented with a several-week history of left-sided weakness, back pain, and night sweats. Radiographic evaluation revealed progressive collapse of the eighth thoracic vertebra. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed decreased signal intensity on T1-weighted images and increased signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Blood cultures were positive for Streptococcus viridans . A diagnosis of vertebral osteomyelitis was made. The patient underwent corpectomy of the seventh and eighth thoracic vertebrae and anterior spinal arthrodesis with placement of a titanium cage filled with rib autograft, followed by a posterior arthrodesis from the sixth to the ninth thoracic vertebrae ( Fig. 1 ). The patient tolerated both of the procedures well, and no early postoperative complications occurred.    Fig. 1:  Initial radiograph made after corpectomy of the …
A distinguished and outspoken Soviet proponent of perestroyka, who is one of its key architects, outlines the major components of an “ideal” price reform package before examining its possible consequences and obstacles to its full realization. He then presents what he believes is a workable alternative to the official Soviet policy on price reform, as well as a crude timetable for its implementation (sequence of reforms in retail and wholesale prices). The paper marks a significant shift in the author's view on the subject, journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: 027, 052, 124, 227.
When images at low bit-depth are rendered at high bit-depth displays, missing least significant bits needs to be estimated. We study the image bit-depth enhancement problem: estimating an original image from its quantized version from a minimum mean squared error (MMSE) perspective. We first argue that a graph-signal smoothness prior-one defined on a graph embedding the image structure-is an appropriate prior for the bit-depth enhancement problem. We next show that directly solving for the MMSE solution is, in general, too computationally expensive to be practical. We then propose an efficient approximation strategy. In particular, we first estimate the ac component of the desired signal in a maximum a posteriori formulation, efficiently computed via convex programming. We then compute the dc component with an MMSE criterion in a closed form given the computed ac component. Experiments show that our proposed two-step approach has improved performance over the conventional bit-depth enhancement schemes in both objective and subjective comparisons.
The policy of investment incentives is applied in majority of countries all over the world. This popularity is in contradiction with rare academic analyses. This paper sheds some light on causal impact of such policy on investment of supported firms in Czech Republic. We use individual level panel data containing crucial observables about the firm behaviour. We overcome the selection problem by application of propensity score matching. Our comparison of investment behaviour of supported firms and firms from control group shows that the extra investment generated (or maybe only accelerated) was at most 26% of contracted amounts. Even with constraints and assumptions we explicitly discuss in our work, this indicates that the arguments for the provision of this policy in Czech economy are not valid. These findings are in line with mixed (but mostly similar) empirical evidence from other countries.
Yellow dwarf viruses (YDVs) form a complex of economically important pathogens that affect cereal production worldwide, reducing yield and quality. The prevalence and incidence of YDVs including barley yellow dwarf viruses (BYDV-PAV and BYDV-MAV) and cereal yellow dwarf virus (CYDV-RPV) in cereal fields in Victoria, Australia were measured. As temperature decreases and rainfall increases from north to south in Victoria, fields in three geographical regions were evaluated to determine potential differences in virus prevalence and incidence across the weather gradient. Cereal samples randomly collected from each field during spring for four consecutive years (2014-2017) were tested for BYDV-PAV, BYDV-MAV, and CYDV-RPV using tissue blot immunoassay. BYDV-PAV was the most prevalent YDV species overall and had the highest overall mean incidence. Higher temperature and lower rainfall were associated with reduced prevalence and incidence of YDVs as the northern region, which is hotter and drier, had a 17-fold decrease in virus incidence compared with the cooler and wetter regions. Considerable year-to-year variation in virus prevalence and incidence was observed. This study improves our understanding of virus epidemiology, which will aid the development of more targeted control measures and predictive models. It also highlights the need to monitor for YDVs and their vectors over multiple years to assess the level of risk and to make more informed and appropriate disease management decisions.
Wireless mesh networks (WMNs) deliver network services including Internet connectivity, emergency response communications, and cellular traffic offloading. Network planning plays an increasingly important role in ensuring quality of service for such heterogeneous services. Simplicity, usability and accuracy of a model are three elements common to a successful model for network planning. Whilst research has been undertaken to model the IEEE 802.11 MAC protocol with good accuracy, these models take a packet centric view thus increasing the model complexity and restricting their usefulness in network planning. We present a novel goodput distribution model for IEEE 802.11 WMNs requiring only topology information and derived specifically to be beneficial to network planning. Analysis shows the model provides accurate estimation of goodput distributions and correctly identifies starving links in a variety of topologies.
ABSTRACT Flood recovery is an important period in the flood risk management cycle. Recently, flood recovery has become viewed as an opportunity for future flood damage mitigation. Financial flows to cover flood damages and rules regarding their allocation are crucial for supporting or undermining mitigation efforts. In this paper, we map and compare state flood recovery funding in the so-called Visegrad Group Countries (V4), i.e. Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, over the past 30 years of their democratic history. We apply a qualitative comparative approach to identify differences and similarities in risk sharing and state flood recovery funding approaches among these countries. Additionally, we reveal how risk sharing is addressed by existing flood recovery funding schemes. The results indicate that national governments have a low willingness to institutionalise ex-ante compensation schemes. Ad hoc instruments initiated shortly after disastrous flooding usually do not provide incentives to reduce future flood damages.
The bicycle should underpin sustainable physical activity and transport  Cycling provides a rapid, economical, and environmentally sustainable means of transport for short journeys; it also provides great pleasure and is excellent exercise. Yet in developed countries the bicycle has been edged off the roads by the car, and developing countries such as China are following suit—with potentially disastrous environmental consequences. In Britain an imaginative proposal now before the millennium fund, to build a national network of cycle paths, could help to give cycling a boost.1 Set within a wider strategy on transport and cycling it could help transform our lives for the better.  Sedentary living contributes to ill health and premature death from non-communicable diseases, including coronary heart disease, stroke, non-insulin dependent diabetes, and osteoporosis.2 The consultation document from the Health of the Nation physical activity taskforce concludes that activities of moderate intensity, such as brisk walking and cycling, offer the greatest potential of health gain for most of the population.3 Cycling as a means of transport is a way …
BENIGN stricture of the oesophagus following nasogastric intubation has often been reported in the literature together with expressions of opinions on the aetiology and mechanism involved (Douglas, 1956; Bingham, 1958; McKeown, 1958). T h e use of Ryle’s tube has been a feature common to all. Generally it is used in the treatment of intestinal lesions and the majority have undergone abdominal surgery. Vomiting of varying severity has been the definitive indication for gastric aspiration, particularly in the postoperative period. Occasionally gastric aspiration by Ryle’s tube has been employed in patients presenting with symptoms simulating uraemia, as in one of Douglas’s 5 cases. T w o further cases of oesophageal stricture following the use of Ryle’s tube are reported here, and an attempt has been made to assess the importance of the aetiological factors. I believe this has helped to elucidate the points of practical importance.
An angular scanning backscatter lidar was deployed on the NASA DC‐8 research aircraft as part of SUCCESS. The lidar viewing direction could be continuously scanned from vertically upward to forward to vertically downward. Real‐time pictorial displays generated from lidar signatures were used to locate clouds and contrails above, ahead of, and below the DC‐8; to depict their spatial structure; and to help select DC‐8 altitudes for achieving optimum sampling by onboard in situ sensors. The lidar data are being analyzed to establish their value in the interpretation and extension of the in situ sensor databases. Data examples are presented that illustrate (1) correlation with particulate, gas, and radiometric measurements made by onboard sensors, (2) discrimination and identification between contrails observed by the onboard sensors, (3) a 13.1 km altitude layer that exhibits greatly enhanced vertical backscatter relative to off‐vertical backscatter, and (4) mapping of vertical distributions of individual precipitating ice crystals and their capture by cloud layers.
A 580/70R38 tractor drive tire with an aspect ratio of 0.756 and a 650/75R32 tire with an aspect ratio of  0.804 were operated at two dynamic loads and two inflation pressures on a sandy loam and a clay loam with loose soil  above a hardpan. Soil stresses were determined just above the hardpan beneath the centerlines and edges of the tires. Rut  depths were measured at the centerline and edge of each tire track. The octahedral shear stress and rut depth were not  significantly different for the tires. The peak octahedral normal stress was not significantly different for the two tires when  the dynamic load was 17.2 kN, but was significantly greater for the 650/75R32 tire when the dynamic load was 30.9 kN.  Soil stresses and rut depths increased with increasing dynamic load at constant inflation pressure, and with increasing  inflation pressure at constant dynamic load. Net traction and tractive efficiency decreased with increasing inflation  pressure at constant dynamic load. At constant inflation pressure, tractive efficiency increased with increasing dynamic  load. In comparisons of the centerline and edge locations, soil stresses were significantly less beneath the edges than the  centerlines of the tires. Ratios of the mean stress beneath the centerline to the mean beneath the edge for four  combinations of dynamic load and inflation pressure ranged from 2.18 to 3.77 for the peak octahedral normal stress and  1.76 to 3.18 for the corresponding octahedral shear stress. Ratios of the rut depth at the centerline to the edge ranged  from 1.04 to 1.49. In summary, for these two tires with their slightly different aspect ratios, no fundamental differences  were found that would clearly indicate that one tire was better than the other.
Prostate cancer is a major health problem, and the exploration of noninvasive imaging methods that have the potential to improve specificity while maintaining high sensitivity is still critically needed. Tissue changes induced by tumor growth can be visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods. Current MRI methods include conventional T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) mapping and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Techniques such as DWI/ADC provide functional information about the behavior of water molecules in tissue; MRS can provide biochemical information about the presence or absence of certain metabolites, such as choline, creatine, and citrate. Finally, vascular parameters can be investigated using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. Moreover, with whole-body MRI and DWI, metastatic disease can be evaluated in 1 session and may provide a way to monitor treatment. Therefore, when combining these various methods, a multiparametric data set can be built to assist in the detection, localization, assessment of prostate cancer aggressiveness, and tumor staging. Such a comprehensive approach offers more power to evaluate prostate disease than any single measure alone. In this article, we focus on the role of DWI/ADC and MRS in the detection and characterization using both in vivo and ex vivo imaging of prostate pathology.
Comparison of the survival times of homografts of BN skin on 3-day-old Lewis rats born of mothers of the same isogenic strain with those of BN grafts on infant Lewis hosts that had developed in an F1 (Lewis x BN) hybrid, gave no evidence of maternally induced tolerance as a result of development in an antigenically alien environment. On the contrary, the significantly shorter median survival time of the grafts on the hybrid-derived Lewis group suggests that sensitization had occurred as a consequence of natural exposure during gestation to small numbers of maternal cells.
Chemical depth profiling of III–V trenches containing InGaAs quantum wells with AlAs barriers selectively grown inside SiO2 cavities was studied using magnetic secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The authors show that the depth resolution of SIMS profiles of III-As layers degrades under extremely low energy oxygen beam sputtering (<500 eV) due to ripple formation and an increase in surface roughness. Improved SIMS depth resolution was observed by increasing the incident angle (∼50°–65°). Finally, the authors report the effect of sample rotation and orientation of the ion beam with respect to the trenches on depth profiling of III-As layers using time-of-flight SIMS.
This study focuses on the effectiveness of waste anaerobic dead biomass (ADB) in adsorbing heavy metals, namely Pb(II), Cr(VI), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II). The metal uptake capacity of ADB was investigated and compared with the values for various biomass types from the literature. The biomass, which was grown under laboratory conditions using a synthetic wastewater, was used throughout the study after sterilization. The maximum metal adsorptive capacities were evaluated by running isotherm tests at 25 degrees C and initial pH of 4. It was observed that Pb(II) was adsorbed with the highest capacity. The maximum adsorptive capacity of ADB for Pb(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Cr(VI) was determined as 1250, 625, 357, 227 and 384 mg/g dry biomass, respectively. These values were significantly higher than the corresponding capacities reported in the literature for other types of biomass. In describing the adsorption equilibrium, both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were examined. The experimental data for Pb(II), Zn(II), Cr(VI), and Ni(II) fitted both the Langmuir and Freundlich models with correlation coefficients of 0.80-0.99 while Cu(II) only fitted the Langmuir model with a correlation coefficient of 0.99. Therefore, different and distinct aspects of the interactions between the cell surfaces and the metal ions might have occurred for Cu(II) and the rest of the metals. The equilibrium pH values attained were all higher than the initial pH value of 4.0, and this indicated that both the type and the initial concentration of the metal influenced the equilibrium pH. Furthermore, there was a decrease in equilibrium pH with increasing initial metal concentration at varying levels.
The electronic structure of perfect ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) and defective ADP with an oxygen (O) vacancy are calculated by screened-exchange hybrid density functional HSE06. The optimized structural parameters of the defective ADP crystal are analyzed. The PO 4 tetrahedron with an O vacancy is distorted and its symmetry is broken. The band gap of the defective ADP with an O vacancy is about 1.5 eV lower than the perfect ADP, which is due to the new O vacancy defect states near the valence band maximum. Moreover, more peaks appear in the low-energy region (lower than 6 eV) in the curves of the linear optical properties for the defective ADP. The results indicate that the O vacancy will significantly influence the laser damage performance of ADP crystals.
An intelligent model combining artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA) has been developed for determining the optimum process parameters for achieving the desired depth of penetration and weld bead width during Activated Flux Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (A-TIG) welding of type 316LN and 304LN stainless steels. First, ANN models correlating process parameters with depth of penetration and weld bead width have been developed. There was good correlation between the measured and models predicted depth of penetration as well as the weld bead width for both training and test data. A GA code was developed in MATLAB in which the objective function was evaluated using the ANN models. The optimized values for GA parameters such as crossover rate, population size, and mutation probability were identified. The developed GA model produced multiple outputs such as current, torch speed, voltage, and arc gap for the same target depth of penetration and bead width, and validation was carried out by experiments. There was good agreement between the target values and the actual values of depth of penetration and weld bead width obtained for both the stainless steels.
The prognostic value of clinic and ambulatory BP in predicting incident CKD and whether CKD risk reduction associates with progressive treatment-induced decrease of clinic, awake, or asleep BP are unknown. We prospectively evaluated 2763 individuals without CKD, 1343 men and 1420 women (mean±SD age: 51.5±14.3 years old), with baseline ambulatory BP ranging from normotension to hypertension. On recruitment and annually thereafter (more frequently if hypertension treatment was adjusted on the basis of ambulatory BP), we simultaneously monitored BP and physical activity (wrist actigraphy) for 48 hours to accurately derive individualized mean awake and asleep BP. During a median 5.9-year follow-up, 404 participants developed CKD. Mean asleep systolic BP was the most significant predictor of CKD in a Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for age, diabetes, serum creatinine concentration, urinary albumin concentration, previous cardiovascular event, and hypertension treatment time (on awakening versus at bedtime; per 1-SD elevation: hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.31 to 1.56; P<0.001). The predictive values of mean clinic BP and mean awake or 48-hour ambulatory BP was not significant when corrected by mean asleep BP. Analyses of BP changes during follow-up revealed 27% reduction in the risk of CKD per 1-SD decrease in mean asleep systolic BP, independent of changes in mean clinic BP or awake ambulatory BP. In conclusion, sleep-time BP is a highly significant independent prognostic marker for CKD. Furthermore, progressive treatment-induced decrease of asleep BP, a potential therapeutic target requiring ambulatory BP evaluation, might be a significant method for reducing CKD risk.
The rotary-percussive ultrasonic drill (RPUD) employs vibrations on two sides of a piezoelectric stack to drive a drill tool to achieve simultaneous rotary-percussive motion. It has the advantages of being small and requiring low power, low axial load, and small holding torque, making it suitable for extra-terrestrial rock sampling, especially for a minor planet with a weak gravitational field. This paper presents the impact dynamics prediction of the percussive system of RPUD, which is composed of a piezoelectric actuator, a free mass, and a drill tool. Considering the vibration of the RPUD and the weight on bit, the interactions between these three components before and during drilling are analyzed separately. The effects of various parameters (i.e., the coefficient of restitution between the actuator and the free mass, the damping ratio of the RPUD, the weight of the free mass, and the weight on bit) on the contact force between the free mass and the drill tool, a number of collisions per second, kinetic energy transferred to the drill tool per second, and reacting force are simulated. Simulation results show that the free mass converts the high-frequency harmonic vibration of the actuator into lower frequency impacts on the drill tool. Furthermore, the contact force and the kinetic energy transferred to the drill tool per second can be enhanced by increasing the coefficient of restitution, free mass, and weight on bit or decreasing the damping ratio of the RPUD.
The conductive blend of the poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) and polystyrene sulfonated acid (PEDOT-PSS) polymers were doped with Methyl Red (MR) dye in the acid form and were used as the basis for a chemiresistor sensor for detection of ethanol vapor. This Au | Polymers-dye blend | Au device was manufactured by chemical vapor deposition and spin-coating, the first for deposition of the metal electrodes onto a glass substrate, and the second for preparation of the organic thin film forming ∼1.0 mm2 of active area. The results obtained are the following: (i) electrical resistance dependence with atmospheres containing ethanol vapor carried by nitrogen gas and humidity; (ii) sensitivity at 1.15 for limit detection of 26.25 ppm analyte and an operating temperature of 25 °C; and (iii) the sensing process is quickly reversible and shows very a low power consumption of 20 μW. The thin film morphology of ∼200 nm thickness was analyzed by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), where it was observed to have a peculiarly granulometric surface favorable to adsorption. This work indicates that PEDOT-PSS doped with MR dye to compose blend film shows good performance like resistive sensor.
Current understanding of cerebellar ectopia is primarily based on the detailed study and classification of this rare rhombencephalon deformity by Hans Chiari, MD, more than a century ago. Recent advances in neuroradiology, especially since the introduction of magnetic resonance imaging, have enabled the incidental diagnosis of cerebellar ectopia. This radiographic finding, increasingly observed in asymptomatic adults, presents a different clinical scenario than that characterized by Chiari, making application of Chiari's original classification scheme often difficult. This article highlights Chiari's observations of cerebellar ectopia and those of other seminal figures, relating their findings to modern recognition of this entity.
was filled again-this time with a line of youngsters, one to each step of the stone staircase around the inside wall of the pool, passing guffahs, the ubiquitous Near Eastern dirt carriers, full of debris and trash to their elders standing above. A few weeks later, the scene moved to the town of Beitin, Biblical Bethel, where lines of workers from the local community repaired the retaining walls, removed litter from the site and shored up the deteriorating Hellenistic tower at the site. The unexpected element of this venture is that it is an experiment in preserving sites in a war zone. Tanks rolling by very close to where he is working have not deterred Adel Yahyeh, Director of the Palestinian Association for Cultural Exchange (PACE), from mobilizing the people of the nearby towns-to clean up and repair damage to archaeological sites. has continued into modern times with only a few brief hiatuses. It is revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims as the place where Abraham built an altar, Jacob wrestled with the angel and Jeroboam established an important sanctuary to rival Jerusalem within the northern Kingdom of Israel. In more recent times the site was the location for a large Byzantine monastery, which was restored by Crusaders and later turned into a mosque. Gibeon (Al-Jib) is famous as the location where Joshua made the sun stand still and where Saul's and David's men fought. The water system at Gibeon, which is one of the few remains visible today, is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. The Babylonians destroyed the city, but it revived in the Roman/Byzantine period. The village near the site today dates from Ottoman times. Bethel and Gibeon are among a group of sites on the West Bank that have received the benefit of preservation efforts from PACE a Palestinian nongovernmental organization. The first step of these projects was to lay the ground for the work in the
Abstract This paper comments on Coleman's account of group action (or corporate action, in his terminology), and his view is compared with the present author's largely complementary view (e.g., Tuomela 1993). Some criticisms concerning Coleman’s linear system of action are presented. One of the main points made is that a viable theory of social action must make use of a notion of joint intention and that Coleman’s theory is deficient on this score.
Background. An increased red blood cell (RBC) phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure in uremic patients was found that could promote macrophage recognition and decrease RBC survival time. Furthermore, a reduced red cell life span was found to contribute anemia in patients with renal failure. It is therefore possible to hypothesize that increased PS externalization of RBC may influence renal anemia. The present study preliminarily explored the role of erythrocytes' PS exposure in anemia in uremic patients. Method. Erythrocyte PS exposure was measured in 67 stable patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). An investigation was conducted in the relationship between the level of erythrocyte PS exposure and hemoglobin concentration. A flow-cytometric assay based on FITC-Annexin V was used to measure the PS exposure of erythrocytes. Results. An inverse correlation was found between the percentage of PS‐positive RBCs and hemoglobin concentration (r = −0.2601, p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the percentage of PS‐positive RBCs was identified as a risk factor for anemia (Hazards ratio = −0.421, p < 0.05). Conclusion. This study found that elevated PS exposure in erythrocytes might be a risk factor for anemia and contribute to the development of anemia in peritoneal dialysis patients.
OBJECTIVES Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a frequent complication of patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Ertapenem is a newer carbapenem with good in vitro activity against extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms. However, there are no clinical data to support the use of ertapenem in VAP. Our purpose is to evaluate the usefulness and safety of ertapenem in the treatment of VAP caused by susceptible ESBL strains.   METHODS Ertapenem 1 g daily intravenously was given to adult patients with signs and symptoms of VAP beginning within 7 days of mechanical ventilation and caused by ESBL-producing Gram-negative organisms.   RESULTS From June 2005 to June 2006, we enrolled 20 adult patients hospitalized in an ICU and diagnosed with VAP due to Gram-negative ESBL strains. Causative organisms identified as ESBL producers susceptible to ertapenem were Klebsiella pneumoniae (alone in 10 cases and with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in 4 cases), Enterobacter cloacae (2), Proteus mirabilis (2) and Citrobacter freundii (2). Clinical success was achieved in 16/20 (80%) of the clinically evaluable patients and in 15/20 (75%) of the microbiologically evaluable patients. The drug was well-tolerated; one patient presented a transient increase in liver enzymes.   CONCLUSIONS We believe this is one of the first reports to demonstrate that ertapenem has clinical utility in treating serious infections caused by ESBL-producing organisms. Ertapenem appears to be suitable for ESBL VAP therapy. This pilot study suggests subsequent controlled randomized trials in this indication.
The scope of the reductive–alkylation of chiral endo-himimide derived from (R)-phenylglycinol was studied. Careful structural studies by means of both X-ray crystallographical analysis and H NMR spectroscopy analysis on the intermediates and products obtained during these studies allowed us to assign the structures of all the products obtained, and then to conclude that both the Grignard reagents addition (to 1) and the reductive deoxygenation of 2/3 via N-acyliminium intermediates A occurred stereospecifically from the convex face of either 1 or A.
Transmission loss, noise reduction, and insertion loss are the three main characteristics used to describe the performance of a muffler in an automotive exhaust system. Of these characteristics, insertion loss is the most useful. Unlike transmission loss and noise reduction, insertion loss is dependent on both source and radiation impedances. In this paper, source and radiation impedances were measured. The insertion loss of exhaust systems was predicted using theoretical values of radiation impedance and measured values of source impedance. Comparisons of predicted and measured insertion loss are given for various source and radiation conditions. So far the investigations are confined to an electroacoustic driver source and an expansion chamber muffler.
The supreme advantages of electron microscopy (EM) in the chemical sciences are briefly recalled: By judicious use of electron optical techniques, vital information of a structural, mechanistic, compositional, and often of an electronic kind may be retrieved. Not only are insights gained (through EM) into the existence of whole new families of structures hitherto unperceived, but one also uncovers the structural characteristics of imperfections in solids. And it is often the case that these imperfections reflect or suggest altogether new structures, hitherto unconceived. EM is, therefore, a powerful agent for aiding chemical synthesis of new materials. This is particularly important in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, since altogether new types of catalytic materials may be, on the one hand, defined, described, identified, and characterised, and, on the other, designed and synthesised. There is also the ever-improving role of the electron microscope as an analytical tool: Very few other techniques within reach of the chemist can rival it in its sensitivity and detection limits. (Scanning instruments now permit the imaging and the identification of nanoclusters consisting of just a few atoms.) But there are numerous other branches of chemistry besides catalysis and surface science where EM proves invaluable, as we outline herein, in elucidating structure–property or composition and structure interrelationships.
The polarisation characteristics of a high-voltage power-line radar cross-section (RCS) at 76 GHz are experimentally evaluated to improve the detection conditions of the helicopter obstacle detection radar system. Vertical polarisation transmission and reception (V–V) are normally used to detect power lines. In addition to V–V polarisation, horizontal transmission and reception (H–H) polarisation characteristics are measured for the two types of high-voltage power lines. For V–V polarisation, the measured RCS characteristics of the power lines agree well with those previously reported at 35 and 94 GHz. However, the measured results of the H–H polarisation are almost the same as, or higher than, those of the V–V polarisation.
Virus diseases occurring on cucumber was surveyed at main plantation areas of `Sangju` and `Gurye` in 2006 and 2007. Viral infection rate on cucumber was ranged from 14% to 90% in fields and the average infection rate was 46% at Sangju area. Cucumber cultivated at Gurye area had viral incidence ranged 9-100% and averaged 48%. The majorly infected viruses were Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, Zucchini yellow mosaic virus, Papaya ring spot virus and Watermelon mosaic virus-2, and their infection rates were 23.5%, 13.0%, 9.0% and 2.0%, respectively in 2006 and 2007. Mixed infection rate of duplex, triplex and tetraplex was 31.5%, 7.5% and 2.5%, respectively. The rate of infection type was 47.7% by single infection, 31.5% by double infection and 88.7% by both infection types. Important viruses involved in mixed infection types were Zucchini yellow mosaic virus, Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus, Papaya ring spot virus and Broad been wilt virus2, orderly. Symptom in single infection was almost same on `Dadagi` line and `Chicheong` line of cucumber cultivars. Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus produced various symptoms of chlorotic spot, vein chlorosis and vein wrinkle and so on. Main symptoms of vein chlorosis, and severe mosaic and malformation were induced by Zucchini yellow mosaic virus. Mild symptoms were occurred relatively by Papaya ring spot virus and Watermelon mosaic virus2.
The princes etrangers, or the foreign princes, were an influential group of courtiers in early modern France, who maintained their unofficial status as 'foreigners' due to membership in sovereign ruling families. Arguably the most influential of these were the princes of Lorraine, a sovereign state on France's eastern border. During the sixteenth century the Lorraine-Guise dominated the culture and politics of France, gaining a reputation as a powerful, manipulative family at the head of the Catholic League in the Wars of Religion and with close relationships with successive Valois monarchs and Catherine de Medici. After the traumas of 1588, however, although they fade from the narrative history of France, they nevertheless remain at the pinnacle of political culture until the end of the eighteenth century.This book examines the lesser-known period for the Guise at the later stages of the ancien regime, focusing on the recovery of lost fortunes, prestige, favour and influence that began towards the end of Louis XIII and continued through that of Louis XIV. Central to the work is the question of what it meant to be a member of a family of princely rank whose dynastic links outside the state guaranteed privileges and favours at the highest level. Dr Spangler investigates how an aristocratic family operated within that political culture, including facets of patronage (political, ecclesiastical, military, and the arts) and the meaning of dynasticism itself (marriages, testaments, women's roles, multiplicity of loyalties). The result is a thorough examination of the nature of crown-noble relations in the era of absolutism as seen through the example of the Lorraine-Guise and will shed much light on how the family which had so threatened the equilibrium of the late Valois monarchy became one of the strongest pillars supporting the regime of the later Bourbons.
The aim of this study is to investigate technological competences and technological tools usage by primary school teachers. The inability of primary school teachers to substitute traditional teaching methods with modern technological tools and applications during COVID-19 motivated the researchers to carry out this study. The study made use of a survey research design. Technology implementation and computer use for instructional teachers sub scales were used to collect data. Related literature was reviewed based on skills and knowledge of teachers and the various technologies used for instruction. The samples were 398 teachers who are teaching using ICT and the simple random sampling method was employed to select these respondents. Data was collected from teacher-respondents using tables, percentages, charts, mean, standard deviations and one sample t-test. The results showed an average level of technological competences possess by primary school teachers and types of technological tools used for teaching and learning. These results indicate that primary school educators and instructors lack the competences to install software on their computers and faced difficulties in using more advanced technologies. The study strongly recommends effective in-service training for teachers, easy access and connection to network services as well as the provision of technical assistance to schools. This will enable teachers to effectively acquire skills and knowledge for technology integration in education. Primary schools and teachers should also be equipped with modern technologies especially during this period of COVID-19.
Preface Global Religions, Local Communities Islam General Overviews Islam in the Cape Islam in Natal Islam in the Transvaal Islamic Education and Jurisprudence Islam and Politics Muslim-Christian Relations Hinduism General Overviews Sanatanist Hinduism Neo-Hinduism Gandhi in South Africa Judaism General Overviews Judaism in the Cape Judaism in Natal Judaism in the Transvaal Jewish Education and Jurisprudence Judaism and Politics Zionism Anti-Semitism Index
Building meaningful community capacity and changing conflict patterns are the most powerful tools provided by community mediation programs.Many of the elements of true democracy are present in the work we do. I believe that if, in any given situation, there is a community and a conflict, placing everyone together in one room and working through the mediation process will result in the most equitable and elegant solution possible. ommunity mediation in the United States is the product of thirty years of inspiration, innovation, and improvisation. A broad array of players—working often in concert, but sometimes at cross purposes—have constructed a remarkable field that handles an estimated 100,000 conflicts each year (National Association for Community Mediation, 2003), prima- rily through the services of highly trained volunteer mediators. While domestic community mediation builds on traditions from around the world and across many generations (Auerbach, 1983), the contemporary field is a uniquely American experience. The goals for community mediation are many, and they are lofty. With its emphases on individual self- determination, community self-reliance, and equal access to justice for all, community mediation is truly dispute resolution "of the people, by the people, and for the people." This article seeks to present the structure, accomplishments, and unfin- ished work of community mediation centers in the United States. Following an overview of the evolution of the field and consistent with the other
Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) drives the pathophysiology of human autoimmune diseases and consequently, neutralizing antibodies (Abs) or Ab-derived molecules directed against TNFα are essential therapeutics. As treatment with several TNFα blockers has been reported to entail a higher risk of infectious diseases such as leishmaniasis, we established an in vitro model based on Leishmania-infected human macrophages, co-cultured with autologous T-cells, for the analysis and comparison of anti-TNFα therapeutics. We demonstrate that neutralization of soluble TNFα (sTNFα) by the anti-TNFα Abs Humira®, Remicade®, and its biosimilar Remsima® negatively affects infection as treatment with these agents significantly reduces Leishmania-induced T-cell proliferation and increases the number of infected macrophages. By contrast, we show that blockade of sTNFα by Cimzia® does not affect T-cell proliferation and infection rates. Moreover, compared to Remicade®, treatment with Cimzia® does not impair the expression of cytolytic effector proteins in proliferating T-cells. Our data demonstrate that Cimzia® supports parasite control through its conjugated polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety as PEGylation of Remicade® improves the clearance of intracellular Leishmania. This effect can be linked to complement activation, with levels of complement component C5a being increased upon treatment with Cimzia® or a PEGylated form of Remicade®. Taken together, we provide an in vitro model of human leishmaniasis that allows direct comparison of different anti-TNFα agents. Our results enhance the understanding of the efficacy and adverse effects of TNFα blockers and they contribute to evaluate anti-TNFα therapy for patients living in countries with a high prevalence of leishmaniasis.
Adhesion to enamel has become a routine technique in restorative dentistry. Adhesion to dentin, however, is still under investigation. Except structural elements of the dentin, smear layer has been one of the reasons that the interaction between the adhesive system and this tissue is difficult. The smear layer tissue created by cutting a tooth. It varies in thickness, roughness, density and degree of attachment andoccludes tubules and reduces the dental permeabilita. Dentin adhesivesystems can react with intertubular and peritubular dentin only when this smear layer is removed or when the adhesive system is capable of diffusion through layer of debris. As part of restorative procedures required by adhesive dentistry, the smear layer must be removed, modified or impregnated by the resin to allow for bonding between the tooth and the restorative material. For remove and dissolve of smear layer acid conditioners on total etch and self-etching primers were used. Self-etching primer systems are undergoing rapid evolution; their results are not yet sufficiently predictable overall, but some systems have achieved positive results in both enamel and dentin bonding. Further studies are necessary to confirm the long-term efficiency of these self-etching primers.
Unnatural Bases The genetic basis of all life on the planet is comprised of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with four nitrogenous nucleotide bases, abbreviated to A, G, C, and T. But there are variations on this theme, and Pinheiro et al. (p. 341; see the Perspective by Joyce) describe the directed evolution of unnatural nucleic acid–like genetic polymers. Variant enzymes were developed that efficiently transcribed DNA to anhydrohexitol (HNA), cyclohexenyl (CeNA), locked (LNA), and threofuranosyl (TNA) nuceic acid analogs. Further variant enzymes were developed to reverse-transcribe these analogs back to DNA. Thus, man-made nucleic acid analogs can be designed and selected that have the potential to operate in a way analogous to the natural process of heredity and evolution. Artificial polymers of nucleic acid–like subunits not found in nature can mimic the functions of DNA and RNA. Genetic information storage and processing rely on just two polymers, DNA and RNA, yet whether their role reflects evolutionary history or fundamental functional constraints is currently unknown. With the use of polymerase evolution and design, we show that genetic information can be stored in and recovered from six alternative genetic polymers based on simple nucleic acid architectures not found in nature [xeno-nucleic acids (XNAs)]. We also select XNA aptamers, which bind their targets with high affinity and specificity, demonstrating that beyond heredity, specific XNAs have the capacity for Darwinian evolution and folding into defined structures. Thus, heredity and evolution, two hallmarks of life, are not limited to DNA and RNA but are likely to be emergent properties of polymers capable of information storage.
Hope Speech detection is the task of classifying a sentence as hope speech or non-hope speech given a corpus of sentences. Hope speech is any message or content that is positive, encouraging, reassuring, inclusive and supportive that inspires and engenders optimism in the minds of people. In contrast to identifying and censoring negative speech patterns, hope speech detection is focussed on recognising and promoting positive speech patterns online. In this paper, we report an overview of the findings and results from the shared task on hope speech detection for Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, English and Spanish languages conducted in the second workshop on Language Technology for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (LT-EDI-2022) organised as a part of ACL 2022. The participants were provided with annotated training & development datasets and unlabelled test datasets in all the five languages. The goal of the shared task is to classify the given sentences into one of the two hope speech classes. The performances of the systems submitted by the participants were evaluated in terms of micro-F1 score and weighted-F1 score. The datasets for this challenge are openly available
Photosystem II (PSII) and ribonucleotide reductase employ oxidation and reduction of the tyrosine aromatic ring in radical transport pathways. Tyrosine-based reactions involve either proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) or electron transfer (ET) alone, depending on the pH and the pKa of tyrosine's phenolic oxygen. In PSII, a subset of the PCET reactions are mediated by a tyrosine-histidine redox-driven proton relay, YD-His189. Peptide A is a PSII-inspired β-hairpin, which contains a single tyrosine (Y5) and histidine (H14). Previous electrochemical characterization indicated that Peptide A conducts a net PCET reaction between Y5 and H14, which have a cross-strand π-π interaction. The kinetic impact of H14 has not yet been explored. Here, we address this question through time-resolved absorption spectroscopy and 280-nm photolysis, which generates a neutral tyrosyl radical. The formation and decay of the neutral tyrosyl radical at 410 nm were monitored in Peptide A and its variant, Peptide C, in which H14 is replaced by cyclohexylalanine (Cha14). Significantly, both electron transfer (ET, pL 11, L = lyonium) and PCET (pL 9) were accelerated in Peptide A and C, compared to model tyrosinate or tyrosine at the same pL. Increased electronic coupling, mediated by the peptide backbone, can account for this rate acceleration. Deuterium exchange gave no significant solvent isotope effect in the peptides. At pL 9, but not at pL 11, the reaction rate decreased when H14 was mutated to Cha14. This decrease in rate is attributed to an increase in reorganization energy in the Cha14 mutant. The Y5-H14 mechanism in Peptide A is reminiscent of proton- and electron-transfer events involving YD-H189 in PSII. These results document a mechanism by which proton donors and acceptors can regulate the rate of PCET reactions.
Medicago laciniata (L.) Mill. is a winter annual represented in the Negev by two varieties: M. laciniata var. laciniata and M. laciniata var. brachyacantha Boiss. The first variety has larger pods with markedly longer spines (Fig. 1) and occurs in relatively less arid habitats (Heyn 1963). In the Negev, near Sede Boqer (300 52' 49" N, 340 51' 27" E), it occupies northern slopes and wadi beds dominated by the association of Artemisietum herbaealbae (Zohary 1962; Friedman 1969). The second variety occurs in more arid habitats, such as southern slopes and hill tops dominated by the association of Zygophylletum dumosi. Thus, the populations of the two varieties occupy distinct adjacent territories and meet along the base of the southern slopes where intermediate forms occur within a narrow strip (Fig. 2). Rodents and ruminants are common in the area and are capable of carrying the spiny pods tangled in their fur from one slope to another. Seeds are also dispersed by these animals through their faeces since a few at least remain viable after passing through the ruminant digestive system. Seed longevity of both varieties is considerable. Germination of 20-year-old seed was tested and was found to be 8500 after 48 h. The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors controlling the distribution of the two varieties. The growth, development and yield of each variety was evaluated under the relevant environmental conditions with and without the effect of the associated plant communities.
The purpose of this study is to determine to what extent the personality traits based on the Five Factor Theory (extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience) predict loneliness levels of university students. The study group of the research was composed of 433 students (260 female and 173 male students) who were attending Inonu University and Nigde University in the academic year of 2013-2014. As the data collection tools, the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Five Factor Personality Inventory were used in the study. The data analysis was performed using correlation and multiple regression analysis methods. According to the findings of the research, the personality traits of extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, and openness to experience are significant predictors of university students' loneliness levels. Consequently, the personality traits based on the Five Factor Theory explained 28% of the variance in loneliness scores of university students.
Abstract Material and Methods: A retrospective analysis of 41 patients with congenital heart defect IAA from ICZMP in Lodz in the years 2003-2012, including 15 (36.6%) after prenatal diagnosis. Results: An average of 4 newborns with IAA were operated annually, in the years 2003 -2009 postnatal diagnosis dominated, from 2010 prenatal diagnosis. In the group, n = 15 fetuses with IAA, heart size was normal: Avg 0.33 + / -0.05 HA / CA. Cardiovascular endurance in the CVPS : 8 - 10 points Avg. 9.56 + / -0.73. Infants in the "prenatal" group were often delivered by CS (64.3%), and infants diagnosed postnatally, often by spontaneous delivery (76.9%). In the prenatal group 100% of newborns received prostaglandin E1 from day one, and the "postnatal" group at an average of 6th day. In the "prenatal" group the dose of PGE: 0.02 ug / kg / min, in the "postnatal" group the average dose was> 2 x higher 0,042 mg / kg / min. A statistically significant relationship was shown: between the day of administering prostaglandin E1 and the number of postoperative recovery hospitalization days of the newborn with IAA. Di George Syndrome occurred in 40% in the "prenatal" and in 15.4% in the "postnatal" group. Cardiac operations in the "prenatal" group were performed at average 19th day, and at average 21st day in the "postnatal" group. Infants in the "prenatal" group remained in the postoperative recovery room an average of 7.85 + / -3.98 days, and those from the “postnatal” group an average of 8.38 + / -3.94 days (p = 0.6212). There were 3 deaths (7.3%): 1 patient diagnosed prenatally and 2 postnatally. Neonates with IAA in the "prenatal" group remained in the hospital on average: 43.69 + / - 4.82 days and 39.54 + / -3.75 days in the "postnatal" group. After cardiac surgery, hospitalization in the "prenatal" group amounted to an average of 25.2 days in the "postnatal" 26.7 days. Conclusions: 1. The prenatal diagnosis of IAA was grounds to start the administration of prostaglandin E1 on the first day of life, and in the "postnatal" group the administration of prostaglandin followed on average 6 days after birth, the "postnatal" dose was 2 x higher. 2. A statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between the day of prostaglandin E1 commencement and the number of hospitalization days of the newborn with IAA in the postoperative recovery room, the length of hospital stay in the ICU and sometimes full hospitalization.
PURPOSE To analyze the altered amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) of the brain using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).   METHODS Resting-state fMRI was conducted in 21 POAG patients and 22 age-matched healthy control subjects. After the ALFF and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) for slow 4 and slow 5 bands were calculated, the results between POAG patients and healthy controls were compared. Then the correlations between ALFF/fALFF values and the disease stage of POAG were analyzed.   RESULTS Compared with controls, POAG patients showed significantly decreased ALFF/fALFF values in the visual cortices, posterior regions of the default-mode network (DMN), and motor and sensory cortices. Meanwhile, ALFF/fALFF values in the prefrontal cortex, left superior temporal gyrus (STG), right middle cingulate cortex (MCC), and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) significantly increased in POAG patients. Hodapp-Anderson-Parrish (HAP) score for POAG was positively correlated with ALFF values of the right superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and negatively correlated with that of the left cuneus. For the slow 5 band, the fALFF values of the bilateral middle temporal gyri (MTG) of POAG patients were negatively correlated with HAP score.   CONCLUSIONS Primary open-angle glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease involving multiple brain regions, including the visual cortices, DMN, limbic system, and motor and sensory networks. Moreover, the alterations in some of these networks are correlated with the progression of POAG; for the abnormal spontaneous neural activities in the left cuneus, bilateral MTG and right prefrontal cortex are correlated with glaucoma severity.
The blow fly is considered to be a medically-important insect worldwide. This review is a compilation of the currently known occurrence of blow fly species in Thailand, the fly’s medical importance and its morphological identification in all stages. So far, the 93 blow fly species identified belong to 9 subfamilies, including Subfamily Ameniinae, Calliphoridae, Luciliinae, Phumosiinae, Polleniinae, Bengaliinae, Auchmeromyiinae, Chrysomyinae and Rhiniinae. There are nine species including Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya chani, Chrysomya pinguis, Chrysomya bezziana, Achoetandrus rufifacies, Achoetandrus villeneuvi, Ceylonomyia nigripes, Hemipyrellia ligurriens and Lucilia cuprina, which have been documented already as medically important species in Thailand. According to all cited reports, C. megacephala is the most abundant species. Documents related to morphological identification of all stages of important blow fly species and their medical importance also are summarized, based upon reports from only Thailand. KeywordsBlow fly, Distribution, Identification, Medical Importance, Thailand International Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN: 0975-3702 & E-ISSN: 0975-9182, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2012 Introduction Thailand is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula in Southeast Asia. It comprises 77 provinces that cover 6 regions by location and its hot and humid climate supports a variety of tropical ecosystems. Unlike the temperate zone, tropical ecosystems provide wider niches for the survival of organisms, which are thus able to support a much larger variety of plant, animal and microbe species. Blow flies form one of many insect groups that are commonly found in the country and their families are classified as follows: Kingdom Metazoa, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Hexapoda, Order Diptera, Suborder Brachycera and Family Calliphoridae. They are characterized typically as being metallic blue, green, purple, or non metallic in color and they vary in size [1]. Blow fly larvae serve as carrion feeders that play an important role in recycling organic materials in the ecosystem. Furthermore, adults have been reported as pollinators of mango flowers in Australia [2] and Taiwan [3]. Over 1,450 blow fly species are distributed over all continents in the world, except Antarctica [1]. Based on citation in this review, the first document related blow fly was reportedly found in 1976 [4] and the first taxonomic key for blow flies (subfamily Calliphoridae) in Thailand was documented by Tumrasvin et al, [5]. The first text book relating to medically-important blow fly species of Thailand was written in the Thai language in 2010 by Associate Professor Dr. Kom Sukontason and Associate Professor Dr. Kabkaew Sukontason [6]. Over the past 36 years, there have been many scientific articles that demonstrate blow fly occurrence in several parts of Thailand as well as the fly’s biological aspects and medical importance. Although this information has increased gradually, it is still scattered. Therefore, the objectives of this review were to gather and update all information on blow flies, based upon scientific reports from only Thailand and the experience of this author. This review emphasized on mainly 3 aspects, including (i) the occurrence of blow fly species, (ii) morphological identification of all stages and (iii) their medical imCitation: Nophawan Bunchu (2012) Blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Thailand: Distribution, Morphological Identification and Medical Importance Appraisals. International Journal of Parasitology Research, ISSN: 0975-3702 & E-ISSN: 0975-9182, Volume 4, Issue 1, pp.-57-64. Copyright: Copyright©2012 Nophawan Bunchu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
From the inception of our laboratory, we have been interested in the dynamic nature of burn wounds. We know that burn depth continues to progress well after the thermal insult based on our animal model. Transitioning to the bedside our hypothesis further matured to view evolution of partial thicknessto full thickness-injury analogous to “stung myocardium” or the watershed of a CNS stroke; there is viable tissue to be rescued. Further benefit from this line of investigation will hinge upon its connection toand demonstration in the burn population at large. Increasing fraction of third-degree burns proves to be a dramatic predictor of mortality in a near-complete statistical essay. This month’s Glimmer from the National Burn Repository (NBR) casually examines another populationderived facet of the problem: the change in percent composition of secondand third-degree burns during the last decade. Figures 1 and 2 visually represent a complex characteristic of individual burn victims included in the national database for injury years 1995 and 2005, respectively. Each diamond represents a unique patient, positioned in a ternary plot, based on the recorded fraction of no-burn, second-degree and thirddegree injury. Data in ternary plots always sum up to 100%; therefore, this graphing method lends itself neatly to the task at hand. With our stated interest in burn depth conversion and its prevention, we clearly have a need-to-know these relative distributions. However, so many other important avenues of burns research are well served by carefully pouring over the images. For instance, does the compaction of data points to the lower right hand corner during the past decade prove that burn prevention measures are working? What does the artificial crowding of the axes (my personal observation/assumption) say about the fidelity of our admitting burn diagrams and methods? Figure 3 is a 4-fold magnification of the 2005 data plot. To make plain how to read ternary plots, a single patient has been selected out that sustained 20% second-degree burns, 20% third-degree burns, and had 60% of his total body surface area uninjured. A possible and very exciting method of teasing out more testable conjectures from this data might revolve around moving-image interpretation of the pattern in Figure 3, scrolled quickly through successive years. Granted, assigning publishable confidence intervals for these essays will require serious mathematicians, matrix-transformations, and other techniques that I can only dream about. However, I think the knowledge gained about the patients we all care for will be out-sized! Trinity . . . Miriam-Webster: three closely related items . . . this month’s glimmer is meant to demonstrate how one laboratory is harnessing the national data to go hand in hand with the bench and the bedside. Your laboratory can do it too! The NBR is a community asset of the American Burn Association. Those interested in pursuing scholarly work on this and other burn care-related topics are encouraged to secure permission from the American Burn Association central office via Web-based application at http://www.ameriburn.org.
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide as well as in Egypt where it constitutes a significant public health problem. HCC is the third most common cause of death from cancer and chronic infection with HBV and HCV are the most important precursors for HCC development. Objective: To study the epidemiologic, clinical and pathological features of advanced HCC in clinical oncology and Nuclear medicine department, Suez Canal University hospital. Method: This is a retrospective study done to analyse the clinical, demographic and pathological data of advanced HCC patients that attended clinical oncology and Nuclear Medicine Department, Suez Canal University Hospital in the period between January 2013 and December 2016. Results: Results revealed that mean age of the patients was 60.2 ± 7.69, 71.74% male and 28.26% Female, 91.3% were HCV positive while 6.5% were HBV positive. Liver cirrhosis was in 89.13% of patients. Majority of the patients (78.2%) were child Pugh Score B and 21.7% were child Pugh Score C. 67.39% of patients had diabetes. Portal vein thrombosis was present in 50% of cases. Alpha fetoprotein was elevated >400 in 56.52% of cases. Thirty four patients received treatment in the form of chemotherapy while 12 patients did not receive treatment. There is a highly significant increase in survival time P < 0.001 in treated group compared to untreated group. Median survival time (in months) was five months in the treated group versus one month in the untreated group. Conclusion: HCC is one of the increasing major health problems in both developing and developed countries. The most important risk factor is cirrhosis which is mainly due to HCV infection. Thus, much effort should be put into the field of prevention and treatment of viral hepatitis infections and chronic liver disease. Screening programs should be done to get rid of the problem, and most importantly, there must be an acceptable and effective therapy for HCC.
The policy of Australian governments, both Commonwealth, state and territory, toward those organisations that comprise a third sector of the organised economy is patchy and piecemeal. Absent is any recognition that they constitute a distinct sector; absent too is any recognition of their contribution to economy, society and politics. Such a situation is not inevitable. After identifying some of the gaps and contradictions in Australian policy toward the third sector, this article outlines the many policy initiatives to encourage the third sector or social economy (in European Union terms) taken by the Blair government in the United Kingdom. Given that there is a good deal of policy borrowing between Australia and the United Kingdom, the stark contrast between the two countries in this policy field is puzzling. This article concludes by identifying four developments that led to this policy explosion in the United Kingdom and finds them largely missing in Australia. This leads to a conclusion that a similar range of policies are unlikely to develop here.
The introduction of supplementary prescribing marks maybe the most significant phase of the development of non-medical prescribing. This article discusses the options available for practitioners to provide medication and details an option appraisal tool which has been developed by the London Specialist Pharmacy Service to allow clinical teams to compare the options available to them and decide which one suits them best.
The purpose of this work is to evaluate a new polypropylene (PP)-based nitroxyl radical generator (NOR) and offer comparisons with a commonly used peroxide in the production of controlled-rheology polypropylene (CRPP) resins. CRPP resins are produced by reactive processing in a batch mixer by using different amounts of either the NOR or a peroxide initiator at different temperatures. Molecular weight and rheological properties are determined for all CRPP produced and a comparison between the effectiveness of the NOR and the peroxide initiator is provided. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 47:2118–2123, 2007. © 2007 Society of Plastics Engineers
The present paper is a list of modern Icelandic verbs and pronouns analysed into their respective stems and endings. Under each item it is stated which phonological rules, if any, apply in the derivations of its grammatical forms. The following items of the list should be consulted for new phonological rules: (3), (6), (31), (37), and (49); see also the Appendix. A grammatical innovation has been implemented in the list, namely the socalled replacing endings; see the Introduction.
A hybrid version of a compact genetic algorithm (cGA) is presented as approach to solve the Multi-Level Capacitated Lot Sizing Problem. The present paper extends results reported in [18]. The hybrid method combines a fix and optimize heuristic with cGA aiming to improve solutions generated by cGA. Also a linear mathematical programming model is solved to first evaluated solution provided by cGA. The performance of the hybrid compact genetic algorithm (HcGA) is evaluated over two sets of benchmark instances. The results are compared against methods from literature recently proposed for the same problem: two time-oriented decomposition heuristics and a hybrid multi-population genetic algorithm. A superior performance of HcGA is reported mainly for instances dealing with setup times and against time-oriented decomposition heuristics.
Biliary atresia (BA) is a life-threatening cholangiopathy occurring in infancy, the most common indication for pediatric liver transplantation. The etiology of BA remains unknown; however, a viral etiology has been proposed as multiple viruses have been detected in explants of infants afflicted with BA. In the murine model of BA, Rhesus rotavirus (RRV) infection of newborn BALB/c pups results in a cholangiopathy that mirrors human BA. Infected BALB/c pups experience 100% symptomatology and mortality, while C57BL/6 mice are asymptomatic. Interferon-λ (IFN-λ) is an epithelial cytokine that provides protection against viral infection. We demonstrated that IFN-λ is highly expressed in C57BL/6, leading to reduced RRV replication. RRV-infection of C57BL/6 IFN-λ receptor knockout (C57BL/6 IFN-λR KO) pups resulted in 90% developing obstructive symptoms and 45% mortality with a higher viral titer in bile ducts and profound periportal inflammation compared to C57BL/6. Histology revealed complete biliary obstruction in symptomatic C57BL/6 IFN-λR KO pups, while C57BL/6 ducts were patent. These findings suggest that IFN-λ is critical in preventing RRV replication. Deficiency in IFN-λ permits RRV infection, which triggers the inflammatory cascade causing biliary obstruction. Further IFN-λ study is warranted as it may play an important role in infant susceptibility to BA.
In an increasing number of high-gradient linear accelerator applications, accelerating structures must operate with both high surface electric fields and low breakdown rates. Understanding the statistical properties of breakdown occurrence in such a regime is of practical importance for optimizing accelerator conditioning and operation algorithms, as well as of interest for efforts to understand the physical processes which underlie the breakdown phenomenon. Experimental data of breakdown has been collected in two distinct high-gradient experimental set-ups: A prototype linear accelerating structure operated in the Compact Linear Collider Xbox 12 GHz test stands, and a parallel plate electrode system operated with pulsed DC in the kV range. Collected data is presented, analyzed and compared. The two systems show similar, distinctive, two-part distributions of number of pulses between breakdowns, with each part corresponding to a specific, constant event rate. The correlation between distance and number of pulses between breakdown indicates that the two parts of the distribution, and their corresponding event rates, represent independent primaryandinducedfollow-upbreakdowns. Thesimilarityofresults frompulsedDCto12GHzrfindicates a similar vacuum arc triggering mechanism over the range of conditions covered by the experiments. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevAccelBeams.20.011007
Higher Education institutions worldwide are aware of the fact that intercultural and interdisciplinary collaborations will be an essential part of their students’ professional lives. To that effect, it is crucial to develop pedagogical strategies to provide students with the skills that will give them the mobility and flexibility to operate efficiently in different cultural contexts. ‘Reading Across Cultures’ is a module taught at Monash University that was specifically designed to enhance students’ levels of Cultural Literacy. The module is particularly innovative in that its structure follows that of a literary studies course, but it focuses on teaching students how to transfer the analytical and interpretative skills learnt in the classroom to real life scenarios. This article presents a detailed description of how ‘Reading Across Cultures’ does this. In the context of Localization and Internationalization Studies, the article discusses the need to teach our students how to ‘localize themselves’, and how this can be achieved by means of Cultural Literacy. It also provides an explanation of the overall structure of ‘Reading Across Cultures’, including a description of assignments that will be particularly useful for educators at a tertiary level who seek to plan similar courses aimed at enhancing students’ levels of Cultural Literacy or Intercultural Competence. The article focuses on two specific techniques that were used throughout the module to enhance students’ levels of Cultural Literacy: ‘destabilization’ and ‘reflection’.
Enhancing fluid flow velocity within the intervertebral disc may allow to increase solute transportation rates and improve disc nutrition as the sufficient supply of the nutrients to cells of intervertebral disc is a key factor in order to avoid or delay processes of disc degeneration. Poroelastic finite element model of lumbar intervertebral disc is used to calculate fluid flow velocity with the intervertebral disc due to flexion, extension, lateral bending and axial rotation. When comparing the average of flow velocity, the highest values are calculated when flexion and extension moments were applied to the disc, but lateral bending induces the highest value of velocity component in Y direction in nucleus pulposus, yet the assumption that lateral bending could be more beneficial in order to improve nutrients supply to intervertebral disc cannot be substantiated only by this data, as calculated values of velocity component Y are significantly lower that total velocity values.
Unsupervised knowledge discovery using Self Organising Maps (SOM) has been successfully used in obtaining unbiased and visualisable results. A Growing (or Dynamic) Self Organising Maps (GSOM) is an extended version of the original SOM with adaptive map size and controllable spread. In experiments a GSOM usually has considerably higher topographic error than SOM with similar quantisation error. This can be undesirable in cases where, topology preservation is important, therefore in this paper the authors proposed an algorithm to assist the growing of the dynamic self-organising map in achieving better topographic quality whilst maintaining or even improving level of quantisation error. Results have shown improvement of topographic error when comparing to GSOM, and have better topology preservation than non-topologically optimised SOM with similar map size.
We report the discovery of five T Tauri star systems, two of which are resolved binaries, in the vicinity of the nearest known region of recent star formation: the TW Hydrae Association. The newly discovered systems display the same signatures of youth (namely high X-ray flux, large Li abundance, and strong chromospheric activity) and the same proper motion as the original five members. These similarities firmly establish the group as a bona fide T Tauri association, unique in its proximity to Earth and its complete isolation from any known molecular clouds. At an age of ~10 Myr and a distance of ~50 pc, the association members are excellent candidates for future studies of circumstellar disk dissipation and the formation of brown dwarfs and planets. Indeed, as an example, our speckle imaging revealed a faint, very likely companion 2'' north of CD -33° 7795 (TWA 5). Its color and brightness suggest a spectral type of ~M8.5 which, at an age of ~107 yr, implies a mass ~20MJup.
The diallelic enzyme alpha-L-fucosidase has been found to be highly active in semen. Eight distinct enzyme bands were observed in each homozygote and the heterozygote consisted of a combination of bands. The isoelectric points ranged between pI 4.34 and 6.65. Activity was found to be much lower in vaginal fluid, not more than three cathodal bands were visible in any sample examined. In leucocytes, 5 bands were detected in homozygotes whilst in serum only two faint anodal bands could be detected. Activity was low in vaginal fluid and could not be detected in urine or saliva. Population studies were carried out on semen samples from Oxford and Basingstoke and on lymphocyte samples from Oxford. The data were in agreement with Hardy-Weinburg equilibrium. The common allele (Fu 1) had a frequency of 0.704 in Oxford semen samples.
Experimental investigation water and saline solution drops evaporation on a solid substrate made of anodized aluminum is presented in the paper. Parameters characterizing drop profile have been obtained (contact angle, contact diameter, height). The specific evaporation rate has been calculated from obtained values. It was found that water and saline solution drops with concentration up to 9.1% evaporate in the pinning mode. However, with increasing the salt concentration in the solution up to 16.7% spreading mode was observed. Two stages of drop evaporation depending on change of the evaporation rate have been separated.
At the 1920 meeting of the Society of American Bacteriologists a paper, published only in abstract form (Sherman, 1921), presented some characteristics of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, differentiating this organism from certain other lactobacilli. Eighteen cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus were then studied; a number of Lactobacillus casei; a few cultures from feces, assumed to belong to the Lactobacillus acidophilus group; and one "authentic" culture, each, of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus bifidus. The supposed culture of Lactobacillus bifidus appeared to be entirely similar to the culture of Lactobacillus acidophilus. The gas-producing lactobacilli were not included in the study, nor the homofermentative Lactobacillus delbrueckii group. As this work was done before the intensive studies of Lactobacillus acidophilus, the doubt then existing concerning the identity of this organism, and the question of whether or not it was really represented in our collection, made inadvisable the publication of the data in full. However, continued study of authentic cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and of Lactobactllus acidophiltus, obtained from qualified specialists, convinced us that the tests then indicated are of value in the differentiation of these species. There is no longer need for confusing the Lactobacillus casei group with the acidophilus-bulgaricus groups and other members of the lactobacilli which grow at relatively high temperatures. This paper will discuss the differentiation of Lactobacillus bulgari-
As a result of the rise of Cloud and Grid computing, network operators are requested to improve their resource provisioning systems. In such scenarios, advance reservation (AR) and immediate reservation (IR) are gaining importance. While the former is capable of delivering low connection blocking for delay-tolerant applications, the latter is used by delay-sensitive ones. Even when both IR and AR requests share the same network substrate, service differentiation is needed. Additionally, under network resources partitioning, not only can the overall network capacity be under-utilized, but service differentiation can also be degraded. In this paper, we assess hybrid IR/AR sharing and partitioning mechanisms in optical wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) networks, and propose efficient schemes for providing relative quality of service (QoS) differentiation among traffic classes. In order to overcome the poor resource utilization of strict partitioning, we develop and evaluate a preemption-based flexible partitioning framework aiming to provide relative QoS in hybrid IR/AR environments still supporting resource partitioning. Two preemption policies are proposed: switch first then preempt (SFTP) and preempt first then switch (PFTS). Through extensive simulations, we show that the proposed flexible partitioning framework can improve resource utilization, lower the overall blocking, and achieve well-differentiated relative QoS compared to strict partitioning.
Synthesis of higher alcohols (C2–4OH) by CO2 hydrogenation presents a promising way to convert CO2 into value-added fuels and chemicals. Understanding the thermodynamics of CO2 hydrogenation is of great importance to tailor the reaction network toward synthesis of higher alcohols; however, the thermodynamic effects of various alcohol isomers and methane in the reaction system have not yet been fully understood. Thus, we used Aspen Plus to perform thermodynamic analysis of CO2 hydrogenation to higher alcohols, studying the effects of alcohol isomers and methane. Thermodynamically, methane is the most favorable product in a reaction system containing CO, CO2, and H2, as well as C1–4 alkanes, alkenes, and alcohols. The thermodynamic favorability of alcohol isomers varies significantly. The presence of methane generally deteriorates the formation of higher alcohols. However, low temperature, high pressure, high H2/CO2 ratio, and formation of alcohols with a longer carbon chain can reduce the effects of methane. Our current study, therefore, provides new insights for enhancing the synthesis of higher alcohols by CO2 hydrogenation.
Several studies have shown that melanoma‐associated gangliosides are immunogenic in melanoma patients and that antibodies against them have a favorable prognostic effect. Our study aims at characterizing the humoral immune response in disease‐free, advanced melanoma patients vaccinated with a total ganglioside fraction extracted from pooled metastases of human melanoma, containing as major gangliosides GM3 and GD3, and as minor ones GM2 and GD2. Prior to vaccination, all patients were made disease‐free by surgical removal of skin, lymph‐node or other distant metastases. Repeated vaccinations were carried out intradermally with gangliosides either in the native form in buffered solution, or in the form of liposomes. Serum samples were collected at regular intervals and assayed by ELISA for the presence of specific IgG and IgM antiganglioside antibodies. Selected samples were tested by immunostaining on thin‐layer plates to specify the ganglioside species involved in the reactivity. Out of 32 evaluable patients, 17 presented a significant increase in antibody titer, mostly of the IgG isotype, which was maximal between 2 and 4 months after starting injections of gangliosides, and gradually disappeared within 1 year. No significant difference could be seen between the group of 20 patients treated with native gangliosides and the group of 12 vaccinated with the gangliosides in liposomes. All gangliosides seemed to be immunogenic, but GM2 and GD2 were somewhat more reactive. The disease‐free intervals for the patients who showed an antibody response to the treatment were significantly higher (p < 0001) than those of the non‐responding group, as compared by the Kaplan‐Meier method.
The epoxidation of the unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) in biodiesel with H2O2 was investigated at 323 K in the liquid phase over microporous nano-sized TS-1 as well as micro-/mesoporous nano-sized TS-1. Nano-sized TS-1 with stacked morphology exhibits a catalytic activity per number of Ti sites up to 30% higher than a conventional, industrial TS-1 catalyst. Mesoporosity was successfully introduced by a desilication-recrystallization approach. Desilication by alkaline treatment in the presence of the structure-directing agent tetrapropylammonium cation (TPA+) or NaOH leads to the generation of undefined mesopores (10–40 nm), probably accompanied by an increase of the surface hydrophilicity. Consequently, the alkaline-treated materials show a two times lower catalytic activity in the epoxidation of biodiesel than the purely microporous parent material. The surfactant-assisted recrystallization of the alkaline-treated materials results in more uniform and smaller mesopores (3–10 nm). In the epoxidation, the recrystallized materials are remarkably more active with respect to both the purely microporous parent and alkaline-treated materials reaching a FAME conversion of 65% with an epoxide selectivity of 82%.
The goal of education for sustainable development, that is, the development of awareness and responsibility towards the environment, the adoption of values and principles such as justice, equality, peace, democracy, and encouraging students to change their personal lifestyle and adhere to the principles of sustainable development in their daily behavior cannot be achieved only through the education “about” sustainable development – there is a need for the education “for” sustainable development, whose main carriers are the teachers of the modern school. Given that the teachers are the role models, the source of information and knowledge, educators, that is, someone who is in direct contact with the students, i.e. present generations, whose attitudes and behavior should be shaped in accordance with the sustainable development, it is of great importance to explore their attitudes towards sustainable development and education for sustainable development. Accordingly, the research is focused on the sustainable development from the high school teachers’ perspective, with the aim of finding out whether the teachers are familiar with the concept of sustainable development, whether their daily behavior is sustainable, how they perceive the education for sustainable development, the position of sustainable development within the educational system, and their personal competence for working in this area.
Base vibrations are detrimental to the precision of high-speed robots. When a robot accelerates it induces opposing reaction forces and moments on the supporting base frame. The frame will deflect, vibrate and transmit these vibrations to the robot’s end-effector, the floor and the equipment in the surroundings. Dynamic balancing targets these disruptive vibrations by a specific design of the moving links, such that the reaction forces and moments become constant. As a consequence, the robot will induce no, or limited, vibrations in the base frame, improving the performance of both the robot and the systems in the vicinity. Parallel mechanisms are especially suited for dynamic balance, in comparison to their serial counterparts, as they permit more simple, light-weight and economically viable solutions. However, their kinematic and dynamic models are also more complex, which impedes a straightforward solution. Moreover, current systematic approaches are either not applicable to spatial mechanisms with multiple degrees of freedom or do not yield all possible solutions. This thesis presents three screw theory based methods to systematically determine the complete dynamic balance solution for arbitrary, nonsingular mechanisms with lower kinematic pairs. Based on these methods three novel robot designs are presented, demonstrating that the dynamic balance of spatially moving parallel robots is within reach.
Objective: ARCADIA (Assessment of Renal and Cervical Artery DysplasIA) is a registry designed to assess in adults with fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) the distribution of arterial lesions and the frequency of FMD affecting at least two vascular beds (multisite FMD). Design and Method: Patients were eligible if they had non-atherosclerotic, non-inflammatory and non-syndromic stenosing lesions affecting renal (RA) and/or cervico-encephalic (CEA) arteries and gave informed consent to undergo skull to pelvis angiographic imaging using CT-, MR-, or digital subtraction-angiography. Four vascular beds were visualized: RA, CEA, iliac and mesenteric/splenic arteries. FMD was classified as multifocal or focal, respectively, if angiography disclosed multiple or single stenoses on a given vessel segment. The diagnosis of focal and multisite FMD was confirmed centrally. Results: 486 patients (88.9% Caucasians) were included in Bordeaux, Brussels, Caen, Clermont, Grenoble, Lille, Marseille, Nancy, Paris, Saint-Etienne, Toulouse and Versailles over 3 years. RA were more frequently involved than CEA (80 vs 48% of patients, respectively). Compared with patients with focal FMD, those with multifocal FMD were older (55 ± 12 vs 38 ± 14 years, p < 0.001), less frequently smokers (18.7 vs 30.2%, p < 0.05), had more frequently bilateral RA (40.9 vs 7.5%, p < 0.0001) and CEA (39.0 vs 13.2, p = 0.0002) lesions or mesenteric/splenic lesions (18.7 vs 5.7%, p = 0.03), and more frequently exhibited multisite FMD (47.3 vs 20.8%, p = 0.0002). Conclusions: ARCADIA is the first study in which all FMD patients had major vascular beds assessed using angiography. There was a high prevalence of bilateral and multisite lesions, particularly in patients with multifocal FMD who should be informed of the probability of having lesions on asymptomatic vascular beds. Our data suggest that FMD is a systemic rather than a local arterial disease.
Background. The goal of our clinical case presentation is to introduce evaluation and treatment of rare head and neck tumor, the laryngeal chondrosarcoma (CS). Despite disease origin being properly suspected at the early management of our patient, the final outcomes tend to be just satisfactory because too many cofactors have had a strong influence on the course of disease.  Materials and methods. In this case, we described applied investigations and chosen tactics of treatment to our patient in a chronological manner, some immediate results, but also remote consequences of the management of this disease.  Results. In our opinion, outcome in this patient’s case was predicted not just by the biology of malignancy itself, but also by some specific qualities of the tumor and even misinterpretations of instrumental examination at the moment of making decisions regarding the initial treatment; moreover, some solutions, corrected by the patient himself, maybe played an important role in the clinical course further. We want to point out how achieved results and outcomes could be unpredictable, under influence of near coincidence of fate, and different, in comparison with the cases described in the majority of the literature.  Conclusions. 1.  Relatively simple diagnostic with contemporary features, plenty of modern surgical treatment possibilities or even combined therapy in complicated cases – it makes no difficulties for management of typical chondrosarcoma of the larynx, yet sometimes tricky findings when evaluating the disease and an unpredictable or surprising course of treatment and continuation make this rare kind of head and neck malignancies really special. 2. RT neither chemotherapy are recommended therapeutic options, except some rare individual cases. 3. Conservative surgery tends to be adequate if made properly and in time, it obviously ensures long-term remission or cancer-free life.
The present article puts under analysis the pedagogical mediation, with intentionality of learning, as central process in the development of the subject. The roll of consciousness and intentionality is discussed and some refl ections are made about the meanings that are constructed in the mediation contexts. It is assumed that mediation itself becomes invisible for students which impairs development and their potentiality to acts and master the facts of development. An important place is given to what author name mediation learning. The open and fuzzy character of mediation is assumed as a factor that generates its potentiality, as well as the notions of intermediation and transmediation as aspects that must be investigated. Finally is pointed out the notion of a transit from help to collaboration as central from the action in ZDP.
Restudy of virtually all of the important collections of European Eocene primates of the family Adapidae indicates that 28 valid species in 8 genera are now known, spanning a time period of nearly 20 million years. The biostratigraphic distribution of each species has been studied in the context of established reference levels, and a maximum of four evolutionary lineages are known from any one locality. Ten new species are proposed in the genera Pelycodus (1 sp.), Protoadapis (4 sp.), Periconodon (2 sp.), Anchomomys (1 sp.), and Adapis (2 sp.). Phylogenetic relationships among the species, based on stratophenetic linking, are indicated whenever possible.
Five highly excited (1)Sigma(+)(g) states of Na(2) were observed for the first time by pulsed optical-optical double resonance (OODR) fluorescence excitation spectroscopy. Three of the five states are assigned to the 6svarsigma (1)Sigma(+)(g), 6dvarsigma (1)Sigma(+)(g), and 7dvarsigma (1)Sigma(+)(g) Rydberg states. The other two states are assigned to doubly excited (1)Sigma(+)(g) states. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.
A liquid-scintillation method for determining C/sup 14/ and P/sup 32/ in tissues, blood sera and their fractions is described. The influence of the volumes of scintillator, sample and Hyamine 10-X solution on the efficiency of counting water-soluble sources of P/sup 32/ is studied. Investigation of the use of p-dioxane to achieve miscibility between scintillator and lipid extracts from fresh tissues and blood sera has shown that this substance has no effect on the efficiency of counting. The optimum volumes of scintillator, p-dioxane and Hyamine 10-X solution for maximum efficiency are summarized. Efficiencies of counting for the various types of extract from blood sera and oviduct protein were reproducible, so that the absolute activities in the fractions could be calculated; the sum of these activities was equal to the activity in the whole- blood sera and protein determined independently. (auth)
The article describes the importance of the aggregate way of life of leaf beetles’ larvae G. viminalis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the laboratory conditions. The obtained data prove that the aggregate way of life of G. viminalis larvae has a significant impact on the intensity of their feeding, growth and development. It is concluded that such coexistence of larvae allows them to build a defense strategy, ensuring survival in groups at early stages of development.
This paper tracks Greece’s engagement with the European Defence Agency (EDA). Greece has been an EU member state involved in setting up EDA. Indeed, its pro-integration stance on defence matters, at large, and EDA, in particular, can be traced back to its set of external security threats, and its belief that EU institutions and mechanisms can provide a protection layer against these threats. The chairing of important European defence preparatory groups (POLARM) and the Presidency of the Council provided normative agenda-setting procedures to uphold this objective. Significantly, Greece’s positions altered as EDA assumed operational status. Purely external security considerations were coupled with domestic, economic and political considerations, such as the protection of its defence industrial base, and disproving widely-held assumptions about political corruption in relation to defence procurement.
Two-dimensional Bessel beams, both vectorial and scalar, have been extensively studied to date, finding many applications. Here we mimic a vectorial axicon to create one-dimensional scalar Bessel beams embedded in a two-dimensional vectorial field. We use a digital micro-mirror device to interfere orthogonal conical waves from a holographic axicon, and study the boundary of scalar and vectorial states in the context of structured light using the Arago-Fresnel laws. We show that the entire field resembles a vectorial combination of parabolic beams, exhibiting dependence on solutions to the inhomogeneous Bessel equation and asymmetry due to the orbital angular momentum associated rotational diffraction. Our work reveals the rich optical processes involved at the interplay between scalar and vectorial interference, opening intriguing questions on the duality, complementarity, and non-separability of vectorial light fields.
This study presents a multimodal analysis of selected placards from the ‘Aurat March’ 2018 of Pakistan. For the purpose of in-depth analysis, two placards depicting two educated women have been explored. The study is exploratory and uses Royce’s framework of intersemiotic complementarity for the analysis. The findings suggest that placards are definitely more than the pieces of material resources they are constructed of. They carry in themselves various linguistic and other semiotic meanings which create a strong message in the placards.
So far, in order to predict important sites of a protein, many computational methods have been developed. In the era of big-data, it is required for improvements and sophistication of existing methods by integrating sequence data in the structural data. In this paper, we aim at two things: improving sequence-based methods and developing a new method using both sequence and structural data. Therefore, we developed an originally modified evolutionary trace method, in which we defined conservative grades calculated from a given multiple sequence alignment and a proximate grade in order to evaluate predicted active sites from a viewpoint of protein-ion, protein-ligand, protein-nucleic acid, proteinprotein interaction by use of three-dimensional structures. In other words, the proximate grade also can evaluate an amino acid residue. When we applied our method to translation elongation factor Tu/1A proteins, it showed that the conservative grades are evaluated accurately by the proximate grade. Consequently, our idea indicated two advantages. One is that we can take into account various cocrystal structures for evaluation. Another one is that, by calculating the fitness between the given conservative grade and the proximate grade, we can select the best conservative grade.
This study explores the issues of brownfield regeneration in marginal areas, defined as smaller, long-term derelict sites with contamination or as an isolated location where the industrial infrastructure has largely changed. We focused on Osaka, Japan, which has many brownfields in marginal areas. Former representative marginal areas are chosen in the East Osaka District to examine the current condition of brownfield sites. Results are as follows; For small and middle-sized manufacturing facilities, where soil contamination has been found, sites remain untreated following the closure of the facility. Almost all sites not investigated for soil contamination are not redeveloped.
Purpose. The objectives of our study were species identification and genotyping of Trichosporon isolates collected at the Parasitology and Mycology Laboratory in Sfax, Tunisia. Methodology. Molecular identification was carried out by analysing the IGS1 regions of the rDNA of 30 Trichosporon isolates. Results. Trichosporon asahii was the most frequent species detected. Furthermore, four genotypes were identified in Tunisia: 1 (46.4%), 4 (35.7%), 7 (14.3%) and 3 (3.6%). In vitro antifungal susceptibility testing of the isolates showed that voriconazole exhibited the highest activity. Conclusion. This is the first reported study of genotype identification of T. asahii in Tunisia and even in the African continent.
Background Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) combined with bronchodilators have been identified to improve outcomes in COPD but also to be associated with certain adverse effects. Objective We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compile and summarize data on the efficacy and safety of dosing levels (high versus medium/low) of ICS alongside ancillary bronchodilators following PRISMA guidelines. Data Sources Medline and Embase were systematically searched until December 2021. Randomized, clinical trials (RCTs) that met predefined inclusion criteria were included. Data Extraction Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted. Any acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) risk was chosen as the primary efficacy outcome, mortality rate as the primary safety outcome, moderate/severe AECOPD risk as the secondary efficacy outcome and pneumonia risk as the secondary safety outcome. Subgroup analyses of individual ICS agents, of patients with baseline moderate/severe/very severe COPD and of patients with recent COPD exacerbation history were also performed. A random-effects model was used. Results We included 13 RCTs in our study. No data on low doses were included in the analysis. High dose ICS was not associated with a statistically significant difference in any AECOPD risk (RR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.91–1.05, I2: 41.3%), mortality rate (RR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.75–1.32, I2: 0.0%), moderate/severe AECOPD risk (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.96–1.06, I2: 0.0%) or pneumonia risk (RR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.86 −1.33, I2: 9.3%) compared to medium dose ICS. The same trend was identified with the several subgroup analyses. Conclusion Our study collected RCTs investigating the optimal dosing level of ICS prescribed alongside ancillary bronchodilators to patients with COPD. We identified that the high ICS dose neither reduces AECOPD risk and mortality rates nor increases pneumonia risk relative to the medium dose.
This study examined predictors of methamphetamine use in a 6-month prospective study of 2,270 rural young adults. Sensitivity to punishment (SP), sensitivity to reward (SR), and gender were exogenous variables in an observed variable path analysis with 3 endogenous criteria: Time 1 (T1) marijuana use and methamphetamine use at T1 and Time 2 (T2). SP was negatively associated with marijuana use at T1, and this association was attenuated by SR. Male gender was positively associated with marijuana use. T1 marijuana use and SR were positively, and male gender negatively, associated with T1 methamphetamine use. T1 methamphetamine use, T1 marijuana use, and SP were positively associated with T2 methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine use prevalence and the role of distal predictors and proximal indicators of drug involvement are discussed.
The ocular distribution of the carbonic anhydrase inhibitors 6-hydroxybenzothiazide-2-sulphonamide (L-643,799) and 6-hydroxybenzothiophene-2-sulphonamide (L-650,719) has been investigated in albino rabbits after conjunctival administration of these compounds or related alkyl prodrugs. The ocular penetration of L-650,719 has been compared in ocular normotensive rabbits and in animals whose intraocular pressure has been experimentally elevated.
Introduction: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the most common cause of cardiac deaths worldwide, mainly due to atherosclerosis. Prevalence of atherosclerosis evaluation, in an autopsy-based study, can be a valuable tool on subjects who died of cardiac causes. With this hypothesis, we conducted this 10-year retrospective study on the hearts of subjects who died due to cardiac causes. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted from January 2010 to May 2020 at Department of Pathology, Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan, Karnataka. Autopsy was conducted at our hospital in the deceased patients who died of suddenly due to cardiac causes. Standard procedures were followed for the removal of intact heart. Heart specimens were sent to our department for histopathological analysis. After fixation in 10% formalin, specimens of the heart were examined in detail. Heart specimens were weighed and measured. The three main coronary arteries were identified and dissected out according to the standard guidelines. These arteries were carefully examined for any histological evidence of atherosclerosis and associated pathological lesions. After detailed study, the lesions were graded according to the classification given by the American Heart Association from Grade I to Grade VI and coronary luminal narrowing by White and Edwards method. Results: Evaluation of a total of 682 autopsy cases was done. In the evaluation, 574 cases were due to sudden cardiac caused deaths. 436 (76.03%) subjects had evidence of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries. In our study, 468 (81.53%) were male and remaining 106 (18.46%) were female. The most commonly involved coronary artery was left anterior descending coronary artery (LADA, 412 cases, 71.74%). Triple-vessel disease was found in 118 cases (20.55%) of subjects. Conclusion: In Indian population, atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries begins at a younger age. Therefore, thorough screening for the same should begin at an early age. Our study showed alarmingly high prevalence of atherosclerosis in coronary arteries, especially in the LADA. Coronary atherosclerosis is an important risk factor for IHDs in both sexes, even though the incidence of atherosclerosis is more common in males when compared to females.
It has been 20 years since the first child was treated with intensitymodulated radiation therapy (IMRT). IMRT is a type of treatment that involvesmodulation of radiation fluence, creating very conformal radiation dose distribution to the targeted volume while sparing normal, surrounding tissues from the prescription dose. Because many toxicities associated with radiation have been secondary to high doses surrounding normal organs, the reduction of the high-dose volume from nearby critical structures promises to be amajor improvement in radiotherapy treatment delivery in children. While the high-dose volume has diminished with the use of IMRT, the low-dose volume has increased with the increased treatment time and number of beams; somehave speculated that the increase in the lowdoses to other structures, not normally receiving radiation in the era prior to conformal radiotherapy (CRT), may be associated with an increasing incidence of radiation-induced secondary carcinomas and leukemias.1 The paper by Lockney, published in the same issue of the journal, comes from one of the pioneer institutions in the development and use of IMRT.2 Lockney et al. examined the late toxicities associated with IMRT in head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma. Published reports of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional CRT (3D CRT) for the same disease have shown a high incidence of facial and bony hypoplasia, neuroendocrine dysfunction, visual or hearing problems, and dental abnormalities.3 It is not surprising, as the head and neck region is in proximity to so many critical structures, and hence this particular site is an optimal site to study late effects. Lockney et al. found that late toxicities were frequent even with the use of IMRT. Threefourths of the patients developed facial disfigurement, while one-third developed growth hormone deficiency, dental problems, or cataracts. No secondary malignant solid tumors occurred, but one patient developed acute myeloid leukemia and another had myelodysplastic syndrome. While this paper cannot answer whether there is an increase in secondary hematologic malignancies, it does raise the concern of Hall andWu about the potential detriment of a greater volume of bone marrow receiving low-dose radiation.1 An analysis of the Children’s Oncology Group D9803 study for intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma showed improvement in target coverage and less brainstemdose with IMRT compared to 3D CRT without an improvement in locoregional control or failure-free survival. Late effects were not assessed with amedian follow-upof 5.7 years for 3DCRTand4.2 years for IMRT except for secondary cancers that were not different between the two techniques.4 With the high rate of late toxicities noted in the Lockney study, does thismean that IMRT has failed to deliver the potential benefit it has promised? The use of IMRT has been reported to be beneficial in children with other types of tumors. The incidence of Grade 3 and 4 ototoxicity in medulloblastoma has been reduced from about 64% with 2D radiotherapy to 25%with IMRT.5 IMRT has also been shown to reduce acute gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicity in children receiving whole abdominopelvic radiation therapy for desmoplastic small round cell tumor andmucositis anddermatitis in pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma.6,7 In adults, IMRT has reduced pneumonitis in locally advanced non–small cell lung cancer, proctitis in prostate cancer, and xerostomia in head and neck cancer. The development of late effects is a complicated topic, and radiotherapy dose and irradiated volume are only two of the factors involved. Age, gender, genetic predisposition, organ involvement by tumor, use of chemotherapy, and surgery have been implicated in the development of late toxicity. The organs of children are particularly susceptible to growth delay, which is quite different from adults whose organs are mature and have attained final growth.8 Hence, in rhabdomyosarcoma where the host is usually a young child, the growth of facial and skull bones will likely be affected even with lower doses of radiation. While in adults we do not worry about bone complications until we reach doses of 50–60 Gy, in children bony hypoplasia can occur even with lower doses. Furthermore in head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma, where multiple organs (eye, ear, brain, bone, larynx, cranial nerves, salivary, and lacrimal glands) coexist, usually a choice should be made regarding which organ has the highest priority to be protected from radiation. Often we choose organs of the visual pathway, brain, and spinal cord as having the highest priority because blindness, brain necrosis, and paralysis are devastating complications compared to facial hypoplasia, dry mouth, or some hearing loss. This hierarchy of organs unfortunately has to be made as no type of radiation will completely deliver its dose only to the target and not deliver some dose to surrounding organs. While both photons and protons have an entrance dose that may affect normal organs, protons do not have an exit dose and will reduce the low-dose volume. A preliminary experience with proton therapy in parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma
A summary of new and previously published data on shock‐induced electrical signals observed in nominally pure NaCl single crystals is presented. A dislocation dynamics model is developed to account for the microscopic origin of these signals. This model, although only qualitatively applied so far, is shown to be able to explain many of the interesting features of the observed data, notably the change of signal polarity at ∼10 and ∼110 kbar and the distinct signal profiles observed when the sample is shocked along different crystallographic directions. New experimental results for NaCl single crystals doped with Ca2+, Ba2+, Mg2+, and OH− impurity ions are also presented. These results are consistent with the predictions of the proposed dislocation dynamics model.
119Sn and 199Hg NMR studies were carried out for metallic tin and mercury embedded in synthetic opals and porous glasses. The Knight shift for confined liquid tin and mercury was found to decrease monotonically with decreasing pore size, evidence for the reduction of electron susceptibility. Size-induced alterations in the Knight shift were more pronounced for confined mercury than for tin. The influence of pore filling on the NMR line shape and Knight shift was observed for tin within opal. The reasons for the decreasing Knight shift for liquid metals in a confined geometry are discussed. Correlations between the alteration in the Knight shift and atomic number are shown, the changes in fractional values of the Knight shift remaining almost identical.
Abstract STUDY QUESTION What are the similarities and differences in endometrial B cells in the normal human endometrium and benign reproductive pathologies? SUMMARY ANSWER Endometrial B cells typically constitute <5% of total endometrial CD45+ lymphocytes, and no more than 2% of total cells in the normal endometrium, and while their relative abundance and phenotypes vary in benign gynaecological conditions, current evidence is inconsistent. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY B cells are vitally important in the mucosal immune environment and have been extensively characterized in secondary lymphoid organs and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs), with the associated microenvironment germinal centre. However, in the endometrium, B cells are largely overlooked, despite the crucial link between autoimmunity and reproductive pathologies and the fact that B cells are present in normal endometrium and benign female reproductive pathologies, scattered or in the form of lymphoid aggregates (LAs). A comprehensive summary of current data investigating B cells will facilitate our understanding of endometrial B cells in the endometrial mucosal immune environment. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This systematic review retrieved relevant studies from four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science Core Collection and CINAHL) from database inception until November 2021. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The search strategy combined the use of subject headings and relevant text words related to ‘endometrium’, ‘B cells’ and B-cell derivatives, such as ‘antibody’ and ‘immunoglobulin’. Non-benign diseases were excluded using cancer-related free-text terms, and searches were limited to the English language and human subjects. Only peer-reviewed research papers were included. Each paper was graded as ‘Good’, ‘Fair’ or ‘Poor’ quality based on the NEWCASTLE-OTTAWA quality assessment scale. Only ‘Good’ quality papers were included. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Twenty-seven studies met the selection criteria and were included in this review: 10 cross-sectional studies investigated B cells in the normal endometrium; and 17 case–control studies compared the characteristics of endometrial B cells in control and benign female reproductive pathologies including endometritis, endometriosis, infertility, abnormal uterine bleeding, endometrial polyps and uterine fibroids. In all studies, B cells were present in the endometrium, scattered or in the form of LAs. CD20+ B cells were more abundant in patients with endometritis, but the data were inconsistent as to whether B-cell numbers were increased in endometriosis and patients with reproductive pathologies. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION Although only ‘good’ quality papers were included in this systematic review, there were variations in patients’ age, diagnostic criteria for different diseases and sample collection time among included studies. Additionally, a large number of the included studies only used immunohistochemistry as the identification method for endometrial B cells, which may fail to provide an accurate representation of the numbers of endometrial B cells. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS Histological studies found that endometrial B cells are either scattered or surrounded by T cells in LAs: the latter structure seems to be under hormonal control throughout the menstrual cycle and resembles TLSs that have been observed in other tissues. Further characterization of endometrial B cells and LAs could offer insights to endometrial B-cell function, particularly in the context of autoimmune-associated pathologies, such as endometriosis. Additionally, clinicians should be aware of the limited value of diagnosing plasma cell infiltration using only CD138. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This study was funded by Finox Biotech. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO in January 2020 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42020152915).
To the Editor:— Sir Heneage Ogilvie, surgeon to Guy's Hospital in London, was a visitor to this country last year, and I am informed that he is coming again. While here last year, he made a talk before the Western Surgical Association (according to a report from a member of that society) for which he was paid a fee. While attending the meeting of the Western Surgical he was asked (I am also informed by a member of that society) by one of its members how he liked the British system of government medicine. He replied that he liked it, whereupon he was told that we wanted no part of it here. In spite of this, he gave a lengthy interview to the newspapers praising the British system, much to the annoyance of members of the Western Surgical Association who felt that more courtesy could have been shown. There are
In two-party democracies (e.g. US and UK) the two parties often alternate at the government almost periodically. Here, we present a very simple continuous-time model with three state variables (social welfare and size of the lobbies associated with the two parties) that explains this tendency to cyclic behavior. However, the analysis of the model shows that when the lobbies are unbalanced, much more complex behaviors, including chaos, can emerge. The bifurcation structure of the system is interesting: it contains a countable number of codimension-2 points (associated with pseudo-equilibria of a particular Filippov system) which are the roots of Arnold tongues delimited by two border collision bifurcations, and in each one of these tongues the sequence of the parties at the government is a particular periodic sequence.
Background: Child abuse is a significant issue across many countries. Despite the situation's innate understanding, many children are not reported to authorities and continue to experience abuse, sometimes even death. Healthcare professionals must be alert for abuse in any child who appears with injuries that are out of the ordinary because it is easy for indicators of child abuse to go unnoticed in a busy emergency department. The current study aims to evaluate and detect the challenges in diagnosing and reporting cases of child abuse among healthcare practitioners in emergency, pediatrics, and family medicine. Methods: A self-administered online disseminated questionnaire was used for data collection during the period from October 1 to December 30, 2022. A cross-sectional study was conducted on emergency, pediatrics, and family medicine healthcare practitioners working in hospitals in healthcare centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All data were collected, tabulated, and statistically analyzed using SPSS 23.0 for (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) Windows. Results: The study sample constituted 200 physicians working in the front lines of healthcare like emergency, pediatrics, and family medicine primary care services, 50.5% were males and 49.5% were females. 36.5% of participants were 31-39 years old. 42% were family medicine physicians, 36.5% were pediatricians, and 21.5% were emergency medicine. About 43% of participants attended an educational workshop on child abuse. Nineteen percent of participants are very familiar with the diagnosis of child abuse and 36% of participants reported one to three cases of child abuse in the emergency department in the last year, 5% reported four to six cases and 56.5% reported none. Forty-seven percent of participants reported diagnosing one to five cases of child abuse throughout their whole career, 13% reported 11-15 cases, 6.5% reported six to 10 cases and 28.5% reported none. Causes of underdiagnosis of child abuse by healthcare providers were reported as 63% inexperience, 59% inadequate time for physical examination, 59% lack of diagnosis protocol, 51% lack of confidence in communicating with parents, 36% physicians' cultural background, and 38% lack of confidence in the diagnosis. 93.5% of participants think that healthcare practices need further education for child abuse. Conclusion: In conclusion, physicians in Saudi Arabia who participated in the study had good knowledge to diagnose a case of child abuse. Inexperience, inadequate time for physical examination, lack of diagnosis protocol, lack of confidence in communicating with parents, and physicians' cultural background were the main identified challenges for diagnosing child abuse. Familiarity with cases of child abuse was significantly associated with physicians’ age, specialty, and level of training.
This study investigates the application of inline high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD) for process control of Si/SiGe and conventional Si on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) fin-shaped field effect transistors (FinFETs). HRXRD measurements were taken from test pads on production wafers; the process stages under study were pre- and post-fin etch. For the pre-etch stage, HRXRD monitors the Si or Si/Ge thickness, Ge concentration (%), and crystal quality. For thickness, HRXRD results matched the fin height from a corresponding device within 2 A. When equipped with a 1D detector, the typical measurement time can be as short as 20 min. In the post-etch stage, HRXRD monitors fin pitch with a precision of 3 nm. The choice of diffraction plane has an impact on the signal-to-noise ratio. In particular, the asymmetric 113 reciprocal space map (RSM) has better signal-to-noise than 004 for monitoring Si fins; however, pitch data obtained from these two diffraction planes matches within the measurement precision. The e...
In this paper we present a case study of cooperation of a strongly heterogeneous robot team, composed of a highly articulated humanoid robot and a wheeled robot with largely complementing and some competing capabilities. By combining two strongly heterogeneous robots the diversity of accomplishable tasks increases as the variety of sensors and actuators in the robot systems is extended compared with a team consisting of homogeneous robots. The scenario describes a tightly cooperative task, where the humanoid robot and the wheeled robot follow for a long distance a ball, which is kicked finally by the humanoid robot into a goal. The task can be fulfilled successfully by combining the abilities of both robots. For task distribution and allocation, a newly developed objective function is presented which is based on a proper modeling of the sensing, perception, motion and onboard computing capabilities of the cooperating robots. Aspects of reliability and fault tolerance are considered.
Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) transmission is a promising technique for LTE-Advanced systems, especially due to the enhanced throughput performance of cell edge users. In this paper, we investigate joint transmission (JT) and coordinated beamforming (CBF) with quantized and delayed feedback, and we derive ergodic rate and outage probability expressions assuming large-scale fading (pathloss), small-scale Rayleigh fading, and other-cell interference (OCI). Furthermore, we employ a moment matching technique that approximates the distributions of the received desired and interference signals with Gamma distributions as a means to facilitate analysis and simulation. The performance of CoMP transmission is quantified and compared with non-cooperative transmission, and operating regions in which CoMP gains are more pronounced are provided. The versatility of the proposed approximate framework enables us to identify key system parameters, such as feedback resolution, pathloss, and transmit SNR for which CoMP becomes a judicious choice of transmission strategy.
The pretreated sugarcane bagasse (SCB) could be directly degraded by a designed co-culture system with Clostridium thermocellum and Thermoanaerobacterium aotearoense for biological hydrogen and ethanol production, and the production was remarkably improved by CaCO3 supplementation. Here, the effects of CaCO3 concentration (10~100 mM) on the production of hydrogen and ethanol were investigated. Under the optimal CaCO3 concentration of 40 mM, the hydrogen production reached 87.56±4.08 mmol/L from 2% pretreated SCB with a yield of 4.38 mmol H2/g SCB, an 88.62% increase over the culture without added CaCO3 (46.42±1.22mmol/L, 2.32 mmol H2/g SCB). Additionally, the maximum ethanol concentration reached 10.60±0.81 mM, a 192.82% increase over the control (3.62±0.14 mM). The stimulatory effect of CaCO3 on biodegradation of SCB was primarily ascribed to the buffering capacity of CO32-.This study developed a novel strategy to improve SCB biodegradation for biofuel production.
The Maanshan Bridge over Yangtze River in China is a new long-span suspension bridge with double main spans of 2x1080 m and a closed streamline cross-section of single box deck. The flutter and buffeting performances were investigated via wind tunnel tests of a full bridge aeroelastic model at a geometric scale of 1:211. The tests were conducted in both smooth wind and simulated boundary layer wind fields. Emphasis is placed on studying the interference effect of adjacent span via installing a wind deflector and a wind separating board to shelter one span of the bridge model from incoming flow. Issues related to effects of mid-tower stiffness and deck supporting conditions are also discussed. The testing results show that flutter critical wind velocities in smooth flow, with a wind deflector, are remarkably lower than those without. In turbulent wind, torsional and vertical standard deviations for the deck responses at midspan in testing cases without wind deflector are generally less than those at the midspan exposed to wind in testing cases with wind deflector, respectively. When double main spans are exposed to turbulent wind, the existence of either span is a mass damper to the other. Furthermore, both effects of mid-tower stiffness and deck supporting conditions at the middle tower on the flutter and buffeting performances of the Maanshan Bridge are unremarkable.
Simulations of ligated semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and their physical properties, such as morphologies, QD–ligand interactions, electronic structures, and optical transitions, are expected to be very sensitive to computational methodology. We utilize Density Functional Theory (DFT) and systematically study how the choice of density functional, atom-localized basis set, and a solvent affects the physical properties of the Cd33Se33 cluster ligated with a trimethylphosphine oxide ligand. We have found that qualitative performance of all exchange-correlation (XC) functionals is relatively similar in predicting strong QD–ligand binding energy (∼1 eV). Additionally, all functionals predict shorter Cd–Se bond lengths on the QD surface than in its core, revealing the nature and degree of QD surface reconstruction. For proper modeling of geometries and QD–ligand interactions, however, augmentation of even a moderately sized basis set with polarization functions (e.g., LANL2DZ* and 6-31G*) is very important. A...
Arene derivatives containing functionally substituted amine fragment in side chain shows the high biological activity. These compounds reveal activity as antiectoparasitic [1], in inactivation of cytochrome P-450 [2-4], pesticide [5], anti-HIV [6], inhibitor of potassium channels [7], having antidepressant activity [8] ligands of calsium receptors [9,10], antihepatit C agent [11], anticancer [12], antihypertensive [13] compounds and at cure of coronary disease [14]. Beside these, this compounds demonstrate high potency for design of new drugs having antimicrobial properties [15-18]. The searching of new antimicrobial agents still remains an important and challenging problem due to rise of mortality and morbidity that caused by different pathogenic bacteria. In addition, the increasing number of multi-drug resistant microbial strain is considered to be one of the major problems in the world nowadays [19]. It is known that 70 % of bacterial infections are resistant to one or more of the antibiotics that generally used to eradicate the infection. Bacteria are able to reduce or eliminate the effectiveness of drugs by different mechanisms such as mutation of their genome, destruction or inactivation and efflux pump system. Therefore, development and synthesis of new effective antimicrobial agents for the treatment of resistant bacterial diseases is an urgent task [20,21]. Synthesis and Antimicrobial Properties of New Derivatives of Morpholine and Piperidine Based on 1-Chloro-3-methoxy-propylbenzene
1  Citrate lyase, an acetyl enzyme which catalyzes the cleavage of citrate in two consecutive steps, the acyl exchange and acyl lyase reactions, on deacetylation yields inactivated enzyme. On treatment with iodoacetate, this is irreversibly converted to another inactivated lyase.    2  Both inactivated lyase species are catalytically active in the presence of certain acyl-CoA derivatives such as acetyl-CoA or citryl-CoA. 3S-Citryl-CoA is cleaved stereospecifically to acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate in this catalysis, and citrate, in the presence of acetyl-CoA, is cleaved to acetate and oxaloacetate.    3  The acetyl group of acetyl-CoA however is liberated as acetate and the pro-S acetyl group of citrate is transformed to acetyl-CoA during the acetyl-CoA-dependent cleavage of citrate. This exchange reaction was demonstrated by isotopic experiments.    4  Kinetic analysis of the reaction indicated the formation of an intermediate. This conclusion was substantiated by performing the acetyl-CoA-dependent cleavage of citrate in the presence of EDTA. The complexing agent inhibits the lyase activity of the enzyme and therefore leads to the accumulation of the intermediate, 3S-citryl-CoA.    5  The formation of 3S-citryl-CoA from acetyl-CoA and citrate in the presence of EDTA demonstrates the acyl exchange activity, the cleavage of this intermediate demonstrates the lyase activity of inactivated citrate lyase.    6  Comparison of these results with the mechanism of action of native citrate lyase led to the conclusion that the acetylated acyl carrier groups (enzyme-S-acetyl in citrate lyase; CoA-S-acetyl on inactivated citrate lyase) are alike in both systems. This was supported by the demonstration of the presence of phosphopantetheine in the lyase.    7  From these and other results, citrate lyase was characterized as a multienzyme complex. It was concluded that phosphopantetheine most likely represents the acyl-carrying group in this complex.
Aim. To determine the clinical value of the growth factors concentration in the oral fluid in patients with mild chronic periodontitis.  Methods. A prospective study including 30 patients with chronic periodontitis and 20 healthy volunteers was conducted. The diagnosis was made based on standard clinical and radiological criteria. Nerve growth factor (NGF-), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) were determined in oral fluid samples by using multiparametric fluorescence analysis with magnetic microspheres (xMAP technology, Luminex 200, USA). Statistical analysis was performed using nonparametric measures: median (Me) and interquartile range (Q1, Q3). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the clinical value of the parameters.  Results. The chronic periodontitis was accompanied by an increase in the level of nerve growth factor- by 2.2 times, epidermal growth factor by 3 times, vascular endothelial growth factor A by 1.9 times (p 0.05) compared with the control. The platelet-derived growth factor BB concentration did not change. Using the ROC analysis, diagnostic sensitivity and diagnostic specificity of the studied parameters were determined: 89.1 and 91.1% for nerve growth factor , 92.3 and 96.1% for epidermal growth factor, 87.1 and 95.3% for vascular endothelial growth factor A, respectively.  Conclusion. Salivary growth factors (nerve growth factor , epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor A) can be considered as potential biomarkers of mild chronic periodontitis.
ABSTRACT Iron (Fe) in the embryo fraction of soybean (Glycine max L.) seed is important for seedling growth. Seed Fe accumulation in 27 soybean genotypes differing in seed size was studied at two field locations. Mean seed weight was 148 mg seed−1 with mean individual genotypic values ranging from 68 to 217 mg seed−1. Percentage of total seed dry matter in the seed-coat fraction, which was inversely correlated with individual seed weight, was 8.2%, with mean individual genotypic values ranging from 7.0% to 12.4%. Mean seed-Fe concentration [Fe] was 65 μg Fe g−1, with individual genotypic values ranging from 48 to 81 μg Fe g−1. Seed Fe relative to dry-matter distribution was much more concentrated in seed coats than in embryos of all genotypes. Mean percentage of total seed Fe located in the seed-coat fraction was 29%, with mean genotypic values ranging from 23% to 38%. Neither seed-Fe characteristic was correlated with individual seed weight. Seed [Fe] was not correlated with seed-manganese (Mn) concentration [Mn]. Mean seed [Fe] for the 27 genotypes was different at the two locations, presumably due to differences in available soil Fe. Both genotype and environment affected seed [Fe] of soybean. Soybean seed coats, a major by-product after oil extraction, are a possible rich source of Fe for human nutrition.
The main purpose of this study was to assess the status of social capital in different networks of two farming communities (organic and conventional farming) in Tangail district of Bangladesh. Social trust and reciprocity existed in the community were measured in informal, generalized and institutional networks of these two communities. The study was conducted by administering questionnaire survey among the farmers of the two communities. A total of 100 farmers, 50 from each of the organic and conventional farming communities, constituted the sample of the study. To measure social trust and reciprocity in different networks in a community, a self-designed questionnaire was developed to gather needed data. The finding indicated that, there was a statistically significant difference between organic and conventional farmers in regards to trust and reciprocity in generalized and institutional realms of social networks of the both communities. On the other hand, no significant difference was established between the communities in regards to trust and reciprocity in their informal network structure.
The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the level of feed intake and a 2-d feed restriction period on the postweaning adaptation of pancreatic exocrine secretions. At 33 d of age, 18 piglets fitted with 2 permanent catheters (for pancreatic juice collection and reintroduction) were weaned and allocated to 1 of the following 2 dietary treatments for 5 d: restricted feed allocation (restricted) or gradually increasing feed allocation (control). Pancreatic juice was collected daily during both basal and prandial periods. The basal period was defined as the period from 1400 to 1700 h (i.e., 5 to 8 h after the morning meal), whereas the prandial period was defined as the period from 30 min before to 60 min after the morning meal (given at 0900). Digestive enzyme activities and antibacterial activity were determined. Pancreatic protein secretion was 44% less (P < 0.05) in restricted piglets than in control piglets during the basal period. Trypsin secretion was affected by feed-restriction of piglets. The meal did not affect protein and trypsin secretions in restricted piglets, whereas at d 3 postweaning, protein and trypsin secretions and trypsin specific activity in control piglets were 9-, 105-, and 25-fold greater (P < 0.001) during the first 30 min after the meal than before the meal. Lipase and amylase secretions were not affected by variations in feed intake. The secretion of antibacterial activity in restricted piglets was greater (P < 0.05) than that of control piglets only at d 5. The extended feed restriction period increased the basal secretion of antibacterial activity (P = 0.09) and postprandial secretion of amylase (P = 0.05). In conclusion, a low level of feed intake during the early postweaning period decreased pancreatic protein and trypsin secretions, whereas a 2-d feed restriction period enhanced secretions of amylase and antibacterial activity. In addition, our results indicate that during periods of dietary adaptation, such as at weaning, measurements of enzyme activities in the tissue do not accurately reflect the enzyme secretion.
Oral health behaviour plays a key role in the prevention of caries and periodontitis. This article describes the prevalence, determinants and trends of tooth brushing frequency and utilization of dental check-ups. The analyses are based on the data from the second wave of the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS Wave 2, 2014-2017). The results show that around 80% of children and adolescents meet the recommended tooth brushing frequency and utilization of dental check-ups. Around one fifth of children and adolescents do not meet the recommendations. 14- to 17-year-old adolescents, as well as those with low socioeconomic status and a migration background are groups which are particularly at risk. Compared to the KiGGS baseline study (2003-2006), tooth brushing frequency and utilization of dental check-ups has improved. While this positive development is apparent for nearly all the population groups analysed, the same risk groups that were identified by the baseline study are also evident in the KiGGS Wave 2 results. Targeted measures directed at specific target groups to promote oral health behaviour at younger ages should therefore be maintained and expanded, respectively.
A Raman scattering study of (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3 (NKN)-LiNbO3 (LN) lead-free piezoceramics has been carried out on nominal compositions of (1-x)NKN-xLN (0 ≤x ≤0.70). The Raman spectra demonstrated a variety of changes with x, mainly classified as lattice translations involving motions of the alkaline cations and internal modes of NbO6 octahedra. At 0.05 ≤x ≤0.07, the broadening of the scattering peaks corresponding to the internal modes of the NbO6 octahedra occurred preferably, which is consistent with the evidence for a morphotropic phase boundary (MPB). Furthermore, an abrupt shift was observed in the peak position of the symmetric stretching mode v1 to a higher frequency, resulting from the distortion of O-Nb-O angles caused by incorporating small Li ions into the perovskite units. This is considered to be a prologue for the structural transformation in the NKN-LN solid solution from orthorhombic to tetragonal symmetry. At compositions in which x increases above the MPB, the translational mode of the Li+ cation emerged clearly, and the overall scattering pattern gradually changed to complex patterns caused by the formation of a tungsten-bronze K3Li2Nb5O15 (KLN) secondary phase and an increase in the number of distorted LiNbO3-type crystal units.
We present an experimental and theoretical study of surface stress in the Li/Mo(110) system, which exhibits anisotropic behavior and nonlinear coverage dependence. At low coverages the induced stress is tensile and largerin the [110] direction than in [001]. With increasing coverage (θ>0.25) both stress components switch over and become compressive. With the aid of electronic structure calculations we conclude that the anisotropy is due to the atomic arrangement characteristic of the bcc (110) surface and that the nonlinear coverage dependence is due to the combined effect of adsorbate-substrate interactions and nonlinear screening in the surface.
We introduce a stochastic model of a bottleneck ECN/RED gateway under a large number of competing heterogeneous TCP flows. Our main result shows that as the number of flows becomes large, the queue dynamics and the aggregate traffic are simplified and can be accurately described by simple statistical recursions. These recursions can be evaluated independently of the number of flows, and hence the resulting traffic model is scalable. We also present a simple analysis on the buffer utilization and window size at the steady-state.
Now that wide and repeated experience here and abroad with reliable preparations of the antimeningococcic serum in the treatment of epidemic meningitis has resulted in a consensus of opinion favorable to its value, it is time to take up seriously the question of providing federal standardization in order that the public may be protected from poor and worthless preparations. Unfortunately, as the distressing English experience of 1915, later retrieved when supplies of potent serum became available, showed, the commercial producer of the serum cannot be left to determine his own method of manufacture and his own standard of potency. There has been misconception also as to the practicability of standardization, which needs to be removed by a statement of the essential facts of the case. Undoubtedly, our minds have been clouded and our action impeded by the notion, which is only slowly giving way, that the only therapeutically active serums
Howard's masterful study of the contributions of de Wette and Burckhardt to European intellectual history presents de Wette, the biblical scholar, and his sometime student Burckhardt, historian of art and culture, both increasingly important for understanding how critical concerns about the use of history in examining religious texts, arising within the Protestant theological faculties at German Universities, led to a shift in the sense of significance of being in nature and history. That scholarship (Wissenschaft) fed the development of academic biblical criticism and recovered the value of myth as evidence of the historical process of composition of complex religious texts, while presenting some Christians a culture shock of such magnitude as to render them "honest heretic(s)" (110), unable to remain in theology as a vocation and, in the case of Burckhardt, committed to a pessimistic perspective on culture as a human enterprise that could be richly chronicled but that was finally devoid of transcendent significance. Juxtaposition of the personal and scholarly histories of the two figures carries the reader from the Enlightenment critique of orthodoxy through Schleiermacher and Strauss to the culture critiques of Nietzsche and Burckhardt, while engaging the contrasting contexts of Berlin and Basel as citadels of opposing theological spirits.
Planning is an important step that should be conducted in developing process. The urgent function in development planning is to argue, to direct and in a few things it would control socio-economic-cultural changes of people at a time period.A development planning process should be formulated by involving all of stakeholders and community. This is really important conducted in order to all data and information that be collected and all programs that succeed designed would be the results of stakeholders aspiration. At the end, it would increase communal spirit in its implementation.Development and management of mangrove forest ecosystem need an participative planning approach, so that the main objective goal would be reached with involving the active participative community. Because of that, the activities designed have to represent ecological-economic-social-institutional sustainability. In this case, designing activities should be containing socialization activities and institutional empowerment (social), participative planting of mangrove (ecology) and giving economic incentive/stimulant activities (economy). This book is giving brief pictures about the process of planning and implementation of development program and managing mangrove forest ecosystem at arround Cikaso estuary, District of Sukabumi.
While many papers may claim that virtual environments have much to gain from architectural and urban planning theory, few seem to specify in any verifiable or falsifiable way, how notions of place and interaction are best combined and developed for specific needs. The following is an attempt to summarize a theory of place for virtual environments and explain both the shortcomings and the advantages of this theory.
In the penultimate chapter of Homo hierarchicus Dumont (1970) raises the question of whether there are castes among non-Hindus in India.’ A number of authors have since addressed themselves to the question and it is possible to discern three distinct, although by no means mutually exclusive approaches in the literature. One identifies a set of fundamental empirical properties of Hindu caste systems, and seeks to ascertain the extent to which these can be found outside the Hindu context. Thus, Ahmad, introducing an important collection of papers on Indian Muslims, follows Hutton and Ghurye in selecting a ’minimal set of primary characteristics’ which together constitute ’the real essence of caste among the Hindus’, viz. endogamy, occupational specialisation, hierarchical ordering of groups, and
We investigated CD8(+) T cell frequencies of five different Epstein-Barr virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes located within proteins of the replicative cycle and the latent state in healthy long-term virus carriers with IFN-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot assay. Frequencies of the HLA-A3-restricted epitope RVRAYTYSK (RVR) whose minimal length was mapped in this study to amino acid position 148-156 of the immediate-early protein BRLF1 were compared with those of a further known HLA-A3-restricted epitope within EBNA3A, RLRAEAQVK (RLR). Determination of frequencies of CD8(+) T lymphocytes directed against lytic antigen epitope RVR revealed that only one of eight donors recognized this epitope. Frequency was calculated to be 65 RVR-specific CD8(+) T lymphocytes per 10(6) PBMC. None of the HLA-A3-positive donors exhibited IFN-gamma release after antigenic stimulation with the EBNA3A-specific peptide epitope RLR. Furthermore, we chose three known HLA-B8-restricted epitopes, RAKFKQLL (RAK), FLRGRAYGL (FLR), and QAKWRLQTL (QAK), of the lytic protein BZLF1 and the latent protein EBNA3A. Examination of eight HLA-B8-positive virus carriers revealed that the BZLF1-specific epitope RAK was recognized by all donors with a median frequency of 233 RAK-specific CD8(+) T lymphocytes per 10(6) PBMC. Only 50% of these donors reacted against EBNA3A-specific epitope FLR and a minority (25%) reacted against EBNA3A-specific epitope QAK.
We demonstrate a new ultrafast pump‐probe technique using terahertz pulses to investigate carrier transport and screening in semiconductors. As an example we have studied the temporal evolution of the local electric field in a dipole antenna, used for generation of ultrafast terahertz pulses. Ultrafast screening effects are shown to be important for both carrier transport and the emission of THz radiation. At high carrier densities the external bias field is screened on a time scale comparable to the duration of the THz pulse, giving rise to changes in the shape and bandwidth of the radiated pulses.
The effects of calcium chloride on glandular stomach carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and sodium chloride were investigated in male outbred Wistar rats. Animals were given MNNG solution (100 p.p.m.) as drinking water and simultaneously fed a diet supplemented with 5% sodium chloride for 8 weeks. Matched negative controls received neither MNNG nor sodium chloride. Rats were then fed basal diet and given calcium chloride solution (1 or 0.2%) or tap water for the following 52 weeks. The incidences and multiplicities of preneoplastic hyperplasias in the glandular stomachs of rats given MNNG/sodium chloride followed by 1 and 0.2% calcium chloride were significantly lower than those in rats given MNNG/sodium chloride alone. The inhibitory effects of calcium were exerted in a dose-dependent manner. Calcium treatment also showed a tendency to inhibit the development of gastric adenocarcinomas although this was not statistically significant. Rats without carcinogen treatment had neither carcinomas nor preneoplastic hyperplasias in the glandular stomach. Calcium intake also significantly reduced the levels of malondialdehyde, a measure of lipid peroxidation, in the gastric mucosa and urine, the former in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, calcium chloride exerted inhibitory effects when given during the post-initiation phase of two-stage glandular stomach carcinogenesis in rats.
Recent simulation-based studies of linear programming models for discriminant analysis have used the Fisher linear discriminant function as the benchmark for parametric methods. This article reports experimental evidence which suggests that, while some linear programming models may match or even exceed the Fisher approach in classification accuracy, none of the fifteen models tested is as accurate on normally distributed data as the Smith quadratic discriminant function. At the minimum, further testing is warranted with an emphasis on data sets that arise from significantly non-Gaussian populations.
The literature suggests that stigmatizing attitudes in the community will affect lives and recovery of people with mental illness. This is particularly serious and obvious in Chinese societies where mental illness is often associated with shame and stigma. As Hong Kong and China have undergone rapid changes in terms of social and economic development, this study aimed at providing the most up-to-date empirical information regarding mental illness stigma and its impact on individuals with mental illness. A 31-item Questionnaire on Mental Illness was developed to measure public attitudes towards mental illness, with special reference to issues that affected the burden on family members of mental health consumers. The questionnaire together with the Level of Contact Sub-scale (Holmes et al., 1999) was distributed to primary and secondary students for their friends and relatives aged 16 or above to complete. A total of 1,007 validly completed questionnaires were returned constituting a response rate of 74%. An exploratory factor analysis identified eight factors which accounted for 50.6% of the total variance: hostility, aberrant, openness, resources, acceptance, rights, misgivings, and accommodation. The data showed that there were rather severe stigmatizing attitudes in the community, such as beliefs about parents causing the illness, strong opposition to setting up psychiatric community facilities near their residence, and limited employment opportunities for people with mental illness, which also increased both the subjective and objective burdens on clients' relatives by denying them social and practical support. Correlations between previous contacts and attitudes are significant. Implications to further research and social policy are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 31: 383–396, 2003.
Stanley Hauerwas has attracted much criticism for his ecclesiocentric approach to theology. As a result of his emphasis on the faithful practice of virtues in community for salvation, he has been accused of Pelagianism. He has also been charged with showing interest in Jesus primarily as an exemplar, rather than for himself. The adequacy of Hauerwas’ ecclesiology is tested here against its implications for Christology. Hauerwas conceives of Jesus primarily as the autobasileia , and emphasises the importance of his entire life and teachings in addition to his death and resurrection. Two questions concerning Hauerwas’ Christology are explored: (1) What did Christ achieve at the cross? (2) What constitutes salvation and how is it mediated to ensuing generations? This paper examines whether the church does indeed usurp the place of Christ in salvation in Hauerwas’ thought, as suggested by Healy.
For the stabilization of insulation performance in the resin-molded insulators, strong adhesion between the resin and metal is required. In this paper, design method of fatigue strength on adhesive interface between metal and resin in consideration of multiple scales was investigated. Test pieces were made by covering Cu and SUS cylinders, which have some values of surface roughness, with epoxy resin. The interfacial strength was evaluated with shearing tests of these test pieces. The effective adhesive surfaces of those cylinders were evaluated from surface observation with a laser microscope. The interfacial strength increased with surface roughness and the adhesion-strength index (μ+B). The adhesion-strength index (μ+B), which had been proposed in previous paper, were calculated with the effective adhesive surface and the interfacial strength. The adhesion-strength index (μ+B) gave a constant value with various surface roughnesses for each metal. Based on the strength evaluations, the interfacial strength could be controlled, and it became clear from the results that the interfacial strength can be improved up to the confidence level. The results also show that design of the interfacial strength over multiple scales can help improve the reliability of electric power equipment.
The article is devoted to the analysis of some features of the investigation of football hooliganism. The current state and trends of football hooliganism are considered (including during the COVID-19 pandemic). The main problems faced by the investigation authorities during the detection and investigation of football hooliganism have been identified. In the process of working on the article, the scientific literature on informal youth groups, the fight against extremism, the investigation of group crimes of football fans was analyzed. The purpose of the study is to identify and study the features of the investigation of hooliganism committed by football fans. The object of research is the peculiarities of the investigation of hooliganism committed by football fans. During the writing of the article, the following methods were used: observation, analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization, extrapolation, modeling, and information approach. As a result of the conducted research, the modern tendencies of football hooliganism are defined. Emphasis is placed on the peculiarities of the transformation of football fans. The principal problems of detection and investigation of football hooliganism are outlined, recommendations for prevention and counteraction to crimes committed by football fans are developed.
Spent selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst installed in power and incineration plants is used to convert nitrogen oxide (NOx) gas to nitrogen (N2) gas. Currently, most spent SCR catalyst in South Korea is eventually discarded in landfills. Recently, a novel and efficient recycling process has been developed to recover tungsten (W), vanadium (V) and titanium (Ti) from spent SCR catalyst. In this process, after soda-melting reactions between the spent SCR catalyst and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) at 1273 K, hydrometallurgical treatments were carried out for the production of high-purity products, such as 99.3% sodium tungstate (Na2WO4), 99.3% vanadium oxide (V2O5) and 99.6% titanium dioxide (TiO2). On the basis of the fundamental investigation of this novel recycling process, process scale-up has been attempted to establish a commercial process. In this paper, recent developments in the recycling process for spent SCR catalyst and the results obtained using the scaled-up process will be discussed. Therefore, this study will provide a practical method for the recovery of W, V and Ti from spent SCR catalyst.
The education of Negroes has always been fraught with issues, with problems, with conflicts as to the most desirable program of action. Higher education for the Negro is no exception. As a matter of fact, it has been, and is, the most fertile field for the cultivation and production of such issues. When one realizes the place of education in American life, that issues should be so obvious in the case of education, and that they should be aggravated in the case of the education of Negroes, are facts quite easy to understand: American education is inextricably bound up with human values. In a sense, it is the business of education to give the largest possible share of these values to every citizen. But problems arise even before the formal educative process beginsand they obviously condition it greatly. What values are desirable? For whom are they desirable? Under what conditions? And for how long? When Booker T. Washington, shortly after the Civil War, proposed a program of "industrial" education for virtually all Negroes and W. E. B. DuBois countered with the thesis that Negroes should encourage their "talented tenth" to run the gauntlet of higher education, lifting their brothers as they climbed, both were giving practical answers to these questions. When a "ranking" official of a Southern town proclaims that it is a mistake to give any Negro sound technical education because this is contrary to the Southern credo, and, simultaneously, the United States Office of Education enunciates the policy that Negroes should be trained for all skilled jobs, despite the fact that. they are now found in these jobs in relatively low proportions, here, too, are answers to these' questions of values. In all cases, the answers vary because of different convictions as to what is good, who should have what is good, and, of course, how one may acquire the tools to satisfy the particular combinations of desires. One needs only to read any serious literature-frequently popular literature-to know that there is anything but unanimity in the realm of educational thought, elementary, secondary, and higher. Too, informal observation, conversation, scientific expression, the press, and introspection certainly do reveal very definitely that the "Negro problem" is no will-o'-the-wisp. Then, what else could one expect but issues as he looks at higher education of the Negro and World War Number Two? All kinds of Negro education were born in issues. World War Number Two really merely accentuates them, increases the boldness of their relief. Yet, this change in degree, in many respects, is so great as almost to cause the matter in question to appear as the species of another genus. That several
We study online nonlinear learning over distributed multiagent systems, where each agent employs a single hidden layer feedforward neural network (SLFN) structure to sequentially minimize arbitrary loss functions. In particular, each agent trains its own SLFN using only the data that is revealed to itself. On the other hand, the aim of the multiagent system is to train the SLFN at each agent as well as the optimal centralized batch SLFN that has access to all the data, by exchanging information between neighboring agents. We address this problem by introducing a distributed subgradient-based extreme learning machine algorithm. The proposed algorithm provides guaranteed upper bounds on the performance of the SLFN at each agent and shows that each of these individual SLFNs asymptotically achieves the performance of the optimal centralized batch SLFN. Our performance guarantees explicitly distinguish the effects of data- and network-dependent parameters on the convergence rate of the proposed algorithm. The experimental results illustrate that the proposed algorithm achieves the oracle performance significantly faster than the state-of-the-art methods in the machine learning and signal processing literature. Hence, the proposed method is highly appealing for the applications involving big data.
Improving the quality of learning in universities can basically be done through a macro-scale approach or with a micro approach through improving the learning situation in the classroom. A macro approach has been largely done by creating national and regional policies. However, micro approaches, such as those undertaken by lecturers through classroom climate studies, have not been made a systematic effort to improve learning processes. The second approach requires the ability and willingness of self-evaluation of the lecturer; Ideally, this second approach should be more optimized as it is a college effort to provide service satisfaction to its internal customers, namely students. This study aims to develop and validate the classroom climate inventory for use in universities. The inventory consists of two forms, the actual and preferred form adapted from the Colleges and Universities Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI). The research was conducted on 1,244 undergraduate students from various universities in some provinces such West Sumatera, Riau and Gorontalo. From the analysis result, it can be concluded that both the actual and preferred form of college classroom climate are valid and reliable, so it can be used to conduct further research at universities. Keywords—classroom climate; inventory; development; validation; university
The purpose of this paper is to examine the equity market crisis contagion in major Asian economic markets. A comparative assessment of Asian markets during the Asian Financial Crisis and Global Financial crisis may clearly identify the changing nature of long term integration of major Asian markets. The selection criteria of specific Asian markets of different peripheries depend particularly on the roles and structure of these markets. The impact of the global financial contagion and the lingering financial linkage in the aftermath of crisis will explain the reaction of the majority of Asian markets to global linkage. While majority of the studies focused on dynamic short term association in European and MENA contagions in the post global financial crisis period; after the global financial crisis, attention paid to long term Asian contagion adds new perspective to hitherto disorganized theories.
Summary    The stomach contents of Lemniscomys striatus and Praomys (Mastomys) natalensis, caught in the Rwenzori National Park over a period of one year (1965-66), were analysed. In Lemniscomys the percentage by weight of insects (mainly termites) in the stomachs increased during the wet seasons, while termites were consumed by Praomys throughout the year. Qualitative analysis showed that the fruits of the woody shrub Erythrococcus formed an important part of the diet of Praomys during the rains. Both species ate grass leaves and stems in varying amounts throughout the year and both utilized seeds of legumes and other herbs towards the end of the wet seasons.        In both Lemniscomys and Praomys collected between January and June 1972 liver and total body fat levels appeared to be related to rainfall and to reproductive state. There was a peak in fat levels during the high rainfall period in April. Pregnant and lactating females were caught mostly in May and June towards the end of the wet season; they had higher fat levels than males caught in the same period, but lower fat levels than non-breeding mature or immature females and males caught in April.        The possible significance of seasonal changes in diet and in body composition in the timing and duration of the breeding season is discussed.
This paper deals with models for flow management problems in flexible assembly systems (FASs). The system consists of a set of machines that must perform the assembly of a number of parts, possibly of different types. Each part type requires a set of operations; the precedence relations among the operations are specified by an assembly tree. Machines are provided with limited-capacity tool magazines and a finite buffer for holding parts. Each machine can be tooled to perform only a particular subset of the operations required by the whole process. One problem is that of finding a feasible assignment of operations to machines and a feasible schedule of the subassemblies in order to minimize the completion time of all of the parts. In this paper, the problem is analysed as a case of pipelined assembly, i.e., when the FAS is characterized by a serial transportation system (flow line) and there exist a dominating path in the assembly tree. We present polynomial-time dynamic programming algorithms for solving the problem for both single-type and multi-type production. >
The U.S. Secret Service has been doing and supporting research in several areas of fingerprint visualization. The following is discussed: (1) developing ninhydrin analogues for visualizing latent prints on porous surfaces such as paper (with Dr. Madeleine Joullie, University of Pennsylvania); (2) exploring reflective UV imaging techniques as a no-treatment-required method for visualizing latent prints; (3) optimizing 'gun bluing' methods for developing latent prints on metal surfaces (such as spent cartridges); (4) investigating aqueous metal deposition methods for visualizing latent prints on multiple types of surfaces; and (5) studying methods of transferring latent print residues onto membranes.
Semantic features, word sequences, and syntactic structures are three key elements for human classification of multi-category sentiment texts. However, current sentiment classification neural network models focus mostly on semantic features and word sequences, thereby losing syntactic structure information in modeling and limiting classification accuracy. In this paper, we combine three key elements at different levels and propose an enhanced model with semantic dual-granularity and syntax-path encoding for multi-category sentiment classification. In particular, at the semantic level, we utilized two long short-term memories to process semantic dual-granularity units that are word and n-gram sequences; then we combined the two memory outputs via the attention mechanism to highlight keywords or key phrases in sentences. At the syntactic level, we extracted syntactic features by encoding each word's syntax path into a syntactic neural network, aiming to capture implied sentiments through an expression pattern. Finally, the two levels' models were combined for multi-category sentiment classification. We applied our model to three common and public multi-category sentiment datasets. Experimental results showed our model significantly outperforming eight strong baseline models with a maximum accuracy improvement of 48.8%; a minimum accuracy improvement of 1%; and average accuracy improvements of 20.9%, 19.3%, and 14.8% on each dataset, respectively.
Abstract Common historical narratives of Finnish European policy emphasise the sudden and dramatic change of 1991–1995, when Finland, as a reaction to the collapse of the Soviet Union, rejected its previously cautious approach and wholeheartedly embraced the goal of joining a unified Europe. This article, however, shows that, already in the mid-1980s, the Finnish political and economic elites questioned the country's position in the Cold War order and took bold steps in order to forge closer relations with Western Europe. A key event was the struggle for membership in Eureka, a novel European project designed to enhance cooperation in high technology.
Industrial experience shows that heavy investment in IT does not always bring in a satisfactory economic return due to very often quality problems, which was partly caused by inadequacy of user requirements analysis and representation. Semantic Analysis, a method developed for analysing and specifying user requirements based on an 'agent-in-action' ontology, has demonstrated a way to improve software quality. The semantic structure is preserved through design and implementation in order to produce a satisfactory system. To this end, a set of methods and tools for systems engineering has be developed around Semantic Analysis and supported by Normbase. This approach has demonstrated several advantages in systems engineering such as concision of requirements representation, drastic reduction of documentation, and low cost of maintenance.
Background & aim: Spread of sexually transmitted infections can be controlled with enhancing the knowledge and correcting the attitudes of students regarding the right and consistent use of contraceptive methods, and being in monogamous sexual relationships. This study aimed to compare thestudents’ knowledge, attitudes, and safe sex practices between nursing and non-nursing undergraduate students. Methods: A descriptive survey design was employed among 240 students at Niger Delta University in Bayelsa State, Nigeria in 2018-2019 The simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample. A questionnaire designed to elicit information on knowledge, attitudes, and safe sex practices from nursing and non-nursing students. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 17.0.  Descriptive statistic was employed to describe the data. Results: Nursing students in this study presented with safe sexual practices, compared to non-nursing students. Sexual risky behaviors, such as having a casual partner and not using condoms, were prevalent among the non-nursing students. After summing up the scores of nursing students, they showed a better understanding of knowledge of safe sex (83.1% for nursing students versus 54.6% for non-nursing students). Similarly, the nurses’ attitudes and practices seemed better than those of non-nurses. Conclusion: Combination of both correct knowledge and positive attitudes correlates with safe sex practices among students. Safe sex education should be introduced to non-nursing students at the Niger Delta University as a means of promoting safe sex practices among students.
This study aims to examine the impact of product involvement, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control on investment intentions of individual investors in Pakistan. The data was collected from 548 individual investors in Pakistan using systematic random sampling. The data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results of the analysis showed that product involvement and subjective norm have a significant impact on investment intention of individual investors in Pakistan. On the other hand, the perceived behavioural control appears as insignificant in influencing the investment intentions of individual investors. The results of the analysis can be helpful for the investment advisors in efforts to increase the level of involvement. They need to develop and promote customised investment portfolios for their customers that suit their risk profile, investment objectives and financial constraints.
Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of a 3D surface camera system (AlignRT) in detecting rigid and non‐rigid setup errors during head and neck radiotherapy.Methods and Materials: To evaluate the accuracy of AlignRT's surface registration algorithm, both translational and rotational movements of a known magnitude were manually applied in Pinnacle to transform a helical CT scan. The skin contours of both the primary helical CT scan and the transformed helical CT scan were transferred to AlignRT, where the transformed surface was registered to the primary surface. The changes that were reported by the AlignRT system were compared to the manually applied motions from Pinnacle. To evaluate the usefulness of AlignRT for rigid and non‐rigid patient setup, a retrospective analysis was performed on the helical CT scans of eleven patients. The registrations in Pinnacle based on bony (either skull (rigid) or vertebrae (non‐rigid)) anatomy were compared to the surface (either head (rigid) or shoulder (non‐rigid)) registrations in AlignRT. Results: The accuracy of AlignRT's surface registration algorithm was, on average, 0.041 ± 0.036 degrees and 0.075 ± 0.100 mm. The accuracy of the optical system was, on average, 0.087 ± 0.912 degrees and −0.153 ± 1.996 mm. For shoulder (non‐rigid) guidance, if we use 2*standard deviation for 95% confidence level, the accuracy of the optical system was within 3 degrees for rotations in the vertical and longitudinal directions, but 5 degrees for the lateral direction. For translations, the accuracy was more than 10 mm. Conclusion: While the feasibility of using the AlignRT system for head (rigid) guidance in the setup of HN patients was demonstrated, the use of the system in non‐rigid patient setup yielded undesirable results.
While the provision of infrastructure has been a traditional role for local (state and city) government, it is shown that the commitment to such infrastructure provision has waned as a result, in part, of recent political and economic events. Given the current political economy, infrastructure investments may have to be justified on the basis of their ability to stimulate local economic development and create jobs–even though many direct economic development policies have been implemented based on their plausibility rather than on their proven efficacy. To establish the relationship between infrastructure and economic growth during the 1962-to-1982 time period, a policy evaluation model is specified and tested for a sample of cities. The results suggest that infrastructure does, in fact, stimulate job growth. Thus, a more comprehensive analysis of the economic development process is called for so that infrastructure and more-direct job-creation policies can be compared. It would seem that the recent dimin...
Research indicates human being is endowed with multiple intelligences, skills, and abilities. In the context of education, many exercises demand multiple skills from students to successfully solve them in different areas of knowledge. In computer science, computer programming is one of the skills that involves the use of multiple skills for problem-solving, where problems can be solved in more than one way (paths). On massive environments for teaching programming, it is common for automatic assessment systems to observe only the final result of the student's interaction with the learning object, not identifying the individual interaction of multiple skills needed to solve the problem nor identifying a solution path adopted by the student. Many models were proposed based on Elo models, which use performance expectation, and Item Response Theory, but these models do not consider the various paths to solve problems. The objective of this work is to propose a model also based on performance expectation, which individually estimates multiple abilities of students in the context of massive online education, assuming problems have more than one solution, and there is access only to the final result (right or wrong). An experimental setup is proposed to validate the model, involving the use and analysis of the proposed model through an experiment in a database, named beecrowd, and a case study with programming students. Model results are satisfactory, since: i) it is possible to treat the student's abilities individually, as well as to follow the evolution of each ability over time; ii) it is possible to predict the paths adopted by them according to the student's abilities; iii) the model also shows positive results when integrated with a recommendation system, recommending problems compatible with the student's abilities.
Very few studies of Afghanistan have been attempted, and the work under review is as welcome as the previous books by Ademec and Fraser. Compared to these two Grifflths tends to be more journalistic; nonetheless quite informative. Mr. Grifflths examines the growing influence of the USSR in Afghanistan with some discussion of its relevance to Sino-Soviet rivalry. His account of the political and social situation of the country is based to some extent on his personal observations and his interviews with leading Afghans. Two points discussed in the book are especially interesting. The first of these is the 1966 Afghan Constitution, the text of which has also been reproduced in one of the appendices. The second point of interest is the author’s discussion of the Pashtunistan movement. On this point his conclusions, reached over a decade ago, have still some relevance. Analysing the detente between Afghanistan and Pakis-
The correct treatment of d electrons is of prime importance in order to predict the electronic properties of the prototype chalcopyrite semiconductors. The effect of d states is linked with the anion displacement parameter u, which in turn influences the bandgap of these systems. Semilocal exchange–correlation functionals which yield good structural properties of semiconductors and insulators often fail to predict reasonable u because of the underestimation of the bandgaps arising from the strong interplay between d electrons. In the present study, we show that the meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) obtained from the cuspless hydrogen density (MGGAC) (2019 Phys. Rev. B 100 155140) performs in an improved manner in apprehending the key features of the electronic properties of chalcopyrites, and its bandgaps are comparative to that obtained using state-of-art hybrid methods. Moreover, the present assessment also shows the importance of the Pauli kinetic energy enhancement factor, α = (τ − τ W )/τ unif in describing the d electrons in chalcopyrites. The present study strongly suggests that the MGGAC functional within semilocal approximations can be a better and preferred choice to study the chalcopyrites and other solid-state systems due to its superior performance and significantly low computational cost.
Infections with verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) other than O157 have been assumed to have the same epidemiology as those with VTEC O157, but the source of infection is rarely defined for sporadic cases. This report describes a child with VTEC O111:H- infection who was probably infected by playing in a cattle stable and/or by drinking raw milk from the cows in this stable. E. coli O111 isolates colonising the cattle were indistinguishable from the patient isolate by the use of serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and virulence profiling.
Abstract. The Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) is a rare shorebird uniquely adapted to high-altitude river rapids. Ibisbill has received little study as a result of its isolation and the inaccessibility of its habitat. The habitat utilization, time budgets and daily rhythm of Ibisbill were studied in the southwestern part of Sichuan Province, China, in July to August 2008 and January to February 2010. A total of 55 Ibisbills were recorded in summer and 87 in winter. Encounter rates and group size were similar in summer and winter, but habitat selection differed. In summer, most Ibisbills chose central islands in rivers that had many large stones offering opportunities for both camouflage and physical concealment, and riverside pasture covered by weedy growth with abundant insects making them suitable for foraging. In winter, when water levels are low and many stony beaches are exposed, Ibisbills were more often encountered on riverbanks. Foraging (48.9%) and resting (32.3%) were the most commonly observed behaviors, and the time that Ibisbills spent on foraging (t19 = -4.0, P = 0.001) in winter was significantly higher than in summer. In winter, Ibisbills spent less time engaged in locomotion (t19 = 5.1, P = 0.001) and resting (t19 = -2.8, P = 0.012). Alertness increased toward sunset in summer but not in winter.
Phosphatidyl-inositol-3 kinases (PI3Ks) constitute a family of intracellular lipid kinases that are frequently hyperactivated in glioblastoma. The PI3K complex links growth factor signaling with cellular proliferation, differentiation, metabolism, and survival. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) acts both as a downstream effector and upstream regulator of PI3K, thus highlighting its importance in glioblastoma. This review highlights laboratory and clinical evidence of mTOR's role in glioblastoma. Mechanisms of escape from mTOR inhibition are also discussed, as well as future clinical strategies of mTOR inhibition.
This work represents an extension of the single pion production model proposed by D. Rein. The model consists of resonant pion production and nonresonant background contributions coming from three Born diagrams in the helicity basis. The new work includes lepton mass effects, and nonresonant interaction is described by five diagrams based on a nonlinear { sigma} model. This work provides a full kinematic description of single pion production in the neutrino-nucleon interactions, including resonant and nonresonant interactions in the helicity basis, in order to study the interference effect.
Abstract Various notions of stable ranks are studied for topological algebras. Some partial answers to R. G. Swan's problem (Have two Banach or good Frechet algebras as in the density theorem in K -theory the same stable rank?) are obtained. For example, a Frechet dense ∗-subalgebra A of a C *-algebra B , closed under C *-functional calculus of self-adjoint elements, has the same Bass stable rank as B .
Several years ago Zwanzig considered the diffusion in a potential that is spatially rough due to hierarchical structure of protein. We extend this idea to the overdamped Brownian dynamics in a one-dimensional periodic and rough ratchet potential. A general expression is obtained for the effective current at the steady state. Variation in both current and efficiency has been studied with respect to the amplitude of the roughness and an external nonequilibrium, nonthermal driving force. It has been shown that roughness hinders current quite significantly. Our analysis is corroborated by detailed numerical simulations and may be useful in the context of laser switching of current through molecular wires.
Donor human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-specific antibodies (Abs) with the ability to activate complement are associated with an increased risk of early Ab-mediated rejection (AMR) of kidney allografts. In recent years, also non-HLA Abs-binding endothelial cells have been shown to elicit early AMR. Donor-specific anti-endothelial cell Abs escape detection in the pre-transplant evaluation if only lymphocytes are used as target cells in crossmatch tests. We addressed whether endothelial precursor cells (EPCs) could be used for detection of complement-fixing as well as non-fixing Abs and if complement factor and immunoglobulin G (IgG) deposition on co-purified T and B cells correlated to the outcome of the T- and B-cell complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay. Deposition of complement factors C3c and C3d, but not C1q nor C4d, were detected on EPCs and lymphocytes upon incubation with HLA Ab-positive sera. There was a correlation between the amount of C3c deposition and IgG binding on EPCs (R(2) = 0.71, P = 0.0012) and T cells (R(2) = 0.74, P = 0.0006) but not for B cells (R(2) = 0.34, P = 0.059). The specificity and sensitivity for C3d deposition on endothelial precursor cell crossmatch (EPCXM) T cells vs the T complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) assay were 69% and 72%, respectively. The EPCXM B-cell C3d assay had considerably lower sensitivity (39%) than the B CDC assay. Altogether, this novel assay based on the detection of complements factors on EPCs and lymphocytes by flow cytometry may widen the diagnostic repertoire and thereby improve the clinical management of patients undergoing kidney transplantation.
Taste bud volume on the anterior tongue in adult rats is matched by an appropriate number of innervating geniculate ganglion cells. The larger the taste bud, the more geniculate ganglion cells that innervate it. To determine if such a match is perturbed in the regenerated gustatory system under different dietary conditions, taste bud volumes and numbers of innervating neurons were quantified in adult rats after unilateral axotomy of the chorda tympani nerve and/or maintenance on a sodium‐restricted diet. The relationship between taste bud size and innervation was eliminated in rats merely fed a sodium‐restricted diet; individual taste bud volumes were smaller than predicted by the corresponding number of innervating neurons. Surprisingly, the relationship was disrupted in a similar way on the intact side of the tongue in unilaterally sectioned rats, with no diet‐related differences. The mismatch in these groups was due to a decrease in average taste bud volumes and not to a change in numbers of innervating ganglion cells. In contrast, individual taste bud volumes were larger than predicted by the corresponding number of innervating neurons on the regenerated side of the tongue; again, with no diet‐related differences. However, the primary variable responsible for disrupting the function on the regenerated side was an approximate 20% decrease in geniculate ganglion cells available to innervate taste buds. Therefore, the neuron/target match in the peripheral gustatory system is susceptible to surgical and/or dietary manipulations that act through multiple mechanisms. This system is ideally suited to model sensory plasticity in adults. J. Comp. Neurol. 472:183–192, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Abstract Logistically, the determination of available B in soils is one of the most difficult analysis routinely performed in soil testing laboratories. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of using sealed plastic pouches in place of the traditional glass refluxing apparatus for the hot water extraction of B in soils. Seven northern Idaho soils were collected, spiked with B levels of 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 4.0 μg/g, and analyzed for extractable B using both types of vessels. When extraction time was five minutes, extraction of B from soil using glass refluxing apparatus yielded from 0.03 to 0.16 μg/g more extractable B than when sealed plastic pouches were used. This was true for all soils at all B levels. It was determined, however, that equivalent B values were obtained with both procedures when the boiling time with the plastic pouches was increased from 5 to 7 minutes. A procedure for B extraction is proposed using the sealed plastic pouches as extraction vessels. The plasti...
Phytoplankton exert a significant control on the marine carbon cycle and can thus impact atmospheric CO2 concentration. Here we use a new ecosystem model to analyze the response of diatoms and coccolithophores in the Southern Ocean to Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) climate conditions, and changes in aeolian iron (Fe) input in the Southern Ocean. We find that LGM climate conditions without changes in Fe input lead to a large increase in diatoms north of the winter sea ice edge in the South Atlantic (19%) and the South Pacific (26%), and a 31% and 9% increase within the seasonal sea‐ice zone in the South Atlantic and Indian oceans, respectively, while diatoms decrease in the Ross and Weddell Seas, and in the South Pacific (62%) south of the winter sea ice edge. Coccolithophores increase by 11% in the South West Atlantic near 45°S but are outcompeted by diatoms within the seasonal sea‐ice zone, where they decrease by 21%. Overall, this results in a 11% decrease in Southern Ocean net primary productivity (NPP) and a 2.4% decrease in export production (EP). A series of sensitivity experiments with different aeolian Fe input are compared to available paleo‐proxy records. The best fit is obtained for a simulation forced with dust fluxes from Lambert et al. (2015), https://doi.org/10.1002/2015gl064250 and reduced Antarctic Bottom Water formation in the Weddell Sea. The 78% increase in aeolian Fe input in the Southern Ocean in this simulation increases the Southern Ocean EP by 4.4%, while NPP remains 8.7% weaker compared to preindustrial.
Our previously prepared ternary nanocomposite TNT/CuFe₂O₄/Zn-Fe was highly engulfed by PC-3 cells, activated cytotoxicity that was dosage and time-subordinated, and demonstrated morphological alteration, which is one of the common characteristics of apoptotic cells. This prolonged study aimed to investigate other items. The study performed assays as Annexin V-FITC, flow cytometry, DNA ladder electrophoresis, and ROS assay for apoptosis detection, cell cycle analysis, DNA fragmentation, and ROS generation, respectively. In the PC-3-treated cells, the early and late phases of apoptosis with different percentages and DNA fragmentation were determined. Besides, the PC-3 cell cycle revealed the three major cell distribution different phases of the cycle (G1, S, and G2/M), and the Sub G1, which corresponded to apoptotic cells. The results proved the presence of ROS that triggered the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, which was confirmed through a decrease in (Bcl-2), the release of cytochrome c, activation of caspase-9, and caspase-3. To conclude, the ternary nanocomposite TNT/CuFe₂O₄/Zn-Fe achieved biochemical features alterations and could induce intrinsic apoptosis of PC-3 cells. The planned work of the current research will illuminate the arrested phase in the cell cycle through studying tumor suppressor genes such as p53 and Retinoblastoma RB, c-Myc oncogene, and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) as well as their regulators.
Hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndromes (hypo-MDS) is one special type of MDS which is similar to the clinical and laboratory manifestation of aplastic anemia. This it is difficult to differentiate hypo-MDS with aplastic anemia. The differential diagnosis includes peripheral blood parameters, bone marrow cell morphology, bone marrow biopsy, hematopoietic progenitor cell culture, cell genetics, molecular biology and cell phenotype analysis, etc. This review will discuss the differential diagnosis between hypo-MDS and aplastic anemia.      Key words:  Myelodysplastic syndrome; Aplastic anemia; Diagnosis, differential
Transforming continuous independent variables into categorial ones makes the statistical analyses simpler because after dichotomization, the effects of these variables can be examined via an analysis of variance (ANOVA) rather than a multiple regression analysis. However, this simplicity comes at a high price. When a continuous variable is dichotomized, one artificially introduces random error which decreases the statistical power of the inferential analyses. Assuming a normal distribution, the decrease in statistical power is equivalent to the exclusion of approximately 38 % of the participants. In this article, we present the problems associated with the dichotomization of continuous variables and we discuss various strategies that allow researchers to analyze experimental designs with continuous and categorical independent variables.
Reproductive isolation is essential to the formation and maintenance of new species. Understanding the mechanism of reproductive isolation is fundamental in biological science. Reproductive isolation occurred between the indica and japonica subspecies in rice. However, mechanisms of prezygotic reproductive isolation in rice are poorly understood, which require further investigation. In this study, we have investigated the adherence and germination of the pollens using 17 crosses from a total of 12 varieties representative of indica , japonica , and wide-compatibility varieties. Prezygotic reproductive isolation was observed between the indica and japonica subspecies, which showed that the average pollen adhered was less than 5 per stigma in 2/3 inter-subspecific crosses. However, the average number of adherent pollen was more than 5 per stigma in 3/4 intra-subspecific crosses and all the crosses with the wide-compatibility varieties. Various abnormalities of pollen tube growth were observed in inter-subspecific crosses, but not in intra-subspecific crosses and crosses with the wide-compatibility varieties. The amount of the pollen adhered was irrelevant to the fertility in F1 hybrids, indicating that prezygotic and postzygotic reproductive isolation occurred independently. The reduced affinity between the pollens and stigma in indica and japonica subspecies prevents the formation of hybrid zygotes, which contributes to prezygotic reproductive isolation in rice. Our findings provide valuable insight in understanding the mechanism of reproductive isolation and have implications for utilization of heterosis.
A new detector using modified Gauss-Hermite (GH) probability density function (PDF) is proposed for the wavelet-domain image watermarking scheme. It is shown that the proposed PDF matches the empirical one of image wavelet coefficients better than other conventional PDFs such as the generalized Gaussian and Bessel K-form. This is because of the fact that the modified GH PDF utilizes an arbitrary number of higher order moments of the wavelet coefficients instead of considering only the first few for the parameter estimation process. The proposed PDF is then used for designing the statistical detector for a wavelet-based image watermarking algorithm. Experimental results on a standard image database show that the proposed detector provides a higher detection probability and lower false alarm than that provided by the others.
In the work the effect of orientational inhomogeneity of nematic liquid crystals (NLC) on characteristics of diffraction optical elements (DOE), based on the system relief grating-liquid crystal, was considered. The analytical solution for the NLC director and refractive index spatial distribution has been obtained and the diffraction efficiency of the system relief grating-liquid crystal has been calculated for different diffraction orders. As a result, it has been found that inhomogeneous orientation of NLC leads to considerable variation of the diffraction efficiency across the DOE area.
This paper addresses motion noise removal for an earbud-based reflective photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensor. This system can be worn comfortably on the ear for a long time. However, body movements such as walking and running cause signal degradation. To improve signal quality, I propose a novel asynchronous noise removal method using only the right and left PPG signals. It cancels not only uncorrelated noise components but also asynchronous noise components by simply introducing a weight function in the calculation process of a Wiener filter. Experimental results demonstrate that heart rate was successfully measured by this system. The simplicity of the procedure and effectiveness of the proposed method may make current systems more reliable.
This paper presents the results of a systematic laboratory investigation on the static behavior of silica sand containing various amounts of either plastic or nonplastic fines. Specimens were reconstituted using a new technique suitable for element testing of homogeneous specimens of sands containing fines deposited in water (e.g., alluvial deposits, hydraulic fills, tailings dams, and offshore deposits). The fabric of sands containing fines was examined using the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM). Static, monotonic, isotropically consolidated, drained triaxial compression tests were performed to evaluate the stress-strain-volumetric response of these soils. Piezoceramic bender element instrumentation was developed and integrated into a conventional triaxial apparatus; shear-wave velocity measurements were made to evaluate the small-strain stiffness of the sands tested at various states. The intrinsic parameters that characterize critical state, dilatancy, and small-strain stiffness of clean, silty, and clayey sands were determined. All aspects of the mechanical behavior investigated in this study (e.g., stress-strain-volumetric response, shear strength, and small-strain stiffness) are affected by both the amount and plasticity of the fines present in the sand. Microstructural evaluation using the ESEM highlighted the importance of soil fabric on the overall soil response.
Fruit body formation in filamentous fungi is a complex and yet hardly understood process. We show here that protein turnover control is crucial for Aspergillus nidulans development. Deletion of genes encoding COP9 signalosome (CSN) subunits 1, 2, 4, or 5 resulted in identical blocks in fruit body formation. The CSN multiprotein complex controls ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation in eukaryotes. Six CSN subunits interacted in a yeast two-hybrid analysis, and the complete eight-subunit CSN was recruited by a functional tandem affinity purification tag fusion of subunit 5 (CsnE). The tagged CsnE was unable to recruit any CSN subunit in a strain deleted for subunit 1 or subunit 4. Mutations in the JAMM metalloprotease core of CsnE resulted in mutant phenotypes identical to those of csn deletion strains. We propose that a correctly assembled CSN including a functional JAMM links protein turnover to fungal sexual development.
This article examines trends in employer-funded training during the 1980s in relation to the two major theses of employment, the neo-Marxist degrading thesis and the liberal upgrading thesis. We also discuss a third thesis, the bipolarization thesis, which we derive from flexible organization theory. The article distinguishes between the private and public sectors. No support is found in public sectors for the degrading thesis. While the private sector has engaged in a redistribution of training to its lower ranks, no equivalent trend is apparent in the case of the public sector.
Whilemuchof theartworldwasagogover theavantgarde during its ascendancy in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Charles Courtney Curran (18611942) displayed a fond fidelity to his aesthetic in painting pictures of angelicwomenplaced inEdenic settings. Flowers, includingnative species,were alsopart of his sylvan scenes, and the glow of natural light brings them to life in his works. The shimmerof sunlight onwispsofhair fringing the shining faces of his subjects becomes nature’s diadem. Curran’s artistic life began in Hartford, Kentucky, the small settlement of his birth where he was taught basics of drawing and painting from his schoolteacher father. At the onset of the Civil War, the family moved to Sandusky, Ohio, near Lake Erie. His art education continued in 1881 at the McMicken School (which became the Art Academy of Cincinnati in the 1880s), followed by instruction in New York City at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League. In New York, his teachers would include William Merritt Chase and Walter Satterlee. Success came early with his winning a Third Hallgarten Prize from the National Academy of Design in the late 1880s. Around this time he traveled to Paris with his new wife, Grace, who had a starring role in a number of his paintings, including the eye-catching Lotus Lilies, in which she and a cousin are shown boating among
A temperature controlled 10 V, 1Ω and 10 kΩ transportable setup has been developed at National Institute of Metrological Research (INRIM) for the calibration and adjustment of multifunction electrical instruments as digital multimeters (DMMs) and multifunction calibrators (MFCs) and for high level inter-comparisons. The Resistance Standards are made of two 10 Ω and 100 kΩ resistors nets connected in parallel while the 10 V Standard is an ultra-low noise-drift based reference INRIM developed circuit. The project of the setup started from a previous realization revisiting it and adding a 10 V Standard. The resistors net of the 1 Ω is inserted in oil-bath along with the internal side of its connectors lowering the thermo-electromotive forces (emfs). The three Standards are further enclosed in a thermo-regulated copper enclosure and in an external aluminium case. The setup is also equipped with a high insulation switch to select the desired Standard. Preliminary results (3 h relative stabilities ranging from 5×10−8 to 7×10−8 ) and temperature coefficients are satisfactory to the scope of the realization.
Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC  Current success in childhood cancer therapy improves the survival rate of patients but unfortunately not all childhood cancers have shown successful survival rates and still many types of childhood cancer continue to have a poor prognosis. Furthermore due to the poor specificity of cancer therapies almost two-third of childhood cancer survivals experience side effects such as secondary cancers, heart or lung damage, infertility or chronic hepatitis. Therefore a reliable, non-toxic high therapeutic window targeted therapy is urgently needed to treat childhood cancer patients. In our study a novel nanoparticle (HPLN) was used for the treatment of childhood ALL and Ewing's sarcoma. The tumor specific monoclonal antibody was conjugated to the PLN into which Doxorubicin was uptaken using active loading method. AntiCD19 and antiCD99 antibodies were used for targeting of ALL and Ewing tumor, respectively. These tumor specific HPLNs effectively inhibit tumor growth in a murine model of ALL and Ewing's sarcoma. Removal of targeting antibody or drug eliminates the antitumor effects, which proves this anticancer effect of HPLN is very specific to the target cancer cells and dependent upon drug. Additionally, no abnormalities in liver and kidney function tests, complete blood counts or pathology of major organs are observed from tail-vein administrations. These data provide strong evidence for the safety and efficacy of this targeted HPLN delivery system of anticancer drugs to childhood cancer.  Citation Format: HyungGyoo Kang, Violette Shahbazian, Jon Nagy, Timothy Triche. Targeted therapy of childhood ALL and Ewing's sarcoma using antiCD19 (antiCD99)-Hybrid Polymerized Liposomal Nanoparticles (HPLN). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2750. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2750
Deexcitation cross sections of Ne(3P2), Ne(3P1), and Ne(3P0) by CH4, SiH4, GeH4, CF4, and SiF4 have been measured at a mean collisional energy corresponding to room temperature (295 K) and compared systematically with those by other molecules to understand general features of the cross section values dependent on both the electronic states of excited neon atoms and the target molecules. A small difference in the cross section values between metastable atoms, Ne(3P2) and Ne(3P0), and a resonant atom, Ne(3P1), has indicated that Penning ionization by Ne(3P1) is mainly governed by an electron exchange interaction rather than a dipole–dipole interaction. A spatial electron distribution of the outermost orbital of a target molecule is especially of great importance in the determination of the absolute cross section values in the deexcitation of excited neon atoms due to an electron exchange interaction.
ABSTRACT Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are associated with very high rate of adverse cardiovascular outcomes after drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation. The clinical outcomes of second-generation DES versus first-generation DES in CKD patients remain controversial. Objective: The aim of the current study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the safety and efficacy of second-generation DES versus first-generation DES in CKD patients. Methods: A systematical search of databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library was conducted for eligible studies comparing the clinical outcomes of first-generation DES versus second-generation DES. Sirolimus-eluting and paclitaxel-eluting stents were classified as first-generation DES, and everolimus-eluting, zotarolimus-eluting, and biolimus-eluting stent (BES) were classified as second-generation DES. A pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to summary the estimates. Heterogeneity, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis and publication bias were also performed. Results: We identified 14 trials involving 9,542 patients with CKD undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. First-generation DES implantation was associated with higher risk of long-term all-cause mortality (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.02–1.69; P = 0.04; I2 = 0%), in stent restenosis (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.14–2.49; P = 0.008; I2 = 49%) and stent thrombosis (OR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.00–2.69; P = 0.05; I2 = 49%) compared with second-generation DES implantation. First-generation DES and second-generation DES showed similar efficacy in decreasing risk of repeat revascularization, myocardial infarction (MI), or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) between first-generation and second-generation DES implantation. Conclusions: In CKD patients, the use of second-generation DES was associated with lower risk of long-term all-cause mortality, in stent restenosis and stent thrombosis as compared with first-generation DES. No differences were found regarding repeat revascularization, MI, and MACE.
A prominent histopathological feature of Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease, is the presence of lymphocytic infiltrates in the salivary and lachrymal glands. Such infiltrates are comprised of activated lymphocytes and macrophages, and known to produce multiple cytokines including interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). In this study, we have demonstrated that IFN-γ strongly induces the expression of immunoproteasome beta subunits (β1i, β2i and β5i) and immunoproteasome activity but conversely inhibits the expression of proteasome beta subunits (β1, β2 and β5) in human salivary gland (HSG) cells. Mass spectrometric analysis has revealed potential MHC I-associated peptides on the HSG cells, including a tryptic peptide derived from salivary amylase, due to IFN-γ stimulation. These results suggest that IFN-γ induces immunoproteasomes in HSG cells, leading to enhanced presentation of MHC I-associated peptides on cell surface. These peptide-presenting salivary gland cells may be recognized and targeted by auto-reactive T lymphocytes. We have also found that lactacystin, a proteasome inhibitor, inhibits the expression of β1 subunit in HSG cells and blocks the IFN-γ-induced expression of β1i and immunoproteasome activity. However, the expression of β2i and β5i in HSG cells is not affected by lactacystin. These results may add new insight into the mechanism regarding how lactacystin blocks the action of proteasomes or immunoproteasomes.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti‐osteosarcoma effects and mechanisms of 4‐O‐amino‐phenol‐4′‐demethylepipodophyllotoxin ether (ODE), a new derivative of podophyllotoxin. The results showed that ODE inhibited proliferation of K562, OS‐9901, CNE, BGC‐823 and Tca‐8113 cells in a time‐ and concentration‐dependent manner as determined by microculture tetrazolium (MTT) assay. OS‐9901 and K562 cells treated with ODE for 24h showed cell cycle arrest at G2/M and a parallel decrease in G0/G1 and S phase as detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Meanwhile, a fraction of cells with hypodiploid DNA content representing apoptosis were detected by FCM. Morphology observation also revealed typical apoptotic features, including shrinkage of cellular and nuclear membranes, condensed heterochromatin around the nuclear periphery and cytoplasmic vacuolation in OS‐9901 cells. Under a confocal laser scanning microscope, intracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations were greatly increased whereas the pH value, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were markedly reduced in OS‐9901 cells after treatment with ODE. Taken together, these results suggest that the anti‐osteosarcoma mechanisms of ODE are attributed to apoptosis through increasing intracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+ concentrations, and reducing pH value, MMP and ROS.
Had the Indian economy were a person, its income in 2020-21 and 2021-22 would be much less than what it was in 2019-20. This is what the recent World Bank predictions says. There is vast, perhaps unparalleled, economic pain ahead.  The World Bank released its Global Economic Prospects report in the second week of June, expecting India’s gross domestic product (GDP) to contract by 3.2% in 2020-21. A moderate recovery growth is expected from 3.1% in 2021-22. India is not the only country which will face this quandary. As per the statistics, generally March and April each contributes to the sales turnover of 12% every year, but March 2020 has witnessed a downfall of 55% year on year amidst the corona- induced lockdown. Undoubtedly, the pandemic has a tremendous impact on these, but the industry certainly needs to cope us with the current situation and some key transitions should be made in their approach to sales, logistics, marketing to customer service. So, as an investor we need to know how the consumption market was just before the Covid-19 hit the Indian premise. The consumption industry is further segregates into durable, non-durable goods and services industry.   This paper compares the price volatility of the stock prices of three firms who are into consumer goods with its related NSE Nifty consumption index. Data has been taken from NSE website and the time period of the study is 2015-2019. The data has further been treated with time series analysis using multiple regression which tries to test whether there is any connect between the trends of the stock prices of firms vis-à-vis the Nifty index of the sector. The study also attempts to identify patterns between the regressor and the regressands.
Objective  To investigate the central nervous system mechanisms of active of movement switch in the patients with Tourette’s syndrome（TS）, and to explore the possible underlying distinct neural networks for tic trigger and generation.      Methods  Participants were 14 patients with TS and 14 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers with no history of physical, psychiatric or neurological disease. All patients were assessed with functional magnetic resonances imaging (fMRI) of the brain during the intermittent performance of finger-tapping switch tasks, Blood-oxygen-level dependent-fMRI was performed using a 3.0 Tesla MR. The area over which the activation was distributed was calculated，and the activation volumes were also compared between the patients with TS and the control subjects.      Results  The regions activated in the patients with TS and in the volunteers were similar in several brain regions, including contralateral precentral and postcentral gyrus, contralateral mesia pre-front gyrus, contralateral cingulate gyrus, contralateral insula and ipsilataral cerebellum. There were also many different activation areas between the patients and the control subjects. The patients with TS demonstrated more significant and extended activation in the contralateral pre- and postcentral gyrus than the healthy volunteers. The volume of the left pre- and postcentral gyrus of the TS patients was （8.024±0.071） cm3, while the volume of the left pre-and postcentral gyrus of the control subjects was （6.480±0.026） cm3 (t=3.026, P<0.01)；The volume of the right pre- and postcentral gyrus was（6.192±0.019） cm3 in the TS cases, while there was （5.608±0.037） cm3 in the control subjects (t=2.752, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the volumes of bilateral pre- and postcetral gyrus between the TS and control subjects. The activations of conralateral thalamus without contralateral insula were found in the patients with TS. Conversely, the contralateral insula activation without thalamus activation could be found in the healthy volunteers.      Conclusion  The thalamus might play an important role in the aetiological and physiopathologic mechanisms of the TS. The thalamus along with the parietal cortex, cingulate cortex and insular cortex appear to constitute a distinct neural network for tic trigger and generation.      Key words:  Tourette syndrome; Gyrus cinguli; Parietal lobe; Magnetic resonance imaging
This article discusses the role of state, nation, and empire in the formation and early development of the US. While recent debates on empire have mainly focused on current US foreign policy and global power, this historical analysis shows that the founding and early development of an American nation-state was driven by empire-building. A discussion of the dynamic relationship between empire-building and nation-state formation in Europe generates the general framework for the application of these concepts to the historical development of the US. The entanglement of empire-building and nation-state formation undermines the argument that American political development is somehow exceptional, putting the formation of the US in the context of similar dynamics elsewhere.
Borehole measurements coupled with phase information from Zoeppritz equation modeling has assisted in accurate correlation between a VSP converted S-wave section and both the surface and VSP P-wave sections from southern Alberta. For the most part, both the character and polarities of the sections agree; however, there are some differences. Some reflections are stronger and more distinct on the S-wave section than on the P-wave section. Spectral analysis of the time‐domain upgoing P-wave and S-wave energy shows that the frequency content of the S-waves is comparable to the P-waves. Thus, the slower velocity S-waves have a shorter wavelenght and provide better vertical resolution of some interfaces. Other upgoing S-wave modes can interfere with the P‐SV mode and contribute to the differences between the P- and S-wave sections. The match between P-wave and S-wave velocities (VP and VS), determined from VSP traveltime inversion and the full‐waveform sonic log, is best in the Paleozoic carbonate section; ther...
If the view is accepted that any nervous disorder or unstable nervous condition in the parent may be an antecedent of some very different type of nervous disorder or disease in the offspring, then perhaps it can be said that multiple sclerosis is, at least in some cases, a familial disease. But this is not the generally accepted view concerning what constitutes a familial disease. If, however, the same disease which one member of a family has occurs with sufficient frequency in other members, it can safely be surmised that the disease in question is a familial disease. Multiple sclerosis does not occur with sufficient frequency in families to justify calling it a familial disease, although many cases have been reported as occurring in different members of the same family. There has recently come under our observation a family in which multiple sclerosis has appeared in three generations and in
A simulation algorithm was developed to analyze the performance of the binary phase shift key (BPSK) Costas loop coupled to the symbol sync loop (SSL). This algorithm was developed using COMDISCO's Signal Processing Work System. Inputs to the algorithm included the signal parameters and receiver specifications, such as Costas and symbol sync loop bandwidths and update rates. The analysis was performed for various signal-to-noise ratios and loop parameters. The bit-error rate (BER), the SSL, Costas loop tracking variances, and the receiver acquisition time results include the two-way coupling effects between the Costas loop and the symbol sync loop. To provide statistical stability, final results were generated by averaging the simulation outputs; using various random noise seeds, initial carrier phases, and symbol timings. The tracking variance and BER results were further compared to their theoretical and experimental counterparts. This comparison has shown that simulation results are within 0.25 dB of their theoretical and experimental counterparts. Based on these results, the simulation models can be used for predicting the demodulator's performance under various tracking conditions.<<ETX>>
Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) provides financial compensation to land owners who avoid converting standing forests to other land uses. In this paper, we review the main opportunities and challenges for REDD+ implementation, including expectations for REDD+ to deliver on multiple environmental and societal cobenefits. We also highlight a recent case study, the Norway–Indonesia REDD+ agreement and discuss how it might be a harbinger of outcomes in other forest‐rich nations seeking REDD+ funds. Looking forward, we critically examine the fundamental assumptions of REDD+ as a solution for the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gas emissions and tropical deforestation. We conclude that REDD+ is currently the most promising mechanism driving the conservation of tropical forests. Yet, to emerge as a true game changer, REDD+ must still demonstrate that it can access low transaction cost and high‐volume carbon markets or funds, while also providing or complimenting a suite of nonmonetary incentives to encourage a developing nation's transition from forest losing to forest gaining, and align with, not undermine, a globally cohesive attempt to mitigate anthropogenic climate change.
Abstract Background Lassa fever is endemic in large parts of West Africa. The recommended antiviral treatment is ribavirin. Two treatment regimens are currently endorsed in Nigeria: the “McCormick regimen” based on a study published in 1986 and the “Irrua regimen” constituting a simplified schedule developed at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Evidence for the safety and efficacy of ribavirin in Lassa fever patients is poor and pharmacokinetic data for both regimens are lacking Methods Polymerase chain reaction-confirmed Lassa fever patients with mild to moderate disease severity were invited to participate in this prospective, observational pharmacokinetic study. Pharmacokinetics of ribavirin, clinical, virologic, and clinical laboratory parameters were assessed. Results Using a population pharmacokinetic approach, plasma concentrations of ribavirin were best described by a 3-compartment model. Drug exposure was remarkably consistent between participants. Overall, drug clearance was 28.5% lower in female compared with male participants. Median (5th-95th percentile) time above half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 37.3% (16.9%–73.1%), 16.7% (8.2%–58.5%), and 9.6% (4.9%–38.4%) on days 1, 7, and 8, respectively. Clinical laboratory parameters indicated reduction of cell damage and development of hemolytic anemia in the course of the treatment period. Conclusions This observational study characterizes the pharmacokinetics of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever indicating consistent exposure across patients. Whereas only a short time interval of concentrations above the IC50 implies rather low antiviral efficacy in vivo, the prominent reduction of cell damage markers might point to indirect—potentially anti-inflammatory—effects of ribavirin. The role of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever requires further scrutiny.
THIS year's meeting of the Association française pour l'avanement des Sciences was held at Lyons, and opened on the same day as the meeting of the British Association at York. On August 1, Prof. G. Lippmann, the president of the French association, delivered his presidential address,1 and by a significant coincidence dealt with the want of respect accorded to scientific research by French manufacturers and merchants on the same day that Prof. E. Ray Lankester was directing the attention of the visitors to York to the “less widespread interest than formerly in natural history and general science, outside the strictly professional arena of the school and university.”
Tumor progression requires a crosstalk with the tumor surrounding, where the tumor matrix plays an essential role. We recently reported that only the matrix delivered by a CD44v6-competent (ASMLwt), but not that of a CD44v6-deficient (ASML-CD44vkd) rat pancreatic adenocarcinoma line supports metastasis formation. We here describe that this matrix provides an important feedback toward the tumor cell and that CD44v6 accounts for orchestrating signals received from the matrix. ASMLwt cells contain more hyaluronan synthase-3 and secrete higher amounts of >50 kDa HA than ASML-CD44vkd cells, which secrete more hyaluronidase. Only the ASMLwt-matrix supports migration and apoptosis resistance, which both can be initiated via CD44v6, c-Met, and α6β4 ligand binding and proceed via FAK, PI3K/Akt, and MAPK activation, respectively. However, c-Met- and α6β4-initiated signaling are strongly augmented by the association with CD44v6 as only very weak effects are observed in CD44v6-deficient cells. The same CD44v6-dependent convergence of motility- and apoptosis resistance-related signals also accounts for human tumor lines. Thus, CD44v6 promotes motility and apoptosis resistance via its involvement in assembling a matrix that, in turn, triggers activation of signaling cascades, which proceeds, independent of the initiating receptor-ligand interaction, in a concerted action via CD44v6.
Taiwan is located on a route where typhoons often strike. Each year, the strong winds accompanying typhoons are a substantial threat and cause significant damage. However, because the terrains of high mountains in Taiwan vary greatly, when a typhoon passes the Central Mountain Range (CMR), the wind speed of typhoons becomes difficult to predict. This research had two primary objectives: (1) to develop data-driven techniques and a powerful artificial neural network (ANN) model to predict the highly complex nonlinear wind systems in western Taiwan; and, (2) to investigate the accuracy of wind speed predictions at various locations and for various durations in western Taiwan when the track of westward typhoons is affected by the complex geographical shelters and disturbances of the CMR. This study developed a typhoon wind speed prediction model that evaluated various typhoon tracks (covering Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4 tracks, as defined by the Central Weather Bureau), and evaluated the prediction accuracy at Hsinchu, Wuqi, and Kaohsiung Stations in western Taiwan. Back propagation neural networks (BPNNs) were employed to establish wind speed prediction models, and a linear regression model was adopted as the benchmark to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the BPNNs. The results were as follows: (1) The BPNNs generally had favorable performance in predicting wind speeds and their performances were superior to linear regressions; (2) when absolute errors were adopted to evaluate the prediction performances, the predictions at Hsinchu Station were the most accurate, whereas those at Wuqi Station were the least accurate; however, when relative errors were adopted, the predictions at Hsinchu Station were again the most accurate, whereas those at Kaohsiung were the least accurate; and, (3) regarding the relative error rates for the maximum wind speed of Types 2, 3, and 4 typhoons, Wuqi, Kaohsiung, and Wuqi had the most accurate performance, respectively; as for maximum wind time error (ETM) for Types 2, 3, and 4 typhoons, Kaohsiung, Wuqi, and Wuqi correspondingly performed the most favorably.
The use of a compact recirculation system for rearing rainbow trout is described. An 8-month experiment showed that up to 75 kg offish could be maintained in a healthy condition in a 1600-liter tank using a make-up water rate of only 1.0 liter/min. Temperature, oxygen, pH, ammonia nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen levels were satisfactorily controlled. An average weight gain of 8% per week was achieved with a feed rate of 2% of body weight per day. Fish mortality was insignificant.
Objective: We report a patient in whom direct puncture of the superior ophthalmic vein for a cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula led to rapidly progressing thrombosis and postoperative non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-ION), and review the pathogenesis. Case Presentation: A 74-year-old female. Detailed examination of diplopia and visual disorder suggested a cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula. As approaching via a posterior route was difficult, transvenous embolization by direct puncture of the superior ophthalmic vein was performed. As drainage routes were aggregated around this vein, thrombosis of this vein occurred, inducing postoperative NA-ION through a rapid change in hemodynamics. Conclusion: When performing direct puncture of the superior ophthalmic vein, puncture methods and heparinization should be considered after sufficiently investigating drainage routes.
We present a simple analytical model for the determination of the stable phases of strained heteroepitaxial systems in (1 + 1) dimensions. In order for this model to be consistent with a subsequent dynamic treatment, all expressions are adjusted to an atomistic Lennard-Jones system. Good agreement is obtained when the total energy is assumed to consist of two contributions: the surface energy and the elastic energy. As a result, we determine the stable phases as a function of the main "control parameters" (binding energies, coverage, and lattice mismatch). We find that there exists no set of parameters leading to an array of islands as a stable configuration. We, however, show that a slight modification of the model can lead to the formation of stable arrays of islands.
In the development of the electron beam projection lithography (EPL) tool, one of the most important tasks is to develop the high-speed vacuum stage system and reliable vacuum body system. Nikon has a long history of over 22 years in precision stage development for its optical lithography tools as well as over 10 years in electron beam (EB) instrument development such as EB 60 with NTT. Recently, lithography stages have been developed based on air bearing and linear motor technologies. It is desirable and of minimum risk to utilize those technologies for the EPL system in order to shorten total time period of development, but the requirements for the EB stage and body are much different from their optical counterparts and much more difficult. In this paper, development and implementation of the EPL vacuum stage system, vacuum body system, vacuum loader system, and control system are discussed and overviewed.
Multiple instance learning is a recently researched learning paradigm in machine intelligence which operates under conditions of uncertainty. A Multiple Instance Hidden Markov Model (MI-HMM) is investigated with applications to landmine detection using ground penetrating radar data. Without introducing any additional parameters, the MI-HMM provides an elegant and simple way to learn the parameters of an HMM in a multiple instance framework. The efficacy of the model is shown on a real landmine dataset. Experiments on the landmine dataset show that MI-HMM learning is effective.
Bronchiolitis is the most common lower respiratory infection disease in infants and children.The main pathogen of bronchiolitis is respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), which is closely related to the occurrence of asthma.By far, the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis has not yet been fully elucidated.There is also no specific treatment for bronchiolitis.Recent studies have found that mesenchymal stem cells has strong advantages in reducing airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness and airway damage repair and other aspects.This review mainly summarizes the association between bronchiolitis immunological mechanisms and mesenchymal stem cells.      Key words:  Bronchitis; Mesenchymal stem cell; Respiratory syncytial virus
Seismic event detection and phase picking are the base of many seismological workflows. In recent years, several publications demonstrated that deep learning approaches significantly outperform classical approaches, achieving human‐like performance under certain circumstances. However, as studies differ in the datasets and evaluation tasks, it is unclear how the different approaches compare to each other. Furthermore, there are no systematic studies about model performance in cross‐domain scenarios, that is, when applied to data with different characteristics. Here, we address these questions by conducting a large‐scale benchmark. We compare six previously published deep learning models on eight data sets covering local to teleseismic distances and on three tasks: event detection, phase identification and onset time picking. Furthermore, we compare the results to a classical Baer‐Kradolfer picker. Overall, we observe the best performance for EQTransformer, GPD and PhaseNet, with a small advantage for EQTransformer on teleseismic data. Furthermore, we conduct a cross‐domain study, analyzing model performance on data sets they were not trained on. We show that trained models can be transferred between regions with only mild performance degradation, but models trained on regional data do not transfer well to teleseismic data. As deep learning for detection and picking is a rapidly evolving field, we ensured extensibility of our benchmark by building our code on standardized frameworks and making it openly accessible. This allows model developers to easily evaluate new models or performance on new data sets. Furthermore, we make all trained models available through the SeisBench framework, giving end‐users an easy way to apply these models.
There is a huge energy-saving potential for building, and the building usually have flexible adjustable resources, such as photovoltaic power generation system, air-conditioning system and lighting system, etc. The construction of building integrated energy management system can promote building energy efficiency, reduce building user’s energy expenditure, in addition which can help the power system to improve its energy efficiency. This paper designed the communication architecture of building integrated energy management system on the basis of wireless sensor network, which improves the convenience and reliability of building internal information interaction; In view of the business demand about typical energy-using equipment energy efficiency management and flexible adjustable resources participating in demand response in the building, the function architecture of integrated energy management system was researched. By trial-manufacture the building integrated energy management system, the proposed communication architecture and function architecture conform to the actual demand of building energy efficiency and demand response.
The issue of civilian protection by international actors has gone through significant evolutions over the last decade, with a particular resonance in the African context. First, civilian protection by peacekeepers has become increasingly mainstreamed both in policy documents and in African peacekeeping operations’ mandates. In parallel, civilian protection lies at the core of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) adopted by the 2005 UN World Summit. This parallel conceptual development has led to a rapprochement between the two emerging norms. Issue-linkage between RtoP and civilian protection in peacekeeping operations has been observed in the broad policy development, while peacekeeping operations in Darfur and Cote d’Ivoire in particular have provided examples of such a rapprochement. Drawing on developments on the African continent, this article argues that issue-linkage between RtoP and civilian protection in peacekeeping is counterproductive. First, RtoP is characterized by its exceptional nature and narrow agenda – in relation to the four threshold crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing – while the civilian protection in peacekeeping agenda is broad-ranging. Second, the two concepts imply different degrees of use of force that should justify a conceptual caesura. Third, both RtoP and civilian protection in peacekeeping are emerging norms that are resisted because of a suspicion of norm-makers’ political agendas. The contentious nature of the two concepts, in particular the coercive dimension of RtoP, is such that issue-linkage is likely to exacerbate norms’ resistance rather than provide a mutually reinforcing environment.
This article critically explores Nuno Venturinha’s project of capturing how we are situated in reality, a project grounded in the conviction that the closure of knowledge and the openness of experience are compatible. To this end, I will explore how an approach complementary to Venturinha’s method—one which regards the passive and the active in knowledge as rooted in a single, underlying original form of consciousness—would deal with the issue of justifying contingency without falling into either scepticism or empiricism.
A smart fuzzy logic controller system is presented to protect the crops from frost damage that occurs every year. The system is a fully automated system to predict the frost and to protect the crops using wireless sensor network technology. The sensors are used to collect crops data and transmit these data to the fuzzy controller. After that, the fuzzy controller will decide the proper action to be taken in order to protect the crops. The frost protection mechanism used here is a solid fuel burner that generates an artificial smoke cloud. The conducted simulations have shown that the system can successfully handle the frost problem at critical weather situations. This is achieved by keeping the ground surface temperature above the freezing temperature, and therefore saving the crops from being injured. In order to reduce the system energy consumption requirements, different approaches are presented during the simulation process.
This paper establishes the three-wheel mobile robot kinematics model based on the research on its structure and working principle. A novel algorithm is developed for the trajectory tracking and posture stabilization of three-wheel mobile robot using contractive model, which address stability by adding terminal state penalties in the performance index and imposing constraints on the terminal state, it can predict future system behavior and penalize the system tracking error and the control effort. Intensive experiments studies have been made to check validity of the proposed algorithm. The results show that the control algorithm has the capability of simultaneous trajectory tracking and stabilization.
Following the approval of rhGH (Nutropin®) by the FDA in 11/94 the CRI arm of NAPRTCS was established to longitudinally track all children with CRI. The D arm of NAPRTCS was established in 1/92. Between 1/92 and 9/95 1998 children < 21 years of age were entered into the D arm and between 11/94 and 9/95 1316 were entered into the CRI arm. The incidence of GR (SDS more negative than - 1.88 - below the 3rd centile on the growth curve) was 40.4% and 35.6% in the D and CRI arms respectively. However, of the GR children only 26.7% and 28.2% in the D and CRI arms respectively were receiving rhGH. Potential factors accounting for the low incidence of rhGH treatment include:(1) lack of access to reimbursement; (2) patient age - < 6 months of age, pubertal adolescents, closed epiphysis; (3) Parental reluctance - fear of malignancy, reluctance to give “shots”, lack of concern regarding short stature; (4) lack of acceptance by Endocrinologist consultant regarding treatment of GR children with CRI. Approaches to address impediments to initiation of rhGH treatment in growth retarded children with CRI and on dialysis should be developed.
performance of UAVs, thus a multifunctional solution where the energy harvesting system can be designed into the aircraft and used as a structural member can provide increased performance over the traditional design. The authors have recently proposed the concept of multifunctional self-charging structures containing piezoelectric layers for energy generation and thin-lm battery layers for energy storage. Integration of these multifunctional structures into the wing spar of a UAV presents the ability to not only harvest and store energy, but support structural loading in the wing. In this paper, the electromechanical modeling of a wing spar with embedded energy harvesting and storage ability is investigated. A coupled electromechanical model based on the assumed modes method is developed to predict the vibration response and voltage response of a cantilevered wing spar excited under harmonic base excitation. Experiments are performed on a representative wing spar with embedded self-charging structures and the results are used to verify the electromechanical model. The electrical performance of the representative spar is also investigated by examining the variation of the peak voltage, current, and electrical power with load resistance for the fundamental short-circuit and open-circuit resonant frequencies of the device.
A mimetic discretization of the Abelian Chern-Simons theory is presented. The study relies on the formulation of a theory of differential forms in the lattice, including a consistent definition of the Hodge duality operation. Explicit expressions for the Gauss Linking Number in the lattice, which correspond to their continuum counterparts are given. A discussion of the discretization of metric structures in the space of transverse vector densities is presented. The study of these metrics could serve to obtain explicit formulae for knot an link invariants in the lattice.
In this paper, a novel method is used to detect smoke from video sequences, which combines the traditional smoke detection algorithm with the current popular lightweight convolutional neural network. The method of combining artificial smoke feature extraction with neural network automatic smoke feature extraction is adopted. The lightweight neural network MobileNet model is reconstructed and trained to solve the problem of smoke detection classification. Compared with the current popular smoke detection algorithm, this method had better real- time performance, improved the smoke detection accuracy effectively and reduced the false alarm rate of smoke detection.
T tHE struggle now going on in Korea may be regarded as a compound of four distinct wars, each of which has different international implications. There is first of all a civil war between Communist and anti-Communist Koreans; though this would naturally arouse strong sympathies abroad on either side according to the prevailing political ideology of each country, it would be by itself an internal affair of Korea, not a war between States, and would not provide or justification for any external intervention. But the Korean civil war is also a war between North Korea and South Korea, two organized States which were divided by a clearly defined frontier, and one of which had been brought into being under the auspices of the United Nations. This second aspect of the war gave the conflict an international character; it rendered possible an appeal to the United Nations and thus led to an extension of the war in which the United Nations as an institution, and in particular the members who voted for or accepted the Security Council's resolution condemning North Korea, were ranged against the defiant North Korean aggressor. Finally, as a part of this general United Nations action against North Korea, but to be distinguished from it in its moral and political effect, was the actual military campaign of non-Korean United Nations forces in Korea-at first exclusively, and later, mainly American, with the recent addition of British and Australian contingents, and, since the middle of October, of Turkish, Philippine, and Canadian units. The decision of the United Nations gave the action to protect South Korea the character of a universal enterprise transcending all divisions between the continents or between East and West; except for the Communist States which had aided and abetted North Korea's aggression, the whole world as represented in the United Nations was united in condemning it, and India's vote at the crucial meeting of the Security Council was particularly significant in this respect. On the other hand, the fact that United Nations intervention in Korea has so far been carried out in the military sphere almost entirely by American and European troops has inevitably had the effect of making it appear to Asian minds as an external interference in Asia by non-Asians, and has even given colour to the allegation that the United Nations is merely being used as cover for a revival of Western imperialism in a new form. Communist propaganda has thus been provided with a very favourable opportunity for exploiting against the West those widespread sentiments and emotions summed up in the slogan 'Asia for the Asians'. The Soviet Union has in any case an advantage over the nations of Europe and the Americas in relation to feelings of pani8
Background: Oxygen is one of the most commonly prescribed medicines in secondary care.BTS Emergency oxygen guidelines(2008) highlight the importance of oxygen being prescribed on medication charts including flow rate and target saturations.A number of patients will be discharged with home oxygen therapy.Discharge documentation is provided to both patient and GP includes discharge medications.It is unknown if home oxygen therapy is consistently on discharge documentation including flow rate,hours per day of use and target saturation. Aim: To evaluate discharge documentation at St Barts hospital (SBH) and Royal London hospital (RLH) for patients newly prescribed home oxygen therapy Method: Adult patients,newly prescribed home oxygen therapy on discharge from RLH or SBH between May to October 2015 were included.Paediatric patients and patients newly commenced on home oxygen in clinic or community were excluded.The electronic patient records (EPR) system was used to obtain the discharge documentation. Results: 37 patients were newly prescribed home oxygen during the six month period,76% had “home oxygen therapy” documented in the discharge documentation.However all documentation had this in the free text summary section,unlike other medications documented in table format with clear dosage and frequency.Hence 43% of discharge documentation stated a flow rate,21% hours per day of oxygen use and 7% a target saturation range. 46% had identified clinic follow up and 7% mentioned a home follow up. Conclusion: Home oxygen therapy is a medication however patients newly commenced on home oxygen therapy commonly do not have a flow rate or hours per day of use documented on discharge documentation.
This paper presents a new method of constructing, certain classes of solutions of a system of partial differential equations (PDEs) describing the non-stationary and isentropic flow for an ideal compressible fluid. A generalization of the symmetry reduction method to the case of partially-invariant solutions (PISs) has been formulated. We present a new algorithm for constructing PISs and discuss in detail the necessary conditions for the existence of non-reducible PISs. All these solutions have the defect structure and are computed from four-dimensional symmetric subalgebras. These theoretical considerations are illustrated by several examples. Finally, some new classes of invariant solutions obtained by the symmetry reduction method are included. These solutions represent central, conical, rational, spherical, cylindrical and non-scattering double waves.
Selenomonas ruminantium is one of the more prominent and functionally diverse bacteria present in the rumen and can survive under a wide range of nutritional fluctuations. Selenomonas is not a degrader of complex polysaccharides associated with dietary plant cell wall components, but is important in the utilization of soluble carbohydrates released from initial hydrolysis of these polymers by other ruminal bacteria. Selenomonads have multiple carbon flow routes for carbohydrate catabolism and ATP generation, and subspecies differ in their ability to use lactate. Some soluble carbohydrates (glucose, sucrose) appear to be transported via the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system, while arabinose and xylose are transported by proton symport. High cell yields and the presence of electron transport components in Selenomonas strains has been documented repeatedly and this may partially account for the energy partitioning observed between energy consumed for growth and maintenance functions. Most strains can utilize ammonia, protein, and/or amino acids as a nitrogen source. Some strains can hydrolyze urea and/or reduce nitrate and use the ammonia for the biosynthesis of amino acids. Experimental evidence suggests that ammonia assimilatory enzymes in some strains may possess unique properties with respect to other presumably similar bacteria. Little is known about the genetics of ruminal selenomonads. Plasmid DNA has been isolated from some strains, but it is unknown what physiological functions may be encoded on these extrachromosomal elements. Due to the predominance of S. ruminantium in the rumen, it is an ideal candidate for genetic manipulation. Once the genetics of this bacterium are better understood, it may be possible to amplify its role in the rumen.
Microwave-assisted hydroglycolysis of poly(ethylene terephthalate) using an excess of methanol, ethanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, and 1-hexanol in the presence of different simple basic catalysts, namely, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium acetate, and zinc acetate, is reported. Reactions were performed at short times without any side reactions, namely, oxidation of ethylene glycol. The products terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol were obtained in their pure form with sufficiently high yields with potassium hydroxide. The purified product was characterized by IR and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The process of hydroglycolysis reported here is economically viable since yields of recycled products are high, and it has potential for further improvement to produce useful products. This process is of economic interest because much of the raw materials can be recovered and used for virgin PET resin synthesis. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 25:242–246, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20080
The use of inorganic fertilizers with high doses is not recommended in the sustainable maize production program. The present study aimed to evaluate soil chemical properties and growth of maize plants treated with several types of manure to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in sandy soil. An experiment was conducted in dryland with pumped deep-well water in Gumantar Village, North Lombok Regency, from May to July 2021. There were three types of manure tested: cow, poultry, and goat manures (20 ton/ha) treated with and without BeKa decomposer. All the manure treatments received 75% of chemical fertilizers applied in the control treatment (500 kg of urea and 380 kg/ha of NPK Phonska). The treatments were arranged in a randomized block design with three replicates. The results showed that the poultry manure treatments, with and without decomposer, increased soil pH significantly. This increase improved soil chemical properties, such as available P and K. Plant height, stem diameter, leaf area index at silking, and total N in leaf tissue, were not significantly different among the treatments. These results showed that the application of manures, with or without decomposer, could substitute 25% of the inorganic fertilizers needed by maize plants grown in sandy soil.
We consider random patterns on the N-sphere which are uniformly distributed with the exception of a single symmetry-breaking orientation, along which they are Gaussian distributed. The unsupervised recognition of this orientation by different learning rules is studied in the large-N limit using the replica method. The model is simple enough to be analytically tractable and rich enough to exhibit most of the phenomena observed with other pattern distributions. A learning algorithm based on the minimization of a cost function is identified which reaches the upper theoretical limit imposed by the optimal (Bayes-) learning scenario. An implementation of this algorithm is proposed and tested numerically.
The advent of digital media and availability of modern technology/contemporary techniques has not only helped content creators but also raised serious security concerns about acts of illicit copying and manipulation, which breach rightful ownership, due to the possibility of exact replication of multimedia contents and their swift distribution through open networks. Modern digital watermarking techniques provide an answer to this problem. A novel, scaleable and improved transform domain blind digital watermarking technique is proposed that can be utilized for multi-purpose multimedia applications. The system, designed to generate highly random watermarks, ensures imperceptibility and difficult unauthorized detection. Furthermore, considerations of psycho-visual and domain specific redundancies improve the data payload and prove robustness claims against various attacks.
Acid/base homeostasis is one of the most difficult subdisciplines of physiology for medical students to master. A different approach, where theory and practice are linked, might help students develop a deeper understanding of acid/base homeostasis. We therefore set out to develop a laboratory exercise in acid/base physiology that would provide students with unambiguous and reproducible data that clearly would illustrate the theory in practice. The laboratory exercise was developed to include both metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis. Data were collected from 56 groups of medical students that had participated in this laboratory exercise. The acquired data showed very consistent and solid findings after the development of both metabolic acidosis and respiratory alkalosis. All results were consistent with the appropriate diagnosis of the acid/base disorder. Not one single group failed to obtain data that were compatible with the diagnosis; it was only the degree of acidosis/alkalosis and compensation that varied.
Tissue engineering (TE) approaches using biomaterials have gain important roles in the regeneration of cartilage. This paper describes the production by microfluidics of alginate-based microfibers containing both extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived biomaterials and chondrocytes. As ECM components gelatin or decellularized urinary bladder matrix (UBM) were investigated. The effectiveness of the composite microfibers has been tested to modulate the behavior and redifferentiation of dedifferentiated chondrocytes. The complete redifferentiation, at the single-cell level, of the chondrocytes, without cell aggregate formation, was observed after 14 days of cell culture. Specific chondrogenic markers and high cellular secretory activity was observed in embedded cells. Notably, no sign of collagen type 10 deposition was determined. The obtained data suggest that dedifferentiated chondrocytes regain a functional chondrocyte phenotype when embedded in appropriate 3D scaffold based on alginate plus gelatin or UBM. The proposed scaffolds are indeed valuable to form a cellular microenvironment mimicking the in vivo ECM, opening the way to their use in cartilage TE.
A set of T cell clones (TCC) isolated from HLA-DR-, Dw-, DQ-matched allogeneic MLCs was found to proliferate autonomously when stimulated with cells carrying a wide range of class I or II specificities. This apparently unrestricted proliferation was relatively weak, and only low levels of IL-2 were present in the supernatants of stimulated cells. Autologous as well as allogeneic PBMC and B lymphoblastoid cell lines (B-LCL) were capable of stimulating such clones, which were also restimulated by suppressive, but not by helper, TCC. Moreover, such clones displayed the unusual property of autostimulation. mAb inhibition experiments suggested that class II- or class II-restricted antigens were involved in stimulation. Thus, certain "broad" mAbs (TU39, SG520) reacting with multiple locus products inhibited activation of these reagents, but none of those reacting more specifically with DR (TU34, TU37, L243, Q2/70, SG157), DQ (TU22, SPV- L3, Leu 10), or DP (B7/21), or mixtures of these mAbs, were able to do so. Evidence from sequential immunoprecipitation experiments suggested that mAb TU39 bound class II-like molecules other than DR, DQ, and DP on TCC and B-LCL, and it is therefore proposed that such putative novel class II-like molecules may carry the stimulating determinants for these autoreactive clones. DY-reactive clones lacked helper activity for B cells but mediated potent suppressive activity on T cell proliferative responses that was not restricted by the HLA type of the responding cells. Suppressive activity was induced in normal PBMC by such clones, as well as by independent suppressive clones, which was also inhibited only by mAb TU39. These findings lead to the proposal that DY-reactive autostimulatory cells may constitute a self- maintaining suppressive circuit, the level of activity of which would be regulated primarily by the availability of IL-2 in the microenvironment.
This study investigates the differences in preference for different forms of participation between Chinese Americans and American Caucasians. Results show that the Chinese A mericans differ significantly in the way in which they would like to exert influence in the work place. Implications for managerial practices are discussed.        Resume    Cette etude analyse les differences de preferences relatives aux diverses formes de participation chez les Sino-americains et les Caucasiens americains. Les resultats deemontrent que les Sino-americains different tres sensiblement dans la facon dont ils veulent influencer leur milieu de travail. Les repercussions de ces differences sur les methodes de gestion sont egalement discutees.
Background: Escherichia coli is the main bacterium associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs), including cystitis and pyelonephritis. Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) harbors numerous genes that encode diverse virulence factors contributing to its pathogenicity. The treatment of UTIs has become complicated due to the natural selection of E. coli strains that are multiresistant to several groups of antibiotics regularly used in clinical settings such as hospitals. Genomic reports of the global composition and distribution of the antibiotic resistance and virulence genes of these pathogenic strains are lacking in the Mexican population. Purpose and methods: The aim of this study was to globally characterize the genomes of a group of UPEC strains by massive parallel sequencing to determine the prevalence and distribution of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes associated with different serotypes and phylogenetic groups. Results: The strains exhibited 138-197 virulence genes and 29 antibiotic resistance genes related to antibiotics that are commonly used in clinical practice. Conclusions: These findings are relevant to the definition of new strategies for treating urinary tract infections in public hospitals and private practice. To further define the epidemiological distribution and composition of these virulence and antibiotic resistance genes, larger studies are needed.
This study establishes that under conditions of epitaxial Si deposition, embedded Ti-silicide nanostructures undergo shape transitions and migrate upward to the surface during capping with a thin epitaxial Si layer. Many of these structures display a near-hemispherical shape which is attributed to minimization of their surface and interface energies. The density and size of the nanostructures are observed to be temperature-dependent. The buried islands induce inhomogeneous stress profiles on the capping layer surface. Atomic-force micrographs of the islands show square holes at the surface aligned along [110] directions which suggests that the sloping surfaces of the pits approximate to (111) surfaces, and the silicide interface is also facetted to match Si (111) planes. Cross-sectional electron micrographs reveal that many islands display faceting. The observed structural changes can be rationalized in terms of the interplay between thermodynamics and kinetics, solid-state capillarity, and the roughening...
Background The seamounts Ses Olives (SO), Ausias March (AM) and Emile Baudot (EB) at the Mallorca Channel (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean), are poorly explored areas containing rich and singular sponge communities. Previous works have shown a large heterogeneity of habitats, including rhodolith beds, rocky, gravel and sandy bottoms and steeped slopes. This diversity of habitats provides a great opportunity for improving the knowledge of the sponges from Mediterranean seamounts. Methods Sponges were collected during several surveys carried out by the Balearic Center of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography at the Mallorca Channel seamounts. Samples were obtained using a beam-trawl, rock dredge and remote operated vehicle. Additional samples were obtained from fishing grounds of the Balearic Islands continental shelf, using the sampling device GOC-73. Sponges were identified through the analysis of morphological and molecular characters. Results A total of 60 specimens were analyzed, from which we identified a total of 19 species. Three species and one genus are new to science: Foraminospongia balearica gen. nov. sp. nov., Foraminospongia minuta gen. nov. sp. nov. and Paratimea massutii sp. nov. Heteroxya cf. beauforti represents the first record of the genus Heteroxya in the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, this is the second report of Axinella spatula and Haliclona (Soestella) fimbriata since their description. Moreover, the species Petrosia (Petrosia) raphida, Calyx cf. tufa and Lanuginella pupa are reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea. Petrosia (Strongylophora) vansoesti is reported here for the first time in the western Mediterranean Sea. Haliclona (S.) fimbriata is reported here for the first time in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Hemiasterella elongata is reported here for the second time in the Mediterranean Sea. The species Melonanchora emphysema, Rhabdobaris implicata, Polymastia polytylota, Dragmatella aberrans, Phakellia ventilabrum and Pseudotrachya hystrix are reported for first time off Balearic Islands. Following the Sponge Barcoding project goals, we have sequenced the Cytochrome Oxidase subunit I (COI) and the 28S ribosomal fragment (C1–D2 domains) for Foraminospongia balearica sp. nov., Foraminospongia minuta sp. nov., H. cf. beauforti and C. cf. tufa, and the COI for Paratimea massuti sp. nov. We also provide a phylogenetic analysis to discern the systematic location of Foraminospongia gen. nov., which, in accordance to skeletal complement, is placed in the Hymerhabdiidae family. A brief biogeographical discussion is provided for all these species, with emphasis on the sponge singularity of SO, AM and the EB seamounts and the implications for their future protection.
Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the second most common lymphoma, and by virtue of its chronicity, may be the most prevalent and most treated lymphoma in the United States (Morton et al, 2006). The National LymphoCare Study (NLCS, ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT00097565) is a prospective cohort study of disease presentation, treatment patterns and clinical outcomes that recruited consecutive patients diagnosed with FL between March 2004 and March 2007 in participating sites in the United States. The NLCS prospectively collected quarterly observations regarding disease characteristics, subsequent therapies and observed responses. Patterns of initial management in this cohort were reported previously (Friedberg et al, 2009). The current report describes patterns of subsequent active treatment and outcomes. “First-line treatment” refers to the first active treatment (Rx1), and “second-line treatment” refers to the second active treatment (Rx2), regardless of whether a relapse was recorded after first treatment. Maintenance therapy was not considered a distinct active treatment. Time to Rx2 was defined as the number of days from initiation of Rx1 to initiation of Rx2. Response/progression was determined by the local treating investigator. Patients progressing within 24 months of Rx1 were classified as early progressors (Casulo et al, 2015). Rituximab-refractory patients were identified from those who received rituximab monotherapy (R-mono) or rituximab plus chemotherapy (R-chemo) with or without rituximab maintenance therapy as Rx1. Patients with progressive disease (PD) within 6 months of completing rituximab-containing Rx1 or following rituximab maintenance therapy were considered rituximab-refractory. After a median follow-up of 8 years (range: 0 02–10 34), 2429/2652 patients had received Rx1. Of those, 889 (37%) had received Rx2, 438 (18%) had received a third active treatment (Rx3), and 229 (9%) and 123 (5%) had received four and five active treatments, respectively (Fig 1). Overall, 1465 (53%) patients remained in active follow-up at study closure; 23% had died and 24% were lost to followup, withdrew or discontinued for other reasons. The distribution of treatment choices for Rx1 to Rx5 is shown in Table I. The median time from initiation of Rx1 to Rx2 (n = 889) was 16 months (range: 0 1–112). Of patients who received Rx2, 62% did so within the first 24 months (Fig S1). The distribution of treatment choices for Rx1 is notably different than for Rx2, with a substantial increase in the use of R-mono, a mild increase in chemotherapy without rituximab, and a substantial drop in patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy for Rx2 compared with Rx1. Rituximab remained a treatment component (alone or with chemotherapy) in 70% of patients receiving Rx2. Of the patients receiving R-mono for Rx1, 44% continued to use R-mono for Rx2, while 34% switched to R-chemo. Of the patients receiving R-chemo for Rx1, 41% also used R-chemo for Rx2, 26% switched to R-mono and 33% to other therapy. The rate of anthracycline use was only 18% for Rx2, and 28% of patients remained anthracycline-na€ıve after five active treatments. Bendamustine was unavailable in the United States during the time of patient enrolment and was used in 9/2429 patients for Rx1, 50/889 for Rx2 and 56/438 for Rx3. The participation rate in a clinical trial for Rx2 remained low at 5%; 22% of patients who participated in a clinical trial for Rx2 had also participated in a clinical trial for Rx1. Overall, 341 patients were classified as early progressors. The distribution of Rx2 choices was notably similar between early progressors and others who received Rx2, with early progressors only slightly less likely to receive R-mono (30% vs. 36%) or investigational therapy (4 4% vs. 6 5%), and slightly more likely to receive any anthracycline (18% vs. 13%) or radioimmunotherapy (6 8% vs. 4 0%). Remarkably, although more frequently than others (1 1%), only 3 5% of early progressors received Rx2 strategies that included bone marrow transplant (BMT). Among patients who had received ≥5 treatments, use of radioimmunotherapy in the relapse/progression setting (n = 77) outpaced BMT (n = 53). Of 237 rituximab-refractory patients who received Rx2, 77 and 160 had received Rx1 of R-mono (217 rituximab-refractory patients) and R-chemo (486 rituximab-refractory patients), respectively. Among rituximab-refractory patients, 62% received rituximab-containing Rx2, including 22% who received R-mono; compared with 36% of patients receiving R-mono in the non-refractory cohort. Other Rx2 choices among rituximab-refractory patients included chemotherapy alone (13%), radioimmunotherapy (9%), radiation therapy (7%) and BMT (5%). Correspondence
For the continuous production of quantum dots (QDs), continuous-fl ow microfl uidic reaction systems have been recognized as an effective and alternative strategy to the conventional batch systems due to precise controllability of reaction conditions, including high heat and mass transfer, temperature control, high surface-to-volume ratio, effi cient mixing, low reagent consumption, and continuous production. [ 1 , 2 ] In addition, the microfl uidic reaction system provides easy scale-up and reduces the reaction time, which is highly suitable for the large quantity production of monodisperse QDs for industrial applications in electronics and the life sciences. [ 3 ] Unfortunately, the most composition of previously synthesized QDs is mainly dedicated to Cd chalcogenide material, which is known to be a hazardous substance and to cause serious health problems and is therefore applied in limited applications. [ 4 ] In addition, research on blue-emission QDs has remained elusive because it is diffi cult to synthesize small sizes ( < 1.6 nm) of CdSe-based QDs that have a narrow size distribution and high quantum effi ciency. [ 5 ] Furthermore, several reported continuous reaction systems required more than two reactors or complex synthetic procedures, which may limit to produce core/shell QDs. [ 6 ]
This paper introduces this thesis: The Sun-Earth system is electromagnetically, magneto-hydrodynamically and gravitationally coupled, dominated by significant non-linear, non-stationary interactions, which vary over time and throughout the three-dimensional structure of the Earth, its atmosphere and oceans. The essential elements of the Sun-Earth system are the solar dynamo, the heliosphere, the lunisolar tides, the Earth's inner and outer cores, mantle, crust, magnetosphere, oceans and atmosphere. The Sun-Earth system is non-ergodic (i.e. characterised by continuous change, complexity, disorder, improbability, spontaneity, connectivity and the unexpected). Climate dynamics, therefore, are non-ergodic, with highly variable climatological features at any one time. A theoretical framework for considering the role of the Sun in relation to the Earth's climate dynamics is outlined and ways in which the Sun affects climate reviewed. The forcing sources (independent variables) that influence climate processes (dependent variables) are analysed. This theoretical framework shows clearly the interaction effects between and amongst the two classes of variables. These seem to have the greatest effect on climate dynamics. Climate processes are interconnected and oscillating, yielding variable periodicities. Solar processes, especially when interacting, amplify or dampen these periodicities producing distinctive climatic cycles. As solar and climate processes are non-linear, non-stationary and non-ergodic, appropriate analytic methodologies are necessary to reveal satisfactorily solar/climate relationships.
Background: We conducted this study among adults with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) who received treatment, in order to determine the risk factors associated with survival of during treatments. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2005–2015 with newly registered TB patients in the Hospital of Masih Daneshvari Doctor, Tehran, Iran. Overall, 5313 patients met our study’s cohort definition, but the analysis was performed on 2299 patients (43.2%) who had a correct address and they could be traced-out by the Medical – registry. Time in days was used in survival model and patients who were still alive (until last follow-up date) considered as censored. To study the effect of risk factors on patients’ survival, the generalized gamma regression model was used. Results: Based on the results of univariate analysis, gender (RR=2 (95% CI: 1.1–3.7), high school education (Relative Risk: RR=0.3 (95% CI: 0.2–0.7), higher education (RR=0.3 (95% CI: 0.1–0.9), smoker (RR=2.5 (95% CI: 1.4–4.2), drug user (RR=2.4 (95% CI: 1.4–4), TB contact (RR=0.5 (95% CI: 0.3–0.8) and HIV positive (RR=4 (95% CI: 1.7–9.2) affected patients’ survival. Moreover, the results of multivariate analysis showed that, gender (RR=5.5 (95% CI: 2.2–13.5), age (RR=1.1 (95% CI: 1–1.1), adverse drug effect (RR=2.5 (95% CI: 1.2–5.4), smoker (RR=3.3 (95% CI: 1.2–9.4), TB contact (RR=0.2 (95% CI: 0.1–0.5), diabetic mellitus (RR=3 (95% CI: 1–8.3), HIV positive (RR=26 (95% CI: 4.6–145.9) and comorbidities (RR=4.9 (95% CI: 2–11.6) were identified as factors affecting patients’ survival. Conclusion: Our data indicated associated risk factors in TB mortality and could suggest way to progressing national tuberculosis program (NTP) for predicating and plan for effective interventional strategies.
The goal of this chapter is to empower collaboration across the disciplines. It is aimed at mathematical scientists whowant to better understand neural excitability and experimentalists who want to better understand mathematical modeling and analysis. None of us need to be expert in both disciplines, but each side needs to learn the other’s language before our conversations can spark the exciting new collaborations that enrich both disciplines. Learning is an active process:
Barium titanate (BaTiO3, BT) is the main raw material of multilayer ceramic capacitors. As thinner layers of dielectric elements require smaller BT grain diameters, BT-MgO composites have been widely studied owing to the plasticity of MgO and its inhibition of grain growth. However, further improvements of the dielectric properties of the BT-MgO system are still urgently needed. Herein, composite ceramics of Ba0.7Sr0.3Ti0.9925Tm0.01O3 (BST)-x mol% MgO (x = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) were prepared. The dielectric constant of BST-1 mol% MgO at room temperature was approximately 3800, which was 1/3 times higher than that of BT-MgO composite ceramics. The dielectric loss was less than 0.004 and 2/3 that of BT-MgO composite ceramics. The Curie temperature of BST doped with MgO was below 0 °C. The anomalous increase in dielectric constant was caused by the co-doping of Sr and Tm with BT, while the reduced dielectric loss was due to the uniform dispersion of MgO at grain boundaries, which hinders grain growth. The Curie temperature shift was mainly due to accumulated oxygen vacancies. Thus, this work provides new solutions to further improve the dielectric properties of the BT-MgO system, including changing the doping elements and adjusting the doping ratio.
OBJECTIVE To identify the key issues reported by rural health-care providers in their provision of medication supply and related cognitive services, and in order to advise health workforce and role development and thus improve the quality use of medicines in rural communities.   DESIGN Exploratory semistructured interview research.   SETTING A rural community comprising four towns in a rural health service district in Queensland, Australia.   PARTICIPANTS   Forty-nine health-care providers (medical practitioners, pharmacists, nurses and others) with medication-related roles who serviced the study community, identified through databases and local contacts.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Medication-related roles undertaken by the health-care providers, focusing on medication supply and cognitive services; challenges in undertaking these roles.   RESULTS Medical and nursing providers reported challenges in ensuring continuity in supply of medications due to their existing medical workload demands. Local pharmacists were largely involved in medication supply, with limited capacity for extended cognitive roles. Participants identified a lack of support for their medication roles and the potential value of clinically focused pharmacists in medication management services.   CONCLUSIONS Medication supply may become more efficient with extended roles for certain health-care providers. The need for cognitive medication management services suggests potential for clinical pharmacists' role development in rural areas.
Design for Eternity: Architectural Models from the Ancient Americas Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 26 October 2015–18 September 2016  The small but exciting exhibition Design for Eternity was precisely targeted to the topic of architectural models in ancient American art. Rather than focusing on regional styles or time periods, it displayed fifty-six objects solely on the basis of their status as small-scale representations of architecture, along with a few other materials to help contextualize them, including photos of archaeological sites and textiles. Made of clay, wood, stone, and metal, the artworks were products of various ancient American cultures, including Cupisnique, Moche, Chimu, Nazca, Inca, Nayarit, Teotihuacan, Maya, Aztec, and Mezcala. Highlighting the relationship of the models to real architectural space, the two side entrances to the gallery were decorated with motifs from Inca masonry walls, which are known for the incredible skill with which they were built.  The exhibition was curated by Joanne Pillsbury, who provided extensive information on the forms, decorations, and motifs of the objects, especially in terms of how they related to the lives of ancient American peoples. The main questions guiding the exhibition concerned what these models meant to the people who created them and what modern visitors to the museum could learn through them. Despite research into Maya hieroglyphs, Aztec and …
Abstract In hydrometeorological processes, it is crucial to detect changes, since it can help prevent or at least prepare for extreme events like floods and drought. In this article, long term and abrupt changes in the development of average monthly overflow of main rivers of Slovakia are detected. Since the data follow non-normal distribution, results are obtained by means of nonparametric methods. Significant trends in the series were detected by applying the Mann–Kendall test, the Spearman’s rho test and the Cox–Stuart test. Change-points were detected by using the Pettitt’s test and the Buishand test. Since an abrupt change in the series could cause a misleading outcome of the trend analysis, first we applied change-point detection. If at least one significant change appeared in the series, trend analysis is applied on each segment bounded by the change-points. Otherwise a trend analysis is applied to the whole series.
This paper describes a methodology for the analysis of nitrogen by scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS). The methodology was developed to have a rapid and accurate alternative method to the elemental analysis by combustion and thermoconductivity detection that does not imply the decomposition of the sample.    Two methods by SEM-EDS were established: a quantitative method trying to construct a calibration curve with reference materials and another using the standardless method provided with the instrument software, and the results were compared with those obtained by elemental analysis using two instruments that work at different temperature. An important matrix effect was found when trying to construct a calibration curve for SEM-EDS for any kind of material, being corrected when using the standardless method because this method corrects the matrix effect.    The quantification of nitrogen by SEM-EDS is a good alternative to elemental analysis by combustion and thermoconductivity detection in those cases where the sample has a very high decomposition temperature. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We demonstrate that full description of both electromagnetic and gravitational radiation from massless particles lies outside the scope of classical theory. Synchrotron radiation from the hypothetical massless charge in quantum electrodynamics in external magnetic field has finite total power while the corresponding classical formula diverges in the massless limit. We argue that in both cases classical theory describes correctly only the low-frequency part of the spectra, while the total power diverges because of absence of the UV frequency cutoff. Failure of description of gravitational radiation from massless particles by classical General Relativity may be considered as another appeal for quantization of gravity apart from the problem of singularities.
Important agricultural commodity prices more than tripled from prices observed in 2005 and 2006 to those observed in the spring and summer of 2008. Prices subsequently fell precipitously so that by early November 2008 (and continuing in the subsequent few months), the near-term futures prices of corn, wheat, and soybeans stood about 50–70% higher than before the price run-up began.1 The huge percentage price increases in 2007 and 2008 demanded attention from the press and policymakers concerned about food price increases (Washington Post 2008; Lazear 2008; Glauber 2008). Of even greater concern are impacts on hunger among the poor in poor countries (Benson et al. 2008). Many economists summarized the potential sources of the price jumps and assessed their relative importance (McCalla 2008; Trostle 2008a; OECD 2008). My quick assessment of this literature is that once the specific price changes to be explained and time periods have been standardized, economists are in reasonable agreement about the likely causal factors and their impacts, at least in broad terms. My aims here are modest. I do not attempt to attribute recent price changes to such factors as: (a) biofuels policy; (b) jumps in input costs due to energy price shocks; (c) reduced farm subsidies in Europe; (d) exchange rate movements; (e) growth in demand in developing countries; (f) weather shocks; (g) lack of adequate stocks; (h) border policies in exporting and importing countries; or (i) speculative movements in organized commodity markets,
The spectrum of illnesses associated with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is considerably wider than that defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for purposes of surveillance.’ Since the earliest description of AIDS, several other entities that seem to be epidemiologically and clinically related to AIDS have been recognized. These include the syndromes of persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL)? wasting,’ asymptomatic immunodeficiency: and autoimmune thrombocytopenia.6 Although these entities have frequently been referred to as “prodromal or “pre-AIDS,” it is unclear at the present time whether they invariably lead to CDC-defined AIDS. Furthermore, the interrelationships of these entities and the frequency with which they either progress to CDC-defined AIDS or revert to clinical and immunologic recovery is unknown. At Beth Israel Medical Center (BIMC), we have had considerable experience in the study and management of AIDS and AIDS-related disorders. Between June 1979 and the present, 118 patients with CDC-defined AIDS have been Seen (TABLE 1). Seventy-three were homosexual men, 33 intravenous drug abusers, and 12 belonged to other risk groups, including Haitians, recipients of multiple transfusions, female sexual partners of intravenous drug abusers, and infants born of high-risk parents. One or more opportunistic infections (01s) (including Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), disseminated Mycobucteriurn-aviurn intracellulare and cytomegalovirus infections, candidal esophagitis, central nervous system toxoplasmosis, disseminated cryptococcosis, progressive herpes simplex virus infection, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) were documented in 89, Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) in 10, both 0 1 s and KS in 12, central nervous system (CNS) lymphomas and 0 1 s in 2, and nonHodgkin’s lymphoma in 5 patients (TABLE 2). The overall mortality in the group is 48%. However, 100% of patients diagnosed in 1980 and 1981 have succumbed to their illness. Two of the AIDS-related disorders-persistent generalized lymphadenopathy and wasting-have also undergone extensive study at our institution and these form the basis for this report.
Liquid water has unique properties that make it a universal solvent. Water is an essential component of almost all physiological and biochemical reactions; therefore, its presence is required everywhere within an organism. The circulatory systems of animals and the vascular system of plants move fluids over long distances. In the tallest trees, water moves across a height gradient of 100 m or more, thereby connecting roots and distant leaves. On a cellular and tissue level, water movement is facilitated by intrinsic membrane proteins called aquaporins. These water channels are found in all life forms. Aquaporins have been mostly studied in mammals and plants, where water channels play important physiological roles. This article gives an overview of the discovery, structure and regulation of aquaporins. Their roles in different life forms are discussed.        Key Concepts    Water can diffuse through the lipid bilayer, but without aquaporins flow across membranes is slow.  Aquaporins are integral membrane transport proteins, and they facilitate water movement in cells, tissues and entire organisms.  A single water channel allows the passive passage of more than one billion water molecules per second.  The aquaporin protein family is ancient, and aquaporins can be found in a wide range of organisms.  Aquaporins appear to play important physiological roles in mammals, plants and other organisms.          Keywords:    cell membranes;  hydraulic conductivity;  kidney function;  membrane permeability;  MIP family;  water flow;  water-relations
The hierarchy of sciences distinguishes social sciences as “softer” than natural sciences as the latter place more emphasis on non-inferential strategies (i.e. scientific inscriptions). As a social science, criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) has struggled to integrate its analytical and experimental constituencies, hindering its research record. One solution is to embrace inscription techniques that “hard” sciences use to cumulate knowledge. The use of scientific inscriptions in 397 randomly selected articles published between 1985 and 2009 in 16 CCJ journals was compared with that of other scientific disciplines. Less than 10% of page space was devoted to data presentation (i.e. graphs plus tables) with no evidence of variation across the 25-year study period. Relative to other sciences, inscription usage in CCJ journals fell between psychology and sociology. Researchers are advised that the inclusion of inscriptions may aid in the transfer of experimental results to applied settings.
The topology of extra dimensions can break global Lorentz invariance, singling out a globally preferred frame even in flat spacetime. Through experiments that probe global topology, an observer can determine her state of motion with respect to the preferred frame. This scenario is realized if we live on a brane universe moving through a flat space with compact extra dimensions. We identify three experimental effects due to the motion of our universe that one could potentially detect using gravitational probes. One of these relates to the peculiar properties of the twin paradox in multiply-connected spacetimes. Another relies on the fact that the Kaluza–Klein modes of any bulk field are sensitive to boundary conditions. A third concerns the modification to the Newtonian potential on a moving brane. Remarkably, we find that even small extra dimensions are detectable by brane observers if the brane is moving sufficiently fast. Communicated by P R L V Moniz
For 16 years, genetically modified flowers of carnation ( Dianthus caryophyllus ) have been sold to the floristry industry. The transgenic carnation carries a herbicide tolerance gene (a mutant gene encoding acetolactate synthase (ALS)) and has been modified to produce delphinidin-based anthocyanins in flowers, which conventionally bred carnation cannot produce. The modified flower color has been achieved by introduction of a gene encoding flavonoid 3',5'-hydroxylase (F3'5'H). Transgenic carnation flowers are produced in South America and are primarily distributed to North America, Europe, and Japan. Although a nonfood crop, the release of the genetically modified carnation varieties required an environmental risk impact assessment and an assessment of the potential for any increased risk of harm to human or animal health compared to conventionally bred carnation. The results of the health safety assessment and the experimental studies that accompanied them are described in this review. The conclusion from the assessments has been that the release of genetically modified carnation varieties which express F3'5'H and ALS genes and which accumulate delphinidin-based anthocyanins do not pose an increased risk of harm to human or animal health.
Lectins display a variety of biological functions including insecticidal, antimicrobial, as well as antitumor activities. In this report, a gene encoding Aphrocallistes vastus lectin (AVL), a C-type lectin, was inserted into an oncolytic vaccinia virus vector (oncoVV) to form a recombinant virus oncoVV-AVL, which showed significant in vitro antiproliferative activity in a variety of cancer cell lines. Further investigations revealed that oncoVV-AVL replicated faster than oncoVV significantly in cancer cells. Intracellular signaling elements including NF-κB2, NIK, as well as ERK were determined to be altered by oncoVV-AVL. Virus replication upregulated by AVL was completely dependent on ERK activity. Furthermore, in vivo studies showed that oncoVV-AVL elicited significant antitumor effect in colorectal cancer and liver cancer mouse models. Our study might provide insights into a novel way of the utilization of marine lectin AVL in oncolytic viral therapies.
In the past, a patient went to the room where an ultrasound image diagnosis device was set, and then he or she was examined by a doctor. However, currently a doctor can go and examine the patient with a handheld ultrasound device who stays in a room. However, it was implemented with only fundamental functions, and can not meet the high performance required by the focusing algorithm of ultrasound beam which determines the quality of ultrasound image. In addition, low energy consumption was satisfied for the mobile ultrasound device. To satisfy these requirements, this paper proposes a high-performance and low-power single instruction, multiple data (SIMD) based multi-core processor that supports a representative beamforming algorithm out of several focusing methods of mobile ultrasound image signals. The proposed SIMD multi-core processor, which consists of 16 processing elements (PEs), satisfies the high-performance required by the beamforming algorithm by exploiting considerable data-level parallelism inherent in the echo image data of ultrasound. Experimental results showed that the proposed multi-core processor outperforms a commercial high-performance processor, TI DSP C6416, in terms of execution time (15.8 times better), energy efficiency (6.9 times better), and area efficiency (10 times better).
Poor households are faced with several challenges which affect their income generating activities. In the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, where this study was carried out, unemployment and food insecurity are prevalent. The respondents were selected using a multistep sampling method. The first stage involved selection of villages, where HFG are commonly found were randomly selected. In the second stage, a snowball sampling process was employed to identify and select people involved in homestead food gardening, lastly was to find a sample of 110 HFG. The study found that HFG were experiencing different shocks. The regression coefficients indicated that entrepreneurial income was significantly and positively affected by socio-economic characteristics and shocks while it was significantly and negatively affected by shocks and challenges. The marginal parameters of perceived vulnerability to poverty were significantly and positively affected by entrepreneurial activities. Socio-economic characteristics significantly and negatively affected marginal effects of perceived vulnerability to poverty. It can be concluded that farmers still need more training and awareness on how to run agricultural businesses as well as non-farm businesses for increased entrepreneurial income, improved welfare and limited likelihood of poverty and vulnerability. It was recommended that government to intervene in matters that arose from this study by providing more awareness, opportunities and training for people in the study area in order to reduce and prevent future poverty.
Abstract Observations of Mo and W in the field ion microscope have revealed the structure of edge dislocations and a grain boundary in molybdenum. Tungsten has been irradiated with 5 MeV α-particles and the production of vacancies at the surface observed. It is shown that this technique can be used to investigate the atomic structure at a grain boundary and around the core of a dislocation while it can be applied to the study of radiation damage to give information about the distribution and range of the damage produced by a single high-energy impact.
The article presents a scientific literature review in the field of modern methods of monitoring wind erosion of soils such as: visual indicators of erosion, erosion bridge, close-range photogrammetry, cesium-137 and remote sensing cover. The brief description of each method, advantages and disadvantages, conditions and limitations of their applicability are given. When choosing the method, it is necessary to take into account the monitoring conditions, the area of the territory under consideration and the scale of research, time frames, financial and labor resources. It has been established that the most relevant, economically justified and promising, especially on large territories, are the remote sensing methods, which allow monitoring on different scales, and not only estimating the erosion activity, but also predicting it, thus providing the parties concerned with the necessary information for making right, prompt and timely economic decisions, aimed both at combating wind erosion and elimination of its consequences, and for organizing preventive measures as well. To improve the effectiveness of these methods it is also necessary to create databases, expand and accumulate soil information that can help verify, refine, process and calibrate the satellite data obtained. In order to understand aeolian processes and dust particle transport mechanisms one should create integrated methods that include remote sensing data, meteorological data, on the basis of which the improved models and maps would be developed, and erosion processes would be predicted. The scientific literature is mostly devoted to the interpretation of wind erosion in arid and semi-arid zones. The possibility of satellite monitoring of soil erosion in arable fields remains poorly studied. There are also practically no research results available on the transport of chemicals with micro-particles due to wind erosion. Both in Russia and abroad the attempts are made in soil erosion modelling, but the quality of the models is very limited by the lack of field data required for their calibration and verification. Eroded soils in the country are still identified using ground-based methods. However, field studies can only be conducted in a very limited area, in a few key points, and as a matter of fact it is quite complicated to conduct field studies on actively used agricultural lands.
ABSTRACT Although Gandhi had rigorously identified himself as a ‘Sanātanī Hindū (traditional Hindu)’, his idea and practice of religious politics (i.e. satyāgraha) have inspired people across the world. Recent studies point out that Gandhi’s life-long experiments with ‘brahmacarya (sexual celibacy)’ were the key to understand Gandhi’s contextualized-universal idea of religious politics. This paper aims to examine the intellectual evolution of Gandhi’s concept of brahmacarya. Gandhi was a trilingual speaker in Gujarati, Hindi, and English, and no previous works have studied Gandhi’s concept of brahmacarya using primary materials in all three languages. In this paper, I will proffer a cross-linguistic exploration into the genealogy of Gandhi’s concept of brahmacarya. In so doing, I will highlight some of the professed ‘deep influence(s)’ on his life; I will assess how Śrīmad Rājcandra (a native Gujarati poet), Svāmī Vivekānanda (a Bengali intellectual and nationalist), and western progressive thinkers such as Havelock Ellis, Edward Carpenter, and John Woodroffe, ‘influenced’ Gandhi. As a result of these explorations, this paper concludes that Gandhi’s brahmacarya is best seen as a concept that entails multi-layered roots which transcend the epistemological boundaries between ‘Indian’, ‘imaginative’, and even the hybrid amalgam of ‘the (other) wests’.
Fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) is an accepted outpatient procedure, but transbronchial biopsy (TBB) is generally reserved for hospitalized patients. Over a three-year period, we performed fluoroscopically guided TBB in 148 of 688 outpatients undergoing FOB. Following the procedure, fluoroscopy was used to screen for possible pneumothorax in those patients who had had TBB. All patients were observed for one hour and then discharged if stable. Three patients (2.02 percent) were admitted and observed for acute hemoptysis following TBB. Bleeding ceased spontaneously in each. The remaining 145 patients were discharged after one hour of observation. One patient (0.68 percent) required Heimlich tube treatment for a delayed pneumothorax. Our experience indicates a low incidence of delayed complications in patients who are asymptomatic for one hour following TBB. We conclude that patients do not require hospitalization solely for TBB.
We introduce a novel type of approximation spaces for functions with values in a nonlinear manifold. The discrete functions are constructed by piecewise polynomial interpolation in a Euclidean embedding space, and then projecting pointwise onto the manifold. We show optimal interpolation error bounds with respect to Lebesgue and Sobolev norms. Additionally, we show similar bounds for the test functions, i.e., variations of discrete functions. Combining these results with a nonlinear C 'ea lemma, we prove optimal $L^2$ and $H^1$ discretization error bounds for harmonic maps from a planar domain into a smooth manifold. All these error bounds are also verified numerically.
The new field of space architecture is introduced. Defined as the “theory and practice of designing and building inhabited environments in outer space,” the field synthesizes human space flight systems engineering subjects with the long tradition of making environments that support human living, work, and aspiration. The scope of the field is outlined, and its three principal domains differentiated. The current state of the art is described in terms of executed projects. Foreseeable options for 21st century developments in human space flight provide a framework to tease out potential space architecture opportunities for the next century.
Airy beam has gained a widespread atlention owing to its particular properties: approximate nondiffraction, selfaccelerating in the transverse and selfrecovery as a member of nondiffraction light family. Airy beam has a broad application prospect in optoelectronic sciences, particle manipulation, atmospheric communication and so on. The main methods of Airy beam generation are summarized and a deep analysis for each method is made from the cost of the system, how complex to come true and potential of applications, and some improving and perfecting suggestions are given.
When the monkey was trained repeatedly in a delayed match-to-sample task with a fixed sequence of visual stimuli, responses of inferior temporal neurons to adjacent stimuli in the sequence are mutually correlated although the monkey was not required to associate the stimuli with each other. There exist two kinds of models accounting for this correlation, but neither model is sufficiently supported by physiological evidence; rather, they seem incompatible with some findings on the perirhinal cortex. We present a different model consisting of two networks corresponding to area TE and the perirhinal cortex that explains the above phenomenon based on a more plausible mechanism, and show that the plasticity in the perirhinal cortex may play a key role in implicit association learning.
The next generation of digital video has to bring innovation related to revolutionary aspects. This will be the result of incorporating new types of data into the media. Depth information is certainly the most natural candidate of data type to augment digital video. Not only it is consonant with the human perceptual system, but it also facilitates scene analysis by computers to extract information at higher levels.
The therapeutic failures and the increasingly high costs of treating resistant bacterial infections calls for alternative means of care. The present study was initiated to evaluate the antifungal properties of the Harungana madagascariensis methanol barks extract and potent interactions with some usual drugs. The extract was prepared by maceration of the dry stem bark powder in methanol. Phytochemical analysis was carried out by colorimetric assays. Antifungal activity as well as interactions between extract, Nystatin or Fluconazole was evaluated by broth microdilution method. The therapeutic efficacies of H. madagascariensis extract and Fluconazole – extract mixture as compared to Fluconazole extract was studied in experimental models of oral and vulvovaginal candidiasis in rats by oral route. Results showed that methanol extract of H. madagascariensis stem barks had antifungal activity ranging from 128 to 1024 μg/ml. This extract also had a fungicidal activity on all of the tested yeasts. Moreover, the extract presented in vitro synergetic and additive interactions with Nystatin and Fluconazole. In both oral and vaginal infection model, all the treatment significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the number of colony formant unit (UFC) of C. albicans compared with untreated control. Moreover, significant decrease in the percentage of animals showing positive cultures was observed in rats treated with Fluconazole-extract mixture. In both therapeutic efficacy studies, the histological findings confirmed the microbiological results. The results of this study constitute a base for the usage of H. madagascariensis stem barks in association with Fluconazole to overcome yeast infection.
This paper tests the ability of the integrated molecular orbital−molecular orbital (IMOMO) method to include the effects of extended basis sets and higher-order electron correlation on bond energies by treating only a capped subsystem of a large molecule at a high level and integrating this with a lower-level calculation on the entire system. First, our results show that improving the basis on the capped subsystem is an excellent way to improve the bond energy without the expense of using a large basis set for the whole system. In a second study, we show that correlated calculations on a capped subsystem with the Hartree−Fock (HF) approximation for the entire system yield results that are within 1 kcal/mol of CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) accuracy for a set of molecules involving first-row atoms. For chloroethane, though, the HF level is inadequate for such a treatment, and the calculations have an error of about 3 kcal/mol with respect to a full CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) calculation. However, for this case, using even a l...
Conventional VMAT optimizes aperture shapes and weights at uniformly sampled stations, which is a generalization of the concept of a control point. Recently, rotational station parameter optimized radiation therapy (SPORT) has been proposed to improve the plan quality by inserting beams to the regions that demand additional intensity modulations, thus formulating non-uniform beam sampling. This work presents a new rotational SPORT planning strategy based on reweighted total-variation (TV) minimization (min.), using beam’s-eye-view dosimetrics (BEVD) guided beam selection. The convex programming based reweighted TV min. assures the simplified fluence-map, which facilitates single-aperture selection at each station for single-arc delivery. For the rotational arc treatment planning and non-uniform beam angle setting, the mathematical model needs to be modified by additional penalty term describing the fluence-map similarity and by determination of appropriate angular weighting factors. The proposed algorithm with additional penalty term is capable of achieving more efficient and deliverable plans adaptive to the conventional VMAT and SPORT planning schemes by reducing the dose delivery time about 5 to 10 s in three clinical cases (one prostate and two head-and-neck (HN) cases with a single and multiple targets). The BEVD guided beam selection provides effective and yet easy calculating methodology to select angles for denser, non-uniform angular sampling in SPORT planning. Our BEVD guided SPORT treatment schemes improve the dose sparing to femoral heads in the prostate and brainstem, parotid glands and oral cavity in the two HN cases, where the mean dose reduction of those organs ranges from 0.5 to 2.5 Gy. Also, it increases the conformation number assessing the dose conformity to the target from 0.84, 0.75 and 0.74 to 0.86, 0.79 and 0.80 in the prostate and two HN cases, while preserving the delivery efficiency, relative to conventional single-arc VMAT plans.
Ethylene production and expression of ethylene biosynthetic genes was investigated in senescing flowers of carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus L.) cultivars 'White Candle (WC)' and 'Light Pink Barbara (LPB)', with long and short vase-lives, respectively. Ethylene production from the gynoecium and petals of senescing 'WC' flowers was below the limit of detection, in agreement with the repressed ethylene production from the whole flowers. However, exogenous ethylene treatment caused the accumulation of transcripts for DC-ACS1 and DC-ACO1 genes in both the gynoecium and petals, resulting in ethylene production from the flowers. Moreover, application of ABA or IAA, which are known to exhibit their action through the induction of ethylene synthesis in the gynoecium, to 'WC' flowers from their cut stem-end induced ethylene production and wilting in the flowers. These findings suggested that, in 'WC' flowers the mechanism of ethylene biosynthesis, i.e. the induction of expression of genes for ethylene biosynthesis and the action of resulting enzymes, was not defective, but that its function was repressed during natural senescence. Transcripts of DC-ACO1, DC-ACS3, and DC-ACS1 were present in the gynoecium of senescing 'LPB' flowers. In the gynoecium of senescing 'WC' flowers, however, the DC-ACO1 transcript was present, but the DC-ACS1 transcript was absent and the DC-ACS3 transcript was detected only in a small amount; the latter two were associated with the low rate of ethylene production in the gynoecium of 'WC' flowers. These findings indicated that the repressed ethylene production in 'WC' flowers during natural senescence is caused by the repressed ethylene production in the gynoecium, giving further support for the role of the gynoecium in regulating petal senescence in carnation flowers.
There has been emerging evidence supporting the mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) in various clinical specialties and settings. However, we need more clarity regarding the applicability of mini-CEX as an optimal assessment tool. Consequently, it has not been implemented on a wider scale, and several clinical specialties are yet to explore the benefits of mini-CEX. Therefore, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to investigate the publication trends of mini-CEX. We searched the Web of Science database for mini-CEX-related original and review articles. The search results were analyzed for year-wise contribution, citation trends, contributing journals, contributing institutions, countries, authors, distribution of original/review articles, retrospective/prospective/laboratory/other types of studies, specialties covered, nature of medical education (undergraduate vs. specialty trainees), and clinical settings involved in the studies (single/multiple). A total of 59 eligible articles (53 original and six review articles) were published between 1995 and 2022 in 35 different journals. The mean citations per year were 65.96 per year, and the mean citations per article per year were 2.34 citations per article per year. The articles published in BMC Medical Education and Medical Teacher were the highest in number. In total, 97 institutes contributed to the mini-CEX-related research, mostly from the University of Bern, Switzerland. There were 238 contributing authors, with Norcini JJ contributing the most number of articles. The remaining articles were 15 retrospective studies, one developmental study, six review articles, and three laboratory-based studies. The 50 non-laboratory studies involved students/trainees in medical and allied fields. Medicine was the most frequently covered specialty. The participants were mostly specialty trainees, followed by undergraduate medical students. Multiple settings were used in 38% of the reviewed studies and single in 16%. The published articles have reduced impact and growth, as evidenced by low annual growth rates and citation trends. However, the available evidence was of reasonable quality considering the contribution from mostly prospective studies. Furthermore, it suggests considerable potential for further investigating the role of mini-CEX in clinical teaching.
Abstract:  Graft thrombosis is a serious complication in pediatric renal transplantation. We assess a potential protective effect for the decrease in platelet count associated with RATG therapy against pediatric renal transplant graft vascular thrombosis. Between January 1986 and December 1998, 120 kidney transplants were performed in 95 pediatric recipients. Patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 (n = 61), non‐RATG group received cyclosporine, azathioprine and steroids, while group 2 (n = 59), RATG group, received in addition, RATG at day 1 and continued for 4–10 days postoperatively. Platelet count prior to transplant, median change in absolute platelet count at 1 and 3 days post‐transplant was recorded. Graft thrombosis incidence was examined. Six grafts (5%) developed thrombosis. All were in group 1 (p = 0.028). Median pretransplant platelet count (×109/L) in group 1 was 283 vs. 280 in group 2 (p = 0.921). Median decrease in absolute platelet count (×109/L) from pretransplant levels at one and three days post‐transplant for group 1 and 2 was 18 vs. 83 (p ≤ 0.001) and 39 vs. 105 (p ≤ 0.001), respectively. Graft thrombosis risk factors were similar in both groups. RATG use was statistically significant (p = 0.044) for reduced risk of graft thrombosis in multivariate analysis. Patients receiving RATG showed significant decrease in both platelet count and graft thrombosis incidence. A role for RATG related effect on platelet count is assumed.
A clinical, genetic and epidemiological study of hereditary ataxias and paraplegias was conducted within a defined area (Cantabria) in Northern Spain from 1974 to 1986. The series comprised 48 index cases and 65 affected relatives. On prevalence day, 103 patients were alive, giving a prevalence of 20.2 cases per 100,000. There were 24 patients (18 families) with Friedreich's ataxia (FA), 12 (6 families) with early onset cerebellar ataxia (EOCA) differing from FA, 6 (3 families) with dominantly transmitted late onset cerebellar ataxia (LOCA), 11 with 'idiopathic' LOCA, 49 (9 families) with 'pure' hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), and 1 patient with congenital cerebellar ataxia. The prevalence found here is comparable with the highest figures described in previous surveys. This may in part be due to the great number of secondary cases in our series. A high frequency of parental consanguinity occurred in FA patients, 'pseudodominant' inheritance being observed in 1 family. The clinical features were those of classical FA except for later onset and slower course in 1 family, and retained tendon reflexes in the lower limbs in 2 cases. Such data indicate the need for modification of the essential criteria for the disease. EOCA included 4 patients with normoreflexic ataxia and 1 patient with ataxia and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone deficiency. In addition, there were 7 patients from 2 unrelated families with a homogeneous syndrome characterized by autosomal recessive inheritance, cerebellar ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa and sensory neuropathy. This syndrome is therefore a well defined nosological entity to be added to the list of autosomal recessive mendelian phenotypes. The clinical picture of patients with LOCA was either a 'pure' cerebellar or a 'cerebellar-plus' syndrome. Genetic subgroups of 'pure' HSP were autosomal dominant type I in 5 families and type II in 2, and autosomal recessive in 2 families.
Digitisation currently results in substantial changes to the financing sector. Cooperative banks particularly seem to be opposed to this trend with their traditional, regional oriented business model. We analyse cooperative banks‘ business model based on expert interviews to examine effects of digitisation. We find that cooperative banks‘ business model is affected in all its facets and has to be adjusted to new conditions in the course of digitisation.
The aim of this study was to explore the bioequivalence of long-acting oxytetracycline in two formulations, a reference formulation (Terramycin 20% LA, Pfizer) and a test one (Kangtekang 20% LA, Huishen). Both formulations were administered intramuscularly at 20 mg/kg body weight at each of 24 healthy animals during a two-period crossover parallel experimental design. The oxytetracycline (OTC) concentrations in plasma were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, and the limit of quantification was 0.05 µg/ml with a recovery ratio of above 90%. Moreover, the descriptive pharmacokinetics parameters (Cmax, AUC0–144h, and AUC0–∞) were calculated and compared under analysis of variance, and 90% confidence interval (CI) were compared, except for Tmax analyzed by non-parametric tests based on Wilcoxons’s signed rank test. The comparison results of Cmax, AUC0–144h, AUC0–∞, and Tmax were 5.066 ± 0.486, 5.071 ± 0.877 µg/ml, 118.926 ± 13.259, 126.179 ± 17.390 µg h/ml, 123.087 ± 13.906, 130.732 ± 18.562 µg h/ml, 0.740 ± 0.278, 0.650 ± 0.258 h, respectively, and did not reveal any significant differences. In addition, 90% CIs of these ratios for reference and test product were within an interval of 80–125%, and the relative bioavailability of test one was (94.291 ± 15.287)%. Therefore, it has been concluded that test OTC was bioequivalent to the reference formulation in pigs.
OBJECTIVE To study the expression of Skp2 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and its precancerous lesions, and to investigate its relationship with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.   METHODS The expression of Skp2 protein and HPV16/18 DNA was determined using immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization in 30 cases of normal cervical squamous epithelium, 29 cases of low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, 31 cases of high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and 31 cases of cervical SCC.   RESULTS Skp2 expression was not detected in normal cervical squamous epithelium and no significant difference was obtained statistically on Skp2 expression between normal cervical squamous epithelium and low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (P > 0.05). However, the expression of Skp2 gradually increased with elevation of epithelial lesion grading in an order from low to high grade and to cervical SCC (P < 0.01). The positive rate of HPV16/18 DNA in cases of normal cervical squamous epithelium, low-grade, high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical SCC was significantly different (P < 0.01), although both high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical SCC had a similar high HPV infection rate up to 96.8%. There was no correlation obtained between Skp2 expression and HPV16/18 infection in low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. In contrast, expression of Skp2 and HPV infection were significantly correlated in both high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical SCC (gammaH = 0.373, gammaC = 0.416, P < 0.05).   CONCLUSIONS Abnormal expression of Skp2 is present mainly in high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive carcinoma, which may be considered as a surrogate marker for the high-grade lesions. Skp2 may play a key role in the development of cervical squamous carcinoma induced by HPV16/18 infection, through E7-Skp2-Rb signaling pathway.
The carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins in plasma membrane are known to correlate with the induction of cell differentiation in some kinds of cells. We investigated the asparagine-linked sugar chains of neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma cell membranes. The acidic oligosaccharides were bi-, tri-, and tetraantennary complex-type sugar chains with Man alpha-->(Man alpha)Man beta-->GlcNAc beta-->(+/- Fuc alpha-->)GlcNAc as their cores. A comparative study of the oligosaccharides of these cells showed that the biantennary complex-type sugar chain with bisecting N-acetylglucosamine residues increased and high-molecular-weight oligosaccharides decreased in ganglioneuroma cells. It is suspected that asparagine-linked sugar chains correlate with the differentiation stage of neuroblastoma.
We have investigated background and bleaching adaptation in vertebrate rods by intracellular recording in the retina of Bufo marinus. Backgrounds and bleaching produce adaptation in photoreceptors and lead to a shift and a compression of the response operating range. Threshold elevation due to backgrounds follows the Rose-DeVries rule at low intensities and the Weber-Fechner rule at high intensities. Threshold elevation due to bleaching is linear almost up to 17% bleached pigment and exponential thereafter. An equivalence can be established between bleaching and backgrounds with respect to threshold elevation, on the one hand, and with respect to response compression, on the other. These equivalences are the same within experimental error. The equivalence, moreover, appears to extend to the complete response curve. These results have implications for psychophysics as well as for photoreceptor transduction.
The reaction of the pyrone 1 a or the pyridones 1 b, c with iodosobenzene leads to the iodonium-ylides 2 which undergo thermal rearrangement to the 4-phenyloxy-3-iodo compounds 3. Reductive deiodination of 3 gives the 4-phenyloxy compounds 4. By acid catalyzed treatment with nucleophiles (such as pyridine, nicotinamide, isoquinoline and thiophane) the iodonium-ylides 2 can be converted into the corresponding N- and S-ylides 5. Reaction of 2 with concentrated HCl or HBr gives the 3-halogeno substituted compounds 6.
A suddenly pump stop in multi-pump parallel connection system could induce water hammer which may cause serious accidents. To prevent water hammer harm, comparing experiments was carried out to study the water hammer phenomenon in the lift closing check-valve adopted system and the shuttle check valve adopted system. The result indicates that, the shuttle check valve greatly cuts the peak-value produced by stop-pump water hammer impulsion, and reduces the probability of bringing a devastating water hammer accident.
Anaphylaxis is a source of anxiety for patients and healthcare providers. It is a medical emergency that presents with a broad array of symptoms and signs, many of which can be deceptively similar to other diseases such as myocardial infarction, asthma, or panic attacks. In addition to these diagnostic challenges, anaphylaxis presents management difficulties due to rapid onset and progression, lack of appropriate self-treatment education and implementation by patients, severity of the allergic response, exacerbating medications or concurrent disease, and unpredictability. The most common causes of anaphylaxis are food allergies, stinging insects and immunotherapy (allergy shots) but idiopathic anaphylaxis, latex allergy and drug hypersensitive all contribute to the epidemiology. Reactions to IVP and other dyes are coined anaphylactoid reactions but have identical pathophysiology and treatment, once the mast cell has been degranulated. As many antigens can be the trigger for fatal anaphylaxis, it is useful to examine the features of each etiology individually, highlighting factors common to all fatal anaphylaxis and some specific to certain etiologies. Generally what distinguishes a fatal from non fatal reaction is often just the rapidity to apply correct therapy. Prevention is clearly the key and should identify high-risk patients in an attempt to minimize the likely of a severe reaction. Although fatal anaphylaxis is rare, it is likely underreported.
Objective: Measure the “Projeto Olhar Brasil” under a critic point of view, examining the prevalence of patients referred for ophthalmological appointment, post-screening, that show refractive errors uncorrected. Methods: Review of records between March 2014 and August 2016, in totality of 339 patients between 6 and 18 years old, 5 preschools (2 – 6 years and 11 months) 124 school (7 – 9 years and 11 months) and 210 teenagers (10 – 20 years old). There were 156 males and 183 females, in an Ophthalmologic Hospital in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Results: In total of 339 patients examined, 143 (42.1%) needed optical correction against 196 (57.8%) that not benefiting from the same. There were 74 (47.4%) males patients who required the use of eyeglasses, against 69 (37.7%) of females gender who obtained eyes test alterations. In relation to age, the teenagers, school and preschool showed in absolute numbers and percentage respectively 102 (48.5%), 40 (32.2%) and 2 (40%) indications of corrective lenses. Conclusion: The “Projeto Olhar Brasil” has great importance for society in general reducing the loss of students in school, improving school performance and consequently the quality of life of the beneficiaries, although it needs better training and improvement of professionals in primary health care, elementary school teachers and educators that are responsible for screening.
Abstract ß-endorphin is a neuropeptide involved in several brain functions: its plasma levels are higher in obese women and its release increases after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in normal or obese women. The study included 46 healthy women and evaluated the effect of oral dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA] (50 mg/day) in early postmenopausal women (50–55 years) both of normal weight (group A, n = 12, BMI = 22.1 ± 0.5) and overweight (group B, n = 12, BMI = 28.2 ± 0.5), and late postmenopausal women (60–65 years) both normal weight (group C, n = 11, BMI = 22.5 ± 0.6) and overweight (group D, n = 11, BMI = 27.9 ± 0.4) undergone OGTT, in order to investigate if DHEA could restore/modify the control of insulin and glucose secretion and ß-endorphin release in response to glucose load. The area under the curve (AUC) of OGTT evaluated plasma levels of different molecules. DHEA, DHEAS, and ß-endorphin plasma levels were lower in baseline conditions in older women than younger women. Considering the AUC of ß-endorphin response to OGTT, all groups showed a progressive significant increase after 3 and also after 6 months of treatment in comparison to baseline and 3 months of treatment.
Fuzzy set theory is adapted here to handle decisions on selection of sites for nuclear power plants. The approach is demonstrated by considering a choice of a site for the first nuclear power plant in Saudi Arabia. The approach allows for accommodation of imprecision in evaluation of the factors impacting site selection such as the site geology; hydrology; seismology; topography; meteorology; and availability of cooling water, services, and transportation. Based on the criteria used, preference of the East Coast site over the West Coast site is found within the fuzzy environment surrounding the decision. The approach is quite adequate in situations where precise data are not available and when the decision maker prefers to resort to verbal ratings rather than to use the tedious course of sensitivity analysis. The alternate sites under consideration, however, must meet at least a minimum level of acceptance from the nuclear safety point of view.
An ultra-low quiescent current LDO regulator for micro-energy harvesting system is implemented in a standard 0.35 um CMOS process. By using an error amplifier with double differential input and a push-pull output stage architecture, the proposed LDO is able to operate at ultra low quiescent current. Adding dynamic bias circuit ensures that the system still has a good working condition over the entire load range. Detail analysis is given to explain its operating principle. Simulation results are presented for the proposed LDO. Load transient measurements show that the maximum overshoot and undershoot voltage are 63 and 79 mV respectively, while the line transient measurements show the output variation are within 50 mV in all circumstances. The quiescent current is only 900 n A at supply voltage of 2.3 V under the minimum load condition.
Studies of patients with congenital immunodeficiency due to mutation of the NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO) gene have demonstrated that NEMO integrity is required for NK cell cytotoxicity. Thus, we have studied the physiology of NF-κB activation in NK cells during the cytolytic program. In resting ex vivo human NK cells or cell lines, IκB was degraded after 10 min exposure to PMA and ionomycin, or TNF and was maximally degraded by 30 min. Ligation of several NK cell activation receptors including NKp30 induced a similar response and was blocked by pretreatment with the proteosome inhibitor MG132. There was no short-term effect on p100 processing, the signature of noncanonical NF-κB activation. NK cell IκB degradation corresponded to increases in nuclear NF-κB as detected by EMSA. Supershift of stimulated NK cells and fluorescence microscopy of individual NK cells in cytolytic conjugates demonstrated that the p65/p50 heterodimer was the primary NF-κB used. NF-κB function was evaluated in NK92 cells transduced with a κB GFP reporter, and their conjugation with K562 cells or ligation of NKp30 ligation resulted in rapid GFP accumulation. The latter was prevented by the Syk inhibitor piceatannol. Thus, NK cell activation signaling specifically induces transcriptional activation and synthesis of new NF-κB dependent proteins during the initiation of cytotoxicity.
Utilizing the improved model with quasi-coherent two-quantum state and new Hamiltonian containing an additional interaction term [Phys. Rev. E62 (2000) 6989 and Euro. Phys. J. B19 (2001) 297] we study numerically the influences of the quantum and disorder effects including distortion of the sequences of masses of amino acid molecules and fluctuations of force constant of molecular chains, and of exciton-phonon coupled constants and of the dipole-dipole interaction constant and of the ground state energy on the properties of the solitons transported the bio-energy in the protein molecules by Runge–Kutta method. The results obtained show that the new soliton is robust against these structure disorders, especially for stronger disorders in the sequence of masses spring constants and coupling constants, except for quite larger fluctuations of the ground state energy and dipole-dipole interaction constant. This means that the new soliton in the improved model is very stable in normal cases and is possibly a carrier of bio-energy transport in the protein molecules.
Engineered scaffolds made from synthetic or natural biomaterials are crucial elements in tissue engineering strategies. Numerous biomaterials are being used to fabricate scaffolds, including glasses, ceramics, metals, polymers, and their composites. Although materials chemistry and scaffold architecture (pore size, pore volume) are important factors affecting cell–surface interactions, the roughness and topography of the scaffold surface plays an essential part too, especially nanoscale features are relevant. Extensive research has been carried out on introducing nanoscale features on 2D, flat surfaces, but much limited efforts have been focused on nanostructuring the surface of 3D scaffolds. This paper specifically reviews the current techniques that are available to introduce or engineer nanoscale topography on the surfaces of 3D scaffolds or on 2D surfaces that can be successfully assembled into 3D scaffolds via post‐processing. The literature reviewed provides evidence about the influence of nanoscale topography on cell attachment, migration, and proliferation. While the paper is focused on bone tissue scaffolds, several technologies reviewed are equally applicable to scaffolds suitable for engineering and regeneration of other tissues.
As CPU performance has continually enhanced by transistor scaling, the demand in DRAM performance has been also increased. To meet the performance requirement, 3D chip stacking using Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) has been developed in recent years. For TSV technology, devices are connected by short vertical through-wafer via and thus enhance the performance such as high density, low power and high bandwidth. As transistor scaling becomes more difficult, TSV offer the promising solution for further performance enhancement. TSV formation, wafer thinning, microbump fabrication and chip stacking are key processes for 3D chip stacking using TSV. In this paper, the process steps of TSV formation are examined and discussed. On the other hand, since chip strength of thinned wafer is significantly decreased, the impact of wafer thinning on DRAM devices performance is also presented. After TSV formation, the fine pitch microbumps are fabricated for chip connection. At last, the 5-strata C2W stacking using Cu filled TSV and Sn-Ag/Cu microbump is achieved
OBJECTIVE Visceral fat is a significant cardiovascular risk factor. Because visceral fat has not been measured systematically in patients with adrenal incidentalomas, we have tested the hypothesis that visceral fat volume may be associated with cutoffs for serum cortisol levels post dexamethasone.   DESIGN This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study.   SETTING The study was conducted at the Endocrine Investigation Unit, University Teaching Hospital.   PARTICIPANTS Seventy-three women and 52 men diagnosed with adrenal incidentalomas and 9 patients with overt Cushing's syndrome participated in this study.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The following was measured for serum cortisol level after dexamethasone suppression and visceral fat ratios: visceral-subcutaneous (V:S) and visceral-total volume (V:TV) measured by computed tomography.   RESULTS Sixty-eight patients with a postdexamethasone serum cortisol greater than 1.8 μg/dL (50 nmol/L) showed a significantly higher mean V:S and V:TV fat ratio compared with those whose serum cortisol was less than 1.8 μg/dL: women, lnV:S, -0.45 vs -0.69 [mean difference 0.24 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.08-0.41); P = .004] and V:TV, 0.39 vs 0.34 [mean difference 0.05 (95% CI 0.02-0.09); P = .004]; men, lnV:S, 0.64 vs 0.29 [mean difference 0.35 95% CI 0.08-0.63); P = .01] and V:TV, 0.65 vs 0.57 [mean difference 0.08 (95% CI 0.02-0.14); P = .02]. By ANOVA and post hoc analysis (Fisher's least significant differences), there was no difference in fat ratios between the postdexamethasone serum cortisol groups [1.8-2.9 μg/dL (50-82 nmol/L), 3.0-5.0 μg/dL (83-137 nmol/L), > 5.0 μg/dL (>138 nmol/L) and Cushing's syndrome (mean V:TV: 0.38, 0.40, 0.40, 0.41, respectively)], but they all differed significantly from the less than the 1.8-μg/dL group (V:TV: 0.34, P = .03).   CONCLUSION Visceral fat is increased in patients with adrenal incidentalomas and a postdexamethasone serum cortisol of greater than 1.8 μg/dL and is similar to that found in patients with overt Cushing's syndrome.
Research on how land suitability affects yields and breakeven prices for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) grown as a bioenergy crop is lacking for the U.S. Southeast. Data from a 3-yr multilocation experiment at Milan, TN, were analyzed to determine the influence of soil drainage and landscape position on switchgrass yield and farm-gate breakeven price. Plots were seeded in 2004 with 'Alamo' at 2.8, 5.6, 8.4, 11.2, and 14.0 kg ha -1 pure live seed (PLS). Plots were split in 2005 and N was applied at 0, 67, 134, and 201 kg N ha -1 Farm-gate breakeven prices for 5- and 10-yr production contracts were determined by calculating unit production costs from enterprise budgets that varied by input level and yield. Maximum yields occurred at 67 kg N ha -1 on well-drained soils and at higher N levels on less-well-drained soils. Yield response to seeding rate (SR) was insignificant or small relative to other factors. Averaged across treatments, the well-drained upland location suitable for row crops had the largest yield (17.7 Mg ha -1 ) and lowest breakeven price ($46 Mg -1 ) for a 10-yr period. In contrast, the poorly drained flood plain location considered marginal yielded lowest (8.5 Mg ha -1 ) and had the highest breakeven price ($69 Mg -1 ). Breakeven prices were sensitive to yield, N price, and fuel price. Results suggest a lower breakeven price for switchgrass in the U.S. Southeast as compared with other U.S. regions, mainly due to high yields for the Alamo variety.
BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS The palliative endoscopic treatment of malignant obstruction of the upper gastrointestinal tract, including esophagorespiratory fistulas, is often difficult. The efficacy of polyethylene-coated [corrected] Gianturco-Z stents in these sometimes complicated tumor stenoses was investigated.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Twenty patients with malignant obstruction of the esophagus and the cardia, including six patients with esophagotracheal fistulas, were treated with Gianturco-Z stents. Five patients had previously been provided with another type of self-expanding metal endoprosthesis (two with Wallstents and three with Ultra-flex memory metal stents), and needed retreatment because of tumor ingrowth or overgrowth, esophagotracheal fistulas, or insufficient stent expansion. All data acquired prior to and during stent implantation, as well as during the follow-up period, were recorded prospectively.   RESULTS No technical problems occurred during the implantation of the stents. Nineteen of 20 Gianturco-Z stents (95%) spontaneously showed sufficient expansion at the endoscopic control, which was conducted within the following 48 hours. All patients, with the exception of one, reported immediate improvement of their dysphagia. The sealing of the six fistulas was also achieved. Severe early complications, such as bleeding or perforation, did not occur, but one stent migration was encountered. Two types of minor problems were observed: short-term retrosternal and epigastric pain (11 patients) and formation of a pouch at the upper rim of the stent (one patient). In the follow-up, tumor overgrowth of the stent ends was found in one patient, who was retreated with electrocoagulation. Tumor infiltration of the wire mesh has not been observed so far. In one patient, dislocation of a stent into the stomach occurred (probably as a result of endoscopic measures being performed to control tumor bleeding).   CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the treatment of malignant esophageal obstructions, including esophagorespiratory fistulas, with Gianturco-Z stents is effective, and that implantation is safe, especially in the case of tumor stenoses in the proximal esophagus. The expansile force of the stent is sufficient even for very firm strictures; and the polyethylene [corrected] covering of the stent seems to prevent tumor ingrowth.
A preliminary set of solid-state 139La and 15N NMR data for lanthanum-containing metallocenes is presented, including (C5H5)3La, (C5Me4H)3La, [(C5Me5)2La]+[BPh4]-, and 15N-enriched [(C5Me4H)2La(THF)]215N2. Broad 139La NMR spectra, with breadths ranging from 600 kHz to 2.5 MHz, were acquired with piecewise QCPMG techniques at 9.4 T. Simulations of the spectra reveal 139La quadrupolar coupling constants (CQ) between 44 and 105 MHz. In addition, the first NMR measurement of a nitrogen chemical shift (CS) tensor for dinitrogen bound side-on to a metal atom is reported for [(C5Me4H)2La(THF)]215N2. The 139La NMR parameters show remarkable sensitivity to changes in metallocene structure and can be interpreted in an intuitive manner. Preliminary RHF and DFT calculations of 139La electric field gradient (EFG) and nitrogen CS tensors are used to provide tensor orientations and to rationalize the origin of the NMR parameters in terms of molecular structure and symmetry. The sensitivity of 139La and 15N NMR tensor parameters to changes in structure and bonding should prove invaluable in future studies of noncrystalline and disordered systems.
Rhetorical study of technology will benefit from a broad view of technology that considers it as a cultural phenomenon, including epistemic, artifactual, technical, economic, aesthetic, and political aspects. To understand twentieth-century American technology this way, it is useful to gain some historical perspective on its development, particularly in the past 50 years. Many accounts mark World War II as a turning point in the role of technology in our culture and in the relations of technology with government, science, and industry. This article synthesizes some of these accounts and concludes with four ways that technology should prove to be rhetorically distinct from science.
The island of Surtsey, Iceland, was formed in 1963 by a volcanic eruption. Since then, it has served as a unique natural laboratory for scientists interested in primary succession. In this study we investigated the state of the soil microfauna succession in 1995. We examined locations on the island with different vegetation types (unvegetated soil, soil with one or two plant species, and bird colony soil with a diverse vegetation). We recorded at least 16 nematode taxa and 13 flagellate taxa. Most of these were not reported in previous surveys from Surtsey. On the location with unvegetated soil, ciliates and nematodes were absent and only amoebae and heterotrophic flagellates were found. Most of the protozoan populations we examined were unable to survive salinity levels corresponding to seawater. We therefore conclude that many of soil protozoa populations on Surtsey arrived to the island as airborne cysts brought there from nearby land. However, in the bird colony soil with a high input of salts from the bird droppings, several flagellate species survived and multiplied at seawater salinity. This indicates that the bird colony soil harbours microhabitats where marine flagellate populations have been established.
ABSTRACT Imipenem with relebactam was active against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter spp., including K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing isolates. Loss of OmpK36 in KPC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates affected the susceptibility of this combination. Enhanced activity was evident against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including isolates with depressed oprD and increased ampC expression. However, the addition of relebactam to imipenem did not provide added benefit against Acinetobacter baumannii. The combination of imipenem with relebactam demonstrated activity against KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae and multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa.
Despite the increasing number of countries opting for a criminal antitrust enforcement, outside the US, the implementation of criminal penalties has been quite deficient. Among the main arguments provided by the relevant literature to explain such deficiency, in addition to the procedural obstacles, there is a belief that the criminalization of cartels is often the product of a top-down process led by transnational enforcement interests rather than domestic bottom up pressures. And, as such, it bears the original sin of missing the required enforcement culture and support of the decisive stakeholders. Against this background, the present article provides an empirical investigation exploring the law making processes that led to the criminalization of cartels in Chile. We observe that, when the policy decision is highly politicized, i.e. the consensus building motive is predominant, even if the decision making is not driven by transnational interests but by purely domestic pressures, a regulatory populism might still overcome important balancing policy considerations, with the risk of jeopardizing the results’ effectiveness.
Hard interests, soft illusions: Southeast Asia and American power By NATASHA HAMILTON-HART Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2012. Pp. 243. Appendix, Bibliography, Index. doi: 10.1017/S0022463413000386 Natasha Hamilton-Hart explores the relationship between 'interests' and 'illusions' in shaping the foreign policies (towards the United States) of the governments of Southeast Asia. In a book that is both concise and thorough, she focuses on the period from the Cold War to the present and includes Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam in her analysis. She emphasises that in all of these cases 'beliefs about American power' flow from specific 'illusions' and 'interests' that are not necessarily explained by what she describes as 'common understandings of the sources of foreign policy'. In the case of 'interests' that shape different approaches to the United States on the part of politically divergent governments in the region, she emphasises the interests of particular regimes, an established ruling elite or the governing political party of the nation-states concerned. More specifically, she draws attention to the 'interests' of political leaders 'in securing power' and 'rewarding supporters'. She also draws attention to the 'career interests' of those who are involved in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy towards the United States and the fact that professional or personal considerations may become tied up in various ways with the conduct of diplomacy. Hamilton Hart emphasises that, despite their differences, the region's 'non-communist political elites' have by and large regarded America 'as a benign power over the last sixty years' (pp. 9-10). However, if there is a continued relative decline in the 'economic capacity' of the United States (a trend that has been at the centre of the Great Recession that began in December 2007 and may or may not have ended, depending on your point of view) its image as a 'benign hegemon' could 'fade' (p. 191). But, for the moment, despite its changing role since the end of the Cold War until the bombings of September 11 and since, Hamilton-Hart emphasises that there remains a strongly grounded and generally positive view of American power that informs the thinking and actions of the foreign policy elites in Southeast Asia. Following a short Introduction, which maps out her overall approach, the second chapter focuses on how the various 'beliefs' of the political actors and diplomats concerned have interacted with the 'hard interests' and 'soft illusions' to which she refers in the book's title. Chapter 3 examines in more detail the political economy of 'interests', while chapter 4 examines the question of beliefs (assumptions) that feed into the 'soft illusions' via an examination of the writing and rewriting of the various national histories in Southeast Asia and of the history of the United States in the region. She makes clear that in all cases there is a mainstream and widely accepted version of history, which has been debated to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the nation-state concerned. At the same, these 'mainstream national histories' remain selective and uncritical: they all involve a 'sanitisation of history' producing 'one-sided and confident narratives' that celebrate the overall historical trajectory of particular polities in Southeast Asia in a fashion that is to a lesser or greater degree inclusive depending on the contemporary character of the regime concerned. In this regard, as with 'interests', the foreign policy elites in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia articulate a less overtly contested version of their histories, while Thailand and the Philippines have been characterised by greater debate since the end of the Cold War (if not well before). Not surprisingly, the foreign-policymakers and the political elite in Vietnam hold to a celebratory account of the country's long struggle from nationalist-communist insurgency to national unification and Communist Party rule. …
The reaction of [Cp*Cr(C6F5)(μ-Cl)]2 (1) with 2 equiv of MeLi in THF yields the methyl-bridged Cr(III) dimer [Cp*Cr(C6F5)(μ-Me)]2 (2). This dinuclear compound is very soluble in hydrocarbon solvent and has been isolated in low yield (6%). Compound 2 reacts with pyridine to afford [Cp*Cr(C6F5)(Me)(Py)] (3), which has been isolated in a 67% yield. Compound 3 is a 15-electron, coordinatively saturated chromium(III) species that has been characterized by NMR, magnetometry, and EA. The structures of 1, 2, and 3 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compounds 1 and 2 exist in the form of centrosymmetrical dimers with bridging chloride and methyl ligands, respectively. Mononuclear compound 3 adopts the expected three-legged piano stool geometry. Compound 2 polymerizes ethylene in toluene under 1 atm of ethylene at room temperature in the absence of any activators. Compound 3 is not catalytically active by itself. Yet, the addition of excess AlEt3 to a solution of 3 in toluene leads to a catal...
In the toad Bufo calamita, among-population variation of size follows roughly a converse Bergmann cline, but populations exist that do not fit this pattern. We propose that latitudinal body size variation is a byproduct of adaptive covariation among the life-history traits juvenile growth rate, longevity and lifetime fecundity. We choose five populations (two in Andalusia, two in Catalonia and one in Rhineland-Palatinate) representing a variation of adult size from 39 mm to 95 mm snout–vent length, a latitudinal gradient from 37 to 50° and an altitudinal gradient from sea level to 420 m. Skeletochronology was used to estimate the age-related life-history traits of 313 toads and their lifetime pattern of growth. At southern latitudes, toads matured and reproduced earlier than those at northern latitudes, but had a reduced potential reproductive lifespan due to lower longevity. Age-adjusted adult size depended mainly on the size achieved between metamorphosis and first hibernation or aestivation, which in turn was influenced by local factors. We propose that first-year size corresponds to the duration of the aboveground activity period, temperature during the activity period and the type of shelter sites and hibernacula available in the habitat. After attaining sexual maturity, the growth rates did not differ among populations. Interactions of multiple environmental factors during the first year of life determine age at maturity, adult size and size variation among populations. Local body size and potential reproductive lifespan covary to optimize lifetime fecundity throughout the geographical range. The presence of a small-sized population in southern Spain does not fit the pattern predicted by a converse Bergmann cline, but is compatible with the hypothesis that body size variation among B. calamita populations may be the evolutionary byproduct of optimized lifetime fecundity.
Our purpose was to study the effects of dolastatin-10 (Dol-10) on chromosome morphology, telomeric associations, induction of polyploidy and cell death in a metastatic murine melanoma cell line, K1735 clone X-21. Murine melanoma cells were treated with various concentrations (10 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml and 1000 ng/ml) of Dol-10 for 4, 24 and 72 h continuously and harvested immediately without recovery. In another set of experiments, cells were treated for 4 h with the same concentrations, washed with prewarmed medium and then allowed to recover in drug-free medium for 24 h and subsequently harvested. Our preliminary results indicated: i) a drug-mediated increase in the frequency of metaphases, with telomeric associations resulting in multicentric and ring configurations; ii) induction of clumping in metaphase chromosomes; iii) induction of polyploidy as a result of endoreduplication; iv) formation of micronucleated cells; and v) induction of cell death. These observations indicated that Dol-10 could be a potent antineoplastic drug against malignant melanoma. In addition to its reported interaction with cell microtubules, the mechanism of action of Dol-10 may be mediated through the loss of telomeric repeats and induction of chromosome aberrations.
Despite decades of research, the mechanism of action of the ABC multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) remains elusive. Due to experimental limitations, many researchers have turned to molecular dynamics simulation studies in order to investigate different aspects of P-gp function. However, such studies are challenging and caution is required when interpreting the results. P-gp is highly flexible and the time scale on which it can be simulated is limited. There is also uncertainty regarding the accuracy of the various crystal structures available, let alone the structure of the protein in a physiologically relevant environment. In this study, three alternative structural models of mouse P-gp (3G5U, 4KSB, 4M1M), all resolved to 3.8 Å, were used to initiate sets of simulations of P-gp in a membrane environment in order to determine: a) the sensitivity of the results to differences in the starting configuration; and b) the extent to which converged results could be expected on the times scales commonly simulated for this system. The simulations suggest that the arrangement of the nucleotide binding domains (NBDs) observed in the crystal structures is not stable in a membrane environment. In all simulations, the NBDs rapidly associated (within 10 ns) and changes within the transmembrane helices were observed. The secondary structure within the transmembrane domain was best preserved in the 4M1M model under the simulation conditions used. However, the extent to which replicate simulations diverged on a 100 to 200 ns timescale meant that it was not possible to draw definitive conclusions as to which structure overall was most stable, or to obtain converged and reliable results for any of the properties examined. The work brings into question the reliability of conclusions made in regard to the nature of specific interactions inferred from previous simulation studies on this system involving similar sampling times. It also highlights the need to demonstrate the statistical significance of any results obtained in simulations of large flexible proteins, especially where the initial structure is uncertain.
Congenitally corrected transposition is a complex cardiac lesion that is often associated with ventricular septal defect, obstruction of the outflow tract of the morphologically left ventricle, and abnormalities of the morphologically tricuspid valve.1,2 Nomenclature for this lesion has been variable and confusing.1 In this review, we define, and hopefully clarify this terminology. The lesion is a combination of discordant union of the atrial chambers with the ventricles, and the ventricles with the arterial trunks.1,2 In rare circumstances, discordant atrioventricular connections can be associated with concordant ventriculo-arterial connections. This malformation has been called “isolated ventricular inversion”. The term is less than precise, and the descriptive approach using the phrase “discordant atrioventricular connections with concordant ventriculo-arterial connections” is preferred, as discussed below.
This paper aims at assessing the accuracy of different solar forecasting methods in the case of an insular context. Two sites of La Reunion Island, Le Tampon and Saint-Pierre, are chosen to do the benchmarking exercise. Reunion Island is a tropical island with a complex orography where cloud processes are mainly governed by local dynamics. As a consequence, Reunion Island exhibits numerous micro-climates. The two aforementioned sites are quite representative of the challenging character of solar forecasting in the case of a tropical island with complex orography. Hence, although distant from only 10 km, these two sites exhibit very different sky conditions. This work focuses on day-ahead and intra-day solar forecasting. Day-ahead solar forecasts are provided by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). This organization maintains and runs the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model named Integrated Forecast System (IFS). In this work, post-processing techniques are applied to refine the output of the IFS model for day-ahead forecasting. Statistical models like a recursive linear model or a nonlinear model such as an artificial neural network are used to produce the intra-day solar forecasts. It is shown that a combination of the IFS model and the neural network model further improves the accuracy of the forecasts.
PURPOSE Dead detectors due to manufacturing defects or radiation damage in the electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) used for cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) can lead to image degradation and ring artifacts. In this work three dead detector correction methods were assessed using megavoltage CBCT (MVCBCT) as a test system, with the goals of assessing the relative effectiveness of the three methods and establishing the conditions for which they fail.   METHODS MVCBCT projections acquired with four linacs at 8 and 60 MU (monitor units) were degraded with varying percentages (2%-95%) of randomly distributed dead single detectors (RDSs), randomly distributed dead detector clusters (RDCs) of 2 mm diameter, and nonrandomly distributed dead detector disks (NRDDs) of varying diameter (4-16 mm). Correction algorithms were bidirectional linear interpolation (BLI), quad-directional linear interpolation (QLI), and a Laplacian solution (LS) method. Correction method failure was defined to occur if ring artifacts were present in the reconstructed phantom images from any linac or if the modulation transfer function (MTF) for any linac dropped below baseline with a p value, calculated with the two sample t test, of less than 0.01.   RESULTS All correction methods failed at the same or lower RDC/RDS percentages and NRDD diameters for the 60 MU as for the 8 MU cases. The LS method tended to outperform or match the BLI and QLI methods. If ring artifacts anywhere in the images were considered unacceptable, the LS method failed for 60 MU at >33% RDS, >2% RDC, and >4 mm NRDD. If ring artifacts within 4 mm longitudinally of the phantom section interfaces were considered acceptable, the LS method failed for 60 MU at >90% RDS, >80% RDC, and >4 mm NRDD. LS failed due to MTF drop for 60 MU at >50% RDS, >25% RDC, and >4 mm NRDD.   CONCLUSIONS The LS method is superior to the BLI and QLI methods, and correction algorithm effectiveness decreases as imaging dose increases. All correction methods failed first due to ring artifacts and second due to MTF drop. If ring artifacts in axial slices within a 4 mm longitudinal distance from phantom section interfaces are acceptable, statistically significant loss in spatial resolution does not occur until over 25% of the EPID is covered in randomly distributed dead detectors, or NRDDs of 4 mm diameter are present.
This paper discusses a recently introduced electro-optical (E-O) step frame camera. The camera is designed for visible- spectrum, medium-altitude, wide-area coverage, military tactical reconnaissance. The paper reviews the tactical reconnaissance requirements for modern E-O cameras mandated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defense Airborne REconnaissance Office. Also, camera specifications and major hardware elements are given, followed by camera operational modes and performance. Finally, the paper presents the results of recent demonstration flights, including equipment configuration, flight parameters and resulting imagery.
Opa3 mRNA is expressed in all tissues examined to date, but currently the function of the OPA3 protein is unknown. Intriguingly, various mutations in the OPA3 gene lead to two similar diseases in humans: autosomal dominant inherited optic atrophy and cataract (ADOAC) and a metabolic condition; type 3-methylglutaconic aciduria (MGA). Early onset bilateral optic atrophy is a common characteristic of both disorders; retinal ganglion cells are lost and visual acuity is impaired from an early age. In order to investigate the function of the OPA3 protein, we have generated a novel ENU-induced mutant mouse carrying a missense mutation in the OPA3 gene. The heterozygous mutation in exon 2, causes an amino acid change p.L122P (c.365T>C), which is predicted to alter tertiary protein structure. In the heterozygous state, the mice appear uncompromised however; in the homozygous state mice display some of the features of MGA. Visual function is severely reduced, consistent with significant loss of retinal ganglion cells and degeneration of axons in the optic nerve. In the homozygous optic nerve, there was evidence of increased mitochondrial activity, as demonstrated by the increased presence of mitochondrial marker Cytochrome C Oxidase (COX) histochemistry. Mice homozygous for the opa3(L122P) mutation also display a severe multi-systemic disease characterized by reduced lifespan (majority dying before 4 months), decreased weight, dilated cardiomyopathy, extrapyramidal dysfunction and gross neuro-muscular defects. All of these defects are synonymous with the phenotypic characteristics of Type III MGA found in humans. This model will be of major importance for future studies of the specific function of the OPA3 gene.
The natural abundances of the stable isotopes of lead are used to identify natural and industrial sources of lead in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada. The (206)Pb/(207)Pb ratios, used to characterize the lead source, had values of approximately 1.24 for coastal oceanic water, approximately 1.22 for fjord waters receiving lead from mine tailings, and approximately 1.163 for waters near urban centers. The lead concentration data are in agreement with presently accepted seawater values.
A classification of types of stratified, rotating boundary layers, driven by periodic forcing is presented. The dynamics of such flow is shown to depend on the product of the Ekman number and a stratification parameter and on the ratio of the forcing frequency to the Coriolis frequency. Certain asymptotic solutions are presented for atmospheric values of the stratification parameter and mid-latitude-synoptic and diurnal values of the nondimensional forcing frequency. For the case of flow driven by diurnally varying, differential surface heating, the thermal forcing is absorbed primarily by the Stokes part of the flow which in turn generates an Ekman layer and associated vertical motion. This Ekman pumping induces adjustments in an overlying oscillating Lineykin layer. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1979.tb00904.x
Participating in collective actions, or acts of social protest, is one of the primary means that citizens have of participating in democracy and seeking social change. In this article, we outline the ways in which: social identity provides a psychological foundation for collective actions; social norms shape the mobilization and particular direction (disruptive vs. conventional) of that protest; and participating in collective actions is psychologically consequential and sociopolitically complex. We use this platform to put forward a series of practical implications for activists, social movement and nongovernmental groups, and authorities, who seek to mobilize consequential collective action. We conclude that collective action is a fundamental tool in the battle for social equality and justice. To better understand, and engage with this phenomenon, policy makers and practitioners need to attend to its origins in collective, group-based psychology.
The study described here deals with the quantification of the genetic variation of "residual feed consumption" (RFC) of hens of a White Leghorn population during a 44-wk laying period (20 to 64 wk of age) in 11 time segments of 4 wk each, fed either a commercial or a low-energy diet (11.7 and 10.0 MJ ME/kg, respectively, where 1 MJ = .239 Mcal). The RFC is defined operationally as the difference between the observed feed consumption of a laying hen and its consumption as predicted from a model with metabolic body weight, egg mass production, and body weight gain as independent variables. The RFC was found to be highly heritable in all periods. The heritability of RFC accumulated over the whole laying period (RFC-T) was estimated as .42 to .62. For each time segment between 32 and 56 wk of age, genetic correlations between RFC and RFC-T were estimated to be larger than .91. The genetic sources causing variation in RFC during the first part of lay seem to differ from those causing variation later on, and to be of less importance during the rest of the laying period. It was concluded that RFC shows a considerable systematic and permanent additive genetic variance, and that RFC measurements for selection can be limited to one to three time segments between 32 and 56 wk. Furthermore, less environmental variance and therefore higher heritabilities and genetic correlations seemed to exist for birds fed the low energy diet in comparison with those fed the commercial diet. No clear differences could be found between genetic and phenotypic correlation estimates of RFC with feed consumption, metabolic body weight, egg mass production, and body weight gain.
The first spacecraft encounter with a comet took place on 11 September 1985 when the International Cometary Explorer spacecraft passed through the tail of Comet Giacobini-Zinner at a distance of 7800 km from the nucleus. It provided the first definitive in-situ information concerning the interaction of a cometary atmosphere with the flowing solar-wind plasma, and the results of initial analyses are reviewed in this paper. Large-scale mhd aspects of the interaction largely conform to prior expectation. The flow surrounding the comet is mass-loaded and slowed by situ ionization and pick-up of heavy cometary neutrals, and the solar-wind magnetic field consequently becomes draped around the obstacle, and forms an induced magnetotail. Substantial evidence exists for the permanent presence of a weak shock lying in the subsolar mass-loaded region upstream from the comet, through whether the spacecraft itself passed through shocks on the cometary flanks remains controversial. There is no doubt, however, that a sharp boundary was observed both inbound and outbound (centred on ca.09h29 and 12h20 U.T.) whose width is an energetic heavyion Larmor radius (ca. 104 km), where the flow is deflected away from the comet and slowed, and where the magnetic field and plasma become compressed and very turbulent. The location of this boundary is also consistent with that expected for a weak shock based upon the known Giacobini-Zinner water-molecule production rate. An unexpected feature of the interaction was the extreme levels of field and plasma turbulence, and broadband wave activity observed in the region of massloaded flow.
Moriyuki ISHIGURO and Masuta OKUBO Synopsis: Studies were made on a calculation method of the iron oxide activity in basic multi-components steelmaking slag. The studies have revealed: 1) Among previously proposed calculation methods, there is no generalized one being capable to calculate the iron oxide activity range of multi-component slag. The methods proposed by ELLIOTT et al and HERAHYMENKO et al are reliable to calculate the iron oxide activity to some extent and the equilibrium oxygen content in metal can be calculated with a standard deviation of about 200ppm; the oxygen content is in equilibrium with the slag that has a high basicity and (% FetO) of more than 5%. 2) On the assumption that the molten slag dissociates completely to the ionic species, effects of calculation methods of ionic fraction assuming various ionic species of the iron oxide on the iron oxide activity are discussed. As the result, a new calculation method on iron oxide activity has been interoduced by authers
In this paper, we regulate the speed of a surface mount Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) with only using current sensors. We use a back-Electromotive Force (back-EMF) based sensorless speed control technique. We reduce the α-β model of the PMSM using singular perturbation theory, which reveals two algebraic expressions for the estimation of the back-EMF signals. We use these expressions to drive a Quadrature Phase Locked Loop (Q-PLL) that estimates rotor position and speed and also estimates the disturbance. The rotor position estimate is used for Park transformation while the speed and disturbance estimates are used in a feedback linearization law to regulate the speed. Our development of the controller only assumes knowledge of the nominal parameters of the PMSM. In addition, we assume the external load to be time-varying and bounded but otherwise unknown. Finally, results from simulation and experiment are shown to confirm robustness, and high performance of the output feedback system.
Here we present a new approach for constraining luminous blazars, incorporating fully time-dependent and self-consistent modeling of bright γ-ray flares of PKS 1510–089, resolved with Fermi-LAT, in the framework of the internal shock scenario. The results of our modeling imply the location of the γ-ray flaring zone to be outside of the broad-line region, namely around ≃ 0.3 ?> pc from the core for a free-expanding jet with the opening angle Γ θ jet ≃ 1 ?> (where Γ is the jet bulk Lorentz factor), up to ≃ 3 ?> pc for a collimated outflow with Γ θ jet ≃ 0.1 ?> . Moreover, under the Γ θ jet ≃ 1 ?> condition, our modeling indicates the maximum efficiency of the jet production during the flares, with the total jet energy flux strongly dominated by protons and exceeding the available accretion power in the source. This is in contrast to the quiescence states of the blazar, characterized by lower jet kinetic power and an approximate energy equipartition between different plasma constituents. We demostrate how strictly simultaneous observations of flaring PKS 1510–089 at optical, X-ray, and GeV photon energies, on hourly timescales, augmented by extensive simulations as presented in this paper, may help to impose further precise constraints on the magnetization and opening angle of the emitting region. In addition, our detailed modeling implies that a non-uniformity of the Doppler factor across the jet, caused by the radial expansion of the outflow, may lead to a pronounced time distortion in the observed γ-ray light curves, resulting, in particular, in asymmetric flux profiles with substantially extended decay phases.
Hasso von Wedel, usually “H. Wedel” on specimen labels, settled on the northwestern Caribbean coast of Panama in the province of Bocas del Toro in 1898 and sustained himself mainly through the production of picture postcards and as a photographer for the United Fruit Company. He learned to prepare bird specimens in 1926 and collected widely in Bocas del Toro for various museums, mainly Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, at least up until 1939. Wedel made the first collections of birds from the easternmost Caribbean coast of Panama in the Comarca de San Blas at intervals from 1929 until 1934. He learned the fundamentals of botanical collecting in 1938 and made extensive collections of plants for the Missouri Botanical Garden from then until 1941, his specimens forming the basis for dozens of presumed new species, at least ten of which were named for him. His biological explorations appear to have ceased about the time the United States entered the Second World War, although he lived in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, until his death at Almirante in 1957.
This paper analyzes the theme of the knowledge project as an element guide of the restoration project. In view of the constant evolution of technologies related to diagnostics (in the laboratory and in situ), the research exposes the importance of a comprehensive acquisition of preliminary information as a project design phase tool, in order to solve doubts, verify hypotheses preventing the timeline and control economical aspects during the construction phase. The case study analyzes the restoration of an eighteenth-century apartment in a noble palace of Imperia City that has been neglected for years. From a first phase of analysis and knowledge, the project action sought to integrate contemporary needs with the historical features, in respect of the existing and its conservation. The proposed intervention aims to show how the survey of the building (geometric, material and decorative) combined with the investigations on the existing unit (archival, historical-architectural, technical-constructive and geological-petrographic) and the diagnosis of the pathological picture are necessary knowledge to guide and control actions of the final phase of the project.
A new genus and species, Avitocaligus assurgericola gen. et sp. n., of the family Caligidae is established based on an ovigerous female collected from a razorback scabbardfish, Assurger anzac (Alexander), caught off New Caledonia. This is the first record of any parasitic copepod from this fish. The new genus is placed in the Caligidae since it possesses the caligid cephalothorax incorporating the first to third pedigerous somites. It also exhibits biramous first and fourth swimming legs but lacks dorsal plates on the fourth pedigerous somite. This combination of characters serves to differentiate the new genus from existing genera. In addition, it possesses loosely coiled, uniseriate egg sacs, concealed between the middle lamellar plates on the genital complex and the ventral plates on the abdomen. Preliminary phylogenetic analysis with a restricted matrix suggests that the new genus represents the earliest offshoot from the main caligid lineage since it does not exhibit the dominant exopod on the fourth swimming leg found in all other members of the Caligidae, including the genus Euryphorus. It strongly supports the newly recognized monophyletic status of the Caligidae, incorporating the genera formerly placed in the Euryphoridae.
Objectives: This study was designed to assess the smile characteristics in different dentoalveolar malocclusion cases, by standardized photographic analysis. Subjects and methods: A sample of 132 subjects with age range from 18 to 24 years. The study groups were designed according to Angles Classification in to 4 groups. Standardized extraoral photographs at rest position, social smile, maximum smile and profile were taken for each subject. Smile analysis was done by identifying certain measurements digitally via software. Results: The upper and lower lip length showed significant change. The mouth width increased during smiling significantly. The smile area showed no significant different in social smile between all groups. The buccal corridors area showed significant increase. The incisal show had significant difference among allgroups in social smile. The smile arch depth showed no significant difference in social smile among all groups. The gingival exposure significantly increased during maximum smile. Conclusions: Control group showed moderate smile Class I with bimaxillary protrusion, spacing and openbite subgroups showed high smile. Class I with crowding and deepbite subgroups showed low smile. Class II Division 1 group showed high smile while Division 2 showed moderate smile. Class III group showed low smile.
This paper describes techniques and an implementation for managing costs and quality of electronics products during design. Emphasis is given to the development of an economic model to estimate the production costs at the assembly level. The unique feature of this system is to bring the experience of a manufacturing engineer, quality engineer, and cost controller into the hands of a designer. Such an early integration of manufacturing knowledge creates a concurrent engineering environment which improves product quality and reduces cost through careful monitoring of the design phase.
Background Steroid administration during cardiopulmonary bypass is considered to improve cardiopulmonary function by modulating inflammations caused by bypass. Objectives This study was performed to compare effectiveness of preoperative and intraoperative methylprednisolone (MP) to preoperative methylprednisolone alone in post bypass inflammatory (IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) factors. Patients and Methods Fifty pediatric patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass surgery from August 2011 to 2012 in the cardiac surgery department of Imam Reza Hospital, the major center for CPB, in Mashhad, Iran were randomly assigned to receive preoperative and intraoperative MP (30 mg/kg, 4 hours before bypass and in bypass prime, number 25) or preoperative MP only (30 mg/kg, number 25). Before and after bypass, four and 24 hours after bypass, serum IL-6 and IL-10 were measured by ELISA. Results In both groups, no significant difference with variation of expression for IL-6 (inflammatory factor) and IL-10 (anti-inflammatory factor) in different times after bypass was observed. Conclusions No significant difference in reducing post bypass inflammation between preoperative steroid treatment and combined preoperative and intraoperative steroid administration reported and they had the same effects.
Platinum (Pt) nanoparticles encapsulated in microporous carbon with a hollow structure (nPt@hC) were fabricated on the basis of a titanium(IV) oxide (TiO2) photocatalytic reaction. From the tomogram of a sample studied by using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), the Pt nanoparticles were found to be embedded in the carbon shell and were physically separated from each other by the carbon matrix. Owing to this unique structure, the Pt particles showed high resistance to sintering when subjected to thermal treatment at temperatures up to 800 degrees C. As a result, hydrogenation reactions using various heat-treated nPt@hCs as catalysts indicated that loss of catalytic activity was minimized. Thus, the present system will be a promising system for optimizing catalyst nanostructures utilized in processes requiring rigorous conditions.
We use the variational quantum Monte Carlo method to calculate the density-functional exchange-correlation hole n(xc), the exchange-correlation energy density e(xc), and the total exchange-correlation energy E(xc) of several strongly inhomogeneous electron gas systems. We compare our results with the local density approximation and the generalized gradient approximation. It is found that the nonlocal contributions to e(xc) contain an energetically significant component, the magnitude, shape, and sign of which are controlled by the Laplacian of the electron density.
The innocent child, we must remember, comes to the physician usually with little choice. I shall stress the drug reactions in childhood that differ from those in adults, particularly those that are associated with growth and development. Growing children suffer drug reactions peculiar to this age group, in addition to sharing many reactions of older children and adults. Since growth and development are continuous processes, but arbitrarily divided into several periods or ages, it is obvious that many reactions may be noted in more than one period. Embryonic Period For many years we considered human pregnancy to be more secure than that of a bird. The human egg was considered to be protected even more than the avian egg; but there is little problem with a bird's egg except that the mother, and perhaps the father, stay on the nest. What they ingest makes little difference to the developing fetus.
We present nonmagnetic organic transistors with wideband-gap polymer:bis[(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridinato-N, C2]-(picolinato)iridium(III) (P36HCTPSi:FIrpic) mixed heterojunctions, achieving a high stable current gain of 73 and 14% organic magnetocurrent effect over a wide range of collector-emitter voltages and an external magnetic field, respectively. We employed a substrate heating treatment technique during deposition of the mixed emitter layer to achieve low surface roughness and, consequently, improved the on-to-off current ratio of around 105.
Amniotic fluid was collected from 78 pregnant women at birth additionally with their urine prior to delivery as well as neonatal urine and meconium. The smoking markers, nicotine and its metabolites cotinine and trans-3′-hydroxycotinine (OH-cotinine), were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The self-reported smoking status during pregnancy determined by means of a questionnaire was verified by measurement of maternal urine. In all smokers, nicotine metabolites were detected in amniotic fluid and in 80% of them nicotine as well. However, the sum of the nicotine metabolites (Summet) was significantly lower (p < .001) in amniotic fluid (704 ± 464 nmol/L) than in meconium (921 ± 588 nmol/L), neonatal urine (1139 ± 813 nmol/L) and maternal urine (4496 ± 3535 nmol/L). Concentrations of nicotine metabolites in amniotic fluid correlated well (p < .001) with that in the other specimen types. After environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure, no nicotine or nicotine metabolites were detectable in amniotic fluid but only in maternal and neonatal urine. Analysis of amniotic fluid at birth lends itself to verifying smoking habits during pregnancy and clearly discriminating from ETS exposure, but it is not a suitable approach to differentiating between ETS exposure and non-exposure.
Anaerobic degradation of TNT and TNB in gravel systems was rapid and similar to removal rates in parrot feather lagoons. Planted and unplanted anaerobic gravel systems were the only treatments that provided significant reduction of RDX and HMX. Planted systems with parrot feather had no effect on removal rates of explosives in anaerobic gravel systems. Reciprocating wetlands were not effective in biodegrading RDX or HMX, but were very efficient at removing COD. A scaled-up concept for bioremediating contaminated groundwater can be envisioned with the data obtained in the current study. The effectiveness of anaerobic gravel systems indicate an anaerobic subsurface-flow constructed wetland can be established as the primary treatment for remediation with C added to the influent or step fed down the length of the wetland. Another option would be to add compost as a more permanent source of C to the gravel substrate. With time, the need for C supplementation may be reduced with the C exudates and redox lowering potential of certain plants like canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea). As a secondary treatment, a reciprocating wetland would appear to be a logical choice to quickly remove C released in effluent waters of the anaerobic wetland.
Nursing programs must structure programs so that more nurses will choose to work with older adults. Whether gerontological nursing is incorporated into a clinical major at the graduate level depends on the philosophy of the program. Some programs offer a major in gerontological nursing, others may allow students to subspecialize, or all students may be exposed to content on the older adult. The objectives of the graduate course in gerontological nursing is to prepare students to meet the highly specialized health-care needs of older adults.
An adaptive Viterbi algorithm using strongly connected trellis decoding of binary convolutional codes is presented. It is known that the strongly connected trellis decoding method can be used to improve the efficiency of hardware utilization and the throughput of the decoding in a systolic array-based Viterbi decoder. However, this method makes the amount of ACS (addition, comparison, and selection) computations in the decoding process much larger than in the conventional trellis decoding. It is shown that the proposed adaptive Viterbi algorithm can reduce the large amount of ACS computations without a degradation in the performance. Further, this algorithm, unlike the adaptive Viterbi algorithm based on low connectivity trellis, does require a sorting operation to determine the most likely survivor paths among all the possible survivor paths. The simulation results show that the proposed adaptive Viterbi algorithm can reduce up to 70% of the average number of ACS computations per strongly connected stage over that using the conventional Viterbi algorithm, while keeping the same error performance as that of the latter.
In this study, a new ultrasound-based method for measuring both carrier-fluid and suspended-particle (disperse phase) motion is introduced. The method can extract flow quantities, such as slip velocity, from statistical information obtained in dense two-phase flows. The carrier fluid velocity is measured by leveraging the non-reflective properties of nearly-linear materials at harmonic frequencies to filter out the suspended particles. In contrast, the disperse phase velocity is measured using the ultrasound’s fundamental imaging mode and the slight impedance mismatch between the suspended particles and fluid. As a result, the carrier phase can be captured without cross-talk from the disperse phase. Finally, it is shown that the proposed technique allows for the measurement of suspension dynamics in vortex rings with high volume fractions on the order of 40%. Here, the proposed method is tested in dense suspensions, made from super-absorbent polymer beads with nearly-linear material properties mixed in deionized water, with volume fractions ranging from 20% to 40%.
summer meeting of the Association was held from July 15 to July 19, 1985, in conjunction with a summer of the Center for the Study and Information (CSLI) Stanford The summer was from July 8 to July 13. The title of the combined meetings was "Logic, Language and Computation". The were supported, financially and logistically, by CSLI. The meetings were attended by over 300 people, from 25 countries. datatype be man's by to what one naively about data types in programming languages at a very operational level, to formal and often very sophisticated semantics of data types. by reviewing some proposals for a semantics of partially-ordered data types. express a wish for what a mathematically naive programmer would construe as partially-ordered data type structures, and I play a naive dialectic game to analyse the operational use of these structures in programming by extrapolation from the concept of first-ordered term structures. Finally, show how interpreting types as sets (as I surmise the layman does) leads one to perceive subtyping as set inclusion. As a result, a simple-minded discussion of lattice-theoretic implications of this interpretation of subtyping leads to a characterisation of desired properties of a partially-ordered type system. understanding types, polymorphism. Our objective is to understand the notion of "type" in programming languages, to present a model of typed, polymorphic, programming languages that reflects recent research in type theory, and to examine the relevance of recent research to the design of practical programming languages. We start by considering the evolution from untyped universes to monomorphic and then polymorphic type systems. Mechanisms for polymorphism such as overloading, coercion, subtyping, and parametrization are examined. A unifying framework for polymorphic type systems is developed in terms of the typed lambda calculus augmented to include binding of types by quantification as well as binding of values by abstraction. The typed lambda calculus is augmented by universal quantification to model generic functions with type parameters, by existential quantification and packaging (information hiding) to model abstract data types, and by bounded quantification to model subtypes and type inheritance. In this way we obtain a simple and precise characterization of a powerful type system that includes abstract data types, parametric polymorphism, and multiple inheritance in a single consistent framework. We indicate how type checking is accomplished for our augmented lambda calculus. We demonstrate that this model is not only mathematically simple but can serve as a basis for the design and implementation of real programming languages with type facilities that are more powerful and expressive than those of existing programming languages. MAN-CHUNG semantics leads, in the case of monotonic rules, to a kind of PDL based on intuitionistic propositional logic. Nonmonotonic rules give rise to some interesting versions of PDL based on other nonclassical logics. and in natural language. Current theories of the semantics of quantifiers in natural language have focussed on difficulties presented by interactions between quantifier expressions and conjunctions. A considerable literature has developed on the proper analysis of donkey sentences, for example (1). The SASL language is a sugared lambda-calculus with pairing which the basis for applicative language at (Burroughs This talk will outline the work to date on a logic for SASL as well as on machine-checked proofs of theorems about SASL programs. Uniform definability and 0-1 laws on finite structures. Weanalyze definability in the infinitarylanguagesL^.O < k < co, on classes of finite structures which arise in combinatorics. These languages allow for arbitrary disjunctions and conjunctions, but only for a fixed finite number of variables. We obtain applications for the asymptotic probabilities of the inductive queries on classes of structures closed under disjoint unions and components. We show that an unlabeled 0-1 law holds for the inductive queries on the finite equivalence relations, but that this law fails on the class of permutations. We also prove that the decision problem for the inductive almost sure theory of finite equivalence relations is EXPTIME complete. Process algebra is an axiomatic approach towards process verification and specification comparable to CCS (Milner) or CSP (Hoare). Process algebra concentrates on parallel execution and is especially suited for specifying and verifying communication protocols. It incorporates besides the T step of CCS, the possibility of successful termination at any point (the empty process s) and of unsuccessful termination (deadlock <5). second-order logic of these argued the accompanying algebraic semantics significant insights into the structure of the abstract ontology of logic and the paradoxes. Completeness results are also discussed. We complete prover a term meaningful We illustrate knowledge representation monomorphic pairs is a generic set. In this we show that the construction of such generic sets allows us to define algebraically closed structures in general, and algebraically closed groups in particular, directly. The particular application area in computer science is that of solving word problems for equational theories presenting data types. Data types presented equationally admit a particular initial model whose universe consists of the representatives of the congruence classes generated by the equational presentation on the trees of the signature of the presentation. One of the implications of the results of [1] and [2] is that the power set of the inductive closure of a theory presentation with respect to its initial model generates the canonical initial model of the closure. Thus if one can construct a canonical term initial algebra for a presentation, one has in effect solved the world problem for that presentation. The particular case of groups has received considerable attention in computing recently. Such problems can be shown not to be solved in general unless one uses sophisticated techniques like forcing. In particular, algebraically closed groups cannot be constructed at all using ordinary techniques. The particular approach presented here solves the rewrite rule problem for data type presentations by forcing the normal forms to be those terms used to construct a generalized model-theoretic diagram for the theory. What is shown is that by picking type constructors to define monomorphic pairs one can define a generalized diagram. The theorems in the paper then show that this allows one to define a closure construction through forcing to obtain an algebraically closed structure. A more detailed report is available in [3], with further applications to the theory of term rewriting systems. Prolog, are widely used in knowledge-based programs including expert systems and deductive question-answerers. The paper compares them with first-order logic and explores the extent to which these representation systems share properties which can make first-order logic, in its usual use, an unreliable form of knowledge representation. A positive (and negative) account of the reliable use of these formalisms is given. can an intensional database, i.e., as a set of relations defined over the extensional database. Henschen and Naqvi's "compiling" technique can be used to remove deduction from query time processing for such a database. This architecture is proposed as a basis for a natural language processing system that can be fine-tuned using standard A.I. and O.R. techniques. first Learning theory is the study of functions that convert data into hypotheses. Of chief concern is the characterization of conditions under which such functions stabilize to accurate theories of a given environment. Within learning theory the informal notions of "data", "theory", "stabilization", "accuracy", and "environment" give way to precise definitions. Alternative formulations of these concepts yield distinct models within the theory. The most vigorous development of the theory has centered on the learning of sets and functions. The present paper attempts to render learning theory more relevant to scientific practice by reformulating its definitions within the context of model theory. Several consequences of these definitions are presented, for example, that the model completeness of a first order theory is a sufficient condition for the learnability of any countable subset of its countable models.
This paper describes a classroom exercise that has been used in several graduate courses. The exercise provides the students with a framework for understanding the rationale behind some of the mechanisms we observe in reality: incentive compensation plans for executives, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), auditing, and lawsuits against auditors. As such, the exercise provides some answers for several questions of ‘why’ before getting into the ‘how’ of reporting. The case can be used in courses dealing with financial accounting, managerial control and microeconomics in the MBA level.
The food industry must ensure the stability of the products, and this is often achieved by exposing foods to heat treatments that are able to ensure the absence of pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms. These treatments are different in terms of temperature and duration and could lead to a loss in nutritional and sensory value. Moreover, some types of microorganisms manage to survive these treatments thanks to the sporification process. The addition of antimicrobials can become necessary, but at present, consumers are more inclined toward natural products, avoiding synthetic and chemical additives. Antimicrobials from plants could be a valuable option and, in this context, a patent concerning an antimicrobial extract from fermented plant substrate was recently tested against foodborne pathogens revealing high antimicrobial activity. The objective of this study was the creation of a model for the evaluation and subsequent prediction of the combined effect of different process and product variables, including antimicrobial addition, on the inhibition and reduction of spore germination of target microorganisms, Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris and Clostridium pasteurianum, responsible for spoilage of tomato-based products.
With regard to tobacco cessation, persons living with HIV (PLWH) are an underserved population, given the high prevalence of use and lack of evidence-based cessation programs tailored to this population. This study examined barriers and facilitators to tobacco use and cessation among PLWH in southern Brazil. We interviewed a total of 36 PLWH: 26 current smokers, of whom eight had a previous diagnosis of pulmonary TB, and 10 former smokers. Motivations for smoking included anxiety relief, social influence, and habitual behaviors. Motivations to quit included bad smell/taste and consequences/symptoms. Barriers to cessation included cost of pharmacological aids, distance to treatment, and reluctance to seek tobacco cessation services at the public primary care clinics due to confidentiality concerns. Participants favored individual or group interventions, no-cost pharmacologic aids, and assured confidentiality. There are specific contextual factors associated with tobacco cessation among PLWH in Brazil, which have important clinical, research, and policy implications.
PEM capsules have been proposed for vehicles of drug microencapsulation, with the release triggered by pH, salt, magnetic field, or light. When built on another carrier encapsulating drugs, such as nanoparticles, it could provide additional release barrier to the releasing drug, providing further control to drug release. Although liposomes have received considerable attention with PEM coating for sustained drug release, similar results employing PEM built on poly(lactic-co-lycolic acid) (PLGA) particles is scant. In this work, we demonstrate that the build-up pH and polyelectrolyte pairs of PEM affect the release retardation of BSA from PLGA particles. PAH/PSS pair, the most commonly used polyelectrolyte pair, was used in comparison with PLL/DES. In addition, we also demonstrate that the release retardation effect of PEM-coated PLGA particles diminishes as the particle size increases. We attribute this to the diminishing relative thickness of the PEM coating with respect to the size of the particle as the particle size increases, reducing the diffusional resistance of the PEM.
Abstract Low level discharges of total residual bromine chlorine (0.020–0.081 mg/1) and chlorine (0.014–0.062 mg/1) which were effective for biofouling control in a once‐through steam electric generating station were not lethal to juvenile Atlantic menhaden and spot exposed continuously to the halogenated water for 19 and 20 days, respectively. Although no difference in toxicity between the two halogens was found in the study, preliminary evidence by other investigators at higher concentrations suggest that bromine chloride may be less toxic than chlorine.
Background: The aim of the present study was to validate a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visual procedure to target the subthalamic nucleus (STN) based on surrounding anatomical landmarks. Methods: 31 consecutive bilaterally implanted parkinsonian patients were included in this study. After identification of the anterior commissure (AC), posterior commissure (PC) and midcommissural point on a three-dimensional T1-weighted sequence, inversion recovery (IR) T2-weighted coronal slices were performed orthogonal to the AC-PC line. On the slice showing the anterior pole of the red nucleus (RN), the target was placed in the inferolateral portion of the subthalamic zone, limited superiorly by the thalamus, laterally by the internal capsule, inferiorly by the substantia nigra and medially by the midline. The distribution of the targets was analyzed in the AC-PC referential. Results: The mean target coordinates were as follows: anteroposterior (AP) = –2.54 mm (±1.37 mm), lateral (LAT) = 12.03 mm (±0.91 mm) and vertical (VERT) = –6.10 mm (±1.52 mm) for the right side, and AP = –2.65 mm (±1.36 mm), LAT = –11.97 mm (±1.30 mm) and VERT = –5.89 mm (±1.52 mm) for the left side. They projected in the inferior portion of the STN on the Schaltenbrand and Wahren atlas [Stuttgart, Thieme, 1977]. Conclusion: Identification of the anterior pole of the RN and the subthalamic zone on coronal IR T2-weighted MRI performed orthogonal to the AC-PC line provides a precise visual procedure to target the STN.
A generalist pollination system may be characterized through the interaction of a plant species with two or more functional groups of pollinators. The spatiotemporal variation of the most effective pollinator is the factor most frequently advocated to explain the emergence and maintenance of generalist pollination systems. There are few studies merging variation in floral visitor assemblages and the efficacy of pollination by different functional groups. Thus, there are gaps in our knowledge about the variation in time of pollinator efficacy and frequency of generalist species. In this study, we evaluated the pollination efficacy of the floral visitors of Edmundoa lindenii (Bromeliaceae) and their frequency of visits across four reproductive events. We analyzed the frequency of the three groups of floral visitors (large bees, small bees, and hummingbirds) through focal observations in the reproductive events of 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. We evaluated the pollination efficacy (fecundity after one visit) through selective exposure treatments and the breeding system by manual pollinations. We tested if the reproductive success after natural pollination varied between the reproductive events and also calculated the pollen limitation index. E. lindenii is a self-incompatible and parthenocarpic species, requiring the action of pollinators for sexual reproduction. Hummingbirds had higher efficacy than large bees and small bees acted only as pollen larcenists. The relative frequency of the groups of floral visitors varied between the reproductive events. Pollen limitation has occurred only in the reproductive event of 2017, when visits by hummingbirds were scarce and reproductive success after natural pollination was the lowest. We conclude that hummingbirds and large bees were the main and the secondary pollinators of E. lindenii, respectively, and that temporal variations in the pollinator assemblages had effects on its reproductive success. Despite their lower pollination efficacy, large bees ensured seed set when hummingbirds failed. Thus, we provide evidence that variable pollination environments may favor generalization, even under differential effectiveness of pollinator groups if secondary pollinators provide reproductive assurance.
Novel compression molding system for preform has been developed in this study. The preforms for injection blow molding and injection stretch blow molding are being manufactured by injection molding. However it contains gate mark that affects the bottom crack in the PET bottle. The compression molded preform does not contain gate mark, thus the appearance quality of bottle has been increased and the residual stress near gate(bottom of the bottle) has been reduced. The thickness distributions, haze, and transmittance are well accepted for the preform. Also, flow characteristics of the resin between a core and cavity could be analyzed through computer simulation.
Safety has always been the primary objective of air traffic control, which must never be compromised. Automation removes some existing sources of human error but introduces new ones. Some of these can be diagnosed beforehand, and human-machine relationships can be used to highlight their occurrence and to minimise their consequences. If the system can operate in more than one mode, this can lead to errors of mode misrecognition. Built-in diagnostics can aid error prevention, and help to reveal how far the effects of any error could extend. Much more is now known about the diversity of the origins and effects of human error, but there are still practical difficulties in integrating this knowledge into system design.
BACKGROUND To examine glutathione S-transferase M1 (GST M1) gene polymorphism and male infertility in Taiwanese patients with varicocele, 80 young male patients with varicocele (group 1), 62 young male patients with subclinical varicocele (group 2) and 60 normal young males (group 3) were recruited in this study.   METHODS GST M1 null homozygous genotype [GST M1-] and the occurrence of a 4977 bp deletion of sperm mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were determined by polymerase chain reaction. The 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) content of sperm DNA was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography.   RESULTS The frequencies of GST M1- genotype were 43.8, 41.9 and 45% for patients in groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. In group 1 patients with GST M1- genotype, the frequency of the presence of the 4977 bp deletion in sperm mtDNA (54.3%) was significantly higher than that of the patients without the 4977 bp deletion in sperm mtDNA (45.7%, OR: 2.63, P = 0.04). Patients of groups 1 and 2 with GST M1- genotype had significantly higher 8-OHdG content in sperm DNA and lower protein thiols and ascorbic acid in seminal plasma than those with GST M1+ genotype.   CONCLUSION GST M1- genotype predisposes to increased oxidative damage to sperm of patients with varicocele.
Although the use of paraprofessionals in the education of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a common practice, research on effective training procedures is scarce. The following study used a multiple-baseline design across settings replicated by five paraprofessionals to evaluate their use of behavioral strategies with young children with, or at risk for, autism spectrum disorder. A training package consisting of a workshop and performance feedback by their supervising special education teacher served as the intervention. Results revealed that even though the paraprofessionals demonstrated skills in the use of behavioral strategies at the workshop, there was either no transfer or generalization to the preschool or home environments where they worked, or their use of skills decreased over time. When performance feedback was provided to all participants, their correct use of strategies increased. The training model evaluated in this study provides an example of one that could be employed in a typical public school classroom or early intervention program. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The present study was designed to understand transcriptomic changes and the potential development of direct and cross-resistance in essential oil (EO)-adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7. The results demonstrated altered growth behaviors of E. coli O157:H7 during adaptation in sublethal thymol, carvacrol, and trans-cinnamaldehyde. Generally, EO-adapted bacteria showed enhanced resistance against subsequent lethal EO, heat, and oxidative stresses, with no induction of acid resistance in simulated gastric fluid. A transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of related stress resistance genes and a downregulation of various virulence genes in EO-adapted cells. This study provides new insights into microbial EO adaptation behaviors and highlights the risk of resistance development in adapted bacteria. ABSTRACT Thymol, carvacrol, and trans-cinnamaldehyde are essential oil (EO) compounds with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activities against foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli O157:H7. However, little is known regarding direct resistance and cross-resistance development in E. coli O157:H7 after adaptation to sublethal levels of these compounds, and information is scarce on microbial adaptive responses at a molecular level. The present study demonstrated that E. coli O157:H7 was able to grow in the presence of sublethal thymol (1/2T), carvacrol (1/2C), or trans-cinnamaldehyde (1/2TC), displaying an extended lag phase duration and a lower maximum growth rate. EO-adapted cells developed direct resistance against lethal EO treatments and cross-resistance against heat (58°C) and oxidative (50 mM H2O2) stresses. However, no induction of acid resistance (simulated gastric fluid, pH 1.5) was observed. RNA sequencing revealed a large number (310 to 338) of differentially expressed (adjusted P value [Padj], <0.05; fold change, ≥5) genes in 1/2T and 1/2C cells, while 1/2TC cells only showed 27 genes with altered expression. In accordance with resistance phenotypes, the genes related to membrane, heat, and oxidative stress responses and genes related to iron uptake and metabolism were upregulated. Conversely, virulence genes associated with motility, biofilm formation, and efflux pumps were repressed. This study demonstrated the development of direct resistance and cross-resistance and characterized whole-genome transcriptional responses in E. coli O157:H7 adapted to sublethal thymol, carvacrol, or trans-cinnamaldehyde. The data suggested that caution should be exercised when using EO compounds as food antimicrobials, due to the potential stress resistance development in E. coli O157:H7. IMPORTANCE The present study was designed to understand transcriptomic changes and the potential development of direct and cross-resistance in essential oil (EO)-adapted Escherichia coli O157:H7. The results demonstrated altered growth behaviors of E. coli O157:H7 during adaptation in sublethal thymol, carvacrol, and trans-cinnamaldehyde. Generally, EO-adapted bacteria showed enhanced resistance against subsequent lethal EO, heat, and oxidative stresses, with no induction of acid resistance in simulated gastric fluid. A transcriptomic analysis revealed the upregulation of related stress resistance genes and a downregulation of various virulence genes in EO-adapted cells. This study provides new insights into microbial EO adaptation behaviors and highlights the risk of resistance development in adapted bacteria.
The load monitoring system can collect real-time information on active and reactive power of the 10 kV feeder, based on which a mathematical modeling method based on load monitoring system is submitted in this paper. All network components are built a model, information on voltage, phase angle and the total active and reactive loss of all the nodes of the distribution network can be obtained by forward and backward substitution for calculating power flow to provide reference for operation and management decision-making. Through calculation analysis on power flow of actual operating line in Songjiang Grid, the general laws of the different network parameters on the impact of power grid operation indicators are obtained, the important role and potential applications of load monitoring systems in distribution network operation analysis, indicators and evaluation are further validated.
The engraftment potential of myeloproliferative neoplasms in immunodeficient mice is low. We hypothesized that the physiological expression of human cytokines (macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin-3, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and thrombopoietin) combined with human signal regulatory protein α expression in Rag2-/-Il2rγ-/- (MISTRG) mice might provide a supportive microenvironment for the development and maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) from patients with primary, post-polycythemia or post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (MF). We show that MISTRG mice, in contrast to standard immunodeficient NOD.Cg-PrkdcscidIl2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ and Rag2-/-Il2rγ-/- mice, supported engraftment of all patient samples investigated independent of MF disease stage or risk category. Moreover, MISTRG mice exhibited significantly higher human MF engraftment levels in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and spleen and supported secondary repopulation. Bone marrow fibrosis development was limited to 3 of 14 patient samples investigated in MISTRG mice. Disease-driving mutations were identified in all xenografts, and targeted sequencing revealed maintenance of the primary patient sample clonal composition in 7 of 8 cases. Treatment of engrafted mice with the current standard-of-care Janus kinase inhibitor ruxolitinib led to a reduction in human chimerism. In conclusion, the established MF patient-derived xenograft model supports robust engraftment of MF HSPCs and maintains the genetic complexity observed in patients. The model is suited for further testing of novel therapeutic agents to expedite their transition into clinical trials.
Deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) has achieved an outstanding performance in large-scale image recognition task because of its discriminative feature representation ability, and pre-trained DCNN models trained for one task have also been applied to domains that are different from their original purposes. Inspired by this idea, a novel hand-dorsa vein recognition model is constructed by adopting DCNN pre-trained on a large-scale database as a universal feature descriptor. However, due to the sparse distribution property of vein information, it is difficult to employ pre-trained DCNN model to extract discriminative deep convolutional features. Therefore, to obtain useful and discriminative deep convolutional features, a novel minutiae-based weighting aggregation (MWA) method is proposed. In specific, the proposed global max-pooling of preserving spatial position information is applied on the feature maps of convolutional layer to localize the minutiae of vein information, and then the minutiae feature of vein image is regarded as the mask that is named as minutiae feature mask, to select deep convolutional features that contain minutiae feature information of vein image. The final feature representation is formed by concatenating each selected deep convolutional feature that is generated by each minutiae feature mask. Series rigorous experiments on the lab-made database are conducted to evidence the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed MWA for vein recognition. What’s more, an additional experiment with subset of PolyU database illustrates its generalization ability and robustness.
The field of modern control theory and the systems used to implement these controls have shown rapid development over the last 50 years. It was often the case that those developing control algorithms could assume the computing medium was solely dedicated to the task of controlling a plant, for example, the control algorithm being implemented in software on a dedicated Digital Signal Processor (DSP), or implemented in hardware using a simple dedicated Programmable Logic Device (PLD). As time progressed, the drive to place more system functionality in a single component (reducing power, cost, and increasing reliability) has made this assumption less often true. Thus, it has been pointed out by some experts in the field of control theory (e.g., Astrom) that those developing control algorithms must take into account the effects of running their algorithms on systems that will be shared with other tasks. One aspect of the work presented in this article is a hardware architecture that allows control developers to maintain this simplifying assumption. We focus specifically on the Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. An on-chip coprocessor has been implemented that can scale to support servicing hundreds of plants, while maintaining microsecond-level response times, tight deterministic control loop timing, and allowing the main processor to service noncontrol tasks.  In order to control a plant, the controller needs information about the plant's state. Typically this information is obtained from sensors with which the plant has been instrumented. There are a number of common computations that may be performed on this sensor data before being presented to the controller (e.g., averaging and thresholding). Thus in addition to supporting PID algorithms, we have developed a Sensor Processing Unit (SPU) that off-loads these common sensor processing tasks from the main processor.  We have prototyped our ideas using Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. Through our experimental results, we show our PID execution unit gives orders of magnitude improvement in response time when servicing many plants, as compared to a standard general software implementation. We also show that the SPU scales much better than a general software implementation. In addition, these execution units allow the simplifying assumption of dedicated computing medium to hold for control algorithm development.
In this paper, a new learning algorithm for adaptive network intrusion detection using naive Bayesian classifier and decision tree is presented, which performs balance detections and keeps false positives at acceptable level for different types of network attacks, and eliminates redundant attributes as well as contradictory examples from training data that make the detection model complex. The proposed algorithm also addresses some difficulties of data mining such as handling continuous attribute, dealing with missing attribute values, and reducing noise in training data. Due to the large volumes of security audit data as well as the complex and dynamic properties of intrusion behaviours, several data miningbased intrusion detection techniques have been applied to network-based traffic data and host-based data in the last decades. However, there remain various issues needed to be examined towards current intrusion detection systems (IDS). We tested the performance of our proposed algorithm with existing learning algorithms by employing on the KDD99 benchmark intrusion detection dataset. The experimental results prove that the proposed algorithm achieved high detection rates (DR) and significant reduce false positives (FP) for different types of network intrusions using limited computational resources.
Healing of mucosal damage occurs in two phases: restitution of mucosal integrity followed by remodeling with recreation of mucosal architecture. Models of these phenomena include cryoprobe-induced ulcers, NSAID lesions, and surgical anastomosis. Three trefoil peptides are expressed constitutively by epithelial cells in specific regions of the GI tract: pS2 (gastric), spasmolytic polypeptide (SP, gastric and Brunner's glands), and intestinal trefoil factor (ITF, goblet cells). Altered expression occurs in reparative epithelium and adjacent mucosa. In cryoprobe ulceration, rSP mRNA abundance doubles within 2 h, with rITF mRNA becoming detectable after 2-3 days. TGF-alpha and EGF mRNAs do not increase as rapidly as rSP or to the same extent as rITF. Indomethacin lesions of gastric mucosa show increased SP immunoreactivity deep in damaged glands within hours. Surgical anastomotic damage increases rITF mRNA levels at the ulcer edge and sometimes rSP mRNA and peptide in para-anastomotic crypts. Initially, trefoil peptides were viewed as mitogens. However, they are in fact motogens, able to promote cell migration, and may possibly be morphogens. Interactions occur between trefoils and other wound healing peptides (FGFs and EGF). Trefoil peptides appear to be of considerable importance to mucosal healing and might constitute a biologic target of therapeutic relevance.
In May 1973 the Department of Employment published Manpower Paper number 7, ‘The Quality of Working Life’. This paper aroused considerable interest within the Chemical and Allied Products Industry Training Board, as its publication coincided with the completion of two years' work by a board working party on Organisation Development. Much of the work of this working party had impinged upon subjects which come under the heading of The Quality of Working Life. The board decided, therefore, to continue the working party so that it could examine the board's possible contribution to an improved quality of working life in the industry. To support the working party, the author, as part of a study tour in the USA, was asked to look at what was being done and said about the quality of working life in the USA. These are the impressions he gathered from a variety of people with different interests in the subject.
Abstract : This monograph examines the U.S. Military's struggle to find the correct balance between conventional and counterinsurgency/stability approaches. The author uses history to remind us that at the end of wars, Armies often "throw the baby out with the bathwater" and revert to a default position for organization and doctrine instead of inculcating those lessons learned in the recent wars. History shows us that we do not maintain capabilities and capacity to conduct operations in complex environments. Professor Flavin uses Frank Hoffman's four schools of thought (counterinsurgents, traditionalists, utility infielders and division of labor) and shows where the U.S. has been and may be headed in the future. The counterinsurgents believe that the irregular adversary that we fight today is the face of conflict for the foreseeable future; therefore, the military must not repeat the mistakes of the post-Vietnam era. Instead, they believe that we must fully incorporate counterinsurgency (COIN) into doctrine and make the appropriate adjustments in education, training, force structure and resources while accepting risk in a conventional warfighting focus. The traditionalists believe the most dangerous threat to the U.S. is a peer competitor that presents a conventional military threat; thus, the U.S. must retain its advantage in traditional military capabilities and focus to insure that the U.S. can "fight and win" and survive as a nation.
The probability distribution function (PDF) tails of the zonal flow structure formation and the PDF tails of momentum flux are computed by incorporating the effect of a shear flow in ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) turbulence. The bipolar vortex soliton (modon) is assumed to be the coherent structure responsible for bursty and intermittent events driving the PDF tails. It is found that stronger zonal flows are generated in ITG turbulence than Hasegawa–Mima turbulence, as well as further from marginal stability. This suggests that although ITG turbulence has a higher level of heat flux, it also more likely generates stronger zonal flows, leading to a self-regulating system. It is also shown that shear flows can significantly reduce the PDF tails of Reynolds stress and structure formation.
The soft-magnetic properties and service life of amorphous or nanocrystalline Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1 have been influenced by the corrosion of the alloy. In this study, the electrochemical corrosions of amorphous Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1 in the blend solutions of sodium chloride and sodium hydroxide were investigated by linear polarization (PLZ) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. The presence of OH- in the blend solution gave rise to typical passivation of the alloy. A suitable concentration of OH- was required for the low corrosion rate. And the higher concentration of OH- led to a faster corrosion. Increase of concentration of Cl- aroused more obvious corrosion. These results were ascribed to the deteriorating effect of Cl- and high-concentration OH- on the passive film formed on the surface of amorphous Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1.
In this paper, a novel robust control algorithm is proposed to carry out large-angle attitude tracking control of a flexible spacecraft subject to external disturbances. An adaptive scheme based on neural network system is designed to ensure the actual attitude to track the command input in the presence of external disturbances. To reduce adverse effects caused by the elastic vibration on the closed-loop performance of the flexible spacecraft, an active vibration controller with independent modal space method is added to the overall control algorithm. Moreover, for achieving perfect control performance and constructing systematic tuning procedure for controller parameters, genetic algorithm is applied to search the optimal values of active vibration controller. Stability of the whole closed-loop system is proved via Laypunov theory and simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Employee participation or industrial democracy represents an area of knowledge and practice which has resulted from the attempts of behavioural scientists, employers, unions and governments, to solve some of the people‐based problems at work — labour turnover, absence from work, resistance to change, strikes, and low productivity. In recent years psychologists and others working within personnel departments, consulting firms and academic institutions have been pushing career planning and development as an additional remedy for some of these problems.
The explosive growth of the world-wide-web and the emergence of e-commerce enabled the development of recommender systems that became to an independent emerged research area in the mid-1990s. The recommender systems are used to solve the prediction problem or the top-N recommendation problem. However, recommendation systems feel ever more the pressure related to a change on users habits. In order to capture users interests it is necessary a representation of information about an individual user. Our Online Shop in the Area of Technical and Scientific Publications intends to add the best of the user-based collaborative filtering and content-based collaborative filtering methodologies into a single hybrid methodology in order to answer some issues raised about new users and new items added to the recommender system. And also try to combine inference and prediction to assist the user in finding content that is of personal interest or even combine data mining techniques to provide recommendations.
STUDY OBJECTIVES Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) is a rare disorder affecting the autonomic nervous system that is caused by variants in the PHOX2B gene. About 10% of patients with CCHS have nonpolyalanine repeat mutations (NPARM) that are associated with severe phenotypes requiring continuous assisted ventilation, Hirschsprung's disease, and increased neural crest tumor risk. However, some patients with NPARMs have milder phenotypes. Our objective was to describe the phenotypes in patients with CCHS PHOX2B NPARM.   METHODS Retrospective case series of patients with CCHS PHOX2B NPARM was conducted at two children's hospitals to evaluate their phenotypes.   RESULTS We identified eight patients with CCHS PHOX2B NPARM aged 3-31 years. Seven patients were diagnosed in infancy and one patient at two years of age. All patients presented with respiratory depression in the first two months of life. Only one patient was identified with a severe phenotype requiring continuous assisted ventilation, Hirschsprung's disease, and a neural crest tumor, that was resected. Five patients required positive pressure ventilation via tracheostomy only during sleep and two patients required oxygen only during sleep. Four patients had Hirschsprung's disease and one patient had a cardiac pacemaker due to a bradyarrhythmia. None of the patients had echocardiographic abnormalities.   CONCLUSIONS Patients with CCHS PHOX2B NPARM can have variable phenotypes emphasizing the importance of implementing a plan of care that is individualized for each patient. The type of NPARM and its respective location on the PHOX2B gene may play a critical role in the severity of phenotypes displayed by each patient.
The usefulness of spot determination of urinary cortisol in the screening of Cushing's syndrome was evaluated by measuring the cortisol concentration in randomly sampled urine in 68 normal subjects and in 9 patients with Cushing's syndrome. The urinary cortisol concentration in the morning was significantly higher in patients with Cushing's syndrome but some overlap existed between normal subjects and patients with Cushing's syndrome. In contrast, there was a clear discrimination between two groups when urinary cortisol was measured in the late evening: urinary cortisol was lower than 75 micrograms per gram creatinine (microgram/gCr) in normal subjects but higher than 150 micrograms/gCr in patients with Cushing's syndrome. When 1 mg dexamethasone was administered at 2300 h in the evening, spot urinary cortisol the next morning was less than 80 micrograms/gCr in normal subjects while it was above 100 micrograms/gCr in patients with Cushing's syndrome. Dexamethasone-induced suppression of urinary cortisol in normal subjects lasted until late in the afternoon, which allows sampling of urine at any time in the morning and possibly in the afternoon. These results suggest the usefulness of spot determination of urinary cortisol in the screening of Cushings' syndrome.
This paper proposes a novel peak load management scheme for rural areas. The scheme transfers certain customers onto local nonembedded generators during peak load periods to alleviate network under voltage problems. This paper develops and presents this system by way of a case study in Central Queensland, Australia. A methodology is presented for determining the best location for the nonembedded generators as well as the number of generators required to alleviate network problems. A control algorithm to transfer and reconnect customers is developed to ensure that the network voltage profile remains within specification under all plausible load conditions. Finally, simulations are presented to show the performance of the system over a typical maximum daily load profile with large stochastic load variations.
Background: Composite resins are widely used in dentistry to restore dental caries. Recently, short fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) resins have been widely used for high-stress areas, especially in posterior teeth. Bombyx mori silk fibre is under research to reinforce dental composite resin as it has good mechanical properties. Purpose: This study aims to obtain the effects of alkalisation and silk fibre volume fraction on the flexural strength of FRC. Methods: Bombyx mori silk fibres were obtained from Perhutani, Pati, Indonesia. Samples were divided into two alkalisation groups (4% and 8%). Alkalisation of the silk fibres was conducted through the scouring process in NaOH, hydrolysis (30% H 2 SO 4 ) and drying. Silk fibres were then reinforced in a resin matrix. The samples were subdivided based on the fibre volume fraction reinforcements, which were 0%, 5%, 10% and 15%. Each group of samples consisted of three specimens (n = 3). Flexural strength was measured using a universal testing machine. Data were analysed by two-way ANOVA ( p < 0.05) and post-hoc least significant difference test ( p < 0.05). Results: The results showed the flexural strength (MPa) means of the 4% alkalisation group were 169.31 ± 54.28 (0%), 76.08 ± 43.69 (5%), 107.86 ± 40.61 (10%) and 101.99 ± 10.61 (15%). The flexural strength (MPa) means of the 8% alkalisation group were 169.31 ± 54.28 (0%), 82.62 ± 22.41 (5%), 111.07 ± 32.89 (10%) and 153.23 ± 23.80 (15%). Statistical analysis by ANOVA indicated that the fibre volume fraction affected the flexural strength of composite resins. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the volume fraction of silk fibre increases the flexural strength of composite resins, although the strength is not as high as a composite resin without fibres. However, the alkalisation percentage did not affect the flexural strength of composite resins, and there was no interaction between alkalisation percentage and fibre volume fraction with the flexural strength of composite resins.
Specimens of tetragonal zirconia containing 3 mol % Y2O3 (Y-TZP) were ground with a diamond wheel of grain number 200/230. The residual stress and the monoclinic content were measured by the X-ray diffraction method. The bending stress was applied in the directions parallel and perpendicular to the grinding direction of the specimen. The residual stress on the ground surface was compressive, and the compression zone extended to about 30 μm in depth. The monoclinic content on the ground surface was raised to 7 to 8 percent. The bending strength increased in both directions because of the residual compressive stress near the surface introduced by grinding. For ground specimens, defects at the nucleation site of bending fracture were pores or coarse grains, but not grinding defects. Since the lower content of Y2O3 near the nucleation site raised the toughness of the material, the fracture toughness for fracture from small defects was larger than that of the single edge precracked specimen. The increase in the Weibull modulus due to grinding was discussed on the basis of fracture mechanics.
In order to elucidate the effects of the nature of the cross-linker, of the hydration level and of the hydrophobic/ hydrophilic balance on the macro- and microscopic properties of a paradigmatic model of polysaccharide hydrogel, an integrated approach based on the combined use of low-frequency Raman scattering and FTIR-ATR absorption has been developed. The proposed methodology aims to explore the stability range of the liquid and gel phase diagram of the system. This approach was applied to cyclodextrin based nanosponges (CDNS), prepared by polymerization of α-, β-, and γ-cylcodextrins (CDNS) with an activated derivative of ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid. It revealed successful, on one side, for a comparative analysis of the elasticity, as mesoscopic parameter, of the dry polymeric network, measured by Raman spectroscopy in the low frequency (0 ÷ 150 cm–1) range, and, on the other side, for the investigation of the water holding capacity, as macroscopic parameter, through the analysis of the vibrational dynamics of water molecules in the swollen polymers, monitored by FTIR-ATR spectroscopy in two selected wavenumber regions, i.e. 2800 ÷ 3800 cm–1 and 1500 ÷ 1800 cm–1, where the O-H stretching and H-O-H bending vibrations respectively occur. As main result, the same evolution as a function of the molar ratio n, has been observed for the elasticity on mesoscopic scale, as described by the Boson Peak (ωBP) and the swelling ability on macroscopic scale, expressed by the mass ratio m describing the gel-to-sol transition in these systems. From the results, the way for a rational development of stimuli-responsive systems with specific performances, by modulating the stability range of the liquid suspension and gel phases properly changing the molar ratio n during the synthesis, is opened.
where a., b., A, B , and f are known functions, and e is a small real positive parameter. Such problems have relevance in many branches of the physical sciences, and have received considerable attention over recent years. Three basic questions are pertinent: (a) does the given problem have a solution; (b) is this solution unique in any sense; and (c) what are the asymptotic properties, as e •+ 0 , of this solution? These questions have been answered to some degree by a number of writers. Most have presupposed the existence of an "approximate solution" u(x, e) that satisfies P "approximately" in some suitably defined sense. It is then shown that P has an exact solution yix, e) in an appropriately small neighbourhood of u(x, e) . The construction of the function u(x, e) may be carried out by heuristic techniques; although this aspect is often neglected entirely, being seen as a separate issue.
Stuart H. Wittenstein The first school for students who are blind was established in Paris, France in the late 1700s. Louis Braille, who was born in 1809, became a student and teacher at the school, where he created the preeminent literacy system for blind persons. This essay seeks to identify the social, political, and philosophical circumstances that led to these events. When Charles Dickens wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . .” he was describing Europe on the verge of revolution. Many different scholars have explored the reasons for these revolutions, but most agree that they were heavily influenced by the philosophical movement known as the Age of Enlightenment, in which reason was advocated as the primary source and legitimacy for authority. This philosophy provided inspiration and motivation to the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The philosophers of the Enlightenment sought to replace ideas born of feudalism with ideas that stressed the rights of individuals to achieve their highest level of potential, or, as the Declaration of Independence put it, the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These ideas were revolutionary in the mid-1700s and threatened the authority of monarchies and the religious establishment. Because of these threats, many of the philosophers of the Enlightenment were criticized and even imprisoned for their writings. They
Abstract The core of the paper represents didactic issue revealing eternal principles which might be considered universal going like a red thread through the process of education and fitting education, as well, as described in this contribution, regardless students´ specialization, the level of knowledge of their field of study and individual learning styles. The main goal is to illustrate functionality and validity of particular principles which are shown in the eLearning environment of supportive e-courses from the field of education accompanying face to face classes. Description of the learning/teaching process is attended by demonstration of basic principles which were stated by Comenius already in the 17th century but which are incredibly eternal, vivid and efficient up to now and that is why these principles form an inseparable part of current didactic principles not only in the engineering education. Keywords : eLearning, ICT, education, didactic principles, learning management system
A discussion on the effective wavelength in two-wavelength interferometry is given. A definition, different from the commonly adopted one, is presented and its validity is discussed. By adopting this new effective wavelength the range over which lengths can be measured using interferometric techniques can be vastly increased, without introducing phase unwrapping ambiguities within this increased range. A graph is presented from which a method is derived, enabling an efficient use of this new effective wavelength.
This paper proposes a method for three-phase state estimation (SE) in power distribution network including onload tap changers (OLTC) for voltage control. The OLTC tap positions are essentially discrete variables from the SE point of view. Estimation of these variables in SE presents a formidable challenge. The proposed methodology combines discrete and continuous state variables (voltage magnitudes, angles, and tap positions). A hybrid particle swarm optimization (HPSO) is applied to obtain the solution. The method is tested on standard IEEE 13- and 123-bus unbalanced test system models. The proposed algorithm accurately estimates the network bus voltage magnitudes and angles, and discrete tap values. The HPSO-based tap estimation provides a more accurate estimation of losses in the network, which helps in fair allocation of cost of losses in arriving at overall cost of electricity.
To explore the working mechanism of retaining a wall reinforced with denti-geogrids, the numerical simulation of a pullout test was performed, the working behavior and influencing factors were analyzed, a generalized model was suggested, and an ultimate pullout force calculation formula was proposed. The research obtains the following results. (1) The horizontal displacement of the inner segment of the geogrid is relatively small because of the denti-strips. (2) The displacement gradients of the denti-geogrid are evidently large, whereas the horizontal displacement core is approximately 25 cm outside the denti-strip. The peak value of the horizontal displacement is approximately 3 cm. (3) The pullout force peaks when the denti-strip is approximately 3 m from the lateral boundary. The effective span is extended, and the resistance of the denti-strip increases with denti-strip spacing. Denti-strip height is positively correlated with the pullout force, whereas the influence of thickness is insignificant. (4) The working mechanism of denti-geogrid can be roughly described by three processes, namely, compaction, detour flow, and convergence. (5) The calculation values of the ultimate pullout force obtained from the generalized model are close to the numerical test results. Thus, the applicability of the suggested model was verified.
The objective of the present article is to discuss the theoretical foundations and the methodological basis for the use of the apparatus of spectral analysis for the purpose of medico-criminalistic personality identification from the characteristics of the subject's voice and sounding speech. The article is based on the review of the literature sources and the methodological approaches developed by the author.
Over the past few years Penicillium brasilianum has been isolated from many different environmental sources as soil isolates, plant endophytes and onion pathogen. All investigated strains share a great ability to produce bioactive secondary metabolites. Different authors have investigated this great capability and here we summarize the metabolic potential and the biological activities related to P. brasilianum’s metabolites with diverse structures. They include secondary metabolites of an alkaloid nature, i.e., 2,5-diketopiperazines, cyclodepsipeptides, meroterpenoids and polyketides. Penicillium brasilianum is also described as a great source of enzymes with biotechnological application potential, which is also highlighted in this review. Additionally, this review will focus on several aspects of Penicillium brasilianum and interesting genomic insights.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a heterogeneous cancer that is characterized by rapid and uncontrolled proliferation of immature B- or T-lymphoid precursors. Although ALL has been regarded as a genetic disease for many years, the crucial importance of epigenetic alterations in leukemogenesis has become increasingly evident. Epigenetic mechanisms, which include DNA methylation and histone modifications, are critical for gene regulation during many key biological processes. Here, we review the cell signaling pathways that are regulated by DNA methylation or histone modifications in ALL. Recent studies have highlighted the fundamental role of these modifications in ALL development, and suggested that future investigation into the specific genes and pathways that are altered by epigenetic mechanisms can contribute to the development of novel drug-based therapies for ALL.
To perform, heterogeneous teams must build a common knowledge base that enables collaboration. This paper explores the opportunity to use shared physical space as the mediator par excellence for learning and information sharing among mobile workers of a heterogeneous team. This research focuses on indoor environments that condition the tasks to be performed. Building on the ideas of location-based services and smart spaces, the user is able to store information in the environment and retrieve it based on the immediate work context. We use an information push strategy to foster learning by non-experts at the onset of a task. Formal and informal collaboration tools are used to build the information base required by the system. The example of an extended team of caregivers working at the patient’s home is used to illustrate the learning process at the locus of action.
Objective  To explore the relationship between the serum interleukin-6(IL-6) levels, cecal ligation, perforation(CLP), colon ascendens stent peritonitisc(CASP) and the survival rate of mice during early stage.      Methods  Sixty male BALB/c mice were divided into three groups by using random digits table(20 mice in each group), which were Sham group, CLP group and CASP group. In the CLP group, a midline laparotomy was performed and the cecum was fully exposed with adjoining intestine after complete anesthesia. The cecum was tightly ligated at its base and punctured twice by an 18 G needle. The cecum was then gently squeezed to extrude a small amount of stool from the perforation sites. CASP group was similar to the preoperation preparation and the "open" method of CLP group. After exposure of the ascending colon, the prepared catheter was stitched through the antimesenteric wall into the lumen of the ascending colon and was then fixed with two stitches. Consecutively, the inner needle of the stent was removed and the stent was cut as the prepared site. To ensure the proper intraluminal positioning of the stent, stool was milked from the cecum into the ascending colon and the stent until a small drop of stool appeared. The survival rates of several time points after surgery were observed in each group. Six hours after the surgery, the ELISA was developed for detecting murine serum IL-6 in these three groups and the IL-6 levels of living and dead ones in both CLP and CASP group were compared.      Results  The 72 h survival rates of Sham, CLP and CASP group were 100.0%(20/20), 45.0%(9/20) and 10.0%(2/20) respectively, the differences was statistically significant (χ2=32.970, P<0.01). Compared in pairs, the differences between all three groups were significant (all P values<0.05). Differences in survival were assessed by using Log-rank test, and which had statistical difference (χ2=34.030, P<0.05). On the 6th hour postoperatively, the IL-6 levels of Sham group, CLP group and CASP group were (36.62±10.30)ng/L, (2 443.47±970.50)ng/L, (4 057.93±827.41)ng/L, respectively, with statistical significance (Hc=29.270, P<0.01). The serum IL-6 levels, of the living mice[(1 348.80±276.25)ng/L, 2 100.00 ng/L] were lower than the dead ones[(3 157.29±330.94)ng/L, (4 275.48±512.71)ng/L], 6 h after the surgery, in both CLP and CASP group (tCLP=13.071, P<0.01).      Conclusions  With certain mortalities, these two animal models closely mimic the clinical course of intra-abdominal sepsis. The CLP model mainly emphasizes to stimulate the local peritoneal abscess while the CASP model is similar to diffuse peritonitis. The group with lower serum IL-6 levels 6 h after surgery has higher survival rate 72 h after the operation.      Key words:  Sepsis; Cecal ligation and puncture; Colon ascendens stent peritonitis; Interleukin-6; Mice
BACKGROUND The impact of religion and spirituality on acute care hospitalization (ACH) and long-term care (LTC) in older patients before, during, and after ACH is not well known.   METHODS Patients 50 years or older consecutively admitted to the general medical service at Duke University Medical Center were interviewed shortly after admission (N = 811). Measures of religiosity were organized religious activity (ORA), nonorganizational religious activity (NORA), religiosity through religious radio and/or television (RTV), intrinsic religiosity, and self-rated religiousness. Measures of spirituality included self-rated spirituality and daily spiritual experiences (DSE). Primary outcome was number of ACH days during an average 21-month observation period. Secondary outcomes were times hospitalized and number of days spent in a nursing home or rehabilitation setting (collectively, long-term care: LTC). Race and sex interactions were examined.   RESULTS In the cross-sectional analysis, ORA was the only religious variable related to fewer ACH days and fewer hospitalizations, an effect that is fully explained by physical health status and that disappeared when examined prospectively. The number of LTC days was inversely related to NORA, RTV, and DSE, effects that were partially explained by social support but not by severity of medical illness. Interactions with race and sex were notable but reached statistical significance only among African Americans and women. In those groups, religious and/or spiritual characteristics also predicted future LTC use independent of physical health and baseline LTC status.   CONCLUSIONS Relationships with ACH were weak, were confined to ORA only, and disappeared in prospective analyses. However, robust and persistent effects were documented for religiousness and/or spirituality in the use of LTC among African Americans and women.
To analyze the clinical and endoscopic characteristics of colorectal polyps in children, and to explore the detection rate, age and gender distribution characteristics, endoscopic treatment effect and follow-up monitoring of colorectal polyps in children, so as to provide reference for disease management of colorectal polyps in children. The clinical and endoscopic characteristics of children with colorectal polyps in Xi 'an Children's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 5 groups according to age (y): 0<y<1 years, 1≤ y<4 years, 4≤ y<7 years, 7≤ y<12 years, and 12≤ y ≤18 years. Independent sample t test, Pearson Chi-square test (χ2) were used to compare groups' differences. The results showed that a total of 724 colonoscopies were completed in 2019, and 160 colorectal polyps were diagnosed, with a detection rate of 22.10%. Among the children with colorectal polyps, 105 were males, accounting for 65.62%, and 55 were females, accounting for 34.38%. The detection rate of male colorectal polyps was 22.68%, and the detection rate of female colorectal polyps was 21.08%. There was no significant difference in the detection rate of colorectal polyps between males and females (χ2 = 0.25, P =0.617). Children with colorectal polyps were most common in the age group of 1≤ y<4 years, 72 cases, accounting for 41.14%(72/175). The detection rate of colorectal polyps in different age groups was statistically significant (χ2=73.929, P<0.05). The main symptom of children with colorectal polyps was hematochezia, accounting for 87.5% (140/160). Colorectal polyps were mainly single polyps in 140 patients, accounting for 87.50%, 15 patients had 2-4 polyps, accounting for 9.38%, and 5 patients had 5 or more polyps, accounting for 3.12%. A total of 210 polyps were removed, and the most common site of polyps was rectum, 123 polyps, accounting for 58.57% (123/210). 111 (52.86%, 111/210) of them were 1 cm to 2 cm in diameter. The Yamada classification was mainly type Ⅲ, 114 pieces, accounting for 54.29% (114/210). Among the 210 polyps with diameter ≥0.5 cm, 165 were removed by endoscopic mucosal resection, accounting for 78.57% (165/210). There were 23 patients with postoperative complications, including hematochezia, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and no gastrointestinal perforation. Juvenile polyps were the main pathological type, accounting for 88.13% (141/160). The children with juvenile polyps were followed up for 3-30 months, and recurrence was considered in 2 of them. In conclusion, the detection rate of colorectal polyps in children aged 1≤ y<4 years is high, and hematochezia is the main clinical manifestation. Standardized endoscopic treatment and follow-up monitoring are very important for children with colorectal polyps.
Tesni~re's term mbtataxe refers to structural change in translation. In this book, a product of the DLT machine translation project, metataxis refers to the rules required to link the dependency syntaxes of two different languages for translation. The book gives dependency syntaxes for a variety of languages-and Esperanto-and metataxes for Esperanto to French and English to Esperanto (Esperanto being the interlingua of the DLT system). The emphasis is on the practical details of the grammars. This book reviews the methodology used in the assessment of speech recognition and synthesis systems. The text is based on a report that was prepared as part of the ESPRIT (European Strategic Program for Research and Development of Information Technology) program. Thus, although the editors are all from the University College London, the authors of the various chapters represent a broad sample of the major speech research centers in Europe. The book is composed of six major chapters, with an introduction and a final note on future developments. An extensive bibliography is included at the end, along with a glossary, an index, and an appendix listing the project partners. The four major chapters cover assessment of speech recognition systems (Chapter 2), assessment of text-to-speech synthesis systems (Chapter 3), speech databases (Chapter 4), and transcription and labeling of speech data (Chapter 5). The last two chapters discuss applied issues relating to tools that are useful in the development of speech systems and management of large databases. The coverage in the four major chapters is generally very complete. Chapter 3 on text-to-speech is excellent. The worst aspect of the book is its appearance; particularly the typesetting and page formatting. The typesetting is so poor it leads one to wonder if these people should try speech input/ output. Of course, speech I/O would obviate the typesetting problem. The best aspect of the book is its technical content. Any serious developer or consumer of speech technology can gain by careful study of this book. Furthermore, the multilingual mission of this ESPRIT project forced the authors to confront a number of difficult questions, for which this book offers some good practical starting points.-Jared Bernstein, SRI International BOOKS RECEIVED Books 'ii,;ted below that are marked with a t will be reviewed in a future issue. Authors and publishers who wish their books to be considered for review in Computational Linguistics should send a copy to the book review editor at the …
would be the forging of confidence building, commitment and the concomitant reduction of transaction costs. The legalisation of international monetary affairs, trade liberalization and human rights in Latin America are carefully examined in the three individual chapters by Beth A. Simmons, Judith Goldstein and Lisa L. Martin; Ellen L. Lutz; Kathryn Sikkink respectively. A key point one can distil from the studies in these key issue areas is the intimate linkages between domestic polit ical mobilization, international norms and transnational politics in accounting for the variegated response in the movement towards international monetary, trade and human rights regimes. In a comprehensive summation of the volume’s coverage, Miles Kahler’s concluding chapter highlights the variation in the pattern of legalisation across issues and geographical regions. Kahler’s emphasis on the dynamics between interstate strategic calculations and domestic politics towards legalisation drives home the multi-causality of a state’s embrace or avoidance of increased legalisation. As a generalisation, it would appear that a correlation can be drawn between legalisation and socioeconomic development in that a more developed state is likely to find greater benefit in an international regime dominated by transparent rules and well-defined norms. One minor drawback to an otherwise excellent volume: the lack of an index. Aside from this editorial oversight, this volume is a timely and much needed exposition to this genre of studies. It is likely to be a standard reference in the area of the interface of law and politics in the international arena. In light of the events of 11 September 2001, the development of legalisation in the field of international security would be closely watched in the contest between freedom and security.
Understanding of beauty is one of the valid exponents of the individual worldview. And aesthetics ideas express a worldview of the historical and cultural age. Why is the world beautiful? What is the beauty of the Universe, nature, and human proves? Those issues troubled both Ukrainian and British philosophers of the 17-18 centuries. In this article, I outline and compare philosophical views of aesthetics of Vitaliy from Dubno, Kyrylo Tranquilion- Stavrovetsky, Theophan Prokopovych, Heorhiyi Konysky, John Locke, George Berkeley, Francis Hutcheson, and David Hume. The aesthetics ideas of these philosophers are in many common. They regard the Universe and the person in terms of beauty and divinity. Humanistic tendencies of the era expressed in recognition of the perfectness and beauty of the human. On the whole, the ideas of philosophers sound like peculiar Aesthetical Optimism. Because, even ugliness is not excessive, and enhances the beauty and perfection of the Universe.
The interrelationship of the funduscopic, physical and laboratory findings, the additional information of each funduscopic finding when physical and laboratory findings were considered simultaneously, and the relative importance of each retinal finding in the funduscopic pictures were investigated by a series of multivariate analysis for 68 cerebral hemorrhage, 47 cerebral thrombosis and 230 controls in two rural towns, Akabane and Asahi, in Japan and the results were as follows: 1. For the occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage, narrowing of arteriole and irregular constriction were especially important indicators, and retinal bleeding and lateral displacement were also valuable but less than narrowing and irregular constriction. On the other hand, for the occurrence of cerebral thrombosis, arteriolar reflex was considered as the most valuable indicator, and irregular constriction, lateral displacement and white plaque were also important but less than arteriolar reflex. 2. Narrowing of arteriole was most highly related with irregular constriction while the correlation between retinal bleeding and white plaque, and also the correlation between arteriolar reflex, vertical and lateral displacement and tapering were significant. 3. A significiant correlation among physical and laboratory findings was found only between systolic and diastolic blood pressure as far as analysed. Funduscopic findings by Scheie's hypertensive and Keith-Wagener's classifications were highly correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. 4. Narrowing and irregular constriction were significantly correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and the relation between retinal bleeding and glycosuria was significant. 5. An analysis of the additional information of each funduscopic finding, when evaluated with the physical and laboratory findings simultaneously, revealed that irregular constriction, lateral displacement and narrowing gave prominent additional information for the occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage, while arteriolar reflex, lateral and vertical displacement and white plaque gave valuable information for the occurrence of cerebral thrombosis. 6. It is noteworthy from these multivariate analyses that narrowing and irregular constriction may arise from a similar pathophysiological mechanism which brings out vasoconstriction and the resultant organic changes due to hypertension. It is also noticed that arteriolar reflex and A/V crossing phenomenon may come from the different pathophysiological mechanism related to arteriosclerosis. It was stressed that detailed analyses of observer variability and evolution of funduscopic findings would be necessary.
While nonlinear optics has become increasingly important in theory and applications few undergraduate laboratories include nonlinear optics experiments in their program. The purpose of the paper is to describe a few simple experiments and their theoretical interpretations at the senior undergraduate level. Liquids containing traces of absorbing dyes were used as the nonlinear media. Nonlinear effects such as self-diffraction and phase conjugation were observed with laser power as low as 100 mW.
In June 2006, the government announced $15 billion of military equipment purchases that included ships, trucks, helicopters, and transport planes. One might observe that the week of 26 June was a very good week for both the Canadian military and Canadian defence industries. The last time such an ambitious equipment acquisition plan was undertaken was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when new fighter aircraft, ships, maritime patrol aircraft, and an air defence weapon system were purchased. This is not to imply that no equipment purchases have been made since the 1980s, but only to highlight the size and scope of the more recent announcements.However, the June 2006 announcements have not been without controversy. Opposition party members and industry lobbyists accused the government of giving up Canadian sovereignty and not providing a competitive process.1 Then Liberal party opposition defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh indicated that "the purchase would be a blow to Canadian sovereignty because the planes would be manufactured and repaired in the United States" rather than in Canada.2 Controversy such as this is fairly typical in Canada.The controversy continued periodically throughout the fall of 2006 and into the early months of 2007, as the government moved closer to announcing who would actually win the contracts to provide the new equipment. In particular, the issue of industrial regional benefits and where the benefits should go became politically charged when the Quebec aerospace industry argued that most of the benefits should go to Quebec since most of Canada's aerospace industry was located there.3One of the reasons controversies like this surround large military equipment purchases is the lack of a clearly articulated defence industrial policy or strategy by the government.4 If a policy existed it would be easier for the government to justify decisions by arguing that the decision was in line with the stated policy. Arguably, there has not been a need for such a policy because there has not been sufficient spending on defence equipment to justify the time and effort required to develop such a policy within the Canadian political system. That might have been true in the past, but this article will argue that future capital equipment purchases for the CF should be made within the context of a defence industrial strategy.The future is the important context for this issue because the $15 billion in procurement projects that have already been announced include agreedupon industrial regional benefits. Therefore, the development of a defence industrial strategy in 2007 will not have any impact on how these procurement projects play out. Since the CF has significant additional capital investment requirements (equipment and infrastructure), a defence industrial strategy can help reduce the amount of controversy that has been associated with the 2006-07 procurement projects.5 As a minimum, the government should provide a strategy that articulates a set of principles in order to provide industry with some sort of basic policy intent.In order to provide a context for the argument, the paper will first discuss Canadian defence industrial policy in the past, examine the approach of other nations' existing defence industrial policy and then identify some of the key areas that a Canadian defence industrial policy needs to address.INDUSTRIAL POLICY IN THE PASTIn theory, any defence industrial policy should be developed and implemented within the context of an overall industrial policy for the nation. A defence industrial policy should not be working at cross purposes to the national industrial policy and the industrial policy should, in an ideal world, be based on an overarching set of long-term strategic objectives established by the government. Canadian politicians have not really engaged in a debate about a strategic industrial policy since the 1982 royal commission on the economic union and development prospects for Canada, otherwise known as the Macdonald commission. …
We review the optimized properties of a bent-dipole by modeling the radiator with a methods of moment (MOM) code in order to determine its useful bandwidth, its free-space gain patterns, and its over a ground gain patterns. This antenna can be useful at low frequencies (HF band, 2–30MHz), where a half wavelength dipole may be too big or mechanically too complex to set up. A bent-dipole has been optimized by modeling and fabricated for the 9–38 MHz bands with approximately half the size of a 9-M Hz dipole (7 m vs. 16 m). A "bent-monopole" can also be obtained by splitting the antenna in half and feed it over a suitable ground plane.
We present a prototype demonstrator that integrates three technologies: mixed reality head mounted displays, wearable biosensors, and mid-air haptic projectors to deliver an interactive tactile experience with a bio-hologram. Users of this prototype are able to see, touch and feel a hologram of a heart that is beating at the same rhythm as their own. The demo uses an Ultrahaptics device, a Magic Leap One Mixed Reality headset, and an Apple Watch that measures the wearer’s heart rate, all synchronized and networked together such that updates from the wristband dynamically change the haptic feedback and the animation speed of the beating heart thus creating a more personalised experience.
Functional MRI (fMRI) is a recent, non-invasive technique allowing for the evolution of brain processes to be dynamically followed in various cognitive or behavioral tasks. In BOLD fMRI, what is actually measured is only indirectly related to neuronal activity through a process that is still under investigation. A convenient way to analyze BOLD fMRI data consists of considering the whole brain as a system characterized by a transfer response function, called the Hemodynamic Response Function (HRF). Precise and robust estimation of the HRF has not been achieved yet: parametric methods tend to be robust but require too strong constraints on the shape of the HRF, whereas non-parametric models are not reliable since the problem is badly conditioned. We therefore propose a full Bayesian, non-parametric method that makes use of basic but relevant a priori knowledge about the underlying physiological process to make robust inference about the HRF. We show that this model is very robust to decreasing signal-to-no...
The conformational transition behavior around the glass transition temperature has been studied by means of molecular dynamics through a model system, atactic polypropylene in bulk. Various criteria of the conformational transition were examined. A domain at barrier site is defined as the transition state of the conformers and the other conformational states are labeled in code. The transition is accepted when the code is changed. Variation of the width of the domain at barrier distinguishes the deep jumps of the torsion rotations from the shallow jumps that do not reach the well bottom within ±20° from the minimum. The behavior of the deep jumps obeys the rate equation of the transition-state theory, being independent of Tg. The shallow jumps were found significant in the characterization of the motion of polymer chains through Tg. This study thus proves that the changes of properties of polymers resulting from the glass transition are predominately mastered by the shallow jumps.
Exploring the genetic diversity of microbes within the environment through metagenomic sequencing first requires classifying these reads into taxonomic groups. Current methods compare these sequencing data with existing biased and limited reference databases. Several recent evaluation studies demonstrate that current methods either lack sufficient sensitivity for species-level assignments or suffer from false positives, overestimating the number of species in the metagenome. Both are especially problematic for the identification of low-abundance microbial species, e. g. detecting pathogens in ancient metagenomic samples. We present a new method, SPARSE, which improves taxonomic assignments of metagenomic reads. SPARSE balances existing biased reference databases by grouping reference genomes into similarity-based hierarchical clusters, implemented as an efficient incremental data structure. SPARSE assigns reads to these clusters using a probabilistic model, which specifically penalizes non-specific mappings of reads from unknown sources and hence reduces false-positive assignments. Our evaluation on simulated datasets from two recent evaluation studies demonstrated the improved precision of SPARSE in comparison to other methods for species-level classification. In a third simulation, our method successfully differentiated multiple co-existing Escherichia coli strains from the same sample. In real archaeological datasets, SPARSE identified ancient pathogens with ≤ 0.02% abundance, consistent with published findings that required additional sequencing data. In these datasets, other methods either missed targeted pathogens or reported non-existent ones. SPARSE and all evaluation scripts are available at https://github.com/zheminzhou/SPARSE.
The pharmacokinetics of seven butyric esters derived from monosaccharides were studied after iv administration of a bolus dose to rabbits. Results obtained showed that a constant plasma level of butyric acid is maintained due to the slow disappearance of butyric acid esters from the plasma in contrast to the case of salts, such as arginine butyrate, which are rapidly cleared. The maintenance of these covalent compounds in the body can increase concentrations of n-butyric acid in the tumor area for more efficient chemotherapy. These results seem to be directly related to the in vitro anticellular activity of butyric esters and the prolonged therapeutic protection in tumor-bearing animals.
The automatic detection and tracking of pedestrians under high-density conditions is a challenging task for both computer vision fields and pedestrian flow studies. Collecting pedestrian data is a fundamental task for the modeling and practical implementations of crowd management. Although there are many methods for detecting pedestrians, they may not be easily adopted in the high-density situations. Therefore, we utilized one emerging method based on the deep learning algorithm. Based on the top-view video data of some pedestrian flow experiments recorded by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), we produce our own training datasets. We train the detection model by using Yolo v3, a very popular deep learning model among many available detection models in recent years. We find the detection results are good; e.g., the precisions, recalls, and F1 scores could be larger than 0.95 even when the pedestrian density is as high as . We think this approach could be used for the other pedestrian flow experiments or field data which have similar configurations and can also be useful for automatic crowd density estimation.
Chemical information is used in a variety of contexts including habitat recognition, foraging and predator avoidance, and a plethora of studies have shown that an individual's distinct chemical profile can mediate interactions with conspecifics. Interestingly, recent work has revealed that diet alone is sufficient to change the chemical profile of individuals, and with it, the way other individuals perceive and interact with them. Free amino acids are known to be utilised across species in a range of contexts, including during predator–prey and host–parasite interactions, and have been widely postulated to underpin diet-mediated social interactions, especially in fish. However, so far no empirical evidence has been presented to support this suggestion. Using an established behavioural assay in three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), we aimed to assess association preferences in groups of fish fed experimental diets which differed by a single free amino acid. Our results demonstrate that free amino acids alone are sufficient to mediate interindividual association preferences, raising the possibility that such a mechanism may be widespread among aquatic animals.
The article considers a model for evaluating the reliability of integrated circuits (IC) depending on the temperature of the crystal and the environment. The calculation and experimental prediction of the reliability of the 1921VK028 chips was carried out, the dependences of the minimum time to failure of the product on the temperature of the 1921VK028 IC crystal and the gamma-percent life of the IC on the ambient temperature were obtained. The obtained values of these chip parameters meet the requirements of ISO 11 0998-99
really do use probabilistic models in this way. However, I suspect that the book does fall between two stools. From a mathematical point of view, I often found myself a little frustrated by some awkward formulations. Take, for instance, the account of the binomial distribution, in which the two outcomes of success and failure are assigned values V and W. The standard mathematical approach would be to begin with X ~ B (n, p) and then, if necessary, define Y = VX + W(n X) and then use the standard results on linear combinations of random variables. I often found myself wishing that the underlying mathematics was simplified by divesting it of unnecessary constants, and, indeed, that certain notational conventions were observed for instance, upper case letters for random variables and lower case for parameters and constants. But that, I think, is a cultural thing; I experience a similar reaction when looking at physics textbooks. I am similarly sceptical about how much of the mathematical content will be understood by the student of biology who approaches it without a sound statistics background. I fear that the book is too mathematical for most biologists and insufficiently formal for many mathematicians. However, it is clearly written with great enthusiasm and a mission to spread the word that probability can help biologists understand the world. Each chapter ends with some problems which will help to cement the various techniques, and full solutions are provided at the end of the book. I hope I am being unduly pessimistic about its appeal, since it has plenty of excellent qualities.
Considering the influence of user equipment voltage tolerance characteristics and sag types on the evaluation results, this paper proposes a voltage sag severity evaluation method for the system side which considers the influence of the voltage tolerance curve and sag type. As such, a quantitative evaluation of the severity of voltage sag events can be achieved. Firstly, the user’s voltage tolerance curve is used to construct the comparison reference value of the energy index, in order to realize the rapid analysis of the severity of the sag event in the normal area and the abnormal area. Secondly, aiming at the problem of insufficient descriptions of the severity difference of sag events in uncertain areas, an improved energy index evaluation model combined with user tolerance characteristics is established through an interval division and interval weight calculation, so as to divide and evaluate the severity of sag events in uncertain areas. Considering the influence of the sag type on the voltage tolerance curve and user equipment, the energy index correction factor is then constructed, and the measurement function is used for an interval evaluation to obtain the ranking result of the voltage sag severity, which is more in line with the actual situation. Finally, the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by analyzing 24 voltage sag events at a monitoring node.
Since the first experiments on Bose-Einstein condensates, researchers have tried to use them to make atom lasers. But although pulsed lasers have been demonstrated, continuous atom laser operation has been elusive. In his Perspective, [Pfau][1] highlights the report by [ Chikkatur et al .][2], who have overcome the problem with a conceptually simple but technically challenging apparatus. The challenge now is to develop "high power" atom lasers.   [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/296/5576/2155  [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/296/5576/2193
We study the apparent disconnect between what countries announce to be their exchange rate regime and what they de facto implement. Even though discrepancies between announcements and de facto polices are frequent, there is a lack of understanding of actual patterns and underlying reasons. We contribute to the literature by identifying a number of robust stylized facts by means of an in-depth analysis of a large cross-country dataset. A key insight is that countries that operate under intermediate de facto regimes tend to announce fixed or flexible exchange rate regimes. The exact nature of deviations is related to country characteristics such as trade structure, financial development, and financial openness. Furthermore, regime discrepancies have followed secular trends, which are most likely related to financial globalization and changes in monetary policy design.
The copper-catalyzed arylation of nucleophiles has been established as an efficient methodology for the formation of C-C and C-heteroatom bonds. Considering the advances during the last two decades, the ligand choice plays a key role in such transformations and can strongly influence the catalytic efficiency. The applicability of these Ullmann-type coupling reactions regarding the orthogonal selectivity of different functional groups constitutes a challenging subject for current synthetic strategies. Herein, we report a useful toolkit of Cu-based catalysts for the chemoselective arylation of a wide-range of nucleophiles in competitive reactions using aryl iodides and bromides. We show in this work that the arylation of all kinds of amides can be orthogonal to that of amines (aliphatic or aromatic) and phenol derivatives. This high chemoselectivity can be governed by the use of different ligands, yielding the desired coupling products under mild conditions. The selectivity trends are maintained for electronically biased iodobenzene and bromobenzene electrophiles. Radical clock experiments discard the occurrence of radical-based mechanisms.
We designed and created a new image quality database that models diverse authentic image distortions and artifacts that affect images that are captured using modern mobile devices. We also designed and implemented a new online crowdsourcing system, which we are using to conduct a very large-scale, on-going, multi-month image quality assessment (IQA) subjective study, wherein a wide range of diverse observers record their judgments of image quality. Our database currently consists of over 320,000 opinion scores on 1,163 authentically distorted images evaluated by over 7000 human observers. The new database will soon be made freely available for download and we envision that the fruits of our efforts will provide researchers with a valuable tool to benchmark and improve the performance of objective IQA algorithms.
The emerging field of trophology deals primarily with suitable food combinations and also a few unsuitable food combinations. The science is still in its nascent state and a few things have emerged in terms of which foods should, or should not, be eaten together. But the ancient texts of Indian Medicine are replete with such examples. What’s interesting is that there is a huge theoretical basis behind the concept of Incompatible foods. The science is rooted in the Ayurvedic concept of six tastes and the physiological basis of homeostasis-the doshas, which roughly correspond to the humours as propounded by the Greek philosopher Hippocrates. Inter cultural exchange in modern times of rapid transit has resulted in mixing up of foods and dishes in a haphazard manner, led by gustatory and aesthetic factors rather than immunological ones. This has led to explosion of so-called auto immune and metabolic diseases, because the immunological basis of incompatible food combinations has hardly begun to be researched.
The incidence of hypothyroidism in India is high and it is not adequately controlled. The pathogenesis of hypothyroidism is not very clear, however increased oxidative stress have been reported. Pathological consequences of hypothyroidism point to a high potential for antioxidant imbalance. The present study was carried out to evaluate oxidative stress (MDA, Vitamin C) and to correlate these parameters with the disease process. A total number of 80 subjects comprising of 30 healthy controls and 50 cases studied. Out of 50 patients with hypothyroidism, 30 were subclinical hypothyroid patients and 20 were overt hypothyroid patients. In all the subjects, serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and serum vitamin C were estimated. Serum MDA was significantly increased in overthypothyroidism in comparison to subclinical hypothyroidism and control. The antioxidant serum vitamin C was significantly decreased in overt hypothyroidism when compared to subclinical hypothyroidism and controls. MDA and vitamin c levels correlated with lipid profile explaining the contributory role of oxidative stress and dyslipidemia for the disease process. MDA and serum vitamin C level showed a negative correlation. The presence of increased systemic oxidative stress in hypothyroidism seems to be associated with severity of disease.
This paper investigates extraction of nickel and iron from a lateritic nickel ore from the Caldag region of Manisa in Turkey. The ore sample contains 1.2% Ni, 24.77% Fe and 0.062% Co. The process applied includes digestion with 40 wt-% sulfuric acid at 200 C for 60 min, roasting at 700 C for 15 min, leaching with water for 30 min at 1:5 solid/liquid ratio (by weight) and precipitation of the remaining iron at pH 3 and 60 C. In order to improve nickel and cobalt extractions using the digestion-roastingleaching-precipitation process (DRLP), Na2SO4 addition in the roasting stage was examined. Under the optimum conditions and in the presence of Na2SO4, 86.2% Ni and 94.2% Co extractions were obtained with almost zero iron content. As a result, 2.07 g dm Ni, 0.12 g dm Co and 0.05 g dm Fe could be achieved in the pregnant leach solution within nearly 2.5 hours.
Teaching public policy, social policy, public management and public administration is an important vocation. It has the capacity to help equip the next generation of public and civil servants for the multitude of complex and challenging tasks they must undertake. Teaching public policy builds capacity within the public service, and can also be useful in training and preparing those who work alongside government, providing voluntary or contracted services.
THIS REVIEW is an effort to expose the need for, and the problems encountered in, developing an amputee clinic in a rural area. The staff of James Decker Munson Hospital, a 250-bed general hospital with an adjacent 90-bed Tricounty Medical Care facility, located in Traverse City, Mich, originated a progressive plan for total patient care with the organization of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. The hospital is in a rural setting more than 150 miles from the nearest city with facilities for amputees. The community approximates 18,000 people and the immediate tricounty rural area approximates 50,000 people. The northern one third of the lower peninsula, served in part by the hospital and its facilities, has an estimated population of 100,000 people. In the surrounding several counties there are many small, well-staffed rural hospitals serving sparsely populated areas. Within the confines of the hospital, the concepts of intensive, intermediate, long-intermediate, ambulatory,
Residues P19, L28, C31, and C32 have been implicated (Di Donato A, Cafaro V, D'Alessio G, 1994, J Biol Chem 269:17394–17396; Mazzarella L, Vitagliano L, Zagari A, 1995, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA: forthcoming) with key roles in determining the dimeric structure and the N‐terminal domain swapping of seminal RNase. In an attempt to have a clearer understanding of the structural and functional significance of these residues in seminal RNase, a series of mutants of pancreatic RNase A was constructed in which one or more of the four residues were introduced into RNase A. The RNase mutants were examined for: (1) the ability to form dimers; (2) the capacity to exchange their N‐terminal domains; (3) resistance to selective cleavage by subtilisin; and (4) antitumor activity. The experiments demonstrated that: (1) the presence of intersubunit disulfides is both necessary and sufficient for engendering a stably dimeric RNase; (2) all four residues play a role in determining the exchange of N‐teminal domains; (3) the exchange is the molecular basis for the RNase antitumor action; and (4) this exchange is not a prerequisite in an evolutionary mechanism for the generation of dimeric RNases.
The assertion that a country is rich, or a government is powerful, is usually followed by some description of what that entails. Conversely, poverty and weakness are not so often explored in all their detail, though they too are complicated matters. Public finance is one point of entry.1 According to Joseph Schumpeter, it is ‘one of the best starting points for an investigation of society, especially though not exclusively of its political life. The spirit of a people, its cultural level, its social structure, the deeds its policy may prepare – all this and more is written in its fiscal history, stripped of all phrases’.
ABSTRACT The aim of this paper is to examine the existence of productivity spillovers across firms in the Italian manufacturing food industry. To this end, using a sample of Italian food firms over the period 2008–2015, first the total factor productivity (TFP) is computed by considering the Levinson-Petrin approach and then a spatial econometric model is employed. Results show evidence of productivity spillovers across firms due to spatial proximity.
An adaptive linear-implicit time integration scheme applied to the simulation of electroquasistatic (EQS) and thermodynamic fields in the time domain is presented. Nonlinear conductive effects are taken into account in the EQS model, where the linearization is incorporated into the numerical time integration algorithm. As a consequence, in each time step, only one linear system of equations with varying right-hand sides is to be solved. This solution process can be accelerated using subspace projection techniques. Numerical results of EQS and coupled EQS/thermodynamic simulations of 3-D high-voltage (HV) applications are presented
The ability to maintain balance is often taken for granted, yet it is the foundation for mobility and overall functional independence throughout the life span. The purpose of this article is to define balance, review the components of balance, and describe common instruments used to measure balance. Clinical screening instruments, functional performance tests, and technological measures of balance are reviewed addressing their uses, strengths, and limitations.
Most patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) initially respond to chemotherapy but relapse. There is a subset of CLL patients that have aggressive disease characterized by an over expression of the tyrosine kinase ZAP-70. These ZAP-70+ patients have a poorer survival and are more resistant to chemotherapy. The biological effects of ZAP-70 in CLL are believed to be related to its ability to enhance activation of Syk with subsequent triggering of down-stream modulators, such as ERK and AKT. Normally, Syk is activated by increased phosphorylation by Lyn, which is increased in CLL, or by activation of the B-cell receptor. Gefitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is presently used to treat lung cancer. The drug inhibits epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase activity but has activity against >20 other kinase targets, including members of the Src family of kinases, such as Lyn and Syk. We thus evaluated the cytotoxic activity of gefitinib against primary CLL cells using the MTT assay. Gefitinib was cytotoxic to ZAP-70+ (≥20% cells positive) CLL samples (median IC50, ∼3.0 µM) while ZAP-70- patients failed to respond to gefitinib with a median IC50 of >15.0 µM. Jurkat cells, which are T cells that express high levels of ZAP-70, were more sensitive to gefitinib than B cell lines that did not express ZAP-70 (BJAB and NALM6). Further studies confirmed that gefitinib was inducing cell death through apoptosis. Gefitinib was also effective against ZAP-70+ CLL cells that were resistant to fludarabine and chlorambucil indicating a novel mechanism of action to standard chemotherapy. Enhanced apoptosis was observed in ZAP70+ CLL and Jurkat cells exposed to gefitinib and fludarabine or chlorambucil, but this was not observed in ZAP-70- or the B cell lines. In contrast, another EGFR inhibitor, erlotinib, had no effect against ZAP-70+ CLL cells indicating that gefitinib was inhibiting a kinase unaffected by erlotinib. When Jurakat and ZAP-70+ CLL cells were treated with gefitinib, there was reduced total tyrosine phosphorylation and decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of ZAP-70, and Syk but no difference in Lyn phosphorylation. Furthermore, gefitinib blocked B cell receptor activation and mediated cell survival. Taken together, these results indicate that gefitinib may be useful agent in the treatment of ZAP-70+ CLL, either alone or in combination with fludarabine or chlorambucil. Ongoing studies are determining the precise mechanism of action of gefitinib in ZAP-70+ CLL and assessing its effects on the CLL microenvironment. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5232. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5232
Importance Recent studies found that the concentration of amyloid-&bgr; (A&bgr;) fluctuates with the sleep-wake cycle. Although the amplitude of this day/night pattern attenuates with age and amyloid deposition, to our knowledge, the association of A&bgr; kinetics (ie, production, turnover, and clearance) with this oscillation has not been studied. Objective To determine the association between A&bgr; kinetics, age, amyloid levels, and the A&bgr; day/night pattern in humans. Design, Setting, and Participants We measured A&bgr; concentrations and kinetics in 77 adults aged 60 to 87 years with and without amyloid deposition by a novel precise mass spectrometry method at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri. We compared findings of 2 orthogonal methods, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and mass spectrometry, to validate the day/night patterns and determine more precise estimates of the cosinor parameters. In vivo labeling of central nervous system proteins with stable isotopically labeled leucine was performed, and kinetics of A&bgr;40 and A&bgr;42 were measured. Interventions Serial cerebrospinal fluid collection via indwelling lumbar catheter over 36 to 48 hours before, during, and after in vivo labeling, with a 9-hour primed constant infusion of 13C6-leucine. Main Outcomes and Measures The amplitude, linear increase, and other cosinor measures of each participant’s serial cerebrospinal fluid A&bgr; concentrations and A&bgr; turnover rates. Results Of the 77 participants studied, 46 (59.7%) were men, and the mean (range) age was 72.6 (60.4-87.7) years. Day/night patterns in A&bgr; concentrations were more sharply defined by the precise mass spectrometry method than by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (mean difference of SD of residuals: A&bgr;40, −7.42 pM; P < .001; A&bgr;42, −3.72 pM; P < .001). Amyloid deposition diminished day/night amplitude and linear increase of A&bgr;42 but not of A&bgr;40. Increased age diminished day/night amplitude of both A&bgr;40 and A&bgr;42. After controlling for amyloid deposition, amplitude of A&bgr;40 was positively associated with production rates (r = 0.42; P < .001), while the linear rise was associated with turnover rates (r = 0.28; P < .05). The amplitude and linear rise of A&bgr;42 were both associated with turnover (r = −0.38; P < .001) and production (r = 0.238; P < .05) rates. Conclusions and Relevance Amyloid deposition is associated with premature loss of normal A&bgr;42 day/night patterns in older adults, suggesting the previously reported effects of age and amyloid on A&bgr;42 amplitude at least partially affect each other. Production and turnover rates suggest that day/night A&bgr; patterns are modulated by both production and clearance mechanisms active in sleep-wake cycles and that amyloid deposition may impair normal circadian patterns. These findings may be important for the designs of future secondary prevention trials for Alzheimer disease.
Context. This is the fourth in a series of papers that deal with angular momentum transport by internal gravity waves in stellar interiors. Aims. Here, we want to examine the potential role of waves in other evolutionary phases than the main sequence. Methods. We study the evolution of a $3 ,M_ odot$ Population I model from the pre-main sequence to the early-AGB phase and examine whether waves can lead to angular momentum redistribution and/or element diffusion at the external convection zone boundary. Results. We find that, although waves produced by the surface convection zone can be ignored safely for such a star during the main sequence, it is not the case for later evolutionary stages. In particular, angular momentum transport by internal waves could be quite important at the end of the sub-giant branch and during the early-AGB phase. Wave-induced mixing of chemicals is expected during the early-AGB phase.
For the space secondary power converter products in both centralized and distributed system, high consistency is required. With consistent quantitative control technology, space power converters can operate more synergistically. This paper proposes a performance consistency quantification evaluation system for the Superbuck converter. The Superbuck converter presents excellent performance in many applications and is widely utilized as space power converter. Firstly, the critical performances of Superbuck converter are selected to structure the weigh vector according to the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) theory. Then the product performance difference model is derived and analyzed in detail. The evaluation system is achieved with the combination of both performance weigh vector and performance difference degree. Finally, 50 sets of Superbuck converter prototypes are manufactured within the same batch to verify the proposed scheme. The performance consistency quantification evaluation system is proved to be reasonable, objective and scientific.
This article discusses the source text and reading situation of opera surtitles. It introduces opera from a multimodal viewpoint and differentiates between the dramatic text and the stage interpretation. With two versions of surtitles, it approaches two different surtitling strategies, the one that concentrates on the libretto and the other that focusses on the particular stage interpretation. As a result, the article asks if we should consider the stage interpretation to be the only appropriate source text of surtitles.
Summary. The relation between gender, personality, school scores, grades at medical school and eventual achievement as a medical practitioner 8 years after qualifying has been explored by path analysis in a cohort of medical students. Factor analysis of data derived from a questionnaire identified a significant factor accounting for 75% of the common variance of the professional achievement scores. Standardized path coefficients were computed to indicate the relative importance of the causal factors to postgraduate achievement. Gender played an important role at many levels. For example it was apparent that many of our women graduates were seriously disadvantaged in their professional careers. Of the school subjects, chemistry was a surprising long‐term predictor of postgraduate achievement. Academic achievement during medical school training, particularly in the final year, was a significant predictor, while personality attributes made their contribution to one or other aspect of achievement at earlier stages in training but made little additional direct contribution to postgraduate performance.
This paper proposes a novel reversible data hiding scheme for encrypted images by using homomorphic and probabilistic properties of Paillier cryptosystem. In the proposed method, groups of adjacent pixels are randomly selected, and reversibly embedded into the rest of the image to make room for data embedding. In each group, there are a reference pixel and a few host pixels. Least significant bits (LSBs) of the reference pixels are reset before encryption and the encrypted host pixels are replaced with the encrypted reference pixel in the same group to form mirroring ciphertext groups (MCGs). In such a way, the modification on MCGs for data embedding will not cause any pixel oversaturation in plaintext domain and the embedded data can be directly extracted from the encrypted domain. In an MCG, the reference ciphertext pixel is kept unchanged as a reference while data hider embeds the encrypted additional data into the LSBs of the host ciphertext pixels by employing homomorphic multiplication. On the receiver side, the hidden ciphertext data can be retrieved by employing a modular multiplicative inverse operation between the marked host ciphertext pixels and their corresponding reference ciphertext pixels, respectively. After that, the hidden data are extracted promptly by looking for a one-to-one mapping table from ciphertext to plaintext. Data extraction and image restoration can be accomplished without any error after decryption. Compared with the existing works, the proposed scheme has lower computation complexity, higher security performance, and better embedding performance. The experiments on the standard image files also certify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Executive Summary The Indian microfinance sector has experienced fundamental changes in the structure of ownership and management of microfinance institutions (MFIs). The current study seeks to evaluate the competition level of the Indian microfinance sector during the period 2005–2017 and attempts to find the cause-and-effect relationship between concentration and competition. Furthermore, it analyzes the performance of leading MFIs to explore if there is evidence of exploitation of clients by these institutions. The study is the first of its kind with explicit focus on the market structure of the Indian microfinance market. The study uses unbalanced panel data sets generated from the microfinance information exchange (MIX) data source. The representative sample includes firm specific data of 127 MFIs of different legal statuses and sizes. The dynamic equation model is estimated applying the difference generalized methods of moments (GMM). The results of the empirical investigation find a rise in the concentration with a decrease in competition in the Indian microfinance market during recent years. Intense competition in the past and introduction of new regulations in the wake of sectoral crisis are responsible for this transition. High concentration gives large MFI market powers to exploit the customers. However, the study fails to find any evidence of any such exploitation from the conduct of the leading MFIs. The survey highlights the potential connection between the drop in the competitiveness of the sector and the first appearance of new regulations in light of the sectoral crisis. It is imperative that regulators keep a tight vigil on the operations of leading MFIs and take necessary actions to ensure a healthy competitive environment in the sector. Furthermore, existing rules should be modified to help small MFIs as they play a very crucial role in the fulfilment of the primary objective of the microfinance.
We report on a new silver stain especially developed for staining large gels (25 cm× 20 cm) from the Hoefer ISO‐DALT system for matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ ionization‐time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) analysis of proteins. The staining protocol can be summarized as follows: the gels are sensitised in tetrathionate/potassium acetate solution and washed several times in distilled water. After impregnation with silver nitrate, the silver is reduced in the presence of potassium carbonate, thiosulphate and formaldehyde. The staining procedure is stopped with Tris/acetate after which the gels are rinsed and stored in water before spot picking for MALDI‐TOF analysis is performed. This protocol has several advantages over existing ones. The gels are stained in a new apparatus that reduces gel handling to a minimum thus also reducing the contamination with keratins to a minimum. The development times in potassium carbonate are very long (up to 40 min) thus improving batch‐to‐batch reproducibility. Only the surface of the proteins is stained and the silver can be oxidized, thereafter MALDI‐TOF can be performed with protein loads as little as 100 νg per gel.
This paper presents a discrete sliding-mode control scheme with feedforward compensation for the closed-loop regulation of the pulse-width modulated (PWM) inverter used in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The proposed feedforward controller can effectively improve the tracking performance of the PWM inverter. In designing the sliding-mode controller, we have taken load disturbance into consideration to enhance the robustness of the PWM inverter. Moreover, the upper bound of the load disturbance under which the sliding condition can be maintained has also been derived. The sliding curve of the sliding-mode controller is designed such that the behavior of the controlled PWM inverter is optimal subject to the selected cost function. Due to the coordinate transformation proposed in this paper, only the output voltage needs to be measured as feedback for the purpose of closed-loop regulation. Simulation and experimental results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Background Early identification of exacerbations reduces hospital admissions and may slow disease progression. The TELESCOT randomised control trial based in Lothian, Scotland, is investigating the impact of a tele-monitoring service for COPD with the primary aim of reducing hospitalisation. Aim The nested qualitative study explored the views of patients and professionals on models of telemetric service delivery and the impact on self-management. Method We undertook semi-structured interviews with patient and professional participants at different time points in the TELESCOT COPD trial. Transcribed, coded data were analysed thematically. Interpretation was supported by multidisciplinary discussion. Results 38 patients (47% male, mean age 67.5 years) and 32 healthcare professionals provided 70 interviews. Both patients and professionals considered that home tele-monitoring had the potential to reduce the risk of hospital admission. Patients generally appreciated being ‘watched over’ by the tele-monitoring, which gave them confidence to manage their own condition. They used tele-data to improving their understanding of COPD, determine their current state of health and influence decisions about their daily activities. Numerical data (e.g. oxygen saturations) were particularly valued. Changes in readings validated their decisions to adjust treatment or seek timely professional advice, and eased access to clinical care. Patients valued the personalised care provided by tele-monitoring staff familiar with their circumstances and state of health. Professionals emphasised the potential role of telemetry in encouraging prompt compliance with medically defined behaviours and attitudes, though some doubted whether it would be sufficient to overcome a perceived reluctance on the part of patients to acknowledge and take ownership of the disease. There was also a concern that ‘fixation’ on monitoring physiological parameters (especially oxygen saturation levels), promoted a medical model of the disease and might increase dependence on services in some patients. The GPs and community nursing or physiotherapy teams who provided the supporting services emphasised the importance of ‘knowing the patient’ and ‘knowing what’s normal for the individual’ in using their clinical skills to interpret incoming tele-monitoring data. Conclusion Enthusiasm for tele-monitoring as a means of facilitating self-management and thereby reducing admissions is tempered by concerns about increased medicalisation and dependence on support services. Tele-monitoring provides data which can be used to support self-management decisions and acts as a channel for seeking professional support. The patient-practitioner relationship, personalisation and continuity of care were prioritised as important elements in delivering clinical support for tele-monitoring services by patients and professionals.
Experimental thyrotoxicosis rats showed significant elevation in serum rates of pro-and-anti-inflammatory cytokines: IL-1β, IFNγ and IL-10 against in control. The rats with tentative experimentally-induced hypothy- roidism showed significant elevation in serum TNF-α. IFN-γ / IL-10 correlation both in system and organs was determined observed close to Th1 with minor dominance of Th2 marker cytokines in situ of healthy rats and tenfold ratio change towards Th1 marker cytokines at organ level in thyrotoxicosis. Morphological changes in thyroid were shown in mastocytar focal infiltration of follicles stroma indicating activation of T-cell population of lymphocytes. Augmentation of cells with proliferative phase of cell cycle with amitotic activity was detected in glomerular and fas- ciculate zone of adrenal glands and in adenohypophysis. Hereby findings prove interdependence of hormone, mor- phological and immune changes in endocrine system under thyrotoxicosis and enlarge our view about the concep- tion of Grave’s Disease development.
In the enzyme FeFe hydrogenase, hydrogen oxidation and production occur at the H-cluster, a Fe6S6 active site that bears intrinsic carbonyl and cyanide ligands. This enzyme has been coupled to photosensitizers to design H2 photoproduction systems, and yet, according to earlier reports, the enzyme from Desulfovibrio desulfuricans is "easily destroyed" in "normal laboratory light". Here we report direct electrochemistry measurements of the effect of light on the activity of the enzymes from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Clostridium acetobutylicum, together with TDDFT and DFT calculations of the reactivity of the excited states of the H-cluster. We conclude that visible light does not inhibit these enzymes, but absorption of UV-B (280-315 nm) irreversibly damages the H-cluster by triggering the release of an intrinsic CO ligand; the resulting unsaturated species rearranges and protonates to form a stable, inactive dead-end. Answering the question of which particular hydrogenase can resist which particular wa...
The extraction and proper utilization of convolutional neural network (CNN) features have a significant impact on the performance of image super-resolution (SR). Although CNN features contain both spatial and channel information, current deep learning techniques for SR often suffer to maximize the performance due to using either the spatial information or channel information. Moreover, they integrate such information within a deep or wide network rather than exploiting all the available features, eventually resulting in high computational complexity. To address these issues, we present a binarized feature fusion (BFF) structure that utilizes the extracted features from global residuals (GR) in an effective way. Each GR consists of multiple hybrid residual attention blocks (HRAB) that effectively integrates the multiscale feature extraction module and channel attention mechanism in a single block. Furthermore, to save computational power, instead of using a large filter size, we use convolutions with different dilation factors to extract multiscale features. We also propose to adopt global skip connections (GSC), short skip connections (SSC), long skip connections (LSC) and GR structure to ease the flow of information without losing important features details. In the paper, we call this overall network architecture as hybrid residual attention network (HRAN). In the experiment, we have observed the efficacy of our method against the state-of-the-art methods for both the quantitative and qualitative comparisons.
Middle Miocene (11.18–10.65 Ma) low sulfidation‐type epithermal gold mineralization occurred in the Cibaliung area, southwestern part of Java Island, Indonesia. It is hosted by andesitic to basaltic andesitic lavas of the Middle Miocene Honje Formation (11.4 Ma) and is covered by Pliocene Cibaliung tuff (4.9 Ma). The exploration estimates mineral resource of approximately 1.3 million tonnes at 10.42 g/t gold and 60.7 g/t silver at a 3 g/t Au cut‐off. This equates to approximately 435,000 ounces of gold and 2.54 million ounces of silver. That resource resulted from two ore shoots: Cibitung and Cikoneng. Studies on ore mineralogy, hydrothermal alteration, geology, fluid inclusion, stable isotopes and age dating were conducted in order to characterize the deposit and to understand a possible mechanism of preservation of the deposit. The ore mineral assemblage of the deposit consists of electrum, naumannite, Ag‐Se‐Te sulfide minerals, chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite and galena. Those ore minerals occur in quartz veins showing colloform–crustiform texture. They are enveloped by mixed layer clay illite/smectite zone, which grades into smectite zone outward. The temperature of mineralization revealed by fluid inclusion study on quartz in the veins ranges from 170 and 220°C at shallow and deep level, respectively. The temperature range is in agreement with the temperature deduced from the hydrothermal alteration mineral assemblage including mixed layered illite/smectite and laumontite. The mineralizing fluid is dilute, with a salinity <1 wt% NaCl equivalent and has stable isotopes of oxygen and hydrogen composition indicating a meteoric water origin. Although the deposit is old enough that it would have been eroded in a tropical island arc setting, the coverage by younger volcanic deposits such as the Citeluk tuff and the Cibaliung tuff most probably prevented this erosion.
The performance of a new pilot-scale six tanks activated sludge process has been evaluated for 303 d, receiving real domestic wastewater with a flow rate of 15–24.4 L/h. Partial nitrification via nitrite and microbial community structure were investigated in this system. The result shows that the nitrite accumulation rate was achieved successfully over 94% in the last aerobic compartment through a combination of short hydraulic retention time and low dissolved oxygen (DO) level. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was used to correlate ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) numbers with nutrient removal via nitrite. It was shown that in response to complete and partial nitrification modes, the numbers of AOB population were 7.7×107 cells/g mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and 5.31×108 cells/g MLSS, respectively. The morphology of the sludge indicated that there is a small rod-shaped and spherical cluster which was mainly dominantly bacterial according to scanning electron microscope. Higher pollutant removal efficiencies of 86.2%, 98%, and 96.1%, for total nitrogen, , and total phosphorus, respectively, were achieved by a long-term operation of the six tanks activated sludge process at a low DO concentration and low chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen ratio which were approximately equal to the complete nitrification–denitrification with the addition of an external carbon source at a concentration of 1.5–2.5 mg/L.
Fifteen cases of metastatic involvement of the adrenal glands are described. There are three groups of metastatic lesions: 1. metastases of distant tumors 2. metastases of malignant tumors of the ipsilateral kidney 3. direct extension of tumor to the adrenals Neovascularity was angiographically demonstrated in all cases. 13 of 15 patients had hypervascular metastases and 12 showed enlarged adrenal arteries. The angiographic findings are discussed and compared to those found in the literature.
Already in 1896 Beatson (1) acknowledged, in his famous article on the effect of oophorectomy in breast cancer treatment, that young women seemed to have a poor prognosis. Although today it is generally accepted that young women have an inferior prognosis compared to middle-aged women, it is controversial whether young age at diagnosis is an independent negative prognostic factor, or whether young age is just associated with a generally worse profile of prognostic factors. Furthermore it is debated whether the negative effect of young age can be modified by chemotherapy.
Study history, study history. In history lies all the secrets of statecraft. Getting history wrong is an essential part of being a nation. [M]odern social science, policy-making and planning have pursued a model of scientism and technical manipulation which systematically, and deliberately, neglects human, and above all, historical, experience. The fashionable model of analysis and prediction is to feed all available current data into some notional or real super-computer and let it come out with the answers … [S]uch a-historical or even anti-historical calculation is often unaware of being blind, and inferior to even the unsystematic vision of those who can use their eyes.
Twenty percent of patients with Cancer Associated Thrombosis receive an inferior vena cava filter annually. Insertion is guided by practice guidelines, which do not specify or discuss the use of inferior vena cava filters in malignancy. Adherence to these guidelines is known to be variable. We aimed to see if there was consistent management of venous thromboembolism among Medical Oncologists/Haematologists and Respiratory Physicians, with respect to inferior vena cava filter use in the setting of suspected and confirmed malignancy. Medical Oncologists, Haematologists and Respiratory Physicians were surveyed with four theoretical cases. Case 1 concerns a patient who develops a pulmonary embolism following spinal surgery. Cases 2 and 4 explore the use of inferior vena cava filters in the setting of malignancy. Case 3 covers the role of inferior vena cava filters in recurrent thrombosis despite systemic anticoagulation. There were 56 responses, 32 (57%) Respiratory Physicians and 24 (43%) Haematologists/Oncologists. Respiratory Physicians were significantly more likely to insert an inferior vena cava filter in case 1 (p = 0.04) whilst Haematologists/Medical Oncologists were more likely to insert an inferior vena cava filter in case 3 (p = 0.03). No significant differences were found in cases 2 and 4. There were significant disparities in terms of type and timing of anticoagulation. Consistency of recommendations with guidelines was variable likely in part because guidelines are themselves inconsistent. The heterogeneity in responses highlights the variations in venous thromboembolism management, especially in Cancer Associated Thrombosis. International Societies should consider addressing inferior vena cava filter use specifically in the setting of Cancer Associated Thrombosis. Collaboration between interested specialities would assist in developing consistent, evidence-based guidelines for the use of inferior vena cava filters in the management of venous thromboembolism.
Risk identification is the first critical task of risk management for planning measures to deal with risks. While, software projects have a high risk of schedule overruns, current practices in risk management mostly rely on high level guidance and the subjective judgements of experts. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to support risk identification using historical data associated with a software project. Specifically, our approach identifies patterns of abnormal behaviours that caused project delays and uses this knowledge to develop an interpretable risk predictive model to predict whether current software tasks (in the form of issues) will cause a schedule overrun. The abnormal behaviour identification is based on a set of configurable threshold-based risk factors. Our approach aims to provide not only predictive models, but also an interpretable outcome that can be inferred as the patterns of the combinations between risk factors. The evaluation results from two case studies (Moodle and Duraspace) demonstrate the effectiveness of our predictive models, achieving 78% precision, 56% recall, 65% F-measure, 84% Area Under the ROC Curve.
Dear Editor:  Shoulder pain is one of the most common types of joint pain, with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 67% among adults ⇓. Despite readily available treatments, chronic shoulder pain often results in substantial disability. Although the utility of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) for relieving diarthrodial joint pain has been reported ⇓, no long-term follow-up has been documented, and only a single-needle technique has been used either intra-articularly or in subscapular areas of the shoulder. This article describes three cases with persistent arthrogenic shoulder pain for whom long-term pain relief was achieved with intrabursal PRF treatment delivered by a 20-gauge, 15-cm insulated needle with a 10-mm active tip at 42°C. Current delivery was at 500 KHz applied at 2 bursts/second, with each burst lasting 20 milliseconds for a total of 360 seconds.  Case 1 was a 36-year-old Caucasian woman injured in a motor vehicle accident who complained of persistent severe burning and stabbing pain in the right shoulder that was exacerbated with any movement. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and oral narcotics temporarily relieved night pain. Additional treatment included 1 year of physical therapy and two intra-articular corticosteroid injections. One year following her injury, the patient reported a pain score of 8/10 on the visual analog scale (VAS) ⇓ at rest. After being diagnosed with rotator cuff tendinitis with partial thickness tearing and degenerative arthritis with acromioclavicular (AC) joint pain, the patient underwent right shoulder arthroscopy with subacromial decompression and open distal clavicle excision. Pain …
Enzymes and synthetic organometallic catalysts utilize different approaches for the creation of chiral centers in prochiral substrates. While chiral organometallic catalysts realize the transfer of chirality mainly by repulsive interactions, several enzymes use preferentially stereodiscriminating hydrogen bonding. To investigate if hydrogen bonding within the catalyst-substrate assembly can also have a benefit on the rhodium diphosphine-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation, some model metal complexes and substrates were investigated. As 'biomimetically acting' functionalities, hydroxy groups were incorporated in the chiral ligand. Three secondary interactions could be identified by different analytical methods which influence rate and enantioselectivity of the catalytic reaction: 1) HO/Rh-interactions, 2) HO/HO-interactions within the backbone of the ligand, and 3) hydrogen bonding between HO-groups of the ligand and functional groups of an appropriate substrate. Due to the effect of the additional hydroxy groups, enantioselectivities by up to 99% ee could be induced in the hydrogenation product even with water as solvent.
A new approach is described for imaging mass spectrometry analysis of drugs and metabolites in tissue using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (MALDI-FTICR). The technique utilizes the high resolving power to produce images from thousands of ions measured during a single mass spectrometry (MS)-mode experiment. Accurate mass measurement provides molecular specificity for the ion images on the basis of elemental composition. Final structural confirmation of the targeted compound is made from accurate mass fragment ions generated in an external quadrupole-collision cell. The ability to image many small molecules in a single measurement with high specificity is a significant improvement over existing MS/MS based technologies. Example images are shown for olanzapine in kidney and liver and imatinib in glioma.
Background and Aims  Eutypa dieback is an economically important disease of grapevines and a major threat to vineyard longevity throughout the world. Developing effective preventative strategies offers the best means of control. In this study, pruning wound protectants and various spray applications were evaluated for their ability to prevent infection by ascospores of Eutypa lata.    Methods and Results  Fungicides and natural alternative treatments were applied by hand to grapevine pruning wounds in winter prior to inoculation with E. lata. In a series of greenhouse and field experiments, tebuconazole, pyraclostrobin, fluazinam, garlic extract and lactoferrin significantly reduced infection. A range of tractor-driven sprayers was used to apply tebuconazole to pruning wounds, and those which provided good coverage reduced infection by E. lata to a level similar to that when tebuconazole was applied with a paintbrush.    Conclusion  Eutypa dieback can be controlled with several fungicides and natural treatments. Tractor-driven sprayers, which by design or modification can efficiently deliver maximum possible coverage at high output rates, can be used for application of pruning wound treatments.    Significance of the Study  Results of this study contributed to registration of fungicides for use as pruning wound treatments to control E. lata in Australia. Demonstrating the ability of tractor-driven sprayers to apply treatments effectively has led to greater industry adoption of dormant treatments and may decrease the future impact of Eutypa dieback.
Photon-enhanced thermionic emission (PETE) is a novel concept of solar energy conversion in recent years. Porous 3D graphene aerogels (GA) were prepared by hydrothermal reduction of graphene oxide (GO). The morphology of GO and GA was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy respectively. The functional groups of GO and GA were characterized by Electron Microscopy and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy. The PETE properties of the samples were tested by a self-made device. Thermoelectron emission can be detected when the energy density of the excitation laser was higher than 35 W. The efficiency of the device was between 8.14 × 10−6% and 1.89 × 10−5%, and the output voltage was about 1 V. Compared with 3D graphene powder and 2D graphene in the control group, GA has more significant and stable thermionic emission properties. GA is a promising cathode material for a PETE solar energy converter, and the conductivity of GA should be further optimized.
Abstract Alternative methods of enhancing water absorption of birch pulp fibers by crosslinking poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic acid) and polyethylene glycol are briefly explored. While thermal initiated crosslinking is common, microwave initiated crosslinking of lignocellulosics is less studied. The thermal and microwave initiated crosslinking were compared through water absorption and retention. The microwave conditions were optimized to 105 s at 1600 W, while the thermal samples were placed in a 130°C oven for 6.5 min. Both methods resulted in successfully creating new superabsorbent fibers. The microwave initiated crosslinked fibers absorbed 45–413% more water and the thermal initiated fibers absorbed 210–582% more water than the control fibers (37.3 g/g and 29.4 g/g, respectively). This study demonstrated that it is possible to utilize microwave technology to enhance water absorption properties of lignocellulosics fibers and to reduce reaction times.
Background: The immune system is the body's defense against foreign organisms and harmful chemicals. Cyclosporine A (CsA) is an immunosuppressant drug widely used. Echinacea purpurea root (EPR) extract is used as an immunostimulant plant. Aim of the Work: The present study aimed at evaluation of the EPR effects against the CsA immunosuppressive rat model. Material and Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into control, CsA (immunosuppressive models), CsA + EPR (100 mg/kg/day orally), and CsA + EPR (200 mg/kg/day orally). The biological parameters regarding the food consumption were assessed including feed intake (FI), feed efficiency ratio (FER), and body weights (BW). In addition, the splenic specimens were assessed histopathology. The blood was collected for measuring the blood parameters. All the measured parameters were collected and statistically analyzed. The biological results indicated a significant decrease in BW, FI, and FER in rats treated orally with low and high EPR doses as compared to the control group. Results: The results displayed that the CsA induced a significant decrease in red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) count. Histopathologically, CsA induced a marked decrease in the cellularity of the white pulp with congested blood sinusoids of the red pulp together with significant depletion of periarteriolar lymphoid sheath. Both the high and low doses of EPR significantly reversed the altered RBCs and WBCs counts. Histopathologically, both the low and high doses of EPR displayed apparently increase in the periarteriolar area together with the persistence of the congestion of the red pulp blood sinusoids compared to CsA group, indicating partial amelioration of the structural changes. Conclusion: In a nutshell, the current findings revealed that EPR extract ameliorated the hematological changes. However, there was a partial correction of the CsA-induced microscopic changes of the rat spleen.
The present study is designed to explore the identity construction/reconstruction in Sea of Poppies. It is investigated in the backdrop of postcolonial theory. Norman Faircloughs Three-dimensional approach of critical discourse analysis is used to examine the construction and reconstruction of different types of (us/them) identities in the colonial era reflected in Sea of Poppies. The analysis deals with the descriptive dimension of Critical Discourse Analysis and discusses discourse as a text that investigates the functional linguistic elements of the overall narrative construction (identity construction/reconstruction) as a counter-discourse to power. It analyzes the identity construction on two levels of representation that is the relation between conversational participant/reader and text/discourse and the expressive which unveils attitudes and ideologies the study sheds light on the way the colonizers defined the other subjects just to define themselves as superior by associating the positive attributes to “us” and negative attributes to “them” thus made them peripheral other subjects.
Several proposals exist for future circular electron-positron colliders designed for precise measurements of the Higgs boson characteristics and electroweak processes. At very high energies, synchrotron radiation of the particles in a strong electromagnetic field of the oncoming bunch (beamstrahlung) becomes extremely important, because of degradation of the beam lifetime and luminosity. We present theoretical calculations of beamstrahlung (including the beam lifetime reduction and the energy spread increase) which are benchmarked against quasi-strong-strong computer simulations. Calculation results are used to optimize TLEP (triple LEP) project (CERN).
Since 2017, the number of women enrolled in medical schools in the United States has increased steadily. For the average female graduate, residency training will coincide with peak childbearing years. Despite increasingly well-defined parental leave policies in other industries, there is no standardized approach across graduate medical education programs. Physician mothers, particularly those in surgical specialties, have also been shown to be at increased risk for major pregnancy complications and postpartum depression. In addition, despite excellent initiation rates, the majority of breastfeeding trainees struggle with low milk supply, and as few as 7% of physician mothers continue to breastfeed for 1 year. Although the medical field routinely advocates for the benefits of parental leave and breastfeeding for our patients, significant and comprehensive change is needed to ensure that graduate medical education trainees can follow physician-recommended postpartum guidelines without meaningful implications for their careers. In February 2020, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology changed its leave policy, allowing residents to take up to 12 weeks of paid or unpaid leave in a single year for vacation, parenting, or medical issues without extending their training. This change represents an important first step, and, as comprehensive women's health care professionals, our specialty should be leaders in normalizing family building for physicians-in-training. A culture change toward an environment of support for pregnant and parenting trainees and access to affordable, extended-hour childcare are also critical to enabling physicians at all levels to be successful in their careers.
The state variable filter configuration is a classic analogue design which has been employed in many electronic music applications. A digital implementation of this filter was put forward by Chamberlin, which has been deployed in both software and hardware forms. While this has proven to be a straightforward and successful digital filter design, it suffers from some issues, which have already been identified in the literature. From a modified Chamberlin block diagram, we derive the transfer functions describing its three basic responses, highpass, bandpass, and lowpass. An analysis of these leads to the development of an improvement, which attempts to better shape the filter spectrum. From these new transfer functions, a set of filter equations is developed. Finally, the approach is compared to an alternative time-domain based re-organisation of update equations, which is shown to deliver a similar result.
Bangla Handwritten digit and character recognition, a complex computer vision problem that is important for the Bengali language as the progress in this segment for the Bengali language is slow. We used two popular datasets, BanglaLekha-Isolated and NumbtaDB, for both digits and characters and used a Convolutional neural network to train our model. We augmented our dataset using a shifting method and ran multiple experiments on vowels, digits, and characters. The result is 96.42% average accuracy on BanglaLekha augmented. Our model also achieved 98.92% accuracy on the NumtaDB dataset. We used our model to sketch up two models, License plate recognition and Smart E-learning application. We used connected component analysis in License plate recognition that helped us to extract essential segments of the license plate. We used Keras as a TensorFlow backend in our research. Bangla OCR research is ongoing and will get better over time with better datasets and learning techniques.
Background: To investigate the objective and subjective burden on caregivers of schizophrenia outpatients and their associations with sociodemographic factors, symptomatology, and functioning. Methods: This study included 60 schizophrenic outpatients aged 18 to 65 years who were clinically stable for at least 6 months, and 60 caregivers aged 18 to 80 years who were in contact with the patient for ⩾30 hours/week. The patients were assessed using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Clinical Global Impression Scale for Schizophrenia (CGI-SCH), and the Personal and Social Performance scale (PSP). The caregivers were assessed using a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Family Burden Interview Schedule, Brazilian version (FBIS-BR). Results: The objective burden was positively correlated with CGI-SCH cognitive symptom scores (p = .032) and number of hours spent weekly with the patient (p = .028), and negatively correlated with PSP score (r = −.346, p = .007). The subjective burden showed a negative correlation with age of disease onset (r = −.338, p = .08). The independent variables included in the regression model were family income (p = .005), PSP score (p = .009), patient marital status (p = .012), patient gender (p = .046), and reception of financial benefit (p = .027) for objective burden; and disease duration (p = .045) and father/mother or sibling relationship (p = .001) for subjective burden. The coefficient of determination (R2) of the linear regression model for objective burden was 39.4%; subjective burden, 21.6%. Conclusion: Caring for female, single patients with longer disease duration, more severe cognitive symptoms, impaired functioning, and more caregiving time required per week were associated with higher caregiver burden levels.
This paper describes a review model for an on-line question and answer (Q&A) system whose objective is to personalize student's study review session in order to improve user conceptual proficiency and limit the number of necessary review questions based on individual and class performance data. The Question Review Model (QRM) structures study review for each user by prioritizing a list of critical concepts from which conceptually related questions are chosen based on their difficulty level. The model serves to identify a student's conceptual strengths and weaknesses to provide comprehensive feedback about student in-class performance and recommend the order of questions best suitable for practice. For each concept, a binary question tree is formed that enables, either the user or the system, to structure the review session with a trade-off between question difficulty and the number of questions necessary for conceptual mastery.
The quality of welded joints and the durability of components of welding equipment depend greatly on the cleanliness of welding wire. Contaminated wire results in unstable arcing, excessive splashing of molten metal, disruption of operation of the feed mechanism, premature failure of torches and hoses of semiautomatic and automatic welding equipment, etc. Russian industry does not produce commercial equipment for cleaning and winding wire. Individual plants produce these systems for themselves but they are characterised by low productivity, are not universal and are expensive. The Yurginsk Engineering Plant has developed, produced and introduced into production a machine for cleaning welding wire and winding the wire into cartridges. The machine carries out the following main operations: winding, preliminary and final cleaning using needle cutters, drawing and winding on the cartridge. A standard wire coil is placed in the unwinding section (coil). During operation of the machine, the coil is fixed with a spring brake to ensure the required tension. The chamber of the section for preliminary cleaning has the form of a container filled with quartz sand, and is used for the cleaning of wire to remove soapy lubricant and contamination. To increase the density of the sand in cleaning, the top of the bunker is compressed with a screw clamp. The chamber of the section for final cleaning contains needle cutters situated in the mutually perpendicular planes. The cutters are rotated by an electric motor. During passage through the chamber, the wire is compressed to the rotating needle cutters by means of spring-loaded rollers and rust is removed. At the exit from the chamber of the section for final cleaning, the wire is cleaned to remove metallic dust, formed during operation of needle cutters, by means of a plastic rubbing die.
ABSTRACT Route planning and airspace sectorisation are two central tasks in air traffic management. Traditionally, the routing and sectorisation problems were considered separately, with aircraft trajectories serving as input to the sectorisation problem and, reciprocally, sectors being part of the input to the path finding algorithms. In this paper we propose a simultaneous design of routes and sectors for a transition airspace. We compare two approaches for this integrated design: one based on mixed integer programming, and one Voronoi-based model that separates potential “hotspots” of controller activity resulting from the terminal routes. We apply our two approaches to the design of Stockholm Terminal Maneuvering Area.
INTRODUCTION Studies have indicated that the conservative Notch pathway contributes to steroid hormone synthesis in the ovaries; however, its role in hormone synthesis of the testis remains unclear. We have previously reported Notch 1, 2, and 3 to be expressed in murine Leydig cells and that inhibition of Notch signaling caused G0/G1 arrest in TM3 Leydig cells.   METHOD In this study, we have further explored the effect of different Notch signal pathways on key steroidogenic enzymes in murine Leydig cells. TM3 cells were treated with Notch signaling pathway inhibitor MK-0752, and different Notch receptors were also overexpressed in TM3 cells.   RESULT We evaluated the expression of key enzymes of steroid synthesis, including p450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450Scc), 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), and key transcriptional factors for steroid synthesis, including steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1), GATA-binding protein 4 (GATA4) and GATA6.   CONCLUSION We found the level of P450Scc, 3β-HSD, StAR and SF1 to be decreased after treatment with MK-0752, while overexpression of Notch1 up-regulated the expression of 3β-HSD, P450Scc, StAR and SF1. MK-0752 and overexpression of different Notch members had no influence on the expression of GATA4 and GATA6. In conclusion, Notch1 signaling may contribute to the steroid synthesis in Leydig cells through regulating SF1 and downstream steroidogenic enzymes (3β-HSD, StAR and P450Scc).
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the hormonal treatment during early postpartum period on the days open, serum progesterone hormone levels at 28 and 42 days post injection and pregnancy percentage following different hormone protocols in multiparous and primiparous buffaloe- cows. The experiment was carried out on 65 (40 multiparous -25 primiparous) clinically healthy animals, randomly allotted into five groups: each (n=8) multiparous and (n=5) of primiparous. The first group; received saline 0.9% intramuscular at day 14 postpartum (control). The second group; injected by 5 ml Receptal (20 µg Buserelin ) at day 14 post-partum. The third group; injected by 5 ml Receptal at day 14 post-partum and day 21 then 3ml Estrumate (750 µg cloprostenol) at day 28. The fourth group received 2 vials of Gonaser (1000 IU eCG) at day 14 post-partum. The fifth group injected by 1000 IU eCG at day 14 post-partum, and at day 21 receive 5 ml Receptal then 7 days later at day 28 receive 3ml Estrumate. Fertile bulls were ensured for all buffaloes. Blood samples collection were performed at the days 28 and 42 day from treatment for serum progesterone levels determination. Ultrasound pregnancy check was done at day 40-45 days later. The present study demonstrated that group 4 has significant (P>0.05) decrease of the current days open than other groups of multiparous buffalo and have lower significant (P < 0.01) difference from previous days open and Primiparous buffaloes. Meanwhile, control group showed the highest current days open (113.3 ± 4.4) compared to other groups of multiparous buffalo cows and have significant (P < 0.05) difference from primiparous buffalo cows. Highly significant (P < 0.05) differences in serum progesterone concentration at 28 and 42 day among groups of multiparous buffalo cows where, group 4 at 28 day had greater (0.56±0.11 ng/mL) concentration than both group 2 (0.31±0.07 ng/mL) and group 3 (0.29±0.06 ng/mL). No significant differences in percentages of pregnancy rates within multiparous and primiparous buffaloes but group 1 and group 3 of primiparous buffaloes had the lowest pregnancy rate percentage compared to other groups. In conclusion, the application of hormonal treatment during early postpartum period at day 14 postpartum especially group 4 resulted in decreased days open and could be used for improvement of the reproduction in postpartum buffaloe-cows.
Introduction Genital ulceration presents frequently at GUM clinics, with herpes simplex (HSV) infection a common aetiology. A diagnosis of HSV is distressing with possible implications for relationships and future pregnancies. It is therefore important to consider other causes if atypical presentation or negative HSV PCR from area of active ulceration. Method Case review of uncommon aetiologies of ulceration. Results Case 1: 25 year old. Prodromal sore throat and flu-like symptoms. Examination revealed deep ulcers on vulva and oral mucosa without eye or skin involvement. CRP 120, ESR 80, ASOT titre 400, negative autoimmune screen, monospot negative. Developed anterior uveitis and erythema nodosum 24 hours later. Diagnosed with Behcet’s disease requiring prednisolone and mycophenolate mofitil. Case 2: 28 year old. Prodromal sore throat and headache. Sexual history atypical for HSV. Known Graves’ disease, on propylthiouracil. On examination, patient looked unwell. Shallow vulval ulceration noted. Neutrophils 0.1, ESR 31. Diagnosed with apthous ulceration secondary to neutropenia and admitted for neutropenic-sepsis treatment. Required thyroidectomy with pathology revealing papillary carcinoma. Case 3: 13 year old referred by SARC. No history of sexual contact or features of child sexual exploitation. Prodromal flu-like illness. Of note, mother Influenza A positive. No response to empirical acyclovir. HSV PCR negative. Nasopharyngeal swab confirmed Influenza A. Case subsequently closed with SARC and Social Services. Discussion This case series highlights less common but important causes of genital ulceration. Full systemic history and clinical assessment remains essential in those where alternate diagnoses to HSV are being considered.
The article aims to (a) examine the reasons for nonuse of ADCC, and (b) explore the reasons for use of adult day care centers (ADCCs) among users. The sample includes 819 respondents of whom 417 are users of 13 day care centers and 402 are nonusers, matched by age, gender, and family physician in the southern region of Israel. Data collection includes interviews that used a structured questionnaire. The most frequent reasons for nonuse of ADCCs are accessibility barriers, characteristics of participants and of the ADCCs, “no need for this service,” and personal difficulties. Those who use this service report that it improved their well-being, met their needs, enabled them to establish social relationships, and alleviated their family caregivers’ burden. ADCCs should be more responsive to the needs of various constituencies of frail older adults and be more accessible to those who do not use this type of service.
Objective The aims of this study were to evaluate prospectively the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic lymphadenectomy in gynecologic oncology and to analyze risk factors associated with surgical adverse events. Materials and Methods This study included 444 consecutive laparoscopic lymphadenectomy procedures conducted in 358 consecutive gynecologic oncology patients, between 2007 and 2014. Surgical adverse events were classified into intraoperative, early postoperative (≤6 weeks after surgery), and late postoperative (>6 weeks after surgery). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the independent effects of different variables on the probability of complications. Differences were considered to be statistically significant for P values less than 0.05. Results Two hundred forty-four pelvic lymphadenectomy and 200 aortic lymphadenectomy procedures were carried out during the studied period. All pelvic lymphadenectomy procedures were conducted with a transperitoneal approach, whereas 94.5% of aortic lymphadenectomy procedures were conducted with an extraperitoneal approach. A total of 52.2% of tumors were found to originate in the cervix, 38% in the endometrium, 6.4% in the ovary, 2.8% were sarcoma, and 0.6% were in a different region. The laparotomy conversion rate was 2.8%. The rate of intraoperative adverse events was 1.9%, the most frequent ones being vascular injuries followed by ureteral, bowel, or neurologic injuries. The rate of early-postoperative adverse events was 3.3%, the most frequent one being incisional hernia followed by hemoperitoneum, pelvic abscess, intestinal injury, and paralytic ileus. One patient with endometrial cancer died after surgery due to sepsis of unknown origin. The rate of late-postoperative adverse events was 3.6% and consisted mainly of symptomatic lymphocele or lymphedema. A logistic regression analysis showed that factors associated with increased risk of lymphadenectomy surgical complications were surgical bleeding and operative time (odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–6; P = 0.02 and odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidence interval, 1–6.7; P = 0.04). Conclusions Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy is a safe and feasible procedure in gynecologic oncology but not free of complications. We postulate that gynecologic oncologists should be properly trained in the management of such complications and be aware of the importance of adequate hemostasis and operating time during surgery.
Engaging occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals has scarcely been evaluated as a means for transferring knowledge to practice about physical workload in the construction industry. The aim of this work was to examine how participants used and incorporate research-based knowledge from a three-day training course into practice. Twenty OSH professionals from the Danish construction industry participated in a workshop-training course. Researchers presented new knowledge and results about physically demanding work. The participants selected which themes they wanted to work with and developed an action plan. Evaluation was done using surveys and phone interviews. Analysis was based on how the OSH-professionals describe themselves, organizations, and the construction industry. Participant’s average scores on the level of implementation of their chosen action plans were 3 (on a response scale from 1–5, where 1 is ‘to a very low degree’ and 5 is ‘to a very high degree’) immediately after the workshop program and 2.5 at follow-up. Qualitative evaluations showed that actions had been initiated, and some progress had been made. The participants were satisfied with the workshop course and the possibility to increase their knowledge through inputs from researchers and colleges and strongly believe that they would succeed with implementing their action plans in the future.
He who has once begun to open the fan of memory never comes to the end of its segments; no image satisfies him, for he has seen that it can be unfolded, and only in its folds does the truth reside; that image, that taste, that touch for whose sake all this has been unfurled and dissected; and now remembrance advances from small to smallest details, from the smallest to the infinitesimal, while that which it encounters in these microcosms grows ever mightier.
Electrophoretic displays (EPDs) are attracting a great deal of academic and commercial interest due to the advantages of both electronic displays and conventional paper. The key materials for EPD application of microcapsules are the electrophoretic particles and the capsule wall enwrapping the electrophoretic suspension inside. Here, black and white electrophoretic particles with low density and good dispersity such as titanium dioxide, carbon black, and Cu_2Cr_2O_3 were prepared by surface modification of the pigments. The preparation and properties of the gelatin-based microcapsules prepared by complex coacervation methods are also summarized. The microcapsules have transparent and elastic walls of compact structure, which endows them with good barrier properties and thermal stability for EPD application. EPD prototype devices based on the obtained microcapsules were prepared and could be driven at 9 V.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Currently, there is no concrete evidence that supports an appropriate surveillance duration for detecting intravesical recurrence (IVR) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). Our specific aim is to create more meaningful and individualized surveillance durations for detecting subsequent IVR after RNU in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) survivors. METHODS: We identified 714 non-metastatic UTUC patients who underwent RNU. The patients were stratified by pathologic T stage and chronological age. The hazard rate (HR) transition of IVR development and non-UTUC death were estimated by using parametric models for time-to failure with Weibull distributions. RESULTS: At a median follow-up of 6.5 years, a total of 307 (43.0%) patients developed subsequent IVR. The overtime risk transition of IVR was classified with pT stage and the risk of overall death was stratified with chronological age. The HR of developing IVR showed the highest with ⩽pT1, followed by pT2, pT3, and pT4 at baseline (e.g. ⩽pT1 patients had 12.7 times higher HR of developing IVR than pT4 patients), but the risk of IVR showed a decline in all pT stages as the survival time increased after RNU (e.g. the HR of IVR in ⩽pT1 patients decreased to 6.2 times higher than those of pT4 patients at ten years after RNU). On the other hand, the HR of overall death was higher in the elderly stage (e.g. age >80 showed 6.5 times higher HR of overall death than those of age ⩽60 at baseline), and they increased over time in all age groups (e.g. the HR of overall death in age >80 patients increased to 10.3 times higher than those of age ⩽60 at ten years after RNU). Based upon the Weibull model estimate, we calculated the age-specific and stage-specific time points when the risk of overall death exceeds the risk of IVR. Specifically, among patients with pT2N0M0, the HR of overall death exceeded the HR of developing IVR at 3 years after RNU for older than 80 and 6 years for 71-80, but the HR of IVR remained greater for more than 10 years at age 70 years or younger. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that ⩽pT1 and pT2 UTUC patients have a higher risk for developing IVR than pT3 and pT4, but the risks gradually decrease over time and the risk of overall death overcomes the risk of IVR as the survival years increase after RNU. However, especially for younger UTUC patients with lower pT stages, 10 years or more follow-up duration may be recommended for detecting subsequent IVR after RNU. Figure. No caption available. Source of Funding: none
It has become clear that aerosols play a more important role in most urban air pollution problems. The aerosol characteristics in the different urban functional zones of Nanjing has been observed and analyzed in autumn of 2009. The aerosol number concentration in each urban functional zone showed a close similarity and reached pretty high value, 104cm−3. The number concentration and surface area concentration of spectrum distribution in study period showed two and three peaks, respectively. The particle scavenging efficiency was compared among rainfall, snowfall, and fog. The results showed that the effect of precipitation on the local aerosols dominated a major factor in clear, and fog impact on the diurnal variation of the aerosol number concentration significantly. The seasonal variations of aerosol were also discussed. The mass concentration varied significantly, autumn> summer, while the fine particle quality percentage in autumn was higher than that in summer.
Benign migratory glossitis or geographic tongue is a benign condition that usually manifests as asymptomatic erythematous and migratory circinate patches, involving the lateral and dorsal aspects of the tongue. Extra-lingual lesions uncommonly occur and are mainly located on labial and buccal mucosae, lips and floor of the mouth. The present report describes one patient with a geographic lesion on the hard palate associated with lingual lesions and another patient who had multiple geographic lesions both in the hard and soft palate without lingual lesions. We found 64 cases in the English literature of ectopic locations with 22 palate involvement. No case of simultaneous involvement of the hard and the soft palate was found.
We exposed embryos (83 hours postfertilizaton) and fry (3 weeks posthatch) to N-methyl- N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) by immersion in aqueous solutions of 0-10 ppm for 1 hour (embryo) or 0-2 ppm for 24 hours (fry). Zebrafish embryos were microinjected with MNNG at levels of 0 or 96 ng/egg. Diets containing 0-2,000 ppm MNNG were fed to juvenile zebrafish for 3 months beginning at 2 months posthatch. Fish were sampled for histopathologic study at 6-12 months after initiation of carcinogen exposure. Embryos and fry were both quite responsive to MNNG; however, juvenile zebrafish were remarkably refractory to MNNG-induced neoplasia. Principal target organs in zebrafish treated as embryos with MNNG were liver and testis, with hepatocellular adenoma the most prevalent hepatic neoplasm. A variety of mesenchymal neoplasms occurred in zebrafish following embryo exposure to MNNG, including chondroma, hemangioma, hemangiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. Testis and blood vessels were primary target organs for MNNG following fry exposure, with seminoma, hemangioma, hemangiosarcoma, and various other epithelial and mesenchymal neoplasms occurring. The zebrafish is a responsive, cost-effective lower vertebrate model system in which to study mechanisms of carcinogenesis.
Tin oxide thin films were fabricated on glass substrates by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method at room temperature and ambient pressure. Before measuring their properties, all samples were annealed at 500 o C for 2 h in air. Film thickness increased with the number of cycles; X-ray diffraction patterns for the annealed SnO2 thin films indicated a SnO2 single phase. Thickness of the SnO2 films increased from 12 to 50 nm as the number of cycles increased from 20 to 60. Although the optical transmittance decreased with thickness, 50 nm SnO2 thin films exhibited a high value of more than 85%. Regarding electronic properties, sheet resistance of the films decreased as thickness increased; however, the measured resistivity of the thin film was nearly constant with thickness (3×10 -4 ohm/cm). From Hall measurements, the 50 nm thickness SnO2 thin film had the highest mobility of the samples (8.6 cm 2 /(V·s)). In conclusion, optical and electronic properties of SnO2 thin films could be controlled by adjusting the number of SILAR cycles.
T HE FOCUS HERE is on new or changing information technology. This is consistent with the social science research strategy of deviant case analysis or examining variance. In stable situations, the relevant variables are confounded; it is when things begin to change that we often get an insight into the function and significance of previously stable components. Changes in information technology can be examined either as a dependent variable of social science interest (what are the causal factors in our culture leading to changes in information technology?) or as an independent variable (what social effects follow from changes in information technology?). From the perspective of the larger society, examining the major social impacts or trends that follow from changes in information technology is most significant, although we ought not focus too narrowly on the media of traditional interest to mass communication research. Print and broadcast mass media are undergoing technological change, but the major social impact of changes in information technology is likely to follow from changes in computer information-processing or office copying machines. The greatest social impact is likely to follow from the media undergoing the greatest change. The key change that influences how widely new information technology diffuses through the society seems to be the reduction of the amount of matter-energy required to transmit or store information. Major reductions in the unit cost of the matter-energy component of information storage and transmission can lead to wide diffusion and major social impact. The computer information utility* is still some years away, but the unit costs of computer information processing are dropping faster than costs of conventional media and hence deserve careful examination (Sack
Microturbines have proven to be a vital part of the distributed power generation field due to their low emissions, compact size, high reliability and low maintenance. However, microturbines operate at low pressure ratios and relatively low turbine inlet temperatures that limit cycle efficiency. In order to overcome these limitations, microturbines often utilize a recuperator or regenerator to achieve the optimal balance between improved heat rates and reduced pressure ratios across the turbine. Recuperator design aims to achieve maximum effectiveness while staying reasonably compact, which creates the need to study novel heat transfer surfaces for compact heat exchanger application. In this study, experimental data of heat transfer augmentation and friction factor augmentation values for various turbulator geometries is used to determine the required heat exchanger volume to achieve 85%, 90%, and 95% effectiveness. A parametric analysis of various recuperator channel surface areas and turbulator geometry data will be utilized to determine the feasibility of increasing thermal efficiency while remaining compact to avoid large, negative effects on power density for a hypothetical gas turbine modeled after the Turbine Technologies, Ltd. SR-30 Turbo-Jet Engine. The turbulators considered in this study consist of 4 wedges, 4 ribs, and a dimpled geometry. The results will highlight the applicability of surface features in recuperator designs that can improve overall efficiency for microturbines. Results present the power density, thermal efficiency, and specific fuel consumption as functions of heat exchanger channel Reynolds number for heat exchangers implementing different turbulators. It is shown that dimples at low Reynolds numbers yield 85% effectiveness with only a 8% reduction in power density and 90% effectiveness with only a 12% reduction in power density. Ribs and wedges also perform well but suffer from high pressure losses due to their obtrusive design.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
OBJECTIVE To investigate the distribution, composition and situation of natural infection pathogen of tick species in the main ports of Inner Mongolia.   METHODS All ticks were collected manually with white cloth, from the grassland and searching for the hosts followed by detection of pathogens, with PCR.   RESULTS 1313 ticks identified, belonged to 1 family, 4 geniuses and 7 species in the three surveyed areas, with Dermacentor nuttallia distributed in the Ceke, Mandula and Manzhouli bordering ports. 69.08% of the total species were discovered at Port Ceke, with Rhipicephalus pumilio as the predominant one, which accounted for 74.86%. 5 kinds of tick-borne disease pathogens were detected from ticks in these three bordering ports while only Coxiella burnetii was found at the Port Ceke. In these three ports, the average infection rates of Lyme disease borrelia, Human babesia microti, Spotted fever group Rickettsia, Coxiella burnetii, Ehrlichiosis were 15.08%, 3.35%, 1.98%, 1.07%, 0.99% respectively. The positive rate of tick infected with Borrelia burgdorferi were 13.56%,22.88%,5.00% in the 3 bordering ports, respectively with significant differences. The positive rates of Babesia microti and Spotted fever group Rickettsia infections were also significantly different among these areas.   CONCLUSION The natural infection rates of the above mentioned five kinds of tick-borne pathogens were different in the Ports Ceke, Mandula and Manzhouli.
The cell wall is important for pollen tube growth, but little is known about the molecular mechanism that controls cell wall deposition in pollen tubes. Here, the functional characterization of the pollen-expressed Arabidopsis cellulose synthase-like D genes CSLD1 and CSLD4 that are required for pollen tube growth is reported. Both CSLD1 and CSLD4 are highly expressed in mature pollen grains and pollen tubes. The CSLD1 and CSLD4 proteins are located in the Golgi apparatus and transported to the plasma membrane of the tip region of growing pollen tubes, where cellulose is actively synthesized. Mutations in CSLD1 and CSLD4 caused a significant reduction in cellulose deposition in the pollen tube wall and a remarkable disorganization of the pollen tube wall layers, which disrupted the genetic transmission of the male gametophyte. In csld1 and csld4 single mutants and in the csld1 csld4 double mutant, all the mutant pollen tubes exhibited similar phenotypes: the pollen tubes grew extremely abnormally both in vitro and in vivo, which indicates that CSLD1 and CSLD4 are not functionally redundant. Taken together, these results suggest that CSLD1 and CSLD4 play important roles in pollen tube growth, probably through participation in cellulose synthesis of the pollen tube wall.
SIR—The use of uncuffed (UETs) or cuffed (CETs) endotracheal tubes in children has been a subject of debate for years (1). The published evidence has shifted toward CETs, as no increased risk of airway injury (1– 3), a reduction in theater contamination with anesthetic gas, increased accuracy of capnography reading, fewer tube exchanges, lower risks of microaspiration, and respiratory adverse events (1,2) have been demonstrated with the use of CETs. From our clinical experience, we hypothesized that the shifting scientific evidence would only slowly change existing clinical practice. To evaluate and compare current practice in the use of CETs in pediatric anesthesia, an online survey was sent to 845 members of the Association of Paediatric Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (APAGBI) and 235 members of the Section of Paediatric Anaesthesia in the Netherlands (SKA). The overall response rate was 34%. Usage of CETs was analyzed by examining the age at which anesthesiologists would first consider using CETs. CETs were first used in neonates by 33.5% of British anesthesiologists and 47.3% of Dutch anesthesiologists and more often with advancing age (Figure 1). The British figure compares well with that from a French survey in 1997, which found that 37% of French pediatric anesthesiologists rarely used CETs in children younger than 5 years (4). Ordinal regression showed that nation (in The Netherlands earlier, P < 0.001) and setting (in tertiary referral centers earlier, P = 0.01) influence the age at which anesthesiologists first consider using CETs. In all age groups, CETs are used more often by Dutch anesthesiologists than British anesthesiologists. This survey suggests that current practice in The Netherlands has changed toward the use of CETs, quite dissimilar from that in the UK. This survey showed that British and Dutch anesthesiologists have continuing concerns about cuffed tubes, especially about tracheal injury. A recent study in previously intubated children showed no increased risk of tracheal injury with CETs and a higher incidence of subglottic cysts with UETs on laryngotracheoscopy (3). Although the risk of respiratory complications is reported to be significantly higher with UETs (2,3), 41% of British and 11% of Dutch respondents in our survey perceive no problems with UETs. A cuff pressure above 20 cm H2O was unacceptable to the majority of British and Dutch anesthesiologists. Of British anesthesiologists, 66.8% never measure cuff pressure. Most Dutch anesthesiologists measure cuff pressure once. High cuff pressures have been demonstrated to be the most important predictor of postoperative sore throat when CETs are used with incidences of 68% and 96% at cuff pressures of >30 cm H2O and >40 cm H2O, respectively (5). Several anesthesiologists mentioned to judge cuff pressure on the lowest cuff volume required for disappearance of an audible leak around the cuff. This practice may, however, result in unacceptably high cuff pressures of 40–60 cm H2O (6). Unavailability of equipment was a reason not to measure cuff pressure as well as a reason for British respondents not to use CETs. A simple handheld manometer with connection tubing could be made available at low costs and could obviate the above-mentioned issues around cuff pressure.
Abstract Ligation of the Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) death receptors has been associated with cancer specific apoptotic execution in a number of model systems. This has generated tremendous interest in the use of TRAIL as a potential therapeutic modality. However, recent evidence indicates that resistance to TRAIL might present with a therapeutic challenge. In this short report, we review the basic biology of TRAIL signalling in cancer cells, highlight the mechanisms underlying resistance to TRAIL and the ability of small molecule compounds to re-sensitize cells to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. In particular, we provide evidence that intracellular reactive oxygen species could be critical in regulating the response of cancer cells to TRAIL.
The paper proposes a planning methodology of systems technologies using a three-dimensional morphological box. The authors assume that the planning problem of systems technologies could be represented by three basic attributes, i.e. needs (system requirements), seeds (basic technologies) and systems technologies (system problems). They introduce a three-dimensional morphological box, whose axes are the above attributes, as a framework of planning activities. The constituent items of each axis are obtained from the recognition of societal and technological trends. The current and planned systems are arranged at the relevant position of the morphological box. By investigating each system embedded in the morphological box, systems technologies necessary to realize target systems are extracted. The planning process by the proposed method consists of three phases: (1) recognition of societal and technological issues and trends; (2) projection of these recognition on the axes of three-dimensional morphological box; and (3) investigation of the current and planned systems embedded in the morphological box. By the method, one can systematically plan new systems and systems technologies reflecting current societal and technological trends. The method has been applied to actual planning activities and new directions of system technologies have been proposed in the development of real practical systems. The effectiveness of the method has been confirmed through these applications.
The Yalta-Potsdam system of international relations, established by culmination of World War II, was created to maintain the security and cooperation of states in the post-war world. Leaders of the Big Three, who ensured the Victory over the fascist-militarist bloc in 1945, made decisive contribution to its creation. This system cemented the world order during the Cold War years until the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and the destruction of the bipolar structure of the organization of international relations. Post-Cold War changes stimulated the search for new structures of the international order. Article purpose is to characterize circumstances of foundations formation of postwar world and to show how the historical decisions made by the leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition powers in 1945 are projected onto modern political processes. Study focuses on interrelated questions: what was the post-war world order and how integral it was? How did the political decisions of 1945 affect the origins of the Cold War? Does the American-centrist international order, that prevailed at the end of the 20th century, genetically linked to the Atlantic Charter and the goals of the anti- Hitler coalition in the war, have a future? Many elements of the Yalta-Potsdam system of international relations in the 1990s survived and proved their viability. The end of the Cold War and globalization created conditions for widespread democracy in the world. The liberal system of international relations, which expanded in the late XX - early XXI century, is currently experiencing a crisis. It will be necessary to strengthen existing international institutions that ensure stability and security, primarily to create barriers to the spread of national egoism, radicalism and international terrorism, for have a chance to continue the liberal principles based world order (not necessarily within a unipolar system). Prerequisite for promoting idea of a liberal system of international relations is the adjustment of liberalism as such, refusal to unilaterally impose its principles on peoples with a different set of values. This will also require that all main participants in modern in-ternational life be able to develop a unilateral agenda for common problems and interstate relations, interact in a dialogue mode, delving into the arguments of opponents and taking into account their vital interests.
This paper presents the results of nearly 8000 hours of testing of a fully developed cesium vapor source on the integrated TOPAZ II Ya‐21U thermionic space power system. The test period included 4000 hours of system thermal vacuum operation and evaluation by Russian specialists at the Central Design Bureau for Machine Building (CDBMB), St. Petersburg, Russia; nearly 4000 hours of thermal vacuum tests at the Thermionic Systems Evaluation Test (TSET) laboratory; and mechanical tests at the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM. Testing of the non‐nuclear Ya‐21U system provided significant information for evaluation and characterization of the cesium vapor source that could not be obtained by development and qualification testing of only components. The Ya‐21U system and cesium vapor source were subjected to excessive, unplanned stress levels during the system evaluation tests which resulted in leakage of oxygen into the cesium subsystem and cesium vapor from the TFEs. The information and exper...
BACKGROUND Omalizumab is an anti-immunoglobulin E (IgE) monoclonal antibody used in the treatment of severe asthma. Its therapeutic efficacy is primarily attributed to reduction of serum-free IgE and in the expression of high-affinity IgE receptor, fc epsilon RI. However, its effect on the low-affinity IgE receptor fc epsilon RII/CD23 in vivo has not been evaluated.   AIM To determine whether CD23 plays a role in the inflammatory process in severe uncontrolled asthma and whether anti-IgE therapy modulates fc epsilon RII/CD23 expression in these patients.   METHODS We evaluated the expression of IgE receptors fc epsilon RI, fc epsilon RII/CD23, and soluble CD23 (sCD23), and the activation state of peripheral blood monocytes (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin (IL) 1-beta, transforming growth factor (TGF) beta expression) in the patients with severe asthma before and after 24 weeks of omalizumab treatment and in the healthy controls. Cytokine expression of monocytes in response to different stimulation (IL-4, IL-4 plus IgE, IL-4 plus IgE plus anti-IgE, and IL-4 plus IgE plus anti-IgE plus anti-CD23 for 72 hours) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.   RESULTS Treatment with omalizumab (for 24 weeks) improved disease control and pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration, 64.5 versus 74%; p = 0.021). Mean ± SE expression of fc epsilon RI on monocytes was higher in the patients with asthma versus the controls (45.7 ± 12.2% versus 18.6 ± 5.8%; p = 0.04) and was reduced after omalizumab treatment (45.7 ± 12.2% versus 15.6 ± 4.4%; p = 0.027). Mean ± SE TGF-beta levels in supernatants from monocytes were reduced in the patients treated with omalizumab (211 ± 6 pg/mL versus 184 ± 9 pg/mL; p = 0.036).   CONCLUSION Modulation of the low affinity IgE receptor CD23 in severe asthma is complex, and sCD23 may inversely reflect disease activity. Treatment with omalizumab was associated with reduced monocyte activation.
Cooperation among mobile terminals (MTs) in heterogeneous wireless networks is currently widely investigated. Cooperation among MTs has a lot of advantages such as increasing network throughput, decreasing file download time, saving energy and so on. Since different cooperate MTs have different influence on quality of service and user's experience, MT selection becomes a key issue in MTs cooperation. To improve the quality of service and user's experience, we propose a novel mechanism for MT selection which we call NMC (Network MTs Cooperation) mechanism in this paper. In NMC mechanism, MTs and its access network are integrated as a virtual MT. Then we propose a Cooperative Terminal Selection (CTS) algorithm to select the optimal virtual MT. Simulation results show that NMC can help to save energy consumption of MTs as well as ensure the download rates.
Abstract Purpose: This study has been planned to show how the balance is influenced when additional cognitive and motor tasks are given to older people. Methods: 159 older adults (61 Females/98 Males) between 65 and 80 years of age were included in the study. The single and dual task performances of the individuals were evaluated with the Stand on One Foot Test, Time up and Go Test (TUG), and Sit Down-Stand up Test; and the cognitive status was evaluated with the Mini Mental Status Test. The individuals were asked to transfer an object from one hand to the other as an additional motor task during the balance tests; and were asked to count by twos as a cognitive additional task. Results: When the taskless balance performances of the individuals and their dynamic balances during the additional cognitive and motor tasks were compared, it was observed that the duration of completing the test increased at a statistically significant level when both motor and cognitive additional tasks were added in TUG (p < 0.001); and in Sit down-Stand up, Stand on One Foot Tests (right and left), on the other hand, it was observed that the durations of the tests decreased when both additional motor and cognitive tasks were given (p < 0.001). Conclusion: At the end of our study, we observed that the additional tasks given to the older adults decreased the balance performance. We consider that balance trainings must be given together with motor and cognitive tasks to older people.
We have achieved label free DNA hybridization detection at the level of a few femto-moles using on-chip terahertz (THz) integrated devices. The devices consist of two photoconductive switches for the generation and detection of THz pulses. A DNA specimen placed in a reservoir on the micro strip line (MSL) connecting the switches delays the propagating THz pulses. Different delay times were observed depending on the DNA conformation. The high sensitivity achieved is due to MSL design adjustment and the use of a specimen reservoir. Both simulations and experimental results indicate that devices with a narrower MSL have higher sensitivity.
It is increasingly important that higher education institutions can audit and evaluate the scope and efficacy of their digital learning resources across various scales. To-date there has been little effort to address this need for a validated, appropriate and simple to execute method that will facilitate such an audit; whether it be at the scale of an individual programme, department, faculty or institution. The data are of increasing value to ensure institutions maintain progress and equity in the student experience as well as for deployment and interpretation of learning analytics. This study presents a generalizable framework for auditing digital learning provision in higher education curricula. The framework is contextualized using a case study in which the audit is conducted across a single faculty in a research-intensive U.K. university. This work provides academics and higher education administrators with key principles and considerations as well as example aims and outcomes.
This paper studies a novel channel estimation method using matrix factorization based interpolation. The interpolation can be assumed as a matrix completion problem which is well studied in the field of collaborative filtering. It is known that a low-rank matrix can be accurately interpolated using matrix factorization technique. In fact, the channel frequency response is a linear combination of some Fourier basis, and channel matrix (channel frequency response in the time-frequency domain) is low rank. The computer simulation shows the high accuracy of the proposed method compared with the conventional methods.
The State of Sao Paulo, as well as several other Brazilian states, has suffered an intense process of devastation of its natural heritage, resulting in the loss of about 80% of its native vegetation, with consequences for its fauna. The main objective of the research was to survey data and information on relevant scientific studies, completed or not, involving the issue of biodiversity in the region of UGRHI – Tiete-Jacare (SP). Therefore, consultations were held in the databases of the Biota-Fapesp, in the Ministry of Environment, in the Environmental Secretary of Sao Paulo and in municipal sites. Among the results, we can point out the mapping of research institutions and their work done on biodiversity in the region, besides quantitative data on the remaining natural vegetation and an inventory of protected areas and other specially protected areas existing in the UGRHI. The integration of data and information contained in this work can serve as subsidies to the creation and implementation of public policies for conservation and preservation of biodiversity, which may, in turn, stimulate the relationship between local governments, the Watershed Committee Tiete-Jacare and academic institutions.
A study on the Ropalocerofauna (Nymphalidae) of Sharr mountain and its surroundings Pollog has been carried out during the year 2011-2012, from March to November. About 1500 specimens that belong to 1 families (Nymphalidae ) 5 subfamilies 34 genus and 57 species and subspecies have been collected in 18 sampling stations. For each sampling station data on the vegetation type, altitude, latitude, and longitude have been recorded. In this paper species composition, distribution, (horizontal and vertical), habitat preference and conservation status are presented and discussed. Keywords: Ropalocerofauna, species composition, distribution, Familia Nymphalidae, Sharr mountain, Macedonia.
Different microstructures were obtained under various thermal conditions by adjusting the heat treatment parameters of the Cr-Co-Ni-Mo series of ultra-high strength stainless steel. The effect of organizational evolution on the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the Cr-Co-Ni-Mo series of ultra-high strength stainless steel was investigated using potentiodynamic polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and other test methods in combination with slow strain rate tensile tests (SSRTs). The results show that the Mo- and Cr-rich clusters and precipitation of the Laves phase reduce the corrosion resistance, while increasing the austenite content can improve the corrosion resistance. The Cr-Co-Ni-Mo series of ultra-high strength stainless steel has a high SCC resistance after quenching at 1080 °C and undergoing deep cooling (DC) treatment at −73 °C. With increasing holding time, the strength of the underaged and peak-aged specimens increases, but the passivation and SCC resistance decreases. At the overaged temperature, the specimen has good SCC resistance after a short holding time, which is attributed to its higher austenite content and lower dislocation density. As a stable hydrogen trap in steel, austenite effectively improves the SCC resistance of steel. However, under the coupled action of hydrogen and stress, martensitic transformation occurs due to the decrease in the lamination energy of austenite, and the weak martensitic interface becomes the preferred location for crack initiation and propagation.
ABSTRACT Through a process of collaborative autoethnography, we explore the experiences of one female athlete named Bella who was groomed and then sexually abused by her male coach. Bella's story signals how the structural conditions and power relationships embedded in competitive sporting environments, specifically the power invested in the coach, provide a unique sociocultural context that offers a number of potentialities for sexual abuse and exploitation to take place. We offer Bella's story as a pedagogical resource for those involved in the world of sport to both think about and with as part of a process of encouraging change at the individual and institutional levels.
We present new results from the PHOBOS experiment at RHIC on event‐by‐event fluctuations of particle multiplicities and angular distributions in nucleus‐nucleus collisions at RHIC. Our data for Au+Au collisions at sNN = 200 GeV show that at a level of 10−4 or less, no rare, large‐amplitude fluctuations in the total multiplicity distributions or the shape of the pseudorapidity distributions are observed. We however find significant short‐range multiplicity correlations in these data, that can be described as particle production in clusters. In Cu+Cu collisions, we observe large final‐state azimuthal anisotropies ν2. A common scaling behavior for Cu+Cu and Au+Au for these anisotropies emerges when fluctuations in the initial state geometry are taken into account.We present new results from the PHOBOS experiment at RHIC on event‐by‐event fluctuations of particle multiplicities and angular distributions in nucleus‐nucleus collisions at RHIC. Our data for Au+Au collisions at sNN = 200 GeV show that at a level of 10−4 or less, no rare, large‐amplitude fluctuations in the total multiplicity distributions or the shape of the pseudorapidity distributions are observed. We however find significant short‐range multiplicity correlations in these data, that can be described as particle production in clusters. In Cu+Cu collisions, we observe large final‐state azimuthal anisotropies ν2. A common scaling behavior for Cu+Cu and Au+Au for these anisotropies emerges when fluctuations in the initial state geometry are taken into account.
Brown and beige adipose tissue share similar functionality, being both tissues specialized in producing heat through nonshivering thermogenesis and also playing endocrine roles through the release of their secretion factors called batokines. This review elucidates the influence of physical exercise, and myokines released in response, on the regulation of thermogenic and secretory functions of these adipose tissues and discusses the similarity of batokines actions with physical exercise in the remodeling of adipose tissue. This adipose tissue remodeling promoted by autocrine and paracrine batokines or physical exercise seems to optimize its functionality associated with better health outcomes.
Cross-disciplinary scholarship on platform-mediated transformations is growing rapidly. Large-scale data centers that aggregate hardware resources are an important element shaping the expansion of platform economies. The impact of this configuration of hardware on the dynamics of software development is still unclear. Data centers aggregate and centralize computing capacity and in turn enable the growth of globally distributed and organizationally decentralized corporate ecosystems. Scholarship in this area is beginning to examine the relations between dominant technology corporations and their networks of users and third-party companies. I contribute to literature on platform ecosystems by examining changing organizational and market dynamics introduced by cloud computing within the corporate computing sector. Drawing on qualitative interviews with managers of software startups in India, I focus on falling barriers to entry, new organizational forms, and emergent transnational dimensions. Using this case, I theorize monopolization as being embedded in competitive ecosystem dynamics.
End-to-end congestion control mechanisms have been critical to the robustness and stability of the Internet. Most of today's Internet traffic is TCP, and we expect this to remain so in the future. Thus, having "TCP-friendly" behavior is crucial for new applications. However, the emergence of non-congestion-controlled realtime applications threatens unfairness to competing TCP traffic and possible congestion collapse. We present an end-to-end TCP-friendly rate adaptation protocol (RAP), which employs an additive-increase, multiplicative-decrease (AIMD) algorithm. It is well suited for unicast playback of realtime streams and other semi-reliable rate-based applications. Its primary goal is to be fair and TCP-friendly while separating network congestion control from application-level reliability. We evaluate RAP through extensive simulation, and conclude that bandwidth is usually evenly shared between TCP and RAP traffic. Unfairness to TCP traffic is directly determined by how TCP diverges from the AIMD algorithm. Basic RAP behaves in a TCP-friendly fashion in a wide range of likely conditions, but we also devised a fine-grain rate adaptation mechanism to extend this range further. Finally, we show that deploying RED queue management can result in an ideal fairness between TCP and RAP traffic.
Catheter ablation has acquired a prominent role in the management of symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF). Attempting to accurately assess the benefit of ablation can be quite challenging and is influenced by many variables, including the type of AF, procedural technique, operator experience, and duration and method of follow-up. Equally elusive is the proper definition of a successful ablation outcome. Should a "successful" ablation necessitate complete resolution of AF and AF symptoms documented by long-term monitoring, or does a more clinical approach evaluating for symptomatic improvement constitute a favorable outcome? Furthermore, at what point following an ablation should a recurrence be an acceptable, if not an expected, occurrence and should a significant decrease in AF burden warrant consideration as success? Our goal here will be to explore the current data evaluating outcomes for ablation of AF. We will examine electrophysiologic and other clinical endpoints, and hope to provide long-term expectations following ablation of paroxysmal and persistent AF.
This paper presents for the first time the use of the Leap Motion device to control an anthropomorphic gripper with five fingers. First, a description of the Leap Motion device is presented, highlighting its main functional characteristics, followed by testing of its use for capturing the movements of a human hand's fingers in different configurations. Next, the HandCommander soft module and the Interface Controller application are described. The HandCommander is a software module created to facilitate interaction between a human hand and the GraspIT virtual environment, and the Interface Controller application is required to send motion data to the virtual environment and to test the communication protocol. For the test, a prototype of an anthropomorphic gripper with five fingers was made, including a proper hardware system of command and control, which is briefly presented in this paper. Following the creation of the prototype, the command system performance test was conducted under real conditions, evaluating the recognition efficiency of the objects to be gripped and the efficiency of the command and control strategies for the gripping process. The gripping test is exemplified by the gripping of an object, such as a screw spanner. It was found that the command system, both in terms of capturing human hand gestures with the Leap Motion device and effective object gripping, is operational. Suggestive figures are presented as examples.
The paper has a theoretical-methodological approach: its aim is to analyse the nexus between cultural tourism and urban economies, and to foster a heritage-based sustainable development. The paper starts considering the role of heritage tourism in local development by stressing that tourism can bring about a positive response to regional competitiveness, regarding its positive influence on regional employment and income. Then, the paper investigates the specific problematic context of urban cultural tourism, identifying different stakeholders, values and assets or capitals involved. Hence, the dense concepts of 'cultural capital' and of 'experiential tourism' have been stressed, too, because of their importance, especially in the so-called era of 'access economy'. Subsequently, the paper explores the shift from 'traditional' cultural tourism toward creative tourism, meant as an evolution of cultural tourism directed toward an engaged and authentic experience, encompassing communities' lifestyles. Finally, the conditions for a human sustainable development of heritage cities have been deepened.
Ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) are commonly observed arrhythmias in healthy individuals. It is well-known that frequent VPCs can lead to left ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction, termed VPC-mediated cardiomyopathy. 1) Based on many studies that aimed to reveal the characteristics of VPCs that have an influence on hemodynamics, site of origin, coupling interval (CI), and VPC burden have been chosen as the most promising leads; however, there are no definite answers, and many controversies still remain. There are no firm guidelines to assist physicians in treating patients with frequent VPCs. Yokokawa et al. 2) showed that the absence of symptoms is
BACKGROUND Respiratory infections (RI) significantly burden society, mainly when there are recurrent respiratory infections (RRI). Thus, there is a need to prevent RI in clinical practice. In this regard, the modulation of the immune system and resolution of the inflammatory cascade could represent an ideal way to prevent RI. Stimunex® gocce, a multicomponent food supplement, contains Sambucus nigra extract, β-glucan, Zinc, and Vitamin D3. This study investigated its ability to prevent RRI in children using a real-world setting: the pediatric primary care.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Two hundred and ninety-eight children with RRI were enrolled in the current study. The food supplement was randomly prescribed to 160 children with RRI daily for 4 months (Active group); the remaining 138 children with RRI were treated only with standard therapy for RI (Control group). The number and duration of RI, parental perception of symptom severity and treatment efficacy, use of medications, and school and working absence were evaluated.   RESULTS Children treated with Stimunex® gocce had significantly less RI than the Control group, both concerning upper and lower RI (p˂0.001 and 0.003, respectively) during the follow-up period. Moreover, children in the Active group experienced shorter RI duration during the treatment and follow-up phases (p˂0.001 for both). In addition, parents of treated children perceived less severe symptoms and better treatment efficacy during the first and follow-up phases (p˂0.001 for all). The food supplement was well tolerated and there was no adverse event.   CONCLUSIONS The current real-world study demonstrated that Stimunex® gocce supplementation in children with RRI might safely prevent RI episodes and reduce RI duration. These outcomes should be highlighted as obtained during the COVID-19 pandemic era, characterized by a dramatic reduction of RI.
Chalcolithic ceramics from Novoilyinka III in Western Siberia (early 3rd millennium BC) was analyzed in terms of manufacturing technology and decoration techniques with special regard to tools for applying decoration. Two ornamental traditions relating to clay selection and fabric processing are described. The principal tradition was the use of low-ductile ferrous clay tempered with fine sand, down, and organic matter. The less common practice was to use high-ductile clay tempered with grit and grog but not down. In decoration as well, two traditions are evident. Most vessels tempered with down are decorated with non-comb imprints such as pits. Vessels made of low-ductile clay and tempered with grit and grog but not down are mostly decorated with comb imprints. The latter technology, evidently attesting to a blend of traditions, is unusual and is paralleled by ceramics with comb-pit, pit-comb, and dimple decoration distributed from the forest zone of Eastern Europe to the Upper Ob. The closest resemblance is seen with ceramics of the Bairyk and Kiprino types from Baraba and the Upper Ob, respectively. The distinctness of the Novoilyinka III pottery may be explained by the peripheral (easternmost) position of the site within this community.
Herein, we present fully printable carbon electrode based perovskite solar cells using highly crystalline NiO nanosheets as top hole transport layers, mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles as a bottom electron transport layer and ZrO2 as an intermediate spacer layer, respectively. Time-resolved photoluminescence decay measurements, electron impedance spectroscopy and transient photovoltage decay measurements have revealed that the NiO nanosheets as top hole transporters exhibit superior charge collection efficiency and a prolonged charge lifetime. As a result, an impressive power conversion efficiency of 14.2% is achieved under standard testing conditions.
The authors evaluated the diagnostic performance of B-mode, SWE and CEUS with quantification software and the combination mpUS to detect csPCa. They concluded that prostate mpUS improved localization and index lesion detection of csPCa compared with the single US modalities. This study is interesting because these results are close to the diagnostic performance of prostate mpMRI. In the mpMRI era transrectal US and related technologies seem to have limited value and they have been neglected for PCa diagnosis. On the contrary, this study provides insight into the diagnosis of PCa. This report may motivate people to study US methods of diagnosing cancer. Moreover, as already discussed by the authors (reference 14 in article), this study provides information on the question of whether mpUS could potentially serve as a triage test to exclude significant PCa. It may also invite us to consider mpUS before performing mpMRI in some patients. However, I have some concern about how these good results could be translated to clinical practice. The authors report their experience with CEUS but this modality cannot be used routinely. I would rather consider only the association of B-mode and SWE (a sort of biparametric US), which might provide good results. Since mpMRI has already become the first line examination in all settings, the lack of any comparison of these findings with mpMRI significantly limits the power of this study.
The development of the Agricultural Cooperative Economic Organizations (ACEO) is an important service platform to promote the industrialization of agriculture, increase farmers' income, and solve the "three rural" issue. This article will base on Yunnan Province current ACEO development and existing model to analysis its problems, and also will take Yunnan Province actual situation as a consideration to adjust its model, and provide relevant methods, in order to provide a useful inspiration and reference to help this service platform development in Yunnan Province.
In the past two decades or so there has been considerable advance in our knowledge of membrane structure. The fluid mosaic model of Singer and Nicolson (1) has had great heuristic value in thinking about membrane topology. In this model both proteins and lipids are free to diffuse in the bilayer, implying a random organization of protein and lipid. However, experimental evidence in diverse types of membranes and for several protein entities indicates that the lateral motion of most proteins is not determined primarily by free diffusion through a two-dimensional viscous fluid, but is constrained, probably by mechanisms such as interactions with cytoskeletal components. We will here present our evidence that lipids may also have nonhomogeneity in their lateral distribution, i.e., the lipid may be organized in domains, and that such organizational
Previously published theory providing means for estimating contact stresses in lenses due to axial mounting constraints is extended to allow similar calculations for mechanically- clamped prisms. The results can be compared to 'rule-of-thumb' survival or operational tolerances on compression contact stress for the applicable optical material to determine if a given mounting design appears adequate or if more precise methods, such as finite element analysis and statistically- derived tolerances, should be applied. Examples are given to illustrate typical applications of this new theory.
Significance There is a substantial public health interest in identifying HIV-infected individuals through population-based screening. Oral fluid (OF) is easier to collect than blood and therefore ideal for such screening efforts. Unfortunately, OF has a very low concentration of anti-HIV antibodies (markers of HIV infection), which current assays cannot detect during the early stage of this disease. Here we report an assay for anti-HIV antibodies in OF that is up to 10,000 times more sensitive than current alternatives. This assay, called Antibody Detection by Agglutination–PCR (ADAP), could be broadly deployed to screen at-risk populations using OF in many settings, including those where cold chain shipping is not available (low-resource settings) and where needles are inconvenient (pediatrics) or unsafe (prisons). Oral fluid (OF) is a highly effective substrate for population-based HIV screening efforts, as it is noninfectious and significantly easier to collect than blood. However, anti-HIV antibodies are found at far lower concentrations in OF compared with blood, leading to poor sensitivity and a longer period of time from infection to detection threshold. Thus, despite its inherent advantages in sample collection, OF is not widely used for population screening. Here we report the development of an HIV OF assay based on Antibody Detection by Agglutination–PCR (ADAP) technology. This assay is 1,000–10,000 times more analytically sensitive than clinical enzyme-linked immunoassays (EIAs), displaying both 100% clinical sensitivity and 100% specificity for detecting HIV antibodies within OF samples. We show that the enhanced analytical sensitivity enables this assay to correctly identify HIV-infected individuals otherwise missed by current OF assays. We envision that the attributes of this improved HIV OF assay can increase testing rates of at-risk individuals while enabling diagnosis and treatment at an earlier time point.
Females are at risk for body image and eating disturbance when they internalize societally prescribed standards of Western beauty. With respect to messages to be thin or muscular, numerous scales are available that measure internalization. However, many women are now receiving messages about the desirability of being both thin and toned, yet no self-report measure of internalization of a fit female body ideal exists. Our aim was to develop a multidimensional tool (i.e., the Fit Ideal Internalization Test; FIIT) useful for assessing women's internalization of the fit ideal (i.e., a lean and toned body ideal). Three studies were conducted, recruiting independent groups of women attending university to complete surveys. In Study 1 (N = 300, age 16-51), women completed the FIIT items, and a 3-factor structure of fit idealization (8 items), fit overvaluation (8 items), and fit behavioral drive (4 items) was established through exploratory factor analysis. Also, items loading highly on each of the factors had good interitem correlations. In Study 2 (N = 354, age 16-63), women completed the 20-item FIIT and validation measures. The 3-factor structure of the FIIT was confirmed, and findings supported convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the FIIT subscale scores (and a total score). In Study 3 (N = 67, age 17-50), the 2-week test-retest reliability of the FIIT scores was high. Overall, the 3 FIIT subscales are related but also distinct domains of fit ideal internalization that conform to theory and may be used as individual subscales or potentially as a composite score. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Radio frequency wireless power transfer (RF- WPT) is an emerging technology that enables transferring energy from a power source to wireless devices over the air. In this paper, we aim at finding {the optimal policy for wireless power transfer (WPT) from an energy access point} (E-AP) to multiple energy receivers (E-Rs) that maximizes the wireless power transfer efficiency. For this purpose, in the first part of the paper, we formulate the problem of maximizing the total average received power of the E-Rs subject to the average and peak power constraints of the E-AP. The formulated problem is a non-convex stochastic optimization problem, and is highly non-trivial. Using some stochastic optimization techniques, we tackle the aforementioned challenges to solve the problem and derive a closed-form expression for the optimal solution, which requires the CSI distribution. In addition, we propose a heuristic algorithm that does not require any explicit information on the CSI distribution. We prove that the proposed algorithm attains a near-optimal solution within a guaranteed gap to the optimal solution. In the second part of the paper, we focus on the problem of considering fairness among the E-Rs and propose two fair policies, namely Max- Min Fair (MMF) policy and Quality-of-service- aware Proportional Fair (QPF) policy. MMF policy maximizes the minimum received power among the E-Rs. Moreover, QPF policy balances the received power levels of different E-Rs as much as possible, while guaranteeing the required minimum QoS for each of them. Various numerical results demonstrate the significant performance of the proposed solutions.
A genetic mapping procedure, called the duplication-deficiency method, is described. This method permits the genetic location of a translocation to be determined within a linkage group without the use of recombination. By utilizing the duplication-deficiency method to define the genetic breakpoints for a series of translocations involving a given chromosome and integrating this information with their cytological breakpoints, obtained by Giemsa banding, a genetic map of the chromosomes is constructed whereby groups of loci are assigned to banded regions. Duplication-deficiency mapping and Giemsa banding analysis of the T(X;7)1Ct and T(7;19)145H translocations together with information from the c25H deletion have permitted mouse chromosome 7 to be divided into six and chromosome 19 into two definable genetic regions.
This work presents the development of a test rig capable of measuring the forces transferred between the blade platforms through the under-platform damper. This test rig is composed of two distinct parts each one representing a platform. The static part contains the load cells, which measure the forces in two perpendicular directions; the moving part controlled using two piezoelectric actuators reproduces any in-plane relative displacement between two adjacent platforms. In this scheme, the damper is placed between these two platforms and loaded by dead weights that reproduce the effects of centrifugal force. The hysteresis cycle, of the damper system, is obtained using the measured forces and the imposed displacement. In addition, two laser beams can be used to measure the damper displacement and its tilt angle, which allows validating dynamic models of the damper. Moreover, the test rig is designed to allow heating the specimens up to temperatures which are normally found in real operation. Finally, the test rig provides necessary variables to study the damper performance and to evaluate some contact models used to simulate under-platform dampers.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Urban areas are expanding into the countryside, changing the rural landscape and lifestyle of rural communities, and forming an urban-rural interface at these peri-urban areas. New developments brought about by urbanization have important implications for the livelihoods and socioeconomic conditions of local communities. At the peri-urban area, the future of agriculture, farmland, and farmers, especially in the face of massive urbanization, has become a topic of increasing global debate. Concerns have been polarized between two camps: a pessimistic view that peri-urban agriculture is in danger and an optimistic view that, despite the challenges, agriculture is still in practice and in some cases even growing. Several studies have addressed the current trajectories of agriculture in peri-urban areas; however, most of these studies were undertaken in Western nations. In the context of Asian countries, like Malaysia, agricultural adaptation and persistence at peri-urban areas have not been examined. It has been taken for granted that urbanization always leads to the abandonment of agricultural land. The role of urbanization in generating alternative agricultural enterprises that benefit from nearby urban markets has largely been ignored. This article aims to investigate the challenges and opportunities generated by urbanization and recent developments that have taken place in Malaysia. Using the Seberang Perai region of Penang State as a case study, our analysis reveals that farmers have adopted a range of strategies that could be explained using both positive and negative adaptation of Johnston and Bryant's (1987) model. This study moves forward the literature on the future of agriculture in peri-urban areas, particularly in developing countries.
CADASIL (cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy) is the most common monogenic cause of stroke and vascular dementia. Accumulation and deposition of the NOTCH3 (N3) extracellular domain in small blood vessels has been recognized as a central pathological feature of the disease. Recent experiments suggested enhanced formation of higher order multimers for mutant N3 compared with wild-type (WT). However, the mechanisms and consequences of N3 multimerization are still poorly understood, in part because of the lack of an appropriate in vitro aggregation assay. We therefore developed and validated a robust assay based on recombinant N3 fragments purified from cell culture supernatants. Using single-molecule analysis techniques such as scanning for intensely fluorescent targets and single-particle fluorescence resonance energy transfer, we show that spontaneous aggregation is limited to CADASIL-mutant N3, recapitulating a central aspect of CADASIL pathology in vitro. N3 aggregation requires no co-factor and is facilitated by sulfhydryl crosslinking. Although WT N3 does not exhibit multimerization itself, it can participate in aggregates of mutant N3. Furthermore, we demonstrate that thrombospondin-2, a known interaction partner of N3, co-aggregates with mutant N3. Sequestration of WT N3 and other proteins into aggregates represents a potentially important disease mechanism. These findings in combination with a new assay for single-molecule aggregation analysis provide novel opportunities for the development of therapeutic strategies.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate anaesthetic death after implementation of recommendations and its risk factors in a small animal practice.   STUDY DESIGN Observational cohort study.   ANIMALS All cats and dogs anaesthetized at the Centre Hospitalier Vétérinaire des Cordeliers during two periods, from April 15th, 2008 to April 15th, 2010 (period 1) and from June 15th, 2010 to August 24th, 2011 (period 2).   METHODS Death occurring during or before full recovery from anaesthesia was recorded. At the end of period 1, a logistic regression model was generated to describe anaesthetic death and identify risk factors. Potential risk factors in our practice setting were identified, and three recommendations, relating to improving physical status and anaesthetic/analgesic regimen implemented for period 2. The relationship between anaesthetic death and recorded variables were analyzed, and where relevant, compared between periods.   RESULTS Six thousand two hundred and thirty-one animals underwent general anaesthesia. The overall death rate during period 1 was 1.35% (48 in 3546, 95% CI [1.0-1.7%]) and during period 2 was 0.8% (21 in 2685, 95% CI [0.6-1.2%]). For sick animals (ASA status 3 and over), the overall death rate was 4.8% (45 of 944 95% [CI 3.5-6.4%]) during period 1 and 2.2% (18 of 834 95% CI [1.3-3.5%]) during period 2; this represented a significant decrease in death rate in period 2 (p = 0.002). In period 2, the main factors associated with an increased odds ratio of anaesthetic death were poor health status (ASA physical status classification) and old age. Species, gender, anaesthetic regimen, the nature and urgency of the procedure were not associated with risk.   CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Following evidence based recommendations, the death rate related to anaesthesia was significantly decreased during period 2 compared to period 1. Application of evidence-based medicine may contribute to an effective approach to decrease death rates. Other factors, not monitored in this study, may also have had an impact.
Studies developed in a scholar context report a restorative effect of nature on human beings, specifically in terms of the psychological recovery from attention fatigue and restored mental resources that were previously spent in activities that require attention. Studies usually compare the performance of children in schools with or without access to green spaces. In this study, the effect of introducing greenery into the classroom context was compared across time. The experiment was developed in two primary schools with pupils in different socioeconomic contexts, at three moments: before introducing an artificial green wall into the classroom, one month later, and one month after the introduction of vegetable pots. Results showed a significant increase in sustained and selective attention, and work memory between the experimental and the control group, notably in the third moment when vegetable pots were introduced. In the second moment (green walls), only the work memory (tested with the inversed number) showed a significant effect. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in terms of nature’s role both in terms of natural and artificial elements and the cumulative effect of direct interaction with natural elements.
If the insulation on the positive lead breaks then even if the " best " conditions obtainthat is, there is a break in the insulation in the "vertical " part of the catheter-the change in the direction of the resultant electric vector may be masked by the errors inherent in this simple approach to the problem.-We are, etc., G. D. GREEN. Department of Clinical Physics and Bio-Engineering, Glasgow. Royal Infirmary, BS Glasgow C.4. W. FORBES. Royal Infirmary, WH ~N Glasgow CA. W. H. BAIN. Southern General Hospital, Glasgow S.W.1L G. B. SHAw.
The influence of film thickness on the formation of cupric oxide in cuprous oxide films on an abraded copper surface was studied from measurements obtained by the electrolytic reduction method. The critical thickness value for the formation of cupric oxide in the films appeared to be near 600A for a commercial copper, and the critical thickness range was found to be approximately 400 to 800A. The thicknesses resulting from heating specimens in different atmospheres, for a given time, increase with the oxygen concentration. The time required to produce films of a given thickness decreases as the oxygen concentration increases. Murison's observations concerning the conditions favorable to the formation of cupric oxide in the films at a higher temperature were extended to include the proper period of heating and film thickness as well as oxygen concentration. Dunholter and Kersten's electron diffraction analyses of copper oxide films on mirror‐like surfaces were considered to be in satisfactory agreement wit...
Grain weight largely determines the end-use quality of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). In six-rowed types, central spikelets commonly bear heavier grains than lateral spikelets. However, the extent to which such differences in weight are influenced by source availability remains unclear. Field experiments were carried out in nine rainfed trials of northeastern Spain and showed large variability in grain weight. Three six-rowed genotypes were used: Barberousse, Orria, and Plaisant. Sink strength of mainstems was decreased by half at anthesis by sterilizing 50% of fertile central and lateral florets. Variation among spikelets in grain growth parameters [maximum grain filling rate (GFR) and grain filling duration (GFD)] and in final grain weight was evaluated in control and sink-reduced spikes. Central grains outweighed lateral ones in control spikes from 7.3 to 14.8 mg across trials. Absolute differences in weight increased progressively in those trials favoring larger grains, although lateral to central grain weight ratios (L/C) remained fairly constant, with an average value of 0.77. This advantage of central grains was mostly caused by higher GFR values. A 50%-reduced sink increased grain weight of both central and lateral spikelets similarly and did not diminish the absolute differences in weight found in control spikes. This result suggests that central grains have a greater intrinsic potential weight. While grain yield was partially source limited in all environments, lateral grains exhibited on average a major degree of source limitation (24.2%) than central grains (19.1%). Sink reduction increased grain weight of both central and lateral grains by stimulating GFR in all trials, and also by lengthening GFD in poor rainfed environments.
Acylsilanes are able to react as nucleophilic carbene precursors, electrophiles, and directing groups in C-H functionalization. To date, some of the products reportedly formed during transition-metal-catalyzed and photochemical reactions involving acylsilanes have been incorrectly assigned. To provide clarity, we herein address these structural misassignments and detail the revised structures. New insights into the reactivity of acylsilanes were also afforded via the discovery that light-induced siloxy carbenes participate in intramolecular 1,2-carbonyl addition to proximal esters.
INTRODUCTION Psychosocial impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including those on mental health, are now recognized. However, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic differs from one individual, group or context to another and solutions to cope with it must be adapted and contextualized.   AIM OF THE STUDY This study aims to identify factors of psychosocial vulnerability in rural populations in Quebec (Canada).   METHOD The approach is adapted from previous work on the prevention and reduction of the psychosocial impacts of climate change in non-metropolitan areas. A descriptive qualitative design based on several data sources was used. The data come from a press review, a review of the scientific literature, semi-structured interviews with key actors in the community and municipal domains.   RESULTS Data triangulation and validation by community organization teams (public health department) identified forty-one (N = 41) factors (e.g., social cohesion, digital literacy) likely to increase or decrease the psychosocial vulnerability of rural populations in the context of a pandemic. These factors are grouped under six categories of determinants: 1) population's knowledge and attitudes towards the pandemic, 2) previous experience of difficult events, 3) community dynamism, social cohesion and solidarity, 4) citizens, municipalities and government authorities' involvement, 5) health and social services and those from their intersectoral partners, and 6) land use planning.   CONCLUSION These results are useful for local and regional public health teams in developing local portraits of psychosocial vulnerabilities to support plans to strengthen community resilience and reduce social and health inequalities accentuated by the pandemic.
This research aims at realizing a flying observation system which complements other information gathering systems using a balloon or an air vehicle. We have proposed the kite-based tethered flying robot with long-term activity capability[1]. This paper shows a computational model of the kite-based tethered flying robot and a method of learning fuzzy control parameters for the robot using human operation data.
Background: HbS oxidation is recognized as an important element in the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease. Results: The ferric/ferryl redox cycle of HbS is compromised. Conclusion: The inability of ferryl HbS to revert back results in oxidative damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in lung epithelial cells. Significance: These oxidative pathways may contribute to the vasculopathy in sickle cell disease and can be targeted with antioxidants. Polymerization of intraerythrocytic deoxyhemoglobin S (HbS) is the primary molecular event that leads to hemolytic anemia in sickle cell disease (SCD). We reasoned that HbS may contribute to the complex pathophysiology of SCD in part due to its pseudoperoxidase activity. We compared oxidation reactions and the turnover of oxidation intermediates of purified human HbS and HbA. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) drives a catalytic cycle that includes the following three distinct steps: 1) initial oxidation of ferrous (oxy) to ferryl Hb; 2) autoreduction of the ferryl intermediate to ferric (metHb); and 3) reaction of metHb with an additional H2O2 molecule to regenerate the ferryl intermediate. Ferrous and ferric forms of both proteins underwent initial oxidation to the ferryl heme in the presence of H2O2 at equal rates. However, the rate of autoreduction of ferryl to the ferric form was slower in the HbS solutions. Using quantitative mass spectrometry and the spin trap, 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide, we found more irreversibly oxidized βCys-93in HbS than in HbA. Incubation of the ferric or ferryl HbS with cultured lung epithelial cells (E10) induced a drop in mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate and impairment of cellular bioenergetics that was related to the redox state of the iron. Ferryl HbS induced a substantial drop in the mitochondrial transmembrane potential and increases in cytosolic heme oxygenase (HO-1) expression and mitochondrial colocalization in E10 cells. Thus, highly oxidizing ferryl Hb and heme, the product of oxidation, may be central to the evolution of vasculopathy in SCD and may suggest therapeutic modalities that interrupt heme-mediated inflammation.
Gadd45α is shown to be induced by a wide spectrum of DNA‐damaging agents and implicated in negative regulation of cell growth by causing G2‐M arrest or induction of apoptosis. In the present study, we explored the involvement of p53 in the promoter activation of Gadd45α as well as the role of Gadd45α in carboplatin (Carb) or 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU)‐induced apoptosis in human papillomavirus virus (HPV)‐positive HEp‐2 and HeLa cells. We report that Carb or 5‐FU upregulate Gadd45α and p53 in both these cells. Transient transfection of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT)‐reporter construct driven by Gadd45α promoter clearly indicated that Gadd45α upregulation was mediated through activation of its promoter. Inhibition of p53 function by dominant‐negative‐p53 expression partially suppressed the activation of Gadd45α promoter. Further, the induction of apoptosis was assessed by detection of poly (ADP‐ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage by Western blot analysis. Inhibition of upregulated Gadd45α expression by antisense expression vector did not modulate the Carb or 5‐FU‐induced apoptosis. Overall, we conclude that Gadd45α promoter activation partially depends on p53 function in HPV‐positive cells. Moreover, Gadd45α protein does not modulate Carb or 5‐FU‐induced apoptosis in these cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 100: 1191–1199, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Main gas pipelines are critical engineering structures, and, therefore, their safe operation is an urgent scientific and technical problem. This paper describes a series of experimental studies conducted in one section of an actual main gas pipeline. The goal is to analyze oscillatory wave processes taking place in a gas pipeline in response to various external effects, such as impact loads applied to the ground in the vicinity of the pipeline, operation of the stop valves (valve switching from the full open to full closed position, or vice versa), and gas release through the holes of different diameters simulating the appearance of a fistula in a pipeline wall. Based on the obtained experimental results, the specific features of the propagation of oscillatory processes are established, and the conditions of a possibility of recording these processes by fiber-optic accelerometers are determined.Main gas pipelines are critical engineering structures, and, therefore, their safe operation is an urgent scientific and technical problem. This paper describes a series of experimental studies conducted in one section of an actual main gas pipeline. The goal is to analyze oscillatory wave processes taking place in a gas pipeline in response to various external effects, such as impact loads applied to the ground in the vicinity of the pipeline, operation of the stop valves (valve switching from the full open to full closed position, or vice versa), and gas release through the holes of different diameters simulating the appearance of a fistula in a pipeline wall. Based on the obtained experimental results, the specific features of the propagation of oscillatory processes are established, and the conditions of a possibility of recording these processes by fiber-optic accelerometers are determined.
1. Excitation of the spiny subtype of hilar neurons in the fascia dentata was characterized by intracellular recording from hilar cells in hippocampal slices. Stimulation of the outer molecular layer was used to activate the perforant path. Evoked responses were examined, as well as the large spontaneous excitatory potentials that are a distinctive characteristic of spiny hilar cells. 2. Excitatory potentials that occurred spontaneously, as well as those that occurred in response to outer molecular layer stimulation, were similar among the cells that were sampled, regardless of morphological variations such as the presence or absence of thorny excrescences. Spontaneous and evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were complex depolarizations that often had several discrete peaks. Spontaneous EPSPs increased in amplitude slightly with hyperpolarization, and evoked EPSPs clearly increased with hyperpolarization. 3. Applications of selective antagonists of excitatory amino acid receptors were used to determine which excitatory amino acid receptor mediates EPSPs of these cells. 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) was used to block the receptor subtype selective for the agonists alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) and kainic acid (the "AMPA/kainate" receptor). 2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) was used to block receptors specific for the agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA; the "NMDA" receptor). Perfusion with CNQX (5-25 microM) completely blocked all spontaneous and evoked excitation, even when activity was examined at relatively depolarized membrane potentials and a low concentration of extracellular magnesium (0.5 mM) was used. Under these conditions, APV (25-50 microM) had no detectable effect on spontaneous activity but did increase the stimulus strength required to elicit responses to outer molecular layer stimulation. 4. When extracellular magnesium was lowered to 0 mM (nominally), there was strong evidence for a contribution of NMDA receptors to spontaneous and evoked EPSPs. Thus, when cells were perfused with 0 mM extracellular magnesium and 5 microM CNQX, spontaneous depolarizations were present and EPSPs could be triggered by stimulation of the outer molecular layer. Both the spontaneous and evoked EPSPs were blocked by 25 microM APV. 5. Because gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptors can cause depolarizations in hippocampal neurons, the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline was used to determine whether some of the EPSPs were mediated by GABAergic neurons that are normally activated by spontaneous release of excitatory amino acids. Bicuculline (5-25 microM) had no effect on spontaneous depolarizations, and led to an enhancement of evoked depolarizations. Therefore it does not appear that GABAA receptor-mediated depolarizations contribute to hilar cell depolarizations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The ultimate objective to minimize the environmental impacts of end-of-life electronics is best served by increasing collection and improving treatment primarily . . . the original design for recycling prevention incentives are better positioned in the Ecodesign Directive rather than in the WEEE Directive. same quote, “never waste a good crisis,” is famous in the recent global financial crisis that unveiled the flip side of markets without constraints. In this column, individual producer responsibility (IPR) is analyzed as the “purest and original” form of extended producer responsibility (EPR), which is the starting point for most e-waste regulations worldwide. IPR as a policy principle seeks to incentivize design for recycling by assigning responsibility for end of life management to companies individually rather than collectively. To illustrate the merits and shortcomings of IPR, I explore a parallel in short-term thinking and responsibility issues in the financial and e-waste crises.
Diana Mansour1 makes eight points about the articles in the October 2010 issue of the Journal on subdermal implants.2 3 I will respond to each of them in turn.  1. It is correct that Leiras (the pharmaceutical division of Huhtamaki Oy) manufactured Norplant®. With some pharmaceutical products the manufacturer is the same as the marketing authorisation holder and with some it is not. At the time of design of the cascade training programme prior to launch and at launch of Norplant in 1993, the marketing authorisation holder was Roussel Laboratories. The company subsequently became Hoechst Roussel and later Hoechst Marion Roussel. Mergers and takeovers are routine in the pharmaceutical industry. Regarding the timing of the demise of Norplant in the UK, Hoechst Marion Roussel withdrew Norplant from the market in April 1999. Implanon® was not launched until September 1999.  2. It is correct that the instructions for Norplant insertion did not mention the biceps/triceps groove. Nevertheless, there …
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common chronic respiratory disease,the morbidity and mortality of the disease are rising year by year,bring heavy burden to individuals and society.In recent years,while in the effort to research and develop new drugs to prevent and treat COPD,people also gradually found that vitamin D which is a common drug correlate to COPD in etiology,pathogenesis,process and many other aspects.    Key words:  Research progress;  Pulmonary disease,chronic obstructive; Vitamin
Unfermented, frozen colostrum from the first three postpartum milkings of 10 cows was thawed, pooled, and treated to produce three diets: 1) unfermented, 2) fermented (7 days at 25 to 27 C), and 3) fermented (as in 2) with pH adjusted to match that of unfermented colostrum. Eighteen newborn, unsuckled Holstein calves were assigned randomly to one of the three diets. Colostrum diets were thawed and fed at 0, 8, 16, 24, and 36 h. Blood was sampled at 0, 4, 8, 16, 24, and 48 h. Minimal breakdown of colostral gamma-globulin and immunoglobulin G (IgG) occurred during fermentation. Protein breakdown during fermentation was associated primarily with the casein fraction. Concentrations of gamma-globulin in serum of calves receiving unfermented colostrum were higher than those of calves fed fermented colostrum at all sampling times beyond 0 h. Concentrations of gamma-globulin in serum of calves fed buffered colostrum were intermediate. Concentrations of IgG followed a similar trend. Health problems were not encountered, indicating potential for passive immunization of newborn calves via fermented, buffered colostrum in emergency situations.
Abstract During 1985, Mobil Oil Indonesia conducted a complete reevaluation of all Arun Field data, in the Arun Reservoir Management Study. The study demonstrated the value of a synergistic approach to reservoir description, involving Geophysicists, Geologists, Petrophysicists and Reservoir Engineers. The importance of pre-planning and the use of critical path analysis to meeting study objectives will be discussed. The synergistic approach also generated significant technology advances in several areas, which would not have occurred in a more compartmentalized approach.
The relationship of egg and chick weights to the performance of broiler chickens from two 42-wk-old flocks (standard and dwarf dams) having male parents from the same genetic stock was investigated in this study. Fertility (91.7 vs. 94.7%) and hatchability (95.2 vs. 96.3%) were not significantly (P > 0.10) different for eggs from standard and dwarf dams, respectively. Egg weight contributed significantly to the variation in BW [BW = β(0) + β(i) (egg weight) + β(i) (dam) + β(i) (sex)]. Body weight as a function of chick weight was not significant. However, chick weight was significant when included in a model with egg weight, suggesting that significant differences in BW at 50 d could be attributed to both egg and chick weights. The negative coefficient for chick weight indicated that between the 2 broilers of the same egg weight, the one with the greater chick weight would have the smaller 50-d BW. Chick weight was a linear function of egg weight. Similarly, the effect of egg or chick weight on broiler BW at 35 or 50 d was best represented by a single linear function. Dam genotype did not contribute significantly to variation in 50-d BW after variation attributable to egg weight was removed from the model. Differences in BW attributable to egg weight increased with broiler age. The coefficients of egg weight and chick weight showed that the differences in BW per gram of egg were 1.43, 3.06, 6.24, and 7.61 g and those per gram of chick were 1.87, 3.99, 8.14, and 9.93 g, respectively, at 7, 21, 35, and 50 d. Body weight increased by 0.1563 times egg weight (and 0.2092 times chick weight) with each additional day of age for both sexes and genotypes. Clearly, both egg and chick weights are important for modeling or predicting market-age broiler BW and economic returns. The relatively small relationship between BW and egg weight demonstrates that genetic selection over the past 3 decades has decreased the influence of egg weight on broiler growth. The present dwarf broiler breeder dams may produce progeny comparable in performance with standard dams.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) tourism is a new industry formed by the integration and development of Chinese herbal medicine industry and tourism industry, and an in-depth analysis of its model is helpful to explore its general development law. In this paper, the commonalities, differences and development effects of two TCM tourism construction modes, namely, characteristic town construction type and industry platform construction type in Sichuan Province, are compared and analyzed. The study concludes that three points are needed to promote the development of TCM tourism: (1) correctly understanding the basic conditions of construction subjects and promote the development of TCM tourism according to local conditions; (2) taking diversified organizational structure as a breakthrough point and build a cluster of TCM tourism development enterprises; (3) Being focus on the four-dimensional organic integration of industry, city and humanities to form a unique cultural expression of TCM tourism.
The article concerns the mathematical model of heat-exchange process of the separation part of condensation column of the unit of secondary condensation of synthetic ammonia. The experimental data on condensation column were obtained in industrial conditions according to the method of passive registration experiment. The influence of material flow on the temperature regime of circulation gas after separation was analyzed, and the equation for calculating the temperature, necessary to determine the heat-exchange surface of the column, was derived. The dependence was determined, using the package Statistica, calculation error does not exceed 5%. The set temperature indicates that it is lower than that adopted for the project. The specified temperature provides an increase of the average logarithmic temperature difference, and, for the same heat load the decrease of the heat-exchange surface, and consequently, the reduction of the specific quantity of metal of the condensation column in general.
In Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC), particles occupy a single-particle quantum state, Φ, macroscopically. At zero temperature, the wavefunction for Φ is usually described via a nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NSE). Our goal is to study time-dependent nonlocal effects beyond the NSE in trapped atomic gases. We adopt the view that atoms are excited from Φ in pairs: the scattering from Φ to other states at positions x and y is described by the pair-excitation function, K0(x, y, t) (Wu 1961 J. Math. Phys. 2 105). This function satisfies a nonlinear, dispersive integrodifferential equation coupled with the NSE. We solve these equations under a slowly varying external potential by assuming that Φ is stationary. For zero initial excitation (K0 ≡ 0 at t = 0) and sufficiently large t, we evaluate K0 asymptotically for any distance |x − y|. Implications of these results are discussed, particularly the connection of non-equilibrium properties to the coalescence of critical points in the Fourier space.
PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) on radiologists' detection of pulmonary nodules.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty chest computed tomographic (CT) examination cases were used. The mean nodule size was 0.81 cm +/- 0.60 (SD) (range, 0.3-2.9 cm). Alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with a continuous rating scale was used to compare the observers' performance in detecting nodules with and without use of CAD. Five board-certified radiologists and five radiology residents participated in an observer performance study. First they were asked to rate the probability of nodule presence without using CAD; then they were asked to rate the probability of nodule presence by using CAD.   RESULTS For all radiologists, the mean areas under the best-fit alternative free-response ROC curves (Az) without and with CAD were 0.64 +/- 0.08 and 0.67 +/- 0.09, respectively, indicating a significant difference (P <.01). For the five board-certified radiologists, the mean Az values without and with CAD were 0.63 +/- 0.08 and 0.66 +/- 0.09, respectively, indicating a significant difference (P <.01). For the five resident radiologists, the mean Az values without and with CAD were 0.66 +/- 0.04 and 0.68 +/- 0.04, respectively, indicating a significant difference (P =.02). At observer performance analyses, there were no significant differences in Az values obtained either without (P =.61) or with (P =.88) CAD between the board-certified radiologists and the residents. For all radiologists, in the detection of pulmonary nodules 1.0 cm in diameter or smaller, the mean Az values without and with CAD were 0.60 +/- 0.11 and 0.64 +/- 0.11, respectively, indicating a significant difference (P <.01).   CONCLUSION Use of the CAD system improved the board-certified radiologists' and residents' detection of pulmonary nodules at chest CT.
Learning identity-aware, domain-invariant representations is crucial in solving domain generalizable person ReID (DG-ReID). Existing methods commonly use augmentation techniques either in feature space by mixing instance and batch normalization layers or in pixel space by adversarially generating pseudo domains. However, neither of these techniques guarantee identity preservation. Apart from increasing training data diversity, the augmented positive pairs also encode rich semantic relations which have not been fully explored. To address the above issues, we propose a novel framework for Generalizable Person Re-identification using Domain Invariant Contrastive Techniques (G-PReDICT). Specifically, we use simple yet effective perturbation strategies to hallucinate positive samples across domains by realistically modelling domain variations while preserving the target identities. We harness rich sample-sample relations between the hallucinated positive-negative pairs to learn domain-invariant representations using supervised contrastive learning. We also use a domain independent auxiliary task, i.e. attribute prediction to learn robust representations and introduce attribute annotations for two large scale public benchmarks i.e. CUHK-03 and MSMT17. Extensive experiments on standard benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Business schools face high levels of competition. In this scenario, managers of business schools must measure the perception about the quality of service provided in their main clients, a knowledge, students. Managers should use measuring instruments that take into account the characteristics of business schools. However, the scales proposed in the literature focus on universities as a whole. Therefore, the objective of this research is a reflective model on Fecha de recepción: 19 de mayo de 2016 Fecha de aceptación: 10 de octubre de 2016
The purpose of this retrospective study was to report clinical and clinicopathologic findings, response to treatment, and outcome of hypothyroid dogs treated with levothyroxine intravenously (IV). Seven levothyroxine IV treated hypothyroid dogs and 799 other hypothyroid dogs examined during the same period were included. Rottweiler dogs were overrepresented in the group of levothyroxine IV-treated hypothyroid dogs compared with other hypothyroid dogs (P < .0001). Common physical examination abnormalities were obese or overweight body condition (5 dogs), mental dullness (5 dogs), and nonpitting edema (4 dogs). Anemia (4 dogs) and hypercholesterolemia (5) were common, although 1 dog had neither. Concurrent disease (most commonly infection) was observed in 5 dogs. Glucocorticoids and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs had been administered to 2 dogs before examination. Surgery was performed in 2 dogs before treatment with levothyroxine IV. Four of the 7 dogs received 4-5 microg/kg of levothyroxine IV. Subjective improvement in mentation or ambulation (6 of 7 dogs) and systolic hypotension (2 of 2 dogs) occurred within 30 hours of levothyroxine IV administration. Six of the 7 dogs responded well to therapy and were discharged from the hospital. It was concluded that physical examination and clinicopathologic findings of dogs with a hypothyroid crisis are nonspecific, although Rottweiler dogs may be at increased risk. Concurrent disorder, such as infection, concurrent administration of thyroid hormone-altering medication, and surgery, may be associated with development of a hypothyroid crisis. Resolution of abnormal mentation, ambulation, and systolic hypotension should be expected within 30 hours. Prognosis is good in most treated dogs.
There are eight species in the genus Gyps : Gyps africanus , G. coprotheres, and G. rueppellii in Africa; G. bengalensis , G. indicus , G. tenuirostris , G. himalayensis in Asia; G. fulvus in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The ranges of many of these species overlap, and wintering G. fulvus overlap with several resident species in Asia and Africa (Fig. 1). Gyps species share a similar feeding ecology, scavenging the soft tissues of large mammals, usually ungulates. They tend to be colonial nesters and communal feeders, feeding alongside conspecifics and other vulture species. Densities of Gyps vultures can be high in areas with suitable breeding habitat and abundant carrion. An extreme example is G. bengalensis , which often lives in close association with humans. During the 1970s and early to mid-1980s, densities of 12 nests/km 2 were recorded at Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, India (Prakash 1989), and there were nearly 3 nests/km 2 in the city of Delhi (Galushin 1971), where flocks of several thousand birds were present at carcass dumps. As recently as 1985, G. bengalensis was regarded as “possibly the most abundant large bird of prey in the world” (Houston 1985). Despite Gyps population declines across Southeast Asia, until recently only one species of Africa, G. coprotheres, was considered globally threatened (vulnerable; BirdLife International 2000), largely because of the indiscriminate use of poisons in southern Africa (Mundy et al. 1992). Following the recent population crash in Gyps species across the Indian subcontinent, three other species, G. bengalensis, G. indicus, and G. tenuirostris , are now listed as critical ( BirdLife International 2000), placing them among the most threatened birds in the world.
The heating load coefficients were measured using a practical plastic greenhouse in 1974 and 1975. In the first year a fuel capacity of 89, 000kcal/hr for heating was used. A large variation of measured values appeared. However, the heating load coefficient can be expressed statistically by equation (3). In the next year a capacity of 26, 400kcal/hr was used to accurately determine the heating load coefficient. It was of insufficient capacity so that the inside temperature dropped slightly below the design temperature. The results were that the variation of each measured point increased over that of the test in the first year.For investigating the variation of the heating load coefficient, model tests were performed using polyvinyl chloride (p.v.c.) film. In the model tests only the overall heat-transfer coefficient, which greatly affected the heating load coefficient, was able to be investigated. A large variation in the values of the overall heat-transfer coefficient from the model tests was shown when they were plotted against wind velocity. However, when the overall heat-transfer coefficient was plotted against the ratio of the convective heat-transfer to the radiative heat-transfer, a regular curve was able to express with sufficient accuracy the overall heat-transfer coefficient. Moreover, in tests using the various materials the same results were obtained. According to them, a large overall heat-transfer coefficient appeared when the radiative heat-transfer was large in comparison to the convective heat-transfer. On the contrary, the overall heat-transfer coefficient was nearly constant, if the convective heat-transfer was large.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a vastly studied biological peptide with numerous physiological functions that activate the NPY receptor family (Y1, Y2, Y4 and Y5). Moreover, these receptors are correlated with the pathophysiology of several diseases such as feeding disorders, anxiety, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, some types of cancers and others. In order to deepen the knowledge of NPY receptors’ functions and molecular mechanisms, neuroimaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) have been used. The development of new radiotracers for the different NPY receptors and their subsequent PET studies have led to significant insights into molecular mechanisms involving NPY receptors. This article provides a systematic review of the imaging biomarkers that have been developed as PET tracers in order to study the NPY receptor family.
For polycarbonate disks, the variation of the index of refraction with direction results in birefringence which can have a significantly adverse effect on the performance of the disk in the optical drive. For most substrates there is both in-plane and vertical birefringence. Each can influence the reading and tracking process and degrade the signal. There are several methods to measure birefringence in bare substrates. However, these methods are based on transmission thru the substrate and cannot be used for coated disks. This paper presents an approach based on a variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer which allows measurement of the birefringence for coated disks. In particular, it is possible to obtain the vertical birefringence, which is of increasing importance, in a relatively simple manner.
photographic while their velocities at right angles to the line of sight are about 110 km./sec. The last object in the table is the so-called Helical nebula, which is the giant among the planetary nebulae, with a major axis of 15', corresponding to 3,500,000,000,000 kilometers, if the above parallax is used. The diameter of this object is thus 375 times that of our solar system (orbit of Neptune). The central star has an absolute magnitude of + 11.2. Aside from possible systematic errors, for which at present there is no evidence, the results are extremely satisfactory, the mean probable error of a parallax being only 0".005.
The relative contributions of overland-flow and stream-flow to the response process at the basin scale are evaluated in the present study. The moments of GIUH models were applied to the data of the Bocheong watershed in the Geum river basin in Korea in order to discuss the feasibility. The GIUH model derived in this study consists of the stream path and overland region. The characteristic velocities for the flows between two cases mentioned above make a clear distinction as expected and would have more physical meaning than the ones of the model by Rodriguez-Iturbe and Valdes(1979). The path lengths of overland for each stream order are nearly constant, whereas the case of stream is shown to grow larger according to the basin sizes. As a result, the overall basin response process was founded out to be greatly under the influence of the hydrodynamic behavior of overland, and its behavior is suggested to be further researched for catching the broader meanings.
Based on the experimental research and in-situ survey in eutrophic sea areas, the numerical modelling of nutrients behavior between water and sediments was investigated.The fundamental elements in the model are phosphorus, nitrogen, oxygen and iron. Sulfide ion is regarded as debt of DO, and ferric oxide as store of DO respectively. Ferric oxide constituting oxidized zone is formed by the reaction of ferrous sulfide in the upper layer of sediments, with DO in the lower layer of water, and is reduced by sulfide ion in the upper layer of sediments. Then, a part of the adsorbed phosphates are equivalently released. Using this model, the characteristic patterns of seasonal variation of phosphate discharge from sediments, DO concentration in water and so on, were satisfactorily simulated.
Politics are an integral part of our museums, and, in light of the question of power this paper aims to unpack the politics of representation in South African museums in the post-apartheid era. I argue that the politics of the colonial era and apartheid era still prevail in South African museums today. In South African politics during apartheid, certain race groups had privileges over the others, and museums and public commemorations were affected. Museums represented the power holders, their concepts of museology, of public commemoration and society. In apartheid South Africa, the focus was on white control and Afrikaner Nationalism. Following the first democratic elections of 1994, the focus in representations in the heritage sector, thus in museums, shifted to reconciliation (as the country was divided in a way that certain groups were deprived of basic human rights) and nation building. There were major policy changes to enforce transformation. McGregor & Schumaker (2006) pointed out that state-led commemorations were selective, liable to elevate the ruling party ignoring the youth and women. Kratz (2011) placed emphasis on the importance of rhetorics of value in museums. Rhetorics of value invoke a range of experiences, deal with thematic content, thread throughout an exhibition or museum conveying ways objects are treated and presented, and are also related to visitors’ own identities, judgments and perceptions of worth (Kratz, 2011). There are a number of techniques that one can apply to study the politics of museums. I will use this concept to analyse the museums within eThekwini Municipality and unpack the politics of representation. This paper pays attention to the emphasis on representing settler histories and male leaders and questions how women and Africans are represented in museums.
Quality of life emerged as a social concept in the second half of the twentieth century in response to increasing affluence in western countries (Fallowfield 1990). It has gained considerable currency in relation to the assessments of health and is usually used to broaden outcomes beyond the medical domain. There remains considerable debate about the domains that underpin the concept of quality of life with the following often included: disease- and treatment-related symptoms, physical functioning, psychological well-being, cognitive functioning, social, spiritual, occupational, economic and environmental factors (Bowling 2001, Fitzsimmons & Ahmedzai 2004). Quality of life is now widely used to explain the rationale for service provision in palliative care although there is no indication that the term was used in the early stages of hospice development (Clark et al. 2005). From a twenty-first century stance, it seems self-evident that the quality of life should be central to the agenda of palliative care services in European countries and this literature review (Jocham et al. 2006) should be welcomed. However, I am going to argue that this literature review (Jocham et al. 2006) is deeply flawed and that readers need to be cautious in drawing any inferences from it. My argument is based around a number of serious inadequacies in the conceptualization, design and conduct of this literature review. Namely, I will highlight three main concerns: • The confounding of quality of life with the quality of care in the introduction and background; • Problems with the methodology and conduct of the literature review which have served to exclude those electronic databases, which are most likely to contain papers of relevance to the quality of life in palliative care; • This has led the authors to fail to identify the most wellknown and established European measures of quality of life and to fail to mention any measures of quality of care.
In every age and culture, art represents a vision of the world, the apprehension of the real objective and subjective, strongly determined by the dominant religious beliefs. From the Renaissance the demystification of the world led to his disenchantment. In art, particularly in painting, this has motivated the search for new plastic integrating elements to reading the whole of artworks. In the present days, the entitled post art emphasizes art for art and the fragmentation of the real, which signaling the loss of existential meaning and the spiritual in the apprehension of the world. Still, as much as we can conclude, we found in Kandinsky's and Rothko artworks a unified real representation, whose full understanding becomes possible only in the light of the mythic narrative of the New Age spirituality, that is abstract, quantum and cosmologic.
legal system, such as the constitution, common law, the legislative process, and the court structure. There are also chapters on pervasive issues such as human rights and discrimination, and on legal personnel: the police, judiciary and legal professions, with separate chapters on solicitors and barristers. Perhaps surprisingly, the book also takes on the unenviable task of introducing its readers to the doctrine of equity. Although the text offers a chapter on distinguishing criminal and civil law, elsewhere criminal law is very much given the starring role, with further chapters on the criminal trial (both historical and contemporary), punishment (again accounts of both historical and contemporary punishments are offered), and dangerous drugs. The chapter on young persons focuses chiefly on young persons and crime, although it does also consider children and the family, and the UN Convention on the rights of a child. The book’s final chapter introduces the reader to a number of interesting cases which have, for one reason or another, had an important impact on the development of the law. Both civil and criminal cases are represented and it includes a number of recent cases, thereby showing the reader that the law (as a single entity) is far from settled. There is no shortage of choice when it comes to preparatory reading prior to commencing a study in law, but Rivlin’s book should feature on any list of recommended introductory reading for incoming students. The authority with which the author speaks, the accessibility of the book, and the humour with which it is written, will make this a highly beneficial first step in the law.
Retinal diseases such as macular telangiectasis type 2 (MacTel), age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) affect both neurons and blood vessels. Treatments addressing both at the same time might have advantages over more specific approaches, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors, which are used to treat vascular leak but are suspected to have a neurotoxic effect. Here, we studied the effects of an intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in a transgenic model in which patchy Müller cell ablation leads to photoreceptor degeneration, vascular leak, and intraretinal neovascularization. TA was injected 4 days before Müller cell ablation. Changes in photoreceptors, microglia and Müller cells, retinal vasculature, differential expression of p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα), the precursor and mature forms of neurotrophin 3 (pro‐NT3 and mature NT3) and activation of the p53 and p38 stress‐activated protein kinase (p38/SAPK) signaling pathways were examined. We found that TA prevented photoreceptor degeneration and inhibited activation of microglial and Müller cells. TA attenuated Müller cell loss and inhibited overexpression of p75NTR, TNFα, pro‐NT, and the activation of p53 and p38/SAPK signaling pathways. TA not only prevented the development of retinal vascular lesions but also inhibited fluorescein leakage from established vascular lesions. TA inhibited overexpression of VEGF in transgenic mice but without affecting its basal level expression in the normal retina. Our data suggest that glucocorticoid treatment may be beneficial for treatment of retinal diseases such as MacTel, AMD, and DR that affect both neurons and the vasculature. GLIA 2014;62:1110–1124
Guide Io the Document This report describes a network gr~=phlcs protocol (NGP) developed by the Network Graphics Group, a worklog group of ARPA network members. We believe that the deslon presented I~ere should appeal to two groups: =o Those Interested in device-Independent grsphlcs systems and graphics standards. Indeed, the philosophy behind the protocol design originates In principles of graphics system design.-= Those interested hi using graphics via any network or communication system. Although the design was developed for the ARPA network, we believe that it has far wider applicability. There are tllree major parts to the report: (1) an Introductory sectton that gives the goals of the protocol, the general pllilosophy that gave rtse to the particular protocol design, and definitions for a number of terms used throughout the report; (2) tire details of the protocol; and (;3) some suggestions to aid Implementation of the protocol. The authors of this report are by no moang the only contributors to the tdesg presented here. The Network Graphics Group members, too numerous to mention, have all contributed. Especially useful Ideas wore provided by
REPORT OF A CASE A 19-year-old woman presented with a 1-year history of genital and perianal lesions. Physical examination revealed multiple flat papules with a velvety texture forming small plaques in the perivulvar and perianal areas (Figure 1andFigure 2). On colposcopic examination of the cervix, white plaquelike lesions were present at 12 o'clock. A biopsy specimen of the perivulvar lesion (Figure 3, left) showed hylularratosis with parakeratosis and papillomatosis. Cellular atypia was marked in the acanthotic epidermis with several cells showing abnormal mitoses (Figure 3, right). In a biopsy specimen from the cervix, many atypical cells and koilocytes were seen (Figure 4). What is your diagnosis? Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 4. DIAGNOSIS: Bowenoid papulosis of the genitalia. DISCUSSION Immunohistochemical staining with human papillomavirus (HPV) group-specific antigen was positive in both the perivulvar and cervical biopsy specimens. Hybridization studies demonstrated HPV type 16 DNA in the
The tumour vasculature is an attractive target for therapy. Combretastatin A‐4 (CA‐4) and A‐1 (CA‐1) are tubulin binding agents, structurally related to colchicine, which induce vascular‐mediated tumour necrosis in animal models. CA‐1 and CA‐4 were isolated from the African bush willow, Combretum caffrum, and several synthetic analogues are also now available, such as the Aventis Pharma compound, AVE8062. More soluble, phosphated, forms of CA‐4 (CA‐4‐P) and CA‐1 (CA‐1‐P) are commonly used for in vitro and in vivo studies. These are cleaved to the natural forms by endogenous phosphatases and are taken up into cells. The lead compound, CA‐4‐P, is currently in clinical trial as a tumour vascular targeting agent. In animal models, CA‐4‐P causes a prolonged and extensive shut‐down of blood flow in established tumour blood vessels, with much less effect in normal tissues. This paper reviews the current understanding of the mechanism of action of the combretastatins and their therapeutic potential.
Acute leukemia frequently has been described as a late complication of chemotherapy with alkylating agents in patients treated for multiple myeloma. However, the simultaneous occurrence of multiple myeloma and acute leukemia in the same patient, without previous exposure to chemotherapy, is a rare association. We describe a case of concomitant involvement by multiple myeloma and acute monocytic leukemia. To our knowledge, only 9 such cases have been reported in the literature to date. We discuss the criteria used in diagnosing the 2 separate diseases and the possible mechanisms responsible for this occurrence.
Abstract The relationship between language performance (Multilingual Aphasia Exam: MAE) and WAIS-R subtests was examined in 79 head-injured patients using multiple stepwise regression analyses. As expected, WAIS-R Verbal subtests are more highly correlated with basic language skills than are WAIS-R Performance subtests. The Verbal subtests demonstrated significant relationships with the Visual Naming, Controlled Oral Word Association, and Sentence Repetition subtests of the MAE. Most Verbal subtests were more strongly correlated with MAE Visual Naming; however, Digit Span and Arithmetic were more strongly related to MAE Sentence Repetition. WAIS-R Performance subtests also correlated with MAE subtests, primarily the Token Test and Controlled Oral Word Association. In general, premorbid education was not a significant factor in these correlations. Although severity of injury did not impact correlations between language measures and Verbal subtests, it was a factor in the correlations with some Performance ...
The PlantsP database is a curated database that combines information derived from sequences with experimental functional genomics information. PlantsP focuses on plant protein kinases and protein phosphatases. The database will specifically provide a resource for information on a collection of T-DNA insertion mutants (knockouts) in each protein kinase and phosphatase in Arabidopsis thaliana. PlantsP also provides a curated view of each protein that includes a comprehensive annotation of functionally related sequence motifs, sequence family definitions, alignments and phylogenetic trees, and descriptive information drawn directly from the literature. PlantsP is available at http://PlantsP.sdsc.edu.
A novel acylated flavonol tetraglycoside, kaempferol 3-O-[(E)-p-coumaroyl-(1→2)][α-l-arabinopyranosyl-(1→3)][β-d-glucopyranosyl (1→3)-α-l-rhamnopyranosyl(1→6)]-β-d-glucopyranoside (camellikaempferoside C, 1), together with 2 flavonols and 18 flavone and flavonol glycosides (FGs) (2-21) was isolated from the green tea Lu'an GuaPian (Camellia sinensis L.O. Kuntze). Their structures were identified by spectroscopic and chemical methods. Four acylated FGs (1, 7, 8, 9) were found to inhibit the proliferation and differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes at concentrations of 25, 50, and 100 μM (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we established a rapid UPLC method to quantify nine FGs in six major processing types of tea. The results showed that dark tea had the highest amount of 20 (0.70 ± 0.017 mg/g) and black tea had the highest amount of 8 (0.09 ± 0.012 mg/g), whereas the amounts of 10 and 16 basically decreased with the increasing degree of fermentation and could contribute to the discrimination of different processing types of tea.
Ubiquitin-like with PHD and RING Finger domains 1 (UHRF1) is an important nuclear protein that is mutated and aberrantly expressed in many tumors. The protein integrates different chromatin modifications and is essential for their maintenance throughout the cell cycle. Separate chromatin-binding modules of UHRF1 have been studied on a functional and structural level. The unmodified N-terminus of histone H3 is recognized by a PHD domain, while a TTD domain specifically interacts with histone H3 Lysine 9 trimethylation. A SRA region binds hemimethylatd DNA. Emerging evidence indicates that the modules of UHRF1 do not act independently of each other but establish complex modes of interaction with patterns of chromatin modifications. This multivalent readout is regulated by allosteric binding of phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate to a region outside the PHD, TTD and SRA domains as well as by phosphorylation of one of the linker regions connecting these modules. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on UHRF1 chromatin interaction and introduce a novel model of conformational transitions of the protein that are directed by the flexible and highly charged linker regions. We propose that these are essential in setting up defined structural states of the protein where different domains or combinations thereof are available for binding chromatin modifications or are prevented from doing so. Lastly, we suggest that controlled tuning of intramolecular linker interactions by ligands and posttranslational modifications establishes a rational framework for comprehending UHRF1 regulation and putatively the working mode of other chromatin factors in different physiological contexts.
By analyzing convection characteristics and surface and basal heat flux we investigate the influence on mantle convection of finite thickness plates with dynamically determined velocities and mobile boundaries. Our 6 × 6 × 1 Cartesian geometry numerical model features periodic sidewall boundary conditions, a lower mantle that increases in viscosity and a Rayleigh number of 5 × 106 (based on the uniform viscosity upper mantle). A calculation with 9 plates and fixed plate boundaries is compared with a second calculation incorporating evolving plate boundaries. The number of plates in the latter case fluctuates between 6 and 9. We find that mean heat flux output decreases during periods characterized by the presence of larger plates and that evolving plate boundaries cause surface (and basal) heat flux output to vary much more than the heat flux observed with either fixed plate boundaries or a free‐slip surface.
Paul Ekman's view of the emotions is, we argue, pervasive in psychology and is explicitly shaped to be compatible with evolutionary thinking. Yet, strangely, jealousy and parental love, two emotions that figure prominently in evolutionary psychology, are absent from Ekman's list of the emotions. In this paper we examine why Ekman believes this exclusion is necessary, and what this implies about the limits of his conception of emotion. We propose an alternative way of thinking about emotion that does not exclude jealousy and parental love.
We numerically and analytically evaluate the delay of solitons propagating slowly, and without broadening, in an apodized Bragg grating. Simulations indicate that a 100 mm Bragg grating with Deltan = 10-3 can delay sub-nanosecond pulses by nearly 20 pulse widths without any change in the output pulse width. Delay tunability is achieved by simultaneously adjusting the launch power and detuning. A simple analytic model is developed to describe the monotonic dependence of delay on Deltan and compared with simulations. As the intensity may be greatly enhanced due to a reduced velocity, a procedure for improving the delay while avoiding material damage is outlined.
To the Editor. —Two articles1,2and an Editorial3in the May 26, 1993, issue ofJAMAfocus on the slow progression of prostate cancer and the value of watchful waiting in lieu of aggressive therapy for this disease. The data in the articles reconfirm the widespread belief that men with a life expectancy of less than 10 years usually do not require radical prostate removal for prostate cancer. Younger men (50 to 65 years old) should be treated aggressively after the diagnosis is confirmed. Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. This year, 35 000 men in the United States will die from the disease. Over 140 000 new cases will be diagnosed this year. This means that 25% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer will die from it. This figure corresponds with the 25% of women who, after being
A total of 77 magnets form the magnetic lattice of the bERLinPro energy recovery linac prototype: 1+8+8 dipole magnets of three different types, 12+40 quadrupole magnets of two different types and 8 sextupole magnets have been produced by BINP. After the design phase, magnets production started in 2015, measurements and delivery took place in 2016, first assembly stage was finished in 03/2017. The motivation for the magnet specification and a summary of the basic design is given in this paper. Selected measurement data from the final acceptance tests are presented and analysed to ensure the magnet quality.
For the dermoscopy image, uneven illumination will influence segmentation accuracy and lead to wrong aided diagnosis result. In this paper, a no reference uneven illumination assessment metric is proposed for dermoscopy images. Firstly, the distorted image is decomposed to illumination and reflectance components through variational framework for Retinex (VFR). Then, the illumination component is extracted by basis function fitting. Lastly, average gradient of the illumination component (AGIC) is calculated as the uneven illumination metric. A series of experiments show that, the proposed illumination extraction method is insensitive to the image content, and the proposed metric delivers an accurate illumination assessment result.
This paper studies Giacomo Devoto’s contribution to the first edition of the Enciclopedia Italiana (1927-1939), represented by more than 120 entries. The analysis dwells first on the entries referring to Pre-Indo-European and Indo-European languages; then on the biographical entries; and finally on those relating to grammatical and linguistic terminology. The essay demonstrates the importance of Devoto’s contributions and shows that the work for the Enciclopedia Italiana is a link between the author’s early research in comparative and Indo-European studies and the new interests in Italian grammar and stylistics developed by Devoto in the second half of the 1930s.
Abstract Research carried out in different cultural contexts shows that the use of exclusively coercive disciplinary measures does not improve the behavior of those punished, and may even increase the risks underpinning those behaviors. The aim of this research was to study whether there is a link between repeatedly suffering punishment at school and psychosocial risks in adolescence. A non-experimental design was implemented with selected groups. The participants were 507 adolescents from four groups with different risk levels: in social protection (n = 189); subject to court measures (n = 104); in treatment for drug abuse (n = 25); and comparison group (n = 189). A questionnaire was applied collectively. The variables measured were school punishments, violence, drug consumption and commission of crimes. The mild punishments variable predicted and increased the probability of consuming alcohol, tobacco and cannabis by 34% (95% CI [1.1, 1.5]), and increased the probability of using illegal drugs by 11% (95% CI [1.11, 1.30]). Te severe punishments variable increased the probability of using illegal drugs by 86% (95% CI [1.41, 2.49]) and increased the probability of committing crimes by 40% (95% CI [1.13, 1.73]). School punishments, particularly if severe, stand as a visible indicator of psychosocial risk. Behaviors subjected to punishment should alert us to the need to intervene with individuals who manifest them for which the use of exclusively coercive measures is ineffective. A wider educational intervention is required to help them find their place in school instead of excluding them from it.
This article outlines a theory of the social psychobiology of movement that recognises humans have a special, body-based talent for sharing in the imaginative creation of emotionally coloured life stories. Microanalysis of natural mother–infant play demonstrates an innate preparedness for whole-bodied, synchronous participation in social life. We discuss how an affective and relational sense of self develops before speech, how a young child’s motives regulate experience with rhythms of communicative musicality and how this inspires cultural learning. Trevarthen relates how vitality, from the deep integration of body and mind, grows through playful relationships into an imagination for acquired movements of language and the arts. We discuss how science that perceives infants as imaginative, motivated persons, eager to learn in affectionate attachments and in the inventive companionship of play has direct application in dance movement psychotherapy.
This study investigates the role of the fungal sterol ergosterol as a general elicitor in the triggering of plant innate immunity in sugar beet. Evidence for this specific function of ergosterol is provided by careful comparison with cholesterol and three plant sterols (stigmasterol, campesterol, sitosterol), which do not enable the integrity of responses leading to elicitation. Our results demonstrate the modification of H(+) flux by ergosterol, due to the direct inhibition of the H(+)-ATPase activity on plasma membrane vesicles purified from leaves. The ergosterol-induced oxidative burst is related to enhanced NADPH-oxidase and superoxide dismutase activities. The similar effects obtained with the fungal elicitor chitosan further reinforce the particular role of ergosterol in the induced defences. The involvement of salicylic acid and/or jasmonic acid signalling in the ergosterol-enhanced plant non-host resistance is also studied. The possible link between ergosterol-triggered plant innate immunity and its putative impact on the structural organization of plant plasma membrane are discussed in terms of the ability of this fungal sterol to promote the formation of lipid rafts.
Grammatical Error Correction (GEC) is intended to detect and correct all grammatical errors in given sentences. GEC is used to help L2 learners, who can obtain useful feedback from the corrections to improve their writing. GEC can also be applied to specific systems as an independent processor that corrects erroneous input/output data. In this paper, we propose a practical method that uses monolingual corpora to mitigate the lack of parallel data, which is essential to train a GEC model. We train a neural language model and apply it to the encoder of a neural machine translation (NMT) model to identify erroneous syllables clearly. The NMT model identifies more of the copied syllables that are correctly written, thus preventing the model from generating unnecessary corrections.
Free movement of goods, capital, and persons have been the long-term strategic goals of the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) since its establishment. Notwithstanding, financial integration has become more important in deepening political integration in the region than ever. Assessing how far the Regional Economic Community (REC) has achieved her objective of free movement of capital among the member states. Therefore, this study investigated the existence of financial integration in ECOWAS by employing savings-investment equality, popularly known as Feldstein-Horioka Criterion; a panel data for all the 15 member states was fitted into the specified model. The study found that there is the existence of financial integration in the REC, and that language inhibits financial integration and that the coefficient of language dummy stands at -4.8 percent. However, it found that language inhibition of the financial integration in the REC will gradually disappear over time, as the interactive coefficient of language and time stands at -0.12 percent. This study concludes that a level of financial integration is in existence in the REC. Therefore, the REC is prepared for monetary unification assuming that there will be more substantial trade among the member states.
ABSTRACT Three new species and one new genus Masaophaedusa of fossil terrestrial Mollusca are described from fissure deposits within the Ryukyu Limestone in Okinawa and Yoron islands of the central Ryukyu Islands. They are Masaophaedusa takae, which occurred in Nishiku Fissure in Yoron Island and Katsuren Fissure in Okinawa Island, Chalepotaxis kenjii from Nishiku Fissure, and Coniglobus sashikiensis from Chinen Fissure in Okinawa Island. Masaophaedusa takae has characteristic, strong and long plicae, and its specialized clausilium has no relations with other genera of the Family Clausiliidae in Japan and adjacent areas. Chalepotaxis kenjii possesses a light brown, narrow band on the body whorl, and is closely related to Chalepotaxis spadix distributed in southern Taiwan. Coniglobus sashikiensis has a large shell and may be the ancestor of C. mercatorius, a living species of Okinawa Island.
Background . Among patients with incisional hernia, the most difficult category is represented  by persons with large, multiple defects  and loss  domain. The abdominal wall reconstruction  based  on components separation technique use, in some  situations intestinal resection procedures  are required. The frequency of complications in these  cases is significant, and the problem of their prediction, treatment and prevention is far from being resolved. Purpose of  the  study is the analysis of clinical example of difficult hernia patient with postoperative  complications, to consider the mechanisms of their development, to evaluate the effectiveness  of treatment  methods and to identify ways  of prevention. Materials  and methods . The  treatment  of a patient with a giant hernia operated  on  using  components separation  and  bowel resection  was  analysed.  In the  postoperative  period, intra-abdominal hypertension,  acute  respiratory failure, intestinal suture  failure, abdominal wall suppuration and destructive cholecystitis were observed. All vital  disturbances  managed  to stop. A clinical assessment of the listed life-threatening complications, measures of differential diagnosis and treatment algorithm is given. Discussion . A critical analysis of the clinical case  was carried out, the data were compared  with current literature sources taking into account possible errors and points of view. The data of clinics with the maximum accumulated experience of such operations in the world are presented, the results of meta-analyses with the highest levels of evidence are presented.  Conclusion .  For planning an operation, it is necessary the objective status of the hernia, its history, CT data. The range of possible surgical site events, respiratory failure and compartment syndrome during and after the surgery should be taken into account. Alternative surgical tactics, respiratory support and patient management in the postoperative  period in detail should be consider.
We investigated the age-related changes in the metabolic profile of male Drosophila melanogaster and compared the metabolic profile of flies selected for increased longevity to that of control flies of equal age. We found clear differences in metabolite composition between selection regimes and among age groups. Contrary to results found in a previous study of the transcriptome of these lines the metabolic profile did not show a younger pattern in longevity-selected (LS) flies than in same aged control (C) flies. Rather, many of the metabolites affected by age had levels common to older control individuals in the young LS flies. Furthermore, ageing affected the metabolome in a different LS specific direction. The selection induced difference increased with age. Some metabolites involved in oxidative phosphorylation changed with age highlighting the importance of mitochondrial function in the ageing process. However, these metabolites were not affected by selection for increased longevity, indicating that improvements of mitochondrial function were not involved in the increased lifespan of LS lines. Of the eight metabolites identified as having a significant difference in relative abundance between selection regimes in our study choline, lysine and glucose also show difference among lifespan phenotypes in C. elegans indicating that the correlation between the concentration of these metabolites and longevity was evolutionary conserved. Links between longevity and choline concentration is also found in mice making this metabolite an obvious target for further study.
Moisture contamination caused delayed excessive expansion and deterioration of the physical properties only with the non-high-copper lathe-cut alloy amalgam containing zinc, but not with the new high-copper amalgam and the non-high-copper spherical alloy amalgam containing zinc. It affected the compressive strength and creep but not the hardness. The setting dimensional change of all amalgams containing zinc was slightly affected by it.
A new polyether antibiotic CP-82,009 (C49H84O17) was isolated by solvent extraction from the fermentation broth of Actinomadura sp. (ATCC 53676). Following purification by column chromatography and crystallization, the structure of CP-82,009 was elucidated by spectroscopic (NMR and MS) methods. The absolute stereochemistry was determined by a single crystal X-ray analysis of the corresponding rubidium salt. CP-82,009 is among the most potent anticoccidial agents known, effectively controlling the Eimeria species that are the major causative agents of chicken coccidiosis at doses of 5 mg/kg or less in feed. It is also active in vitro against certain Gram-positive bacteria, as well as the spirochete, Serpulina (Treponema) hyodysenteriae.
The relationship between characteristics of emotional disturbance and the sociometric status of elementary school students was studied. The subjects were 70 nonhandicapped middle-class students enrolled in the first, third, and fifth grades. The Teacher Checklist of School Behavior (TCSB), an instrument based on Bower's (1969) characteristics of emotional disturbance, was completed by the teachers and a peer nomination sociometric was administered. The Pearson correlation coefficients were low but suggested a significant relationship between sociometric status and the TCSB. The strongest relationship (r = .718) suggested that the students who were rated by their teachers as exhibiting the most frequent aggressive interactions were rated by their peers as those by whom they would least like to sit. It appears that there is a significant relationship between sociometric status and characteristics of emotional disturbance, even in a sample of non-handicapped students.
Objective: No reports have evaluated the treatment effects of tadalafil by age group in a positive, noninterventional observational study of Japanese men. The present study aimed to evaluate the treatment effects of tadalafil by age group in a positive, noninterventional observational study of Japanese men. We therefore divided patients into 2 groups about the age of 70 years and investigated the treatment effects of tadalafil regarding voiding and storage functions by age group. Methods: Changes from baseline in each parameter (International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS], quality of life [QOL] score, Overactive Bladder Symptom Score [OABSS], and residual urine volume) at 4, 12, and 24 weeks after initiating tadalafil for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients were compared between groups (50–69 years vs. ≥70 years). In addition, side effects of tadalafil were investigated by age group. Results: In the 50–69 years group, significant improvements from baseline were seen in IPSS total and QOL score for all time points. In addition, significant improvements in IPSS storage subscore from baseline were observed at the 4- and 24-week time points. In the ≥70 years group, significant improvements from baseline were seen in IPSS total, IPSS voiding and storage subscores, and QOL score at each time point. Conclusions: Tadalafil 5 mg once daily appeared effective in clinical settings for elderly BPH patients even over 70 years old.
Simple Summary How the origin and pathways of water masses can be traced by particular bioindicators remains an intriguing issue in biological oceanography. In the present zooplankton study focusing on copepods, calanoid copepodites were most abundant, with an average abundance of 774.24 ± 289.42 (inds. m−3) in the northeastern waters of Taiwan during the prevailing northeast monsoon, followed by the dominant copepod species Paracalanus aculeatus and Clausocalanus furcatus. According to hydrological parameters, the water masses were mainly derived from northeast monsoon surface waters, Kuroshio intrusion water, and mixed water masses. Indicator species were Temora turbinata, Calanopia elliptica, and Canthocalanus pauper in the northeast monsoon-derived water mass. Farranula concinna and Copilia mirabilis represented suitable indicators for the Kuroshio intrusion water mass in the research area. In the mixed water mass, the indicator species were Paracandacia truncata, Oncaea clevei, and P. aculeatus in the research area during the sampling campaign in late autumn. Abstract During this research, the average surface temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH were 24.65 ± 1.53 (°C), 34.21 ± 0.07 (PSU), 6.85 ± 0.18 (mg/L), and 8.36 ± 0.03, respectively. Based on these environmental parameters, stations were arranged into three groups. Group A represents stations located around Keelung Island with the relative highest average dissolved oxygen, lowest average temperature, and pH values. Instead, the lowest average dissolved oxygen and highest average temperature, salinity, and pH values were recorded at the offshore stations. Keelung Island area was charged by cold water masses, which were driven by the Northeast monsoon, and stations in group C were affected by the Kuroshio Current. Kueishan Island area was mainly affected by mixed water masses resulting from the Kuroshio intrusion and monsoon-derived cold water. In this study, a total of 108 copepod species were identified, with an average abundance of 774.24 ± 289.42 (inds. m−3). Most species belong to the orders Calanoida and Poecilostomatoida, with an average relative abundance (RA) of 62.96% and 30.56%, respectively. Calanoid copepodites were the most dominant group, with a RA of 28.06%. This was followed by Paracalanus aculeatus, with a RA of 18.44%. The RA of Clausocalanus furcatus and Canthocalanus pauper was 4.80% and 3.59%, respectively. The dominant species P. aculeatus, C. pauper, Paracalanus parvus, and Temora turbinata were positively correlated with dissolved oxygen and negatively correlated with temperature in the surface waters. pH showed a negative correlation with P. parvus and T. turbinata, while the temperature was negatively correlated with these two dominant species. Indicator species were selected by an indicator value higher than 50%. Temora turbinata, Calanopia elliptica, C. pauper, Euchaeta concinna, Temora discaudata, Acartia pacifica, Macrosetella gracilis, Corycaeus speciosus, and P. parvus were considered as monsoonal cold water indicator species in Group A. Indicator copepod species for the Kuroshio Current were Farranula concinna, Copilia mirabilis, Candacia aethiopica, Corycaeus agilis, Farranula gibbula and Acrocalanus monachus in the study area. Paracandacia truncata, Oncaea clevei, P. aculeatus, and Centropages furcatus were considered suitable indicators for mixed water masses.
Abstract Climate change has become one of the greatest threats to environmental security, as attested by the growing frequency of severe flooding and storms, extreme temperatures and droughts. Accordingly, the European Union's (EU) 6th Environment Action Programme (2010) lists tackling climate change as its first priority. A key aim of the EU has been to cut CO2 emissions, a major factor in climate change, by 8 per cent until 2012 and 20 per cent until 2020. The European Commission has proposed the encouragement of private consumer market for green products and services as one of several solutions to this problem. However, existing research suggests that the market share of these products has been only 3 per cent, although 30 per cent of individuals favour environmental and ethical goods. This article uses Public Goods Theory to explain why the contribution of the green consumer market to fighting climate change has been and possibly may remain limited without further public intervention.
Purpose Previous research has demonstrated that HIV risk practices often differ based on gender and on whether or not people experienced sexual abuse during their formative (i.e., childhood and adolescence) years. The interaction of these two factors, which is the focus of this paper, has received limited attention.   Methods Based on a model derived from Social Disorganization Theory and Syndemics Theory, interviews were conducted between 2009 and 2012 with 1,864 African American adults residing in Atlanta, Georgia in 80 strategically-chosen consensus block groups.   Results Based on multiple regression and structural equation analyses, the interaction of sexual abuse and gender was found to be a significant predictor of involvement in (un)protected sex. The interaction of sexual abuse and gender also was related to condom use self-efficacy, which was one of the strongest factors underlying (un)protected sex.   Conclusion The relationship of sexual abuse history and gender is relevant in the understanding of HIV risk practices. The interaction of these factors with one another and with other relevant influences that shape people's HIV risk profiles is complex. The Syndemics Theory approach used to conceptualize the relationships among relevant variables in this study is an effective way of trying to understand and address HIV risk practices.
With the increasing popularity of wireless capability of contemporary electrical devices, the demand for small and efficient antenna design is also on the rise. This paper presents the design and implementation of a miniature antenna for Wi-Fi enabled Secure Digital (SD) card to be used in a digital camera. The challenges faced in the design of such antenna are the limited antenna volume and the severe loading from nearby metallic structures. The design is optimized using simulation tool prior to prototype modeling and measurement. Antenna efficiency of 38% is achieved in actual operating environment when the memory card is placed inside a camera.
Research in highly divergent dialects of American English, especially in what has been termed Negro Nonstandard English (NNE), has lately been thriving, and quite a number of hitherto unnoticed divergences have been disclosed and published. 1 The findings themselves have for the most part been categorized in terms of the standard language, and though there is at present a theoretical controversy over descriptive methods, 2 some highly creative work has been done toward explaining certain features of NNE within both models. The data in any case are always valuable, and the explanations themselves are often highly insightful. But there may be relationships between divergent features of a dialect which would tell us more about that dialect, and the researcher should not shrink from speculating about his findings in the dialect’s
Summary Platelet activation induced by von Willebrand factor (VWF) binding to the membrane GPIb-IX-V receptor involves multiple signal transduction pathways. Among these, recruitment and activation of the FcγRIIA and stimulation of phospholipase A2 represent independent events equally essential to support a complete platelet response. Phospholipase A2 is activated by calcium and by phosphorylation through MAP kinases. In this work, we found that VWF stimulated the rapid and sustained phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase (p38MAPK). In vitro kinase assay revealed that VWF-stimulated phosphorylation of p38MAPK was associated with increased kinase activity. Binding of VWF to GPIb-IX-V, but not to integrin αIIbβ3, was required to support phosphorylation of p38MAPK. Neither the blockade of the membrane FcγRIIA by a specific monoclonal antibody or the prevention of thromboxane A2 synthesis by cyclooxygenase inhibitors affected VWF-induced p38MAPK activation. However, phosphorylation of p38MAPK was prevented by the tyrosine kinase Syk inhibitor piceatannol. Treatment of platelets with the p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580 totally prevented VWFstimulated platelet aggregation. Moreover, release of arachidonic acid induced by VWF was strongly impaired by inhibition of p38MAPK. We also found thatVWF induced phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2, and that this process was prevented by the p38MAPK inhibitor SB203580.These results demonstrate that p38MAPK is a key element in the FcγRIIA-independent pathway for VWF-induced platelet activation, and is involved in the stimulation of phospholipase A2 and arachidonic acid release.
Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is an effective treatment for cardiac arrhythmias. Although generally safe, it is not completely exempt from the risk of complications. The great flexibility of computational models can be a major asset in optimizing interventional strategies if they can produce sufficiently precise estimations of the generated lesion for a given ablation protocol. This requires an accurate description of the catheter tip and the cardiac tissue. In particular, the deformation of the tissue under the catheter pressure during the ablation is an important aspect that is overlooked in the existing literature, which resorts to a sharp insertion of the catheter into an undeformed geometry. As the lesion size depends on the power dissipated in the tissue and the latter depends on the percentage of the electrode surface in contact with the tissue itself, the sharp insertion geometry has the tendency to overestimate the lesion obtained, which is a consequence of the tissue temperature rise overestimation. In this paper, we introduce a full 3D computational model that takes into account the tissue elasticity and is able to capture tissue deformation and realistic power dissipation in the tissue. Numerical results in FEniCS‐HPC are provided to validate the model against experimental data and to compare the lesions obtained with the new model and with the classical ones featuring a sharp electrode insertion in the tissue.
Biomimetic sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the methods proposed to reduce the CO2 released into the atmosphere. In this study, we compared soluble protein of hemocyte from diseased shell (HDS) and extrapallial fluid (EPF) extracted from Crassostrea gigas with bovine carbonic anhydrase II in terms of their ability to promote CO2 hydration and the production of calcium precipitates. On the basis of the experiments of CO2 hydration, the key role of HDS was identified. Moreover, mass-spectroscopic analysis (MALDI-TOF) and circular dichroism (CD) analysis were used for understanding molecular weight and secondary protein structure. From the amino acid sequence and secondary protein structure, the different processes of CO2 hydration by bovine carbonic anhydrase II and HDS could be assessed.        La sequestration biomimetique du dioxyde de carbone (CO2) est l'une des methodes proposees pour reduire la quantite de CO2 rejetee dans l'atmosphere. Dans cette etude, nous avons compare la proteine soluble de l'hemocyte de coquillages malades (HCM) et le fluide extra-palleal (FEP) extrait de Crassostrea gigas avec l'anhydrase carbonique bovine II. La comparaison a porte sur leur capacite a favoriser l'hydratation du CO2 et la production de precipites de calcium. Grâce aux experiences sur l'hydratation du CO2, le role primordial du HCM a ete determine. Par ailleurs, la spectroscopie de masse (MALDI-TOF) et l'analyse du dichroisme circulaire (DC) ont ete utilisees pour determiner la masse moleculaire et la structure secondaire proteique. La sequence d'acides amines et la structure secondaire proteique ont permis d'evaluer les differents procedes d'hydratation du CO2 au moyen de l'anhydrase carbonique bovine II et du HCM. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering
Abstract Introduction: 5p deletion syndrome commonly known as cri du chat syndrome is a well-described syndrome in neonates with catlike cry, craniofacial dysmorphic features, abnormal dermatoglyphics, microcephaly and severe psychomotor and developmental delay. Case report: We report a case of 5p deletion syndrome diagnosed prenatally in association with mild ventriculomegaly, cerebellar hypoplasia, pontine hypoplasia, increased subarachnoid space and high suspicion of cortical hypoplasia with ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and postmortem examination. Conclusion: Best to our knowledge, this is the first case that pontine hypoplasia and increased subarachnoid space have been demonstrated prenatally and confirmed by postnatal autopsy.
Subjective Falsity Under Section 11 of the Securities Act: Protecting Statements of Opinion discusses the Sixth Circuit’s strict liability decision in Indiana State District Council of Laborers & Hod Carriers Pension & Welfare Fund v. Omnicare, Inc. for statements of opinion contained in registration statements, and its express departure from both the Second and Ninth Circuits. Consistent with the Second, Third, and Ninth Circuits, this Article proposes that both objective and subjective falsity should be the requisite pleading standard for section 11 opinion statement cases. This Article reaches this conclusion by examining the history of the Securities Act and section 11, pleading requirements, decisions of other circuits, current legal scholarship, and recently-implemented statutes and regulations. Additionally, this Article examines the detrimental effects that a strict liability holding will have on highly-regulated industries such as healthcare and finance. This case is currently pending before the Supreme Court, sub nom. Omnicare, Inc. v. Laborers District Council Construction Industry Pension Fund, distributed for conference of February 21, 2014.
Abstract Personal sickness played an important place in the development of Francis Bernadone into the revered status of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis experienced the healing he desired for himself in fulfilling his innermost needs seeking God's grace, given him through the Church. His thoroughness in establishing his personal relationship with Christ in the Church came with the conquest of himself. Francis proved this by giving full obedience to the Pope and to the Church of Rome and having the Order continue in this vein through his successors.
A set of laboratory activities has been developed to simulate multiple steps in the integrated circuit fabrication process. The Microfabrication Teaching Laboratory offers tools and procedures for a comprehensive simulation of the device fabrication process, with the goal of producing working devices such as a p-n diode, a solar cell and a MOSFET on a silicon wafer substrate. The lab includes activities aimed at wafer oxidation, patterning the oxide layer via optical lithography, etching, selective doping to achieve a p-n junction, and device characterization. Portions of the laboratory have been tested in undergraduate teaching labs with successful results.
In 1996, the authors were able to visit the University Orthodontic Unit in Marburg, Germany. Author FL was able to undertake the visit as part of a discretionary secondment for specialist training and this article describes the author's (FL) experience of orthodontic, postgraduate training there, and highlights differences between training in the U.K. and Germany. In the current climate of change with regard to specialist training, it seemed timely to investigate how training occurs elsewhere in Europe.
This article continues on a number of previous studies by other scientists in investigating secondary education efficiency by applying a non-parametric methodology. In this respect, the purpose of the article is to review some previous studies on measuring the efficiency of public (secondary) education sector as well as some conceptual and methodological issues of a non-parametric approach. Most importantly, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique is presented and then applied to a wide range of EU and OECD countries, including Slovenia and Croatia, to evaluate the technical efficiency of secondary education. The empirical results show that technical efficiency in secondary education varies significantly across the great majority of EU and OECD countries. Both Slovenia and Croatia show a relatively high level of technical inefficiency in their secondary education as they respectively only rank in the third and fourth quartiles among selected countries. Therefore, rationalising public secondary education spending is strongly recommended with possible redirecting of some excessive resources to the tertiary education sector.
In this work, we report benchmark spin-orbit calculations for a representative set of electronic states including π → π*, n → π*, and π → σ* and Rydberg states of organic molecules. Auxiliary many-electron wave functions (AMEWs) have been generated from left and/or right eigenvectors of Casida's non-Hermitian time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) equation. The newly developed Spoiler program has been used to evaluate spin-orbit matrix elements (SOMEs) from full linear response TDDFT and TDDFT calculations in Tamm-Dancoff approximation (TDA) in conjunction with the well-known B3-LYP and PBE0 hybrid functionals. The data thus obtained have been benchmarked against SOMEs from multireference configuration interaction calculations recently performed in our group. It turns out that the TDDFT SOMEs are rather insensitive with regard to the choice of eigenvectors (left, right, or mixed) as long as the AMEWs are normalized. To avoid problematic excitation energies of low-lying triplet excited states, the use of the TDA is recommended. With regard to SOMEs, a slight preference is found for the PBE0 functional.
Protonation of N,N-dimethylnitrosoamine has been investigated by dissolving the nitrosoamine in different acids and recording the proton magnetic resonance spectra of these solutions. Concentrated sulfuric acid, sulfuric acid monohydrate, perchloric acid (72%), trifluoroacetic acid, and fluorosulfuric acid have been used in this study. Only in fluorosulfuric acid near 0 °C and lower was a new signal observed for the protonated nitrosoamine molecule. Integration of the peaks has shown that only one proton is captured by the nitrosoamine. The following structure is suggested for the protonated nitrosoamine.The n.m.r. spectra of fluorosulfuric acid solutions of N,N-diethylnitrosoamine and N-nitrosopiperidine also show separate signals for the captured proton.The n.m.r. spectrum of an equimolar solution of N,N-dimethylnitrosoamine, N,N-dimethylformamide, and trifluoroacetic acid in 2-nitropropane indicates that N,N-dimethylnitrosoamine is a weaker base.
Introduction: Impaired diastolic flow is characterized by decreased left ventricular (LV) filling diastole, abnormal LV distensibility, or delayed relaxation. B-Type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is an indicator of various cardiovascular diseases and body volume status. The aim of this study was to determine whether the lowering of dialysate sodium (Na) levels is effective on LV systolic and diastolic parameters and BNP in the maintenance of hemodialysis patients. Materials and Methods: The study included 49 chronic hemodialysis patients. Left atrium (LA) diameter and LV ejection fraction, LV systolic and diastolic diameter, deceleration time (DT), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), inferior vena cava diameter (IVCD), early diastolic transmitral flow (E) and late diastolic transmitral flow (A) velocities, E/A ratio, isovolumic relaxation time, peak early diastolic velocity (E′), late diastolic velocity (A′) of tissue Doppler mitral annulus, and flow propagation velocity of mitral inflow (V p) were measured before and 6 months after hemodialysis with low Na dialysate. Results: Six months after low Na hemodialysis, a decrease was observed in echocardiographic parameters such as PAP and IVCD (p < 0.05, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). However, a significant difference was not observed in LA diameter. In LV diastolic measurement of E and A waves, E/A ratio, DT, V p, septal E′ and A′, and lateral E′ and A′ exhibited significant improvement by low Na HD. BNP level was significantly reduced (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Lowered dialysate Na concentration improves PAP, IVCD, and LV diastolic properties assessed by mitral inflow filling, tissue Doppler velocity, and mitral inflow velocity propagation.
The seasonal flight activity of grape root borer, Vitacea polistiformis (Harris), was monitored with sticky traps baited with a 99:1 blend of the sex pheromone (E, Z)-2,13-octadecadienyl acetate and (Z, Z)-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate, at nine locations in Florida. In northern Florida, at Chattahoochee, Freeport, and Alachua, flight activity began in June or early July and continued through October. In central Florida, at Leesburg, Kathleen, and Alva, activity began in late July or early August and often continued into December. On the west coast, at Odessa, emergence began earlier (late June) than at central inland sites and ended by mid- to late November. On the east coast, at Fort Pierce, the first grape root borers were trapped in early May, and flight activity continued into December. On the lower east coast, at Miami, the first grape root borers were trapped in late July with flight activity continuing through December. A few moths were captured in Miami in January in both years that traps were operated.
Background Glass ceramic materials have multiple applications in various prosthetic fields. Despite the many advantages of these materials, they still have limitations such as fragility and surface machining and ease of repairing. Crack propagation has been a typical concern in fullceramic crowns, for which many successful numerical simulations have been carried out using the extended finite element method (XFEM). However, XFEM cannot correctly predict a primary crack growth direction under dynamic loading on the implant crown. Methods In this work, the dental implant crown and abutment were modeled in CATIA V5R19 software using a CT-scan technique based on the human first molar. The crown was approximated with 39514 spherical particles to reach a reasonable convergence in the results. In the present work, glass ceramic was considered the crown material on a titanium abutment. The simulation was performed for an impactor with an initial velocity of 25 m/s in the implant-abutment axis direction. We took advantage of smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) such that the burden of defining a primary crack growth direction was suppressed. Results The simulation results demonstrated that the micro-crack onset due to the impact wave in the ceramic crown first began from the crown incisal edge and then extended to the margin due to increased stress concentration near the contact region. At 23.36 µs, the crack growth was observed in two different directions based on the crown geometry, and at the end of the simulation, some micro-cracks were also initiated from the crown margin. Moreover, the results showed that the SPH algorithm could be considered an alternative robust tool to predict crack propagation in brittle materials, particularly for the implant crown under dynamic loading. Conclusion The main achievement of the present study was that the SPH algorithm is a helpful tool to predict the crack growth pattern in brittle materials, especially for ceramic crowns under dynamic loading. The predicted crack direction showed that the initial crack was divided into two branches after its impact, leading to the crown fracture. The micro-crack initiated from the crown incisal edge and then extended to the crown margin due to the stress concentration near the contact area.
Distilled styrene showed mutagenic activity towards Salmonella typhimurium TA 100 after activ ation with hepatic 9,000 X g supernatant fractions (S-9). The S-9 fractions ,had been obtained from rats treated with 3-methylcholanthrene or phenobarbital and fortified with an NADPH-generating system in the presence of 3,3,3-trichloropropene oxide (TCPO), an hepatic microsomal epoxide hydratase inhibitor. No mutagenic activity was observed when either the TCPO was omitted or rats were treated with a polychlorinated biphenyl mixture (PCBs). The S-9 fraction from 3-methylcholanthrene-treated rats activated styrene more effectively than the liver homogenate from phenobarbital-treated animals. As has already been pointed out, phenyloxirane, an intermediate in the hepatic microsomal biotransformation of styrene, induced the mutagenesis of TA 100 cells in the absence of 8-9 and TCPO, but the mutagenesis was totally abolished by the addition of S-9. A further addition of TCPO partially restored the mutagenetic activity of phenyloxirane. Gas chromatographic data on phenyloxirane and I-phenyl1,2-ethanediol in the testing system for styrene ind icat ed that phenyloxirane could not account for the mutagenesis induced by the hepatic activation of styrene since sums of phenyloxirane and its hydrolytic product, I-phenyl-l,2-ethanediol (formed from styrene during incubation with 8-9 in the presence and absence of TCPO) were much smaller than the amount which induced mutagenesis; they also showed that PCBs were the most potent inducers for hepatic rnonooxygenase, which catalyzes the conversion of styrene to phenyloxirane. PCBs induced hepatic monooxygenase approximately 1.4 times as effectively as 3-methylcholanthrene, in spite of its inability to increase the hepatic activation system for the mutagenicity of styrene. There is therefore a possibility that at least one more unknown active metabolite with an epoxide structure is present. The ar ene oxide I-vinvlbenzene 3,4-oxide, which was synthesized in our laboratory and was assumed to be a precusor to 4-vinylphenol (a previously isolated urinary metabolite of styrene), had a potent killing effect but no mutagenic activity towards TA 100 cells. A search for the ultimate mutagen is now in progress in our laboratory. l4C-styrene bound covalently to microsomal protein of rat liver when incubated in the presence of an NADPH-generating system. The absence of the cofactor decreased the binding remarkably. The NADPH-dependent protein-binding was increased by TCPO in vitro and by the phenobarbital pretreatment of rats in vivo. Pretreatment of rats with carbon tetrachloride decreased the amount of radioactivity bound to hepatic microsomal protein.
A revealing indicator of social fragmentation in metropolitan America is the proliferation of common interest developments (CIDs), communities defined by restrictive covenants, deed restrictions, community associations, and citizens groups that wield substantial political influence and power. In Phoenix, large-scale retirement communities represent a conspicuous form of CID, populated by Anglo, middle, and upper-middle class elderly migrants who display high levels of political organization and participation. We present a case study of heated conflict between retirees in Sun City West—who see themselves as separate from the larger metropolitan region—and surrounding communities in the Dysart School District. The conflict is fraught with age, social class, and cultural tensions and evolves around seniors wielding political muscle in defeating school funding measures, controlling the Dysart governing board, and seeking to de-annex themselves out of the district to avoid paying school taxes. We argue that political conflict between advantaged seniors and neighboring working class Latino communities is symptomatic of troubling divisions across urban social space in America, raising thorny questions about the nature and scale of community, political representation and power, and fostering the public good in the face of "secession of the successful" from the larger polity.
This paper describes design process of foundation of Shanghai Center Tower, the China’s tallest building. The foundation system is piled raft founded on deep deposit of delta of Yangtze River. The geotechnical condition and the design progress including the selection of pile type and bearing stratum, pile capacity, raft thickness, foundation settlement will be outlined. The settlement is an important issue in soft soil area for super-tall building, and the optimized design of pile foundation stiffness to reduce differential settlement is also presented in this paper.
Abstract : The United States' experience with a deterrent security strategy is colored by more than 40 years of confrontation with the Soviet Union. Over the Cold War years, American political leadership wrestled with two foreign policy challenges: the threat of communist expansion and the danger of nuclear weapons. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, communist expansion may be a thing of the past. Nevertheless, nuclear weapons are still with us in large numbers. Of the many challenges facing American statecraft in the 21st century, few are as foreboding as the accelerating proliferation of nuclear weapons and the means for their delivery. Although intelligence professionals cannot confidently predict the 21st century international environment, several trends characterize what we might find. There will still be ideological competitors, in some cases involved in intractable regional conflicts. Furthermore, nuclear and conventional military technologies will increasingly spread, militarizing old regional battles. As new nuclear regimes emerge, their political calculations will be tempered by these longstanding animosities, possibly escalating lower order regional violence to nuclear confrontation. The United States must address the significant issues raised by growing regional nuclear potential adversaries if it expects to influence the international order required to achieve the National Security Strategy's envisioned 'Age of Democratic Peace.'
Method for controlling and / or regulation of the cooling of a rolling hot strip for rolling metal strip, particularly a steel strip, being adjusted through the cooling properties of texture band laminated metal, especially steel strip, with the following process steps: - a curve of cooling time for each point of the metal band is predetermined, - in addition, is calculated for each point of the metal strip the actual cooling curve as a function of time - the time function curve calculated actual cooling forecasting cooling time curve for each point of the metal strip is compared; - from the deviations of the time curves calculated with respect to the actual cooling curve signals driving the process control and / or regulation of the cooling derive.
Crude extracts from dried garlic (Allium sativum) and cloves (Eugenia caryophyllus) were studied for their antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.. A total 60 clinical specimens were collected from patients clinically diagnosed as cases of bacterial infections in Marghan Hospital in Babylon. Gram positive bacteria were isolated from 43 specimens and 17 specimens were gram negative bacteria. Gram positive bacteria identified by cultural and biochemical tests , among those isolates , 24 isolates were Staphylococcus epidermidis and 19 isolates were Staphylococcus aureus . Gram negative bacteria identified by cultural and biochemical tests and all isolates were Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The effect of ethanolic and water extract were tested against isolating bacteria by using agar well diffusion method. Forty microliters of the dilution of Crude extracts was transferred to each well and sterile water served as a control. Extract from cloves showed the highest activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranging from 100 to 400 mg/ml, .Garlic extract showed no inhibitory effect against these bacteria. The inhibitory activity of the herbs extracts decreased over the storage period 4 weeks at 4c◦. ةصلاخلا : ريثأت ةسارد تمت ةـيبهذلا ةـيدوقنعلا تاروكملا ايريتكب دض موثلاو لفنرقلا يتابن صلختسم Staphylococcus aureus, ةـيوربتلا ةـيدوقنعلا تاروـكملاو Staphylococcus epidermidis و ةـيراجنزلا فـئاوزلا Pseudomonas aeruginosa . تعمج 60 لباب يف ناجرم ىفشتسم يف اهصيخشت مت ىضرم نم ةنيع . رـغ ةغبصل ةبجوملا ايريتكبلا تلزع ا م نم 43 و ةنيع 17 مارغ ةغبصل ةبلاس تناك ةنيع . تصخش ةـيعرزملا تاـصوحفلا مادختـساب مارـغ ةغبصل ةبجوملا ايريتكبلا تناكو ةيويحوميكلاو 24 ايريتكب يه ةلزع Staphylococcus epidermidis و 19 يه ةلزع Staphylococcus aureus مارغ ةغبصل ةبلاسلا ايريتكبلا تصخشو اضيأ ةيويحوميكلاو ةيعرزملا تاصوحفلا مادختساب . سرد ريثأـت يئاـملا صلختسـملا راشتنلاا ةقيرط مادختساب ايريتكبلا دض يلوحكلاو اك لااب ر عضو ثيح 40 ا لولحم نم ريتيلوركيام ةرـفح لـك يـف صلختسمل ةرطيسك ءاملا مدختساو . لختسم رهظا ص طبثم زيكرتب ةيلاع ةيلاعف لفنرقلا تابن ىندأ وارتي ح نم 400 – 100 (mg/ml) مل امنيب صلختسم رهظي يأ موثلا ريثأت ايريتكبلا ىلع . نأ ةجردب ظفحلا ةرتف للاخ لقت تناك صلختسملل ةيطيبثتلا ةيلاعفلا 4 ةدمل م عبرأ
Introduction: Obestatin is recently described as a gastrointestinal (GI) hormonal, which is involved in the pathophysiology of obesity. It decreases food intake and body weight by decelerating gastric emptying. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a single circuit-resistance exercise and aerobic exercise on plasma obestatin and growth hormone (GH) in well-trained females. Material and Methods: 24 participants from Khorasani female athletes were randomly selected and assigned into three groups: control (N=8), circuit-resistance exercise (RE) (N=8) and aerobic exercise (AE) (N=8). Blood samples were collected from all the participants before and immediately after the exercise protocol. Results: Changes in plasma obestatin levels were not significant within and between groups. Plasma GH concentrations were significantly higher in experimental groups compared to the control group. Discussion and Conclusion: The data indicated that although circuit-resistance and aerobic exercise resulted in a significant change in GH levels, they had no effect on plasma obestatin levels.
The selectivity of Tetranychus urticae Koch and Tetranychus viennensis Zacher to the Buck's horn(Rhus typhina L.)and effects of R.typhina on the survival and fecundity of spider mites confined in the Buck's horn leaves were bioassayed in the laboratory.The results indicated that the selecting rates of T.urticae and T.viennensis for Rhus typhina L.were 9.5%,6.5%,5%,5% and 2%,5%,1%,0 at 2 h,6 h,10 h,12 h,respectively.The survival of T.uiennensis confined on R.typhina leaves was fully inhibited after 144 h,and the fecundity was going down with increase of the survival time,and terminated at 96 h.The survival rate of T.urticae confined on R.typhina leaves was 0 after 240 h,and no oviposition was observed during the whole observation period from 24 h to 216 h.It was so concluded that R.typhina has the high antifeedant activity against spider mites and may distinctly inhibit the survival and fecundity of spider mites,but the inhibition is inter-specifically different for spider mites.
Wastewater containing acetic acid has long been produced by the chemical industry. Improper disposal of the wastewater has become a major problem as it pollutes the environment and destroys aquatic ecosystem. The wastewater has to be treated before it can be released into the environment. Some of the treatment methods include membrane processes and wet air oxidation (WAO). These treatment methods have a few limitations. Membrane processes are limited by their solvent and thermal stability and WAO is only effective at severe operating conditions. In this research, catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) is the proposed method for treatment. The catalyst was synthesized according to the wetness method. The experiment was conducted by oxidizing simulated wastewater containing acetic acid in a batch reactor. The reaction study was repeated with the manipulation of two different operating parameters. The sample was analysed using Total Organic Content (TOC) analysis and Gas Chromatography (GC). The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Physisorption analysis (BET Method). CWAO yielded the highest conversion at the temperature of 80°C. The catalyst with high surface area was confirmed by XRD and BET. The conversion using CWAO was higher than other processes as predicted. The presence of the catalyst reduced the severity of the operating conditions and also increased the conversion rate.
AIM The development of new diagnostic techniques and the implementation of a modern quality control management system requires the continuous adaptation of existing data processing tools to the nuclear medicine diagnostic workflow. Furthermore, PACS connected to HIS facilitates and enhances the transfer of data and pictures, and satisfies the legal requirements for data retention as regulated by law. Therefore, the aim of this work is to present the architecture, structure and results of such a system newly installed in a department of nuclear medicine.   METHODS Initially, the nuclear medicine workflow was carefully analyzed and each step was correlated to the corresponding module. The standard SAP R/3 and IS-H/IS-H(*)med based software used for patient administration at the University of Regensburg Hospital was adapted to the needs of the Nuclear Medicine Department. The networking of the imaging systems was done by integration of a PACS. Finally, the PACS was connected to the HIS to allow the attachment of images to the medical report.   RESULTS, CONCLUSION By connecting the HIS to the nuclear medicine PACS, the workflow was significantly improved. The data management sequence starting at the reception desk, continuing through the nuclear medical examination, to the physician's final written and image report is clearly structured. Although high demands exist on technical support and administration the integration of PACS and HIS into the nuclear medicine workflow leads to enhanced efficiency and reduction in hospital costs. Patient and data management are considerably improved in this way.
The problem of chronic spondylitic spinal disease is markedly underrepresented in the literature. The principal focus is on procedures and diagnostic techniques. It has been suggested that the classic clinical syndromes are rare and that interventional protocols based on them are likely to be inadequate. New diagnostic techniques have revolutionized the evaluation of patients: magnetic resonance imaging is now the standard whereas myelography use is being steadily reduced. It is clear that the outcome of spinal surgery for herniated disk, in expert hands, is excellent. Nevertheless, there is an emphasis on minimally invasive and percutaneous techniques to try to avoid major surgery, which has been the standard. The natural history of these problems is still understood incompletely. Long-term follow-ups are generally not available and the value of nearly every form of conservative care remains unproven.
Language develops and changes constantly,whose structure also changes day by day.As time goes on,it is more difficult to interpret Xunzi correctly.This paper,based on the analysis of the structure format of the contrastive sentence in Xunzi,summed up the contrastive sentence of syntax face.The study found that the contrastive sentencey;it is more common in the argument text as a benefit to reduce the labor to understand the complex sentence types.The clause of the contrastive sentence strictly correspond to the structure,which level is distinct and single;its description of different aspects of the same common sense,naturally show ownership of a sense of "sympatric".The contrastive sentence with two main clauses and clear comparison is easy to screen the distinct subtle differences;the corresponding form makes the information of clause pass on each other in the contacts to obtain clear and stable meaning.
This paper discusses an accurate optical fiber transmission system that is used in high voltage electric power experimenting station. The system transmits signals for computer data processing. It is superior in reasnable designing, simple in structure, precise in transmission, and low in cost. It can be used in high voltage electric power area, strong current area or other rough conditions that are not suitable for the transmission of signals for computers.
Myotonic dystrophy (MD) is a genetically determined disease with autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Relatively recently, MD has been divided into two sub-types (MD1 and MD2). Clinical symptoms of MD1 result from the expansion of a (CTG)n trinucleotide of the gene coding for serine/threonine protein kinase and clinical symptoms in MD2 are associated with the expansion of (CCTG)n in I intron of the zinc-finger protein 9 (ZNF9). Myotonic dystrophies MD1 and MD2 are multisystem diseases with numerous symptoms and high interfamily variability, resulting from the fact that different organs are affected. Until now the mechanisms that lead to the damage of the central and peripheral nervous systems, heart muscle and endocrine system have not been fully understood. Symptoms that are characteristic of MD1 and MD2 are myotonic symptom, muscular weakness and muscular atrophy. In MD2, muscular weakness and muscular atrophy are expressed more significantly in proximal segments, which is a differentiating factor for patients with MD1 who have muscular weakness and muscular atrophy in distal segments. Apart from myotonia and symptoms of skeletal muscle damage, the disease affects smooth muscles, heart muscle and the central nervous system, causing cataract, endocrine disorders, cognitive dysfunctions, intellectual and personality disturbances as well as sleep disordered breathing with nocturnal hypoventilation, obstructive, central and mixed apneas and hypopneas. The symptoms of sleep disordered breathing is fatigue, reduced cognitive performance and excessive daytime sleepiness. The pathophysiology of the breathing disorders includes weakness of the respiratory muscles and disorder of the respiratory drive. Of some interest are the works in which authors evaluated the incidence and character of abnormalities in the peripheral and central nervous systems. It has been shown that the number of CTG-repeats in the same person with MD1 is not stable over time and may increase, which leads to disease progression and new clinical symptoms. Cardiologic disorders associated with myotonic dystrophy are common and are part of the clinical picture of the disease. The dominant pathology are conduction disturbances and cardiac arrhythmias. It is estimated that 40 to 80% of patients with MD1 have abnormalities in ECG, and rapid supra-ventricular and ventricular cardiac arrhythmias are the second common cause of death in patients with MD1. Unfortunately, most of these pathologies are asymptomatic until life-threatening conduction blocks and/or supra-ventricular tachyarrhythmias occur. Sometimes, prodromal symptoms such as collapsing, fainting or feeling of palpitation occur and they should always draw attention of the treating doctor of a patient with muscular dystrophy. This paper is aimed at characterizing some common cardiologic and sleep related respiratory disorders of patients with myotonic dystrophy which if not recognized in good time may lead to sudden death.
Objective: To test the hypothesis that repeat IVF cycles (after a cycle with failed implantation of good quality embryos) are more likely to be successful following saline hysteroscopy as compared to CO2 hysteroscopy, even in the absence of evident intrauterine pathology Study Design: Randomized controlled trial Setting: El-Doaa Hospital IVF Centre and Haya IVF Centre, Cairo, Egypt Subjects and Methods: 172 patients with prior history of failed IVF cycle(s) after transfer of good quality embryos, were randomized to have either saline hysteroscopy (group 1) or CO2 hysteroscopy (group 2) before commencing a new IVF cycle Main Outcome Measures: Pregnancy and live birth rates after the IVF cycle that followed diagnostic hysteroscopy Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the rate of chemical pregnancy in favour of the saline hysteroscopy group (group 1) as compared to the CO2 hysteroscopy group (group 2) (33 / 77 vs. 23 / 77, p = 0.013), as well as in clinical pregnancies diagnosed by transvaginal ultrasonography (30 / 77 vs. 21 / 77, p = 0.021). The incidence of twin and triplet pregnancy was also higher in group 1 (6 sets of twins and 2 sets of triplets in group 1, vs. 4 sets of twins and 1 set of triplets in group 2). Summing up these figures, it was found that 39 babies were born for group 1 patients out of 175 embryos transferred, compared to 25 babies out of 177 embryos transferred to group 2 patients (p = 0.002), which was highly statistically significant. Conclusion: We recommend the use of saline hysteroscopy rather than CO2 hysteroscopy to investigate the endometrial cavities of patients with implantation failure. Besides its diagnostic value that has already been established, it probably has a therapeutic value as well.
With the method of documentary,interview and questionnaire,the involvement of rural citizens in sport also has a potential to contribute to social capital.Understood in simple terms as norms of reciprocity and associational life,social capital is often regarded as a positive resource in rural areas.Drawing on a case study of the North-Western Australia,this paper examines the links between sport and social capital in a rural region.
The invention relates to a test method, in particular to a method for testing a load position. The method comprises the following steps of: A, arranging more than two strain sensors on the surface of a bridge at intervals and connecting the strain sensors with a dynamic strain acquisition module to acquire strain data of the bridge; B, arranging more than two deflection sensors at the bottom of the bridge at intervals and connecting the deflection sensors with a dynamic deflection acquisition module to acquire deflection data of the bridge; C, arranging a laser distance measurement sensor at the head or the tail of the bridge, and connecting the laser distance measurement sensor with the dynamic deflection acquisition module to measure the load position; and D, connecting the dynamic strain sensors, the deflection sensors and the laser distance measurement sensor with a computer, wherein the computer can generate a curve graph of the response relation of the load position and the bridge according to the acquired data.
FRP reinforcement method is superior in safety and economic terms, but it's appears rapid degradation due to brittle fracture of reinforcing material. To solve this problem, study for PET sheet as reinforcement material was conducted by existing FRP reinforcement method. An experimental test was carried out by the amount of reinforcement and reinforcement types as the primary variable. As a results of this test, PET sheet appears ductility enhancement without rapid degradation. Consequently, it is judged that PET sheet is available to apply the field application.
Face recognition has been a quickly developing, testing and intriguing region progressively applications. An extensive number of face recognition calculations have been produced in a decade ago. In this paper an endeavor is made to survey an extensive variety of techniques utilized for face recognition exhaustively. This incorporate PCA, LDA, ICA, SVM, Gabor wavelet delicate registering instrument like ANN for recognition and different cross breed blend of this systems. This audit examines every one of these techniques with parameters that difficulties face recognition like illumination, pose variation, facial expressions.
In this article, we continue our investigation on the role of non-commutativity in quantum theory. Using the method explained in "On non-commutativity in quantum theory (I): from classical to quantum probability", we analyze two toy models which exhibit non-commutativity between the corresponding position and velocity random variables. In particular, using ordinary probability theory, we study the kinematics of a point-like particle jumping at random over a discrete random space. We show that, after the removal of the random space from the model, the position and velocity of the particle do not commute, when represented as operators on the same Hilbert space.
An analytical model named fibres bend model (FBM) is presented for the in plane mechanical properties of stitched composite laminates. It is supposed that the primary reason of the effect of the in plane mechanical properties of stitched composite laminates is the misalignment of the fibres as they are forced to spread around the stitches. The geometrical characteristics of the fibres in the stitch unit cells are considered. The elastic relation of stress and strain of the stitched laminates is obtained finally. The in plane tensile strength is calculated in the example of the stitched composite laminates [0/45/0/-45/90/45/0/-45] 2S . The results show that the theoretical predicted values accord well with the experiments. The model is proved to be feasible.
With the rapid development of computer network technology,network is being used more and more widely in industries and organizations.Network brings more convenience and higher efficiency to work as well as safety problems.It is a task requiring our efforts to solve existing network safety problems in an information society with information sharing and access control.This paper describes some serious threats that our country is faced in current network information safety,then it analyzes the main factors putting network information safety at risk,and finally suggests specific measures for building of network information safety defense line.
We studied the liver regeneration after partial (68%) hepatectomy in rats with obstructive jaundice followed by the relief of obstruction. Rats received bile duct ligation, then 5 or 14 days later choledocho-duodenostomy was performed. Partial hepatectomy was done at various intervals after the relief of obstruction. DNA synthesis of the regenerating liver, hepatic protein synthesis and mitochondrial swelling induced by exogenous phospholipase A2 (PLA2) were determined. Hepatic DNA synthesis was significantly inhibited in obstructive jaundiced rats compared to controls. While the inhibition disappeared 5 days after the relief of obstruction in 5-day-obstructed group, it was still detectable as late as 21 days after the drainage in 14-day-obstructed group. Hepatic protein synthesis was markedly increased by obstructive jaundice, and this increase continued until 10 days after drainage in 14-day-obstructed group. Partial hepatectomy also increased the hepatic protein synthesis significantly in normal rats, but failed to show any significant changes in obstructive jaundiced rats. Any difference could not be found in PLA2-induced hepatic mitochondrial swelling between obstructive jaundiced rats and normal rats. We concluded the preceding energy-requiring responses in obstructive jaundiced liver resulted in the reduction of hepatic DNA synthesis and in the lack of additional increase of hepatic protein synthesis as the responses to a further insult of partial hepatectomy.
The intermediates of aspirin-tocopherol ester are synthesized by three routes,and the structure of products are characterized through infra-red spectrum,high efficiency liquid chromatography,nuclear magnetic resonance etc.,namely they are the objective products.Compared the methods,it is found that the routes using acyl chloride as acylating agent was the best one,which having high yield,low cost,and fitting industrial production.
The invention relates to a cigarette with strong fragrance but low harm and a production method thereof, in particular to a cigarette with strong fragrance but low harm and with the effect of a product generated from frangipani and loquat leaves through chemical treatment. The invention adds the extract of frangipani and loquat leaves to the tobacco of cigarettes; the extracting method of frangipani and loquat leaves is: after pretreatment, frangipani and loquat leaves are dried at the temperature of 30 DEG C to 60 DEG C and then smashed into 10 meshes to 100meshes respectively and then mixed at the proportion of 8 to 2; at the temperature of 50 DEG C to 90 DEG C, the powder of frangipani and loquat leaves is extracted by ethanol solution with the concentration of 40 percent for three times with the extraction time being 1h to 8h; ethanol solution is added to filtered concentrative powder solution, mixed evenly and then kept still for over 8h and the mixed solution is centrifugated, filtered and concentrated; the dry powder paste adopts macro-reticular resin as a sorbent and first eluted with distilled water and then with ethanol solution with the concentration of 50 percent; the part eluted with the distilled water is discarded and the part eluted with the ethanol solution with the concentration of 50 percent is collected and concentrated into a certain concentration. The patent of the invention provides a new healthcare function for smokers.
ExTEndEd AbsTrACT We often describe people who do the “right” thing as being “on a moral high ground”, or we say that they are “taking the high road”. There are also other similar sayings that refer to people behaving morally as “high-minded” or “upstanding” individuals. All of these images suggest a metaphorical connection between the concept of morality and the spatial orientation of vertical height. Specifically, they suggest that people who behave morally hold a position that is higher above ground than those who behave less morally. But are there cognitive consequences of being so high above ground – and thus, so distant to the world “down below” – that they would process their world differently? Recent research on metaphorical thinking adopts an embodied cognition view, suggesting that people use their concrete physical sensations to describe abstract psychological experiences (Bargh 2006; Boroditsky and Ramscar 2002). For example, metaphors involving vertical height often have an embodied basis. In contexts of social power, powerful people are said to be “up high”, such that individuals with social authority attend to high spatial locations quicker than low ones (Moeller, Robinson and Zabelina 2008). In many religions, “God is most high”, and people perceive others as being more religious when their pictures are displayed at the top of a page rather than the bottom (Chasteen, Burdzy, and Pratt 2009). And people often give “thumbs up” to communicate positive feedback, stemming from the perception that anything “up” is good but “down” is bad (Meier and Robinson 2004). These findings suggest that moral metaphors referring to vertical height or the physical sensation of being high above ground may also have a similar embodied basis. We posit that a consequence of behaving morally is that the vertical height increases the distance to the world down below, affecting how people high above ground would cognitively process their world. According construal level theory, as distance (vs. closeness) increases, so does abstract processing (Trope and Liberman 2003). Consider spectators sitting in the highest rows of a sports stadium, and hence are vertically high from where the main action is located. They describe their experiences as “squinting to see ant-sized players”, and only see the broader aspects of the game, not its finer details. Building on these links between metaphorical thinking, embodied cognition, and construal level theory, we thus hypothesize and find in four experiments that people who do the right thing process their world abstractly. Experiment 1 demonstrated the main effect that moral thinking leads to abstract processing. To prime moral or less moral thinking, we had undergraduate students write about an instance in their lives in which they did the “right” or “wrong” thing, respectively. They then completed the Behavioral Identification Form (BIF; Vallacher and Wegner 1989). As predicted, participants who recalled behaving morally selected more abstract descriptions on the BIF than those who recalled behaving less morally. We also ruled out mood as an alternative explanation for our findings. Experiments 2 and 3 aimed to explore how moral thinking may influence specific cognitive consequences of abstract thinking. In Experiment 2, we reason that people who process abstractly pay little attention to details, and so they should be worse at analytical reasoning than those who process concretely (Friedman and Forster 2011). To prime moral or less moral thinking, we had undergraduates write stories about themselves using either positivelyor negatively-valenced words, such as kind or greedy, respectively. They then completed the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT; Frederick 2005). As expected, participants in the moral prime scored lower on the CRT than those in the less moral prime. Mood had no effect. Meanwhile, in Experiment 3, we hypothesized that people who do the right thing are more creative than those who do the wrong thing (Forster, Epstude, and Ozelsel 2009). Undergraduates received the same prime as Experiment 1, in addition to a control condition. They then generated as many creative ways of using a brick as possible. Planned contrasts revealed that participants in the moral prime generated more ways to use a brick creatively than those in the control, who generated more than those in the less moral prime. Finally, Experiment 4 examined how moral thinking may influence consumer preferences. Mechanical Turk participants received the same moral or less prime as Experiment 1. They then saw an ad for the “Simply Orange” brand of orange juice that emphasized either the brand’s abstract, future benefits or its concrete, immediate benefits. Participants who recalled behaving morally had more favourable attitudes toward Simply Orange when the ad was in an abstract than a concrete frame. Conversely, participants who recalled behaving less morally had more favourable attitudes toward the ad in a concrete than an abstract frame. Across four experiments, this research demonstrates that metaphors like “on a high ground” and “taking the high road” are linked to embodied cognitions. More specifically, this link can cause people doing the right thing to subsequently process their world abstractly. Our findings may also offer another explanation for other consequences of moral thinking, such as licensing. Furthermore, our present findings encourage future research to understand morality not in isolation, but in terms of physically-grounded concepts.
Objective To investigate the etiology, clinical feature and related prognosis factors of patients with drug-induced liver injury(DILI). Methods Four hundred and eighteen patients with DILI admitted to our hospital from February 2009 to February 2012 were retrospectively reviewed according to their drug history, clinical features, lab tests, complications and related prognosis factors. Results The etiological drugs of DILI primarily were herbal medicine,antibiotics, antipyretic analgesic, anti-tuberculosis and cardiovascular drugs. Among the 418 patients with DILI, 52.2% were acute DILI, 26.8% were chronic DILI, 19.4%were drug-induced liver failure, and 1.7% were drug-induced cirrhosis, respectively. The overall cure rate was 36.4%, the improvement rate was 49.3%, the worsening rate was 11.2%, and the mortality rate was 3.1%. The prognosis factors of DILI were levels of AST, TBil, Alb, CHE and PTA. Conclusion Various kinds of drugs could cause liver injury. Patients with DILI had specific clinical manifestation. The prognosis factors of DILI are correlated with levels of AST, TBil, Alb, CHE and PTA.
A method for ion implantation with metallic plasma source features that metal plasma is excited in vacuum chamber with enclosed magnetic field and high negative voltage pulse is applied. Said vacuum chamber has filament, thermal electron emitting, and high-voltage pulse power supplies and magnetic strips outside it and bench, or stand, cathode target and filament inside it. With said apparatus, ion implantation or ion mixed implantation to workpiece in all directions may be performed.
This report presenst hotspots of biodiversity for benthos, fish, birds, marine mammals and habitats on the Dutch Continental Shelf. These hotspots are based on a spatial application of biodiversity metrics developed in this study for the GES(Good Environmental Status)-descriptor 1 ‘Biological diversity is maintained’ of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) (EU 2008). The choice of the biodiversity metrics is based on the proposed indicators of biodiversity in the Commission Decision (EU 2010). The purpose of this study is to provide insight in possibilities for spatial protection measures in the framework of the MSFD. This report feeds information and ideas into further work for the MSFD in the Netherlands. IMARES has compiled this report for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (Ministry of EL&I) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (I&M).
In this paper, we take Determinative-Measure Compounds as an example to demonstrate how the E-HowNet semantic composition mechanism works in deriving the sense representation for a newly coined determinative-measure (DM) compound. First, we define the sense of a closed set of each individual determiner and measure word in E-HowNet representation exhaustively. Afterwards, we make semantic composition rules to produce candidate sense representations for a newly coined DM. Then, we review development set to design sense disambiguation rules. We use these heuristic disambiguation rules to determine the appropriate context-dependent sense of a DM and its E-HowNet representation. The experiment shows that the current system reaches 89% accuracy in DM sense derivation and disambiguation.
The invention discloses a defoaming agent for coating. The deforming agent for coating is prepared from the following components in parts by weight: 14 to 20 parts of ethydene bis-palmitamide, 5 to 12 parts of ethylene distearamide, 9 to 20 parts of tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide, 3 to 8 parts of fatty alcohol-polyoxyethylene ether, 33 to 39 parts of kerosene, 10 to 18 parts of white oil, 6 to 14 parts of aluminum dibutyrate, 3 to 8 parts of aluminum linolenate and 6 to 12 parts of aluminum dilinoleate. The defoaming agent provided by the invention can obviously reduce small bubbles produced when wall surfaces is coated with the coating, guarantee the integrity of the wall surfaces coated with the coating and simultaneously improve the attractiveness. The invention further discloses a process for preparing the defoaming agent for coating. The process comprises the following steps: uniformly mixing all the components, then putting the mixture in a reaction kettle, and preserving heat for 10h at temperature of 180 DEG C to obtain a product A; grinding the product A to obtain the defoaming agent for coating. The process for preparing the defoaming agent for coating provided by the invention is simple in steps, easy to operate and low in preparation cost.
In this paper,the chaos high efficient genetic algorithm(CHEGA) is proposed for parameter optimization of Muskingum routing model,in which the initial population are generated by chaos algorithm,and the new chaos mutation operation is used for the shrinking of searching range.CHEGA gradually directs to an optimal result with the excellent individuals obtained by real-value genetic algorithm.It is very efficient in maintaining the population diversity during the evolution process of genetic algorithm.Its efficiency is verified by application of five test functions compared with standard binary-encoded genetic algorithm and improved genetic algorithm.Compared with real-valued accelerating genetic algorithm and traditional optimization methods,CHEGA can get to the whole searching range,it has rapider convergent speed and higher calculation precision.It is efficient for the global optimization in the practical hydrological models.
Efficacy of lidocaine for cardiac rhythms after aortic declamping was evaluated retrospectively. Twenty-four patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (Group C1) and seven patients undergoing aortic or mitral valve replacement (VR) (Group V1) received crystalloid cardioplegia without lidocaine, while 21 patients undergoing CABG (Group C2) and 19 patients undergoing VR (Group V2) received lidocaine (50 mg/l) added crystalloid cardioplegia. After aortic declamping, there was a significant increase in spontaneous resumption of heart beating in Group C2 (71.4%) and Group V2 (57.9%), as compared with their respective counterparts, Group C1 (4.2%) and Group V1 (0%). Mean attempts of electrical defibrillation were significantly decreased in Group C2 (one time) and Group V2 (1.33 times), while electrical defibrillation was required 1.74 times in Group C1 and 2.71 times in Group V1. The present study suggests that lidocaine cardioplegia increases spontaneous defibrillation and decreases the need of electrical defibrillation.
The invention discloses an automotive adaptive receiving demodulation device and a control method thereof and belongs to the vehicle communication technology field. A difference between the device and the prior art is the use of an ASK / FSK demodulator. Through ASK / FSK demodulator rotation, ASK demodulation and FSK demodulation are performed on a detection signal. Through processor rotation, a waveform of the detection signal, which is obtained through preliminary demodulation of different demodulation systems, is acquired, and the waveform is compared with an expected value of a guidance code so as to determine a demodulation mode of the detection signal. A main idea of the method is to rotate the processors to open an ASK demodulation path of the ASK / FSK demodulator and a FSK demodulation path, acquire the waveforms of the two systems and compare the acquired waveforms with a preset expected value so as to determine a modulation mode of the detection signal. Through receiving a remote control signal of a remote control key ASK system and a tire pressure signal of a tire pressure monitoring system FSK system, and through carrying out preliminary demodulation on the received detection signal, a correct demodulation system of the detection signal is determined and adaptive demodulation between the ASK demodulation system and the FSK demodulation system is realized.
The immature embryos obtained from interspecific hybridization from Lilium lancifolium as a female parent with 7 oth-er lily species were used as the explants to tissue culture.The influencing factors of embryo culture were studied in this paper.The results indicated that the percentage of seeds with embryo of L.lancifolium × L.maximowiczii was the highest,with up to 41.3%.70% alcohol for 1 minute was the best disinfection method for capsules without dehiscence.The rate of germination of embryos without seed coat and endosperm was 60%～70% higher than that with seed coat and endosperm,and germinated 17～22 days earlier.The best age for the immature embryos to culture in vitro was in 40～50 days after pollination.The best medium for embryos germination was MS+NAA0.01 mg·L-1 +6-BA0·1 mg·L-1.
The effects of an α-olefin polymer drag reduction agent(DRA) created using solution polymerization on the efficiency of drag reduction are studied.The results show that α-olefin polymer DRA begins to reduce drag when the concentration is 5 mg/L.Up to a constant value,the drag reduction percentage of the samples improves as the concentration increases.The drag reduction percentage drops rapidly as shearing times increase.The effects of polymer characteristics on drag reduction efficiency are further studied.Particle density and concentration are obtained through viscosimetry.The results show that with α-olefin polymer DRA,the characteristic viscosity is lower,density is higher,particle concentration is lower,and molecular weight is higher resulting in improved drag reduction efficiency.Other conditions worsen drag reduction efficiency.
The effect of the duration of freezing and the following period with positive temperatures on water drainage and water content in saturated undisturbed samples of soddy-podzolic soils is studied by the tensiometer method under equal hydrostatic pressures. The longer the soil has been frozen, the lower the observed water content. Water content in the samples increased with the time of thawing. The described effects are explained on the basis of pore space rearrangement and the theory of fluid flow in fine films and pores.
Application of energy storage batteries in the new energy field has been increased by accompany of wide researches of battery management system. In order to enhance efficiency of the energy storage system and to prolong the cycling life of batteries, this paper submits a hierarchical storage battery voltage, battery temperature and battery state estimation function, all based on experimental verification. The experimental results verify the validity and reliability of the layered managemant system, where precised data of single battery voltage and temperature have been acquired for accurate battery status estmation.
Objective To investigate the mechanism underlying apoptosis and protective effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) in hippocampal CA1 region after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. Methods Wistar rats were inflicted with four vessel occlusion for global ischemia, and those in NGF group were given intraventricular injection of NGF after ischemia. Immunohistochemistry staining was used to detect P75NTR, Bcl 2 and Bax, and TUNEL method to detect apoptosis. Results The expression of Bax was positive, while the apoptosis and the expressions of P75NTR and Bcl 2 were negative in normal control. After ischemia/reperfusion, the expression of Bcl 2 was still negative, while the expression of P75NTR and Bax increased and reached its summit in day 3. TUNEL positive neurons were seen in day 2 and reached a peak in day 3. In NGF group, the expression of Bcl 2 was increased, while the expression of Bax, P75NTR and TUNEL positive cells were obviously decreased. Conclusion These findings suggest that the increased expression of P75NTR and Bax in hippocampal CA1 region after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion may be one of the main reasons for apoptosis after ischemia. Intraventricular NGF might have protective effect on neuronal apoptosis after cerebral ischemia via regulation the expression of Bcl 2 and Bax by regulated NGF receptor.
The China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan Railway planned to construct is the south corridor of new Asian-European Continental Bridge. It is an important channel for China to enter middle and western Asian, and even Europe. By analyzing the geographical location of this railway, and its important role in resource import, economic development, foreign trade, international cooperation, etc., the necessity of constructing this railway is illustrated. On the basis of clarifying the attraction area and the development trend of traffic volume of this railway, the traffic volume is forecast, and some suggestions are put forward to accelerate the construction of China - Kyrgyzstan -Uzbekistan Railway.
Language transfer has been a controversial topic in English language teaching.Most language learners emphasize the negative transfer of native language and neglect the positive transfer.However,positive transfer of native language cannot be ignored.Based on Scheme Theory,the author illustrates how to mobilize the functions of cultural positive transfer of native language in foreign language learning.
Practical design considerations are presented for the realisation of wideband Butler matrices in stripline. The discussion concentrates on the design of the wideband frequency invariant phase shift and hybrid networks required within the Butler matrix. A design example using single section Schiffman lines and three-branch branch line couplers augmented by Schiffman lines is described which operates over a 26% bandwidth. This approach is suitable for bandwidths up to an octave. For multiple octave operation, approaches using tandem couplers and multi-section Schiffman lines are discussed.
This invention relates to a mixed gas generation device, and addresses the problem of providing a mixed gas generation device capable of energy-efficient generation of CO and H2. An energy-efficiency characteristic line (10) for electrolysis relative to the ratio of CO and H2 generated (CO/H2) is a downwardly convex curve. Thus, rather than at an operating point A which gives CO/H2 = 1/2, electrolysis occurs by divided an operating point B and an operating point C. Each of the electrolysis times is divided such that the generation ratio of the mixed gas having been mixed after electrolysis at each of the generation ratios becomes CO/H2 = 1/2. Accordingly, an energy efficiency in the vicinity of an operating point D which is higher than that of the operating point A can be achieved.
The present paper analysed people in eleven cities making up one sixth of Jiangsu population. In 1984-1986 the mortality of malignant neoplasm was 163.28/10(5), (Chinese standard mortality were 116.57/10(5), the world standard mortality were 177.75/10(5)) which accounts for 25.04% of the total mortality during the same time. The trends of deaths from neoplasms show that oesophageal cancer in both sexes and leukemia in male are gradually decreasing, lung cancer in male and hepatoma in female are gradually increasing. The rank correlation analysis between chinese standard mortalities of some major malignant neoplasms indicates that the stomach cancer was positive correlated with oesophageal cancer in both sexes, the oesophageal cancer in male and the stomach cancer in female were negative correlated with lung cancer, and the breast cancer was negative correlated with oesophageal cancer in female. All this suggests that there may be likely etiologic association between these malignant neoplasms.
The parent strain Trichoderma koningii was implanted with N+ beam for breeding a mutant strain with the ability to produce cellulase.It was found that the curve of survival rate of the parent strain revealed a saddle shape and a high positive mutation rate in the treatment dose range of 10× 1014 to 12.5 × 1014 ions/cm2.Under the implantation conditions of 15 keV and 12.5 × 1014 ions/cm2,a high cellulase-producing mutant with excellent genetic stability was obtained and named as HF-6.The activity of cellulase in the screened mutant was roughly 0.217 U/mL,which was 52.82 % higher than the parent strain.Three main factors(fermentation conditions) that affect cellulase production by HF-6 including pH,medium volume in 250-mL shake flask and ammonium sulphate concentration were screened out of 8 factors by Plackett-Burman design.Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the three factors based on a three-factor,three-level Box-Behnken experimental design,which resulted in a mathematical model of filter paper activity(FPA) against the three factors.The optimum fermentation conditions were determined as follows: pH 5.75,4.23 g/L ammonium sulphate and 63 mL of culture medium in 250-mL shake flask,respectively.Under these conditions,the experimental FPA activity in fermentation broth was 0.233 U/mL(an average of 3 replicates).
Background Though long known to affect smooth muscle biology, recent studies indicate that phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) is also expressed in myocardium. Recognizing that the regulation of PDE5 in hypertrophy is not well understood, we assessed the response of PDE5 expression and the level of cGMP-dependent kinase I (cGKI) in the left and right ventricles of feline hypertrophy models. Methodology/Principal Findings Using a cDNA library of feline aortic smooth muscle cells, we identified and cloned PDE5 cDNA for the first time in this species. The sequence shares 98% identity with its human orthologue at the amino acid level. E. coli expression of the cloned allele allowed selection of antibodies with appropriate specificity, facilitating the analysis of PDE5 expression in feline models created by selective proximal aortic (Ao) or pulmonary artery (PA) banding that resulted in hypertrophy of the left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV), respectively. We demonstrated that PDE5 expression responded differentially with a decreased expression in the LV and an increased expression in the RV in the Ao-banded model. Similarly, in the PA-banded model, LV showed reduced expression while the RV expression was unaltered. In addition, the expression of cGKI was significantly decreased in the RV of Ao-banded group, correlating inversely with the increase in PDE5 expression. Conclusions/Significance The differential regulation of PDE5 and cGKI expression suggests that the mechanisms involved in hypertrophy could be different in RV vs. LV. Reciprocal PDE5 and cGKI expression in the RV of Ao-banded model suggests functional significance for PDE5 up-regulation.
The Large Area Telescope (LAT), one of two instruments on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is a pair-conversion detector designed to study the gamma-ray sky in the energy range 30 MeV to 300 GeV. Fermi has detected high-energy gamma rays from the quiet Sun produced by interactions of cosmic-ray nucleons with the solar surface, and cosmic-ray electrons with solar photons in the heliosphere. While the Sun was detected by EGRET on CGRO with low statistics, Fermi provides highquality detections on a daily basis allowing variability to be addressed. Such observations will provide a probe of the extreme conditions near the solar surface and a monitor the modulation of cosmic rays over the inner heliosphere. We discuss the study of the quiescent solar emission including spectral analysis of its two components, disk and inverse Compton.
Objective To conduct screening of inborn error of metabolism (IEM) by analyzing urinary organic compounds in 705 infants with mental-motor retardation of unknown cause or suspected IEM and to give them suitable therapy. Method All of the 705 patients′ urine samples were collected by filter paper set and sent to Matsumoto Institute of Life Science (MILS) in Japan where the urinary organic compound was analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and then the chemical diagnosis for IEM was done. Results Among analyzed 705 patients 65 (9.2%) cases were found with abnormal urinary profiles. Eleven cases were found with galactosemia, 10 with phenylketonuria (PKU) and 10 with methylmalonic acidemia(MMA), 2 with glutaric aciduria, 2 with lysineuria and 2 with homoserinuria, 1 with fructose-1,6-diphosphatase deficiency (FDPD), 1 with pyroglutaminuria, 1 with neuroblastoma, 1 with long-chain fatty acetyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, 1 with multiple carboxylase deficiency, 1 with ornithinetranscarbamylase deficiency, 2 with simple glycosuria and 2 with diabetes, 3 with Fanconi syndrome and 15 with 3-hydroxybutyrate and ketonuria . Favorable effects were observed in most of the above mentioned cases after suitable therapy. Conclusion Screening for IEM is indicated in infants with mental-motor retardation of unknown cause. The GC-MS analysis is an accurate, sensitive and specific method for the screening of IEM and it should be conducted as early as possible. It is very important to further facilitate the screening of IEM.
Introduction: Castleman’s disease is a benign lymphoid proliferation of unknown etiology. It has two different clinical classifications: localized and multicentric type. Trough a case report of thoracic Castleman’s disease, we will try to define the clinical, radiological and pathological features of this rare disease. Case report: We report a case of 33 years-old woman, presenting a left hilar opacity fortuitously discovered on the chest x-ray. We evoked the diagnosis of hydatid cyst because of our endemic context. During the surgical operation, an inter-lobar mass in intimate contact with the branches of the pulmonary artery was discovered. The tumor was removed completely, and was diagnosed to be the hyalin vascular type of Castleman’s disease histopathologically. Discussion: Thoracic Castleman’s disease is located most commonly in the mediastinum. Interlobar location, such our patient is unusual. Its management is surgical. Three pathologic classifications have been developed: hyalin vascular variant, plasma cell variant and mixed variant. Conclusion: Castleman’s disease is a benign and uncommon etiology of thoracic tumors. The diagnosis is histological after a surgical resection.
Objective The current study examined the prospective effects of educational attainment on proinflammatory physiology among African American and white adults. Methods Participants were 1192 African Americans and 1487 whites who participated in Year 5 (mean [standard deviation] age = 30 [3.5] years), and Year 20 (mean [standard deviation] age = 45 [3.5]) of an ongoing longitudinal study. Initial analyses focused on age-related changes in fibrinogen across racial groups, and parallel analyses for C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 assessed at Year 20. Models then estimated the effects of educational attainment on changes in inflammation for African Americans and whites before and after controlling for four blocks of covariates: a) early life adversity, b) health and health behaviors at baseline, c) employment and financial measures at baseline and follow-up, and d) psychosocial stresses in adulthood. Results African Americans had larger increases in fibrinogen over time than whites (B = 24.93, standard error = 3.24, p < .001), and 37% of this difference was explained after including all covariates. Effects of educational attainment were weaker for African Americans than for whites (B = 10.11, standard error = 3.29, p = .002), and only 8% of this difference was explained by covariates. Analyses for C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 yielded consistent results. Conclusions The effects of educational attainment on inflammation levels were stronger for white than for African American participants. Why African Americans do not show the same health benefits with educational attainment is an important question for health disparities research.
Most widely used statistical technique for estimating cause-effect relationships is the Linear regression methodology. Ordinary least squares (OLS) method, which is valid under certain assumptions, is generally used to estimate the underlying parameters. If the errors are not homoscedastic, OLS estimates lead to incorrect inferences. In this article, use of the powerful stochastic optimization technique of Genetic algorithm (GA) is advocated for estimation of regression parameters and variance parameter simultaneously even when nothing is known about the form of heteroscedasticity. Parametric bootstrap methodology is employed to obtain standard errors of the estimates. The methodology is illustrated by applying it to a dataset.
In the Songnen Plains of China, the reeds grow fastest in middle August. In this experiment, four research plots were chosen in the arid habitats. The first plot was dominated by reed, and in which, there was some stagnant water in July and August. The ramets of reeds grew singly, and most of them could turn into reproductive growth. Its community coverage was more than 95% after the fast growing season of July. The second plot was Leymus chinensis + Phragmites communis community, where soil was alkaline meadow with stagnant water for a short time or not. Its community coverage was more than 90%. Two or three ramets grew in a tuft, while most of them couldn't turn to reproductive growth, so reeds were used to make hay stored in winter every year. The third plot was on Aeolian sandy soil with good permeability and drainage on a grassland of artificial forest edge on sand dune. Its community coverage was about 50%, and two or three ramets grew in a tuft. The last plot was alkaline bareground patches, where top soil was lost completely. Soil was hard and permeability was poor. On some alkaline patches, there could form a micro-community dominated by reed, and eight to twenty ramets could grow in a tuft. Ramets were all slender and creeping stems. Its community coverage was from 20% to 40%. The results showed that four mentioned habitats, the growth and productivity of the ramets of the populations were the largest in the lowland and the smallest in the alkaline patch. The height of ramets differed 2.8 times, and the biomass differed 4.4 times in the two habitats. There were also significant difference between the other two habitats, sand soil and mixed-grass community. The integrated condition of habitat were the major factor that affected the height of the ramets of the population. Moreover, the growth condition of interior habitat was the major factor that affected the ramet biomass of the population in lowland and alkaline patch, while the integrated habitat conditions had much more effects on the ramet biomass of the population in sand land and meadow. The height of ramet was much lower in ecological plasticity than the biomass in every population. The variations of biomass allocation of the ramet in different habitat conditions indicated important strategies in the growth regulation and biomass allocation. More biomass of ramets was allocated to leaves preferentially in the four habitants, especially on sand dune. Reeds in alkaline patch had small ramets and enough growth spaces. There were 63.04% and 53.61% biomass allocated to leaves, and only 14.82% and 19.92% to the stems, although 58.31% was allocated to leaves and only 19.05% to stems to ensure the full material product in the meadow, because of the interspecific competition. But, in the lowland with better conditions where had a higher density and large coverage, only 42.1% were allocated to leaves, while 37.52% were allocated to stem to elongation of stem in order to improve the individual competition for space and light. The leaf sheath/biomass ratio of the ramets was 20.38%-26.47%, which was nearly, at the same level in four habitats. There was the same regulation of the heterogeneous speed growth by power function, either in the increased height and weight of the ramets, or in the relative increased weight of the stems, leaves and the ramets of the populations in four different habitat conditions.
Powerful winds with wide opening angles, likely driven by accretion disks around black holes (BHs), are observed in the majority of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and can play a crucial role in AGN and galaxy evolution. If protons are accelerated in the wind near the BH via diffusive shock acceleration, $p gamma$ processes with AGN photons generate neutrinos as well as pair cascade emission from the gamma-ray to radio bands. The TeV neutrinos detected by IceCube from the obscured Seyfert galaxy NGC 1068 can be interpreted consistently if the shock velocity is appreciably lower than the local escape velocity, which may correspond to a failed, line-driven wind that is physically well motivated. Although the $p gamma$-induced cascade is $ gamma gamma$-attenuated above a few MeV, it can still contribute significantly to the sub-GeV gamma rays observed from NGC 1068. At higher energies, gamma rays can arise via $pp$ processes from a shock where an outgoing wind impacts the obscuring torus, along with some observable radio emission. Tests and implications of this model are discussed. Neutrinos and gamma rays may offer unique probes of AGN wind launching sites, particularly for objects obscured in other forms of radiation.
Objective To investigate the rehabilitation needs of people with disabilities in Wuxi.Methods Rehabilitation demands of 74387 people with disabilities in Wuxi were surveyed.Results There were significant differences in rehabilitation needs of the disabled from age and different types of disabilities.Conclusion Disability community-based rehabilitation system should be improved according to different demands of disability.
Concrete is one of the most widely used and durable building materials. It often is subject to deterioration, damage, incorrect design, and/or construction errors that will necessitate structural repairs. This article focuses on the structural repair of concrete and describes the processes involved in determining the cause of the distress, removing damaged materials, and selecting the appropriate repair techniques that will extend the useful service life of the structural elements of the existing facility. Structural concrete repair is a complex process that requires careful diagnosis of the existing condition and consideration of many factors to arrive at a satisfactory, economical, and durable solution.
The invention provides a displayer carrying device which is used for carrying a displayer in a suspension mode. The displayer carrying device comprises a left arm plate (2), a right arm plate (21), an upper supporting rod (3), a lower supporting rod (4) and a displayer carrying frame (10), wherein the left arm plate (2) and the right arm plate (21) are fastened to a top wall (1) separately, the upper supporting rod (3) and the lower supporting rod (4) penetrate through the left arm plate (2) and the right arm plate (21) in the left-right direction, and the displayer carrying frame (1) is fixedly connected with the displayer. The upper supporting rod (3) comprises an upper supporting rod body and a threaded pushing driving piece (6), wherein the threaded pushing driving piece (6) is fixedly connected with the left end of the upper supporting rod body in the axial direction through an upper thrust bearing (36). The lower supporting rod (4) comprises a lower supporting rod body and a threaded pulling driving piece (8), wherein the threaded pulling driving piece (8) is fixedly connected with the left end of the lower supporting rod body in the axial direction through a lower thrust bearing (48).
In the buyer's market,an enterprise cannot follow passively the change of the market;rather,it should create its new market.The competitive advantages can also be created,which requires lowering the opportunity cost and making a good use of market information.Creating market is the key element for an enterprise to foster its competitive advantage, and the innovation of ideas is at the foundation of creating market.
Klauder’s self‐energy method is used in a self‐consistent calculation of the effects due to the interactions between carriers and dopant ions in GaAs at 300 K. The many‐body effects due to the interactions among the carriers themselves, exchange, and correlation, are estimated by evaluating expressions similar to those of Abram et al. at 300 K. When densities exceed about 5×1016 cm−3 in n‐type GaAs and 1018 cm−3 in p‐type GaAs, carrier‐dopant ion interactions and carrier‐carrier interactions become significant and should be included in calculations of band structure changes and of properties which depend on the density of states such as carrier transport, effective intrinsic carrier concentrations, and coefficients for optical absorption.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely lubricate bearings which support a drive shaft, and to improve the reliability of a turbine generator. SOLUTION: The turbine generator (50) includes a turbine impeller (60) and a power generation mechanism (65) which are connected by the drive shaft (68), and a casing (51) which accommodates the turbine impeller and the power generation mechanism, and is connected to a refrigerant circuit (20). The rolling bearings (81, 82) for supporting the drive shaft (68) are arranged in the casing (51). A lead-in passage (56) for sending a refrigerant to the turbine impeller (60) and a lead-out passage (58) for discharging the refrigerant from the casing (51) are connected to the casing (51). The turbine generator (50) further includes an electromagnetic valve (42) which blocks the flow-in of the refrigerant into the casing (51) from the lead-in passage (56) when a refrigeration cycle is stopped, and a check valve (45) which blocks the back flow of the refrigerant into the casing (51) from the lead-out passage (58) when the refrigeration cycle is stopped. COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT
Deep neural networks (DNN) have demonstrated effectiveness for various applications such as image processing, video segmentation, and speech recognition. Running state-of-the-art DNNs on current systems mostly relies on either generalpurpose processors, ASIC designs, or FPGA accelerators, all of which suffer from data movements due to the limited onchip memory and data transfer bandwidth. In this work, we propose a novel framework, called RAPIDNN, which processes all DNN operations within the memory to minimize the cost of data movement. To enable in-memory processing, RAPIDNN reinterprets a DNN model and maps it into a specialized accelerator, which is designed using non-volatile memory blocks that model four fundamental DNN operations, i.e., multiplication, addition, activation functions, and pooling. The framework extracts representative operands of a DNN model, e.g., weights and input values, using clustering methods to optimize the model for in-memory processing. Then, it maps the extracted operands and their precomputed results into the accelerator memory blocks. At runtime, the accelerator identifies computation results based on efficient in-memory search capability which also provides tunability of approximation to further improve computation efficiency. Our evaluation shows that RAPIDNN achieves 68.4x, 49.5x energy efficiency improvement and 48.1x, 10.9x speedup as compared to ISAAC and PipeLayer, the state-of-the-art DNN accelerators, while ensuring less than 0.3% of quality loss.
Result of microsurgical correction of posttraumatic defect of soft tissues depends a lot on anesthesiological support. During the operation the inhibition of energetic status causes the occurrence of oxygentransporting debt, metabolic acidosis develops. Analgosedation, peculiar to anesthesy, promotes an organism defense toward operative trauma of middle severity, causes temporary hypometabolic effect, changed than by oxidantic stress and general adaptive syndrome development.
Growth, yield and fruit quality of seven apple cultivars resistant (Vf) to scab (Venturia inaequalis) on M.9 rootstock was evaluated in 2001–2004. Considering the cumulative two-year yield, three groups of cultivars were separated. ‘Selena’ was the most productive, ‘Sawa’, ‘Rajka’, ‘Topaz’, ‘Resista’ and ‘Wars’ were high yielding and ‘Rubinola’ gave moderate yield. ‘Sawa’ fruits were the largest and ‘Topaz’ the smallest. Fruits of all cultivars were covered with an intense surface red or orange red blush. Three chemical treatments per year, on average, were necessary for control of pests and only one or two against powdery mildew (Podosphaera leucotricha). During all study years no symptoms of scab and only sporadic symptoms of mildew have been observed.
This Work aimed to use pig ments extracted fro m banana leaves as natural waste source to dye some Egyptian cotton fabrics. Both alkaline and acetone extracted solutions were analy zed by high performance thin layer chro matography (HPTLC) analysis technique. The solutions were applied to the pre-mordanted bleached and mercerized cotton fabrics made fro m Giza 86 and Giza 90 cotton varieties. Ferrous sulphate, copper sulphate and potassium dichro mate were used as mordant. The factors affecting the fixation of the ext racted dye with cellulose was studied. The treated and untreated fabrics samp les were tested for their mechanical properties expressed as tensile strength (kg/force) and elongation%. Dyeing performance in terms of colour parameters (K/S, ∆L* , ∆a*, ∆ b* and ΔE), and fastness properties (wash, perspiration, and light fastness) were studied. The samples show high tensile strength, high colour strength, and high fastness properties. These results are very important for industrial application with the production of a natural dye as an inexpensive source from banana leaves as a by-product. Another objective is to increase the production of eco-textile garments with a good price for the Egyptian customers.
BackgroundThe quest for the perfectly designed elbow prosthesis continues as instability and loosening remain the foremost reasons for the failure of total elbow replacement (TER). The Discovery® Elbow System (Biomet, UK) (Figure 1), which has been used in UK since 2003, is one of the latest generations of linked prosthesis. This system was designed to decrease polyethylene-bushing wear, improve anatomic stem design, restore elbow joint biomechanics, and produce a hinge that could be easily revised. This report describes the short term outcome of TER using the Discovery® Elbow System.Patients and MethodsA total of 60 TERs including 48 primary and 12 revisions were performed between 2003 and 2008. Patients included 21 males (37%) and 36 females (63%) with a mean age of 63 years. The indications for primary TER were advanced rheumatoid arthritis (n=19), osteoarthritis (n=16), post traumatic osteoarthritis (n=9), acute fractures (n=3), and haemophilic arthropathy (n=1). The outcome was assessed using pain sc...
Ethics, especially medical ethics, is of a great importance in health data protection, and in medical informatics field ethical principles have great importance in confidentiality, security, and access to patient records. This is not as simple problem as it looks in the first sight, and-in that context-it is significant that many jurisdictions have drafted laws in this regard. As medical informatics has been developed, this ethical problem is becoming very important for medical informatics. Many efforts to make fundamental principles "according to which data protection and access to official information could be reconciled" are made. The principles described in this paper are independent of any process, as they are based on ethical principles. It avoids any kind of conflict or misunderstandings. They can be a base for making of an ethical code for informatics in health care delivery. These principles are independent of any particular "laws", and they can serve as to establish uniformity of standards in medical informatics.
Plasma exchange (PE) and intravenous polyvalent immunoglobulins (IVIG) offer a new therapeutic approach to polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM). Plasma exchange. The largest open study of PE was reported by Herson et al., in 57 patients with inflammatory myopathies (33 DM, 24 PM) who were resistant to classical treatments. The patients were described as having acute (< 6 mois, n = 38) or subacute or chronic (n = 19) disease. There were 41 females and 16 males with a mean age of 40.4 +/- 20.5 years. The mean number of PE was 14.8 +/- 9.2. The score of muscle function improved in 54% of the patients. A significant improvement in the muscle test was only seen in the acute forms, particularly in severe cases with impaired swallowing. The difference was not significant in the subacute and chronic forms. Intravenous immunoglobulins. Several recent publications have emphasized the importance of polyvalent IVIG in the treatment of inflammatory myopathies. In our experience, 30 patients (21 females, 9 males, mean age 44.5 +/- 18) with PM (n = 22) or DM (n = 8) were given IVIG after unsuccessful classical therapies including corticosteroids (n = 29), immunosuppressors (n = 28), PE (n = 8), total body irradiation (n = 1), and lymphopheresis (n = 1). Three to 6 monthly cures of 2 g/kg/cure polyvalent IVIG were given. Clinical improvement was significant as evaluated by muscle tests in 18 of the 30 patients. Global scores for the 30 patients rose from 44.2 +/- 12.7 to 65.3 +/- 17.9 points (for a theoretical maximum of 88 points) after the third cure (p < 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The age relationships of pegmatites to the regionally important folding phases (F2 and F3) and their deformation features suggest the existence of two distinct suites of pegmatites in the Serido Group: an older (pre-F3) suite of highly deformed pegmatites showing, locally, tectonic fabrics related to F2 and/or F3; and a younger (late-post F3) suite of weakly deformed or undeformed pegmatites without any tectonic fabric. The major concentration of pegmatites, including members of both the suites, occurs within medium - to high-grade metasediments in the eastern part of the Serido belt. The tectonic structures and fabrics found in pegmatites of the older suite show that their emplacement began during the regional F2 tectono-metamorphic event and outlasted it. The structural  relationships of pegmatites of the younger suite, together with their lackof planar and linear fabrics, suggest that their emplacement post-dates the phase of syntectonic crystalization/recrystalization related to the regional F3 tectono-metamorphic event. The ages obtained for two pegmatites of the younger suite are situated between 510 and 450 Ma, which suggests a late Brasiliano age for its emplacement. This pegmatite suite appears to be genetically related to the late-tectonic (570-510 Ma old) Brasiliano granites. The age of the older pegmatite suite, as also its relationship with the granites, cannot be established at present for lack of geochronological and geochemical data. However, there is no doubt that its emplacement occurred early in the tectono-metamorphic history of the Serido Group.
Now the problem of popularization of science attracts a lot of attention from scientists and general public. The new rise of interest to this problem is connected with understanding that the lack of qualitative communication between scientific community and public may lead to conflicts mutual accusations, which will have negative impact both on science and society. At the same time popularization of science now becomes a very extensive and divers area and suffers from the lack of theoretical framework, which can integrate it. In this article we try to contribute to the further theoretical understanding of notion and main element of popularization of science. So, popularization of science is communicative activity of scientists aim to inform public with their scientific archives, to promote the objective view of the world and scientific methods to receive it. The process of popularization of science is analyzed in terms of its participants, who are distinguished from the point of view of intellect, language, world view, goals. Furthermore, the results of this participation depend on particular reassures and institutions. As a result, we elaborate the list of groups, who take part in popularization of science.
AIM: To investigate the effects of angiotensin Ⅱ type-1 receptor blocker on arterial myogenic tone of spontaneously hypertensive rats(SHR).METHODS: Sixteen SHR rats(8 weeks of age) were randomly divided into losartan 30 mg/(kg·day) group(SHR+L) and normal SHR group(SHR),and eight sex-and age-matched Wistar rats were assigned to control group(CON).Rats assigned to CON and SHR groups received vehicle(distilled water) by gavage,and distilled water containing losartan at 30 mg/(kg·day) was administered to rats in SHR+L groups.After 10 weeks,segments of middle cerebral artery were isolated and then cannulated to two pipettes.Vascular diameters in response to the increased intraluminal pressure(from 0 mmHg to 125 mmHg in 25-mmHg increments) of isolated middle cerebral arteries under no-flow conditions were recorded by a Pressure Myograph System both in physiological salt solution(PSS)(active diameter,Da) and calcium-free PSS(passive diameter,Dp).Myogenic tone was calculated by(Dp-Da)/Dp×100%.RESULTS: Myogenic tone responsiveness of middle cerebral artery in SHR group increased significantly compared with that in CON group,with 30 mg/(kg·day) losartan treatment in SHR+L group.This enhancement may be partially prevented.CONCLUSION: RAS(spell out) participates in arterial function remodeling in SHRs.Chronic AT1 receptor antagonist therapy with losartan markedly reduces the changes of function in SHRs.
The facts were elaborated in this paper that it is beneficial to carry forward the cream of traditional culture in academic library for the civilization literacy cultivation of undergraduates,purification of the general mood of campus,and improvement of library work.The methods were summarized for carrying forward the cream of traditional culture in academic library,and the problems to which attention should be paid were pointed out.
Introduction Learning from Case Studies CENTRAL GOVERNMENT Appropriation Accounts Fund Accounting Performance Indicators Supply Estimates LOCAL GOVERNMENT Local Authority Annual Budget Local Management of Schools Local Authority Financial Report Local Authority Capital Accounting NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE Health Authority Financial Report and Accounts District Hospital Management Budget OTHER PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS Nationalized Industry Annual Report and Accounts Regional Water Authority Annual Report and Accounts University Annual Accounts Regional Transport Authority and Executive Annual Report and Accounts
1. A method for removing sulfur, wherein a gas mixture for separation of sour gas components subjected to the separation process, which yields a sour gas containing carbon dioxide and sulfur compounds, particularly hydrogen sulfide, the sour gas to extract the elemental sulfur is fed to a Claus unit to which as the reaction gas containing oxygen is supplied solely technical pure oxygen, and wherein the downstream Claus plant carbon dioxide is withdrawn having a purity of at which the mill ovitsya possible direct storage or technical use, characterized in that the residual gas for removing hydrogen and carbon monoxide subjected to afterburning with technically pure oxygen, and water vapor is removed from the residual gas by condensation. ! 2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the catalytic afterburning is carried out residual gas. ! 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when exceeding the maximum allowable combustion temperature in the combustion chamber is supplied to a Claus plant part characteristic admixture process residual gas selected downstream with respect to the Claus plant. ! 4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that during the separation process all components of the sour gas is separated and recovered with a total fraction of sour gas. ! 5. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the separation process includes the washing of the gas mixture to a physical and / or chemical absorbent and regenerating the absorbent. ! 6. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the residual gas exiting the Claus plant is subjected od
In theory, we study the quantum fluctuations of the subharmonic reflected field from a triple-resonant degenerate optical parametric amplifier (OPA) inside an optical cavity. We discuss two cases, where the linewidth of the harmonic field is either much narrower or broader than the subharmonic field. Since an electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT)-like effect can be simulated in a triple-resonant OPA, the output spectra from a triple-resonant OPA with a squeezed vacuum input may simulate the phenomenon of the response of an EIT medium for squeezed states. This scheme can be implemented with present experimental setups.
Development of the Standard Missile Aegis LEAP Intercept (SM-3 ALI) missile required that lightweight designs be used wherever possible. The missile has four longitudinal shakes, which serve as tunnels for cables running between the guidance section and rocket control sections further aft. These must be designed to operate in a hypersonic flight environment for long periods, through continuum atmospheric flight into the non-continuum region, while maintaining an internal tunnel environment that is acceptable to the cables. Performance, weight and cost studies indicated that the strakes should include substantial composite materials. An extensive ground thermal test program was conducted to qualify the strake design for flight. Three distinct test series were performed, beginning with high heat flux tests where candidate strake nose material and manufacturing concepts were tested in environments up to and exceeding the design requirement. This testing was performed at the U.S. Navy T-Range Aerothermal Test Facility at NAWC China Lake, CA. Upon successful completion of that series, near full-size strakes manufactured by two suppliers were subjected to simulated aerodynamic heating at the Johns Hopkins ‘Senior Principal Engineer, Raytheon Electronic Systems, Tewksbury, MA, Senior Member AIAA ‘Senior Engineer II, Raytheon Electronic Systems, Tewksbury, MA, Member AIAA 3Engineer, Raytheon Electronic Systems, Lexington, MA 4Senior Engineer II, Raytheon Electronic Systems, Tewksbury, MA 5Project Engineer, Creare Inc., Hanover, NH, Member AIAA ?Senior Engineer I, Raytheon Electronic Systems, Tucson, AZ, Member AIAA Copyright
Genotypic restrictions on plant regeneration from cultured cells have hindered the genetic transformation of most barley cultivars. Optimizing culturing protocols for some genotypes may facilitate their genetic transformation to produce transgenic plants with desired characters. Plant regeneration from embryogenic callus of six barley genotypes (Hordeum vulgare L.) was examined on four different media compositions. Regeneration was improved for all genotypes by separately autoclaving certain components of the culture media and using maltose as the carbon source. Medium No. 2 revealed the highest frequency of embryogenic calli (74.56%), shoots (26.58%) and regenerated plantlets (14.33%) across all genotypes. Genotypes Giza 124, Giza 126 and breeding line No. 6 revealed the highest regeneration frequency (9.83%, 9.53% and 10.70%, respectively). Using the intact or bisected immature embryos, as explants did not significantly affect the regeneration frequency of all genotypes. Enhancement in plant regeneration is expected to facilitate the transformation of commercial barley germplasm.
A 14-bit 100-MS/s pipelined analog-to-digital converter(ADC) without dedicated front-end sampleand-hold amplifier(SHA) is presented. In addition to elaborate matching of the sampling network in the first stage,a background offset cancellation circuit is proposed in this paper to suppress the offset of the comparators in the first-stage sub-ADC, which ensures the overall offset does not exceed the correction range of the built-in redundant structure. Fabricated in a 0.18- m CMOS technology, the presented ADC occupies a chip area of 12 mm2, and consumes 237 m W from a 1.8-V power supply. Measurement results with a 30.1-MHz input sine wave under a sampling rate of 100 MS/s show that the ADC achieves a 71-d B signal-to-noise and distortion ratio(SNDR),an 85.4-d B spurious-free dynamic range(SFDR), a maximum differential nonlinearity(DNL) of 0.22 LSB and a maximum integral nonlinearity(INL) of 1.4 LSB.
With the onset of the HIV epidemic, there was an alarming increase of cases with pulmonary (3%) and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) as a result of the lymphohematogenous dissemination of the primary pulmonary infection. In the initial stages of HIV infection, the localized pulmonary TB is the most frequent, that is attributed to a reactivation of an infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the advanced stages of the immunosuppression, the TB infection is a primary one, which is produced mainly by atypical mycobacteria. About 120 species of non-tuberculous mycobacteria are known to be able to cause infections with lung, lymph node, bone, soft tissue, skin localization and central nervous system impairment. In TB endemic countries (with over 50 cases/100.000 persons) the risk of extra-pulmonary TB infection is significantly associated with the multidrug resistance of the mycobacteria. We present the case of an HIV positive patient detected from a particular lymph node TB in terms of evolution and site.
This paper presents Voltage Dips and Short Interruption Immunity Test Generator, to check the immunity of equipment against the voltage dips and short interruption, which occurs widely in low voltage mains and interface with electrical and electronics equipment connected to the mains. The output voltage waveforms of the immunity test generator are in full compliance with the standard IEC 61000 - 4 - 11. IEC 61000 - 4 - 11 is a common reference used to evaluate immunity of equipment while subjected to voltage dips or short interruptions. The 3 phase generator is designed for immunity testing of equipment operating at low voltage (not exceeding 240 V) and power frequency (50 Hz). Current rating of the generator is 32 amps. Generator is having user interface facility - HMI (human machine interface) using which user can generate the voltage dips or short interruption of any level and duration defined in IEC 61000 - 4 - 11. Experiment towards energy meter has been done to testify the equipment's feasibility. The resulting waveform can show that generator can work properly.
The theory that the trabecular structure within bones follows the principal stress trajectories, is investigated by two-dimensional finite element models of increasing complexity. This is done for the proximal femur of the human and for the calcaneus of the horse. In both cases, a simple model with well-chosen loading and boundary conditions gives good agreement between the observed trabecular structure and the calculated stress trajectories. It is shown that this stress trajectory theory has a mechanically founded explanation.
Objective To develop a real-time quantitative RT-PCR method with TaqMan Probe to assess the RNA copy number of Dengue virus. Methods Primers and TaqMan probe targeting the signature and the conserved sequence of four the Dengue virus subtypes were designed. The reaction protocol was optimized. The sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility were then evaluated. Conventional RT-PCR was also used to compare for the sensitivity of this method. Results The sensitivity of this assay was 1×103 copies / mL. The detection method was found to be highly specific and reproducible. The standard deviation from five separate measurements of the same sample was 0.792. Conclusion The developed method can be used to quantitatively measure the copy number of Dengue virus RNA.
In subatomic particle detection, it is important that structural members have a minimal effect on the trajectory of the particles. Since every piece of material acts as a barrier in which particles are decelerated (defined in a material constant called radiation length), the amount of material that can be traversed has to be minimised. Since all particles originate from a single point source, the problem can be written in terms of an averaged traversed path. In shell-like structures, the thickness distribution determines the average traversed path, which must be minimised. Therefore, the process of superplastic forming seems an appropriate way of manufacturing some of these parts. In order to use superplasticity in an FE program, an accurate constitutive model is necessary. The FE thickness results serve as a basis to determine per element the average traversed path. Combined with the element view factor, a percentual radiation length can be calculated for the whole part.
Orthodox economists generally think about labor market that the price stability and low unemployment cannot be achieved at the same time. In this sense, the Orthodox argument discusses that a decline in the aggregate demand will decrease the money wages and real wages proportionally, and increase the volume of employment. Michal Kalecki denies such a wage policy which is consistently determined by this idea. Wages reflect the price-money wage relation in real terms. Prices set in regard to the degree of monopoly. In this context, it is assumed real wages is determined depending upon the degree of monopoly, labor productivity and price of import goods. According to Kalecki, Orthodoxian view which relates a decrease in real wages with an increase in production based on increasing marginal cost assumption and Kalecki does not accept this perspective. Kaleckian PostKeynesian labor market will be theoretically discussed and the determination process of the real wage will be empirically analyzed for Turkish economy over the period 1989:1 to 2012:4.
On the basis of the basic theory of sociolinguistics,the paper got researches on the contrastive study of the vocabulary and grammar of the English language concerning linguistic gender for both the on-shore society and the crew pool.It got a preliminary conclusion which shows linguistic gender balance on the on-shore society,the male gender bias of the English language in the crew pool,as well as interrelations among the English language used in the crew pool and that used on the on-shore society.
Product semantics, the “study of the symbolic qualities of man-made forms in the context of their use, and application of this knowledge to industrial design” (Krippendorff and Butter, 1984) is an important challenge in product design. Because of subjectivity, this particular dimension of the user’s need is difficult to express, to quantify and to assess. This paper presents a general approach to assess product semantics in a sound way. It is based on users’ tests, and involves several classical methods in marketing and decision-making theory, as multidimensional scaling, semantic differential method, factor analysis, pairwise comparison and Analytical Hierarchy Process. As a result, our integrated approach provides designers with a tool which helps understand and specify the semantic part of the need; it rates and ranks the new product prototypes according to their closeness to the specified “ideal product”, and it underlines the particular semantic dimensions that should be improved. To illustrate our approach, we have performed users’ tests and applied our methodology to the design of table glasses. For the sake of clarity, each stage of the methodology is presented in detail on this particular example. Relevance to industry Our integrated framework of product semantics can be readily deployed in companies and used at different stages of the designing of new products. On the one hand, databases can be built and regularly updated to describe the perceptual space of a market segment. On the other hand, this database can be used to specify target requirements for a new product by simple qualitative comparisons to existing products in the database. Finally, emerging product concepts may be directly assessed with regards to the database and the requirements in a simple qualitative and comparative way.
Aims: To establish a reliable animal model of chronic arthritic inflammatory pain, to find the optimal parameters and appropriate intervals of repeated 100 Hz transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for the treatment of the chronic arthritic pain , and to explore the possible central neurochemical mechanisms. The results: (1) Injection of water in oil type complete Freund's adjuvant into the tibio tarsal joint of the rat produced a reliable, reproducible monoarthritic model. (2) The interval between 2 sessions of stimulations and the intensity of stimulation were important factors determining the therapeutic effects of repeated 100 Hz TENS on both acute and stable period of monoarthritis. (a) For acute period of monoarthritis, the optimal frequency is twice a week, while in the stable period, once a week seems better. (b) The effects of TENS in three intensities: the weaker stimulation was found to produce better results. (3) In the period from 2 to 9 weeks, the levels of spinal release of SP ir in the TENS group were lower than the control group. This may constitute one of the possible neuro chemical mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of multiple TENS treatment. (4) In both acute and stable period of adjuvant induced monoarthritis, intrathecal microinjection of Nor BNI produced dose dependent increase of arthritic flexion pain scores (i.e. hyperalgesia), suggesting that spinal dynorphin/kappa system plays a role in suppressing arthritic pain.
With Autodesk Inventor as a development platform,the key technology of the re-development of Autodesk Inventor by using VB6.0 as a development language was studied,and the parametric design module was successfully developed.The integration between parametric design and CAE analysis was also studied,and the interaction and seamless integration between Autodesk Inventor and ANSYS Workbench were achieved by integrating ANSYS Workbench under Autodesk Inventor enviroment.
over appropriate rules for accounting and corporate governance. The debate has largely ignored an important preliminary question: who should set standards of corporate governance and disclosure for publicly traded companies? This paper argues that stock exchanges have substantial advantages, in comparison with government bodies, as the primary regulators of corporate governance, disclosure, and accounting. Those advantages stem from superior incentives. Stock exchanges gain from investors’ willingness to trade and accordingly have an incentive to provide any cost-effective rules that will increase investor welfare. There are several standard arguments against increasing the role of exchanges in setting disclosure and governance rules. One is that exchanges have market power, which dulls their incentive to set optimal rules. Another is that competition for listings will make exchanges reluctant to enforce their rules. A third is that disclosure rules have external effects that an exchange cannot internalize. Finally, it is argued that exchanges may lack sufficiently varied enforcement tools to ensure compliance with their rules. Under current practice, the primary threat exchanges can hold over listed companies is delisting, which may be too large a penalty for some violations and too slight for others. Only the last of those is a significant obstacle, and even that can be resolved contractually to some extent. Listing agreements could call for fines and other penalties for violation of rules. Nevertheless, government agencies have a clear advantage in investigating and punishing wrongdoing. A natural solution, then, would be to maintain the Securities and Exchange Commission as an enforcement agency but cede much of its rulemaking authority to the exchanges. Public and Private Rule Making in Securities Markets
Conducting Comparative Analysis of Financial Statements in the company Corpromedic  SA city of Latacunga has been carried out in order to understand the variations recorded  in accounting records compared from one period to another and identify profitability. For  this purpose was the application of analysis techniques Horizontal and Vertical for the  periods 2009, 2010 and 2011, and also the basic financial indices trading company. Based  on the results of this research work the company is provided Corpromedic SA with easy  to understand instrument showing the increase or decrease of economic values, also  enables effective and timely management of resources for management to make decisions  and contributing to efficient management of economic and financial resources.
Speech coders are fundamental component in telecommunication and multimedia infrastructure. Several systems like, mobile telephony, voice over internet protocol (VOIP), audio conferencing etc., rely on efficient speech coding. Speech coders strive to provide low-bit rate maintaining the same speech quality and intelligibility. Linear predictive coding uses spectral properties of the speech to “optimize” the coder's performance for human ear. In this paper we perform a comparative assessment of speech coding performance of some state-space filters to give designers an insight into capabilities of these filters. The filters considered are Kalman filter, state-space recursive least-squares (SSRLS) and SSRLS with adaptive memory (SSRLSWAM). The results of RLS and LMS are also quoted. The performance is judged in terms of perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ) and prediction gain.
AIMS It is as yet undefined whether simple indexes of autonomic balance such as heart rate (HR) may play a role in risk stratification in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). The aim of this study was to quantify the prognostic significance of HR from the surface ECG obtained both at entry and at discharge, in a large population of patients all treated with fibrinolysis during the acute phase and having confirmed acute MI.   METHODS AND RESULTS Surface ECGs obtained at entry and at discharge in patients with confirmed MI enrolled in the GISSI-2 study, a large multicentre trial of different thrombolytic agents, were retrieved. Heart rhythm was evaluated and HR was measured; these data were then added to the main database of GISSI-2 allowing a complete evaluation of the prognostic significance of HR. Patients not in sinus rhythm or with grade 2-3 atrioventricular block were excluded. The prognostic significance of HR (cut-offs predefined at 60, 80, 100 beats.min-1) at entry for in-hospital mortality and at discharge for 6-month mortality was evaluated in the general population and in predefined subgroups. Multivariate analyses were used to assess the independent prognostic value of HR. A total of 8915 patients (more than 70% of the original population) were suitable for the analysis. There was a progressive increase in mortality with increasing HR in the general population (from 7.1% for HR < 60 beats.min-1) to 23.4% for HR > 100 beats.min-1) and in the predefined subgroups. Multivariate analysis showed that HR exerted an independent prognostic significance. Data for analysis of HR at discharge were available for 7831 patients. Consistent with the data observed at entry, a progressive increase of 6-month mortality with increasing HR was present in the general population (from 0.8% for HR < 60 beats.min-1) to 14.3% for HR > 100 beats.min-1) and for the different predefined subgroups. Multivariate analysis confirmed the independent prognostic significance of HR. There was no relation between HR and the incidence of fatal and non-fatal reinfarction.   CONCLUSION The present study indicates that HR values from a standard 12-lead ECG independently predict mortality in patients with acute MI during the in-hospital phase and after discharge. This simple index appears very useful for risk stratification in clinical practice.
Tetradentate Schiff base (H 4 L) on account of its beauteousness and endearing popularity and versatility towards wide range of complex formations, many inquisitive chemists got interested to their complex formation after inclusion of suitable bridging or linking agents like SCN -1 /N 3 -1 . In the present research work, H4L novel Schiff base has been obtained by the 1:2 molar condensation of triethylenetetramine with 5-chloro-2-hydroxyacetophenone. Using the reference ligand two Zn(II) azide & thiocyanate bridging complexes were synthesized and characterized by common elemental analysis, IR and 1H NMR spectral data. Respective ligand and two Zn(II) complexes were further identified with the aid of UV spectral transition bands. The results confirmed that in both complexes Zn(II) bonded to the ligand through imine or amine nitrogen along with azide bridging or N-bonded thiocyanate as linker.
Neurodegenerative diseases such as hereditary spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) type 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 17 and Huntington's disease are linked to abnormally expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) tract in the respective proteins. The polyQ expansions cause a conformational change in the polypeptide to promote misfolding and aggregation of the disease protein. The expanded polyQ protein may also acquire a toxic function through aberrant protein interactions. The disease-causing gene in SCA17 has been identified as polyQ expansion in the TATA-box binding protein (TBP) gene. TBP is a transcription initiation factor. TBP interacts with other protein factors to regulate gene expression. PolyQ length in TBP N terminal domain ranges from 25~42 in normal population and 43~66 in SCA17. The first aim of this study is to investigate if the polyQ expansion affects HMGB1 binding. By using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and GST pull down assay, both E. coli and HEK293T expressed proteins were used to study the interactions between HMGB1 and TBP carrying 20~61 polyQ tract. The results suggest the negative association of polyQ length and HMGB1-TBP interaction. The in vivo length-dependent negative association between TBP and HMGB1 interaction was also suggested by co-expression and co-immunoprecipitation. The second aim of this study is to screen effective chemical compounds which may inhibit polyQ aggregation using thioflavin T binding assay. Among the 31 compounds examined, none displayed effective aggregation inhibition as compared to congo red.
Myocardial noncompaction is a rare type of congenital cardiomyopathy, characterized by trabecular network and deep trabecular recesses located in one or more ventricular segments. Patients generally present with cardiac failure, ventricular arrhythmias, and signs and symptoms related to systemic embolies. We presented two cases of myocardial noncompaction, one with left ventricular involvement and dysfunction, and the other with biventricular involvement and trabecular structures, causing right ventricular outflow tract stenosis which required sur gical correction. These cases are remarkable as they had atypical clinical picture including presentation findings and treatment protocols.
This thesis introduces an approximate time-frequency calculus for underspread linear time-varying systems (i.e., time-varying systems that effect only small time-frequency shifts of the input signal) and underspread nonstationary random processes (i.e., nonstationary processes that feature only small time-frequency correlations). After briefly describing the major difficulties encountered with time-varying systems and nonstationary processes, we introduce an extended definition of underspread systems. Our extended underspread concept is based on weighted integrals and moments of the system’s generalized spreading function. Subsequently, numerous approximations are presented which show that in the case of underspread systems the generalized Weyl symbol constitutes an approximate time-frequency transfer function. As a mathematical underpinning of our transfer function approximations, we provide bounds on the associated approximation errors that involve the previously defined weighted integrals and moments of the generalized spreading function. We then consider nonstationary random processes and provide an extended definition of underspread processes. This extended underspread concept is based on weighted integrals and moments of the generalized expected ambiguity function of the process. Subsequently, two fundamental classes of time-varying power spectra are introduced and analyzed: “type I” spectra that extend the generalized Wigner-Ville spectrum and “type II” spectra that extend the generalized evolutionary spectrum. We show that in the case of underspread processes, the various members of these two classes of spectra are approximately equivalent to each other and (at least) approximately satisfy several desirable properties. Our approximations are again supported by bounds on the associated approximation errors. These bounds are formulated in terms of the previously defined weighted integrals and moments of the generalized expected ambiguity function. The definition and analysis of time-frequency coherence functions concludes our discussion of time-varying power spectra. Finally, we illustrate the practical relevance of our theoretical findings by considering several applications in the areas of statistical signal processing and wireless communications. These applications include nonstationary signal estimation and detection, the sounding of mobile radio channels, multicarrier communications over time-varying channels, and the analysis of car engine signals.
The present invention relates to an LED circuit operation, comprising: means for providing an adjustable DC voltage circuit block, and the constant current source with a clocked switch, for example, a DC voltage supplied by DC / DC converter, by controlling the switching circuit to work clock signal, so as to reduce the on-time tON of the switch results in a reduction of the power supply, wherein the constant current source is supplied by one or more of the lED, wherein the control unit is designed to, in addition to reducing small ON duration tON, also changes to a constant current source or other control parameters of the DC supply circuit module in at least one.
The TPACK model developed by Mishra & Koehler looks at technology integration from a teacher’s perspective. What are the different areas of knowledge a teacher must command in order to be able to integrate technology more effectively? The triple Venn diagram in Figure 1 shows that the ‘hot spot’ happens at the intersection of the technological knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge. So for English language teachers, the ideal person to integrate technology into English language learning should be someone who knows English, who knows how to teach it and who knows about technology. This, in my opinion, has deep implications for English language teacher training programmes, which should include technology integration from the very beginning. Principles for meaningful technology integration
In this study, aims to determine antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria isolated from ear swabs affected dogs otitis externa. This study were obtained 7 positive Staphylococcus aureus isolates from 30 samples consisting of 40 isolates were found which has the characteristic round shape, gram-positive, not encapsulated and the structure clustered like grapes. Identification of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria based on the fermentation of MSA, Gram staining, catalase test, coagulase test and VP test. Antibiotic susceptibility test Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Amoxycilin, Chloramphenicol and Rifampicin performed in vitro using Kirby-Bauer method. The results showed that the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus isolates positive catalase test, positive coagulase test and positive VP test. The susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolates to the antibiotic Gentamicin that is 100%. Other antibiotics that have a level of sensitivity that is Ampicillin and Chloramphenicol (71.43%), while Ciprofloxacin, Amoxycillin and Rifampicin (85.71%).
Sea cucumber fishery and trade were one of the top non-finfish income streams for the coastal  people of Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in the South East coast of India. As there was no regulation to  control the fishery, there was a concern on decline in sea cucumber populations. In order to  conserve the over-exploited stocks, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change,  Government of India banned the fishery and trade of sea cucumbers by including them under Wild  Life Protection Act 1972 since 2001. The enforcement of a blanket ban of sea cucumber fishing over  the last 14 years might have helped in reviving their populations; at the same time, the ban would  possibly had a social and economic impact on scores of people, who were dependent on the sea  cucumber fishery. To understand the situation, the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem (BOBLME)  project approved a short term project to Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (India). The  project was intended to understand the sea cucumber stocks and implications of the ban on the  livelihood of fishers in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar. The purpose of the project was also to suggest  management options for conservation and sustainable use of sea cucumber resources.
This paper reports on a study of female students’ motivations and preferences for course and career choices in an Information Communications and Technology (ICT) undergraduate program. Descriptive-interpretive phenomenology was adopted to investigate the phenomenon. Bandura’s self-efficacy framework was influential in interpreting participants’ motivation toward course choices and preferences. Findings revealed intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as significant influences on participants’ decisions to go into either technical or design majors of the ICT field. Extrinsic motivation came from influences such as stereotyping of gender abilities, prior computing skills, and role models while intrinsic motivation was based on individuals’ career interests and self-efficacy in specific sectors. Findings reflected that the majority of female participants preferred the design track within the ICT career field (web design, computer animation, and instructional design), with interest in self-employment. A very small number of female participants enrolled in the technical track involving computer programming, networking, and database administration, indicating female students’ preference for the design aspects of ICT.
HUNTER, LARRY T., Ph.D., June 2007, Higher Education EXAMINING ATTENDANCE PATTERNS OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGES (180 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Valerie Martin Conley This study was designed to (a) describe selected characteristics of students who stop out of, drop out of, and enroll continuously in American community colleges, (b) test for differences relative to selected characteristics between students who stop out of and students who drop out of American community colleges, and (c) examine what associations there are between selected characteristics and whether students stop out of or drop out of American community colleges. The main purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to reduce the gap found in the literature relative to the attendance patterns of students who enroll in American community colleges and (b) to help community college personnel better understand and address their students’ needs through a review of recommendations and intervention programs related to the retention of students. This study utilized nationally representative data gathered from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 1995-96 (NPSAS:96) and the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study 1996-2001 (BPS:1996/2001). The first research question was answered through the use of weighted estimates and standard errors. The second research question was answered through the use of t-tests, contingency tables, and Pearson’s chi-square. The third research question was answered through the use of forced entry binary logistic regression. In addition to describing selected characteristics of students who stopped out of, dropped out of, and enrolled continuously in American community colleges between 1995-96 and 2000-2001, this study found that there are significant differences relative to the purpose for enrolling, parents’ combined highest level of education, and first attending a small institution between students who stop out and students who drop out of community college. Finally, this study found that there are two characteristics – academic integration and first attending a small institution – which had a significant association with whether students will stop out of or drop out of American community colleges. Approved:_______________________________________________________________ Valerie Martin Conley Associate Professor of Counseling and Higher Education Acknowledgements I scarcely know where to begin as I prepare to write what I have dreamed of writing for four years – the last piece of my dissertation – the acknowledgements. To thank every single person who has helped me through this incredibly arduous yet infinitely rewarding experience is impossible. For anyone I may have inadvertently forgotten to thank here, please accept my apologies and my sincere thanks. To begin, I would be remiss if I did not thank my dissertation committee – Dr. Valerie Martin Conley (chair), Dr. Robert Young, Dr. Gordon Brooks, and Dr. William Knight. Of these four quite learned professionals, I must especially thank my committee chair, Dr. Conley. Dr. Conley, you are an incredibly intelligent, energetic, and caring person. It has been largely because of your commitment to your profession and to your students that I am on the precipice of realizing this life-defining goal. Simply put, I cannot thank you enough for your cooperation in meeting frequently with me, in helping me through tough concepts, and in easing me over the bumpy roads. Most importantly, I cannot thank you enough for becoming and remaining my friend. I am eternally grateful to you. Speaking of being eternally grateful to someone, I wish to thank my former boss, Dr. Joyce McCabe. Joyce, you and I had some terrific times together at Columbus State Community College (CSCC). More important than that, having you as my mentor and role model made me see just how important it was for me to continue my education. I thought at the time we were together that I would be doing well just to obtain my baccalaureate degree; then came my master’s degree and now here I am ready to become Dr. Hunter! Who knew! In any case, I thank you, Joyce. You are my mentor, my role model, and my dear friend. Of all the people I have known during my 20 years of employment at CSCC, few had made more of an impact on me than Joyce, Noreen Locklin, and Karen Hill. Noreen put up with a lot of my antics and “abuse” but she was always a great sport. Besides that, she used to proof my papers for me and find things I would miss. Noreen, you are missed and you will not be forgotten. Karen Hill is a true treasure. She is dedicated, motivated, sincere, and a true friend. Karen, you always tell me how my educational endeavors have been motivating for you; trust me, I admire your energy and doggedness in your pursuits of your degrees! After working at CSCC for 20 years, I became employed, in July 2006, at Ohio Dominican University (ODU). I would like to thank all of my new colleagues at ODU, including my boss Dr. Mary Todd and my assistant Dorothy Drugan. I appreciate the support you both have given me. Some of the best support I have received has come from my colleagues in Cycle 8. I cherish the memories I have of our two years of coursework and comps that we went through together. There is no doubt in my mind that, without the support of my Cycle 8 colleagues, I would not have made it to my final goal of this degree. I am excited for the day that all 22 of us will be called “Doctor!” I want to thank a few specific people from Cycle 8. I’m speaking of the members of my writing group. Amy Adams, Ryan McCall, Heather Kincaid, and Elinda Boyles – you are all so dear to my heart. Amy, I want to thank you, especially, as it seems we have shared so much and are continuing to share, even now that our doctoral journeys are ending. You have truly become one of the most important people in my life. Included in the most important people in my life are my brother, Chuck Hunter, his wife, Mary Delfs-Hunter, my uncle, Harold (Pinky) Thomas, and my mother, Mary Jo Hunter. These people have supported me in every way they can with my educational endeavors. My mother’s support was instrumental in me reaching this goal. Look, Mom, I made it! I thank you, and I will never forget you. Finally, I wish to thank my dear friends, Mark Hurtt, Todd Koger, Jodi Bopp, Heidi Carter, Todd Carter, Brenda Russell, Dan Trittschu (Dan, did I spell it right?!), Brian Hurtt, Evelyn Slaybaugh, Pattie Ponzani, Eric Reasoner, Terry Valentine, and Jon Packer. What can I say, guys, that we haven’t already said to each other – and that I can put into print! You all are my life and my family in so many ways. Mark, you are my best friend, and you have been for more than 40 years – 40 years! Even I am amazed by that! Of course, a few words written here cannot even begin to cover all of my gratitude to you for being in my life. I would be, literally, no where in this world without you, and that is no understatement. Your support of me through the years is unmatched by anyone in my life. This degree is every bit as much yours as it is mine if for nothing else than these words you spoke to me back in June 1984, “Are you ever going to do anything with your life?” I love you and thank you more than I can ever say, if for nothing else than saying those words to me. I took those words and I “ran” with them! 9 Table of
A method of translating a message represented in a first markup language comprising a succession of blocks associated respectively with an address attribute is adapted to translate the message into a second markup language comprising two groups of blocks (BH, BB). The method comprises a step (S4) of selecting a first set of blocks (BF, BR) associated with an address attribute comprising a reference to the recipient station of the communication network and of adding (S5, S8) this first set of blocks (BF, BR) to the second group of blocks (BB); a step (S12) of obtaining the number of blocks written in the second group of blocks (BB); and, if the number of blocks is equal to zero a step (S15, S19) of adding a single block (BG), chosen from the second set of blocks, to the second group (BB).
This article analyses unknown pages of history of the Committee for the Liberation of the Russian Peoples’ activity in Norway on the basis of unique archival documents from the Russian, German, and US archives. It focuses on the work of Colonel G. Zverev and other officers of the Vlasov Army in 1944–1945 regarding the recruitment of Soviet prisoners of war from Norwegian camps for the Armed Forces of the Committee (Vlasov Army). It is concluded that three fourth of the Soviet prisoners of war in Norway either remained indifferent to the appeals of Vlasov’s representatives, or treated them with hostility. Those who did agree to join the Vlasov Army, the German Command was already unable to use on the front lines.
In this paper, superstitious learning is conceptualized as a phenomenon related to the dual effect of experience accumulation: the development of competence and the development of confidence in one’s competence. When confidence develops more rapidly than competence as experience accumulates, learning is superstitious for both causal and outcome ambiguity reasons. I argue that superstitious learning from rare and complex events is rooted in fundamental ambiguity on the performance outcomes of organizational tasks, even before the problem of causal ambiguity emerges, and develop a dual test for detecting the presence of this problem in the context of corporate acquisitions. The conditions defining the boundaries of the phenomenon are then considered: two mitigating factors are identified in the heterogeneity of the stock of accumulated experience and in deliberate learning processes. I test these arguments with a sample of US bank mergers and find evidence that managers’ selfattributions of success in previous acquisitions are negatively related to the actual performance of the focal merger, and that this effect increases as they accumulate experience. Consistent with the theoretical arguments developed, the effect is significantly reduced as the stock of experience becomes more heterogeneous and knowledge is systematically articulated and codified.
Thank you very much for reading chess and computers. As you may know, people have search hundreds times for their chosen novels like this chess and computers, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they juggled with some infectious virus inside their desktop computer. chess and computers is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our books collection hosts in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the chess and computers is universally compatible with any devices to read.
Salivary lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), peroxidase (Px) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activities were scanned in both normally ovulating and anovulating women during entire menstrual cycle. In ovulating women, all the three enzymes exhibited significant increase in the activity on or before the onset of ovulation which was monitored by the shift of the basal body temperature (BBT) as well as the ferning pattern of the cervical mucus. The peak maximum at the midcycle was several times higher than the previous day value in all the six normal women. In anovulatory women, no such remarkable change in the enzyme activities was found throughout the cycle. Salivary LDH and LAP showed peak at the midcycle and at the same time required short time for assay, so the present results are strongly suggestive that the determination of salivary enzyme content may be a convenient method for detecting the day of ovulation.
Abstract – Apparent sorption kinetics determined from single-run batch studies can drift significantly from true kinetics in systems where sorbent quantity remains constant with respect to sample withdrawal. This systematic error is investigated for sorption reaction models, generalized to any reaction order. The problem is formulated to quantify the bias associated with the number and volume of samples withdrawn under relatively slow equilibrium. The results are extended to rapidly equilibrating systems following the Langmuir isotherm model. Keywords – pseudo-order, sorption, kinetics, equilibrium, modeling, bias, sampling error
Streetwise is devoted exclusively to business topics. From writing business plans, to financing, to building Web site traffic, these books provide everything ambitious business professionals need. Business happens in the real world, not the classroom. Streetwise recognises this and delivers the goods - fast. No fluff. No wasted time. Just cutting-edge information managers and small business entrepreneurs need to run their business successfully.
Submitted for the DFD09 Meeting of The American Physical Society A Numerical Model for Time-Dependent Gravity-Driven Flow in a Collapsible Tube AMANDA PETERS, MICHELLE BORKIN, SHREYAS MANDRE, Harvard University — We present details of a Navier-Stokes solver to address fluid flows through a circular tube with elastic walls. This is the first implementation of a large structured-grid fluid dynamics code on this architecture. This class of problems, fluid flow through collapsible tubes, is very important to the study of biological systems (respiratory system, circulatory system, etc.) and physical systems (fluid dynamics, engineering, etc.). In contrast to other models, we focus on integrating wall elasticity and time dependance. We successfully model the flow of blood through the jugular vein of a giraffe over time by numerically evaluating a series of hyperbolic PDEs using Lax-Wendroff. Through careful error and stability analysis, we were able to create an accurate and stable simulation. We were able to examine the role that elasticity plays at various length scales and determine it has an impact on the flow velocity over large length scales (i.e. a giraffe) whereas it is negligible over small length scales (i.e. a human) as it is likely overwhelmed by factors such as lateral flow and viscosity. This work presents a strong framework for future CFD studies regarding various human blood flow physiologies including the abdominal aorta. Amanda Peters Harvard University Date submitted: 11 Aug 2009 Electronic form version 1.4
SUMMARY The study objective is to evaluate the percentage of germination of seeds (%G) of Pereskia aculeata (ora-pro-nobis) and the register of speed germination (IVG). It was used a total of 35 seeds, distributed seven seeds, in five petri dishes, totalizing five repetitions, which was been submitted to an only treatment, containing as substratum double leaves of paper filter, humidified with distilled water, equivalent to 2,5 times the weight of the substratum and kept at 25oC. The observations were made from five to five days, during thirty days. The results was allowed to conclude that when comparative the repetitions, between itself had high tax of germination (R1, R2 and R3 with 85,71% and R5 with 100%) except R4 that presented 57,14%, that might have suffered attacks by fungi in the seeds of this repetition. In the first counting, R1 presented IVG of 0,2, and R5 after thirty days presented IVG of 0,23, indicating that the seed of Pereskia aculeata does not need techniques for break of dormancy. In the twentieth day, a higher tax of germination was verified. It was evidenced necessity of new referring studies to the growth and development of seedlings of this species, and the use of a bigger amount of seeds, in order to prove the analysis of the observed parameters.
A cervical collar (100) having a chin guard (150), a body of the collar (110), first and second support members chin (135, 145) arranged between the chin guard (150) and the body of the collar ( 110), and an adjustment mechanism chin height, wherein the first and second members of the chin (135, 145) support members are pivotally coupled to the collar (110) body and wherein the adjustment mechanism height chin comprises a first rack (130), wherein the adjustment mechanism chin height further comprises a second rack (140) in which each of said first and second racks (130, 140) is arranged such that a single adjustment of the adjustment mechanism operates to raise both sides of the chin guard (150) relative to the collar body (110), wherein the first rack (130) and the second rack (140) cooperating with a pinion (310), and that the chin guard (150) is s oportada pivotally by the first and second racks (130, 140).
Introduction: In our society the high prevalence of epilepsy and lack of attention to social and familial problems have caused decrease quality of life in patients then ,they do not have been a usual life .The purpose of this study is the survey of social and familial problems between patients and their families. Methods: This study is a descriptive study , The researcher for achieving the purposes of study use two questioners. Tools validity and reliability was down face and content validity and Internal consistency and test retest with /83 correlation.120 patients and 120 their families selected with convenience and information was collected by researcher constructive questionnaires. Then data was analysis by SPSS. Results: Results show that social problems point of view of patients was 65/52% severe and 34/48% moderate and in view of their families was 88/24% moderate, 9/8% without problem on the other hand, familial problems in point of view of patients was 56/32% moderate, 37/93% sever in view of their families was 74/76%moderate and 25/24% without any problem. Conclusion: The different between patient point of view and their families about social & familial problems can caused for insufficient cognitive and awareness to each other. In further, we can plan to educate them interactive perception and attention the needs of patient in that domains.
The debts of performance to both the material images and cast-off (Merz) action-events of Kurt Schwitters, in the 1920s, and the action painting of Jackson Pollock, who transformed the blank square of the canvas into a dynamic arena for action, are well-known. Harold Rosenberg published a seminal essay on the American representatives of action painting entitled "The American Action Painters" in the journal Art News in 1952. He wrote the essay after having interviewed Pollock in 1949, at which time the painter had expressed his belief in the primacy of the act of painting over the painted product. Rosenberg wrote: "At a certain moment the canvas began to appear to one American painter after another as an arena in which to act rather than as a space in which to reproduce, re-design, analyze or 'express' an object, actual or imagined. What was to go on canvas was not a picture but an event" (22). The painting was no longer the locus of painterly representation, but rather the condensate result of dynamic action, painterly action on the canvas. Thus, the unconscious (as the legacy of surrealism), as well as the
In early 2017, Cyclone Debbie caused widespread damage and disruption to electricity supply and other infrastructure in Queensland and New South Wales. This placed considerable strain on citizens and responders alike, as they sought to find ways to keep their mobile telephones charged. Despite the advance warning of the cyclone, news reports suggest that considerable portions of the population were not prepared for the extended duration of power loss that occurred, and in some cases continued for weeks or months. Through analysis of eleven years of finegrained data from the Queensland electricity network covering the years 2005 through 2016, it becomes apparent that widespread and long-lasting blackouts are not uncommon in this region. In this paper we use a simple mobile phone battery life prediction model to predict the number of mobile phones that would be flat on an hour-by-hour basis over the eleven years. This data clearly demonstrates that it is not feasible to extend mobile phone battery life so as to prevent battery depletion in such events, and that the policy focus should therefore be on ensuring that alternative means of recharging are easily available. It also demonstrates the likely impact that time-of-day has on the exhaustion of mobile telephone battery life. From the Queensland data and mobile phone battery life models we infer an initial model of the number of lives lost per year due to the inability to call emergency services due to flat mobile telephone batteries. While this model is still unrefined, it suggests that flat mobile telephone batteries result in a comparable number of deaths per year in Queensland alone, as Australia's infamously deadly wildlife cause for all of Australia. Finally, we explain how market forces mean that mobile telephone battery life cannot be expected to increase over time to solve this problem, and that alternative means of recharging mobile telephone batteries are therefore required.
BACKGROUND Although low socioeconomic status and African-American race have been shown to be risk factors for low rates of breastfeeding, maternal reasons for selection of infant feeding method are not well understood in these populations.   METHODS Healthy women > or =15 years of age receiving routine obstetrical care from nurses and nurse midwives at the outpatient clinic of MacDonald Women's Hospital, Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH were surveyed using a questionnaire interview including Likert-scaled and open-ended questions. All responses to the six open-ended queries were transcribed. Content analysis was used to categorize these responses into three to seven descriptive themes for each question. The authors and two other clinically experienced reviewers participated in theme development, which involved categorization by individual reviewers and then by the group; a full consensus was achieved at each stage. University Hospitals Institutional Review Board approved the study.   RESULTS Of 186 eligible women, 179 (96%) consented, and 176 (95%) were interviewed. Median age was 22 years (range, 15-41 years), 68 (41%) had greater than a high school education, 167 (95%) were African-American, 167 (non-identical 95%) were unmarried, and 87 (49%) were multiparous. When interviewees were asked, "What is the biggest reason you want to breastfeed?," responses included maternal reasons, infant-related reasons, and advice of others. When women were asked, "What would stop you from breastfeeding?," responses included lifestyle reasons, pain-related reasons, lactation process issues, hypothetical medical reasons, and maternal reluctance.   CONCLUSIONS Expectant low-income African-American inner-city women appear well informed about the benefits of breastfeeding. Obstacles to breastfeeding that may be susceptible to intervention include fear of pain, lifestyle issues, and lactation process concerns. "I want to breastfeed because I don't want to get up in the middle of the night." "I wouldn't breastfeed if it hurt." "He [the father of my baby] does not want me to breastfeed because the baby might want to suck on his nipples."
M2CAMI is a working group dedicated to Modeling and Monitoring of Computer Assisted Medical Interventions within the CAMI Labex. It aims at unifying data acquired from different surgical trainers and procedures for collaborative research. In this paper , we propose a generic structure for multi-modal dataset that allows faster development and easier processing. With such formalization, our objective is to go beyond the state of the art by sharing various types of data between international institutions and merge methodological approaches for better detection and understanding of surgical workflows.
With its exquisite astrometric precision, the latest Gaia data release includes ∼ 10 5 astrometric binaries, each of which have measured orbital periods, eccentricities, and the Thiele-Innes orbital parameters. Using these and an estimate of the luminous stars’ masses, we derive the companion stars’ masses, from which we identify a sample of 24 binaries in long period orbits ( P orb ∼ yrs) with a high probability of hosting a massive ( > 1.4 M (cid:12) ), dark companion: a neutron star (NS) or black hole (BH). The luminous stars in these binaries tend to be F-, G-, and K-dwarfs with the notable exception of one hot subdwarf. Follow-up spectroscopy of eight of these stars shows no evidence for contamination by white dwarfs or other luminous stars. The dark companions in these binaries span a mass range of 1.35–2.7 M (cid:12) and therefore likely includes both NSs and BHs without a signiﬁcant mass gap in between. Furthermore, the masses of several of these objects are (cid:39) 1.7 M (cid:12) , similar to the mass of at least one of the merging compact objects in GW190425. Given that these orbits are too wide for signiﬁcant mass accretion to have occurred, this sample implies that some NSs are born heavy ( (cid:38) 1.5 M (cid:12) ). Additionally, the low orbital velocities ( (cid:46) 20 km s − 1 ) of these binaries requires that at least some heavy NSs receive low natal kicks, otherwise they would have been disrupted during core collapse. Although none will become gravitational wave sources within a Hubble time, these systems will be exceptionally useful for testing binary evolution theory.
A non-authenticated group key agreement protocol cannot provide participant and message authentication,thus it must depend on an authenticated network channel or use another scheme to provide authentication.This paper indicates that Burmester et al.'s group key agreement protocol which based on the authenticated broadcast channel is unable to withstand the disruption attack of malicious participants in group.This attack leads that other honest participants will not be able to correctly agree on a group key consistently.In this paper,an improved protocol is proposed.The proposed protocol which joins the message authentication method in original protocol can detect the malicious participant.Under the random oracle model,paper proves the improved protocol can withstand the interrupted attack from malicious participant.
The Campi Flegrei Caldera near Naples, Italy, is arguably one of the world’s prime examples of volcanic hazard in a heavily populated area. Over the last centuries the ground of the caldera went through cyclical phases of inflation and deflation. The inflation phase consists of rapid vertical ground movements associated with the emission of volcanic gases marked by a strong magmatic component. Such deformations are suggested to be caused by pulses of CO2-rich fluids injected into the caldera’s shallow hydrothermal system or by the intrusion of magmatic bodies at shallow depths.
1. Objectives Sasang Contitutional Medicine, a part of the traditional Korean medical lore, treats illness through a constitutional typing system that categorizespeople into four constitutional types. A few of the important criteria for differentiating the constitutional types are external appearances, inner state of mind, and pathological patterns. We had been developing a 3D Automatic Face Recognition Apparatus (3D-AFRA) in order to evaluate the external appearances with more objectivity. This apparatus provides a 3D image and numerical data on facial configuration, and this study aims to evaluate the mechanical accuracy of the 3D-AFRA hardware. 2. Methods Several objects of different shapes (cube, cylinder, cone, pyramid) were each scanned 10 times using the 3D Automatic Face Recognition Apparatus (3D-AFRA). The results were then compared and analyzed with data retrieved through a laser scanner known for its high accuracy. The error rates were analyzed for each grid point of facial contour scanned with Rapidform2006 (Rapidform2006 is a 3D scanning software that collects grid point data for contours of various products and products and product parts through 3D scanners and other 3D measuring devices; the grid point data thusly acquired is then used to reconstruct highly precise polygon and curvature models). 3. Results and Conclusions The average error rate was 0.22mm for the cube, 0.22mm for the cylinder, 0.125mm for the cone, and 0.172mm for the pyramid. The visual data comparing error rates for measurement figures retrieved with Rapidform2006 is shown in . Blue tendency indicates smaller error rates, while red indicates greater error rates The protruding corners of the cube display red, indicating greater error rates. The cylinder shows greater error rates on the edges. The pyramid displays greater error rates on the base surface and around the vertex. The cone also shows greater error around the protruding edge.
One in four patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) at birth or in early childhood will develop cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Historically, guidelines have overlooked treatment in young people, as the immune tolerant disease phase is considered synonymous with chronic infection in the young. Current treatment aims to suppress HBV replication through long-term nucleos(t)ide therapy with little emphasis on virus eradication. To achieve HBsAg loss, it is accepted that effective immune control of virus is required, mimicking that seen in those who resolve acute HBV infection. We have recently challenged the accuracy of a generic immune tolerant state in young people, thus raising a potential role for earlier treatment. Here we report on our immunological analysis of HBV in young people and the role of a dedicated clinic; we make the case for earlier intervention to achieve effective immune control leading to better outcomes.
Determination of optical activity of the cultural medium can be used for detection of extraterrestrial life. The composition of the growth medium depends on the duration of the experiment. Automatic biological stations are sent to planets for a short time, and the best components of the growth medium are D-glucose and D-maltose; optical activity of the cultural broth disappears upon assimilation of these compounds. Tartaric acid is less suitable since the duration of the experiment increases several times and desert soils do not always contain microorganisms assimilating tartaric acid.
Provided sulfuric acid, nitric acid, a method of producing an inexpensive there using protic acid conductive polyaniline salt dissolved in various organic solvents such as hydrochloric acid. A and water in the presence of a hydrocarbon solvent mixture, based on the presence of a surfactant and a radical initiator, to polymerize for 24 hours aniline in the temperature range of 40 ° C. from 30 ° C., polyaniline from the reaction mixture the separated into a hydrocarbon solvent. Thereafter, hydrocarbon solvent containing a polyaniline salt is mixed with other organic solvents, and then the hydrocarbon solvent evaporated to give a polyaniline salt dissolved in various organic solvents.
This investigation compared the effects of three commercial soft contact lens solutions on the rabbit corneal epithelium. Fifteen rabbits wore lenses soaked in ReNu multi-purpose disinfecting solution, Opti-Free rinsing, disinfecting and storage solution, and neutralized AOSEPT for a period of 30 minutes. Control eyes wore lenses soaked in unpreserved saline for the same time period. Corneas were photographed by scanning electron microscopy and graded in random locations across the corneal surface. Slides of these photographs were projected at a magnification of x3000 and graded according to two scales by an observer unaware of the treatment used. The results showed a significant treatment effect, with all three experimental solutions scoring higher than controls. When the three experimental solutions were compared, corneas exposed to ReNu multi-purpose disinfecting solution showed a significantly increased effect by contingency table analysis of data from the adapted Burstein's scale.
A single layered printed circuit board and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the method can include forming a bonding pad, a circuit pattern and a post on a surface of an insulation film, in which one end part of the post is electrically connected to at least a portion of the circuit pattern, pressing an insulator on the surface of the insulation film, in which the circuit pattern and the post are buried in the insulator, selectively etching the insulator such that the other end part of the post is exposed, and opening a portion of the insulation film such that at least a portion of the bonding pad is exposed.
But the Qur'an, which provides a rich variety of specific rules and general principles, does not explicitly address every possible situation that may face a Muslim. For cases not explicitly addressed therein, Muslims look to the example and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (his ASunnah@) as a secondary source of guidance. Often, that, too, leaves open some questions of interpretation or application. In such cases, Muslims rely on ijtihad, which is the ability to analyze a Qur'anic text or a problematic situation within the relevant cultural and historical context and then devise an appropriate interpretation or solution based on a thorough understanding of Qur'anic principles and the Sunnah. This approach results in a highly flexible jurisprudence and is rooted in the Qur'an verse which instructs Muslims who disagree on a matter to seek its resolution by going back to the words of God and his Prophet.
Objective:To investigate life quality of urban male patients with schizophrenia in the competitive employment status.Method:30 urban male patients with schizophrenia in a competitive employment status were collected as study group.30 urban male patients with schizophrenia in a non-competitive employment status were collected as control group.Two groups of patients were evaluated by Self-made questionnairey,positive and negative symptoms scale(PANSS),generic quality of life inventory(GQOLI).Results:There were significant differences between the two groups on marital status,the length of service in the present work,hourly wages,weekly working hours,monthly income(P0.01).The two groups in negative symptoms factor points were statistically significant different(P0.05).The two groups had statistically differences in GQOLI total scores,material life,body health,mental health,social function(P0.01).Conclusion:Competitive employment is helpful for improving life quality and relieve negative symptoms in urban male patients with schizophrenia.
An understanding of the complex physiological, neurological and psychological world of the infant is important in order to provide recommendations about the sensitive and consistent care needed for optimal development. However, when it comes to the subject of infant sleep, professional and lay resources are often based on misinformation and misunderstanding of developmental stages and needs. In order to provide a holistic and scientific foundation for understanding infant sleep, this paper outlines normal infant sleep mechanisms, development and patterns as defined by the literature. Biopsychological data is also presented to demonstrate the study of infant stress, attachment and caregiving routines used to engage infants in sleep. This information can be used as a guideline for determining which sleep choices and approaches are healthy for infants and those which discourage optimal development and leave infants and families at risk.
This study was conducted to identify factors influencing depression symptoms among college students. To accomplish this, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 546 college students from October 1st to November 30th, 2015. Univariate analysis, logistic regression, and multivariate regression analysis between variables were then conducted using depression symptoms as the dependent variable and other relevant factors as independent variables. The level of depression among the subjects differed significantly according to personal attributes, family life and school life characteristics, as well as health related behavioral characteristics. The risk of depression was significantly higher in the lower group than the higher group of family and friends social support, the lower group than the higher group of self-esteem, the lower group than the higher group of locus of control, and in the high risk stress group than the normal stress group. Factors influencing depression symptoms included religion, social support from family, social support from friends, interpersonal dependency, locus of control, and stress were identified as significant variables, indicating that depression among college students is related to diverse elements including sociodemographic characteristics, social support from family/friends, interpersonal dependency, locus of control, and stress. Depression symptoms significantly increased when social support from family or friends, low psychological behavior characteristics are low, and when stress is high. Thus, it is necessary to understand factors related to depression and reduce them to decrease depression levels of college students.
Last Mile Delivery is a subject at the crossroads of economic and social issues. On the one hand, the ability to reach out to very low income populations deprived of access to basic services, particularly those in isolated rural areas, has long been one of the main concerns of many humanitarian organizations or development NGOs. On the other, for a few years now a growing number of businesses have become interested in a segment that is too often forgotten by economic glottalization: populatio...
In this study,visualization experiments and simulation of a new diesel injector were carried out on a constant volume combustion bomb.Fuel-air mixture formation,combustion and emission process were simulated under two types of spray by using three-dimensional CFD package.The optimum injection strategy was achieved.Simulation results showed that,comparing to the hybrid spray,the conical spray has the advantage in the fuel-air mixture formation,and can moderately improve combustion process and emission.With the conical spray,better mixture formation,higher combustion efficiency,lower fuel consumption and soot emissions were obtained.Conical spray with small SMD and fast spray velocity can significantly improve engine performance.
Objective To evaluate therapeutic effect and safety of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion(CSII)in treating type 2 diabetes.Methods Published articles that compared the differences of clinical effect between continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion(CSII)and conventional multiple subcutaneous insulin infusion(MSII)were searched.Indexes of clinical effect were extracted and then Meta analysis was performed.Results 11 RCT were included in the analysis.Random effects model analysis of the time of blood glucose reaching mark showed:χ2=49.61,WMD=-3.71(-4.32,-3.09).Fixed effects model analysis of the dosage of insulin when blood glucose reached mark showed:χ2=14.52,WMD=-8.82(-9.95,-7.69).The descriptive analysis showed that CSII can reduce the occurrence of low blood sugar.Conclusion Compared with MSII,CSII can reduce the time of blood glucose reaching mark and the dosage of insulin when blood glucose reaches mark,and can also reduce the occurrence of low blood sugar.The differences were all statistically significant.
Inthis paper, wepropose anewand asanindex toanarray. Thevalues returned bya efficient cryptographic hashfunction basedon hashfunction arecalled hashvalues, hashcodes, random Latin squaresand non-linear hashsums, hashoutputs orsimply hashes. Hash transformations. Thedeveloped schemesatisfies functions arerelated to(andoften confused with) basic aswellasdesirable properties ofanideal checksums, check digits, fingerprints, randomizing hashfunction. Useofrepeated lookup onLatin functions, errorcorrecting codes,and squares, non-linear transformations andcomplex cryptographic hashfunctions. Although these shift operations further increase thestrength ofour concepts overlap tosomeextent, eachhasits own cryptographic hash function at a low usesandrequirements. computational overhead. Italso ensures pre-image resistance andcollision resistance asrequired for A cryptographic hash function is a the presentday lightweight cryptographic transformation thattakesan inputstring (or applications. Imessage') andreturns afixed-size string, whichis called thehashvalue(sometimes termeda
This study aims to find out the effects of Trustworthiness, Expertise, Attactiveness, Similiarity and Respect Endosers on the Establishment of a 2BLive Brand Image Application (Case Study of Filo Sebastian Endorsers). This a quantitative research uses random sampling techniques to determine the population. The results showed that the variables X1 Trustworthiness, X3 Attactiveness, X4 Similiarity and X5 Respect had the conclusion of accepting H0, so there was no influence in these variables on the formation of brand image. (Y). there is an effect between Expertise Endorser in the formation of 2BLive brand image applications.    Keywords: perception, brand image, streaming
The invention discloses a method for industrially cultivating dendrobium candidum. The method is suitable for cultivating dendrobium candidum, and belongs to the technical field of traditional Chinese medicinal material cultivation. In According to the method, a bottle seedling which is domesticated together with a bottle in a greenhouse for 30 days is taken as an original cultivating seedling, and a set of equation planting and cultivating technology including bottling out, transplanting, domesticating, fertilizer and water management and the like is adopted, so that the problems of low survival rate, long planting period and low active ingredient content during cultivation caused by different seedling sources in the cultivating process of dendrobium candidum seedlings are effectively solved; compared with the conventional cultivating way, the cultivating method has the advantages that: the conventional cultivating technology is broken through, the method is suitable for seed source cultivation in regions where wild dendrobium candidum exists, the transplanting survival rate is raised to over 95 percent, and the yield is increased by over 30 percent; and the polysaccharide content of the dendrobium candidum cultivated by using the method surpasses a dendrobium candidum polysaccharide content standard specified by the Chinese pharmacopoeia.
An induction of laminin in the confrontation zone between tumor cells and normal brain tissue has been observed in our model systems in vivo and in vitro. In order to study the effects of ECM components on glioma-cell migration and invasion, we have used 2 lacZ-transfected glioma cell lines, AN1/lacZ and U-251 /lacZ. Cell migration from multicellular spheroids was studied using different types of media: DMEM with 10% serum, Ultra Culture medium, and filtrated DMEM with serum in which the protein fraction > 100 kDa had been removed by ultrafiltration. Laminin, fibronectin and collagen type-IV were individually added to the different media, and cell migration from the spheroids was studied. The results show that cell migration in both cell lines, was stimulated by laminin and fibronectin. Collagen type-IV stimulated only cell migration of U-251/lacZ cells. Scanning electron microscopy revealed an extensive change in cell shape as a result of laminin stimulation. Flowcytometric studies showed that both AN1/lacZ and U-251/lacZ strongly express the alpha3 beta1 integrin receptor, which can bind to several ECM components (laminin, fibronectin, collagen). Immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that the same integrin sub-units were expressed in multicellular spheroids. When monoclonal antibodies to alpha3 and beta1 were added to the laminin-stimulated cultures, cell migration was significantly reduced. This indicates that the alpha3 beta1 integrin receptor plays an important role during glioma-cell migration.
markdownabstract__Abstract__  Rance, in 1814, apparently was the first to recognize renal tumors of infancy, called nephroblastoma, as a separate entity; Max Wilms, in 1899, further characterized this tumor composed of primitive cells and structures that has become associated with his name. Other more descriptive terms commonly used include mixed tumor of the kidney and embryoma of the kidney. Wilms’ tumor (WT) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the urinary tract in children and is responsible for 8% of all solid tumors in children. This tumor comprises more than 80% of genitourinary cancers in children younger than 15 years (Young, 1978). WT occurs in approximately 1/10,000 children between 1 and 6 years of age. In about 75% of cases the diagnosis is made in children between 1 and 5 years of age with a peak incidence between 3 and 4 years. The male-to-female ratio is almost equal. Occasionally the tumor occurs in adults. Familial cases are rare and found in about 1% of patients (Olsen, 1970). WT may vary considerably in their histopathological pattern and composition, displaying various variants. Nevertheless, the pattern of variation in morphology is almost uniform worldwide, with little geographic variation (Innes, 1972). At diagnosis, the median age was 36.5 months for males and 42.5 months for females with unilateral disease. Bilateral, however disease was noted to become manifest earlier at median ages of 23.5 and 30.5 months, respectively (Breslow, 1982; 1988).
In a distributed shared memory system, each read-only page needs to be located at appropriate processors by replication to make the total access cost lower. The purpose of the page replication problem is to implement this low-cost locating. In this paper, on-line $al$gorithms for the page replication problem are considered in terms of competitiveness, the ratio of the cost of the on-line algorithms to that of the off-line optimal algorithms. As results, we present a randomized on-line algorithm for trees that is. $ frac{e}{e-1} simeq 1.58$-competitive. Furthermore, we prove that this algorithm achieves the best competitive ratio for trees. In other words, no randomized on-line algorithm is better than $ frac{e}{e-1} simeq 1.58$-competitive.
According to the needs of network security,platform security and application security in information warfare,after analyzing the key functions of security infrastructure for military grid,the infrastructure component,architecture,key technologies,and deployment pattern in practice are put forward,which can support the development of systematic,low-delay and resilient security infrastructure with the characteristics of active defense,adaptive response,dynamic protection etc.in the future.
Implants and implant prosthetic success rates and longevity are higher than natural teeth-supported prostheses. Due to limiting anatomical factors, implants placed in the posterior regions are often shorter than those placed in the anterior regions. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the clinical performance of short implants in a six year period. This study evaluated 348 short implants inserted in anterior and posterior regions in both jaws of 153 patients. Out of 348 inserted implants, 220 were of 9 mm and 128 of 10 mm of length, with diameters of 3.5 mm, 4.0 mm and 5 mm. Forty-five implants were placed in sites treated with the principle of guided bone regeneration. Anterior and posterior regions received 45 and 303 implants, respectively. In 19 cases the immediate installation was performed. All implants were prosthetically rehabilitated with single or multiple prostheses. Success rate was 96% (334 implants). It can be concluded that short-length implants may be used to support fixed restorations in the rehabilitation of missing teeth, with the similar success rate and longevity of long implants. UNITERMS: Dental implants, Mouth Rehabilitation, Retrospective Studies revdezrepaginado30-04indmexido.pmd 27/5/2008, 18:48 101 R. Periodontia 17(3):98-103 102 REFERENCIAS BIBLIOGRAFICAS 1. Agerberg G, Carlsson GE. Chewing ability in relation to dental and general health. Analyses of data obtained from a questionnaire. Acta Odontol Scand 1981;39:147-53. 2. Albrektsson T, Zarb G, Worthington P, Eriksson AR. The long-term efficacy of currently used dental implants: a review and proposed criteria of success. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 1986;1(1):11-25. 3. Barboza EP, Caula AL. Diagnoses, clinical classification, and proposed treatment of spontaneous early exposure of submerged implants.Implant Dent. 2002;11(4):331-7. 4. Barboza EP. Clinical and Histologic Evaluation of the Demineralized Freeze-Dried Bone Membrane Used for Ridge Augmentation. The Int J of Periodontics & Rest Dentistry 1999;19(6):601-07. 5. Becker W, Berg L, Becker BE. Untreated periodontal disease: A longitudinal study. J Periodontol 1979;50:234-44. 6. Caton JG, DeFuria EL, Polson AM, Nyman S.Periodontal regeneration via selective cell repopulation.J Periodontol. 1987 Aug;58(8):54652. 7. Cranin AN, Silverbrand H, Sher J, et al. The requirements and clinical performance of dental implants. In Smith DC, Williams DF, editors: Biocompatibility of dental materials. Vol 4. Boca Raton, Fla:CRC Press 1982:198. 8. De Bruyn H, Collaert B, Linden U, Johansson C, Albrektsson T. Clinical outcome of Screw Vent implants. A 7-year prospective follow–up study. Clin Oral Implants Res 1990;10:139-148. 9. Frazao P, Antunes JLF, Narvai PC. Perda precoce em adultos de 35 a 44 anos de idade. Estado de Sao Paulo, Brasil, 1998. Rev Bras Epidemiol 2003;6:49-57. 10. Goodacre CJ, Kan JY, Rungcharassaeng K. Clinical complications of osseointegrated implants.J Prosthet Dent. 1999 May;81(5):537-52. 11. Guckes AD, Scurria MS, Shugars DA.A conceptual framework for understanding outcomes of oral implant therapy.J Prosthet Dent. 1996 Jun;75(6):633-9. 12. Haas SC, Opermann RV, Albandar JM. Tooth loss in young population from south Brazil. J Public Health Dent 2006, spring;66(2):110-5. 13. Higuchi KW, Folmer T, Kultje C. Implant survival rates in partially edentulous patients: a 3-year prospective study. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1995;53:264-8. 14. Hirschfeld L, Wasserman B. A long-term survey of tooth loss in 600 treated periodontal patients. J Periodontol 1978;49:225-37. 15. Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatistica Tabuas completas de mortalidade–2003 http://www.ibge.gov.br/home/presidencia/ noticias/noticia_visualiza.php?id_noticia=266i14(2):173-80. 17. Jaffin RA, Berman CL. The excessive loss of Branemark fixture in type IV bone: a 5-year analysis. J Periodontol 1991;62:2-4. 18. Jemt T, Lekholm U. Implant treatment in edentulous maxillae: A 5year follow-up report on patients with different degrees of jaw resorption. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 1995;10:303-311. 19. Lee JH, Frias V, Lee KW, Wrigth RF. Effect of implant size and shape on implant success rates: A literature review. In: Misch CE. Protese sobre implantes. Editora Santos, 2006:14. 20. Lekholm U, Gunne J, Henry P, Higuchi K, Linden U, Bergstrom C, van Steenberghe D. Survival os the Branemark Implant in Partially. Edentulous Jaws: a 10-year prospective multicenter study. Int J Oral and Maxillofac Implants 1999;14:639-645. 21. Leung WK, Ng DK, Jin L, Corbet EF. Tooth loss in treated periodontitits patients responsible for their supportive care arrangement. J Clin Periodontol 2006 Apr; 33(4):265-75 .). 22. Lindhem, J. Tratado de Periodontologia Clinica. Ed. Interamericana, 1998. 23. MC DONALD, R. E.; Avery, D. R. Odontopediatria. 6. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Ed. Guanabara Koogan, 1995. 24. McFall WT Jr. Tooth loss in 100 treated patients with periodontal disease. A long-term study. J periodontal 1982;53:539-49. 25. McKinney R, Koth DL, Steflik DE. Clinical standards for dental implants. IN: Clark JW, ed. Clinical Dentistry. Haperstown: Harper &
In vitro antimicrobial efficacy of root extracts of Murraya koenigii (Linn.) Spreng. was assessed by disc diffusion method against four bacterial strains ( Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi ) and three fungal strains ( Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum ). Minimum inhibitory concentration was also determined. The most susceptible bacterial and fungal strains were S. aureus and T. rubrum , respectively. The root extracts in organic solvents (hexane, methanol and chloroform) showed good antimicrobial activity. However, aqueous extracts could not exhibit any activity. Results of the present investigation indicate that root of M. koenigii possess antimicrobial properties and hence can be exploited for future natural plant based antimicrobial agents.
Introduction: Les donnees sur les tuberculomes cerebraux sont limitees ; ceci fait que, malgre son anciennete, cette pathologie souffre d’enormes problemes diagnostiques et therapeutiques. A cet effet, les auteurs rapportent leur experience quant a la prise en charge des tuberculomes puis comparent leurs resultats a ceux de la litterature. Materiel et methode: C’est une etude retrospective sur dossiers de patients hospitalises entre janvier 2005 et decembre 2016 pour tuberculomes cerebraux uniques ou multiples. Resultats: Les malades etaient en majorite des femmes (18/3), âges en moyenne de 36,5 ans. Le debut etait subaigu chez l’ensemble des patients mais n’a depasse 2 mois qu’une fois. Les signes neurologiques de focalisation (12 malades) etaient varies, domines par les convulsions et les paralysies oculomotrices. L’atteinte neurologique n’etait pas l’unique localisation chez 13 malades dont 11 avaient une atteinte pulmonaire. L’origine tuberculeuse etait prouvee 5 fois au niveau neuro-meninge et 3 fois au niveau d’une localisation extra-neurologique. A l’imagerie cerebrale, tout le cerveau etait touche et le nombre des tubeculomes a varie de la lesion unique a la forme miliaire diffuse. L’imagerie par resonance magnetique etait plus contributive que la tomodensitometrie dans 85% des cas. La duree du traitement antituberculeux etait entre 9 et 18 mois. Aucun deces n’a ete deplore mais 6 malades ont garde des sequelles neurologiques. Conclusion: Le caractere curable des tuberculomes impose d’evoquer ce diagnostic devant toute masse cerebrale en zone d’endemie. Leur aspect a l’imagerie par resonnance magnetique et la decouverte d’une localisation extra-neurologique peuvent palier a la faible sensibilite du diagnostic microbiologique.  Mots cles: Imagerie cerebrale, Tuberculomes cerebraux, Traitement English Title:  Cerebral tuberculomas in immunocompetent adult: 21 cases in Setif-Algeria English Abstract Introduction: Cerebral tuberculomas data are limited, so, despite it is very old, this makes the disease suffer from enormous diagnostic and therapeutic problems. For this purpose, in this work we report our experience in the management of cerebral tuberculomas and compare our results with those found in the literature. Material and method: We have done a retrospective study from files of patients hospitalized between January 2005 and December 2016 for single or multiple cerebral tuberculoma. Results: Our patients were predominantly female (18/3), with an average age of 36.5 years. The onset was all the time subacute but it exceeded 2 months only once. Focal neurological signs were noted in 12 patients, they were varied, dominated by convulsions and oculomotor paralysis. Neurological involvement was not the only localization in 13 patients, 11 of whom had pulmonary involvement. The tuberculous origin was confirmed 5 times at the neuro-meningeal level and 3 times in an extra-neurological localization. In cerebral imaging, whole brain was affected and the number of tuberculomas varied from the single lesion to the diffuse miliary form. In 85% of cases, magnetic resonance imaging was more contributory than computed tomography. The duration of the tuberculosis treatment was between 9 and 18 months; no deaths have been reported but 6 patients had kept neurological sequelae. Conclusion: The curability of tuberculomas imposes to discuss this diagnosis in front of any cerebral mass in endemic zone. Their appearance in magnetic resonance imaging and the discovery of an extra-neurological location can compensate the low sensitivity of microbiological diagnosis of tuberculoma. Keywords: Cerebral tuberculomas, Brain imaging, Treatment
Abstract : A 2013 Congressional Budget Office report estimates that DOD will need to reduce 2014 to 2021 total costs by $701 billion in order to meet the most stringent limitations set by the Budget Control Act of 2011. It is obvious that DOD must restructure the MRS to achieve the necessary reduction in costs. Too often, however, the department looks to private industry for solutions to DOD problems. While not to be overlooked, private industry is not always the best model by which to develop solutions to military problems. The unique risks to which service members are exposed require a different analogue to ensure a successful comparison and adequate solutions. In this light, a more representative group outside of DOD can be found in law enforcement officers. This study analyzes the retirement systems of DOD service members and the California Highway Patrol in an effort to accurately compare the two.
Herbivores shape the structure of many marine communities. However, algal-herbivore interactions are complex because algae and herbivores can respond both to each other and their environment. To resist herbivory, higher plants have evolved traits that confer defence and tolerance. Traits of defence reduce the quality of the tissue as a food whereas traits of tolerance reduce the detrimental effects of herbivory on plant fitness. The expression of tolerance and defence both incur costs to plants and tradeoffs can exist between these traits. Additionally, resource conditions, and in particular nutrient supply, can influence the expression of these traits. In contrast to defence, the role of tolerance to herbivory is not well studied in macroalgae but may help maintain the productivity of macroalgae following herbivory. Here I investigate the expression of tolerance in macroalgae and if, similar to plants, it is influenced by the expression of traits associated with defence and resource availability. This thesis uses a subtropical brown alga, Sargassum sp. and a co-occurring herbivorous amphipod, Cymadusa setosa, to investigate macroalgal-herbivore interactions in environments with varying nitrogen supply. Despite their small size (<2 cm), herbivores such as amphipods and isopods (collectively known as mesoherbivores) can significantly affect macroalgal communities and further investigation of these relatively unstudied herbivores will help understand the potential top-down controls on macroalgal communities. Cymadusa setosa uses Sargassum as a habitat and food source. To assess if Sargassum expresses traits of tolerance to herbivory, and how traits associated with defence and nutrient availability influence their expression; the photosynthetic activity, growth patterns and chemical composition of Sargassum were measured in a series of laboratory and field experiments that manipulated herbivory and nitrogen availability. The effects of Sargassum tissue traits on the feeding and habitat preferences of Cymudusa setosa were also determined. In Chapter 2, near infrared reflectance spectrometry (NIRS) is demonstrated to be an effective method of measuring the nitrogen, and carbon content of Sargassum tissue with the benefit of requiring only small sample quantities. It was also effective at quantifying the content of the polyphenolic compounds in brown algae (phlorotannins) that are known to deter herbivores in many systems. The developed NIRS models detected changes in the tissue composition of Sargassum grown over a range of temperature and nitrogen availabilities, demonstrating that environmental factors can have interactive effects on tissue traits. Chapter 3 shows that Sargassum can express traits of tolerance in response to simulated herbivory. Sargassum effectively compensated for loss of tissue in terms of overall growth, yet specific compensatory growth responses were dependent on the type of damage inflicted. Consistent reallocation of resources to secondary apices following the removal of the primary meristematic apex was observed. In contrast to terrestrial plants, no compensatory photosynthetic activity was observed and there was only weak evidence to suggest tradeoffs between traits of tolerance and phlorotannin content. This study suggested reallocation of resources within the thallus is important in regulating compensatory growth in Sargassum. In Chapter 4, nitrogen enrichment did not affect the expression of tolerance to herbivory in Sargassum. The Limiting Resource Model (Wise and Abrahamson 2005), derived for terrestrial plants, successfully predicted these results, demonstrating its potential to predict the effects of resource conditions on the relative expression of tolerance in macroalgae. Mechanical removal of primary apices in Sargassum resulted in enhanced growth of secondary apices. However, Sargassum failed to compensate for amphipod herbivory in the laboratory, suggesting that the severity of herbivory influences the expression of tolerance. Relationships between compensatory growth and phlorotannin content in Sargassum were not strongly influenced by nitrogen availability and were variable, dependent on the growth traits investigated. Biomass traits tended to be positively correlated with phlorotannin content while relative growth traits were negatively or not correlated with phlorotannin content. These observations indicate a need to consider the scale and nature of growth traits used when assessing tradeoffs between defence and tolerance in macroalgae. Chapter 5 demonstrates differences among tissues within an individual Sargassum, and differences among life history stages, influence habitat and feeding preferences of Cymadusa setosa. Amphipods showed feeding preferences for juvenile over mature Sargassum tissue, and both habitat and feeding preferences for apical over basal Sargassum tissue. Preferences were not associated with tissue composition (nitrogen, carbon, phlorotannins) but instead with the physical structure of the tissue. Individual feeding rates were not enhanced on nitrogen enriched Sargassum and thus, amphipods are unlikely to control nutrient induced Sargassum via this pathway. The preferences of amphipods for apical tissue also demonstrate that mesoherbivores can have significant effects on macroalgae whilst only removing small amounts of tissue. In summary, this thesis has generated several contributions to this field of marine ecology. This thesis has developed a powerful and quick method for identifying algal traits and unambiguously demonstrated the ability of Sargassum to tolerate damage. This thesis further found that the ability of Sargassum to tolerate damage is not linked to enhanced photosynthesis, nitrogen availability or tissue phlorotannin content, testing key assumptions underlying studies in both marine and terrestrial systems.
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate if luxury fashion shares are an attractive investment based on the shares in Hermès, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. This is achieved by analyzing financial data and stock charts using fundamental and technical analysis. The fundamental analysis takes a look at ratios and other financial figures that are compared to each other and the industry either for year 2015 or for a period of five years. The technical analysis highlights trends in the stock charts that could be significant when evaluating it what direction the trend will move in the future. The paper finds out that investing in the luxury fashion companies’ shares could be profitable, if a company with strong fundamentals and increasing share price and dividends in the long-run can be found. The conclusion made based on the analysis is that Louis Vuitton’s LVMH and Hermès are potentially good investments, while investing in Prada would be too uncertain at the moment. The analysis is backed up by the financial data and share performance of the three companies in the luxury fashion market. A broader analysis, where the shares are compared to other investments, shares in other industries, or indexes, could be more insightful in making a valid investment decision. Hence this paper is a useful tool for people interested in investing in shares and the luxury fashion market.
The PhD project presented in this thesis is aimed to exploit the great potential of Asteroseismology combined with the high precision photometry of present and future space satellites. The ESA-PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) space mission (Catala et al. 2008) is proposed to be the next generation planet-finder, having its worth in the characterization of the parent stars thanks to asteroseismic analysis. The present work includes the feasibility study of PLATO, with particular attention on the analysis of simulated images, in order to evaluate the photometric quality of the optical design. Then the creation of procedures to perform seismic analysis allows us to measure useful asteroseismic observables which provide noticeable informations about the stellar structure. Finally we were able to constrain fundamental parameters of stars through the computation of stellar theoretical models supported by space-based observations with the NASA-Kepler satellite (Borucki et al. 2009).  In the framework of Kepler and PLATO these results are of great importance, because the knowledge of global stellar parameters is the only way to characterize an extrasolar planet.
PURPOSE: A system and method for controlling the sailing attitude of a ship are provided to maintain the sailing attitude of the ship according to deriving an optimal plan for loading ballast water of a ballast tank from the condition of the ship, thereby improving efficiency in fuel consumption. CONSTITUTION: A method for controlling the sailing attitude of a ship includes: a step of collecting and analyzing data for the exterior of the ship from a shipyard or a ship owner company providing the ship; a step of converting the data into a certain type of a file for three-dimensional modeling; a step of extracting data for a resistant force due to the velocity, the draft, and the trim of the sailing ship with three-dimensionally modeling the file; a step of converting the data for the resistant force into a data table having a predetermined number of variables; a step of deriving multiple plans for loading ballast water with selecting below the predetermined number of the resistance forces from small to large; and a step of allowing a user to select one of the plans and to apply the one to a ballast tank (2) in order to control the draft and the trim. [Reference numerals] (AA) Shipyard; (BB) Linear scanning
The financial crisis swept the globe, further evidence of the economic globalization trend, the assignment has not been spared the labor market, has been seriously affected.The crew assignment is an important component of the assignment of the labor market , however,the current "crew Regulations" and "Crew Registration system" to play a regulatory role, has also been limited for the legal effect of low.This aims of article analyze the crew assignment of legal relations, and better to protect the interests of the crew, and with "regulations" and "approach" to found some problems.
Parthenocarpy tomato (seedless) as the main ingredient needed in the tomato processing industry. This experiment aimed to determine the effect of concentration and frequency of GA3 application to parthenokarpy and fruit characteristics in tomato. The experiment had been conducted at Balai Pengembangan dan Promosi Agribisnis Perbenihan Hortikultura (BPPAPH) Ngipiksari, Laboratory of Genetics and Plant Breeding and Horticulture Laboratory in May-September 2013. Experiment was arranged in factorial Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). The first factor consisted of line A134 (V1), 'Kaliurang 206' (V2) and 'Intan' (V3), while the second consisted 0 ppm/without application (K0), 20 ppm one time application (K1), 30 ppm one time application (K2), 20 ppm of three times application (K3) and 30 ppm three times application (K4) of GA3. GA3 was sprayed on the flowers one day before the first flowers bloom on each bunch and every three days after application for three time application. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance, followed by orthogonal contrast test to determine the effect of GA3 concentration on cultivars with 95% confidence level. Data analysis used SAS 9.1 software for Windows. The results showed there was no interaction between the concentration of GA3 with tomato cultivars on all of variables except the number of seeds per fruit. GA3 application three times the concentration of 20 ppm was effective to reduce the number of seeds per fruit in A134 line. Significant effect of GA3 concentration on the number of fruit per cluster and the number of seeds per fruit showed a decrease, while the number of cavities fruit showed an increase. The effect cultivars significant on the number of flowers per cluster variables, number of fruit per cluster, the weight per fruit, fruit weight per bunch, fruit diameter, fruit length, fruit hardness, the amount of cavities fruit, thick flesh, the number of seeds per fruit and fruit TSS (Total Soluble Solid)
This paper presents a general method for incorporating prior knowledge into kernel methods. It applies when the prior knowledge can be formalized by the description of an object around each sample of the training set, assuming that all points in the given object share the same desired class. Two implementation techniques of this method, based on analytical kernel jittering and the vicinal risk minimization principle, are considered. Empirical results on one artificial dataset and one real dataset based on EEG signals demonstrate the performance of the proposed method.
Metastasis of cancer to cancer is exceedingly rare, the most frequent being metastasis from bronchogenic carcinoma to renal carcinoma. A case of breast carcinoma metastasizing to a fibrosarcomatous malignant mesothelioma is presented. Breast carcinoma metastasizing to another carcinoma has been reported 4 times in the past. To our knowledge no case of breast carcinoma metastasizing to a malignant mesenchymal tumor has been published. It is unknown whether metastasis of cancer to cancer is a random occurrence or is due to selective lodging, survival and growth within another malignant neoplasm.
The present invention provides a compressed air foam extinguisher, comprising: a compressed gas tank for storing compressed gas; an undiluted foam solution tank for storing a preset fixed amount of an undiluted foam solution; a fire-fighting water tank for storing a preset fixed amount of fire-fighting water so that the fire-fighting water and the undiluted foam solution have a certain mixture ratio, and for storing an aqueous foam solution in which the undiluted foam solution and the fire-fighting water are mixed; a compressed gas supply pipe for supplying the compressed gas, stored in the compressed gas tank, to the undiluted foam solution tank; an undiluted foam solution supply pipe for supplying the undiluted foam solution, stored in the undiluted foam solution tank, to the fire-fighting water tank; an aqueous foam solution supply pipe which has an inlet formed at the bottom of the fire-fighting water tank, and is connected to the outside of the fire-fighting water tank; a mixing chamber for mixing the compressed gas with the aqueous foam solution so as to form compressed air foam; a supply hose connected to the aqueous foam solution supply pipe; a constant pressure opening valve which is opened when the pressure of the compressed air foam formed in the mixing chamber reaches a preset constant pressure; and a spray nozzle connected to the supply hose or a pipe.
The effects of deformation,heating temperature and holding time on microstructure of LC9 alloy in producing semi-solid billet by strain induced melt activated(SIMA) process were studied and structure evolution of semi-solid LC9 aluminum alloy was observed.The results show that by strain induced melt activated process,a semi-solid ingot of LC9 aluminum alloy with fine and desired non-dendrites microstructure has been obtained,which well fit to the requirement of semi-solid forming.But too great temperature and holding time will lead to coarsing grain size
Until Serge Prokofiev’s 1924 ballet score Trapeze, the double bass occupied a background or at best a doubling role in almost all composers’ use of the instrument. Technical challenge was limited in these pieces, because composers did not see the instrument’s potential in a chamber music environment. As luthiers developed the instrument, the technical ability of players grew, and composers began writing more challenging music for the instrument. As one of the first major composers to see the double bass in a new light, Prokofiev wrote challenging music for the instrument. This paper illuminates the alluring pedagogical aspects of Prokofiev's Quintet in G Minor, Op. 39 and provides recommendations for accomplishing some difficult passages with ease.
In the paper we have clarified how the German multinational (MNE) and small and medium sized enterprises (SME) appraise and perform their foreign direct investments in Russia. Our analysis was supported by a survey of German firms running their business in Russia which was made in the period from April to July 2008. In the survey we also asked about the problems and barriers which German companies face when they invest in Russia. Finally, we have presented how the ‘typical’ investment decision process is run in German firms that are going to Russia. German firms start up their operations in Russia by establishing a subsidiary (~80%). All information related to the investment decision is collected mainly internally (~80%). 66% of firms appraise foreign investment using the Discounted Cash Flow technique which incorporates principally macroeconomic factors, such as the expected inflation rate (~70%) and the GDP growth (86%). Institutional factors describing a country’s level of corruption, the quality of governance or economic policy and economic structure risks are generally ignored. One sixth of firms use these indicators only. The expansion is often financed by the parent company (43%) or by German home banks and their Russian subsidiaries. The main obstacles while investing are the weak and changing legislation, frequent tax inspections, complex tax system and corruption. Undeveloped transport infrastructure belongs to the significant barrier as well. However, such factors as language, domestic competition or limited access to the strategic important industries are considered as minor hurdles. Besides this, profit repatriation restrictions are assessed as a moderate problem. In two thirds of cases the expected return on investment has been achieved or even beaten. The key reasons for the failure of investment are overoptimistic market expectations, unsatisfactory qualifications of the domestic personnel, unreliability of business partners and non-accurate market research.
The invention discloses an electronic apparatus and a display control method. The electronic apparatus includes: an input/output unit that displays operation markers, used for performing an operation input, on a display surface and detects an object in proximity to or brought into contact with the display surface; a selection mode determining unit that determines, based on a detection state of the object on the display surface, either a multiple selection mode in which selection targets are set to be plural operation markers or a single selection mode in which the selection target is set to be one operation marker, as a selection mode; a selection unit that selects one or pluraloperation markers among the operation markers based on the selection mode and the detection state; and a display control unit that changes display forms of the operation markers selected among the operation markers into a display form indicating a selected state and displays the selected operation markers on the display surface. The invention can easily executing the selection to the operation markers.
All autopsied car drivers (n=480) aged > or = 18 years, who were fatally injured and died within three days of the crash in northern Sweden over a 13-year period were studied. A grading system was developed to assess the probability of contribution of intrinsic medical factors (IMF) to the crash. This system takes into account both the risk of sudden incapacitation (inability to cope), based on IMF revealed in the medical history and at autopsy, and extrinsic non-medical contributing factors. Almost one quarter of the drivers were found to have IMF. Intrinsic medical factors were more common in males than in females. Drivers with IMF were often at fault and usually crossed over to the wrong side of the road and crashed into an oncoming vehicle or roadside object. In 6 percent of the drivers, IMF were probably the underlying cause of the crash; in 1.3 percent the probability was strong. Thus, medical impairment was probably an underlying cause in 1 of 17 fatal crashes (1 of 5 in the elderly).
SUMMARY The purpose of this paper is to study the economics planning of super tall office buildings in Asia Pacific cities. This study is based on the case study of the Asia Pacific’s 10 tallest buildings which are distributed over six major cities. All are landmark buildings with similar functions. From the analysis of the collected data, the floor plate of these buildings is comparatively large, thus achieving a fairly high lettable to gross floor ratio of about 80% and low wall to floor area ratio of about 0.33. The most common lease span is approximately 12m with column-free between its service core and exterior window. The most common floor-to-floor height is about 4.0m. Square or similar plan is the most common geometry in super tall buildings since this geometry offers the same stiffness in both directions against lateral wind forces. Typically the building is in form of a large podium at lower levels with a setback in the overall floor plan dimension in the main tower and a slightly tapered shape at its top floors. The central core approach in which the core is designed as a structural element to provide stability is commonly used in super tall buildings. By using slip-form or jump-form techniques, a 3 to 4-day cycle is achievable for core wall construction which is similar to steel construction. Either composite mega-columns with central core and outriggers system or reinforced concrete tube-in-tube with or without outriggers system is able to achieve the world’s tallest buildings. However, high-strength concrete is fairly common in many Asia Pacific countries. In order to keep the service core within a reasonable size while maintaining an acceptable level of life response time, the sky-lobby system is commonly adopted as a solution. Another solution is to use the double-deck lift system.
Adopting a descriptive approach, this study focuses on what traditionally is called the direct object of Brazilian Portuguese, especially the conditions of its omission. The possibility of occurrence of a NP as an object divides the verbs between those that admit and those that do not admit direct object, hence the importance of these conditions for the formulation of verb valencies. In this paper, the analysis is limited to simple sentences; anaphoric situations are not considered as the omission of the direct object in anaphoric situation applies to any verb annulling subclassification.
On the basis of the definition of matrix traces, this paper discusses their characteristics at first and then according to the norm of the F of square matrix and Cauchy-Schwarz inequality gives how to prove the zero matrix, unsimilar matrix, number cloth matrix, column matrix idempotent matrix and non-equality matrix. The application of the matrix traces in solving problems is made as well in this paper.
Future mobile communication needs a hundred Mbps rate, video and audio streaming, asymmetric, multiple access, adaptational modulation and code rate, dynamic packet arrangement, adaptational antenna and IPv6  utilization facility to inforce lossless communication. we have a tendency to propose AN adaptational Modulation and Rate cryptography Wimax (AMRC- WIMAX) technique may be a promising thanks to increase the info rate with reliable transmission over wireless channels. During this paper, we have a tendency to gift numerous digital modulation techniques admire BPSK, QPSK ANd M-ary PSK systems applied to a coded WIMAX system in an AWGN channel atmosphere. This methodology compares the Bit Error Rate Performance of varied code rates mistreat- ment WIMAX technique and at last select the most effective code rate to realize higher BER performance. it's found that the planned methodology offers the optimum performance compared to the standard WIMAX system utilized in fourth generation.
The oxidation and dissolution mechanisms for UO/sub 2/ and spent fuel will be quite similar based on this preliminary work with electrochemical leaching of UO/sub 2/ and spent fuel. In solutions containing oxygen or other oxidizing species, the UO/sub 2/ surface will be rapidly oxidized and dissolved following the transformation of uranium from U(IV) to U(VI). The hydrolysis of dissolved uranyl ions forms solid UO/sub 3/ hydrates or related complex compounds deposited onto the UO/sub 2/ surface, or other surfaces, as thin or thick coatings. Depending on the pH, temperature, and time, the various kinds of porosity and the mechanical properties of the hydrate coatings will control the dissolution rate. The effects of radiation, in terms of generation of H/sub 2/O/sub 2/, will enhance the dissolution kinetics. Electrochemical methods may be useful for determining the surface conditions, dissolution rate, and accelerated dissolution behavior for NO/sub 2/ and spent fuel. Electrochemial methods can rapidly generate much information in terms of dissolution rate and surface film properties - such as thickness, porosity, and oxidation state - in-situ during the leaching process.
The current focus of NASA's space flight programs reflects a new thrust towards smaller,less costly and more frequent space missions, when compared to missions such as Galileo,Magellan, or Cassini. Recently, the concept of a microspacecrafthas been proposed, wherebya small, compact spacecraft that weighs tens of kilograms performs focused scientific objec-tives such as imaging. Similarly, a Mars Lander micro-rover project is under study that willallow miniature robots weighing less than seven kilograms to explore the Martian surface.To bring the microspacecraft and microrover ideas into fruition one will have to leveragecompact 3D MCM technologies. Low energy CMOS will become increasingly important be-cause of the thermodynamic considerations in cooling compact 3D MCM implementationsand also from considerations of the power budget for space applications. In this paper, weshow how the operating voltage is related to the threshold voltage of the CMOS transistorsfor accomplishing a task in VLSI with minimal energy. We also derive expressions for thenoise margins at the optimal operating point. We then look at a low voltage CMOS (LVC-MOS) technology developed at Stanford University which improves the power consumptionover conventional CMOS by a couple of orders of magnitude and consider the suitability ofthe technology for space applications by characterizing its SEU immunity.
Kongfuzi published the Maxim of Defining Pengkui's Status to discuss the struggle of monarchical power in Wei.Guliang Zhuan and Gongyang Zhuan made opposite explanations to Kongfuzi.The Maxim of Define Pengkui's Status could be applied to political practice.It was stemmed from the damage of Li and proved to be political theory.The theory exerted a direct influence on Chunqiu and turned to be the typical character of Confucius.
A conceptual and empirical framework for estimating the effects of dairy advertising on farm prices and producer returns is developed The model consists of an industry-derived demand equation for milk linking advertising and government purchase. to farm price, and a government purchases equation linking advertising and support prices to government purchases The econometric model is a mixed continuous/ discrete system, estimated by the Amenyia Principle The two-equation system is estimated for both aggregated manufactured advertising and dlsaggregated manufactured advertising The results are consistent with theory and show Significant effects of advertising, particularly for fluid advertising
DANI SJAFARDAN ROYANI. The Chemical Composition and Topoisomerase I Inhibitor Activity of Kablang (Nerita albicilla). Supervised by LINAWATI HARDJITO and JOKO SANTOSO. DNA topoisomerases (topo) I and II are molecular targets of several potent anticancer agents. Thus, inhibitors of these enzymes are potential candidates or model compounds for anticancer development. This paper reported the chemical composition of Nerita albicilla and its topo I inhibitor of hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol extracts. Proximate and amino acid composition of Nerita albicilla dried powder were investigated using standar analytical techniques. The determination of topo I inhibitor activity was conducted using topo I drug screening kit from TopoGen. Inhibition of DNA topo I activity was analysed by gel electrophoresis. The composition of Nerita albicilla included moisture of 12.44%; ash of 9.17%; protein of 62.05%; fat of 5.58%; crude fibre of 6.60%, and carbohydrate (by difference) of 4.16%. The amino acid analysis revealed that the Kablang was superior with respect to glutamate compared to Thunnus sp. and other clams. Yield of hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol extracts of Nerita albicilla were 2.05%, 1.56%, and 6.99%; respectively. All extracts showed topoisomerase I inhibitor activities. The hexane extract described catalytic activity of topo I, while ethyl acetate and methanol extract acted as topo I poison. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of methanol extracts were 2.5 μg/ml. Phytochemical screening of the extracts showed that they contained steroid. In adition, the methanol extract also contained alkaloid.
Characteristic Mode Theory [1], [2], [3] is one of the very few numerical methods that provide a great deal of physical insight because it allows us to determine the natural modes of the radiating structure. The key feature of these modes is that the total induced antenna current, input impedance/admittance and radiation pattern can be expressed as a linear weighted combination of individual modes. Using this decomposition method, it is possible to study the behavior of the individual modes, understand them and therefore control the antennas behavior; in other words, control the currents induced on the antenna structure. This dissertation advances the topic of antenna design by carefully controlling the antenna currents over the desired frequency band to achieve the desired performance specifications for a set of constraints. Here, a systematic method based on the Theory of Characteristic Modes (CM) and lumped reactive loading to achieve the goal of current control is developed. The lumped reactive loads are determined based on the desired behavior of the antenna currents. This technique can also be used to impedance match the antenna to the source/generator connected to it. The technique is much more general than the traditional impedance matching. Generally, the reactive loads that properly control the currents exhibit a combination of Foster and non-Foster behavior. The former can be implemented with lumped passive reactive
This contribution provides a first outline of how to define big history research, including an overview of the types of research that could profitably be undertaken. Practical issues are also discussed, such as how to obtain funding, where to publish the results and whether the research results might have practical applications. Because this contribution is, to my knowledge, the first attempt to outline big history research, my observations should be considered preliminary. I hope that they will stimulate a healthy and vigorous discussion about big history research, the one that will lead to formulating a big history research agenda that will successfully be pursued worldwide. General Outline: What is Big History? For a fruitful discussion of big history research we first need to address the question of what ‘big history’ is. In September 2010 a group of big historians defined big history as ‘the attempt to understand, in a unified and interdisciplinary way, the history of the Cosmos, Earth, Life, and Humanity’. This joint formulation was a part of the effort in founding the International Big History Association (IBHA). 1
Objective:To develop an HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of irinotecan(CPT-11) and its active metabolite 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin(SN-38) in rat plasma.Methods:The internal standard was 10-hydroxycamptothecin.Protein in plasma was percipitated with 7% perchloric acid-acetonitrile(50∶50) after acidification with 7% perchloric acid.CPT-11 and SN-38 was separated on Hypersil C18(4.6 mm×250 mm,5 μm)column;The mobile phase was 0.05 mol·L-1 disodium hydrogen phosphate-methanol(50∶50) containing 0.025% triethylamine(adjusted pH 3.0 with phosphoric acid);monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 380 nm and 550 nm,respectively.Results:The linear ranges for CPT-11 and SN-38 were 20-5000 ng·mL-1(r=0.9997) and 2-500 ng·mL-1(r=0.9999).The detection limits of CPT-11 and SN-38 were 15 ng·mL-1 and 1.7 ng·mL-1,respectively.The average relativelies recovery of CPT-11 and SN-38 were 98.7% and 99.9%;the average absolutely recoveries were 87.2% and 94.7%.The RSDs for intra-day and inter-day were both less than 12%.Conclusion:This method is rapid,simple,accurate and sensitive for the determination of CPT-11 and SN-38 in pharmacokinetic study.
Voicemail method, the calling subscriber device (10) for sorting unavailable conducted to the called subscriber device (20) call (or other screening calls). The screening method determines whether the called subscriber unit (20) comprises a voice mail sorting function (110). Internet Protocol Multimedia System (50) receives the call from the called subscriber unit (114). Then, the Internet protocol multimedia system transfers the call control to the voice mail screening server. Voicemail sorting server presents to return send play to the subscriber unit a start portion of the voice mail messages left by the subscriber unit (10) (20), a call to the called subscriber device (20) to. Then, the called subscriber unit indicates via a short code whether the called subscriber unit to receive a call (124).
Photocatalyst of titanium dioxide is prepared from tetrabutyl titanate by the sol-gel method.The pho-tocatalytic activity is evaluated by the degradation of methyl orange under 20 W UV light.The effects of water content,calcining temperature and time,and the doping metal ions of Fe3+,Nd3+,La3+,Sm3+,Er3+ and Yb3+ are studied.It is found appropriate to prepare the photocatalyst under the following conditions: the B solution is formed by 3 mL of water and 15 mL of ethanol,the catalyst is calcined at 450 ℃ for 2 h.With doping Fe3+ in 0.075% or Nd3+ in 0.10%,the activity of photocatalyst is improved obviously.The effect of dopant lanthanide ions on the photocatalytic activity decreased in the order: Nd3+ La3+ Sm3+ Yb3+ Er3+.
AIMS Among the electrocardiographic alterations used for stratifying the cardiovascular risk of life threatening arrhythmias (LFA) and sudden death (SD) there is the increment of the corrected QT(QTc). This increment is usually observable in obese patients (OP). Therefore, a study has been planned to investigate the possibility to predict QTc values in OP simply by detecting the best fitting regression method that represents the relationship between QTc and Body Mass Index (BMI).   MATERIALS AND METHODS The study has been carried on 144 individuals classified as a function of their BMI in normoponderal subjects (NPS, No. 24; F/M=15/9; BMI=21.8± 1.7 kg/m(2)), Class I OP (No. 24; F/M=17/7; BMI=32.5± 1.1 kg/m(2)); Class II OP (No. 24; F/M=17/7; BMI=37.7± 1.5 kg/m(2)). Class IIIa (No. 24, F/M=15/9; BMI=44.4± 27 kg/m(2)), Class IIIb (No. 24; F/M=14/10; BMI 54.3± 2.7 kg/m(2)); Class IIIc (No. 24; F/M=14/10; BMI=63.3± 4.5 kg/m(2)). Both linear and non-linear fitting modes have been tested.   RESULTS While the BMI progressively increases in classified OP, the QTc shows an intergroup difference that is not only not constant but also declining in Class IIIc obesity. The optimal regressive model was found to be the following fourth order degree polynomial: QTc=317,15+(7,47xBMI)+(-0,28*BMI(2))+(0,005xBMI(3))+ (-0,00003xBMI(4)).   CONCLUSION By entering the BMI of a given OP into the above-cited formula, the QTc can be easily predicted and compared to that of NPS. Importantly, to have the possibility for a pre-electrocardiographic estimation of QTc allows all the medical and paramedical personnel, involved in the multidisciplinary treatment of obesity, to immediately establish the cardiovascular risk in the OP under observation.
Objective To explore the effect of microwave radiation on cell proliferation activity and the cell cycle of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods There were four groups: the control,10,20 and 30 mW/cm2 microwave radiation groups. MTT and flow cytometry(FCM) methods were used to detect the cell proliferation activity and the cell cycle of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Result With an increase of microwave radiation dosage,the MTT assay showed that the rate of cell activity was reduced from 100% to 76.75% and 65.07% at 20 and 30 mW/cm2 microwave radiation and sub-diploidy peaks were found.Conclusion Microwave radiation inhibits cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
The invention provides a model test device for a vertical long-time settling character test of a pile foundation. The model test device comprises a test model box, a loading system and a test system. The test model box is a body of the model text device and used for simulating a tested object. The loading system is arranged on the test model box and used for conducting simulating loading on the tested object. An original test object of the test system is arranged on an original tested object of the model box and used for testing the response of the tested object under the dynamic loading action. The test model box, the loading system and the test system are connected to achieve model test of the long-time settling character test of the pile foundation. The invention further discloses an application of for simulating and testing the vertical long-time settling character in different soil bodies under different train loading actions. By means of the model test device and the application, vertical power loading of a model pile can be achieved, stress strain of a pile body under the dynamic loading action can be tested, and the contact condition of the pile soil interface in a model accords with the actual situation.
Based on the analysis of the characteristics of nonlinearity and strong interference of traffic flow to the complex and uncertainty of time variance in real traffic system,a new approach was proposed for traffic flow prediction.First,wavelet transform is employed to eliminate the noise of original traffic data to reflect the essence and variation of traffic flow.According to the nonlinearity and predictability in short time of traffic flow,a chaotic time series model was applied to forecast traffic flow with the worked data was proposed.The test result indicates that the model based on wavelet denoising was an efficient method to the real-time dynamic traffic flow prediction.
The object of this study is Leonhard Euler's physical optics as it is formulated in Nova theoria lucis et colorum (1746). The focus is on this particular work by Euler for two reasons: 1) Nova theoria represents undoubtedly the most comprehensive and systematic medium theory of the 18th century; 2) it contains the basic principles of Euler's conception of the nature of light, which he later maintained. The works of the most important advocates of this tradition (Huygens, Malebranche and Johann II Bernoulli) are here analyzed to give a historical frame to Euler's role in the medium tradition. Though these authors try to elaborate a theory of light alternative to the emission theory, they never realize the contrast between the medium and the emission traditions. From this perspective, Nova theoria is a real transition point: Euler is fully aware of the antithesis between the two traditions; he compares them, he refutes the arguments in favor of emission theory and formulates an alternative one, that will substantially be the first and the most significant antagonist of emission model. The essay examines also the central questions of Euler's theory of light, i.e. how pulses are generated and propagated, the nature of the rays of light and the relations among pulse distance, frequency, and velocity.
The Crest-tailed Mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), a species listed as vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999) and as a Schedule 1 species under the Western Australian Conservation Act (1950), was once found throughout arid central Australia and Western Australia, but its geographic range has been significantly reduced. The spatial distribution and shape of Mulgara burrows is described for an area that was subsequently cleared in the Pilbara of Western Australia. The area contained a substantial cover (» 50% cover) of spinifex (Triodia sp.) tussocks to about 600 mm high and scattered shrubs when first searched in June 2006 but had been burnt (November 2006) by the time Mulgara were to be translocated before the vegetation was cleared in January 2007. Burrows contained between two and nine entrances, tunnels were mostly on a single level and to a depth of about 300 mm. The lumen for a burrow entrance was typically an arch over a flat bottom with a height of 70–80 mm, and a width of 80–100 mm at the base. Internal tunnels were mostly 50–70 mm wide. Burrows entrances in the burnt landscape were mostly in the open. There was one burrow per 2.5 ha in the area searched, but this was probably a ‘hot-spot’ for Mulgara for the region. Four Mulgara were caught in 750 Elliott trap-nights and five by digging out 65 recently active burrows in an area of about 22 ha. From this we concluded that a substantial trapping effort was required to trap all the Mulgara in an area. If Mulgara are being translocated from an area, then we would recommend an intensive trapping program combined with searching for and digging out all recently active burrows in the area. Strategies to enhance the capture of Mulgara are discussed.
This paper seeks to make the case for socially responsive design. It does this by offering a broad contexualisation of previous accounts of design, including those made in this special issue, and by proposing new and useful ways of understanding the need to address multiple actors and design agendas in the design process. The paper also reviews and identifies problems with some ideas about collaboration and agency in the context of social design and design-led social innovation. It suggests that equitable arrangements between stakeholders are essential to ensure the successful delivery of design for social change in the real world. It also argues that robust socially responsive design and innovation methodologies and engagement strategies are essential, and need to be mindfully applied by designers seeking to make effective and appropriate contributions to meeting societal goals in new, sustainable ways.
The development of mobile services has become a popular issue for companies in a mature internet environment. To successfully implement mobile services, companies must be adequately involved in the unprecedented innovation activities. However, for companies to buy into the service, it is essential for them to perceive the value of the service and actually achieve that level of value. With this in mind, this research aims to explore the value of mobile service investment and related value barriers. We use the limit-to-value framework to examine the valuation and conversion process for mobile services in the context of the exhibition industry and focus on exhibitors in particular. Pre-usage and postusage data was collected through two-stage survey. This study can help us to understand the critical value-discounting factors and the valuation process for exhibitors as they consider adopting and using innovative mobile services in the exhibition industry.
Link to a wide range of spatio-temporal practices, the mobility is nowadays an important factor of social relations. If the spatio-temporal practices and mobility forms are not homogenous, how can we, however, describe them, qualify and make them more comprehensible? The metropolitan area can be a suitable scale to analyse these behaviours, because it results of these mobilities and most of today's urban mobilities are registered inside this space. This PhD work tends to read Grenoble metropolitan space heterogeneity and its organizations, through the daily mobility analysis. A better knowledge of daily mobilities behaviours and their representation in space and in time are the core topic of this work. The essential motivation is to take into consideration a person in his/her context, i.e. with all particular dimensions of his/her situation. An original approach is to enable to read and to analyse the mobilities and activities, and the occurring disparities, exploring a great quantitative data basis, which is the household trip survey (fr. Enquete menages deplacements, EMD, conducted in 2002 in the Grenoble urban area). This implies a secondary analysis of data coming from a major local public policies tool, which has not been used so far for daily mobilities' forms analysis.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE USE OF SOIL STRAIN MEASUREMENTS FOR OBSERVING COMPACTION OF EARTH MATERIALS IN THE FIELD. THE SENSORS CONSISTED OF DISK-SHAPED COILS EMBEDDED IN THE MATERIAL; THE DISTANCE BETWEEN ADJACENT PAIRS WAS DETERMINED BY INDUCTANCE COUPLING. EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED ON PORTIONS OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY IN NEW YORK AND ON A SPECIAL TEST SECTION AT THE WATERWAYS EXPERIMENT STATION IN VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI. TECHNIQUES FOR SENSOR INSTALLATION WERE DEVELOPED, POSSIBLE FIELD APPLICATIOHS WERE DEMONSTRATED, AND ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE CONCEPT FOR COMPACTION EVALUATION WERE DETERMINED. THE INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY IN THE FIELD CONSTRUCTION ENVIRONMENT. THE SENSORS SURVIVED COMPACTION IN CRUSHED SLAG AND GRAVELLY BACKFILL. THE MEASUREMENT OF VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL STRAINS PERMITTED CALCULATION OF PERCENTAGE OF DENSITY CHANGE. RESOLUTION WAS ABOUT 0.1 PERCENT STRAIN UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS. A RECORDER DETECTED MUCH SMALLER CHANGES. STRAIN MEASUREMENTS WERE PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR EVALUATING VARIATION OF COMPACTION WITH DEPTH, COMPACTION CHANGES WITH EACH ROLLER PASS, SECONDARY COMPACTION AS ADDITIONAL LAYERS WERE ADDED, VARIABILITY OF END RESULTS, AND DIFFERENCE IN CAPABILITY BETWEEN COMPACTORS.
A measurement cell (1) comprises: a measurement chamber (6); an inflow aperture (7) by which a sample solution flows into the measurement chamber (6); an outflow aperture (8) by which the sample solution flows out from the measurement chamber (6); a measurement electrode (12) which is disposed in a location toward the outflow aperture (8) within the measurement chamber (6), captures bacteria which is included in the sample solution which flows in the measurement chamber (6) and whereupon a measurement AC voltage is applied to measure the quantity of the bacteria; a concentration electrode (21a) which is disposed in a location toward the inflow aperture (7) in the measurement chamber (6), and whereupon a concentration AC voltage is applied for imparting a repulsive force which guides the bacteria included in the sample solution to the measurement electrode (12) side; and insulating bodies (20a, 20b) which are disposed upon the concentration electrode (21a), and whereupon an electrical field convergence unit (22) is formed which causes the repulsive force to be generated in a portion of the insulating bodies when the concentration AC voltage is applied to the concentration electrode (21a).
The circumferential acoustical device (CAD) is an acoustic logging tool for use in oil wells as a detector of vertical or near vertical fractures of the formation. Opposing pairs of acoustic transmitter and receivers are mounted in a plane perpendicular to the well axis and are pressed onto the well wall. The acoustic wave emitted by the transmitters propagates in the fluid inside the well and the formation outside the well and is received by the receivers displaced circumferentially by 90" from the transmitters. We study the acoustic field of the CAD by the model of the field generated by a source in the well and close to the well wall. The calculation formulae are presented and the numerically calculated series of snapshots of the field at different time instants and the waveforma at several positions are given. The results clearly exhibit all wavecomponents and their propagation in the field.
In the centre of the article is the work of A. I. Somov at the Hermitage painting collection catalogue. Appointed in 1886 the main custodian of the painting gallery, Somov was an announced specialist in art history, art criticism and museum work. The Somov’s process of studying and describing of the art collection went in collaboration with such famous specialists as W. Bode (Germany), А. Bredius (the Netherlands), P. P. Semyonov (Russia). So the mentioned catalogue can be regarded as the first deeply scientific description of the Hermitage collection. It’s important to mention the educational potential of the work, as it offered a usual visitor of the museum maximum of useful and comprehensible information. The work carried out by Somov contributed much to the Hermitage transformation into one of the centers of native art science foundation. The Painting collection turned out to be a rich educational base for the whole generation of young art critics in St. Petersburg (A. Benua, N. Vrangel and others). They continued Somov’s work and made the museum a real national and world culture centre.
New derivatives of octahydro-indeno furan, their preparation and therapeutic compositions containing them. The invention relates to derivatives of octahydro-2a, 4,4a, 5,6,7,7a-indeno furan of the formula wherein R is H or a benzyl group optionally substituted on the phenyl ring by Alc, OH or OALC (Alk being a lower alkyl group or straight chain saturated C 5), a process for their preparation and therapeutic compositions containing them.
Background: Intellectually disabled persons, as compared with normal people, experience different changes during the adolescence period including the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics. However, owing to their low intelligence quotient, these changes are usually accompanied by more problems and challenges. The present study was conducted to determine the experiences of parents regarding the sexual and reproductive health of educable intellectually disabled adolescent girls. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was carried out on 52 participants (adolescent girls, parents, teachers, healthcare providers, and managers) who were selected via purposeful sampling in Isfahan between July 2016 and April 2017. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and field notes, and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: Five sub-categories were extracted: “unawareness about sexual needs of the adolescent girl and her potential vulnerability,” “inappropriate actions in directing the sexual behaviors of the adolescent,” “insufficient supervision and care over the adolescent's sexual health,” “inappropriate actions toward marrying off the adolescent,” and “inappropriate actions regarding the menstrual and genital health” which formed the main category of “parents' inefficiency in maintaining adolescent girls' sexual and reproductive health.” Conclusions: Based on the results, parents face different challenges about the sexual and reproductive health of intellectually disabled adolescent girls. Hence, empowering the parents especially mothers through teachers and healthcare providers with the knowledge and skills to maintain the sexual and reproductive health of intellectually disabled adolescent girls would make them emboldened to find the ability to protect themselves in different situations.
This essay was written marking the completion of Hugh Macgill's extraordinarily successful term as Dean of the University of Connecticut School of Law. I believe the skills Hugh displayed in leading sophisticated teachers and students offer important lessons to our broader political community. I will make that case along the following lines. First, I will link the challenges to political authority that form a core part of our understanding of the Vietnam and Watergate era with intellectual developments in the legal academy that have marked the last twenty-five years. Second, I will explain how criticisms developed in the narrow context of legal analysis are particularly significant when viewed as challenges to conventional notions of leadership. Third, I will describe the rhetorical problems leaders face in seeking to overcome our collective loss of faith in core ideologies that might have served as rallying cries in earlier eras. Finally, I will detail four strategies available to solve the rhetorical challenge and link them back to my initial remarks concerning Hugh's style in leading the law school.
A workshop was conducted for the Air Force Command and Control Battlelab (C 2 B) in May 1998 to explore the potential use of collaborative tools in the preparation of an Air Tasking Order (ATO) in a geographically and temporally distributed environment. Relying on past Warfare Analysis Laboratory Exercises (WALEXs) and operational expertise, APL developed, designed, and facilitated the workshop to "walk" participants through several vignettes. Each vignette was used to identify issues related to the application of collaborative tools and to develop or examine alternative means to resolve these issues. APL and C 2 B staff developed a model encompassing both the ATO development cycle and the Joint Air Operations Center division structure to focus discussion. Comments from subject-matter experts were gathered using the Electronic Seminar Support System. The data provided were incorporated into the C 2 B Concept of Operations for the use of collaborative tools in Expeditionary Force Experiment '98. This article presents The "Collaborative Tools" Workshop as an example of Air Force WALEX applications.
Besides as key words in economic field,"production,consumption and development" have become popular in fields of culture,literature and arts due to the "marketing" trend in contemporary society.In Literature,Arts and Culture:Production,Consumption and Development,cultural forms has comprehensively been investigated in the consumer society to discuss the interpenetrating relationship between theoretic development and case studies.More importantly,that this comprehensive investigation of "new media,new culture,and new arts" in "marketing" trends,development of local culture and traditional culture in the context of consumption has both shown the writers' unique vision and problem consciousness,and ushered studies of culture,literature and arts into a practical speech mode,which is different from the traditional theoretic one.
Ginkgo biloba L., an ancient relict and dioecious plant, plays a much significant role not only in the natural world but also in academia. Over the years, many scientists have done much work for its research and utilization. Due to the different economic and application values between male and female trees in Ginkgo biloba, the differences between male and female trees have been concerned and studied for a long time to meet the urgent need for sex identification to support field planting. This paper reviews the main research results of the distinct characteristics between male and female plants in morphology, chemical reagent resistance, physiological and biochemical indexes,isozymes, karyotype, molecular markers and specific protein expression of Ginkgo biloba. Morphological identification is the most intuitive and simple, but the judgment is unstable. Chemical treatment identification way is simple but not rigorous enough. Isoenzyme and karyotype analysis are accurate and reliable, but difficult to employ in production on a mass scale. Molecular markers and the specific protein researches are more scientific and reliable but depend on high technology to support. Some new research fields, such as gene silencing, gene over expression, gene modification, and DNA probe and kit preparation, as well as metabolic fingerprint mapping, will provide valuable scientific basis for fast and efficient gender identification of Ginkgo biloba L.
This paper addresses the problem of geometry-based sound reverberation for applications of virtual acoustics. In particular, we propose a novel method that allows us to significantly speed-up the construction of the beam tree in beam tracing applications, by avoiding space subdivision. This allows us to dynamically recompute the beam tree as the sound source moves. In order to speedup the construction of the beam tree, we determine what portion of which reflectors the beam “illuminates” by performing visibility checks in the “dual” of the geometric space.
The emergence of trade over cyberspace represents a challenge to the exhaustion of copyright of digital products. It analyzes the measures for meeting the challenge in EU and USA. On the basis of analysis of the reality in China,it puts forward some measures for solving the challenge in China. At the same time,it analyzes the potential possibility of parallel imports of digital products through cyberspace.
Methods were established to isolate and purify microcystin with the main steps of extraction with 75% aqueous methanol, and isolation and purification with reversed-phase flash chromatography and semipreparative chromatography. The purity and structure of the obtained microcystin were identified with HPLC, spectrophotometer, and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The obtained microcystin was MCRR with purity 95% and its UV absorption spectra had characteristic absorption at 239nm. Its molecular composition was cyclo-(Ala-Arg-MeAsp-Arg-Adda-Glu-Mdha), and molecular weight was 1037.
Abstract We carried out an experiment to compare the amounts of carbon and nitrogen mineralized by chloroform fumigation and heating (50, 100, 150, and 200°C) in order to clarify the origin of the carbon and nitrogen mineralized by the drying treatment, for the development of a soil fertility index. The amount of carbon mineralized from the fumigated soil was approximately equal to that from the soil heated at 50°C. The amount of nitrogen mineralized from the fumigated soil was equal to that from the soil heated at 50 and 100°C. The decrease in the number of bacteria in the fumigated soil was approximately equal to that in the soil heated at 50°C. On the other hand, the decrease in the number of actinomycetes and fungi in the fumigated soil was equal to that in the soil heated at 100°C. Based on these results, we suggest that the carbon and nitrogen mineralized in the soil heated at 50 and 100°C were mainly derived from the biomass fraction and at above 100°C, mainly from the non-biomass fraction.
Objectives and Contextualisation In this module students will learn the different key stages in the innovation process and design of a new product of animal origin. They will also know the most innovative processing technologies; its validation and they will study the parameters of the process that have the greatest impact on the characteristics of the final product. Among the technologies that reduce the environmental impact of the food industry, students will study the use of products for the preparation of functional ingredients.
Harmonic wavelet has simple expressions both in time and frequency domain. It has orthgonality in more general sense. It has good box-like spectrum and efficient decomposing algorithm based on FFT. Its time-frequency mesh map, contour map and sectional map are built based on its FFT decomposing algorithm. By applying time-spectrum plots mentioned above to fault signals of a gear box, the periodic impact signals of broken gears are gained, which show that harmonic wavelet is practically valuable.
The zero-range potentials of the radial Schrodinger equation and their dressing are investigated. A sequence of Darboux transformations involving a set of parameters yields solvable potentials of a finite-range with physically meaningful properties. In particular, the newly obtained potential is matched to that resulting from theab initio computation methods in terms of discrete and continuous spectrum parameters. The approach, being a companion to conventional quantum simulation methods, combines symbolical and numerical calculations and is expected to work best for molecules with high spherical symmetry, typically fullerenes.
In this paper,the design process of the subminiature infrared track and the wireless remote control are given,and the main circuit diagram is presented.The subminiature infrared track and the wireless remote control vehicle can sashay independence according to the giving route,and will achieves quite precision orientation via wireless remote control.Simultaneity,the follows up the scent of the given object is come true by using infrared ray.This made the subminiature infrared track and the wireless remote control vehicle possess some intelligence.
A new cosmological theory is presented based on the proposition that all four metrical coefficients of space and time change with the cosmological expansion. Such a universal scale expansion would preserve the four-dimensional spacetime geometry and therefore by general relativity most physical relationships. In addition, if the scale expansion were exponential with time, all epochs would be equivalent. The theory resolves several outstanding problems with the Big Bang theory and better agrees with four observational programs. It also provides a simple explanation to the Pioneer anomaly.
A security situation prediction model for information network based on support vector machine(SVM) and particle swarm optimization(PSO) is proposed.By use of sliding window,in the proposed model a continuous time series that is partially linearly dependent is constructed by security situation values sampled from original discrete time monitoring points,and taking the time series as the sample set of security situation data the SVM is trained to generate a prediction model.During the training of SVM,the PSO algorithm is used to search for the optimal training parameters of SVM to reduce the blindness in the selection of SVM parameters and improve precision of prediction.Through the experiments based on on-site installation and monitoring data of a lot of power enterprise information networks,the effectiveness of the proposed security situation prediction model is verified.
An uncoupled, one-dimensional river model, capable of simulating bed evolution, hydraulic sorting and armoring under unsteady flow conditions is presented in this paper. This unsteady flow over heterogeneous bed model (UFOHEB) was applied to predict the variations of bed level and armor-layer grain size distribution of along the Tsengwen River downstream of Tsengwen Dam. The simulated results showed fair agreement with observed data.
This study examined musical concepts of early childhood teachers with the 'Sing-a-New-Song' activity and problems teachers face in the application of musical concepts. Participants were 10 kindergarten teachers; data were collected through lesson plans, videos of classes, and interviews with teachers. Results showed that (1) selection of songs focused on words of a song rather than musical concepts; ignoring development of the musical level of the children. (2) Goal-setting ignored musical concepts. (3) Class management confused musical concepts with other concepts. (4) No evaluation of musical concepts was undertaken. Problems included teachers' lack of knowledge of musical development in young children, insufficient understanding and limited application of musical concepts, and low expectations regarding music as a subject of instruction.
Background Uncontrolled hypertension (HTN) is a challenge for public health professionals all over the world. It is the leading and most important modifiable risk factor for coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, renal diseases, and retinopathy. The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of uncontrolled HTN among Palestinian hypertensive patients on treatment. In addition, the study aimed to explore the relationship between socio-demographic and clinical factors with HTN control as well as establish a comprehensive literature review for similar studies. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. 218 hypertensive patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Results HTN is not adequately controlled in over 60% of treated patients. Factors that were linked to uncontrolled HTN and were statistically significant as per this study were diabetes (p=0.010), high BMI (p=0.009), smoking (p < 0.0001), lower educational level (p=0.002), and monotherapy (p=0.004). Conclusion The results suggest that effective efforts on improving HTN control are strongly needed. The efforts need to target hypertensive patients who are also smokers, diabetics, having a low education level, and have a higher-than-normal BMI.
Thalamic infarction is frequently bilateral due to the nature of the vascular supply to the thalamic region, and is usually caused by cardiogenic embolism or emboli originating from the proximal basilar or vertebral artery. But there have been no reported case of bilateral thalamic ischemic injury. A 25-year old man was in coma after committing suicide, hanging his neck. MRI showed bilateral pulvinar ischemic injury. He showed disturbance in recent memory, calculation, and had bilateral hemianopsia, transcortical motor aphasia, intentional tremor, proprioceptive sensory dysfunction. He was treated with progressive physical therapy for ambulation, repeated stimuli with TENS for proprioception, given donepezil 5 mg and cognitive training for improvement of cognition. After discharge, he was able to walk independently at outdoors, and could do all activities of daily living by himself. All motor and sensory functions of upper and lower extremities were recovered except tremor and dynamic standing balance dysfunction.
This paper reports on a research study to investigate the wave- induced response behaviour of a pair of long flexible cylinders subject to both regular and random seas. A series of large scale experiments in combination with both deterministic and probabilistic modelling techniques were used in an effort to gain a better understanding of the basic fluid/structure interaction phenomena. The large scale experiments were designed so that cylinder spacing and orientation with respect to the incident uni-directional waves could be varied. Test data were obtained which allowed the investigation of both mean-square and extreme response behaviour, such as the collision of the cylinders. Comparisons between the experimental data and numerical simulations based upon a Morison equation based finite element model lead to the identification of two important mechanisms influencing the collision behaviour. A probabilistic model of the collision behaviour based on the first- passage formulation of a random process, accounting for the non- Gaussian nature of the response is discussed. Comparisons between non-parametric estimates from the experimental data and the probabilistic model show the importance of accounting for the non-Gaussian nature of the response in estimating the extreme response and cylinder collision behaviour.
It,s very important to predicate pit water discharge in the work of prevention and cure of groundwater . The coventional predictive method are complex in the process of calculation , and can not take into account the influence of all factors on water discharge . Grey theory has a high summary , a simple calculation process and a good accuracy , therefore it is widely used in prediction of many engineering practices .But only a few are used to predict the pit water discharge in coal mine . This paper uses grey theory model in the prediction of pit water discharge in coal mine in Eighth Mine Pingdingshan, and obtained a good result.
The IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) is the future trend that will merge the Internet with the cellular world. However, a majority of legacy devices today and future lack coherent support for next generation networked multimedia services. The goal of this book is to find a way to access IMS services for non-IMS devices, especially for the mobile phone devices. In this book, we proposed a browser-based IMS System Architecture for the non-IMS devices to access IMS services. The system architecture mainly focuses on portable non-IMS devices, but it is also compatible with fixed devices. Besides, we also proposed several technical solutions to the problems in security, provisioning, identity management, inter- working, and device management. To evaluate the architecture we implemented three IMS use cases: IMS Registration, Presence service, and Page mode Instant Message. Based on the testing result, we validate the possibility of the system architecture. The work also outlines a roadmap for future potential works and system extensions.
INTRODUCTION The goal of this study is to identify the optimal component ratios for making cement that maximize the amount of cement clay that can be replaced by recycled waste foundry sand, limestone and ferrate as raw materials. A computational model was utilized to determine the composition of raw clinkers. In this study, the amount of free CaO was < 1% and the loss on ignition parameter met eco-cement criteria of CNS 61. Results demonstrate that the major components of ordinary Portland cement, such as C S, C S, C A, and C AF, were in all eco-clinkers. The Fourier Transform Infrared 3 2 3 4 -1 Spectroscopy analysis identified the wavenumber was at roughly 990-970 cm , and mainly due to Si-O bonds of calcium silicate hydrates. The heavy metal leaching concentrations for different clinkers complied with regulatory thresholds developed by Taiwan's Environmental Protection Agency. Thus, this study demonstrates the feasibility and safety in utilizing waste foundry sand in cement additives. .
In this paper the theory of semi-bounded rationality is proposed as an extension of the theory of bounded rationality. In particular, it is proposed that a decision making process involves two components and these are the correlation machine, which estimates missing values, and the causal machine, which relates the cause to the effect. Rational decision making involves using information which is almost always imperfect and incomplete as well as some intelligent machine which if it is a human being is inconsistent to make decisions. In the theory of bounded rationality this decision is made irrespective of the fact that the information to be used is incomplete and imperfect and the human brain is inconsistent and thus this decision that is to be made is taken within the bounds of these limitations. In the theory of semi-bounded rationality, signal processing is used to filter noise and outliers in the information and the correlation machine is applied to complete the missing information and artificial intelligence is used to make more consistent decisions.
Objective To understand the characteristics and the costs of incidents resulting in injuries registered in the hospitals of Minhang,Shanghai,and to provide evidence-based analysis for policy making. Methods 12 061 patients admitted into hospitals from 2010 to 2012 and diagnosed as injuries were retrieved from the online registry portal of general hospitals in the Minhang area. The International Classification of Diseases( ICD-10) was referred to in order to discuss the causes and costs of such incidents. Results 12 061 incidents of injury were reported in the past three years. The top four causes of injury in the list were the falls( 43. 28%),traffic accidents( 20. 69%),others and other external causes of accidental injury( 13. 99%) and exposure to inanimate mechanical forces( 12. 31%),among them,both falls and traffic accidents accounted for 63. 97% of all causes. There are variations among different age groups. The number of incidents in the male population was significantly higher than those in the female,the age of injuries rangs from 15 to 64 years.The causes of the injuries varied in the different age bands. For the age group of 0-14,the majority of causes were others and external causes of accidental injury( 34. 15%) and falls( 29. 27%); in the 15-64 age group falls and traffic accident was the leading cause; and for people over 65 years of age‘falls' were the main cause of injuries. Overall,69. 36% of injury accidents were in over 65 age group. According to the hospital discharge record,46. 02% of injured patients recovered,44. 30% improved,6. 47% did not improve and 1. 73% died and 1. 48% remained unclear. The median number of stay in hospital was 11 days and the median medical expenses were 10 167. 00 RMB. The incidence rates of injury over the four seasons were 20. 86%,24. 01%,27. 76%,27. 37% respectively. Conclusions Male,young and middle-aged people are the vulnerable groups for an injury prevention strategy. Falls and traffic accidents were the main causes of all injury accidents. The variations in the age groups and the seasons should be taken into account in developing a prevention strategy.
In this paper, the problem of an impulsive load on a bar, composed of two coaxial cylinders of different materials, is investigated. Double integral transforms are used to solve the equations of motion. The exact solution appears as a sum of Fourier integrals, whose integrands are all divided by the generalized version of the Pochammer‐Chree frequency equation. Asymptotic values are obtained by using the saddle‐point method of integration. The displacements and stress functions are plotted for various times at a point far away from the point of impact. These functions are also plotted across the bar to show the effect of the interface surface.
Brain death is associated with cessation of blood flow to the brain. Tc-99m brain flow studies are used as a laboratory confirmatory test for the establishment of the diagnosis of brain death. Criteria for the diagnosis of cessation of blood flow to the brain are 1) visualization of carotid artery activity in the neck of the patient and 2) no visualization of activity in the distribution of the anterior and middle cerebral arteries. The authors noticed that in a significant number of patients, although there was no visualization of arterial blood flow to the brain the static images demonstrated faint accumulation of activity in the region of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS). In a four year period 212 brain flow studies were performed in 154 patients for diagnosis of brain death; of them 137 studies (65%) showed no evidence of arterial flow. In 103 out of the 137 studies (75%) there was no visualization of the SSS; in the remaining 34 studies (3l patients) however three patterns of faint activity attributed to partial and or faint visualization of the SSS could be recognized at the midline of the immediate anterior static view: a) linear from the cranial vault floor upmore » b) disk shaped at the apex of the vault and c) disk shaped at the apex tailing caudad. All of the 3l patients in this group satisfied brain death criteria within four days of the last study which showed faint visualization of the superior sagittal sinus. The authors conclude that even in the presence of a faint visualization of the superior sagittal sinus on static post brain flow scintigraphy, the diagnosis of cessation of blood flow to the brain can be made if there is no evidence of arterial blood flow.« less
Children with autism spectrum disorder are characterized by impairment in social communication and social interaction and restricted,repetitive patterns of behavior;the symptoms and severity are continuum system.Parts of the ASD children are probable to accept general education;they are placed in team teaching blending with development delay children,complement and benefit each other.This article will discuss this kind of education mode called blended education.Another parts of ASD children are either belong to the category of moderately severe,either as the growth of the age,their abilities are backward or stagnant.They are recommended to the pattern of traditional education for children with autism by the authors.This paper proves that education and rehabilitation for autism spectrum disorder are effective,and the necessity of distinguishing to use blended education and traditional education according to their aptitude.
Firstly,the Minkowski sum is used to convert the problem of polygonal robot's path planning to point robot's path planning, Secondly,An improved method of the visibility graph to ensure the safety of robots is presented. This approach builds the arcs far away from the barriers.The possible path nodes at the graph are first determined , and the possible paths are also considered tobuild the arcs among nodes. The shortest path is then obtained by the Dijkstra algorithm. Simulation results show that the path derived by this approach can reach or approximate the optimal path.
China is the largest wheat planting and the highest wheat output country in the world,and also the biggest chemical fertilizer production and consumption country in the world.In recent years,the area of arable land is decreasing,the resource shortage and the environment pollution is enhancing,therefore,improving the output of wheat to meet the food requirement of increasing population is the most important problem.This paper analyzed the present status of wheat production and fertilizer application in China,the results showed that Henan,Shandong,Hebei,Jiangsu,Anhui,Sichuan and Shannxi province accounted for 66.28% of wheat area and 73.53% of wheat output,and consumed 48.53% of chemical fertilizer since 1980.From 1998 to 2004,chemical fertilizer applied in wheat were 295.5 kg/ha in average,which account for 17.61% of chemical fertilers used in China.The average cost of chemical fertilizer in wheat production were 903.3 yuan per hectare,its accounted for 33.27%~37.30% of the direct cost,averaged in 35.59%.At the present wheat production and fertilizer application,wheat yield existed big difference between different area,chemical fertilizer efficiency were lower,the soil NO3——N residual was high,and groundwater was polluted seriously.In the future research,new wheat varieties selection and extension should be enhanced,nutrient management should be realized to improve wheat yield and fertilizer efficiency together.
Management is nowadays a basic vector of economic development, a concept frequently used in our country as well as all over the world. Indifferently of the hierarchical level at which the managerial process is manifested, decision represents its essential moment, the supreme act of managerial activity. Its can be met in all fields of activity, practically having an unlimited degree of coverage, and in all the functions of management. It is common knowledge that the activity of any type of manger, no matter the hierarchical level he occupies, represents a chain of interdependent decisions, their aim being the elimination or limitation of the influence of disturbing factors that may endanger the achievement of predetermined objectives, and the quality of managerial decisions condition the progress and viability of any enterprise. Therefore, one of the principal characteristics of a successful manager is his ability to adopt the most optimal decisions of high quality. The quality of managerial decisions are conditioned by the manager’s general level of education and specialization, the manner in which they are preoccupied to assimilate the latest information and innovations in the domain of management’s theory and practice and the applying of modern managerial methods and techniques in the activity of management. We are presenting below the analysis of decision problems in hazardous conditions in terms of Bayesian theory – a theory that uses the probabilistic calculus.
In modern computer games — like action, adventure, role-playing, strategy, simulation and sports games — artificial intelligence (AI) techniques play an important role. However, the requirements of such games are very different from those of the games normally studied in AI. This article discusses which approaches and fields of research are relevant to achieve a sophisticated goal-directed behavior for modern computer games’ nonplayer characters. It also presents a classification of approaches for autonomous agents and gives an overview of a solution developed in the EXCALIBUR project.
Breast implant–associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is a recently recognized malignancy of T-lymphocytes that is linked to certain types of textured breast implants. Although rare, the increasing awareness of the disease is resulting in more case reports and heightened anxiety in patients with textured breast implants. This review aims to summarize the available BIA-ALCL data, including the existing theories of etiopathogenesis, the diagnostic work-up for BIA-ALCL patients, BIA-ALCL treatment recommendations, the epidemiologic challenges, and the current opinions surrounding the use of textured breast implants.
PURPOSE: A golf putter head and a removable putter weight are provided to reduce vibration arranged between one or more removable putter weight and at least one or more club head surface. CONSTITUTION: A golf putter head(100) and a removable putter weight are selected from a group of removable weights(140) including weights having the same volume and different specific gravity. A first removable weight among one or more removable weights is arranged on a heel part(130). A second removable weight among one or more removable weights is arranged on a toe part(125) of the club head. A third removable weight is further included in the removable weights arranged in the center part of the club head.
Corrosion failure was occurred in trays in acrylonitrile recovery tower in its service. With the methods of macro examination, chemical composition analysis, metellographical analysis and scanning electric microscope analysis, the analysis and discussion for the failed trays were carried out in this article. It was concluded that in view of different electric potentials existed in trays and floating pieces galvanic corrosion was occurred. In addition, abrasion speeded up the process of this corrosion. Based on this corrosion mechanism, some protection measures were finally proposed.
Patients with AMD, a glycogen storage disease resulting in loss of skeletal muscle function, become ventilator dependent when respiratory muscles, particularly the diaphragm, are significantly involved. To identify predictive factors of diaphragmatic weakness in AMD, we studied 10 untreated AMD patients and 8 healthy controls. Supine postural drop of vital capacity (ΔVC) was measured by spirometry, while rib cage (RC) and abdominal (AB) volume variations by opto-electronic plethysmography during quite breathing and slow vital capacity in seated and supine posture. RC and AB contributions to tidal volume (VT), inspiratory capacity (IC) and expiratory reserve volume (ERV) were derived. Diaphragmatic weakness, defined as ΔVC>25% (Fromageot et al,2001), was present in 3 patients (DW). Posture had a significant effect on IC and AB volume changes during IC and ERV (left and central panel) in controls and patients without DW (noDW). Conversely, in DW patients IC and AB volume changes during IC did not vary with posture, while AB contribute paradoxically (negative values) to ERV in supine position. DW patients also showed negative (i.e., paradoxical inward movement) AB contribution to VT which correlated with ΔVC (right panel). AB volume variations in both DW and noDW patients were generally lower than controls. In conclusion, abdominal displacement during VT and VC maneuver is a good indicator of diaphragmatic weakness in AMD.  ![Figure][1] [1]: pending:yes
Introduction  Breast cancer metastasis has been coupled to deregulated cell signaling pathways, among them the non-canonical Wnt pathway. Wnt5a is a non-canonical Wnt ligand which expression is downregulated in many metastatic breast tumors. It is thought to function as a tumor suppressor of breast cancer metastasis by regulating breast cancer cell migration through, for example, increased adhesion. It has been shown that Wnt5a increases aerobic glycolysis in melanoma cells, where it acts as a tumor promoter. However, Wnt5a is suggested to increase oxygen consumption rate in breast cancer cells. We therefore investigated effects of Wnt5a on aerobic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in breast cancer cells, and Wnt5a-mediated reduction of breast cancer cell migration.    Methods  The model system employed includes both parental MCF7 cells negative for Wnt5a protein expression and the transfected breast cancer cell line MCF7-5A, which constitutively expresses the Wnt5a protein. The MCF7-5A cells were analyzed for migration using wound healing assay, and for c-myc, hexokinase II, LDHA and mitochondrial protein (complex I-V) expression using Western blot analysis, and for lactate secretion using a colorimetric lactate assay. The same experimental procedures were conducted for EGF treated MCF7-5A cells.    Results  Wnt5a reduced MCF7-5A cell migration, compared to MCF7-EV control cells. The expression levels of c-myc, hexokinase II and LDHA, lactate secretion and the expression of mitochondrial protein complex I-V were unchanged in MCF7-5A cells in the presence of Wnt5a, compared to control. MCF7-5A cells showed increased wound healing ability when treated with EGF for 48 hours, as compared to MCF7-EV cells. Furthermore, the β-catenin and c-myc expression levels increased slightly in MCF7-5A cells upon EGF treatment. No difference in levels of hexokinase II, LDHA, lactate, or mitochondrial complex I-V protein was observed in EGF treated MCF7-5A and MCF7-EV cells.    Conclusions  Our results suggest that Wnt5a mediated reduction in MCF7 cell migration is not dependent on aerobic glycolysis. It is still possible that Wnt5a mediates effects on the oxidative phosphorylation but it is most likely not through regulating mitochondrial complex I-V protein expression.
The secondary vocational education is one of the most related types of vocational educations to the society of economy. In addition, the secondary vocational education plays a vital role in the whole educational system and emphasizes the study for practicing. Furthermore, the quality of teachers is one of the key factors in the educational level,yet in the secondary schools, the core teachers who represent a high level of education are the mainstays of the teaching staf. Character design is a major which needs high professional compound. It is based on the survey of the National Department of Education concerning the demand of cultivating core teachers of the secondary vocational education in character design major and displays the basic consequences of the status about the character design teachers and reveals several suggestions for faculty development.
Walls, floor, ceiling – these are the elements of the urban interior. Elements that comprise a city can be referred to as citygenic factors. Apart from buildings, roads and squares, it is people who are the most important. Shakespeare once said: what is the city but the people? Now, how can we examine those elements of the interior? The initiative taken by the Szczecin based Regional Chamber of Architects to involve PhD student of the Western Pomerania University of Technology in the Space Development Programme has led to an idea of the actual implementation of the theme concerned. The city, its elements and interior are some of issues covered by the presentation, discussion and workshop for young people from the Junior Secondary School no. 32 in Szczecin. The goal of the presentation, workshop and the discussion, as planned by the author of the article, was to highlight the city as an urban interior through presenting its constituent parts. The workshop was very important, since young people started pointing out elements of the urban interior themselves. Finally, the methodological approach is presented to introduce the main issue together with a teaching goal taxonomy.
Objective To investigate efficacy and safety of venlafaxine extended release formulations and paroxetine in treatment of depression. Methods 60 patients with depression from June 2012 to March 2013 in our hospital were randomly divided into two groups, patients in group A were given venlafaxine extended release formulations treatment,patients in group B were given paroxetine treatment, they were all treated for two months, and then the Hamilton depression rating scale(HAMD), the overall clinical rating scale(CGI) were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects,and adverse reactions were observed. Results After treatment, HAMD, CGI score were lower than that before treatment(P0.05). After 1 week treatment, HAMD scores of group A were significantly lower than group B( P0.05); 4 and 8weeks after treatment, HAMD score of two groups showed no significant difference( P 0.05); After 1,4,8 weeks treatment CGI scores between two groups were not statistically significant( P0.05); and treatment efficiency of two groups compared, the difference was not significant(P0.05). During the treatment, mouth dry, constipation, nausea,abnormal electrocardiogram and other adverse reactions were all found in two groups, but the difference was not significant, and the adverse reactions were reduced or disappeared after symptomatic treatment, and did not affect the treatment.Conclusion Venlafaxine extended release formulations and paroxetine in the treatment of depression has no significant difference in efficacy, and the safety is high, but the onset time of venlafaxine is short, so it is worthy of application.
Objective: To treat humerus fracture with three dimensional pattern and finite element analysis, providing mechanical basis for treating humerus fracture. Methods: Humerus pattern was established based on the CT images, and calculation was done by ANSYS5. 6 software. Three dimensional ten-node tetrahedron unit was selected and were divided into 2 729 nodes, 49 041 units. Distribution and amount of axial compression of humerus were analyzed when clip angle was 30°, 45°, 90° between fracture face and axial line with fixed X, Y, Z directions. Results: The distribution of stress was greatly different between fracture face and non fracture face. Stress in fracture part was fairly concentrated with incomplete symmetric distribution around the center of fracture face; Greater stress distributed in the regions 10 mm from fracture face, which was 2-3 times that of other stress regions. Conclusion: Required load must be estimated under various conditions as to select the suitable internal fixation implants during the treatment of humerus fracture, which can provide helpful stress environment for fracture healing.
Acute and chronic malnutrition is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. Plasma fibronectin levels have been shown to correlate with reticuloendothelial function and are reduced in burns, shock, trauma, and sepsis. Patients failing to show an increase in fibronectin levels after stress have been shown to do poorly. Starvation studies in human volunteers have demonstrated decreasing plasma fibronectin levels until feeding was resumed. The purpose of this study is to examine the usefulness of fibronectin as an assessment parameter in nutritionally depleted hospitalized patients. Eight patients initiated on parenteral nutrition were studied. Plasma fibronectin, albumin, and transferrin levels were drawn before TPN and repeated at various intervals after total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was begun. Mean pre-TPN transferrin was 198.1 +/- 16.1 gm/dl (nl 220-400). Transferrin levels remained statistically unchanged after 8 to 11 days of TPN. Mean pre-TPN albumin was 3.0 +/- 0.2 gm/dl (nl 3.6-4.8) and also remained statistically unchanged after 8 to 11 days of TPN. The mean fibronectin level pre-TPN was 236.4 +/- 24.4 microgram/ml (nl 370-410). Fibronectin rose statistically (P less than 0.005) after 1 to 4 days of TPN to a mean of 341.9 +/- 30.1 microgram/ml and remained elevated and statistically unchanged after 8 to 11 days of TPN. Six of the eight patients studied survived and had demonstrated at least a 30 per cent increase in fibronectin after 1 to 4 days of TPN. Both patients who died demonstrated minimal increase in fibronectin levels after 1 to 4 days of TPN.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Clinical pathway (CP) defines the optimal sequencing and timing for the treatment of a given diagnosis. Its aims include controlling healthcare expenses, improving care quality and some others. CP development team needs consensus about a preferable sequence against the alternatives, in conformity to those sometimes controversial targets. This paper suggests that the team faces a Multi-Objective Combinatorial Optimization problem. A norm based approach is proposed to model the problem, in which feasible solutions are represented as set of norms. A computer simulation system maps a solution to objective variables, then the team can intuitively see what will happen if this set of norms applies. The development team has opportunity to revise the norms and test them again. An artifact example shows how this approach could harnesses efficient from formalized definition and computer simulation, with full regard to human judgment.
Objective:To study the expression of E-CD and CD_ 44V_6 in bladder transient cell cancer.Method: All of specimen of 71 cases of bladder transient cell cancer and 10 cases normal bladder tissue were analysised with immunohisto- chemistry.Result: E-CD and CD_ 44V_6 expressed positively in all of normal bladder tissue.Rate of reserve expression of E-CD was 88.2% in grade Ⅰ,57.8% in grade Ⅱ,28.6% in grade Ⅲ (P0.01).88.3% in T_a～T_1,47.2% in T_2～T_4(P0.01).68.3% in cases of occurring first time,40% in recurring cases(P0.05). Rate of reserve expression of CD_ 44V_6 was 70.6% in grade Ⅰ,45.5% in grade Ⅱ,28.6% in grade Ⅲ (P0.05).66.7% in T_a～T_1,37.7% in T_2～T_4( P0.05).58.5% in cases of occurring first time,30% in recurring cases(P0.025). Conclusion: The rate of reserve expression of E-CD and CD_ 44V_6 in the bladder transient cell cancer is relate with the grade and stage negatively,and relate with the recurrence rate closely.
The human body isn't just one organism, but an entire community teeming with millions of microbes, so there's a whole community of new questions that spacefarers need to think about. In a report released last week, scientists at the US National Academies highlighted the extent of people's ignorance about the way microbes behave in space, and how best to treat astronauts who get sick. The report cited studies showing that Salmonella typhimurium, known for causing food-borne illness, can change its genome to become more virulent after just a few days in space. And studies have also shown that spaceflight can shorten the shelf lives of medications.
On the example of plant communities Bashkortostan Republic an approach to estimation of the possibility of using different types of plant communities as places of the stocking up officinal species has been proposed. Such factors as the distribution of different types of plant associations, the presence in their floristic composition of species from the Red Books, the presence of the communities in the vulnerable habitats (steep slopes, screes, boreal forest types, etc.).
Based on the spore |pollen and algae research of the sediments at Core 294 in the South China Sea, seven spore |pollen zones have been distinguished in ascending order:Ⅰ: %Dacrydium |Pinus |Lithocarpus |Quercus %(evergreen) | %Cyathea % |PolypodiaceaeⅡ: %Castanopsis |Lithocarpus |Dacrydium |Quercus %(evergreen) | %Pinus % |PolypodiaceaeⅢ: %Quercus %(evergreen) | %Castanopsis |Podocarpus |Cyathea % |PolypodiaceaeⅣ:Polypodiaceae | %Cyathea |Pteris |Pinus % |GramineaeⅤ: %Quercus %(evergreen) | %Podocarpus |Lithocarpus |Pinus |Cyathea % |PolypodiaceaeⅥ: %Pinus |Quercus %(evergreen) |Palmae |Mangrove pollen |GramineaeⅦ: %Dacrydium | %Palmae |Mangrove pollen | %Pinus % |Cyperaceae | %Cyathea %The spore |pollen zones reflected five stages of vegetation succession and climatic fluctuation of the eastern South China Sea in the past 120,000 years. The five stages were as follows:hot and wet tropical monsoon forest-worm and a little dry semi |evergreen monsoon forest of northern tropic-hot and wet tropical monsoon forest-worm and a little dry semi |evergreen monsoon forest of northern tropic-hot and wet tropical monsoon forest. Combined with Oxygen Isotope dating, the spore |pollen and algae data provided evidence for stratigraphic division and for reconstruction of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment in the South China Sea.
We show that for small values of the chemical potential the curvature of the phase transition line can be deduced from an analysis of scaling properties of the chiral condensate and its susceptibilities. We make use of a recent analysis of the magnetic equation of state in (2+1)-flavor QCD where a connection between the QCD parameters and the universal scaling fields could be established. The remaining dependence of the reduced temperature on the chemical potential can be fixed by an analysis of a mixed susceptibility, obtained from a derivative with respect to quark mass and chemical potential. We extract this dependence which describes the curvature of the phase transition line, at two values of the cut-off, $aT=1/4$ and $1/8$. We find that cut-off effects are small for the curvature parameter and determine the transition line in the chiral limit to leading order in the light quark chemical potential. We obtain $T_c( mu_B)/T_c(0) = 1 - 0.00656(66) ( mu_B/T)^2 +{ cal O}( mu_B^4)$.
Aim: To observe the effects of estradiol on BDNF expression and its protective mechanism against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.Methods: A total of 64 Wistar rats were randomly divided into cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group(A) and estradiol treatment group(B). The two groups were further divided into four subgroups, according to the reperfusion time( 3 h, 6 h, 12 h,and 24 h ) after 2 h focal cerebral ischemia. Each subgroup had 8 rats. Rat cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury model was established with the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by reversible inserting a nylon thread. Dissolved in refined plant oil, estradiol (100 μg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected for 7 days before MCAO in group B.The same dose of plant oil was administrated to group A. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of BDNF. Results:The expression of BDNF in nerve fibre at 3 h,6 h,12 h,and 24 h in group B was significamtly up-regulated compared with that of each time point in group A (P0.01). The number of BDNF positive cells in pallium and corpus striatum increased at 6 h, especially at 12 h(P0.01), then returned to normal level at 24 h (P0.05). Conclusion: Estradiol can up-regulate the expression of endogenous BDNF, and may be a new protective agent against cerebral ischemic injury.
Complement-fixation (CF) is still an important basic serologic test for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. In several areas of microbiology (viral, bacterial, parasitic and fungal) it has served as a reference standard against which other methods have been compared. Its partial displacement by other techniques, as advocated in some recent literature, is often unfounded and uncritical; displacement is mostly due not to problems inherent in the method, but rather to the lack of reagents of satisfactory quality. The CF technique has been greatly improved in recent years. Improvements include the replacement of reaction tubes with microtiter 96-well plate systems, the availability of semi-automated and automated pipetting devices, the wide range of commercially offered antigens (over 60, by far larger than the range of antigens available for other test systems), an extreme stability of freeze-dried reagents with shelf-lives over decades and, last but not least, low reagent costs (particularly if compared with some other methods). For some diseases CF is still the method of choice (Campylobacter jejuni, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Influenza A and B and some other respiratory viruses). CF has been recognized as a confirmatory test for Lyme disease (B. burgdorferi) and, probably, for Legionellosis. It has been used routinely for the follow-up of antibiotic treatment in syphilis and, recently, in Helicobacter pylori infections. A positive CF result is also indicative for the treatment of complications in Entamoeba histolytica carriers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Factors determining insect colonization of small artificial ponds. Insect colonization was studied in a set of ten small experimental ponds of same size, subjected to different environmental conditions. Correspondence Analysis was employed to analyze the effect of some environmental and life history variables on settlement of insect taxa. The analysis distinguished two groups of species: 1) generalist species that colonized all the ponds studied (except pond X), independently of environmental conditions, and 2) selective species that colonized only some ponds. Among the environmental variables studied, vegetation, substrate, salinity and insolation degree, were important determinants of habitat selection by species. Taxa showed differences in colonization ability based mainly on feeding strategies more than on flight capacity.
The invention discloses an intelligent control system for an agricultural greenhouse. The intelligent control system for the agricultural greenhouse comprises an electrical cabinet, a water storage barrel, a pressurizing water pump, a heating water tank, a radiator, a draught fan, a sunshade curtain, a spray head and a drop irrigation head, wherein an LCD touch screen and a controller are arranged inside the electrical cabinet, the LCD touch screen is connected with the controller, the water storage barrel is connected with the pressurizing water pump, the water pressurizing water pump is connected with the heating water tank, a heater and a water level sensor are arranged in the heating water tank, a water temperature sensor is arranged at the position of a water outlet of the heating water tank, the heater is connected with the radiator, the spray head and the drop irrigation head, the spray head and the drop irrigation head are connected with a spraying electromagnetic valve and a drop irrigation electromagnetic valve respectively, the radiator is connected to the water storage barrel, and the controller is connected with the pressurizing water pump, the heater, the radiator, the water level sensor, the water temperature sensor, a room temperature sensor, the sunshade curtain, the draught fan, the spraying electromagnetic valve and the drop irrigation electromagnetic valve. Compared with the prior art, the intelligent control system for the agricultural greenhouse has the advantages that spraying, drop irrigation and constant temperature of the agricultural greenhouse are achieved, both the yield of vegetables grown in the greenhouse can be effectively increased, the quality of vegetables grown in the greenhouse can be effectively improved, and labor and resources can be greatly saved.
Being situated in the studies focusing on specific speech act taxonomies, this paper is one of the further studies in response to a question (Do in fact non-native speakers receive directions with fewer components and less variation in direction-giving) posed by Scotton and Bernsten (1988) in ＂Natural Conversation as a Model for Textbook Dialogue＂. The data of the study was based on a study I conducted at a small town in Indiana, U.S.A. In the process of data-collection, I found that non-native speakers did not receive special treatment from the direction-giver. They did not receive fewer components and less variation in direction type. Such a finding differed from my original assumption that the learners would receive simplified versions of direction-giving because of our non-native identity. However, even though I increased my pragmatic awareness of the linguistic components in direction-giving due to my investigation, I am skeptical about using natural conversation as the model for textbook dialogue, wondering whether the data of this speech act study can represent the American speech norm of direction-giving after the reflections of the study.
The islets of Langerhans have the enzymatic equipment permitting the synthesis of the metabolites of arachidonic acid: cyclo-oxygenase and lipo-oxygenase. Numerous studies have shown that cyclo-oxygenase derivatives, mainly PGE2, reduce the insulin response to glucose whereas lipo-oxygenase derivatives, mainly 15-HPETE, stimulate insulin secretion. So, for instance, drugs that increase prostaglandins synthesis as colchicine or furosemide inhibit insulin secretion while non steroid anti-inflammator drugs, mainly salicylates, which inhibit cyclo-oxygenase, enhance the insulin response to various stimuli. In type-2 (non insulin-dependent) diabetes, an increased sensitivity to endogenous prostaglandins has been proposed as a possible cause for the insulin secretion defect which characterizes this disease. Play in favor of this hypothesis the fact that the administration of PGE inhibits the insulin response to arginine in type-2 diabetics but not in normal subject and the fact that the administration of salicylates could improve the insulin response to glucose in some of these patients.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a process for producing a high-quality molded polyurethane article from a polyol composition recycled from waste polyurethane and/or polyurea and to provide a high-quality article. SOLUTION: This article is produced by reacting a polyisocyanate with a polyol composition obtained by chemically decomposing waste polyurethane and/or polyurea in a mold. The polyol composition used has an OH value of about 100 to about 400mgKOH/g, a water content of 0 to about 5wt.% and a viscosity (at 20°C) of 2,000mPa.s or above. Desirably, it has a sandwich structure in which the core is made of the polyurethane, and at least one exterior layer made of a plastic optionally reinforced with fibers is used. It is useful in the industries for manufacturing automobiles, furniture, machines and apparatuses. COPYRIGHT: (C)1997,JPO
Thispaper presents a genetic algorithm based methodtouse TCSCsinpower systemsinordertoincrease systemloadability andtodecrease thetotal loss. Optimizations are doneon twoparameters: thelocation ofTCSCsandtheir values. A sensitivity analysis isusedandthemostsensitive lines are chosentobecompensated byTCSCs.Forthis purpose,the steady state modelofTCSCisutilized. Theproposed algorithm is realized on a 30-busstandard IEEEnetworkandresults are mentioned. Obtained results showthatthechoice ofoptimum numberandvalues ofTCSCsintransmission lines increases the systemloadability anddecreases thetotal loss.
The creative industries which have an important influence on the area economic growth and the core competitiveness of a city have been raced to develop. This paper analyzed the scale and structure of the creative industries in Jilin considering the fact of Jilin’s industries. We find that the creative industries were growing in the value added. Besides, with the analysis of comentropy and location quotient, this paper revealed the characteristic of the distribution and trend of creative industries. At last, there are significant differences between regional specialization and industry specialization of creative industries in Jilin.
Based on the Low-Velocity Non-Darcy fluid flow theory of Non-open flow wells in double permeability reservoirs,the effective well-bore radial model of this kind of well test is derived.The solution of the model is gotten with Laplace transformation and special physical equations theory,then the real space solution is gotten by convenient Stehfest's numerical Laplace reverse transformation and the new type curve of the model is also obtained.The result shows that the change of gradient of kick-off pressure,the storage ratio and the ratio of formation coefficients have relatively big effect on the slug flow well test result.When channel flow factor is relatively big,the curve is nearly crossing on the same curve during later period.But when channel flow factor is relatively smaller,storage ratio and the ratio of formation coefficients have relatively big effect on the later stage of pressure curve which appears up-warp.The new type curve of this model can improve the fitting precision at greater degree and can be applied to analyze effectively Scene DST slug flow well test.The model described in this paper can be used for DST slug well test.
Report presenting an investigation of the possibility of developing an airfoil to carry lift without decreasing the critical Mach number below that of the basic thickness form at zero lift. Low-speed testing of five NACA 66-series airfoil sections with a thickness-chord ratio of 0.16 was carried out in the two-dimensional low-turbulence pressure tunnel. Results regarding the design lift coefficient, maximum lift coefficient, low-drag range, and pitching-moment coefficients are provided.
UNLABELLED THE CONTEXT: Psoriasic arthritis lies somewhere between rhumatoid polyarthritis and spondyloathropathy. Its prevalence is about 0.1% with a 1/1 sex ratio. Mean age at onset of symptoms is 40 years. In 10 to 15% of the cases, rhumatological manifestations are observed before skin lesions. Ungueal involvement is particularly frequent. FIVE CLINICAL FORMS: Classically, five clinical forms are described: arthritis limited to the distal interphalangeal joints, mutilating arthritis, symmetrical polyarthritis, asymmetrical mono- or oligoarthritis, and spondylitis. Asymmetrical oligoarticular forms and polyarithrtis predominate. DISEASE SEVERITY: In general psoriasic arthritis is a benign condition. Severe forms have however been described with erosion and osteolysis involving the distal interphalangeal joints. Typical radiological may be observed.   THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs help control disease progression in about one-third of the cases. In other patients, gold salts, D-penicillamine, methotrexate, or sulfasalazine may be required.
Homology is resemblance caused by a continuity of information. In biology it is a unified developmental phenomenon. Homologies among and within individuals intergrade in several ways, so historical homology cannot be separated sharply from repetitive homology. Nevertheless, the consequences of historical and repetitive homologies can be mutually contradictory. A detailed discussion of the rise and fall of the “premolar‐analogy” theory of homologies of mammalian molar‐tooth cusps exemplifies such a contradiction. All other hypotheses of historical homology which are based on repetitive homology, such as the foliar theory of the flower considered phyletically, are suspect.
INTRODUCTION On October 3, 1977, the first St. Jude Medical (SJM) Valve was implanted by Dr. Demetre M Nicoloff. This prosthesis represented a significant advance in clinically available mechanical valve prostheses. In vitro and in vivo data indicated excellent hemodynamics, resistance to wear, and flow patterns predictive of a low incidence of valve related events (VRE)1,2. The St. Jude Medical (SJM) mechanical heart valve was the first bileaflet valve with leaflets and orifice all fabricated from pyrolytic carbon3. During this time three models of the SJM valve have been utilized in the aortic position, The aortic valve modifications include a change in the sewing ring from the original design renamed the SJM HP (in 1992) where the bulk of the sewing ring was reduced. By using the same size of Regent® (SJM) valve compared to previous versions of these valves a larger effective orifice area could be implanted. latest modification, the Regent® valve, involved a change of the valve housing in which a half millimeter was removed in order to allow implantation of an even larger device, approximately 11⁄2 sizes larger than the original design, resulting in excellent hemodynamics4 as claimed by the company the superiorities of this generation of SJM valves are: 1 Single digit in vivo pressure gradients even in valve sizes as small as 19mm. 2 Significantly larger effective orifice areas (EOA). 3 Excellent patient-prosthesis match even in small sizes5. An unreported complication in using these valves we encountered intraoperatively while using this new generation of St. Jude Medical (SJM) Valve is reported here.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of training on the behaviour and milk production of heifers. Approximately three weeks prior to calving, heifers from two commercial farms were either trained over three days to the rotary milking parlour (TRAIN: n = 104) or left undisturbed in the paddock (CON: n = 113). Behavioural observations of heifers during the milking process were recorded over the first week of lactation. Behaviours recorded included the performance of flinching, stepping and/or kicking and the duration to attach the cluster. Individual heifer milk yields, milking durations, average milking flow rates and reattachment count of the cluster were recorded daily for the first six weeks of lactation. During the milking process, TRAIN heifers performed more leg lifts, a greater number of backward kicks and the number of times the milking cluster had to be reattached during each milking was greater than CON heifers. There was no difference in milk production measures between TRAIN and CON heifers. These results suggest that the method of training used in this study was not adequate to reduce the behavioural response of heifers to milking during the first week of lactation.
Polyhydroxybutyrates (PHB) are bio-plastics that are produced by selective microbial species utilizing carbon rich substrates. Anode of microbial fuel cell (MFC) is considered as bioreactor to produce biopolymer from MFC system. In Malaysia, palm oil mill effluent (POME) is one of the major wastewater which possesses very high BOD and COD. Each ton of crude palm oil produces 5-6 tons of Palm oil mill effluent (POME) and existing POME treatment is highly energy intensive. The present invention is focused on the production of PHB in MFC from POME using controlled inoculum.
A 28 nm 4G/LTE mobile System-on-Chip (SoC) with digitally-assisted analog and analog-assisted digital design techniques is presented. Multicore processors with integrated switching regulators achieve 1.8 GHz and 1.5 GHz speeds for A15 and A7 processors, respectively. The multiphase integrated switching regulator achieves 90% efficiency and up to 8A current capability. PVT monitors enable DVFS and AVS to further improve system efficiency. The all-digital CDR achieves state-of-the-art FOMs at 0.208 mW/Gb/s and 468.75 μm2/Gb/s. An intra-bit boosting technique helps the USB2.0 TX meet the eye mask with a 200 ps margin and reduced rise and fall times.
Vasculitis usually presents without a well-known underline cause (idiopathic vasculitis), nevertheless, it is sometimes possible to find out one or more causative agents (secondary vasculitis). Nowadays, thanks to the increasing amount of precise diagnostic tools, a piece of idiopathic vasculitis is reclassified as associated with probable etiology, which can be set off by several factors, such as infections. Infections are considered to be the most common cause of secondary vasculitis. Virtually, every infectious agent can trigger a vasculitis by different mechanisms which can be divided in two main categories: direct and indirect. In the former, infectious agents destroy directly the vascular wall leading, eventually, to a subsequent inflammatory response. In the latter, indirect form, they stimulate an immune response against blood vessels. Different infectious agents are able to directly damage the vascular wall. Among these, it is possible to recognize Staphylococcus spp, Streptococcus spp, Salmonella spp, Treponema spp, Rickettsia spp, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes Simplex Virus 1 and 2, and many others which have a peculiar tropism for endothelial cells. Conversely, another group of microbial agents, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, Hepatits B Virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus and others, trigger vasculitis in the indirect way. This is due to the fact that they can share epitopes with the host or modify self-antigens, thus leading to a cross-self reaction of the immune system. These mechanism, in turn, leads to immunological responses classified as type I-IV by Gell-Coombs. Nevertheless, it is difficult to strictly separate the direct and indirect forms, because most infectious agents can cause vasculitis in both ways (mixed forms). This paper will analyze the link between infectious agents and vasculitis, focusing on direct and indirect secondary vasculitis, and on a group of probable infection-related idiopathic vasculitis, and finally on a group of idiopathic vasculitis with microbiological triggers. Furthermore, a diagnostic and therapeutic approach to vasculitis when an underline infection has been suspected is suggested.
Dynamic cardiomyoplasty (DCMP) was developed as an alternative treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. The first clinical application of this technique was in 1985 by Carpentier und Chachques. Since then, DCMP has been performed in more than 1000 patients world-wide. During the initial experience with DCMP, survival for NYHA class IV patients was clearly shown to be much worse than that for class III patients. By careful patient selection, operative mortality has decrease from 31% in the past to less than 5% today. The vast majority of patients have demonstrated significant improvement in NYHA class and overall quality of life with only minor effects on systolic cardiac function. Clinical work, as well as recent animal work supports the hypothesis that by a combination of long-term elastic constraint and active dynamic assist, DCMP decreases myocardial wall stress. This process results in a "reverse remodeling" of the insufficient heart with an improvement of the "contractility reserve". To prove the effectiveness of DCMP versus medical therapy alone, the C-SMART study started in 1994, as the first and only randomized trial. Unfortunately the study was stopped in 1998 due to slow patient recruitment after enrolling 103 patients. The study showed that, from a symptoms standpoint, patients with DCMP were improved over those who were medically treated. However, there was no significant difference for survival between the two groups after 12 months. The lack of a clear survival advantage and the relatively poor and inconsistent hemodynamic benefit of DCMP have hindered its acceptance to date as a treatment alternative for patients with end-stage heart failure. The ultimate role of DCMP in the treatment of heart failure will depend on the outcome of future developments to improve the contractility and the long-term durability.
At the critical moment of the national emergency and the national decline,Cai Yuanpei put forward a theory of personal reconstruction for salvation.In Cai Yuanpei’s view,the root reason why modern China was suppressed was the weakness of the compatriots resulting from the failure of the old education.To change this passive situation,we must transform old education,reshape the national healthy personality by improving the individual to ultimately achieve national independence and prosperity.
The last half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century represented the prologue of the development of the “knowledge society”, the transition from industrial economy to “high-tech economy”. All of us, at the level of families, firms, industries, national economies and the whole global system, live the most radical transformation in the history. There is a tendency to forget that, biologically, mankind has not changed much in the last 100 years, while environment and especially work environment has changed dramatically in the last decades. This change was mostly for the good. But some of these improvements were accompanied by unexpected side effects.
As an important element of urban form, street functions as social space, commercial space, cultural space, as well as channels of movement and symbolic representation of local tradition and culture. Since street spaces comprise not only physical element but also the people who are moving, using, acting, and dancing within and around them, informal street activities emerge as an integral part of street life. This characteristic is endemic to most urban streets in South-east Asia and Malioboro Street in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, is without exception one of these streets. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the significant role of informal street activities (street culture) as an integral part of urban culture and image and to provide guidelines to conserve these significant attributes in enhancing the richness and the complexity of Malioboro Street as the main commercial-historic-cultural corridor in the historic city of Yogyakarta. The study focuses on the contextual relationship and interaction between people and the built environment, to emphasise this significant ambience and the role of informal street activities in the current urban design approach. The study intend to prove that informal street activities have a significant role on enhancing diversity in the use of street, activating public life and increasing attractiveness. Despite these positive attributes, these informal activities are seen to be one major obstacle in the process of managing urban spaces by the local authorities because of the inherent issues of conflicting occupation of public urban spaces that result in the hindering of pedestrian and vehicular movements, decreasing sidewalks space and more often, general cleanliness of the urban environment. Urban design solutions are formulated to exploit all possibilities to conserve the informal street activities as significant attributes in enhancing the richness and the complexity of the street and at the same time try to resolve the problems that arose in managing the conflicts and issues pertaining to these activities and the spaces they occupied.
Orthacea in the Upham, Aleman, and Cutter formations include Glyptorthis insulpta maquoketensis Ladd, Hesperorthis kirki n. sp., Plaesiomys bellistriatus Wang, P. cf. P. subquadratus (Hall), P. subquadratus cutterensis n. subsp., Hebertella occidentalis montoyensis n. subsp., Austinella kankakensis (McChesney), Platystrophia prayi n. sp., and an unnamed species of Platystrophia. Comparison of muscle scar patterns in Plaesiomys shows difficulty of basing specific differentiation upon pedicle valve musculature; number of costae per unit distance along the anterior margin, when correlated with shell size, proves to be more reliable. The Aleman and Cutter are correlated with the Maquoketa Shale of Iowa (Cincinnatian).
45 patients suffering from carcinomas of the upper airway and digestive tract were studied from an immunological standpoint, by estimation of serum immunoglobulins and by a series of skin tests. This latter technique gave the most interesting results. It showed that immunodepression is statistically more frequent in extensive forms and that the prognosis in immunodepressed patients is much more severe than in those who have retained normal immune reactions.
The rapid development of information technology brings opportunities and competition to enterprises. The application of ERP system is one of the important ways to enhance the core competitiveness of an organization. Taking a typical Chinese manufacturing enterprise as an example, this paper analyzes some problems with implementation of ERP system and proposed valuable solutions. The paper also discusses the application of Multi-agent technology in ERP to improve the intelligent level of ERP system. The study can help enterprises improve the competitiveness, further the dynamic cooperation between enterprises and promote the development of ERP in E-commerce.
Acomys cahirinus is a precocial murid and a comparison of its development with altricial species of the same family, such as the rat and mouse, may shed some light on the relationship between genetic and environmental factors in the development. The use of Acomys in neurobehavioural studies and its comparison with mouse and rat may be particularly profitable. Behavioural, differences particularly in the exploratory behaviour, are paralleled by differences in the brain anatomy. Therefore Acomys seems to be a new very promising tool for investigating neurological and behavioural developmental systems.
Monomeric cytochrome f from Japanese radish (Raphanus sativus L. var acanthiformis Makino) leaves was isolated in a homogeneous state with an A420.5/A277 of 7.6. Radish cytochrome f is a single polypeptide chain with a molecular weight of about 33,000. The midpoint potential is 350 mV. The amino acid analysis indicates the existence of 3 residues of half-cystine. Radish cytochrome f contains one thiol group which reacts with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) only after denaturation by sodium dodecyl sulfate. Ferricytochrome f is reduced by the superoxide radical at the rate of 6 X 10(6) M-1 s-1 at pH 7.8. Radish ferricytochrome f is also reduced slowly without an exogenous electron donor. A kinetic study and the effect of the thiol reagent indicate that the autoreduction is an intramolecular reaction and that the thiol group is an electron donor.
The invention relates to a rotor (01) of a rotating mass memory comprising an axial stack of a plurality of wafer baffles (02), wherein the sheet metal plates (02) has a plurality of evenly distributed over the circumference bores (05) for receiving tie-rods (07) for axially have bracing of the sheet metal discs (02) to a lamination stack (03), said bores (05) with respect to the center of the wafer baffles (02) radially to the edge of the sheet metal washers (02) offset towards arranged. The rotor according to the invention (01) is in particular characterized in having the sheet metal discs (02) are uniformly distributed over the circumference relief bores (08).
Applying the concept of SDN to WiFi networks is challenging, since wireless networks feature many peculiarities and knobs that often do not exist in wired networks: obviously, WiFi communicates over a shared medium, with all its implications, e.g., higher packet loss and hidden or exposed terminals. Moreover, wireless links can be operated in a number of different regimes, e.g., transmission rate and power settings can be adjusted, RTS/CTS mechanisms can be used. Indeed, due to the non-stationary characteristic of the wireless channel, permanently adjusting settings such as transmission rate and power is crucial for the performance of WiFi networks and brings significant benefits in the service quality, e.g., through reducing the packet loss probability. Today’s rate and power control is mainly done on the WiFi device itself. But it is rarely optimized to the application-layer demands and their diverse traffic requirements, e.g., their individual sensitivity to packet loss or jitter. Therefore, if SDN for wireless can provide mechanisms to control the WiFi-specific transmission settings on a per-slice, per-client, and per-flow level, traffic and application-aware optimizations are feasible. This however requires that controllers frequently collect link characteristics and, accordingly, adjust transmission settings in a timely manner. As a reference, the standard rate control mechanism in the Linux kernel adjusts the transmission rate on a wireless link based on transmission success probability statistics every 100 ms. Leaving rate control (and power control accordingly) to a centralized controller comes with a risk of overloading the control plane, or of adding too much latency, while there is limited benefit in maintaining these statistics globally. For instance, the coherence time (also a function of the client mobility) can easily exceed the expected time of the successful transmission of multiple data frames [2], rendering optimized control difficult. In this paper, we suggest a 2-tiered approach for the design of a wireless SDN control plane. Our design, called AeroFlux, handles frequent, localized events close to where they originate, i.e., close to the data plane, by relying on NearSighted Controllers (NSC) [3, 4, 7]. Global events, which require a broader picture of the network’s state, are handled by the Global Controller (GC). More specifically, GC takes care of network functions that require global visibility, such as mobility management and load balancing, whereas NSCs control per-client or per-flow transmission settings such as rate and power based on transmission status feedback information exported by the Access Points (AP), which include the rates for best throughput and best transmission probability. Put differently, we enable the global controller to offload latency-critical or high-load tasks from the tier-1 control plane to the NSCs. This reduces the load on the GC and lowers the latency of critical control plane operations. As a result, with AeroFlux, we realize a scalable wireless SDN architecture which can support large enterprise and carrier WiFi deployments with low-latency programmatic control of fine-grained WiFi-specific transmission settings. The AeroFlux design introduces a set of new trade-offs and optimization opportunities which allow for advancements in the use of the shared wireless medium, and, as a result, in the user’s quality of experience. For instance, our prototype’s perflow control allows application-aware service differentiation by prioritizing multimedia streams (§2). Another key feature of AeroFlux is that it does not require modifications to today’s hardware and works on top of commodity WiFi equipment. 1 The AeroFlux Architecture AeroFlux uses a 2-tiered control plane: the Global Control plane GC and the Near-Sighted Control plane NSC. Figure 1 depicts the high level interactions of the architecture’s building blocks. The GC is logically centralized, e.g., a set of redundant controllers deployed in data centers, whereas the NSCs are located closer to where they are needed, e.g., close to the wireless APs. On the APs runs a Radio Agent (RA), which hosts the Light Virtual Access Points (LVAPs) [6] that abstract the specifics of the 802.11 protocol, such as association and authentication state. Furthermore, LVAPs store per-client OpenFlow and WiFi Datapath Transmission (WDTX) rules. In the following, we describe the different elements in more detail. Global Controller (GC): The global controller handles events which are not time-critical [7] or events belonging to inherently global tasks [4]. Examples include: authentication, wide-area mobility management, global policy verification (including loop-free forwarding sets), client load balancing, and applications for intrusion detection or network monitoring. In addition, the global controller is best suited to man-
The utility model is a gas chromatograph for gas complete analysis, comprising an organic gas analysis system, an inorganic gas analysis system, and a data process system, wherein the organic gas analysis system comprises a six-way valve, an Al????[2]O????[3] capillary column and a hydrogen flame detector; the inorganic gas analysis system comprises a ten-way valve, a needle valve for controlling gas split, a 5A molecular sieve filling pole for analyzing inorganic gas composition, a PROPARK N stocking filling pole, and a thermal conductance detector; the data process system is a color spectrum collection workstation to uniformly calculate collected data of different channels. The utility model can analyze more than twenty kinds of organic gases such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, firedamp, and ethane. The utility model is convenient for operation, low in cost, and small in system error.
It is described that the hybrid-integrated optical accelerometer is made of integrated opotical chip, the harmonic oscillator composed of fiber optic proof mass and system programmable on chip. The optical phase is modulated by the interferometric system of 3×3 coupler. The asymmetry demodulated arithmetic is researched, thus the problem of distortion is resolved, which is arose by asymmetry coupler.Finally the digital signal proseccing system is designed with SOPC technology. And DSP and data communication run in parallel .When practically measured, a real time and linear acceleration signal is detected. The practical sensitivity is 4.62V/gn and the system works between 1Hz and 1066Hz.
Low emission SnO2 films were deposited on glass plates by spray pyrolysis.The effects of the substrate temperature and flow on the structure and electric-optic characteristics of the films were investigated by UV-Vis spectral photometer and XRD.The results showed that the films exhibited the best electric-optic properties,average transmittance of 80% and the resistivity of 7× 10-4 Ω.c m at the substrate temperature of 520 ℃ and the flow of 1.30mL/s.
A system was established for the evaluation of sources of optical radiation with respect to recommended ocular exposure limits. This system consists of a diode array radiometer calibrated for absolute radiometric measurements and software for the application of the currently accepted threshold limits for exposure to the various wavelengths of radiation. Absolute calibration of the array radiometer was accomplished to within 3 percent of values obtained by a conventional instrument. Day-to-day repeatability of the instrument indicates the possiblility of absolute calibration of the detector array responsivity for everyday use in the measurement of continuous sources to an accuracy of plus-or-minus 2.8 percent. It was also determined that the output of several optical sources used in copying machines and photography can exceed the retinal thermal Threshold Limit Value. One typical 35 mm photographic flash exceeded the threshold at a range of 3 meters. Other threshold expressions were not exceeded at significant distances or exposure durations for these sources.
Both active and passive tobacco smoke is carcinogenic. In the last years the most important countries of European Community developed and passed smoke-free public places and smoke-free workplace legislations. The aim of this study was to investigate the real application of smoking ban in bars and restaurants of Rome and to value social, economic and health effects caused by the application of the law. The study was carried out in 200 public places (100 restaurants and 100 bars) with an inspection of the sites and the administration of a questionnaire to the managers of the public places. Results demonstrate that smoking ban in public places is widely respected and that the application of the law had a very positive impact on the quality of life and health of workers and general population.
This data collection makes machine readable extensive data from the reports of southern state superintendents of education, generally for years divisible by 5, from 1880 to 1910, and merges it with political data. Similar reports of state comptrollers were also sources. Everything is on the county level. The data are from eight ex-Confederate states, namely Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia.  The purpose of the collection was to assess the changes in the distribution of educational goals by race and class. For example, what effects did the disfranchisement of blacks and poor whites have on the pattern of educational expenditures?  Files in this collection are organized by state and within each state by files with extensions indicated respectively by COD, DOC and DAT. Files with the .COD extension list the counties and the county code abbreviations used in the corresponding data files. Files with the .DOC extension describe the wealth and educational data given in the corresponding DATA files. The .DOC files are organized in groups of 6 to correspond with the structure of the .DAT files. Files with the .DAT extension list the numeric educational and wealth data values corresponding to the description given in the .DOC files. Files with the .BAK extension appear to be backups of .DAT files, although some .BAK files may differ slightly from the corresponding original .DAT files. The primary publication resulting from this data collection:  Kousser, J. M. (1980). Progressivism - For Middle-Class Whites Only: North Carolina Education, 1880-1910. The Journal of Southern History, 46(2), 169-194.
THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO OBTAIN NORMATIVE DATA FOR 3 MEASURES OF VISUAL ABILITY UNDER SIMULATED NIGHT-DRIVING LUMINANCE (MESOPIC) AND ORDINARY LIGHTING (PHOTOPIC) CONDITIONS, TO COMPARE THE PERFORMANCE OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS, AND TO COMPARE RESULTS WITH THOSE OF A PREVIOUS STUDY. A TOTAL OF 371 SUBJECTS AGED 16 TO OVER 60 WERE GIVEN THE TITMUS STANDARD ACUITY TEST AND A TITMUS LOW-CONTRAST TEST AT PHOTOPIC (34 FT-L) AND MESOPIC (0.4 FT-L) BACKGROUND LUMINANCE, THE LATTER SIMULATING NIGHT-DRIVING CONDITIONS. THEY WERE ALSO GIVEN THE ALLEN NIGHT VISION PERFORMANCE TEST WITH A 10 PERCENT CONTRAST TARGET AT 10 AND 0.2 FT-L. COMPARISONS WERE MADE WITH A PREVIOUS STUDY IN WHICH THE NVPT TARGET WAS 50 TO 60 PERCENT. AVERAGE SCORES (THRESHOLDS) WERE HIGHER (POORER) ON THE ALLEN TEST WITH THE 10 PERCENT CONTRAST TARGET THAN WITH THE 50 TO 60 PERCENT, BUT LOWER CONTRAST TARGETS WERE SEEN ON THE LOW-CONTRAST TITMUS TEST. THE RESULTS SEEM TO INDICATE THAT THE ALLEN TEST WITH A 10 PERCENT CONTRAST TARGET MEASURED ABILITY TO SEE LOW-CONTRAST TARGETS AGAINST GLARE IN BOTH PHOTOPIC AND MESOPIC LUMINANCE AND THE TITMUS LOW-CONTRAST TEST MEASURED LOW-CONTRAST VISION OF A DIFFERENT TYPE. AVERAGE LOW-CONTRAST VISUAL DISCRIMINATION DECREASED WITH AGE. HOWEVER, SOME SUBJECTS IN ALL AGE GROUPS EXHIBITED POORER VISUAL PERFORMANCE THAN MOST OF THEIR OWN AND OTHER AGE GROUPS, AND PERFORMANCE BY MOST OLDER SUBJECTS WAS AS GOOD AS THAT OF A LARGE PROPORTION OF YOUNGER SUBJECTS.
PURPOSE Mutations in the orphan nuclear receptor gene NR2E3 have been found to cause both recessive and dominant retinopathies. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of the recently described Gly56Arg mutation in a well characterized cohort of families with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP).   METHODS A cohort of 215 families with adRP which have already been screened for mutations in 13 of the other known adRP genes was used to determine the frequency of the Gly56Arg mutation. The 92 families without a disease-causing mutation in a known gene were tested for the presence of the Gly56Arg mutation using direct DNA sequencing. An additional set of 100 normal controls (200 chromosomes) was also screened by DNA sequencing.   RESULTS The Gly56Arg mutation was found in three of the 92 adRP families studied and was not found in unaffected control samples.   CONCLUSIONS The Gly56Arg mutation in NR2E3 accounts for approximately 1%-2% of adRP, making it one of the more common single mutations in adRP.
Based on the horizontal comparison of regional economic opening of Hunan province in 2009,the degree of economic openness is in great difference.The different resulted in unbalanced regional economic growth and restricted economic development of Hunan province.Some suggestions on how to improve the level of economic opening and to develop the balanced regional economic are listed,such as : understanding the comparative low total economic openness degree to develop potential positively;inducing and making full use of the foreign capital and the developed coastal areas in order to promote rapid economic development;using local resource superiority and following the market regulation to accelerate industrial structure adjustment;implementing strategies of "bringing in" and "going out" and combine them together as well.
Probabilistic topic models have been very popular in automatic text analysis since their introduction. These models work based on word co-occurrence, but are not very flexible with respect to the context in which cooccurrence is considered. Many probabilistic topic models do not allow for taking local or spatial data into account. In this paper, we introduce a probabilistic topic model that benefits from an arbitrary-length co-occurrence window and encodes local word dependencies for extracting topics. We assume a multinomial distribution with Dirichlet prior over the window positions to let the words in every position have a chance to influence topic assignments. In the proposed model, topics being shown by word pairs have a more meaningful presentation. The model is applied on a dataset of 2000 documents. The proposed model produces interesting meaningful topics and reduces the problem of sparseness.
For improving NC gear hobbing machining precision of the bed,and combined with self-designed NC gear hobbing bed,using numerical control machine tool error research in recent years the new method-modelling multibody system theory to the bed six shaft gear hobbing error analysis geometry,an integrated space error model is established,and the integrated error change rule is achieued.This can be theoretically referred when using a numerical control error compensation method to improve accuracy of the machining roll teeth.
Medical consumptive material management(MCMM) is an important part of Medical Device Management(MDM).Medical Consumptive Material Management System(MCMMS) basing on the network platform uses informational method which combines network and bar code technology(BCT).The system manages medical consumptive material applying the whole processing management which is standard and canonical.It is advantageous for constructing digital hospital and sharing the information of hospital.This system is significant for promoting the hospital to obtain the maximum economic benefit and social benefit.
With the full Tevatron data set collected and being analyzed, many new results have been recently released. This includes heavy flavor physics studies such as CP violation parameter measurements with B^{+/-} -> J/ psi K^{+/-} and B^{+/-} -> J/ psi pi^{+/-} and $D^0-D^0bar mixing. Of the QCD and electroweak results, photon plus heavy flavor measurements and a search for anomalous quartic gauge couplings will be reviewed. These various studies help to clarify the agreement between data and physics models and to search for new physics.
The Stress Management Questionnaire (SMQ) assists in the identification of symptoms linked to stress, the stressors that trigger the symptoms, and the copers that aid in the reduction of stress. The SMQ is a quick and effective tool to provide individuals with a personal stress profile that identifies an individual's stressors and provides copers that help reduce the symptoms of stress. This CD-ROM, which is licensed for multiple users, and can be networked to a company, hospital or other organization's computers, contains two ways to administer the test, a paper and pencil version, which can be printed and photocopied and can be administered individually or to a group, and a computerized, self-scoring version that can be taken independently and anonymously
The paper attempts to analyze the reasons causing the uncertainty of software project requirement on the management procedure and the customer resources.According to the solution of two instances,author points out that the agile(Lightweight )method and the traditional(Heavyweight )methods are identical important ,and the choice of method should depend on the characteristics and cause of the uncertainty.
Abstract In this article, I call for a phenomenological turn in educating white, pre-service teachers. As opposed to dominant pedagogical models which focus on changing one’s beliefs about race, phenomenology points toward the importance of pre-conceptual, pre-critical forms of racial embodiment. Here I draw upon recent work on the different between body image (beliefs about the body) and body schema (what the body can do). The worry is that existing forms of anti-oppressive education miss the centrality of the schema, and thus do not go far enough in uncovering the embodied, perceptual roots of racism.
A case of alternating abducens hemiplegia was reported. A 16-year-old girl developed alternating hemiplegia characterized by the left abducens nerve palsy and right hemiparesis. In addition, she had right supranuclear facial nerve palsy. A brain MRI showed left mid to lower pontine lesion and vertebral angiography revealed medullary venous malformation in the left pons. SEP with right posterior tibial nerve stimulation showed a delayed central conduction time, suggesting that the lesion involved left medial lemniscus. We previously reported a 39-year-old man who developed pure alternating abducens hemiplegia. He did not show supranuclear facial nerve palsy or SEP abnormality. These findings support the idea that the supranuclear facial nerve fiber leaves the pyramidal tract at the upper to middle pons and descends in the area of the pontine tegmentum around the medial lemniscus.
Intentionality,as a fundamental concept of phenomenology,is also of great importance for phenomenology of technology.Don Ihde advanced the concept of technological intentionality based on the thoughts of Hussel,Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty,in an attempt to demonstrate mediated role that technology has played in the relationship between human being and the world.On this basis,Peter-Paul · Verbeek has proposed the concept of technological artifact intentionality which rooted in Post phenomenology and took into account the co-shaping role between human intentionality and the technological intentionality.The article will try to simply describe the mainline of the concept of intentionality,and that of technological intentionality.In the end,we will arrive at some conclusions.
A laser device frequency stability testing device comprises a first drive circuit, a second drive circuit, a first laser device, a second laser device, an optical fiber coupler, a photoelectric detector, an amplifier, a frequency spectrum analyzer, a computer and an optical spectrum analyzer. The first drive circuit and the second drive circuit respectively comprise a temperature control device. The first drive circuit provides drive control for the first laser device, and the second drive circuit provides drive control for the second laser device. One input end a of the optical fiber coupler is connected with a tail fiber of the first laser device, and the other input end b of the optical fiber coupler is connected with a tail fiber of the second laser device. A tail fiber of the photoelectric detector is connected with one output end c of the optical fiber coupler. The amplifier receives a light intensity voltage signal output by the optical fiber coupler. The frequency spectrum analyzer is connected with the amplifier. The computer receives data of the frequency spectrum analyzer through a GPIB card to conduct data acquisition of a beat frequency signal. The optical spectrum analyzer is connected with the other output end d of the optical fiber coupler.
This paper describes the background and methodology employed in research funded by EPSRC to assess the effect of individual traffic control measures, both in isolation and in combination upon urban arterials. The aim of the project was to test the transferability of the techniques developed in a DRIVE II project, PRIMAVERA, to a range of different types of urban corridor. The techniques concerned can be classed into three broad categories: Congestion Management, Public Transport Priority and Traffic Calming. The scope of these measures is wide, some operating at a junction level whilst others concentrate on the efficient use of road space. Measures from these areas are applied to a sophisticated microsimulation model of four urban arterial corridors: three in Leeds and one in Leicester. The effects of the application of individual and integrated measures are assessed in terms of their efficiency, environmental and safety impacts using a form of Multi-Criteria Analysis. Travel time and other monetary costs are also taken into consideration. This paper reports the results for the A47 Humberstone and Uppingham Roads which form the main arterial route to the east of Leicester.
Objective To investigate the serum concentration and the trends of PCT,CRP and IL-6 of severe pneumonia patients.Methods 42 patients with severe pneumonia who received mechanical ventilation,25 patients were enrolled as the survival group,and 17 patients were enrolled as the non-survival group.Calculated the APACHEⅢscores for the severe pneumonia patients at day 1,3,7 and the day of discharge from ICU or death.Blood specimens were collected at the same points.Results At day 3,7 and the day of discharge from ICU or death,the serum PCT of the non-survival group was higher than the survival group.At day 7 and the day of discharge from ICU or death,the levels of the non-survival group were higher than the survival group.Within the period,the serum PCT and CRP of the survival group decreased,while the non-survival group increased.The serum IL-6 of the two groups decreased gradually.Positive correlations both were found between the serum PCT and the APACHEⅢscores,and the serum IL-6 and the APACHEⅢscores.Conclusions The severe pneumonia patients have high serum levels of CRP,PCT and IL-6.Positive correlations are found between the serum PCT and APACHEⅢscores,and between the serum IL-6 and APACHEⅢscores.The levels of PCT and IL-6 could reflect the severity of the disease and have an effect on the prognosis prediction.
The invention discloses a process for deeply treating and recycling high-salinity industrial waste water, which belongs to the technical field of environmental protection and comprehsnive resource utilization. Combined equipment is adopted, and comprises ultrafiltration equipment, ion exchange softening equipment, volume-type reverse osmosis equipment, medium-pressure flat plate reverse osmosis equipment, high-pressure flat plate reverse osmosis equipment, ultrahigh-pressure flat plate reverse osmosis equipment, high-pressure flat plate filtration equipment, secondary reverse osmosis equipment and the like. After being treated with a combined process, industrial waste water can be concentrated by 36-180 times; in combination with evaporative crystallization equipment, zero discharge of industrial waste water can be realized, and salts in industrial waste water can be recovered; and after secondary reverse osmosis treatment, produced water can be recycled by 100 percent. The process has the advantages of flexible combined process, small floor area, saving in investment, high efficiency, low running cost, stable and reliable effect, and the like.
An 8-year-old, spayed female, mixed breed dog diagnosed with hyperadrenocorticism and treated with trilostane for 13 days was presented to the clinic due to vomiting, shaking, and weakness. The ACTH stimulation test and electrolyte analysis confi rmed hypoadrenocorticism. Treatment with prednisolone and fl udrocortisone gave good results, however long lasting exogenous glucocorticoid administration led to a decrease in total and free thyroxine concentrations and caused clinical signs of hypothyroidism, such as lethargy and reduced appetite. The authors suspected euthyroid sick syndrome. After sixteen months therapy with prednisolone and fl udrocortisone ACTH stimulation tests still revealed low plasma cortisol concentrations in this dog, which suggested persistent hypoadrenocorticism. To the authors’ knowledge there have only been a few cases in which canine iatrogenic persistent hypoadrenocorticism or hypocortisolism was described after short term treatment with trilostane. However, in the previous cases the longest duration of hypocortisolism was 12 months.
A retrospective analysis of 3650 endoscopies shows that frequency of inflammation and ulcer incidence both in the stomach and the duodenal bulb were similar in consecutive seasons of the year. The conclusion is drawn that there may be seasonal (circannual) factors which predispose aggression to mucosa both in the stomach and duodenum, which in turn leads to seasonal occurrence of inflammation as well as to ulcer incidence.
There has been a remarkable progress in the development of organic electronic materials since the discovery of conducting polymers more than three decades ago. Many of these materials can be processed from solution, in the form as inks. This allows for using traditional high-volume printing techniques for manufacturing of organic electronic devices on various flexible surfaces at low cost. Many of the envisioned applications will use printed batteries, organic solar cells or electromagnetic coupling for powering. This requires that the included devices are power efficient and can operate at low voltages. This thesis is focused on organic thin-film transistors that employ electrolytes as gate insulators. The high capacitance of the electrolyte layers allows the transistors to operate at very low voltages, at only 1 V. Polyanion-gated p-channel transistors and polycation-gated n-channel transistors are demonstrated. The mobile ions in the respective polyelectrolyte are attracted towards the gate electrode during transistor operation, while the polymer ions create a stable interface with the charged semiconductor channel. This suppresses electrochemical doping of the semiconductor bulk, which enables the transistors to fully operate in the field-effect mode. As a result, the transistors display relatively fast switching (≤ 100 µs). Interestingly, the switching speed of the transistors saturates as the channel length is reduced. This deviation from the downscaling rule is explained by that the ionic relaxation in the electrolyte limits the channel formation rather than the electronic transport in the semiconductor. Moreover, both unipolar and complementary integrated circuits based on polyelectrolyte-gated transistors are demonstrated. The complementary circuits operate at supply voltages down to 0.2 V, have a static power consumption of less than 2.5 nW per gate and display signal propagation delays down to 0.26 ms per stage. Hence, polyelectrolyte-gated circuits hold great promise for printed electronics applications driven by low-voltage and low-capacity power sources.
Co-fired ceramic technology was used to develop a kind of limiting current type of oxygen sensor.Compared with traditional technology,it doesn't need glass sealing process.The limiting current type of oxygen sensor has the advantages of high reliability as well as low cost.The size of the sensitive chip was 4mm×7mm,whereas the thickness was only 0.4mm.Furthermore,the height of the air-tight inner cavity was 50μm,while the diameter of diffusion hole was 10μm.According to the experiments verification,power consumption of this oxygen sensor was even lower than 1.8W.The volume fraction oxygen test range was 0%~90%;the response time was within 10s and the measuring error is within 0.8%.
Paper to keep the repair cost savings and safe driving secure ways to improve urban railway braking system are described. Measures for scientific analysis, and failure of the main device in the braking system of the main line station and failure occurs repeatedly, increasing the number of fairy fixtures repair costs increase and the efficiency degradation is the cause of the failure in the braking system of the device. to contribute to ensure safe driving trains, reducing maintenance costs established systematically.
In view of defaults of short transmission distance,high power consumption and poor antiinterference ability of existing underground wireless signal transceiver,the paper designed an mine signal transceiver based on WiFi technology by use of ARM9embedded chip and WinCE operating system.The signal transceiver communicates with shearer monitoring module through Modbus protocol and receives running parameters of shearer through RS485serial ports.Meanwhile,the signal transceiver connects to underground wireless access point based on TCP/IP protocol in WiFi network,and communicates with sever in monitoring center,so as to realize running state monitoring of the shearer.Application shows that the signal transceiver achieves high real-time transmission performance,low power consumption and strong anti-interference ability.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a global disease rapidly increasing among world population. The pathogenesis of reflux esophagitis which is considered as the early stage of GERD is complex, resulting from an imbalance between aggressive factors damaging the esophagus and a number of the natural defense mechanisms. The esophageal mucosa is in a state of continuous exposure to potentially damaging endogenous and exogenous factors. Important aggressive components of gastric refluxate include acid and pepsin and also pancreatic enzymes and bile. Among aggressive factors of exogenous origin, cigarette smoking, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), and steroids are of the utmost importance. The basic level of esophageal defense against acid-pepsin damage consists of the anti-reflux mechanisms such as the luminal acid clearance and removal of the esophageal contents and neutralization of luminal acidity. In addition the esophageal mucosal protection includes the presence of pre-epithelial, epithelial and post-epithelial cellular and functional components. Recently, the progress have been made in the understanding of role of the heptapeptide member of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) in the control of gastrointestinal functions. It has been shown that all components of local RAS including Ang-(1-7) are detectable in the gastrointestinal wall including not only the stomach but also the esophagus. Previous studies revealed that Ang-(1-7), which is an important component of the RAS, exerts vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities in the stomach. Ang-(1-7) was recently implicated in gastroprotection, but its effects on esophageal mucosa in a rodent model of reflux esophagitis and in human subjects presenting GERD symptoms have not been explored. The present study was aimed to evaluate the possible protective effects of Ang-(1-7) and Mas-receptors upon esophageal mucosal damage in acute reflux esophagitis (RE) induced in anesthetized rats by ligating the pylorus and the limiting ridge (a transitional region between the forestomach and the corpus of stomach). Consequently, the total gastric reservoir to store gastric juice was greatly diminished, resulting in the reflux of this juice into the esophagus. Because Mas receptors are functionally linked to nitric oxide (NO) formation, we also studied involvement of endogenous NO in the mediation of protective and circulatory effects of exogenous Ang-(1-7). Moreover, an attempt was made to assess the possible role of sensory neurons in the modulation of the protective effects exerted by Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor system. Six series of rats were pretreated 30 min before induction of RE with 1) vehicle (saline), 2) Ang-(1-7) (5-50 μg/kg i.p.), 3) A779 (50 μg/kg i.p.), the selective Mas receptor antagonist applied alone, 4) Ang-(1-7) (50 μg/kg i.p.) combined with A779, 5) L-NNA (20 mg/kg i.p.) administered alone, and 6) Ang-(1-7) (50 μg/kg i.p.) combined with L-NNA. In separate group of rats, capsaicin (total dosage of 125 mg/kg within three days) was administered s.c. 2 weeks before the induction of RE to induce functional ablation of sensory nerves. Rats with intact sensory nerves and those with capsaicin-induced sensory denervation received vehicle (saline) or Ang-(1-7) (50 μg/kg i.p.) to determine whether this vasoactive metabolite of angiotensin I could be also effective in rats with capsaicin-induced impairment of the synthesis and release of sensory neuropeptides such as CGRP. Four hours after induction of RE, the mucosal damage was graded with mucosal lesion index (LI) from 0 to 6, the esophageal microcirculatory blood flow (EBF) was determined by H2-gas clearance technique and plasma level of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1b (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) was determined by ELISA. The expression of proinflammatory factors including COX-2, cytokine IL-1β and hypoxia inducible factor 1alpha (Hif1α) was analyzed in the esophageal mucosal biopsies. In rats with RE, the esophageal LI was significantly elevated comparing its value observed in intact rats, and the EBF was significantly decreased as compared with intact mucosa. Pretreatment with Ang-(1-7) of control rats without esophagitis induced increase in EBF by about 25% without any macroscopic changes in the esophageal mucosa or in the plasma level of cytokines. In animals with RE, pretreatment with Ang-(1-7) significantly reduced gross and histological esophageal mucosal injury and significantly increased EBF in comparison to vehicle-pretreated animals. The observed gross and histologic esophagoprotective effect of Ang-(1-7) was totally abolished by A779 so in rats with combined treatment of A779 with Ang-(1-7), the LI was identical with this observed in control RE and the EBF was decreased in these animals by about 39%. Inhibition of NO synthase by L-NNA significantly reduced the LI and the rise in EBF caused by Ang-(1-7). Similarly, the capsaicin denervation also significantly attenuated the vasodilatory and the esophagoprotective effects of Ang-(1-7). The expression of proinflammatory factors COX-2, Hif1α and IL-1β which was negligible in intact esophageal mucosa, was upregulated in esophageal mucosa of rats with RE. In contrast, the administration of Ang-(1-7) resulted in a downregulation of mRNA for COX-2, Hif1 and IL-1β in esophageal mucosa an this effect was abolished in A779-dependent manner. The Ang-(1-7) significantly decreased the RE-induced elevation of plasma levels of IL-1β and TNF-α, and this effect was also reversed by pretreatment with A779, and significantly attenuated by pretreatment with L-NNA and capsaicin-induced sensory denervation. The present study indicates that the protective effect of Ang-(1-7) observed in the esophageal mucosa during early acute stage of gastroesophageal reflux depends upon the enhancement of esophageal microcirculatory blood flow via the activation of Mas receptor possibly due to NO synthase/NO system activation, stimulation of sensory nerves, the inhibition of expression of pro-inflammatory factors including COX-2, Hif1α and IL-1β and release of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α.
Objective:To discuss the nursing measures of improving the diabetic nephropathy hemodialysis patients survival and quality of life.Methods:Retrospective analysis of maintenance hemodialysis patients with diabetic nephropathy(46 cases) of care measures during 2008-2009 year in our hospital,including psychological care,protection of vascular ac cess,control blood sugar,diet care,complications of care.Results:The group of 46 patients with diabetic nephropathy hemodialysis patients in remission,38 cases gave up treatment because of financial difficulties in 5 cases,3 patients died due to complications.Conclusion:Hemodialysis patients with diabetic nephropathy when the high incidence of complications,according to the specific circumstances in patients with the provision of effective nursing interventions can improve survival in patients with diabetic nephropathy and quality of life.
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Dredging and blasting will be conducted in Boston's Inner Harbor over approximately a one-year period during construction of the Third Harbor Tunnel. The silty organic surface sediments to be dredged contain elevated levels of priority pollutant metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH's). Dredging techniques, mitigation methods, and environmental monitoring plans were assessed during permitting of the dredging/blasting activity. Fate and transport modeling of sediments suspended during dredging was used to assess the impacts to water quality and biological resources for various dredge scenarios including open and closed clamshell dredging and silt curtains. A recommended monitoring approach included frequent, spatially intensive turbidity surveys integrated with periodic measurements of a limited set of conventional and toxic pollutants. A related plan, included as part of the Water Quality Certification, included less frequent sampling but increased the overall sampling effort by adding additional toxics analyses and by sampling during several tidal stages. Additional requirements of the Water Quality Certification included closed clamshell dredging of surface sediments but did not include mandatory use of silt curtains. Requirements regarding dredging technology and environmental monitoring indicate the level of agency concern with concentration of toxics in the water column and provide guidance for the permitting of contaminated sediment dredging in Boston and other harbors.
Historians, we are told on all sides, have signally failed to clarify the terms "empire" and "imperialism", though they employ them all the time.1 The man in the street, curiously enough, sees no great problem, and I shall argue that he is right.. Much of the trouble in the professional literature stems from an elementary confusion between a definition and a typology. It would not be a useful definition of empire, for example, that excluded either the Athenian or the Persian empire because Athens was a democratic city-state or Persia an auto-
The invention discloses an air conditioner load control method and system. The method includes the steps of obtaining the load parameters of a power grid system, obtaining the power load regulating variables corresponding to the load parameters, obtaining the temperature parameters of all controlled sections regulated and controlled by a central air conditioning system, obtaining switching signals of all the controlled sections according to the temperature parameters of all the controlled sections, generating the operation load rate of a central regulating and controlling system according to the power load regulating variables and the switching signals of all the controlled sections, obtaining a load regulating and control signal corresponding to the operation load rate, and regulating and controlling a water chilling unit and a circulating water pump of the central regulating and conditioning system according to the load regulating and control signal. When the method and the system are implemented, the power load of the central air conditioning system is regulated on the basis of the temperature of the controlled sections and the load of the power grid system, and therefore the peak load shifting can be conducted on the power grid load, and the power grid system can keep running stably.
Translation is a process of transferring meaning from the source into the target language without altering the original meaning. In this study, the writer analyzes the types of translation method used by Listana Srisanti in translating the Voldemort's speech in novel "Harry Potter dan Relikui Kematian". Translation method is a procedure used by the translator to accomplish the process of transferring meaning from the source language into the target language.    This study was conducted to investigate the types of translation method and the dominant method used by Listiana Srisanti in translating the Voldemort's speech in novel "Harry Potter dan Relikui Kematian". In conducting this study, the writer employed quantitative research design. Furthermore, the subject of this study is novel "Harry Potter dan Relikui Kematian" with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" as the original version to support the translated version. In addition, the writer employed documents analysis as the research instrument.    The result of this study showed that semantic and communicative translation methods proposed by Newmark (2001) are used by Listiana Srisanti in translating the Voldemort's speech in novel "Harry Potter dan Relikui Kematian". Furthermore, the writer concluded that semantic translation method was the dominant method based on the highest frequency of translated Voldemort's speech.
Author(s): Bush, Jeffrey Alan | Advisor(s): Ellisman, Mark H | Abstract: Neurons use several methods to integrate incoming information to make a decision about whether to activate an action potential and send information on to other neurons. This process adapts over time and provides the neurons with the ability to learn. One of the forms of learning that is not well understood is branch point plasticity, the ability for different branches in the dendritic arbor to change their ability to conduct information over time. In this project tools are developed to study the structural changes of branch points and indirectly the chemical changes at branch points to better understand the underlying mechanisms behind branch point plasticity. To this end large quantities of neuropil data need to be analyzed. Modern electron microscopy techniques can provide massive quantities of biological image data at extremely high magnification, but the ability to process this data and obtain usable information is a major bottleneck.Machine learning tools were used to automatically segment cell membranes and mitochondria in large volumes of neuropil electron microscopy data. The new implementation of the algorithms improved their accuracy and efficiency for the given datasets. The algorithms now provide near-human accuracy for organelle and membrane detection at the same speed that data can be acquired from the microscopes using off-the-shelf desktop machines making this tool accessible to labs without specialized computing resources. Specialized programs were then developed to analyze the geometry of the branch points along with the spatial distributions of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum relative to the branch points. Using these tools on a sample set of data shows that mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum volume percentages fluctuate with the distance from the soma. Moving forward, these tools can be used to analyze large datasets to discover the underlying mechanisms of branch point plasticity.
The Journal tenu par Isaac Beeckman de 1604 à 1634 has been studied in the history of the seventeenth-century scientific revolution following the theme of Isaac Beeckman's physical mathematical mechanistic view, his proto-molecular theory and his atomistic Lucretian influence. This article goes deeper into the medical ideas of the Journal: how Isaac Beeckman (1588-1637) settles the structure of living matter according to his intensive reading of Galen. It develops a different analysis from the traditionally triumphalist approach in the history of science, focused on the victory of Cartesian mechanism, particularly in the history of medicine taking up Galenism very briefly because of its obsolete physiology. The Galenic corpus inside Isaac Beeckman's Journal consists of the many commentaries of Galen which Beeckman has put down in writing since 1616 until 1627, after when the passages linked to Galen became fewer. Isaac Beeckman's study of Galenic medicine is analyzed according to three approaches: the teleological dimension of Galenism showing up the organic conception of human body corresponding to the divine Providence and consistent with Beeckman's Calvinist belief, the physiologic angle of Galenism, based on natural faculties, stressing the purely speculative aspect of Beeckman's commentaries, while the pathologic and therapeutic angle supports the Hippocratic humourism influence.
The work described in this dissertation reports a set of studies regarding porphyrin chemistry. It was divided into five chapters, organized by introduction, synthesis of porphyrin macrocycles, oxidation of sulfur substrates catalyzed by metalloporphyrins, experimental part, and conclusion. In the first chapter, a light bibliographic review of porphyrin macrocycles was presented, covering the nomenclature, physico-chemical characteristics, reactivity, natural occurrence, applications and synthetic methods of these compounds. The second chapter presents the synthesis of various porphyrin derivatives from a base porphyrin: 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin. From all synthesized compounds, the synthesis and characterization of dimeric metalloporphyrin [μ-O(FeTPFPP)2] was highlighted, as it is a unusual metalloporphyrin, as well as new chlorin type porphyrin derivatives, obtained by reaction of 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with nitrones. Then, methylation and hydrogenation reactions were tested from one of the obtained chlorins, in order to obtain cationic chlorins and chlorins with meso-β-pyrrolic fused systems. The third chapter exposes the efficiency of metalloporphyrins [μ-O(FeTPFPP)2] and [FeCl(TPFPP)] as catalyst in oxidation of two sulfur substrates (dibenzothiophene and dibutyl disulfide). The catalytic efficiency of both catalysts for both substrates was high in the homogeneous catalysis context, which is an extraordinary result, since the search for catalysts able to promote selective oxidation of organic compounds, under mild and environmental friendly conditions, is nowadays one of the most important challenges in chemistry. In order to attempt the reuse of the homogeneous system we tested the reutilization of catalytic systems, obtaining good results, especially for the metalloporphyrin [μ-O(FeTPFPP)2], which was able to complete nearly four catalytic cycles with 100% of efficiency. The potential application of this new catalyst ([μ-O(FeTPFPP)2]) in heterogeneous catalysis was also evaluated. With this purpose, the immobilization of Iron(III) metalloporphyrin in a mesoporous silica (SBA-15) functionalized with aminophenyltrimethoxysilane support was successfully accomplished. The fourth chapter presents a detailed description of all the synthesis performed in this work, as well as the full characterization of all products, and the identification of reagents and equipment used. Finally, the fifth chapter exposes the conclusions possible to infer from all the work accomplished during this dissertation. FCUP Síntese de novos macrociclos porfirínicos para aplicações em catálise xi
An international project entitled Mathematical and Applied Logic – MALog led by Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) aims to provide pedagogically high-quality learning materials, which are created, presented and distributed by innovative use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) based solutions. Learning materials will be produced in a manner which creates an individual adaptive learning path for each learner. Various studies indicate that students in high schools, universities and company employees need tools to help them learn mathematical logic effectively.    Reform of curricula on competence-based on is an important core task at the moment in TAMK. MALog had the objective of developing learning materials to support development of mathematical and applied logic knowledge and competencies. In order to provide robust pedagogical support for the materials produced in MALog, an ontology of mathematical logic was created.
At the international level, it is necessary to challenge overall gender perspectives. Over the past ten years, there has been a tendency to shift from understanding gender perspectives as inclusive approaches of participation in peace-building and political processes and towards a focus on the victimization of women. Introduction This policy brief takes up the topic of the UN Civilian Capacity (CivCap) initiative and the level of gender sensitivity in peacebuilding approaches to countries in transition from war to peace. As any assistance by external civilian capacities is a matter of last resort, the focus here is on the national realities within such countries. In addition, this brief discusses overall tendencies in the understanding of “gender perspectives” at the level of the international community. Finally, some points regarding UN-supported missions in post-conflict countries are made. We begin with an overview of the background for the CivCap initiative and its substantive elements.
We administered multi-line chemotherapy(ie, more than fifth-line chemotherapy)to 5 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer(age range, 62to 78 years; median age, 68years). Four of the five patients died because of cancer progression; however, the mean overall survival(OS)was 39 months. In our experience, re-challenging with key drugs was associated with clinical benefits. A case that could be thrown until ninth-line treatment was also experienced. A strategy based on rechallenging and changes in the combination of key drugs[5-FU-based chemotherapy, oxaliplatin, irinotecan(CPT-11), bevacizumab(Bmab)and panitumumab(Pmab)]may prolong life and offer new hope for these patients.
The initial solution is constituted mainly by the monomer aniline mixed with dopant dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid,then PANI emulsion is achieved by oxidation polymerization reaction.Polyaniline(PANI) membrane is coated by the KW-4A spin coater,and the structure and performance of PANI blend membrane are characterized by the scanning electron microscope(SEM),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy meter(FTIR) and electrochemical workstation.The results indicate that polyaniline blend membrane surface structure is complete and PANI particles can be dispersed evenly in the PVA(Polyvinyl alcohol) matrix;the conductivity and electrochemical properties of the PANI/PVA composites can be affected by synthesis parameters.When nDBSA/ nAN = 1.03 under the same condition,the conductivity of polyaniline membrane is up to 1.28 S/cm with the best electrochromic performance,the thermal stability,and the decomposition temperature of 301℃,which is very suitable as the electrochromic material.
The study has analysed the cost, returns and feasibility of chicken nuggets production on different categories of processing units. Simple benefit-cost analysis, break-even level, project evaluation techniques have been used to draw the inferences. The results indicated that the cost of production of nuggets was highest on small units (Rs.364.61/kg) compared to medium and large scale units(354.9 and 306.48 per kg). All the processing units are found to be economically feasible with NPV of Rs. 7.76, 39.88 and 92.31 lakhs and IRR of 36%,47% and 71% for small, medium and large scale units respectively. B-C ratio was estimated as 1.52, 1.75 and 2.23 with payback period of 3.17, 2.78 and 2.19years for small, medium and large scale units respectively. Economies of scale is evident form all perspectives like production costs, profits, discounting measures and breakeven point. Sensitivity analysis showed that variable costs and selling price had more impact on profitability and viability of processing plants.
Xiaoshitouquan ore district was a new prospect district and located on the eastern part of Haerlike island-arc.Based on the study of the host rock,it shows strong characteristics of island-arc suites.Rhyolitic porphyry,dacitic porphyry and dacite are the main host rocks.SiO_2 range from 51.96%～72.58%,and Na_2O+K_2O are in 3.1%～7.73%,which shows the calc-alkaline characteristics based on the Rittmann index.The REE showing steep patterns (rich in light REE and depleted in heavy REE) with Eu negative anomaly,which means plagioclase left in the magma chamber or processed fractional crystallization.The average initial Sr value is 0.7043,and eNd(t)is 4.7,which means a mixed magma source of mantle and crust.After comparison with volcanic rocks in Dananhu island-arc,there is some difference between two places.Haerlike island arc lack of Adakite different from Dananhu, the characteristics of trace elements and isotopes show the volcanic rocks are contaminated by the mantle wedge.Therefore we believe different types of deposits should be found here such as hydrothermal poly-metallic deposit.
In this paper we present the design and applications of exible photonic membranes. We discuss their use as versatile photonic layers in the framework of lab-on-bre applications, specically focusing on the design of angular robust spectral lters. We also show alternative routes to their fabrication, highlighting the opportunities and limitations associated to each approach. Finally we present our preliminary results on the all-optical control over exible membranes, as a potential method to ne-tune their opto-mechanical properties to the required application.
ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of the present study was to improve the dissolution profile of poorly water-soluble atorvastatin calcium (ASC), via formation of its solid self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SSMEDDS). Methods: The SSMEDDS was prepared using oleic acid, Tween 80 and propylene glycol as an oil phase, surfactant, and co-surfactant, respectively. Initially, the solubility of ASC was examined in different oils, surfactants and co-surfactants, and pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed subsequently to optimize the ratio of the excipients having greater microemulsion region. The liquid self-emulsifying batches of ASC were developed with the optimized excipients and evaluated for droplet size, zeta potential, percentage transmittance, self-emulsification time assessment, dispersibility test, and drug release. Neusilin US2 was employed as an adsorbent to transform optimized liquid emulsifying batch A1 to solid formulation. The solid formulation was characterized by particle size analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and in vitro drug release. ® Results: The characterization studies revealed the transformation of crystalline ASC to amorphous form in solid adsorbed batch. The drug release studies demonstrated remarkable improvement in dissolution profile of ASC from its liquid as well as SSMEDDS as compared to pure drug. Conclusion: The development of SSMEDDS could be a reliable and alternative approach for improvement of dissolution performance of ASC. Keywords: Atorvastatin, Self-microemulsifying, Amorphous, Formulation, Neusilin ® US2.
The microstructure evolution model and the rate-dependent and temperature-dependent elastic-plastic constitutive model with isotropic hardening are implemented in ABAQUS/Explicit through the subroutine VUMAT by using the elastic predictor-plastic corrector scheme combined with the implicit integration algorithm,and thus the simulation is realized with respect to microstructure evolution coupled with macro-scale mechanical and thermal behaviors.The developed subroutine is validated by comparing with experimental results in isothermal upsetting of Ti-6Al-4V cylinder.The subroutine is imbedded into the coupled thermo-mechanical 3D-FE model for hot rolling of large rings of titanium alloy,and then the characteristics and mechanism of microstructure evolution during the process are studied.The results obtained show that along the radial direction of the deformed ring,the middle layer has smaller β grain size and β volume fraction than the exterior layer.
Stress-free and can be manufactured without using a sheeting process, the method of fermentation step onto a sheet of frozen dough, without immediately be put in the freezer to the oven. And the process comprises mixing the dough ingredients, including yeast and a chemical leavening agent, and was aged dough to form a gas composition, was added to the high compression stress in the dough, freezing the dough. Frozen dough is placed directly in the oven without the fermentation step. Bakery product obtained has a desirable texture and flavor. Frozen dough, sheeting the yeast, chemical leavening agent
In order to select a preferable strain for sugarcane juice alcohol fermentation,the factors that affected the alcohol concentration were tested.Under the optimal conditions,sucrose,glucose and fructose were fermented to product alcohol respectively by saccharomyces cerevisiae JL2008 and GGFS16.The results showed that both of the two strains could convert sucrose,glucose and fructose to alcohol efficiently and GGFS16 was more efficient.JL2008 was more acid-resistant than GGFS16.The fermentating alcohol concentration was 8.2% and 9.2%(v/v) by JL2008 and GGFS16 respectively using 150g/L sucrose as a substrate.
This paper considers the estimation of a dynamic ordered probit with fixed effects, with an application to self-assessed health status. The estimation of nonlinear panel data models with fixed effects by MLE is known to be biased when T is not very large. The problem is specially severe in our model because of the dynamics and because it contains two fixed effects: one in the linear index equation, interpreted as unobserved health status, and another one in the cut points, interpreted as heterogeneity in reporting behavior. The contributions of this paper are twofold. Firstly this paper contributes to the recent literature on bias correction in nonlinear panel data models by applying and studying the finite sample properties of two of the existing proposals to the ordered probit case. The most direct and easily applicable correction to our model is not the best one and still has important biases in our sample sizes. Secondly, we contribute to the literature that study the determinants of Self-Assesed Health measures by applying the previous analysis on estimation methods to the British Household Panel Survey.
We study investment and consumption decisions in a dynamic game under learning. To that end, we present a model in which agents not only extract a resource for consumption, but also invest in technology to improve the future stock. At the same time, the agents learn about the stochastic process governing the evolution of public capital, including the effect of investment in technology on future stock. Although the characterization of a dynamic game with Bayesian dynamics (and without the assumption of adaptive learning) is generally intractable, we characterize the unique symmetric Bayesian-learning recursive Cournot-Nash equilibrium for any finite horizon and for general distributions of the random variables. We also show that the limits of the equilibrium outcomes for a finite horizon exist. The addition of learning to a stochastic environment is shown to have a profound effect on the equilibrium.
To presume to criticize the work of a sitting Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, one needs an exceedingly powerful intellect, a great deal of chutzpah, or a rigorous analytical framework. As author of this essay on the juris prudence of Chief Justice Rehnquist, I am happy to report that I am fully in command of at least one (and perhaps two) of these qualities. Apart from chutzpah, I plan to invoke the analytical framework of interest group theory to criticize Chief Justice Rehnquist's work. Interest group theory is a useful lens for viewing the Chief Justice's jurisprudence for two reasons. First, and foremost, it constitutes a potent analytical framework for evaluating judicial performance by providing a comprehensive explanation of the process by which politics determines governmental outcomes. The fate of the Republic may come to depend on our collective ability to control that process. Second, it seems clear that the Framers of the Constitution understood and embraced interest group theory. Their conception of the federal judiciary's role within the constitutional scheme was based on the interest group model. Thus, Chief Justice Rehnquist's performance can, and should, be evaluated against the norms provided by that theory. Clearly, as the writings of my fellow panelists illustrate, the Framers' perspective is not the only one that can be used to evaluate Chief Justice Rehnquist's contributions to the law of the land. One could also evaluate the Chief Justice's writings from the perspectives of Critical Race Theoryl (whatever that is) or the extent to which the Rehnquist jurisprudence is able "to accommodate certain
A sole structure for a Masai walking footwear is provided to prevent a Masai sensor from being damaged by a hydrolysis effect so as to keep an original shape of outsole and footwear themselves, and to achieve an excellent shape recovery characteristic of the outsole so as to improve a walking stability. A Masai walking footwear is composed of an instep strap, a slipsole, an insole, a midsole and an outsole which is projected toward outside in a convex manner. A sole structure includes: a midsole(20), having a high-elastic shank(29) which has many slits and a bead-shaped rib, and which is made out of one material, selected among a polyester and a polyurethane with a hardness degree of 40 to 60, and is built in an upper side of the midsole itself, and a Masai-sensor space(22) which is formed from the center to a rear end of the midsole itself; a Masai sensor(40), configured as a soft sensing element, and having an inner cushion which is made out of one material selected from a soft polyester and a soft polyurethane sponge with a hardness degree of 15 to 30, and arranged under the midsole; an insole(10), made out of a non-woven fabric with a hardness degree of 25 to 30, and arranged on the midsole; and an outsole(30), made out of one material selected from a polyester and a polyurethane with a hardness degree of 70 to 80, and arranged under the Masai sensor.
This study was performed to examine the beneficial potential of steamed soybean wastewater (SSW), which is generated during the manufacture of fermented soybean products and usually discarded as a by-product. The SSW was found to contain considerable amounts of isoflavones and had concentration-dependent radical scavenging capabilities. Moreover, oral administration of SSW effectively prevented colonic damage induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), based on improvement of morphological and histological features, reduction of oxidative stress indicators, suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production, downregulation of inflammatory marker expression in the colonic tissue, and inhibition of the inflammatory activation of macrophages. It suggests that SSW could prevent intestinal inflammation in humans, although its efficacy should be verified through careful study design in humans. These findings have implications for enhancement of the value-added of SSW and for reduction of wastewater treatment costs incurred by the food industry.
This Issue Brief develops a model that project the proportion of an individual's preretirement income that might be replaced by 401(k) plan accumulations at retirement, under several different projected scenarios. The 401(k) participant behaviors in the model are based on the year-end 2000 database collected by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI) in their collaborative effort known as the EBRI/ICI Participant-Directed Retirement Plan Data Collection Project. The most significant factor affecting projected replacement rates at retirement is having access to a 401(k) plan. Projected replacement rates from 401(k) accumulations at retirement are reduced significantly when participants are not offered a 401(k) plan in all portions of their careers. Most 401(k) participants tend to have contributions in any given year. Thus, projecting that participants always have contributions (their own and/or employer contributions) every year raises projected replacement rates, but not by much compared with the importance of being offered a plan to begin with. The model simulations show that participant activities such as taking loans, taking preretirement withdrawals, or cashing out account balances at job change reduce projected 401(k) accumulations and thus replacement rates at age 65. Because loans are forecast to be paid back to the account in full, their effect on replacement rates at retirement in the model is the smallest. Even if equity returns in the future are projected to replicate the worst 50-year segment in the Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 history (1929 to 1978), 401(k) accumulations are still projected to replace significant proportions of projected preretirement income. Another projection scenario forecasts participants experiencing a simulated three-year bear market (negative equity returns) either early in their careers, near the middle of their careers, or at the end of their careers. Forecasts of the effects of bear markets on 401(k) balances show that a bear market in equities is projected to have the largest effect the closer it occurs to age 65 (retirement), even though older participants typically have diversified their portfolios away from equities. A three-year bear market for those early in their careers would reduce median replacement rates from 401(k) accumulations by an estimated 2.9-3.7 percentage points, compared with 13.4-17.7 percentage points for those immediately before retirement. Similarly, a simulated three-year bull market (positive equity returns) is projected to have a larger positive effect on projected account balances and replacement rates the closer it occurs to retirement.
Several studies have indicated a strong link between poverty and insecure land tenure. In Sierra Leone like other former British colonies, two separate land tenure systems exist: an imposed British tenure in the western area, and a customary system in the rest of the country. Whilst the former allows freehold tenure, the latter does not. Seventy-five percent of its population are rural, and invariably depends on agriculture for livelihood sustainability. Statistics also show that women who form the bulk of this population are involved in food production. One of the reasons identified why the country is unable to feed its population is the existence of the customary system. In this work, we discussed the two land tenure systems in the country, and analyzed the shortcomings of the customary tenure in detail. Data were mainly desktop literature. We looked at similar cases elsewhere and drew our conclusions. . We discovered that the customary system is not only discriminating against women, and other citizens (from other parts of the country), but discourages investment in agriculture and other land uses in rural areas. It is therefore a threat to food security and rural development in general. It also provokes tension between citizens from the western area, and those from the rest of the country. If the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, VISION 2025 and the Millennium Development Goals are to be realized, it is important that authorities step up and reform this customary system, and encourage more access to land, say freehold tenure.
Based on ecology,the paper aims to explore Eileen Chang's translation harmony in terms of translation ecoenvironment and ecofeminism translation.It points out that Eileen Chang drifts away from the then social and political environment which is with times,trends and geolinks.It also reflects Chang's adaptation and selection towards the main body of publishing(sponsorship),and the main body of guarding is the power to enhance Chang's sustainable development.Chang manifests sense of feminism and tries to make it in har mony with ecofeminism translation:translation is betrayal because of fidelity.
In recent years, several studies have approached the Text Simplification (TS) task as a machine translation (MT) problem. They report promising results in learning how to translate from ‘original’ to ‘simplified’ language using the standard phrasebased translation model. However, our results indicate that this approach works well only when the training dataset consists mostly of those sentence pairs in which the simplified sentence is already very similar to its original. Our findings suggest that the standard phrase-based approach might not be appropriate to learn strong simplifications which are needed for certain target populations.
The invention relates to a process for preparing a semi-solid preparation containing bispyridiniumalkane, in which a) is dissolved the bispyridiniumalkane in solvent to prepare a solution of the bispyridinium alkane, and b) the solution of the bispyridinium alkane with one or more further conventional constituents of a semi-solid formulation is mixed. Preferably octenidine dihydrochloride is used as bispyridiniumalkane. Further, the invention according to the method of semi-solid preparations made relates in form of a concentrate in the form of a preparation for use or as a kit. The semi-solid composition is applied in particular to combat MRE to the nasal mucosa, and works equally well as preparations on the basis of mupirocin.
The currently lack of comparative studies about the Colombian civil wars during the XIX century remain a challenge regarding the number and depth of their impact in our history. The usual consideration of these processes like a kind of perpetual fratricidal fights between their parties temporary suspended through weak political accords and reenacted thereafter is even the dominant assessment. The levels of fighting, the devastation produced in the population and the lethal violence are today aspects illresearched. The purpose of this essay is to contribute towards a better understanding of these
In this paper,the recent development in speciation analysis methods of nitrogen and phosphorus in aquatic environment both home and abroad was reviewed.The classifications for nitrogen and phosphorus species existed in aquatic environment and relevant speciation analytical methods were presented in details.It is of the great significance for evaluating the biological effect on the environment and demonstrating the biogeochemical cycle.
UK legislation and government policy favour women’s rights to bodily autonomy and active involvement in childbirth decision-making including the right to decline recommendations of care/treatment. However, evidence suggests that both women and maternity professionals can face challenges enacting decisions outside of sociocultural norms. This study explored how NHS midwives facilitated women’s alternative physiological birthing choices–defined in this study as ‘birth choices that go outside of local/national maternity guidelines or when women decline recommended treatment of care, in the pursuit of a physiological birth’. The study was underpinned by a feminist pragmatist theoretical framework and narrative methodology was used to collect professional stories of practice via self-written narratives and interviews. Through purposive and snowball sampling, a diverse sample in terms of age, years of experience, workplace settings and model of care they operated within, 45 NHS midwives from across the UK were recruited. Data were analysed using narrative thematic that generated four themes that described midwives’ processes of facilitating women’s alternative physiological births: 1. Relationship building, 2. Processes of support and facilitation, 3. Behind the scenes, 4. Birth facilitation. Collectively, the midwives were involved in a wide range of alternative birth choices across all birth settings. Fundamental to their practice was the development of mutually trusting relationships with the women which were strongly asserted a key component of safe care. The participants highlighted a wide range of personal and advanced clinical skills which was framed within an inherent desire to meet the women’s needs. Capturing what has been successfully achieved within institutionalised settings, specifically how, maternity providers may benefit from the findings of this study.
The Soleus H-reflex is suppressed in the swing phase, which is partly due to reciprocal inhibition from the Tibialis Anterior (TA). This modulation is further fine-tuned by supraspinal mechanisms during task uncertainties e.g. in backward walking the increase in Soleus H-reflex during swing does not match similar changes in the TA. We tested how other types of walking uncertainties such as split-belt walking would affect Soleus H-reflex modulation. Ten subjects walked forwards and backwards on a split-belt treadmill in tied-belt (both legs at 1 or 4 km/h) and split-belt conditions (one leg at 1 km/h, the other at 4 km/h). Split-belt walking increased the Soleus H-reflex in the fastest leg during forward walking and in the slowest leg during backward walking. During forward walking, the Soleus H-reflex changes in the fastest leg were correlated to similar changes in Soleus EMG background. However, during backward walking the Soleus H-reflex changes in the slowest leg were not always correlated to changes in the TA or Soleus EMG background. Hence, splitbelt walking facilitated the Soleus H-reflex but this facilitation did not simply follow changes in the level of excitability of the motoneuron pool or reciprocal inhibition. The modulation in split-belt walking is likely influenced by supraspinal mechanisms involved during perceived instability.
major foreseeable future Internet is expected to growth multimedia data, such as audio and video data traffic, so that data oriented networking is emerging as the future Internet architecture. In this extended paper, we propose the content-oriented networking platform to exploit content networking service under current Internet. The platform consists of major three parts. First is a content network domain, where is located in edge network between access network and core network. Second is content- aware agent to support Internet connectivity. Last is a content directory service. In this study, we describe research issues related in three major parts, and show content downloading time to compare time overhead cause to relay agents located in middle in the platform by using simulation. And we also introduce a prototype for content-aware agent based on NetFPGA with OpenFlow. The platform will be studied continuously.
This paper presents a SiC Schottky diode model including static and dynamic features implemented as a parameterized block constructed from SPICE Analog Behavioral Modeling (ABM) controlled sources. The parameters for this block are easy to extract, even from readily available diode data sheet information. This model can easily simulate the diode’s reverse recovery and power losses behavior over all temperatures from 0C° to 175C°.
1. Technical Field of the invention defined in the claims The present invention will in the door closed condition of the wireless communication terminal and a method having a data transmission / reception function. 2. The invention attempts to solve the technical challenges The present invention, data transmission / reception operations cover is in data transmission / without force-close the reception operation continuously data to transmit / receive a later As a result, the door closed state of data transmission / reception in for outputting a case closed during to provide a radio communication terminal and method having a function that purpose. 3. Resolution of the subject matter of the invention, The invention, in a wireless communication terminal in the cover closed state with the data transmission / reception function, a wireless transmitting / receiving means for transmitting / receiving data through a wireless communication network; The retry input means for receiving a confirmation signal; Storage means for storing transmission / reception data; Sensing means for sensing the opening and closing of the cover of the wireless communication terminal; Output means for outputting the data transmit / receive operation complete signal; Display means for displaying the data transmission / reception result of the operation signal; And the control of each component, and to determine the current operation information of the wireless communication device operation information is to continue the data transmission / reception operation, regardless of the opening and closing of the cover according to the data transmission / number of new data transmission / receiving operation is completed to generate a data transmission / reception completion signal as output by the output means, to take back the sheath is passed that the open from said sensing means to perform the control according to the data transmit / receive operation results It includes control means for. 4. An important use of the invention, The invention yiyongdoem in a mobile communication terminal.
The creation of optical activity has been considered as something impossible even though reports of such creation via total spontaneous resolution since the 1940 ́s have been published. More recently Viedma ripening have been developed that also produce enantiopure bulk product. Both methods are examples of absolute asymmetric synthesis i.e. the synthesis of optically active product from non-optically active starting materials, catalysts or auxiliaries. In this work twenty-four new compounds have been synthesized, isolated and characterized with X-ray diffraction. Out of these have eleven been found to crystallize as conglomerates as chiral enantiopure crystals which are optically active. The discovered conglomerates have been analyzed with solid state techniques as circular dichroism (CD) and vibrational circular dichroism(VCD). For the moderately labile [Ru(PS)2Cl2], [Ru(dmso)2(NS)Cl2 and [Ru(dmso)2(SS)Cl2] have the chirality been fixated by oxidizing the ligand in solution to the corresponding sulfoxide. For the highly labile [Co(bpy)3](PF6)2 the chirality has been fixated by oxidizing the metal from cobalt(II), solvent free in the solid state, to the inert cobalt (III) with bromine vapor or solid iodine. The optical activity of the inert complexes has been analyzed with solution techniques such as CD, HPLC and ORD. The optical activity of the complexes [Mo(CO)4PS] and [W(CO)4PS] have been analyzed with solid state VCD with less than tenth of a milligram sample and high-quality spectra have been obtained in 20 minutes. Total spontaneous resolution has been achieved with the compounds [Ru(PS)2Cl2], [Ru(dmso)2(NS)Cl2, [Ru(dmso)2(SS)Cl2] and [Ag(PS)2](BF4) in good yield and high ee. Viedma ripening has been demonstrated for the complexes [Ag(PS)2](BF4), [Mo(CO)4PS], [W(CO)4PS] and [Cu(mtp)2(NO3)2]. Viedma ripening has been found to be viable for the production of large quantities of optically pure metal complex.
Timely diagnosis of dementia is being encouraged in both primary and secondary care settings in New Zealand via the creation and promotion of internet-based dementia clinical pathways. There is no national consensus about the circumstances in which neuroimaging should be recommended and funded within these pathways. This lack of agreement is driven by uncertainty about the rationale for neuroimaging in the diagnosis of dementia as well as the costs involved. This paper summarises all relevant international guidelines to inform a recommendation that a CT Head should be routine in the dementia work up in the New Zealand setting.
Scotland in 1286 was an independent kingdom which had enjoyed substantial domestic peace for seventy years. The kingdom of Scotland was to be separate and free its offices filled by Scotsmen. The treaty of Birgham was not fulfilled because the heiress died. The Scottish community invited Edward Ⅰ to help them find next heir to their kingdom. John Balliol was adjudged heir and became Scottish king. After the battle of Dunbar in 1296, Scotland became a vassal lordship and many nobles and lairds were held to ransom in England. The new administration was staffed by Englishmen. If overlordship must be accepted, a Scottish king will appoint native officials and preserve customary dues. The war aims of Robert Ⅰ were the recovery of Scottish territory and a peace recognizing him as rightful king of an independent Scotland. Robert Ⅰ's war with England was as far from success after at Bannockburn campaign as before. In the summer of 1317 two cardinal legates to the two kingdoms had arrived in England. John ⅩⅩⅡ would not open the bulls addressed to him as governor for ‘there are several Robert Bruces who in company with the other barons are governors of the kingdom of Scotland.’ The pope opened a rapid fire of bulls against Robert Ⅰ. His excommunication was to be repeated, interdict was threatened and he and his four bishops were cited to appear at Avignon by 1 May 1320. The king and bishops made no appearance. The declaration is a letter from the Scottish earls and barons to the pope urging him to persuade Edward Ⅱ to make peace, and dated at Arbroath on 6 April 1320. The declaration of Arbroath is more than a baron’s letter, for it purports to come also from the nameless other barons and freeholders and whole community of the realm and although this was conventional phraseology it was nonetheless significant. The words of the declaration of Arbroath on freedom have a stronger ring and a clearer connotation of freedom from English lordship or rule. I can not agree with professor Barrow’s assertion that baron's letter is a diplomatic document because it is a political paper to demonstrate spirit of Scottish independence. So I think that ‘the Declaration of Arbroath’ is ‘the Declaration of Independence’.
The objective of this article is to present the International Relations swing towards an ethnocentric vision, under the concept of the Human Security, and to analyze the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan in this light. Methodologically, a qualitative perspective is used, combining the documentary and bibliographical research to delineate the theoretical frame about the protection of civilians. Next, an inductive approach, supported by the case study technique, is applied, examining the humanitarian situation in South Sudan (2011-2017). In this discussion, it was verified that, in the contemporary arena of International Relations, the individual happened to divide the focus with the states, in the light of the concept of Human Security. In the case of South Sudan, there was a scenario outlined by multiple challenges - non-observance of human rights, economic weakness, institutional frailty, and state lapses - where the UN has sought to develop a comprehensive and resilient model for the protection of the South Sudanese population.
OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION HELSINKI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNLOGY P.O. BOX 1000, FI-02015 TKK http://www.tkk.fi Author Konstantin Kostov Name of the dissertation Design and Characterization of Single-Phase Power Filters Manuscript submitted 15.05.2009 Manuscript revised 02.10.2009 Date of the defence 27.11.2009 Monograph Article dissertation (summary + original articles) Faculty Electronics, Communications and Automation Department Electrical Engineering Field of research Industrial Electronics and Electric Drives Opponent(s) Prof. Johann W. Kolar Supervisor Prof. Jorma Kyyra Instructor Abstract In order to comply with the strict limits on electromagnetic emissions from electrical and electronic equipment, most switch-mode power supplies need an electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter at their input. This dissertation discusses issues related to the design of passive single-phase power filters, such as noise sources, coupling paths, parasitic elements, and suggests analytical tools to simplify and improve the design. The most important recommendations and steps in the design of single-phase power filters are outlined. The starting point in any design procedure is to determine the required insertion loss (IL), which depends on the common-mode (CM) and differential-mode (DM) noise generated by the electrical equipment. This requires the use of noise separators, which split the EMI generated by the equipment under test into its CM and DM components. The advantages and disadvantages of different noise separation techniques are discussed and some of them are shown to be inaccurate. Even when an appropriate noise separator is used, it is necessary to know what kind of data are obtained, because there are different definitions for CM and DM. Misinterpreted or inaccurate data for the CM and DM noise lead to wrong attenuation requirements, the consequence of which is either overdesign, or worse, failure to suppress the noise sufficiently. A major obstacle for predicting the performance of EMI filters are the unknown noise source impedances. Methods for noise source impedance measurement have been suggested in the literature and are discussed in the thesis. These methods are difficult, time-consuming, and some of them incorrect. Traditionally, EMI suppression filters and components are characterized by their IL. In this work twoand four-port network parameters are used to obtain the IL or equivalent circuits of the filter. It is suggested that the “worst-case” IL can be obtained from the chain parameters of the filter or component. Although the concept of IL applies to two-port networks, equations for the CM and DM IL of four-port networks as functions of their four-port network parameters and arbitrary source and load impedances are derived and verified. The four-port network parameters can also be used to obtain the elements of the CM and DM π-type equivalent circuits of a single-phase EMI filter. A new way to define the CM and DM suppression requirements as a part of the total required IL is proposed in the thesis.
Leguminous have a high environmental, dietary and socio-economic importance especially for the African countries. Despite of their interest, during these last years, their culture is decreasing caused by biotic and abiotic stresses: Temperature variations, impairment of Mediterranean soils in minerales especially phosphorus. The ability of a symbiotic association with rhizobia allows the biological nitrogen fixation resulting can be exploited to improve plant growth and fertility soil. The inoculation by rhizobia plays an important role in improving and increasing the potential of fixing the atmospheric nitrogen through increasing number and weight of nodules. In this context that is our study whose objective is to select an efficient rhizobia and bean genotypes to improve growth and production of this very important beans and adapt it to address constraints in particular soil phosphorus deficiency.
Platelet aggregation routinely measured by light transmission techniques (Born and Cross, 1962) has been developed in a simple 96-well plates (Moran et al, 2006). This method allows testing of many aggregatory responses over an identical short time period. When a pair of platelet agonists in low concentration is added together or in sequence to platelet-rich plasma, the effect of each other in platelet response is enhanced (Steen et al, 1988). We have evaluated the effects of combined collagen and adrenaline in platelet-rich plasma using 96-well plate method.
The times features and philosophical significance of modern ecology science are reflected in the nature of this discipline:the overlapping of natural and social attributes;the compromise of conventional and modern approach;the special mission of coordinating biology and its surroundings and the (agreement) of ecological and dialectical thinking modes.The philosophical review of the modern ecology science achievements will provide a new approach to the revolution of many environmental problems by which human beings have been obsessed.Thus,the new civilization characterized by protection and sustainable development of the earth and human beings can be established.
Objective To study the diagnosis of 16 slice spiral CT in lower extremity arterial occlusive disease by.Methods 40 cases of lower extremity arterial occlusive disease were studied,using 16 slice spiral CT(CTA),and in the 2 weeks after the inspection,the clinical gold standard for digital subtraction angiography(DSA) diagnosis.After inspection,to compare the two kind of diagnosis sensitivity,specificity and accuracy.And the two kinds of diagnosis methods on the lower extremity arterial occlusive disease diagnosis of stenosis of the comparative analysis.Results After inspection,found in the CTA group and DSA group diagnosis sensitivity,specificity and accuracy rate showed no significant difference(P 0.05);two stenosis degree method in the diagnosis of the 1-grade 5 class differences had no statistical significance(P0.05).Conclusion Using 16 slice spiral CT in lower extremity arterial occlusive disease diagnosis,good effect,worthy of clinical application.
Histologic studies have been carried out, of fragments from the epiploon obtained from 50 pregnant women. The samples were obtained during cesarean section. In 40% of the patients decidual-type modifications were noted, involving either a limited number of cells, or larger numbers of cells in disseminated plaques. The modification is similar with that noted in the chorion of the endometrium during pregnancy, and we must recall the fact that the peritoneal mesenchyma and the endometrial chorion have the same embryological origin. We believe that this transformation is the result of a modulation process, and that it is completely reversible.
The intestines-brain correlation theory played an important role on the science development history of TCM and western medicine. The intestines-brain correlation theory had important meaning to revealing the regulation of etiology, pathology and pharmacotherapeutics and enlarge the research thoughts of integrating traditional Chinese and western medicine. For the past few years, to carry out furtherly discussion and research on the second brain theory of Dr. Gersion.
Some eigenvalue problems can be formulated based on variational methods in terms of two or more independent field variables but simplifications make it possible to reduce the matrix size by formulating the relationship between two or more of the field variables that are independent of the eigenvalue and using this relationship in the variational equation. This method has already been used in post-buckling and vibration behaviour of in-plane loaded rectangular plates with geometric out-of-plane initial imperfections by one of the authors two decades ago but it does not appear to have been widely used since then, possibly because the focus of the publications that used this approach were more on the vibratory behaviour. This paper shows this method through application to a simpler problem, namely the linear eigenvalue equations for the lateral vibration of slightly curved beams. It is shown how the Rayleigh-Ritz minimisation, together with the condensation method can be used to find the natural frequencies of slightly curved beams. The beam is assumed to be slender and the focus is limited to lower frequencies so that the longitudinal inertia may be neglected and the standard assumptions for Euler-Bernoulli beams hold. The Rayleigh-Ritz minimisation equations are obtained in terms of the two field variables namely, longitudinal and lateral displacements. These displacements forms are expressed in terms of a series of admissible functions and the Rayleigh-Ritz minimisation is first carried out. Then the frequency independent equations are solved analytically to obtain a relationship between the coefficients associated with the longitudinal and lateral displacement series. This relationship is then substituted into the remaining frequency dependent Rayleigh-Ritz equations to obtain am eigenvalue equation in which the eigenvectors are the lateral displacement coefficients.
A patient presented with a draining sinus tract on the lingual alveolus of the posterior mandibular ridge. The source of the sinus tract was not readily apparent. Radiographs created the impression that a lesion of unusual and possibly metastatic origin might be involved. Comprehensive diagnostic tests were ordered, but the source of the lesion remained obscure until a surgical exploration was performed.
Providing an efficient, effective, accessible and adaptable products and services has become an increasingly daunting task for corporate and business enterprises. Management must formulate and implement the strategies which are feasible and adaptive as well as significantly articulate them with clear vision and mission. A secondary data review of the mission and vision statements(What aspects) from a world known quality and value oriented MNCs of the two different sectors((with special reference to Microsoft and the Coco-Cola company) were performed, and two key components were found to constitute a well conceived, viable, and easily diffused reasons(Why aspects ) for the definitions of the corporate vision and missions. The prevalence of these two key components in comparison to other types of institutions and corporate can be compared and discussed as a part of future research.
Here, we prepared water-soluble highly luminescent CdSe/ZnS quantum dots having different surface charge and examined how zeta potential of quantum dots affected their uptake by cancer cells. Water soluble quantum dots with varied zeta potential were prepared through encapsulation with amphiphilic polymer poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-tetradecene) (PMAT) containing ziwitterions formed by spatially separated carboxyl and quaternary amino groups. Varying the ration of negatively charged carboxyl and positively charged quaternary amino-groups during chemical modification of PMAT we control the sign and magnitude of zeta potential of encapsulated quantum dots. Quantum dots having nearly equal amount of carboxyl and quaternary amino groups possess pH-controlled zeta potential which can vary from negative to positive value when pH changes from basic to acidic condition. Cellular uptake of encapsulated quantum dots has been found to be strongly dependent of their surface charge: positively charged quantum dots efficiently internalized by cells, while negatively charged adsorbed mostly at the cell membrane. Zwitterionic QDs do not demonstrate any charge-dependent cellular toxicity at least within few hours. Long-term incubation of cells stained with zwitterionic quantum dots results in the decrease of the fluorescence signal mainly due to the cell proliferation.
Anycast routing has attracted interest in recent years as a technology for CDNs and anti-DDoS services. Most anycast studies conducted in the past relied on coarse measurement data, or are subjected to the collaboration of a global player affecting the experiment flexibility. In this paper, we present TANGLED, an anycast testbed where researchers can run experiments and better understand the impacts of their proposals on a global infrastructure. We also share our hand-on experience validating transit providers routing configurations. Our testbed offers a flexible and complete testing environment to evaluate the routing behavior of anycast networks in the wild. We provided tools that allow users to customize and reconFigure the anycast network, perform experiments, do active measurements, and collect data by using a platform specially designed for. The deployed infrastructure was designed to create industry and academy cooperation. TANGLED enables researchers to answer your research questions while allows transit providers to validate the implementation of complex routing agreements.
Cryptovirological augmentations present an immediate, incomparable threat. Over the last decade, the substantial proliferation of crypto-ransomware has had widespread consequences for consumers and organisations alike. Established preventive measures perform well, however, the problem has not ceased. Reverse engineering potentially malicious software is a cumbersome task due to platform eccentricities and obfuscated transmutation mechanisms, hence requiring smarter, more efficient detection strategies. The following manuscript presents a novel approach for the classification of cryptographic primitives in compiled binary executables using deep learning. The model blueprint, a DCNN, is fittingly configured to learn from variable-length control flow diagnostics output from a dynamic trace. To rival the size and variability of contemporary data compendiums, hence feeding the model cognition, a methodology for the procedural generation of synthetic cryptographic binaries is defined, utilising core primitives from OpenSSL with multivariate obfuscation, to draw a vastly scalable distribution. The library, CryptoKnight, rendered an algorithmic pool of AES, RC4, Blowfish, MD5 and RSA to synthesis combinable variants which are automatically fed in its core model. Converging at 91% accuracy, CryptoKnight is successfully able to classify the sample algorithms with minimal loss.
BACKGROUND Last decade witnessed a remarkable progress in understanding the molecular background of temporal lobe epilepsy. That success was due not only to undisputable achievements in the development of electrochemical and biological techniques, but also to the well-defined neuropathological features of partial epilepsy and the availability of appropriate animal models.   THE AIM The aim of the present paper was to review recent reports concerning those issues. Special emphasis was put on glutamatergic and GABAergic systems, but the putative role of some neuropeptides, ion channels and intracellular signaling pathways in the pathomechanism of temporal epilepsy was also discussed.   RESULTS The most intriguing and still unsolved problem with studying the basic mechanism of partial epilepsy is a mutual relationship between hippocampal damage and epileptogenesis, in particular the interaction of glia and neuronal factors in this long-term dynamic process.   CONCLUSIONS It is pointed out that better understanding of these molecular processes may have clinical implications in the future as regards preventing partial seizures, an accurate diagnosis and obtaining safer and more efficient antiepileptic drugs.
PURPOSE: A method for fabricating a back contact type hetero-junction solar cell is provided to simplify a process by forming a p junction area and an n junction area after coating a p type impurity layer and an n type impurity layer and removing an additional mask. CONSTITUTION: In a method for fabricating a back contact type hetero-junction solar cell, an n-type crystalline silicon substrate is prepared(S101). A p-type impurity layer is selectively screen-printed and is processed by a heat treatment to form a p junction area(S102). An n-type impurity layer is selectively screen-printed and is processed by a heat treatment to form an n junction area(S103). The intrinsic layer and reflection barrier layer are formed over the substrate(S104). A p electrode and an n electrode are formed on the p type junction area an n type junction area(S105).
A structural finite element model representing a novel inflatable airlock concept has been calibrated using full ‐ scale test data. The concept, denoted as the Non ‐ Axisymmetric Inflatable Pressure Structure (NAIPS), was developed under NASA’s Minimalistic Advanced Softgoods Hatch (MASH) Program. The current studies extended previous numerical efforts by incorporating the midbody section of the NAIPS to the dome section and calibrating the model with test data using a process that included surrogate models. Brief overviews of the finite element model and calibration process are provided. The completion of the calibration process provided a model that adequately replicated the test data. The successful demonstration of calibration of a finite element model representing an inflatable habitat provides confidence in the ability to use numerical simulations and associated surrogate models to support design and certification of inflatable space habitats.
We propose a probabilistic video model, the Video Pixel Network (VPN), that estimates the discrete joint distribution of the raw pixel values in a video. The model and the neural architecture reflect the time, space and color structure of video tensors and encode it as a four-dimensional dependency chain. The VPN approaches the best possible performance on the Moving MNIST benchmark, a leap over the previous state of the art, and the generated videos show only minor deviations from the ground truth. The VPN also produces detailed samples on the action-conditional Robotic Pushing benchmark and generalizes to the motion of novel objects.
Background: Pesisir Selatan District Health Office faces complex problems with limited budget available. The budget is determined in accordance to Act No. 25/2004 about the National Development Planning System, Act No. 32/2004 about the Regional Government, and Act No. 33/2004 about the balance between central and district government budget. Objective: This study is aimed to evaluate factors influencing the implementation of planning and budgeting at Pesisir Selatan District Health Office. Methods:This was a qualitative study adopting a case study strategy. The unit of analysis was the district level and data were gathered through in-depth interviews. Key persons were chosed reflecting the management capacity of district health office, the executive role (Regional Government Budgeting Team/RGBT), and the legislative role (Assembly at Regional Level) at Pesisir Selatan District. Triangulation was conducted by documents analysis and observation to enhance data quality. Analysis was carried out through coding and categorization. Results: The role of management was still weak in financial planning and budgeting. This was due to lack of training on budgeting and inaccurate data about the health problems. Coordination in planning management was still weak because the health centers were not involved, causing overlaps between the programs. The resulted plan and budget made by the district health office was revised by RGBT because they were not convinced with the budget and the regional expenditures and revenues budget was limited. The local parliament was also not able to increase budget for the health sector. Budget expenditure in years 2006, 2007, and 2008 were still low. Conclusion: planning and budgeting capacity of health office management remain weak, which affect deficiency of health budget. In the other hand local parliament could not be able to increase health budget. Keywords: planning and budgeting, health office, decentralization
In this paper, the scale-changing method is used to compute the surface impedance of pre-fractal structures characterized by the coexistence of metallic patterns at multiple scale levels. The multi-scale nature of these structures is used to split them into sub-structures enclosed by appropriate boundaries. The calculation starts from the elementary substructure: N active modes excite the considered sub-structure in order to compute the corresponding surface impedance matrix useful for the transition from a scale toward another. The choice of active modes is important in order to ensure the coupling between two consecutive scales and to have a correct description of the electromagnetic state within discontinuities. Consequently, the local modal basis is divided into two parts: - Higher-order modes: localized modes essentially useful for the local electromagnetic description within discontinuities. - Lower-order modes or active modes: travelling modes useful for the coupling between sub-structures. When localized modes are used as active, we show that the electromagnetic description within discontinuities is not correct. The surface impedance obtained by the multi-scale method is compared to the surface impedance computed by the MoM method. The error variation with the number of active modes is presented. It converges with an error less than 0.3% when a sufficient Number of active modes are used.
Several forms of peripheral neuropathy occur in Sjogren's syndrome (dryness of eyes, mouth and other mucous membranes). Symmetrical sensorimotor polyneuropathy occurs most frequently followed by sensory neuropathy. Pure sensory neuronopathy, trigeminal sensory neuropathy and autonomic neuropathy are also common. We report three rare forms of peripheral neuropathy related to Sjogren's syndrome and analyze their clinical course and response to therapy. There were a case of mononeuropathy multiplex (MM), a case of recurrent cranial polyneuropathy (RCP) and a case of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). The patients were females, 70, 63 and 81 years old respectively. All of them fulfilled the criteria of Sjogren's syndrome, without clinical or serological abnormalities of systemic disease. Only one patient presented with positive antinuclear antibodies. In two patients the onset of neuropathy occurred before the sicca syndrome long. The sural biopsy of the patient with MM exhibited vasculitis of the small vessels and a mild sensory polyneuropathy was superimposed. The patient with RCP had 8 episodes of isolated third nerve palsy and 5 episodes of multiple cranial neuropathy. The patient with CIDP responded poorly to treatment while in the patients with MM and CRP the response to corticotherapy was good. In conclusion, Sjogren's syndrome must be considered in neuropathies of unknown cause not only when they are sensory, autonomic or trigeminal but also when they are recurrent suggesting an ischemic mechanism. Even a CIDP requires a search for Sjogren's syndrome before being considered idiopathic.
The present study was designed to compare the biocompatibility of three cardiopulmonary bypass setups with different surface coatings, and to determine if coating of the whole circuit with one of the coatings was more beneficial than coating of the oxygenator only. Extracorporeal devices entirely coated with synthetic polymers (Avecor, n = 6) were compared to oxygenators coated with synthetic polymers (Avecor, n = 6), end-point, covalently attached heparin (CBAS, n = 6) or absorbed heparin (Duraflo 2, n = 6) in an in vitro model of a heart-lung machine. The circuits were primed with fresh human whole blood and Ringer’s acetate and recirculated at 4 l/min at 30°C for 2 h. Test samples were obtained at regular intervals and analysed for myeloperoxidase (MPO), platelet counts, β-thromboglobulin, heparin, prothrombin fragment 1+2, plasmin-anti-plasmin complexes, and complement activation products. The mean MPO concentrations increased in the Avecor-coated oxygenator group (AV) from 247 at the start to 671 μg/l at the termination of the experiments, in the Avecor-coated total circuit group (AV-T) from 116 to 288 μg/l, in the Duraflo 2 coated oxygenator group (DU) from 160 to 332 μg/l, and in the CBAS-coated oxygenator (CA) group from 172 to 311 μg/l. The MPO concentrations increased significantly in all groups (p < 0.03). The increase in group A was significantly higher than in the other three groups (p = 0.007). The mean platelet counts decreased in the Avecor-coated total circuit group from 117 at start to 99 × 109/l at termination of the experiments, in the Avecor-coated oxygenator group from 119 to 103 × 109/l, in the Duraflo 2 group from 96 to 86 × 109/l, and in the CBAS group from 132 to 123 × 109/l. The platelet counts decreased significantly in all groups (p < 0.01), but the intergroup differences were not significant (p = 0.15). The mean β-thromboglobulin concentrations increased in the Avecor-coated total circuit group from 193 at the start to 754 ng/ml at the termination of the experiments, in the Avecor-coated oxygenator group from 474 to 1654 ng/l, in the Duraflo 2 group from 496 to 1280 ng/l, and in the CBAS group from 418 to 747 ng/l. The β-thromboglobulin increase was significant in each group (p < 0.01), but not between the groups (p = 0.49). The mean heparin concentrations in the Duraflo 2 group increased from 2460 at the start to 2897 IU/l at termination of the experiments, in the CBAS group from 2468 to 2518 IU/l. In the Avecor-coated oxygenator group heparin concentrations decreased from 2010 to 1968 IU/l, and in the Avecor-coated total circuit group from 2002 to 1927 IU/l. The differences in heparin concentrations were significant between the Duraflo 2 group and the other groups (p < 0.05). The mean prothrombin fragment 1+2 concentrations increased in the CBAS group from 0.4 at the start to 2.1 nmol/l at the end of the experiments, in the Avecor-coated oxygenator group from 0.4 to 0.6 nmol/l, in the Avecor-coated total circuit group from 0.3 to 0.4 nmol/l, and in the Duraflo 2 group from 1.2 to 1.3 nmol/l. The prothrombin fragment 1+2 increase was significant in all groups (p < 0.05), but there were no significant intergroup differences (p = 0.54). There were no significant differences at the termination of the experiments among the four groups regarding complement activation as measured by C3 activation products and the terminal complement complex. In the present in vitro model of a heart-lung machine, none of the three specific setups with different coatings was superior with regard to all test parameters. The CBAS group generated the highest levels of prothrombin fragment 1+2 formation, but least complement activation. The increasing plasma heparin concentrations in the Duraflo 2 group indicated more unstable heparin bonding. The Avecor-coated total circuit group were superior to the Avecor-coated oxygenator group regarding plasma concentrations of MPO, but not compared to the CBAS and Duraflo 2-coated oxygenator groups.
Twenty-five years ago the business theorists at the University of Uppsala in Sweden assigned knowledge a key role in their explanation of firms’ internationalisation. Firms’ learning – or, acquisition of knowledge - about foreign markets was pointed out as being determining not only the speed by which firms expand internationally, but also which regions of the world firms enter and what operation methods they employ in the foreign markets (Carlson, 1975; Forsgren and Johanson, 1975; Johanson and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1975; Johanson and Vahlne, 1977; Welch and Wiedersheim-Paul, 1980). Although challenged by other alleged determinants of firms’ internationalisation knowledge is still the centrepiece in theories on firms’ internationalisation process. However, the understanding of how internationalisation knowledge is acquired, retained, transformed and transmitted has developed significantly over the past decades. Simplicity and determinism have given way to complexity and managerial discretion in our evolving understanding of the role of knowledge in the internationalisation process of firms.
With the speedy development of electric power industry,traditional means of information management in the Elec-tric Business Branches of power companies will not meet extremely the request of the future electric market,so decision support system(DSS)will widely be provided with the mighty functions including the flexible query,the on-line analysis process and the complex re ports forms.This paper introduces its designing methods on the base of the system frames,function modules,front tools(Business Objects)and data warehouse.The system is made up of the transaction processing,the data warehouse and the decision support system tools.The business personnel and the decision-making persons can use information arbitrarily and make the right and timely decisions.Its design principle is illuminated by a successful application example-decision support system of electric business in Deyang.
The invention discloses yeast peptone and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method comprises steps of pretreatment, size mixing, autolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis, centrifugation, membrane filtration and enrichment, and concentration and drying of a high protein yeast fermentation broth, wherein the molecular weight distribution of the yeast peptone is from 500Da to 3000Da. According to the preparation method, yeast serves as a raw material and the ultrafiltration technology is employed based on biological enzymic degradation; by the adoption of the membrane filtration and enrichment step and the optimization selection of the membrane flux and the concentration multiple, the molecular weight distribution of the peptone is precisely controlled and enabled to accord with standards; the percentage of the molecular weight distribution is maintained high; and the stability of product quality is guaranteed further. The preparation method is short in production cycle, low in cost, free of discharge of high-concentration organic waste water, more comprehensive in nutrition, stable, and easy in absorption and utilization.
In the present investigation the aqueous leaf extract of Talinum triangulare (TT) to alloxan induced diabetic rats decrease the plasma Thiobarbaturic Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and hydroperoxides to near normal levels, which could be a result of improved antioxidant status. Oral administration of TT leaf extract for 15 days effectively restored the pathological changes in alloxan induced diabetic rat pancreatic tissues.
Overcontouring of cast metal on the lingual surfaces of teeth used as abutments in acid-etched bridges may be responsible for plaque accumulation and inflammation of the gingiva. The purpose of this study is to assess the gingival response in acid-etched bridge abutments during a period of 12 months. The parameters used for assessment are the gingival cervicular fluid flow, plaque and gingival indices, and the free gingival margin height for both the abutments and uninvolved controls. The results of both the experimental and control sites in 17 patients were similar with no significant differences (p less than .02). The study suggests that careful contouring of the ligual surfaces of acid-etched bridges does not adversely affect the health of the adjacent gingival tissues during a 12-months of follow up.
The purpose of this project was to prepare eight scripts derived from Biblical texts using various techniques of oral interpretation. All scripts employ two or more readers and are non-doctrinal in content, making them useful to any Bible-based church. Chapter I presents a statement of the problem, a review of the literature, justification for the project, the purpose, and procedures that were to be followed. Chapter II contains the scripts, general information for their use, and commentaries on each. The scripts are entitled "The Birth of Christ," "The Crucifixion," "The Resurrection," "The Second Coming of Christ," "The Last Supper," "Baptism," "Marriage," and "Christian Leadership." Chapter III includes a summary of the creative process, observations, and recommendations for future scripts.
The invention relates to a digital battery internal resistance test method which comprises a discharge resistor R and a discharge switch S0, and further comprises three controllable analog switches S1, S2 and S3, three capacitors C1, C2 and C3, two attenuation networks R1, R2 and R3, R4, a square wave oscillator OSC, a phase inverter F, an A/D converter and a display LCD. The test method has simple circuit and can directly display the internal resistance of a battery to be tested. The test precision is unrelated to the on-resistance of the discharge switch S0; therefore, the test precision is higher. Simultaneously, the test method can also measure the terminal voltage of the battery.
The paper introduces the basic principle, manufacturing process, characteristics, shaped method of rapid prototype manufacturing technique and its application in metallic part manufacturing industry. It also indicates that the technique is a new-type synthetical one by which can rapidly manufactures prototype and its wide developing prospect. [Descriptors] Rapid prototype manufacturing Dispersion Deposition
Phragmites australis, or common reed, is represented by several subspecies (haplotypes) in North America. The native haplotypes are important components of wetland ecosystems, while a non-native haplotype introduced in the nineteenth century has become an aggressive invader. The goals of this study were to characterize the native and invasive haplotype distribution of Phragmites in northern Michigan, to determine which environmental characteristic are correlated with native, invasive, and overall Phragmites success, and to analyze the trends so that local potential predictors of Phragmites variable distribution and success might be identified. Fourteen wetlands were surveyed for native and invasive Phragmites stands. Ten native and four invasive stands were sampled. Environmental variables (including temperature, pH, proximity to human development, surface moisture, water conductivity and DO) and variables related to Phragmites success (stand area and density, height and diameter of the tallest stem, and leaf litter depth) were measured. In addition, each Phragmites site was paired to a similar site with no Phragmites. The data was compared for native, invasive, and control sites using paired T-tests and regressions. Temperature, human development, and, to some extent, water pH were found to be significantly linked to Phragmites haplotype variable distribution and success. Despite the limitation of small sample size, these early trends could be of particular relevance for land managers working to protect wetlands and slow invasive success. Among the environmental characteristic variables, temperature measurements resulted in the most comparisons with significance. Increased temperature seems to be linked to increased invasive success and decreased native success, with potential implications regarding the affects of climate change on wetlands in northern Michigan.
The present energy situation in the world has necessitated the need to harness energy from other unconventional sources. Wind energy from a moving vehicle as one of such unconventional sources could be harnessed and subsequently used in a vehicle and thereby reduce the fuel consumption. This project is directed at harnessing energy from a moving vehicle. Basic design parameters for the vehicular wind energy converter were obtained. Some passenger vehicles plying Ibadan metropolis and also the speed limits for various types of vehicles on different types of roads. Thereafter, models were developed for the design of the wind turbine. One of the developed models was investigated by varying the blade parameters such as blade materials and thicknesses to determine its optimum design capacities while the other model was developed to estimate the wind force and power on the blades at various wind velocities. A vehicular wind energy converter was then constructed using a mild steel of 2mm blade thickness, which was readily available and a Lundell alternator was used as the generator.
Recently, loss or inactivation of genes at specific chromosomal loci has been considered to be one of the important mechanisms during the development of human tumors. In order to identify tumor suppressor genes for gastric carcinoma, we performed restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis on 48 human gastric carcinomas. Allele losses were investigated for 14 specific loci on chromosomes 1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, and 17. Loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 17p13.1 (p53 locus) was detected in 13 (68%) of 19 informative cases. Well-differentiated adenocarcinoma showed high frequencies of allele losses on chromosomes 5q (60%) and 17p (67%) in early cancers and on chromosomes 1q (67%), 5q (36%), 7p (33%), 7q (39%), and 17p (73%) in advanced cancers. In poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas, loss of heterozygosity was detected on chromosomes 1p (38%), 12q (31%), and 17p (60%). Allele losses on chromosomes 1q, 5q, and 7p were not detected in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, their frequencies being significantly different between the two histological types. These results suggest that allele loss on chromosome 17p is a common event in gastric carcinoma, regardless of histological type, and that allele loss on chromosome 5q may play a role in the carcinogenesis of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Additionally, allele losses on chromosomes 1q and 7p may be involved in the progression of well-differentiated adenocarcinoma.
The original ISC-GEM Global Instrumental Earthquake Catalogue was released in 2013 (www.isc.ac.uk/iscgem/index.php). The catalogue was especially prepared for use in global and regional seismic hazard assessment. The main advantage of this catalogue is an improved homogeneity and accuracy of the earthquake parameters over the entire period of global instrumental seismological observations. The uncertainties and quality assessments of the main earthquake parameters are the other important features of this product.
The visual detection of specific double-stranded DNA sequences possesses great potential for the development of diagnostics. Zinc finger domains provide a powerful scaffold for creating custom DNA-binding proteins that recognize specific DNA sequences. We previously demonstrated sequence-enabled reassembly of TEM-1 β-lactamase (SEER–LAC), a system consisting of two inactive fragments of β-lactamase each linked to engineered zinc finger proteins (ZFPs). Here the SEER–LAC system was applied to develop ZFP arrays that function as simple devices to identify bacterial double-stranded DNA sequences. The ZFP arrays provided a quantitative assay with a detection limit of 50 fmol of target DNA. The method could distinguish target DNA from non-target DNA within 5 min. The ZFP arrays provided sufficient sensitivity and high specificity to recognize specific DNA sequences. These results suggest that ZFP arrays have the potential to be developed into a simple and rapid point-of-care (POC) diagnostic for the multiplexed detection of pathogens.
The concept of negotiation affords the opportunity of simultaneously grasping two social tensions, the one inherent to the handling of tense situations and the other to the organization of social relations. This is why we propose that it be adopted it as a central category in a theory of social regulation. To this end, a theoretical framework is presented that aims to better express the potential of this idea.
We morphologically study liver and regional lymphatic nodules of the rats' Wistar esophagus during pre-hepatic blood flow block and during transcutaneuous helium neon laser radiation. Subclavial, mediastinum and cardiac lymphnodules are regional for this organ. We found changes in all regional esophagus nodules. Severity varied from the nodule localization, inside and outside phlebostasis. Morphological changes were reduced in the liver and regional lymphnodules after laser radiation.
Bone marrow transplant and haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have detrimental physical, emotional, psychological and social consequences, which may resolve during hospitalization or continue to affect a patient for a number of years. Nursing management, interventions, and coping strategies to assist the HSCT recipient to overcome any negative effects associated with psychosocial issues experienced, are explored.
The purpose of this article is to review the somatic disorders, drugs and toxics more often related to psychopathology. It is also exposed the conceptual framework chosen for this task, based in the nonlinear dynamical systems theory and in a recently proposed subdivision of central nervous system. We intuitively suggest that most psychopathological syndromes could be correlated with the cerebral dysfunction conditioned by the self-organization of dissipative structures formed by hierarchical and diffuse subsystems interrelated neurons groups. Any perturbation which affect these subsystems in a brain region, and change enough their activation level and interaction pattern to make any of these interactions functionally insufficient, could begin the process.
Currently,uniform temperature distributions are widely assumed in numerical simulations when analyzing the fire response characteristics of steel structure,but in real large space fires,non-uniform longitudinal and transverse temperature distributions are usually present.In this paper,the maximum deflection of a 12m fixed supported steel beam with three aspects surrounding fires is analyzed by finite element analysis software ANSYS.It is first assumed that the longitudinal and transverse temperature distributions are both non-uniform.Such case is compared to that with uniform longitudinal temperature distributions.Under the conditions in this paper,it is concluded that the maximum deflection is smaller with non-uniform longitudinal temperature distributions,i.e.the fire resistant time is longer;for non-uniform longitudinal temperature distributions,the deflection of steel beam is higher with non-uniform transverse temperature distributions;for non-uniform longitudinal and uniform transverse temperature distributions,the maximum deflection decreases with the fire location ranging from the end to the middle,but it has an abrupt increase at 1/4 location from the end.
The two independent N-heterocycles in the centrosymmetric title compound, [La2(C10H9NO)4(NO3)6], exist in the zwitterionic form. One of these binds to one metal center, whereas the other bridges two metal centers. The La atom is chelated by three nitrate groups and is surrounded by nine O atoms in a coordination environment based on a distorted monocapped square-antiprism. The dinuclear structure is further stabilized by intramolecular N—H O(nitrate) hydrogen bonds.
This paper describes an exploratory, survey-based study designed to address questions related to the state of professionalism in the IS community. The study focuses on undergraduate student awareness of IS professional associations and student views on the appropriate content of such associations’ codes of ethics. The specific research questions to be explored are: 1) Are undergraduate students aware of IS professional associations and their codes of professional ethics; 2) What ethical issues, if any, do students perceive as being particularly relevant for information systems professionals; 3) What specific ethical rules, if any, do students perceive as appropriate in an IS professional association’s code of professional ethics; and 4) Do students believe that their personal views on ethical professional behavior are consistent with the ethical codes of IS professional associations? Results of preliminary analyses will be presented at the conference.
Research has shown that residues of fruits, leaves and stems of plants have been treated as lignocellulosic material, in addition to starches, among others, in order to produce a renewable fuel. Theses residues were pretreated to separate the lignin and from the cellulose and, reducing sugars were obtained by means of a hydrolysis which may be acid, basic or enzymatic. Later the sugars are taken to a process of fermentation with strains of yeasts, which are in charge of transforming the sugars in bioetanol. At present, lignocellulosic biomass is an important substrate that is still being evaluated to increase the production of bioethanol; the highest amount of bioethanol obtained was 200 mL/kg of orange peels.
The T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin-3 (TIM-3)/galectin-9 (Gal-9) autocrine loop is an indispensable signaling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, which induces their self-renewal through activation of nuclear factor-kappa b (NF-kB) and β-catenin pathways. In this study, we evaluated the effects of oridonin and doxorubicin on the TIM-3/Gal-9 autocrine loop. We also evaluated oridonin anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties on U937 cells, as an AML cell line in comparison to doxorubicin as a common anthracycline drug for AML treatment. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was applied to evaluate the cytotoxicity of oridonin and doxorubicin on U937 cells and also to determine the impact of galectin-9 (Gal-9) on their proliferation. The effects of oridonin and doxorubicin on Gal-9, TIM-3, and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) gene expression were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The Gal-9 secretion level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and activation of NF-kB pathway was assessed by western blotting. In a dose-dependent manner, oridonin and doxorubicin were capable to eradicate U937 cells while Gal-9 expanded them. Following the treatment of U937 cells with oridonin, the expression of Gal-9, TIM-3, and IL-1β genes was down-regulated, and the Gal-9 secretion and NF-kB phosphorylation were diminished, whereas doxorubicin increased all of these factors. Doxorubicin is a common treatment agent in AML, but it may induce inflammation and up-regulate the TIM3/Gal-9 autocrine loop, consequently can enhance the possibility of disease relapse. Meanwhile, oridonin is capable to inhibit the essential signaling pathways in AML cells and reduce the inflammation and expansion of tumor cells and postpone AML recurrence.
The effects of 9 commercial pesticides used commonly in agriculture on spore germination and larvicidal activity of the mosquito pathogenic B. thuringiensis var. israelensis and B. sphaericus 2362 strain were examined. Six of the pesticides was had an inverse impact on spore germination and growth of the test strains. It was determined that the pesticides with the most adverse effect were copper sulfate, methiocarb, and dalapon on spore germination of the microorganisms. Higher concentrations or MIC values of the pesticides reduced the heat-resistant spore numbers of both bioinsecticides, suppressing spore germination. These results indicated that the spores of the bacteria are sensitive to chemical pesticides at the same level. Moreover, the study revealed that the spore germination and larvicidal activity of both biological control agents are affected by pesticides equally. The findings should be considered for assessing the effects of pesticides when both microbial agents are used in field applications.
This paper discusses the approach used by the Georgia Department of Transportation to address the problem of rehabilitation of plain jointed concrete pavements. The major topics discussed are (1) Pavement Evaluation and Project Selection Procedures, (2) Rehabilitation Techniques, and (3) Overlays. Special emphasis is given to the various techniques that may be required to upgrade the pavement prior to surface grinding or overlay. Emphasis is also given to concrete and asphalt overlay research in Georgia. This paper points out the need for pavement evaluation to establish necessary levels of rehabilitation effort. It also points out the need for proper construction techniques, materials and adequate construction control in any rehabilitation effort. The material presented in this paper is based on the experience obtained by the Georgia Department of Transportation in rehabilitating jointed concrete pavements.
Cartilage is a dense connective tissue which covers the opposing ends of bones in a joint and acts as lubricating and resilient surface. Cartilage consists of hydrated extracellular matrix and relatively few cells. The extracellular matrix is a network of collagen fibers and large proteoglycan aggregates. Proteoglycans have a net negative charge under physiological conditions known as fixed charge density (FCD). These negatively charged molecules preferentially attract positive sodium ions and thus are a source of osmotic pressure which gives cartilage its resilience to compression. These extracellular sodium cations can be measured by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and used as a nondestructive technique to monitor the tissue glycosaminoglycan concentration. Arthritis is a degenerative disease of cartilage and is characterized by a decrease in proteoglycan concentration. Sodium MR imaging can be an early indicator of this degenerative process and may provide non-invasive means of measuring cartilage degradation in vivo. The essential parameters which effect the signal intensity in sodium MRI are sodium density, and sodium T 1 and T 2 relaxation times. Therefore the main goal of the present study was to determine these relaxation parameters. Calf epiphyseal (EP) cartilage was harvested from distal ulna joints. T 1 determined for calf EP cartilage consisted of a single exponential time constant with mean of 18.2 ms and increased to 33.0 ms after trypsin degradation to remove cartilage proteoglycans. Cartilage T 2 consisted of two well defined exponential components, T 2 fast = 0.96 ms and T 2 slow = 21.1 ms. After treating cartilage with trypsin the T 2 fast decreased considerably to 0.2 ms with slow component changing slightly to 24 ms. In summary, these data provide the fundamental tissue parameters necessary for designing magnetic resonance imaging protocols necessary for quantitative sodium density weighted images. These protocols will ultimately be useful in monitoring early degeneration of cartilage and in evaluating in vivo therapies. 3 4 Acknowledgments I am truly indebted to my thesis supervisors, Deborah Burstein and Martha L. Gray for their guidance and support. Working with them and in their group has been an enriching experience. They also spent much time on reading the drafts of this thesis and giving comments. I would like to thank my whole family, especially my parents, for their never ending support without which my education to date would not have been possible. Their encouragement and guidance was a constant source of motivation me during …
This article presents the results of a detailed X-ray of the public apparatus in the Brazilian states, made for the National Support Program for Management and Planning Modernization in the States and Federal District (Programa Nacional de Apoio a Modernizacao da Gestao e do Planejamento dos Estados e do Distrito Federal ? Pnage), coordinated by the federal government and with active participation of all states. It is a pioneer study, not only for the unprecedented amount of new data, but also for the coordinate analysis of the managerial, planning, public policy and democratic governance areas, issues that are usually examined separately. Another innovation was the intergovernmental support to the research, which is unusual in Brazilian federalism. The study revealed that the Brazilian states have serious problems in organizing their basic data and their administrative records, in managing its human resources, in coordinating the parts of their planning system, and in adopting a more intersectoral approach, as well as better democratic governance mechanisms, especially within the public sector. Despite these difficulties and deficiencies, the state governments showed some progress during the last years, creating integrated service centers, adopting forms of e-government and strengthening the pluriannual plans as effective public management strategies.
We assemble data from several different sources to examine the cross-national effects of inequality and trust on social expenditures. We find that the inequality between the middle classes and the poor (as measured by the 50/10 percentile ratio) has a small, positive impact in social spending; but inequality between the ends of the distribution and middle class (measured by the 90/50 percentile ratio) has a large and negative impact on social spending. Different measures of trust are shown to have a large and positive impact on spending, implying that more cohesive, trusting societies are more willing to share economic resources with others not so fortunate. Our results suggest that as the rich become more distant from the middle and lower classes, they find it easier to opt out of public programs and to buy substitutes for social insurance in the private market. This funding implies that over time rising inequality will erode support for social institutions and social spending that provides insurance against income loss, upward mobility for the disadvantaged, and equality of opportunity for all citizens.
Objective Using pathogeny assays to explore if there are Mycoplasma genitalium infection in patients with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis,so as to treat chronic non-bacterial prostatitis to offer pithiness gist.Methods Using asepsis mop to take prostatic secretion specimens of patients with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis to inoculate Mg culture medium,put 37 ℃ CO2 to culture,accord Mg biology character culture medium were identified by PCR and electron microscope.Results Positive rate of Mg in the prostatic secretion from the 240 patients was 7.91%(19/240),In the controls,the positive rate of Mg was 1.39%(1/72).The differences between the two groups were statistically significant(χ~2=3.93,P0.05).Conclusion To validate that there are Mg infection in patients with chronic non-bacterial prostatitis,to clarify pathogeny of chronic non-bacterial prostatitis to get science gist.
Tice, Karen W. Queens of Academe: Beauty Pageantry, Student Bodies, and College Life. New York : Oxford University Press, 2012. xi + 246 pages. Cloth, $24.95. One would be hard-pressed to find a phenomenon that better exemplifies the effects of class, race, sex, gender, religion or ethnicity on campus life than a beauty pageant. A cursory analysis of the present volume from gender studies specialist Karen W. Tice quickly reveals that a large proportion of its content is drawn from experiences at historically black colleges and universities. This provides the all-important and often neglected dimension of cultural comparison to this work. The norms established by dominant social groups in any society are obscured until they are held up to comparison with subordinate groups. Beauty has long been a path of upward mobility for women, so college beauty pageantry could be a manifestation of college women's consciousness of this path to higher social ground. Thus the standards of etiquette and fashion that have been prevalent in pageantry are derived directly from the middle classes' perceptions of the upper classes to which they aspire. Ironically, members of the upper class regard overt display of these social features as signs of striving and therefore declasse. So, as the present volume points out, Harvard and Yale "do not feature pageants for women (but) hold all-male pageants..." that lampoon pageantry but outdraw audiences of all but the most ardent pageant-sponsoring campuses (p. 95). As late as 1950, Miss America contestants had to certify that they were members of the white race. African-American, Native American, Latina, and Asian-American women were barred from beauty pageants, even those on college campuses. A rare glimpse into a more diverse future was offered by the University of Hawaii, where in 1938 the Miss Ka Palapala pageant began giving members of six ethnic groups the chance to participate in "a beautiful harmony...of the spectrum of the rainbow" (p. 33). The special case of African-Americans in American history is reflected in many of the traditions attached to beauty pageantry, not the least telling of which is the ideal of "the strong black woman." This "syndrome," Tice points out, makes the apparently laudatory claim of strength, but also serves to rationalize the great burdens, struggles, and suffering that black women are expected to bear. Because of their historical role in affirming traditional gender norms, campus beauty pageants have become a platform for promoting post-modern gender constructions, which deconstruct naturalized gender identities. …
A 47 year-old male was admitted to the hospital because of weight loss and pigmentation for 3 years,paresthesia of extremities and hypogonadism for 2 years,and bilateral pretibial edema for 1/2 years.Physical examination revealed generalized pigmentation,diffuse peripheral lymphadenopathy,slight finger clubbing,submaxillary gland and thyroid enlargement,ascites,moderate hepatomegaly,bilateral pretibial edema and polyneuropathy.The blood pressure was 90/60mmHg.Examination Erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR)was 4mm/h,mild proteinuria(2+),a few red blood cell(3～6 per high-power field)was found.Relevant laboratory data after admission were as follows:Blood urea nitrogen(BUN)8 0mmol/L,and serum creatine 110 9μmol/L,urinic acid 463 8μmol/L.T 3 0 96(range:1 30～3 10)nmol/L,T 4 130 0(range:66 0～174)nmol/L,TSH 0 389(range:0 27～4 20)mU/L,rT 30 86(range:0 34～0 85)nmol/L,M-protein IgA-λ type.The ultrasound examination showed enlarged liver,spleen,ascites.The biopsy of an inguinal lymph node disclosed reactive lymphadenosis.Examination of an aspirate sample of the patient's bone marrow yielded 5 5% of dysmorphic plasmocytes.The bone marrow biopsy revealed neither plasmocytoma nor a malignant systemic disease.Renal biopsy demonstrated prominent glomerular changes which were similar to membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis(MPGN).Mesangial proliferation and thickienng of the capillary wall with double contour evoke by light microscopy,mild to moderate interstitial fibrosis were presented.Immunofluorescent microscopy of the renal biopsy revealed the segmental localization of immunoglobulin(IgM)in some of the glomerular capillaries.Immunostaining for the kidney tissue showed a distribution of typeⅣ collagen and λ light chain in some of the glomerular capillaries and mesangial area as well as tubular cells.The moderately to severely expanded mesangium and widened subendothelial space with widespread deposition of amorphous material as well as swelling and vascuolization of endothlial cells in the glomerular capillaries were noted by electron microscopy.Treatment and follow-up:As POEMS syndrome was diagnosed,predinisone(30mg,Bid)was given.Ten months later,an improvement in the clinical condition of the patient was observed,together with disappearance of the M-protein component and the normalization of the initially abnormal laboratory parameters.Conclusion:According to the literature,in patient with POEMS syndrome,pathological activity represented by mesangiolysis does not correspond to the extent of renal insufficiency,urinalysis is always mild and does not reflect the severity of renal lesion,mild proteinuria often passes unnoticed.Most times a membranoproliferative-like histologicall glomerulopathy;it is proposed that the pathological findings might be caused by chronic injury of endothelial cells,the clinical symptoms and renal involvement respond to corticosteroid therapy.
In the design of a compact inverter-fed buried permanent magnet synchronous motor, the high-frequency losses of the sparse rotor cage - which are difficult to predict - were assumed to be small. To investigate these ohmic high-frequency losses of the rotor cage, fixed-speed time-stepping 2D-FEM calculations have been carried out. The losses due to only the magnets, magnets and sinusoidal currents, high-frequency currents etc., and the actual currents are presented. The actual current wave-forms were obtained from measurements on the manufactured prototype motor.
Objective:To study the compatible stability of somatostatin with usual infusion solutions.Methods:Somatostatin with different infusion solutions was mixed in the condition of room temperature and the changes of the external appearances and pH values of the mixed solutions was observed by using a pH meter at 25℃;the content changes of somatostatin for injection was measured by using HPLC in 24 hours.Results:Stability was related to time and electrolyte.At 25℃,somatostatin in 5% glucose injection could be used for 12 hours.The stability descended when it was used for 24 hours.Conclusion:Somatostatin in 5% glucose injection can be combined used,but it is not suitable to combined use with potassium electrolyte solution.
Abstract. We investigated the geographic distributions of organic tracers in total suspended particles over the marginal seas of China, including the Yellow and Bohai seas (YBS) and the South China Sea (SCS), and the northwest Pacific Ocean (NWPO) in spring, when Asian outflows strongly affect downwind marine atmospheres. The comparison of levoglucosan observed in this study with values from the literature showed that the concentrations of biomass burning aerosols over the NWPO increased largely in 2014. However more observations, in addition to our snapshot measurement, are need to confirm whether the large increase has occurred continuously over the last few decades. The increase led to a mean observed levoglucosan value (8.2±14 ng m−3) over the NWPO that was close to that over the SCS (9.6±8.6 ng m−3) and almost half of that over the YBS (21±11 ng m−3). Small geographic differences in monoterpene-derived and sesquiterpene-derived secondary organic tracer concentrations were obtained among the three atmospheres, although the causes may differ. By contrast, a large difference in isoprene-derived secondary organic tracer concentrations was observed among the three atmospheres, with the sum of tracer concentrations over the SCS (45±54 ng m−3) being several times and approximately 1 order of magnitude greater than that over the YBS (15±16 ng m−3) and the NWPO (2.3±1.6 ng m−3), respectively. The geographic distribution of aromatic-derived secondary organic tracers was similar to that of isoprene-derived secondary organic tracers, with a slightly narrower difference: 1.8±1.7, 1.1±1.4 and 0.3±0.5 ng m−3 over the SCS, the YBS and the NWPO, respectively. We discuss the causes of the distinctive geographic distributions of these tracers and present the tracer-based estimation of organic carbon.
Aim: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) is a class A carbapenemase endemic in the United States, China, South America, and Europe but is rarely reported from India. A single report of KPC-9 from K. pneumoniae in Israel has been published. K. pneumoniae has been classified into three phylogenetic groups: group 1 consists of K. pneumoniae and its subspecies, group 2 consists of Klebsiella quasipneumoniae and its subspecies, and group 3 consists of Klebsiella variicola. This is the first report of whole-genome sequencing of colistin-resistant K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae harboring blaKPC-9 gene. Results: The isolate was obtained from the culture of a respiratory catheter tip from a 41-year-old woman with traumatic brain injury. Whole-genome sequencing showed the presence of blaOKP-B-3 gene and hence it was identified as K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae. The isolate was resistant to all antimicrobials except tigecycline. Colistin resistance was chromosomally mediated; mcr-1 to mcr-5 genes and their variants were not identified. The isolate belonged to the novel clonal type ST2957. Conclusion: The isolation of KPC-9 from India, a nonendemic region, and in an isolate of K. quasipneumoniae highlights the importance of accurate identification of Klebsiella species and determination of mechanism of resistance. The novel sequence type obtained indicates evolution of the organism and acquisition of plasmid-mediated resistance. The occurrence of KPC in India is a potential public health threat.
The authors describe the case of a 51-year-old woman with an osteonecrosis of her right femoral head after treatment of an atypical subtrochanteric fracture caused by pycnodysostosis. She had this fracture after a low-trauma fall. She was of short stature with typical facial features, short stubby hands, and radiological features including open cranial sutures, obtuse mandible, and generalized skeletal sclerosis. The majority of cases of atypical subtrochanteric fractures are associated with long-term use of bisphosphonates; some occur in bisphosphonate-free patients. We report a rare case of total hip arthroplasty (THA) in a patient with pycnodysostosis who developed an osteonecrosis of the femoral head after treatment of an atypical subtrochanteric femoral fracture. We performed cementless THA in combination with a plate and cables. Cementless THA is a potential intervention in a patient with pycnodysostosis; although the bone quality may have been sclerotic, healing is not a problem in this condition.
Background: Age is a major predictor of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI). Few studies have focused on CI-AKI in elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: We compare the incidence of CI-AKI in patients <75 and ≥75 years enrolled in the Protective effect of Rosuvastatin and Antiplatelet Therapy On contrast-induced acute kidney injury and myocardial damage in patients with ACS (PRATO-ACS) study and explore the impact of high-dose rosuvastatin on CI-AKI and clinical outcomes in the 2 age-groups. Statin-naive patients with non-ST-segment elevation ACS scheduled for early invasive strategy (total 504) were randomized to rosuvastatin (40 mg on admission followed by 20 mg/day) or no statin treatment. Contrast-induced acute kidney injury was defined as creatinine increase ≥0.5 mg/dL or ≥25% above baseline within 72 hours after contrast administration. All patients were stratified in tertiles according to baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Results: Rate of CI-AKI was significantly higher in patients ≥75 years (15.9% vs 8.7%, odds ratio: 2.001; 95% confidence interval: 1.14-3.53, P = .015). No significant interaction was observed between age and statin treatment (P = .17). Pretreatment with rosuvastatin was associated with 65% relative reduction in CI-AKI rate (22/170 [12.9%] vs 8/177 [4.5%], P = .007) in younger patients and 38% (16/82 [19.5%] vs 9/75 [12%], P = .20) in the elderly individuals. The greatest protective effect of statin treatment was achieved in patients with the highest hs-CRP values in both age-groups. Conclusion: Patients ≥75 years with ACS had a higher risk of developing CI-AKI. Early high-dose rosuvastatin is efficacious in reducing kidney injury in all patients, especially those with the highest baseline hs-CRP values.
Band-shape fitting studies have been made for the n.m.r. spectra of the benzylic methylene protons of the complexes [M(CO)4(bbse)][where M = Cr, Mo, or W; (bbse)= 1,2-bis(benzylthio)ethane]. These studies show that the coalescence phenomenon observed in the temperature-dependent n.m.r. spectra results not from reversal of the chelate rinq but from inversion of configuration about the ligand sulphur atoms. Thermodynamic activation parameters for this latter process are reported:
The present study investigates what aspects of their work are valuable to Turkish EFL teachers working at a state university, and what sorts of rewards they get from their job. The present study also explores how satisfied Turkish EFL teachers working at a state university are with their careers and jobs, and whether gender, age and years of teaching experience play a role in their satisfaction with their careers and jobs. Lastly, the present study analyzes whether teachers’ values or teaching rewards or the interaction between values and rewards predict career and job satisfaction among Turkish EFL teachers working at a state university better. For the accomplishment of the present study, the data were collected by means of the adapted version of a scale instrument on EFL teachers’ values, teaching rewards and career/job satisfaction, created by Kassabgy, Boraie and Schmidt (2001), from a total of 66 English instructors working at Anadolu University School of Foreign Languages (AUSFL). The data were analyzed using a number of statistical procedures, and the findings were interpreted and discussed in accordance with the previous research
The aim of this in vitro study is to evaluate the hybrid layer thickness and resin tag length of self-etches adhesives with different pH using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope (CLSM). Total 40 teeth was prepared and divided into four groups. Group-I (Prime and Bond NT), group-II: (Xeno III), group-III: (Xeno V) and group-IV: (Xeno IV). Each group contains 10 teeth. The samples were mounted on Borosilicate cover glass with cover slip. The excitation laser light was generated with a wavelength 514nm. The image was recorded in fluorescent mode and hybrid layer and resin tag length were visualized as green. They were analyzed, and thickness of hybrid layer and length of resin tag were measured by means of Image Browser software (zeiss, Germany) in micrometers. Results were tabulated and mean obtained. Group-I (Prime and Bond NT) showed the maximum values for hybrid layer thickness & resin tag length compared to group-II (Xeno III), group-III (Xeno V) and group-IV (Xeno IV). Among the self-etching primer group-II (Xeno III) with strong pH (<1) gave higher values for hybrid layer thickness and resin tag length. Among the self-etching adhesives, strong self-etch adhesive showed the maximum hybrid layer thickness and resin tag length. Further studies with more parameters must be conducted to evaluate the resin-dentin interface.
The identification and discrimination of snake venom are highly desired for timely clinical treatment. However, the complex components in snake venom make it a great challenge to achieve rapid and accurate identification. Inspired by the organism's taste sensing system, a fluorescent sensor array that could differentiate snake venoms was fabricated. The interaction of snake venoms with different fluorescent dyes in the sensor array gave rich information, based on which efficient detection of complex snake venom was achieved. The main six proteins of snake venom in the same concentration, different concentrations, and their mixtures were identified with 100% accuracy. Furthermore, seven snake venoms belonging to different snake families were discriminated in PBS buffer and human plasma. Interferents of bovine serum albumin (BSA), thrombin, and transferrin (TRF) demonstrated the practicability of the fluorescent sensor array. This strategy of a multiresponse sensor array provides an effective method for accurate and rapid venom toxicology analysis, benefiting early and timely clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Internet-of-Things (IoT) aims at interconnecting thousands or millions of smart objects/devices in a seamless way by sensing, processing and analyzing huge amount of data obtained from heterogeneous IoT devices. This rapid development of IoT-oriented infrastructures comes at the cost of increased security threats through IoT-based botnet attacks. In this work, we present an IoT botnet attack detection method based on a sparsity representation framework using a reconstruction error thresholding rule for identifying malicious network traffic at the IoT edge coming from compromised IoT devices. The botnet attack detection is performed based on small-sized benign IoT network traffic data, and thus we have no prior knowledge about malicious IoT traffic data. We present our results on a real IoT-based network dataset and show the efficacy of our proposed technique against a reconstruction error-based autoencoder approach.
To treat urethral strictures of the lower urinary tract, urethrotomy is the method of choice. But this minimally invasive method suffers from poor outcome rates and leads often to restenosis of the urinary tract because of hyper-proliferating fibroblasts. Our aim is to minimize the proliferation of excessive tissue due to a new minimal invasive therapeutic approach. As an appropriate model, we isolated fibroblasts from different benign prostatic hyperplasia patients and transfected them with small interfering RNA (siRNA) against the transcription factor serum response factor (SRF), a key factor for cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. The resulting knockdown of SRF was examined on the messenger RNA level by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and on the protein level by western blot. The correlation of SRF silencing and impact on cell proliferation was examined by xCELLigence, 5-bromo-2'-deoxiuridine proliferation assay, total cell counts, and senescence assay. The transfection of primary prostatic fibroblasts with SRFsiRNA revealed specific and significant knockdown of SRF, leading to significant inhibition of proliferation after the second transfection, which was revealed by proliferation assay and total cell number. The results of this study indicate a substantial role of SRF in prostatic fibroblasts and we suggest that SRF silencing might be used for the treatment of urethral strictures to achieve a durably patent urethra.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have recently emerged as important mediators of intercellular communication. They are released in the extracellular space by a variety of normal and cancerous cell types and have been found in all human body fluids. Cancer-derived EVs have been shown to carry lipids, proteins, mRNAs, non-coding and structural RNAs and even extra-chromosomal DNA, which can be taken up by recipient cells and trigger diverse physiological and pathological responses. An increasing body of evidence suggests that cancer-derived EVs mediate paracrine signalling between cancer cells. This leads to the increased invasiveness, proliferation rate and chemoresistance, as well as the acquisition of the cancer stem cell phenotype. This stimulates angiogenesis and the reprogramming of normal stromal cells into cancer-promoting cell types. Furthermore, cancer-derived EVs contribute to the formation of the pre-metastatic niche and modulation of anti-tumour immune response. However, as most of these data are obtained by in vitro studies, it is not entirely clear which of these effects are recapitulated in vivo. In the current review, we summarize studies that assess the tissue distribution, trafficking, clearance and uptake of cancer-derived EVs in vivo and discuss the impact they have, both locally and systemically.
A new measurand is proposed for use in continuous wave near-infrared spectroscopy (cw-NIRS). The conventional measurand of cw-NIRS is l△c, which is the product of the change in the hemoglobin concentration (△c) and the partial path lengh (l), which depends on the source-detector (SD) distance (d). The SD distance must remain constant during cw-NIRS measurements, and we cannot compare the l△c value with that obtained using a different SD distance. In addition, the conventional measurand obtained using the standard measurement style sometimes includes a contribution from the human scalp. The SD distance independent (SID) measurand obtained using multi-SD distances is proportional to the product of the change in hemoglobin concentration and the derivative of the partial path length for the deep region with no scalp contribution under the assumption of a layer model. The principle of SID was validated by the layered phantom study. In order to check the limitation of assumption, a human study was conducted. The value of the SID measurand for the left side of the forehead during working memory task was approximately independent of the SD distance between 16 and 32 mm. The SID measurand and the standardized optode arrangement using flexible SD distances in a head coordinate system must be helpful for comparing the data in a population study.
Abstract Today, opera houses are confronted by new (global) digital media offers that enable people to remain outside the opera house while attending a live-opera, e.g. via livestreamed opera performances in the cinema. This is a challenge for media managers in these fields because they need to find new ways to work with these new opportunities. Within a cultural marketing context, branding is highly relevant. Based on the brand image approach by Kevin Lane Keller (1993), we use a complex qualitative-quantitative study in order to investigate if, and how, the brand images of live-opera performances and live-streamed operas differ between countries and cultural contexts. By comparing Estonia and Germany, we found that the perception of live-opera is rather a global phenomenon with only slight differences. Furthermore, the ‘classical’ opera performance in an opera house is still preferred, with a corresponding willingness to pay, while the live-streamed opera offer may provide a modern touch. The study may help media managers in adapting their brand management to include new digital product offers and to find targeted differentiation strategies for increasingly competitive markets.
Use of telehealth in wound care continues to expand as technology is enhanced and clinicians become more familiar with use of the new technology as a supplement to usual care. This article describes the Telehealth Wound Care Program implemented at Mount Sinai Hospital Home Health Agency and Mount Sinai Hospital Wound Care Center. Results of the wound care provided for one patient are included in the case study described in this article. The authors note the many benefits of telehealth as an adjunct to usual therapy in wound care.
This study assessed the quantitative microbial risk of non-enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). For hazard identification, hazards of non-EHEC E. coli in natural and processed cheeses were identified by research papers. Regarding exposure assessment, non-EHEC E. coli cell counts in cheese were enumerated, and the developed predictive models were used to describe the fates of non-EHEC E. coli strains in cheese during distribution and storage. In addition, data on the amounts and frequency of cheese consumption were collected from the research report of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. For hazard characterization, a dose-response model for non-EHEC E. coli was used. Using the collected data, simulation models were constructed, using software @RISK to calculate the risk of illness per person per day. Non-EHEC E. coli cells in natural- (n=90) and processed-cheese samples (n=308) from factories and markets were not detected. Thus, we estimated the initial levels of contamination by Uniform distribution × Beta distribution, and the levels were −2.35 and −2.73 Log CFU/g for natural and processed cheese, respectively. The proposed predictive models described properly the fates of non-EHEC E. coli during distribution and storage of cheese. For hazard characterization, we used the Beta-Poisson model (α=2.21×10−1, N50=6.85×107). The results of risk characterization for non-EHEC E. coli in natural and processed cheese were 1.36×10−7 and 2.12×10−10 (the mean probability of illness per person per day), respectively. These results indicate that the risk of non-EHEC E. coli foodborne illness can be considered low in present conditions.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging will bring new challenges to the coordination of grid and EV load. To facilitate large-scale EV applications, optimal scheduling of EVs has become essential. However, the power grid has no power to force EV users to charge or give up charging. The actual type and mode of user's charging, may deviate from the expectations of grid. When the number of deviation's EV is sufficient, the power grid schedule will not achieve the expected results. In this context, a multi-objective scheduling method considering user's charging selection is proposed to determine the optimal EV charging. The novel contributions of this paper lie in the exploitation of the user's preferences and their criterion of charging selection in form of functions based on concepts from economics. Three types of charging preferences for EV users including radical, conservative and balanced are used to influence the charging cost of EVs and load variance of grid. Finally, the ideal scheduling and actual scheduling are used to simulate various scenarios. The extensive results show that by introducing a method considering the influence of EV user's selection, the efficacy of the proposed scheduling can be further improved.
This study assessed the dry matter yield, mineral and proximate composition of Panicum maximum Jacq var. Ntchisi planted with Lablab purpureus (Lablab), Centrosema pubescens (Centro), Aeschynomene histrix (A. histrix) and Stylosanthes guianensis (Stylo) in a 3 x 5 factorial experiment using Randomized Complete Block Design in early, mid and late rainy season. The dry matter yields (DMY) of panicum sown with Lablab (11.82 t/ha/yr) was significantly higher (P<0.05) than that observed for other mixtures. The least DMY of 9.46 t/ha/yr was observed for panicum in panicum/ A. histrix mixture. The yields recorded for Stylo and Lablab were highest in mid and late rainy seasons than in the early rain. Panicum sown with Lablab had the highest DM (37.71g/100g DM), Crude protein (CP) (11.36g/100g DM), ether extracts (7.20g/100g DM) and ash content (2.52g/100g DM). Among the legumes, Lablab had the highest CP (23.29 g/100g DM), crude fibre (10.61 g/100g DM) and ash content (3.96 g/100g DM). However, Centro was highest in ether extract (9.30g/100g DM). Panicum sown with Lablab had higher concentration of sodium (Na) and iron (Fe) while panicum planted with Stylo had highest concentration of phosphorus (P). The concentration of calcium (Ca) was similar (P>0.05) among the mixtures but differed (P<0.05) in the legumes. Stylo had the highest Ca concentration (0.72%) whereas highest P and Fe values were observed in Lablab. In conclusion, panicum harvested from panicum/lablab mixture had the highest DMY, CP, EE and ash content of grass in early, mid and late rainy season than the other mixtures.
When running large parallel applications with demands for resources that exceed the capacity the local computing site offers, the deployment in a distributed grid environment may help to satisfy these demands. However, since such an environment is a heterogeneous system by nature, there are some drawbacks that, if not taken into account, are limiting its applicability.First of all, one has to apply a meta-computing or Grid-enabled message-passing library in order to have the ability to route messages to remote sites as well as still being able to exploit fast site-local network facilities.Then, because the inter-site communication usually constitutes the system's bottleneck, appropriate quality of service parameters should be provided and policed for those connections during the application's execution. And finally, the parallel runtime environment of the distributed application should offer service interfaces in order to enable its interaction with Grid middleware. In this paper, we present a new library called ISI whose functionalities meet those requirements in terms of a session layer to be integrated into grid-enabled message-passing implementations.
1.  The topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva Schlegel, 1842, a south-east asian cyprinid, was introduced accidentally in the Danube Delta in Romania in the 1960s and has now achieved a pan-Danubian distribution. P. parva has been introduced into other countries, such as Greece, usually inadvertently included with other species imported for fish farming. In 1984–85, during a study of the fish populations of Lake Mikri Prespa (north-west Greece), several topmouth gudgeon were caught. Our aim was to study the changes in the population size of P. parva over nearly 10 years, to study its life history traits and to assess its potential impacts on native fish species.    2.  The catch per unit effort (CPUE) in spring increased significantly between 1984 and 1992. We found evidence that P. parva has established a breeding population in the lake. P. parva combines many characteristics likely to favour a successful colonization (resistance to harsh climatic conditions, early sexual maturity, extended breeding season, broad dietary spectrum). Growth in Lake Prespa, where the oldest individuals captured were 3 years old, is very similar to that observed within its native range.    3.  There is evidence for dietary overlap between P. parva and three endemic species: Paraphoxinus epiroticus prespensis, Cobitis meridionalis and Alburnoides bipunctatus ohridanus. No decline in the populations of these three species has yet been demonstrated. Other possible impacts are discussed. The successful colonization by P. parva was certainly favoured by the absence of a true piscivorous fish in the lake and by the isolation and high level of endemism of fish communities.    4.  The conservation of the many endemic species in the lake should be a priority and the introduction of exotic species should be banned.
Introduction: Endurance sports popularity has been going among recreation practitioners [1]. It is known that salivary flow and pH can be influenced by sports practice due to sports drinks intake during the training. These individuals are also more exposed to dehydration (increase in water loss in sweat but also by respiratory system diffusion) [2,3]. The aim of this work was to quantify the Stimulated Salivary Flow Rate (TFSE) and the salivary pH in endurance sports athletes before and after sports practice. Materials and methods: This transversal study had been approved by Egas Moniz Ethical Committee (process number 531). The convenience sample (n = 65) consisted of female and male athletes which had consent their participation in the study. The stimulated saliva collection procedure had taken place before (T0) and after (T1) the training, in the morning, and the total volume had been calculated in order to evaluate the Rate of Stimulated Salivary Flow (TFSE). Simultaneously the salivary pH had been measured using a portable potentiometer in T0 and T1. The collected data had been analyzed through descriptive statistics and using frequency, dispersion and central tendency models. Results: 55% of the individuals were male, in average 31.5 years old (±0.71 anos). The average TFSE in T0 was 2.17 mL/min (±0.6 mL/min) and in T1 was 1.5 mL/min (±0.58 mL/min). The average pH in T0 was 7.4 (±0,2) and in T1 was 7 (±0.4). Discussion and conclusions: In spite the TFSE had decreased after training, these measures are still within the considered normal range. This result reflects that the practice of endurance sports in our sample did not change in an acute and significant way the stimulated salivary flow rate. The decrease in pH values was not significant. Other studies had shown that the salivary flow and pH can be decreased depending also on the beverage intake during the session [4].
The sessile biofilms of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Listeria monocytogenes have increasingly become a critical threat in seafood safety. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of modified atmospheres on the formation ability of V. parahaemolyticus and L. monocytogenes biofilms. The stress responses of bacterial biofilm formation to modified atmospheres including anaerobiosis (20% carbon dioxide, 80% nitrogen), micro-aerobiosis (20% oxygen, 80% nitrogen), and aerobiosis (60% oxygen, 40% nitrogen) were illuminated by determining the live cells, chemical composition analysis, textural parameter changes, expression of regulatory genes, etc. Results showed that the biofilm formation ability of V. parahaemolyticus was efficiently decreased, supported by the fact that the modified atmospheres significantly reduced the key chemical composition [extracellular DNA (eDNA) and extracellular proteins] of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and negatively altered the textural parameters (biovolume, thickness, and bio-roughness) of biofilms during the physiological conversion from anaerobiosis to aerobiosis, while the modified atmosphere treatment increased the key chemical composition of EPS and the textural parameters of L. monocytogenes biofilms from anaerobiosis to aerobiosis. Meanwhile, the expression of biofilm formation genes (luxS, aphA, mshA, oxyR, and opaR), EPS production genes (cpsA, cpsC, and cpsR), and virulence genes (vopS, vopD1, vcrD1, vopP2β, and vcrD2β) of V. parahaemolyticus was downregulated. For the L. monocytogenes cells, the expression of biofilm formation genes (flgA, flgU, and degU), EPS production genes (Imo2554, Imo2504, inlA, rmlB), and virulence genes (vopS, vopD1, vcrD1, vopP2β, and vcrD2β) was upregulated during the physiological conversion. All these results indicated that the modified atmospheres possessed significantly different regulation on the biofilm formation of Gram-negative V. parahaemolyticus and Gram-positive L. monocytogenes, which will provide a novel insight to unlock the efficient control of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in modified-atmosphere packaged food.
Abstract Non‐ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPS) produce natural products from amino acid building blocks. They often consist of multiple polypeptide chains which assemble in a specific linear order via specialized N‐ and C‐terminal docking domains (N/CDDs). Typically, docking domains function independently from other domains in NRPS assembly. Thus, docking domain replacements enable the assembly of “designer” NRPS from proteins that normally do not interact. The multiprotein “peptide‐antimicrobial‐Xenorhabdus” (PAX) peptide‐producing PaxS NRPS is assembled from the three proteins PaxA, PaxB and PaxC. Herein, we show that the small CDD of PaxA cooperates with its preceding thiolation (T1) domain to bind the NDD of PaxB with very high affinity, establishing a structural and thermodynamical basis for this unprecedented docking interaction, and we test its functional importance in vivo in a truncated PaxS assembly line. Similar docking interactions are apparently present in other NRPS systems.
18F-DCFPyL (2-(3-{1-carboxy-5-[(6-18F-fluoropyridine-3-carbonyl)-amino]-pentyl}-ureido)-pentanedioic acid) is a promising PET radiopharmaceutical targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). We present our experience with this single-academic-center prospective study evaluating the positivity rate of 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT in patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) of prostate cancer (PC). Methods: We prospectively enrolled 72 men (52–91 y old; mean ± SD, 71.5 ± 7.2) with BCR after primary definitive treatment with prostatectomy (n = 42) or radiotherapy (n = 30). The presence of lesions compatible with PC was evaluated by 2 independent readers. Fifty-nine patients had scans concurrent with at least one other conventional scan: bone scanning (24), CT (21), MR (20), 18F-fluciclovine PET/CT (18), or 18F-NaF PET (14). Findings from 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT were compared with those from other modalities. Impact on patient management based on 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT was recorded from clinical chart review. Results: 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT had an overall positivity rate of 85%, which increased with higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (ng/mL): 50% (PSA < 0.5), 69% (0.5 ≤ PSA < 1), 100% (1 ≤ PSA < 2), 91% (2 ≤ PSA < 5), and 96% (PSA ≥ 5). 18F-DCFPyL PET detected more lesions than conventional imaging. For anatomic imaging, 20 of 41 (49%) CT or MRI scans had findings congruent with 18F-DCFPyL, whereas 18F-DCFPyL PET was positive in 17 of 41 (41%) cases with negative CT or MRI findings. For bone imaging, 26 of 38 (68%) bone or 18F-NaF PET scans were congruent with 18F-DCFPyL PET, whereas 18F-DCFPyL PET localized bone lesions in 8 of 38 (21%) patients with negative results on bone or 18F-NaF PET scans. In 8 of 18 (44%) patients, 18F-fluciclovine PET had located the same lesions as did 18F-DCFPyL PET, whereas 5 of 18 (28%) patients with negative 18F-fluciclovine findings had positive 18F-DCFPyL PET findings and 1 of 18 (6%) patients with negative 18F-DCFPyL findings had uptake in the prostate bed on 18F-fluciclovine PET. In the remaining 4 of 18 (22%) patients, 18F-DCFPyL and 18F-fluciclovine scans showed different lesions. Lastly, 43 of 72 (60%) patients had treatment changes after 18F-DCFPyL PET and, most noticeably, 17 of these patients (24% total) had lesion localization only on 18F-DCFPyL PET, despite negative results on conventional imaging. Conclusion: 18F-DCFPyL PET/CT is a promising diagnostic tool in the work-up of biochemically recurrent PC, given the high positivity rate as compared with Food and Drug Administration–approved currently available imaging modalities and its impact on clinical management in 60% of patients.
Noise analysis of an operational amplifier is not simple, because there are many noise sources inside the circuit. Usually, the equivalent input noise is calculated by superposition of individual noise sources inside the circuit, neglecting the correlation between noise voltage and current sources of the operational amplifier, or omitting the noise current source for a CMOS operational amplifier. Since the noise current source in a bipolar operational amplifier is larger than that in a CMOS operational amplifier, and it is correlated with the noise voltage source, the conventional method will introduce a significant error. The equivalent input noise matrix of an operational amplifier is presented, based on the noise matrix method. The benefits of the noise matrix superposition expression used in this method are that correlation between the noise voltage and current of an operational amplifier can be considered completely, and analysis of the noise contribution of an individual noise source inside the circuit to the equivalent input noise model can be obtained.
Renewable energy can act as a sufficient and economic source of electrical energy in rural villages. In spite of being cheap, clean and abundant, the continuous fluctuations in the renewable energy sources causes significant power quality issues. Although the presence of a weak grid improves the rural village power quality, the presence of a FACTS device can introduce a significant improvement to the power quality of such a network. This paper studies a network presenting a rural load, such as a small village, fed from a wind turbine and a tidal turbine connected to a weak grid. The effect of the variation in wind speed and tides on the power quality is illustrated via simulation. The introduction of the Dynamic Voltage Regulator (DVR) to the network establishes a significant improvement to the power quality. The proposed DVR is a cheap and robust FACTS based device. It is controlled via a tri-loop dynamic error-driven PI controller. This scheme proved its ability to introduce a significant improvement which is illustrated via comparing the simulation results of the studied network with and without the DVR.
We present a flexible approach to transfer metallic photonic crystals (MPCs) onto end facets of optical fibers. The MPCs were initially fabricated on a glass substrate with a spacer layer of indium tin oxide (ITO), which was used as a buffer layer in the transferring process. The fiber ends were firstly welded on the top surface of the MPCs by a drop of polymer solution after the solvent evaporated. The ITO layer was then etched by hydrochloric acid (HCl), so that the MPCs got off the substrate and were transferred to the fiber ends. Alternatively, the MPCs may be also etched off the substrate first by immersing the sample in HCl. The ultra-thin MPC sheet consisting of gold nanolines interlaced with photoresist gratings was then transferred to cap the fiber ends. In the later approach, we can choose which side of the MPCs to be used as the contact with the fiber facet. Such methods enabled convenient nanostructuring on optical fiber tips and achieving miniaturized MPC devices with compact integration, extending significantly applications of MPCs. In particular, the fabrications presented in this manuscript enrich the lab-on-fiber engineering techniques and the resultant devices have potential applications in remote sensing and detection systems.
This paper focus on the PID fault tolerant controller design method for linear discrete-time stochastic system with multi-performance indices constraint. The performance indices investigated in this paper including circular region index and robust H∞ performance index. Based on the convex optimal theory and LMI method, consistency analysis method between multi-performance indexes is deducted in detail. And the range of H∞ performance index, which is consistent with circular pole index been analyzed in detail. Furthermore, the effective PID fault tolerant controller design process with consistent poles and H∞ performance indices is illustrated by a simulation example.
The study investigates the relative effects of two types of indirect written corrective feedback (CF) on the acquisition of English articles. Thirty-five high intermediate Korean EFL college students who were enrolled in three composition classes participated in this study. After the instruction on the English article usage, three classes (Class A, Class B, and Class C) received different types of feedback on their blog writings over the course of a semester. Both Class A and Class B received indirect feedback in the form of underlining errors. In the following class, Class A received correct forms with metalinguistic information for the errors revised incorrectly, but Class B did not have such opportunities. The Class C received no feedback. The results showed that only Class A, which received indirect feedback plus correct forms with metalinguistic information, made a statistically significant gain from the 3 sessions of feedback treatment. Pedagogical implications were provided on the basis of the findings.
The demand for high-nutrient and fresh vegetables, including coriander, has been growing rapidly. A plant factory with artificial lighting enables the application or suppression of stress conditions to plants for producing high-quality vegetables. This study aimed to determine a suitable root-zone temperature (RZT) treatment for enhancing the biomass and secondary metabolite content of hydroponic coriander plants. The combination of a mid-RZT (25 °C) pre-treatment with low (15 °C or 20 °C) or high (30 °C or 35 °C) RZT for a short period (3 or 6 days) was applied to the plants before harvesting. The fresh weights of the coriander plants were reduced under RZT stress. By contrast, the content of secondary metabolites, including ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, chlorogenic acid, and the antioxidant capacity of the plants were enhanced by the combination of the lowest or highest RZT (15 °C or 35 °C) and the longer stress period (6 days). Growing coriander under an RZT of 30 °C for 6 days can produce large amounts of bioactive compounds and water, whereas growing coriander at an RZT of 15 °C for 6 days can produce high dry biomass and secondary metabolite content.
What is and is not considered rape is far from clear. For instance, which of these threats, if any, are criminal under rape law?  “If you don’t have sex with me, I’m going to file for divorce, get custody of the kids, and you will never see them again.”  “If you don’t have sex with me, I’m going to report you to immigration.”  “If you don’t have sex with me, I’m going to break up with you.” Currently, none of these threats would be captured under rape laws in many jurisdictions in the United States. 1 However, based on the Kansas Supreme Court’s interpretation of section 21-5503 of the Kansas Criminal Code in State v. Brooks, a defendant could be guilty of rape if the victim was “overcome by fear” due to any of these threats. 2
Diamond coatings were prepared on alumina by hot filament chemical vapor deposition, which constituted an insulator used in a laser pump. The composition and morphologies of the diamond coatings were characterized by Raman spectra and scanning electron microscope. The effects of the pressure of the deposition chamber and the distance from the filament to the base on the composition and structure of the deposited diamond coatings were studied.
The aim of this study is to determine the performance of a lab-made electronic nose (e-nose) composed of an array of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors in the detection and differentiation of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) and Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) incubated in trypticsoy broth (TSB) media. Conventionally, the detection of L. monocytogenes and B. cereus is often performed by enzyme link immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). These techniques require trained operators and expert, expensive reagents and specific containment. In this study, three types of samples, namely, TSB media, L. monocytogenes (serotype 4b American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 13792), and B. cereus (ATCC) 10876, were used for this experiment. Prior to measurement using the e-nose, each bacterium was inoculated in TSB at 1 × 103–104 CFU/mL, followed by incubation for 48 h. To evaluate the performance of the e-nose, the measured data were then analyzed with chemometric models, namely linear and quadratic discriminant analysis (LDA and QDA), and support vector machine (SVM). As a result, the e-nose coupled with SVM showeda high accuracy of 98% in discriminating between TSB media and L. monocytogenes, and between TSB media and B. cereus. It could be concluded that the lab-made e-nose is able to detect rapidly the presence of bacteria L. monocytogenes and B. cereus on TSB media. For the future, it could be used to identify the presence of L. monocytogenes or B. cereus contamination in the routine and fast assessment of food products in animal quarantine.
Background and Objectives Our aim was to investigate whether 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) radioligand binding in gray matter (GM) predicts later disability progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods In this prospective imaging study, innate immune cells were investigated in the MS patient brain using PET imaging. The distribution volume ratio (DVR) of the TSPO-binding radioligand [11C]PK11195 was determined in 5 GM regions: thalamus, caudate, putamen, pallidum, and cortical GM. Volumetric brain MRI parameters were obtained for comparison. The Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was assessed at baseline and after follow-up of 3.0 ± 0.3 (mean ± SD) years. Disability progression was defined as an EDSS score increase of 1.0 point or 0.5 point if the baseline EDSS score was ≥6.0. A forward-type stepwise logistic regression model was constructed to compare multiple imaging and clinical variables in their ability to predict later disability progression. Results The cohort consisted of 66 patients with MS and 18 healthy controls. Patients with later disability progression (n = 17) had more advanced atrophy in the thalamus, caudate, and putamen at baseline compared with patients with no subsequent worsening. TSPO binding was significantly higher in the thalamus among the patients with later worsening. The thalamic DVR was the only measured imaging variable that remained a significant predictor of disability progression in the regression model. The final model predicted disability progression with 52.9% sensitivity and 93.9% specificity with an area under the curve value of 0.82 (receiver operating characteristic curve). Discussion Increased TSPO radioligand binding in the thalamus has potential in predicting short-term disability progression in MS and seems to be more sensitive for this than GM atrophy measures.
Abstract Pain causes functional limitations and might elevate risk for mobility-related injuries in older adults. For this reason, we examined the longitudinal impact of lower back pain on the likelihood of MVCs and falls. Between 1998 and 1999, participants (ages >55 years) completed cognitive and physical measures at three Motor Vehicle departments. Participants then completed a telephone interview (n=1,248) assessing yearly health complications and injuries, which continued annually for 14 years. Separate longitudinal models examined the relationship between lower back pain and MVC and fall likelihood while controlling for demographics and mobility. Overall, those with lower back pain were twice as likely to have a fall than unafflicted peers (95%CI:1.69-2.47) and odds of MVC was just beyond statistical significance (95%CI: 0.97-1.94). In persons with lower back pain, problems in lower-limb function, divided attention, and task-switching were associated with MVCs whereas problems in lower-limb function were related to falls. Addressing limitations from pain might reduce mobility-related injury in older adults.
Authors have been conducting the field research on the former Spanish colonial cities under the title ‘Origin, Transformation, Alteration and Conservation of Urban Space of Colonial Cities since 1999. In the Spanish colonial period, cities were planted and established in Philippines. This paper focuses on Cebu city which is the first city established by Spain in Asia. As cartographic database, images and maps from AGI(Archivo de Indias de Sevilla), other archives and libraries in the Philippines are used for analysis. Through the analysis of the colonial maps, authors discuss the Spanish Colonial urban process in the Philippines Island. This paper clarified formation and transformation process of Cebu City and present formation of urban core of the city based on the field survey on the distribution of facilities, building types, and so on, finally discuss the characteristics of early formation and urban planning comparing other Spanish colonial cities like Manila, Vigan and those of Ibere-America.
This article presents the results of a partial re-study of an investigation of the religious functionary reported in Clergy, Ministers and Priests by Ranson, Bryman and Hinings (1977). The re-study reveals a mixture of both continuity and change in respect of a variety of themes that had been addressed in the earlier investigation. The article reflects on the significance of the findings for the sociology of religion (and the study of churches in particular), but also draws out a number of methodological implications for the problems and prospects of conducting re-studies in sociology.
We review our recent multi–component lattice Boltzmann equation method for the simulation of a large number of mutually immiscible liquid species and then apply it to the simulation of dense volume fraction suspensions of deformable particles in internal geometry. In particular, we illustrate the scope of our method by applying it to the simulation of pipe flows containing a high volume fraction of monodisperse suspended, deformable particles. The particles are modelled as immiscible, relatively viscous liquid drops. We modify the ‘solidity’ of the particles by modifying their viscosity and surface tension and demonstrate the effect of the solidity upon the blunting of the velocity profile.
In 1978 in the city of Alma Ata of the former Soviet Union, the World Health Organization declared its intention to provide health for all by the year 2000. In the third world, this was to be achieved through the integration of traditional and modern medicine. In the case of Senegal, the prescription was ahistorical. It did not take into account several centuries of integration in all areas, including health care. The central argument here is that four centuries of activity have made integration an historical fact for the peoples of Senegambia. The results of that integration are manifested in the inadequacies of the current health care system which evolved through the contestations of various political economic polities for control of the Senegambian region
Objective — Smoking mentholated cigarettes inhibits the metabolism of nicotine and increases systemic exposure to cigarette smoke toxins. However, the possible effects of smoking mentholated cigarettes on coronary microvascular functions are unknown. We sought to investigate whether smoking mentholated cigarettes impairs coronary flow reserve (CFR) more so than smoking regular cigarettes. Methods — Twenty otherwise healthy smokers of regular cigarettes (6 women, 14 men; mean age, 25.6 ± 6.4 years) and 22 non-smoking control subjects were included in the study.To compare the acute effects of mentholated (0.9 mg nicotine, 11 mg tar, 12 mg carbon monoxide) and regular (0.9 mg nicotine, 12 mg tar, 12 mg carbon monoxide) cigarettes on CFR, all subjects underwent an echocardiographic examination that included CFR measurements at baseline. Twenty to 30 minutes after subjects had smoked 2 regular cigarettes and 2 mentholated cigarettes, CFR was again measured in subjects in the smoking group. Results — In response to smoking 2 regular and 2 mentholated cigarettes, CFR values declined from 2.56 ± 0.60 to 2.06 ± 0.38 (P < 0.004) and from 2.56 ± 0.60 to 2.14 ± 0.30 (P < 0.005), respectively. Smoking mentholated and regular cigarettes impaired CFR to the same degree (P =0.547). Conclusions — When compared with smoking regular cigarettes, smoking mentholated cigarettes has similar acute detrimental effects on coronary microvascular functions.
The optimized thermomechanical process is an effective way to improve and control the properties of metallic alloys. Herein, the influence of unidirectional cold rolling and cross cold rolling on the texture and mechanical properties of a commercial AlCuMgMnSi (2017) alloy is investigated. The Al sheets successfully prepared by the three cold rolling methods have different dominant texture components, and show different texture transformation routes during solution and aging treatments. In addition, the influence of the rolling direction on the texture of the 2017 alloy is discussed. The cross‐rolled sheets subjected to artificial aging show the strongest yield strength of ≈366 MPa and ultimate tensile strength of ≈426 MPa, as well as excellent mechanical anisotropy. Its in‐plane anisotropy (IPA), r ¯ , and Δr values are 0.7%, 0.576, and 0.042, respectively. The effects of texture and precipitates on the anisotropy of aged 2017 alloys are also discussed separately. This work may help to understand the relationship between rolling direction and the mechanical anisotropy of aluminum alloys and provide a basis for industrial production.
In the literature on post-conflict reconstruction, the intervention in Iraq has been understood as an exception to, if not an aberration from, contemporary state-building. This article argues that whether Iraq is an exception to, or the epitome of post-conflict reconstruction depends on the genealogy one attributes to the latter. Denying that Iraq is an exemplary instance of contemporary reconstruction means neglecting the continuities of state-building from interwar trusteeship via Germany and Vietnam to the contemporary reproduction of the neoliberal model – continuities which the example of Iraq exposes more clearly than prior cases. An outline of the genealogy of state-building and an analysis of Iraqi reconstruction both point to the reproduction of a hegemonic international order as the rationale of statebuilding now and then.
Existing approaches to improving the robustness of source code models concentrate on recognizing adversarial samples rather than valid samples that fall outside of a given distribution, which we refer to as out-of-distribution (OOD) samples. To this end, we propose to use an auxiliary dataset (out-of-distribution) such that, when trained together with the main dataset, they will enhance the model’s robustness. We adapt energy-bounded learning objective function to assign a higher score to in-distribution samples and a lower score to out-of-distribution samples in order to incorporate such out-of-distribution samples into the training process of source code models. In terms of OOD detection and adversarial samples detection, our evaluation results demonstrate a greater robustness for existing source code models to become more accurate at recognizing OOD data while being more resistant to adversarial attacks at the same time.
Males of Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior) and A. sylvaticus (L.) were given a choice between a grassland and a beech-wood habitat. Newly caught animals were tested alone or together in three types of enclosures ranging from small indoor to large outdoor pens. Distributions were recorded by direct observation, automatically by an event recorder, and by trapping. Interactions and other behavioural traits relevant to habitat selection were studied. In all three types of enclosures, the relative distribution pattern of the two species was such that A. flavicollis occurred about as much in both habitats, whereas A. sylvaticus occurred more in the grassland. A. flavicollis was also more active in a novel environment and showed a stronger tendency to climb. In interspecific encounters this species clearly dominated A. sylvaticus, generally in a passive way. It was less aggressive in intraspecific encounters than A. sylvaticus. The presence of A. flavicollis inhibited activity of A. sylvaticus and increased its occurrence in the grassland. When tested together the two species tended to segregate vertically.
The core of this article is our May 2000 Report to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea. The Report reviews South Korea's corporate governance system and recommends legal reforms to improve Korean corporate governance and protect against a repeat of Korea's governance-related financial crisis of 1997-1998. The Report's principal recommendations include enhancing the role of public company boards of directors, strengthening independent director and non-interested shareholder review of related party transactions, and requiring cumulative voting and preemptive rights for public companies. The Introduction by Bernard Black that precedes the Report discusses the ongoing transition in Korean corporate governance, and the political and economic forces behind that transition. Note: This paper is identical to the article as published in the Journal of Corporation Law. The published article is available, without the Stanford Law and Economics cover page, at http://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=279064
The age of adolescence is in itself what social psychologists call a marginal position. As far as normal young people are concerned, the corresponding marginal conflict has been remedied in recent years by the development of their own groups with teen-age norms, styles and meetingplaces. Adolescents suffering from psychic disorders, however, often find themselves outside the normal group. In Denmark, at any rate, they are still a somewhat neglected lot, since on the one side are the adult psychiatrists who prefer to wait for the disappearance of the characteristics of adolescence and the appearance of a need for treatment on the part of the patient; and on the other side the child psychiatrists, who perhaps believe it to be too late but who also give up because of the extreme lack of facilities for institutional care for this age group. Being left to child welfare institutions, sent to sea or to the country to relatives does not, as can be expected, do much to cure them. A few end up in mental hospitals because of their behaviour disorders, while others try to enter adult psychiatric clinics, but they could not possibly give a true picture of the need for treatment in this age group.
PURPOSE This study aims to develop predictive models of patient outcome by extracting advanced imaging features (i.e., Radiomics) from FDG-PET images.   METHODS We acquired pre-treatment PET scans for 51 stage I NSCLC patients treated with SABR. We calculated 139 quantitative features from each patient PET image, including 5 morphological features, 8 statistical features, 27 texture features, and 100 features from the intensity-volume histogram. Based on the imaging features, we aim to distinguish between 2 risk groups of patients: those with regional failure or distant metastasis versus those without. We investigated 3 pattern classification algorithms: linear discriminant analysis (LDA), naive Bayes (NB), and logistic regression (LR). To avoid the curse of dimensionality, we performed feature selection by first removing redundant features and then applying sequential forward selection using the wrapper approach. To evaluate the predictive performance, we performed 10-fold cross validation with 1000 random splits of the data and calculated the area under the ROC curve (AUC).   RESULTS Feature selection identified 2 texture features (homogeneity and/or wavelet decompositions) for NB and LR, while for LDA SUVmax and one texture feature (correlation) were identified. All 3 classifiers achieved statistically significant improvements over conventional PET imaging metrics such as tumor volume (AUC = 0.668) and SUVmax (AUC = 0.737). Overall, NB achieved the best predictive performance (AUC = 0.806). This also compares favorably with MTV using the best threshold at an SUV of 11.6 (AUC = 0.746). At a sensitivity of 80%, NB achieved 69% specificity, while SUVmax and tumor volume only had 36% and 47% specificity.   CONCLUSION Through a systematic analysis of advanced PET imaging features, we are able to build models with improved predictive value over conventional imaging metrics. If validated in a large independent cohort, the proposed techniques could potentially aid in identifying patients who might benefit from adjuvant therapy.
The start system is an important part of the engine. General speaking it is very difficult to diagnose faulty of start system. In this paper, we come up with a method to deal with this problem by making use of the variety of the startup output voltage of storage cell, and study the feasibility of this method in both theory and practice. The results of experiment show that this method can exactly offer the working condition of the engine starter and find out the faults of it easily and rapidly.
With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), time series data has become ubiquitous in our daily life. Making sense of time series is a topic of great interest in many domains. Existing time series analysis applications generally assume or even require perfect time series (i.e. regular time intervals without unknown values), but real-world time series are rarely so neat. They often contain "holes" of different sizes (i.e., single missing values, or blocks of consecutive missing values) due to some failures or irregular time intervals. Hence, missing value recovery is a prerequisite for many time series analysis applications. In this demo, we present RecovDB, a relational database system enhanced with advanced matrix decomposition technology for missing blocks recovery. This demo will show the main features of RecovDB that are important for today's time series analysis but are lacking in state-of-the-art technologies: i) recovering large missing blocks in multiple time series at once; ii) achieving high recovery accuracy by benefiting from different correlations across time series; iii) maintaining recovery accuracy under increasing size of missing blocks; iv) maintaining recovery efficiency with increasing time series' lengths and the number of time series; and iv) supporting all these features while being parameter-free. In this paper, we also compare the efficiency and accuracy of RecovDB against state-of-the-art recovery systems
Corporate Entrepreneurship is globally advancing phenomena. Organizations in the search of excellence, increase in their financial and non-financial gains are adopting corporate entrepreneurship for a better tomorrow. Prominent scholars played a significant role in the development, understanding and advancement of corporate entrepreneurship. In this respect, particularly for measuring the state of corporate entrepreneurial activities inside a firm, the researchers developed tools to measure and assess it. In pursuing that objective the Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument (CEAI) was developed. As this instrument was mainly developed and tested in the United States and Canada therefore, in this study the psychometric properties of Corporate Entrepreneurship Assessment Instrument construct are assessed in the Pakistan’s context. Two hundred and sixty five bank branch managers from big five banks of Pakistan were surveyed. We analysed the data using Smart PLS 3.0 software due to its methodological usefulness. The findings demonstrated that the scale has adequate level of internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity for each CEAI dimension. Based on above findings, it is suggested that CEAI construct can be effective in measuring the corporate entrepreneurship in the banking sector of Pakistan. Therefore, the potential researchers are suggested to employ this tool in measuring corporate entrepreneurship in the developing countries and in Pakistan specially. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6p278
The primary objective of this paper is to present detailed analysis of various platforms suitable for Big Data processing. In this paper, various software frameworks available for Big Data analytics are surveyed and in-detail assessment of their strengths and weaknesses is discussed. In addition to this, widely used data mining algorithm are discussed for their adaptation for Big Data analysis w.r.t their suitability for handling real-world application problems. Future trends of Big Data processing and analytics can be predicted with effective implementation of these well established and widely used data mining algorithms by considering the strengths of software frameworks and platforms available. Hybrid approaches (integration of two or more platforms) may be more appropriate for a specific data mining algorithm and can be highly adaptable as well as perform real-time processing.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the comparative efficacy of gallbladder retrieval via the epigastric and umbilical port during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry, ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN Register, and bibliographic reference lists. Postoperative pain intensity, port-site infection, hernia, bleeding, and retrieval time were outcome parameters. Combined overall effect sizes were calculated using fixed-effect or random-effects models. Results: We identified 5 randomized controlled trials and 1 prospective cohort study reporting a total of 2394 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with retrieval of the gallbladder via the umbilical port (n=1194) or epigastric port (n=1200). Our initial analysis demonstrated that gallbladder retrieval via the umbilical port was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in pain assessed by visual analogue scale at 24 hours [mean difference (MD): −0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI): −1.06 to 0.08, P=0.09] compared with the epigastric port. However, after sensitivity analysis and eliminating the source of heterogeneity, it reached statistical significance (MD: −0.66, 95% CI: −0.85 to −0.48, P<0.00001). Moreover, gallbladder retrieval via the umbilical port was associated with significantly shorter retrieval time (MD: −1.83, 95% CI: −3.18 to −0.49, P=0.008) but similar risk of port-site infection (odds ratio: 1.99, 95% CI: 0.53-7.44, P=0.31) and hernia (odds ratio: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.03-3.20, P=0.34). Conclusions: Our analysis demonstrated that retrieval of the gallbladder via the umbilical port may be associated with less postoperative pain in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared with epigastric port retrieval. It may also be associated with shorter gallbladder retrieval time. However, the available evidence is limited.
Somatic hybridization by nuclear or cytoplasmic fusions leads to three distinct possible outcomes -[a] “symmetric” hybrid: fusion of whole nuclei, [b] “asymmetric” hybrid: fusion of parental nuclei, one or both deficient for one or more chromosome(s), and [c] “cybrid”: fusion without a nuclear contribution by one parent, i.e., an extremely asymmetric hybrid. Somatic hybridization in citrus has been a powerful tool for the production of novel allotetraploid somatic genotypes that combine desirable characteristics of two parents. These hybrids open new opportunities for sexual hybridization at the tetraploid level, and for interploid crosses for the production of potentially seedless triploids, among other uses. Somatic symmetric hybrids have great potential for rootstock improvement and are excellent as breeding parents, but they may have limited direct application as scion cultivars because they typically contain the entire genomes of both fusion parents, and are likely to exhibit the desirable and undesirable traits of both parents. Asymmetric hybridization is very promising as it allows partial genome transfer and may be better tolerated than a whole-genome transfer. A brief review about symmetric and asymmetric somatic hybridization and cybridization in citrus is presented. Somatic hybridization seems to be a great tool for citrus breeding. However, the release of new improved cultivars produced by this technology is what is going to prove its effectiveness.
Point-of-care testing is a valuable tool in many settings, including remote environments (1). The i-STAT Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer (i-STAT Corp.) has been tested extensively and has been used during spaceflight as both a research (2)(3) and a clinical(4) tool. One disadvantage of the Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer is the requirement for refrigerated storage for consumables (ambient storage is limited to 2 weeks). The effects of re-refrigeration after transient ambient storage are undocumented, but this is discouraged by the manufacturer.  We determined the effects of long-term ambient storage and the effects of re-refrigeration on the performance of i-STAT EC6+ cartridges. Cartridges were stored under one of three treatment conditions: controlled temperature (refrigerated; 2–8 °C), room temperature (18–25 °C), or re-refrigerated. The re-refrigerated cartridges started the study at room temperature and were placed in the refrigerator after a specified number of days. For example, cartridges in the re-refrigerated 16-day group were held at room temperature for 16 days and then were placed in the refrigerator. Subsets were analyzed on study day 23, and after 1 month, 2 months, and so forth.  We used two levels of aqueous controls (Bionostics Corp.) and two levels of blood controls (Hematronix). Each group consisted of 20 cartridges: 6 Bionostics level 1 controls, 6 Bionostics level 3, 4 Hematronix low controls, and 4 Hematronix high controls. Cartridges and aqueous controls were single lots; blood controls were from three lots (expiration constraints). The limit ranges (levels 1 and 3, respectively) of each lot of each control (from package inserts) were as follows: pH, 7.130–7.230 and 7.647–7.747; ionized calcium (iCa), 1.47–1.69 and 0.71–0.87 mmol/L; glucose, 2.2–3.2 and 13.4–19.8 mmol/L; sodium, 116–124 and 156–166 mmol/L; and potassium, 2.0–2.8 and 5.8–6.8 mmol/L. The overall hematocrit control limit range was 26–30% packed cell volume (PCV) for the …
Objective: A survey was conducted to understand the work conditions, daily living habits and occupational stress of nurses and care workers employed by nursing care medical facilities. Materials and Methods: Self-completion questionnaires were administered to 68 personnel (27 nurses, 41 care workers) aged 38.3 ± 12.5 years. Results: The percentage of nurses who fell under the `good' lifestyle category was zero, while the percentage of those in the `poor' lifestyle category was 66.7%. In comparison, 12.2% of care workers enjoyed a `good' lifestyle, and 56.1% had a `poor' lifestyle. From among all the respondents, 60.2% fell under the `poor' lifestyle category. There were significant differences between nurses and care workers (p<0.01) for two categories, `stress from the work environment' and `subjective level of his/her work aptitude', which are presumably stress factors. Significant differences were also observed between them (p<0.05) for the following two categories, `subjective level of physical burden' and `job satisfaction'. There was no significant difference between the nurses and the care workers with regard to the raw scores recorded for all the categories under `physical and mental reactions caused by stress'. However, the care workers scored 8.1 ± 2.3 points in the `feeling of fatigue' category, and their scores were evaluated as `slightly high' as per the determination criteria. With regard to the stress-relieving factors, no significant differences were noted between the nurses and care workers in terms of the raw scores recorded for any of the categories. The raw scores recorded for the `support from supervisors' category were 7.3 ± 2.0 and 7.1 ± 1.8 points for the nurses and care workers, respectively. These scores were evaluated as `slightly high' according to the determination criteria of the questionnaire on stress. Conclusions: On the basis of the results of this study, it was determined that the work hours per day were longer and the duration of breaks was shorter for the nurses than for the care workers. No significant difference was observed in the daily living habits of the nurses and care workers. The raw scores for the factors (questionnaire items) that were presumed to be the causes of stress were significantly higher for the nurses than for the care workers. Support from supervisors was a stress-relieving factor for both the nurses and care workers.
The objective of this study is to examine the profitability and channels of distribution of sweet potato in Sierra Leone. Multistage sampling was used to select 150 sweet potato marketers from five major districts. Data was collected on socio-economics characteristics, distribution channels, market margins and net income, drivers and barriers of sweet potato marketers with aid of android devices programme with the Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro. 6.3) software package. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. Sweet potato trading investment has a net positive return. After calculating the benefit-cost ratio (BCR), the BCR of sweet potato root trading in each of the districts was greater than one (BCR>1), which indicates that, sweet potato roots trading business is profitable. The revenue generated in the sale of one (1) bag of sweet potato is high. That is, an average of 20% profit is realised from the 1 bag (50 kg) that is bought and sold and the highest profit was realised in Bombali district. Therefore, sweet potato trading is a profitable and a lucrative business venture in Sierra Leone that is worth investing. Lack of credit facilities, inadequate initial capital and high transportation costs were identified as the major factors militating against sweet potato marketing in the study area. The study therefore recommended, the government as well as non-governmental agencies should organise the marketers into groups and empower the marketers through the provision of micro credit facilities to increase the initial capital and hence expand in trading of sweet potato roots.     Key words: Distribution channels, drivers and barriers, marketing margin and net profit, sweet potato.
Using a polarizing optical microscope, kinetics of the thermally induced phase separation in the mixtures of a nematic low-molecular weight (LMW) liquid crystal (LC) and a LC polymer was examined. As a LC polymer, either a nematic side-chain polymer (P1) or a smectic main-chainpolymer (P2) was chosen. Depending on structure of the LC polymer (P1 or P2), kinetics of the LMW LC phase growth was analytically described either by the universal law for the cluster growth or by the Avrami equation, respectively.
The purpose of this research are to identify and prevalence of ectoparasite infestation in bean goats on the sub-district of Prambon, district of Nganjuk. The research was conducted from September until December 2019 with 115 samples of bean goats. The samples were identified in the Entomology and Protozoology Laboratory of Parasitology Department of the Veterinary Faculty of Airlangga University. This research use non- experimental method with survey study. This research found several kind of extoparasites that infestation bean goats, as follows: Bovicola caprae 24.3% the most infestation in dorsal region, Linognatus africanus 31.2% the most infestation in head-neck and dorsal region, Ctenocepallides felis 4.3%. Mix infestation found B. Caprae and L. Africanus 20.8%, B. Caprae and C. Felis 1%, B. Caprae, L. Africanus and C. Felis 1%. This ectoparasite usually found infestatio in head-neck, ventral, dorsal, inguinal, and ectremites. The prevalence of ectoparasites is 82.6% area at sub-district of Prambon, district of Nganjuk. The data analyzed using Chi-square test and Correspondence test. Statistically is no significant association (p>0.05) between the prevalence of ectoparasites that infested bean goats with types of stage and non-stage eclosure. This caused due to environmental conditions are dirty and many other livestock around the cage.
This paper shows how the combined use of Agent and Semantic Web technologies can help to deal with coordination issues in the context of Loose Inter-Organizational Work/low (IOW). IOW aims at supporting the collaboration between several autonomous and possibly heterogeneous business processes, distributed over different organizations. Loose IOW refers to occasional cooperation between organizations, free of structural constraints, where the partners involved and their number are not pre-defined. More precisely, this paper proposes an agent oriented architecture and an organizational model to deal with two key coordination problems: partners finding and negotiation between them. The Agent Communication Language combines KQML, from Agent Technology, and OWL-S from the Semantic Web.
Orbital connective tissue plays an important role in eye movements. Its degenerative change along with the aging change can cause change of pulley position, which controls the extraocular rectus muscle movement in human eyes, leading to some special types of strabismus, namely" sagging eye syndrome" , including divergence insufficiency esotropia or divergence paralysis esotropia, and the occurrence of a small degree of vertical strabismus or cyclovertical strabismus. Orbital magnetic resonance imaging examination revealed that the occurrence was related to the Pulley location degeneration of extraocular rectus muslces. The treatment and surgery of the strabismus caused by orbital connective tissue degeneration is different. Either medial rectus muscle recession or lateral rectus resection is adopted for divergence paralysis esotropia, but different degree partial tenotomy of vertical rectus muscles for treatment of hypertropia is employed. (Int Rev Ophthalmol, 2017, 41: 14-18)      Key words:  sagging eye syndrome; esotropia; vertical deviation
3-D integration provides another way to put more devices in a smaller footprint. However, it also introduces new challenges in testing. Flexible test architecture named test access control system for 3-D integrated circuits (TACS-3D) is proposed for 3-D integrated circuits (IC) testing. Integration of heterogeneous design-for-testability methods for logic, memory, and through-silicon via (TSV) testing further reduces the usage of test pins and TSVs. To highly reuse pre-bond test circuits in post-bond test, an innovative linking mechanism shares TSVs and test pins of the 3-D IC. No matter how many layers are there in the 3-D IC, a large portion of TSVs and test pins is reserved for data application. Therefore, smaller post-bond test time is expected. A test chip composed of a network security processor platform is taken as an example. Less than 0.4% test overhead increases in area and time between 2-D and 3-D cases. Compared with the instinctively direct access, TACS-3D reveals up to 54% test time improvement under the same TSV usage.
Cholinergic modulation is essential for many brain functions and is an indispensable component of the prevalent models attempting to understand the neural mechanism responsible for learning-induced auditory plasticity. Unlike the cholinergic basal forebrain, the cholinergic pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) has received little attention. This study was designed to confirm whether the PPTg enables frequency-specific plasticity in the ventral division of the medial geniculate body of the thalamus (MGBv). Using the mouse model, we paired electrical stimulation of the PPTg with tone stimulation to help define the role of the PPTg. The receptive fields of MGBv neurons were examined before and after the paired stimulation; they were quantified in this study by best frequency (BF), response threshold, dynamic range, and spike number. We found that the electrical stimulation of the PPTg together with a tone presentation shifted the BFs of MGBv neurons upward when the frequency of the paired tone was higher than that of the control BF. Similarly, the BFs shifted downward when the frequency of the paired tone was lower than that of the control BF. The BFs of MGBv neurons, however, remained unchanged when the frequency of the paired tone was the same as that of the control BF. There was a linear relationship between the BF shift of MGBv neurons and the difference between the frequency of the paired tone and the control BF of MGBv neurons. Highly frequency specific changes were also observed in the response threshold, dynamic range, and spike number. This frequency-specific plasticity was largely eliminated by the microinjection of the muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine into the MGBv before the paired stimulation. Our findings suggest that the PPTg, like the cholinergic basal forebrain, is an important cholinergic source that enables frequency-specific plasticity in the central auditory system.
The actual process of using a resin to glue can optimize many shortcomings in the basic traditional process of welding a motor core. For example, the use of a resin for gluing can lead to a reduction in iron loss, improve rigidity, reduce processing times, and improve product quality. When using a gluing method, the biggest challenge is the distribution of the resin; therefore, resin distribution is very much important. This experiment used fine mesh nets to eventually improve the unbalanced state of resin distribution. In this research, in order to predict real flow behavior during gluing, computer-aided engineering was used for computer simulation. The results of the simulation showed that the illustrated trend of the filling process was very much similar to the actual experimental results. The simulation results could mostly predict defects and make effective improvements, which can lead to a significant reduction in the money and time spent on experiments. The simulation results of the dipping process also showed that the distribution of resin with fine mesh nets was more even than without fine mesh nets. Fine mesh nets can eventually improve an over-flow problem, which, ultimately, causes bumps. In this research, a simulation analysis of the gluing process of a motor core with fine mesh nets was conducted, and the results show that the resin distribution and the flow front of the runner were more even than those without fine mesh nets.
We investigated the off-line metrology for line edge roughness (LER) determination by using the discrete power spectral density (PSD). The study specifically addresses low-dose scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images in order to reduce the acquisition time and the risk of resist shrinkage. The first attempts are based on optimized elliptic filtering of noisy experimental SEM images, where we use threshold-based peak detection to determine the edge displacements. The effect of transversal and longitudinal filterings cannot be ignored, even when considering an optimized filter strength. We subsequently developed a method to detect the edge displacements without the use of a filter and thus avoiding biasing. This makes it possible to study how much image noise is acceptable and still determine the LER. The idea is to generate random images of line edges using the model of Palasantzas and the algorithm of Thorsos. We study the simulated PSDs as a function of the number of line edges and report on the convergence of the parameters (LER, correlation length, and roughness exponent) by fitting the Palasantzas model extended with a white noise term. This study demonstrates that a very noisy image with 12 line edges and about 2 electrons per pixel on average (charge density ≈10  μC) already produces an estimation for LER with a relative error (one-sigma) of about 10%. Furthermore, increasing the dose beyond 20 electrons per pixel does not significantly improve the LER determination.
The Lässig-Wiese (LW) field theory for the freezing transition of random RNA secondary structures is generalized to the situation of an external force. We find a second-order phase transition at a critical applied force f=fc. For ffc, the extension as a function of pulling force f scales as . The exponent γ is calculated in an ϵ-expansion: At 1-loop order γ=ϵ/2=1/2, equivalent to the disorder-free case. 2-loop results yielding γ=0.6 are briefly mentioned. Using a locking argument, we speculate that this result extends to the strong-disorder phase.
In today's chemotherapeutic era, most of the infectious diseases such as pneumococcal pneumonia, typhoid fever and shigellosis has been almost eradicated. However, sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are left uncontrolled and became the most prominent infectious disease. Among STD chlamydia trachomatis (CT) genital infection is the most prominent because of its latency. The first infectious site are the male urethra and female cervix. The symptoms of male CT urethritis is far milder than that of gonorrhea and can be so mild to be left unaware and untreated. In the most cases of female CT cervicitis, no subjective symptoms are recognized by the patients. We performed CT serology on 100 young women with acute bacterial cystitis and found about 25% have CT antibody in high titer. And 5% are CT positive in their cervix. This suggests 5% of sexually active females are CT positive in their cervix at any given moment. 6% of healthy pregnants were also found to be CT positive in our hospital. This positive rate agrees with our results obtained in patients with cystitis. It is clear that CT genital infection is the most prominent STD at present. N. gono.
Osteogenesis activity of fractions extracted from Clinacanthus nutans was evaluated on an in vitro model using osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. The results showed that all fractions, including ethanol (EtOH), n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and butanol (BuOH) were not significantly toxic to the osteoblast cells at the test concentrations of 5, 10, 25, and 50 μg/mL. The EtOH and EtOAc fractions exhibited the highest osteogenesis activity in terms of enhancement of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and mineralization activity of MC3T3-E1 cells, especially the EtOAc fraction which increased ALP activity up to > 30% and mineralization activity up to > 100%. Thus, the EtOAc fraction shows osteogenesis activity through stimulating activites of the two markers for bone generation including ALP and mineralization in osteoblast cells. The fraction is now under extensive investigation to isolate and fully understand the modes of action of the active compounds.
Solar energy constitutes the main source of all energy sources and it is one of the most important renewable energy sources in terms of huge potential. As with other energy sources not just in certain places in the world, everywhere have the potential where the sun rises and set. Turkey is located on the sunny area and solar energy generation is quite rich in potential. Together with the substantial increase in the efficiency of photovoltaic cells, generating electricity from solar energy is becoming increasingly common. Especially in places where no grid connection, photovoltaic cells is very useful in supplying the energy needs. In this study, Turkey's solar energy potential was analyzed, and PV systems to meet the electricity needs of a home were analyzed economically. Consequently, to meet the electricity needs of a house in Adiyaman conditions that require a surface area of 24 m 2 with a PV system, and this system was determined to be able to amortize itself in 10 years.
The spin-wave dispersions in nanostructured magnonic crystals with periodic defects have been mapped by Brillouin light scattering. The otherwise perfect crystals are one-dimensional arrays of alternating 460nm-wide Ni80Fe20 stripes and 40nm-wide air gaps, where one in ten Ni80Fe20 stripes is a defect of width other than 460 nm. Experimentally, the defects are manifested as additional Brillouin peaks, lying within the first and second bandgaps of the perfect crystal, whose frequencies decrease with increasing defect stripe width. Finite-element calculations, based on a supercell comprising one defect and nine perfect Py stripes, show that the defect modes are localized about the defects, with the localization exhibiting an approximate U-shaped dependence on defect size. Calculations also reveal extra magnon branches and the opening of mini-bandgaps, within the allowed bands of the perfect crystal, arising from Bragg reflections at the boundaries of the shorter supercell Brillouin zone. Simulated magnetiza...
The issue of staff turnover has been the subject of growing interest in many organizations around the world. Indeed, it turns out that a significant part of these organizations were forced, at a certain stage of their development, to raise the issue. In this respect, organizations should be alerted to the rate of voluntary staff turnover because of the negative impacts it could have on the performance of their activities. The purpose of this article is to carry out a literature review on the various theoretical factors and trends that explain the phenomenon of voluntary turnover.
Many a c d e n t and health underwriters, including my own firm, The Travelers Insurance Company, offer a group insurance coverage, which is generally referied to in the industry as weekly indemnity. This coverage provides for the payment of a weekly income when an insured person becomes disabled. Such sickness income usually begins after a short waiting period and continues for the period of disability, up to a maximum of 3 months, 6 months, or a year, depending on the plan purchased. Whenever a claim is made, we prepare a punch card containing identifying information and certain statistics important for our accounting. Occasionally we make a special study of claims to see if there have been any changes in the characteristics of particular claims. For this purpose a sample of claims is coded more thoroughly to obtain information regarding the cause of disability, whether there was surgery, the date surgery was performed, the duration of disablement, the amount of disability income, the wage, where the disability took place, and other similar questions. The information is then transferred to punch cards. It is from such a sample that the information in this paper and i n the accompanying figures is derived. Three of the most common surgkal procedures are discussed, namely, appendectomy, herniorrhaphy, and hemorrhoidectomy. For each of these three procedures a distribulion of the claims in Lhe sampIe is shown by the duration of surgical convalescence. In order to indicate whether there have been any significant changes in the length of surgical convalescenLe over the past few years, two samples are presented, onc from 1957 and the other from 1955. The figures show distributions and durations for male claims only, because the data for females are relatively sparse owing to the fact that about three quarters of the employees who are covered by our group policies are male. FILURE l a illustrates surgical convalescence in male hemorrhoidec tomies that were done in 1957. The duration of surgical convalescence is shown on the horizontal scale and the percentage of the sample on the vertical scale. Clearly, the most common duration of surgical convalescence is 3 weeks. The range is from 3 days to 14 weeks, and the average stay is 4 weeks. Incidentally, by 4 weeks I mean durations of from 25 to 31 days with 28 days or 4 weeks a t the center. FIGURE l b also illustratcs male hemorrhoidectomies, the difference being that the sample is from the year 1955. The distribution is very similar to that 1)f the 1957 sample. The most common duration is also 3 weelis, thc average is again 4 weeks, and the range is from 1 week t o morc than 10 weeks. Dura.ions of 10 weeks and more in the 1955 surgical sample are combined. It appears that there has been a slight decrease in the average duration of hemor-
The Barbier reaction, a classical name reaction for carbon-carbon bond formation, has played important roles in organic chemistry for over 120 years. The introduction of the Barbier reaction into polymer chemistry for the development of a novel Barbier polymerization, expands the methodology, monomer, chemical structure and property libraries of polymerization, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and non-traditional intrinsic luminescence (NTIL). This mini review focuses on Barbier polymerization, including the brief introduction of the history and importance of polymerization methods design and the achievements of Barbier polymerization from molecular design strategies, functionalities and properties. An outlook of Barbier polymerization is also proposed. This mini review on Barbier polymerization therefore may cause inspirations to scientists in different fields.
Leadership is an important antecedent variable of employee innovative behavior. In previous studies, the influence of inclusive leadership on employee innovative behavior mainly focus on one mediating variable, which may lead to a deviation in parameter estimation due to the omission of other mediating variables. According to the social cognitive theory and motivation theory and from the perspective of cognitive–motivation integration, this study establishes a moderating multi-mediation model to understand the impact of inclusive leadership on employee innovative behavior. Psychological safety and creative self-efficacy are used as mediating variables, and innovation rewards are used as moderating variables. The data are collected from 418 employees of the manufacturing industry in China. The results show that, at first, inclusive leadership has a positive effect on employee innovative behavior. Secondly, both psychological safety and creative self-efficacy play partial mediating effects between inclusive leadership and employee innovative behavior, with the effect of the former being significantly smaller than that of the latter. Thirdly, innovation rewards positively moderate the relationships of “psychological safety—employee innovative behavior” and of “creative self-efficacy—employee innovative behavior.” Fourthly, innovation rewards positively moderate the indirect effect of inclusive leadership on employee innovative behavior through psychological safety and creative self-efficacy. These findings are not only helpful to expand how inclusive leadership influences the innovative behavior of employees but also provides some suggestions for enterprise innovation development.
e12645 Background: Gastric cancer (GC) remains a common malignancy in Turkey despite its decreasing incidence in recent years. Studies investigating the clinical and biologic features of gastric cancer in Turkey are small retrospective case series providing limited information. We initiated a Turkish National GC Registry program in October 2012 to define clinical and pathological variables of GC in Turkish pts. Methods: 2785 pts presenting to medical oncology clinics were prospectively registered in 28 centers nationwide. Patient demographics, and clinicopathological characteristics were recorded. Results: Of 2785 pts, 68.8% were males and 31.2% females with a median age of 59 (21-91). Median ages of males were higher compared to females (median 59 vs 57.4 yrs, p = 0.004). Family history of orher cancers were present in 18.6 pts and 1.2% had a second malignancy. Initial stages at diagnosis: I (7.8%), II (16%), III (31.5%) and IV (31.8%). Disease was localized at antrum (47.7%), gastroesophagial junction (...
Abstract The American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons Washington Committee was formed in 1975 to establish a means for neurosurgery to influence federal health care policy. In response to growing federal health care legislation and regulation, the Washington Committee expanded from its original six members in 1975 to 35 invited liaisons and members by 2020. The Washington Committee, through the Washington Office, expanded political lobbying capacity into numerous important areas of health care policy, including Current Procedural Terminology coding and Medicare reimbursement, Federal Drug Administration (FDA) regulation, healthcare quality oversight, emergenc medical services, treatment guidelines, treatment outcome registries, medical liability reform, research funding, and information dissemination. Over 45 yr, the Washington Committee has become an indispensable resource for shaping public policy affecting neurosurgery training, research, and practice.
We estimate the global pose of a multirotor UAV by visually localizing images captured during a flight with Google Earth images pre-rendered from known poses. We metrically localize real images with georeferenced rendered images using a dense mutual information technique to allow accurate global pose estimation in outdoor GPS-denied environments. We show the ability to consistently localize throughout a sunny summer day despite major lighting changes while demonstrating that a typical feature-based localizer struggles under the same conditions. Successful image registrations are used as measurements in a filtering framework to apply corrections to the pose estimated by a gimballed visual odometry pipeline. We achieve less than 1 m and 1◦ RMSE on a 303 m flight and less than 3 m and 3◦ RMSE on six 1132 m flights as low as 36 m above ground level conducted at different times of the day from sunrise to sunset.
Irradiation of trans-2-cinnamylphenol (2a) in hexane, under argon, led to the cis isomer 2b, 2-benzyl 2,3-dihyrobenzofuran (3), and 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzopyran (4). The presence of oxygen produced a marked decrease of the 2b yield, with a parallel enhancement of the pathway leading to 3 and 4. In benzene, the cyclization process was enhanced, together with the 3:4 ratio. The latter was less favored in the presence of photosensitizers with lower singlet energies, such as toluene, methyl benzoate, or p-dichlorobenzene. In the acetone-photosensitized reaction, a clean and efficient isomerization to 2b took place
We have recently identified the association of Rab7 in melanosome biogenesis and proposed that Rab7 is involved in the transport of tyrosinase-related protein 1 from the trans-Golgi network to melanosomes, possibly passing through late-endosome-delineated compartments. In order to further investigate the requirement of Rab7-containing compartments for vesicular transport of tyrosinase family proteins, we expressed tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein by recombinant adenovirus and analyzed their localization in human amelanotic melanoma cells (SK-mel-24) in the presence or absence of a dominant-negative mutant of Rab7 (Rab7N125I). Co-infection of the recombinant adenoviruses carrying tyrosinase (Ad-HT) and TRP-1 (Ad-TRP-1) resulted in the enhancement of tyrosinase activity and melanin production compared to a single infection of Ad-HT. In the Ad-HT-infected SK-mel-24 cells many of the newly synthesized tyrosinase proteins were colocalized in lysosomal lgp85-positive granules of the entire cytoplasm, whereas in the presence of Rab7N125I the colocalization of tyrosinase and lgp85 proteins was decreased markedly in the distal area of the cytoplasm. In the Ad-TRP-1-infected SK-mel-24 cells, TRP-1, which is reported to be present exclusively in melanosomes, was detected throughout the cytoplasm, but not colocalized in prelysosomal (early endosomal) EEA-1 granules. In the presence of Rab7N125I, however, TRP-1 was retained in the EEA-1-positive granules. Our findings indicate that the dominant-negative mutant of Rab7 impairs vesicular transport of tyrosinase and TRP-1, suggesting that the transport of these melanogenic proteins from the trans-Golgi network to maturing melanosomes requires passage through endosome-delineated compartments.
Aims. We study populations of soft and super-soft X-ray sources (SSSs) in nearby galaxies of various morphological types with particular emphasis on characterizing populations of stable nuclear burning, accreting white dwarfs (WDs). Methods. Analyzing the content of the Chandra archive, we assembled a sample of nearby galaxies suitable for studying populations of SSSs. Our sample includes four spiral galaxies, two lenticular galaxies, and three ellipticals with stellar mass exceeding 1010 M⊙ and X-ray sensitivity of the order of a few × 1036 erg s−1. We used a combination of hardness ratio and median energy to pre-select X-ray sources with soft spectra, and used the temperature–X-ray luminosity diagram to identify SSSs, likely nuclear-burning, accreting WDs. Results. For spiral galaxies, there is a distinct and rare population of super-soft sources that are largely detached from the rest of the sources on the kTbb − LX plane. The boundary between these sources and the much more numerous population of harder (but still soft) sources is consistent with the boundary of stable hydrogen burning on the surface of WDs. The combined spectrum of soft sources located outside this boundary shows clear emission lines of Mg and S, the equivalent width of which is similar to that in the combined spectrum of a large number of confirmed supernova remnants in M 83. This supports earlier suggestions that the vast majority of the so-called quasi-soft sources are supernova remnants. In early-type galaxies, populations of super-soft sources are about a factor of eight less abundant, in broad agreement with the population synthesis calculations. Specific frequencies of super-soft sources are (2.08 ± 0.46) × 10−10 M⊙−1 in spiral galaxies and (2.47 ± 1.34) × 10−11 M⊙−1 in lenticular and elliptical galaxies, with the ratio of the latter to the former being 0.12 ± 0.05.
A method has been described for examining the spasmolytic activity of drugs on the bile duct of the guinea‐pig in situ. The terminal bile duct was pulled away from its insertion into the duodenum and perfused with Tyrode solution containing either carbachol or barium chloride to produce spasm. Injected intravenously, atropine methonitrate, oxyphencyclimine hydrochloride, tropenziline bromide, phenetamine, papaverine hydrochloride or diprophylline were spasmolytic.
In switched‐angle spinning spectroscopy (SAS) a sample is spun about different angles, β, relative to the magnetic field, during various periods of the experiment. In the present work, SAS is combined with two‐dimensional exchange spectroscopy in order to correlate carbon‐13 chemical shift tensors of the carbonyl (1) and hydroxyl (2) carbons of tropolone. Experiments were performed on a sample enriched to 25 at. % in each of these sites (at different molecules). At this level of enrichment the dominant exchange mechanism between the two sites involves spin diffusion. The experiment consists of a preparation period during which the sample spins at the magic angle and the magnetization of one of the sites is quenched by means of a selective pulse sequence. During the rest of the experiment the sample spins with its axis away from the magic angle except for a short period just before the detection where the axis is switched to the magic angle in order to select the magnetization to be detected. Experiments w...
CD44, the leukocyte adhesion receptor for hyaluronan, has been considered a therapeutic target on the basis of the robust anti-inflammatory effect of CD44-specific antibodies in animal models of immune-mediated diseases. However, CD44 deficiency does not provide substantial protection against inflammation. Using intravital video microscopy in a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis, we show that CD44 deficiency and anti-CD44 antibody treatment exert disparate effects on leukocyte recruitment in inflamed joints. Leukocyte rolling, which is increased in CD44-deficient mice, is promptly abrogated in anti-CD44-treated wild-type mice. CD44-specific antibodies also trigger platelet deposition on granulocytes and subsequent depletion of this leukocyte subset in the circulation. These in vivo effects require CD44 cross-linking and are reproducible with an antibody against Gr-1, a molecule that, like CD44, is highly expressed on granulocytes. Anticoagulant pretreatment, which prevents platelet deposition, mitigates both granulocyte depletion and the suppressive effect of CD44-specific antibody on joint swelling. Our observations suggest that cross-linking of prominent cell surface molecules, such as CD44 or Gr-1, can initiate a rapid self-elimination program in granulocytes through engagement of the coagulation system. We conclude that the robust anti-inflammatory effect of CD44-specific antibodies in arthritis is primarily the result of their ability to trigger granulocyte depletion.
Proper motions have been measured for 132 line-emitting filaments in the Crab Nebula on direct plates taken with the 100 and 200-inch telescopes. These motions, if assumed constant and extrapolated backwards in time, converge toward a point about 12" southeast of the double star near the center of the nebula. The filaments approach, on the average, most closely to that point or expansion center in about the year 1140, indicating that the expansion has been somewhat accelerated.  Proper motions and radial velocities were measured for an additional 126 features on the same direct plates and Mt. Wilson and Palomar spectra. These, along with other, nondynamical data, indicate a most probable distance to the object of 2.02 kpc. Two projections of the nebula perpendicular to the one seen in the plane of the sky are constructed and do not differ significantly from that presented to us.  The proper motion and radial velocity of the nebula as a whole are found and converted into galactic coordinates. This requires several assumptions of questionable validity. The nebula seems to be moving about 112 km/sec faster than the galactic rotation at its position. The proper motion of the so-called central star translates into an equally unlikely space motion, but this is also extremely uncertain. The likelihood of a physical connection between the star and the nebula is discussed.  The line-emitting filaments are shown to be distributed throughout the nebula rather than being confined to a thin outer envelope. The motions are largely radial, each filament having a velocity approximately proportional to its distance from the expansion center. The deviations from this proportionality are as large as .032"/yr or 300 km/sec and have mean values near .010"/yr or 70 km/sec. These deviations are correlated with the scatter of the filaments around the expansion center in 1140.  Photographic materials on pp. 99 and 101 are essential and will not reproduce clearly on Xerox copies. Photographic copies should be ordered.
This article develops the concept of psychological presence to describe the experiential state enabling organization members to draw deeply on their personal selves in role performances, i.e., express thoughts and feelings, question assumptions, innovate. The dimensions of psychological presence are described along with relevant organizational and individual factors. The concept's implications for theory and research about the person-role relationship are described.
TYK2 belongs to the JAK protein tyrosine kinase family and mediates signaling of numerous antiviral and immunoregulatory cytokines (type I and type III IFNs, IL-10, IL-12, IL-22, IL-23) in immune and non-immune cells. After many years of genetic association studies, TYK2 is recognized as a susceptibility gene for some inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (AID). Seven TYK2 variants have been associated with AIDs in Europeans, and establishing their causality remains challenging. Previous work showed that a protective variant (P1104A) is hypomorphic and also a risk allele for mycobacterial infection. Here, we have studied two AID-associated common TYK2 variants: rs12720270 located in intron 7 and rs2304256, a non-synonymous variant in exon 8 that causes a valine to phenylalanine substitution (c.1084 G > T, Val362Phe). We found that this amino acid substitution does not alter TYK2 expression, catalytic activity or ability to relay signaling in EBV-B cell lines or in reconstituted TYK2-null cells. Based on in silico predictions that these variants may impact splicing of exon 8, we: i) analyzed TYK2 transcripts in genotyped EBV-B cells and in CRISPR/Cas9-edited cells, ii) measured splicing using minigene assays, and iii) performed eQTL (expression quantitative trait locus) analysis of TYK2 transcripts in primary monocytes and whole blood cells. Our results reveal that the two variants promote the inclusion of exon 8, which, we demonstrate, is essential for TYK2 binding to cognate receptors. In addition and in line with GTEx (Genetic Tissue Expression) data, our eQTL results show that rs2304256 mildly enhances TYK2 expression in whole blood. In all, these findings suggest that these TYK2 variants are not neutral but instead have a potential impact in AID.
The aim of this study is to examine how memes peculiar to Nigerians on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram employ language to convey humour and irony. Memes can be aptly conceptualized as internet-based entertainment contents principally propagated through social networking and micro-blogging sites which come in varied forms like pictures and written texts, written texts that may or may not be conversational in nature, videos, animations and GIFs. This study adopts a qualitative eclectic approach in its analysis of conversational memes which served as data gathered from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Guided by the General Theory of Verbal Humour (GTVH), thirty (30) conversational memes were purposively selected for discussion using the guises or forms of humour as the unit of analysis on the one hand and discussions situated within empirical and theoretical postulations on the other hand. Findings from the study showed that all the reactions to the originating posts exhibit some form of incongruity and were also verbally ironical. The nature of the originating posts in line with the speech act classification were also found to be expressives and assertives. The study further revealed that three guises of humour namely sarcasm, witticism and pun were prominent in the reaction to the originating posts with sarcasm constituting the major guise of humour used while also pointing out that users on Twitter use humour more than those on Facebook and Instagram.
Ambush marketing is a practice that will usually occurs in large-scale events, is not a sponsor seeks to gain benefits of brand exposure and awareness in a context that it would otherwise be available only to official sponsors. This paper addresses why and to what extend ambush marketing be contrasted, provided that it is a practice that current intellectual property and competition law has been unable to deter as well as an alternative measures are difficult to adopt at an international level. This difficulty jeopardizes official sponsoring’s interest on major events and the events themselves. As a result, this paper will (i) briefly examine the intersection between intellectual property rights and sport business in order to (ii) encase ambush marketing as a controversial –yet not necessarily illegal- business practice that exploits another’s commercial effort and deflects attention from official sponsorship of major events. It will then present (iii) the traditional and extraordinary legal responses to these practices, and the issues that they raise, to finally conclude that (iv) there is an urgent need to harmonize, at an international level, the legality –or not- of the matter, regardless of (v) the inherent ambush marketing paradoxes.
The vertical transmission of Salmonella organism in hatching broiler eggs were investigated in selected states in South Western Nigeria. Hatching eggs obtained from five major hatcheries located within each state were used to isolate and characterize salmonella in shell, yolk and albumin of eggs. The study revealed that Salmonella gallinarum and Salmonella arizorae were isolated from hatcheries in Lagos State while some hatcheries in Oyo State respectively were positive for salmonella organism in hatcheries A & B for organism in hatcheries B while yolk & albumin were positive for salmonella organism in Lagos State (Hatchery A).
Three-dimensional (3D) CdMoO4 hierarchical structures constructed by single-crystalline nanoplates were prepared by a facile hydrothermal route. The obtained samples were systematically characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The morphology modulation of the as-prepared products could be easily tuned by changing the concentration of reactants, reaction temperature, molybdenum source, pH value and reaction time. The formation process of CdMoO4 hierarchical structures was related to the two-step growth, in which CdMoO4 main nanoplates were formed first in the synthesis, followed by self-construction of small nanoplates on both side of the main nanoplates in a regular fashion. The photocatalytic activities of CdMoO4 hierarchical structures and nanoplates for degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation were also evaluated. CdMoO4 hierarchical structures constructed by nanoplates have a higher photocatalytic activity toward photo-degradation of RhB than that of CdMoO4 nanoplates, mainly due to their unique morphology and high crystallinity.
This paper proposes information technology based data mining to forecast short term power demand. A time-series analyses have been applied to power demand forecasting, but this method needs not only heavy computational calculation but also large amount of coefficient data. Therefore, it is hard to analyze data in fast way. To overcome time consuming process, the author take advantage of universally easily available information technology based data-mining technique to analyze patterns of days and special days(holidays, etc.). This technique consists of two steps, one is constructing decision tree, the other is estimating and forecasting power flow using decision tree analysis. To validate the efficiency, the author compares the estimated demand with real demand from the Korea Power Exchange.
2B4 is an NK cell activation receptor that can provide a costimulatory signal to other activation receptors and whose mode of signal transduction is still unknown. We show that cross-linking of 2B4 on NK cells results in its rapid tyrosine phosphorylation, implying that this initial step in 2B4 signaling does not require coligation of other receptors. Ligation of 2B4 in the context of an NK cell-target cell interaction leads to 2B4 tyrosine phosphorylation, target cell lysis, and IFN-γ release. Coligation of 2B4 with the inhibitory receptors killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR)2DL1 or CD94/NKG2 completely blocks NK cell activation. The rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of 2B4 observed upon contact of NK cells with sensitive target cells is abrogated when KIR2DL1 or CD94/NKG2 are engaged by their cognate MHC class I ligand on resistant target cells. These results demonstrate that NK inhibitory receptors can interfere with a step as proximal as phosphorylation of an activation receptor.
Objectives To evaluate image quality of 320–detector row wide-volume (WV) computed tomography (CT) compared to 64–detector row helical CT from axial images and coronal multiplanar reformation (MPR). Methods Thirty-five patients with diffuse lung diseases were scanned using both 320–detector row WV CT (coneXact and volumeXact+) and 64–detector row helical protocols. Three blinded observers evaluated dislocation and heterogeneity of normal structures on 3 MPR patterns (WV scan with coneXact, WV scan with volumeXact+, and helical scan) using a 3-point scale from 1 (severe dislocation/heterogeneity) to 3 (no dislocation/heterogeneity). They also evaluated axial images of 2 scan patterns (WV with volumeXact+ and helical) using a 5-point scale from 1 (nondiagnostic) to 5 (excellent). Statistical analyses were performed with a post hoc test, Wilcoxon signed rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, or the Kendall W test. Results The WV scans with the coneXact algorithm had significantly lower quality scores than the WV scans with the volumeXact+ algorithm and the helical scans (P < 0.01) with MPR. Helical scans had significantly lower quality scores than the WV scans with volumeXact+ for heterogeneity on the mediastinal window setting with MPR (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences concerning total image quality of axial images between the WV scans with the volumeXact+ algorithm and the helical scans. Conclusions The overall image quality of WV scans with the volumeXact+ algorithm was almost comparable to that of the helical scans on the lung window setting, but density homogeneity with helical scans was inferior to that of the WV scans with the volumeXact+ algorithm on the mediastinal window setting with MPR.
Stirrup stresses in lightly reinforced concrete bridge girders may exceed the elastic limit while in service. Increasing load magnitudes and volume over time, multiple permit loads, and modern superloads creates the potential for low-cycle fatigue. In this study, six full-scale reinforced concrete girder specimens representative of those found in 1950s reinforced concrete deck-girder bridges were tested under low-cycle fatigue conditions. The specimens were tested in both T and inverted-T configurations. Other test variables included stirrup spacing, flexural reinforcing details, and spacing of supports. Results showed that low-cycle fatigue produced bond deterioration and cumulative plasticity of stirrups. Progressive fracture of stirrup reinforcement under low-cycle fatigue led to eventual specimen failure. A methodology for the analysis of low-cycle fatigue in girders is proposed using the finite element method to approximate stirrup stress ranges and a linear damage model to estimate the life of a conventionally reinforced concrete girder under repeated overloads. This methodology provided good correlation between the experimental and predicted number of fatigue cycles for lightly web-reinforced specimens.
Abstract : This is a computer model of the R/P FLIP in a three point mooring with hydrophone arrays attached to her submerged stem. Seadyn9O is a Fortran77 program from the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory in Port Hueneme, California. It is used to model this problem with no arrays, and then to introduce three different array scenarios. This document is aimed at helping to modify the examples provided, and to help introduce the Seadyn9O program. The work present was done under Dr. Frederick H. Fisher, the Deputy Director of the Marine Physical Laboratory. This document contains computer modelling of moorings.
Many breakthroughs on security and privacy-preserving techniques have emerged to mitigate the trust loss of cloud hosting environment caused by various types of attacks. To enhance memory-level security of multi-keyword fuzzy search, a widely occurred query request, we take the initiative to apply Trusted Execution Environment (a.k.a TEE) technology to our protocol design which provides hardware-based tamper-proof enclaves. Then we propose the Edit Distance-based Obfuscation Mechanism to further protect the query process executed outside TEE against access pattern leakage. With concerns of practicality and performance, we also propose the two-layer fuzzy index structure and Trend-aware Cache. The former addresses the space limitation of TEE memory for searching large datasets, while the latter optimizes the cache utility of TEE with trend-aware coordinator to effectively reduce the communication overhead.
ABSTRACT The innovative activity of firms has been linked to the introduction of a new product or process associated with the development or application of new technological knowledge. New products generally contain innovative techniques that increase the quality of goods. New processes are based on the use of new technologies to increase the efficiency of production. However, the exclusive link between technology and innovation has been criticized for various reasons. It provides a restrictive vision considering innovation as part of the manufacturing and services sectors. Innovation in firms affects not only the development and application of new technologies but also the adoption and the reorganization of business processes, internal organization, external relations, and marketing. The literature in the field of management emphasizes the importance of integrating product, process, and organization to translate new ideas into market success. Thus, to obtain a complete picture of the innovative efforts of firms in the agro-food industry, the concept of innovation has been extended to both technological and nontechnological innovations. This analysis provided evidence of innovations used by agro-food firms. It also identified latent demand for future innovation.
The IncHI1 plasmids are multireplicon plasmids. They contain at least three autoreplicative regions, one of which is closely related to the RepFIA replicon of F. Two other IncHI1-specific replicons, RepHI1A and RepHI1B, have been recently isolated and mapped on the R27 (IncHI1) genome (P. Gabant, P. Newnham, D. Taylor, and M. Couturier, J. Bacteriol. 175, 7697-7701, 1993). In the present work, the DNA sequence of RepHI1B was determined. It reveals DNA repeats of 17 base pairs located upstream and downstream from a gene coding for a 32 kilodalton protein (RepA) required for replication. Interestingly, RepA presents significant homology with other Rep proteins encoded by plasmids belonging to different incompatibility groups: P1 (IncY), Rts1 (IncT), RepFIB (IncFI) and RepHI1A (IncHI1). All these results provide strong evidence that the RepHI1B replicon of the IncHI1 subgroup belongs to the group of plasmids which control their copy number by an iteron mechanism.
Les entreprises de services Jean Nollet et John Haywood-Farmer        Reussir la qualitede service Marcel Alain. Laval        Marketing de services, le defi relationnel Michel Langlois et Gerard Tocquer.        Organizational Behaviour: A Canadian Perspective Hugh J. Arnold, Daniel C. Feldman, and Gerry Hunt        Organizational Behaviour: Understanding Life at Work (3rd edition) Gary Johns.        Managing Organizational Behaviour (1st Canadian edition) John R. Schermerhorn, Jr., Andrew J. Templer, R. Julian Cattaneo, James G. Hunt, and Richard N. Osborn.
A novel dissection and recording technique is described for monitoring afferent firing evoked by mechanical displacement of hairs in the mouse pinna. The technique is very cost-effective and easily undertaken with materials commonly found in most electrophysiology laboratories, or easily purchased. The dissection is simple and fast, with the mechanical displacement provided by a generic electroceramic wafer controlled by proprietary software. The same software also records and analyses the electroneurogram output. The recording of the evoked nerve activity is through a commercial differential amplifier connected to fire-polished standard glass microelectrodes. Helpful tips are given for improving the quality of the preparation, the stimulation and the recording conditions to optimize recording quality. The system is suitable for assaying the electrophysiological and optical properties of lanceolate terminals of palisade endings of hair follicles, as well as the outcomes from their pharmacological and/or genetic manipulation. An example of combining electrical recording with mechanical stimulation and labeling with a styryl pyridinium vital dye is given.
In our time we hear much of what is wrong with our economic world with the shortfalls in economic performance and general well-being. My purpose in this lecture is to ask what would be right: what is the nature, what are the requirements, of the good and achievable economy and polity. This is a time of intense and, indeed, dangerous disorder in the countries, notably those of the former Soviet Union, that are making their uncertain and difficult way to a different economic and political system. That is perhaps the greatest economic and political issue and challenge of our time, the one where failure will portend the greatest disaster. On this I will have a later word.
We present the clrbound, clr2bound, clr3bound, and clrtest commands for estimation and inference on intersection bounds as developed by Chernozhukov, Lee, and Rosen (2013, Econometrica 81: 667–737). The intersection bounds framework encompasses situations where a population parameter of interest is partially identified by a collection of consistently estimable upper and lower bounds. The identified set for the parameter is the intersection of regions defined by this collection of bounds. More generally, the methodology can be applied to settings where an estimable function of a vector-valued parameter is bounded from above and below, as is the case when the identified set is characterized by conditional moment inequalities. The commands clrbound, clr2bound, and clr3bound provide bound estimates that can be used directly for estimation or to construct asymptotically valid confidence sets. clrtest performs an intersection bound test of the hypothesis that a collection of lower intersection bounds is no greater than zero. The command clrbound provides bound estimates for one-sided lower or upper intersection bounds on a parameter, while clr2bound and clr3bound provide two-sided bound estimates using both lower and upper intersection bounds. clr2bound uses Bonferroni's inequality to construct two-sided bounds that can be used to perform asymptotically valid inference on the identified set or the parameter of interest, whereas clr3bound provides a generally tighter confidence interval for the parameter by inverting the hypothesis test performed by clrtest. More broadly, inversion of this test can also be used to construct confidence sets based on conditional moment inequalities as described in Chernozhukov, Lee, and Rosen (2013). The commands include parametric, series, and local linear estimation procedures.
Objective To investigate the feasibility of amplitude of intraoperative nerve action potentials (NAP) for early quantitative diagnosis of peripheral nerve injury. Methods The sciatic nerve injury model were established in 16 rabbits. Intraoperative NAP were recorded after 4 weeks. According to amplitude of NAP, the injuried nerve were divided into 3 groups: NAP ＜ 100 μV in A group, 100 μV ≤NAP ＜ 500 μV in B group, NAP ≥ 500 μV in C group. Nerve specimen 1cm distal to injuried point were resected that received glycine silver stain and image analysis including number, diameter and cross section area of regenerative axons. Footprint parameter and ulcer area were measured and contrasted between each two groups. Results The number, diameter and cross section area of A group regenerative axons have significant difference with B and C group, no significant difference between B and C group; Footprint parameter and ulcer area have significant difference in each two groups. Conclusion Amplitude of intraoperative NAP can be a quantitative criteria to diagnose the degree of peripheral nerve injury that provides experiment evidence for guide intraoperative decision-making in clinical practice.    Key words:  Peripheral nerve; Lesion; Nerve action potentials; Intraoperative electrophysiology
Temperature dependence of the 1H spin–lattice relaxation time, T1, of methane adsorbed in Na-mordenite has been measured in situ at low temperatures and at various coverages. A sample free from paramagnetic impurities has revealed that at low methane loadings methane molecules were distributed in the main channels and side-pockets approximately according to the Boltzmann distribution, and reorient with activation energies of 1.0 and 2.0 kJ mol–1, respectively. The difference in potential energies for adsorption between the main channel and the side-pocket was very small and estimated to be 70 ± 5 J mol–1. It was also found that the rotational tunnelling of guest methane affects the proton spin–lattice relaxation at low temperatures.
The Internet is transforming and reshaping the nature of interorganizational commerce by enabling many new types of interfirm electronic exchanges. A B2B exchange is defined as a new organizational form residing in digital space that acts as an interfirm intermediary that enables firms to conduct and engage in any-to-any online relations. This chapter proposes a classification scheme for B2B exchanges that attempts to capture the chaos and complexity of today’s online B2B relations. This typology integrates several theories of interfirm relations from the information systems, marketing, and organizational economics literatures to propose a parsimonious but comprehensive taxonomy that encompasses neutral markets (many-to-many) and dyadic relations (few-to-few), and also the concept of biased relations, monopolies (few-to-many) and monopsonies (many-to-few). This chapter discusses the implications of the proposed taxonomy for interorganizational eCommerce that ensue from the alternative types of B2B exchanges. Furthermore, the influence of product, organizational, and market characteristics on B2B
Moreover, the coupling reaction of 2-vinylpyridines with allyl alcohol did not occur. In order toobtain the coupled product having the hydroxyl group, wechose allyl ethers instead of allyl alcohol; protection of thehydroxyl group of allyl alcohol to allyl ether and after thiscoupling reaction deprotection to alcohol. We have alreadyshown the feasibility from results of the coupling reaction of2-vinylpyridine with allyl phenyl ether.
e21513 Background: Tebe is a bispecific gp100-targeted T cell receptor fusion protein that can redirect polyclonal T cells to target gp100+ cells leading to T cell activation and release of inflammatory mediators. Hepatocytes do not express gp100 and tebe did not redirect T cells against normal hepatocytes in preclinical in vitro studies. However, since most mUM pts have liver metastases, tebe may result in secondary effects from localized tumor-related inflammation. Here we describe LFT kinetics and outcomes for pts in the IMCgp100-102 study (NCT02570308). Methods: 127 HLA-A*02:01+ pts with 2L+ mUM received tebe, administered weekly at the RP2D following intra-patient dose escalation (C1D1: 20μg; C1D8: 30μg; C1D15+: 68μg). Pts were eligible if ALT/AST ≤ 3 x ULN and bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN. LFTs were measured at baseline (BL) and weekly prior to each dose using local laboratories. AE grading was based on CTCAE v4.03. This analysis was conducted on the primary analysis snapshot dated 04Jun20. Results: At BL,125/127 (98%) pts had ALT/AST ≤ grade(G)1 and 122/127 (96%) had liver metastasis. 68/127 (54%) had an increase in post-BL grade for ALT, AST or both. Of these 48/68 (71%) increased to G1, 9/68 (13%) to G2, 7/68 (10%) to G3, and 4/68 (6%) to G4. 67 of these 68 pts (99%) had liver metastasis and most had largest liver metastasis > 3cm (38 pts > 3 cm, 29 pts < 3cm and 1 pt without). ALT/AST increases occurred early in treatment in 36/68 (53%) including at Dose 1 (12/68; 18%), Dose 2 (10/68; 15%), or Dose 3 (14/68; 21%). In the other 32/68 pts (47%), ALT/AST increases occurred at or after Dose 4 (4-65), and most of these events (21/32; 66%) were associated temporally with increase in size of liver metastases. Among the 11 pts with G3/4 ALT/AST increases post-BL, most pts experienced these events early (Doses 1-3) (8/11; 73%) and in the context of either increase in size of liver metastases / disease progression or biliary obstruction (9/11; 82%). Most pts, 60/68 (88%), continued treatment despite an increase in ALT/AST grade. Among 8 pts who discontinued treatment, 3 were due to disease progression and 3 were due to adverse events. Median time for ALT/AST to return to BL was 9 days and there were no temporal increases in albumin or INR. Conclusions: Approximately 1/2 of tebe treated pts experienced an increase in post-BL CTCAE grade for ALT/AST. Among these pts, most ALT/AST increases were mild. Most of the pts with G3/4 ALT/AST increase (9/11) were explained by increase in size of liver metastases or biliary obstruction. Increase in LFT are not unusual at time of disease progression in mUM given high frequency of liver metastases. In summary, ALT/AST increases occurred early in about half of the pts, were generally self-limiting, permitted treatment to continue, and did not appear to impact liver synthetic function (INR/Albumin). Clinical trial information: NCT02570308.
Abstract TRAPNESTING with its resultant individual egg records has long been recognized as a dependable method of selection of breeders, yet there are murmurs against the practice because of the time and cost involved. The question is asked, “Are there any short-time period egg yield records which might be useful criteria of selection?” Because of the limitation of space the important information presented on various phases of this topic by Harris, Hervey, Hays, and others must be passed without direct citation. The author presents some additional information, gleaned by approach from a somewhat different angle. Are the following premises acceptable? 1. Full-year trapnesting is an expensive item in poultry farm operation. Its adequacy as a means of furnishing reliable and complete information is not questioned. 2. Poultry breeders might economically operate trapnests during the winter season and possibly during the late summer season. 3. Release from attention to trapnesting during the . . .
This work presents partial results of a research on the training possibilities established by the relations among memory, creation and teacher education. It brings reflections about the training practice developed with students of the Graduation in Pedagogy of the State University of Campinas. Those reflections intend to establish relations between the processes of remembering and of creating theatrical narratives experienced by the students, expecting that those relations can contribute to the research and practices of teacher education. The theoretical framework is basically constituted by the studies of self-biographic approach and concepts of the Analytical Psychology of Carl Gustav Jung. This analysis results in the identification of creation processes as a privileged space to produce and draw up symbols allowing to ordinate has been experienced through the acts of remembering, staging life stories, writing and drawing from the experiences lived.
Rapid and accurate identification of Pseudomonas species, especially in drinking water, is of great importance for human health. In the present study, we aim to develop a fast and reliable verification method, which does not require intensive microbiological procedures. In this method, specific Raman spectra of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Burkholderia pseudomallei were collected directly from the medium and principal component analysis was used for the data mining process of collected Raman spectra. Application of Raman spectroscopy accompanied with principal component analysis enabled us to differentiate the two most dominant accompanying flora among pathogen Pseudomonas species. Based on Raman spectroscopy, an alternative cultivation-free verification method with 15 min analysis time was developed. It is envisioned that using this method will also contribute to prevent the unnecessary closure of water wells.        Practical Applications    It is well known that Pseudomonas sp. is commonly found in water and their detection is significant in terms of human health. In the present study, a rapid and cultivation-free verification method has been developed for the identification and differentiation of Pseudomonas sp. namely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Burkholderia pseudomallei. The results of the study offer that Raman spectroscopy coupled with principal component analysis seems to be a simple alternative verification method with a shortened analysis time as low as 15 min.
The article deals with the issues related to the functioning of euphemisms in tourism management. The factors that determine the renewal of euphemistic space with new units are outlined. Attention is focused on the use of euphemisms by service sector specialists as units of the secondary nomination with a relatively positive connotation, which contributes to the softening and effectiveness of professional communication.
1. Protective coloration in insects may be aposematic or cryptic, and some species change defensive strategy between instars. In Sweden, the adult striated shieldbugs Graphosoma lineatum (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) undergo a seasonal colour change from pale brown and black striation in the pre‐hibernating adults, to red and black striation in the same post‐hibernating individuals. To the human eye the pre‐hibernating adults appear cryptic against the withered late summer vegetation, whereas the red and black post‐hibernating adults appear aposematic. This suggests a possibility of a functional colour change. However, what is cryptic to the human eye is not necessarily cryptic to a potential predator.
We present, in this paper, a simple approach for increasing data reduction capacity based on spike detection techniques in wireless multichannel neural recordings. The impact of the number of bits per sample and the sampling rate used by each data acquisition channel are analysed and quantified. The approach consists of minimizing the sampling frequency and the number of bits per sample of the extracellular neural recordings. The proposed approach allows increasing the number of channels that may be monitored simultaneously without additional computation, by a factor up to 5.
This pilot study deals with the possibilities of a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS, Minimed- Medtronic) to optimize insulin substitution. Ten persons with type 1 diabetes mellitus treated by means of an insulin pump entered the study and eight of them completed the protocol. CGMS was introduced for a period of 5 days. The standard dinner (60 g of carbohydrates) and overnight fasting were designed to ensure standard night conditions in all persons in the study while maintaining their usual daily eating routine, physical exercise and assessment of prandial insulin boluses. The only adaptation of basal rates of insulin pump was performed on day 3. Comparison of the mean plasma glucose concentration (0:00-24:00 hrs) between day 2 (before adaptation) and day 4 (following adaptation) was made. An independent comparison of the mean plasma glucose concentration between the night from day 2 till day 3 (22:00-6:00 hrs) and the night from day 4 till day 5 (22:00-6:00 hrs) was performed. The mean plasma glucose investigated by means of CGMS improved in the 24-hour period in 5 out of 8 persons and in the night fasting period (22:00 to 6 hrs) in 6 out of 8 persons. The CGMS is a useful means for assessment of the effectiveness of basal rate and prandial insulin doses in persons with type 1 diabetes treated by means of an insulin pump. However, further studies are necessary to improve the algorithm for insulin substitution.
AIMS The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of light curing modes and curing time on the microhardness of a hybrid composite resin.   METHODS AND MATERIALS Forty-five Z250 composite resin specimens (3M-ESPE Dental Products, St. Paul, MN, USA) were randomly divided into nine groups (n=5): three polymerization modes (conventional-550 mW/cm2; light-emitting diodes (LED)-360 mW/cm2, and high intensity-1160 mW/cm2) and three light curing times (once, twice, and three times the manufacturer's recommendations). All samples were polymerized with the light tip 8 mm from the specimen. Knoop microhardness measurements were obtained on the top and bottom surfaces of the sample.   RESULTS Conventional and LED polymerization modes resulted in higher hardness means and were statistically different from the high intensity mode in almost all experimental conditions. Tripling manufacturers' recommended light curing times resulted in higher hardness means; this was statistically different from the other times for all polymerization modes in the bottom surface of specimens. This was also true of the top surface of specimens cured using the high intensity mode but not of conventional and LED modes using any of the chosen curing times. Top surfaces showed higher hardness than bottom surfaces.   CONCLUSIONS It is important to increase the light curing time and use appropriate light curing devices to polymerize resin composite in deep cavities to maximize the hardness of hybrid composite resins.
The paper is about the usage of violation of Grice's cooperative principle in college English listening comprehension teaching. Cooperative principle put forward by H.P.Grice is a theory about people's conversation. CP theory plays an important role in explaiming people's verbal communication. While in actual communication, people sometimes violate the CP theory literately. In order to grasp the real meaning of speakers, students need notice the situation when CP theory is violated literately and understand what the speakers really want to express in English listening comprehension exercise. So English teachers had better introduce Grice's CP theory and the violation of CP theory in collage English listening comprehension teaching.
ABSTRACT The HAP1 (CYP1) gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is known to regulate the transcription of many genes in response to oxygen availability. This response varies according to yeast species, probably reflecting the specific nature of their oxidative metabolism. It is suspected that a difference in the interaction of Hap1p with its target genes may explain some of the species-related variation in oxygen responses. As opposed to the fermentative S. cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces lactis is an aerobic yeast species which shows different oxygen responses. We examined the role of the HAP1-equivalent gene (KlHAP1) in K. lactis. KlHap1p showed a number of sequence features and some gene targets (such as KlCYC1) in common with its S. cerevisiae counterpart, and KlHAP1 was capable of complementing the hap1 mutation. However, the KlHAP1 disruptant showed temperature-sensitive growth on glucose, especially at low glucose concentrations. At normal temperature, 28°C, the mutant grew well, the colony size being even greater than that of the wild type. The most striking observation was that KlHap1p repressed the expression of the major glucose transporter gene RAG1 and reduced the glucose uptake rate. This suggested an involvement of KlHap1p in the regulation of glycolytic flux through the glucose transport system. The ΔKlhap1 mutant showed an increased ability to produce ethanol during aerobic growth, indicating a possible transformation of its physiological property to Crabtree positivity or partial Crabtree positivity. Dual roles of KlHap1p in activating respiration and repressing fermentation may be seen as a basis of the Crabtree-negative physiology of K. lactis.
BACKGROUND Work disability has serious consequences for all stakeholders and society. Workplace interventions are considered appropriate to facilitate return to work by reducing barriers to return to work, involving the collaboration of key stakeholders.   OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of workplace interventions compared to usual care or clinical interventions on work-related outcomes and health outcomes; and to evaluate whether the effects differ when applied to musculoskeletal disorders, mental health problems, or other health conditions.   SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Occupational Health Field Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE and EMBASE (EMBASE.com), and PsycINFO databases (to November 2007).   SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomized controlled trials of workplace interventions aimed at return to work for workers where absence from work because of sickness was reported as a continuous outcome.   DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias of the studies. Meta-analysis and qualitative analysis (using GRADE levels of evidence) were performed.   MAIN RESULTS We included six randomized controlled trials (749 workers): three on low back pain, one on upper-extremity disorders, one on musculoskeletal disorders, and one on adjustment disorders. Five studies were rated as having low risk of bias for the sickness absence outcome. The results of this review show that there is moderate-quality evidence to support the use of workplace interventions to reduce sickness absence among workers with musculoskeletal disorders when compared to usual care. However, workplace interventions were not effective to improve health outcomes among workers with musculoskeletal disorders. The lack of studies made it impossible to investigate the effectiveness of workplace interventions among workers with mental health problems and other health conditions. A comparison of a workplace intervention with a clinical intervention, in one study only, yielded similar results for sickness absence and symptoms for workers with mental health problems.   AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS As a result of the few available studies, no convincing conclusions can be formulated about the effectiveness of workplace interventions on work-related outcomes and health outcomes regardless of the type of work disability. The pooled data for the musculoskeletal disorders subgroup indicated that workplace interventions are effective in the reduction of sickness absence, but they are not effective in improving health outcomes. The evidence from the subgroup analysis on musculoskeletal disorders was rated as moderate-quality evidence. Unfortunately, conclusions cannot be drawn on the effectiveness of these interventions for mental health problems and other health conditions due to a lack of studies.
A method extending the Munn-Silbey approach has been applied to obtain the temperature dependence of transport properties of a generalized Holstein model incorporating simultaneous diagonal and off-diagonal carrier-phonon coupling. The Hamiltonian is partially diagonalized by a canonical transformation, and optimal transformation coefficients are determined in a self-consistent manner. Effects of off-diagonal coupling on the optimal transformation coefficients and diffusion coefficients have been discussed in details. The off-diagonal coupling has been revealed as a localization factor as well as a transport mechanism. Moreover, momentum-space variation of the transformation coefficients are found to be responsible for enhanced transport due to off-diagonal coupling.
Liquid–solid fluid dynamics has been investigated in a 6-in. (0.15 m) “cold-flow” circulating fluidized bed riser using non-invasive flow monitoring methods. Gamma-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to measure the time-averaged cross-sectional solids volume fraction distributions at several elevations. The time-averaged mean and “fluctuating” solids velocity fields were quantified using the computer-automated radioactive particle tracking (CARPT) technique. The experimental equipment, protocol of implementation, and data analysis have been discussed briefly, with particular emphasis on the specific features in the use of these techniques for studying high-density turbulent flows as in a liquid–solid riser. The experimental study examines nine operating conditions, that is, three liquid superficial velocities and three solids flow rates. The solids holdup profile is found to be relatively uniform across the cross section of the riser, with marginal segregation near the walls. The time-averaged solids velocity profiles are found to have a negative component at the walls, indicating significant solids backmixing. Detailed characterization of the solids velocity fields in terms of RMS velocities, kinetic energies, Hurst exponents, residence time distributions, trajectory length distributions, dispersion coefficients, and so forth are presented. Comparative and symbiotic analyses of the results were used to develop a coherent picture of the solids flow field. In addition, the work also serves to demonstrate the power and versatility of these flow-imaging techniques in studying highly turbulent and opaque multiphase systems. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 51: 802– 835, 2005
Summary.    Symptoms associated with infection by Omithogalum mosaic virus (OMV) were documented among horticulturally important Omithogalum spp. grown in commercial greenhouses and open fields in Israel. OMV was mechanically transmitted to Chenopodium quinoa and C. amaranticolor. The virus was purified from infected C. quinoa using CsCl step gradient centrifugation. Virus yield of 18–24 mg kg“1 were obtained. Antiserum produced to the purified virus was highly specific in immunoblots and immunosorbent electron microscopy. Reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) utilising potyvirus-specific primers and the viral RNA resulted in the amplification of a DNA product of 1275 nucleotides. This PCR product was cloned and sequenced; it encoded an open reading frame of 333 codons and a 3‘ non-coding region of 275 nucleotides. Analysis of the amino acid sequences of the putative CP of the Israeli isolate of OMV showed 95% similarities to the South African isolate.
Purpose To report the identification of human papillomavirus types in four cases of conjunctival papillomas and to review the literature regarding human conjunctival papillomavirus (HPV). Methods Specimens from conjunctival papillomas of four patients were analyzed for the presence of HPV by polymerase chain reaction and subsequent filter hybridization. HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, and 33 were investigated. Histologic sections were analyzed for the presence of koilocytosis. Results Histologic examination confirmed HPV infection in all cases. HPV type 11 was detected in all specimens. Conclusions HPV is frequently implicated in the pathogenesis of proliferative squamous lesions. HPV type 11 was the most frequently found in benign conjunctival lesion in this study.
Quantitative basin evaluation becomes a fundamental requirement of petroleum exploration, and it includes estimating the timing and amount of petroleum generation and migration. To understand a regional petroleum geology, all geological processes must be related one to another, and the information from each process must be integrated in a systematic manner. Simulation modeling is a very useful method to execute such process of thinking. A deductive forward model for this purpose was set up to simulate fluid flow compaction, heat transfer, maturation of organic matter, and hydrocarbon generation. This paper introduces basic theoretical aspects of the model.The model, then, was applied to one of the oil field in the Niigata basin where a downward migration has been implied from the Nanatani mudstone to the lowest member Green Tuff. Through an application, the model reveals that the downward migration has occurred through most of the geologic time mainly because of capillary effects rather than regional hydrodynanic pressure gradients. For the shallower turbidite reservoirs, the model experiments indicate that the sandstone geometry is very sensitive for the hydrocarbon migration path ways. This suggests that capillary effects again play a significant role for a local migration pattern. The geologic data should be re-examined for the above hypothetical capillary effects on hydrocarbon migration.
Abstract Foraging by an organism varies over the season in response to environmental conditions. Predatory arthropods, such as spiders, are frequently in a food-limited state despite their polyphagous habits and may feed opportunistically to enhance rates of growth, survival and reproduction. We predicted that, to circumvent food limitation, spider foraging would be related to prey availability. We examined the extent to which body condition of spiders, a correlate of recent foraging, was related to prey availability and habitat type. Wolf spiders Pardosa milvina (Hentz 1844) were collected between May and October in two habitat types, corn and soybean fields. To assess changes in spider condition, we calculated and compared multiple body condition indices derived from morphometric measures of individual spiders. Prey abundance was monitored over the same period using a vacuum suction sampler. Body condition indices provided qualitatively equivalent results. Interestingly, juvenile males were in better condition than adult males, but the opposite was the case for juvenile versus adult females. Although the availability of potential prey generally increased over the growing season, changes in body condition fluctuated independently of prey, suggesting that Pardosa milvina have life history differences in foraging and demand for resources that may influence foraging decisions.
OBJECTIVE To isolate and cultivate human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs).   METHODS Pulp tissue was removed from healthy young human teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes. The pulp was digested by Type I collagenase and dispase. Then single-cell suspensions were obtained by filter and cultivated. The clones were identified by expression of STRO-1. Under the conditions of inducement, clones were identified by activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), formation of mineralized nodule and expression of dentin sialoprotein (DSP), and by Oil Red-O dyeing and expressing of PPARr2.   RESULTS The clones had positive expression of STRO-1. When stimulated to differentiation, these cells took on dramatically high activity of ALP, had the ability of mineralization and expressed DSP. These cells also had ability to trans-differentiate into adipocytes.   CONCLUSION There are stem cells in human dental pulp tissues, which can be isolated and cultivated.
Spontaneous emission of luminescent material is strongly dependent on the surrounding electromagnetic environment. To enhance the emission rate of a single-photon emitter, we proposed a wire-groove resonant nanocavity around the single-photon emitter. An InGaAs quantum dot embedded in a GaAs nanowire was employed as a site-control single-photon emitter. The nanoscale cavity built by a wire-groove perpendicular to the quantum dot with an extremely narrow width of 10 nm exhibited an extremely small volume of 10 × 40 × 259 nm3. Theoretical analysis showed that the emission rate of the quantum dot was dramatically enhanced by 617x due to the Purcell effect induced by the wire-groove cavity. A fast single-photon emitter with a rate of 50.2 GHz can be obtained that speeds up the data rate of the single-photon emitter. This ultrafast single-photon source would be of great significance in quantum information systems and networks.
A number of anthropologists have argued that religious concepts are minimally counterintuitive and that this gives them mnemic advantages. This paper addresses the question of why people have the memory architecture that results in such concepts being more memorable than other types of concepts by pointing out the benefits of a memory structure that leads to better recall for minimally counterintuitive concepts and by showing how such benefits emerge in the real-time processing of comprehending narratives such as folk tales. This model suggests that memorability is not an inherent property of a concept; rather it is a property of the concept, the context in which the concept is presented, and the background knowledge that the comprehendor possesses about the concept. The model predicts how memorability of a concept should change if the context containing the concept were changed. The paper also presents the results of experiments carried out to test these predictions.
This study was motivated by the insignificant performance of employees at Municipal Waterworks ( Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum, PDAM ) in Majalengka Regency office. Their performance was considered to be insignificant due to the following indicators: (1) some employees were less responsible resulting poor performance in carrying out the task; (2) some employees lack discipline in carrying out tasks such as coming and leaving work not following the applicable regulations; (3) some employees carried out their tasks not following the applicable guidelines (resulting poor quality of work); (4) There were delays in reporting by employees. This study used descriptive and survey methods by processing and analyzing quantitative data through a parametric statistical approach. The calculation was conducted using the SPSS version 19 program. The parameters used were variable X which was organizational culture and variable Y which was employee performance. According to Robin, organizational culture includes innovation and risk placement, clear attention, outcome orientation, people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, and stability. Meanwhile, according to Moeherionon, employee performance includes effectiveness, efficiency, quality, timeliness, productivity, and safety. After analyzing the data and testing the hypothesis, the results indicated that the organizational culture in Majalengka PDAM office was categorized well with the respondents’ response of 3.45 and a standard deviation of 0.574. Meanwhile, the employee performance reached a good category with a respondents’ response of 3.49 and a standard deviation of 0.705. The correlation coefficient (r) between variable X and Y was 0.828 indicating the influence of organizational culture on service quality by 68.5%. Moreover, the results of the t-test (significant level) obtained a t-value of 15.683 with a t-table of 1.661. Thus, t-arithmetic was greater than the t-table. Therefore, H0 was rejected and H1 was accepted. In other words, there was a positive and significant influence between organizational cultures (X) on employee performance (Y).
Mapping mangrove extent and species is important for understanding their response to environmental changes and for observing their integrity for providing goods and services. However, accurately mapping mangrove extent and species are ongoing challenges in remote sensing. The newly-launched and freely-available Sentinel-2 (S2) sensor offers a new opportunity for these challenges. This study presents the first study dedicated to the examination of the potential of original bands, spectral indices, and texture information of S2 in mapping mangrove extent and species in the first National Nature Reserve for mangroves in Dongzhaigang, China. To map mangrove extent and species, a three-level hierarchical structure based on the spatial structure of a mangrove ecosystem and geographic object-based image analysis is utilized and modified. During the experiments, to conquer the challenge of optimizing high-dimension and correlated feature space, the recursive feature elimination (RFE) algorithm is introduced. Finally, the selected features from RFE are employed in mangrove species discriminations, based on a random forest algorithm. The results are compared with those of Landsat 8 (L8) and Pléiades-1 (P1) data and show that S2 and L8 could accurately extract mangrove extent, but P1 obviously overestimated it. Regarding mangrove species community levels, the overall classification accuracy of S2 is 70.95%, which is lower than P1 imagery (78.57%) and slightly higher than L8 data (68.57%). Meanwhile, the former difference is statistically significant, and the latter is not. The dominant species is extracted basically in S2 and P1 imagery, but for the occasionally distributed K. candel and the pioneer and fringe mangrove A. marina, S2 performs poorly. Concerning L8, S2, and P1, there are eight (8/126), nine (9/218), and eight (8/73) features, respectively, that are the most important for mangrove species discriminations. The most important feature overall is the red-edge bands, followed by shortwave infrared, near infrared, blue, and other visible bands in turn. This study demonstrates that the S2 sensor can accurately map mangrove extent and basically discriminate mangrove species communities, but for the latter, one should be cautious due to the complexity of mangrove species.
BACKGROUND Rivaroxaban represents a selective direct inhibitor of activated coagulation factor X (FXa) having peroral bioavailability and prompt onset of action.   OBJECTIVE The absorbtion of rivaroxaban is quick, reaching maximum plasma concentration 2-4 hours following its administration. Peroral bioavailability is high (80-100 %) and pharmacokinetic variability is considered to be moderate (coefficient of variation 30-40 %). This review discusses the properties, drug interactions, pharmacokinetics and clinical indications of rivaroxaban.   METHOD Dosing regimen of rivaroxaban was derived from pharmacologic data of the development program aimed to gain strong antithrombotic drug and balance between efficacy and risk of bleeding in patients. Results of doseranging trials, pharmacokinetic models and randomised studies of phase III advocate the use of such schemes in everyday practice.   RESULTS The drug has been manufactured to fulfill clinical requirements in a variety of indications in adults: prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following elective knee or hip replacement surgical intervention, therapy and secondary prophylaxis of VTE, prophylaxis of ischemic stroke and embolism in individuals diagnosed with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) with risky characteristics, and in Europe the prophylaxis of atherothrombotic episodes following an acute coronary syndrome in subjects with increased levels of cardiac biomarkers.   CONCLUSION Rivaroxaban may offer benefit in many clinical situations. In comparison with low molecular weight heparin and fondaparinux requiring subcutaneous way of administration, and with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), which require regular monitoring of international normalized ratio, rivaroxaban is relatively easy to use. However, adjustments of dose are needed in individuals with impaired renal functions.
Abstract There are many factors that can lead to the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), one of which is the lack of knowledge on the virus and its prevention, notably in Indonesia. This study was focused to design and build an interactive learning app for COVID-19 education. The design of this study was research and development, and in terms of the app development, it utilized the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model. The project was carried out from July to December 2021, and it involved 25 study participants. The findings of this study confirmed that the educational app consisted of education, a symptom checker, a list of vaccine information links, the latest news, and COVID-19 statistics. The validity assessment showed that the educational app in this study was very appropriate to be utilized as a digital medium for patient education. In addition, it was also confirmed that all the functions of the app worked well, and participants strongly agreed that the educational materials and features of the app were interesting and helped them to learn COVID-19 prevention easily. It could be concluded that the app could be used as a learning medium for patient education. Further studies, however, were needed to prove its effectiveness in the real clinical world.
This paper presents bibliometrics analysis as a way to determine the key authors contributing to the nanotechnology field. Web of science data base on the 1992-2006 time frame is used for that purpose. Statistics such as the authors with highest number of publications, countries, making highest level of contribution to the field are obtained from the bibliometrics analysis. Concepts from social network analysis are used to determine the inter-relationships among lead authors and co-authors. The key players in the nanotechnology field are identified and the nature and intensity of collaboration among them are described.
A new organic–inorganic hybrid material constructed from octamolybdate anion and neutral dinuclear copper(I) units, H4{[Cu2(ophen)2]2[Mo8O26]}[Cu2(ophen)2] · H2O (1) (Hophen =2-hydroxy-1,10-phenanthroline), has been prepared under hydrothermal condition and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, XPS, TGA and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P 1, with a = 9.9091(8), b = 13.3981(8), c = 14.8266(10) Å, α = 84.6310(10), β = 83.0620(10)°, γ = 77.7800(10), V = 1905.0(2) Å3, Z = 1. Compound 1 contains a centrosymmetric polyoxoanion {[Cu2(ophen)2]2[Mo8O26]}4−, in which the β-[Mo8O26]4− is bisupported by two copper(I) coordination groups through the terminal oxygen atoms. The discrete molecules of 1 are extended into a 3-D supramolecular array through C–H ··· O hydrogen bonds and strong aromatic π–π stacking contacts.
Chromosome 13 deletions are associated with widely varying phenotypes but the clinical picture nearly almost includes mental and growth retardation, craniofacial dysmorphisms, and/or malformations. Several attempts have been made to link monosomy 13q intervals with specific clinical features, but a genotype–phenotype correlation could not be delineated. We report on a woman with a normal phenotype and intelligence referred for chromosomal analysis because of recurrent abortions followed by reproductive loss. Conventional karyotyping revealed an interstitial deletion of chromosome 13q21. By SNP array analysis and FISH the deletion was shown to comprise nearly 10.7 Mb of euchromatic material. This region harbors several genes but an association with recurrent miscarriages has not yet been reported. This is the second report of a 13q21 deletion without psychomotoric retardation, dysmorphisms and malformations. Both cases indicate that this 13q21 deletion can be added to the growing list of euchromatic imbalances without obvious phenotypic abnormalities. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A dual-band circularly polarized antenna is presented in this paper. A rectangular patch antenna with gap-feeding structure is firstly designed, and 3-dB axial-ratio bandwidth from 2.35 to 2.48GHz is obtained. A parasitic square ring is placed on the rear of the rectangular patch as a band-notch unit operating around 2.4 GHz. Then an original wide circularly polarized band is split into two bands from 2.25 to 2.31 GHz and from 2.46 to 2.53GHz. By adopting differential feeding, symmetrical patterns are achieved. Measurement results show that two 3-dB axial-ratio bands of 2.6% (2.25–2.31GHz) and 2.0% (2.51–2.56GHz) are obtained with a small frequency ratio of 1.11.
The aim of this study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of the relationship of exit site and tunnel infection (ES/TI) to peritonitis and catheter loss in peritoneal dialysis patients, with emphasis on the incidence and risk of infection over time. Bacterial epidemiologies of 63 consecutively implanted catheters were studied for a combined total of 1,248 dialysis months. Analyses of bacterial profiles, infection rates, probabilities of time to first infection, and catheter survival were performed. The probability of first ES/TI and peritonitis was greatest during the first postimplant year. The earlier in dialysis history that patients developed an infection, the more infection prone they continued to be during the course of their dialysis experience. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant organism for both ES/TI and peritonitis. The incidence of S. aureus infection was greatest during the first year and decreased over time on dialysis. S. aureus ES/TI caused significant risk for subsequent development of peritonitis, and 93% of ES/TI related peritonitis episodes were caused by this organism. Half of all ES/TIs that led to related peritonitis occurred by 3.5 months, and 100% by 12.8 months postimplant. S. aureus ES/TI related peritonitis led to catheter loss in 85% of cases. Our study identified a high risk period for infection for as long as 12 months postimplant. The inherent characteristics of ES/TI related peritonitis suggest that prevention should focus on both the organism and time period at risk. These findings are important in considering issues regarding S. aureus prophylaxis regimens versus nasal carrier treatment protocols.
By coincidence, I had composed this editorial prior to learning that a review of the book Lysenko’s Ghost would also be appearing in this issue. David Haig has given us a most erudite analysis, and my editorial, written from a different perspective, will hopefully not jar readers by juxtaposition. Lysenko’s work came to the attention of the West in discrete parcels but in full form upon the publication of an English translationofhisbookby theColumbiaUniversity geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky (1). But the story starts with Ivan V. Michurin (Fig. 1). He was a pomologist who made important contributions to the hybridization of fruit trees. It is an irony thathis solidworkwas later takenas the launch pad for a totally corrupt deviation from serious genetic science, largelybecauseMichurin’swork couldnot be readily reconciled with the later advent of Mendelian segregation of single genes (later to become known as “simple” Mendelian inheritance, developed by Gregor Mendel) At the time ofMichurin’swork, Russiawas faced with a vast population and an uncertain agrarian base. Efforts to improve the quality of fruit may have fueled Michurin, but forRussia, the real challengewasgrain. This was the well-set stage onto which Lysenko arrived and cast his drama. Lysenko (Fig. 2) has often been misinterpreted as a sincere and qualified geneticist who did solid experiments and tried to push back against Mendelian genetics, whereas at the same time, offering Russia a path to improvedcereal crops.Thisview,which I somehowadsorbed as a student, placed him in the role of just a scientist who might have gone astray. Indeed, many in the West who had not scrutinized hisworkmay have reached the same conclusion. Not much of his work was published, and the little thatwas appeared in journals unavailable to Westernscientists. In any case,whatwasnot fully realized at the time was that Lysenko was an agronomist. This is notmeant to be pejorative but is to convey, as all historical records now make clear, that he had an agricultural bent and no formal training in genetics. But, even as word of Lysenko’s experiments started to reach the West, the generous assumptionwas that hewas a real scientist. This, it turns out, was complete mythology, promoted by the Russian state. Numerous legitimate Russian geneticists were labeled as neo-Mendelians and sent to labor camps. Among these was Nicolai Vavilov (Fig. 3), arguably the most distinguished Russian geneticist of this era. For getting Lysenko right, an enormous debt is owed to two U.S. geneticists who traveled to Moscow and spent months with him, his plants, and his data. They were Richard Goldschmidt (Fig. 4) and Hermann J. Muller (Fig. 5). They reported backwhat they had seen. Amajor Figure 1. Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin, (1855–1935). Photo credit: Private Collection© Look and Learn/Elgar Collection/ Bridgeman Images. Figure 2. Trofim Lysenko, (1898–1976). Photo credit: HIP/Art Resource, NY.
Internal and scattered time-dependent intensities are calculated for a dielectric sphere illuminated with a pulsed Gaussian beam. The center frequency of the pulse spectrum is chosen to be on, near, or far from a morphology-dependent resonance of the sphere. The center of the beam is positioned inside, on the edge, or outside the sphere. The transfer function at a point, i.e., the electric field at each frequency of the pulse spectrum, is calculated with the plane-wave spectrum technique and the T-matrix method. The frequency spectrum of the field at a point is calculated by means of the incident field spectrum and the transfer function at that point. The time dependence of the electric field at a point inside or outside the sphere is obtained by inverse Fourier transforming the frequency spectrum. Two different decay rates in the internal and the scattered time-dependent intensity are observed: a decay rate that depends on the incident pulse spectrum and a rate that depends on the line shape of the resonant mode of the sphere.
This paper presents a link level analysis of the rate and energy efficiency performance of the LTE downlink considering the unitary codebook based precoding scheme. In a multi-user environment, appropriate radio resource management strategies can be applied to the system to improve the performance gain by exploiting multi-user diversity in the time, frequency and space domains and the gains can be translated to energy reduction at the base station. Several existing and novel resource scheduling and allocation algorithms are considered for the LTE system in this paper. A detailed analysis of the performance gain of different algorithms in terms of throughput, rate fairness, and power efficiency is presented.
Purpose:The relationship between clinical data and genetic ancestry in Brazilian patients with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) was studied. Patients and Methods:Thirty patients with PCG and 60 unrelated controls underwent a complete ophthalmological examination. The PCG inclusion criterion was prior surgery with a minimum follow-up of 6 months after the last surgical procedure. Clinical data were recorded and DNA from each individual was extracted and genotyped for a panel of 40 validated ancestry-informative insertion-deletion DNA polymorphisms (indels). Results:Eighteen (60%) children had bilateral disease and 16 (53.3%) were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 6.3 months and surgical follow-up time varied from 8 to 85 months. For the PCG group, the proportion of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians was 0.784±0.044 (mean±SEM), 0.149±0.035, and 0.067±0.023, respectively, whereas for the control group was 0.730±0.048, 0.132±0.034, and 0.138±0.032, respectively. An increased proportion of African indels was associated with worse surgical prognosis (P=0.036). There was also a statistically significant (P<0.05) positive correlation between axial length and African component (initial: R=0.625; final: R=0.567). Conclusions:An increased proportion of African indels was associated with worse prognosis for PCG in a mixed population. Genetic ancestry markers may be helpful in assessing risk factors for surgical outcomes in PCG. Further studies are needed to unveil the role of ancestry in heterogeneous populations such as Brazilians with PCG.
In 2005, The National Council for Agricultural Education (NCAE) unveiled The Long Range Goal for Agricultural Education also known as 10 x 15. According to NCAE, the primary goal of 10 x 15 was to create 10,000 new agricultural education programs by 2015 that focused on an integrated model of classroom and laboratory instruction, experiential learning, leadership, and personal skill development. In an effort to meet this goal, NCAE identified a need to design programs that focused on specific customers and communities. Urban programing was one area of emphasis cited in the report. In light of the call for several thousand new agricultural education programs nationwide and the dearth of literature to support direction for creating new programs, this instrumental case study resulted in a deeper understanding of the process that led one urban school district to create a new, communityfocused agricultural education program. Five themes emerged that informed a model for originating future urban agricultural education programs: 1) reasoned motivation, 2) hourglass advocacy, 3) intentional innovation, 4) community rejuvenation, and 5) program regeneration. Each theme is presented in the sequence in which it unfolded and, subsequently, resulted in the creation of an urban agricultural education program.
The effect of coiling temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a Nb-V microalloyed steel was investigated. Controlled rolling followed by accelerated cooling and coiling was simulated by means of both, uniaxial compression, using a quenching and deformation dilatometer, and torsion. Specimens were reheated at 1250º for 5-10 min, then deformed at 1150°C, =0.3, and subsequently at 900°C, =0.4, followed by rapid cooling to a temperature between 450 and 700°C where coiling was simulated by holding the specimen for one hour at the selected temperature followed by a slow cooling to room temperature. Mechanical characterization was performed by means of hardness measurements and tensile tests, using tubular specimens machined from the torsion samples. It was found that decreasing the coiling temperature the ferrite-pearlite microstructure changed to ferrite-bainite, with a hardness peak reached for coiling at 600°C-650°C.
Will Kymlicka's diagnosis of the dilemmas involved in integrating culturally dis tinct immigrant groups into multinational societies is characteristically acute, and in this comment I take for granted the basic parameters of his discussion: namely that some version of federalism is the only legitimate form of government in such societies, and that the cultural integration of immigrant groups is an important goal of social policy, in education and elsewhere. This is tantamount to saying that we share the view that questions of collective identity are important, and cannot be sidestepped, as some liberals would advocate, by arguing that so long as the state respects human rights and treats its citizens as equals, no further questions of legitimacy arise. Our philosophical starting points are similar, therefore, and our political dis agreements (which are not great) arise from somewhat different estimates of the likely future of multination states as he describes them. According to Kymlicka, these states 'contain deep and unresolved cleavages around national identity and nationhood'. These cleavages have been handled by developing institutions that give a considerable degree of autonomy to minority nations separate parliaments, for example that allow them to assert their distinct identities and protect their separate interests in areas such as language policies. However, relations between the different national groups remain troubled: what we have are 'at best provisional settlements of these long-standing cleavages, not permanent resolutions', with some nationalists continuing to favour outright secession and others arguing for further transfers of power from central government to devolved institutions. In other words we have a modus vivendi between the various national groups whose precise shape will change over time as different constituencies press their claims. This might seem a recipe for instability, but according to Kymlicka 'most citizens in multination western states take this indeterminacy and contestation in their stride'.
This paper describes methodology for analyzing data from cluster randomized trials with count outcomes, taking indirect effects as well spatial effects into account. Indirect effects are modeled using a novel application of a measure of depth within the intervention arm. Both direct and indirect effects can be estimated accurately even when the proposed model is misspecified. We use spatial regression models with Gaussian random effects, where the individual outcomes have distributions overdispersed with respect to the Poisson, and the corresponding direct and indirect effects have a marginal interpretation. To avoid spatial confounding, we use orthogonal regression, in which random effects represent spatial dependence using a homoscedastic and dimensionally reduced modification of the intrinsic conditional autoregression model. We illustrate the methodology using spatial data from a pair‐matched cluster randomized trial against the dengue mosquito vector Aedes aegypti, done in Trujillo, Venezuela.
Standards of English for English language teacher education need to consider political as well as linguistic factors. Any definition of such standards on the basis of speakerhood would immediately fall into the trap of native-speakerist discrimination, which is intensified by unspoken associations with ‘ethnicity’. Who can be recognized as ‘native speaker’ or ‘near-native speaker’ is not simply a matter of language. Any definition of English standards must therefore acknowledge an alternative established belief that all users of English can claim ownership of the language. This factor is, however, complicated by the recent suggestions that there can be a non-aligned, international English lingua franca, themselves being perceived as Centre-driven. Standards must therefore be convincingly de-Centred, and must allow those who consider themselves Periphery to take Centre-stage. They must be cosmopolitan, non-centred, professional, earned, prestigious and cultured.
We explore the influence of grating characteristics on the lasing performance of polymer circular-grating distributed-feedback lasers. A range of circular-grating sizes and profiles were fabricated on a single silica substrate, which was coated with a thin film of the conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2’ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene]. Variations in lasing threshold and surface-emitted slope efficiency were determined as a function of grating outer diameter and duty cycle. The experimental lasing results are compared with predictions from a theoretical analysis based on an adaptation of the transfer matrix method. We find that an outer diameter of at least 200μm is required to minimize the threshold and optimize the surface-emitted slope efficiency. A groove-to-period duty cycle of ∼25% gives the lowest lasing thresholds by optimizing the in-plane feedback. We also find that the structure of the polymer–air surface varies substantially with substrate duty cycle, which has implications for optimu...
Since the circular track synthetic aperture radar (CSAR) could observe the target scene in all directions, it can perform three-dimensional imaging of the target area. When using the sub-aperture sequence to extract the digital elevation model (DEM) of the target scene, in order to be able to reasonably use the correlation between the sub-apertures in the arc to improve DEM extraction accuracy, this paper proposes a method to extract DEM information using the correlation between sub-apertures. By using the feature of stronger correlation between adjacent sub-apertures, the accuracy of DEM extraction is effectively improved. Finally, it was verified by quoting the measured data to verify the feasibility and accuracy of the algorithm.
We recently reported the discovery of a candidate jet-driving microquasar (S10) in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 300. However, in the absence of kinematic information, we could not reliably determine the jet power or the dynamical age of the jet cavity. Here, we present optical MUSE integral field unit (IFU) observations of S10, which reveal a bipolar line-emitting jet structure surrounding a continuum-emitting central source. The optical jet lobes of S10 have a total extent of ˜ 40 pc and a shock velocity of ˜ 150 km s-1. Together with the jet kinematics, we exploit the MUSE coverage of the Balmer Hβ line to estimate the density of the surrounding matter and therefore compute the jet power to be Pjet ≈ 6.3 × 1038 erg s-1. An optical analysis of a microquasar jet bubble and a consequent robust derivation of the jet power have been possible only in a handful of similar sources. This study therefore adds valuable insight into microquasar jets, and demonstrates the power of optical integral field spectroscopy in identifying and analysing these objects.
Multibody systems are often modeled as interconnected multibody and modal components: multibody components, such as rigid bodies, beams, plates, and kinematic joints, are treated via multibody techniques whereas the modal components are handled via a modal reduction approach based on the small strain assumption. In this work, the problem is formulated within the framework of the motion formalism. The kinematic description involves simple, straightforward frame transformations and leads naturally to consistent deformation measures. Derivatives are expressed in local frames, which results in the remarkable property that the tangent matrices are independent of the position and orientation of the modal component with respect to an inertia frame. This implies a reduced level of geometric non-linearity as compared to standard description. In particular, geometrically non-linear problems can be solved with the tangent matrices of the reference configuration, without re-evaluation and re-factorization.
Abstract This paper presents results for an automatic navigation system for agricultural vehicles. The system uses stereo-vision, inertial sensors and GPS. Special emphasis has been placed on modeling the natural environment in conjunction with a fault-tolerant navigation system. The results are exemplified by an agricultural vehicle following cut grass (swath). It is demonstrated how faults in the system can be detected and diagnosed using state of the art techniques from fault-tolerant literature. Results in performing fault-diagnosis and fault accomodation are presented using real data.
Within the geometrical optics approximation the path of a ray in a plasma atmosphere is identical to the motion of a single particle under a potential of the same spatial variation as the electron density. The analogy may be used to construct the ray trajectories. In particular a set of analytic solutions for spherical atmospheres with inverse power law density fall off may be constructed. The absorption due to linear processes, collisional and resonant, is then evaluated. The application of these solutions to cylindrical and planar atmospheres is demonstrated. The extension to more general density distribution is outlined.
Emission of malodorous gases, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and ammonia (NH3) during pulping and papermaking has caused certain harm to the air environment and human health. This paper investigated the influencing factors of odor emission from wet-end white water during the pro-duction of bobbin paper in a papermaking mill using old corrugated containers (OCC) as raw material.  The concentration of malodorous gases emitted from wet-end white water was determined with pump-suction gas detectors. The results indicated that low temperature could limit the release of malodorous gases from white water.  Specifically, no total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), H2S, and NH3 was detected at a temperature of 15°C. The concentrations of malodorous gases were slightly increased when temperature increased to 25°C. When temperature  was 55°C, the released concentrations of TVOC, H2S, and NH3 were 22.3 mg/m3, 5.91 mg/m3, and 2.78 mg/m3, respectively. Therefore, the content of malodorous gases significantly increased with the temperature increase. The stirring of white water accelerated the release of malodorous gases, and the release rate sped up as the stirring speed increased. However, the total amount of malodorous gases released were basically the same as the static state. Furthermore, the higher the concentration of white water, the greater the amount of malodorous gases released. The pH had little influence on the TVOC release, whereas it significantly affected the release of H2S and NH3. With the increase of pH value, the released amount of H2S and NH3 gradually decreased. When pH reached 9.0, the release amount of H2S and NH3 was almost zero, proving that an alkaline condition inhibits the release of H2S and NH3.
The transport infrastructure can be defined as a factor that guarantees the growth and economic development of the region, due to the functions of traversing space in terms of the movement of people and the exchange of goods. The effects of the impact of transport infrastructure on the economy of the region largely depend on how the society uses the services offered by infrastructure facilities and devices. The study examines the impact of transport infrastructure on the sustainable socio-economic development of the Wałcz Lake District. To conduct the analysis, a questionnaire addressed to entrepreneurs from this region was used. In the second part of the research, the indicators of sustainable development at the regional level were applied: the level of transport infrastructure and the level of socio-economic development of the studied area. The study is an attempt to fill the cognitive gap for areas outside the country’s main transport corridors. The existing differentiation in both the development of infrastructure and the economic attractiveness of urban and rural areas was shown. Factors influencing the effectiveness of implementing the concept of sustainable rural development were indicated.
The crystal structure of graphene flakes is expected to significantly affect their sensing properties. Here we report an experimental investigation on the crystalline structure of graphene aimed at exploring the effects on the gas sensing properties. The morphology of graphene, prepared via Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Liquid Phase Exfoliation (LPE) and Mechanical Exfoliation (ME), is inspected through Raman spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). CVD and LPE-graphene structures are found to be more defective with respect to ME-graphene. The defects are due to the jagged morphology of the films rather than originating from intrinsic disorder. The flatness of ME-graphene flakes, instead, explains the absence of defects. Chemiresistors based on the three different graphene preparation methods are subsequently exposed to NO2 in the concentration range 0.1-1.5 ppm (parts per million). The device performance is demonstrated to be strongly and unambiguously affected by the material structure: the less defective the material is, the higher the response rate is. In terms of signal variation, at 1.5 ppm, for instance, ME-graphene shows the highest value (5%) among the three materials. This study, comparing simultaneously graphene and sensors prepared via different routes, provides the first experimental evidence of the role played by the graphene level of defectiveness in the interaction with analytes. Moreover, these findings can pave the path for tailoring the sensor behavior as a function of graphene morphology.
Knowledge sharing among divisions of an organization is an important yet difficult goal for any institution to achieve. This case reports on development of a system that fosters knowledge sharing across divisions and levels of government in a New York State agency. The case will focus on project management aspects, and discuss tools and models used to aid in the development and evolution of this project from an intra-division application to a more pervasive enterprise-wide system. A number of organizational and technological elements provide the impetus for growth, improvement, and success of this system. Overall, the case study provides insights and lessons learned to problems encountered in diverse and sizable organizations, such as large companies and not-for-profit organizations, as well as state and federal governments, where knowledge is distributed and sharing knowledge is critical to organizational performance.
Determination of the most appropriate genotypes based on the multiple trait index is a new method in plant breeding programs. Unpredictable climatic conditions are altering the selection of genotypes based on multiple environmental conditions and multiple traits. In barley breeding programs, some traits (quality, earliness, lodging, etc.) can serve many of our primary breeding purposes other than grain yield. For this reason, the genotype by yield*trait (GYT) biplot approach was used to definite the best barley candidate among 12 barley genotypes based on multi (three) location and multi (nine)traits. In this study, the strengths and weaknesses of each genotype were determined by combining yield and other target traits with GYT biplot method. The general adaptability of each genotype in terms of all features showed differences with concerning for the average of years. On the other hand adaptability of genotypes differed significantly in terms of GYT biplot and GT biplot methods. In the GT biplot method, both the properties and the genotypes showed a wide distribution, whereas in the GYT biplot method yield-feature combinations showed a narrower variation and the most stable genotypes were identified more clearly. Besides, it was concluded that GT biplot method GT bipot method is not very ideal for determining the best genotypes, whereas GYT biplot showed that G4 genotype, was the best; G3, G7, and G5 (Altıkat) variety were ideal genotypes for combined traits. GYT biplot has shown that superior, ideal and stable genotypes can be detected visually by combining all traits in breeding programs.
Induced molting increases egg quality and egg production and extends the productive life of hens. Molting is accomplished by feed withdrawal, which has been criticized for not addressing hen well-being, and current alternatives have resulted in poor postmolt performance and inadequate well-being. Molting leads to regression of follicles on the ovary and causes loss of steroidogenic support for the oviduct, leading to cessation of lay. Melengestrol acetate (MGA), an orally active progestin, may decrease support for the ovary, resulting in loss of support for the oviduct, while hens are fed a balanced diet. In this experiment, a dose response study, Hy-Line W-36 hens were fed 0, 0.1, 1, 4, or 8 mg of MGA per hen/d in a balanced diet for 28 d and then returned to a normal diet. Four birds on d 0 and 4 birds per treatment on d 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, and 44 were euthanized. The weight of the ovary with follicles, magnum, shell gland, and oviduct were determined. A decrease in egg production was observed in those groups receiving 4 and 8 mg of MGA, until removal of MGA from the diet. After d 28, egg production increased to the production level of hens fed 0, 0.1, or 1 mg of MGA. The weight of the ovary with follicles, oviduct, magnum, and shell gland were unchanged throughout in groups fed 0, 0.1, or 1 mg of MGA. However, groups fed 4 or 8 mg of MGA exhibited a decrease (P < 0.05) in the weight of the ovary with follicles, oviduct, magnum, and shell gland until d 28. Recrudescence of the large yellow follicles as well as rejuvenation of the oviduct and its components, the magnum and shell gland, in the 4 and 8 mg MGA groups occurred by d 44. Melengestrol acetate, fed to hens on a balanced layer diet, caused reversible regression of follicles and, therefore, removal and return of support for the oviduct.
Rising worldwide cancer incidence and resistance to current anti-cancer drugs necessitate the need for new pharmaceutical compounds and drug delivery system. Malfunction of the immune system, particularly in the tumor microenvironment, causes tumor growth and enhances tumor progression. Thus, cancer immunotherapy can be an appropriate approach to provoke the systemic immune system to combat tumor expansion. Texosomes, which are endogenous nanovesicles released by all tumor cells, contribute to cell-cell communication and modify the phenotypic features of recipient cells due to the texosomes’ ability to transport biological components. For this reason, texosome-based delivery system can be a valuable strategy for therapeutic purposes. To improve the pharmaceutical behavior of this system and to facilitate its use in medical applications, biotechnology approaches and mimetic techniques have been utilized. In this review, we present the development history of texosome-based delivery systems and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each system.
Based on recent research of non-linear pricing for single-node unit commitment models, this paper proposes a transmission constrained non-linear pricing alternative based coordination functions added to the classic decomposition Lagrangian relaxation algorithm to solve transmission constrained unit commitment models. The new coordination algorithms finds agents purchase and sell prices that coordinate the market in the absence of classic equilibrium. Since non-linear prices differ for each agent connected to a transmission node, the value of the congestion rents are redefined so that the new pricing mechanism is taken in to account. The redefinition of congestion rents is necessary so that the implementation of financial transmission rights, in their varied forms, is still possible in order to provide a price hedging mechanism in the nodal spot market.In this study, we propose a solution of unit commitment problem with network constraints and FTR´s using non-linear prices. The proposes prices have been applied to IEEE 14 and 30 test systems with 20 and 35 generators for a single period. The result shows that the proposed prices are capable to obtain satisfactory schedules without any interest conflicts.
The Reverend Dr. William Barber II, president of the N.C. N.A.A.C.P., speaking across from the legislature building in Raleigh, 2012. Image from Flickr user NC Justice Center. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People [2] (NAACP) is the nation's oldest civil rights [3]organization, founded in 1909 in New York City by black and white activists seeking to influence the progress of social justice in the United States. Its primary focus has been the advocacy of ethnic minorities in their quest to gain equal rights under the law.
Abstract Three methods were developed for rapid and selective extraction of total tin as Sn(IV) using quercetin (H5Q) as chelating agent, prior to its determination by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HGAAS). H5Q was chemically or physically immobilized onto silica gel or polyurethane foam, respectively, and used for the separation of Sn(IV) by the solid phase extraction (SPE) technique. The SPE methods were compared with flotation technique using the oleic acid as surfactant from H5Q solution in amyl alcohol/kerosene solvent. Elemental analysis, thermogravimetry, spectroscopic measurements (IR, UV/vis and magic angle solid state C13‐NMR) were used to characterize the resulting modified extractors. The experimental conditions for efficient extraction of Sn(IV) such as: pH, time of stirring, interfering ions and eluent concentration, were optimized for the batchwise separation process. The tolerance limits of heavy metal ions in the sorption of Sn(IV) were reported. The methods were applied for the determination of total tin in water samples, zinc shots and canned beans after digestive oxidation. The suggested SPE and flotation techniques were found to be accurate and not subject to random error with especial preference to the SPE technique as it is cheaper and simpler.
Typhoid fever is a disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium Salmonella typhi. Since its introduction in 1949, chloramphenicol has become the first-line treatment of typhoid fever for decades. Until now, chloramphenicol is still the first line treatment of typhoid fever in rural areas in Indonesia, due to its low cost. However, in addition to the problem of bacterial resistance, chloramphenicol is known to cause some side effect such as bone marrow suppression. Currently, many other antibiotics are used as the regimens for the treatment of typhoid fever, one of which is ceftriaxone. However, there are evidences on reemergence of chloramphenicol sensitivity in typhoid fever treatment. This report is created to answer the clinical question on whether ceftriaxone is more effective compared to chloramphenicol as the first-line treatment of typhoid fever. A structured search was performed on PubMed, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect and after a screening process and appraisal using the criteria from Center of Evidence Based Medicine at Oxford University, only one article was selected. The article shows higher efficacy of ceftriaxone in term of defervescence rate (P = 0.0001). No other study that compares the efficacy of ceftriaxone and chloramphenicol for typhoid fever treatment during the last ten years could be found during article searching. In conclusion, ceftriaxone shows better efficacy in the treatment of typhoid fever compared to chloramphenicol but with the rise of microbial sensitivity to chloramphenicol in recent years, more studies on this topic are needed to support this conclusion.
In this study, a femtosecond laser was used to pretreat the surface of the Al–Li alloy, the surface micromorphology, roughness, contact angle, and surface wettability of which were adjusted by changing the laser scanning speed, and the sample was bonded into a single joint with polyether ether ketone (PEEK) adhesive. The mechanism of the laser surface treatment affecting the bonding strength of the Al–Li alloy was explored through tensile and shear experiments. The results indicated that optimizing the laser surface treatment parameters could change the surface roughness and surface micromorphology of the Al–Li alloy, so as to change its surface free energy and bonding strength. Compared with the untreated sample, the bonding strength of the Al–Li alloy increased by 81%, 95%, 107%, 91%, and 78% under the treatment of laser scanning at 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 mm/s, respectively. As a whole, femtosecond laser etching of the Al–Li alloy surface had an important influence on its wettability and bonding performance.
The contributions of the intrinsic effect of heart rate and factors other than heart rate, to exercise-induced QT interval shortening were assessed by studying a group of 24 patients with implanted, programmable P wave synchronised pacemakers and a group of 10 patients undergoing atrial and ventricular pacing at rest. In each patient with an implanted pacemaker, the relation between atrial rate and QT interval was studied during exercise in both atrial synchronised and asynchronous (fixed-rate) ventricular pacing modes. In three patients the exercise tests were repeated after beta-adrenergic blockade. There was a close linear correlation between atrial rate and QT interval reduction in each exercise test. With asynchronous ventricular pacing, QT shortening did occur but to a lesser extent than during atrial synchronised pacing and could be abolished by beta-adrenergic blockade. When the heart rate was increased at rest by either atrial or ventricular pacing QT interval shortening did occur but again to a lesser degree than with atrial synchronised ventricular pacing during exercise. The results suggest that the heart rate is only one of the determinants of the QT interval duration, and other factors, presumably associated with sympathetic activity, also contribute to QT interval shortening during exercise. By comparing the QT interval changes during atrial synchronised and asynchronous ventricular pacing on a within-patient basis, we determined that the contribution of the intrinsic effect of heart rate to QT interval shortening during exercise varied from 26 to 75%.
The case of a 21-yr-old man, who died in cachexia after 2 yr of intermittent abdominal pain, bouts of diarrhea, and anorexia, is reported. Laboratory tests performed shortly before death disclosed signs of malabsorption. Radiologic examination of the gastrointestinal tract showed a coarse mucosal relief in the upper jejunum and a tubular aspect in the rest of the small bowel. There was no dilatation of the loops. Autopsy revealed severe to complete atrophy with fibrosis of the outer muscle layer of the entire small bowel, extending from the pylorus to the ileocecal valve. The only other lesion discovered was a moderate portoportal fibrosis of the liver. The patient's brother had died a few months earlier after 2.5 yr of similar symptoms. An upper gastrointestinal series had shown dilatation of the stomach with fluid retention and a tubular aspect of the small bowel with generalized widening of the loops. No autopsy was performed. There was a high degree of consanguinity on the mother's side. Family history revealed no other evidence of possible genetic factors in the disease.
The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the Management of Primary Schools (SBM) in SD Negeri 61 District Timur Timur Gorontalo City; (2) evaluate the input of SBM in SD Negeri 61, Kota Timur District, Gorontalo City; (3) evaluate the Management of Primary Schools (SBM) in SD Negeri 61, Kota Timur District, Gorontalo City; (4) evaluate the School-Based Management Project (SBM) in the Public Elementary School 61 in Kota Timur District, Gorontalo City. This study uses survey evaluation methods. Data writing techniques use questionnaires, documentation, and tests. Data analysis using descriptive analysis. The population is students in grade 4, 5 and class 6 and teachers and principals in the Public Elementary School 61 in Kota Timur Subdistrict, Gorontalo City, totaling 3 classes. Keywords—management, superior school, school-based
important match is unjustified when they are led to believe that the team is more important than the individual. These attitudes need urgent reappraisal. In May 1979 the Medical Officers of Schools Association issued a series of guidelines in an attempt to prevent or reduce the number of injuries.8 In response the Rugby Football Union began collecting information about the number of neck injuries sustained in school matches with a view to publishing a definitive statement.6 An accurate and definitive statement is long overdue on what has been a recognised problem for some time. The registration of all such injuries by schools and rugby clubs should be made compulsory and rigorously maintained by the Rugby Football Union or a similar responsible central body. This should include a description of the incident; the player's age, weight, and height; and, after consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon, details of the injury sustained.
Endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) is an established and essential tool in lung cancer diagnosis and staging. While most studies show a specificity of 100%, sensitivity is often sub-optimal. The aim of this study was to develop a prediction model for malignancy, based on patient and lymph node characteristics. A retrospective cohort analysis of lymph nodes submitted to EBUS-TBNA between January 2016 and December 2017 was conducted. Lymph node characteristics (station, morphology, size, and vascularization) and histology were evaluated. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed and a prediction score for malignancy was developed from this model using a regression coefficient-based scoring method. A cut-off point was chosen for optimal sensitivity. 308 lymph node results were analysed, corresponding to 222 patients, with a mean age of 61 (range 27 - 85). 76 (33.8%) were female. Punctured lymph nodes had a mean short axis of 13.3 mm. 66 (21.4%) were malignant. On univariable analysis, age, lymph node size, borders, vascularization and station (pretracheal vs others) were associated with malignancy. Only lymph node size (β=0.169), vascularization (β=-1.370) and station (β=1.035) were retained in the final multivariate model. This model [ sizex0.169 + (1.035 if pre-tracheal) – (1.370 if vascularized)] had an area under curve of 0.777 (95% CI 0.715 - 0.839), p A score based on lymph node size, vascularization and station can improve accuracy of EBUS-TBNA and help to optimize false-negative results.
Based on Vesic theory of cavity expansion and Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion,A method was proposed which can be used to calculate earth pressure around circular section static compaction pile.Furthermore, a formula calculating earth pressure around circular section static compaction pile with horizontal displacement was deduced based on hyothesis without relative displacement on pile-soil contact boundary.Finally,according to the research above and force balance condition,an estimation method for horizontal bearing capacity of circular section static compaction pile was gotten.In order to validate the feasibility proposed theory in this paper, a comparative research was carried out.Both experimental and theoretical results indicated that earth pressure on pile-soil contact surface of soil compaction pile was much more than of pile without soil compaction and earth pressure would redistribute with change of horizontal displacement.Moreove,because horizontal bearing capacity calculated by method in this paper accorded with result measured in field very much,the theory in here was feasible.
1960 and 1973 turned this index on its head. Turkish workers who were recruited had contracts which assured them a job in Germany at a stipulated wage; the uncertainty for them was a less than certain job at home. The Todaro idea of economic certainty at home and uncertainty at the migrant's destination may be useful to model the decisions of unauthorized migrants, but not those of legally recruited migrants. Straubhaar deserves credit for attempting to model the macroeconomic consequences of emigration on labor exporters. He acknowledges that there is no consensus on how to model such consequences and there is little data available to manipulate. This means that Straubhaar defines a concept such as expected net gains from migration fairly rigorously, but then estimates it rather simplistically as the inverse of host country unemployment times the ratio of per capita incomes in the source and destination country. Even for such a simple model, Straubhaar had only 21 years of data available, covering 1961 through 1984. Straubhaar's conclusions will not be surprising to students of international labor migration. Most analysts have concluded that recruitment is required to get labor migration started, and that the outflow of workers and the return ofremittances do not have dramatic take-offeffects on sending country economies. It is hard to measure the effects of labor migration on emigration countries at the macro level, but the imperfect measures available suggest that it is very easy to oversell the benefits of labor migration. Straubhaar deserves commendation for taking the first step to estimate such macro level effects.
The topic of regulation is commonplace in society, yet it seems to receive little explicit consideration in discussions on undergraduate medical education. The accompanying articles by Hauer and colleagues, White and colleagues, and Bloodgood and colleagues approach the topic of regulation from several different viewpoints. In this commentary, we too approach the topic of regulation from several different viewpoints: sociology, learning (self-regulated learning), and accountability. In this commentary, we present both theoretical and practical issues with the aim of initiating an open, scholarly discussion in the field of medical education. Ultimately, we hope other medical educators will seriously contemplate the questions raised and, more importantly, will consider employing these theoretical perspectives into future research efforts.
In this special section of this issue of Science and Public Policy, authors try to find new answers to some enduring questions about social cohesion and social inclusion that have long been present in social thought. The aim of the various contributions is to refine the approaches to inclusion and cohesion in order to increase their impact in policy-making. Authors believe that forward-looking approaches need further tailoring in order to better suit the needs of decision-makers and their changing environment, and that there is an urgent need to inform the public about the potential value of the analysis of these problems. Earlier versions of the papers were presented at the Meeting of the Latin American Association of Science and Technology Studies (ESOCITE), held 20-23 July 2010 at Buenos Aires. Copyright The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com, Oxford University Press.
A two-stage beamforming (BF) approach is proposed for millimeter wave (mmWave) cellular networks, wherein each base station (BS) first obtains wide beams to its users during the initial access (IA), then refines to narrow beams during the beam refinement phase (BRP). The performance of the proposed approach is derived under three IA protocols. Compared to a single-stage approach where beam searching is solely finished during IA, the two-stage BF approach is shown to significantly increase the user-perceived throughput (UPT) for the exhaustive search IA protocol, and it provides a flexible framework to achieve good IA delay and UPT performance simultaneously.
Adult patients deficient in carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II) cannot generate sufficient amounts of energy, which results in rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure (ARF). Its genetic basis has been recognized; but histopathologic changes, especially electron microscopic changes, have scarcely been described. The study subject is a patient with ARF caused by repetitive nontraumatic rhabdomyolysis. The acylcarnitine profile of serum and enzyme assay on skin fibroblasts confirmed the diagnosis of CPT II deficiency. Renal biopsy specimens were examined microscopically and immunohistochemically. The histological diagnosis was interstitial nephritis with acute tubular necrosis caused by rhabdomyolysis. Myoglobin in tubules was detected by means of immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The genetic structure of CPT II was analyzed in the patient and his family. Eight pairs of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed to cover the coding region. Each PCR-amplified gene product was subjected to DNA sequencing, which unveiled heterozygosity at the CPT II locus consisting of a deletion of cytosine and thymine at codon 408, resulting in a stop signal at 420, as well as a mutation of arginine to cysteine at codon 631. The frame shift at 408 has never been described before. DNA sequencing of the family showed the deletion mutation from the mother and the point mutation from the father. We describe renopathological findings in a patient with CPT II deficiency associated with rhabdomyolysis, which suggested the pathological role of myoglobin casts in the development of tubular necrosis. Genetic analysis of the patient identified a novel variant of the CPT II gene.
The 21.1/4''-5000 x 13.5/8''-15000 two-stack wellhead is a development of the field-proven 5000 and 10000 systems for deep wells where high pressures will be anticipated. This system is designed to permit deeper drilling with minimal under-reaming and still provide 15000-psi BOP protection when drilling out for and running the 9.5/8'' and 7'' casing. A typical casing programme would be 30'', 24'', 18.5/8'', 9.5/8'' and 7''. A five-string casing programme without the 24'' is also available. After the surface conductor is set, the 24'' casing is run on the 21.1/4''5000-psi marine housing. The 21.1/4''-5000-psi BOP is then landed. Both the 18.5/8'' and 13.3/8'' casing can be drilled out for and run through the 21.1/4''-5000 BOP stack. After the 13.5/8'' housing, when the 13.3/8'' casing is landed and cemented in place, the 21.1/4''-5000 BOP stack is replaced with the 13.5/8''-15000-psi BOP stack. With this system under-reaming is required only on the shallow 24'' and 18.5/8'' casing strings.
1. Head injuries caused by aggressive pecking are an important welfare problem in quail farming. The aim of experiments one to three was to reduce the rate of aggressive pecking in breeder groups. 2. The quails were housed in pens containing litter, nest boxes and a dustbathing box. The experimental groups consisted of 2/14, 3/14, 5/15 or 5/35 (males/hens) quails which were introduced into the experimental pens at the age of 4, 6 or 7 weeks. 3. None of the 5 factors that varied between the pens (visual barriers, age of introduction into the pens, number of hens per 5 males, number of males per 14 hens and light intensity) had a significant effect on the rate of aggressive pecking interactions between males. 4. Because of serious head injuries 20%, 17.5% and 12.5% (experiments 1, 2, 3) of the males had to be removed from their groups. 5. In single-male groups containing 8, 12, 16 and 20 hens (experiment 4) the percentages of fertilised eggs were 92%, 84%, 77% and 69% (medians, n = 4 pens per group size). No males were seriously injured in these groups. 6. It is concluded that for welfare reasons multi-male breeding groups of Japanese quail cannot be recommended. Given the satisfactory fertility observed in groups with a sex ratio of 1:8 or 1:12, single-male groups are also of interest for economic reasons: food costs are reduced.
Plasma-facing components in tokamak-type fusion reactors are subjected to intense heat loads during plasma disruptions. The influence of high heat fluxes on the depths of heat-affected zones on Type 316 stainless steel with different sulfur impurities was studied for range of energy densities and disruption times. It was demonstrated in small beam simulation experiments that under certain conditions, impurities through their effect on surface tension create convection flows, hence exercising a determining influence on the flow intensities and the resulting depth of molten layers. When a CO{sub 2} laser is used as a heat source, the role of impurities diminishes, due to high temperatures on the surface of the specimens, and all types of stainless steel behave like pure material. However, by using an alternative heat source that produces lower surface temperatures, e.g., tungsten inert gas, the stainless steel containing high sulfur produces much higher melting zone thicknesses compared with the low sulfur steels. Comparison between experimental results and existing theoretical predictions reveal significant differences in the depths of the melt layers. 23 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab.
While the text, instrumentation, and performance details of Schafer’s Seventh String Quartet (which include an obligato soprano, colour and costume motifs, and texts based on the writings of a schizophrenic woman) seem to distract from the work’s pitch structure, seemingly disparate motives can instead be considered closely related because they repeat a particular transpositional gesture. This article uses transformational network analysis, a recently developed theoretical approach incorporating elements of mathematical and musical set theory, to illustrate similarities between these pitch motives. A brief introduction to transformational network analysis is included for those not familiar with its terminology.
This comment starts exploring some central concepts of feminist theory and feminist jurisprudence, like sex-gender system or patriarchy, which precede the concept of gender violence. Afterwards, F. Poggi’s concept of gender and gender violence based on the notion of stereotypes is questioned. In the second part of the paper, considerarions on women’s human rights are the starting point for analyzing Poggi’s critics to «disproportion» and «the fact of being a woman», as appear in the international norms on gender violence.
The reports and histories compiled by the members of the Society of Jesus in the second half of the sixteenth century were among the earliest European sources to treat ‘Japan’ as a geographical and political reality. The peculiarity of the Jesuit approach, focused on research and adaptation, is reflected in the variety of their contents, encompassing descriptions of geography, politics, society, language, religion and art. The reports were also the earliest sources on Japan to reach a wider public in Europe. They were not only delivered to Coimbra, Rome and to the different Jesuit houses, but also distributed commercially, in the form of letter-books,  throughout Europe. It can be presumed that the impact of the letter-books on European readership was enhanced by the growing popularity of periodical publications and by the expansion of the publishing market. This paper will use the reports published in vernacular Italian as a case study, and investigate the nature of such readership and how the reports fit into the Italian book market of the sixteenth century. It will analyse them in light of the cultural and economical processes that led to their production and circulation, focusing on publishing houses, editions and formats, in order to evaluate the editorial policies that led to their circulation.
In the light of critical social theory and through a literature review, we aim to discuss the Brazilian Education policy after the coup d'etat, which took place in 2016, highlighting the initiatives aimed at basic education under the pillars of regression, disruption and dismantling of educational public policy, causing its ontological emptiness, the flexibility of the curriculum and the precarious working conditions portrayed in the Movement School without Party, in the Common National Curriculum Base and in the High School Reform. Finally, we signal the necessary articulation of the working class in defense of public and quality education.
Clostridium piliforme, the agent of Tyzzer disease, has traditionally not been considered a major pathogen of cats. We queried the database of the Pathology Service of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, University of California–Davis, for kittens <6-mo-old autopsied between 2000–2021 that had colitis, hepatitis, and/or myocarditis; 37 cases met the search criteria. Sections of colon, liver, and heart from these 37 cats were stained with modified Steiner; 19 of 37 (51%) cases had intraepithelial, Steiner-positive rods compatible with C. piliforme in at least one organ, confirming Tyzzer disease. The affected age range was 7–42 d (median: 17.5 d). Eighteen were orphaned kittens. Colitis was the major lesion (18 of 19) followed by random hepatitis (11 of 19). Perianal dermatitis with intraepithelial stacked rods was seen in 2 of 19. Myocarditis was not evident in any of the cases. A PCR assay for C. piliforme on 10 selected cases using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks was positive or suspected in colon (5 of 10), liver (5 of 10), and heart (1 of 10). The modified Steiner stain was more sensitive in the detection of bacteria than PCR on FFPE samples. Fifteen kittens had comorbidities. A weakened immune state caused by maternal, environmental, infectious, and/or nutritional causes is speculated to have contributed to disease onset. We found that Tyzzer disease is more common than previously believed in orphaned kittens and should be considered in kittens with colitis and/or hepatitis.
The physical and chemical properties of the soil are important factors influencing the yield of crops. One of the agrotechnical factors influencing the biochemical properties of soil is sowing density. It affects the yield components, light, moisture and thermal conditions in the canopy and the pressure of pests. Secondary metabolites, many of which are known to act as a defense mechanism against insects, are of importance in the interaction between the crop and abiotic and biotic factors of the habitat. To the best of our knowledge, the studies conducted so far do not sufficiently reveal the impacts of the wheat species and the sowing density, together with the biochemical properties of the soil, on the accumulation of bioactive ingredients in the crop plants, and the subsequent impacts on the occurrence of phytophagic entomofauna in various management systems. Explaining these processes creates an opportunity for more sustainable development of agriculture. The study aimed to determine the effect of wheat species and sowing density on the biochemical properties of the soil, concentrations of biologically active compounds in the plant and the occurrence of insect pests in organic (OPS) and conventional (CPS) production systems. The research was conducted on spring wheat species (Indian dwarf wheat—Triticum sphaerococcum Percival and Persian wheat—Triticum persicum Vavilov) grown in OPS and CPS at sowing densities 400, 500, 600 (seeds m−2). The following analyzes were performed: (i) soil analysis: the activity of catalases (CAT), dehydrogenases (DEH), peroxidases (PER); (ii) plant analysis: total phenolic compounds (TP), chlorogenic acid (CA), antioxidant capacity (FRAP); (iii) entomological analysis of the number of insects—Oulema spp. adults and larvae. Performing analyzes in such a wide (interdisciplinary) scope will allow for a comprehensive understanding of the soil-plant-insect biological transformation evaluation. Our results showed that an increase in soil enzyme activity caused a decrease in TP contents in the wheat grown the OPS. Despite this, both the content of TP and the anti-oxidative activity of the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) were higher in these wheats. Bioactive compound contents and FRAP were most favoured by the lowest sowing density. Regardless of the production system, the occurrence of the Oulema spp. adults on T. sphaerococcum was the lowest at a sowing density of 500 seeds m−2. The occurrence of this pest’s larvae was lowest at a sowing density of 400 seeds m−2. Research on bioactive compounds in plants, biochemical properties of soil and the occurrence of pests make it possible to comprehensively assess the impact of the sowing density of ancient wheat in the ecological and conventional production system, which is necessary for the development of environmentally sustainable agriculture.
Research background: Two related effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic on tourism and hospitality in the Czech Republic are already evident for the upcoming summer months. In the first place, it is the effect on the Czech tourists’ preferences. The pandemic forced them to reconsider their plans and, as a result, it is evident that more tourists will spend summer only in the Czech Republic. This change in preferences is connected with a second effect, concerning the strategies of the domestic accommodation facilities - their managers should adapt marketing mix to meet the demand of Czech clients, because unlike the previous years, these tourists will become their main target group. Purpose of the article: The aim of the paper is to identify the preferences for summer holiday in 2020 of the Czech tourists who have decided to spend summer holiday only in the Czech Republic because of the COVID-19 global pandemic as well as to find out their wants in terms of accommodation facilities’ marketing mix. Methods: During spring 2020, a survey of 637 respondents was conducted to determine the preferences of the Czech tourists for summer holiday in 2020. This paper is focused on the analysis of data from respondents who decided to spend this year’s summer holiday only in the Czech Republic (a total of 202 respondents). Findings & Value added: Based on the results, we will define findings for accommodation facilities regarding the possible update of marketing mix to meet the actual demand of Czech tourists.
The rapid pace of advancement of microprocessor technology has shown no sign of diminishing, and this pace is expected to continue in the future. Recent trends in such areas as silicon technology, processor architecture and implementation, system organization, buses, higher levels of integration, self-testing, caches, coprocessors, and fault tolerance are discussed, and expectations for further advances are highlighted. How these trends and expectations will drive the markets and applications, and vice versa, is also explored.
To support multimedia applications effectively in mobile networks, the handover latency or packet losses during handover should be very small. Addressing this issue, we present a cooperative mobile router-based handover (CoMoRoHo) scheme for long-vehicular multihomed mobile networks. The basic idea behind CoMoRoHo is to enable different mobile routers to access different subnets during a handover and cooperatively receive packets destined for each other. In general, packet losses are directly proportional to handover latency; however, the overlapped reception of packets from different subnets makes possible to minimize packet losses even without reducing handover latency. To evaluate the scheme, we carried out performance modeling of the CoMoRoHo scheme in comparison with the Fast Handover for Mobile IPv6 (FMIPv6) protocol in regard to the handover latency, packet loss, signaling overhead, and packet delivery overhead in access networks. The analysis results show that CoMoRoHo outperforms FMIPv6 by reducing the packet losses as well as signaling overheads by more than 50%. Moreover, CoMoRoHo imposes lower packet delivery overheads required for preventing packets from being dropped from access routers. We thus conclude that CoMoRoHo is a scalable scheme because its performance remains intact even when the access network is overloaded.
OBJECTIVES Accumulated evidence demonstrates that propofol has antitumour roles in various cancers. However, the role of propofol in osteosarcoma is still unclear. Therefore, we aim to determine the role of propofol on osteosarcoma and further explore its potential mechanism.   METHODS Cell proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma were detected using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, wound healing and transwell assay, respectively. The interaction between FoxO1 and TUSC7 was determined using luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation.   RESULTS Propofol treatment significantly decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion in U2OS cells. Propofol promoted TUSC7 expression by enhancing transcriptional factor FOXO1 that leads to inactivation of AKT/GSK3β signalling resulting in the suppression of cell proliferation, migration and invasion.   CONCLUSIONS Propofol suppresses cell proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells through FOXO1/TUSC7 axis by regulating AKT/GSK3β signalling.
In this paper a fuzzy gain scheduling based controller for multi area multi source power system is presented. Area-1 comprises of thermal and hydro plant and area-2 consists of thermal and hydro power plant with wind turbine generator and both areas are connected via tie line. Frequency deviation caused by load fluctuation is controlled by PI controller. For optimal response the PI controller is tuned via Ziegler Nichols (ZN) technique and Fuzzy Gain Scheduling (FGS) method. From MATLAB simulations it is observed that FGS based PI controller outperforms ZN tuned PI and conventional PI. The proposed model is further investigated with an integrated wind turbine generator and here also superior performance of fuzzy gain scheduling based PI compared to other control techniques is observed.
Antagonistic coevolution (i.e., reciprocal adaptation and counter-adaptation) between hosts and pathogens has long been considered an important driver of genetic variation. However, direct evidence for this is still scarce, especially in vertebrates. The wealth of data on genetics of susceptibility to infectious disease in humans provides an important resource for understanding host–pathogen coevolution, but studies of humans are rarely framed in coevolutionary theory. Here, I review data from human host–pathogen systems to critically assess the evidence for a key assumption of models of host–pathogen coevolution—the presence of host genotype-by-pathogen genotype interactions (G×G). I also attempt to infer whether observed G×G fit best with “gene-for-gene” or “matching allele” models of coevolution. I find that there are several examples of G×G in humans (involving, e.g., ABO, HBB, FUT2, SLC11A1, and HLA genes) that fit assumptions of either gene-for-gene or matching allele models. This means that there is potential for coevolution to drive polymorphism also in humans (and presumably other vertebrates), but further studies are required to investigate how widespread this process is.
ny five-year-old understands the sequential nature of alphabetical order, especially when beginning with the letter A. It would, therefore, seem sensible to take advantage of this understanding when teaching children the sequential logic of musical notes. In the case of the violin, a sequential approach would seem especially to make a lot of sense because, unlike most other instruments, the note A is, technically, an eminendy practical point of departure. But this happy coincidence is almost never exploited in current beginning violin pedagogy. The most widely used instructional material purely for violin, the Suzuki Violin School, is designed according to priorities unrelated to music reading. The remainder of the instructional literature is dominated not by violin methods, but by comprehensive heterogeneous string class methods, such as Essential Elements, String Explorer, Artistry in Stn'ngs, Strictly Strings, Allfor Strings, and the Belwin String Builder, which introduce fingered notes on the D string before the A string in order to coordinate with viola, cello, and bass. A trend among string methods is toward introducing third finger first in order to better promote left-hand shape. The established entry-level literature-pieces such as "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Lighdy Row," "Twinkle," and the ultra-simple "Hot Cross Buns"-tend to favor descending note patterns. These same pieces tend to work best in the keys of D or A major, and thus do not involve the note C-naturaL The low 2, required for C-natural, is considered more physically difficult than the high 2, and so, with the exception of Artistry
At a recent meeting of the Group of Seven in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in September 1996, Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo contended that the "free market without limits" was the answer to poverty in Latin America. Zedillo, by using the term market as a rhetorical tool, was building upon a tradition that has a long history in Mexico, for during the Porfiriato the market was employed as a rhetorical device. Some Porfiristas worshipped the market as a deity that created social peace, political harmony, and material abundance, but contemporaries also demonized it as a source of social destruction. Thus, the market became the object of a kind of secular religion-albeit a controversial one-during the age of Diaz.' The market's rhetorical importance has, however, largely been ignored by scholars of Porfirian Mexico. This oversight has a touch of irony, for many specialists agree that the most profound and far-reaching development in Porfirian Mexico was the expansion of the market. The spread of a market economy seriously challenged traditional ways of life and marked the emergence of modern Mexico.2 Scholars have documented the impact of market expansion from a variety of perspectives,3 and some have suggested that market expansion was a principal cause of the 1910 Revolution (Tutino, 1986; Womack, 1968; Hart, 1987; Knight, 1990). Scholarly neglect of the market's symbolic importance is not surprising; modern scholars (particularly economists), following the precedents of classical political economy, treat the economy as divorced from politics, society, and culture. (Indeed, the creation of the market supposedly "freed" the economy from social constraints.) The effects of the market on the realms of politics, culture, and society have, however, been a central theme in Western economic discourse. Indeed, the researcher does not need to read between the lines to analyze the market from this vantage point. In the discourses of Quesnay and other precursors of modern political economy, commerce was lauded
The published literature on ornithology in the region is vast, spanning almost three centuries and recording over , species of birds. Aasheesh Pittie points out that as early as –, about  books relating to South Asian ornithology had been published; this number had soared to over , by the end of ! In this bibliography, a comprehensive list of books that contain information on the birds of South Asia is provided. Scholarly, popular, as well as relatively obscure texts, are included to present a complete as possible picture of ornithological publications on South Asia. Taxonomic texts dealing with the classification and nomenclature of birds, travelogues, picture books, field guides, works published as monographs within journals, bibliographies, biographies, autobiographies, country handbooks, regional avifaunas, multi-volume ornithological works, art folios, catalogues of museum collections, and simple checklists are all included. The books are mainly in English, except for certain period literature that is in German, French, Latin, etc. A few works in Indian languages (Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Malaylam, etc) are also included, though the author states that these may not comprise a complete representation of existing work in regional languages. The general arrangement of the works is alphabetical by author and chronological by year, under author. Three indices are provided, facilitating easy access to the entries. The first is a general index of places, subjects, and taxa; the second, an index of new names proposed by authors; and the third an index of co-authors and or co-editors. Twenty-one pages of introduction detail a fascinating chronology of books published on South Asian ornithology and is complemented by an interesting timeline of books from  to  listing the dates of key works. This bibliography provides a window on a massive bank of scientific and popular knowledge that is invaluable to contemporary ornithologists, both amateur and professional. It is a landmark publication of South Asian ornithology and belongs in all university and museum libraries and in those of anyone with a keen interest in birds in the region.—Carol Inskipp,  Herneside, Welney, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire PE SB, United Kingdom; e-mail: inskipp@btinternet.com.
Replacing a magnetic atom by a spinless atom in a heavy-fermion compound generates a quantum state often referred to as a “Kondo-hole”. No experimental imaging has been achieved of the atomic-scale electronic structure of a Kondo-hole, or of their destructive impact [Lawrence JM, et al. (1996) Phys Rev B 53:12559–12562] [Bauer ED, et al. (2011) Proc Natl Acad Sci. 108:6857–6861] on the hybridization process between conduction and localized electrons which generates the heavy-fermion state. Here we report visualization of the electronic structure at Kondo-holes created by substituting spinless thorium atoms for magnetic uranium atoms in the heavy-fermion system URu2Si2. At each thorium atom, an electronic bound state is observed. Moreover, surrounding each thorium atom we find the unusual modulations of hybridization strength recently predicted to occur at Kondo-holes [Figgins J, Morr DK (2011) Phys Rev Lett 107:066401]. Then, by introducing the “hybridization gapmap” technique to heavy-fermion studies, we discover intense nanoscale heterogeneity of hybridization due to a combination of the randomness of Kondo-hole sites and the long-range nature of the hybridization oscillations. These observations provide direct insight into both the microscopic processes of heavy-fermion forming hybridization and the macroscopic effects of Kondo-hole doping.
By factorizing a general one-bit transformation matrix for one-bit gates in quantum computer, a general unitary transformation is constructed, which can serve as (controlled)m gate for the conditional quantum dynamics. When the quantized single-mode electromagnetic field containing n or no photons acts as the controlled bit, the quantum controlled-NOT gates and square root of the controlled-NOT gates in cavity-quantum electrodynamics are realized.
This Note critiques how recent Supreme Court and Federal Circuit opinions have eviscerated patent eligibility for molecular diagnostic technologies, exemplified by Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc. v. Sequenom, Inc. This Note explores the origins of the judicially created “law of nature/natural phenomena” exceptions to statutory patent-eligible subject matter and examines how the courts have expanded them to limit, jeopardize or foreclose patent eligibility for molecular diagnostics specifically and practical applications of new scientific discoveries broadly.
The molecular chaperone Hsp90 orchestrates regulatory circuitry governing fungal morphogenesis, biofilm development, drug resistance, and virulence. Hsp90 functions in concert with co-chaperones to regulate stability and activation of client proteins, many of which are signal transducers. Here, we characterize the first Hsp90 co-chaperone in the leading human fungal pathogen, Candida albicans. We demonstrate that Sgt1 physically interacts with Hsp90, and that it governs C. albicans morphogenesis and drug resistance. Genetic depletion of Sgt1 phenocopies depletion of Hsp90, inducing yeast to filament morphogenesis and invasive growth. Sgt1 governs these traits by bridging two morphogenetic regulators: Hsp90 and the adenylyl cyclase of the cAMP-PKA signaling cascade, Cyr1. Sgt1 physically interacts with Cyr1, and depletion of either Sgt1 or Hsp90 activates cAMP-PKA signaling, revealing the elusive link between Hsp90 and the PKA signaling cascade. Sgt1 also mediates tolerance and resistance to the two most widely deployed classes of antifungal drugs, azoles and echinocandins. Depletion of Sgt1 abrogates basal tolerance and acquired resistance to azoles, which target the cell membrane. Depletion of Sgt1 also abrogates tolerance and resistance to echinocandins, which target the cell wall, and renders echinocandins fungicidal. Though Sgt1 and Hsp90 have a conserved impact on drug resistance, the underlying mechanisms are distinct. Depletion of Hsp90 destabilizes the client protein calcineurin, thereby blocking crucial responses to drug-induced stress; in contrast, depletion of Sgt1 does not destabilize calcineurin, but blocks calcineurin activation in response to drug-induced stress. Sgt1 influences not only morphogenesis and drug resistance, but also virulence, as genetic depletion of C. albicans Sgt1 leads to reduced kidney fungal burden in a murine model of systemic infection. Thus, our characterization of the first Hsp90 co-chaperone in a fungal pathogen establishes C. albicans Sgt1 as a global regulator of morphogenesis and drug resistance, providing a new target for treatment of life-threatening fungal infections.
Cultural diplomacy is being increasingly considered the medium in which nation states can instrumentalize their cultural production and accomplish soft power goals. Analysts have repeatedly underlined the importance of culture in place branding in globalized economies, where culture can singularize products and assign them greater value. Both foreign and cultural policy have made the international projection of cultural industries a strategic goal, and this has simultaneously transformed the goals and networks of these policies. Although the literature addresses this phenomenon, certain effects of brand policy-making have become evident and require further attention: the simplification of cultural diversity, the elimination of non-coherent characteristics within brands and the limitation of internal dissension and participation. In this paper, Spain’s nation branding project Marca España (Spain Brand) is critically analysed as a process of economic and political instrumentalization conducted by large companies who promote a simplified and homogeneous image of national culture.
rate of accumulation approaching 50 cm/100 years and a compaction rate of up to 75% (i.e., 10 cm of deposit preserved today may represent ?40 cm of original deposit). In the absence of preserved visible microstratigraphy in open-air sites (and its presence in a protected rock shelter), we are led to the tentative conclusion that occupation was sporadic by a small number of highly mobile groups, probably on a seasonal basis, although this remains to be demonstrated conclusively by further work.
In order to meet the requirements of different filtering specifications in a reconfigurable platform that supports multi-standard coexistence and high data rates, a general-purpose filter is indispensable. This paper presents a new architecture of a general filter composed of a lattice wave digital filter (LWDF) that has low sensitivity and excellent stability properties. Possessing advantages of small area and low latency, this general IIR filter can also achieve approximately linear phase.
Background and Purpose— Lipoxin A4 (LXA4) has been reported to reduce inflammation in several neurological injury models. We studied the effects of LXA4 on neuroinflammation after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in a rat model. Methods— Two hundred and thirty-eight Sprague–Dawley male rats, weight 280–320 g, were used. Exogenous LXA4 (0.3 and 1.0 nmol) were injected intracerebroventricularly at 1.5 hours after SAH. Neurological scores, brain water content, and blood–brain barrier were evaluated at 24 hours after SAH; Morris water maze and T-maze tests were examined at 21 days after SAH. The expression of endogenous LXA4 and its receptor formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2), as well as p38, interleukin-1&bgr;, and interleukin-6 were studied either by ELISA or by Western blots. Neutrophil infiltration was observed by myeloperoxidase staining. FPR2 siRNA was used to knock down LXA4 receptor. Results— The expression of endogenous LXA4 decreased, and the expression of FPR2 increased after SAH. Exogenous LXA4 decreased brain water content, reduced Evans blue extravasation, and improved neurological functions and improved the learning and memory ability after SAH. LXA4 reduced neutrophil infiltration and phosphorylation of p38, interleukin-1&bgr;, and interleukin-6. These effects of LXA4 were abolished by FPR2 siRNA. Conclusions— Exogenous LXA4 inhibited inflammation by activating FPR2 and inhibiting p38 after SAH. LXA4 may serve as an alternative treatment to relieve early brain injury after SAH.
To solve the poor universality in the existing modelling approaches of soybean particles, we proposed a soybean particle modelling approach by combining five, nine, and 13 balls. The soybean seeds from three varieties (Suinong42, Jidou17, and Zhongdou39 with a sphericity of 94.78%, 86.86%, and 80.6%, respectively) are chosen as the study objects. By the comparisons between the simulation results and the test results in the “self-flow screening” and “piling angle” tests, it is concluded that the soybean particle modelling approach we presented in this paper is a universal modelling approach appropriate for soybean particles with different sphericities. The five-ball model is appropriate for the soybean particles with high sphericity, and the nine- or 13-ball models are applicable to those with low sphericity. The soybean particle modelling approach we presented is also compared with the ellipsoidal equation modelling approach for soybean particles and with the modelling approaches presented by other researchers. From an overall perspective, the soybean particle modelling approach we presented is better than the ellipsoidal equation modelling approach and those modelling approaches presented by other researchers. Additionally, it is shown that the multiple contacts issue in the multi-ball model has a little influence on the simulation results of soybean particle models. The study in this paper provides a new modelling approach for soybean particles in the DEM simulation of the contacts between soybean particles and the related machines.
Abstract Purpose: Menstrual-cycle irregularity may have an important influence on the subsequent development of chronic diseases. Several risk factors for irregular menstrual cycles have been detected, including stress. Our aim was to extend research on the link between chronic stress and menstrual-cycle irregularity and to assess potential protective factors, such as dispositional resilience, which we hypothesize to be associated with the maintenance or promotion of a healthy menstrual cycle. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, data on 696 healthy women aged 20–40 years were obtained. The women completed measures of chronic stress, dispositional resilience and menstrual-cycle irregularity. Furthermore, potential confounds were assessed. Results: Of the participants, 383 (55%) reported no current use of hormonal contraceptives; 313 (45%) reported current use hormonal contraception and were included as a control group. The results suggest that in women not using hormonal contraception, chronic stress (OR = 1.05, 95%CI = 1.02–1.08, p = 0.001) and dispositional resilience (OR = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.31–0.59, p < 0.001) have a main effect on menstrual cycle regularity. In addition, women with greater dispositional resilience have reduced risk for irregular menstrual cycles in the face of low to moderate chronic stress; however, this association is changed at the highest level of chronic stress. Conclusions: These findings suggest that dispositional resilience may be a protective psychological trait that modulates reproductive functioning.
The article describes a method for examining the material of monument structures using physico-chemical studies. The surface of samples of wooden structures was investigated by electron microscopy. The study of the capillary structure of wood was determined by kinetic changes in water adsorption. The possibility of destruction of wood structures in time was determined by the mycological method. Wood samples were taken for examination from the following monuments of wooden architecture: The Kremlin of Rostov the Great; Kizhe Reserve Museum; St. Nicholas Church in the village of Llava; piles of the Assumption Cathedral STSL; Seraphim-Diveevo monastery.
Figure. A: Telescopic view (4 mm, 0°) ofthe left nasal cavity reveals extensive nasal septal deflection into the left nasal passage with a smallmiddle turbinate. Band C: Examination oftheright nasal cavity shows theextreme enlargement oftheright middle turbinate in a larger nasal cavity. D: Coronal CT scan of theparanasal sinuses shows marked septal deviation to the left with a markedly enlarged right middle turbinate and with a muchsmaller leftmiddleturbinate. Somemucosal thickening in thefloor of themaxillary sinuses is noted. A 53-year-old man presented with long-standing nasal and sinus congestion that had begun after an untreated nasal injury had occurred 35 years earlier. Endoscopic nasal examination showed extensive nasal septal deflection into the left nasal passage (figure, A) and extreme enlargement of the right middle turbinate (figure, Band C). Computed tomography (CT) of the sinuses showed similar findings (figure, D) with a markedly enlarged right middle turbinate that was not pneumatized. The patient underwent nasal septal reconstruction. At the time of this surgery, partial resection of the right middle turbinate also was carried out to allow midline placement of the deviated septum. Postoperatively, the patient's airway improved bilaterally. The hypertrophy of the right middle turbinate in this case was not due to a concha bullosa, as evidenced by the middle turbinate's lack of pneumatization. It appears that because this patient's nasal septum was markedly deflected to the left, hence enlarging the right airway artificially over the previous 35 years, the right middle turbinate had an unusually large space in which to expand. Compensatory hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate is frequently seen when there is significant shifting of the nasal septum to the opposite side of the nose; compensatory hypertrophy of a middle turbinate, however, is less common.'
Purpose of review Suicide risk assessment and management can be particularly challenging in patients with personality disorders. This paper reviews recent research into the assessment and clinical management of suicide risk in patients with personality diagnoses. Recent findings The DSM cluster B personality diagnoses carry the most serious suicide risk - similar to that of non-personality-disordered patients with major mood disorders. Factors increasing suicide risk in these patients include the presence of co-morbid mood or addiction disorders (often inadequately treated), severity of childhood sexual abuse, degree of antisocial or impulsive characteristics, and a history of irregular psychiatric care discharges. Complicating suicide risk management in this population, suicide gestures without lethal intent are common and suicide threats may be presented in a manipulative manner (contingent or instrumental suicidality). Hospitalization, the traditional intervention for imminent suicide risk, may be counter-productive and regressive in some personality-disordered patients. Summary This review highlights the importance of a careful evaluation of personality-disordered patients with suicidal ideation and presents some suggestions for suicide risk management in this population.
In milling the hard-to-machine materials vibrations (chatter) often arise from the high cutting forces if a technological system is insufficiently rigid. The main way to suppress these vibrations is to increase a stiffness of the mounting system of the tool and the work-piece to be machined. However, sometimes this method doesn’t lead to desirable result because of high values of intrinsic pliability of the tool and the work-piece. Currently, there are more complicated methods to ensure milling process quality. Among them there are three main groups: mathematical simulation of milling process dynamics and computation of processing parameters which provide high quality of machined surface, low level of vibrations and static deflections of a tool and a work-piece; introduction of the active vibration suppression devices into machine tool design; such devices include a vibration sensor, a feedback circuit, and an actuator which induces kinematic or force action on the oscillatory system; control of processing parameters, mainly of rotation frequency for minimizing the amplitudes of vibrations. The paper studies one of the 3 rd group methods. There is a suggestion to process a signal of vibrational accelerations in real time and detect a chatter onset. If the chatter has been detected its frequency is to be identified, and the new value of rotation speed is set: where Ω – rotation frequency, rot/s; p – the tool eigenfrequency value identified during processing, Hz; z – mill tooth number; i – positive integer number; e<1 – small positive parameter. In the current research it is assumed that e = 0,2. The formula has been chosen because at the rotation frequency axis where tooth pass frequency is slightly less than the eigenfrequency divided by the integer value there are stable zones of dynamics in the milling process. The study shows a developed model of the plane milling dynamics. It includes a dynamic model of the tool, a model of cutting forces, and geometrical models of cutting edges and work-piece surface.  The model is used to study an impact of described control system on the milling process dynamics. Simulations were performed for different values of rotation frequency, and two cases were considered: without and with control. Analysis of the simulations showed that the developed control system provides considerable reduction of vibration amplitudes when milling.
The efficacy of currently available repair techniques has been assessed for a wide variety of defect types encountered on advanced lithographic masks. Focused ion beam (FIB) with gas-assisted etching and deposition, electron beam induced chemical processing (EBIC), and atomic force microscope based nano-machining (RAVE) were among the different methodologies evaluated. Various types of optical phase-shifting masks for the 45nm lithographic node, as well as nano-imprint lithography (NIL) templates, were used as test vehicles. Defect imaging resolution, spatial process confinement, repair edge placement, end-pointing control, sample damage (undesired changes in topographic or optical properties), and future extendibility served as the primary metrics for gauging repair performance. The primary aim of this study was to provide a single "snapshot" in time of the current development status of each tool for the context of 45nm node mask repair specifications and by no means were there any expectations for a final solution to already be commercially available. However, the results obtained from these tests should provide useful feedback and information to help improve the learning cycle for the development of 45nm lithographic node mask repair systems.
Purpose. Reading rate has been the main performance measure in studies that have compared reading with large print and optical magnifiers; eye movement characteristics have not been considered. We compared both eye movement characteristics and reading rates for subjects with macular disease reading without and with a range of low-vision devices. Methods. Silent reading rate and eye movement characteristics for text passages at critical print size of 21 subjects aged 14 to 88 years with macular disease were measured with and without their preferred low-vision device. Saccadic frequency was determined from a sequencing task comprising five letters each separated by 5°. Eye movements were recorded using an infrared limbal reflection system. Results. There were no significant differences in reading rate, fixation durations, saccade numbers per word, or percent retrace time when using a low-vision device compared with reading without a low-vision device. The percentage of regressions was, however, lower with the low-vision device. Saccadic frequency in the sequencing task was predictive of reading performance with and without a low-vision device. Conclusions. When reading at critical print size, in terms of reading rate or saccades per word, there was no advantage to using large print over an optical low-vision device.
networks, so much so that other media such as television are seeing attrition in viewership. A recent survey by Q Interactive from August 2009, with data from 1,000 women, shows that more than 45 percent of those surveyed spent less time watching TV due to spending more time on social networking sites. The survey also showed that 75 percent of the women were “more active” in social networking than they were the year before. The surge in women’s participation in content creation in the social media space is interesting not just for its cultural implications, but also for what it means from a professional perspective, especially when considering young girls and women. Statistics from the Pew Internet & American Life project also support the idea that young girls use social media. This may be the salvation from the maddening dearth of women in STEM fields. Engagement in social media itself might very well be generative not just of crucial mentoring and support, but also of the critical coding and programming skills young girls need in technical careers. A closer look at girls’ communication choices reveals how they are drawn to social media. “How can a girl grow up to be a technician, engineer, or a scientist? Providing girls with the guidance and incentives to take skilled positions in science and technology is a major responsibility of educators and employers. How can teachers, human resource experts, government, universities, and women’s organizations contribute to increasing career options for women?” —“Women In Science and Technology,” a report on an MIT workshop, May 1973
Mobile backhaul has moved to the forefront of wireless industry hot topics. The progressive deployment of spectrally efficient radio access technologies (e.g. HSPA, LTE, WiMAX) in mobile broadband is turning into stringent capacity requirements on the backhaul network. This makes backhaul capacity to become a potential network bottleneck in some deployment scenarios. While more cost-efficient transmission technologies are needed to increase the capacity of mobile backhaul, optimization solutions to get the most out of the backhaul capacity are also necessary. This paper analyses the possibility to exploit load balancing among base stations to improve backhaul capacity utilization. Load balancing is realized through cell selection algorithms accounting for both radio interface and backhaul conditions. An analytical model aimed at evaluating the performance of cell selection strategies for mobile networks with backhaul capacity constraints is developed. The analytical model is used to evaluate the performance of a novel backhaul-aware cell selection algorithm and compare it with classical schemes based exclusively on radio information. Obtained results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a utilization of backhaul resources higher than the traditional cell selection schemes while providing the same radio interface performance. Analytical results have been verified by means of simulation.
In 44 of 56 patients with malignant paraproteinaemia the relationship of serum viscosity, plasma volume (PV), estimated blood volume (BV) and clinical findings was investigated and in the remaining 12 patients one or more of these parameters was studied. There was a correlation between increased PV and serum viscosity (r= 0.66, P<0.001). The retinopathy characteristic of the hyperviscosity syndrome (HVS) was always associated with serum viscosity ≥3.8 and with hypervolaemia. The evidence that the retinal changes were related more closely to serum hyperviscosity than to hypervolaemia is twofold. First, there was a considerable overlap in the degree of BV expansion, but not serum hyperviscosity, in patients with and without retinopathy. Second, the retinopathy in a patient with Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia (WM) improved after plasma exchange with little change in BV. While bleeding was often associated with retinopathy seven patients with multiple myeloma (MM) had no retinopathy, viscosities ≥4.3 and BV in the same range as patients with no clinical signs. Haemorrhage in such patients may thus be unrelated to the property of the paraprotein responsible for hyperviscosity. Measurements of PV in a patient with WM having repeated plasma exchanges for bleeding suggested that hypervolaemia may contribute to haemorrhage in some patients. It is suggested that the term ‘HVS’ should be restricted to patients with retinopathy and that hypervolaemia should be considered a characteristic feature of this syndrome.
Background: Electronic health record (EHR) data represent a critical resource for comparative effectiveness research, allowing investigators to study intervention effects in real-world settings with large patient samples. However, high levels of missingness in confounder variables is common, challenging the perceived validity of EHR-based investigations. Methods: We investigated performance of multiple imputation and propensity score (PS) calibration when conducting inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW)-based comparative effectiveness research using EHR data with missingness in confounder variables and outcome misclassification. Our motivating example compared effectiveness of immunotherapy versus chemotherapy treatment of advanced bladder cancer with missingness in a key prognostic variable. We captured complexity in EHR data structures using a plasmode simulation approach to spike investigator-defined effects into resamples of a cohort of 4361 patients from a nationwide deidentified EHR-derived database. We characterized statistical properties of IPTW hazard ratio estimates when using multiple imputation or PS calibration missingness approaches. Results: Multiple imputation and PS calibration performed similarly, maintaining ≤0.05 absolute bias in the marginal hazard ratio even when ≥50% of subjects had missing at random or missing not at random confounder data. Multiple imputation required greater computational resources, taking nearly 40 times as long as PS calibration to complete. Outcome misclassification minimally increased bias of both methods. Conclusion: Our results support multiple imputation and PS calibration approaches to missingness in missing completely at random or missing at random confounder variables in EHR-based IPTW comparative effectiveness analyses, even with missingness ≥50%. PS calibration represents a computationally efficient alternative to multiple imputation.
Background: Accreditation is an obligation that must be done by every hospital in Indonesia. Purwokerto is the capital of Banyumas district, Central Java, Indonesia. Health services in Purwokerto are facilitated by 10 Public Hospitals and 7 are private public hospitals. Based on the preliminary study, of the seven general hospitals, get one hospital that has been accredited. How is the strategy of public private hospitals facing accreditation, becoming an interesting topic to learn.Objective: The purpose of this research is private hospital strategy in Purwokerto to face hospital accreditation.  Methods: The research method used is qualitative with phenomenology approach. Analysis the data research by using IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis).  Results: Based on the analysis of 5 informants, the theme of accreditation strategy for private hospitals that are human resources control, owner and management commitment, programmatic procedures, time management, process strategy, and building a comfortable working environment.  Conclutions: To be able of accreditation of public private hospitals need the ability to build human resources, and other resources both physical, facilities, environment and time management. Further research is expected to be implemented in all hospitals whether public hospitals, specialty, or clinics.     Keywords: Accreditation, hospital, strategy
Open waveguides are widely used in modern photonic devices, such as microstructured fiber filters and sensors. Their absorption and transmission spectra are the most important properties in determining the overall performance of the photonic devices. The imaginary parts of their eigenvalues have been commonly used to calculate the absorption and consequently the transmission spectra. Here we show that this formulism is generally incorrect and not consistent with the simulation results obtained by the beam propagation method. We revisit the fundamental theory for the absorption of open waveguides and present a general formulism. We found that parity-time-symmetry transitions, which have been conventionally ignored, play a critical role in the properties of the coupled waveguide. The absorption and transmission are highly dependent on the physical length of the system. On the basis of our findings, optimization criteria for designing photonic sensors and filters are presented.
Abstract 1713 Background: Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia (CMML) and Juvenile Myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) are classified as MDS/MPN in the WHO classification system. Despite sharing clinical and histological features, CMML is characterized by a heterogeneous collection of molecular lesions while JMML is defined by well-established molecular aberrations clustered along the RAS pathway leading directly to GM-CSF hypersensitivity; a pathognomonic characteristic of JMML. Here we test whether a molecular signature for GM-CSF hypersensitivity in JMML, determined by the pSTAT5 activation assay, is also present in CMML and whether this signature clusters within a specific CMML subgroup. Methods: Cryopreserved bone marrow aspirates from 24 patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed CMML were obtained from the Moffitt Cancer Center Tissue Repository. Cells were thawed and rested in Stem Span H3000 with 10% FBS for 2 hours and then either starved for one hour in serum-free media, serum free group (n=12), or rested in Stem Span for an additional hour, serum group (n=12), prior to stimulation with G-CSF, IL-3, or GM-CSF for 15 minutes and then fixed and permeabilized with formaldehyde and methanol, as previously described. Samples were stained with an anti-pSTAT5(Y-694) antibody and analyzed by flow cytometry (Kotecha, Cancer Cell. 2009). Cells stained with isotype-control antibody were used to establish the threshold for basal STAT5 phosphorylation. Because STAT5 was constitutively phosphorylated in serum, and to a lesser extent in serum-free conditions, inducible cytokine activation was defined as the percentage of pSTAT5 positive cells above untreated samples in both CMML and healthy controls. A retrospective chart review was performed to obtain clinical variables including age, sex, WHO classification, Dusseldorf scoring system, MD Anderson scoring system, WBC, peripheral monocyte count, blast percentage, anemia, platelet count, splenomegaly, and metaphase cytogenetics. Results: The percentage of pSTAT5 responsive cells after G-CSF stimulation with doses up to 10 ng/ml was similar in cases and normal BM controls (p=0.14), whereas, a statistically significant increase in the percentage of inducible pSTAT5 positive cells was observed with GM-CSF 0.1 ng/ml (p=0.04), GM-CSF 1 ng/ml (p=0.02), and GM-CSF 10 ng/ml (p=0.01) in CMML BM cells compared to healthy donor BM cells, as shown in Figure 1. Using one standard deviation below the mean as a cut point, only 5 patients failed to show GM-CSF hypersensitivity in the serum (n=3) and serum-free groups (n=2), respectively. IL-3 and GM-CSF play similar roles in hematopoietic growth through the activation of JAK2/STAT5 and share a common beta-chain required for signaling. Signaling mediated by GM-CSF and IL3 converge to activate RAS and other downstream intermediates that regulate DNA synthesis, cell-cycle progression and suppression of apoptosis. The concentration of IL3 required to induce STAT5 phosphorylation was 10-fold greater than GM-CSF in CMML cells, but the percentage of cells responsive to IL3 was greater in CMML cases compared to controls at 10 ng/ml (p=0.02). Analysis of the percentage of GM-CSF hypersensitive cells and clinical parameters revealed no associations with age at onset, WHO classification, Dusseldorf scoring system, MD Anderson scoring system, blast percentage, anemia, platelet count, splenomegaly, or karyotype. The percentage of pSTAT5 positive cells with GM-CSF 0.1 ng/ml positively correlated with the total leukocyte (p=0.03) and total monocyte (p=0.02) count indicating that the JAK2/STAT5 signaling response is indicative of disease burden. Conclusions: Based on the threshold for cytokine stimulation and percentage of cells that display pSTAT5 induction, CMML appears to preferentially utilize GM-CSF for survival and/or expansion. Although RAS mutations were not assessed, CMML cells were preferentially sensitive to GM-CSF in newly diagnosed cases independent of cytogenetic abnormalities suggesting that JMML and CMML share biological features of GM-CSF hypersensitivity. Disclosures: Padron: KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Research Funding. Bebbington: KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Baer: KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership.
objective. To study the impact of complex treatment (acetylsalicylic acid, hirudotherapy, phytotherapy) on the functional activity of thrombocytes in patients with hypertensive encephalopathy. design and methods. An open prospective study included 25 patients with hypertensive encephalopathy and dysfunction of thrombocytes activity. All patients took acetylsalicylic acid. A simultaneous course of hirudotherapy (10 sessions, 2,5 months; own patent of the Russian Federation № 2327494) and a course of phytotherapy (polycomponent infusion, for 2,5 months; own patent of the Russian Federation № 2542423) were conducted. Functional activity of thrombocytes was studied by the phase contrast microscope at baseline and after the treatment was completed. Results. Initially, 25 patients with hypertensive encephalopathy showed abnormal platelet functional activity in the presence of acetylsalicylic acid: a decrease in the number of intact platelets — discocytes in 9 patients; increased number of activated cells with discoquinocyte sprouts on the surface — in 18 people; active forms in 17 patients; platelet aggregates — in 15 patients; increased number of small aggregates per 100 free thrombocytes — 13 patients; large aggregates — in 2 patients. After hirudotherapy and herbal medicine were applied in addition to acetylsalicylic acid, complete normalization of platelet functional activity was achieved in 11 of 25 patients, and partial normalization — in 12 subjects. conclusions. The complex approach, including both drug treatment (acetylsalicylic acid) and the course of hirudotherapy and phytotherapy showed a positive impact on the intravascular platelet activity in patients with hypertensive encephalopathy and initial disturbances of the platelet functional activity. As a result, the number of intact forms of platelets increased, the number of early and late active forms (discoquinocytes, spheroechinocytes and bipolar cells) decreased. Also the number of platelet aggregates and small aggregates reduced. Such a multimodal approach can be implemented in aspirin resistance, a high risk of primary and recurrent vascular events. The method is safe and well tolerated by patients.
The use of Vicodin has become very popular amongst college students. Yet, the students who seem to consume this drug have little knowledge about what the drug is capable of doing. Many times, college students seek the use of prescribed and non-prescribed drugs in order to find the relief they are looking for from everyday life. Some students may think of pain relievers as an acceptable method, but they soon fail to realize that their life has changed for the worse because of the use of this drug. They will often be seeking intensive therapy in order to battle their addiction. It is important that students are aware of the valuable resources available to them on campus and use them to their advantage.
The potential role of brown and beige adipose tissue against obesity has been recognized. Browning, or beiging of white adipose tissue (WAT) is associated with the remodeling of adipocytes and the improvement of their metabolic and secretory functions. Here, palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) restore the plasticity of brown and white adipocytes impaired in mice on a high-fat diet (HFD). Young male C57Bl/6J mice were fed with control (STD) diet or HFD for 12 weeks. Ultramicronized PEA (30 mg/kg/die p.o.) was administered for an additional 7 weeks, together with HFD. PEA recovered interscapular brown fat morphology and function, increasing UCP1 positivity, noradrenergic innervation, and inducing the mRNA transcription of several specialized thermogenic genes. PEA promotes the beige-conversion of the subcutaneous WAT, increasing thermogenic markers and restoring leptin signaling and tissue hormone sensitivity. The pivotal role of lipid-sensing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α in PEA effects was determined in mature 3T3-L1. Moreover, PEA improved mitochondrial bioenergetics in mature adipocytes measured by a Seahorse analyzer and induced metabolic machinery via AMPK phosphorylation. All these outcomes were dampened by the receptor antagonist GW6471. Finally, PEA induced adipogenic differentiation and increased AMPK phosphorylation in human adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) obtained from subcutaneous WAT of normal-weight patients and patients with obesity. We identify PEA and PPAR-α activation as the main mechanism by which PEA can rewire energy-storing white into energy-consuming brown-like adipocytes via multiple and converging effects that restore WAT homeostasis and metabolic flexibility.
TI fE1JOW 1)JEATH RIATE in miiost of the countries of Euirope, Nottlh .A-merica, an(i Oceania, and in Certain coInlitr'ies in othier' parlts of the wor-ld greatly limits the uisefulniess of mortality st(atistics as a measure of the amiiouinlt and characteristics of ill lhealtlh of the poplaltioni of these countries. The recognition of thils factct has stimulated initerest ill the collectionl and(1 analysis of a variety of morbiditv statistics. Although morbidity statistics for insuredl pou)lllatiolns and1(I for imiemiibers of sick beniefit associations (late firomii the last century, corresponding st(atistics for the grenerlal popuilationi are of muchll more recenlt oligini. General mllorbidlity snrveys of selected ar-eas of a couinltr'y O01 of special popull'atioll group)s were mlalde as lonig aS 40 year-s acro, but eflorts to collect general motrbidity data for the enitire p)oplllation of a country date from Cabout 1940. The publication of the findings of generlal nmorbidity suirveys lhas imalde clear that tlheve is no conlselnsuis conlcelrnilg termlls uised to (lescribe aiid imieasuri-e morbidity. Thllis is niot surprising sinice agreemenit oln terminology is not easy
Objective: To determine whether cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease (PD) and Alzheimer disease (AD) derives from the same network pathology. Methods: We analyzed 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET scans from 40 patients with AD and 40 age-matched healthy controls from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and scanned an additional 10 patients with AD and 10 healthy controls at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research to derive an AD-related metabolic pattern (ADRP) analogous to our previously established PD cognition-related pattern (PDCP) and PD motor-related pattern (PDRP). We computed individual subject expression values for ADRP and PDCP in 89 patients with PD and correlated summary scores for cognitive functioning with network expression. We also evaluated changes in ADRP and PDCP expression in a separate group of 15 patients with PD scanned serially over a 4-year period. Results: Analysis revealed a significant AD-related metabolic topography characterized by covarying metabolic reductions in the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus, and parietal and temporal association regions. Expression of ADRP, but not PDCP, was elevated in both AD groups and correlated with worse cognitive summary scores. Patients with PD showed slight ADRP expression, due to topographic overlap with the network underlying PD motor-related pattern degeneration, but only their PDCP expression values increased as cognitive function and executive performance declined. Longitudinal data in PD disclosed an analogous dissociation of network expression. Conclusions: Cognitive dysfunction in PD is associated with a specific brain network that is largely spatially and functionally distinct from that seen in relation to AD.
The recent recognition that antibody‐mediated rejection (ABMR) is the major cause of kidney transplant loss creates strong interest in its pathogenesis. We used microarray analysis of kidney transplant biopsies to identify the changes in pure ABMR. We found that the ABMR transcript changes in the initial Discovery Set were strongly conserved in a subsequent Validation Set. In the Combined Set of 703 biopsies, 2603 transcripts were significantly changed (FDR < 0.05) in ABMR versus all other biopsies. In cultured cells, the transcripts strongly associated with ABMR were expressed in endothelial cells, e.g. cadherins CDH5 and CDH13; IFNG‐treated endothelial cells, e.g. phospholipase PLA1A and chemokine CXCL11; or NK cells, e.g. cytotoxicity molecules granulysin (GNLY) and FGFBP2. Other ABMR transcripts were expressed in normal kidney but not cell lines, either increased e.g. Duffy chemokine receptor (DARC) or decreased e.g. sclerostin (SOST). Pathway analysis of ABMR transcripts identified angiogenesis, with roles for angiopoietin and vascular endothelial growth factors; leukocyte‐endothelial interactions; and NK signaling, including evidence for CD16a Fc receptor signaling elements shared with T cells. These data support a model of ABMR involving injury‐repair in the microcirculation induced by cognate recognition involving antibody and CD16a, triggering IFNG release and antibody‐dependent NK cell‐mediated cytotoxicity.
The Met Office has been routinely running a short‐range ensemble prediction system since the summer of 2005. This system consists of two component ensembles, a global ensemble that provides lateral boundary conditions to a regional ensemble. The global ensemble calculates the initial condition perturbations using a local version of the ensemble transform Kalman filter (ETKF). This article details tests of an ETKF run specifically for the regional ensemble.
Elastofibroma is a rare neoplasm that characteristically occurs in subscapular area in response to microtrauma. There are some reports of this tumor in other sites of the body but, up till now, there has been no report of elastofibroma in the face. A 20-year-old man presented with a slow growing painless mass in the face without any history of trauma. Histopathologic examination revealed a soft tissue mass composed of eosinophilic fibers admixed with aggregation of fat cells, capillary blood vessels, and fibroblasts. Elastic stain and Masson’s trichrome stain confirmed the nature of elastic and collagen fibers. It was a case of elastofibroma in the face.
The primary aim or focus of this book is to provide a comprehensive guide to the application of health services research methods utilized in pharmacy practice. It is designed mainly for pharmacy practice researchers in planning, designing, and implementing research projects. This book incorporates numerous approaches and techniques researchers use. It identifies challenges researchers in pharmacy practice face and provides descriptive solutions. The book is well referenced and contains sufficient number of chapters. Skilled pharmacy practice researchers will advocate this book as a vital source of research methodology. Graduate programs can also supplement various sections of this textbook within their curriculum. An important feature of this book is the incorporation of valuable practical experiences of colleagues in pharmacy practice. These practical experiences formulate reliable methods to support and or develop research objectives. Applications of different research methods and techniques are contained in each chapter. The conceptual structure and flow pattern is from chapter to chapter. In Chapters 1 and 2, the author focuses mainly on the application of survey methodology in pharmacy practice. The application of survey methods to the development of theoretical perspectives is discussed in Chapter 3. Qualitative research is reviewed in Chapter 4. Focus groups, discussed in Chapter 5, have been used to identify and explore issues from the perspective of different population groups. Observational studies (studies in which the researcher is present at the study site and for the duration of a study period) are discussed in Chapter 6. Chapter 7 describes triangulation as the combination of different methods, or approaches in a single study. Chapters 8 and 9 provide an overview on the evaluations of both existing and innovative pharmacy services. Chapter 8 reviews the applications of various study designs and framework that evaluate existing and innovative services and interventions. An overview of the development and selection of various measures utilized in the evaluation of pharmacy services is given in Chapter 9. The evaluation process incorporates quantitative methods, qualitative methods, and description of measures. The downfalls of this book appear to be a lack of illustrations, figures, or tables and insufficient statistical evaluations. Pharmacy practice researchers, as described per the author’s conclusion, warrant the practical approach, but must use feasible research methodologies to meet their objectives. This book definitely contains pertinent measures that can impact pharmacy practice research.
Introduction: Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) was thought as a means to confirm a clinical suspicion of local recurrence or metastasis of known cancer without subjecting the patient to further surgical intervention. The role of FNAC is not limited to neoplastic conditions. The aim of present study is to evaluate various pattern of lymph lesion & various causes of lymphadenopathy.  Materials and Methods: This is retrospective study of 380 patients with complaint of lymph node swellings of all age and sex. FNAC was done in all cases after maintaining aseptic precaution using 22-24 G needle attached to 05-20 ml syringe. Slides were stained with H&E stain and every slide of all the cases of lymphnadenopathies were examined. Finally cytological diagnosis made according to the cytomorphology of cells, etiology& clinical findings.  Results: Out of 308 cases most common etiology of lymphadenopathy was found to be Tuberculous Lymphadenitis 37.37%, followed by reactive hyperplasia of lymph node 26.58%, Cold Abscess 13.16%, Malignancy 8.15%, Lympho-proliferative disorder 1.32% and least common was Necrotizing lymphadenitis 0.53%.  Conclusion: Tuberculous Lymphadenitis is common in this region of Maharashtra, which can be effectively diagnosed by combination of FNAC, Ziehl-Neelsen stain and Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test. FNAC has high accuracy rate to differentiate infective, non neoplastic conditions from neoplastic conditions. FNAC is a simple, safe, reliable, and inexpensive method in early detection of lymph node lesions, which has been proven in this study.    Keywords: Fine needle aspiration cytology, Lymphoproliferative disorder, Reactive lymphadenitis, Tuberculous lymphadenitis.
We investigate the simple resonances of a 2 by 2 matrix of n-dimensional semiclassical Shrodinger operators that interact through a first order differential operator. We assume that one of the two (analytic) potentials admits a well with non empty interior, while the other one is non trapping and creates a barrier between the well and infinity. Under a condition on the resonant state inside the well, we find an optimal lower bound on the width of the resonance. The method of proof relies on Carleman estimates, microlocal propagation of the microsupport, and a refined study of a non involutive double characteristic problem in the framework of Sjostrand's analytic microlocal theory.
The past decade has appreciated rapid advance in identifying the once elusive intestinal stem cell (ISC) populations that fuel the continual renewal of the epithelial layer. This advance was largely driven by identification of novel stem cell marker genes, revealing the existence of quiescent, slowly‐ and active‐cycling ISC populations. However, a critical barrier for translating this knowledge to human health and disease remains elucidating the functional interplay between diverse stem cell populations. Currently, the precise hierarchical and regulatory relationships between these ISC populations are under intense scrutiny. The classical theory of a linear hierarchy, where quiescent and slowly‐cycling stem cells self‐renew but replenish an active‐cycling population, is well established in other rapidly renewing tissues such as the haematopoietic system. Efforts to definitively establish a similar stem cell hierarchy within the intestinal epithelium have yielded conflicting results, been difficult to interpret, and suggest non‐conventional alternatives to a linear hierarchy. While these new and potentially paradigm‐shifting discoveries are intriguing, the field will require development of a number of critical tools, including highly specific stem cell marker genes along with more rigorous experimental methodologies, to delineate the complex cellular relationships within this dynamic organ system.
Introduction:Although differences in heart failure (HF) hospitalization rates by race and sex are well documented, little is known about geographic variations in hospitalizations for HF, the most common discharge diagnosis for Medicare beneficiaries. Methods:Using exploratory spatial data analysis techniques, the authors examined hospitalization rates for HF as the first-listed discharge diagnosis among Medicare beneficiaries in a 10-state Tennessee catchment area, based on the resident states reported by Tennessee hospitals from 2000 to 2004. Results:The age-adjusted HF hospitalization rate (per 1000) among Medicare beneficiaries was 23.3 [95% confidence interval (CI), 23.3–23.4] for the Tennessee catchment area, 21.4 (95% CI, 21.4–21.5) outside the catchment area and 21.9 (95% CI, 21.9–22.0) for the overall United States. The age-adjusted HF hospitalization rates were also significantly higher in the catchment area than outside the catchment area and overall, among men, women and whites, whereas rates among the blacks were higher outside the catchment area. Beneficiaries in the catchment area also had higher age-specific HF hospitalization rates. Among states in the catchment area, the highest mean county-level rates were in Mississippi (30.6 ± 7.6) and Kentucky (29.2 ± 11.5), and the lowest were in North Carolina (21.7 ± 5.7) and Virginia (21.8 ± 6.6). Conclusions:Knowledge of these geographic differences in HF hospitalization rates can be useful in identifying needs of healthcare providers, allocating resources, developing comprehensive HF outreach programs and formulating policies to reduce these differences.
Background Electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring in daily life is essential for effective management of cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death. Wearable ECG measurement systems in the form of clothing have been proposed to replace Holter monitors used for clinical ECG monitoring; however, they have limitations in daily use because they compress the upper body and, in doing so, cause discomfort during wear. Objective The purpose of this study was to develop a wireless wearable ECG monitoring system that includes a textile ECG electrode that can be applied to the lining of pants and can be used in the same way that existing lower clothing is worn, without compression to the upper body. Methods A textile electrode with stretchable characteristics was fabricated by knitting a conductive yarn together with polyester-polyurethane fiber, which was then coated with silver compound; an ECG electrode was developed by placing it on an elastic band in a modified limb lead configuration. In addition, a system with analog-to-digital conversion, wireless communication, and a smartphone app was developed, allowing users to be able to check and store their own ECGs in real time. A signal processing algorithm was also developed to remove noise from the obtained signal and to calculate the heart rate. To evaluate the ECG and heart rate measurement performance of the developed module, a comparative evaluation with a commercial device was performed. ECGs were measured for 5 minutes each in standing, sitting, and lying positions; the mean absolute percentage errors of heart rates measured with both systems were then compared. Results The system was developed in the form of a belt buckle with a size of 53 × 45 × 12 mm (width × height × depth) and a weight of 23 g. In a qualitative evaluation, it was confirmed that the P-QRS-T waveform was clearly observed in ECGs obtained with the wearable system. From the results of the heart rate estimation, the developed system could track changes in heart rate as calculated by a commercial ECG measuring device; in addition, the mean absolute percentage errors of heart rates were 1.80%, 2.84%, and 2.48% in the standing, sitting, and lying positions, respectively. Conclusions The developed system was able to effectively measure ECG and calculate heart rate simply through being worn as existing clothing without upper body pressure. It is anticipated that general usability can be secured through further evaluation under more diverse conditions.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Umbilicoplasty during bladder exstrophy repair is often difficult with varied cosmetic outcomes. Many different techniques have been described in an attempt to recreate an accurate inverted umbilicus. In this video we illustrate the technique of umbilicoplasty first described by Cervellione et al and the reproducible results it yields. METHODS: We present the case of a male infant with classic bladder exstrophy. This video will focus on the technical aspect of the umbilicoplasty procedure. RESULTS: The patient recovered uneventfully and had great cosmetic outcomes related to his neoumbilicus. He is now >6 months postoperatively and maintains an inverted umbilicus. CONCLUSIONS: The technique we use for umbilicoplasty in our patients with bladder exstrophy maintain an inverted umbilicus and have excellent cosmetic outcomes.
Plasmonic metal nanoparticles can efficiently convert the energy of visible photons into the energy of hot charge carriers within the nanoparticles. These energetic charge carriers can transfer to molecules or semiconductors, chemically attached to the nanoparticles, where they can induce photochemical transformations. Classical models of photoinduced charge excitation and transfer in metals suggest that the majority of the energetic charge carriers rapidly decay within the metal nanostructure before they are transferred into the neighboring molecule or semiconductor, and therefore, the efficiency of charge transfer is low. Herein, we present experimental evidence that calls into question this conventional picture. We demonstrate a system where the presence of a molecule, adsorbed on the surface of a plasmonic nanoparticle, significantly changes the flow of charge within the excited plasmonic system. The nanoparticle-adsorbate system experiences high rates of direct, resonant flow of charge from the nanoparticle to the molecule, bypassing the conventional charge excitation and thermalization process taking place in the nanoparticle. This picture of charge transfer suggests that the yield of extracted hot electrons (or holes) from plasmonic nanoparticles can be significantly higher than the yields expected based on conventional models. We discuss a conceptual physical framework that allows us to explain our experimental observations. This analysis points us in a direction toward molecular control of the charge transfer process using interface and local field engineering strategies.
Two recent studies by Glasgow researchers have highlighted the high level of emotional and behavioural difficulties experienced by looked after children. One was a survey of children entering the care system (Dimigen et al, 1999) while the other was a randomised controlled trial of a training programme for foster carers. The survey was carried out in Glasgow, while the trial was carried out across another part of the Central Belt of Scotland. Despite their different designs and geographical areas, the two studies came up with complementary results. Helen Minnis and Christina Del Priore synthesise these results in this paper and use them to argue that practitioners need to take a fresh look at mental health services for looked after children and at the assessments which should determine what these children need.
In the following, we obtain continua of localized wave solutions to the scalar homogeneous wave, damped wave, and Klein-Gordon equations. We do this by utilizing the fact that similar Ansatze (all of which involve a free-particle time-dependent Schrodinger-like equation) may be used to satisfy all three of these partial differential equations. This Schrodinger-like equation is reduced to an ordinary differential equation (ODE) using a dimensionless complex similarity transformation. A general solution to this ODE involving confluent hypergeometric functions is found. For an azimuthal dependence exp(ivO),v∈R, this general solution includes many of the previously determined localized wave solutions as special cases
Background: Dilating eye drops are routinely used in pediatric retinoblastoma patients during anesthetized ophthalmologic exams. Information on the systemic effects of ocular mydriatics, especially in anesthetized pediatric patients, is limited. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to analyze hemodynamic changes during mydriatic eye drop administration in anesthetized pediatric patients. Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for pediatric retinoblastoma patients who underwent MRI with anesthesia. Baseline blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were charted for each patient at induction. HR and mean arterial pressure (MAP) measurements were recorded at 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min after eye drop administration. Secondarily, we included data from 15 patients who received dilating eye drops while under sevoflurane general anesthetic. All patients were dilated with phenylephrine 2.5 or 10% (depending on age) and tropicamide 1%. Results: The final analysis included 176 anesthesia encounters. The results demonstrate no statistically significant deviation of more than 20% from baseline for either HR or MAP. Additionally, we did not detect any difference between patients who were anesthetized with propofol versus sevoflurane. Conclusions: We did not observe significant hemodynamic instability with administration of dilating eye drops during propofol anesthesia.
Tennis sport is a fast-changing sport requiring both strength and speed. To play tennis, players need to have excellent psychological quality and high-level control and anti-control abilities. However, in tennis teaching, it is difficult to accurately see how the playersâ€™ psychological quality is. With the wide application of electroencephalographic (EEG) testing technology, the changes in brain waves and brain potential in tennis sport can be well detected. Based on the EEG testing technology, this paper studies the behaviouristics and neurology in tennis teaching, and the experimental results show that tennis teaching has a causal relationship with the improvement of playersâ€™ anticipation abilities and that the teaching effect can be maintained for about five months. In EEG testing, the more concentrated the subjects were, the more suppressed I± waves would be. In the rest state and the memory state, the neurotransmitter in the central nervous system changed regularly, and the brain also had regular fluctuations.
Tobacco enterprise is a special enterprise, which has strong correlation to regional geography. But in the past research and application, the combination between tobacco and GIS is limited to use digital maps to assist cigarette distribution. How to comprehensively import 3S technique and spatial data mining (SDM) to construct spatial decision support system (SDSS) of tobacco enterprise is the main research aspect in this paper. The paper concretely analyzes the GIS requirements in tobacco enterprise for planning location of production, monitoring production management and product sale at the beginning. Then holistic solution is presented and frame design for tobacco enterprise spatial decision based on SDM is given. This paper describes how to use spatial analysis and data mining to realize the spatial decision processing such as monitoring tobacco planted acreage, analyzing and planning the cigarette sale network and so on.
We report herein the extention of the azide–alkyne “click reaction” to crystal engineering and synthesize a collection of isomeric compounds with modular positioning of Br and NO2 on a tricyclic template and crystal structural analyses of the derived isomers. It is quite remarkable to notice that none of the isomers displayed the bifurcated three-center NO2⋯Br supramolecular synthon in their crystal structures
Antipsychotic (AP) medications, beginning with chlorpromazine (Thorazine) in the early 1950s, revolutionized the practice and efficacy of psychiatry, and introduced the era of non-institutional care for most psychosis. Chlorpromazine and its successors over the next 30 yr, including perphenazine (Trilafon), trifluoperazine (Stelazine), thiothixene (Navane), haloperidol (Haldol), fluphenazine (Prolixin), and fluphenthixol (Fluanxol) are referred to as conventional or first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs). These FGAs were effective in treating the positive symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations and delusions but did not alleviate other important features of psychosis, particularly negative symptoms of withdrawal, apathy, cognitive impairment, and affective symptoms. They were also associated with high frequency of extrapyramidal symptoms including dystonic reactions, drug-induced parkinsonism, akathisia (uncontrollable restlessness), and tardive dyskinesia. Since 1989, a series of atypical or second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) has emerged, which more effectively treat the negative, cognitive, and affective symptoms with few or no extrapyramidal side effects. These agents include, in order of approval, clozapine (Clozaril), risperidone (Risperdal), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), ziprasidone (Geodon), and aripiprazole (Abilify). These drugs have widely varying efficacy and side-effect risks; this review will focus on metabolic complications which will become increasingly important to the pediatric diabetologist with the rapidly increasing use of these drugs for a wide range of psychiatric disorders in children.
This study investigates the vertical eddy structure, eddy‐induced transport, and eddy kinetic energy (EKE) budget in the Arabian Sea (AS) using an eddy‐resolving reanalysis product. The EKE intensifies during summer in the western AS. Anticyclonic eddies (AEs) and cyclonic eddies (CEs) present warm‐fresh and cold‐salty cores, respectively, with interleaved salinity structures. The eddy‐induced swirl transport is larger in the western AS and tends to compensate for heat transport by the mean flow. Zonal drift transport by AEs and CEs offset each other, and meridional transport is generally weaker. Eddies also produce notable upward heat flux during summer in the western AS, where ageostrophic circulations are induced to maintain a turbulent thermal wind balance. Plausible mechanisms for EKE production are governed by baroclinic and barotropic instabilities, which are enhanced in summer in the western basin, where signals are quantitatively one order larger than the turbulent wind inputs.
Traumatic brain injury is caused by physical brain injury. A computational model for considering the response of a neuronal cell under blast loading is presented. The neuronal cell consists of four components including the nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, and also the network of microtubules with different arrays including crossing, stellate as well as random orientations. The effect of the sub-cellular components, specifically the network of microtubules, on a Traumatic Brain Injury’s consequences was studied as a novel and state-of-the-art innovation. Nucleus, cytoplasm, and membrane are assumed viscoelastic, while the network of microtubules follows elastic behavior. Finite element methods and fluid-structure interactions are considered to solve the coupled equations of the solid and the fluid. The results show that the presence of a network of microtubules, regardless of the types of arrays, reduces the total displacement of the cell as well as the von Mises stress. The membrane von Mises stress decreases 50 percent from 30 to 15 Pascal in presence of the network of the microtubules. Results of this research could be used in different fields including treatment of some diseases and pathological conditions such as kidney stones, sports injuries, traumatic astronauts, and ultimately prevention and treatment of traumatic brain injuries.
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is one of the efficacious surgical options available for obstructive hydrocephalus, and is preferable to a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in those eligible. We retrospectively studied 115 cases, who underwent ETV at our institute over the last 5 years. Thirty-eight patients were infants. Major indications for ETV were aqueductal stenosis (n = 60/115, 52.2%), Dandy-Walker malformation (15/115, 13%), associated arachnoid cyst (n = 13/115, 11.3%) and post-meningitic hydrocephalus (n = 12/115, 10.4%). Average duration of the follow-up was 10.6 months. Ninety-nine patients (86.1%) showed clinical improvement after surgery. Clinical improvement was seen in 27 out of 38 infants (71%) followed up. ETV is a highly effective tool in all age groups of patients for the management of hydrocephalus. Clinical features should be considered as indications of the success or failure of ventriculostomy in infants who have low-pressure hydrocephalus.
Background: Balance, mobility, falls, and foot problems are serious detriments for the diabetic patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) treatment. In addition, the HD process often leaves them too fatigued to engage in any physical activity or daily exercise, further deteriorating their motor functions. Exercise would be effective for this population. However, due to the time availability, post-dialysis fatigue, as well as limitation of transportation to exercise facility, the conventional exercise is impractical. Objective: We are developing an interactive foot and ankle exercise game that can be played during HD sessions to improve mobility and balance, as well as reduce foot problems. In this study, we examined the feasibility and effectiveness of this innovative wearable sensor based non-weight bearing exercise (Exergame) to improve daily physical activity in diabetic patients undergoing HD treatment. Methods: Thirty-three diabetic subjects receiving HD treatment were recruited and randomized into an intervention group (IG: n = 15, age = 62.2 ± 7.6 years, BMI = 29.1 ± 6.1 kg/m2) and a control group (CG: n = 18, age = 66.6 ± 8.7 years, BMI = 32.5 ± 9.0 kg/m2). Both groups underwent a 4-week ankle and foot exercise program (30 minutes per session, two sessions per week) during HD process. The IG received exercise via the Exergame program, which uses wearable sensors attached on subject's feet. The subject's 3-dementional ankle and foot movements were visualized in real-time on a computer screen placed in front of him/her. The subject played some game-like tasks by moving and rotating the foot and ankle. The difficulty level of the task was gradually increased depends on ability of the subject (like a game) from a simple flexion-extension movement to more complex movements including medial-lateral movement with different range of motion. The CG received traditional foot and ankle exercise without technology. Daily physical activity data was assessed for 48 hours (day and night) at baseline and post 4-week exercise, using a validated wearable sensor (PAMSysTM). Daily physical activity was quantified by duration spent in each main posture (i.e. lying, sitting, standing, and walking) and activities (e.g. postural transition, sedentary behavior, etc). Results: All IG subjects achieved to complete all exercise tasks indicating the feasibility of the Exergame platform. No adverse event or difficulty were reported indicating practicality of the exercise program. None subject in the IG was dropped out during the 4-week exercise program. Low dropout rate may indicate acceptability of the proposed Exergame platform. At the end of intervention, subjects in the IG were more active than subjects in the CG. In summary, the IG performed 53% more posture transitions to walking (Cohen's d effect size = 0.5) and 39% more posture transitions between sitting and walking (d = 0.5), when compared to the CG. Subjects in the IG also had significant less sedentary behavior than subjects in the CG. In summary, subjects in the IG spent 5% less time on sitting and lying (p = 0.049, d = 0.7), as well as 47% more time on standing and walking (p = 0.049, d = 0.7), when compared to subjects in the CG. Conclusions: This study demonstrated feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an innovative Exergame program to improve daily physical activity in diabetic patients undergoing HD treatment. The key innovation of the proposed intervention is its practicality to be done during HD process, which could address the limitations of prior exercise interventions in HD patients, for example the low adherence of therapeutic exercise. Further studies should be addressed to confirm the observation with larger sample sizes.
Digital aerial photogrammetry has recently attracted great attention in forest inventory studies, particularly in countries where airborne laser scanning (ALS) technology is not available. Further research, however, is required to prove its practical applicability in deriving three-dimensional (3D) point clouds and canopy surface and height models (CSMs and CHMs, respectively) over different forest types. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of image-based CHMs at different spatial resolutions (1 m, 2 m, 5 m) for use in stand-level forest inventory, with a special focus on estimation of stand-level merchantable volume of even-aged pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) forests. CHMs are generated by subtracting digital terrain models (DTMs), derived from the national digital terrain database, from corresponding digital surface models (DSMs), derived by the process of image matching of digital aerial images. Two types of stand-level volume regression models are developed for each CHM resolution. The first model is based solely on stand-level CHM metrics, whereas in the second model, easily obtainable variables from forest management databases are included in addition to CHM metrics. The estimation accuracies of the stand volume estimates based on stand-level metrics (relative root mean square error RMSE% = 12.53%–13.28%) are similar or slightly higher than those obtained from previous studies in which stand volume estimates were based on plot-level metrics. The inclusion of stand age as an independent variable in addition to CHM metrics improves the accuracy of the stand volume estimates. Improvements are notable for young and middle-aged stands, and negligible for mature and old stands. Results show that CHMs at the three different resolutions are capable of providing reasonably accurate volume estimates at the stand level.
Abstract A change in chip shape has been observed as a function of age hardening and cutting speed during high speed milling of the aluminium alloy 7075. In order to study this effect systematically, the aluminium alloy was heat treated to produce different precipitation states and machined under carefully controlled conditions at cutting speeds between 1000 and 7000 m min-1. The underaged state shows local shearing producing segmented chips. The degree of segmentation increases with cutting speed. In contrast, the overaged state shows continuous chips up to the highest cutting speeds. The chips obtained with the peak aged state show a fluctuation between segmented and continuous parts. These results can be understood in terms of the differing work softening/hardening behaviour of the under- and overaged states owing to the specific interactions between dislocations and precipitates during chip formation.
Objective We aimed to investigate the interaction of reduced skeletal muscle mass and abdominal obesity on coronary artery calcification (CAC). Design and methods A total of 19,728 adults free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) who contemporaneously underwent cardiac tomography and bioelectrical impedance analysis were enrolled in a cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort. Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated the following formula: SMI (%) = total appendicular muscle mass (kg)/body weight (kg) x 100 according to sex. CAC presence or incidence was defined as CAC score>0, and CAC progression was defined as √CAC score (follow-up) - √CAC score (baseline)>2.5. Pre-sarcopenia was defined as SMI ≤ -1.0 standard deviation of the sex-specific mean of a young reference group. Abdominal obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥90cm for men and ≥85cm for women. All individuals were further classified into four groups: normal, abdominal obesity alone, pre-sarcopenia alone, and pre-sarcopenic obesity. Results Individuals with pre-sarcopenic obesity showed the highest adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for CAC presence (AOR 2.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.98-2.36, P<0.001) as well as total CAC incidence and progression (adjusted hazard ratio 1.54, 95% CI: 1.37-1.75, P<0.001), compared with normal individuals. Pre-sarcopenic obesity significantly increased CAC incidence and progression compared to either pre-sarcopenia or abdominal obesity alone. Conclusion Pre-sarcopenia and abdominal obesity together were significantly associated with a higher CAC presence and increased risk of CAC incidence and progression, independent of traditional CVD risk factors.
Constraints over un-interpreted terms are called symbolic and typical examples of such constraints are uniication problems. When dealing with speciic domains, constraints are often called built-in and a typical example consists of constraints over numerical domains like naturals or reals. On one hand, combination techniques for symbolic constraints have been quite investigated. On the other hand, many constraint systems provide primitive built-in constraints. In this paper, we address the problem of combining equational uniication and built-in constraint solving in presence of functions from terms to built-ins. We design a modular constraint framework by breaking a mixed formula of the combined theory into a symbolic, a built-in and an heterogeneous part. The interest of such an approach is to give independently an appropriate interpretation for the heterogeneous part, while the interpretations of the pure parts are preserved. The study of constraint solving in an instance of the framework, where only homomorphisms are allowed, showed that it is possible to lter information throughout the three parts in a cooperative way in order to reach a well-chosen incremental quasi-solved form. The framework is applied to the combination of lists and naturals.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of Autogenic training and Progressive muscle relaxation technique on the mental skills of female subjects. We recruited 60 female subjects and assigned them into three groups i.e. AT group, PMR group and control group. The first and second groups were provided with 8-week Autogenic training and PMR interventions respectively, whereas the control group continued their general routine. All three groups were tested pre and post interventions for their mental skills by using Hardy and Nelson mental skills questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested by applying ANCOVA to the collected data at 0.05 significance level. Results revealed that only concentration ability was significantly improved with Autogenic training and PMR, whereas no significant differences were observed for other variables. Article visualizations:
In order to perform a "lean and agile" manufacturing plant, functions of a logistics system must be advanced to rapidly respond to the marketing requirements. Based on this viewpoint, this paper presents an intelligent automatic part number generation system developed on a client-server information structure. Up to now, almost all of the commercialized parts numbering systems still need first to manually identify a part number, and then to type the number into a computer; moreover, they are not built with a modern electronic commerce (EC) design tools, e.g., ASP.NET. This manual work may cause a serious problem of the inaccurate data processing. To overcome this problem, this paper proposes an experimental intelligent part numbering system in the form of a knowledge-based structure. The structure was constructed with an object-oriented BOM (bill of materials) database in which the features of components (parts) can be visually judged and automatically numbered by a set of part number production rules stored in the knowledge base. If numbers of parts and their assembled product(s) can be encoded automatically and accurately, it not only greatly saves the workmanship, but also properly handles the part inventory management, purchasing policy and cost control in a logistics information system
With the increase in new product introductions in consumer packaged goods categories, supermarkets are reluctant to accept new products. Therefore, it is very important for manufacturers to convince retailers of the high-demand potential of their products. We study how a high-demand manufacturer can use advertising, slotting allowances, and wholesale prices to signal its high demand to retailers.    Specifically, we examine the relative importance of advertising and slotting allowance in signaling demand. That is, when is it optimal for the manufacturer to use high advertising support, and when is it optimal for it to offer slotting allowance as a signal of its demand? We show that when a high-demand manufacturer is trying to signal its demand to retailers, advertising and slotting allowance are partial substitutes of one another in the sense that the manufacturer can increase one in order to compensate for a reduction in the other. We find that the high-demand manufacturer's signaling strategy depends on three factors: the retailer's stocking costs, the intensity of retail competition, and the advertising response rate in the given product market.    We begin with a model of one manufacturer dealing with one retailer. The manufacturer has private information about the potential demand for its new product. The retailer is uncertain about the likely demand of the new product and is willing to accept the product only if it is convinced that the demand is high. We characterize the high-demand manufacturer's separating equilibrium strategies. We find that the slotting allowance plays an important role in signaling when the retailer's stocking costs are high and the advertising effectiveness is low. On the other hand, the manufacturer does not offer any slotting allowance, and advertising plays a bigger role when the stocking costs are low or the advertising effectiveness is high.    We then examine the effects of retail competition on the manufacturer strategy. We find that the slotting allowance plays a more important role when the retail level competition is very intense. The manufacturer may have to offer a positive slotting allowance even in the absence of retailers' demand uncertainty when the retail competition is sufficiently intense. This result shows that the slotting allowance may have an important role to play even in the absence of signaling or screening considerations. Thus, our analysis of competitive setting provides an alternative explanation for slotting allowances. It also offers support to the views of many retailers who believe that slotting allowances can help retailers recover high stocking costs in highly competitive retail markets. In the presence of retailers' demand uncertainty, the manufacturer offers a higher slotting allowance in order to signal its high demand.    We also investigate the effect of retailer's uncertainty about the effectiveness of the manufacturer's advertising. We show that if the high-demand manufacturer also has a higher advertising response rate, the manufacturer provides even higher advertising support to alleviate the retailer's advertising-related uncertainty. By increasing the advertising support, the manufacturer credibly tells the retailer; that it would not be optimal for the manufacturer to provide such high advertising support unless it had high enough advertising effectiveness.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is present in 5 per cent of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Conversely, as many as 90 per cent of patients with PSC have been found to have UC. The accepted treatment for advanced PSC is orthotopic liver transplant, and the treatment of ulcerative colitis with concomitant PSC is restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA). A small number of studies have shown that there is an increased risk of pouchitis in UC patients with PSC after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. We report a case of a 45-year-old male who underwent a two-stage restorative proctocolectomy with IPAA after previous orthotopic liver transplant for PSC. We have reviewed the available literature concerning restorative proctocolectomy after liver transplantation, giving special attention to postoperative complications and subsequent development of pouchitis. It is important to be aware of the possibility of increased risk for development of pouchitis and to follow these patients closely to prevent complications.
Background Hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency is characterized by recurrent, unpredictable swelling episodes caused by uncontrolled plasma kallikrein generation and excessive bradykinin release resulting from cleavage of high‐molecular‐weight kininogen. Lanadelumab (DX‐2930) is a new kallikrein inhibitor with the potential for prophylactic treatment of hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency. Methods We conducted a phase 1b, multicenter, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, multiple‐ascending‐dose trial. Patients with hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either lanadelumab (24 patients) or placebo (13 patients), in two administrations 14 days apart. Patients assigned to lanadelumab were enrolled in sequential dose groups: total dose of 30 mg (4 patients), 100 mg (4 patients), 300 mg (5 patients), or 400 mg (11 patients). The pharmacodynamic profile of lanadelumab was assessed by measurement of plasma levels of cleaved high‐molecular‐weight kininogen, and efficacy was assessed by the rate of attacks of angioedema during a prespecified period (day 8 to day 50) in the 300‐mg and 400‐mg groups as compared with the placebo group. Results No discontinuations occurred because of adverse events, serious adverse events, or deaths in patients who received lanadelumab. The most common adverse events that emerged during treatment were attacks of angioedema, injection‐site pain, and headache. Dose‐proportional increases in serum concentrations of lanadelumab were observed; the mean elimination half‐life was approximately 2 weeks. Lanadelumab at a dose of 300 mg or 400 mg reduced cleavage of high‐molecular‐weight kininogen in plasma from patients with hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency to levels approaching that from patients without the disorder. From day 8 to day 50, the 300‐mg and 400‐mg groups had 100% and 88% fewer attacks, respectively, than the placebo group. All patients in the 300‐mg group and 82% (9 of 11) in the 400‐mg group were attack‐free, as compared with 27% (3 of 11) in the placebo group. Conclusions In this small trial, administration of lanadelumab to patients with hereditary angioedema with C1 inhibitor deficiency reduced cleavage of high‐molecular‐weight kininogen and attacks of angioedema. (Funded by Dyax; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02093923.)
The effect of compressive uniaxial stress on the threshold field for nucleation of high field domains in n‐type Ge at 27°K has been measured. The increase in threshold field is approximately quadratic in stress and is about 15% for a stress of 104 kg/cm2 applied along a 〈100〉 direction parallel to the current and about 37% for a stress of 104 kg/cm2 applied along a 〈100〉 perpendicular to the current. These results indicate that, while in a strong electric field the 〈110〉 valleys are occupied at high stresses, transfer of electrons to these valleys is not the cause of bulk negative differential conductivity in n‐type Ge.
The Northeastern Mata Atlântica freshwater ecoregion (NMAF) includes part of the eastern Brazilian coastal drainages, has high level of fish endemism and great biogeographic significance. A taxonomic inventory of freshwater fishes from 25 drainages of the NMAF ecoregion and a biogeographic analysis using the Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity (PAE) method were carried out. A total of 192 native species was listed. The PAE method was applied to 24 basins and 37 species, resulting in five equally parsimonious area diagrams. The strict consensus diagram indicates the existence of two main groups of basins throughout the NMAF ecoregion. These groups were denominated: North Group and Central-South Group. The Central-South Group shows a basal polytomy composed by two Groups (Central Group and South Group) plus the rio Itapemirim basin. The North Group is composed by eight drainages from the rio Sergipe to the rio Paraguacu, the Central Group by five drainages from the rio Cachoeira to the rio Jequitinhonha, and the South Group by nine drainages from the rio Buranhem to the rio Doce. Comments about the species distribution and the fish fauna shared with adjacent ecoregions are provided. We also present a comparison of the hypothesis of river relationships proposed herein with published phylogenetic hypotheses that include taxa relevant to this study.A ecorregiao Mata Atlântica Nordeste (NMAF) inclui parte das drenagens costeiras do leste do Brasil, tem alto grau de endemismo de peixes e grande significado biogeografico. Um levantamento taxonomico da ictiofauna de agua doce de 25 drenagens da ecorregiao NMAF e uma analise biogeografica utilizando o metodo de Analise de Parcimonia de Endemismo (PAE) foram realizados. Um total de 192 especies nativas foi listado. O metodo PAE foi aplicado a 24 bacias e 37 especies, resultando em cinco diagramas de areas igualmente parcimoniosos. O diagrama de consenso estrito indica a existencia de dois grupos de bacias principais ao longo da ecorregiao NMAF. Estes grupos foram denominados: Grupo Norte e Grupo Centro-Sul. O Grupo Centro-Sul apresenta uma politomia basal composta por dois grupos (Grupo Centro e Grupo Sul) mais a bacia do rio Itapemirim. O Grupo Norte e formado por oito drenagens entre o rio Sergipe e o rio Paraguacu, o Grupo Centro por cinco drenagens entre o rio Cachoeira e o rio Jequitinhonha e o Grupo Sul por nove drenagens entre o rio Buranhem e rio Doce. Comentarios sobre a distribuicao das especies e a fauna compartilhada com ecorregioes adjacentes sao fornecidos. Apresentamos tambem uma comparacao da hipotese de relacao aqui obtida com filogenias publicadas para alguns taxons relevantes ao presente estudo.Key words: Coastal drainages, Eastern Brazil, Neotropical region, PAE, River relationships.
Intra-pair similarity of some somatological traits was analysed about 59 male and 69 female Japanese monozygotic twin-pairs aged between 12.25 and 13.25 years in terms of intraclass correlation coefficient (r') as well as Coefficient of Similarity (CS). Among 28 anthropometric measurements, the stature, body weight and iliospinal height consist of the highest similarity group, while skinfold thicknesses, calf fat thickness (X-ray) and some cephalic measurements belong to the lowest. Among 26 indices, relative body weight, Kaup, Rohrer, cephalic modulus are high, and intermembral index, abdominal index, acromio-cristal index are low in similarilarity. For circumferencial sizes, both absolute and relative, the male similarity is noticeably higher than the female one. Physiological ages, including skeletal, menarchial and peak height velocity, represent a high similarity. In calf tissue composition analysis, Bone is high, Fat is low, and Muscle is intermediate in similarity. The relation of the similarity with the so-called heritability was discussed.
In this paper, we first describe the basics of the field of cancer diagnosis, which includes steps of cancer diagnosis followed by the typical classification methods used by doctors, providing a historical idea of cancer classification techniques to the readers. These methods include Asymmetry, Border, Color and Diameter (ABCD) method, seven-point detection method, Menzies method, and pattern analysis. They are used regularly by doctors for cancer diagnosis, although they are not considered very efficient for obtaining better performance. Moreover, considering all types of audience, the basic evaluation criteria are also discussed. The criteria include the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve), Area under the ROC curve (AUC), F1 score, accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, precision, dice-coefficient, average accuracy, and Jaccard index. Previously used methods are considered inefficient, asking for better and smarter methods for cancer diagnosis. Artificial intelligence and cancer diagnosis are gaining attention as a way to define better diagnostic tools. In particular, deep neural networks can be successfully used for intelligent image analysis. The basic framework of how this machine learning works on medical imaging is provided in this study, i.e., pre-processing, image segmentation and post-processing. The second part of this manuscript describes the different deep learning techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), generative adversarial models (GANs), deep autoencoders (DANs), restricted Boltzmann’s machine (RBM), stacked autoencoders (SAE), convolutional autoencoders (CAE), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), long short-term memory (LTSM), multi-scale convolutional neural network (M-CNN), multi-instance learning convolutional neural network (MIL-CNN). For each technique, we provide Python codes, to allow interested readers to experiment with the cited algorithms on their own diagnostic problems. The third part of this manuscript compiles the successfully applied deep learning models for different types of cancers. Considering the length of the manuscript, we restrict ourselves to the discussion of breast cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, and skin cancer. The purpose of this bibliographic review is to provide researchers opting to work in implementing deep learning and artificial neural networks for cancer diagnosis a knowledge from scratch of the state-of-the-art achievements.
Introduction: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-I) is associated with adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The major routes of HTLV-I transmission are mother-to-child, sexual contact, and blood transfusion. Mashhad is one of the main endemic areas in the world for HTLV-I, and minimizing the risk of HTLV-I transmission through blood transfusion is one of the main duties of the Blood Transfusion Center in Mashhad. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HTLV-I in the blood donor population in Mashhad during 2011-2013. Methods: All the blood donors in Mashhad from March 2011 to April 2013 who were diagnosed with HTLV-I on the ELISA screening test and the Western blot confirmatory test were included in this seroepidemiological study. Results: From 174,662 blood donors, 327 donors were confirmed to be infected with HTLV-I according to Western blot assay. The seropositive donors ranged in age from 17 to 59, and their mean age was 39.88±10.49 years. The overall prevalence rates of HTLV-I infection were calculated as 0.18% and 0.19%, respectively. Conclusion: Due to the lower frequency of infection in regular blood donors, younger individuals, and people with higher education levels, the selection of blood donors from these populations should be further considered.
Purpose This study aimed to compare the clinical features of panic disorder (PD) with comorbid agoraphobia to those of PD alone. We focused on autonomic nervous system (ANS) alterations reflected in heart rate variability (HRV) and executive function deficits reflected in the Stroop test. Materials and Methods We retrospectively compared psychometric features, Stroop test results, and resting-state HRV across three groups: a subclinical group with anxiety attack history, a PD group without agoraphobia, and a PD group with agoraphobia. The subclinical group included 10 male and 34 female, the PD without agoraphobia group included 17 male and 19 female, and the PD with agoraphobia group included 11 male and 18 female. Results The PD with agoraphobia group had higher Symptom Checklist–95 scores than the other groups. Both PD groups had longer reaction times in the Stroop test than the subclinical group. There were no significant differences in HRV parameters between the PD groups with and without agoraphobia. Compared with the subclinical group, the PD with agoraphobia group showed significantly lower values of the natural logarithm of low-frequency HRV. Conclusion Our results do not support that executive function deficits and ANS alterations are more pronounced with comorbid agoraphobia among PD groups. However, PD with agoraphobia patients showed more complex and severe clinical symptoms in their self-reports. Compared with the subclinical group, PD patients with agoraphobia showed specific features in the natural logarithm of low-frequency HRV. Our findings suggest that agoraphobia comorbidity should be considered when evaluating or treating patients with PD.
The actions of the organic ‘calcium antagonist’ D600 were examined on the frog sartorius nerve-muscle preparation. D600 blocked voltage-dependent Na+ and K+ membrane channels in nerve and muscle, and blocked also endplate channels induced by acetylcholine (ACh). The rate of spontaneous transmitter release from motor nerve terminals was increased by D600, independently of external Ca2+, although the drug had little effect on transmitter release evoked by nerve impulses. Postsynaptically, miniature endplate currents were reduced in size and their decay time constant became shorter and relatively independent of membrane potential. D600 reduced the increase in ACh-induced endplate current seen with membrane hyperpolarization, and with paired ACh pulses a marked depression and slow recovery of ACh sensitivity were observed. These actions of D600 on the postsynaptic membrane suggest that D600 may act by blocking open endplate channels.
Dry multiparous cows were used to investigate the effects on intake, production, and metabolism of either a supplement containing 55% dry propylene glycol (PGLY), a prilled fat supplement (PrFA) containing a low proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (FA), or calcium soaps of FA supplement (CaLFA) containing a high proportion of unsaturated FA. Fifty-three dry cows (256 d pregnant) were stratified into 4 groups and began one of the following dietary treatments: 1) control cows were fed a dry cow diet and at postpartum were fed a lactating cow diet; 2) diets of cows in the PGLY group were supplemented with 500 g/d per cow of dry PGLY until 21 d in milk (DIM); 3) diets of cows in the PrFA group were supplemented with 230 g/d per cow of PrFA until 100 DIM; 4) diets of cows in the CaLFA group were supplemented with 215 g/d per cow of CaLFA until 100 DIM. Prepartum DMI was lower in the PrFA and CaLFA groups than in the control and PGLY groups, whereas postpartum DMI in the PrFA group was higher than that in the control group. Milk production until 100 DIM in both fat-supplemented groups was 4.5% higher than that in the control group. Plasma glucose concentrations pre- and postpartum were higher in the PGLY group than in the PrFA and CaLFA groups, but were similar to those in the control group. Prepartum nonesterified FA (NEFA) concentrations in plasma were increased by 43 and 70% in the PrFA and CaLFA groups, respectively, as compared with the control and PGLY groups. Both fat supplements increased plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations over those of the PGLY and control groups pre- and postpartum. Peripartum plasma insulin concentrations in the control group were 1.7-fold higher than in the PrFA group and 2.1-fold higher than in the CaFA group. Differences between the PrFA and CaLFA groups were observed: DMI was higher pre- and postpartum in the PrFA group than in the CaLFA group, and prepartum plasma NEFA concentrations were 19% higher and insulin concentrations were 21% lower in the CaLFA group than in the PrFA group. No significant differences were observed in DMI, plasma glucose, NEFA, and beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations between the control and PGLY groups. Feeding fat to cows during late pregnancy decreased the DMI and negatively affected the metabolic status of the cows, as reflected by plasma metabolites. Furthermore, protected fat with a high proportion of unsaturated FA (CaLFA) was more pronounced in increasing plasma NEFA concentrations and depressing plasma insulin concentrations than fat with a low proportion of unsaturated FA (PrFA).
With continuously shrinking device structure sizes the photomask suppliers are facing increasing linewidth metrology control requirements. Therefore it is becoming more and more important for equipment suppliers to provide mask metrology tools capable of measuring 0.5 micrometer and smaller critical dimension (CD) features with high accuracy and repeatability, while offering high throughput for systems to be used in the production environment. CD measurement results obtained on the Leica LWM 250UV will be presented showing not only the considerably improved resolution power and measurement accuracy but also an extension of the linearity range to smaller feature sizes using UV light of 365 nm (I-line) instead of white light for illumination in transmitted mode. Results obtained after a system calibration against SEM measurement data show a further extension of the linearity regime. The higher lateral resolution of I-line compared to white light measurements also leads to a CD range value reduction for long term repeatability.
Maintenance of connective tissue integrity is fundamental to sustain function, requiring protein turnover to repair damaged tissue. However, connective tissue proteome dynamics remain largely undefined, as do differences in turnover rates of individual proteins in the collagen and glycoprotein phases of connective tissue extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we investigate proteome dynamics in the collagen and glycoprotein phases of connective tissues by exploiting the spatially distinct fascicular (collagen-rich) and interfascicular (glycoprotein-rich) ECM phases of tendon. Using isotope labelling, mass spectrometry and bioinformatics, we calculate turnover rates of individual proteins within rat Achilles tendon and its ECM phases. Our results demonstrate complex proteome dynamics in tendon, with ~1000-fold differences in protein turnover rates, and overall faster protein turnover within the glycoprotein-rich interfascicular matrix compared to the collagen-rich fascicular matrix. These data provide insights into the complexity of proteome dynamics in tendon, likely required to maintain tissue homeostasis.
In the past few years, location-based mobile social network services, such as Four square and Yelp developed rapidly. To attract more users, the mobile social network service providers provide virtual or real rewards to the user who shares his or her location information in a specific position. This leads some dishonest users provide fake location information to the social network to get the rewards. In this paper, we propose a location authentication scheme based on proximity test of location tags to verify the authenticity of the location information submitted by the users. We generate the location tags by collecting the wireless signals information of the users' current location and use it as a location verification certificate to verify the authenticity of the location information submitted by the users. By security analysis and experimental evaluation, we prove this scheme is effective in preventing location cheating in mobile social networks.
This paper presents the design of versatile equipment for obtaining laser‐beam‐induced current (LBIC) images which allows the study of large surfaces as well as conversion areas of a few micrometers. The modular optomechanical design enables the user to modify the size of the irradiation spot by simply changing the microscope objective used as focal lens, albeit within the limits set by the wavelength. The use of an appropriate calculation algorithm makes it possible to rely on a computerized system to adjust the distance at which the focusing lens must be placed with respect to the sample plane. The possibility of working at micrometer resolution allows one to obtain very significant information for the study of irregularities, manufacturing defects, impurities, grain boundaries, dislocations, recombination centers, etc. in photovoltaic wafers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sixty percent of vascular anomalies in children are found in the head and neck. These lesions can present throughout antenatal, perinatal and childhood development. They broadly fall into two categories: vascular tumours and vascular malformations. Their clinical and, often, psychological impact is determined by both pathological type and location: many lesions follow an uncomplicated natural course and other more complex, extensive or progressive lesions can present a threat to life from mass effect, haemorrhage or large volume arteriovenous shunting. Vascular tumours include infantile haemangioma (IH), congenital haemangioma (CH) and kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KH); of which IH is the most common. Management options for vascular tumours include conservative approaches, oral medications and surgical intervention as determined by tumour type, location and associated complications. Vascular malformations can be categorised into low flow and high flow lesions. Low flow lesions include capillary, venous and lymphatic malformations (LMs). High flow lesions describe the arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), a highly heterogeneous group of lesions which can present in a variety of ways-the mainstay of treatment for these dynamic lesions is endovascular or surgical obliteration. We provide a practical framework for clinical classification of vascular anomalies of the head and neck in children. We also explore principles of their clinical and radiological assessment along with management, highlighting the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach.
Depth First Search (DFS) and position based routing algorithms were proposed in literature. These are localized algorithms that guarantee the delivery for connected ad hoc and sensor wireless networks modeled by arbitrary graphs, including inaccurate location information for a destination node. This paper first optimizes an existing DFS based routing scheme by eliminating from the candidate list neighbors whose messages to other nodes were overheard. We then introduce a new set of localized routing algorithms. The new DFS routing protocol is integrated with power metrics minimizing total power for routing of a message. These DFS Power Progress based algorithms are combinations of known greedy power ad DFS routing algorithms. All algorithms are further enhanced by applying the concept of connected dominating sets, which greatly reduced the search path without impacting significantly the length of effectively constructed path for real tragic. Experiments confirm the efficiency of the new enhanced DFS, power aware and connected dominating set based routing algorithms and ability to guarantee the delivery in arbitrary model due to the DFS routing framework.
Studies of F plasmids in the same cell as a transfer-repressed IncFII R plasmid showed a 100 to 1,000-fold decrease in transfer and a 75-fold decrease in surface exclusion, but no detectable change was shown in the amount of TraTp synthesized. Moreover, a mutation in traJ on F which caused a 10(4)-fold reduction in transfer caused only a 3.6-fold decrease in TraTp. These two findings suggest that a significant amount of traT expression on F is independent of traJ. Furthermore, we showed, using immunoprecipitation of TraTp, that normal amounts of this protein could be present in the cell without producing normal levels of surface exclusion.
SMAD5, a transducer of TGF-beta/BMP inhibitory signals and a tumor suppressor candidate, localizes to the region of invariant loss in human myeloid neoplasms, on chromosome 5q31.1. Recent evidence indicates a gene-dosage effect along the TGF-beta/BMP signaling pathways. We have identified a novel transcript designated DAMS, whose 3' exonic sequences contain in part an alternate 5' exon of SMAD5, in the antisense orientation. Expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) for DAMS are found in fetal tissues (heart, adrenal glands, and total fetus) and pancreatic tumor cDNA libraries. In contrast to SMAD5, DAMS expression is not readily detectable in adult and fetal tissues. Semiquantitative PCR suggests that the stoichiometry between SMAD5 and DAMS transcripts ranges between 15 and 120 in normal and malignant hematopoietic cells. The findings raise the possibility that DAMS may be a fail-safe mechanism for precise regulation of SMAD5 transcript levels that may be critical in maintaining normal homeostasis.
Experiments in a small and fast capillary discharge were performed. Millimeters capillaries with centimeters length were used. The discharge was operated in argon, with a cathode pressure of 300–900 mtorr. The system works with differential vacuum, thus the anode pressure is around five to ten times less than the cathode pressure. Experiments in capillaries with 0.8 and 1.5mm internal diameter, and 8 to 40mm were performed. For an applied voltage of 10 to 15kV, a peak current of 3 to 5 kA with a rise time of 2 to 5 ns is obtained (∼1012 to 5×1011 A/s). In addition to usual electrical diagnostics, time resolved spectra in the region of 30 to 100 nm have been obtained. The Ar-IX (46.9nm) line was detected.
The relevance of research of ataraxia as achieved harmony with the world and ourselves is to improve understanding of the implementation of individual subjective form of human experiences about the surrounding objective reality in the aesthetic sphere of social life. At the beginning of XX century, after World War I, when people came to despair of the absurdities and horrors of the outside world, seemingly strong order collapsed and all the values that are usually considered inviolable got questionable, and the integrity of world order was destroyed, and people had around them nothing solid on which they could rely, and harmony with the world disappeared, there was only returning to their own internal, so that here find the unconditional support that was not belonging to the objective world order, and therefore was out of influence by the elements of total collapse. According to existentialists, a man first exists and then becomes its own merits. In other words, existence precedes essence of life and people do not always realize or want to realize own essence. Therefore, in the existentialphilosophical understanding of man there are two opposite and sharply separated from each other states: the reliability and unreliability of individual human existence. These two modes represent two real ways in which a man exists. In terms of existential philosophy ingenuine life is not harmonious. In the theory of existentialism there are several ways that a person can use to overcome the unreliability of human existence, that is to find harmony in the life. But they did not create a complex method of exit beyond the existence, did not produce universal method of obtaining individual subjective harmony and finding harmony with the world. Existentiality as a philosophical setting does not specify ways and means to achieve happiness and harmony. Therefore, the focus of existence gets the nature of transcendence, which is faith, hope, love, which play an important role in the formation of subjective harmony and the harmony of man and the world. In existential philosophy the harmony is interpreted as a measure of life. Because of the polarity of spirit and matter appears their opposition. This is due to the fact that there no third component of the triangle that gives stability. In this case, the third component is a measure, that it gives stability to the unity of "spirit, matter and measure". Therefore, if a person is harmonious, it has an internal ordering. You also need to take into account the timeliness. So ataraxia as a state of harmony, proportion and eurhythmy of subject and object relations becomes the highest value. In the nineteenth century the loss of a single ideological concept together with social, environmental, moral and ethical crisis led to the desire to find new spiritual guide, rethinking of the central philosophical problems. From this perspective, aesthetic, artistic and practical activities by philosopher Rudolf Steiner, who founded spiritual science of "anthroposophy", was a response to the challenge of time, an attempt to solve the problems of the era. The greatest attention of researchers attracted characteristic for Steiner’s philosophy integrity, associated primarily with understanding of human fossil inclusion in the overall global process, the role of each individual in shaping the future of human culture. The most important Steiner's contribution to the field of artistic activity was the creation of a new art form – eurhythmy – the art of special harmonic motion. Important in eurhythmic movement is that the dance is not born spontaneously, not arbitrarily from the fantasy or experiences of the artist, but appears as the embodiment of the laws that rule the world movement. In eurhythmy an attempt to find a connection with the universal human content is implemented. Steiner’s anthroposophy is not a dogmatic religious doctrine, but nor an abstract theory. It focused on the lively knowledge that enables the human soul with direct experience of truth. The main conclusion of Steiner's epistemology is the claim that thinking is the essence of the world and the individual human mind is another form of this essence. So the leading idea of Steiner’s pedagogy is the idea of a free self-governing schools, that is not serving to the state, and even not to society as a whole, but focused solely on the individual's needs and requests. In the focus of this way stated problem there must be questioned about freedom and moral rights. Based on Steiner's philosophy, which is characterized by integrity, associated with understanding of human fossil inclusion in the overall global process, the role of each individual in shaping the future of human culture, we conclude that a man is like a piece of macroworld should maintain harmony with the environment, the harmony of "truth, virtue and beauty". As the highest purpose of human activity Steiner considers transformation of reality into a work of art. So Steiner's anthroposophy, as the analysis of the literature shows, is not an isolated phenomenon in the history of philosophy, but a link of the European idealist tradition, based on the philosophy of Stoicism and maintains its aesthetic values, such as ataraxia state of harmony, proportion and eurhythmy with the world. Sources 9.
Abstract In this study, indoor air quality and thermal conditions were studied under laboratory conditions with the heat load that was located symmetrically or asymmetrically in the room. Diffuse ceiling ventilation (DCV) was adopted to provide cooling and outdoor air to the room. CO2 concentration, room air temperature and air speed were measured in the test chamber. This study gives insight of both thermal comfort and indoor air quality with different heat load levels and load distribution. The results show that the strength, distribution and the type of heat load have a significant influence on air distribution and thermal comfort. In all cases, the performance of the diffused ceiling ventilation was like fully mixed ventilation. The mean air temperature and speed increase with the heat load, as a result, also draught rate increases, which meant the heat load distribution has effect on local thermal discomfort.
The growing HCI agenda on health has focused on different chronic conditions but less so on Long Covid, despite its severe impact on the quality of life. We report findings from 2 workshops with 13 people living with Long Covid, indicating the challenges of making sense of their physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms, and of monitoring the triggers of post-exertional malaise. While most participants engage in pacing activities for the self-management of fatigue, only a few are aware of the importance of planning all their daily activities and routines in order to avoid post-exertional malaise. We conclude with design implications to support lightweight tracking and sensemaking of fatigue symptoms, novel data analytics for monitoring the triggers of post-exertional malaise and the worsening of symptoms, and support for self-management in order to prevent post-exertional malaise.
Boron application rates as high as 8 and 16 kg ha−1 were not toxic to Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea L. ssp. gemmifera). These rates resulted in leaf tissue B levels of 123 and 161 μg g−1 and of 7.6 and 9.1 μg HWS B g−1 soil, respectively. Rates of 8–16 kg B ha−1 would, however, be seriously toxic to many crops. It is therefore strongly recommended that rates of B applied to Brussels sprouts should not exceed 2 kg ha−1. Such B applications should eliminate B deficiency in most crops and would not pose a threat of B toxicity to crops grown in the following year. Key words: Eastern Canada, Brussels sprouts yields, field studies, boron
Abstract Tundra soils contain large amounts of organic carbon (C) that might become available to microbial decomposition as soils warm. To elucidate the C sources currently sustaining CO2 emissions from striped tundra soils (soil respiration) in Northwest Greenland, we studied the seasonal pattern and radiocarbon (14C) signature of soil respiration and of CO2 within the pore space, respired from roots and non-root–associated microbes, and of bulk soil organic matter. Old C pools are present in the topsoil of both barren ridges (1000–5000 yrs) and vegetated troughs (modern to 600 yrs). Before leaf-out, soil respiration was depleted in 14C relative to atmospheric CO2, root and microbial respiration within the topsoil, demonstrating a substantial contribution of C fixed before 1950. As the growing season progressed, the contribution of older C pools decreased, but remained apparent in the soil respiration from ridges and in pore space CO2. Soil respiration from troughs became dominated by recently fixed C. As the active layer deepens with permafrost thaw, buried C may become an increasingly larger component of soil respiration. Detecting microbial decomposition of older C pools requires continuous monitoring of soil and microbial respiration and better constraints on soil C pools.
Since the beginning prion research has been largely dependent on animal models for deciphering the disease, drug development or prion detection and quantification. Thereby, ethical as well as cost and labour-saving aspects call for alternatives in vitro. Cell models can replace or at least complement animal studies, but their number is still limited and the application usually restricted to certain strains and host species due to often strong transmission barriers. Bank voles promise to be an exception as they or materials prepared from them are uniquely susceptible to prions from various species in vivo, in vitro and in cell-free applications. Here we present a mainly astrocyte-based primary glia cell assay from bank vole, which is infectible with scrapie strains from bank vole, mouse and hamster. Stable propagation of bank vole-adapted RML, murine 22L and RML, and hamster 263K scrapie is detectable from 20 or 30 days post exposure onwards. Thereby, the infected bank vole glia cells show similar or even faster prion propagation than likewise infected glia cells of the corresponding murine or hamster hosts. We propose that our bank vole glia cell assay could be a versatile tool for studying and comparing multiple prion strains with different species backgrounds combined in one cell assay.
SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) defines a new Web services cooperation paradigm in order to develop distributed applications using reusable services. The handling of such collaboration has different problems that lead to many research efforts. In this paper, we address the problem of Web service composition. Indeed, various heterogeneities can arise during the composition. The resolution of these heterogeneities, called mediation, is needed to achieve a service composition. In this paper, we propose a sound approach to formalize Web services composition mediation with the ADL (Architecture Description Language) ACME. To do so, we first model the meta model of composite service manager and mediation. Then we specify semi formal properties associated with this meta model using OCL (Object Constraint Language). Afterwards, we formalize the mediation protocol using Armani, which provides a powerful predicate language in order to ensure service execution reliability.
Better known for her novels "Little Women" and "Little Men," Louisa May Alcott continued the story of her feisty protagonist Jo in this final novel chronicling the adventures and misadventures of the March family. Entertaining, surprising, and overall a joy to read, "Jo's Boys" is nevertheless shaded by a bittersweet tone, for with it Alcott brought her wonderful series to an end. Beginning ten years after "Little Men," "Jo's Boys" revisits Plumfield, the New England school still presided over by Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer. Jo's boys -- including rebellious Dan, sailor Emil, and promising musicain Nat -- are grown; Jo herself remains at the center of this tale, holding her boys fast through shipwreck and storm, disappointment... and even murder. Popular for more than a century, the series that began with "Little Women" continues to hold universal appeal with its powerful and affectionate depiction of family -- the safe haven where the prodigal can always return, adversity is never met alone, and our dreams of being cherished, no matter what our flaws, come true. With this new edition of "Jo's Boys," readers once again have access to a treasured classic by one of America's best-loved writers.
To the Editor: In late 2004, a “boxed warning” was added to the labeling for promethazine hydrochloride (Phenergan), including a contraindication for use in children less than two years of age and a strengthened warning with regard to use in children two years of age or older. We describe the basis for this action. Promethazine is widely used in children as an antihistamine, antiemetic, and sedative. Since its approval in 1951, serious and often life-threatening adverse events, including respiratory depression, oversedation, agitation, hallucinations, seizures, and dystonic reactions, have been reported with promethazine use in children.1,2 The occurrence of these . . .
Abstract Aim The aim of this article is to investigate the efficacy of emergency burr hole drainage of significantly thicker acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) with coagulopathy. Patient and Methods A 23-year-old man presented with ASDH of left fronto-temporo-parietal region due to trauma following trivial injury. Patient was chronic alcoholic having coagulopathy and thrombocytopenia. He had rapid deterioration in neurological status. Though craniotomy and hematoma evacuation was planned initially, in view of persistent coagulopathy, emergent burr hole evacuation was performed. Neurological symptoms improved dramatically after the burr hole evacuation. He became alert and could walk unassisted 3 days after surgery, although psychic disturbance resulting from cerebral contusion persisted. Result Burr hole evacuation is an useful treatment for significant thicker ASDH with coagulopathy, as procedure can be performed easily and rapidly, aids in achieving reduction of intracranial pressure while purchasing time for correction of coagulopathy. Conclusion Emergency burr hole drainage should be considered in rapidly deteriorating patients with significant thicker ASDH with persistent thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy showing rapid neurological deterioration.
We generalize a previous inequality related to a sharp version of the Littlewood conjecture on the minimal $L_1$-norm of $N$-term exponential sums $f$ on the unit circle. The new result concerns replacing the expression $ log(1+t|f|^2)$ with $ log ( sum_{k=1}^K t_k|f_{k}|^2)$. The proof occurs on the level of finite Toeplitz matrices, where it reduces to an inequality between their polarized determinants (or "mixed discriminants").
Infertility is an increasing problem all over the world, and it has been estimated that 10–15% of couples in fertile age have fertility problems. Likewise induced unsafe abortion is a serious threat to women’s health. Despite advances made in assisted reproduction techniques, little progress has been made in increasing the success rate during fertility treatment. This document describes a wide range of projects carried out to increase the understanding in the field of embryo implantation research. The ‘Fruitful’ research network was created to encourage collaborations within the consortium and to describe our different research potentials to granting agencies or private sponsors.
This paper presents an investigation into the development of open-loop and closed-loop control strategies for flexible manipulator systems. Shaped torque inputs, including Gaussian-shaped and low-pass (Butter-worth and elliptic) filtered input torque functions, are developed and used in an open-loop configuration and their performance studied in comparison to a bang-bang input torque through experimentation on a single-link flexible manipulator system. Closed-loop control strategies that use both collocated (hub angle and hub velocity) and non-collocated (end-point acceleration) feedback are then proposed. A collocated proportional and derivative (PD) control is first developed and its performance studied through experimentation. The collocated control is then extended to incorporate, additionally, non-collocated feedback through a proportional integral derivative (PID) configuration. The performance of the hybrid collocated and non-collocated control strategy thus developed is studied through experimentation. Experimental results verifying the performance of the developed control strategies are presented and discussed.
While appreciating the role of the Enlightenment Jurgen Habermas also understands the difficulties of its primacy of rationality. Inadequacy of instrumental interpretation of rationality leads the German philosopher to the formulation of the theory of communicative action. In this theory the search for an agreement becomes the basis for an action; this theory replaces and complements the conception of the action formulated by Max Weber. Moreover, it is the language and more specifically the whole process of communication that reveals complicated social reality. The importance of these theoretical considerations is shown in bioethical reflection, mainly in regard to the eugenics.
In this article, the problem of model-based dynamic event-triggered control (ETC) of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) with dynamic quantization effects and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks is studied. With the aid of a technique combining model-based CPSs and dynamic ETC scheme, the number of transmissions is significantly reduced to save the scarce network resources. An average dwell-time (ADT) automaton and a time-ratio monitor are firstly introduced to ETC systems to describe the frequency and duration of the DoS attacks, then a unified hybrid framework of CPSs with dynamic quantizer is established. In the presence of external disturbances, quantization effects and DoS attacks, by following the emulation approach some event-triggering conditions are designed to allow the robustness, the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> stability and the existence of a minimum inter-event time (MIET). Relying on a novel Lyapunov function, we derive new sufficient conditions on <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula>-gain performance of CPSs. Moreover, the Zeno phenomenon in the quantized ETC system is excluded due to the existence of a positive MIET. Finally, a numerical example is provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach proposed in this paper.
Abstract While a large family of unfolding models for Likert-scale response data have been developed for decades, very few applications of these models have been witnessed in practice. There may be several reasons why these have not appeared more widely in published research, however one obvious limitation appears to be the absence of suitable software for model estimation. In this article, the authors demonstrate how the mirt package can be adopted to estimate parameters from various unidimensional and multidimensional unfolding models. To concretely demonstrate the concepts and recommendations, a tutorial and examples of R syntax are provided for practical guidelines. Finally, the performance of mirt is evaluated via parameter-recovery simulation studies to demonstrate its potential effectiveness. The authors argue that, armed with the mirt package, applying unfolding models to Likert-scale data is now not only possible but can be estimated to real-datasets with little difficulty.
Development of digital economy in the context of modern financial globalization is becoming an issue of national security and independence of a country. Internet development and providing better quality of information exchange, sending documents between departments, storing information, carrying out complex calculations, and computer modeling of engineering facilities. This article discusses promising technologies that have found their application in the financial sector. The blockchain technology and its application options are described with the prospect of combining all information flows into a single system. The possibilities of using blockchain technology in the financial sector are examined, the main advantages and problems of using this technology in the financial sector are analyzed. The analysis of foreign experience in the implementation of blockchain technology by financial institutions is presented, the advantages of the implementation of best practices in the financial reality of Russia are shown.
In this study, photoluminescence (PL) measurements were used to characterized Cu(In,Ga)Se2 nanotip arrays (CIGS NTRs). Large area CIGS NTRs were yielded by using one step Ar+ milling process without template. Formation mechanism of NTRs is due to a highly anisotropic milling effect of the quaternary components compound. In both CIGS thin films with and without NTRs, saturation effects of Donor-Acceptor Pair (DAP) had been observed while excitation power dependence PL measurements. Comparing with thin film CIGS without NTRs, it has revealed that the concentration DAP had been changed after formation of CIGS NTRs and had enhanced its carrier density of the p-type semiconductor.
Synapse function requires the cell‐adhesion molecules neurexins (Nrxn) and neuroligins (Nlgn). Although these molecules are essential for neurotransmission and prefer distinct isoform combinations for interaction, little is known about their transcriptional regulation. Here, we started to explore this important aspect because expression of Nrxn1‐3 and Nlgn1‐3 genes is altered in mice lacking the transcriptional regulator methyl‐CpG‐binding protein2 (MeCP2). Since MeCP2 can bind to methylated CpG‐dinucleotides and Nrxn/Nlgn contain CpG‐islands, we tested genomic sequences for transcriptional activity in reporter gene assays. We found that their influence on transcription are differentially activating or inhibiting. As we observed an activity difference between heterologous and neuronal cell lines for distinct Nrxn1 and Nlgn2 sequences, we dissected their putative promoter regions. In both genes, we identify regions in exon1 that can induce transcription, in addition to the alternative transcriptional start points in exon2. While the 5′‐regions of Nrxn1 and Nlgn2 contain two CpG‐rich elements that show distinct methylation frequency and binding to MeCP2, other regions may act independently of this transcriptional regulator. These data provide first insights into regulatory sequences of Nrxn and Nlgn genes that may represent an important aspect of their function at synapses in health and disease.
Concentrations of neopterin, which is produced by human monocytes/macrophages when stimulated by gamma-interferon, were measured in urine specimens from 72 patients with lung cancer at diagnosis. Other routine clinical and laboratory variables were concomitantly determined. Neither neopterin nor any other laboratory variable studied showed a significant correlation with clinical indicators of the disease (morphologic type, tumour stage, grading, lymph node status, presence of distant metastases). The cancer patients were followed up for up to 10 years, and the abilities of all variable to predict fatal outcome were assessed. In univariate survival analyses, all clinical indicators except morphologic type (P = 0.86) were significant predictors of survival (P < 0.002), but of all the laboratory variables studies, only neopterin was significantly predictive (P = 0.0013). By multivariate survival analysis, a combination of four variables was found to jointly predict survival: lymph node status (P = 0.003), multivariate model), tumour stage (P = 0.0006), grading (P = 0.0047) and neopterin (P = 0.0047). The data suggest that certain aspects of immune activation may have adverse consequences for the prognosis of patients with lung cancer.
It is shown that the dielectronic satellites (DES) dominate X-ray spectral formation in the 6.7-keV Kα complex of Fe xxv at temperatures below that of maximum abundance in collisional ionization equilibrium Tm. Owing to their extreme temperature sensitivity, the DES are excellent spectral diagnostics for in photoionized, collisional or hybrid plasmas; whereas the forbidden, intercombination and resonance lines of Fe xxv are not. A diagnostic line ratio GD(T) is defined including the DES and the lines, with parameters from new relativistic atomic calculations. The DES absorption resonance strengths may be obtained from differential oscillator strengths, possibly to yield the column densities. The DES contribution to highly ionized Fe should be of interest for models of redward broadening of Kα features, ionized accretion discs, accretion flows and Kα temporal-temperature variability in AGN.
Waterborne side-chain fluorinated polyurethanes were prepared from fluorine-containing polyether polyol, N210, isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as main materials through self-emulsified method. The factors on FWPU, including the particle size and distribution, solid content, the acid and alkali resistant properties of emulsion film, were investigated. The results indicated that the particle size of fluoronated polyurethane dispersion was small, and dispersion had good stability. The emulsion film had better chemical resistant properties.
Total knee arthroplasty has witnessed a significant increase in recent years. Despite the advantages of this surgical procedure, it has some complications, the most serious of which is prosthetic infection. The discrimination of bacterial infections from sterile inflammatory processes is of great importance in the management of periprosthetic infection (PPI). Ubiquicidin (UBI) is a synthetic antimicrobial peptide fragment reported to be highly infection-specific. Tc99m-UBI has recently been reported to be a promising radiotracer for infection imaging. We report a case of left knee PPI diagnosed using 99mTc-UBI scintigraphy and compared with F-18 fluorodeoxy-glucose positron emission tomography.
Soil pH is strongly associated with soil biogeochemical cycles and biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems. Grazing exclusion (GE) has been widely adopted as an effective practice to restore degraded grasslands. However, the effect of GE on soil pH is still poorly understood and remains inconclusive. We synthesized data for 63 sites from the peer‐reviewed literature and 43 additional field sites and investigated the differences in soil pH following grazing exclusion across China’s grasslands. The mean pH across all samples decreased by 0.13 units with grazing exclusion (mean pH 8.15 and 8.02 for the grazed and grazing exclusion groups, respectively, p < 0.001). The pH of the surface soil (0–20 cm) showed the greatest rates of decrease in grazing exclusion grasslands, whereas the pH of the deep soil layers (20–100 cm) showed a limited response to grazing exclusion. In general, the largest rate of decrease in soil pH occurred after medium‐term periods (5–15 years) of grazing exclusion, whereas a smaller rate of change was found over short‐ (≤5 years) and long‐term periods (≥15 years) of grazing exclusion. Of the environmental factors examined, the climatic conditions, accumulation of biomass and the soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics were important factors influencing soil pH following grazing exclusion. Our results indicate that grazing exclusion causes significant soil acidification, especially in surface soils and humid areas. Our results provide an important reference for the future management of China’s grasslands.
In recent decades, toxic cyanobacterial blooms have become frequent in the drinking water supply and have caused serious deleterious effects to domestic and wild animals, as well as to humans. Two strains of the cyanobacterium species Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (T2 and T3) were isolated from the Billings Reservoir (São Paulo, Brazil) and cultured in the laboratory for use in acute toxicity tests with mice, micro crustaceans, and fish. The results showed high toxicity of both strains in mouse bioassays (median lethal dose [LD50]; 24 h = 9.6 and 27 mg/kg; intraperitoneal injections). The symptomatology presented by mice was typical of neurotoxicosis, such as trembling, ataxia, convulsions and death by respiratory arrest. Acute and chronic effects were observed in Daphnia similis and Ceriodaphnia dubia, such as immobilization and reduced fitness, respectively. Although acute effects were not detected on the adult fish Danio rerio, chronic toxicity was observed for its larval stage. Although both strains showed high toxicity to all organisms, no consistent pattern was seen between the different bioassays and strains. The results also showed that C. raciborskii toxins are stable to heat and to extreme pH variations. Because of high toxicity of these strains and the potential risk to human health, the authors propose a revision of the legislation regarding safety factors for drinking water supply. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2012;31:857–862. © 2012 SETAC
In this paper, we consider distributed estimation when the communication time-scale is restricted to the time-scale of the dynamics. It can be shown that this restriction may not guarantee a stable estimation error when the data fusion is implemented only in the observation-space. To address this issue, one has to rely on fusion in the predictor-space, which alone may lead to a stable error only when the system matrix is full S-rank (maximal rank of the zero/non-zero structure). In this paper, we show that when the system matrix is S-rank deficient, predictor-space fusion is insufficient, i.e., the distributed estimator is not observable. In order to recover distributed observability, we provide a novel measurement-based agent classification, and subsequently, define inter-agent communication derived from this classification. The results are based on structured systems theory and the notion of generic observability. Finally, we provide an illustrative example to show the applicability of the proposed schemes using an iterative Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) approach.
Double take: Double-barrel carbon nanoprobes with integrated distance control for simultaneous nanoscale electrochemical and ion conductance microscopy can be fabricated with a wide range of probe sizes in less than two minutes. The nanoprobes allow simultaneous noncontact topographical (left image) and electrochemical imaging (right) of living neurons, as well as localized K+ delivery and simultaneous neurotransmitter detection.
K. Peter Kretschmer, a practicing surgeon in Seattle, dedicates his book "To my father, who shares the fate of all stoma patients." His interest and broad knowledge of stomas and the stoma patient is personal and well demonstrated in this short book. Questions many physicians and patients ask about stomas are answered. The book opens with a complete historical review of stomas; a brief but excellent section on stomal physiology follows. Changes that occur in the bowel after an ostomy are explained in physiological terms and are geared to the clinician's understanding. The chapters on the indications for intestinal stomas, as well as the complications that sometimes occur are detailed and clear. Indications for jejunostomies, ileostomies, and colostomies in malignant, inflammatory, and congenital conditions in all age groups are discussed. Kretschmer states his opinions and draws heavily from Brooke and Turnbull, in particular, for when to create a stoma and
To improve research on women's health, and to achieve better understanding of the factors controlling disease across diverse populations of humans, it is imperative to study sex differences in physiology and disease. After the introduction of the "SABV policy" at NIH, which requires investigators using animals or humans to consider sex as a biological factor, it became clear that many investigators were unaware of concepts of sexual differentiation or methods that can be used to study sex as a biological variable (SABV). To remedy this situation, efforts have increased to teach concepts and methods of SABV at all educational levels. The UCLA Scientific Center of Research Excellence (SCORE) grant "Sex differences in the metabolic syndrome" promotes education about SABV through three primary mechanisms: (1) through didactic course content for students at the undergraduate level, (2) by providing pilot funding for early career investigators to study the role of sex in metabolism-related areas, and (3) through curation of a video library, which may be useful for investigators performing research at the graduate, postgraduate, and faculty levels.
Promoting entrepreneurship among the youth and women is an emerging global trend for inclusive sustainable development. This study aims to unlock the potential of social business investments in microenterprises for turning unemployment into entrepreneurship and scaling up business growth. According to Prof Yunus, “ social business is selfless business to solve social problems ” based on seven principles. The study has selected 264 enterprises of Nobin Udyokta (NU) meaning new entrepreneurs under Nobin Udyokta Project (NUP) of Grameen Telecom Trust (GTT). NUs and GTT have co-investments under equity participation for at least one or more than 1 year. NUs are basically emerging micro entrepreneurs, who are often disproportionately burdened with multi-dimensions of pov- erty and lack of working capital, which inhibits business growth. Findings of regression analysis show that social business fund can significantly influence the growth of NU enterprises and increased investment can also create more employments. Therefore, this study is having value to the promoter, advocates, investors in social enterprises, and policy makers seeking strategy for reducing poverty and unemployment through entrepreneurship for sustainable development leaving no one behind.
Summary We used a UK-based health economics model to focus on preventative treatment in patients surviving acute stroke-related events. The health state transition model considered clinical recurrent events based on non-fatal transient ischaemic attacks, non-fatal other vascular events, and further acute strokes. Treatment was compared based on modified-release (MR) single agent dipyridamole, MR dipyridamole in combination with aspirin (Asasantin® Retard), low-dose aspirin (ASA), clopidogrel (Plavix®*), and placebo. Asasantin® Retard is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim, UK; Plavix® is a registered trademark of Sanofi-Aventis, UK. Resource use and unit cost data were based on a survey of dUK-based clinicians and standard national cost sources for 2002. Compared to aspirin, Asasantin Retard was associated with 29 fewer strokes over a 5-year period for every 1,000 patients treated, at an additional cost per treated patient of £64. This equated to a cost per avoided stroke of £2,255, and cost per life year gained of £5,103. Overall, the analysis suggests that Asasantin Retard provides additional benefits over aspirin, and has a favourable cost-effectiveness profile.
Recent reports1 ,2 stemming from a large study in Europe explore the concept of ‘missed care’ by nurses. Missed care is defined as the omission of any aspect of required patient care.3 Beyond the expected finding that nurse–patient staffing ratios are associated with missed care, the work environment and registered nurses (RN) carrying out non-nursing tasks were also important predictors.1 The frequency of missed care was also associated with nurses’ perceptions of patient safety.2 These findings are consistent with findings from a series of studies by Kalisch and colleagues in the USA.4 ,5 However, only recently has the issue of missed care been openly discussed in the literature. What are the implications of these findings?  Common activities are missed across hospitals and countries that have different national healthcare delivery systems. In these survey-based studies, nurses report prioritising direct patient care needs such as medication administration, but appear to assign lower priority to patient care interventions such as ambulation, psychosocial needs, care planning and patient education. The basis for these day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and in some cases minute-to-minute, decisions on what to prioritise is unknown, and poses extraordinarily rich questions for future research. Do nurses prioritise medications and treatments because they are formal physicians’ orders? Do they place greater value on medications and treatments over other interventions needed to prepare the patient (and their informal care givers) for discharge? Is medication administration prioritised over other interventions because it addresses an immediate need, and is now becoming easily tracked through electronic medication administration records relative to other interventions such as ambulation or discharge planning, which may by their nature be somewhat more amorphous? Alternatively, do nurses prioritise medication administration more because of the critical role played by pharmaceutical interventions and their self-perceived competency in medication administration …
Abstract. The detection of the optic disk (OD) and fovea is crucial to the automatic diagnosis based on fundus images. This task is very challenging, especially when varieties of lesions exist. Traditional handcrafted feature-based methods are inaccurate, and deep learning based methods fail easily in abnormal cases. We propose a framework that simultaneously detects the OD and fovea based on deep convolutional neural networks. The original image is first preprocessed and then followed by pseudo label generation. These labels are then fed into a fully convolutional neural network with residual modules for localization of the OD and fovea. Polar transformation is then introduced to the segmentation of the OD. The proposed algorithm achieves a relatively high success rate for OD localization and a 100% success rate for fovea localization on several public datasets. For the segmentation of the OD, the proposed algorithm achieves a low overlapping error on several public datasets. Compared with previous work, the proposed method achieves promising accuracy and robustness, and it is useful for practical applications since it detects the OD and fovea simultaneously and completely.
influential men and employers of labour on the South Side, who, in general, agreed that there was need of a hospital in the district, and promised their support to the movement. A site was also looked for, and several localities had been visited, when the failure of the City of Glasgow Bank rendered it advisable to stop further proceedings for the time. The movement was not again revived till after the death of Mr. Dixon, a short time ago, when it was found that if a hospital had been in existence at the time of his death it would have
ABSTRACT In this paper, memetic flower pollination algorithm (MFPA) is proposed for solving the optimal synthesis of time-modulated half symmetric circular antenna array (TMHSCAA) and time-modulated asymmetric circular antenna array (TMASCAA) by controlling the switching time sequence and the excitation phase of each element time intervals and phases. Current excitation and inter-element spacing of each element are kept uniform. A unique cost function has been formulated for both the case studies. Several low-side lobe patterns synthesized from TMHSCAA and TMASCAA have been compared with those of the conventional circular array. A 20- and 36-element TMHSCAA and TMASCAA have been taken as examples. Furthermore, a novel six-ring time-modulated concentric hexagonal antenna array (TMCHAA) design has been considered to check superiority of the MFPA. The cost function has been designed for the concurrent improvement of side lobe level (SLL) and directivity in the new geometry of TMCHAA by an appropriate fine-tuning of the switching time succession and the inter-element separation of the hexagonal ring. Numerical results show that TMHSCAA, TMASCAA, and TMCHAA can be successfully used for the synthesis of low SLLs even if the amplitude excitations and inter-element spacing are uniform. Statistical analysis is also carried out to ensure that the results are significant in terms of the statistics. The results show that MFPA can exhibit a better performance than the other algorithms like real-coded genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, and differential evolution for the antenna array synthesis examples.
The new ruthenate, Li3Mg2RuO6, was synthesized in polycrystalline form by a solid-state method. The crystal structure of Li3Mg2RuO6 was refined from powder neutron diffraction data in the orthorhombic Fddd space group in an ordered NaCl structure type with a = 5.8759 (2) A, b = 8.4206 (1) A, and c = 17.6455 (5) A. The Ru5+ (S = 3/2) sublattice shows a unique topology, which consists of chains of edge-sharing triangles interconnected by corner sharing and thus there exists the potential for geometric magnetic frustration. This is the first time that magnetic behavior of a material with such sublattice has been investigated. The isostructural, nonmagnetic Li3Mg2NbO6 was prepared as the lattice match for the heat capacity analysis. The temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and neutron diffraction data reveal that the system undergoes a long-range AFM ordering below 17 K but also provide evidence for short-range spin correlations well above TN. The magnetic frustration index, f ≈ 109/1...
This article looks to introduce the second part of the social science education report. Beyond the presentation of two articles and the balance performed of the productions related to the thematic in question. It was evidenced that in their majority, the articles from this part of the report, turn to the education and for scholar sociology research, which turned obligatory at a national level after the 11.684 law in 2008.
In the past few years, the Chinese government opted to restrict the export of selected minerals on environmental and health grounds, subsequently leading to an uproar in countries and regions that rely heavily on imports from China to develop their renewable industry sector. This paper places the focus on the law and policy of the Chinese export restrictions of critical minerals, and its implications for the global renewables energy industry. The paper critically assesses how such export restrictions have been dealt with under the dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Drawing on this WTO jurisprudence, we posit that litigation on export restrictions of the kind imposed by China poses a threat to the legitimacy of the WTO. We therefore conclude by exploring whether there are any alternatives to litigation as a means to deal with countries choosing to impose mineral export restrictions.
The four R factors described in this paper form a single compatibility group which has been previously designated group H. Recombination was demonstrated between any pair of the plasmids TP117, 123, and 124. In contrast, TP116 did not appear to recombine with any other members of the group. TP117, 123, and 124 usually displaced the F factor from Escherichia coli K-12F+, while TP116 and F coexisted stably in that strain. Deoxyribonucleic acid reassociation experiments showed minimal homology between F and the four group H plasmids. The results indicate that there are limitations to using incompatibility alone for classification of bacterial plasmids.
Objective We aimed to determine whether pelvic organ prolapse quantification measurements of genital hiatus (gh) or perineal body (pb) obtained in the late third trimester are predictors of obstetric perineal laceration in nulliparous women. Methods Nulliparous women with singleton gestation were prospectively recruited after 35-week gestation, and gh and pb measurements were obtained. After delivery, determination of the presence and degree of perineal laceration were recorded. Correlation of gh and pb measurements with risk of perineal laceration (defined as second, third, or fourth degree) was assessed using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results We recruited 224 patients and 133 met inclusion criteria after delivery. The mean (SD) age was 27.2 (4.0) years and mean (SD) prepregnancy body mass index was 24.1 (4.6) kg/m2. Seventy patients (52.6%) had either a second-degree (n = 64) or third-degree (n = 6) laceration. No fourth-degree lacerations were recorded. We found no significant difference in the median gh (3.5 vs 3.0 cm, P = 0.34) and pb (3.5 vs 3.5 cm, P = 0.54) measurements among women with and without perineal lacerations. Conclusions Our data suggest that antenatal measurement of gh and pb does not correlate with the risk of obstetric perineal laceration in nulliparous patients undergoing spontaneous vaginal delivery.
The occurrence of macrosegregation in alloys produced by ingot casting can adversely affect the quality of the final product. Macrosegregation can be described as a severe variation on the macroscopic scale of the chemical species that compose the alloy, and the ability of computational simulations to predict such defects remains far from perfect. Therefore, this research focuses on the development of a two-dimensional mathematical model that - through computational simulations - could be applied to study and predict the formation of macrosegregation in the ingot casting of binary alloys. Once accomplished, this work can establish the framework to new studies that will tackle more advanced problems, e.g., for actual ingot geometries, three-dimensional models and industrially-important ternary alloys.
This research was made to study the difference in social maturity between high and low intelligence among science and arts students. The sample of present study consisted of 100 cases. Both Arts (25 Boys and 25 Girls) and Science students (25 boys and 25 girls), were randomly selected. Their age range was between 18-25 years. Social Maturity Scale constructed by Srivastava (1983) and Standard Progressive Matrices for measuring intelligence by Raven (1988) were used. 't-test' was employed to see the difference in social maturity between high and low intelligence and academic stream (science and arts). The finding of the present study suggested that there is a significant difference in social maturity between high and low intelligence (t = 3.14, p < .01). Therefore it can be concluded that the students who are high in intelligence are socially matured. It was also found that there was no significant difference between science and arts students related to social maturity.
The incidence of antimicrobial resistance and expressed and unexpressed resistance genes among commensal Escherichia coli isolated from healthy farm animals at slaughter in Great Britain was investigated. The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among the isolates varied according to the animal species; of 836 isolates from cattle tested only 5.7% were resistant to one or more antimicrobials, while only 3.0% of 836 isolates from sheep were resistant to one or more agents. However, 92.1% of 2480 isolates from pigs were resistant to at least one antimicrobial. Among isolates from pigs, resistance to some antimicrobials such as tetracycline (78.7%), sulphonamide (66.9%) and streptomycin (37.5%) was found to be common, but relatively rare to other agents such as amikacin (0.1%), ceftazidime (0.1%) and coamoxiclav (0.2%). The isolates had a diverse range of resistance gene profiles, with tet(B), sul2 and strAB identified most frequently. Seven out of 615 isolates investigated carried unexpressed resistance genes. One trimethoprim-susceptible isolate carried a complete dfrA17 gene but lacked a promoter for it. However, in the remaining six streptomycin-susceptible isolates, one of which carried strAB while the others carried aadA, no mutations or deletions in gene or promoter sequences were identified to account for susceptibility. The data indicate that antimicrobial resistance in E. coli of animal origin is due to a broad range of acquired genes.
A computer simulation of the cardiovascular system including an extravascular compartment was designed to predict blood volume, pressures, and flows, as well as hematocrit and myocardial oxygen consumption and supply in response to infusion of fluid following massive blood loss. The simulation predicts that the reduction of hematocrit with the increased preload and afterload which are produced by the fluid infusion, may result in myocardial oxygen deficit.
Patient: Male, 79-year-old Final Diagnosis: Serotonin syndrome Symptoms: Altered mental state • clonus • hyperthermia • rigors • tremor Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Neurology • Psychiatry • Toxicology Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Serotonin syndrome is a life-threatening condition that involves overstimulation serotonin receptors, which can be caused by medication overdose, drug-drug interactions, and regular doses of medications. It is often an overlooked diagnosis due to the presenting symptoms. Case Report: Our patient was a 79-year-old man with a past medical history significant for coronary artery disease status after coronary bypass surgery who presented to the Emergency Department with altered mental status. Vital signs were significant for hyperthermia. On initial assessment, he was only oriented to person and demonstrated shaking rigors. Lab test results were significant for leukocytosis, with troponins 2.94. A chest X-ray revealed left lower-lobe opacification. He was initially treated for community-acquired pneumonia and his elevated troponin required further work up. He was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to worsening respiratory distress, shaking tremors, and confusion. His troponins remained elevated. On his third day of hospitalization, his rigors had improved, but clonus was present. A medication review revealed the patient was on sertraline. He was started on cyproheptadine. The next morning, his mental status had improved to alert and oriented, and his condition returned to baseline. Upon discharge to a rehab facility, sertraline was discontinued. Conclusions: Serotonin syndrome is a condition that is often not initially recognized. Our patient had multiple health problems and presented with altered mental status and tremors, and serotonin syndrome was not recognized until a full neurological exam and medication review had been done. It is important for physicians to be aware of serotonin syndrome as a differential diagnosis, as the symptoms can be masked by other presenting symptoms.
A three-phase PWM AC/AC Cuk converter aimed at voltage sag compensation is presented. Unlike other configurations, the converter has a modular structure, allowing individual phase compensation, and thus providing a balanced response to voltage sags. The design procedure is derived from the basic DC/DC converter analysis, and conveniently modified for AC/AC operation. The control stage is implemented using commercial analog PWM ICs along with digital logic for gating pulse distribution. The converter was tested in static and dynamic operating conditions. The tests performed show that the output voltage is kept within a ±3% range of the nominal voltage, and its THD level is below 5%, operating with an average efficiency of 89.44%. The response time to a 63% depth voltage sags is good, returning the output voltage to −10% of the nominal voltage in less than a half line cycle, in full compliance with the ITIC curve for information equipment. These performance characteristics make the converter a suitable choice for power conditioning sensitive loads.
Background. The effectiveness of fissure sealants in caries prevention depends on their long-term retention and ability to stop caries progression. This randomized controlled clinical trial compared the retention rate and cariostatic properties of a contemporary glass-ionomer-based sealant (GIS) versus a resin-based sealant (RS) placed on fully erupted permanent molars in a split-mouth design. Methods. The sealants were placed on fully erupted permanent teeth (8‒12 years of age) in 45 children. The evaluation was conducted after one week and three and six months. Results. There was a statistically significant difference in the retention rate and caries transition between the two groups over a six-month clinical evaluation period. The resin-based sealant group showed a better retention rate than the GIS group (75.56% and 48.88%, respectively). The resin-based sealant was superior to GIS in preventing caries progression. Conclusion. Resin-based fissure sealant with fluoride releasing properties might be preferable in preventing caries progression of incipient non-cavitated carious lesions in fully-erupted teeth.
The conventional technique of measuring the quality of water is to gather the samples manually and send it laboratory for analysis, but this technique is time overwhelming and not economical. Since it is not feasible to take the water sample to the laboratory after every hour for measuring its quality. The water quality measuring system can measure the essential qualities of water in real time. The system consists of multiple sensors to measure the standard of water, microcontroller and wifi modem to send the information to the watching center. It's a true time system which is able to endlessly measure the standard of water and can send the measured values to the watching center when each predefinedtime.  During the past decade, water needs have increased unpredictably in India. Increasing demand of water supply has become a major challenge for the world. Wasteful usage of water, climatic changes and Urbanization has further depleted the resource. Conservation and management of the resource must be given utmost importance. In this paper, we present an IoT design for water monitoring and control approach which supports internet based data collection on real time bases. This paper proposes a system that addresses new challenges in the water sector -flow rate measuring and the need for a study of the supply of water in order to curb water wastage and encourage its conservation. We also measure the quality of water distributed to every household by deploying pH and conductivity sensors. The traditional water metering systems require periodic human intervention for maintenance making it inconvenient and often least effective. This system is designed to overcome for shortcoming of the existing models for a ubiquitous usage of wireless systems for smart quality monitoring and communicate datawirelessly.
The ability to chemically modify the surface of bacteriophage bypasses the functional limitations imposed by the standard biosynthetically incorporated amino acids that comprise the phage coat. Appended functionalities can include fluorescent or other reporter groups, inorganic materials, cytotoxic agents, and pharmacophores. Applications include incorporating the modification in the context of a displayed random peptide library prior to panning as a route to chimeric semisynthetic peptide ligands, use of phage as a template for construction of novel nanomaterials, direct mechanical manipulation of phage, use of phage particles as medical imaging reagents, and catalysis-based screening for novel enzyme activities.Site-specific modification of phage in the context of the forest of competing functional groups that make up the phage coat requires a uniquely reactive chemical group specifically placed in the coat protein. The so-called “21st amino acid” selenocysteine (Sec) is found in all three kingdoms of life and is co-translationally incorporated via a context-dependent opal suppression mechanism. The lower pKa of Sec (5.2 vs. 8.3 for cysteine) permits modification by direct nucleophilic substitution at low pH values, where other nucleophilic amino acids are essentially unreactive. Incorporation of Sec-insertion signals into the phage coat protein gene gIII results in quantitative site-specific incorporation of Sec, which can, in principle, be modified with any novel chemical group. The use of phage-displayed selenopeptides for chimeric library screening, enzyme evolution, and direct mechanical manipulation of phage will be discussed in this chapter.
Vascular smooth muscle (VSM) maturation is developmentally regulated and differs between vascular beds. The maturation and contribution of VSM function to tissue blood flow and blood pressure regulation during early gestation are unknown. The carotid artery (CA) contributes to fetal cerebral blood flow regulation and well being. We studied CA VSM contractility, protein contents, and phenotype beginning in the midthird of ovine development. CAs were collected from early (88-101 day of gestation) and late (138-150 day; term = day 150) fetal (n = 14), newborn (6-8 day old; n = 7), and adult (n = 5) sheep to measure forces in endothelium-denuded rings with KCl, phenylephrine, and ANG II; changes in cellular proteins, including total and soluble protein, actin and myosin, myosin heavy chain isoforms (MHC), filamin, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen; and vascular remodeling. KCl and phenylephrine elicited age- and dose-dependent contraction responses (P < 0.001) at all ages except early fetal, which were unresponsive. In contrast, ANG II elicited dose responses only in adults, with contractility increasing greater than fivefold vs. that shown in fetal or neonatal animals (P < 0.001). Increased contractility paralleled age-dependent increases (P < 0.01) in soluble protein, actin and myosin, filamin, adult smooth muscle MHC-2 (SM2) and medial wall thickness and reciprocal decreases (P < 0.001) in nonmuscle MHC-B, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and medial cellular density. VSM nonreceptor- and receptor-mediated contractions are absent or markedly attenuated in midgestation and increase age dependently, paralleling the transition from synthetic to contractile VSM phenotype and, in the case of ANG II, paralleling the switch to the AT(1) receptor. The mechanisms regulating VSM maturation and thus blood pressure and tissue perfusion in early development remain to be determined.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common developmental neuropsychiatric disorder. Although ADHD can often be treated with stimulant class medications to alleviate symptoms, such treatments may cause undesirable side effects. Recently, Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been gaining interest with treatment potential for ADHD and the lack of the stimulant-associated undesirable side effects. Animal models are useful for study the efficacy and mechanisms of TCM treatment for ADHD, however, previous studies of TCM on ADHD animal models, in general, have not considered appropriate experiemental designs. There were many concerns regarding the choice and source of the model and control animals, drug administration methods, behavioral and biochemical testing criteria, humane use of animals, and statistical power, etc. In this review, we discuss these issues present in the previous literature of animal research, and propose guidelines for future studies in particular consideration with the unique characteristic of Chinese medicine itself.
A key enzyme in the biosynthesis of clinically important aminoglycoside antibiotics including neomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, etc. is 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose synthase (DOIS), which catalyzes the carbocycle formation from d-glucose-6-phosphate to 2-deoxy-scyllo-inosose (DOI). To clarify its precise reaction mechanism and crucial amino acid residues in the active site, we took advantage of a mechanism-based inhibitor carbaglucose-6-phosphate (pseudo-dl-glucose, C-6-P) with anticipation of its conversion to a reactive alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl intermediate. It turned out that C-6-P clearly showed time- and concentration-dependent inhibition against DOIS, and the molecular mass of the resulting modified-DOIS with C-6-P was 160 mass units larger than that of native DOIS. Thus, the expected alpha,beta-unsaturated intermediate appeared to trap a specific nucleophilic group in the active site through the Michael-type 1,4-addition. The covalently modified amino acid residue was determined to be Lys-141 by means of enzymatic digestion and subsequent LC/MS and LC/MS/MS of the digest. Also discussed are the role of Lys-141 in the substrate recognition and the reaction pathway and comparison with evolutionary related dehydroquinate synthase.
Agencies are increasingly called upon to implement their natural resource management programs within an adaptive management (AM) framework. This article provides the background and motivation for the R package, AMModels. AMModels was developed under R version 3.2.2. The overall goal of AMModels is simple: To codify knowledge in the form of models and to store it, along with models generated from numerous analyses and datasets that may come our way, so that it can be used or recalled in the future. AMModels facilitates this process by storing all models and datasets in a single object that can be saved to an .RData file and routinely augmented to track changes in knowledge through time. Through this process, AMModels allows the capture, development, sharing, and use of knowledge that may help organizations achieve their mission. While AMModels was designed to facilitate adaptive management, its utility is far more general. Many R packages exist for creating and summarizing models, but to our knowledge, AMModels is the only package dedicated not to the mechanics of analysis but to organizing analysis inputs, analysis outputs, and preserving descriptive metadata. We anticipate that this package will assist users hoping to preserve the key elements of an analysis so they may be more confidently revisited at a later date.
Refined management calls for"detail decides result",operated in health achievements transformation in hospital,which is a new try.First of all,the author expatiated upon the connotation of refined management in this paper,and then,elaborated the practice of refined management of health achievements transformation in hospital.After that,he analysed the shortage of health achievements transformation.Finally,according to the actuality of health achievements transformation in hospital,the author proposed some countermeasures,such as strengthening the application of scientific achievements and the transformation consciousness,reforming the management system,reinforcing the construction of talents rank,intensifying the construction of promotion institution of scientific and technological achievements,and enhancing the hospital and enterprise' s joint,actively absorbing research funds.    Key words:  refined management; health achievements; achievements transformation; Conversion consciousness
ABSTRACT Conspiracy beliefs are commonly seen during times of uncertainty. This study examined whether a chatbot offering counter-conspiracy information can mitigate conspiracy beliefs and the role of chatbot empathy on its effectiveness. We conducted an online experiment in two different contexts (climate change vs. Covid-19) (N = 189). The results showed that as for Covid-19, participants who interacted with the chatbot with less empathetic expressions showed fewer changes in conspiracy beliefs than those who read the scientific news article. Regarding climate change, a chatbot with more empathetic expressions was more effective in changing conspiracy beliefs than an article, but only for people who can tolerate ambiguity.
Nosocomial bloodstream infections due to Candida species are associated with a 40% crude (total) mortality rate in the United States. The attributable mortality rate defines the number of deaths due directly to the infection and represents the proportion of the total number of deaths influenced by the use of anti-infectives. We used 4 defined risk factors to create a conditional logistic regression model of individual patients' risk of candidemia and then examined the possibility of using a calculated risk threshold to begin treatment with anti-Candida antibiotics. We subsequently examined the number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent a single death related to bloodstream infection due to Candida species. By use of our model and assuming a 33% threshold for treating with an antibiotic, which is assumed to prevent 65% of candidal bloodstream infections, we show that the NNT would be 7 patients. Use of defined risk factors to select patients who are at high risk for candidemia and treatment with effective antibiotics would be an efficient way to reduce infection-related deaths.
A series of novel 5-amino-7-aryl-7,8-dihydro-[1,2,4] triazolo[4,3-a]-pyrimidine-6-carbonitriles were synthesized by a one-pot reaction of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, malononitrile and aryl aldehydes in the presence of 20 mol% NaOH in ethanol under heating or ultrasonic irradiation. The structures of the target compounds were confirmed by inspection of their 1H- NMR, 13C-NMR, IR and MS spectra. The advantages of this method are short reaction times, good yields, high selectivity and operational simplicity.
Abstract Background: Inpatient surgical site infections (SSIs) cause morbidity in children. The SSI rate among pediatric ambulatory surgery patients is less clear. To fill this gap, we conducted a multiple-institution, retrospective epidemiologic study to identify incidence, risk factors, and outcomes. Methods: We identified patients aged <22 years with ambulatory visits between October 2010 and September 2015 via electronic queries at 3 medical centers. We performed sample chart reviews to confirm ambulatory surgery and adjudicate SSIs. Weighted Poisson incidence rates were calculated. Separately, we used case–control methodology using multivariate backward logistical regression to assess risk-factor association with SSI. Results: In total, 65,056 patients were identified by queries, and we performed complete chart reviews for 13,795 patients; we identified 45 SSIs following ambulatory surgery. The weighted SSI incidence following pediatric ambulatory surgery was 2.00 SSI per 1,000 ambulatory surgeries (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37–3.00). Integumentary surgeries had the highest weighted SSI incidence, 3.24 per 1,000 ambulatory surgeries (95% CI, 0.32–12). The following variables carried significantly increased odds of infection: clean contaminated or contaminated wound class compared to clean (odds ratio [OR], 9.8; 95% CI, 2.0–48), other insurance type compared to private (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.6–9.8), and surgery on weekend day compared to weekday (OR, 30; 95% CI, 2.9–315). Of the 45 instances of SSI following pediatric ambulatory surgery, 40% of patients were admitted to the hospital and 36% required a new operative procedure or bedside incision and drainage. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that morbidity is associated with SSI following ambulatory surgery in children, and we also identified possible targets for intervention.
OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of systemic corticosteroids alone as first-line treatment of polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) without poor-prognosis factors as defined by the Five-Factors Score (FFS), and to compare the efficacy and safety of azathioprine versus pulse cyclophosphamide as adjunctive immunosuppressive therapy for patients experiencing treatment failure or relapse.   METHODS This prospective, multicenter, therapeutic trial included 124 patients with newly diagnosed PAN or MPA (FFS of 0) treated with corticosteroids alone. At the time of treatment failure or disease relapse, patients were randomized to receive 6 months of therapy with oral azathioprine or 6 pulses of cyclophosphamide. Analyses was performed according to an intent-to-treat strategy.   RESULTS The mean +/- SD followup period was 62 +/- 33 months. Treatment with corticosteroids alone induced remission in 98 patients; 50 (40%) of these patients had sustained disease remission, 46 (37%) experienced a relapse, and 2 became corticosteroid dependent (daily prednisone dose > or = 20 mg). In 26 patients (21%), treatment with corticosteroids alone failed, and 49 patients (40%) required additional immunosuppression. Among the 39 patients randomized, 13 of 19 achieved remission with cyclophosphamide pulses, and 14 of 20 achieved remission with azathioprine. Among all patients, the 1-year and 5-year survival rates were 99% and 92%, respectively. Six deaths occurred in the cyclophosphamide-treated group compared with 2 deaths in the azathioprine-treated group. Disease-free survival was significantly lower for patients with MPA than for those with PAN (P = 0.046).   CONCLUSION For patients with PAN or MPA with an FFS of 0, overall 5-year survival was good, but first-line corticosteroid treatment was able to achieve and maintain remission in only about half of the patients, and 40% of the patients required additional immunosuppressive therapy. Azathioprine or pulse cyclophosphamide was fairly effective for treating corticosteroid-resistant disease or major relapses.
Having been an active member of the international geographical education community for more than 20 years, I have had the chance to observe changes and developments in a large range of countries. I have participated in the framing of international policy documents such as the Intenultional Charter of Geographical Education (Haubrich, 1994) and conducted international surveys of the state of geographical education in countries around the world (Gerber, 2003). Having had some time to reflect on the developments over the past century, and the current spate of changes that are being promoted in different regions around the globe, I have concluded that we, the geographical educators in different countries, have laboured under governmental and bureaucratic education policies and regulations to promote geographical education programs that fit these policies and regulations instead of promoting a definite internationalised geographical education for our planet and the people who inhabit it. I would go further and suggest that the international geographical education community has promoted a series of myths that have limited its capacity to demonstrate how geographical education can be the effective medium for addressing major global issues and the capacity by the global citizenry to address these issue. In fact, it may be fair to say that popular music stars such as Bono and Sir Bob Geldof, and corporate moguls such as Bill Gates from Microsoft, through their actions are engaging the world's population and governments more effectively using applied geographical education, than we the experts are doing. Some of the myths that are apparent in this regard may be summarised as follows.
The rapid development of plug-in electric vehicles (PHEVs) and wind power brings new challenges to power system security and economic operation. Traditional deterministic models fail to capture their extra characteristics. In this paper, PHEVs, wind power and thermal units are studied. The scheduling model with PHEVs and wind power is more complex, which minimizes the cost-emission while considering the uncertainty of wind power and load, the smart charging/discharging of PHEVs, the coordination of wind power and PHEVs. The multi-scenario simulation is presented in the random variable discretization. Numbers of representative scenarios is chosen, so that the original objective of the smart grid is within an acceptable level. Then the multi-agent system(MAS)technology is proposed to divided a day is into 24 time intervals, and each time interval is managed by a work agent to produce a solution set for the time interval. The wind power, PHEVs and thermal units are coordinated by the work agent. 24 work agents are managed a coordination agent that would coordinate the solutions of the work agents. Finally, a smart grid of 10 thermal units, a wind farm and PHEVs are used to demonstrate the effective of the proposed model. The results show that the smart grid can use the wind power and PHEVs most effectively, can greatly cut the operation cost and carbon emission. By the tradeoff between the weight factor of cost and emission, the balance of cost and emission can reach. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v12i5.4953
The modern art of resuscitation takes its origin from the introduction, about twenty-five years ago, of the pronepressure method of artificial respiration devised by Sir Edward Sharpey-Schafer. In America, where it was early adopted, the nulnber of persons trained to administer it is estimated at fourteen millions. In the saving of life its efficiency far surpasses that of any other procedure or apparatus. It has almost entirely replaced in America the quite ineffective. and sometimes harmful, subcutaneous and iintracardiac injections of adrenaline and other drugs by physicians ignorant of sound methods of resuscitation. Yet unfortunately the depression of vitality following many accidents, immersion, asphyxia, and anaesthesia still causes subsequenit deaths among those temporarilv revived. lt is nlot etnough to resuscitate a man from drowning or froin asphyxia, or other accident, if he is to die a few days later from a secondary pneumonia. The pnieumonia should also be prevented; and this is now possible by the method which I shall describe. The subject to be discussed in this paper includes, therefore, not only resuscitation from carbon monoxide asphyxia and from many kinds of gas poisoning, resuscitation from drowning, and the resuscitation of babies that do Inot breathe of themselves at birth, but also other, even more important, applications of the physiology of respiration, such as the elimination of the anaesthetic and the restoration of vitality in patients who, w%ithout this treatment after major surgical operations, may lie for hours in a state of functional depression. But most important of all is the recent discovery that in a wide variety of conditions inhalation of carbon dioxide is a highly effective preventive-indeed, it is essentially the specific preventive of the condition in the lungs from which it is probable that all secondary pneumoinias develop. Twenty-five years ago Haldane, Priestley, and Douglas in England began their epoch-making work on the part that carbon dioxide plays in respiration. Simultaneously in America I developed some other aspects of the regulation of vital functions by the carbon dioxide produced ia the body. These observations led me to realize the possibility of using inhalation of carbon dioxide in the prevention and treatment of functional depressions after surgical operations and in acute disease. The results have verified the almost inspired dictum of the Swiss physiologist Mliescher, who, forty years ago, in a celebrated review of all previous investigations on respiration, remarked: "Over the oxygen supply of the body carbon dioxide spreads its protecting wings." Eminent surgeons and physicians in public addresses sometimes complain that physiologists devote themselves too exclusively to theoretical problems and do not contribute as largely as they might to the practical matters of curing disease and saving life. In reply, it may be said that clinicians in all branches of medicine are extremely
The influence of sub-temperature quenching temperature on the strength and hardness of 65Mn steel during austenite inverse phase transformation is studied and the microstructure and property are analyzed. The results showed that in the range of 760~810°C , the strength and hardness of the 65Mn steel second sub-temperature quenched increased with quenching temperature increasing, reached the highest strength and hardness at 790°C quenching and then began to decrease. A small number of ferrite and ferrite dual-phase structure existed in martensite when quenching temperature was low. Fine martensite was obtained by second sub-temperature quenching due to the smaller austenitic crystal grain and austenitic nucleation sites. The mechanical properties of samples second sub-temperature quenched are better than that of conventional samples 830°C once quenched.
The nature, incidence, prevalence, etiology and management of sexual problems in MS has not been well defined yet. Sexual dysfunctions in MS seem to be related to a combination of the neurological consequences of MS and the personal, partner and social reactions to this condition. A sexual history is valuable in defining the specific areas of concern, and bringing into focus the patient's and the couple's sexual resources. Physical examination and investigations may assist in clarifying the extent of the sexual impairment and disability, and its relationship to MS. Treatment strategies include: relevant information, education, physical rehabilitation and supportive therapy in combination with medical intervention, and when indicated, surgical treatment or sex therapy. Long-range prognosis with or without treatment is not clear yet.
Introduction. Mucormycosis is a severe angio-invasive fungal infection caused by mucormycetes, a group of fungi that are ubiquitous in the environment. The incidence of mucormycosis has been surging rapidly due to the global corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Gap Statement. The complete picture of the causative fungi associated with mucormycosis and their phylogenetic relationships are not well defined.Aim. This meta-analysis aimed to collate all confirmed fungal pathogens that cause mucormycosis, and assess their taxonomic relationships.Methodology. All types of articles in the PubMed database that report fungi as a cause of mucormycosis were reviewed. We summarized the fungal morphological characteristic up to the genus level. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) nucleotide sequences of these fungi were retrieved from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and UNITE databases whenever available, and multiple sequence analysis was conducted using Clustal W. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using mega version 7.Results. Forty-seven fungal species were identified as pathogens causing mucormycosis in humans. Thirty-two fungal species were phylogenetically grouped into three clades, and it was evident that the ITS sequences have well-conserved regions in all clades, especially from the 400th to 500th base pairs.Conclusion. The findings of this work contribute to the descriptive data for fungi that cause mucormycosis, emphasizing the need for robust phylogenetic approaches when identifying clinical isolates from infected patients.
The DNA sequence for the promoter region of the Bacillus subtilis citB gene has been determined. Presumed "-10" and "-35" regions of the promoter have been identified, and transcriptional and translational start points of citB have been located. To correlate the DNA sequence of citB with the amino acid sequence of its presumed product, aconitase, it was necessary to devise a scheme for purification of this labile enzyme. This procedure relies on the ability to restore enzyme activity at each stage of purification by incubation in a reducing buffer containing a source of ferrous ions. B. subtilis aconitase appears to be a monomer with a molecular weight of approximately 120,000. The amino-terminal amino acids of aconitase fit the sequence predicted by analysis of the citB gene. Thus, citB codes for aconitase.
The intensification of agriculture in recent decades has resulted in extremely high nitrogen inputs to ecosystems. One effect has been H(+) release through NH(4)(+) oxidation in soils, which increases rock weathering and leads to acidification processes such as base-cation leaching from the soil exchange complex. This study investigated the evolution of cation concentrations over the past 50 years in rivers from the Armorican crystalline shield (Brittany, western France). On a regional scale, acidification has resulted in increased base-cation riverine exports (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+), K(+)) correlated with the increased NO(3)(-) concentration. The estimated cation increase is 0.7 mmol(+)/L for Ca(2+) + Mg(2+) and 0.85 mmol(+)/L for total cations. According to mass balance, cation loss represents >30% of the base-cation exchange capacity of soils. Long-term acidification thus contributes to a decline in soil productivity. Estimates of the total organic nitrogen annually produced worldwide indicate that acidification may also constitute an additional carbon source in crystalline catchments if compensated by liming practices.
Three separate studies were successively carried out to investigate the usefulness of intensively training children with dyslexia with daily exercizes based on the temporal processing theory of dyslexia, according to which these children would be specifically unable to process brief and rapidly changing auditory stimuli. The speech modification, similar for the three studies, was close to that proposed by Merzenich et al. (1996) and Tallal et al. (1996), including both artificial slowing of natural speech stimuli and amplification of brief, unstable portions of the speech signal. In the first study, 12 children, aged 10-12 years, received either such modified speech or normal speech for 1 h a day, 5 days a week, over 5 weeks, and they were assessed on phonological tasks before, during and after training. A significant advantage for the modified speech group was found both in pre-post-training improvement and in day-to-day progression on phonological performance. In a second study, 29 children with dyslexia, aged 5-12, received a similar training, but for only 15 min a day, 7 days a week, over 6 weeks, part at the speech therapist office, part in their own homes. The finding of comparable improvement in a more 'natural' environment and in children over a wider age range indicates both the efficacy and feasibility of the method in usual clinical practice. However, this study also showed that one of four children did not improve as expected, prompting a third study where 23 other children underwent specific tasks presumably exploring various aspects of temporal processing in order to find predictors of training efficacy. A 'temporal order judgement' (TOJ) task was found best correlated with post-training improvement, suggesting that one use this task for selecting the best candidates for temporo-phonological training. Moreover, such correlation provided further argument in favour of the temporal deficit theory of dyslexia, not only by showing a link between a purely temporal task and ultimate phonological performance, but also by demonstrating that TOJ performance itself improves after phonological training. Finally, and taken together, these studies provide further justification for a rational, indication-based temporo-phonological treatment of dyslexia. Possible neural substrates of the relevant mechanisms are discussed in the light of recent experimental and brain-imaging studies.
The resummed transverse-momentum distribution for Higgs bosons produced via bottom-quark annihilation at the LHC is presented. Our results are obtained in the five-flavor scheme to NNLO+NNLL accuracy. We present a theoretical prediction which consistently matches the cross section at small and large transverse momenta. Theoretical uncertainties are derived from a variation of the unphysical scales entering the calculation. Their size is significantly reduced with respect to lower orders.
Poor balance control and increased fall risk have been reported in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). Traditional body sway measures are unable to describe underlying postural control mechanism. In the current study, we used stabilogram diffusion analysis to examine the mechanism under which balance is altered in DPN patients under local-control (postural muscle control) and central-control (postural control using sensory cueing). DPN patients and healthy age-matched adults over 55 years performed two 15-second Romberg balance trials. Center of gravity sway was measured using a motion tracker system based on wearable inertial sensors, and used to derive body sway and local/central control balance parameters. Eighteen DPN patients (age = 65.4±7.6 years; BMI = 29.3±5.3 kg/m2) and 18 age-matched healthy controls (age = 69.8±2.9; BMI = 27.0±4.1 kg/m2) with no major mobility disorder were recruited. The rate of sway within local-control was significantly higher in the DPN group by 49% (healthy local-controlslope = 1.23±1.06×10-2 cm2/sec, P<0.01), which suggests a compromised local-control balance behavior in DPN patients. Unlike local-control, the rate of sway within central-control was 60% smaller in the DPN group (healthy central-controlslope-Log = 0.39±0.23, P<0.02), which suggests an adaptation mechanism to reduce the overall body sway in DPN patients. Interestingly, significant negative correlations were observed between central-control rate of sway with neuropathy severity (r Pearson = 0.65-085, P<0.05) and the history of diabetes (r Pearson = 0.58-071, P<0.05). Results suggest that in the lack of sensory feedback cueing, DPN participants were highly unstable compared to controls. However, as soon as they perceived the magnitude of sway using sensory feedback, they chose a high rigid postural control strategy, probably due to high concerns for fall, which may increase the energy cost during extended period of standing; the adaptation mechanism using sensory feedback depends on the level of neuropathy and the history of diabetes.
The title compound, C29H37NO6, was isolated from Aconitum zeravschanicum and exhibits antiarhythmic activity. It is a derivative of the diterpenoid alkaloid heteratisine and as such the core framework of the molecule contains four six-membered, three seven-membered and one five-membered ring. The chair conformation of one of the methoxy-substituted six-membered rings is different from that observed in heteratisine hydrobromide monohydrate. In the latter case, this ring adopts a boat conformation due to a stabilizing intramolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond. In the crystal structure of the title compound, there is only one acidic H atom. This hydroxyl group forms an intermolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond that links molecules into infinite chains along the b axis.
A member of the Honduran elite and elected president with a right-of-center platform in 2005, Manuel Zelaya soon came to be allied with Latin America’s bloc of radical left-wing governments – this being the first case of a post-democratization right-to-left policy switch in the region. The aim of this article is to assess the reasons that could have motivated Zelaya’s ideological turn. After a brief discussion of the Honduran political process, we review the literature about the issue of policy switching and proceed to an empirical analysis of the Honduran case. We find that the fragility of the country’s energy sector and the alliance with Venezuela in a context of international economic crisis and high oil prices could have triggered a causal mechanism in Honduras similar to the one caused by currency scarcity and international pressure pointed to by the literature as the leading cause for traditional left-to-right switches, which suggests that this case study could serve as a pattern-matching exercise to the general findings of currently accepted switch theory.
Introduction Many patients with gastroparesis (GP) have overlap syndromes such as migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and interstitial cystitis, all of which may be immune mediated. We have previously shown (GE 1995;108:A734) that hypercoagulability in GP is associated with serological evidence of autoimmunity, which frequently results in vascular complications of therapies for GP. We hypothesized that overlap syndromes may be related to hypercoagulability in GP. Methods We studied 76 consecutive patients (65 female, 11 male) with a mean age of 43 years who met clinical criteria for gastroparesis. The patients underwent medical evaluation including a history of overlap syndromes and laboratory measurements for both acquired and congenital defects of coagulation: Factor VII, Factor VIII, fibrinogen, antiphospholipid antibodies, activated protein C resistance (APCR), lupus anticoagulant, methylenetetrahydrofolate resistance (MTHFR), and Factor II mutation. Patients were stratified into groups based on which of the overlap disorders and/or depression were present. Results All patients had gastroparesis symptoms and 70/76 (92%) of the patients had at least one of four overlap disorders: migraine headaches, interstitial cystitis, endometriosis, and fibromyalgia. Forty-two of 76 (55%) patients had a diagnosis of depression; 34/76 (44%) of patients had more than one overlap disorder. Sixty of 76 (78%) patients had both coagulation defects and overlap syndromes. Conclusion We conclude that overlap disorders are found frequently in patients with drug refractory gastroparesis and may be related to hypercoagulable states through a shared mechanism of altered immunity. Patients with overlap disorders and gastroparesis frequently have depression regardless of the number of overlap disorders present. We conclude that screening gastroparesis patients for overlap disorders may help maximize therapies. Assessing patients with gastroparesis who present with overlap disorders for hypercoagulable states may affect patient management and thus minimize potential complications of therapy.
Summary Statement The COVID-19 pandemic propelled remote simulation and online distance debriefings. Like in-person debriefings, faculty seek to facilitate effective reflective discourse. The online learning environment, however, presents challenges to learner engagement that differ considerably from in-person debriefing, yet little research exists in this area. In an effort to identify factors that influence debriefing engagement in the online environment, we conceptualized distance debriefings as complex social interactions and performed a realist review of the literature for evidence in the fields of online learning, healthcare simulation, instructional design, and other teaching and learning fields to see whether we might discern factors that influence engagement in online learning conversations that might inform online distance debriefing best practices. Eighteen articles were found through our search of 5 online databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, Google Scholar). We conducted iterative purposeful searching and continued to do so throughout the review to try to identify any additional studies that would contribute to our understanding. A thematic analysis of the findings of our included articles revealed indicators categorized using the community of inquiry framework, enabling us to understand and explain them in the context of online learning and propose their application to distance debriefing engagement. We also propose a new dimension to the framework: internal and external factors of engagement. Our findings demonstrate that online learning can positively influence engagement of learners if essential factors are implemented. These factors may inform recommendations for best practices toward learner engagement during healthcare simulation distance debriefing.
Antimony sulfide (Sb2S3) with a high theoretical capacity is considered as a promising candidate for Na-ion batteries (NIBs) and K-ion batteries (KIBs). However, its poor electrochemical activity and structural stability are the main issues to be solved. Herein, amorphous Sb2S3 nanospheres/carbon nanotube (Sb2S3/CNT) nanocomposites are successfully synthesized via one step self-assembly method. In-situ growth of amorphous Sb2S3 nanospheres on the CNTs is confirmed by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The amorphous Sb2S3/CNT nanocomposites as an anode for NIBs exhibit excellent electrochemical performance, delivering a high charge capacity of 870 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1, with an initial coulomb efficiency of 77.8%. Even at 3000 mA g−1, a charge capacity of 474 mA h g−1 can be achieved. As an anode for KIBs, the amorphous Sb2S3/CNT nanocomposites also demonstrate a high charge capacity of 451 mA h g−1 at 25 mA g−1. The remarkable performance of the amorphous Sb2S3/CNT nanocomposites is attributed to the synergic effects of the amorphous Sb2S3 nanospheres and 3D porous conductive network constructed by the CNTs.
Objective: To assess the anthelmintic acivity of Bacillus cereus and Bacillus pumilus metabolites. Materials and Methods: The successive solvent extractions with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol. The solvent extracts were tested for anthelmintic activity against Pheretima posthuma at 20 mg/ml concentration. The time of paralysis and time of death of the worms was determined for all the extracts. Albendazole was taken as a standard reference and sterile water as a control. Results: All the sample extracts showed significant anthelmintic activity in paralyzing the worms comparable with that of the standard drug. The time of death exhibited by BP metabolites was close to the time exhibited by standard. Conclusion: The study indicates both bacteria Bacillus cereus and Bacillus pumilus have anthelmintic activity indicating potential metabolites in them.
We have previously shown that basophils support humoral memory immune responses by increasing B cell proliferation and Ig production as well as inducing a Th2 and B helper phenotype in T cells. Based on the high frequency of basophils in spleen and bone marrow, in this study we investigated whether basophils also support plasma cell survival and Ig production. In the absence of basophils, plasma cells of naive or immunized mice rapidly undergo apoptosis in vitro and produce only low amounts of Igs. In contrast, in the presence of basophils and even more in the presence of activated basophils, the survival of plasma cells is markedly increased and continuous production of Igs enabled. This effect is partially dependent on IL-4 and IL-6 released from basophils. Similar results were obtained when total bone marrow cells or bone marrow cells depleted of basophils were cultured in the presence or absence of substances activating basophils. When basophils were depleted in vivo 6 mo after immunization with an Ag, specific Ig production in subsequent bone marrow cultures was significantly reduced. In addition, depletion of basophils for 18 d in naive mice significantly reduced the number of plasma cells in the spleen. These data indicate that basophils are important for survival of plasma cells in vitro and in vivo.
Abstract We aimed to (a) describe the readiness for hospital discharge in people living with HIV and (b) explore factors associated with readiness for hospital discharge. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at two infectious disease hospitals in Hunan, China, from May to November 2017. The readiness for hospital discharge scale (RHDS) was used to assess discharge readiness. The average item mean for the RHDS ranges from 0 to 10, and higher scores represent a higher level of readiness for hospital discharge. The mean score of the RHDS was 7.78 (95% confidence interval 7.586–7.968), and 27.6% of participants (n = 56/203) felt unready for discharge (RHDS <7). We found that older age, lack of medical insurance, lower self-rated health status, poorer quality of discharge teaching, and more severe depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a lower level of readiness for hospital discharge. Interventions are needed to improve readiness of people living with HIV for hospital discharge in Hunan, China, especially for those of advanced age, without medical insurance, with worse self-rated health status, and those with higher levels of depressive symptoms.
In this paper we present further details of a predictive Keldysh nonequilibrium many body Green's functions theory for quantum transport including high order electron-electron, electron-phonon, electron-impurity and interface roughness scattering processes. Our approach is fully frequency and momentum dependent. Local current conservation is observed even if only few states are considered. The resulting algorithm has led to good agreement with experimental observations.
Most organs and tissues are composed of many types of cells. To characterize cellular state, various transcription profiling approaches are currently available, including whole-tissue bulk RNA sequencing, single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq), and cell type-specific RNA sequencing. What is missing in this repertoire is a simple, versatile method for bulk transcriptional profiling of cell types for which cell type-specific genetic markers or antibodies are not readily available. We therefore developed Probe-Seq, which uses hybridization of gene-specific probes to RNA markers for isolation of specific types of cells, to enable downstream FACS isolation and bulk RNA sequencing. We show that this method can enable isolation and profiling of specific cell types from mouse retina, frozen human retina, Drosophila midgut, and developing chick retina, suggesting that it is likely useful for most organisms.
In the globalisation process, the social organisation of sedentary cultures represents the uni versal model. Few nomadic communities resist this trend, facing difficulties in survival and intercultural relations. To analyse the daily life and future expectations of these populations from the individual perspective, 60 Rom people living in Italy were administered Flow Questionnaire and Life Theme Questionnaire. These instruments investigate the quality of experience in daily life, particularly focusing on optimal experiences, characterised by engage ment, intrinsic motivation, and skill development. The joint family emerged as the main source of optimal experiences in daily life of Rom participants. The constraints of semi- sedentary lifestyle, and the integration problems due to cultural differences were also high ligbted. Results suggested that the experience associated with daily contexts should be taken into account in projects with minority communities, to design programmes promoting the perception of opportunities for optimal experiences and development in a foreign environ ment.
Abstract. Although values motivate participation in collective action, little is known about whether their communication by a social movement motivates identification with it. In the context of student protests against budget cuts, we tested whether and how fitting a value (right to free education) to two relevant group identities (i.e., student vs. national identity) influenced politicized identification among individuals in ideologically different student subgroups (N = 168). Specifically, for students who shared the movement’s ideological background, we found that communicating values increased the predictive power of affective predictors of politicized identification over instrumental ones. However, for students who did not share the movement’s ideological background, fitting values to student (but not national) identity decreased politicized identification. These findings imply that value-identity fit must be taken into account if one wants to motivate a broad audience of potential followers with div...
Major injuries to the testicles, penis, and genital skin from trauma and infection were seen in 62 patients over a 6-year period (1977 to 1983). Urethral injuries were excluded. In the past blunt testicle injuries were infrequently diagnosed and surgically ignored because of large surrounding hematomas. With the use of real-time ultrasound, 17 of 18 cases of testicle rupture were correctly diagnosed preoperatively. Surgical repair resulted in testicle salvage in 16 patients. Penetrating testicle injuries resulted in a high orchiectomy rate secondary to the infrequently described but recognized entity of self-emasculation in transsexuals. Penile rupture from blunt injuries (8) was successfully repaired and complete function was recovered. Penetrating penile injuries (4) were extensive and involved the urethra in two cases; full function returned after reconstruction. Major skin loss of the penis and/or scrotum (19) occurred from necrotizing fasciitis, burns, avulsion and penetrating injuries. Early debridement, bowel and urinary diversion followed by penile skin grafting, thigh pouches to protect testicles, and scrotal reconstruction resulted in acceptable cosmetic and functional results in all cases of major skin loss.
BACKGROUND Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a critical effector of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury, and its effects are mediated by two structurally related receptors, RI and RII. Cellular adhesion molecules and C-X-C chemokines (Keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC) and macrophage inflammatory protein [MIP]-2) regulate tissue neutrophil polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) accumulation in a multitude of inflammatory states. We hypothesized that TNFRI signaling dictates PMN accumulation in the lung via regulation of chemokine molecule production. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to (1) delineate LPS-induced lung TNF-alpha production and (2) characterize the contribution of both TNF receptors to lung chemokine production and neutrophil influx following systemic LPS.   METHODS Wild-type or TNFRI and TNFRII knockout (KO) mice were injected with vehicle (saline) or LPS (Escherichia coli 0.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally). After 2, 4, 6, or 24 h, lungs were analyzed for TNF-alpha and chemokine (KC and MIP-2) protein expression (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and PMN accumulation (myeloperoxidase assay).   RESULTS There was an increase in total lung TNF-alpha (vehicle, 5.0 +/- 1.2 pg/mg total protein vs LPS, 950 +/- 318; P < 0.05) after LPS. Lung chemokine production and PMN accumulation were also increased compared to vehicle-injected mice. Lung chemokine production and PMN accumulation were significantly lower in TNFRI KO, but not TNFRII KO, mice, despite no difference in TNF-alpha production (TNFRI KO, 925 +/- 301 vs TNFRII KO, 837 +/- 267, P = 0.82).   CONCLUSIONS Acute lung injury following systemic LPS administration is characterized by increased lung (1) TNF-alpha production, (2) C-X-C chemokine production, and (3) neutrophil accumulation. The maximal effect of LPS-induced lung neutrophil accumulation appears to be dependent upon the TNFRI receptor but not the TNFRII receptor. .
In various cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, exercise has been associated with cardiometabolic outcomes, including high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Exercise-induced changes in HDL cholesterol seem to be affected by genetic polymorphisms. In this study, we examined whether variant APOE rs7412 is involved in the association between HDL cholesterol and exercise. From adults assessed in Taiwan Biobank (TWB) between 2008 and 2019, we analyzed data from 57,638 normolipidemic subjects. To examine the association between exercise, APOE rs7412, and HDL cholesterol, a multiple linear regression model was used. A higher HDL was associated with both aerobic exercise (regression coefficient [mg/dL] beta- (β), 1.112; 95% confidence interval (CI); 0.903–1.322) and resistance exercise (β, 2.530; 95% CI, 2.093–2.966). In comparison with the APOE rs7412-CC genotype, the β was 2.589 (95% CI, 2.329–2.848) among those with the CT + TT genotype. Compared to adults who had the CC genotype and did not exercise (the CC/no exercise group), the β-coefficient determined for the different genotype and exercise groups was 1.135 (95% CI, 0.911–1.359) for the CC genotype and aerobic exercise group, 2.753 (95% CI, 2.283–3.322) for the CC genotype and resistance exercise group, 2.705 (95% CI, 2.390–3.020) for the CT + TT genotype and no exercise group, 3.682 (95% CI, 3.218–4.146) for the CT + TT genotype and aerobic exercise group, and 3.855 (95% CI, 2.727–4.982) for the CT + TT genotype and resistance exercise group, respectively. This study demonstrates that self-reported aerobic and resistance exercise both raised HDL levels, yet resistance exercise was associated with a greater increase, particularly among Taiwanese subjects carrying the APOE rs7412-CT+TT genotype.
In the present work, the immobilization of catalase into natural active carbon and active carbon modified by hydrochloric acid was carried out. In the experimental section, the effects of pH, ionic strength and reaction temperature were chosen as parameters, with experiments performed in batch system. For the optimization of immobilization procedure, values of kinetic parameters were evaluated. It was observed that storage and operational stabilities of the enzyme increased with immobilization. The results obtained from experiments showed that active carbon is a valuable support for the adsorption of enzymes.
The first report of a rate of binding of a metal ion (Fe3+) by a soluble fulvic acid is derived from stopped flow measurements. The rate of complex formation is normal in Wilkins' sense and similar to that for sulfosalicylic acid. Dissociation is slow (t1/2 > 10 s). The binding of Fe3+ by the fulvic acid in acid solution, pH = 1–2.5, was investigated by kinetic analysis in which the reaction of free Fe3+ with sulfosalicylic acid was followed by stopped flow spectrophotometry on a time scale short compared to release of Fe3+ by fulvic acid. Conditional equilibrium constants found were 1.5 ± 0.3 × 104 at pH = 1.5 and 2.5, and 2.8 ± 0.3 × 103 at pH = 1.0 at 25 °C (ionic strength 0.1).
Environmental perception within informal education environments, such as zoos, may be a way to assess the needs and possible difficulties that these environments have to produce a direct interaction with the public. In fact, they convey information that will foster a critical and ethical sense which at the same time is also environmentally friendly. Current article studies the environmental perception of zoo visitors in Brasilia State, Brazil, where their perception about the information that the zoo intends to transfer is assessed, coupled to what they should do and for some reason could not. There is a main interest in knowing the origin of the animals and their final destination. It became clear that visitors did not know exactly the zoos functions. It is necessary that clearer practices and unrestricted access are conducted on the zoo premises, which will result in more informed visitors, environmentally educated and potential agents active within the conservation of biodiversity.
Group projects are often key to engineering design courses since they simultaneously develop teamwork and communication skills in the context of solving difficult engineering problems. However, fair, consistent, and transparent grading of these projects are difficult to achieve, and the individual contribution of students can likewise be difficult to evaluate. Standardized marking rubrics are often used to increase the consistency and fairness of project evaluations; however, these frequently lack a systematic means for evaluating individual effort within group work. Rubrics also are difficult to employ when there are numerous possible solutions and where some solutions are more elegant or challenging when compared to others. To provide a consistent accounting of individual effort and the difficulty of a submitted group design solution, a three-tier marking rubric was developed. Comparing the project grades between two cohorts in the same course showed that there was a broader distribution of grades when using the three-tier marking scheme.
ABSTRACT This article explores the relationship between Churchill’s view of Britain as the home of freedom and his broader conception of Western/European civilization. It considers: first, his attitude to Classical learning and culture; second, his experiences of European travel; and third, his attitude to the Bolsheviks (as much as the Nazis) as the barbaric antithesis of civilization. It is argued that his vision of the European future was linked both to his own experiences of free and civilized travel in the Nineteenth Century and a growing scepticism about the speedier and more globalized locomotion of the Twentieth. Moreover, Churchill’s late-life commitment to the virtues of Classical learning, about which he had previously been sceptical, was connected to his post-WWII enthusiasm for European unity. He believed that a united Europe could act as a vehicle for spiritual and cultural values passed down from the ancient world which themselves had become a part of the continent’s Christian heritage. Although it has rightly been pointed out that Churchill was not a conventional religious believer, he still conceived ‘Christendom’ as a significant geopolitical space (with flexible boundaries) and he saw it as the spiritual inheritor of Greece and Rome.
We have determined the distribution of [ital n] states initially populated in a double- or multielectron-capture collision of Kr[sup [ital q]+] ([ital q]=17,18) with Kr at low energy ([approx]5 keV/u). Radiative decay curves of Rydberg transitions of the projectile ions were obtained by translating the target gas jet along the projectile beam. As a result for Kr[sup 18+] projectiles, we found that an initial population of Kr[sup 16+] equally distributed from [ital n]=14 to 19 allows the observed Kr XVII 13-14 radiative decay curve to be reproduced relatively well. Furthermore, coincidence time-of-flight spectroscopy of photons emitted by recoil ions of given charge states was used to measure the radiative decay of recoil-ion transitions. From the Kr VII 7[ital i]-8[ital k] decay curve we deduced an initial population distribution of the Kr[sup 6+] recoil ion centered around [ital n]=20. These results lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of double-electron capture responsible for populating Rydberg states, especially those in asymmetric configurations.
Background The poor viability of transplanted mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hampers their therapeutic efficacy for ischemic heart disease. MicroRNAs are involved in regulation of MSC survival and function. The present study was designed to investigate the molecular effects of miR‐15a/15b on MSC survival, focusing on the role of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2. Methods and Results We first harvested donor luc(Luciferase)‐MSCs (5×105) isolated from the luciferase transgenic mice with FVB background. Luc‐MSCs were transfected with miR‐15a/15b mimics or inhibitors and cultured under oxygen glucose deprivation condition for 12 hours to mimics the harsh microenvironment in infarcted heart; they were subjected to MTT (3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2‐H‐tetrazolium bromide?Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide) assay, bioluminescence imaging, quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate–digoxigenin nick‐end labeling assay, and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, protein kinase B, p(Phosphorylate)‐protein kinase B, Bcl‐2, Bax, and caspase‐3 proteins were available by Western blotting assay. In vivo, acute myocardial infarction was induced in 24 mice by coronary ligation, with subsequent receipt of Luc‐MSCs, Luc‐MSCs+miR‐15a/15b inhibitors, or PBS treatment. The therapeutic procedure and treatment effects were tracked and assessed using bioluminescence imaging and echocardiographic measurement. Next, ex vivo imaging and immunohistochemistry were conducted to verify the distribution of MSCs. We demonstrated that miR‐15a/15b targeted vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 to modulate MSC survival, possibly via phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway, which was proved by bioluminescence imaging, immunohistochemistry analysis, and echocardiographic measurement. Conclusions Luc‐MSCs could be followed dynamically in vitro and in vivo by bioluminescence imaging, and the role of miR‐15a/b could be inferred from the loss of signals from luc‐MSCs. This finding may have practical clinical implications in miR‐15a/15b–modified MSC transplantation in treating myocardial infarction.
Since the membership of the Great Britain in the European Union in 1973, the relations of Britain with the institutions and member countries of the European Union have been correct. The greatest problem of the Great Britain remains beyond any doubt the delegation of its "independence" in the European Union’s structures. For the ultra conservatives was unimaginable that a country that has never been conquered (since the times of the Romans 55 B.C.) would deliver the proper sovereignty to a community of continental countries and above all to the Franco-German policies who, especially the last one, enjoys a great doubt among the British politics. The paper I present tries to explain the obstacles between British and European politics in historic, economic and diplomatic terms as well as the rise of skepticism among the European leaders themselves during the past decades following the end of the Second World War. In an academic approach, in this paper, between the research and comparative methods, I have been trying to get the maxims between European and British economy, politics and diplomacy in their efforts of affecting the policies of the European Union in the global era. Brexit of course represents the sharpest challenge of the moment for the Great Britain and the European Union in the global era.
The effect of resonator anisotropy on the dynamics of two orthogonal components of the radiation field of a linear Nd:YAG laser is studied theoretically. The vector model is used to determine the range of laser parameters in which the dynamic chaos regime emerges in an autonomous laser with one axial mode. It is shown that there exist bistability regions with different pairs of stable states: the bistability ranges of two stationary states with circularly polarised radiation, bistability of a stationary state and a periodic self-modulating regime as well as the bistability of a stationary state and a quasi-periodic pulse regime.
IllUiii < Jjjs -AJl Л L, u**The May 1977 issue of ibt Arithmetic Teacher included three articles that discussed some of the issues involved in the problem of sex-role stereotyping and mathematics learning. Fennema and Sherman reviewed and analyzed the sex-related differences in mathematics learning and studying that have been found in research. They hypothesized that many females elect not to take mathematics in high school and college because mathematics is perceived as a male area of study and therefore inappropriate for females. The other two articles one by Kepner and Koehn, the other by Kuhnkeexamined the extent of sex-role stereotyping in elementary mathematics textbooks. In the latter two articles there was a sense that (a) things are changing on their own so we have nothing more to do and (b) once sex-role stereotyping is removed from elementary mathematics texts we will have provided equity for females in the study of mathematics.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) stop life-threatening arrhythmias and are the most successful treatment for ventricular fibrillation, which is the major cause of sudden cardiac arrest. Both the ICD and the leads are expected to eventually cease functioning as a result of normal use and wear and tear. A malfunction of the device occurs when it fails to meet specifications and perform as intended. Infrequently, a lead may break (or fracture) and send false signals that cause inappropriate shocks or fail to deliver pacing or shocks.  Recently, …
System based on public key of the certificate biggest problem is the management of the certificate, the certificate inside bind the user ID and the user's public key. To solve this problem, some researchers have proposed the identity-based IBE public key system. The DDoS attacks performer, can be any type of network node. Based on the user's private key distribution scheme identity-based cryptogram system, will give an escrow agent system private key escrow, users have at least a proxy information fragments collected can calculate their private key. The paper proposes using IBE key distribution strategies to development of DDoS attack detection and prevention.
Perioperative infection is the most common and dreaded complication associated with tissue expander (TE) breast reconstruction. Historically, the expansion period was thought to be the time of greatest hazard to the implant. However, recent institutional observations suggest infectious complications occur prior to expansion. This investigation, therefore, was conducted to determine the timing of infectious complications associated with two‐stage TE breast reconstructions. Following IRB approval, a retrospective review of all consecutive two‐stage immediate TE breast reconstructions at a single institution from November 2007 to November 2011 was conducted. Reconstructions were then divided into two cohorts: those suffering infectious complications and those that did not. Infectious complications including minor cellulitis, major cellulitis, abscess drainage, and explantation were identified. Various operative and patient variables were evaluated in comparison. Eight hundred ninety immediate two‐stage TE breast reconstructions met inclusion criteria. Patients suffering infection were older (55.4 years versus 49.3 years; p < 0.001), and more likely to have therapeutic mastectomy (94% versus 61%; p < 0.0001), the use of acellular dermal matrix (ADM; 72.5% versus 54.9%; p = 0.001), and greater initial TE fill (448.6 mL versus 404.7 mL; p = 0.0078). The average time to developing of infectious symptoms was 29.6 days (range 9–142 days), with 94.6% (n = 87) of infections prior to the start of expansion. Perioperative infections in immediate two‐stage TE to implant breast reconstructions are significant and occur mostly prior to the start of expansion. Thus, challenging the conventional wisdom that instrumentation during expander filling as the primary cause of implant infections. Possible etiologic factors include greater age, therapeutic mastectomy versus prophylactic mastectomy, larger initial TE fill, and the use of ADM.
As an extension of a series of projects for sequencing human cDNA clones derived from relatively long transcripts, we herein report the entire sequences of 100 newly determined cDNA clones with the potential of coding for large proteins in vitro. The cDNA clones were isolated from size-fractionated human brain cDNA libraries with insert sizes between 4.5 and 8.3 kb. The sequencing of these clones revealed that the average size of the cDNA inserts and of their open reading frames was 5.3 kb and 2.8 kb (930 amino acid residues), respectively. Homology search against public databases indicated that the predicted coding sequences of 86 clones exhibited significant similarities to known genes; 51 of them (59%) were related to those for cell signaling/communication, nucleic acid management, and cell structure/motility. All the clones characterized in this study are accompanied by their expression profiles in 14 human tissues examined by reverse transcription-coupled polymerase chain reaction and the chromosomal mapping data.
This paper aims at describing the use of English in Indonesian Adolescent’s slang broadly known as bahasa gaul, the colloquial variation that symbolizes intimate relationships among the youngsters. By using data extracted from three slang dictionaries, the investigation finds that most English expressions of various linguistic levels (word, phrase, and sentence) are formally and, or semantically changed to attain various communicative functions. Key words: slang, expression, and adolescent
We present a realistic and efficient scheme for sub-half-wavelength atom localization. This scheme is based on the phase-dependent electromagnetically induced transparency in a four-level system in the double-Λ configuration. We use a strong bichromatic field (one component of which is standing-wave field) as the driving components, and a weak bichromatic field as the probe components. By choosing the collective phase of the four applied components, the atom is localized in either of the two half-wavelength regions with 50% detecting probability when the absorption to the probe fields is detected.
effective implementation of total quality management (hereinafter, TQM). Quality management practices provide a suitable form of materialization for the basic principles of Confucian ethics: the acquisition of knowledge, indi vidual moral preparation, use of rituals and procedures (//), reciprocity and moral leadership by not doing. Several articles published recently highlight the importance of ethics in TQM and the need for more research and scholarship on the ethical aspects of it. For example, Perles (2002) suggests that leadership has a major impact on the effective implementation of total quality management and that TQM has an important ethical dimension. Guillen and Gonzales (2001) define leadership as multifaceted, including an ethical aspect, and suggest that a distinction be made between managerial commitment and leadership while introducing TQM. Raiborn and Payne (1996) argue that the basic principles of TQM are closely related to good business ethics and offer a brief discussion of the applicability of Kantian and Rawlsian philosophies to TQM.
The article is an attempt to analyze drafts as an artistic form crossing the boundaries between what is literary and what belongs to the visual arts. The material undergoing interpretation here is Tadeusz Kantor’s Drafts series, which consists of the artist’s notes, staging remarks, and notes intended for display in the form of enlarged photocopies. Kantor’s drafts represent the type of thinking about passing, art and the past characteristic for this artist and for the contemporary nostalgic, historical imagination. That is why the topic of the archive in the context of Kantor’s art also enables discussion of Derrida’s archive fever, the problem of traces and the paradoxes of modern memorial discourse.
Background Oral deferiprone was suggested to be more effective than subcutaneous desferrioxamine for removing heart iron. Oral once-daily chelator deferasirox has recently been made commercially available but its long-term efficacy on cardiac iron and function has not yet been established. Our study aimed to compare the effectiveness of deferasirox, deferiprone and desferrioxamine on myocardial and liver iron concentrations and bi-ventricular function in thalassemia major patients by means of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Design and Methods From the first 550 thalassemia subjects enrolled in the Myocardial Iron Overload in Thalassemia network, we retrospectively selected thalassemia major patients who had been receiving one chelator alone for longer than one year. We identified three groups of patients: 24 treated with deferasirox, 42 treated with deferiprone and 89 treated with desferrioxamine. Myocardial iron concentrations were measured by T2* multislice multiecho technique. Biventricular function parameters were quantitatively evaluated by cine images. Liver iron concentrations were measured by T2* multiecho technique. Results The global heart T2* value was significantly higher in the deferiprone (34±11ms) than in the deferasirox (21±12 ms) and the desferrioxamine groups (27±11 ms) (P=0.0001). We found higher left ventricular ejection fractions in the deferiprone and the desferrioxamine versus the deferasirox group (P=0.010). Liver iron concentration, measured as T2* signal, was significantly lower in the desferrioxamine versus the deferiprone and the deferasirox group (P=0.004). Conclusions The cohort of patients treated with oral deferiprone showed less myocardial iron burden and better global systolic ventricular function compared to the patients treated with oral deferasirox or subcutaneous desferrioxamine.
The development and characterisation of a portable high temperature PEM fuel cell module is presented. The module consists of a 5‐cell stack with open cathodes and coil compression. This design enables the operation and control with only one fan and compact and lightweight packaging. The stack is characterised with polarisation curves and single cell impedance spectroscopy. Temperature distribution in the stack and temperature control is analysed during startup and operation. The results show very similar cell characteristics and stable operation with high power density. Temperature control shows a good reaction on load changes as well as on setpoint changes.
Retinoblastoma is a common malignant intraocular tumor in childhood, and most patients require enucleation or exenteration even with irradiation. Severe anophthalmic orbits and atresic eye sockets are not rare. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the results of surgical management of reconstruction of severe anophthalmic orbits and atresic eye sockets with vascular anastomosed free dorsalis pedis flap transplantation. There were 5 patients (5 eyes) who underwent reconstructive surgery of severe anophthalmic orbits and atresic eye sockets after enucleation and irradiation of retinoblastoma in our hospital during the 3 years. All patients had enucleation and irradiation immediately after the retinoblastoma was diagnosed and had never worn artificial eyes because of the atresic eye sockets. Vascular anastomosed free dorsalis pedis flaps, whose dimensions were typically 6.5 × 5.5 cm2, were transplanted to reconstruct the severe anophthalmic orbits and atresic eye sockets. The donor sites were covered by free abdominal skin flaps. All the vascular anastomosed free dorsalis pedis flaps were valid after more than 6 months of follow-up. And then all the 5 patients underwent secondary autogenous dermal fat implantation to augment the supraorbital area depression. After the 2-stage reconstruction surgery, the dimensions of the eye sockets were adequate, and all patients were able to wear their prosthesis and had a satisfactory cosmetic result. Implantation of alloplastic materials is not recommended because of insufficient blood supply of the irradiated orbital area.
Modified-live (ML) infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) vaccine viruses, both tissue-culture-origin (TCO) and chicken-embryo-origin (CEO), were passaged 20 times in specific-pathogen-free chickens. After serial bird-to-bird passage, increased virulence was observed for CEO virus but not TCO virus. Increased mortality and increased severity and duration of respiratory disease were observed in chickens inoculated with chicken-passaged CEO viruses; only mild respiratory disease (no mortality) occurred in chickens inoculated with chicken-passaged TCO viruses. These findings suggest that ML ILT vaccine viruses may increase in virulence after bird-to-bird passage.
A growing body of research within the realm of Mäori entrepreneurship is being produced by researchers offering powerful alternatives to Western hegemonic academic discourses. Ethnic minority research has also sought to challenge the West’s construction of entrepreneurship and its lack of plurivocality, yet few entrepreneurship models have embraced intersecting theory. We think that this oversight presents a useful opportunity for enhancing the study of Mäori entrepreneurship in Aotearoa New Zealand. We take up this opportunity by identifying a framework for theorising Mäori entrepreneurship in the future built on (a) an established embeddedness model, (b) the work of a diverse research team employing a Kaupapa Mäori methodology, and (c) empirical insights from Mäori entrepreneurs. * Tainui. Doctoral Candidate, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. † Tainui and Ngätiwai. Doctoral Candidate, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. ‡ Senior Lecturer, Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. § Te Ätiawa. Associate Dean Mäori and Senior Lecturer, Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Email: tyron.love@canterbury.ac.nz | Emeritus Professor of Management, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. DOI: 10.20507/MAIJournal.2017.6.2.6 INTERPRETING THE NARRATIVES OF MÄORI ENTREPRENEURS 165 MAI JOURNAL VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2, 2017
This paper presents part of an inter-university cooperation project which aims to create a process of awareness and community participation concerning the issue of water in the Jesus Maria neighborhood in the municipality of Cuba´s Old Havana. Based on a critical, emancipatory and transforming approach of reality we conducted participatory action research - which has several stages which develops different processes such as action-reflection, involving researchers, neighbors and neighborhood representatives, in the identification of access problems and water management, and in the preparation of proposals and improvement actions regarding this natural resource. On the one hand the research shows, the enormous potential of the territory in the production of knowledge, and linking it to social action, and secondly, the role of  universities in strengthening local community structures, from sharing  interdisciplinary knowledge and work methodologies that will enable us to obtain integral solutions according to the needs of its beneficiaries.
Cooperative navigation (CN) enables a group of cooperative robots to reduce their individual navigation errors. For a general multi-robot (MR) measurement model that involves both inertial navigation data and other onboard sensor readings, taken at different time instances, the various sources of information become correlated. Thus, this correlation should be solved for in the process of information fusion to obtain consistent state estimation. The common approach for obtaining the correlation terms is to maintain an augmented covariance matrix. This method would work for relative pose measurements, but is impractical for a general MR measurement model, because the identities of the robots involved in generating the measurements, as well as the measurement time instances, are unknown a priori. In the current work, a new consistent information fusion method for a general MR measurement model is developed. The proposed approach relies on graph theory. It enables explicit on-demand calculation of the required correlation terms. The graph is locally maintained by every robot in the group, representing all of the MR measurement updates. The developed method calculates the correlation terms in the most general scenarios of MR measurements while properly handling the involved process and measurement noise. A theoretical example and a statistical study are provided, demonstrating the performance of the method for vision-aided navigation based on a three-view measurement model. The method is compared, in a simulated environment, with a fixed-lag centralized smoothing approach. The method is also validated in an experiment that involved real imagery and navigation data. Computational complexity estimates show that the newly developed method is computationally efficient.
Heart failure (HF) imposes a major global health care burden on society and suffering on the individual. About 50% of HF patients have preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). More intricate and comprehensive measurement-focused imaging of multiple strain components may aid in the diagnosis and elucidation of this disease. Here, we describe the development of a semi-automated hyperelastic warping method for rapid comprehensive assessment of biventricular circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strains that is physiological meaningful and reproducible. We recruited and performed cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging on 30 subjects [10 HFpEF, 10 HF with reduced ejection fraction patients (HFrEF) and 10 healthy controls]. In each subject, a three-dimensional heart model including left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), and septum was reconstructed from CMR images. The hyperelastic warping method was used to reference the segmented model with the target images and biventricular circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strain–time curves were obtained. The peak systolic strains are then measured and analyzed in this study. Intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of the biventricular peak systolic strains was excellent with all ICCs > 0.92. LV peak systolic circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strain, respectively, exhibited a progressive decrease in magnitude from healthy control→HFpEF→HFrEF: control (-15.5 ± 1.90, -15.6 ± 2.06, 41.4 ± 12.2%); HFpEF (-9.37 ± 3.23, -11.3 ± 1.76, 22.8 ± 13.1%); HFrEF (-4.75 ± 2.74, -7.55 ± 1.75, 10.8 ± 4.61%). A similar progressive decrease in magnitude was observed for RV peak systolic circumferential, longitudinal and radial strain: control (-9.91 ± 2.25, -14.5 ± 2.63, 26.8 ± 7.16%); HFpEF (-7.38 ± 3.17, -12.0 ± 2.45, 21.5 ± 10.0%); HFrEF (-5.92 ± 3.13, -8.63 ± 2.79, 15.2 ± 6.33%). Furthermore, septum peak systolic circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strain magnitude decreased gradually from healthy control to HFrEF: control (-7.11 ± 1.81, 16.3 ± 3.23, 18.5 ± 8.64%); HFpEF (-6.11 ± 3.98, -13.4 ± 3.02, 12.5 ± 6.38%); HFrEF (-1.42 ± 1.36, -8.99 ± 2.96, 3.35 ± 2.95%). The ROC analysis indicated LV peak systolic circumferential strain to be the most sensitive marker for differentiating HFpEF from healthy controls. Our results suggest that the hyperelastic warping method with the CMR-derived strains may reveal subtle impairment in HF biventricular mechanics, in particular despite a “normal” ventricular ejection fraction in HFpEF.
DESCRIPTION: METAL BACKBOX: This sturdy metal backbox protects the speaker from debris and insulation. The V-9915M-5 meets the UL UUMW standard and is typically used in air plenum return ceilings. The V-9915M-5 must be ordered in multiples of 5. METAL BRIDGES: The V-9914M-5 provides a solid mounting structure for 8” ceiling speakers in 2’ x 2’ or 2’ x 4’ ceiling grids. The V-9904M-5 (picture not shown) provides a solid mounting structure for 4” ceiling speakers in 2’ x 2’ or 2’ x 4’ ceiling grids. The steel bridges prevent ceiling tile sag and are coated to inhibit rust. Both the V-9914M-5 and the V-9904M-5 must be ordered in multiples of 5. METAL RING: The V-9912M-10 provides a solid mounting structure for 8” ceiling speakers in hard ceiling types such as drywall or plaster. The steel ring is galvanized to inhibit rust. The V-9912M-10 must be ordered in multiples of 10. COMBINATION: The V-9916M is a single set combination of the above 8” speaker bridge and backbox.
Abstract Rotation of row crops with perennial grasses has been shown to improve soil quality characteristics, decrease pest incidence, and increase crop yield. Experiments were conducted in Florida during 2006 and 2007 at Marianna and Quincy to determine effects of termination date and subsequent tillage of established bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum L.) on peanut (Arachis hypogea L.) yield and market grade characteristics when rotating from bahiagrass to a row crop. Treatments included two bahiagrass termination dates (fall vs. spring) and six tillage methods [strip-till (in-row subsoiling), disk plus moldboard plow, disk plus chisel, disk plus paratill plus strip-till, disk, and strip-till with 45 kg N/ha]. Bahiagrass termination timing did not affect soil mechanical resistance, peanut yield or market grade characteristics, including percentages of sound mature kernels, split kernels, other kernels, and hulls. Although significant differences in soil mechanical resistance were detected among tillage treatm...
After a 10-year hiatus, scientific drilling returned to offshore New Jersey in June and July 1993 to measure the effects of global sea-level change and slope processes on the clastic sediments of a passive continental margin. Advances and retreats of the shoreline exert enormous effects on ecosystems, material and chemical balances of the ocean, and links within the earth-ocean-atmosphere system that determine global climate. The geologic record of these changes is recorded in passive margin sediments such as those offshore New Jersey.    The Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) began drilling into this margin during Legs 11, 93, and 95; the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) is now in the process of completing a carefully designed drill hole transect that extends from the continental rise to boreholes drilled on land.
High-spin states in {sup 122}Cs have been studied via {sup 107}Ag({sup 19}F, p3n){sup 122}Cs fusion evaporation reaction at beam energy of 93 MeV. Fifteen new transitions belonging to {sup 122}Cs have been observed and placed in the level scheme. The level structure of {sup 122}Cs has been extended up to E{sub x}{approx_equal}7 MeV and J{approx_equal}28({Dirac_h}/2{pi}). We have performed the linear polarization measurements using the Clover detectors to assign the unknown spins and parities of a few bands. We have also observed a few linking transitions between negative and positive parity bands indicating the octupole collectivity in this nucleus. The structure of the various bands are discussed in the frame work of the cranked Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov model and the microscopic projected Hartree-Fock model calculations.
Single Molecule Magnets (SMMs) showing bistability and quantum phenomena are promising candidates for spintronic applications. In recent years, the study of hybrid surfaces composed of SMMs on conductive and magnetic surfaces has attracted increasing interest. In this work the preparation of hybrid surfaces made by terbium bis(phthalocyaninato) and Fe4 SMMs is reported. The surfaces were structurally and magnetically characterized by means of laboratory and large scale facility techniques. This investigation has provided interesting hints towards their application in spintronic devices and has paved the way for the magnetic characterization of Fe4 at the single molecule level.
Abstract This study aims to identify if there is a relation between postural balance and the accuracy of 7 meters throws in handball. There is an increase need to improve the success of the 7 meters throw, due to its impact regarding a win or loss over the past years during high-end competitions. Subjects: 173 subjects were involved in this study, 123 males and 50 females with the ages between 18 and 21 years old. Materials: We’ve conducted the balance test using the AMTI NETforce BP 400600 force platform and for the accuracy test we’ve conducted a shooting trial that quantified the spread of a series of throws from the 7 meters mark. We’ve observed the radial dislocation, area and length of the center of pressure for the balance test and for the shooting trial we’ve measured the distance of the throw from a preset spot. Results: There were no correlation between the important factors of balance like Dislocation, Area, Length, and throwing percentage for the Circle, Area 1, Area 2, Missed balls. Instead, between the 3 important factors of balance, there are strong and positive correlations, drawing the conclusion that when we have big numbers for center of gravity deviations, total trajectory (cm2) and the area values, the chances to score a goal from 7 meters are lower. Conclusions: The results of the study confirm the hypothesis. The objectives for a future study is to find ways/methods to improve the general balance, in order to increase the efficiency for the 7 meters throwing.
The most important and interesting phenomena from the history of the association Mathematische Kränzchen in Prag (the Prague German Mathematics Community), which operated in Prague be tween spring 1913 and spring 1934, will be introduced, on the basis of the study of surviving archive sources available in Czech country and abroad, original professional journals mathematical works, and diverse secondary literature. We will try to clarify the position of the German mathematical community in the Czech lands, respectively in Central Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. We will try to capture its specifics resulting from the Prague genius loci, to describe its contributions to the development of science, to indicate its links to the surrounding German scientific world and to show its relations with Czech and foreign professional associations and societies.
Central Poststroke Pain syndrome (CPSP) can occur due to disruption of the somatosensory pathways of the brain at any level such as the thalamus, medulla, or cerebral cortex. It is characterized by sensory abnormalities and hyperesthesia in the part of the body correlating to the central lesion. The treatment of this pain syndrome is often difficult, and it does not usually respond to traditional analgesics. The first line of treatment is drugs aimed at lowering neuronal hyperexcitability, for example, amitriptyline or lamotrigine, with gabapentin considered a second line.
Some of the initial trials of β-blocking drugs in angina indicated an increase in symptoms above pretreatment levels when placebo was substituted for active drug. Later there were reports of sudden death after β-blockade withdrawal. There is evidence of increased β-receptor sensitivity, as suggested by increased responsiveness to isopre-naline after propranolol withdrawal. This is probably due to an increased β-receptor population. Other suggestions that have been considered include reversal of the reduced free triiodothyroxine, a rightward shift of the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve and reduced platelet aggregation, when the β-blocking drug is stopped. Further, the disease may progress during treatment, which is unmasked when treatment is withdrawn. Beta-blocking agents may differ; we have observed that in normal volunteers, withdrawal of pindolol or bopindolol, which have partial agonist properties, was not associated with a postblockade increase in response to isoprenaline. The β-blocker withdrawal syndrome is a real phenomenon, although overall the incidence is low. Besides withdrawal of the β-blocker, exertion may be a frequent prerequisite for the development of significant clinical sequelae, so exertion should be restricted when a β-blocking drug is being withdrawn. Also, the dose should be reduced gradually, particularly the final decrements.
This study considers the detection of treatment‐by‐subset interactions in a stratified, randomised clinical trial with a binary‐response variable. The focus lies on the detection of qualitative interactions. In addition, the presented method is useful more generally, as it can assess the inconsistency of the treatment effects among strata by using an a priori‐defined inconsistency margin. The methodology presented is based on the construction of ratios of treatment effects. In addition to multiplicity‐adjusted p‐values, simultaneous confidence intervals are recommended to use in detecting the source and the amount of a potential qualitative interaction. The proposed method is demonstrated on a multi‐regional trial using the open‐source statistical software R. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sandy grounds are widely used to form new and expand existing areas of port hydraulic structures. Increase of operational safety and reliability of port hydraulic structures to the process of liquefaction of sand soils of ground, prevention of uneven sediments and subsidence of ground, formation of caverns and cavities in sandy backfilling and foundation of port facilities under static and especially dynamic (seismic) loads can be ensured by their compaction. This prevents unacceptable deformations and destruction of buildings and structures of the port complex, reliable operation of lifting cranes, stability of the fencing and berthing facilities of the embankments of ports, etc. The article presents the results of theoretical substantiation on the analytical calculation model developed by the author of the article and field tests of the method of deep vibro compaction of bases with a known vibroinstallation, showing its shortcomings. These shortcomings were most clearly manifested when compacting a thick layer of sandy bases (9 m and more). The article also shows that the shortcomings of a well-known vibration plant can be excluded or significantly reduced by using a vibrating packer with radial elements placed at a given height at the bottom of the seal rod. This allows to increase the technical characteristics of the vibration plant by increasing the depth of compaction by a factor of 1.5 – 2. In the experimental tests, an improvement in the uniformity of compacting has been achieved to the values of the relative density of the soil base deposits ID from 0.5 to 0.8 in depth and in the radius of action of the sealant. At the same time, a significant increase in the physical and mechanical characteristics of the small and medium sands of the bases was achieved: up to values of the elastic modulus E within 30-40 MPa and an internal friction angle of 32 ... 34 degrees. The developed new method for deep compaction of sand bases with a more modern vibro installation is recommended to be carried out with a reliable and economical VPP-2 vibrator for Russian production. This vibrator can be also successfully used in port hydraulic engineering for dipping the tongue to a depth of at least 12-15 m. In recent years, the main results of the theoretical and experimental studies of the author of the article have been confirmed by independent studies of German specialists. These theoretical and experimental studies of German specialists are based on the compaction of sandy base grounds to a depth of up to 10 m by a vibrating fleet created on the basis of a heavy deep-sea vibrator.
Background Information about the risk of early loss and crestal bone loss of dental implants which have been loaded early is scant if compared with data available for those conventionally or immediately loaded. A meta-analysis of early loss and crestal bone loss in immediate or delayed loaded full mandibular denture retaining dental implants has been recently published. It is interesting to evaluate also the risks of early versus immediate and delayed loading in complete mandibular restorations. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to study early (EL) versus immediate (IL) and delayed loading (DL) protocols in edentulous mandibles to determine whether differences exist in implant success and crestal bone loss. Material and Methods The literature review was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Seven randomized clinical trials were included. Results The result of a meta-analysis of implant loss before 1 year in EL versus IL was 0.34 (95% CI: 0.08, 1.52), favoring the EL control group, while the outcome for crestal bone loss at the three-year observation was -0.10 (95% CI: -0.28, 0.09), with a tendency toward reduced bone loss for EL. In the EL versus DL group, the result of the meta-analysis of implant loss before one year was inconclusive, while in the comparison regarding crestal bone loss in the first year of observation, the result was -0.03 (95% CI: -0.08,-0.02) with a tendency to less bone loss in EL. Conclusions The risk of early implant loss in the IL group was higher than in the EL group. The results in terms of early implant loss in EL versus DL are inconclusive. Besides, crestal bone loss is greater in immediately and delayed loaded implants, at 1 and 3 years of observation, compared to those loaded early. Key words:Dental implants, early dental implant loading, dental prostheses, implant- supported, alveolar bone loss, meta-analysis.
Abstract Background Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) used to treat patients with schizophrenia generally have lower risk of motor side effects (SEs) than first-generation antipsychotics, but they are associated with other well-known SEs. The goal of this study was to understand how specific SEs of SGAs impact daily functioning, emotional well-being, and overall quality of life of patients with schizophrenia from their own perspective. Methods This study was a cross-sectional, participant-reported web survey, conducted globally during 2017–2018. The survey captured participants’ socio-demographic information, and assessments using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) instrument, and the Glasgow Antipsychotic Side-Effect Scale (GASS). Additionally, specific questions about functional and emotional impacts were developed for SEs recognized as being bothersome to patients,2 such as activating SEs (‘Feeling restless/unable to sit still’, ‘Shaky hands or arms’, and ‘Difficulty sleeping’) sedating SEs (‘Feeling sleepy during the day’, ‘Feeling drugged/like a zombie’) and metabolic or endocrine SEs (‘Weight gain’, ‘Problems enjoying sex’). Participants noted on a visual analog scale (VAS) the degree of impact on functioning, 0 indicating ‘no impact at all’ and 100 indicating the ‘largest degree of impact’. Participants with schizophrenia (≥18 years old) stable for at least one month, taking an SGA for 1–12 months, and self-reporting at least one SE were included. Results Of 6,556 respondents screened, 435 were included in the study – United States, n=180; Canada, n=99; Australia, n=28; and Europe, n=128 (Italy, n=90; Spain, n=22; Denmark, n=8; Norway, n=8). The majority of the participants were diagnosed within the last 5 years and nearly half were living with a spouse or partner. The employment rate (full time or part time) was 39.9% globally and 43.3% in Italy. Respondents in Italy were on ‘predominantly sedating’ (54.4%), and/or ‘similarly activating and sedating’ (43.3%) SGAs (as defined in Citrome, J Clin Psychopharmacol 2017). In Italy, Q-LES-Q-SF total score was (mean [standard deviation; SD]) 46.6 [9.1], out of a possible score range of 14–70 (globally, 44.3 [9.8]). Similar to other countries, participants from Italy showed lowest satisfaction scores for Q-LES-Q-SF items of ‘Sexual drive, interest and/or performance’, ‘Economic status’, and ‘Work’. In Italy, the most prevalent SEs reported on the GASS were ‘Feeling sleepy during the day’, ‘Difficulty sleeping’, and ‘Problems enjoying sex’, while globally patients reported ‘Feeling sleepy during the day’, ‘Difficulty sleeping’, and ‘Dry mouth’ as the most common SEs. More than half of the participants stated they had experienced gaining weight as an SE (52.4% globally and 62.2% in Italy). Globally, SEs perceived as bothersome by patients were reported to impact participants’ functioning and emotions. These SEs had at least a moderate to severe impact (defined by a VAS score ≥50) on all aspects of functioning (physical, psychological, social, and vocational). The most common emotions associated with SEs reported by participants were feeling ‘Frustrated’, ‘Dissatisfied’, and ‘Ashamed/embarrassed’. Generally, the results from the survey in Italy were comparable to those of the global survey. Discussion Findings from this survey confirm that participants taking SGAs for the treatment of schizophrenia still have many SEs, including activating and sedating SEs, sexual SEs, and weight gain. These SEs have a considerable negative impact on participant’s daily functioning and quality of life satisfaction, including on work, and sexual drive, in addition to psychosocial effects.
Abstract : Chemokines are a family of proteins that chemoattract and activate cells by interacting with specific receptors on the surface of their targets. The chemokine stromal cell‐derived factor 1, (SDF1), binds to the seventransmembrane G protein‐coupled CXCR4 receptor and acts to modulate cell migration, differentiation, and proliferation. CXCR4 and SDF1 are reported to be expressed in various tissues including brain. Here we show that SDF1 and CXCR4 are expressed in cultured cortical type I rat astrocytes, cortical neurons, and cerebellar granule cells. In cortical astrocytes, prolonged treatment with lipopolysaccharide induced an increase of SDF1 expression and a down‐regulation of CXCR4, whereas treatment with phorbol esters did not affect SDF1 expression and down‐modulated CXCR4 receptor expression. We also demonstrated the ability of human SDF1α (hSDF1α) to increase the intracellular calcium level in cultured astrocytes and cortical neurons, whereas in the same conditions, cerebellar granule cells did not modify their intracellular calcium concentration. Furthermore, in cortical astrocytes, the simultaneous treatment of hSDF1α with the HIV‐1 capside glycoprotein gp120 inhibits the cyclic AMP formation induced by forskolin treatment.
AbstractThe nature and the origin of the patina upon stone has been investigated. The formation of oxalate scialbatura on marbles and limestones is not always related to the metabolic activity of lichens. Two cases are discussed: an example of an oxalate patina formed by an old protective treatment, presumably with calcium caseinate, and an example of a patina without oxalates. A case is also given where both lichens and oxalates have been found on a stone surface but a patina did not form.
A 1553 nm Er-doped fiber master-oscillator-power-amplifier (MOPA) laser system providing pulses with a 6 kHz repetition rate, 5 ns duration, ~210 μJ energy, ~300 MHz linewidth, and with a near diffraction limited beam quality, was developed. A gain fiber as short as 0.7 m in length was utilized in order to relax the SBS effect. To the best of our knowledge, thus generated peak power of 40 kW is the highest one obtained from a single frequency Er-doped silica fiber laser. The pulse quality was verified by frequency conversion with a periodically poled lithium niobate nonlinear crystal (PPLN) for second harmonic generation. A pulse energy as high as ~100 μJ was achieved at 776.6 nm with a moderate incident energy of 133 μJ, indicating an energy conversion efficiency of 75%.
An indium−ethylene glycol−ethylenediamine (In−EG−EDA) complex precursor with a nanorod bundle structure was controllably synthesized in EG solvent via an EDA-assisted solvothermal process at 180 °C. The morphologies and phase structures of the samples were found to depend strongly on the pH values and alkaline reagents. This complex precursor was subsequently calcined at 640 °C in air, resulting in the formation of cubic phase In2O3 nanorod bundles without changing its one-dimensional morphology. In addition, In2O3 nanoaggregates with a diameter of 20 nm can be directly obtained using ammonia as alkaline reagent. A possible mechanism was proposed to explain the formation of In−EG−EDA nanorod bundles and In2O3 nanoaggregates. Both the In2O3 nanorod bundles and the nanoaggregates showed wide emission peaks from the ultraviolet to visible region in photoluminescence spectra.
Defining the basic determinants of the level of reliability with regards to the use of residential buildings and determining the function of the intensity of their characteristic defects are important issues concerning renovation strategy. The distribution of the exploitation time of residential buildings, the function of their reliability, and the distribution of the defect intensity of examined buildings are interdependent terms. Therefore, it can be assumed that the defect intensity of an object will be higher with an increase in its exploitation time. However, it is neither an increase reflecting the length of the building’s service life nor the value directly proportional to its age. The article presents a model and method of testing the defects and reliability of a representative group of traditional downtown residential buildings, which were erected in Wroclaw, Poland at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. A basic conclusion was drawn regarding the mechanism of damage of residential buildings: for the period of using the facility, in which the time of correct operation until failure has an exponential distribution, the average remaining time of failure-free operation is unchanged at any time. It was confirmed that the tested residential buildings, after a certain period of failure-free operation, fulfil their functions, just like new buildings. The optimal moment of renovation occurs after the end of the second period of operation, before the period of rapid wear. The study of the course of the damage intensity function over time reflects the wear process of a residential building in a representative sample of downtown residential buildings that were erected using traditional methods. Defining the average duration of the correct failure-free operation of an object by the reliability function, which determines the probability with which the correct operation time of an object will be longer than its age, has a practical application in the exploitation of a residential building and its components.
We report high-resolution inverse Raman spectroscopy measurements of nitrogen Q-branch linewidths in pure nitrogen at temperatures up to 1500 K and at pressures from 20 to 760 Torr. Transitions from J = 0 to J = 30 have been measured with a resolution of 1.5 × 10−3 cm−1 and a Raman shift accuracy of 1 × 10−3 cm−1. Fits to the data using a Galatry line-shape model provide J-dependent collisional-broadening coefficients. A modified exponential-gap scaling law accurately describes the dependence of these coefficients on temperature and rotational quantum number.
The extensive morbidity of colorectal cancer (CRC) and the inferior prognosis of terminal CRC urgently call for reliable prognostic biomarkers. For this, we identified 704 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by intersecting three datasets, GSE41328, GSE37364, and GSE15960 from Gene Expression Omnibus database, to maximize the accuracy of the results. Preliminary analysis of the DEGs was then performed using online gene analysis datasets, such as DAVID, UCSC Cancer Genome Browser, CBioPortal, STRING, and UCSC Cancer Genome Browser. Cytoscape was utilized to visualize the protein perception interaction network of DEGs, and the bubble map of GO and KEGG enrichment function was demonstrated using the R package. The Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE), Biological Network Gene Oncology (BiNGO) plug-in in Cytoscape, was applied to further screen the DEGs to obtain 15 seed genes, which were IL1RN, GALNT12, ADH6, SCN7A, CXCL1, FGF18, SOX9, ACACB, PRRX1, MZB1, SLC22A3, CNNM4, LY6E, IFITM2, and GDPD3. Among them, IL1RN, ADH6, SCN7A, ACACB, MZB1, and GDPD3 exhibited statistically significant survival differences, whereas limited studies were conducted in CRC. Based on the enrichment results of the “Gene Ontology“(GO) and “Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and genomes “(KEGG) as well as documented findings of key genes, we further emphasized the potential of IL1RN and PRRX1 as markers of immune infiltrates in CRC and confirmed our hypothesis by compiling data from the UALCAN, Tumor Immune Estimation Resource, and TISIDB databases for these two genes. The above-mentioned genes might offer a valuable insight into the diagnosis, immunotherapeutic targets, and prognosis of CRC.
The conformer specific reactivity of gas-phase pyruvic acid following the S1 (nπ*) ← S0 excitation at λmax = 350 nm (290-380 nm) and the effect of water is investigated for the two lowest energy conformers. Conformer specific gas-phase pyruvic acid photolysis rate constants and their respective populations are measured by monitoring their distinct vibrational OH-stretching frequencies. The geometry, relative energies, fundamental vibrational frequencies, and electronic transitions of the pyruvic acid conformers and their monohydrated complexes are calculated with density functional theory and ab initio methods. Results from experiment and theory show that the more stable conformer with an intramolecular hydrogen bond dominates the gas-phase photolysis of pyruvic acid. Water greatly affects the gas-phase pyruvic acid conformer population and photochemistry through hydrogen bonding interactions. The addition of water decreases the gas-phase relative population of the more stable conformer and decreases the molecule's gas-phase photolysis rate constants. The theoretical results show that even a single water molecule interrupts the intramolecular hydrogen bond, which is essential for the efficient photodissociation of gas-phase pyruvic acid. Results of this study suggest that the aqueous-phase photochemistry of pyruvic acid proceeds through hydrogen bonded conformers lacking an intramolecular hydrogen bond.
Gillies CL, Abrams KR, Lambert PC, et al . Pharmacological and lifestyle interventions to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2007;334 > :299.  [OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2]   Q In people with impaired glucose tolerance, do lifestyle or pharmacological interventions prevent or delay type 2 diabetes?   ### ![Graphic][3] Data sources:  Medline (1966 to July 2006), EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (1980 to July 2006), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Issue 2, 2006), references of relevant articles, and experts.  ### ![Graphic][4] Study selection and assessment:  randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in any language that evaluated an intervention to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance and assessed development of diabetes as an outcome. 21 RCTs met the selection criteria, and 17 RCTs (n = 8084, mean age range 39–57 y, mean body mass index range 24–36 kg/m2, …   [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBMJ%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1136%252Fbmj.39063.689375.55%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F17237299%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx  [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=bmj&resid=334/7588/299&atom=%2Febnurs%2F10%2F3%2F78.atom  [3]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif  [4]: /embed/inline-graphic-2.gif
Accelerating mirrors provide a simple conceptual laboratory for studying particle production and the relation between trajectory and particle, energy, and entropy fluxes. We focus on the relation between energy and entropy, studying some special cases with finite total energy but infinite integrated entropy (though the entropy flux may be finite at any particular moment). We present a new asymptotically static moving mirror trajectory with solvable beta Bogolyubov coefficients, total energy and fully relativistic particle count. The integrated entropy diverges despite finite global radiative particle and energy emission. Another class of models includes exponentially accelerated mirrors in proper time; one of its unexpected behaviors is finite energy emission but divergent entropy. We compare mirrors exponentially accelerated in other coordinates as well, showing their close relation and an interesting duality property.
This study was carried out to clarify the features of iron deficiency anaemia in the elderly. Subjects were chosen from residents undergoing an annual health check in a home for the aged and the features of anaemia in the elderly were compared with those in middle-aged adults under 60 years old. The red cell count, red cell size and haemoglobin content in an elderly group with iron-deficiency anaemia did not differ from those in middle-aged adults. No significant differences of the serum ferritin and iron levels were noted between the two groups. Total iron binding capacity was higher in the middle-aged adults than in the elderly, while the reticulocyte count was significantly lower in the elderly group. Immature reticulocytes showing a considerable amount of residual RNA by flow cytometry with fluorescent staining were also lower in the elderly group than in the middle-aged adults. Serum erythropoietin levels in both groups were significantly higher than in non-anaemic age-matched controls and no difference in erythropoietin levels was noted between them. The ratio of the reticulocyte count to the log-transformed erythropoietin level was low in the elderly group with iron-deficiency anaemia compared with the middle-aged adults with iron deficiency anaemia. The same result was seen when the immature reticulocyte count was related to the log-transformed erythropoietin level. These findings suggest that the red cell production response to erythropoietin in the elderly with iron-deficiency anaemia might be inappropriate compared with both non-anaemic and anaemic middle-aged adults.
Objective  To explore the efficacy and safety of preoperative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein invasion.      Methods  Two hundred and nineteen patients, diagnosed as rescetable HCC and portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) via preoperative imaging and multidisciplinary consultation, were prospectively enrolled and allocated into two groups. In the immediate resection group (132 cases), patients received immediate surgical resection. In the preoperative TACE group (87 cases), patients underwent TACE before surgical resection. Stratal analysis was carried out of the survival difference between the two groups.      Results  The 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival rates and the median survival time were 52.4%, 19.1%, 13.1%, and 13.87 months for the immediate resection group; 57.1%, 27.2%, 21.1%, and 16.13 months for the preoperative TACE group (P=0.037). On the strata analysis of segmental PVTT group, the overall survival rates of the immediate resection group and preoperative TACE group were 61.0% and 92.9% at 1-year, 32.1% and 55.7% at 3-year, 20.1% and 47.8% at 5-year, respectively (P=0.012). However, comparing the 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival rates between the two groups respectively, no significant difference was found of major PVTT group (P=0.272). No significant difference was found between the 2 groups in postoperative complications and hospital mortality.      Conclusion  The preoperative TACE is a safe and effective procedure for patients diagnosed as HCC with portal vein tumor thrombi, and will not increase the incidence of complications, especially for resectable HCC with segmental PVTT.      Key words:  Hepatocellular carcinoma; Transarterial chemoembolization; Hepatic resection; Portal vein tumor thrombosis
A combination of high resolution X-ray diffraction and molecular modelling techniques have been used to determine (Rwp= 12.51%) the crystal structure of the X-form of metal-free phthalocyanine. It was found to crystallise in a bimolecular monoclinic unit cell (space group P21/a) with lattice parameters a= 10.63, b= 23.15, c= 4.89 A, β= 95.98° in a ‘herring-bone’ molecular packing motif with a smaller angle (50°) than is found in the more stable β-polymorph (89°).
Based on the use of the modified bilinear equation for the unified power flow controller (UPFC), this paper proposes a new control strategy to improve the transient stability of power system. This control strategy is applied to shunt and series inverters of UPFC as the modulating signals at the operating point. This input signals are such that the derivative of Liapunov energy function is negative definite. Simulation results show that the transient stability of power system has improved more effectively than the conventional PI controllers. Moreover, the coordination between series and shunt controllers of UPFC via one control law is considered as the main advantages of the designed controllers.
This article examines, primarily from the perspective of U.S. forces, the challenges faced by technologically advantaged forces on the asymmetrical battlefield vis-a-vis the legal principle of distinction. Distinction, the linchpin of international humanitarian law, requires that parties to a conflict conduct their operations in a manner that distinguishes between combatants and civilians, as well as between civilian objects and military objectives. Paradoxically, the technological edge that advanced militaries enjoy over their enemies may present problems in terms of ensuring compliance with the distinction principle, particularly at the tactical level of warfare. The conflict in Iraq has demonstrated that on an asymmetrical battlefield, the weaker party may adopt tactics that violate the norm in order to offset its technological disadvantage. When this occurs, compliance by the advantaged party is also complicated. Safeguarding the principle of distinction, therefore, requires altering the cost-benefit calculations of the side facing defeat at the hands of its stronger opponent.
The outcome of the research provides an algorithm and outline of hardware requirements for an image analysis system for the assessment of fabric creasing, particularly for use with patterned fabrics. The paper describes a new means of assessing creasing which is independent of fabric pattern effects. The basis of the method is the use of a laser along with various optical lenses to produce a symmetrical array of dots on the fabric sample. Where creasing occurs, this array is distorted and by capturing only the laser dot array, the fabric pattern is therefore effectively eliminated. The extent of the distortion of the dot array is proportional to the amount of creasing. The amount of creasing can therefore be allocated a numerical value based on comparison with the distortions produced from the measurement of the AATCC plastic replica creasing standards. The initial attempts and results at removing patterns from fabrics by image subtraction, by using UV and IR illumination are also reported.
The new intercultural trends seek to recover knowledge of ancestral peoples long forgotten or minimized until nihilization by ethnocentric drift of European origin. To determine whether conquered or colonized peoples of America have had own rational ways (to wit philosophies) has always been a topic of discussion. The encounter between Europeans and Americans entailed a culture shock between two ways of understanding the world, two different rationalities, which put one over the other by the mere fact of implying a power relationship: winners and losers; the latter were placed on the edge of barbarism and the former at the pinnacle of culture and civility, which in the long run has led to unambiguous interpretations of what is the ideal of man (the european is the prototype par excellence), with the subsequent minimization of the native American man. This has led to a cultural reductionism, since it denies others “types of man”, not even an attempt was made to discover them. In any case, this article attempts a new approach of this problem in the amazonian world, a new look in the light of divergent thinking and a new paradigm of complexity in a representative ethnicity of this world: The Cocama-Cocamilla, once rulers of the river and the forest.
Alzheimer's disease is the commonest dementia. One major characteristic of its pathology is accumulation of amyloid-beta (Abeta) as insoluble deposits in brain parenchyma and in blood vessel walls [cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)]. The distribution of Abeta deposits in the basement membranes of cerebral capillaries and arteries corresponds to the perivascular drainage pathways by which interstitial fluid (ISF) and solutes are eliminated from the brain--effectively the lymphatic drainage of the brain. Theoretical models suggest that vessel pulsations supply the motive force for perivascular drainage of ISF and solutes. As arteries stiffen with age, the amplitude of pulsations is reduced and insoluble Abeta is deposited in ISF drainage pathways as CAA, thus, further impeding the drainage of soluble Abeta. Failure of perivascular drainage of Abeta and deposition of Abeta in the walls of arteries has two major consequences: (i) intracerebral hemorrhage associated with rupture of Abeta-laden arteries in CAA; and (ii) Alzheimer's disease in which failure of elimination of ISF, Abeta and other soluble metabolites from the brain alters homeostasis and the neuronal environment resulting in cognitive decline and dementia. Therapeutic strategies that improve elimination of Abeta and other soluble metabolites from the brain may prevent cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.
1. Adam, W.; Ahrweiler, M.; Vlcek, P.: Chemiluminescence of the Labile 1,2-Dioxetanes and Epoxides Produced in the Oxidation of A^-Acetylated Dihydroand Tetiahydropyrazines by Singlet Oxygen, Dimethyldioxirane and m-Chloroperbenzoic Acid. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117 (1995) 9690-9692. 2. Sheldrick, G. M.: Program Package SHELXTL-plus. Release 4.1. Siemens Analytical X-Ray Instruments Inc., Madison (WI53719), US A 1990.
Objective: Conduct a comparative study of the clarification process of a natural wetland using two coagulants, aluminum sulfate and potato peel (Solanum tuberosum L). Methodology: Initially, the agroindustrial waste was collected from different fast-food establishments and restaurants in the city of Barranquilla, where it is usually discarded. Potato peel is washed, dried and ground. The powder obtained was screened and packed tightly in a glass jar to be used as a coagulant. Aluminum sulfate was obtained commercially. Water samples are collected from the Cienaga de Malambo by simple sampling. To remove its turbidity, a jug test was performed that simulated the coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation processes, taking as a reference the parameters established in NTC 3903 of 2010, using each coagulant. Results: The water under study had an initial turbidity of 59.60 UNT. The greatest removal of this parameter was obtained with a dose of 40 mg / L aluminum sulfate (92.51%); while the natural coagulant removed 81.32% when using a dose of 10 mg / L.  Conclusions: It was determined that the doses of coagulants, aluminum sulfate and potato peel, used in this investigation influenced the turbidity of the water of the swamp, impulse to the study and use of the potato peel as a viable alternative in the treatment of water.
Power transformer is one of the major and key apparatus in electric power system. Monitoring and diagnosis of transformer fault is necessary for improving the life period of transformer. The failures caused by short circuits are one of the causes of transformer outages. The short circuit currents induce excessive forces in the transformer windings which result in winding deformation affecting the mechanical and electrical characteristics of the winding. In the present work, a transformer producing only the radial flux under short circuit is considered. The corresponding axial displacement profile of the windings is computed using Finite Element Method based transient structural analysis and thus obtained displacements are compared with the experimental result. The change in inter disc capacitance and mutual inductance of the deformed windings due to different short circuit currents are computed using Finite Element Method based field analyses and the corresponding Sweep Frequency Responses are computed using the modified electrical equivalent circuit. From the change in the first resonant frequency, the winding movement can be quantified which will be useful for estimating the mechanical withstand capability of the winding for different short circuit currents in the design stage itself.
Electrons (or holes) confined in 2D semiconductor layers have served as model systems for studying disorder and interaction effects for almost 50 years. In particular, strong disorder drives the metallic 2D carriers into a strongly localized Anderson insulator (AI) at low densities whereas pristine 2D electrons in the presence of no (or little) disorder should solidify into a Wigner crystal at low carrier densities. Since the disorder in 2D semiconductors is mostly Coulomb disorder arising from random charged impurities, the applicable physics is complex as the carriers interact with each other as well as with the random charged impurities through the same long-range Coulomb coupling. By critically theoretically analyzing the experimental transport data in depth using a realistic transport theory to calculate the low-temperature 2D resistivity as a function of carrier density in 11 different experimental samples covering 9 different materials, we establish, utilizing the Ioffe-Regel-Mott criterion for strong localization, a direct connection between the critical localization density for the 2D metal-insulator transition (MIT) and the sample mobility deep into the metallic state, which for clean samples could lead to a localization density low enough to make the transition appear to be a Wigner crystallization. We believe that the insulating phase is always an effective Coulomb disorder-induced localized AI, which may have short-range WC-like correlations at low carrier densities. Our theoretically calculated disorder-driven critical MIT density agrees with experimental findings in all 2D samples, even for the ultra-clean samples. In particular, the extrapolated critical density for the 2D MIT seems to vanish when the high-density mobility goes to infinity, indicating that transport probes a disorder-localized insulating ground state independent of how low the carrier density might be.
In the course of this investigation, a very detailed interview schedule of information concerning their post-hospital history was completed for 229 out of the 240 patients. Many of the 162 items included in this schedule did not prove to be significantly related to the outcome, but some of these proved illuminating when we re-examined the cases which did not conform to the general trend. For example, we were not able to show an association between household income and patients' success rates; but on re-analysis we found that success was rendered more likely if either the patient or the woman of the house went out to work. This was especially the case with chronic schizophrenic patients.
Conventional wisdom supports prescribing “fibrates before statins”, that is, prioritizing treatment of hypertriglyceridemia (hTG) to prevent pancreatitis ahead of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to prevent coronary heart disease. The relationship between hTG and acute pancreatitis, however, may not support this approach to clinical management. This study analyzed administrative data from the Veterans Health Administration for evidence of (1) temporal association between assessed triglycerides level and days to acute pancreatitis admission; (2) association between hTG and outcomes in the year after hospitalization for acute pancreatitis; (3) relative rates of prescription of fibrates vs statins in patients with acute pancreatitis; (4) association of prescription of fibrates alone versus fibrates with statins or statins alone with rates of adverse outcomes after hospitalization for acute pancreatitis. Only modest association was found between above-normal or extremely high triglycerides and time until acute pancreatitis. CHD/MI/stroke occurred in 23% in the year following AP, supporting cardiovascular risk management. Fibrates were prescribed less often than statins, defying conventional wisdom, but the high rates of cardiovascular events in the year following AP support a clinical focus on reducing cardiovascular risk factors.
A clinical case of a 42-year-old woman patient, who had a mandibular reconstruction utilizing a three-dimensional (3D) custom-made porous titanium plate dental restoration, is presented. She showed a recurrence of a unicystic ameloblastoma involving the left hemimandible. The patient declined to be managed by a bone-free flap. A mandibular resection in the healthy areas was provided, followed by reconstruction utilizing a 3D custom-made porous titanium plate dental restoration with a hybrid dental prosthesis. The 3D rehabilitation was created considering slim tomodensitometric sections. The cutting guides and custom-created 3D plate were fabricated employing medical software via computer-aided design and fabricating with locations planned for healing abutments. The patient was contented with the rehabilitation, and the condition continued stable at the four-year follow-up.
Purpose – Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Lebanon are among the most active groups supporting community welfare and advocating for human rights and policy reform. However, these organizations still lack the basic awareness and commitment needed to expand their role in earthquake disaster risk reduction. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the exposure of Lebanon to destructive earthquakes and to address the urgent need for CSOs to expand its contribution in earthquake disaster risk reduction supporting public awareness programs and strategic mitigation plans. Design/methodology/approach – The paper sets out to alert CSOs about the seismic hazards of Lebanon and offers a discussion for an active engagement role of Lebanese CSOs in future earthquake disaster risk reduction. The focus is to outline a strategy that may facilitate the engagement of CSOs in building the resilience of Lebanese community against destructive earthquakes. Findings – The proposed strategic plan suggests a leading rol...
Emotion regulation (ER) strategies can influence how affective predictions are constructed by the brain (generation stage) to prearrange action (implementation stage) and update internal models according to incoming stimuli (updating stage). However, neurocomputational mechanisms by which this is achieved are unclear. We investigated through high-density EEG if different ER strategies (expressive suppression vs. cognitive reappraisal) predicted event-related potentials (ERPs) and brain source activity across affective prediction stages, as a function of contextual uncertainty. An S1-S2 paradigm with emotional faces and pictures as S1s and S2s was presented to 36 undergraduates. Contextual uncertainty was manipulated across three blocks with 100, 75, or 50% S1-S2 affective congruency. The effects of ER strategies, as assessed through the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, on ERP and brain source activity were tested for each prediction stage through linear mixed-effects models. No ER strategy affected prediction generation. During implementation, in the 75% block, a higher tendency to suppress emotions predicted higher activity in the left supplementary motor area at 1,500–2,000 ms post-stimulus, and smaller amplitude of the Contingent Negative Variation at 2,000–2,500 ms. During updating, in the 75% block, a higher tendency to cognitively reappraise emotions predicted larger P2, Late Positive Potential, and right orbitofrontal cortex activity. These results suggest that both ER strategies interact with the levels of contextual uncertainty by differently modulating ERPs and source activity, and that different strategies are deployed in a moderately predictive context, supporting the efficient updating of affective predictive models only in the context in which model updating occurs.
Contrast Enhancement Lithography has been in existence for almost two decades, yet its practical advantages are relatively unknown among the general lithography community. This paper attempts to redress this situation by discussing the implementation of a Contrast Enhancement Material into manufacturing. Contrast Enhancement Materials (CEMs) are photobleachable solutions applied as a thin top coat to the photoresist after softbake. The CEM is initially opaque at the actinic wavelength but becomes essentially transparent upon exposure. Optimising the relative bleaching parameters of the photoresist and the Contrast Enhancement Material makes it possible to prevent exposure in nominally unexposed resist regions, while bleaching the exposed resist areas. Thus, a temporary contact mask is formed on the photoresist during exposure, allowing high-intensity parts of the aerial image to pass through while eliminating low intensity regions. The resulting aerial image which exposes the photoresist has higher contrast than the original. This allows superior resist depth-of-focus, improves resist profile, increases exposure latitudes and reduces proximity effects among other benefits. Initially, this paper discusses the chemistry and physics of the CEM process. Next the authors look at the lithographic requirements for a final metal level on a sub-micron CMOS process. Analysis of the Depth-Of-Focus error budget indicated that the process would not be manufacturable without significantly increased DOF. The authors also present the results of the characterization of the CEM, including simulation work, with regard to the effect on primary lithography outputs such as depth-of-focus, resist sidewall and exposure latitude.
The authors report and explain female-biased sex ratios in the neotropical treehopper Umbonia ataliba Homoptera: Membracidae at Monteverde, Costa Rica. Umbonia ataliba mothers semelparously oviposit egg masses into host-plant branches, make feeding holes, and guard the eggs and the nymphs until the young moult to become adults. At adulthood, offspring sex ratios are female-biased, with families having, on average, one male per 3.17 females (SD = 0.149, n = 48). The female bias does not appear to be explained by the hypothesis that males are more difficult to raise to independence: males are smaller than females, males have a shorter development time, males do not require disproportionately more feeding holes, and males do not experience higher mortality in families that are unprotected from parasites and predators, rather, females die more often in protected families. Thus females, not males, may be more difficult to raise to independence. The authors investigated whether increases in the size of males and females increased the fitness of either sex disproportionately, but found no relationship between size and fitness for either sex. We found evidence that local-mate competition conditions and inbreeding occur. Mating occurs at the natal site and nearly all copulations take place between siblings (99.3 %, n = 153 copulations). Most females (mean proportion of females = 0.65, SD = 0.33, n = 7 families) copulate with their male siblings prior to dispersing; whether the unmated proportion copulates later is unknown. This paper suggests that the numerical bias reflects an investment bias favoured under selection by inbreeding and local-mate competition conditions.
Objective. To compare abnormal screening rates of 2 different Spanish versions of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) in US Spanish-speaking patients. Method. Quasi-experimental design was used with historical and English language controls. Abnormal screening rates were compared between Spain and Western-hemisphere Spanish versions, as well as to English controls during the same time periods using chi square analysis. Results. M-CHAT questionnaires were scored from 589 subjects (English n = 415, Spanish n = 174). There was little difference between Spanish versions. Overall, the Spanish abnormal screening rate was double that of English (23.6% vs 11.3%, P < .001). Conclusions. Spanish M-CHAT questionnaires are abnormal more often than those in English even after changing to appropriate translation, despite lower prevalence of autism in Latinos. Issues with translation, interpretation, or cultural understanding of behaviors may contribute. Given abnormal screening rates for Latinos, the use of the M-CHAT follow-up interview in Spanish-speaking patients is beneficial but may be more time-consuming.
The identification of preacceleration mechanisms for cosmic ray ions in supernova remnant shocks is an important problem in astrophysics. Recent particle-in-cell (PIC) shock simulations have shown that inclusion of the full electron kinetics yields non-time-stationary solutions, in contrast to previous hybrid (kinetic ions, fluid electrons) simulations. Here, by running a PIC code at high phase space resolution, ion acceleration mechanisms associated with the time dependence of a supercritical collisionless perpendicular shock are examined. In particular, the components of ∫F∙vdt are analyzed along trajectories for ions that reach both high and low energies. Selection mechanisms for the ions that reach high energies are also examined. In contrast to quasistationary shock solutions, the suprathermal protons are selected from the background population on the basis of the time at which they arrive at the shock, and thus are generated in bursts.
Background Nutritional status is defined as an individual’s health condition as it is influenced by the intake and utilization of nutrients. Maternal malnutrition is widespread throughout the world, with Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia bearing the brunt of the burden. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of intensive nutrition education and counseling on nutritional status during pregnancy. Methods and materials The study was a one-year, two-arm parallel design cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in the East Shoa zone, Ethiopia, from January 1, 2021, to February 30, 2022. A total of 374 participants were enrolled in the intervention (n = 185) and control (n = 189) groups. End-line data were collected from 163 women, from each group. The intervention package provided three counseling sessions by trained midwives, three-page take-home brochures prepared in local languages, and the delivery of 18 weekly serial short text messages. The women in the control group received routine nutrition education from the health facilities. After adjusting for potential confounders, a linear mixed-effects model was employed to assess the intervention effect. Results After the intervention, the mean mid-upper arm circumference in the intervention group increased by 1.8% (23.08 vs. 23.44, p < 0.01). Similarly, the proportion of undernutrition in the intervention group was 11% (25 vs. 36%, p = 0.02) lower compared to the control arm. At the end of the trial, women in the intervention arm had significantly better nutritional status than women in the control group (β = 0.47, p < 0.01). Conclusion The findings showed that intensive nutrition education and counseling using the health belief model was effective in improving nutritional status and reducing undernutrition among pregnant women. As a result, nutrition education and counseling using HBM constructs, as well as regular reminder messages, should be provided to pregnant women as part of the routine antenatal care service.
In recent years, accountants have "become increas­ ingly concerned with which controversial concept of asset valuation to adopt in preparing financial statements. Asset valuation concepts seem to he a fundamental issue in income determination. Of these concepts, current value has "been widely recommended as a means of improving financial information so as to make it more useful in making predictions and decisions. One major criticism of current value accounting is that it might he subjective and personal hias could he introduced. This is true especially when there are no well-defined market prices, as with industrial and commercial real estate. At present, conclusive empirical evidence relevant to this controversy seems not to exist. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically test the reliability and predictability of appraisal techniques as a means of estimating current value as compared with historical value. In the study, current value accounting is evaluated on the grounds of not only its usefulness, hut also its predictability and objectivity. Perception of current value as an essential part of communication is also considered. A random sample of 250 large corporations in the U.S. was selected and top financial executives were asked to provide (l) their views on the reliability of appraisal values when used as an estimate of current value (Part I of the questionnaire), and (2) data regarding selling, independent appraisal, and book values (Part II). The usable response to Part I was 23 percent. Part II con­ tains information concerning 1̂ -2 commercial and industrial real estate properties. The results of the executives* perceptions revealed strong support of appraisal value as being a reliable estimate of current value. A study of the characteristics of the sample and a test of the hypotheses revealed that appraisal value is more reliable and objec­ tive than book value and that there is no difference between appraisal and selling values at the .05 level of significance. A similar finding supported no difference between book values and selling values, even though a level of significance was approached. Appraisers, further­ more, did not seem to be affected by regional differences or assessed factors affecting changes in economic con­ ditions . Regression models of appraisals were compared and evaluated with those of book values. As a result, simple prediction (regression) models that used current values had more predictive ability than those which used book values. Multiple regression (prediction) models which used both current and book values' were superior to simple prediction models. The use of appraisals as a method of estimating current value is an area which has been relatively forgotten by accountants. This study is an invitation and a challenge to accountants to conduct more research
Neonatal adrenal hemorrhage (NAH) is frequently overlooked because the majority of cases are asymptomatic. In this study, we investigated the clinical symptoms, echographic characteristics and incidence of NAH from January 1998 to December 1999 at Cathay General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Among 3273 newborns who had ultrasound screening, 18 cases were diagnosed as having NAH. The incidence was 0.55% which was compatible with other reports. But there was a female predominance (10:8) which was different from previous reports. Only one premature baby was diagnosed with NAH. No patients had perinatal asphyxia, and this was different from other reports. The mean birth body weight was 3530 grams which was more than the 75th percentile of normal term baby birth weight. Sixteen cases had right-sided NAH and two cases had left-sided NAH. Eleven cases (61%) within this study were asymptomatic. The incidence of pathologic jaundice was 11%. Four babies (22%) had poor oral feeding combined with vomiting. Only one had severe anemia for which blood transfusion was required. There were no cases of adrenocortical insufficiency in our study. Only one patient received adrenalectomy. In conclusion, NAH can be detected early by sonography and most cases require only supportive treatment. Thus, unnecessary surgery and severe complications due to delayed diagnosis can be avoided.
The effects of ultrasound on the electrophoretic mobility of Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells are reported using micro-electrophoresis. Frequency, pulse length and exposure time were individually varied using a constant peak intensity of 10 W cm-2, with delivery pulsed 1 : 9. Reduction in mobility occurred at all frequencies and increased with the square root of the frequency. No further change was found after 5 min of total irradiation time. The reduction was found to be independent of the pulse length between 20 ?s and 10 ms and was not affected by increasing the ambient pressure to 1.7 atmospheres, sufficient to prevent cavitation at this intensity and at a frequency of 1 MHz. The biological implications are discussed in terms of alteration of the carbohydrate-rich cell coats and the physical mechanism proposed is that of shear forces acting on boundary layers.
Road tankers are the most used means of transporting petroleum product to end users due to its cost effectiveness and energy-efficiency. The cylindrical tank has been well designed for by ASME VIII divisions 1 and 2 using analytical equations. Petrol tankers are not circular but elliptical probably for stability during transportation. This paper has used the finite element method to investigate in-plane displacements and Von-Mises stresses in both circular and elliptical cylindrical tanks under full loading. An elliptical OANDO? tanker of 66.78 m3volume and shell thickness of0.2 mmand an equivalent volume circular cylindrical tank was used for the simulation. MATLAB? was used to generate geometrical mesh model of the petroleum tankers, extract element coordinates and conduct the finite element analysis. Plane strain condition was used in analyzing a section of the petroleum tanker. It was observed that an equivalent volume circular cylindrical tank was under a higher internal pressure (16,858 N/m2) compared to the elliptical cylinder (14,480 N/m2). Von-Mises stress and in-plane displacements showed direct linear relationships with internal fluid pressure. Von-Mises stress in the elliptical tank was found to be lower (5.7 × 106 N/m2) than for the circular tank (8 × 106 N/m2). In plane displacements was zero in the longitudinal direction for both tanks and of the order of 10-4 mm in the y-direction for both tanks with the circular larger by about 2.5 × 10-3 cm. So in addition to tank stability on the lorry, the Von-Mises stresses were lower as well for the elliptical tank. It was also observed that Von-Mises stresses were far below the yield stress of the steel plate. However, the effect of weldment area on lowering of yield stress was not studied. Stress values were validated using analytical method and found to be insignificantly different (P > 0.05).
Evidence suggests that the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors potentially reduces the risk of cancer, though the mechanism is unclear. To clarify a potential involvement of angiotensin II (Ang II) signaling in cancer risk, we have examined the effect of Ang II receptor deficiency on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon tumorigenesis. Male Ang II type 2 receptor gene-disrupted (AT(2)-null) mice with a 129/Ola and C57BL/6J genetic background, AT(2)-null mice with an SWR/J genetic background, and their corresponding control wild type mice were treated once a week with AOM (10 mg/kg, i.p., 4 consecutive weeks) or saline vehicle. All mice were killed 23-26 weeks after the initial injection of AOM, and tumor burdens were examined. AOM treatment caused the development of colon tumors in all wild type control mice regardless of genetic background (100% tumor prevalence), but only one tumor was present in AT(2)-null mice with a 129/Ola and C57BL/6J genetic background (11.1% tumor prevalence). Although the introduction of the AOMsusceptible SWR/J genetic background induced AOM susceptibility in AT(2) null mice, the tumor multiplicity (6.3) and tumor size (19.8 +/- 3.0 mm(3)) were significantly smaller than those in wild type mice (multiplicity, 12.0 and size, 36.8 +/- 3.2 mm(3)). AOM efficiently downregulated cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) in the liver of wild type mice significantly more than in AT(2)-null mice. The levels of DNA methyl adducts formed in wild type mouse colon epithelium by AOM treatment were also significantly higher than in AT(2)-null mice. These results imply that the AT(2) receptor functions to augment AOM-induced downregulation of CYP2E1 expression in the liver, and thus increases AOM-induced tumorigenesis in the colon. The AT(2) receptor function in the liver may be a potential determinant of tumor susceptibility in chemical carcinogen-induced colon tumorigenesis.
A 22-year-old man received a reduced-intensity conditioning (fludarabine, melphalan and alemtuzumab) unrelated donor allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplant for multiply relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. Before salvage chemotherapy he had disease in the axillary lymph nodes, bone marrow and left pelvis. Prior to transplant, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan confirmed complete remission; in particular there was no fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) PET uptake by the bowel. However, a PET scan performed 3 months postallograft showed striking diffuse FDG avidity in the bowel. The patient was well with no gastrointestinal symptoms at the time of or prior to PET scan. However, he had grade I skin graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). A similar picture has been observed in other patients following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, which suggests that these PET findings might represent subclinical gut GVHD.
The Golgi ribbon is a structural organization formed by linked Golgi stacks that is believed to be exclusive to vertebrate cells. Its functional contribution to cellular processes is unclear, yet its disruption is associated with several human pathologies. In this study we address the evolutionary origin of the Golgi ribbon, describe a potential molecular mechanism for its emergence and identify a cellular process in which it may be involved. We observed the ribbon-like architecture in the cells of several metazoan taxa, suggesting its early appearance during animal evolution before the emergence of vertebrates. Supported by AlphaFold2 modelling, we propose that the evolution of the complex between two Golgi resident proteins, Golgin-45 and GRASP, led to the tethering of Golgi stacks into the ribbon-like configuration. Finally, we find that the ribbon is assembled during the early embryogenesis of deuterostome animals, a strong indication of its role in development. Overall, our study indicates that the Golgi ribbon is functionally relevant beyond vertebrates and calls for further investigations to decipher its elusive functions. Graphical abstract
An advanced method of Relaxed Static Stability (RSS) is utilized for improving the aerodynamic performance of modem version supersonic jet fighter aircraft. The flight control system utilizes RSS criteria in both longitudinal and lateral-directional axes to achieve performance enhancements and improve stability. The T-50 advanced trainer employs the RSS concept in order to improve the aerodynamic performance and the flight control law in order to guarantee aircraft stability, The T-50 longitudinal control laws employ the dynamic inversion and proportional-plus-integral control method. This paper details the design process of developing longitudinal control laws for the RSS aircraft, utilizing the requirement of MIL-F-8785C. In addition, This paper addresses the analysis of aircraft characteristics such as damping, natural frequency, gain and phase margin about state variables for longitudinal inner loop feedback design.
This paper presents studies in the design and control of single leg exoskeleton for hemiplegia  mobility in simulation environment. The exoskeleton is designed to support the affected side of  the hemiplegia patient while the other leg functions normally. Hip, knee and ankle joints for  both humanoid leg and exoskeleton of the affected side are controlled using PD-Fuzzy control  to obtain the required natural torque to allow the exoskeleton to compensate for the deficiency  in affected leg to achieve normal symmetric gait. The controller is implemented in MATLAB,  and the system behaviour observed in Visual Nastran 4D (VN4D) during simulation. Simulation  results show that the exoskeleton can support the humanoid with the required augmentation  using the proposed design and control.
IT IS well established that glucocorticoids exert catabolic effects on connective tissue and delay wound healing. They induce skin atrophy partly by decreasing the proliferative capacity of skin fibroblasts and the synthesis of the ground substance. Despite extensive investigations, the mechanisms of these in vivo steroid effects remain a matter of controversy, since the studies performed to elucidate the actions of adrenal steroids on the proliferation of various types of fibroblasts in vitro have led to contradictory results. Some authors have indeed described an inhibition of the proliferation of fibroblast cultures treated with glucocorticoids, whereas others have reported a stimulatory action of these drugs on cell division. In the present paper, we have attempted to present a comprehensive review of the data and thus provide an explanation for the differences observed among in vitro experiments. In fact, many of the reported discrepancies may be due, in part, to the use of different experimental mod...
ABSTRACT Multiple test tasks are available for assessing L2 collocation knowledge. However, few studies have investigated the characteristics of a variety of recognition and recall tasks of collocation simultaneously, and most research on L2 collocations has focused on verb-noun and adjective-noun collocations. This study investigates (1) the relative informativeness of different tasks for assessing L2 collocation knowledge and (2) the effect of collocation type on learners’ scores on collocation tasks. Four tasks were developed based on an extensive review of research on L2 collocations: a sentence writing task, fill-in-the-blank task, multiple-choice task, and Yes/No acceptability judgment task. Each task targeted 64 English collocations, including verb-noun, adjective-noun, adverb-adjective, and adverb-verb collocations. Four groups of adult ESL learners representing different levels of academic English literacy (n = 205) completed the tasks. An item response theory analysis showed that the sentence writing and fill-in-the-blank-tasks had similar difficulty and discriminating power, the eight-option multiple-choice task had the highest discriminating power, and the Yes/No judgment task had the lowest difficulty and discriminating power. The type of collocation did not have a significant effect on learners’ scores when collocation frequency was held constant, regardless of task and learners’ level of academic English literacy.
This article argues for an expanded and more nuanced conception of the figure of the ‘perpetrator' than currently exists with respect to human rights. It examines the poetry of the diasporic Chinese-Indonesian writer Li-Young Lee and the postwar history of political violence in postcolonial Indonesia, in relation to the ethical theory of Emmanuel Levinas. By considering how relations of responsibility extend beyond individual agents of violence, to a multitude of beneficiaries, the article provides a model for how diasporic acts of literary imagination grapple with past violence, loss and repression that often remain unaddressed in more official state venues of law and politics.
We report a unique case of encephalocele with an area mimicking giant cell fibroblastoma. A 4‐month‐old boy had been born with a parietal midline mass of the head, measuring 3times3x1.5 cm. Microscopically, it consisted of fibrous connective tissue and brain tissue. The fibrous tissue revealed spindle cells and multinucleated giant cells lining sinusoid‐like spaces. This area was reminiscent of giant cell fibroblastoma. These cells were immunopositive for vimentin and negative for CD34. The giant cell fibroblastoma‐like lesion in our case seems to be non‐neoplastic and hamartomatous, and we think that the immunohistochemistry using CD34 is useful for differentiating the two lesions.
Osteoporosis is liable to affect patients with gonadal hormone deficiency, and a supplement of androgens may be used to increase bone density of patients with osteoporosis. Since the androgens currently used may cause severe side effects, it is useful to investigate the effect of other androgens and progestin on bone improvement. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of pregnenolone (Preg), androstenedione (AD), etiocholanolone (Etio), androsterone (An), nandrolone (NA) and testosterone (T) on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts for potential clinical applications. Human osteoblasts were cultured and treated with androgens and progestin, including Preg, AD, Etio, An, NA, and T, at concentrations of 0, 10-10, 10-8, 10-6 and 10-5 mol/l. The levels of cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and osteocalcin content were measured and assessed. Preg, AD, Etio, An, and T at concentrations of 10-10 and/or 10-8 mol/l significantly improved osteoblast proliferation. NA at concentrations of 10-10, 10-8, 10-6 and 10-5 mol/l also significantly improved osteoblast proliferation. Preg, AD, Etio, An, NA, and T significantly increased ALP activity and osteocalcin content. The present study demonstrated, for the first time, that Preg, AD, Etio, An, and NA could improve the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts in vitro.
One of the ways to study rainfall behavior is through the Precipitation Anomaly Index (IAC), this index helps to monitor rainfall behavior and allows to evaluate years with scarcity or abundance in the rainfall regime. The objective of this research is to analyze the occurrence of extreme rainfall events using the IAC for the city of Recife-PE associated with the extreme climate phenomenon El Niño South Oscillation (ENOS) and meteorological systems. We used 58 years of monthly rainfall data from 1961 to 2019 for the months of June and July, which were chosen because they presented Brazilian Journal of Development Braz. J. of Develop., Curitiba, v. 6, n. 9, p.69045-69053 ,sep. 2020. ISSN 2525-8761 69045 the highest annual rainfall index. Through the IAC, rainy and dry periods were calculated for understanding the research. The index showed great variability in extreme rainfall events for positive anomalies. For the month of June, the IAC detected 35 years with rainfall and 25 years classified as dry period. There was a variation in the index from -2.52 to 3.24. For the month of July were detected in 30 years with positive precipitation anomaly and 29 with negative anomaly, so for this period the extreme events both for precipitation and for extreme droughts the index varied between -2.70 to 2.79. Therefore, it is hoped that the present research can collaborate with the understanding and analysis of the behavior of extreme rainfall events in northeastern Brazilian capitals.
This study investigated the possibility of Applying TAE (Thinking At the Edge) in conversation education based on learners' feedback. In Chen's ”Advanced Japanese Conversation” class, a practice exercise using vocabulary already learned was engaged in to express what the learners wanted to say through incorporating an application of TAE (Thinking At the Edge). A survey was held after the practice lesson. As a result, through the quantitative and qualitative analysis, focusing on bodily sensation and then verbalizing it through the prescribed steps of TAE yielded a positive assessment from learners.The essential points of advantage were observed by comparing before and after using TAE, and those points of advantage were: (1) the content became richer, (2) the content grew closes to the learners' own sense (of what they wanted to say), and (3) the exercise helped organize the learner's own thinking. From this result, creating conversation sentences using TAE steps meets learners' needs better than creating conversation sentences without using TAE steps. This study further supports the beneficial possibilities of applying TAE to advanced conversation class.
Band 3 HT (Pro-868-->Leu) is a mutant anion exchange protein which has several phenotypic characteristics, including a 2- to 3-fold larger Vmax, and reduced covalent binding of the anion transport inhibitor 4,4'-diisothiocyanodihydrostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (H2DIDS). We have used fluorescence kinetic methods to study inhibitor binding to band 3 to determine if the point mutation in band 3 HT produces localized or wide-spread conformational changes within the membrane-bound domain of this transporter. Our results show that covalent binding of H2DIDS by band 3 HT is slower by a factor of 10 to 20 compared with the wild-type protein. In contrast, no such difference in the kinetics was observed for covalent binding of 4,4'-diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (DIDS). In addition, the kinetics of H2DIDS release from band 3 HT was abnormal, while the kinetics of 4,4'-dibenzamidostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate (DBDS) release showed no difference when compared with the wild-type protein. We conclude that substitution of leucine for proline at position 868 does not perturb the structure of "lysine A" in the membrane-bound domain of band 3 but rather produces an apparently localized conformational change in the C-terminal subdomain of the protein which alters H2DIDS affinity. When combined with the observation of an increased Vmax, these results suggest that protein structural changes at position 868 influence a turnover step in the transport cycle.
Microbial activities play a central role in the global cycling of selenium. Microorganisms can reduce, methylate, and assimilate Se, controlling the transport and fate of Se in the environment. However, the mechanisms controlling these microbial activities are still poorly understood. In particular, it is unknown how the negatively charged Se(IV) and Se(VI) oxyanions that dominate the aqueous Se speciation in oxidizing environments bind to negatively charged microbial cell surfaces in order to become bioavailable. Here, we show that the adsorption of selenite onto Bacillus subtilis bacterial cells is controlled by cell envelope sulfhydryl sites. Once adsorbed onto the bacteria, selenite is reduced and forms reduced organo-Se compounds (e.g., R1S-Se-SR2). Because sulfhydryl sites are present within cell envelopes of a wide range of bacterial species, sulfhydryl-controlled adsorption of selenite likely represents a general mechanism adopted by bacteria to make selenite bioavailable. Therefore, sulfhydryl binding of selenite likely occurs in a wide range of oxidized Se-bearing environments, and because it is followed by microbial conversion of selenite to other Se species, the process represents a crucial step in the global cycling of Se.
In most European countries transmission heat losses through external building elements have been calculated for many years on the basis of an ill-defined internal temperature, but with constant heat exchange coefficients at the inner side of the building elements. The paper concludes that constant heat exchange coefficients are satisfactory if dry resultant temperature is taken as the internal temperature. The advantage of this usage is that in most cases the dry resultant temperature is known a priori because it corresponds for practical purposes with the derived confort temperature in the rooms.
Teucrium Linnaeus (1753: 562), with about 250–260 species, is one of the largest genera of subfamily Ajugoideae, Lamiaceae (Li & Hedge 1994, Harley et al. 2004). The Mediterranean basin is the diversity center of this genus, where ca. 250 species are distributed (Harley et al. 2004, Ozcan et al. 2015). Teucrium can be easily distinguished from other members of Lamiaceae by a lack of corolla upper lip and nongynobasic style (Li & Hedge 1994, Ozcan et al. 2015). Recent phylogenetic research revealed that Teucrium was not monophyletic, as several small genera were nested within it, such as Teucridium Hooker (1853: 203), Spartothamnella Briquet (1895: 161) and Oncinocalyx Muelle (1883: 69) (Salmaki et al. 2016).
Modelling and simulation has been used in many ways when developing new treatments. To be useful and credible, it is generally agreed that modelling and simulation should be undertaken according to some kind of best practice. A number of authors have suggested elements required for best practice in modelling and simulation. Elements that have been suggested include the pre‐specification of goals, assumptions, methods, and outputs. However, a project that involves modelling and simulation could be simple or complex and could be of relatively low or high importance to the project. It has been argued that the level of detail and the strictness of pre‐specification should be allowed to vary, depending on the complexity and importance of the project. This best practice document does not prescribe how to develop a statistical model. Rather, it describes the elements required for the specification of a project and requires that the practitioner justify in the specification the omission of any of the elements and, in addition, justify the level of detail provided about each element. This document is an initiative of the Special Interest Group for modelling and simulation. The Special Interest Group for modelling and simulation is a body open to members of Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry and the European Federation of Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Examples of a very detailed specification and a less detailed specification are included as appendices.
Behavioral and cognitive problems are among the most common and troubling consequences of traumatic brain injury Furthermore, behavioral and cognitive challenges typically develop in complex ways, necessitating an integrated approach to intervention and supports. This article summarizes literature on interventions positively affecting the behavioral outcomes for individuals with brain injury. This literature extends many of the traditional approaches to behavioral intervention and cognitive rehabilitation to include positive behavioral support and the development of personally meaningful activities for program development. In addition, the article provides a framework for intervention based on the decades-long work of Mark Ylvisaker, which is founded on positive principles of assessment and treatment and is implemented in a context-sensitive manner that integrates cognitive and behavioral intervention themes and focuses on the development of self-regulation.
Recent laboratory studies of the erosive behavior of consolidated soils using the rotating cylinder apparatus showed that the stress required to initiate erosion is affected significantly by the amount and type of clay, pH, organic matter, temperature, water content, thixotropy, pore, and eroding fluid composition. Using the concept of critical shear stress as measured using the rotating cylinder and the flume, a quantitative criteria for a dispersive clay system is defined as one with a critical shear stress, τ c equals zero. Using this criterion, qualitative methods of predicting dispersive clays are examined. It is concluded that most of the qualitative tests used for the identification of dispersive clays suffer from the serious drawback of subjective identification criteria. Proper correlation of the results obtained from the qualitative tests for the condition of τ c = 0 will provide a better basis for dispersive clay identification. The potential use of "free swell test" as a predictive criterion is indicated.
Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., cv. Ohio 7814) fruits were harvested weekly following flowering to relate changes in NADP + -malic enzyme (NADP-ME) activity and major organic acids (malate and citrate) to fruit development. Specific activity of NADP-ME and fresh weight concentrations of the acids reached maximal levels at the mature-green stage. During ripening, a decline in malate concentration was followed by decreases in NADP-ME activity and citrate concentration. Activity of NADP-ME and organic acid concentrations were highest in the locular gel, but activity also occurred in tomato leaves, stems, and roots. The data do not exclude a role for NADP-ME in the metabolism of organic acids during fruit ripening. However, it is also possible that the enzyme is involved in cytoplasmic pH regulation. Like many fruits, tomatoes accumulate organic acids during growth and use the acids as respiratory substrates during rip- ening. The loss of acidity is one aspect of tomato quality, de- termining consumer judgment of ripeness. The pH of tomato products is influenced by organic acid and potassium contents and needs to be below a threshold value to prevent microbial spoilage after processing (Powers, 1976). Citric acid is the pre- dominant organic acid in tomatoes; malic acid is also present as a major constituent, and other acids occur in trace quantities (Ulrich, 1970). During ripening, malate declines substantially, whereas citrate has been reported to decline (Thorne and Efiuvwevwevre, 1988), remain constant (Davies, 1966), or even increase slightly (Goodenough and Thomas, 1980). Gooden- ough et al. (1985) suggested that operation of the TCA cycle was restricted in ripening tomato fruit and that the metabolism of malate was switched from the TCA cycle to a cytosolic NADP
The study presents the results of a 3-year field trial aimed at assessing the yield and efficiency indicators of nitrogen application in the cultivation of three maize cultivars differing in agronomic and genetic profile. The advantages of the UltraGrain stabilo formulation (NBPT and NPPT) over ammonium nitrate and urea are apparent if a maize cultivar capable of efficient nutrient uptake in the pre-flowering period and effective utilization during the grain filling stage is selected. Therefore, the rational fertilization of maize with urea-based nitrogen fertilizer with a urease inhibitor requires the simultaneous selection of cultivars that are physiologically profiled for efficient nitrogen utilization from this form of fertilizer (“stay-green” cultivar). The interaction of a selective cultivar with a high genetically targeted potential for nitrogen uptake from soil, combined with a targeted selection of nitrogen fertilizer, is important not only in terms of production, but also environmental and economic purposes.
Values of dielectric constant ( '  ) and dielectric loss ( "  ) have been experimentally determined for binary liquid mixtures of acetonitrile + methanol at 10.75 GHz microwave frequencies at 30 0 C. The values of '  and "  have been used to evaluate the loss tangent ( tan ), molar polarization (P12), apparent polarization (P2) and a.c. conductivity ( p  ). From the studied system indicates that the solute-solvent type of interaction taking place. Density, viscosity and refractive index measurement of binary liquid mixtures were carried out at 30 0 C. The values of viscosity have been used to evaluate the activation energy (Ea). The surface tension has been experimentally determined for pure liquid and binary liquid mixtures at 30 0 C.These parameters have been used to explain the formation of 1:1 complex in the system.
This article examines teachers' views of their management styles, classified as either ‘coercive’ or ‘relationship’ -based, for 145 primary and 363 secondary school teachers in Victoria, Australia. It finds that management that combines punishment with aggressive and hostile behaviour can exacerbate misbehaviour and increase student distraction. In contrast a combination of rewards and punishments, set in a context of discussion, validation of appropriate behaviour, involvement and trust, will encourage student responsibility and reduce misbehaviour. This study seeks to extend upon a 2001 study that reported generally similar findings from the reports of 3500 students attending the same schools as the teachers whose views are reported in this article. The discussion considers the most effective management strategies for reducing student misbehaviour and distraction, comparing both students' and teachers' views, as well as techniques that increase student responsibility and protection of rights, emphasising techniques and strategies that involve the use of recognition and rewards.
Special photogrammetric techniques have been developed to portray Mars topography, using Mariner and Viking imaging and nonimaging topographic information and earth-based radar data. Topography is represented by the compilation of maps at three scales: global, intermediate, and very large scale. The global map is a synthesis of topographic information obtained from Mariner 9 and earth-based radar, compiled at a scale of 1:25,000,000 with a contour interval of 1 km; it gives a broad quantitative view of the planet. At intermediate scales, Viking Orbiter photographs of various resolutions are used to compile detailed contour maps of a broad spectrum of prominent geologic features; a contour interval as small as 20 m has been obtained from very high resolution orbital photography. Imagery from the Viking lander facsimile cameras permits construction of detailed, very large scale (1:10) topographic maps of the terrain surrounding the two landers; these maps have a contour interval of 1 cm. This paper presents several new detailed topographic maps of Mars.
John D . Connolly T he purpose of any investment is’ a return commensurate with risk, provided, of course, that the return is competitive with existing alternatives. This competitive aspect of investing ensures that capital will flow to those concerns with the most promising direct investments. It also tends to flatten out the returns from indirect investments, stocks and bonds, for a given stratum of risk. For the return on capital to the investor is the cost of capital to the company. The higher the company’s return on its incremental investment, the lower the cost can be while still providing an adequate return to the investor. But if a company invests poorly, security holders will not be afforded a competitive return unless the company pays more for investable funds, for example, by selling equity at less than book value. To the extent that capital is perfectly allocated, investor returns will be homogenous and our capital markets will be efficient. While our system does lean in this direction, perfection is only an ideal. More importantly, everything is in a state of flux, and the markets must react. Companies change internally or change is thrust upon them from their environment, alternatives are constantly shifting, and even the value of money is not fixed. An understanding of the mechanism that adjusts security values to compensate for change in corporate or stockholders’ returns is the scientific side of portfolio management. The art lies in identifying those changes in advance.
Abstract In the present work ternary composite InBiS3-In2S3-Bi2S3 (IBS) thin films are developed using a homogeneous mixture of precursors [Bi(S2CN(C2H5)2)3]2 (1) and [In(S2CNCy2)3]‧2py (2), separately in toluene and chloroform solutions at 500°C under an inert atmosphere of argon gas via aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) technique. The phase purity, chemical composition and morphological study of both the films deposited from toluene and chloroform solutions are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy and Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The surface morphology showed rod like structure of the films developed from toluene while the films grown from chloroform solution give flake like shapes. The UV-visible spectroscopy explicated that the thin films developed from toluene and chloroform solutions show wide range absorption in whole visible region. Linear Scan voltammetry results show that both the films give negligible dark current, however, the films fabricated from toluene solution give a sharp steep curve with maximum photocurrent density of 2.3 mA‧cm-2 at 0.75 V vs Ag/AgCl/3M KCl using 0.05 M sodium sulphide solution under AM 1.5 G illumination (100 mW‧cm-2), while the film grown from chloroform generates a photocurrent density of 2.1 mA‧cm-2 under similar conditions. The LSV outcomes are further supported by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) that gives charge transfer resistance (Rct) value of 8,571 Ω for the films developed from toluene as compared to films fabricated from chloroform with Rct value of 12,476 Ω. Graphical Abstract
Fertility problems are the main reason for slaughter of high-performance milk cows, because elongated calving intervals result in financial losses for the farmer and retard genetic progress. Genetic improvement of fertility would be of great benefit, but functional traits for effective selection are missing. Recent advances in functional genomics tools like DNA microarrays could be the key to identify gene expression patterns in the endometrium that correlate with maternal fertility. Therefore, a first version of a bovine oviduct and endometrium cDNA array was established that contains a set of 1,440 cDNA clones and long oligonucleotides representing 950 different genes. The major part of these genes has been identified in a series of differential gene expression studies in endometrium (different stages of the estrous cycle, d 18 pregnant vs. nonpregnant) and in oviduct epithelial cells (different stages of the estrous cycle) using a combination of subtracted cDNA libraries and cDNA array hybridization. Furthermore, cDNA clones of genes, which showed no changes in their mRNA levels in the analyzed tissues, were added as controls. Reproducibility of the array hybridization, a comparison with the Affymetrix bovine genome array, and confirmation of differential gene expression with reverse transcription-quantitative PCR is shown. Potential future applications include systematic studies of interactions between metabolic status and functionality of the endometrium to identify genes that could be used for differential diagnosis of fertility problems. Further, endometrium transcriptome profiles may serve as novel traits to improve fertility by genetic selection.
During a single illness episode, the sickest, frailest older patients are often treated in multiple distinct sites, including the emergency room, the intensive care unit, a general medical floor, and a skilled nursing facility. Such frequent transfers involve changes in physician, changes in nursing care, the rewriting of orders, and physical dislocation, all of which can adversely affect outcomes. This system, although efficient, increases the chance of medical errors, promotes delirium, and undermines the doctor‐patient relationship. Partial solutions include a team approach to care, an electronic medical record, and substitution of home for hospital care. A more comprehensive solution is to create a geriatric hospital for treatment of the most common medical and surgical problems and for provision of rehabilitative or skilled nursing care. Designing new institutions for geriatric care will require new legislation and a new set of regulations but should be considered for the oldest and frailest patients.
To date, data on the presence of adenoviral receptors in fish are very limited. In the present work, we used mouse recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAV) with a calcium indicator of the latest generation GCaMP6m that are usually applied for the dorsal hippocampus of mice but were not previously used for gene delivery into fish brain. The aim of our work was to study the feasibility of transduction of rAAV in the mouse hippocampus into brain cells of juvenile chum salmon and subsequent determination of the phenotype of rAAV-labeled cells by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Delivery of the gene in vivo was carried out by intracranial injection of a GCaMP6m-GFP-containing vector directly into the mesencephalic tegmentum region of juvenile (one-year-old) chum salmon, Oncorhynchus keta. AAV incorporation into brain cells of the juvenile chum salmon was assessed at 1 week after a single injection of the vector. AAV expression in various areas of the thalamus, pretectum, posterior-tuberal region, postcommissural region, medial and lateral regions of the tegmentum, and mesencephalic reticular formation of juvenile O. keta was evaluated using CLSM followed by immunohistochemical analysis of the localization of the neuron-specific calcium binding protein HuCD in combination with nuclear staining with DAPI. The results of the analysis showed partial colocalization of cells expressing GCaMP6m-GFP with red fluorescent HuCD protein. Thus, cells of the thalamus, posterior tuberal region, mesencephalic tegmentum, cells of the accessory visual system, mesencephalic reticular formation, hypothalamus, and postcommissural region of the mesencephalon of juvenile chum salmon expressing GCaMP6m-GFP were attributed to the neuron-specific line of chum salmon brain cells, which indicates the ability of hippocampal mammal rAAV to integrate into neurons of the central nervous system of fish with subsequent expression of viral proteins, which obviously indicates the neuronal expression of a mammalian adenoviral receptor homolog by juvenile chum salmon neurons.
Sweden has a long tradition of radio and antenna projects, and Gothenburg is one of the most important regions for antenna competence in Europe. It was not a coincidence that the 7th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, April 8¿12, 2013. With Claes Beckman as Chair, nine historically-oriented papers were presented in a workshop covering antenna developments in Sweden, from the Grimeton radio station, SAQ (a UNESCO World Heritage spot), to spin-off companies based on successful research performed in the region.
Purpose – Blogs (a term that is short for weblogs) are one mean of getting public opinions about important topics. Several techniques could be used to reveal important views and directions from the analysis of blogs posted on the internet. The paper investigates issues concerning blogs.Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies a methodology to investigate blogs on domains of software design patterns and integration solutions within information technology community.Findings – The methodology developed and implemented is an end‐to‐end approach to the collection, cleansing and analysis of bloggers posts.Originality/value – While the paper addresses a specific sector of bloggers, the methodology and templates used could be implemented and further improved for use with any other bloggers segment.
Zhou, Y., Li, J., Korban, S. S. and Han, Y. 2013. Apple SSRs present in coding and noncoding regions of expressed sequence tags show differences in transferability to other fruit species in Rosaceae. Can. J. Plant Sci. 93: 183-190. Simple sequence repeat markers derived from expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are referred to as eSSRs. To develop molecular markers for non-model plants in Rosaceae, we investigated the transferability of apple eSSRs across seven fruit trees, belonging to four genera and 11 species of the Rosaceae family, including peach, quince, pear, loquat, apricot, cherry, and plum. Of the 98 apple eSSRs tested, 86 successfully amplified PCR products in at least one of the fruit tree species. Five apple eSSRs produced amplicons in more than five fruit tree species, and were deemed as a widely transferable Rosaceae marker set. Frequency of transferability of apple eSSRs across all seven fruit trees of Rosaceae varied widely among genera and species, with an average transferability of 29.0%. Overall, apple eSSRs transferred more easily to peach and pear than to plum and loquat. Interestingly, apple eSSRs present in coding sequences (CDS) showed higher levels of transferability to other fruit trees than those present in noncoding or untranslated regions (UTRs). Interestingly, apple eSSRs present in 5'UTRs showed lower frequencies of transfer than those present in 3'UTRs. The latter finding suggested that 5'UTRs might have diverged more rapidly than 3'UTRs in Rosaceae.
The volt has been determined to high accuracy using a liquid electrometer. The representation of the volt maintained by the Josephson effect using the value of 2 e/h = 483.594 THz/V recommended by the Consultative Committee on Electricity of the International Committee of Weights and Measures in 1972 has been measured to be smaller than the SI volt by (8.09 ± 0.27) ppm. This implies that the SI value of 2 e/h is (483.59791 ± 0.00013) THz/V. Full experimental details are given.
Motivation: PSORTb has remained the most precise bacterial protein subcellular localization (SCL) predictor since it was first made available in 2003. However, the recall needs to be improved and no accurate SCL predictors yet make predictions for archaea, nor differentiate important localization subcategories, such as proteins targeted to a host cell or bacterial hyperstructures/organelles. Such improvements should preferably be encompassed in a freely available web-based predictor that can also be used as a standalone program. Results: We developed PSORTb version 3.0 with improved recall, higher proteome-scale prediction coverage, and new refined localization subcategories. It is the first SCL predictor specifically geared for all prokaryotes, including archaea and bacteria with atypical membrane/cell wall topologies. It features an improved standalone program, with a new batch results delivery system complementing its web interface. We evaluated the most accurate SCL predictors using 5-fold cross validation plus we performed an independent proteomics analysis, showing that PSORTb 3.0 is the most accurate but can benefit from being complemented by Proteome Analyst predictions. Availability: http://www.psort.org/psortb (download open source software or use the web interface). Contact: psort-mail@sfu.ca Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are availableat Bioinformatics online.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are submicron cellular fragments that mediate intercellular communication. EVs have in the last decade attracted major interest as biomarkers or platforms for biomarkers of health and disease. To better understand the reasons why despite great expectations and considerable effort, EV‐based methods have not yet been introduced into clinical practice, we present a systematic analysis of published results of clinical studies.
ABSTRACT Use of pesticide in agricultural production abates crop damages from pest attack. However, it affects farmers’ health and environmental ecology negatively. Hence, revealing socially optimal level of pesticide use is an essence. We estimate such optimal level by accounting both positive and negative effects through using damage control and willingness to pay approaches, and then, compute associated social welfare gain for paddy production in the south-west region of Bangladesh. Similar studies focusing paddy production, one of the most pesticide-intensive agricultural practices in Bangladesh, have not been found in the literature. The study finds the socially optimal level of pesticide use to be 1081 gram/acre against the mean use 1600 gram/acre. Accordingly, around 32 percent of mean pesticide is overused, though it is far below than the private optimal level. Adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technology with training limits such overuses close to socially optimal level. This adoption generates substantial health and environmental benefit of BDT 4902 per acre at a cost of private loss BDT 241 per acre. Hence, social welfare gain is around BDT 4660 per acre or around US$ 200 million in aggregate. However, this estimate widely varies with the adoption of IPM with or without training.
Abstract Our aim was to design and validate a model of CT findings that predict suboptimal cytoreduction in primary surgery (PS) for Stage III–IV epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We performed a retrospective review of preoperative CT scans of patients undergoing PS for EOC in a cancer centre in London, UK, between November 1995 and October 2003 (n = 91). Radiological features predictive of suboptimal cytoreduction were identified and the model tested in a second cohort undergoing PS in Manchester, June 2005 – March 2007 (n = 35). In the London cohort, liver surface disease and infrarenal para-aortic lymph node involvement predicted suboptimal cytoreduction with 80% accuracy. Accuracy of these predictors dropped to 63% when applied to the Manchester cohort. We concluded that CT prediction of suboptimal cytoreduction is unreliable and may not be reproducible. In the absence of favourable data from larger, prospective trials, it should not be used to guide management.
Well-behaved n-channel MOSFETS with polysilicon gate lengths as small as 0.5µm have been fabricated using E-Beam direct slice writing, anisotropic plasma etching and ion implantation techniques. Implant profiles were optimized using SUPREM to reduce short channel effects such as punch-through, drain modulation and subthreshold leakage. Gate overlap of the diode regions was minimized by implanting arsenic through a conformal oxide layer, thereby enhancing the effective channel length relative to patterned dimensions and reducing Miller effect capacitance. Fabricated MOSFETS with gate lengths as small as 0.5µm exhibited good off-state behavior with drain voltages as high as 5 volts. Measured data were fitted within 5% to both a modified SPICE model and a short channel charge-sharing model.
Endocan is a dermatan sulfate proteoglycan (DSPG) that has been observed in the cytoplasm of endothelial cells of small and large vessels in lung, kidney, liver, colon, ovary and brain tumors. This DSPG has been implicated in the regulation of cellular activities such as adhesion, migration, and proliferation. Given the important roles played by endocan in such processes, we sought to determine whether this DSPG is present in the chicken embryo aortic wall in embryonic days 12 and 14, when intimal thickening and endothelial transformation are notorious. Immunolabeling of serial paraffin cross-sections revealed endocan immunoreactivity at the endothelium and some mesenchymal cells constituting the intimal thickening but not in the cells arranged in lamellar layers. We also investigated whether endocan was present in monolayers of primary embryonic aortic endothelial cells attached to fibronectin when they were deprived of serum and stimulated with epidermal growth factor. Immunofluorescence determined that in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) condition where separating, detaching, and migrating cells were observed, endocan appeared organized in arrays typical of focal complexes in the leading edge of these cells. In serum-free medium condition in which the endothelial cells displayed a cobblestone appearance, endocan appeared mainly delineating the margin of many cells. This study demonstrates for the first time the presence of endocan during the aortic wall remodeling, and provides evidence that suggests a possible contribution of this DSPG in the endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) process.
This descriptive quantitative study aimed to analyze the prevalence of microorganisms and the antimicrobial sensitivity profile from urine cultures of patients with catheter-associated urinary tract infection. We reviewed 394 medical records of adults hospitalized in the Intensive Care Units of the University Hospital of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, from April to December 2011. The prevalence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection was of 34.0% (134) and 2.2% (3) of these patients developed sepsis. The most common microorganisms found in the urine cultures wereCandida sp (44.4%), Acinetobacter baumannii (9.7%) andPseudomonas aeruginosa (9.2%). This last one showed resistance of 86.7% to third-generation cephalosporins and the Acinetobacter baumannii showed resistance of 83.3% to carbapenems. Klebsiella pneumonia had 87.5% of resistance to third and fourth generation cephalosporins and 75.0% to carbapenems. We concluded that bacterial resistance is frequent in catheter-associated urinary tract infection and that we should emphasize the control measures.This descriptive quantitative study aimed to analyze the prevalence of microorganisms and the antimicrobial sensitivity profile from urine cultures of patients with catheter-associated urinary tract infection. We reviewed 394 medical records of adults hospitalized in the Intensive Care Units of the University Hospital of Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, from April to December 2011. The prevalence of catheter-associated urinary tract infection was of 34.0% (134) and 2.2% (3) of these patients developed sepsis. The most common microorganisms found in the urine cultures wereCandida sp (44.4%), Acinetobacter baumannii (9.7%) andPseudomonas aeruginosa (9.2%). This last one showed resistance of 86.7% to third-generation cephalosporins and the Acinetobacter baumannii showed resistance of 83.3% to carbapenems. Klebsiella pneumonia had 87.5% of resistance to third and fourth generation cephalosporins and 75.0% to carbapenems. We concluded that bacterial resistance is frequent in catheter-associated urinary tract infection and that we should emphasize the control measures.
Study Design: This was a retrospective chart review. Objective: This study aims to identify the prevalence of osteoporosis (OP) by lumbar computed tomography (CT) Hounsfield units (HUs) in patients who have normal or osteopenic bone determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Summary of Background Data: OP is a critical issue in the postmenopausal and aging population. Bone mineral density assessment by DEXA has been described as insensitive for diagnosing OP in the lumbar spine. Improving the detection of OP can bring more patients to treatment and reduce the risks associated with low bone mineral density. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients with DEXA scans and noncontrast CTs of the lumbar spine over a 15-year period. Patients were diagnosed as non-OP if they had a normal DEXA T-score (≥ −1) or osteopenic DEXA T-score (between −1.1 and −2.4). Patients in this cohort were considered osteoporotic by CT if L1-HU ≤110. Demographics and lumbar HUs were compared between these stratified groups. Results: A total of 74 patients were included for analysis. All patients were demographically, similar, and the average patient age was 70 years. The prevalence of OP determined by CT L1-HU ≤110 was 46% (normal DEXA: 9%, osteopenic DEXA: 63%). A significant number of males in our study were considered osteoporotic by L1-HU ≤110 (74%, P = 0.03). All individual axial and sagittal lumbar HU measurements including L1–L5 average lumbar HUs were statistically significant among non-OP and OP groups except for the lower lumbar levels (P > 0.05 for L4 axial HUs, and L4–L5 sagittal HUs). Conclusions: The prevalence of OP in patients with normal or osteopenic T-scores is high. Among those with osteopenia by DEXA, more than 50% may lack appropriate medical treatment. The DEXA scan may be particularly insensitive to male bone quality making the CT HU the diagnostic method of choice for detecting OP. Level of Evidence: Level III.
We report a case of a foreign body in the right maxillary sinus in combination with a fungal infection.The patient was a 35 year-old woman with nasal discharge and post nasal drips on the right side, in addition to right cheek pain and headache. She consulted a dentist, following the appearance of these symptoms, and headache. X-ray examination revealed a shadow in the right maxillary sinus, and the patient was admitted to our hospital, for further examination.Past history included treatment of decay in the 4th and 5th upper right teeth.She admitted to slight tenderness of the right cheek upon admission to hospital. The head Xray revealed a shadow on the side of right maxillary sinus and the material appeared to be a coilshaped foreign body which was not penetrated by the X-rays at the center of the right maxillary sinus. An examination of topography indicated similar changes, and also the root canal filling material was admitted. CT scan of the sinus showed soft tissue density in the right maxillary sinus and the presence of a high density region suggested the presence of metal at the center, surrounded by a ring of high density area.Caldwell-Luc surgery was performed under general anesthesia. The maxillary sinus was filled with edematous mucous membrane and caseous material. A coiled string of hard material, approximately 1.5 mm in diameter, was extracted from inside the maxillary sinus. Pathological study revealed the material to be aspergillosis.After surgery the patient's symptoms, including nasal discharge, post nasal drips and headache, disappeared.Electron microscopic examination of the exposed sample, suggested it was composed of inorganic matter such as calcium and a chemical analysis indicated that calcium oxalate, and a sulfuric acid of barium were the main ingredients. Root canal filling material was thought to have left the root of the tooth clearing dental treatment, leading to subsequent inflammation in the maxillary sinus, and later to aspergillosis infection.
D-government has demonstrated to be a game-changing tool for improving government-to-citizen (G2C) interactions and service offering across the world. Despite achieving commendable results in the developed world, the adoption of d-government systems by citizens in developing nations remains sluggish and constrained by several factors. This study investigates the effects of effort expectancy, cost of access, intention to use and information quality on citizens’ decisions to adopt and use d-government systems in Zimbabwe. Underpinned by the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) as a theoretical lens, this study proposes a research model. To test the model, survey data was collected from 489 randomly selected respondents using self-administered questionnaires. Regression The findings reveal that effort expectancy, cost of access and information quality have a positive significant influence on intention to use; whereas the intention to use positively influence use behaviour. Findings of this study have implications decision-makers and practitioners involved in digital government matters and endeavouring to improve its adoption by citizens.
Due to the limitation of energy supply and the requirements of high reliability in the mission-critical Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), the efficient and reliable transmission of the sensing siganl of implantable medical devices (IMDs) is still a challenge. In order to improve the spectrum efficiency and transmission reliability, in this paper, a Generative Adversarial Network-enabled Sparse Compression and Recovery (GAN-SCR) scheme is proposed by exploiting the physical knowledge of sparsity, which compressively measures the sparse IMD sensing signal in the transmitter, and recovers the sensing signal in the receiver. In the stage of sparse measurement in the proposed GAN-SCR scheme, a pre-trained measurement discriminative network (MDN) is used to conduct signal compression at the transmitter, which enhances the restricted isometry property via learning. In the stage of sparse recovery, exploiting the temporal correlation and inherent sparsity of physiological signals, a pre-trained representation generative network (RGN) is used to map the sensing signal to a low-dimensional latent vector for sparse representation learning. Subsequently, the projection from the latent vector onto the measurement vector is structured by jointly training an RGN and an MDN, by which accurate signal recovery can be implemented via online optimization. Simulation results verify that the proposed GAN-SCR scheme outperforms other state-of-art sparse reconstruction algorithms in the accuracy of sensing signal recovery.
In this paper electrical conductivity measurements and optical investigations takes place in AOT/ heptane/ (water or aqueous) systems. The water in oil system prepared with adding water in 50% by weight of AOT/ heptane solution. In other systems instead of water, aqueous solutions of 1) zinc acetate and water 2) Potassium Hydroxide and water were used. In each phase, the trend of the electrical conductivity values changes at a proper water or aqueous solution concentration. The optical properties investigated through two crossed Polaroid. The different phases can be distinguished from each other; the phases characterized are as isotropic, anisotropic or mixed phase.
In recent years, several studies have suggested a strong association of microorganisms with several human cancers. Two periodontopathogenic species in particular have been mentioned frequently: Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) and Porphyromonas gingivalis. Chronic periodontal disease has been reported to be a risk factor for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), colorectal cancer (CRC) and pancreatic cancer. F. nucleatum is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that lives in the oral cavity, urogenital, intestinal and upper digestive tract. It plays a significant role as a co-aggregation factor, with almost all bacterial species that participate in oral plaque formation acting as a bridge between early and late colonizers. F. nucleatum, gives an important inflammatory contribution to tumorigenesis progression and is associated with epithelial-derived malignancies, such as OSCC and CRC. F. nucleatum produces an adhesion protein, FadA, which binds to VE-cadherin on endothelial cells and to E-cadherins on epithelial cells. The last binding activates oncogenic pathways, such as Wnt/βcatenin, in oral and colorectal carcinogenesis. F. nucleatum also affects immune response because its Fap2 protein interacts with an immune receptor named TIGIT present on some T cells and natural killer cells inhibiting immune cells activities. Morover, F. nucleatum release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines and initiating inflammation. F. nucleatum migrates from the oral cavity and reaches the colon hematogenously but it is not known if in the bloodstream it reaches the CRC as free, erythrocyte-bound bacteria or in OMV. F. nucleatum abundance in CRC tissue has been inversely correlated with overall survival (OS). The prevention and treatment of periodontal disease through the improvement of oral hygiene should be included in cancer prevention protocols. FadA virulence factors may also serve as novel targets for therapeutic intervention of oral and colorectal cancer.
Molecular packing analyses were carried out on 15 crystal data sets of chloro-substituted Schiff bases, including that of the title compound, C15H15ClN2. C-H...pi and pi-pi interactions play a major role in the molecular self-assembly in the crystal. The former interactions favor molecules assembling into a screw, with a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure. When the molecular dipole is small, pi-pi interactions favor a parallel, but not usually antiparallel, mode of packing. Weak C-H...X hydrogen bonds (X = Cl or Br) and X...X interactions seem to be a secondary driving force in packing. The title molecule takes the trans form and the two benzene rings are twisted around the central linkage in opposite directions. In the crystal structure, molecules interact through C-H...pi and pi-pi interactions, forming a 'dimer' and further forming double chains along [001]. The double chains are extended along [101] through C-H...Cl hydrogen bonds, forming double layers in (010). In the third direction, there are only ordinary, weaker, van der Waals interactions, which explains the crystal habit (i.e. thin plate).
Brain activity ensures the identification of emotions that are generally influenced by the personality of an individual. Similar to emotions, there exists a relationship between personality and brain signals. These brain signals could be of a mentally healthy person or someone having psychological illness as well. In this paper, first, the survey related to work done on the personality prediction of healthy subjects is explored. Thereafter, the relationship between personality and psychologically ill subjects is also briefly presented based on the existing literature. Following this, an analysis of physiological signals (EEG) is also done for more understanding of personality prediction. ASCERTAIN – a multimodal database for implicit personality and recognition, is considered. It contains EEG recordings and self-annotated big five personality values of 58 students. Some time and frequency domain features are extracted and then put into various classifiers to predict the personality in five dimensions.
The subtribe Chionachninae, genus Glyphochloa and species Parahyparrhenia tridentata are newly described. The following new combinations are proposed: Chionachne javanica, C. macrophylla, Coelorhachis geminata, Glyphochloa acuminata including vars. stocksii & woodrowii, G. divergens including var. hirsuta, G. forficulata, G. goaensis, G. mysorensis, G. ratnagirica, G. santapaui, G. talbotii, Heteropholis cochinchinensis, Microstegium falconeri, Phacelurus gabonensis, Robynsiochloa goalparensis, Rottboellia cochinchinensis, Saccharum hildebrandtii, S. perrieri and S. viguieri.
Distance detection of target object is an important information for obstacle avoidance in many fields, such as autonomous car. When the distance of the obstacle is calculated, one can determine the potential risk of collision. In this paper, a monocular camera was utilized to get the distance from an incoming unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) using deep learning approach. The distance detection of an UAV using You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detector was proposed in this study. The region which contain the detected UAV was processed into 100 by 100 pixel and was input into the proposed model to estimate the distance of the target object. For the proposed model, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was adopted to solve the regression problem. First, the feature extraction based on VGG network was performed, and then its results was applied to the distance network to estimate distance. Finally, Kalman filter was used to improve the object tracking when YOLO detector is not able to detect UAV and to smooth the estimated distance. The proposed model was trained only by using synthetic images from animation software and was validated by using both synthetic and real flight videos.
Understanding the bases of complex behavioral phenotypes, such as sociopathy, is assisted by an evolutionary approach, in addition to other theoretical perspectives. Unraveling genetic and environmental factors underlying variant forms of sociopathy remains a key challenge for behavioral science investigators. Twin research methods (e.g., longitudinal analyses; twins reared apart) offer informative means of assessing novel hypotheses relevant to sociopathic behaviors.
ABSTRACT Summary: Introduction: Modern developed and civilized society is based on the principles of democracy, humanism, and pluralism. In his social center stands the person - the person with individual rights, duties, and responsibilities. People are born different, unique, with individual desires, opportunities, dreams, and interests, but with equal rights in society. Equality and the absence of any discrimination is a fundamental principle in advanced civil societies and social systems. Methodology: In the research process, we have applied: informational research, document analysis, and historical analysis, conclusions, based on personal experience, monitoring, synthesis, and theoretical analysis. Results: Based on this pilot study have been created practical recommendation for integration through golf. Discussion: The results obtained suggest that golf can successfully enhance integration processes in society, as well as improve the social inclusion of all social groups at risk. Golf has immense potential for combating youth unemployment, provoking and developing the various social knowledge, skills, and competences that everyone needs, regardless of their social status, gender, race, or ethnicity. Conclusion: It is of the utmost importance for society to continue to work on the topic by promoting and guaranteeing greater impact on problems and solutions in this area, promoting good practices for integration and social inclusion.
A mobile robot with four steered and driven wheels moving on planar surfaces under nonholonmic constraints is considered. For this system the equation of motion is derived, which can be reduced to a model of a two‐steering‐wheel vehicle under certain assumptions. For reduced state‐space model a nonlinear state‐space transformation and a nonlinear input transformation is derived so that the model becomes exactly linearized. Additionally to the exact state‐space linearization, the systems for the two positions in the plane and the orientation of the mobile robot are decoupled. These three linear and noninteracting systems can then easily be stabilized by linear control theory.
We have made wonderful discoveries and inventions to save time, labor, cost and waste and to lessen distances, but in the courts we still move as slowly as the travelers who in olden times crept along in ox carts and canal boats. We have made remarkable advances in science, medicine and surgery, but we have made little progress in the science of government or in the administration of justice. In all the departments of human activity, except the last two mentioned, men will readily accept teaching and advice from their superiors in ability, skill and learning, and will readily yield to proper leadership; but in governmental affairs and in the administration of justice the ignorant or self-seeking leader can always muster a large following for any error or hoary wrong. Only within the past five years have the better elements of the bar and the bench begun to bestir themselves with a desire to imitate the improvements made in England and in Germany within the past thirty-five years. This change of attitude has been due, in a large degree, to the scientific study and philosophic view of the law as a science in the great law schools of our country. The common law of England, as we know it and practice it in this country, has been slowly built up, like a coral reef, upon a mass of individual instances and innumerable precedents. Such a system, discouraging broad, philosophic principles, naturally and inevitably begets an intense conservatism in its votaries. Hence, as James Bryce said, in an address to the American Bar Association in 1907, the following were for ages the accepted theories of English and American lawyers: "Stare Super antiquas vias . . . Nolumus leges Angliae nmutari . . . It is better that the law should be certain than that the law should
1. The history of La Oroya reminds me of the stories people tell about living in Pittsburgh during the 1960s, thinking nothing of having to sweep the black dust from the steel foundries off their cars in the morning, like cleaning the snow from their cars in the winter, or carrying white shirts in dry cleaner bags to change into at work, so they would not get smudged by air pollution during their commute.
The zygote, a totipotent stem cell, is crucial to the life cycle of sexually reproducing organisms. It is produced by the fusion of two differentiated cells—the egg and sperm, which in plants have radically different siRNA transcriptomes from each other and from multicellular embryos. Owing to technical challenges, the epigenetic changes that accompany the transition from differentiated gametes to totipotent zygote are poorly understood. Because siRNAs serve as both regulators and outputs of the epigenome, we characterized small RNA transcriptomes of zygotes from rice. Zygote small RNAs exhibit extensive maternal carryover and an apparent lack of paternal contribution, indicated by absence of sperm signature siRNAs. Zygote formation is accompanied by widespread redistribution of 24-nt siRNAs relative to gametes, such that ∼70% of the zygote siRNA loci do not overlap any egg cell siRNA loci. Newly detected siRNA loci in zygote are gene-proximal and not associated with centromeric heterochromatin, similar to canonical siRNAs, in sharp contrast to gametic siRNA loci that are gene-distal and heterochromatic. In addition, zygote but not egg siRNA loci are associated with high DNA methylation in the mature embryo. Thus, the zygote begins transitioning before the first embryonic division to an siRNA profile that is associated with future RdDM in embryogenesis. These findings indicate that, in addition to changes in gene expression, the transition to totipotency in the plant zygote is accompanied by resetting of the epigenetic reprogramming that occurred during gamete formation.
Abstract A symptom called leaf‐oranging, indicating a deficiency of many nutrients, occurs in paddy rice (Oryzasativa L.) when production expands into some upland soils. Rice (Gui Chou cv.) was grown in culture pots in a flooded, weathered, upland soil (Nacogdoches) and compared to rice growth in a flooded soil currently used for paddy rice production (Dacosta) in Texas to understand the soil and plant factors involved in leaf‐oranging. Fertilizer rates of 0, 10, and 100 mg N/kg as (NH4)2SO4 were applied to each soil along with phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizer. The orange Leaf Index (OLI), a measure of leaf‐oranging, was determined weekly and increased to 60–70% for plants grown in the upland soil but its progression was delayed by higher N treatments. No leaf‐oranging was observed in the paddy soil. The soil evoking leaf‐oranging was low in silicon (Si) and high in iron (Fe). In addition, analysis of leaves from these plants showed 19–25% higher leaf ammonium‐nitrogen (NH4‐N), 9–137% higher ma...
Three major orebodies and several smaller ore zones have been discovered in Highland Valley. All of these exhibit abundant evidence of a structural control which can be correlated to the evolution of a structural system comprising the Lornex and Highland Valley faults. This structural system may have originated early in the history of the Guichon batholith, and as it evolved, provided for the periodic escape of mineralizing solutions from the magma chamber into structurally prepared sites. The system is composed of the intersecting Lornex and Highland Valley faults and their displaced segments. Simultaneous movement on these faults created the tensional fractures which were filled with both dikes and the mineral components which now make up the ore bodies. A porphyry copper model that derives metals from a differentiating magma would best fit the data as interpreted in this paper.
An interactive machine learning tool for analyzing digital pathology images enables cancer researchers to apply this tool to measure histologic patterns for clinical and basic science studies. Whole-slide histology images contain information that is valuable for clinical and basic science investigations of cancer but extracting quantitative measurements from these images is challenging for researchers who are not image analysis specialists. In this article, we describe HistomicsML2, a software tool for learn-by-example training of machine learning classifiers for histologic patterns in whole-slide images. This tool improves training efficiency and classifier performance by guiding users to the most informative training examples for labeling and can be used to develop classifiers for prospective application or as a rapid annotation tool that is adaptable to different cancer types. HistomicsML2 runs as a containerized server application that provides web-based user interfaces for classifier training, validation, exporting inference results, and collaborative review, and that can be deployed on GPU servers or cloud platforms. We demonstrate the utility of this tool by using it to classify tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in breast carcinoma and cutaneous melanoma. Significance: An interactive machine learning tool for analyzing digital pathology images enables cancer researchers to apply this tool to measure histologic patterns for clinical and basic science studies.
Patellar tendon rupture is a rare but serious complication resulting in loss of knee extension that may develop during and after total knee arthroplasty and negatively affects the patient's quality of life. There are a number of surgical options available, from primary repair to reconstruction. Peroneus longus tendon autograft has begun to be used for knee extensor mechanism repair in recent years. In this case report, we aimed to present the case of a patient with traumatic patellar tendon rupture after revision knee arthroplasty. In conclusion, patellar tendon reconstruction using peroneus longus tendon autograft can be considered a successful method in selected patients following knee arthroplasty. It allows early rehabilitation via stable graft fixation and provides good clinical and functional outcomes in the late period.
The metabotropic glutamate 1 receptor (mGlu1) is an important protein in the regulation of glutamate transmission in the brain, and believed to be involved in disorders such as ischemia, epilepsy, neuropathic pain, anxiety, and schizophrenia. The goal of this study was to evaluate two selective mGlu1 antagonists [11C]3 and [18F]4 as potential PET radioligands for the in vivo imaging of the mGlu1 receptor. Biodistribution studies in rats indicated high uptake of [11C]3 and [18F]4 in the brain. The highest activity level was found in the cerebellum, followed by striatum, hippocampus, frontal cortex, and medulla, in a pattern consistent with the distribution of mGlu1 receptor in rat. At 30 min postinjection, the activity ratio of cerebellum to medulla was 4.5 for [11C]3, indicating a high degree of specific binding, while specific binding was lower for [18F]4 (cerebellum to medulla activity ratio of 2.0). Moreover, binding of the radioligands [11C]3 and [18F]4 in mGlu1 receptor‐rich region such as cerebellum was blocked by pretreatment of the rats with their respective unlabeled compound or the selective mGlu1 antagonist (compound 5, 2 mg/kg each), but not by the selective mGlu2 antagonist LY341495, or the selective mGlu5 antagonist MPEP (2 mg/kg), thus indicating the binding specificity and selectivity of [11C]3 and [18F]4 to the mGlu1 receptor. However, in imaging experiments in baboons [11C]3 displayed a small specific binding signal only in the cerebellum, while the specific binding of [18F]4 was difficult to detect. Species differences in receptor density and affinity of the radioligands in large part account for the differences in the behavior of [11C]3 and [18F]4 in rats and baboons. Radioligands with higher affinity and/or lower lipophilicity are needed to successfully image the mGlu1 receptor in humans. Synapse, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
We have previously demonstrated a negative impact on peak bone mass in girls with precocious puberty treated with GnRH agonist (GnRHa). Several studies have shown that a high calcium intake positively influences bone mass in prepubertal girls and leads to a higher peak bone mass. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcium supplementation in girls with precocious puberty during GnRHa treatment. Forty girls affected by true central precocious puberty and treated with the GnRHa triptorelin were studied for 2 yr. After diagnosis, the patients were randomly assigned to three groups: group A, treated only with GnRHa; group B, treated for 12 months solely with GnRHa and then supplemented with calcium gluconolactate/carbonate (1 g calcium/day in two doses) for 12 months; and group C, treated from the beginning with combined GnRHa and calcium. Bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine was measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry at the beginning of the study and after 12 and 24 months and was expressed as the calculated true volumetric density (BMDv) in milligrams per cm3. Group A showed a decrease in absolute BMDv levels, in SD score for chronological age (CA), and even more in SD score for bone age (BA). Group B showed the same behavior during the first year, but this trend was reversed in the second year, when calcium supplementation was added to GnRHa treatment. Group C showed an increase in absolute BMDv levels and in SD score for CA and BA. BMDv variations (expressed as absolute values, SD score for CA, and SD score for BA) became statistically significant at 24 months between groups C and A (P = 0.036, P = 0.032, and P = 0.025, respectively). The behavior of the lumbar spine BMDv in the three groups is consistent with a positive effect of calcium supplementation during GnRHa treatment. In calcium-supplemented patients, the normal process of bone mass accretion at puberty is preserved despite GnRHa treatment. Therefore, the reduction in BMD during GnRHa treatment in girls with precocious puberty is at least completely reversible and preventable if calcium supplementation is associated from the beginning.
Recent promising theoretical results for repeat-accumulate (RA) codes, together with their extremely simple encoding, motivates this investigation into the design and implementation of practical RA codes. We consider two main issues: the construction of the interleaver in fixed length codes using combinatorial designs; and the improvement of the error floor performance of RA codes by modifying the accumulator
CONTEXT In monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) gene deficiency, a syndrome combining thyroid and neurological abnormalities, the central nervous system has not yet been characterized by magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy.   OBJECTIVE We studied whether the degree of dysmyelinization in MCT8 gene deficiency according to MR imaging (MRI) is coupled with abnormalities in brain metabolism.   DESIGN MRI and MR spectroscopy of the brain were performed twice in two MCT8 gene deficiency patients, for the first time at age 8-10 months and for the second time at age 17-28 months. The results were compared with those obtained in controls of a similar age.   RESULTS Compared with controls, young children with MCT8 show choline and myoinositol level increases and N-acetyl aspartate decreases in supraventricular gray and white matter, phenomena associated with the degree of dysmyelinization according to MRI.   CONCLUSION MCT8 gene deficiency results in deviant myelinization and general atrophy, which is substantiated by the MR spectroscopy findings of increased choline and myoinositol levels and decreased N-acetyl aspartate. The observations suggest that different mutations in the MCT8 gene lead to differences in the severity of the clinical spectrum, dysmyelinization, and MR spectroscopy-detectable changes in brain metabolism.
Spatiotemporal gene transcription is tightly regulated by distal regulatory elements, such as enhancers and silencers, which rely on physical proximity with their target gene promoters to control transcription. Although these regulatory elements are easy to identify, their target genes are difficult to predict, since most of them are cell-type specific and may be separated by hundreds of kilobases in the linear genome sequence, skipping over other non-target genes. For several years, Promoter Capture Hi-C (PCHi-C) has been the gold standard for the association of distal regulatory elements to their target genes. However, PCHi-C relies on the availability of millions of cells, prohibiting the study of rare cell populations such as those commonly obtained from primary tissues. To overcome this limitation, low input Capture Hi-C (liCHi-C), a cost-effective and customizable method to identify the repertoire of distal regulatory elements controlling each gene of the genome, has been developed. liCHi-C relies on a similar experimental and computational framework as PCHi-C, but by employing minimal tube changes, modifying the reagent concentration and volumes, and swapping or eliminating steps, it accounts for minimal material loss during library construction. Collectively, liCHi-C enables the study of gene regulation and spatiotemporal genome organization in the context of developmental biology and cellular function.
ABSTRACT  This paper extends and contributes to the literature on tourism for transformative and inclusive growth from the corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective. Specifically, we examine the impact of CSR of multinational oil companies (MOCs) on empowerment of rural women in strengthening agriculture-tourism linkages in Niger Delta region of Nigeria. A total of 800 rural women were sampled across the region. Results from the use of a logit model indicates that rural women seldom participate in the global memorandum of understandings (GMoUs) interventions in agritourism value chain projects, due to the norms and culture of the rural communities. This implies that if the tradition of the people continues to hinder direct participation of the rural women from GMoUs programmes, achieving gender equality and cultural change would be limited in the region, and rural women would remain excluded from the economic benefits of agritourism when compared with the male counterparts. The finding suggests that, GMoU interventions engaging women smallholders in the tourism value chain can be important vehicle for advancing gender empowerment and fostering social inclusion. Also, cluster development boards (CDBs) should pay close attention to which extent the participation of rural women in the GMoUs projects may be limited by traditions.
The Mycoplasma sp. that cause mastitis are simple, cell wall-less, bacteria that can colonize and cause diseases in other extramammary sites in the bovine. Prevalence of mycoplasma mastitis appears to be increasing in many locations throughout the world. The best method to identify this group of pathogens is through direct culture on mycoplasma agar media. However, limitations with this culture procedure are the duration of culture, 10 days, special conditions required and thus added expense, and the lack of primary specificity to distinguish between true pathogens and commensal organisms. Thus culture of bulk tank milk samples has been advocated as a primary screening method to determine the mycoplasma status of a herd. This monitoring system is reasonably successful but the sensitivity of detection of Mycoplasma sp. in bulk tank milk is affected by a significant minority of cows that might shed the organism at levels below the threshold of detection. Contagious mastitis control procedures have been effective in controlling outbreaks of mycoplasma mastitis. Yet new methods of control might be warranted, methods that may prevent the outbreak. Current data suggests that a significant number of new outbreaks may occur via internal or animal-to-animal transmission of mycoplasma mastitis pathogens from asymptomatic carriers.
Introduction and Objectives: It is evident that ovarian cancer (OvCa) is not a single disease but is made up of several distinct subtypes, including serous, endometrioid, clear cell and mucinous. The gold-standard biomarker CA125 performs well in serous but not in the other histotypes. We hypothesize that a more focused discovery effort (on non-serous OvCa biomarkers and/or markers that can complement serum CA125) may bring about a sensitivity that is acceptable for all histotypes and be suitable for early diagnosis of OvCa. Methods: Tissues from patients diagnosed with endometrioid (EC), clear cell (CC), and mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MC), as well as from their appropriate controls (endometriosis and healthy endometrium for EC and CC; mucinous cystadenoma for MC) were subjected to proteomic analysis using a label-free, offline 2-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry-based approach. Discovery candidates were then filtered using an in-house developed algorithm combining publicly-available resources with our own warehouse of transcriptomic and proteomic sets. Results and Discussion: Over 8000 unique proteins were identified in this proteomic exercise; specifically, approximately 1500 protein unique to MC, 1100 unique to CC, and 3000 unique to EC were identified when comparing the appropriate cases and controls. A curated list of 60 high-potential candidates was generated after using a range of bioinformatics tools to ensure criteria based on factors including (but not limited to) tissue specificity, cellular localization and transcriptional upregulation were met. These 60 candidates represent putative subtype-specific markers which will be further analyzed and validated in serum cohorts. Conclusions: The identification and validation of markers specific to the non-serous subtypes of OvCa remains an unmet clinical need. With our list of putative subtype-specific markers, we aim to develop a novel biomarker panel able to detect all OvCa histotypes with greater sensitivity and specificity than any existing clinical tools. Citation Format: Felix Leung, Marcus Q. Bernardini, Blaise Clarke, Marjan Rouzbahman, Eleftherios P. Diamandis, Vathany Kulasingam. Discovery of novel subtype-specific ovarian cancer biomarkers via integrated tissue proteomics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr B13.
The dog is frequently subjected to traumatic injuries which are the result of being struck by automobiles and in many of these cases it is found that the brachial plexus is damaged with resultant paralysis of some of the muscles of the thoracic limb. It is, therefore, of clinical importance to study the nature and extent of such injuries in order to arrive at an intelligent prognosis. Such a study has been carried out and preliminary findings reported by Allani et al. ( ’49). Early in the course of this study it became apparent that a niore detailed knowledge of the normal plexus than has thus far been presented in the literature was required. Accordingly, a series of dissections of the plexus of normal dogs were made, and it is the purpose of this paper to record the observations made from these dissections. Ellenberger and Baum ( ’47)’ Bradley and Grahame ( ’48) and Miller ( ’48) all agree that the brachial plexus of the dog is formed from the ventral branches of the last three cervical and first two thoracic spinal nerves. Sisson and Grossman (’38) state that its origin is from the last 4 cervical and first thoracic spinal nerves. Howell (’37) states that the
OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to compare the image quality of free-breathing ECG-gated nonenhanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) MR angiography of renal arteries at 1.5 T and 3 T.   SUBJECTS AND METHODS Twenty volunteers (11 men, nine women; mean age, 23.2 +/- 2.3 years) without a history of renovascular disease participated in the study. Nonenhanced SSFP MR angiography was performed on all subjects at both 1.5 T and 3 T with a maximum interval of 2 weeks between the imaging sessions. The subjective image quality of axial and coronal maximum-intensity-projection reconstructions of four segments (1, abdominal aorta and ostium of renal artery; 2, main renal artery; 3, segmental branches outside renal parenchyma; 4, segmental branches inside renal parenchyma) was evaluated independently by two radiologists using a 4-point scale (4, excellent; 1, nondiagnostic). Relative signal-to-noise ratio, contrast-to-noise ratio, and maximum visible vessel length of the right and left renal arteries also were determined.   RESULTS No significant difference in image quality at 1.5 T and 3 T was found for segments 1 and 2. The mean image quality for segments 3 and 4 was significantly greater at 3 T (3.88 +/- 0.32, 3.17 +/- 0.70) than at 1.5 T (3.32 +/- 0.73, 2.09 +/- 0.81) (p < 0.001). At 3 T, the maximal vessel length of the right (9.85 +/- 0.82 cm) and left (8.3 +/- 0.79 cm) renal arteries was significantly greater than at 1.5 T (8.94 +/- 1.38 cm and 7.58 +/- 1.18 cm, respectively).   CONCLUSION Performing nonenhanced SSFP MR angiography at 3 T significantly improves visualization of peripheral renal arterial segments in healthy subjects as compared to 1.5 T.
Lactic acid has been first introduced to us as early as 1780 as a sour component of milk. Ever since we have found its applications in food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic industries etc. Now there are emerging uses as a potential feedstock for the biodegradable polymer industry. The microorganisms being used for lactic acid fermentation, the raw materials reported, the various novel fermentation processes and its processing methods have been reviewed. The properties and applications of lactic acid, its derivatives and polymer have been discussed. The various routes to polymerization and the companies presently involved in lactic acid production have been covered.
We report the results of a 60-hr photometric campaign of a rapidly oscillating Ap star, J0855 (TYC 2488-1241-1). We have utilised the multi-site Las Cumbres Observatory’s (LCO) 0.4- m telescopes to obtain short cadence B−band observations of an roAp star previously lacking detailed study. Our observations confirm the rotation period presented in the discovery paper  of this star (Prot = 3.0918 d), and reveal the star to be pulsating in a distorted mode. The B data show this star to be among the highest amplitude roAp stars, with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 24 mmag. Modelling of the pulsation frequency at 197.2714 d−1 (2283 µHz; P =  7.30 min) shows that this star belongs to the subgroup of super-critical pulsators, where the  observed frequencies are above the theoretical acoustic cutoff frequency. From the modelling, we deduce that the star’s rotation axis is inclination angle of about 30◦ to the line-of-sight, with an angle of obliquity of the magnetic axis to the rotation axis of either 40◦ or 24◦ depending on whether the pulsation mode is dipole or quadrupole, respectively.
Background: To investigate the association between diet and health effects in population surveys, it is necessary to have precise tools that allow estimating the habitual consumption of the population. Introduction: To investigate the association between diet and health effects in population surveys, it is necessary to have precise tools that allow estimating the habitual consumption of the population. Aim: To evaluate the reproducibility and validity of the ELSA-Brasil food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to assess macro and micronutrients intake. Material and methods: We collected dietary information of 281 participants which completed two ELSA-Brasil food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) over a year period and three records. To assess the reproducibility of the FFQ, we compared the macro and micronutrients intake from the two FFQ while to assess the validity, we compared the intakes of FFQ with the mean of three records. The intraclass correlation test (ICC) and agreement percentages of nutrient intake were calculated after categorization by tertiles. Results: ICC coefficients for reproducibility ranged from 0.51 (polyunsaturated fat) to 0.70 (magnesium) while the ICC coefficients for validity ranged from 0.14 to 0.61 for omega 3 and magnesium, respectively. The exact concordances between methods ranged from 37% for omega 3 to 50.2% for magnesium (mean = 44.6%). An average disagreement of 13.4% was found. Conclusions: This study suggests that the ELSA-Brasil FFQ is suitable tool to assess dietary intake with a satisfactory reproducibility and relative validity.
The psychometric adequacy of the English-and Spanish-language versions of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was compared across English-speaking Latino American women (n = 17) and men (n = 18) and Spanish-speaking Latino American women (n = 10) and men (n = 14) who were experiencing stressful and potentially anxiety-producing situations associated with physical pain. Subjects were administered the STAI as well as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) in their preferred language. Psychometric comparisons of language group and gender revealed nonsignificant differences in (a) mean scores on the STAIscales, (b) internal consistency for the STAI scales, and (c) correlations between the STAI scales and MMPI scales. Item analyses identified several salient screening itemsfor the Spanish-speaking men; several items with low item-remainder correlations were revealedfor the English-and Spanish-speaking women. Overall, results attest to the psychometric strengths of the English-and Spanish-language versions of the STAI.
Siderophores are small molecules produced by bacteria under iron-scarcity conditions faced by bacteria inside host. Sideophores bind iron with high affinity (Kd < 10-25 M) and are required for iron transport into the bacterial cell. Small molecules interfering with siderophore functioning can be promising anti-mycobacterial agents. Several molecules with hydrazone as a structural feature are known to have metal chelating property. This prompted us to investigate the metal chelating ability of 2-hydrazino-pyrimidin-4(3H)-one derivatives. In this light, a library of 22 novel molecules with 2- hydrazino-pyrimidin-4(3H)-one moiety was synthesized and the compounds were evaluated against M. tuberculosis under iron-limiting and iron-rich conditions. Interestingly, several molecules showed promising (MIC: < 10 μM) selective activity under iron scarcity conditions. Furthermore, compounds were found to be nontoxic at lower concentration in VERO cell lines using MTT assay. Taken together, we have discovered novel 2-hydrazino-pyrimidin-4(3H)-one molecules active against M. tuberculosis which can be developed as potent antimycobacterial agents.
Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the benefits of nonlinear frequency compression (NLFC) hearing aids in the nonimplanted ears of children with unilateral cochlear implants (CIs). It is hypothesized that speech perception performance will benefit from complementary auditory cues provided by the CI and the hearing aid, particularly with the increased access to high-frequency sounds provided by NLFC. Design: Eleven children using unilateral CIs with usable residual hearing in the nonimplanted ears were enrolled in the study and fitted with NLFC hearing aids. The test protocol included consonant-nucleus-consonant words in quiet, the Hearing in Noise Test sentences presented in speech noise and two-talker maskers, and a consonant identification task. Subjects were tested in a CI-alone condition as well as bimodally, with and without NLFC enabled. Results: The results support previous work in adults and children, demonstrating the beneficial effects of bimodal listening. Frequency compression did not significantly affect performance for the children enrolled in this study, although some preferred using NLFC. The results yield suggestions regarding test methods for pediatric bimodal listeners, and considerations regarding validation and audibility of the compressed signal. Conclusions: Hearing aid use in the contralateral ear of unilaterally implanted children is beneficial. Children and young adults who are fitted bimodally should be tested both in quiet and in complex listening situations to determine bimodal benefit. In the current test battery, the inclusion of frequency compression in the hearing aid fitting does not seem to provide significant improvement beyond standard hearing aid fittings or any bilateral interference symptoms for this group of bimodal listeners.
Effective and efficient handover communication is critical for quality patient care through transitions of responsibility from one healthcare team to another. As these skills take time to develop, it is necessary for medical education to incorporate handovers in various applications. The small group anatomy lab setting provides an ideal environment for students to practice these skills. At the beginning of each lab, team leaders are responsible for delivering a handover of the previous dissection. At the Medical College of Georgia, the I‐PASS mnemonic for handovers (Illness Severity, Patient Summary, Action List, Situation Awareness and Contingency Planning, and Synthesis by Receiver) was adopted into the anatomy curriculum in 2018–2019, as this is the format students use in clerkships.
Thirteen patients with 15 intraosseous carpal ganglia (6 scaphoid and 9 lunate cases) are reported. Eleven cases had cortical defects communicating the bone cysts either with the joint space or a coexisting soft tissue ganglion. Nine cysts were primary or idiopathic; soft tissue ganglia were found in 6 secondary cases and anatomic continuity of the intraosseous and extraosseous components through cortical defects was present. Treatment consisted of curettage of the cyst wall and cancellous bone grafting. Approaching lunate cysts through a small opening in the scapholunate interosseous ligament is described. Results were analyzed in 12 cases with at least 1 year of follow-up; the average follow-up period in these cases was 47 months (range, 12-119 months). Results were very good in all but 1 patient, who suffered a partial lunate collapse, which resulted in mild lunocapitate osteoarthritis. No graft reabsorption or recurrence was seen in the control radiographs obtained throughout the follow-up period.
Objectives: Collectivism can contextualize subjective cultural experiences, yet operationalization and measurement approaches for understanding this construct among Asians and Asian Americans have been discrepant. Inconsistency has resulted from diverse levels of analyses, unidimensional versus multidimensional approaches to organizing related subconstructs, and different degrees of cultural specificity of existing instruments. The Brief Collectivism Questionnaire (BCQ) was developed to address these limitations in assessing general collectivism in Asian cultures, while capturing its diverse attitudinal and behavioral manifestations, using a bifactor framework. Method: Data were collected from 2 samples of Asian American and Asian international students (N1 = 267: Mage = 20.4, 48.7% women; N2 = 375: Mage = 19.0, 55.6% women). The structure underlying collectivism was examined in exploratory (Study 1) and confirmatory (Study 2) factor analyses. Correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses tested the BCQ’s validity, particularly the extent to which broadband collectivism and content-specific subdomains overlapped with existing measures of the construct (Study 3). Results: A bifactor structure with 1 general factor of collectivism and 3 specific factors (Prosocial Motivations, Maintaining Harmony, and Concern for Face) demonstrated the best fit for the data and supported the conceptual framework. The BCQ showed adequate internal consistency reliability, convergent and discriminant validity, and concurrent and incremental validity predicting depression and openness toward treatment seeking. Conclusions: The BCQ appears to be a multidimensional, psychometrically sound measure that assesses broadband and narrowband contents of collectivism among Asians. The bifactor structure integrates diverse conceptualizations of individual-level collectivism, and clarifies how this construct is related to adjustment outcomes.
Recent progress in Nb Josephson junction LSI technology in Japan is described. Improvements in fabrication processes of the Nb/AlOx/Nb junction have brought high junction-current densities and sub-micrometre junction sizes. Research efforts on logic LSIs have mainly focused on applications to high-speed switches for broad-band communication and high-performance parallel computing. The highest achieved clock frequency of the logic LSIs is beyond 3 GHz. Josephson memory technology has also progressed realizing an access time of 380 ps for a 4 kbit LSI. In a new approach toward logic circuits for future information systems, basic research on a hybrid circuit technology, composed of superconductive and semiconductor devices, has also been started in Japan. The present status of these research efforts in Japan is reviewed.
ABSTRACT There is evidence that mast cells, basophils, and IgE can contribute to immune responses to parasites; however, the relative levels of importance of these effector elements in parasite immunity are not fully understood. Previous work in Il3-deficient and c-kit mutant KitW/W-v mice indicated that interleukin-3 and c-Kit contribute to expulsion of the intestinal nematode Strongyloides venezuelensis during primary infection. Our findings in mast cell-deficient KitW-sh/W-sh mice and two types of mast cell-deficient mice that have normal c-kit (“Hello Kitty” and MasTRECK mice) confirmed prior work in KitW/W-v mice that suggested that mast cells play an important role in S. venezuelensis egg clearance in primary infections. We also assessed a possible contribution of basophils in immune responses to S. venezuelensis. By immunohistochemistry, we found that numbers of basophils and mast cells were markedly increased in the jejunal mucosa during primary infections with S. venezuelensis. Studies in basophil-deficient Mcpt8DTR mice revealed a small but significant contribution of basophils to S. venezuelensis egg clearance in primary infections. Studies in mice deficient in various components of immune responses showed that CD4+ T cells and ILC2 cells, IgG, FcRγ, and, to a lesser extent, IgE and FcεRI contribute to effective immunity in primary S. venezuelensis infections. These findings support the conclusion that the hierarchy of importance of immune effector mechanisms in primary S. venezuelensis infection is as follows: CD4+ T cells/ILC2 cells, IgG, and FcRγ>mast cells>IgE and FcεRI>basophils. In contrast, in secondary S. venezuelensis infection, our evidence indicates that the presence of CD4+ T cells is of critical importance but mast cells, antibodies, and basophils have few or no nonredundant roles.
For fractures in weight bearing bones as well as for the stabilization of osteotomy adjustments, nonresorbable implants of titanium or surgical steel are presently used in both human and veterinary medicine. In most cases these implants need to be removed in a second surgery. [1–3] Synthetic polymers are used as resorbable implants for nonweight bearing bones. [4–6] A great advantage of these implants is that a second surgery for implant removal can be avoided. [7,8] However, the lower mechanical stability of common resorbable polymers makes them unsuitable for application in weight-bearing bones. [2] Therefore, an important aim of current research is to develop resorbable implants for osteosynthesis in weight bearing bones. Light metal implants could be a solution for this application. They have a signiﬁcant higher stability and Youngth’s modulus than polymers [9] and a corrosion behavior which depends on the alloying elements. [10] The aim of manufacturing metallic resorbable implants is to develop nontoxic materials which will be gradually replaced by the surrounding tissue. [11] The products of decomposition are transmitted into the organism and either directly eliminated or ﬁrst metabolized and then eliminated. Implants of biocompatible materials have to be harmless to the organism. [12] In soft tissue surgery, implants out of Mg-alloys were already used in vivo as stents. [13,14] In the ﬁeld of orthopedics, ﬁrst studies showed that magnesium alloys are also basically promising for use as implant material. [15–19] In general, many groups reported on an osteoinductive potency of magnesium implants. [16,20–22] An undesired effect during the corrosion of magnesium is the generation of gas. [22–26] This gas generation seems to
In the present chapter a number of loaded structures are studied with circular cross-section to explore the deviation in their dispersion characteristics from their parent circular waveguide. The dielectric and/or metal loading to the waveguide tailors its dispersion characteristics. In general, the dielectric depresses and the metal elevates the dispersion characteristics from the characteristics of their parent circular waveguide. The axial periodicity results in periodic dispersion characteristics with a lower and an upper cut-off frequency (bandpass). However such a characteristic is not reported for the azimuthal periodic structures. The bandpass characteristic arises due to the shaping of the dispersion characteristics. Therefore the dispersion shaping is only possible with axial periodicity and not with the azimuthal periodicity. The sensitivity of the structure (geometry) parameters on the lower and upper cut-off frequencies, the extent of passband and the dispersion shaping are also included. In the axial periodic structures, the periodicity is found to be the most sensitive parameter for tailoring the dispersion characteristics and the disc-hole radius is the most sensitive parameter for shifting the dispersion characteristics over the frequency axis.
INTRODUCTION The New Zealand (NZ) Ministry of Health's Primary Health Care Strategy (2001) has an overall vision of better health for all and the reduction of health inequalities between different population groups. This goal can be achieved by comprehensive, integrated primary health care (PHC) service delivery. One useful approach is to place social workers within PHC practices. This study aimed to explore the perceptions about, and the experiences gained by, such integrated social workers regarding their contributions towards the PHC vision.   METHODS This qualitative study focused on three participant groups, namely social workers, PHC professionals and key informants. Overall, 18 one-to-one, semi-structured interviews were undertaken in various locations in NZ. Key themes were identified via a general inductive approach.   FINDINGS Three key themes emerged from the data: wider factors, organisational factors and social work factors. The last theme encompassed the social workers' professional understanding, knowledge and approaches. The organisational factors (a community needs focus and provision of a supportive work environment) and the wider factors identified (funding and issues experienced by communities) had variable impact on these social work positions.   CONCLUSION Participants viewed social workers as facilitating appropriate access to and engagement by people with services; enhancing ongoing, coordinated, safe service provision; and contributing to staff development. The potential of the social work profession within PHC practices was well recognised by non-social worker participants. This study provides initial insights into the unique contributions made by social workers towards achieving NZ Ministry of Health's PHC vision.
serum contains the agglutinins; the red cell> contain the agglutinogens; union between the two produces agglutination. An attempt was made to discover what portion of the blood serum contains the agglutinins. Blood plasma when matched with suitable red corpuscles was found to agglutinate. Blood serum, of course, agglutinates. Now serum is plasma minus the fibrinogen and some calcium salts. So evidently fibrinogen has no influence on agglutination. A few cubic centimetres of serum were brought just to the boil and filtered. The filtrate, which contained all the other constituents of the
Based on the Fourier extension, we propose an oversampling collocation method for solving the elliptic partial differential equations with variable coefficients over arbitrary irregular domains. This method only uses the function values on the equispaced nodes, which has low computational cost and versatility. While a variety of numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method, it shows that the approximation error fast reaches a plateau with increasing the degrees of freedom, due to the inherent ill-conditioned of frames.
like woodworking assist the janitor or carpenter in minor alterations about the building, have tne girls who are interested in nursing assist the school nurse, and those who are thinking of becoming teachers help the grade teachers in some of their work. 13. Organize a placement and follow-up bureau for pupils who wish to work afternoons, Saturdays and vacations, for those who must leave before completing the course, and for those whose formal education is completed at graduation. H. Arrange conferences with members of the third and fourth year pupils to discuss what they expect to do after leaving high school.
The Direct Numerical Simulation approach is here adopted to study the forced convection problem in an arc-shaped wall corrugated tube. This kind of geometry is representative of a widely used passive heat transfer enhancement technique (i.e. wall corrugation) mainly adopted for improving the efficiency of heat transfer equipment. The augmentation mechanism is mainly due to the onset of instabilities in the flow that lead to an early departure from the laminar flow regime. The present work deals with the numerical description of the influence of the flow instabilities on the heat transfer mechanism. The numerical simulations point out that in the unsteady flow regime, due to the formation and disruption of the vortices, the flow loses the symmetry property about the tube axis by developing time dependent velocity component in all the directions. This effect, registered for Re>54, encourages a fluid mixing that greatly enhances the heat transfer mechanism. The augmentation effect is discussed also by adopting the field synergy principle approach which confirms that in the stable regime the convective contribution to the heat transfer mechanism is almost ineffective in a wide region of the domain while the instability reduces the extent of the domain that does not positively contribute to the convective heat transfer.
Elemental distributions in the bulk and metal oxide surface layers of zirconium alloys play key roles in the fracture toughness of the alloys. In particular, localized hydrogen build-up leads to hydride formation and delayed hydride cracking. Parts per million levels of H in Zr have been detected using the 1.06 μm or 355 nm output of a Nd:YAG laser for ablation followed by 2+1 resonance ionization detection of H and D. Analysis of the ablation plume has shown that it consists predominately of atomic species in thermal equilibrium between 2000 and 3600°C. Ablation of thin foils has shown that the ablation rate is on the order of mono-layers per shot and increases exponentially with increasing fluence. Laser ablation depth profiling results of H distributions in an anodically grown oxide film compare qualitatively with nuclear-reaction-analysis profiling of the same sample.
The coefficient of variation is commonly used in medical and biological sciences. In this paper, several parametric and non-parametric tests for the equality of coefficients of variation in kappa populations are reviewed. Simulation studies are conducted to compare the sizes and power of these tests. It is found that the parametric tests perform well if the data are normally distributed, but perform poorly if otherwise. The non-parametric test, however, is rather robust against the underlying distribution. An example using data of the Quality Assurance Program from the Hong Kong Medical Technology Association in Haematology and Serology is provided. The insensitivity of the non-parametric test to outliers is demonstrated.
In vitro reverse transcription of a mixture of total RNA from plants infected with the I17F or R strains of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), representative of subgroups IA and II, respectively, results in viral cDNA populations including rare recombinant RNA 3 molecules, some of which also have point mutations. The biological properties of 17 recombinants in the capsid gene or the 3' non-coding region of RNA 3 were evaluated when associated with I17F RNAs 1 and 2. Six viruses displayed deficiencies (non-viability, deficiencies for movement and/or replication, delayed infection, loss of aphid transmissibility). Nine induced symptoms close to those of I17F-CMV on tobacco and pepper plants. All recombinants bearing the movement protein (MP) of R-CMV and part or most of the capsid protein (CP) of I17F-CMV, as well as the recombinant created in vitro by exchanging the corresponding open reading frames, also induced filiformism on tobacco, but induced only faint symptoms on melon. Two recombinants induced atypically severe symptoms on both tobacco and pepper. Most of the recombinants generally accumulated to lower levels than the wild-type I17F strain in tobacco. Three recombinants, however, including one responsible for severe symptoms, accumulated to generally higher levels than I17F-CMV. When two of these were tested in co-infection experiments with I17F RNA 3, they proved to be poorly competitive, suggesting that they would be unlikely to emerge in the field.
Owing to the large size of the APC gene, responsible for familial adenomatous polyposis, direct screening for individual mutations is not a practical approach. In the present study we establish the methodology of fluorescence based semi-automated DNA analysis to perform presymptomatic diagnosis of members at risk from 11 Portuguese FAP families with three (CA)n markers flanking the APC gene, MBC, CB26, and YN5.64, and four intragenic RFLPs. Haplotypes were constructed on the basis of individual genotypes and their segregation through generations were followed. The study was informative for 12% of subjects using only intragenic RFLPs and increased to 90% when we used the three (CA)n flanking markers. We report two of the 11 families under study in our laboratory and show recombinant events leading to a precise localisation of the CB26 marker between D5S82 and the APC gene. In one family there was a loss of (CA) units of one allele of the CB26 marker from an unaffected mother to her son.
Background: The sexually-transmitted diseases (STD’s) centers are good sentinels for monitoring the sexual transmitting of HIV. This study analyzes the results of voluntary HIV tests run in 1995 and 1996 within a network of STD, HIV and family planning centers in Spain. Methods: Starting as of 1995, a questionnaire was sent out yearly to said centers for recording the number of individuals found to have HIV the previous year and the number of those who are proven to be HIV positive. A calculation of HIV incidence was based as a function of sex and the main HIV transmission categories. Results: Eighty-one centers answered the survey in 1995, 78 having done so in 1996. Ninety-five percent of these centers ran the HIV test at the request of the interested parties. At the 39 centers which provided data regarding the HIV tests conducted in 1996, a total of 15,964 individuals had been tested. Positive: 4.8% (n=760) (CI: 4.4%-5.1%). The HIV seroprevalence was higher for males (5.9%) than for females (2.6%; p<0,0001). The highest HIV seroprevalence was found among injecting drug users (IDU’s) (18.7%). On comparing HIV seroprevalence in 1995 with that of 1996, drops were detected in the number of homosexual/bisexual men from 7.4% to 6.1% (p=0.049) and in women prostitutes, from 2.0% to 1.3% (p=0.034). The sexual partner of IDU went from 3.4% to4.6% (p=0.267). Conclusions: These results provide a nationwide reference regarding HIV incidence among populations having high-risk sexual relations. The trend therein is favorable among homosexual/bisexual men and female prostitutes.
The time resolution of an electron beam testing system (EBT) is mainly related to the primary electron (PE) sampling pulse width. Signal deconvolution techniques are available to enhance the time resolution of the system, provided the PE pulse shape is known with high accuracy. While for high energies this shape has already been evaluated, for the low energies commonly used in MOS IC testing, some additional difficulties must be accounted for, such as increased PE beam spot dispersion, charge trapping into passivation oxides, and lower SIN ratio at the detector. Here, we describe the direct measurement of the PE current used to sample internal voltage waveforms through the use of a fast avalanche photodiode. A numerical simulation has also been performed to help in the correct interpretation of the results. Using a known signal as an input to a matched-impedance microstrip line, a numerical deconvolution technique has been applied to the signal sampled by finite-duration current pulses to evaluate the goodness of the restoration of the original signal. >
A broadband polarisation-independent metamaterial is proposed by combining modified electric-LC (ELC) metamaterials that are orthogonally aligned with each other and metal coated by via hole. Using electrically induced current along a metal patch, the broadband permittivity which is always greater than that of the substrate is determined. The maximum permittivity, which is about 25% higher than that of the substrate, is confirmed. The proposed metamaterial is verified by full-wave simulations and experiments for six differently polarised incident waves and frequencies from 6 GHz to 10 GHz.
Although major auditory structures are anatomically in place by 25-wk gestation, neonates undergo active functional maturation. At term, infants have a low threshold for sounds in the speech frequency, respond differently to speech and nonspeech stimuli, and demonstrate preference to familiar sound even if they are exposed to it in utero (1, 2). Recent studies have demonstrated that exposure of premature infants to maternal sound is associated with more cardiovascular and behavioral stability (3, 4). We felt enthusiastic to read the paper recently published by Webb et al. studying the effect of mother’s voice and heartbeat sounds on, what they described as, auditory plasticity (5).
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is defined as an abrupt or rapid decline in renal filtration function. Erythropoietin (EPO) as a hematopoietic and multifunctional hormone is produced primarily by kidney. Many investigations have shown that EPO as an antioxidant agent has shown several effects such as anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory and also angiogenic activities. The biological activities of EPO are mediated by binding to its receptor (EPOR). The potential role of EPO in kidney is related to the presence of functional EPOR in renal mesangial cells, tubular epithelial cells and the glomerulus. Antioxidants and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers such as EPO, can protect the kidneys against conditions that induce nephrotoxicity. Most studies in the field of renoprotective effects of EPO have focused on AKI models. In this paper we sought to review the ameliorative effects of EPO against various agents or conditions that induce nephrotoxicity including ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), cisplatin, gentamicin, rhabdomyolysis, amikacin and vancomycin.
AIM The aim of this study was to review published literature concerning the use of compression treatments in the management of venous and lymphatic diseases and establish where reliable evidence exists to justify the use of medical compression and where further research is required to address areas of uncertainty.   METHODS The authors searched medical literature databases and reviewed their own collections of papers, monographs and books for papers providing information about the effects of compression and randomized clinical trials of compression devices. Papers were classified in accordance with the recommendations of the GRADE group to categorize their scientific reliability. Further classification was made according to the particular clinical problem that was addressed in the papers. The review included papers on compression stockings, bandages and intermittent pneumatic compression devices.   RESULTS The International Compression Club met once in Vienna and corresponded by email in order to reach an agreement of how the data should be interpreted. A wide range of compression levels was reported to be effective. Low levels of compression 10-30 mmHg applied by stockings are effective in the management of telangiectases after sclerotherapy, varicose veins in pregnancy, the prevention of edema and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). High levels of compression produced by bandaging and strong compression stockings (30-40 mmHg) are effective at healing leg ulcers and preventing progression of post-thrombotic syndrome as well as in the management of lymphedema. In some areas no reliable evidence was available to permit recommendations of level of compression or duration of treatment. These included: management of varicose veins to prevent progression, following surgical treatment or sclerotherapy for varicose veins, and the level of compression required to treat acute DVT.   CONCLUSION This review shows that whilst good evidence for the use of compression is available in some clinical indications, there is much still to be discovered. Little is know about dosimetry in compression, for how long and at what level compression should be applied. The differing effects of elastic and short-stretch compression are also little understood.
PURPOSE: An electroluminescent device with polyphenyl hydrocarbon hole transport layer is provided for an organic compound outside the class of aromatic amines as a hole transport layer in organic electroluminescent device CONSTITUTION: An organic multilayer electroluminescent device including an anode and cathode, and comprising therebetween a hole transport layer. An electron transport layer disposed in operative relationship with the hole transport layer. The hole transport layer includes an organic compound having the formula. Wherein: Ar is an aryl moiety, n is an integer of from 1 to 6, and substituents R¬1 and R¬2 are each individually hydrogen, or alkyl of from 1 to 24 carbon atoms; aryl or substituted aryl of from 5 to 28 carbon atoms; or heteroaryl or substituted heteroaryl of from 5 to 28 carbon atoms; or F, Cl, Br or cyano group.
Microsatellites BMS1248 and MAF70 were selected to detect the genetic polymorphism and their correlation to the growth performance in Taihang Black Goat.The results showed that 18 alleles were detected in total,and the average polymorphism information content(PIC) was 0.824,and average number of effective alleles(Ne) and average heterozygosity(h) was 7.746 and 0.869,respectively.The genotype 123/123 bp at BM1248 has positive effects on body weight,body length and heart girth.The genotype 155/155b at MAF70 has positive effects on body weight,and the genotype 165/192 bp has positive effect on height at withers.We concluded that some alleles detected loci has positive/negative effects on definite growth performance in the goats.
INTRODUCTION Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) produces pods under ground after the pegs formed from fertilized flowers penetrate the soil. However, the mechanism of uptake and delivery of copper (Cu) into pods for seed development is still unknown. This hampers efforts to determine the optimum method, rate and time of application of Cu for peanut production. This study aimed to determine: (i) whether pods by themselves could absorb Cu from soil rather than rely on redistribution of Cu absorbed by roots; and (ii) effectiveness of Cu addition into soil before sowing relative to foliar spraying at flowering, pegging or podding.
For the production of urethane prepolymer, the effect of process parameters such as diisocyanate MDI and polyol TDI was tested. In this paper, design of experiments has been adopted for studying the effect of the process parameters on the improvement of NCO and viscosity of pre-polymer. As a result of comparison of different parameters, the effect of polyol was stronger than that of isocyanate in comparison of reactivity according to the amounts of isocyanate and polyol. Especially, NCO and viscosity of pre-polymer affected a product safety.
In the spark ignition engines with air cooling system the thermal loads of the cylinders and cylinder heads are much bigger than in the water-cooled engines and the loads are not uniform on the whole surface of these elements. Recently most of the cylinders and cylinder heads of the two-wheel vehicles had long ribs that caused a bigger noise and an increase of the mass of the elements. The paper includes the modelling process of the thermal loads and temperature distribution of the cylinder and cylinder head of the two-stroke engine 115 cm 3 capacity cooled by air at mean engine load. The results of simulation carried out in ANSYS program with creation of the mesh in CATIA were verified by the experiment on the real engine. The results obtained in the tests and the simulation show, that long ribs have not an effect on the decrease of thermal loads of the cooling elements. The paper includes the colour graphs with deviation of the parts, temperature on the surfaces and thermal stresses. Maun work results allow finding that the cooling heat in the air-cooled two-stroke engine increases with the engine speed and cooling energy, boundary condition enables determine the convection coefficient for heat exchange calculations and FEM enables the prediction of the surface temperatures of the walls, the accuracy of temperature depends on the determination of the outflow temperature of the air.
In this paper, we consider the constrained $L_p$-$L_q$ basis pursuit denoising problem, which aims to find a minimizer of $ | bf{x} |_p^p$ subject to $ |A bf{x}- bf{b} |_q leq sigma$ for given $A  in  mathbb{R}^{m  times n}$, $ bf{b} in mathbb{R}^m$, $ sigma  geq0$, $0 leq p leq1$ and $q  geq 1$. We first study the properties of the optimal solutions of this problem. Specifically, without any condition on the matrix $A$, we provide upper bounds in cardinality and infinity norm for the optimal solutions, and show that all optimal solutions must be on the boundary of the feasible set when $0<p<1$. Moreover, for $q  in  {1, infty }$, we show that the problem with $0<p<1$ has a finite number of optimal solutions and prove that there exists $0<p^*<1$ such that the solution set of the problem with any $0<p<p^*$ is contained in the solution set of the problem with $p=0$ and there further exists $0< overline{p}<p^*$ such that the solution set of the problem with any $0<p leq overline{p}$ remains unchanged. An estimation of such $p^*$ is also provided. We then propose a smoothing penalty method to solve the problem with $0<p<1$ and $q=1$, and show that, under some mild conditions, any cluster point of the sequence generated is a KKT point of our problem. Some numerical examples are given to implicitly illustrate the theoretical results and show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm for the $L_p$-$L_1$ basis pursuit denoising problem under different noises.
Objective To compare the preservation effectiveness of Celsior and UW solution to liver donors in liver transplantation.Methods Sixty patients waiting for liver transplantation were chosen and divided into two groups randomly(Cel=30,UW=30).Donors in each group were perfused and stored in Celsior or UW solution respectively.On the aspects of age,gender,Child class,primary diseases and surgical technique,there were no significant differences between the two groups. Histological changes of grafts,donor function in the early postoperative period and the incidence of non-anastomotic biliary strictures three months after transplantation were compared.Results The graft cold ischemic time was(8.83±1.53)h in Celsior group and(9.08±1.85)h in UW group.No statistical differences were found between Celsior group and UW group in biochemical parameters in- cluding ALT,AST,γ-GT,serum total bilirubin,PT and bile production in the early postoperative period.The incidence of non-anastomotic biliary strictures was 6.7% in Celsior group and 13.3% in UW group (P0.05)respectively.Histological changes of donor biopsy before implantation and 30 min after reperfusion were similar in two groups.Conclusion Within the cold ischemic time considered,Celsior and UW solution are equal in effectiveness for clinical use in liver transplantation.
When a speaker says the name of a color, the color that they picture is not necessarily the same as the listener imagines. Color is a grounded semantic task, but that grounding is not a mapping of a single word (or phrase) to a single point in color-space. Proper understanding of color language requires the capacity to map a sequence of words to a probability distribution in color-space. A distribution is required as there is no clear agreement between people as to what a particular color describes -- different people have a different idea of what it means to be `very dark orange'. We propose a novel GRU-based model to handle this case. Learning how each word in a color name contributes to the color described, allows for knowledge sharing between uses of the words in different color names. This knowledge sharing significantly improves predicative capacity for color names with sparse training data. The extreme case of this challenge in data sparsity is for color names without any direct training data. Our model is able to predict reasonable distributions for these cases, as evaluated on a held-out dataset consisting only of such terms.
The invention relates to a circuit and method for generating a signal replica signal from the power supply or the signal to be obtained. For this purpose, the voltage is continuously compared in an output capacitor with a corresponding reference signal with the output signal to be obtained, so that charge or discharge the output capacitor to maintain voltage within preset limits. The generation of this signal is performed with superior quality to conventional inverters, since abrupt switchings are avoided and improvements in interference and electromagnetic noise are obtained.
Recent developments in hydrogenation procedures allow the liquid hydrocarbon potential and the total liquid hydrocarbon content of source rocks to be determined directly. In essence, mild controlled hydrogenation. without the cleavage of C-C bonds, converts the recognized hydrocarbon precursors in immature source rocks, i.e. the largely aliphatic acids, alcohols, esters, etc., into the parent alkanes. These alkanes, which have a distinctive composition, are easily collected and determined in toto by routine analytical processes. Thus hydrocarbon potentials are immediately revealed. Since the bulk of Australian crudes are of land plant (humic) origin, initial investigations have been largely concentrated on vitrinites and inertinites separated from Australian coals. These studies have shown that:the formation, on hydrogenation, of alkanes with a distinctive composition is an excellent guide to sediment maturity and to hydrocarbon potential; hydrocarbon generation, although not hydrocarbon maturation, is complete when the reflectance of vitrinite in contributing sediments approximates 0.65 per cent; and no significant difference exists between the hydrocarbon potentials and the hydrocarbon content of associated inertinites and vitrinites when the reflectance of the latter is in the range 0.3 to 1.2 per cent. These findings provide a guide to basin potentials and an explanation for the unexpected prospectivity of inertinite-rich Australian sediments. Results of applying this procedure to sediment samples from exploratory wells in the Gippsland and Cooper Basins have generally followed trends seen with coal samples and confirmed the value of the method in determining hydrocarbon potentials.
The purpose of the present work was to analyze the presence of lysosomes in the syncytiotrophoblast of seven cultured and uncultured normal human placentas at term. An ultrastructural and ultracytochemical study for acid phosphatase was made by means of two techniques that employ different substrates, as well as morphometric studies. Two of the placentas were maintained "in vitro" for 48 h previous to their analysis. Scarce lysosomal dense bodies were located in the supranuclear region in relation to endocytotic vacuoles, specially in thinned off areas of the syncytiotrophoblast. The lysosomal population represented a 2.8% to 4.0% of the syncytial area. According to these results, it is suggested that human term placental lysosomes would participate in materno--fetal exchange.
This commentary by the EASAC primarily examines the proposed benefits and potential enabling policies of the circular economy. A broad range of sources is used to recognize gaps and inadequacies in proposed benefits and policies in order to foster a substantial discussion among stakeholders as to how to proceed in the transition process. The study also examines barriers and indicators and comments on their nature and efficacy respectively. Furthermore, the commentary provides advice regarding avoidance of barriers and the use of proper indicators.
The judicial institutions in a country are very strategic and determine because it is this institution that acts to resolve any disputes occurring in people's lives and punish persons who violate the law in accordance the prescribed law. With this judicial institution is expected that the community does not do the deeds that do not harm the other party by means of vigilante, but should all legal issues arising from the Association of society is resolved through the judicial institution.
AIM To explore the diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-10 (IL-10), C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and tuberculosis (PTB).   PATIENTS AND METHODS 113 CAP cases patients and 78 PTB cases were enrolled from May 2011 to March 2012. Routine blood test, serum PCT, CRP, IL-10 and ESR of patients within 24 hours were analyzed retrospectively.   RESULTS The serum concentrations of PCT, IL-10, CRP and ESR in CAP patients with CAP were 0.35±0.017 mg/mL, 0.095±0.004 mg/L, 59.80±5.12 mg/L and 35.00±4.81 mm/1h, respectively, significantly higher than patients with PTB (p < 0.01); According to the result of ROC curve analysis in CAP and PTB, the PTC area under ROC curve is 0.715 (95% CI 0.647-0.782), the sensitivity and specific degree of serum PTC were significant better than CRP and IL10 (p < 0.05). In tuberculosis sputum culture, the serum concentrations of IL-10 and ESR in TB positive group were 0.045±0.013 mg/L and 62.50±8.69 mm/1h, significantly higher than that of TB negative group (p < 0.05); whereas, the concentrations of serum PCT and CRP in TB positive and negative groups had no significant difference (p > 0.05).   CONCLUSIONS The levels of serum PCT, IL-10, CRP and ESR in CAP patients are higher than that in PTB patients. Therefore, the serum PCT, IL10, CRP and ESR level is benefit to distinguish between CAP and PTB. This could provide a comprehensible evidence for both diagnosis and prognosis.
In the article expounded taking about the existent methods of determining the locations of unauthorized selection of electric power and about development of intellectual sensor of current, equipped a radio interface and intended for work in the automatic checking of the modes of operations of settlement electric distributive networks 0,38 kV and for determining the locations of unauthorized selection of electric power
his article discusses the role that the relatively new treatment modality of radial shockwave therapy (RSWT) can play in rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders. The study presents empirical evidence on the benefits of RSWT in the short term for treating lower limb injuries as measured by perceived reduction in pain and increased functional mobility. This article highlights how effectively RSWT can be used in the early treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and the importance and continued use of traditional rehab modalities following RSWT. You can test your knowledge of the subject using our elearning assessment and include the resulting certificate in your CPD portfolio, as well as print out our professionally produced patient information leaflet to give to your patients.
OBJECTIVE To study the role of herpes virus reactivation in the onset of more than three days-delayed facial paralysis (FP) following vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery and advocate a specific medical management.   MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective study on 8 cases from a series of 348 patients operated on of a VS between 1996 and 2002. Seven of the eight patients were given intravenously acyclovir (30 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) for 5 days) and methyl-prednisolone (2 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) for 7 days). A serologic testing looking for specific anti-herpes simplex viruses type 1 and 2 (HSV-2) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) antibodies at the onset of the FP and 2 weeks later could be done in only 3 cases.   RESULTS Mean delay of FP onset was 8.75 days. Mean time for recovery with intravenous treatment was 90 days. All treated patients had a House and Brackmann grade 1 recovery. The last one had only a grade 3 after 400 days of evolution: he could not be treated because of postoperative transient psychiatric problems. Serologic testing revealed in those patients in whom it could be done either a high level of anti-HSV or -VZV antibodies at the time of onset or a dramatic increase in anti-HSV or anti-VZV antibodies between the two samples, strongly suggesting a HSV or VZV reactivation.   CONCLUSION HSV or VZV reactivation can be evocated in most cases of delayed FPs arising in the postoperative course of VSs, suggesting usefulness of emergency-given steroid and acyclovir intravenous regimen to block virus replication and fight secondary oedema and inflammation causative of nerve lesions. Evoked reactivation mechanism is comparable to that already suspected in delayed FP arising with the same delay in middle ear surgical procedures.
This study analyzes the location of 164 renowned Japanese gardens in the Kyoto basin, that is the Kamogawa alluvial fan and the Katsuragawa flood plain. The gardens were mapped using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The mapped data indicate that physiographic environments constrain the loca tion of the gardens. Rock gardens (karesansui type gardens) are located accross the whole area of the alluvial fan, while water gardens (chisen type gardens) are concentrated along the piedmont spring zones and the artificial canals of the irrigation system known as the Biwako sosui (constructed in 1890). In brief, hy drological conditions affect the location of Japanese gardens, which is primarily constrained by surface geomorphic units.
The present invention relates to a metallization process of printed-circuit board holes, a metallization process without chemical-plated holes-holes-blackening method. Said invention belongs to the field of printed-circuit board manufacturing technology. Its technological process is: before electroplating of printed-circuit board, holes are passed through the blackening process, so that all holes walls are covered with a layer of blackened film, then passed through processes of drying and films-removing, and further to go on the copper-plating procedure. As compared with the metallization process of chemical-plated holes said method has the following effect: its reliability is hgih, technological process is simple, blackening liquor is non-toxic, smelless, corrosionless, and can reduce contamination, its water consumption is less, copper and noble metal can be economized, and its cost is low.
An increasing use of short stem femoral components (SSA), in favour of conventional or “shaft” stems in THA has been reported. SSA components have been reported as bone conserving. Shaft stems are a proven and accepted form of treatment. FEA studies predict more physiological loading of bone with SSA. Cadaver femur studies demonstrate adequate stability for bone ingrowth, more physiological loading of the femur and reduced stress shielding with SSA. Clinical studies report improved outcomes with SSA compared to shaft stems (reduced bone loss, reduced pain, reduced intra-operative complication rate, improved early rehabilitation times and reduced overall cost). A mechanical analysis, to examine the reported improved outcomes with short stems and a rationale for the use of short stems rather than shaft stems is considered.
Establishing the workers' sitting in the board of directors sitting in the board of supervisors of China is an effective method of perfecting corporate governance But there are some logical problems both in theory and in practice There are mainly contradictions among interest groups and restrictions of external environment So, a best effective way of solving them is to set up a system which workers hold stocks
In this study, the thermoeconomic approximation is applied to the optimization of a case study a geothermal hydrogen production and liquefaction system. Objective of this application is aimed at minimizing its overall products unit energies and costs (electricity, hydrogen production and hydrogen liquefaction). The approximation is based on the energy and cost optimal efficiency that is obtained for a component isolated from the remaining of the system components. Objective function that expresses the optimization methodology for each subcomponent of the system is developed. In the optimization methodology, the variables, relative cost differences, and exergy efficiency with the corresponding optimal values are obtained. Thermoeconomic optimal values for total product cost flow rate, total cost fuel flow rate, cost of electricity, cost of hydrogen production and liquefaction are calculated to be 1820 $/h, 274.2 $/h, 0.01908 $/kWh, 1.967 $/kg and 1.095 $/kg respectively, whereas the corresponding actual base case values are 3031 $/h, 290 $/h, 34.34 $/h, 0.02076 $/kWh, 2.091 $/kg and 1.725 $/kg respectively.
Based on information collected from the forest department and interviewing 153 households in five different villages with local people, a total of 21 human casualties and 288 livestock depredation were reported in different villages in Katerniaghat wildlife sanctuary during 2000–2007. During the study periods, out of 21 cases, 11 cases were killings and 10 cases were injured. Male casualties were more than the females. There was marked monthly and annually variation in the occurrence of human casualties. Among 21 cases, 11, 6, 3 and one casualties occurred in the age group of 21–30 years, 31–40, 41–50 and 11–20 years respectively. Highest number of 13 human casualties occurred between 1601–2000 hours. In the Katerniaghat wildlife sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh state, human population is constantly on the increase and as a result, there are increasing biotic pressure on protected areas and reserve forests. During the study periods, propose livestock growth programmes, including pasture improvement, and financial compensation as short-term measures to reduce conflict between people and predators. In the long-term, recommend that the feasibility of an insurance scheme should be tested, the possibility of relaxing the resource use restrictions in the Forest and Nature Conservation Act of 1995 be explored.
Functional analysis is a set of hypotheses and clinical trials of patient problem behaviors and relationships variables affecting them. This analysis has been used pri- marily as a tool for treatment planning. The objective was to examine whether this analy- sis is also useful to help people in understanding their pathology. Analysis was perfor- med in two cases; both participants expressed a better understanding of their disease after presenting a functional analysis of its main problem behaviors. In conclusion, an individualized functional analysis presented schematically and easily understood may be useful to supplement psychoeducation that the patient receives during treatment.
Based on the results of men,s decathlon of the 9th National Game, the present paper aims to establish the model of plural regression prediction for decathlon by applying a scientific and reasonable method.The prediction value of the model is very precise and is highly correlated to the real value .In addition, the model displays no difference via the inspection of it. Therefore, it possesses great practical value.
Based on the empirical traffic flow data on the second Ring Road in Beijing,the distribution characteristic of traffic congestion duration was analyzed.The hazard-based traffic congestion duration model was established through survival analysis method.The duration time of traffic congestion was estimated and the temporal-spatial distribution was studied using non-parametric method.The results show that 70% of the congestion durations of road segments on the second Ring Road are not longer than four minutes.89% of the congestion durations are not longer than 12 minutes.The hazard rate is less than 10% when the duration is longer than 12 minutes.The occurrence frequency of congestion on weekday is longer than that on weekend.Both the occurrence frequency and the duration of traffic congestion at morning peak are longer than those at evening peak.The occurrence frequency of congestion on the inner ring is longer than that on the outer ring while the congestion duration on the outer ring is longer than the duration on the inner ring.In the four directions of the second Ring Road,the occurrence frequency of congestion in the west is longest.The congestion duration in the north is longest.
The gas-solid two-phase flow of the cyclone preheater and the decomposing furnace system are simulated in this paper.The Reynolds Stress Model turbulence model is adopted to describe the gas phase and the particle stochastic trajectory model in Lagrange coordinate system is used to describe the solid phase.The result,compared with the design parameter,shows that the study can simulate the real status of the system and can be used to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the decomposing furnace for further analysis and optimization.
Background: Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria is a serious public health issue. Various factors contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms in the environment. This study was aimed at measuring the antibiotic sensitivity profile of Escherichia coli in drinking water samples from Hyderabad.   Material & Methods: Samples of drinking water were collected from various locations in Hyderabad city. Antibiotic resistance pattern was determined against commonly used antibiotics, using standard Disc Diffusion method.   Results: Out of 42 samples collected in 27 (64.29%) E. coli were isolated. Maximum resistance was observed against Nalidixic Acid (92.6%), followed by Ampicillin (88.89%), ceftriaxone (40.74%), ciprofloxacin (37.04%), ceftazidime (25.23%), cefotaxime (18.52%), and gentamicin (18.52%). Whereas none of the E. coli isolates showed resistance against Amikacin. Multi-drug resistance (3-6 antimicrobials) was seen in 62.96% of E. coli isolates from drinking water.   Conclusion: Drinking water in Hyderabad is heavily contaminated with potentially pathogenic multi drug resistant strains of E. coli. The source could possibly be the mixing of sewage lines with drinking water supply. Presence of multi drug resistant E. coli in drinking water can act as a vehicle to disseminate antibiotic resistance to other bacteria. This suggests a need to educate people regarding the rational use of antibiotics and safe disposal of antibiotic containing waste.
Along with the computer and the network technology development,the closed circuit television monitoring system was already substituted by the computer network.In contrast to the C/S pattern,the B/S pattern demonstrated its own unique superiority,and gradually occupied the majority of market share in the video frequency supervisory system development.The B/S pattern of Video Monitoring System used the browser and the computer network technology,realizing in WAN the multiusers at the same time real-time video frequency monitoring,using the system's strict jurisdiction establishment,enable the different status users to have the different access control jurisdiction This system had a higher representation and usability regards as simplification system maintenance and the customer operation.
The NIST Industrial Thermometer Calibration (ITC) Laboratory provides calibrations of industrial thermometers over the range from –196 °C to 550 °C. The different types of thermometers include liquid-in-glass (LiG), thermistors, thermocouples (<200 °C), and industrial platinum resistance thermometers (IPRTs). Calibrations are performed by both comparison with a standard platinum resistance thermometer (SPRT) calibrated on the International Temperature Scale of 1990 and by a limited number of fixed-points. The comparison baths are liquid nitrogen (–196 °C), alcohol (–100 °C to 1 °C), water (0.5 °C to 95 °C), oil (95 °C to 275 °C), and salt (275 °C to 550 °C). The fixed points used are the melting point of ice (0 °C), the triple point of water (0.01 °C), and the melting point of gallium (29.7646 °C). The temperature measurement system for the reference SPRT it is a commercially-available ac resistance ratio bridge, for the IPRTs and thermistors it is a dc voltmeter with a constant current source, for the thermocouples it is a dc voltmeter, and for the LiGs it is a digital video camera. All of these temperature measurement systems are integrated via three computer-controlled data acquisition systems that semi-automate calibrations. This paper presents the methods, equipment, and uncertainties associated with the calibration of industrial thermometers in the ITC Laboratory.
The problem faced by the student of grade 4 semester 1 SD Negeri Betoyoguci Manyar District of Gresik is the low mastery os social science on basic competence reading maps local neighborhood (district/city, province) using a simple scale. Based on the problems, the reaserch questions that can be revealed is: how to increase learning achievement of social science on basic  competence reading maps local neighborhood (district/city, province) using a simple scale through methods of inquiry in class 4 semester 1 SD Negeri Betoyoguci Subdistrict Manyar Gresik. This research was done in class 4 semster 1 SD Negeri Betoyoguci District of Manyar, the number of students in grade 4 were 28 people, the condition of specificity allow the student ability level and absorption of this students vary greatly. Researchers are fourth grade teacher at SDN Betoyoguci Manyar District of Gresik. In accordance with the formulation of the problems and the purpose of research it can generally be conclude that result for students in elementary school Betoyoguci Manyar District of Gresik, can improve through learning by using methods inquiry.
The early 21 st century was a time of renewed enthusiasm for finding a cure for cancer. There was good reason to be optimistic. High-throughput technologies were being developed at an amazing speed. For the first time in history, cancer researchers organized large international consortia and collaboration networks. It was clear that in several years, it would be possible to profile hundreds if not thousands of cancer tumor samples to determine which genes are mutated, amplified, deleted, methylated, or aberrantly transcribed in each individual cancer. It was predicted that within a decade, we would know the entire universe of every major cancer. The development of high-throughput molecular technologies was not only a transformative event for science but also for medicine. It was presumed that the molecular makeup of a tumor correlates with clinical outcome and thus can be used to predict prognosis and plan treatment approaches. Understanding the vulnerabilities of a tumor should enable physicians to not only predict which patients are likely to respond to conventional therapies but also pinpoint new therapeutic targets in resistant patients. Many physicians believed that the use of rational combinations of targeted therapies based on an understanding of the genetic alterations that drive a patient’s tumor would be more effective and less toxic. They embraced the idea that "molecular oncology" would become routine in cancer care.
Magnetic Compton profi les of CeFe2 have been measured with 274.46 keV circularly polari sed synchrotron radi at ion at SPring-8, Japan . The measurements have been carried out under 2T magnetic field for various temperatures (namely 20, 50, 70 and 150 K). The magnetic Compton profiles have been analysed in terms of contribution from Ce (4j), Ce (5d) and Fe (3d) sites and their spin moments have been deduced for each of these states. A comparison with earlier investigations has also been made.
Chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMD) and Myelodisplastic Syndromes (MDS) represents a group of clonal pluripotent stem-cell pathologies. During their natural history, the clinical picture reveals both thrombosis and hemorrhage. The thrombosis could affect the microvessels, and also the large vessels, including even less usual territories (suprahepatic veins, porta vein, pulmonary vein). There are many factors contributing to thrombosis in myeloproliferative chronic disorders--the associated comorbidities, the numeric alterations of blood elements and also the disorders of the platelet's function. Thus, there were described quantitative and qualitative anomalies of platelet's receptors: GP Ib, GP IIb/IIIa, GP IV, GP VI, thrombopoietin receptor of the platelet cMPL, the increase of platelet activation; the increase of P selectin and thrombospondin and the increase on GP IIb/IIIa expression--they were all correlated with thrombosis. An important role has been attributed to JAK2 mutation, which affects the platelet receptor for thrombopoietin cMPL. Regarding the hemorrhage in chronic myeloproliferative syndrome, it is favored by many disorders in platelet's function, such as: the decrease of von Willebrand factor's receptor of the platelet, which leads to acquired Bernard Soulier syndrome; quantitative and qualitative disorders of dense granules of the platelet, decrease of the secretion and platelet aggregation after epinephrine, ADP and collagen stimulation. It was also described the acquired von Willebrand syndrome, most frequently type 2.
A kinetic method of estimating the ratio of mole quota of H and M human lactate dehydrogenase (LDG) subunits is proposed, based on changes in substrate inhibition of LDG isoenzymes with lactate. Stability of kinetic constants for a long period of time is demonstrated. The dependency of activities ratio under low and high substrate concentration on the contribution of mole quota of LDG M subunits is studied. The correlation of experimental and theoretical values is shown to be: r=0.998 p less than 0.001. A comparison is carried out of the content of LDG subunits molar quotas in artificial mixtures with electrophoretic experimental data, a good coinsidence of these values being registered. The informative importance of the method described with standard methods of the estimation of LDG isoenzyme systems is discussed. No effect of components of human diploid cells homogenate and an insignificant effect of blood serum components on kinetic constants of LDG isoenzymes is registered. A dependency of variation coefficients on the enzyme activity is studied, minimal omegan value being 0.6%. The applicability of the method described for the calculation of quantitative content of both LDG subunits in natural objects (blood serum, diploid cell homogenate etc.) is demonstrated.
Based upon introduction of the concepts of science,technology and value case analysis is made on timber-frame structure system,beamless hall and other buildings.The expression of the value of science and technology in historical building inheritance protection is introduced in order to promote the development construction industry and enlighten the understanding of the world and reform of the world.
In order to monitor in Drosophila the expression of the iab - 8ncARN in vivo, I decided to introduce a sequence encoding the fluorescent protein " mCherry " in exon 3 of the iab - 8ncARN . The choice of this exon is dictated by the existence of an integration platform in the iab-6 domain that encodes exon 3 . I managed the integration of the reporter gene using the technique of recombineering and transformation of Drosophila with integrase phiC31 . I discovered that a truncated form of the iab - 8ncARN is expressed specifically in the secondary cells of glands of the reproductive system in males that become fluorescent . I have not yet succeeded to detect expression of mCherry in embryos.
I see a classroom: a class of forty or fifty students. Young and old, in the third or fourth lesson of the day, in the days before or after a holiday, during spring or fall. I see a teacher: sometimes feeling good, sometimes not. A teacher repeating the same material for the fourth or fifth year. I see a bored class and a bored teacher, who has to teach the lesson because of the mandatory curriculum. The hour, which lasts sixty minutes, passes slowly. And in these hours, on a topic that is supposed to enthral children, to give them eternal truth, the task is not easy. In each kind of work there are hours that are tiring and torturous and hours that are noble and beautiful.1
This summary explores the benefits to the VET system of becoming more involved in applied research. It looks at what steps registered training organisations can take to start developing an applied research and innovation capability, such as naming and claiming their current achievements through to building a research and evaluation culture. The guide provides real-life examples from institutes currently building their capabilities in this area. This guide is part of a larger research project on VET and innovation, 'VET applied research: driving VET's role in the innovation system'.
The present invention provides an integrated sheet, and their manufacturing method comprising the multi-layer sheet and a multilayer sheet with a base material is available under the environment in which the living body naena water adhesion. A layer (A) and soluble fiber (B) made of a polymer compound is laminated at least each one layer, the layer (A) at least one side is made of the poorly water-soluble polymer of the outermost layer made of a poorly water-soluble high molecular weight compound according to the invention is made of a multi-layer sheet is provided. Multi-layer sheet of the present invention is characterized in that the time required until the dissolving the poorly water-soluble polymers after the compound and water to the surface of the outermost layer (A) was dropped comprising the outermost layer and the other terminal minutes 10 seconds to 5 do.
SLUYS, R., 1992. Synopsis of the freshwater triclads of the Caribbean (Platyhelminthes, Tricladida, Paludicola). Studies Nat. Hist. Caribbean Region 71, Amsterdam, 1992: 1-23. An account is given of the five species of freshwater triclads which are known from the Caribbean region, including taxonomic descriptions, karyological, ecological, and biogeographic information, supplemented with remarks on observations of previous workers and comparisons with similar species. Records of unidentified specimens are summarized. Caribbean freshwater planarians belong to the genus Girardia; the phylogenetic relationships within this genus remain to be resolved. It is argued that present distributional patterns in Caribbean Girardia’s may be the result of vicariance caused by a changing geology.
In this thesis, the Sol-Air temperature distribution for the side-wall of a cylindrical cryogenic storage tank made of nonhomogenious composite layer was studied, in order to calculate the thermal load by Newton's cooling law, when the solar radiation was applied upon the sidewall. In the analysis, the atmospheric slab was assumed to be horizontal and infinitely large, and the Sol-Air temperature, which was found by the Net-Radiation method considering the longwave radiation with surroundings, was used for boundary condition. Energy equation and boundary conditions were normalized by the defined reference-temperature, and solved. The solutions were developed by the Fourier cosine series. Then, the Sol-Air temperature distribution for the side-wall of LNG storage tank was calculated.
Improving the scientific of general land use planning and Realize Sustainable Development of economy、social and environmental,Environmental assessment of general land use planning is inevitable requirement.Basic on the review of research progress of general land use planning,the paper prospects the development tendency.Research shows that,three faces must strengthen research:① Improving the evaluation system;② Using for reference the related evaluation method;③ Perfect the institution of environmental assessment.
Quasiparticle (QP) effects play a significant role in the coherence and fidelity of superconducting quantum circuits. The Andreev bound states of high transparency Josephson junctions can act as low-energy traps for QPs, providing a mechanism for studying the dynamics and properties of both the QPs and the junction. We study the trapping and clearing of QPs from the Andreev bound states of epitaxial Al-InAs Josephson junctions incorporated in a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) galvanically shorting a superconducting resonator to ground. We use a neighboring voltage-biased Josephson junction to inject QPs into the circuit. Upon the injection of QPs, we show that we can trap and clear QPs when the SQUID is flux-biased. We examine effects of the microwave loss associated with bulk QP transport in the resonator, QP-related dissipation in the junction, and QP poisoning events. By monitoring the QP trapping and clearing in time, we study the dynamics of these processes and find a time-scale of few microseconds that is consistent with electron-phonon relaxation in our system and correlated QP trapping and clearing mechanisms. Our results highlight the QP trapping and clearing dynamics as well as the associated time-scales in high transparency Josephson junctions based fabricated on Al-InAs heterostructures.
The theory of the on-line signature identification is introduced,and an on-line signature identification system is designed and implementationed in this paper。 This system has many advantages such as: the algorithm of this system is simple,small memo-ry is needed,can be implementationed in microcomputer,etc. This system is safer and more efficient than the traditional signature i-dentification system。
Propulsion power processor design options are described. The propulsion power processor generated the regulated dc voltages and currents from a solar array source of a solar electric propelled spacecraft. The power processor consisted of 12 power supplies that provide the regulated voltages and currents necessary to power a 30-cm mercury ion thruster. The design options for processing unregulated solar array power and for generating the regulated power required by each supply are studied. The technical approaches utilized in the developed design and the technological limitation of the identified design options are discussed. Alternate approaches for delivering power to a number of mercury ion thrusters and methods of optimizing are described. It was concluded that this power processor design should be considered for application in solar electric propulsion missions of the future.
The invention relates to an alpha-cyclodextrin-sorbic acid inclusion compound and a preparation method thereof. The inclusion compound contains alpha-cyclodextrin and sorbic acid according to an inclusion ratio of 1:1. The preparation method comprises the following steps: 1, feeding alpha-cyclodextrin and sorbic acid according to a molar ratio of 1:2.2, and respectively dissolving the alpha-cyclodextrin and sorbic acid in deionized water and anhydrous ethanol; 2, mixing and heating above two solutions, and carrying out ultrasonic treatment to realize complete reaction; and 3, placing the obtained reaction solution in a shady place, volatilizing a solvent in a natural state to obtain alpha-cyclodextrin-sorbic acid inclusion compound crystals. The hydrophobic cavity of cyclodextrin can include organic molecules, and the hydrophobic property of the outer cavity makes the generated inclusion compound dissolved in water in order to change the relevant properties of the organic molecules. Sorbic acid is a fat-soluble food antibacterial agent, and difficultly plays a role in a water phase. The hydrophobic chain of the sorbic acid is included in the inner cavity of cyclodextrin in order to form the stable inclusion compound, so the water solubility is improved, and a novel food antibacterial agent with good performances is developed.
Corrosion behaviors of 20G steel was researched through autoclave experiment in high Cl-glycol solution.Doing component analysis to corrosion film using EDS and XPS,the research results indicated that,a thinner inaction film of 20G steel which dominant component is Fe2O3,FeOOH was made.Passive film was formed by forming a cation layer as the oxide film pre-dissolved in solution under the action of the water.In block area,when the dissolved current density was more than mass transfer velocity of dissolved result from in the hole to out the hole,corrosive strengthen.
Advances in networking and information technologies are transforming factory-floor communication systems into a mainstream activity within industrial automation. It is now recognized that future industrial computer systems will be intimately tied to real-time computing and to communication technologies. For this vision to succeed, complex heterogeneous factory-floor communication networks (including mobile/wireless components) need to function in a predictable, flawless, efficient and interoperable way. In this paper we re-visit the issue of supporting real-time communications in hybrid wired/wireless fieldbus-based networks, bringing into it some experimental results obtained in the framework of the RFieldbus ISEP pilot [5]. 1. A hybrid wired/wireless fieldbus 1.1 Basics on a hybrid wired/wireless architecture A traditional fieldbus network consists of several nodes physically connected through a wired bus. Therefore, and due to market penetration, thinking about wireless means considering hybrid wired/wireless solutions able to inter-operate with legacy (wired) systems. We assume hybrid wired/wireless network topologies such as the one depicted in Figure 1, where PROFIBUS is considered as the federating system [1].
The effect of harringtonine on DNA polymerase a from Ehrlich ascites cells andL_(1210)tumor cells was studied.The activity of DNA polymerase a of both tumor cellswas found to be inhibited by harringtonine and the degree of inhibition of the en-zyme was related to the conoentration of the drug.The experimental results obtainedfrom preincubation of the drug with DNA template and with the enzyme separatelysuggested that the inhibitory action of harringtenine appears to be on the enzymemoleoules rather than the DNA template.In addition,when the template or enzymewas present in excess,the inhibitory effect of the drug was decreased.These dataahowed that harrtngtonine may be a competitive inhibitor of DNA polymerase a.
In a rapidly globalizing economy, many communities are stranded in unemployment or work without meaning. This thesis asks the question: can local communities create economic development with fulfilling work? The experience of the author in African development projects is used to pose questions about modernist approaches to development. The alternative approaches to work and human development by Fritz Schumacher, Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers are melded with the political insight of Robert Putnam, to suggest that the answer to the above question can be positive. Their theories are distilled into an approach called Local Enterprise Facilitation, which is based on four principles:  1. Only work with individuals or communities that invite you.  2. Do not motivate individuals to do anything they do not wish to do.  3. Trust that they are naturally drawn towards self-improvement.  4. Have faith in community and the higher social needs that bond it together.    The author's experience of twenty years in applying and developing this approach is traced from its origins in rural Western Australia, through other parts of Australia and New Zealand to its extensive application in North America. The experience has created a methodology for successful Local Enterprise Facilitation based around a community Board that can provide the necessary support for networks for new enterprises. In particular the methodology uses a 'Trinity of Management' approach whereby the separate skills of production/enterprise, financial accounting and marketing are facilitated as no individual can do more than one of these skills successfully.    The Local Enterprise Facilitation philosophy has many implications and some of these are suggested in terms of planning, education, bureaucracy, and conservation. Whilst an evaluation of the businesses created can only be done in the long term, Local Enterprise Facilitation has opened up some hope for communities seeking to create good work.
FIELD: polymer production. SUBSTANCE: polyoxyalkylene-polyols are obtained via direct polyoxyalkylenation of acid-sensitive low-molecular initiator with molecular weight below 400 Da in presence of double complex metal cyanide catalyst. Process comprises: (i) creation of appropriate conditions in reactor of polyoxyalkylenation in presence of double complex metal cyanide catalyst; (ii) continuously feeding into reactor alkylene oxide and above-mentioned initiator; and (iii) discharging polyether product. Loss of catalyst activity is reduced by performing at least one of the following operations: acidification of acid-sensitive low-molecular initiator before feeding it into reactor; and treatment of the same with effective amount of a substance other than acid, which reacts with base or absorbs base, before feeding it into reactor. EFFECT: prevented catalyst from loosing its activity and essentially decreased high-molecular fraction and polydispersity of polyoxyalkylene-polyols. 21 cl, 2 dwg, 2 tbl, 3 ex
This paper discusses a variety of legal and economic countermeasures to control environmental problems caused by car traffic and other road traffic. Special attention is devoted to regulations concerning: (1) improvement of motor vehicle design; (2) type of vehicle used or sold; (3) operation of motor vehicles. Countermeasures can be classified into: (1) physical measures that are accompanied by certain construction procedures; (2) legal measures, including emission standards and traffic controls; (3) motivational measures, such as subsidies and campaigns, that offer incentives to improve problems and situations. The basic countermeasures against air pollution and acid rain are national vehicle design regulations. In huge conurbations, local regulations are also needed. Various types of low-emission vehicles can also be used. There is a wide range of legal countermeasures against vehicle noise, but the only legal measure against motor vehicle vibration is traffic control. Global warming can be reduced by improving fuel efficiency or by using electric vehicles. Types of traffic control include restrictions on: (1) traffic flow into city centres and residential zones; (2) drive routes; (3) driving lanes; (4) parking places; and (5) maximum speeds. Economic measures include: (1) taxes on vehicles and fuels; (2) pricing schemes; and (3) subsidies.
3D coal seam modeling and visualization are the two key parts of digital mining system.In this paper,a dynamic modeling method based on virtual 3D irregular hexahedron grid is presented by researching on the features of seam structure and the original data produced through boreholes interpolation and geophysical prospecting.The model can be used to express the geological structure of coal seam effectively and economically.The authors summed up 5 different types of hexahedron that can represent all different situations in real coal seam.Based on the position of valid points in a hexahedron and the location of a grid data block in the coal seam,an iterating algorithm using hexahedron cell is proposed,which dynamically fetch the 3D grid data from database only once in every real-time rendering.Each face of hexahedron cell is divided into seamless triangles in different approach according to the location of valid points.It is concluded in this paper that the model successfully combines the advantage of easy rendering by triangles and high accessibility of grid data;and the algorithm can efficiently solve the problem of model reconstruction caused by database update with less redundancy.
This paper focuses on the indexing strategy for Chinese Information Retrieval(IR).The improved bigram indexing strategy is put forward by adding semantic information into bigram.2-Possion Model,the classical probabilistic retrieval model,is used as retrieval model.The effectiveness of the new approach is evaluated on TREC Mandarin corpus.Experimental results show that the improved bigram indexing strategy achieves better than the traditional indexing unite,i.e.character,word and bigram,by the measurement of average precision and R-precision.
The Practice Profitability Index (PPI) provides an annual window into the issues affecting the financial and operational health of physician practices across the US. Reflecting input from more than 5,000 physicians, this third edition reveals how physicians expect practice profitability to trend in the year ahead, the top challenges they’re facing, and the key steps they're taking to shore up operations and boost financial results.
Background: Following a growing global competition, complexity, flexibility and product variability of manufacturing systems are increasing. This has led to improvement projects becoming more difficult to carry out. Discrete event simulation (DES) has in literature been identified as having the capability to solve these challenges, but as complexity of a manufacturing system increases so does also the complexity of the DES project. At the same time, the increased dynamic of manufacturing systems requires quicker analysis of improvement projects. This leads to a situation of DES projects having to be carried out on more complex system with shorter project lead time than before.    Purpose: Given the stated situation of having to run more complex DES projects even faster than before, this study aimed to:  1. get an understanding of the process used for working with DES projects,  2. understand what underlying steps have the potential to be facilitated and  3. make an attempt to facilitate working with these with the aim of reducing project lead time.    Methodology: In order to achieve stated purpose a literature study was carried out, resulting in a general framework aimed at facilitating the first steps of the DES project process. The framework was then tested and evaluated in a single case study and developed further into a final version.    Conclusion: Following the literature study it was concluded that the five first steps of the DES project process were the most general and had the most potential to be facilitated by a general framework. The final version of the framework consisted of a three step method;  1. System description  2. Visualisation and data collection  3. Model translation    Keywords: Discrete event simulation, facilitation of the DES project process, DES framework, simulation of complex manufacturing systems, reducing simulation project lead time
In this paper we propose an iterative method to solve an optimal control problem, with fuzzy target and constraints. The algorithm is developed in such a way as to satisfy the target function and the constraints. The algorithm can be applied only if a method exists to solve a crisp parametric sub-problem obtained by the original one. This is the case for a quadratic-linear target function with linear constraints, for which some well established solvable methods exist for the crisp associated sub-problem. A numerical test confirmed the good convergence properties.
Visual instruction tuning is an essential approach to improving the zero-shot generalization capability of Multi-modal Large Language Models (MLLMs). A surge of visual instruction datasets with various focuses and characteristics have been proposed recently, enabling MLLMs to achieve surprising results on evaluation benchmarks. To develop more capable MLLMs, in this paper, we aim to investigate a more fundamental question: ``what makes for good visual instructions?''. By conducting a comprehensive empirical study, we find that instructions focused on complex visual reasoning tasks are particularly effective in improving the performance of MLLMs on evaluation benchmarks. Building upon this finding, we design a systematic approach to automatically creating high-quality complex visual reasoning instructions. Our approach employs a synthesis-complication-reformulation paradigm, leveraging multiple stages to gradually increase the complexity of the instructions while guaranteeing quality. Based on this approach, we create the synthetic visual reasoning instruction dataset consisting of 32K examples, namely ComVint, and fine-tune four MLLMs on it. Experimental results demonstrate that our dataset consistently enhances the performance of all the compared MLLMs, e.g., improving the performance of MiniGPT-4 and BLIP-2 on MME-Cognition by 32.6% and 28.8%, respectively. Our code and data are publicly available at the link: https://github.com/RUCAIBox/ComVint.
A gas-chromatography procedure, using methyl margarate as an internal standard, has been applied to the quantitative determination of unsaturated tall oil fatty acids. Such an internal standard is neeessary for aceu~ rate analyses, especially if components of the unknown are present which are not sufficiently volatile to be measured in the chromatograph. The acids are converted to methyl esters before being chromatographed. The preparation of reliable standards, methods of esterification, accuracy obtained on prepared standards using both the> mal conductivity and beta-ray ionization detectors, amt analyses of tall oil samples, are discussed.
Magnetic memory signal of incomplete penetration defects and those without defects of butt weld steel specimens are analyzed under tensile and bending loads. The results show that there are some correlationship between the normal magnetic field and the stress. Magnetic field intensity strengthen will increase as the tensile stress increase, and decrease as the compressive stress increase. The magnetic memory curve appear peak value or across the area of stress concentration. The curve has an abrupt change when the specimens arrive at the plastic stage, and the magnetic field intensity moment of abruptly change can be used to judge the critical state of specimens. The maximum gradient can be used to reflect the degree of stress concentration of weld incomplete penetration.
Non-rigid objects are typically complex and difficult to track due to the appearance change caused by geometric changes. In this paper, we model the appearance of non-rigid objects by discriminative features which are adaptively selected according to their descriptive ability. To adapt to the geometric changes, we use a deformable rectangle to represent the object, and use Markov Chain Monte Carlo-based Particle Filter (MCMCPF) to estimate the state of the object in a restricted four-dimensional space. Experimental results show that the proposed tracking algorithm has ideal performance.
This paper considers the stability of linear systems having an interval time-varying delay using a switched system approach. The time-delay system is converted to the switched system equivalently, and then a stability criterion in the form of linear matrix inequality(LMI) is derived by using a parameter dependent Lyapunov-Krosovskii function(PD-LKF). In constructing a PD-LKF, the decomposition is employed for delay free intervals, and the reduction of conservatism is shown analytically as the number of decomposition increases. Finally, two well-known numerical examples are given to show the reduction of conservatism compared to the recent results.
There is no standard yet for measuring and controlling the costs associated with implementing cybersecurity programs. To advance research and practice towards this end, we develop a mapping using the well-known concept of quality costs and the Framework Core within the Cybersecurity Framework produced by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in response to the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. This mapping can be easily adopted by organizations that are already using the NIST CSF for cybersecurity risk management to plan, manage, and continually improve cybersecurity operations. If an organization is not using the NIST CSF, this mapping may still be useful for linking elements in accounting systems that are associated with cybersecurity operations and risk management to a quality cost model.
The study objective is to explore the basic knowledge on Chinese medicine among the local residents of Guangzhou.The cluster sampling method of field epidemiology was used in the survey.And the outcome indicated: 1.55.34% of the rrespondents hoped to learn Chinese medicine through TV feature programmers on health.2.More than 50% of the respondents hoped to understand the meridian theory in Chinese medicine.3.73.63% of the respondents hoped learned new therapies of Chinese medicine.4.55.70% of the respondents thought Chinese medicine was difficult to understand.5.55.70% of the respondents thought Chinese medicine had good scientific basis.In conclusion,the survey revealed that Chinese medicine can be popular among local residents only if they had a systematic understanding of the field.Thus it is important to enhance the knowledge dissemination among the people.
The perceptions of teachers are hugely influential during times of change. With the advent of Technology in the New Zealand Curriculum will the perceptions of the teachers be accurate and useful or inaccurate and harmful. A case study of one Secondary School in a rural North Island town. The school has made some changes towards implementing technology but still considers that it has further progress to make. Through discussions with teachers, I consider the areas of Programmes of work, teacher change, teacher professional development, resources and resource development, assessment, building and facility development and future changes and possibilities.
Field studies have been carried out to determine the bryoflora of the Kackar Mts in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. Nearly 1500 bryophyte specimens were collected from diverse localities in this mountain range. After identification of these specimens, 255 taxa (203 mosses and 52 liverworts) with specific and subspecific rank, belonging to 125 genera and 58 families, are presented here. Among them, eight mosses were new records for A4 grid square, which was adopted by Henderson. Furthermore, the list of taxa was compared with the Red Data Lists of European Bryophytes. Apparently, three taxa - Jubula hutchinsiae subsp. javanica, Scapania verrucosa and Schistidium trichodon - are threatened in Europe.
Christian Goldbach (March 18, 1690 – November 20, 1764) was a German mathematician. He is remembered today for Goldbach's conjecture. Goldbach's conjecture is one of the oldest and best-known unsolved problems in number theory and all of mathematics. It states: Every even integer greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two primes. On 7 June 1742, the German mathematician Christian Goldbach wrote a letter to Leonhard Euler (letter XLIII) in which he proposed the following conjecture: Every even integer which is ≥ 4 can be written as the sum of two primes (the strong conjecture) He then proposed a second conjecture in the margin of his letter: Every odd integer greater than 5 can be written as the sum of three primes (the weak conjecture). In number theory, Goldbach's weak conjecture, also known as the ternary Goldbach problem, states that every odd number greater than 5 can be expressed as the sum of three primes. (A prime may be used more than once in the same sum). In 2013, Harald Helfgott finally proved Goldbach's weak conjecture, a huge contribution to mathematics and number theory. The “strong” conjecture has been shown to hold up through 4 × 1018, but remains unproven for almost 300 years despite considerable effort by many mathematicians throughout history. The author would like to give many thanks to Harald Helfgott for his proof of the weak conjecture, because this elementary proof of the strong conjecture is completely dependent on Helfgott’s proof. Without Helfgott’s proof, this elementary proof would not be possible.
The coagulative system has an important role on haemodialysis and on atherosclerosis genesis; in particular the platelets are key elements of the coagulation and of atherosclerosis phenomena. Alterations of the coagulative system and increase risk of developing atherosclerosis are reported in the aging. We in this paper, report the results obtained studying the influence of the interaction between the elderly and dyslipidemia on the coagulative system in haemodialyzed patients. The obtained data showed that the hypertriglyceridaemia in interaction with the elderly accelerates and increases platelet aggregation after stimulation by ADP, Epinephrine and Collagen. So, it is important to consider hypertriglyceridaemia and age as thrombogenic factors and atherosclerosis accelerating factors in haemodialyzed patients.
Sheet resistance measurements were performed on four different barrier schemes, to test the thermal stability of parylene and TiN as barrier layers for copper metallization. The samples used in this study, were stacked Cu/TiN/parylene/Si structures annealed at 200C for 2 hours. The samples had two different thicknesses of TiN (110nm and 220nm), two different thicknesses of parylene (650nm and 1050nm) with 500nm of copper on them. Results show that the thick TiN had no significant change in sheet resistance whereas the thin TiN samples showed instable values of sheet resistance. Scannning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the surface morphology.
To investigate the mechanism of action of colchicine in blocking amyloid deposition, two model systems of amyloidosis in CBA/J mice were studied. In experimental chronic inflammation, daily injection of silver nitrate (AgNO3) resulted in the deposition of 667 +/- 68 ng of amyloid A protein (AA)/mg of spleen after 25 days. Treatment with 10 micrograms of colchicine daily decreased AgNO3-induced AA deposition to 12 +/- 1 ng of AA/mg of spleen (p less than 0.001). Colchicine diminished the acute phase serum amyloid A protein (SAA) response after 24 hours. Over a 25-day period, SAA concentrations declined and approached baseline both in colchicine-treated and (unexpectedly) in control mice. This suggested that suppression of SAA levels was not the primary event inhibiting amyloid deposition. In a model of accelerated amyloid deposition, injection of preformed amyloid-enhancing factor along with AgNO3 induced the deposition of 974 +/- 46 ng of AA/mg of spleen 48 hours later. Colchicine only partially decreased amyloid-enhancing factor-induced amyloid deposition to 578 +/- 91 ng of AA/mg of spleen, while blunting the acute phase SAA response. These results suggest that colchicine inhibits amyloidosis in the predeposition phase, possibly by blocking formation of amyloid-enhancing factor.
From the North down to the south of Portugal, in the ruins of ancient monuments and of abandoned villages, as well as in certain rocks, dolmens, grottos, water springs, wells and even rivers we find the shelters to an enchanted Moira, a fantastic creature that was entrusted of a treasure. This creature, a she, waits for someone to disenchant her. Sometimes this creature appears to humans under the shape of a woman and others under that of an animal (a goat or a serpent). She can also show herself as a woman in the torso and as a snake from the waist down, simultaneously. It usually shows by the Saint John’s festivities, combing her golden hair in the sun. It weaves in golden looms and offers figs, gall-nuts or coal, which will later on turn into gold. In order to break the enchantment she is under, she asks for bread and milk to the shepherdesses. As far as the shepherds are concerned she will ask them to allow themselves to be kissed by her while under a serpent’s shape. These mythological narratives are inherited from the collective memoir and constantly recreated by those who reckon them. The former play a significant role in the community’s sense of identity. They are an outcome of the questioning on life and death matters, that is to say about fecundity and fertility. These narratives of the oral tradition resound divinities and myths namely Greeks and Roman ones, and of German and Indian origins. They establish relations of analogy with other supernatural beings and also with divinities from other countries heirs, as well as Portugal, of an Indo-European patrimony. «A independencia da Biscaia», «A dama do pe de cabra» and «A dama marinha» as well as other narratives of Melusinian type, show the coupling of a human being with a supernatural one, based on an interdiction. Bridging these narratives to the oral ones of enchanted Moiras allows to uncover the reports that are weaved between them.
The east flank, depicting Palladian window motif at the center of the bridge; Hertford Bridge in New College Lane, Oxford, England is often referred to as the "Bridge of Sighs" because of its supposed similarity to the famous bridge of the same name in Venice. However, Hertford Bridge was never intended to be a replica of the Venetian bridge, and indeed it bears a closer resemblance to the Rialto Bridge in the same city. The bridge links together the Old and New Quadrangles of Hertford College. The bridge, and much of its current architecture, was designed by Sir Thomas Jackson. It was completed in 1914. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 7/15/2008)
The recent literature on unified growth theory has shed new light on the transition to sustained economic growth. Nevertheless, unified growth theory has not devoted a lot of attention to the nature of economic growth and its impact in the transition from Malthus to Solow. This research presents new evidence on the existence of pre-industrial growth spurts and provides new foundations concerning the nature of economic growth during the Malthus to Solow transition. Following previous research in unified growth theory, sustained economic growth arises due to complementarities between the triple engines of growth of technological development, human capital and the organization of the workplace. In this research, growth spurts are an intrinsic feature of the economy, but throughout history their effect on standards of living is mostly temporary. The rise in living standards only becomes sustained when the complementarity of the triple engines of growth emerges. In Malthusian economies, most technologies were basic and only require straightforward knowledge or human capital, and thus the skill-technology complementarity did not play a role in their development. As a consequence, most technological developments in Malthusian economies generated growth spurts that did not become sustained, although there was a temporary increase in standards of living. However, the increasing complexity of the epistemic knowledge base reported by the historical literature meant that investments in applied technology were progressively more significant, enhancing the role of human capital. After a certain threshold of the knowledge base was surpassed, more and more complex applied technologies were developed, and growth spurts became permanent features of the economy. This research thus captures some of the most important historical features concerning the nature of growth in the transition to sustained economic growth.
Detection of messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) spots in fluorescence microscopy images is of great importance for biologists to better understand cell function. Fluorescence microscopy and specific staining methods make biological molecules appear as bright spots in image data. Manual analysis of such data is both time consuming and laborious and can lead to errors. In this study we compare several computer-based methods for detection of spots in fluorescence microscopy images. The algorithms under comparison are, Isotropic Undecimated Wavelet Transform, Feature Point Detection, H-Dome transformation and Laplacian of Gaussian. The performance of the algorithms is validated using synthetic and real image data. The synthetic images were corrupted by Gaussian noise of different levels and the real images were obtained using fluorescence microscopy. Algorithm performance is compared based on detection accuracy.
Opt i ca l r e f l e c t i o n po la r imet ry i s now a v a i l a b l e f o r 100 minor p lane ts (1 , 2 To date the r e s u l t s have been i n te rp re ted almost exc lus i ve l y w i t h reference t o labora to ry measurements which were confined t o lunar and t e r res t r i a l samples (3, 4, 5) and o f a p rec i s i on genera l l y i n f e r i o r t o t h a t o f the astronomical data. We have begun a new labora to ry program o f r e f l e c t i o n po la r imet ry o f se lected m e t e o r i t i c samples cover ing a l l the known k inds o f stony meteor i tes. The measurements a re made w i t h a photon no ise l e v e l o f + 0.03% po la r i za t i on , w i t h ins t rumentat ion demonstrably f r e e o f systematic e r r o r a t the + 0.01% l e v e l .
MCF-7 cell growth is normally dependent upon estrogen, but if cells are maintained in serum-free medium estrogen inhibits cell growth with an IC50 of about 1 nM. Cells adapted to serum-free medium have approximately the same levels of estrogen receptor mRNA as control cells that are stimulated by estrogen. We have identified two serum components, one estrogen dependent and one not, that appear to be responsible for the inhibition of growth by estrogen. Our observations are consistent with the presence of a plasma membrane receptor which negatively regulates MCF-7 cell growth, and that can be inhibited by a serum protein that binds estrogen.
Using n-propylamine as a template, a new two-dimensional aluminophosphate Al   3  P   4  O   16  ·3CH   3  CH   2  CH   2  NH   3  , 1 [space group P2   1  /n (no. 14), a=11.310(1) A, b=14.854(1) A, c=14.796(1) A, β=93.64(1)°, Z=4] is synthesised in an alcoholic system and the structure is solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The structure consists of tetrahedral AlO   4   and PO   3  (=O) which are linked alternatively to form macroanionic layers parallel to the (10) plane. The organic cations (C   3  H   7  NH   3     +  ) are located in the interlayer regions and are connected to the oxgens of the layers by hydrogen bonding.The 2-D nets of compound 1 are constructed from 4.6.8-nets which resemble the 2-D nets (4.6.8)   1  (6.8.8)   1   in microporous AlPO   4  -21.
This Paper examines the structural basis of the concept of time underlying the thinking of historical sciences. Its point of departure is formed by some curious properties of historiography pointed out by Levi-Strauss which elude a justification in terms of scientific rationality. The analysis of these phenomenons in relation with similar problems in ethnology carried our by Levi-Strauss suggests the operation of a mythological dimension in historical thinking consisting of a primordial dynamic which intervenes in the process of assimilating the unknown in historiography and ethnology.
3650 Background: Fatty Acid Synthase (FASN) overexpression, highest in androgen-independent bone metastatic disease, confers a metabolic growth advantage to prostate cancer. Recently Orlistat has been co-crystallized with the FASN thioesterase domain while it exerts a significant anti-tumor activity. Furthermore, additional drugs targeting FASN activity are on the clinical horizon. Thus, objective quantitative analysis of FASN expression in tissues utilizing robust scoring methodologies may have significant clinical implications. Design: We performed immunohistochemistry for FASN on a large (n=314 men) well-annotated prostate tissue database arrayed in tissue microarray (TMA) format, with median follow-up of 10 years. The expression levels of FASN were scored semi-quantitatively for Intensity (I) and Quantity (Q) by 2 pathologists, using TMA-J software and a variety of scoring permutations were generated. In parallel, the same regions of interest were analyzed using an automated imaging system. Results: High FASN scores were associated with a more aggressive disease at surgery, including high pre-surgery PSA, Gleason ≥ 7, high T and N (p 0.65, p
Poster ____________________________________________________________ Massive growth of cyanobacteria, known as "algal blooms", have become a major concern for water monitoring. Besides their negative effect on turbidity, taste and smell, cyanobacteria are associated with severe toxin production. However, the reasons for formation of cyanobacterial blooms are still not completely understood. It has been observed that certain patterns of P, N, and Fe-availability promote their increased proliferation and toxin production. In order to investigate bloom forming environmental conditions two cyanobacterial reporter strains under control of nutrient responsive genetic elements have been constructed. M1415 is a phosphorus responsive strain of Synechococcus PCC 7942. Its genomic DNA harbors the gene coding the reporter protein luciferase from Vibrio harveyi under control of the inducible alkaline phosphatase promoter from Synechococcus PCC 7942, and it can be induced under phosphorus limitation [1]. NblA_2000 is the nitrogen responsive strain of Synechocystis PCC 6803 harboring an insertion of luxAB::km within nblA1 in its chromosomal DNA, and can be induced under nitrogen limitation. M1415 and NblA_2000 are able to detect phosphorus and nitrogen bioavailability, respectively, in physiological and ecological relevant concentration range. To increase the practicality of the concept, luminescent sensor strains were immobilized using agar as the matrix and packaged into an easy-touse biosensor format.
E-Government services make government operations and processes more transparent and more effective for citizens and businesses. They also provide a variety of benefits for the community at large such as reducing services` time and connecting businesses and citizens to government information at anytime. However, the use of e-Government services depends on the citizens’ readiness and attitudes towards these services. This paper identifies the degree of the citizens’ readiness for e-Government services in Tanzania. The factors which influence the citizens’ readiness for e-Government services were identified. The primary data were collected using questionnaires. Then the data were processed and analyzed using the SPSS. The results show that the majority of citizens are not yet ready to adopt e-Government services, mostly because of the anticipated security threats. More time and efforts are needed to create an enabling environment for citizens’ readiness to adopt e-Government services in Tanzania. The paper proposes the activities to this effect.
Pleuropulmonary blastoma (PPB) typically presents in young children, most younger than 5 years, as dysontogenetic neoplasm. It has poor prognosis with three different subtypes: cystic (type I), combined cystic and solid (type II) and solid (type III). Our patient was admitted with dyspnea and was diagnosed at 23 years of age. He was evaluated with bronchoscopic guided biopsy and diagnosed as PPB by histopathology and IHC. Immunohistochemical studies showed vimentin positive. Complete resection is proposed to be one of the important prognostic factors in literature.
Lothar von Trothas ‘Words to the Ovaherero people’ – often referred to as the ‘extermination order’ (Vernichtungsbefehl), ‘firing order’ (Schiesbefehl) or ‘genocide order’ (Genozidbefehl) are crucial in the documentation of the Herero genocide. Formulated on October 1 in 1904 by von Trotha and read to the assembled troops at Osombo-Windembe the following day, they were kept out of the public domain for almost a year. The edict was not printed, mentioned or referred to in the newspapers in South West Africa in 1904 or in the Kaiserreich. When von Trothas “Words to the Ovaherero people” finally became public knowledge in August 1905 the social democratic “Vorwarts” was horrified and sharply condemned it in a series of articles entitled ‘Away with Trotha!’, ‘The German ignominy in South West Africa’ and ‘To court-martial with Trotha!’.
In planning the noise protection strategies in industrial buildings, the main component is calculating the noise field energy parameters. Efficiency of noise protection depends on the degree of objectivity of a mathematical model, describing the sound energy distribution over a room with different volume and planning and acoustic parameters on the basis of the real conditions of the noise field foundation. In this article an automatic estimate program for a noise condition when planning the noise protection strategies, is presented. Calculation of noise levels in a room is made by the statistical energy methods.
Thank you for downloading the moon is not enough. Maybe you have knowledge that, people have search numerous times for their chosen readings like this the moon is not enough, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some harmful bugs inside their laptop. the moon is not enough is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our book servers saves in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the the moon is not enough is universally compatible with any devices to read.
Tissue banking provides safe and effective cells and tissues for transplantation in reconstruction surgery. Bone, amnion, skin, cartilage, heart valves and xenograft tissues are the most commonly used biological tissues. Acquisition of tissue is dependent on elaborate donor screening criteria based on medical and social history, physical examination, serology and microbiology. Processing of tissues involves washing, freeze-drying, cryo-preservation, pasteurisation, packaging and radiation sterilisation. Social, religious and ethical issues rather than medico-technical problems play major role in the acceptance of the practice by diverse societies. It is recommended that there should be a collaboration among the Gamma Irradiation Facility at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, the Reconstruction and Plastic Surgery Units and the Orthopaedic Departments of the major national hospit-als in establishing a tissue bank in Ghana. Journal of Applied Science and Technology (JAST) , Vol. 5, Nos. 1 & 2, 2000, pp. 50 - 55
In this paper we are interested in the existence and uniqueness of solutions for the Navier problem associated to the degenerate nonlinear elliptic equations  begin {equation*}  Delta (v(x) , vert  Delta u vert ^{q-2} Delta u) - sum _{j=1}^n D_j bigl [ omega (x) { cal A}_j(x, u, { nabla }u) bigr ] = f_0(x) -  sum _{j=1}^nD_jf_j(x),  text { in } Omega  end {equation*} in the setting of the weighted Sobolev spaces.
When chromatin matrix, "stripped" from its loosely-bound components by extraction with 3 M NaCl, is extensively digested with DNAase I, a fraction is obtained, which carries no endogenous DNA methyltransferase activity but which is a good substrate for externally added enzyme. Under the same conditions, protein-free DNA isolated from this fraction can instead hardly be methylated, this different behaviour pointing to a role of DNA-tightly-bound proteins in favoring or promoting the catalytic action of the enzyme. A similar stimulation of enzymatic methylation could also be shown when, in the presence of this same fraction, single stranded Micrococcus luteus DNA was incubated with placental methyltransferase, using S-adenosylmethionine as a methyl donor. This finding can be correlated to the existence, in chromatin loops, of small regions which resist digestion by DNAase I also after high-salt removal of their loosely-bound components (presumably because of the presence of tightly-bound proteins) and whose DNA is characterized by high methylation levels and, at the same time, by high relative content of thymine.
Thanks to a superior resolution and contrast, MRI allows recognizing the post therapeutic modifications of female pelvis, often very subtle and nonvisible by the other imaging modalities. The main surgical or medical therapies in the female pelvis will be described as well as the normal post therapeutic anatomical aspects. The main complications and failures will be mentioned and informed. Finally the keys that will allow to understand these complications and failures will be boarded.
A mobile Operating system is an OS for hand held devices or mobiles. Smart phones in today’s World are found to be based on different Operating systems. For ex., Nokia’s Symbian OS, Apple’s IOS, RIM’s BlackBerry OS, Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, Google’s Android, Samsung’s Bada OS, etc., Android has large number of developers writing applications (“apps”) that extend the functionality of the devices. As of March 2012 there were more than 725,000 apps available for Android. In this paper we are presenting an image enhancement technique to enhance image on android phones. The terms Server and Server side programming are very commonly used. Generally speaking, a server is an application hosted on a machine and provides some services to other applications (clients) requesting the services. In our application PHP is used at the server side which performs the task of image enhancement. Here the android mobile acts as a Client which is used to capture the image and send it to the PHP server for processing. After processing the image is sent back to the mobile (client). This app can be can be used in the areas such as traffic analysis, medical image analysis, satellite and defence applications, where images captured are required to be enhanced to have a better view. Three different image enhancement algorithms such as Histogram equalization, Brightness Preserving Bi Histogram Equalization (BBHE), Average luminance with weighted histogram equalization (ALWHE) are used for enhancement.
FIELD: vacuum deposition of metal and dielectric coatings. SUBSTANCE: device can be used for making items having coatings made of metals, glass, polymer films and fabrics. Anode of device has gas distribution system, which provides uniform supply of working gas along total surface of cathode to be sputtered; anode is under positive potential. Cathode has cooling system and cathode-target to be sputtered, which target-cathode is disposed between poles of magnetic system. Magnetic system has set of magnets with pole tips disposed onto water-cooled magnetic circuit made of soft magnetic steel. Set of magnets is under floating potential. Factor of usage of target material is equal to 60-70%. EFFECT: high uniformity of coating; minimized thermal load onto substrates. 4 cl, 3 dwg
In the long code CDMA communication system,due to the use of time varying spread code in the multi-path,the channel estimation is more difficult,but the design of the multi-user detectors usually needs to be based on the knowledge of the channel.This paper constructed a long code CDMA communication model and a multi-path frequency-selective fading channel FIR filter model by the channel estimation of LC _ CDMA.Based on the model,this paper proposed a channel estimation algorithm by linear neural networks for noise subspace and analyzed the algorithm performance by a computer simulation.To multi-user detection,this paper also proposed a multi-user detector for long code CDMA based on the channel estimation.
BACKGROUND AIM:To investigate the expression of fragile histidine triad(FHIT)and p16 in non-small cell lung cancers(NSCLCs)and their relationships with clinicopathological factors.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Eighty cases of NSCLCs were examined for expression of FHIT and p16 by immunohistochemical SP method.RESULTS:54(67.5%)and 63(78.75%)of 80 patients revealed loss of or markedly reduced protein expression of FHIT and p16,respectively.Aberrant expression of FHIT was noted in most squamous(25 out of 55)and in a small fraction of adenocarcinomas(3 out of 23;P0.01),and more frequently in male patients than female patients.Notably,loss of p16 expression was associated with lymph node metastasis.CONCLUSION:Our results suggested that abnormal expressions of FHIT and p16 gene might occur early and play important roles in lung tumorigenesis and correlate with its prognosis.However,further studies are needed to confirm the influence of FHIT and p16 in the biologic behavior of the tumor.
An effective real-time soft shadow algorithm is presented.First,the shadow map from the light view is generated.Then the scene is rendered into a screen buffer texture rather than the real screen.Next,the percentage closer filtering (PCF) is used to remove the aliasing on the edge of shadow.Finally,the Gaussian filter is used to blur the screen.The results indicate that the algorithm not only produces a good soft shadow,but also has real-time effect for dynamic scenes.
Information on antimicrobial sensitivity pattern of Neisseria gonorrhea among commercial sex workers in worldwide many cities have already been reported but are yet to be investigated in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh. This study aimed to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile in N. gonorrhea among hotel-based sex workers in this city. N. gonorrhea strain was isolated from endocervical swab specimen from sex workers and identified by biochemical analysis. In vitro susceptibility test of gonorrhea isolates was performed by disk diffusion method with traditional and widely used antimicrobials, e.g. penicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, ceftriaxone and cefixime. Sex workers' mean age ranged 20-30 years having either hidden or obvious gonococcal infection. All isolated N. gonorrhea strains were highly or intermediately resistant against tetracycline, penicillin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone. High-level resistance was found in three isolates against tetracycline, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin. Eythromycin was resistant against three isolates but was highly active against one isolate. Only cefixime was potentially active against all isolates indicating that cefixime is currently the choice of drug for gonorrhea treatment. However, tested antibiotics exhibited a case-specific effectiveness on gonorrhea isolates. Obtained drug resistance pattern varied on the case of individual, some other factors associated with lifestyle of individual and geographic location. Multi-drug resistant N. gonorrhea was in alerting level that bears a risk of transmission of STD to general public. The need of surveillance and counseling to sex workers, prevention and control of infection should be undertaken seriously otherwise it would cause a devastating epidemic in near future.
Boosted decision trees enjoy popularity in a variety of applications; however, for large-scale datasets, the cost of training a decision tree in each round can be prohibitively expensive. Inspired by ideas from the multi-arm bandit literature, we develop a highly efficient algorithm for computing exact greedy-optimal decision trees, outperforming the state-of-the-art Quick Boost method. We further develop a framework for deriving lower bounds on the problem that applies to a wide family of conceivable algorithms for the task (including our algorithm and Quick Boost), and we demonstrate empirically on a wide variety of data sets that our algorithm is near-optimal within this family of algorithms. We also derive a lower bound applicable to any algorithm solving the task, and we demonstrate that our algorithm empirically achieves performance close to this best-achievable lower bound.
Production planning of lot sizing problems was an important subject almost half a century ago, and still is studied extensively recently. In this manuscript, we formulate the problem and clarify a condition related and introduce its application. 2009年 11月 27日受付 江戸川大学 情報文化学科准教授 数理計画 For single item lot sizing models, complete linear description of polyhedra have been known by introducing cutting planes or variables. Recently the linear description also has been solved even when demands are violated by backlogging ([1]). Efficient algorithms also be developed to solving them, especially when lot sizing models are single item and uncapacitated, or constant capacity and discrete. On the other side, many problems are remained, one extreme is if capacities of lot sizing model are time vary, it is NP-hard. And when there are more than two items, especially some components can be produced only others have been finished, we can only solve these production planning problems case by case. In next section, we define notations and give the formulation of lot sizing problems. Section 3 clarifies a condition related to backlogging and Section 4 its application in formulating lot sizing model. Finally we show an example using branch-and-bound algorithm. 2. Definitions and Preliminaries Let n be the length of the planning time horizon. For each period the following data are given: unit production cost in , unit holding cost in (defined also for =0), , set-up cost in , unit backlogging cost (defined also for =0), demand in , production capacity in . We suppose all data is nonnegative rational. For easy of presentation, we also denote production in , stock at the end of (defined also for =0), set-up binary variables, total accumulated backlog at the end of (defined also for =0). Now we can formulate lot sizing model with capacity and backlogging (LSB) : Here we suppose =0 and =0 for simiplicity. Replace flow conservation equation (2.2) to (2.1), we can rewritten objective function as Lot Sizing Problem with Backlogging 276 And variables are defined as follows: with and where we take We say that a problem with backlogging has Wagner-Whitin costs if for and for . Wagner-Whitin condition means that it will be costly for early production when there are positive stocks and for late production with positive backlogs. 3. Backlogging Conditions Without other ristrictions, it seems unreasonable for same time period we have both We discuss this in detail. Suppose for any time period , let if and if then while flow conservation condition and other nonnegative condition are remained unchanged. For the case of the discussion is the sams as the above. Summerize above discussion we have following proposition. Proposition 3.1: For an optimimal solution of problem LSB, we always have a necessary condition. Note when the problem have Wagner-Whitin costs, we can obtain the same result. The solution structure of necessary condition can also be explained in following Figure 3.1., i.e., there exists no two parallel flows in any one period. 4. Optimization Modeling In this section, we see how (3.1) is applied to modeling and optimization. For simplicity, we consider discrete lot sizing problem, i.e., for Then, the flow conservation constraints can be rewritten as Similarly, if we eliminate the variables, the objective function can be written as Lot Sizing Problem with Backlogging 277 Figure 3.1 Structure of an optimal solution of LSB Eliminate in flow conservation constraints, we have
During the European research project Farm Seed Opportunities (2007 to 2009), a population of bean was distributed to different Dutch and French farmers to study its evolution according to the environment and the farmers’ selection. In the SOLIBAM project, seeds of the bean population of each European farmer were collected and analyzed with 11 SSR together with the original seed lot. Seed samples of farmers who have done conservation breeding grouped together and the other selections of the farmers showed new genotypes (and sometimes phenotypes).
RACV has a strong commitment to providing accurate and useful information to parents and carers regarding child restraint and booster seat safety. The use of second hand child restraints is generally not recommended because the restraint may have been in crash, be damaged, missing parts, or be too old to provide the best protection in a crash. However purchasing a new restraint may not be a realistic option for all families. The current project aimed to examine quality and safety of second hand child restraint and booster seats available in Victoria, and to also investigate their compliance with standards and regulations. A range of online, second hand specialist retailers, resource recovery centres, and markets were explored. Where available, the source, location, brand, model, price, year of manufacture and whether the current standard was met was noted. From these sale platforms, the details of 164 second hand restraints were obtained. Most results were acquired from online sellers (114 restraints) and of these, 16 (14%) were unsuitable for sale. Of the 50 restraints examined in stores, 18 (36%) were unsuitable for sale. Most restraints appeared to meet the current standard however restraints considered unsuitable for sale were found to be worn, damaged, too old or were identified as illegal overseas models. The issue of substandard restraints for sale could potentially be addressed by communicating to parents and vendors about the risks and precautions to take when selling and purchasing second hand child restraints.
Despite recent success by companies using the Internet to deal with their customers, one of the major remaining problems concerns understanding navigation on the Web and its relationship with Internet marketing. We study the factors that can affect customers' pre-purchase intentions by surveying visitors to a real pharmaceutical web site. More specifically, this study analyzes the behavior of consumers when they are confronted with Internet advertising (navigational characteristics). The model of flow designed by Hoffmann and Novak and previous findings and theories about several relevant affective, cognitive, and conative variables are taken into account to propose our model of consumers' pre-purchase intentions. Our findings suggest that navigational characteristics, skills, challenges, and optimum stimulation level positively and directly influence consumers' exploratory behavior when they visit the pharmaceutical web site. Surfers' involvement has a positive link with their pre-purchase intentions, optimum stimulation level, and attitudes toward the web site. Exploratory behavior has a positive relationship with attitudes toward the web site, whereas, need for cognition negatively influences customers' challenges and attitudes toward the web site. The impact of demographic variables such as gender, age and education on these affective, personality and behavioral variables is also investigated. Future research directions and limitations of this research are fully examined and discussed.
Background: The scoring system for upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) recently use clinical criteria and endoscopic finding to distinguish patient into high and low risk for recurrent bleeding and mortality rate. However, not every hospital in Thailand has endoscopy available. This study aimed to determine sensitivity and specificity of Blatchford score and clinical Rockall score in classifying patient at risk of recurrent UGIB. Method: Retrospective study of consecutive patient with UGIB at HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center during January 2006 until December 2008. High risk patients was defined as a Blatchford score of greater than 0 or a clinical Rockall score of greater than 0  Result: A total of 215 patients with UGIB were enrolled in this study. Male to female ratio was 132 to 83 with mean age 64.26 years. The Blatchford score identified 157 cases (100%) as high risk patients. The clinical Rockall score identified 146 cases (93%) as high risk patients. Conclusion: Without endoscopic finding, Blatchford score could be used to identify patient with high risk UGIB. It has higher sensitivity than clinical Rockall score. In this study, Blatchford score greater than 5 can use to identified for high risk patient. And if Blatchford score identify as low risk patients, they are able to elective endoscopy.
In this paper, we report the process of building a binary classifier for the Chat Analytics for Twitch challenge. The goal is to predict the subscription status of a user in a channel based on their comments. As a result for this task, our final submission achieves an F1-score of 0.1422 on the dataset used to evaluate the classifiers. We explore the results and try to understand which scenarios contribute to this performance. We hope these analyses can be used to direct new research and to improve classifiers designed for this or related tasks.
An electroplating fabrication method has been used since 1962 for S-band frequency electron accelerating structures in Japan. The electrical contact between disk and cylinder, and the vacuum integrity are maintained by an electroplated copper layer 5 mm thick, without any metal brazing. The typical integrated phase error after plating was kept below ±2° without any frequency tuning. The mechanical straightness was within ±100 μm over the 2 m length of the S-band accelerating structure. Since this method does not require any hightemperature processes, such as the metal brazing commonly used for accelerator fabrication, the copper material does not crystallize and maintains a higher tensile strength. That makes this method very attractive for fabrication of the high-performance structures which will be required in various future projects, and especially for e+elinear colliders.
OBJECTIVE To understand high risk behaviors related to HIV/AIDS and the intravenous drug users' knowledge about HIV/AIDS.   METHODS Forty-eight intravenous drug users (IDUs) were interviewed by using questionnaires.   RESULTS The survey showed that 75% of the subjects were male, 83.3% of their educational levels were below junior middle school, and most of them lived in cities(83.0%), having no occupation or having special occupation. The age at the beginning of drug use was 11 years old, the ages in cities were earlier than those in the countryside (F = 3.898, P = 0.029). For the reasons of using drug, 58.1% of IDUs did so through curiosity; 57.1% of IDUs had ever shared the syringes and needles with others, 62.5% of them shared with fixed people. 79.5% of the IDUs had casual sex partners, and 68.75% had multiple sex partners, but only less than 40% of them used condoms when having sex with casual partner.   CONCLUSION There are many high risk factors related to the IDUs' drug addiction and sex behaviors which can facilitate the transmission of HIV.
From the civil rights marches of the 1950s and 1960s to the Black Power demonstrations and the injustice riots of the1980s and 1990s, Black rebellions and riots have lost their effectiveness over the last decade. In recent history, Black rebellions and riots seem to be an excuse for looting rather than flexing the power of the Black culture. This paper investigates the history of Black rebellions and riots. In addition, it hypothesizes that the effectiveness of Black rebellions and riots has decreased because of the Black community’s transition from a collective culture to an individualistic culture. This hypothesis is predicated on the high context versus low context culture theory. To test this hypothesis, a qualitative comparative approach is used to analyze the history of Black rebellions and riots in a diachronic manner. The data collected were gleaned from scholarly journals, books, online sources, and interviews with individuals with expertise on the topic. By using the document analysis technique, the findings show that the decrease in effectiveness of Black rebellions and riots are a result of the individualistic mindset of the Black community.
Total site design technique is developed for the optimal synthesis of whole energy systems that consist of the heat recovery system and the steam power system. In the design of a total process system, heat exchange between a heat recovery network (HEN) and a steam distribution network (SDN) is available for obtaining the better energy utilization. Specifically, the heat flow distribution between total sites is considered to enhance the performance of whole systems. A systematic energy management is fulfilled with the proposed integrated SDN-HEN model, where the allocation of the energy flow is optimized. Case study is presented to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of the proposed approach.
The database system Cactis is an experiment in managing computed data in an efficient fashion. Using au incremental update approach and self-adaptive optimizations, the system attempts to minimize the amount of I/O required to update derived data values. Performauce tests have been run against a wide variety of databases and transaction streams. The general conclusion is that Cactis i-forms well, in most cases resultiug in a reduction 0 p” UO in the range of 50 to 90 percent. We attempt to isolate various database factors (such as the complexity of the schema aud of the derived data) and determine how they affect the performance of the Cactis implementation algorithms, as well as test the major optimization aspects of Caclis in isolation. Ftiy, we draw conclusions concerning the general usefulness of the Cactis algorithms in database systems, aud try to suggest where further research should be performed 1.
Extensive research investigation and exploration are now carried out on plant based derivatives such as fruit pulp, seed, leaves and flowers whose phytochemistry exposesinnumerabletherapeuticand curative properties thus gaining significant importance in field of modern medicine and therapeutics. The present study aims at exploiting the presence of various phytochemical present in fermented and unfermented/aqueous extract of flaxseed ( Linumusitatissimum L.). The extracts were evaluated for the presence of phytochemicals such as terpenoids, alkaloids, glycosides, steroids, phenols, tannins, flavonoids and saponins by standard protocol. The result clearly revealed the presence of secondary derived plant metabolites such as saponin, quinones, terpenoids, phenols, steroids, coumarins and betacyanin in both the extracts.The total phenol content of fermented and aqueous/unfermented extract of flaxseed was found to be 4.5mg (GAE/gm) and 3.4mg (GAE/gm) respectively indicating that fermented flaxseed have higher phenol content.
ANCA antibodies represent a family of autoantibodies directed against neutrophil enzymes. Immunofluorescence patterns allow to distinguish c-ANCAs from p-ANCAs. The detection of ANCAs is often a key element for the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis, microperiarteritis, Churg-Strauss syndrome and idiopathic rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Although the pathogenic role of ANCAs is not firmly established, their detection often allows an early therapeutic decision in necrotizing vasculitides.
Expression vector carrying cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) gene was constructed by inserting the C-terminal 777 bp fraction amplified by PCR into the vector pET-28b(+).The fusion protein was expressed in the form of inclusion body after induction by IPTG in BL21(DE3).Using Ni-NTA chelating column,the fusion protein was highly purified.The polyantibody was prepared by immunizing the rabbits with five injections of the purified protein.ELISA and Western Blotting were performed to test its specificity and sensitivity.Meanwhile,cyclooxygeanse-2 expression was detected in hepatocellular carcinoma and surrounding noncancerous liver tissues by Western Blotting using the antiserum.The polyantibody can recognize cyclooxygease-2 with high specificity and sensitivity and cyclooxygenase-2 was expressed at higher level in hepatocellular carcinoma compared to that in surrounding noncancerous liver tissues.Preparation of cyclooxygeanse-2 polyantibody make it possible to further study the biological functions.
The present invention, shaver, toothbrush, Walkman, to a portable electronic device such as a telephone communication device. The device, while the device is being used in a conventional manner, so as to measure a signal representative of the physiological state of the user. In an embodiment of the electric shaver (25), a plurality of shaving heads (26a, 26b, 26c) a first contact surface having the (26) are provided. Shaving head electrically conductive material is made from mostly metallic, during shaving, it is suitable for providing a good electrical contact with human skin, thus, constitute the first electrode. The second contact surface (28 ') is a shaver housing, in particular, provided on the grip portion of the shaver, it is possible to contact with the human hand. The second contact surface (28 ') has a second electrode (29). The second contact surface (28 ') another sensor (29 adapted to provide additional data for the physiological condition of the user' may have). Signal measured from the electrodes is preferably supplied to the input of the amplifier (30) is a differential amplifier. Then, the signal from the differential amplifier (30) is supplied preferably to the band-pass filter (32) which is set in the range of 100Hz from 0.02 Hz. Next, limiting amplifier organism signal (33) is transferred to the analog-to-digital converter (34). Then, the digitized signal is analyzed by the analysis means (35), the analysis result with a health-related parameter derived is shown on the electric shaver display (36). Also, it is transmitted to the health-related parameters and / or raw data was arranged remotely by the transmission means which is built (38) device. Preferably, the transmission means (38) comprises a wireless transmitter.
Corporate social responsibility is a young phenomenon in Central Eastern Europe. While during socialism, companies had an integral social function, the managers in East Central Europe were very keen to get rid of the social very quickly following a pure Friedmanite approach towards business “the goal of a company is to make profit”. It is only with external pressure from the European Union that introduced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a new strategy for growth and sustainability and from multinational corporations that companies begin to integrate CSR into their management strategies. As little is known about the actual range of CSR in this region this paper investigates the social commitment of companies and classifies what type of companies are good CSR performers.In all countries analysed we found sector and size differences with a tendency of large industrial companies doing more CSR than smaller companies and banks. Family-owned companies do tend to do more internal than external CSR but also display less trust in their institutional environment than non-family owned. While companies in the new market economies do generally less than companies in older market economies, they do more external than internal CSR and they do it more explicitly than companies in older market economies. We tested several hypotheses to explain the factors influencing CSR activities. Two models have significant explaining character: the role of the financial market, and the role of industrial relations. Companies that label their activities are more likely to be joint stock companies, listed on the stock market, and use the stock price as most important financial indicator for the control of the company. Companies with a works council and a positive acknowledgement of the works council by the management are more likely to do internal and external CSR than companies without strong industrial relations. Also a general positive evaluation of collective regulation and trade unions by the business leaders corresponds with a better CSR performance.
WT5BZ]The effect of shock wave on the structures of multilayers amorphous alloys (Fe 0 99 Mo 0 01 ) 78 B 13 Si 9 and Fe 73 5 Cu 1Nb 3Si 13 5 B 9 has been investigated It has been found that shock wave can make multilayers amorphous alloys transform into crystalline materials The grain size and lattice constant of the principal phase α Fe are smaller than that of shock wave treatment and then annealing These phenomena may be due to the recrystallization and different solid solution (substitutional solid solution and omission solid solution) The effects of pressure and temperature on the shock wave crystallization of amorphous alloy were discussed in this paper
A method of analysis was developed to determine free and glucuronated monobutyl phthalate (BuP) and monobenzyl phthalate (BeP) in urine for the assessment of exposure of man to butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP) in the workplace and in the environment. This method has also been applied in pharmacokinetic studies in experimental animals and the determination in urine of exposed workers. Urine samples are first subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis with beta-glucuronidase to enable the measurement of the total amount of monophthalates excreted. A fraction of the hydrolysate is used for further analysis. Monohexyl phthalate is added as an internal standard and the hydrolysed urine extracted with a n-hexane/dichloromethane mixture after acidification and saturation with salt. The organic fractions are washed, dehydrated and evaporated. The residue is methylated by means of diazomethane dissolved in diethylether, evaporated and further purified by extraction into n-hexane from an alkaline buffer. The organic fractions are evaporated and the residue redissolved in acetonitrile for analysis by ion trap GC-MS equipped with a 50 m apolar WCOT capillary column. TIC mass chromatograms are recorded from which SIM chromatograms can be derived electronically. The m/z values used are 91, 149, and 163 which provide a sufficient sensitive response and which are specific enough to pick up the methylated monophthalates under investigation. The quantitative limit of detection (LOQ) is 60 micrograms/L for BuP and BeP when using the Magnum ion Trap detector and 3 micrograms/L when using the Polaris Q in the splitless mode. The calibration curve in urine is linear from 120 micrograms/L to 50,000 micrograms/L with a coefficient of variation of less than 10%. In case of the Polaris Q linearity started from 10 micrograms/L. The recovery of the method is monitored by the response signal of the internal standard in the ion chromatogram. In the event of insufficient recovery the analysis is repeated. Variations in recovery are compensated by the internal standard of which the molecular structure is very similar to the ones of the monophthalates under investigation.
Background: Aphasia is an intellectual disability that provokes language impairment. Among its various nuances, we chose dysgraphia, which affects writing skills. As language is not separate from the body our interdisciplinary approach brings a perspective that transforms research into effective social work, developing methods to interfere in the language process, helping the aphasic individual to build the meaning of what he intends to express. The standardization aspect of the language controls the lexation through a process in which words combine into constituents in a hierarchical manner referred to grammar mechanism to form a more complex linguistic unit.  Methods: We intend to deal with the neuro-linguistic phenomenon that reflects on the language functioning as a dynamic power giving neuroplasticity to the brain. The fourth-generation methodological approach is used to develop methods and practices to improve the quality of life of the subject instead of just finding a deficiency and its causes.  Results: In this way, we deepen the study of dysgraphia to interfere with the cognition process of aphasic individuals. The brain uses experience and learning to reshape its circuits in long-term empowerment. Based on this we studied the aphasic individual's mental processes in a                   longitudinal follow-up by means of a challenge-type training directed at certain tasks in order to improve specific performances.  Conclusion: Cognitive development was achieved through training-induced learning, giving a quality of life to him. This reflects the need to provide training to health and education workers in order to enable them to interfere in the rehabilitation of the subject with dysgraphia.
Abstract : A generic computer code based on the iterative boundary integral equation method (I-BIEM) is developed for simulating a variety of electrochemical problems. In this work we have extended the reach of the method by developing a generalized program capable of solving a wide range of electrodeposition problems. The new code accommodates quite easily multi-variable problems including those with curved boundaries, and non-linear boundary conditions. Such problems include anomalous codeposition of alloys, incorporating the effects of convective and diffusive mass transport; time variant effects such as would be observed in extended growth calculations and pulse plating; microstructural modeling with reference to nonisotropic boundary conditions and crystallographic effects. Some interesting results of real-life simulations are presented. Keywords: Keywords: Boundary valve problem.
We have examined the dissolution of plasminogen-free fibrin clots by proteases in a leukocyte lysate using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) to monitor alterations of cross-linked fibrin structure before solubilization and to characterize the structure of soluble derivatives. Progressive clot lysis was also followed by quantitation of fibrin derivatives that were present as solubilized products, as clot-associated fragments, and as residual degrading clot. An estimate of the total fibrinolytic potential of the plasminogen system relative to that of entrapped leukocytes was based on the specific fibrinolytic activities of plasmin and leukocyte lysate, and this indicated that the capacity of leukocyte-mediated fibrinolysis was only 3% of fibrin-bound plasminogen. Early during leukocyte lysate digestion the predominant soluble products were small peptides of Mr less than 20,000, whereas at later times heterogeneous groups of large fragments were present that were distinct from those produced during plasmic degradation. Electrophoresis in nondissociating conditions showed that a later leukocyte lysate digest of cross-linked fibrin contained distinct bands with mobilities indistinguishable from plasmic derivatives DD/E and DY/YD, suggesting a similar assembly in the native state of the leukocyte lysate fragments to those produced by plasmin. During degradation by leukocyte lysate, up to 70% of the degrading, insoluble clot could be solubilized in SDS, indicating that extensive early cleavage of the fibrin matrix failed to release much of the protein into solution. A market difference in the composition of fragments and polypeptide chains in the protein noncovalently bound to clot was seen in comparison with soluble derivatives. This appeared to be caused by the relative resistance to degradation of the C-terminal portions of the gamma-chain of the soluble derivatives, whereas the matrix-associated protein could be more easily cleaved in this region. The results demonstrate a distinct difference in the overall pattern of degradation compared with plasmic fibrinolysis.
With New York’s recent adoption of the Uniform Bar Exam, the standardized licensing test now has taken hold in 16 states and is gaining steam. Many believe it can and should spread to all 50 states.Not so fast. To be sure, national adoption of the UBE would produce benefits in the form of greater interstate license portability for new lawyers, but at an unacceptable cost. At a dynamic time of change in the legal profession and legal education, the UBE sustains a flawed and stale bar exam. In several states yet to adopt it, the UBE would actually increase the exam’s dubious focus on knowledge of legal content over execution of legal skills. In addition, if the UBE spreads throughout the country, the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the UBE’s author and promoter, will accrue even more power over bar examinations, and states will be left with less. States have historically played an important role in bar testing innovations, and the National Conference is largely content with the current construct of the bar exam. Hence, the shift in power makes even more daunting the already difficult challenge of achieving meaningful bar exam reform. Moreover, there is another way to achieve the worthy aim of interstate license portability without enduring the various drawbacks of the UBE. We already have a uniform exam, the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), the multiple-choice test administered as roughly half the bar exam in 49 states. States could allow all applicants who previously achieved a passing score on the MBE on any state’s bar exam to seek admission without the necessity of taking a bar exam again. Minnesota, North Dakota and the District of Columbia already do it, and so can any other state.
An investigation was performed to evaluate the effects of elastic unloadings on the J-Integral Resistance Curves of ASTM A106 Class C steel and 3-Ni Steel. Compact specimens (1T) were tested using a multi-specimen technique, direct current potential drop technique and the elastic unloading compliance technique with unloadings ranging from 10 to 90%. The two former techniques were 0% unloading procedures used to generate the reference J-R curves for comparison to the elastic unloading J-R curves for the two steels. The results of the investigations of these materials indicate that there was no significant difference in the J-R curves that resulted from the elastic unloading compliance technique.
Theoretical research has paid little attention to the influence on chemical kinetics of the motion of reference frames where chemical reactions are carried on. In order to improve this situation, in this paper the main chemical-kinetics relations with regards to inertial and gravitational frames in the relativistic range are developed, and also some simple experiments designed to test their scope are suggested.
In light of that the periodical temperature changing leads to mechanical properties deterioration of rock bolts during the snowmelt period in spring,the relationship between bearing capacity of rock bolts and freeze-thaw cycles was studied. The freeze-thaw cycling experiments were conducted first for rock bolt specimens under different freeze-thaw cycles;and then the pull-out experiments were carried out. The displacement,stress and failure load of bolt,stress of rock,shear strength at the bolt-grout interface were investigated;the failure mode and main destruction factor under freeze-thaw conditions were studied with load transfer mechanism. It is shown that the elastic modulus and strength of mortar decreases along with the increase of freeze-thaw cycles;the mortar near the loading end splits ahead of time and accelerates load transferring to the inside of bolt;the internal stresses of bolt and bond increase. The ultimate bearing capacity of bolt decreases while the deformation of bolt increases under freeze-thaw conditions;the inflection point in load-displacement curve and horizontal segment in slipping curve of bolt will appear in advance along with the increase of freeze-thaw cycles.
We propose a procedure to sequentially tighten the linear programming relaxation of a mixed O-l program by generating lift-and-project cutting planes. The cuts are found through the solution of a linear program that has at most twice the size of the current LP relaxation. We report our computational experience when using our cuts as part of a cutting plane algorithm, as well as in the context of a branch-and-cut procedure.
The Environmental Conditioning System (ECS) as a test device and test method was developed by the Department of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University as part of the Strategic Highway Research Program's Contract A-003A, "Performance-Related Testing and Measuring of Asphalt-Aggregate Interactions and Mixtures." The ECS combines the equipment and procedures for evaluating the sensitivity of asphalt concrete to water damage. The ECS was subjected to detailed evaluation and refinement to demonstrate its reliability and repeatability. This paper addresses a comparison between the ECS and current methods. One method was selected to represent current practice and was used on the core mixtures to provide a base line for comparison between the ECS and current methods. This comparison addresses two aspects: 1 - the ability of the test to distinguish between asphalt and aggregate types, and 2 - the repeatability of the test.
J. B., male, age 42, single, and steamfitter by trade, was admitted to the Los Angeles General Hospital, March 7, 1924. Patient number 205-109. Eight months prior to his admission to the hospital he began to lose weight and to have excessive thirst and appetite. At that time a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus was made and he was treated with insulin--40 units daily. During those eight months he frequently complained of pain in the right shoulder and cough. He had lost thirty-five pounds during that time. The patient gave a history of having had a fractured leg ten years previous to this illness. His habits
The article deals with the problem of intellectual development of students in learning of physics by means of computer simulation. The main objectives of teaching computer simulation in learning of physics is the general outlook development, mastery of modelling as a method of knowledge, the development of practical skills of computer simulation, the implementation of inter-subject relationship, development and professionalization of computer skills, building skills of project activities. It is shown that the means of computer simulation of physical processes is one of the components of intellectual learning environment. It is spoken in detail about classification of simulation software such as software of demonstration and modelling and educational software tools which means environment of activity. Using software of demonstration and modelling allows for establish interdisciplinary communication, improve the quality of knowledge, create a positive motivation, enhance student interest in the subject. Educational software tools which means environment of activity is an intelligent educational systems, the use of which contributes to the understanding of the essence of the logical relationship between the original and models, especially the construction of models, form the students an idea of modelling as a method of learning about the world. Accordingly the adequate use of educational software tools which means environment of activity in learning of physics is contribute to the development of intelligence of students.
The phenomenon of love is so prevalent in college campus,and taking students of art as an example to discuss methodology of guiding college students' view of love is significant in pratice.Aim at guiding college students to establish correct and reasonable view of love,we can gain reasonable attitude and guiding methodology on looking upon love of college students by analysing the characteristic and viewof love of sutdents of art.
This paper introduces a double freedom degree motion control system of satellites antenna based on dual-redundancy hybrid stepping motor.The 16-bits single-chip computer(89C196KC)and resolver are used to realize the position servo control of antenna pointing system.The operation principle of system,peripheral hardware circuits of 80C196,fractionized and prearranged control of stepping number,angle position measure,accurate return-to-zero of position and orientation control after power-off are discussed.
Objective To verify the feasibility and application value of an improved method for determination of urinary iodine by As3+-Ce4+ catalytic spectrophotometry.Methods Adults urine samples were collected,iodine calibration curves of 0-300 μg/L and 300-1200 μg/L were prepared,and urinary iodine was determined by the improved As3+-Ce4+ catalytic spectrophotometric method.Lyophilized human urinary iodine ingredient standards were used to validate linearity and range,limit of detection,precision and accuracy of this improved detection method.Results The linear range of the calibration curve was 0-300 μg/L,the detection limit was 1.8 μg/L,and the range of correlation coefficient was-0.9995--0.9997.When measuring urinary iodine at 40-80,100-149,200-280 μg/L,the relative standard deviations were 1.5％,0.8％ and 0.5％.When measuring urinary iodine at 40-80,100-149,150-180 μg/L,the average recoveries were 97.8％,99.8％ and 96.6％.Two given values of urinary iodine of national standard samples were (73.0± 9.0) and (206.0± 10.0)μg/L,and the results determined by this method were (75.5 + 0.9) and (207.5 ± 1.9)μg/L,and the relative deviation was 3.4％ and 0.7％,respectively,the results determined were all within the given value range.The linear range of the calibration curve was 300-1200 μg/L,the detection limit was 305.2 μg/L,the range of the correlation coefficient was-0.9996--0.9999.When measuring urinary iodine at 300-400,500-600 and 1000-1200μg/L,the relative standard deviations were 0.6％,1.0％ and 0.7％.When measuring urinary iodine at 300-499,500-599 and 600-700 μg/L,the average recoveries were 99.7％,99.2％ and 100.4％.Two given values of urinary iodine of national standard samples were (558.3 ± 3.5) and (884.8 ± 4.7)μg/L,the results determined by this method were (556.0 + 17.0) and (883.0 ± 28.0)μg/L,and the relative deviation was 0.4％ and 0.2％,respectively,the results were all within the given value range.Conclusions This method extends the detection range of iodine concentration,and improves precision and accuracy.This method greatly reduces the amount of arsenic used therefore reduces environmental pollution,which is suitable for promotion.    Key words:  Iodine ;  Urine ;  Sample detection limit;  Precision ;  Accuracy
The"Southern Silk Road"refers to the ancient route that extended from Sichuna Province to India and other countries via Yunnan Province and Myanmar,the route taken by the famous Italian traveler Marco Polo in 1287 when he traveled to Myanmar as the ambassador of the Chinese government. In his travel notes,the diet custom of the local people were witnessed and written down and his description,supported by other records,is an important part of our historical literature.
During the last decades, most of the studies based on climate change effects on vegetation physiology have focused on upland forests and species at their border of distribution, since, in both conditions, species are highly affected by water scarcity. Although few studies have focused on water availability effects on riparian vegetation, these species could be extremely affected by water scarcity as they are usually found in wet environments and they may not have enough ecophysiological controls to cope with prolonged drought periods. Moreover, riparian zones are considered hotspots of nitrogen (N) processes. These ecotones can reduce part of the N loads received from adjacent ecosystems before they reach the stream, mainly via denitrification and vegetation uptake. In Mediterranean regions, where shallow organic soil layers are disconnected from groundwater, denitrification process is limited by the weak anoxic conditions on riparian forests soils. There, vegetation uptake becomes the main driver for N removal in Mediterranean riparian zones. Climate change effects on riparian vegetation may cascade down and modify this well-known capacity to remove N from riparian zones. The findings from two Mediterranean riparian forests in La Tordera catchment showed that riparian tree species are already experiencing the effects of drought periods in the Mediterranean region. Quercus robur species, typically found in mid-European floodplains, is already experiencing tree growth decline at its southernmost distribution range edge. On the other hand, riparian tree species at Mediterranean forests showed high dependence on soil water availability during summer, obtaining more than 80% of the water transpired from the vadose zone. Phreatophitic species, Alnus glutinosa and Populus nigra, took up water from the groundwater compartment during spring but soil water was their main water source during summer. A. glutinosa did not present ecophysiological controls to avoid drought situations, while P. nigra increased its iWUE during dry years. Fraxinus excelsior was cohabiting with both species in the riparian forest. This species, located far away from the stream channel, was more depending on soil water availability and did not present any ecophysiological mechanism to cope with summer drought. Conversely, the N-fixing invasive species Robinia pseudoacacia, which was co-occurring all across the riparian forest, showed high plasticity to cope with different water availability conditions. Additionally, the findings obtained from the effects of riparian vegetation on water and N fluxes highlighted the high spatial heterogeneity of Mediterranean riparian forests within relatively small distances (~25 m). The studied Mediterranean riparian forest showed a remarkable spatial heterogeneity on water availability, with groundwater levels increasing from the near-stream zone (~0.6m deep) to the hillslope edge (~2.2m deep). Shallow groundwater tables enhanced the connectivity between vadose zone and groundwater at the near-stream zone, allowing greater transpiration and N uptake rates compared to the hillslope edge. Conversely, denitrification rates were generally low across all the riparian area due to water limitation and its weak anoxic conditions. Nevertheless, these soil conditions promote respiration rates all across the riparian forest soil, and thus, riparian soils emitted large CO2 fluxes. Finally, simulation based on climate change projections suggested a future increase in soil N concentrations as well as a reduction of the effective N-removal area of this riparian zones. The feasible substitution of autochthonous species by the already present R. pseudoacacia may homogenize soil N availability across the riparian area but would not increase the future soil N availability. Overall, our findings highlight the spatial heterogeneity of Mediterranean riparian zones and the need to better evaluate spatio-temporal processes to understand their mechanisms. N retention in Mediterranean riparian soils occur mainly by vegetation uptake. Yet, future climate projections may exacerbate water scarcity problems, inhibiting denitrification rates and reducing vegetation uptake. Therefore, these results challenge the well-accepted capacity to reduce N loads reaching the stream, and suggest that Mediterranean riparian soils can become a potential source of N to adjacent aquatic ecosystems in the future.
The worldwide popular series Twilight is the mixed genre phenomenon in literature, media and cinema. After monstrous cinema interpretations of vampires, Edward Cullen becomes a vampire that women fall in love with. Narrative draws on the legend of vampires as well as on the fairy tales archetype of the love between The Lady and the Beast. Sexual connotation in the stories of vampires are not new, but the global identification of the audience with the main characters in the romantichorror plot in this series needs to be analyzed through the evolution of the vampire genre and psychology related issues. The popularity of this series and blossoming hybrid genre is related to the artificial catharsis and fulfillment of the market demand. Contemporary audience demands “to be special” and these profitable narratives are the fulfilled promise to the audience.
The authors write about the lessons of the US experience in managing urban and regional growth through 'ad hoc regionalism'. This builds on the existing powers of local government to achieve efficiencies in large-scale spatial planning. The authors believe that US experience could be helpful to policy makers in using existing structures to try to reconcile the visions outlined by the Regional Development Strategy (NI) and the National Spatial Strategy (RoI) in an island context.
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the validity and security of Feilinjian peroral liquid in the treatment of chlamydia trachomatis (CT), mycoplasma hominis (Mh) and Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infectious prostatitis.   METHODS Two hundred and three patients of CT, Mh or UU infectious prostatitis diagnosed by strict orientation examination were randomly divided into two groups, one given feilinjian peroral liquid, and the other azithromycin perorally, for one month as treatment period.   RESULTS The analytical results showed that 54 (42.86%) were clinically fully recovered, 32(32.39%) were significantly effective, and 13 (10.31%) were effective in feilinjian peroral liquid group, with total significantly effective rate 68.25% and total effective rate 78.57%, both obviously higher than those in the control group(50.64% and 57.14% respectively).   CONCLUSIONS Feilinjian peroral liquid is significantly better than azithromycin in ameliorating self-conscious symptoms, symptoms scoring of patients with CT, Mh and UU infection, with little side-effects.
The effects of a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, dichlorphenamide, on the phosphate and protein concentrations of intraocular fluids have been studied. The administration of dichlorphenamide caused a marked increase in phosphate concentration of posterior and anterior aqueous humors. The changes in steady-state concentrations were compatible with a decrease in the flow coefficient of approximately 54 per cent. Simultaneous treatment with probenecid has been found to prolong the inhibitory effect on aqueous secretion of a single dose of dichlorphenamide as measured by tonography and by phosphate concentrations in intraocular fluids. The protein concentrations in intraocular fluids of the experimental eyes were not significantly different from those of the control eyes.
The invention relates to a method for processing an at least partially hollow body using a pair of scissors with a first cutting edge having lower jaw with an associated bearing surface which spans a plane lower jaw extends in or in the region of which with its cutting edge, a to the lower edge of the pivotable upper jaw with a second cutting edge and a pivotable to the support surface down device. In order to allow for a targeted severing of the body and on the other to the desired extent pre-material processing with the same device, the following steps are performed: - severing the body by adjustment of the upper jaw to the lower jaw while simultaneously compressing the body in the region of which through the through separate forming Direction cutting edge, - moving back the upper jaw and positioning a body part separated on the support surface and - adjusting the holding-down device in the direction of the support surface for machining of the body part, wherein the upper jaw remains in a spaced apart position to the body.
Major diseases like cancer, athresclerosis,hypertension etc are caused because of inheritance, life style, food style and environmental factors , also stress play a major role in developing all diseases. Free radicals are generated due to stress and develop cancer and heart diseases etc. these free radicals are quenched by antioxidants such as vitamin-c and e also occur as polyphenols, phenolic compounds and flavanoids. Acalypha indica was found to have antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids and tannins.Hence antioxidant and in vitro anticancer (cytotoxicity) activities were carried out on the leaf extract of A. indica. Aim of this study to provide an introduction to the principles of drug treatment for solid tumours in cancer treatment. Antioxidant activity was studied by conducting lipid peroxidation assay, the total antioxidant capacity of Et OH and water extracts was found to be 442 and 338 nmol/g respectively thus establishing Et OH and water extracts of A.indica possess antioxidant activity. In vitro cytotoxicity(anticancer) activity was studied by growing Agrobacterium tumefacians on yeast extract media for 48 hrs at 28°. Russet potatoes were disinfected by scrubbing under running water with a brush, then immersed in 10% Clorox for 20 min. Suspension of A. tumifaciens in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) were standardized to 1 ×109 colony forming units, as determined by an absorbance value of 0.96± 0.22 at 600 nm. Cisplatin and different Et OH and water extracts of A.Indica were dissolved in DMSO. The test solution consisted of 1 ml of drug + 0.25 ml of water. The control solution consisting of 1.25 ml of water + 1 ml of bacterial suspension. The stained potato dishes were viewed under a dissecting microscope and the mean number of tumors was counted. The results of the study showed that the extracts of A. indica produced maximum reduction in the mean number of tumors compared to control. These above studies showed that the antioxidant activity and related anticancer activity of Acalypha indica , because of the presence of flavanoids and tannins present in the Et OH and water extracts of Acalypha indica.
The noise parameters of Npn InGaPIGaAs HBT devices are reported for an array of bias conditions from 2-18 GHz. A minimum noise figure of 0.8 dB with associated gain of 16 dB at 2 GHz was achieved at a collector bias of 0.83mA and a collector-emitter voltage of 2V. This was achieved by a device with emitter area of 3xlOp.111~. A model is also presented that is used to compare measured and theoretical results The low power consumption, high associated gain, low equivalent noise resistance, and variable optimum noise match coupled with an excellent degree of linearity (I) makes the InGaP/GaAs HBT an ideal candidate for low noise amplifters (2-6GHz) with minimal power consumption. Introduction: Portable, battery operated circuit applications require devices that provide minimum noise figure and maximum linearity with minimal power consumption. In particular, CDMA and PCM CIA communication applications call for these components to be designed for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz. By carefdly selecting the device emitter area and bias condition, the topology of the matching network and associated loss and added noise can be minimized (Z). InGaP/GaAs HBTs have lower number of recombination centers in the emitter-base junction and subsequently exhibit lower l/f noise than comparable AlG&GaAs HBTs. In fact the I/f noise performance is comparable to that of sicon based BJTs (3,4). The high frequency noise performance is improved with the InGaP/GaAs HBT compared to silicon through superior gain at microwave frequencies which is the direct result of a shorter emitter-collector transition time. We believe that the minimum noise figure presented in this work is among the lowest achieved for a bipolar technology in this fiequency band Device Fabrication and Measurement. The devices were fabricated and measured as described in (SI. Lower recombination current in the base-emitter junction fiom enhancements in material growth and lower base resistance through improvements in processing have contributed to minor improvements in overall noise performance over previously reported results All of the devices tested had a current gain of approximately fifty. Devices with 3x10p2, 3x5p2, 3x20m2, 2x3x10pz, 3x40p2, and 8x3x5p2 emitter areas were used for this study. Results are reported for the 3x10~~ device which achieved the best noise performance of the devices tested. Modelinn: The simplest form of the equivalent circuit for the HBT is shown in Figure 1. The shot noise current is simply determined from an examination of each junction within the transistor (6) The relation of the noise currents to the bias currents is given below: I = 2qIc4f
Urban India is rapidly growing, and in cities like Bangalore, the dramatic changes have both positive and negative impacts. Citizens express concern about the capacity and credibility of local government and corporate sector in leading local development. In contrast to rural India where the 7 3rd amendment helped spur citizen participation in local decision-making, in urban India there have been limited channels for citizens to participate in governance outside of the electoral process. In 2001, a civil society organization, Janaagraha, launched a participatory budgeting campaign aimed at improving local governance through engaging citizens in local infrastructure planning. The campaign resulted in citizens' budget priorities being approved in over twenty percent of the city's wards. Large-scale participatory budgeting has traditionally been an initiative of ruling parties using the apparatus of the state. As a civil society initiative, the participants faced the dual challenges of mobilizing citizens to produce good plans and convincing local government that their plans were legitimate. This thesis aims to answer two questions. First, what were the attributes of the associations and political and spatial factors of the communities that were successful in a 2001 participatory budgeting campaign in Bangalore? Identifying these success factors can provide tools to other communities in the previously uncharted territory of local participatory budgeting in urban India. Second, did the campaign strengthen or sidestep local democracy? This question looks within "success" to uncover the impact on existing political relationships and shed light on the effect of the campaign beyond infrastructure. To answer these questions, case study-based qualitative analysis in six Bangalore communities was conducted. Based on these cases, factors for ward-level success included limited political history or entrenchment, both for the elected official and physical ward in addition to committed leadership that had prior engagement with local government. The participation in the campaign was not representative of the population at large and did not result in pro-poor outcomes that have been the hallmark of other participatory budgeting initiatives. However, it strengthened representative democracy and institutionalized collective action instead of individual clientelist relationships. These answers suggest that citizens can successfully initiate participatory planning and budgeting campaigns, and they are not exclusively the domain of ruling state parties. The thesis concludes with recommendations for community-based organizations that want better neighborhood-level outcomes and a more significant role in decision-making. As community participation is institutionalized in India, understanding how citizen's groups can be effective both internally and in partnership with local government may contribute to improved urban governance and outcomes. Thesis Supervisor: Ceasar McDowell Title: Professor of the Practice of Community Development, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis was completed with the help of academic, professional and personal support from Cambridge to Bangalore. I want to thank Ceasar McDowell, my Advisor, for consistent support over the last year. In addition, the coursework I have undertaken over the last two years, particularly with Archon Fung and Gianpaolo Baiocchi has been critical in putting Janaagraha's work in a broader context. In Bangalore, I begin by expressing my indebtedness to dozens of residents and elected officials in all of the wards where case studies were researched. I appreciate you opening up your homes and neighborhoods to me. I am grateful to Ramesh and Swati and all the Janaagraha volunteers for your consistent openness and candor. A special thanks to Triveni and Karthik for your help. Thanks also to my good friends Sajan and Sanjanthi, and their lovely daughters Laya and Tia who made my 2005 visit to Bangalore feel like I was at home. Finally, thanks to Rahoul for introducing me to Bangalore and your constant support through every endeavor.
This note discusses two problems related to the Fredrickson-Andersen one spin facilitated model in stationarity. The first, considered in 2008 in a paper of Cancrini, Martinelli, Roberto and Toninelli, is the spectral gap of the model's infinitesimal generator. They study the decay of this spectral gap when the density is large, but in dimensions $3$ and higher, they do not find the exact exponent. They also show that the persistence function of the model has exponential tail, but the typical decay time is not analyzed. We will see that the correct exponent for the decay of the spectral gap in dimension $3$ and higher is $2$, and discover how the time over which the persistence function decays diverges in high densities. We also discuss the scaling of the spectral gap in finite graphs.
The Path Computation Element communication Protocol (PCEP) provides mechanisms for Path Computation Elements (PCEs) to perform path computations in response to Path Computation Clients (PCCs) requests. The stateful PCE extensions allow stateful control of Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Traffic Engineering Label Switched Paths (TE LSPs) using PCEP. A Path Computation Client (PCC) can synchronize an LSP state information to a Stateful Path Computation Element (PCE). The stateful PCE extension allows a redundancy scenario where a PCC can have redundant PCEP sessions towards multiple PCEs. In such a case, a PCC gives control on a LSP to only a single PCE, and only one PCE is responsible for path computation for this delegated LSP. The document does not state the procedures related to an inter-PCE stateful communication. There are some use cases, where an inter-PCE stateful communication can bring additional resiliency in the design, for instance when some PCC-PCE sessions fails. The inter-PCE stateful communication may also provide a faster update of the LSP states when an event occurs. Finally, when, in a redundant PCE scenario, there is a need to compute a set of paths that are part of a group (so there is a dependency between the paths), there may be some cases where the computation of all paths in the group is not handled by the same PCE: this situation is called a split-brain. This split-brain scenario may lead to computation loops between PCEs or suboptimal path computation. This document describes the procedures to allow a stateful communication between PCEs for various use-cases and also the procedures to prevent computations loops.
This paper offers a review of the scientific evidence regarding the relation between ICT and travel in general and ICT and commuting in particular. It focuses on the issue of teleworking at home and ignores other interesting phenomena as teleworking centers. The conclusions can be summarized as follows. In the short run, ICT and commuting are to be regarded as weak substitutes, although the relation differs across population groups and parts of the day. If total travel is taken into account, then the relation becomes less clear. However, there also seems to be substitution between non-commute travel and teleworking. This indicates particular recommendations for both environmental and traffic policy. The results are further illustrated by an empirical application from the Netherlands.
This paper discusses the trends of livestock population between 1972 and 1992 and the area under Common Property Land Resources (CPLR) between 1970-71 and 1995-96 in the state of Gujarat. It has been observed that despite a decline in the livestock population during 1972-77 and 1982-87 due to droughts, there has been an overall increase of about 33.4%. Contrary to these trends, the proportion of CPLR to the total geographical area of the state declined from 27% to 18.4% between 1970 and 1995. The similar trends were reflected across the five regions of the state. Due to increase in the livestock population, there has been significant increase in the livestock density in terms of adult cattle unit (ACU) per CPLR, which increased from 2.62 ACU/ha in 1972 to 4.49 ACU/ha in 1992. The implications of the above findings have been explained in the light of trends in the livestock population and the area under CPLR in the state and across regions.
E-learning is an effective way for job-training and continuous education. In recognizing the need for civil servants to embrace the lifelong learning to sustain competitiveness, many countries around the world have created policies to develop e-learning. This study is focus on civil servants’ e-learning continuance intention and through e-learning experience to achieve lifelong learning. Based on Information system (IS) success model proposed by Seddon (1997) and adding organizational factors (Incentive, Supervisor Support, and Technical Support) to survey civil servants’ e-learning behaviour. The sample for the study was taken from the civil servants in Taiwan who have the experience of using the lifelong e-learning websites. The results also support Seddon’s IS success model. Finally, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
Large-scale studies agree that the observed decline in prostate cancer mortality that began in the early 1990s, shortly after prostate-specific antigen testing was introduced in the United States, is most likely explained by more widespread treatment of prostate cancer, including hormonal therapy. Practitioners should be aware of the risk of the development of osteoporosis and of skeletal side effects related to hormonal therapy to optimize the care of men with prostate cancer.
This experiment was conducted during the year 2016 at Debre Markos University to evaluating the effect of packaging material on the post-harvest quality of tomato fruit.  through packaging treatments. Treatments consisted of Dried straw, Carton, High perforated plastic film, low perforated plastic film and wooden basket(control) and one storage conditions (ambient condition using completely randomized design with three replications. From a local cultivar tomato fruits were evaluated for their shelf life and quality attributes over a storage period of 9 days. packaging in all days significantly improved postharvest quality parameters of tomato fruits tested as a result of reduction of mean temperature by 2.01 o C and increase of relative humidity by 5.25 % in the ambient storage conditions. Packaging also reduced weight and maintained fruit quality characters. there was no significant difference among treatments on TSS and pH for all entries. The highest percentage of tomato color account around 26.7 % of red and light red whereas the lowest percentage were record 5 % for those green and turning color.  fruit firmness was exhibited from hard to soft ranges. almost 45 % of tomato tuber exhibited moderate firmness whereas only 5 % from the total tomato fruit exhibited extremely hard and hard texture. This study showed that importance of packaging for considerable number of traits studied and the possibility of selecting appropriate packaging material for tomato fruit for further testing for different post-harvest technologies objectives. Keywords: Total soluble solid, pH and refractometer
With the stepwise development of market economy,there is an ever-increasing demand of normal majors' ability.The single training mode of the ability in a normal university cannot satisfy the demand of market economy.The writer attempts to analyze the actualities of normal majors on the basis of correlative investigation,and at the same time the writer tries to build a training mode of pragmatic awareness and competence for normal majors under the circumstances of market economy by handling the knowledge of pragmatic awareness and competence.
The study examined the relationship between motivational variables and reading and writing performance. Efficacy for reading and writing tasks and component skills and outcome expectanc!es for reading and writing were assessed and hypothesIzed to account for signficant variance in reading and writin2 achievement. Achievement was measured with the Degraes of Reading Power Test and by a holistically scored writing sample. Results from rAl ,sion and canonical analysis showed a strong motivational component in reading and writing achievement. Implications of the results for reading and writing models and for understanding the role of motivation in reading and writing achievement were discussed.
The paper gives description of the experience gained in prediction of the properties of natural hydrocarbon systems produced in the Gazprom neft fields. An integrated approach is suggested to validate formation oil volumetric parameters and establish hydrocarbon system properties vs pressure relationships that could be used for field development planning and monitoring. The impact is shown of the first-stage separation pressure at the booster pumping stations on the yield of stock tank oil.
The present invention is micro RNA-494 (miR-494) or KIT (v-kit Hardy-Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma viral oncogene homolog) containing formulation (agents) to induce miR-494 overexpression, as an active ingredient-mediated diseases relates to a disease or condition (KIT-mediated diseases, disorders or conditions) the prevention or treatment a pharmaceutical composition and a screening method using the same for the. The control and, KIT signaling molecule downstream of the transition path (e. G., - miR-494 of the present invention KIT directly coupled to two different core sequence positions (seed match sites / sequences) within the 3'-UTR downstream the KIT and phosphonate was reduced to -AKT and phosphorylation of the expression -STAT3), miR-494 overexpression induced of the present invention inhibited the growth of tumor cells, preferably GIST cell line. Thus, the compositions of the present invention comprises a material or materials to inhibit KIT expression promote the expression of miR-494 and the counter of the present invention as an active ingredient KIT- mediated diseases, advantageously be applied in the prevention or treatment of a disease or condition can.
The impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations on decline in FEV1 has been a controversial topic for decades. We will review some of the key studies in this area and discuss potential contributors to inconsistent results of these studies. Dissecting the heterogeneous COPD syndrome into meaningful subtypes and assessing the genetic and environmental influences on COPD-related phenotypes such as exacerbation frequency could clarify the impact of exacerbations on the natural history of COPD.
This study focuses on tracing the transmutations of the stock type of Columbina from Commedia dell‟ Arte to contemporary Scottish drama using the maid servant character Dorine from Liz Lochhead's Scots version of Moliere's Tartuffe (1985) as a link between the original stock type and its manifestations in modern Scottish drama.  Through an in-depth analysis of Columbina's key traits through discussion of her functions in different historical and performative contexts, whilst drawing upon Carl Gustav Jung's (1875-1961) Claude Levi-Strauss's (1908-2009) ideas of recurring types. This study aims to provide evidence that there is a female working class character in modern Scottish drama that shares Columbina's traits. This is further explored through the analysis of two contemporary Scottish plays, Tony Roper's The Steamie (1987) and Liz Lochhead's Perfect Days (1999), and supported by the data from interviews with the actresses Juliet Cadzow and Molly Innes who played Dorine.  The study has found that the central thesis is valid in its claims that a clear link may be found between Columbina and female working class roles in contemporary Scottish drama. This is demonstrated through a historical exploration of Columbina's character and the morphing of Commedia dell' Arte's styles and her type into French theatrical traditions. This transmutation is present in Moliere's Tartuffe (1664) through the maid character Dorine and a textual analysis given on Lochhead's Scottish adaptation of the same play shows a clear connection to; Columbina through the Scottish version of Dorine who becomes Doreen. Columbina has a strong presence in Roper's The Steamie through the character of Magrit and her type is also evident in Lochhead's Perfect Days through Barbs Marshall. These analyses demonstrate the recurring urban working class Columbina-type that regularly appears in many guises in Scottish drama.
Using a recently-developed boundary element approach for electrical impedance tomography the identification of boundary shapes between materials of contrasting conductivity is considered. The examples considered are motivated by the desire to locate damages in filter and catalyst beds in industrial processes, but they are also applicable in many applications areas where the unknown location of a boundary is sought. The approach to reconstruction of the boundary location is statistical and is based upon Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. The degree of accuracy and reliability of the reconstructed estimates is quantified through credible intervals. The results demonstrate that the proposed methods are well suited for shape estimation from electrical impedance tomography data.
A significant increase has been observed in the amount of data that have been obtained in a number of psychophysiological investigations revealing that the skin conductance level (SCL), the heart rate (HR), the heart rate variability (HRV) and their coherence in different constellations (co-relations) provide different discrete emotional human conditions of people within the norm and of the pathological endophenotypes. Our results show such discrete endophenotypes in the groups and subgroups of people who stutter. In order to demonstrate the imbalance between the functional systems of people who stutter (PWS) and who do not stutter (PWNS) the change in articulation after physical activity has been examined. Diadochokinesis task-DDK (Riley & Riley, 1985) is exactly such a test that examines the oral motor and articulatory abilities. The purpose of this investigation is through applying the DDK test to evaluate the articulation (DDK0) at rest before exercise (DDK1) and after physical exercise (DDK2) when the body function is different with PWS and with PWNS. A total number of 65 people participated in the investigation. They were divided into two groups - experimental group (EG-32) and control group (CG-33), they were of different ages - pre-school, school, and adults over 18 years of age. Our results show that, generaly, PWS and PWNS do not differ in the DDI indexes, the same applies to the subgroups by gender. The difference occurs when EG and CG are divided both by gender and age. The samples in the second and third DDK tests after physical exercise indicate a significant difference in the children under 11 years of age between the EG and CG, i.e., children from the CG improve their performance while the children of the EG remain at the level of the first two DDK tests. Regarding the persons over 19 years of age, improvement is observed within the EG. The children under the age of 11 who stutter have significantly worse diadochokinetic (articulatory) skills compared to children under 11 years of age from the CG. The children from the CG improve their achievements after physical activity, while the children from the EG remain at the same levels. It is important to note that the children from the CG improve their DDK skills after physical activity, while children in the EG do not; what is more, the girls’ skills become worse. This poses the question of a differentiated approach to a subsequent speech therapy of the given groups, as well as the inclusion or exclusion of physical exercises in it. Differentiation in the therapeutic approaches towards certain subgroups of children and people who stutter is the ultimate goal of creating a complex model for of impaired speech fluency therapy.
In many ways there could not be a more fascinating method to investigate how Taiwan's Chinese Nationalist Party (Guomindang, KMT) Government defined itself as the representative government of all of China in the 1960s and 1970s than to consider its state-sanctioned film industry. The films produced by the state represent ideas of national unity and a glorious homeland during decades that witnessed the most intense of transformations : in film with the rise and eventual decline of the popularity of Taiwan cinema in Southeast Asia, in literature with the xiangtu (nativist literature) debates, in the economy as factories and the emergence of small business replaced an agricultural infrastructure, and in politics with the end of the Nationalist's international status after losing its seat in the United Nations in 1971. At each stage the state propagated its ideal of free China for all to see on the silver screen -- an ideal made all the more complicated by competing regional and cultural influences : from the west by the People's Republic of China, from the north by the heritage of Japanese colonialism, from the east by the United States of America's concurrent military and economic aid, and from the south where a vast capitalist market was governed by lines drawn during the Cold War. Thus, situating these multiple discourses involves both a historical analysis, that is to bring the material and historical moment to light, and a cultural analysis, that is to consider how it is that the state believed images produced in a pop-medium might bolster a government's political status as its films competed on the open market. This dissertation both excavates the socio- historical context of Taiwan in the 1960s and 1970s in part by way of on site research in Taiwan thanks to the Ministry of Education (Taiwan, R.O.C.) Talent Cultivation Project of Taiwanese Literature, History and Art in Globalization Grant, and it pays close attention to the cinematic form using the lens of cultural studies. All the while it remains focused on the primary motivation for this project : a curiosity to explore a blank space on the map of English language scholarship concerning Mandarin language Taiwan cinema
Anne Cooke will describe a forthcoming Division of Clinical Psychology report, ‘Understanding “Psychosis”’, which shows how the principles articulated by the first two speakers can be implemented in practice in relation to the experiences described as ‘psychosis.’    The report is aimed at the public, service users and their families, policymakers and opinion formers such as journalists, together with clinicians. Building on an earlier document, it has been prepared by a working party of over twenty eminent UK clinicians and researchers, together with service user contributors. It promotes a truly psychosocial approach to understanding ‘psychosis’ as an alternative to using medical concepts – including that of ‘diagnosis’ - in order to create a fundamental change in the way that these experiences are conceptualized and responded to.
The rural economic-social development and farmers' living standards have been promoted by household contract responsibility system in three decades of reform and opening up in China.However,as the income gap between urban and rural residents expanding gradually,the concept and development pattern of land joint-stock cooperation system should come back step by step to enhance its advantages and eliminate its disadvantages.In this study,the most effective way of improving the rural economic level and narrowing the urban-rural gap is to form the concept of land joint-stock cooperation system based on the household contract responsibility system,to provide more politic and technical support to agriculture,to establish the rural economic cooperation system based on rural collective economy organizations,and to complete the development of various services of agricultural scale,industrialization,and specialization.
The invention discloses a cold-forging forming method for flange parts with round corners smaller than R zero point five. The cold-forging forming method comprises the following steps of preparation, preliminary upsetting, further upsetting, preliminary forming and local squeezing. A machining process is changed, and a flange embryonic form is formed by the preliminary upsetting, and then is locally squeezed to obtain the finished product of a flange. The energy consumption can be effectively reduced, materials are saved, the production efficiency is improved, the mechanical performance of machined workpieces is improved, the economic benefit is effectively improved, and the market competitiveness is increased. The cold-forging forming method is simple in process; a beneficial effect is high; and moreover, the cold-forging forming method is convenient to popularize and use.
Twenty five Indian wheat genotypes were evaluated against diverse nine predominant pathotypes of stem (40A, 40-1, & 117-6), leaf (77-5, 77-8, 104-2 & 12-1) and stripe (46S119 & 78S84) rusts to identity disease resistant germplasm. Infection types were recorded according to the standard procedure at seedling stage. The fourteen cultivars viz. HD 2687, HD 2733, HD 2824, HD 2888, VL 804, UP 2425, RAJ 3765, HI 1531, DBW 16, DBW 17, PBW 343, PBW 550, HS 240 and HW 2004 were showed resistant type of reaction (IT ;, 0, 1, 2) against three pathotypes viz. 40A, 40-1 and 117-6 of stem rust. The twelve cultivars HD 2894, HD 2967, HD 2824, HD 2985, HD 2888, HI 1531 DBW 17, PBW 343, PBW 550, HW 2004, MACS 1967 and MACS 6145 produced resistant type reaction (IT ;, 0, 1, 2) against all four pathotypes of leaf rustviz. 77-5, 77-8, 104-2 and 12-1. Cultivars HD 2894, HD 2687, HD 2967, HD 2932, HD 2733, HD 2824, HD 2985, HD 2888, VL 804, UP 2425, HI 1531, DBW 16, DBW 17, PBW 343, PBW 550, HW 2004, MACS 1967, MACS 6145 and WL 711(+Lr57) were found resistant against most virulent pathotype 77-5 of leaf rust. Resistant type reaction were observed in genotypes HD 2894, HD 2967, HD 2888, UP 2425, RAJ 3765, HI 1531, DBW 16, HW 2004 and MACS 6145 against stripe rust pathotypes 46S119 and 78S84. This information on resistance in wheat genotypes/cultivars against specific races will be useful for developing rust resistance genotypes in wheat breeding programmes.
In a real-time environment, the results of changes or failures in a complex, interconnected system need evaluation quickly. Tabulations showing the effects of changes and/or failures of a given item in the system are generally only useful for a single input, and only with regard to that item. Subsequent changes become harder to evaluate as combinations of failures produce a cascade effect. When confronted by multiple indicated failures in the system, it becomes necessary to determine a single cause. In this case, failure tables are not very helpful. CRANS, the Configurable Real-time ANalysis System, can interpret a logic tree, constructed by the user, describing a complex system and determine the effects of changes and failures in it. Items in the tree are related to each other by Boolean operators. The user is then able to change the state of these items (ON/OFF FAILED/UNFAILED). The program then evaluates the logic tree based on these changes and determines any resultant changes to other items in the tree. CRANS can also search for a common cause for multiple item failures, and allow the user to explore the logic tree from within the program. A "help" mode and a reference check provide the user with a means of exploring an item's underlying logic from within the program. A commonality check determines single point failures for an item or group of items. Output is in the form of a user-defined matrix or matrices of colored boxes, each box representing an item or set of items from the logic tree. Input is via mouse selection of the matrix boxes, using the mouse buttons to toggle the state of the item. CRANS is written in C-language and requires the MIT X Window System, Version 11 Revision 4 or Revision 5. It requires 78K of RAM for execution and a three button mouse. It has been successfully implemented on Sun4 workstations running SunOS, HP9000 workstations running HP-UX, and DECstations running ULTRIX. No executable is provided on the distribution medium; however, a sample makefile is included. Sample input files are also included. The standard distribution medium is a .25 inch streaming magnetic tape cartridge (Sun QIC-24) in UNIX tar format. Alternate distribution media and formats are available upon request. This program was developed in 1992.
This toner for electrostatic latent image development contains a plurality of toner particles that contain a binder resin. The toner particles have a crosslinked structure derived from a polymer crosslinking agent. The storage elastic modulus at 80°C of this toner for electrostatic latent image development is from 1.0 × 10 3 Pa to 5.0 × 10 4 Pa (inclusive). The storage elastic modulus at 120°C of this toner for electrostatic latent image development is from 1.0 × 10 3 Pa to 1.0 × 10 4 Pa (inclusive). The crosslinking density Nx represented by formula (1) of this toner for electrostatic latent image development is from 2.9 × 10 -7 mol/cm 3 to 2.5 × 10 -6 mol/cm 3 (inclusive). The loss tangent tanδx represented by formula (2) of this toner for electrostatic latent image development is from 0.05 to 0.50 (inclusive). Nx = 10 × Gx/R × (T 10000 + 343) (1) tanδx = Gy/Gx (2)
Many embedded system applications impose hard real-time, energy or safety requirements on corresponding programs typically concurrently executed on a given MPSoC target platform. Even when mutually isolating applications in space or time, the enforcement of such properties, e.g., by adjusting the number of processors allocated to a program or by scaling the voltage/frequency mode of involved processors, is a difficult problem to solve, particularly in view of typically largely varying environmental input (workload) per execution. In this paper, we formalize the related control problem using finite state machine models for the uncertain environment determining the workload, the system response (feedback), as well as the enforcer strategy. The contributions of this paper are as follows: a) Rather than trace-based simulation, the uncertain environment is modeled by a discrete-time Markov chain (DTMC) as a random process to characterize possible input sequences an application may experience. b) A number of important verification goals to analyze different enforcer FSMs are formulated in PCTL for the resulting stochastic verification problem, i.e., the likelihood of violating a timing or energy constraint, or the expected number of steps for a system to return to a given execution time corridor. c) Applying stochastic model checking, i.e., PRISM to analyze and compare enforcer FSMs in these properties, and finally d) proposing an approach for reducing the environment DTMC by partitioning equivalent environmental states (i.e., input states leading to an equal system response in each MPSoC mode) such that verification times can be reduced by orders of magnitude to just a few ms for real-world examples.
The research into Quyuna′s patriotism frequently becomes a highlighted issue in academic contentions because of the viewpoints about the limitation or non existence of Quyuan′s patriotism represented by Yang Gongji and Cao Dazhong,and of discussions and refutations of Quyuan′s patriotism in recent forty years.In view of two thousand years of Chuci research,this paper points out that as a writer Quyuan is a patriot and patriotic poet with its connotation of"patriotic thought"or"patriotic spirits".Quyuan staying in Chu kingdom until his death enhanced the sentiment of loving one′s motherland.Although the sentiment had not evolved into an exclusive ethic and morality to be abided by people,it was invaluable practically and theoretically in the formation of patriotism,the deepest feelings to one′s nationality.The main factors affecting the calm and sensible research into Quyuan′s patriotism are the space difference between historical consciousness and present sense.
Objective To learn the situation and tendency of cephalosporins usage in hospitals,in order to offer the scientific basis for clinical medication reasonably.Methods The data of dosage,sales amount and daily defined doses(DDDs) of cephalosporins in 6 hospitals at 3A grade in Chengdu city during 2006-2009 were statistically analyzed.Results The usages of the first and second generation cephalosporins as well as Oxacephems were increased year by year,and the sales amount of the third generation cephalosporins was highest,occupying the absolutely dominant place in clinical administration.The consumption qualities of Cefmetazole and Cefiminox were increased obviously year by year.The DDDs of Cefaclor,Cefixime and Cefuroxime occupied the first three places for four consecutive years.Conclusion The situation of the usage of cephalosporins in hospital is generally reasonable.The dosages of the third generation cephalosporins,their compound preparations and Oxacephems must be controlled.
The paper sheds some light on the emergence of the euro as a key international currency two years since its inception. It looks at the main stylised facts concerning the use of the euro as an anchor, as a reserve asset, as a private financing and investment currency, and for pricing and invoicing. It then moves on to discuss the implications of a large, economically and monetarily integrated area in Europe for the architecture of the world monetary system and the evolution of international monetary affairs. One of the prominent issues here is whether Economic and Monetary Union in Europe makes the process of international policy coordination easier or more difficult. Further, the paper suggests that the extent to which the euro will be able to play an international role will depend to a large degree on its ability to become a pole of attraction for a wider economic region, in Europe and beyond, particularly for developing countries. It is argued that the preconditions for such an outcome already exist and will become stronger over time. The trade and financial channels through which EMU and the adoption of the euro affect economic activity and structure in third countries are analysed by distinguishing European countries that are in the process of becoming EU members and other countries that maintain close economic and historical ties with EU members. Finally, the analysis is focussed on the economic, financial and currency relationships the Mediterranean countries are likely to develop with EMU nations as the euro gains importance and EMU progresses towards deeper integration. RSC 2001/34 © 2001 Giorgio Gomel RSC 2001/34 © 2001 Giorgio Gomel
Mitochondrial respiratory chain abnormalities are a cause of neuromuscular diseases. They present with very diverse clinical presentations,involving either the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, or skeletal muscle, and may be due to mutations either in mitochondrial or nuclear genome. The aim of this review is to familiarise the clinician with these diseases, to evoke main syndromes, and to give guidelines for their diagnostic investigation.
The effect of thrips resistance on both the spread of Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and the population development of its major vector Frankliniella occidentalis was analysed on resistant and susceptible pepper (Capsicum) accessions. After release of viruliferous thrips, spread of TSWV was significantly lower in the primary and delayed in the secondary infection phase in plots with the thrips-resistant accession CPRO-1 compared to plots with the thrips susceptible accession Pikante Reuzen. Similar results were obtained in plots with a 1:1 mixture of plants of both accessions. Spread to the virus-resistant accessions PI 152225 and PI 159236, resistant and susceptible to thrips, respectively, was delayed in the secondary phase to plants of the former accession. Since the delay of the infection in the plots with thrips-resistant plants could only partly be explained by an impeded development of thrips populations, other factors, probably related to the behaviour of thrips, also affect the transmission of TSWV to the resistant plants. The results obtained indicate that thrips resistance in pepper can be a useful tool in IPM strategies to control TSWV infections.
The structure of alpha-Fe metal magnetic recording particles coated with silane coupling agents have been studied by TEM, FT-IR, EXAFS, Mossbauer. The results show that a close, uniform, firm and ultra thin layer, which is beneficial to the magnetic and chemical stability, has been formed by the cross-linked chemical bond Si-O-Si. And the organic molecule has chemically bonded to the particle surface, which has greatly affected the surface Fe atom electronic structure. Furthermore, the covalent bond between metal particle surface and organic molecule has obvious effect on the near edge structure of the surface Fe atoms.
Possible emission regulations on gasoline suppliers to encourage the use of alternative transportation fuels such as compressed natural gas, methanol, and electricity are examined. A theoretical model based on the concept of marketable emission permits is built for gasoline suppliers. This model shows that a fleet average emission standard on gasoline suppliers will encourage the sale of clean fuels that would otherwise not be profitable because clean fuels will generate valuable emission permits. Next a dynamic empirical model that determines the least-cost solution to meeting emission standards for new vehicles and fuels is built. The empirical model includes emission trading and banking of hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide permits. Under the assumption that individuals view all types of alternative-fuel and gasoline vehicles as perfect substitutes, the least-cost combination of fuels and vehicles consists mainly of methanol and compressed natural gas vehicles. If consumers favor gasoline vehicles over alternative-fuel vehicles by $350, then the least-cost combination of fuels and vehicles also includes significant numbers of gasoline vehicles.
Children anorexia is a common clinical disease which is easy to understand than to treat.Toxic pathogen is the root reason of children anorexia,which contains sputum toxin,wet toxin,depress toxin,accumulate toxin,blood stasis toxin that develop from aeipathia.Toxic pathogen injurys healthy qi and healthy qi deficiency can not eliminate the pathogenic factors.The vicious circle is the root cause of treating stubborn for children anorexia.So,the thinking of detoxifying and reinforcing the healthy qi should be always throughout in treatment process,and pattern identification to choose medicine should be based on the principle above,so as to found a relatively fixed experiential prescription.
Objective To evaluate the effect of total mesorectal excision with curved cutter stapler for low positioned rectal cancer(4～7 cm from anal verge)in the narrow pelvis.Methods Based on total mesorectal excision,47 cases of low positioned rectal cancer in the narrow pelvis underwent sphincter preserving operation with curved cutter stapler.The 6～18 months follow-up result was retrospectively analyzed on radical resection effect,defecating function,complication rate and recurrent rate.Results All the resection margins were clear and the cases had no intraoperative death.Anastomotic leakage occurred in 4.3%(2/47),anastomotic stricture in 8.5%(4/47),local recurrent in 2.1%(1/47),and infection of incisional wound and cavitas pelvis in 4.3%(2/47)and 2.1%(1/47),respectively.The function of patient's sphincter anal was gradually recovered,and the function was basically come back after half year,and the defecation and sexual function recovered three months later.The micturition function was recovered after 7 to 20 days(average 9 days).Conclusion Curability and anal function can be obtained by sphincter preserving operation.Curved cutter stapler is effective and safe for low positioned rectal cancers.
Basing on a historical-pedagogical analysis of scientific and special literature a genesis and formation of healthy way of life in the regular Russian army in a pre-revolutionary period since 18th century up to 1917 is discussed. There are different approaches presented by the author on the issue of formation healthy way of life of the military. Through the analysis the main historical periods are defined.
Group B streptococcal (GBS) disease is the most common cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in the United States. It is also an important cause of morbidity among pregnant women and adults with underlying medical conditions. Because most states have not designated GBS disease as a reportable condition, previous estimates of the incidence of GBS disease were based on studies from single hospitals or small geographic areas. This report summarizes the results of population-based active surveillance for invasive GBS disease in counties within four states that had an aggregate population of 10.1 million persons in 1990. A case of GBS disease was defined as isolation of group B streptococcus from a normally sterile anatomic site in a resident of one of the surveillance areas. Age- and race-adjusted projections to the U.S. population suggest that > 15,000 cases and > 1,300 deaths due to GBS disease occur each year. The projected age- and race-adjusted national incidence is 1.8/1,000 live births for neonatal GBS disease and 4.0/100,000 population per year for adult GBS disease. Intrapartum chemoprophylaxis for pregnant women at risk for delivering infants with GBS disease is the most effective strategy available for prevention of neonatal disease. Development of effective GBS vaccines may prevent GBS disease in both infants and adults. Ongoing surveillance for GBS disease is important for targeting preventive measures and determining their effectiveness.
In order to update the core attributes of decision table dynamically,when the decision table object is modified,the storage structure of equivalence class list table of decision table was constructed,and the definitions of the simplified decision table and core attributes based on the simplified decision table were proposed.It was proved that the core attributes acquired from the definition is equivalent to core attributes of positive region.And then,the theories of updating core attributes,which aims at the aspects of modified the object appointed,were researched.The corresponding algorithm was described,which on the base of simplified decision table,only needs to search the part of equivalence class list table to obtain the modifying object,reduces the search range and enhances the efficiency of the algorithm.The method of counting core attributes was used to avoid storing discerniblity matrix and reduce the space complexity.Finally,the validity of the algorithm was verified in instances.
The results of research in China in recent years show that: 1) Different laboratory sensitivity of adult Anopheles minimus, An. sinensis and Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus to deltamethrin exist in Yunnan. Although the range and duration for the use of permethrin and deltamethrin was limited, resistance of An. minimus, An. sinensis and Cx. pipiens quinquefasciatus to different extent in some areas existed. 2) On walls built with cement and covered with a thin layer of lime on which deltamethrin at a dosage of 0.025 g/m2 was sprayed, 100% of the mosquitos were stricken down within 3 days, 80% at the 15th day, 50% at the 20th day. The residual effectiveness on the bamboo and wood walls was good and could last for over 40 days, but on the mud walls a mortality of only 40% on the spraying day was observed, indicating that deltamethrin was not suitable for this purpose. Deltamethrin spraying reduced total caught mosquitos within 30 days, but there was no difference between the effects of deltamethrin (0.025 g/m2) and DDT (2 g/m2) at the 60th day. Deltamethrin effect on reducing densities of endophilic An. vagus, An. culicifacies and exophilic An. philippinensis was better than that of DDT (lasting over 60 days), but its effect on semi-endophilic An. sinensis lasted only 15 days. Against An. mininus, it showed good effects within 20 days but did not last as long as DDT (60 days). Residual deltamethrin and DDT spraying could both control malaria vectors, reduce the infection of infants by malaria, and reduce malaria parasite carrier rates (within 50 days). 3) Laboratory experiments showed that deltamethrin-impregnated bednets at a dosage of 0.015 g/m2 had a positive effect on An. minimus. The residual effect of unwashed deltamethrin-impregnated bednets at a dosage of 0.015 mg/m2 against An. sinensis was apparent and could last for 13 months. When an impregnated bednet was washed for the first time at the 12th month, its mortality effect on An. sinensis was reduced quickly to lower than 50%. The residual effect could last for 2-3 months when washed at the 6th month, but was lost when washed for the second time at the 12th month. 4) The effects of the impregnated-bednets on An. sinensis were different, even opposite, between different investigations. However, the treated bednets caused the density of An. minimus in houses to fall by 67.94%, and the total density in houses and cattle shelters by 67.91%. Moreover, it could shorten the life span of An. minimus. It did not work on the outdoor density of An. minimus. It is necessary to integrate with other measures, for achieving the desired effect.
The pre-powders of Cu-0.5Cr,Cu-0.8Cr,Cu-1.5Cr were produced by atomizing process,and the ageing treatment was carried out after compacting.The microhardness of the samples after ageing was measured,as well as the BSE images of Cu-0.5Cr alloy compact aged at 200 ℃ for 480 min.The results show that intricate transformation happens during ageing process after deep deformation.At the beginning of ageing at 200 ℃,reversion process plays dominant role,and the microhardness of alloys decreases slightly,then precipitation become dominant and the microhardness of alloys shows certain increase.While ageing at 500 ℃,recrystallization process is delayed by Cr precipitations.The results also show that the precipitation process of Cr from Cu matrix is first forming Cr-rich zone at the place with high crystal defects through diffusion then nucleating and growing up.
Spina bifida is a common birth defect affecting the central nervous system and represents a group of neural tube defects caused by congenital dysraphic malformations of the vertebral column and/or spinal cord. The anatomy in these patients is challenging and includes structural and vascular abnormalities including arteriovenous malformation or fistulae, and fatty substitution of paravertebral tissues. A magnetic resonance image (MRI) is needed for management of patients with lumbar radiculopathy and clinical features suspicious of occult spinal dysraphism. Risks and benefits of lumbar epidural steroids should be discussed comprehensively with those patients and in the best case scenario be avoided. Occult spinal dysraphism poses a clinical dilemma for interventional pain specialists managing those patients with lumbar radiculopathy. We report a case of occult spinal dysraphism discovered following the development of post-traumatic radicular symptoms.
A new transplantable rat pituitary tumor was induced in F344 female rats with dimethylbenz(a)anthracene and estrogen (MtT/F-DMBA) and studied for 20 serial transplant generations. The tumor grew without estrogen supplements in female rats by the second transplant generation. Sensitivity to estrogens, as indicated by a prolonged latency period for tumor development, was seen at the 20th, but not the 5th transplant generation. MtT/F-DMBA tumors expressed prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) mRNAs. A decrease in the percentage of cells expressing PRL mRNA, PRL protein, and in the number of secretory granules per cell occurred with serial transplantation. S-100 protein-positive folliculostellate cells were present in the hyperplastic pituitary but not in the transplantable tumors. Estrogen treatment at the 20th transplant generation prolonged the tumor latency period, increased the number of cells expressing PRL mRNA greater than 5-fold by in situ hybridization analysis (14 +/- 2% versus 77 +/- 5%), increased PRL secretion (132 +/- 40 ng/ml versus 3762 +/- 890 ng/ml), and increased the number of cytoplasmic secretory granules per cell. These results indicate that hyperplastic pituitary and true pituitary neoplasms differ in their ability to grow readily after transplantation. The presence of S-100 protein-positive folliculostellate cells, which are present in hyperplastic but not in neoplastic pituitary tissues, may serve as a morphologic marker to separate hyperplastic and neoplastic rat pituitary tissues. Transplantable tumors remained responsive to estrogen with expression of a more differentiated phenotype, including an increased number of cells expressing PRL mRNA and increased numbers of PRL secretory granules.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Early prediction of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)would be helpful for triaging patients to the appropriate level of care and intervention. The aim of this study is to compare the performance of the Change in Amylase And Body mass index (CAB) score and BISAP score for predicting SAP.   PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 406 with AP were enrolled. The age, gender, body mass index(BMI), blood urea nitrogen determined at the time of admission and serum amylase determined on day 1 and day 2 after hospitalization were collected and analyzed statistically.   RESULTS Multivariable analysis confirmed that blood urea nitrogen (OR 1.06; 95%CI 1.03-1.09) and percentage change in amylase day 2 (OR 0.75; 95%CI 0.65-0.87) were independently associated with development of SAP. No statistically significant association was observed between BMI (OR 1.04; 95%CI 0.951.13) and severity of acute pancreatitis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for Body mass index (BMI), percentage change in amylase day 2, BISAP score and CAB score were 0.57±0.05, 0.68±0.04, 0.84±0.03 and0.53±0.05, respectively.   CONCLUSION BISAP is more accurate for predicting the severity of acute pancreatitis than the CAB score.
We have developed a hydrogel-based microstamp device that internally contains an electrochemical system for controlled supply of reactive ink to the stamp surface. An agarose stamp was combined with a microelectrode system for the controlled supply of HBrO by an electrochemical reaction. The supplied HBrO will detach the heparin layer pre-coated on substrates and allow selective adsorption of proteins to the exposed substrate surfaces. Especially, by combination the stamp with a microelectrode array, we demonstrate the spatially addressable micropatterning.
Field studies show that computer graphics, as in this case the 3D model of a heritage building, are only iconic representations rich perceived differently by individuals. Still, there is lack of evidence on how realistic 3D in contributes to the meaning making process.This article discusses on the proposed conceptual model for 3D realism towards meaning-making.It elaborates on principles of realism and 3D realism, meaning-making theories and processes and related works in the area.Based on four elements of 3D realism, it attempts to identify possible relationship with meaning making.The research methodology is outlined to achieve the intended research outcomes.The findings of this study would contribute to understanding of the ability to learning via 3D content.
This paper analyzed the long-term effect of 303 cases of adenocarcinoma of corpus uteri treated by various methods from 1964 to 1977. The total 5-year survival rate of various methods of treatment was 61.7%, among them stage Ⅰ 78.6%, stageⅡ 73.2%, stage Ⅲ 33.3% stage Ⅳ 15.4%.The methods of treatment included surgery, radiotherapy and the combination of both. The average 5-year survival rate by surgical treatment was 73.8% for stages Ⅰ to Ⅳ, among them, stage Ⅰ 89.3%, stage Ⅱ 80.5%, stage Ⅲ 47.2%, stage Ⅳ 12.5%, for radiotherapy was 29.5%, for stages Ⅰ to Ⅳ, among them, stage I 35.7%, stage Ⅱ 40.6%, stage Ⅲ 16.1%, stage Ⅳ o, for surgery in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy was 68.4% for stages Ⅱ to Ⅳ, among them, stage Ⅱ 91.3%, stage Ⅲ 36.4%, stage Ⅳ 25%.The affect of treatment for advanced cases will be improved by the intra-arterial admi-mistratoa of anticancer drugs to the pelvic cavity.
To accurately identify malicious overdraft of credit card in the judicial practice,the understanding for the purpose of illegal possession,cardholders,and not returning to the credit card were analyzed as the three aspects of the concept of a malicious overdraft.By the analysis,the author thinks that cardholder are not only limited to natural persons and should also include units;knowing the inability to repay should be included for the purpose of being in illegal possession;two collections should be effective collections;and not returning to the credit card should be distinguished.
A simultaneous effect of some amino acids and metals on the activity of Desulfotomaculum ruminis bacteria in the process of microbiological sulphate reduction is studied. It has been established that the simultaneous presence of valine and one of the metals tested (cadmium, chromium or molybdenum) produces a synergetic effect of enhanced inhibitory effect relative to the effect at the presence of only one of these components. Moreover, serine, aspargine and isoleucine have insignificant effect on the desulfurication of sulphates, but the efficiency of this process significantly depends on the presence of metal ions in the
Densely packed gates of field effect transistors usually lead to voids in a Kontaktzwischenschichtdielektrikum. If such a cavity is opened by a contact hole and filled with conductive material, an electrical short circuit between adjacent contact regions may occur from adjacent Tranistoren. By forming a depression between two adjacent contact areas of the cavity at a deeper position can be formed. Thus, an opening of the cavity through the contact holes can be prevented.
Our universe is magnetized and its constituents are the electrons, anti-electrons (positrons), ions and dust particles. Our objective here is to discuss the formation of large scale plasma structures based on a model associated with the Jeans instability in a self-gravitating multi-component fully ionized magnetoplasma. Assuming that the plasma particles are magnetized and charged dust grains form the stationary background, we derive a new dispersion relation for the low-frequency electrostatic waves in a self-gravitating pairs-ion-dust plasma. The dispersion relation is analyzed to obtain the growth rates and thresholds of the Jeans instabilities. It is found that the ambient magnetic field plays a stabilizing role. The implication of the present work to the formation of large scale structures in our dusty universe is highlighted.
Five of 34 hemophiliac children suffered from nine episodes of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) from hemophilia A, and another 3 were B hemophiliacs. Diagnoses were confirmed by computed tomographic scan in all nine episodes. The ages of the patients with ICH ranged from 3 months to 4 1/2 years. The most frequent presenting symptoms were headache and vomiting, followed by focal neurological deficits. Eight of 9 episodes had bleeding in multiple regions. All the patients received immediate replacement therapy had recovered without surgical intervention. The duration of treatment was 10 +/- 2 days. All the patients survived and only one of them had neurological sequela as left hand paresis. From this observation we suggest that the treatment of suspected ICH in hemophiliacs should include prompt replacement therapy for either trauma or neurological symptoms in the absence of trauma history, documentation of ICH by computed tomographic scan, and prolonged replacement therapy and control of increased intracranial pressure in hemophiliacs with documented ICH.
Uncertainty in estimating fertiliser N requirements is large, with differences between recommended and measured N optima frequently exceeding 50 kg/ha. Precision farming technologies including yield mapping, canopy sensing, satellite imaging and soil mapping are now common-place on farm. The Auto-N project sought to apply the information readily available from these technologies within an ‘Auto-N logic’ to improve the precision of N fertiliser decision making. The ‘Auto-N logic’ was derived from that used to estimate fertiliser N requirements as set out in the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds guide Nitrogen for winter wheat – management guidelines; this guide suggests that N requirements should be calculated by subtracting Soil N Supply (SNS) from Crop N Demand (CND: grain yield x crop N content) and dividing by Fertiliser N Recovery (FNR); thus the ‘Auto-N logic’ uses yield and protein maps to inform estimates of CND, canopy sensing to inform estimates of SNS and soil sensing to inform estimates of FNR.  Novel chessboard N response experiments were set up on six commercial fields between harvest years 2010 and 2012 to quantify spatial variation in N requirement, to explain it in terms of CND, SNS and FNR, hence to develop the ‘Auto-N logic’. At each site, each farmer applied N as liquid urea plus ammonium nitrate (UAN) using the farm sprayer twice, in perpendicular directions, to create a systematic grid of ~400 plots (~12m × 12m) fertilised with N rates of 0, 120, 240 or 360 kg/ha; the area of each experiment exceeded 4 ha. Grain yields were measured by small-plot combine, grain samples were analysed for protein, and N harvest index and total N uptake were determined from pre-harvest grab samples. Values were then estimated for all variates and all N levels for all plots by kriging. Response curves were fitted, and N optima and their components (SNS, CND, FNR) were derived assuming 5 kg grain would pay for 1 kg fertiliser N. Within field variation in optimum N exceeded 100 kg/ha at all sites; spatial variation in optimal yield was  greater than 2 t/ha at all sites and variation in SNS was generally greater than 50 kg/ha. Some of the spatial variation in optimum N was explained in terms of SNS and CND. However, the tendency for positive correlations between SNS and optimum yield was striking, and hindered complete explanation of spatial variation in optimum N: i.e. high yielding areas tended to have greater SNS, so the increased requirement from higher crop N demand was counteracted by the reduced requirement from higher SNS.  Spatial variation in CND and SNS was reasonably well estimated from the use of past yield maps and crop sensing, respectively; often, similar within-field patterns showed through for both. However, variation in FNR was also large and was unpredictable. Using clustering techniques, zoning, performance mapping or simple averaging of data from five farms, it was shown that past yield maps could be used usefully to estimate variation in CND. In addition, variation in SNS could be predicted from canopy sensing in early spring (an algorithm was developed based on sensed NDVI and thermal time since sowing). Calibrations for crop N uptake, biomass and crop N status (Nitrogen Nutrition Index) from canopy sensing were explored, but no rational basis could be found to justify their inclusion in the ‘Auto-N logic’.  Validation trials were set up with farmers on 11 fields in 2013 & 2014; these used adjacent tramlines to compare the Auto-N logic with the farm’s own practice, 50 kg/ha more N and 50 kg/ha less N. Evaluation of these trials along with economic analysis of the chessboard trials showed the benefits of precision in judging N requirements to be modest, whereas benefits of accuracy (proximity to the measured mean) were much greater. Whilst this work demonstrated the feasibility of automating judgements of N requirements within fields using precision information, the variability in CND, SNS and FNR, and crucially the interactions between them, meant that the use of such systems would not guarantee increased accuracy or precision of N use. The evidence suggests that variable rate N management can give only modest returns, even with a system making perfect  predictions, if the field is already receiving the right average N rate.  The results showed that the most important decisions concern N use for whole farms, then for whole fields, then for areas within fields. Precision technologies can help with all of these, especially through comparisons of crops between and within farms. However, the most effective aspect of precision farming technologies is probably the empowerment of farmers to test retrospectively the effects of their N decisions (or indeed any decisions) on-farm. Given the variation in and unpredictability of N requirements between fields and between farms the only way farmers can know for sure whether their chosen N rates were right is to test yield effects of different N rates – this is relatively easy now, by simply applying (say) 60 kg/ha more and 60 kg/ha less to adjacent tramlines.  The chessboard trials initiated here have transformed our understanding of N responses and shown new possibilities for spatial experimentation, not only to empower on-farm testing, but to understand how soil variation affects husbandry outcomes. These trials show that N use is not the major cause of the very large spatial variation seen in yield. Thus, understanding the soil-related causes of yield variation should, and can, now become a priority for soil and agronomic research.
Thin-walled structures are widely used in modern engineering because of their good weight-to-strength ratio. Its application ranges from civil works, such as domes in buildings and bridges, to aeronautical structures and industrial equipment. One geometry that is very common to be found in thin-walled structures is the cylinder, as can be seen in the body of airplanes, pipes and pressure vessels. Under compressive stresses, these structures are susceptible to the buckling phenomenon, which can suddenly collapse, even before presenting high stresses. Therefore, understanding the behavior of instability becomes crucial in designing thin-walled structures. One of the factors influencing the behavior of instability is the geometric imperfection of the structure, and any manufacturing process has errors associated with the process. To begin the study it was necessary to measure the defects due to the cylinder manufacturing process. Two alternatives to carry out the measurements were proposed, the first using LVDTs, which measure the variation of the cylinder radius along its length, and the second the photoprocessing. Both methods gave us a point cloud that were processed to obtain the 3D CAD structure, allowing its analysis by the finite element method and obtaining the respective numerical buckling loads. In addition to the numerical method, an experimental test was carried out to validate the numerical analysis. The cylinder was closed with two flat heads and mounted on an experimental bench, instrumented with LVDTs, manometer and finally, a vacuum pump was attached to one of the flat heads. The pump has created a vacuum inside the cylinder until it collapses. Numerical buckling loads were greater than that found experimentally at 14.48 % photo geometry, 11.72 % LVDT geometry and 39.98 % a reference cylinder. The results show that the geometric imperfections are of great relevance in the resistance to buckling of a structure, and also that great geometric imperfections tend to be the place where the buckling waves occur. Regarding the method of measurement by photoprocessing the results show that it is interesting to study the technique for applications in the area of instability.
Recently, among the computational methods of protein-protein interaction prediction, vast amounts of domain based methods originated from domain-domain relation consideration have been developed. However, it is true that multi domains collaboration is avowedly ignored because of computational complexity. In this paper, we implemented a protein interaction prediction system based the Interaction Significance matrix, which quantified an influence of domain combination pair on a protein interaction. Unlike conventional domain combination methods, IS matrix contains weighted domain combinations and domain combination pair power, which mean possibilities of domain collaboration and being the main body on a protein interaction. About 63% of sensitivity and 94% of specificity were measured when we use interaction data from DIP, IntAct and Pfam-A as a domain database. In addition, prediction accuracy gradually increased by growth of learning set size, The prediction software and learning data are currently available on the web site.
Objective:To investigate the expression of adhesion molecule L-selectin in different types of lung carcinoma and its clinical significance. Methodes: The expression of L-selectin was tested by imunohistochemical method in 110 cases of lung carcinoma specimens (40 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 40 cases of adenocarcinoma, 30 cases of small cell carcinoma) and 30 cases of pericancerous normal lung specimens. Resultes: In 110 cases of lung carcinoma specimens, 37 cases showed positive staining of L-selectin protein (33.6%). But in 30 normal lung specimens, there was no positive cases. The positive rate of L-selectin expression in lung carcinoma specimens was significantly higher than that in normal lung specimens (P0.005). The expression rates of L-selectin in squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma were 20.0%, 67.5% and 6.7% respectively ,there was significantly difference (P0.005). The positive rate of L-selectin expression in adenocarcinoma was significantly higher than that in squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma (P0.005). In 68 cases with lymph node metastasis and 42 cases without lymph node metastasis, the expression rates of L-selectin were 41.2% and 21.4% respectively,there was significantly difference between the two groups (P0.05). The expression rates of L-selectin in Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ and Ⅳ stage were 21.6%,31.0%,46.2% and 80.0% respectively,there was significance dependability between expression of L-selectin and TNM stage (P0.05). The positive rates of L-selectin expression in males and females were 32.1% and 38.5% respectively (P0.05). The positive rate of L-selectin expression was 28.1% in ≤60 years group, and 41.3% in 60 years group (P0.05). Conclution: Expression of L-selectin is associated with histological type, lymph node metastasis and higher TNM stage of lung carcinoma, but is not related with of age and sex. Up-regulated expression of L-selectin is a feature of lung adenocarcinoma.
A novel dual channel in vitro apparatus, derived from a  previously described design, has been coupled with  dopamine (DA) microsensors for the flow-through detection  of DA secreted from PC12 cells.  The device, including two independent microdialysis  capillaries, was loaded with a solution containing PC12  cells while a constant medium perfusion (PBS) was carried  out using a dual channel miniaturized peristaltic pump. One  capillary was perfused with normal PBS, whereas  extracellular Ca2+ was removed from extracellular fluid of  the second capillary. After a first period of stabilization and  DA baseline recording, KCl 75 mM was added to the  perfusion fluid of both capillaries. In this manner, a  simultaneous treatment–control experimental design was  performed to detect K+-evoked Ca2+-dependent DA  secretion. For this purpose, self-referencing DA  microsensors were developed, and procedures for making,  testing, and calibrating them are described in detail.  The electronic circuitry was derived from previously  published optimized for dual sensor CPA applications. The  microdialysis system was tested and validated in vitro, and  DA secretion was confirmed by HPLC–EC. PC12 cell  viability was quantified before and after each experiment.  The proposed apparatus serves as a reliable model for  studying the effects of different drugs on DA secretion  through the direct comparison of extracellular DA increase  in treatment–control experiments performed on the same  initial PC12 cell population.
This paper selects the time interval after the completion of split share structure reform and some competitive industries market data to empirically analyze the impacts of equity in nature,equity concentration as well as equity checks and balances degrees on company growth.The empirical results show that there is a positive correlation between the equity quality and enterprise growth,but the correlation is not significant;ownership concentration and business growth have a greater relationship;equity balance has a significant impact on firm growth,and a negative correlation with enterprise growth.
AIM:To assess the mental health level of anxiety and depression and related factors in healthy volunteers in clinic trial.METHODS:Self-rating anxiety scale(SAS),self-rating depressive scale(SDS)and Eysenck personality question(EPQ)were applied to thirty-five patients.RESULTS:Among the 35 patients,the SAS standard mean value was 35.40±9.64,which was higher than that of nation-norm(P0.05),and significantly higher than that of volunteers after trials(P0.05).The SDS standard mean value was 35.17±6.93 before trials and 34.91±6.93 after trials,which was lower than that of nation-norm.As compared with nation-norm,EPQ scores of intro-and extro-version were significantly lower,and neuroticism and psycho were all significantly higher(P0.05,P0.01).It showed that the standard mean values of SAS and SDS before trials were positively related to EPQ P and N score.CONCLUSION:Mental problems existed in healthy volunteers on clinic trials and the occurrence of mental problems are related to their personality characteristic and sociological factors.
Over the course of history, dams have captivated the interest of society at large. Used to store large amounts of water, dams are also constructed to control flood waters and generate hydroelectricity. Due to their versatility in use, dams and their respective reservoirs are viewed not only as venues for economic activity, but also as centers for leisure and recreational activities. Given society's dependence on these engineered structures, dams must be well maintained and kept in good operating condition. In order to promote a culture of enhanced dam safety and better risk management, dam owners should be held responsible for implementing safety measures. Equally important in the reduction of possible accidents relating to dam failures, is the enforcement of these safety standards by regulatory agencies in charge of promoting and spreading good practices. The planning and construction of any new water-impounding structure must take into account its multiple potential uses (such as water for human consumption, livestock raising, irrigation, generation of hydropower, and/or recreational activities) as well as the best practices in dam safety to date. It should be noted that the enforcement of dam safety standards is also a crucial requirement for structures built specifically for the containment of mine tailings and industrial waste.
The localized dissection of visceral arteries, renal arteries in particular, is less frequent than the extension forward the visceral arteries of aneurysms of the abdominal aorta which are well known. Reporting on four cases within their own personal experience, the authors present their commentaries and insist upon the necessity of early diagnosis which, thanks to an adapted surgical treatment, permits protection of these patients from the complications inherent in this reno-vascular pathology.
Abstract An apparatus for repairing flat glass with thermosetting resins is described. Small threaded rods inserted through numerous threaded holes in the top surface of a light-box allow fine and repeated adjustments to be made in the level of fragments before adhesive is introduced. Elevation off the surface prevents adhesive from running under edges. The light allows the conservator to monitor resin penetration and the low level of heat aids in curing the resin.
Purpose: To evaluate the utility of a noise addition software in simulating realistic MDCT images at reduced radiation dose levels. Methods and Materials: The utility of the software in simulating realistic low dose CTimages was evaluated using a water phantom. The phantom was scanned on a GE LightSpeed VCT scanner at four different tube potentials (80, 100, 120 and 140 kVp) and eight different tube currents (400, 300, 200, 100, 80, 60, 40 and 20 mA). Actual images from the 400‐mA scans were used to create simulated images at each reduced mA. For each combination of kVp and reduced mA, a set of three actual CT slices with no identifiable structures except water were picked together with their corresponding simulated images. Sixteen regions of interest (ROIs), 64 by 64 pixels each, were identified from each slice. Normalized noise power spectra were calculated from the ROIs using Fourier analysis and averaged over the three slices in each set. Noise power spectra of the simulated images were compared with that of their corresponding actual images to evaluate the relative magnitudes and textures of the simulated noise fields. Results: The noise power spectra of the simulated low dose images of the water phantom match well those of actual images in terms of spectral shape, but exhibit lower magnitudes especially when the mA in the simulated image is much lower than the original mA.. Conclusion: The close match in spectral shape between the noise power spectra of the simulated and actual low dose CTimages of the water phantom demonstrates the utility of the noise addition software to emulate actual textures of the noise. Further development is required to better match the magnitudes of noise in simulated and actual images over a wider range of mA values. Research sponsored by GE Healthcare.
Under the background of socialization of NMET, college English teachers are prompted with a positive attitude to explore new teaching model so that English teachers are the first to get rid of the bondage of exam-oriented education, letting the real return to the essence of the English language teaching. To avoid the interference of exam-oriented teaching, together with the present situation of British and American literature course education, English teachers actively promote the application of interactive teaching modes in English and American literature courses. With the reform of English in college entrance examination, it is imperative to reform the teaching mode of English and American literature in colleges and universities. If we want to reform the course of British and American literature, we must understand what the course of British and American literature is and the educational status of the course of British and American literature[1]. Only by understanding the drawbacks of British and American literature curricula, can we find out a correct education mode. 1. What British and American Literature Courses Are? What is a British and American literature course? Its English name is history and anthology of English and American literature. British and American literature is a course designed to improve students' ability for senior students majoring in English and students majoring in other majors with the same degree. This course is for students to master vocabulary and professional terms frequently used in English and American literature courses through the study of the history of British and American literature[2]. Through the study of literature history, students can have a deep understanding of British and American culture, religious belief, historical process and ideology so as to improve students' own quality and appreciation ability. 2. Current Educational Status of British and American Literature Courses A British and American literature course is a required course for senior English majors, which is of high difficulty. A course covers a wide range and a wide range of levels. First of all, teachers need to grasp the history of literature development at a high level, deeply understand its teaching direction and master its teaching level and teaching methods and ways. However, this is not the case[3]. Teachers engaged in British and American literature courses are often unable to achieve professional expertise. Meanwhile teachers' literary quality needs to be improved and teaching methods need to be improved. Learning English and American literature courses also requires students to have solid basic skills and a diligent and serious attitude, but in fact students have poor foundation and low interest in learning literature. In order to change current educational status of British and American literature courses and improve teaching quality of British and American literature courses, it is necessary to integrate the teaching method of British and American literature courses into the interactive teaching mode so as to promote the future teaching and students' learning to a new level. The real interaction between 2019 9th International Conference on Management, Education and Information (MEICI 2019) Copyright © (2019) Francis Academic Press, UK DOI: 10.25236/meici.2019.022 113 teachers and students, between students and students can give full play to students' subjective initiative and independent learning ability[4]. The real interaction between teachers and students, between students and students can stimulate students' innovative thinking. The real interaction between teachers and students, between students and students can improve teachers' teaching enthusiasm. The real interaction between teachers and students, between students and students can fundamentally change the teaching of British and American literature, which is no longer an inherent, traditional and flawed model. In order to make an interactive teaching model enter a British and American literature curriculum, we must understand what an interactive teaching model is, the principles to be followed by interactive teaching, the basic types of interactive teaching and the importance of implementing interactive teaching. 3. What an Interactive Teaching Model Is What is an interactive teaching model? An interactive teaching mode refers to the interaction between teachers' teaching and students' learning. The concrete manifestation is teachers' subjective teaching and students' subjective learning. It is the mutual relationship between teaching and learning, promoting and developing each other, forming a new type of teacher-student relationship, realizing the interaction between teachers and students, between students and students, between scholars and teaching intermediaries, and producing an effect of students’ and teachers’ learning and making progress together so as to achieve efficient teaching[5]. An interactive teaching mode is a teaching mode with the goal of making students enjoy learning, learn to learn and be good at learning. The relationship between teachers and students is that of preaching, teaching and clearing doubts. An interactive teaching model combines these relationships and achieves the process of mutual learning and interaction between students and teachers. 4. Teaching Principles to Be Followed by Interactive Teaching Teachers should follow the principle of subjectivity in interactive teaching Pay more attention to students and create classes for students. Students are the main body of the classroom. Teachers’ teaching plans should adapt to the classroom[6]. The classroom should follow students. Students should create the classroom and lead the classroom direction. Arouse students' initiative of doing and thinking. 4.1 Interactive Classroom Is Mainly About Students' Learning Process. All the theoretical knowledge and framework concepts taught by teachers are the process of guiding students to find and solve problems by themselves. Teachers must do a good job of guidance in teaching to stimulate students' potential. 4.2 Interactive Teaching Mode Focuses on Communication. Communication is the most important in interactive teaching between teachers and students and between students, so the principle of communication should be paid attention to. Each student's way of thinking is different, so in the process of communication, problems can be found and solved. After listening to students, a teacher must evaluate this course and his or her students[7]. Each student's understanding is different, so students can do brainstorming. This process can solve problems and broaden students' thinking. 4.3 The Significance of Interactive Teaching Lies in Creation. The core of classroom is not only teachers’ creation but also students’ creation. Teachers' teaching methods must be innovative, but under an interactive teaching mode, students' innovation is more important and students must play a prerequisite role[8]. Whether a classroom form is rich and colorful depends entirely on students' ability of hands-on innovation. Check students' thinking and innovation consciousness and encourage students to innovate in order to comply with the development of society.
This study examined the mechanistic basis of the synergistic interaction between the cyclic AMP (cAMP) and phosphoinositide pathways in salivary amylase secretion. cAMP produced a concentration-dependent increase in Ca++ mobilization from saponin-permeabilized rat parotid acinar cells. A threshold concentration of cAMP (50 microM) significantly increased the peak Ca(++)-releasing activity of submaximal concentrations of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) but did not augment the Ca++ mobilization induced by a maximal stimulating concentration of IP3 (30 microM). A maximal stimulating concentration of cAMP (500 microM) failed to modify the Ca++ releasing action of IP3. IP3-induced Ca++ release was also augmented by catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. A specific protein kinase inhibitor reversed this effect. The cAMP-induced Ca++ release was blocked by ryanodine but not by heparin, by contrast with the IP3-induced Ca++ release. Thapsigargin only partially depressed the cAMP response but completely abolished the IP3 response. The amylase release elicited by fixed concentrations of Ca++ was not further enhanced by either cAMP or forskolin. Thus, unlike diacylglycerol, which decreases the Ca++ requirement for secretion by inducing activation of protein kinase C, cAMP appears to mediate salivary amylase secretion by regulating the sensitivity of parotid cells to the Ca++ mobilizing action of IP3. In addition, cAMP possesses a second action, i.e., directly eliciting Ca++ mobilization from an IP3-insensitive pool.
Culture and civilization are two different concepts which are often misused. Culture refers to alteration to the nature conducted by human beings. Civilization means progress degree of human beings, compared with wildness and originality, including material and spirit aspects. By analyzing the background under which ecological culture and ecological civilization emerged, the author points out that the physical process (agro civilization era), chemical process (industrial civilization era) and life process (characterized by the emergence of clone technique). It also elaborates the connotations and the differences between ecological culture and ecological civilization. Ecological culture refers to the especial culture under the effects of natural environment, which includes material culture, behavior culture and spirit culture. It considers ecological civilization as the most prevalent and the most important progress of human beings on relationship between human beings and nature, which are represented by two aspects: the first is new concept brought out by consciousness of relationship between human being and nature, the second is value concept and behavioral culture which were derived from the former concept. Ecological civilization has experienced utilitarian era, ecological civilization era based on anthropocentrism (the shallow ecology movement) and ecological civilization era based on nature values (the deep ecology movement). It points out that individual character principle is of eternal values, and the task of overcoming the crises of culture diversity under the influence of western culture is the insistent responsibility of human culture development. At last, The author gives out the methodology for the study on ecological culture and ecological civilization, and analyzes two aspects of ecological civilization construction--construction of material ecological civilization and that of spirit ecological civilization.
Martina Ballmaier, John T. O’Brien, Emma J. Burton, Paul M. Thompson, David E. Rex, Katherine L. Narr, Ian G. McKeith, Heather DeLuca, and Arthur W. Toga* Laboratory of NeuroImaging, Department of Neurology, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1769, USA Program in Neuroscience, Brescia University School of Medicine, Brescia, Italy c IRCCS San Giovanni di DIO-FBF, Brescia, Italy Kliniken Schmieder Konstanz, Constance, Germany e Institute for Ageing and Health, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK
Let $M$ be a closed oriented hyperbolic manifold of dimension at least $3$ and let $g_0$ be the hyperbolic metric on $M$. Besson-Courtois-Gallot proved that for any Riemannian metric $g$ on $M$ with same volume as $g_0$, its volume entropy $h(g)$ satisfies $h(g) geq n-1$ with equality only when $g$ is isometric to $g_0$. We show that the hyperbolic metric is stable in the following sense. If $g_i$ is a sequence of Riemaniann metrics on $M$ of same volume as $g_0$ such that $h(g_i)$ converges to $n-1$, then $(M,g_i)$ converges to $(M,g_0)$ as metric measure spaces in the Gromov-Prokhorov topology. The proof is based on an intrinsic uniqueness result for spherical Plateau solutions of $M$.
Aflatoxins are a group of secondary metabolites produced mainly by Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. nomius. The effect of S. schoenii and S. crataegensis in the production of aflatoxin B1 and G1 in peanuts, cultivar IAC Caiapo was investigated. Previously autoclaved and in nature peanuts samples were inoculated with A. parasiticus (1.6 x 106 spores.mL-1) and yeast cultures (1.6 x 108 cells.mL-1), followed by incubation at 25oC for seven days. Two experiments were carried out: for the first one, the filamentous fungi and the yeast suspensions were inoculated simultaneously. In the second experiment, the filamentous fungi were inoculated 3 h after yeasts inoculation. Aflatoxin quantification was performed by thin layer chromatography. The production of B1 and G1 aflatoxin was reduced in the presence of the yeasts. The percentage of reduction in aflatoxin concentration was higher when the filamentous fungus was inoculated3 h after adding yeast suspension. The reduction of B1 aflatoxin concentration came to 89.3% and 82.6%, in the presence of S. schoenii and S. crataegensis, respectively. The G1 aflatoxin levels were reduced in91.2% in the presence of S. schoenii and 93.2% in the presence of S. crataegensis.
For the first time, bluetongue has been diagnosed in goats in the Netherlands and in Northwest-Europe. On the 17th of August 2006, bluetongue was for the first time diagnosed in sheep and a little later in cattle in The Netherlands. The clinical symptoms, diagnostics and differential diagnosis of bluetongue (BT) in goats in the Netherlands are described. The most obvious clinical signs were an acute drop in milk production and high fever (up to 42 degrees C). Clinical signs were less obvious than usually seen for clinically diseased sheep and cattle. A few goats showed oedema of the lips and the head, some nasal discharge and scabs on the nose and lips. Further erythema of the skin of the udder and small subcutaneous hemorrhages were seen. Just like one year ago, for the very first suspicion of bluetongue in Northwest-Europe, a good collaboration between practitioners, specialists of the Animal Health Service (GD Deventer), the Specialist Team of the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (VWA), and the Central Institute for animal Disease Control (CIDC-Lelystad) in The Netherlands, led to the first and rapid notification and confirmation of the suspicion of bluetongue.
Hit-and-run entry can compel the contestable market to socially desirable performance in the theory of perfectly contestable market. Even in oligopoly and natural monopoly market,contestability can ensure without profits above normal level,without inefficient firms,without cross subsidy,marginal pricing in oligopoly market and Ramsey pricing in natural monopoly market. The theory of perfectly contestable market generalizes the theory of perfectly competitive market,which can substitute perfect competition as performance benchmark. It is not necessary to regulate in contestable market,which is base for deregulation in developed countries such as U.S. at the beginning of 1980s.
A universal purpose pipeline management development platform is designed based on MAPGIS, a large scale GIS software. This platform has integrated data model and thus possesses a very large capacity for various types of data. With a multi layer architecture, it includes several modules such as network data management network analysis, general pipeline data pool management, special pipeline data pool management, pipeline project management, pipeline utility toolbox, C++ class ActiveX control library of pipeline management, etc. The platform supports both APIs and component interfaces, which brings convenience and flexibility for secondary development. It meets well the needs of developing pipeline management applications. Using the platform, a series of successful pipeline information systems have been developed and adopted,which proves that it has very wide application perspective.
Nowadays,schoolmistresses play increasingly important role in educational reform,but their pressure is becoming heavier and heavier,some of them even become psychologically unbalanced.So it is weightily significant for maintaining social stabilization and constructing harmonious society to regard their psychological health in order to keep balance and harmony among psychology inclining,behavior and social reality.This research adopts SCL-90 and Sensibility Scale to spot check of psychological health status in primary and secondary schools.The results are remarkable.Fist of all,levels of psychological health among groups of different age,educational backgrounds and locus of registered permanent residence are different.Secondly,4.43% of research objects have redundant negative sensibility.In addition,work pressure list primacy of troublesome problems.Last but not least,more and more people are aware of the essentiality of psychological health.
This study has an objective to contribute at a study of the epiphytic plants in the eastern region of the Kivu Lake preciously in LWIRO area, South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The priority contribution was to make a list or to inventory the epiphytic plants and to elucidate some ecologic data which are been relevant at some simple observations. The phytosociologic and opportunist methods was been done to realize this study. This study stand out that 61 species split up into 34 families. The floristic analysis has show us the dominance of grass (57, 37%), the phan
To meet the increasing requirements of synchrotron radiation users, the upgrade project to enhance the performance of Hefei Light Source (HLS), named HLS-II, was launched in 2010, and in 2014 the first commissioning of HLS-II was successfully completed. After the commissioning, the main design goals for the HLS-II storage ring have been achieved, with natural emittance of electron beam lower than 40 nm-rad at 800 MeV, five insertion devices installed in straight sections and root mean square (rms) jitter of closed orbit smaller than 4 { mu}m, making HLS-II at a higher level among the same class of machines in the world. This paper reports on the results of the commissioning of the HLS-II storage ring, which includes linear optics correction, compensation of insertion devices effect and closed orbit feedback.
Language components in mathematical word problems might have some profound impacts on the problem solving processes engaged by examinees. Such impacts usually do not occur uniformly across examinees, but rather are the results of the interactions between the characteristics of the mathematical item and the cognitive properties of the particular examinee. This study examined such impacts through a multiple random-effects IRT modeling approach, which has the benefit of modeling the individual-specific impacts of the language components on mathematical problem solving, in addition to the average effects of such components across the testing sample. Results showed that substantial variations among examinees of the impacts from such language components were found for the examinee sample.
This paper considers the intermission of a concert night as a time-space for different forms of waiting and encounters with the outside city. By combining on-site observations from the foyer of the concert hall Casa da Musica in Porto, with a theoretical discussion on temporality and rhythms in the city, the paper analyses how the interstitial moments of waiting is constructed in this building. The paper uses the concept of “waiting niches” to consider what kind of waiting that the building affords, either through programmed spaces for waiting, or as spaces discovered by inhabitants. Rather than describing a specific location or form, a niche describes how something or somewhere is appropriated by a particular species at a particular time. The paper identifies three main kinds of waiting niches in the concert hall foyer: Firstly, the lounge niche, which is a space designed and furnished for waiting during particular lengths of time. Secondly, the micro niche which is an ephemeral and temporary niche for shorter forms of waiting, appearing in smaller and secluded places around the foyer. Thirdly, the threshold niche that happens on the entrance stairs to the building, where the concert audience and people passing by are exposed to each other and where the correct form of waiting is less clear than on the inside. These niches are not unique for the concert hall foyer, but could be considered in many other building typologies and for many other types of events. In conclusion the paper argues that to better understand and explore the formal and informal waiting niches of a lobby can be a way for architectural practice to support unexpected encounters between the inhabit- ants of a building and the people on the outside.
Objective:To screen formulations,optimize preparing process and study the quality control of iptakalim hydrochloride tablets.Methods:The comparison method was used in formulation and process study.The solvent extraction acidic pigment color method(the BCG method)was used in content determination,content uniformity and dissolution.A HPLC method was applied in related substances as- say.Results:A reasonable formulation and feasible preparation were developed.The BCG method estab- lished was sensitive,reliable and simple with good reproducibility.The quality of iptakalim hydroehloride tablets was controlled very well.Conclusion:Iptakalim hydroehloride tablets prepared with the optimized formulation and process demonstrated good stability.This study formulated the quality standard and of- fered preparation study for the new preparation registration.
The suitability of the formic acid excretion in the urine as a parameter for the biological monitoring of inhalational exposure to formaldehyde is discussed controversially. We investigated persons not occupationally exposed to formaldehyde (n = 70) to determine possible influencing factors on the physiological excretion of formic acid. Following this we carried out a study on medical students (n = 30), who during an anatomical dissection course were exposed to a short but intensive inhalational exposure to formaldehyde, as well as investigations on employees of a pathological-anatomical laboratory (n = 8) in order to observe the course of the formic acid excretion in the urine during a working week with a continuous exposure to formaldehyde below or within the range of the MAK value (0.5 ppm). It was seen that the formic acid excretion in the urine with non-exposed persons is subject to considerable inter and intraindividual fluctuations (at a maximum by a factor of 30). In addition to differences in the endogenous formation of formates an important influencing factor is probably the uptake of food containing formic acid or its precursors. A value of 23 mg formic acid/g creatinine is given as the upper norm level (95th percentile) of adults. In the groups who were exposed to formaldehyde, in some cases considerably above the MAK value, we were able to detect no significant increase in the formic acid concentration in the urine. After a short but intensive exposure to formaldehyde (0.32-3.48 ppm) the formic acid concentration in the urine did not change significantly with an average formic acid concentration in the urine before exposure of 6.5 mg/g creatinine (central 50% range: 3.5-14.2 mg/g creat.) and after exposure of 6.0 mg/g creatinine (central 50% range: 4.4-10.9 mg/g creat.). There was no significant relationship between the individual change in the formic acid concentration in the urine (in mg/g creatinine) and the inhalational exposure to formaldehyde determined through personal air sampling (r = 0.079). In the course of a working week with a continuous exposure to formaldehyde (0.03-0.83 ppm) there was after relating the values to creatinine a continuous increase in the median to 22.3 mg/g creat. with a starting value of 8.7 mg/g creat. The change proved, however, for the number of cases investigated not to be significant. In particular there was no linear correlation detectable between the individual changes in the formic acid excretion in the urine and the formaldehyde concentrations in the breathing zone determined by personal air sampling.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Mutual solutions of cellulose and thermotropic linear LC polymers such as poly(decalnethylene terephthaloyl dioxybenzoate) and poly[oxypropyleneglycol terephthaloyl-bis(4-oxybenzoate)] in N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide were prepared for the first time. The total polymer content in solution was 20%; the cellulose: LC polymer ratio was varied from 20: 0 to 0: 20 with a concentration step of 1-2%. In concentrated solutions of cellulose, LC polymers, and their blends, birefringence is absent; hence, they are isotropic systems. Upon the introduction of minor amounts of LC polymers into the concentrated cellulose solution, the viscosity decreases by 3-4 times. When blend solutions with a concentration of LC polymer of 8-10% are spun in air, the formation of solidifying extrudates upon the crystallization of N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide is observed; in the as-formed extrudates, the LC polymer is distributed as thin anisodiametric inclusions with micronic dimensions. Upon the removal of N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide, the resultant extrudates are characterized by an increased strength and rigidity compared to those of cellulose extrudates.
3D electromagnetic field simulation software Ansoft HFSS is used to simulate the electromagnetic field distribution of reaction chamber of large-area trapezoidal electrode VHF-PECVD in 3D space.The simulation results are consistent with the experimental results reported in literature as well as with the theoretical results.Therefore,the reliability of using HFSS software to simulate electromagnetic field distribution of large-area VHF-PECVD reaction chamber is verified.
Molecular monolayers of poly-in-benzyloxycarbonyl-l-lysine were studied at the air/water interface. Deuterium-exchange measurements and the surface area of the monolayer are consistent with a structure consisting of condensed ordered arrays of alpha-helices. Collapsed films removed from the surface and air-dried were examined by polarized infrared spectroscopy and electron diffraction and found to consist of molecules in the alpha-helical conformation. There is no indication of a conformational change during compression of the monolayer, and a series of transitions found in the force-area curve are interpreted as the consecutive formation of additional layers of molecules. Some of the factors that influence this almost perfect plastic behaviour are discussed.
Interaction of polyanion poly(vinylsulfate) with oxidized cytochrome c (cyt c) significantly affects the protein main characteristics. One of them, pKa value of acidic transition, was shifted from an apparent pKa value 2.5 (typical for cyt c in low ionic strength solvent) to approximately 5.20 +/- 0.15 upon polyanion binding to the protein, pointing to a likely involvement of histidines 26 and/or 33 in the protein acidic transition in complex with the polyanion. The acidic transition followed at 6 different wavelengths all over circular dichroism spectrum, monitoring different parts of the protein structure, revealed basically two-state character process. Only ellipticity at 262 nm indicated a low-cooperative pH-induced conformational transition in heme region with an apparent pKa approximately 4.34 +/- 0.25 in accordance with absorbance change at 620 nm. Polyanion also interacts with chemically-denatured (in the presence of 9 mol/l urea) state of the protein as it follows from stabilization of protein residual structure at acidic pH and its effect on pKa value of acidic transition of chemically-denatured cyt c. Destabilization effect of polyanions on native and, on the other hand, stabilization influence on partially unfolded conformations of the protein are discussed with an implication for their chaperone-like properties in vivo and in vitro.
Technical High School Musi is Catholic universities that support the formation of the whole man through quality engineering education, professional and competitive both regionally, nationally and internationally. To achieve this vision, it takes students who have a high willingness and achievement, but often not all students who excel have a good economic capabilities. STT Musi him to provide scholarships for students who have achievements but constrained in terms of cost. The limited number of scholarships quota and the number of scholarship applicants make Puket III difficulty. Then one way to be applied by researchers in providing solutions to Puket III STT Musi is to implement "Decision Support System Acceptance Scholarship in STT Musi". In creating this application, the observer uses the methodology of sequential linear model development, UML software development, programming language Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and SQL Sever 2008 database. This application is expected to help Puket III in the decision to select scholarship recipients.
The authors consider the relevance of essential and toxic elements to the maintenance and derangement of cellular homeostasis, review different routes of their introduction in and release from varying cell types as well as relationships with specific ligands, distribution by intracellular pools. Presented are also morphological data on trace elements accumulation in cell, organs and compartments. A number of trace elements contributed to mutagenesis and carcinogenesis while the others demonstrate anticarcinogenic and antiblastic action.
A heterozygosity-fitness correlation (HFC) can be defined as a correlation between heterozygosity, measured at a marker locus or at a set of marker loci, and a fitness-related trait. Three hypotheses have been proposed to explain HFCs. The first one is the direct effect hypothesis which relies on functional overdominance in fitness-related loci. Secondly, linkage disequilibrium between neutral markers and fitness-related loci could explain HFCs. This is the so called local effects hypothesis. The third hypothesis is the general effect hypothesis which is based on identity disequilibria resulting from partial inbreeding (variation in heterozygosity among individuals). Many studies have shown correlations between microsatellite heterozygosity and fitness. These could be explained either with local or general effects because microsatellites are putatively free from selection. HFCs are usually thought to be caused by inbreeding depression and it has been proposed that multilocus heterozygosity in microsatellites could be used as an indicator of inbreeding in natural populations. If HFCs are real, it could be assumed that heterozygosity is favoured by selection and genetic variation is thus preserved. The possible causes of HFCs are intrinsic to small populations such as increased inbreeding and increased linkage disequilibrium. Inbreeding, together with genetic bottleneck and drift increase linkage disequilibrium. The purpose of my study was to determine, if there are heterozygosityfitness correlations in the fly Drosophila littoralis and what the mechanism behind possible correlations is. Furthermore, I studied what happens to genetic variation in populations of small size. Reproductive output was measured for females of different inbreeding coefficients and their degree of heterozygosity in nine microsatellite loci was determined. A correlation coefficient was calculated between individual heterozygosity and reproductive output. For some of the females, number of eggs and offspring was counted, but for the others, only the number of eggs was counted. In addition, the observed loss of heterozygosity in the experimental populations was compared to the expected loss of heterozygosity assuming neutrality of the markers. The study gave some indication of heterozygosity-fitness correlations but overall the correlations were weak and nonsignificant. Loss of heterozygosity in small populations agreed with the theoretical expectations about the rate at which heterozygosity is lost from populations.
C I T A T I O N L I N K S A R T I C L E I N F O Article Type Original Research Authors Elham Hoseiny Khorram Abadi1, MSc, Saeed Zaker Bostan Abad 2*, PhD How to cite this article Hoseiny Khorram Abadi E, Zaker Bostan Abad S. Molecular Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Clinical Samples Based on 16srRNA, rpoB, and hsp70 Genes by MLSA. Infection Epidemiology and Microbiology. 2019;5(3):27-38 1Department of biology, school of Basic Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 2Department of biotechnology, School of Basic Sciences, Parand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran * Correspondence Address: Department of Microbiology, Shiraz branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran Fax: +98 21 88951392 Phone: +9821 4293 3150 E-mail: saeedzaker20@yahoo.com Article History Received: July 27 ,2019 Accepted: September 27 ,2019 Published: October 12 ,2019 Aims: Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterium with the capability of causing a variety of nosocomial and community-acquired infections. Evaluating the genetic structure, polymorphism, genotyping, and phylogeny of S. aureus isolates could contribute to the prevention and treatment of infections caused by this microorganism. Materials & Methods: In this study, the polymorphisms of 16S rRNA, rpoB, and hsp70 genes were investigated in a total of 50 S. aureus isolates using S. aureus NCTC 8325 as the reference strain. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for the detection and amplification of the studied genes. The amplicons were then sequenced using a Sanger sequencing method. Moreover, phylogeny of the isolates was studied using Neighborjoining and Maximum Parsimony methods for 16S rRNA, rpoB, and hsp70 genes individually and in combination. Findings: After Sanger sequencing, data obtained by Sequencher and Mesquite software programs revealed several polymorphisms of S. aureus isolates 16S rRNA, rpoB, and hsp70 genes, respectively. These polymorphisms included transversion, transition, insertion, and deletion. Among the studied strains, 10 cases showed no polymorphism. Multi-locus sequence analysis (MLSA) showed several genetic diversities in S. aureus isolates. Conclusion: It seems essential to rapidly and reliably identify the phylogenetic sources and characteristics of this microorganism and to have a better understanding of its molecular epidemiology in order for infection practical surveillance and control.
The invention relates to an information exchange system and an exchange method thereof. The information exchange system and the exchange method of the information exchange system are used for micro application programs. The information exchange system comprises a first database and a second database which store micro application programs respectively, wherein each of the micro application programs is provided with at least one software suite module, and the first database stores updating information of the software suite module. When a mobile device with the micro application programs senses that the first database stores the updating information, the first database transmits the updating information to the mobile device to allow the mobile device to correspondingly install the updating information and update the software suite module of the micro application program, and the first database transmits the updating information to the second database to allow the second database to correspondingly generate updating information for the micro application program and update the software suite module of the micro application program.
Abstract : The thesis is a study of the integrative management technique of management by objectives and its application to problems of naval communications management, career development and training that are of concern to the headquarters level of naval communications. As part of this study, a pilot management by objectives implementation project was conducted at the U. S. Naval Communications Station, San Francisco, based in part on a computer simulation model developed for the naval communications environment. Problems of the implementation and results obtained are discussed, including recommendations for further study. (Modified author abstract)
In the present specification describes techniques for synchronizing slide show events with audio. One or more video events, receives the data defining the transition or visual effect of a slide, and a sound file to be played during the execution of the defined events. Processing the audio file, to identify the sound events that are contained in the audio file. When the sound-event in the audio file is identified, using the audio synchronization scheme comprises data defining how to be synchronized to the video event the voice event, a defined video events were identified It is synchronized with the audio event. It is possible to provide a user interface that allows a user to select the applicable audio synchronization scheme to the presentation. Allows the user to associate visually certain video events to the identified any speech events in the audio file, it can also provide the user interface.
Get the blood (被) process and the processing vessel capable of receiving the body, the first opening and the total source gas supply which bring the valve to supply the raw material gas into the processing container, the second opening and closing valve of the reaction gas in the processing vessel and a reactive gas supply system that can supply, the third opening and closing take the valve by using the film forming apparatus provided with a vacuum exhaust system capable of exhausting the atmosphere in the processing vessel to a vacuum, the silicon oxide on the object to be processed metal-containing film is formed on the surface in the film forming method for forming a thin film made of a film, to close the third on-off valve of the vacuum exhaust system, to close the first on-off valve in series with the source gas supply after opening a predetermined period of supplying the raw material gas, the first on-off valve for a predetermined period of time while the raw material gas adsorption step, and close, to the adsorption to the surface of the object to be processed the reaction gas holes By opening the second on-off valve of the system is the reaction step of forming the reaction gas to the raw material gas and the reaction by thin film by supplying a reaction gas into the processing vessel, with an intermittent period between repeated a plurality of times alternately.
A novelty based learning system which self generates p rimitive actions that can be used to form more complex manipulations is presented. In the field of intelligent robotics research, manipulation capability is important as it enables complex, yet delicate and precise interactions with the environment. Thus far, manipulation research has made only minor progress in developing general manipulation techniques. In order to provide the flexibility to adapt to unstructured environments, robotic manipulation systems will require an autonomous learning capability. Conventional machine learning algorithms, such as various forms of neural networks, reinforcement learning and decision tree’s, have provided good results in previous research for relatively simple tasks. However for increasingly more diverse and complex tasks, these algorithms lack adaptability and expandability and as such often yield poor performance. A relatively new field of machine learning for intelligent robotics modelled on human behaviour is evolving which has promising potential for manipulation applications. Motivated or novelty based learning uses interesting occurrences or outcomes to direct and focus learning towards such observations of interest. In this project this concept is applied to a simplified robotic manipulation system so that primitive actions can be learned. It is intended that these primitive actions will then be combined to form more complex actions to complete a given task.
The General Peace Agreement (GPA) between the Mozambican government and the National Resistance Movement (Renamo)—signed in Rome, Italy, in 1992—ended nearly 16 years of warfare. Since then, the state has increasingly fallen short of its obligation to provide security—the public good that poor people define as their top priority. This situation is now receiving greater attention domestically and among international donors. However, donor reluctance to address security problems in a comprehensive and holistic manner, combined with the attachment of strong conditionalities to their aid programmes, has slowed down the reform of national security institutions.
Medicinal plants are treating and preventing various diseases. There is urgency in recording such data. The aim of the present study is to identify plants collected for medicinal purposes by the ethnic people of Pachamalai hills of Tamil Nadu, India and to document prepare and use the traditional names of these plants. The ethno medicinal information’s were collected through interviews among ethnic people. A total of 27 species of plants distributed in 27 genera belonging to 18 families were identified as commonly used ethno medicinal plants by ethnic people in Pachamalai hills for the treatment of various ailments based on the disease affected body systems treated. Leaves are the most frequently used plant parts and most of the medicines are prepared in the form of paste, administrated orally, topically and brush. The most important In this study, documenting the medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge can be used for conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants in the area and for validation of these plant preparations for medicinal treatment of human beings. The study has various socioeconomic dimensions associated with the local communities.
The prolonged administration of epsilon-aminocaproic acid (EACA) resulted in the development of severe proximal myopathy associated with high plasma creatine kinase values, rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuria, and mild hyperbilirubinaemia. Withdrawal of the drug led to spontaneous resolution of the clinical and biochemical syndrome. Structural and enzyme studies of a biopsy specimen of the involved skeletal muscle supported the presence of subclinical myopathy. The mechanism whereby EACA produces its toxicity in muscle may in part be due to inhibition of cathepsin D, but the possibility that other proteases are involved has not been excluded. The fact that this clinical syndrome is rare despite the widespread use of EACA may be because it only occurs in subjects with a subclinical skeletal muscle disorder which is unmasked by the drug.
Starting form the point of view to promote the sustainable development of regional industry, the paper establishes an evaluating criterion suitable to sustainable development of industry using the analytical method of principal components and cluster analysis. Based on the criterion, the paper analyzes and evaluates the effect of industrial activities in the western region in China. The result of analysis indicates that the superior industry of western region does not conform to the criterion of sustainable development of regional industry. Therefor, the paper suggests that the government should give the priority to the hi tech industry and the environment protection industry, so as to promote the industry in western region to grow toward sustainable orientation
Background: The widespread use of use of herbal medicine has led to its approval by WHO has a factor in the attainment of universal health care coverage together with conventional medicine. However, unlike conventional medicine, herbal medicine has many challenges yet to be addressed. Pathogenic Microbial contamination has been cited as a serious quality issue in previous studies done in Kenya and other countries with no regulation of herbal medicines. Despite newer techniques of microbial analysis taking shape in routine microbial identification and characterization, quality control laboratories use pharmacopoeia techniques address same microorganisms without due regard to possible newer contaminants which may not be detected by the recommended techniques. Objective: This study was therefore designed to use genotypic techniques not utilized before in quality control laboratories for microbial contaminant determination in herbal and nonsterile pharmaceuticals Materials and methods; 16SrRNA a unique conserved gene to bacteria was used to identify bacteria that failed to be determined by routine methods. Bacterial contaminants were isolated from thirty samples of registered and nonregistered herbal products collected by random purposive sampling from five Kenyan provinces. Identification of the unknown isolates was done first by use of selective and differential media with the procedure in the BP 2007, followed by biochemical identification by API 20E commercial kit with the procedure given by the manufacturer. Genotypic characterization was finally carried out for the remaining unknowns. This was done by DNA extraction using DNA mini kits with procedures as given by manufacturer; PCR based fingerprinting, DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the sequences respectively. Results: The total bacteria characterized from all samples were nineteen (19). Thirteen isolates were identified by the phenotypic methods e.g. six by differential and selective media, and seven by biochemical API 20 E kit. The remaining six were characterized genotypically despite the other technique failing to identify them. Conclusion: Though the use of routine pharmacopoeia recommended techniques should be encouraged, practitioner, manufacturers and quality control laboratory analysists should be aware of more contaminants not included in the pharmacopoeia lists. The study further shows that appropriate use of genotypic techniques can enhance the accurate and robust testing of herbal products. Further use of the techniques should be explored in routine microbial contamination analysis.
OBJECTIVES To investigate the risk factors for acute kidney injury (AKI) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children.   METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 111 children who underwent HSCT from January 2018 to January 2020. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors for AKI. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to compare the prognosis in children with different grades of AKI.   RESULTS Graft-versus-host disease (grade Ⅱ-Ⅳ) (OR=4.406, 95%CI: 1.501-12.933, P=0.007), hepatic veno-occlusive disease (OR=4.190, 95%CI: 1.191-14.740, P=0.026), and thrombotic microangiopathy (OR=10.441, 95%CI: 1.148-94.995, P=0.037) were closely associated with the development of AKI after HSCT. The children with stage Ⅲ AKI had a lower 1-year survival rate than those without AKI or with stage Ⅰ AKI or stage Ⅱ AKI (28.6%±12.1% vs 82.8%±5.2%/81.7%±7.4%/68.8%±11.6%; P<0.05).   CONCLUSIONS Children with stage Ⅲ AKI after HSCT have a higher mortality rate. Graft-versus-host disease, hepatic veno-occlusive disease, and thrombotic microangiopathy are closely associated with the development of AKI after HSCT.
Objective To discuss the clinical effects of interventional endoscopic therapy on the treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis.Methods A total of 29 patients with chronic pancreatitis were treated with interventional endoscopic therapy.Among them,21 patients underwent EPS.19 patients were treated with ERPD;12 patients underwent minor papilla sphincterotomy and endoscopic stenting;8 patients with stones were removed using basket or balloon.Afterwards,ERPD was performed if necessary.These patients were followed up every 1 months,ERCP were used if necessary.Results The successful rate of interventional endoscopic therapy was 86.21%,complete remission rate of abdominal pain was 75.86%,65.52%,68.97% at the 1,6,12 month,clinical symptoms such as marasmus and fatty diarrhea were markedly improved.The stent was replaced in 2 case after 5,11 month because of obstruction.After the treatment,7 patients developed transient hyperamylasemia,2 had acute pancreatitis,2 had hemorrhage.No perforation,conversion to an open surgery,or death occurred in this series.Conclusion Interventional endoscopic therapy is safe,effective,minimally invasive,and will be the first choice for the treatment of the chronic pancreatitis.
Objective To explore the therapeutic effect of continuous peritoneal lavage and drainage guided by ultrasound in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Method A total of 45 patients with SAP were divided into 2 groups: treatment group (20 cases) and control group (25 cases). There were no significant difference in the mean age, comorbidity rate, the symptoms, body temperature, heart rate, WBC count, and serum and urine amylase levels on the admission day between the 2 groups (P0.05). Twenty patients in treatment group, include 13 with biliary calculus, were treated with continuous peritoneal lavage and drainage guided by ultrasound in combination with conservative therapy. In control group, 21 patients were treated with similar conservative therapy, and the other 4 underwent surgery. The amount of peritoneal lavage, body temperature, heart rate, WBC count, serum and urine amylase levels were examined every day. These parameters recorded on the 5th day after treatment were compared with those before treatment. And the changes of the parameters pre- and post-treatment were compared between the 2 groups. Results On the 5th d after treatment, the body temperature, heart rate, WBC count, serum and urine amylase levels were obviously decreased in treatment group; and the decreases in these parameters were much more significant compared with control group (P0.01). The mean hospital stay of treatment and control groups was (26.8±13.2) d and (29.6±13.5) d, respectively (P0.05). Conclusions Peritoneal lavage and drainage guided by ultrasound is safe, convenient, less traumatic and highly effective in the treatment of SAP, and the patients can make a rapid recovery, therefore it is of clinical significance.
This study is a neurologically-based art therapy treatment investigation to better understand if marble painting can help reduce the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Three marbling painting sessions were conducted over three weeks. The group focused on the main goals which included discovering a rhythm while using fast or slow movements, focusing on this rhythm and become aware of any emotion felt during the process. The participants were encouraged to make a series of marble paintings and to experiment with different colors. The observations found from this study suggest that marble painting should be used as an art therapy treatment for those with PTSD to reduce arousal and frustration.
This demo presents an ICT system for collaborative situation assessment and strategic decision making that supports effective and efficient protection of the population and the environment against chemical hazards in industrial areas. Robust decision support taking into account multiple objectives entails the combination of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Scenario-Based Reasoning (SBR). The adhoc formed workflow of (human and artificial) experts generates scenarios capturing uncertainties. Combining MCDA and SBR allows for structuring complex problems and accounting for uncertainties by the selection of a decision alternative that performs (sufficiently) well for various aims under a variety of different possible situation developments (i.e., scenarios). Robust Decision Making In emergency management, decision making typically concerns choosing among a small number of promising alternatives for action (termed “alternative” in the following). This choice, however, must respect multiple (often conflicting) goals. Using MCDA, the performance of alternatives can be expressed in terms of multiple attributes. To choose the best alternative, the consequences of applying each alternative with respect to each attribute are determined [1]. To this end, a network of experts (both human and artificial) is configured to determine these consequences per alternative [2]. To make the different scales and units, on which the attributes are measured, comparable and to take into account the importance of achieving a close-to-optimal score on each attribute, value functions are used. To take into account tradeoffs, the decision makers are asked which of the goals are relatively important to them, and which are de-emphasized. Finally, these evaluations of consequences are compared to achieve a ranking of alternatives. As in strategic emergency management, the situation is often highly uncertain; several scenarios per alternative are constructed. Each scenario is by itself a consistent, coherent and plausible story describing possible consequences of applying an alternative. To determine different pieces of information that constitute the scenarios, different experts are used. The demo session will present a rationale to construct plausible scenarios based on large quantities of information. While such information can be very useful, its exploitation requires substantial domain expertise. No single expert has the required knowledge or the capability to use all the available information, while full automation of situation assessment processes is usually not possible or acceptable. Therefore, the Dynamic Process Integration Framework (DPIF), a service-oriented approach to collaborative information processing spanning multiple organizations, is used to operationalise our workflow of experts [3]. Finally, the magnitude of the arising set of scenarios represents the uncertainty about the future and the complexity of the problem: whenever an expert is not certain, multiple scenarios arise. The demonstration system The demo system is founded on our approach and concepts supporting the integration of SBR & MCDA. To this end, several steps forward have been taken: 1. Formalisation of Scenario-based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis: the basis of the system is a detailed description of robust decision making such that the orchestration of the network of experts results in the construction of consistent, coherent and plausible scenarios that are relevant for the decision makers and remain comparable. Furthermore, methods to evaluate the alternatives on the basis of sets of scenarios have been developed. 2. Definition of scenario management methods: scenario management aims at controlling the number of scenarios constructed and presented to the decision makers. In scenario management tradeoffs between the time and effort necessary to construct, evaluate and analyse the scenarios and the diligent exploration of the plausible situation developments have to be made. We have developed procedures to operationalise the relevance and reliability of scenarios taking into account the decision makers’ aims and preferences. The relevance of a (partial) scenario (compared to the relevance of other scenarios) is a means to prioritise and select scenarios, while scenario reliability serves as a basis for pruning inacceptable scenarios. Using these techniques, the system avoids constructing all possible scenarios (which are typically too many) by focusing on relevant and discriminating scenarios. 3. Demonstration system: an interactive demonstrator that operationalises the approaches developed has been built. The basis of the system is a service-oriented approach to collaborative information processing (the Dynamic Process Integration Framework or DPIF, see Pavlin et. al. 2009). This decentralised framework is complemented by decision (maker) centric components facilitating scenario management taking into account the preferences of the decision makers at each stage of the process. This demonstration system shows that it is possible to support robust decision making and visualise the results taking into account multiple goals and uncertain future developments.
To quantitative composition of economic processing into a variety of different iron-carriers, the electric arc melting the area (1), over the weir (34) is connected to the melting zone (1), at least in part by a lower sloping the dam in such a manner ( 34) the bottom and the molten zone (1) refining region (3) including a tapping tunnel 41 as well as the oxygen supply means 35 and 36 provided at the end remote from said melt zone, starting from (1 ) in the connected and the molten zone (1) and a common has a bottom 18, the molten zone (1) discharge region 2, a liquid pig iron is provided with a remote end of the slag outlet 43 in at 20, the feed and melting zone (1), supply means which opens to the interior 21, and supplies the iron carriers (7) of the solid phase, is placed on top of the melted area (1), a gas-permeable cooled off device ( 6) and the molten zone (1) pre-heating shaft (5 which is open in) through the cover of the melting zone, and Placed on top of the melted area (1) is gas-impermeable through the cooling block (11) comprises a melting zone (1) loading the shaft 10 is opened in.
Neglect refers to the failure by a parent or caregiver to provide a child (where they are in a position to do so) with the conditions that are culturally accepted as being essential for their physical and emotional development and wellbeing (Broadbent & Bentley, 1997; Bromfield, 2005; WHO, 2006) (1) . Also Neglect has been defined as behavior by those responsible that constitutes a failure to act in ways that are presumed to be necessary to meet the developmental needs of a child, within the social and cultural norms of that society (Straus & Kantor, 2005) (2) . This study aimed to assess the prevalence of and type of Family neglect and child abuse among intermediate school age children at El -Mania city, A.R.E. A descriptive study was conducted at the beginning of March to May 2012 and standardized Arabic version of family neglect and child abuse screening tool was used. Ethical standers of the confidentially and freedom to participate were followed. A purposive sample of 100 female intermediate students chosen by educational supervision office from two intermediate schools in El- Mania city Key word : maltreatment, child abuse, intermediate schools age.
The aim of this paper is to show 1) how successful life is conceptualized by contemporary Poles, 2) who are the people choosing different definitions of success (e.g. in terms of material well-being, education, job, family, self-realization, etc.), 3) how people considering themselves as successful or unsuccessful can be characterized socio-de- mographically and psychologically. The study has been performed in 1995 on the national sample of 1487 Poles. The results show that majority of Poles percieves success in life in terms of material well-being and presents opinion that their life was no successful. On the contrary to many Western studies the sense of success in contemporary Poland is much more rooted in objective conditions of life than in psychological make-up or professed values. Among the main predictors of successful life were good material situation, older age and marriage, and to a lesser degree - good psychological well-being and optimism.
This study was intended to define the mesostigmatic mite species that occur in the nests of the white stork, and to identify their role in the life of their host. The results are derived from 38 samples from 12 nests, which contained a total of 13,352 individuals and 34 species. Among the most frequent species were Macrocheles merdarius, M. robustulus, Uroobovella pyriformis and Trichouropoda orbicularis, which represented almost 85% of all the specimens collected. There was a high frequency of coprophilous predatory mites that feed on the eggs and larvae of insects and on nematodes, which undoubtedly affects the abundance of these invertebrate groups in nests. Literature records and new observations suggest that phoresy on various beetles and dipteran phoronts can be the main mode of dispersal of mites into the nests.
Imipramine, amitriptyline and desmethylimipramine given alone depressed or did not affect the spinal monosynaptic reflex (MSR). 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) alone produced a slowly developing moderate facilitation of the MSR. The 5-HTP-induced increase in the MSR was more rapid in onset and much greater in cats pretreated with imipramine. Imipramine, amitriptyline and desmethylimipramine administered after 5-HTP, when spinal cord serotonin content was elevated, produced, respectively, 4-, 3- and 2-fold increases in the monosynaptic spike height. Cinanserin or methysergide injected subsequent to 5-HTP plus a tricyclic compound caused the MSR to return abruptly toward the predrug height. Similar findings were observed in cats treated with α-methyl-5-HTP. Increased deafferentation of the cord did not reduce facilitation of the MSR by imipramine in 5-HTP-treated animals, but the effect was abolished by chronic spinal transection and greatly reduced by pretreatment (before 5-HTP) with a decarboxylase inhibitor. Our findings indicate that antidepressants given before or after 5-HTP potentiate the 5-HTP-induced facilitation of the MSR via central interaction with serotonin formed from 5-HTP. Decreased neuronal uptake of serotonin may be the mechanism involved in this interaction.
Epilepsy affects almost 1% of all pregnant women. The effect of pregnancy upon epilepsy is unpredictable for the individual patient. In one third to one half of the patients epilepsy had no effect on seizure frequency, in one fourth to one third of the patients seizure frequency increased, and in one third to one fourth it improved. Several reasons are discussed for a frequently observed tendency to a drop in plasma concentration of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy where the daily dose was kept unchanged. For unknown reasons, perinatal lethality is up to twice as high as in controls. The risk of bearing children with malformations is approximately 1.5-3 times higher for mothers with epilepsy than in non-epileptic mothers. Apart from antiepileptic drugs the role of genetic factors, the type and severity of epilepsy and the possible influence of grand-mal seizures during pregnancy must be considered to be involved in congenital anomalies. Polypharmacy produces more frequent anomalies than monotherapy. Valproate should be avoided in the pregnant women due to the increased incidence of neural tube defects. At this time there is no reason to discourage a mother on antiepileptic drug therapy from breast feeding.
High concentration of phytate in wheat flour hinders the absorption and utilization of some essential nutrients such as Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Magnesium (Mg), Calcium (Ca) etc. A 5 x 5 diallel field research was conducted at the research farm of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Agricultural University Peshawar during 2007-08 and 2008-09 to determine Phytate concentration F1 hybrids and parent genotypes of wheat. All 20 F1 hybrids and 5 parent genotypes were planted at research farm of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Agricultural University using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. At threshing, grains from each plot were collected and Phytic acid was determined at Nuclear Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The values for Phytic acid ranged between 0.81% to 3.91% among the hybrids while the parent genotypes ranged from 1.25% to 3.42% at NIFA. The hybrid genotypes gave a wider range for phytic acid concentration compared to parent genotypes, indicating transgression at both ends. This study identified some potential hybrid populations with significantly lower phytate concentration in wheat grains, thus providing useful material to wheat breeders. These hybrids are recommended to be included further in breeding programmes and should be screened in the coming generations in order to obtain a wheat genotype with low phytate concentration which should be a big breakthrough in the improvement of nutritional quality of wheat as Phytic acid is a potent inhibitor for micro and macronutrients which in turn cause nutritional deformities in human beings. Generation of low phytate genotype is a dire need in order to overcome on nutritional deformities such as Anemia, Rickets and Osteomalacia etc.
PURPOSE: To surely turn individual sheets of paper by an angle of 90° during their transport without a change in their direction of feed even at high speeds of feed with a simple device. CONSTITUTION: A stopping roller 22 with a pressure ball 33 is driven opposite to the direction of feed (allow 8) and is arranged directly in front of the belt section 23' of a conveyor belt 23 in the direction of feed (allow 8). The stopping roller 22 is arranged in longitudinal row together with pressure balls 25-29 placed on the conveyor belt 23. In direct front of the stopping roller 22 offset sideways relative to a feed web center 38, a drive roller 34 driven in the direction of feed (allow 8) is provided, on which a pressure ball 35 is placed with a higher contact pressure than the pressure ball 33 of the stopping roller 22. COPYRIGHT: (C)1994,JPO
The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and device for video anti-shaking. Disclosed is a method used in video anti-shaking. The method comprises the steps of dividing at least part of the current frame of a video into a plurality of areas, performing progressive local motion detection for each of the areas to determine a local motion vector for the area, and determining a global motion vector for the current frame based on the local motion vectors for the areas. A corresponding device and user equipment are further disclosed. According to the embodiment of the invention, video anti-shaking processing can be realized without any additional hardware. Moreover, by adopting the method disclosed by the embodiment of the invention, a motion vector and the corresponding compensation can be determined quickly and effectively, and a variety of complex scenarios can be handled.
In recent years, a paradigm shift has occurred in the area of organismal health. Where Koch and Hill’s fundamental postulates equating to “one microbe—one disease” were once regarded as the rule, research has now shifted to a more holistic view in which whole microbial communities give rise to and participate in complex interactions that can ultimately influence disease processes. The microbial communities that constitute fish microbiomes are now recognized as essential components of host health and defense from invading pathogens. Therefore, a better understanding of the natural bacterial communities of healthy individuals and how they interact with the host and other environmental factors is of critical importance. For this study, I hoped to expand the existing body of research on fish microbiomes to include the skin and gut microbiomes of important freshwater sport fishes. My objectives were to 1) characterize the gut and skin microbiomes of three common freshwater fishes including two important sport fishes, largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus as well as the distantly-related spotted gar Lepisosteus oculatus, 2) compare intraand interspecies differences in the composition of each microbiome, and 3) identify potential influences of seasonality on core microbial communities. Skin and gut samples were collected in August and November 2014, and May 2015. All samples were sequenced as paired-end reads of the 16S rRNA gene via the Illumina MiSeq platform. More than 5M reads were analyzed representing 4,130 and 2,744 OTUs from gut and skin samples, respectively. Approximately 51.84% of the total OTUs were shared between the skin and gut bacterial communities. Good’s coverage was higher than 98% in all samples. Spotted gar exhibited the most diverse skin microbiome, while largemouth bass was the least diverse species in terms of both the skin and gut microbiome compositions. The highest diversity in the gut microbiome was observed in bluegill; however, the bacterial communities of spotted gar were the most variable across seasons. Seasonal changes in bacterial community structures were also observed. For both the skin and the gut microbiomes, sampling date was found to exert a stronger influence on microbial composition than the species itself; however, season had a lesser impact on the gut microbiome that in the skin indicating the gut microbiomes are more stable. Diversity of the skin was found to be significantly higher in August than in November and May. Files URI http://hdl.handle.net/10415/5314 Name: CRayThesisFinal.pdf  Size: 2.854Mb Characterization of the gut and skin microbiomes of wild-caught fishes from Lake Guntersville, Alabama Website Feedback |Privacy |Copyright © 2019
Preface. Notations and Abbreviations. Introduction to MATLAB. Part 1: Deterministic Signals. Chapter 1. Signal Fundamentals. Chapter 2. Discrete Time Signals and Sampling. Chapter 3. Spectral Observation. Chapter 4. Linear Filters. Chapter 5. Filter Implementation. Chapter 6. An Introduction to Image Processing. Part 2: Random Signals. Chapter 7. Random Variables. Chapter 8. Random Processes. Chapter 9. Continuous Spectra Estimation. Chapter 10. Discrete Spectra Estimation. Chapter 11. The Least Squares Method. Chapter 12. Selected Topics. Part 3: Hints and Solutions. Chapter 13. Hints and Solutions. Chapter 14. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.
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The poster reports on a project in which we are investigating methods for breaking the human metadata-generation bottleneck that plagues Digital Libraries. The research question is whether metadata elements and values can be automatically generated from the content of educational resources, and correctly assigned to mathematics and science educational materials. Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques were implemented to automatically assign values of the GEMgenerate metadata element set tofor learning resources provided by the Gateway for Education (GEM), a service that offers web access to a wide range of educational materials. In a user study, education professionals evaluated the metadata assigned to learning resources by either automatic tagging or manual assignment. Results show minimal difference in the eyes of the evaluators between automatically generated metadata and manually assigned metadata.
nspired by a lawsuit filed against McDonald's on behalf of two obese American girls, claiming that the fast food giant caused their debilitated health, Morgan Spurlock decided to test the claim by embarking on a month-long diet in which he aimed to eat every meal at the fast food chain. The resulting film is an irreverent look at obesity in America and its relation to fast food corporations. Spurlock enlists the services of health professionals who monitor his health before, during and after the diet. On every count the experts declare that his general well-being is above average. When Spurlock asks the doctors what the 30-day diet would do to his health they suggest that he will probably end up with a higher blood-cholesterol level, but that his body could easily handle it. The rules of the diet were simple. Throughout the month Spurlock had to 1) eat a “super size” meal if asked, 2) eat only those foods that are for sale over the counter at McDonald’s, including water, 3) eat everything on the menu at least once in the 30 days, and 4) eat three full meals a day. Although McDonald’s is found worldwide, many people outside America may not understand how Spurlock followed such a diet. In addition to hamburgers, fries and sodas McDonald's in America sells omelets, salads, fish sandwiches, and desserts, and also routinely ask customers whether they want to "super size” their meal, which means getting extra food for a slightly higher price. While ordering lunch on the second day, Spurlock accepts an offer to super size his meal. At first he jokes about the enormous amount of food, which includes a half pound of fried potatoes and a quart of soda, along with McDonald’s trademark “double quarter pounder” hamburger with cheese. However, half-way through Spurlock looks less enthusiastic. At the end of the meal, he vomits out of the window of his parked car. The scene is both disgusting and powerful, and it leads effectively into a discussion of the “toxic environment” fostered by the fast food industry. According to Kelly Brownell, professor of nutrition and eating disorders who was a consultant for the film, Americans live in a “toxic food and physical inactivity environment” that “almost guarantees” becoming ill. Spurlock's doctors had not anticipated how the diet would strain his heart and liver, and he was advised several times to abandon the experiment before the month's end. However, he admits that he had become addicted to McDonald's, feeling anxious and depressed when hungry and high immediately after eating. By the end of the experiment Spurlock’s
gold and other precious metals from ore to market is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. Our books collection saves in multiple locations, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Merely said, the gold and other precious metals from ore to market is universally compatible with any devices to read.
The traditional foreign language teaching mainly focused on the teaching of language but overlooked the learning of nonverbal sign,which have influenced cross-cultural communication to a large extent.The study and application of the nonverbal sign could not only help the learners to get an insight into the life experience of a foreign country,construct contextual orientation and comprehend communicative rule,but also it could help the learners to learn a foreign language in a specific language environment,so as to strengthen the cross-cultural communication capacity.
Traumatic posterior glenohumeral dislocations are rare and accurate diagnosis is frequently missed because of the absence of characteristic symptoms. Posterior glenohumeral dislocations represent approximately 2% to 5% of all traumatic shoulder dislocations( 10,34) . A precise determination of the incidence remains difficult because of the frequency with which posterior dislocations go undetected. Proposed explanations for the delay in diagnosis include failure of the evaluating physician to include the condition in the differential diagnosis, suboptimal radiographic evaluation and interpretation, and coincidental injuries such as fractures that can confound the patient’s presentation (31). A systematization of the clinical and radiological approach including an X-ray and CT scan leads to an early diagnosis and allows a prompt reduction. Posterior dislocation of the shoulder is the most commonly missed major joint dislocation in the body(33). It is imperative that orthopedic surgeons develop a complete understanding of the nature of this injury and its treatment so that patients who present with this condition can be diagnosed and treated effectively. It is commonly associated with an impaction or “encoche” fracture of the humeral head (reverse Hill Sach )which causes locking of the humeral head behind the glenoid. Prompt reduction and good rehabilitation lead to satisfactory results.. Closed reduction is often obtained under general anesthesia. Patients with locked posterior dislocation should be treated based on the general condition and needs of the patient, the duration of dislocation, the size of the impression defect and the experience of the surgeon. Unsuccessful closed reduction is essentially due to a large impression fracture, delayed diagnosis of the dislocation, and anatomical neck fracture(7). Surgical intervention is necessary for old unreduced posterior dislocations. The shoulder should be immobilized after reduction in neutral or external rotation splint or brace for 4 weeks and rehabilitation with progressive passive and active physiotherapy is mandatory afterwords .
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Summary In land seismic data, the source and receiver responses are often equalized using surface consistent deconvolution (SCD) techniques. This deconvolution method generally decomposes the seismic trace into a source function, a receiver response, a reflectivity term and an offset-dependent component. In most cases the focus is on the removal of the source and receiver effects. SCD uses second order statistics, and therefore phase can not be estimated. Consequently, the minimum phase assumption is adopted for the source and receiver components. Recent developments in blind wavelet estimation methods from seismic data offer much promise for addressing the SCD problem with no prior assumptions on the phase. In this paper, we propose a blind surface consistent wavelet estimation method based on an extension of the Euclid deconvoluton method.
The Sierra Ballena Shear Zone is a high-strain transcurrent structure that divides the Neoproterozoic Dom Feliciano Belt of South America into two different domains. The eastern and western domains of this Shear Zone consist of basement gneisses, low-grade Neoproterozoic supracrustal successions, and granitic intrusions.In the basement at both sides of the Shear Zone, a first deformation stage is recognized as a high temperature mylonitic foliation associated with migmatization. The microstructures indicate that diffusion creep was an important deformation mechanism, probably enhanced by partial melting. The age of this episode is estimated in the 800-600 Ma range. The magmatic suites studied show an evolution beginning with highly-fractionated calc-alkaline granites (Solis the Mataojo Granitic Complex ~584 Ma), followed by mildly alkaline granites and shoshonitic volcanics (Maldonado Granite ~575 Ma, and Las Flores basalts), and concluding with peralkaline intrusions and volcanics (Sierra de las Animas Complex ~540-520 Ma). The signature of this magmatism indicates a post-collision setting during the activity of the Sierra Ballena Shear Zone, which played a major role in the emplacement of these magmatic associations.The deformation observed in the Sierra Ballena Shear Zone took place in regional low-grade conditions, as indicated by metasediments of associated strike-slip basins. The second deformation phase was transpressional, pure shear dominated, with conjugate dextral and sinistral shear zones forming at this phase. Granites emplaced during this phase show evidence of important flattening. The age of these intrusions, allow us to estimate an interval of 590 to 540 Ma for this event. The microstructures observed in quartz of granitic mylonites of this stage are characteristic of the dislocation creep regime 2, and fabric pol-figures are asymmetric crossed girdles and asymmetric single girdles with rhomb - as the active slip system, indicating middle greenschist facies conditions during transpressional deformation.The third stage is a simple shear dominated sinistral strike-slip event. Alkaline porphyries emplaced in the shear zone similar to Cambrian alkaline rocks emplaced in the low-strain domains, together with the lack of Brasiliano granites cutting the shear zone, bracket this stage between 550 and 500 Ma. Quartz mylonites and mylonitic porphyries of the Sierra Ballena Shear Zone display quartz microstructures characteristic of the transition between regime 2 and regime 3, with grain boundary migration as an important recovery mechanism. The fabric pol-figures display Y maximum patterns, with prism - being the main slip system. These characteristics indicate deformation in upper greenschist to lower amphibolite facies (~500 oC). This medium to high temperature of deformation in a regional low-grade crust level is ascribed to temperature rise produced by emplacement of the porphyries.Correlation of the above-described evolution with the stages illustrated by Konopasek et al. (2005) for the Purros Shear Zone of the Kaoko Belt of Namibia indicates that the Sierra Ballena Shear Zone represents the continuation of the former.
Permanent reference station networks are used all over the world for surveying type applications requiring centimeter accuracy generally reducing the worth of traditional single baseline methods. The well known advantages provided by reference station array information include improved modeling of the remaining tropospheric, ionospheric and orbit biases. Methods and concepts show the improvements in performance and reliability in some kind of closed system approaches. Standardisation discussions underway within RTCM target the interoperability between the reference station systems and roving receivers from various manufacturers. One obstacle in the discussion, and therefore in later interoperability issues, is the creation and proper description of the models used for deriving the biases noted above. This difficulty has to be mitigated and will vanish with time, but this interoperability is needed urgently. This paper details a different approach to utilise and distribute the information from permanent reference station arrays in RTCM-format compact messages. The separation of different calculation tasks affords an easy and efficient standard for the transfer and distribution of network information. The proposed method may solve the current dilemma for interoperability standards.
Abstract : Interrogations are a critical method for the United States of America to identify and develop intelligence on an asymmetric battlefield. The ability to gathering information that allows other elements within the military to conduct surgical attacks against enemy targets will remain a vital need for the United States military. In order for interrogations to be effective, the interrogator must be properly trained and equipped. The research in this thesis compares training methodologies between the US Army interrogation course, other countries' military courses, government agencies, and civilian interrogation courses. The research addresses equipment that may be used to better enhance the effectiveness of interrogator on the battlefield. Interrogation is the art of questioning and examining a source to obtain the maximum amount of usable information. The goal of any interrogation is to obtain usable and reliable information, in a lawful manner and in the least amount of time, which meets intelligence requirements of any echelon of command. Sources may be civilian internees, insurgents, Enemy Prisoners of War (EPW), defectors, refugees, displaced persons, agents, or suspected agents. According to FM 34-52 (1992), a successful interrogation produces needed information which is timely, complete, clear, and accurate.
The present invention discloses a method and apparatus for positioning. Wherein the method comprises the mobile terminal measures the signal to noise ratio of the channel of the base station of the present cell with the previous cell base station in the surrounding forward link pilot; use the acquired system identification, network identification, the base station of the present cell identification, cell site around PN code number, and the measured SNR uploaded to the location platform; positioning platform according warp system identification, network identification, and identification of this cell base station queries the base station, the base station latitude and longitude of the cell around the cell periphery query PN code number used by the base station in accordance with ; determining latitude and longitude of each weighting factor based on the measured SNR; and queries using the weighting factor to determining the latitude and longitude latitude and longitude information of the mobile terminal. The present invention does not require modification to the network to request the mobile terminal is low, without the use of specialized chip can be effected with high precision.
Background: Traditionally, a fat child is considered as an "attractive" child and is often referred to as a "healthy" child, one who is likely to survive the rigors of undernourishment and infection. The obesity has been defined as a condition of abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in adipose tissue, to the extent that health may be impaired. Obesity can be seen as the first wave of a defined cluster of non-communicable diseases called "New World Syndrome" creating an enormous socio-economic and public health burden in poorer countries. Objective: Augmenting body mass index (BMI) and waist-height ratio for establishing more efficient obesity percentiles among school-going children by using BMI, waist to hip ratio and waist to height ratio. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out in the municipal corporation area among school going children during the period of 1 st September 2009-31 st August 2010. We prepared the list of children roll number wise from selected school. From the list of children by systematic random sampling method, we selected 10% children, i.e., 286 government′s school children, 114 private schools children and total 400 school children were selected for study. First we selected 10 th roll number and then every 10 th roll number children was included in the study. Those children who were absent on the day of a survey, they were not included. Results and Conclusion: The study conducted among a sample of 400 school children of the municipal corporation area revealed that 30 (7.5%) of the children were overweight, 25 (6.3%) were obese and 345 (86.3%) of them were normal. Out of a total of 400 children screened, 206 (51.5%) were girls and 194 (48.5%) were boys. Among the total girls, 10.2% were overweight and 6.3% were obese, 83.5% were normal. Similarly among total boys 4.6% were overweight and 6.25% were obese, 89.2% were normal. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were higher in girls than boys. Difference in the distribution of children according to sex was not statistically significant. Maximum prevalence of overweight (18%) was found in the 13-14 years age group and prevalence of obesity (9%) was in the same age group.
We present a new invariant, called slope, of a colored link in an integral homology sphere and use this invariant to complete the signature formula for the splice of two links. We develop a number of ways of computing the slope and a few vanishing results. Besides, we discuss the concordance invariance of the slope and establish its close relation to the Conway polynomials, on the one hand, and to the Kojima–Yamasaki      η   eta    -function (in the univariate case) and Cochran invariants, on the other hand.
The"no responsibility of criticizing whether behavior is good between father and son "by Mencius, according to exegeses of the chapter,the ralation between Ren and Yi in this chapter is specific relevence between moral conduct of Ren and Yi. For the phenomena of maoral conduct,the base of moral conduct of Ren is "no harm between father and son,and Ren and Yi in ethic ralation between father and son is opposite and complementary to each other. Furthermore,Ren is the leading factor in the ralation. In term of ontologic foundation of moral conduct, the specific structure of behaviour implemented in daily life ethic ralation is the structure of Ren and Yi which are opposite and complementary and on the base of the ontology Ren in which Four Origins are included. In general,the origin and ontology of the opposite and complementary ralation betwenn Ren and Yi is just Ren,and the existence, maintenance and operation of Yi depends on behavioral limit of Ren itself,which depends on emotional response between both roles of relevant ethic ralation.
This paper deals with two new species of the genus Dactylogyrus from marine fishes of Gobiidae. A new subjective synonym that is also a new record in China is concerned.1. Dactylogyrus qinzhouensis sp.nov. (Fig.1, a-b)Type-host: Glossogobius giuri Site: gills Type-locality and date: Qinzhou, Guangxi; May 7,1995 Type-specimens: Holotype no.GXqz1995050701; paratypes no.GXqz1995050702-3 About ten species of Dactylogyrus have been reported from fishes of Bobiidae in the world. This new species is similar to Dactylogyrus soni Gussev, 1995 (gobii Tripathi, renamed) which has the same species of host , but differs from the latter in the shape and size of hamuli, connective bar and copulatory organ. This species has a shorter hamuli (0.050-0.065 mm) and a longer point (0.020-0.022 mm), while the known species with a longer hamuli (0.095-0.102 mm) and a short point. The two laterals of the connective bar of this species are warped and with undulated wave, and the laterals of the connective bar of the known species become thickened and wide. The copulatory organ of the new species has a coiled tube of length 0.115-0.134 mm , the supporting apparatus which has a curve at the end is divided into two lobes at the base, while the length of copulatory tube of the old species is only 0.030 mm, and the supporting apparatus of the known species is also different. So, we regard this species as a new species in science and name it after its locality.2. Dactylogyrus microgobius sp.nov. (Fig. 2,a-b)Type-host: Microgobius gulosus, Microgobius sp.Site: gills Type-locality and date: Qisha, Guangxi; Sep.5,1995 Type-specimens: Holotype no.GXqsha1995090501; paratypes no.GXqsh1995090502; HNhk1998040301 This species is similar to Dactylogyrus gudaoensis Chen, 1982, but distinguishs from the latter in the shape and dimensions of hamuli, connective bar and copulatory organ. The length of the hamuli of this species is distinct smaller than the latter's. The connective bar of the known species has two tubercules in the middle, while the bar is short and strong without tubercule in this species. The copulatory tube is nearly "S" shaped and the supporting apparatus "Y" shaped in known species and both the copulatory tube and the supporting apparatus are curved as "C" and with a deep fovea near the terminal in this speices. Therefore we regard this species as new and name it after its host. 3. Dactylogyrus bialatus Wu, WangJiang, 1988 has been reported which has the characteristic of being well developed inner root, embryonic type hooklets, being two small knob-like projections in the middle of the connective bar ,and being a slight curved copulatory tube and divided, hook-shaped distal ends of the supporting apparatus etc.. All these important features along with the dimensions of this species (table 1) are nearly the same as that of Pseudodactylogyrus haze Ogawa, 1984. According to the 1961 ICZN, we think that Dactylogyrus bialatus is a subjective synonym of Pseudodactylogyrus haze Ogawa, 1984. Pseudodactylogyrus haze ( syn. D. bialatus) is first recorded in China and Synechogobius ommaturus is a new host of this species.
Aiming insurance personnel's indemnifying with favoritism,an incomplete dynamic game model was built by using client-agent in game theory.The games among insurant,insurance personnel and an insurance company were analyzed.The motivating factor of salary,fine and indemnity were found to make the insurance personnel indemnify with justice.The internal controlling mechanism,including supervising and motivating mechanism,and an assessing method of salary for the all employees were established by an insurance company. The company has made great achievement after these measurements were carried out for almost a year.
Abstractâ??Recent years have seen widespread adoption of the Internet for language teaching and learning. Interactive systems on the World-Wide Web provide useful alternatives to face-to-face tuition, and both teachers and learners can benefit from the exercises available. However, although there is a wealth of suitable material, it is hard to find because it is scattered around the web. Moreover, teachers are restricted by the material that is available, and cannot provide their own.  To tackle these problems we have constructed a digital library of language learning exercises that presents students with different kinds of exercise, and also lets teachers contribute new material. We first reviewed existing language learning systems on the web in order to develop a taxonomy of exercise types used for language activity. A prototype, ELLE, based on this taxonomy, provides various kinds of interactive exercises using material that teachers submit. The system has been evaluated by practicing language teachers.
Objective To investigate the influence of hospitalextension continued nursing on the standardized patient pain treatment effect.Methods A total of 126 cases of advanced cancer patients used opioids were randomly divided into control group and experimental group,the control group based on the routine use of standardized painless hospital ward nursing,given the continuing nursing care after discharge.Results Patients in the experimental group drug standard rate 96.8% was significantly higher than 92.15% in control group visit/readmission pain score was(3.4±1.1),was significantly lower than that in control group(5.3±1.3),KPS score(72.3±5.0)was significantly higher than that in control group(55.4±9.2),SAS,SDS score were significantly lower than those in control group,the complete chemothera py ratio significantly increased up to 92.1%,the difference was statistically significant(P 0.05).Conclusion Based on the standardized treatment of cancer pain,the implementation of hospital extension continued nursing intervention,can effectively control the pain,improve patient compliance,timely treatment of adverse reaction,has important clini cal significance in patients with advanced cancer pain to improve the quality of life.
Higher Education globally is becoming increasingly accountable to output metrics, such as those that purport to encapsulate teaching quality and student satisfaction, leading to increased discourses of value-for-money. Despite the significant costs of university courses and links between class participation and attainment, many students chose not to take full advantage of the scheduled classes available to them. In this paper, we present the findings from student-led interviews with forty-seven undergraduates. Primary reasons for not engaging with learning opportunities highlighted the key role of assessment in shaping student value judgements. This included the attribution of perceived additional value to learning experiences related directly to assessment, and the prioritisation of assessment activities over participation at taught classes. We conclude by discussing these instrumental assessment-driven behaviours in the context of an increasingly outcome-driven global Higher Education sector, and the problematic nature of learner freedom.
Part I of this paper attempted to justify the need for this research for historical purposes, that is, to fill a gap in the history of nursing, and sought to raise awareness of possible bioterrorist activity with the smallpox virus. The disease process, now unfamiliar to most nurses, was briefly described, and reference was made to the change from a predominantly childhood to adult disease. The gradual removal of patients from home to hospital or other institutions was considered and the diverse nature of their attendants was discussed. Smallpox was then explained from two nursing perspectives: firstly, the concept of smallpox as a nurses' disease. In this, it was universally acknowledged that only nurses could make some difference to a patient's survival and minimal disfigurement, but secondly, in so doing, they put their own lives at risk. Examples were given of nurses who succumbed. Finally, some central and local government measures which endeavoured to prevent the spread of the disease were outlined. Part II focuses specifically on nursing care and training as it is through this medium that knowledge may be passed from earlier to present day nurses.
Recurrent vesicovaginal fistulae represent a clinical problem of the utmost importance due to the impact on the patients’ quality of life. The current standard of treatment for this problem is surgical, with an abdominal approach, notwithstanding, may authors state that this repair should be done with the technique and approach that the surgeon feels most comfortable. We have successfully treated two patients with recurrent vesicovaginal fistulae using a vaginal approach, therefore we suggest it as a viable alternative in the treatment of this condition. We present two case reports an literature review, with the necessary modifications of the Latzko technique.
The background and impact of the Clean Air Amendments of 1970 requiring a 90 percent reduction of automotive hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide based on 1970 emissions and a 90 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides based on 1971 model year emissions are reviewed in relation to possible control strategies for automobile emissions. Estimates of the economic penalties for achieving full 1976 standards are 30 percent for fuel and about $500/car. It is generally agreed that the 1975-76 Federal standards cannot be met without the use of catalysts which have various problems such as temperature limitations and mechanical fragility. Current catalytic converters are capable of about 10-15,000 miles of service. Meeting NOx standards will require cooling the reaction of the combustion chamber by any of various methods, all of which will use more fuel. Using a rich mixture for NOx control will put extra stress on the oxidation catalyst used for hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide control. (Air Pollut. Abstr.)
Global interest in harnessing renewable energy resources has dramatically increased due to the confluence of several factors. The world cannot continue to relay for long on fossil fuels for its energy requirements. Fossil fuels reserves are limited. In addition, when burnt, these add to global warming, air pollution and acid rain. These systems are nonpolluting, don’t deplete the natural resources in the long run. The advantages of using solar energy are the cost reduction of installation in the case of non availability of electric grid, reduction of electricity bill and contribution to the protection of the environments (Clean and renewable energy source).After a brief, but broad overview of renewable Energy utilization scenarios, this paper focuses on the employment of a solar lighting system which can make a 3w lamp glow continuously for about one hour if the battery is fully Charged has been constructed. The device can be used for small-scale lighting applications in remote areas that are far away from the power grid. The system has a panel to collect the sun’s energy, a battery to store that energy and a light source to use the energy. The system operates like a bank account. Withdrawals from the battery to power the light source must be compensated for by commensurate deposits of energy form the solar panels.
Synchronous data flow graphs (SDFGs) are widely used to model digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms and streaming applications. Any valid SDFG can be converted to an equivalent homogenous SDFG (HSDFG). Retiming and unfolding are important graph transformation techniques for performance optimization of SDFGs. In this paper, we review the relationship among the three transformation techniques and reveal the equivalence of the combinations of them. The equivalence makes it possible to analyze and optimize SDFGs directly, without carrying out the explicit conversion procedures which are usually time and space-consuming.
This study provides new insights into the historical language contact between Classical Armenian and West Middle Iranian, specifically Parthian. Next to an up-to-date account of known lexical, morphological, and phraseological Iranian loans in Armenian, the discussion focuses on one major and three minor syntactic patterns which, it is argued, are the result of pattern replication. The major pattern, the Classical Armenian periphrastic perfect, has previously been the focus of numerous papers owing to its unusual construction: while intransitive verbs construe with nominative subjects and an optional form of the copula in subject agreement, transitive verbs exhibit genitive agents, accusative objects and an optional copula in a invariable 3.sg form. Based on a discussion of morphosyntactic alignment patterns in general, and of Armenian and West Middle Iranian in particular, it is shown that previous accounts cannot satisfactorily explain the syntax of the perfect. In a new approach, it is argued that Armenian exhibits tripartite morphosyntactic alignment as the result of 'copying' and adapting the ergative alignment pattern of the West Middle Iranian past tense. This analysis is supported both by the historical morphology of the perfect participle and by a corpus analysis of five major works of Armenian 5th-century historiography. The minor patterns—ezefe-like nominal relative clauses, subject resumption and switch-reference marking using the anaphoric pronoun Arm. ink'n, and the quotative use of Arm. (e)t'e—are equally linked to parallel constructions in West Middle Iranian, which may have served as syntactic models for their Armenian counterparts. The final part of the study discusses the Armenian–Iranian relationship from a language contact point of view and, making use of historical, epigraphic, and literary sources, proposes that a superstrate shift of the Parthian-speaking ruling class of Armenia to Armenian as their primary language best explains the amount of Parthian linguistic material and patterns in Armenian.
Alloy 31 (Nicrofer 3127 hMo) is an austenitic nickel-chromium-molybdenum steel comprising about 0.2 wt.-% nitrogen to stabilize the austenitic structure. The alloy was developed to fill the gap between the commercial stainless steels and the nickel-base alloys. It is a material for many high-severity applications where conventional stainless steels have proven inadequate. On the other hand, alloy 31 shows a high resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in neutral and acid aqueous solutions, coming close to that of higher nickel alloyed materials. Laboratory tests in different aqueous solutions have proven that alloy 31 is characterized by an excellent resistance to both reducing and oxidizing media. The corrosion resistance to oxidizin g media is caused by the high chromium content and is not impaired by the molybdenum content of about 6.5 wt.-%. Additionally, the high resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion corresponds to the additions of molybdenum and nitrogen. The paper describes some typical industrial and practical applications of alloy 31. For example the material is successfully used for filter systems and mixer components in phosphoric acid plants, in pickling plants, for waste sulfuric acid recovery and for FGD (flue gas desulfurisation) systems. For such applications not only corrosion and erosion-corrosion resistance but also high strength, high ductility and ease of fabrication such as welding are important parameters.
FIELD: radio engineering, communication. SUBSTANCE: optical monitoring modules (331A and 331B) are provided in such a way that they correspond to each of a plurality of paths which transmit a signal with wavelength division multiplexing in which a plurality of optical wavelength signals with different wavelengths are multiplexed. The optical monitoring modules detect the optical level of a signal with wavelength division multiplexing transmitted along a corresponding path or an optical wavelength signal contained in this signal with wavelength division multiplexing. A switching unit 332 selects any one of the plurality of paths and provides a signal with wavelength division multiplexing transmitted along the selected path or an optical wavelength signal contained in this signal with wavelength division multiplexing as an optical signal. A signal processing module 333 detects a malfunction which occurs in each path based on the optical layer detected in the optical monitoring modules (331A and 331B) and the optical signal provided from the switching unit (332) and commutes the path which is selected by the switching unit (332) in accordance with the detection results. EFFECT: improving the quality of communication. 10 cl, 5 dwg
A powerful volume X-ray tomography system has been designed and constructed to provide an universal tool for the three-dimensional nondestructive testing and investigation of industrial components, automotive, electronics, aerospace components, new materials, etc. The combined system is equipped with two commercial X-ray sources, sharing one flat panel detector of 400mm×400mm. The standard focus 450kV high-energy x-ray source is optimized for complex and high density components such as castings, engine blocks and turbine blades. And the microfocus 225kV x-ray source is to meet the demands of micro-resolution characterization applications. Thus the system’s penetration capability allows to scan large objects up to 200mm thick dense materials, and the resolution capability can meet the demands of 20μm microstructure inspection. A high precision 6-axis manipulator system is fitted, capable of offset scanning mode in large field of view requirements. All the components are housed in a room with barium sulphate cement. On the other hand, the presented system expands the scope of applications such as dual energy research and testing. In this paper, the design and implemention of the flexible system is described, as well as the preliminary tomographic imaging results of an automobile engine block.
Just how far does a public school have to go to ensure that a physically disabled student gets the health services he or she needs during a school day? Does the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) require the school to pay for one-on-one care by a health professional? Those are the questions before the Supreme Court in a case the Academy felt compelled to weigh in on. At the heart of the case, Cedar Rapids Community School District vs. Garret F is a 15-year-old boy who has been a quadriplegic and ventilator dependent since a motorcycle accident 11 years ago. Garret needs continual assistance throughout the day with his daily health needs, such as suctioning his tracheostomy and monitoring his ventilator. Garret9s pediatrician said the teen-ager needs a trained person to be with him at all times.
This paper proposed the Remote Fault Diagnosis based on Gravitation Field of Self-Organizing Feature Map(SOM).In order to find the region of different response characteristic,the input vector can be processed by SOM.This Gravitation Field method only uses the position characteristics of the regions of SOM to find their central seeds,and then construct gravitation field by employing the central seeds as gravitation origin.The convergent region of dot which moves along the direction of gravitation field in SOM is looked as region segmentation.Furthermore,the method needn't consider the classification of boundary point and easy to be extended to n-dimensional situation.The proposed methods had been successfully evaluated using twelve different datasets,and had greatly improved the rate of correct classification.
Methane gas hydrates are crystalline compounds formed from water and methane under certain pressure and temperature. They are mostly found in marine continental margin sediments and beneath the permafrost and considered as the future non-conventional energy resource. In order to develop innovative techniques for the safe extraction of methane gas from Methane Hydrate (MH) it is important to understand the shear behaviour of methane hydrate bearing sand. It has been reported that the pore scale habits of MH have a significant influence on the shear behaviour of methane hydrate bearing sand. In this paper, an attempt has been made to capture the effect of pore scale habits on the shear behaviour of methane hydrate bearing sand using the Discrete Element Method. Two modelling approaches (i) pore filling, leading to load bearing, and (ii) cementation, bonding of the interparticle contact, have been simulated using PFC3D. A series of triaxial monotonic tests were carried on an assembly of particles for different methane hydrate saturations. Both the approaches have captured, qualitatively, the stress ratioaxial strain behaviour similar to the laboratory experiments. The DEM simulation results highlight that MH saturation has a profound influence on the shear behaviour of hydrate bearing sand. It was shown that the cementation habit closely captures the variation of peak deviator stress with MH saturation similar to the laboratory experiments. Moreover, the evolution of micro-mechanical parameter (e.g. contact force and bond breakage) during shear loading has been presented and discussed. Disciplines Engineering | Science and Technology Studies Publication Details Vinod, J. S., Hyodo, M., Indraratna, B. & Miller, R. K. (2014). DEM modelling of methane hydrate bearing sand. Australian Geomechanics Journal, 49 (4), 175-182. This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/eispapers/3417 DEM MODELING OF METHANE HYDRATE BEARING SAND J. S. Vinod, Masayuki Hyodo, Buddhima Indraratna & Roy Miller Centre for Geomechanics and Railway Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW Australia Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Japan
Any major city relying on vehicle detection for its signal control system will eventually encounter the occasion where the traditional inductive loops are damaged due to roadway construction or pavement failure. This article describes a new video image detection system that includes wireless video transmission. The use of wireless video transmission facilitates rapid deployment for permanent and temporary applications while maintaining superb vehicle detection where inductive loops or other vehicle detection methods cannot be deployed or repaired. The system is described in detail as are its other benefits and applications.
Financial pressures in the airline industry have forced KLM to change their strategic direction. Using the Treacy & Wiersema (1993) model KLM’s new focus is on customer intimacy. This implies researching customer needs and designing from a user-centered perspective. Which are fueled by the change in the consumer landscape, namely digital darwinism and demand for contextualization. Looking at the digital content send along a customer’s journey and how to contextualize this is the starting point of this thesis. An extensive customer, trend and company analysis (including context mapping and interviews at the x-gates) led to four areas of interest. Mainly reassurance and stress relief is sought in situations where white wingers experience that digital content isn’t sufficient. Each channel distributes content in a different manner, causing confusion for the passenger instead of creating an omnichannel-like experience. In general, the need for content differs throughout the phases of the customer journey, but still can be regarded as satisfactory until a flight schedule is disrupted. During disruptions most passengers experience more stress and seek guidance. The research highlighted disruptions as an area of interest where KLM can offer more content fitting to a passenger’s situation. Disruptions happen quite frequently in the airline industry, and come across in all sizes and variations. A disruption can be seen as anything that alters the planning of a passenger, this can for instance be a seat change or a cancellation of the entire aircraft. Unfortunately, lots of causes for disruptions are out of KLM’s control (e.g. weather conditions), meaning that disruptions will always occur. Keeping customer intimacy in mind, disruptions are highly relatable to customer satisfaction (NPS) and are the cause for most complaints. Each change in flight schedule is subjective; for some passengers a disruption can have great impact on their travels, while for others it does not bother them that much. This makes it highly appropriate for contextualization of content. Currently, the handling of disruptions resulted in generic push notifications as the only form of communication towards a passenger. Often leaving passengers stressed, confused and unsatisfied. De Matos, Rossi and Henrique (2007) discussed the service recovery paradox, suggesting that it is normal that customer satisfaction decreases when a disruption is experienced, but can be increased (even above the default-level) if the appropriate service recovery is in place. According to Kau and Loh (2006) customer satisfaction can be increased with a service recovery if the service is perceived as just. This correlation suggests a focus on interactional, distributive and procedural justice. Therefore, the analysis and more in depth focus on disruption handling ends, but introduces the ideation phase in which solutions for these problems are sought. Using brainwriting in groups and a future workshop as co-creation techniques resulted in a storyboard of a desired situation. Eventually forming the new service recovery experience; Care+. Care+ uses a conversational UI to communicate with a passenger and helps the passenger with any type of disruption he is coping with. Creating this cross-channel point of reference allows the passenger to have one conversation with KLM, forming a seamless omnichannel experience on which the desired content is received. Next to informing the passenger, extra features are offered as a form of compensation. For this content to adapt and be tailored to the moment the passenger is experiencing a lot of data needs processing. This data is needed to identify the passenger and its moment. Here lots of backend bottlenecks are encountered, and different enablers are needed for each moment. Only with these enablers in place can a good service recovery be delivered for different disruptions. This thesis contains a design proposal (namely Care+) as just described, but also focusses on the steps that KLM needs to undertake at the backend. Suggesting a Care+ API to connect and recognize different data patterns. The feasibility of these enablers are discussed in the implementation plan. Using a high-level digital wireframe, a simulation of Care+ was tested with participants at the X-gates. It showed high user acceptance and potential, but the real challenges still remain at the functionality. If Care+ can provide solutions with real-time data as quickly as the simulation, a great gap regarding customer satisfaction can be filled. This thesis has hopefully drawn KLM’s attention enough towards the bottleneck that is disruptions, and have encouraged them on building certain enablers.
PURPOSE: A food storage container is provided to offer the improved oxygen barrier property of the container to users by attaching two sheets of films to the inside of the container. CONSTITUTION: A food storage container includes a container body(10), a lower film(21), and a side film(22). The side film includes a first overlap unit formed by overlapping the lower film and the side film, and a second overlap unit formed by overlapping one and the other side of the side film. The lower film and the side film include a lower layer, an oxygen barrier resin layer, and an upper layer. The upper and lower layers are formed with polypropylene.
This paper presents an intelligent autonomous parking system with multi-functions. The integrated system consists of two sub-systems, namely the Fuzzy-Based Onboard System and control center. Unlike most current auto-parking experiments, this FBOS enables the car to perform both slot detection and parking under two different parking modes. Facilitated by the control center, real-time monitoring is also achieved to reduce chances of error.
Endoxylanases play important roles in an increasing number of biotechnological applications,such as feed,food,and paper and pulp production industry.A novel class of cereal proteins that inhibit endoxylanases have been discovered,which may affect the applications of endoxylanase.Two structurally different cereal endoxylanase inhibitors are documented in the literatures,namely the TAXI(triticum aestivum xylanase inhibitor)-type and XIP(xylanase inhibiting protein)-type endoxylanase inhibitors.This paper focuses on the TAXI-type endoxylanase inhibitors in the molecular structural and inhibitory properties.It will present great practical significance for extensive study on xylanase activity and the factors whose effects on the activity,exploiting feedstuff resource in our country and promoting sustained stockbreeding development.[Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition,2006,18(Suppl):323-328]
The zone of interaction between the Cocos (CO), Caribbean (CA) and North America (NA) plates in Guatemala is defined by the sub-parallel Motagua and Polochic strike-slip faults, a series of north-south-trending extensional grabens immediately south of the Motagua Fault, the Middle America trench, and faults within the Middle America volcanic arc. Historical earthquakes associated with these faults include the destructive 1976 Mw 7.5 earthquake along the Motagua fault and the 2012 Mw 7.5 Champerico thrust earthquake. The published GPS-based present-day kinematic models of the region show that strain accumulation from the NA/CA relative motion concentrates on the Motagua fault with no resolvable strain accumulation across the active Polochic fault, suggesting that slip varies with time as a result of mechanical interactions within the Motagua-Polochic fault system. As part of the efforts to quantify the present-day kinematics and slip behavior of these faults, we propose the use of radar interferometry to measure the strain rates across faults in Guatemala and to constrain slip partitioning among the different faults. We processed L-band radar images acquired by ALOS-1 in Strip Map mode, with ascendant orbits, spanning from 2006 to 2011. The images consist of three adjacent tracks covering the Polochic and Motagua faults, the ∗Speaker †Corresponding author: cosenzamural@wisc.edu sciencesconf.org:wegener2018:219147 Ipala and Guatemala City grabens, and part of the volcanic arc to the south. We present the preliminary results after applying the NSBAS processing chain and performing timeseries analysis to extract the first InSAR-based maps of interseismic velocity for this region, which will contribute to the refinement of the estimates of the interseismic locking across the Motagua-Polochic fault system, the subduction zone, and other nearby faults. We also present the preliminary results our attempt to obtain a geodetically-derived coseismic slip distribution of the 1976 earthquake by means of optical image correlation, using air photos acquired before and after the earthquake, that will be ultimately compared to the coupling distribution along the Motagua fault.
OBJECTIVE To construct the expression vector of human tissue factor (TF), and investigate the influence of TF/coagulant factor VIIa (FVIIa) complex on the transcriptional expression of urokinase plasminogen activator (u-PA) and u-PA receptor (u-PAR) in human ovarian cancer.   METHODS The human TF cDNA was obtained from placenta by RT-PCR and then inserted into eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3 to obtain the TF-pcDNA3 combinant. This combinant was transfected into human ovarian cancer cell line A2780 by lipofectamine. Stably-transfected cells A2780/TF were screened. A2780 and A2780/TF cell lines were stimulated by FVIIa respectively, and the transcriptional levels of u-PA and u-PAR were examined by RT-PCR.   RESULTS (1) The constructed product was identified as TF-pcDNA3 combinant by sequencing. (2) TF was highly expressed not only at transcriptional level in the stable-transfected A2780/TF cell (transfected cell 3.91 +/- 0.28, untransfected cell 0.97 +/- 0.23, P < 0.01), but also on the membrane of the cell surface [transfected cell (48.56 +/- 9.53)%, untransfected cell (2.73 +/- 1.15)%, P < 0.01]. (3) The u-PA and u-PAR mRNA levels in A2780 cell line did not change significantly after stimulated by FVIIa; (4) While stimulated by FVIIa, the u-PAR mRNA levels in A2780/TF cells increased significantly in both dose-dependent and time-dependent manner, while the u-PA mRNA levels did not change significantly; (5) In the A2780/TF cell line the enhanced expression of u-PAR mRNA by FVIIa was significantly inhibited by coincubated with anti-TF antibody.   CONCLUSION TF/FVIIa complex could up-regulate the transcription of u-PAR in human ovarian cancer cells so as to enhance tumor invasion and metastasis.
A method of controlling a motor vehicle with an automated clutch is provided and includes the steps of: (a) detecting the vehicle speed, (b) detecting if the brake and/or the gas pedal is actuated, (c) detecting whether or not the engine is running, (d) disengaging the clutch if the engine is found to be running while the vehicle is found to be moving faster than a threshold speed, and if at the same time neither the brake nor the gas pedal is found to be actuated, and (e) subsequently re-engaging the clutch if the brake and/or gas pedal is found to be actuated. Prior to re-engaging the clutch, a transmission input rpm-rate is determined, and an engine rpm-rate is controlled in such a manner that that the respective rpm-rates of the engine and the transmission are brought towards a closer agreement.
Objective To investigate the early effects of minimally invasive insert in of interlocking intramedullary nails in treatment of femoral shaft fractures. Methods From September 2002 to December 2004, 23 cases of femoral shaft fractures were treated with close reduction and internal fixation using interlocking intramedullary nails. The nail was inserted into the medullary cavity with minimally invasive technique through a small skin incision proximally at the greater trochanter. The mean operative time, volume of transfusion, mean length of hospital stay and early complications after operation were recorded. Results The mean operative time was 90 minutes (ranging from 60 to 150 min) and the mean volume of transfusion was 60 mL (from 0 to 400 mL). There were no early significant complications after operation. The mean hospital duration after operation was 4 days (from 3 to 7 d). Conclusion Minimally invasive insertion of anterograde interlocking nails to treat femoral shaft fractures has advantages of causing little operative trauma, little transfusion, quick rehabilitation and no significant complications after operation
Writing argumentative essays becomes a challenge for both teachers and students as it relates to various aspects. One of them is on the teaching and learning of critical thinking skills comprising the awareness to avoid logical flaws. The real reflection of critical thinking can be traced through students’ ability to express their thought in the form of arguments which have no logical flaws. Good arguments must be supported not only by convincing claims and careful choice of wordings which is free from fallacious statements. This paper identifies the fallacious statement or logical flaws occurring in the argumentative writing of the students of an Islamic University in Indonesia in writing on global issues. The findings show the faulty reasoning found in terms of the discussion on global issues, the flawed relations with the audience, and the relations with the characters involved in the arguments. The types of the logical flaws also concern with the claims expressed. On claims of fact, the fallacies found include hasty generalization, irrelevancy, slippery slope, oversimplification and begging the question. Regarding pathos, the fallacy type covers ad populum, appeal to emotion premises and red herring. Meanwhile the ethos fallacy occurs in straw man only. On claims of value, more faulty reasoning is found compared to the discussion on the topics which are considered less familiar. In the logos fallacy for instance, the whole types of fallacy are found. The pathos found involves appeal to emotion premises and red herring. While the ethos fallacy occurs in appeal to authority and ad hominem. On claims of policy, the similar tendency of ethos is also found while the pathos existing is in the form of appeal to emotion premises. Therefore, it is recommended that the students develop their critical thinking skills which involve constructing logical and flawless reasoning.
Electroless plating Ni-P coating on steel substrate is cathodic coating,and the measurement of its porosity is very important. In this paper an electrochemical method was investigated for the measurement of the porosity. 5% H2SO4 was selected as testing solution to investigate the electrochemical behaviors of steel and electroless plating Ni-P coatings. The results indicated that with the decreasing of the porosity, the self-corrosion potential of the coatings shifted from Ecorr of Fe to Ecorr of Ni-P. Then the ordinary detection method wuld only be used in detecting the coating with large pores. The porosity test results from the electrochemical method were consistent with affixed filter paper method, indicated that the new method was feasible.
No period in the intellectual history of North-Western Europe has been so formative as the early Middle Ages, when missionaries transferred the learning accumulated for centuries in the Mediterranean basin to recently founded centres of religious scholarship in the ever expanding Christian world. The aim of this scholarship focused, first and foremost, on a proper understanding of the Bible as God's Word and Nature as God's Creation. During this period the foundations of medieval learning were laid in the monasteries and schools by men from distant shores who considered it their calling to entrust this precious knowledge to future generations of indigenous scholars. In this process, Syrians ended up in England, Irishmen in Italy, and Anglo-Saxons in Frisia and Bavaria and thus helped build a common intellectual culture in Europe. Even though the memories of these missionaries were fed with vast amounts of reproducible knowledge far beyond the capacity of modern man, the most important means of storing and conveying knowledge was the written word stored in what was then modern technology: the parchment codex. The composition of these books reflect the extent and diversity of early medieval learning. Sometimes they contain a single work, but often enough they contain compilations of diverse material which at first sight shows little coherence to the modern reader, and rightly so. In a way such miscellanies are mini-libraries. Nevertheless, they are storehouses of wholesome learning in their own right; further study reveals a rationale in such collections that leads us to a monastic learning environment, in some cases even to the classroom. The present volume demonstrates how the study of texts and manuscripts combined opens up windows on the early medieval world of learning as represented by glossaries, proto-encyclopedias, biblical companions, hagiographical guides, didactic verse, or descriptions of the world in word and image. The essays demonstrate that scholars have too often concentrated on the study of single texts, but especially that the compilations of manuscripts and libraries reflect the kind of knowledge that was required of monks, ministers and missionaries for the contemplation, celebration and promulgation of the Christian message.
Despite seeming ubiquitous, social media has only been around for about 20 years. Many people around the world are now logging into social media communities, which are communities online where people can interact with others and share, create, and trade ideas and information (Ghaznavi & Taylor, 2015). While such communities can be useful, they have had a negative impact on the development of eating disorders. There has been growing understanding and increased interest in the complexity of eating disorders in recent years (Costa, Maroco, Gouveia, & Ferreira, 2016), and it is clear that social media and pro-eating disorder websites promote body idealized images that may influence the development of eating disorders, although media has had an impact on this issue prior to social media. While women are most often associated with the topic of eating disorders, men are also at risk. In addition, adolescents and children use the Internet more than other groups, so they are at a higher risk for being impacted by these websites. Beyond the United States, different cultures around the world have different body ideals and are also impacted by social media, but in different ways. The problems associated with the relationship between social media communities and eating disorders demands solutions. Both policy and practice are being developed, but there remains work to be done.
Objective: To set up a method of multi-components quantitive by one marker to detect the content of alkaloid in Mahonia duclouxiana,research the dynamic change of alkaloid,and determine the optimal collection period. Method: By means of HPLC,determine the content of jatrorrhizine hydrochloride and pahnaline hydrochloride,using the relative correction factor( RFC) of berberine hydrochloride to them,compare with the results determined by external standard method,and use the method determine the sample at different collecting period. Result: Establish the method of multi-components quantitive by one marker,no significant difference was found between this method and the external standard method,the content of the total alkaloid increased from April to August,and was highest in August,reduced from September to December. Conclusion: The method is simple and reliable,the optima1 collection period of cultivated M. duclouxiana is August.
Wheat stalk was used to develop liquor-making auxiliary materials and the results were concluded as follows: small stalk(1.5 cm length and 2.0 mm wid th) was the best choice as liquor-making auxiliary materials,after about 1 h st eaming and turbidity removal,it compounded with bran husk according to the ratio of 30 % stalk and 70 % bran husk or 60 % stalk and 40 % bran husk.Stalk used as auxiliary materials had no unfavorable effects on liquor quality with liquor yield as 31.6 %.The waste distiller's grains could be used to produce feeding stuff,which had the advantages of low production cost and no secondary pollution.(Tran.by YUE Yang)
Smoking bans seem to have strong public support and are being rolled out all over the world. However policy makers need to consider the consequences of the bans because smoking is legal and it is difficult to stop individuals from doing the things which they enjoy. It is questionable whether smoking bans inside venues will even have their intended effect. Bans can adversely increase people's exposure by displacing smokers to private places where they contaminate non-smokers, primarily children.
A method of preparing cyclohexanone by hydrogenating phenol is provided. The method includes a step of introducing an additional flammable gas to dilute hydrogen gas concentration, so as to increase the throughput and decrease energy consumption. Further, the discharged residual gases from the hydrogenation of phenol have a calorific value. Also provided is a system for generating cyclohexanone byhydrogenating phenol.
Nine monothiosemicarbazone ligands were prepared by Schiff-base condensation reactions of thiosemicarbazide and the appropriate aryl aldehyde or ketone. These compounds were isolated as airand moisturestable solids and were characterized using NMR and IR spectroscopies, as well as mass spectrometry and elemental analysis in the case of ligand 3-terl.-butyl-2-hydroxy-benzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone, which is a new compound. Four of these ligands were reacted with precursors of type Pd(L)2CI2 yielding eight tridentate thiosemicarbazone Pd(II) complexes with general formula [Pd( 3-0,N,Sthiosemicarbazone)(L)] (L = PPh3 or 4-picoline). Six of these complexes are new compounds and were fully characterized using NMR and IR spectroscopies, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. In addition, the solid state structures of three complexes were elucidated using single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Reaction of the thiosemicarbazone ligands with K2[PdCI4] yielded either tetranuclear tridentate [C,N,S] complexes, formed by cyclometallation of the orlha-carbon, imine nitrogen and thiolato sulfur with metal centers linked via Pd-Sbridging bonds to give a tetrameric structure or dimeric complexes, where the ligand coordinates to palladium as a singly negative bidentate [N,S] donor and each metal center is bridged by two chlorine atoms. The bridging bonds in these precursors were cleaved with the tertiary phosphine PPh3 to yield monomeric cyclometallated complexes. All of these complexes are new compounds and were fully characterized using standard spectroscopic, spectrometric and analytical techniques. The molecular structures of one tridentate and one bidentate thiosemicarbazone Pd(II) complex were solved using single crystal X-ray diffraction and confirm the structural nature of the mononuclear complexes synthesized. Un ive rsi ty of C ap e T ow n iv Selected mononuclear complexes and their corresponding free ligands were screened for preliminary biological activity as anticancer and antimalarial agents. Two complexes exhibited good cytotoxic activity against most cancer cell lines screened, while a free ligand was found to be the most potent inhibitor out of all compounds tested. Against the P. fa/ciparum strains, none of the free ligands were active at the highest concentration tested while two complexes showed superior antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine sensitive (010) strain. Catalytic studies using selected palladium(lI) complexes show that tridentate thiosemicarbazone Pd(lI) complexes successfully catalyze Suzuki-Miyaura carboncarbon coupling between phenyl boronic acid and twb aryl bromide substrates in the presence of water and in air. Moderate to good percentage conversions were obtained with the complexes exhibiting selectivity towards the 4-bromo-anisole substrate.
Rome tried to increase both the numbers of its people and their well-being, and hence their wealth, but it was not until the 16th century that European rulers were urged to achieve these aims by the power of the state to enforce public health. By the 17th century, absolutist states such as France, Austria and especially Germany had created an administrative profession of enlightened despotism, with medical police to encourage healthy and thus wealth-producing citizens. Johann Peter Frank (1745-1821) was the profession's exemplar with his 6,262 page System einer vollstländigen medischiner Polizey, leading to comprehensive public health legislation in German-speaking states, followed by more libertarian countries such as Britain and the United States. However, controversy continues on the role of government in trying to save its citizens, and especially their children, from harming themselves and/or others by their actions and omissions.
Highly dispersed platinum (Pt)-based nanoparticles still remain the most practical catalysts in fuel cells technology [1]. These Pt nanoparticles are normally supported on carbon particles in order to increase the active Pt surface and improve the catalyst utilization [2].The researches in field are oriented to improve the support materials with nanometer Pt aiming at low densities, high surface area, continuous porosity and high catalytic activity, lower poisoning [3-5]. The main focus of this paper is the development of carbon aerogel-supported Pt as better alternative catalyst to Pt/C. The carbon aerogel-supported Pt catalysts were prepared by a conventional borohydride reduction method. The electrochemical characteristics and the catalytic activity for oxygen reduction of the carbon aerogel-supported Pt based catalysts were evaluated and compared with Pt/C. In addition EDAX measurements were done to evaluate the final content of metal catalyst related to the carbon content. The results conclude that carbon aerogels are promising low Pt loading support keeping the catalyst activity at high level.
Abstract : The work reported here is a JASON IR&D project. It began when the authors attended a talk by Professor Gregory Benford, of the University of California at Irvine, on experimental simulation of high-energy astrophysical processes. It seemed to us that the experimental device described by Benford--which directs a relativistic electron beam into a plasma--might be modified to become a high-power (order of gigawatts) generator usable from microwave frequencies up to the IR region. The prospects are that such a generator could have reasonable wall-plug efficiency, along with a size and weight compatible with some mobility. Assuming that such improvements on the original Benford device work as intended, the question then is: What applications are there? We do not address this issue in any detail here. In fact, one of the major reasons for issuing this report is to stimulate thinking about the question of applications.
Modern wireless communication systems demand for high power and broadband devices. There are different technologies emerging offering more and more power density, with single devices delivering power levels above 100 watts. These devices are targeted for broadband telecommunications like W-CDMA or Wi-Fi application. Intermodulation distortion is very critical in these applications because it generates crosstalk and requires costly linearization techniques. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the devices for their linearity very accurately. A classical approach is to measure IP3. Because of the high power levels, however, this is not straightforward and requires a dedicated test setup. This is presented here, along with some tips and tricks to measure such devices.
OBJECTIVE To study clinical and radiographic outcome of patients who underwent the Cervios cage-assisted anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) without plate fixation in single to two-level degenerative disc disease (DDD).   MATERIAL AND METHOD Sixty-seven patients suffering from cervical DDD with various symptoms such as radiculopathy, myelopathy, or both were retrospectively evaluated. The cervical DDD was confirmed by plain radiographs and MR imaging The patients underwent radiographic evaluation to assess cervical lordosis, intervertebral height (IH), fusion, and subsidence. Clinical assessment was graded using a visual analog scale (VAS), Modified JOA (Japanese Orthopedic Association) score, Neck Disability Index (NDI).   RESULTS There were ninety two ACFD in two levels of operation. Single-level ACDF was performed in 42 patients and two-level in 25. The outcomes revealed the significant improvement of clinical outcome and restoration of cervical lordosis. The fusion rate was 97%, whereas subsidence occurred 7.61% but produced no symptom. There was no anterior or posterior migration of the cage. Complications included transient dysphagia in three patients and superficial wound infection in two patients.   CONCLUSION The present study indicates that one- to two-level stand alone Cervios cage-assisted interbody fusion without plate fixation provides improvement of clinical outcomes, restoration of lordosis and high fusion rate. However subsidence occurred in 7.61% but did not cause clinical symptoms and the patients had to use the cervical collar postoperatively.
This article is a study on the satirical novel of Char Man Sik, one of the typical authors during the colonial age. Mainly written in 1930's, his satirical novel shows his literary characteristics most conspicuously. Therefore, the reason why he chose satire as literary style and research on its concrete method make the meaning of his novel still clearer. His satire is chosen in the political persecution of 1930's as well as in the process in which an intelligent of colony verifies self-identity. Thus, satirical element is partially revealed in the process to describe the existential contradiction of intelligent in his early self-satirical novels such as 〈Ready-made Life〉, 〈Tomorrow〉. In these works, the character of satire is biased to self-protection inducing self-pity and compassion rather than aggressiveness. Afterwards, showing various narrators, self-satire strengthens the property of satire, but to the contrary, the focus of satire turns to outside that surrounds the intelligent. In 〈Chi Sook〉, the vulgarity of narrator himself who criticizes the life of intelligent becomes the target of satire and in 〈Peaceful World〉, the negative shape of bourgeois living upon the colonial capitalism becomes the target of indiscriminating satire through irony of narrator. However, at the end of 1930's, the author surrendered his integrity because of reinforced control and oppression and absence of historic prospect.
PURPOSE: A method for manufacturing an inclined curve-type blade body, a blade body made therefrom, and nail clippers having the same are provided to enable mass production of inclined blades. CONSTITUTION: A method for manufacturing an inclined curve-type blade body comprises: a step of obtaining a curved line having curvature Ra; a step of obtaining the shape of a lower incline; a step of making a blade body so that the inner side of the blade body of nail clippers cam be incline; and a step of forming an upper incline blade(53) formed of a curved line having curvature Ra and a lower incline blade(54) formed of a curved line having curvature Ra.
Performance measurement is a valuable management tool that most organizations conduct to one degree or another. Tracking an organization’s own performance over time provides an indication of whether performance is improving, declining, or remaining about the same, but it does not tell one how well one could be doing. Comparing one’s own performance to that of comparable organizations—peer comparison—helps provide valuable insights into one’s strengths and weaknesses relative to others operating under similar conditions. Contacting top-performing peers to learn from them and adapt what they do well to one’s own activities holds great potential for improving an organization’s performance. Recent research conducted by the U.S. Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) has developed a guidebook for applying performance measurement and peer comparison in the U.S. public transport industry as part of a comprehensive benchmarking process—a process of systematically seeking out best practices to emulate. A key activity in any benchmarking process is the development of a peer group, as using an inappropriate peer group can lead to faulty conclusions about one’s own performance. This paper presents the quantitative methodology developed by the TCRP G-11 project for forming peer groups and discusses the process used to develop the methodology.
Introduction: To limit the spread of COVID-19, many countries, including Belgium, have installed physical distancing measures. Yet, adherence to these newly installed behavioral measures has been described as challenging and effortful. Based on the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model, this study performed an in-depth evaluation of when, why, and how people deviated from the physical distancing measures. Methods: An online mixed-method study was conducted among Belgian adults (N = 2055) in the beginning of May 2020. Participants were recruited via an open call through email and social media platforms, using snowball sampling. Conditions wherein people deviated from the physical distancing measures were assessed by means of an open-ended question. HAPA determinants were assessed in a quantitative way. Results: Half of the sample reported to deviate from the measures. Further, deviation from the measures was associated with each determinant outlined by the HAPA. Findings highlight that many people deviated from the measures because of their need for social contact. The majority of the people who deviated from the measures stated that they carefully weighed the risks of their behavior. Conclusions: Need for social contact pushed people to deviate from physical distancing measures in a deliberate manner. Potential areas for future interventions aimed at promoting adherence to physical distancing measures and enhancing psychosocial well-being are discussed.
Hereditary prothrombin deficiency is one of the rare congenital coagulation defects. We report a case of 4 months old child who initially presented at 11/2 month of age with high-grade fever, generalized convulsions and brownish aspirate through nasogastric tube, diagnosed and managed as meningitis and sepsis. He was readmitted at 4 months of age with bruises over legs. Coagulation profile was suggestive of common pathway defect. Further evaluation revealed absent prothrombin level while other factors were within normal limits.
Stalk formation in Dichostelism discoideum involves the synthesis of a stalk tube by the prestalk cell population and stalk cell walls by the individual prestalk cells. Cellulose is a major structural component of the stalk tube and stalk cell walls. The DIF-deficient strain HM44 was used to study the events of stalk formation in monolayer cultures. The induction of cellulose synthase activity was shown to require both DIF and cAMP. Microscopical observations of monolayer cultures using the cellulose-indicating fluorochrome Tinopal LPW demonstrated the presence in these cultures of two cellulose-containing materials: the stalk cell walls and an intercellular material found between cells and around cell clumps
In the last two decades, the social and economic benefits of formal education in sub-Saharan Africa has been debated. Anecdotal evidence points to low and time varying returns to education in Africa. Unfortunately, there has been little econometric evidence to support these claims at the micro level. Here I focus on Nigeria, a country that holds 1/5 of Africa's population, and use instruments based on the exogenous timing of the implementation and withdrawal of free primary education across regions in this country to precisely estimate the returns to education in the late 1990s. In addition, claims of time differences in returns are investigated. The results show that the average returns to education are particularly low in the 90s, in contrast to conventional wisdom for developing countries (3.6 % for every extra year of schooling in 1998). In addition, there have been significant changes in returns to education for head of households over short time periods. These results shed new light on both the changes in demand for education in Nigeria and the increased emigration rates from African countries that characterized the 90s.
Analysis and design of supporting structures on loess slope are very complicated problems.As a new type of supporting structure,there was shortage of a systematic calculation method for the grillage supporting structure with pre-stressed anchor bars.In this paper,the rational calculation models of the soil pressure,the grillage supporting structure and anchor bars were determined,and the force method was proposed to calculate the internal forces of the grillage columns,grillage beams and anchor bars.In addition,the calculation formulas of structural foundation embedded depth and stability limit equilibrium analysis were derived so as to provide theoretical basis for the design of the grillage supporting structure with prestressed anchor bars.This method is proved safe, reliable and economical by having been applied in several engineering cases of the high loess slope.
The article describes the development of a control algorithm of timber cluster management aspects concerning the development of wood processing enterprises. The most effective method of functioning of a cluster cooperation of production cycles and harvesting of timber processing enterprises is considered. The author proposes a gradual formation of a cluster of timber-based forest management levels, presented in a form of integrated forest management development, technology development of harvesting and processing. To achieve the goal of forming the timber cluster, the author developed an algorithm for cluster formation, which can calculate the performance targets of micro clusters that make up a mezo-cluster; to assess economic, environmental and social effects of a cluster project implementation; to characterize the potential distribution of social development of municipalities on whose territory the clusters are formed. The article presents the formulas used in the algorithm to calculate the target socio-economic indicators. The author offered coefficients of wood-site processing of raw materials for the formation of the third level of the timber cluster
n ever and their life style will be changed in a better way than the past. The stigma attached to psychiatry is also on decline since last many years resulting in increased patients comfort to meet the psychiatrist. These all together has changed the scenario of psychiatry globally and specially in Pakistan. The future of psychiatry is bound to change sooner than expected, with rapid development in psychopharmacogenetics investigative and genetics fields also. Already a biological test panel is being proposed for major depression as well as a test to select cases of schizophrenia, which will respond to Clozapine.[1] Living in these times we feel the turnover from an art, which was ‘psychiatry for the functional disorder’, to a fact based science in which there will be ‘organic underpinnings’ well identified and well defined. It’s probably an era of neurosciences.[2,3] Now understanding psychiatry is not merely to diagnose the diseases and prescribe drugs to eliminate symptoms but its is to treat total human being with complete restoration of functionality with psychological assessment. Henry Nasrallah in the February issue of Current Psychiatry 2012 describes 6 trends that will affect the practice of psychiatry.[4] Earlier diagnosis and treatment. Genetic discoveries. Targeting of neuroplasticity.
The term Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) first appeared in print in the 1982 volume edited by Joan Bresnan: The Mental Representation of Grammatical Relations, the culmination of many years of research. LFG differs from both transformational grammar and relational grammar in assuming a single level of syntactic structure. LFG rejects syntactic movement of constituents as the mechanism by which the surface syntactic realization of arguments is determined, and it disallows alteration of grammatical relations within the syntax. A unique constituent structure, corresponding to the superficial phrase structure tree, is postulated. This is made possible by an enriched lexical component that accounts for regularities in the possible mappings of arguments into syntactic structures. For example, the alternation in the syntactic position in which the logical object (theme argument) appears in corresponding active and passive sentences has been viewed by many linguists as fundamentally syntactic in nature, resulting, within transformational grammar, from syntactic movement of constituents. However, LFG eliminates the need for a multi-level syntactic representation by allowing for such alternations to be accomplished through regular, universally constrained, productive lexical processes that determine multiple sets of associations of arguments (such as agent, theme) with grammatical functions (such as SUBJECT, OBJECT)— considered within this framework to be primitives—which then map directly into the syntax. This dissociation of syntactic structure from predicate argument structure (a rejection of Chomsky's Projection Principle, in essence) is crucial to the LFG framework. The single level of syntactic representation, constituent structure (c-structure), exists simultaneously with a functional structure (f-structure) representation that integrates the information from c-structure and from the lexicon. While c-structure varies somewhat across languages, the f-structure representation, which contains all necessary information for the semantic interpretation of an utterance, is claimed to be universal.
The process of eye blinking is not only for biological need of eye but it also carries significant gesture information may be termed with sound maxim “Language of eye”. In this paper it is proposed to utilize the controlled gesture using blink patterns for effective communication using automated identification and interpretation of eye gesture. The traditional human-computer interfaces demand good manual agility and refined motor control, which may be absent or unpredictable for people with certain disabilities. Here it is proposed a robust, accurate algorithm with relevant hardware setup to detect eyes and measure the duration of blinks to interpret them in real time to control a computer or computer interfaced devices. The complete system is divided into two primary modules. The first one is to detect voluntary eye blink and second module to trigger an onscreen soft agent that interprets the blink into proper mouse movement with associated mouse action sequence. This is a low cost proposal and prototypes designed to work with web camera interfaced to a standard PC.
To promote implementation of suicide-preventive activities, the Swedish National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP) introduced a 200-h academic, postgraduate educational programme (based on the training-of-trainers model) in suicide prevention. This programme was provided at Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, for key persons in psychiatric care. Twenty-nine key persons from 11 psychiatric intervention clinics in Stockholm County attended the first course. Preconditions for implementing suicide-preventive activities were assessed by means of semi-structured interviews with all course participants still working in the intervention clinics (n=10). In all but one of these 10 clinics, a wide range of suicide-preventive activities had been implemented as a result of the NASP course. Activities varied in scope, but the key persons seemed to have succeeded in pinpointing the key elements in suicide prevention - the need for specific knowledge about the suicidal process and for well-defined suicide-preventive routines. However, organizational factors and staff turnover were obstacles to maintaining and making the activities routine. There is a need to strengthen the course participants' formal roles as implementers and encourage the clinical management in their continuous implementation of suicide-preventive activities.
Insulin and GCs are two important endocrine regulators of mammalian body homeostasis and both impact on immune cell functions. Whereas GCs are in widespread use for the treatment of autoimmune diseases since the late 1950s, the influence of insulin is less well characterized. Nonetheless, it is undoubted that there is a link between insulin-responsiveness and immunity. Here we have shown that GCs exert a rapid effect on T cell morphology. We have identified GC-induced phosphorylation of the cytoskeleton associated ERM proteins as an important mechanism in this process, and found that it is accompanied by a loss of the polarized structure of effector T cells, a reduction in cell size and reduced capacity to conjugate with APCs. The effector T cells retract their lammellipodiae following GC treatment, which leads to impaired transmigration and presumably chemotaxis, as chemokine receptors are expressed in a polarized manner on the lammellipodiae. Additionally, we have found that this effect is dependent on the presence of the GR and on PLC activity. Furthermore we have challenged the hypothesis that insulin-responsiveness is required to allow proper T cell activation, differentiation and function. We took advantage of an inducible InsR kd to compare the functions and the survival of different T cell subsets in the presence or absence of the InsR. We could show, that the early phase of T cell activation is impaired in InsR deficient cells, whereas the InsR is dispensable during long-term activation and for overall survival. Whereas Treg cells were not affected by InsR inactivation, CD8+ T cells had a decreased lytic capacity compared to wildtype cells. So far we have no clear evidence whether the InsR also plays a role for immune responses in vivo.  Collectively, endocrine control of T cell function is of considerable importance and could explain the involvement of hormones in chronic diseases and their treatment.
Objective: to conduct a survey of the studies regarding the main postoperative complications in cardiac surgery and main nursing diagnoses identified. Methodology: this is a descriptive study that to select the papers, the following databases were used: SCIELO, LILACS and MEDLINE. The descriptors were: postoperative, cardiac surgery, nursing diagnoses. The following inclusion criteria have been considered: papers published in Brazil from 1997 to 2007, papers on postoperative complications in cardiac surgery in adults, papers using the diagnoses standardized by NANDA. The selected papers were distributed into categories. Results: the following categories have been defined: category I – Complications in the postoperative in cardiac surgery; and category II – Nursing diagnoses in postoperative in cardiac surgery. The relation among the main postoperative complications has been made – physiology and/or semiology of the complication – nursing diagnoses – nursing interventions, which has been presented through synoptic. Later, a nursing intervention plan has been proposed. Conclusion: in despite of the complexity of the development of a nursing plan, it is highlighted the assistance rendered, the necessity of clinical studies regarding complications and the postoperative scenario, and the logical thinking focused on scientific information contributing for knowledge construction and nursing improvement. Descriptors: postoperative complications; cardiology; nursing diagnosis. RESUMO
Functional safety is the part of the overall safety of a system that depends on the system or equipment operating correctly in response to its inputs, including the safe management of likely operator errors, hardware failures, systematic failures, and environmental changes. One of the essential concepts of functional safety is Safety Integrity Level(SIL). It is defined as a relative level of risk-reduction provided by a safety function, or to specify a target level of risk reduction. In this paper, each element of SIL assessment will be defined. Based on each element, specific process of SIL selection will be established by using flowchart. The flowchart provides a SIL assessment guideline for functional safety engineers. The proposed theory will be verified by applying to a oil refining plant for SIL assessment.
The paper discusses the issues of improving the management ofconstruction companies and the formation of an effective mechanism for the implementation of the strategic goals of the company. Itidentifies the problems of integration methods for the management of individual projects and programs with the method of management of portfolios of standard projects and programs (PMPP) on domestic enterprises. It is shown that the integration of these techniques requires the development and implementation of matrix management models PMPP. It has been shown that for effective management at the project level and PMPP is necessary to consider and agree on plans for individual projects and programs from the stand point of convenience, to realize the full PMPP; plan actions of top management in the projec tplan. Two levels of portfolio management model projects and programs are shown, and developed a method for hierarchical planning of projects and programs, taking into account the matrix management model PMPP. It is based on the distribution of planning functions at the levels of the control system and their integration into a unified system of matrix management PMPP.The method of administration of portfolios of projects and programsis proposed, and it is a diagram of information interactions in the implementation processes of matrix management PMPPis given.
With the development of Chinese economic and society, the instruction of the expressway has been regarded more important.unfortunately, the side effects on the Expressway and Urban Development have been ignored to some intent.This paper firstly chooses Shanghai as a case, mainly threw the light on its effects of the Expressway and Urban Development systemically, including positive and negative. Finally, we have offered a new model-The Urban Base to solve its negative effects.
Plants have been extensively investigated for exploring their therapeutic potentials, but there are comparatively scanty reports on drugs derived from animal kingdom, except for hormones. During last decade, the toxins that are used for defense by the animals, have been isolated and found useful tools for physiological and pharmacological studies, besides giving valuable leads to drug development. Toxins with interesting results have been isolated from the venoms of snakes, scorpions, spiders, snails, lizards, frogs and fish. The present review describe about some toxins as drugs and their biological activities. Some fungal, bacterial and marine toxins have also been covered in this article.
Based on the error analysis of line segment rendering, we propose a new approach to piecewise linear approximation that proves significantly more efficient than previous solutions and allows the maintenance of any degree of accuracy. The major idea uses triangle subdivision versus scanline subdivision, computing the number of subtriangles based on the ratio of homogeneous coordinates. We show that it is possible to reduce the number of divisions by several orders of magnitude and still maintain high-quality rendering.
Cyclostratigraphic analysis at the Milankovitch scale has to date mainly been approached through the sedimentary record, although palaeontological data (the fossil record) is known to provide useful evidence of orbital-scale cycles of precession, obliquity and eccentricity. Orbitally induced marine and terrestrial palaeoenvironmental changes determine variable responses on the part of the resident communities. Aside from the disruption of communities, complex evolutionary responses including stasis, speciation and extinction phenomena may take place. Cyclic variations in the marine past-biota at the community level, or in some particular taxa, have often been associated with orbitally induced changes in palaeoenvironmental parameters. Cyclostratigraphic research into foraminifera, radiolaria and nannofossil data, mainly from Cretaceous sediments, may contribute significantly to our understanding of the planktonic community’s response, whereas the response of the benthic community, deriving mainly from benthic foraminifera and trace fossils, has been studied to a lesser extent. Recognition of Milankovitch cycles from terrestrial palaeocommunities is relatively scarce and based mainly on the study of Pliocene-Miocene pollen assemblages. Astronomical forced climate changes determine well known variations in the distribution of terrestrial vegetation, but can also affect the terrestrial animal community, including hominid populations (migration, dispersion and colonisation).
The heat pulse technique was applied to the study of the water flow velocity of Wistaria Sinensis and Campsis Chinensis. The water transport structures of the two plants were studied by means of wood anatomical method. The results showed that: there were little changes of water flow velocity of the two plants, the two species with higher volume all the day. The relative point at which maximum sapflow velocity occurred in cambium. There were similar characteristics in the water transport structures of the two plants. There were close relationship between sapflow velocity and anatomical structures of xylem.
Hologram quantitative structure activity relationships(HQSAR) were performed on acute toxicities of 25 substituted nitro benzenes to Scenedesmus obliquus.Quantitative models were obtained using the partial least square(PLS) technique.The most significant HQSAR model(Q2=0.921,R2=0.992) was obtained using atom,bond and connection as fragment distinction and 1～7 as fragment size.Dataset was divided into training set and testing set in order to examine the predictability of the model.The predicted values of the testing set were in good agreement with the experimental values,suggesting that the model had a fine predictability.In addition,the contributions of different atoms to toxicity were explored with colour coding figures.
Most of T.S. Eliot's critics and readers see The Wasteland a poem about the crisis of modern culture, and the breakup of civilization. The poem has been discussed and analyzed according to this view. It is thought that the theme of the poem is that of the drifting barrenness in a world incapable of self-sacrificing devotion and no longer held by the bonds of love and faith. It is also thought that in the opening lines of the poem, spring and the promise of life are meant ironically. The study is an attempt to analyze the first part of the poem, "The Burial of the Dead" by which it becomes conspicuous that the poem is not totally about desperation and death. It could also be interpreted as a real promise of life and hope of resurrection. T. S. Eliot seems to be saying that out of death and winter come spring and new life. The opening of his poem portrays this concept clearly while the rest of the poem seems to briefly brush upon that notion, and the poem ends with an appeal for regeneration.
SolidWorks 2007: The Basics was written to assist students, designers, engineers and professionals. SolidWorks 2007: The Basics is a subset of Engineering Design with SolidWorks 2007 and provides a general introduction to the user interface, menus, toolbars and broad concepts and modeling techniques to create parts, assemblies and drawings. This book uses step-by-step instructions in 60 activities to develop eight parts, four assemblies, three drawings and six document templates. The user formulates the skills to create and modify solid features to model a Flashlight component. Project exercises analyze and examine usage competencies based on the project objectives. SolidWorks 2007: The Basics is designed to compliment the Online Tutorials contained within SolidWorks. Each section explores the SolidWorks Online User's Guide to build your working knowledge of SolidWorks. Table of Contents Introduction 1. Introduction to Part Modeling 2. Revolved Features 3. Sweep, Loft and Additional Features 4. Assembly Modeling 5. Fundamentals of Drawing Index
The pressing bonding of steel plate with QTi3.5-3.5graphite slurry was studied. The relationship among preheating temperature of steel plate, preheating temperature of dies, solid fraction of QTi3.5-3.5graphite slurry, and interfacial shear strength of bonding plate could be established with artificial neural networks perfectly. This model could be optimized with a genetic algorithm. The results show that the optimum bonding parameters are: 618℃ for preheating temperature of steel plate, 526℃ for preheating temperature of dies and 46.2% for solid fraction of QTi3.5-3.5graphite slurry, and the largest interfacial shear strength of bonding plate is 128.3 MPa.
Man’s quest for excellence has found its origins since time immemorial. Surgeons have been striving to perfect the artistry of their science since then. Although condemned to be apothecaries in the early part they have pursued with absolute dedication to produce marvelous results. The evolution has gifted important improvement, conclusions and life to many patients. Endoscopic sinus surgery was previously restricted only to tackling pathological conditions in the nose and paranasal sinuses like chronic sinusitis and nasal polyposis. Over the years the scope of Endoscopic sinus surgery has considerably widened with the nasal endoscope now being routinely used to access even the surrounding regions like the orbit, optic nerve, lacrimal sac and the pituitary gland to name a few. Similarly CSF leaks which previously required external craniotomy procedures can now be safely and effectively closed by the endoscopic trans-nasal approach. The chief advantages of the endoscopic route are decreased morbidity and better cosmesis wherein external scars are avoided.  A prospective analysis of 25 cases of Endoscopic medial orbitotomy done for various indications by the Professors and Assistant professors of UIORL, was done.    On analysis of the age and sex distribution of the cases it was found that 60% of the cases were male patients and 40% were female patients.76% of the patients  were in 16-45years age group, of which 40% belonged to 16-30years age group and 36% belonged to 31-45years age group.  The most common indication requiring endoscopic medial orbitotomy in our  set up is fungal sinusitis with orbital extension.
This study investigates the issue of family ownership for Indonesian companies through a detailed analysis of the ‘ultimate’ share control. A key finding in this study is that ownership type directly impacts on economic performance for Indonesian companies. There are distinct and dramatic differences between the higher return on assets (7.37%) for non-family firms as compared to the far lower profit (1.56%) figures by family-controlled firms. The evidence raises concerns about possible profit manipulation and the entrenchment of profits.
This paper analyzes the trends and patterns in consumption, production, and distribution of fertilizer nutrients in India, and provides the background information for the mathematical programming model of the Indian Fertilizer Sector. The consumption and production of chemical fertilizers have increased at an annual compound rate of, respectively, 17.9% and 17.6% during the last 25 years. Approximately one-third of the consumption requirements are met through imports. As the growing need for foodgrains in India will continue to accelerate the demand for chemical fertilizers, the future planning of the fertilizer sector should obviously concentrate on devising an optimum combination of domestic production and imports, so that future supplies of fertilizer nutrients could be made available to the farmers at a minimum cost. Various issues related to optimum size, location, product-mix, and distribution patterns leading to minimum farm-gate price of chemical fertilizers are being explored by the programming methods, and will be reported in another paper in this series.
We could spend several days discussing the fine points of boiler water treatment, and the protection of condensate return lines. There are a number of different chemicals which are used and many ideas about how and where these chemicals should be added. However, the purpose of this discussion is not to explore all of these details, but rather to present the fundamentals of good chemical treatment.
K-workers embodying high value tacit knowledge are the linchpin of the k-economy. Their satisfaction with the job  is the key to keeping them produce  for the organisation. Their perception of how justly they are treated i.e. organisational justice is ever more important in managing the k-workers and in keeping them satisfied.  Additionally,the evolving k-workforce will become increasingly feminised. How will this effect the justice and job satisfaction equation? This study explored these two questions using a mailed survey which netted a  sample of 401 k-workers with MSC statused  companies.The study found that procedural justice is a key factor in job satisfaction of  the k-workers. However, gender similarity i.e. female-female or male-male supervisor-superviser pairs moderates the relationship between justice variables and job satisfaction (JS).The moderation effect of gender similarity is, however, complex.Although the gender factor accounts for only a small amount of variance in JS, it adds to the manager’s toolkit in dealing with k-workers including the women k-workers.
Objective To compare the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD) with heart_blood stagnation syndrome (HBSS) due to Qi deficiency and Qi stagnation. Methods Indices such as endothelin,NO,TXB 2 ,6-Keto-PGF 1α ,blood rheology,platelet aggregation rate,atrial natriuretic factor,high_frequency electrocardiogram and cardiac function were observed. Results The changes of the above indices in CHD with HBSS due to Qi stagnation (Group A)were smaller than those due to Qi deficiency(Group B). Conclusion Qi stagnation is the primary stage of CHS with HBSS,the pathological changes being mild;Qi deficiency is the advanced stage,the pathological changes being severe.
By using displacement current measurement (DCM) and electric-field-induced optical second-harmonic generation (EFISHG) measurement, we studied the carrier behavior in the indium-tin oxide (ITO)/Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE))/C60/Au(or Al) capacitors. Two DCM peaks appeared asymmetrically at around −35.5 V and +30.0 V in the dark. Correspondingly, the EFISHG response from the C60 layer was observed, but the peak positions were different with respect to DCM ones. The results show that the spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric P(VDF-TrFE) polymeric layer directly affects the electric field in the C60 layer, and thus governs the carrier motion in this layer. As a result, the C60 layer serves like an insulator in the dark, while electrons and holes are captured and released at the interface in response to the turn-over of spontaneous polarization of ferroelectric layer. On the other hand, under white light illumination, C60 layer serves like a conductor due to the increase of photogenerated mobile carriers, and these carriers dominate the carrier motions therein. Our findings here will be helpful for analyzing carrier behaviors in organic electronic devices using ferroelectric polymers.
In 1955 Professor Robert Mertens published his important work on the herpetology of South West Africa thereby condensing all known information about this area into a single volume which greatly facilitated further investigation. With the aid of this publication and other monographs, such as FitzSimons' "The Snakes of Southern Africa" (1962) and Poynton's "The Amphibia of Southern Africa: a faunal study" (1964), it has been possible to add a number of new records to the existing check list, thereby proving that the vast expanses of South West Africa, with its variety of biotopes, are still not completely explored from the biological point of view. This paper adds another eleven species and forms, previously only known from neighbouring territories, to the already impressive list of species and subspecies. A number of these forms were obtained in the border areas which had hitherto been rather poorly collected. These finds, in some instances, provide further proof that the perennial border rivers, the Orange, Kunene and Okavango, are not important as zoogeographic barriers. In the case of Amphibia, they are actually distribution routes for species relying on permanent water.
Disclosed are: an epoxy resin composition comprising an alicyclic epoxy resin (A) and vinyl polymer particles (B), wherein the content of an acetone-soluble matter in the vinyl polymer particles (B) is 30 mass% or more, the acetone-soluble matter has a mass average molecular weight of 100,000 or more and a volume average primary particle diameter (Dv) of 200 nm or more, the epoxy resin composition can be transformed into a gel-like state rapidly by heating for a short time, and a cured product of the epoxy resin composition can have good transparency; a cured product of the epoxy resin composition; and an optical semiconductor encapsulation material comprising the cured product.
This paper provides factors affecting the Money Supply (M0) in the economy. The data were obtained from the site tradingeconomics.com and estimated using the E-views. The researchers conduct tests such as the test on Normality, Regression, Durbin-Watson Test, Multicollinearity, Heteroskedasticity, Ramsey RESET test, and Chow Breakpoint. These lead to a conclusion that factors affecting the Money Supply (M0) that have significance are the Consumer Price Index (CPI), External Debt and Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The concept of "matters of mutual interest" is used in a number of sections and definitions in the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA). This is an indication that this is an important concept in labour law, and it is therefore imperative that it be properly understood. At times this concept is misunderstood to be synonymous with disputes of interest, however, that is not necessarily the case (Grogan Collective Labour Law (2010) 103). This concept is used, for example, in the definitions of both collective agreement and strike contained in section 213 of the LRA. It is also used in section 134 of the LRA which deals with dispute resolution. In spite of its importance, the LRA does not provide a definition for the concept. As a result the interpretation of this concept has raised some challenges as it will be seen from Vanachem Vanadium Products (Pty) Ltd v National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa ([2014] 9 BLLR 923 (LC)). In this matter, the court was required to determine whether certain matters were matters of mutual interest for purposes of strike action.
The class of Sturm-Liouville operators on the space of square integrable functions on a finite interval is considered. According to the Riesz-spectral property, the self-adjointness and the positivity of such unbounded linear operators on that space, a class of Hilbert spaces constructed as the domains of the positive (in particular, fractional) powers of any Sturm-Liouville operator is considered. On these spaces, it is shown that any Sturm-Liouville operator is a Riesz-spectral operator that possesses the same eigenvalues as the original ones, associated to rescaled eigenfunctions. This constitutes the first central result of this paper. Properties related to the C_0-semigroup generated by the opposite of such Riesz-spectral operator are also highlighted. In addition as second central result, a characterization of approximate observability by means of point measurement operators is established for such systems. The main results are applied on a diffusion-convection-reaction system in order notably to show that the dynamics operator is the infinitesimal generator of a compact C_0-semigroup on some Sobolev space of integer order, and to establish its observability.
Prior studies have shown that punishment and reward sensitivity influences decision making in a gambling task with a stable and predictable environment. Some unpublished data suggest that this also holds true in unpredictable situations in which the application of reversal learning is needed to optimally perform in a gambling task. The behavioral inhibition system (BIS) regulates and processes punishment, while the behavioral activation system (BAS) does this for rewarding stimuli. It is claimed that the neurobiological substrates of the BIS and BAS can be found in the prefrontal cortex, more specifically in the alpha band of an EEG signal (8-12 Hz). A right-sided asymmetry in the PFC indicates a higher sensitivity to punishment, while left-sided asymmetry indicates a higher sensitivity to reward. This research will try to further investigate the effects on the BIS and BAS as determined by EEG recordings on decision making in a gambling task where reversal learning is needed. The main hypothesis of the present study is that the amount of reversal learning in an uncertain environment can be predicted by measurements of an asymmetry found in the alpha band (8-12 Hz) in baseline EEG. It was expected that a right-sided asymmetry would correlate positively with reversal learning while a left-sided asymmetry would correlate negatively with reversal learning. A novel task was used that consisted of changing reward-punishment contingencies to induce reversal learning. Reversal learning was measured by determining a behavioral adaptation index calculated from task performance. Self-reported BIS and BAS data was obtained through a questionnaire. Resting state EEG data was recorded and a frontal asymmetry index was subtracted from this data. The main hypothesis was not supported by the present research; Results showed that EEG asymmetries calculated from the alpha band (8-12) from baseline EEG recordings did not predict reversal learning. Furthermore, self-reported BIS and BAS scores did not correlate with frontal asymmetry, failing to support the notion that such an asymmetry reflects differences in punishment sensitivity. Finally, self-reported BIS and BAS scores did not correlate significantly with reversal learning, indicating that under uncertain circumstances punishment sensitivity does not affect task performance. Conclusively, none of the hypothesis were confirmed by this study. However, one effect was found that could indicate that reversal learning might be affected by situational factors. The selfreported BIS scores correlated negatively with reversal learning in a certain part of the task. This indicates that self-reported BIS scores can predict reversal learning, but only under certain circumstances such as previous and starting situation. Still, this finding was not sufficient to support the hypothesis in the present study. More research is advised to gain insight in the effect of situational factors on reversal learning as determined by either frontal asymmetry or self-reported BIS and BAS scores.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE In India, anaemia in pregnancy remains a major public health problem associated with increased risk of low birth weight deliveries. A study was carried out at an urban primary health institution in Delhi, to assess feasibility of screening all pregnant women attending antenatal clinic for anaemia, identifying those with moderate anaemia (haemoglobin between 5.0 - 7.9 g/dl), administering intramuscular (im) therapy to them in the out-patient department (OPD), and observing the impact on maternal haemoglobin (Hb) levels and birth weight of the infant.   METHODS In the antenatal clinic all pregnant women were screened for anaemia. Women with Hb between 5.0- 7.9 g/dl were counselled and those who were willing, were given six intramuscular injections each consisting of iron sorbitol citric acid complex containing 150 microg elemental iron, 1500 microg folic acid, 150 microg hydroxocobalamine acetate (vitamin B1)). They were followed up through pregnancy and till delivery. Birth weight of infants of women who received therapy were compared with birth weight of infants born in DCMC.   RESULTS Over 80 per cent of 3698 women who attended the antenatal clinic were anaemic; 745 (20.1%) had Hb between 5.0-7.9 g/dl. Of these, 419 women agreed to take im therapy as outpatients; 367 took all 6 injections. Metallic taste on the tongue, nausea, vomiting and pain at the injection site were the side effects reported. The mean Hb even 9 wk after completion of therapy was only 9.6 g/dl. Mean birth weight in 340 women who completed the treatment was 2.8 kg - significantly (P<0.001) higher than birth weight in women who had Hb <8.0 g/dl at the time of delivery, but lower than birth weight of infants born to non anaemic women.   INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION In urban primary health care institutions, it is possible to screen pregnant women for anaemia, identify those with Hb between 5.0 and 7.9 g/dl and give them im therapy as outpatients. Use of a preparation with fewer and milder side effects, counselling and support of women who develop side effect may result in high compliance rates; 900 mg of elemental iron as iron sorbitol citric acid was insufficient to raise mean Hb beyond 9.6 g/dl. The dosage has to be increased to achieve optimal results in relation to maternal haemoglobin levels and birth weight.
We had an interesting thing during the making of it - the newspaper-men, who looked on the story of Front Page as a sort of Bible, were rather horrified at the idea of changing the reporter to a girl. We arranged a showing to the newspapermen, and we had the screen split into two parts. We ran the one picture on one and the other picture on the other, and they said, "My God, your picture's so much faster than the other!" - Hawks on Hawks As is well known- Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's 1928 play The Front Page was first made into a film by Lewis Milestone in 1931 and then by Howard Hawks as His Girl Friday in 1939. With Ben Hecht's collaboration, Hawks changed the protagonist Hildy Johnson from male to female. As in the play and the first film version, Johnson's boss, Walter Burns, attempts to prevent Hildy from leaving town to get married. Burns is particularly pressed to retain Hildy's services because a big story is about to break: Earl Williams, a sorry man who inadvertently killed a police officer, is being hanged for political reasons, to help garner votes for the Mayor and Sheriff who are running for re-election on a law and order ticket. In the case of the Hawks film, Walter and Hildy are recently divorced. Thus, Walter is not simply trying to keep his ace reporter on his staff, but also to regain his wife in the face of a rival. Thus, unlike the other versions, Hawks's film fits the mold of the comedy of remarriage so popular in the late thirties. His Girl Friday is famously "fast" and, as per Hawks's boast, is often said to be "faster" than Milestone's The Front Page. But the question of what constitutes tempo in this case, or in film in general, is still an open one. Hawks himself seems to be referring to the speed of delivery and he attributes the greater speed of His Girl Friday to the device of overlapping dialogue: "You put a few words in front of somebody's speech and put a few words at the end, and they can overlap it. It gives you a sense of speed that actually doesn't exist. And then you make the people talk a little faster" (McBride 80-81). But Andrew Sarris argues that it is the result of"invisible" editing and more fluid camera movement (59). Barry Salt disagrees, noting that The Front Page is cut at about the same rate as His Girl Friday, with an average shot length (ASL) of 13 seconds, and that it actually has more camera movement than the Hawks film (224). Salt thus agrees with Hawks that the speed is a function of the rate at which the actors speak their lines, and also the introduction of more "business" in the staging of His Girl Friday. In trying to account for the spectator's sense of tempo, however, it seems important to consider how the variable rhythms of editing, speaking, and figure movement interact and how they help to articulate the rhythm of the film as a whole, its accelerandos and ritardandos. This essay aims to explain pacing in His Girl Friday, with some backward glances at Milestone's The Front Page. The comparison of these two films, which give us the opportunity to contrast the performance and staging of similar scenes--in some cases scenes which are the same line for line - may help to provide tools for analyzing acting, one of the most difficult areas to analyze. Narrative Structure Pacing is partly a function of variables such as editing or speech that can be more or less easily quantified in relation to the fixed time of the screening (a shot held for so many seconds, so many words per second). But it is also a function of elements that are less easily measured and that bear on the representation of temporal relationships within a narrative. Gerard Genette has succeeded in specifying changes in tempo inA la recherche du temps perduin terms of distinct conventions for relating the time of the story, defined as an abstract set of events, to the time of the narrative, the written representation of those events (122-44). He identifies conventions such as novelistic summary, in which the written discourse covers much "greater" expanses of story time, and the scene, in which there is a"match" between story time and the time of the discourse. …
This Article addresses a New Jersey appellate court’s holding which suggests that employers have a common law duty to investigate online misconduct by their employees. In Doe v. XYC Corp., the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey held that an employer has a duty to act when (1) it knows that an employee’s use of the Internet would endanger a third person; and (2) it has reason to believe that it may discipline the employee for online activities in the workplace. The court stated that, under this duty to act, an employer must investigate, discipline, and inform authorities of the danger. This Article discusses the implications of the case for employers. Table of
Generally the students both at school and college level have an aversion towards mathematics and there are many reasons for students disliking it. This paper aims at discovering the various reasons for student’s aversion to this subject; the age at which the aversion is high. The consequence of such investigations will enable the educationalists and the teachers to formulate certain reformative measures so as to mitigate the rate of aversion in student community. To carry out this work successfully fuzzy CETD matrix is employed in this paper
Direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of turbulent pipe flows with temporal deceleration were performed to examine response of the turbulent flows to the deceleration. The simulations were started with a fully-developed turbulent pipe flow at the Reynolds number, ReD = 24380, based on the pipe radius and the laminar centerline velocity, and three different constant temporal decelerations were applied to the initial flow with varying dU/dt = -0.001274, -0.00625 and -0.025. It was shown that the mean flows were greatly affected by temporal decelerations with downward shift of log law, and turbulent intensities were increased in particular in the outer layer, compared to steady flows at a similar Reynolds number. The analysis of Reynolds shear stress showed that second- and fourth-quadrant Reynolds shear stresses were increased with the decelerations, and the increase of the turbulence was attributed to enhancement of outer turbulent vortical structures by the temporal decelerations.
Remnants of the former semiarid forest-steppe vegetation of Hungary are suspected to undergo degradation processes because of recent land-use changes. Secondary succession towards closing of the vegetation starts with shrub invasion, mainly with species of the shrub layer of loess steppe oak forest. Soil respiration (SR) activity of the intercanopy loess grassland community was followed occasionally along of six years period, as well as the spatial patterns of SR and soil water content (SWC) with three direct measuring campaigns. Dependence of SR on SWC-soil temperature was statistically significant for the six years period, but the rest of the variance should be explained by other factors, as found for normalized difference vegetation index. In the spatial analysis, significant differences were found in the ranges of semivariograms according to the seasonal variation of soil moisture content. Larger scale patches were found under summer water stress (4 m for SR, 2.6 m for SWC) and autumn senescence (3.8 ...
With economic development of South Korea and China, meat consumption has been showing a rapid change in both two countries. This study investigated whether there are differences in the factors of meat purchasing between Korean and Chinese consumers and the differences between them. Therefore, in this study, a meat consumption related questionnaire has been conducted to both Chinese(Jilin Province) and Korean consumers from August 28th to September 11th, 2017. First, we examined whether there are differences in the factors of meat purchasing between the two countries through MANOVA analysis. Then, we analyzed the differences between the factors of meat purchasing and variables such as nation, age, and gender by Ordered Probit analysis. As a result of analysis, it was found that there was no difference in marbling as a meat purchasing factor between Jilin province and Korea, and other factors were found to be different. According to the Ordered Probit analysis result, all meat purchasing factors except marbling were found to be different by countries. Korean thinks that taste, quality, selling price, place of sale and safety are more important than Jilin province's consumers in China when purchasing meat, and Jilin province's respondents think brand is more important than Korean consumers.
At large-scale events, the large inflow of visitors travelling by car often causes queues on the roads in the direct surroundings of the event. These queues can spill back to the main road network, where through traffic is driving as well: this through traffic will be hindered by the congestion, while those travellers don’t have the event venue as their destination. To prevent or at least reduce this unnecessary hindrance caused by car traffic at events, this Master thesis has researched control methodologies to optimise advice that is given to individual travellers using in-car systems. In individual traffic management (ITM), the event visitors will receive advice for their route and departure time choice. ITM can be used to optimise the decisions of the event visitors, to prevent queue spillback and other traffic issues at events. In this thesis, the design trade-offs for an ITM controller are identified: these trade-offs determine the actual design of an ITM controller aimed specifically at car traffic around large-scale events. Conceptually, the controller design is composed of a one-shot prediction model and mathematical optimisations of the individual route and departure time advice. These optimisations target a constrained system optimal traffic state in the network. Simulations of the designed controller show that ITM has potential to alleviate the congestion (and spillback) hindrance at large-scale events, by distributing event visitors over alternative routes and departure times. The benefits found in the simulations advocate the use of ITM at an event (or event-like conditions) in practice. Therefore, the application of the ITM controller design in practice is also discussed in this research. The discussion identifies the need to develop a (software) tool that is able to execute the controller’s actions in an offline or real-time manner. Furthermore, the possible barriers and opportunities for the implementation of ITM in the current and future traffic system are assessed.
All along the nineteenth century different anthropological exhibitions were held in many countries, in which people from a number of indigenous communities, especially transported from their homeland for the occasion, were exhibited publicly, both for citizenship's instruction and for specialists's "in vivo" studies on human biology. This paper presents a brief description of some of these scientific shows, and tries to relate them to contemporary human biology theories.
The invention relates to a test device and a test method for penetration clogging of soil. A water draining bottom barrel, a charging barrel and a water feeding top barrel are arranged above a test tower bracket; a pore water pressure monitoring hole is formed in the lateral surface of the charging barrel; a pore water pressure sensor is arranged in the pore water pressure monitoring hole and is connected with a computer; a three-way valve structure comprising a penetration clogging specimen container tube, a water return control valve, a feeding inlet vale and a water conveying valve is arranged at the upper end of the water feeding top barrel; and a high-pressure water tank is formed by connecting a water supplying pipe with a water pump in a sump tank. Under the condition that water is continuously supplied, the feeding of the penetration clogging specimen is finished, the continuous process of a penetration clogging specimen test is realized and a traditional measuring mode by adopting a piezometer tube is changed. Multi-section seepage electronic monitoring record and data processing are adopted so as to visually reflect the correlation among the particle size of the penetration clogging, the pore water pressure and the seepage flow can be visually reflected. The influence on the observation of the penetrability of a loose medium under the condition of a penetration clogging action is overcome and reliable scientific reference for a large-scale engineering design is provided.
The Environmental Control Technology for Coal Utilization program at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) is assisting DOE by providing information required in the planning and guidance of R and D programs for coal utilization technologies and the associated environmental controls. Both available and developing technologies for the entire energy system from the mine mouth through ultimate waste disposal are analyzed. The tools of technology assessment and systems analysis are used to provide balanced evaluations of the engineering, environmental, and economic aspects of the technologies, as well as identification of synergistic effects and secondary or indirect impacts. This paper deals with three topics: First, the assessments performed to date that indicate the nature of our current work are briefly reviewed. Next, the computerized models and data bases utilized in our assessments are described. Lastly, some of the results from a major ongoing study of environmental controls for industrial boilers are presented and their implications discussed.
Sintering of monoclinic ZrO/sub 2/ ceramic powders was carried out 92% ThD were achieved using a relatively coarse commercial (PS approx = 1.5 micrometers) ZrO2 powder with 1.5-2.0 wt% V/sub 3/Os/sub 5/ additive by sintering in air at 1100 C for up to 24 hr. High pressed densities were found to be correlated to high fired densities, thus, ZrO/sub 2/ powders with average particle size < micrometers gave lower densities. Microstructural and chemical analysis of the sintered samples were carried out to determine the composition and a relative distribution of the ZrO/sub 2/ and intergranular phases. Methods used included: SEM, TEM, X-sray microanalysis (EDAX), EPR, DTA, TGA, and arc emission spectroscopy techniques. Results showed the solubility of vanadium in the ZrO/sub 2/ phase to be low (approx 0.2 at .%-indicated to be V4+ ions). The bulk of the added vanadium was found in the grain boundary region which together with Ca, Si, and Mg impurities formed the amorphous bonding phase. This indicates densification by reactive liquid phase sintering aided perhaps by defect migration. The optimum combination of density, strength, electrical conductivity,more » and expansion coefficient was found for a V/sub 2/O/sub 5/ content of 1/5 wt%.« less
This panel was convened at 10:45 am, Friday, April 5, by its moderator, Wenhua Shan of Xi'an Jiaotong University, who introduced the panelists: Chen Fuli of the Ministry of Commerce, Embassy of China; Chen Huiping of the School of Law, Xiamen University; Mark Feldman of Peking University School of Transnational Law; and Won Kidane of Seattle University School of Law. * * Chen Fuli did not submit remarks for the Proceedings. REFLECTIONS ON CHINA-AFRICA BITS By Won Kidane ([dagger]) BACKGROUND The rise in the last decade of Chinese investment in Africa (1) continues to be a subject of curiosity. (2) Traditionally, the bulk of foreign investment flew North-South but rarely SouthSouth. (3) This is changing as China becomes an important player as a sender of foreign direct investment (FDI). In the 21st century, international investment agreements (IIAs), particularly bilateral investment treaties (BITs), have become the principal means of protection of foreign investment. (4) These investment treaties themselves lie along a spectrum representing the balance of power of their own era. Much like U.S. BITs, China's BITs are said to have gone through at least three generational modifications. (5) China has employed all three generations to protect its investment in Africa. Do China's BITs tell a story of a nation's rapid transformation from a recipient of FDI to a sender of FDI? Or do they paint a more complicated picture? China's approach to investment in Africa appears to be different from the approaches that Africa's traditional partners from Europe and North America have taken over the years. A 2010 UNCTAD report describes such difference in the following terms: [I]n contrast to Africa's relationship with traditional partners, the new partnerships ... often have established forums and dialogue platforms and are generally supported by frequent high-level official visits. Furthermore, they are based on the principle of noninterference in the internal affairs of partner countries. Consequently, they are not associated with policy conditionality as has been the case in relations with traditional partners. (6) The report states further that "[the] big Southern partners [mainly China] generally use official flows to promote trade and investment activities in Africa. Furthermore, Southern partners do not consider their financial contributions to other developing countries as aid. Rather they describe them as 'expressions of solidarity and cooperation borne out of shared experiences and sympathies.'" (7) Although the role of China's involvement in Africa remains a subject of great controversy and heated debate, (8) it is clear that Africa's recent and unprecedented growth is not entirely unrelated to Chinese investment and trade. (9) Be that as it may, China's economic interest in Africa is not all that different from Africa's traditional partners. Its means of pursuing the economic goals are also similar--although as Ambassador David Shinn puts it--China employs different tactics that might make it more acceptable to Africa. In his own words: [T]he United States and China use essentially the same political economic, military and cultural tools for implementing their relations with Africa. The emphasis the two sides place on these tactics, however, and the way they implement policy varies considerably. China presents itself more humbly in its interaction with Africa. Having served as the leader of the Western world since the end of the Second World War and the only superpower since the end of the Cold War, the United States often comes across in Africa as insensitive ... (10) The current China-Africa economic engagement is undoubtedly full of benefits and risks (11) arguably to both sides. The legal infrastructure for the management of such risks is in a state of development. …
Data visualization is one of the major applications of nonlinear dimensionality reduction. From the information retrieval perspective, the quality of a visualization can be evaluated by considering the extent that the neighborhood relation of each data point is maintained while the number of unrelated points that are retrieved is minimized. This property can be quantified as a trade-off between the mean precision and mean recall of the visualization. While there have been some approaches to formulate the visualization objective directly as a weighted sum of the precision and recall, there is no systematic way to determine the optimal trade-off between these two nor a clear interpretation of the optimal value. In this paper, we investigate the properties of $ alpha$-divergence for information visualization, focusing our attention on a particular range of $ alpha$ values. We show that the minimization of the new cost function corresponds to maximizing a geometric mean between precision and recall, parameterized by $ alpha$. Contrary to some earlier methods, no hand-tuning is needed, but we can rigorously estimate the optimal value of $ alpha$ for a given input data. For this, we provide a statistical framework using a novel distribution called Exponential Divergence with Augmentation (EDA). By the extensive set of experiments, we show that the optimal value of $ alpha$, obtained by EDA corresponds to the optimal trade-off between the precision and recall for a given data distribution.
Dark inclusions (DIs) in chondrites and achondrites are dark gray to black fragments that include a wide variety of materials that have experienced very different petrologic histories. Based on the law of inclusions, they are rocks that accreted prior to and are older than their host meteorites and possibly rep-resent an earlier generation of material. The origin of these inclusions and their relationship to their host meteorites is not always clear. They are interesting in that they represent lithologies that experienced different parent body histories than their host meteorites and are either exotic components or originated from different regions of the meteorite parent body. In many cases, DIs in CV chondrites have been altered to greater degrees than their host meteorites suggesting pre accretionary alteration [e.g., 1,2,3]. There is debate concerning whether or not these DIs record an earlier era of aqueous alteration and subsequent thermal metamorphism, and how these processes may have also affected the host CV materials. The present study is a description of a dark inclusion found in the Leoville meteorite (specifically, thin section USNM 3535-1). This inclusion has some interesting features that have considerable relevance for this discussion.
The present study has been designed to investigate the relationship between professional morality and maturity with organizational commitment of board members of Azad University in Marv Dasht branch. The main purpose of university includes training and educating expert human forces that are necessary for a society, and providing appropriate grounds for constant development of the country. In this respect, board members of the university are the most effective factors to fulfill this aim. Universities are expected to develop professional morality and maturity of all board members and they should plan everything in order to facilitate the promotion of their board members and it is effective in organizational commitment of them. Professional morality and its subordinate elements have a positive and meaningful relationship with organizational commitment and its aspects. The element of evolution in morality has the strongest constant relationship with organizational commitment and its aspects of emotional commitments. Therefore, in order to increase the organizational commitment, this element of morality should be emphasized more. The positive relationship between professional moral elements and organizational commitment means that as the elements of professional morality increase, the organizational commitments and its aspects increase as well. Investigation on the relationship between maturity and its elements and organizational commitment and its sides shows that of all maturity elements, professional maturity has no meaningful relationship with norm commitment and other elements have a positive relationship with organizational commitment. It means that as maturity and its aspects increase, organizational commitment and its aspects increase as well. Of all maturity elements, organizational maturity has the strongest relationship with organizational commitment of university board members of Marv Dasht Azad University. It illustrates that this cultural path is organizational which build up individuals' behavior. (Fatemeh Marzban , Ebadollah Ahmadi. A study on the relationship between professional morality and maturity with organizational commitment. Journal of American Science 2011;7(10):688-695). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience.org
The linearity relationship between plain texts and cipher texts encrypted by Jonquieres map,which is a kind of multivariate triangular cryptosystem,leads to a great security challenge to linear attack.A non-linear perturbation is propose to the central map of Jonquieres system.To make the linear attack be ineffective,the onedimension Logistic map and its synchronous feedback map are perturbed into the central map of Jonquieres system.Because of the non-linearity of chaos system,the linearity relationship of inputs and outputs are broken.And thus,the security is improved.The analysis confirms that the linear attack doesn ’t work on the chaos perturbed Jonquieres system.
Abstract  Glomerular uptake of aggregated bovine serum albumin has been studied in 3 different mouse strains. Systemic macrophage activity in the same 3 strains has been estimated by measuring the uptake of carbon particles. The amount of aggregated protein taken up by the glomerular mesangium in each strain appears to be inversely related to the systemic macrophage activity. The possible significance of these findings is discussed.
Measurement of the alanine aminotransferrase-(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity in the serum has been used to identify patients with liver disease for more than 50 years. While isolated moderate to strong elevations of ALT and AST typically indicate specific liver disease, mild elevations of aminotransferases can be observed in widespread diseases, e.g., metabolic syndrome. Various studies were able to show an association between elevated liver enzymes and liver associated mortality as well as overall mortality. Aminotransferase values in the general population vary with gender, age and ethnicity and studies show that current broadly applied upper limits of normal for ALT and AST are unreliable for sensitively detecting or excluding significant liver disease. However, the measurement of these liver enzymes remains an important tool in the official diagnostic & treatment decision process.
The present paper intends to study the changing structure and performance of the Indian registered manufacturing sector from 1980-81 to 2003-04 at two-digit level of industrial classification. To analyze the structure and performance, trend growth rates and structural ratios have been calculated. The study period has been divided into two parts, pre-reform period (1980-81 to 1990-91) and the post-reform period (1991-92 to 2003-04). Further, to understand the pattern of performance at a more disaggregated level, the post-reform period has been divided into two parts, early part of the post-reform period (1991-92 to 1999-2000) and the later part of the post-reform period (2000-01 to 2003-04). Using the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) data, the study found, there has been industrial slowdown during the later part of the post-reform period. And as far as the performance of the manufacturing sector is concerned, it has been at its best during the 1990s (1991-92 to 1999-2000).
It is well-known in universal algebra that adding structure and equational axioms generates forgetful functors between varieties, and such functors all have left adjoints. The category of elementary doctrines provides a natural framework for studying algebraic theories, since each algebraic theory can be described by some syntactic doctrine and its models are morphism from the syntactic doctrine into the doctrine of subsets. In this context, adding structure and axioms to a theory can be described by a morphism between the two corresponding syntactic doctrines, and the forgetful functor arises as precomposition with this last morphism. In this work, given any morphism of elementary doctrines, we prove the existence of a left adjoint of the functor induced by precomposition in the doctrine of subobjects of a Grothendieck topos.
B-mode CMB polarization observed by BICEP2 is consistent with the Octonionic Inflation of E8 Physics that does not use a conventional inflaton field but instead uses NonAssociative Non-Unitary Octonionic Quantum Processes. V2 adds details such as inflation producing a matter-dominated Universe. V3 corrects and expands material about matter-antimatter and generation-antigeneration. V4 add some details about Octonionic Inflation. V5 adds discussion of gravity fluctuations leading to cosmological structure.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between language disorders and motor development in children with epilepsy. Population in this research consisted of 50 elementary female students with epilepsy in Tabriz City. Persian Aphasia Test (FAT) and Lincoln-Oseretsky Scale and one-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) were utilized to measure children’s language disorders and describe the relationship between variables, respectively. Results: Findings showed that there is not a significant relationship between language disorders and motor development in children with epilepsy. Conclusion: Therefore, physical education centers are required to establish institutions to provide children suffering from motor problems and perceptual-motor deficiencies with proper training.
High performance computing (HPC) systems play a crucial role in performing large-scale scientific applications and their efficiencies are imperative to be improved. This paper aims to comprehensively understand job characteristics and the factors that affect system efficiency and performance, which lays a solid foundation for proposing and evaluating job scheduling and resource management methods. To achieve this goal, we collect job data covering two years from a petascale HPC system that is dedicated to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications. Furthermore, a detailed analysis about failed jobs and waiting time is conducted based on the dataset. Our analysis excavates some important characteristics of submitted jobs, which can not only help system owners understand and master the situation about CFD applications in the system, but also provide good guidance and ideas for optimizing job scheduling and resource management algorithms.
Symmetric, sometimes monstrous fat deposits occur in this rare benign disease. They can extend from the neck to the shoulders and from the mandible to the clavicle. The authors have treated 3 patients during the last 4 years. One of them was sent as an inpatient with the diagnosis of lymphadenitis. The aetiology is unknown. Some metabolic disorders (gout, diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia) are discussed as causes. Alcoholism seems to be an important factor. Surgical removal of the fat deposits is the therapy of choice despite the tendency to recur which is described in the literature.
District heating is an environmentally friendly heating principle that is widely used in Sweden. A problem that has arisen is that while district heating dominates heating of apartment buildings, the district heating companies have difficulties competing in single-family houses. In Orebro, the 7th largest city in Sweden, this problem causes some worries because of the environmental benefits with district heating compared to electricity-based heating alternatives which are more commonly used. The goal of this study has been to calculate the life cycle costs for district heating in Orebro from the house owner’s perspective and to compare these with the life cycle costs for heating by geothermal heat pumps. The study also examines the potential of a few proposed solutions for improved economy for district heating in areas with single-family houses.The calculations estimate the life cycle costs during 30 years for district heating to 697 kkr and 562 kkr for geothermal heat pumps. High energy costs being the primary reason for the district heating’s expensive outcome. A possible solution to improve the situation for district heating is the development of low temperature distribution.This could decrease the heat losses and thereby make district heating less expensive. Another solution that will make district heating more profitable in the future is district heating powered machines such as washing machines, dryers and dishwashers. The use of these machines replaces electricity consumption with heating consumption. For the use of these machines in houses with conventional district heating a separate pipe is needed which makes them not profitable at the moment. In Vasteras, a city comparable to Orebro, low temperature grids are being developed with district heated machines in areas with newly built low energy houses. This solution uses a secondary grid with only one pipe for heating, heating of water and the district heated machines. The life cycle costs for this solution is 653 kkr, much less expensive than the conventional district heating in Orebro. An introduction of a similar solution in Orebro could make district heating in one-family houses more profitable, for both producer and consumer.
Antimony (Sb) is considered a pollutant of priority interest, it is largely used in several industrial sectors (> 100,000 tons year worldwide) and is heavily mined worldwide (Leuz et al., 2006). In this work the hydrogeochemical behavior of Sb has been studied in water draining the abandoned antimony mine of Su Suergiu, SE Sardinia. Waters flowing at Su Suergiu show high Sb concentration and impact the main river of South Sardinia, the Flumendosa River that supplies water for agricultural and domestic uses. The main source of contamination at Su Suergiu is represented by the foundry slag heaps, in fact the slag drainages contain up to 30,000 μg L-1 Sb(tot) (median value 13,000 μg L-1 Sb(tot)). The determination of Sb specie in solution has been carried out through the analyses of both Sb(tot) (by ICP-MS and/or ICP-OES) and Sb(III) (by ASV). The Sb(III) concentration was determined on filtered (pore-size 0.45 μm) water samples stabilized with L(+) tartaric acid plus nitric acid, that, among several stabilizations of Sb(III) tested, has been evaluated as the most effective. Results obtained, showed that Sb(V) prevails in water sampled at Su Suergiu and surrounding area as Sb(OH)6 species, in agreement with the circumneutral-slightly alkaline pH values and oxidizing condition (Sb(III) ≤6% of Sb(tot)). The Sb(V) is less toxic but more mobile than Sb(III); the Sb behavior in water analyzed seems to be conservative, and the most important natural attenuation process of Sb contamination appears to be dilution. First in the water of Riu Ciurixeda (whose catchment collect all mine drainage), and after in the Flumendosa River, the Sb concentration decreases significantly, from 104 to 101 μg L-1, but in the Flumendosa River it still exceeded the limit recommended by both the World Health Organization (20 μg L-1) and the European Union (5 μg L-1), especially under extremely high flow conditions (Sb(tot) = 51 μg L-1; median relative to all flow conditions Sb(tot) = 22 μg L-1).  In view of these results Sb(V) removal from solution was tested using a synthetic mineral belonging to the class of layered double hydroxides, that has the advantage, with respect to the other sorbents (metal oxy-hydroxides, organic polymers, etc...), of being able to remove contaminants from solutions at circumneutral pH values often found in the environment. The LDH are characterized by a layered structure composed by brucite-like sheets ([M2+1-xM3+x(OH)2]x+), stacked along the c axis and positively charged, due to the partial substitution of bivalent cations (M2+ = Mg2+, Zn2+, Ca2+) by trivalent cations (M3+ = Al3+, Fe3+). The positive charges are compensated by anions or anionic complexes (An- = Cl-, NO3-, CO32-) in the interlayer, where also structural water can occur. From an environmental point of view, LDH have anion exchange capacity, sorption capacity, high specific surface area and the “memory effect”, which is the capacity of the calcined phases which have undergone structural collapse from the loss of interlayer water and anions, to recover its structure when immerged in aqueous solution. Calcined and nitrate LDH were tested; the calcined resulted are the most effective. Among them the Mg(AlFe)-c oxides, derived from the calcination of hydrotalcite-like compounds {Mg6Al2(OH)16CO3∙4H2O}, removed Sb(OH)6 from solution through the rehydration and formation of a  brandholzite-like compound {Mg[Sb(OH)6]2·6H2O}. The 2ZnAl-c oxides derived from the calcination of zaccagnaite-like compounds (Zn4Al2(OH)12CO3∙3H2O) kept Sb(OH)6 from solution by its intercalation in the interlayer during the reconstruction of zincalstibite-like LDH {Zn2Al(OH)6[Sb(OH)6]}. The Sb(OH)6 removal capacity of both sorbents is seriously affected by the presence of coexistent equal concentrations of As in solution, while the carbonate species and the SO42- result lower competition with respect to Sb(OH)6. Sorption tests with selected calcined LDH, Mg(AlFe)-c and 2ZnAl-c, were performed on water collected in the slag drainage of Su Suergiu, characterized by slightly alkaline pH and high concentration of SO42- (1006 mg L-1), HCO3 (485 mg L-1), As (3386 μg L-1) and Sb(tot) (9900 μg L-1). Results show substantial capacity of Sb removal from solution, and also of As. Due to the relatively low concentration of Sb in Su Suergiu water with respect to the synthetic solution used in the sorption test, the main removal process of Sb resulted for both sorbents used in the intercalation in the interlayer during the reconstruction of carbonate(hydroxyl) LDH structure, also As seem to be removed through the same mechanism. In several experiments the dissolution of sorbents was observed, therefore it is necessary consider the impact from the dissolution of the metals composing them.  The solid/liquid ratio strongly influences the removal processes, therefore future studies should address this aspect to assess the potential use of LDH in Sb removal from solution at circumneutral pH usually found in the environment.
We report first results of a search for the non-zero neutrino mixing angle  theta_{13} from the Double Chooz experiment. Double Chooz aims to measure the mixing angle based on anti-electron-neutrino disappearance as a consequence of neutrino oscillation. A new generation of anti-electron-neutrino detector having 10 m^3 fiducial volume is located 1 km from the two 4.25 GW_{th} reactors at the Chooz Power Plant in France. Physics data taking has been continuing since April 2011. A ratio of observed-to-predicted event rate of 0.944 +/- 0.016 (stat) +/- 0.040 (syst) was obtained in 101 days of detector running. Analyzing both the rate and their energy spectral shape, we found sin^{2}2 theta_{13} = 0.086 +/- 0.041 (stat) +/- 0.030 (syst) at  Delta m^2_{atm} = 2.4 x 10^{-3} eV^2.
The task of text segmentation, or 'chunking,' may occur at many levels in text analysis, depending on whether it is most beneficial to break it down by paragraphs of a book, sentences of a paragraph, etc. Here, we focus on a fine-grained segmentation task, which we refer to as text partitioning, where we apply methodologies to segment sentences or clauses into phrases, or lexical constructions of one or more words. In the past, we have explored (uniform) stochastic text partitioning---a process on the gaps between words whereby each space assumes one from a binary state of fixed (word binding) or broken (word separating) by some probability. In that work, we narrowly explored perhaps the most naive version of this process: random, or, uniform stochastic partitioning, where all word-word gaps are prescribed a uniformly-set breakage probability, q. Under this framework, the breakage probability is a tunable parameter, and was set to be pure-uniform: q = 1/2. In this work, we explore phrase frequency distributions under variation of the parameter q, and define non-uniform, or informed stochastic partitions, where q is a function of surrounding information. Using a crude but effective function for q, we go on to apply informed partitions to over 20,000 English texts from the Project Gutenberg eBooks database. In these analyses, we connect selection models to generate a notion of fit goodness for the 'bag-of-terms' (words or phrases) representations of texts, and find informed (phrase) partitions to be an improvement over the q = 1 (word) and q = 1/2 (phrase) partitions in most cases. This, together with the scalability of the methods proposed, suggests that the bag-of-phrases model should more often than not be implemented in place of the bag-of-words model, setting the stage for a paradigm shift in feature selection, which lies at the foundation of text analysis methodology.
Though neuromuscular diseases (NMD) and thoracic cage disorders differ among them in terms of etiology, clinical manifesta- tions and prognoses, in advanced stages those conditions are characterized by the development of respiratory insuffi ciency that often results in death. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is frequent in patients with NMD, where they may appear independently or in association with an NMD per se. These conditions include obstructive apnea, central apnea, and alveolar hypoventilation. The purpose of this document is to describe the physiopathology of SDB in NMD patients, emphasizing the most common and deleterious of them, which is the sleep-related hypoventilation-hypoxemia syndrome. We believe that this information will be useful to clinical physicians by providing a better understanding of the respiratory complications that NMD patients suffer, and thereby sensitizing specialists to the importance of non-invasive mechanical v entilation.
Objective To study the effects of broth culture filtrates of CagA gene positive Helicobacter pylori on DNA damage of human gastric epithelial cells line. Methods Broth culture filtrates of Helicobacter pylori was prepared. CagA gene were identified by PCR. GES-I cells were treated with CagA gene positive broth culture filtrates of Helicobacter pylori. Single cell microgel electrophoresis were used to observe the damage of GES-I cell DNA caused by the broth culture filtrates. Results HP(CagA + ) culture filtrates may cause comet phenomenon of GES-I cells. Con- clusion DNA damage can be induced by borth culture filtrates of CagA gene positive Helicobacter pylori in human gastric epithelial cells GES-I line. DNA damage may be one of the mechanism of malignant transformation induced by broth culture filtrates of CagA gene positive Helicobacter py- lori in human gastric epithelial cells.
The primary purpose of the study was to determine if measured LBM could be used as a more powerful predictor of BMR than could surface area (SA) as calculated by the formula of DuBois and DuBois (1916). It was also of interest to develop a prediction equation for BMR using multiple regression analysis. Data from 82 women and 76 men were included in the study. Pearson product-moment correlations indicated that LBM was a better predictor for BMR than SA on either of the principal SA prediction equations, those of Aub and DuBois (1917) and Harris and Benedict (1919). Age, sex, and fat weight were not found to contribute significantly to prediction when included by multiple regression analyses. Linear equations for BMR as a function of LBM were developed for each sex. Tables based on these equations were also generated as a quick reference for clinicians.
Recent development in the small scale power generation using distributed energy resources combined with application of power electronic systems initiated the researchers to the concepts of future power generation technologies such as microgrid. The paper presented involves the control techniques required for microgrid operation and implementation of a simple control strategy in a microgrid model realized with MATLAB. To demonstrate the operation of a microgrid in Grid connected mode and intentional islanded mode, a simulink model has been designed with necessary parameters by connecting with the main grid allowing the sharing of different laods with reference to Grid connection and disconnection. An islanding-detection algorithm has been used to act as a switch between the two controllers and this has minimised the effect of losses in the time of transistion. A reclosure algorithm has been used for the DG to resynchronize the inverter voltage with the grid.
Photovoltaic/thermal solar collectors produce both heat energy and electrical energy simultaneously. This paper presents the PV/T collector classification, design and performance evaluation of water, air and combination of water and/or air. Different design configurations and performance of PV/T solar collectors are compared. The tube and sheet design is the simplest and easiest to manufacture, though its efficiency is 2% lower, compared to other design configurations. One can state from the review that for both air and water based PV/T solar collectors, the efficiency of the PV/T system depends on atmospheric temperature, glass temperature, solar irradiation, the number of passes, etc. This paper gives a review of the trends in development of the technology, in particular, the advancements in recent years, and the future work required.
The Country Opinion Survey in Angola assists the World Bank Group (WBG) in gaining a better understanding of how stakeholders in Angola perceive the WBG. It provides the WBG with systematic feedback from national and local governments, multilateral/bilateral agencies, media, academia, the private sector, and civil society in Angola on 1) their views regarding the general environment in Angola; 2) their overall attitudes toward the WBG in Angola; 3) overall impressions of the WBG’s effectiveness and results, knowledge work and activities, and communication and information sharing in Angola; and 4) their perceptions of the WBG’s future role in Angola.
Luminescent rare earth complexes, particularly europium β-diketonates, have been intensively studied with respect to applications for luminescence. Recently, rare earth complexes have attracted considerable attention for organic electroluminescent(EL) devices as well as for optical microcavity emitters owing to their inherent extremely sharp emission bands and potentially high internal quantum efficiency. Their coordination polymers [Eu(Ⅲ)-DBM-PAA and NaEu(Ⅲ)-DBM-PSAA] were synthesized by the reaction of metal organic complex(NaEu(DBM)_4) with polyacrylic acid( M_n= 5 000) and copolymer of acrylic acid and styrene( M_n=3 000), the yields of Eu(Ⅲ)-DBM-PAA and NaEu(Ⅲ)-DBM-PSAA are about 89.7% and 87.3%, respectively. The coordination polymer was characterized by FTIR, UV, XPS and its composition and the structure were determinated. The result of electrical conductivity and elemental analysis indicate that each Eu(Ⅲ) ion is coordinated by carboxyl from two units in the Eu(Ⅲ)-DBM-PAA molecule or three units in the NaEu(Ⅲ)-DBM-PSAA molecule and one DBM -. Their coordination polymer with Eu(Ⅲ) content reached up to 28.46% and 12.23%. The Eu-copolymer luminophores exhibited intense red light at 615 nm under UV excitation at room temperature, which is attributed to the 5D_0→ 7F_2 transition of Eu(Ⅲ) ions.
To investigate ultrastructural characteristics of cancer cell nucleus, 29 cases of malignant tumors of 9 different types were examined. The common findings were marked irregularity of nuclear membrane with pronounced infoldings, clumping of heterochromatin along inner nuclear membrane, enlargement and disturbance of configuration and composition of nucleolus, and frequent observations of nuclear bodies and nuclear inclusions. These findings confirm what have been observed by light microscopy, and are also the signes that can be observed in hyperactive cells. Thus, ultrastructural characteristics of cancerous nucleus are the great variability of nuclear size, shape and composition, but none of them appear to be specific.
The utility model discloses a unit brake cylinder. The unit brake cylinder comprises a brake cylinder body, a reset mechanism and a gap adjusting mechanism, wherein the brake cylinder body is provided with an air inlet, and a brake piston is mounted in the brake cylinder body; the brake piston comprises a piston body and a piston tube, wherein the piston body is matched with the internal wall of the brake cylinder body, and the piston tube extends towards one side of the piston body from the middle part of the piston body; one end of the brake cylinder body is fixedly connected with a cylinder cover; a release spring is arranged between the cylinder cover and the piston body of the brake piston; the cylinder cover is provided with a center tube, the outer periphery of the piston tube of the brake piston is in sliding fit with the internal wall of the center tube of the cylinder cover, and the end part of the piston tube extends out of the center tube; the reset mechanism comprises a screw rod; and the gap adjusting mechanism comprises a guide nut assembly and an adjusting nut assembly, wherein the guide nut assembly comprises a piston tube cover, a guide nut, a guide spring, a first bearing and a taper bushing, and the adjusting nut assembly comprises an adjusting nut, a bevel gear slide bushing, an adjusting spring and a second bearing. The unit brake cylinder is simple in structure and sensitive and accurate in adjustment.
An excellent work on stroke survivors that will enhance better quality of their life. It will surely add to the wealth of knowledge to the region, Nation and the world. Dr D.M.Makput A wonderful work on global quality of life among stroke survivors, Enjoy greater and successful publications as you continue with the good work you have been doing. The work will add to the knowledge of our community, society, Nation, region and the world at large. -Onyencho Victor Chidi A great deal of effort has been put in unraveling the challenges of stroke survivors. It is a great accomplishment. More grease to your academic and professional career as you continue such good work to add knowledge to humanity and for posterity. -Dr. Timothy Adebowale
A computational method for solving the incompressible viscous flows with a free surface is presented in this paper. The three- dimensional Navier-Stokes equations are discretized by the finite volume method using a moving grid system fitted to the free surface. A new technique is proposed for the implementation of the nonlinear free surface conditions. The method of the moving grid system on the free surface based on the inviscid boundary condition holds the conservative properties and it is able to deal with the arbitrary configuration of the free surface. Some numerical experiments are carried out to demonstrate the validity of this method. The computational results of the viscous flow around an advancing vertical cylinder piercing a free surface suggest the possibility of using this method for analysis of the wave-wake interaction.
The purpose of this study is to analyse the problems within the current performance evaluation system, identify their cause and suggest a solution by comparing the scores generated by Physical Activity Promotion System (PAPS), performance evaluation and final subject grade with the 50m sprint records as their basis. The target subjects were selected among girls and boys enrolled in A High School in Seoul with 50m sprint records; the researcher sampled and analysed these students’ data, PAPS, performance evaluation and final subject grades. The researcher used PSS version 22.0 to analyse the data and demonstrated the differences among groups with ANOVA and Kruskal Wallis. In addition, the researcher observed the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients to identify a relation between 50m records and scores, and conducted a regression analysis to determine the degree in which the scores reflect the 50m records. According to this study, the researcher was able to reach the following conclusions. First, there were significant statistical differences between genders and among class groups, given different 50m sprint scores from different classes. Second, between two instructors (A, B) there were significant differences in terms of the performance evaluation of 50m sprint records, a relatively new method, but not in terms of final subject grades.
A low-voltage wide-tolerance-range passive UHF RFID tag's baseband logic design is presented in this paper. Based on deep submicron CMOS technologies, the design utilizes tailored techniques to satisfy subthreshold operation: to deal with the specific timing and wide-range- variation problems at very low power supply, and for the consideration of limited availability of RF power. Compen- sated addition is proposed for the PIE decoder, and power- aware scheme is applied to the entire logic part. Galoi Lin- ear feedback shift register (LFSR) and one-hot counter are also applied to fulfill critical timing requirements. Addi- tionally, these techniques help to improve clock efficiency and reduce the frequency variation impact in low-voltage data link portions. Therefore the robustness in subthresh- old operation is ensured. The logic design was fabricated in 180nm, 130nm and 90nm CMOS technologies respectively to verify the compatibility. In measurement the designs in- dicate competent subthreshold operation. The 90nm ver- sion can function at 0.33V.
BACKGROUND Filtration processes in conventional water treatment plants are generally hydraulically controlled by one of two methods: constant rate or declining rate filtration. Constant rate filtration is controlled in individual filters by an effluent control valve, called a rate-of-flow (ROF) controller. As resistance to flow builds in the media through clogging, the valve opens to keep the total headloss, and therefore flow, through the filter the same. In a declining rate filter, the only rate control is by an influent or effluent restriction that limits the maximum flow through the filter. This maximum flow occurs after the filter has been backwashed and is in its cleaned state. As the filter clogs, the flow rate through the filter slowly declines. Total plant production remains the same, since the cleaner filters will accept more flow to compensate for the dirtier filters. Usually the maximum initial flow rate is restricted to about 1.5 times the average.
Digestive enzyme activity is a biological indicator of feed utilization by the larvae. The purpose of this study was to determine the digestive enzymes activity of coral trout larvae which fed (A) copepods, (B) copepods and rotifers and (C) rotifers. Biochemical analysis and SDS PAGE were performed to determine the enzymes activity and capability of protein hydrolysis on larvae and live feeds. The result indicates that the various kind of live feeds influence to digestive enzymes activity of coral trout larvae. Larvae B at 30 days after hatching had higher activity of protease, amylase and lipase (P<0.05) than larvae A and C. Larvae A and B had higher capability of protein hydrolysis than larvae C. Copepods had higher digestive enzymes activity (P<0.05) and higher capability of protein hydrolysis than rotifers. Therefore, feeding of copepods which combined with rotifers to coral trout larvae is strongly recommended.
Inflammation contributes greatly to the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In previous studies, we showed that blocking neutrophil influx by treatment with SB265610, a selective CXCR2 antagonist, could partly reduce superoxide accumulation and preserve alveolar development in 60% O2-exposed newborn rats. The purpose of this study was to further investigate the role of neutrophils in the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species mediating hyperoxia-impaired lung development. We found that hydroxyl radical formation and lipid peroxidation in rat lungs were significantly increased during 60% O2 exposure. These increases were attenuated by the administration of SB265610. In addition, SB265610 largely inhibited protein nitration induced by hyperoxia. SB265610 partly prevented the hyperoxia-enhanced bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) protein content in 60% O2-exposed animals. Our results demonstrate that neutrophils have a pivotal role in hydroxyl radical formation, lipid peroxidation and protein nitration. Taken together with our previous studies, the present findings show that blocking neutrophil influx protects alveolar development and improves lung function in part by preventing reactive oxygen/nitrogen species accumulation.
Abstract : The employment of the Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC) Concept during Operation Desert Storm raised a number of issues. After-action reports highlight communications difficulties between the JFACC and the Naval aviation forces operating in the theater. The existing joint doctrine regarding the JFACC states that normally the service component with the preponderance of air assets and the ability to assume the function will be designated as JFACC. Because it failed to provide any more definitive guidance, joint doctrine assumed that different service components would perform as JFACC in more or less the same manner. However, the Navy and the Air Force developed dissimilar philosophies regarding the command and control of tactical air assets and subsequently procured communications systems to support their own philosophies. This produced interoperability problems during Desert Storm. The communications problems which occurred were the product of inadequate joint doctrine and the service components' insistence on employing their individual service doctrines/philosophies during a joint operation.
Based on the concept of flow energy loss,this paper studies the correlation between the flow energy loss and the river deposition amount of the Lower Yellow River( Huayuankou- Lijin). The results show that the flow energy loss( such as mechanical energy loss,kinetic energy loss,potential energy loss) and momentum loss has no relevance to the deposition amount of the Lower Yellow River; furthermore,the usable power loss and the traction power loss have no evident relevance to it either. But there is obvious correlation between the suspended power loss and the deposition amount of the Lower Yellow River; the critical yearly sedimentation equilibrium flow energy loss of the Lower Yellow River is 75 × 106Joule. When the suspended power loss is greater than the critical value,deposition will happen in the river,otherwise,erosion will happen.
This research explored the politics of educational choice through a case study of one public school testing the limits of difference in the British Columbia (Canada) school system in the 1990s. The Fine Arts elementary school was created by the school board based on pedagogical ideas from teachers. This fine arts magnet offered teachers a great deal of input into decision making. Parents, students, and teachers, who wanted the school to be more distinctive as a fine arts school, were described as promoting a "private" school in the public system. According to some community members the magnet school was "private" because it restricted admission to students who were particularly talented or motivated in the fine arts, was more selective in hiring teachers, and insisted on an integrated fine arts curriculum across the subject area. In an effort to keep the school "public," they called for admissions to all, a curriculum useful to all students, and a policy to hire any qualified teacher. As this school was established, there was an implicit conflict about the meaning of equity. The school might be considered elitist because families with more energy, ability, or knowledge might have less difficulty in using a school outside their neighborhoods. It might, however, provide opportunities for those who would have been denied them, resulting in more equal opportunity. The prevailing view of equity in the public school system is likely to meet similar challenges in the future. (Contains 24 references.) (SLD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** The Politics of School Choice in British Columbia: Citizenship, Equity and Diversity Jane Gaskell, University of British Columbia April 1999 AERA, Montreal School choice has been described as a tool for all reasons. The politics it represents is many different things for many different people; the problems it is supposed to solve are not well defined. The frame that is put on the problem, however, will determine the kind of response that is elicited, and the kind of evidence that researchers look for. There is no single correct frame, and they do get interconnected in important ways, but in this paper I want to use the lens of how the state provides for diversity to discuss school choice in Canada. It is a frame that is particularly important in Canada, and it is one that has too often been ignored in favour of a discussion of markets. Market arguments for school choice emphasize improving "quality" in education. The evidence for the impact of markets on quality has been sought primarily in students' test scores, and the evidence is mixed. In this framework, equality means giving everyone the same information, the same formal ability to make choices and the same opportunity to improve their performance. The measure of schools' worth is their ability to produce academic achievement. But if schooling is a democratic institution with broad social goals in relation to developing citizenship, market metaphors are limited in their applicability, and test scores are not an adequate measure of goodness. The evidence for evaluating arguments about the moral and political role of schools must be found in the political debate and in the nature of the school communities which are formed. In political theories about school communities, the key question becomes the meaning of the "public" in public schools. Through schooling, the state both creates and reflects a public community and provides in various ways for diversity in that public community. Examining what the arguments are for diversity and for equity constitutes one way of understanding the issue of school choice. There is a great deal of evidence that the social communities formed by schools, rather than the strictly academic outcomes of schooling are of interest to parents (Gaskell, 1996). Parents choose schools as much on the basis of the other students and families who are there, as on the basis of test scores (Bulman, 1999; Fowler-Finn, 1993/4). They worry about the social relationships their children will form, whether they will be happy, whether they will be safe as much as about their grades. Even American black families, who suffer most from poor neighbourhood schools, often choose to remain with their friends rather than integrate in a predominantly white school. (Wells and Crain, 1992). School decisions are usefully seen as cultural decisions about community, not just economically rational decisions to maximize test scores. BEST COPY AVAILABLE PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
This thesis presents 3DP-0, a modular, multi-material 3D printer. Currently, 3D printers available on the market are typically expensive and difficult to develop. In addition, the simultaneous use of multiple materials in 3D printing has not been extensively explored. The printer presented in this thesis was developed to address these shortcomings. The printer features a low-cost high-performance design largely using commercial off-the-shelf parts. Inkjet print heads from commercial desktop printers allow the use of multiple materials within a single print. In addition, the modular and open design of the printer allows the independent and continuing development of print heads and print materials. Testing has shown the system to be capable of producing objects with fine features, including 500 jm-wide cubes containing multiple materials separated within a core. Thesis Supervisor: Wojciech Matusik Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Mechanical Engineering Faculty Reader: John Leonard Title: Professor of Mechanical Engineering
From the seventeenth century onwards, there has  been a spectacular growth of scientific knowledge. Should we  expect this growth to continue at the same pace? Would that be  possible without an equally spectacular increase in expenditure?  How should politicians in a democratic state rationally determine  the appropriate level of public investment in scientific research?  This prize essay provides tentative answers to these burning issues.
Retrograde amnesia is a strange phenomenon by which an established past memory (usually recent) is lost because of organic disease of the brain or following the administration of a physical or a chemical agent. Korsakoff's psychosis is the classic exam pIe of amnesia resulting from organic disease. 1, 2, 3 A person affected by this disease usually gets amnesia for events of the past few years and cannot retain recent information. Physical agents which can produce retrograde amnesia include electric convulsion shock 4,5,6, trauma to the head 7, 8, direct stimulation of certain parts of the brain 9, 10 and changes in the body temperature 11, 12. Hypoxia is reported to produce retrograde amnesia in animals 13, 14 while incriminated drugs include anticholinesterases 15, 16, anticholinergic drugs 17, anaesthetics and convulsants 18, 19,20. The mechanisms by which these various agents produce retrograde amnesia is not known, and physical as well as biochemical processes may be involved. 21 The consolidation theory of Mueller and Pilzecker 22 is accepted by many as the means by which a memory is retained and stored in the brain after it is registered. The original hypothesis stated that a neural process perseverates after termination of the stimulus and gradually becomes consolidated through time. Hebb 23 further explained that the reverberation of firing in a neural chain leads to a permanent modification of excitability of one neuron by another. This reverberating activity in a system continues for some time and gives rise to a permanent growth process. Electric convulsion shock and trauma to the head may interfere with this reverberating activity and hamper retention and storage of memory. It is not clear whether a central nervous system depressant drug can also impair the consolidation of memory. Although Pearlman and his co-workers 18 and Leukel 20 did find retrograde amnesia in rats following anaesthetic drugs, similar experimental evidence in man is lacking. In a preliminary report J arvik 24 described a 46 percent incidence of amnesia in a group of patients who were given thiopentone anaesthesia immediately after a learning task (visual memory test) whereas in another group, who received thiopentone 10 minutes after the memory test, there was only 21 percent incidence of amnesia. He concluded that the consolidation of memory was impaired by the "immediate" thiopentone anaesthesia in the first group of patients. Unfortunately in this study the patients received different premedications, whose nature and dosage is not known. This communication reports the findings of a study designed to investigate in unpremedicated adults the retrograde amnesic effects of four commonly used intravenous anaesthetic agents. Two of these were given in normal induction doses and two in large doses.
Hydrogen sulphide (H2S), as a new gas signal molecule, participates in the regulation of a variety of abiotic stresses in plants. However, it was unclear how H2S and rhizobia can together to affect the adaptation of soybean to water deficiency. Here, the adaptation mechanism of H2S and rhizobia in soybean to water deficiency was studied. Our results showed that H2S and rhizobia jointly enhanced leaf chlorophyll content, the relative water content (RWC) and caused an increase biomass in soybean under water deficiency. Besides, under water deficiency, H2S enhanced biomass by affecting nodule numbers and nitrogenase activity during the growth of soybean. The expression of soybean nodulation marker genes including early nodulin 40 (GmENOD40), ERF required for nodulation (GmERN), and nodulation inception genes were up-regulated by H2S and rhizobia in nodules. Moreover, the combined effect of H2S and rhizobia were proved to affect the enzyme activities and gene expression level of antioxidant, as well as osmotic protective substance under water deficiency. In addition, the metabolomics results provided that the changes of lipids and lipid-like molecules were remarkably promoted by the combined effect of H2S and rhizobia. Thus, H2S and rhizobia synergistically subsided the oxidative damage by increasing the accumulation of metabolites and strengthening the antioxidant capacity under water deficiency.
Solubility of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole in 16 neat solvents including methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, acetone, butanone, isoamyl alcohol, n-hexanol, n-heptanol, isooctyl alcohol, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, 1,4-dioxane, and toluene was measured using the method of isothermal saturation over a temperature range from (278.15 to 313.15) K under atmospheric pressure (101.1 kPa). The mole fraction solubility of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole in the selected solvents increased with an increase of temperature. They followed the order from high to low in studied neat solvents: DMF > DMSO > ethanol > n-propanol > isopropanol > methanol > butanone > acetone >1,4-dioxane > n-heptanol > n-hexanol > isoamyl alcohol > isooctyl alcohol > ethyl acetate > acetonitrile > toluene. The obtained solubility data of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole in the studied solvents were correlated with the λh equation, modified Apelblat equation, and NRTL and Wilson models. The largest valu...
Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC  BRAF is mutated in melanomas and plays a role in tumorigenesis. Although depletion of oncogenic BRAF resulted in tumor regression in mouse melanoma model, clinical development of anti-BRAF signaling therapy has not been successful up to date. We performed a search of genomic alterations that are correlated to sensitivity to MEK inhibitors using human melanoma cell lines. Multiple genetic changes are identified to be of predictive value. Based on our genetic analysis, p53 is identified to be a major factor that controls sensitivity to MEK inhibitors. p53 is a major tumor suppressor and is mutated in a small set of human melanomas. Here, we show that p53 is inducible in most human melanoma cell lines in response to DNA damage. MDM2 inhibitor Nutlin-3a increases p53 protein expression as well as its activities in melanoma cells. Addition of nutlin-3a significantly increases sensitivity of melanoma cells to MEK inhibitor U0126 induced cell death or cell cycle arrest. In addition, knockdown p53 by specific shRNAs effectively rescues apoptosis induced by MEK inhibitor and/or p53 activation. This data suggests that p53 activity is required for cell death induced by MEK inhibitors and/or p53 activators. In conclusion, p53 is identified from a genetic screen for MEK inhibitor sensitivity. p53 reactivation potentiates cell death induced by BRAF/MEK signaling inhibitory agents in a group of melanomas.  Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5030.
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of Crohn's disease (CD) among urban employees in 24 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China in 2013. Method: The crude annual prevalence of CD among urban employees with medical insurance in 2013 was estimated by using the basic medical insurance database of 24 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions), as well as the prevalence by sex, age and region. The age-standardized rate based on the 2010 census was also estimated. Results: The crude prevalence of CD among urban employees in 2013 was 3.2/100 000(95%CI:3.1/100 000-3.3/100 000) , and the sex-specific rate was 3.5/100 000 (95%CI:3.3/100 000-3.6/100 000) and 3.0/100 000 (95% CI:2.8/100 000-3.1/100 000) for male and female, respectively. The crude prevalence in different regions indicated that the highest crude prevalence was in the eastern region [5.6/100 000 (95% CI:5.4/100 000-5.8/100 000) ]. Conclusion: The prevalence of CD in China is still lower than that of the western countries, with difference varied in terms of age, gender and region.
ABSTRACT: Indices of annual diameter growth of trees were used to reconstruct drought in southern California back to A.D. 1700. A regional Palmer Drought Index served as predictand and tree-ring indices from eight sites as predictors in multiple linear regression analyses that yielded the prediction (reconstruction) equations. The regression explained 69 percent of the variance in Palmer Index in the period of calibration. The long-term reconstruction indicated that drought was rare in the first half of the current century relative to other discrete 50-year periods, and that based on evidence to date the last half of the 20th century may well turn out to be the most drought prone since A.D. 1700 in southern California.
With close pairs of quasars at different redshifts, a background quasar sightline can be used to study a foreground quasar's environment in absorption. We use a sample of 650 projected quasar pairs to study the H i Lyα absorption transverse to luminous, z ∼ 2 quasars at proper separations of 30 kpc < R⊥ < 1 Mpc. In contrast to measurements along the line-of-sight, regions transverse to quasars exhibit enhanced H i Lyα absorption and a larger variance than the ambient intergalactic medium, with increasing absorption and variance toward smaller scales. Analysis of composite spectra reveals excess absorption characterized by a Lyα equivalent width profile W = 2.3 Å (R⊥/100 kpc)−0.46. We also observe a high (≃ 60%) covering factor of strong, optically thick H i absorbers (H i column 10^{17.3} , { rm cm^{-2}}$?>) at separations R⊥ < 200 kpc, which decreases to ∼20% at R⊥ ≃ 1 Mpc, but still represents a significant excess over the cosmic average. This excess of optically thick absorption can be described by a quasar-absorber cross-correlation function ξQA(r) = (r/r0)γ with a large correlation length (comoving) and . The H i absorption measured around quasars exceeds that of any previously studied population, consistent with quasars being hosted by massive dark matter halos Mhalo ≈ 1012.5 M☉ at z ∼ 2.5. The environments of these massive halos are highly biased toward producing optically thick gas, and may even dominate the cosmic abundance of Lyman limit systems and hence the intergalactic opacity to ionizing photons at z ∼ 2.5. The anisotropic absorption around quasars implies the transverse direction is much less likely to be illuminated by ionizing radiation than the line-of-sight.
Abstract: Sexual sadism and masochism encompass a wide range of sexual interests. The words “sadism” and “masochism” are also used to describe nonsexual situations. In this chapter, the concepts of sadism and masochism are discussed as they relate both to sexual sadism disorder and sexual masochism disorder and also to bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism (BDSM). This chapter reviews the Fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Classification of Diseases diagnostic criteria for sadism and masochism and discusses their difference from consensual BDSM. Variations are presented. Treatments and prognosis are discussed. A review of the recent literature on these topics is presented.
ticle in the American Annals of the Deaf, "Fallacies Concerning the Deaf." A century ago Bell was a leading advocate of the Eugenics movement that was popular in England, Germany and the United States. Stating that a "defective" variety of the human race would be a tragedy. Bell analyzed data from several residential schools for the deaf and concluded that the American educational system was inadvertently causing an increase in the incidence of deafness by bringing together deaf individuals, who would marry and produce more deaf children. Bell reasoned that residential schools for the deaf, Sign Language, and the hiring of deaf teachers all should be done away with. Bell was not the first to express concerns over marriages of the deaf, but he certainly was the first person to oppose prevailing educational practices on genetic grounds. Although his basic premises were refuted, his ideas did have a impact. One hundred and eleven years later a smaller percentage of deaf children attend residential schools, are taught through Sign Language, or are instructed by deaf teachers than in Bell's time. Recent advances and ongoing research have greatly increased information about hereditary deafness that has significant implications for us. Gene mapping studies will provide information that will ultimately allow the identification of genes and the determination of their structure and function. According to Arnos (1994), clinical applications of this knowledge may include prenatal testing for carrier status, and improved diagnosis and treatment. Arnos notes that the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders has funded the Heredi-
Small-Scale Cogeneration Plant Data Processing and Analysis In the article, the operational data on electricity and heat energy generation in a small-scale cogeneration plant are analysed. Different measurements done in the plant formed a basis for estimation and evaluation of the savings of primary energy in comparison with distributed energy production. The authors analyse the efficiency values for the heat and the electricity production in the cogeneration regime and the savings of primary energy when the cogeneration plant works with partial load. Mazas Jaudas Kogenerācijas Stacijas Darbināšanas Datu Apstrāde Un Analīze Rakstā analizēti elektroenergijas un siltumenergijas ražošanas inženiertehniskie darbības rādītāji mazas jaudas kogenerācijas stacijā. Veikti mērījumi kogenerācijas stacijā, uz kuriem balstoties veikta primārās energijas ietaupījumu noteikšana un vērtēšana, salīdzinot ar dalītas energijas izstrādi. Analizētas elektroenergijas un siltumenergijas ražošanas lietderības koeficientu vērtības kogenerācijas režīmā. Veikta primāro energoresursu ietaupījumu analīze, kogenerācijas stacijai darbojoties ar daļēju noslodzi.
This paper analyses the four-wire cables which is necessary to the power line communication. It presents a novel approach to model the power line cables through the per-unit-length parameters. In this approach, different effect caused by surrounding are considered, the calculated results are compared with the measurements performed on the power line cables. The paper also describes the experiment results of unit transmission line channel
BACKGROUND Malnutrition is a strong predictor of mortality in maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Various factors have been identified to contribute to the development of malnutrition. The present study tried to investigate the possible role of fluid overload in the development of malnutrition.   METHODS Twenty-eight PD patients were included in this study. Fluid status was evaluated by means of repeated bioimpedance analysis, and nutritional status was assessed by means of handgrip strength and subjective global assessment. All patients were followed up closely for 9 months. Based on changes in bioimpedance analysis data, patients were divided into group A (with continuous and steadily improved fluid status; n = 18) and group B (with consistent fluid overload; n = 10).   RESULTS There were no differences in sex, age, and height between the 2 groups. In group A, patients' extracellular water (ECW) volume decreased significantly during follow-up, whereas intracellular water (ICW) volume increased significantly (both P < 0.001). In group B, ECW volume increased significantly, whereas ICW volume increased at an early stage and then decreased. The ratio of ECW to total-body water decreased significantly in group A, but increased significantly in group B. Along with the improvement in fluid status, nutritional status in group A also improved significantly (the prevalence of malnutrition decreased from 66.7% to 11.1%; P < 0.01). However, in group B, nutritional status deteriorated significantly (handgrip strength decreased from 238.33 +/- 88.93 to 216.1 +/- 86.19 N; P < 0.05; and the prevalence of malnutrition increased from 40% to 50%).   CONCLUSION Our data suggest there is a strong association between fluid status and nutritional status. Improved fluid status is associated with improvement in nutritional status, whereas deterioration in fluid status is associated with the development of malnutrition.
The article presents a study of the performance of a commercial ERP system, operating in the 2W model with a relational database installed on the IBM mainframe platform, as well as business logic and presentation server installed on the Windows Server platform. The study was carried out in accordance with the developed methodology by means of recording the time of performing system functions indicated in the own document “Time-use profile of the ERP system under test”. Consulting sessions were also held. Based on the results of the research, a recommendation was made to migrate production relational databases to the Windows Server environment. Keywords: IT, relational database, ERP, MRPII, three-layer architecture, application performance.
Fiber grating laser sensors have attracted considerable interests because they not only possess advantages of passive fiber grating sensors, such as compact size, inherent self-referencing capability, and multiplexing capability, but also offer higher signal-to-noise ratio. We present some of our latest works in fiber grating laser inscription and their applications for measurement of lateral force, ultrasound and high temperature.
This chapter examines how the human rights phenomenon has evolved both in Finland and internationally since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted. By connecting this analysis to post-World War II era political developments, the chapter observes how the human rights discourse has moved from the periphery of the Finnish society to its centre. The chapter investigates how the rise of human rights development is reflected in the Finnish context by examining three elements of the human rights phenomenon: the human rights discourse, the community and artifacts. It considers the contemporary human rights phenomenon to have commenced with the adoption of the UDHR in 1948. Expansion has been the most salient element of the global human rights phenomenon. Thematic expansion of academic invocations has been accompanied by a steady increase of academic journals focussing on human rights.Keywords: Finnish human rights discourse; global human rights phenomenon; Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
BackgroundEvidence suggests that providing care for a disabled elderly person may have implications for the caregiver’s own health (decreased immunity, hypertension, and depression).ObjectiveExplore if older spousal caregivers are at greater risks of frailty compared to older people without a load of care.DesignCase-control study.SettingParticipants were assessed at home in Wallonia, Belgium.ParticipantsCases: community-dwelling spousal caregivers of older patients, recruited mainly by the geriatric outpatient clinic.Controlspeople living at home with an independent spouse at the functional and cognitive level matched for age, gender and comorbidities.MeasurementsMini nutritional assessment-short form (MNA-SF), short physical performance battery (SPPB), frailty phenotype (Fried), geriatric depression scale (GDS-15), clock drawing test, sleep quality, and medications. The multivariable analysis used a conditional logistic regression.ResultsAmong 79 caregivers, 42 were women; mean age and Charlson comorbidity index were 79.4±5.3 and 4.0±1.2, respectively. Among care-receivers (mean age 81.4±5.2), 82% had cognitive impairment. Caregiving was associated with a risk of frailty (Odd Ratio (OR) 6.66; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.20-20.16), the consumption of antidepressants (OR 4.74; 95% CI 1.32 -17.01), shorter nights of sleep (OR 3.53; 95% CI 1.37-9.13) and more difficulties maintaining a social network (OR 5.25; 95% CI 1.68-16.40).ConclusionsSpousal caregivers were at an increased risk of being frail, having shorter nights of sleep, taking antidepressants and having difficulties maintaining their social network, compared to non-caregiver controls. Older spousal caregivers deserve the full attention of professionals to prevent functional decline and anticipate a care breakdown.
The quantum spin systems ${ mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{M}^{ ensuremath{'}}{ mathrm{BO}}_{5}$ $({M}^{ ensuremath{'}} phantom{ rule{4pt}{0ex}}= phantom{ rule{4pt}{0ex}} mathrm{Al}, phantom{ rule{4pt}{0ex}} mathrm{Ga})$ with the ludwigite crystal structure consist of a structurally ordered ${ mathrm{Cu}}^{2+}$ sublattice in the form of three-leg ladders, interpenetrated by a structurally disordered sublattice with a statistically random site occupation by magnetic ${ mathrm{Cu}}^{2+}$ and nonmagnetic ${ mathrm{Ga}}^{3+}$ or ${ mathrm{Al}}^{3+}$ ions. A microscopic analysis based on density-functional-theory calculations for ${ mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{ mathrm{GaBO}}_{5}$ reveals a frustrated quasi-two-dimensional spin model featuring five inequivalent antiferromagnetic exchanges. A broad low-temperature ${}^{11} mathrm{B}$ nuclear magnetic resonance points to a considerable spin disorder in the system. In zero magnetic field, antiferromagnetic order sets in below ${T}_{ text{N}} ensuremath{ approx}4.1$ K and $ ensuremath{ sim}2.4$ K for the Ga and Al compounds, respectively. From neutron diffraction, we find that the magnetic propagation vector in ${ mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{ mathrm{GaBO}}_{5}$ is commensurate and lies on the Brillouin-zone boundary in the $(H0L)$ plane, ${ mathbf{q}}_{ text{m}}=(0.45, phantom{ rule{0.16em}{0ex}}0, phantom{ rule{0.16em}{0ex}} ensuremath{-}0.7)$, corresponding to a complex noncollinear long-range ordered structure with a large magnetic unit cell. Muon spin relaxation is monotonic, consisting of a fast static component typical for complex noncollinear spin systems and a slow dynamic component originating from the relaxation on low-energy spin fluctuations. Gapless spin dynamics in the form of a diffuse quasielastic peak is also evidenced by inelastic neutron scattering. Most remarkably, application of a magnetic field above 1 T destroys the static long-range order, which is manifested in the gradual broadening of the magnetic Bragg peaks. We argue that such a crossover from a magnetically long-range ordered state to a spin-glass regime may result from orphan spins on the structurally disordered magnetic sublattice, which are polarized in magnetic field and thus act as a tuning knob for field-controlled magnetic disorder.
ABSTRACT The in vitro differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into human intestinal organoids (HIOs) has served as a powerful means for creating complex three-dimensional intestinal structures. Owing to their diverse cell populations, transplantation into an animal host is supported with this system and allows the temporal formation of fully laminated structures, including crypt-villus architecture and smooth muscle layers that resemble native human intestine. Although the endpoint of HIO engraftment has been well described, here we aim to elucidate the developmental stages of HIO engraftment and establish whether it parallels fetal human intestinal development. We analyzed a time course of transplanted HIOs histologically at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks post-transplantation, and demonstrated that HIO maturation closely resembles key stages of fetal human intestinal development. We also utilized single-nuclear RNA sequencing to determine and track the emergence of distinct cell populations over time, and validated our transcriptomic data through in situ protein expression. These observations suggest that transplanted HIOs do indeed recapitulate early intestinal development, solidifying their value as a human intestinal model system.
Zuckerman B, Lavie O, Neumann M, Rabinowitz R, Ben-Chetrit A, Voss E, Rosenmann E, Beller U. Endometrial carcinoma Stage I-Grade II. Conservative treatment followed by a healthy twin pregnancy. Int J Gynecol Cancer 1998; 8: 172–174.        Endometrial cancer treatment is commonly based on hysterectomy as the first step, thus creating infertility. This approach troubles the young patient who desires future pregnancies. Hence, the well-known, yet seldom chosen, high-dose progesterone therapy might offer an adequate alternative treatment for a small, carefully selected group of young, early endometrial cancer patients.        Presented is a 26-year-old multipara diagnosed, on resectoscopy, with Stage I moderately differentiated carcinoma of the endometrium. Treatment included high dose progesterone and residual disease was ruled out at follow-up. Twin gestation was terminated at term by a cesarean delivery of two healthy babies. We suggest that despite this successful case, this treatment should be offered only to selected patients who desire to preserve their fertility, and for whom close follow-up is possible to monitor the response to progestational therapy. In addition, we believe that at the completion of family planning of these patients, protective hysterectomy should be performed.
Digitally replicating the appearance and behaviour of individuals is becoming feasible with recent advancements in deep-learning technologies such as interactive deepfake applications, voice conversion, and virtual actors. Interactive applications of such agents, termed AI clones, pose risks related to impression management, identity abuse, and unhealthy dependencies. Identifying concerns AI clones will generate is a prerequisite to establishing the basis of discourse around how this technology will impact a source individual's selfhood and interpersonal relationships. We presented 20 participants of diverse ages and backgrounds with 8 speculative scenarios to explore their perception towards the concept of AI clones. We found that (1. doppelganger-phobia) the abusive potential of AI clones to exploit and displace the identity of an individual elicits negative emotional reactions; (2. identity fragmentation) creating replicas of a living individual threatens their cohesive self-perception and unique individuality; and (3. living memories) interacting with a clone of someone with whom the user has an existing relationship poses risks of misrepresenting the individual or developing over-attachment to the clone. These findings provide an avenue to discuss preliminary ethical implications, respect for identity and authenticity, and design recommendations for creating AI clones.
Any definition of old age is arbitrary and influenced by several factors, but cultural background and national retirement policies are often dominant. The so called “elderly” are a heterogeneous population whose age span covers three decades or more. The over 65 age group in England and Wales are projected to increase by 8% for the period 1991–2031,1 but over this 40 year span the projected increase in people aged 75–84 is almost 50%. The prevalence of disability, particularly from cardiovascular disease, and multiple morbidity rises with age. More positively, chronic disability in older people has been falling over the past decade and this process is likely to continue.2   Since the middle of the 1980s developments in the surgical management of cardiovascular disease, especially for aortic valve disease, has had a dramatic impact on quality of life and prognosis at all ages. Symptomatic cardiac disease in elderly patients is often more refractory to continued medical measures than in younger adults, and surgery may be the only option to restore functional competence and quality of life.  For any medical or surgical intervention we must know if “added years (are) onus or bonus”.3 What supporting evidence is there that cardiac surgery, particularly for aortic valve disease, or combined coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and valve replacement, improves …
This paper presents an in-depth case study in high-performance asynchronous adder design. A recent method, called "speculative completion", is used. This method uses single-rail bundled datapaths but also allows early completion. Five new dynamic designs are presented for Brent-Kung and Carry-Bypass adders. Furthermore, two new architectures are introduced, which target (i) small number addition, and (ii) hybrid operation. Initial SPICE simulation and statistical analysis show performance improvements up to 19% on random inputs and 14% on actual programs for 32-bit adders, and up to 29% on random inputs for 64-bit adders, over comparable synchronous designs.
Now-a-days India is moving in a smarter direction by promoting the smart cities and smart railway stations, in this aspect we have taken a small initiative by adding an innovation in domestic railway platform in the Indian railway structure. The motivation for this innovation is to address few problems faced by physically challenged people and senior nationals in crossing of foot over bridge between the two railway Platforms. To overcome this issue, a modified smart platform is proposed in this paper. The smart Platform is participated amidst the railway tracks in the side of the crossing point Platform. At the moment that there is no train arriving in the station, the smart Platform will be opened. The physically challenged individuals will use the smart Platform to cross between the Platforms. Proximity sensors are set on the two sides of track. If the train reaches one sensor the smart Platform will consequently close and enables the trains to o through the tracks and when the train leaves the second sensor the smart Platform will automatically open between the Platforms. The train approaching the railway stations will be proclaimed in a voice system and illustrated by LED signals. The proposed structure gives the best response for the movement of physically challenged individuals from one platform to another Platform without using foot over bridge.
There are two types of bacterial sarcosine oxidases. The heterotetrameric enzymes contain subunits ranging in size from about 10 to 100 kDa, noncovalently bound FAD and NAD+, and covalently bound FMN attached to the beta subunit (42-45 kDa). Monomeric sarcosine oxidases are similar in size to the beta subunit in the heterotetramers and contain covalently bound FAD. Formaldehyde formation during sarcosine oxidation by several heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidases was suppressed in the presence of 50 microM [6S]-tetrahydrofolate, accompanied by a 25-50% increase in the rate of sarcosine oxidation. In contrast, [6S]-tetrahydrofolate caused only a modest decrease in the rate of formaldehyde production with monomeric sarcosine oxidases (approximately 25%), an effect which was virtually entirely attributable to an accompanying decrease in the rate of sarcosine oxidation. In the presence of 100 microM [6R,S]-tetrahydropteroyltriglutamate [H4Pte(Glu)3], the heterotetrameric enzymes catalyzed the formation of 5,10-methylenetetrahydropteroyltriglutamate [5,10-CH2-H4Pte(Glu)3] at a rate which was 35-60% faster than the rate of sarcosine oxidation in the absence of folate. An apparent Km value of 3.1 microM was estimated for [6S]-H4Pte(Glu)3 with the heterotetrameric corynebacterial sarcosine oxidase. In contrast, slow formation of 5,10-CH2-H4Pte(glu)3 was detected during sarcosine oxidation with monomeric sarcosine oxidases, attributable to the nonenzymatic reaction of free formaldehyde with H4Pte(Glu)3. The results show that only the heterotetrameric sarcosine oxidases can use tetrahydrofolates as substrates and, in this regard, they resemble mammalian sarcosine and dimethylglycine dehydrogenases.
This contribution describes our efforts toward developing a new, phase-selective polynorbornene catalyst support that can be recovered and recycled using liquid/liquid techniques. This novel system is advantageous over other supports that require solvent precipitations for catalyst recycling, because it requires much less solvent and generates less solvent waste. This, consequently, represents a “greener” alternative to traditional polymer supports.
The emergency frequency control of high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) receiving-end grid is investigated in this paper. While the multi HVDC feed-in system has several potential frequency stability problems, this paper mainly focuses on the worst scenario: frequency decreases on account of DC system blocking. A novel closed loop load control scheme based on the demand side control and wide-area measurement system (WAMS) is proposed. By deriving the power-to-voltage characteristics, the potential contribution to frequency management of industrial intensive load and static ZIP load is investigated at first. Then a multi-voltage level coordinate scheme is established with the help of wide-area measurement system (WAMS), which aims to maintain frequency stability when serious faults occur in the power system. The effectiveness and robustness of proposed scheme is validated through simulation on real-time digital simulator (RTDS) platform. An actual accident is taken as study case. Results indicate that the proposed scheme could provide remarkable improvement in both security and economic aspects.
A recent paper described the development of atactic sequences during the copolymerization of propylene and 1-pentene using the C 2 -symmetric metallocene catalyst rac-dimethylsilyl-bis(2-methylbenz(e)indenyl) zirconium dichloride. We have found similar stereorrors, and showed that atactic material could in fact be extracted from the material, indicating that the catalyst in question had probably isomerized in solution, leading to a mixture of isotactic and atactic polymers.
3D printing is currently growing very rapidly and it allows to produce structurally complex elements consisting of one or more parts. 3D printing technique delivers some problems which are necessary to solve. The article deals with the hardness and surface roughness investigation of a component produced by direct metal laser sintering technology. The goal of the research was to study the influence of a surface orientation on observed parameters mentioned above. The tested sample was designed as a complex part that includes many geometrical features, which can also influence properties of a product. The part was produced from maraging steel 1.2709. Executed preliminary tests have shown that the obtained values differ, what indicates that there are effects of manufacturing conditions on the product quality. Next experiments will be performed to specify the impact degree of individual factors.
Objective: to perform a literature review on the main oral manifestations and therapeutic possibilities in dentistry in pediatric cancer patients, highlighting laser therapy as the main form of treatment. Material and methods: the search were made in the Web of Science, PubMed and Cochrane Library databases, where articles from systematic reviews, meta-analysis and clinical trials published between 2009 and 2019 were selected. Results: we selected 41 articles that address the properties of low-intensity laser therapy in the treatment of pediatric cancer patients. Conclusion: studies show that low-level laser is clinically and functionally satisfactory and is especially effective in treating oral mucositis in pediatric patients undergoing oncotherapy, promoting an improvement in the quality of life of these patients
Summary  Forested headwater streams are connected to their surrounding catchments by a reliance on terrestrial subsidies. Changes in precipitation patterns and stream flow represent a potential disruption in stream ecosystem function, as the delivery of terrestrial detritus to aquatic consumers and downstream transport are compromised. The potential effect of drying on decomposition is critical to understanding ecosystem processes in these detritus-driven ecosystems.  In this study, we experimentally altered stream connectivity to examine how altered water availability would influence litter decomposition. We used three catchments in the Coweeta Hydrologic Lab in North Carolina, U.S.A., establishing sites that were always wet, intermediately wet and completely terrestrial, while also experimentally diverting significant surface flow from downstream locations for several months.  The flow manipulation significantly reduced the amount of water available to the three study reaches, leading to drastic changes in organic matter accumulation. Stream temperature and dissolved oxygen changed during the manipulation but only in response to season. Nutrient concentrations remained low or below detection during the experiment, demonstrating no response to the manipulation.  Red maple and white oak demonstrated significantly different mass loss during the first few days of the experiment, but by the completion of the experiment, location was a more significant determinant of breakdown rate than leaf identity. Leaves placed in sites that were consistently wet decomposed at a higher rate than those in bank or terrestrial sites.  Initially, leaf decomposition varied significantly based on site type and presence of water, which led to disruptions in microbial and macroinvertebrate colonisation and processing. High flows during large winter storms reconnected dried reaches and stimulated rates of decomposition due to colonisation by microbes and macroinvertebrates.  Macroinvertebrate densities tracked microbial biomass accumulation on leaves, but were dependent upon location. Leaves in the manipulated reaches had significantly higher macroinvertebrate densities compared to the upstream control in the winter and spring in response to the delayed wetting of large standing stocks of leaves and subsequent colonisation by microbes.  Our study demonstrated that even minor disruptions in stream connectivity at key times of the year have community- and ecosystem-level influences that alter decomposition. The resilience of these ecosystems will depend on the frequency of disturbances and the ability of organisms to adapt to changing resource conditions.
This work is an experimental study of the motion and deformation of a bioartificial capsule flowing in a tube of 4 mm diameter. The capsules, initially designed for medical applications, are droplets of salt water surrounded by a thin polymeric membrane. They are immersed in a very viscous Newtonian silicone oil that flows through a tube in the Stokes regime. The properties of the capsules were carefully determined. Two previous experimental papers were devoted to their characterization by osmotic swelling and compression between two plates. The present work also provides a series of tests that allows an accurate definition of the experimental model under investigation. The capsules are buoyant and initially quasi-spherical. Nevertheless, buoyancy and small departures from sphericity are shown to have no significant effects, provided the flowing velocity is large enough for the viscous stress to become predominant. The capsules are also initially slightly over-inflated, but there is no mass transfer through the membrane during the present experiments. Their volume therefore remains constant. The membrane can be described as an elastic two-dimensional material, the elastic moduli of which are independent of the deformation. Far from the tube ends, the capsule reaches a steady state that depends on two parameters: the capillary number, $ hbox{ it Ca}$; and the ratio of the radius of the capsule to that of the tube, $a/R$. The capillary number, which compares the hydrodynamic stresses to the elastic tensions in the membrane, was varied between 0 and 0.125. The radius ratio, which measures the magnitude of the confinement, was varied from 0.75 to 0.95. In the range investigated, the membrane material always remains in the elastic domain. At fixed $a/R$, the capsule is stretched in the axial direction when $ hbox{ it Ca}$ is increased. The process of deformation involves two main stages. At small to moderate $ hbox{ it Ca}$, the lateral dimension of the capsule decreases whereas its axial length increases. The capsule is rounded at both ends, but the curvature of its rear decreases as $ hbox{ it Ca}$ increases. At large $ hbox{ it Ca}$, the rear buckles inward. Then, the negative rear curvature goes on decreasing whereas the lateral dimension of the capsule reaches a constant value. On the other hand, increasing $a/R$ promotes the deformation: the process remains qualitatively the same, but the different stages are attained for smaller values of $ hbox{ it Ca}$. Comparisons with available numerical simulations show that the results are strongly dependent on the properties of the capsules.
Lipodermatosclerosis (LDS) is a well‐recognized form of fibrosing panniculitis. Although chronic cases are readily diagnosed, early and evolving lesions may be clinically mistaken for cellulitis and other forms of panniculitis. Most pathologists are familiar with a pseudomembranous type of fat necrosis as a useful feature of chronic LDS. Although nonspecific, this distinctive pattern of fat necrosis helps in supporting a diagnosis of LDS in the appropriate clinical context. The histopathologic features of early and evolving LDS and those involving the dermis are less well documented. We report a case of early LDS showing extensive pseudomembranous changes in the dermis on a superficial skin biopsy where progression to a classic established lesion was documented clinically. We suspect that this previously unreported and unusual finding may be a histopathologic clue for evolving lesions of LDS.
Twenty-nine growing pigs were fed using two regimes: ad libitum or ad //6/tam/rationed diet from 65 kg, with grower rations adjusted to the needs of fatteners at changing body weight. Pigs fed ad libitum reached the slaughter weight of approx. 105 kg 14 days earlier than those kept under the rationed diet system. Average daily weight gain of pigs fed ad libitum was higher by 0.15 kg and the feed conversion ratio was slightly higher (0.07 kg). Slaughter and meat quality traits were similar in both feeding systems, except for a slightly higher crude protein content (0.49%) in the meat of pigs fed under the rationed diet regime.
A 75-year-old woman was transferred from a local hospital because of rapid progression to coma preceded by lower back pain and recurrent falls. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis at the local hospital revealed increased protein with a slightly elevated white blood cell count. Our imaging studies revealed multiple punctate foci with nodular enhancement in the brain and multifocal cystic lesions on the chest and abdomen. The patient was empirically treated with antibiotics and corticosteroids without improvement. She died 3 days after transfer, and autopsy was performed. The differential diagnosis, pathologic findings, and final diagnosis are discussed.
A method is presented for the easy generation for all values of n of the Goldstone diagrams which represent the n body equation of the coupled cluster method. A static, finite system of fermions describable by a single-reference state is considered in full detail and in this case a simple polynomial expression is obtained for the number of diagrams contributing to the n body equation. This expression goes like n3/12 for large n. Applications to other classes of system are also considered.
Thermophotovoltaics (TPV) as an option to convert thermal radiation into electricity has been suggested some 40 years ago. The basic principle consists in utilizing only a selected part of the thermal radiation that is matched to the band gap of the cell. The remaining radiation is kept within the system, which is therefore heated up and kept at a generally rather high equi-librium temperature. Selective filtering of the thermal radiation may be achieved by a combination of a selective emitter and a filter. Thus, a TPV generator consists of a heat source, a selective emitter/filter system and photovoltaic cells [1,2].Sunlight can be first transformed into low-energy photons. A material is thus needed to absorb the heat from the sun and then thermally emit infrared light into a well-matched photovoltaic cell as shown in Fig. 1. Ideally, the emitting material would con-vert all absorbed energy into a narrow band of thermal emission that is tailored to an available narrow-band gap semiconductor photocell. Selective emitter is thus the core material to fulfill the energy conversion with high efficiency in the latter case. The TPV system can also be used to recollect the industrial waste heat as mentioned above.TPV systems have few, if any, moving parts and are therefore very quiet and require low maintenance. These properties make TPV systems suitable for remote-site and portable electricity-generating applications. Their efficiency-cost properties, howev-er, are often rather poor compared to other electricity-generating technologies. Current research in the area aims at increasing the system efficiencies while keeping the system cost low. In the design of a TPV system, it is usually desired to match the thermal emission's optical properties (wavelength, polarization, direc-tion) with the most efficient conversion characteristics of the photovoltaic cell, since unconverted thermal emission is a major source of inefficiency. Most groups focus on gallium antimonide cells. Germanium is also suitable. Much research and develop-ment in TPVs therefore concerns methods for controlling the emitter's properties.For higher operating temperatures of next-generation turbo-blades operating at gas temperatures up to 1,600°C, one solution is to develop oxide-based ceramic composites for the high tem-perature emitter in-situ by directed solidification of melts with
Purpose This study aimed to investigate the effect of religious intervention on depressive symptoms and quality of life (QOL) among Indonesian elderly in nursing homes (NHs). Patients and methods This was a quasi-experimental study with repeated measures. Sixty elderly residents at three NHs in three districts in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) score of 5–11 were recruited and purposively assigned to the religious intervention group (combining 36 sessions of listening to Qur’anic recital and 3 sessions of attending a sermon by a preacher, n=30) and the control group (treatment as usual/TAU, n=30). The primary outcome was depression, measured by a short form GDS questionnaire. The QOL as the secondary outcome was assessed by the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF Indonesian version. Both groups were evaluated at the baseline, 4th, 8th, and 12th week after the interventions were performed. Results In both groups, there were statistically significant reductions in depression scores after the 12-week intervention (P<0.001). There was also a statistically significant improvement in QOL mean scores in both intervention and control groups at the 12-week post-intervention. However, the religious intervention group showed a greater decrease in depressive symptoms and a greater improvement in the QOL mean scores than those in the control group. There was a statistically significant difference in geriatric depression and QOL mean scores between groups at the 4th, 8th, and 12th week post-interventions. Conclusions It can be concluded that religious-based intervention has a greater impact on relieving depressive symptoms and increasing the QOL amongst elderly NH residents.
Porfirio Díaz’s liberal dictatorship used the centenary of independence to promote material progress, political stability, and the mestizo nation, all of which have remained important characteristics of the Mexican state. The centennial program lionized José Maria Morelos as a mestizo hero of independence and Benito Juárez as an architect of La Reforma and savior of the nation. Besides his remarkable political career, Juárez symbolized the cultural transformation of an Indian into a mestizo through education and secularization, a process advocated by Porfirian social engineers as essential to Mexico’s modernization.  Porfirians also viewed Mexico’s pre-Columbian heritage as a source of national pride and identity. For the Centenary, the government expanded the national ethnographic museum, reconstructed Teotihuacán, and sponsored the International Congress of Americanists where scholars presented papers on precolonial cultures. Porfirians’ appreciation for the pre-Columbians, however, did not extend to contemporary Indians, who were considered to be a drag on modernization and an embarrassment.  Mexico’s modernization was symbolized by the transformation of Mexico City, the principal venue for the Centennial programs. The capital had been remodeled along Parisian lines with grand boulevards, roundabouts (glorietas), and green space. Electric tramways also connected neighborhoods with downtown, new fashionable suburbs displayed mansions with modern conveniences, and high-end department stores sold merchandise imported from Paris and London.  During the Centenary, the Paseo de la Reforma and downtown avenues accommodated parades with patriotic and commercial themes, and central plazas provided space for industrial and cultural exhibitions similar to those found at international fairs. The Desfile Histórico depicted scenes from the conquest, colonial, and independence periods that outlined a liberal version of Mexican history. The program also featured openings of primary schools, a public university, an insane asylum, and water works, all indicative of Porfirian notions of modernization.  The Centennial’s audience included Mexico City residents, visitors from the provinces, and delegates from the United States, Europe, and Asia. International and liberal newspapers characterized events as festive and patriotic, while the conservative press protested the lack of attention given to Agustín de Iturbide, the conservative independence leader, and to the Catholic Church. During the celebration, supporters of Francisco I. Madero, the reformer imprisoned by Díaz, organized two protests that interrupted events and foreshadowed troubles ahead. Following Madero’s escape from prison, his call to revolution was answered by peasants, provincial elites, and local strongmen whose movements forced Díaz to resign the following year. Revolutionary governments subsequently used Independence Day celebrations, including another centennial in 1921, to promote their political and cultural agendas, including anti-clericalism and indigenous culture as national culture.
The flow field induced by surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) is visualized using illumination of smoke seeded to the flow. A planar SDBD of 50 mm span is created on a flat surface between thin copper electrodes separated by layers of kepton tapes which act as dielectric; AC voltage of 25 kV (peak to peak) is supplied across the electrodes. The smoke is illuminated by a planar laser sheet, and the time resolved visualizations are captured using a high speed camera operated at a recording rate of 2000 frames per second. The time evolution of the starting vortex and the steady wall jet that eventually gets established on the surface are recorded. The speed of the smoke front at the beginning of actuation and the starting vortex speed are quantified from the visualizations, which are used for parametric study of the SDBD flow actuator. The DBD actuator is found to induce a maximum velocity of 8 m/s close to the electrode at AC frequency of 2000 Hz. It is found that the starting vortex speed increases...
Abstract We describe a simple and inexpensive single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing method, using DNA photoligation with 5-carboxyvinyl-2′-deoxyuridine and two fluorophores. This SNP-typing method facilitates qualitative determination of genes from indica and japonica rice, and showed a high degree of single nucleotide specificity up to 10 000. This method can be used in the SNP typing of actual genomic DNA samples from food crops.
A vector field is piecewise smooth if its value jumps across a hypersurface, and a two-fold singularity is a point where the flow is tangent to the hypersurface from both sides. Two-folds are generic in piecewise smooth systems of three or more dimensions. We derive the local dynamics of all possible two-folds in three dimensions, including nonlinear effects around certain bifurcations, finding that they admit a flow exhibiting chaotic but nondeterministic dynamics. In cases where the flow passes through the two-fold, upon reaching the singularity it is unique in neither forward nor backward time, meaning the causal link between inward and outward dynamics is severed. In one scenario this occurs recurrently. The resulting flow makes repeated, but nonperiodic, excursions from the singularity, whose path and amplitude is not determined by previous excursions. We show that this behavior is robust and has many of the properties associated with chaos. Local geometry reveals that the chaotic behavior can be eliminated by varying a single parameter: the angular jump of the vector field across the two-fold.
Studies of the ultrafast carrier dynamics of transition metal dichalcogenides have employed spatially averaged measurements, which obfuscate the rich variety of dynamics that originate from the structural heterogeneity of these materials. Here, we employ femtosecond time-resolved photoemission electron microscopy (TR-PEEM) with sub-80 nm spatial resolution to image the ultrafast subpicosecond to picosecond carrier dynamics of monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe2). The dynamics observed following 2.41 eV pump and 3.61 eV probe occurs on two distinct time scales. The 0.1 ps process is assigned to electron cooling via intervalley scattering, whereas the picosecond dynamics is attributed to exciton-exciton annihilation. The 70 fs decay dynamics observed at negative time delay reflects electronic relaxation from the Γ point. Analysis of the TR-PEEM data furnishes the spatial distributions of the various time constants within a single WSe2 flake. The spatial heterogeneity of the lifetime maps is consistent with increased disorder along the edges of the flake and the presence of nanoscale charge puddles in the interior. Our results indicate the need to go beyond spatially averaged time-resolved measurements to understand the influence of structural heterogeneities on the elementary carrier dynamics of two-dimensional materials.
A new microstrip unbalanced-to-balanced (balun) diplexer based on stub-loaded dual-mode resonators is presented. The proposed balun diplexer primarily consists of two balun filter channels, and both channels are entirely independently designable, thus bringing great flexibility in the balun diplexer design. Besides, owing to the direct connection of two dual-mode balun filters, no additional matching networks are demanded at the common input port, leading to a significant size reduction. For demonstration, a prototype balun diplexer operating at 2.30 and 2.72 GHz is implemented. Both simulated and experimental results are provided in good agreement.
Background. Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) has been regarded as uncommon in HIV‐infected patients in Africa, but diagnostic difficulties and geographic variability may partly account for this. There is little information on the incidence of PCP in HIV‐infected children in Africa. Aim. To investigate (1) the incidence and associated features of PCP in African HIV‐infected children and (2) the usefulness of sputum induction and nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) for diagnosis of PCP. Methods. HIV‐infected children hospitalized with pneumonia were prospectively enrolled in a 1‐year study in South Africa. History, examination, chest radiology and blood tests (including HIV testing) were performed. Sputum induction (5% NaCl nebulization) or nondirected bronchoalveolar lavage in intubated patients was performed for P. carinii identification using immunofluorescence and silver stain; immunofluorescence was also done on nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs). Results. Of 151 HIV‐infected children [47% female; median age, 9 (range, 3 to 23) months], 87 had been previously diagnosed with HIV whereas 64 (42.4%) were found to be HIV‐positive at the time of admission. PCP occurred in 15 children (9.9%; 95% confidence interval, 5.9 to 15.5) and was the AIDS‐defining infection in 13 of 64 (20.3%; 95% confidence interval, 11.8 to 31.5). Only 1 of 59 children receiving prophylaxis (1.7%) developed PCP compared with 14 of 92 (15.2%) not taking prophylaxis [relative risk, 0.11 (0.02 to 0.82), P = 0.007]. PCP‐infected children were younger [3 (range, 3 to 4) vs. 10 (range, 4 to 24) months, P < 0.001] and presented with more severe pulmonary disease as indicated by a higher respiratory rate [63 (range, 60 to 73) vs. 50, (range, 40 to 60) P < 0.001], heart rate [160 (range, 136–180) vs. 140 (range, 120–152) P = 0.025] and a greater incidence of cyanosis (53%vs. 26%, P = 0.025). Clinical signs of HIV infection, occurring in 96% of children, were equally prevalent in both groups. High serum lactate dehydrogenase was the only laboratory investigation that distinguished PCP‐infected from uninfected children [626 (range, 450 to 1098) vs. 307 (range, 243 to 465) units/l], P < 0.001. No radiologic features were found to be diagnostic of PCP. P. carinii was identified in 9 sputa and 6 bronchoalveolar lavage specimens, but all corresponding NPAs were negative. Seven of 15 (47%) children with PCP died while hospitalized compared with 24 of 136 (18%) without PCP [relative risk, 1.21 (range, 0.99 to 1.47), P = 0.008]. Conclusion. PCP is an important pathogen in HIV‐infected infants in South Africa and is associated with a high mortality. Induced sputum is effective for obtaining lower respiratory tract secretions for diagnosis of PCP but an NPA is not useful.
We introduce a method for evaluating magnetic exchange couplings based on the constrained density functional theory (C-DFT) approach of Rudra, Wu, and Van Voorhis [J. Chem. Phys. 124, 024103 (2006)]. Our method shares the same physical principles as C-DFT but makes use of the fact that the electronic energy changes quadratically and bilinearly with respect to the constraints in the range of interest. This allows us to use coupled perturbed Kohn-Sham spin density functional theory to determine approximately the corrections to the energy of the different spin configurations and construct a priori the relevant energy-landscapes obtained by constrained spin density functional theory. We assess this methodology in a set of binuclear transition-metal complexes and show that it reproduces very closely the results of C-DFT. This demonstrates a proof-of-concept for this method as a potential tool for studying a number of other molecular phenomena. Additionally, routes to improving upon the limitations of this method are discussed.
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive with polypropylene suture on the healing of colonic anastomosis in Wistar rats. METHODS: Thirty two animals, divided in four groups of eigth, were established concerning suture with Polypropylene or Cyanoacrylate application, and the day chose for euthanasia: third or seventh day following operation. In the control group, the anastomosis was done in a single layer with 5.0 polypropylene suture. In the adhesive group, the anastomosis was performed by using 2-octyl cyanoacrylate. Operative time, integrity and gross anastomotic healing, bursting pressure, intestinal obstruction, adhesions formation, histological healing and inflammatory process were recorded. RESULTS: Adhesion formation was more extensive in the cyanoacrylate group on the seventh postoperative day comparing with suture group (p=0.007). Mechanical strength of the anastomosis assessed on the seventh postoperative day was lower in 2-octyl cyanoacrylate group (p=0.002). Partial intestinal obstruction rate were more frequent in anastomosis using 2-octyl cyanoacrylate compared to those with polypropylene suture on the seventh postoperative day (p=0.029). Operative time were longer in groups with adhesive (p=0.004). The wound healing process, and inflammatory process did not differ statistically between groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The application of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, under experimental conditions seems to be detrimental at the seventh day of the healing, causing intense adhesion formation, colonic obstruction; and impairment healing with less mechanical strength resistance.
We present a retrospective study of prostitutes’ homicide in the Milanese area over a 26-year period (1993–2018), and compare the results with general women’s homicides: 294 women were killed of whom 71 were prostitutes. In the general population, the type-victim is an Italian woman aged between 31 and 40 years suffering from no particular pathologies or drug dependence. Prostitutes are 10 years younger, mostly Italian, suffering from pathologies probably related to their activities. Prostitutes remain at high risk of violence, due to gaps in the crime prevention system.
The use of the Internet for accessing information has expanded dramatically over the past few years, while the availability and use of mobile hand-held devices for communication and Internet access has greatly increased in parallel. Industry has reacted to this trend for information access by developing services and applications that can be accessed by users on the move. These trends have highlighted a need for alternatives to the traditional methods of user data input, such as keypad entry, which is difficult on small form-factor mobile devices. One alternative is to make use of automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems that act on speech input from the user. An ASR system has two main elements. The first element is a front-end processor that extracts parameters, or features, that represent the speech signal. These features are processed by a back-end classifier, which makes the decision as to what has been spoken.
In the paper an implementation of signal processing chain for a passive radar is presented. The passive radar which was developed at the Warsaw University of Technology, uses FM radio and DVB-T television transmitters as "illuminators of opportunity". As the computational load associated with passive radar processing is very high, NVIDIA CUDA technology has been employed for effective implementation using parallel processing. The paper contains the description of the algorithms implementation and the performance results analysis.
We consider relay broadcast channels (RBCs) with multiple antennas at all nodes. A practical linear precoding, relaying and combining scheme is proposed. Under an overall power constraint, we derive the optimal power allocation solution in a closed form. A low complexity beamforming vector optimization algorithm is proposed to maximize the effective channel gains and improve the system performance. Simulation results are presented for various channel configurations, which show that the proposed cooperative beamforming algorithm achieves performance very close to that of the exhaustive search algorithm but with a much lower complexity, and the maximum diversity gain is always attained.
The proposed conversion of Thirlmere, in the Lake District, into a reservoir for the city of Manchester sparked a conflict that has served as a prototype for subsequent environmental confrontations. The debate had a heavy symbolic charge: the icon of progress confronted the icon of unspoiled countryside. During construction, and even after the reservoir opened in 1894, critics attempted a rearguard defense of what they regarded as the pristine Lake District landscape. The appeal of the pristine was the most compelling element of anti-reservoir arguments, but the exigencies of municipal progress proved still more powerful.
INTRODUCTION The higher prevalence and risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are still observed in hemodialysis (HD) patients compared with healthy people. Interferons (IFNs) are known for their involvement in immune response. The addition of IFN-λ3 to immunization in animal models was shown to increase the immune response of T helper-1 cells.   OBJECTIVES We studied whether polymorphisms of the IFN-λ3 gene (IFNL3) might be associated with the development of antibodies to HBV surface antigen [anti-HBs] in response to the HBV vaccination or HBV infection as well as spontaneous resolution of HCV infection in HD patients.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The HD group consisted of 806 individuals without a history of HBV or HCV infection (of whom 672 developed anti-HBs in response to the HBV vaccination), 241 HBV-infected patients (of whom 186 developed anti-HBs), and 63 HCV-infected patients (including 39 HCV RNA-positive subjects). All patients were genotyped for IFNL3 rs8099917 and rs12979860 polymorphisms using a high-resolution melting curve analysis.   RESULTS The comparison of responders and nonresponders to HBV vaccination revealed no significant differences in the IFNL3 genotype distribution. In HBV-infected patients, the differences in the distribution of IFNL3 variants between anti-HBs-negative and anti-HBs-positive patients were also nonsignificant. Spontaneous HCV clearance was significantly less common in the carriers of the rs8099917 allele G or rs12979860 allele T, while the CT rs12979860_rs8099917 haplotype was more frequent (P = 0.02) in patients showing spontaneous HCV clearance.   CONCLUSIONS In HD patients, the IFNL3 polymorphisms do not affect anti-HBs development in response to HBV infection or vaccination, but might be involved in the resolution of HCV infection.
Most head-mounted displays for Virtual Reality (VR) are designed for users with perfect eyesight. Wearing prescription eyeglasses inside such a headset can be uncomfortable, or even impossible if the glasses do not fit (Fig. 1, left). While some headsets offer manual focus adjustment, they need to be manually adjusted for each user through trial and error, and may not fully correct the user's eyesight. A majority of the population wears prescription eyeglasses (e.g., 65% of the American population 1as of 2007). In order to realize the potential of immersive VR, we need to ensure that these users can experience Virtual Reality comfortably while still seeing a clear image of the virtual world.
Synchronization phenomena in a fluid dynamical analogue of atmospheric circulation is studied experimentally by investigating the dynamics of a pair of thermally coupled, rotating baroclinic annulus systems. The coupling between the systems is in the well-known master-slave configuration in both periodic and chaotic regimes. Synchronization tools such as phase dynamics analysis are used to study the dynamics of the coupled system and demonstrate phase synchronization and imperfect phase synchronization, depending upon the coupling strength and parameter mismatch.
For a top quark mass fixed to its measured value, we find natural regions of minimal supergravity parameter space where all squarks, sleptons, and heavy Higgs scalars have masses far above 1 TeV and are possibly beyond the reach of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. This result is simply understood in terms of "focus point" renormalization group behavior and holds in any supergravity theory with a universal scalar mass that is large relative to other supersymmetry breaking parameters. We highlight the importance of the choice of fundamental parameters for this conclusion and for naturalness discussions in general.
The aims of this study were to compare the physiological and anthropometric characteristics of successful mountain bikers and professional road cyclists and to re-examine the power-to-weight characteristics of internationally competitive mountain bikers. Internationally competitive cyclists (seven mountain bikers and seven road cyclists) completed the following tests: anthropometric measurements, an incremental cycle ergometer test and a 30 min laboratory time-trial. The mountain bikers were lighter (65.3 - 6.5 vs 74.7 - 3.8 kg, P = 0.01; mean - s ) and leaner than the road cyclists (sum of seven skinfolds: 33.9 - 5.7 vs 44.5 - 10.8 mm, P = 0.04). The mountain bikers produced higher power outputs relative to body mass at maximal exercise (6.3 - 0.5 vs 5.8 - 0.3 W·kg -1 , P = 0.03), at the lactate threshold (5.2 - 0.6 vs 4.7 - 0.3 W·kg -1 , P = 0.048) and during the 30 min time-trial (5.5 - 0.5 vs 4.9 - 0.3 W·kg -1 , P = 0.02). Similarly, peak oxygen uptake relative to body mass was higher in the mountain bikers (78.3 - 4.4 vs 73.0 - 3.4 ml·kg -1 ·min -1 , P = 0.03). The results indicate that high power-to-weight characteristics are important for success in mountain biking. The mountain bikers possessed similar anthropometric and physiological characteristics to previously studied road cycling uphill specialists.
The aim of the present paper is to define the importance of the Py-GC/MS method in the study of structural composition of HAs of forest soils depending on plant litter properties (oak, spruce, thuja). Forest soil sampled from the area of Rogow Forest Experiment Department, Warsaw Agricultural University (WAU), was used for our research. The forest soil (Haplic Luvisols) was sampled in 5 replications under tree stands of: oak (Quercus robur L.), spruce (Picea abies L. Karsten) and thuja (Thuja plicata D.Don.ex. Lamb.). Humic acids (HAs) were isolated from the soil sample using the IHSS method. For the humic acids extracted from horizons Ol, A and E (AE), the spectrophotometric analyses in the UV-VIS range were performed and the elemental composition was assayed. The HA chemical composition was evaluated with the use of pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). The humic acids of Ol horizon, irrespective of the tree stand, showed higher H/C values and lower O/H values as compared with HAs from A and/or E (AE) horizons. Humic acids pyrolysis products were identified as aromatic singleand multi-ring compounds, compounds of lignin origin, phenolic compounds, polysaccharide compounds, and nitrogen-containing compounds as well as aliphatic compounds. The dominant compounds, being part of humic acids pyrolysis products, were single-ring aromatic hydrocarbons, which accounted for 58.81 to 76.20% of all the compounds identified. Generally it should be stated that the share of particular groups of compounds varied with soil depth and depended on the species of tree.
A compact linear micromechanical stepping drive for positioning a 7 × 5.5 mm2 optical pinhole array is presented. The system features a step size of 13.2 µm and a full displacement range of 200 µm. The electrostatic inch-worm stepping mechanism shows a compact design capable of positioning a payload 50% of its own weight. The stepping drive movement, step sizes and position accuracy are characterized. The actuated pinhole array is integrated in a confocal chromatic hyperspectral imaging system, where coverage of the object plane, and therefore the useful picture data, can be multiplied by 14 in contrast to a non-actuated array.
The structures of two polymorphs, both monoclinic P2(1)/n [polymorph (I)] and P2(1)/c [polymorph (II)], of di-mu-thiocyanato-kappa(2)N:S;kappa(2)S:N-bis[bis(tri-p-fluorophenylphosphine-kappaP)silver(I)] complexes have been determined at 100 K. In both polymorphs the complex has a dinuclear structure where the silver(I) coordinates to two phosphine ligands and two bridging thiocyanate anions to form complexes with distorted tetrahedral geometry. Polymorph (I) has just one half of the [Ag(2)(SCN)(2){P(4-FC(6)H(4))(3)}(4)] molecule at (0, 1/2, 0) from the origin in the asymmetric unit. Polymorph (II) has one and a half molecules of [Ag(2)(SCN)(2){P(4-FC(6)H(4))(3)}(4)] in the asymmetric unit; the half molecule is situated at (0, 1, 1/2), while the full molecule is located at (1/3, 1/2, 1/3) from the origin. The Ag-P bond distances range from 2.4437 (4) to 2.4956 (7) A in both polymorphs. The Ag-S distances are 2.5773 (7) A in (I) and 2.5457 (5), 2.5576 (5) and 2.5576 (5) A in (II). The full molecule in polymorph (II) has slightly shorter Ag-N bond distances [2.375 (1) and 2.367 (2) A] compared with the half molecules in both polymorphs [2.409 (2) A in (II) and 2.395 (2) A in (I)]. The two polymorphs are compared using r.m.s. overlay calculations as well as half-normal probability plot analysis.
Abstract Background: Pornography has become widely accessible due to the popularization of smartphones and internet connectivity. Consuming pornography has multiple effects on an individual and on society. Our research question was if pornography-seeking behavior has any correlation with education and financial status in Indian states. Objective: To find the online pornography-seeking behavior of Indian internet users according to states and find its correlation with the literacy level and per capita net state domestic product (NSDP). Methods: Trends of internet search about pornography-related keywords (namely, porn, XXX, Xvideos, and sex) were obtained from a public domain https://trends.google.com/trends. State-wise relative search volumes were compared with the literacy rate and NSDP of the state. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated with the help of GraphPad Prism 6.01 (GraphPad Software, Inc., California, USA). A P < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Northeastern states showed a higher volume of overall online pornography searches. There was no significant correlation between the literacy rate and relative search volumes of pornography-related keywords. Overall pornography-related search volume showed a significant negative (r = –0.49, P = .003) correlation with NSDP. Conclusion: Online pornography seeking behaviors in Indian states are not related to the literacy rate of the state. A higher volume of searches is from states with lower NSDP. The underlying factors for this finding should be explored in a future study.
Monte Carlo calculations have been carried out for model systems consisting of 324 ions (108 cations and 216 anions). The aims were: (a) to study the thermodynamic and structural properties of liquid and solid alkaline earth halides; (b) to test the rigid ion model. Although the general agreement between experimental and predicted properties is less satisfactory than in the case of the alkali halides, the model predicts a number of thermodynamic quantities reasonably well. Also the radial distribution functions show qualitatively the same features as the experimentally measured distribution functions. There are quantitative differences however, similar to those found in alkali halides.
ABSTRACT Entamoeba histolytica is the protozoan parasite that causes invasive amebiasis, which is endemic to many developing countries and characterized by dysentery and liver abscesses. The virulence of E. histolytica correlates with the degree of host cell engulfment, or phagocytosis, and E. histolytica phagocytosis alters amebic gene expression in a feed-forward manner that results in an increased phagocytic ability. Here, we used a streamlined RNA interference screen to silence the expression of 15 genes whose expression was upregulated in phagocytic E. histolytica trophozoites to determine whether these genes actually function in the phagocytic process. When five of these genes were silenced, amebic strains with significant decreases in the ability to phagocytose apoptotic host cells were produced. Phagocytosis of live host cells, however, was largely unchanged, and the defects were surprisingly specific for phagocytosis. Two of the five encoded proteins, which we named E. histolytica ILWEQ (EhILWEQ) and E. histolytica BAR (EhBAR), were chosen for localization via SNAP tag labeling and localized to the site of partially formed phagosomes. Therefore, both EhILWEQ and EhBAR appear to contribute to E. histolytica virulence through their function in phagocytosis, and the large proportion (5/15 [33%]) of gene-silenced strains with a reduced ability to phagocytose host cells validates the previously published microarray data set demonstrating feed-forward control of E. histolytica phagocytosis. Finally, although only limited conclusions can be drawn from studies using the virulence-deficient G3 Entamoeba strain, the relative specificity of the defects induced for phagocytosis of apoptotic cells but not healthy cells suggests that cell killing may play a rate-limiting role in the process of Entamoeba histolytica host cell engulfment.
What would it take for a natural language model to understand a novel, such as The Lord of the Rings? Among other things, such a model must be able to: (a) identify and record new characters (entities) and their attributes as they are introduced in the text, and (b) identify subsequent references to the characters previously introduced and update their attributes. This problem of entity tracking is essential for language understanding, and thus, useful for a wide array of downstream applications in NLP such as question-answering, summarization. In this thesis, we focus on two key problems in relation to facilitating the use of entity tracking models: (i) scaling entity tracking models to long documents, such as a novel, and (ii) integrating entity tracking into language models. Applying language technologies to long documents has garnered interest recently, but computational constraints are a significant bottleneck in scaling up current methods. In this thesis, we argue that computationally efficient entity tracking models can be developed by representing entities with rich, fixed-dimensional vector representations derived from pretrained language models, and by exploiting the ephemeral nature of entities. We also argue for the integration of entity tracking into language models as it will allow for: (i) wider application given the current ubiquitous use of pretrained language models in NLP applications, and (ii) easier adoption since it is much easier to swap in a new pretrained language model than to integrate a separate standalone entity tracking model.
The signature database of intrusion detection system is usually built by the short sequences of system call. The real-time efficiency and accuracy of intrusion detection is greatly influenced by the scale of signature database and the approach of intrusion data analysis. In this paper, a typical set method is provided to compress the normal signature database. Using the data set of UNM CERT sendmail for testing, the feasibility of typical set method is validated, and a proper rate of typical set for intrusion detection is proposed. Meanwhile, the LSM (Linux Security Modules) framework is presented to hook system calls and other audit data from operation system to build intrusion detection system signature database and identify intrusion activity. A system service process oriented detection idea is also introduced to make the intrusion detection more pertinent and accurate. Abnormal detection experiments results show good performance of our intrusion detection method.
Starting from the inexact interior-point framework from Curtis, Schenk, and Wachter [SIAM J. Sci. Comput., 32 (2012), pp. 3447--3475], we propose an effective Schur-complement slack-control preconditioner for the full Lagrangian Hessian matrix needed at each Newton iteration. Together they yield a scalable, robust, and highly parallel method for the numerical solution of large-scale nonconvex PDE-constrained optimization problems with inequality constraints. Because it uses the full Hessian matrix, modifying it whenever needed, the method not only is globally convergent, but also converges fast locally. Our preconditioner is not tailored to any particular class of PDEs or constraints, but instead judiciously exploits the sparsity structure of the Hessian. Numerical examples from PDE-constrained optimal control, parameter estimation, and full-waveform inversion demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the method, even in the presence of active inequality constraints.
Bilabial, alveolar and velar sounds are produced at different locations around the oral cavity. fMRI was used to localize cortical representation of articulation in seven healthy subjects during repetitive lip and vertical tongue movements as well as repetitive articulation of /pa/ (bilabial), /ta/ (alveolar), /ka/ (velar consonants) and a combination of all three in /pataka/. Centers of gravity (COG) analysis of fMRI activation in the primary motor (MI) and sensory cortex (SI) revealed /pa/- adjacent to lip representation and /ta/- articulation to tongue representation. The articulation of /pataka/ showed an activation pattern with a combination of the two MI/SI-components and additional activation in the supplementary motor area.
Recently, the authors found that an additional magneto-optical effect that linearly polarized soft x rays incident on a single magnetic layer on a nonmagnetic substrate can be converted to any states among the linearly s- and p- and circularly left- and right-handed polarizations by changing the grazing angle of incidence in specular reflection geometry. In this article, the authors report that the physical origin of such an effect is the differential interference of the circular polarization eigenmodes of scattered soft x rays at the grazing incidence. Totally destructive interference takes place selectively for one helicity but not for the other one at a certain grazing angle and in a specific energy region just below the absorption edges, thus leading to differential circular reflectivity. Numerical calculations using an iterative method of transmission, reflection, and propagation matrices allow us not only to verify the underlying mechanism but also to find the necessary specific conditions of photon...
Objectives: The process of transplantation is associated with exposure to both long and short cold and warm ischemic times that  result in ischemia/reperfusion injury. Oxidative stress contributes to tissue  fibrosis, renal dysfunction, and/or rejection. Treatments that scavenge  oxygen free radicals and have antioxidant properties can ameliorate the damaging  results in renal grafts following ischemia/reperfusion injury. The present  study tests the hypothesis that an antioxidant-fortified diet given to rats  before and after renal ischemia/reperfusion injury will reduce the kidney  damage that results and improve renal function. Endothelial and inducible  nitric oxide synthases may change with tissue injury, including ischemia/ reperfusion.  Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats were subjected to ischemia/reperfusion  injury at 7 or 19 weeks of age with or without dietary antioxidant  supplementation. One week later, glomerular filtration rate, mean arterial  pressure and urinary nitric oxide were measured, and renal endothelial and  inducible nitric oxide synthases examined. Results: The glomerular filtration  rate was elevated more than two-fold above the normal range  at 8 weeks in animals on the regular diet  exposed to ischemia/reperfu- sion, while in the 8 week antioxidant-fortified  diet group the glomerular filtration rate was normal. Also, in 8 week rats,  levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein in cortex were higher on  the regular than on the antioxidant-fortified diet. Conclusion: Early after ischemia/reperfusion injury renal endothelial  nitric oxide synthase levels rise, possibly contributing to vascular dilation  and hyperperfusion, and an antioxidant-fortified diet can ameliorate these  changes in the younger age group.
Many cardiovascular diseases will lead to changes in pulse wave. Pulse wave's transmission will play a significant role in promoting the clinical detection and diagnosis, one kind pulse wave computational method based on averaging method is proposed, and computing cardiovascular function parameter K according to the waveform area, the K value is associated with pathological analysis and diagnosis. A large number of clinical simulation and experiments proved that the relationship between the form factor K value and the human cardiovascular health, the pulse wave of the cerebral infarction matches with the actual clinical detection, it can provide theoretical support for the non-invasive detection and parametric analysis of the cardiovascular function.
High-precision stages are widely used in the semiconductor and flat panel industry. Because these stages have six degrees of freedom to control, coupling forces can deteriorate its control performance and stability. If heights of the center of gravity (CoG), the center of rotation (CoR), the actuation point, and the measurement point are not the same, couping between the x and θy motions occurs. In this paper, integrated design method of mechanism and control is proposed utilizing the Direct Nyquist Array (DNA) method and a changeable actuation height stage by means of multiple actuator arrangement in the x direction. Due to the model analysis and the optimal actuation height, the coupling can be reduced with a simple precompensator. By drawing the Generalized Gershgorin Band (GGB), the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through experiments.
Stem cell therapy is a common adjunct in regenerative medicine and has recently seen greater adoption in spinal surgery. Arthrodesis is typically achieved with iliac-crest bone grafts with several adverse events, leading to the development of alternative biomaterials. One such biomaterial is stem cells, which may be equal in terms of effectiveness but with significantly fewer complications. Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) have seen slow adoption of stem cell therapy due to resource constraints but may benefit the most from these techniques. We conducted a comprehensive review of literature in the PUBMED, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases on the use of stem cells and stem cell-based biomaterials in spinal surgery. Our review showed promising results, from a variety of methods including augmentation of existing scaffold with mesenchymal stem cells or concentrated bone marrow aspirate. With minimal complications, stem cell augmentation can be a good alternative to existing biomaterial use for spinal fusion and repair.
With the development of science and technology, the performance requirements of micro-gripper are getting higher and higher. Therefore, this paper designs a new piezoelectric-driven micro-gripper with large and adjustable output displacement, which can adjust the output range and compensate the errors caused by flexible mechanism. By adjusting the output displacement, the micro-components of different sizes can be clamped. The three-stage amplification mechanism is adopted, which utilizes triangle and lever amplification. Using the pseudo-rigid body method, the flexible hinge is analyzed; the statics, kinematics and dynamics models are established. Through finite element method, the magnification ratio of the micro-gripper is obtained, then the structure of the micro-gripper is further optimized. The output displacement and the magnification of the single-arm of the micro-gripper under 135 V are 223.8 μm and 24.2 times, respectively. This paper provides a basis for the wide application of micro-gripper.
In this work we present the development of an autonomous agent capable of competing with humans in a deception-based game. The agent predicts whether a given statement is true or false based on vocal cues. To this end, we develop a game for collecting a large scale and high quality labeled sound data-set in a controlled environment in English and Hebrew. We develop a model that can detect deception based on vocal statements from the participants of the experiment, and show that the model is more accurate than humans. We develop an agent that uses the developed deception model and interacts with humans within our deceptive environment. We show that our agent signiﬁcantly outperforms a simple agent that does not use the deception model; that is, it wins signiﬁcantly more games when played against human players. In addition, we use our model to detect whether a statement will be perceived as a lie or not by human subjects, based on its vocal cues.
The increased dependence of the sputter yield of silicon on the angle of incidence under oxygen ion bombardment, as compared to argon ion bombardment, observed during a SIMS analysis is discussed. Taking into account that the sputter yield depends on the implanted oxygen concentration, a relation is derived between the steady state sputter yield and the implanted oxygen surface concentration for different angles of incidence. Since this relation is in itself insufficient to determine the steady state values of the sputter yield and the surface concentration actually obtained, a graphical method is used to combine it with a second one, viz. the dependence of the momentary sputter yield on the momentary surface concentration. Measurements of the steady state sputter yield of silicon, bombarded by oxygen ions in the lower keV range at different angles of incidence, agree with the predicted values.
A pervasive argument in ecocriticism is that language is a decisive human environment and that its currently dominant forms can rightly be called an environmental problem. This refers to such things as the instrumentalist and anthropocentric language of politics and administration or of official documents for regional planning (e.g., assessing the destruction of an ancient wood in terms of ‘lost recreational facilities’). More strikingly, it also includes human-centred assumptions about what language is – a mere tool for humans to represent and manipulate the world? A persistent target of environmental critics, especially in the 1990s, was a view of language which they attributed loosely to ‘postmodern’, ‘deconstructive’ or ‘post-structuralist’ theory. This is the claim that language forms a kind of cultural prison, confining its users to the specific conceptions and presumptions it projects – an argument encountered often in third- or fourth-hand accounts of thinkers such as Jacques Derrida or Jean-Francois Lyotard, even though their actual arguments are very different. Ecocritics saw themselves as resisting claims that ‘no authoritative and definitive expression or conception of reality is possible’ and that ‘all we can ever perceive about the world are shadows, and that we can never escape our particular biases’. At times this led to what are now acknowledged as ecocritical caricatures of so-called ‘post-structuralism’. The relatively uncontroversial argument that human beings cannot know reality absolutely, without some cultural presuppositions, was sometimes taken to be the patently silly one of denying the existence of reality altogether.
Due to good creep resistance, high specific strength and low density γ-TiAl-based alloys are considered as the most promising structural material for use in aircraft applications [1]. However, their poor oxidation resistance above 650°C is one of the fundamental problems, that should be resolved in the near future [2]. The oxidation resistance of TiAl alloys can be improve by alloying with selected elements (Nb, Ta, W, Ag, etc.) [3] and surface treatment (pack cementation [4], ion implantation [5], etc.). In 1996 Kumagai at al. [6] demonstrated that the reactively-sintered TiAl-Mn alloy contaminated by halogens exhibited excellent oxidation resistance due to the formation of protective Al2O3 scale instead of the fast growing two-layered mixed oxide scale TiO2/(TiO2+Al2O3) (so called halogen effect). Surface treatment of TiAl alloys by the small amounts of halogens also leads to the formation the protective scale. The halogens can be applied by ion techniques [7] as well as by spraying or dipping with halogen-containing organic and inorganic compounds [8]. Deposition of the fluorinecontaining resin on the surface of TiAl alloys is the easiest way to achieve the best results. This work presents the results of microscopic studies of the oxidation behavior of a Ti-48Al-2Cr and Ti-47Al-6Nb (at.%) alloys non-treated and treated with resin containing aminofluoride. The oxidation runs were carried out in the temperature range 900-1000°C, in pure synthetic air. It was found Ti-48Al-2Cr alloy treated by the resin containing amino-fluoride favored the formation of protective alumina scale at temperatures of 900 and 1000°C, while on Ti-47Al-6Nb its positive influence was not found.
Destruction of gingival and periodontal tissue is mediated by a very large degree of host cells following stimulation by locally produced cytokines. These cytokines act as the initial mediators of the cellular component of inflammation. It has now been shown that a range of bacterial molecules is able to induce human cells to produce a variety Of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. It is clear that cytokines play a key role in the immune system, in hematopoiesis, and in immunoregulation. They also play a role in the pathophysiology, both in producing tissue destruction as well as in healing. Host cells such as keratinocytess fibroblasts, endothelial cells and tissue monocytes respond to certain bacterial proteins and lipopolysaccharides by generating primary proinflammatory cytokines. Their excessive production in chronic inflammation may have pathologic consequences in diseases su ch as periodontitis. Cytoki nes are a significant and integral part of the host response to periodontal infection. Additionally, these molecules are important as physiologic mediators in the periodontium, serving in both normal processes and as pathogenic mediators. A therapeutic goal in clinical periodontics can be aimed at maintaining a physiological role for the cytokines while recognizing that their overproduction results in pathologic changes.
Roles of Nicotine and Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors (nAChR) in Carcinogenesis and Development of Lung Cancer Lili GUO, Zhihao WU, Qinghua ZHOU Tianjin Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Metastasis and Tumor Microenvironment, Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China Corresponding author: Zhihao WU, E-mail: zwu2ster@gmail.com; Qinghua ZHOU, E-mail: zhouqh1016@yahoo.com.cn This study was supported by the grant from National Natural Science Foundation of China (to Zhihao WU)(No. 30973384). DOI: 10.3779/j.issn.1009-3419.2011.09.10
Atherogenesis and dyslipidemia increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in developed countries. While blood lipid levels have been studied as disease predictors, their accuracy in predicting cardiovascular risk is limited due to their high interindividual and interpopulation variability. The lipid ratios, atherogenic index of plasma (AIP = log TG/HDL-C) and the Castelli risk index 2 (CI2 = LDL-C/HDL-C), have been proposed as better predictors of cardiovascular risk, but the genetic variability associated with these ratios has not been investigated. This study aimed to identify genetic associations with these indexes. The study population (n = 426) included males (40%) and females (60%) aged 18–52 years (mean 39 years); the Infinium GSA array was used for genotyping. Regression models were developed using R and PLINK. AIP was associated with variation on APOC3, KCND3, CYBA, CCDC141/TTN, and ARRB1 (p-value < 2.1 × 10−6). The three former were previously associated with blood lipids, while CI2 was associated with variants on DIPK2B, LIPC, and 10q21.3 rs11251177 (p-value 1.1 × 10−7). The latter was previously linked to coronary atherosclerosis and hypertension. KCND3 rs6703437 was associated with both indexes. This study is the first to characterize the potential link between genetic variation and atherogenic indexes, AIP, and CI2, highlighting the relationship between genetic variation and dyslipidemia predictors. These results also contribute to consolidating the genetics of blood lipid and lipid indexes.
The objective of this work to be conducted by Acurex Environmental Corporation is to create a commercially successful venture to market a low emission coal briquette to the residential heating market in Krakow. During Phase I, small quantities of the briquetted product will be manufactured and tested. Five Polish coals and two Polish sources of binder material will be tested to determine their amenability to forming briquettes. Small-scale combustion tests will also be performed during Phase I to determine the effectiveness of the briquettes to reduce emissions. A preliminary engineering review of the plant will also be performed. The primary results from this period include a formulation study using fines prepared from chunk Brzeszcze coal and a study which revisited the question of dry mixing versus wet mixing. In addition to these studies, preparations for combustion testing continued.
Summary form only given. A simple and fast audio signal compression method that uses subband filtering and quantization is presented. The method is suitable for compression of telephone quality audio signals. It can compress four CCITT 64 kbit/s PCM A- or /spl mu/-coded speech channels into one channel with sufficient sound quality for telephone use. A straightforward implementation of the compression and decompression methods have the following steps. First the incoming speech signal is converted from a /spl mu/ or A-law coded signal into 16 bit linear PCM signal and then divided into 16 bands of equal bandwidth by using the analysis filter bank. Then the sampling frequencies of the frequency channels are decreased by a factor of 16. After this decimation the subband samples are fed to a fixed quantizer. Finally the quantized subband values and the side information needed for decoding is packed into a data stream and sent to the receiver.
Background: Fifth metacarpal neck fractures (commonly named “boxer’s fractures”) are the most common metacarpal injuries and usually affect young active people. These lesions are mainly treated conservatively. Their surgical management, if indicated, is still a matter of debate. Different procedures have been described. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of 18 boxer’s fractures which were synthesized with antegrade locked flexible intramedullary nailing. Materials and methods: All patients, at a mean follow-up of 45 months, were clinically evaluated using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score and the Patient Rated Wrist/Hand Evaluation (PRWHE). Active and passive range of motion (ROM) of metacarpo-phalangeal (MP), proximal and distal interphalangeal (PIP and DIP) joints and Total Active Motion (TAM), and grip strength were also analyzed. Apex dorsal angulation and axial shortening were radiologically measured preoperatively and at final follow-up. Results: Clinical and radiological results which were observed were satisfactory. No TAM and grip strength differences were recorded between the operated and healthy contralateral hand. Conclusions: According to the positive outcomes and the low rate of complications of this study, antegrade locked flexible intramedullary nailing can be considered a valid treatment option in boxer’s fractures. (www.actabiomedica.it)
In this perspective, we highlight the opportunity for the biology education research community to develop course-based research experiences (CREs) or course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in discipline-based education research. Building on our prior experience developing and teaching four biology education research CREs, we present opportunities, potential pitfalls, and recommendations for discipline-based education researchers interested in integrating their research and teaching in the context of a CRE.
The rhizobial products for groundnut contain different strains. The lack of information regarding the efficacy of commercial rhizobial products in different agro ecological regions, often leads to erratic results. Field experiment was conducted to study the symbiotic efficiency of the commercially available standard strains of Rhizobium viz TAL 1000, IGR 6, NC 92 and JCG 48 for two groundnut cultivars viz JL 24 and TKG 19A on the nodulation, nutrient uptake, yield attributes and yield, of groundnut in an acid hill Ultisol. IGR-6 increased dry nodular mass maximum by 43 % followed by 29% with NC-92 and JCG-48 both in JL-24, however, TKG 19A responded differently. The variety x strain interaction was significant for both the pod (P0.05 = 1.57 q/ha) and straw (P0.05 = 2.87 q/ha) yield. N and P uptake in pod as well as straw increased significantly with all strains except TAL-1000 in JL-24. Rhizobial strains NC 92 and IGR 6 showed better performance than TAL 1000 in an acid hill Ultisol.
This article was born from the restlessness regarding the fragmentation of history taught at the State School Professor Maria Curtareli Lira, in high school, which describes the arduous path taken by the curricular component of History, from the colonization of Brazil to the present day and how interdisciplinarity is important, being little addressed or simply nonexistent in the classes of the curricular component of history. Whose objectives are to describe a brief history of the curricular component of history, to conceptualize interdisciplinarity as well as to specify how it is inserted in the Brazilian educational panorama. The methodology used was a bibliographic survey of the authors pertinent to the theme, concluding with the clashes on interdisciplinarity and the integrative form that is portrayed in the Common National Curriculum Base.
Aims. Broad absorption-line quasars (BALQSOs) are key objects for studying the structure and emission/absorption properties of AGN. However, despite their fundamental importance, the properties of BALQSOs remain poorly understood. To investigate the X-ray nature of these sources, as well as the correlations between X-ray and rest-frame UV properties, we compile a large sample of BALQSOs observed by XMM-Newton. Methods. We collect information for 88 sources from the literature and existing catalogues, creating the largest BALQSO sample analysed optically and in X-ray to date. We performed a full X-ray spectral analysis (using unabsorbed and both neutral and ionized absorption models) on a sample of 39 sources with higher X-ray spectral quality, and an approximate hardness-ratio analysis on the remaining sources. Using available optical spectra, we calculate the BALnicity index and investigate the dependence of this optical parameter on different X-ray properties. Results. Using the neutral absorption model, we find that 36% of our BALQSOs have N n H 0 might be explained by different physical conditions of the outflow and/or inclination effects. The absorption properties also suggest that LoBALs may be physically different objects from HiBALs. In addition, we report on a correlation between the ionized absorption column density and BAL parameters. There is evidence (at the 98% level) that the amount of X-ray absorption is correlated with the strength of high-ionization UV absorption. Not previously reported, this correlation can be naturally understood in virtually all BALQSO models, as being driven by the total amount of gas mass flowing towards the observer. We also find a hint of a correlation between the BI and the ionization level detected in X-rays.
Background: There is a great need for risk stratification in patients with chronic cholestatic diseases in order to allow for more personalized care and adapted management as well as for well-designed therapeutic trials. Novel tools for monitoring primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) patients have been recently proposed. In addition, major insight has been gained into bile acid (BA) physiology during the last decade including the role of BAs as metabolic modulators and the gut-liver axis. As a consequence, alongside drugs targeting immune response or fibrotic processes, a number of novel anti-cholestatic agents have undergone pre-clinical and clinical evaluation and have shown promising results although none has been approved yet. Key Messages: Biochemical non-response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) (mainly defined by bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase levels at 1 year) is a strong prognostic factor in PBC whereas present biochemical surrogates are far from robust in PSC. By contrast, liver stiffness measurement by vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) is a very promising tool in both PBC and PSC. Novel therapeutic approaches include (i) agonists of nuclear receptors, especially farnesoid X receptor (FXR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) that are transcriptional modifiers of bile formation; (ii) agonists of TGR5, a BA membrane receptor expressed in various tissues; (iii) inhibitors of the ileal apical sodium BA transporter; (iv) derivatives of the FXR-induced fibroblast growth factor 19 from the ileum that suppresses hepatic BA synthesis and (v) norUDCA, a side chain shortened UDCA derivative with specific physicochemical and therapeutic properties. The most advanced clinical evaluation (PBC patients) relates to agonists for PPARα, FXR and GR/PXR most often in combination with UDCA, namely fibrates, obeticholic acid (OCA) and budesonide, respectively. Existing results look promising even though some side effects are worrisome such as pruritus in OCA-treated patients. Results of large well-designed studies are eagerly awaited. Conclusions: Major advances in the management of cholestatic liver diseases are in progress and promising times for these patients seem likely in the near future.
and — Interest in graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has increased in recent years due to exciting characteristics such as its predicted high mobility [1]. How-ever, developing a method to produce graphene that is easily integrated into existing fabrication processes has proved diﬃcult thus far. One promising method is high temperature annealing of 6H-SiC such that Si desorption occurs [2], although this method leads to graphene that exhibits lower mobility than predicted [3]. Thus, we have investigated the relationship between diﬀerent growth conditions (i.e. annealing time and temperature), the resulting surface morphology and the transport properties of graphene ﬁlms produced using this method. Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Van der Pauw Hall mobility measurements have been used to correlate the surface morphology to transport properties of graphene formed on SiC. Understanding the eﬀect of growth conditions on the resulting transport properties will help optimize the fabrication of graphene for use in the next generation of electronic devices and other applications. [1] Novoselov et al. , Science 306 , 666 (2004). [2] C. Berger et al. , J. Phys. Chem. B 108 , 19912 (2004). [3] G. Gu et al. , Appl. Phys. Lett. 90 , 253507 (2007).
Politics is on the one hand an attempt to implement certain good, a desire for achieving agreed objectives, on the other hand – as Max Weber says – a simultaneous a#empt to avoid a particular evil. If in defining the notion of politics there are references to good and evil, purpose and desire, it has to include the non-political spheres – culture, axiology, religion. Mark Lilla argues that for decades we have been aware of the great and final separation that has taken place in Western Europe between political and religious life. This awareness implies a conviction, which is obligatory today in most countries and societies, that to separate politics from religion is a great achievement. For many thinkers and politicians this is an undisputed success from which the West learns to benefit while preparing other regions of the world for such separation. Therefore it seems that modern politics should be free from religious inspiration and temptation. On the other hand, many sociologists and political scientists show the vitality of religious attitudes, proving that in its deepest essence religion is an expression of human behaviour. Each person and each community always has an element of irreducibility which is an internal defence against reducing man to “here and now”, restricting his world to what is useful and usable. We experience that in man there is a natural opening to what is transcendent. Thus, if man is ever to achieve individual and social reconciliation with himself, he will always look for rational and moral meanings. This situation creates a platform for the emergence of a completely new a#itude in society and politics – to seek and pursue spirituality in a world without religion. Increasingly, the understanding of religion reveals itself in a wide etymological sense, sociological and ethnological: religare – “to connect”, “to bind”, “to build community ties”. Religion so understood would be a great solution to the dilemma of separation – the adoption of religion (bonds) without the doctrine, while ensuring social cohesion, strengthening the feeling of being together, maintaining a spiritual connection. Many thinkers are convinced that we cannot base social life only on fear, discipline and economy; we need a deeper and stronger foundations for Community Cohesion. But is such a project possible at all? Is politics becoming a place for the formation of relationships, education and conservation of values, a narrative space which tells citizens what is good and right and what is wrong and alien? Can it replace religion in its deepest essence – in its intimate sense of an exploration and discovery of transcendence? Will it not become a caricature of religion, and a caricature of politics, and ultimately a trap for freedom?
To address the problem of pill defect recognition, we propose to apply capsule neural network for pill defect recognition. The effects of dynamic routing iteration rounds and different compression function constant term schemes on the performance of the capsule neural network are investigated in the context of small data sets, and the model effects are verified experimentally. The experimental results show that both the number of dynamic routing iteration rounds and different compression function constant term schemes can affect the performance of the capsule neural network, and it is essential to choose an appropriate scheme in the process of training the model. The capsule neural network is found to be suitable for the field of pill defect recognition through experiments. CCS CONCEPTS • Computing methodologies∼Visual content-based indexing
This paper investigates the effect of extra weight caused by the Direct Driven Hydraulics (DDH) in a micro-excavator. These projects are investigating the implementation of zonal or decentralized hydraulics for non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) and stationary industrial applications. The benefit of DDH is the combination of electric and hydraulic technologies in a compact package compared to conventional hydraulics, which enables a reduction of potential leakage points, flexible tubing, and boosting of the system efficiency due to switching to direct pump control instead of a loss-generating conventional valve-based control. In order to demonstrate these benefits for the excavator case, this paper proposes a system model approach to assess and predict energy consumption of the zonal hydraulics approach implemented with DDH in various working cycles, complemented by a structural analysis. The finite element analysis utilized for this demonstrated that the extra weight and selected location of DDH units do not negatively affect the structure of the excavator. Simulation results demonstrated that the energy consumption is approximately 15% higher with extra weight added by the three DDH units. Although approximately 20% more regeneration energy is produced, taking into account the regeneration energy, the increases in energy consumption are about 12%.
We address the question of estimating Kullback-Leibler losses rather than squared losses in recovery problems where the noise is distributed within the exponential family. Inspired by Stein unbiased risk estimator (SURE), we exhibit conditions under which these losses can be unbiasedly estimated or estimated with a controlled bias. Simulations on parameter selection problems in applications to image denoising and variable selection with Gamma and Poisson noises illustrate the interest of Kullback-Leibler losses and the proposed estimators.
Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education:Solid organ transplant recipients have impaired cell-mediated immunity, and are at increased risk of mycobacterial infection. Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (TB) has a high mortality rate among this population. The diagnosis of tuberculosis in solid organ transplant recipients is a big challenge and needs rapid and accurate modalities. These patients have 3.8 time greater risk of developing extra-pulmonary TB than general population. High index of suspicion and applying with invasive diagnostic procedure are needed for diagnosis of TB in renal transplanted patients.
Existing literature has frequently highlighted how important are critical success factors in an organization. In this paper, we consider how these critical success factors affect an organization. Organizational success becomes important for many companies because it is very difficult to reach it in this competitive world. This pushed the organizations to improve their structure, strategy and management, and AirAsia is not an exception. AirAsia is one of the biggest low-cost airlines in Asia. It was registered in 1993 but began its activities only in 1996. The Airline company was chosen as the best low-cost airline in the world according to Skytrax eleven times. However, there is still a need for changes and improvements for AirAsia to become better. The findings of this paper have important implications for the managers and practitioners. The implication and recommendations are presented.
Purpose: We performed this study to evaluate the most common site of the nasolacrimal systemic obstruc tion and causes of the nasolacrimal stent insertion failure and reobstruction following the insertion of the sten t. Material and Methods: Nasolacrimal stent insertion was attempted in 26 cases(24 patients) of 30 cases (25 patients) with complete obstruction öf the nasolacrimal system at the dacryocystography. We retrospectively assessed the obstruction site of nasolacrimal system , and evaluated the rate and causes of stent insertion failure and reobstruction following insertion of the stent on follow-up. Result: The obstructive sites of the nasolacrimal system were junction level of the lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct(80%) , common canaliculi(10%) , and nasolacrimal duct(10%). In seven cases , we failed to in sert the nasolacrimal sten t. Four of the seven cases had a history of previous operation on paranasal sinus or nasolacrimal system. At 4 weeks follow up , epiphora redeveloped in four of 10 cases( reobstruction rate , 40%) Inflammatory process around the nasolacrimal duct stent was conndered to be the cause of reobstruction in tw。 of the four reobstructed cases. Conclusion: Success rate of nasolacrimal duct stent insertion was 73% , and failure rate was 27%. The causes of the stent insertion failure included fibrosis and granulation tissue due to the previous operation around nasolacrimal duct system and paranasal sinus area. Inflammatory process around the stent caused re current obstruction.
The following research study was an ethnographic case study of an intergenerational life review/guided autobiography group consisting of four World War II veterans, five peacekeepers and one member who was a World War II veteran, a Korean veteran and a peacekeeper. The group members ranged in age from 30 to 82. Al l ten group members participated in a six week life review program (LRP) followed by an individual audio-taped interview. This interview was followed up by a validation interview. The purpose of this research was twofold. There were the research goals coupled with the goals, and intended benefits to, the participants. These goals and benefits often overlapped. The research goal was to answer four questions posed at the beginning of the study. They were: 1) What are the specific competencies, skills and knowledge needed for successful re-entry into civilian life? 2) Can these skills, competencies, and knowledge be successfully passed on in an intergenerational LRP involving both World War II veterans and
As orthopaedic surgery shifts toward value-based payment and delivery models [12], clinicians and payers alike are prioritizing efforts to identify patients at risk of poor clinical and patient-reported outcomes following an orthopaedic procedure. What if there was a measurable parameter thatwe could use to help patients improve their ownhealth, inexpensively, and with little risk? Such a parameter exists—although surgeons likely do not know about it. That parameter is called patient activation, which is a patients’ level of engagement in their own health. In our view, the more engaged a patient is, the more “activated” they are in taking interest in and managing their health, as well as interacting with their surrounding health ecosystem. We believe this concept is especially relevant in the context of patient risk factors surrounding orthopaedic surgery. While identifying and ameliorating modifiable risk factors (BMI, high A1C, and smoking cessation) early along the care continuum can predictably improve patient-reported and clinical outcomes following surgery [5], the role of patient activation as a modifiable risk factor has not been definitively proven. Validated patient-reported survey instruments for measuring activation include the Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13/PAM-10) and the Effective Consumer Scale (EC-17) [7, 10]. Survey instruments like PAM specifically assesses activation and the personal and psychological competencies (knowledge, skills, confidence) required to manage one’s health. The EC-17 scale is designed to measure an individual’s skills, behaviors, and effectiveness in dealing with their condition andmaking decisions to effectively manage their health. Intuitively, the propensity to engage in adaptive health behaviors demands a level of self-efficacy, which can be measured using tools such as the validated Pain Self Efficacy Questionnaire [11]. These measures have been developed mostly for chronic conditions involving non-musculoskeletal populations. Not surprisingly, many orthopaedic surgeons are unaware of the concept of patient activation, let alone the existence of these measures. Still, there is a growing body of work in orthopaedics, particularly in upper extremity, spine, and total joint arthroplasty evaluating the impact of patient activation on clinical and patientreported outcomes [5, 13, 14]. These studies found greater decreases in pain and disability, as well as improved adherence with physical therapy in patients who were more activated. A note from the Editor-in-Chief: We are pleased to present to readers of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research the latest Value-based Healthcare column (formerly Orthopaedic Healthcare Worldwide). Valuebased Healthcare explores strategies to enhance the value of musculoskeletal care by improving health outcomes and reducing the overall cost of care delivery. We welcome reader feedback on all of our columns and articles; please send your comments to eic@ clinorthop.org. One author (KJB) certifies that he, or a member of his immediate family, has received or may receive payments or benefits as a consultant, during the study period, an amount of USD (USD 10,000 to USD 100,000) from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Baltimore, MD, USA). All ICMJE Conflict of Interest Forms for authors and Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research editors and board members are on file with the publication and can be viewed on request. The opinions expressed are those of the writers, and do not reflect the opinion or policy of CORR or The Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons. K. J. Bozic MD, MBA (✉), Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, 1701 Trinity Street, Austin, TX 78712 USA , Email: kevin.bozic@austin.utexas.edu A. Alokozai, Medical Student, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA P. Jayakumar, Assistant Professor in Surgery and Perioperative Care, Director of Clinical Research and Outcome Measurement. UK Harkness Fellow in Health Care Policy and Practice Innovation. Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas atAustin, Austin, TX,USA K. J. Bozic, Chair, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas atAustin, Austin, TX,USA
Many who study advanced biology in English schools find it difficult to understand fully the nuclear changes involved in sexual reproduction, although this study is usually part of the syllabus. Probably most teachers hold that laboratory work on mitosis and meiosis is not practicable for school classes. Yet, since chromosome behaviour is entirely outside a pupil's everyday experience, practical work is particularly important as it can help him make better sense of the theory. The senior biology class at Reading School have been introduced recently to a technique for studying many of the cytological stages of pollen development which needs little technical skill. Using Tradescantia virginiana, every pupil has, in a single one and a half hour practical period, prepared from living plants microscope slides showing easily seen stages in pollen mother cell meiosis and first pollen grain mitosis. During a second practical period, some of the students followed up this work by studying pollen tube growth and the second mitotic division of the pollen grain. In this way, pupils were able to find for themselves the exact stage at which each of the nuclear changes takes place in Tradescantia: they were able to relate it to the simultaneous anatomical development of the bud and flower, and, probably, come to a clearer understanding both of the details of meiosis and mitosis and of the part they play in reproduction.
Significance DNA mutation within gene bodies contributes to abnormal translation and can lead to neurodegenerative disorders. High-throughput analysis is suitable for initial detection of gene mutations with details. Deep learning-based RNA splicing analysis facilitates accurate and precise predictions of genetic variants in DNA bodies. Although deep learning-based prediction methods have improved the screening of genetic variations for target diseases, there have been no reports showing a direct comparison with genetic information of an AD model. This study identified the gene mutations and abnormal splicing of PLCγ1 gene in AD using both high-throughput screening data and a deep learning-based prediction. Our findings provide insight for improvement in prediction and diagnosis of AD pathology. Exon splicing triggered by unpredicted genetic mutation can cause translational variations in neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we discover Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-specific single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and abnormal exon splicing of phospholipase c gamma-1 (PLCγ1) gene, using genome-wide association study (GWAS) and a deep learning-based exon splicing prediction tool. GWAS revealed that the identified single-nucleotide variations were mainly distributed in the H3K27ac-enriched region of PLCγ1 gene body during brain development in an AD mouse model. A deep learning analysis, trained with human genome sequences, predicted 14 splicing sites in human PLCγ1 gene, and one of these completely matched with an SNV in exon 27 of PLCγ1 gene in an AD mouse model. In particular, the SNV in exon 27 of PLCγ1 gene is associated with abnormal splicing during messenger RNA maturation. Taken together, our findings suggest that this approach, which combines in silico and deep learning-based analyses, has potential for identifying the clinical utility of critical SNVs in AD prediction.
METHODS A total of 82 patients with early-stage breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery and intraoperative electron radiotherapy (RT) as a boost followed by whole-breast RT in the past circa 5 years and completed the full RT dose at least 1 year before were included into this retrospective study. The patients who received prophylactic pentoxifylline (n=44) were assigned to Group A, and those who did not (n=38) to Group B. All cases were evaluated a month (early) and 1 year (late) later, scored according to the Late Effects Normal Tissue Task Force-Subjective, Objective, Management, Analytic scale and analyzed using an independent t-test.
Here we report normal-state conductance measurements of three different types of superconducting tunnel junctions that are being used or proposed for quantum computing applications: p-Al/a-AlO/p-Al, e-Re/e-AlO/p-Al, and e-V/e-MgO/p-V, where p stands for polycrystalline, e for epitaxial, and a for amorphous. All three junctions exhibited significant deviations from the parabolic behavior predicted by the WKB approximation models. In the p-Al/a-AlO/p-Al junction, we observed enhancement of tunneling conductances at voltages matching harmonics of Al–O stretching modes. On the other hand, such Al–O vibration modes were missing in the epitaxial e-Re/e-AlO/p-Al junction. This suggests that absence or existence of the Al–O stretching mode might be related to the crystallinity of the AlO tunnel barrier and the interface between the electrode and the barrier. In the e-V/e-MgO/p-V junction, which is one of the candidate systems for future superconducting qubits, we observed suppression of the density of states at zero bias. This implies that the interface is electronically disordered, presumably due to oxidation of the vanadium surface underneath the MgO barrier, even if the interface was structurally well ordered, suggesting that the e-V/e-MgO/p-V junction will not be suitable for qubit applications in its present form. This also demonstrates that the normal-state conductance measurement can be effectively used to screen out low quality samples in the search for better superconducting tunnel junctions.
Bladder injuries are rare. But when present in cases of polytrauma they pose both a diagnostic as well as surgical challenge to the attending surgeon. Understanding the mechanisms underlying bladder injuries is pivotal in developing a diagnostic algorithm in order to avoid missing of any urologic injury. Once the extent and site of damage is diagnosed then prompt surgical intervention is the mainstay of treatment. The pathophysiology and management of bladder injuries is discussed in this paper.
The paper presents a new approach to the selection of characteristic points on the current-voltage curve (CVC) of the brush contact of traction electric machines, for their approximation in the form of three different functions, with characteristic points of transition to the field weakening mode. The problem of raising resources by using new design electro brushes. This constructive solution is consistent with the specific types of traction motors used in urban and rail transport and satisfies the technical conditions for their operation. A construction brush holders, which will save the cost of electro, in connection with their wear and tear due to friction on the walls of the brush holders. Improving the quality of machines saves material means and human resources, increase the profitability of their use, resulting in a significant increase in productivity. The method of calculating the current-voltage characteristics of a new type electro brushes, the distinguishing feature of which is the introduction of a cross section of the body brush. In the course of the experiment revealed steadily increasing rate of proposed electro brushes, compared with the standard of the same type EG61A. Data collected during the experiment showed that electro brushes with a transverse incision is more stable contact with the collector.
Routes of drug administration and the corresponding physicochemical characteristics of a given route play significant roles in therapeutic efficacy and short term/long term biological effects. Each delivery method has favorable aspects and limitations, each requiring a specific delivery vehicles design. Among various routes, oral delivery has been recognized as the most attractive method, mainly due to its potential for solid formulations with long shelf life, sustained delivery, ease of administration and intensified immune response. At the same time, a few challenges exist in oral delivery, which have been the main research focus in the field in the past few years. The present work concisely reviews different administration routes as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each method, highlighting why oral delivery is currently the most promising approach. Subsequently, the present work discusses the main obstacles for oral systems and explains the most recent solutions proposed to deal with each issue.
The YxaL protein was isolated from the soil bacterium Bacillus velezensis and has been shown to promote the root growth of symbiotic plants. YxaL has further been suggested to act as an exogenous signaling protein to induce the growth and branching of plant roots. Amino acid sequence analysis predicted YxaL to exhibit an eight-bladed β-propeller fold stabilized by six tryptophan-docking motifs and two modified motifs. Protein engineering to improve its structural stability is needed to increase the utility of YxaL as a plant growth-promoting factor. Here, the crystal structure of YxaL from B. velezensis was determined at 1.8 Å resolution to explore its structural features for structure-based protein engineering. The structure showed the typical eight-bladed β-propeller fold with structural variations in the third and fourth blades, which may decrease the stability of the β-propeller fold. Engineered proteins targeting the modified motifs were subsequently created. Crystal structures of the engineered YxaL proteins showed that the typical tryptophan-docking interaction was restored in the third and fourth blades, with increased structural stability, resulting in improved root growth-promoting activity in Arabidopsis seeds. The work is an example of structure-based protein engineering to improve the structural stability of β-propellor fold proteins.
Porencephaly is an extremely rare congenital disorder characterized by a cyst or a cavity filled with cerebrospinal fluid, in the brain’s parenchyma. An 18-year-old male with moderate intellectual disability presented with periodic unprovoked anger outbursts lasting 3-5 minutes of recent onset. Computed tomography of the head was done after the consultation and revealed a large porencephalic cyst in the left frontotemporal region. The patient responded well with tablet Clobazam 5mg BD and tablet Sodium Valproate 300mg BD. The condition is briefly discussed. Keywords: Porencephaly, Seizures, Psychosis.
OBJECTIVES To compare the hematologic, blood chemistry, and coagulation test results between two blood sampling methods via central venous access devices (CVADs) and venipuncture.   METHOD The authors searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Web of Science, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) for controlled studies that compared the differences in hematologic, blood chemistry, and coagulation test results between venipuncture and CVADs from the date of database establishment to July 2022. Two researchers independently performed the literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment. The standardized mean difference was used as the effect size for continuous variables and a 95% confidence interval was provided. The random-effects model was used for an I2 > 50%, otherwise the fixed-effects model was used. Sources of heterogeneity were determined by subgroup analysis or sensitivity analysis, as indicated.   RESULTS This review ultimately identified 17 studies for systematic review, of which 12 were selected for meta-analysis. A total of 541 adult participants were included in the meta-analysis. With the exception of the activated partial thromboplastin time, there were no significant differences in hematologic, blood chemistry, and coagulation test results between blood sampling via venipuncture and CVADs.   CONCLUSIONS The results of this study provide substantial evidence that blood sampling via venipuncture and CVADs had equal reliability in most laboratory tests. Serial blood sampling via CVADs will reduce the risk of bleeding episodes and pain at the blood collection site, and safety for healthcare professionals.
During 1962, twenty-seven food poisoning incidents due to Salmonella typhimurium, phage type 4, comprising thirty-two cases and twelve symptomless excreters, occurred in the south-east Lancashire conurbation. The source of infection was a single small producer of English liquid egg. Pasteurization of the product coincided with the end of the outbreak. The cases were sporadic in distribution. Investigation of previous incidents due to this phage type in the City of Manchester pointed to egg from the same producer. As a result an investigation was made into the amount and source of unpasteurized egg in use in the city. This revealed the frequent presence of salmonella infection and demonstrated the need for pasteurization of liquid egg before use.
Vascular permeability determines the severity of dengue virus infection. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its (receptor 1) R1 and (receptor 2) R2 receptors may provide insight about the neurological complications of dengue. We report VEGF and its R1 and R2 receptors level in dengue patients and correlate these with neurological complications. Consecutive patients with dengue were subjected to clinical and neurological evaluations. Their blood counts, serum chemistry, including liver and kidney function tests, serum creatine kinase (CK), and albumin were measured. VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 were measured by ELISA in the patients and 16 matched controls. Twenty four patients with dengue were included whose ages ranged between 15 and 67 years, and nine of whom were females. Serum VEGF level was insignificantly lower in dengue patients whereas VEGFR1 was significantly higher (P = 0.01) and VEGFR2 was significantly lower (P = 0.005) compared to controls. VEGFR2 correlated with systolic blood pressure, coagulopathy, and serum CK levels. None of the other clinical and biochemical parameters correlated with VEGF and VEGFR1 levels. VEGFR1 and R2 normalized at 1 month. VEGFR2 correlates with the clinical severity of dengue and muscle dysfunction. J. Med. Virol. 87:1449–1455, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The frequency of the manifestation of delusions and hallucinations (d/h) among participants of adult day care centers was examined, as was the relationship of d/h to demographic and medical variables, agitation, depressed affect, and dementia. Changes in d/h were also assessed over a 1-year period, and those changes were compared with changes in agitation, depressed affect, and dementia. Depressed affect and agitation were related both to delusions and to hallucinations. Dementia was also related to d/h, although a substantial percentage of individuals who were not diagnosed with dementia also experienced some type of d/h. Finally, delusions were more prevalent and generally tended to relate more strongly to agitation, depressed affect, and dementia than did hallucinations.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the corrosion behaviors of SAC305 thin film solder alloy in 6 M KOH solution. Design/methodology/approach – The corrosion behavior of bare Cu, as-deposited SAC305/Cu and as-reflowed SAC305/Cu thin films at varying temperatures, was investigated by means of potentiodynamic polarization in a 6 M KOH solution. The microstructure, phase and thickness of the intermetallic compounds formed were determined before and after polarization. Findings – Bare Cu was found to possess the best corrosion resistance, whereas the as-deposited SAC305/Cu had the lowest corrosion resistance. As-reflowed SAC305/Cu with an exposed Cu3Sn layer exhibited better corrosion resistance than did Cu6Sn5. The Ag3Sn phase has the noblest characteristic because it was retained and did not dissolve in the KOH solution. All of the samples contained the corrosion products of oxide. Bare Cu obeys the well-known duplex structure of a Cu2O/CuO, Cu(OH)2 layer. For as-reflowed SAC305/Cu, the corrod...
The following summarises the findings elicited from the investigation, the significance we attach to the results and the conclusions we have drawn: A careful study has been made of the reputed Wassermann reaction exhibited by theserum of certain normal animals with a view to throwing light on the nature of the reacting substance or principle in syphilitic serum. The heated (55° C.) serum of various normal adult animals may fix complement along with the antigen used in the Wassermann test, e.g. rabbit, ox, sheep, horse, mouse, cat, dog, macacus, pig. The complement-fixation reaction may be associated with the flocculation effect similar to that of syphilitic serum. These reactions apparently represent a natural or normal property of the serum and do not appear to depend on any pathological condition. Certain species, including man, are characterised by negative reactions, e.g. white rat, guinea-pig, frog. The serum of the white rat in the unheated state, however, yields a definite but weakly positive flocculation reaction which is annulled on heating the serum to 55° C., showing that this species is not devoid of the particular principle. In some species there is great uniformity in the occurrence of both reactions (e.g. rabbit, ox, sheep, horse). Such uniformity has led us to regard the reaction as a natural one. In other species there is less regularity and both reactions in certain individuals may be quite negative. In certain animals there may be dissociation of the two reactions: the Wassermann reaction may be negative while the flocculation effect is positive (e.g. pig, pigeon, fowl, cat): the reverse may occur, the Wassermann reaction being positive, the flocculation test negative (e.g. dog, mouse, rabbit). Certain positively reacting species are characterised by uniformly weak reactions, e.g. mouse. The Wassermann reaction in normal animals is always limited in degree, contrasting in this respect with the very marked effects obtained with the serum from cases of active syphilis. In species in which adult animals exhibit positive reactions, very young animals, e.g. up to 3–8 weeks of age, react negatively. The reacting power (observed in rabbits) is thereafter progressive in development and is parallel with the development of a natural antibody (anti-sheep haemolysin). This parallelism supports the view that these reactions are due to antibody-like principles in the serum. No constant difference in thermostability of the reacting substances can be established between normal animal serum and the serum in syphilis. The degree of thermostability seems to vary slightly among individuals. The flocculating property is more stable than the complement-fixing principle both in animals and in syphilis. These reactions in normal animals seem to be homologous with the corresponding reactions in syphilis. Our observations suggest that the syphilis serum reactions are due to antibody-like substances homologous with antibodies natural to certain species and widely distributed among animals. The Wassermann and flocculation reactions in individual rabbits tested at intervals are relatively constant. Marked augmentation of the Wassermann reaction has been produced experimentally in rabbits: (a) by immunisation with heterophile antigen, as originally shown by Taniguchi; (b) by experimental infection with B. tuberculosis. The effects of other non-specific agents have also been studied but marked alterations have not been observed. Repeated subcutaneous injection of alcohol in rabbits abolishes the Wassermann property. The injection of certain other chemical substances also produces a weakening influence. Parallel effects are observed on the antisheep haemolysin. An analytical study has been made of the Wassermann and flocculating substances in the serum of normal animals and human syphilitic serum. For this purpose carbon-dioxide fractioning of the serum has been used. The results have been recorded and differences have been elicited in the behaviour of the serum fractions between normal animals and human syphilitics. These differences probably depend on the total content of the reacting substances in the serum and their distribution in the serum fractions. The carbonic-acid-insoluble fraction of normal human serum and the serum of negatively reacting animals even after heating at 55° C. may yield a weak complement-fixation effect with the Wassermann antigen. This property is “masked” in whole serum. It is lost on heating above 60° C. and is more marked in the unheated fraction. The deviation effect produced by the unheated fraction is contributed to by an independent complement-deviation reaction with the alcohol present in the antigen suspension but is still manifest with alcohol-free antigen preparations, showing it is partly a true reaction with the lipoids proper. This effect of the carbonic-acid-insoluble fraction has not been paralleled in the flocculation test unless in certain exceptional instances. These observations seem to indicate that the principle in serum responsible for the Wassermann reaction is present normally in minimal amount and in a masked state even in those animals which are negative reactors when tested in the usual way. It might be supposed, therefore, that the diagnostic reaction is due to the non-specific augmentation of this natural antibody-like substance. The influence of various non-specific agents and different infective conditions on the content of the reacting substances in the serum of normal animals requires further investigation. The complement-deviation reaction of fresh serum with diluted alcohol (substituted for antigen) has been studied in animals and man. The fact has been elicited that the heated carbonic-acid-insoluble fraction of the serum of animals (positive in the usual Wassermann test) and of syphilitic sera yields, along with diluted alcohol, a definite though weak complement-deviation reaction. This may also occur with heated whole serum. This effect is absent from heated normal human serum and the heated serum of “Wassermannnegative” animals. This reaction shows some analogy with the Wassermann reaction and the alcohol of the Wassermann antigen suspensions seems to be a contributory factor to the total complement-fixation in the Wassermann test. If heated serum is used, no fallacy is introduced in the diagnostic test even when the concentration of the alcohol is 1: 12. The dissociation of the Wassermann and flocculating properties in syphilitic sera is evidenced as a result of carbon-dioxide fractioning—the soluble fraction being more active in the flocculation test, the insoluble moietybeing more active in the Wassermann test, though in some cases the dissociation is less obvious and may be quite absent. It is suggested from the observations recorded that the Wassermann syphilis reaction represents an increase of a “lipoidophile” antibody naturally present in the serum in minimal amount and in a masked state, which in syphilis is non-specifically augmented in an analogous manner to the augmentation of the natural anti-sheep haemolysin by heterologous stimuli.
A single stage, millimeter-wave 2-stack FET power amplifier operates with a peak saturated power of 18.2 dBm and peak PAE of 48.2%. The high PAE results from a proposed $C_{gd}$ neutralization through coupled inductor feedback between the drains of the stacked FETs. The technique reuses the interstage matching shunt inductor to reduce the loss and chip area while improving the PA gain. The PA achieves 13.6 dB gain with a 3 dB bandwidth of 12 GHz at a 2.4-V power supply. The PA is implemented in a 4S-nm SOI CMOS technology using a trap-rich substrate and has an area of $ mathbf{520}   mu mathbf{m} times  mathbf{530}   mu mathbf{m}$. To the author's knowledge, this work demonstrates the highest gain and power added efficiency (PAE) for a single-stage Si-based PA at 28 GHz.
First sunlight settles upon burgundy-brown railings. I raise and hook the wooden shutters— a thousand flowering lilacs weave a cheerless seasonal tone. My face already powdered, but I remain, staring into a mirror. Not wanting to leave the pavilion, an unfinished dream lingers in my mind. Who raises parrots in a confining cage? I unbind the silk sashes, play a lute. Lovely flesh-pink petals fall like feathers, wizened to dust— all that can be done is endure. I cannot bear grasping the silver basin to wash my tear-stained cheeks.
Objective  To study the characteristic of the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) isolated from diabetic foot ulcers.      Methods  Total of 24 MRSA and 18 MRSE strains were isolated from 388 diabetic-foot patients hospitalized from January 2008 to June 2010 in the Tianjin Metabolic Diseases Hospital. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to analyze the homology of the isolates.      Results  The similarities of MRSA was 42%-97%. The MRSA isolates were classified into 11 PFGE types (A-K), 12 were type A (11 of them were isolated from January to May in 2008), 2 strains were type B, 2 strains were type C and the other 8 types only found in one strain. The similarities of MRSE was 34%-100% and 14 PFGE types (A-N) were identified. Among MRSE strains, 5 were type A (including 3 type A1, 1 type A2, 1 type A3), and the other 13 types found only in one strain.      Conclusion  An outbreak of type A MRSA probably happened from January to May in 2008. No outbreak evidences have been identified from June 2008 to June 2010. Sporadic MRSE was found from January 2008 to June 2010 and no outbreak occurred.      Key words:  Diabetic foot; Infection; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis; Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis
Accepting the common viewpoint that integrity is concerned with information modification rather than information disclosure or information availability, the author considers two views on what nondiscretionary controls are needed for information integrity: (1) Clark and Wilson's view that some separate mechanisms are required for enforcement of integrity policies, disjoint from those of the Orange Book (TCSEC), and (2) Gasser's view that techniques to protect against information modifications are almost always the same as (or a subset of) techniques to protect against information disclosure. The author agrees with the Clark-Wilson view, in which integrity requires nondiscretionary access-control mechanisms other than label-based mandatory controls. He lists his objections to Gasser's view.<<ETX>>
The gamma-radiation-induced polymerization of ethylene was carried out/over the wide range of temperature from 30 to 200°C at pressure ranging from 100 to 400kg./cm2 and at dose rates from 2×103 to 4×105 rad./hr. It was shown that the rate of polymerization is rapidly accelerated at 30°C, that the degree of acceleration decreases with an increase in the reaction temperature, and that above 100°C the rate is independent of the time. It was correspondingly shown that the molecular weight of the polymer increases with the reaction time, at 30°C, that its increment for a unit of time decreases with an increase in the temperature, and that the molecular weight is independent of the time above 100°C. By means of a kinetical discussion it was concluded that the rate of the termination reaction, which is almost eliminated at 30°C, increases with the temperature and attains a value comparable to that of initiation above 100°C. The dose rate exponents of the polymerization rate and molecular weight were shown to va...
In general, the hypogonadotropic hypogonadism seen during early puerperium is thought to be due to long-term deprivation of endogenous GnRH during the course of pregnancy. Recently, based on the pulsatile nature of hypothalamic GnRH section, it has been demonstrated that pulsatile administration of this decapeptide is effective in activation of the pituitary-ovarian function and induction of ovulation in patients with endogenous GnRH deficiency. Thus, we investigated whether this physiological replacement of GnRH can bring about the rapid restoration of the pituitary-ovarian function in early puerperal women. Fourteen postpartum women who had undergone cesarean section for obstetric reasons at 37-41 weeks of gestation volunteered for this study. Six of them received 10 micrograms (one subject received 5 micrograms) of GnRH in every 90 min from day 0-5 postpartum for 7-17 days duration by a portable auto-infusion pump. The remaining 8 subjects without treatment served as controls. On day 14 postpartum, serum baseline values of LH and FSH were significantly higher and their responses to the 100 micrograms GnRH challenge test were significantly greater in GnRH-treated subjects than those in the control subjects, respectively. Serum estradiol levels increased day by day, reaching more than 500 pg/ml at the end of the treatment in the 6 subjects. One of them ovulated within 3 weeks postpartum following GnRH treatment and subsequent hCG administration. These results demonstrate that the physiological replacement of pulsatile GnRH can restore the pituitary-ovarian function even within the first 2 weeks postpartum and in the presence of puerperal hyperprolactinemia. They also suggest that a deficiency of endogenous GnRH secretion may account for, at least in part, the pathophysiology of the hypogonadotropic hypogonadism during early puerperium.
SignType – Assisted Semiotic Typifier for Phenomenological Data – is a simultaneously didactic and applicable software. Its mains goals are: (1) scientific capacitation of researchers and scholars from various knowledge areas on the methodology of Peircean semiotic classification; and (2) transformation of phenomenological input (impressionistic descriptions) into semiotic output (kinds of sign), optimizing the use of the scientific potential of semiotics by the user. Part of the work carried on this optimization comes from the information design project developed for this application. In this paper, graphic models that aims to represent concepts and other theoretical aspects of Charles S. Peirce’s semiotics are analysed. Their key characteristics are customizability (permits certain information to be seen or not under diverse hierarchy criteria), alterability (being interchangeable for other models) and modularization (making comparisons between ongoing classifications easier).
The aim of the research was to evaluate the temporal variability of the solar radiation and insolation in Araguaina-TO. The meteorological data (insolation and cloudiness) had been gotten of the conventional station of the INMET, located in the campus of “Medicina Veterinaria e Zootecnia”. The global solar radiation (Qg) was gotten by means of images of satellite GOES and from this the total of the solar radiation reflected (Qr) and absorbed was calculated (Qa). The established Albedo was of 0,3% of reflectivity . The biggest incidences of the Qg and the insolation had been verified in the months of April, May, June, July, August and September, coinciding with the period of lesser local cloudiness. The amplitude of annual variation of the cloudiness in the region is relatively high, varying from 1 to 8/10 throughout the year.
M effective inertia constant, kW/k VA D effective damping coefficient, p. u. TR reheat time constant, sec Ts steam time constant, sec To servomotor time constant, sec C e per unit fraction of power of high-pressure turbine K speed governor gain, p.U. Llw frequency deviation, p.U. M load variation, p.U. S Laplace operator Till speeder motor time constant, sec o null matrix I identity matrix Re real value.
Extending the results for periodic boundary conditions obtained in a previous paper we analyse a single polymer chain in a good solvent contained in a finite box with Dirichlet boundary conditions. We develop a consistent mean-field approximation, apply it to different geometries and discuss in detail the chain length distribution for the `field theoretic ensemble' of chains characterized by a chemical segment potential . We show how the different regimes of the dilute and dense limits (where stands for the critical chemical potential) smoothly evolve from one another.
Poetry written in the Indian version of the English language has little less than two centuries of history behind it. When Henry Derozio wrote his poems in this English, nearly 175 years ago in Kolkata and Bhagalpur-on-the-Ganga, he extolled the greatness of the ancient Indian civilization and its sorry plight in his own times, in the process, making history as the first nationalist poet of India. In his poem "To My Native Land", he wrote:My country! In thy day of glory pastA beauteous halo circled round thy brow,And worshipped as deity thou wast -Where is that glory, where is that reverence now?From this early specimen, one can readily form a definition for Indian literature in English, of which poetry is an important part: it reflects an Indian ethos, although written in the English language. Down the decades it has been variously called Anglo-Indian, Indo-Anglian and Indo-English, before settling down for the appellation, "Indian English", the latter having been fixed by the Sahitya Akademi, the National Academy of Letters of India, which has recognized English as one of the Indian languages, giving it the stamp of official approval. However, Indian English comes under the category of "Asian Literature in English" in the USA and other Western nations, and "Commonwealth Literature" in the UK and its dominions, and largely under the rubric of "colonial and post-colonial literature" in a loose definition, for those who follow the latest literary theories. These shifts give an indication of the ambiguity of its identity as Indian English passed through the stages of colonialism and Independence. Its final settling down, marks its somewhat stable status after Independence - proclaiming that it finally belongs to the Indian nation. Poets like Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Joseph Furtado, Armando Menezes, Tom Dutt, Romesh Chandra Dutt, Sri Aurobindo (Aurobindo Ghosh), Sarojini Naidu, her brother Hareendranath Chattopadhyaya, Manjeri S. Iswaran and other Indian English poets spanned the one hundred years from Derozio's untimely death at twenty-two in 1831, to the present. Rabindranath Tagore, though known for his poetry in Bengali, wrote poetry in English too, though only very few would look at him as an Indian English poet.It is quite paradoxical that Indian English poetry took on a definite character of its own and flourished as part of what we now call Indian English literature only after the colonizers left the land. For that very reason, this poetry that gradually grew into a considerable body of work in the corpus of Indian literature had to interrogate its own existence and relevance in a foreign language to begin with. The strong stand taken in favour of English as an Indian language by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime Minister of India and the founder-president of the Sahitya Akademi, helped Indian poetry in English redefine itself and assume its role in the literature of the nation contributing significantly in nation-building.Of the different ways of looking at literature and its categorization, the most significant is to follow literary trends. In the case of the Indian English poets discussed here, we begin with the early Modernist and Modernist trends, pass on to the "after-Modemism" (not "postmodernist" in the Western sense) phase, and then to the contemporary scene (of the last two decades, roughly).Modem poetry can be viewed as defining the relationship of the self with the outside world, the material aspects having been subjugated to subjective memory. It is the inner world of the poet, the psychological, spiritual entity that matters; not the actual world outside. The poet can take off from even an insignificant sight, sound or smell, and create an imaginative space within his head, which he, almost whimsically, commits to paper. The latter phase of Modernism, on the other hand, began to dwell on the actual state of affairs outside; however, the approaches were almost similar. …
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is associated with an increased risk of hepatic tumors. The study aimed to elucidate the impact of EGF SNP and EGF receptor (EGFR) expression on the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy. To examine the impact of EGF SNP and EGFR on recurrent HCC, we retrospectively analyzed 141 HCC patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection who underwent curative hepatectomy. The EGF *61 GG allele was present in 69 patients (48.9%), AG in 56 (39.7%) and AA in 16 (11.4%). The AA group had a significantly lower rate of intrahepatic metastasis (0% vs 16.5%, P = 0.02), lower serum EGF concentration (26.3 ± 15.9 pg/mL vs 43.4 ± 30.5 pg/mL, P = 0.02) and lower proportion of early recurrence (≤2 years; 28.6% vs 71.2%, P = 0.03) than the AG/GG group. The AA group had significantly higher recurrence‐free survival than the AG/GG group (P = 0.04), but there was no significant difference in overall survival between these two groups (P = 0.97). High versus low EGFR expression analyzed by immunohistochemical staining in cancer cells was not significantly associated with overall survival (P = 0.37) or recurrence‐free survival (P = 0.39). Therefore, EGF *61 AA was associated with a lower risk of recurrence after curative hepatectomy for HCC in patients with hepatitis C virus infection than other genotypes, but EGFR expression in cancer cells was not significantly associated with prognosis.
Fingerprints of lipases and esterases have been recorded by using an array of chiral fluorogenic aliphatic esters of increasing chain length (C4–C16). Classification of the enzyme series was carried out with selectivity data by clustering and principal component analysis (PCA). Enzymes were classified on the basis of selectivity for chain length (C4–C6 vs. C10–C16) and of middle‐chain‐length (C8–C10) reactivity. A minimum set of nine substrates was defined by cluster analysis of relative reactivities of each substrate for the different enzymes. This selectivity‐based analysis is general. It does not require a common reference substrate to react with all enzymes or vice versa, and is independent of knowing the exact concentration of active protein in the enzyme samples.
Many solutions for line generalizations have already been proposed. Most of them, however, are geometric solutions, not cartographic ones. The position we take in this paper is to observe school-case solutions available in standard cartographic books and try to replicate those automatically. A central criterion guiding the process of cartographic generalization is line structure, which itself can be decomposed into a series of line bends. Hence our solution is to preserve the overall structure with line bends which are mathematically defined according to size, shape, and context. Rules are subsequently applied using operators such as elimination, combination, and exaggeration. The algorithms that were used are both procedural and knowledge based. Various experiments were conducted on physical and political geographic lines, and we show the graphical results so that readers may visually assess them. Further research to improve the present solutions is discussed, particularly options for avoiding conflicts ...
Plasma probe measurements and energy selective mass spectrometry were used to characterize the composition and energetic conditions of the ion flux of a direct current, N2/Ar, unbalanced magnetron sputtering plasma in front of a graphite target, depending on the total pressure and gas composition. It is shown that the flux of ionized film-forming species consist predominantly of CxNy (x,y⩽2) species. The total number of C-containing ions strongly depends on the N2 fraction in the discharge and can be increased by almost one order of magnitude scaling with the availability of N2 as the discharge gas. This finding suggests that besides C and N atoms and ions, other species, like preformed CxNy particles, play an important role during growth of fullerene-like (FL) carbon nitride (CNx) thin films. It is proposed that such clusters have a direct effect as growth templates or nucleation sites on the evolution of curved and cross-linked FL structures. The carbon target was identified as the main source of prefor...
BACKGROUND Our previous studies have shown that ultrasound-treated γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-rich coffee leaves have higher antioxidant and angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory activity. However, whether they have antidiabetic activity remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the inhibitory activities of coffee leaf extracts prepared with (CLE-U) or without (CLE-NU) ultrasound pre-treatment on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. Subsequently, we evaluated the binding interaction between CLE-U and both enzymes using multi-spectroscopic and in silico analyses.   RESULTS Ultrasound pre-treatment increased the inhibitory activities of CLE-U against α-amylase and α-glucosidase by 21.78% and 25.13%, respectively. CLE-U reversibly inhibit both enzymes, with competitive inhibition observed for α-amylase and non-competitive inhibition for α-glucosidase. The static quenching of CLE-U against both enzymes was primarily driven by hydrogen bond and van der Waals interactions. The α-helical of α-amylase and α-glucosidase was increased by 1.8% and 21.3%, respectively. Molecular docking results showed that the key differential compounds, including mangiferin, 5-caffeoylquinic acid, rutin, trigonelline, GABA, caffeine, glutamate et al. present in coffee leaves, interacted with specific amino acid residues located at the active site of α-amylase (ASP197, GLU233, and ASP300). The binding of α-glucosidase and these bioactive components involved amino acid residues, such as PHE1289, PRO1329, and GLU1397 located outside the active site.   CONCLUSION Ultrasound-treated coffee leaves are potential anti-diabetic substances, capable of preventing diabetes by inhibiting the activities of α-amylase and α-glucosidase, thus delaying starch digestion. Our study provides valuable information to elucidate the possible anti-diabetic capacity of coffee leaves through the inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Opiates produce analgesia via G-protein signaling, and adverse effects, such as respiratory depression and decreased bowel motility, by β-arrestin pathway. Oliceridine, a G protein-biased MOR agonist, only presents modest safety advantages as compared to other opiates in clinical trials, possibly due to its limited bias. Our previous study shown that LPM3480392, a full MOR biased agonist, is selective for the Gi pathway over the β-arrestin-2. In the present article, we evaluated the subacute toxicity of LPM3480392 in rats. The rats were administered with control article or LPM3480392 0.6, 1.2 or 2.4 mg/kg/day for 4 consecutive weeks followed by a 4-week recovery phase. Intravenous infusion was conducted at tail vein at 0.2, 0.4 or 0.8 mg/kg/day with a dosing volume of 10 mL/kg and 5 min/rat/dose, three times a day with an interval of approximately 4 h. The concomitant toxicokinetics study was conducted. Two unscheduled rats at 2.4 mg/kg/day died with no clear cause. For the scheduled necropsy, the major effects were associated with the MOR agonist-related pharmacodynamic properties of LPM3480392 (e.g., increased activity, increased muscle tone; decreased food consumption and body weight gain; and clinical chemistry changes related with decreased food consumption) in three LPM3480392 groups. In addition, LPM3480392 at 2.4 mg/kg/day also induced deep respiration and histopathology changes in testis and epididymis in sporadic individual rats. However, different from other opiates, LPM3480392 presents weak/no immunosuppression and the decreased adrenal gland weight, which may be due to LPM3480392’ full MOR bias. At the end of recovery phase, all findings were recovered to some extent or completely. In the toxicokinetics study, the dose-dependent elevation of drug exposure was observed, which partly explained the toxicity of high dose. In summary, LPM3480392 has exhibited good safety characteristics in this subacute toxicity study in rats.
This article seeks to uphold the Interest Theory of legal rights by arguing that such a theory can withstand objections and handle difficulties that are often posed against it. Building on the author’s previous defences of the Interest Theory, the present article also seeks to expose some serious shortcomings in competing theories. Among the topics covered are the role of legal powers of enforcing or waiving legal rights; the possibility of rights to be mistreated; and the status of inoperative rights. In each case, so the article argues, the complexities of the issues involved can best be handled by a theory which maintains that the essential function of legal rights is the protection of various aspects of people’s well-being.
In an effort to characterize the hormone sensitivity of human benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) maintained in organ cultures for 12‐72 h, the influence of 5‐alpha‐dihydrotestosterone (DHT), testosterone (T), 17‐beta‐estradiol (E2), progesterone (Pg), or prolactin (PRL) was assessed on the cell proliferation rate of 25 BPH specimens by the use of tritiated thymidine incorporation followed by autoradiography. Significant increases in the thymidine‐labeling index (TLI: percentage of labeled nuclei) were observed in glandular tissue after a 36‐h incubation period in presence of DHT, E2, Pg, or PRL in 52%, 44%, 28%, and 60% of BPH cases, respectively. Nonparametric statistics (Spearman and Kendall rank correlation tests) have shown that 1 the steroid‐induced TLI increases are dependent on the basal rate of cell proliferation, while the PRL‐induced effect is independent of it, and 2 all the steroid‐mediated effects on BPH TLI are correlated together, whereas they seem to be independent of the PRL‐induced TLI increase. When T was compared with DHT on nine BPH specimens, three were found to be sensitive to both hormones, and two responded to DHT only. We propose that our study methods are suitable as a means to assess the hormone sensitivity of individual cases of BPH and possibly prostatic tumors.
To identify the bacterial population in the milk of healthy mares and with subclinical mastitis, samples (10 to 15 ml) of 38 animals were collected, homogenized and examined using the Whiteside test. The results were negative. The microbiological culture was carried out in 10% agar bovine serum and in agar MacConkey. Both exams revealed the presence of Staphylococcus spp. and Streptococcus spp., predominantly. The somatic cell counts (SCC) was performed in individual samples of each teat and showed a number higher than 500,000 cels/ml of milk in only 9.3% of the 73 samples examined. These results obtained suggest that new researches should be done aiming the standardization of the somatic cell in equine milk.
Abstract In this paper we describe a part-time diploma course in computing delivered in two modes (face-to-face class teaching and electronically via the internet). We present results comparing the two modes in terms of student performance and their own perception of their educational experience. This project makes uses of a number of data sets involving performance data, student perceptions, demographics and attrition rates. In general, we found that students performed comparably in the two modes. Various issues are identified for further investigation particularly: the development of key skills, the importance of assessment in student motivation, and attrition in the Internet mode.
A backstepping repetitive learning control method is proposed for a class of high-order non-linear systems with triangular structure with unknown control coefficients. The Nussbaum-gain method is incorporated into the control design to counteract the lack of a priori knowledge of the control directions. A differential-difference repetitive control law is presented to avoid the difficulties encountered in the derivation of the fictitious control. It is proved that the output of controlled system converges to the desired trajectory asymptotically along the iterative learning axis through repetitive learning. Simulation is carried out to show the validity of the proposed control method.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the management of primary pseudohypoaldosteronism type 1 (PHA1), which is a rare disease. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the hospital records of patients who were followed up with a diagnosis of primary PHA1. Results: Of the eight patients diagnosed with primary PHA1, two had renal PHA1 and five had systemic PHA1. Five patients were initially administered steroids until a definite diagnosis was made. One patient was initially misdiagnosed with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to “the high-dose hook effect”. In patients with systemic PHA1, the highest salt requirement was 32–53 mEq/kg/day, which gradually decreased in all patients. Salt supplementation could not be stopped in patients with systemic PHA1 except one patient. Four of the eight patients died. Conclusion: After excluding the causes that may lead to secondary PHA in the initial evaluation of patients referred with a salt-depletion crisis, a differential diagnosis of congenital adrenal hyperplasia and PHA1 should be made. The hook effect and interference probabilities should be considered for evaluating hormone levels.
This study assessed the potential clinical benefit of rapid theophylline assays in an urban pediatric emergency department by 1) examining current practices of monitoring and adjusting theophylline therapy in children with asthma and 2) determining the relationship between these practices and the adequacy of theophylline therapy and duration of emergency department visits. Of 213 consecutive wheezing children who reported taking theophylline, levels were not obtained on 114 (52%), even though theophylline dosages were adjusted for 43 (38%). Of the 99 patients who had theophylline levels drawn, 80 were successfully enrolled in the study. Most children who received intravenous theophylline therapy 1) were treated prior to availability of serum theophylline results (83%), which took an average of one hour and 48 minutes, and 2) received suboptimal doses (12% were excessive, and 57% were inadequate). The latter patients were more likely to require additional intravenous theophylline that prolonged their stay in the emergency department. If intravenous theophylline therapy was not administered, the wait for the theophylline level was longer than the visit itself. These findings indicate that rapid immunoassays for theophylline have the potential to improve management of children with acute asthma in an emergency department by improving the accuracy of dosing and decreasing the duration of stay.
An estimated 10%–44% of youth and young adults have ever used JUUL, the leading e-cigarette brand in the USA,1 while 8%–9% reported past 30-day use of JUUL.2–5 Although there is growing attention on the prevalence of JUUL use, prevalence of using other brands of pod-based vaping devices is unknown. This information is important to assess whether newer brands are gaining popularity among young people and to complement sales data which do not track online purchases and sales through non-participating retailers or provide information about characteristics of users.1 This study assesses the prevalence of current use of JUUL, Suorin and Vuse across demographic and tobacco use characteristics among US youth and young adults.  ### Study population and procedure  Data came from 2000 US youth and young adults recruited through the SSRS national online opt-in survey panel6: 15–17 years old (500 ever smokers, 500 never smokers) or 18–24 years old (500 who smoked within the past 30 days and had smoked >100 lifetime cigarettes, 500 who did not smoke in the past 30 days or had smoked <100 lifetime cigarettes). Participants completed an online survey from December 2018 to January 2019.  ### Measures  Participants were asked if they have ever used JUUL, Suorin and Vuse. The question for Vuse referred to using the brand of e-cigarettes in general and was not limited to the pod-based sub-brand (ie, Vuse Alto). Response …
The purpose of the current study is to provide a narrative literature review to synthesize the research investigating the role of communication in culturally diverse work groups. A review of the extant literature revealed 3 predominant roles of communication: (a) communication as affected by cultural and contextual factors, (b) communication as affecting group outcomes, and (c) communication as a constitutive element for group culture. The research for each role is reviewed and summarized in order to identify what we do and do not know about communication in culturally diverse work groups. We conclude the essay by identifying five unanswered questions to guide future research.
Cardiomyopathies with excessive trabeculations, often labelled as ‘left ventricular non-compaction’, can lead to complications, including heart failure, life-threatening heart rhythm disturbances, and cardiac emboli. The main patho-anatomical substrate is increased cardiac trabeculations. Cardiac imaging can depict the location and extent of trabeculations in the ventricle. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance is increasingly requested to confirm or exclude cardiomyopathy with excessive trabeculations when clinically suspected or in patients with a known family history. The ‘non-compaction-to-compaction ratio’ and the trabecular mass are the two most commonly used diagnostic approaches that have good diagnostic accuracy when used in patients with an intermediate pre-test probability. Increased trabeculations in the context of a low pre-test probability, and no other cardiac abnormalities considered associated with this cardiomyopathy, appear benign and may not represent disease.
Yangxian black rice, as one of the ancient Chinese black rice varieties, is widely planted in the Yangxian area of China. This study investigated the physicochemical properties, phenolic content and in vitro digestion profile of Chinese black rice under gradient milling treatment. The chemical composition, color, pasting and thermal properties of black rice with different milling degrees were comprehensively compared. In vitro digestion analysis indicated that cooked rice flour had higher rapidly digestible starch (RDS) and lower resistant starch (RS) contents compared with the uncooked one. Besides, all cooked black rice samples exhibited high predicted glycemic index (pGI) value and whole black rice showed a lower pGI than refined rice. The microstructure and the abundance of phenolic compounds in the solid matrix during different treatments or digestion stages were observed by CLSM. Furthermore, a total of 102 phenolic constituents were absolutely quantified by targeted metabolomics techniques. Methanol extraction and moderate cooking treatment contributed to the release of phenolic compounds from the solid matrix of whole black rice. Besides, compared to the gastric digestion stage, the transition in the intestinal environment caused a decrease in the majority of the analyzed polyphenols. Identifying the phenolic constituents was favorable for a better elucidation of the chemical basis of the function and nutritional value of Chinese black rice.
The limitations imposed by environmental systems have rarely been taken fully into account during the occupation and development of cities anywhere in the World. In the present day, there is a growing need to consider these limitations in order to guarantee environmental quality for the inhabitants of this territorial space, as well as to ensure the avoidance of future environmental risks. In this context, the present study focused on the natural and environmental vulnerability of the municipality of Fortaleza, in the Brazilian state of Ceara, with the primary aim of contributing to the urban-environmental planning of the city. To this end, the areas of the municipality most vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts will be identified, as will the potential of its environmental systems.  Based on the ecodynamic approach (founded on the concepts of the stability/instability of environments), integrated with considerations on the quality of the urban infrastructure, a Geographic Information System approach was developed for the production and integration of maps covering the geology, geomorphology, pedology, vegetation cover, and quality of the urban infrastructure. These analyses provided maps of the natural and environmental vulnerability of Fortaleza, which indicate that the most vulnerable areas are located in the proximity of rivers, lakes, and dune fields, where the urban infrastructure is precarious, and thus subject to greater risks.
We evaluated the effects of behavioral parent training program on parent and child feeding-related behaviors in the home. We trained mothers to initiate regular offerings of previously rejected (target) foods and to provide contingent attention (i.e., specific prompts, positive reinforcement) to increase their child's acceptance of nonpreferred foods. For 1 subject, we also directed training at increasing self-eating. Results of a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across 3 mother-child dyads demonstrated that, with training, all mothers increased offerings of target foods and use of specific prompts, and 2 mothers increased levels of positive attention. In turn, children increased their acceptance of target foods and self-eating, thus demonstrating the functional effects of parent training on in-home meal times. Temporary increases in food refusals occurred when treatment was initiated but declined as treatment continued. We discuss the results in terms of the potential benefits and limitations of a home-based treatment model.
Multi-agent technology has been used widely for developing some complicated, dynamic and distributed system now, but it is seldom to be applied to the realization of communication standards. This paper focuses on how to utilize the multi-agent to implement the international standard--IEC 61850 in the telecontrol communication of power system to make the substation monitoring devices exchange information straightly with the SCADA system of power system, and improve the flexibility and quality of services at the same time. The model of multi-agent system has been constructed, and the templates of principal communication entities, i.e., IED_Agent and Dispatching_ Agent have been given, which integrate the requirements of IEC 61850 with the characteristic of software agent well. By developing and testing the prototype system in laboratory, the feasibility of the model is verified, thus it is available for reference in the implementation and application of IEC61850.
Soil is naturally occurring material that is used for the construction of pavements. Soil is a variable material and exhibits different properties in the different regions and becomes a challenge for the construction of roads sometimes. Hence detailed understanding of the nature of the soil in the site and its behavior as a subgrade material has to be properly assessed. Three types of soils are used for the present study namely, Black cotton soil, Gravelly sand and sandy soil. Their characteristics are assessed to decide its suitability as a road material. In-situ soil density measurement has been conventionally done using sand replacement and core cutter methods. There is an invent of a new gauge called the Non-nuclear soil density gauge which is getting popular nowadays in the determination of field density. In the present study an attempt is made to compare the densities obtained by the three different methods by varying the lift thickness of 150mm and 300mm as per MORT&H specification. The compaction of the soil is done with a rammer of size 20cm x 15cm with required number of blows. The density results obtained from the different approaches have been correlated and compared.
This paper presents a finite-element (FE) simulation study of a planar contactless battery charging platform for portable consumer electronic equipment. Magnetic field plots of the charging platform are generated under no-load and loaded conditions so that the field distribution of the planar charging platform can be visualized. Three working modes of the platform have been investigated and compared, including full excitation and two forms of selective excitation. With new results arising from this FE simulation study and practical experiments, the theory of the magnetomotive force (mmf) generation of the multilayer planar printed-circuit-board winding array structure can be further understood. The results obtained in this paper provide a foundation of understanding for future design and optimization of planar contactless charging platforms. In addition, it has been confirmed that an electromagnetic shield structure that has been applied to coreless planar transformer applications, can work equally well for the planar charging platform.
A 29 yr old man with pulmonary tuberculosis and concomitant acquired plasma coagulation factor V deficiency is reported. The case is discussed together with three previously described cases. The bleeding tendency in a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis may be caused by a coagulation factor antibody and may be corrected by chemotherapy, as in the case described. Special therapeutic approaches are required in some cases.
Leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin is known to contain high concentrations of growth factors and when associated with rhBMP-2, it may increase bone remodeling due to its osteoinductive property. The aim of this case is to report the outcome of surgical treatment of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw with prototype plate installation and the use of leukocyte and platelet-rich fibrin in association with rhBMP-2 in a 78-year-old female patient under therapy with alendronate. The present study describes that the combination of this treatment presented complete healing of osteonecrosis and represents a promising treatment option to be used for medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.
Although octamer‐binding transcription factor 4 (Oct‐4) is one of the most intensively studied factors in mammalian development, no cellular genes capable of replacing Oct‐4 function in embryonic stem (ES) cells have been found. Recent data show that nuclear receptor subfamily 5, group A, member 2 (Nr5a2) is able to replace Oct‐4 function in the reprogramming process; however, it is unclear whether Nr5a2 can replace Oct‐4 function in ES cells. In this study, the ability of Nr5a2 to maintain self‐renewal and pluripotency in ES cells was investigated. Nr5a2 localized to the nucleus in ES cells, similarly to Oct‐4. However, expression of Nr5a2 failed to rescue the stem cell phenotype or to maintain the self‐renewal ability of ES cells. Furthermore, as compared with Oct‐4‐expressing ES cells, Nr5a2‐expressing ES cells showed a reduced number of cells in S‐phase, did not expand normally, and did not remain in an undifferentiated state. Ectopic expression of Nr5a2 in ES cells was not able to activate transcription of ES cell‐specific genes, and gene expression profiling demonstrated differences between Nr5a2‐expressing and Oct‐4‐expressing ES cells. In addition, Nr5a2‐expressing ES cells were not able to form teratomas in nude mice. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that the gene regulation properties of Nr5a2 and Oct‐4 and their abilities to confer self‐renewal and pluripotency of ES cells differ. The present study provides strong evidence that Nr5a2 cannot replace Oct‐4 function in ES cells.
Successful nurses function effectively with adaptability, improvability, and interconnectedness, and can see emerging and unpredictable complex problems. Preparing new nurses for complexity requires a significant change in prevalent but dated nursing education models for rising graduates. The science of complexity coupled with problem-based learning and peer review contributes a feasible framework for a constructivist learning environment to examine real-time systems data; explore uncertainty, inherent patterns, and ambiguity; and develop skills for unstructured problem solving. This article describes a pilot study of a problem-based learning strategy guided by principles of complexity science in a community clinical nursing course. Thirty-five senior nursing students participated during a 3-year period. Assessments included peer review, a final project paper, reflection, and a satisfaction survey. Results were higher than expected levels of student satisfaction, increased breadth and analysis of complex data, acknowledgment of community as complex adaptive systems, and overall higher level thinking skills than in previous years.
Objective To observe the clinical effects of oral desensitized paste in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity after subgingival scaling. Methods 538 dentin hypersensitivity teeth of 198 patients were randomly divided into two groups: patients in treatment group were treated with oral desensitized paste, and patients in control group were treated with common toothpaste.The sensitivity of teeth were evaluated immediately and 4-week after treatments. Results After 4 weeks, the effects of treatment group treated with oral desensitized paste were much better than those of control group treated with common toothpaste. Conclusion Oral desensitized paste has good therapeutic efficacy in treating dentin hypersensitivity after subgingival scaling.    Key words:  Subgingival scaling; Dentin hypersensitivity; Oral desensitized paste
From September to October 1996 the Galileo spacecraft crossed through the distant predawn tail region of the Jovian magnetosphere. The Energetic Particles Detector (EPD) onboard Galileo recorded a series of energetic particle flow bursts in the region beyond 80 RJ to the apojove at 113 RJ. The events are similar in nature to an event observed with the hot plasma instrument (LECP) onboard Voyager 2. The individual events last for several hours and cover the whole energy range from 15 keV to 55 MeV. The majority of them show considerable intensity increases which are most prominent for heavy ions. The events exhibit high radially outward directed anisotropies suggesting strongly collimated radial outflowing ion beams. The Voyager event was observed beyond the corotation boundary within a magnetospheric boundary layer termed the magnetospheric wind region and consequently it was assumed that the underlying process is connected with a boundary layer instability. However, the Galileo observations show the bursts being embedded in a general corotation flow. It is thus suggested that the flow bursts are driven by an internal plasma sheet process possibly associated with a major re‐configuration of the Jovian magnetotail. A series of five very prominent flow bursts observed near apojove of the orbit occurred quasi‐periodically with a repetition period of about 2.6±0.2 days which is presumably related to an internal time constant of the Jovian magnetotail.
The split‐step algorithm is the standard method for calculating complex (i.e., amplitude and phase) sound fields in a range dependent ocean environment. However, in ocean areas with strong bottom interaction, density discontinuities, sediment rigidity, and bottom roughness should be taken into account. It is easy to incorporate the effects of density discontinuities and rigidity in a specular bottom reflection coefficient R, and it is reasonable to assume that some of the complications of moderately rough bottom interfaces can also be included. Once R has been defined, a systematic procedure is given for generating an equivalent bottom that is compatible with the split‐step algorithm and provides an accurate accounting of bottom interaction.
Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States are less likely to receive treatment for psychiatric disorders than are White Americans. For two decades, clinicians and researchers have worked to reduce health and health care disparities, with at best minimal success. In 2001 the Surgeon General issued a seminal report that described the magnitude of the problem (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Nevertheless, the vexing problem of unequal treatment persists. This review provides preliminary evidence for reducing racial and ethnic disparities in mental health treatment in primary care settings by giving priority to culturally competent practices and cultural tailoring in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
Prenatal exposure to teratogens may alter fetal development and significantly impact later life. Perhaps the best known teratogen is alcohol; prenatal alcohol exposure causes a broad range of effects that can cause lifelong impairment. Of greatest significance are the functional impairments in behavior and cognition. Recognition of these impairments led to the inclusion of the neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (ND-PAE) in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders under “conditions for further study.” This proposed diagnosis captures the significant neurodevelopmental and mental health impacts associated with prenatal alcohol exposure and requires impairment in neurocognitive functioning, self-regulation, and adaptive functioning. This chapter reviews clinical impacts of prenatal alcohol exposure, with particular focus on ND-PAE. Methods for comprehensively assessing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, specifically ND-PAE, are discussed as well as preliminary evidence for implementing effective interventions with these individuals.
A new microdilution method has been developed for determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of oil‐based compounds. The redox dye resazurin was used to determine the MIC of a sample of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) for a range of Gram‐positive and ‐negative bacteria. Use of 0·15% (w/v) agar as a stabilizer overcame the problem of adequate contact between the oil and the test bacteria and obviated the need to employ a chemical emulsifier. A rapid version of the assay was also developed for use as a screening method. A comparison of visual and photometric reading of the microtitre plates showed that results could be assessed without instrumentation; moreover, if the rapid assay format was used, rigorous asepsis was not necessary. Accuracy of the resazurin method was confirmed by plate counting from microwells and MIC values were compared with results obtained using an agar dilution assay. The MIC results obtained by the resazurin method were slightly lower than those obtained by agar dilution.
The use of cloud computing has increased rapidly in many organizations. Security is considered to be the most critical aspects in a cloud computing environment due to the sensitive information stored in the cloud for users. The goal of cloud security is mainly focused on the issues related to the data security and privacy aspects in cloud computing. This multi cloud model which is based on partitioning of application system into distinct clouds instead of using single cloud service such as in Amazon cloud service. It will discuss and present the cryptographic data splitting with dynamic approach for securing information. The metadata information is stored in private cloud. This approach prevents the unauthorized data retrieval by hackers and intruders. The results and implementation for the new proposed model is analyzed, in relation to addressing the security factors in cloud computing.
In this paper a complete design of a Content Addressable Memory (CAM) in bulk-CMOS 28nm technology is presented. The CAM has 64×18 bit resolution, operates at 200MHz and exploits the low power pipeline searching algorithm. Dedicated circuital solutions have been adopted to mitigate the well-known issues in CMOS 28nm-bulk technology (like higher sensitivity to Process-Voltage-Temperature variations, increased gate serie resistance, very low supply voltage vs. threshold voltage, etc). This allows to take advantage of the larger transition frequency available in nm-range technologies and the lower parasitic capacitances. Simulation results (based on post-layout extracted schematic) have been carried out, validating this way the hereby proposed CAM design. Overall average power consumption is 153μW, corresponding to 0.65fJ/(Bit·Search), one of the higher Figure-of-Merit comparing with similar CAM architectures available in literature. Total area occupancy for 1.152kb resolution is 0.015mm2.
The results of numerical calculations of a fibre Raman amplifier pumped by continuous-spectrum radiation are presented. It is shown that the Raman gain flatness better than 0.1 dB can be achieved in the spectral region between 1528 and 1599 nm at the average gain of 7.7 dB, and the gain flatness of 0.042 dB in the case of the zero average small-signal gain in a 25-km SMF-28 fibre pumped by the 1-W and 364-mW backward radiation, respectively. Different variants of the approximation of the found optimal pump spectrum by a combination of four discrete radiation sources with broadened spectral lines are studied.
In 1988, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published definitions of nosocomial infections However, because of journalistic style and space constraints, these definitions lacked some of the detail provided to National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System hospitals in the NNIS Manual (unpublished). After the NNIS System hospitals had had considerable experience with the definitions and in response to a request for review by The Surgical Wound Infection Task Force, a group composed of members of The Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America, the Association for Practitioners in Infection Control, the Surgical Infection Society, and the CDC, we slightly modified the definition of surgical wound infection and changed the name to surgical site infection (SSI).
Abstract: The effect of CGA 152005 residues in the soil on six crops grown in rotation with field corn was investigated over a 2-yr period. CGA 152005 at 10, 15, 20, and 30 g ai/ha was applied postemergence (POST) to corn in 1994. CGA 152005 at 15 and 30 g ai/ha, atrazine at 1,000 g ai/ha, CGA 152005 at 15 g plus atrazine at 500 g ai/ha, and CGA 152005 at 30 g plus atrazine at 1,000 g ai/ha were applied POST to corn in 1995. Soybean, pea, cabbage, tomato, pepper, and potato were planted each spring, 1 yr after herbicide application. Cabbage exhibited injury and yield reductions that increased with increasing application rate, and pepper exhibited slight injury at the highest rate and yield reduction in 1995. Cabbage yields were reduced by CGA 152005 plus atrazine, and tomato yields were reduced by CGA 152005 and CGA 152005 plus atrazine in 1996. Yields of other crops were not affected in either year. Nomenclature: CGA 152005 (proposed common name, prosulfuron), 1-(4-methoxy-6-methyl-triazin-2-yl)-3-[2-(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)-phenylsulfonyl]-urea; cabbage, Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata L.: corn, Zea mays L.; pea, Pisum sativum L.; pepper, Capsicum annuum L.; potato, Solanum tuberosum L.; soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr.; tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Additional index words: Crop injury, herbicide carryover, soil pH, soil temperature. Abbreviations: OM, organic matter; POST, postemergence; SU, sulfonylurea.
Austern, Butler and McManus1> put forward a theory of inelastic and/ or exchange scattering. They used the plane waves for the wave functions of incoming and outgoing nucleons and they evaluated the matrix element for the scattering due to the contribution only from outside the nucleus. Such a treatment may give good results when the energy of the incident particle is so high that the use of the Born approximation is justified. However, it has been sho:wn at ·energies lower than, say, 15 Me~> that a considerable part of the interaction between incident or outgoing nucleons and nuclear matter can be described as a form of an average potential. a) This suggests that the distortion of the nucleon wave inside the nucleus is not negligible. The imaginary part appearing in the average potential (i.e. optical potential) gives a measure of nuclear excitation. But it has been suggested that this is relatively small compared with the real part of the optical potential. Therefore it is expected that a perturbation method may be applicable to a calculation of the inelastic seattering of a nucleon by the nucleus. And th.e gross structure of
The sizes of atomic groups are a fundamental aspect of protein structure. They are usually expressed in terms of standard sets of radii for atomic groups and of volumes for both these groups and whole residues. Atomic groups, which subsume a heavy-atom and its covalently attached hydrogen atoms into one moiety, are used because the positions of hydrogen atoms in protein structures are generally not known. We have calculated new values for the radii of atomic groups and for the volumes of atomic groups. These values should prove useful in the analysis of protein packing, protein recognition and ligand design. Our radii for atomic groups were derived from intermolecular distance calculations on a large number (approximately 30,000) of crystal structures of small organic compounds that contain the same atomic groups to those found in proteins. Our radii show significant differences to previously reported values. We also use this new radii set to determine the packing efficiency in different regions of the protein interior. This analysis shows that, if the surface water molecules are included in the calculations, the overall packing efficiency throughout the protein interior is high and fairly uniform. However, if the water structure is removed, the packing efficiency in peripheral regions of the protein interior is underestimated, by approximately 3.5 %.
In this paper, the conformal finite-difference time-domain (CFDTD) method using PSO optimization is applied to design a compact directive balanced antipodal Vivaldi antenna for ultrawideband (UWB) applications. This paper demonstrates miniaturized antipodal Vivaldi antenna (32 × 35 × 1.6mm3), having low-cross polarization levels and reasonable gain from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz. The antenna peak gain is 5.25 dBi in the specified band. The simulated and experimental results of return loss, far field patterns and gain are presented.
In this paper, a method for the non-linear dynamic analysis of rectangular plates that undergo large rigid body motions and small elastic deformations is presented. The large rigid body displacement of the plate is defined by the translation and rotation of a selected plate reference. The small elastic deformation of the midplane is defined in the plate co-ordinate system using the assumptions of the classical theories of plates. Non-linear terms that represent the dynamic coupling between the rigid body displacement and the elastic deformation are presented in a closed form in terms of a set of time-invariant scalars and matrices that depend on the assumed displacement field of the plate. In this paper, the case of simple two-parameter screw displacement, where the rigid body translation and rotation of the plate reference are, respectively, along and about an axis fixed in space, is first considered. The non-linear dynamic equations that govern the most general and arbitrary motion of the plate are also presented and both lumped and consistent mass formulations are discussed. The non-linear dynamic formulation presented in this paper can be used to develop a total Lagrangian finite element formulation for plates in multibody systems consisting of interconnected structural elements.
New data on the development and experimental investigation of the RF accelerator based on the 9-cavities parallel-coupled accelerating structure that is equipped with a high-frequency grid-controlled electron gun are presented. Accelerating structure, injection system and focusing system are improved. Previously observed second emission resonant discharge multipactor is suppressed by increasing the field amplitude in the structure first cavity and using the protector. The parameters of the accelerated beam close to the design ones, i.e. electron energy up to 8 MeV, capture to the acceleration mode up to 100%, were received. Capture is provided by the RF electron focusing of the microwave field structure with usage of the magnetic focusing system based on permanent magnets and pulsed "π-injection" of the beam by the microwave grid control in the electron gun.
The Xin repeat-containing proteins were originally found in the intercalated discs of cardiac muscle with implicated roles in cardiac development and function. A pair of paralogous genes, Xinα (Xirp1) and Xinβ (Xirp2), is present in mammals. Ablation of the mouse Xinα (mXinα) did not affect heart development but caused late-onset adulthood cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyopathy with conductive defects. Both mXinα and mXinβ are also found in the myotendinous junction (MTJ) of skeletal muscle. Here we investigated the structural and functional significance of mXinα in skeletal muscle. In addition to MTJ and the contact sites between muscle and perimysium, mXinα but not mXinβ was found in the blood vessel walls, whereas both proteins were absent in neuromuscular junctions and nerve fascicles. Coimmunoprecipitation suggested association of mXinα with talin, vinculin, and filamin, but not β-catenin, in adult skeletal muscle, consistent with our previous report of colocalization of mXinα with vinculin. Loss of mXinα in mXinα-null mice had subtle effects on the MTJ structure and the levels of several MTJ components. Diaphragm muscle of mXinα-null mice showed hypertrophy. Compared with wild-type controls, mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle lacking mXinα exhibited no overt change in contractile and relaxation velocities or maximum force development but better tolerance to fatigue. Loaded fatigue contractions generated stretch injury in wild-type EDL muscle as indicated by a fragmentation of troponin T. This effect was blunted in mXinα-null EDL muscle. The results suggest that mXinα play a role in MTJ conductance of contractile and stretching forces.
Mining user behaviors over high speed links is important for applications such as network anomaly detection. Previous work focuses on monitoring anomalies such as extremely frequent users occurring in a short timeslot such as 1 minute. Little attention has been paid to detect users with stealthy behaviors such as persistent frequent and co-occurrence behaviors over a long period of time at the timeslot granularity (e.g., 1 minute granularity level). Unlike frequent users, persistent users do not necessarily occur more frequently than other users in a single timeslot, but persist and occur in a larger number of timeslots. Due to limited computation and storage resources on routers, it is prohibitive to collect massive network traffic in a long period of time. We develop an end-to-end method for solving challenges in both long-term online traffic collection and offline user behavior analysis. To achieve this goal, we design a user embedding (UE) method to fast build compact sketches of user-occurrence events over time. To reduce the estimation error introduced by Bloom Filter, we model UE as a sampling method and propose methods to accurately mine a variety of user behaviors from user-occurrence events rebuilt from UE sketches. In addition, we introduce another new embedding method reversible UE (RUE) to detect persistent frequent behaviors when monitored users' IDs are not given in advance for offline analysis. We conduct extensive experiments on real-world traffic, and the results demonstrate that our methods significantly outperform state-of-the-art methods.
Possible Haemophilus influenzae colonies in cultures of sputum samples are currently identified by tests for dependence on X and V factors. This method requires further overnight culture and may give a relatively high number of false negative results. Identification of suspected H. influenzae colonies by a 5-min test for production of indole and beta-galactosidase followed by a 1-h porphyrin test was compared with tests for dependence on X and V factors. A commercially produced form of the rapid tests (Haemstrip, Lab M, Bury, Lancs) was used to test 252 potential haemophilus colonies from cultures of sputum samples on heated blood agar. Colonies that were beta-galactosidase-positive after 5 min were considered to be non-H. influenzae and those that were beta-galactosidase-negative but indole-positive were considered to be H. influenzae. At this stage the test had a sensitivity of 99.4% and a specificity of 90.9%. After 1 h, only colonies that were beta-galactosidase- and porphyrin-negative were considered to be H. influenzae, the sensitivity was then 99.5% and the specificity 100%. Similar results were found with colonies from sputum cultures on selective heated blood agar containing bacitracin. The X and V dependence and Haemstrip results were in 97.6% agreement in a double blind test. Of 100 non-haemophilus colonies tested by Haemstrip, two pseudomonads could have been identified as H. influenzae by this method. The high positive predictive value of Haemstrip results depends partly on the initial recognition of potential haemophilus colonies.
There are three regimes of gravitational-radiation-reaction-induced inspiral for a compact body with mass μ, in a circular, equatorial orbit around a Kerr black hole with mass M≫μ: (i) the adiabatic inspiral regime, in which the body gradually descends through a sequence of circular, geodesic orbits; (ii) a transition regime, near the innermost stable circular orbit (isco); (iii) the plunge regime, in which the body travels on a geodesic from slightly below the isco into the hole’s horizon. This paper gives an analytic treatment of the transition regime and shows that, with some luck, gravitational waves from the transition might be measurable by the space-based LISA mission.
The article describes the design and application of a new method for the band saw parts wear grade measurement. The introduction mentiones the individual parts of a band saw in general, and it states the current method of band pass wheels wear measurement. The nowadays measurement method analysis and innovative method design follows. The article also contains the design realization and related software description. The practical measurements data samples are present together with design benefits in the Data
The cocoa trees nutrient requirements coverage, especially in nitrogen (N), remains essential for a better growth of the seedlings. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the moderate nitrogen doses on the agronomic performance of the nursery cocoa seedlings in Togo’s forest zone. Trials were conducted in a complete randomized plot design with four replicates to identify the optimal complementary nitrogen dose helpful for better growth and nutrition of cocoa seedlings. The doses tested were 0; 0.5; 1 and 1.5 g.plant-1 of urea (46% N). The results showed that the doses of 0.5 and 1 g.plant-1 were the most likely to provide the best agronomic performance of nursery cocoa seedlings in the forest zone of Togo. However, the dose of 1 g.plant-1 was optimal for good growth and balanced nutrition of cocoa seedlings and would therefore be recommended for the management of cocoa nurseries in the area.
Portuguese Abstract: No contexto de uma serie de investigacoes acerca da realidade do abortamento inseguro no Brasil, e analisado, neste artigo, um dos inumeros casos coletados em pesquisa realizada no estado do Rio Grande do Norte. Atraves desse caso, sera possivel demonstrar os caminhos e descaminhos de mais uma trajetoria na qual fica exposta a baixa qualidade da assistencia a saude da mulher com gestacao de alto risco e a injustica social que a permeia, apesar da existencia de normativas que regulamentam a atencao humanizada a Mulher, do Ministerio da Saude. English Abstract: In the context of a series of surveys on the reality of unsafe abortion in Brazil, this article presents one case study documented during public health and human rights oriented research carried out in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. Through the Elineide case it is possible to present the personal trajectory of this woman with high risk pregnancy and the social injustice that permeates lack of access to good quality of care despite of existing regulations on humanized care of the Ministry of Health in Brazil. The professional conduct of health providers in this case reveals a pattern of care which rely on the religious beliefs and inherent sacrifices of pregnant women privileging their pregnancy continuation facing health and life risks violating their human rights.
Abstract The main requirements of the quality of products are the homogeneity of technological and service properties, the improved characteristics of strength and plasticity, endurance and brittle failure resistance. In recent years many investigations into developing the High Hydrostatic Pressure Technologies (HHPT) and equipment to meet these requirements have been carried out by scientific schools of Academicians, L. F. Vereshchagin, G. V. Kurdyumov, A. I. Tselikov and A. A. Galkin in the USSR. The physical basis of these technologies is represented by the plastic deformation effects under high pressure: material plasticization’, strain ageing2, decrease of a carbide inhomogeneity3, use of a liquid as a machining tool4 etc. HHPT are widely spread and especially promising in metallurgy as the ferrous metals account for more than 96% of the total structural material consumption in machine building, while assortment of products is about 5000 profile sizes of bars, 30 000 profile sizes of tubes, 50 000 ty...
This paper presents enhancement steps for solving the power flow of radial distribution feeder systems. The proposed correction values reduce the number of required solution iterations significantly, resulting in improving the algorithm's performance. A number of test feeder systems are used to evaluate the method in comparison with other available methods. The proposed method classifies feeder systems into two categories 1) Single line feeder systems, and 2) Lateral and Sub-Lateral feeder systems. Computational testing of different feeder systems status confirms that the proposed method succeeds as a fast, convergence-guaranteed, accurate and easy to implement technique.
Examining the breadth and depth of thirty-five years of work by Jeff Koons (b. 1955), one of the most influential and controversial artists of the 20th century, this highly anticipated volume features all of his most famous pieces. In an engaging overview essay, Scott Rothkopf carefully examines the evolution of Koons' work and his development over the past thirty-five years, offering a fresh scholarly perspective on the artist's multi-faceted career. In addition, short essays by a wide range of interdisciplinary contributors--from academics to novelists--probe provocative topics such as celebrity and media, markets and money, and technology and fabrication. Also included are preparatory sketches and plans for sculptures and paintings as well as installation photographs that shed light on Koons' artistic process and trace the development of his work throughout his landmark career. Koons has risen to international fame making art that reimagines and recontextualizes images and objects from popular culture such as vacuum cleaners, basketballs, and balloon animals. Created with painstaking attention to detail by a team of fabricators, these objects raise questions about taste and popular culture, and position Koons as one of the most lauded and criticized artists working today.
This paper reveals that mutual fund managers manipulate Morningstar star ratings by inflating their month-end portfolio values when they are likely to finish the month near rating cutoffs. This star rating manipulation is more pronounced among funds with greater incentives and abilities to pump their portfolios and manipulate star ratings. Following heightened regulatory scrutiny, portfolio pumping to manipulate star ratings has largely migrated from quarter/year-ends to less prominent month-ends. Improving star ratings, portfolio pumping increases fund flows, especially in the month of a rating upgrade. Placebo tests exploiting the June 2002 change in Morningstar rating methodology yield expected null effects.
Mutant forms of elongation factor Tu encoded by tufA8 and tufB103 in Salmonella typhimurium cause suppression of some but not all frameshift mutations. All of the suppressed mutations in S. typhimurium have frameshift windows ending in the termination codon UGA. Because both tufA8 and tufB103 are moderately efficient UGA suppressors, we asked whether the efficiency of frameshifting is influenced by the level of misreading at UGA. We introduced plasmids synthesizing either one of the release factors into strains in which the tuf mutations suppress a test frameshift mutation. We found that overproduction of release factor 2 (which catalyzes release at UGA and UAA) reduced frameshifting promoted by the tuf mutations at all sites tested. However, at one of these sites, trpE91, overproduction of release factor 1 also reduced suppression. The spontaneous level of frameshift "leakiness" at three sites in trpE, each terminating in UGA, was reduced in strains carrying the release factor 2 plasmid. We conclude that both spontaneous and suppressor-enhanced reading-frame shifts are influenced by the activity of peptide chain release factors. However, the data suggest that the effect of release factor on frameshifting does not necessarily depend on the presence of the normal triplet termination signal.
Objective  To investigate the clinical outcomes of modified digital artery island flap pedicled with metaphysis branch of the middle phalanx for repair of the middle and distal segment wounds of the same finger with the second palmar anastomotic branch injury.      Methods  From August 2014 to March 2017, 11 cases of soft tissue defects with the second palmar anastomotic branch injury were treated with modified digital artery island flap pedicled with metaphysis branch of the middle phalanx. The dorsal digital nerve of the flap was sutured to the contralateral digital nerve to restore flap sensation. The donor site was covered with free skin graft.      Results  All the flaps and skin graft survived completely. All the patients were follow-up from 6 to18 months. The flaps had good appearance and supple texture. The two-point discrimination was 7 to 11 mm. The Cold Intolerance Severity Score (CISS) ranged from 5 to 39 with an average of 21. Ten fingers had mild cold intolerance, while 1 finger had moderate cold intolerance. According to the upper extremity function evaluation criteria issued by the Hand Surgery Society of the Chinese Medical Association, the results were rated as excellent in 8 cases, good in 2 cases, and fair in 1 case.      Conclusion  The application of modified digital artery island flap pedicled with metaphysis branch of the middle phalanx is a simple method with satisfactory sensory recovery and reliable blood supply for repair of the middle and distal segment wounds of the same finger with the second palmar anastomotic branch injury.      Key words:  Finger injuries; Surgical flaps; Treatment outcome; Proper digital artery
The antiphospholipid syndrome was first described in the early 1980s. The term was first coined to describe patients presenting with recurrent arterial and venous thrombosis or pregnancy complications. Antiphospholipid syndrome was first reported in systemic lupus erythematosus patients, but later on it became obvious that systemic lupus erythematosus is not a necessary condition for its occurrence. It has been shown that antibodies to phospholipids are the main causative agents of the disease, hence its name. The diagnosis of the disease has witnessed a remarkable evolution over the course of the past 25 years. With the observation that clinical parameters would not be enough to accurately diagnose the disease, antiphospholipid antibodies were recognized to play a central role in this regard. The main hindrance to an accurate diagnosis was the lack of standardization between different laboratory parameters that tested for the antiphospholipid antibodies. Lately, a combination of tests has been acknowledged to play a crucial role in diagnosis.
At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) there is a more to switch from reliance on rules to an expanded reliance on market forces, as evidenced by the facilities recharge program. This paper moves beyond the market/rule debate to argue that new approaches to project management are required. Managers at all levels in the LANL face contending demands as they are caught between immediate concerns and long term consequences, keeping track of the big picture and looking after the details. Management techniques appropriate for simple certain projects will be of limited value on complex uncertain projects built on tight schedules--no matter how market and rules are balanced in the larger organization. Thus the degree of complexity, uncertainty, and duration, should shape the choice of project management approaches. Single dimension simple buzz word solutions will do little good and may cause harm. This report reviews current situation and efforts underway to improve performance are reviewed. These efforts are shown to be useful but incomplete as significant improvement will both require altering and expanding how managers and the management system respond to contending demands.
This report describes an action-research project which contributed to mobilizing a community to respond to homelessness in a large Southern California city. The project involved collaboration among a city-sponsored Task Force, a grass-roots coalition, and a university. The project core was a needs assessment which served as a basis for advocacy by the Task Force and a coalition of service providers and citizens. Empirical findings are reported along with political impacts including the ultimate fate of recommendations adopted by city government. An analysis of factors constraining policies relating to homelessness at the level of mid-size municipalities suggests that advocacy strategies must link local efforts with regional, state, and/or national levels to be effective. This conclusion, if valid and general, has significant implications for the theory and practice of community psychology.
The purpose — is to assess the opinion of medical personnel about vaccination. Material and methods. Microsoft Excel 2010 and Openapi online calculator were used to analyze the results of questioning medical personnel about the role and necessity of immunoprophylaxis of infectious diseases. Results. A positive attitude to vaccination was recorded in 80% (95% CI 66,7–93,3%) of respondents. The majority of medical personnel — 87% (95% CI 81,3–92,7%) heard negative feedback about vaccinations from the population. Medical personnel are more likely to choose free of charge vaccinations — 82% (95% CI 75,5–88,5%), based on their availability, reliability and a high level of control. The majority of respondents — 96% (95% CI 92,7–99,3%) noted a high level of education on immunization issues. However, doctors are statistically significantly more likely to consider vaccination a necessary preventive measure than nursing staff (criterion χ2 = 19,35; df = 1; p = 0,00001090). Regarding the vaccine against the new coronavirus infection COVID-19, the majority — 60 people (43,5%) (95% CI 35,2–51,8%) of medical professionals have not yet decided whether they will be vaccinated or not. Conclusion. The study results demonstrated the proper level of immunization of medical personnel and their positive attitude to vaccination in general. However, frequent negative reviews of the population indicate the need for information work among the population about the purpose and importance of vaccination in the society.
The general objective of this article is to contextualize Psychodrama in the online psychotherapeutic intervention model, and the specific objective is to demonstrate the viability of online psychodramatic care with adults from the description of sociatric sessions through this modality. The psychodramatic resources used in the highlighted sociatric sessions are Dramatic Games, Internal Psychodrama, Relationship Psychotherapy and Bipersonal Psychodrama with dramatization in an open scene. The results obtained confirm that Psychodrama breaks the need for face-to-face psychotherapy for sociatrics to occur, opening space for new paths.
An in situ method to determine the specific activity in concrete structures using a survey meter was established in this study for decommissioning accelerator rooms. This method is much simpler than the conventional sampling method that requires core boring. A survey meter (T-SP2, TAC Inc., Japan) was customised and equipped with a small detector probe, whose size allowed the design of a light-weight Pb shield. For dose rate measurement, a Pb shield thickness of 4.5 cm was enough to shield ambient γ-rays, and its weight (16 kg) was low enough for the device to be carried by a human. A calibration curve was obtained to quickly and easily convert the net contact dose rate on concrete into the specific activity in a PET cyclotron room. The specific activity detection limit for this device was lower than the clearance limit of 152Eu and 60Co in activated materials. Therefore, this method can be used for separating nonactivated concrete from activated concrete during decommissioning. A general correction factor for the slope of the calibration curve was also obtained for use at other accelerator facilities.
Combining a femtosecond laser optical frequency comb (OFC) with the high quality factor (Q) available in optical cavities allows for the realization of microwave signals with phase noise properties surpassing state-of-the-art microwave oscillators. Optical Fabry-Perot (FP) resonators can have Q values exceeding 1011, much greater than room temperature microwave dielectric resonator oscillators (DRO) at ∼105, and even exceeding that of cryogenic DROs at ∼109. When an optical frequency comb is phase locked to an optical reference, the comb can be thought of as a high fidelity frequency divider, transferring the stability of the optical reference to the microwave domain [1–3]. With this division in frequency comes a division in phase noise, thus an optical reference with a fractional frequency stability of ∼4·10−16 (and assuming flicker FM) can ideally generate a 10 GHz signal with phase noise of ∼−110 f−3 dBc/Hz. At 1 Hz offset from the carrier, this represents a 40 dB improvement over the best room temperature 10 GHz microwave oscillators [4], and is below what has been demonstrated with cryogenic 10 GHz oscillators [5]. Work with Er:fiber-based frequency combs has shown a residual phase noise in optical-to-microwave conversion ∼−118 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz offset from a 11.55 GHz carrier [2]. Recently, we demonstrated absolute phase noise below −104 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz offset from a 10 GHz carrier by comparing two independent systems that employ 1 GHz mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser combs [3]. To our knowledge, this represents the lowest close-to-carrier phase noise yet reported on a 10 GHz source. A schematic of the microwave generation architecture is shown in Fig. 1(a) and data are presented in Fig. 1(b).
The Heihe Watershed Allied Telemetry Experimental Research (HiWATER) is a significant research project that performs airborne, satellite-borne and ground based remote sensing experiments at various scales by coordinating interdisciplinary researchers from different institutions and projects. Therefore, in order to discover, access and process sensors within the heterogeneous systems, we use the Sensor Model Language (Sensor ML) to model these sensors and sensor systems in the stations, and use Sensor Observation Service (SOS) to display the sensor information and observation data information. In this paper, we firstly introduce the Sensor ML and SOS, then mainly present a model of sensor station and the application of this model in SOS.
The Immunotoxicology Technical Committee of HESI sponsored a retrospective analysis of T-cell-dependent antibody responses in non-human primates (NHP). Antibody responses to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), tetanus toxoid (TT), and/or sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in 178 NHP (from 8 sponsors, 13 testing sites, 30 studies) were statistically analyzed. Rates of positive or negative anti-KLH, -TT, and -SRBC primary and secondary IgM and IgG responses were compared. The influence of gender, country of origin, and previous immunization with a different antigen on response rate and kinetics of anti-KLH and anti-TT responses were analyzed. In addition, the magnitude of the antibody responses and the impact of the above-mentioned factors were analyzed. In addition, based upon the inter-individual variability of the peak response values, power calculations were conducted. The analysis demonstrated that the rates of positive responses were similar between the two genders, were high for KLH, SRBC, and TT challenges by 21 days following immunization (87, 100, and 84%, respectively, for IgGs) and did not include statistically significant differences based on NHP country of origin. Mean peak secondary responses were greater than peak primary responses; the magnitude of the response to KLH was increased by incomplete Freund’s adjuvant (IFA). Gender had little effect on the magnitude and variability of these responses. KLH and TT were associated with similar inter-animal variability, whereas in some situations KLH responses were less variable than responses to SRBC. The data suggested that inter-animal variability with KLH was similar with or without IFA. Power analysis illustrated that animal group sizes of typical standard toxicology studies (generally ≤ 4/sex) are likely to detect only fairly large treatment effects. However, combining males and females, when appropriate, will improve the power: an N of 8 to 12 could detect ≤ 3.1-fold differences in anti-KLH IgG responses.
In 1966,Mao unleashed the Cultural Revolution to eliminate his enemies and reshape relations within the party. Unlike the standard Chinese Communist Party purges that took place entirely within the rarified air of the party itself, in the Cultural Revolution, the driving forces of the cleanup— Red Guards and revolutionary workers—were outside the party. Mao sought tomobilize themasses to discover and attackwhat he called bourgeois and capitalist elements who had insinuated themselves into the party and, in his view, were trying to subvert the revolution.1 The Cultural Revolution is generally considered to have begun in 1966 when the Politburo issued Mao’s so-called May 16th Notice. Widely called the first official document of the Cultural Revolution, it is described in a chronology of important events in the history of the Communist Party in Tibet:
In software verification, it is often required to prove statements about heterogeneous domains containing elements of various sorts, such as counters, stacks, lists, trees and queues. Any domain with counters, stacks, lists, and trees (but not queues) can be easily seen as a special case of the term algebra, and hence a decision procedure for term algebras can be applied to decide the first-order theory of such a domain. We present a quantifier-elimination procedure for the first-order theory of term algebras extended with queues. The complete axiomatization and decidability of this theory can be immediately derived from the procedure.
The localization and dispersion quality of as received NH2 terminated multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWNT-I) and ethylene diamine (EDA) functionalized MWNTs in melt mixed blends of polycarbonate (PC) and poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) (SAN) were assessed in this study using rheo-electrical and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding measurements. In order to improve the dispersion quality and also to selectively localize MWNTs in the PC phase of the blends, EDA was grafted onto MWNTs by two different strategies like diazonium reaction of the para-substituted benzene ring of MWNTs with EDA (referred to as MWNT-II) and acylation of carboxyl functionalized MWNTs with thionyl chloride (referred to as MWNT-III). By this approach we could systematically vary the concentration of NH2 functional groups on the surface of MWNTs at a fixed concentration (1 wt%) in PC/SAN blends. XPS was carried to evaluate the % concentration of N in different MWNTs and was observed to be highest for MWNT-III manifesting in a large surface coverage of EDA on the surface of MWNTs. Viscoelastic properties and melt electrical conductivities were measured to assess the dispersion quality of MWNTs using a rheo-electrical set-up both in the quiescent as well as under steady shear conditions. Rheological properties revealed chain scission of PC in the presence of MWNT-III which is due to specific interactions between EDA and PC leading to smaller PC grafts on the surface of MWNTs. The observed viscoelastic properties in the blends were further correlated with the phase morphologies under quiescent and annealed conditions. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness in X and Ku-band frequencies were measured to explore these composites for EMI shielding applications. Interestingly, MWNT-II showed the highest electrical conductivity and EMI shielding in the blends.
Naturally processed peptides, bound to HLA-A2, A68, B40 molecules, were isolated from a c-myc transfected lymphoblastoid B cell lines for sequence analysis. Forty-three sequences of bound peptides could be grouped into three structural motifs. One of the peptide sequences obtained, SLLPAIVEL, was identical to a previously reported peptide bound to HLA-A2.1 and was used for grouping HLA-A2-bound peptides. A second motif, identical to that previously reported for HLA-A68-bound peptides, was also observed. A distinct third motif, consistent with the structure of the HLA-B40 "45 pocket," was observed. The peptides within this group contained glutamate in position 2, usually followed by a hydrophobic residue in positions 3 and 9. Within this motif group of peptides bound to MHC class I molecules, one peptide, HEETPPTTS, was 100% homologous to residues 243-251 of the c-myc protein.
Resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy is a common event among cancer patients and a reason why new cancer therapies and therapeutic strategies need to be in continuous investigation and development. DNA damage response (DDR) comprises several pathways that eliminate DNA damage to maintain genomic stability and integrity, but different types of cancers are associated with DDR machinery defects. Many improvements have been made in recent years, providing several drugs and therapeutic strategies for cancer patients, including those targeting the DDR pathways. Currently, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARP inhibitors) are the DDR inhibitors (DDRi) approved for several cancers, including breast, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. However, PARPi resistance is a growing issue in clinical settings that increases disease relapse and aggravate patients’ prognosis. Additionally, resistance to other DDRi is also being found and investigated. The resistance mechanisms to DDRi include reversion mutations, epigenetic modification, stabilization of the replication fork, and increased drug efflux. This review highlights the DDR pathways in cancer therapy, its role in the resistance to conventional treatments, and its exploitation for anticancer treatment. Biomarkers of treatment response, combination strategies with other anticancer agents, resistance mechanisms, and liabilities of treatment with DDR inhibitors are also discussed.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that in vitro assays for estrogen receptor (ER)- and androgen receptor (AR)-mediated actions be included in a Tier-I screening battery to detect hormonally active chemicals. Herein we describe the development of a novel stable cell line, MDA-kb2, for screening of androgen agonist and antagonists and to characterize its specificity and sensitivity to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-453, was stably transformed with the MMTV.luciferase.neo reporter gene construct. Since both GR and AR are present in the MDA-MB-453 cells, and both receptors can act through the MMTV promoter, compounds that act through either AR or GR activate the MMTV luciferase reporter. As expected, AR agonists such as dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and GR agonists such as dexamethasone (DEX), corticosterone, and aldosterone induce luciferase expression at appropriate concentrations. DHT consistently produced 3-9-fold induction at concentrations from 0.1 to 10 nM. At 1 to 1000 nM, DEX induced luciferase activity 1.3-19.5-fold. To distinguish AR- from GR-mediated ligands, chemicals were assayed concurrently with the antiandrogen, hydroxyflutamide (OHF), which blocks AR- but not GR-mediated responses. In addition, known AR antagonists, including hydroxyflutamide, vinclozolin, vinclozolin metabolites M1 and M2, p,p'-DDE, and linuron inhibited DHT-induced luciferase gene expression at appropriate concentrations in this system. We have found that these cells are relatively easy to culture and maintain. Responsiveness was monitored over time and was stable for more than 80 passages. Some advantages of this assay are that it is relatively rapid (2 days), eliminates the need for transfection, can be conducted in a 96-well plate format, and produces consistent reproducible results. In summary, we have developed a cell line that can be used to screen chemicals, not just for AR- but for GR-mediated activities as well.
This paper considers the ‘market failures’ that can block standardisation and recommends actions to overcome these barriers and so ensure greater realisation of the efficiency and risk-reduction benefits of standardisation in global financial markets. It first reviews the economic benefits of standardisation and the ‘market failures’ (lack of co-ordination and vested interests) can prevent these being achieved. It then looks at standard setting institutions in a range of industries (engineering, the global supply chain, the internet) developed to overcome these market failures, comparing these with the relatively underdeveloped institutions of standards development in financial services. It goes on to examine the development of both transaction and data reference standards in financial markets, finding that much remains to be done, especially on data reference standards where the limited progress to date has relied largely on regulatory mandate. Finally it recommends three practical actions to improve standardisation in global financial markets: (i) Promotion of discussion and dialogue across industry; (ii) engagement of senior management in the task of building cross industry support for both standardisation and standards institutions; and (iii) renewed effort, by researchers and practitioners, on identifying specific opportunities for using standardisation to promote business efficiency and improve market transparency.
This paper is concerned with the propagation of plane harmonic waves of small amplitude in a heat-conducting elastic body of unrestricted symmetry that is not stress free in its undisturbed state. The novelty of the treatment given here consists first in a derivation of the secular equation in a form that makes transparent the association of low- and high-frequency behavior with isentropic and isothermal conditions, and second in the introduction of a multivalent modal function whose regular branches determine the complex slownesses of the possible modes of wave propagation in a given direction. The development of a general analysis of harmonic waves on this basis yields a natural classification of the modes and leads, via a standard result in the theory of algebraic functions, to series representations of modal properties that are valid near the extremes of the frequency range. Attention is subsequently directed to situations in which simplified features of the kind displayed by thermoelastic waves in an...
Summary The macroscopic solidification structures developed in the weld metal of aluminium alloys are generally columnar crystals and equiaxed dendrites. The development of these macrostructures depends on the welding conditions. Feathery crystals are sometimes developed during low-speed GTA (TIG) welding. This paper describes an investigation of the characteristics of feathery crystals by scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SAM enables structures to be observed without etching. The growth features of feathery crystals are clarified by observations made normal and parallel to the welding direction. Measurements of the velocity of the elastic surface wave of feathery crystals by SAM with an anisotropic acoustic lens show the velocity to be around 100 m/sec faster parallel to the welding direction than normal to it, confirming that the feathery crystals are acoustically anisotropic. Feathery crystals are also observed in electron beam welds by SAM, although it is n...
We show how to perform systematically improvable variational calculations in the O(2N) Gross–Neveu model for generic N, in such a way that all infinities usually plaguing such calculations are accounted for in a way compatible with the perturbative renormalization group. The final point is a general framework for the calculation of nonperturbative quantities like condensates, masses, etc., in an asymptotically free field theory. For the Gross–Neveu model, the numerical results obtained from a "two-loop" variational calculation are in a very good agreement with exact quantities down to low values of N.
Paper Spray (PS) ionization has been demonstrated extensively for rapid quantitation of pharmaceuticals in dried matrix spots. In this study, experimental and validation parameters of paper spray mass spectrometry were explored. Firstly, the effect on analyte signal response by angular positioning of the paper/spray tip to the mass spectrometer (MS) inlet was studied and found that, the analyte signal response depends on the flow rate of the paper substrate, when the spray tip is positioned in angle to the MS inlet. Secondly, the extent of carryover on the PS system due to the reuse of the paper substrate metal clip holder was evaluated and found to be compound dependent and could be minimal for some compounds even when the metal clip holder is reused. Thirdly, the blood matrix effects in different paper substrates on analyte signal was evaluated and found that, in the absence/presence of a matrix, the absolute signal response/suppression of the analytes varied significantly among the papers. Moreover, the precision value of standard line slopes constructed in six different lots of rat blood was 2.2%, less than the cut-off value of <3–4%, indicating matrix effects in PS-MS could be effectively controlled by the use of a stable isotope labelled internal standard. Finally, a storage effect study on analyte elution from dried blood spots (DBS) showed that DBS storage could impact both analyte extraction and detection sensitivity; hence, pre-moistening of the dried spots with spray solvent prior to MS analysis could minimize this effect on analyte signal response.
Different ways to improve the energy efficiency of electric drives of cold pilgering mill are considered. Mathematical modeling methods represent studies according to which it is possible to evaluate quantitatively the energy savings. For example, cold pilgering mill 450 shows the mean square of the armature current of the main drive motor related to critical frequency of the speed loop. The possibility of energy saving by previous field weakening of the motor before the operating cycle of rolling is considered. The optimal energy saving points of supply and termination of the pulse are determined by the field weakening. The correlation of the parameters of the dynamic units and the change of the electric drive work schedule provides the greatest loss reduction in the main drive of the cold pilgering mill stand based on the conditions. Activities aimed at improving energy efficiency of electric drives of mills of this group are reviewed, which reduces the electric energy consumption for the cycle rolling by 20-25 %.
This analysis discusses the sexual objectification of the Tunisian woman in the drama Of Skin and Men by director Mehdi Ben Attia. The film deals with the position of women in Tunisian society and offers an insight into the everyday life of the protagonist. In recent years, there have already been some academic discussions on feminist theories and publications on gender-based violence in the MENA region. For this reason, the portrayal of women as the weaker sex should be considered from a media studies perspective. In this work it is argued that the protagonist is exposed to the sexual objectification, power and violence of the Tunisian man.
Over the last few years, with the increasing worldwide competition, semiconductor industries have had to constantly innovate in order to enhance their performance, productivity and minimize the downtime. Monitoring the state of health of their equipment units is important to avoid machine failures and to plan maintenance actions. For that, a novel approach for health indicator extraction named Significant Points combined to the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (SP-LASSO) is proposed in this paper. It deals with the problem of high dimensional data and the specificity of the health indicator in real industrial cases. The proposed method performs feature selection and health indicator extraction and it is mainly based on LASSO. A numerical application on simulated data illustrates the accuracy of this approach.
diaspora. This collection, then, has roots in the same soil as the Hebrew benedictions, but also stands over against it theologically. The prayers are not just Greek versions of the Hebrew benedictions, but have also adopted Greek philosophical conceptions. They are in short the liturgical equivalent of Philo. Bousset in 1916 began the investigation of the sources of the AC. He pointed out thoughts or expressions in the prayers of 7.33-39; 8.5-6, 9, 12, 15, 37-39, and 41 which were Jewish or
We present the case of a 68‐year‐old man with a cardiac resynchronization therapy‐defibrillator Medtronic device implanted 3 years ago, admitted to our hospital due to a wide complex tachycardia with unexpected pacing spikes inside QRS complexes. Although that could be easily attributed to ventricular undersensing, more complicated mechanisms are involved, including the origin of the tachycardia, the parameters of the device, and the position of the device and the leads.
We report elastic integral, differential and momentum transfer cross sections for low-energy electron collisions with the two isomers of C4H10, butane and isobutane. We employ the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials at the static-exchange-polarization approximation, and cover energies from 1 eV to 20 eV. We investigate the influence of polarization on the isomer effect comparing the cross sections of these isomers and concluded that polarization has a small influence in that effect. We also compare our computed elastic cross sections with available total cross sections. Total ionization cross sections by electron impact are computed using the binary-encounter-Bethe (BEB) model and the results compared with available experimental data. The ionization cross sections for butane and isobutane are similar, showing that they also have a small isomer effect in the ionization process.
This paper presents a multiagent-based approach of an evolutionary and spatial version of the Ultimatum Game interpreted as Game of Social Exchange Processes, where the agents organized in a complex network evolve their exchange strategies considering their possibly different social preferences. We analyze the possibility of the emergence of the equilibrium/fairness behavior when the agents, trying to maximize their social preference-based utility functions, increase the number of successful interactions. We consider an incomplete information game, since the agents do not have information about the other agents' exchange strategies. For the strategy learning process, a genetic algorithm is used, where the agents aiming at the self-regulation of the exchanges allowed by the game, balance individual and collective goals expressed by their social preferences. We also analyze a second type of scenario, considering an influence politics, when the average of the offer and reserve values of all agents adopting the same social preference form becomes public in a single simulation step, and the agents of the same network, have been influenced by that, imitate those values. At the same time, the network topology is modified, representing some kind of mobility, in order to analyze if the results are dependent on the neighborhood. The model was implemented in Net Logo.
High-level expression of the Tn10 tetracycline resistance protein TetA in Escherichia coli caused partial collapse of the membrane potential, arrest of growth, and killing of the cells. Since alpha-methylglucoside transport was not affected, the overproduced TetA protein may cause not destruction of membrane structure but rather unrestricted translocation of protons and/or ions across the membrane.
A very sensitive electrochemical sensor constructed of a glassy carbon electrode modified with a layer-by-layer MWCNT/doped-overoxidized polypyrrole (oppy/MWCNT /GCE) was used for the determination of acetaminophen (AC) in the presence of codeine and ascorbic acid (AA). In comparison to the bare glassy carbon electrode, a considerable shift in the peak potential together with an increase in the peak current was observed for AC on the surface of oppy/MWCNT/GCE, which can be related to the enlarged microscopic surface area of the electrode. The effect of the experimental conditions on the electrode response, such as types of counter ion, pyrrole and counter ion concentration, potential and number of cycles in the polymerization procedure, amount of MWCNT, and the pH, were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curve was obtained over two concentration ranges of 2 × 10−7–6 × 10−6 M and 4 × 10−5–1 × 10−4 M of AC with a linear correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.9959 and 0.9947, respectively. The estimated detection limit (3σ) for AC was obtained as 5 × 10−8 M. The developed method was successfully applied to analyze the pharmaceutical preparations of AC, and a recovery of 95% with a relative standard deviation of 0.98% was obtained for AC.
BACKGROUND Some elderly patients can be successfully treated in hospitals with lengths of stay (LOS) shorter than the norms developed by the diagnosis-related groups. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that elderly patients with short LOS after hip fracture have characteristics that can be identified shortly after hospital admission.   METHODS A retrospective chart review was performed of 216 patients over age 55 discharged alive from a university hospital after hip fracture. Demographic, medical, and functional data available within 48 hours of admission were used to develop an algorithm to identify patients eligible for early discharge. A prospective study of an additional 33 patients was undertaken to test this algorithm and to examine the predictive value of additional functional and psychosocial information not routinely recorded in the chart.   RESULTS Retrospective chart review identified 4 predictors of short LOS in multivariate analysis: age less than 75, admission from a nursing home, normality of admission laboratory results, and "no surgery or surgery by day three." These variables explain 25% of the total variation of LOS. In our prospective study the variable "day of surgery" had the greatest variance explanation (30.5%) in multivariate analysis. A model including day of surgery and the presence of dementia explained 42.5% of the variance of LOS.   CONCLUSION Short LOS can be predicted within 48 hours of admission utilizing data that measure severity of illness, functional status, and available support. The development of algorithms to identify patients eligible for early discharge would be beneficial to care managers.
Abstract Among patients hospitalized for novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), between 10 and 14% develop an acute kidney injury and around half display marked proteinuria and haematuria. Post-mortem analyses of COVID-19 kidney tissue suggest that renal tubular cells and podocytes are affected. Here we report two cases of collapsing glomerulopathy and tubulointerstitial lesions in living COVID-19 patients. Despite our use of sensitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction techniques in this study, we failed to detect the virus in blood, urine and kidney tissues. Our observations suggest that these kidney lesions are probably not due to direct infection of the kidney by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Application of cooperative model type think-pair- share using concept maps can increase teacher’s activity, students’ activities and learning outcomes.The result of the study showed that  the  application  of  that  cooperative  model  can  improve  teacher’s  activities.  The average of the increasing at each cycle are the first cycle  3.3, the second cycle 3.5, and the third cycle 3.6 and the increase in the implementation of student activities at each cycle is the first cycle 3, the second cycle 3.2, and the third cycle 3.5. Improvement of student learning outcomes as follows pretest 67.5, the first cycle 86, second cycle 88, and the third cycle 93. Students' response toward the application of cooperative learning model type think-pair-share using concept map learning strategy on worksheet of service enterprise is very positive. The constraint that appeared in this research was about lower student self confidence in making an idea. It can be inferred, the student’s learning outcome in the subject of accounting worksheet in service enterprise can be increased by applying cooperative learning model with think-pair-share type and concept map strategy.
In this paper we are concerned with the two-stage contact process introduced in  cite{Krone1999} on a high-dimensional lattice. By comparing this process with an auxiliary model which is a linear system, we obtain two limit theorems for this process as the dimension of the lattice grows to infinity. The first theorem is about the upper invariant measure of the process. The second theorem is about asymptotic behavior of the critical value of the process. These two theorems can be considered as extensions of their counterparts for the basic contact processes proved in  cite{Grif1983} and  cite{Schonmann1986}.
AbstractTo determine whether a consumption-oriented fishery was compatible with a trophy-oriented fishery for Muskellunge Esox masquinongy, we modeled effects of a spearing fishery and recreational angling fishery on population size structure (i.e., numbers of fish ≥ 102, 114, and 127 cm) in northern Wisconsin. An individual-based simulation model was used to quantify the effect of harvest mortality at currently observed levels of recreational angling and tribal spearing fishery exploitation, along with simulated increases in exploitation, for three typical growth potentials (i.e., low, moderate, and high) of Muskellunge in northern Wisconsin across a variety of minimum length limits (i.e., 71, 102, 114, and 127 cm). Populations with moderate to high growth potential and minimum length limits ≥ 114 cm were predicted to have lower declines in numbers of trophy Muskellunge when subjected to angling-only and mixed fisheries at observed and increased levels of exploitation, which suggested that fisheries with...
We have performed electrical resistivity measurements of EuFe2As2 under hydrostatic pressures (P) up to 3.2 GPa and magnetic fields up to 15 T. In zero field, the superconducting (SC) ground state with a sharp transition to zero resistivity, indicative of bulk superconductivity, emerges at Tc ~ 30 K in a pressure range from 2.5 GPa to ~ 3.0 GPa. Under applied field of 15 T, the SC transition is suppressed to lower temperatures with increasing pressure, suggesting that the application of pressure reduces the upper critical field Bc2 for the P-induced superconductivity. Meanwhile, the antiferromagnetic (AF) order of the Eu2+ moments survives up to 3.2 GPa, the highest pressure in the experiments, with no significant change in the AF ordering temperature and the magnetic field effect.
Isoflavones are soy phytoestrogens that potentially exert various favorable effects in postmenopausal women, for example, alleviating vasomotor episodes, attenuating bone loss, and stimulating vaginal epithelial maturation. There has, however, been lack of consensus regarding those therapeutic effects. Most clinical studies of isoflavones have been conducted with women who had undergone natural menopause, but not those who had undergone surgical menopause. This study reports on a 51-year-old woman who presented with severe vasomotor episodes after undergoing a hysterectomy and a bilateral oophorectomy due to hypermenorrhea secondary to myoma uteri. She refused hormone therapy due to fear of adverse drug reactions so was treated with oral soy isoflavones (two capsules twice daily, equivalent to at least 100 mg daily dose) for 8 weeks. The number and severity of hot flushes and her menopause-specific quality of life dramatically improved from baseline values. The serum bone resorption marker (beta C-telopeptide) decreased markedly, while vaginal epithelial maturation improved slightly, suggesting the potential of isoflavones in attenuating bone loss and stimulating vaginal maturation. The intervention did not adversely affect the hormonal profile (FSH, LH, and estradiol) and liver or renal functions. Thus, isoflavones could be an option for women experiencing severe vasomotor episodes after surgical menopause.
The writer successfully obtained brazed Cu-Al joint by using vacuum brazing method, and also conducted an analysis for the microstructure morphology of the joint. The result shows that: The interface of the brazed Cu-Al joint includes three parts---the transition area on the Cu side, the central brazing seam area and the transition area on the Al side. Formed between the brazing seam area and the Cu substrate are the Cu3Al2 and CuAl2 layers, and the average width of the transition area of Cu3Al2 is 12 μm while that of CuAl2 8 μm. The brazing seam area is mainly composed of α-Al solid solution, Cu3Al2 and CuAl2 metal compounds, in addition, the ε-Cu15Si4 phase, the Al-Si phase and CuZn2 phase are also formed. These phases present themselves in the state of acicular compounds, which are dispersed in the brazing seam area.
The ion association constants KA=[M+A-]/[M+][A-] which have been measured conductimetrically at 105 7 °C in acetic acid are : perchloric acid 0.0644 X 106, sodium perchlorate 0.1346 x 106, and sodium acetate 0.752 x 106. The parameters 6, centre to centre distance between the ions at contact, which were calculated from Bjerrum's formula, are : perchloric acid 4.52 Ǻ, sodium perchlorate 4.20 Ǻ, and sodium acetate 3.61 Ǻ. The autoprotolysis constant, K = [H2+ Ac][Ac-]= 1.17 x 10-19, was calculated from the specific conductivity of acetic acid at 105.7 °C. The acetic acidium acetate ion pairs were calculated to be 100.0% dissociated.
SUMMARY The aims were to assess the prevalence of HIV infection among young adult heroin users, including injecting heroin users (IHUs) and non-injecting heroin users (NIHUs), and to explore the differences by gender and other factors. The design was a cross-sectional cohort study between April 2001 and December 2003, which included 961 current heroin users (HU), aged 18–30 years: 422 in Madrid, 351 in Barcelona and 188 in Seville; 621 were IHUs and 340 were NIHUs. All were street-recruited by chain referral methods. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a structured questionnaire with computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI). Samples for HIV testing (dried blood spot) were collected and tested with ELISA and Western Blot. Bivariate, logistic regression, and classification and regression tree analyses were performed. The overall prevalence of HIV infection among IHUs was 25·8% (95% CI 22·3–29·3) [32·4% (95% CI 26·6–38·1) in Madrid, 20·5% (95% CI 15·6–25·4) in Barcelona, and 20·6% (95% CI 9·8–31·4) in Seville], whereas in NIHUs it was 4·0% (95% CI 2·1–6·7), with no differences among cities. The prevalence was significantly higher in women than in men in NIHUs (10·9%, 95% CI 4·3–17·5 vs. 1·7%, 95% CI 0·5–4·2) and was non-significantly higher in IHUs (30·4%, 95% CI 23·0–37·8 vs. 24·1%, 95% CI 20·1–28·1). HIV prevalence in short-term IHUs was 12·9% (CI 8·8–17·02), with no differences among cities. In the logistic analysis, the variables associated with infection in IHUs were ever having injected with used syringes (OR 3·4, 95% CI 2·2–5·3), ever having been in prison (OR 2·6, 95% CI 1·6–4·0), and heroin as the first drug injected at least weekly (OR 2·3, 95% CI 1·1–4·5). Factors positively associated with HIV infection in NIHUs were female sex (OR 8·7, 95% CI 2·6–29·2) and age >25 years (OR 3·1, 95% CI 0·9–11·1), while primary educational level was inversely associated (OR 0·26, 95% CI 0·1–0·9). Although there are important geographic differences, HIV prevalence in IHUs remains high, even in short-term IHUs, whereas it was almost six times lower in NIHUs. The prevalence in women is higher than in men, particularly among NIHUs. A wide range of preventive strategies should be developed, aimed primarily at empowering women to negotiate safe sex.
AU: PLEASE CONFIRM CHANGES MADE IN THE BYLINE.White polymer light-emitting diodes (WPLEDs) with the Commission Internationale de l’Enclairage coordinates of (0.32, 0.34) are demonstrated with poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-2,7-diyl) as host and poly(5-methoxy-2-(2′-ethyl-hexylthio)-p-phenylenevinylene) as guest. Blends of poly[N,N′-bis(4-butylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)benzidine] (poly-TPD) and poly(N-vinyl-carbazole) (PVK) are introduced into bilayer devices as hole-transporting layers (HTLs). Because the blends combined the hole-injection and hole-transporting capabilities of poly-TPD with electron-blocking capability of PVK, WPLEDs with the blends as HTLs exhibit enhanced performance in comparison with single-layer device and bilayer devices with pure poly-TPD or pure PVK as HTL. With a 1:1 weight ratio of poly-TPD to PVK in the blend, the WPLED achieves a maximum brightness of ∼5000cd∕m2 with a maximum electroluminescent efficiency of 3.15cd∕A.
This paper reports on research into key American founding documents. Researched information is used to develop a graphic structured analysis model. The model depicts the top-level operations concept for the American system of governance as chartered, starting with the detailed development process and content of America's charter. The analysis clarifies key roles in the American social system, and portrays the mandated continuing implementation of the charter to maintain valid governance.
The mechanical properties of superalloys are strongly governed by the resistance to shearing of ordered precipitates by dislocations. In the operating environments of superalloys, the stresses and temperatures present during thermomechanical loading influence the dislocation shearing dynamics, which involve diffusion and segregation processes that result in a diverse array of planar defects in the ordered L12 γ′ precipitate phase. This review discusses the current understanding of high-temperature deformation mechanisms of γ′ precipitates in two-phase Ni-, Co-, and CoNi-base superalloys. The sensitivity of planar fault energies to chemical composition results in a variety of unique deformation mechanisms, and methods to determine fault energies are therefore reviewed. The degree of chemical segregation in the vicinity of planar defects reveals an apparent phase transformation within the parent γ′ phase. The kinetics of segregation to linear and planar defects play a significant role in high-temperature properties. Understanding and controlling fault energies and the associated dislocation dynamics provide a new pathway for the design of superalloys with exceptional properties.
A sparse-imaging-based methodology for the clutter suppression and refocusing of multiple slow-moving targets (MT) in passive bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is proposed in this paper. The defocused regions of MTs in the bistatic imagery are utilized here. A joint radar projection operator for the static and moving objects is formulated and employed to construct a source separation problem. The Lp norm and square difference maximization constraint are utilized to promote the separation of MT data and the suppression of clutter. After the joint sparse processing, static-scene imagery and MT imagery can be derived simultaneously. Finally, numerical simulations can verify the validity of the proposed methodology.
Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is a kind of organic–inorganic hybrid nanoparticle. This paper introduces the research progress of different kind of POSS organic–inorganic hybrid nanoparticles applied to lithium-ion batteries, fuel batteries, and supercapacitors by researchers on mechanical properties, thermal properties and electrochemistry properties. The results showed that the ionic conductivity of POSS/Li-ion solid polymer electrolyte reached 3.26×10−4S/cm and mechanical properties were commendable. The proton conductivity of POSS hybrid proton exchange membranes came to the level of 6.46×10−2S/cm and the mechanical strength was 18MPa with less content of POSS. With the inorganic core of POSS, smaller and more uniform multi-pore electrode materials offer a new idea on the fabrication of supercapacitor electrode materials.
Estimates of the potential‐energy curves for the interaction of ground‐state alkali metal atoms have been obtained from available spectroscopic data and a semi‐empirical scaling procedure. From these curves the transport collision integrals for monatomic alkali‐metal vapors have been calculated over the temperature range 1000° to 10 000°K. Collision integrals for the diffusion of alkali‐metal ions through their parent monatomic vapors have been calculated over the same range from estimates of the charge‐exchange cross sections, obtained by a scaling procedure based on the experimental measurements for cesium. Comparison with limited existing experimental data on second virial coefficients, viscosities, thermal conductivities, and charge exchange has been made, and the collision integrals estimated to be uncertain by about 25%.
This study investigates the use of social media by the Library and Information Science students in the universities in Kerala. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from a representative sample of 132 students. Data were analyzed with Microsoft Excel and SPSS. The analysis revealed that a large majority of the students use social media mainly for the purpose of entertainment. Wikis and social networking sites are the most widely used social media applications by the students. A large majority of the students use WhatsApp and Facebook. They use laptops and mobile phones very frequently to access social media. There is no statistically significant association between the gender and the purpose of use of social media by the students. Majority of the students indicated concerns of privacy and data security. Friend requests from unknown persons is the major issue faced by students. This article attempts to highlight the importance of the use of social media by the Library and Information Science students in the universities in Kerala.
Reconstituted infant formulae are excellent growth media for Cronobacter spp. (formerly Enterobacter sakazakii) and other microorganisms that may be present in such products. Immediate consumption or rapid cooling and storage at a low temperature are therefore recommended as control measures to prevent microbial growth. Placing a container filled with reconstituted liquid formula in the refrigerator, however, does not mean that the temperature of the liquid is directly the same as the set-point of the refrigerator. This study describes the temperature profiles and methods to predict lag time and possible growth of Cronobacter spp. during the cooling process in three types of containers. The overall heat transfer coefficients (alpha) were determined and were shown to have a very large variability in both household refrigerators and an air-ventilated refrigerator equipped with a fan. A mathematical model was built to predict the growth of Cronobacter spp. under dynamic temperature conditions using three models for the lag time. The various estimations for the lag time had a remarkably strong impact on the predicted growth. The assumption of a constant k-value (k = lag time x specific growth rate = lambda x micro = 2.88) fitted the experimental data best. Predictions taking into account the large variability in heat transfer showed that proliferation of Cronobacter spp. during cooling may be prevented by limiting the volume to be cooled to portion size only, or by reconstituting at temperatures of 25 degrees C or lower. The model may also be used to predict growth in other situations where dynamic temperature conditions exist.
Resonant photonic nanostructures exhibiting enhanced nonlinear responses and efficient frequency conversion are an emergent platform in nonlinear optics. High-index semiconductor metasurfaces with rapidly tuned high-Q resonances enable a novel class of time-variant metasurfaces, which expands the toolbox of color management at the nanoscale. Here, we report on the dynamic control of the nonlinear optical response in time-variant semiconductor metasurfaces supporting high-quality factor resonances in the near-infrared spectral range. Pump-probe measurements of germanium metasurfaces at negative pump-probe time delays reveals frequency conversion in the fundamental beam and a blue-shift of 10~nm (3.05$ omega$) and 40% broadening in the third harmonic signal due to the photoinduced time-variant refractive index. A time-dependent coupled-mode theory, in excellent agreement with the experimental data, validated the time-variant nature of the system. Our findings expand the scope of time-variant metasurfaces and may serve as base for the next generation of nanoscale pulse shapers, optical switches and light sources.
Treatment with 0.4 mol dm(-3) NaCl caused a C3-CAM shift in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. leaves. In parallel to the CAM induction the activity of CAT was significantly decreased. In C3 and in CAM plants CAT activity showed daily fluctuations, with the maximum at the end of the light period. The oscillations of CAT were more pronounced in CAM than in C3 plants. In M. crystallinum CAT activity seems to respond more to CAM induction than to salinity.
Background Etiological treatment of Chagas disease in chronic asymptomatic patients is still in debate and the adverse effects of traditional drugs are one of the main concerns in clinical practice. This study evaluated retrospectively the safety profile of benznidazole (BZN) and identified predictive factors for definite treatment interruption and development of severe reactions in adult patients treated with BZN in Colombia. Methods Retrospective follow-up study conducted by review of medical records of adults with chronic Chagas disease treated with BZN in Colombia. A parametric survival analysis based on a generalized gamma distribution was used for assessing risk factors for treatment interruption. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to estimate the probability of severe adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Statistical associations were expressed as time ratios (TR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) respectively. Results In total 224 adults patients treated with BZN were included; 172 (76.8%) completed the standard therapy (60 days of treatment), 205 (91.5%) presented ADRs and 52 cases (23.2%) required treatment interruption. The predominant symptoms were: rash (37.9%), itching (33.7%), epigastric pain (26.4%), abdominal bloating (24.2%) and nausea (22.1%). ADRs were mild (57.4%), moderate (35.5%) and severe (7.3%). Time to treatment interruption was significantly shorter when using doses of BZN ≥ 6 mg/kg/day (TR 0.55; 95% CI 0.39–0.76), presenting severe ADRs (TR 0.12; 95% CI: 0.07–0.19) and eosinophilia (TR 0.68; 95% CI: 0.49–0.94). Female sex (aOR 3.98; 95% CI 1.56–10.16), dose of BZN ≥ 6 mg/kg/day (aOR 1.41; 95% CI 1.17–1.70) and presence of > 3 ADRs (aOR 6.47; 95% CI 1.24–34.34) were considered as risk factors for developing severe ADRs. Conclusions Dose, severity of ADRs, eosinophilia and female sex were the main predictors for treatment interruption or severe ADRs. The potential implications of these findings are discussed.
Efforts to design and operate hypersonic entry vehicles are constrained by many considerations that involve all aspects of an entry vehicle system. One of the more significant physical phenomenon that affect entry trajectory and thermal protection system design is the occurrence of boundary layer transition from a laminar to turbulent state. During the Space Shuttle Return To Flight activity following the loss of Columbia and her crew of seven, NASA's entry aerothermodynamics community implemented an engineering correlation based framework for the prediction of boundary layer transition on the Orbiter. The methodology for this implementation relies upon similar correlation techniques that have been is use for several decades. What makes the Orbiter boundary layer transition correlation implementation unique is that a statistically significant data set was acquired in multiple ground test facilities, flight data exists to assist in establishing a better correlation and the framework was founded upon state of the art chemical nonequilibrium Navier Stokes flow field simulations. Recent entry flight testing performed with the Orbiter Discovery now provides a means to validate this engineering correlation approach to higher confidence. These results only serve to reinforce the essential role that engineering correlations currently exercise in the design and operation of entry vehicles. The framework of information related to the Orbiter empirical boundary layer transition prediction capability will be utilized to establish a fresh perspective on this role, and to discuss the characteristics which are desirable in a next generation advancement. The details of the paper will review the experimental facilities and techniques that were utilized to perform the implementation of the Orbiter RTF BLT Vsn 2 prediction capability. Statistically significant results for multiple engineering correlations from a ground testing campaign will be reviewed in order to describe why only certain correlations were selected for complete implementation to support the Shuttle Program. Historical Orbiter flight data on early boundary layer transition due to protruding gap fillers will be described in relation to the selected empirical correlations. In addition, Orbiter entry flight testing results from the BLT Flight Experiment will be discussed in relation to these correlations. Applicability of such correlations to the entry design problem will be reviewed, and finally a perspective on the desirable characteristics for a next generation capability based on high fidelity physical models will be provided.
The problems involved in HF high-power amplifiers or transmitters that do not require manual tuning or adjustment when the frequency of emission is changed, are discussed. An automatic tuning system for a high-power linear amplifier is described. This linear amplifier tunes to a band-limited signal, without requiring additional information from the signal source or exciter. A theoretical analysis of the control system performing the tuning function is presented and compared with the results obtained experimentally.
Introduction Secondary brain injury is a major factor that affects the prognosis and outcome of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. Secondary brain edema is considered to be an initiating factor in secondary brain injury after TBI. A previous study has indicated that Notch signaling activation contributes to neuron death in mice affected by stroke; however, its role in neuronal oxidation stress for brain edema after TBI is not well established. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values can represent the brain edema after TBI. Methods We established a rat model of acute craniocerebral injury, using functional MRI to evaluate the ADC and cerebral blood flow values. The present study was designed to determine the effect of Notch inhibitor DAPT upon oxidation stress for brain edema after TBI. Rats were randomly distributed into five groups, control group, severe TBI group, severe TBI + vehicle group, severe TBI + DAPT group, and severe TBI + DPI group. All rats were sacrificed at 24 hours after TBI. Results Our data indicated that Notch signaling inhibitor DAPT significantly reduced the ADC values and improved the neurological function after TBI. In addition, DAPT decreased NOX2 levels and the ROS levels. Furthermore, DPI can decrease NOX2 levels and ROS levels. Conclusion This study indicated that DAPT Notch signal inhibitors can inhibit NOX2-ROS generation, reduce the ADC values, relieve cerebral edema, and improve nerve function.
Some scholars have doubted the attribution of The Healing of the Blind Man to the Master of the Gathering of the Manna, but this appears to be unfounded in light of its close similarities to the master's The Crucifixion, The Gathering of the Manna, and The Offering of the Jews. Research by Molly Faries has shown that the underdrawing of The Healing of the Blind Man does not differ from that on the other panels as much as had been thought. Differences can be attributed to the fact that the three panels were painted about 1460–70, whereas The Healing of the Blind Man dates from around 1475–80, with the participation of an assistant.
This article examines the place of archaeology in the second wave of Irish cultural nationalism, and how archaeological findings were appropriated by rival ethno-religious communities in Ireland. In particular, it focuses on George Petrie, who was the founder of ‘scientific’ archaeology and was also one of the leading figures in the nineteenth-century Celtic revival that sought a moral regeneration of the Irish nation In Ireland, as elsewhere, archaeology was important in reconstructing an early history of the nation where few written records existed and in making this visible through material artefacts. However, archaeology was only significant as part of a wider cultural revival that presented artefacts and sites as national symbols to an island undergoing rapid social change. This article will explore the relationship between archaeology and this national revival, and how the material objects recovered by archaeologists extended and transformed the existing repertoires of how the nation was imagined and felt. It will assess the different reception of these images in the rival Catholic and Protestant communities. Finally, it will comment on the capacity of a medieval ‘Celtic’ repertoire to provide the basis of a dynamic modern Irish national culture.
In this paper, nonlinear finite element analysis about the semi-rigid connected steel frame and top and seat angle with double web angles semi-rigid connection are carried out with ANSYS finite element software. The analysis is a complicated nonlinear problem, which includes plastic development of metal material, geometrical nonlinear caused by large deformation of the structure and contact. Results obtained by software and test are compared and some references will be provided to the following finite element study.
Melanoma spreads through metastasis, and therefore it has been proven to be very fatal. Statistical evidence has revealed that the majority of deaths resulting from skin cancer are as a result of melanoma. Further investigations have shown that the survival rates in patients depend on the stage of the infection; early detection and intervention of melanoma implicates higher chances of cure. Clinical diagnosis and prognosis of melanoma is challenging since the processes are prone to misdiagnosis and inaccuracies due to doctors subjectivity. This paper proposes an innovative and fully functional smart-phone based application to assist in melanoma early detection and prevention. The application has two major components; the first component is a real-time alert to help users prevent skin burn caused by sunlight; a novel equation to compute the time for skin to burn is thereby introduced. The second component is an automated image analysis module which contains image acquisition, hair detection and exclusion, lesion segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. The proposed system exploits PH2 Dermoscopy image database from Pedro Hispano Hospital for development and testing purposes. The image database contains a total of 200 dermoscopy images of lesions, including normal, atypical, and melanoma cases. The experimental results show that the proposed system is efficient, achieving classification of the normal, atypical and melanoma images with accuracy of 96.3%, 95.7% and 97.5%, respectively.
In order to improve the fairness in terms of the number of hops for high-performance optical burst switching networks, we propose a method called hop-based burst-cluster transmission. In this method, bursts with different numbers of hops are assembled simultaneously, and a hop-based burst-cluster is generated so that the bursts within the cluster are arranged in order from the smallest to the largest number of hops. Then the hop-based burst-cluster is transmitted along with multiple control packets. Here, within the same cluster, a burst whose number of hops is small is transmitted before a burst whose number of hops is large. The control packets are processed according to the modified processing algorithm, and hence a burst whose number of hops is large has more chances in the wavelength reservation than a burst whose number of hops is small. As a result, the burst loss probability of many hops decreases and the burst loss probability of few hops increases, improving the fairness. In addition, hop-based burst-cluster transmission can also decrease the overall burst loss probability. We evaluate the performance of hop-based burst-cluster transmission for the 14-node NSFNET and ARPA2 with simulation. In numerical examples, we compare the performance of the proposed method with conventional burst transmission, and we investigate the impacts of the amount of traffic, the processing time of a control packet, the switching time of an optical switch, and the number of wavelengths. We show that the proposed method can not only improve the fairness but also decrease the overall burst loss probability in both the networks.
The bookbuilding IPO procedure has captured significant market share from auction alternatives recently, despite the significantly lower costs related to the auction mechanism. In France, where both mechanisms were used in the 1990s, the ostensible advantages of bookbuilding were advertising-related benefits. Book-built issues were more likely to be followed and positively recommended by lead underwriters. Even nonunderwriters' analysts promote book-built issues more in order to curry favor with the IPO underwriter for allocations of future deals. Yet we do not observe valuation or post-IPO return differentials that suggest these types of promotion have any value to the issuing firm.
We report the advances of a cloud-based software utilizing advanced algorithms to identify the molecular cancer drivers and its signal transduction. To test, a classifier based on the NFκB signaling pathway gene expression profiles that predicts the clinical therapeutic response to chemo-radiation therapy of Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck (SCCHN) patients are described here. Expression of HPV16, p16 and 84 NFκB signaling pathway genes were determined using real time RT PCR in SCCHN patient samples and SCCHN cell lines. Gene expression was correlated to chemo-radiation response in cell lines and the model was blindly tested in SCCHN patients to predict their clinical outcome to chemo-radiation. This tool intends to fuse biological domain knowledge by way of integrating disease targets, cell line experiments towards creating a gene expression classifier for clinical outcome. The gene expression-based predicted clinical outcome compared with patients actual observed clinical outcome correctly identified the clinical response in 73% of the cases. Such work will allow design of tailored individualized clinical treatment strategies to target NFκB inhibition using biological modifying agents with or without chemo/radiation therapy. This will help to develop several targets to directly inhibit the NFκB activity or inhibit the downstream pivotal targets. The significance of the classifier would be the ability to use the biologic attributes of a tumor to tailor specific treatment protocols for each individual patient. This would not only spare the chemo-radiation resistant patients the ill effects of the therapy but will also decrease the delay in effective treatment among the resistant patients. The long-term objective is to use such pro-survival driver genes in other cancers; SMAD, TGFβ in pancreatic cancer, and AR in prostate cancer. This tool (MeghaOncomine) intends to fuse biological domain knowledge by way of integrating cancer targets, cell line experiments towards creating a gene expression classifier for clinical outcome. Citation Format: Rao V. Papineni, Seema Gupta, Aravindan Natarajan, Ram Papineni, Chandra Kasinathan. Cloud-based biological domain knowledge derived gene expression classifier to predict the cancer clinical outcome [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr LB018.
This paper presents the design of an adaptive HVAC based on psychrometric analysis and a De-Centralized control Algorithm for an Autonomous Wireless Sensor Network. The proposed system aims to initially differentiate the area under consideration into active and inactive zones and perform control operations on them. The De-Centralized control methodology follows a K:1 transmission protocol for optimized K-Coverage by allowing each independent node to act as a controller and send the instructions to the actuators directly without going through the central controller in the area under consideration. The K:1 protocol however does enable interaction of independent nodes with the central controller for central ‘air-distribution chamber’ valve actuations. The sensory nodes in the inactive zones remain dormant till the zones are identified as active. The control methodology introduces an optimized air distribution, a variable air volume and humidity analysis parameter into the HVAC Control. The approach is to establish the wireless link using wireless UART, thus allowing real-time monitoring, measurement and control by employing the Texas Instruments 2.4 GHz Radio-Frequency CC2500 module.
Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of abomasal carbohydrate infusion on nutrient digestibility and fecal measures. In Exp. 1, 5 Holstein steers were assigned to a Latin square with 1-wk periods and were abomasally infused on a single day at the end of each period with water alone, a single pulse dose of water with 1 g/kg BW oligofructose or cornstarch, or 4 pulse doses of water with 0.25 g/kg BW oligofructose or cornstarch administered every 6 h. Total tract nutrient digestibility was not affected by treatment except for a tendency for a decrease in starch digestibility in response to the 1 g/kg BW dose of cornstarch ( < 0.10). Compared with the control, both oligofructose and starch infusions caused similar decreases in fecal pH ( < 0.05) and increases in fecal short-chain fatty acids ( ≤ 0.01) measured 12 h after the first infusion, with the single 1 g/kg BW infusions causing a greater magnitude of pH change compared with the four 0.25-g/kg BW infusions ( < 0.01). All treatments increased concentration of fecal lipopolysaccharide compared with the control for at least 1 time point following the infusion ( < 0.05), with a greater increase observed for the 0.25 g/kg BW infusions of oligofructose compared with the other treatments ( < 0.05). Results of Exp. 1 indicate that both oligofructose and cornstarch infusions increased carbohydrate fermentation in the intestines and can be used as a method to evaluate the impact of excessive intestinal fermentation on intestinal health. In Exp. 2, 6 Holstein steers received abomasal pulse doses of 0 (control) or 10 g/d live var. (SB) according to a crossover design with 18-d periods. Abomasal infusions of 4 pulse doses of 0.25 g/kg BW oligofructose administered every 6 h were conducted on d 16 of each period. During the baseline period prior to the oligofructose challenge, there were no effects of SB on fecal measures except for an increase in apparent total tract NDF digestibility ( < 0.05), suggesting that SB increased intestinal fiber fermentation. During the oligofructose challenge, SB increased fecal score ( = 0.03) and tended to reduce fecal short-chain fatty acids ( = 0.10). Results of Exp. 2 suggest that abomasal SB modestly stabilized the intestinal environment during increased carbohydrate fermentation.
Research in exporting has been devoted attention to examine problems related to exporting. However, few studies have been carried out to explore the export barriers of SMEs in Indonesia. This study examines the relationship between export barrier, product strategy and export performance. In this research, product strategy consists of product adaptation strategy, product quality strategy, and product innovation strategy. Results indicate that only product barriers positively influence product quality strategy. Law or regulation barriers unexpectedly influence product adaptation strategy negatively. This study also found the negative impact of customer barrier on product quality. None of other export barriers significantly influence product strategy. Meanwhile, unexpectedly none of those three-product strategies influence export performances. Keywords: export barriers, product adaptation, product quality, product innovation, export performance, small- and medium-enterprise, handicraft industry
Cu, CuO, and Cu-CuO bilayer films were deposited with radio-frequency sputtering by controlling the O 2 /Ar gas flow ratio and the performance of the pentacene thin-film transistor (TFT) with these films as a source/drain (S/D) electrode was measured. With an O 2 /Ar gas flow ratio higher than 1, CuO film was obtained with a resistivity of ~ 10 5 μΩ cm and a work function of ∼ 5.0 eV close to the highest occupied molecular orbital energy level of pentacene. Pentacene TFT with CuO film deposited at (Ar:O 2 = 0:50 sccm) showed better performance than Cu film because the barrier height between the electrode and the semiconductor layer was smaller. The pentacene TFTs with CuO/Cu and Cu/CuO bilayer S/D electrodes were fabricated through the shadow mask patterning, and the CuO/Cu structure showed better performance than Cu or Cu/CuO because hole injection was through the CuO layer. It was confirmed that the edge effect with a shadow mask had an influence on the electrode pattern formation due to the infiltration of the film-forming species through the microgap. © 2009 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3147264] All rights reserved.
Abstract Aims B cell functions in the process of atherogenesis have been investigated but several aspects remain to be clarified. Methods and results In this study, we show that follicular regulatory helper T cells (TFR) control regulatory B cell (BREG) populations in Apoe−/− mice models on a high-cholesterol diet (HCD). Feeding mice with HCD resulted in up-regulation of TFR and BREG cell populations, causing the suppression of proatherogenic follicular helper T cell (TFH) response. TFH cell modulation is correlated with the growth of atherosclerotic plaque size in thoracoabdominal aortas and aortic root plaques, suggesting that TFR cells are atheroprotective. During adoptive transfer experiments, TFR cells transferred into HCD mice decreased TFH cell populations, atherosclerotic plaque size, while BREG cell population and lymphangiogenesis are significantly increased. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that, through different strategies, both TFR and TFH cells modulate anti- and pro-atherosclerotic immune processes in an Apoe−/− mice model since TFR cells are able to regulate both TFH and BREG cell populations as well as lymphangiogenesis and lipoprotein metabolism.
Objective: TIA is associated with a substantial short-term risk of stroke and is thus increasingly recognized as an unstable condition necessitating full medical attention. Our study sought to assess the rate of and predictors for early deterioration after TIA or minor stroke in a large nationwide survey among Austrian stroke units. Methods: Of the 29,287 patients prospectively enrolled in the Austrian Stroke Unit Registry (2003–2008), 8,291 presenting with a TIA or minor ischemic stroke, defined by an NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score <4, were included in the current evaluation. Worsening was defined as clinical deterioration during stroke unit stay by ≥2 points on the NIHSS. Results: A total of 374 patients (4.5%) experienced early clinical worsening during a mean stroke unit stay of 2.97 days (median 2 [interquartile range,1–4] days). In a multivariate stepwise regression analysis hypertension, diabetes, cardiac decompensation, acute infection, and stroke etiology emerged as independent risk predictors for early deterioration. The ABCD2 score could be estimated in a subgroup of 3,886 subjects and closely correlated with the risk of neurologic worsening. Conclusions: Our study revealed a high rate of early clinical deterioration (4.5%) among 8,291 patients with TIA or minor stroke despite immediate admission to specialized stroke units. Predictors for neurologic deterioration apart from diabetes, hypertension, and the estimated ABCD2 score were stroke etiology, reinforcing the relevance of an immediate diagnostic workup, and coexistent acute infection and cardiac decompensation, both conditions necessitating adequate attention in the emergency setting.
The cinematic landscape provides a rich opportunity to explore cultural representations of place, space and nature. This essay focuses on the depiction of landscape in Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert (1964). Previous approaches to the critical interpretation of landscape in the cinema of Antonioni have been characterized by three principal weaknesses: a narrow emphasis on formalist and auterist lines of influence between different branches of the visual arts; an attachment to exceptionalist characterizations of the Italian cinematic landscape; and a transhistorical interpretation of existential themes such as alienation. In this essay we shall consider two neglected themes: the significance of the technological sublime for the aesthetic experience of industrial landscapes; and the impact of abstract expressionism on Antonioni's cinematic vision. We will counter simplistic categorizations of Antonioni's work by considering the complexity of the relationship between the cinematic landscape and wider developments in twentieth-century modernism. The essay concludes by locating Red Desert at a unique juncture in the development of modernist conceptions of nature and landscape.
The time‐loss definition of injury is commonly adopted in epidemiological groin‐injury studies in football, with a significant risk of underestimating the impact of these injuries. This study investigated the extent of groin problems, beyond the time‐loss approach, over a full Spanish football season. Players from 17 amateur male teams were followed over 39 consecutive weeks. Groin‐injury time loss and self‐reported groin pain, irrespective of time loss, were combined to calculate the average weekly prevalence of all groin problems with or without time loss. A subscale measuring hip‐ and groin‐related sporting function from the Copenhagen Hip and Groin Outcome Score questionnaire (HAGOS, Sport/Rec) was registered every 4 weeks. In total, 407 players participated in the study. The average (range) weekly prevalence of all groin problems was 11.7% (7.2%‐20.8%); 1.3% with time loss (0.0%‐3.2%) and 10.4% without time loss (6.3%‐17.6%). Players with groin problems reported lower scores (mean difference) on the HAGOS, Sport/Rec subscale compared with players without (−19.5 [95% CI: −20.7 to −18.4]), while there was no difference between players reporting groin problems with and without time loss (4.0 [95% CI: −1.1 to 9.1]). The traditional time‐loss measure only captured 10% of all groin problems. Hip‐ and groin‐related sporting function was not different between players reporting groin problems with or without time loss, suggesting the reason for continuing to play is not only related to the severity of symptoms. These findings question the judicious use of the time‐loss approach in overuse conditions, such as groin pain in footballers.
Inflammation contributes to the development of cancer, yet acute inflammatory responses are also needed to eradicate tumorigenic cells and activate adaptive immune responses to combat cancer. Physical exercise has direct immunomodulatory effects, and in line with this, exercise has been demonstrated to inhibit tumor growth, including diethylnitrosamine-(DEN)-induced hepatocarcinoma. Having observed a sex-dependent development of DEN-induced hepatocarcinoma, we aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise and sex on the acute inflammatory response to DEN. Thus, we randomized male and female mice to cages with or without running wheels for 6 weeks, whereafter DEN was administered and the inflammatory response was evaluated for up to 96 hours. DEN administration caused marked acute inflammatory responses in female mice with weight loss, reduced food intake, release of liver enzymes, and increased systemic levels of IL6. Moreover, DEN caused increased hepatic expression of cytokines, immune cell markers, and components of the toll-like receptor signaling pathway. In male mice, DEN administration provoked similar physiologic effects with weight loss and reduced food intake, but less systemic and hepatic acute inflammation, which was associated with a higher baseline expression of the detoxifying enzyme glutathione S-transferase and lower expression of ERα in male mice. Voluntary wheel running attenuated systemic and hepatic inflammation, in particular in the female mice, and shifted the peak time of the inflammatory response. In conclusion, DEN elicited an acute inflammatory response in particular in female mice, and this response was attenuated by prior exercise. Cancer Prev Res; 10(12); 719–28. ©2017 AACR.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and calculation speed of electron dose distributions calculated by the Eclipse electron Monte Carlo (eMC) algorithm for use with bolus electron conformal therapy (ECT). The recent commercial availability of bolus ECT technology requires further validation of the eMC dose calculation algorithm. eMC‐calculated electron dose distributions for bolus ECT have been compared to previously measured TLD‐dose points throughout patient‐based cylindrical phantoms (retromolar trigone and nose), whose axial cross sections were based on the mid‐PTV (planning treatment volume) CT anatomy. The phantoms consisted of SR4 muscle substitute, SR4 bone substitute, and air. The treatment plans were imported into the Eclipse treatment planning system, and electron dose distributions calculated using 1% and <0.2% statistical uncertainties. The accuracy of the dose calculations using moderate smoothing and no smoothing were evaluated. Dose differences (eMC‐calculated less measured dose) were evaluated in terms of absolute dose difference, where 100% equals the given dose, as well as distance to agreement (DTA). Dose calculations were also evaluated for calculation speed. Results from the eMC for the retromolar trigone phantom using 1% statistical uncertainty without smoothing showed calculated dose at 89% (41/46) of the measured TLD‐dose points was within 3% dose difference or 3 mm DTA of the measured value. The average dose difference was −0.21%, and the net standard deviation was 2.32%. Differences as large as 3.7% occurred immediately distal to the mandible bone. Results for the nose phantom, using 1% statistical uncertainty without smoothing, showed calculated dose at 93% (53/57) of the measured TLD‐dose points within 3% dose difference or 3 mm DTA. The average dose difference was 1.08%, and the net standard deviation was 3.17%. Differences as large as 10% occurred lateral to the nasal air cavities. Including smoothing had insignificant effects on the accuracy of the retromolar trigone phantom calculations, but reduced the accuracy of the nose phantom calculations in the high‐gradient dose areas. Dose calculation times with 1% statistical uncertainty for the retromolar trigone and nose treatment plans were 30 s and 24 s, respectively, using 16 processors (Intel Xeon E5‐2690, 2.9 GHz) on a framework agent server (FAS). In comparison, the eMC was significantly more accurate than the pencil beam algorithm (PBA). The eMC has comparable accuracy to the pencil beam redefinition algorithm (PBRA) used for bolus ECT planning and has acceptably low dose calculation times. The eMC accuracy decreased when smoothing was used in high‐gradient dose regions. The eMC accuracy was consistent with that previously reported for accuracy of the eMC electron dose algorithm and shows that the algorithm is suitable for clinical implementation of bolus ECT. PACS number(s): 87.55.kd
Objective To observe the effect of confocal microscopy in the diagnosis and treatments of fungal keratitis.Methods Fifty-four patients of fungal keratitis were selected from our hospital from 2011.9 to 2012.9,checked by confocal microscopy and cornea scraping.The changes of corneal lesion by confocal microscopy were examined,respectively in the lth,2th,3th,4th week.Results Fifty-two patients were diagnosed by confocal microscopy,diagnosis rate was 96.3％,49 patients were diagnosed by cornea scraping,diagnosis rate was 90.7％.The two diagnosis rate had no statistics difference (P ＞0.05).Among the patients,22 had hypopyum,49 had the history of trauma or foreign body,about 90.74％,the infection of 1 patient was not controlled and then cured by radical operation.By confocal microscopy,the anti-infective therapy effected at 2th week after anti-fungus therapy,pathogenetic condition improved at 2-3th week,and the infection was controlled at the 4th week,and then conjunctival flap covering or amniotic membrane grafting could be chosen to promote cornea recovery at this time.Conclusions Confocal microscopy examination is non-invasive and secure,with strong repeatability and short time,can be used to monitor the states and changes of comeal,can be used to conduct clinical therapy and improve the cure rate.    Key words:  Fungal keratitis; Confocal microscopy; Hypha; Diagnosis
The Northern Review 44 (2017): 355–370 The Great War “ruined everything,” according to northern British Columbia resident Vicky (Aldous) Sims in CBC interview from the mid 1960s. A powerful statement to be sure, but is it a true or accurate reflection? The following article features the voices and perspectives of northern British Columbians, to frame their lived experiences within the wider Canadian historical context of the First World War. As the perspectives and memories of these citizens suggest, the war touched every aspect of life even in the most isolated parts of the province; from the cost of basic food stuffs and supplies, to the demands of volunteerism and women’s domestic work and the participation of Indigenous peoples in the war effort, the very fabric of the society was altered. By reviewing the lived experiences and first personal narratives with the larger historical record it becomes clear that the Great War truly transformed the lives of every Canadian, even those in rural northern regions. This article is part of a special collection of papers originally presented at a conference on “The North and the First World War,” held May 2016 in Whitehorse, Yukon. https://doi.org/10.22584/nr44.2017.016
Abstract An elementary approach, based on a systematic use of lower and upper solutions, is employed to detect the qualitative properties of solutions of first order scalar periodic ordinary differential equations. This study is carried out in the Carathéodory setting, avoiding any uniqueness assumption, in the future or in the past, for the Cauchy problem. Various classical and recent results are recovered and generalized.
Objective: To investigate the effect of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) on HBV replication and protein expression in HepG2.2.15 cells with steatosis, as well as the association of TGF-β1 with suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3) mRNA and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA during the steatosis of HepG2.2.15 cells. Methods: The cells were divided into HepG2/HepG2.2.15 cell control groups (C1/C2 groups) and HepG2/HepG2.2.15 cell steatosis groups (F1/F2 groups). 5 ng/ml TGF-β1 was added to the two cell systems for intervention to establish TGF-β1 intervention groups (T1/T2 groups) and steatosis+TGF-β1 intervention groups (TF1/TF2 groups). A time-resolved fluorescence analyzer was used to measure HBsAg and HBeAg, and quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HBV DNA, SOCS-3 mRNA, and SREBP-1 mRNA. A one-way analysis of variance and a factorial analysis were used for the statistical analysis of data. Results: TGF-β1 significantly reduced the level of HBeAg in C2 group (P = 0.034) and the levels of HBsAg (P < 0.001) and HBeAg (P = 0.004) in F2 group. There was an interaction between steatosis and TGF-β1 in inhibiting HBsAg. In addition, TGF-β1 significantly reduced the mRNA expression of SOCS-3 in C1, F1, C2, and F2 groups (P < 0.05) and significantly increased the mRNA expression of SREBP-1c in C1, F1, C2, and F2 groups (P < 0.05), suggesting that there was an interaction between steatosis and TGF-β1 in downregulating the mRNA expression of SOCS-3 and upregulating the mRNA expression of SREBP-1c. Conclusion: TGF-β1 does not affect HBV duplication in HepG2.2.15 cells and can inhibit the expression of HBsAg and HBeAg. TGF-β1 can downregulate the mRNA expression of SOCS-3 and upregulate the mRNA expression of SREBP-1c.
Primary hyperoxaluria (PH) is a rare metabolic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance characterized by excessive production and systemic deposition of oxalate. Unfortunately, the diagnosis in some patients is not made until after kidney transplantation. These grafts are nearly always lost unless the patient receives a liver transplant to correct the underlying defect in oxalate metabolism. We describe a patient who developed extensive oxalate deposition within her transplanted kidney necessitating a return to hemodialysis (HD). After treatment with pyridoxine, high-flux dialysis, and substitution of sirolimus for Cyclosporin A, she ceased dialysis and maintained stable allograft function. A 47-year-old woman was admitted for a deceased-donor kidney transplantation in 2006 with kidney failure attributed to reflux nephropathy and a history of traumatic nephrectomy during childhood. She underwent peritoneal dialysis before transitioning to HD for 3 years. Her medical history included painful peripheral neuropathy and small-joint polyarthropathy characterized by subperiosteal erosions. Surgery was uncomplicated with immediate graft function. Immunosuppression consisted of induction with basiliximab and maintenance with prednisolone, mycophenolate mofetil, and cyclosporin. Kidney biopsies performed on days 7 and 11 after transplantation, for an unexplained decline in renal function, showed changes of mild acute tubular necrosis. A further decline in kidney function on day 22 prompted another biopsy that demonstrated extensive deposition of calcium oxalate crystals with associated tubular damage (Fig. 1). Given the likely diagnosis of PH, daily high-flux HD, pyridoxine (1), dithiazide, magnesium and phosphate supplements, and a low-oxalate diet were commenced (2). Urinary oxalate excretion was elevated at 1.2 mM/day (normal, G0.6 mM/day). Cyclosporin was ceased given the association with hyperoxaluria and hypocitraturia, renal calcium-oxalate deposition (3), and poor kidney transplantation outcomes (4, 5). The serum creatinine stabilized at 150 KM/L after 5 weeks. Rapid and extensive deposition of oxalate within the small joints of the hand resulted in a gross deforming polyarthropathy and, within the bone marrow, led to refractory anemia. The diagnosis of type-1 hyperoxaluria was confirmed by genetic testing where a mutation in the alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT) gene (homozygous 508A missense mutation, Gly170Arg) was identified. Subsequent family screening identified several other family members with the same AGT gene mutation. A protocol kidney biopsy at 3 months showed acute T-cellYmediated rejection (Grade IB) and persistent oxalate FIGURE 1. Kidney biopsy at 3 weeks after transplantation showing extensive oxalate deposition. A, hematoxylin and eosin. Original magnification, 100. B, under polarized light. Original magnification, 400. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The prognostic significance of detecting minimal residual disease by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of bcr/abl mRNA transcripts was investigated in 27 bone marrow samples from 20 patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1) positive chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) in complete cytogenetic remission following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Sixteen were transplanted in first chronic phase, two were in second chronic phase, one was in accelerated phase and one was in blast crisis. All 20 achieved complete cytogenetic remission post transplant and 15 patients had detectable bcriabl mRNA by PCR from 2 to 22 months following the procedure. One of these patients had graft failure and one died from graft‐versus‐host‐disease at 7 months. Of the remaining 13 PCR‐positive patients, only one (8%) relapsed after 23 months: the other 12 were alive and still in remission after a median follow‐up of 16 + months (ranging 5+ to 29+ months). Five patients were PCR negative: all are alive in complete clinical and cytogenetic remission at lo +, 11 +, 19 +, 25+ and 25+ months post transplant. In this study, detection of subclinical Phl‐positive cells by PCR was not associated with imminent clinical or cytogenetic relapse. Since late recurrence may potentially occur, long‐term follow‐up is required to definitely determine the prognostic value of the PCR assay.
When should vaccines to evolving pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 be updated? Our computational models address this focusing on updating SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to the currently circulating Omicron variant. Current studies typically compare the antibody titers to the new variant following a single dose of the original-vaccine versus the updated-vaccine in previously immunized individuals. These studies find that the updated-vaccine does not induce higher titers to the vaccine-variant compared with the original-vaccine, suggesting that updating may not be needed. Our models recapitulate this observation but suggest that vaccination with the updated-vaccine generates qualitatively different humoral immunity, a small fraction of which is specific for unique epitopes to the new variant. Our simulations suggest that these new variant-specific responses could dominate following subsequent vaccination or infection with either the currently circulating or future variants. We suggest a two-dose strategy for determining if the vaccine needs updating and for vaccinating high-risk individuals.
Abstract In this paper, we try to apply learning automata with reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm to realize switched control of hybrid systems. The learning automata were used to optimize the generation probabilities of behaviors in order to achieve a satisfactory result. At first we apply RL to an experiment proposed in other's previous work, then we do some reproduction in order to compare two different methods. Since there are differences in targets, we generalized former RL algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and advantage of applying RL to switched control of hybrid systems.
Approximate computing is a circuit design technique that reduces area and power dissipation at the cost of accurate results. In this paper, we have investigated to further reduce the power dissipation of approximate circuits while maintaining high speeds using a form of energy recovery (ER) computing known as Pulse Boost Logic (PBL). To demonstrate power savings and speed capabilities, we have constructed an approximate 4-2 compressor circuit using PBL based ER computing. Simulations were performed using 45nm technology in Cadence Spectre. At 800 MHz, our results show the average power saving of 64% in PBL based approximate 4-2 compressor design compared to its standard CMOS based design. We also illustrate that the power saving of 89% can be achieved in 4-2 compressor by combining approximate and ER computing compared to CMOS based design of accurate 4-2 compressor. Further, we illustrate that the PBL based proposed approximate 4-2 compressor has 65% less energy consumption than the CMOS based approximate 4-2 compressor. We have verified the functionality of the proposed PBL based approximate 4-2 compressor up to 1 GHz to illustrate its application in low-power and low-energy Sub-GHz IoT applications.
In this paper, an approach for tracking control for Petri nets with forbidden states is presented. The control aim is that the Petri net is forced by a firing sequence from an initial marking into a destination marking while avoiding the forbidden states described by Generalized Mutual Exclusion Constraints (GMEC). A new type of constraints called NOT-GMEC is introduced to allow a compact representation of specific token-place combinations. The firing sequence is determined by transforming the constraints into a suitable form and executing a two-step algorithm.
Objective: This study aimed to develop a novel topical ocular system of natamycin (NAT) by formulating and evaluating of NAT-solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) loaded on mucoadhesive gels to improve its therapeutic activity and reduce the frequency of dosage to assist patient compliance.  Methods: SLNs were prepared using lipids and Tween 80 or Pluronic F127 as stabilizers via modified high shear homogenization and ultrasound techniques. The prepared SLNs were characterized for particle size (PS), zeta potential (ZP), polydispersity index (PI), and entrapment efficiency percentage (EE %). The morphological examination for chosen SLNs was done using a transmission electron microscope (TEM). Carbapol 940 and Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was incorporated with selected NAT-SLNs to form mucoadhesive gels. The prepared NAT-SLN gels were evaluated for drug content, mucoadhesion force, release study, and in vitro microbiological activity. In vivo study for the chosen formulae was done to evaluate its efficacy against keratitis in rabbits.  Results: NAT-SLNs exhibited high EE % up to 99.167% and PS ranging from 128.35 to 1719.5 nm, with negatively charged ZP that confirmed the stability of SLNs. The NAT-SLN gels provided the high mucoadhesive force with a controlled release manner compared with the marketed-product MP. The in vivo experimental studies and histopathological examination showed the superiority of G2 (NAT-SLN (5% Pluronic F127 and 1:1 mixed lipid) 4% HPMC) over MP against Candida keratitis.  Conclusion: According to the obtained results, G2 provided an effective pharmaceutical system against fungal keratitis in a controlled release manner compared with MP for reducing dosage frequency.
But will simple complaints be adequate to make any change in the testing system? I doubt it. With the new federal education act, testing has become the official driving force to reform education. By and large, Congress and the public have bought George W's lines, which he used as a mantra throughout his campaign for the presidency. For example, at the NAACP meeting on July 10, 2000, he announced that "a great movement of education [sic] reform has begun in this country," one that is built on "clear principles." His principles, however, sound more like dictates: "Raise the bar of standards. Give schools
We examine whether attainment of goals at work is associated with enhanced affective well-being and whether attainment of personally more important goals has a stronger association with affective well-being. Data were collected from call-centre staff using a daily diary for 2 weeks. Results indicate that daily attainment of work goals is associated with more activated affect measured at the end of the working day. The relationship between attainment of goals and pleasurable affect is stronger where goals are personally more important.
This paper is concerned with a category theoretic treatment of the realization theory of a basic linear system. In order to make a categorical problem of the realization we introduced two categories, the category of basic linear functional systems BLFS and that of basic linear dynamical systems BLDS, in addition to the category of basic linear systems BLS defined in another paper. The BLFS corres-
Now a days Platelet-Rich Fibrin (PRF) is gaining more attention for obtaining periodontal regeneration. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is considered a second-generation platelet concentrate that is widely used in osseous regeneration. The purpose of this case report is to present clinical and radiographic results of an intrabony periodontal defect treated with PRF. After surgical treatment with autologous PRF, six month follow up revealed a significant reduction in Pocket Probing Depth (PPD) and Relative Attachment Level (RAL) gain as well as radiographic bone formation, supporting the role of various growth factors present in the PRF in accelerating the soft and hard tissue healing. From the presented case, it can be concluded that PRF is clinically and radiographically efficacious in the treatment of a periodontal intrabony defect. Thus,signifying its role as a regenerative material in the treatment of intrabony defects.
Abstract The author examined electromyographic tracings from four muscles – genioglossus (GG), anterior belly of the digastric (D) sternothyroid (ST) and thyrohyoid (TH) – for 210 Twi syllables selected so as to give information on seven parameters: tense/lax vowels, long/short vowels, close/open vowels, front/back vowels, high-tone/low-tone vowels, vowels preceded by a fricative/plosive consonant and vowels preceded by a voiced/voiceless consonant, and concluded, inter alia (1) that GG and D functioned as pitch control muscles but that it is not clear why raising of the larynx should accompany an increase in pitch; (2) that GG did not play the major role in tongue root fronting that was expected of it but that we may have to consider GG to consist of at least four functional muscles; (3) that GG and D offered little evidence to support a prosodic view of vowel harmony in Twi, and (4) that features may be ranked by the muscle activity associated with them and that ‘high-tone’, ‘fricative’ and ‘voiced’ dominated for GG, D and ST.
Speciation plays an important role in determining the overall leachability of selenium in soil. In this study we present a mathematical model and results of miscible displacement experiments that were conducted to evaluate simultaneous reduction and transport of selenate in saturated soil columns. The experiments were carried out in organic amended (compost manure or gluten) or unamended soil, with O2‐sparged or nonsparged influent solution. In all columns, reduction of selenate was fast enough to produce selenite flux in the effluent and elemental Se in the soil profile during a mean residence time of ∼30 hours. Reduction was accelerated in the presence of organic amendments and under low O2 concentrations, resulting in an increased retardation of selenium transport as a whole. The results of our experiments show that although selenate does not sorb to solid surfaces during transport, it reduces rapidly to forms that are strongly retarded. On the basis of simulation with the consecutive reaction and transport model using parameters derived from this study, selenium is expected to be retained near the soil surface, even under extreme leaching conditions.
The accurate measurement and control of center of mass (CM) in mass properties for satellite attitude control are the most important. In order to accurately measure CM, this paper describes a new type of CM measuring instruments which are particularly recommended for determining mass properties of rockets, satellite and ballistic objects. A spherical air-bearing supports a precision rotary table and acts as a frictionless pivot axis for measuring unbalance moments due to the displacement of the test part CM relative to the central axis of the bearing. This paper emphasizes the research on reasons and laws of the load table CM offset caused by the elastic deformation, and according to curve theory of thin plates derives the formulary for the element center of mass displacement of the finite element and for the platform structure center of mass elastic displacement, and calculates the CM elasticity offset and the unbalance moment caused by the deformation of loaded table. The research results provide bases for the structure design of rotary tables.
Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) is estimated to affect 3 million people worldwide making it an under recognised, but significant health problem across the globe, conferring significant morbidity and mortality. With variable disease forms, high levels of associated respiratory co-morbidity, limited therapeutic options and prolonged treatment strategies, CPA is a challenging disease for both patients and healthcare professionals. CPA can mimic smear-negative tuberculosis (TB), pulmonary histoplasmosis or coccidioidomycosis. Cultures for Aspergillus are usually negative, however, the detection of Aspergillus IgG is a simple and sensitive test widely used in diagnosis. When a fungal ball/aspergilloma is visible radiologically, the diagnosis has been made late. Sometimes weight loss and fatigue are predominant symptoms; pyrexia is rare. Despite the efforts of the mycology community, and significant strides being taken in optimising the care of these patients, much remains to be learnt about this patient population, the disease itself and the best use of available therapies, with the development of new therapies being a key priority. Here, current knowledge and practices are reviewed, and areas of research priority highlighted.
Abstract Pandita Ramabai, a Brahmin scholar of repute, converted to Christianity during her visit to England for higher studies in the 1880s. Her encounter with Christianity and the Anglican Church, within the imperial, Orientalist and patriarchal framework, was problematic. But Ramabai found her new religion to be a source of spiritual sustenance and basis for an international network of Christian women and men who aided her ambitious residential school for Hindu widows. Ramabai's contestation of the Hindu religion and patriarchy, however, extracted a heavy price in her being socially marginalised and erased from the official histories of Western India. This article explores Ramabai's trail of multiple contestations through the Indian Hindu and imperial Christian terrains to reach her goal of women's empowerment through education.
Abstract The extrusion of protons from the roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seedlings in the presence of KCl decreased markedly after treatment of the samples with 1 mm AlCl3 at pH 5.5. The membrane vesicles with ATP-dependent proton transport activity were prepared from barley roots. The proton transport activity measured by the quenching of the fluorescence of quinacrine was inhibited by approximately 50% in the presence of 100 μm AlCl3 at pH 6.5 but the inhibition was only 10% at pH 7.5. The values of V max and K m for ATP related to the proton transport activity of the vesicles were affected markedly by AlCl3. The inhibition of the proton transport activity of the vesicles due to Al was effectively restored by citric acid. The results suggest that one of the mechanism of Al toxicity in plant roots is the inhibition of the proton transport activity associated with the cell membrane which in turn leads to the inhibition of proton extrusion from the roots.
Human attachment relationships are considered to be foundational to psychological well-being (Fonagy, 1999; Warren, Huston, Egeland, & Sroufe, 1997) and, by extension, attachment to God is often considered foundational to psychological well-being amongst Christian believers (Kirkpatrick, 1999; Miner, 2009). However, studies of psychological need satisfaction by different attachment figures (La Guardia, Ryan, Couchman, & Deci, 2000) suggest that experiences in which basic psychological needs are satisfied are conducive to more secure attachment relationships, and thus, to enhanced psychological well-being. This paper tests two contrasting models of attachment to God, need satisfaction, and well-being: the Attachment Security Primacy Model which holds that attachment security facilitates experiences of psychological need satisfaction and thence increased well-being; and the Need Satisfaction Primacy Model which holds that experiences of psychological need satisfaction facilitate attachment security and thence increased well-being. Using self-report data from 225 Australian Christian participants, Structural Equation Modeling indicated that the Need Satisfaction Primacy Model fit the data better than competing models. Implications for augmenting theories of attachment to God and providing contexts in which people can experience God as meeting basic needs are discussed.
Task learning from observations of non-expert human users will be a core feature of future cognitive robots. However, the problem of task segmentation has only received minor attention. In this paper, we present a new approach to classifying and segmenting series of observations into a set of candidate motions. As basis for these candidates, we use Structured UKR manifolds, a modified version of Unsupervised Kernel Regression which has been introduced in order to easily reproduce and synthesise represented dextrous manipulation tasks. Together with the presented mechanism, it then realises a system that is able both to reproduce and recognise the represented motions.
The panel was convened at 9:00 a.m., Thursday, March 30, by its chair, Dino Kritsiotis of the University of Nottingham, who introduced the panelists: Thomas Franck of New York University School of Law; Marie Jacobsson of the Foreign Ministry, Sweden; Mary Ellen O'Connell of Notre Dame Law School; and Therese O'Donnell of the University of Strathclyde. QUESTIONS OF FACT AND EVIDENCE AND THE LAWS OF FORCE This panel has been convened in order to discuss questions and fact and evidence as they relate to the international legal regulation of force. The topic has gained particular importance in recent years, in view of the increased litigation of "force" cases before the International Court of Justice, and of the resulting concentration on these questions in the Court's jurisprudence. We should observe that this cadre of cases falls into line with the need for demonstration or the "evidential challenge" which the Court issued to accusing states in the very first contentious case to come before it--the Corfu Channel litigation between the United Kingdom and Albania. (1) However, as we have also learnt from the Oil Platforms Case of November 2003, the Court's pronouncements on evidence bear additional importance for the revelations which these might announce for the law itself, for the substantive content of the lex lata. There, the Court remarked that "[t]here is no evidence that the minelaying alleged to have been carried out by the Iran Ajr ... was aimed specifically at the United States." (2) Our immediate instinct is to shelve this observation as an evidential matter when it is, in fact, also suggestive of a further element in the Court's evolving definition of the concept of an armed attack--that of the intention of the attacking state--and could well mark out the Court's future argumentative and evidential expectations when confronted with claims involving the right of self-defense. (3) All of this is to say nothing of the diplomatic history that has presented "evidence" to the court of political and public opinion in the anticipation or explanation of force--the historic presentation by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Security Council on February 5, 2003, drawing immediate correlations with U.S. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson's photographic showcase to the Council concerning Soviet missile installations on Cuban territory in October 1962. (4) Evidence therefore matters outside the hallowed chambers of the International Court of Justice as much as it matters within it. A failure to produce evidence--or the right sort of evidence, or enough of the right sort of evidence might not only prove problematic but fatal to the case a government is seeking to make. We might cite in this regard the claim of self-defense made by the United States for Operation Infinite Reach in August 1998, (5) where reason was given to distinguish the force used against the Sudan from that under-taken against Afghanistan on the grounds of the differing viabilities of the evidence(s) rendered. …
The genesis and development of tumor are closely connected with immune system and neuroendocrine system. To investigate the changes of neuroendocrine and immune system in leukemia patients and their probable connection with leukemia, we studied five groups of patients including leukemia patients with normal temperature, leukemia patients with high temperature and infection (high‐leukocyte count group and low leukocyte count group), general patients with fever and healthy Chinese adult blood donors as control group. We determined their blood cell counts by blood count meter, determined their arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels in blood plasma by radioimmunoassay and their cross‐reacting protein (CRP), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels by immunoturbidimetry. Then we studied the difference and association among these indexes. Our results revealed a significant increase of AVP, LPS, and CRP levels in the blood of leukemia patients with normal temperature vs. normal people; Individual leukemia patients had high AVP levels although they had normal LPS and CRP levels; In the group of leukemia patients with high temperature and low leukocyte counts, the CRP level is significantly higher than some of other groups, while there was no significant increase in its AVP level. We conclude that no matter the temperature is normal or not, there were always neuroendocrine disturbance, inflammation, and inapparent infection in leukemia patient; To the leukemia patients with low leukocyte counts, the relationship between inflammation and neuroendocrine is more complicated.
Abstract Objective: To investigate the effect of weight-bearing status on radiographic healing of diaphyseal femur fractures. Design: Retrospective 1:1 matched cohort study. Setting: Single-level 1 trauma center. Participants: One-hundred forty-four (N = 154) patients matched 1:1 in non-weight bearing (NWB) and weight-bearing as tolerated (WBAT) groups. Intervention: Non-weight bearing following reamed, statically locked intramedullary fixation of diaphyseal femur fracture, generally due to concurrent lower extremity fracture. Main Outcome Measurement: Postoperative radiographic healing using modified Radiographic Union Scale for Tibia fractures (mRUST) scores. Results: Groups were well matched on age, sex, race, prevalence of tobacco and alcohol use, diabetes mellitus status, Injury Severity Score, fracture pattern and shaft location, vascular injury, open fracture prevalence, and operative characteristics. Radiographic follow-up was similar between groups (231 vs 228 days, P = .914). At 6 to 8 weeks status post intramedullary fixation, the median mRUST score in the NWB group (9) was lower than that of the WBAT group (10) (mean: 8.4 vs 9.7, P = .004). At 12 to 16 weeks, the median mRUST in the NWB group (10) was again lower than the WBAT group (12) (mean: 9.9 vs 11.7, P = .003). The median number of days to 3 cortices of bridging callous was 85 in the WBAT group, compared with 122 in the NWB group (P = .029). Median time to mRUST scores of 12 (111 vs 162 days, P = .008), 13 (218 vs 278 days, P = .023), and 14 (255 vs 320 days, P = .028) were all longer in the NWB group compared with the WBAT group. Conclusions: Non-weight bearing after intramedullary fixation of diaphyseal femur fractures delays radiographic healing, with median time to 3 cortices of bridging callous increased from 85 days in WBAT groups to 122 days in NWB groups. These results provide clinicians with an understanding of the expected postoperative course, as well as further support the need to expeditiously advance weight-bearing status. Level of Evidence: IV
The Research Animal Holding Facility, developed to support rodent and squirrel monkey animal husbandry in the Spacelab environment, is to be tested during the Spacelab Mission 3 flight. The configuration and function of the payload hardware elements, the assembly and test program, the operational rationale, and the scientific approach of this mission are examined. Topics covered include animal life support systems, the squirrel monkey restraint, the camera-mirror system, the dynamic environment measurement system, the biotelemetry system, and the ground support equipment. Consideration is also given to animal pretests, loading the animals during their 12 hour light cycle, and animal early recovery after landing. This mission will be the first time that relatively large samples of monkeys and rats will be flown in space and also cared for and observed by man.
Barang Jasa is an application that used for Divisi Pengadaan Barang dan Jasa. Barang Jasa serves to record every purchase of goods and services used to meet the needs of both fleet and crew in the long term. Barang Jasa also serves to make the Nota Dinas to be processed by Divisi Keuangan on the purchase of goods and services that have been performed. This application was created by using Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), which is a Microsoft technology to create desktop applications. This application was made using the method protoyping development,C# as a programming language, WPF as a interface design technology, and SQL Server 2012 as the database. WPF can present the appearance that can be tailored to user needs. This study discusses the interface, backend applications, and database design. After testing the flexibility of the interface on the screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768, 1024 x 768 and 1280 x 720, proves that WPF can adjust the screen resolution being tested. The test results showed that the backend of Barang Jasa application are functioning properly, the test is done using sql query by entering the required parameters, for example username and password to log in and match the query returns results with what is displayed by the application.
The real-time traffic control of railway networks authorizes movements of the trains and imposes safety constraints. The paper deals with the real time traffic control focusing on deadlock prevention problem. Colored Petri nets are used to model the dynamics of the railway network system: places represent tracks and stations, tokens are trains. The prevention policy is expressed by a set of linear inequality constraints, called colored Generalized Mutual Exclusion Constraints that are enforced by adding appropriate monitor places. Using digraph tools, deadlock situations are characterized and a strategy is established to define off-line a set of Generalized Mutual Exclusion Constraints that prevent deadlock. An example shows in detail the design of the proposed control logic.
For a fluid system, obeying a state equation of the van der Waals type, the gas and the liquid phases can coexist in equilibrium, at a given temperature, only if the volume of the system is kept fixed. Thus, in order to study the two-phase equilibria of a fluid system, it seemed quite natural to choose the molar volume as the independent variable, and, consequently, the Helmholtz free energy as the proper thermodynamic potential for the application of the minimum principle. Specific computations are here carried out for a single van der Waals fluid, namely, pure water at 300 °C. As a result, the present treatment indicates a simple and effective way to identify the whole range of molar volumes where the equilibrium preferred by the system is a two-phase equilibrium. This range results to be wider than the interval of strict instability of the van der Waals isotherm. Finally, it is pointed out that all the results, obtained here for the van der Waals state equation, can be extended to all the state equations of the same type.
Topological analysis of the heteropolyhedral MT framework (where M and T are octahedral and tetrahedral cations, respectively) in the eudialyte-type structure and its derivatives was performed based on a natural tiling analysis of the 3D cation. To analyze the migration paths of sodium cations in these structures, the Voronoi method was used. The parental eudialyte-type MT framework is formed by isolated ZO6 octahedra, six-membered [M(1)6O24] rings of edge-sharing M(1)O6 octahedra, and two kinds of rings of tetrahedra, [Si3O9] and [Si9O27]. Different occupancies of M(2), M(3) and M(4) sites with variable coordination numbers by the additional Q, T* and M* cations, respectively, result in 12 different types of the MT framework. Based on the results of natural tilings calculations as well as theoretical analysis of migration paths, it is found that Na+ ions can migrate through six- and seven-membered rings, while all other rings are too small for the migration. In eight types of MT frameworks, Na+-ion migration and diffusion is possible at ambient temperature and pressure, while in four other types cages are connected by narrow windows and, as a result, the Na+ diffusion in them is complicated at ambient conditions because of the window diameter, but may be possible either at higher temperatures or under mild geological conditions for long periods of time.
Published data on the Strong Vocational Interest Blank profiles of 113 occupational groups are analyzed by three different clustering procedures: (a) Hierarchical grouping of standard scores, (b) Hierarchical grouping of orthonormal factor scores and, (c) NORMIX analysis assuming equal covariance matrices for each group. It is shown that the NORMIX solution differs from the other solutions in a psychologically meaningful way.
Bis(triphenylphosphonio)isophosphindolide triflate (1[CF(3)SO(3)]) reacted with HgCl(2) and H(2)O or MeOH to give a phosphinito complex which was converted with excess HgCl(2) into the dimercury complex 5. In contrast, methanolysis of 1[X] (X = CF(3)SO(3), Br) in the presence of Hg(OAc)(2) afforded the phosphonium cation 9. A mercury complex 8 was isolated for X = Br as a reaction intermediate. Salts of a macrocyclic cation with a constitution similar to that of 9 were obtained by reaction of 1[CF(3)SO(3)] with Hg(OAc)(2) and triethylene glycol. The products were characterised by (1)H, (13)C, and (31)P NMR spectroscopy; in addition, (199)Hg NMR data of some complexes were obtained from 2D (31)P,(199)Hg shift correlations. Complexes 5 (space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), Z = 4, a = 12.449(2) Å, b = 17.583(3) Å, c = 23.111(3) Å, V = 5058.8(14) Å(3), 8917 reflections refined to R(w2) = 0.103) and 8 (space group C2/c, Z = 8, a = 20.028(2) Å, b = 15.513(2) Å, c = 30.247(8) Å, beta = 91.91(1) degrees, V = 9392(3) Å(3), 7955 reflections refined to R(w2) = 0.177) were further characterized by single crystal X-ray diffractommetry. Compound 8 is the first example of a monomeric complex of the type LHgX(2) (L = phosphine donor, X = halogen); formation of a halide bridged dimer is presumably prevented by the extraordinarily sterically demanding ligand. A reaction mechanism for the formation of 5 and 8 is proposed which involves the formation of mercury complexes of 1 as the initial step.
The (S)-mandelate dehydrogenase (MDH) from Pseudomonas putida (ATCC 12633) is the only membrane-associated member of a homologous family of FMN-dependent, alpha-hydroxy acid dehydrogenases/oxidases that includes the structurally characterized glycolate oxidase from spinach (GOX). We have correlated the membrane association of MDH to a polypeptide segment in the interior of the primary sequence. This has been accomplished by construction of a chimeric enzyme in which the putative membrane-binding segment in MDH has been deleted and replaced with the corresponding segment from the soluble GOX. The resulting chimera, MDH-GOX, is soluble and retains partial catalytic activity (approximately 1%) using (S)-mandelate as substrate. In contrast, the activities of both the membrane-associated wild-type MDH and the soluble MDH-GOX are nearly the same when (S)-phenyllactate is used as substrate. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a membrane-associated protein in which an internal polypeptide segment anchors the protein to the membrane.
An experimental study was made to determine how critical interfacial conditons are influenced by Reynolds, Froude, and wave numbers as well as density differences and channel roughness. An empirical equation was obtained from mixing experiments which was shown to predict the onset of interfacial instability for different stratified flow conditions. For prototype flows this equation is shown to predict similar stability conditions to that of newly derived theoretical equations.
Abstract Results are presented of real time kinematic (RTK) positioning based on carrier phase and code (pseudorange) observations of the four Galileo In-Orbit Validation (IOV) satellites, as they were in orbit and transmitting navigation data at the time of writing this article (2013). These Galileo data were collected by multi-GNSS receivers operated by Curtin University and as such this article is one of the first presenting results of short baseline ambiguity resolution and positioning based on Galileo IOV observations. The results demonstrate that integer ambiguity resolution based on the four IOV satellites needs fewer than three minutes when at least observables from three frequencies are used. Combined with data of four GPS satellites even instantaneous (single epoch) ambiguity resolution is demonstrated, using only two frequencies per constellation (i.e. E1+E5a & L1+L2). We also show that at locations with obstructed satellite visibility, such that positioning based on either GPS-only or Galileo-only becomes impossible or only in a very inaccurate way, combined Galileo&GPS positioning is feasible, within 10 min if one frequency of each constellation is used and only 2 min time-to-fix the ambiguities based on observations of two frequencies of each constellation. It is furthermore demonstrated that this results in positions with centimetre level accuracy in the horizontal plane and sub-decimetre accuracy in the vertical direction.
The synthesis and preliminary characterization of new polypeptide-bound chromophores are reported. These polymers were made for the purpose of assembling (beta) -sheets at an air- water surface, and processing them into nonlinear optical films by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition. These films should be amenable to integration on semiconductor wafers, e.g., as active optical waveguides for phase shifting.
A pineapple fruit juice extractor was developed by Badmus and Adeyemi (2004). The machine was able to process 12 kg of ripe pineapple fruit into 8 L of pineapple juice successfully. Aremu et al. (2016) developed a portable multipurpose juice extractor from some tropical fruits such as orange, watermelon, and pineapple. Tests were performed for both unpeeled and peeled fruits using different sieve opening diameter (0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 mm. results showed that an increase in the diameter of the sieve increases the yield and efficiency of the juice. Ishiwu and Oluka (2004) design and fabricated a juice extractor. This extractor machine comprises a frame, screw jack, feeding pot, pressing mechanism, frame, interlock, and discharge mechanism. Test performed showed that the efficiency and juice yield of the extractor is 3% and 76 respectively. Abulude developed a manually operated juice extractor to save time and prevent spoilage and wastage of juices. Tests were carried out on the fabricated juice extractor using pineapple and orange juices. It was deduced that the efficiency of the orange and pineapple yield was 83.86 and 85.38% respectively. In the work of Odewole et al. (2018), a manually-operated multipurpose fruit juice extractor was developed. The test was performed on the juice yield, juice content, extraction capacity, extraction efficiency and extraction loss using sweet orange, red apple, green apple, pineapple, lime, lemon, watermelon, and grape. Results show that the highest yield was pineapple why sweet orange had the lowest extraction loss. Abstract: A juice extractor is a device that helps to extract juice from the fruit. A functional juice extractor was developed using locally sourced materials in Nigeria mainly stainless steel to reduce the bottleneck of using hand and cup to extract juice from fruits. The extractor consists of Hopper, Auger, Cylinder and belt and pulley. The fruits such as pineapple, orange and watermelon were purchased in Koko Junction Market at Oghara, Delta State. This fruits were washed, clean and cut into pieces and then feed into the extractor via the hopper. Several tests were carried out such as extraction efficiency, juice extraction capacity, juice yield, and extraction loss. It was observed that watermelon has the highest juice yield and efficiency. Also, orange had the highest extraction loss when compared to pineapple and watermelon.
Summary 1.  Trichuris trichiura is not a harmless parasite but frequently gives rise to severe or even fatal disease. 2.  We find in the literature no specific treatment. 3.  Chenopodium does not remove this parastie. 4.  Leche de Higueron offers a safe and hopeful means of treating this disease. 5.  This juice possesses a slight vermicidal action on ascaris and ankylostoma. 6.  In this series of cases, this treatment caused the passage of trichuris in 57 per cent of cases.
Using small amplitude wave theory, scattering of water waves by a vertical flexible barrier over a porous bed is studied. The boundary value problem in the form of Helmholtz equation is solved by the matched vertical eigenfunction expansion method. By exploiting the continuity of pressure and velocity at the interface along with Darcy’s law for porous structure, the obtained coupled relation is solved by least-squares approximation method. The behavior of flexible barrier against the wave action for various physical quantities are studied and the numerical results are discussed. It is observed that due to the porous structure, a tranquility zone is created on the lee side of the barrier.
What happens to close relationships of love and friendship in addiction? How does the impact of addiction on those relationships affect the addicted person’s view of themselves and of their capacities for change and recovery? In this chapter, we focus on the structure of close personal relations and diagnose how these relationships are disrupted by addiction. We draw upon Peter Strawson’s landmark paper ‘Freedom and Resentment’ (2008, first published 1962) to argue that loved ones of those with addiction veer between, (1) reactive attitudes of blame and resentment generated by disappointed expectations of goodwill and reciprocity, and (2) the detached objective stance from which the addicted person is seen as less blameworthy but also as less fit for ordinary interpersonal relationships. We examine how these responses, in turn, shape the addicted person’s view of themselves, their character and their capacities, and provide a negative narrative trajectory that impedes recovery. We close with a consideration of how these effects might be mitigated by adopting less demanding variations of the participant stance.
Since orthomodular posets serve as an algebraic axiomatization of the logic of quantum mechanics, it is a natural question how the connective of implication can be defined in this logic. It should be introduced in such a way that it is related with conjunction, i.e. with the partial operation meet, by means of some kind of adjointness. We present here such an implication for which a so-called unsharp residuated poset can be constructed. Then this implication is connected with the operation meet by the so-called unsharp adjointness. We prove that also conversely, under some additional assumptions, such an unsharp residuated poset can be converted into an orthomodular poset and that this assignment is nearly one-to-one.
In present research, some of the indicated low strength of hot well cements was related to the CaO/SiO/sub 2/ ratio and the amount of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. An optimum composition was 5CaO:6SiO/sub 2/ plus 7 percent Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/. The Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ stabilized tobermorite to about 250/sup 0/C (482/sup 0/F) without which serious strength loss occurred. Another possibly favorable composition was 2CaO:3(SiO/sub 2/+Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/) provided at least 5 percent Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ was available in the cement. Six hydrated calcium silicates were found as potential binders in the study. The effect of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, ranging from beneficial to deleterious, was determined for all.
Understanding the factors that increase the transmissibility of the recently emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 (such as the Alpha, Epsilon, and Delta variants) can aid in mitigating their spread. The enhanced transmissibility could be attributed to one or more factors: higher stability on surfaces or within droplet nuclei suspended in air, increased maximal viral load or higher probability of infection. The relative importance of these factors on the transmission was examined using a validated stochastic-jump-continuous hybrid model. The transmissibility was quantified in terms of the household secondary attack rate (hSAR) which is the probability of transmission from an infected individual to a susceptible one in a household. We find that an increase in either the maximal viral load or the probability of infection is consistent with the observed hSAR of the variants. Specifically, in order to reach the relative increase in the hSAR of 40%, 55%, and 87% reported for the Epsilon, Alpha, and Delta variants (respectively), the maximal viral load should increase by 56%, 78%, and 125%, respectively. Alternatively, the probability of infection should increase by 34%, 53%, and 193%, respectively. Contrary to these results, even a dramatic increase in environmental stability increases hSAR by no more than 10%.
Abstract The increasing demand in cement has inspired researchers in both developed and developing countries around the world to explore and consider alternative materials as partial replacement of cement both in concrete and in mortar. In this study, the influence of agricultural waste, particularly corn cob ash, (CCA) as pozzolanic material or supplementary cementitious material (SCM) on the physical properties and compressive strength of cement mortar was investigated. CCA was used as partial replacement of cement ranging from 0% to 20% by weight at water-cementitious ratio of 0.6 and mix proportion of 1 cementitious: 3 fillers. The physical properties evaluated for the mortar paste were setting time and consistency; and compressive strength of hardened mortar cube. The chemical analysis of CCA was conducted, and results indicated that the CCA used in this study is classified as Class C pozzolana with combined SiO2 + Al2O3 + Fe2O3 of 55.86%. The addition of CCA increases the initial and final setting time. The study also revealed that the addition of CCA in the mortar mix reduces the plasticity or fluidity of the paste. Further, the result indicated that the compressive strength of mortars with CCA decreased as the amount of CCA replacements increased in the mixture. The mortar pastes with varying amount of cement replacements, however, are superior for use as mortar for masonry construction.
The need to reduce energy consumptions and to optimize the processes of energy production has pushed the technology towards the implementation of hybrid systems for combined production of electric and thermal energies. In particular, recent researches look with interest at the installation of hybrid system PV/T. To improve the energy performance of these systems, it is necessary to know the operating temperature of the photovoltaic modules. The determination of the operating temperature is a key parameter for the assessment of the actual performance of photovoltaic panels. In the literature, it is possible to find different correlations that evaluate the referring to standard test conditions and/or applying some theoretical simplifications/assumptions. Nevertheless, the application of these different correlations, for the same conditions, does not lead to unequivocal results. In this work an alternative method, based on the employment of artificial neural networks (ANNs), was proposed to predict the operating temperature of a PV module. This methodology does not require any simplification or physical assumptions. In the paper is described the ANN that obtained the best performance: a multilayer perception network. The results have been compared with experimental monitored data and with some of the most cited empirical correlations proposed by different authors.
Exact analytical solutions are given for stationary two-dimensional temperature, stress, and displacement distributions in hybrid laminates containing isotropic and/or orthotropic layers. The similarity that exists between the thermoelastic and piezoelastic formulations is exploited in establishing solutions for cylindrical bending of piezother-moelastic laminates exposed to combined thermo-electro-mechanical loads. Results are compared with those based upon classical and high-order bending theories.
Horizontal drilling has almost reached the status of 3D-Seismic as major technological contribution to field development. Initial production of hor izontal wells is frequently much higher than that of vertical wells but steep decline curves and problems with gas or water breakthrough are also common. Much has been written about stimulation of horizontal well performance and interpretation of well tests with their typical succession of flow regimes. However there is need for a systematic classification of reservoir heterogeneities with respect to their impact on horizontal well production behaviour and to the relevant design, of well trajectories' to optimalise reservoir drainage.
The article by Dharmawardene and Menkes1 supports that cannabis use in an inpatient psychiatric sample is a significant predictor of lifetime violence among the severely mentally ill. Although this finding is important for clinicians as well as the researchers, an important point in the analyses of this research is missing. Did the adult psychiatric inpatients who were also cannabis users demonstrate more deficits in their neuropsychological profile than the psychiatric inpatients did who scored lower on substance use questionnaires?
In the coastal countries of East Asia and Southeast Asia, ciguatera should be common because of the extensive tropical and subtropical coral reefs along the coasts and in the neighboring seas with ciguatoxic fishes. An extensive search of journal databases, the Internet and the government websites was performed to identify all reports of ciguatera from the regions. Based on the official data and large published case series, the incidence of ciguatera was higher in the coastal cities (Hong Kong, Foshan, Zhongshan) of southern China than in Japan (Okinawa Prefecture). In Singapore, ciguatera appeared to be almost unknown. In other countries, only isolated cases or small case series were reported, but under-reporting was assumed to be common. Ciguatera may cause severe acute illness and prolonged neurological symptoms. Ciguatera represents an important public health issue for endemic regions, with significant socio-economic impact. Coordinated strategies to improve risk assessment, risk management and risk communication are required. The systematic collection of accurate data on the incidence and epidemiology of ciguatera should enable better assessment and management of its risk. Much more work needs to be done to define the size threshold for important coral reef fish species from different regions, above which the risk of ciguatera significantly increases.
A wireless batteryless piezoresistive pressure sensing system was presented. The sensing system adapts RFID operation principles including a transponder and a reader. The transponder device includes an energy harvesting circuit, force sensing resistors, a resistance-to-frequency converter, and an antenna. The reader provides radio frequency power to the device remotely and measures the sensor values in terms of frequency shift simultaneously. The performance of the system was characterized form 0 to 10 psi while the corresponding modulated frequency shift by the reader was between 7.35 kHz and 8.55 kHz. A pressure sensor array was arranged to identify high pressure points dynamically for long-term usage.
In clinical diagnostics, the diagnostic approach based on images obtained from equipment of which medical machine (diagnostic imaging) plays an important role. However, most of medical images have blur combined with noise. There are many reasons to create blur combined with noise in medical images such as the environment, capture device, technician's skills, etc. This problem will affect the process diagnose. In this paper, we proposed a new method to improve the quality of medical images. The proposed method uses cycle spinning combined with Kernels set in shearlet domain. Our algorithm removes the noise and blur details in shearlet domain, and must not the value of point-spread function (PSF). The proposed algorithm not only significantly improves the edge accuracy, but also reduces the loss of information in medical image.
Previous studies have shown that the increased expression of the hepatic insulin receptor (IR) which occurs in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats is reversed by treatments with insulin [1-31 and vanadate [41, an insulinomimetic agent. Insulin treatment has also been shown to reverse the overexpression of IR mRNA which occurs in diabetic rats [2, 3]. However, although insulin is known to downregulate the IR protein in a variety of isolated cells and cell lines, effects of insulin on cellular IR mRNA level have been conflicting. In addition. it is unknown whether vanadate, which has been reported to downregulate the IR protein in certain types of cells [5], affects in parallel IR mRNA level. To address these issues, we have examined the effects of insulin and vanadate on IR gene expression in Fao hepatoma cells, a well-differentiated insulin-responsive cell line [61. Effects of cAMP, whose hepatic levels are increased in diabetic rats, have also been studied.
Conventional imaging modalities are unable to depict the early degeneration of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis, especially in small joints. Optical coherence tomography has previously been used successfully in high-resolution imaging of cartilage tissue. This pilot cadaver study demonstrates the use of intra-articular optical coherence tomography in imaging of articular cartilage of the first carpometacarpal joint, producing high resolution images of the articular surface in which cartilage thickness and surface characteristics were assessed. Findings on optical coherence tomography were confirmed with histology. Furthermore, co-registration of optical coherence tomography and computed tomography was used to accurately determine the scanned trajectory and reconstruct a true-scale image overlay.
Circular dichroism spectra of the nucleic acid monomers have been measured in aqueous solution and extended into the vacuum ultraviolet region to about 166 nm. Measurements were made on ribo and deoxyribo derivatives of adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil derivatives both with and without the 5′‐phosphate (with the exception of ribosyl thymine 5′‐phosphate). Absorption spectra of the deoxyribonucleotides measured to about 175 nm are also presented. The results demonstrate that both the circular dichroism and absorption spectra observed below 200 nm are no more complicated than the spectra normally recorded above 200 nm. In most cases, the circular dichroism spectra of the various derivatives of a given base are similar, indicating that the conformations are similar. On the other hand, the differences among the circular dichroism spectra of the various derivatives of a given base are sufficient to identify a particular derivative. The average circular dichroism for the deoxyribonucleotides is compared with the circular dichroism of native E. coli DNA. The comparison reveals that the circular dichroism of DNA below 200 nm is due principally to the interaction between the bases rather than the intrinsic circular dichroism of the monomers. The monomer transitions are discussed in relationship to the absorption and circular dichroism spectra presented.
Replanting avulsed teeth with a doubtful long-term prognosis due to unfavorable extra-alveolar conditions has recently been questioned by Kenny and Barrett (1). Many factors, however, still favor replanting such teeth. First of all, reliability of failure predictors has not yet been tested in prospective studies. Secondly, preservation of even resorbing replanted teeth may offer significant long-term advantages in preparation for definitive treatment. Also, for psychological reasons, replantation can significantly reduce the anxiety and despair of both the injured child and the parents. Furthermore, decoronation of a resorbing anterior tooth will allow it to serve as a matrix for alveolar bone formation and preserve an otherwise resorbing alveolar process, thereby leaving an environment of bone and soft tissue that is optimal for both single implant insertion or fixed prosthesis. Finally, replantation and subsequent decoronation, if indicated, appears to be cost-effective in comparison with non-replantation combined with subsequent repeated prosthetic tooth replacements owing to vertical alveolar growth of adjacent ridge areas, with eventual definitive implant placement or a fixed prosthesis.
An organizational level empirical analysis of career advancement in organizations was conducted on a diverse sample of 318 mid to large size worksites in Georgia, USA. Two variables were used to indicate career advancement: (1) emphasis on upward mobility of non-management employees to other non-management positions; and (2) the movement of non-management employees into management. Two sets of organizational variables are differentially related to the two different indicators of career advancement. Organizational structural variables are more likely to be related to upward mobility within the non-management ranks, and demographic variables are more likely to be related to across-category movement from non-management to management. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Performance of a human size humanoid robot is strictly limited by performance of the motor. The progress of a motor has not been remarkable compared with the progress of electronics. Therefore, the great progress of the performance of the motor cannot be expected, at least in the present circumstances. A humanoid robot Saika-4 is developed aiming to break through the limitation by using a gravity compensation mechanism. The mechanism is expected to reduce the joint torque of the legs required to support the gravitational force of the whole body. This paper verifies effectiveness of the gravity compensation mechanism performing preliminary experiments.
Summary In recent years considerable attention has focused on metamorphic core complexes of the Basin and Range Province of the western US Cordillera. These highly extended areas are characterized by an upper plate that has been brittlely attenuated by normal faults separated by a sub-horizontal detachment surface from a lower plate that has been ductilely thinned and stretched. A study of mesoscopic structures, finite strain, microstructures, quartz c-axis fabrics and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology was undertaken in order to characterize the nature, geometry, kinematic history and timing of ductile extension in the lower plate of the northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex in E-central Nevada. These data provide new insights into the processes of deep-seated ductile strain beneath supracrustal normal fault mosaics in highly extended regions. Mesoscopic structures and finite strain analyses indicate that the lower plate underwent plane strain with a sub-vertical Z-axis and a sub-horizontal WNW-ESE X-axis. The magnitude of strain increases dramatically from W-to-E, and is constant vertically. Bedding and foliation are everywhere parallel and bedding is thinned 30–90%. The nature and geometry of microstructures and c-axis fabrics changes progressively from W-to-E. Lower strain rocks on the W flank of the range are characterized by a single bedding-parallel foliation, defined by flattened detrital grains, globular grains which have their c-axes parallel to the Z-axis and symmetrical cross-girdle c-axis fabrics. Further E to slightly higher strains, the rocks are characterized by asymmetrical cross-girdle c-axis fabrics, although globular grains with their c-axes parallel to Z are still present. The high-strain rocks on the E flank of the range are characterized by C-planes, asymmetrical mica ‘fish’ and oblique quartz foliations, and asymmetrical single-girdle c-axis fabrics. These data suggest that the lower plate has not deformed entirely by either coaxial or non-coaxial strain, and we propose an evolutionary model whereby the lower plate deformed during an early period of coaxial strain followed by a later component of non-coaxial strain accompanied by coaxial strain on the E flank of the range. 40Ar/39Ar geochronology on lower-plate hornblendes and micas indicates that temperatures of deformation were >280°C, but <530°C, and increased with depth. Geochronological data suggest that lower-plate ductile strain is post-latest Cretaceous, and biotite and muscovite data indicate that ductile deformation was probably ongoing 22–26 Ma. Our data and regional geological relations suggest that ductile extensional deformation in the northern Snake Range occurred because of localized heat input to shallow levels of the crust, and together with seismic reflection data, indicate that lower-plate rocks probably represent the top of a regional metamorphic terrane of Tertiary age.
The classification for distinguishing variants of the Visitatio Sepulchri proposed by Carl Lange and enhanced by E. K. Chambers was systematized by Karl Young in his 1933 collection, The Drama of the Medieval ChurchA Young's work was an expansion of the third book of Chambers' The Mediaeval Stage. Its subject, as the title makes clear, was the drama of the Church, and its scope encompassed the medieval liturgy, the dramatic manifestations of the liturgy, and the various forms of the liturgical drama. Although Young provided a ^sizable addition to the documentary facts made available by Chambers," his primary contribution to Chambers' conceptual framework, as Hardison noted, was "in the direction of definition."2 Building on Chambers' approach to the liturgical drama, Young saw the crux of the issue in the definition of drama itself. 3
Abstract This article examines the Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan (Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK), which has become one of the prominent actors in Kurdistan and the Middle East since its inception in the mid-1970s. My basic aim is to explain how the PKK became a significant agent, a maker in the Middle East, contributing to the dissolution of the decades-long status quo in Kurdistan. My overall argument is that, while the PKK successfully has changed its ‘environment’ since its formation, there also have been significant changes in its people, spaces, promises/propositions and instruments.
Abstract Special Session 9 of the XXVII General Assembly (11–14 August 2009, Rio de Janeiro) was devoted to the topic “Marking the 400th Anniversary of Kepler's Astronomia nova”. During the two-and-a-half day meeting (spread over four days), there were nine invited and three contributed talks, a round-table discussion on the future of Kepler studies and an open session to propose the setting up of a Johannes Kepler Working Group under the aegis of the IAU.
Convolutional neural networks have become the major method in the field of image classification, and the algorithm based on neural networks already has achieved remarkable achievements in a lot of scenarios in the real world. Now, we consider to solve the problem that semantic segmentation and classification in remote sensing images. The recognition in this field is based on image clipping and then passed the images to the traditional classifiers in the early stage. However, this non-end-to-end network has poor edge recognition result. Today, End-to-end methods can accurately identity edges in images, but limited by the numbers of labeled satellite images. In this paper, we proposed an end-to-end remote-image classification method which focus on recovering detailed information on the pixel level and features themselves. Instead of increasing the number of labeled samples, we put more effort on improving the quality of features. This method takes into account both high-dimensional features and low-dimensional features. Meanwhile, our designed network is an effective algorithm which combined the U-net and ResNet together. This new method can learn more useful features and achieve a better performance. Finally, we did a series of experiments and it showed our network has the good capacity to do the classification job.
1. De la Mata J, Gomez-Sanchez MA, Aranzana M, Gomez-Reino JJ. Long-term iloprostinfuiion therapy for severe pulmonary hypertension in patients with connective tissue diseases. Arthritis Rheum 1994;37:1528-33. 2. Kaukinen S, Ylitalo P, Pessi T, Vapaatalo H. Hemodynamic effects of iloprost, a prostacyclin analogue. Clin Pharmacol Ther 1984;36:464-9. 3. Krause W, Humpel M, Hoyer G-A. Biotransformation of the stable prostacyclin analogue, iloprost, in the rat. Drug Me lab Dispos 1984;1£645-51. 4. Grant S, Goa K. Iloprost. A review of its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, and therapeutic potential in peripheral vascular disease, myocardial ischaemia and extracorporeal circulation procedures. Drugs 1992;43:889-924. 5. Wigley FM, Wise RA, Seibold JR et at. Intravenous Iloprostinfusion in patients with Raynaud phenomenon secondary to systemic sclerosis: a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Ann Intern Mtd 1994;120:199-206. 6. Masi AT, Rodnan GP, Medsger TA et at. Preliminary criteria for the classification of systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Arthritis Rheum 1980;23:581-90. 7. LeRoy EC, Black C, Fleischmajer R et at. Scleroderma (systemic sclerosis): Classification, subsets and pathogenesis. J Rheumatol 1988:15:202-5. 8. Scheja A, Eskilsson J, Akesson A, Wollheim FA. Inverse relation between plasma concentration of von Willebrand factor and CrEDTA clearance in systemic sclerosis. J Rheumatol 1994^1:639-42. 9. Jones K, Higenbottom T, Wallwork J. Pulmonary vasodilatation of prostacyclin in primary and secondary pulmonary hypertension. Chest 1989;9fe784-9. 10. Bartram SA, Denton CP, du Bois RM, Black CM. Use of intravenous prostacyclin to treat pulmonary hypertension associated with systemic sclerosis. Br J Rheumatol 1994;33(suppl. l):30 (Abstract).
Compared with large enterprises, small businesses short starting time and lack of credit history, it is difficult to judge on financial operations and future prospects. Essentially, Relationship lending is a system arrangement on the banking and corporate financial transactions in order to overcome market failures. Through the theoretical framework of Duopoly competition, the paper studys the pricing behavior of lending and banking. The study shows lack of effective financing information forces small businesses to bear the high interest rates even if the existence of the long-term relation­ships with banks, while the paper explains the reasons by theory of small enterprises often borrowing constraints.
This paper presents an approach to integrate learning styles into Adaptive E-learning Hypermedia. The main objective was to develop an adaptive e-learning system and assess the effect of adapting educational materials individualized to the student’s learning style. The proposed approach utilized adaptive hypermedia technology to improve learning process by adapting course content presentation to student learning styles. The combination of Apache, MySQL and PHP were used to implement the system based on learning styles to present the appropriate subject matter, including the content, format and media type. The system was organized into 3 models; domain model, learner model and adaptation model. The 3 models interact together to perform adaptively. An experiment between 2 groups of students was conducted to evaluate the impact on learning achievement. Inferential statistics were applied to make inferences from the sample data to more general conditions. Descriptive statistics were applied simply to describe what's going on in the sample data. Results showed that students taught using learning style adaptive system performed significantly better in academic achievement (p<0.05) than students taught the same material without adaptation to learning style. The findings support the use of learning styles as guideline for adaptation into the Adaptive E-learning Hypermedia Systems.           Key words: E-learning, adaptive hypermedia, learning styles, technology based education, academic achievement.
Workspace analysis and joint moment calculation are the main contents of manipulator’s design and calculation. According to the joint layout characteristics of the light cooperative manipulator, the workspace of the manipulator is divided into two parts: the arm workspace and the wrist workspace. The geometric method and Monte Carlo method are used to calculate the workspace of the manipulator and to guide the determination of the structural parameters of the manipulator. Based on Simulink/Simmechanics library, the dynamics model of six-axis serial manipulator is built and the joint rotational moment is calculated. The simulation results are in good agreement with the results of Newton Euler method. The simulation model can be used to replace Newton Euler method in the design process of the manipulator to improve the design efficiency.
This paper investigates the determinants and impact of the co-evolution between the international financial markets and the offshore financial centre Luxembourg since the late 1950s. It argues for a historic understanding of decisive, time-sensitive environments that helped Luxembourg to emerge, transform and upgrade over time. This paper links explanations like the shaping power of international political decisions, ‘historical accidents’ and national key actors’ visionary intentionality and professional networks that have resulted in the creation of a specific developmental path in finance and the rapid internationalisation and sophistication of its financial eco-system.
Abstract In this paper the importance of relationships for understanding sexual offenders is discussed. Studies of social competence in sex offender populations are reviewed. A move from the study of social skills to social relationships is noted and this is seen as an important development. An attempt is made to locate relationships within current models of sexual offending. Relationship formation will need to be more thoroughly addressed in assessments and treatment programmes in the future.
Women and Politics in Western Europe. Edited by Sylvia Bashevkin (Totowa, NJ: Frank Cass, 1986. lOlp. $29.50). Women of Europe: Women MEPs and Equality Policy. By Elizabeth Vallance and Elizabeth Davies (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986. x, 180p. $37.50). Women, State, and Party in Eastern Europe. Edited by Sharon L. Wolchik and Alfred G. Meyer (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1985. xiv, 453p. $42.50, cloth; $16.95, paper).
Objective To determine public health and cost consequences of time delays to endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for patients, health care systems, and society, we estimated quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) of EVT-treated patients and associated costs based on times to treatment. Methods The Markov model analysis was performed from US health care and societal perspectives over a lifetime horizon. Contemporary data from 7 trials within the Highly Effective Reperfusion Evaluated in Multiple Endovascular Stroke Trials (HERMES) collaboration served as data source. Aside from cumulative lifetime costs, we calculated the net monetary benefit (NMB) to determine the economic value of care. We used a contemporary willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000 per QALY for NMB calculations. Results Every 10 minutes of earlier treatment resulted in an average gain of 39 days (95% prediction interval 23–53 days) of disability-free life. Overall, the cumulative lifetime costs for patients with earlier or later treatment were similar. Patients with later treatment had higher morbidity-related costs but over a shorter time span due to their shorter life expectancy, resulting in similar lifetime costs as in patients with early treatment. Regarding the economic value of care, every 10 minutes of earlier treatment increased the NMB by $10,593 (95% prediction interval $5,549–$14,847) and by $10,915 (95% prediction interval $5,928–$15,356) taking health care and societal perspectives, respectively. Conclusions Any time delay to EVT reduces QALYs and decreases the economic value of care provided by this intervention. Health care policies to implement efficient prehospital triage and to accelerate in-hospital workflow are urgently needed.
This article provides an analysis of the United States and European laws surrounding the protection of investors in the midstream/downstream energy sector. The United States’ Mobile-Sierra Doctrine is laid out in a comprehensible fashion with short factual backgrounds and case analysis for the Doctrine’s development. A similar review is undertaken for European laws and cases affecting investor security. The analysis concludes by highlighting that the regimes protect a different player in the midstream/downstream energy sector. The United States protects the sanctity of the contract and, by extension, the investor. Whilst the European Union’s legal regime tends to protect the consumer, and attempts to provide a free-trade market. The paradox that ensues is that the short-term protection of the consumer may not be in the consumer’s long-term interest.
Ethylenethiourea (ETU) was administered orally in single daily doses of 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, or 80 mg/kg to nulliparous rats and rabbits. In rats treatment was made from 21–42 days before conception to pregnancy day 15, and on days 6–15 or 7–20 of pregnancy, and in rabbits on days 7–20 of pregnancy. ETU induced meningoencephalocele, meningorrhagia, meningorrhea, hydrocephalus, obliterated neural canal, abnormal pelvic limb posture with equinovarus, and short or kinky tail after 10 mg/kg or more in all rat experiments. Fetal survival was not affected at any dose, whereas fetal growth was retarded at 40 and 80 mg/kg. The incidence of most of the deformities was dose dependent. Results from the rabbit study suggested an increased incidence of resorption sites and decreased brain weight in the group given 80 mg/kg, but no malformations were seen.
The Mycobacterium tuberculosis TetR‐type regulator Rv3574 has been implicated in pathogenesis as it is induced in vivo, and genome‐wide essentiality studies show it is required for infection. As the gene is highly conserved in the mycobacteria, we deleted the Rv3574 orthologue in Mycobacterium smegmatis (MSMEG_6042) and used real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and microarray analyses to show that it represses the transcription both of itself and of a large number of genes involved in lipid metabolism. We identified a conserved motif within its own promoter (TnnAACnnGTTnnA) and showed that it binds as a dimer to 29 bp probes containing the motif. We found 16 and 31 other instances of the motif in intergenic regions of M. tuberculosis and M. smegmatis respectively. Combining the results of the microarray studies with the motif analyses, we predict that Rv3574 directly controls the expression of 83 genes in M. smegmatis, and 74 in M. tuberculosis. Many of these genes are known to be induced by growth on cholesterol in rhodococci, and palmitate in M. tuberculosis. We conclude that this regulator, designated elsewhere as kstR, controls the expression of genes used for utilizing diverse lipids as energy sources, possibly imported through the mce4 system.
Patients with dysgenetic gonads carry a high risk for the development of gonadal neoplasia. The aim of the study is to evaluate indications and feasibility of laparoscopy and video-assisted prophylactic gonadectomy in children with Ullrich Turner syndrome (UTS) or 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis (GoDy). Between 1996 and December 2002 five girls with UTS and nine patients with 46,XY GoDy (female gender role) were explored by laparoscopy. Video-assisted salpingo-oophorectomy or gonadectomy was performed using a three-port technique. Prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomy was exclusively performed in UTS patients with proven presence of translocated parts of the Y chromosome. In three patients with 46,XY GoDy laparoscopy was followed by surgical revision of the groin and open gonadectomy in four patients. In two cases with UTS the removed streak gonads contained small unilateral tumours stage pT1a, and in four cases of 46, XY GoDy histopathological investigation revealed bilateral neoplasms stage pT1b. We found the following tumour types: gonadoblastoma, dysgerminoma, testicular intraepithelial neoplasia, and mature teratoma. In conclusion, investigative laparoscopy gives a good image of the internal genital structures and allows the safe removal of the dysgenetic gonads during the same operation. The high rate of gonadal tumours underlines the indication for early gonadectomy in these patients.
BACKGROUND Researchers have noted difficulties in attracting adequate numbers of participants with intellectual disabilities (ID) to their studies.   METHODS This study was a review of participation by adults with ID in research conducted in South Eastern Ontario over a 20-year period (1987-2006). Original research studies were identified by local investigators and then reviewed for inclusion and exclusion criteria. The report of each study was then reviewed by three reviewers and key information was extracted. The extent of study participation was calculated using three methods and compared along with key design characteristics.   RESULTS Nine studies met all inclusion/exclusion criteria and provided sufficient data to calculate participation. Among the studies there was a variety of purposes, research designs and recruitment strategies. Using the participant/approached calculation, participation varied between 41.8% and 100%. Higher participation was observed in studies where investigators had direct access to participants, the data collection was non-invasive and consent was required from substitute decision-makers only. There was no clear trend of increasing or decreasing participation over time.   CONCLUSIONS Researchers seeking the participation of adults with ID in their studies must incorporate factors influencing participation into study designs to ensure robust results and effective use of research resources.
4Department of Pathology, Soonchunhyang University Hospital Bucheon, Bucheon, Gyunggi, 420-767, Korea. primary cardiac malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the right atrium was diagnosed in a 34year-old woman admitted to our hospital with dyspnea. Pathohistological examination confirmed MFH. The tumor recurred rapidly, and a second operation was not performed. A CT chest scan revealed a large mass in the right atrium with extracardiac extension. The patient was treated with chemotherapy using a combined drug regimen. Despite hemodynamic impairment and extracardiac extension, adjuvant chemotherapy promoted partial remission. We report a case of recurrent primary cardiac MFH with extracardiac extension and successful chemotherapeutic management. Primary cardiac tumors are uncommon and most are benign. Malignant tumors account for only 25% of all primary cardiac tumors [1, 2]. Most malignant cardiac tumors are angiosarcomas. Malignant fibrous histiocytomas are rare primary cardiac tumors [3–6]. We report on a case of recurrent primary cardiac MFH with extracardiac extension and successful chemotherapeutic management.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented as one of the largest educational disruptions in recent times. It has wrought significant challenges to not only teaching and learning but also well-being. Students have experienced significant learning loss during the pandemic (Engzell et al., 2021; Skar et al., 2021; Storey & Zhang, 2021) and a decline in well-being among some student, teacher, and parent populations (Golberstein et al., 2020; Rajkumar, 2020). School closures have been enforced in almost every country creating immense change to the learning and teaching experiences of more than 1.7 billion students and their families spread over 188 countries (Schleicher, 2020). The impact of COVID-19 has been felt across all school and educational settings, including higher education, necessitating students, teachers, and educational practitioners to re-imagine education. In this special issue, we invited contributors to discuss the challenges and possibilities that students, teachers, and parents faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, identify the opportunities for adapting to the long-term challenges of the pandemic, and propose recommendations for educational systems grappling with the consequences of the pandemic for a world where COVID is endemic. This SI is global in scope and focuses on the nexus of teaching, learning, and wellbeing. It not only covers work done in Western developed countries such as the US and the UK but also highlights research in other parts of the world including Bangladesh, Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, India, the Philippines, Singapore, Turkey, and Vietnam. The articles are organized into two broad parts: teaching and learning (Part 1) and well-being (Part 2). The first four papers focus on issues of teaching and learning (Easterbrook et al., 2022; Foreman-Brown et al., 2022; Roy et al., 2022; Spiteri et al., 2022). They highlight the challenges faced by students and teachers during the shift to online teaching and learning and proffer some solutions to address these challenges. The second section concentrates on wellbeing related to students, teachers, and parents. The papers in this section provide potential solutions to maintain or increase well-being during uncertain times such as COVID-19 (Akdeniz & Gültekin Ahçı, 2022; Galanza et al., 2022; Harrison et al., 2022; Pham & Phan, 2022; Saw et al., 2022; Shenoi et al., 2022; Tan et al., 2022; Tiwari et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2022).
Simple Summary Social media sites may contribute to the changing ways we see animals. On these sites, people can present animals in different contexts, depending on what message they want to convey, and this may change how people perceive animals, for example making people more likely to want an exotic species as a pet. We showed a mock-up site to 211 people. All people were shown the same image of a primate, but half were shown a negative story and half were shown a positive story. People shown the negative story thought that the primate was more stressed. People responded cautiously to the social media site, even when they thought the primate was stressed. We conclude that social media may not be an honest representation of how people think about primates. Abstract The rapid rise of social media in the past decade represents a new space where animals are represented in human society, and this may influence human perceptions, for example driving desire for exotic pet keeping. In this study, 211 participants (49% female) between the ages of 18 to 44 were recruited to an online survey where they viewed mock-up pages from a social media site. All participants saw the same image of a primate but were randomly assigned to a pro exotic pet keeping or anti exotic pet keeping narrative condition. When participants were presented with the anti narrative they perceived the animal to be more stressed (χ2 = 13.99, p < 0.001). In free text comments, participants expressed reservations in the face of a narrative they disagreed with in free text comments. Overall, this study found evidence to suggest that people moderate their discussions on human-animal interactions based on the social network they are in, but these relationships are complex and require further research.
Seven hundred and fifty-one initially nondiabetic relatives of diabetic persons, in whom oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) have been performed, were followed for over 10 yr. Of these, 11.6% have died and no information was available from 13.7%. All other subjects were either retested (N = 369) or answered by questionnaire whether they are being treated for diabetes (N = 32) or not (N = 155). For test evaluation the sum of the 1- and the 2-h values during OGTT was used. The diagnosis of “diabetes” after 10 yr was made if the sum exceeded 500 mg/dl, which in 88% of cases coincides with fasting blood glucose values above 120 mg/dl. Among the retested individuals the results of OGTT showed a high degree of variation in both directions, which seems to represent just random variance rather than improvement or deterioration of biologic significance. These random changes in glucose tolerance do not correlate with changes in body weight. Sixty-three individuals have developed overt diabetes within the 10 yr. To optimize the discriminating value of the initial tests, the criteria dividing impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) from “normal” have been varied by a computer program. Sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis IGT with respect to later development of diabetes depend on the criteria used and are inversely related. At the point where sensitivity and specificity are equal, both amount to 45%, and their sum never exceeds 90%. Using the criteria for IGT and diabetes recently proposed by members of an expert committee at the NIH, which are mainly based on the 2-h value and the fasting value, a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 19% are found. Thus, although a higher tendency toward the development of overt diabetes can be observed in the group of subjects with IGT compared with normal subjects, the prognostic value of the OGTT is very low when applied to individuals.
Abstract Snow-cover settlement was measured in a dry, annual sub-alpine snow cover in the Colorado Rockies with settlement gages. Settlement viscosities were calculated from the change in gage heights over various periods during the winter and early spring, and the associated overburden over the gages as estimated from density measurements and precipitation records. When adjustments are made for local snow temperature, viscosities are in fair agreement with values found in the literature from similar snow covers, although considerable scatter for a given snow density is found in all sets compared. The viscosity for a given density does not appear to vary systematically with grain size.
Objective To relate functional independence to the degree of pulmonary impairment in adult patients 3 months after discharge from the intensive care unit. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in one adult intensive care unit and a multi-professional post-intensive care unit outpatient clinic of a single center. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit from January 2012 to December 2013 who underwent (3 months later) spirometry and answered the Functional Independence Measure Questionnaire were included. Results Patients were divided into groups according to the classification of functional independence and spirometry. The study included 197 patients who were divided into greater dependence (n = 4), lower dependence (n = 12) and independent (n = 181) groups. Comparing the three groups, regarding the classification of the Functional Independence Measure, patients with greater dependence had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment values at intensive care unit admission with more advanced age, more days on mechanical ventilation, and longer stay in the intensive care unit and hospital. The majority of patients presented with pulmonary impairment, which was the obstructive pattern observed most frequently. When comparing functional independence with pulmonary function, it was observed that the lower the functional status, the worse the pulmonary function, with a significant difference being observed in peak expiratory flow (p = 0.030). Conclusion The majority of patients who returned to the outpatient clinic 3 months after discharge had good functional status but did present with pulmonary impairment, which is related to the degree of functional dependence.
The Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) is sponsored by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM). It provides a searchable, free database of the contents of ∼65,000 supplement labels. A companion database of analytically verified product labels [the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID)] was created by ODS, NLM, and the USDA. There are considerable challenges to populating both databases, but the DSID faces unique analytic chemistry challenges. This article describes the challenges to creating analytically verified marketplace surveys of dietary supplement (DS) product content claims for inclusion in public databases. Nutritionists and public health scientists require information on actual exposures to DS constituents because labeled content may not match labeled product content. Analytic verification of composition of DSs provides a link to actual exposure. A public database of analytically derived DS content was developed to provide more accurate estimates of dietary intake in population-based epidemiologic studies. The DSID has conducted surveys of several types of vitamin- and mineral-containing DSs. Results showing label content claims as analytically derived values are available in the current DSID. A recent pilot project explored the feasibility of adding botanical DS products to the DSID. Candidates for future botanical DSID studies will be based on sales volume, potential public health impacts, and the availability of validated analytic methods and reference materials. Databases like DSID and the DSLD are essential for researchers and clinicians to evaluate dietary ingredient intakes in population-based epidemiologic studies. Together, these databases provide a picture of the DS marketplace. The DSID provides an analytic survey of marketed DSs. However, selection of future botanical supplements for DSID evaluation involves analytic challenges. Even when appropriate resources are available, method selection and data evaluation are resource- and time-consuming.
The subcellular location of histocompatibility antigens in the mouse H-2 system has been ascribed to various subcellular organelles in addition to the surface location on the plasma membrane. Since the subcellular distribution of human histocompatibility antigens (HL-A) has not been studied in any detail, human liver and two tissue culture cell lines were homogenized, fractionated, and profiled for subcellular membranes and antigenic content. Enzyme markers were selected to quantitate the various subcellular membranes in each fraction. Antigenic content, determined serologically by cytotoxicity inhibition, correlated only with 5’nucleotidase activity, the plasma membrane marker, regardless of other contaminating organelles. Thus, all 6 HL-A determinants tested, representing both segregant series of the HL-A locus, were limited to the plasma membranes of the tissue assayed.
Introduction: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are the most widely prescribed and effective medication to control asthma symptoms. However, this treatment is insufficient to avoid severe exacerbations in many patients, particularly in African Americans. A few genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of ICS have been performed, but none of them in African-admixed populations. Here, we aimed to identify loci associated with asthma exacerbations in children taking ICS. Methods: Within the PiCA consortium, a meta-analysis of two GWAS of asthma exacerbations was performed in 1,401 African-admixed children from the GALA II and SAGE II studies. Imputation of genetic variants was carried out using the Haplotype Reference Consortium as reference panel and association testing was performed by means of logistic regression models. A total of 8.6 million genetic variants with minor allele frequency ≥1% were meta-analyzed. Variants with p≤5x10-6 were followed up for replication in 1,204 European asthmatic patients from three different studies (PACMAN, followMAGICS, and PASS). Results: A total of 27 polymorphisms were suggestively associated with asthma exacerbations (p≤5x10-6) in African-admixed populations and 3 of them showed evidence of replication in European individuals (p≤5.4x10-3). These were located in the intergenic region of the APOBEC3B and APOBEC3C genes, which have been linked with viral infections. Conclusions: This study revealed the association of a novel locus with asthma exacerbations in children despite the use of ICS. Supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (AC15/00015) within ERACoSysMed 1st Joint Transnational Call (SysPharmPedia) from the European Union, under H2020
emus infected with WEE were depression, loss of appetite, leg weakness, ataxia and side stepping in an effort to maintain balance. The prominent gross lesion observed was congestion of the blood vessels of the viscera, meninges, and brain. The significant histologic lesion observed was multifocal meningitis with mild axonal degeneration. In reported cases of EEE, 7 most birds died without premonitory signs. However, a severe hemorrhagic diarrhea and emesis of blood-stained ingesta was observed terminally in some birds. Gross lesions were reported to be petechial to ecchymotic serosal hemorrhages in the small and large intestines with unclotted or partially digested blood in the intestinal lumina. Consistent microscopic lesions in EEE 7 were diffuse congestion and hemorrhage in the liver with disruption of the hepatic cords, widespread necrosis of individual hepatocytes, and multifocal coagulative necrosis. Fibrinoid degeneration of splenic sheathed arterioles with necrosis of endothelial a.
This paper describes an empirical study that assesses the economic value of various forms of organizational learning that are common in semiconductor manufacturing. This study considers three business environments: very large-scale integrated circuits, commodity components, and specialty parts with high value added. This study finds that the economic value of organizational learning varies over time, the relative economic value of different learning practices varies over time, the external economic environment strongly influences the economic value of different learning practices, the economic value of learning can be positive or negative, and the synergy between different kinds of learning can be positive or negative. The primary contribution of this paper is an empirically grounded model of organizational learning in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, which potentially enhances the profitability of semiconductor manufacturing ventures. The model helps practicing managers make investment decisions through scenario planning and identifies learning strategies that are tailored to their particular economic environment. This paper also provides insight into the structure of technological knowledge in semiconductor manufacturing, which has historically been treated as a black box.
This paper will describe the dynamics of spread spectrum signals in sensor arrays. In first part we shall discuss the mathematical representation of an angle modulated carriers where changes of the phases are made according to the values of Barker's codes but as new method every external element of the code includes an internal code. After that the scanning signal and sensor array are connected analytically and the influence of the sensor array in a dynamical regime is researched. Derived from characteristics of this type of signals, the sensor array is not able to use classical phase compensation for purpose of beam steering. Compensations of time lags of signals should be used to achieve a high resolution in all partial directions. It will work in the most correct way in a frequency-domain using characteristics of Fourier transformation [Tuan Do-Hong, et al., 2003]. Another proposed version in the work is a method where phase compensation (by blocks) with time lag compensation is used. Computer simulated time and space diagrams are displayed for all methods. (8 pages)
The high-voltage (HV) nanosecond discharge in wide pressure range develops in the form of the streamer discharge. Intensified charge-coupling device images of the discharge development and propagation in pure air are presented. For cathode-directed streamer, the area of streamer branching is obtained as well as dependence between branching intensity and discharge parameters. The streamer structure has been measured when the streamer was initiated by a long HV pulse.
Changes in social policy in the United States (US) over the past four decades have provided health insurance for 100 percent of persons over age 65 and decreased poverty for this group while the number of children in poverty has risen and ten million are uninsured. is increasing intergenerational inequity reflects political decisions where children lack a voice. The purposes of this paper are to: 1) summarize, from the fields of ethics, government, law, social welfare and public health, current thinking about enfranchisement of children; 2) review the evolution of voting and representation in the US and identify misperceptions about barriers to equitable representation of children; 3) discuss the legal basis for children being regarded as adults and adult proxy decision making for children; and 4) suggest strategies to stimulate an equitable system of child representation by altering our current system of voting.
BACKGROUND Pain and anxiety contribute to decreasing quality of life related to oral health in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Evidence-based practice has shown that therapeutic and aerobic exercise programs are adequate strategies for modifying these factors.   OBJECTIVE Assess the effects of aerobic exercise on pain, anxiety and quality of life related to oral health in patients with TMD.   METHODS Forty-five patients diagnosed with TMD were divided into three groups of 15 participants: a therapeutic exercise program (G1, mean 26.9±5.5 years), a therapeutic and aerobic exercise program (G2, mean 26±4.4 years) and an aerobic exercise program (G3, mean 24.9±3.4 years). Pain intensity was assessed using a numerical rating scale (NRS), anxiety level and quality of life related to oral health through GAD-7 and OHIP-14, respectively. These parameters were evaluated twice at baseline (T0a/T0b), ending 8-week intervention period (T1), and 8-12 weeks after ending intervention (T2).   RESULTS NRS significantly decreased in G1 (mean difference T0a/T1=5.2, p˂0.001), G2 (mean difference T0a/T1=6.0, p˂0.001) and G3 (mean difference T0a/T1=2.2, p=0.001). OHIP-14 significantly decreased in G1 (mean difference T0a/T1=13.5, p˂0.001) and G2 (mean difference T0a/T1=15.8, p ˂ 0.001) but not in G3 (mean difference T0a/T1=1.2, p=0.55). There were no significant differences between groups regarding GAD-7. Between T1 and T2 there were no significant differences in variables.   CONCLUSION Therapeutic exercises and therapeutic excercises combined with aerobic exercise groups had a significant decrease in pain and oral health related quality of life at 8 and 12 weeks. These decreases were not seen for the aerobic exercise group.
Background/Aims: Human SIRT1 is reported to be involved in tumorgenesis, mainly due to its modulating effect on p53 by deacetylation on lysine382. A large quantity of SIRT1 inhibitors was applied in chemotherapeutic study, but few of them were applied into clinical trials. Methods and Results: In the current study, a novel series of compounds with 1,4-bispiperazinecarbodithioic acid methyl esters scaffold were characterized to have inhibitory potency to SIRT1 by molecular docking and biochemical evaluation. Further cell level study revealed that one of the most potent SIRT1 inhibitors, compound 3a, is cell active. It can upregulate the amount of p53 by accumulating the K382 acetylation of p53, which lead to the stabilization of p53 in human gastric cancer cell line MGC-803 cells. Meanwhile, we also found compound 3a can inactivate SIRT2 in cells, which suggests the compound as a non-selective SIRT inhibitor. Conclusion: All these findings indicate that compound 3a is a potent, reversible and cell active SIRT1 inhibitor and deserves further investigation as an anticancer agent or a biological tool.
Purpose: Malignant B lineage cells in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) express a unique clonotypic IgM VDJ. The occurrence of biclonal B cells and their clonal relationships were characterized. Experimental Design: Bone marrow and blood from 20 WM patients were analyzed for clonotypic VDJ sequences, clonal B-cell frequencies, and the complementary determining region 3 profile. Results: Two different clonotypic VDJ sequences were identified in 4 of 20 WM. In two cases, partner clones had different VDJ rearrangements, with one clonotypic signature in bone marrow and a second in blood. For both cases, the bone marrow clone was hypermutated, whereas the blood clone was germ line or minimally mutated. In two other cases, partner clones shared a common VDJ rearrangement but had different patterns of somatic mutations. They lacked intraclonal diversity and were more abundant in bone marrow than in blood. VDJ mutation profiles suggested they arose from a common IgM progenitor. Single-cell analysis in one case indicated the partner clones were reciprocally expressed, following rules of allelic exclusion. Conclusions: The existence of two B-cell clones having distinct VDJ sequences is common in WM, suggesting that frequent transformation events may occur. In two cases, the partner clones had distinct tissue distributions in either blood or bone marrow, were of different immunoglobulin isotypes, and in one case exhibited differential response to therapy. The contributions of each clone are unknown. Their presence suggests that WM may involve a background of molecular and cellular events leading to emergence of one or more malignant clones.
BACKGROUND Video feedback (VF) interventions effectively reduce social anxiety symptoms and negative self-perception, particularly when they are preceded by cognitive preparation (CP) and followed by cognitive review.   AIMS In the current study, we re-examined data from a study on the efficacy of a novel VF intervention for individuals high in social anxiety to test the hypothesis that physical appearance anxiety would moderate the effects of VF.   METHOD Data were analyzed from 68 socially anxious participants who performed an initial public speech, and were randomly assigned to an Elaborated VF condition (VF plus cognitive preparation and cognitive review), a Standard VF condition (VF plus cognitive preparation) or a No VF condition (exposure alone), and then performed a second speech.   RESULTS As hypothesized, when appearance concerns were low, both participants who received Elaborated and Standard VF were significantly less anxious during speech 2 than those in the No VF condition. However, when levels of appearance concern were high, neither Elaborated nor Standard VF reduced anxiety levels during speech 2 beyond the No VF condition.   CONCLUSIONS Results from our analog sample suggest the importance of tailoring treatment protocols to accommodate the idiosyncratic concerns of socially anxious patients.
The Au-Sn eutectic bonding process was developed by applying micro bonding process for LSI package. The Sn-plated Cu sheet was bonded by heat-press with the bonding tool on the Au-plated Cu foil.When the bonding, which was made under a pressure of 100 MPa using Au plating with a thickness of 1.2 μm and Sn plating with that of 3 μm, the bonding strength which was obtained by the 90° peel test was 0.5 N/mm at 250°C. With increasing the bonding temperature, the strength became up to 3.5 N/mm at 300°C. By reducing the bonding pressure from 100 MPa and using Au plating with a thickness of 0.6μm, the strengths were reduced rapidly. For example, the bonding strength which was obtained by bonding at 50 MPa was 2.5 N/mm.The brittle intermetallic compounds as AuSn, AuSn2 and AuSn4, were formed in the bonding layer. When the bonding was made at low temperature, the Au-Sn intermetallic compound layer was formed in a thickness of 2 μm. This cross-sectional structure demonstrated that fracture occured through the thick Au-Sn layer. With the high temperature bonding above 300°C the Au-Sn-Cu layer was formed due to diffusion of Cu. The Au-Sn intermetallic conpounds existed like islands in the bonding layer at high bonding temperature. When the bonding made with Au thin plating like a thickness of 0.6μm, the Au-Sn intermetallic compound layer was formed in the bonding layer. On the case of bonding at low pressure it was found that the Au-Sn layer was formed in the bonding layer. It is assumed that the high bonding strength is achieved by eliminating the Au-Sn layer and forming Au-Sn-Cu layer contained a little Au-Sn intermetallic compound.
This research was conducted to identify the values of Pancasila in business activities with case studies of cooperation and limited liability company in Indonesia. This research is a socio-legal studies that discuss the relationship values of Pancasila as the nation’s philosophy of life and economic law as the legal basis for the development of business activities in Indonesia. The results showed values of Pancasila very relevant to be applied in business activities, most of which have been accommodated in the laws and regulations governing business activities in Indonesia, but there are also some content of value that has not been accommodated. Penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengidentifikasi tata nilai Pancasila dalam kegiatan usaha dengan studi kasus koperasi & perseroan terbatas di Indonesia. Penelitian ini merupakan kajian sosio-legal yang membahas keterkaitan nilai-nilai Pancasila sebagai falsafah hidup bangsa dan hukum ekonomi sebagai landasan bagi pembangunan hukum kegiatan usaha di Indonesia. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan nilai-nilai Pancasila sangat relevan untuk diterapkan dalam kegiatan usaha, yang sebagian besarnya telah diakomodir dalam peraturan perundang-undangan yang mengatur kegiatan usaha di Indonesia, namun terdapat pula beberapa kandungan nilai yang belum terakomodir.
The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of Czech and Russian tongue twisters in terms of their content and structure. The initial part of the article provides a general description of a tongue twister as a part of children’s folklore. The main part focuses on specific similarities and differences of tongue twisters related to their structure and content and offers tongue twisters for practicing individual sounds in Czech and Russian.
This study focused on an ozone pollution event occurring in winter (January) in Guangzhou. Various influencing factors were analyzed, including various atmospheric trace gases, meteorological conditions during the whole pollution process, as well as the characteristics of the main O3 precursor volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The main sources of VOCs and the O3 formation regime were analyzed using an array of tools:the ozone potential formation (OFP), positive matrix factorization (PMF) model, and empirical kinetic modeling approach (EKMA) curve. Feasible strategies for O3 control were suggested. The results showed that O3 and NO2 exceeded the corresponding standards in this winter pollution event, when the concentrations of PM10 and PM2.5 were also high, differing from the air pollution characteristics in summer and autumn. Low boundary layer height (<75 m) and high atmospheric stability at night exacerbated the accumulation of ozone precursors and fine particles. Meteorological conditions such as the increased daytime temperature (5℃), stronger solar radiation (10%), and low horizontal wind speed (<1 m·s-1) favored photochemical reactions and promoted the formation of ozone and fine particles. VOCs were mainly composed of alkanes, and the proportions of alkanes and alkynes in winter were higher than those in the other seasons. Aromatics (xylenes and toluene) and propylene were the key VOCs species leading to O3 formation. The main VOCs sources were vehicle exhaust (22.4%), solvent usage (20.5%), and industrial emissions (17.9%); however, the source with highest OFP was identified as solvent usage. O3 formation in this event was in the VOCs-limited regime, and reducing O3 precursors in the VOCs/NOx ratio of 3:1 was effective and feasible for O3 control. This study explored the causes of an O3 pollution event in winter, which will serve as reference for the synergistic control of O3 and PM2.5 in heavy pollution seasons.
A new processing technique called Non-Harmonic Analysis (NHA) is proposed for OCT imaging. Conventional Fourier-Domain OCT relies on the FFT calculation which depends on the window function and length. Axial resolution is counter proportional to the frame length of FFT that is limited by the swept range of the swept source in SS-OCT, or the pixel counts of CCD in SD-OCT degraded in FD-OCT. However, NHA process is intrinsically free from this trade-offs; NHA can resolve high frequency without being influenced by window function or frame length of sampled data. In this study, NHA process is explained and applied to OCT imaging and compared with OCT images based on FFT. In order to validate the benefit of NHA in OCT, we carried out OCT imaging based on NHA with the three different sample of onion-skin,human-skin and pig-eye. The results show that NHA process can realize practical image resolution that is equivalent to 100nm swept range only with less than half-reduced wavelength range.
ABSTRACT Introduction: In recent years, immunotherapy for the treatment of solid cancer has emerged as a promising therapeutic alternative. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT), especially T cell-based, has been found to cause tumor regression and even cure in a percentage of treated patients. Checkpoint inhibitors further underscore the potential of the T cell compartment in the treatment of cancer. Not all patients respond to these treatments; however, many challenges remain. Areas covered: This review covers the challenges and progress in tumor antigen target identification and selection, and cell product manufacturing for T cell ACT. Tumor immune escape mechanisms and strategies to overcome those in the context of T cell ACT are also discussed. Expert opinion: The immunotherapy toolbox is rapidly expanding and improving, and the future promises further breakthroughs in the T cell ACT field. The heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment and the multiplicity of tumor immune escape mechanisms pose formidable challenges to successful T cell immunotherapy in solid tumors, however. Individualized approaches and strategies combining treatments targeting different immunotherapeutic aspects will be needed in order to expand the applicability and improve the response rates in future.
The study of sound production mechanisms is a crucial, yet understudied, aspect of vocal communication research in vertebrates. In excised larynx experimentation (ELE), phonation is simulated ex vivo by forcing air through a larynx specimen mounted on a laboratory bench. The method provides unique insights into vocal production and allows inference of in vivo conditions. Here, we provide a historical overview of how this technique has been implemented, from antiquity to current state-of-theart setups. We review the advances made by applying ELE to human voice and biophysics research. We then highlight the promising research output resulting from ELE in animal bioacoustics, a research field that has largely overlooked the use of this method until very recently, but is now increasingly relying on this tool. We continue by discussing the limitations of ELE, depending on the focus of investigation. Finally, we suggest how this approach should be implemented and can be applied to various research questions. We conclude by underlining the value that ELE contributes to the comprehension of human voice as well as mammalian and avian vocal communication within an interdisciplinary approach.
ABSTRACT Marketing is a contextual discipline. Therefore, as its context changes, it creates new research opportunities for doctoral students. I have identified six major contextual trends relevant to B-to-B marketing. They are: Internet revolution; inorganic growth through mergers and acquisitions; breakup of vertical integration; rise of emerging economies; privatization of public enterprises; and globalization of markets. Numerous potential areas of research are identified in this paper. However, it also suggests that the traditional survey research of key informants and its analysis using LISREL to test hypotheses anchored to behavioral and managerial theories will be inadequate for the emerging research opportunities. The doctoral students are encouraged to study more macro theories in economics, sociology, and political science. In addition, they are encouraged to use archival studies, simulation, Internet based experimental research, and virtual bazaars as new research methodologies.
Abstract : The study considered 3861 reports of air to sea surface sightings, converted with range and bearing data into lateral range distributions classified by vessel size and altitude, on subclasses of meteorological visibility, wind velocity, swell height, and cloud cover. From these lateral range distributions were developed a revised sweep width table and white cap and cloud cover correction tables for boats and ships.
Dysregulated accumulation of NCL mRNA and protein is found in a diverse range of cancers. Increased expression of NCL is reported to be associated with a poor prognosis in several tumors.2 Cytoplasmic NCL plays a distinct role in the stabilization of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL mRNAs which may indicate a possible prognostic effect of NCL in the pathophysiology of lymphoproliferative disorders.4 Several reports have demonstrated the prognostic impact of NCL in hematological malignancies including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and different types of lymphomas.4-9
In pumping installations such as sewage pumping stations, where gas content and air entrainment exist, the computation of fluid pressure transients in the pipelines becomes grossly inaccurate when constant wave speed and constant friction are assumed. A numerical model and computational procedure have been developed here to better compute the fluid pressure transient in a pipeline by including the effects of air entrainment and gas evolution characteristics of the transported fluid. Free and dissolved gases in the fluid and cavitation at the fluid vapour pressure are modelled. Numerical experiments show that entrained, entrapped or released gases amplify the pressure peak, increase surge damping and produce asymmetric pressure surges. The transient pressure shows a longer period for down-surge and a shorter period for up-surge. The up-surge is considerably amplified and the down-surge marginally reduced when compared with the gas-free case. These observations are consistent with the experimental observations of other investigators. Numerical experiments also show that the use of a variable loss factor in the pressure transient analysis produces marginally higher maximum and lower minimum pressure transients when compared with the constant-loss-factor model for pipelines where the pressures are above the fluid vapour pressure.
This paper analyzes the current situation of Chinapsilas electric vehicle demonstration. Taking Wuhan Electric Vehicle Demonstration as the research object, based on the SWOT analysis, the innovation strategy of Wuhan EV demonstration enterprise is discussed. This paper proposes the innovation strategy key in the following several aspects: combination of HEV mercerization and EV demonstration generalization; diversification of energy structures of demonstration vehicle; coordination and complete between demonstration and EV testing base; evaluation of the policy application and breakthrough; taking Wuhan as the centre, enlarge the demonstration areas; construction and improvement of infrastructure; development further of globalization communication and cooperation.
We propose a benchmarking technique that is combined with customer's cognitive structures. Customer's cognitive structures are determined using a multi-dimensional scaling tool that has been often used in marketing to analyze customer's behaviors. In this paper, a unique multi-dimensional scaling method is used, not only to analyze customer's behaviors, but also to perform the proposing benchmarking analysis. To do this, a survey was conducted to obtain customer's cognitive data and the Galileo method was applied to this data to obtain customer's cognitive map. A benchmarking method was then proposed based on this cognitive map. The efficacy of the proposed benchmarking method is also discussed with another data set.
Endo-β-1,3-glucanases catalyze the hydrolysis of β-1,3-glycosidic linkages in glucans. They are also responsible for rather diverse physiological functions such as carbon utilization, cell-wall organization and pathogen defence. Glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 81 mainly consists of β-1,3-glucanases from fungi, higher plants and bacteria. A novel GH family 81 β-1,3-glucanase gene (RmLam81A) from Rhizomucor miehei was expressed in Escherichia coli. Purified RmLam81A was crystallized and the structure was determined in two crystal forms (form I-free and form II-Se) at 2.3 and 2.0 Å resolution, respectively. Here, the crystal structure of a member of GH family 81 is reported for the first time. The structure of RmLam81A is greatly different from all endo-β-1,3-glucanase structures available in the Protein Data Bank. The overall structure of the RmLam81A monomer consists of an N-terminal β-sandwich domain, a C-terminal (α/α)6 domain and an additional domain between them. Glu553 and Glu557 are proposed to serve as the proton donor and basic catalyst, respectively, in a single-displacement mechanism. In addition, Tyr386, Tyr482 and Ser554 possibly contribute to both the position or the ionization state of the basic catalyst Glu557. The first crystal structure of a GH family 81 member will be helpful in the study of the GH family 81 proteins and endo-β-1,3-glucanases.
Objective Previous studies suggest that clozapine is commonly underutilized and that its initiation is delayed in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Knowledge regarding clozapine use among Chinese patients with early-stage schizophrenia is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the point prevalence of and patterns and factors associated with clozapine use in patients with early-stage schizophrenia discharged from a psychiatric hospital in China. Methods A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the prescriptions of 867 consecutive patients with early-stage schizophrenia who were admitted to the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between Jan 1, 2011 and Dec 31, 2016. Results At discharge from the hospital, 114 (13.1%) patients were prescribed clozapine. Among the patients taking clozapine, 93 patients (81.6%) were prescribed clozapine polypharmacy, and only 21 patients (18.4%) were prescribed clozapine monotherapy. None of the patients were prescribed an overdose of clozapine. The mean daily dosage of clozapine was 160.97 mg, 149.05 mg and 213.69 mg among all patients taking clozapine, patients taking clozapine polypharmacy and patients taking clozapine monotherapy, respectively. The antipsychotic most frequently combined with clozapine was risperidone. Logistic regression suggested that the length of hospital stay, high school education, lower benzodiazepine use and antipsychotic polypharmacy were independently and significantly associated with clozapine use (P<0.05). Conclusion Although clozapine has been commonly used in China in recent years, the present study found that clozapine was not commonly used in patients with early-stage schizophrenia. An underutilization and delayed initiation of clozapine may exist in a portion of patients with early-stage schizophrenia. Given the unfavorable outcomes of underutilized and delayed clozapine use, future studies may be needed to assess and increase clozapine use in this population.
Ir-Pt/Nafion 117/Pt-Ir の電極一膜接合体を用いる電解槽 (電極面積50cm2) を作製し, 固体高分子電解質電解法による HBr 電解を検討した。槽電圧は, HBr と Br2 濃度および温度の電解条件変化に対して, これらによる理論分解電圧の変化にもっとも支配される特徴を示し,また, 10A/dm2以上でほぼ直線的に上昇する電流密度依存性を有していた。陽陰両極反応の過電圧には HBr および Br2 濃度依存性が認められず, 100A/dm22 でのそれらの合計が 25℃ で約 O.21V, 50℃ で約 O.18V であった。セル抵抗は Nafion 117 の膜抵抗が支配的で, 9.5mol/kg の HBr 濃度では 25℃ で約 0.31Ω・cm2, 50℃ で約0.25Ω・cm2 であり, HBr 濃度の減少とともに低下した。電気浸透現象により希薄な HBr 水溶液か陰極へ輸送されるため, 陰極液を外部供給しない方法での電解も可能であった。この電解では陰極液濃度低下による膜電位発生に対応する槽電圧上昇が起きた。陽極触媒無接合でも, 100A/dm2 で槽電圧が約 0.05V 上昇するのみであった。陽極触媒の膜への接合が HB r電解では必ずしも要求されないとみなされた。一方, 電流効率は 25℃, 40A/dm2 以上で 97% であった。これ以下の電流密度と 50℃ では電流効率が若干低下する傾向を示した。
Purpose: To investigate the dose contributions of scattered electrons from dental amalgams during head and neck radiotherapy, and to evaluate the protective role of dosimetric dental stents during treatment to prevent oral mucositis. Methods: A phantom was produced to accurately simulate the oral cavity and head. The oral cavity consisted of a tissue equivalent upper and lower jaw and complete set of teeth. A set of 4 mm ethylene copolymer dosimetric stents was made for the upper and lower teeth. Five removable gold caps were fitted to apposing right molars, and the phantom was crafted to accomodate horizontal and vertical film for 2D dosimetry and NanoDot dosimeter for recording point doses. The head was simulated using a small cylindrical glass water bath. CT simulation was performed on the phantom with and without metal fittings and, in each case, with and without the dental stent. The CT image sets were imported into Eclipse treatment planning system for contouring and treatment planning, and a 9-field IMRT treatment plan was developed for each scenario. These plans were delivered using a Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator. Doses were recorded using GafChromic EBT2 films and NanoDot dosimeters. Results: The measurements revealed a 43% relative increase in dose measured adjacent to the metal fixtures in the horizontal plane without the use of the dental stent. This equates to a total dose of 100 Gy to the oral mucosa during a standard course of definitive radiotherapy. To our knowledge, this is the first dosimetric analysis of dental stents using an anatomically realistic phantom and modern beam arrangement. Conclusion: These results support the use of dosimetric dental stents in head and neck radiotherapy for patients with metallic dental fixtures as a way to effectively reduce dose to nearby mucosal surfaces and, hence, reduce the risk and severity of mucositis.
This Research to Practice Full Paper presents a proposal for monitoring student progress in Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The adoption of the PBL approach has been growing in computer education, where problem-solving and group work are essential. Despite the compatibility and benefits of PBL, some challenges remain, in particular, with respect to the assessment process. For an effective assessment process, it needs to be well defined and managed by both teachers and students themselves, considering that, in PBL, the students are at the center of the teaching and learning process, they are active, and self-regulating. In this context, this paper proposes an interface for student progress monitoring (a “student board”) based on an authentic assessment model called PBL-SEE. Constructed using the Design Science Research (DSR) method, this interface was initially prototyped and validated by PBL specialists. The results showed a good acceptance of the student board and important recommendations for improvements.
Implementation of a sliding mode control of a single-phase series active power filter is studied in this paper. The control is made only on one variable - the load voltage. Mathematical equations are derived for the purpose to assess the influence of different factors upon the accuracy of the control. Results, obtained through computer simulation and through experimental study of the half-bridge schematic of the filter with different types of load, are presented.
Antagonism of fungi of the genus Trichoderma and various phytopathogenic fungi was investigated. The strains of the genus Trichoderma, which have potential value for the production of biological products for plant protection, have been identified. The highest fungicidal activity among the tested strains is shown by T. asperellum, which determines the prospects of using this strain as a biofungicide. The investigations were carried out in the research laboratory of the Peasant Farm “Tsirulev E.P.”
Photodynamic Inactivation (PDI) is based on the use of a photosensitizer (PS) and light that results mainly in the production of reactive oxygen species, aiming to produce microorganism cell death. PS incubation time and light dose are key protocol parameters that influence PDI response; the correct choice of them can increase the efficiency of inactivation. The results of this study show that a minor change in the PDI protocol, namely light‐driven incubation leads to a higher photosensitizer and more uniform cell uptake inside the irradiated zone. Furthermore, as the uptake increases, the damage caused by PDI also increases. The proposed light‐driven incubation prior to the inactivation illumination dose has advantages when compared to the traditional PDI treatments since it can be more selective and effective. Using a violet light as pre‐illumination (light‐driven incubation) source and a red‐light system as PDI source, it was possible to demonstrate that when compared to the traditional protocol of dark incubation, the pre‐illuminated cell culture showed an inactivation increase of 7 log units. These in vitro results performed in Candida albicans cells may result in the introduction of a new protocol for PDI.
The propagation and termination processes in free radical copolymerization were discussed on the basis of current experimental data. It was shown that the penultimate unit effect (PUE) in propagation is very general, affecting not only the absolute values of the rate constant but also the monomer reactivity ratios r1 and r2. The analysis suggests that the alternating index r1r2 originates in the PUE. An adequate description of the termination process also requires a penultimate model, which leads to a general, yet simple two-parameter rate-of-copolymerization equation with PUEs in both propagation and termination.
Human sterile alpha motif and HD-domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1) has been identified as a GTP or dGTP-dependent deoxynucleotide triphosphohydrolase (dNTPase) and acts as an antiviral factor against certain retroviruses and DNA viruses. Genetic mutation in SAMHD1 causes the inflammatory Aicardi-Goutières Syndrome and abnormal intracellular deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) pool. At present, the role of SAMHD1 in numerous types of cancer, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, lung cancer and colorectal cancer, is highly studied. Furthermore, it has been found that methylation, acetylation and phosphorylation are involved in the regulation of SAMHD1 expression, and that genetic mutations can cause changes in its activities, including dNTPase activity, long interspersed element type 1 (LINE-1) suppression and DNA damage repair, which could lead to uncontrolled cell cycle progression and cancer development. In addition, SAMHD1 has been reported to have a negative regulatory role in the chemosensitivity to anticancer drugs through its dNTPase activity. The present review aimed to summarize the regulation of SAMHD1 expression in cancer and its function in tumor growth and chemotherapy sensitivity, and discussed controversial points and future directions.
Automated planning is an important area of Artificial Intelligence, which has been thoroughly developed in the last decades. In recent years, a significant amount of research has focused on planning languages and systems supporting temporal reasoning, recognizing its importance in modeling and solving real-world complex tasks. Many such languages are action-based, i.e., they model planning problems by specifying which actions can be executed at any given time to affect the environment. Timeline-based planning, a different paradigm originally introduced to support planning and scheduling of space operations, models planning domains as systems composed of a set of independent, but interacting, components, whose behavior over time, the timelines, is governed by a set of temporal constraints. A thorough theoretical study of timeline-based planning languages, and a rigorous comparison with action-based languages, are still missing. We outline recent results and future directions on this front. Automated planning has always been an important area of Artificial Intelligence, which has undertaken great developments during the last decades. In the action-based approach of classical planning, the task of the planner is to find a sequence of actions that, applied from an initial state, allow an executor to achieve a given goal. Modern domain description languages (e.g., PDDL [Gerevini et al., 2009]), usually adopt this point of view. Even in its simple form, classical planning is still a very hard problem, as it is PSPACE-complete, although complex classical planning problems can be solved very efficiently in practice by modern planners, thanks to the development of many effective search heuristics and steady progress of related areas such as boolean satisfiability checking, satisfiability modulo theories, and constraint satisfaction. Some problem domains, however, require a more explicit form of temporal reasoning, which does not fit well into classical planning where actions have discrete and instantaneous effects. Thus, temporal planning an extension of classical planning which models and reasons about time more explicitly, has been studied in the literature (among many others). Action-based temporal planning, in its general form, is computationally much more complex than classical planning, since it is EXPSPACE-complete [Rintanen, 2007]. A different paradigm, which instead has always been tightly related to temporal reasoning aspects, is timelinebased planning, which was introduced at NASA to support planning and scheduling of space operations [Muscettola, 1994]. In timeline-based planning languages, problem domains are modeled as systems composed of a set of independent, but interacting, components, whose behavior over time, the timelines, is governed by a set of temporal constraints. This point of view is different than the one of actionbased planning, as a single executor is generally not present, and the solution plan globally governs the behavior of the whole system. This approach, implemented in many planning and scheduling systems (e.g., EUROPA [Barreiro et al., 2012], ASPEN [Chien et al., 2000] and APSI-TRF [Cesta et al., 2009]), allows a greater modularity in the modeling of the behavior of systems composed of a high number of independent components, which has been proven useful in many complex use cases [Muscettola, 1994; Jónsson et al., 2000; Cesta et al., 2007]. The formalism supported by most of these systems, which has recently been thoroughly formalized by [Cialdea Mayer et al., 2016], allows one to model a kind of nondeterminism that affect the exact scheduling of activities (flexible timelines), and to model the behavior of the environment by specifying uncontrollable components. Despite its applicability, general theoretical properties of this formalism have not been deeply studied, yet. In particular, a characterization of the computational complexity of the different levels of timeline-based planning problems is missing, as well as a comprehensive comparison of the expressive power of timeline-based languages, with respect to action-based counterparts. The goal of our work is twofold: (1) to progress towards a solid theoretical understanding of the fundamental issues regarding the timeline-based planning paradigm, and (2) to compare the expressiveness of timeline-based and action-based planning languages. The results obtained so far explore both directions. In [Gigante et al., 2016] we provide a first expressiveness comparison between temporal action-based planning, in the form of the simple PDDL-equivalent planning language introduced by Rintanen [2007], and non-flexible timeline-based planning. Building upon the formalization of timelines provided in [Cialdea Mayer et al., 2016], we identify a syntactically Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-17)
The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) is characterized by the infiltration of lymphocytes and a unique tumor microenvironment. Exosomes from cancer cells are essential for intercellular communication. The aims of this study were to investigate the secretion of EBVaGC exosomes and their physiological effect on dendritic cell maturation in vitro and to characterize dendritic cells (DCs) in EBVaGC in vivo. Western blotting analysis of CD63 and CD81 of exosomes from EBV-infected gastric cancer cell lines indicated an increase in exosome secretion. The fraction of monocyte-derived DCs positive for the maturation marker CD86 was significantly suppressed when incubated with exosomes from EBV-infected gastric cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemical analysis of GC tissues expressing DC markers (S100, Langerin, CD1a, CD83, CD86, and BDCA-2) indicated that the density of DCs was generally higher in EBVaGC than in EBV-negative GC, although the numbers of CD83- and CD86-positive DCs were decreased in the group with high numbers of CD1a-positive DCs. A low number of CD83-positive DCs was marginally correlated with worse prognosis of EBVaGC in patients. EBVaGC is a tumor with abundant DCs, including immature and mature DCs. Moreover, the maturation of DCs is suppressed by exosomes from EBV-infected epithelial cells.
A collaborative task is assigned to a multiagent system (MAS) in which agents are allowed to communicate. The MAS runs over an underlying Markov decision process and its task is to maximize the averaged sum of discounted one-stage rewards. Although knowing the global state of the environment is necessary for the optimal action selection of the MAS, agents are limited to individual observations. The inter-agent communication can tackle the issue of local observability, however, the limited rate of the inter-agent communication prevents the agents from acquiring the precise global state information. To overcome this challenge, agents need to communicate their observations in a compact way such that the MAS compromises the minimum possible sum of rewards. We show that this problem is equivalent to a form of rate-distortion problem which we call the task-based information compression. State Aggregation for Information Compression (SAIC) is introduced here to perform the task-based information compression. The SAIC is shown, conditionally, to be capable of achieving the optimal performance in terms of the attained sum of discounted rewards. The proposed algorithm is applied to a rendezvous problem and its performance is compared with two benchmarks; (i) conventional source coding algorithms and the (ii) centralized multiagent control using reinforcement learning. Numerical experiments confirm the superiority and fast convergence of the proposed SAIC.
A significant challenge in the field of biomedicine is the development of methods to integrate the multitude of dispersed data sets into comprehensive frameworks to be used to generate optimal clinical decisions. Recent technological advances in single cell analysis allow for high-dimensional molecular characterization of cells and populations, but to date, few mathematical models have attempted to integrate measurements from the single cell scale with other data types. Here, we present a framework that actionizes static outputs from a machine learning model and leverages these as measurements of state variables in a dynamic mechanistic model of treatment response. We apply this framework to breast cancer cells to integrate single cell transcriptomic data with longitudinal population-size data. We demonstrate that the explicit inclusion of the transcriptomic information in the parameter estimation is critical for identification of the model parameters and enables accurate prediction of new treatment regimens. Inclusion of the transcriptomic data improves predictive accuracy in new treatment response dynamics with a concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) of 0.89 compared to a prediction accuracy of CCC = 0.79 without integration of the single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data directly into the model calibration. To the best our knowledge, this is the first work that explicitly integrates single cell clonally-resolved transcriptome datasets with longitudinal treatment response data into a mechanistic mathematical model of drug resistance dynamics. We anticipate this approach to be a first step that demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating multimodal data sets into identifiable mathematical models to develop optimized treatment regimens from data.
Based on the three general strange attractors generated by the Lorenz equation, the Rssler equation and the Henon map, the Grassberger-Procaccia algorithm is analyzed. For a finite time series, the sampling number, delay time, embedding dimension and the length of scaling region affect the precision of evaluating the correlation dimension D—2 and the 2nd-order Kolmogorov entropy K—2 by G-P algorithm. In the analysis of the trend of a correlation integral, the impression for a continuous dynamical system is different from that of a discrete dynamical system in delay time and embedding dimension. The criterion of delay time chosen by mutual information is unnecessary for calculating the correlation dimension D—2. The applicable conditions for G-P algorithm is also indicated.
The airborne multi axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (AMAXDOAS) is employed to retrieve tropospheric vertical columns of NO2. The differential slant columns of NO2 are retrieved combined with the spectra in different viewing directions by the DOAS method and the vertical columns are calculated with the radiative transfer model SCIATRAN. The dependences of AMF on altitude, surface albedo, and solar zenith angle are studied. The measurement campaign in pearl region delta region on December 10 in 2008 is reported. The NO2 vertical column distribution is obtained in zenith and nadir directions. The results from airborne multi axis DOAS are compared with those from a ground-based multi axis DOAS in Zhuhai, with a deviation of 0.08. The results show that AMAXDOAS can be used to measure the tropospheric NO2 in a large area within a short time.
Urban road traffic management is an example of a socially relevant problem that can be modelled as a large-scale, open, distributed system, composed of many autonomous interacting agents, which need to be controlled in a decentralized manner. Most models for urban road traffic management rely on control elements that act on traffic flows. Dresner and Stone have put forward the idea of an advanced urban road traffic infrastructure that allows for cars to individually reserve space and time at an intersection so as to be able to safely cross it.    In this paper we extend Dresner and Stone's approach to networks of intersections. For this purpose, we draw upon market-inspired control methods as a paradigm for urban road traffic management. We conceive the system as a computational economy, where driver agents trade with infrastructure agents in a virtual marketplace, purchasing reservations to cross intersections when commuting through the city. We show that in situations of similar traffic load, an increase of the infrastructure's monetary benefit usually implies a decrease of the drivers' average travel times.
We present an end-to-end performance evaluation of a mode-group-division multiplexing system that uses direct detection instead of coherent detection, avoiding complex digital signal processing. The system transmits four data channels through a step-index fiber supporting six spatial modes comprising four mode groups, considering the twofold degeneracy of the LPlm modes for l ≠ 0. Multiplexing and demultiplexing is performed using two- and three-core fused fiber couplers, each one phase-matched to a group of degenerate modes. These devices are analyzed through a field-based model that describes, for the first time to our knowledge, crosstalk between all the fiber modes. Propagation through the few-mode fiber is modeled considering differential modal attenuation, intermodal dispersion, chromatic dispersion, and both intergroup and intragroup modal coupling. The end-to-end link is described by a concatenation of matrix operators describing the optical field transfer functions for the multiplexer, fiber, and demultiplexer. Error-free transmission of four 32-Gb/s OOK-modulated data channels through a 1-km link proves the feasibility of the proposed direct-detection mode-group-division multiplexing approach.
The optical properties of C60 single crystals intercalated with molecular hydrogen are investigated in the temperature range 10–230K by means of photoluminescence studies. The intercalation was carried out at a temperature of 240°C and a pressure of 30atm for 200h. At 10K the emission spectrum of fullerite with an impurity of hydrogen molecules contains inhomogeneously broadened lines and is shifted to lower energies (it starts at 1.69eV). Analysis of the temperature studies of the photoluminescence spectra has for the first time revealed the temperature independence of the integrated emission intensity in the interval 10–150K. It is conjectured that the changes of the photoluminescence properties of fullerite are due to the strong influence of hydrogen impurity molecules on the formation of the orientational glass state.
This paper presents the results of an experimental campaign performed at the Laboratory of Materials and Structural Testing of the University of Salerno (Italy) in order to investigate the seismic performance of RC beam-column joints strengthened with Steel Reinforced Polymer (SRP) systems. With the aim to represent typical facade frames’ beam-column subassemblies found in existing RC buildings, specimens were provided with two short beam stubs orthogonal to the main beam and were designed with inadequate seismic details. Five members were strengthened by using two different SRP layouts while the remaining ones were used as benchmarks. Once damaged, two specimens were also repaired, retrofitted with SRP and subjected to cyclic test again. The results of cyclic tests performed on SRP strengthened joints are examined through a comparison with the outcomes of the previous experimental program including companion specimens not provided with transverse beam stubs and strengthened by Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) systems. In particular, both qualitative and quantitative considerations about the influence of the confining effect provided by the secondary beams on the joint response, the suitability of all the adopted strengthening solutions (SRP/CFRP systems), the performances and the failure modes experienced in the several cases studied are provided.
Abstract Background High-mobility group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) expression can be detected in many embryonic and fetal tissues but becomes down-regulated during postnatal life except for many benign and malignant tumors. In the latter case, its expression has been correlated with epithelialmesenchymal transition and invasive growth. The placenta contributes essentially to proper development of the embryo and the fetus. In a tumor-like manner it shows rapid invasive growth during the first weeks of gestation. To address the possible role of HMGA2 during placental development, we have measured its expression throughout the prenatal period and in term placentae by mRNA quantification as well as by immunohistochemistry. Methods Expression of HMGA2 and HPRT was measured on 89 fetal placentas, encompassing calendar gestational age of five to 41 weeks, using quantitative real time-PCR. In eleven cases in addition immunohistochemistry was used to determine the localization of HMGA2 and to compare with data obtained by quantitative real time-PCR. Results The expression of HMGA2 was found to be inversely correlated with gestational age (p < 0.001). For the first part of the first trimester the level of HMGA2 is high. After that the expression shows a decline down to a baseline level where it remains until birth. HMGA2 protein was mainly detected in the nuclei of the stromal cells in the placental villi. Conclusions During pregnancy, the expression of HMGA2 follows a non-linear pattern of decrease. In the first trimester, from two to three weeks after the implantation of the conceptus until the blood supply is established (hypoxic phase), the expression is high, indicating a critical role during early development and in the control of its invasive behavior, respectively.
Semantic roles constitute one of the most notorious notions in linguistics because they have been defined in numerous ways depending on the author’s theoretical framework and goals. Typically these definitions are somehow, more or less explicitly, based on verbs and their properties. In this paper, semantic roles are discussed from a completely different perspective; we examine genuinely verbless constructions attested in Finnish newspaper headlines. The paper addresses three main questions: First, what kinds of constructions do not need a finite verb to express dynamic events? Second, what kind of information remains unconceptualized in verbless constructions? And finally, what are semantic roles based on if there is no verb? The goal of the paper is to show that verbs are not needed to define semantic roles, as an array of semantic roles can be recognized even in constructions lacking a verb.
Olfaction is crucial in many insects for critical behaviors, including those regulating survival and reproduction. Insect odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) function in the first step of the olfactory system and play an essential role in the perception of odorants, such as pheromones and host chemicals. The oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, is a destructive fruit-eating pest, due to its wide host range of up to 250 different types of fruits and vegetables, and this fly causes severe economic damage to the fruit and vegetable industry. However, OBP genes have not been largely identified in B. dorsalis. Based on our previously constructed B. dorsalis cDNA library, ten OBP genes were identified in B. dorsalis for the first time. A phylogenetic tree was generated to show the relationships among the 10 OBPs of B. dorsalis to OBP sequences of two other Dipteran species, including Drosophila melanogaster and the mosquito Anopheles gambiae. The expression profiles of the ten OBPs in different tissues (heads, thoraxes, abdomens, legs, wings, male antennae and female antenna) of the mated adults were analyzed by real-time PCR. The results showed that nine of them are highly expressed in the antenna of both sexes, except BdorOBP7. Four OBPs (BdorOBP1, BdorOBP4, BdorOBP8, and BdorOBP10) are also enriched in the abdomen, and BdorOBP7 is specifically expressed in leg, indicating that it may function in other biological processes. This work will provide insight into the roles of OBPs in chemoreception and help develop new pest-control strategies.
Americans have a deep-rooted fascination with family sagas. Reality shows, TV series, popular movies, musical comedies, and novels have made extensive use of the family as a literary topos: family ties, indeed, tend to exalt affection as well as rivalry, raise expectations and spawn disillusionment, and often hang on a difficult trade-off between rigidly institutionalized social norms and longing for individual freedom. Luckily for them, American politics has had plenty of glamorous and controversial examples of powerful genealogies fully charged by these intrinsic tensions. The Kennedys, the Clintons, the Bushes are but a few of the most blatant illustrations. None of them, however, has generated the same level of public interest and academic research as the Roosevelt dynasty has done. Throughout the 20th century, people carrying the Roosevelt bloodline have largely reshaped American and world politics, and they have profoundly influenced American culture and society as well. So broad and long-lasting has been their legacy that a recent seven-part documentary on the three leading Roosevelts, Theodore, Franklin, and Eleanor, aired on consecutive nights by PBS, gathered an audience of more than 33 million people, with an average of 9.2 million viewers per episode, making it one of the most successful TV series of the last 20 years.
We have isolated four unique human sarcomeric myosin heavy chain (MHC) genomic clones using rat MHC cDNA clones as probes. Three of these clones contain adult skeletal muscle-specific DNA sequences, whereas one clone contains embryonic skeletal muscle-specific sequences. This developmental and tissue specificity was determined by hybridization of each of the human clones to MHC mRNA from different muscle tissues. Cross-hybridization studies indicate that certain sequences of the human MHC genes have been conserved through evolution while other portions have diverged considerably. Preliminary evidence demonstrates that the MHC gene family is polymorphic in human populations. Each of the human MHC genes was shown to have repetitive sequences in multiple positions, both within the gene and in adjacent flanking DNA sequences. We have shown that, in contrast, four rat MHC genes have far fewer repetitive sequences even though two of the four genes contain the same muscle specificity as the human genes. Therefore, these genes may be useful to study gene evolution and repetitive sequence transposition.
political warfare is borne out. East German intelligence chief Markus Wolf recalled in his memoirs that "of all the various means to influence people against die East during the Cold War, I would count [Radio Free Europe and RIAS—Radio in the American Sector] as the most effective" (Man without aFace: The Autobiography of Communism's Greatest Spymaster, 1997, 261). Former Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel agreed that die stations' "influence and significance have been great and profound" (185). Emigres from eastern Europe, many living in West Germany, were enlisted to work at RFE/RLand develop programming in the language of the target countries. Johnson thoroughly catalogues the CIA's role in die creation, funding, and oversight of RFE/RL. In contrast to Voice of America, which was an organ of the State Department, die CIA coverdy funded RFE/RL to maintain the illusion that they were private organizations. RFE and RL had a greater measure of editorial control, which presented a recurring problem for die U.S. government. The emigres, many of whom had direcdy suffered under communist rule, often broadcast vituperative personal diatribes against communist leaders and other harsh critiques of the Soviet bloc regimes. After Iosif Stalin's death in 1953, the United States and western Europe sought to reduce tensions with the Soviet bloc, and die CIA had to temper these attacks. RFE/RL broadcasts from Munich sometimes compromised West German interests as well. The CIA restricted commentary on such sensitive issues as Germany's Oder-Neisse border with Poland and the plight of Sudeten German expellees, many of whom had resettled in Bavaria. West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer complained in 1952 diat RFE/RL propaganda was "for us very unwelcome" (68). Adenauer's successor Willy Brandt launched Ostpolitik in the late 1960s, which was an effort to engage the communist countries politically and economically. The anticommunist programming emanating from RFE/RL in Munich rankled the east European communists and complicated Brandt's overtures. The biggest dilemma for the CIA and RFE/RL was how to best support revolts against communist rule. Johnson points out the importance of intelligent, truthful, unbiased reporting focused on "liberalization" radier than "liberation." During die upheavals in Poland and Hungary in 1956, Johnson contrasts die "prudent" broadcasts of the Polish RFE affiliate with the Hungarian RFE's provocative commentary encouraging the revolutionaries to continue armed resistance, giving the impression that western military help was on the way. It was not. RFE learned its lesson, but perhaps too well; during the Prague Spring twelve years later, RFE broadcasters urged caution when bolder statements in support of the reform movement might have been called for. Hard power is becoming less useful as a means to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals. Military action in Afghanistan and Iraq and in combatting international terror networks has brought mixed results. Upheavals against authoritarian regimes in die Arab world today present a new challenge for American policymakers. As they search for means to support liberal democratic movements and promote U.S. interests, they would do well to heed Johnson's account of die power of the free media.
Four times amendments of the 1945 Constitution has resulted in an MPR which is longer as the highest state institution, but as a common high state institution equal with others. This change has been made based on the argument that power sovereignty is upheld by the people and shall be performed in accordance with the amended 1945 State Constitution. This political situation a process of transition of power sovereignty since MPR members are not again appointed representatives but elected representatives, who are chosen in general elections. This transition causes the changes of MPR tasks, duties, and authorities as a high state institution.
In this paper, a 7.75 kHz line rate analog domain time delay integration (TDI) CMOS analog accumulator with 128-stage is proposed. An adaptive compensation for the charge loss due to parasitic effects is adopted. Based on the influence mechanism of parasitic effects, alternately charging the top and bottom plates of the storage capacitor while cooperate positive feedback capacitor dynamically compensates for the charge loss of the sampling phase and the holding phase. Using the proposed circuit, after the post-layout simulation verification, the SNR of 128 stage accumulation can be improved by as much as 20.9 dB.
Introduction Fetal nasal bone hypoplasia has been proven to be a strong marker for trisomy 21 during second trimester ultrasonography. Rather than evaluating the nasal bone hypoplasia according to the nomograms, it may be possible to evaluate it with a more practical and specific method. Material and methods Retrospectively collected data were provided from the saved and stored patient data between 2012 and 2017. Nasal bone length and nasal tip length were measured and the ratio was calculated. The ratio ≤ 1/3 was defined as the threshold ratio for the definition of the marker. Nasal bone nasal tip length (NB/NL) ratio values were compared among groups with trisomy 21 and euploid fetuses. Results A total of 59 fetuses had trisomy 21 and 2304 euploid fetuses were included in the study. The ratio of nasal bone to nasal tip length was 1/3 and below in 21/59 (35.5%) of fetuses with trisomy 21 whereas this ratio was 31/2304 (1.3%) in euploid fetuses. The difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio of nasal bone/nasal tip ratio ≤ 1/3 were 35.5%, 98.6%, 26.4 and 0.6 for Down syndrome, respectively. Conclusions This study suggested that the nasal bone to nasal tip length ratio may be a new promising and practical sonographic marker in the second trimester genetic sonography. Although its sensitivity is not high, it seems to be more practical and specific than the evaluation of fetal nasal bone length.
Cryptococcus albidus shows delignification activity in nature. It was used for the biopulping of eucalyptus wood (Eucalyptus grandis) to access its potential for industrial application in the pulp and paper industry. Enzyme analysis on days 15, 30, and 60 showed the presence of laccase and xylanase as key enzymes. The production of endo-glucanase (CMCase) and exo-glucanase (FPase) was very low. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the surface colonization of wood and loosening of wood fibers in C. albidus-treated samples. Fourier-transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicated the chemical modification of eucalyptus wood. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis on days 15, 30, and 60 confirmed the presence of C. albidus throughout the experiments. Cryptococcu albidus was able to suppress the growth of a native population. Further, after 60 days both the control and treated eucalyptus wood chips were given kraft pulping treatment. The kappa number of pulp of control wood was 21 and for treated wood was 17. Kappa number is considered a measure of lignin content in wood; hence the treatment of eucalyptus by C. albidus (biopulping) was effective in reducing its lignin content and can be used for biopulping in the pulp and paper industry.
AIM to evaluate the influence of prophylactic use of photopheresis on the risk of long-term infective complications after kidney transplantation.   MATERIALS AND METHODS The open cohort randomized study was conducted. A total of 60 recipients after cadaveric kidney allotransplantation from 30 donors were assessed. The patients were randomized into two groups (n=30). All transplants were paired, and one kidney was transplanted to patient in intervention group and the another one was transplanted to patient in control group. In the intervention group all patients received standard immunosuppression therapy (tacrolimus, mycophenolate, prednisone) and 10-15 sessions of photopheresis during first 6 months after the transplantation. In the control group only the immunosuppression therapy was given. The follow-up period ranged from 2 to 7 years, an average 4.5+/-2.0 years.   RESULTS The rate infective complications in the both groups gradually decreased as the postoperative period increased exponentially, but it was lower in the intervention group than in the control group. The rate of respiratory infection, asymptomatic bacteriuria and viremia, verified by the genetic amplification was 4, 2 and 1.5 times lower in the intervention group. The risk of clinically meaningful infection was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group: IRR 0.3888 (95% CI 0.2754; 0.5445; <0.0001). 6-year survival in the intervention group was 100% in comparison to 82.8% in the control group (95% CI 51.6; 93.16).   CONCLUSION The prophylactic use of the photopheresis allows to decrease the risk of infective complications after the kidney transplantation.
Summary Several ruthenium species compounds are typically encountered in waste management from nuclear fuel reprocessing operations. Ozone acting as a strong oxidizing agent in aqueous alkaline medium presents some advantages to dissolve rapidly solid deposits of RuO2, xH2O formed into process devices, without generating troublesome byproducts or secondary wastes. In this study, a three-phase solid-gas-liquid column was used for dissolution experiments where the ozone gas flow was contacted with RuO2, xH2O solid particles suspended in sodium hydroxide solution. The analysis of reaction by-products, ruthenate and perruthenate ions, leads us to propose a reaction mechanism. It points out the autocatalytic effect of ruthenate RuO42- in the dissolution reaction mechanism. Parametric experimental study has been performed. It shows that increase of oxidative dissolution kinetics is obtained: (i) with a particular RuO2, xH2O solid morphology, (ii) for an optimum sodium hydroxide concentration near 0.5 M, (iii) by increasing gas-liquid exchange surface area, (iv) by increasing ozone concentration in the gas and (v) by increasing ruthenium initial concentration.
iPSCs (induced pluripotent stem cells) are the newest tool used to model PD (Parkinson's disease). Fibroblasts from patients carrying pathogenic mutations that lead to PD have been reprogrammed into iPSCs, which can subsequently be differentiated into important cell types. Given the characteristic loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta of PD patients, iPSC-derived midbrain dopaminergic neurons have been generated to investigate pathogenic mechanisms in this important cell type as a means of modelling PD. iPSC-derived cultures studied so far have been made from patients carrying mutations in LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat kinase 2), PINK1 [PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10)-induced putative kinase 1], PARK2 (encodes parkin) or GBA (β-glucocerebrosidase), in addition to those with SNCA (α-synuclein) multiplication and idiopathic PD. In some cases, isogenic control lines have been created to minimize inherent variability between lines from different individuals. Disruptions in autophagy, mitochondrial function and dopamine biology at the synapse have been described. Future applications for iPSC-derived models of PD beyond modelling include drug testing and the ability to investigate the genetic diversity of PD.
An inventory to prepare the checklist of angiosperm species in the lateritic hillocks of northern Kerala was conducted in five sampling sites during April 2013–March 2015.  In total, we recorded 364 genera with 535 species, of which 334 are native and 201 are non-native.  Native species were represented in 102 families, namely, Poaceae (28), Fabaceae (25), Acanthaceae (22), Rubiaceae (17) Euphorbiaceae (14), Commelinaceae (11), Phyllanthaceae (7), etc., whereas, non-native species were represented in 99 families.  Among the native species herbs are the predominant habit with 147 species (44%).  Out of the 72 endemic species, three taxa namely, Syzygium travancoricum, Santalum album and Hopea ponga are red listed species documented from the study area.  Twenty-seven invasive species were also recorded and major threats to the laterite ecosystems are by Lantana camara, Mikania micrantha, Pennisetum polystachyon, Ipomoea spp., and Senna spp.  Most part of the laterite has been converted to plantations, building sites and mining sites.  The indiscriminate mining for laterite, soil and demolishing the hillocks have severely threatened the very existence of the flora.
BACKGROUND Hyperhidrosis is defined as excessive sweating beyond the physiologic needs of a person. Palmar hyperhidrosis in the adolescent period may have an impact on school work and may cause psychological problems. Thoracoscopic sympathectomy is now used routinely to treat patients with disabling primary hyperhidrosis or facial blushing.   PATIENTS AND METHODS From January 2008 to December of 2009 bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy Th2-Th4 was performed to 79 patients aged from 17 to 55, who suffered from palmar, axillar or craniofacial hyperhidrosis. For the first 39 patients (group A) thoracoscopic sympathectomy was performed using electric scalpel and for the next 40 patients (group B) thoracoscopic sympathectomy was performed using harmonic scalpel.   RESULTS Based on our results we did not find any significant differences between electric or harmonic scalpel usages for thoracoscopic sympathectomy. Moreover, there was no significant difference between complications and the severity of pain, with slightly higher intensity of pain with harmonic scalpel usage. Both electric and harmonic scalpel provided adequate treatment for primary hyperhidrosis, with the fact that non-disposable electric scalpel costs were less than that of the disposable harmonic scalpel.   CONCLUSIONS Sympathectomy should be preferred for palmar hyperhidrosis treatment, as it is much technically shorter, simpler to implement, and also easier to learn. Thoracoscopic sympathectomy is safe and effective for the treatment of primary palmar hyperhidrosis in the adolescent period without any major side effects.
The use of antibiotic prophylaxis is an accepted and widely practiced feature of modern surgery. The prevention and control of infection is a priority in healthcare worldwide, and the emergence of antibiotic resistance is a global phenomenon. Hence, rational use of antibiotics is essential. We discuss the guidelines published with regard to endourologic procedures and review the limited evidence currently available. There should be subclassification of endourologic procedures based on infection risk to guide sensible use of antibiotics before surgery.
1. Two important methods for the study of malarial pigment are described. (a) A method for obtaining a solution of malarial pigment from fixed tissues without the removal of a trace of hemoglobin from the red blood corpuscles. (b) A method for obtaining an iron reaction in malarial pigment. 2. By comparing the bleach reactions and solubility of melanins and malarial pigment, the dissimilarity of the two classes of pigments has been demonstrated. 3. The spectroscopic examination of a solution of malarial pigment proves conclusively that the pigment is hematin. 4. It is suggested that the action of a proteolytic enzyme of the malarial parasite upon the hemoglobin of the red blood corpuscle is the most probable mode of elaboration of malarial pigment. 5. The difficulty with which the human organism disposes of malarial pigment indicates that the production of hematin cannot be considered as a normal intermediate process in the formation of bile pigments from hemoglobin.
Multi-scale representations of spatial data is one of the key technologies in GIS applications. It plays an important role in such applications as seamless data navigation, progressive web transfer and self-adaptable visualization. This paper aims at the objective by small size of data volume to realize high granularity multi-representation, presenting a data model, namely the lifespan model over scale space, to divide the spatial data into different representation scene over scale space. To construct the object-oriented model of representation lifespan, we consider that during the whole life time [S<inf>0</inf>, S<inf>n</inf>], an object has some base representations g<inf>0</inf>, g<inf>1</inf>⋯gm, which related to some key happening point s<inf>0</inf>, s<inf>1</inf>⋯sm over scale space. An essential evolution of the representation arises at each key happening point, such as from polygon to polyline. But between two adjacent key scale points S<inf>i</inf> and S<inf>j</inf>, the evolutions of the representation are smooth. So the middle representations between [S<inf>i</inf>, S<inf>j</inf>] can be derived by a transformation function f. Based on this consideration, the scale based transformation is defined as a tri-tuple: T<inf>ij</inf>: ≪f<inf>i</inf>, [S<inf>i1</inf>, S<inf>i2</inf>], {g<inf>ij</inf>}≫, where f<inf>i</inf> is the transformation function, [S<inf>i1</inf>, S<inf>i2</inf>] the scale range controlled by two key scale points S<inf>i1</inf> and S<inf>i2</inf> and {g<inf>ij</inf>} the base representation status associated with the key scale point of S<inf>i1</inf> or S<inf>i2</inf>. Then the representation of the object at any scale S<inf>x</inf> can be formulized as: R<inf>x</inf>=f<inf>i</inf>({g<inf>ij</inf>},x). Considering the transformation properties of gradual change vs. abrupt change, we summarize four types of transformation functions. They are (1) traditional map generalization, (2) interpolation (morphing) transformation, (3) LOD accumulation and (4) equal transformation.
During movement programming, there is a point in time at which the movement system is committed to executing an action with certain parameters even though new information may render this action obsolete. For saccades programmed to a visual target this period is termed the dead time. Using a double-step paradigm, we examined potential variability in the dead time with variations in overall saccade latency and spatiotemporal configuration of two sequential targets. In experiment 1, we varied overall saccade latency by manipulating the presence or absence of a central fixation point. Despite a large and robust gap effect, decreasing the saccade latency in this way did not alter the dead time. In experiment 2, we varied the separation between the two targets. The dead time increased with separation up to a point and then leveled off. A stochastic accumulator model of the oculomotor decision mechanism accounts comprehensively for our findings. The model predicts a gap effect through changes in baseline activity without producing variations in the dead time. Variations in dead time with separation between the two target locations are a natural consequence of the population coding assumption in the model.
In this paper, a learning model for prediction is introduced by coupling a static neural network with an external stack memory, creating a new type of recurrent system. We analyze the differences between this external memory recurrent network and recurrent neural network, which possesses internal memory. Internal memory remembers the last state while external memory remembers past useful contents. For a specific automaton, the internal memory is needed if the last state is a variable of the state transition function and the external memory is needed if the past content is a variable of state transition function. Our arguments are verified by comparing the prediction accuracy of different models with internal memory, external memory and the combination of them on counting and reversing tasks. The results shows that: network with an external stack works best for counting tasks since the variables of state transition function is composed of the current input and one past input, while network with the combination of internal and external memory works best for the reversing task since the variables of state transition function is composed of the current input, current state and the past inputs.
The Sarcophaga lectin gene, an acute-phase-responsive protein of Sarcophaga, was found to be activated when the fat body was incubated in phosphate-buffered insect saline (10 mM NaH2PO4/Na2HPO4, pH 6.2, 2 mM NaHCO3, 1 mM MgCl2, 5 mM KCl, 1 mM CaCl2 and 120 mM NaCl). This activation was selectively suppressed by addition of 2-mercaptoethanol. 2-Mercaptoethanol did not affect the transcription directly, suggesting that the oxidation of the sulfhydryl group of a fat-body protein is required for activation of the Sarcophaga lectin gene. This oxidation reaction seemed to occur immediately when the fat body was incubated in vitro, and once this reaction was initiated, 2-mercaptoethanol no longer inhibited transcription of the Sarcophaga lectin gene. This gene is known to be activated when the larval-body wall of Sarcophaga is injured. It is suggested that the Sarcophaga lectin gene is activated via this novel mechanism on its acute-phase expression in vivo.
Under the conditions of increasing intensity of globalization and integration processes, issues of foreign economic security are of special importance. The level of the country’s involvement in the world economy is considered as a basic indicator of the economic system development. Provided that comparative advantages are effectively applied, openness serves as a factor in the development of economy and allows using advanced world technologies and financial resources. The possibility of growth for the national economy as a whole as well as well-being of each subject of the economic system in particular largely depend on the structure and volume of foreign trade. The study analyses the key approaches of various scientists to the interpretation of the economic category called foreign economic security, assesses the degree of foreign trade openness of the national economy based on such indicators as export quota (characterizing the level of export dependence), import quota (characterizing the level of import dependence) and foreign economic quota (which is an indicator of economy’s openness). To assess the level of foreign economic security, security indicators have been considered in accordance with the Methodology for Calculating Economic Security Level. For each indicator, according to the threshold values, the state of security has been determined and an assessment of its level change during 2011-2018 has been carried out. Since the indicators characterizing foreign trade sphere are in a critical state, attention is paid to the analysis of foreign trade indicators of Ukraine. The list of problems of a systemic nature has been worked out, the main threats to foreign economic security have been identified and priority directions for its strengthening have been offered. General recommenda-tions for creating favourable conditions for economic development in foreign trade have also been provided.
CaRhIn, CaRhIn2, and CaIrIn2 were synthesized by reacting the elements in glassy carbon crucibles under an argon atmosphere in a high-frequency furnace. CaRhIn adopts the TiNiSi structure: Pnma, a = 730.0(4) pm, b = 433.1(2) pm, c = 828.8(4) pm, wR2 = 0.0707, 630 F2 values, 20 variables. The CaRhIn structure consists of strongly puckered Rh3In3 hexagons with Rh–In distances ranging from 273 to 276 pm. Due to the strong puckering each rhodium atom has a distorted tetrahedral indium environment. The calcium atoms fill the channels within the three-dimensional [RhIn] polyanion. CaRhIn2 and CaIrIn2 crystallize with a new structure type: Pnma, a = 1586.2(3) pm, b = 781.4(2) pm, c = 570.9(1) pm, wR2 = 0.0385, 1699 F2 values, 44 variables for CaRhIn2, and Pnma, a = 1588.7(3) pm, b = 780.8(1) pm, c = 574.0(1) pm, wR2 = 0.0475, 1661 F2 values, 44 variables for CaIrIn2. The structures of CaRhIn2 and CaIrIn2 can be described as an orthorhombically distorted rhodium respectively iridium filled CaIn2. The motif of transition metal filling is similar to that found in MgCuAl2 type compounds CaTIn2 (T = Pd, Pt, Au) and SrTIn2 (T = Rh, Pd, Ir, Pt), but constitute a different tiling. Semi-empirical band structure calculations for CaRhIn and CaRhIn2 reveal strong bonding In–In and Rh–In but weaker Ca–Rh and Ca–In interactions. Magnetic susceptibility and resistivity measurements of compact polycrystalline samples of CaRhIn2 indicate weak Pauli paramagnetism and metallic conductivity with a room temperature value for the specific resistivity of 230 ± 50 μΩcm.
We investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) in inflammatory hyperalgesia. Coinjection of prostaglandin E2(PGE2) with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitorNG-methyl-l-arginine (l-NMA) inhibited PGE2-induced hyperalgesia.l-NMA was also able to reverse that hyperalgesia. This suggests that NO contributes to the maintenance of, as well as to the induction of, PGE2-induced hyperalgesia. Consistent with the hypothesis that the NO that contributes to PGE2-induced sensitization of primary afferents is generated in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons themselves, l-NMA also inhibited the PGE2-induced increase in tetrodotoxin-resistant sodium current in patch-clamp electrophysiological studies of small diameter DRG neurons in vitro. Although NO, the product of NOS, often activates guanylyl cyclase, we found that PGE2-induced hyperalgesia was not inhibited by coinjection of 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor. We then tested whether the effect of NO depended on interaction with the adenylyl cyclase–protein kinase A (PKA) pathway, which is known to mediate PGE2-induced hyperalgesia.l-NMA inhibited hyperalgesia produced by 8-bromo-cAMP (a stable membrane permeable analog of cAMP) or by forskolin (an adenylyl cyclase activator). However, l-NMA did not inhibit hyperalgesia produced by injection of the catalytic subunit of PKA. Therefore, the contribution of NO to PGE2-induced hyperalgesia may occur in the cAMP second messenger pathway at a point before the action of PKA. We next performed experiments to test whether administration of exogenous NO precursor or donor could mimic the hyperalgesic effect of endogenous NO. Intradermal injection of either the NOS substratel-arginine or the NO donor 3-(4-morphinolinyl)-sydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN-1) produced hyperalgesia. However, this hyperalgesia differed from PGE2-induced hyperalgesia, because it was independent of the cAMP second messenger system and blocked by the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor ODQ. Therefore, although exogenous NO induces hyperalgesia, it acts by a mechanism different from that by which endogenous NO facilitates PGE2-induced hyperalgesia. Consistent with the hypothesis that these mechanisms are distinct, we found that inhibition of PGE2-induced hyperalgesia caused by l-NMA could be reversed by a low dose of the NO donor SIN-1. The following facts suggest that this dose of SIN-1 mimics a permissive effect of basal levels of NO with regard to PGE2-induced hyperalgesia: (1) this dose of SIN-1 does not produce hyperalgesia when administered alone, and (2) the effect was not blocked by ODQ. In conclusion, we have shown that low levels of NO facilitate cAMP-dependent PGE2-induced hyperalgesia, whereas higher levels of NO produce a cGMP-dependent hyperalgesia.
The 81Br nuclear quadrupole resonance spectra have been examined for a series of complexes of CBr4 with methyl‐substituted benzenes and pyridines. The p‐xylene−CBr4 complex gives two lines as expected from the known structure, and the benzene–CBr4 spectrum is the same, with a lower splitting. The spectra of a number of other complexes of unknown structure do not correlate simply with these. Estimates of the direct crystal‐field gradients due to the charge distribution in the aromatics suggest that the direct field gradient effects are much too low to account for observed shifts in quadrupole frequencies. The temperature dependencies of the resonances in the p‐xylene and durene complexes have been studied. The p‐xylene complex follows the Bayer equation, but the durene complex requires the inclusion of a temperature dependence of the torsional frequency. Both complexes show a fading of the resonances at about 50° below the melting points.
The aim of this paper is to discuss the results of aircraft measurements of atmospheric sulphur dioxide made over Hungary and to compare the sulphur dioxide profile with the vertical distribution of sulphate particles based on earlier sulphate measurements over Hungary. It is shown that atmospheric SO 2 concentration decreases more rapidly with height than sulphate concentration. Finally, some data on the vertical as well as the horizontal change of the atmospheric SO 2- 4 /SO 2 ratio as a function of the distance from anthropogenic sources are presented. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1978.tb00871.x
An experimental investigation was carried out at DOE NETL on the humid air combustion process using liquid fuel to determine the effects of humidity on pollutant emissions and flame stability. Tests were conducted at pressures of up to 100 psia (690 kPa), and a typical inlet air temperature of 860°F (733 K). The emissions and RMS pressures were documented for a relatively wide range of flame temperature from 2440-3090°F (1610-1970 K) with and without added humidity. The results show more than 90% reduction of NO x through 10% humidity addition to the compressed air compared with the dry case at the same flame temperature. The substantial reduction of NO x is due to a shift in the chemical mechanisms and cannot be explained by flame temperature reduction due to added moisture since the comparison was made for the same flame temperature.
As we are concerned that “troponinemia” often falsely represents a clinical myocardial infarction, we heartily commend the expert group from the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions for presenting the new “Definition of Clinically Relevant Myocardial infarction (MI) after Coronary Revascularization” [1] and bringing common sense back to cardiology. Their consensus document directly challenges the presumed superiority of cardiac troponin (cTn) over creatine kinase-CK band (CK-MB) in defining an MI following revascularization, pointing out the absence of evidence to support the arbitrary universal definition of cTn 5– 10 the upper limit of normal [ULN], compared with the clear evidence showing that only MIs with CKMB 10 ULN have negative prognostic implications. Cardiac troponin elevations are extremely sensitive in ruling out MI but despite higher myocardial tissue specificity have poor specificity for ruling in MI [2]. While “troponinemia” is certainly helpful in detecting spontaneous acute coronary syndromes with high clinical suspicion, it is of dubious value following revascularization or in the supply/demand mismatch situations commonly encountered in the hospital. Defenders of the universal definition point to the requirement for ischemic symptoms or ECG changes to find some yet-to-be discovered clinical relevance to small cTn elevations following revascularization [3]. However, a cTn biomarker threshold that is positive in 24.3% of uncomplicated PCI and 42–82% of patients with uncomplicated CABG [1] cannot be rescued by relying on symptoms and ECG changes; these are known to be insensitive, nonspecific, often subjective, and difficult to analyze systematically. We count on biomarkers to complement our clinical assessment; a threshold for cTn that is so frequently positive is unhelpful at best and confusing at worse, by conflating minor myocardial damage with large MIs. This confusion has real-world consequences: including the potentially premature closure of the PROTECT-II trial of Impella for futility and the reporting of negative results from the CHAMPION-PCI and CHAMPION-PLATFORM trials of cangrelor, interventions which have been subsequently demonstrated to have possible benefit [4]. An analysis of the cangrelor trials ostensibly demonstrated the utility of the universal definition, but actually found a benefit to cangrelor only when patients with increasing cTn were completely excluded and only Q-wave MIs counted [5], hardly an endorsement of cTn as a marker for periprocedural MI. The new definition of clinically relevant MI marks a return to what clinicians and patients would consider a “heart attack,” and away from what our colleagues in laboratory science have promulgated in their pursuit of more sensitive biomarkers. The evidence for the clinically relevant definition is strongest for revascularization (Type 4 and Type 5 MI), but a CK-MB threshold might also be justifiably applied to supply/demand mismatch (Type 2) or even acute coronary syndromes (Type 1) when the symptoms and ECG are nondiagnostic or equivocal. We urge all our colleagues to support the definition of a clinically relevant MI and can only hope that it is not too late to bring back CK-MB from the dead.
Employing mass balance concepts is one of the fundamental approaches to address many of the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges of the 21 st century. Of the five stated grand challenges, the incorporation of mass balance principles is central to understanding and resolving four of the five technical challenges while it supports and informs decision making in the fifth. For burgeoning environmental engineers, the understanding of mass balance concepts is foundational for recognizing and solving the complex multimedia environmental problems they will face. Environmental engineering curricula therefore requires students to fully understand and demonstrate proficiency in the application of mass balance concepts. Unfortunately, many students struggle to initially visualize key aspects and understand assumptions used with the mass balance approach. A five-minute demonstration provides a visual, interactive classroom experience that improves understanding and learning for a broad spectrum of students’ learning style preferences. The approach presented in this paper has been successfully used in an introductory environmental engineering course taught predominantly to non-engineering majors as part of a three-course environmental engineering sequence. Current data suggests that the incorporation of this demo improves student understanding of mass balance concepts evidenced by improved quantitative testing scores over the past two years. Though longitudinal data is forthcoming on the efficacy on long term retention, we strive for each non-engineering major in the sequence to be able to more broadly contextualize and solve complex problems using mass balance principles by incorporating a deliberate systematic approach. Indeed, for our students to tackle the grand challenges of this century, they must be able to understand the inherent interconnectedness of global and regional environmental systems.
Background: The effects of the glucocorticoid and progesterone receptor agonist megestrol on declarative memory, and the ability of phenytoin to block these effects, were assessed. Methods: Healthy volunteers received each medication combination (placebo and megestrol, phenytoin and megestrol, and placebo and placebo) using a randomized, crossover design. The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test assessed declarative memory. Results: Megestrol was associated with a significant reduction in declarative memory (p = 0.0008), which was attenuated by phenytoin, and was associated with significant cortisol suppression compared to placebo (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Changes in memory and cortisol suppression were found in healthy volunteers given megestrol.
mesmeric disciples having got into the camp as visitors)?and he had generals, captains, civil engineers, barristers, chirurgeons, and others, minoris notce, in his train. Of the prudence which guided the counsel in admitting the paper in question, we will say nothing. Sir B. Brodie and others condemned it; and, at the beginning, we were of the same opinion; but, before the evening was over, we were satisfied that " all was for the best." The cause was opened by Counsellor Topham, who somewhat triumphantly observed that, as the paper contained nothing but authentic and incontrovertible facts, he would not make
Printed flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) is finding an increasing number of applications in the fields of displays, sensors, actuators and in energy harvesting and storage. The technology involves the printing of conductive and insulating patterns as well as mounting electronic devices and circuits on flexible substrate materials. Typical plastic substrates in use are, for example, non-renewable-based poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) or poly(imides) (PI) with high thermal and dimensional stability, solvent resistance and mechanical strength. The aim of this study was to assess whether renewable-based plastic materials can be applied on sheet-to-sheet (S2S) screen-printing of conductive silver patterns. The selected materials were biaxially oriented (BO) bio-based PET (Bio-PET BO), poly(lactic acid) (PLA BO), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP BO) and regenerated cellulose film, NatureFlex™ (Natureflex). The biaxial orientation and annealing improved the mechanical strength of Bio-PET and PLA to the same level as the reference PET (Ref-PET). All renewable-based substrates showed a transparency comparable to the Ref-PET. The printability of silver ink was good with all renewable-based substrates and printed pattern resistance on the same level as Ref-PET. The formation of the printed pattern to the cellulose-based substrates, CAP BO and Natureflex, was very good, showing 10% to 18% lower resistance compared to Ref-PET and obtained among the bio-based substrates the smallest machine and transverse direction deviation in the S2S printing process. The results will open new application possibilities for renewable-based substrates, and also potentially biodegradable solutions enabled by the regenerated cellulose film and PLA.
In this article, we draw on narrative phenomenological (Mattingly 2010) and ethnographic projects to investigate how phenomenology may contribute to understanding how practical, experientially gained, expertise is cultivated in extraordinary circumstances. The lived world of autism provides a compelling context for such an exploration. Drawing on ethnographic data, we present arguments related to how a phenomenological approach to understanding autism can be productive by examining the cultivation of expertise and the contagion of knowledge and understanding. Family expertise that is grounded in lived experience often reveals the limitations of both public knowledge and scientific evidence and is generative of a kind of practical knowledge that warrants diffusion. Consideration is given to the specific contributions of a phenomenological approach to understanding autism and learning in collective engagements. Contagion as both a facilitative and positive phenomenon and a potentially stressful or harmful development is discussed.
The on-site performance of a vision-based displacement measurement system (VDMS) was evaluated through a field test on a bridge. The VDMS used in this study is composed of a camera, a marker, a frame grabber, and a laptop. The system measures the displacement by attaching a marker at the location to be measured on the structure, by capturing images of that marker with a fixed rate, and by processing a series of images using a planar homography technique. The developed system was first validated from a laboratory test using a small-scale building structure. The VDMS was then employed in a field test on a railroad bridge with a KTX train running under various conditions. The on-site performance was evaluated by comparing the obtained displacement using the VDMS with the displacement measured from a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV), which is an expensive and accurate displacement measurement device.
The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and industry reveals the industrial manufacturing developments, resulting in Industry IoT (IIoT), which is to provide a general interconnect system for the access of various industry devices. However, as the amount and type of terminal increase, the creditability and privacy protection of terminal devices are hard to be guaranteed in IIoT, since the data and digital identity of access devices are nearly transparent for more devices in networks. It is a critical issue for the security of IIoT whether the access and service of device are trustworthy. In this article, we present a novel private blockchain-enabled trusted anonymous access (BlockTrust) architecture for IIoT, where the distributed cloud radio and optical access networks (C-RONs) are considered to provide a risk reduction of privacy leakage. Based on the BlockTrust architecture, a blockchain-enabled tripartite anonymous identification trusted service provisioning (TriTrustServ) scheme is further proposed to guarantee a balanced tradeoff among the credibility, confidentiality, and efficiency in IIoT, including digital identity generation, anonymous access identification, and trusted resource provisioning. Note that for the sake of a high credibility in IIoT networks, a tripartite authentication is presented in this article with the first time among device manufacturer, devices, and network operator for the access process of device in IIoT networks. The feasibility and efficiency of BlockTrust architecture are experimentally verified in the realistic testbed, and the performances of the TriTrustServ scheme are evaluated by comparing with two benchmark schemes in the terms of average mistrust rate, resource utilization, and identification cost.
Sir, Serum nontransferrin-bound iron (NTBI) is a potential catalyst for the production of reactive oxygen species, contributing to tissue damage. Nontransferrin-bound iron not only occurs in iron overload but also during intravenous iron infusion, possibly owing to the rapid saturation of transferrin, as a result of a rapid influx of iron [1]. More recently, NTBI was found to be positively correlated with lipid peroxidation in Beta-Thalassaemia and haemodialysis patients [2,3], although the relationship between NTBI and oxidative damage in vivo is contentious. Nevertheless, the presence of NTBI may explain published reports of lipid peroxidation after oral FeSO 4 [4,5], and as this is the usual treatment for IDA the occurrence of pro-oxidant NTBI during FeSO 4 treatment could have serious clinical implications. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether oral FeSO 4 results in the formation of serum NTBI in anaemic women. Seven anaemic women (mean haemoglobin 111 ± 5 g L − 1 ; serum ferritin 11·4 ± 2 μ g L − 1 ) who were otherwise healthy and of childbearing age completed this study. All subjects were recruited from the student and staff population at Kings College London and were not taking any medications nor had any history of chronic illness including gastrointestinal disease, although the exact causes of anaemia were not investigated. After an overnight fast, subjects were administered a tablet containing 200 mg of FeSO 4 (65 mg of elemental iron; Alpharma, Barnstaple, UK), with two slices of toasted white bread, margarine, honey and dilute orange cordial (visit 1), or 200 mg of FeSO 4 with the same drink but without food (visit 2). The meal (including drink) was low in inhibitors of iron absorption and contained only a trace of vitamin C. Serial blood samples were taken through an indwelling venous catheter before and after oral iron for 4 h on both occasions. Blood was drawn into vacutainers without additives to determine total serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and serum NTBI. Serum ferritin, full blood count, total serum iron and TIBC were measured using routine laboratory methods, and serum was prepared for NTBI analysis using a method described elsewhere [6] and analyzed using an iron-free high-performance liquid chromatography system. Transferrin saturation was calculated (serum iron × 100/TIBC), and the rate of iron absorption was estimated using a recently reported equation [7]. We used a repeated measures  to test the increase in total serum iron, NTBI and transferrin saturation following FeSO 4 , and a simple linear fit to evaluate the correlation between NTBI and iron absorption, and NTBI and transferrin saturation. Neither the increase in total serum iron nor NTBI differed significantly when FeSO 4 was taken with or without food (both P < 0·001; Fig. 1), probably because the meal was low in compounds that inhibit iron absorption and vitamin C levels were similarly low on both occasions. On both occasions, serum transferrin concentration was in the normal range and was similar at baseline and 210 min after 200 mg of FeSO 4 (visit 1: 2·65 ± 0·10 g L − 1 at 0 min vs. 2·67 ± 0·08 g L − 1 at 210 min; and visit 2: 2·71 ± 0·09 g L − 1 vs. 2·82 ± 0·08 g L − 1 ). However, transferrin saturation increased from baseline to 210 min post-FeSO 4 , in conjunction with an increase in serum NTBI (Fig. 2). The mean ( ± SE) peak increase in serum NTBI was 4·6 ± 0·5 μ mol L − 1 and 3·9 ± 1·1 μ mol L − 1 , following 200 mg of All authors contributed to the study concept, while C. Hutchinson designed the study and prepared the manuscript with contributions from C.A. Geissler, R.C. Hider and J.J. Powell. W. Al-Ashgar carried out the study under the supervision of C. Hutchinson, and D.Y. Liu analyzed serum samples for NTBI. All authors approved and contributed academically to the final manuscript.
Objectives: We studied two districts in Korea in order to investigate if the frequency of fish consumption has an effect on the blood mercury levels. Methods: This survey was conducted on 164 fishing district residents in Geoje city and 219 agricultural district residents in Changwon city from July to August in 2008. The data on the demographic characteristics, the living environment, lifestyle habits and the frequency of fish consumption was collected by interviewers. We used ANOVA to estimate the particular relevance between the frequency of fish consumption and the blood mercury concentration, and other various factors. Results: The mean total blood mercury level was 6.54±4.01 μg/L for the total study population. Our results were even higher than that of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (USA) in, 2001~2002 and the German Environmental Survey in, 1998. In this study, there was a significant difference for the frequency of eating fish between the groups. (p<0.01, The level of the groups that ate fish 3 to 4 times per week was significantly higher as compared with the level of the other groups that ate fish 2 to 3 times per month and 1 to 2 times per week, respectively). As the frequency of fish consumption increased, so did the blood mercury concentration. Conclusions: We found that the blood mercury concentration increases along with fish consumption and this was statistically significant and this fact reveals that fish consumption is positively related to the blood levels of mercury. Accordingly, we need systematic and periodic research on the general population to prevent mercury poisoning, which can be caused by low-level mercury exposure from dietary intake such as chronic fish consumption.
Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a subviral satellite of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Since the RNA genome of HDV can replicate in cultured cells in the absence of HBV, it has been suggested that the only helper function of HBV is to supply HBV coat proteins in the assembly process of HDV particles. To examine the factors involved in such virion assembly, we transiently cotransfected cells with various hepadnavirus constructs and cDNAs of HDV and analyzed the particles released into the medium. We report that the HDV genomic RNA and the delta antigen can be packaged by coat proteins of either HBV or the related hepadnavirus woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). Among the three co-carboxy-terminal coat proteins of WHV, the smallest form was sufficient to package the HDV genome; even in the absence of HDV RNA, the delta antigen could be packaged by this WHV coat protein. Also, of the two co-amino-terminal forms of the delta antigen, only the larger form was essential for packaging.
High integrity castings require surfaces free from defects to reduce, if not eliminate, vulnerability to component failure from such as physical or thermal fatigue or corrosion attack. Previous studies have shown that defects on casting surfaces can be optically enhanced from the surrounding randomly textured surface by liquid penetrants, magnetic particle and other methods. However, very little has been reported on recognition and classification of the defects. The basic problem is one of shape recognition and classification, where the shape can vary in size and orientation as well as in actual shape generally within an envelope that classifies it as a particular defect. The initial work done towards this has focused on recognizing and classifying standard shapes such as the circle, square, rectangle and triangle. Various approaches were tried and this led eventually to a series of fuzzy logic based algorithms from which very good results were obtained. From this work fuzzy logic memberships were generated for the detection of defects found on casting surfaces. Simulated model shapes of such as the quench crack, mechanical crack and hole have been used to test the generated algorithm and the results for recognition and classification are very encouraging.
Performing exact inference on Bayesian networks is known to be #P-hard. Typically approximate inference techniques are used instead to sample from the distribution on query variables given the values $e$ of evidence variables. Classically, a single unbiased sample is obtained from a Bayesian network on $n$ variables with at most $m$ parents per node in time $ mathcal{O}(nmP(e)^{-1})$, depending critically on $P(e)$, the probability the evidence might occur in the first place. By implementing a quantum version of rejection sampling, we obtain a square-root speedup, taking $ mathcal{O}(n2^mP(e)^{- frac12})$ time per sample. We exploit the Bayesian network's graph structure to efficiently construct a quantum state, a q-sample, representing the intended classical distribution, and also to efficiently apply amplitude amplification, the source of our speedup. Thus, our speedup is notable as it is unrelativized -- we count primitive operations and require no blackbox oracle queries.
This paper contains the results of an investigation into the moon’s diurnal influence on the horizontal and vertical components of the magnetic force at Toronto, and the consequent deduction of the lunar-diurnal variations of the inclination and of the total force at that station. The observations from which the results were obtained consisted of five years of hourly observation of the bifilar and vertical force magnetometer, ending June 30, 1848, from which the disturbances of largest amount had been separated as described in a paper previously communicated (Phil. Trans. 1856, Art. XV.). The results derived from the mean of the five years are confirmed by the accord which is shown of the means of each of the half-periods into which the observations of the five years are divided for that purpose.
AIM To compare the clinical and oncological outcomes of laparoscopic and open approaches in patients with advanced rectal cancer.   PATIENTS AND METHODS In this study, 78 patients who underwent surgery for advanced middle and lower rectal cancer (pStage II - III) were divided into two groups according to type of surgical approach: laparoscopic surgery (LS group; n=40) and open surgery (OS group: n=38). The clinical outcomes and oncological outcomes were compared between the two groups.   RESULTS The operation time was comparable, whereas operative blood loss and complication rates were significantly less in the LS group compared to the OS group. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) were similar in the two groups. Disease-free survival (DFS) was better in the LS group than in the OS group.   CONCLUSION LS for advanced rectal cancer was safe and not inferior to OS in clinical and oncological outcomes.
The University Of Connecticut and the Division of Research in the Connecticut Department of Transportation have been involved in monitoring both steel and concrete bridges during the past two decades. This paper will report on the operation of permanent monitoring systems on four different bridges in the State of Connecticut during the past decade. The monitoring systems have been tailored to each bridge, using sensors for strain, temperature, tilt and vibration. Monitoring is conducted on a continuous basis, with excitation provided by normal traffic loading. The bridges are monitored remotely from the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The extensive data has been used to characterize the performance of each bridge and to provide information for long-term structural health monitoring. This has required significant data management, based on what has been learned in previous research at the University of Connecticut.
Caffeine and its derivatives have been used, alone and in combination with other phytochemicals, as weight‐loss supplements. Caffeine affects several physiological and behavioural aspects of energy balance, including increasing locomotor activity. This study investigates the potential for caffeine to enhance activity thermogenesis and energy expenditure (EE) even when activity level is held constant. To do this, EE and muscle thermogenesis were measured in rats during treadmill walking regimens, with and without caffeine (25 mg/kg, ip). Activity‐related EE was significantly increased throughout the treadmill walking protocol. Muscle heat dissipation, on the other hand, was significantly increased by caffeine only at the end of the 25‐minute treadmill test. This study demonstrates that caffeine increases the caloric cost of physical activity, compared to the caloric cost of that same physical activity without caffeine, implicating decreased muscle work efficiency. Combined with the known ability of caffeine to increase locomotor activity, the decreased locomotor efficiency imparted by caffeine may further augment the potential for caffeine to enhance caloric expenditure.
In cross-sectional studies, countries with greater income inequality typically exhibit less support for government-led redistribution and greater acceptance of wage inequality (e.g., United States versus Western Europe). If individual nations evolve along this pattern, a vicious cycle could form with reduced social concern amplifying primal increases in inequality due to forces like skill-biased technical change. Exploring movements around these long-term levels, however, this study finds mixed evidence regarding the vicious cycle hypothesis. On one hand, larger compensation differentials are accepted as inequality grows. This growth in differentials is of a smaller magnitude than the actual increase in inequality, but it is nonetheless positive and substantial in size. Weighing against this, growth in inequality is met with greater support for government-led redistribution to the poor. These patterns suggest that short-run inequality shocks can be reinforced in the labor market but do not result in weaker political preferences for redistribution.
This paper presents an optimal dynamic quantizer synthesis for controlling linear time-invariant systems by the discrete-valued input. The quantizers considered here are in the form of a difference equation, for which we find a quantizer such that the system composed of a given linear plant and the quantizer is an optimal approximation of the given linear plant in the sense of the input-output relation. First, we derive a closed form expression for the performance of the dynamic quantizers in control systems. Next, based on this, an optimal dynamic quantizer and its performance, corresponding to the performance limitation of the dynamic quantizers, are provided. Finally, the relation among the optimal dynamic quantizer and the existing quantizers, the receding horizon quantizers and the ΔΣ modulators, is discussed.
Aortocoronary graft ruptures are a complication of coronary artery bypass grafting. The majority of graft ruptures are iatrogenic and occur after interventional procedures or surgery, whereas graft ruptures are significantly less common. Our case report highlights a clinical presentation of a late spontaneous saphenous vein graft rupture that developed approximately 16 years after initial bypass surgery and captures some of the ensuing complications. Several different imaging modalities were used to diagnose and characterize the lesion, and it was ultimately treated with percutaneous coronary intervention and minimally invasive surgery.
Lakes are one of the primary sources of fresh water, and theirsize variations provide information critical to their sustainable management in the backdrop of seasonal and climatic changes. Satellite-based optical images and radar altimetertogether have provided significant advances in monitoring inland water bodies like lakes and reservoirs, and asses its water storage capacity. Optical imageries are usually good for identifying the extent of lakes with a certain margin of error, whereas Satellite radar altimetry is helpful in monitoring temporal variations in water surface heights.This study focuses on the method used to monitor MancharLake’s surface area along with its volume. Time series altimetry data provided by European satellite Sentinel 3and optical data of Landsat 8 (30m spatial resolution) were used to calculate area, while temporal analysis wasperformed to generate lake boundaries usingNormalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). The lake volume was estimated by using water level variation from altimetry and surface area. Further, a relationship between Rating curves and volume was developed in order to calculate water flow at different outlets of Manchar Lake.
The present report addresses the planning and actions taken by the Hospital of the Federal University of Minas Gerais to confront and control the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 pandemia, which occurred between the months of March and April 2009. We describe patient triage, the precautions established in the care of suspected or confirmed cases, the evolution of these patients, the associated mortality and the destination of the waste generated in care.
The known antagonistic effect of CO 2 on ethylene action and the fact that waterlogging leads to increased ethylene production in plants which apparently contributes to injury of submerged plants led us to suspect ethylene as a causative factor in soaking injury of seeds. This hypothesis was tested in the present study for Phaseolus vulgaris seeds by investigating the effect of the ethylene absorbant Hg(ClO 4 ) 2 and antagonists of ethylene production or action (AVG, NBD, Ag, Ni and Co) on soaking injury, the effect of ethylene and ethrel on soaking injury, and the effect of soaking on ethylene production
The carotid bifurcation is one of the most common sites of atherosclerotic plaque [1]. It is widely accepted that hemodynamic forces (particularly wall shear stresses) play an important role in the development and progression of atherosclerosis [2]. The process of image acquisition is a key step for computational hemodynamic simulations. Many prior studies based on threedimensional (3D) reconstruction of MR images studied a single sample in which the segmentation and smoothing tools of Mimics software were used to complete boundary segmentation and fill interior cavities [3]. The inadequacies of this method are timeconsuming, and the results obtained greatly depend on the experience of the operators, so it is difficult to standardize analysis for bulk samples [3]. We present a preprocessing method for MR carotid images taken with a surface coil that can improve the accuracy of Mimics reconstruction and can carry out the standardized processing of large amounts of MR carotid images. Experimental data were derived from a 62-year-old female healthy volunteer who signed an informed consent form. The study was permitted by the hospital ethics committee in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The subject, in a supine position, received a 3.0 T MR (Trio-Tim; Siemens, Erlangen, Germany) scan with a surface coil (Machnet BV, Eelde, Netherlands) placed under the patient’s neck. Left and right carotid scanning was performed. First sagittal and coronal scanning were carried out to judge carotid morphology and bifurcation location, and then, within 2 cm of the carotid artery bifurcation site, the scanner performed a 3D-TOF sequence scan with a slice thickness 1 mm, obtaining a total of 50 scanning sequence diagrams[4]. The MR image obtained was 320 9 320 pixels, and the MR TOF images were converted to PNG images using DicomWorks [5]. The left and right carotid artery segments were converted to BMP image sequences with a resolution of 51 9 51 pixels by MATLAB 7.0 (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, USA). Binarization consists of the following steps in MATLAB: (1) The “im2bw” function is used to binarize the region of interest (ROI) images, (2) The ActiveX “actxcontrol” function calls Excel as an ActiveX automation server, then the “invoke” function generates a new Excel workbook, (3) The “actshrng” function obtains the handle of the designated area in the current table, (4) The “set” function is used to transfer the binarization values of the ROI area into the workbook, (5) The binarization values of the ROI area are manually modified in the Excel workbook, and (6) The “get” function transfers the binarized values of the Excel workbook back into MATLAB. In the Excel workbook, the binarized ROIs of the carotid artery are segmented, the boundaries are smoothed, and any cavities are filled. For image segmentation, the noncarotid portion of the artery can be deleted. To smooth edges on the carotid artery boundary, the pixels on any row or column containing only one pixel of value “1” are set to “0”. To fill holes, the “0” pixel values of regions that are surrounded by “1” pixel values are changed to “1” values, and the “1” pixel values of regions that are surrounded by “0” pixels are changed to “0” as well. Pixels on the diagonal are set to “1” if the row and column neighbor pixels are also “1”. After image processing, the binarized pixels whose values are “0” and “1” are set to 20 and 230, respectively. The images are
This paper presents a method for est,imating an airhorne antenna array’s spatial response pattern, or array manifold, using radar clutter as a source of calibration data. Doppler processing is used to isolate returns in range and azimuth bins: this da ta is then used in conjunction with a low-order Fourier series model t o estimate the response pattern. The computational problem which results is one referred to as Least Squares with Data Scaling (LSDS), whose solution makes possible the elimination of ambiguity between incident field strength and antenna element gain, to within a single complex constant. The prior knowledge of the element location can be used to improve calibration accuracy and significantly reduce the required Fourier series model order.
Lysine 2,3-aminomutase (LAM) catalyzes the interconversion of l-lysine and l-beta-lysine, by a radical mechanism initiated by the reversible, reductive homolytic scission of the C5'-S bond in S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to form methionine and the 5'-deoxyadenosyl radical at the active site. LAM is a member of a superfamily of enzymes in which a [4Fe-4S]+ cluster with a unique, noncysteinyl coordinated Fe provides the electron required in the cleavage of SAM. Little is known of the mechanism by which the electron is inserted into SAM, and it is not known whether all enzymes of the family employ the same mechanism. Selenium X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in the reaction of Se-adenosyl-l-selenomethionine (SeSAM) in place of SAM shows that electron transfer occurs by an inner sphere mechanism culminating in direct ligation of selenomethionine to iron upon cleavage of SeSAM. Here, we report an electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) spectroscopic investigation of LAM to which has been bound 14N, 17O, 2H, or 13C labeled SAM. It is found that LAM exhibits the same motif for SAM binding to the [4Fe-4S]+,2+ clusters as does pyruvate formate lyase: chelation by the unique iron of the amino and carboxylato groups of SAM; close proximity of the methionine methyl group to the cluster. However, there appear to be significant, and possibly mechanistically important, differences in the details of the binding geometry of SAM. On the basis of the correlation of the ENDOR and XAS spectroscopic results, we postulate a mechanism by which LAM cleaves SAM to generate an intermediate where N, O, and S of the methionine product are bound to the octahedrally coordinated unique Fe of the [4Fe-4S] cluster.
In certain applications, systems can be nonlinear and modelling and analyzing such systems is difficult in traditional analytical techniques. An approximate equivalent linear system can be derived from a non-linear system or process plant modelled in Simulink using the linear analysis tool of the Simulink control design toolbox. The performance of the equivalent linear system can be further optimized using the PID or other controllers to achieve efficiency and productivity of the process. The simulation results in this work demonstrate that the Simulink linear analysis tool is helpful to linearize a nonlinear system and can be used in control design applications.
Abstract In this study, the root exudates of wetland plants, Pistia stratiotes, black algae, and Cyperus alternifolius, exposed to six phosphorus concentration gradients (0, 0.2, 1, 5, 10, and 20 mg/L) were characterized. The experimental seedlings were cultivated in Hoagland solutions, which were then extracted, decompressed, and concentrated with CH2Cl2; subsequently, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis was performed to study the root exudates effects under different phosphorus concentrations. Results showed the existence of several organic compounds, such as alkanes, esters, alcohols, amines, benzene, and acids (phthalic acid, cycloheptasiloxane, benzoic acid, and cyclopentasiloxane) in the root exudates of the wetland plants. The relative contents of phthalate, benzene dicarboxylic acid, and cyclohexasiloxane in the root exudates first increased, and then decreased, with the change in phosphorus concentration. The relative contents of three compounds in Pistia were the highest at 1 mg/L of phosphorus, and the lowest relative contents of phthalic acid and benzene dicarboxylic acid were observed at 20 mg/L of phosphorus. However, the relative content of cyclohexasiloxane was the lowest in the absence of P stress. In black algae, the relative contents of the three compounds were 36.66, 16.24, and 14.61%, respectively. The relative content of cyclohexasiloxane in the black algae first decreased and then increased, with its lowest relative content occurring at 5 mg/L of phosphorus and the highest at 10 mg/L of phosphorus. In Cyperus alternifolius, the highest relative concentrations of the four compounds: phthalic acid, dimethyl phthalate, octadecane, and diphenyl sulfone in Cyperus were observed at 5 mg/L phosphorus and the lowest at 10 mg/L phosphorus.
Macular holesare a common cause of visual impairment. The randomized trial performed by Freeman et al 1 for the Vitrectomy for Treatment of Macular Hole Study Group provides several pieces of important information about this prevalent condition. The results confirm that a large proportion of stage 3 and 4 macular holes close after vitrectomy, that such closure can occur even after a long duration, and that the anatomical results depend on the size and duration of the hole. The difference between the eyes assigned to vitrectomy (69% closure) and control eyes (4% closure) is statistically significant. The question then becomes whether this anatomical result translates into clinical visual improvement. The clinical results are mixed; improvements in visual acuity and serious adverse events were more common in the operated on eyes than in the control eyes, and both of these changes occurred in less than one quarter of these eyes.
In this work, thermal and flow characteristics for the metallic foam heat sinks (FHSs) with the central impingement flow were studied with de-ionized water coolant. Such a flow configuration helps to reduce the pressure drop inherent for straight flow in porous foams. The reduction in the pressure drop is analyzed based on the one-dimensional porous medium model and verified with experimental measurement. The FHSs was fabricated and their thermal and flow characteristics were experimentally tested by integrating with a thermal test chip in BGA package format. The test chip has been built in with thermal diodes and resistors as heating source and junction temperature measurement. The foam materials were made of copper with the porosity ranging 60%-90% at the same pore density of 60 PPI (pores per inch), which were first brazed to the copper cavity and then assembled with a cover plate to form the flow channels. The cover plate was fabricated with an inlet slot at the center and two outlets at the two ends to provide a uniform impingement flow on the top of the foam. The idea is to split the fluid flow at the center of the heating component so that the pressure drop through the bulk foam material is reduced. As a result, the pressure drop is found to drop significantly without sacrificing the thermal performance for the present FHSs.
We demonstrate that by diffracting light at single photon level with orbital angular momentum (OAM) by an equilateral triangular aperture, it is possible to determine their OAM amount by simply counting the number of maxima in the side of a generated triangular shaped hexagonal lattice in the spatial photon probability distribution. The sign of the OAM is obtained by the orientation of the latticed triangle. We also show that by changing the aperture size it is possible to discriminate OAM state superpositions.
A new functional approach to the study of classes of groups is proposed, resulting in description of all formations and Fitting classes of finite groups in the language of functions. The Ωfoliated formations Ω.Ρ(/, φ) and Ω-foliated Fitting classes &F(f, φ) with satellite / and direction φ are constructed. To each satellite / there corresponds an infinite set of various directions φ. One direction leads to the previously considered Ω-composite formations. In this way the Ω-canonical and Ω-free formations and Fitting classes are obtained. For a fixed direction φ the structure of the minimal satellite / is obtained.
The analysis of underivatized core oligosaccharides arising from mild acid hydrolysis of lipopolysaccharides from Pseudomonas aeruginosa serotype O5 was achieved using a transient isotachophoretic preconcentration method coupled to capillary zone electrophoresis‐electrospray‐mass spectrometry (tCITP‐CZE‐ES‐MS). The combination of a tCITP preconcentration step provided a 10‐ to 50‐fold enhancement of sample loading and a corresponding improvement in sensitivity compared to the conventional zone electrophoresis format. Electrophoretic conditions, enabling the separation of these anionic analytes, were developed to determine possible sites of heterogeneity on either the core or the O‐chain structures. The tCITP‐CZE‐ES‐MS technique provided unparalleled resolution of the different core glycoforms and oligosaccharides obtained from the acid cleavage of the native endotoxins whether isolated following conventional gel permeation chromatography or obtained from direct hydrolysis of the bacterial isolates. These investigations also highlighted the highly phosphorylated nature of these complex cell membrane components, where the heptose residues of the core oligosaccharide can bear up to six phosphate groups # NRCC: 42370. .
Inspired by recent experiments where electron transport was measured across graphene nanoribbons (GNR) suspended between a metal surface and the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope [Koch  textit{et al}., Nat. Nanotechnol. { bf 7}, 713 (2012)], we present detailed first-principles simulations of inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) of long pristine and defected armchair and zigzag nanoribbons under a range of charge carrier conditions. For the armchair ribbons we find two robust IETS signals around 169 and 196 mV corresponding to the D- and G-modes of Raman spectroscopy as well as additional fingerprints due to various types of defects in the edge passivation. For the zigzag ribbons we show that the spin state strongly influences the spectrum and thus propose IETS as an indirect proof of spin polarization.
In his late thirties Wolfgang Goethe spent a year and a half in Italy. It was an experience to which he had looked forward since boyhood and one which he treasured into his old age as the high point in his existence. Like the wealth of Egypt for Joseph, the descent into Italy became characteristic for the mature poet. Coming as it did at a kind of climacteric when he gave up earlier associates and goals in favor of new ones, the Italian episode is recognized as a major turning point in Goethe's career. It also constitutes an important bench mark in the Germans' acceptance of their first great poetic genius after Luther.
INTRODUCTION Losses in muscle mass and strength may affect an astronaut's safety; therefore, it is of utmost importance to optimize countermeasures to minimize atrophy and strength loss during spaceflight. The main purpose of this study was to determine if high force eccentric or isometric contractions performed by the plantar flexor group during hind limb suspension would preserve muscle mass and strength.   METHODS Plantar flexor muscles of mice were trained with either eccentric or isometric contractions every other day during a 10-d hind limb suspension period. Pre- and post-suspension stimulation frequency- and angular velocity-dependent measurements of torque of the plantar flexors, soleus twitch (Pt) and tetanic (Po) force, bodyweight, and muscle wet weight measurements were made.   RESULTS The 19 and 26% losses in gastrocnemius and soleus muscle wet weights, respectively, were not attenuated with eccentric or isometric contractions. Neither eccentric nor isometric contractions attenuated the soleus muscle's 30% isometric force loss after hind limb suspension. Despite losses in muscle mass, there was no decrease in the force produced by the plantar flexor muscle group after hind limb suspension.   DISCUSSION Hind limb suspension decreased both gastrocnemius and soleus mass, and in vitro soleus force production. However, in vivo force production of the plantar flexor muscle group did not decrease, which may be explained by a shift in the isometric torque: ankle angle relationship. The use of eccentric or isometric contractions as a countermeasure to offset muscle mass and strength requires further investigation as neither was capable of maintaining soleus muscle force production, or gastrocnemius and soleus muscle mass during hind limb suspension.
We have determined the characteristics of sub-Sahelian aerosols from a 2-year record of continuous ground-based measurements, made at the University of Ilorin, Ilorin (08°19′N, 04°20′E), Nigeria, in cooperation with the Aerosol Robotic Network. Observations of spectral aerosol optical depths during the dusty harmattan season indicate more than a twofold increase, when compared to other seasons. Retrieved columnar volume size distributions show the existence of bimodality with a dominant coarse mode. The retrieved size distributions were grouped according to different ranges of aerosol optical depths to characterize the aerosols for this particular region. Monthly means of retrieved single-scattering albedos show a sharp decrease from ∼0.95 to ∼0.85 at 500 nm from the preharmattan to the harmattan season when biomass burning is also practiced, increasing the presence of absorbing aerosols. On the basis of these comprehensive observations, we propose to augment existing desert aerosol models, as presented in the literature, to better characterize the dust outbreak season in West Africa, which is quite prolonged and overlaps with the biomass burning season.
The ultimate strength of polymer concrete was investigated utilizing epichlorohydrin/bisphenol A-type epoxy resin. Parameters were tested in an effort to conclude how variation of a specific parameter would affect the compressive strength of the polymer concrete. The parameter testing included studies to determine the effect of the polymer loading; the catalyst; the exothermic reaction; aggregate type, gradation and moisture content; curing age; and aggregate additives of portland cement and lime-stone powder.
Geotechnics has developed into a specialist branch of civil engineering with many sub-specialists included within its ranks. This note argues for the need to provide geotechnical engineers with a broad training in the workplace to ensure that they experience and understand as many areas of work as possible. Geotechnical engineers need to appreciate the needs of the many inter-related disciplines to ensure that they are able to contribute positively to the design process and recognise the primary concerns when there is the inevitable need for compromise.
For any system to secure them industrial control system plays an important role in it. It helps to design the isolated procure system, specialized communication mechanisms is used to help for the setup. And with the help of this setup the flexibility, safety, threats, and vulnerabilities are the most important things to make. To secure them from risk assessment and other protection measurement need to specify with good instruments and security. The paper describes technical aspects on Denial of Service (Dos) attack. We also identify how smart grid communication networks works in security technical implementation guides of the different countries as a defense information systems agency. A brief chronicle of cyber storm on ICS; common challenges, some mitigation of those challenge, all levels of the multi-layered ICS architecture. This paper demonstrates railway control systems (RCS) compliance estimation of immovable control system design, operational scenarios that can be used for mitigation measures and security assessment.
Objective  To combine anatomage table technique of multi-touch virtual anatomy system (virtual autopsy table) with case-based teaching, and the evaluation was done in appendicectomy of surgical experiment.      Methods  A total of 72 subjects were selected from the 2015 class "5+ 3" clinical students of Fujian Medical University were divided into two groups. The students in the experimental group were used cooperate with multimedia and CBL case teaching + AT teaching method. The students in the control group used multimedia and CBL case teaching + traditional teaching method. The two groups of teaching effects were evaluated objectively at the end of study.      Results  The theoretical knowledge score of the experimental group (81.50+ 9.11) was superior to that of the control group (76.75+ 5.43), the difference was statistically significant (t=2.686, P=0.01). The results of clinical examination in the experimental group (87.75+ 4.97) was also higher than those in the control group (82.50+ 0.90), the difference was statistically significant (t=3.597, P<0.01). The multimedia and CBL case teaching + AT teaching method can promote mastery and use of knowledge[100.0%(36/36)], and support capacity building for self-regulated learning[97.2%(35/36)] and clinical reasoning.It also can encourage teamwork[100.0%(36/36)], inspire innovative thinking [91.6%(33/36)]. There was no significant difference between the two groups in raising learning enthusiasm and improving learning efficiency.      Conclusions  The application of AT teaching can improve the teaching quality of the basic experiment of surgery, and the students are more motivated and satisfied.      Key words:  Multi-touch virtual dissection system; Case-based learning; Basic experiment of surgery; Teaching model
Objective: Adolescents with disruptive behavior disorder, including ADHD, are more likely to engage in risky driving practices and, consequently, are more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash (MVC) than their non-ADHD peers. It is unclear whether symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) increase risk of poor driving outcomes. Method: A total of 41 participants (16-19 years old) reported their ADHD and ODD symptoms and risky driving practices (errors and violations). History of citations and MVCs were acquired from state records. Relative predictive utility of symptom dimensions was assessed using multiple regressions. Results: Inattention solely predicted driving variables of interest: Greater levels of inattention were predictive of more citations, MVCs, and self-reported errors and violations. Conclusion: Findings suggest that symptoms of inattention play a primary role in driving-related problems among adolescents. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Background: Paramedic practice is diversifying to accommodate evolving global health trends, including community paramedicine models and growing expertise in palliative and end-of-life care. However, despite palliative care specific clinical practice guidelines and existing training, paramedics still lack the skills, confidence and clinical support to provide this type of care. Aim: To elicit paramedics’, palliative care doctors and nurses’, general practitioners’, residential aged care nurses’ and bereaved families and carers’ experiences, perspectives, and attitudes on the role, barriers and enablers of paramedics delivering palliative and end-of-life care in community-based settings. Design: A qualitative study employing reflexive thematic analysis of data collected from semi-structured online interviews was utilised. Setting/participants: A purposive sample of 50 stakeholders from all Australian jurisdictions participated. Results: Five themes were identified: positioning the paramedic (a dichotomy between the life saver and community responder); creating an identity (the trusted clinician in a crisis), fear and threat (feeling afraid of caring for the dying), permission to care (seeking consent to take a palliative approach) and the harsh reality (navigating the role in a limiting and siloed environment). Conclusion: Paramedics were perceived to have a revered public identity, shaped by their ability to fix a crisis. However, paramedics and other health professionals also expressed fear and vulnerability when taking a palliative approach to care. Paramedics may require consent to move beyond a culture of curative care, yet all participant groups recognised their important adjunct role to support community-based palliative care.
Importin-alpha is the nuclear import receptor that recognizes cargo proteins which contain classical monopartite and bipartite nuclear localization sequences (NLSs), and facilitates their transport into the nucleus. To determine the structural basis of the recognition of the two classes of NLSs by mammalian importin-alpha, we co-crystallized an N-terminally truncated mouse receptor protein with peptides corresponding to the monopartite NLS from the simian virus 40 (SV40) large T-antigen, and the bipartite NLS from nucleoplasmin. We show that the monopartite SV40 large T-antigen NLS binds to two binding sites on the receptor, similar to what was observed in yeast importin-alpha. The nucleoplasmin NLS-importin-alpha complex shows, for the first time, the mode of binding of bipartite NLSs to the receptor. The two basic clusters in the NLS occupy the two binding sites used by the monopartite NLS, while the sequence linking the two basic clusters is poorly ordered, consistent with its tolerance to mutations. The structures explain the structural basis for binding of diverse NLSs to the sole receptor protein.
Factitious disorders are characterized by physical or psychological manifestations that are intentionally produced or feigned with no apparent external incentives in order to assume the sick role. These disorders are rarely reported or may be under-reported in Saudi patients. We describe here two male and female Saudi cases of such disorders. Both presented predominantly with features of Munchausen's syndrome. Like most psychiatric patients both had sought help from traditional healers prior to their reporting to the hospitals. Inspite of the socio-cultural factors, it is clear that doctors’ awareness and acceptance of the possibility of factitious disorders is a prerequisite to making the diagnosis.
very close, and seem, from the limited material available, to replace one another in a chain extending from Mexico to Panama, and perhaps beyond. So far as I can see now, the differences, are complex enough and strong enough to indicate that each form is a distinct species; perhaps together [they constitute] one superspecies. However, it is not beyond possibility that one or more o these forms intergrades with a neighbor. More material is needed." Since that writing, material has turned up which, though small in amount, tends to bridge the gap between S. micretes Brown and S. ,.acacoca Brown, indicating perhaps that they belong to. a single variable species. Nevertheless, the new material poses certain problems itself, and the discussion next offered is intended to give details that should help in eventually straightening this complex out. A sample consisting of parts of four nest series from Boquete, Chiriqui Province, Panama (F. Y[. Gaige leg., see below) contains 25 workers with highly variable preapical mandibular dentition, the denticles varying in number from to 4 in the two mandibles taken together, and also varying markedly in size, acuteness and position, so as to bridge virtually completely the chief diagnostic character-gap between micretes (each mandible with a small but acute preapical tooth, and a little arther up a minute denticle) and lacacoca (man-
Under “partial separation,” it is increasingly common for a utility’s upstream affiliate (e.g., an electric generation supplier) to be unregulated while its downstream affiliate (e.g., the distribution company offering retail service) is subject to regulation. When choosing the optimal form of downstream regulation, regulators may be confronted with the potential exercise of market power by the upstream affiliate. This paper finds that the imposition of a downstream price cap with an appropriate profit-sharing rate can eliminate the upstream affiliate’s exercise of market power. However, it is less desirable to fully mitigate affiliate market power when upstream rivals also behave strategically.
As part the Local Level Institutions study of local life in villages in rural Indonesia information was gathered on sampled householdâ€™s participation in social activities. We classified the reported activities into four distinct types of social activity: sociability, networks, social organizations, and village government organizations. Respondents were also asked about questions about their village government: whether they were informed about village funds and projects, if they participated in village decisions, if they expressed voice about village problems, and if they thought the village government was responsive to local problems. Several findings emerge regarding the relationship between the social variables and the governance activities. Not surprisingly, an individual householdâ€™s involvement with the village government organizations tends to increase their own reports of positive voice, participation, and information. In contrast, the data suggest a negative spillover on other households. There is a strong â€œchillingâ€ effect of one householdâ€™s participation in village government organizations on the voice, participation, and information of other households in the same village. The net effect of engagement in village government organizations is generally negative, while the net effect of membership in social organizations is more often associated with good governance outcomes. These findings indicate that existing social organizations have a potentially important role to play in enhancing the performance of government institutions in Indonesia and in the evolution of good governance more generally.
Summary Pyrimethamine (Daraprim) in doses of 25 mg. per adult, was administered weekly to 110 individuals living in a small malarial endemic village in Jordan. One hundred and twenty other individuals living in the same village who served as the control group received placebos. During the 18-week period of the study (June 20 to October 24, 1954), 25 of the control group developed malaria (P. vivax) whereas no cases of malaria occurred among the pyrimethamine treated individuals.
In the traditional structural optimization of moving boundary type, it is hard to make change of the layout of structure, such as generating holes in the design domain. The new optimization technique was recently developed that used homogenization method and consider optimal shape and layout problem as optimal distribution of microstructure.The technique uses mean compliance as objective function to be minimized, and total weight as constraint, and it was rather difficult to avoid local stress concentration. In this paper, this technique is appplied for the problem of minimizing weight while upper bound of the local Mises stress level was set as constraints. Since there as many constraint as the number of finite element mesh, the usual sensitivity analysis is quite difficult, and new adjoint problem was defined to be utilized in the context of the optimality criteria method, which significantly reduced the total computational time. The determination technique for Lagrange muliplier is proposed.Several examples are solved and it was shown that the maximum stress level can be greatly reduced using this new technique. It was also shown that the optimal topology for 2 problem can be quite different.
Deficiency of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is associated with lupus erythematosus, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer disease, and some cancers, but we are not yet ready to conclude that prescribing supplemental DHEA is helpful in these or any other conditions. DHEA shows some promise in observational clinical studies and laboratory experiments, but we still need large-scale human studies to answer key questions. For now, we do not have enough evidence to recommend routine treatment with DHEA. As with other supplements, quality control is always a concern, and different brands may contain different amounts of active ingredient.
Furthermore, in the exposures of the twenty-foot raised beach not far away, rolled Mossel Bay implements were found in situ. As Goodwin has already shown at the Cango Caves that the Mossel Bay industries are contemporary with those of Still Bay, and as Peers proved at the Skildegat cave that the Howieson’s Poort industries are also contemporary with the Still Bay finds, it would now appear that all three types of industry are about of the same age and that they date more or less to the period of the twenty-foot raised beach. I t is indeed excellent to observe that an interest in prehistory is still flourishing in South Africa, and that such interesting and important data are being collected. M. C. BURKITT.
Calculations of electro-optical parameters by the modified first order approximation (MFOA) method have been extended to X2CZ (X = H, F, Cl, Br; Z = O, S) molecules with a view to investigate the transferability of these parameters. The diagonal and cross elements of the bond moment derivative matrix have been evaluated. Unique values of µC−X are obtained for the A1 species. The bond moment derivatives are found to be transferable among A1 and B1 species. Transferability of the µC−Z in B1 and B2 species is obtained for thiocarbonyl halides. Bond moment derivatives with respect to angle deformations are not found to be very significant whereas other cross elements of the bond moment derivative matrix are found to be of high magnitude.
This study documents the occurrence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) associated with the wood frog (Lithobates sylvatica) from the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. This is the first report of Bd from the Park and subsequently from natural amphibian populations in the state of Kentucky. Based on the results of the current survey, a review of the literature, and records downloaded from the database maintained by BD-Maps.net, the following conclusions can be tentatively drawn: (a) the proportion of populations harboring Bd across southern Appalachian states appears to be relatively low, (b) mortality associated with Bd appears to be rare across the region, and (c) the highlands of the southern Appalachian mountains are notably under-sampled and understudied despite their conceivably high potential to contribute to our understanding of the factors predisposing populations to chytridiomycosis.
Social Design is a progressive field that continues to gain momentum across the nation and the world. Its value and validity is especially noteworthy when design is used as a vehicle to create positive change in today’s society. Many rural communities lack the necessary infrastructures or resources to remain relevant in a 21st century world, and face unique sets of barriers to progress and creative problem-solving. Effective communication, for example, is one area that design thinking can efficiently address, often generating collaborative solutions. Facilitating dialogue in the rural community requires special attention and planning. A carefully-tailored strategy of design interaction while communicating a message of positive change has great potential for allowing more open dialogue, greater levels of support and increased advocacy surrounding any local issue, challenge, or problem within such demographic populations. Properly applied design thinking has the power to act as a major catalyst in empowering smaller communities to find smart, sustainable solutions in building better, brighter futures for its citizens. My thesis research was applied to a case study involving the efforts of the Friends of George Byrer Field (FOGBF), a grassroots organization searching for solutions to bring a stateof-the-art performance, athletic and fitness facility to Barbour County, West Virginia. Located in rural Appalachia, Barbour County has struggled to achieve traction with this initiative in past attempts due to barriers that rural communities often face. Two major efforts (a community collaboration event and the development of an engaging brainstorming kit) were devised by the FOGBF to create opportunities for open dialogue and establishment of a strong support system. This case study is designed to serve as a framework that can be replicated and adapted for other initiatives in Barbour County and similar communities that may face their own communication and collaboration challenges.
ABSTRACT. The Australian endemic castniid tribe Synemonini represents a substantial radiation of diurnal Lepidoptera, especially in the southern temperate areas of the continent. The tropical areas of northern Australia support considerably fewer species, however, much of the fauna is presently undescribed. Here we diagnose, describe and illustrate a new castniid, Synemon kimberleyensis sp. nov., from the remote Kimberley region of northwestern Australia. Synemon kimberleyensis sp. nov. is allopatric and closely related to S. phaeoptila Turner, 1906 from the Top End, Wet Tropics and Cape York Peninsula, Australia. This pair of species is part of an ecological set of six Synemon species that are a characteristic component of the tropical savannah woodlands, which occur extensively across the monsoon tropics of northern Australia and, as far as is known, all specialize on Poaceae as their larval host plants, especially the genus Chrysopogon Trin.
Reports that fusion of hydrogen isotopes may occur at room temperature during the electrolysis of D{sub 2}O led us to investigate possible {ital d}-{ital t} fusion reactions in an electrolysis cell with a tritiated Ti cathode. A searc for 14-MeV neutrons from this reaction, using an NE213 scintillator detector and pulse shape discrimination techniques, showed no significant deviations from background levels. We derive an upper limit of 10{sup {minus}23} s{sup {minus}1} for the fusion rate per {ital d}-{ital t} pair.
In this work, we introduce subset selection strategies for signal reconstruction based on kernel methods, particularly for the case of kernel-ridge regression. Typically, these methods are employed for exploiting known prior information about the structure of the signal of interest. We use the mean squared error and a scalar function of the covariance matrix of the kernel regressors to establish metrics for the subset selection problem. Despite the NP-hard nature of the problem, we introduce efficient algorithms for finding approximate solutions for the proposed metrics. Finally, numerical experiments demonstrate the applicability of the proposed strategies.
Objective. Our goal was to evaluate the Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) age criteria for measuring the quality of cervical cancer screening promulgated by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a tool for assessing health plan performance. Methods. Using a prospectively accrued database of women undergoing initial colposcopy at an urban teaching hospital between July 1, 1996, and December 31, 1997, we compared results of cytology, histology, and colposcopic impression for women within and outside the HEDIS age specifications for cervical cancer screening (ages 21‐64 years). Histology was recorded as the highest‐grade result from any cervical tissue obtained at or within 8 to 26 months after colposcopy. Women without cervices were excluded. Statistical analysis was by chisquare testing. Results. As compared to 985 women meeting HEDIS age limits, 178 women aged 14 to 20 years had lower rates of histologically proven cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2) or CIN3 or cancer (288 of 985 [29%] versus 22 of 78 [28%]), as well as lower rates of high‐grade cytology on referral and at the time of the colposcopy and lower‐grade colposcopic impression (p < .001 for all). For 22 women older than age 64, rates of CIN2 or CIN3 or cancer on histology (6 of 22 [29%]), cytology, and colposcopic impression did not differ from those who were aged 20 to 64 (p > .15 for all). Conclusions. Adolescents referred for colposcopy are at lower risk for high‐grade cervical disease than are women aged 21 to 64, but their 12% frequency of CIN2 and CIN3 and cancer suggests that they deserve screening despite HEDIS recommendations.
The nitromethane⇄aci-nitromethane tautomerism is studied by high-level ab initio methods. The MP2/6-31G * geometry of nitromethane compares well with that determined experimentally. The G1 energy difference between the two tautomers amounts to 14.1 kcal/mol in favor of nitromethane. The calculated heat of atomization of -570.7 kcal/mol for nitromethane differs by only 2.4 kcal/mol from the experimental value. The nitromethide anion has C s symmetry with the 6-311+G * basis set
Haem-containing catalases are homotetrameric molecules that degrade hydrogen peroxide. Phylogenetically, the haem-containing catalases can be grouped into three main lines or clades. The crystal structures of seven catalases have been determined, all from clades II and III. In order to obtain a structure of an enzyme from clade I, which includes all plant, algae and some bacterial enzymes, two bacterial catalases, CatF from Pseudomonas syringae and Kat from Listeria seeligeri, have been crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion technique, using PEG and ammonium sulfate as precipitants, respectively. Crystals of P. syringae CatF, with a plate-like morphology, belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 60.6, b = 153.9, c = 109.2 A, beta = 102.8 degrees. From these crystals a diffraction data set to 1.8 A resolution with 98% completeness was collected using synchrotron radiation. Crystals of L. seeligeri Kat, with a well developed bipyramidal morphology, belong to space group I222 (or I2(1)2(1)2(1)), with unit-cell parameters a = 74.4, b = 121.3, c = 368.5 A. These crystals diffracted beyond 2.2 A resolution when using synchrotron radiation, but presented anisotropic diffraction, with the weakest direction perpendicular to the long c axis.
Poly(viyl chloride) membrane and membrane-coated carbon rod electrodes for lead (II) ion detection were developed by using the methylene and tetramethylene bis(diisobutyldithiocarbamate) neutral carriers and o-nitrophenyl octyl ether as a plasticizing solvent mediator. The membrane electrode based on methylene bis(diisobutyldithiocarbamate) exhibited good properties with a Nernstian slope of 28 mV/decade and linearity range of 10 −2 to 10 −6 M for the lead (II) ion. This membrane rejects alkali-metal ions by a factor of at least 10 2 and alkall-earth-metal ions by 10 5 , although the copper (II) ion is not rejected
We report the discovery of HIP-97166b (TOI-1255b), a transiting sub-Neptune on a 10.3 day orbit around a K0 dwarf 68 pc from Earth. This planet was identified in a systematic search of TESS Objects of Interest for planets with eccentric orbits, based on a mismatch between the observed transit duration and the expected duration for a circular orbit. We confirmed the planetary nature of HIP-97166b with ground-based radial-velocity measurements and measured a mass of M b = 20 ± 2 M ⊕ along with a radius of R b = 2.7 ± 0.1 R ⊕ from photometry. We detected an additional nontransiting planetary companion with M c sini = 10 ± 2 M ⊕ on a 16.8 day orbit. While the short transit duration of the inner planet initially suggested a high eccentricity, a joint RV-photometry analysis revealed a high impact parameter b = 0.84 ± 0.03 and a moderate eccentricity. Modeling the dynamics with the condition that the system remain stable over >105 orbits yielded eccentricity constraints e b = 0.16 ± 0.03 and e c < 0.25. The eccentricity we find for planet b is above average for the small population of sub-Neptunes with well-measured eccentricities. We explored the plausible formation pathways of this system, proposing an early instability and merger event to explain the high density of the inner planet at 5.3 ± 0.9 g cc−1 as well as its moderate eccentricity and proximity to a 5:3 mean-motion resonance.
The antioxidant profile of 23 native Andean potato cultivars has been investigated from a human nutrition perspective. The main carotenoid and tocopherol compounds were studied using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) and a fluorescence detector, respectively, whereas polyphenols (including anthocyanins in colored tubers) were identified by means of both HPLC-mass spectrometry and HPLC-DAD. Antioxidant profiling revealed significant genotypic variations as well as cultivars of particular interest from a nutritional point of view. Concentrations of the health-promoting carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, ranged from 1.12 to 17.69 microg g(-1) of dry weight (DW) and from 0 to 17.7 microg g(-1) of DW, with cultivars 704353 and 702472 showing the highest levels in lutein and zeaxanthin, respectively. Whereas beta-carotene is rarely reported in potato tubers, remarkable levels of this dietary provitamin A carotenoid were detected in 16 native varieties, ranging from 0.42 to 2.19 microg g(-1) of DW. The amounts of alpha-tocopherol found in Andean potato tubers, extending from 2.73 to 20.80 microg g(-1) of DW, were clearly above the quantities generally reported for commercial varieties. Chlorogenic acid and its isomers dominated the polyphenolic profile of each cultivar. Dark purple-fleshed tubers from the cultivar 704429 contained exceptionally high levels of total anthocyanins (16.33 mg g(-1) of DW). The main anthocyanin was identified as petanin (petunidin-3-p-coumaroyl-rutinoside-5-glucoside). The results suggest that Andean potato cultivars should be exploited in screening and breeding programs for the development of potato varieties with enhanced health and nutritional benefits.
The article presents the relationship between the condition of the family and developmental disabilities and adaptation problems of children raised in it. Finally, it presents the character styles determined by the resources of the family (personality traits, attitudes and parental competences), which can be useful not only in psycho-educational treatment of developmental disorders and in the diagnosis and understanding of the etiology of risky behavior of children and adolescents, but also in designing social rehabilitation interactions. Based on them, one can in fact undertake holistic socializing actions – consistent and adequate to the needs of children, parents and other family members.
Nine patients, as employees of a drug firm exposed to pancreatin and other organic substances in dust form for long periods of time, complained of non-specific breathing disorders and exercise dyspnoea. Investigation revealed predominantly restrictive-obstructive disorders of ventilation with diffuse emphysema and evidence of abnormal oxygen diffusion. In two patients the chest X-ray revealed signs of acute alveolitis, in a third a marked pulmonary fibrosis after exposure for several years. Six of seven patients reacted positively to a prick test with pancreatin. Precipitating antibodies were demonstrated in only one patient. Immunopathological and chemical-toxic effects of pancreatin dust may be causes of the described pulmonary disease.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has developed a national DNA index system to enable public forensic laboratories throughout the United States to exchange and compare DNA profiles electronically to link unsolved crimes to each other and to known offenders.  The bureau's director, Louis Freeh, said: “The National DNA index system will be of great value to city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies as they work together to apprehend violent criminals. There should also be a significant crime …
Boron-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) was prepared using an inductive radio-frequency Ar + C2 H2 + B2 H6 plasma-immersion ion-processing (PIIP) technique. The novel results show that B incorporation reduces the stress and that low-energy Ar-ion impingement suppresses the increase of the amount of hydrogen in the B-doped DLC film. An optimal combination of higher hardness, 24.6 - 28 GPa, and reduced stress was reached in DLC film doped with 4 to 10 at.% B. An increase in the sp3 carbon and sp3 CH bonding in the DLC films was found with B doping and was correlated with the enhancement of the properties.
Abstract This article describes the successful implementation of a feed-back linearization technique for the effective control of the power system with a unified power flow controller (UPFC). The complete system is linearized by means of input–output feed-back linearization, and a state feed-back control law is established by pole placement. The overall system performance with the proposed control is compared to that using the conventional proportional and integral (PI) control technique. Results show that the proposed controller is very effective in improving performance in both dynamic and steady-state conditions. Further, it renders total decoupling of real and reactive power flows and, thus, enables independent control of real and reactive powers.
The occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is two to three times higher in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), the prevalence of which is increasing sharply worldwide. The purpose of this review was to describe clinical links between DM and HCC and potential biological mechanisms that may account for this association. We evaluated the role of potential pathways that could account for the development of HCC with different etiologies in the presence of DM. In addition, we also briefly discuss the potential effect of other factors such as type and dosage of antidiabetic medicines and duration of DM on HCC risk.
Prior to the discovery of penicillin and production of antibiotics, extrinsic disease was the greatest threat to achieving maximum life potential (longevity). That single event increased life-span several decades for the majority of people living in first world nations. However, protection against lethal infection provided by antibiotics exposed older humans to a wide variety of life-threatening diseases resulting from disintegration of internal order during senescence. These intrinsic diseases including diabetes, stroke, heart attack, cancer, and a multitude of others, resulted in creation of medical subspecialties. Although each specialty focused upon different organs and systems, they all administered treatment in response to disease. In other words, the operative model for modern medicine which deals with intrinsic disease is the same as that which was used for extrinsic disease, ie, a disease occurs and then it is treated. However, unlike therapy for infection which generally cures disease, treatment of intrinsic diseases only provides symptomatic relief, rarely affecting the underlying causes. Also, because it targets specific symptoms, this approach treats the disease condition as an isolated entity, independent of other bodily functions. Thus, the cardiologist, neurologist, allergist, and dermatologist focus their attentions only upon problems occurring within the system(s) limited by their training. Accordingly, they prescribe drugs that were created to specifically suppress or relieve symptoms directly related to the problem(s). Despite the fact that this approach rarely provides a cure, it is effective in extending life, if not necessarily its quality, because many of the symptoms of intrinsic disease such as extremely high blood pressure, severe hyperglycemia, or profound breathing difficulties can lead to fatal complications.
Organic anion-transporting polypeptide 2B1 (OATP2B1) is co-localized with OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 in the basolateral hepatocyte membrane, where it is thought to contribute to the hepatic uptake of drugs. We characterized a novel Slco2b1(-/-) mouse model using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with [11C]erlotinib (a putative OATP2B1-selective substrate) and planar scintigraphic imaging with [99mTc]mebrofenin (an OATP1B1/1B3 substrate, which is not transported by OATP2B1). Dynamic 40-min scans were performed after intravenous injection of either [11C]erlotinib or [99mTc]mebrofenin in wild-type and Slco2b1(-/-) mice. A pharmacokinetic model was used to estimate the hepatic uptake clearance (CL1) and the rate constants for transfer of radioactivity from the liver to the blood (k2) and excreted bile (k3). CL1 was significantly reduced in Slco2b1(-/-) mice for both radiotracers (p < 0.05), and k2 was significantly lower (p < 0.01) in Slco2b1(-/-) mice for [11C]erlotinib, but not for [99mTc]mebrofenin. Our data support previous evidence that OATP transporters may contribute to the hepatic uptake of [11C]erlotinib. However, the decreased hepatic uptake of the OATP1B1/1B3 substrate [99mTc]mebrofenin in Slco2b1(-/-) mice questions the utility of this mouse model to assess the relative contribution of OATP2B1 to the liver uptake of drugs which are substrates of multiple OATPs.
This work studies the impact of the substitution of a traffic light for a modern roundabout on carbon monoxide concentration. The estimate of CO concentration is made by means of the CAL3QHC dispersion model, considering only passenger vehicles as emitting sources. Local traffic and meteorological parameters had been adopted and the emission factors had been estimated using CMEM emission model. The maximum observed values in eight different wind directions had been compared, considering both moving and queued vehicles. The adopted model showed that the maximum concentrations of CO in the roundabout scenario were about 50% of the obtained values with the use of the signalised intersection. Concentration maps analysis demonstrated that not only the maximum values are higher in the case of the traffic light, but the area of the concentration curves is larger. These analyses are important for proper environmental management and contribute to traffic engineers seeking environmentally sustainable solutions.
Purpose: Intraoperative assessment of lymph node status is important when performing limited surgery in gastric cancer patients. Currently available techniques are frozen section, imprint cytology, and other molecular methods, and most current studies use the frozen section method. In the present study, the authors focused on the accuracy and the feasibility of imprint cytology as a tool to assess the lymph node status intraoperatively in gastric cancer surgery. Materials and Methods: Between April 2001 and March 2003, we performed imprint cytology of the sentinel nodes of 260 consecutive patients. After review by an experienced cytopathologist, the sensitivity, the specificity and the overall accuracy were determined. Results: The time required for intraoperative imprint cytology was 8 minutes, and the sensitivity, the specificity and the overall accuracy were 52.2%, 88.8%, and 73.8%, respectively. Conclusion: Imprint cytology can be a useful technique for assessing lymph node status intraoperatively if the sensitivity and the specificity can be improved to an acceptable level.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is the primary electron donor for reductive reactions that are essential for the biosynthesis of major cell components in all organisms. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide kinase (NADK) is the only enzyme that catalyzes synthesis of NADP(H) from NAD(H). While the enzymatic properties and physiological functions of NADK have been thoroughly studied, the role of NADK in bacterial pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, we used CRISPR interference to knockdown NADK gene expression to address the role of this enzyme in Staphylococcus aureus pathogenic potential. We find that NADK inhibition drastically decreases mortality of zebrafish infected with S. aureus. Further, we show that NADK promotes S. aureus survival in infected macrophages by protecting bacteria from antimicrobial defense mechanisms. Proteome-wide data analysis revealed that production of major virulence associated factors is sustained by NADK. We demonstrate that NADK is required for expression of the quorum-sensing response regulator AgrA, which controls critical S. aureus virulence determinants. These findings support a key role for NADK in bacteria survival within innate immune cells and the host during infection.
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) maintains the national database and hosts the national collections of the archaeological and built heritage of Scotland, including its maritime waters.  In the last twenty five years the database has evolved from a paper-based system to an Oracle database and ArcGis GIS with well-established online search facilities through Canmore ( www.rcahms.gov.uk ).  As RCAHMS approached its centenary in 2008, the need to develop new strategies to manage increasing volumes of information from professional organisations and amateur groups and to engage the wider public not only through the presentation of information already held in the database, but also by encouraging their active participation, was recognised.  This paper outlines projects that are developing new routes into the database whilst preserving existing work procedures and retaining the structure and integrity of the data model. After an approach by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) RCAHMS agreed to allow direct access to the internal (staff) database behind Canmore. Through the Specialist User Recording Environment (SURE), the NTS archaeologists may add new records or update information for existing sites on their estates scattered throughout Scotland. Information is held alongside the existing records and is accessible immediately on Canmore for the benefit of all users.  The SURE model has been extended to provide the Orkney Islands archaeologist with a similar solution and several other organisations have expressed interest in joining the partnership. A moderated approach to adding information to Canmore, pioneered by the Scotland’s Rural Past project, enables community groups, working in partnership with RCAHMS field staff, to report their project results via a mediated form. Information is validated by the project co-ordinator and transferred seamlessly to Canmore. The Trusted User environment has since been opened up to allow National Trust for Scotland (NTS) Rangers to report information from field visits in a consistent manner with the role of validator is undertaken by the relevant NTS archaeologist.  The most open and inclusive development has been ‘MyCanmore’ through which members of the public may add information to existing records on Canmore and share digital images via a Flickr photo-stream.  With the Archaeology Data Service, RCAHMS has taken the lead role in introducing their OASIS application to Scotland to standardise and ease the information flow from development-funded fieldwork to curators at both local and national level.  The solutions described above rely on a collaborative and flexible approach to recording the archaeological and built heritage of Scotland and providing a seamless public experience and appreciation of that heritage.  The single distributed system provides a common platform managing technological refreshes, data security including rights and roles and Intellectual Property Rights, whilst ensuring that anyone from professional users, community groups to interested members of the public can contribute their observations directly and efficiently to Canmore.
We analyzed the relative seriousness of suicide attempts by boys based on 430 hospitalized suicide attempters ages 13 to 19 years. A comparison by sex of adolescent suicide attempters with a school population of non‐suicidal adolescents of the same age group shows greater differences in the areas of school failure, psychosomatic and distress‐related symptoms and substance abuse between suicidal and non‐suicidal boys than between suicidal and non‐suicidal girls. These findings suggest that compared with non‐suicidal boys and girls, suicidal boys show more deviant behavior than girls. The question then arises as to whether there are differences in the treatment received by male and female suicide attempters. On hospital admission, more boys than girls are sent to psychiatric wards, and boys are proposed follow‐up care more frequently than girls. On the other hand, boys and girls are not treated differently with respect to psychiatric consultations during hospitalization or coordination with outside physicians (family doctor, school doctor, other physicians) and the social services. These findings could serve as the basis for the development of specific treatment plans to meet the needs of suicidal boys.
ON SOME ASYMPTOTIC FORMULAS IN THE THEORY OF THE "FACTORISATIO NUMERORUM" BY P. ERDÖS (Received December 2, 1940) Let 1 < a, < a2 < . . . be a sequence of integers . Denote by f (n) the number of representations of n as the product of the a's, where two representations are considered equal only if they contain the same factors in the same order . As far as I know the first papers written on the subject are those of L . Kalmár,' who proved by using the methods of analytic number theory that if at _ k + l then
This review of the toxicology of mineral spirits covers studies of the major classes of mineral spirits and several toxicologically important mineral spirit constituents. This review cites data from numerous previously unpublished animal toxicology studies conducted on mineral spirits during the past 30 years, expanding the existing database on the toxicology of this group of hydrocarbon solvents. The data can be used to better evaluate the potential effects associated with exposure to these materials, including health and environmental reviews such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency High Production Volume (HPV) chemical program and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) HPV Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) program. The majority of animal toxicology studies in the available literature were conducted on mineral spirits categorized as ASTM D235 Type I Class A (149°C to 213°C boiling range; 8% to 22% aromatics) and demonstrate that Type I Class A mineral spirits have a low order of acute toxicity and do not produce significant systemic effects. Some additional studies conducted with ASTM D235 Type II Class C mineral spirits (177°C to 213°C boiling range; <2% aromatics) suggest that Type II Class C mineral spirits have similar toxicity to Type I Class A mineral spirits, though there is some evidence that Type II, Class C mineral spirits have a lesser degree of central nervous system (CNS) effects than the higher aromatic containing Type I Class A materials. In addition, toxicity data on selected chemical constituents of mineral spirits (e.g., n-nonane, n-decane, n-undecane) indicate that these chemicals have similar toxicological properties to mineral spirits. Overall, the data showed that mineral spirits have a low order of acute toxicity and do not appear to produce toxicologically relevant systemic effects. Ongoing studies are evaluating the concerns associated with chronic low-level exposure and central nervous system effects.
Excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic has led many to experience the loss of family members, with significant negative outcomes. We quantify the extent to which these population-wide rates of kin loss represent a departure from levels expected in the absence of COVID-19 excess mortality and consider which demographic groups are most likely to be affected. Results for biological kin in 31 countries indicate dramatic increases in excess kin loss associated with excess mortality and follow a generational pattern consistent with COVID-19 mortality risk by age. During periods of high excess mortality, the number of younger individuals losing a grandparent increased by up to 845 per 100,000, or 1.2 times expected levels (for individuals aged 30 to 44 y in the United Kingdom in April 2020), while the number of older individuals losing a sibling increased by up to 511 per 100,000 or 1.15 times (for individuals aged 65 y and over in Poland in November 2020). Our monthly multicountry estimates of excess kin loss complement existing point estimates of the number of individuals bereaved by COVID-19 mortality [Verdery et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 17695–17701 (2020); Kidman et al., JAMA Pediatr. 175, 745–746 (2021); Hillis et al., Lancet 398, 391–402 (2021)] and highlight the role of heterogeneous excess mortality in shaping country experiences.
Two new xanthones, 8‐(methoxycarbonyl)‐1‐hydroxy‐9‐oxo‐9H‐xanthene‐3‐carboxylic acid (1) and dimethyl 8‐methoxy‐9‐oxo‐9H‐xanthene‐1, 6‐dicarboxylate (2) and one known xanthone methyl 8‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐9‐oxo‐9H‐xanthene‐1‐carboxylate (3) were isolated from the culture broth of the mangrove fungus Penicillium sp. (ZZF 32#) collected from the South China Sea. Their structures were established by comprehensive analysis of one‐dimensional (1D) and two‐dimensional (2D) NMR data. The structure of compound 3 was confirmed by X‐ray crystallography, which led to the suggestion that janthinone (4) might have the same structure as 3. Compounds 1–3 were inactive against KB or KBv200 cells during cytotoxicity evaluations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
THE PROTOZOON toxoplasma has long been known to be pathogenic to a large variety of mammals and birds, 1 but interest in the organism was aroused only when Wolf, Cowen, and Paige 2 firmly established that the parasite causes a disease in human infants. Pinkerton and Weinman 3 subsequently showed that not only infants but also adults can have toxoplasmosis, a disease marked by variable clinical and subclinical manifestations. In very young children and babies, hydrocephalus, microcephaly, chorioretinitis, cerebral calcifications and psychomotor disturbances are observed most commonly, 4 while in older children acute, nonsuppurative encephalitis is also seen. 5 Relatively few cases of the disease in adults have been reported. A spotted-fever-like syndrome associated with atypical pneumonia appears to be the cardinal sign of the acute disease, 6 while chorioretinitis is probably a manifestation of a more chronic course. 7 There is now a considerable body of evidence to indicate
Copolymers have been derived from poly(di-n-pentylsilylene) by incorporation of bis[(S)-2-methylbutyl]silylene units. Copolymers with 5-50% chiral comonomers were investigated with respect to their structures and chirooptical properties in solution, in the crystalline state, and in the columnar mesophase. Electron and X-ray diffraction showed that the 7/3 helical structure of PDPS was mainly retained. Only higher fractions of the branched chiral units hindered crystallization and caused disappearance of the mesomorphic transition. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy revealed weak, temperature-dependent circular dichroism in cyclohexane solution correlated to the (- * ) backbone absorption. Remarkably strong CD couplet bands with an exciton-splitting shape were observed in THF as well as for thin spin-cast films, indicating enantioselective ordering in solution as well as in the solid. Transformation of the copolymers into the columnar, conformationally disordered mesophase led to a decrease of the strong CD bands.
A major part of all simulation models contains a number of decision variables. For such models the problem of optimal decision arises in a natural way. The combination of simulation and optimization for probabilistic models with continuous decision variables is discussed in this paper. Several important techniques for solving the combined problem are presented. In particular the stochastic quasigradient method which is a well known technique in stochastic optimization may also successfully applied for simulation-optimization problems.
Zone plates as condenser optics for x‐ray microscopes offer simple optical designs for both illumination and spectral resolution when used as a linear monochromator. However, due to the long write times for electron beam lithography, both the availability and the size of zone plates for condensers have been limited. Since the resolution provided by the linear monochromator scales almost linearly with the diameter of the zone plate, the full potential for zone plate monochromators as illumination systems for x‐ray microscopes has not been achieved. For example, the 10‐mm‐diameter zone plate has demonstrated a spectral resolution of E/ΔE = 700 [1], but with a 26‐mm‐diameter zone plate, the calculated spectral resolution is higher than E/ΔE = 3000. These large‐area zone plates are possible to fabricate with the leading edge semiconductor lithography tools such as those available at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering at the University at Albany. One of the lithography tools available is the ASML...
We present a study of the seeded growth of copper on the surface of two classes of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in order to compare the effects of surface functional groups. Pyridine-functionalized HiPco SWNTs and ultrashort SWNTs (US-SWNTs) were synthesized (py-SWNTs and py-US-SWNTs, respectively), and the functionality was used as seed sites for copper, via an aqueous electroless deposition reaction, as a comparison to the carboxylic acid functionality present on piranha-etched SWNTs and the native US-SWNTs. UV-vis spectroscopy demonstrated the take-up of Cu(II) ions by the functionalized SWNTs. TEM showed that the SWNTs with pyridine functionality more rapidly produced a more even distribution of copper seeds with a narrower size distribution (3-12 nm for py-US-SWNTs) than those SWNTs with oxygen functional groups (ca. 30 nm), showing the adventitious role of the pyridine functional group in the seeding process. Seed composition was confirmed as Cu(0) by XPS and SAED. Copper growth rate and morphology were shown to be affected by degree of pyridine functionality, the length of the SWNT, and the electroless reaction solvent used.
A high-temperature microscope has been designed and constructed for the observations of thermal transition phenomena. By the use of a new mechanical stage, rotatable quartz window and micro-furnaces, the dynamic phenomena can be continuously observed on the area 10 mm in diameter on a specimen surface. Moreover, the microscope enabled an uninterrupted observations for more than 6 minutes at 1200°C in low pressure of hydrogen. Three types of micro-furnaces were designed for the purpose of heat-treatment and observation below 1550°C for specimens of different shapes. Using this microscope, structure-changes accompanied by grain growth have been successively observed for silicon-iron. The resultant resolution was 1–2 µ on photographs at 1100°C.
Everyone is aware that the 21st century will be marked by major climate changes that result in an increase of the average temperature of our planet. Therefore, we must think different and review our global approach especially in the field of energy by using natural and renewable sources. Such approach involves developing new materials that could meet scientific and technological challenges. Although the use of solar energy for electricity production using photovoltaic cells is well known today, the use of other technologies such as Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) is under development and could produce 25% of global electricity by 2050. Here is an overview of a collaborative works carried out both at the ICCF in France and the School of Microelectronics, at Beihang University in China. Advanced research results helped do draw, at the end, some perspectives on types of promising coatings suitable for the targeted technology.
ZnO single-crystalline films were prepared by predepositing a homobuffer layer on Si (100) substrate in a pulsed laser deposition system. The effect of short-time rapid thermal annealing under N2 and O2 ambient on the optical property was systematically studied by photoluminescence measurements from 77K to room temperature. Different from the adverse effect of the O2-assisted rapid thermal annealing on the optical quality, N2-assisted rapid thermal annealing can greatly enhance the ultraviolet emission while eliminate the deep-level emission band including separate green, yellow, and orange luminescence peaks. Such ambient-dependent photoluminescence enhancement was attributed to the elimination of oxygen interstitial in the ZnO film.
BACKGROUND Observational studies suggest that emotions experienced during simulation training may affect cognitive load and learning outcomes. The objective of this study was to manipulate emotions during simulation training and assess the impact on cognitive load and learning.   METHODS In this prospective randomized trial, 116 final-year medical students received training in a simulated scenario of a 70-year-old woman presenting with reduced consciousness due to aminosalicylic acid ingestion. Training groups were randomly allocated to one of two endings for the scenario: The patient was transferred to another service, or she experienced a cardiorespiratory arrest and died. Participants rated their emotions and cognitive load after training. Three months later, we evaluated their performance on a simulation Objective Structured Clinical Examination station of a 60-year-old man presenting with reduced consciousness due to ethylene glycol ingestion.   RESULTS Emotions tended to be more negative for students in training groups where the simulated patient died. These students also reported a higher cognitive load (mean ± SD, 7.63 ± 0.97 vs 7.25 ± 0.84; P = .03; d = 0.42) and were less likely to be rated as competent to diagnose and manage a patient with reduced consciousness due to toxin ingestion (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.14-0.95; P = 0.04) 3 months later.   CONCLUSIONS Students exposed to unexpected simulated patient death reported increased cognitive load and had poorer learning outcomes. Educators need to expose learners to negative experiences; therefore, further studies are needed on how best to use negative emotional experiences during simulation training.
An accurate wavelength meter (wavemeter) for cw lasers has been developed. The wavemeter is a Michelson-type fringe-counting two-beam interferometer operated in vacuum. A multicoincidence fringe counting technique has also been developed by which fringe fractions are determined with an uncertainty of 1/500 of a fringe. The result of wavelength comparisons between 612- and 633-nm I2 stabilized He-Ne lasers showed good agreement with the value recommended by CIPM 1983. The discrepancy was <4 x 10(-10) and the standard deviation of the comparison was 4 x 10(-10).
In this paper, we describe the design of a global infrastructure for monitoring and assertion-checking which is scalable and resilient to network and node failures, leveraging the benefits of distributed hash tables. Our mechanism distributes the event notification, predicate evaluation, and predicate reporting tasks across the Internet and is orthogonal to the specific monitoring techniques deployed. Our approach creates a hierarchy of event reporting and monitoring relationships, decoupling the event notification task from the monitored node and facilitating decomposition of the predicate evaluation and monitoring task if the semantics of the monitoring approach permits. The proposed infrastructure is designed for a best effort monitoring service, but may be strengthened to support stronger guarantees. The proposed has many desirable properties, including scalability, efficient routing, load balancing and good behavior under flash crowds, resiliency to node failure, including failure of monitored hosts and monitoring end-hosts, loose coupling of the monitored hosts and the monitoring task, and self-organizing behavior.
The cervical spine lies at intersection between the cranium and postcranium and plays a crucial role in orienting the head relative to the substrate during locomotion. Previous work demonstrates that bony features of the cranial base and cervical spine are related to positional behavior in primates. How soft tissues of the neck vary across primate taxa is relatively unknown yet is critical for understanding function, head carriage, and locomotion in this clade. The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between the extrinsic and intrinsic muscles of the neck and postural and locomotor behaviors in primates. We collected and dissected 26 primate cadavers from 17 different genera representing each major primate clade. We hypothesized that trunk and neck posture, as well as forelimb dominated below‐branch suspensory behaviors and neck rotational capabilities all influence the attachment sites and size of the dorsal neck musculature.
This report is a summary of the data contained on the farmland sales portion of the Minnesota Land Economics (MLE) web site (http://landeconomics.umn.edu ) as of February 15, 2020. It is formally reissued each year, as new sales data become available. The present document consists largely of graphs and tables summarizing sales over the past twenty-four years. It provides averages at the multi-county region and at the statewide levels of aggregation. Individual transaction data are available for downloading and analysis at the MLE web site.
The first peripheral postfunctionalization of a hyperbranched polyimide by nonlinear optic chromophores (DR1 derivative) was achieved using two different routes. The first one consists in the esterification of the terminal carboxylic acid groups, whereas the second is based on copper-catalyzed Huisgen reaction of the terminal propargylic ester groups. The resulting polymers display good solubility in classical organic solvents and good filmability because thick films can be prepared (up to 2.7 mum). The second-order nonlinear optical properties were measured by SHG at 1064 nm and we show that these hyperbranched polymers exhibit good poling efficiency and good thermal stability since the electro-optic activity remains stable up to 130 degrees C. These results illustrate the potential of hyperbranched polymers to host second-order nonlinear optical chromophores to replace dendrimers or classical linear polymers generally used in this area.
The production of superoxide radical (O 2 .- ) was studied in plasma membrane vesicles isolated by aqueous polymer two-phase partitioning from roots of zinc-sufficient and zinc-deficient bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Prelude) plants. The two populations of vesicles were highly enriched in plasma membrane and had similar composition as evidenced by the specific membrane marker enzymes. Vesicles from zinc-deficient roots showed higher rates of NAD(P)H oxidation compared to vesicles from zinc-sufficient plants. The NAD(P)H-dependent formation of O 2 .- in plasma membrane vesicles was also highly increased by zinc deficiency
EMBEDDED based applications are becoming trend and they are providing the solutions for lot of real time problems. In this pro}ect we explain about common problem that we face in our day to day life. In the modern lifestyle we are facing a many accidents due to drunk & drive, drowsiness and crashing with obstacle on road. A new approach towards automobile safety and security with autonomous region based automatic car system is proposed in this concept in recent times automobile fatigue related crashes have really magnified. In order to eradicate this issue we come up with drowsiness driver detection system.
A new selective medium for isolation of Corynebacterium kutscheri (CK) from animals suffering subclinical infection was made by adding furazolidone, nalidixic acid and corimycin to the heart infusion agar base, this being named FNC agar. The FNC agar inhibited the growth of gram-negative rods, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus sp. and gram-positive cocci but did not affect the growth of CK. When this medium was used to isolate CK from the oral cavity and cecal contents of mice and rats, two of 6 conventional mouse colonies and three of 8 conventional rat colonies were found to be infected, with isolation of the organism from 19 mice and 12 rats in total. The animals showed neither clinical signs nor lesions, but the antibody was positive in 11 mice and 10 rats. In mice and rats inoculated orally with 4 x 10(8) and 1 x 10(9) organisms, respectively, CK was isolated for 20 weeks post-inoculation by use FNC agar. The isolation rate of the organism was the highest in the oral cavities of both inoculated mice and rats, and also in the submaxillary lymph nodes of the inoculated rats. The organism was also recovered from the cecal contents of more than half of the inoculated mice and rats. Thus, it was considered that FNC agar was useful in isolating CK from the oral cavity and cecal contents of mice and rats with subclinical infection of the organism.
The communication of respect has been established as a significant dimension of cross-cultural communication competence. Although there have been several noteworthy studies devoted to the differences in respectful communication across cultures, more research is needed to define and fully understand respect in cross-cultural interaction. The purpose of this article is to provide a strong rationale for the importance of continued study devoted to the communication of respect and to suggest a framework for categorizing the culture-general dimensions of the communication of respect. As such, the article includes a comprehensive literature review synthesizing scholarship devoted to the communication of respect from both academic and professional disciplines. Building on the basis of this literature, a categorization of the various dimensions of the communication of respect is provided in order to inform future research into the interpersonal expression of respect. Key words: Communication; Respect; Cross-cultural competence Resume La communication de respect a ete etabli comme une dimension importante de la competence de la communication interculturelle. Meme s'il y a eu plusieurs etudes remarquables consacrees a des differences dans la communication respectueuse entre les cultures, d'autres recherches sont necessaires pour definir et comprendre pleinement le respect dans l'interaction interculturelle. Le but de cet article est de fournir une justification solide pour l'importance de la poursuite des etudes consacrees a la communication de respect et de proposer un cadre pour la categorisation des dimensions de la culture generale de la communication de respect. En tant que tel, l'article comporte une revue de litterature exhaustive synthetiser des bourses consacrees a la communication de respect de disciplines academiques et professionnels, y compris les domaines de la communication, psychologie sociale, la gestion, l'education et la sante. S'appuyant sur la base de cette litterature, une categorisation des differentes dimensions de la communication de respect est fourni afin d'informer les futures recherches sur l'expression de respect interpersonnel. Mots-cles: Communication; Le respect; La competence transculturelle
gather the names of people who are interested in volunteering. Sue has also led the development of career-mentoring events at the CHI conference, with service opportunities a major topic. Third, the SIGCHI EC is also encouraging more transparency and openness in the process of selecting people for leading volunteer roles—for example, with open calls for nominations. Finally, we are seeking to engage more people in our key decision-making processes; we see conference steering committees, including the newly established steering committee for the CHI conference, as an important step in that direction. What do you think? How can we preserve our volunteer tradition and bring more people into it? Let me know your thoughts at terveen@cs.umn.edu.
ABSTRACT The population of working mothers has greatly increased over the past few decades, yet cultural norms and standards for women have not progressed at the same rate. Intensive mothering ideals set expectations for mothers that recruit them into inequitable parental partnerships and create challenges for their well-being, health, and relational fitness. This phenomenological study attempted to describe the experiences of 15 working mothers working in a United States cultural context that supports an intensive mothering ideology. The themes uncovered included: a) Personal Experience of Motherhood as Discrepant from “Ideal” Motherhood, b) The Juggling Act Leading to Motherhood Overload, c) Inequitable Motherhood Load and Double Standard Based on Gender, and d) Physical and Emotional Consequences of Deferring Own Needs. Implications for practice include utilizing feminist approaches with clients, working to lessen the impact of intensive mothering expectations for mothers and their families, and working to establish a more equitable parental partnership.
Although freezing is one of the traditional methods of food preservation, it can also significantly change the product characteristics. Large ice crystals cause changes in the texture and damage cell membranes and components. The quick freezing techniques form smaller ice crystals than the slow process, but temperature fluctuations during transport and distribution can promote crystal growth. This process is known as recrystallization and is a barrier to the use of freezing as a preservation method in many cases. The use of traditional cryoprotectants such as sucrose is a limited alternative since high concentrations are required. In the 70’s a cold water fish class of proteins was described that could interact and influence ice crystal growth even at low concentrations. They were denominated antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and are also found in plants, animals and microorganisms acclimatized to low temperatures. These proteins can interfere in the formation of the initial stable ice crystal nucleus, reduce the freezing point of water, or even inhibit the recrystallization process, especially in the case of plant AFPs. Several papers have been published and some patents registered on the use of antifreeze proteins in several foods such as dairy and meat products, pasta, fruits and vegetables, preserving the original characteristics of the products in a better way. Currently the cost is still a barrier to the commercial use of AFPs but the discovery of alternative sources could reduce the costs and make them an effective tool in the maintenance of the texture of frozen foods. Based on studies that evaluated the chemical aspects of antifreeze proteins and examples of their application, this review aims to present the general characteristics of AFPs and discuss their use.
Low power consumption is gaining more significance for design of digital system design. The system has to be operated efficiently by consuming low power, which greatly increases the life of the battery. Every system has to be tested for its performance, before it is released into the market, hence testing is one of the major area of research. Testing of digital system is one of the main and important part in the design and implementation of digital integrated circuits. To ensure that the designed system responds properly, according to the system specification, testing is carried out. The quality of the chip produced will depend upon, how best the testing strategies, or the test vectors are chosen for testing the integrated circuit. The test patterns are generated with the help of automatic test pattern generators. Thus the performance of test pattern generator is very important. In this paper, a low power architecture for generating the test patterns, for testing digital integrated circuits is implemented. Verilog coding is done and is simulated using CADENCE simvision, and the RTL schematic is extracted. The gate level optimization is carried. The power consumed before optimization was found to be 166.79 mw, and the power consumed after optimization was found to be 65.88 mw. This paper presents the VLSI implementation low power test pattern generator. The performance parameters such as area, power and timing are also derived after the analysis.
Received June 24, 2017. Accepted June 26, 2017. Correspondence to: Young Bok Lee Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Wonju College of Medicine, Ilsanro 20, Wonju 26426, Korea Tel: +82-33-741-1536, Fax: +82-33-742-8198, E-mail: yblee@yonsei.ac.kr This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright c The Korean Pain Society, 2017 Chordoma is a relatively rare tumor that primarily occurs in the axial skeleton. Approximately 50% of chordoma originate from the sacrococcygeal area and 6% of chordoma arise from the cervical spine [1,2]. Chordoma originated from the cervical spine as a slowly growing tumor, which makes the tumor symptomatic at relatively later stages. Upper cervical tumors often are accidentally discovered during investigation of cervical pain or radiculopathy. The tumor causes compression of the cervical nerve roots or gives rise to referred pain in the neck due to invasion into the cervical facet joints. Occasionally, the lesion is mistaken for a facet joint pathology or cervical disc herniation. Although the tumor is histologically benign, it is clinically malignant as it infiltrates the neighboring tissues, such as bone, lymph nodes, skin, liver, and brain [3]. Upper cervical chordoma frequently becomes clinically symptomatic when it has grown considerably in size. Nerve compression or intraspinal invasion may result in severe neurologic complications. Upper cervical tumors have invaded the second cervical spine root, and neuralgia of the greater occipital nerve has led to occipital headaches. When the mass invades the atlanto-occipital joint or the zygapophysial joint of the second and third cervical vertebrae, referred pain is experienced in the lower occipital and posterior upper cervical areas. If the symptoms persist without appropriate treatment, they may progress to neuropathy. Once the neuralgia becomes a neuropathy, symptoms may persist despite tumor resection. Upper cervical chordoma is included in the diagnosis of lesions found in the upper cervical region. Imaging is particularly important for the diagnosis and management in patients with symptomatic lesions. The tumor usually shows inhomogeneous contrast enhancement of varying intensity on CT and MRI. While no imaging features are pathognomonic, the CT findings are classical for chordoma. MRI may underestimate soft tissue invasion as found on operative assessment. It should be included in the differential diagnosis for pathologic masses with symptoms. Definitive diagnosis of the chordoma requires histologic evaluation in which physaliferous cells with cytoplasmic vacuoles and positive periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining are observed [4].
Since the end of the 1970s, Japan's financial system has been awash in a wave of financial deregulation and globalization. The basic framework of Japan's financial system was restructured after World War II, and its characteristics can be found in (1) regulations for the interest rate system; (2) regulations for business sectors; (3) a delay in the development of longand short-term financial markets and regulations for financial transactions; and (4) regulations for the international movement of capital. Financial deregulation has involved substantially relaxing regulations and reassessing Japan's financial system, which was completely regulated by government agencies. Meanwhile, financial globalization has meant the expansion of cross-border transactions and the resulting increase in the integration and interrelation of the financial markets of various countries. Financial deregulation requires eliminating regulations regarding the international movement of capital and promoting the active interchange of funds domestically and overseas. Advances in deregulation will inevitably lead to financial globalization. At the same time, globalization will have the impact of further promoting deregulation in Japan and in other countries.
Natural vibrations and resonances are intrinsic features of protein structures and enable differentiation of one structure from another. These nanoscale features are important to help to understand the dynamics of a protein molecule and identify the effects of small sequence or other geometric alterations that may not cause significant visible structural changes, such as point mutations associated with disease or drug design. Although normal mode analysis provides a powerful way to accurately extract the natural frequencies of a protein, it must meet several critical conditions, including availability of high-resolution structures, availability of good chemical force fields and memory-intensive large-scale computing resources. Here, we study the natural frequency of over 100 000 known protein molecular structures from the Protein Data Bank and use this dataset to carefully investigate the correlation between their structural features and these natural frequencies by using a machine learning model composed of a Feedforward Neural Network made of four hidden layers that predicts the natural frequencies in excellent agreement with full-atomistic normal mode calculations, but is significantly more computationally efficient. In addition to the computational advance, we demonstrate that this model can be used to directly obtain the natural frequencies by merely using five structural features of protein molecules as predictor variables, including the largest and smallest diameter, and the ratio of amino acid residues with alpha-helix, beta strand and 3–10 helix domains. These structural features can be either experimentally or computationally obtained, and do not require a full-atomistic model of a protein of interest. This method is helpful in predicting the absorption and resonance functions of an unknown protein molecule without solving its full atomic structure.
Abstract In this study, we investigate the combined effects of viscosity variation and energy dissipation on steady flow of an incompressible fluid in a pipe with moving surface. On the basis of certain simplifying assumptions, the fluid equations of continuity, momentum, energy and concentration are obtained. Analytical solutions are therefore constructed for the problem and important properties of the overall structure of the flow are discussed. The model is appropriate to simulate wind tunnel tests on lubrication phenomenon in engineering systems.
Abstract The necessity for good adhesion in sealants and the mechanism of adhesion development in polysulphide sealants are discussed. The studies reported give the effect of co-reacting polysulphide resin with epoxy resin on the adhesion of a polysulphide sealant composition to an aluminium substrate and also on selected mechanical properties. The sealant was formulated from a mercaptan-terminated liquid polysulphide polymer. The liquid polymer was co-reacted with epoxy resin before formulating the sealant. Modification with epoxy resin improved the adhesion of the sealant. Adhesion is improved because of the presence of hydroxyl groups in the chain after co-reaction. The hydroxyl groups increase the ability of the polymer to remove the loosely adsorbed water layer present on the surface and establish strong interfacial forces with the surface.
Abstract The concentration of selenium (Se) in liver, whole blood, erythrocytes and plasma, and the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px) in erythrocytes and plasma were monitored in calves transferred between low Se and high Se pastures to determine how each test responded to changes in dietary selenium concentration. Liver and plasma Se concentration and plasma GSH-px activity responded more rapidly than Se concentration in blood or erythrocytes and GSH-px activity in erythrocytes to changes in dietary Se intake. Erythrocyte GSH-px activity showed the greatest relative change in value. There was a close relationship (r = 0.97) between blood Se concentration and erythrocyte GSH-px activity in samples tested from 50 mixed aged cattle. It was concluded that Se concentrations in plasma and liver provide the best indication of current dietary Se intake in cattle, but that erythrocyte GSH-px activity provides a suitable alternative test for the diagnosis of Se deficiency and might help to define more pr...
Intestinal ischemia-reperfusion (II/R) develops when the blood flow to the intestines decreases, followed by the reestablishment of the blood supply to the ischemic tissue, resulting in intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction, with consequent severe local and systemic inflammation. Acute lung injury (ALI) represents the most serious complication after II/R. KYP-2047 is a selective inhibitor of prolyl oligopeptidase (POP), a serine protease involved in the release of pro-angiogenic and inflammatory molecules. The aim of the present study is to assess the effects of POP-inhibition mediated by KYP-2047 treatment in the pathophysiology of ALI following II/R. An in vivo model of II/R was performed and mice were subjected to KYP-2047 treatment (intraperitoneal, 1, 2.5 and 5 mg/kg). Histological analysis, Masson’s trichrome staining, immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence, biochemical and western blots analysis were performed on ileum and lung samples. KYP-2047 treatment ameliorated histological alteration in ileum and lung, reduced collagen amount and lowered inflammatory protein levels. Moreover, TGF-β1, eNOS, VEGF and CD34 positive staining has been modulated; also, a reduction in apoptosis expression was confirmed. This research revealed the strong anti-inflammatory potential of KYP-2047 associated to its modulatory role on angiogenesis and apoptosis, suggesting POP as a novel therapeutic target for ALI after II/R.
We describe in situ neutron reflectivity (NR) and RAIRS studies of the chemical modification of films of a polypyrrole-based conducting polymer derived from the pentafluorophenyl ester of poly(pyrrole-N-propanoic acid) (PFP) electrodeposited on electrode surfaces. We explore the role of the solvent in controlling the rate of reaction with solution-based nucleophiles (amines, which react with the ester to form amides). By varying the identity of the solvent (water vs acetonitrile) and the neutron contrast (deuteration), we find that both the identity of the solvent and its population within the film are paramount in determining chemical reactivity and electroactivity. IR signatures allow monitoring of the reaction of solution-based amine-tagged species such as amino-terminated poly(propylene glycol), ferrocene ethylamine, and lysine with film-based ester functionalities: the carbonyl bands show ester/amide interconversion and some hydrolysis to acid. Time-dependent spectral analysis shows marked variations in reaction rate with (i) (co-)polymer composition (replacement of some fluorinated ester-functionalized pyrrole with unfunctionalized pyrrole), (ii) the solvent to which the polymer film is exposed, and (iii) the rate of polymer deposition. NR data provide solvent profiles as a function of distance perpendicular to the interface, the variations of which provide an explanation for film reactivity patterns. Homopolymer films are relatively hydrophobic, thus hindering reaction with species present in water solutions. Incorporating pyrrole groups raises the solvent population-dramatically for water-thereby facilitating entry and reaction of aqueous-based lysine. Changing film deposition rate yields films with different absolute levels of solvent and reactivity patterns that are dependent on the size of the reactant molecules: more rapid deposition of polymer gives films with a more open structure leading to a higher solvent content and thence increased reactivity. These results, supported by XPS and AFM data, allow assembly of composition-structure-reactivity correlations, in which the controlling feature is film solvation.
A Zr + 1. 5 weight percent Cr + 0. 08 weight percent Fe alloy (designated Zr-Cr) has been developed with the potential for improved service reliability as boiling water reactor fuel cladding. The fabrication of significant quantities of fuel cladding tubing and bar stock from a large ingot of Zr-Cr alloy is described. Characterization tests on these wrought products confirmed the excellent hi~h purity water corrosio~ resis tance for lhis composition at temperatures above 300 C. Mechanical properties were equal to present Zircaloy-2 fuel cladding tubing. Also described is an irradiation test program where the performance of Zr-Cr alloy clad fuel rods is being compared directly to simila~ Zir_caloy-2 _clad fuel rods in a boiling water power reactor environment. Included lll th1s expenment are non fueled dummy rodo to separate the effects of heat transfer during irradiation on the corrosion of the Zr-Cr alloy.
The phase-matching quantum key distribution (PM-QKD), one of the variants of Twin-Field (TF) QKD protocol, was recently proposed to overcome the rate-distance limits of point to point protocol without quantum repeaters. In this paper, we propose a more practical PM-QKD protocol version with four-intensity decoy states and source errors, since neither the infinite decoy states nor the precise control of the light source is available in practice. We present the formulation of the secure key rate of the proposed protocol and analyze the performances of the protocol with and without source errors by numerical simulations.
Solar energetic particles (SEPs), especially protons and heavy ions, may be a space-weather hazard when they impact spacecraft and the terrestrial atmosphere. Forecasting schemes have been developed, which use earlier signatures of particle acceleration to predict the arrival of solar protons and ions in the space environment of the Earth. The UMASEP (University of MAlaga Solar particle Event Predictor) scheme forecasts the occurrence and the importance of an SEP event based on combined observations of soft X-rays, their time derivative and protons above 10 MeV at geosynchronous orbit. We explore the possibility to replace the derivative of the soft X-ray time history with the microwave time history in the UMASEP scheme. To this end we construct a continuous time series of observations for a 13-month period from December 2011 to December 2012 at two microwave frequencies, 4.995 and 8.8 GHz, using data from the four Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN) patrol stations of the US Air Force, and feed this time series to the UMASEP prediction scheme. During the selected period the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) detected nine SEP events related to activity in the western solar hemisphere. We show that the SEP forecasting using microwaves has the same probability of detection as the method using soft X-rays, but no false alarm in the considered period, and a slightly increased warning time. A detailed analysis of the missed events is presented. We conclude that microwave patrol observations improve SEP forecasting schemes that employ soft X-rays. High-quality microwave data available in real time appear as a significant addition to our ability to predict SEP occurrence.
This paper presents a general discussion on the parameters influencing the accuracy of ultrasonic instruments operating on transit-time principles. A particular emphasis is given to the transit-time ultrasonic flow meters fixed on closed pipes. The properties of solids suspended in fluids together with acoustic-ray theory is used to simulate reflection, refraction, diffusions, scattering and absorption of ultrasonic waves propagating inside a pipe. The simulation results clearly demonstrate the changes in the ultrasonic waves propagating in clean fluids in comparison to the fluids containing particles. It is shown that in the presence of particles the wave front scatters and weakens considerably. The simulation results are verified by real time experiments conducted on slurries flowing in closed pipes. As a result of this study, it is suggested that the flow meters should be made from multiple transmitters and receivers. This approach will enable accurate, reliable and consistent results in time and space-variant processes.
Low-energy wrist (distal radius) fractures are hallmarks of osteoporosis. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis reduce refracture rates. We retrospectively determined the type and frequency of osteoporosis-related interventions rendered to patients 50 years and older in the year after a wrist fragility fracture. In addition, we compared the rates of intervention between men and women. Data were collected from the computerized medical record of one military healthcare system. We identified 111 patients who sustained wrist fragility fractures between July and December 2002. Endocrinology referrals, dual-energy xray absorptiometry scans, and osteoporosis medication prescriptions in the year after their fracture were recorded. Overall, 28 patients (25%) were referred to endocrinology, 22 patients (20%) had a dual-energy xray absorptiometry scan, 33 patients (30%) were prescribed an approved medication for treatment of osteoporosis, and 52 patients (47%) were prescribed one of these medications and/or vitamin D and calcium. Sixty percent of patients received at least one intervention. All diagnostic and medical interventions were more likely ordered for women than men. Orthopaedic surgeons continue to miss opportunities to initiate diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for patients, especially men, presenting with fragility fractures.Level of Evidence: Level II-1, prognostic study (retrospective study). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Until recently, generous third-party reimbursements enabled physicians to pursue each patient's interests with little regard to costs. Conscious rationing was required only episodically as some particular commodity, eg, transplant organs, was too scarce to meet demand, or as some patients lacked basic access to the health care system. Cost containment and the economic reorganization of medicine introduce a new sort of scarcity, requiring a different sort of rationing. "Fiscal scarcity," the general contraction of health care dollars, means that because every medical decision has its cost, every decision is now subject to scrutiny for its economic as well as its medical wisdom. Therefore, every detail of medicine is an allocation problem. Many observers argue that physicians can nevertheless avoid directly trading patients' interests against economic considerations: through "efficiency protocols" that eliminate marginal benefits, through turning economic rationing decisions over to outside parties, through avoiding cost constraints until society has established a just health care allocation system. This article shows that none of these proposals permits the physician to escape cost-cutting at the bedside.
Direct‐write multiphoton photolithography is used to prepare electrically switchable diffraction gratings having spacings as small as 4 μm. Surface‐relief gratings are written into poly(methyl methacrylate) films using a sample‐scanning confocal microscope and are characterized by using contact‐mode atomic force microscopy. The resulting polymeric channels are filled with nematic liquid crystals (LCs) and sandwiched between indium tin oxide‐coated coverslips to obtain functional devices. These devices exhibit diffraction efficiencies approaching 30 %. Microscopic LC organization and field‐induced reorientation dynamics within these devices are characterized by static and dynamic polarization‐dependent multiphoton excited fluorescence microscopy. LCs are found to align predominantly along the channel axis, but exhibit some disorder near the channel walls, resulting from nanometer‐scale polymer surface roughness. LC reorientation in response to an electric field is rapid (<1 ms) and uniform, whereas field‐free LC relaxation is relatively slow (>20 ms). Both reorientation and relaxation are influenced by orientationally anchored LCs near the channel walls.
In order to reconstruct 3-D Euclidean shape by the Tomasi-Kanade factorization, one needs to specify an affine camera model such as orthographic, weak perspective, and paraperspective. We present a new method that does not require any such specific models. We show that a minimal requirement for an affine camera to mimic perspective projection leads to a unique camera model, called symmetric affine camera, which has two free functions. We determine their values from input images by linear computation and demonstrate by experiments that an appropriate camera model is automatically selected.
The aerodynamic and heating characteristics of the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft in its planned aerobraldng maneuver were investigated. Analytical and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo codes were employed to obtain results for aerobraking flight through free molecular and transition flow regimes. The spacecraft was found to be stable in various configurations. Solar panel heating was found to be higher on the edges than in the center. Attitude control system thruster plume freestream interaction leads to thrust reversal and diminished control system effectiveness. Drag and heat transfer coefficients were found to be highly dependent on atmospheric density. Nomenclature A«f = reference area Lref = reference length CD = drag coefficient, drag / 0.5pVArcf CL = lift coefficient, lift / O.SpV'A,^ CM = moment coefficient, moment /0.5pVArefLref X= mean free path Kn = Knudsen number, A, / Lref p = freestream mass density, kg/km Introduction In order to learn more about the Martian atmosphere, surface, and gravity field, the Mars Surveyor Program will launch a pair of spacecraft to Mars every twenty-six months. Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), one of the first pair of spacecraft built in the program, was successfully launched on November 7, 1996. MGS is expected to arrive at Mars on September 11, 1997, and will be captured in an elliptical orbit using conventional chemical propulsion. Aerobraking in the upper atmosphere will then be used to reduce orbital energy and establish a nearly circular mapping orbit. During aerobraking, the spacecraft will pass through different atmospheric densities and be subjected to various aerodynamic and heating loads. To ensure that the MGS spacecraft can maintain aerodynamic stability and encounter heating rates not exceeding design values, an analysis of the spacecraft aerothermodynamics and the effectiveness of the Attitude Control System (ACS) thrusters was performed. This paper will present the results of this analysis and the methods used to obtain them. The first two sections will describe the spacecraft, the aerobraking maneuver, and the configurations associated with it. MGS will pass through altitudes that include the free molecule and transition flow regimes. The Graduate Student, Member A1AA. Aero-Space Technologist, Aerosol Research Branch, Atmospheric Sciences Division. Member AIAA. Professor of Engineering and Applied Science. Associate Fellow AIAA. Copyright <8) 1997 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. No copyright is asserted in the United States under Title 17, U.S. Code. The U.S. Government has a royalty-free license to exercise all rights under the copyright claimed herein for Governmental Purposes. All other rights are reserved by the copyright owner. 1 American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Copyright© 1997, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. third section will discuss the numerical methods used. An analytical code was used for the free molecule calculations whereas Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) code was employed for the transition regime. A highly detailed geometry was used for the computational model. The next section will present the results for the aerobraking configuration, which was designed to provide sufficient drag and high static stability. The fifth section will discuss the "safing" configuration and the aerodynamics associated with it. The sixth section contains results for an analysis of thruster plumefreestream interaction. Thrust reversal may occur for certain aerobraking altitudes. The last section investigates the dependence of drag coefficient and heat transfer coefficient on atmospheric density. Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft The Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics and consists of four subassemblies: the equipment module, propulsion module, solar arrays, and communication antennas. The spacecraft is shown in Figure 1 in its mapping configuration. The equipment module houses the avionics and science instruments and measures 1.22 x 1.22 x 0.76 meters. All of the instruments except the magnetometer are bolted to the nadir equipment deck on the +Z side. The propulsion module on the -Z side contains the main engine, attitude control thrusters, and propellant tanks. It consists of a rectangular shaped box 1.06 m on a side, not including the thermal blankets. There are three thrusters per corner; two aft facing, and one for roll control. Each thruster burns hydrazine in a mono-propellant, pulse mode. The two solar arrays, which will provide power for the spacecraft, measure 3.53 meters in length and 1.85 meters in width. Each array consists of an inner and outer panel which are comprised of gallium arsenide and silicon cells, respectively. The structure which supports the solar array and connects it to the equipment and propulsion modules is herein referred to as the "yoke." Metal "drag flaps" 0.81 meters in length are mounted on the ends of both arrays. These serve to decrease the spacecraft's ballistic coefficient during aerobraking. The primary communication antenna is the 1.5 meter high gain antenna (HGA). During aerobraking, the HGA will remain body fixed to the +X side of the spacecraft and its protective cover attached. Aerobraking Maneuver and Configurations The aerobraking maneuver will progressively lower MGS from its highly elliptical capture orbit (56,600 km altitude apoapsis, 353 km altitude periapsis) to a nearly circular one (450 km altitude apoapsis, 350 km periapsis ) for mapping of the planet. This maneuver will be accomplished in three phases. The first phase, set to last for seven or eight orbits, will gradually lower the periapsis to 112 km using four propulsive impulses with the attitude control thrusters. This gradual "walk-in" is necessitated by the large uncertainty in the atmospheric density model and will allow time to study the atmosphere and its orbit-to-orbit variation. The second or main phase follows will last about three months. MGS will make 300-400 successive passes through the atmosphere, bringing the apoapsis down to 2000 km. The periapsis altitude will be maintained within a specified corridor to produce enough drag within time constraints yet remain high enough to avoid excessive heating and maximum dynamic pressure limits. The last phase follows for about three weeks. During this time, the apoapsis altitude will be lowered to its final value of 450 km, and periapsis gradually raised to 143 km. Aerobraking will end with a termination burn to raise the periapsis to its final altitude of 350 km. The aerodynamic forces during aerobraking are expected to account for a AV decrease of 1300 m/s. The originally planned aerobraking configuration for MGS is shown in Figure 2 with a representative computational model. The panels are swept 30° relative to the Y axis with the solar cell side opposite that exposed to the freestream. After launch and trajectory insertion, it was discovered that the -Y solar array had not fully deployed and snapped into place. The array, from the inner panel on out, remains about 20.5° from full extension to the plane of the yoke. It is suspected that a shaft in the deployment damper mechanism broke shortly after launch, thereby causing the damper arm to wedge into the hinge joint between the inner panel and yoke. Concerned that the hinge would not be able to withstand the aerodynamic torques associated with the aerobraking maneuver, MGS engineers revised the aerobraking configuration; the new configuration is shown in Figure 3. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Copyright© 1997, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. The panel assembly is rotated 180° about the Y axis, and the yoke is now oriented 51° from the -Y axis instead of 30°. This retains the 30° sweep while ensuring that any deflection of the array would be into the secured position (with the wedged damper arm doubling as a mechanical "stop"). The solar cells are now exposed to the freestream; aerodynamic and heating issues related to this configuration are addressed in a latter section. In the event of contingencies, the MGS spacecraft can adopt a "safing" configuration. This configuration will cause the spacecraft to roll over until the solar arrays are aligned in the direction of the sun. This allows the navigation team to be fairly certain of the MGS attitude once it conies out of a drag pass. To obtain this configuration from the aerobraking configuration, the panel assemblies are rotated 25° about the Y axis toward the HGA. This configuration can be seen in Figure 4. There is a revised safing configuration associated with the revised aerobraking configuration; the characteristics of this new safing configuration are currently being evaluated and are not included in this paper.
Introduction: Splenectomy had been previously performed in ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation to reduce the B cell pool. However, studies have shown that patients undergoing splenectomy may have a lifelong susceptibility to infection and mortality. Splenectomy may affect the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease even at a very late stage after transplantation in ABO-incompatible recipients. Patients and Methods: Seven patients received their graft from an ABO-incompatible living donor at our institution and underwent splenectomy for B cell reduction. Among them, 3 recipients experienced very late-onset CMV disease approximately 10 years after their transplant and were enrolled in this study. Results: Very late-onset CMV disease occurred at 9 years and 9 months, 15 years, and 13 years and 5 months after transplantation, respectively. Two recipients suffered from CMV retinitis, while one experienced colitis. The age of the patients at onset of CMV disease was 69 years, 42 years, and 71 years, respectively. Conclusion: This may be the first report on very late-onset CMV disease after splenectomy in ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation. We should be aware that these recipients can experience very late-onset CMV disease even approximately 10 years after their transplant.
Introduction - Andrea Caracausi and Christof Jeggle Part I: Approaches 1 Networks as Social Structures in Late Medieval and Early Modern Towns: A Theoretical Approach to Historical Network Analysis - Mike Burkhardt 2 Interactions, Networks, Discourses and Markets - Christof Jeggle Part II: Merchants 3 Creating Networks through Languages: Italian Merchants in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe - Francesco Guidi-Bruscoli 4 Networks and Commercial Penetration Models in the Late Medieval Mediterranean: Revisiting the Datini - Angela Orlandi 5 Networks and Merchant Diasporas: Florentine Bankers in Lyon and Antwerp in the Sixteenth Century - Heinrich Lang 6 The Astudillo Partnership and the Spanish 'Nation' in Sixteenth-Century Florence - Francesco Ammannati and Blanca Gonzalez Talavera Part III: Markets and Institutions 7 Merchant Networks in the Cities of the Crown of Castile - David Carvajal de la Vega 8 Galley Routes and Merchant Networks between Venice and the North Sea in the Fifteenth Century - Stefania Montemezzo 9 Network Takers or Network Makers? The Portuguese Traders in the Medieval West - Flavio Miranda Part IV: Products 10 Pepper and Silver between Milan and Lisbon in the Second Half of the Sixteenth Century - Benedetta Crivelli 11 The Wool Trade, Venice and the Mediterranean Cities at the End of the Sixteenth Century - Andrea Caracausi 12 The Scerimans and Cross-Cultural Trade in Gems: The Armenian Diaspora in Venice and its Trading Networks in the First Half of the Eighteenth Century - Evelyn Korsch Notes Index
In this paper, based on chaotic systems and balanced Feistel network structure, a symmetric block cipher with 256-bit secret key is proposed. The cipher operates on 64-bit plaintext blocks through 16 rounds computing. Within the kernel component of the cipher, i.e., round function F, a hyperchaotic system with four-wing attractors is used to improve the complicated and unpredictability of the ciphertexts. Furthermore, a chaos-based S-Box is adopted for generating the round subkeys. The numerical simulation results and security analysis has shown that the proposed cipher possess the desirable cryptographic properties and can be used in information security field.
DiGeorge syndrome, also known as velocardiofacial syndrome or 22q11 deletion syndrome, is characterized by the congenital absence of the thymus and the parathyroid gland. The classic triad of this disorder is congenital heart disea- se, endocrinopathy with hypocalcemia and primary immunodeficiency. However, the syndrome may exhibit multiple pleotropic abnormalities and clinical manifes- tations that often result in facial dysmorphism and changes in the palate. Clinically, a high susceptibility to recurrent respiratory or gastrointestinal infections is observed. In cases of thymic aplasia, treatment with prophylactic antibiotics and thymic transplantation is necessary, while in others, expectant management is used. This manuscript presents the case of an 18-month old male patient, referred to the genetics service due to several phenotypic alterations. The process by which the DiGeorge syndrome diagnosis, management and prognosis was reached, as well as a brief review of the literature, are presented.
Using a numerical fitting scheme we construct the exact Density-Functional (DF) effective potential, corresponding wave-functions and orbital eigenvalues from an accurate correlated reference density for the neon atom. Our results compare well with those obtained later using a number of different methods, thus demonstrating the utility of the original and relatively simple fitting scheme. The exact DF quantities are then used to test the quality of different improvements (Langreth, Perdew, Mehl, Wang) of the local density approximation (LDA) to DF theory. The tested schemes are seen to considerably reduce the error in the LDA exchange-correlation energy. The density profile is also somewhat improved (particularly close to the core), while the effective potential is only marginally closer to its true DF counterpart.
Objectives: Aldosterone receptor antagonist, spironolactone (SP) could have anti-atherosclerotic effect with the improved fibrinolysis, but the effects of SP on platelet function remained to be elucidated. This study was designed to investigate the effects of SP on platelet function and their clinical implications in essential hypertensives (EHT). Design and Methods: Subjects were 62 EHT (M/F = 35/27, 60 ± 2 yrs) with insufficient control of blood pressure (BP) under the administration of antihypertensive agents except for SP. Before and 1 year after the additional administration of SP (25–50 mg/day), platelet fibrinogen binding (FgB) and platelet P-selectin expression (PsE) were measured under dosing of adenosine diphosphate (ADP). 24-hour BP and stiffness index “&bgr;” of common carotid artery, a marker of large arterial stiffness were also examined. Results: SP significantly decreased FgB (FgB at 0, 0.1, 1 &mgr;M of ADP: 26 ± 1, 34 ± 1, 69 ± 2 % to 22 ± 1, 29 ± 1, 59 ± 2 %) and PsE (PsE at 0, 1.0, 10 &mgr;M of ADP: 14 ± 1, 52 ± 2, 69 ± 2 % to 16 ± 1, 47 ± 2, 65 ± 2 %) as well as 24-hour BP (141 ± 2/84 ± 1 to 130 ± 2/78 ± 1 mmHg). In addition, SP decreased stiffness index “&bgr;” (12.0 ± 0.6 to 10.8 ± 0.4). The changes in FgB at 1.0 &mgr;M of ADP induced by SP significantly correlated with those in stiffness index “&bgr;” (r = 0.25, P < 0.05). Conclusions: In EHT, the addition of SP to other antihypertensive agents suppressed platelet activation and improved large arterial stiffness together with BP reduction. This favorable effect of SP on platelet function might be partly related to the reduction of large arterial stiffness in EHT.
In an attempt to look for a viable mechanism leading to a present day accelerated expansion, we investigate the possibility that the observed cosmic speed up may be recovered in the framework of the Rastall's theory, relying on the non-conservativity of the stress-energy tensor, i.e. Tμv;μ ≠ 0. We derive the modified Friedmann equations and show that they correspond to Cardassian-like equations. We also show that, under suitable assumptions on the equation of state of the matter term sourcing the gravitational field, it is indeed possible to get an accelerated expansion, in agreement with the Hubble diagram of both Type Ia Supernovae (SNeIa) and Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). Unfortunately, to achieve such a result one has to postulate a matter density parameter larger than the typical ΩM ≊ 0.3 value inferred from cluster gas mass fraction data. As a further issue, we discuss the possibility to retrieve the Rastall's theory from a Palatini variational principle approach to f(R) gravity. However, such an attempt turns out to be unsuccessful.
The hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline electrolyte was conducted on carbon-supported Ru nanoparticles (Ru/C) of which size was controlled in the range from approximately 2 to 7 nm. The HOR activity of Ru/C normalized by the metal surface area showed volcano shaped dependence on the particle size with a maximum activity at approximately 3 nm. The HOR activity of approximately 3 nm Ru/C was higher than commercially available Pt nanoparticles (ca. 2 nm) supported on carbon. The structural analysis of Ru/C using Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy with atomic resolution revealed the unique structural change of Ru/C different from Pt/C: Ru nanoparticle structure changed from amorphous-like structure below 3 nm to metal nanocrystallite with roughened surface at approximately 3 nm and then to that with well-defined facets above 3 nm, although Pt/C kept well-defined facets even at approximately 2 nm. It is proposed that the generation of unique structure observed on approximately 3 nm Ru nanoparticles, that is, long bridged coordinatively unsaturated Ru metal surface atoms on its nanocrystallite, is a key to achieve high HOR activity.
The paper proposes a novel nonlinear acoustic echo cancellation approach based on adaptive second-order Volterra structures designed to increase the convergence rate of the conventional Volterra filter. Depending on the envelope of the resulting error's absolute value or, if available, on the local noise levels from the enclosure, the variable step sizes are weighted according to the decrease of the residual error. The efficiency of the proposed method is tested in a loudspeaker-enclosure-microphone setup modeled using measured linear and quadratic kernels. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm based on normalized least-mean-square updates is then compared to the Normalized Least-Mean-Square adaptive second-order Volterra filter. The comparison is carried out for different input signals in terms of Echo Return Loss Enhancement. The conducted simulations show that the proposed method offers an increased convergence rate for the same steady-state error.
Bispyridinylidenes (BPYs) have emerged as an important class of neutral organic electron donors, with redox potentials that vary widely with choice of substituent. Methods to predict the effect of substitution on the redox potential are therefore highly desirable. Here we show that the redox potential of BPYs featuring iminophosphorano substituents (R 3 P=N-), which represent the most reducing class of BPYs, can be predicted based on the well-known Tolman electronic parameter (TEP) for the respective phosphine fragment (R 3 P). Moreover, building on earlier work relating redox potentials to Hammett-type substituent constants, it is now possible to quantitatively predict σ p + values for iminophosphorano substituents from TEP values. These results provide a path for precisely tailoring redox potentials of iminophosphorano-substituted BPYs, but also give quantitative descriptors for how these highly versatile iminophosphorano substituents can impact the properties of any molecular scaffold.
We examined an environmentally friendly photoresist removal method using H radicals produced by decomposing hydrogen on a hot iridium catalyst. We examined the relationship between photoresist removal rate and its surface temperature using thin film interference and the removal properties using H radicals produced by the Ir catalyst. Decomposition behavior at polymer surface by radicals may be analyzed in further detail from the aspect of kinetics. Additionally, we investigated the oxygen addition effects on the removal rate. The photoresist removal rate increased with the oxygen additive amount and then decreased more gradually than in the case of using W filament. The increasing behavior was similar but there was a large difference between W and Ir catalyst in the decreasing behavior.
1. The release of 57 Co-labelled vitamin B 12 ([ 57 Co]B 12 ) and synthesis of transcobalamin II (TCII) by the isolated perfused rat liver were studied 10–42 days after the parenteral administration of a trace dose of 15 pmol (approximately 20 ng) of radioactive cyanocobalamin. 2. The rate of release of [ 57 Co]B 12 into plasma and bile was linear and constituted approximately 0.9% and 0.3% respectively of the initial hepatic radioactivity per hour of perfusion. 3. [ 57 Co]B 12 released into plasma was bound to TCII. Saturation of the total TCII by the addition of cyanocobalamin before perfusion resulted in the appearance of the hepatic [ 57 Co]B 12 in the free form. 4. These data were found to be compatible with the following observations in vivo : (i) rates of [ 57 Co]B 12 release as measured by urinary [ 57 Co]B 12 excretion after saturation of plasma binders with non-labelled cyanocobalamin; (ii) rates of biliary excretion of [ 57 Co]B 12 . 5. Liver damage produced by hypoxaemia was associated with a fall in the rate of release of [ 57 Co]B 12 . 6. TCII release occurred at a linear rate of almost twenty times that required for the binding of newly released hepatic vitamin B 12 . 7. Cycloheximide at a dose sufficient to inhibit release of TCII did not prevent the release of [ 57 Co]B 12 from the liver into plasma or bile. 8. Alteration of perfusate composition to contain either high plasma concentrations of vitamin B 12 and low concentrations of unsaturated TCII or high plasma concentrations of vitamin B 12 and high concentrations of unsaturated TCII had no effect on the rate of [ 57 Co]B 12 release into plasma or bile. 9. It is concluded that the fluxes of hepatic vitamin B 12 and TCII are very rapid and that the release of vitamin B 12 by the rat liver is controlled in the short term by factors other than the synthesis of TCII and the concentration of vitamin B 12 or unsaturated transcobalamin in the plasma.
Purpose To evaluate the prognostic value of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients undergoing radical radiotherapy. Patients and Methods A serum panel compromising the inflammatory factors was analyzed in 372 NPC patients before and after radiotherapy. Independent prognostic factors were screened out using multivariate Cox regression analysis. A prediction model was built based on the training set data and validated using the test set data. The prognostic value of these factors was evaluated using the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and an integrated time-averaged area under the curve (AUC). Results The baseline levels of IL-6, GM-CSF, and MIF were independent factors associated with poor OS and DMFS. A predictive model base established combining the baseline levels of these factors. The AUC values for the test set were 0.9828, 0.9968, and 0.9571 at 1, 3, and 5 years, respectively, compared to 0.9978, 0.9981, and 0.9222 for the training set, respectively. The AUC values for DMFS at 1, 3, and 5-years for the training set were 0.8744, 0.8951, and 0.9358, respectively, compared to 0.9525, 0.9663, and 0.9625 for the test set, respectively. The combination of post-treatment levels of IL-6, GM-CSF, and LIF also had good predictive value for OS with an AUC value > 0.85 during follow-up. Conclusion IL-6, GM-CSF, and MIF baseline levels are powerful prognostic factors for non-metastatic NPC patients. The combination of these factors effectively predicts OS and DMFS in non-metastatic NPC patients.
We present the first results from picosecond interferometry of dense laser-produced plasmas using a soft x-ray laser. The picosecond duration and short wavelength of the 14.7 nm Ni-like Pd laser mitigates effects associated with motion blurring and refraction through millimeter-scale plasmas. This enables direct measurement of the electron-density profile to within 10 microm of the target surface. A series of high-quality two-dimensional (2D) density measurements provide unambiguous characterization of the time evolution in a fast-evolving plasma suitable for validation of existing 1D and 2D hydrodynamic codes.
Targeted drug delivery methods have shown a significant impact on enhancing drug delivery efficiency and reducing drug side effects. While various stimuli have been used to promote the drug delivery process, applying ultrasound (US) waves to control drug particles through the human body, noninvasively, has drawn the scientist’s attention. However, microcarriers delivery reaches the aneurysmal artery by US waves that exert volumetric forces on blood, and drug carriers, which can therefore affect blood flow patterns and movement pathways of drug carriers, have not yet been studied. In this study, we developed a 3-D patient-specific model of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) to evaluate the effect of US waves in enhancing the drug-containing microbubbles (MBs) adhered on the AAA lumen through ligand–receptor binding. Thus, a focused US (FUS) transducer with a resonance frequency of ~1.1 MHz was added to the geometry. Then, the surface density of MBs (SDM) adhered on the AAA lumen was calculated at peak acoustic pressure of ~1.1, ~2.2, and ~4.3 MPa. Results indicated that increasing the US pressure had a significant impact on improving the MBs adhered to the intended wall, whereby US waves with the maximum pressure of ~4.3 MPa could enhance ~1- ${ mu } text {m}$ MBs adhesion ~98% relative to not using the waves. While US waves have the advantage of more SDM adhered to the whole artery wall, they adversely affect the SDM adhered on the critical wall of the abdominal aorta. Furthermore, when the US strength goes up, a reduction occurs in the SDM adhered. This reduction is higher for smaller MBs, which is the mentioned MBs’ size and US strength reduced SDM adhesion by about ~50% relative to systemic injection. Therefore, it can be concluded that drug delivery using the US field increases the SDM adhered to the whole AAA wall and decreases the SDM adhered to the critical wall of AAA.
ABSTRACT Distance learning in social work has proliferated in recent years and is increasingly promoted as a strategy for diversifying the social work workforce and expanding access to graduate education for individuals in rural and underserved communities. Our study assesses the accuracy of this claim by analyzing the 2018 GW [George Washington] Survey of Social Work Graduates to evaluate whether participation in an online or blended Master of Social Work program (a) increases diversity in the field by providing educational opportunities to nontraditional students and (b) is associated with practice in rural or underserved areas. Our findings indicate that online and blended education is associated with practice in rural and underserved areas. We also find evidence that online education increases diversity in the field by expanding access to education for older, working adults.
Fused supernumerary kidney with bifid ureters was diagnosed in a 40 year old female patient using ultrasonography and triple phased computed tomography (CT).The CTrevealed two seperate renal arteries supplying each of the left kidney, and two separate renal veins draining into the inferior vena cava. Supernumerary kidney is a rare congenital anomaly, fewer than 100 cases have been reported after years. A fused supernumerary kidney is still rarer in practice.
This study reviews the superiority and limitations of the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD)-based video watermarking scheme. First applies key frame selection to the video sequence to obtain an appropriate video frame for the purpose of watermark embedding in this paper. The Fibonacci-Lucas image transformation scrambles the grayscale watermark image before the embedding process. The former scheme satisfies the imperceptibility and robustness aspects. However, it can suffer from the False-Positive-Problem (FPP) in which a counterfeit watermark image can be easily reconstructed by a malicious attacker. This study presents a new technique for overcoming the FPP of the aforementioned scheme. The proposed method embeds the principal components of the watermark image rather than the Singular Value Matrix (SVM) into the host video. As results, the proposed methods yield promising results in terms of imperceptibility as well as robustness. At the same time, it solves the FPP. A theoretical analysis of embedded watermark information is also provided in this work. The theoretical analysis meets the experimental-based results in the SVD-based video watermarking scheme.
Common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.) is an important weed of maize fields in Iran. In order to study the effect of common lambsquarters relative time of emergence on single-cross 704 maize (Zea mays L.), an experiment was designed with different density levels of the weed. The experimental design was a split plot based on a randomized completed block design with three replications. The emergence time of lambsquarters was considered as main plots with three levels: emergence of the weed 14 days earlier, 7 days earlier than maize and simultaneously with maize. Density of weed was the subplot treatment with six levels: 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 plants per m 2 . The results showed that height and leaf area index of maize decrease with earlier emergence time and increasing density of lambsquarters, so that 14 days earlier emergence of weed at high densities (16 and 20 plants per m 2 ) led to maximum reduction. In contrast, height and LAI of lambsquarters increased with earlier emergence time especially at high densities. Common lambsquarters was a stronger competitor when emerged 14 days earlier than maize. Maize yield decreased more than 70% in the 7 and 14 days earlier emergence of lambsquarters at high density. Totally, it can be state that relative time of weed emergence compare to its density had maximum effect on maize growth. In addition, controlling lambsquarters before maize emerging at any densities is recommend preventing of maize growth and yield loss.
Due to the increasing demand for new pharmaceuticals showing biological activity against pathogenic microorganisms, there is increasing search for new compounds with predicted biological activity. Variously substituted thioamide derivatives with 1.3 and 1.2 ring of thiazole and 1,3,4-thiadiazole, as well as pyrazole were assessed for their activity against Candida albicans. Activity of majority of tested thioamides was larger as compared with that of the reference drugs. The electron parameters of obtained N-heterocyclic thioamides were determined and dependencies on their biological activity against Candida albicans were studied. The best electron compliance of produced bindings with the activity against Candida albicans was observed for the derivatives containing 1,3,4-thiadiazole ring.
Shorter time-to-result is key for improving molecular-guided epidemiological investigation of tuberculosis (TB) cases. We performed a prospective study to evaluate the use of standardized MIRU-VNTR (mycobacterial interspersed repetitive-unit-variable-number tandem-repeat) typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis directly on 79 fresh clinical samples from 26 TB patients consecutively enrolled over a 17-month period. Overall, complete 24-locus types were obtained for 18 out of the 26 (69.2%) patients and 14 of the 16 grade 3+ and grade 2+ samples (87.5%). The degree of completion of the genotypes obtained significantly correlated with smear microscopy grade both for 26 first samples (p = 0.0003) and for 53 follow-up samples (p = 0.002). For 20 of the 26 patients for whom complete or even incomplete M. tuberculosis isolate genotypes were obtained, typing applied to the clinical samples allowed the same unambiguous conclusions regarding case clustering or uniqueness as those that could have been drawn based on the corresponding cultured isolates. Standard 24 locus MIRU-VNTR typing of M. tuberculosis can be applied directly to fresh clinical samples, with typeability depending on the bacterial load in the sample.
The article considers the issues of further improvement of higher education quality through training of managerial staff of higher education institutions and their reserves for the effective organization of the educational process, development of their knowledge, skills and habits in the training course “Education quality management”. The course allows listeners to improve their professional skills in accordance with the requirements of the management activities necessary to achieve the quality of higher education, to develop new professional managerial knowledge, skills and habits and related competencies as well.
There are many innovations that have been made in education, both relating to curriculum, teaching materials, instructional media, learning model and others. Brain based learning or brain-based learning as a learning model actually has its own interesting bargaining power to be applied in the learning process ecpecially in the Early Childhood Education. Brain-based teaching and learning offers a concept to create learning oriented to the empowerment of student’s brain potential. There are three strategies that can be developed in implementation of brain based learning. First, create a learning environment that challenges students’ thinking ability. Second, creating a fun learning environment, third, create a situation of active and meaningful for students (active learning). By knowing the brain development in children, parents and teachers can apply the appropriate education and teaching to the children.
Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a relatively common chronic inflammatory disorder with a low risk of associated malignancy. A genetic predisposition linked to Th1 cytokine polymorphisms may predispose to the T-cell-mediated immunological response to an induced antigenic change that is supposed to cause OLP lesions. Amalgam restorations, hepatitis C virus and systemic medications may be etiologic factors. Topical immunomodulators such as powerful corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors may control OLP lesions, but their long-term effects need to be better explored and understood. Current therapeutic data are probably still insufficient to make recommendations with regard to the specific dosage, formulation mode of delivery or length of the therapy.
In order to compare their depth effect, the line source response function at right angles to the image plane was measured using two tomographic and one section-imaging device. It was found that the full- width-at-half-maximum and modulation transfer functions do not adequately measure the capability of a device to resolve structures as a function of depth. A new quantity, called specificity, is proposed which measures the degradation of resolution of one image plane relative to an adjacent image plane as a function of frequency.
Abstract Background Although the influence of copper ([Cu]) on chronic hepatitis (CH) has been widely studied in dogs, little information is available about the accumulation of other metals. Hypothesis/Objectives We assessed the concentration of lead ([Pb]) in the livers of dogs with CH with or without abnormal hepatic [Cu] to establish if any association existed between [Pb] and either hematologic or biochemical variables, fibrosis, necrosis and inflammation of the liver on histology. Animals Thirty‐four dogs with CH that had hepatic [Cu] and [Pb] determined. Methods Retrospective review of medical records of dogs with CH and hepatic [Cu] and [Pb]. Chronic hepatitis was defined using current American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus statement guidelines. Hepatic [Cu] and [Pb] were determined using square wave anodic stripping voltammetry. Dogs were divided into 2 groups based on [Cu]: <400 ppm (LoCu) and ≥400 ppm (HiCu). Results The median [Cu] and [Pb] were 357 ppm (range, 100‐7743 ppm) and 58.7 (range, 6.89‐224.4 ppm), respectively. Nineteen dogs had LoCu and 15 dogs had HiCu. Median [Pb] was significantly higher in HiCu compared to LoCu dogs (P < .001). Hepatic [Pb] and [Cu] were significantly correlated (rho = 0.7; P < .001). Dogs with microcytosis had higher [Pb] than did dogs with normal red cell volume (P = .02). Hepatic [Pb] was not correlated with either necroinflammatory or fibrosis scores. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Although additional studies are needed to better understand the clinical role of hepatic [Pb], dogs with abnormal hepatic [Cu] may also have higher hepatic [Pb]. In addition, in dogs with high hepatic [Pb], microcytosis may be present.
By using three analytical phonon models in quantum wells-the slab model, the guided-mode model, and the improved version of the Huang-Zhu model [Phys. Rev. B 38, 13 377 (1998)], -and the phonon modes in bulk, the energy-loss rates of hot carriers due to the Frohlich potential scattering in GaAs/AlAs multiple quantum wells (MQW's) are calculated and compared to those obtained based on a microscopic dipole superlattice model. In the study, a special emphasis is put on the effects of the phonon models on the hot-carrier relaxation process when taking the hot-phonon effect into account. Our numerical results show that, the calculated energy-loss rates based on the slab model and on the improved Huang-Zhu model are almost the same when ignoring the hot-phonon effect; however, with the hot phonon effect considered, the calculated cooling rate as well as the hot phonon occupation number do depend upon the phonon models to be adopted. Out of the four analytical phonon models investigated, the improved Huang-Zhu model gives the results most close to the microscopic calculation, while the guided-mode model presents the poorest results. For hot electrons with a sheet density around 10(12)/cm(2), the slab model has been found to overestimate the hot-phonon effect by more than 40% compared to the Huang-Zhu model, and about 75% compared to the microscopic calculation in which the phonon dispersion is fully included. Our calculation also indicates that Nash's improved version [J. Lumin. 44, 315 (1989)] is necessary for evaluating the energy-loss rates in quantum wells of wider well width, because Huang-Zhu's original analytical formulas an only approximately orthogonal for optical phonons associated with small in-plane wave numbers. [S0163-1829(99)08919-5].
S farmers local to UC Santa Cruz are participating in a groundbreaking farm-to-college program, supplying organic produce to the university’s five campus dining rooms and restaurant. The program is running side by side with a 2-year research study on developing institutional market outlets for small and medium-sized growers. The first program of its kind in the UC system, this is one of many farm-to-institution initiatives sprouting up around the country. Hundreds of institutions, including K-12 schools, Kaiser Permanente and UC San Francisco hospitals, and corporate cafeterias, such as Google’s in Mountain View, are offering locally and sustainably grown produce. It’s still a largely untapped market, says Patricia Allen, new director of the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS). “Farm-to-institution programs could be a lifeline for small to mid-scale farmers struggling to stay afloat,” she says. The seven farms supplying the UC Santa Cruz dining halls are Coke Farm, Phil Foster Ranches, Happy Boy Farms, New Natives/Greensward Nurseries, Swanton Berry Farm, Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), and the UC Santa Cruz farm on campus. Because the UC Santa Cruz purchasing department is not set up to contract with individual small farmers, the growers formed a consortium, Monterey Bay Organic Farming Consortium (MBOFC). ALBA acts as their umbrella organization, pooling and delivering the produce to the campus dining halls three or four times a week, invoicing the university and distributing payments to the growers. Demand for the produce is high, from both chefs and students, but getting the program in place wasn’t easy. To look in detail at the structuring and viability of institutional markets for small and medium-sized farmers, particularly those farming organically or using other environmentally sustainable farming methods, CASFS is heading up a collaborative research project. The study, which began last fall, is being funded by a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). The project directors are Allen and Shermain Hardesty, director of the UC Small Farm Center. Specifically, the research team is studying the demand among students for food from small and medium-sized farms with sustainability criteria (for example, organic, locally grown and socially just); the produce-buying practices and preferences at California’s colleges and universities; and the best produce distribution models. Results from the student survey show a definite interest in organic produce. Of the 224 returned surveys from students nationally, 47% said they wanted their college to provide organic food. Most students (53%) wanted their college to provide food locally grown. But the highest interest among students was for food that was humanely produced (78%), provides a living wage to workers (71%) and sustainably produced (62%). Hardesty, who is surveying food-service buyers at California’s colleges and universities, was “very surprised,” she said, to find that about 25% of the Students participate in a “Harvest for Health” activity at the UC Santa Cruz farm, part of a core course required of all first-year students in one of the campus’s residential colleges. UC students eating local, organic produce CASFS farm. The trial consists of 15 blueberry varieties with a total of 180 plants. This is the first season that yield data were collected, and the numbers have not been crunched yet, but Leap is heartened by the trial so far. Though he had to put up bird netting over the entire trial area, it looks as if organic blueberries will grow well on the Central Coast. The berries sold exceptionally well at $4 per half-pint — $6,000 worth just at the UC Santa Cruz Market Cart (at the campus entrance), and they were a popular item in the farm’s CSA (communitysupported agriculture) shares. “The challenge is that blueberries need acidic soil,” Leap says. Inexpensive sulfuric acid can be applied to conventionally managed blueberry fields, but Leap has had to buy vinegar approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for use in certified organic systems. “We have been injecting vinegar with each irrigation. Before we planted, we applied a lot of soil sulfur and acidic soil amendments, but we still need the vinegar, and buying it in 55-gallon containers and trucking them in here might turn out to be prohibitively expensive,” he says. (Also, see California Agriculture April-June 2005, Vol. 59, No. 2, p. 65.) CASFS — continued from previous page
Several investigations have been initiated to enhance the antitumor effect of radiation and ameliorate its adverse effects such as reducing blood cell counts and causing DNA damage in normal cells. Compounds that enhance the antitumor activity of radiation without reducing blood cell counts or damaging DNA in normal cells can be of immense use as an adjunct in radiotherapy. We evaluated the antitumor effect of a specific set of minerals, vitamins, and amino acids (Poly-MVA) (2 mL/kg, per os), with and without radiation, against Dalton's lymphoma ascites (DLA) and Ehrlich's ascites carcinoma (EAC) cell lines that were transplanted in a solid-tumor model. Whole-body γ-radiation exposure (2 Gy) was performed using 60Co. Poly-MVA enhanced the antitumor effect of radiation when administered beforehand. Furthermore, Poly-MVA administered once daily for 2 wk, immediately after 4 Gy irradiation, protected DNA damage in peripheral blood. It also rendered protection against the radiation-induced reduction of platelet count. The unique electronic and redox properties of palladium-α-lipoic acid complex in Poly-MVA appear to be responsible for the exhibited effect. The results conclude that the antitumor-enhancing and normal cell-protective effect of Poly-MVA warrants additional studies for its potential clinical application.
thesis in vitro has been used as an index of the ability of marrow cells to proliferate, since an increase in DNA is a prerequisite for cell division. In the studies on stored samples of dog marrow reported here, the relationship between DNA synthesis in vitro and cell viability in vivo was explored. The in vivo test used has been the ability of stored autologous marrow to induce survival in lethally irradiated dogs.
Clozapine-induced gastric hypomotility (CIGH) is an underreported, underrecognized effect from high-dose clozapine. In this report, we present a patient with treatment refractory schizophrenia receiving high-dose clozapine who aspirated during general anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of aspiration under general anesthesia as a result of CIGH and highlights the potential dangers high-dose clozapine can pose on patients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy with unrecognized CIGH.
ABSTRACT Meta‐communities are assembled along an ecological scale that determines local and regional diversity. Spatial patterns have been detected in planktonic bacterial communities at distances <20 m, but little is known about the occurrence of similar variation for other microbial groups and changes in microbial meta‐community assembly at different levels of a meta‐community. To examine this variation, the biofilm of eight saline ponds were used to investigate processes shaping diversity within ponds (&bgr;) and between ponds (&dgr;). Bacterial and ciliate communities were assessed using ARISA and T‐RFLP respectively, while diversity partitioning methods were used to examine the importance of taxonomic turnover and variation partitioning was used to distinguish spatial from environmental determinants. The results show that turnover is important for determining &bgr;‐ and &dgr;‐diversity of biofilms. Spatial factors are important drivers of bacterial &bgr;‐diversity but were unimportant for ciliate &bgr;‐diversity. Environmental variation was a strong determinant of bacterial and ciliate &dgr;‐diversity, suggesting sorting processes are important for assembling pond communities. Determinants of diversity in bacteria are not universal for ciliates, suggesting higher functional redundancy of bacteria or the greater niche breadth of ciliates may be important in discriminating assembly processes between the two organisms.
The observed volumes obtained by several volume calculation methods for the butt log volume of Calibrain pine (Pinus brutia Ten.). These butt logs were compared with true volume of each butt log which was determined by aggregating the volumes of measured short (1m) using Smalian’s formula. 150 of sample trees were measured into Zaweta and Atrush districts of Dohuk province. The sample trees presented diameter at breast height from 13.9 to 37.6 cm. and total height from 8 19.2 meter. The volume of each butt log was estimated by using (Smalian’s, Huber’s, Newton’s, Hossfeld’s, Bruce’s, Sorenson’s and Centroid method). The accuracy of these seven procedures was analyzed considering volume of butt log lengths 6-m. The results showed that Centroid method was superior for all volumes. As expected, Sorenson formula was the procedure with the worst performance.
Background Accurate and rapid detection of tuberculosis (TB) and drug resistance are critical for improving patient care and decreasing the spread of TB. Xpert® MTB/RIF assay (Xpert) is a rapid, automated test that can detect both TB and rifampicin resistance, within two hours after starting the test, with minimal hands-on technical time, but is more expensive than conventional sputum microscopy. Objectives To assess the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert for pulmonary TB (TB detection), both where Xpert was used as an initial test replacing microscopy, and where Xpert was used as an add-on test following a negative smear microscopy result. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert for rifampicin resistance detection where Xpert was used as the initial test, replacing conventional culture-based drug susceptibility testing. The population of interest was adults suspected of having pulmonary TB or multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), with or without HIV infection. Search methods We performed a comprehensive search of the following databases: Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register; MEDLINE; EMBASE; ISI Web of Knowledge; MEDION; LILACS; BIOSIS; and SCOPUS. We also searched the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT) and the search portal of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform to identify ongoing trials. We performed searches on 25 September 2011 and we repeated them on 15 December 2011, without language restriction. Selection criteria We included randomized controlled trials, cross-sectional, and cohort studies that used respiratory specimens to compare Xpert with culture for detecting TB and Xpert with conventional phenotypic drug susceptibility testing for detecting rifampicin resistance. Data collection and analysis For each study, two review authors independently extracted a set of data using a standardized data extraction form. When possible, we extracted data for subgroups by smear and HIV status. We assessed the quality of studies using the QUADAS-2 tool. We carried out meta-analyses to estimate the pooled sensitivity and specificity of Xpert separately for TB detection and rifampicin resistance detection using a bivariate random-effects model. We estimated the median pooled sensitivity and specificity and their 95% credible intervals (CrI). Main results We identified 18 unique studies as eligible for this review, including two multicentre international studies, one with five and the other with six distinct study centres. The majority of studies (55.6%) were performed in low-income and middle-income countries. In 17 of the 18 studies, Xpert was performed by trained technicians in reference laboratories. When used as an initial test replacing smear microscopy (15 studies, 7517 participants), Xpert achieved a pooled sensitivity of 88% (95% CrI 83% to 92%) and pooled specificity of 98% (95% CrI 97% to 99%). As an add-on test following a negative smear microscopy result (14 studies, 5719 participants), Xpert yielded a pooled sensitivity of 67% (95% CrI 58% to 74%) and pooled specificity of 98% (95% CrI 97% to 99%). In clinical subgroups, we found the following accuracy estimates: the pooled sensitivity was 98% (95% CrI 97% to 99%) for smear-positive, culture-positive TB and 68% (95% CrI 59% to 75%) for smear-negative, culture-positive TB (15 studies); the pooled sensitivity was 80% (95% CrI 67% to 88%) in people living with HIV and 89% (95% CrI 81% to 94%) in people without HIV infection (four studies). For rifampicin resistance detection (11 studies, 2340 participants), Xpert achieved a pooled sensitivity of 94% (95% CrI 87% to 97%) and pooled specificity of 98% (95% CrI 97% to 99%). In a separate analysis, Xpert could distinguish between TB and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in clinical samples with high accuracy: among 139 specimens with NTM, Xpert was positive in only one specimen that grew NTM. In a hypothetical cohort of 1000 individuals suspected of having rifampicin resistance (a proxy for MDR-TB), where the prevalence of rifampicin resistance is 30%, we estimated that on average Xpert would wrongly identify 14 patients as being rifampicin resistant. In comparison, where the prevalence of rifampicin resistance is only 2%, we estimated that the number of individuals wrongly identified as rifampicin resistant would increase to 20, an increase of 43%. Authors' conclusions This review shows that Xpert used as an initial diagnostic test for TB detection and rifampicin resistance detection in patients suspected of having TB, MDR-TB, or HIV-associated TB is sensitive and specific. Xpert may also be valuable as an add-on test following microscopy for patients who have previously been found to be smear-negative. An Xpert result that is positive for rifampicin resistance should be carefully interpreted and take into consideration the risk of MDR-TB in a given patient and the expected prevalence of MDR-TB in a given setting. Studies in this review mainly assessed sensitivity and specificity of the test when used in reference laboratories in research investigations. Most studies were performed in high TB burden countries. Ongoing use of Xpert in high TB burden countries will contribute to the evidence base on the diagnostic accuracy and clinical impact of Xpert in routine programmatic and peripheral health care settings, including settings where the test is performed at the point of care.
In this study, we considered a moving particle with a magnetic quadrupole moment in an elastic medium in the presence of a screw dislocation. We assumed a radial electric field in a rotating frame that leads a uniform effective magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of motion. We solved the Schrödinger equation to derive wave and energy eigenvalue functions by employing analytical methods for two interaction configurations: in the absence of potential and in the presence of a static scalar potential. Due to the topological defect in the medium, we observed a shift in the angular momentum quantum number which affects the energy eigenvalues and the wave function of the system.
Previous analyses have suggested that the personal experience of schizophrenia might be different from its depiction in the DSM-IV-TR. In this study, 17 people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were interviewed about their experiences of the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia. Descriptive phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the ways in which the personal experiences of the people in this study were similar to or different from the depiction of schizophrenia in the DSM-IV-TR. The personal experience of schizophrenia was similar in some way to each of the five diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia. Participants’ personal experiences also went beyond the DSM-IV-TR criteria. Specifically, participants described strong emotional reactions to their symptoms, including fear, sadness, embarrassment, and alienation. Also, participants described intense interest but severe disruptions in goal-directed behavior due to their hallucinations being engrossing, confusing, and distracting. Further, participants described not sharing their experiences in order to avoid social stigma. These findings suggest that the description of schizophrenia in DSM-5 may benefit from a change to DSM-IV-TR criteria to incorporate more of the personal experience of schizophrenia. Further research is needed to establish the representativeness, reliability, and validity of the qualitative findings described here.
Inflammation and regeneration at the implant-bone interface are intimately coupled via cell-cell communication. In contrast to the prevailing view that monocytes/macrophages orchestrate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and progenitor cells via the secretion of soluble factors, we examined whether communication between these different cell types also occurs via exosomes. LPS-stimulated human monocytes released exosomes, positive for CD9, CD63, CD81, Tsg101 and Hsp70, as determined by flow cytometry and Western blot. These exosomes also contained wide size distribution of RNA, including RNA in the size of microRNAs. The exosomes were shown to interact with human mesenchymal stem cells. After 24 h of culture, a considerable portion of the MSCs had internalised PKH67-labelled exosomes. Furthermore, after 72 h, the gene expression of the osteogenic markers runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) had increased in comparison with control medium, whereas no significant difference in osteocalcin (OC) expression was demonstrated. The present results show that, under given experimental conditions, monocytes communicate with MSCs via exosomes, resulting in the uptake of exosomes in MSCs and the stimulation of osteogenic differentiation. The present observations suggest that exosomes constitute an additional mode of cell-cell signalling with an effect on MSC differentiation during the transition from injury and inflammation to bone regeneration.
This chapter addresses evolutionary aspects tangential to the categorization of green and blue in selected contemporary varieties of Arabic and Aramaic spoken in the Near East. Its objective is to focus attention on the need for a combined linguistic and cultural study of this region on a macro-areal scale, after the model of R. E. MacLaury’s (1997) Mesoamerican colour survey. The present research intimates that the Bedouin Arabic hybrid colour paradigm – with its minimal set of basic categories, lexicalized alongside an elaborate word-stock for non-basic, (though functionally salient) unsaturated, natural hues (of livestock, steppe terrain, and more) – represents an early evolutionary stage in Semitic colour categorization focused essentially on brightness values. Hence the undifferentiated dark / cool region of the Old Arabic spectrum covered by the basic term axdar “green, blue, and black”. The comparative chromatic data here adduced from ancient and modern Semitic suggest that the tendency to fuse green and blue into a single category in this region represents a relic trait in certain parts of the Near East, concomitant with a still ongoing shift from brightness to hue categories.
Abstract Introduction Thrombocytopenia after cardiac surgery independently predicts stroke, acute kidney injury and death. To understand the underlying risks and mechanisms, we analysed genetic variations associated with thrombocytopenia in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Materials and Methods Study subjects underwent isolated on-pump CABG surgery at Duke University Medical Center. Post-operative thrombocytopenia was defined as platelet count < 100 × 109/L. Using a logistic regression model adjusted for clinical risk factors, we performed a genome-wide association study in a discovery cohort (n = 860) and validated significant findings in a replication cohort (n = 296). Protein expression was assessed in isolated platelets by immunoblot. Results A total of 63 single-nucleotide polymorphisms met a priori discovery thresholds for replication, but only 1 (rs9574547) in the intergenic region upstream of sprouty 2 (SPRY2) met nominal significance in the replication cohort. The minor allele of rs9574547 was associated with a lower risk for thrombocytopenia (discovery cohort, odds ratio, 0.45, 95% confidence interval, 0.30–0.67, p = 9.76 × 10−5) with the overall association confirmed by meta-analysis (meta-p = 7.88 × 10−6). Immunoblotting demonstrated expression of SPRY2 and its dynamic regulation during platelet activation. Treatment with a functional SPRY2 peptide blunted platelet extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation after agonist stimulation. Conclusion We identified the association of a genetic polymorphism in the intergenic region of SPRY2 with a decreased incidence of thrombocytopenia after CABG surgery. Because SPRY2—an endogenous receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor—is present in platelets and modulates essential signalling pathways, these findings support a role for SPRY2 as a novel modulator of platelet responses after cardiac surgery.
Objectives To define Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) thresholds for the Oxford hip score (OHS) and Oxford knee score (OKS) at mid-term follow-up. Methods In a prospective multicentre cohort study, OHS and OKS were collected at a mean follow-up of three years (1.5 to 6.0), combined with a numeric rating scale (NRS) for satisfaction and an external validation question assessing the patient’s willingness to undergo surgery again. A total of 550 patients underwent total hip replacement (THR) and 367 underwent total knee replacement (TKR). Results Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves identified a PASS threshold of 42 for the OHS after THR and 37 for the OKS after TKR. THR patients with an OHS ≥ 42 and TKR patients with an OKS ≥ 37 had a higher NRS for satisfaction and a greater likelihood of being willing to undergo surgery again. Conclusions PASS thresholds appear larger at mid-term follow-up than at six months after surgery. With- out external validation, we would advise against using these PASS thresholds as absolute thresholds in defining whether or not a patient has attained an acceptable symptom state after THR or TKR. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2014;3:7–13.
The Veterans Administration cooperative study on disulfiram is a welcome relief from the carnival-like atmosphere increasingly shown in newspaper and television advertisements. The serious problem of alcoholism has been lost in the competitive hype among alcoholism treatment centers. Any sophisticated critic using statistical analysis to measure treatment effectiveness is appalled by the display of a media or sports star claiming cure thanks to a specific treatment center's help—which proclaims 80% to 90% cure rates. In addition, the price tag that accompanies these purported cure rates is not put into perspective by being compared with the cost of a herniorrhaphy, obstetrical delivery, myocardial infarction, or coronary bypass. This cooperative study provides advanced data on the merit and role of disulfiram and sheds additional light on the epidemiologic outcomes of alcoholism treatment. Dr Fuller and his colleagues 1 summarize their finding by stating that disulfiram did not enhance
This paper aims to devote to the experimental analysis and modeling on the heat generation of angular contact ball bearings under vibration.,The experiments about vibration effect on bearing temperature are implemented. To explore the causes of bearing temperature rise, the shaft-bearing system is first simplified to a forced vibration model to analyze the bearing loads in vibration. Next, the vibratory-induced additional load is proposed and the spin power loss of balls is re-derived under vibration. The vibration-induced heat is integrated into a novel forecasting model of bearing power loss. For validation, the muti-node model for angular contact ball bearings is referred to create the thermal network of spindle front bearing, and then the contrast and discussion is done.,The simulation and test results both indicate that more energy is expended and more heat is generated with vibration. And the further quantitative comparisons between simulation results and experimental values of bearing temperature demonstrate the rationality and availability of constructed model on bearing heat generation.,The vibration-induced additional load is proposed and modeled, and the novel forecasting model for heat generation for high-speed angular contact ball bearings with vibration is constructed and validated.
We present an analysis of the secular variability of the longitudinal magnetic field Be in the roAp star y Equ (HD 201601). Measurements of the stellar magnetic field Be were mostly compiled from the literature, and we appended also our 33 new Be measurements which were obtained with the 1-m optical telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (Russia). All the available data cover the time period of 58 yr, and include both phases of the maximum and minimum Be. We determined that the period of the long-term magnetic Be variations equals 91.1 ± 3.6 yr, with B e (max) = +577 ± 31 G and B e (min) = -1101 ± 31 G.
ConspectusNickel complexes exhibit distinct properties from other group 10 metals, including a small nuclear radius, high paring energy, low electronegativity, and low redox potentials. These properties enable Ni catalysts to accommodate and stabilize paramagnetic intermediates, access radical pathways, and undergo slow β-H elimination. Our research program investigates how each of these fundamental attributes impact the catalytic properties of Ni, in particular in the context of alkene functionalization.Alkenes are versatile functional groups, but stereoselective carbofunctionalization reactions of alkenes have been underdeveloped. This challenge may derive from the difficulty of controlling selectivity via traditional two-electron migratory insertion pathways. Ni catalysts could lead to different stereodetermining steps via radical mechanisms, allowing access to molecular scaffolds that are otherwise difficult to prepare. For example, an asymmetric alkene diarylation reaction developed by our group relies upon the radical properties of Ni(III) intermediates to control the enantioselectivity and give access to a library of chiral α,α,β-triarylethane molecules with biological activity.Mechanistic studies on a two-component reductive 1,2-difunctionalization reaction have shed light on the origin of the cross-electrophile selectivity, as C sp2 and C sp3 electrophiles are independently activated at Ni(I) via two-electron and radical pathways, respectively. Catalyst reduction has been identified to be the turnover-limiting step in this system. A closer investigation of the radical formation step using a (Xantphos)Ni(I)Ar model complex reveals that Ni(I) initiates radical formation via a concerted halogen-abstraction pathway.The low redox potentials of Ni have allowed us to develop a reductive, trans-selective diene cyclization, wherein a classic two-electron mechanism operates on a Ni(I)/Ni(III) platform, accounting for the chemo- and stereoselectivity. This reaction has found applications in the efficient synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant molecules, such as 3,4-dimethylgababutin.The tendency of Ni to undergo one-electron redox processes prompted us to explore dinuclear Ni-mediated bond formations. These studies provide insight into Ni-Ni bonding and how two metal centers react cooperatively to promote C-C, C-X, and N-N bond forming reductive elimination.Finally, isolation of β-agostic Ni and Pd complexes has allowed for X-ray and neutron diffraction characterization of these highly reactive molecules. The bonding parameters serve as unambiguous evidence for β-agostic interactions and help rationalize the slower β-H elimination at Ni relative to Pd. Overall, our research has elucidated the fundamental properties of Ni complexes in several contexts. Greater mechanistic understanding facilitates catalyst design and helps rationalize the reactivity and selectivity in Ni-catalyzed alkene functionalization reactions.
On the basis of morphological and laboratory-analytical researches it is established that in the profile of sod-podzolic pseudogleyed soils of the Beskydy Precarpathians are formed ortsteins that have clear outer contours, concentric inner structure with alternation of rust-red circles. Two ranges for the formation of ortsteins in the investigation soils were established: in the overiluvial part of the profile and the transition to the rock horizon. Within the НЕgl horizon, the content of ortsteins is 2.8 %, and in the fractional composition, the fraction is from 2.1 to 3.0 mm (37.5 %). The highest content of ortsteins (7.7 %) is characteristic of the Ehgl horizon, within which the fraction from 7.1 to 10.0 mm (27.2 %) prevails. Within the Pigl horizon, large ortsteins of 1.0 to 5.0 cm in size are oval and tubular with a concentric inner structure, and their content is 17.6 %. Ortsteins in the sod-podzolic pseudogleyed soils were formed as a result of alternation of redox conditions with the participation of specific, nonspecific microflora and glesish-eluvial, segregation processes of soil formation. The small ortsteins in the overiluvial part of the profile are the result of modern soil formation, and the large ones within the Pigl horizon are relict and associated with the early stages of soil formation in the Precarpathians. In order to identify the genesis and elemental composition, a plate of tubular ortstein with a diameter of 1.2 cm, which was selected from the Pigl horizon (220–240 cm), was made. In different parts of the plate, differing in colour, four points up to 1 μm in size (two against a light background and two against a dark one) were selected, within which elemental composition was determined by micro-X-ray spectrometry. The measurements were performed on a scanning electron microscope REM-106 (Ukraine) with a resolution of 5 nm and an energy-dispersive X-ray detector. The study of ortstein using a scanning electron microscope revealed that the formation of black rings within the tubular ortstein is due to an increase in the percentage of Manganese in 1.6–3.4, Aluminium in 1.4–2.3 and Calcium in 2.1–5.4 times. The percentage of Ferum in different parts of the ortstein is approximately the same, which determines its rusty-brown colour. Key words: ortsteins, sod-podzolic pseudogleyed soils, Beskydy Precarpathians, the accumulation factor, electron-scanning microscope.
Beta-thalassemia is one of most common autosomal recessive disorders worldwide. In France, 5 to 10 new major or intermedia forms are diagnosed annually and the global prevalence is about 500 cases. Since 20 years and thanks to the generalization of iron chelator treatments, the life expectancy has dramatically increased. Nearly 90% of the β-thalassemic alleles are point mutations easily identified by Sanger sequencing or dedicated methods. The remaining 10% are deletions detectable by MLPA or CGH Array. The alpha-globin genotype is also essential in the exploration of beta-thalassemia because an alpha-thalassemia improves the clinical state whereas an alpha triplication worsens it. The additional genotyping of a few HbF inducer polymorphisms allows to predict the age of the first transfusion, thanks to a recent dedicated algorithm, making beta-thalassemia one of the first potential application of predictive medicine. Gene therapy, pre-implantatory diagnosis and new drugs (Sotatercept®, hepcidin-like molecules) have also recently contributed to make beta-thalassemia a main scientific topic again.
The technology of bath-free ironing of parts in an electrolyte flow with simultaneous hydrome-chanical activation of the growing surface is proposed. Its advantages over the traditional type of coating are introduced. The structure, some physicomechanical and operational properties of iron coatings were studied depending on the electrolysis regimes and the composition of electrolytes. The possibility of high-speed electrodeposition of iron with a wide range of physical and mechanical properties is shown. There were shown the electrolysis modes, which make it possible to obtain high-quality strong-adhered pure-iron coatings with a wear resistance several times higher than hardened alloy steels and a precipitation growth rate tens of times higher than with traditional iron-ing. A typical technological process of parts ironing was developed. It was tested on the example of restoration of hydraulic valve spools of agricultural machinery. The design of an installation and an electrochemical cell for ironing the valve hydraulic distributors, providing optimal hydrodynamic conditions when applying coatings to worn surfaces, was proposed. Recommendations for the post-electrolysis treatment of restored parts by iron are given. Bench and field tests of hydraulic valves with remanufactured valves were carried out. They confirmed the results of laboratory studies, and showed that no malfunctions were identified during the operation period. Technical and economic calculations have shown the high efficiency of the proposed technology in comparison with tradi-tional ironing. The introduction of the technology in production will reduce the production area and the time spent on restoring parts by increasing the productivity of the iron process and reducing the number of operations, reducing the cost of materials for preparing electrolytes by reducing the op-eration of anodic treatment and washing, and increasing the reliability of the technology by improv-ing its structural scheme.
The effect of hemoglobin (Hb) and lipid concentration, pH, temperature, and different antioxidants on heme-mediated lipid oxidation of liposomes from marine phospholipids was studied. The rate of lipid oxidation was measured by consumption of dissolved oxygen. Heme-mediated lipid oxidation at different Hb and lipid concentrations was modeled by Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The maximum rate (V(max)) for the reaction with cod and bovine Hb as a pro-oxidant was 66.2 +/- 3.4 and 56.6 +/- 3.4 microM/min, respectively. The Michaelis-Menten constant (K(m)) for the reaction with cod and bovine Hb was 0.67 +/- 0.09 and 1.2 +/- 0.2 microM, respectively. V(max) for the relationship between the oxygen uptake rate and lipid concentration was 43.2 +/- 1.5 microM/min, while the K(m) was 0.93 +/- 0.14 mg/mL. The effect of the temperature followed Arrhenius kinetics, and there was no significant difference in activation energy between cod and bovine Hb. The rate of lipid oxidation induced by bovine Hb was highest around pH 6. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) had no significant effect on heme-mediated lipid oxidation, but alpha-tocopherol and astaxanthin worked well as antioxidants. Kinetic differences were found between iron and Hb as pro-oxidants, and the efficacy of the antioxidants depended upon the pro-oxidant in the system.
Buck-boost DC/DC converters have been extensively employed in stepping up/down the voltage within the grid to satisfy the load need. Recently, one of these buck-boost converters provided reasonably wide voltage conversion ratio with continuous input and output ports current. However, there were no reported simulation results provided to analyze the effect of circuit components on the performance of the converter. In this paper, we present a simulation model that analysed the reported converter and proposed some modifications in circuit parameters based on an optimization technique that resulted in much higher, more stable with lower ripples output voltage than the reference converter. Moreover, the improved converter can work at higher duty cycles without suffering from high losses.
The conformation and interactions with membrane mimics of the NH2-terminal fragment 1–25 of HA2, HA2-(1–25), of influenza virus were studied by spectroscopic methods. Secondary structure analysis of circular dichroism data revealed 45% helix for the peptide at pH 5.0. Tryptophan fluorescence quenching by acrylamide and NMR experiments established that the Trp14is inside the vesicular interior and residues 16–18 are at the micellar aqueous boundary. NBD fluorescence enhancement of the NH2-terminal labeled fluorophore on the vesicle-bound peptide indicated that the NH2 terminus of the fusion peptide was located in the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer. No significant change in insertion depth was observed between pH 5.0 and 7.4. Collectively, these spectroscopic measurements pointed to an equilibrium between helix and non-helix conformations, with helix being the dominant form, for the segment in the micellar interior. The conformational transition may be facilitated by the high content of glycine, a conformationally flexible amino acid, within the fusion peptide sequence. Self-association of the 25-mer peptide was observed in the N-[2-hydroxy-1,1-bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]glycine SDS-gel electrophoresis experiments. Incorporating the NMR signal attenuation, fluorescence, and gel electrophoresis data, a working model for the organization of the fusion peptide in membrane bilayers was proposed.
Better than 75% fertilization of C57BL/6 mouse eggs with C57BL/6 sperm is obtained in vitro in a modified Kreb's-Ringer-bicarbonate medium containing 8 mM HEPES. No fertilization of obtained when Ca2+ is omitted from this medium. The drug verapamil, which interferes with Ca2+ channels and blocks the acrosome reaction [Schackmann et al, 1978] and fertilization in the sea urchin, also blocks fertilization of mouse eggs in vitro when included in complete medium at a concentration of 80 μg/ml. Tetraethylammonium, which inhibits delayed axonal potassium currents and prevents the acrosome reaction in sea urchin sperm, also completely inhibits fertilization of mouse eggs in vitro at a concentration of 5 mM. Tetramethylammonium, which does not inhibit potassium movements at the same concentration reduces fertilization by about 50%. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that ion movements are necessary for activation of the sperm and/or egg in mouse fertilization.
The novel contribution of this paper is to propose an incremental pose map optimization for monocular vision simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) based on similarity transformation, which can effectively solve the scale drift problem of SLAM for monocular vision and eliminate the cumulative error by global optimization. With the method of mixed inverse depth estimation based on a probability graph, the problem of the uncertainty of depth estimation is effectively solved and the robustness of depth estimation is improved. Firstly, this paper proposes a method combining the sparse direct method based on histogram equalization and the feature point method for front-end processing, and the mixed inverse depth estimation method based on a probability graph is used to estimate the depth information. Then, a bag-of-words model based on the mean initialization K-means is proposed for closed-loop feature detection. Finally, the incremental pose map optimization method based on similarity transformation is proposed to process the back end to optimize the pose and depth information of the camera. When the closed loop is detected, global optimization is carried out to effectively eliminate the cumulative error of the system. In this paper, indoor and outdoor environmental experiments are carried out using open data sets, such as TUM and KITTI, which fully proves the effectiveness of this method. Closed-loop detection experiments using hand-held cameras verify the importance of closed-loop detection. This method can effectively solve the scale drift problem of monocular vision SLAM and has strong robustness.
ABSTRACT This symposium deals with some of the major issues and concerns related to contemporary developments in public administration, policy, and governance. Although the authors of six articles covered in the symposium pay specific attention to the book Democratic Governance, they contribute to much wider debates on recent intellectual shifts in the field. The purpose of this brief introduction is to present precise summaries of these articles.
Article This paper assessed the landuse and landcover changes and its implications to flooding along Omambala floodplain in Anambra State. The paper aimed at identifying the landuse and landcover types in Omambala floodplain in relations to their temporal dynamics, the extent of landuse change and its implication to recurring incidence of flood disaster in the study area over a period of 20 years starting from the year 1998 to 2018. Multi-temporal Landsat TM and ETM+ imageries were obtained at 10 years interval; 1998; 2008 and 2018 to observe the pattern of landuse and landcover along the floodplain over the period of study. Population data of study area were obtained from National Population Commission on four time paints as to understand the rate of land conversion and modification of the floodplain. Visual interpretation method was used to map landuse and landcover into five classes namely: waterbody; built-up; sparse vegetation; bare surface and dense vegetation. The result of the analysis of the imageries showed a considerable change in the pattern of landuse and landcover classes within the period under study. There was also a considerable population growth leading to progressive conversion of natural vegetation to other human activities with Built-up lands sparse vegetation and bare surface on the increase as well as their attendant consequences. However, the study concluded that various anthropogenic landuse determine the land and conversion rate in
Water-soluble 3 nm maleimide-terminated PEGylated gold nanoparticles (maleimide-AuNP) were synthesized in both partially hydrolyzed and nonhydrolyzed forms. Both of these maleimide-AuNPs, when reacted with the silicon-fluorine prosthetic group [(18)F]SiFA-SH, resulted in radiolabeled AuNPs. These NPs were readily purified with high radiochemical yields (RCY) of 60-80% via size exclusion chromatography. Preliminary small animal positron emission tomography (PET) measurements in healthy rats gives information about the pathway of excretion and the stability of the radioactive label in vivo. The partially hydrolyzed [(18)F]SiFA-maleimide-AuNPs shows uptake in the brain region of interest (ROI) (> 0.13%ID/g) which was confirmed by ex vivo examination of the thoroughly perfused rat brain. The multiple maleimide end groups on the AuNP surface also allows for the simultaneous incorporation of [(18)F]SiFA-SH and a bioactive peptide (cysteine-modified octreotate, cys-TATE, which can bind to somatostatin receptor subtypes 2 and 5) in a proof-of-concept study. The well-defined Michael addition reaction between various thiol containing molecules and the multifunctionalized maleimide-AuNPs thus offers an opportunity to develop a new bioconjugation platform for new diagnostics as well as therapeutics.
Efficient copper-catalyzed formal carbene migratory insertion into the olefinic C═C bonds of internal olefins, that is, α-oxo ketene N,S-acetals, has been achieved by means of N-tosylhydrazones of ketones as the carbene precursors. Iminofuran derivatives were obtained and further transformed to the corresponding 2(3H)-furanones and 4-oxobutanoates (γ-ketoesters), respectively, under mild conditions. In a similar fashion, α-thioxo ketene N,S-acetals reacted with N-tosylhydrazones of ketones to afford iminothiophenes. It is suggested that formal carbene migratory insertion into the olefinic C═C bond is involved in the overall catalytic cycle, demonstrating a new type of carbene insertion reaction for five-membered heterocycle construction.
The cytochrome P450 aromatase (P450arom) enzyme is required for bioconversion of androgen to oestrogen. In this study ovarian P450arom mRNA and enzyme activity have been measured during development in normal mice and hypogondal (hpg) mice which lack circulating gonadotrophins. A semi-quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) technique was used to measure cytochrome P450arom mRNA levels and aromatase enzyme activity was measured directly. Using RT-PCR, P450arom mRNA was detectable in the adult mouse ovary and also in the uterus, kidney, brain and skeletal muscle but not in cardiac smooth muscle. In the normal mouse, P450arom mRNA was detectable in the ovary on the day of birth (day 1) and levels increased significantly up to day 15 with the most marked changes seen between days 1 and 5. Aromatase activity was also detectable at all ages in the ovary and increased significantly between days 1 and 7. In ovaries from hpg mice, normal levels of P450arom mRNA were present on day 1 but there was no significant change in P450arom mRNA at later ages up to day 15. These results show that in the newborn mouse ovary, which contains only primordial follicles, there is a basal expression of P450arom mRNA which is not gonadotrophin-dependent. After 1 day, however, gonadotrophins are required for normal expression of ovarian P450arom and this coincides with development of primary and secondary follicles.
This paper explores the subpolitical role and main characteristics of a specific accounting technique, sustainability reporting boundaries. Its focus is on how the sett2ing of sustainability reporting boundaries affects the definition and distribution of social risks along the supply chain, particularly the risks related to working condition and human rights.,The paper draws on Beck's (1986) exploration of the ways in which techno-economic spheres offer opportunities for the politicisation of new areas. It is argued that the sphere of sustainability reporting offers that opportunity for the politicisation of supply chains. Using the case of Inditex, the historical context of initiatives relating to the ready-made garment (RMG) industry at global, European and industry level as well as media coverage on the entity are analysed; this is correlated with the analysis of boundary setting in relation to sustainability reports, focusing specifically on working conditions.,The analysis suggests that accounting technologies that set contested boundaries are subpolitical, that is, defined outside traditional political processes. The paper finds that the way social risks are framed along the supply chain renders them invisible and impersonal and that the framing of these risks becomes endless as they are contested by different groups of experts. Setting sustainability reporting boundaries has subpolitical properties in producing and framing those risks, whilst is simultaneously limited by the inherent politicisation of such an exercise. The questionable legitimacy of sustainability reporting boundaries calls for the construction not only of discursive justifications but also of new possibilities for political participation.,The analysis is limited to working conditions along one organisation's supply chain.,The contribution of this paper is threefold: (1) It studies in-depth how working conditions in global supply chains are portrayed in sustainability reports. (2) It answers the call to study accounting technologies themselves, in this case sustainability reporting boundaries. (3) It extends Beck's work on global ecological dangers to working conditions in global supply chains to explore how sustainability reporting boundaries are subpolitically involved in the definition and distribution of social risks along the supply chain.
Three modeling systems were used to estimate human health risks from air pollution: two versions of MNRiskS (for Minnesota Risk Screening), and the USEPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA). MNRiskS is a unique cumulative risk modeling system used to assess risks from multiple air toxics, sources, and pathways on a local to a state‐wide scale. In addition, ambient outdoor air monitoring data were available for estimation of risks and comparison with the modeled estimates of air concentrations. Highest air concentrations and estimated risks were generally found in the Minneapolis‐St. Paul metropolitan area and lowest risks in undeveloped rural areas. Emissions from mobile and area (nonpoint) sources created greater estimated risks than emissions from point sources. Highest cancer risks were via ingestion pathway exposures to dioxins and related compounds. Diesel particles, acrolein, and formaldehyde created the highest estimated inhalation health impacts. Model‐estimated air concentrations were generally highest for NATA and lowest for the AERMOD version of MNRiskS. This validation study showed reasonable agreement between available measurements and model predictions, although results varied among pollutants, and predictions were often lower than measurements. The results increased confidence in identifying pollutants, pathways, geographic areas, sources, and receptors of potential concern, and thus provide a basis for informing pollution reduction strategies and focusing efforts on specific pollutants (diesel particles, acrolein, and formaldehyde), geographic areas (urban centers), and source categories (nonpoint sources). The results heighten concerns about risks from food chain exposures to dioxins and PAHs. Risk estimates were sensitive to variations in methodologies for treating emissions, dispersion, deposition, exposure, and toxicity.
The author addresses the issue of paradoxicality of educational reforms implemented in Serbia since the year two thousand. The strategic goal of the reforms is democratization of the educational system which is meant to provide fundamental support for the development of a democratic society. However, the question arises of how to develop such a system in light of the fact that a democratic society is a precondition for the development of a democratic educational system. In this case the paradox lies in the fact that expected outcomes of educational reforms are also preconditions for their implementation. The paper also deals with actual outcomes of completed reforms of educational systems in our country. The author points out that apparent problems in strategic planning of educational reforms, among other, stem from obvious oversights concerning anticipation of economic, cultural and social development, as well as overall social and civilisational developments expected in the period ahead.
This article analyses the mockumentary ¿Quién diablos es Juliette? to illustrate the ambivalence and multiplicity of meaning, as well as the sexualized representation of poor women's bodies and lives in different international settings. In particular, it considers the interwoven life stories of Cuban and Caribbean, Latin American, and Latina women, shaped by colonial history and a sexist image industry through a feminist lens, suggesting that ¿Quién diablos es Juliette? is original and important precisely because Yuliet, who is Cuban, is placed in bas-relief to the reality and filmic imaginings of other women, in different geographic locations and different political settings, nonetheless sharing comparable survival strategies. The mockumentary—set in the pivotal decade of the 1990s, when global cultural experiences were being revamped after the demise of the Soviet bloc, not least in Cuba—serves as a template from which to unravel the incongruities between the representation of women as objects and new interpretations of women as agents, able to shape their own experiences and to blur love, desire, and processes of consumption. This study builds on existing scholarship about sex tourism and jineterismo, and concludes that, as the protagonists of the film, Yuliet and Fabiola, prove, poor women are also active agents who bargain as well as they can within global mechanisms of consumption.
Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) efficiently convert incident light into heat under the resonant conditions of localized surface plasmon. Controlling mass transfer through plasmonic heating of Au NPs has potential applications such as manipulation and fabrication within a small space. Here, we describe the formation of stationary microbubbles and subsequent fluid convection induced by CW laser heating of Au NPs in water. Stationary bubbles of about 1-20 μm in diameter were produced by irradiating individual Au NPs with a CW laser. Spatial profiles and velocity distribution of fluid convection around the microbubbles were visualized by the wide-field fluorescence imaging of tracer nanospheres. To evaluate the bubble-induced convection, numerical simulations were performed on the basis of general heat diffusion and Navier-Stokes equations. A comparison between the experimental and computational results revealed that a temperature derivative of surface tension at the bubble surface is a key factor to control the fluid convection. Temperature differences of a few Kelvin at the bubble surface resulted in convective velocities ranging from 102 to 103 μm s-1. The convective velocity gradually increased with increasing bubble diameter. This article covers both natural and Marangoni convection induced by plasmonic heating of Au NPs.
A new technique for multistep phase‐contrast image processing is presented. The N‐step method consists of simply forming the linear average of the N — 1 adjacent phase‐difference signals. It has similar noise reduction properties as other multistep techniques, but the simplicity of the noise variance of the N‐step technique allows intuitive insight into phase‐difference phase‐contrast processing and noise reduction, which can aid in the design of efficient and improved phase‐contrast imaging sequences. As well, the computational simplicity of the N‐step phase‐difference technique compared with any other known multistep technique is advantageous. Like other multistep techniques, it has far more efficient noise reduction properties than simple two‐step, multiple average phase‐contrast imaging, even when normalized for total scan time. A three‐step phase‐difference velocity image has 50% less variance than an image acquired with two steps and two scans averaged but is obtained in 25% less scan time. Given its advantages, it should now be the chosen technique for increasing velocity‐to‐noise and contrast‐to‐noise ratios in all phase‐difference phase‐contrast clinical applications.
The morphology of the pudendal nerve was quantified in adult male and female rats. The sensory branch of the pudendal nerve was about three times as large in cross section in males as in females, and the motor branch was about five times as large. Electron microscopy was used to determine the ultrastructural bases of these gross size differences. Differences that were found included greater packing density of both myelinated and unmyelinated axons in females, larger myelinated and unmyelinated axons in males, larger myelin sheaths of sensory axons in males, more numerous myelinated axons in both branches of males, and more numerous unmyelinated axons in the sensory branch of males. There was also some indication that myelinated sensory axons were more likely to branch in the dorsal clitoral nerve of females than in the homologous nerve of males. Morphological differences in the structure of pudendal axons, their associated Schwann cells, and the extracellular matrix as well as differences in sensory and motor axonal number all have potential implications for the sexual differentiation of the central nervous system and behavior.
This research is aimed to fabricate glass fiber/epoxy nanocomposites containing organoclay as well as to understand the organoclay effect on the in-plane shear strength of the nanocomposites. To demonstrate the organoclay effect, three different loadings of organoclay, were dispersed in the epoxy resin using mechanical mixer followed by sonication. The corresponding glass/epoxy nanocomposites were prepared by impregnating the organoclay epoxy mixture into the dry glass fiber through a vacuum hand lay-up process. Off-axis block glass/epoxy nanocomposites were tested in compression to produce in-plane shear failure. It is noted only the specimens showing in-plane shear failure mode were concerned in this study. Through coordinate transformation law, the uniaxial failure stresses were then converted to a plot of shear stress versus transverse normal stress from which the in-plane shear strength was obtained. Experimental results showed that the fiber/epoxy nanocomposite exhibit higher in-plane shear strength than the conventional composites. This increased property could be ascribed to the enhanced fiber/matrix adhesion promoted by the organoclay.
Objective—Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) offer a sustainable source of endothelial cells for therapeutic vascularization and tissue engineering, but current techniques for generating these cells remain inefficient. We endeavored to induce and isolate functional endothelial cells from differentiating hESCs. Methods and Results—To enhance endothelial cell differentiation above a baseline of ≈2% in embryoid body (EB) spontaneous differentiation, 3 alternate culture conditions were compared. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment of EBs showed the best induction, with markedly increased expression of endothelial cell proteins CD31, VE-Cadherin, and von Willebrand Factor, but not the hematopoietic cell marker CD45. CD31 expression peaked around days 10 to 14. Continuous VEGF treatment resulted in a 4- to 5-fold enrichment of CD31+ cells but did not increase endothelial proliferation rates, suggesting a primary effect on differentiation. CD31+ cells purified from differentiating EBs upregulated ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in response to TNF&agr;, confirming their ability to function as endothelial cells. These cells also expressed multiple endothelial genes and formed lumenized vessels when seeded onto porous poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) scaffolds and implanted in vivo subcutaneously in athymic rats. Collagen gel constructs containing hESC-derived endothelial cells and implanted into infarcted nude rat hearts formed robust networks of patent vessels filled with host blood cells. Conclusions—VEGF induces functional endothelial cells from hESCs independent of endothelial cell proliferation. This enrichment method increases endothelial cell yield, enabling applications for revascularization as well as basic studies of human endothelial biology. We demonstrate the ability of hESC-derived endothelial cells to facilitate vascularization of tissue-engineered implants.
Investigated herein are the small- and large-amplitude vibrations of a thermally postbuckled graphene-reinforced composite (GRC) laminated beam supported by an elastic foundation. The piecewise GRC layers are arranged in a functionally graded (FG) pattern along the thickness direction of the beam. The temperature-dependent material properties of functionally graded graphene-reinforced composites (FG-GRCs) are estimated through the extended Halpin–Tsai micromechanical model. The nonlinear governing differential equations are derived from the higher-order shear deformation beam theory and the von Kármán-type strain–displacement relationships. The thermal effect, the beam–foundation interaction and the initial deflection caused by thermal postbuckling are also included. A two-step perturbation approach is applied to determine the thermal postbuckling equilibrium paths as well as the nonlinear vibration solutions for the FG-GRC laminated beams. Results are presented to demonstrate the nonlinear vibration responses of thermally postbuckled FG-GRC laminated beams under a uniform temperature field. The effects of the FG reinforcement patterns and the foundation stiffness on the nonlinear vibration responses of FG-GRC laminated beams are examined and discussed.
Pseudo-random code continuous wave (PRC_CW) radar, which is low probability of intercept and has good ability of target detection in clutter, is widely used in fields of target detection, tracking, guiding, detecting underground, and so on. Temporal distribution function of land clutter was always studied and the backscatter from land was supposed spatially homogeneous. In fact, the backscatter from various resolution cells is obviously different, especially under complicated land background, since the number of clutter sources is too great. So it is very important for spatial correlation characteristic analysis of land clutter. In this paper, spatial correlation characteristic of land clutter for PRC_CW radar at X-band was analyzed. The time spread of radar echo exists while the radar works at low grazing angle. To PRC_CW radar, the time spread of radar echo results in that the receiving signal amplitude at a certain time is the sum of many spread codes. In this paper, spatial amplitude distribution and spatial correlation function of some typical land clutter under the condition of single code were firstly discussed. Then, we point out the problem of time spread of echo signal at low grazing angle and proposed a superposition method to simulate real clutter echo of PRC_CW radar. Finally we analyzed the spatial correlation characteristics of some typical land clutter.
Emphatic abilities are abilities to understand other people's feelings. Emphatic is built based on their own awareness, the more open children are to their emotions, the better they are in understanding others' feelings. Low emphatic abilities are found in 5-6 years old children at PAUD Bina Bangsa Islamic School, they can be seen from children's daily habit at schools which cannot show understanding of their friends' feelings and how to act to others. Due to that reason, cooperative learning implementation is needed to stimulate cooperation and interaction in children so that they can escalate their emphatic abilities well. This research was conducted on 13-10 April 2017 at PAUD Bina Islamic School using action research method conducted in two cycles with success criteria of 70%. The objective is to find out how learning cooperative processes escalate 5-6 years old children's emphatic abilities. Based on research results obtained, their emphatic abilities can be escalated through cooperative learning with 22% on preaction, then the emphatic abilities are getting higher in the first cycle to 50.43%, and in the second cycle it is increasing as well to 96.42%. Based on data acquired, it can be inferred that 5-6 years old children's abilities can be escalated through cooperative learning.
ABSTRACT A 78-year-old, overweight woman with a severe individual history of the cardiovascular system was admitted in the intensive care unit with acute pulmonary edema. Despite appropriate emergency treatment, the patient did not show any clinical improvement and emergency intubation was decided. Post-intubation physical examination revealed dullness to percussion, absent breath sounds and reduced chest excursion of the right hemithorax combined with a gradual drop in blood pressure and oxygen saturation. An emergency chest X-ray showed opacification of the entire right lung and an ipsilateral shift of the mediastinum. Improvement of the patient’s respiratory and hemodynamic status was observed immediately after the partial withdrawal of the tube. Tube displacement is a relative frequent complication and concerns mainly the right main bronchus due to anatomical procedures. However, the above case is a rare case of tube displacement in the left main bronchus, which led to total atelectasis of the rightlung.
Kinetic theory of ﬂuids plays an important role in understanding and modeling mass, momentum and energy transfer between the vapor and liquid phase in non-equilibrium two-phase ﬂows, in which evaporation and / or condensation take place. The paper presents a review of the literature which focuses on kinetic modeling of the vapor-liquidinterface. Starting from the studies of the Knudsen layer structure in evaporation and condensation, the problem of the formulation of kinetic boundary conditions is described and discussed. The formulation of models based on approximate kinetic descriptions of dense ﬂuids is described and the model capabilities are assessed through the analysis of the results obtained by various authors.
This research first deals with the states of affairsKazakhstanfaces nowadays in the field of energy security. Energy security is a declared priority forKazakhstangovernment. The article explores the diverse risks that may arise from conditions of increasing economic competition and resource scarcity, and the full range of problems that may follow if major producers or consumers of energy lose confidence to secure access to energy. It surveys the strategic outlook of both producer and consumer states. Oil, which sits in the foreground of the global energy picture, is a finite resource. Much remains to be discovered about the ultimate extent of global petroleum reserves, and about the economics of their exploitation. [1]
The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) with a capacity of degrading multiple intracellular proteins is an essential regulator in tumor immunosurveillance. Tumor cells that escape from recognition and destruction of immune system have been consistently characterized an important hallmark in the setting of tumor progression. Little know about the exact functions of UPS-related genes (UPSGs) and their relationships with antitumor immunity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. In this study, for the first time, we comprehensively identified 114 differentially expressed UPSGs (DEUPSGs) and constructed a prognostic risk model based on the eight DEUPSGs (BRCA1, OSTM1, PCGF2, PSMD2, SOCS1, UCHL1, UHRF1, and USP54) in the TCGA-HNSCC database. This risk model was validated using multiple data sets (all P < 0.05). The high-risk score was found to be an independently prognostic factor in HNSCC patients and was significantly correlated with T cells suppression. Accordingly, our risk model can act as a prognostic signature and provide a novel concept for improving the precise immunotherapy for patients with HNSCC.
The gas, oil and water co-current flow in pipes either flow in separate layers or in the form of a mixture. Other than gas, the liquid mixtures are common during the transportation of oil. In liquid mixtures, one liquid acts as a continuous phase and the other liquid dispersed in it. The phase inversion in three-phase flow majorly depends on the superficial velocity of individual phases, the volume fraction of liquid phases in total liquid and the internal diameter of the pipe. Pipe bends and fittings are commonly used in pipe networks for the diversion and distribution of flow. The 90° elbow bends are commonly used in such systems, where they change the flow direction from horizontal to vertical and vice versa. For the case of horizontal to upward vertical flow, the bend offers restriction to the flow compared to the straight pipe. Therefore, the process of phase inversion gets effected upstream 90° bend. In the current work, the phase inversion process during three-phase horizontal flow upstream 90° bend has been studied. The internal diameter of the pipe was 0.1524 m and the bend radius to diameter ratio (r/d) was 1. The range of superficial velocities are 0.5-5, 0.08-0.4, and 0.08-0.4 for oil-gas and water respectively. The continuous liquid phase and its effect on pressure drop have been studied at various oil to liquid volume ratios (fo). The results show the different oil-water relationships and the liquid holdup occurred due to the bend.
This article argues that television’s resilience in the current media landscape can best be understood by analyzing its role in a broader quest to organize attention across different media. For quite a while, the mobile phone was considered to be a disturbance both for watching television and for classroom teaching. In recent years, however, strategies have been developed to turn the second screen’s distractive potential into a source for intensified, personalized and social attention. This has consequences for television’s position in a multimedia assemblage: television’s alleged specificities (e.g. liveness) become mouldable features, which are selectively applied to guide the attention of users across different devices and platforms. Television does not end, but some of its traditional features do only persist because of its strategic complementarity with other media; others are re-adapted by new technologies thereby spreading televisual modes of attention across multiple screens. The article delineates the historical development of simultaneous media use as a ‘problematization’—from alternating (and competitive) media use to multitasking and finally complementary use of different media. Additionally, it shows how similar strategies of managing attention are applied in the ‘digital classroom’. While deliberately avoiding to pin down, what television is, the analysis of the problem of attention allows for tracing how old and new media features are constantly reshuffled. This article combines three arguments: (1) the second screen is conceived of as both a danger to attention and a tool to manage attention. (2) To organize attention, the second screen assemblage modulates the specific qualities of television and all the other devices involved. (3) While being a fragile and often inconsistent assemblage, the second screen spreads its dynamics—and especially the problem of attention—far beyond television, e.g. into the realm of teaching.
Abstract Recent scholarship on the history of science in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has provided new horizons for exploring questions about the nature and epistemology of socialist science, its epistemic virtues, its knowledge-producing practices, its geographical imagination and networks of communication and exchange, and its relations to the Chinese state and state building. In this essay the author uses a focus on practice to extrapolate implications and tendencies that he sees as unifying recent studies, and he clarifies their contributions to the current understanding of the history of science in the PRC. Particularly with respect to Chinese state-science relations and the nature of Maoist mass science, a focus on practice illuminates how recent scholarship has queried and interrogated unitary conceptions of the Chinese state and science, highlighted transnational connections and movements, and deepened our understanding of Maoist mass science.
In order to obtain deformation behavior and volumetric characteristic of fancy weft knitted fabric, loop models are built on improved particle systems in this article. The problem of the non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) curves, which cannot pass through all control points, is solved by using an interpolation algorithm which can generate new auxiliary points. To simulate the twist of folded yarns, the NURBS curves are regarded as the geometric center, which is rotated with cylinders whose three relative Euler angles are calculated by the spatial coordinates of adjacent points. By analyzing the relationship between the deformation of the loop and the displacement of the particles, the deformation behavior of fancy weft knitted stitches is simulated. Velocity-Verlet, a numerical integration, is introduced to simulate fancy weft knitted stitches, and stable results are obtained. The results show that these models and algorithm accurately display the deformation behavior of fancy weft knitted stitches, as demonstrated by qualitative comparisons to measure the deformations of actual samples, and the simulator can scale up to animations with complex dynamic motion.
Gas-phase IR spectra of carbon dioxide and methane are nowadays well understood, as a consequence of their pivotal roles in atmospheric- and astrochemistry. However, once those molecules are trapped in noble gas matrices, their spectroscopic properties become difficult to conceptualize. Still, such spectra provide valuable insights into the vibrational structure. In this study, we combine new matrix-isolation infrared (MI-IR) spectra at 6 K in argon and neon with in vacuo anharmonic spectra computed by vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) and vibrational configuration interaction (VCI). The aim is to separate anharmonicity from matrix effects in the mid-infrared spectra of 12C16O2, 12CH4, and 12CD4. The accurate description of anharmonic potential energy surfaces including mode-coupling allows to reproduce gas-phase data with deviations of below 3 cm-1. Consequently, the remaining difference between MI-IR and VSCF/VCI can be attributed to matrix effects. Frequency shifts and splitting patterns turn out to be unsystematic and dependent on the particular combination of analyte and noble gas. While in the case of neon matrices these effects are small, they are pronounced in xenon, krypton, and argon matrices. Our strategy allows us to suggest that methane rotates in neon matrices - in contrast to previous reports.
This paper is a call to the field of human-robot interaction to focus research efforts on the development and repair of trust within human-robot teams. To guide this effort, this paper describes the initial development of a framework for trust development in human-robot interaction research with a specific focus on trust repair. This framework identifies several unique trust-dyads within an example domain of Urban Search and Rescue Operations (USAR) that are suitable relationships for study. We conclude with several areas of research that should be addressed under a trust repair framework including trust measurement, model development and validation, mutual dynamic trust calibration, and long term trust development.
The properties are discussed of system y+L, a broad scope amino acid transporter which was first identified in human erythrocytes. System y+L exhibits two distinctive properties: (a) it can bind and translocate cationic and neutral amino acids, and (b) its specificity varies depending on the ionic composition of the medium. In Na+ medium, the half‐saturation constant for L‐lysine influx was 9.5 +/− 0.67 microM and the inhibition constant (Ki) for L‐leucine was 10.7 +/− 0.72 microM. L‐Leucine is the neutral amino acid that binds more powerfully, whereas smaller analogues, such as L‐alanine and L‐serine interact less strongly (the corresponding inhibition constants were Ki,Ala, 0.62 +/− 0.11 mM; Ki,Ser, 0.49 +/− 0.08 mM). In the presence of K+, the carrier functions as a cationic amino acid specific carrier, but Li+ is able to substitute for Na+ facilitating neutral amino acid binding. The effect of the inorganic cations is restricted to the recognition of neutral amino acids; translocation occurs at similar rates in the presence of Na+, K+ and Li+. The only structural feature that appears to impair translocation is bulkiness and substrates with half‐saturation constants differing by more than 100‐fold translocate at the same rate. This suggests that translocation is largely independent of the forces of interaction between the substrate and the carrier site. System y+L activity has been observed in Xenopus laevis oocytes injected with the cRNA for the heavy chain of the 4F2 human surface antigen. 4F2hc is an integral membrane protein with a single putative membrane‐spanning domain and it remains to be clarified whether it is part of the transporter or an activator protein.
The correct management of organic fertilization has been shown as an extremely viable alternative in the production of vegetables, providing high yields concomitant to the reduction of synthetic fertilizers. The improvement of the production can be interpreted by the physiological behavior, favored by the organic fertilization with the supply of nutrients. Thus, an experiment was carried out to evaluate the gas exchange and Soil-Plant Analyses Development (SPAD) chlorophyll content in tomato plants according to types of organic fertilizers and biofertilizer doses. The experimental design was completely randomized with treatments distributed in factorial arrangement (3 x 5), referring to organic fertilizer types (T1: earthworm humus; T2: goat manure and T3: cattle manure) and biofertilizer concentrations (600, 800, 1000, 1200 and 1400 ml), with four replications. The gas exchange and the SPAD chlorophyll content in tomato plants depend on the type of organic fertilizer and the concentration of biofertilizer. It was possible to observe that increasing doses of biofertilizer in the substrate with low organic concentration increase the gas exchange in tomato plants, while high doses together with more concentrated organic fertilizers reduce these characteristics.     Key words: Alternative fertilizer, Lycopersicon esculentum, photosynthesis, organic fertilizer.
Restriction‐site‐associated DNA tag (RAD‐tag) sequencing has become a popular approach to generate thousands of SNPs used to address diverse questions in population genomics. Comparatively, the suitability of RAD‐tag genotyping to address evolutionary questions across divergent species has been the subject of only a few recent studies. Here, we evaluate the applicability of this approach to conduct genome‐wide scans for polymorphisms across two cetacean species belonging to distinct families: the short‐beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis; n = 5 individuals) and the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena; n = 1 individual). Additionally, we explore the effects of varying two parameters in the Stacks analysis pipeline on the number of loci and level of divergence obtained. We observed a 34% drop in the total number of loci that were present in all individuals when analysing individuals from the distinct families compared with analyses restricted to intraspecific comparisons (i.e. within D. delphis). Despite relatively stringent quality filters, 3595 polymorphic loci were retrieved from our interfamilial comparison. Cetaceans have undergone rapid diversification, and the estimated divergence time between the two families is relatively recent (14–19 Ma). Thus, our results showed that, for this level of divergence, a large number of orthologous loci can still be genotyped using this approach, which is on par with two recent in silico studies. Our findings constitute one of the first empirical investigations using RAD‐tag sequencing at this level of divergence and highlights the great potential of this approach in comparative studies and to address evolutionary questions.
Background and objectives: Glial brain cancers affect nearly 20,000 individuals in the United States (USA) annually. SEER database data exploring the relationship between race and gliomas is now available and have shown that cerebral gliomas occur at a higher frequency in Caucasian men. However, such analyses did not include demographic data specific to the state of Florida. This study assessed the association between race and glial vs. non-glial Central Nervous System (CNS) cancers in Florida, USA. Materials and Methods: This case-control study utilized the Florida Cancer Data Registry (FCDS), in which race was considered the exposure and development of glioma as the measured outcome. The sample was comprised of patients in Florida diagnosed with brain tumors from 1981 to 2013. Relative racial frequencies were compared between patients with glial brain tumors and those with other CNS tumors. Data was analyzed using logistic regression in order to determine any associations between race and frequency of diagnosis adjusting for several confounders (age, sex, smoking status, year of diagnosis, and insurance status). Results: Between 1981 and 2013 a total of 14,092 patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were diagnosed in Florida with a primary brain tumor. Being of non-white race was associated with 60% decreased odds of glioma diagnosis compared to the reference white population (adjusted OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.34–0.47). Secondary findings include associations between increasing age and male sex with increased odds of glioma diagnosis. Decreased adjusted odds of glioma diagnosis were found with former smoking status (reference non-smokers), diagnosis between 2001 and 2010 (reference 1981–1990), and Medicaid or Medicare insurance (reference private insurance). Hispanic ethnicity, current smoking status, no insurance/self-pay, and geographical location (urban vs. rural) all had no association with glioma diagnosis. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with and help reinforce previous studies utilizing national databases (SEER) which also showed increasing odds of glioma diagnosis in older white males. Various potential explanations for these findings include genetic predisposition, lifestyle and behavioral factors, and socioeconomic status, including access to healthcare. Future research aims at identifying potential genetic etiologies.
ABSTRACT The study of Chinua Achebe’s career and works remains incomplete without full attention being paid to the intricate publishing history of his works. This article addresses this conspicuous omission in the historiography of African literature. Using Achebe’s publishing records and correspondence, it examines the publishing process of Anthills of the Savannah (1987) in terms of relationships, negotiation, publicity and prizes. The shortlisting of the novel for the Booker Prize was a symbolic event, the full implications of which became clearer with time. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the publication of the novel, the article discusses the circumstances and conditions that led to its remarkable success. More specifically, it highlights the significant, though often overlooked, role of publishers in directing the literary experience of Achebe.
UNLABELLED Over the past 60 years Latin American countries have been experiencing noticeable demographic and socioeconomic changes, with marked impact on the population health in the region. There is growing recognition of the co-morbidity among mental and physical health problems impacting heavily on health care systems. These challenges open many opportunities for transformational change in the expanding field of global mental health. Given the growing evidence for the wide applicability and efficacy of specific components included in mental health treatment packages, research should focus more on improving the organization and efficiency with which we deliver these specific treatment components already proven to be efficacious. The Latin American Treatment and Innovation Network in Mental Health (LATIN-MH) is a research and training Hub based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Lima, Peru. It aims to address the co-morbidity between physical and mental chronic diseases, exploring the opportunity to use technology to support the treatment of these conditions. LATIN-MH strives to move beyond specific single-disease approaches and research silos, whilst maximizing the opportunities to work collaboratively with various groups in the Latin American region, thus contributing to fostering research and building capacity in mental health research.   KEY WORDS Mental Health, Chronic Disease, mHealth, Capacity Building (MeSH) Key concepts: Chronic diseases have now become the major determinants of the disease burden in Latin America, whereas psychiatric disorders accounted for almost one-third of years lived with disability worldwide in 2005. LATIN-MH is a research and training hub that aims to address the co-morbidity between physical and mental chronic diseases using technology to support their treatments. LATIN-MH strives to move beyond specific single-disease approaches and research siloes, whilst maximizing the opportunities to work collaboratively with various groups in the Latin American region, thus contributing to foster research and build capacity in mental health research. LATIN-MH is built on three driving principles: (i) building capacities to ensure sustainability and autonomy of mental health services, (ii) developing strategic interdisciplinary partnerships, and (iii) integrating mental health treatment into primary care and community health systems.
Liquid crystal based lenses with variable focal length are of broad interest due to their wide area of applications ranging from techniques to medicine. We present the modeling approaches and results for a couple of tunable liquid crystal based lenses, namely: curved electrode lens, lens with hole patterned electrode and high resistivity layer, lens based on modulated anchoring and contact lens. We also discuss the current challenges associated with the modeling of LC lenses and possible ways to overcome them.
Introduction The management of low-risk febrile infants presents a model population for exploring how implicit racial bias promotes inequitable emergency care for children who belong to racial, ethnic and language minority groups. Although widely used clinical standards guide the clinical care of febrile infants, there remains substantial variability in management strategies. Deviations from recommended care may be informed by the physician’s assessment of the family’s values, risk tolerance and access to supportive resources. However, in the fast-paced emergency setting, such assessments may be influenced by implicit racial bias. Despite significant research to inform the clinical care of febrile infants, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding health disparities and clinical guideline implementation. The proposed mixed methods approach will (1) quantify the extent of disparities by race, ethnicity and language proficiency and (2) explore the role of implicit bias in physician–patient communication when caring for this population. Methods and analysis With 42 participating sites from the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee, we will conduct a multicenter, cross-sectional study of low-risk febrile infants treated in the emergency department (ED) and apply multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between (1) race and ethnicity and (2) limited English proficiency with the primary outcome, discharge to home without lumbar puncture or antibiotics. We will concurrently perform an interpretive study using purposive sampling to conduct individual semistructured interviews with (1) minority parents of febrile infants and (2) paediatric ED physicians. We will triangulate or compare perspectives to better elucidate disparities and bias in communication and medical decision-making. Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board. All participating sites in the multicenter analysis will obtain local institutional review board approval. The results of this study will be presented at academic conferences and in peer-reviewed publications.
SOX10 is required for melanocyte development and maintenance, and has been linked to melanoma initiation and progression. However, the molecular mechanisms by which SOX10 guides the appropriate gene expression programs necessary to promote the melanocyte lineage are not fully understood. Here we employ genetic and epigenomic analysis approaches to uncover novel genomic targets and previously unappreciated molecular roles of SOX10 in melanocytes. Through global analysis of SOX10-binding sites and epigenetic characteristics of chromatin states, we uncover an extensive catalog of SOX10 targets genome-wide. Our findings reveal that SOX10 predominantly engages 'open' chromatin regions and binds to distal regulatory elements, including novel and previously known melanocyte enhancers. Integrated chromatin occupancy and transcriptome analysis suggest a role for SOX10 in both transcriptional activation and repression to regulate functionally distinct classes of genes. We demonstrate that distinct epigenetic signatures and cis-regulatory sequence motifs predicted to bind putative co-regulatory transcription factors define SOX10-activated and SOX10-repressed target genes. Collectively, these findings uncover a central role of SOX10 as a global regulator of gene expression in the melanocyte lineage by targeting diverse regulatory pathways.
With a new round of global industrial transfer staging, service outsourcing gradually becomes a strategic choice to improve the core competitiveness of enterprises. Meanwhile, knowledge is one key to remain enterprise competitiveness, and how to possess and create knowledge becomes a vital issue. Thus, knowledge-intensive service outsourcing as an innovation bridge can help enterprises improve the competitiveness without high cost. This paper created a knowledge performance function model during knowledge-intensive service outsourcing process based on knowledge transfer and knowledge creation theory. Two scenarios were modeled, afterward both within-scenario and cross-scenario analyses were conducted, and then several useful conclusions were brought forward, which can provide convincing academic bases for enterprise when carrying out service outsourcing strategy.
Silver nitrate as prophylaxis against gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum (GON) is still compulsory in many countries, although disputed. In Sweden it is proposed that the use of silver nitrate be discontinued as there is now effective treatment available and because of the present epidemiological situation and good neonatal care. In some communities, however, the socioeconomic situation is such as to justify a continued use of prophylaxis against GON. Therefore it was decided to try Hexarginum (AgNo3+CH3NH2), a colloidal silver compound as an alternative, which is less irritating than silver nitrate. The antibacterial effect in vitro of silver nitrate and Hexarginum on Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Diplococcus pneumoniae and Haeomophilus infruenzae was compared. Both compounds were found to be very active in killing gonococci. The effectiveness against other species was varying, H. intluenzae being more rapidly killed than the Gram‐positive cocci. Hexarginum was consistently less active than silver nitrate by 1–4 dilution steps. It was also tested whether silver nitrate and Hexarginum inhibited the adhesion of gonococci to epithelial cells. Some inhibition was found by silver nitrate although the difference was not significant. The effect by which silver nitrate acts as a prophylactic agent against GON is probably more complex than merely depending on the antibacterial effect; any other compound must be evaluated carefully before it can be recommended as an alternative prophylactic agent against GON.
dW), the energy content (estimated from C; both per egg and per mg dW), and the C/n and C/H mass ratios. Egg size, wet weight (WW), and water content (in µg and % of WW), by contrast, increased significantly during the time of embryonic development. These parameters reached significantly higher final (near-to-hatching) values in mudflats than in saltmarshes (egg volume 0.0249 vs 0.0233 mm 3 ; WW 36.5 vs 28.8 µg; water content 30.7 vs 23.2 µg per egg or 84.2 vs 80.2% of WW, respectively). Fecundity and reproductive effort did not differ significantly between habitats. Habitat-specific differences in the water content and size of crab eggs are discussed in relation to small-scale local variation in environmental conditions.
Nowadays, the growing presence of distributed energy resources (DER) makes the management of the distribution grid more complex, thus requiring distributed monitoring and controlling capabilities. The deployment of locally distributed intelligent devices over a large area involves a high performance network infrastructure (typically based on heterogeneous communication technologies) in order to provide the most appropriate level of communication. In addition, monitoring and control applications need a common sense of time to coordinate the activities among distributed devices, but accurate time synchronization in a heterogeneous network is still a challenge. Network Time Protocol (NTP) can distribute time information with accuracy in the order of milliseconds on a Wide Area Network (WAN). In this work, an experimental characterization of NTP synchronization performance on a real network for Smart Grids has been done. The first analysis highlights the synchronization capabilities span from 1 ms to 20 ms depending on the technology adopted for the deployment of the network (e.g. fiber optics links, BPL links and Wi-Fi).
In recent years, internet of things (IoT)-based technology has been deployed to different areas of water supply system. This is in line with the Smart Water Network Management (SWNM) initiative, that aims to propose a methodology to improve operational performance and monitoring of water supply systems. In the smart water network management applications, IoT-based technology is facing quite a few challenges. In this paper, we present IoT's applications for monitoring the water supply network with emphasis on its application to water quality and leakage monitoring. In these applications, the technical challenges of IoT-based technology are also discussed. Finally, future research directions in this domain are also highlighted, which may be useful for further studies.
This article presents an art-teacher-researcher’s perspective on issues related to project-based integrative visual arts teaching to primary school students attending after-school activities. Based on the theoretical assumption that contemporary art forms are a suitable pedagogical solution for integrative visual arts teaching, the study explores the transformation and materialisation of a conceptual contemporary art installation into a performance. The described processes reveal the potential of contemporary art forms for encouraging integrative teaching through multiprofessional collaboration, which enhances the simultaneous application of the four integrative teaching styles as defined by Bresler (1995): subservient, co-equal, affective and social. The study demonstrates how artistic multiprofessional collaboration, triggered by the contemporary art expression can, in practice, extend the integrative learning opportunities by putting the students into authentic creative processes.  The results of this action research confirm that after-school activities provide a favourable environment for quality integrative teaching as they give the freedom to plan educational thematic projects that allow active co-equal collaborations. Such projects unfold the possibilities for learning in collaboration through artistic expression and multidisciplinary discovery, which in turn fosters knowledge and skill transferability that go beyond the discipline-based school curriculum.
The effects of hypertonic (7.5%) saline/6% dextran 70 (HSD) on central and regional hemodynamics were studied during uncontrolled intra-abdominal bleeding in 16 anesthetized pigs. Ultrasonic flow probes were placed proximally and distally to an aortic injury to indicate the incidence and extent of rebleeding after injecting 4 mL kg(-1) (N = 8) and 2.65 mL kg(-1) (N = 8) of HSD 10 min after the vascular injury was induced. The initial aortic bleeding reduced the blood flow rates to 71% of baseline in the skin, 53% in the splanchnic region, 42% in the upper aorta, and 15% in the kidney. Cardiac output dropped to 46% and the mean arterial pressure to 57% of baseline. The injection of HSD was followed by a prompt increase in all blood flow rates, but rebleeding started within 2 min in 13 of the pigs (81%). A second period of rebleeding occurred in six of them. The rebleeding averaged 300 mL, which is 62% of the blood lost when the aortic injury was induced. There was no significant difference between the treatment groups with respect to these blood losses or to the oxygen consumption, which was not restored by HSD. Five animals in each treatment group died after about 70 min, while the remaining six pigs (38%) survived the 120 min study period. These results suggest that HSD in the recommended dose, and even two-thirds thereof, promotes rebleeding when given shortly after a low energy intra-abdominal aortic injury. The fluid seems to have no beneficial effect on this type of uncontrolled hemorrhage.
AbstractResponding to calls for revised pedagogical strategies this article highlights the use of postmodern techniques in applied policy analysis. Focusing on the crucial role of problem definition in the Yellowstone National Park bison controversy of 1996-97, a postmodern approach is briefly examined and then applied in the form of a narrative analysis. An analysis of original survey data, newspaper articles, letters to the editors, public speeches, and public texts producedfive narratives: 1) “Hidden Agendas and Heroes,” 2) “Winter Ghost Towns and a Hobson’s Choice,” 3) “Two Goliaths and Little (David) Montana,” 4) “Blue Ribbons, a Mercy Harvest, and Anti-Recreationist Conspirators,” and 5) “Wild Bison and Wild Bureaucrats.” The article touches on language, power, democracy, and the relationship between positivism and postmodemism. It is argued that postmodem techniques can move from the realm of theory to the realm of practice and make significant contributions to applied policy analysis.
This research evaluates the operational heating and cooling energy consumption of cross-laminated timber (CLT) office buildings in China. The evaluations involve a comparison of the energy consumption of a reference RC structure and CLT system office buildings. Computational simulation results are based on IES-VE 2019 and show that the estimated heating energy saving ratio of CLT buildings in Harbin, Beijing, Shanghai, and Kunming to the reference structure are 11.97%, 22.11%, 30.94%, and 23.30% respectively. However, the CLT buildings consume more energy for cooling in the summer. The results of the research show significantly higher heating energy reductions for CLT buildings in the Cold Region and Severe Cold Regions of China. Thus, the application of the CLT system is better suited to northern China than southern China. The results of the research can be used in further assessment of the use of CLT systems in different climatic regions in China.
Worldwide, the number of professional and sports divers is increasing. Most of them breathe diving gases with a raised partial pressure of oxygen (PO2). However, if the PO2 is between 50 and 300 kPa (375–2250 mmHg) (hyperoxia), pathological pulmonary changes can develop, known as pulmonary oxygen toxicity (POT). Although in its acute phase, POT is reversible, it can ultimately lead to non-reversible pathological changes. Therefore, it is important to monitor these divers to prevent them from sustaining irreversible lesions. This review summarises the pulmonary pathophysiological effects when breathing oxygen with a PO2 of 50–300 kPa (375–2250 mmHg). We describe the role and the limitations of lung function testing in monitoring the onset and development of POT, and discuss new techniques in respiratory medicine as potential markers in the early development of POT in divers. To prevent the early development of pulmonary oxygen toxicity divers must be properly monitored http://ow.ly/RVJL301fySb
Significance Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant of great public health concern because methylmercury, its most toxic form, bioaccumulates in marine organisms and reaches dangerous levels in pelagic fish. Despite decades of research, many details are unclear about how, at what depths in the ocean, and in which marine environments mercury transforms to methylmercury. Hg and amino acid–specific nitrogen isotope measurements of marine particles and marine organisms from different Pacific Ocean sites demonstrate that Hg within marine organisms preferentially originates from small particles (< 53 µm). It was found that small particles undergo greater microbial degradation than large particles (> 53 µm), facilitating the production of methylmercury, which is then transferred to marine organisms by consumption and bioaccumulation.
When Dr Colton initially invited me to give this address, I said no. In fact I said no over a period of 2 weeks. In the course of our conversations, it became clear that he wanted me to expand on some comments I had made in a recently published paper dealing with epidemiological issues for the 1980s [1]. These remarks related to observational studies. Speci cally, I indicated that for prospective observational studies where two treatments are being compared in the absence of randomization the most serious defect in drawing valid inferences were the unknown e ects of selection bias—physician selection and patient selection. I noted that although a good deal of research had appeared due to Cochran, Rubin (e.g. Reference [2]), and others in trying to adjust for bias due to imbalances in baseline covariates, little or no research had been carried out on the potential selection bias. I pointed out that in the area of sample surveys there seemed to me to be a potential bias of a similar nature, due to nonresponse and yet a fair amount of research on possible e ects of this cause of bias had been engaged in by survey statisticians. It was this topic that Ted wanted me to expand on. I told him that unless I had something de nite to o er in ways of conducting this research there was no point to repeating these comments on the need for such research. He then twisted my arm to accept, think about the problem, and also have the option of making any other remarks I thought appropriate. Thus the general nature of the title. In the next 30 or 40 min I shall make some personal observations on biostatistics and present some thoughts on observational studies. By re ecting on biostatistics, I mean to present my impressions on several aspects of the discipline called biostatistics. These refer brie y, certainly not in depth, to the recent historical development of the subject, to the relatively recent association with epidemiology, to the relationship between biostatistical problems and theoretical statistics and lastly to some views on training. These contemplations must of course be based in my own experience beginning with the year 1948, when I rst went to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), up until the present, a period of 34 years.
Background The local infectious origin and the putative role of Cutibacterium acnes (CA) of a particular subtype of discopathy (Modic 1) are still debated. Purpose To establish the association of CA in intervertebral disc (IVD) and Modic 1 discopathy in patients with low back pain. Methods The prevalence of bacteria in IVD samples obtained by anterior approach in patient with chronic low back pain harboring Modic type 1, 2 or no Modic changes was compared to that measured in IVD samples obtained by posterior approach for sciatica. From 45 patients included in the study, 77 discs samples were obtained: 58 by anterior approach (32 Modic 1/2 changes, 26 without Modic change) and 19 by posterior approach. Conventional microbial cultures, universal 16S rRNA molecular detection and a CA specific PCR were performed. Results 12 /77 (15.6%) disc samples were culture positive. Among the 10 CA positive cultures, 5 out of 58 (8.6%) were identified from specimens obtained by anterior approach and 5/19 (26.3%) from posterior approach (p = 0.046). Moreover, the percentage of CA culture positive sample was statistically no different between the patient with or without Modic changes. The CA prevalence was lower through molecular, culture—free approaches: the universal 16S rRNA PCR was positive for 6 specimens, including one CA positive sample and the CA specific PCR was positive for one specimen obtained by posterior approach. Conclusions In spine surgery the prevalence of CA in culture was significantly higher in IVD samples collected through a posterior approach compared to an anterior approach, suggesting a contamination process. This study did not support the CA related local infectious origin of Modic 1 discopathy.
Further evidence is presented in favour of an intramolecular mechanism for the acid-catalysed Fischer–Hepp rearrangement of aromatic N-nitrosamines, both in water and in ethanol solvent. In aqueous acid 3-methoxy-N-methyl-N-nitrosoaniline (IV) gives the rearrangement product 3-methoxy-N-methyl-4-nitrosoaniline (V) in >90% yield. This figure drops a little to a constant 85% in the presence of one of three conventional ‘nitrite traps’, hydrazoic acid, hydrazine, and sulphamic acid, and over a five-fold range of concentration of each. Additionally the observed first-order rate constant (k0) is the same in the whole series. When nucleophilic species [Cl–, Br–, SCN–, and SC(NH2)2] are added the yield of (V) drops and the product of denitrosation, 3-methoxy-N-methylaniline (VI), is also observed. The effect is most marked for the most powerful nucleophiles[SCN– and SC(NH2)2]. At the same time kO increases with increasing nucleophile concentration. The results are wholly consistent with a mechanism involving parallel reactions of the protonated N-nitrosamine to give either the product of denitrosation (by nucleophile attack) which is normally reversible, or that of rearrangement where the nucleophile is not involved, and which is irreversible. The results cannot be accounted for in terms of the older intermolecular mechanism whereby the rearrangement product arises by conventional electrophilic C-nitrosation involving both the products of denitrosation. This implies strongly that the rearrangement is an intramolecular process. Similar results are reported for the variation of yields and rate constants with added nucleophiles for the same reaction in acidified ethanol, so that it is very likely that the same mechanism operates in that solvent.
The importance of our research is due to the need to introduce into modern biological education methods of predictive modeling which are based on relevant factual material. Such an actual material may be the entry of natural and anthropic heavy metals into the soil at industrial areas. The object of this work: (i) to work out a predictive model of the total heavy metals inputs to soil at the Kryvyi Rih ore-mining & metallurgical District and (ii) to identify ways to use this model in biological education. Our study areas are located in the Kryvyi Rih District (Dnipropetrovsk region, Central Ukraine). In this work, classical scientific methods (such as analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, analogy and formalization, abstraction and concretization, classification and modelling) were used. By summary the own research results and available scientific publications, the heavy metals total inputs to soils at Kryvyi Rih District was predicted. It is suggested that the current heavy metals content in soils of this region due to 1) natural and 2) anthropogenic flows, which are segmented into global and local levels. Predictive calculations show that heavy metals inputs to the soil of this region have the following values (mg ⋅ m2/year): Fe – 800-80 000, Mn – 125-520, Zn – 75-360, Ni – 20-30, Cu – 15-50, Pb – 7.5-120, Cd – 0.30-0.70. It is established that anthropogenic flows predominate in Fe and Pb inputs (60-99 %), natural flows predominate in Ni and Cd inputs (55-95 %). While, for Mn, Zn, and Cu inputs the alternate dominance of natural and anthropogenic flows are characterized. It is shown that the predictive model development for heavy metals inputs to soils of the industrial region can be used for efficient biological education (for example in bachelors of biologists training, discipline “Computer modelling in biology”).
We investigate algorithms to find the first vertex in large trees generated by either the uniform attachment or preferential attachment model. We require the algorithm to output a set of K vertices, such that, with probability at least 1−ε , the first vertex is in this set. We show that for any ε, there exist such algorithms with K independent of the size of the input tree. Moreover, we provide almost tight bounds for the best value of K as a function of ε. In the uniform attachment case we show that the optimal K is subpolynomial in 1/ε , and that it has to be at least superpolylogarithmic. On the other hand, the preferential attachment case is exponentially harder, as we prove that the best K is polynomial in 1/ε . We conclude the paper with several open problems. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 50, 158–172, 2017
Background: Cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is a specific form of psychotherapy recommended in evidence-based treatment guidelines for patients with psychosis. However, it remains unclear whether CBTp is more efficacious than unspecific psychotherapies such as supportive therapy (ST).  Methods: This multicenter, single blind, randomized clinical trial used a parallel group design to compare CBTp and ST. In total, 330 patients with persistent positive symptoms were included. Participants received 20 sessions of CBTp or ST over a 9-month period. Therapy was provided in six outpatient clinics at university psychiatry departments. The primary endpoint was the severity of positive symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-positive) until post-treatment at 9 months after inclusion. Analysis was carried out by intention to treat with multilevel linear modeling.  Findings: There was a between group effect size of g=0·33 (0·11-0·55) in favor of CBTp for positive symptoms, with pre-post effect sizes of g=0·93 (0·70-1·15) for CBTp and g=0·62 (0·40-0·84) for ST. CBTp showed favorable effects for hallucinations and social functioning, but not for negative symptoms and readmission rates. Ratings of the therapeutic relationship, number of adverse events, and antipsychotic medication did not differ between the groups. Positive symptoms decreased in both groups until the 24 month follow-up, with a between group difference of g=0·09 (-0·23-0·39). Interpretation: CBTp is more efficacious than ST in patients with persistent positive symptoms. CBTp effects cannot be explained by therapeutic attention alone. This indicates CBTp has specific mechanisms of action, and further supports the unrestricted recommendation of CBTp for the treatment of psychosis.  Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN29242879  Funding Statement: The study was funded by the German ministry of education and research (grant no. 01GV0618). Declaration of Interests: All authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.  Ethics Approval Statement: The study protocol was reviewed without objections by the ethics committee of the coordinating study center and the local ethics committees of all participating centers. Patients were included in the study after written informed consent was obtained, which was assured by external monitoring.
An O18-enriched oxygen sample (donated by A. O. Nier) has allowed examination of isotope structure in 20 atomic lines between 2000 and 11 000A. Strong sharp lines were obtained in a liquid nitrogen-cooled electrodeless quartz discharge tube containing up to 0.5 mm of oxygen in 5 mm of helium excited by a 10 mc oscillator. The discharge was photographed through an external Fabry-Perot interferometer in series with a large prism spectrograph. The shifts found ranged from zero to as high as 0.5 cm−1 for λ4233 (4p3P–3d′3P) and λ2884 (3p3P–3d′3P). Enough data was available to allow a study of the internal consistency of the measured shifts as a test of the mass-effect theory. With the measured shifts in two lines, two theoretical parameters for the specific effect were empirically determined and used to predict shifts in several other lines. It is concluded that the mass-effect theory is generally applicable to oxygen and that the abnormally large shifts found for λ4233 and λ2884 are the result of interactions affecting the common upper level. A comparison is made with earlier nitrogen data. Use is made of the formal relationship of specific effect parameters to certain radiation theory integrals in calculating a transition probability and an f value for the λ1306 resonance triplet. The reasonable values obtained are a further indication of the validity of the theory.
Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic pressurised healthcare with increased shortage of care. This resulted in an increase of awareness for code status documentation (ie, whether limitations to specific life-sustaining treatments are in place), both in the medical field and in public media. However, it is unknown whether the increased awareness changed the prevalence and content of code status documentation for COVID-19 patients. We aim to describe differences in code status documentation between infectious patients before the pandemic and COVID-19 patients. Setting University Medical Centre of Utrecht, a tertiary care teaching academic hospital in the Netherlands. Participants A total of 1715 patients were included, 129 in the COVID-19 cohort (a cohort of COVID-19 patients, admitted from March 2020 to June 2020) and 1586 in the pre-COVID-19 cohort (a cohort of patients with (suspected) infections admitted between September 2016 to September 2018). Primary and secondary outcome measures We described frequency of code status documentation, frequency of discussion of this code status with patient and/or family, and content of code status. Results Frequencies of code status documentation (69.8% vs 72.7%, respectively) and discussion (75.6% vs 73.3%, respectively) were similar in both cohorts. More patients in the COVID-19 cohort than in the before COVID-19 cohort had any treatment limitation as opposed to full code (40% vs 25%). Within the treatment limitations, ‘no intensive care admission’ (81% vs 51%) and ‘no intubation’ (69% vs 40%) were more frequently documented in the COVID-19 cohort. A smaller difference was seen in ‘other limitation’ (17% vs 9%), while ‘no resuscitation’ (96% vs 92%) was comparable between both periods. Conclusion We observed no difference in the frequency of code status documentation or discussion in COVID-19 patients opposed to a pre-COVID-19 cohort. However, treatment limitations were more prevalent in patients with COVID-19, especially ‘no intubation’ and ‘no intensive care admission’.
The correlation between obesity and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) has not yet been fully established. The aim of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between obesity and POAG by a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. In this study, body mass index (BMI), an index to evaluate general obesity, and waist and hip circumference, indices to evaluate abdominal obesity, were selected as exposures in MR analysis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were chosen as instrumental variables (IVs). Summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) based on a European ancestry by Locke et al., with regard to BMI, and Shungin et al., with regard to waist and hip circumference, were used. Genetic predictors of POAG were obtained from public GWAS summary data. To assess the causal effect of obesity on POAG, the inverse variance-weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary method, and other methods, such as MR–Egger, weighted median, simple mode, and weighted mode, were also used as complementary analyses. Finally, we performed Cochran’s Q statistic to assess heterogeneity, and sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the reliability and stability of the MR results. MR analysis showed that BMI has a positive effect on the risk of POAG, with 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in BMI; the risk of POAG increases by approximately 90.9% [OR = 1.909; 95% CI= (1.225, 2.975); p = 0.0042)] (analyzed by IVW); there were no heterogeneity and pleiotropy in the result; and waist circumference also had a positive effect on the risk of POAG [OR = 2.319; 95% CI= (1.071, 5.018); p = 0.033)] analyzed by weighted median. As hip circumference increases, with 1 SD increase in hip circumference, the risk of POAG increases by approximately 119% [OR = 2.199; 95% CI= (1.306, 3.703); p = 0.00305)] estimated by IVW, there were not heterogeneity and pleiotropy as for the result. Our study for the first time confirms that obesity might increase the risk of POAG using two-sample MR analysis. These results might provide guidance on the prevention and treatment of POAG.
Large advances have been made in the application of cathodic stripping voltammetry (CSV) to the determination of trace elements in the environment. A monomolecular layer of complexes on a mercury electrode is allowed to adsorb directly from aqueous solution during the pre-concentration step, which is followed by measurement of the reduction current by means of a potential scan to more negative potentials. The entire adsorbed layer is reduced during the potential scan, causing the voltammetric measurement to be very sensitive to low dissolved analyte concentrations. A review is given of the ligands used to measure trace elements in aqueous solution, and of the elements which can be determined. The adsorption step of what are in fact fairly soluble (in water) complexes is controlled by a mixture of effects related to π-orbital electrons and electrostatic interactions. The high sensitivity to the analyte is a result of the efficient (complete) electrochemical reduction of the monomolecular layer of adsorbed material. Although not a multi-element technique, CSV is superior to other analytical techniques in the automated monitoring of trace elements in natural waters including sea water, and in the study of speciation. An added advantage is related to the comparatively low cost and simplicity of the instrumentation.
Baicalein, a kind of flavonoid, has many medical benefits, and therefore, its accurate and efficient determination is necessary in the field of medical ingredient detection. To achieve the rapid and precise detection of baicalein, a three-dimensional (3D) expansion–contraction wave micromixer was designed and used along with an electrochemical detection method to assemble a micromixing electrochemical detection system. First, the performances of the wave micromixers were investigated using the COMSOL Multiphysics 5.3 a software with three optimisation objectives, namely, the mixing uniformity, pressure drop, and mixing performance index, to comprehensively evaluate the properties of the micromixers. Second, a 3D expansion–contraction wave micromixer with optimal mixing properties was fabricated using the 3D printing technology. Third, a micromixing electrochemical detection system was built to study the redox behaviours of baicalein through the electrochemical cyclic voltammetry method. The effects of buffer varieties, buffer pH values, scanning speeds, and inlet flow rates on the redox curves of baicalein were studied to determine the appropriate experimental conditions. The results demonstrated that the currents of the oxidation peak increased linearly with the baicalein concentrations within the range of 3.55 × 10−6–5.92 × 10−5 mol l−1 and the detection limit of 1.861 × 10−8 mol l−1 (S/N = 3). The relative standard deviation among the results obtained through repeated experiments was 2.86%; this proves a high detection reproducibility of the new method. Compared with spectrophotometry, the error determined using the novel method in a real sample detection was 0.31%, thus achieving an efficient and precise detection of baicalein. The micromixing electrochemical detection method can remarkably improve the mixing efficiency, shorten the detection time, and decrease the detection limit, and therefore could be popularised for the exact content detection of other flavonoids.
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The main objective of Electronic Support Measure (ESM) system is to obtain threatening emitters by receiving, measuring, and sorting radar pulses. Through these steps, sorting radar pulses is absolutely essential to differentiate between the threatening emitters. A large number of sorting algorithms have been proposed to tackle this issue; however, most of them suffer from lack of success in such circumstances (agility signal, clutter or noise pulses, and missing pulses). In this paper, four partition clustering methods are considered for sorting radar pulses under the influence of clutter (noise) and missing pulses. Besides, the significant impact of initiation clustering upon the sorting performances is discussed. Finally, the simulation results demonstrated lucid analysis of the compared methods’ performances, and identified the most amenable algorithm for sorting radar signal.
ABSTRACT The financialization of housing and the massive suburbanization in many parts of the world pose a plethora of significant problems that contribute to distortions of ecological balances (also known as the Anthropocene) which might reach an irreversible point. This work argues that the financialization of the suburban real estate market operates as a predatory formation. The theories of Urban Political Ecology (UPE) pave the way to understand how the suburbanization process in the twenty-first century has become one of the leading reasons of the Anthropocene. The task of UPE is to understand the political processes that shape, produce and reproduce the configuration of urban, nature and time. The latest suburbanization process has a special role in comprehending how processes and relations over the spatial configuration result in the collapse of ecological balances. This paper explores, through the case of Istanbul, how the financialization of housing market brings about a new ecological reality.
Finding the non-dominated sorting of a given set vectors has applications in Pareto based evolutionary multi-objective optimization (EMO), finding convex hull, linear optimization, nearest neighbor, skyline queries in database and many others. Among these, EMOs use this method for survival selection. The worst case complexity of this problem is found to be O(NlogM-1N) when the number of objectives M is constant and the size of solutions N is varying. But this bound becomes too large when M depends on N. In this paper we are proposing a new algorithm with worst case complexity O(MNlogN+MN2), however, with reduced running time in many objective cases. This algorithm can make use of the faster implementation of sorting algorithms. It removes unnecessary comparisons among the solutions which improves the running time. The proposed algorithm is compared with four other competing algorithms on three different datasets. Experimental results show that our approach, namely, best order sort (BOS) is computationally more efficient than all other compared algorithms with respect to running time.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the overall effectiveness of a human anatomy course taught to distance-based and campus-based pharmacy students.   DESIGN A retrospective analysis of students' grades and course evaluations from 2003 through 2006 was conducted.   ASSESSMENT No significant differences in student performance by pathway were found for the 2003-2005 academic years (p > 0.05). However, distance-based students' percentage and letter grades were significantly higher in 2006 (p = 0.013 and p = 0.004 respectively). Comparison of course and instructor evaluations showed that students in the distance course held similar or more positive perceptions of the course than their campus peers.   CONCLUSIONS Similar performance by campus and distance students enrolled in a human anatomy suggests that a distance-based course can be used successfully to teach human anatomy to pharmacy students.
Purpose Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis. Radioresistance is a major challenge in the treatment of brain tumors. The development of several types of tumors, including GBM, involves the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway. Upon activation, this pathway induces radioresistance. In this study, we investigated whether additional use of selective inhibitors of PI3K isoforms would enhance radiosensitivity in GBM. Materials and Methods We evaluated whether radiation combined with PI3K isoform selective inhibitors can suppress radioresistance in GBM. Glioma 261 expressing luciferase (GL261-luc) and LN229 were used to confirm the effect of combination of radiation and PI3K isoform inhibitors in vitro. Cell viability was confirmed by clonogenic assay, and inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling activation was observed by Western blot. To confirm radiosensitivity, the expression of phospho-γ-H2AX was observed by immunofluorescence. In addition, to identify the effect of a combination of radiation and PI3K-α isoform inhibitor in vivo, an intracranial mouse model was established by implanting GL261-luc. Tumor growth was observed by IVIS imaging, and survival was analyzed using Kaplan–Meier survival curves. Results Suppression of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway increased radiosensitivity, and PI3K-α inhibition had similar effects on PI3K-pan inhibition in vitro. The combination of radiotherapy and PI3K-α isoform inhibitor suppressed tumor growth and extended survival in vivo. Conclusion This study verified that PI3K-α isoform inhibition improves radiosensitivity, resulting in tumor growth suppression and extended survival in GBM mice.
The cruciferous weed Hesperis matronalis, dame's rocket (Brassicaceae), is an introduced Eurasian garden plant that began to escape shortly after its introduction to North America in the 19th century. It has gradually become naturalized across Canada and the United States, and has become invasive. It is not a major weed of crops, but is widespread in natural and conservation areas, particularly in thickets, open woodlands, forest margins and along streambanks, in parts of eastern and southern Ontario and western Quebec in Canada, and in New England and the midwest in the United States. In these habitats it can crowd out native vegetation and subsequently reduce biodiversity. Serving as an alternate host to a number of viruses, the species has the potential to infect cruciferous vegetable crops and garden plants. Despite its invasive potential, it continues to be sold at garden centres in both Canada and the United States. Key words: Hesperis matronalis, dame's-rocket, julienne des dames, weed biology, inv...
Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are the most widely distributed species of Old World monkey and are frequently used as animal models to study human health and disease. Their gastrointestinal microbial community likely plays a major role in their physiology, ecology and evolution. Herein, we compared the fecal microbiome and antibiotic resistance genes in 15 free-ranging and 81 zoo-captive rhesus macaques sampled from two zoos in China, using both 16S amplicon sequencing and whole genome shotgun DNA sequencing approaches. Our data revealed similar levels of microbial diversity/richness among the three groups, although the composition of each group differed significantly and were particularly marked between the two zoo-captive and one wild groups. Zoo-captive animals also demonstrated a greater abundance and diversity of antibiotic genes. Through whole genome shotgun sequencing we also identified a mammalian (simian) associated adenovirus. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of resistomes and microbiomes in zoo-captive and free-ranging monkeys, revealing that semi-captive wildlife might harbor a higher diversity of antimicrobial resistant genes.
The widespread use of heteroarenes in medicinal chemistry and in materials science has driven the development of a plethora of new synthetic strategies to prepare appropriately substituted heterocyclic cores. In particular, transition-metalcatalyzed direct functionalization has gained enormous attention over the past decade as an effective and straightforward method for creating aryl/alkenyl–heteroaryl linkages because it presents many advantages over traditional crosscoupling reactions. Clearly, major time and atom economies can be achieved once the need to prepare a suitably activated heteroarene has been eliminated. A wide range of metal catalysts, including palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium, and to a lesser extent copper and nickel, have been exploited for these processes, providing a toolbox of tunable reaction conditions for a large range of substrates. 3] However, one key reaction remains largely unexplored, namely the creation of an alkynyl–heteroaryl linkage between an sp-hybridized heteroaryl carbon and an sp-hybridized carbon of an alkynyl halide using C H bond activation. The few known examples of direct alkynylation deal principally with benzene derivatives bearing an ortho directing group, using gallium salts as the catalyst and silylated haloethynes as the coupling partner. Recently, two notable exceptions were reported by Gevorgyan and later by Gu and Wang in which two classes of electron-rich heterocycles were alkynylated using various bromoalkynes. In the former case, high dilution conditions were required, whilst the latter case was limited by substrate scope. Given that these two methods rely on the use of palladium catalysis, we decided to explore the development of an efficient, general, copper-catalyzed procedure for the direct alkynylation of various heterocycles that exploits the minimal cost and toxicity of copper. To test this possibility, and based on our previous work on heteroarene direct alkenylation, we began with the reaction between 5-phenyloxazole (1a) and bromophenylacetylene (2a). We screened a series of copper/ligand sources, beginning with CuI/trans-N,N’-dimethyl ethylene-1,2-diamine (dmeda); LiOtBu was added as base and the mixture was heated in dioxane to 120 8C (Table 1, entry 1). 7] Unfortunately, the only isolated product was the symmetrical diyne (4) resulting from the rapid homocoupling of the alkynylbromide through an Ullmann-type reaction. A satisfactory result was obtained when dipivaloylmethane (dpm) was used as ligand instead of dmeda to afford the alkynyloxazole (3a) in 43 % yield (Table 1, entry 3). A subsequent screen of copper sources, using dpm as the ligand, gave only modest improvement of the yield; the best result was achieved with Cu(OTf)2, although conversion was still incomplete (Table 1, entries 3–7). A drastic improvement was observed by switching to phosphine ligands (Table 1, entries 8–13), with the highest yield (89 %) obtained using bis[(2-diphenylphosphino)phenyl] ether (DPEPhos) in combination with CuBr·SMe2 after only 1 h (Table 1, entry 13). [8] Interestingly, the use of uncomplexed CuBr led to a decrease in the yield of 3a (70 %; Table 1, entry 14) and enhanced Table 1: Optimization of the direct alkynylation reaction of 5-phenyloxazole.
A solution to get the problem off, have you found it? Really? What kind of solution do you resolve the problem? From what sources? Well, there are so many questions that we utter every day. No matter how you will get the solution, it will mean better. You can take the reference from some books. And the nonparametric smoothing and lack of fit tests is one book that we really recommend you to read, to get more solutions in solving this problem.
The development of nonintercepting (NI) diagnostics for beam size continues to be of interest in the accelerator community. In the three rings of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) facility, we use optical and x-ray synchrotron radiation generated as the electron beam transits the dipole magnetic fields as an NI mechanism to image the beam during top-up operations. However, in the straight transport lines an alternate beam-size measurement method is needed. Optical diffraction radiation (ODR) is under investigation to monitor 7-GeV beam size and trajectory in the booster synchrotron-to-storage ring (BTS) beamline during top-up operations. We have performed our initial measurements with an Aluminum blade/mirror that served as an optical transition radiation (OTR) monitor when fully inserted into the beam and as an ODR monitor when the beam passed near the edge.
Endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST) or endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation (EPBD) were two important methods for therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Post‐ERCP bleeding is a troublesome issue especially in patients with bleeding tendency, like cirrhotic patients. In viewing the need of a safer method, we thus aimed to evaluate the post‐EST or post‐EPBD bleeding rate among cirrhotic patients based on Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD).
Female barnacle geese Branta leucopsis were studied on their spring staging area on the coast of mid-Norway and 1,500 km further to the north on their breeding areas in the Arctic archipelago, Svalbard. The number of days between departure from their spring staging area and arrival on their breeding area ranged between 10 and 33 days. There was no significant relationship between the date of departure and the date of arrival for individual females (N = 51), indicating that early-leaving females were not necessarily the first to arrive at the breeding grounds. Late-arriving females were in better body condition upon arrival than early-arriving females (N = 25). These data imply that the barnacle geese breeding in Svalbard do not migrate directly from their traditional spring staging areas to their breeding areas, but spend a considerable amount of time, not only resting, but also feeding during their migration northwards. This result has important implications for the management of the barnacle goose population on Svalbard since areas other than their traditional spring staging grounds apparently determine the date of arrival at the breeding grounds, body reserves at arrival and subsequent reproduction.
Sauerkraut is cabbage that is produced from natural fermentation by bacteria in the presence of 2.5 percent salt. Salt additions limits the activity of gram –negative bacteria, while the growth of lactic acid bacteria will increase. Chili is a vegetable of the genus Capsicum which has high economic value and also contains various compounds that are useful for human health. One method to get good quality cayenne is fermentation. Fermentation is part of biotechnology that uses microorganisms as the main actors in a process. One of the microbes that determines the success of fermentation is lactic acid bacteria. The purpose of this study is isolate LAB from Sauerkraut with the additional cayenne pepper the type of LAB produced microscopically. Research methods, the ingredients used are cabbage and cayenne fermentation (sauerkraut with the additional cayenne pepper), MRSa, 0,9% NaCl, crystal violet paint from biological laboratories UNP. Isolation LAB from Sauerkraut done in with fermentation Sauerkraut and then plant the sauerkraut into the MRSa medium with streak plate methods. The isolates obtained were identified microscopically using a microscope with gram staining method. From the research that has been done, the following result are obtained : Sauerkraut with additional cayenne pepper direcly into MRSa medium and gram staining, there were 12 colonies of gram positive bacteria with bacil cell form, and negative catalase test. We can identify this colonies as Lactobacillius sp.
The influence of thermal expansion of metals on the temperature dependence of the work function is considered. Both the temperature coefficient of the jellium work function and lattice corrections to the work function are calculated for (110), (100) and (111) planes of Al, and Pb. The calculation gives a negative temperature coefficient of the jellium work function for all metals and different signs of the total work function coefficient depending on the value of the core radius of the Ashcroft model potential and also on the kind of plane.
Anemia affects millions of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and prompt iron supplementation can lead to reductions in the required dose of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, thereby reducing medical costs. Oral and intravenous (IV) traditional iron preparations are considered far from ideal, primarily due to gastrointestinal intolerability and the potential risk of infusion reactions, respectively. Fortunately, the emergence of novel iron replacement therapies has engendered a paradigm shift in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with CKD. For example, oral ferric citrate is an efficacious and safe phosphate binder that increases iron stores to maintain hemoglobin levels. Additional benefits include reductions in fibroblast growth factor 23 levels and the activation of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D. The new-generation IV iron preparations ferumoxytol, iron isomaltoside 1000, and ferric carboxymaltose are characterized by a reduced risk of infusion reactions and are clinically well tolerated as a rapid high-dose infusion. In patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD), ferric pyrophosphate citrate (FPC) administered through dialysate enables the replacement of ongoing uremic and HD-related iron loss. FPC transports iron directly to transferrin, bypassing the reticuloendothelial system and avoiding iron sequestration. Moreover, this paper summarizes recent advancements of hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors and future perspectives in renal anemia management.
One of the most important events in the early life-cycle of any entrepreneurial firm that harbors serious growth ambitions is the Infusion of external capital (Reid, 1996). This event can lead to significant changes in the firm's ownership composition. It affects its subsequent rate of growth and, consequently, its size and organizational structure. It is within the context of such changes that the managerial demand for information about the firm is stimulated. This study examines the origins and characteristics of developments in the accounting information systems (AIS) of firms that are going through this stage. It does so by investigating the consequences of venture capital1 intervention for the entrepreneurial firm, particularly as regards the characteristics of its accounting information system.
This study aimed to explore the relationship between computed tomography morphology and prognosis of patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). From May 2009 to May 2011, a total of 124 patients diagnosed with stage I NSCLC were included. All patients had complete chest computed tomography scans. Five-year follow-up was conducted. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to estimate the prognostic factors for patients with stage I NSCLC. The 5-year survival rate was 67.74% (84/124). The 5-year survival rates of patients with stage T1a, T1b, and T2a were 89.19%, 75.00%, and 41.86%, respectively. The 5-year survival rates of patients with homogeneity, inhomogeneity, vacuole, and cavity were 68.42%, 72.09%, 59.46%, and 83.33%, respectively. The 5-year survival rates of patients with different margin features were 83.33% (slick margin), 79.73% (lobulation sign), and 39.47% (short burr). The 5-year survival rates of patients with normal, halo, vessel convergence, bronchial transection, and vascular bundle thickening were 84.38%, 72.73%, 71.79%, 52.00%, and 47.06%, respectively. The 5-year survival rates of patients with normal and pleura thickening/indentation were 81.93% and 39.02%. Univariate analysis demonstrated that tumor node metastasis staging, tumor margin, tumor periphery, and pleural invasion were related to the prognosis of stage I NSCLC patients. Cox regression analysis confirmed that T2a stage, pleura thickening/indentation were independent risk factors for poor prognosis of stage I NSCLC. In conclusion, our findings indicate that T2a stage, pleura thickening/indentation might be prognostic factors in stage I NSCLC.
Nowadays technological developments give rise to the creation of increasingly improved digital devices that end up being present in countless contexts. In this sense, the integration of personal assistants (PAs) in devices such as the smartphone, proves to be one of these important developments. Alongside these new developments, technological devices that have been in existence for many years, such as television (TV), continue to be of great importance. In this article it is proposed a proactive PA for the TV ecosystem, aiming to understand the advantages of combining these two contexts, thus contributing both to the TV ecosystem and to the context of proactive personal assistance.
The mechanism of the X‐ray emission from a small vacuum discharge is studied. Two X‐ray pulses whose intensities vary versus the anode‐cathode distance are identified. They are well reproducible and little dependent on the cathode geometry. Time integrated pinhole images show that the X‐ray emission originates from the Teflon insulator, from the metallic anode or from the emitted tunsgten vapor in its vicinity. Three different geometries have been used : hollow cathode, hollow conical cathode and needle or massive cathode. A systematic study of the delay time, the commutation time and the X‐ray duration with respect to the cathode geometry allows us to build some hypothesis on the emission mechanism
BACKGROUND Although occlusive dressings speed epithelialization, reduce inflammation and tenderness, reduce the chance of infection, stimulate healing of chronic wounds, and produce less scarring, they are still underutilized by physicians and nurses. The principal reasons for their underutilization are fear of infection, the time needed for instructing patients in their use, a lack of knowledge about occlusive dressings, and the general unavailability and high cost of the dressings.   METHODS This chapter describes the principles which help in selection of the proper dressing, discusses the mechanisms of action of occlusive dressings, lists some novel new occlusive dressings, and emphasizes some of the drawbacks of occlusive dressings for chronic wounds.   CONCLUSION While occlusive dressings have become an important treatment protocol, their role in opening the minds of clinicians to the possibility of controlling the repair process may be their greatest contribution to medical science.
To analyze the operation of an arbitrary AGV system under selected vehicle routing strategies, we present a simulation model that can handle multiple system layouts, a varying number of AGVs, and a varying number of pedestrians moving around the system. We introduce a dynamic vehicle routing strategy based on hierarchical simulation that operates as follows: at the time of each routing decision for an AGV in the main simulation, subsimulations are spawned for each of a varying number of alternative routes; and the performance observed in these subsimulations is then used to make the routing decision in the main simulation. A case study illustrates the advantages of this strategy.
In this paper, we present an exploratory data analysis on data regarding technological extension projects, designed by the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of the State of Pernambuco (from Portuguese, Secretaria de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação do Estado de Pernambuco, SECTI) and the Pernambuco Foundation for the Support of Science and Technology (from Portuguese, Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco, FACEPE), in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. We collected data using forms regarding the program details and applied clustering algorithms (k-means and k-modes) to find the most frequent patterns in data to check the spatial distribution and thematic distribution along the state. Results from this study are relevant for resource managers since it gives subsidies to improve future public procurement calls to better distribute proposals across the state of Pernambuco and consequently better distribute resources and democratize the knowledge.
1. The recent decision of Nash v London Borough of Barnet [2013] EWHC 1067 (Admin) [2013] PTSR D31 has highlighted the continuing uncertainty around the time limits for bringing judicial review claims in circumstances where there are multiple decisions or possible continuing breaches by public authorities. It is perhaps unfortunate that the Government has opted not to address these concerns as part of the planned reforms to judicial review. While it may be the case that they are not resolvable by straightforward statutory reform, as the law in this area is becoming increasingly fragmented, it is arguable that some level of reform is essential to ensure legal certainty for claimants and defendants.
M. Clinical characteristics and survival of Japanese patients with connective tissue disease and pulmonary arterial hypertension: a single-centre cohort. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2012;51: 1846–54. 2. Zhang R, Dai LZ, Xie WP, Yu ZX, Wu BX, Pan L, et al. Survival of Chinese patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension in the modern treatment era. Chest 2011;140:301–9. 3. Hao YJ, Jiang X, Zhou W, Wang Y, Gao L, Wang Y, et al. Connective tissue disease-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension in Chinese patients. Eur Respir J 2014;44:963–72. 4. Chow S, Chandran V, Fazelzad R, Johnson S. Prognostic factors for survival in systemic lupus erythematosus associated pulmonary hypertension. Lupus 2012;21:353–64.
to be an individual can only upset the equanimity of their lives. And it is not self-evident that this is a good thing. The organization man has no choice but to play the game according to the rules which the organization sets down. If he follows Mr. Whyte's suggestion and tries to cheat on the personality tests, the consequences will be of neurotic proportions. Indeed, we seem to have come to the point where to follow individualist prescriptions can only result in a severe breakdown of the personality structure. Our traditional ideal of the citizen marched boldly into the wilderness; tomorrow's man will be content to ride on someone else's back. Just how academic political theorists are going to deal with this new American is one of the most profound challenges which faces our profession.—ANDREW HACKER, Cornell University.
There has been a tendency in the literature to see changes in quality assurance as part of a process of increased state control. This article suggests a more nuanced approach that also takes account of the different trajectories of the pre- and post-1992 sectors. It finds that whilst there have been increases in both state oversight and market coordination since 1992, mutuality (self-regulation) remains the dominant mode of control of quality assurance in the United Kingdom. However the present government's higher education reforms, coming on top of a series of market-based policies for structure, funding and governance going back at least to 1980, as well as a growing emphasis on students' rights as consumers through the courts, may change the picture.
This paper presents the design and analysis of a new current-driven zero current switched full-bridge converter. The proposed converter reduces the voltage overstress on the switches. It contains a snubber circuit formed by a switched capacitor circuit and a resonant inductor, connected in the primary side of the coupling transformer. In this converter, the transformer leakage inductance is used as a part of the resonant circuit. There is no extra voltage stress on the switches. Analysis and implementation of the proposed converter are presented in this paper. A 12-Vdc/120-Vdc, prototype has been built and evaluated. The experimental results confirmed the theoretical predictions.
We study the impact of a small-scale dynamo in core-collapse supernovae using a 3D neutrino magnetohydrodynamics simulation of a $15 M_ odot$ progenitor. The weak seed field is amplified exponentially in the gain region once neutrino-driven convection develops, and remains dominated by small-scale structures. About $250 ,  mathrm{ms}$ after bounce, the field energy in the gain region reaches $ mathord{ sim} 50 %$ of kinetic equipartition. This supports the development of a neutrino-driven explosion with modest global anisotropy, which does not occur in a corresponding model without magnetic fields. Our results suggest that magnetic fields may play a beneficial subsidiary role in neutrino-driven supernovae even without rapid progenitor rotation. Further investigation into the nature of magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in the supernova core is required.
This paper proposed a strategy of tracking pipe PIG utilizing Fiber Optic Distributed Vibration Sensor (FODVS) and YOLO object detection algorithm. Phase sensitive Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (ϕ-OTDR) is employed as the distributed sensor to collect the real field vibration signal generated as a result of the collision between leather bowl and weld joint. The space-time graphs of ϕ-OTDR are prepared to construct data sets to train a typical YOLOv3 net model. The trained model is proved to be able to accurately capture the invert-V signature in the space-time graph thus revealing the real time position of a PIG. This paper provides a concept-proof preliminary demonstration on the promising combination of FODVS and object detection scheme for pursuing better performance of events recogntion.
OBJECTIVE To our knowledge, there is no study dealing with the prevalence of free-living amoebas (FLA) in water sources in Turkey, previous studies were mostly case presentations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of FLA from tap water and natural water sources in different parts of the city.   METHODS In the study, 250 samples were collected from the city centre, districts and villages. Two litres of water was collected from each source and filtered through a vacuum filtration system. The filter papers were washed in "Page's Amoeba Saline (PAS)" solution and incubated overnight. Filter papers were removed from the tubes and centrifuged; the final pellet was inoculated on non-nutrient agar (NNA) plates. The growth rate of FLA was checked after three days of inoculation and the flagellation test was performed to determine the presence of Naegleria spp. Heat tolerance of isolated strains was checked at 37, 42 and 52°C for the presence of pathogenic Acanthamoeba species. The cyst and trophozoite morphology of amoebas were examined under a light microscope and the genera was identified according to morphotyping keys.   RESULTS FLA were found in 75 (30.0%) of examined water samples. Eleven (4.4%) were identified as Acanthamoeba spp., 25 (10.0%) as Naegleria spp. and 39 (15.6%) as Hartmannella spp. after microscopic examination.   CONCLUSION Our study revealed that FLA are common inhabitants of household water as they are in the environment, so their own potential risks as well as transferring bacteria as other pathogens is important for human health.
In [18, 20], Pajitnov considers the closed orbit structure of generic gradient flows of circle-valued Morse functions. It turns out that the torsion of a chain homotopy equivalence between the Novikov complex and the completed simplicial chain complex of the universal cover detects the eta function of the flow. This eta function counts the closed orbits and reduces to the logarithm of the zeta function after abelianizing. We extend this result to the case of closed 1-forms which are Morse. To relate the torsion to the eta function we use the Dennis trace.
While walking in the fog, the path nearest you is relatively clear and then options broaden and become less clear as you peer further away. This paper will discuss which parts of the technology path forward are predictable and where inflection points may occur which require doing things differently. It is clear that many choices will need to be made in the next few years to be ready for technology in 2020 and beyond.
Most midlife women have hot flashes. The conventional criterion (≥2 μmho rise/30 s) for classifying hot flashes physiologically has shown poor performance. We improved this performance in the laboratory with Support Vector Machines (SVMs), a pattern classification method. We aimed to compare conventional to SVM methods to classify hot flashes in the ambulatory setting. Thirty-one women with hot flashes underwent 24 h of ambulatory sternal skin conductance monitoring. Hot flashes were quantified with conventional (≥2 μmho/30 s) and SVM methods. Conventional methods had low sensitivity (sensitivity=.57, specificity=.98, positive predictive value (PPV)=.91, negative predictive value (NPV)=.90, F1=.60), with performance lower with higher body mass index (BMI). SVMs improved this performance (sensitivity=.87, specificity=.97, PPV=.90, NPV=.96, F1=.88) and reduced BMI variation. SVMs can improve ambulatory physiologic hot flash measures.
In the crystal structure, an eight-coordinated calcium center is connected to adjacent seven-coordinated calcium ions by a pair of µ-aqua bridging ligands, leading to the formation of a chain, which is linked via benzenetricarboxylate ligands to neighboring chains to furnish a two-dimensional layer structure. Layers are connected into a three-dimensional structure facilitated by hydrogen bonding interactions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have structural and functional roles in development and disease. We have previously shown that the LINC00961/SPAAR (small regulatory polypeptide of amino acid response) locus regulates endothelial cell function, and that both the lncRNA and micropeptide counter-regulate angiogenesis. To assess human cardiac cell SPAAR expression, we mined a publicly available scRNSeq dataset and confirmed LINC00961 locus expression and hypoxic response in a murine endothelial cell line. We investigated post-natal growth and development, basal cardiac function, the cardiac functional response, and tissue-specific response to myocardial infarction. To investigate the influence of the LINC00961/SPAAR locus on longitudinal growth, cardiac function, and response to myocardial infarction, we used a novel CRISPR/Cas9 locus knockout mouse line. Data mining suggested that SPAAR is predominantly expressed in human cardiac endothelial cells and fibroblasts, while murine LINC00961 expression is hypoxia-responsive in mouse endothelial cells. LINC00961–/– mice displayed a sex-specific delay in longitudinal growth and development, smaller left ventricular systolic and diastolic areas and volumes, and greater risk area following myocardial infarction compared with wildtype littermates. These data suggest the LINC00961/SPAAR locus contributes to cardiac endothelial cell and fibroblast function and hypoxic response, growth and development, and basal cardiovascular function in adulthood.
In ligament reconstruction involving anterior cruciate ligament surgery, biological fixation between the transferred ligament and bone tissue is critical for achieving successful outcomes. Here, we administered chitin fabrics into the bone tunnels and evaluated their efficacy in promoting biological fixation. An animal model on the rat's patellar ligament was employed. First, bone tunnels were created in the lateral condyle of the femur. The ligament was then separated from the tibial tuberosity, and half was inserted into the tunnel and fixed with the use of end button. Animals in the experimental group were treated with microfiber nonwoven chitin fabric, whereas control animals received no treatment. Specimens were collected at 2, 4, and 6 weeks after surgery, and the fixation strength was measured by mechanical tests. Histological sections were prepared from samples prepared 4 weeks after surgery, and the diameter of bone tunnel and the width ratio of collagenous tissue in the bone tunnel were measured. Administration of chitin significantly increased the mean fixation strength at 4 and 6 weeks after surgery. Furthermore, chitin also promoted bone formation in the bone tunnel and increased the density of collagen fibers. Thus, microfiber nonwoven chitin fabric enhanced the biological fixation of the ligament to the bone tissue. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 2355-2360, 2018.
A vertical resonant tunneling (RT) field effect transistor (VRTFET), fabricated using perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3), has been analyzed for sequential sharp negative differential resistance (NDR) peaks useful in multiple-valued logic devices. NDR peaks are attributed to the sub-bands formation within the parabolic shaped band gap, present at the channel and drain/source interface due to Schottky barriers. Ambipolar CH3NH3PbI3 imparts both p and n mode characteristics with RT NDR peaks. An unprecedentedly high (100 to 1000 V–1) curvature coefficient (ϒ) has been found with two NDR peaks at a short interval, whose positions shift left, with gate bias. Due to the ionic nature of CH3NH3PbI3, hysteresis has also been observed in the transfer characteristics. This structure can overcome the limit of 60 mV/decade as well as a curvature limit of 40 V–1, important parameters for analog and digital applications. So, these devices promise cheaper and easy fabrication at commercial scale operation at ultralow voltage and lo...
In this study, we present the performance of Support Vector Machine (SVM), Convolution Neural Network (CNN), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with Bag of Words (BoW), Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG), and Image Pixels (IP) for face recognition. SVM, CNN, and ANN are machine learning approaches and has been used for pattern recognition, especially in face recognition technology. BoW, HOG, and IP are being used for image feature extraction. The testing has been conducted from publicly available AT&T face database. Every individual subject consists of 10 images with different facial expression, different illumination and the dimensions of the images is unified as 92-by-112 pixels with PGM formats. SVM achieved recognition accuracy of 97.00%, 96.00%, and 98.00% with subsequently BoW, HOG, and IP. CNN achieved recognition accuracy of 94.00%, 99.00%, and 99.50% with subsequently BoW, HOG, and IP. ANN achieved recognition accuracy of 96.00%, 99.00%, and 99.50% with subsequently BoW, HOG, and IP. The experimental results show that the IP with ANN approach clearly outperformed the others approaches.
Here, we report the complete genome sequence of an Acinetobacter baumannii isolate harboring 11 plasmids, obtained at a hospital in Japan in 2016. The complete 4.07-Mbp genome sequence (1 chromosome and 11 plasmids) was analyzed by a combination of long-read (Flongle) and short-read (NovaSeq 6000) sequencing. ABSTRACT Here, we report the complete genome sequence of an Acinetobacter baumannii isolate harboring 11 plasmids, obtained at a hospital in Japan in 2016. The complete 4.07-Mbp genome sequence (1 chromosome and 11 plasmids) was analyzed by a combination of long-read (Flongle) and short-read (NovaSeq 6000) sequencing.
We present a general algebraic framework for gauging a 0-form compact, connected Lie group symmetry in (2+1)d topological phases. Starting from a symmetry fractionalization pattern of the Lie group GG, we first extend GG to a larger symmetry group  tilde{G}G̃, such that there is no fractionalization with respect to  tilde{G}G̃ in the topological phase, and the effect of gauging  tilde{G}G̃ is to tensor the original theory with a  tilde{G}G̃ Chern-Simons theory. To restore the desired gauge symmetry, one then has to gauge an appropriate one-form symmetry (or, condensing certain Abelian anyons) to obtain the final result. Studying the consistency of the gauging procedure leads to compatibility conditions between the symmetry fractionalization pattern and the Hall conductance. When the gauging can not be consistently done (i.e. the compatibility conditions can not be satisfied), the symmetry GG with the fractionalization pattern has an ’t Hooft anomaly and we present a general method to determine the (3+1)d topological term for the anomaly. We provide many examples, including projective simple Lie groups and unitary groups to illustrate our approach.
Djuuna IAF, Masora M, Puradyatmika P (2011) Soil microorganisms numbers in the tailing deposition ModADA areas of Freeport Indonesia, Timika, Papua. Biodiversitas 12: 198-203. The objective of this study was to examine the number and distribution of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in the inactive tailing deposition areas of Freeport Indonesia Mining and Gold Company, Timika. One hundred ninety eight composite samples (0-20 cm) were taken from four location of inactive tailing ModADA (Modification Aijkwa Deposition Areas) namely double levee-bottom (fine texture); double levee-middle (medium texture); double levee-top (coarse texture);Mile 21 and transmigration areas of I to V. The conventional method of dilution and Plate Count Agar were used to examine the population of soil bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes. pH and moisture content were also analyzed. The numbers of bacteria in the tailing deposition areas are in the range from 3.48x105 CFU/g soil to 102.83x105 CFU/g soil, soil fungi from 1.51x105 CFU/g soil to 106.61x105 CFU/g soil and actinomycetes range from 0.32x104 CFU/g soil to 113.74x104 CFU/g soil. While in some transmigration areas, the number of soil bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes were lower than in the tailing areas. The number of soil bacteria and fungi were higher than actinomycetes. However, the coefficient of variation of actinomycetes (107%) was higher than soil fungi (89%) andbacteria (68%). Tailing deposition areas are considered as a good habitat for soil microorganisms. Overall, the number of soil organism in the tailings areas are considered medium to high, however to understand their functioning in each location under different land use system, more research are needed to evaluate their roles especially in the decomposition of soil organic matter.Key words: tailing deposition, soil bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes.
Several antenatal cystic fibrosis carrier screening trials have offered women testing by either the stepwise or the couple method. In this study, both approaches were described to women attending an antenatal clinic, who were then asked which method they preferred. An estimate of the value to women of each type of test was also ascertained using a "willingness to pay" (WTP) method. Of 450 women, 279 (62%) preferred stepwise screening, 117 (26%) preferred couple screening, and 54 (12%) had no preference. Mean WTP for stepwise screening was 19 pounds (95% CI 17.50 pounds-20.50 pounds), and that for couple screening was 18 pounds (95% CI 16.50 pounds-19.50 pounds). The majority of women preferred stepwise screening although the average WTP for each method was similar.
Background Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), also known as chickenpox virus, constitutes a promising vector for a successful HIV vaccine. As an effort to scrutinize its potential, we are characterizing the susceptibility of VZV-specific CD4 T cells to HIV infection and the phenotypic profile of both CD4 and CD8 T cells. Methods Blood T cells isolated from a cohort of healthy Kenyan women with pre-immunity to VZV (NCT02514018) were stimulated in vitro using 15-mer peptides representing VZV glycoprotein E (gE) and VZV Open Reading Frame 4 (ORF4). CD4 and CD8 T cell memory phenotypes were characterized by flow cytometry based on the expression of CCR7/CD45RA. The activation status of VZV-specific CD4 T cells was measured by the expression of HLA-DR, CD69, and CD25 after 6-day stimulation with gE and ORF4 peptides. Susceptibility to HIV infection was assessed using in vitro infection with a CCR5-tropic virus. DMSO and CMV peptides were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Results A similar frequency of central memory CD4 T cells (TCM) (median 24%, IQR 18%-32%) and effector memory CD4 T cells (TEM) (median 27%, IQR 20%-32%) was observed in our cohort. The predominant CD8 memory subtype was TEMRA (median 28%, IQR 21%-40%) followed by TEM cells (median 12%, IQR 8%-19%) (n=45). Preliminary results show our ability to expand VZV-specific cells in culture using gE and ORF4 as stimuli and that these cells highly express the marker HLA-DR. Their susceptibility to in vitro HIV infection is currently under investigation using CMV-specific cells as comparator. Conclusion A viral vector able to sustain CD8 TEM responses without fueling the immune system with HIV target cells constitutes an ideal candidate for an HIV vaccine. Hence, our study sheds light on key aspects of VZV-specific immunity that will help determining its future as a vector in an HIV vaccine. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Biomass plays an important role in reducing fossil energy. It can be utilized in different ways and one of its usages is to produce electricity. However, to benefit from the gains of using biomass power generation, there are several obstacles to overcome for its competent utilization. The performance of community based biomass power plants (CBP) was studied to access the feasibility and sustainability aspects that caused energy security. The objective of this study was to identify the key factors affecting to CBP establishment. The authors designed the tests to make a comprehensive study considering all the factors published in the Science Direct Database during January 2004 to September 2014. The data was obtained using multi-stage sampling from 1,151 people dwelling in the local community. A questionnaire was used as a tool for collecting the data. The output factors were confirmed by undertaking the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. The results show a significant influence on 1) technology of biomass gasification power plant; 2) biomass residues; 3) community; and 4) government, policy and investment at p < 0.05. These findings therefore identified the key factors affecting establishment for biomass electricity generation in Thailand. This in turn has helped bring about the causal model for establishing biomass power plant based on sustainability.
Introducao: As neoplasias mieloproliferativas sao patologias que se originam de celulas tronco totipotentes e se caracterizam por multiplicacao acelerada de uma ou mais series sanguineas, sem relevante displasia. Sao classificadas em diversos subtipos entre eles: Leucemia Mieloide Cronica, Leucemia Neutrofilica Cronica,Mielofribrose Primaria e Doenca Mieloproliferativa Cronica Inclassificavel. Essa classificacao justifica-se por mutacoes geneticas que definem a evolucao e a fisiopatologia de cada doenca. Casuistica: Apresentamos o caso de uma paciente, sexo feminino, 58 anos, com queixas inespecificas, que por achado laboratorial suspeitou-se de leucemia. Foi submetida a investigacao clinica, laboratorial,radiologica, e realizada a biopsia de MO, sendo diagnosticada com Sindrome Mieloproliferativa Cronica Inclassificavel. Foi orientada a fazer uso de hidroxiureiapara controle hematimetrico, porem sem melhora, iniciou citarabina. Paciente encontra-se na fase blastica da doenca e devido a ausencia de remissao da patologia,foi encaminhada para lista de transplante. Discussao: o caso foi bem conduzido quanto aos metodos diagnosticos utilizados na investigacao da mesma, sendo fundamental o RT-PCR para identificacao do cromossomo Philadelphia. O tratamento foi semelhante a literatura em relacao aos medicamentos usados, porem algumas posologias nao foram as mesmas. A conducao do caso levou a paciente paraa fila de transplante, visto que nao houve resposta terapeutica. Conclusao: este relato de caso trata-se, portanto, de uma Neoplasia Mieloproliferativa Cronica do tipo inclassificavel, pois nao preenche os criterios diagnosticos preconizados pela Organizacao Mundial de Saude, visto que foi classificada como Leucemia Mieloide Cronica atipica BCR/ABL negativa, para fins terapeuticos. Palavras-chave: Neoplasias mieloproliferativas, Leucemia mieloide cronica,transplante de medula ossea. Introduction: Myeloproliferative diseases are neoplasms that originate from to tipotent stem cell, and is characterized by rapid proliferation of one or more bloodseries without significant dysplasia. They are classified into several subtypes including: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Chronic Neutrophilic Leukemia,Polycythemia Vera, Primary Mielofribrose and Unclassifiable chronic myeloproliferative syndrome. This classification is justified by genetic mutations that define the evolution and pathophysiology of each disease. Case report: We present a case of a female, 58, with nonspecific complaints, which in laboratoryfinding was suspected leukemia. Underwent clinical, laboratory, radiological,underwent bone marrow biopsy, was diagnosed with Unclassifiable chronic myeloproliferative syndrome.She was oriented to make use of hydroxyurea forerythrocyte control, but without improvement, started cytarabine. The patient lies onthe blast phase of the disease. Due to lack of remission of the disease, the patient wasreferred to the transplant list. Discussion: the case was properly conducted as to the diagnostic methods used in the investigation, the RT-PCR was fundamental for identification of Philadelphia chromosome. The medications used in the treatmentwas similar to the literature, however some doses, according to the survey were notthe same. The patient was refered to transplant, because there was no therapeutic response. Conclusion: This case report is a Nondescript Chronicles Myeloproliferative Syndrome, since it does not satisfy the standard diagnostic recommended by the World Health Organization, as it was classified as Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia BCR / ABL negative for purposes therapeutic. Keywords: myeloproliferative neoplasms, chronic leukemia, myeloid bone marrowtransplantation.
Clustering is for many years now one of the most complex and most studied problems in data mining. Until now the most commonly used algorithm for finding groups of similar objects in large databases is CURE. The main advantage of CURE, compared to other clustering algorithms, is its ability to identify non spherical or rectangular shaped objects. In this paper we present a new algorithm called CUZ (Clustering Using Zones). The main innovation of CUZ lies in the technique that it uses to calculate the representatives. This technique overcomes the problem of identifying clusters with non-convex shapes. Experimental results show that CUZ is a generally competitive technique, while it is particularly adequate when we have to do with clusters that do not have convex shapes.
The developing prefrontal cortex receives a dense serotonergic innervation, yet little is known about the actions of serotonin [5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] in this region during development. Here, we examined the developmental regulation of 5-HT receptors controlling the excitability of pyramidal neurons of this region. Using whole-cell recordings in in vitro brain slices, we identified a dramatic shift in the effects of 5-HT on membrane potential during the postnatal developmental period. In slices derived from young animals [postnatal day (P) 6 to P19], administration of 5-HT elicits a robust depolarization of layer V pyramidal neurons, which gradually shifts to a hyperpolarization commencing during the third postnatal week. This progression is the result of coordinated changes in the function of 5-HT7 and 5-HT2A receptors, which mediate different aspects of the depolarization, and of 5-HT1A receptors, which signal the late developing hyperpolarization. The loss of the 5-HT7 receptor-mediated depolarization and the appearance of the 5-HT1A receptor-mediated hyperpolarization appears to reflect changes in receptor expression. In contrast, the decline in the 5-HT2A receptor depolarization with increasing age was associated with changes in the effectiveness with which these receptors could elicit a membrane depolarization, rather than loss of the receptors per se. Together, these results outline coordinated changes in the serotonergic regulation of cortical excitability at a time of extensive synaptic development and thus suggest a key role for these receptor subtypes in the postnatal development of the prefrontal cortex.
Expanded pharmacy service delivery for rural and remote Australia has potential to address the rural health disparity. Pharmacists practising to their full scope are recognised as being most beneficial in rural and regional communities, where access to health professionals (HPs) is not comparable to those in metropolitan areas. However, research on HP perspectives on expanded pharmacy practice is limited. This study aims to determine rural and remote HP (doctors, nurses, allied health and other HPs) perspectives of expanded services to be delivered through community pharmacy.
Abstract Background The area north of Lake Baikal has been poorly studied. Moreover, most of the studies conducted in this region were focused on mountain ridges or river valleys. This region includes a part of Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM), a broad-gauge railway in the centre of Siberia, Russia. The railway is an alternative route of the Trans-Siberian Railway; BAM starts in southern Siberia (Taishet station of Irktusk Oblast), passes through the northern part of Lake Baikal and finishes in the Russian Far East (Sovetskaya Gavan station of Khabarovsky Krai). BAM has four connections with the Trans-Siberian Railway and is the centre of economic development for many regions of Russia. Maya Ivanova and Alexandr Chepurnov summarised the existing floristic information for this region in detailed species distribution maps which they published in the book “Flora of the western part of developing regions of Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM)” (1983). After publishing this book, very few floristic studies have been performed in the study region. All available botanical information is still accumulated in a number of printed papers or books with limited circulation, which are not widely known to the international scientific community. New information We have digitised the point distribution maps from the book of Ivanova and Chepurnov and georeferenced all occurrence and sampling localities. The resulting dataset includes 9972 occurrences for 770 vascular plant species and subspecies from the area north of Lake Baikal. Additionally, the dataset includes information on the distribution of 43 rare and endangered species with 366 occurrences. From our point of view, the dataset makes a contribution to the global biodiversity data mobilisation, providing plant species distribution data for such a remote mountainous area.
The heat stability of oils and fats is believed to depend not only of their fatty acid pattern but also on the composition on the unsaponifiable fraction. The addition of the unsaponifiables isolated from wheat germ oil, corn oil, Vernonia anthelmintica or olive oil was found to retard oxidative polymerization in vegetable oils and model lipids subjected to heating (1-41. The protective effect of the non-glyceride fraction is ascribed to sterols and methylsterols containing the ethyliden group in the side chain [1, 2]. There is scant information on squalene as a potential oxidation inhibitor. According to Sims et al. a addition of 0.5 96 squalene markedly retarded the degradation of unsaturated fatty acids in safflower oil heated at 180°C [11]. As reported by Go-wind et al. squalene initially showing antioxidant properties for methyl oleate and methyl linoleate heated at 63°C was found to promote their oxidation at prolonged heating [IS].        This paper contains the results of the experiments carried out to reveal the effect of squalene on the heat stability of rapeseed oil and two model lipids.
Repetitively discharged energy storage capacitors are used in a variety of applications where energy density (J/m3) and inverse specific weight (J/kg) are parameters as critical as reliability. The energy density of an ideal capacitor is proportional to the square of the average electric field in the dielectric, and directly proportional to the effective dielectric constant. Since the useful lifetime of the capacitor is also a function of the electric field, energy density is, in effect, a function of the required lifetime and reliability for any given dielectric system.
As far as is known the author and the Director of the Family Planning Federation of Japan were the first people invited to the Chinese Peoples Republic since the Cultural Revolution for the express purpose of observing family planning activities. The family planning program of the nation seems highly developed and extensive. The article delineates family planning efforts in a peoples commune a factoryworkers residential area a factory an urban residential area and a Peking hospital. A strong demand for family planning services and the establishment of a far-reaching network for the delivery of these services seem to have been the major factors causing the decline in the birth rate since the Cultural Revolution. During the authors tour information was exchanged between the International Planned Parenthood Federation and China.
Little is known about the role of gender in money politics. We examined the official campaign finance reports and election results for all local candidates in Charlotte, North Carolina, between 1975 and 1980. For candidates in 1978 and 1979, we also did a detailed study of all the contributors. Women obtain their campaign funds from somewhat different sources than men. Women collect money in smaller average amounts than men and list more of their contributors as "anonymous." Contributors to female candidates are more diverse in geographical and racial terms. Most importantly, contributing is aligned by gender: women are more likely to give to women candidates. Female candidates are able to raise and spend money for campaigns as well as men. However, women are a lot less likely to give money to campaigns than are men.
Topological crystalline insulators (TCIs) are a new class of topological materials that possess unique metallic surface states protected by crystalline mirror symmetry. Their topological surface properties are expected to strongly depend on the surface orientation. By combining density functional theory (DFT) calculations and synthesis experiments, we demonstrate the controlled growth of single crystalline nanostructures of the prototypical TCI SnTe with distinct facets and morphologies. Our calculations suggest that the excess energy of the {111} surfaces can be either higher or lower than that of the {100} surfaces, depending on the stoichiometry, while the {110} is always higher than the {100}. In our synthesis experiment, we qualitatively controlled the stoichiometry by tailoring the growth temperature and obtained two types of single crystalline nanowires: smooth nanowires dominated by {100} facets at high temperatures and zigzag nanowires composed of both {100} and {111} surfaces at low temperatures. Notably, there is no {110} facet in our nanostructures, strongly supporting the DFT calculations. Our device fabrication and electrical characterizations suggest that both types of nanowires are suitable for transport studies of topological surface states.
Patient similarity research is one of the most fundamental tasks in healthcare, helping to make decisions without incurring additional time and costs in clinical practices. Patient similarity can also apply to various medical fields, such as cohort analysis and personalized treatment recommendations. Because of this importance, patient similarity measurement studies are actively being conducted. However, medical data have complex, irregular, and sequential characteristics, making it challenging to measure similarity. Therefore, measuring accurate similarity is a significant problem. Existing similarity measurement studies use supervised learning to calculate the similarity between patients, with similarity measurement studies conducted only on one specific disease. However, it is not realistic to consider only one kind of disease, because other conditions usually accompany it; a study to measure similarity with multiple diseases is needed. This research proposes a convolution neural network-based model that jointly combines feature learning and similarity learning to define similarity in patients with multiple diseases. We used the cohort data from the National Health Insurance Sharing Service of Korea for the experiment. Experimental results verify that the proposed model has outstanding performance when compared to other existing models for measuring multiple-disease patient similarity.
Preliminary quantitative analysis of 13 composite indicators for the original G7 nations for the year 2000 is presented. Using ranked data some interesting relationships between the indicators for economic, social and environmental phenomena are revealed. These indicators have been analysed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. It is shown that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is positively associated with the human development index (HDI), wellbeing (WB) and happiness (H), but strongly negatively associated with direct material consumption (DMC) and CO2 emissions in the ecological footprint (EFCO2). The DMC is negatively correlated with almost all indicators and, similarly, the ecological footprint (EF) is negatively associated with most indicators, including many environmental indicators. The quality of life (QoL) and the happiness index (H) are only weakly related. H is strongly related to ecological wellbeing (EWB) whilst the QoL is strongly associated with geobiosphere loading (GBL). The two sustainable development indicators, namely the dashboard of sustainability (DSSDI) and well being (WB) are positively associated with GDP and HDI. It is suggested that further detailed research could lead to the establishment of a single, decomposable indicator of sustainable development. It is suggested that if such a key indicator is developed then it would be useful for policy makers, as well as raising public awareness of progress in making development sustainable.
Indian work organisations are subjected to both traditional Indian and western cultural influences. Because of its historicity and oral tradition, the former leads to primary while the latter to secondary modes of expressing values. The choice of either of the modes or their combinations depends on a context which is postulated to have three components: desh (ecology), kal (time), and patra (persons). Many of the seemingly contradictory and inconsistent organisational behaviour and managerial practices can be meaningfully explained by employ ing this cultural framework of two modes of expressing values and three components of a context. Indians' heightened sensitivity to a context and the tendency to balance extreme and inconsistent ideas and actions are likely to enable Indian work organisations to meet the challenges of the increasingly competitive business environment.
The viscoelastic properties of two transparent semisolid preparations, one consisting of surfactant, paraffin oil, and water (BAS), and the other consisting of surfactant, cetylstearyl-2-ethylhexanoate, and water (CUBO), were characterized by oscillatory measurements. In (1)H-NMR diffusion experiments it was confirmed that the formulations are O/W systems, and the three-dimensional packing of the closed globular aggregates form a cubic structure. Moreover, standard diffusion experiments with porcine skin using Franz cells were performed with incorporated diclofenac-sodium and cyproterone acetate, respectively. The cumulative amount released after 48 h of diclofenac-sodium were excellent with 665.28 microg/cm(2) and with 36.7 microg/cm(2) for cyproterone acetate. The new drug-containing formulations were also prepared as transdermal patches by using carrageenan as a matrix. In diffusion studies zero-order kinetics was found for both drugs, but with a higher lag time for cyproterone acetate. The total work of adhesion was analyzed by tensile studies on porcine skin and found to be very good. The presented cubic gels as well as mixtures with carrageenan are promising alternative drug carrier systems for topical pharmaceutical as well as cosmetics.
This paper critically examines the role of the standard method of assessment for architectural students internationally, known as the ‘crit’. It examines the pedagogical theory underlying this approach whereby students pin up their work and make a presentation on it, and receive verbal feedback on it, in front of a room of their peers and academic staff. Recent critiques of this hundred-year old approach are also discussed, and the reality of the ‘crit’ is examined through analysis of practice. This leads into a discussion of a semester-long piece of action research in this academic year in which academic staff have piloted new methods of formative and summative student-centred assessment without a ‘crit’. Feedback from students and academic staff has been extremely positive, and is discussed along with the lessons learned from this pilot semester. The next steps in this ongoing piece of action research are also briefly outlined.
Modelling the distribution of invasive alien species is widely used for predicting future dispersal, response to climate change, and effects of management, but little information is available on the scale dependence of spatial models. This study is focused on Heracleum mantegazzianum, a problematic invasive plant in central and north‐western Europe. The main objective was to model the current distribution of this species at national (43,000 km2) and regional scale (4900 km2) using autologistic regression with a Danish data set. Presence–absence data were used in a grid system with 5 × 5 km2 or 2 × 2 km2 as basic units. To avoid misleading presence–absence models and unreliable probability values due to unbalanced data, the prevalence was used as cut‐off value, and a favourability function was applied to the model predictions. The national model showed a widespread distribution of H. mantegazzianum with highest habitat suitability in the eastern and northern parts of the country where human population density is high, winters more severe and/or loamy soils more common. At a regional scale the distribution of H. mantegazzianum is associated with alluvial sand cover, high human population density, spring precipitation, and presence of the species in neighbour grid units. The observed widespread national distribution is likely the result of anthropogenic spread of this ornamental plant, while the locally clumped distribution suggests that H. mantegazzianum naturally spreads mainly over short distances. The current distribution in Denmark resembles an intermediate invasion stage where long‐distance dispersal is less important, while spread from suitable neighbour habitats is significant. The study demonstrates that the favourability function leads to improved mapping standards for invasive species.
We report on the first antenna-enhanced optoelectronic microscopy studies on nanoscale devices. By coupling the emission and excitation to a scanning optical antenna, we are able to locally enhance the electroluminescence and photocurrent along a carbon nanotube device. We show that the emission source of the electroluminescence can be pointlike with a spatial extension below 20 nm. Topographic and antenna-enhanced photocurrent measurements reveal that the emission takes place at the location of highest local electric field indicating that the mechanism behind the emission is the radiative decay of excitons created via impact excitation.
In recent years there is a surge of interest in the interpretability and explainability of AI systems, which is largely motivated by the need for ensuring the transparency and accountability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) operations, as well as by the need to minimize the cost and consequences of poor decisions. Another challenge that needs to be mentioned is the Cyber security attacks against AI infrastructures in manufacturing environments. This study examines eXplainable AI (XAI)-enhanced approaches against adversarial attacks for optimizing Cyber defense methods in manufacturing image classification tasks. The examined XAI methods were applied to an image classification task providing some insightful results regarding the utility of Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME), Saliency maps, and the Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-Cam) as methods to fortify a dataset against gradient evasion attacks. To this end, we “attacked” the XAI-enhanced Images and used them as input to the classifier to measure their robustness of it. Given the analyzed dataset, our research indicates that LIME-masked images are more robust to adversarial attacks. We additionally propose an Encoder-Decoder schema that timely predicts (decodes) the masked images, setting the proposed approach sufficient for a real-life problem.
Optical multiple-input multiple-output (OMIMO) system has attracted a deep research interest during the past decade. This contribution presents a linear simulation model for OMIMO. The model sequentially propagates the transmitted signal through the components of an optical link and considers chromatic and modal dispersion as well as modal cross-coupling in a serial manner. The OMIMO system is partitioned into a certain number of segments from transmitter to receiver. Within each segment chromatic and modal modal dispersion is considered whereas modal crosstalk appears at the crossover between two segments. The calculation model resolves all linearly polarized (LP) modes of the used fiber, which is shown by comparing impulse responses between testbed measurements and its simulation.
Effects of needle water potential (Psi(l)) on gas exchange of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) grown for 4 years in open-top chambers with elevated temperature (ET), elevated CO(2) (EC) or a combination of elevated temperature and CO(2) (EC + ET) were examined at a high photon flux density (PPFD), saturated leaf to air water vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and optimal temperature (T). We used the Farquhar model of photosynthesis to estimate the separate effects of Psi(l) and the treatments on maximum carboxylation efficiency (V(c,max)), ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate regeneration capacity (J), rate of respiration in the light (R(d)), intercellular partial pressure of CO(2) (C(i)) and stomatal conductance (G(s)). Depression of CO(2) assimilation rate at low Psi(l) was the result of both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations on photosynthetic processes; however, stomatal limitations dominated during short-term water stress (Psi(l) < -1.2 MPa), whereas non-stomatal limitations dominated during severe water stress. Among the nonstomatal components, the decrease in J contributed more to the decline in photosynthesis than the decrease in V(c,max). Long-term elevation of CO(2) and temperature led to differences in the maximum values of the parameters, the threshold values of Psi(l) and the sensitivity of the parameters to decreasing Psi(l). The CO(2) treatment decreased the maximum values of V(c,max), J and R(d) but significantly increased the sensitivity of V(c,max), J and R(d) to decreasing Psi(l) (P < 0.05). The effects of the ET and EC + ET treatments on V(c,max), J and R(d) were opposite to the effects of the EC treatment on these parameters. The values of G(s), which were measured simultaneously with maximum net rate of assimilation (A(max)), declined in a curvilinear fashion as Psi(l) decreased. Both the EC + ET and ET treatments significantly decreased the sensitivity of G(s) to decreasing Psi(l). We conclude that, in the future, acclimation to increased atmospheric CO(2) and temperature could increase the tolerance of Scots pine to water stress.
The myeloproliferative sarcoma virus (MPSV) induces extensive hematopoietic changes, including spleen foci in adult mice, and transforms fibroblasts in vitro. NRK nonproducer cell lines of MPSV and ts temperature-sensitive mutants were analyzed by restriction enzyme digestion and Southern blotting. EcoRI fragments containing the proviral DNAs of MPSV and two temperature-sensitive mutants and rat cellular sequences homologous to c-mos were molecularly cloned. By comparing restriction enzyme cleavage sites, it was shown that the MPSV genome consists only of sequences related either to Moloney murine leukemia virus or to the c-mos mouse oncogenic sequences. Two regions of fragment heterogeneity were observed: (i) in the defective pol gene, where MPSV and the two cloned temperature-sensitive mutants were different from Moloney murine sarcoma virus and from each other, although MPSV wild-type retained more of the pol gene than any of the Moloney murine sarcoma virus isolates; (ii) in the area 3' to the mos gene, which was identical in MPSV and its temperature-sensitive mutants but different from other Moloney murine sarcoma virus variants. Transfection of cloned MPSV DNA in RAT4 cells and virus rescue on infection with Friend murine leukemia virus yielded MPSV which transformed fibroblasts in vitro and also induced spleen foci in adult mice, thus proving that both properties are coded by the same viral genome.
Three species of sculpins (Pisces: Cottidae) inhabit the Ozark uplands (Arkansas and Missouri). One, Cottus hypselurus, represents a new species and is re- stricted to that region. It occurs through much of its range with C. carolinae and, in the Niangua River System, with C. bairdi. Although C. hypselurus shares many charac- ters with C. bairdi, it also strongly resembles C. klamathensis of the Pacific Northwest, and its relationships within the genus are uncertain. C. hypselurus varies markedly in numbers of dorsal-fin spines and pectoral-fin rays, from river system to river system, but there is insufficient geographic consistency in this variation to- merit naming sub- species. Spawning occurs in late winter or early spring depending on water tempera- ture.
The title compound, C12H12N2O2, has been synthesized by the reaction of 5-amino-3,4-dimethylisoxazole and salicyladehyde. The molecule adopts an E configuration about the central C=N double bond. The dihedral angle between the isoxazole and phenyl rings is 4.2 (2)° and an intramolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond generates an S(6) ring motif. The crystal studied was a non-merohedral twin with a domain ratio of 0.834 (4):0.166 (4).
Positron emission tomography (PET) is an important functional imaging technology in early disease diagnosis. Generally, the gamma ray emitted by standard-dose tracer inevitably increases the exposure risk to patients. To reduce dosage, a lower dose tracer is often used and injected into patients. However, this often leads to low-quality PET images. In this article, we propose a learning-based method to reconstruct total-body standard-dose PET (SPET) images from low-dose PET (LPET) images and corresponding total-body computed tomography (CT) images. Different from previous works focusing only on a certain part of human body, our framework can hierarchically reconstruct total-body SPET images, considering varying shapes and intensity distributions of different body parts. Specifically, we first use one global total-body network to coarsely reconstruct total-body SPET images. Then, four local networks are designed to finely reconstruct head-neck, thorax, abdomen-pelvic, and leg parts of human body. Moreover, to enhance each local network learning for the respective local body part, we design an organ-aware network with a residual organ-aware dynamic convolution (RO-DC) module by dynamically adapting organ masks as additional inputs. Extensive experiments on 65 samples collected from uEXPLORER PET/CT system demonstrate that our hierarchical framework can consistently improve the performance of all body parts, especially for total-body PET images with PSNR of 30.6 dB, outperforming the state-of-the-art methods in SPET image reconstruction.
There is a compact layer (the lamina suprachoroidocapillaris) between the vascular and the choroidocapillaris layer of the guinea pig and rat choroids. The specimens were treated with the rapid freezing and freeze-substitution method. The choroidal melanocytes and their processes were exclusively built up of several layers, and the arterioles and venules passed through this layer. Numerous nerve terminals were seen throughout this layer, which contained small or large-size synaptic vesicles with dense or light core. These results may facilitate further understanding of the microcirculation in the choroidal architecture.
We performed space- and time-resolved plasma diagnostics during pulsed laser deposition of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) and Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 (BSTO) thin films. A KrF excimer laser irradiation at 248 nm with 25 ns pulse duration irradiates targets with a fluence varying from 1 to 2 J cm−2 under an oxygen pressure varying from 5 to 30 Pa. The plasma is shown to be optically thick and strongly non-uniform during the early expansion stage and the resonance lines Ca II 393 and 396 nm are strongly self-reversed during this time. Plasma temperature, electron density and relative elemental concentrations were obtained by comparing the experimental emission spectra with the spectral radiance computed for a non-uniform plasma in local thermal equilibrium. In this way, it was possible to evaluate very low concentrations of pollutants present in irradiated samples.
each vial to descend from the canopy to the base of the palm house. During this 27kday descent of each glass vial, purified water from the main reservoir is pumped by a gravitationally forced peristaltic pump mounted in the top of each vial. This water passes through two sheets of mylar film and eventually concentrates in the base of the vial. The mylar film has previously been silkscreened with a phosphorescent ink that appears invisible when dry. As the purified water passes over the surface of this film, it partially washes off the phosphorescent medium and transforms the purified water ethereally, charging it with the musical scores of one of the three arias sung by Rosa. At dusk on a full moon, Rosa plays one of her Lucite discs, and the volume transmitted from the mica resonator is allowed free passage out through the amplifying horn. On the nights leading up to the full moon, this passage is partially obscured by a latex membrane that imitates the function of the epiglottis. The full strength of her vocal performance triggers a sensor, allowing Rosa’s breasts to release carbon dioxide. This gas is piped to the glass vial that has most recently made its 27%-day descent. The gas shoots into the vial, dispersing the ethereally charged water out of the vial and into the glass gland, where it is transported around one of three capillary channels. As the water first enters the glass gland, a sensor electrifies the rarefied air in its spherical base, causing it to glow. This violet glow makes the ethereally charged water fluoresce as it makes its journey through the capillaries, picking up on its way additional phosphorescent medium concealed within the inner structure. The water passes out of the gland and into the first bell jar containing the heart. As the water enters the organ, a sensor electrifies the glass coil in the base of the bell jar, bathing the arterial cast in a magnificent violet haze-in effect, bringing the organ to bloom. (The lungs and the brain are activated in a similar way on successive lunar cycles.) It is this blooming process of the organs, directly attributed to the vocal frequency of Rosa’s sublime voice, that is the climactic byproduct of this 27%-day cycle. As the next day starts, the polyester arterial casts resume their normal, almost invisible stance, and Rosa’s voice reverts to a whisper as the second glass vial begins its slow 27!4-day descent, meticulously transforming purified water into ethereally charged nectar for Rosa to decant on the forthcoming full moon.
Reduction of anesthetic contamination in the operating room requires removal of excess circuit gases (scavenging), elimination of anesthetic equipment leakage, and avoidance of anesthetic technics which allow unopposed spill of gas into the operating room.Scavenging and disposal of excess anesthetic gases can present hazards to the patient; means to protect the breathing circuit from elevated positive and negative pressures should be of prime consideration in selecting a scavenging system. Leakage from anesthetic equipment occurs in the high-pressure (central and tank N2O sources to the machine flowmeters) and the low-pressure portions (from the machine flowmeters to the patient) of the system and can be of sufficient magnitude to virtually negate effective scavenging. These leakage points can be readily detected and corrected using periodic simple test procedures.
Abstract In this study, we evaluated the susceptibility of four different sorghum varieties to infestation by the khapra beetle, Trogoderma granarium Everts (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), as compared with wheat, which served as a ‘control’ commodity. In population growth assays, there was preference for population development on wheat compared to the different sorghum varieties. In contrast, there were no significant differences in total population development among the four varieties of sorghum. However, the proportion of immature stages (larvae, pupae) in relation to the adult stage varied significantly among the different varieties. Moreover, significant differences were noted among the commodities tested regarding the final weight decrease, as well as the amount of frass and kernel damage. Our study clearly demonstrates noticeable differences in the susceptibility of the varieties to T. granarium infestation. These results show that this species can develop on different varieties of sorghum, and variety selection should be further considered in a host-plant resistance-based management program for T. granarium.
Like any other country in the world, the housing sector plays vital roles both in the context of the economy of Bangladesh and serving the fundamental human right of shelter. Apart from providing physical shelter, housing may have significant impact on the lives of the dwellers in terms of skills enhancement, income generation, increased security, health, self-confidence and human dignity. Bangladesh, like many other developing countries, faces an acute shortage of affordable housing both in the urban and rural areas. Moreover, housing affordability is being eroded by poor land administration policies, which have resulted in very high land prices that make urban housing prohibitive for lower-income groups. Also, there is no active secondary market for real estate, mainly because of the high transfer taxes and an uninterrupted long-term increase in land prices. In spite of all these, this sector has experienced considerable growth in past few decades.
In this paper, we briefly review the connection between subband coding, wavelet approximation and general compression problems. Wavelet or subband coding is successful in compression applications partly because of the good approximation properties of wavelets. First, we revisit some rate-distortion bounds for wavelet approximation of piecewise smooth functions. We contrast these results with rate-distortion bounds achievable using oracle based methods. We indicate that such bounds are achievable in practice using dynamic programming. Finally, we conclude with an outlook on open questions in the area of compression and representations.
Designing multi-resonance (MR) emitters that can simultaneously achieve narrowband emission and suppressed intermolecular interactions is challenging for realizing high color purity and stable blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, a sterically shielded yet extremely rigid emitter based on a triptycene-fused B,N core (Tp-DABNA) is proposed to address the issue. Tp-DABNA exhibits intense deep blue emissions with a narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM) and a high horizontal transition dipole ratio, superior to the well-known bulky emitter, t-DABNA. The rigid MR skeleton of Tp-DABNA suppresses structural relaxation in the excited state, with reduced contributions from the medium- and high-frequency vibrational modes to spectral broadening. The hyperfluorescence (HF) film composed of a sensitizer and Tp-DABNA shows reduced Dexter energy transfer compared to those of t-DABNA and DABNA-1. Notably, deep blue TADF-OLEDs with the Tp-DABNA emitter display higher external quantum efficiencies (EQEmax = 24.8%) and narrower FWHMs (< 26 nm) than t-DABNA-based OLEDs (EQEmax = 19.8%). The HF-OLEDs based on the Tp-DABNA emitter further demonstrate improved performance with an EQEmax of 28.7% and mitigated efficiency roll-offs.
The article precedes the publication of 14 newly found correspondences of the classic of Russian literature of the 20 th century Vsevolod Ivanov (1895–1963). All of them were published in August – September 1919 in the mobile front-line newspaper “Vperyod” and are connected with the history of plots and stories of the writer about the Civil War in Siberia, first of all, with his famous story “Armored Train 14-69”. The publication fills in the gap associated with the incompleteness of the set of the newspaper “Vperyod” in the repositories of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The gap was filled thanks to the newspaper fund of the Scientific Library of Tomsk State University. The political and literary contexts of Ivanov’s work in the newspaper “Vperyod” are recreated, his relationship with the editor of the newspaper V. G. Yanchevetsky (1875–1954), known as the writer Vasily Yan, is described. An explanation of the changes in the views of the writer in 1919 is proposed. The poetics and genre of the published correspondence is preliminary characterized.
A VISITING SCHOLAR from a Chinese university takes notice of your research. He invites you to visit his home country, all expenses paid. You accept and find yourself feted at a large, lavish banquet. At the end of a long evening, weary from jet lag, you're still being peppered with questions about your work. Later, you worry that you might have revealed too many details. Your research, although not classified, is still proprietary to your university, and you had considered licensing or other commercialization options. Welcome to 21st-century espionage. Spying is no longer good guy versus bad guy, classified versus unclassified, Soviet versus American. It's as much about economic impact as it is about weapons. And it's often aimed at academic scientists. Although many countries target the U.S., China is particularly adept at such tactics, says Thomas J. Mahlik, chief of counterintelligence strategy at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Chinese agents focus on the culture ...
Entomophagy is being explored as a sustainable food source in Western countries to combat the ever-increasing effects of climate change. Studies conducted in various European countries determine the factors affecting willingness to consume insects. The current study aims to gain the first insight on this topic in Ireland, a country with a long farming tradition. A survey including open- and closed-ended questions was developed and sent to students and staff of an institute of technology in the West of Ireland. The willingness to consume insects and the factors affecting willingness to consume them under different conditions were assessed. It was found that less neophobic males who do not follow a particular diet were most receptive to entomophagy. People who were willing to try insects were less willing if the insects were to be eaten whole. People who were not willing were more inclined to do so if they were disguised or used to feed livestock. Food neophobia, disgust and safety concerns were barriers to acceptance. Tasty products containing disguised insects in familiar foods are the most likely to be accepted. Education and taste tests are recommended first steps to introducing entomophagy. Using insects to feed livestock has the potential to improve acceptance of entomophagy by introducing insects in the supply chain. However, further research should be conducted to assess acceptance of this amongst Irish farmers. The current study agrees with findings of studies conducted in other European countries and reveals the conditions under which insects could become acceptable among Irish consumers.
Based on the concept that a left-handed transmission line section has a negative electrical length, two pi -type lumped-element circuits are presented as equivalent circuits, and it is newly suggested that a low-pass filter type can be its lumped-equivalent circuit under a certain condition. Applying the negative electrical length concept to Smith chart, LHCCTs (left-handed constant conductance impedance transformers) are derived and two are validated by measurements, adding 180deg right-handed transmission lines to LHCCTs. The LHCCTs can be used for building lumped-element baluns, which can be used for both impedance transforming and arbitrary phase difference between two outputs. To verify the balun performances, a balun for a 40 Omega-50 Omega impedance transforming and 120deg difference between two ouputs is designed and simulated. The simulation results show perfect input matching, perfect power division and perfect phase difference 120deg, which are quite different from the conventional baluns having only 180deg phase difference between two outputs.
Category trees play a central role in many web applications, enabling browsing-style information access. Building trees that reflect users' dynamic interests is, however, a challenging task, carried out by taxonomists. This manual construction leads to outdated trees as it is hard to keep track of market trends. While taxonomists can identify candidate categories, i.e. sets of items with a shared label, most such categories cannot simultaneously exist in the tree, as platforms set a bound on the number of categories an item may belong to. To address this setting, we formalize the problem of constructing a tree where the categories are maximally similar to desirable candidate categories while satisfying combinatorial requirements and provide a model that captures practical considerations. In previous work, we proved inapproximability bounds for this model. Nevertheless, in this work we provide two heuristic algorithms, and demonstrate their effectiveness over datasets from real-life e-commerce platforms, far exceeding the worst-case bounds. We also identify a natural special case, for which we devise a solution with tight approximation guarantees. Moreover, we explain how our approach facilitates continual updates, maintaining consistency with an existing tree. Finally, we propose to include in the input candidate categories derived from result sets to recent search queries to reflect dynamic user interests and trends.
ABSTRACT This article present a Bayesian probabilistic method to support out-scaling of technologies from pilot projects. The method is applied to aerobic rice, a water-saving technology with probable global potential. The method assumes that areas similar to pilot sites are more likely to adopt than those that are different or unfavourable. Similarity is defined from climate, landscape and socio-economic attributes. Favourability is further evaluated by project specialists. Scaling out is not a simple linear process, so the method is proposed as a complement to learning processes. Results can support prioritization and strategic planning over specific geographic areas.
ABSTRACT The past 20 years have seen major efforts to extend and reform the system of general education in Spain. Some of the most important reforms are contained in legislation passed in 1990. These developments have direct relevance to the reform which has also been taking place in the system of special education. Official policy is that integrated provision should be available in all schools, but in the short term the system has set itself an initial and more limited objective.
Objective: The aim of this study was to explore variation in environmental quality in Swedish residential care facilities (RCFs) using the Swedish version of the Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix (S-SCEAM). Background: Well-designed physical environments can positively impact on health and well-being among older persons with frail health living in RCFs and are essential for supporting person-centered care. However, the evidence base for informing the design of RCFs is weak, partly due to a lack of valid and reliable instruments that could provide important information on the environmental quality. Methods: Twenty RCFs were purposively sampled from several regions, varying in their building design, year of construction, size, and geographic location. The RCFs were assessed using S-SCEAM and the data were analyzed to examine variation in environmental quality between and within facilities. Results: There was substantial variation in the quality of the physical environment between and within RCFs, reflected in S-SCEAM scores related to specific facility locations and with regard to domains reflecting residents’ needs. In general, private apartments and dining areas had high S-SCEAM scores, while gardens had lower scores. Scores on the safety domain were high in the majority of RCFs, whereas scores for cognitive support and privacy were relatively low. Conclusions: Despite high building standard requirements, the substantial variations regarding environmental quality between and within RCFs indicate the potential for improvements to support the needs of older persons. We conclude that S-SCEAM is a sensitive and unique instrument representing a valuable contribution to evidence-based design that can support person-centered care.
The Types of Scatopsidae in the Diptera Collection of the Zoological Museum in Berlin        The types of the Diptera family Scatopsidae have been covered and registered in the course of the new arrangement and catalogization of the collection material. The collection of this family of the Zoological Museum in Berlin contains 178 type specimens of 35 species. Most of the nominal species were described by DUDA, LOEW and ENDERLEIN. Furthermore, various species are described by COOK, MEIGEN, RUTHE and WALKER.        The specimens were collected especially in Europe. The types are listed in the systematical order with bibliographical data. Furthermore the indication of type locality, collector, date of capture and remarks on the condition of the specimens are given.
Background Acne vulgaris (acne) is a common adolescent skin condition. It is associated with negative psychological impacts and sufferers do not easily seek help, hence is undertreated. Objectives We investigated the self-reported prevalence, severity and psychological sequelae of acne, together with assessing help-seeking behaviour and its barriers, in separate school and hospital samples. We explored opportunistic treatment by paediatricians. Methods Self-reported survey with participants drawn from: (1) 120 adolescents aged 13–18 in a London tertiary paediatric outpatient department and (2) 482 adolescents from two London schools, aged 11–18. Adolescents confidentially and anonymously completed a questionnaire (paper or online) and those with acne completed the Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI) questionnaire. Outcome measures To explore if acne is being addressed opportunistically in outpatient appointments and the behaviours associated with seeking help and psychological implications of acne. Results Acne prevalence was reported as 58.3% in the clinic and 42.3% in schools, with 34.3% and 20.6% of participants having moderate acne (MA) or severe acne (SA), respectively. The correlation between acne severity and CADI was significant (regression coefficient=4.86, p<0.005 (MA) and 9.08, p<0.005 (SA) in the hospital; 1.92, p<0.001 (MA) and 7.41, p<0.005 (SA) in schools). Severity of acne was associated with increased likelihood of seeing a doctor in both samples (OR=8.95, 2.79–28.70 (MA) in the clinic and 1.31, 1.30–2.90 (MA) and 3.89, 0.66–22.98 (SA) in the community). Barriers to help seeking included embarrassment and believing doctors were unapproachable. Doctors addressed acne opportunistically in 2.9% of the sample, although 16.7% of those with MA and SA wished their doctor had raised it. Conclusion Acne is common and has negative psychological implications, correlating with severity. Young people often forego seeking help and hospital clinicians rarely address acne opportunistically. Further work is needed to investigate how to reduce barriers to help seeking for acne.
In a location-selection task, the repetition of a prior distractor location as the target location would slow down the response. This effect is termed the location negative priming (NP) effect. Recently, it has been demonstrated that repetition of a prior target location as the current target location would also slow down response. Because such target-to-target repetition cost is similar to the phenomenon of inhibition of return (IOR), the possibility of a common mechanism underlying target-to-target repetition cost, location NP, and IOR has been proposed. The current study evaluated this hypothesis by combining a spatial-cuing task with a location NP task. The results of three experiments demonstrated that although IOR interacted with target-to-target repetition cost, there was no interaction between IOR and location NP. These findings suggest that target-to-target repetition cost is more likely to share a common mechanism with IOR, and target-to-target repetition cost and location NP should be attributed to different processes.
Background and Objectives Although the recent approval of selumetinib is expected to transform the management of children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), particularly those with symptomatic and inoperable plexiform neurofibromas, no systematic review has summarized its efficacy and safety based on the latest studies. This study was conducted to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of selumetinib in children with NF1. Methods Original articles reporting the efficacy and safety of selumetinib in patients with NF1 were identified in PubMed and EMBASE up to January 28, 2021. The pooled objective response rates (ORRs) and disease control rates (DCRs) were calculated using the DerSimonian–Laird method based on random-effects modeling. The pooled proportion of adverse events (AEs) was also calculated. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Results Five studies involving 126 patients were included in our analysis. The studies had a very low to moderate quality of the evidence. The pooled ORR was 73.8% (95% CI 57.3%–85.5%) and the DCR was 92.5% (95% CI 66.5%–98.7%). The 2 most common AEs were diarrhea, which had a pooled rate of 63.8% (95% CI 52.9%–73.4%), and an increase in creatine kinase levels, which had a pooled rate of 63.3% (95% CI 35.6%–84.3%). Discussion Our results indicate that selumetinib is an effective and safe treatment for pediatric patients with symptomatic, inoperable plexiform neurofibromas. Further larger-scale randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm the long-term outcome of patients treated with this drug.
Gabriel Kolko. Main Currents in Modern American History. New York: Harper & Row, 1976. 433 + xiv pp. Gabriel Kolko needs little introduction. With over half a dozen books to his credit, not to mention scores of articles, he deserves the notoriety he enjoys both in North America and abroad. It seems appropriate, therefore, that at this stage of his prolific career he should produce a volume that is intended to be both a work of synthesis and a balance-sheet of his contributions to American history. Main Currents in Modern American History returns to the themes of Kolko's earlier writings and elaborates them into a broader and more up-to-date historical vision.
An attempt was made to reconcile discrepant findings in the size constancy performance of poor premorbid, process, non-paranoid schizophrenic men. It was postulated that an impairment of basic cognitive skills, and particularly of conservation, differentiates schizophrenics and normals, and under-constant and over-constant non-paranoid schizophrenics, and that this and an associated primitive visual centration effect may lead to paradoxical over-constancy for some schizophrenics. The results confirm that schizophrenics may be both under- and over-constant, and that they exhibit significantly low levels in primitive cognitive operations. The latter abnormalities are particularly marked in over-constant schizophrenics, for whom there is strong evidence of centration with a distant standard. Contradictory findings of over- as well as under-constancy in non-paranoid schizophrenics may thus be a function, apart from other determinants, of differences in the availability of conserving operations, and differences in centration strategies, where the latter would be influenced by characteristics of the experimental display.
Background: Leptin, an adipocytokine functions via the leptin receptor, OB-Rb that contains an intact intracellular domain and activates the JAK/STAT signalling cascade. It stimulates growth, migration and invasion of cancer cells in vitro potentiating angiogenesis. Recently, the involvement of leptin in tumor progression is being explored. Gliomas exhibit poor prognosis, low survival rates demanding for novel therapeutic regimens resulting in discovery of many potential biomarkers and pharmaceutical targets. We analysed the potential role of leptin and OB-Rb in carcinogenesis of malignant gliomas. Methods: Sixty fresh tissue samples of diffuse gliomas were collected after tumor excision. Real time PCR, immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis and western blot analysis were carried out to assess the expression of leptin and its receptor. Results: The present study demonstrates the expression of leptin and LepR and their involvement in tumor progression. Of the 60 cases, 57 cases (95%) and 53 cases (88.3%) showed amplification for leptin and OB-Rb respectively. The expression of these proteins were measured semi-quantitatively and correlated with degree of malignancy (p<0.05). The bands were visualised on western blot. Conclusion: Leptin may be valued as a pharmaceutical target and anti-leptin compounds could be developed as drugs in mono- or combined therapies for these tumors.
Large arrays of cross-reactive sensor elements offer the ability to identify vapors from the signature response of the ensemble. We create an array of heterogeneous gas sensing microassemblies using dielectrophoretic assembly of various nanomaterials on silicon. Gas sensitive materials include reduced graphene oxide (rGO) platelets, single wall carbon nanotubes, and copper oxide nanowires. The array was exposed to a wide range of volatile organic compounds such as isopropyl alcohol, acetone, and aromatic compounds. The entire array was monitored to supply real-time resistance data from each sensor element. The chemiresistive assemblies show fractional resistance changes exceeding 150 percent upon introduction of volatile organic compounds. The use of cross-reactive, heterogeneous assemblies of diverse nanomaterials facilitates construction of an electronic nose.
Spheroid culture is a preferable cell culture approach for some cell types, including hepatocytes, as this type of culture often allows maintenance of organ-specific functions. In this study, we describe a spheroid microarray chip (SM chip) that allows stable immobilization of hepatocyte spheroids in microwells and that can be used to evaluate drug metabolism with high efficiency. The SM chip consists of 300-μm-diameter cylindrical wells with chemically modified bottom faces that form a 100-μm-diameter cell adhesion region surrounded by a nonadhesion region. Primary hepatocytes seeded onto this chip spontaneously formed spheroids of uniform diameter on the cell adhesion region in each microwell and these could be used for cytochrome P-450 fluorescence assays. A row of microwells could also be connected to a microchannel for simultaneous detection of different cytochrome P-450 enzyme activities on a single chip. The miniaturized features of this SM chip reduce the numbers of cells and the amounts of reagents required for assays. The detection of four cytochrome P-450 enzyme activities was demonstrated following induction by 3-methylcholantlene, with a sensitivity significantly higher than that in conventional monolayer culture. This microfabricated chip could therefore serve as a novel culture platform for various cell-based assays, including those used in drug screening, basic biological studies, and tissue engineering applications.
This article aims to investigate some grammatical errors made by Arabic students in translating Indonesian text to English text. In translating, the students must be aware of the grammar rules to avoid some mistakes. The mistakes or errors in grammar can influence the idea of message delivery. Grammatical errors should be corrected directly to avoid misunderstanding. The research problem formulated by the researcher is (a) what types of grammatical errors made by the second semester students of Arabic study program of Teacher Training and Education Faculty of Pontianak State Islamic Studies?; and (b) What are the highest and lowest percentage of grammatical error in translated texts made by the students?. This study aims to uncover and identify the grammatical errors found in translation made by the students and describe the percentage of each type of grammatical errors in translated texts made by the students. This study uses qualitative descriptive method. The subject of this study is 31 Arabic study program students of Teacher Training and Education Faculty of Pontianak State Islamic Studies. This study takes in the second semester of Arabic study program year 2018-2019 in English For Specific Purpose (ESP) subject. In this subject, the students learned how to translate Indonesian-English and English-Indonesian texts. Data collection used in this research are documentation in the form of written test and observation during the test. The result showed the types of errors made the students are errors in the use of verb, noun phrase, pronoun, adjective phrase and preposition. From the finding, it can be seen that the highest error is in the use of verb form (32,23%), then it followed by the use of noun phrase (24,16%), the use of pronoun (16,13%), the use of adjective phrase (14,52%), and the use of preposition (12,90%) as the lowest error
This paper presents a 28-GHz low phase noise voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) in a 65-nm CMOS process for 5G communication applications. With the capacitive splitting and transformer feedback techniques, theoretical analysis and simulations are undertaken for the proposed oscillator, proving that its negative $G_{m}$ can be enhanced over the interested frequency range and reduced at the harmonic frequencies. Moreover, the proposed oscillator startup performance is analyzed, and its tank quality factor, transient and phase noise performance are simulated. With 4-bit switch capacitors and varactors, the proposed VCO achieves a tuning range from 25.7 to 29.7 GHz, consuming 10.8 mW from a 0.9-V supply voltage. With a wideband common-source buffer, the output signal power is around 1 dBm. At 26.5 GHz, the proposed VCO achieves low phase noise of −105.8 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset and −130 dBc/Hz at the 10-MHz offset, respectively.
Efforts to understand social, behavioral, and health characteristics of populations often require longitudinal studies of households Experimental designs, combined with longitudinal monitoring, permit many causal inferences that are not possible with cross-sectional surveys. While such studies retain their conceptual appeal, practical problems often limit their application. Data can be complex to manage, and results can be delayed. This paper presents a description of a microcomputer software system that addresses data management problems associated with longitudinal surveys of households. Using relational logic from household surveillance systems developed for Bangladesh and Indonesia as a model, an automated program generator is proposed that greatly simplifies the task of systems development for a family of applications. The paper reviews features of the database software that make up the output of this system and presents examples that illustrate the flexibility of the software generator.
The International Design Study for a future Neutrino Factory and super‐beam facility (the ISS) established the physics case for a high‐precision programme of long‐baseline neutrino‐oscillation measurements. The ISS also identified baseline specifications for the Neutrino Factory accelerator complex and the neutrino detector systems. This paper summarises the objectives of the International Design Study for the Neutrino Factory (the IDS‐NF). The IDS‐NF will build on the work of the ISS to deliver a Reference Design Report for the Neutrino Factory by 2012/13 and an Interim Design Report by 2010/11.
Abstract The role of processes operating in the mineralised froth encountered in production scale flotation machines is discussed in relation to both process operation and mathematical modelling techniques used for simulating process response on complex process flowsheets. The structure of froths (and associated drainage patterns) developed on a continuously operated flotation cell over a wide range of operating conditions is reported. The concept of shear induced drainage in the froth is introduced, where mobility in froths on producing cells is seen to reduce froth separation effects. The relation of shear induced drainage to modern cell design is discussed, particularly in terms of maximising froth separation effects to enhance process separation efficiency.
This study examines the effect of exchange rate fluctuations on the performance of manufacturing firms in Ghana for the period 1990 to 2018. The study uses the bounds test approach to cointegration within the framework of autoregressive distributed lags model as the estimation strategy. The results reveal that exchange rate and monetary policy rate has a negative and significant relationship with manufacturing firm performance. It was also found that inflation, trade openness, and investment have significant positive relation with manufacturing firm performance in Ghana. Based on the negative and significant relationship with exchange rate and manufacturing firm performance, it is recommended that government and private partnership should ensure effective management of the exchange rate fluctuation and also encourage manufacturing firms to patronize locally made capital goods for their production in the face of a depreciating exchange rate. Further, the study recommends that monetary authorities should reduce interest rate to increase investment by firms. This will enhance manufacturing firms’ performance.
The C-terminal fragment 33-41 of thymosin β 9 is synthesized by solution synthesis, using the strategy of maximum side-chain protection with acid-labile tert-butyl groups and temporary N α -benzyloxycarbonyl protection during the elongation steps. Part of this peptide is deprotected, coupled to KLH, and the conjugate used for the production of antibodies. The biological activities of two fragments and of the nonapeptide are tested in our α-amanitin-inhibited E-rosette assay
The current study complements existing research about emotion regulation by using a naturalistic, longitudinal design to (a) explore interpersonal dimensions of emotion regulation during unstructured mother–child interaction around distress and (b) explore how these interactions influence children's emerging emotion regulation from 14 to 24 months. Fifty Latino families were visited in their homes at both 14 and 24 months. Thirty minutes of unstructured interaction were videotaped and coded. Emotionally challenging episodes were identified based on ratings of the children's distress vocalisations. Within each episode, mothers' and children's behaviour were rated for interpersonal characteristics of their behaviour toward each other and the roles that each played in episode resolutions. On average, mother–child interaction was well coordinated across both ages. The degree to which children communicated about their distress clearly at 24 months was related to earlier maternal behaviour whereas the match between the intensity of children's emotion signals and the context was related to concurrent maternal behaviour (at both 14 and 24 months).
Data acquisition is an important part of any type of instrumentation. New technology can be used make data acquisition system more portable and powerful. Android mobile operating system which is open source and widely acceptable, can be used make a Data Acquisition System, which is not only portable but also powerful and open source. This will also make the study of electronics more advanced and interesting in technical institutes.
This paper focuses on the use of SAR data in the context of natural disasters. A Curvelet-based change detection algorithm is presented that automatically extracts changes in the radar back-scattering from two TerraSAR-X acquisitions – pre-disaster and post-disaster - of the same area. After a logarithmic scaling of the geocoded amplitude images the Curvelet-transform is applied. The differ-entiation is then done in the Curvelet-coefficient domain where each coefficient represents the strength of a linear structure apparent in the original image. In order to reduce noise the resulting coefficient differences are weighted by a special function that suppresses minor, noise-like structures. The resulting enhanced coefficients are transformed back to the image domain and brought to the original scaling, so that the values in the difference image describe the increase and the decrease with respect to the amplitude value in the initial image. This approach is applied on three sample data sets: flood, forest fire, and earthquake. For all scenarios including natural landscapes and urban environ-ments as well areas with changes in the radar amplitude are clearly delineated. The interpretation of the changes detected in the radar images needs additional knowledge, e.g. pre-disaster maps. The combination of both could possibly deliver a robust and reliable database for the coordination of res-cue teams after large-scale natural disasters.
I briefly review cosmological bounds on neutrino masses and the underlying gravitational physics at a level appropriate for readers outside the field of cosmology. For the case of three massive neutrinos with standard model freezeout, the current 95% upper limit on the sum of their masses is 0.42 eV. I summarize the basic physical mechanism making matter clustering such a sensitive probe of massive neutrinos. I discuss the prospects of doing still better in coming years using tools such as lensing tomography, approaching a sensitivity around 0.03 eV. Since the lower bound from atmospheric neutrino oscillations is around 0.05 eV, upcoming cosmological measurements should detect neutrino mass if the technical and fiscal challenges can be met.
OBJECTIVE To compare the performance of two-dimensional ultrasound (2D-US) three-dimensional ultrasound (3D-US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 36 weeks of gestation (WG) in the prediction of Large-for-Gestational-Age (LGA) fetuses defined as birthweight > 95th percentile in a high- and low-risk groups for macrosomia.   METHODS This was a prospective observational study conducted between January 2017 and February 2019. Women with singleton pregnancy at 36 WG underwent simultaneously 2D-US, 3D-US, and MRI. By plotting the weight estimations and the birthweight on the growth curve, a percentile was obtained, and it was used for comparison. The study population was divided into high- and low-risk groups, according to at least one of the following risk factors: the presence of diabetes, suspicion of macrosomia during the third trimester (> 90th percentile at the ultrasound routine scan), obesity (body mass index, BMI, > 30 kg/m2 ), and excessive weight gain. The outcome was the measurement of the performance of each diagnostic modality in the prediction of birthweight > 95th percentile. Statistical analysis was performed by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for each modality.   RESULTS Out of 988 patients, 965 were eligible: 533 (55.23%) in the high-risk group and 432 (44.77%) in the low-risk group. In the low-risk group, the AUCs were 0.982 for MRI, 0.964 for 2D-US, and 0.962 for 3D-US. No statistical significance was found among these three methods. In the high-risk group, the AUCs were 0.959 for MRI, 0.909 for 2D-US, and 0.894 for 3D-US. A statistically significant difference between MRI and both 2D-US (p = 0.002) and 3D-US (p = 0.002) was found. MRI had the highest sensitivity (65.79%) compared with both 2D-US (36.84%) and 3D-US (21.05%) ultrasound (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001, respectively). The 3D-US had the highest specificity (98.99%) compared to both methods (2D-US: 96.77%, p = 0.005, and MRI: 96.97%, p = 0.004).   CONCLUSION At 36 WG, MRI performs better than 2D-US and 3D-US in predicting birthweight > 95th percentile at birth, especially in patients at high-risk for macrosomia, while 2D-US and 3D-US are comparable. For low-risk patients, the three modalities perform similarly. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The paper describes magnetically levitated planar actuator with moving magnets. The translator part is represented by a disc permanent magnet or a uniform shaped object fulfilling specific requirements, so that it can provide sufficient control force against the lateral forces and the gravity force of the carrier. The stator platform is represented by 16 identical coils and a microcontroller board for precise coordination of the translator. The coil currents are controlled by PWM signals, in such a way, so together would form a homogenous magnetic field slightly above the planar surface of the coil array. As only the coils can produce significant force and torque, the current through them is switched during the movements of the translator. The system fulfils all the design requirements and its functionality was verified in the laboratory.
is called Thue equation in honour of A. Thue, who proved in 1909 [19] that the number of its solutions in integers is finite. Thue’s result is not effective, but in 1968, A. Baker [1] gave an upper bound for the solutions using his lower bounds for linear forms in logarithms of algebraic numbers. Since then, algorithms for the solution of single Thue equations have been ∗This work was supported by Austrian National Bank project nr. 7088 and the Austrian-Hungarian Science Cooperation project
Weak neck is the physiological weakening at the pedicel of Musa sp. fruit that causes individual fruits to be released prematurely from the hand. The level of resistance to weak neck is different among groups of Musa sp. with A and B genomes, diploid, triploid and tetraploid. Musa sp. cv. Rastali is AAB genome, but this cultivar is sensitive to weak neck. Sensitivity to weak neck comes from the two A genomes. There is high probability that application of Magnesium (Mg), Boron (B) and Silicon (Si) may solve weak neck on Musa sp. cv. Rastali. Magnesium application increases chlorophyll synthesis and photosynthesis rate. Assimilate accumulation on fruit cells triggers cell elongation and cell wall thickening, especially in the neck zone. Boron plays an important role in regulating hormone and enzyme levels in plants. Sufficient boron in plant tissue impedes synthesis and activities of Pectate Lyase (PL) and pectinmethylesterase (PME), thus decreasing cell wall hydrolysis. Plant cells and tissues become stronger with Si application. This is caused by the formation of silica-cuticle double layer on the epidermis. Low temperature along with low relative humidity during storage and ripening decreases the activities of PL and PME. The reduction of PL and PME activities result in a decrease in pectin degradation rate and cell wall hydrolysis, thus reducing the occurrence of weak neck.
The lack of research devoted to understanding the specific home health care work that mothers of children with cancer perform necessitates research in the area. This study examines the health care activities that mothers of children with cancer must assume in the home (eg, nursing care such as the administration of medicines, protecting the immune-suppressed child from concurrent illness, watching for side effects, record keeping, scheduling checkups and treatments). The implications for public policy of the extent and nature of home and lay health care in the hospital, clinic, and home are discussed.!
Chitin on crab shell waste can be obtained by fermentation process use Rhizopus oryzae. The objective of this research are to determine the optimum of water content on crab shell waste fermentation by Rhizopus oryzae for chitin production. Fermentation process is carried out for 72 hours, 5 of pH, 37oC, and 10% (v/w) of inoculum addition. Water content on fermentation process were varried whithin 40%, 50%, and 60% respectively. Fermentation process were carried out by 40% of water content reported as the optimum based on the deproteinization degree and the solubility in acidic solution.
The diploid isolate EM93 is the main ancestor to the widely used Saccharomyces cerevisiae haploid laboratory strain, S288C. In this study, we generate a high-resolution overview of the genetic differences between EM93 and S288C. We show that EM93 is heterozygous for >45,000 polymorphisms, including large sequence polymorphisms, such as deletions and a Saccharomyces paradoxus introgression. We also find that many large sequence polymorphisms (LSPs) are associated with Ty-elements and sub-telomeric regions. We identified 2,965 genetic markers, which we then used to genotype 120 EM93 tetrads. In addition to deducing the structures of all EM93 chromosomes, we estimate that the average EM93 meiosis produces 144 detectable recombination events, consisting of 87 crossover and 31 non-crossover gene conversion events. Of the 50 polymorphisms showing the highest levels of non-crossover gene conversions, only three deviated from parity, all of which were near heterozygous LSPs. We find that non-telomeric heterozygous LSPs significantly reduce meiotic recombination in adjacent intervals, while sub-telomeric LSPs have no discernable effect on recombination. We identified 203 recombination hotspots, relatively few of which are hot for both non-crossover gene conversions and crossovers. Strikingly, we find that recombination hotspots show limited conservation. Some novel hotspots are found adjacent to heterozygous LSPs that eliminate other hotspots, suggesting that hotspots may appear and disappear relatively rapidly.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-immune recovery was characterized in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. CMV lymphocyte proliferation (LP), responder-cell frequency (RCF), and interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-2 secretion were studied in CMV-seropositive HIV-infected patients and in CMV-seropositive HIV-uninfected control subjects. HIV-infected patients and control subjects had similar proportions of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, but levels were lower in HIV-infected patients. LP and RCF were significantly less frequent and of lower magnitude in HIV-infected patients. The measures of CMV cell-mediated immunity were correlated in HIV-uninfected but not in HIV-infected subjects. To investigate this, IL-2, IL-12, anti-CD28 plus anti-CD49d, or anti-IL-10 was added in vitro, with no effect on LP. However, CD8 cell depletion of mononuclear cells from HIV-infected patients increased LP responses to levels similar to those of uninfected control subjects; before depletion, only RCF correlated with CD4 cell counts, but after depletion, LP also correlated with CD4 cell counts.
Redmond Red, a fluoropore containing a redox-active phenoxazine core, has been explored as a new electrochemical probe for the detection of abasic sites in double-stranded DNA. The electrochemical behavior of Redmond Red-modified DNA at gold surfaces exhibits stable, quasi-reversible voltammetry with a midpoint potential centered around -50 mV versus NHE. Importantly, with Redmond Red positioned opposite an abasic site within the DNA duplex, the electrochemical response is significantly enhanced compared to Redmond Red positioned across from a base. Redmond Red, reporting only if well-stacked in the duplex, represents a sensitive probe to detect abasic sites electrochemically in a DNA-mediated reaction.
Several studies have showed the efficiency of natural techniques to dewater the sludge from water treatment plants in Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dewatering system through drainage/drying with a geotextile blanket using the sludge of decanters from two types of water treatment plants, in laboratory experiments and reduced scale. The following technical parameters of project were considered: density of blanket, application rate of solids, volumetric application rate, and drying in different climate conditions. In the drainage phase, 78 to 91% of the total volume of percolated liquid presented a compatible quality to the standardized limits for freshwater bodies from classes I and II, according to Resolution 357/05 from the National Council of Environment. In the drying phase, it was possible to obtain total solid rates between 15.9 and 20.3%, values of the same magnitude order as those obtained by mechanical drainages, even in critical drying conditions.
Multi-level (ML) recording technology increases the capacity of standard compact disc (CD) and digital versatile disc (DVD) rewritable systems with no change to the optical/mechanical unit. The feasibility of applying ternary run-length-limited (3L-RLL) modulation to recording/playback on standard CD/DVD phase change discs is discussed. The use of 3L-RLL modulation increases the recording density 50% relative to conventional binary RLL (2L-RLL) modulation currently used in CD and DVD systems.
Elastic Optical Network (EON) virtualization has recently emerged as an enabling technology for 5G network slicing. A fundamental problem in EON slicing (known as Virtual Network Embedding (VNE)) is how to efficiently map a virtual network (VN) on a substrate EON characterized by elastic transponders and flexible grid. Since a number of 5G services will have strict latency requirements, the VNE problem in EONs must be solved while guaranteeing latency targets. In existing literature, latency has always been modeled as a constraint applied on the virtual links of the VN. In contrast, we argue in favor of an alternate modeling that constrains the latency of virtual paths. Constraining latency over virtual paths (vs. over virtual links) poses additional modeling and algorithmic challenges to the VNE problem, but allows us to capture end-to-end service requirements. In this paper, we first model latency in an EON by identifying the different factors that contribute to it. We formulate the VNE problem with latency guarantees as an Integer Linear Program (ILP) and propose a heuristic solution that can scale to large problem instances. We evaluated our proposed solutions using real network topologies and realistic transmission configurations under different scenarios and observed that, for a given VN request, latency constraints can be guaranteed by accepting a modest increase in network resource utilization. Latency constraints instead showed a higher impact on VN blocking ratio in dynamic scenarios.
Tick-borne encephalitis is the most important human arthropod-borne virus disease in Europe and Russia, with an annual incidence of about 13 thousand people. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is distributed in the natural foci of forest and taiga zones of Eurasia, from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast. Currently, there are three mutually exclusive hypotheses about the origin and distribution of TBEV subtypes, although they are based on the same assumption of gradual evolution. Recently, we have described the structure of TBEV populations in terms of a clusteron approach, a clusteron being a structural unit of viral population [Kovalev and Mukhacheva (2013) Infect. Genet. Evol., 14, 22–28]. This approach allowed us to investigate questions of TBEV evolution in a new way and to propose a hypothesis of quantum evolution due to a vector switch. We also consider a possible mechanism for this switch occurring in interspecific hybrids of ticks. It is necessarily accompanied by a rapid accumulation of mutations in the virus genome, which is contrary to the generally accepted view of gradual evolution in assessing the ages of TBEV populations. The proposed hypothesis could explain and predict not only the formation of new subtypes, but also the emergence of new vector-borne viruses.
In this paper we investigate how metabolic network structure affects any coordination between transcript and metabolite profiles. To achieve this goal we conduct two complementary analyses focused on the metabolic response to stress. First, we investigate the general size of any relationship between metabolic network gene expression and metabolite profiles. We find that strongly correlated transcript-metabolite profiles are sustained over surprisingly long network distances away from any target metabolite. Secondly, we employ a novel pathway mining method to investigate the structure of this transcript-metabolite relationship. The objective of this method is to identify a minimum set of metabolites which are the target of significantly correlated gene expression pathways. The results reveal that in general, a global regulation signature targeting a small number of metabolites is responsible for a large scale metabolic response. However, our method also reveals pathway specific effects that can degrade this global regulation signature and complicates the observed coordination between transcript-metabolite profiles.
Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) can provide enhanced information for diagnosing dental diseases when compared to 2D radiographs. However, other nonionizing imaging modes such as near-infrared transillumination may have clinical potential to supplement radiographic methods. In a study of 13 extracted human teeth, we compared clinical features between 2D radiograph, CBCT, and near-infrared transillumination imaging. We found that near-infrared imaging independently, and in some cases exclusively, was successful in identifying early demineralization and shallow enamel features, while radiography was optimal for capturing deeper decay and developed caries. We report that near-infrared transillumination imaging is well-suited for rapid screening of patients for detection of early problem sites and as a preliminary assessment tool to guide administration of radiographs.
ABSTRACT - The study aimed to evaluate the growth and development of biotypesof Digitaria insularis susceptible and resistant to glyphosate. Samples of biotypeswere collected in Western Parana in Cascavel, one susceptible (24 o 57’29.06" S and53 o 30’23.73" W) and one resistant (24 o 54’54.99" S and 53 o 30’08.55" W; withResistance Factor of 2.96). The experiment was arranged in a completely randomizeddesign with four replications. The treatments consisted of different plant collectiontimings, carried out at regular intervals of 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, 56, 63, 70, 77, 84, 91, 98,105 and 112 days after emergence. The growth curve of susceptible and resistantbiotypes were similar; however, the susceptible biotypes accumulated more leaf drymass, while the resistant one accumulated more root dry mass. The resistant biotypesexhibited greater competitive efficiency and produced fewer tillers and inflorescences.The resistant biotype of D. insularis would have advantages over the originalpopulation of susceptible biotypes in an environment without application ofglyphosate due to the low potential of aboveground biomass production andreproduction.
The hysteresis behaviour at the L‐H‐L transitions in tokamak plasma is investigated based on bifurcation concept. The formation of an edge transport barrier (ETB) is modeled via thermal and particle transport equations with the flow shear suppression effect on anomalous transport included. The anomalous transport is modeled based on critical gradients threshold and the flow shear is calculated from the force balance equation, couples the two transport equations leading to a non‐linear behaviour. Analytical investigation reveals that the fluxes versus gradients space exhibits bifurcation behaviour with s ‐curve soft bifurcation type. Apparently, the backward H‐L transition occurs at lower values than that of the forward L‐H transition, illustrating hysteresis behaviour. The hysteresis properties, i.e. locations of threshold fluxes, gradients and their ratios are analyzed as a function of neoclassical and anomalous transport values and critical gradients. It is found that the minimum heat flux for maintaining H ‐mode depends on several plasma parameters including the strength of anomalous transport and neoclassical transport. In particular, the hysteresis depth becomes larger when neoclassical transport decreases or anomalous transport increases. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
AIMS OF THE STUDY This paper uses the findings of a recent bibliometric analysis of published UK nursing research to ask whether the field is characterized by a fundamental split between two underlying areas of research interest. These can be termed 'endogenous' and 'exogenous'. The former term describes research which tends to be concerned with problems and issues to do with nursing as a profession; the latter is concerned with problems and issues centring around the nursing of patients.   DESIGN/METHODS Papers in the Wellcome Trust's Research Outputs Database (ROD), a database of UK biomedical research, were analysed. Nursing papers published between 1988 and 1995 numbered 1,845, just less than 1% of the total papers in the ROD.   RESULTS/FINDINGS Analysis of the subfield identified that nursing research was atypical of biomedical research as a whole in a number of ways. One difference was that usually in biomedical research there is a general correlation between numbers of funders acknowledged on a paper, numbers of authors, and esteem of the journal in which a paper appears. In nursing there was, if anything, a tendency for highly esteemed papers to have fewer authors and be less likely to have acknowledged funding. However, the apparently endogenous and exogenous papers have quite different characteristics. This paper explores this apparent difference and possible reasons for this difference and will briefly compare nursing research with some other newly emerging social and academic groups.   CONCLUSIONS Thinking of nursing research outputs in this way can provide insight into the existence of different reward systems influencing nurse researchers. However, it is impossible to draw too confident a differentiation without reading each individual paper and making judgements about whether they are 'endogenous' or 'exogenous', a practice generally beyond the scope of bibliometric practice.
Trip detection is a fundamental issue in many context-sensitive information services on mobile devices. It aims to automatically recognize significant places and trips between them. The key challenge is how to minimize energy consumption while maintaining high accuracy. Previous works that use GPS/WiFi sampling are accurate but energy efficiency is low and does not improve over time. Learning from the human decision making process, we propose an energy-efficient trip detection framework that consists of two modes: The deliberation mode learns cell-id patterns using GPS/WiFi based localization methods; the intuition mode only uses cell-ids and learned patterns for trip detection; transition between the two modes is controlled by parameters that are also learned. We evaluated our framework using real-life traces of six people over five months. Our experiments demonstrate that its energy consumption decreases rapidly as users' activities manifest regularity over time.
A joining between YBa2Cu3O7-x and aluminum was performed at room temperature employing the surface activation method. After surfaces of both samples were sputter-cleaned by an argon beam in vacuum, activated surfaces were pressed to each other at the pressure of 96 MPa. Although the surface of YBa2Cu3O7-x was very rough, a tight joint was obtained. Interface resistance of the joint was measured by the four-probe method. It decreased as temperature was lowered and it was as low as 6×10-9 Ω·m2 at 77 K. V-I measurement demonstrated, however, that it did not show an exactly ohmic character, but a slight positive dependence on current.
Sprinkled surface hardeners are incorporated into freshly placed concrete slabs while high-strength overlays are placed on a previously poured new concrete slab or an existing deteriorated slab, providing improved abrasion and impact resistance. Metal filings are combined with cement corrosion inhibitors and water-reducing admixtures. Depending on the intended application, the metallic particles may either be treated with chemicals or directly sieved and graded. Rusting of metallic surface hardeners can occur when the installation of these products or the conditions during installation are not closely controlled. Visual tests, including microscopy and chemical analysis, were employed to investigate some of the potential factors that contribute to the rusting problem. Observations and possible causes contributing to the rusting and debonding problems are identified: (1) a decrease in the alkalinity of the cement paste due to carbonation; (2) exposure of unprotected metallic particles to air during the brushing procedure; and (3) timing of the finishing operations.
In trees of the seasonally flooded forest of the Mapire River in Venezuela, early flooding induces a reversible diminution in leaf conductance and photosynthetic rate. With the aim of finding an anatomical explanation for the observed responses of leaf gas exchange, the characteristics of emerged leaves developed under drainage or after three months of flooding were examined in the tree species Acosmium nitens, Campsiandra laurifolia, Duroia fusifera, Eschweilera tenuifolia, Pouteria orinocoensis and Symmeria paniculata and in leaves developed only under flooding in Inga spuria and Tachigali davidsei. Anatomy was remarkably similar among species and families and consisted of a bi-layered palisade parenchyma, a 5-6-cell-thick spongy parenchyma and large whole-leaf thickness. Anatomy also resembled that of xerophytes or evergreen species by possessing thick cuticles, large epidermal cells, thickened anticlinal epidermal cell walls and an abundance of sclerenchyma. Leaves of flooded v. un-flooded trees were not qualitatively different. Specific leaf area resembled values of deciduous species in tropical dry forests. No quantitative differences were found between leaves developed in un-flooded and flooded trees, with the exception of a reduction in whole-leaf thickness of E. tenuifolia, P. orinocoensis and S. paniculata and a change in the contribution of palisade parenchyma to leaf thickness in E. tenuifolia. Both stomatal size and density in these exclusively hypostomatous species remained unaffected by flooding. A decrease under flooding in whole-leaf thickness may have resulted in an increase in mesophyll conductance and therefore photosynthetic rate.
A template-free strategy has always been attractive to design and fabricate advanced carbon materials with tunable nanostructures from cheap precursors. Herein, honeycomblike mesoporous carbons (HPCs) are prepared from pitch-based polymers through a self-assembly foaming strategy without using any templates. Rich mesopores specific in sizes of 2–5 nm and abundant open-ended honeycomblike holes endow a hierarchical pore-in-pore feature of HPCs and an ultrahigh specific surface area (3473 m2 g–1). With their superior structure, HPCs can deliver a high supercapacity of 339 F g–1 at a current density of 1 A g–1 in 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte and retain 85.6% of the capacity even at a current density of 50 A g–1. Meanwhile, a supercapacitive cell assembled by two HPC electrodes yields a conspicuously ultrahigh energy density of 34.5 Wh kg–1 (12.8 Wh L–1) at a high power density of 679.4 W kg–1 (251.4 W L–1). This work provides a new method for the controllable synthesis of advanced carbon materials from pitch ...
Flooding in the Haor region in the north-east of Bangladesh is presented in this paper. A haor is a saucershaped depression, which is used during the dry period (Dec to mid-May) for agriculture and as a fishery during the wet period (Jun-Nov). Pre-monsoon flooding till mid-May causes agricultural loss. The area is bordering India, and is fed by some flashy Indian catchments. The area is drained mainly by the Surma-Kushiyara river system. The terrain generally is flat and the flashy characteristics die out within a short distance from the border. Limited studies on the region, particularly with the help of numerical models, have been carried out in the past. Therefore, an objective of the current research was to set up numerical models capable of reasonably emulating the physical system. Such models could, for example, associate different gauges to the spatio-temporal variation of hydrodynamic variables and help in carrying out a systemic study on the flood propagation. A 1D2D model, with one-dimensional model for the rivers (based on MIKE 11 from DHI) and a two-dimensional model for the haors (based on MIKE 21 from DHI) were developed. In order to characterize flooding in the large area a flood index is proposed, which is computed based on the hydrograph characteristics such as the rising curve gradient, flood magnitude ratio and time to peak. The index was used in characterising flooding in the Haor region. In general, two groups of rivers were identified. The study enabled identifying the hot-spots in the study area with risks from flooding.
While the decade of 1970s is generally known for the chronic oil shortages and the dramatic ris in the price of oil a significant slow down in rate of growth of productivity has also marked this and the subsequent decade of 1980s in the U.S. Though many studies have provided insight into the effect of these higher oil prices on industrial output and input demands etc., the reasons for this productivity slow down still remains somewhat of mystery. Complicating the task of unraveling this mystery is the fact that the 1970s also marks a period of unprecedented tight environmental regulations as a series of Amendments to the Clean Air Act Legislation were passed by U.S. Congress. Consequently many industries have faced substantial increases in cost of compliance with new environmental regulations. While environmental regulations are generally believed to impair growth empirical research on the subject has been rather slow so that the real impact of these tighter environmental regulations on industrial productivity is not yet clearly understood.
By using molecular dynamics simulations, we have accurately determined the true contact area during plastic indentation of materials under an applied in-plane stress. We found that the mean pressure calculated from the true contact area varied slightly with applied pre-stress with higher values in compression than in tension and that the modulus calculated from the true contact area is essentially independent of the press-stress level in the substrate. These findings are largely consistent with the findings of Tsui, Pharr, and Oliver. On the other hand, if the contact area is estimated from approximate formulae, the contact area is underestimated and shows a strong dependence on the pre-stress level. When it is used to determine mean pressure and modulus, the empirically determined area leads to large errors. Our simulations demonstrate that this phenomenon, first reported for macroscale hardness measurements dating back to 1932, also exists at the nanometer-scale contact areas, apparently scaling over 10 orders of magnitude in contact area, from ~mm^2 to ~100 nm^2.
The attempt to rationally dominate the concepts of space gave place to the birth of Geometry. Mathematics as a whole is permeated by a sense of geometry. And it could be no other way, considering the eminently visual and spatial character of a great part ofmathematics, and given the fact that there is a tendency to obtain clarification of even the most abstract ideas in an intuitive and graphic manner. Nature's geometrical shapes will be classified according to shape-function, shape-metrics and shape-complexity binomials. This article takes up again the taxonomy of the most commonshapes in nature, emphasizing their mathematical expression and analysing their functionality and their structure as the fundamental elements that have made them prevail. As a product of the Mathematics Laboratory research Project of the "Grupo de Investigacion en Ciencias Basicas Da Vinci", this article shows the undeniable relationship between geometry, shape and structures as they present them selves innature , exploring shapes in a different way than the formal developments that are proper of Geometry.
By introducing Frobenius morphisms F on algebras A and their modules over the algebraic closure F q of the finite field F q of q elements, we establish a relation between the representation theory of A over F q and that of the F-fixed point algebra A F over F q . More precisely, we prove that the category mod-A F of finite-dimensional A F -modules is equivalent to the subcategory of finite-dimensional F-stable A-modules, and, when A is finite dimensional, we establish a bijection between the isoclasses of indecomposable A F -modules and the F-orbits of the isoclasses of indecomposable A-modules. Applying the theory to representations of quivers with automorphisms, we show that representations of a modulated quiver (or a species) over F q can be interpreted as F-stable representations of the corresponding quiver over F q . We further prove that every finite-dimensional hereditary algebra over F q is Morita equivalent to some A F , where A is the path algebra of a quiver Q over F q and F is induced from a certain automorphism of Q. A close relation between the Auslander-Reiten theories for A and A F is established. In particular, we prove that the Auslander-Reiten (modulated) quiver of A F is obtained by "folding" the Auslander-Reiten quiver of A. Finally, by taking Frobenius fixed points, we are able to count the number of indecomposable representations of a modulated quiver over F q with a given dimension vector and to generalize Kac's theorem for all modulated quivers and their associated Kac-Moody algebras defined by symmetrizable generalized Cartan matrices.
Chapter 1: Mapping problems: Introduction/ Basic cartography/ Probability maps/ Map generalization/ Maps and hypotheses/ Other topics Chapter 2: Data Sources and problems: Introduction/ Statistical data/ Standardization problems/ Missing data problems Chapter 3: Spatial cross-sections: Introduction/ Infectious and parasitic diseases/ Neoplasms/ Diseases of the circulatory system/ Diseases of the respiratory system/ Congenital anomalies/ Injury and poisoning Chapter 4: Time-Series: Introduction/ Time-series components/ Long-term trends in morality in Iceland/ Seasonal Components/ Other cyclical components/ Discontinuities in time-series: vaccination impact Chapter 5: Space-Time methods: Introduction/ Cartographic methods/ Disease spread as a wave process/ Time-series comparisons/ Other topics Chapter 6: Spatial Dynamics of Epidemics: Four contrasting epidemic diseases (AIDS, Smallpox, Influenza, Measles) Chapter 7: Future Maps: Introduction/ Map transformations/ Mapping and Modelling.
Compared with image few-shot learning, most of the existing few-shot video classification methods perform worse on feature matching, because they fail to sufficiently exploit the temporal information and relation. Specifically, frames are usually evenly sampled, which may miss important frames. On the other hand, the heuristic model simply encodes the equally treated frames in sequence, which results in the lack of both long-term and short-term temporal modeling and interaction. To alleviate these limitations, we take advantage of the compressed domain knowledge and propose a long-short term Cross-Transformer (LSTC) for few-shot video classification. For short terms, the motion vector (MV) contains temporal cues and reflects the importance of each frame. For long terms, a video can be natively divided into a sequence of GOPs (Group Of Picture). Using this compressed domain knowledge helps to obtain a more accurate spatial-temporal feature space. Consequently, we design the long-short term selection module, short-term module, and long-term module to comprise the LSTC. Long-short term selection is performed to select informative compressed domain data. Long/short-term modules are utilized to sufficiently exploit the temporal information so that the query and support can be well-matched by cross-attention. Experimental results show the superiority of our method on various datasets.
Abstract Callus cultures of various cultivars of Vicia faba were studied for regeneration. During callus growth on agar or in liquid medium a black tissue was often observed correlated with an autolysis of some cells. With those tissues callus growth and regeneration of plants was inhibited. In black callus the phytoalexin synthesis is induced without infection by microorganism. The main phytoalexins in the callus tissue are wyerol and wyerone, with some wyeronic acid and dihydrowyerone. Wyerol was found especially in the cultivar Troy at a high concentration. In four cultivars the pooled phytoalexin concentration varied between 10 and 150 μg · g-1 fresh weight.
We present six recommendations for building theories of work motivation that are more valid, more complete, broader in scope, and more useful to practitioners than existing theories. (1) Integrate extant theories by using existing meta-analyses to build a megatheory of work motivation. (2) Create a boundaryless science of work motivation. (3) Study the various types of relationships that could hold between general (trait) and situationally specific motivation. (4) Study subconscious as well as conscious motivation. (5) Use introspection explicitly in theory building. (6) Acknowledge the role of volition in human action when formulating theories.
The use of computers in secondary schools has increased over recent years, but there is still a large number of teachers who do not make use of computers in their teaching. There are problems and challenges associated with the implementation of any innovation; the nature of computer technology and the way it has been introduced to schools have resulted in the creation of further, specific questions and difficulties.        This paper includes an examination of the issues relating to the introduction of computers through an investigation of teachers who have bought educational computer software and from a study of related literature. These issues have been examined within an attempt to discover patterns in relation to the use of educational software, and to derive strategies which may be used in encouraging wider use of computers in secondary education.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: FOG is a troublesome symptom of PD. Despite growing evidence suggesting that FOG in PD may be associated with cognitive dysfunction, the relationship between regional brain atrophy and FOG has been poorly investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Optimized VBM was applied to 3T brain MR images of 24 patients with PD and 12 HC. Patients were classified as either FOG− or FOG+ (n = 12) based on their responses to a validated FOG Questionnaire and clinical observation. All patients with PD also underwent a detailed neuropsychological evaluation. RESULTS: The VBM analysis in patients with FOG+ showed a reduced GM volume in the left cuneus, precuneus, lingual gyrus, and posterior cingulate cortex compared with both patients with FOG− and HC. We did not detect any significant change of GM volume when comparing HC versus all patients with PD (FOG− and FOG+). FOG clinical severity was significantly correlated with GM loss in posterior cortical regions. Finally, patients with FOG+ scored lower on tests of frontal lobe function. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide the first evidence that the development of FOG in patients with PD is associated with posterior GM atrophy, which may play a role in the complex pathophysiology of this disabling symptom.
We study a generalization of the classic Online Joint Replenishment Problem (JRP) with Delays that we call the Online Weighted Cardinality JRP with Delays. The JRP is an extensively studied inventory management problem wherein requests for different item types arrive at various points in time. A request is served by ordering its corresponding item type. The cost of serving a set of requests depends on the item types ordered. Furthermore, each request incurs a delay penalty while it is left unserved. The objective is to minimise the total service and delay costs. In the Weighted Cardinality JRP, each item type has a positive weight and the cost of ordering is a non-decreasing, concave function of the total weight of the item types ordered. This problem was first considered in the offline setting by Cheung et al. (2015) but nothing is known in the online setting. Our main result is a deterministic, constant competitive algorithm for this problem.
For African countries to make the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process effective, the findings and recommendations of EIA reports must be communicated horizontally and vertically to the stakeholders. This article proposes that for this communication to be successful, several challenges must be addressed. They include insensitivity to cultural and language barriers, lack of accessibility of EIA reports and overreliance on foreign experts. Use of mass media, increased training of media journalists and reporters as well as other professionals, public inquiries by local leaders, and increased awareness of environmental matters on the part of communities can improve the EIA process.
seceded forty years ago from the original body to which it belonged, and later on, with three other churches, it seceded from the group of seceding congregations. Still later it fell into a difference with the three other churches on the question of eternal punishment, the word “eternal” not appearing to the elders of St. Osoph’s to designate a sufficiently long period. The dispute ended in a secession which left the church of St. Osoph practically isolated in a world of sin whose approaching fate it neither denied nor deplored.
Stock checks of print journals have long been a feature of good serials management, but there has not been an equivalent for e-journals. At King's College we thought we ought to do something about that. This paper describes our approach and our findings. A checklist shows what we feel are the most important aspects to such an operation, and can be adapted by other libraries interested in undertaking something similar. Limitations of SFX are noted as are common problems with e-journal management. It is not felt that an automated solution to stock checking e-journals is imminent.
The pervaporation (PV) separation performance of ZSM-5- and Na-Y-type zeolite-filled sodium alginate (NaAlg) membranes were compared with those of pure NaAlg and semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) membranes of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with polyaniline (PANI) for the dehydration of acetonitrile. The PV separation characteristics of the zeolite-filled membranes showed a dependence on the nature of the zeolites. The variation of the acidity function of the ZSM-5 zeolite had an influence on the flux and selectivity of the membranes when compared to unfilled membranes. The crosslinked membranes were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Increasing the PANI content of the semi-IPN network increased the separation selectivity. Among the NaAlg membranes, the plain NaAlg membrane showed the highest selectivity of 414 at 30 mass % water in the feed mixture, whereas the Na-Y- and ZSM-5 (40)-filled NaAlg membranes exhibited much lower values of selectivity, that is, 7.3 and 4.3, respectively for 30 mass % water in the feed. When the flux and selectivity data of ZSM-5 (250)-filled NaAlg membranes were compared with that of Na-Y- or ZSM-5 (40)-filled NaAlg membranes, a noticeable increase in the selectivity for the ZSM-5 (250)-filled NaAlg membrane was observed, but a somewhat comparable flux was observed compared to the plain NaAlg membrane. For the first time, PANI was polymerized with PVA to yield a semi-IPN. The total flux and water flux increased systematically, whereas the selectivity decreased greatly from 251.87 to 5.95 with increasing amounts of water in the feed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 1968–1978, 2005
The vascular leakage was shown by the increment of hematocrit (Hct), dengue viral infected monocyte, monocyte status, and cytokines production in patients infected with dengue virus. Dengue viral antigens were demonstrated in monocytes (CD14+) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The increased levels of Hct, interleukin- (IL-) 10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) were detected in dengue fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) patients as compared with other febrile illnesses (OFIs). The highest levels of Hct and IL-10 were detected in DSS patients as compared with other groups (P < 0.05) especially on one day before and after defervescence. The unstimulated and lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) stimulated monocytes from DSS patients showed the significantly decreased of intracellular IL-1β and TNF-α. In addition, the lowest level of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of CD11b expression on monocytes surface in DSS patients was also demonstrated. Furthermore, the negative correlations between IL-10 levels and intracellular IL-1β and MFI of CD11b expression in unstimulated and LPS-stimulated monocytes were also detected. Nevertheless, not only were the relationships between the prominent IL-10 and the suppression of intracellular monocyte secretion, namely, IL-1β, TNF-α, demonstrated but also the effect of vascular leakage was observed.
We present a study of MOS capacitor reliability when nickel (Ni) is used to crystallize a phosphorus-doped, amorphous silicon ( -Si)-gate electrode by metal-induced crystal- lization (MIC). The dopant in the gate electrode was also activated during the MIC. We report that there was an increase of about 0.1 eV in the gate electrode workfunction due to Ni. Through capacitance-voltage (C-V), current-voltage (I-V) and charge-to- breakdown ( ) measurements, we show that the Ni MIC in the gate electrode does not degrade the MOS capacitor reliability. Index Terms—Capacitor reliability, dopant activation, metal-in- duced crystallization, polycrystalline silicon.
Fabry disease. Fabry disease is an X-linked disorder in which lysosomal alpha-galactosidase A is lacking, leading to enzyme-substrate accumulation and tissues dysfunction. Acroparesthesia, angiokeratoma, familial nephropathy or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy should suggest Fabry disease. Enzymatic assay allows diagnosis in men but genetic assay is needed for women. Enzyme replacement therapy is available since 2001 and a pharmacologic chaperone since 2016.
BACKGROUND Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) is a neurodegenerative disease that results in progressive muscle weakness and wasting. There is no known cure and the disease is uniformly fatal.   PURPOSE This review discusses current concepts in ALS care, from breaking the diagnosis to end-of-life care. People with ALS have several multidisciplinary needs due to a complex and dynamic disease process. They benefit from rehabilitation interventions that are individualized and have the goal of optimizing independence, function, and safety. These strategies also help minimize symptomatic burden and maximize quality of life.   CONCLUSION Patient-centered, multidisciplinary care has a significant impact on the life of people with ALS and is the current standard of care for this patient population.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement, which seeks to regulate copyright law, intermediary liability, and technological protection measures. The United States Government under President Barack Obama sought to export key features of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998 (US) (DMCA). Drawing upon the work of Joseph Stiglitz, this paper expresses concerns that the TPP would entrench DMCA measures into the laws of a dozen Pacific Rim countries. This study examines four key jurisdictions—the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—participating in the TPP. This paper has three main parts. Part 2 focuses upon the takedown-and-notice scheme, safe harbours, and intermediary liability under the TPP. Elements of the safe harbours regime in the DMCA have been embedded into the international agreement. Part 3 examines technological protection measures—especially in light of a constitutional challenge to the DMCA. Part 4 looks briefly at electronic rights management. This paper concludes that the model of the DMCA is unsuitable for a template for copyright protection in the Pacific Rim in international trade agreements. It contends that our future copyright laws need to be responsive to new technological developments in the digital age—such as Big Data, cloud computing, search engines, and social media. There is also a need to resolve the complex interactions between intellectual property, electronic commerce, and investor-state dispute settlement in trade agreements.
APL (A Programming Language), developed by Dr. Kenneth Iverson of Harvard in the 1960s, has not been a computer language often associated with the mainstream of the simulation community. An interpreted language with its own symbol set, APL was normally passed over in favor of specialised simulation languages or compiler-based general-purpose programming languages. Four contrasting approaches to modelling and their embodiment in APL are presented, with emphasis on APLs versatility and capacity to specify complex models very concisely and quickly. High-performance interpreters, 16/32 bit microprocessors, dedicated APL engines and parallel processor architecture combine to make APL a more sensible choice for simulation in the 1980s.
Adults’ digital self-tracking practices are relatively well studied, but these pre-existing models of digital self-tracking do not fit for how adolescents use these technologies. We apply the mechanisms-and-conditions framework of affordance theory to examine adolescents’ imagined affordances of self-tracking apps and devices. Based on qualitative data from an online survey of 16- to 18-year-olds in the United Kingdom, we find the following three key themes in how adolescents imagine the affordances of digital self-tracking: (1) the variability of use across adolescents and with adults, (2) the role of the social control of data in school settings, and (3) the salience of social comparisons among their peers. Using these findings, we show how social and institutional configurations come to matter for technological affordances. By examining adolescents’ imagined affordances for self-tracking, we suggest self-tracking research move away from a “one size fits all approach” and begin to highlight the differences in practices from adults and across adolescents.
Actin assembly on membrane surfaces is an elusive process in which several phosphoinositides (PIPs) have been implicated. We have reconstituted actin assembly using a defined membrane surface, the latex bead phagosome (LBP), and shown that the PI(4,5)P(2)-binding proteins ezrin and/or moesin were essential for this process (). Here, we provide several lines of evidence that both preexisting and newly synthesized PI(4,5)P(2), and probably PI(4)P, are essential for phagosomal actin assembly; only these PIPs were routinely synthesized from ATP during in vitro actin assembly. Treatment of LBP with phospholipase C or with adenosine, an inhibitor of type II PI 4-kinase, as well as preincubation with anti-PI(4)P or anti-PI(4,5)P(2) antibodies all inhibited this process. Incorporation of extra PI(4)P or PI(4,5)P(2) into the LBP membrane led to a fivefold increase in the number of phagosomes that assemble actin. An ezrin mutant mutated in the PI(4,5)P(2)-binding sites was less efficient in binding to LBPs and in reconstituting actin assembly than wild-type ezrin. Our data show that PI 4- and PI 5-kinase, and under some conditions also PI 3-kinase, activities are present on LBPs and can be activated by ATP, even in the absence of GTP or cytosolic components. However, PI 3-kinase activity is not required for actin assembly, because the process was not affected by PI 3-kinase inhibitors. We suggest that the ezrin-dependent actin assembly on the LBP membrane may require active turnover of D4 and D5 PIPs on the organelle membrane.
The lateral subdivision of the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) comprises two groups of γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons that express corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) and enkephalin. Regulation of the expression and release of these neuropeptides by glucocorticoids and other factors has been suggested to have a regulatory function on the diverse somatic, autonomic, and neuroendocrine responses that are coordinated by the CeA. Because another opioid peptide, dynorphin, has been reported to be also expressed by neurons in the lateral CeA, this study examined the neuronal expression of this kappa‐opioid (KOP) receptor‐preferring ligand by using immunohistochemistry for the precursor peptide prodynorphin. Prodynorphin neurons in the extended amygdala were observed mostly in the medial and central regions of the lateral CeA and the oval of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST). About one‐third of the prodynorphin neurons in the CeA coexpressed CRH, whereas no coexpression with CRH was detected in the BST. Prodynorphin was not expressed by calbindin neurons in the medial part of the lateral CeA, and indirect evidence suggested that it was not expressed by enkephalin neurons. Coexpression of prodynorphin in extrahypothalamic CRH neurons in the CeA could provide an anatomical basis for regulation of the stress responses and other CRH‐related functions by the brain dynorphin/KOP receptor system. J. Comp. Neurol. 504:702–715, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Non-contact electro-optical systems for geometrical parameters measurements of moving objects are the novel systems, which is required for industry and transportation. The electro-optical systems based on lasers, photosensitive cameras, control electronics and computers have been considered. Analysis of principles and existing methods for optical and electro-optical profile measurements was shown. Methods and mathematical models for evaluation of electro-optical measurement accuracy have been developed. Rail track inspection systems in the world and our developments have been considered.
ABSTRACT Introduction: The evaluation of the relationship between the use of antidiabetic drug and the occurrence of cancer is extremely challenging, both from the clinical and pharmacoepidemiological standpoint. This narrative review described the current evidence supporting a relationship between the use of antidiabetic drugs and the incidence of solid cancers. Areas covered: Data from pharmacoepidemiological studies on cancer incidence were presented for the main antidiabetic drugs and drug classes, including human insulin and insulin analogues, metformin, sulfonylureas, glinides, alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, thiazolidinediones, incretin mimetics, and sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors. The relationship between the use of antidiabetics and the incidence of solid cancer was described in strata by any cancer and by organ-specific cancer and by drug and by drug classes. Information supporting biological evidence and putative mechanisms were also provided. Expert opinion: The history of exploration of the relationship between antidiabetic drugs and the risk of solid cancers has showed several issues. Unrecognized biases and misinterpretations of study results have had important consequences that delayed the identification of actual risk and benefits of the use of antidiabetic drugs associated with cancer occurrence or progression. The lesson learned from the past should address the future research in this area, since in the majority of cases findings are controversial and confirmatory studies are warranted.
Wireless sensor network (WSN) requires robust and energy efficient communication protocols to minimise the energy consumption as much as possible. However, the lifetime of sensor network reduces due to the adverse impacts caused by radio irregularity and fading in multihop WSN. A cluster-based cooperative multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) scheme is proposed as a solution for this problem. The proposed scheme extends low energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) protocol and enables multihop transmissions among the clusters by incorporating cooperative MIMO scheme through the selection of cooperative sending and receiving nodes. The performance of the proposed MIMO system is evaluated interms of energy efficiency and reliability. Simulation results show that tremendous energy savings can be achieved by adopting cooperative MIMO scheme among the clusters. The proposed cooperative MIMO scheme prolongs the network lifetime with 75% of nodes remaining alive when compared to LEACH protocol.
insufficiency of the lower extremities due to congenital absence of valves in the superficial femoral and popliteal veins in 1941.1 Congenital malformations such as vein valve aplasia lead an increase in hydrostatic pressure with, eventually, progression of vein insufficiency. Since then, attention had been focused on the deep vein valves as well as valvular incompetence in patients with chronic leg enlargement. One of the earliest Pioneer of this issue was Kistner who performed valvoplasty and/or vein segment transposition to treat valvular incompetence.2
Morphological data, in combination with molecular data, may provide invaluable insights into speciation processes on archipelagos. Land snails offer ample opportunities to evalutate adaptive and non-adaptive speciation scenarios. However, studies investigating processes of differentiation and speciation on the Azores are scarce. The present study comprises a morphometrical analysis of shell and genital characters in a group of Azorean land snails (Pulmonata, Leptaxinae). Geographical isolation appears to be an important mechanism underlying morphological and molecular differentiation in the Azorean Leptaxini, instead of adaptive radiation through ecological differentiation. Nevertheless, we could not exclude the occurrence of ecological speciation on the oldest island (Santa Maria) where two species that markedly differ in shell-shape co-occur. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 97, 166–176.
A new N-phenylated amide (N-phenylamide) unit containing aromatic diamine, N,N′-bis(3-aminobenzoyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine, was prepared by the condensation of N,N′-diphenyl-1,4-phenylenediamine with 3-nitrobenzoyl chloride, followed by catalytic reduction. Two series of organosoluble aromatic poly(N-phenylamide-imide)s and poly(N-phenylamide-amide)s with inherent viscosities of 0.58–0.82 and 0.56–1.21 dL/g were prepared by a conventional two-stage method and the direct phosphorylation polycondensation, respectively, from the diamine with various aromatic dianhydrides and aromatic dicarboxylic acids. All polyimides and polyamides are amorphous and readily soluble in many organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. These polymers could be solution cast into transparent, tough, and flexible films with high tensile strengths. These polyimides and polyamides had glass-transition temperatures in the ranges of 230–258 and 196–229 °C, respectively. Decomposition temperatures of the polyimides for 10% weight loss all occurred above 500 °C in both nitrogen and air atmospheres. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2564–2574, 2002
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has been indicated being a significant oncomodulator. Recent reports have suggested that an antiviral treatment alters the outcome of a glioblastoma. We analysed the performance of commercial HCMV-antibodies applying the immunohistochemical (IHC) methods on brain sample obtained from a subject with a verified HCMV infection, on samples obtained from 14 control subjects, and on a tissue microarray block containing cores of various brain tumours. Based on these trials, we selected the best performing antibody and analysed a cohort of 417 extra- and intra-axial brain tumours such as gliomas, medulloblastomas, primary diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, and meningiomas. HCMV protein pp65 immunoreactivity was observed in all types of tumours analysed, and the IHC expression did not depend on the patient's age, gender, tumour type, or grade. The labelling pattern observed in the tumours differed from the labelling pattern observed in the tissue with an active HCMV infection. The HCMV protein was expressed in up to 90% of all the tumours investigated. Our results are in accordance with previous reports regarding the HCMV protein expression in glioblastomas and medulloblastomas. In addition, the HCMV protein expression was seen in primary brain lymphomas, low-grade gliomas, and in meningiomas. Our results indicate that the HCMV protein pp65 expression is common in intra- and extra-axial brain tumours. Thus, the assessment of the HCMV expression in tumours of various origins and pathologically altered tissue in conditions such as inflammation, infection, and even degeneration should certainly be facilitated.
A series of short poems, some rhyming and some not, describe activities that take place in and around a tree narrator as fall gradually changes to winter. Each poem’s title is an adjective that would normally end with the suffix “-ful” but Hall ends each word instead with “-fall” (“Thankfall,” “Playfall”) to emphasize the seasonal focus. Although a few of the entries fall a bit flat, the majority of the poems are pleasing to the ear, and the anthropomorphized tree is certain to engage young listeners. The concise descriptions are helpfully concrete for young audiences, especially when paired with the clear illustrations. “Forcefall,” for example, pairs its simple text with a picture of the tree as its few remaining leaves blow sideways and a fox and squirrel brace themselves, ears and tails flapping. The large pictures, digitally assembled bold graphics that incorporate acrylic pastel elements, resemble Lois Ehlert’s cut-paper collage work, and the solid structure of the slightly blocky shapes is nicely offset by the clean sans serif typeface of the text. Brief notes about autumnal changes that occur to trees and animals (and about what happens to all those acorns buried by squirrels) close the book. This will be an attractive and useful addition to a storytime or unit on trees, autumn, or poetry. JH
SUMMARY Teicoplanin is a glycopeptide antibiotic which was introduced into clinical use in 1988. Its activity against most Gram‐positive bacteria, including the emergent multiply resistant species, its ease of administration and safety commend its continued use well into the next millennium. The provision of health care in alternative settings such as the home or outpatient clinic has grown in importance, both in Europe and North America. One such service is the provision of parenteral antibiotics for treating a variety of infections in the non‐inpatient setting. This paper aims to review and condense the current published experience of teicoplanin in this setting. Evidence suggests that teicoplanin can be administered effectively using a range of flexible, convenient and safe dosing schedules and is a highly cost‐effective therapeutic option for treating in the non‐inpatient setting many chronic infections, e.g. osteomyelitis and endocarditis, and some acute infections.
This paper presents an experimental approach for the verification of the physics-based phase variable model of electric machines developed using the parameters obtained from FE solutions. The experimental verification was performed through simultaneous simulation of the PM machine drive using the actual machine - a hardware-in-the-loop real time simulation approach and the physics-based phase variable model of the actual machine, respectively. A 6-pole PM machine was used to present the physics-based phase variable modeling; a 10-pole 42-V PM machine was used to demonstrate the experimental verification.
The synthesis and characterization of peripherally substituted phthalocyaninatocobalt compounds, RmPcCoCl2 and Na[RmPcCo(CN)2] with R = CH3, OCH3, Cl, m = 8; R = t-Bu, NO2, m = 4, are reported. The latter can be obtained via two methods: either by treatment of RmPcCoCl2 with sodium cyanide or by the reaction of RmPcCo with sodium cyanide in the presence of oxygen. Starting from Na[RmPcCo(CN)2], with R = CH3, m = 8 and R = NO2, m = 4, the corresponding cyano-bridged polymers, [RmPcCoCN]n, were obtained. The IR, FIR, UV/VIS, 1H NMR (in part) and TG/DTA data are discussed in detail for all the compounds prepared. [(CH3)8PcCoCN]n showed a powder conductivity of σRT 5 · 10−5 S/cm (E 0.22 eV), whereas [(NO2)4PcC(CN)]n has a much lower value, σRT 3 · 10−9 S/cm.
To improve the strength of glass is being studied in order to contribute to weight saving of flat panel displays. Generally, the strength achieved of glass-ceramics is higher as is the fracture toughness by the formation of a heterogeneous phase inside glass. In this study, Ag-doped glasses were irradiated to strengthen by crystallization using femto-second laser pulse. XRD, Nano-indenter and SEM etc., irradiation of laser pulse without heat-treated samples was analyzed. Samples irradiated by laser had higher value() of elastic modulus which related with strength of glass than values heat-treated samples and these are times higher values than them of mother glass. This process can be applicable to the strengthening of thinner glass plate, and it has an advantage over traditional heat-treatment and ion-exchange method.
In this paper, we present a new speech enhancement method that processes noise-corrupted speech in the discrete cosine transform (DCT) modulation domain. In contrast to the Fourier transform, the DCT produces a real-valued signal. Therefore, modulation-based processing in the DCT domain may allow both acoustic Fourier magnitude and phase information to be jointly estimated. Based on segmental SNR and the results of blind subjective listening tests on speech corrupted with various coloured noises, the application of the subspace method in the DCT modulation domain processing was found to outperform all other methods evaluated, including the LogMMSE method.
In this paper it is shown that divisibility of a complete lattice ordered (abelian) group is closely related to the existence of a sufficient number of small elements in the positive cone. We shall denote the set of all real numbers by R which symbol will be reserved for this purpose. All terms used are as defined in Birkhoff(1). For the reader's convenience we now define the two terms most used in the sequel.
Does every organization need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to IT security? Not if the IT community can develop a formal knowledge base for sharing and applying IT security management knowledge. Corporate IT security managers have a difficult time staying on top of the endless tide of new technologies and security threats sweeping into their organizations and information systems. The effectiveness of security controls must be balanced with a variety of operational issues, including the impact on employee productivity, legal and ethical stipulations, and business and financial concerns. IT security managers in different organizations face many of the same threats and establish similar solutions, and they're often gathering and applying the same knowledge. However, they're doing so largely on their own, which is clearly inefficient. We propose a formalized community project for sharing and applying IT security management knowledge. Here, we present our community knowledge-base prototype, designed to benefit IT security managers in a variety of organizations.
To the Editor: —As the champion of scientific and ethical medical and pharmaceutic procedures, it impresses me that you should be as willing to brand with its true name a source of deception within our ranks as to prosecute one from without. I address you concerning the new journal edited by Dr. L. Duncan Bulkley of New York, and christened, "Cancer." Any one reading current literature knows of the peculiar belief of this once eminent dermatologist that cancer is a medical disease and can be best treated by dietary and medicinal measures, eschewing surgery and radiotherapy. It would be bad enough did he alone practice this delusion, but it is appalling when one considers that Dr. Bulkley is going about the country lecturing to medical societies and the laity on his pet delusion, and now comes this journal from his pen. That many uninformed physicians will be induced—have been induced—by
This article investigates the role of music in presidential election campaigns and political movements inspired by theoretical arguments in Henri Lefebvre’s Rhythmanalysis, John Dewey s pragmatist rethinking of aesthetics and existing scholarship on the politics of music. Specifically, it explores how musical rhythms and melodies enable new forms of political awareness, participation, and critique in an increasingly polarized Brazil through an ethnomusicological exploration of how left-wing and right-wing movements used music to disseminate politics during the 2018 election that culminated in the presidency of Jair Messias Bolsonaro. Three lessons can be learned. First, in Brazil, music breathes life, energy, and affective engagement into politics—sung arguments and joyful rhythms enrich public events and street demonstrations in complex and dynamic ways. Second, music is used by right-wing and left-wing movements in unique ways. For Bolsonaro supporters and right-wing movements, jingles, produced as part of larger election campaigns, were disseminated through massive sound cars in the heart of Sao Paulo while demonstrators sang the national anthem and waved Brazilian flags. In contrast, leftist musical politics appears to be more spontaneous and bohemian. Third, music has the ability to both humanize and popularize bolsonarismo movements that threaten human rights and the rights of ethnic minorities, among others, in contemporary Brazil. To contest bolsonarismo, Trumpism, and other forms of extreme right-wing populism, we cannot close our ears and listen only to grooves of resistance and songs of freedom performed by leftists. We must also listen to the music of the right.
Balsa provides a rapid development flow, where asynchronous circuits are created from high-level specifications, but the syntax-driven translation used by the Balsa compiler often results in performance overhead. To reduce this performance penalty, various control resynthesis and peephole optimization techniques are used, in this paper, STG-based resynthesis is considered. For this, we have translated the control parts of all components used by the Balsa compiler into STGs. A Balsa specification corresponds to the parallel composition of such STGs, but this composition must be reduced. We have developed new reduction operations and, using real-life examples, studied various strategies how to apply them.
In frequency-nonselective fading channels, the partial waves arriving at the mobile receiver cannot explicitly be of homogeneous nature due to nonuniform scattering caused by objects of specific reflective nature. Moreover, shadowing influences the received signal level by causing slow variations to its local mean. In this paper, we investigate a mixture stochastic process accounting for both inhomogeneous scattering and shadow fading by multiplying a Weibull process with a lognormal process. The first process models the possible scattering nonuniformities of the channel, whereas the second process accounts for the slow-term variations of the local mean due to shadowing. An exact solution for the composite probability density function (pdf) will be given, together with approximate solutions for the second-order statistics, i.e., the level crossing rate (LCR) and the average duration of fades (ADF). The approximate solutions come from the assumption of a slowly time-varying lognormal process compared with the Weibull process, the validity of which will be tested via an efficient deterministic simulation scheme that implements the analytical model on a digital computer. Finally, a curve fitting of the LCR to real-world data drawn from channel measurements will demonstrate the flexibility and usefulness of the proposed model.
Title. Bifunctional Molecules for Degradation of EGFR and Methods of Use Patent Application Number. US 20190106417 A1 Publication Date. March 11, 2019 Priority Application. US 16163254 Priority Date. October 17, 2018 Inventors. Gray, N.; Jang, J.; De Clercq, D.; Eck, M.; Janne, P. Assignee Company. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. Disease Area. Cancer and autoimmune diseases Biological Target. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) Summary. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is one of the receptor tyrosine kinases that play a significant role in cellular processes, including adhesion, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. Binding of the EGF ligand to the membrane protein, which extends into the extracellular space of the EGFR, triggers its activation. In many cancer cells, overexpressed EGFR is associated with multiple types of cancers, and its unregulated activation causes the aberrant cell growth, ligand binding, and downstream signaling, which may result in endocytosis and intracellular terminal trafficking of the EGFR signal. In addition, activated EGFR undergoes internalization to the endosomes by clathrin-dependent and -independent pathways, which occurs until the receptor is degraded in the lysosome or recycled to the membrane. Given the fundamental function of internalization played by EGFR, it has been used as a vital mediator for drug delivery. For example, EGFR antibody conjugate can be ingested by cancer cells and may cause apoptosis. Cetuximab, an antibody drug, targets the extracellular domain of the EGFR, which inhibits receptor activation by binding to the EGF binding site and affects induction of the receptor internalization. Compounds that inhibit EGFR have shown efficacy against cancer cell lines and murine xenograft models, which have led to clinical evaluation of EGFR inhibitors for patients with EGFRexpressing tumors. Patients with EGFR mutations responded more favorably with gefitinib over chemotherapy for metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Despite the high initial response rates, these patients eventually develop resistance to treatment on EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). The mechanisms of acquired resistance can be divided into secondary mutations in EGFR (activation of alternative signaling pathways involving the T790M mutation, which account for 50−60% secondary resistance) and the phenotypic or histologic transformation. Furthermore, application of an EGFR inhibitor does not kill all cancer cells, and some cells may survive the exposure to the inhibitor, which could undergo genetic evolution toward resistance. EGFR drug target landscape consists of drug targets with well-defined active sites suitable for accommodation of a small molecule, which have been the focus of pharmacological intervention. Therefore, EGFR drug development against these active site-containing targets have primarily operated via occupancy-driven pharmacology as the mode of action. Efficacy of these drugs is driven by retaining a high target occupancy in which high drug doses are generally required, often leading to off-target binding, undesired side effects, and resistance to these therapeutics. Consequently, there is a need to develop new drug classes with possibly alternate mode of actions. On like inhibition, degradation of misfolded or abnormal proteins has received significant attention due to desirable outcome for several therapeutic treatments. The Ubiquitin− Proteasome Pathway (UPP) regulates proteins and degrades misfolded or abnormal proteins. Action of E3 ubiquitin ligases is carried out by the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to specific protein substrates. These ligases have over 500 different proteins and are categorized by the structural element of their E3 functional activity. For instance, Cereblon (CRBN) interacts with damaged DNA binding protein 1 and forms an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex with Cullin 4. This causes the proteins to be recognized by CRBN and are ubiquitinated and degraded by proteasomes. Thalidomide, lenalidomide, and their derivatives have anticancer activities that have been used as immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs). The action of these compounds is affected by binding to the cereblon protein, which is a substrate receptor of the CRL4A E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. Lenalidomide is the most prominent IMiD and is highly successful in the treatment of multiple myeloma and B cell malignancies. Heterobifunctional PROTAC molecules generally consist of one end that recruits the E3 ligase complex and the other end that engages the target protein. Compounds in this Patent Highlight are bifunctional compounds, which function to recruit targeted proteins to E3 ubiquitin ligase for degradation and are used for the treatment of kinase mediated disorders. The patent application also provides a method for treating or preventing a disease in which EGFR or a mutant thereof plays a role or a disease process that is resistant to an
An improved hybrid variable-frequency and phase shift control scheme that is well-suited for extending the soft-switching operation and providing output voltage regulation simultaneously for a DC/DC step-up converter module with a simple passive auxiliary circuit is presented in this paper. The proposed converter incorporates transformer non-idealities (such as the leakage and magnetizing inductances) into a basic operation of the CLL resonant circuit. To eliminate the reverse recovery losses of the diodes, the resonant inductor in the presented converter module is integrated with the high-frequency voltage multiplier to form a current-driven structure. To analyze the presented control algorithm, the small-signal model and the control-to-output transfer functions are obtained using extended describing function (EDF); which can handle multistate variables. Simulation results on a modular 1kVDC/34.2kVDC, 1.2MW are first given to verify with the theoretical analysis of the proposed converter module. The accuracy and validity of the presented small-signal model and the performance of the proposed converter system are further verified using a 1.4kW (two-modules), 140V/1.6kV proof of concept prototype.
Teaching of Chinese language for foreign academic students in Local Agricultural University is the comprehensive need for talent’s cultivation, cultural literacy promotion and internationalization development of higher agricultural education. Local Agricultural University is facing some problems such as marginalization, content convergence, simple teaching methods and administrative management of teachers. This paper aims to improve foreign academic student’s scale and education quality in local Higher Agricultural Universities by deepening the understanding of Chinese teaching, strengthening the research of foreign academic student’s needs, establishing the teaching system both inside and outside the classroom and improving the professional training of TCSL teachers.
In his introduction to this book, A. Midana, Professor of Dermatology at the University of Turin, with justifiable righteousness, chides American scientists for ignoring completely the work of Italian scholars. It is understandable that the Italian investigators in dermatology should ask for recognition for their many contributions. Much aimless reduplication of work might have been avoided if we had availed ourselves of their vast literature. Ormea has now written a unique book which at once commands attention, since no one before him has attempted to gather in one volume so much information on cutaneous innervation. Those interested in skin and in the peripheral nervous system cannot now afford to overlook the contributions of the Italians, and particularly those of Ormea. Even a brief perusal of the 815 pages and 502 figures makes one realize at once that this book is a work of love; Ormea has performed a herculean task
Ionotropic glutamate receptors are major players in synaptic transmission and are critically involved in many cognitive events. Although receptors of different subfamilies serve different functions, they all show a conserved domain topology. For most of these domains, structure–function relationships have been established and are well understood. However, up to date the role of the transmembrane domain C in receptor function has been investigated only poorly. We have constructed a series of receptor chimeras and point mutants designed to shed light on the structural and/or functional importance of this domain. We here present evidence that the role of transmembrane domain C exceeds that of a mere scaffolding domain and that several amino acid residues located within the domain are crucial for receptor gating and desensitization. Furthermore, our data suggest that the domain may be involved in receptor interaction with transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins.
Dermatomyositis (DM) in adults is frequently associated with cancer. In contrast, during childhood juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) is predominantly idiopathic and its association with neoplasia is rare and based only in case reports. Although rare, the presence of neoplasia in JDM patients must always be suspected in face of atypical clinical manifestations and uncommon laboratorial findings. We describe and discuss a case of JDM and Hodgkin disease in an adolescent.
We describe a multiprocessor system that attempts to enhance the system performance by incorporating into its architecture a number of key operating system concepts. In particular:  — the scheduling and synchronization of concurrent activities are built in at the hardware level,  — the interprocess communication functions are performed in hardware, and,  — a coupling between the scheduling and communication functions is provided which allows efficient implementation of parallel systems that is precluded when the scheduling and communication functions are realized in software.
Entry into mitosis has been classically attributed to the activation of cyclin B/cdk1 amplification loop by a partial pool of this kinase that becomes active at the end of G2. However, how this pool is activated is still unknown. Here we discovered a new role of the recently identified PP2A-B55 inhibitor FAM122A in triggering mitotic entry. Accordingly, the depletion of the orthologue of FAM122A in C. elegans, prevents entry into mitosis in germline stem cells. Moreover, our data in Xenopus egg extract strongly supports that FAM122A-dependent inhibition of PP2A-B55 could be the initial event promoting mitotic entry. The inhibition of this phosphatase allows the subsequent phosphorylation of first mitotic substrates by cyclin A/cdk resulting in cyclin B/cdk1 and Greatwall (Gwl) activation. However, interestingly, from Gwl activation, Arpp19/ENSA become phosphorylated and compete with FAM122A promoting its dissociation from PP2A-B55 and taking over its inhibition until the end of mitosis.
Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have gained more attention from researchers due to their unique properties of photon conversion from an excitation/incident wavelength to a more suitable emission wavelength at a designated site, thus improving the scope in the life sciences field. Due to their fascinating and unique optical properties, UCNPs offer attractive opportunities in theranostics for early diagnostics and treatment of deadly diseases such as cancer. Also, several efforts have been made on emerging approaches for the fabrication and surface functionalization of luminescent UCNPs in optical biosensing applications using various infrared excitation wavelengths. In this review, we discussed the recent advancements of UCNP-based analytical chemistry approaches for sensing and theranostics using a 980 nm laser as the excitation source. The key analytical merits of UNCP-integrated fluorescence analytical approaches for assaying a wide variety of target analytes are discussed. We have described the mechanisms of the upconversion (UC) process, and the application of surface-modified UCNPs for in vitro/in vivo bioimaging, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and photothermal therapy (PTT). Based on the latest scientific achievements, the advantages and disadvantages of UCNPs in biomedical and optical applications are also discussed to overcome the shortcomings and to improve the future study directions. This review delivers beneficial practical information of UCNPs in the past few years, and insights into their research in various fields are also discussed precisely.
Abstract The corrosion properties of nanostructured 17-4PH stainless steel facilitated by a surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) process were studied using electrochemical measurements in 0.6 M NaCl aqueous solution. The microstructure of the surface layer was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated the formation of a nanostructured surface layer on the surface of the material. By the combination of SMAT and low-temperature annealing processes, the potentiodynamic polarization measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra demonstrated an improvement in the corrosion resistance of 17-4PH stainless steel with a reduced corrosion current density of 0.241 mA/cm2 and a higher chromium content. The improved corrosion resistance may be attributed to the formation of nucleation sites through which chromium may freely move from the matrix to the upper surface and thereby form a protective oxide layer on the surface of the material.
Coatings that offer protection from wear, low friction coefficients, and corrosion resistance are required for many applications ranging from tool inserts to bearings. The precise demands placed on these coatings varies by application, but to meet new requirements a useful approach is to use established coatings in new applications or create new materials by adjusting chemistry and microstructure. To achieve significant advancements in coating properties, we must go beyond single-layer/single-phase materials. Functionally gradient, multilayer, and composite coatings permit blending of properties traditionally considered mutually exclusive; for example, hardness and toughness. To facilitate growth of these types of coatings, improved deposition techniques must be developed. Discussion in this article focuses on the development of coating materials and deposition processes at the Air Force Materials Laboratory/Materials Directorate. Materials include nitrides/carbides and diamond-like carbon in functionally...
Formal methods are mathematically-based techniques for the specification, development and verification of software and hardware systems. The term has been applied to a range of notations, theories and tools. As the recent history shows, there is no doubt that some of these rigorous methods have already had a significant impact on practical applications of computing. Moreover, formal methods continue to incorporate new system design paradigms, in an attempt to expand their applicability. In this spirit, this panel aims at discussing the underlying principles of formal methods that make them contribute to increasing the quality and reliability of a design, as well as showing their relation to practical problems, and their potential for the future.
Background Vascular dementia is characterized by reduced cognitive function due to chronic cerebral hypoperfusion and has become a significant public health challenge as the global population ages. Recent studies suggested that molar loss, a common problem among the elderly, may trigger the development of cognitive decline. Our previous study found that the molar loss affected cognitive dysfunction, and the astrocytes in the hippocampus of chronic cerebral ischemia rats were affected, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Methods In this study, we established the animal model of molar loss with 2-VO rats and the Morris water maze was used to test the cognitive ability of rats in each group. The damage to neurons was observed via Nissl staining, and neuronal apoptosis was analyzed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay in the hippocampus of the rats. Quantitative Real-Time PCR and immunohistochemistry and histology (IHC) were used to detect the expression of p38MAPK, NFκB, caspase 3, and iNOS in the hippocampus. The astrocytes were detected by IHC and Immunofluorescence analysis for GFAP. After 2-VO MO surgery, rats were administered DMSO or p38MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) by intrathecal injection. Results The Morris water maze test showed that the molar loss aggravated spatial memory learning ability with chronic cerebral ischemia decreased in the rats. The neuronal damage and more apoptotic cells were observed in the hippocampus of 2-VO rats. After the molar loss, the mRNA and protein expression of iNOS, p38MAPK, NFκB, and caspase 3 were further upregulated in 2-VO rats. Molar loss upregulated GFAP expression, and the p38MAPK-positive cells were labeled with the astrocyte marker GFAP. SB203580 reduced cognitive impairment and apoptosis of hippocampal neurons in 2-VO rats following the molar loss. Conclusion Molar loss can aggravate cognitive impairment in 2-VO rats to a certain extent. The mechanism of molar loss exacerbating the cognitive decline in 2-VO rats may be associated with the activation of the p38MAPK-NFκB-caspase 3 signaling pathway, which induces neuronal apoptosis. Graphical Abstract Molar loss aggravates cognitive decline in 2-VO rats by the activation of p38MAPK-NFκB inducing neuronal apoptosis.
We report formation of single- and two-phase glasses from rare-earth oxide–alumina materials. Liquids with the Y3Al5O12 and Er3Al5O12 compositions underwent a liquid–liquid phase transition which resulted in glasses with a cloudy appearance due to spheroids of one glass in a matrix of a second glass. The two glasses were isocompositional within the limits of experimental error. Clear, brilliant, single-phase glasses were obtained from La3Al5O12, ErLaYAl5O12, and compositions containing ≥5 mol% La2O3 substituted for the other rare-earth oxides. Formation of two glasses is attributed to nucleation and growth of the second liquid at a temperature below the equilibrium liquid–liquid transition temperature. Addition of lanthanum depresses the phase transition temperature below the glass transition temperature and the liquid–liquid phase transition is not observed. The results are discussed in the context of first-order liquid–liquid phase transitions (polyamorphism) and formation of single-phase glass from liquids that contain a high proportion of 4-coordinate aluminum ions.
3β-Acetoxyandrost-5-en-17-one has been converted into 15β-hydroxy-24-oxocholesterol. Reaction of (17E)-3β-(dimethyl-t-butylsilyloxy)-15β,16β-epoxypregna-5,17(20)-diene with the magnesium cyanocuprate derivative of 3-(1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)-4-methylpentyl bromide gave (20R)-3β-(dimethylt-butylsilyloxy)-15β-hydroxy-24-oxocholesta-5,16-diene 24-ethylene acetal in 80% yield, and this was converted into the target compound in high yield by catalytic hydrogenation followed by removal of the protecting groups. Reaction of 3β,15β-diacetoxycholest-5-en-24-one with the anion of diethyl cyanomethylphosphonate and reduction of the resulting nitrite with DIBAL-H, gave 15β,29-dihydroxyfucosterol. This was converted into the 3,29-diacetate 15-formate and oxidized with chromium trioxide–3,5-dimethylpyrazole. Removal of the acetate and formate groups with aqueous potassium carbonate afforded 15β,29-dihydroxy-7-oxofucosterol.
To determine the aspect(s) of male red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) advertising song which function in the transmission of species identity, 74 territorial adult male redwings were exposed to 173 playback experiments of normal and experimentally altered red-wing song during the 1977, 1978 and 1979 breeding seasons. Unaltered red-wing song and altered song containing species-identifying information evoked aggressive behavior from territorial redwings when played through a loudspeaker placed in their territories. A list of red-wing aggressive behaviors was compiled and the males' responses to altered and unaltered song were scored on a "hybrid-index" scale according to the number of times they performed each of the aggressive behaviors during the playback experiment. The results of the study indicate that 1) the ordering of the three song "syllables" did not affect the intensity of the males' agonistic responses to playback song and therefore does not convey species information, 2) the initial two syllables of the red-wing song do not encode the species-identifying information, as these two syllables, alone or in conjunction, failed to elicit fully aggressive responses from the males, 3) the last syllable of the song, a "trill", when presented to the males alone or in conjunction with the other song syllables, evoked fully agonistic responses, suggesting that this trill syllable encodes the majority of species-specific information in the red-wing song, and 4) by playing back increasingly shorter (in duration) sections of the trill syllable to the territorial males, it was demonstrated that the trill must be somewhat longer in duration than 180 msec to function in species identification.
RULON WELLS. Comments on Mr. Raab's theses. Ibid., p. 124. RICHARD BRANDT. Comments on Mr. Raab's theses. Ibid., pp. 125-126. HENRY W. JOHNSTONE, Jr. Comments on Mr. Raab's theses. Ibid., pp. 126-127. MANLEY THOMPSON. Comments on Mr. Raab's theses. Ibid., pp. 127-128. GUSTAV BERGMANN. Comments on Mr. Raab's theses. Ibid., pp. 128-129. FRANCIS V. RAAB. Response to comments. Ibid., pp. 130-131. A great deal of philosophical ground is covered in these terse papers, some of it inevitably at a pace that blurs outlines and takes wrong turnings. Besides Necessity, the concepts of Definition, Criterion, Differentia, and Analyticity are brought in. The points at which the symbolic logician might be involved are the following. (1) Raab wishes to distinguish between propositions which are: (a) logically necessary, i.e., whose denial is self-contradictory, and (b) non-logically but a priori necessary, i.e., where we can imagine cases but not exceptions; for example, the latter criterion but not the former admits the proposition "Whatever is red is extended." (2) Brandt is worried by criterion (a) for this reason: either "self-contradictory" has its ordinary meaning, in which case it fails to make the required distinction, or it has some restricted meaning which will raise problems of application to ordinary language — for it will have to render as necessary "All bachelors are unmarried," but not "All red things are extended." (Confident appeals to "rules of language" or "meaning-postulates" are unavailing, at least if this unhappy phrase "ordinary language" is to retain any usefulness. Thus, in stating his preference for making Raab's distinction by reference to rules of calculi, Thompson cuts this knot simply by accepting that Raab intended the distinction for calculi alone.) (3) For Bergmann, Raab's distinction is properly made through contrast of the structural characters of propositions with the psychological characters of beliefs in them — terminology which suggests that any necessity not ascriptive to propositions on the ground that they appear as theorems in a calculus is not ascriptive to propositions at all. Such paradoxes serve to remind us that the exorcising of the spectre of "psychologism" is long overdue. (4) Bergmann also assimilates (and subserves) Raab's "logical necessity" to "analyticity." Except in so far as it recognises that Raab's goal is a topic-neutral kind of necessity, this hobbyhorse does not seem fit to carry us very far. CHRISTOPHER BLAKE
In this paper, we study the property of input/output-to-state stability (IOSS) for switched nonlinear systems under average dwell-time switching signals, both when each of the constituent systems is IOSS as well as when only some of the constituent systems are IOSS and others are not. This extends available results on input-to-state stability for switched nonlinear systems whose constituent systems are all ISS. We show that if the average dwell-time is big enough and if the fraction of time where one of the non-IOSS systems is active is not too big, then IOSS of the switched system can be established.
We propose herein a new type of software-toy, called "Hyper-Paint", that combines the use of blocks and drawing in order to investigate the possibility of realizing a software-toy that offers the advantages of a computer for creating expressions that are difficult to create in real world (Figure 1). While block toys, such as LEGO, and drawing toys are well-known traditional children's toys, expressions of such toys by computer and software techniques have only recently appeared [1-4]. We proposed Hyper-Paint that combines a block toy and a drawing toy, that expression is hard in real world. Using Hyper-Paint, the user can create 3D objects consisting of blocks that can then be pasted into a large box representing the surroundings, both of which can be colored. In this sketch, we describe herein the features of Hyper-Paint and discuss the software from a design viewpoint.
A large number of studies have investigated achievement goals and their related antecedents and consequences above elementary school level. However, few studies have implemented achievement goal assessment to investigate achievement goals and their relevance for preschoolers. In particular, no valid measurement has been developed for preschoolers’ self-reporting of their achievement goals. The main purposes of this study were twofold: (1) To develop an innovative achievement goal measurement for preschoolers, and to investigate the best theoretical model for understanding preschoolers’ achievement goal across gender. (2) To examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the pictorial and pure text measurement format and approaches (for young children’s self-reporting and teachers’ rating purposes, respectively). A total of 364 preschoolers aged 5 years participated in self-report activity, and 32 preschool teachers obtained consent to rate 193 out of 364 preschoolers. Results showed: (1) the developed achievement goal measurement was a valid tool for understanding preschoolers’ achievement goals and was equally suitable for boys and girls. (2) The 6-factor achievement goal model was the best theoretical perspective for understanding preschoolers’ achievement goals for both boys and girls. (3) The pictorial measurement format for preschoolers’ self-reporting of achievement goals was a more effective but less efficient way to investigate preschoolers’ achievement goals, while the opposite was the case for the pure text measurement format for teachers’ ratings. Implications for achievement goal literature and future research are discussed.
THz transmissions suffer from pointing errors due to antenna misalignment and incur higher path loss from the molecular absorption in addition to the channel fading. In this paper, we employ an amplify-and-forward (AF) dual-hop relaying to mitigate the effect of pointing errors and extend the range of THz wireless system for backhaul connectivity. We provide statistical analysis on the performance of the considered system by deriving analytical expressions for the outage probability, average bit-error-rate (BER), average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and a lower bound on the ergodic capacity over independent and identical (i.i.d) $ alpha- mu$ fading combined with the statistical effect of pointing errors. Using computer simulations, we validate the derived analysis of the relay-assisted system. We also demonstrate the effect of the system parameters on outage probability and average BER with the help of diversity order. We show that data rates up to several Gbps can be achieved using THz transmissions, which is desirable for next-generation wireless systems, especially for backhaul applications.
This paper presents a new approach to producing innovative design concepts. The proposed approach involves extending the inventive principles of TRIZ by integrating other TRIZ and TRIZ-inspired tools. The set of inventive principles is then structured according to a framework adapted from I-Ching and represented using TRIZ’s Behaviour-Entity (BE) formalism to which constraints have also been added. The adoption of the BE representation enables a reduction in the amount of repeated information in the inventive principles. A BE pair contains information on a design solution. A Behaviour-Entity-Constraint (BEC) triple additionally has information on constraints on the solution. The BEC representation thus facilitates the retrieval and generation of design solutions from design specifications. The paper uses the problem of laying out seats in an aircraft cabin to illustrate advantages of the proposed approach.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
The paper analyses the reception of the idea of convergence in Soviet economics from the 1960s to the end of the 1980s. It is predominantly concerned with convergence theory as a policy idea that inspired perestroika. The paper is related to the literature on ideas and institutional change as pioneered by Peter A. Hall and Mark Blyth. Its central question is: How could, under the conditions of an authoritarian regime, an imported policy idea that bluntly contradicted official ideology, reach a degree of dissemination and (among a specific stratum of the elite) popularity that would later turn it into a central pillar of reform policy? An important finding is that the idea of convergence united the Soviet “people of the sixties” and some Western “progressive” intellectuals who together formed a transregional epistemic community that only for a short period of time, at the end of the 1980s, gained political influence.
Abstract We explore how to study dynamical interactions between brain regions by using functional multilayer networks whose layers represent different frequency bands at which a brain operates. Specifically, we investigate the consequences of considering the brain as (i) a multilayer network, in which all brain regions can interact with each other at different frequency bands; and as (ii) a multiplex network, in which interactions between different frequency bands are allowed only within each brain region and not between them. We study the second-smallest eigenvalue λ2 of the combinatorial supra-Laplacian matrix of both the multiplex and multilayer networks, as λ2 has been used previously as an indicator of network synchronizability and as a biomarker for several brain diseases. We show that the heterogeneity of interlayer edge weights and, especially, the fraction of missing edges crucially modify the value of λ2, and we illustrate our results with both synthetic network models and real data obtained from resting-state magnetoencephalography. Our work highlights the differences between using a multiplex approach and a full multilayer approach when studying frequency-based multilayer brain networks.
As a sculptor I want to experience and avail to others vital compelling forms. I desire access to quantitative measured forms as well as qualitative expression. Computers offer powerful tool possibilities. Other sculptors find this so, cf., [4, 9, 141. It is not enough for me to make models of mathematical equations or CAD structures, although the capability to do that is sometimes important. I invest my sculpture with a wide range of knowledge. My sculpture process tends to involve direct carving or cutting away of material. It is more fashionable in sculpture today to do constructions or addition. I prefer the more interesting and difficult subtraction processes. While I make aesthetic artifacts, many of our functional artifacts are made by industrial cutting processes that are relevant to me.
Avian cholera, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, is one of the most important diseases affecting waterfowl in North America but little is known about the epizootiology of this disease or its impacts on annual survival rates. We ringed Lesser Snow Geese Anser caerulescens nesting at Wrangel Island, Russia and Banks Island, Canada with metal rings and individually coded plastic neck-collars or radio-transmitters to determine survival, movement and cause of death. We vaccinated half of the neck-collared and radiotagged geese to provide protection from avian cholera for up to one year following ringing and thus experimentally determine the impacts of this disease on survival. We found that vaccination did not reduce short-term survival of the experimental birds, compared with control geese. Neck-collared geese vaccinated in 1993 at Wrangel Island had higher survival during winter 1993–94 than control birds. In contrast, we found similar survival during winter 1994–95 between vaccinated and contro...
Smart cities are founded on complex interactions among architectural and urban designs, sensors, actuators and crowds of people with their devices. In this context, simulation becomes essential to study the effects of the technology and to understand how to improve its effectiveness on the social environment. The majority of the current pedestrian and traffic simulations adopt a bird-eye view and are driven by statistical models. While this is enough in many cases, e.g. to study traffic flow under common conditions assuming average cases, it is not appropriate when a higher level of fidelity is required. Simulated people need to show both a plausible behavior and mechanisms to coordinate with human participants in a natural way. Much of this coordination happens silently and is driven by social norms, that may vary according to culture and context. In this paper, we propose an approach to represent social norms in multi-agent systems that enables implicit coordination driven by observations of others' behaviors. This is applied specifically to the case of pedestrian movement. In order to allow for a more effective participation of humans in the simulation, our approach does not use central coordinators or coordination protocol, but rather each agent takes its own decision so to make more realistic interactions. A software architecture and initial experimental results are presented and discussed.
BACKGROUND: Protein content and amino acid composition in rice are the most important components of rice nutrient quality. However, there have been few reports on the mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for the contents of protein and amino acids in rice grain and other crops (soybean, corn). In this study a population of 241 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross between Zhenshan 97 and Minghui 63 (the parents of the most widely grown hybrid rice in China) was constructed to detect the main effect and epistatic effect QTLs for amino acid content (AAC) as characterised by individual AACs, total essential AAC and total AAC.    RESULTS: Using a linkage map covering a total of 1796 centimorgan (cM) based on 221 molecular marker loci, a total of 12 QTLs were identified for ten traits mapped on chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 7 and 11. The QTL cluster (flanked by C904, R2632 and C39) on chromosome 1 was associated with the content of eight amino acids. The phenotypic variation explained by individual QTLs ranged from 3.4 to 48.8%. Eighty-one digenic interactions were resolved that involved 143 loci distributed on all 12 chromosomes. The amount of variation explained by main effect QTLs was lower than that explained by QTLs involved in epistatic interactions.    CONCLUSION: The findings showed that most main effect QTLs for AACs detected tended to be co-localised within the genome. Thus, if a breeder were interested in changing the concentration of only one amino acid, this might be difficult to achieve. Meanwhile, the prevalent epistasis for the loci involved appeared to hold true for the content of amino acids. The information reported in the present study is expected to be useful for future breeding programmes targeting the development of improved rice amino acid composition for human nutrition. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry
As an editor, I am sensitive to the audience for whom an author is writing. My interest in this topic stems from what I see as a systemic yet hidden problem with the way the peer review system operates, namely, that authors focus so much on making the review team happy that they may end up not writing for any other stakeholder. As a result, while the revised article may satisfy the review team's needs (and if it does not it is unlikely to be published), it is possible that it may fail to satisfy readers, author(s), and any other third parties. These thoughts piqued my curiosity about the situation, and, in my arrogance, I thought that a small scale investigation (described below) might shed some light on the situation. The notion of the intended audience is a slight variation on that of “researcher perspective,” which normatively relates to the identity of the stakeholder whose interests are privileged in the research design (Davison, 2018). As an author myself, I would like to think that I am writing a research article because I would like it to be read, appreciated, cited, and found useful in some practical or intellectual way. I hope that my research, as expressed through the articles I write, will make the world a better place (cf Walsham, 2012). Indeed, these objectives also apply to the editorials that I write for this journal. For an article to be read, it has to be readable, and for that matter consumable, by the intended audience (Robey & Markus, 1998). The audience may be composed of fellow academics or practitioners within the disciplinary area; it could also be a more general audience of scientists, people in industry or government, or the general public (cf Churchman, 1971). Naturally, the exact audience will vary from article to article, but unless we are writing in a highly specialised field or for a niche journal with a tiny circulation, it is likely that the potential audience is at least several hundred people, and perhaps many more. Google Scholar will offer you a rough proxy for how many people found your work valuable (even if not how many bothered to read it) and may induce some humility at the same time: Many of my own articles have a citation score well below 1. Reflecting further on the nature of the audience, I realised that a high‐level classification could include such groups as readers, reviewers, and oneself. Of these, readers hopefully constitute the most populous group, followed by reviewers and then oneself/oneselves. In order to validate this simple scheme, I wrote to a dozen international scholars in our field (a purposive yet diverse population of people, at all career stages, working in some seven countries and hailing from eight, all known to me personally and all likely to devote a few minutes of their time) to request a quick reaction to the following question: When you write a research article, for whom are you writing? The views of the 10 scholars who responded are openly acknowledged (with their permission) in the presentation below. It turned out that, through a very simple coding process, I was able to undertake a simple thematic classification of their responses into the three audience types (readers, reviewers, and self), with a few responses that integrated and contrasted two or all three. No other audiences were mentioned. I present below an illustrative assortment of their responses. I do not pretend to claim that this is a rigorous assessment of opinions about the nature of the audience, but I do think that this anecdotal evidence constitutes valuable food for thought. If nothing else, I wonder how often you have conversations about your audience. Towards the end of the editorial, I offer my own reflections and consider the implications for whom we write.
Transfer learning is an important approach in machine learning, which aims to solve a problem by utilising the knowledge learnt from another problem domain. There has been extensive research and great achievement on transfer learning for image analysis and other tasks, but research on transfer learning in genetic programming (GP) for symbolic regression is still in the very early stage. However, GP has a natural way of expressing knowledge by trees or subtrees, which can be automatically discovered during the evolutionary process. An initial work on GP with transfer learning was proposed to transfer knowledge through best trees or subtrees from to source domain to facilitate the learning in the target domain. However, there are still a number of important issues remaining not investigated. This paper further investigates the ability of GP with transfer learning on different types of transfer scenarios, investigates the influence of a key parameter and the effect of transfer learning on the evolutionary training process, and also analyses how the knowledge learnt from the source domain was utilised during the learning process on the target domain. The results show that GP with transfer learning can generally perform well on different types of transfer scenarios. The transferred knowledge can provide a good initial population for the GP learning on the target domain, speed up the convergence, and help obtain better final solutions. However, the benefits of transfer learning varies in different scenarios.
Introduction: This phase I study aimed to establish the biological effects and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of the agonistic IgG1 chimeric anti-CD40 antibody, Chi Lob 7/4, in patients (pts) with a range of CD40 expressing solid tumors and diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBL), resistant to conventional therapy. Potential mechanisms of action for agonistic anti-CD40 include direct cytotoxic effects on tumor cells, recruitment of immune effectors and conditioning of antigen-presenting cells Methodology: Chi Lob 7/4 was given by IV infusion weekly for 4 doses at a range from 0.5 to 240mg/dose. Validated ELISA9s were used to quantify Chi Lob 7/4 in serum and test for anti-chimeric MAb (HACA) responses. Pharmacodynamic assessments included quantitation of T-, NK-, and B-cell numbers and activation in blood by flow cytometry, a panel of cytokines in plasma by Luminex® technology and phenotypic assessment of human plasmacytoid and myeloid dendritic cells (DC) by a novel 6 colour flow cytometry panel Planned dose escalation was in cohorts of 3 pts until MTD or biological effect, defined as reduction of peripheral blood CD19+ B-cells to 10% or less of baseline. Results: Twenty-eight pts with CD40+ tumors were treated. 11 had mesothelioma, 3 melanoma, 2 oesophageal, 2 colorectal, 2 head and neck, 2 cervical, 2 pancreatic, 2 DLBL and one each lung and thymic carcinoma. One pt with mesothelioma was re-treated with 240mg at an interval of more than 3 years, having experienced prolonged disease stabilisation after initial treatment at the 1.6mg level. Doses of up to 160mg x 4 were well-tolerated, but two pts treated with 240mg experienced grade 3 elevation of hepatic transaminase levels after 1 dose, indicating dose-limiting toxicity. The dose was reduced to 200mg x 4, and 6 pts have been treated at this level, with 1 experiencing grade 3 elevation of liver enzymes after 2 doses but 5 completing 4 doses without difficulties. Infusion reactions occurred at 16mg doses, largely preventable by corticosteroid premedication. Chi Lob 7/4 levels were measurable at doses of 50mg and above. At 200mg, Cmax on day 1 was 47-60mcg/ml, with terminal half life > 7 days and levels > 30 mcg/ml detectable at 1 week. HACA responses were common at low doses (5-50mg) but absent at higher doses (160-240mg), coincident with dose-dependent partial depletion of peripheral blood CD19+ B-cells. Transient falls in blood NK-cells occurred after the first dose of Chi Lob 7/4 at 16mg or greater, with elevated MIP-1beta maximal at 3-6 hours. Dose-dependent elevations in IL-12 occurred above 160mg, rising throughout the period of treatment. Activation of NK cells and monocytes was detected by elevated CD54 expression at doses of 160mg or above, but there was no consistent change in T-cell markers. Response assessment at week 8 showed stable disease after 15 courses, and progression after 14. The median duration of disease stabilization was 6 months, maximum 37. The pt re-treated for progressive mesothelioma after 3 years remains with stable disease at 17 months after a single 240mg dose. Conclusion: This antibody elicits B-cell depletion, and there was evidence of consistent NK and macrophage activation. The dose-limiting toxicity was liver enzyme rise, with the MTD being 200mg/dose (range between 2.1 - 3.3 mg/kg based on patient body weight). Disease stabilization in some cases suggests that further testing is indicated in CD40-expressing malignancies. Citation Format: Peter W. Johnson, Ruth Challis, Ferdousi Chowdhury, Claude Chan, Anna Smith, Neil Steven, Ceri Edwards, Margaret Ashton-Key, Elisabeth Hodges, Alison Tutt, Christian Ottensmeier, Anthony Williams, Martin Glennie. A trial of agonistic anti-CD40 antibody: Biological effects in a Cancer Research UK phase I study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-142. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-142
The time-mean skin friction of the laminar boundary layer on a flat plate which is fixed at zero incidence in a fluctuating stream is investigated analytically. Flow oscillation amplitude outside the boundary layer is assumed constant along the surface. First, the small velocity-amplitude case is treated, and approximate formulae are obtained in the extreme cases when the frequency is low and high. Next, the finite velocity-amplitude case is treated under the condition of high frequency, and it is found that the formula obtained for the small-amplitude and high-frequency case is also valid. These results show that the increase of the mean skin friction reduces with frequency and is ultimately inversely proportional to the square of frequency. The corresponding energy equation is also studied simultaneously under the condition of zero heat transfer between the fluid and the surface. It is confirmed that the time-mean surface temperature increases with frequency and tends to be proportional to the square root of frequency. Moreover, it is shown that the timemean recovery factor can be several times as large as that without flow oscillation.
ABSTRACT This study examines the forms and understanding of resistance in the Syrian uprising by analyzing the popular songs of Ibrahim Qashoush—songs that he performed at the advent of the Syrian revolution in 2011. The study uses two theoretical concepts that cultural studies helped to introduce to the study of popular culture, “articulation” and “affect” (see Rodman), in the analysis of Qashoush’s songs. I argue that the music of Qashoush “articulates” the mood of the Syrians under the regime. The findings indicate that Qashoush used revolutionary musical texts as an inspiration and a vehicle to “articulate” political messages that advance the power of the Syrians by giving them hope and optimism in their collective struggle, and critiquing and ridiculing the regime.
How are social groups unmade? Current theories identify the symbolic power of the state as a primary factor in the creation of social groups. Drawing on Gramsci's The Southern Question, this chapter extends state-centered theories by exploring policies that are critical but under-theorized factors in group formation. These include the concession of material benefits as well as the use of coercive means. Further, while current theories focus on how social groups are made, a Gramscian perspective draws attention to how the state intervenes to prevent or neutralize group-making projects from below. This chapter explores a case of a decrease in national group solidarity. Specifically, this study explains how in the 1990s the Israeli state weakened national group formation among Palestinians by adopting two spatially distinct but coordinated strategies. First, the rearrangement of the military occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank through the establishment of an authority of self-rule (the Palestinian Authority) demobilized and divided Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories, especially along class-cum-moral lines. Second, state practices and discourses centered on citizenship rights shifted the center of political activism among Palestinian citizens of Israel toward citizenship issues. I argue that these two routes, which I call the indirect rule route and the civil society route, were complementary components of a broader attempt to neutralize Palestinian collective mobilization around nationhood. Despite recent changes and contestations, these two strategies of rule continue to affect group formation and to create distinct experiences of politics among Palestinians under Israeli rule. Analysis of the Palestinian–Israeli case shows that the state can unmake groups through the distribution of interrelated policies that are specific to certain categories of people and places. Understanding the conditions under which certain policies of inclusion or exclusion affect group formation requires going beyond the analytic primacy currently given to the symbolic power of the state.
In this study, we present the theoretical investigation of type-II InAs/GaSb superlattice p-i-n detector. Kronig-Penney and envelope function approximation is used to calculate band gap energy and superlattice minibands. Variational method is also used to calculate exciton binding energies. Our results show that carriers overlap increases at GaSb/InAs interface on the higher energy side while it decreases at InAs/GaSb interface on the lower energy side with increasing reverse bias due to shifting the hole wavefunction toward to the GaSb/InAs interface decisively. Binding energies increase with increasing electric field due to overall overlap of electron and hole wave functions at the both interfaces in contrast with type I superlattices. This predicts that optical absorption is enhanced with increasing electric field.
The wavelength of a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser (TS, 800 nm) was converted into the ultraviolet (UV, 200 nm) using three beta-barium borate crystals (β-BaB2O4) for frequency doubling and subsequent mixing. The UV pulse was further converted into the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV, 185 nm) based on four-wave Raman mixing, in which a two-color pump beam consisting of the fundamental beam (800 nm) of the TS and the signal beam of an optical parametric amplifier (1200 nm) pumped by the TS was focused onto a capillary waveguide filled with hydrogen gas for molecular phase modulation and the single-color UV probe beam (200 nm) was then focused onto the waveguide for frequency modulation to generate anti-Stokes and high-order Stokes Raman sidebands at wavelengths of 185 nm and 218-267 nm, respectively. The efficiency of conversion from the UV (200 nm) to the VUV (185 nm) was 6 %. The ionization energy was calculated for thirteen amino polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using density functional theory, since they are associated with the development of occupational bladder cancers. The values calculated by the B3LYP/cc-pVDZ and ωB97Xd/cc-pVTZ methods were 6.24-7.14 eV (199-174 nm) and 6.41-7.35 eV (194-169 nm), respectively. A sample containing a mixture of 9-aminoanthracene, 3-aminofluoranthene, and 1-aminopyrene was separated by gas chromatography (GC), and the eluents were ionized with the VUV pulse (0.015 μJ) in mass spectrometry (MS). The analytes were observed on a two-dimensional display of GC/MS, and the detection limit obtained by single-photon ionization of 3-aminofluoranthene was 1 ng/μL.
The systemic treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors is based on targeted therapies such as imatinib, sunitinib, sorafenib or regorafenib. The important treatment option is recruitment onto clinical trials specially in late stage of disease. The presented case concerns the 62 year-old woman with metastatic GIST. In 2008 after gastrectomy she was recruited to EORTC 62024 clinical trial. Here she was randomly assigned to the observational arm. In 2009 due to non-resectable recurrence, the imatinib therapy was started and continued until 2014. At this time, she experienced disease progression so imatinib dose was doubled, and due to further progression – she received sunitinib. The tolerance of imatinib was satisfactory, but after sunitinib therapy - the dose modification was necessary due to toxicity at grade CTC3. In 2015, because of the further progression she received sorafenib over 12 months, and next re-treatment with imatinib and chemotherapy according to the ADIC with 4 months of response. Considering patient’s good performance status regardless the fifth line of treatment she was proposed the regorafenib treatment. After the first course, patient reported a definite improvement of quality of life and pain control. The main complications was the hand-foot syndrome and diarrheas (grade CTC2). The best response was partial response, nowadays patient disease is stable. In the case of further progression a clinical trial will be proposed. Conclusions: In GIST patients, regorefenib as an single agent administered after progression on imatinib, sunitinib and sorafenib is effective and well tolerated treatment leading into clinical and radiological response.
In a multi-tenant cloud environment, tenants are usually hosted by virtual machines. Cloud providers deploy multiple virtual machines on a physical server to better utilize physical resources including CPU, memory, and storage devices. SSDs are often used as an I/O cache shared among the tenants for large storage systems using hard disk drives (HDDs) as their main storage devices, which can receive much of SSD's performance benefit and HDD's cost advantage. A key challenge in the use of the shared cache is to ensure strong performance isolation and maintain its high utilization at the same time. However, conventional SSD cache management approaches cannot effectively address this challenge. In this paper, we propose OC-Cache, an open-channel SSD cache framework which utilizes SSD'd internal parallelism to adaptively allocate cache to tenants for both good performance isolation and high SSD utilization. In particular, OC-Cache uses a tenant's miss ratio curve to determine the amount of cache space allocation and where the allocation is (in dedicated or shared SSD channels) and dynamically manages cache space according to the workload characteristics. Experiments show that OC-Cache significantly reduces interference among tenants, and maintains high utilization of the SSD cache.
Acoustic intensity measurement techniques have been widely used for finding the acoustic power of a sound source from the acoustic energy flux in the space around it. Similar methods have been tried for measuring the vibration intensity or energy flux in plate structures, which require multi-point measurements with accurate information on phase differences. The present study extends the technique to web flutter in paper and plastic film manufacturing. The fundamental concepts of wave intensity are discussed, and the use of two laser-Doppler vibrometers is demonstrated. This study has application to flutter problems in paper dryers and in air-flotation ovens for plastic films.
Over the last decade, applications of resin-based luting agents for seating restorations and fixed partial dentures have increased substantially. This trend is attributed mainly to development of zirconia ceramic restorative systems as well as varying functional monomers and initiation systems compatible to enamel, den-tin, ceramic materials, and casting alloys. This review article takes a general view of currently available luting and bonding systems applicable for cementing restorations and dentures made of ceramics and dental alloys.
This book comprises the proceedings of the 2012 North American Tunneling Conference (NAT2012) held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The book is divided into four tracks. Individual titles of these tracks are: technology; design; planning and case histories. Track 1 comprises of five sessions. The titles of individual sessions are: Better Tunneling Through Knowledge and Improvement of Ground (five papers); Trends and Development in Mechanical Excavation (six papers); Application of Innovative Technologies (five papers); Applications and Developments in TBM Methods (five papers); and Monitoring, Support, and Prediction (six papers). Track 2 comprises of five sessions. The titles of individual sessions are: Innovative Solutions (four papers); Analysis of Soft Ground Tunnels (five papers); Design and Construction of Large Underground Spaces (six papers); Transit Tunnel Challenges (five papers); and Dealing with Underground Water Issues (five papers). Track 3 has five sessions. The titles of individual sessions are: Contractual, Life Cycle and Design Focus (four papers); Project Risk, Cost, and Schedule (six papers); Project delivery and Contracting Strategies (six papers); Geotechnical, Environmental, and Sustainability Challenges (six papers); and Future Projects (six papers). Track 4 has five sessions. The titles of the individual sessions are: Roadheader and TBM Preparation (four papers); Mechanized Tunneling (four papers); Ground Treatment (five papers); Microtunneling (four papers) and Repair and Rehabilitation (six papers). The book includes a preface, listing of Track Chairs, Assistant Track Chairs, Session Chairs, NAT2012 Executive Committee and an index.
Significance Predicting stable polymorphs of molecular crystals remains one of the grand challenges of computational science. Current methods invoke approximations to electronic structure and statistical mechanics and thus fail to consistently reproduce the delicate balance of physical effects determining thermodynamic stability. We compute the rigorous ab initio Gibbs free energies for competing polymorphs of paradigmatic compounds, using machine learning to mitigate costs. The accurate description of electronic structure and full treatment of quantum statistical mechanics allow us to predict the experimentally observed phase behavior. This constitutes a key step toward the first-principles design of functional materials for applications from photovoltaics to pharmaceuticals. Predictions of relative stabilities of (competing) molecular crystals are of great technological relevance, most notably for the pharmaceutical industry. However, they present a long-standing challenge for modeling, as often minuscule free energy differences are sensitively affected by the description of electronic structure, the statistical mechanics of the nuclei and the cell, and thermal expansion. The importance of these effects has been individually established, but rigorous free energy calculations for general molecular compounds, which simultaneously account for all effects, have hitherto not been computationally viable. Here we present an efficient “end to end” framework that seamlessly combines state-of-the art electronic structure calculations, machine-learning potentials, and advanced free energy methods to calculate ab initio Gibbs free energies for general organic molecular materials. The facile generation of machine-learning potentials for a diverse set of polymorphic compounds—benzene, glycine, and succinic acid—and predictions of thermodynamic stabilities in qualitative and quantitative agreement with experiments highlight that predictive thermodynamic studies of industrially relevant molecular materials are no longer a daunting task.
45 chiidren aged 7 to 17 years with chronic gastroduodenitis were observed for risk factors. It is shown that in addition to famiiy history in gastroduodenai pathoiogy, the risk factors of chronic gastroduodenitis in chiidren shouid inciude a number of medicai and sociai factors: nutritionai factors, perinatai pathoiogy and its consequences (gestosis, anemia during pregnancy, iow birth weight), eariyartificiai feeding, adverse psychoiogicai ciimate in the famiiy, chronic foci of infection and frequent respiratory virai infections in history.
Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) treated with interferon β (IFNβ) preparations develop varying levels of antibodies that neutralize the biological effects of IFNβ, reduce its in vivo bioavailability, and diminish its therapeutic efficacy. The aim was to determine as distinct measures of immunogenicity the occurrence (frequency) and the magnitude (level) of IFNβ neutralizing antibody (NAb) formation in a large Canadian population as a cross-sectional study of patients with MS treated in a clinical practice setting with different, equally available IFNβ products: Avonex(®) (intramuscular IFNβ-1a), Rebif(®) (subcutaneous (SC) IFNβ-1a) at 22 and 44 μg, and Betaseron(®) (SC IFNβ-1b). Over a 3-year period 3,124 serum samples from 2,711 patients with MS were submitted by neurologists in MS clinics distributed across Canada and tested for NAbs in a single independent laboratory, utilizing a quantitative, standardized NAb bioassay. NAb frequency was greatest (35%) with Rebif (SC IFNβ-1a) 44 μg and least (7.5%) with Avonex (intramuscular IFNβ-1a), whereas Betaseron (IFNβ-1b) and Rebif 22 μg were in between (22%). NAb serum levels at magnitudes considered high, ≥100 tenfold reduction units (TRU)/mL, were found in 65%-83% of patients with detectable NAbs. Nearly half (42%-47%) of NAb-positive patients given IFNβ-1a preparations had very high titers (≥ 1,000 TRU/mL), whereas only 22% of NAb-positive patients on Betaseron had titers >1,000 TRU/mL. Differences in patterns of NAb formation among the four IFNβ product-dose combinations became more evident in patients with MS when both NAb frequency and the full range of NAb titer magnitude were measured.
ABSTRACT Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-related complication. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) contributes to the pathogenesis of PE. The current study sought to investigate the effect of lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 5 (SNHG5) on trophoblast autophagy in PE. A PE mouse model was established, followed by detection of parameters such as blood pressure, proteinuria, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein, observation of alterations of mouse placenta and kidney, and detection of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia/lymphoma-2, Bcl-2-associated X protein, and SNHG5 expression patterns. The expressions of LC3, Beclin-1, and p62 in the placenta of PE mice were detected. Moreover, the SNHG5 expression was downregulated in the established HTR-8/SVneo trophoblast model, followed by evaluation of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy. After combination treatment with 3-MA (an autophagy inhibitor) and si-SNHG5, the behaviors of HTR-8/SVneo cells were observed. The binding relations between SNHG5 and miR-31-5p, and miR-31-5p and SPARC were verified. The expressions of miR-31-5p and SPARC in the placenta of mice and trophoblasts were determined. Our results demonstrated a poor expression of lncRNA SNHG5 in PE mice. SNHG5 overexpression reduced the PE phenotype and tissue damage in mice. SNHG5 silencing reduced the proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblasts, but elevated apoptosis and autophagy. SNHG5 sponged miR-31-5p to promote SPARC transcription. Additionally, miR-31-5p knockdown or 3-MA treatment reverted the stimulative effect of SNHG5 silencing on trophoblast autophagy. Collectively, our study demonstrated that lncRNA SNHG5 alleviated the PE phenotype and inhibited trophoblast autophagy by sponging miR-31-5p and promoting SPARC transcription. Graphical abstract
This paper describes a methodology for developing ontologies for engineering design. The methodology combines a number of methods from social science and computer science, together with taxonomies developed in the field of engineering design. A case study is used throughout the paper focusing upon the use of an ontology for searching, indexing and retrieving of engineering knowledge. An ontology for indexing design knowledge can assist the users to formulate their queries when searching for engineering design knowledge. The root concepts of the ontology were elicited from engineering designers during an empirical research study. These formed individual taxonomies within the ontology and were validated through indexing a set of ninety-two documents. Relationships between concepts are extracted as the ontology is populated with instances. The identified root concepts were found to be complete and sufficient for the purpose of indexing. A thesaurus and an automatic classification are being developed as a result of this evaluation. The methodology employed during the test case is presented in this paper. There are six separate stages, which are presented together with the research methods employed for each stage and the evaluation of each stage. The main contribution of this research is the development of a methodology to allow researchers and industry to create ontologies for their particular purpose and to develop a thesaurus for the terms within the ontology. The methodology is based upon empirical research and hence, focuses upon understanding a user’s domain models as opposed to extracting an ontology from documentation.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
In this article we propose a framework to discover interesting directional patterns in trajectory data sets. The proposed framework has five stages; trajectory smoothing, directional segmentation, directional classification, filtering and finally clustering. The main contributions are in the stages for smoothing, directional classification and filtering. Trajectory smoothing is an important step in the analysis of complex, non-smooth trajectories data sets, such as animal movement data. In directional classification stage, different sub-trajectories are assigned to the classes corresponding to their directional orientation. In the filtration stage the outlier trajectories are removed from the respective classes using a novel convex hull based approach. We used animal movement data in this work.
The aim of this paper work is to design of low speed, multi pole permanent magnet generator for direct drive wind energy systems. Sizing and detailed machine design and analysis is performed examining the effect of numerous parameters including speed, number of phase, and number of poles, machine types and material types. In depth of simulation is using the software Ansoft- Maxwell and RMxprt. The theoretical analysis of PMG calculation solved in the simulation result.
We discuss the threshold fracture energy, GO, of networks over a wide range of cross-link density. C, for networks with an average number of main chain steps, ςc, that compare favorably with the entanglement spacing, ςc, follow the 1/2 power law, Go - ς1/2. Two views of molecular fracture, one a chain-breaking mechanism and the other a suction process, produce the 1/2 power law. For lightly cross-linked networks (ςc ≫ ςe), Go appears to decrease with increasing ςc. Trapped entanglements limit the extensibility and fracture energy of these networks. Consideration of rupture of trapped entangled chains gives Go-ςc-1/2; this form agrees reasonably well with data at high ςc.
BACKGROUND Little is known about factors that influence the intention of adolescents to register as organ donors. The identification of such factors has important implications for the development and implementation of educational programs and subsequent donor registration rates.   OBJECTIVE To determine whether adolescents with an expressed commitment to becoming organ donor registrants differ significantly from nondonors on sociodemographic characteristics and factors influencing their decision.   PARTICIPANTS Four hundred forty-five adolescents visiting a Department of Motor Vehicles office for a permit or license (n=153) or attending a driver's education course (n=292) completed a semistructured interview and questionnaire.   RESULTS Female (52.6%) and white (55.8%) adolescents were more likely to have favorable donation intentions relative to male (45.6%) and nonwhite (39.0%) adolescents (chi2 = 7.5, P = .02, and chi2 = 19.7, P = .003, respectively). Those with favorable donation intentions also endorsed significantly more positive factors (benevolence, need awareness, existentialism) as being more important in their decision. Adolescents who did not want to donate (58.7%) and those who were undecided (23.1%) were less likely to have discussed their decision with parents than were those who wanted to donate (67.7%, chi2 = 63.6, P = .0001). Finally, providing adolescents with a free driver's license in exchange for organ donor registration would have the greatest impact on registering undecided adolescents (29.8%, chi2 = 33.2, P = .0001).   CONCLUSIONS There is a pressing need for more systematic and culturally sensitive organ donation education directed toward adolescents, and the Department of Motor Vehicles and driver's education courses may be appropriate venues. An educational program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Decision: Donation, could be used in this context.
Barriers to therapeutic transport in biological systems can prevent accumulation of drugs at the intended site, thus limiting the therapeutic effect against various diseases. Advances in synthetic chemistry techniques have recently increased the accessibility of complex polymer architectures for drug delivery systems, including branched polymer architectures. This article first outlines drug delivery concepts, and then defines and illustrates all forms of branched polymers including highly branched polymers, hyperbranched polymers, dendrimers, and branched–linear hybrid polymers. Many new types of branched and dendritic polymers continue to be reported; however, there is often confusion about how to accurately describe these complex polymer architectures, particularly in the interdisciplinary field of nanomedicine where not all researchers have in‐depth polymer chemistry backgrounds. In this context, the present review describes and compares different branched polymer architectures and their application in therapeutic delivery in a simple and easy‐to‐understand way, with the aim of appealing to a multidisciplinary audience.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Even if the motor activity of the gall bladder and sphincter of Oddi (SO) are integrated, it is not known if the presence of stones in the gall bladder affects SO function. The aim of the study was to compare SO motor activity in patients with and without gall stones. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a series of 155 patients consecutively submitted to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and SO manometry for suspected biliary or pancreatic disease, 23 gall stone patients had recurrent episodes of biliary or pancreatic pain (colicky group); 52 patients had non-biliary/pancreatic-type abdominal pain/discomfort, and of these, 15 had gall stones (non-colicky group), 25 were free of stones (controls), and 12 had undergone cholecystectomy. RESULTS SO basal pressure in gall stone patients in the colicky or non-colicky group was significantly higher than in controls (p<0.001). SO basal pressure recorded in postcholecystectomy patients did not differ from controls. SO phasic activity did not differ between the patient groups. SO dysfunction was detected in more than 40% of gall stone patients irrespective of associated biliary/pancreatic pain but in none of the control subjects (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Gall stones are frequently associated with increased SO tone which may obstruct bile flow thus acting to facilitate gall bladder stasis, and may play a role as a cofactor in biliary/pancreatic pain.
Sonolysis of aqueous solutions produces H. and HO. that lead to Co-C bond cleavage in methylcob-(III)alamin (CH3-CblIII) and 2-[4-[4'-[bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]phenyl]butyroxy]ethylcob (III)alamin (Chl-HE-CblIII). Under anaerobic conditions, H. reduces CH3-CblIII to the unstable 19 e-CH3-CblII that dissociates to the alkane and CblII. Under aerobic conditions, O2 scavenges H. and Co-C bond cleavage occurs via a HO.-mediated process along with modification of the corrin ring by HO.. When H. and HO. are scavenged, there is no evidence of Co-C bond cleavage. This suggests no direct sonolysis of the Co-C bond occurs, in spite of the fact that the Co-C bond is 80 kcal/mol weaker than the H-OH bond. A bioconjugate of cob(III)alamin and the alkylating agent chlorambucil has been synthesized to give 2-[4-[4'-[bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]phenyl]butyroxy]ethylcob(I II)alamin. The chlorambucil-cobalamin complex also undergoes Co-C bond cleavage in a manner similar to that of methylcob-(III)alamin. Sonorelease of an active alkylating agent from the bioconjugate may provide a new method for the selective release of anticancer drugs and thus potentially reduce systemic toxicity.
This chapter provides a historical overview of ambivalent encounters between Indonesia and the Arab world through findings that show the relationship between Indonesia and the Middle East. It recounts the Indonesians' earliest encounters with Arab traders in the seventh century, from confrontations with Indo Persian Sufi up to the current democratization process that have been marked by contradictory dynamics. It also explains how Arabs have been acknowledged as teachers of Islam and allies in the postcolonial nonbloc movement. The chapter describes the gloomy counterimage of the Arab world against which Indonesian officials and religious leaders drew the picture of a tolerant, pluralist Indonesian Islam. It mentions the key role of the mobility across the Indian Ocean in the formation of Islamic culture in Indonesia.
This article aims to move the scholarship concerning Clementine beyond a narrow interpretation focused on the extratextual signiﬁcance of this work as it relates to Lewald’s biography as an activist for women’s emancipation. It approaches the novel with a focus on its formal elements, employing critical frameworks from Bakhtin and Butler to examine how Clementine is constructed as a subject. A tension between narrativization (a stable identity) and the unﬁnalizability inherent in the development of the self pervades the novel, as shown in the contradictions between Clementine’s language and actions. This never-resolved tension is reﬂected at the structural level in the heterogeneous textual genres contained in Clementine, which allows for a Butlerian reading of identity development through performativity. Ultimately, I show that this largely overlooked work exempliﬁes many of the features of the literary that have been prized in the canonical—and principally male-authored—texts of the nineteenth century. (KK)
Objective— To examine the relationship between the prevalence of gallbladder disease and severity of glycemia among diabetic individuals and to provide insight into whether the diabetes-gallstone association is a causal one, because NIDDM patients have an increased prevalence of clinical gallbladder disease. Research Design and Methods— We examined 462 diabetic individuals identified during the San Antonio Heart Study, a population-based survey of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. Diabetes was diagnosed according to National Diabetes Data Group criteria. Results— The prevalence of self-reported gallbladder disease was 34.2% in diabetic women and 7.2% in diabetic men. Although duration of diabetes was positively related to the prevalence of gallbladder disease (P < 0.01), type of therapy was not associated, and fasting glucose concentration was inversely associated with gallbladder disease. Conclusions— Factors other than hyperglycemia may account for the increased prevalence of gallbladder disease in diabetic subjects.
Background: To know the prevalence of bacterial vaginosis (BV) in sexually active females presenting with the complaints of Vaginal discharge to the outpatient department. BV also called as non-specific vaginitis, develops when the normally predominant peroxides producing lactobacillus species in the vagina are replaced by mixed predominantly anaerobic flora consisting of Gardinerella vaginalis, Mycoplasm hominis, Mobilunceus species, Bacteroids species, Prevotela Species, Peptostreptococcus Species, Fusobacterium Species and Porphyromonus Species. Methods: Three hundred females attending the OPD with the complaints of vaginal discharge were studied. Diagnosis of BV were made according to Amsle’s clinical criteria and Nugent's criteria for evaluating Gram stain vaginal smear. The results were compared with the data available from the previous studies. Results: Out of 300 patients 122 (40.66%) were suffering from BV. 90 (73.33%) patients were having pH between 56.9. Among pregnant women 9.83% found positive. IUCD users 19 (29.68%) are found suffering from BV. Out of 33 VDRL positive patients 19 (57.51%) were positive with BV. Conclusions: The prevalence of BV is on higher side of the available data. There is an association between IUCD use and occurrence of BV.
This investigation follows seminal work on nutrient degradation as the authors seek to quantify how much vitamin C, as a marker of nutrient quality, is retained at various stages of processing (frozen, steamed, trayline and delivery) of peas at two New Jersey hospitals. Healthcare providers use nutrient data standards provided by various national and international government and nongovernment agencies. Physicians, dietitians and menu planners rely on these values for nutritional therapy. We found that the current methodology for predicting nutritional outcomes of cooked foods in hospitals may not be reliable in assessing nutrients served to patients. Sampled peas were found to contain significantly ( P < 0.05 for both Hospitals A and B) less vitamin C compared with the published standard value (‘cooked’) for vitamin C. In Hospitals A and B, the nutrient quality of vitamin C was significantly reduced ( P < 0.05) as peas progressed to patients. As improved nutritional status has been shown to correlate with faster healing and recovery, thus reduced hospital stays, we recommend that hospitals use improved cooking methods to reduce the loss of nutrients in foods served to patients. Vegetables in particular should be cooked for the briefest period of time or at the lowest temperature that ensures safety.
10077 Background: Patients treated with limb salvage surgery for bone sarcomas of the extremities (upper and lower) may have physical disability as a result of treatment. Goal of this study was to evaluate the quality of life after treatment (chemotherapy and conservative surgery) at long term. Methods: 208 patients resected for a bone sarcoma and with prostetic reconstruction (45 in the upper and 163 in the lower limb) were evaluated. Assessments of results was done using the Karnofsky Scale (K.S.) (an attempt to measure the more “subjective” side of the outcome); this was obtained for each patient before and after treatment. Patients were followed in the clinic and functional results assessed according to the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) system. Moreover the Toronto Extremity Salvage Score questionnaire (TESS), a measure of physical disability, was mailed to 144 patients. Results: Before treatment 157 patients had a Karnofsky index between “50%” and “70%”, 96 patients between “0%” and “40%”. Aft...
Drosophila offers many advantages for the detection of mutagenic activity of carcinogenic agents. It provides the quickest assay system for detecting mutations in animals today. Its generation time is short, and Drosophila is cheap and easy to breed in large numbers. The simple genetic testing methods give unequivocal answers about the whole spectrum of relevant genetic damage. A comparison of the detection capacity of assays sampling different kinds of genetic damage revealed that various substances are highly effective in inducing mutations but do not produce chromosome breakage effects at all, or only at much higher concentrations than those required for mutation induction. Of the different assay systems available, the classical sex-linked recessive lethal test deserves priority, in view of its superior capacity to detect mutagens. Of practical importance is also its high sensitivity, because a large number of loci in one fifth of the genome is tested for newly induced forward mutations, including small deletions. The recent findings that Drosophila is capable of carrying out the same metabolic activation reactions as the mammalian liver makes the organism eminently suitable for verifying results obtained in prescreening with fast microbial assay systems. An additional advantage in this respect is the capacity of Drosophila for detecting short-lived activation products, because intracellular metabolic activation appears to occur within the spermatids and spermatocytes.
The following conclusions are based on preliminary studies of the cores, cuttings and fossils recovered from 52 test wells drilled in central and northern Florida and adjacent parts of Georgia and Alabama. Detailed faunal lists are omitted, partly because the studies of the faunas are as yet incomplete, and partly because most of the fossils are types that are more readily correlated with faunas found in South America and Europe than with known faunas elsewhere in the United States, It is believed that the correlations postulated here are essentially correct, but they are preliminary and may be modified slightly in the light of more detailed studies. At the present time these studies indicate:
N regions at the junction of V, D and J DNA segments are synthesized with large protein complexes including terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT) during V(D)J recombination in B‐ or T‐cells. TdT directly binds to TdIF1, TdIF2, PCNA and the Ku70/86 heterodimer. Using a yeast two‐hybrid system, we isolated a cDNA clone encoding the gene for TReP‐132, which is involved in P450scc gene expression in steroid‐hormone‐producing cells or lymphoid cells. Interaction between TReP‐132 and TdIF1 was confirmed by pull‐down assay and immunoprecipitation assay using specific antibodies against TReP‐132 both in vitro and in vivo. TdT also directly bound to TReP‐132 through its confined N‐terminal region. Furthermore, the co‐expression of TdIF1 and TReP‐132 or TdT and TReP‐132 in COS7 cells showed that these proteins are co‐localized within the nucleus. TReP‐132 reduces TdT activity to 2.5% of its maximum value in the in vitro assay system using double‐stranded DNA with a 3′ protrusion as a primer. These findings suggest that TdT synthesizes N region under a negative control of TReP‐132 during V(D)J recombination.
Hutchinson‐Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder that is caused by a point mutation in the LMNA gene, resulting in production of a truncated farnesylated‐prelamin A protein (progerin). We previously reported that XPA mislocalized to the progerin‐induced DNA double‐strand break (DSB) sites, blocking DSB repair, which led to DSB accumulation, DNA damage responses, and early replication arrest in HGPS. In this study, the XPA mislocalization to DSBs occurred at stalled or collapsed replication forks, concurrent with a significant loss of PCNA at the forks, whereas PCNA efficiently bound to progerin. This PCNA sequestration likely exposed ds‐ssDNA junctions at replication forks for XPA binding. Depletion of XPA or progerin each significantly restored PCNA at replication forks. Our results suggest that although PCNA is much more competitive than XPA in binding replication forks, PCNA sequestration by progerin may shift the equilibrium to favor XPA binding. Furthermore, we demonstrated that progerin‐induced apoptosis could be rescued by XPA, suggesting that XPA‐replication fork binding may prevent apoptosis in HGPS cells. Our results propose a mechanism for progerin‐induced genome instability and accelerated replicative senescence in HGPS.—Hilton, B. A., Liu, J., Cartwright, B. M., Liu, Y., Breitman, M., Wang, Y., Jones, R., Tang, H., Rusinol, A., Musich, P. R., Zou, Y. Progerin sequestration of PCNA promotes replication fork collapse and mislocalization of XPA in laminopathy‐related progeroid syndromes. FASEB J. 31, 3882–3893 (2017). www.fasebj.org—Hilton, Benjamin A., Liu, Ji, Cartwright, Brian M., Liu, Yiyong, Breitman, Maya, Wang, Youjie, Jones, Rowdy, Tang, Hui, Rusinol, Antonio, Musich, Phillip R., Zou, Yue Progerin sequestration of PCNA promotes replication fork collapse and mislocalization of XPA in laminopathy‐related progeroid syndromes. FASEB J. 31, 3882–3893 (2017)
How do strategic initiatives emerge? Despite rich tradition in the emergent strategy literature—focused on significant organizational change—surprisingly little insight exists on the dynamics of a new initiative’s emergence. This is particularly relevant in healthcare because of the increasing pressure to implement value transformation models focused on maximizing value at the point of care. The value transformation model prioritizes the decisions of the frontline providers and thus requires their expertise and commitment for the model’s implementation and success. In our case study of a dental organization, “OptiPlex,” we trace the emergence of a value transformation strategic initiative from its origination at the point of care to its formalization into the organization’s strategic plan. Using qualitative methods, we identify three phases in the emergence of the value transformation strategic initiative, each embodying different championing behaviors necessary for the initiative’s emergence. In doing so, we explicate the nature of these behaviors and how they link up across the organizational hierarchy to drive the value transformation strategic initiative’s emergence and implementation.
Hyperbolic partial differential equation grid generation methods were implemented in the Gridgen software system. The development and implementation of these methods resulted in two unique attributes: the ability to use a hyperbolic method to generate a structured surface grid spanning multiple trimmed B-Spline surfaces, and special boundary condition treatments that allow multiblock abutting grids to be generated. Also, the hyperbolic method’s implementation served as the basis for the implementation of normal, translation, rotation, and path-based algebraic extrusion methods. Finally, the algebraic extrusion methods were generalized to create layers of prism cells by extruding triangles. Despite the differences between surface constrained quadrilateral grids, multi-block volume grids, and prismatic unstructured grids, all were implemented in a unified manner within Gridgen.
At present, facial expression recognition technology is widely used in artificial intelligence, transportation, medical and other aspects, so it has important research value. Traditional facial expression recognition uses manual feature extraction method with low accuracy and weak generalization ability, which is difficult to be applied in real life. With the development of deep learning, convolution neural network appears in people’s vision. Different from traditional manual feature extraction, convolution neural network can learn image features independently, and learn more features. In addition, it has the advantage of sharing the weight with the neural network. Although convolution neural network has multiple advantages, it also has some disadvantages, especially over fitting. In this paper, the model of convolution network is improved based on the classical VGGNet according to the working principle of convolution neural network. In this new model, the number of convolution kernels is reduced in parameters, and the global average pool layer is used to replace the full connection layer in the structure, so as to reduce the degree of over fitting and decrease the operation parameters. Finally, experiments show that the accuracy, generalization and consumption of resource are enhanced in the new model. It is proposed that the new method is better than the traditional convolution network VGGNet.
The gas phase basicities of cis 2-aryl-2-butenes have been determined by measuring proton transfer equilibria. It has been shown that the substituent effect on the stability of the conjugate acid ion of the olefin, α-ethyl-α-methylbenzyl cation, is in complete agreement with that of α-cumyl cation, suggesting that α,α-dialkyl benzyl cations seem likely to be characterized by the r value of 1.0 given by the LArSR analysis.
Variational Monte Carlo calculations for the ground- and excited-state binding energies of s-shell hypernuclei using a new form of dispersive spin-dependent noncentral LNN force have been made to study its effect on the overbinding problem of L He and on the spin dependence of LN force. A detailed analysis shows that the strength of the dispersive LNN force can be adjusted to resolve the overbinding problem using two-body correlations alone. Consequently, the ambiguity in the strength of the dispersive LNN force masks the effect of 2p-exchange LNN force and LNN correlations on the data. The contribution of the dispersive force to the 0 1 -1 1 spin-flip splitting of A54 hypernuclei is not uniquely determined. Further BL data favor a small spin dependence of the LN potential, a situation characteristically similar to other versions of dispersive LNN potentials. @S0556-2813~99!05105-5#
Developing low‐cost photovoltaic absorbers that can harvest the short‐wave infrared (SWIR) part of the solar spectrum, which remains unharnessed by current Si‐based and perovskite photovoltaic technologies, is a prerequisite for making high‐efficiency, low‐cost tandem solar cells. Here, infrared PbS colloidal quantum dot (CQD) solar cells employing a hybrid inorganic–organic ligand exchange process that results in an external quantum efficiency of 80% at 1.35 µm are reported, leading to a short‐circuit current density of 34 mA cm−2 and a power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 7.9%, which is a current record for SWIR CQD solar cells. When this cell is placed at the back of an MAPbI3 perovskite film, it delivers an extra 3.3% PCE by harnessing light beyond 750 nm.
Using narrative processing approach and uses and gratification theory, this study examined the motivations behind audience members desire to use social networking sites (SNS) Facebook and Twitter to: 1) connect with entertainment shows, 2) engage with characters on those shows, and 3) to engage with the actors that play those characters. After exposing participants to an episode of a show to gauge their engagement, they were asked to complete a questionnaire. The results suggest that levels of transportation predict likelihood of connecting with the show on social networking platforms. The levels of identification and parasocial interaction experienced during viewing predict the likelihood of following the character and the actor that played that role. Parasocial interaction with a character mediated the relationship between source attraction and connecting with the character and the actor on SNS. Theoretically, this research extends uses and gratification and narrative processing in the area of social networking research. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Drugs and Pharmaceutical manufacturing industry plays a key-role to the Society as a whole. The foundation of Modern Indian Drugs and Pharmaceutical Industry in the country was laid in the beginning of this century. Pharmaceutical products refer to a group of chemicals used for diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of diseases and/or health conditions. Pharmaceutical manufacturing industries generally employ batch operations for manufacture of most basic drugs and their derivatives are Formulation, Extraction and Fermentation. Regular pharmaceutical measurement shapes are: Aerosols, cases, creams, emulsions, gels, inserts, inward breaths, infusions, water systems, salves, glues, powders, arrangements, suspensions, tablets. Around 70% of the medications devoured are strong oral dose structure (tablets and containers).
In this paper, we consider two examples of an entanglement in two-qubit systems and an example of entanglement in quantum field theory (QFT). In the beginning, we study the entanglement of two spin states by a magnetic field. A nonzero entanglement appears for interacting spins. When the coupling between the spins is constant, we study the entanglement by several types of time-dependent magnetic fields. In the case of a constant difference between [Formula: see text] components of magnetic fields acting on each spin, we find several time-dependent coupling functions [Formula: see text] that also allow us to analyze analytically and numerically the entanglement measure. Considering two photons moving in an electron medium, we demonstrate that they can be entangled in a controlled way by applying an external magnetic field. The magnetic field affecting electrons of the medium affects photons and, thus, causes an entanglement of the photon beams. The third example is related to the effect of production of electron–positron pairs from the vacuum by a strong external electric field. Here, we have used a general nonperturbative expression for the density operator of the system under consideration. Applying a reduction procedure to this density operator, we construct mixed states of electron and positron subsystems. Calculating the von Neumann entropy of such states, we obtain the loss of information due to the reduction and, at the same time, the entanglement measure of electron and positron subsystems. This entanglement can be considered as an example of an entanglement in QFT.
We performed the simultaneous measurement of intrinsic optical signals (IOSs) related to metabolic activity and cellular and subcellular morphological characteristics, i.e., light scattering for a rat global ischemic brain model made by rapidly removing blood by saline infusion. The signals were measured on the basis of multiwavelength diffuse reflectances in which 605 and 830 nm were used to detect the IOSs that are thought to be dominantly affected by redox changes of heme aa(3) and CuA in cytochrome c oxidase (CcO), respectively. For measuring the scattering signal, the wavelength that was found to be most insensitive to the absorption changes, e.g., approximately 620 nm, was used. The measurements suggested that an increase in the absorption due to reduction of heme aa(3) occurred soon after blood clearance, and this was followed by a large triphasic change in light scattering, during which time a decrease in the absorption due to reduction of CuA occurred. Through the triphasic scattering change, scattering signals increased by 5.2 +/- 1.5% (n = 5), and the increase in light scattering showed significant correlation with both the reflectance intensity changes at 605 and 830 nm. This suggests that morphological changes in cells correlate with reductions of heme aa(3) and CuA. Histological analysis of tissue after the triphasic scattering change showed no alteration in either the nuclei or the cytoskeleton, but electron microscopic observation revealed deformed, enlarged mitochondria and expanded dendrites. These findings suggest that the simultaneous measurement of absorption signals related to the redox changes in the CcO and the scattering signal is useful for monitoring tissue viability in the brain.
This article describes conventional cyclic triaxial tests on a uniform sand in which the amount of energy dissipated by the specimen was continuously monitored. Energy monitoring was achieved by means of a digital circuit that automatically integrated the force-displacement signals as the test progressed. The resulting energy trace was plotted against the pore pressure buildup within the specimen. From a total of 21 tests, it appears that pore pressure generation and dissipated energy are functionally related, but this relationship appears to depend strongly on the level of cyclic deviator stress.
The prevailing lifestyle of bacteria is sessile and they attach to surfaces in structures known as biofilms. In Escherichia coli, as in many other bacteria, biofilms are formed at the air-liquid interface, suggesting that oxygen has a critical role in the biofilm formation process. It has been reported that anaerobically growing E. coli laboratory strains are unable to form biofilms even after 96 h of incubation on Luria Bertani (LB) medium. After analyzing 22,000 transposon-induced and 26,000 chemically-induced mutants we failed to isolate an E. coli laboratory strain with the ability to form biofilm under anaerobic growth conditions. Notably, seven strains from a collection of E. coli isolated from different hosts and the environment had the ability to form biofilm in the absence of oxygen. Interestingly, spent medium from cultures of one strain, Souza298, can promote biofilm formation of E. coli laboratory strains growing under anaerobic conditions. Our results led us to propose that laboratory E. coli strains do not release (or synthesize) a molecule needed for biofilm formation under anoxic conditions but that they bear all the required machinery needed for this process.
In this paper we report on a spontaneous 2D/3D transition observed in InGaN alloys after 60 nm of growth. This transition is responsible for the formation of a stack of distinct InGaN layers. The driving mechanism is shown to be lateral fluctuations of the indium composition, that arise to accommodate the increasing strain energy of the InGaN layer. Three distinct stages of growth have been identified. First, a homogeneous, 2D InGaN layer forms, pseudomorphically strained on the underlying GaN. Then, at around 30 nm large lateral fluctuations of the indium composition are observed and a second pseudomorphic layer, composed of indium‐rich and indium‐poor clusters, is formed. Finally induces a 2D/3D transition at 60 nm and a 3D InGaN layer is formed.
Participatory forest management (PFM) in India was initiated mainly with the objective of restoring degraded forests and to support livelihood of forestdependent communities. PFM can help achieve India’s mitigation targets such as the Paris Agreement in the forest sector, and improve livelihood of forestdependent communities and biodiversity. However, there are several limitations in the current PFM policies and programmes to achieve such outcomes. This article, based on a review of the literature and examining government reports, discusses the current challenges in PFM and possible ways to strengthen its policies and programmes to achieve better forest management outcomes.
JMUI (Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces), Special issue “Best of affective computing and intelligent Guidelines for multimodal user interface design. support, human multi-modal information processing. characteristics to the design of a user-oriented and guidelines of multimodal interface design. Artifact lifecycle management, Consumer and user, Interfaces in Automated.Aug 2 Aug 7Los Angeles, CA, USAThursday, 6 August 2015 / HCI International 20152015.hci.international/thursday​CachedDefining and Optimizing User Interfaces Information Complexity for AI Design and Development of Multimodal Applications: A Vision on Key Issues and Traditional Heuristics and Industry Guidelines to Evaluate Multimodal Digital Artifacts
In the recent years we have concentrated efforts to collect Colour-Magnitude Diagrams of the globular clusters projected in the central parts of the Galaxy. So far we were able to gather photometric data in the V, I and Gunn z bandpasses, for 16 out of the 17 known clusters in the central 5 radius, most of them severely reddened. Reddening, distance and metallicity are estimated from the horizontal and red giant branches. We study the resulting cluster spatial distribution and con- clude that essentially no cluster is detected beyond the Galactic Center distance. The results favour a flattened bulge extending from the Galactic Center to 4.5 kpc from the Sun. The density distribution of the clusters follows the current models for bulge field stars. We estimate that missing clusters on the opposite side of the Galaxy bulge may amount 15 clusters similar to those detected on our side. The projected distribution of clusters is asymmetrical, with higher absorption in the southern Galactic hemisphere. The metallicity distribution of our sample clusters results similar to that of bulge field stars. The present ground-based results coupled to main sequence data of two genuine bulge clusters using the Hubble Space Tele- scope, point to a scenario of an old flat bulge with common origin for the stellar populations in both globular clusters and field. consequently not much could be inferred about their spatial distribution (Racine & Harris 1989). We now have gathered CCD Colour-Magnitude Diagrams (CMD) data for 16 out of 17 known globular clusters within 5, and these data make it possible to study the properties of this inner system. Most of these CMDs are now published with individual analyses of the clusters, and in the present work we complement them with some new results to build up the most homogeneous and updated set of information for this central sample. Globular clusters are suitable probes to trace the bulge shape. In this work we address questions related to the spatial distri- bution of the globular clusters projected close to the Galactic center such as: are clusters detected on the far side of the Galaxy; how do the detected cluster distances compare with that of the Galactic center; what is the shape of this subsystem? In Sect. 2 we determine the sample parameters. In Sect. 3 we discuss the results. Finally, in Sect. 4 the concluding remarks are given.
Objective Absent adequate randomized control trials to inform appropriate treatment for concussion in pediatric patients, guidelines have been developed based on expert opinion and observational data that may not apply to all groups. This study examines differences in the previous clinical care between concussed patients who present in pediatric practice and specialty clinics. Differences found might influence treatment recommendations for each setting. Study design Prospective data collected from a pediatric practice in 2011 to 2013 were compared to chart review data from two specialty clinics between 2015 and 2017. In all three groups patients 11–19 years of age with an ICD9 billing code for concussion were included if they met the 4th International Consensus definition of concussion. Patients were excluded if hospitalized or had abnormal CNS imaging. Results The time between injury and presentation was substantially longer in specialty clinic patients versus those seen in the primary pediatric care office. (median 10 vs. 2 days-p < 0.001) Primary care patients presenting had higher rates of immediate rest after injury, 61.4% vs 27.9% (p < 0.001). More specialty clinic patients had been seen in the emergency departments prior to presentation (47.5% vs. 18.8% p < 0.001) regardless of rest status at presentation to the office. Conclusion Several differences in previous clinical care between the groups were found. These included the time of presentation from injury, rates of cognitive rest both immediate and non-immediate, and emergency department visits. These differences may have implications for management recommendations. Accordingly, the appropriate treatment for patients seen by the primary pediatric care physicians may be different from those referred to specialty care. Given these findings randomized controlled trails should be conducted independently in both groups of patients.
Background The innovation of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) represents a promising shift in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, response to ICB has varied largely due to the high tumor heterogeneity and complex tumor microenvironment (TME). The competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network also plays an important role in tumor occurrence and progression, but its relation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TICs) remains largely unexplored in HCC. The overriding objective of our study was thus to construct a prognosis-related risk model and to further evaluate the relationship between ceRNA networks and TICs.   Methods Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis was performed to identify the differentially expressed RNAs. Lasso and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to construct risk models, which were assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC of ROC) and Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curves. Then, a single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) algorithm was adopted to dissect the TICs in HCC samples. Nomograms were constructed and calibration curves were used to verify the discrimination and accuracy of the nomograms. Finally, integration analysis was performed to validate the correlation of ceRNA and TICs.   Results In the study, 7 differentially expressed RNAs [5 messenger RNA s (mRNAs) and 2 micro RNAs (miRNAs)] were incorporated to construct a ceRNA risk model. The AUC of the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) were 0.784, 0.685, and 0.691 respectively. Likewise, 7 types TICs were in the TICs signature model and the AUC of the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS were 0.706, 0.731, and 0.721 respectively. The integration analysis showed that 7 pairs of mRNA-TICs and 1 pair of miRNA-TICs had a close relation (all correlation coefficients >0.2, P<0.001).   Conclusions Through constructing two risk models based on ceRNA network and TICs, we identified the hub RNAs and key TICs in the progression and prognosis of HCC, and further explored the relationship between ceRNA and TME. Importantly, targeting these hub RNAs may facilitate the remodeling of the TME and be a potential therapeutic alternative to enhancing the response to ICB, thus improving the prognosis of HCC patients.
Objective To observe the acute skin and mucous membrane reactions in patients treated with concurrent radiochemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma,and to analyze the influencing factors.Methods A total of 85 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cases treated with concurrent radiochemotherapy were enrolled in the study.Fifteen clinical and laboratory indexes,including BMI,radiation dose,degree of acute oral mucous and skin reactions and blood routine test were observed weekly.Univariate and multivariate regression analysis were performed to assess the factors,and screen the independent factors.Results Multiple-factor analysis showed that the risk factors cloesly related with acute radioactive oral mucosa reactions were smoking history(OR =3.467,P ＜ 0.05),single-dose of gross tumor volume (GTV) ＞2.15 Gy(OR =3.393,P ＜ 0.05),while those with acute radiation skin reactions were diabetes history(OR =87.859,P ＜ 0.05) and hemoglobin values 1 week before radiotherapy ＞ 130 g/L (OR =21.404,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions In the patients treated with concurrent radiochemotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma,smoking history and single-dose of GTVnx is the independent risk factors of acute radiation oral mucosa reactions,while diabetes history and hemoglobin values I week before radiotherapy are the independent factors of acute skin reactions.    Key words:  Nasopharyngeal carcinoma;  Intensity modulated radiotherapy;  Acute mucosal reaction;  Acute skin reaction
AIM To evaluate whether latanoprost/timolol fixed combination (LTFC) dosed twice daily may provide further intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction and evaluate the safety profile at this dose.   METHODS This is an open-labeled, randomized, prospective crossover study on fourty primary open angle glaucoma patients. Two weeks of washout period were followed by randomization to either once daily (OD, group A) or twice daily dosing (BD, group B) of LTFC for 4wk. After another 2-week washout period, the patients' treatment dose was crossed-over for another 4wk. IOP reduction alongside ocular and systemic side effects were evaluated.   RESULTS Mean baseline IOP was 18.57±2.93 and 17.8±3.01 mm Hg before OD and BD dose respectively, (P=0.27). Mean IOP after BD dose was statistically lower (12.49±1.59 mm Hg) compared to OD (13.48±1.81 mm Hg, P=0.017). Although IOP reduction after BD dose was more (5.32±3.24 mm Hg, 29.89%) than after OD dosing (5.04 mm Hg, 27.14%), it did not reach statistical significance (P=0.68). Patients switched from OD to BD (group A) showed mean IOP reduction by 0.69 mm Hg [95% confidence interval (CI): -0.09 to 1.48 mm Hg, P=0.078]; but patients switched from BD to OD (group B) had significantly higher mean IOP by 1.25 mm Hg (95%CI: -2.04 to -0.46 mm Hg, P=0.006). BD dose had more ocular side effects albeit mild.   CONCLUSION Mean IOP after LTFC dosed twice daily is statistically lower, with additional mild side effects.
Précis: A modification to the surgical technique of Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation without plate sutures or surgical glue products has a similar safety and efficacy profile than the standard procedure, in the short and mid-term follow-up. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a modified AGV implantation technique without plate sutures. Methods: A retrospective case-control study including patients seen in the Glaucoma service of an academic institution. Patients that underwent a modified AGV implantation without plate sutures were included as cases and patients that underwent standard AGV implantation, as controls. Success was defined as intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction >20%, IOP >5 and <21 without the need for additional surgical intervention, and maintenance of light perception. Results: A total of 170 eyes were included. Mean (range) follow-up was 11.2±7.39 (3 to 24) months. There was no statistically significant difference in visual acuity and IOP between the groups during the postoperative period. In a univariate analysis, there was a larger decrease in IOP for the no plate suture group at the 6 months (−15.6±11.6 vs. −11.5±10.5, P=0.04) and 1 year (−16.4±10.4 vs. −11.1±10.4, P=0.02) visits. There was also a larger decrease in number of medications in the no plate suture group in the 3 months (−1.65±1.5 vs. −1.13±1.22, P=0.02), 6 months (−1.55±1.44 vs. −0.98±1.3, P=0.01) and 1 year (−1.70±1.5 vs. −1.04±1.2, P=0.04) visits. However, those differences were not confirmed by a multivariable model after adjusting for glaucoma type and number of previous glaucoma surgeries. No differences in the trajectory of the survival curves were noted between groups (P=0.36). Conclusion: The comparison of short and mid-term outcomes of patients undergoing AGV implantation using both techniques showed similar outcomes and success rates.
The Groucho/Tle family of corepressor proteins is known to regulate multiple developmental pathways. Applying the dominant‐negative effect of the short member Aes, we demonstrate here a critical role of this gene family also for ear development. Misexpression of Aes in medaka embryos resulted in reduced size or loss of otic vesicles, whereas overexpression of the full‐length Groucho protein Tle4 gave the opposite phenotype. These results are in close agreement with phenotypes observed for eye formation, suggesting a similar role for Groucho/Tle proteins in the developmental pathways of both sensory organs. Furthermore, by using the heat‐inducible HSE promoter, we observed reversible branching of the embryonic axis upon Aes misexpression, indicating a transient duplication of the organizer. Groucho proteins, therefore, are critical for organizer maintenance. Developmental Dynamics 233:760–771, 2005 © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Objectives Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic, recurring vasculitis of unknown etiology. Patients with BD may use a lot of medications associated with the clinical symptoms. Drugs that are used in the treatment of BD may cause bone loss. The aims of the current study were to compare the bone mineral density (BMD) values between BD and healthy volunteers and describe the effect of disease duration on mandibular BMD. Materials and methods The study comprised 30 healthy volunteers (15 males and 15 females, mean age 35.50±6.80 years) and 45 patients with BD (24 males and 21 females, mean age 38.93±8.93 years). The BD group was subdivided according to disease duration (0–5, 6–10, and >10 years). The BMD value of the mandibular body was determined by the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry technique. Results The mean mandibular body BMD values were 1.294±0.21 g/cm2 in the control group and 1.216±0.22 g/cm2 in the BD patients, although there was no statistically significant difference. The BMD was observed to decrease with increased disease duration but not to a statistically significant degree. Conclusion The results of this study showed that although the BMD value decreased as the duration of the disease increased, no statistically significant difference was found between the BD patients and the healthy control group.
In this paper, we demonstrate how a particular spike-based learning rule (where exact temporal relations between input and output spikes of a spiking model neuron determine the changes of the synaptic weights) can be tuned to express rate-based classical Hebbian learning behavior (where the average input and output spike rates are sufficient to describe the synaptic changes). This shift in behavior is controlled by the input statistic and by a single time constant. The learning rule has been implemented in a neuromorphic very large scale integration (VLSI) chip as part of a neurally inspired spike signal image processing system. The latter is the result of the European Union research project Convolution AER Vision Architecture for Real-Time (CAVIAR). Since it is implemented as a spike-based learning rule (which is most convenient in the overall spike-based system), even if it is tuned to show rate behavior, no explicit long term average signals are computed on the chip. We show the rule's rate-based Hebbian learning ability in a classification task in both simulation and chip experiment, first with artificial stimuli and then with sensor input from the CAVIAR system
Normogonadotropic anovulation, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), is one of the main causes of infertility. Recent meta-analysis and randomized controlled trial suggest the use of aromatase inhibitors (ie, letrozole) as effective drug and first-line treatment to restore fertility in these patients. The current manuscript will give a critical, provocative, and personal point of view on the topic.
Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) are structurally related lipid mediators that act on distinct G-protein-coupled receptors to evoke similar responses, including Ca2+ mobilization, adenylate cyclase inhibition, and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation. However, little is still known about the respective receptors. A recently cloned putative LPA receptor (Vzg-1/Edg-2) is similar to an orphan Gi-coupled receptor termed Edg-1. Here we show that expression of Edg-1 in Sf9 and COS-7 cells results in inhibition of adenylate cyclase and activation of MAP kinase (Gi-mediated), but not Ca2+ mobilization, in response to S1P. These responses are specific in that (i) S1P action is not mimicked by LPA, and (ii) Vzg-1/Edg-2 cannot substitute for Edg-1. Thus the Edg-1 receptor is capable of mediating a subset of the cellular responses to S1P.
Aging is an unavoidable fate that afflicts all life, during this process in mammals reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated which stimulate tyrosinase, elastase and collagenase activities that actively participate in skin aging. Therefore, the maintenance of antioxidant homeostasis is an important anti-aging strategy for skin. Nature has excellent anti-aging remedies that act externally as well as internally to delay the visual signs of aging. In view of this fact, the present study investigates the in vitro anti-aging activity of five medicinal plants belonging to phenolic rich families namely Rosmarinus officinalis, Lavandula officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, Camellia sinensis and Pelargonium graveolens. The selected plants are those most frequently used in the preparation of ethnomedicinal recipes for the prevention or treatment of aging. The inhibitory effects of the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of the five selected plants on the activity of tyrosinase, elastase, and collagenase enzymes were investigated. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the plants and the antioxidant capacity of their extracts were assessed. The results showed that R. officinalis had the highest total phenolics content which was correlated with its potent antioxidant and anti-aging activities. To pinpoint the active metabolites in the tested extracts, we evaluated the metabolite variations using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-HR-ESI-MS/MS). Multivariate data analysis (MVDA) revealed that R. officinalis significantly accumulated metabolites from the aromatic diterpenoid, flavonoid and phenolic acid classes. These results indicate that rosemary can be used for further development of topical preparations with anti-aging properties.
This paper is a study of the drop weight impact behaviour of small sandwich panels of carbon epoxy skins with aluminium honeycomb and titanium alloy micro-lattice cores. A series of experimental tests have shown that the specific impactor penetration behaviours are similar for both cores. The reasons for this are a result of the detailed deformation and rupture behaviour of the two types of core. The deformation and rupture mechanisms of honeycomb and micro-lattice structures will be discussed in general terms, and these observations will be used to inform discussion of actual deformation and rupture in the panel tests. In this way, micro energy absorbing mechanisms will be related to panel performance, and conclusions on the way forward for improved penetration performance using other core materials and geometries will be identified.
Objective:Mounting evidence suggests a role for glucose variability in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) mortality. We investigated the association between glucose variability and intensive care unit and in-hospital deaths across several ranges of mean glucose. Design:Retrospective cohort study. Setting:An 18-bed medical/surgical ICU in a teaching hospital. Patients:All patients admitted to the ICU from January 2004 through December 2007. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:Two measures of variability, mean absolute glucose change per hour and sd, were calculated as measures of glucose variability from 5728 patients and were related to ICU and in-hospital death using logistic regression analysis. Mortality rates and adjusted odds ratios for ICU death per mean absolute glucose change per hour quartile across quartiles of mean glucose were calculated. Patients were treated with a computerized insulin algorithm (target glucose 72–126 mg/dL). Mean age was 65 ± 13 yrs, 34% were female, and 6.3% of patients died in the ICU. The odds ratios for ICU death were higher for quartiles of mean absolute glucose change per hour compared with quartiles of mean glucose or sd. The highest odds ratio for ICU death was found in patients with the highest mean absolute glucose change per hour in the upper glucose quartile: odds ratio 12.4 (95% confidence interval, 3.2–47.9; p < .001). Mortality rates were lowest in the lowest mean absolute glucose change per hour quartiles. Conclusions:High glucose variability is firmly associated with ICU and in-hospital death. High glucose variability combined with high mean glucose values is associated with highest ICU mortality. In patients treated with strict glycemic control, low glucose variability seemed protective, even when mean glucose levels remained elevated.
We surveyed general and family practitioners to evaluate their patterns of referring musculoskeletal disease patients to rheumatologists and orthopedists. Patients who had rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and ankylosing spondylitis were most often referred to rheumatologists, whereas patients with osteoarthritis, persistent low back pain, and post-traumatic knee pain were most often referred to orthopedists. As conditions worsened in severity, referrals were more frequent. Patients with conditions that were difficult to diagnose, such as possible shoulder tendinitis that was unresponsive to initial nonsteroidal therapy, undiagnosed polyarthritis, and intermittent knee swelling with pain, were most often treated without referral and, when referred, were most often sent to orthopedists. Belief in the effectiveness of rheumatologists or orthopedists correlated strongly with reported referral behavior, yet most respondents considered themselves capable of managing the majority of patients with musculoskeletal diseases. Neither practice arrangement, board certification, nor educational background affected referral behavior. However, younger physicians were more likely (P = 0.002) to refer patients to rheumatologists. Multivariate analysis showed that the significant predictors of global referral behavior were belief in the effectiveness of subspecialists and a small number of musculoskeletal problems seen by the generalist. The predictors of referral to rheumatologists were belief in rheumatologist efficacy and young physician age.
The limited availability of thermally compensated triplet solutions are studied and a paraxial mathematical expression for directly controlling thermal shifts are derived. Application of this expression is used to achieved families of thermally controlled triplet solutions. The solutions, depending upon aberration requirements, become finished designs or optimum starting points for surface aspherization and/or the addition of elements.
We argue that conscientiousness is a context-specific disposition and its relationship with contextual and innovative performance will be activated in certain organizational cultures. We hypothesized that the relationship between conscientiousness and contextual performance would be higher in outcome-oriented cultures and the relationship between conscientiousness and innovative job performance would be higher in innovation-oriented cultures. These two hypotheses were not supported. We further hypothesized and found support that conscientiousness and contextual and innovative performance relationships are stronger in combined outcome- and innovation-oriented cultures. Our results indicate that these two cultural values complement each other in facilitating positive outcomes for conscientious employees.
We have developed a technique of homologous recombination in bacteria which allows the mutagenesis of large genomic fragments cloned in cosmids. The desired mutation is first introduced into a plasmid clone and is then transferred to the appropriate cosmid clone by the means of double antibiotic selection coupled with phenotypic selection. We describe three different types of construct made by this technique.
a Department of Cardiac Surgery, Hospital de Santa Cruz, Carnixade, Portugal b Departamento de Cirurgia e Fisiologia, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal c Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands d Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
lightenment. The only way to remedy this deficiency is to eventually change location (most likely in some future life). This position is rarely laid out quite so baldly, since the tradition believes spiritual advance takes place through stages, in which people work with lesser or fuller approximations of truth appropriate to their stage of development. Having traditionally understood parallel or eompeting Buddhist sects in terms of lesser vehides for those at lower stages of development, this group has expanded this spectrum to indude other religious traditions, which may be located somewhere below other Buddhist traditions. The Dalai Lama says often that it is important for seekers to choose the religion that is most suitable for them, that in essenee all religions have the same aim of human betterment and eompassion, that devout practice in any faith can advance one toward that aim and that it is an intrinsically good thing to have religious variety. He says as well that Buddhists feel no compulsion to convert others but only to eontribute to society in their own way and to respond to those who seek knowledge of Buddhism. As D'Costa points out, none of these statements conflict with the exdusivism that actually grounds them. People who hear these statements are apt to take them in another sense, as statements of equality between religions, for instance. But when read through the doctrinal suppositions of this tradition, they have rather a different meaning, affirming the tributary value of religions in a structure defined and crowned by dGe!ugsBuddhism. The Dalai Lama's view is "pluralist" only in rhetoric. And yet it offers significant toleranee and appreciation for other religions. In the second half of the book, D'Costa works out a Christian understanding of nonChristian religions, grounded in the frankly particularistic terms of aRoman Catholic trinitarian theology. He argues that this approach, which implicitly parallels the strengths D'Costa respects in the Dalai Lama's exdusivism, provides a more real-
Problems from numerous disciplines such as applied sciences, scientific computing, applied mathematics, engineering to mention some can be converted to solving an equation. That is why, we suggest higher-order iterative method to solve equations with Banach space valued operators. Researchers used the suppositions involving seventh-order derivative by Chen, S.P. and Qian, Y.H. But, here, we only use suppositions on the first-order derivative and Lipschitz constrains. In addition, we do not only enlarge the applicability region of them but also suggest computable radii. Finally, we consider a good mixture of numerical examples in order to demonstrate the applicability of our results in cases not covered before.
The new Raster Spring Imaging Mode is developed to study soft and bad – fixed objects in AFM. The normal and lateral force between tip and sample is minimized. We discuss the principle of operation, main features and its prospect for specific applications. Experimental results revealed advantages with regard to other techniques like contact or semicontact mode. The silicon structure measurements with Raster Spring Imaging Mode allow to obtain information of elastic and adhesion properties without losing sight of good topography image.
One of the fundamental issues in Grid decentralised resource discovery services is high communication overheads that affect the Grid system’s performance significantly. The rationale is that Grid resources are geographically distributed across the world through a wide area network under various virtual organisations. To address the issue, a significant amount of effort has been made by proposing various decentralised overlay algorithms with semantic solutions. Current Grid literature reveals that when semantic features are added into discovery services, the probability of finding resources is enhanced and communication overheads could be better. However, most of the existing decentralised resource discovery models utilise a domain-based semantic ontology with First Come First Serve (FCFS) basis scheduling for allocating Grid resources that can cause job rejection at run time and can pick resources that are far from the user nodes. As a result, communication overheads of the models are affected as the proximity criterion is not being considered in the selection process. To overcome these issues and enhance the application performance, we propose a Unification of Proximity and Semantic similarity for Appropriate Resource Selection (UPSARS) algorithm in a decentralised resource discovery model by using a sub-domain ontology structure for Grid computing environments. The purpose of this unification is to get optimised resources for user jobs (Gridlets) so that Grid brokers could select optimum resources in terms of proximity with high semantic relevancy. The algorithm considers both semantic and proximity criteria and selects the nearby nodes resources and reduces the communication overheads in terms of proximity and latency. We design and implement the model using the GridSim and the FreePastry simulation and modelling toolkits. The experimental results provide promising outcomes to reduce communication overheads and enhance resource allocation performance.
Background: Premature birth, low birth weight, and congenital malformations are the main causes of neonatal mortality. The current study aimed at evaluating the predictive index of mortality and short-term morbidity of premature neonates in a hospital in karaj, Iran Methods: The present cross sectional study was conducted on 145 neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of (NICU) at Bahonar Hospital in karaj, Iran from 2014 to 2017. Neonates were selected by available sampling method and data were collected using their records; the mortality rate was calculated using the CRIB (clinical risk index for babies) checklist. Data were analyzed statistically. Results: The current study results indicated the high efficiency of both CRIB and CRIBӀӀ variables in predicting neonatal mortality (P = 0.000). The mean CRIB and CRIBII scores were respectively 9.24 and 9.04 in infants died during the study. Discussion: The CRIB score had a higher value in predicting mortality compared to that of CRIBII. CRIB score had a significant correlation with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (P = 0.01) and respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) (P = 0.011), but no significant relationship was found between CRIBӀӀ and the studied complications. There was a significant correlation between CRIB and CRIBӀӀ scores >8, and neural tube defect (P = 0.000). The predictive value of the CRIB score for neural tube defect was higher than that of the CRIBII. Conclusion: The results of the current study showed that CRIB and CRIBII can be utilized to predict mortality and neural tube defect in preterm infants and CRIB score can be used to predict ROP and RDS.
Summary Owing to the presence of 80% soluble dietary fibre, high protein content and high value gum, clusterbean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) has recently emerged as an economically important legume. The developing clusterbean seeds accumulate 90% galactomannans in the endosperm and, therefore, can be used as a model crop to understand galactomannan biosynthesis and its regulation. miRNAs are tiny master regulators of their corresponding target genes, resulting in variations in the amounts of their metabolic end products. To understand the role of these regulators in galactomannan biosynthesis regulation, small RNA libraries were prepared and sequenced from five tissues of clusterbean genotype RGC‐936, and miRanalyzer and DSAP programs were used to identify conserved miRNAs and novel small RNAs. A total of 187 known and 171 novel miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed, of which 10 miRNAs were validated. A complicated network topology and 35% sharing of the target mRNAs between known and novel miRNAs suggest random evolution of novel miRNAs. The gene ontology (GO) annotation of potential target genes revealed the genes coding for signalling and carbohydrate metabolism (50.10%), kinases and other enzymes (20.75%), transcription factors (10.20%), transporters (8.35%) and other targets (10.6%). Two novel unigenes were annotated as ManS (mannosyltransferase/mannan synthase) and UGE (UDP‐ D‐glucose 4‐epimerase) and validated as targets for three novel miRNAs, that is Ct‐miR3130, Ct‐miR3135 and Ct‐miR3157. Our findings reveal that these novel miRNAs could play an important role in the regulation of the galactomannan pathway in C. tetragonoloba and possibly other galactomannan‐producing species.
This paper examines the ‘intercultural dialogue’ paradigm to ask whether, as conveyed through EU discourses, its conceptualization is flexible enough to encompass the challenges of an increasingly multicultural EU environment. It is argued that, in the past two decades, the notion of a ‘European culture’ has become instrumental to envisioning the EU and has been pushed forward by two main occurrences: the 1989 collapse of cold-war Europe and the subsequent incorporation into the body of Europe of the new central and eastern Europeans, and the processes of globalization, which have rendered Europe’s presence on the global map increasingly vulnerable. Therefore, critical encounters with the employment of ‘culture’ and its support concepts of identity and difference are crucial to the framing of ‘intercultural dialogue’ beyond the cold-war cultural and mental geography, as well as to managing the predicaments which its use may generate in global contexts.
During organogenesis, various molecular and physical signals are orchestrated in space and time to sculpt multiple cell types into functional tissues and organs. The complex and dynamic nature of the process has hindered studies aimed at delineating morphogenetic mechanisms in vivo, particularly in mammals. Recent demonstrations of stem cell-driven tissue assembly in culture offer a powerful new tool for modeling and dissecting organogenesis. However, despite the highly organotypic nature of stem cell-derived tissues, substantial differences set them apart from their in vivo counterparts, probably owing to the altered microenvironment in which they reside and the lack of mesenchymal influences. Advances in the biomaterials and microtechnology fields have, for example, afforded a high degree of spatiotemporal control over the cellular microenvironment, making it possible to interrogate the effects of individual microenvironmental components in a modular fashion and rapidly identify organ-specific synthetic culture models. Hence, bioengineering approaches promise to bridge the gap between stem cell-driven tissue formation in culture and morphogenesis in vivo, offering mechanistic insight into organogenesis and unveiling powerful new models for drug discovery, as well as strategies for tissue regeneration in the clinic. We draw on several examples of stem cell-derived organoids to illustrate how bioengineering can contribute to tissue formation ex vivo. We also discuss the challenges that lie ahead and potential ways to overcome them.
The shear strength of soils or rocks developed in a landslide usually exhibits anisotropic and nonlinear behavior. The process of sedimentation and subsequent consolidation can cause anisotropy of sedimentary soils or rocks, for instance. Nonlinearity of failure envelope could be attributed to "interlocking" or "dilatancy" of the material, which is generally dependent upon the stress level. An analytical method considering both anisotropy and nonlinearity of the failure envelops of soil and rocks is presented in the paper. The nonlinearfailure envelopes can be determined from routine triaxial tests. A spreadsheet program, which uses the Janbu's Generalized Procedure of Slice and incorporates anisotropic, illustrates the implementation of the approach and nonlinearfailure envelops. In the analysis, an equivalent Mohr-Coulomb linear failure criterion is obtained by drawing a tangent to the nonlinear envelope of an anisotropic soil at an appropriate stress level. An illustrative example is presented to show the feasibility and numerical efficiency of the method.
Understanding the dynamics of high dimensional non-normal dependency structure is a challenging task. This research aims at attacking this problem by building up a hidden Markov model (HMM) for Hierarchical Archimedean Copulae (HAC), where the HAC represent a wide class of models for high dimensional dependency, and HMM is a statistical technique to describe time varying dynamics. HMM applied to HAC provide flexible modeling for high dimensional non Gaussian time series. Consistency results for both parameters and HAC structures are established in an HMM framework. The model is calibrated to exchange rate data with a VaR application, where the modelâ€™s performance is compared with other dynamic models, and in the second application we simulate rainfall process.
This study investigates seasonal changes in the morphology of atmospheric-ionospheric disturbances. They are inferred from variations in the global distribution of negative storm effects. It is found that during summer, even moderate magnetic activity may lead to the development of significant negative storm effects extending from the higher latitudes down to the subtropics. In the winter hemisphere the same magnetic activity produces only small disturbance effects which furthermore are restricted to the higher-latitude region. It is suggested that future models of the disturbed atmosphere and ionosphere should allow for these seasonal variations.
Forest fires are a critical natural hazard in many regions of the World. For this reason, the prediction of this kind of phenomenon is considered a very important task that involves a high degree of complexity and precision. The ability to predict the forest fire behaviour constitutes an important tool for managers, helping to improve the effectiveness of fire prevention, detection and firefighting resources allocation. For this reason, prediction methods should be configured to operate as efficiently as possible. In this paper, a calibration study of Evolutionary-Statistical System with Island Model's evolutionary parameters is presented (ESS-IM). ESS-IM is a general-parallel uncertainty reduction method applied to the forest fires spread prediction.
A common reaction to tales and legends is that they represent the fantasies of the ages rather than the realities of any period. The view, however, overlooks a very important fact: folklore is produced and transmitted by persons involved in particular social milieus and therefore reflects not only imagination, wishes, and aspirations, but also basic attitudes about the world and human society, as well as information concerning contemporary culture. To the student of social anthropology, a collection such as The Arabian Nights offers a vast amount of illustrative material about the culture of the lower orders of society, for whom and by whom these tales were composed. In its contribution to historical knowledge this material is all the more valuable, because most of the chronicles and other primary source materials from the Middle Ages are concerned with events involving the elite and notables rather than the broader social base of society and the cultural matrix of everyday interaction. While conducting an extensive study of the cultural development of Cairo, the author found that folk literature formed an indispensable supplement to historical accounts in providing objective corroboration of facts implied by contemporary authors and also in giving subjective insight into the general world-view of the medieval Cairene. The Nights, as they have come to us, bear the unmistakable stamp of the Mamluk period and all scholars agree that the collection attained its final form in Egypt during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. 1 The setting in which they were told became an integral part of numerous stories. Even when the action purports to take place in Baghdad or China, it is the life of Cairo with which the reciter or copyist is familiar. 2 In some tales, the Cairene environment plays an essential part, in others, it is a thin veneer; yet we cannot doubt that the realistic aspects truly reflect the milieu of the listeners. Let us take, for example, an excerpt from the tale of 'Ma'ruf the Cobbler'. Ma'ruf has met a merchant in Damascus and is discussing Cairo with him: 'My name is Ma'ruf and I am a cobbler by trade and patch old shoes'. 'What countryman are thou?' 'I am from Cairo.' 'What quarter?' 'Dost thou know Cairo?' 'I am of its children. I come from the Red Street.' 'And whom dost thou know in the Red Street?' 'I know such an one and such an one,' answered Ma'ruf and named several people to him. Quoth the other, 'Knowest thou Sheykh Ahmed the druggist?' 'He was my next neighbor, wall to wall.' 'Is he well ?"Yes."How many sons hath he ?' 'Three, Mustafa, Mohammed, and Ali.' 'And what hath Allah done with them?' 'As for Mustafa, he is well and he is a learned man, a professor. Mohammed is a druggist and opened him a shop beside that of his father, after he had married, and his wife hath borne him a son
Problem statement: The effect of Ni and Fe nano-particles as a filler on the free volume  properties Of Natural Rubber (NR) was studied using Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy  (PALS). Approach: The PAL measurements revealed that the free volume properties are strongly  affected by the amount and type of filler. Results: Particularly speaking, the free volume fraction  dramatically decreased by increasing the filler content. Besides, the addition of nano-prticles created  new positron trapping sites at filler-rubber interfaces. Furthermore, correlations were made between  the free volume hole sizes (Vh) and each of the mechanical and electrical properties successively. A  negative correlation was observed between Vh and hardness in the Ni-rubber composites while a  positive counterpart was found in the case of Fe-rubber composites. Finally, the polarity of the fillers,  being higher than that of the rubber itself, leads to an increase in electrical parameters and an inhibition  of o-Ps formation. Conclusion: These results indicate that the investigated composites are considered  to be insulating materials as their conductivity values are in the order of an insulator range.
Abstract Among many methods of preparation of optically active sulfoxides, those applying enzymes are becoming more and more popular1. In continuation of our recent investigations on the enzyme promoted hydrolysis of sulfinyldicarboxylates2 we turned our attention to cyclic six-membered sulfoxides 1. These compounds are easily available by the cycloaddition reaction of butadienes with appropriate sulfines obtained in situ from the corresponding esters (or their O-silyl enolethers) with thionyl chloride in the presence of a base3. Three compounds shown in the scheme were chosen for our investigations. It should be noted that compounds lb and lc are obtained as single diastereoisomers.
Abstract Background and study aims Incidence of Post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) ranges from 1 % to 10 % in unselected patients and as high as 25 % to 30 % in high-risk patients. Rectal indomethacin administered before or immediately after an ERCP and prophylactic pancreatic duct stent placement (PPS) are associated with a reduction in the incidence of PEP. We sought to investigate the utilization rate for prophylactic rectal indomethacin and PPS in average and high-risk patients undergoing ERCP between 2014 and 2019. Patients and methods We performed a retrospective analysis in the IBM Explorys database, a pooled, national de-identified clinical database of over 72 million unique patients from 26 health care networks and 300 hospitals across the United States from 2014 to 2019. Average and high-risk patients undergoing ERCP were identified using Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) diagnosis codes. PEP was defined by the presence of SNOMED CT diagnosis of acute pancreatitis and an inpatient admission within 5 days of an ERCP procedure. Results Out of 31,050 adults who had undergone ERCP from 2014 to 2019, only 10,500 individuals (33.8 %) had a PEP prophylaxis. Rectal indomethacin and PPS accounted for 82.4 % and 12.9 % respectively. Individuals with three risk factors had the highest PEP rates followed by individuals with two risk factors. Conclusions Only one-third of all patients undergoing ERCP received prophylaxis in the form of rectal indothemacin and/or PPS in this large population-based data. Increased implementation of prophylactic use is needed in patients undergoing ERCP as supported by current guidelines.
Abstract In this work, the effect of processing conditions and nanoclay (NC) content on formation and various properties of polyamide 6 (PA 6) nanocomposites was studied by means of Taguchi method of experimental design. PA 6/organoclay nanocomposites were prepared by melt mixing of PA 6 at different organoclay loadings using a co-rotating twin-screw extruder. In order to investigate the effects of both processing conditions and organoclay content on silicate dispersion (exfoliation) and thermal and mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, different extrusion rates, processing temperatures and feeding rates at various NC loadings were used. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to characterize the formation of nanostructure and clay dispersion. The thermal properties of PA 6 nanocomposites were studied through TMA tests. XRD results revealed the formation of nanocomposite and evidenced that the samples exhibit mixed intercalated / exfoliated morphology and verified that, the extent of exfoliation increases with both clay content and extrusion rate used. The mechanical properties of PA 6 nanocomposites were studied using tensile tests. The strength and modulus of PA 6 nanocomposites were improved significantly by increasing the clay concentration and shear rate level.
The paper reports on a systematic review research process to determine the enabling factors for waste pickers to operate in the informal economy in South Africa. Twenty-eight South African journal articles, theses and position and policy papers were sourced and appraised. The results indicate that recognition of the waste pickers in the waste system is the most enabling factor for them to operate. The concept of recognition is analysed, described and explained as assisting waste pickers to become more visible, having a voice and to be validated.
The Kuramoto model constitutes a paradigmatic model for the dissipative collective dynamics of coupled oscillators, characterizing in particular the emergence of synchrony (phase locking). Here we present a classical Hamiltonian (and thus conservative) system with 2N state variables that in its action-angle representation exactly yields Kuramoto dynamics on N-dimensional invariant manifolds. We show that locking of the phase of one oscillator on a Kuramoto manifold to the average phase emerges where the transverse Hamiltonian action dynamics of that specific oscillator becomes unstable. Moreover, the inverse participation ratio of the Hamiltonian dynamics perturbed off the manifold indicates the global synchronization transition point for finite N more precisely than the standard Kuramoto order parameter. The uncovered Kuramoto dynamics in Hamiltonian systems thus distinctly links dissipative to conservative dynamics.
Pure samples of the ternary stannides LiTSn4 (T = Ru, Rh, Ir) have been synthesized from the elements in sealed tantalum tubes. They crystallize with an ordered version of the PdGa5 type. LiTSn4 (T = Ru, Rh, Ir) are all metallic conductors and Pauli paramagnets. Spectroscopic measurements indicate significant differences in the chemical bonding properties:  As revealed by both 119Sn Mossbauer spectroscopy and solid-state NMR data, the local electron distribution at the tin site is more anisotropic in LiRuSn4 compared to the other two materials. In addition, 7Li Knight shift and spin-lattice relaxation times indicate that LiRuSn4 has a much higher electron density at the lithium atom arising from conduction electrons at the Fermi level. These findings are in good agreement with the results of DFT band structure calculations.
The Semi-Conductor Tracker (SCT) is a silicon strip detector and one of the key precision tracking devices in the Inner Detector (ID) of the ATLAS experiment at CERN LHC. SCT has been installed inside the ATLAS experimental cavern since 2007 and has been operational ever since. Calibration data has been taken regularly and analysed to determine the performance of the system. The current results from the successful operation of the SCT detector and its status after three years of operation are presented. We report on the operation of the detector including an overview of recent system updates, issues we encountered and the observation of significant increases in leakage currents (as expected) from bulk damage due to non-ionising radiation. The main emphasis is given to the tracking performance of the SCT and the data quality. The running experience can be used to extract valuable lessons for future silicon strip detector projects.
Abstract Recent studies have shown that heterogeneity among adipocytes exists even within a single white adipose tissue (WAT) depot. Our lab has uncovered developmentally distinct subpopulations of WAT adipocytes that are distinguished by the expression of these genes: Wilms’ Tumor 1 (Wt1) (Type 1), Transgelin (Tagln) (Type 2), and Myxovirus 1 (Mx1) (Type 3). Utilizing Cre transgenic mice, transcription of which is directed by the promoters of these marker genes, lineage tracing analysis showed that these three preadipocyte subpopulations independently gave rise to adipocytes in vivo, and differentially contribute to the adipose tissue depots. In high-fat diet induced obesity, Type 1 and Type 2 adipocytes are found roughly the same abundance in perigonadal adipose tissue, with only low numbers of Type 3 adipocytes observed. Macrophages, organized into crown like structures (CLS) around dead and dying adipocytes, are detected in the vicinity of Type 1 adipocytes derived from Wt1 positive lineage. The distributions of Type 1 adipocytes and of CLS were determined by Kernel density estimation, and found to be significantly overlapped. On the other hand, over 80% of CLS are found in direct contact with Type 2 adipocytes in the perigonadal adipose tissue. This finding indicates that diet-induced obesity preferentially causes increased death of Type 2 adipocytes compared to other adipocyte subtypes. Taken together, these data indicate that adipocyte subpopulations, at least in part, mediate the inflammatory response in adipose tissue.
Dr. F. Fabbian, Department of Nephrology, Arcispedale S. Anna, Corso Giovecca 203, I-44100 Ferrara (Italy) Table 1. Mean 48-hour daytime, nighttime and nocturnal fall values of systolic and diastolic BP of the three groups of patients (mean ± SEM) Dear Sir, Risk factors for atherosclerosis occur more frequently in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) than in the general population and hypertension is the main determinant in the aetiology of it [1]. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) [2]. A relationship has been shown between the reduction in nocturnal blood pressure (BP) fall and target organ damage. Reduced nocturnal BP fall is frequently found in CRF [3]. The aim of this study was to relate the BP profile of the interdialytic period to atherosclerotic vascular damage. Eighteen haemodialysis patients (7 M, 11 F; age 61 ± 8.8 years) were studied. Causes of CRF were ischaemic renal disease (n = 5), interstitial nephritis (n = 4), glomerulone-phritis (n = 3), polycystic kidney disease (n = 3), eclampsia (n = 1), diabetes (n = 1) and it was unknown in 1 patient. Bicarbonate haemodialysis was performed 3 times/week, 3.5-4 h each session. All the patients had an ambulatory BP monitor (Spacelabs 90207) placed immediately upon completion of the dialysis treatment and had it removed before the initiation of their next haemodialysis session, approximately 45 h later. BP monitoring was recorded every 15 min during the day (07:00-23:00 h) and half hourly during the night (23:00-07:00 h). Mean 48hour-diur-nal and nocturnal BP for both systolic and diastolic BP were calculated. Dipping status was defined as a reduction in nighttime MAP > 10% of the daytime MAP. Vascular damage was evaluated by B-mode ultrasound technique of carotid and leg arteries in order to detect normal vessels (group 1), calcinosis of the arterial wall (group 2) and plaques producing a lumen stenosis ≥40% (group 3). ANOVA for parametric data and Krus-kal-Wallis test for nonparametric data were used for statistical analyses. Seven patients were classified as group 1 ‚ 5 as group 2 and 6 as group 3. Age (58 ± 4 vs. 60 ± 1 vs. 65 ± 4 years; NS), history of hypertension (10 ± 2 vs. 11 ± 3 vs. 18 ± 3 years; NS), length of time on dialysis (51 ± 8 vs. 44 ± 17 vs. 49 ± 14 months; NS), choles-
Long QT syndrome (LQT) is an autosomal dominant disorder that can cause sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias. We recently discovered that mutations in HERG, a K+-channel gene, cause chromosome 7-linked LQT. Heterologous expression of HERG in Xenopus oocytes revealed that HERG current was similar to a well-characterized cardiac delayed rectifier K+ current, IKr, and led to the hypothesis that mutations in HERG reduced IKr, causing prolonged myocellular action potentials. To define the mechanism of LQT, we injected oocytes with mutant HERG complementary RNAs, either singly or in combination with wild-type complementary RNA. Some mutations caused loss of function, whereas others caused dominant negative suppression of HERG function. These mutations are predicted to cause a spectrum of diminished IKr and delayed ventricular repolarization, consistent with the prolonged QT interval observed in individuals with LQT.
Three-dimensional propagation over an infinitely long cosine shaped hill is examined using an approximate normal mode/parabolic equation hybrid model that includes mode coupling in the out-going direction. The slope of the hill is relatively shallow, but it is significant enough to produce both mode-coupling and horizontal refraction effects. The modeling approach is described and the solution is compared to results obtained with a finite element method to evaluate the accuracy of the solution in light of assumptions made in formulating the model. Then, the calculated transmission loss is interpreted in terms of a modal decomposition of the field, and the solution from the hybrid model is compared to adiabatic and Nx2D solutions to assess the relative importance of horizontal refraction and mode-coupling effects. An analysis using a horizontal ray trace is presented to explain differences in the modal interference pattern observed between the 3D and Nx2D solutions. The detailed discussion provides a thoro...
We report a scheme for polarization sensitive near field imaging of nanostructured samples by making use of broadband polarized near field illumination and detection of polarization states of scattered light by a spectrally encoded analyzer. The analyzer comprising a combination of polarizer, a multi-order waveplate and a broadband quarter waveplate allows analysis of the spectrally encoded polarization states of scattered light for characterization of the polarization properties of nano structures from a single image scan. The scheme was validated by measuring the near field polarization parameters of silver nanowires. The approach allows simultaneous measurement of polarization characteristics as well as spectral features of the nano materials.
BACKGROUND Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng. is an important medicinal plant used traditionally as an antiemetic, antidiarrhoeal agent and blood purifier and as a medicine for a variety of ailments. This study investigated the effects of ethanolic extract of M. koenigii (MK) on diabetes-associated insulin resistance induced in mice by chronic low-dose injection of dexamethasone.   RESULTS Mice treated with dexamethasone exhibited hyperglycaemia and impaired glucose tolerance. Treatment with MK reduced the extent of dexamethasone-induced hyperglycaemia and decreased insulin resistance as indicated by improved glucose tolerance and increased insulin-stimulated AKT phosphorylation in skeletal muscle tissue. Further evaluation in clonal skeletal muscle cell lines suggested that MK increased glucose uptake in L6 skeletal muscle cells by increasing cell surface GLUT4 density via an AKT-mediated pathway.   CONCLUSION MK can ameliorate dexamethasone-induced hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance in part by increasing glucose disposal into skeletal muscle.
In the congenital deformities encountered at or near the junction of the frontal and maxillary tubercles, we have run across a number of details, the morphology of which is not entirely explained by our own limited and standardized conception of the embryology of this region. For the sake of simplifying the presentation, the cited cases are roughly divided into (1) those with atresia at the anterior nares, (2) atresia at the posterior nares, (3) obstruction by some malformation within the passages, (4) total absence of nasal passages, and (5) pharyngeal narrowing due to backward displacement of the maxillse, We have observed but one case of complete absence of nasal fossee and nose. We have encountered an obstructing hydrocele within the nose, and it is not improbable that the obstructing nasopharyngeal polyp of early childhood is also congenital in its origin. All the cases of atresia at the anterior nares seemed to be lacking the ala on that side, though in some the nostril was indicated by a dimple alongside the columella, Figs. 1 and 5. In Figs. 2, 3 and 6 there was no trace of this. In most of these there is a scar or a slight bony tubercle just above the inner canthus, and in all there is a downward turn to the inner canthus on the affected side. Fig. 6 may be an explanation of these cases. The tube hanging from above the inner canthus rather suggested by its contour and make-up that it might represent all of the structures of the missing half of the external nose except the bone, while the lack of patency at the lower end of the lacrimal sac suggests that possibly it also tepresented the nasal duct. Fig. 1 showed no supra-canthal mark of a possible one time attachment of a
With the in-depth development of the refined work of power system marketing management, the correct topology information of the station area in the operating distribution files is of great significance to the application of line loss management, abnormal monitoring, and fault repair in low-voltage distribution networks. This paper studies the station topology identification method based on the measurement data, understands the station topology identification on the basis of literature data, and then designs the station topology identification method based on the measurement data, and conducts the design method the test results show that the recognition rate of the method proposed in this paper has reached 100%.
A type inclusion test determines whether one type is a subtype of another. Efficient type testing techniques exist for single subtyping, but not for languages with multiple subtyping. To date, the fast constant-time technique relies on a binary matrix encoding of the subtype relation with quadratic space requirements. In this paper, we present three new encodings of the subtype relation, the packed encoding, the bit-packed encoding and the compact encoding. These encodings have different characteristics. The bit-packed encoding delivers the best compression rates: on average 85% for real life programs. The packed encoding performs type inclusion tests in only 4 machine instructions. We present a fast algorithm for computing these encoding which runs in less than 13 milliseconds for PE and BPE, and 23 milliseconds for CE on an Alpha processor. Finally, we compare our results with other constant-time type inclusion tests on a suite of 11 large -benchmark hierarchies.
Prune dwarf virus (PDV) is an important viral pathogen of plum, sweet cherry, peach, and many herbaceous test plants. Although PDV has been intensively investigated, mainly in the context of phylogenetic relationship of its genes and proteins, many gaps exist in our knowledge about the mechanism of intercellular transport of this virus. The aim of this work was to investigate alterations in cellular organelles and the cell-to-cell transport of PDV in Cucumis sativus cv. Polan at ultrastructural level. To analyze the role of viral proteins in local transport, double-immunogold assays were applied to localize PDV coat protein (CP) and movement protein (MP). We observe structural changes in chloroplasts, mitochondria, and cellular membranes. We prove that PDV is transported as viral particles via MP-generated tubular structures through plasmodesmata. Moreover, the computer-run 3D modeling reveals structural resemblances between MPs of PDV and of Alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), implying similarities of transport mechanisms for both viruses.
An analysis is made of the possibilty of using unstable resonators in reducing the divergence of the radiation emitted from high-gain pulsed gas lasers. A qualitative discussion is given of the properties of unstable resonators in such lasers, and their optimal parameters are determined. Experiments are reported on pulsed copper vapor lasers. It is reported that the average output power achieved in these experiments is 5 W when the divergence is close to the diffraction limit. A comparison is made of the characteristics of lasers with plane-parallel and telescopic resonators.
The derived condition in Brachyura is exhibited when mating is not linked to moulting (i.e. hard-shell mating). Grapsoid and ocypodid crabs have this type of mating wherein females become receptive and have mobile vulvae covered by operculae without moulting. The mobility of the operculae has been attributed to a decalcification process although it has never been demonstrated experimentally. We described the morphology of the vulvae (operculum and hinge) and measure calcium levels employing X-ray Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy of the intermoult immature and mature female of several different species of grapsoid crabs: Austrohelice crassa , Cyclograpsus lavauxi , Hemigrapsus crenulatus , Hemigrapsus sexdentatus (Varunidae), Guinusia chabrus (Plagusiidae), Leptograpsus variegatus (Grapsidae), and the ocypodid Hemiplax hirtipes (Macrophthalmidae). We measured calcium levels during a reproductive cycle in the case of H. sexdentatus . In all the studied species the opercula and hinge had lower calcium levels compared to the adjacent exoskeleton, and the hinge showed the lowest values of calcium (9.7 and 40.8 weight%, respectively). Immature and adult crabs showed that the distribution of calcium remains the same after the pubertal moult as it was before. Furthermore, in H. sexdentatus , hinge calcium levels do not change during the female reproductive cycle when females become receptive. It is suggested that an alternative mechanism, not related to decalcification, could be involved in promoting mobility of the hinge in receptive females of these species. We need to modify our ideas of the processes involved in female receptivity in all these crabs with an operculate vulva and hence mate attraction. Answers to these questions are the key to understanding how the linkage of mating to moulting was broken.
One hundred children ranging in age from 1 day to 5 years were examined with an echoencephalographic method especially developed for evaluating ventricular size. All results were related to the diameter of the head and expressed as indices. A midline echo was recorded in all children. More than 3% deviation of this echo from the geometrical midline is considered abnormal. The lateral ventricle index was higher in the newborn infants than in the older children. The echoencephalographic method is rarely suitable for determining the exact width of the lateral ventricles in children 2 years of age or older; only when the ventricles are dilated, as in hydrocephalus, will the method yield reliable measurements.
This paper is concerned with the way in which the flexibility of zeolite frameworks can be calculated and expressed in an exact and quantitative manner. It is found that zeolites modeled as frameworks of tetrahedra are extremely flexible but only as a few very specific modes in specific places. These modes give specificity in the action of a zeolite:  in lining up of Bronstedt acid sites to fit reacting molecules, in adapting the shapes of channel windows to the shapes of certain diffusing molecules, and in attaching catalytically active cations to the framework. These floppy modes or “rigid-unit modes” (RUMs) can be very localized, and we show how local RUMs may be calculated precisely as wave packets of standard RUM phonon modes for any given zeolite. Applications to six zeolites are given. Local modes may be static deformations costing virtually no energy as in holding cations, or fluctuating as in facilitating the diffusion of certain molecules, or quasi-static as in catalyzing a reaction with acidic ...
To date, at least 2.41 billion people with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are in need of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation care through innovative technologies is the ideal candidate to reach all people with NCDs in need. To obtain these innovative solutions available in the public health system calls for a rigorous multidimensional evaluation that, with an articulated approach, is carried out through the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) methodology. In this context, the aim of the present paper is to illustrate how the Smart&TouchID (STID) model addresses the need to incorporate patients’ evaluations into a multidimensional technology assessment framework by presenting a feasibility study of model application with regard to the rehabilitation experiences of people living with NCDs. After sketching out the STID model’s vision and operational process, preliminary evidence on the experiences and attitudes of patients and citizens on rehabilitation care will be described and discussed, showing how they operate, enabling the co-design of technological solutions with a multi-stakeholder approach. Implications for public health are discussed including the view on the STID model as a tool to be integrated into public health governance strategies aimed at tuning the agenda-setting of innovation in rehabilitation care through a participatory methodology.
In a previous publication (Inventions and Innovation: A Case Study in Metals” Key Engineering Materials, Vol. 380, 2008) we were able to distinguish four stages of a long life cycle for specific commodities as well as offer a method for correlating innovation with patent activity. In this study, we extend the number of systems studied. The present study builds on the model proposed earlier for quantifying specific technical innovations (within a group) with the yearly patent counts for that group. Some insights into pattern features that may indicate when materials transition from Stage III (innovation and rapid growth) to stage IV (survival) are offered. If the pattern model is as far reaching as it appears, the results then have important implications on adopting the correct innovation strategies during this period of fundamental social change.
Maryan W. Ainsworth. Petrus Christus: Renaissance Master of Bruges. With Contributions by Maximilian P. J. Martens. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994. 205 illustrations (62 in color) + xi + 232pp. This publication accompanied the exhibition of Petrus Christus's works held at the Metropolitan Museum from April to July of 1994. The catalogue essay, "The Art of Petrus Christus," and the catalogue are by Maryan Ainsworth. Two additional essays, "Bruges During Petrus Christus's Lifetime," and "Petrus Christus: A Cultural Biography," are by Maximilian P. J. Martens as is an appendix: "Archival Documents and Literary Sources." A second appendix: "Dendrochronological Analysis of Panels Attributed to Petrus Christus," is by Peter Klein. The exhibition enabled the Metropolitan to place a major portion of Christus's known and attributed works together for visual comparison, most of them for the first time. These included twenty-three works, including eighteen paintings, one miniature, and four drawings. In addition, the catalogue beautifully reproduces the St. Jerome from Detroit's Institute of Arts, once attributed to Jan van Eyck; Christus's Madonna With Sts. Barbara and Elizabeth and Jan Vos, made possibly in Jan van Eyck's workshop, from the Frick Collection; and a drawing by a Christus follower, from the Biblioteca Reale in Turin. The Eyckian diptych of the Crucifixion and Last Judgement from the Metropolitan Museum's own collection was also on display, though not included in the catalogue or discussed in the text except for a brief mention of inscriptions on its frame and a blackand-white reproduction. Considerable scientific analysis was undertaken in preparation for the exhibition. The results were included in the show, and ranged from infrared reflectography, xradiography, and dendrochronological evaluation. The evidence of this study — particularly the. reflectography and radiography — forms a critical element in Aynsworth's essay on the art of Petrus Christus.
Abstract : A prototype laser ignition chamber was used to measure the pressure-time behavior of black powder ignited by a continuouswave laser (355 nm). The time to ignition of the black powder using the ultraviolet laser was significantly longer (seconds) than previous studies using near-infrared lasers (milliseconds). A linear relationship between the Mylar diaphragm thickness and the maximum peak pressure was observed. Differences in the behavior of the Mylar blowout disk based on the thicknesses of the individual sheets have also been observed.
The study was conducted to examine variability of green forage yield (GFY) and morphological traits (tiller length, internodes length, internodes-stem diameter, leaf width and length) in nine alfalfa varieties from USA and six varieties from Europe. The trials were carried out in Central Serbia during the second (2006-A1) and third year (2007-A2) of alfalfa exploitation. In unfavourable environmental conditions (A1), varieties from the USA had higher coefficient of variability (CV, %) in all cuttings (I CV=16.93, II CV=17.13, III CV=13.00, IV CV=21.29), as well as total yield variability (CV=14.33), compared to varieties from Europe (I CV=7.45, II CV=6.47, III CV=10.65, IV CV=19.51, for total yield CV=6.43). In the favourable agro-ecological conditions (A2) genetic potential of varieties was manifested, which caused similar yield variability. Variety origin (USA or Europe) had a low effect on variability of the morphological traits. The highest correlation (P £ 0.001) was achieved between yield and tiller length, regardless of variety origin.
Conformational changes in two endogenous opioid active pentapeptides methionine enkephalin (Met-enk) and leucine enkephalin (Leu-enk) induced by trifluoroethanol (TFE) were identified using hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX), coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. The exchange features in individual amino acid residues were characterized by acquiring tandem mass spectra of the deuterated peptides. The exact identity of the labile hydrogens involved in HDX reveals that the monomer forms of both peptides adopt an unfolded conformation in aqueous solvent, but prefer the 5-->2 beta-turn secondary structure under the membrane-mimetic environment. The ESI mass spectra of Met-enk and Leu-enk also reveal that the dimer structure of these peptides coexists with the monomer conformation. The extent of the dimer structure is dependent on the peptide concentration and nature of the solvent. The non-polar solvents facilitate the dimer formation.
Breast imaging technique called mammography has gained bigger attention among the researchers for the diagnosis of breast malignancy in the woman. Mammogram screening is the most effective procedure to visualize various potential problems in the breast. The two most common features connected with breast tumors are mass lesions and microcalcification. The collection of suitable image preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, selection and prediction algorithms play an essential role in the accurate detection and classification of cancer on mammograms. Classification techniques estimate unlabeled datasets class labeling depending on its similarity to the pattern learned. The Glowworm Swarm Optimization(GSO) algorithm is ideal for finding several solutions, and dissimilar or equivalent objective function values at the same time. This feature of GSO is useful for optimizing the feature set obtained from multiscale feature extraction procedures. Poor performance in generalization is the issue that arises due to the unconditioned output matrix of the hidden stage of the ELM classifier. The optimization algorithms will address this matter because of their global search capabilities. This article suggests ELM with the Fruitfly Optimization Algorithm (ELM‐FOA) along with GSO to regulate the input weight to achieve maximal performance at the hidden node of the ELM. The testing precision and sensitivity of GSO‐ELM‐FOA are 100% and 97.91%, respectively. The system developed will detect the calcifications and tumors with an accuracy of 99.15%.
Aims. We study the height variations of the sizes of chromospheric and transition-region features in a small coronal hole and the adjacent quiet Sun, considering images of the intensity, Doppler shift, and non-thermal motion of ultraviolet emission lines as measured by SUMER (Solar Ultraviolet Measurements by Emitted Radiation), together with the magnetic field as obtained by extrapolation from photospheric magnetograms. Methods. In order to estimate the characteristic sizes of the different features present in the chromosphere and transition region, we have calculated the autocorrelation function for the images as well as the corresponding extrapolated magnetic field at different heights. The Half Width at Half Maximum (HWHM) of the autocorrelation function is considered to be the characteristic size of the feature shown in the corresponding image. Results. Our results indicate that, in both the coronal hole and quiet Sun, the HWHM of the intensity image is larger than that of the images of Doppler-shift and non-thermal width at any given altitude. The HWHM of the intensity image is smaller in the chromosphere than in the transition region, where the sizes of intensity features of lines at different temperatures are almost the same. But in the upper part of the transition region, the intensity size increases more strongly with temperature in the coronal hole than in the quiet Sun. We also studied the height variations of the HWHM of the magnetic field magnitude B and its component |Bz|, and found they are equal to each other at a certain height below 40 Mm in the coronal hole. The height variations of the HWHM of |Bz/B| seem to be consistent with the temperature variations of the intensity size. Conclusions. Our results suggest that coronal loops are much lower, and magnetic structures expand through the upper transition region and lower corona much more strongly with height in the coronal hole than in the quiet Sun.
Rabbit (dark irides and albino) and human corneas were excised and mounted in a Lucite chamber in order to determine the permeability of cyclophosphamide-14C and to identify its metabolites. The chromatographic scans obtained from the developed thin-layer plates showed only one peak for either rabbit or human corneas which corresponded to cyclophosphamide. By measuring the permeability of cyclophosphamide across the intact cornea, stroma alone, epithelium/stroma, and stroma/endothelium, it was possible to determine the resistance to penetration for each layer. The epithelium was the rate determining barrier, whereas both the stroma and endothelium offered little resistance. The stroma behaves as an inert sieve with drug diffusing through an aqueous media of gel-like mucopolysaccharide interspersed by a matrix of collagen fibrils.
Much has yet to be learned of the spatial patterning of pre-Columbian people across the Tropical Andes. Using compiled archaeological data and a suite of environmental variables, we generate an ensemble species distribution model (SDM) that incorporates general additive models, random forest models and Maxent models to reconstruct spatial patterns of pre-Columbian people that inhabited the Tropical Andes east of the continental divide, within the modern countries of Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Within this region, here referred to as the eastern Andean flank, elevation, mean annual cloud frequency, distance to rivers and precipitation of the driest quarter are the environmental variables most closely related to human occupancy. Our model indicates that 11.04% of our study area (65 368 km2) was likely occupied by pre-Columbian people. Our model shows that 30 of 351 forest inventory plots, which are used to generate ecological understanding of Andean ecosystems, were likely occupied in the pre-Columbian period. In previously occupied sites, successional trajectories may still be shaping forest dynamics, and those forests may still be recovering from the ecological legacy of pre-Columbian impacts. Our ensemble SDM links palaeo- and neo-ecology and can also be used to guide both future archaeological and ecological studies. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Tropical forests in the deep human past’.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)'s accreditation standards for dental schools state that "graduates must demonstrate the ability to self-assess." Therefore, dental schools have developed preclinical and clinical self-assessment (SA) protocols aimed at fostering a reflective process. This study comparing students' visual SA with students' digital SA and with faculty assessment was designed to test the hypothesis that higher agreement would occur when utilizing a digital evaluation. Twenty-five first-year dental students at one dental school participated by preparing a mesial occlusal preparation on tooth #30 and performing both types of SAs. A faculty evaluation was then performed both visually and digitally using the same evaluation criteria. The Kappa statistic was used to measure agreement between evaluators. The results showed statistically significant moderate agreement between the faculty visual and faculty digital modes of evaluation for occlusal shape (K=0.507, p=0.002), proximal shape (K=0.564, p=0.001), orientation (K=0.425, p=0.001), and definition (K=0.480, p=0.001). There was slight to poor agreement between the student visual and faculty visual assessment, except for preparation orientation occlusal shape (K=0.164, p=0.022), proximal shape (K=-0.227, p=0.032), orientation (K=0.253, p=0.041), and definition (K=-0.027, p=0.824). This study showed that the students had challenges in self-assessing even when using CAD/CAM and the digital assessment did not improve the amount of student/faculty agreement.
The main forms, methods and problems of interaction of the National Police of Ukraine, other law enforcement agencies with units of the National Guard of Ukraine in performing tasks of public order and public safety, especially to ensure public order during mass events and riots, based on the current regulatory framework, problematic issues related to the experience of law enforcement tasks by both domestic and foreign law enforcement forces in the context of globalization processes that have covered all spheres of public life in the world. Ukraine is no exception, especially against the backdrop of a hybrid armed confrontation in the southeast with units and subdivisions of the Russian Armed Forces and its mercenaries.  Currently in Ukraine, against the background of a hybrid war with Russia, radical socio-economic and political changes are underway, which in most cases are slowing down due to exacerbation of the crime situation, rising organized crime, high probability of large-scale riots, especially in Kyiv,  protection of law and order of the maximum concentration of efforts on the main directions of counteraction to the aggressive criminal environment, at stages of development and realization of strategy and tactics of struggle adequate to these displays.  The purpose of the article is to substantiate the improvement of forms and methods of organizing the interaction of the National Guard of Ukraine with the National Police of Ukraine and other law enforcement agencies in protecting public order and ensuring public safety and solving problems given the imperfection of the current legal framework.
A 40 year-old woman with a prominent abdomen was hit by a car on the motorway. The emergency call was "cardiac arrest after multiple trauma in a woman in the late stages of pregnancy". The patient was asystole as indicated by the electrocardiogram 6 minutes after the primary emergency call. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation and endotracheal intubation was performed and a total dose of 3 mg epinephrine was given intravenously. The patient remained asystole. In this preclinical situation the suspected pregnancy could neither be excluded nor confirmed. At least 30 minutes would have been necessary to transfer the patient to the next hospital to perform a caesarean section under controlled conditions. A second physician - trained in obstetrics - was called to perform caesarean section preclinically. In addition, a special ambulance was called to provide sufficient postdelivery care of the neonate. However, the second physician who arrived 18 minutes later was not an obstetrician but also an anaesthesiologist who was trained in neonatal intensive care. At this time - 33 minutes after the first emergency call - the emergency physicians decided to perform a caesarean section immediately. However, the patient was not pregnant. Obviously, the primary emergency call was misleading. The skills of the emergency physicians and the conditions at the site of the emergency have to be weighed carefully against the expected time that is needed to reach the next hospital where a caesarean section can be performed under controlled conditions. In this case, both emergency physicians were anaesthesiologists and they had no doubt that the patient was in the late stages of pregnancy. Due to the prolonged cardiac arrest that did not respond to cardiopulmonary resuscitation both physicians were convinced that immediate preclinical caesarean section represented the only therapeutical option for the unborn patient.
A technique is developed for the design of transistor feedback amplifiers, based on the use of impedance mismatches between stages. Expressions are derived for the transmittance of the four basic building blocks-the series and shunt single stage feedback amplifiers and the current and voltage feedback pairs-and methods of interconnection which achieve the mismatch are considered. The expressions for the transmittance are both simple and highly accurate, yet they involve no quantitative information about the transistors at all. It is concluded that transistor circuitry is far more designable than valve circuitry. Three examples in the use of the design philosophy are given, covering the audio and video frequency ranges up to 20 Mc/s.
Logistic regression analysis is applied to a pooled, cross sectional data set containing results from approximately 1,300 interviews with Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) residents, carried out between 1995 and 1998 to determine overall levels of residential attachment, and to test whether socially mobile householders had especially weak attachments to their locations. The results highlighted a strong propensity to move among CMHA residents generally. Although most residents stated that they were satisfied with their home, nearly three-fifths said that they expected to move within five years. Multivariate results suggested that socially mobile residents (college educated householders, workers, moderate-income households) were using the CMHA stock as a stepping-stone to better rental housing or homeownership. Public housing officials need to decide whether to make a special effort to hold these upwardly mobile households. A more realistic goal would be to minimize residential turnover caused by environmental problems (e.g., crime), regardless of income level. Policies to achieve this goal are discussed.
We construct an example of a unit-regular ring which is not strongly clean, answering an open question of Nicholson. We also characterize clean matrices with a zero column, and this allows us to describe an interesting connection between unit-regular elements and clean elements. It is also proven that given an element $a$ in a ring $R$, if $a,a^2, ldots, a^k$ are all regular elements in $R$ (for some $k geq 1$), then there exists $w in R$ such that $a^{i}w^{i}a^{i}=a^{i}$ for $1 leq i leq k$, and a similar statement holds for unit-regular elements. The paper ends with a large number of examples elucidating further connections (and disconnections) between cleanliness, regularity, and unit-regularity.
Charm production in two-photon collisions has been measured at LEP for center-of-mass energies of se+e−=183–189 GeV using the ALEPH detector. Charm events have been detected via muons from semi-leptonic decays and via inclusive D* production. Preliminary results are presented. The total cross section σ(e+e−→e+e−cc) has been measured. The relative fractions of the contributing processes have been determined for the acceptance range of D* mesons. Differential D* cross sections in the transverse momentum and the pseudorapidity of the D*’s have been measured and compared to NLO QCD calculations.
Results: Total 300 patients were divided into asymptomatic patients (OSA-A, n = 89), symptomatic OSA (OSA-S, n = 164), and OSA on CPAP treatment (OSA-T, n = 47) groups. At the end of 16 weeks, the absolute weight loss of the OSA-T group was significantly greater than that of the OSA-S and OSA-A groups (-12.1 ± 5.9 vs. -9.5 ± 5.5 vs. -8.7 ± 5.3 kg, P < 0.01). A correlation of CPAP treatment to the absolute weight loss (Spearman’s correlation coefficient -0.181, P = 0.013) was established after adjustment of body weight, age and gender.
HighlightsApplication of biogas slurry can significantly improve the integrated growth, yield, quality of tomatoes.Water-nitrogen coupling model was established based on multi-index evaluation system of tomatoes.The optimal application quantitative range of water and nitrogen was obtained based on the water-nitrogen coupling model.Abstract. Biogas slurry, a liquid organic fertilizer, has been widely used in agricultural production. However, the characteristics of high water content and low fertility make it always applied empirically and a scientific and reasonable application of biogas slurry is urgent needed in practical agricultural production. This study aims to explore the effects of various biogas slurry concentrations on the yield, comprehensive nutritional quality (CNQ), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and partial factor productivity of nitrogen (PFPN) of tomatoes in a greenhouse. Seven treatments, including T1(BS1:4; 0.8Ep), T2 (BS1:6; 0.8Ep), and T3(BS1:8; 0.8Ep), T4(BS1:4; 0.6Ep), T5(BS1:4; 1.0Ep), CK (no fertilization; 1.0Ep), CF (conventional chemical fertilization; 1.0Ep) were set up, where BS1:4, BS1:6,and BS1:8 are the volume ratio of biogas slurry to water, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 were crop dish coefficients, respectively. Ep is the evaporation amount of a 20 cm standard evaporating dish. The results showed that appropriate application of biogas slurry had a positive impact on crop growth such as total dry biomass, plant height, stem diameter and finally increased the yields, in which T1 treatment was the best. The fruit yield increased with the increase of biogas slurry ratio for treatments at the same irrigation level of 0.8Ep and the maximum yield of single tomato can reach 5.174 kg. The IWUE increased with the decrease of irrigation for treatments at the same biogas slurry ratio of BS1:4 and T4 treatment had the highest IWUE. The CNQ first increased and then decreased with the increase of biogas slurry ratio under the same irrigation level of 0.8Ep and T2 treatment obtained the highest CNQ; but the PFPN decreased with the increase of biogas slurry ratio and T3 treatment acquired the largest PFPN. Within an 80% confidence interval, when the irrigation amount was in a range of 39.233~43.134 L and the nitrogen quantities was 7.983~8.426 g, the yield, IWUE, CNQ, and PFPN can reach =80% of their maximums at the same time. Taking into account the growth, yield, fruit quality, and water and fertilizer use efficiency, T1 treatment was the best fertigation strategy for a higher production and better quality. The results can provide some help for scientific management of biogas slurry application in greenhouse. Keywords: Biogas slurry, Quality, Spatial analysis method, Tomato (Lycopersicum esculantum Mill), Yield.
This paper presents findings on the use of brackets in original texts and translations based on the Linnaeus University English-German-Swedish corpus (LEGS). The results show that in originals, brackets are the most frequent in English and the least in Swedish. Translations usually contain more brackets than originals. There are two reasons for this. First, most brackets are retained, and secondly, many are added. Added brackets mostly contain short synonyms facilitating target-reader comprehension. English translators introduce the most changes (additions, omissions, downgrades and upgrades), and Swedish ones the least. Brackets tend to fulfil content-oriented rather than interpersonal functions. When brackets are replaced by other punctuations marks in translations, these tend to be commas or no punctuation marks at all. German originals have a stronger preference for bracketing phrases than clauses compared to English and Swedish. These German phrasal brackets are often expanded into clauses in translations.
The authors’ experiences in launching a new course at Rutgers University are described. The new honors course resulted from a collaboration between the History Department and Rutgers University Libraries (RUL), in which academic instruction, a unique source of digital books, and Web/Internet technology were brought together to provide a new learning experience for undergraduates. Students used the Early English Books Online (EEBO) collection at RUL and were challenged to learn as much as possible in a single semester about some facet of early English advice manuals. The course objectives, technology platform, and student experiences are discussed.
HR3C heat-resistant steel is an important material for ultra-supercritical units. The results of the current study show that HR3C heat resistant steel suffers from a significant short term reduction in impact power under long term high temperature conditions. In this paper, through the austenitic heat-resistant steel HR3C through a long time high-temperature aging heat treatment, the results show that after high-temperature aging HR3C significant characteristics of its grain boundaries precipitation of a large number of M23C6 phase, the austenite grains will be closely wrapped, is the main cause of the HR3C impact power found to be significantly reduced. In addition, the thermoelectric potential non-destructive testing technique can better characterise the changes in the characteristics of HR3C heat resistant steel during the long term thermal ageing process and has a greater engineering application in monitoring changes in the properties of HR3C materials, affecting the results of HR3C thermoelectric potential testing in relation to the second phase produced during its thermal ageing process.
About 50 nemertean species have been reported to live in symbiotic relationships with other invertebrates, but only two hoplonemertean species are associated with echinoderms (starfish). The palaeonemertean Cephalotrichella echinicola, sp. nov. is described from samples collected in Nha Trang Bay, Vietnam, South China Sea. The species is the first known nemertean associated with sea urchins (Metalia sternalis and M. spatagus), living on both the oral and the aboral surfaces of the host and freely moving among its spines. The internal morphology of the new species is described based on histological sections and confocal laser scanning microscopy with phalloidin and antibody labelling. Sequences of three nuclear gene markers (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and histone H3) and two mitochondrial gene markers (16S rRNA and COI) were compared with those of other palaeonemertean species, and a phylogenetic analysis suggested that C. echinicola is closest to the free-living Cephalotrichella alba Gibson & Sundberg, 1992. Both the morphological data and the phylogenetic analysis provide additional evidence for distinguishing the families Cephalotrichidae and Cephalotrichellidae and support the rejection of Cephalotrichella as a junior synonym of Cephalothrix. A new diagnosis of the genus Cephalotrichella is given. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:091B5D56-71B2-4F4C-9AD8-F666B4610DE2
Simple Summary This study describes the evaluation of four antibody tests (three ELISA tests and one lateral flow) for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection in deer and pigs. Test sensitivity and specificity were derived for each test with associated test cut-offs. There was a high level of test agreement between the tests. High test specificity was achieved, with a high to moderate test sensitivity, depending on whether or not a prior skin test had been performed, respectively. These data allow for the confident use of antibody tests for pigs and deer in GB, where previously none were available. Abstract This study addressed the need in Great Britain for supplementary blood tests for deer and pig herds under movement restrictions due to confirmed Mycobacterium bovis infection—to enhance the overall sensitivity and reliability of tuberculosis (TB) testing and contribute to an exit strategy for these herds. We evaluated four antibody tests (lateral flow DPP VetTB Assay for Cervids, M. bovis IDEXX ELISA, Enferplex Cervid and Porcine antibody tests and an in-house comparative PPD ELISA) using serum samples from defined cohorts of TB-infected and TB-free deer and pigs. TB-infected deer included two separate cohorts; farmed deer that had received a tuberculin skin test less than 30 days prior, and park deer that had received no prior skin test. In this way, we were able to assess the effect of the skin test anamnestic boost upon antibody test sensitivity. We tested a total of 402 TB-free pigs and 416 TB-free deer, 77 infected farmed deer and 105 infected park deer, and 29 infected pigs (including 2 wild boar). For deer, we found an equivalent high performance of all four tests: specificity range 98.8–99.5% and sensitivity range 76.6–85.7% for skin test-boosted infected deer, and 51.4–58.1% for non-boosted infected deer. These data suggest an overall approximate 25% increase in test sensitivity for infected deer following a skin test boost. For pigs, the tests again had equivalent high specificity of 99–99.5% and a sensitivity range of 62.1–86.2%, with substantial agreement for three of the four tests. Retrospective application of the ELISA tests to individual culled park deer and wild boar that showed no obvious evidence of TB at larder inspection identified a significant seropositivity within wild boar suggestive of low-level M. bovis infection that would otherwise not have been detected. Overall this investigation provided a robust evaluation of four antibody tests, which is essential to generate confidence in test performance before a wider deployment within TB control measures can be considered.
The maize aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis is one of the most serious pests of maize crop in Bangladesh. Nowadays, it becomes a major barrier for production of maize due to create hamper of pollination. In the present research investigation, the field efficacy of some insecticides was evaluated against maize aphid infestation and their toxic effects were also studied on some natural enemies in the maize ecosystem. To achieve the research goal, a field experiment was conducted on maize at the Entomology Field Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Mymensigh during Rabi season of 2017-18. The experiment was set up in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatments (Imidagold 20SL@ 0.1, 0.3 & 0.5ml/L; Ambush 1.8EC@ 1.5, 2.5 & 3.0ml/L; Hadhak 45WP@ 0.2, 0.4 & 0.6g/L; Suspend 5SG@ 0.5, 1.0 & 1.5 g/L and Heron 5EC @ 0.5, 1.0 & 1.5ml/L) and three replications for each treatment. Maize viz. BARI Hybrid Butta-09 was used as experimental crop. Data were collected on percent reduction of plant infestation & population of natural enemies, yield attributes and benefit cost ratio (BCR). Result clearly indicated that these mentioned parameters were highly significant with the application of insecticides. However, Imidagold 20SL@ 0.5ml/L resulted in the greatest (77.27%) percent reduction of maize plant infestation, the highest (623.51) number of grain per cob, the maximum (39.74g) 100 grain weight, the highest (10.02 t/ha) grain yield, the highest (63.27%) percent grain yield over control and maximum (1.56) benefit cost ratio compared to others tested insecticides which was statistically similar with the dose of 0.3ml/L of Imidagold 20SL. And then, this result was followed by Ambush 1.8EC, Hadhak 45WP, Suspend 5SG and Heron 5EC, respectively. Besides, the highest (93.67%) percent cumulative mean of maize plant infestation, the lowest (330.45) number of grain per cob, minimum (13.43g) 100 grain weight, the lowest grain yield (3.68 t/ha) and the lowest benefit cost ratio (0.95) were obtained from untreated control. With a view to know the toxic effect of different insecticides, the percent reduction of population of natural enemies was counted at 2 days, 5 days and 7 days after spraying. In all field trials, the harmful effects of the five insecticides were in the following rank order (least harmful to most harmful): Imidagold 20SL
The concept of using the modulation mechanisms of a material’s optical properties for annihilation photon detection has been proposed as a potential method to significantly improve the coincidence time resolution (CTR) of positron emission tomography detectors. However, the possibility of detecting individual 511 keV photons with largely improved CTR using the proposed detection method has not yet been demonstrated, either experimentally or theoretically. In addition, the underlying physical picture of the optical modulation effects induced by annihilation photons has not been fully understood. In this work, we perform simulation studies including generation of the annihilation photon-induced ionization energy deposition trajectory, estimation of the charge carrier cascade time and temporal variance, simulation of the distribution of ionization-induced charge carrier density, and calculation of the strength of the modulation of two optical parameters: the absorption coefficient and the refractive index, as well as evaluation of the resulting optical intensity and phase change experienced by a probe laser beam. Our simulation results show that the average absorption coefficient modulation induced by individual 511 keV photon interactions is around 0.04 cm−1, and the average refractive index change is 3.6 ×  10−5, leading to modulations in the probe laser intensity of around 0.1% and phase modulation of around 0.05 radians. We have also found that the ionization process induced by a single 511 keV photon interaction occurs within 2.3 ps with a temporal variance of 0.4 ps. The fundamental limit on CTR using the optical property modulation-based detection mechanism is estimated to be around 1.2 ps full width at half maximum. Our simulation results indicate that with proper experiment design, it is possible to detect the ionization produced by an individual 511 keV photon with significantly improved CTR using the optical property modulation-based detection concept.
Recently, theoretical studies have indicated that BaFe2Se3 may host a ferrielectric polarization and an uncompensated ferroelectricity driven by the exchange striction in its magnetic block order. Here, structural, magnetic, electrical transport, dielectric, and magneto-dielectric properties in the BaFe2Se3 single crystals were systematically investigated. Below 320 K, BaFe2Se3 is a semiconductor, and the thermal activated transport processes with different activation energies were used to describe the conductivities in high and low temperature ranges. Magnetization measurements show a crossover from a short-range antiferromagnetic correlation to a long-range antiferromagnetic order at around 230 K and another antiferromagnetic transition at 150 K. The dielectric constant can be changed by about 6% in a magnetic field of 8 T. However, the ferrielectric characteristics of BaFe2Se3 are difficult to be fully verified by electric polarization and dielectric measurements, which may be related to the quite narrow energy gap and low resistivity.
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication in heterogeneous cellular networks (HCNs) is “ONE OF THE DRIVERS” for the future Internet of Things (IoT). Coverage areas of HCNs cells may vary and the capabilities to handle users may vary also. To support massive numbers of machines connected in uplink in HCNs, one of the challenging issues of M2M communication is the possibility of huge traffic that can cause overload problem for specific tier/tiers. Increase the capacity of the network and avoid overload condition for BSs, machines will need to be pushed to the less loaded BSs even they offered a lower instantaneous SINR than the nearest BS. To push the machine to less loaded BS, biasing is introduced to enhance the coverage of the machine or group of machines. This paper proposes the solution of resource allocation in uplink by using cooperative game theory approach by introducing a biasing factor to enhance the overall system performance with fair utilization of radio resources.
The Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, 92 of 1996 (South Africa 1996) is aimed at improving the lives of all women, stipulating that every woman has the right to make choices about her own body, including being pregnant. This act was welcomed by many health professionals as it was seen as a way to increase access to safe abortion services and thus prevent morbidity and mortality associated with unsafe and illegal â€˜back streetâ€™ abortions. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of women who undergo termination of pregnancy (TOP) at TOP services in the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. A qualitative, descriptive, explorative and contextual research design was utilised. Participants were included in the sample through convenience sampling. Data was collected from nine individuals using semi-structured interviews. Teschâ€™s method of data analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. Measures to ensure trustworthiness were applied throughout the research and ethical considerations in the conduct of research adhered to. The findings revealed that health care consumers in Mpumalanga Province experienced emotional, physical and psychological discomfort in the TOP services received. Recommendations include community education for the support of the TOP programme, better integration of the TOP programme into other medical and social services and timely counselling, control and pain management for women who undergo TOP.
Underwater terrain image (UTI) matching provides a new idea for terrain-aided localization technology. However, the diversity of UTIs makes it very difficult to accurately match real-time terrain images (RTTIs) with reference terrain images (RTIs). To improve the localization accuracy of UTIs, this letter describes how UTI matching can be modeled as a deep learning problem based on supervised algorithms. Specifically, we propose a hierarchical matching strategy for the diverse features of UTIs by combining the deep and shallow feature characteristics of a convolutional neural network (CNN) to improve the localization accuracy. We also propose a sample-generation strategy based on candidate area quality index classification, and develop a data enhancement method by simulating the underwater terrain environment to overcome the lack of network training data. Simulations prove that the proposed method achieves accurate and stable localization results.
ABSTRACT Critically ill patients who require renal replacement therapy (RRT) are vulnerable to catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI). This study compared the risks of dialysis catheter infection according to the choice of locking solution in the intensive care unit (ICU). A prospective quasi-experimental study with marginal structural models (MSM) and 2:1 greedy propensity-score matching (PSM) was conducted at nine university-affiliated hospitals and three general hospitals. A total of 596 critically ill patients received either saline solution or heparin lock solution (the standard of care [SOC]) from 2004 to 2007 in the Cathedia cohort (n = 464 for MSM; n = 124 for PSM) or 46.7% citrate lock from 2011 to 2012 in the citrate (CLock) cohort (n = 132 for MSM; n = 62 for PSM) to perform RRT using intermittent hemodialysis. Catheter-tip colonization and CRBSI were analyzed. The mean duration (standard deviation [SD]) of catheterization was 7.1 days (6.1) in the SOC group and 7.0 days (5.9) in the CLock group (P = 0.84). The risk of dialysis catheter-tip colonization was lower in the CLock group (20.5 versus 38.7 per 1,000 catheter-days in the SOC group; hazard ratio [HR] from MSM, 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57 to 0.93; P < 0.02). Consistent findings were found from PSM (HR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.95; P < 0.04). The risk of CRBSI was nonsignificantly different in the CLock group (1.1 versus 1.8 per 1,000 catheter-days in the SOC group; HR from MSM, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.12 to 1.87; P = 0.29). By reducing the risk of catheter-tip colonization, citrate lock has the potential to improve hemodialysis safety in the ICU. Additional studies are warranted before the routine use of citrate locks can be recommended in the ICU.
THE so-called "Psychophysical Law" of Fech ner has given rise to a considerable literature, in no small part of which much greater importance seems to be attributed to it as a law of nature than is really its due. E. H. Weber's observations, that in many cases the additional stimulus requisite in order to produce a perceptible difference in a sensation is approximately a constant fraction of the total stimulus, so long as the total stimulus is neither very small nor very great, are no doubt of very considerable importance. "Fechner's Law," however, seems to be simply equivalent to the statement of this fact, expressed in a much mnore positive and comprehensive form than there is any experimental evidence to justify, combined with the arbitrary assumption of a particular scale by which to measure sensations. The nature of the reasoning by which " Fechner's Law" is deduced from Weber's, may perhaps be best seen by exhibiting it in a more general and abstract form than is usually done. x and y are (somewhat remotely) connected as cause and effect. x is a quantity capable of measurement and numerical expression. It is required to find an expression for y in terms of x. One value of y may be observed to be greater or less than another, but no measure, in the ordinary sense, of y can be found, and the stateinent that one value of y was double of another would have, apart from special conventions, no definite meaning. Let y,, Y2' Y3, &c. be the y's corresponding to the values x1,;, ' &c. of X. Let y, + Y, y. + Y2, &c. be the least y's greater than y1, y,, &c. respectively, which are distinguishable from them. Let x1 + &x1, x, + &r2, &c. be the corresponding values of x. It is found by observation that within certain limits the increment of x (8x) is always a constant fraction of x, i.e.
Public provision of pensions to the general population comes in a variety of forms. Systems designed around a benefit formula and systems designed around a contribution rate differ in their economic implications and differ in their political settings. Canada has a defined benefit system with fallback automatic adjustment of tax rates. This paper contrasts the Canadian system with the Chilean (privatized) defined contribution system which has received a great deal of attention worldwide. The paper discusses three approaches to cutting benefits if the currently anticipated tax increase is larger than is desired.
This paper explores the role of mentoring in a British University for students with mental health issues and is written from the perspective of the Mentor who is also a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist. Psychodynamic theory is applied to two case studies in order to understand the conscious and unconscious factors when considering these students’ particular learning difficulties and motivation for entering a learning environment. In the first case study, it is suggested that the student hopes to find his lost father within the containing bricks of the institution. When confronted with frustration and disappointment, he mobilises schizoid defences, precipitating a psychotic episode. The second case study formulates the student’s chronic procrastination, which verges on academic sabotage, as a defence against the unbearable guilt concerning his abilities and achievements in contrast with his unsuccessful and disabled siblings. The challenge of helping these students is explored, including the approaches taken by the Mentor, given her remit and the particular issues presented by the students.
Properties of the wool fiber are considered, and the information given by density and x-ray diffraction measurements in particular is used to deduce the structural pattern in keratin. Some of the implications of this structure are pointed out, and other folded molecular configura tions which are extensions of the proposed keratin structure are advanced and discussed in con nection with experimentally observed facts.
In 2009, Singapore began replacing the British-based specialist training that constituted its postgraduate medical education with a United States-based Residency program, which is more structured. Singapore is the first country outside the United States to be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education — International (ACGME-I). This paper reviews the recent changes in the context of the Pediatrics program at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, one of the five specialties chosen to launch the new residency programs. Most of the changes were made for accreditation purposes, so as to align with the requirements set by ACGME-I; however, local content and Ministry of Health (MOH) stipulations were also taken into account when designing the new pedagogical and training curriculum. Areas discussed include faculty numbers and development, concurrent training of trainees from the previous system, selection of residents, resident training, resident duty hours, mentors, curriculum, rotations, continuity clinics, scholarly activity, postgraduate exams, remediation, and chief residents.
Hyperphenylalaninemia is a variant of phenylketonuria, and debate remains as to what, if any, active management of this condition is required to preserve cognitive function and psychological well-being. This study is the first to examine longitudinally the executive function (EF) in adolescents with hyperphenylalaninemia. Two sibling pairs with mild hyperphenylalaninemia underwent neuropsychological examination in early childhood and again in adolescence using EF tests that were highly sensitive to phenylalanine exposure. By early adolescence, none of the 4 children demonstrated EF impairment. The children demonstrated a typical developmental trajectory of EF from childhood to adolescence, given phenylalanine exposure consistent with their condition.
The recording of intracranial pressure (ICP) is increasingly performed routinely in the hospital setting. Documentation of the pressure course over long time intervals has been performed, until recently, with paper tracings. Objective means of evaluation are lacking, however, for the quantification of pressure-dynamics. We have therefore tested several different statistical and graphical methods of evaluation to improve the efficacy of ICP monitoring. Calculations were done on epidural and transfontanel pressure monitoring. Analyses were performed both on-line and off-line. Graphical methods used included time-plot graphs, histograms, correlations analysis and pulse-amplitude/mean pressure diagrams (PA/Pm); statistical values calculated included mean, variance, standard deviation, coefficient of skewness, coefficient of kurtosis, coefficient of variation and the range. Data obtained from patients with normal intracranial pressure, CSF circulatory disturbances, head injuries, cerebrovascular disorders, and other illnesses allowed for the clear establishment of normal ICP limits, the rapid recognition of pathological pressure changes, the evaluation of therapeutic effects, and also an improvement in the comparability between new measurements and previous recordings. Simultaneously performed on-line evaluation of ICP recordings proved to be a practical means of monitoring both baseline values and therapeutic effectiveness.
An optimal geometric pinning site on Permalloy nanowires of varying widths has been investigated and applied in a magnetic memory scenario using micromagnetic simulations. Minimal limits on two key factors; the applied field length and the domain wall formation length are established such that vortex domain walls are reliably formed in the structures to facilitate lower powered domain wall movement using spin-polarised current. The symmetric wires with the nanoconstrictions at both sides have been found to favour the formation of the vortex domain wall compared with the asymmetric wires with the nanoconstrictions at only one side of the wires. The detailed micromagnetic simulations show that the domain wall formation length and the applied field length are optimal to form the vortex domain walls when they are equal to the nanowire width.
Atmospheric environment has become the focus of global attention. Fine particulate matter has posed a serious threat to human respiratory system. In order to effectively control atmospheric environment and protect human health, pollutant prediction has become a necessary work for human survival and development. In order to improve the accuracy of PM2.5 prediction, this paper developed a new combined prediction model — SSA-LSTM. Firstly, the observed time series are decomposed into periodic component and noise component by SSA (Singular spectrum analysis). Then, LSTM (Long short-term memory) neural network was used to forecast the decomposed components. Finally, the predicted results of different components are integrated to generate the final predicted results. The results show that the proposed model has a significant improvement in the accuracy of prediction.
Now that constantly-evolving technology systems fulfill many of the tasks that used to occupy library staff, many academic and research libraries are exploring new ways to contribute to their institutions’ learning communities. The OCAD University Library’s Learning Zone is one of these experiments: an inclusive, open, creative space with the mission of enriching the student experience through collaborative, hands-on learning, meaningful extra-curricular programming, and useful training opportunities. This article examines the best practices and approaches Learning Zone staff have developed in the five years since the space launched.
Left ventricular (LV) myocardial bands or false tendons, which span the LV cavity to connect distant sites on the endocardium, are commonly visualized on echocardiography and at autopsy. However, this entity has not been described in the radiologic literature. In this article, we describe 4 cases of LV bands imaged using echocardiography, multidetector computed tomography, and magnetic resonance. We will also discuss the embryologic basis, anatomic findings, differential diagnosis, and clinical implications of this condition.
Lake Macquarie is a marine-dominated drowned valley connected to the sea by a shallow narrow channel which damps tidal oscillations from 5 ft on the coast outside to about 3 in. in the like. Superimposed on the semi-diurnal tides are changes in level in response to changes both in the external daily mean sea-level and in the volume of fresh water discharge into the lake. Temperature and chlorinity cycles are closely linked. Discharge from the creeks supplies phosphate but little nitrate for the lake. Prolonged heavy rainfall in both 1955 and 1956 produced stratification of the water associated with lowered oxygen tension in the underlying salt water. There is evidence of a wind-generated circulation within the lake.
Abstract We aimed to evaluate women’s sexual function before and after pelvic organ prolapse (POP) surgery utilising light transvaginal mesh after a prior hysterectomy. Only sexually active women with recurrent cystocele stage 3–4 according to POP-Q, who had previously undergone vaginal hysterectomy with anterior native tissue repair without apical fixation, were enrolled in the study. Women with previous mesh implant POP surgery, persistent vaginal infection or pelvic inflammatory disease were excluded. All patients were surgically treated between 2012 and 2015 using single-incision transvaginal mesh Calistar A. Sexual function was evaluated before a surgery and two years postoperatively. The assessment was accomplished via the standardised validated Czech translation of PISQ-12SF questionnaire. For each patient, age, BMI and parity were monitored. Out of all (89) eligible patients, 48 patients met inclusion criteria and were subsequently enrolled in our study. Two years postoperatively, 31 women (79.5%) improved their PISQ-12 score; five (12.8%) had equivalent scores, and three patients (7.7%) reported lower scores. Overall PISQ-12 score was 37.1 ± 2.6 postoperatively with a 2.9 ± 2.3 statistically significant positive difference compared to the score preceding surgery. The majority of patients undergoing surgery using Calistar A experienced a significant improvement in sexual function. IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Pelvic organ prolapse has a significant impact on women’s sexual functioning in an adverse manner. Mesh implant repair is associated with lower rates of prolapse awareness and prolapse re-operation; however, it is linked with safety concerns. One of these concerns is the negative impact on women’s sexual function. Evaluative study results following sexual function among women with mesh implant transvaginal repair are contradictory. What do the results of this study add? The results showed, that contrary to finding some of the previous studies, transvaginal mesh implant use could benefit patients with previous native tissue POP surgery failure with a low risk of sexual function deterioration. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The study provides clinical data for vaginal mesh implants on women’s sexual function in the mid-term outcome. These data can be crucial for selecting the right POP surgical technique and evaluating its benefits and risks.
A dynamic flow system has been developed which can be used for vacuum gauge calibration by comparison method - a calibration method in which the reading of the gauge under calibration is compared to another calibrated vacuum gauge called the “secondary standard” - and other vacuum-related experiments. The chamber of the calibration system is pumped by a turbomolecular pump (TMP), backed by a scroll pump. As maximum acceptable pressure at the inlet of a TMP is 0.1 Pa, above which the TMP decelerates, the pumping speed decreases and it becomes more difficult to adjust pressure under such circumstances. In the present work, high pressures of up to 133 Pa have been generated in the chamber of the newly developed dynamic flow control system by installing a well-designed conductance-reducer in the by-pass line and, at the same time, operating the TMP in safe mode. In addition, the gas flow and pressure distribution within the chamber have been investigated for the entire pressure range (0.1 Pa ∼ 133 Pa) while generating pressure dynamically. Maximum deviations in pressure (1.6 %) were observed at point C on the chamber, which is close to the gas inlet port on the top of the chamber.
Of 129 patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) who underwent bone marrow examination for staging, 39 (30%) had bone marrow involvement. Only three of 129 patients (2.3%) had bone marrow involvement as the only site of metastatic disease. When patients with bone marrow metastasis were compared with patients whose bone marrow was normal, there were significant differences in serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (SGOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), albumin, and sodium (Na). We found no clinically significant difference in survival between patients with extensive disease with or without bone marrow involvement. Serum Na, albumin, SGOT, and uric acid were important prognostic determinants of survival. Based on the results of this study, we do not recommend routine bone marrow examinations in the staging of SCLC.
INTRODUCTION Database community has been seriously disturbed with the Web technologies expansion. Particularly, two reports have produced a special commotion in database field. The first one, the Asilomar report (Bernstein et al., 1998), postulates the new directives in databases tendencies , previewing the Web impact in this field. The second one, Breaking out the Box (Silberschatz & Zdonik, 1996), proposes how database community must transfer its technology to be introduced into Web technology. In this sense, the database box must be broken out into its autonomous functional components, and they must be used to reach a solution for the problem of heterogeneous data sources integration.
Satiety and appetite signaling are accomplished by circulating peptide hormones. These peptide hormones require processing from larger precursors to become bioactive, often by the proprotein convertase 1/3 (PC1/3). Several subcellular maturation steps are necessary for PC1/3 to achieve its optimal enzymatic activity. Certain PC1/3 variants found in the general population slightly attenuate its enzymatic activity and are associated with obesity and diabetes. However, mutations that increase PC1/3 activity and/or affect its specificity could also have physiological consequences. We here present data showing that the known human Ser357Gly PC1/3 mutant (PC1/3(S357G)) represents a PC1/3 hypermorph. Conditioned media from human embryonic kidney-293 cells transfected with PC1/3(WT) and PC1/3(S357G) were collected and enzymatic activity characterized. PC1/3(S357G) exhibited a lower calcium dependence; a higher pH optimum (neutral); and a higher resistance to peptide inhibitors than the wild-type enzyme. PC1/3(S357G) exhibited increased cleavage to the C-terminally truncated form, and kinetic parameters of the full-length and truncated mutant enzymes were also altered. Lastly, the S357G mutation broadened the specificity of the enzyme; we detected PC2-like specificity on the substrate proCART, the precursor of the cocaine- and amphetamine regulated transcript neuropeptide known to be associated with obesity. The production of another anorexigenic peptide normally synthesized only by PC2, αMSH, was increased when proopiomelanocortin was coexpressed with PC1/3(S357G). Considering the aberrant enzymatic profile of PC1/3(S357G), we hypothesize that this enzyme possesses unusual processing activity that may significantly change the profile of circulating peptide hormones.
The relationship between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality is J-shaped in most industrialized countries. The J-shape is the result of the combination of adverse and beneficial effects of alcohol consumption. Adverse effects include several types of cancer (oropharyngeal, oesophageal, liver, laryngeal and breast cancer), other diseases of the aerodigestive tract, diseases of the heart (alcoholic cardiomyopathy, haemorrhagic stroke, arrhythmia, hypertension), addiction-related mental disorders, and accidents and injuries. Beneficial effects are for ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic stroke. The exact shape of the all-cause mortality curve in a given region depends upon the proportion of the population consuming alcohol at different levels, especially heavy consumption, and on the prevalence of the disorders named above. Thus regions with a relatively low prevalence of ischaemic cardiovascular disease show almost no benefits of consumption, and an all-cause mortality curve which is almost exponential. Females experience a minimum mortality risk at a level of alcohol intake which is lower than that associated with the minimum risk for men. Similarly, an upturn in mortality risk occurs at lower intake levels for women than for men. At present, there is no satisfactory explanation for the observation that the shape of the mortality curve varies with the consumption level of the cohort under study. Heavier-drinking cohorts tend to display their minimum risk at relatively higher levels of alcohol intake than cohorts with lower alcohol consumption.
Penetration of a foreign body into the pregnant uterus is rare, and the management is challenging. The incidence, causes, management, complications, and outcomes of pregnancies complicated by blunt abdominal trauma are well described. Likewise, there are established guidelines for managing pregnancies complicated by nonpenetrating intrauterine foreign bodies (primarily, contraceptive intrauterine devices [IUDS]). 1,2 However, there is little published information regarding penetrating injuries that result in the presence of a foreign body lodged within the pregnant uterus. Known complications associated with a penetrating injury include premature rupture of membranes, abruptio placentae, infection, fetomaternal hemorrhage, preterm labor, fetal injury or death, maternal injury or death, maternal pain, abnormal fetal growth, prolonged antepartum hospitalization, the need for surgical exploration, and the possible need for surgical delivery and hysterectomy. We report the management of a pregnancy in which the uterus and placenta were penetrated by a 5-cm sewing needle at 23 weeks' gestation.
A novel restoration method for X-ray images with quantum mottles is proposed by considering the physical formation process of X-ray images. More specifically, as a restoration method for quantum mottles, a digital filter of the stochastic type considering the property of quantum mottles with varying variance is derived on the basis of the Bayes theorem matched to recursive image processing. In order to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method, it is applied to an actual medical image.<<ETX>>
This study aimed to determine the financial performance of PT. Astra International, Tbk using the Du Pont System method in the period 2013-2017. Du Pont analysis is a method in a modified profitability ratio that includes two analysis ratios, namely Return on Investment and Return on Equity. This study uses a type of descriptive evaluative research with a quantitative approach; the data sources used are secondary data with documentation data collection techniques. Based on the results of data analysis it was concluded that Return On Investment PT. Astra International, Tbk tends to experience volatility or fluctuations from 2013 to 2017, which are indicated through changes in value on the net profit margin and total assets turnover. Return on Equity PT. Astra International, Tbk also tends to experience volatility or fluctuations from 2013 to 2017, seen from the fluctuating level of capital utilization of shareholders in financing a number of company assets. These two ratios underlie the importance of companies to conduct evaluations and overall innovation on the company's financial condition, including the utilization of assets and utilization of equity so that the company's profitability can remain controlled.
Abstract Sire evaluation methods that invoke best linear unbiased prediction have not utilized information available from known relationships among sires. Principles for doing this have been known, but computations were too costly, involving the inverse of a large numerator relationship matrix. In a method for writing this inverse rapidly without computing the relationship matrix, all relationships can be used with little additional labor. Also records of female ancestors can be incorporated easily. Further, the number of equations for groups to account for genetic trend and for differences among subpopulations is reduced.
Computer simulations of agglomerates impacting a wall have been carried out using the distinct element method. The agglomerates comprised 1000 primary particles in a two-dimensional array. Autoadhesive and frictional interaction laws between the primary particles were employed. Results are presented for a range of impact velocities and surface free energies of the particles. Three regimes of behaviour were observed depending on the relative magnitudes of these quantities; the regimes may be described as shattering, semi-brittle fracture and elastic rebound. The qualitative trends found in the current work are consistent with certain features of phenomena observed in experimental studies and lead to an improved understanding of the microscopic factors that influence the fragmentation behaviour of granular solids.
Since many random-access protocols are designed based on the assumption that all terminals follow the same medium-access-control (MAC) policy, they can be vulnerable to the selfish behavior of each terminal. This paper proposes robust random-access protocols for wireless networks in fading environments, where each terminal operates in a Nash equilibrium (NE) of a random-access game. Since any deviation of a terminal from an NE penalizes the terminal, the network with this protocol becomes more robust by preventing a selfish terminal from violating the access protocol. We model slotted ALOHA and carrier-sense multiple access (CSMA) as games and show that the strategies in symmetric equilibria of these games have the properties so that a terminal with a better channel state is more likely to access the channel. Thus, these protocols ensure multiuser diversity as well as robustness, a conclusion confirmed by numerical results.
Abstract : The bahavior of individual positive and negative electrodes of the sintered-plate nickel-cadmium battery system in the presence of foreign ions in KOH solutions was examined. Carbonate choke: The variation of electrochemical capacity as a function of carbonate contamination of the electrolyte, temperature, and current density was measured for both positive and negative electrodes. The effect of carbonate on the negative cadmium electrode is much greater than on the positive. The general mechanism and the role of intermediate complexes are discussed. Nitrate shuttle: Self-discharge occurs in cells containing nitrate, as a result of reduction of NO3(-) to NO2(-) at the cadmium electrode with subsequent reoxidation to NO3(-) at the nickel hydroxide electrode. Cations on the positive: Addition of Li(+), Ag(+), Sb(+3), Al(+3), and As(+3) to the electrolyte had effects on capacity and on charge-retention of well-formed nickel hydroxide positive electrodes. Lithium promoted the highest average oxidation, particularly at high temperatures (55C). Arsenic was the best inhibitor of loss of charge. Possible mechanisms are discussed. (Author)
The Hoffmann test (reaction of a racemic organolithium  with a phenylalanine-derived aldehyde) is used to show that  lithiated diphenylphosphine oxides are not configurationally  stable in THF at -78 °C (usual reaction  conditions) on the timescale of their rate of reaction with the  aldehyde. The test is carried out by reacting lithiated  ethyldiphenylphosphine oxide with a phenylalanine-derived  aldehyde and because all four diastereoisomeric alcohols are  obtained, it is necessary to determine the relative  stereochemistry of the products. This is done using a combination  of synthesis and X-ray crystallography of  (2S*,3S*,4R*)-2-(N,N-diben  zylamino)-4-diphenylphosphinoyl-1-phenylpentan-3-ol and  (2S*,4S*)-2-(N,N-dibenzylamino)-2-d  iphenylphosphinoyl-1-phenylpentan-3-one.
Although the fault component impedance relay has many perfect performances, it is still restricted by high fault resistance. In order to improve its resistive tolerance and overcome unreliable operation, a new type relay with double circular characteristic is put forward, as well as its operating boundary and general operating equation are researched in this paper. The relay is comprised of two groups operation equations, one of them is calculated by sampling integral arithmetic to achieve its ultra-high speed while the other by Fourier arithmetic to enhance the relay capability against high resistance. Dynamic simulation test has been made with a typical two sources system operating at 750 kV to verify the relay performance. Theoretical analyses and test results show that the fault component impedance relay with double circular characteristic is simple, reliable and secure with ultra-high speed and great capability against fault resistance.
Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the role of homocysteine (Hcy) in patients with hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Background Hcy increases in cirrhosis than in noncirrhotic liver diseases. Hyperhomocysteinemia is correlated with the clinical course of liver disease and is characteristically detected at late stages of cirrhosis. Patients and methods A total of 78 patients and 20 controls were divided into four groups. Group 1 included 28 cirrhotic patients without ascites. Group 2 included 25 cirrhotic patients with ascites. Group 3 included 25 patients with HRS. Group 4 included 20 healthy participants as a control group. Liver and kidney function tests, complete blood count, viral marker analysis, evaluation of serum Hcy using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and renal duplex ultrasonography were carried out. Results Patients with liver cirrhosis showed significantly higher serum Hcy levels in comparison with controls. Positive correlations were found between Hcy and age, child classification, model for end-stage liver disease score, creatinine level, and renal resistive index (RRI), whereas serum Hcy was negatively correlated with creatinine clearance. Hcy at a cutoff value of more than 17 micromol/l could predict patients with HRS with 89% sensitivity and 80% specificity.RRI at cutoff value of more than 0.75 could predict patients with HRS with 85% sensitivity and 80% specificity. The sensitivity was 94%, and accuracy was 87%, when Hcy and RRI were estimated together in patients with HRS. Conclusion Hcy can be considered as a predictive marker for patients with HRS.
Abstract In his influential work City of God — De civitate Dei — Augustine identifies Hebrew as the original, or primeval, language of mankind, and more accurately as the language that survived the confusion of languages at Babel in the house or family of Heber, a descendant of Noah in the fifth generation. This article surveys (1) how this claim is related to ideas about this topic in ancient Jewish and Christian sources before and after Augustine, (2) demonstrates how Augustine’s interpretation of biblical primeval history and his concept of history is interconnected with his view on the primordial language, and (3) explores how early modern exegesis and philology adopted this specific Augustinian model with regard to the topic in question. This study is both descriptive and analytical. It is based on primary sources which modern scholarship of the history of linguistic thought hitherto to a great extent has either failed to pay attention to or misrepresented.
This study explored calibrating a large item bank for use in multidimensional health measurement with computerized adaptive testing, using both item responses and response time (RT) information. The Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care is a patient-reported outcomes measure comprised of three correlated scales (Applied Cognition, Daily Activities, and Mobility). All items from each scale are Likert type, so that a respondent chooses a response from an ordered set of four response options. The most appropriate item response theory model for analyzing and scoring these items is the multidimensional graded response model (MGRM). During the field testing of the items, an interviewer read each item to a patient and recorded, on a tablet computer, the patient's responses and the software recorded RTs. Due to the large item bank with over 300 items, data collection was conducted in four batches with a common set of anchor items to link the scale. van der Linden's (2007) hierarchical modeling framework was adopted. Several models, with or without interviewer as a covariate and with or without interaction between interviewer and items, were compared for each batch of data. It was found that the model with the interaction between interviewer and item, when the interaction effect was constrained to be proportional, fit the data best. Therefore, the final hierarchical model with a lognormal model for RT and the MGRM for response data was fitted to all batches of data via a concurrent calibration. Evaluation of parameter estimates revealed that (1) adding response time information did not affect the item parameter estimates and their standard errors significantly; (2) adding response time information helped reduce the standard error of patients' multidimensional latent trait estimates, but adding interviewer as a covariate did not result in further improvement. Implications of the findings for follow up adaptive test delivery design are discussed.
Abstract Based on analysis of self-ratings of mood, positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) have been proposed as basic, orthogonal mood dimensions (Watson & Tellegen, 1985). The present study asked subjects (N = 61) to not only provide self-ratings of PA and NA terms but also to retrieve personal memories associated with those terms. Self-rated PA was associated with latency to retrieve PA- but not NA-related memories; self-rated NA was associated with latency to retrieve NA- but not PA-related memories. Self-ratings of PA and NA were not significantly correlated, nor were retrieval latencies for PA and NA memories. Individual item correlations also revealed a strong direct relationship between self-ratings and retrieval latency. The dissociations involving a non-self report measure strengthen the distinction between PA and NA, and the individual item correlations are interpreted as showing that self-ratings of affect are based upon the ease of retrieval of personal memories.
Background:  Barrett's adenocarcinoma is considered to develop via a dysplasia‐carcinoma sequence. However, this theory is thought to be incomplete, because the reports supporting it have been led by an investigation using relatively large‐sized neoplasias or biopsy materials. We think that the minute‐sized neoplasias and the propria mucosa adjacent to these lesions must be examined histologically to clarify the histogenesis of digestive tract carcinoma. In the present study, new findings on the histogenesis of Barrett's adenocarcinoma were revealed according to this point described above.
Any two rows of this array "agree" in half their places, and "disagree" in the other half. The same phenomenon occurs for the columns of the array as well. Any such array of + and signs, with an equal number of agreements and disagreements between any pair of rows, is called an "Hadamard matrix," after the French mathematician Jacques Hadamard [1]. In matrix notation, these arrays satisfy the relation AAT= kI, where k is the order of the matrices. The problem is to discover all the possible Hadamard matrices, or at least to describe the sizes for which such arrays exist. In 1933, R. E. A. C. Paley [2] described a variety of methods for constructing Hadamard matrices. Beyond the IX1 case, "+", and the 2 X2 case, "4+i", Paley shows that all such arrays must have a number of rows (and of columns) which is a multiple of 4. Up to 200 X200, he was able to describe examples of 4t X4t Hadamard matrices in all but six cases, the exceptional values of 4t being 92, 116, 156, 172, 184, 188. Using black and white squares, instead of plus and minus signs, Hadamard matrices of the first eight sizes (1 X1, 2 X2, 4 X4, 8X8, 12X12, 16X16, 20X20, 24X24) are shown in Figure 2. The six exceptional cases of Paley have never been proved not to exist. It was merely that Paley was unable to construct them. In fact, in 1944, John Williamson [3 ] succeeded in constructing an Hadamard matrix of size 172 X 172. Moreover, no one has shown that Hadamard matrices ever fail to exist for any size 4t X4t, and since 1933 several attempts have been made to prove or disprove the existence of the 92 X92 array, as an indication of whether or not to believe the conjecture that an Hadamard matrix of size 4t X4t exists for all values of t= 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, * . . There is a simple method of getting bigger Hadamard matrices from smaller ones. For example, to get an 8 X 8 array from a 2 X 2 array and a 4 X4 array, one substitutes the 2 X2 array instead of each + sign in the 4 X4 array, and one substitutes the negative of the 2 X 2 array instead of each sign in the 4 X4 array, as shown in Figure 3.
Chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells is strongly influenced by the surrounding chemical and structural milieu. Since the majority of the native cartilage extracellular matrix is composed of nanofibrous collagen fibrils, much of recent cartilage tissue engineering research has focused on developing and utilizing scaffolds with similar nanoscale architecture. However, current literature lacks consensus regarding the ideal fiber diameter, with differences in culture conditions making it difficult to compare between studies. Here, we aimed to develop a more thorough understanding of how cell–cell and cell-biomaterial interactions drive in vitro chondrogenic differentiation of bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) microfibers (4.3  ±  0.8 µm diameter, 90 μm2 pore size) and nanofibers (440  ±  20 nm diameter, 1.2 μm2 pore size) were seeded with MSCs at initial densities ranging from 1  ×  105 to 4  ×  106 cells cm−3-scaffold and cultured under transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) induced chondrogenic conditions for 3 or 6 weeks. Chondrogenic gene expression, cellular proliferation, as well as sulfated glycosaminoglycan and collagen production were enhanced on microfiber in comparison to nanofiber scaffolds, with high initial seeding densities being required for significant chondrogenic differentiation and extracellular matrix deposition. Both cell–cell and cell–material interactions appear to play important roles in chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs in vitro and consideration of several variables simultaneously is essential for understanding cell behavior in order to develop an optimal tissue engineering strategy.
Autoencoder (AE) is a deep neural network that has been widely utilized in process industry owing to its superior abilities of feature extraction and data reconstruction. Recently, assuming the latent variables to be random variables, a probabilistic variant of it called variational autoencoder (VAE) has achieved a major success in different applications. In this article, we develop two novel submodels based on deep VAEs (DVAE), which are further utilized to establish a soft sensor framework. By the use of our first submodel known as supervised DVAE (SDVAE), the distribution information of latent features can be obtained. This is used as a prior of the second submodel known as the modified unsupervised DVAE (MUDVAE). Then, a new soft sensor framework can be constructed by combing the encoder of SDVAE with the decoder of MUDVAE. Since our designed VAE has superior ability in data reconstruction, it also works well under the missing data situation which is common in process industries due to sensor failures. Thus, we extend the proposed soft sensor framework to handle the missing data situation. The effectiveness of our proposed soft sensor frameworks is finally demonstrated via an industrial polymerization dataset.
Myricetin (3, 5, 7-Trihydroxy -2- (3, 4, 5-trihydroxyphenyl) - 4-chromenone), a naturally occurring flavonol, is a potent scavenger of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and effectively prevent erythrocyte oxidation. The protective effect of myricetin on proteins and lipids of erythrocytes membranes was investigated. Erythrocytes membranes were subjected to oxidative stress by incubating them with 10 −5 M tert-butylhydroperoxide; this caused a significant increase in membrane protein carbonyl group content and membrane lipid peroxides while caused a significant decrease of membrane total thiol group and Na + , K + -ATPase activity. The presence of myricetin in micromolar concentration in the incubation medium decreased significantly protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation and caused an increase in total thiol group and Na + , K + ATP-ase activity.
AIM To compare the frequency of main histopathological characteristics, 131І thyroid radiation doses, invasive properties and post-operative follow-up of patients of different age groups with potentially radiogenic papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with the presence and absence of oncocytic changes in tumor cells.   MATERIALS AND METHODS PTC removed in 483 patients from high risk age-group for radiogenic thyroid cancer development (children and adolescents at the time of Chornobyl accident who lived in the northern regions of Ukraine: Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Chernihiv regions) have been studied microscopically.   RESULTS The frequency of PTC with the presence of oncocytic changes (OCh) in tumor cells increased significantly with increasing of patients' age at the time of surgery: from 8.3% in children 4-14 years old to 54.3% in adults 39-48 years old (ptrend < 0.0001). The presence of such changes is associated with papillary and solid-trabecular dominant tumor growth pattern in more than 90% of cases in each age group. The mean 131І thyroid dose in the whole series of PTC patients with OCh was significantly lower compared to the same index in PTC patients without OCh (493.7 mGy and 765.8 mGy, respectively, p < 0.0001). In addition, regional metastases recurrences were revealed more frequently in patients with OCh in primary PTC compared with patients without OCh in primary tumor (7.2% vs 1.5%, p = 0.0022).   CONCLUSIONS Significantly increasing age-trend of OCh in PTC of patients affected by the Chornobyl fallout and operated at age from 4 to 48 years, as well as opposite decreasing linear age-trend of 131І thyroid dose may reflect a gradual increase of sporadic PTCs frequency in the potentially radiogenic series with time elapsed since accident. The frequency of oncocytic insensitive to radioiodine therapy of lymph node metastases recurrences also increased with patients age and OCh availability in primary PTC.
Separation technology is of great importance to the chemical industries which involve many steps of purification. Compared to the traditional thermal-based purification processes such as evaporation and distillation, membrane technology has attracted increasing attention due to its low energy consumption and continuous operation. Two-dimensional (2D) material membranes formed by stacking various kinds of 2D nanosheets, including graphene, graphene oxide (GO), MXenes, layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), layered zeolites, 2D metal organic frameworks (MOFs), 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs), etc., represent a burgeoning class of separation membranes. Owing to their easy fabrication, controllable pore size, that is the stacking space between neighbouring layers, and diverse functionalization, these 2D material membranes show great potential for precise and high-efficiency separation through the synergy of the pore size and surface properties of nanopores or nanochannels. To date, 2D material membranes have been widely used in a broad range of critical separations, including ion separation, mixed organic solvent separation, gas separation, nanofiltration, and chiral molecular separation. In this review, we first summarize the separation mechanism adopted in 2D material membranes, followed by the introduction of the most widely used 2D materials and the synthetic strategies for their single or few layer structures. Finally, we summarize the applications of 2D material membranes in various critical separations, including ion sieving, nanofiltration, gas separation and chiral separation.
chapter 4. First, patterns of functional allocation are analyzed: the amounts of money that each state subgrants to the police, the courts, and to corrections. Second, instances of joint projects between functions are considered, and these projects are treated as evidence of system building or coordination. Third, six specific innovative programs are considered, two in each of the functional categories: three are programs initiated by LEAA discretionary programs and followed up by the states: three are invented by the states themselves. The extent of each state's financial commitment to the six programs is examined. The final chapter concludes the study and places the empirical findings in the larger context of interorganization theory and public policy making in federal systems. Gray and Williams have taken us farther down the road of understanding. They continue to build on the past, breaking new ground in several areas of policy analysis and indicating by their style of presenting complex methodology and analysis that it can be done in an understandable way. The work also demonstrates that research by social scientists can be potentially helpful to policy makers and can provide empirical evidence for use in general public discussion of policy alternatives. These are very substantial contributions.
Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) who are treated with hypomethylating agents (HMAs), alone or in combination with venetoclax, are an extremely vulnerable population due to advanced age, comorbidities, and treatment-induced neutropenia. 1,2 In addition, many of these patients receive HMA therapy in an outpatient setting, which continues until hematological disease progression. 1,2 All of these aspects make these patients very susceptible to breakthrough infection by SARS-CoV-2, especially given the emergence of new and highly contagious variants. 3-5 Because patients with blood cancer have been excluded from vaccine clinical trials, real-world data on vaccine immunogenicity are very important in this setting. 6 In particular, the assessment of antibody (Ab) levels may play a role in establishing a response to vaccination in this frail patient population. It is well known that the seroconversion rate after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is particularly low in patients with hematological diseases with B-cell malignancies who are treated with monoclonal Ab – depleting B cells (eg, rituxi-mab), as well as in those receiving Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors. 7-9 Some recent studies analyzed the anti-Spike Ab responses after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in different hematologic malignancies and con- ﬁ rmed a low seroconversion rate in lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia; however, a good seroconversion rate was found after 2 vaccination doses in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, multiple myeloma, acute lymphocytic leukemia,
One very popular genre of literature during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was advice (or prescriptive) literature, directed at husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants. These books provided readers with detailed descriptions of the ideal relationships between family members, and the duties attendant upon individuals in each position. They are valuable to historians in this capacity, as portrayals of desired behavior, rather than as depictions of how things actually were. The relationship between masters and servants is a particularly difficult one to understand, for servants occupied a unique place within the family. In many ways they were similar to the master’s children, for they were unmarried minors, and temporarily under his authority. Yet in other ways servants were quite different from the children of the family, for there existed between them and their masters a contract for food, wages and lodging in return for their labor. Advice literature is a valuable source of information regarding the manner in which seventeenthand eighteenth-century individuals viewed the ambiguous relationship between master and servant. However, to date the secondary literature on servants has not made much use of advice literature, or examined its useftilness in this capacity. This thesis seeks to present a systematic examination of the prescriptive literature for servants published during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, comparing not only the types of advice given to servants, but also the manner in which the advice was given. It will soon be apparent that the literature evolved dramatically over the course of the two centuries, reflecting both new conceptions of the nature of servitude, as well as developments in society at large. These changes may be described as the transition from a view of servitude as a state which imposed moral obligations on the servant, to one which saw it as a period of contractual agreement between servant and master.
We propose using the Low Rank Representation (LRR) method for segmentation of video frames of glucose concentration measurements taken by a novel setup intended for use in a hand-held device. We propose a sequential LRR algorithm, that corrects the error in the data matrix at each point in time and uses it calculate an f data matrix for the next step. By fixing the error in the data, we are able to segment the data using fewer number of frames at an early stage of the chemical reaction. Our aim is to process incoming frames taken by the camera in real time and use them in a sequential manner to segment the images and estimate the feature value of the region of interest. A comparison of standard LRR and sequential LRR is presented. We evaluate both algorithms on real data sets with respect to goodness of segmentation, as well as accuracy of the feature estimates.
This entry discusses the evolution of historical study from its beginnings in the realm of mythology to the present complex world of multiple audiences, multiple approaches, and a scope that touches virtually every area of human endeavor. Paralleling this evolution of scholarship has been a constantly expanding universe of sources deemed appropriate to provide the evidence upon which historians base their assertions. The related topic of scholarly communication among historians also receives attention
A feature of Haemophilus influenzae genomes is the presence of several loci containing tracts of six or more identical tetranucleotide repeat units. These repeat tracts are unstable and mediate high frequency, reversible alterations in the expression of surface antigens. This process, termed phase variation (PV), enables H.influenzae to rapidly adapt to fluctuations in the host environment. Perturbation of lagging strand DNA synthesis is known to destabilize simple sequence repeats in yeast and Escherichia coli. By using a chromosomally located reporter construct, we demonstrated that the mutation of an H.influenzae rnhA (encoding RnaseHI) homologue increases the mutation rates of tetranucleotide repeats ∼3-fold. Additionally, deletion of the Klenow domain of DNA polymerase I (PolI) resulted in a ∼35-fold increase in tetranucleotide repeat-mediated PV rates. Deletion of the PolI 5′>3′ exonuclease domain appears to be lethal. The phenotypes of these mutants suggest that delayed or mutagenic Okazaki fragment processing destabilizes H.influenzae tetranucleotide repeat tracts.
This report summarizes the results of a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (RTG) design study conducted by Fairchild Space Company at the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of SpecialApplications, in suppport of the Mars Rover and Sample Return mission under investigation at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The report is a rearranged, updated, and significantly expanded amalgam of three interrelated papers presented at the 24th Intersocity Energy Conversion Engineering Conference (IECEC) at Arlington, Virginia, on August 10, 1989.
A standardized assessment of autistic symptomatology was completed for 29 children and young adults with a supernumerary isodicentric chromosome 15 (formerly known as inverted duplication 15). Although there was variability in severity, 20 individuals with an isodicentric chromosome 15 [idic(15)] had a high probability of being autistic. Eight of the 9 remaining children were under age 5 years and were more sociable than the rest of the cohort. Group characteristics such as gender and seizure presence could not explain the observed difference between older and younger individuals in our study. The natural history of isodicentric 15 syndrome remains to be shown through longitudinal work and may include an age-related risk for developing autism.
The phonetic system of the Uzbek literary language has developed as a result of a lengthy historical process. Its phonetical composition has retained the regularities and distinctions inherent to most of the modern Turkic languages and at the same time displays a number of specific features. In contrast to other Turkic languages the modern Uzbek literary language is marked by the absence of sinharmonism. The consonants play a dominating role in the phonemic system and there is no phonological distinction between long and short consonants. In view of the absence of sinharmonism the accent plays the organizing role in the word. These specific features of the Uzbek language are of cardinal importance in determining its phoneme system. Electroacoustic, X-ray and phonological analyses show that there exist six vowel phonemes in the Uzbek literary language (a, e, i, o, o, u). The following elements can be distinguished in the system of Uzbek vocalism on the basis of acoustic and articulation principles: 1. Front vowels (i, e, a) and back vowels (o, o, u); 2. Open vowels (a, a), half-close vowels (e, o) and close vowels (i, u); 3. Labialized vowels (o, o, u) and non-labialized vowels (i, e, a).
This paper that is drawn from a research as a country report funded by UNESCO explores how transversal skills (T.S) are integrated in the curriculum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), focusing on teaching and assessment of T.S and its factors influencing practices at four vocational colleges and schools and a tourism enterprise in Central Vietnam. Drawn upon the classroom and workshop observations, interviews of leaders, teachers, supervisors, and staff, and documentary analysis, this research aims to set alight of teaching and assessment of T.S and give suggestions to stakeholders. Findings show although T.S being imparted in Vietnamese TVET schools, teaching, learning and assessment activities of those skills are not really effective. Additionally, no specific policies or frameworks for T.S in Vietnam have been developed. Therefore, closer collaboration and exchange between TVET institutions and industry should be fostered with flexible career pathways and trainers in such institutions should work temporarily in companies to update their vocational competencies.
This paper focuses on the design of a pinning sampled-data control mechanism for the exponential synchronization of directed coupled reaction-diffusion neural networks (CRDNNs) with sampled-data communications (SDCs). A new Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF) with some sampled-instant-dependent terms is presented, which can fully utilize the actual sampling information. Then, an inequality is first proposed, which effectively relaxes the restrictions of the positive definiteness of the constructed LKF. Based on the LKF and the inequality, sufficient conditions are derived to exponentially synchronize the directed CRDNNs with SDCs. The desired pinning sampled-data control gain is precisely obtained by solving some linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Moreover, a less conservative exponential synchronization criterion is also established for directed coupled neural networks with SDCs. Finally, simulation results are provided to verify the effectiveness and merits of the theoretical results.
ABSTRACT Perinatal mental illness is a known risk to maternal–infant attachment and healthy infant development. Mothers experiencing complex mental health issues in the first year following birth are less likely to become involved in parenting programs or day stay interventions because of their mental health difficulties and perceived stigma. Currently, most perinatal day or group treatment programs only include the mother and not their infant. This paper describes “Together in Mind,” a perinatal and infant mental health day program developed by the Queensland Centre for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, targeting mothers with moderate to severe mental illness and their infants under 12 months. The service model was a 6‐week, 1 day per week psychoeducation intervention. Psychoeducational material and support were provided across each day session by an adult perinatal mental health clinician, an infant mental health clinician, and a child health nurse working in collaboration. The program was trialed across seven Hospital and Health Service sites in Queensland, Australia, during 2016–18. In total, 24 group day programs were delivered with 84 mothers and their infants. Pre and post intervention quantitative measures and a post‐program qualitative survey about participant satisfaction were collected. Statistically significant improvements in all quantitative measures showed a large to medium effect size on the: Health of the Nation Outcome Scale (HoNOS) (d = 0.82; p < .000); Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS‐21) (d = 0.5; p < .000); Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS) (d = 0.63; p < .000); Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS) (d = 0.49; p < .000), Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social‐Emotional (6 months) (d = 0.83; p < .000). The results indicate collaboration and early intervention contributes to strengthening the emerging development of the maternal–infant relationship within the context of complex maternal mental health issues.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objectives: The causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, appears exceptional in its virulence and immunopathology. In some patients, the resulting hyperinflammation resembles a cytokine release syndrome. Our knowledge of the immunopathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 is evolving and anti-cytokine therapies are under active investigation. This narrative review summarizes existing knowledge of the immune response to coronavirus infection and highlights the current and potential future roles of therapeutic strategies to combat the hyperinflammatory response of patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Data Sources: Relevant and up-to-date literature, media reports, and author experiences were included from Medline, national newspapers, and public clinical trial databases. Study Selection: The authors selected studies for inclusion by consensus. Data Extraction: The authors reviewed each study and selected approrpriate data for inclusion through consensus. Data Synthesis: Hyperinflammation, reminiscent of cytokine release syndromes such as macrophage activation syndrome and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, appears to drive outcomes among adults with severe coronavirus disease 2019. Cytokines, particularly interleukin-1 and interleukin-6, appear to contribute importantly to such systemic hyperinflammation. Ongoing clinical trials will determine the efficacy and safety of anti-cytokine therapies in coronavirus disease 2019. In the interim, anti-cytokine therapies may provide a treatment option for adults with severe coronavirus disease 2019 unresponsive to standard critical care management, including ventilation. Conclusions: This review provides an overview of the current understanding of the immunopathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 in adults and proposes treatment considerations for anti-cytokine therapy use in adults with severe disease.
The cognitive system of humans, which allows them to create representations of their surroundings exploiting multiple senses, has inspired several applications to mimic this remarkable property. The key for learning rich representations of data collected by multiple, diverse sensors, is to design generative models that can ingest multimodal inputs, and merge them in a common space. This enables to: i) obtain a coherent generation of samples for all modalities, ii) enable cross-sensor generation, by using available modalities to generate missing ones and iii) exploit synergy across modalities, to increase reconstruction quality. In this work, we study multimodal variational autoencoders, and propose new methods for learning a joint representation that can both improve synergy and enable cross generation of missing sensor data. We evaluate these approaches on well-established datasets as well as on a new dataset that involves multimodal object detection with three modalities. Our results shed light on the role of joint posterior modeling and training objectives, indicating that even simple and efficient heuristics enable both synergy and cross generation properties to coexist.
This paper presents a self-learning tool, which contains a number of virtual experiments for processing and analysis of Optical/Infrared and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. The tool is named Virtual Satellite Image Processing and Analysis Lab (v-SIPLAB) Experiments that are included in Learning Tool are related to: Optical/Infrared - Image and Edge enhancement, smoothing, PCT, vegetation indices, Mathematical Morphology, Accuracy Assessment, Supervised/Unsupervised classification etc.; Basic SAR - Parameter extraction and range spectrum estimation, Range compression, Doppler centroid estimation, Azimuth reference function generation and compression, Multilooking, image enhancement, texture analysis, edge and detection. etc.; SAR Interferometry - BaseLine Calculation, Extraction of single look SAR images, Registration, Resampling, and Interferogram generation; SAR Polarimetry - Conversion of AirSAR or Radarsat data to S2/C3/T3 matrix, Speckle Filtering, Power/Intensity image generation, Decomposition of S2/C3/T3, Classification of S2/C3/T3 using Wishart Classifier [3]. A professional quality polarimetric SAR software can be found at [8], a part of whose functionality can be found in our system. The learning tool also contains other modules, besides executable software experiments, such as aim, theory, procedure, interpretation, quizzes, link to additional reading material and user feedback. Students can have understanding of Optical and SAR remotely sensed images through discussion of basic principles and supported by structured procedure for running and interpreting the experiments. Quizzes for self-assessment and a provision for online feedback are also being provided to make this Learning tool self-contained. One can download results after performing experiments.
The possibility of distinguishing insomniacs from good sleepers based on polysomnography (PSG) remains an open question. While these groups show modest differences in traditional PSG parameters, some studies suggest that finer measures may be more useful. Here we assess differences between good sleepers (GS), poor sleepers (PS) and insomniacs (IN) in classical PSG measures as well as in sleep continuity, stability and cyclic organization. PSG-monitored sleep (two nights) of 17 IN (diagnosed through a standard clinical interview; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) ≥ 5, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) > 14) was compared to that of 33 GS (PSQI < 5) and 20 PS (PSQI ≥ 5, ISI ≤ 14). Compared to GS, IN were impaired in sleep macrostructure (sleep latency, sleep efficiency, WASO%) and in continuity, stability and organization, whereas PS only showed disrupted continuity and stability. Spindle parameters were comparable between IN and GS, but the former displayed enhanced power in fast frequency bands. Our findings support the hypothesis of a continuum between individuals with self-reported poor sleep and insomniacs. Further, they add to extant data on impaired sleep continuity, stability and organization in poor sleepers and elderly individuals, underlining the utility of including these measures in standard sleep assessments.
Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an important material for hybrid inorganic-organic devices in which the characteristics of the interface can dominate both the structural and electronic properties of the system. These characteristics can be modified through chemical functionalization of the ZnO surface. One of the possible strategies involves covalent bonding of the modifier using silane chemistry. Whereas a significant body of work has been published regarding silane attachments to glass and SiO2, there is less information about the efficacy of this method for controlling the surface of metal oxides. Here we report our investigation of molecular layers attached to polycrystalline ZnO through silane bonding, controlled by an amine catalyst. The catalyst enables us to use triethoxysilane precursors and thereby avoid undesirable multilayer formation. The polycrystalline surface is a practical material, grown by sol-gel processing, that is under active exploration for device applications. Our study included terminations with alkyl and phenyl groups. We used water contact angles, infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy to evaluate the modified surfaces. Alkyltriethoxysilane functionalization of ZnO produced molecular layers with submonolayer coverage and evidence of disorder. Nevertheless, a very stable hydrophobic surface with contact angles approaching 106 degrees resulted. Phenyltriethoxysilane was found to deposit in a similar manner. The resulting surface, however, exhibited significantly different wetting as a result of the nature of the end group. Molecular layers of this type, with a variety of surface terminations that use the same molecular attachment scheme, should enable interface engineering that optimizes the chemical selectivity of ZnO biosensors or the charge-transfer properties of ZnO-polymer interfaces found in oxide-organic electronics.
This work has as its objective to evaluate the influence of the dry bulk density in precursor body formulations developed to fabricate ceramic paver. Cylindrical specimens were uniaxial press-molded into two dry bulk density ranges, 1.99-2.05 g/cm3 and 2.18-2.23 g/cm3, from three formulations elaborated with clays, argillite and grog and then fired at 850 and 950oC. The evaluated properties were: water absorption and uniaxial compression strength. The results indicated that the packing during the forming stage is an important technological parameter that significantly influences the evaluated properties.
A novel approach to design the subwavelength metal gratings for the polarizing beam splitters is presented. The method is based on effective medium theory （EMT） and thin film optics. The polarizing diffraction performance of subwavelength grating was analyzed by the rigorous couple-wave analysis （RCWA） for the wavelength of 650nm. The numerical calculus is used to analyze the effects of the zeroth diffraction efficiency caused by the grating period, the groove depth, the incident angle and the incident wavelength. The results show that subwavelength metal grating have the characteristics of high reflectivity like metal films for TE polarization and high transmission like dielectric films for TM polarization. Both transmission waves and reflected waves have high polarization extinction ratio and low insertion loss over a wide incident angle range （-30° θ λ <800nm）. The optimal design agrees excellently well with the results simulated by RCWA method.
The paper presents a mechanical and a mathematical model, developed by the author for the study of the dynamical behavior of a tamping rammer. At first, some aspects related to the compaction of soil for construction works are presented. In this study, the soil was modeled using the Kelvin–Voigt model. To validate the mathematical model, a program written in C language, that allows to analyze the parameters that influence the operation of the tamping rammer, was developed. Three constructive variants of tamping rammers, following the variation of the displacements of the frame and the sole and the variation of the impact force were analyzed. In the final part, the variation of the studied parameters is illustrated by means of graphical representations. The variation of the studied parameters becomes symmetrical, related to an equilibrium position. Using the application, developed by the author, the variation of the sole and frame displacements, and the variation of the impact force can be traced. The numerical results obtained by running the application, (using three sets of input data), demonstrate the accuracy and the correctness of the proposed mathematical model by analogy with the values provided by the manufacturers. Finally, further research in this field is presented.
The authors employ a rigorous theory to study the electromagnetic resonances in double split rings of circular cross sections. The inter-ring interactions split each single-ring mode to two modes with different symmetries, and the bianisotropy of each mode is suppressed as two rings approach. They obtain analytical expressions to estimate the frequency of the fundamental (magnetic) mode, which facilitate the design of structures with the lowest possible resonance frequencies. Numerical calculations based on the present theory are supported by finite-difference-time-domain simulations on realistic structures and experimental data published previously.
A wide range of supervised learning algorithms has been applied to Text Categorization. However, the supervised learning approaches have some problems. One of them is that they require a large, often prohibitive, number of labeled training documents for accurate learning. Generally, acquiring class labels for training data is costly, while gathering a large quantity of unlabeled data is cheap. We here propose a new automatic text categorization method for learning from only unlabeled data using a bootstrapping framework and a feature projection technique. From results of our experiments, our method showed reasonably comparable performance compared with a supervised method. If our method is used in a text categorization task, building text categorization systems will become significantly faster and less expensive.
Purpose To identify the gene mutations responsible for autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) in Pakistani families. Methods A cohort of consanguineous families with typical RP phenotype in patients was screened by homozygosity mapping using microsatellite markers that mapped close to 21 known arRP genes and five arRP loci. Mutation analysis was performed by direct sequencing of the candidate gene. Results In two families, RP21 and RP53, homozygosity mapping suggested RHO, the gene encoding rhodopsin, as a candidate disease gene on chromosome 3q21. In six out of seven affected members from the two families, direct sequencing of RHO identified a homozygous c.448G>A mutation resulting in the p.Glu150Lys amino acid change. This variant was first reported in PMK197, an Indian arRP family. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis in RP21, RP53, and PMK197 showed a common disease-associated haplotype in the three families. Conclusions In two consanguineous Pakistani families with typical arRP phenotype in the patients, we identified a disease-causing mutation (p.Glu150Lys) in the RHO gene. Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis suggests that the previously reported Indian family (PMK197) and the two Pakistani families studied here share the RHO p.Glu150Lys mutation due to a common ancestry.
A review of the main physical characteristics of epitaxial silicon as it relates to detector development is presented. As examples of applications results are presented on (1) epitaxial silicon avalanche diodes (ESAD); signal-to-noise, non-linear aspects of the avalanche gain mechanism, gain-bandwidth product, (2) ultrathin epitaxial silicon surface barrier (ESSB) detectors, response to heavy ions, (3) an all-epitaxial silicon diode (ESD), response to heavy ions, charge transport and charge defect. Future prospects of epitaxial silicon as it relates to new detector designs are summarized.
Gesture tracking is a basic Human-Computer Interaction mechanism to control devices such as electronic Internet of Things and VR/AR devices. However, prior WiFi signal based systems focus on gesture recognition and provide results with insufficient accuracy, and thus cannot be applied for highprecision gesture tracking. In this paper, we propose a CSI based device-free gesture tracking system, called WiTrace, which leverages the CSI values extracted from WiFi signals to enable accurate gesture tracking. For 1D tracking, WiTrace derives the phase of the signals reflected by the hand from the composite signals, and measures the phase changes to obtain the movement distance. For 2D tracking, WiTrace proposes the first CSI based scheme to accurately estimate the initial position, and adopts the Kalman filter based on Continuous Wiener Process Acceleration model to further filter out tracking noise. Our results show that WiTrace achieves the estimated accuracy of 3.91 cm for initial position on average, and achieves cm-level accuracy, with mean tracking errors of 1.46 cm and 2.09 cm for 1D tracking and 2D tracking, respectively.
The synthesis is described of several fragments of the neurohypophyseal nonapeptide hormones arginine vasopressin and oxytocin. One group of fragments is characterized by the presence of an asymmetrical disulfide (a cystine residue in position 6), a second group consists of dimeric (symmetrical disulfides) fragments.        As common intermediates, peptides containing an S-tritylcysteine residue were synthesized by the fragment condensation approach. Treatment with methoxycarbonylsulfenyl chloride followed by reaction with the free thiol function of cysteine gave the asymmetrical disulfides, while treatment of the S-tritylcysteine containing peptide with iodine resulted in the corresponding dimers. Peptides with an N-terminal glutamine residue (position 4) were found to convert spontaneously into the corresponding pyroglutamic acid products.
The effects of climate change on agricultural ecosystems are increasing, and droughts affect many regions. Drought has substantial ecological, social, and economic consequences for the sustainability of agricultural land. Many regions of the northern hemisphere have not experienced a high frequency of meteorological droughts in the past. For understanding the implications of climate change on grassland, analysis of the long-term climate data provides key information relevant for improved grassland management strategies. Using weather data and grassland production data from a long-term permanent grassland site, our aims were (i) to detect the most important drought periods that affected the region and (ii) to assess whether climate changes and variability significantly affected forage production in the last decade. For this purpose, long-term daily weather data (1961–2019) and the standardized precipitation index (SPI), De Martonne index (IDM), water deficit (WD), dryness index (DI), yield anomaly index (YAI), and annual yield loss index (YL) were used to provide a scientific estimation. The results show that, despite a positive trend in DI and a negative trend in WD and precipitation, the time-series trends of precipitation, WD, and DI indices for 1961–2019 were not significant. Extreme dry conditions were also identified with SPI values less than −2. The measured annual forage yield (2007–2018) harvested in a four-cut silage system (with and without organic N-fertilization) showed a strong correlation with WD (R = 0.64; p ˂ 0. 05). The main yield losses were indicated for the years 2008 and 2018. The results of this study could provide a perspective for drought monitoring, as well as drought warning, in grassland in northwest Europe.
Using a social identity theory approach, we theorized that recruiters might be particularly biased against skilled immigrant applicants. We refer to this phenomenon as a skill paradox, according to which immigrants are more likely to be targets of employment discrimination the more skilled they are. Furthermore, building on the common ingroup identity model, we proposed that this paradox can be resolved through human resource management strategies that promote inclusive hiring practices (e.g. by emphasizing fit with a diverse clientele). The results from a laboratory experiment were consistent with our predictions: local recruiters preferred skilled local applicants over skilled immigrant applicants, but only when these applicants were qualified for a specific job. This bias against qualified and skilled immigrant applicants was attenuated when fit with a diverse clientele was emphasized, but not when fit with a homogeneous clientele was emphasized or when the hiring strategy was not explained. We discuss the implications of our findings for research on employment discrimination against skilled immigrants, including the role of inclusiveness for reducing discriminatory biases.
The non-uniform dispersion of second-phase inclusions is studied using the concept of fractal dimension. For simulated disordered distributions which represent composite microstructure, the fractal dimension is directly related to underlying dispersion of fillers. The fractal dimension grows as homogeneity and regularity of dispersions becomes more pronounced. Clustered patterns of fillers exhibit the smallest fractal dimension. The fractal dimension is further related to the stress field which is locally disturbed due to fibers embedded in the matrix material. It is shown that the fractal dimension is a reliable indicator of the stress variability and may serve as a diagnostic indicator for the appearance of local stress concentration areas.
Simple Summary The production performances of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) are highly affected by substrate quality. Currently, multiple sources of side-streams are used to develop diets of increased complexity and quality. This increases production costs (and potentially reduces profit) and results in additional environmental impacts associated with purchasing and transporting side-streams from multiple sources. In this study, we evaluate the adaptation of BSFL to a single sourced low-quality diet and the potential costs associated with diet adaptation. We tested evolutionary responses of BSFL to a single sourced, low-quality wheat bran diet (WB) or to a high-quality chicken feed diet (CF) for several traits during 13 generations. We evaluated the cost associated with adaptation by switching the diets at generation 13. Although diet quality plays an important role, the study revealed that faster evolutionary adaptation was experienced by BSFL reared on the low-quality single sourced WB diet. No costs associated with adaptation were found in the study. Our study suggests that BSFL can be adapted to feed on low-quality single source waste streams. Abstract Genetic adaptation of Hermetia illucens (BSF) to suboptimal single sourced waste streams can open new perspectives for insect production. Here, four BSF lines were maintained on a single sourced, low-quality wheat bran diet (WB) or on a high-quality chicken feed diet (CF) for 13 generations. We continuously evaluated presumed evolutionary responses in several performance traits to rearing on the two diets. Subsequently, we tested responses to interchanged diets, i.e., of larvae that had been reared on low-quality feed and tested on high-quality feed and vice versa to evaluate costs associated with adaptation to different diets. BSF were found to experience rapid adaptation to the diet composition. While performances on the WB diet were always inferior to the CF diet, the adaptive responses were stronger to the former diet. This stronger response was likely due to stronger selection pressure experienced by BSF fed on the low-quality single sourced diet. The interchanged diet experiment found no costs associated with diet adaptation, but revealed cross generational gain associated with the parental CF diet treatment. Our results revealed that BSF can rapidly respond adaptively to diet, although the mechanisms are yet to be determined. This has potential to be utilized in commercial insect breeding to produce lines tailored to specific diets.
A class of four-dimensional correlative and switchable hyperchaotic systems were built by adding state variables, nonlinear functions or using the method of anti-control the three-dimensional chaotic system. We studied detailedly some of its basic properties, such as the feature of equilibrium, the phase portraits of hyper chaotic attractor, Lyapunov exponent and the evolutive course of systemic dynamical action.
This paper explores the use of homophobic terms by boys and young men and the meanings they invoke when using them. Highly detailed interviews were conducted with young men from diverse backgrounds about their own experiences while growing up and their observations of schools, teachers, family and peers. Homophobia was found to be more than a simple prejudice against homosexuals. Homophobic terms like "poofter" and "faggot" have a rich developmental history and play a central role in adolescent male peer-group dynamics. Homophobic terms come into currency in primary school. When this happens, words like poofter and faggot rarely have sexual connotations. Nevertheless, far from being indiscriminate terms of abuse, these terms tap a complex array of meanings that are precisely mapped in peer cultures, and boys quickly learn to avoid homophobia and to use it decisively and with great impact against others. Significantly, this early, very powerful use of homophobic terms occurs prior to puberty, prior to adult sexual identity and prior to knowing much, if anything, about homosexuality. An effect of this sequence is that early homophobic experiences may well provide a key reference point for comprehending forthcoming adult sexual identity formation (gay or not) because powerful homophobic codes are learned first.
Previous Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations identified specific basic residues on fructose‐1,6‐bisphophate aldolase (aldolase) (I. V. Ouporov et al., Biophysical Journal, 1999, Vol. 76, pp. 17–27) and glyceraldehyde‐3‐phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) (I. V. Ouporov et al., Journal of Molecular Recognition, 2001, Vol. 14, pp. 29–41) involved in binding F‐actin, and suggested that the quaternary structure of the enzymes may be important. Herein, BD simulations of F‐actin binding by enzyme dimers or peptides matching particular sequences of the enzyme and the intact enzyme triose phosphate isomerase (TIM) are compared. BD confirms the experimental observation that TIM has little affinity for F‐actin. For aldolase, the critical residues identified by BD are found in surface grooves, formed by subunits A/D and B/C, where they face like residues of the neighboring subunit enhancing their electrostatic potentials. BD simulations between F‐actin and aldolase A/D dimers give results similar to the native tetramer. Aldolase A/B dimers form complexes involving residues that are buried in the native structure and are energetically weaker; these results support the importance of quaternary structure for aldolase. GAPDH, however, placed the critical residues on the corners of the tetramer so there is no enhancement of the electrostatic potential between the subunits. Simulations using GAPDH dimers composed of either S/H or G/H subunits show reduced binding energetics compared to the tetramer, but for both dimers, the sets of residues involved in binding are similar to those found for the native tetramer. BD simulations using either aldolase or GAPDH peptides that bind F‐actin experimentally show complex formation. The GAPDH peptide bound to the same F‐actin domain as did the intact tetramer; however, unlike the tetramer, the aldolase peptide lacked specificity for binding a single F‐actin domain. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 70: 456–470, 2003
Abstract The structural continuity of fully integral bridges entails many advantages and some drawbacks. Among the latter, the cyclic expansions and contractions of the deck caused by seasonal thermal variations impose alternating displacements at the piers and abutments, with effects that may be difficult to establish reliably. The advantages include easier construction and cheaper maintenance but, especially, horizontal loads can be transmitted to the ground in a much better way than in conventional bridges. This paper first presents a methodology for dealing with the problems that the cyclic displacements imposed raise at the abutments and at the bridge piers. At the former, large pressures may develop, possibly accompanied by undesirable surface settlements. At the latter, the degree of cracking and the ability to carry the specified loads may be in question. Having quantified the drawbacks, simplified but realistic analyses are conducted of the response of an integral bridge to braking and seismic loads. It is shown that integral bridges constitute an excellent alternative in the context of the requirements posed by new high-speed railway lines.
BACKGROUND The potential impact of coagulation abnormalities on non-arteritic ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION), individually and in combination with cardiovascular risk factors, remains unclear.   PATIENTS AND METHODS In a prospective case-control study a cohort of 26 NAION patients < 60 years at the time of the NAION or a previous thromboembolic event and 50 subjects matched for age and sex were prospectively screened for thrombophilic risk factors.   RESULTS Overall, thrombophilic defects were found to be present in 12 of 26 patients (46.2 %) and in 9 of 50 (18 %) controls (p = 0.01). The most frequent coagulation disorders were high levels of factor VIII (p = 0.04) and lipoprotein (a) (p = 0.03). Moreover, we identified two patients with homozygous resistance to activated protein C, which is the first description of this coagulation disorder associated with NAION. Patients without cardiovascular risk factors had a statistically significant higher frequency of coagulation disorders than patients with these risk factors (p = 0.038).   CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that thrombophilic disorders are associated with the development of non-arteriitic ischaemic optic neuropathy in patients < 60 years of age at the time of a first thromboembolic event. Selective screening of young patients and patients without cardiovascular risk factors may be helpful in identifying NAION patients with thrombophilic defects.
We present a magnetic domain imaging study of polycrystalline exchange biased ferromagnet/ antiferromagnet Co/FeMn bilayers using x-ray photoelectron emission microscopy. At low FeMn thicknesses, where the system exhibits no exchange bias, a magnetic fine structure due to fluctuations of the local anisotropy axis is observed in the ferromagnetic Co layer. We find that upon increasing the FeMn layer thickness, this dispersion of the magnetization of the ferromagnetic layer is increasingly suppressed. This can be interpreted as influence of the exchange bias field on the spin structure of the ferromagnetic layer, mediated by the interface coupling, if the “exchange length” analogous to a domain-wall width of the antiferromagnetic layer is larger than that of the ferromagnetic layer. The same behavior is observed for both the induced Fe and Mn ferromagnetic moments in the antiferromagnetic layer. We illustrate that the final spin structure at the Co/FeMn interface is not only governed by the magnetic spin structure of the Co layer alone which is the general perception but is also an exchange average of both the Co and FeMn layers.
Objective: Detecting adverse events is pivotal for measuring and improving medical safety, yet current techniques discourage routine screening. The authors hypothesized that discharge summaries would include information on adverse events, and they developed and evaluated an electronic method for screening medical discharge summaries for adverse events.  Design: A cohort study including 424 randomly selected admissions to the medical services of an academic medical center was conducted between January and July 2000. The authors developed a computerized screening tool that searched free-text discharge summaries for trigger words representing possible adverse events.  Measurements: All discharge summaries with a trigger word present underwent chart review by two independent physician reviewers. The presence of adverse events was assessed using structured implicit judgment. A random sample of discharge summaries without trigger words also was reviewed.  Results: Fifty-nine percent (251 of 424) of the discharge summaries contained trigger words. Based on discharge summary review, 44.8% (327 of 730) of the alerted trigger words indicated a possible adverse event. After medical record review, the tool detected 131 adverse events. The sensitivity and specificity of the screening tool were 69% and 48%, respectively. The positive predictive value of the tool was 52%.  Conclusion: Medical discharge summaries contain information regarding adverse events. Electronic screening of discharge summaries for adverse events using keyword searches is feasible but thus far has poor specificity. Nonetheless, computerized clinical narrative screening methods could potentially offer researchers and quality managers a means to routinely detect adverse events.
Abstract Norwegian sport school programmes are increasing in popularity and making significant contributions to athlete success. The aim of this study was to investigate how school coaches perceive the role of sport school programmes in Norwegian handball and football, and how coaches attempt to promote athlete development. The study was based on group and individual interviews with 25 coaches from 10 different sport programmes in upper secondary schools. The challenges and opportunities experienced by the school coaches related primarily to the interactions between athletes and the different organisational actors within the talent development system, and to the potential risks associated with these. No single stakeholder in the Norwegian system has sole responsibility for talent identification or development. Instead, athlete development in individual and team sports is located and organised within a multi-centric organisational model of club, school, regional and national association-driven activities. Policymakers and practitioners therefore need to strengthen the formal and informal lines of communication between sport school programmes and club teams. Coaches need to ensure that the academic syllabus does not constrain the opportunities available for athlete development at the individual level. Coaches should also maintain flexible approaches to athlete development and practice.
This article presents a liquid phantom technology that simulates the fluorescent properties of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). A technology was developed for the isolation of PPIX from dark egg shells with a final concentration close to the real values in human tissues. A comparative analysis of the transmittance coefficient of the manufactured phantom as well as the fluorescence spectra measured through the combined use of a CCD spectrometer and a hyperspectral camera is presented as results.
5G network slicing provides service flexibility and enables the operator to optimize network resources and provide differentiated services at scale. Slicing in real-time is a challenge due to a large number of connected devices with wide-ranging quality of service requirements. A dynamic slicing method is needed to provide the operator the flexibility to alter the number of slices and change the resource allocation in RAN for each slice. We developed a fast and efficient deep reinforcement learning model to do dynamic network slicing that optimizes the service quality in real-time. Our solution is able to cater to a large number of users with different service requirements due to the use of neural networks to carry out the state-action mapping. Our model uses prioritized experience replay to reduce the training time which will allow the operator to update the model at frequent intervals. To prove the feasibility of the proposed model, we trained the learning agent using our model to carry out the network slicing task in VRAN. Our simulations show that the model learns the characteristics of the network slices and our novel reward mechanism enables the base station to make intelligent decisions to maximize network utility.
IntroductionChondroid syrigomas are rare, usually benign tumors occurring predominantly in the head and neck area. These are also known as mixed tumors of skin. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult and generally histopathology examination confirms the diagnosis.  The usual presentation is that of a slowly growing mass.Case ReportA rare case of chondroid syringoma on dorsum of external nose in 30 year old female patient   is presented.DiscussionChondroid syringoma presents as slow‐growing, painless, subcutaneous or intracutaneous nodule in middle‐aged adult males. The tumor is often initially confused with more common dermatologic skin disorders such as sebaceous cysts, dermoid cysts, neurofibromas, dermatofibromas, basal cell carcinoma, histiocytoma and seborrheic keratosis. The treatment of choice is surgical excision with negative margins with follow-up to detect recurrences.
Abstract If individuals can be identified from patterns in their footprints, noninvasive survey methods can be used to estimate abundance. Track plates capture fine detail in the footprints of fishers (Martes pennanti), recording rows of dots corresponding to tiny papillae on the animal's metacarpal pad. We show that the pattern of these dots can be used to identify individual fishers, similar to human fingerprints. A probabilistic model of uniqueness based on variation in spacing between 1,400 pairs of dots that we measured in prints of 14 different fisher feet suggests the probability of encountering a similar pattern in the print of a different foot by chance alone is <0.35n, where n = the number of dot pairs examined. This predicts a 0.00003 probability that a match made using 10 pairs of dots is false. Dot spacing from footprints made by the same foot was remarkably consistent (σ = 0.02 mm, n = 24 dot pairs). Combined, these results suggest dot patterns in fisher footprints were unique to individuals and were consistently reproduced on track plates. Empirical tests of matching accuracy were best with good-quality prints, highlighting the need for experience judging when prints are usable. We applied print matching to fisher detections collected on track plates deployed at 500-m intervals along 10 3.5-km transects in the Adirondack region of New York, USA. Of 62 fisher detections, 85% had ≥1 footprint of suitable quality to compare with other high-quality prints. We found that most detections from a transect were from the same individual fisher suggesting nonindependence of detections. Thus, data from traditional track-plate deployments over small time periods cannot be used as a measure of abundance, but new study designs using print matching could obtain robust noninvasive, mark–recapture density estimates.
This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship between postpartum depression symptoms, anxiety, and stress during the postpartum period. A total of 101 women were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) within 14 days after delivery. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that paid work, tobacco use, and stress symptoms were significantly associated with a higher incidence of postpartum depression symptoms. These results underscore the importance of comprehensive prenatal care and effective postpartum follow-up to address maternal mental health and prevent adverse outcomes for both mothers and children.
Aqueous humor is secreted by the bilayered ciliary epithelium. Solutes and water enter the pigmented ciliary epithelial (PE) cell layer, cross gap junctions into the nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (NPE) cell layer, and are released into the aqueous humor. Electrical measurements suggest that heptanol reduces transepithelial ion movement by interrupting PE-NPE communication and that gap junctions may be a regulatory site of aqueous humor formation. Several lines of evidence also suggest that net ciliary epithelial transport is strongly region dependent. Divided rabbit iris-ciliary bodies were incubated in chambers under control and experimental conditions, quick-frozen, cryosectioned, and freeze-dried. Elemental intracellular contents of NPE and PE cells were determined by electron probe X-ray microanalysis. With or without heptanol, ouabain produced concentration- and time-dependent changes more markedly in anterior than in posterior epithelium. Without heptanol, there were considerable cell-to-cell variations in Na gain and K loss. However, contiguous NPE and PE cells displayed similar changes, even when nearby cell pairs were little changed by ouabain in aqueous, stromal, or both reservoirs. In contrast, with heptanol present, ouabain added to aqueous or both reservoirs produced much larger changes in NPE than in PE cells. The results indicate that 1) heptanol indeed interrupts PE-NPE junctions, providing an opportunity for electron microprobe analysis of the sidedness of modification of ciliary epithelial secretion; 2) Na and K undergo faster turnover in anterior than in posterior epithelium; and 3) PE-NPE gap junctions differ from PE-PE and NPE-NPE junctions in permitting ionic equilibration between adjoining ouabain-stressed cells.
Development of the early embryo takes place under low oxygen tension. Under such conditions, the embryo implants and the trophectoderm, the outer layer of blastocyst, proliferate, forming the cytotrophoblastic shell, the early placenta. The cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) are the so-called epithelial 'stem cells' of the placenta, which, depending on the signals they receive, can differentiate into either extravillous trophoblast (EVT) or syncytiotrophoblast (STB). EVTs anchor the placenta to the uterine wall and remodel maternal spiral arterioles in order to provide ample blood supply to the growing fetus. STBs arise through CTB fusion, secrete hormones necessary for pregnancy maintenance and form a barrier across which nutrient and gas exchange can take place. The bulk of EVT differentiation occurs during the first trimester, before the onset of maternal arterial blood flow into the intervillous space of the placenta, and thus under low oxygen tension. These conditions affect numerous signaling pathways, including those acting through hypoxia-inducible factor, the nutrient sensor mTOR and the endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced unfolded protein response pathway. These pathways are known to be involved in placental development and disease, and specific components have even been identified as directly involved in lineage-specific trophoblast differentiation. Nevertheless, much controversy surrounds the role of hypoxia in trophoblast differentiation, particularly with EVT. This review summarizes previous studies on this topic, with the intent of integrating these results and synthesizing conclusions that resolve some of the controversy, but then also pointing to remaining areas, which require further investigation.
Describes recent research results about how to generate an avatar's face in a real-time process, exactly copying a real person's face. It is very important for the synthesis of a real avatar to precisely duplicate the emotions and impressions included in the original face image and voice. A face-fitting tool from multi-angle camera images is introduced in order to make a real 3D face model with real texture and geometry that is very close to the original. When an avatar is speaking something, the voice signal is very essential for deciding the mouth shape features, so a real-time mouth shape control mechanism is proposed by conversion from speech parameters to lip shape parameters using a multi-layered neural network. For dynamic modeling of facial expressions, a muscle structure constraint is introduced to generate a facial expression naturally with just a few parameters. We also tried to obtain muscle parameters automatically in order to decide an expression from a local motion vector on the face calculated by optical flow in a video sequence. Finally, an approach is presented that enables the modeling of the emotions appearing on faces. A system with this approach helps us to analyze, synthesize and code face images at the emotional level.
What are the limitations to the accuracy of our current technologies in radiation oncology? The immobilization of the patient, definition of the target, motion of the target and localization of the target are the major concerns that must be addressed. Current approaches to meet these needs have brought new technical systems with greater precision and new clinical procedures with higher expectations of practice. This text offers discussions on these issues, including advances in intensity-modulated radiotherapy planning, clinical target definition for the major tumor sites, management of organ motion, target localization and image guidance systems, and the expanding applications of high-precision treatment with stereotactic body radiotherapy.
Amorphous Pr0.7Ca0.3MnO3(APCMO) films grown on a Pt electrode under an oxygen pressure(OP) of 5 mTorr showed a dense microstructure with a smooth surface but bipolar switching behavior was not observed in this film. Porosity and surface roughness increased with increasing OP and a typical bipolar switching behavior was observed in the APCMO films grown under 100 and 200 mTorr OP. The resistance of these APCMO films decreased with increasing device area in both low- and high-resistance states. Space-charge-limited current and Schottky emission were used to explain the leakage current mechanism of the Ti/APCMO/Pt device in low- and high-resistance states, respectively.
We illustrate, through two case studies, that “mean-variance QTL mapping”—QTL mapping that models effects on the mean and the variance simultaneously—can discover QTL that traditional interval mapping cannot. Mean-variance QTL mapping is based on the double generalized linear model, which extends the standard linear model used in interval mapping by incorporating not only a set of genetic and covariate effects for mean but also set of such effects for the residual variance. Its potential for use in QTL mapping has been described previously, but it remains underutilized, with certain key advantages undemonstrated until now. In the first case study, a reduced complexity intercross of C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N mice examining circadian behavior, our reanalysis detected a mean-controlling QTL for circadian wheel running activity that interval mapping did not; mean-variance QTL mapping was more powerful than interval mapping at the QTL because it accounted for the fact that mice homozygous for the C57BL/6N allele had less residual variance than other mice. In the second case study, an intercross between C57BL/6J and C58/J mice examining anxiety-like behaviors, our reanalysis detected a variance-controlling QTL for rearing behavior; interval mapping did not identify this QTL because it does not target variance QTL. We believe that the results of these reanalyses, which in other respects largely replicated the original findings, support the use of mean-variance QTL mapping as standard practice.
We consider different computational issues related to the three-dimensionalities of the flow around an oscillating circular cylinder. The full time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations are directly solved in a moving reference frame by introducing a forcing term. The choice of quantitative validation criteria is discussed and discrepancies of previously published results are addressed. The development of Honji vortices shows that short simulation times may lead to incorrect quasi-stable vortex patterns. The viscous decay of already established Honji vortices is also examined.
Experiments with high-power electron cyclotron heating (ECH) and current drive (ECCD) in the TCV tokamak are discussed. Power up to 2.7 MW from six gyrotrons is delivered to the tokamak at the second-harmonic frequency (82.7 GHz) in X-mode. The power is transmitted to the plasma by six independent launchers, each equipped with steerable mirrors that allow a wide variety of injection angles in both the poloidal and toroidal directions. Fully non-inductive operation of the tokamak has been achieved in steady state, for the full 2 s gyrotron pulse duration, by co-ECCD with a highest current to date of 210 kA at full power. The experimentally measured ECCD efficiency agrees well with predictions obtained from linear modelling. We have observed that the highest global efficiency attainable at a given power is limited by stability constraints. While the efficiency is maximum on the magnetic axis, a disruptive MHD instability occurs when the width of the deposition profile is lower than a minimum value, which increases with total power. Many ECCD discharges display a high level of electron energy confinement, enhanced by up to a factor of two over the Rebut-Lallia-Watkins (RLW) scaling law, which by contrast is well satisfied in ohmic conditions. The longest confinement times (up to four times RLW) are observed with central counter-ECCD. Central electron heat diffusivities comparable to ohmic levels are obtained in these scenarios, with electron temperatures in excess of 10 keV.
The objectives of present study are to extract the antibiotic compound from marine isolate and to determine its in vitro antimicrobial activity against bacteria. A marine bacterial isolate Serratia marcescens IBRL USM 84 was isolated from the surface of a marine sponge Xestospongia testudinaria. This species of bacteria produced red pigment with antibacterial activity. The red antibacterial pigment was produced intracellularly and inhibited 13 out of 18 tested bacteria, with Gram positive was more susceptible than the Gram negative bacteria. The growth and antibacterial red pigment production profiles demonstrated the highest antibacterial red pigment production was achieved at the 48 hours of cultivation (14.08 U/ml) time in marine broth when incubated at 25°C with 150 rpm agitation. The antibacterial red pigment was extracted, purified and confirmed as prodigiosin.
letter to Macarius of Jerusalem. In the light of these facts, Constantine's repeated references, in his dedicatory inscriptions, to the "regal" character of the Roman basilicas he founded, take on a significance which we cannot disregard, especially when we consider how startling this description of a church must have sounded in early Christian ears. A. Alfoeldi (The Conversion of Constantine. Oxford: 1948, p. 51 f.) has recently called attention to the momentous political considerations that prompted Constantine to "transfer the apparatus of imperial display" to the Lateran basilica. These considerations must be borne in mind if we explore the sources of Christian basilican architecture. If, as we must assume, ideological reasons and symbolic considerations influenced the adoption of a pagan prototype, the throne basilica does appear as a more probable choice than the civil basilica.
Gaussian processes (GPs) are commonly used as models for functions, time series, and spatial fields, but they are computationally infeasible for large datasets. Focusing on the typical setting of modeling data as a GP plus an additive noise term, we propose a generalization of the Vecchia (1988) approach as a framework for GP approximations. We show that our general Vecchia approach contains many popular existing GP approximations as special cases, allowing for comparisons among the different methods within a unified framework. Representing the models by directed acyclic graphs, we determine the sparsity of the matrices necessary for inference, which leads to new insights regarding the computational properties. Based on these results, we propose a novel sparse general Vecchia approximation, which ensures computational feasibility for large spatial datasets but can lead to considerable improvements in approximation accuracy over Vecchia's original approach. We provide several theoretical results and conduct numerical comparisons. We conclude with guidelines for the use of Vecchia approximations in spatial statistics.
This study was designed to assess the antioxidant, antidiabetic and antihypertensive effects of essential oils from A. melegueta and A. danielli seeds. The essential oils were extracted via hydrodistillation, dried with anhydrous Na2SO4 and characterized using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Antioxidant properties and inhibition of some pro-oxidant induced lipid peroxidation in rats' pancreas and heart homogenates were also determined. The results revealed that eugenol, eucalyptol, α-terpineol, α-caryophyllene and β-caryophyllene were the most abundant components in A. melegueta and A. danielli seeds. The essential oils inhibited α-amylase, α-glucosidase and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme in vitro. A.melegueta oil showed a higher α-amylase and α- glucosidase inhibitory activities with EC50 values of 139.00 µL/mL and 91.83 µL/mL respectively than A. danielli. However, A. danielli oil (EC50 = 48.73 µL/mL) showed the highest ACE inhibitory acivity. The highest NO radical scavenging ability was observed in A. melegueta oil while A. danielli had the highest OH radical scavenging and Fe2+- chelating ability. Furthermore, both essential oils inhibited SNP and Fe2+- induced lipid peroxidation in rats' pancreas and heart respectively in a dose dependent manner. This study reveals the biochemical principle by which essential oils from A. danielli and A.melegueta seed elicits their therapeutic effects on type-2 diabetes and hypertension.
91 DP DLBCLs, tested for gene expression profiling by the RT-MLPA assay, a sensitive method validated on archival paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed (FFPE) tissues for the GCB/ABC classification (Bobee et al, J Mol Diagn, 2017). The level of MUM1 expression by 10% increments was evaluated on those 91 cases by three pathologists on multihead microscope. Among the 81 DP DLBCLs with available results (5 failures, 2 DLBCL EBV+ and 3 PMBL) for GCB/ABC classification by RT-MLPA, 48 cases (59.2%) were classified in GCB molecular subtype, 25 (30.8%) in ABC and 8 were unclassified (9.8%). In order to correctly identify GCB molecular DP DLBCLs based on Hans’ algorithm, depending on MUM1+ tumor cells, we tested different MUM1 thresholds (Table 1). A MUM1 threshold ≤ 50% correctly identified 19/48 molecular GCB and misclassified only 1 ABC (specificity 95%), while higher thresholds could not reliably identify GCB or ABC DLBCL. Overall, our study clearly demonstrates that Hans’ algorithm cannot be used to accurately identify molecular GCB and ABC DLBCL within the DP CD10+MUM1+ except when MUM1+ tumor cells do not exceed 50%. This new threshold could be included in the Hans’ algorithm to identify GCB DLBCLs among DP DLBCLs. Above this threshold, targeted gene expression tests should be used to correctly classify these subgroups of DLBCLs for COO.
We assessed the visual evoked response and investigated side-to-side differences in mean blood flow velocities (MBFVs) by means of functional transcranial Doppler (fTCD) in 49 right-handed patients with severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis and 30 healthy volunteers, simultaneously in both posterior cerebral arteries (PCAs) using 2 MHz probes, successively in the dark and during the white light stimulation. Statistically significant correlation (P = 0.001) was shown in healthy and in patients (P < 0.05) between MBFV in right PCA in physiological conditions and MBFV in right PCA during the white light stimulation and in the dark. The correlation between MBVF in right PCA and contralateral left PCA was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The correlation between ipsilateral left PCA was significantly higher than the one with contralateral right PCA (P < 0.05). There is a clear trend towards the lateralisation of the visual evoked response in the right PCA.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with hemolysis, vascular inflammation, and organ damage. Affected patients experience chronic painful vaso-occlusive events requiring hospitalization. Hypoxia-induced polymerization of sickle hemoglobin S (HbS) contributes to sickling of red blood cells (RBCs) and disease pathophysiology. Dilution of HbS with nonsickling hemoglobin or hemoglobin with increased oxygen affinity, such as fetal hemoglobin or HbS bound to aromatic aldehydes, is clinically beneficial in decreasing polymerization. We investigated a novel alternate approach to modify HbS and decrease polymerization by inhibiting methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2), which cleaves the initiator methionine (iMet) from Val1 of α-globin and βS-globin. Kinetic studies with MetAP2 show that βS-globin is a fivefold better substrate than α-globin. Knockdown of MetAP2 in human umbilical cord blood-derived erythroid progenitor 2 cells shows more extensive modification of α-globin than β-globin, consistent with kinetic data. Treatment of human erythroid cells in vitro or Townes SCD mice in vivo with selective MetAP2 inhibitors extensively modifies both globins with N-terminal iMet and acetylated iMet. HbS modification by MetAP2 inhibition increases oxygen affinity, as measured by decreased oxygen tension at which hemoglobin is 50% saturated. Acetyl-iMet modification on βS-globin delays HbS polymerization under hypoxia. MetAP2 inhibitor-treated Townes mice reach 50% total HbS modification, significantly increasing the affinity of RBCs for oxygen, increasing whole blood single-cell RBC oxygen saturation, and decreasing fractional flow velocity losses in blood rheology under decreased oxygen pressures. Crystal structures of modified HbS variants show stabilization of the nonpolymerizing high O2-affinity R2 state, explaining modified HbS antisickling activity. Further study of MetAP2 inhibition as a potential therapeutic target for SCD is warranted.
Madras in the eighteenth century was a site of continuous warfare sparked mostly by trading interests. This paper studies how these influences of hostility and commerce shaped the medical establishment of the English East India Company. It begins by analyzing the struggle of the medical establishment to cope with military and logistical requirements; it then shows how the Coromandel trade provided a peculiar dynamic to the practice of medicine in Madras. By aligning the history of medicine with that of trade, the paper traces the parallel trajectories of intellectual and material wealth. The development of modern medicine is seen as a process of adjusting to and engaging with diverse ideas and items—sometimes co-opting them, sometimes realigning them in new modes of production.
We thank Dr. Paul Smith for his letter to the editor regarding our recent Pulmonary Perspective on the cardiopulmonary health implications of climate change (1). We agree that wildfire activity has already been affected by climate change, and we appreciate Dr. Smith’s elaboration on this issue. We also agree with Dr. Smith’s view that the destructive efforts by politicians and special interest lobbies have confused the public about the validity of climate science, and this has been a major problem. The very purpose of our review was to help address some of the doubts raised about climate change, and bring the alarming health consequences of climate change to greater attention. We did not intend to identify the foremost problem of climate change policy per se, but were contrasting the present climate and air pollution policy situations, and calling for their coordination in policymaking. We wrote: “Perhaps the largest problem with climate as a policy issue compared with air pollution is that many of the most devastating consequences of climate change, such as rising sea levels and desertification, occur incrementally over the course of decades, and policymakers tend to discount events that occur further into the future, preferring to react to what affects people ‘here and now’.” Many health effects of particulate matter released into the atmosphere are immediate, and occur relatively near the source, whereas the health effects of carbon dioxide are more complex. We argued for harmonization of air pollution and fossil fuel policies as the most expeditious approach to maximizing public health benefit. We hope that our review and the American Thoracic Society’s stance on climate change will help motivate regulators to plan for both the present and the future. n
The part of clients in the green supply chain, the board should be distinguished and perceived as a significant research zone. This paper is an endeavour to investigate the contribution part of clients towards the Green Supply Chain (SC). An observational exploration approach has been utilized to gather essential information to rank various factors for successful client association in green idea usage in Supply Chain. Relevant connections among factors have been built up utilizing specialists' suppositions. The exploration may help rehearsing directors to comprehend the communication among factors influencing client contribution. Further, this comprehension might be useful in encircling the approaches and procedures to green Supply Chain. Examining connection among factors for powerful client association in GSCM to build up the basic model in the Indian point of view is an exertion towards advancing condition cognizance.
The rapid determination of ‘live’ clay in greensand is an essential procedure for the efficient running of a foundry production line, since progressive calcination of the clay binder during casting affects mould competence and quality of finish. A new method for assessing the active fraction of clay in foundry sand is described that is based on the response of an ion-selective electrode (ISE) to sodium ions liberated from the clay by ammonium ions. The method possesses advantages of speed and objectivity over the Methylene Blue titration method presently employed in foundries. Results appear to be unaffected by the presence of coal dust in greensand.
Recent reports on hydride-doped noble metal nanoclusters strongly suggest that the encapsulated hydride is a part of the superatom core, but no accurate location of the hydride could be experimentally proved, so far. We report herein a hydride-doped eight-electron platinum/silver alloy nanocluster in which the position of four-coordinated hydride was determined by neutron diffraction for the first time. X-ray structures of [PtHAg19(dtp/desp)12] (dtp = S2P(OnPr)2, 1; dsep = Se2P(OiPr)2, 2) describe a central platinum hydride (PtH) unit encapsulated within a distorted Ag12 icosahedron, the resulting (PtH)@Ag12 core being stabilized by an outer sphere made up of 7 capping silver atoms and 12 dichalcogenolates. Solid-state structures of 1 and 2 differ somewhat in the spatial configuration of their outer spheres, resulting in overall different symmetries, C1 and C3, respectively. Whereas the multi-NMR spectra of 2 in solution at 173 K reveal that the structure of C3 symmetry is the predominant one, 1H and 195Pt NMR spectra of 1 at the same temperature disclose the presence of isomers of both C1 and C3 symmetry. DFT calculations found both isomers to be very close in energy, supporting the fact that they co-exist in solution. They also show that the [PtH@Ag12]5+ kernel can be viewed as a closed-shell superatomic core, the μ4-hydride electron contributing to its eight-electron count. On the other hand, the 1s(H) orbital contributes only moderately to the superatomic orbitals, being mainly involved in the building of a Pt-H bonding electron pair with the 5dz2(Pt) orbital.
A toxic protein, hirsutellin A, has been purified from the mite fungal pathogen, Hirsutella thompsonii, using ammonium sulphate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-10. The protein has been characterized as a monomer with a molecular mass of 15 kDa and an isoelectric point of 10.5. The amino acid composition and the N-terminal sequence of hirsutellin A (34 amino acids) have been determined. From these results, the toxin appears to be distinct from other known proteins. It is not glycosylated, and does not show proteolytic activity. The toxin is also antigenic, thermostable and not inactivated by treatments with proteolytic enzymes. Toxicity bioassays showed that injection of larvae of the waxmoth, Galleria mellonella, with hirsutellin A at low dosages [1 microgr toxin (g body wt)-1] caused a high mortality rate. Hirsutellin A was also toxic per os to neonatal larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti.
Alloy catalysts are promising for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells but are difficult to realize high-durability operation because the dissolution of Pt-M (M = Co, Ni, etc.) metals inevitably accelerates irreversible performance degradation. Here, we propose a buffer layer solution that inserts a trace layer of a graphene oxide (GO) film between the PEM and the alloy catalyst layer to mitigate the poison effect. To distinguish the irreversible and reversible losses, two typical recovery procedures (shutdown and JRC-based protocols) being part of a fuel cell dynamic load cycle durability test are characterized. The electrochemical evaluation reveals that GO-1 μg/cm2 enables a higher initial performance and stability. Furthermore, the GO buffer layer design allows the realization of membrane electrode assemblies with a highly homogeneous current density distribution and a low accessible mass transport resistance. Thanks to the ion sieving effect in the GO buffer layer, high anti-poisoning and stability during the accelerated stress test process are ensured.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Shared decision making in patients with glomerular disease remains challenging because outcomes important to patients remain largely unknown. We aimed to identify and prioritize outcomes important to patients and caregivers and to describe reasons for their choices.   DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS We purposively sampled adult patients with glomerular disease and their caregivers from Australia, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Participants identified, discussed, and ranked outcomes in focus groups using the nominal group technique; a relative importance score (between zero and one) was calculated. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically.   RESULTS Across 16 focus groups, 134 participants (range, 19-85 years old; 51% women), including 101 patients and 33 caregivers, identified 58 outcomes. The ten highest-ranked outcomes were kidney function (importance score of 0.42), mortality (0.29), need for dialysis or transplant (0.22), life participation (0.18), fatigue (0.17), anxiety (0.13), family impact (0.12), infection and immunity (0.12), ability to work (0.11), and BP (0.11). Three themes explained the reasons for these rankings: constraining day-to-day experience, impaired agency and control over health, and threats to future health and family.   CONCLUSIONS Patients with glomerular disease and their caregivers highly prioritize kidney health and survival, but they also prioritize life participation, fatigue, anxiety, and family impact.
People with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) need support to understand and articulate how their personal values relate to their health and health care. We developed three prototypes for supporting reflection on values and health and tested them in a qualitative study involving 12 people with MCC. We identified benefits and limitations to building on how patients prepare for visits with clinicians; revealed varying levels of comfort with deep, exploratory reflection involving a facilitator; and found that reflection oriented toward the future could elicit hopeful attitudes and plans for change, while reflection on the past elicited strong resistance. We translated these findings into design guidelines for supporting collaborative reflection on values and health. We also discussed these findings in relation to previous literature on designing for reflection in three areas: shifting between self-guided and facilitator-guided reflection, balancing between outcome-oriented and exploratory reflection, and exploring temporality in reflection.
Allyloxy-substituted macrocyclic dibenzodicyclohexanotetraamide 2 was prepared by the following sequence. MonoBoc-protected chiral 1,2-cyclohexanediamine (3) was treated with isophthaloyl chloride followed by removal of the Boc group to form bisisophthalamide 5. Compound 5 was then treated with allyloxyphthaloyl chloride to form the macrocyclic tetraamide 2 in a 56% yield. Chiral selector 2 was converted to its ethoxydimethylsilane derivative and heated in a suspension of silica gel and toluene to form the chiral macrocycle-containing silica gel phase 1. This phase separated the enantiomers of (±)-α-methylbenzylamine and (±)-DL-α-aminobutyric acid methyl ester in a liquid chromatograph.
This paper describes an application of a feedforward backpropagation artificial neural network (ANN), to predict Geothermal Power Plant (GPP) Unit 4 Kamojang performance under a broad range of operating conditions. The ANN model was used for predicting specific steam consumption (SSC) of the plant, using 10 input parameters such as steam input parameters, turbine-generator parameters, condenser parameters, cooling tower parameters, and ambient parameters. The ANN model was trained with 2 different data combination. The first model was trained using commissioning data and after plant major overhaul data (ANN model 1) and the other model was trained only with after plant major overhaul data (ANN model 2). The predictive capability of the model was evaluated in terms of correlation coefficient (R), mean squared error (MSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) between the ANN model data prediction and plant real time data. The ANN model was tested using normal operation data taken during Feb-April 2015. During the testing stage, even though both ANN models performance yield moderate results, ANN model 2 shows a similar correlation (same positive or negative gradient) with the plant real time data. The difference between ANN model 2 SSC prediction and plant actual real time shows a significant difference. The experiment shows that there is 24 T/h of steam flow or equals to 3.4 to 4 MW (using SSC range 6-7 T/MWh) difference between venturi steam flow reading and ANN prediction. Combined with good and sufficient training data, and an independent measurement of steam flow for validation, the neural network approach can be utilized to develop a good performance program that able to identify the degradation of the plant or instruments (in this case is the steam flow instrument, venturi tube). If the data from the instrument reading show noticeable shift from ANN predicted value, then it can be a good sign to perform thorough analysis on the plant to prevent losses, especially in steam sales contract scheme.
The need of a higher role of solar energy within the energy mix in the coming decades obliges the systems to increase their performance and reliability. It is demanded that the solar absorbers, as the key component of solar thermal systems, should be low cost with high efficiency for extended lifetimes under different kinds of environments. Commercially, there are two different types of solutions as selective solar absorbers coatings: coatings obtained by physical vapor deposition (PVD) and by paint coatings (PC). These coatings present different physical and chemical characteristics. Therefore, it is important to know how these coatings degrade over time in different environments. Results obtained with two different PVD coatings and three PC, under different accelerated aging tests, are presented. The aging tests performed included different environmental stress corrosion conditions: temperature, humidity, chlorides, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Cyclic variation of corrosion promoting gases (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide), higher humidity, salt spraying and drying seem to be an aging test that reflects the different environments where the solar thermal collectors are exposed. In addition to the contaminants, drying / wetting cycles also play an important role in degradation mechanisms of absorber coatings.
In the real world, there are a number of common factors that can cause perturbations at check-in counters, such as an airport closure, a temporary power failure, crashing of the counter computer, baggage conveyor belt malfunctions, and so on, forcing the airport authority to reassign flights to new check-in counters. In this study, we develop a model and a solution method to solve common-use check-in counter reassignment problems with a variable number of service lines and a variable length of time window. To test how well the proposed model and the solution method can be applied to the real world, we perform numerical tests based on a hypothetical incident in relation to a Taiwan airport’s operations. The test results show that the model and solution would be useful for the airport authority in actual operations.
1. A method for the quantitative determination of quinine degradation product (QDP), sensitive to 5 ,ug., is described. 2. The red-cell concentration of QDP in chicks during 7 hr. following oral doses is approximately the same as that of an equal dose of quinine, indicating that the previously observed higher antimalarial activity of quinine is due to higher specific activity on the parasite, and not to superior absorption in the host.
Bleeding events are associated with unfavorable prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndromes. In a recent publication, we reported that Asian patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction are at a higher risk of bleeding than whites. Although similar results were noted in Asian patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) using registry data from 2003 to 2005, characteristics of contemporary NSTEMI cohort and their bleeding risks may differ following advancements in troponin assays, changes in definition of myocardial infarction, and adoption of newer antiplatelet agents. In this context, we sought to reinvestigate the impact of Asian ethnicity on bleeding in a contemporary NSTEMI cohort. We analyzed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, a part of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and identified all patients older than 18 years who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of NSTEMI (International Classification of Diseases diagnosis code 410.7x) between 2010 and 2014. The institutional review board of our facility determined that this study was exempted from formal review. The exclusion criteria, codes used to identify comorbidities and outcomes, and covariates included in multivariate models (except for systemic thrombolysis) were identical to our prior study. The primary outcome was in-hospital major bleeding, defined as a composite of intracranial hemorrhage and blood transfusion for bleeding events. All statistical analyses were performed with SPSS version 24.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, New York). Data on race were missing in 7.9% of the population. After exclusions, 285 076 white and 8608 Asian patients were included. Hypertension, diabetes, renal failure, anemia, and cardiogenic shock were more commonly observed in Asians, while obesity was less prevalent (Table 1). Asian patients had a
Background: The heart grows in response to pathological and physiological stimuli. The former often precedes cardiomyocyte loss and heart failure; the latter paradoxically protects the heart and enhances cardiomyogenesis. The mechanisms underlying these differences remain incompletely understood. Although long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important in cardiac development and disease, less is known about their roles in physiological hypertrophy or cardiomyogenesis. Methods: RNA sequencing was applied to hearts from mice after 8 weeks of voluntary exercise-induced physiological hypertrophy and cardiomyogenesis or transverse aortic constriction for 2 or 8 weeks to induce pathological hypertrophy or heart failure. The top lncRNA candidate was overexpressed in hearts with adeno-associated virus vectors and inhibited with antisense locked nucleic acid–GapmeRs to examine its function. Downstream effectors were identified through promoter analyses and binding assays. The functional roles of a novel downstream effector, dachsous cadherin-related 2 (DCHS2), were examined through transgenic overexpression in zebrafish and cardiac-specific deletion in Cas9-knockin mice. Results: We identified exercise-regulated cardiac lncRNAs, called lncExACTs. lncExACT1 was evolutionarily conserved and decreased in exercised hearts but increased in human and experimental heart failure. Cardiac lncExACT1 overexpression caused pathological hypertrophy and heart failure; lncExACT1 inhibition induced physiological hypertrophy and cardiomyogenesis, protecting against cardiac fibrosis and dysfunction. lncExACT1 functioned by regulating microRNA-222, calcineurin signaling, and Hippo/Yap1 signaling through DCHS2. Cardiomyocyte DCHS2 overexpression in zebrafish induced pathological hypertrophy and impaired cardiac regeneration, promoting scarring after injury. In contrast, murine DCHS2 deletion induced physiological hypertrophy and promoted cardiomyogenesis. Conclusions: These studies identify lncExACT1-DCHS2 as a novel pathway regulating cardiac hypertrophy and cardiomyogenesis. lncExACT1-DCHS2 acts as a master switch toggling the heart between physiological and pathological growth to determine functional outcomes, providing a potentially tractable therapeutic target for harnessing the beneficial effects of exercise.
Implementation has been observed to be crucial to the successful introduction of clinical supervision. Despite its importance, there is limited literature which articulates principles or process to guide it. The first and second parts of this three-part paper present findings of a qualitative exploration of the implementation of clinical supervision in a rural mental health service. The findings were discussed in light of the Driscoll model of implementation. While this model provided a valuable tool to interpret some aspects of the findings, its focus was primarily on the preimplementation stage, particularly in terms of assessing the workplace culture and the recognition of the pushing and resisting forces in relation to clinical supervision. This paper presents a new model of implementation with interrelated and dynamic stages. The model was developed in a rural mental health service context. An overview of this research-based model is presented in this paper.
In Mapp v. Ohio (1961), the Supreme Court created the exclusionary rule, which held that courts could not admit evidence obtained illegally against a defendant. Chief Justice Earl Warren assigned the Court's majority opinion to Justice Tom Clark, a former Attorney General of the United States, a man responsible for the prosecution of thousands of criminals. In Korematsu v. United States (1944), during the height of World War II, the Court upheld the removal of Americans of Japanese descent to camps away from the West Coast. Chief Justice Stone assigned the Court's opinion to Justice Black, a staunch civil libertarian. These justices seemed unlikely to receive such opinions. But they did receive them. Surely other justices were as qualified. Why did these justices write the opinions? One scholar believes it is because the Chief and other justices were well aware of the need to manage public criticism of the Court's decisions (O'Brien 2008, 273). The public can be a source of power for the Court, but also a constraint. Public support for the Court enhances its legitimacy. This legitimacy, in turn, gives justices power to rule. Yet frequent rulings against the public could cause it to lose legitimacy. In prior chapters, we demonstrated how Supreme Court justices alter the clarity of their majority opinions with an eye toward multiple audiences in the Court's political and legal environment, including federal circuit courts, federal bureaucratic agencies, and state legislatures. We now extend our focus to a fourth audience – the general public. We examine whether public opinion influences the clarity of Supreme Court majority opinions. We begin by returning to our central theory – that justices use opinion clarity to enhance compliance with their decisions and, more importantly for this chapter, to manage public support for the Court. We discuss the role of public opinion as a constraint on the Court, highlighting how public opinion influences external actors and, thus indirectly, the Court. We also discuss how frequent rulings against the public could cause the Court to lose institutional support. Next, we discuss why ruling contrary to prevailing popular sentiment might lead justices to write increasingly readable opinions. We then discuss our data and measures, present our results, and conclude with a discussion about the broader importance of public opinion as a constraint on the Supreme Court.
Graphene is an exciting material for optoelectronics and plasmonics. Its optical response may be changed under mechanical action, such as stretching or corrugation, and with confinement of a size in a certain direction. Theoretical investigations play an important role in interpretation of experimental data and stimulating a search for novel graphene architectures. Thereby, it is important to analyze restrictions of modern approaches in calculation of optical properties of graphene-based objects and, particularly, to reveal an impact of electron–electron and electron–hole interactions on the position and shape of optical features. Here, we review the recent progress in quantum-chemical calculations of monolayer and few-layer graphenes, graphene ripples, and dots in a light of optical excitations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
In response to the fact that college students complain on their unsuccessful story of their EFL learning experience such as the limited number of vocabulary, English Grammar confusion, low competence of English language skills, this article explores an alternative effective way of helping them to improve their English through Text-Based Learning (TBL) model. This article is then intended to narrate the implementation of TBL to teach English for college students of non English Department of Post Graduate Program of State Islamic Institute of Tulungagung, Indonesia. The result of implementing this teaching model proves to be able to not only stimulate joyful learning atmosphere but to attract the students’ active participation during the EFL instructional process as well. This further brings about their better practical understanding on English language skills as their expectation. Therefore, for English lecturers, this model is pedagogically good to be implemented in their English instructional practices.
Recently there has been much interest in using data from surface arrays for passive seismic monitoring, where migration-based processing methods can be used to locate events in both space and time. Here we test the sensitivity of such methods to signal to noise ratio using signals embedded in different amounts of realistic noise. The data for this study consist of signals recorded across a temporary array of surface instruments in Wyoming, whilst a perforation shot was detonated in the subsurface. Applying a stacking procedure to the data with different signal to noise ratios demonstrates that surface arrays in conjunction with migration style processing methods can successfully image sources that are too weak to be observable in the raw data. The results show that the imaged shot position is relatively insensitive to the level of added noise. The primary effect of adding noise is that it defocuses the image of the shot location. We find that given our migration approach, the experiment geometry and recording conditions for the Wyoming dataset, signals embedded in noise with signal to noise ratios >0.1 can be successfully used to image and locate events.
The ortho-metalated complex (S,S)-[Pd2{κ2(C,N)-C6H4CH2CH(CO2Me)NH2-2}2(μ-Br)2] (1b) can be prepared by refluxing in acetonitrile equimolecular amounts of Pd(OAc)2 and l-phenylalanine methyl ester hydrochloride, followed by addition of an excess of NaBr. Complex 1b reacts with 4-picoline to give the mononuclear derivative (S)-[Pd{κ2(C,N)-C6H4CH2CH(CO2Me)NH2-2}2Br(NC5H4Me-4)] (2), whose crystal structure has been determined by X-ray diffraction. The precursor of 1b, (S,S)-[Pd2{κ2(C,N)-C6H4CH2CH(CO2Me)NH2-2}2(μ-Cl)2] (1a), could not be isolated in a pure form, but it can be used as the starting material for the synthesis of functionalized derivatives of the phenylalanine methyl ester. Thus, CO and RNC (R = Xy, tBu) insert into the Pd−C bond of 1a to afford, after depalladation, (S)-1-oxo-3-(methoxycarbonyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (3) and (S)-1-R-3-(methoxycarbonyl)-3,4-dihydroisoquinolinium triflate (R = tBu (4), Xy (5)), respectively. Reaction of complex 1b with bromine or iodine affords trans-(S,S)...
A 60 kV neutral lithium diagnostic beam probes the edge plasma of JET for the             measurement of electron density profiles. This paper describes recent enhancements of             the diagnostic setup, new procedures for calibration and protection measures for the             lithium ion gun during massive gas puffs for disruption mitigation. New light splitting             optics allow in parallel beam emission measurements with a new double entrance slit CCD             spectrometer (spectrally resolved) and a new interference filter avalanche photodiode             camera (fast density and fluctuation studies).
The aim of the present investigation was to study any additional effects of systematic plaque control procedures on oral hygiene, caries and gingival status in school children subjected to long-term orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. The material comprised 60 school children requiring orthodontic treatment. In all patients a standard edgewise technique was used in both arches.  The study included three consecutive periods, namely an introductory period, an active orthodontic treatment period and a retention period. During the introductory period of 1½ months each participant received oral hygiene education given directly on a verbal basis. At the beginning of active orthodontic treatment the patients were divided randomly into four groups: three test groups (A, B and C) and one control group. Each group consisted of 15 individuals. During this period of 24 ± 3.5 months the test groups each received a specific systematic plaque control programme based on mechanical and/or chemical prevention delivered every 3 weeks by a specially trained dental nurse. The children in the control group rinsed with a placebo solution only. During the retention period of a minimum of 12 months no prophylactic sessions were enforced. The final examination was performed 6 months after retention.  The results show that following an introductory period including intense dental health education a high level of oral hygiene control can be established and maintained. As a result initial caries and gingival inflammation only occur to a minor degree. Under such circumstances additional prophylactic measures did not further improve individual oral cleanliness and dental health.
Soluble fibers, including pectins from apple and lemon, are commonly used as prebiotic and to prepare functional foods. The present study aimed to investigate the physicochemical and functional properties of pectins extracted from jujubes (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.). Pectins were extracted from jujubes at three stages of harvesting and characterized by FTIR and SEM analyses. Whole milk inoculated with kefir grains was supplemented by 0.25 mg·mL−1 of pectins. The pH value and vitamin C content were evaluated after 24 and 48 h of fermentation. Pectins from jujubes at the first harvesting stage (PJ1K) showed the lowest methoxylation degree. The addition of pectins enhanced the production of vitamin C during heterolactic process. This result was found to depend on jujube harvesting stage as PJ1K stimulated the growth of yeasts in kefir grains yielding to the highest amount of vitamin C (0.83 ± 0.01 µg·mL−1) compared to other samples (0.53–0.60 µg·mL−1) at 24 h. Lactic acid bacteria diminish pH rapidly with respect to control (4.13 ± 0.05), according to the stage of maturation, reducing its initial value by 38.3% in PJ1K. Besides being an excellent prebiotic, pectins from jujubes could be used to enrich kefir with vitamin C.
Covering arrays for words of length t over a d ‐letter alphabet are k×n arrays with entries from the alphabet so that for each choice of t columns, each of the dt t ‐letter words appears at least once among the rows of the selected columns. We study two schemes in which all words are not considered to be different. In the first case known as partitioning hash families, words are equivalent if they induce the same partition of a t element set. In the second case, words of the same weight are equivalent. In both cases, we produce logarithmic upper bounds on the minimum size k=k(n) of a covering array. Definitive results for t=2,3,4 , as well as general results, are provided.
The primary objective of this research work is to study the thermal behavior of untreated and alkali treated pineapple leaf (PALF) and coconut husk fibers (COIR). In this context, firstly the cellulosic fibers were treated with an alkali solution of various concentration (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10 wt%) then secondly the change in their surface chemistry and thermal stability were investigated by means of a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric analysis technique (TGA) respectively. A significant variation in the chemical composition of cellulosic fibers was observed after an alkaline treatment. Changes in the peak at 1745, 1525, and 1250 cm−1 in FTIR spectra corresponds to the partial removal of hemicellulose and lignin components. The thermal degradation of lignocellulosic fibers consists of two major steps i.e. moisture loss (below 150°C) and the decomposition of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin components (between 150°C to 400°C). An alkali treatment increases the thermal stability of pineapple leaf and coir fibers through physical and chemical changes. It was observed that the 4 wt% NaOH treated PALF and COIR fibers possess higher thermal stability as compared to other treated and untreated fibers. PALF exhibits a higher rate of decomposition than the COIR fiber but its main decomposition peak lies at a higher temperature of about 40°C.
ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of substance use in the Norwegian general population and examine whether the risk of various psychiatric or somatic diseases varied according to alcohol- and substance use. Methods A survey was distributed to 5500 persons in Norway, and a sample of 1792 persons responded (36% response rate). Data concerned with the use of substances were cross-tabulated with disease occurrence, and relative ratios (RR) of diseases in groups of lifetime substance users versus abstainers/low frequent users were calculated. Results Lifetime prevalence estimates were 83.5% for alcohol, 7.9% for cannabis, 8.5% for sedatives, 33.8% for strong analgesics and 2.4% for opioids and for stimulants. Drinking alcohol weekly or daily was associated with lower risk of several diseases, whereas lifetime use of sedatives, strong analgesics and opioids was associated with higher risk. Lifetime use of cannabis was associated with higher risk of depression and lower risk of diabetes and arthrosis. Conclusions While frequent alcohol use was associated with reduced risk of several diseases, lifetime use of other substances was generally associated with higher risk of disease. The study provides evidence of increased risk of disease among users of illicit substances and prescription drugs. Abbreviations: NORPOP: The Norwegian Population Study; OR: Odds ratio; RR: Relative risk; SES: Socioeconomic status
A ticket dispenser (TD) is used to assist customers for the waiting process in, e.g., a shop. This paper deploys a mobile ticket dispenser system (MTDS) with waiting time prediction to enhance user experience in waiting. For example, the MTDS for a restaurant allows a customer to remotely draw a ticket for meal order anywhere through a smart phone before she/he arrives at the restaurant and therefore reduces her/his waiting time. We propose an output indicator and develop a discrete event simulation model to investigate the performance of the MTDS. Our study indicates that the waiting times can be more accurately predicted without consuming much wireless network resources and power consumption of mobile devices.
Tetris game is one of the most popular and interesting computer game. To reduce the cost and simply the circuit, a Tetris game system is developed base on single chip microcomputer and light-emitting diode dot matrix module. The hardware and application software of system are designed and the whole principle of various details in the system is described. The system including five parts: single chip microcomputer, address lock module, LED display module, input module and C51 program. The input module is composed of five keys through which one plays Tetris game. The address lock module uses 74ls373 chip to realize the multiplexing of P0 port. AT89S52 single chip microcomputer is used as the main control circuit for data processing. The software is developed in C language environment. The designed system is simulated with PROTEUS software. The external keys are simulated to control the movement of different form pieces when playing the game. It is indicated that this design can achieve the basic function of the game and realize the intended purpose. The system has many advantages such as small volume, very low cost, convenient usage and strong function.
Kinetics of the phase separation in binary off-critical mixtures of polybutadiene (PB) and polyisoprene (PI) was investigated as a function of quench depth and composition by using time-resolved light scattering. The kinetics for the off-critical mixtures is much slower than that for the critical mixture. The scattering maximum for the off-critical mixtures is very broad relative to that for the critical mixture. For the off-critical mixtures, the domain growth follows the same power law (qm∼t−α, Im∼tβ: α=0.25–0.33, β=0.75–1) in the long time limit covered in our experiments, independent of quench depth and composition. However, the domain growth became very slow before the long time limit under a certain condition (intermittency of the domain growth). In the regime where the intermittency was observed, the scaling exponents α and β depend on quench depth. The shallower the quench, the smaller the values of α and β and the longer the intermittent regime. These behaviors are largely different from those fo...
The most urgent demands in the development of quality education and relevant to the needs of the community is increased capacity. School principals should be able to give birth to innovative ideas that are useful for generating policy alternatives in building. The education system is an efficient, high quality and in accordance with the needs of society in various fields of life. Effectiveness of management functions in learning activities with the application of the principles of lesson planning, organizing functions in learning, actuating functions in learning, and monitoring functions in learning activities. Learning management application that includes lesson planning, organizing learning, learning implementation, monitoring/ assessment of learning. Learning management can be seen from the number of new students who are always growing, produce learners who excel both in academic and non academic.
Since the late sixties, the concept of “experiential learning” has been embraced by many in higher education. Curricula in disciplines as diverse as literature, engineering, and the social and physical sciences now commonly include some form of practicum or internship. These nonclassroom experiences are thought to be valuable in providing students with firsthand knowledge of a field (Little, 1983), building their self-confidence (Ginn, 1979; Pedro, 19841, and improving their employment prospects upon graduation (Barber, 1987; Collison, 1989). From the institution’s perspective, internships can help establish relationships with a given industry and are often seen as inexpensive enrollment builders (Little, 1983; Ciofalo, 1988). Education in advertising and other mass communication fields seems to have paralleled this campus-wide trend toward experiential learning opportunities. It is the position of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications that “Journalism and mass communications internships, practicums and student publications can add a significant and realistic component to a student’s education. Innovative programs in this area of the curriculum are encouraged” (ACEJMC, 1990, p. 10). Past research has examined the use and structure of internship programs related to general journalism education (Garrison, 1983), broadcasting (Meeske, 1988), and public relations (Kendall, 1980). Findings indicate that internships have become accepted and prevalent in each of these fields. To date, the literature related specifically to advertising internships consists of information that is anecdotal in nature (e.g., Lauterborn, 1987). There remains a need for systematic evaluation of internship practices and policies in advertising education. Following a short discussion of some points related to the topic, this article will present primary research that describes internship arrangements at colleges and universities with advertising programs. One ongoing debate among advertising professionals and academics concerns the proper role and objectives of ad educa-
A structural equation model is described that permits estimation of the reliability index and coefficient of a composite test for congeneric measures. The method is also helpful in exploring the factorial structure of an item set, and its use in scale reliability estimation and development is illustrated. The modeling. estimator of composite reliability it yields does not possess the general underestimation property of Cronbach's coefficient a.
ABSTRACT Pseudomonas mendocina KR-1 grew well on toluene, n-alkanes (C5 to C8), and 1° alcohols (C2 to C8) but not on other aromatics, gaseous n-alkanes (C1 to C4), isoalkanes (C4 to C6), 2° alcohols (C3 to C8), methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), or tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA). Cells grown under carbon-limited conditions on n-alkanes in the presence of MTBE (42μ mol) oxidized up to 94% of the added MTBE to TBA. Less than 3% of the added MTBE was oxidized to TBA when cells were grown on either 1° alcohols, toluene, or dextrose in the presence of MTBE. Concentrated n-pentane-grown cells oxidized MTBE to TBA without a lag phase and without generating tertiary butyl formate (TBF) as an intermediate. Neither TBF nor TBA was consumed by n-pentane-grown cells, while formaldehyde, the expected C1 product of MTBE dealkylation, was rapidly consumed. Similar Ks values for MTBE were observed for cells grown on C5 to C8n-alkanes (12.95 ± 2.04 mM), suggesting that the same enzyme oxidizes MTBE in cells grown on each n-alkane. All growth-supporting n-alkanes (C5 to C8) inhibited MTBE oxidation by resting n-pentane-grown cells. Propane (Ki = 53 μM) and n-butane (Ki = 16 μM) also inhibited MTBE oxidation, and both gases were also consumed by cells during growth on n-pentane. Cultures grown on C5 to C8n-alkanes also exhibited up to twofold-higher levels of growth in the presence of propane or n-butane, whereas no growth stimulation was observed with methane, ethane, MTBE, TBA, or formaldehyde. The results are discussed in terms of their impacts on our understanding of MTBE biodegradation and cometabolism.
A series of four dynamic centrifuge model tests was performed to investigate the effect of foundation densification on the seismic performance of a zoned earth dam with a saturated sand foundation. In these experiments, thickness of the densified foundation layer was systematically increased, resulting in a comprehensive set of dam-foundation response data. Herein, Class-A and Class-B numerical simulations of these experiments are conducted using a two-phase (solid and fluid) fully coupled finite element code. This code incorporates a plasticity-based soil stress–strain model with the modeling parameters partially calibrated based on earlier studies. The physical and numerical models both indicate reduced deformations and increased crest accelerations with the increase in densified layer thickness. Overall, the differences between the computed and recorded dam displacements are under 50%. At most locations, the computed excess pore pressure and acceleration match the recorded counterparts reasonably well....
At present, most of the smart systems are based on cloud computing, and massive data generated at the smart end device will need to be transferred to the cloud where AI models are deployed. Therefore, a big challenge for smart system engineers is that cloud based smart systems often face issues such as network congestion and high latency. In recent years, mobile edge computing (MEC) is becoming a promising solution which supports computation-intensive tasks such as deep learning through computation offloading to the servers located at the local network edge. To take full advantage of MEC, an effective collaboration between the end device and the edge server is essential. In this paper, as an initial investigation, we propose Edge4Sys, a Device-Edge Collaborative Framework for MEC based Smart System. Specifically, we employ the deep learning based user identification process in a MEC-based UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) delivery system as a case study to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework which can significantly reduce the network traffic and the response time.
Absfract A radial basis function (RBF) neural network for modeling glucose dynamics with a non-linear autoregressive moving avenge model (NARMAI is presented. Subcutaneous tissue glucose from healthy bubjects was frequently sampled using portable device for open tissue perfusion and the time-series were used for identification of the NARMA model. Validity tests for non-linear models applied on a test data set demonstrate that a parsimoneous RBF network can be obtained for modeling subcutaneous tissue glucose dynamics.
THE OBJECTIVE of this paper is to evaluate, assess and study the potential  hazard associated with the proposed national hydropower project at Qattara Depression. To achieve this objective, the two elements of sustainable development of this vast area, water and power, were developed. The Old Delta lies in the Western Desert of Egypt. It begins from the west of Assiut aligning the western outskirts of El Minya and Al Faiyum and terminated by Qattara Depression in the northern portion. It is a natural depression that covers about 2% of Egypt area. The depression depth is about 134 m below the sea level.A Clean electric generation could be achieved from the net head of filling Qattara Depression. Qattara Depression has the super potentiality of generating clean hydropower during the filling period and also has a high potentiality after filling period. This hydropower can provide Egypt with future needs and could be exported to Eastern Nile countries. The hydropower generation from Qattara Depression does not need filling time, high cost building dam. Previously eleven sites comprising 76 core samples of Lower (sandstone) and Middle (limestone) Miocene age were collected from the northeastern tip of the Qattara Depression in the north of the Western Desert of Egypt. The majority of samples showed weak to very weak remnant magnetization with goethite, hematite and titan magnetite as the main magnetic carriers. However, with a careful, detailed thermal demagnetization, they yielded stable, probably primary, magnetization. The resulting overall mean direction corresponded to a palaeomagnetic which seems to agree with other known African Miocene poles. This result implies that the Qattara area has been stable at least since Early Miocene. The presence of goethite as the main magnetic carrier supports the assumption that weathering has been playing an important role in the development and shaping of the depression.  The possible site hazards associated with this project could be evaluated from different points of view, in order to give an overview to this promising project. The Qattara Depression, as a national project in Egypt, can achieve some accomplishments such as ; defending the Nile River Delta and the Mediterranean countries from the sinking or inundation of the Sea Level Rise (SLR) and reduce the cost of protecting coastal shores , generate hydroelectric power between 1000 to 2000 MW  (depending on the filling water rate ) from Qattara Depression (under the sea level by depth of -60 (MSL) in average, desalinating water in large quantities; providing new areas, particularly for the refugee in case of the sinking or inundating of some parts of the Delta, due to the (SLR); Supporting housing, fish farming, tourism, and agriculture.
Abstract At the time when economy is growing, there is strong competition in the market, and customers have increasingly higher expectations as regards quality of service and products. Under such conditions, organizations need to improve. One of the areas of improvement for an organization is to research the level of customer satisfaction. The article presents results of customer satisfaction surveys conducted by the Servqual method in a pharmaceutical service company. Use of this method allowed to improve the services provided by that pharmaceutical wholesaler, identify areas that need to be improved as soon as possible in order to improve the level of service provided.
ABSTRACT The clonal distribution of Escherichia coli across an unselected population in the current era of widespread antimicrobial resistance is incompletely defined. In this study, we used a newly described clonal typing strategy based on sequencing of fumC and fimH (i.e., CH typing) to infer multilocus sequence types (STs) for 299 consecutive, nonduplicate extraintestinal E. coli isolates from all cultures submitted to Olmsted County, MN, laboratories in February and March 2011 and then compared STs with epidemiological data. Forty-seven different STs were identified, most commonly ST131 (27%), ST95 (11%), ST73 (8%), ST127 (6%), and ST69 (5%). Isolates from these five STs comprised two-thirds of health care-associated (HA) isolates but only half of community-associated (CA) isolates. ST131 was represented overwhelmingly (88%) by a single recently expanded H30 subclone, which was the most extensively antimicrobial-resistant subclone overall and was especially predominant in HA infections and among adults >50 years old. In contrast, among patients 11 to 50 years old, ST69, -95, and -73 were more common. Because of the preponderance of the H30 subclone of ST131, ST diversity was lower among HA than CA isolates, and among antimicrobial-resistant than antimicrobial-susceptible isolates, which otherwise had similar ST distributions. In conclusion, in this U.S. Midwest region, the distribution and diversity of STs among extraintestinal E. coli clinical isolates vary by patient age, type of infection, and resistance phenotype. ST131 predominates among young children and the elderly, HA infections, and antimicrobial-resistant isolates, whereas other well-known pathogenic lineages are more common among adolescents and young adults, CA infections, and antimicrobial-susceptible isolates.
In this paper we propose an optimal algorithm for the problem of least expected transmissions multicasting in wireless networks. The algorithm starts by transforming the network graph into an expanded graph that captures the wireless broadcast advantage (WBA) while simplifying point-to-multi-point transmissions in the original graph into point-to-point transmissions in the auxiliary expanded graph. Using an appropriate function to calculate the weights of the expanded graph links we also capture the wireless unreliable transmission (WUT) characteristics of the wireless medium. By solving the minimum Steiner tree problem on the expanded graph we obtain the optimal solution of the initial problem. Since the optimal algorithm is of non-polynomial complexity, we proceed to propose a heuristic algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed heuristics have performance close to that of the optimal algorithm, at least for the instances for which we were able to track optimal solutions, while outperforming other heuristic multicast algorithms.
Poultry red mites (PRMs, Dermanyssus gallinae) are harmful ectoparasites that affect farmed chickens and cause serious economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Acaricides are used for PRM control; however, some PRMs have developed acaricide-resistant properties, which have indicated the need for different approaches for PRM control. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the biological status of PRMs to develop alternative PRM control strategies. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) allows analysis of the biological status at the transcript level. However, reference genes are preferable for accurate comparison of expression level changes given the large variation in the quality of the PRM samples collected in each farm. This study aimed to identify candidate reference genes with stable expression levels in the different blood feeding states and life stages of PRMs. First, we selected candidates based on the following criteria: sufficient expression intensity and no significant expression difference between fed and starved states. We selected and characterized seven candidate reference genes. Among them, we evaluated the gene expression stability between the starved and fed states using RefFinder; moreover, we compared their expression levels in each life-stage and identified two reference genes, Elongation factor 1-alpha (ELF1A)-like and apolipophorins-like. Finally, we evaluated the utility of the candidates as reference genes, and the use of ELF1A-like and apolipophorins-like successfully normalized ATP synthase subunit g -like gene expression. Thus, ELF1A-like and apolipophorins-like could be suitable reference genes in PRMs.
Interstitial lung disease and isolated pulmonary hypertension are significant complications of diffuse and limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis, respectively. Early diagnosis is essential if the courses of these complications are to be modified , although it is not yet clear how this can be achieved in either case. Respiratory function testsand echocardiography (Lewis Rubin, University of Maryland, Baltimore), combined with high resolution computed tomography scans (Carol Black, Royal Free Hospital, Londonj.v! provide non-invasive investigations for those at risk, but lung biopsy and right-heart catheterisation may be required. The latter is essential for the rational assessment of isolated pulmonary hypertension, for which few long term treatments are available. Although calcium channel blockers have improved the prognosis in those 25 %30% of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension who respond," the high doses required often produce intolerable systemic hypotension. Intravenous prostacyclin administered by infusion pump has been used for treating primary pulmonary hypertension for up to six years (Rubin)." Although it improves survival," it is expensive and non-selective. A short term trial of inhaled nitric oxide in patients with pulmonary hypertension complicating limited scleroderma (CREST syndrome: calcinosis, Raynaud's phenomenon, oesophagitis, sclerodactyly and telangiectasis) showed it to be a selective pulmonary vasodilator Games Williamson, St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney), as demonstrated previousl y in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension." Anticoagulation is also important in patients with pulmonary hypertension, given their increased risk of superimposed thrombosis. The development of pulmonary hypertension is associated with muscularisation of small arterioles and migration of altered smooth muscle cells from the media into the intima. converting enzyme inhibitors. The mortality rate from renal crisis, the most significant renal manifestation, was 80% before and 10% after their introduction (Virginia Steen, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh).
OBJECTIVE Pacific children living in New Zealand exhibit considerably higher rates of overweight and obesity than their non-Pacific peers. The study aim was to identify physical activity and sedentary behaviors related to increased body size in Pacific children, to inform future intervention development for improved activity profiles and body size outcomes in this population.   METHODS Three hundred and ninety-three 6-year-old Pacific children and their mothers living in Auckland, New Zealand were invited to participate. Activity was assessed over 8 days using accelerometry and mothers reported on their child's sedentary behaviours. Children's height, weight, and body fatness was assessed and body mass index (BMI) and body fat z-scores calculated. Maternal height, weight, and waist circumference were assessed and BMI calculated. Associations between children's body fat z-scores and potential related factors were determined using regression analyses.   RESULTS Of the 254 children who registered, 102 (27% overweight, 32% obese) were included in analyses. Almost all mothers were overweight or obese. On average, children's body fat z-scores were 1.75 standard deviations above the reference group (range -0.6, 3.14). After accounting for all other factors, watching television every day and having a mother with a high waist circumference were associated with increased body fat z-scores.   CONCLUSIONS Strategies for obesity reduction in Pacific children and their mothers living in New Zealand are urgently required. Multifaceted, family based interventions that include the promotion of healthy nutritional practices and television free days may be efficacious in improving activity profiles and body size outcomes for Pacific children.
Stage directions are a special type of genre in theater, ranging from indications for the dramatic text to the emergence of the author's voice. In Eugene Ionesco's case, stage directions go beyond his plays and find another function in his critical writings and in his correspondence with directors. In this paper, we analyze how stage directions function in the texts published in Notes et contre-notes and in the manuscripts housed in Ionesco's Archives, from the perspective of a theoretical debate that involves Bernard Dort, Roland Barthes and Luiz Fernando Ramos, among other researchers interested in theatricality.
Models of St. Lawrence Seaway locks were constructed to scale of 1 to 24.24, model to prototype; vortical activity over intake ports and turbulence in lock chamber and lower approach were reduced to acceptable proportions; culvert and gate pressures, emergency gate and tainter valve operating loads, and hawser forces were measured; prototype operation procedures were selected from results of model tests.
A circuit for generating triangle waveform with variable, digitally controlled frequency has been developed. The circuit utilizes a Cygnal C8051F005 System-on-a-Chip (SoC) for controlling the output frequency. Two 12-bit Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) included in the SoC feeds a voltage to a frequency converter to generate symmetrical bipolar triangle signal using four op-amps, which is an improved version of commonly found voltage controlled oscillator circuit. With one DAC, the frequency can be swept from 7 Hz to 3000 Hz while the amplitude remains constant. The second DAC is used to fine tune the frequency. The circuit also outputs synchronous square wave for frequency measurement by the SoC. The circuit was applied for testing or characterizing electronic devices or samples with fully digital control input from the user.
Temporal envelope-based signal processing strategies are widely used in cochlear-implant (CI) systems. It is well recognized that the inability to convey temporal fine structure (TFS) in the stimuli limits CI users' performance, but it is still unclear how to effectively deliver the TFS. A strategy known as the temporal limits encoder (TLE), which employs an approach to derive the amplitude modulator to generate the stimuli coded in an interleaved-sampling strategy, has recently been proposed. The TLE modulator contains information related to the original temporal envelope and a slow-varying TFS from the band signal. In this paper, theoretical analyses are presented to demonstrate the superiority of TLE compared with two existing strategies, the clinically available continuous-interleaved-sampling (CIS) strategy and the experimental harmonic-single-sideband-encoder strategy. Perceptual experiments with vocoder simulations in normal-hearing listeners are conducted to compare the performance of TLE and CIS on two tasks (i.e., Mandarin speech reception in babble noise and tone recognition in quiet). The performance of the TLE modulator is mostly better than (for most tone-band vocoders) or comparable to (for noise-band vocoders) the CIS modulator on both tasks. This work implies that there is some potential for improving the representation of TFS with CIs by using a TLE strategy.
ABSTRACT Onion production is limited by environmental factors, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. A two-year study was carried out to investigate the response of onion (Allium cepa L.) cv. Bawku Red to the application of farmyard manure (FYM), inorganic fertilizer (IF) or a combination of manure and inorganic fertilizer (FYM+IF) when irrigation is withheld just before breakover or at 50% breakover. Onion plant height, foliage weight, bulb diameter and bulb weight were increased by FYM+IF in both years. Onion bulb yield due to the FYM+IF treatment was 34.1% higher than that for FYM, and 4.6% higher than that for the IF treatment. The highest number of split bulbs, which are not marketable but are used by producers under our economic conditions, was recorded for FYM+IF plots (mean for two years, 6800 bulbs/ha) with FYM recording the lowest (mean for two years, 1100 bulbs/ha). Application of FYM either alone or in combination with IF significantly (P < 0.05) reduced bulb rot. The percentage of marketable bulbs was not different among treatments. Neither time when irrigation was withheld nor the interaction of nutrient × time when irrigation was withheld affected onion growth and bulb yield. Thus, application of both FYM+IF at half their recommended rates increased onion bulb yield and reduced field defects.
The magnetic properties of nitride clusterfullerenes GdxSc3-xN@C80 (x = 1-3) are studied as a function of the number of Gd atoms in the cluster. The intracluster interaction of the Gd ions in Gd2ScN@C80 and Gd3N@C80 is ferromagnetic with exchange constants of -1.2 K ± 0.1 K and -0.6 K ± 0.1 K, respectively. At 2 K, the magnetization curves exhibit noticeable deviations from the Heisenberg model pointing to a non-negligible anisotropy.
We report the synthesis and use of sydnone-based profluorophores as tools for imaging applications. These new probes display exquisite reactivity towards strain promoted cycloaddition reactions with cycloalkynes allowing fast, efficient and selective labeling in biological media. Styryl-pyridinium sydnone probes were found particularly interesting for click reactions to proceed selectively inside cells.
ABSTRACT Recent dolomitic sediment samples from Lagoa Vermelha, Brazil, were examined microscopically to study the process of bacterial fossilization in carbonate sediments. Bacteria‐like bodies were intimately associated with carbonate mineral surfaces, and coatings on the former demonstrate the calcification of single bacterial cells. The bacterial fossilization process in Lagoa Vermelha sediments was simulated in the laboratory by cultivation of mixed and pure cultures of sulphate‐reducing bacteria, which were isolated from the Lagoa Vermelha sediments. These cultures produced carbonate minerals that were studied to provide insight into the initiation of the fossilization process. In mixed culture experiments, bacterial colonies became calcified, whereas in pure culture experiments, single bacterial cells were associated with dolomite surfaces. Dolomite nucleated exclusively in bacterial colonies, intimately associated with extracellular organic matter and bacterial cells. Electrophoretic mobility measurements of the bacterial cells in electrolyte solutions demonstrated the specific adsorption of Ca2+ and Mg2+ onto the cell surfaces, indicating the role of the bacterial surface in carbonate nucleation and bacterial fossilization. The affinity of the cells for Mg2+ was related to the capability of the strains to mediate dolomite formation. Combined with sulphate uptake, which dissociates the [MgSO4]0 ion pair and increases the Mg2+ availability, the concentration of Mg2+ ions in the microenvironment around the cells, where the conditions are favourable for dolomite precipitation, may be the key to overcome the kinetic barrier to dolomite formation. These results demonstrate that bacterial fossilization is a consequence of the cell surface involvement in carbonate precipitation, implying that fossilized bacterial bodies can be used as a tool to recognize microbially mediated carbonates.
Two thirds of the world’s populations are suffering from protein malnutrition and about 36 million people die every year due to hunger. Expansion of present agriculture practices into marginal land is not expected to solve the problem of increasing the food supply. New methods of feeding the ever increasing world population must be developed. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of the dandelion leaves as a source of supplemental protein. Protein was extracted from the dandelion leaves by blending them after pH and moisture adjustment, squeezing the resultant pulp through filter press and coagulating the filtrate with acid and heat. The effects of pH, moisture content, pressure and temperature on the ex-tractability and quality of protein were investigated. A mass balance was performed on dry matter and protein contents during the extraction steps. Proximate analysis was performed on the extracted leaf protein and the amino acid profile of the protein curd was determined. The best results of the protein dissolution during the blending step were obtained at pH of 8.25 and moisture content of 96%. Firm protein curd with light green chalky color was obtained at 3.5 pH and 80°C. The protein content of dandelion leaves was 4.70% while the protein content of the curd was 15.93% on wet basis and 55.43% on a dry basis. The best leaf protein could be obtained from the young leaves in good conditions. The results showed that dandelion leaves offer a good source of supplementary protein compared to vegetable and fruits. The amino acid composition of dandelion protein seems to be better than most seed proteins and compares favorably with animal proteins. The protein cake at a pH of 4 had the keeping quality of cheese. Drying the protein cake did not impair the nutritional value but made it hard, dry and gritty. The non extractable protein remained in the fibre and liquor, both have economic values as feed for ruminants and growth medium for microorganisms, respectively.
Abstract Frequencies of H1 and H2 haplotypes of the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) gene were examined in two Jordanian samples. The criterion for haplotype assignment was the presence/absence of the intronic 238-bp deletion, located between exons 9 and 10 of the MAPT genomic region. We further compiled MAPT haplotype frequencies in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and European populations to widen the scope of analyses. Jordan MAPT*H2 haplotype frequencies peaked among worldwide samples analysed to date, with the Jordan general population featuring the top value (0.386). AMOVA tests results indicated spatial genetic structuring, as they unveiled significant differences in H2 frequencies between South Asia and Europe, with a hypothetical contact zone in the Middle East. The southeastern region of the Middle East shares low H2 frequencies with South Asia, while the northwestern area shows high H2 frequencies, similar to and even higher than observed in Europe. We suggest that high H2 frequencies could have originated at the beginning of the Neolithic in the western region of the Middle East, most likely through genetic drift episodes associated with founding events. Subsequently, the arrival of Neolithic farmers boosted the H2 haplotype spreading throughout Europe.
Turbidity currents are formed in Fayetteville Green Lake by sediment shmlping on the sides of the lake basin. Deposition from these currents accounts for about 50% of all sediment accumulation on the floor of the main basin. Rate of sediment loss from the basin sides through the formation of turbidity currents approximately equals nonturbidite scdimentation rates on the gently sloping basin floor. Major turbidity currents arise most frequently where sources of terrestrial sediment are present. Major turbidity currents involve about 200-300 m3 (dry volume) sediment and cxtcnd over about 6 x 10’ m2. Turbidity currents may play an important role in lake sedimentation. Not only do they affect sedimentation rates but they apparcntly contribute to the development of both lateral and vertical variation in the sediments of larger lakes. Turbidity currents have apparently played a major role in sedimentation in l?ayetteville Green Lake (43”03’03”N, 75’57’59”W ) in north-central New York State. The sedimentary column is exccptionally well preserved showing varves composed of a dark and an overlying pale lamina and turbidites ( Ludlam 1969). The meromictic condition of this lake, along with its small size (0.258 km”), simple and regular morphology, and small, uniform watershed ( Brunskill and Ludlam 1969)) combine to eliminate or moderate many processes that would otherwise affect sedimentation. The lake, therefore, provides an cxccllent system in which to study the role of lacustrine turbidity currents in the deposition and distribution of sediment.
Purpose: To explore the feasibility of femtosecond laser–assisted descemetorhexis (DR) to facilitate Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) surgery. Methods: Six pseudophakic patients suffering from Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy underwent femtosecond laser–assisted DMEK surgery. DR was performed using the LenSx femtosecond laser, followed by manual removal of the Descemet membrane. Optical coherence tomography images were used to measure DR parameters. Patients were followed up for 1 month to examine best corrected visual acuity, endothelial cell loss, flap detachment, and structure of the anterior chamber of the eye. Results: The diameter of the DR approximated the intended diameter closely [mean error of 34 &mgr;m (0.45%) and 54 &mgr;m (0.67%) in the x- and y-diameter, respectively] and did not require manual correction. The median visual acuity increased from 0.4 logMAR (range 0.6–0.4 logMAR) preoperative to 0.2 logMAR (range 0–0.4 logMAR) postoperative. The median endothelial cell loss was 22% (range 7%–34%). No clinically significant flap detachments were noted. All patients had clear corneas after surgery, and no side effects or damage to structures of the anterior chamber were noted. Conclusions: Femtosecond laser–assisted DR is a safe and precise method for facilitating DMEK surgery.
Foreword Peter Aggleton Part 1: Empowerment, Health Promotion and Young People 1. Introduction 2. The Diverse Meanings of Empowerment 3. Power, Empowerment and Young People Part 2: Investigating Power, Empowerment and Young People's Health 4. The Study 5. Being Happy and Having Fun: Young People's Perspectives on Health 6. Not Feeling Well: Being Judged and Misunderstood 7. Young People's Priorities for Health Promotion 8. Empowerment and its Relationship to Young People's Health 9. Empowerment, Health Promotion and Young People: Future Directions
The structures of B and Z forms of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) in oriented hydrated films have been investigated by infrared spectroscopy. First, the infrared linear dichroism spectrum of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) in B form (high relative humidity and 2 M Na+) was recorded. The spectrum of the Z form was recorded at a lower relative humidity and higher sodium content (4 M). The experimental conditions were similar to those used in x-ray diffraction studies of left-handed poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) fibers. A qualitative agreement was found between the calculated values of the angles characteristic of the orientation of PO-2 groups with respect to the helical axis in the ZI form and the experimental values. The infrared spectra of B and Z form and the experimental values. The infrared spectra of B and Z forms show some significant differences in H2O and 2H2O. The deuteration rates of exchangeable protons involved in hydrogen bonds between guanine and cytosine residues were deduced from the changes in absorbance near 1700 cm-1. In the B form, the exchange half-time is of the order of 20 min. In the Z form, the exchange half-time of some protons is very slow, of the order of 24 hr. Because of the similarity between these values and those previously reported for the high-salt and low-salt form of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) in solution, we conclude that the high-salt form of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) in solution belongs to the Z family.
The stratospheric ozone depletion and enhanced solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiance may have adverse impact on living organisms. The impact of UV-B radiation (UV-B, 280~320nm) on growth, biochemical and antioxidant enzyme activity was studied in Indigofera tinctoria (L.) seedling, commonly used as a green manure. The supplementary UV-B radiation significantly decreased the growth, development and changes in UV-B absorbing compounds such as anthocyanin and flavonoids. The antioxidant enzymes were unaffected and showed an enhanced activities of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, polyphenoloxidase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase except catalase in UV-B irradiated seedling. Indigofera tinctoria seedling tries to counteract high level of reactive oxygen species produced under UV-B stress through the increased activities of antioxidant enzyme. The results suggest that Indigofera tinctoria is resistant to UV-B radiation damage and the possible negative effect of additional UV-B radiation on the growth of seedling may have been effectively balanced by the UV-B radiation stress through increase in UV-absorbing compound and antioxidant enzymes.    Keywords: Antioxidant, flavonoids, stress, UV-B radiation.
One important function of the port is to protect ship or some other facilities from wave attack so as to stably handle cargoes. In current design codes, there are mainly two expressions of the tranquility standard of harbor basin: one is the acceptable wave height in front of wharf; the other is the tolerable amplitude of ship motion. However, ship motions are affected by some more factors simultaneously, such as wave frequency, wave height, incident wave direction, ship properties and wharf type. This paper presents some computed results of the wave-induced ship motions on the basis of a port case in China. First, the Simple Green Function method is employed to solve and compare the 2-dimension hydrodynamic coefficients in front of open or bulkhead wharf. The results show a great difference between them. Then, this paper computes and discusses the ship motions in front of open wharf at different wave frequencies and incident wave directions.
Abstract AT/RT is a malignant embryonal tumor reported by Rorke in 1996. Authors reported first AT/RT in Japan in 1998. This tumor entity was included as new malignant embryonal tumor in WHO 2000, and tumors of Japanese patients has been reported more than 60 cases in the past. This AT/RT is a tumor in the brain parenchyma that a medulloblastoma and PNET and the possibility that it has been misdiagnosed have had pointed out. On the other hand, it is reported that there is the type that we should call peripheral AT/RT which rarely occurs in extra-parenchyma. We want to propose that there is such special tumor group. In the results, age: 6 infants were main (2nd - 14 years old after birth). tumor location: 6 sellar region, 3 civuses, 2 petrous bone or cerebellum and 2 conexities. treatment: duration of survival significantly improved all macroscopic tumor resection by the operation, but, in small pontine part AT/RT, an outcome tended to be poor. On the other hand, in AT/RT which occurred in the sellar region, all cases adult woman tended to have good prognosis. It is necessary for AT/RT (central AT/RT) in the brain to recognize that there is extra-parenchymal AT/RT (peripheral AT/RT) tumor which we reported this time which came to be recognized widely.
Thyroidal 99mTcO4- (pertechnetate) uptake percentages were determined in unanesthetized euthyroid (n = 13) and hyperthyroid (n = 18) cats. Maximal uptakes were observed 60 minutes after IV injection of the radionuclide and ranged from 0.3 to 3.9% of the dose in euthyroid cats (median 2.23%) and from 5.2% to 23.9% of the dose in hyperthyroid cats (median 14.8%) (P < .05). There were no overlaps in pertechnetate uptake percentages during any of the intervals evaluated. It is concluded that the optimal time for visualization of the thyroid by 99mTcO4(-)-scanning is 60 minutes after IV injection of the radionuclide. Calculation of the percentage uptake is of additional diagnostic value.
Aim. To study relation of body mass index and short term results of coronary bypass grafting (CBG). Material and methods. 1490 CBG patients, were selected to groups according to body mass index (BMI): normal body mass (BMI 18,5-24,9 kg/m2, n=351), overweight (BMI 25-29,9 kg/m2, n=658), first grade obesity (BMI 30-34,9 kg/m2, n=409), second grade obesity (BMI 35-39,9 kg/m2, n=72). The groups were equal by clinical data and anamnesis, laboratory and instrumental data. also we evaluated the prevalence of post operation complications and perioperational mortality. The relation of possible factors with the chance of complications to be found assessed via logistic regression model. Results. The groups were comparable in age, prevalence and anamnesis of vascular catastrophes, severity of CHD and CHF. Part of men decreased with the increase of BMI (p<0,001). Diabetes of 2nd type and AH were more prevalent among patients with higher BMI (in all cases p<0,001). With BMI increase there was significant increase of triglycerides level and HDL cholesterol decrease (p<0,001 and p=0,004, resp.). Glomerular filtration rate, by MDRD, was lower in obesity groups. On-pump operation was done in 1287 (86,4%) cases. More often in groups with higher BMI the radiofrequency ablation was performed (p=0,006), and in these groups also the post operation period complicated with atrial fibrillation (p=0,001). In monofactorial logistic regression analysis the chance of complications increased with the decrease of GFR (p=0,021), age increase (p<0,001), in on-pump operation (p=0,004) and its duration (p<0,001). Age and duration of on-pump also were significant in multifactorial analysis (p<0,001 and p=0,015, resp.). Chance of fatal outcome increased with the duration of on-pump (p<0,001) and decrease of LVEF (p=0,001). These factors also showed significant contribution on the chance of fatal outcome, and in multifactor analysis — the duration. Conclusion. Increase of BMI is associated with the prevalence of arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus, triglycerides increase, enlargement of the left atrium, HDL decrease and GFR. Among patients with obesity there was only increase of atrial fibrillation prevalence growth during post-operational period.
We design an optimal linear precoder for a space-time coded system assuming knowledge of only the transmit antenna fading correlations. Assuming a flat fading channel and a maximum-likelihood receiver, we show that the linear precoder transmits power on the eigenmodes of the transmit antenna correlation matrix. The power allocation on the eigenmodes is a form of waterpouring policy. Simulation results are presented to show performance improvement on a space-time coded system.
Texas Instruments' MSP430 Launch Pad is used as a key component for remote labs that complement an introduction course to microcomputer technology in the bachelor program Mechatronic at the University of Applied Sciences in Rosenheim. The remote labs use breakout boards and include a timer experiment with generation of pulse width modulation signals, I2C communication and analog to digital conversion.
Microbial mats are thought to have been widespread in marine settings before the advent of bioturbation, and the range of their influence on sediments is gradually becoming recognized. We propose that mat sealing can dynamically affect porewater conditions, and allow the build-up of overpressure that can drive dewatering and degassing to produce a suite of atypical fluid-escape features. Finely bedded silty and sandy laminae from the c. 560 Ma Burway Formation of the Longmyndian Supergroup, Shropshire, England, reveal evidence for sediment injection, including disrupted bedding, clastic injections, sill-like features and sediment volcanoes at sub-millimetre scale. These features are associated with crinkly laminae diagnostic of microbial matgrounds. Matground-associated sediment injection can explain the formation of several types of enigmatic discoidal impressions, common in rocks of this age, which have previously been attributed to the Ediacaran macrobiota. Serial grinding of Longmyndian forms previously described as Medusinites aff. asteroides and Beltanelliformis demonstrates that such discoidal features can be fully explained by fluid escape and associated load structures. Our observations emphasize the non-actualistic nature of shallow-marine Ediacaran sediments. Matground-associated sediment injection features provide a new insight into the interpretation of Proterozoic rocks and the biogenicity of their enigmatic discoidal markings. Supplementary materials: A document containing further images of fluid escape and loading features observed in the upper Burway Formation at Ashes Hollow, together with an annotated diagram of features appearing in one typical vertical cross-section, is available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18870.
A novel biotinylated molecular beacon (MB) probe was developed to prepare a DNA biosensor using a bridge structure. MB was biotinylated at the quencher side of the stem and linked on a biotinylated glass cover slip through streptavidin, which acted as a bridge between MB and glass matrix. An efficient fluorescence microscope system was constructed to detect the fluorescence change caused by the conformation change of MB in the presence of complementary DNA target. The proposed biosensor was used to directly detect, in real-time, the target DNA molecules. The bridge immobilization method caused the proposed DNA biosensor to have a faster and more stable response. Under the optimal conditions, the newly developed DNA biosensor showed a linear response toward ssDNA in the range of 5 - 100 nM with a detection limit of 2 nM. It was interesting to note that the described biosensor was reproducible after being regenerated by urea.
Alveolar type II lung epithelia produce surfactant, an essential surface-active material highly enriched with disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC), which requires a key regulatory enzyme, CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase α (CCTα), for its synthesis before its export apically into the alveolus. In this study, we examined whether surfactant phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis and export are physiologically linked. Stable overexpression of CCTα in lung epithelial cell lines increased rates of PC synthesis and cellular DSPC mass without altering total cellular PC content. Overexpression of CCTα was associated with i) increased basolateral, rather than apical, PC export catalyzed by ABCA1; ii) basolateral export of significant levels of unsaturated (nonsurfactant) PC; and iii) transcriptional activation of the ABCA1 gene via a liver X receptor/retinoic acid receptor-independent pathway. Cells exposed to PC vesicles exhibited a dose-dependent increase in ABCA1 transcriptional activity. These data provide the first evidence that surfactant PC synthesis is linked to its export via a basolateral lipid efflux pathway. This pathway is mediated, in part, by a phospholipid sensor, ABCA1, that appears to partake in the autoregulation of both cellular content and composition of PC, thereby providing a potentially novel exit route for a newly synthesized pool of PC distinct from surfactant.
The interaction of weakly nonlinear waves with slowly varying boundaries is considered. Special emphasis is given to rotating fluids, but the analysis applies with minor modifications to waves in stratified fluids and shallow-water aves. An asymptotic solution of a variant of the Korteweg–de Vries equation with variable coefficients is developed that produces a ‘Green's law’ for the amplification of waves of finite amplitude. For shallow-water waves in water of variable depth, the result predicts wave growth proportional to the $- frac{1}{3}$ power of the depth.
ABSTRACT Five energy plants from different regions of the world were pyrolyzed by non-isothermal thermogravimetry and effluent gases were detected through a mass spectrometer. Thermal decomposition characteristics, quantification of emissions, reactivity, and process kinetics were determined. Among the fuels tested, miscanthus was the most reactive, while jatropha was more heterogeneous. A first-order parallel reactions model fitted the experimental results with great accuracy. Miscanthus and willow can be characterized as high-quality fuels and produced higher amounts of carbon oxides and lighter hydrocarbons at lower temperatures. For jatropha, cardoon, and sunflower co-gasification or co-firing is suggested, in order to avoid nitrogenous emissions.
Background: Under-nutrition is the most known significant public health problems in developing countries of the world including Ethiopia that cause a shocking effect on children under five years of age. However, the extent of the problem and its several risk factors were not uniformly addressed enough across the various corner of the country. Thus, the objective of this study was to estimate the extent of under-nutritional status and to identify factors related to under-nutrition among children aged 6-59 months in Gida Ayana district, West Ethiopia. Method: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in August/September, 2015. A total of 588 children aged 6-59 months with their respective mothers/caregivers/were used for this study. Weight, height and Mid- upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) were measured using instruments that are recommended by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and data regarding socioeconomic, demographic, child and maternal characteristics were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire through interview. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20.0 was used to perform descriptive statistics as well as to perform bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify factors related to under-nutritional status of children. World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro 2007 software version 1.0.4 was used to analyze anthropometric indices. Results: The overall prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight were 40.5%, 10.9% and 19.2% respectively. In addition, prevalence of severe stunting; wasting and underweight were 13.4%, 2.9% and 4.6% respectively. Wasting was significantly higher in male children, 24-35 months aged children, House Holds (HHs) of illiterate fathers and HHs with lack of access to safe drinking water. Stunting were significantly higher in male children, children aged 36-59 months, HHs with lack of ownership of farm animals, children with diarrhea, children with fever and HHs with low monthly income. In addition, male children, urban children, children aged 24 months and above, HHs having more than one under five children and diarrhea were the factors that showed significant association with underweight. Conclusion: The prevalence of wasting and stunting among under five children were high confirming nutritional situation in the study area is serious. Wasting, stunting and underweight were significantly higher among boys than girls. In addition; child age, residence, parent’s formal education status, visiting antenatal clinic, and diarrhea becomes the main risk factors that contribute for the occurrence of at least two forms of under-nutritional status of children in the study area. Thus, efforts should be made to improve sources of drinking water and parental education, to prevent and control childhood illness, to implement child’s age, residence and sex specific interventions as well as to establish therapeutic and supplementary feeding programs.
Avian haematozoa and microfilaria were found in the blood of two adult salmon-crested cockatoos (Cacatua moluccensis) and an adult lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo (C. sulphurea) newly imported to Kobe Oji Zoo. Gametocytes observed in the blood cells of C. moluccensis were banana-shaped or amoeboid and extended along the host cell nucleus. A few schizonts and numerous trophozoites were also found. Gametocytes appeared in C. sulphurea extended around the host cell nucleus. The cytoplasm of this organism stained pale blue and contained pigment granules which were randomly distributed. The former haematozoa was identified as Plasmodium sp. and the latter as Haemoproteus sp., probably H. handai according to their morphological aspects. Microfilarias had rounded anterior ends with straight tails and many dark purple stained nuclei. Two times of intramuscular injection of Ivermectin (1450 ,ug/kg/time) gave desirable effects on the treatment of microfilaria. A compound, consisting of pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine at a dosage of 12 mg/kg/day and 245 mg/kg/day, respectively, was given orally for three days, but the effect of these compounds on Plasmodium infection was not determined. A small amount of blood obtained from these psittacine birds was inoculated intramusculary or intravenously to a budgerigar and two domestic pigeons. As a result, neither clinical signs developed nor haematozoa were observed in the erythrocytes of inoculated birds. Microfilarias, however, were found up to 12 months after inoculation in the peripheral circulation of a domestic pigeon which had been inoculated intravenously, suggesting viability of microfirarias at least in this term. J, Jpn, Vet. Med. Assoc., 43, 271-274 (1990)
Closure of the ductus arteriosus at birth is known to be related to the physiological rise in blood oxygen tension. Two main schemes have been proposed to explain the peculiar contraction of the ductus to oxygen, and their function is based on distinct sensor‐effector complexes. Specifically, these schemes comprise a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase‐endothelin complex or, alternatively, a mitochondrial redox mechanism‐voltage gated potassium channel complex. However, it is not clear how these systems may relate to the closure process. Here, it is proposed that they operate jointly within a single functional entity, with their combined activation being required for a full‐fledged contraction of the vessel to oxygen. This arrangement is thought to ensure a smooth transition from the powerful relaxant mechanism that is evident through the early postnatal period. Validation of this concept would not only settle a central question in the operation of the ductus but may also afford a broader perspective in any future translational research.
The paper reviews the report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy that reflects the input of hundreds of people from across the nation, testimony from many of the world's leading experts and months of deliberation. The report contains recommendations to set the course toward a future in which oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes are healthy and America's marine resources are restored and sustained for the future generations. Presented is a new national ocean policy that will balance ocean use with sustainability, that is based on sound science and supported by excellent education, and is overseen by a coordinated system of governance with strong leadership at national and regional levels.
Abstract Traumatic luxation of the stapes into the vestibule is a rare entity, and the disease complicated with pneumolabyrinth is extremely rare. We report the case of a 72-year-old woman with pneumolabyrinth associated with a stapediovestibular dislocation. The patient presented with vertigo and nystagmus following penetrating trauma to the middle ear. High resolution computed tomography scans demonstrated air in the vestibule and dislocation of the stapes. Exploratory tympanotomy demonstrated oozing of the perilymph from the oval window and depression of the stapes into the vestibule. Pneumolabyrinth and stapes luxation detected by high resolution computed tomography should be predictive of a perilymphatic fistula.
Objective To describe surgical outcomes and perioperative complications in patients taking antiplatelet and anticoagulation medications while undergoing cochlear implantation. Study Design Case series with chart review. Setting Two tertiary otologic referral center. Subjects and Methods Forty-six adult patients (2005-2014) who underwent cochlear implantation while on perioperative antiplatelet and/or anticoagulation therapy without interruption. Outcomes included estimated intraoperative blood loss, perception of increased difficulty secondary to bleeding, and postoperative complications attributable to continuing anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy. Results The cases of 46 patients (mean age, 69.5 years; 30.2% female) were analyzed. Of these, 39 patients were taking aspirin, 10 warfarin, and 7 clopidogrel. Aside from 3 (6.5%) patients with postoperative bruising without hematoma and 1 patient (2.2%) who reported self-resolving oral cavity blood, no intraoperative or postoperative complications occurred in any patient that could be ascribed to antiplatelet or anticoagulant use. Conclusion These data demonstrate that the risk of perioperative complications from continued antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy is low. For subjects who are at risk of major complications (eg, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident) from temporary medication cessation, continuing antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy through the perioperative period is an appropriate strategy.
The article reports an accurate theory of X-ray coplanar multiple diffraction for an experimental setup that consists of a generic synchrotron radiation (SR) source, double-crystal monochromator (M) and slit (S). It is called for brevity the theory of X-ray coplanar multiple SRMS diffractometry. The theory takes into account the properties of synchrotron radiation as well as the features of diffraction of radiation in the monochromator crystals and the slit. It is shown that the angular and energy dependence (AED) of the sample reflectivity registered by a detector has the form of a convolution of the AED in the case of the monochromatic plane wave with the instrumental function which describes the angular and energy spectrum of radiation incident on the sample crystal. It is shown that such a scheme allows one to measure the rocking curves close to the case of the monochromatic incident plane wave, but only using the high-order reflections by monochromator crystals. The case of four-beam (220)(331)({ overline {11}}1) diffraction in Si is considered in detail.
Using the human body as a transmission medium for electrical signals offers novel data communication in biomedical monitoring systems. In this paper, galvanic coupling is presented as a promising approach for wireless intra-body communication between on-body sensors. The human body is characterized as a transmission medium for electrical current by means of numerical simulations and measurements. Properties of dedicated tissue layers and geometrical body variations are investigated, and different electrodes are compared. The new intra-body communication technology has shown its feasibility in clinical trials. Excellent transmission was achieved between locations on the thorax with a typical signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 20 dB while the attenuation increased along the extremities.
Argentina has played an important role in the construction Federico Garcia Lorca’s memory, in the dissemination and legitimacy of his works, in the political −and international− complaint of his murder and disap¬pearance. It is not a memory but memories, that construct images of the poet and playwright. This article aims at analyzing Garcia Lorca’s legacy between 2010 and 2015. Focused on Federico Garcia Lorca’s presence as a character in Argentine’s theatre of recent years, this article intends to make a first approach to the phenomenon of “presentification of Garcia Lorca” in Buenos Aires theatre with the aim of exploring cultural relation¬ship between Spain, Argentina and South America through the wounds the Spanish Civil War and the Latin American dictatorships left in these societies.
The colonial tunicate Didemnum vexillum Kott, 2002, was introduced to New England in the 1980s and by 2000 it was widespread. This highly invasive species spreads by larval release and fragmentation. We tested the ability of D. vexillum fragments to reattach to natural (eelgrass Zostera marina (Linnaeus, 1753)) and artificial (plastic container) substrates during late fall and early winter. On average, 77% of D. vexillum fragments reattached to eelgrass and plastic in water temperatures between 6 and 10°C. Eelgrass appeared to facilitate D. vexillum reattachment success in early winter but this tendency should be further investigated.
Fake news has invaded social media platforms where false information is being propagated with malicious intent at a fast pace. These circumstances required the development of solutions to monitor and detect rumor in a timely manner. In this paper, we propose an approach that seeks to detect emerging and unseen rumors on Twitter by adapting a pre-trained language model to the task of rumor detection, namely RoBERTa. A comparison against content-based characteristics has shown the capability of the model to surpass handcrafted features. Experimental results show that our approach outperforms state of the art ones in all metrics and that the fine tuning of RoBERTa led to richer word embeddings that consistently and significantly enhance the precision of rumor recognition.
Seeking to assess the analytical rigor of empirical research in management education, this article reviews the use of multivariate statistical techniques in 85 studies of online and blended management education over the past decade and compares them with prescriptions offered by both the organization studies and educational research communities. Although there is variation in the degree to which the techniques have been appropriately used, they appear to have been adopted more quickly than is typically the case in organizational studies research. Recommendations that emerge from the review include greater consideration of moderating effects, particularly those that have been considered historically to be “control” variables, and reduced dependence on exploratory factor analysis techniques for data reduction except when examining conceptual frameworks composed of constructs borrowed from disparate fields. It is the authors’ hope that this review motivates further consideration of appropriate uses of these techniques in other areas of management education research.
BACKGROUND: Neurosurgical management of cerebral cavernous malformations (CMs) often benefits from using skull base approaches. Although many CMs are cured by resection, residual or recurrent disease may require repeat resection. OBJECTIVE: To review approach selection strategies for reoperation of CMs to aid decision-making for repeat procedures. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, a prospectively maintained single-surgeon registry was queried for patients with CMs who underwent repeat resection from January 1, 1997, to April 30, 2021. RESULTS: Of 854 consecutive patients, 68 (8%) underwent 2 operations; 40 had accessible data on both. In most reoperations (33/40 [83%]), the index approach was repeated. In most reoperations using the index approach (29/33 [88%]), that approach was deemed ideal (no equivalent or superior alternative), whereas in some (4/33 [12%]), the alternative approach was deemed unsafe because of conformation of the tract. Among patients with reoperations using an alternative approach (7/40 [18%]), 2 with index transsylvian approaches underwent bifrontal transcallosal approaches, 2 with index presigmoid approaches underwent extended retrosigmoid revisions, and 3 with index supracerebellar-infratentorial approaches underwent alternative supracerebellar-infratentorial trajectory revisions. Among patients with reoperations with an alternative approach considered or selected (11/40 [28%]), 8 of 11 patients had a different surgeon for the index resection than for the repeat resection. The extended retrosigmoid-based approaches were used most often for reoperations. CONCLUSION: Repeat resection of recurrent or residual CMs is a challenging neurosurgical niche at the intersection of cerebrovascular and skull base disciplines. Suboptimal index approaches may limit surgical options for repeat resection.
The aim of the article is to present a problem concerning the effects of the public debt and the budget deficit. The public debt is a result of the lack of adequate income earned by the financial sector, what means that it must incur liabilities to be able to carry out its tasks or improper management of the state budget funds - what results in the budget deficit. The size of the state's debt and the public debt has a very large impact on the socio-economic situa-tion of the country as well as on its financial policy. Due to the high indebtedness of the state, the whole economy is disturbed, the state authorities are not able to allocate an adequate amount of the funds to stimulate invest-ments. Such actions slow down the dynamics of economic development, what means that the state authorities most often look for savings. Unfortunately, this usually happens at the expense of the ordinary(?) citizens. Countries that have a high level of the debts tend to lose their credibility internationally. This may result in the fall in the foreign investments and the outflow of the foreign capital.
Studies of cell transplantation therapeutics in animal models of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) are often hampered by partial or complete rejection of the graft by the host. Pharmacological immunosuppression is rarely sufficient to prevent rejection. Further, the immunological niche created by both the host immune response and immunosuppressant drugs could hypothetically influence the proliferation, differentiation, and fate of transplanted progenitor/stem cells. To avoid these confounds, we have previously used the constitutively immunodeficient non-obese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) mouse as a model for transplantation studies following SCI. In the current study, we compare behavioral and histological recovery in NOD-SCID, C57BL/6, and BUB/BnJ mice of both sexes to better facilitate interpretation of data from studies using NOD-SCID mice. Of the strains examined, NOD-SCID mice exhibited the greatest locomotor recovery in the open field; no sex differences were detected in locomotor recovery in any of the strains. Stereologic estimation of the number of infiltrated neutrophils showed more cells in C57BL/6 mice than NOD-SCID mice, with BUB/BnJ mice having an intermediate number. The volume of macrophages/microglia did not differ between strains or sexes, though more rostral-caudal spreading was observed in C57BL/6 and BUB/BnJ than NOD-SCID mice. No significant differences were detected in lesion volume. Taken together these findings demonstrate that relative to other strains, NOD-SCID mice have both similar primary lesion volume and cellular inflammatory parameters after SCI, and support the applicability of the model for neurotransplantation studies.
Film co-0production is a complex phenomenon that involves different countries and cultures and therefore closely linked to their social and economic situation during the specific time periods that takes place. Given the economic changes that Greece and Europe in general has undergone during the years from 2001 to 2013, the purpose of this study is first to present the number of Greek productions and co-productions in three major European Film Festivals during the years 2001-2013 and secondly to compare Greece and European countries with similar Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007 and 2011, before and during the economical crisis and with similar amount of population, in terms of their co-productions in the three above mentioned film festivals. Our findings show that although there was a decline in film production and co-production in Greece during the years from 2004 to 2009, Greek cinema in general witnesses a revival from 2009 onwards. In addition, the number of co-productions is closely linked to the fame of a director. The comparison of European countries with similar GDP and similar or equal amount of population to Greece has shown that the number of co-productions is probably dependent on their geographical position, the more centrally in Europe are located the more co-productions they present, as well as their multicultural environment and the proximity of languages spoken in the countries involved. However, given that Greece is not a centrally located country in Europe, some recommendations are made in terms of legal framework and tax incentives which will facilitate Greek European co-productions with subsequent benefits for Greek society.
Learning controllers based on dynamic programming require some means of storing arbitrary functions and finding global minima within cross sections of those functions. A method is presented for learning and finding the minima of all cross sections of an arbitrary, smooth function. This method is applicable to any general function approximation system that learns smooth functions from examples. Mathematical properties of this approach are described. Applications to learning control are discussed, and simulation results are presented.<<ETX>>
In an x-rayed culture of maize, an interchange was found involving chromosomes 6 and 9. The point of interchange was within the reticulate region of chromosome 6 and about one third the distance out on the long arm of chromosome 9. Linkage data with c, sh and wx of chromosome 9 show the interchange to be beyond waxy with 11.6 per cent. of crossing-over in the wx-T interval. Linkage data with y and Pl give the order as T-y-Pl. The per cent. of crossing-over differed in reciprocal crosses.
The benefits of learning and retaining heritage languages are well documented in the literature. Chinese heritage language learners’ commitment to their heritage language learning has gained significant research ground in social psychological and post-structural schools, with empirical evidence predominantly emerging from the North American contexts. There is scant sociological examination of similar problems conducted outside North America. The current study aims to make a contribution in this regard. The use of Bourdieu's sociological notion of capital in the Australian context complements the social psychological and post-structural work predominantly produced in the North American contexts. The initial quantitative sub-study analyses the impacts of various resources on the Chinese heritage language proficiency of 230 snowball-sampled Chinese Australian respondents to an online survey. The subsequent qualitative sub-study explores the profits of learning Chinese heritage language through interviews with a subset of the survey sample. Findings indicate that cultural, social, and symbolic capital significantly positively contributes to Chinese Australians’ Chinese heritage language proficiency, which, in return, produces profits in different forms of capital. The study suggests a reciprocal relationship between ‘capital’ and Chinese heritage language proficiency.
The aim of the present study was to develop a flow cytometric procedure for the quantification of the proportion of viable, apoptotic, and necrotic polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes (PMNL) isolated from both low- and high-somatic-cell-count quarter milk samples. Milk PMNL were differentiated from other cells by indirect fluorescent labeling using a primary anti-bovine granulocyte monoclonal antibody (CH138A) and an Alexa 647-labeled secondary antibody. Polymorphonuclear neutrophilic leukocytes were identified flow cytometrically based on their cytoplasmic granularity and CH138A-positivity. Additional labeling with annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate and propidium iodide was used to determine milk PMNL viability. Thirty milk samples were run in parallel to assess the repeatability of the immunoassay and 6 repeated measurements per sample were performed to assess the instrument stability. Fluorescence microscopic verification of the CH138A staining pattern showed both a high sensitivity (90.9%) and specificity (92.3%). The combination of the side-scatter properties of granulated PMNL and CH138A-Alexa 647 positivity allows the distinction of labeled PMNL from other milk cells and particles that may bind nonspecifically, and from autofluorescent particles present in milk. Quantification of the proportion of PMNL and viable, apoptotic, and necrotic subpopulations in parallel samples gave repeatable results with concordance correlation coefficients varying between 0.93 and 0.99. The average coefficient of variation for repeated measurements in identical samples ranged between 4.2 and 9.7%. In conclusion, this is the first flow cytometric method suited for the simultaneous quantification of viable, apoptotic, and necrotic bovine milk PMNL in a straightforward manner.
India possesses several advantages due to its varied ecological range and agro-climates to cultivate several important and diverse commercial food commodities ranging from cereals, fruits and spices to medicinal plants. The country has abundance of human resource comprising skilled, educated, technical and scientific manpower on one hand and unskilled manpower on the other. Forests- and agriculture-based industries are a major source of employment in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors all over the country. This article has presented a brief overview of the potential of forest and agriculture in generating employment, providing livelihood and environmental services, sequestration of green house gases, carbon trading, rehabilitation of degraded lands, production of fuel wood, etc. There are clear linkages and synergies between agricultural production and sustainable forest management. If the sustainability of the agriculture and forests can be assured, food security and employment generation would go in long-term perpetuity.
In a review paper recently published in the Journal, Stockley and colleagues provide an excellent overview of the current literature and the necessity and limitations of currently available and future chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) biomarkers (1). In their review, Stockley and colleagues state that the circulating level of sRAGE (soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-products) is the best known biomarker for the COPD phenotype emphysema, yet some limitations prohibit the current use of sRAGE in the clinic, including large interindividual variation with overlap between healthy controls and patients with COPD and limited knowledge on confounding factors such as smoking behavior. Although Stockley and colleagues provide a thorough overview of the currently available data on sRAGE as a biomarker for COPD, they overlooked key publications by our group on the role of sRAGE as a COPD biomarker. Stockley and colleagues speculate about the potential effects of smoking on circulating sRAGE levels, and state that this needs to be investigated further. In fact, we have recently addressed these issues, as we have shown that smoking acutely and severely decreases serum sRAGE levels by up to 50% within 2 hours after smoking three cigarettes (2). We validated these results using two distinct quantitative sRAGE assays to exclude the possibility of a technical artifact. Furthermore, in a second study, we showed that this difference is not caused by chronic smoke exposure, as we did not find significant differences in serum sRAGE levels among age-, sex-, and body mass index–matched, young and old smokers and never smokers (3, 4). These data indicate that smoking acutely and temporarily decreases serum sRAGE levels, which may cause large interindividual variations in serum sRAGE levels, as reviewed by Stockley and colleagues. Therefore, we proposed that smoking cessation in the hours before blood sampling may decrease the variation in serum sRAGE levels and increase the discriminative value of sRAGE as a biomarker for COPD. Furthermore, Stockley and colleagues state that more studies are needed investigating the effect of COPD exacerbations on serum sRAGE levels. Indeed, we investigated this using serum samples of 14 patients with COPD that were in stable disease, and serum samples from the same patients when they were experiencing an exacerbation (5). Here, we showed that serum sRAGE levels are significantly decreased during an exacerbation, although there is no difference in the expression of the gene encoding RAGE in granulocytes. In summary, our results are in line with Stockley and colleagues, that more research on confounding factors is needed before sRAGE can be implemented as a clinically usable COPD biomarker.n
Those of us who have done it recognise just how difficult a task changing a school-wide curriculum can be. Jacques Des Marchais and his colleagues at Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, were amongst the very first to attempt and succeed at this in recent years. Between 1985 and 1991, Des Marchais and his fellow staff introduced extensive undergraduate curriculum reform within a traditional medical school using the twin pillars of problem-based learning (PBL) and community orientation as their framework. They have now published a book describing their experiences and setting out not just the steps they took along the way, but also the detail of the changes they made. The book is comprised of four sections. The reform initiative focuses on planning for change and describes a four-stage process: perceiving the need for change; seeking out and selecting a solution; planning for implementation of the solution; and adopting the solution. In explaining the content of the reform, the text describes the major elements of the new programme including PBL, assessment, integration of medical humanities and reform of clinical clerkships. It goes on to outline the conditions for the reform, describing the crucial roles played by programmes of staff development and tutor training. It then proceeds to evaluate the reform, describing the evaluation system and giving a student perspective on the new programme as well as considering the continuing problems faced by the programme within its own local health care and political setting. Wherever possible, the book strives to be evidence-based. It includes some very useful examples of materials used in planning the syllabus and the cases used in PBL, descriptions of studies conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the assessment strategy and an outline of the evaluation strategy adopted by the school. Success in a large-scale project such as the one described in this book does not result from the efforts of just one person. Des Marchais is generous in his recognition of the huge contributions made by many of his colleagues, both in laying the groundwork for reform and throughout the project. However, strong, entrepreneurial leadership is essential and it is clear from the book that the Sherbrooke team were fortunate indeed in being led by a charismatic individual with excellent clinical credentials, training and experience in education and, above all, the determination to succeed. The book sets out to be informative and analytical and the result is an excellent record of a process of curriculum reform based not just on a skilful management strategy, but on a scholarly and reflective approach. Because we live in a time of much reform in medical education, it may be difficult for readers to recognise the extent of the achievement described in the book. Henk Schmidt best describes the significance of the Sherbrooke reform in his Preface to the English edition of the book: I was sceptical. I had seen many attempts at innovation of this kind fail. In fact, I did not, at that time, know of a single success in turning around an existing medical school . Since Sherbrooke there have been other successes at traditional schools in North America, in parts of Europe including England and Scotland, and in Australia. But sustainable change on a large scale has yet to be achieved in any country, although the results of national initiatives launched in the 1990s in both the USA and the UK have yet to be realised. On the upside, we have learned a lot about overcoming barriers to change from these experiences and from those described at Harvard, Johns Hopkins and Newcastle, New South Wales. But on the downside (or, as I prefer to say, the challenging side), as the new century starts, further, and possibly more dramatic, changes to medical education loom large as health services reconfigure in response to political and social demands. If you are the sort of person who sees this as a challenge, then read the Sherbrooke story; there’s a lot to learn and think about. If you aren’t that type, read it anyway, because you never know: someday in a medical school near you...
BACKGROUND Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) are an uncommon, but aggressive, problem with a potential for high morbidity and mortality rates. Establishing the diagnosis can be the major challenge.   METHOD Review of pertinent English-language literature.   RESULTS Early, aggressive surgical debridement combined with empiric broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy form the cornerstones of management. Novel therapeutic strategies such as hyperbaric oxygen, intravenous immunoglobulin, extracorporeal plasma treatment, and drotrecogin alfa (activated), also have been described, although their roles remain ill-defined.   CONCLUSION Early diagnosis, despite its difficulties, is essential to guide the implementation of appropriate life-saving therapies. Understanding the microbiology of NSTI is important, not only to guide antibiotic therapy, but also to provide insight into the pathogenesis of the disease that will permit the future development of rationally targeted interventions.
Land cover change analysis was performed for three catchments in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa, for two time steps (2000 and 2014), to characterize landscape conversion trajectories for sustained landscape health. Land cover maps were derived: (1) from existing data (2000); and (2) through object-based image analysis (2014) of Landsat 8 imagery. Land cover change analysis was facilitated using land cover labels developed to identify landscape change trajectories. Land cover labels assigned to each intersection of the land cover maps at the two time steps provide a thematic representation of the spatial distribution of change. While land use patterns are characterized by high persistence (77%), the expansion of urban areas and agriculture has occurred predominantly at the expense of grassland. The persistence and intensification of natural or invaded wooded areas were identified as a degradation gradient within the landscape, which amounted to almost 10% of the study area. The challenge remains to determine significant signals in the landscape that are not artefacts of error in the underlying input data or scale of analysis. Systematic change analysis and accurate uncertainty reporting can potentially address these issues to produce authentic output for further modelling.
This paper reviews future war requirements for Merchant Ships in terms of the composition of the cargo to be moved and the ability of modern Merchant Ships to move it, the availability of suitable port facilities, and concepts of modern convoy operations. A major NATO-Warsaw Pact War would impose the greatest demand on shipping. U. S. reinforcement strategy demands very rapid reaction of sealift forces which would carry over 90% of all military support tonnage. Modern ship types can be expected to serve effectively in such a situation, but convoy delays would limit the effective use of high-productivity ship types.
Fat metabolism is important for judo in weight loss and recovery and for cycling in the energy production and recovery during workouts and competitions. Leptin controls the size of fat stores by inhibiting appetite. The purpose of this study was to compare serum leptin, lipoproteins and glucose levels between male national judoists and cyclists. The subjects of this study consist of totally 61 athletes, including 24 Turkish National junior judoists and 37 senior national cyclists. The mean age, training age and body mass index (BMI) of two groups are different from each other. Both judoists and cyclists were training before international competitons. Analyses of serum lipoproteins, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, were determined by an automated chemistry analyzer kits. The differences between two groups was tested by Mann-Whitney U test and the correlations among parameters was obtained from Pearson Correlation formula. There were statistically significant differences in the mean age, training experience and BMI between judoists and cyclists statistical analyzes showed no significant difference among the means of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and leptin between two groups. Significant differences were observed in the mean glucose, insulin and HDL values between judoists and cyclists. Significant difference was found only at 0.01 level in the mean of insulin and at 0.05 level in other parameters. Judoists had a higher insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL levels than the cyclists, whereas cyclists had a higher values than judoists In the mean of insulin, HDL and leptin. Cyclists also had lower insulin sensitivity than judoists. In conclusion, neither judo nor cycling had an effect on leptin, LDL, triglyceride, total cholesterol level. But glucose, insulin and HDL levels were changed depending on type of sports.                                 Key words: Judo, cycling, leptin, homeostasis model assessment, lipoproteins, insulin resistance, serum leptin, glucose levels judoists, cyclist.
The Unruh effect states an accelerated particle detector registers a thermal response when moving through the Minkowski vacuum, and its thermal feature is believed to be inseparable from Lorentz symmetry: Without the latter, the former disappears. Here we propose to observe analogue circular Unruh effect using an impurity atom in a quasi-two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) with dominant dipole-dipole interactions between atoms or molecules in the ultracold gas. Quantum fluctuations in the condensate possess a Bogoliubov spectrum $ omega_{ mathbf k}=c_0|{ mathbf k}|f( hbar ,c_0|{ mathbf k}|/M_ ast)$, working as an analogue Lorentz-violating quantum field with the Lorentz-breaking scale $M_ ast$, and the impurity acts as an effective Unruh-DeWitt detector thereof. When the detector travels close to the sound speed, observation of the Unruh effect in our quantum fluid platform becomes experimentally feasible. In particular, the deviation of the Bogoliubov spectrum from the Lorentz-invariant case is highly engineerable through the relative strength of the dipolar and contact interactions, and thus a viable laboratory tool is furnished to experimentally investigate whether the thermal characteristic of Unruh effect is robust to the breaking of Lorentz symmetry.
Optical resonant cavities form the foundation for a wide range of integrated optical components. While a high performance laser requires a high quality factor (Q) cavity, other types of devices, like modulators, rely on the cavity resonant wavelength being tunable. Numerous mechanisms based on the thermo-optic and electro-optic effects have been leveraged to create switchable or tunable devices; however, these are very power hungry and/or require complex control machinery. In the present work, we graft an air-stable, optically triggerable functional group to the surface of an ultra-high-Q optical cavity. The Aazobenzene functional group switches from trans to cis upon exposure to blue light, and it can be thermally triggered to revert to the initial trans state. Using a single tapered optical fiber waveguide, blue and near-IR light can be coupled into the device simultaneously. When the blue light interacts with the Aazo group, the resonant wavelength blue shifts. Upon exposure to a CO2 laser, the resonant wavelength returns to its initial position. Several different aspects of the device operation were investigated, including the kinetics of the switching, the effect of switching via a resonant or non-resonant optical field, and sterics of the switching. Notably, by tuning the surface density of the Aazo groups using a multi-material surface chemistry, it is possible to control the magnitude of the shift.
Social computing needs a capability to reason with qualitatively fuzzy relations and analogy if it is to be capable of pattern matching using commonsense reasoning. The paper proper begins with an introduction to the first-order predicate calculus and heuristics. Using everyday simple examples, it shows where heuristic reasoning can be invaluable and where deductive reasoning falls short. The ∀ qualifier is replaced with Ψ (i.e., for most) and the ∃ qualifier is replaced with E (i.e., for some). That is, the realization of a heuristic calculus necessarily fuzzifies the predicate calculus. Moreover, computational analogy is shown to be possible through the use of multiple analogies. These may be defined by way of a (non-square) matrix, which serves to explain the predicates in terms of one or more disjoint predicates - including various permutations of arguments. These predicates are also subject to composition. Union and intersection operations are used to define predicates in terms of other predicates having common defining heuristic matrices. Finally, an introductory heuristic calculus is defined and exemplified. In particular, context-sensitive left and right-hand transformations are developed for the creation of knowledge, which is open under deduction. Local knowledge is validated through constraint checking and converges just short of validity.
The paper considers modern methodological approaches of Russian and foreign authors to assess the investment attractiveness of the industry. The object of analysis is a new industry telemedicine. As a result of the study, industry specifics and factors affecting its investment attractiveness were identified. The work also explores methodological approaches to assessing investment attractiveness and investment efficiency. The uniqueness of the study consist in the fact that previously there were no works, approaches and methods analyzing investment attractiveness in terms of their applicability to the selected industry. Based on the results of a critical analysis of the proposed approaches and methods for assessing investment attractiveness, requirements were formed that need to be considered when developing and applying methodological approaches to assessing the investment attractiveness of telemedicine.
The implementation of the employee assistance program in the New Jersey State Police was studied over a three-year period. Quesionnaires were sent to a stratified random sample of sworn members once each year for three years. The questionnaire contained items to measure the degree of diffusion, receptivity, and the use of the program. The initial hypothesis was that the implementation of the program would follow the three-phase process of diffusion receptivity and use. The result of the first survey indicated the program was in the diffusion stage with more than 69% of the troopers having heard of the employee assistance program. Response to the receptivity items revealed there was an awareness and sensitivity to the need for the program and its potential benefits. The results of the second survey showed that the diffusion stage was strengthened with 78% of the response having heard of the program. Receptivity to the program had not increased significantly and use was minimal. On the basis of these results, recommendations were made to enlarge and enhance certain program elements. The results of the third survey were quite similar to those of the second. The program was largely in the diffusion stage and was little into receptivity and utilization. Innovative procedures were recommended to move the program into an integral part of the Division.
One of the most intriguing problems in the theory of subfactors of a given II ̂ factor M is the problem of determining the values that appear äs indices of irreducible subfactors, i.e. to compute the set I(M) = {[M: N~] NCL M is a subfactor with N'nM = C}, where [M: JV] denotes the Jones' index of the subfactor 7V in M. Jones showed in bis fundamental paper [Jol] that up to 4 the only admissible values are of the form 4 cos -, n ̂ 3, and that all these values are indeed realized äs indices of subfactors of the hyperfinite II x factor R (these subfactors are automatically irreducible, i.e. have trivial relative commutant in R). However, it is still unknown what happens when the index becomes > 4, although various obstructions and examples have been found, which we will describe briefly. Popa showed ([Po4]) that the indices of irreducible subfactors of the hyperfinite II t factor must be norms of possibly infinite graphs, which implies by classical results in graph theory ([Ho], [Sh]) that I(R) has gaps up to 2 -h ]/5. But since any number above 2 +1/5 appears äs the norm of a graph, no further obstructions are obtained in this way. The Situation seems to be quite different in the non-hyperfinite case, where any number > 4 can appear äs an index of an irreducible subfactor of an appropriate II1 factor (whose construction depends a priori on the index value) ([Po 5]). Various examples of irreducible subfactors of R with small indices were constructed by Haagerup and Schou ([HS]), thus realizing a long list of values in I(R). All these examples are obtained by constructing a commuting square ([Pol], [GHJ]) of four finite dimensional C*-algebras C c: D U) u u , A c= B
Successful functioning in a classroom setting requires students to interact effectively and form positive social relationships both with teachers and peers. Self-efficacy for success in schoolwork, therefore, should depend in part on students' perceptions of their social efficacy and on their endorsement of goals to be responsible class members and to form intimate peer relationships. Survey data from 753 fifth-grade students indicated that girls felt more efficacious in their interactions with their teachers and endorsed both responsibility and intimacy goals more strongly than did boys. No gender difference was found for social efficacy with peers. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that students' perceptions of their social efficacy both with teacher and peers and their endorsement of responsibility goals were related significantly to their academic efficacy after accounting for prior achievement and gender These findings indicated that such social perceptions are important for students'academic progress and that teachers should pay serious attention to students'social relationships in the classroom.
The effortless detection of salient objects by humans has been the subject of research in several fields, including computer vision, as it has many applications. However, salient object detection remains a challenge for many computer models dealing with color and textured images. Most of them process color and texture separately and therefore implicitly consider them as independent features which is not the case in reality. Herein, we propose a novel and efficient strategy, through a simple model, almost without internal parameters, which generates a robust saliency map for a natural image. This strategy consists of integrating color information into local textural patterns to characterize a color micro-texture. It is the simple, yet powerful LTP (Local Ternary Patterns) texture descriptor applied to opposing color pairs of a color space that allows us to achieve this end. Each color micro-texture is represented by a vector whose components are from a superpixel obtained by the SLICO (Simple Linear Iterative Clustering with zero parameter) algorithm, which is simple, fast and exhibits state-of-the-art boundary adherence. The degree of dissimilarity between each pair of color micro-textures is computed by the FastMap method, a fast version of MDS (Multi-dimensional Scaling) that considers the color micro-textures’ non-linearity while preserving their distances. These degrees of dissimilarity give us an intermediate saliency map for each RGB (Red–Green–Blue), HSL (Hue–Saturation–Luminance), LUV (L for luminance, U and V represent chromaticity values) and CMY (Cyan–Magenta–Yellow) color space. The final saliency map is their combination to take advantage of the strength of each of them. The MAE (Mean Absolute Error), MSE (Mean Squared Error) and Fβ measures of our saliency maps, on the five most used datasets show that our model outperformed several state-of-the-art models. Being simple and efficient, our model could be combined with classic models using color contrast for a better performance.
During the past years, a number of reduced-scale test facilities have been constructed to investigate the physical phenomena of transients or accidents occurring in nuclear power plants. Since the behavior of a nuclear power plant is complicated, it is quite impossible for a small-scaled facility to simulate all the physical phenomena during the transient process. But, by way of proper scaling, most of the important aspects of transient behavior can be simulated. Calculations using RELAP5/MOD3 investigate whether most of the key thermal-hydraulic phenomena observed in the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research Integral System Test (IIST) facility can be expected in a prototype plant. When compared with experimental data, the calculated results of two different scale models show reasonable agreement with the natural circulation transients. The scale-up capability of RELAP5/MOD3 is demonstrated by simulating the single-phase and two-phase natural circulation transients. Also, the scaling distortions in the heat transfer areas of the IIST facility do not strongly distort the thermal-hydraulic behavior of experimental data.
F.O. Matthiessen concludes his introduction to American Renaissance with a quotation from Louis Sullivan that sets forth Matthiessen's own view of the function and significance of the American scholar. "True scholarship," declared Sullivan, "is of the highest usefulness because it implies the possession and application of the highest type of thought, imagination, and sympathy." For Matthiessen as for Sullivan that last quality, sympathy, was a decisive ingredient, because it leads the "true" scholar to fulfill himself in service to his fellow men.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
Average 3D digital atlas construction from a set of images is an important task for registration and assessment of intra- and inter-population differences in structural and functional imagery. In this paper, we describe the computation of an average atlas using LDDMM and geodesic shooting where the velocity vector fields transforming a provisional template to the ensemble are averaged and evolved via shooting using the equation for the geodesic conservation of momentum to give the average atlas. This guarantees that the averaged atlas so computed remains within the permissible shape space of the anatomical ensemble being averaged
The present research investigated psychosocial factors: control beliefs; social relations moderating the SES–health gradient. Participants included 3775 respondents from a national probability sample, Midlife in United States (t1: Age, M = 46.40, SD = 13.00, t2: Age, M = 55.47, SD = 12.43), who provided reports on control beliefs, social relations, and health at two assessment occasions (1994/1995 and 2002/2003). Hierarchical regression demonstrated that control beliefs, social support, and strain uniquely moderated relationships between SES and longitudinal health. The present study highlights the importance of psychosocial factors as protective mechanisms of socioeconomic disadvantages and associated long-term deleterious health outcomes.
In using a microphone array to measure low frequency sound, it is not sufficient to assume plane wave incidence. First, this paper theoretically discusses the directivity of the microphone array in case the incident wave is spherical. When the incident wave is spherical, the directivity of the microphone array spreads. Then, a correction method is proposed to improve the directivity. This correction method is called a spherical wave correction method here. Next, in order to verify experimentally the validity of the spherical wave correction method, corresponding experiments were conducted. The experimental results were compared with the theoretical results and they were found to be in good agreement.
Background and objectives: Infertility is a global health problem including Bangladesh. Altered thyroid and prolactin levels have been implicated as a cause of infertility. The study was undertaken to find out the serum thyroid hormones and prolactin status in women with primary and secondary infertility. Methods: Women with primary and secondary infertility were enrolled. Fertile age-matched women were included as control. The anthropometric details (age, height and weight) were recorded. Overnight fasting blood sample was collected on 2nd day of menstrual cycle of the follicular phase. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free tri-iodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum prolactin (PRL) was estimated by radioimmunoassay. Results: A total of 150 women were enrolled in the study. Out of 150 women, 50 had primary and 50 had secondary infertility while 50 women were age-matched fertile women as control. The mean TSH levels of both infertility groups were significantly higher than that of fertile women. Regarding thyroid function, 24% and 28% of women with primary and secondary infertility had hypothyroidism respectively. The serum prolactin level was high in 42.9% and 50% of hypothyroid cases in primary and secondary infertility groups respectively. Conclusion: The study has demonstrated high occurrence of hypothyroidism with raised serum prolactin levels among infertile females emphasizing the importance of estimating both serum TSH and prolactin in infertility. IMC J Med Sci 2020; 14(1): 009. EPub date: 11 May 2020
Murine 3T3T stem cells transfected with pSV3neo DNA were employed to study the effects of somatic cell differentiation on simian virus 40 (SV40) T-antigen expression. This experimental approach was used because the 3T3T cell line is a well-characterized in vitro adipocyte differentiation system and the pSV3neo plasmid contains the early region of the SV40 genome and a selective marker, G418 resistance. Cell clones containing stably integrated pSV3neo which expressed T antigen were isolated in G418-containing medium. Most of these cell clones differentiated poorly. However, several clones retained the ability to efficiently differentiate into adipocytes, and with these cell clones, it was established that adipocyte differentiation markedly repressed T-antigen expression. The differentiation-specific repression of T-antigen expression did not result from a loss of proliferative potential associated with terminal differentiation, because it was observed in adipocytes that could be restimulated to proliferate. In such cells, restimulation of cell growth induced reactivation of T-antigen expression. Repression of T-antigen expression was also demonstrated during differentiation of SV40 T-antigen-immortalized human keratinocytes. These results establish that the process of cellular differentiation can repress T-antigen expression in at least two distinct biological systems.
We present studies of 9 modern (up to 400-yr-old) peat sections from Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Finland. Precise radiocarbon dating of modern samples is possible due to the large bomb peak of atmospheric 14C concentration in 1963 and the following rapid decline in the 14C level. All the analyzed 14C profiles appeared concordant with the shape of the bomb peak of atmospheric 14C concentration, integrated over some time interval with a length specific to the peat section. In the peat layers covered by the bomb peak, calendar ages of individual peat samples could be determined almost immediately, with an accuracy of 2–3 yr. In the pre-bomb sections, the calendar ages of individual dated samples are determined in the form of multi-modal probability distributions of about 300 yr wide (about AD 1650–1950). However, simultaneous use of the post-bomb and pre-bomb 14C dates, and lithological information, enabled the rejection of most modes of probability distributions in the pre-bomb section. In effect, precise age-depth models of the post-bomb sections have been extended back in time, into the “wiggly” part of the 14C calibration curve. Our study has demonstrated that where annual resolution is concerned, tissues of Sphagnum are the only representative material for 14C dating, although even samples of pure Sphagnum collected from a very thin slice of the peat section contain tissues grown in different years, so they integrate the atmospheric 14C signal over a period of time. This time period (0.5–8 yr, depending on the site) seems to correlate with the peat accumulation rate, but it also depends on how the sampled peat sections were handled. When constructing age-depth models, for some peat sections we used the strategy of multi-stage 14C dating. This led to a drastic reduction in the uncertainty of the age-depth models, by dating only a few additional samples in the profile. Our study is the first in which peat sections from the late pre-bomb time (AD 1900–1960) have been precisely dated at a high temporal resolution. In this time interval, 14C ages of all the samples dated were younger than those derived from the atmospheric calibration curve, apparently due to the effect of integration. Evidently, the determination of calendar ages based on 14C dating of single peat samples from that interval may be affected by a serious error if the possibility of integration is ignored.
More than 50 high school students each year learn how to conduct science research at the Garcia Summer Scholars Program at Stony Brook University through hands-on, inquiry-based methods. Started in 1998, the program has already provided hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds a unique opportunity for outstanding scientific performance and achievement. In this paper, we present a brief overview of how the program operates as well as several case studies that display the effect of the Garcia Program on student accomplishment. The evidence provided demonstrates that the Garcia Program has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on its many student participants, regardless of their background or socio-economic status.
CONTEXT There is emerging evidence that SHBG is substantially reduced in chronic metabolic diseases, including obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We have recently reported, through use of in vitro (HepG2 cells) and in vivo (SHBG-C57BL/ksJ-db/db mice) models, that SHBG could play a role in arresting the progression of NAFLD by downregulating lipogenesis.   OBJECTIVE The main aim of this study was to investigate the mechanisms by which SHBG prevents hepatic lipogenesis by examining the relationship between SHBG and a key lipogenic enzyme, such as acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) in the liver of obese persons.   PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS SHBG and ACC mRNA levels, as well as triglyceride content, were analyzed in 41 liver samples from nondiabetic obese patients with NAFLD who had undergone bariatric surgery. We also studied the effect of SHBG overexpression in HepG2 cells cultured under high-glucose conditions.   RESULTS SHBG mRNA and protein levels were lower in patients with metabolic syndrome than in those without metabolic syndrome; however, these differences were significant only for mRNA level. SHBG mRNA levels correlated positively with SHBG protein levels and hepatic triglyceride content. In addition, SHBG mRNA and protein levels correlated negatively with ACC mRNA levels and triglyceride content. Furthermore, SHBG overexpression abrogated the increase in ACC expression induced by high-glucose treatment in HepG2 cells.   CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that SHBG plays a role in regulating hepatic lipogenesis by reducing ACC levels. These results suggest a strategy for the treatment of NAFLD.
Abstract Here an integrated compact low-cost all-fiber optical spectrum control device based on a single fiber interferometer and tungsten disulfide is reported. Tungsten disulfide was deposited onto the surface of the non-adiabatic microfiber under the application of the radiation from an amplified spontaneous emission source. Next, the near-infrared light (NIR), which leaked through the strong evanescent field of the microfiber, excited the surrounding tungsten disulfide and generated heat due to the photothermal effect. Therefore, the phase shift of the interference spectrum was caused by the surrounding change in the refractive index (RI). In the experimental work at 1550 nm, a spectral shift equal to 0.8 nm was obtained following the use of a pump laser operating at 980 nm. In addition, the device can may be used as an all-optical switch with a modulation depth of 18.1%. The proposed tungsten disulfide-based all-fiber device has potential application in all-optical signal controllable devices.
Abstract Man-made CO2 emissions (the so called anthropogenic CO2 emissions) and their increasing trend can be, by some scientists, considered a serious menace for the sustainable development of mankind, and their reduction a prerequisite for the environment protection. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important gases that cause a greenhouse effect which warms up the earth surface as a consequence of a different heat flow between the earth and the atmosphere. Our laboratory measurements determined the porosity, permeability and grain density for clastic sedimentary rock samples which were drilled from an underground gas storage facility. Additionally, our results showed a reduction in porosity and permeability after a confining pressure was applied. We assume that this effect is caused by internal structure changes due to the repeatedly increased and decreased net pressure applied to the samples Abstrakt Emise CO2 vznikající lidskou činností - tzv. antropogenní emise CO2 a jejich vzestupný trend, mohou být některými odborníky považovány za vážné nebezpečí pro udržitelný vývoj lidstva a jejich omezování za nezbytnou podmínku ochrany životního prostředí. Oxid uhličitý je významný z plynů způsobujících skleníkový efekt, který se projevuje oteplováním zemského povrchu v důsledku změn toků tepelného záření mezi zemí a atmosférou. Laboratorní měření poskytla hodnoty porozity a koeficientu propustnosti horninových vzorků, které byly odvrtány z podzemního zásobníku plynu. Naše měření vykázalo snížení kolektorských parametrů horninových vzorků, které bylo způsobeno změnou vnitřní struktury horniny díky opakovanému zvýšení a snížení tlaku na rostlou část vzorku
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is critically involved in cognitive processes underlying working memory (WM), attention, and inhibition of responses to non-relevant stimuli (Fuster, 2000; Goldman-Rakic, 1996). In this context, catecholaminergic inputs have proven to be critical for the regulation of these cognitive processes (Levitt et al., 1984; Lewis et al., 1987; Lewis and Morrison, 1989; Porrino and Goldman-Rakic, 1982). Aston-Jones and Bloom (1981a, b) showed that, in addition to dopamine (DA) the norepinephrine (NE) neurons located in the locus coeruleus (LC) and terminating in the PFC are important in mediating selective and sustained attention and vigilance. Moreover, stimulation of the LC increases the discrimination of incoming external stimuli to the PFC by reducing the background noise, therefore enhancing the cortical signal-to-noise ratio (Aston-Jones et al., 1985; Berridge and Waterhouse, 2003; Foote et al., 1980, 1983; Waterhouse et al., 1980; Robbins, 2000). More recently, several studies have shown that adrenergic agonists, especially specific alpha-2 agonists, are very effective in enhancing WM and attention. Indeed, administration of alpha-2 agonists can ameliorate some of the negative effects on cognition produced by NE depletion due to aging in monkeys (Arnsten and Goldman-Rakic, 1985; Arnsten et al., 1988; Arnsten and Leslie, 1991) and improve performance in WM-related tasks in young monkeys with NE depletion (Arnsten and Goldman-Rakic, 1985; Cai et al., 1993). Moreover, the therapeutic effects of the specific alpha-2 agonists, clonidine and guanfacine in treating disorders related to dysfunction of WM in patients have been proved (Fields et al., 1988; Mair and McEntree 1986, 1988; Hunt et al., 1985, 1990, 1995).Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Abstract While large public libraries have long served the business community, environmental factors, such as the proliferation of Web based information, the growth of easily accessible on-line databases, and a growing appreciation among smaller companies of the value of strategic information, are converging to provide medium and smaller public libraries with the opportunity to bring additional service value to the business community. To provide libraries with operational models for library interaction with the business community, patron interaction, technology, and data analysis models are created and described.
This study has a double purpose. One is to learn the actual housing situation of the family living in Tokyo in the standardized space provided by Japan Housing Corporation. The other purpose is to collect some data in order to better the living space of Japanese houses. The subject of the present investigation is housewives who live in Kameido, Jindai and Aoyama dwellings in Tokyo. The investigation was carried out at the beginning of March, 1971. Analyses are made to find out housewives' attitudes towards household chores and ways of spending leisure time, together with finding out the way of using house spaces according to their living activities. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The housewives take a great interest in household chores, although they try to cut down the time spent on them. 2. About a half of the housewives investigated wish to spend leisure time rather conservatively, for instance by knitting and reading. 3. The average length of time for housekeeping is 6 hr and 4 min per day, and this is about a half of "at-home" time. The leisure time is 4 hr and a half, daily. 4. At any dwelling, housewives spend most of their time in the dining room and a room facing south. Especially, their stay in the dining room is longer than any other rooms. The dining room is used also for meal preparation. 5. Although the housewives investigated in this paper can spend a large portion of their time in the south rooms doing their housekeeping, few of them count the rooms indispensable for the housekeeping among the rooms they want in the south if the area facing south is limited. They rather desire to have living room and children's rooms in the south.
BACKGROUND With the rising incidence of malignant mesothelioma (MM), it is important to optimise treatment to control symptoms, maintain quality of life and, if possible, prolong life. We have analysed prospectively collected data to evaluate a frequently used palliative chemotherapy regimen.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Between October 1986 and May 2002 all patients with inoperable pleural mesothelioma were considered for treatment with MVP (mitomycin C 8 mg/m2 every 6 weeks, vinblastine 6 mg/m2 every 3 weeks and cisplatin 50 mg/m2 every 3 weeks) chemotherapy. Symptoms were assessed by physician assessment at baseline and after each cycle of chemotherapy.   RESULTS One hundred and fifty patients were treated with MVP for mesothelioma. Forty-three per cent had a performance status (PS) 2 or worse. The response rate was 15.3%, with 68.6% having stable disease. Sixty-nine per cent reported an improvement in symptoms; in particular there were good responses for pain (71%), cough (62%) and dyspnoea (50%). The most common grade 3/4 toxicity was neutropenia (22%). Median overall survival was 7 months, with 1-year survival 31% and 2-year survival 11%. Median survival for patients with PS 0/1 was 10 months, and was 6 months for patients with PS 2/3. Poor prognostic factors in univariate analysis included poor PS, weight loss, mixed or sarcomatoid histology, low haemoglobin and high white blood cell count. Excluding pathological subtype, the prognostic significance of poor PS and weight loss were retained in multivariate analysis.   CONCLUSIONS Palliation of symptoms in MM is achievable with current cisplatin-based treatments.
Minimally invasive sublobar anatomical resection is becoming more and more popular to manage early lung lesions. Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) is unique in comparison with other minimally invasive techniques. Indeed, RATS is able to better integrate multiple streams of information including advanced imaging techniques, in an immersive experience at the level of the robotic console. Our aim was to describe three-dimensional (3D) imaging throughout the surgical procedure from preoperative planning to intraoperative assistance and complementary investigations such as radial endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) and virtual bronchoscopy for pleural dye marking. All cases were operated using the DaVinci SystemTM. Modelisation was provided by Visible Patient™ (Strasbourg, France). Image integration in the operative field was achieved using the Tile Pro multi display input of the DaVinci console. Our experience was based on 114 robotic segmentectomies performed between January 2012 and October 2017. The clinical value of 3D imaging integration was evaluated in 2014 in a pilot study. Progressively, we have reached the conclusion that the use of such an anatomic model improves the safety and reliability of procedures. The multimodal system including 3D imaging has been used in more than 40 patients so far and demonstrated a perfect operative anatomic accuracy. Currently, we are developing an original virtual reality experience by exploring 3D imaging models at the robotic console level. The act of operating is being transformed and the surgeon now oversees a complex system that improves decision making.
Score Function Difference (SFD) is a recently proposed “gradient” for mutual information which can be used in Blind Source Separation algorithms based on minimization of mutual information. To be applied to practical problems, SFD must be estimated from the data samples. In this paper, a new method for estimating SFD is proposed. To compare the performance of this new estimator with other proposed SFD estimation methods, we have applied them in separating linear instantaneous mixtures. It will be seen that our method performs superior to all other methods previously proposed for estimation of SFD.
The past two decades have a seen a rise of autonomous robots in households. In particular, robotic vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers have become much more accessible and mainstream, and are the two most popular domestic service robots. (Roomba and Landroid are trade names for iRobot’s vacuum and WORX’s mower, respectively.) As with many smart home technologies, an often-touted benefit is that they can save energy—and many informal analyses are posted online. But whether and how they save energy, depends on how they are meant to be used, and how they are actually used.
The free molecule octahydridosilasequioxane, Si8O12H8, was computationally studied, as well as embedded in the unit cell. The point group of the free molecule is indeed Oh, and its crystal symmetry is reduced to C3i, thus confirming the occurrence of two different types of Si−O−Si bond lengths found experimentally. The molecular orbitals of the free molecule show that some electron density occurs in the cubic cavity, thus contributing to the opening of the Si−O−Si angle. A study of the packing in the unit cell identifies a new type of packing scheme in which eight (partial) molecules participate: each apex H atom of one protruding Si−H bond of every molecule points to the corner of an equilateral triangle having 2.631 Å sides. All hydrogen atoms in both the free molecule and in the solid state carry negative partial charges. The reason for this is also explored, as well as its consequences for the unique packing scheme.
Introduction: The anemia management program for adolescent girls (15–19 years) was part of Eastern Uttar Pradesh Health Initiative implemented by Tata Trusts in 9 districts and 19 blocks in partnership with block level community-based organizations. Objective of the Health Initiative was to build community-based platform (In the form of Village Health and Nutrition Day – VHND) to provide primary healthcare services for basic maternal, child and adolescent health. The anemia management component in the program was based on the National Iron Plus Initiative guideline. Objectives: To ascertain prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls registered in the program; to demonstrate a community-based model for anemia management with the help of adolescent collectivization facilitated by trained front line health workers. Materials and Methods: Total 26,982 girls were screened in first phase of the program from April 2014; followed by second and third screenings with average duration of 3–6 months between each screening. Total 18,428 girls participated in second screening and total 13,979 girls were part of all three screenings till September 2015. WHO recommended Hemoglobin (Hb) Color Scale Method was used as a screening tool, implemented by auxiliary nurse midwives and lab technicians. Girls’ collectivization was facilitated by the trained frontline health workers to spread awareness, mobilize girls for screening and conduct health education sessions. Data is from the project MIS and was analyzed with the help of Microsoft Excel and SPSS. Results: Project implementation level data across 19 sites for 3 checkups with mean interval between each checkup as 3–6 months, shows prevalence of anemia in adolescent girls was 86.80%. Mean rise of hemoglobin from checkup 1 to checkup 3 is 0.6 gm. Drastic reduction in severe anemia from 5.66% to less than 1% is seen in the program. In case of non-school-going girls, reduction in severe anemia was from 17% to 1.5%. Conclusion: Overall burden of anemia in adolescent girls (15–19 years) is very high in girls in late adolescence stage. As age increases, prevalence increases, non-school-going girls are worst affected with severe anemia. It is promising to implement anemia management program through a platform led by a trained frontline health worker facilitated adolescent girls’ collectivization. Community-based strategies and individual follow up is significant to reduce burden of severe anemia.
Machine vision systems for quality inspection of processing and production lines are associated with increases in productivity, cost savings, and quality control consistency, having become common place in many industries including agriculture. However, automated strawberry quality control has historically been a challenge due to the delicate nature of the fruit’s flesh, making it more prone to damage, bruising, discolouration, and softening than other fruits and vegetables. Previous efforts have been made to grade strawberries using conveyor systems and cameras, generating good or excellent results. However, these methods do not consider the speed at which berries are packed, or the amount of damage-inducing handling required in order to place the fruit on a process line (automated or not), making these systems unsuitable for real-time production. This thesis outlines the research, design, experimentation, and development of an Strawberry Quality Assurance (SQA) vision system which is capable of grading full punnets of strawberries after they have been packed. Fruit is picked from the field, and packaged into containers, before the additional step of being loaded into the quality control vision system and finally, a heat-seal machine which seals the punnets with tamper-proof plastic film. Using this method, the packing workers do not need to slow down, or perform any new tasks, rather the flow of filled punnets is simply diverted to the additional production line. The cameras acquire four images at a rate of up to two per second in order to capture each punnet from above and below (through the transparent plastic) in visible and infrared wavelengths. Visible (RGB) images are used to assess the berry’s colour (ripeness), and visible foreign object likelihood, whilst the infrared images are used for bruise detection. Once the images have been analysed, the system uses an orthogonally directed pneumatic burst of air to eject the defected punnets from the line so that they can be repackaged and reassessed. The initial version of the system used algorithms involving image processing and colour analysis in order to perform under and over ripe detection with good results of 94.7% and 90.6%, respectively, for the multiple instance category. After redesign and upgrade to strobing LEDs and open-source software, machine learning experiments showed that the SVM and unique neural networks underperformed with the best training accuracy results of 84.11% and 76.30%, respectively. Improved performance was found using Resnet-50 pre-trained network in order to extract a feature vector for each image, which is then evaluated by each of the binary classification models. Area Under ROC (AUROC) curves are greater than 80% for both under ripe and foreign object models, whilst the over ripe class score is lower at 58%. The system has entered it’s fifth season as production-ready having already imaged and assessed 290,888 punnets of which 50,270 were rejected, resulting in 17.28% failure rate in total, helping to ensure the consistent quality assurance of production. The successful implementation of the SQA project provides a platform for continuing work including improving performance of the current classifiers, and investigating the potential of improved region-based bounding box method in order to improve visibility for both operator and developer. Data collection and labelling/annotation are performed regularly in order to re-train networks generating improved results, and to reduce inter-seasonal or inter-cultivar concept shift in the models.
The phenoloxidase system responsible for the sclerotization of cockroach ootheca is found to be present as an inactive form in the left colleterial gland of Periplaneta americana. The supernatant fraction obtained by centrifugation of the milky white secretions contained the inactive phenoloxidase which required both sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the insoluble sediment for exhibiting enzyme activity. Bovine serum albumin could replace the sediment in the activation process. Proteins separated from the supernatant fraction by molecular sieve chromatography on Sephadex G-25 did not require either albumin or the sediment, but required SDS for exhibiting the phenoloxidase activity. Among the detergents tested, SDS (anionic) and cetylpyridinium chloride (cationic) activated the phenoloxidase, but CHAPS (zwitterionic) or nonionic detergents failed to activate the enzyme. The activation caused by SDS occurred well below the critical micellar concentration of SDS indicating that SDS is causing the activation by binding to the protein and altering its conformation. Chloroform-methanol extracts of vestibulum or right gland could replace SDS confirming the presence of endogenous activator(s) of phenoloxidase system. A variety of exogenously added lipids could activate the latent enzyme, among which linoleate, oleate, laurate, linolenate, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylglycerol proved to be the effective activators of the latent phenoloxidase. Partially purified phenoloxidase was found to be extremely labile and lost its activity on a) freezing and thawing, b) dialysis, and c) heating for 10 min at 55 degrees C. It exhibited a pH optimum of 7 and was inhibited drastically by phenylthiourea and diethyldithiocarbamate. It readily oxidized a number of o-diphenols such as 3,4-dihydroxybenzylalcohol, 3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl alcohol, catechol, N-acetyldopamine, N-acetylnorepinephrine, dopa, dopamine, etc., but failed to oxidize both 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde. It neither converted the typical laccase substrate syringaldazine to its quinone methide product, nor oxidized the p-diphenols, hydroquinone and methylhydroquinone. Therefore, the enzyme participating in the quinone tanning of cockroach ootheca appears to be a typical o-diphenol oxidase and not a laccase as previously thought.
Spermatogenesis is composed of three distinctive phases, which include self-renewal of spermatogonia via mitosis, spermatocytes undergoing meiosis I/II and post-meiotic development of haploid spermatids via spermiogenesis. Spermatogenesis also involves condensation of chromatin in the spermatid head before transformation of spermatids to spermatozoa. Epigenetic regulation refers to changes of heritably cellular and physiological traits not caused by modifications in the DNA sequences of the chromatin such as mutations. Major advances have been made in the epigenetic regulation of spermatogenesis. In this review, we address the roles and mechanisms of epigenetic regulators, with a focus on the role of microRNAs and DNA methylation during mitosis, meiosis and spermiogenesis. We also highlight issues that deserve attention for further investigation on the epigenetic regulation of spermatogenesis. More importantly, a thorough understanding of the epigenetic regulation in spermatogenesis will provide insightful information into the etiology of some unexplained infertility, offering new approaches for the treatment of male infertility.
A combination of massive royalty funds and institutional context influenced biased funding choices by local government in the case of the Malampaya natural gas project in Palawan, Philippines. A public inquiry into the Malampaya scandal demonstrated the vulnerabilities of existing governance arrangements to undue political and personal interests. This case reflects the importance of alternative and strategic mechanisms of natural resource revenue sharing that can prevent funds from falling prey to the self-interest of local politicians. Keywords: Philippines, natural gas, royalty funds, revenue sharing, corruption, local politics
Abstract THE problem of fertility in the domestic fowl has attracted the interest of several investigators during the last twenty-five years. These investigators working with the most popular breeds of poultry have very definitely established the fact that spermatozoa in the oviduct of the hen can remain active for three to four weeks. A review of the literature on the subject, however, convinced the writer of a lack of uniformity in results as well as the need of further information on many phases of the problem. This report is divided into two sections. The first includes fertility results from single controlled matings and the second offers a direct comparison of fertility under stud mating and pen mating. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Some of the more significant observations concerned with the onset and duration of fertility are the following. On the onset of fertility: * Gilbert (1905), 39 to 65 hours; Pearl and Surface . . .
Objective: Present study was aimed to evaluate the nonspecific hepatoprotective activity of HD-03/ES, a herbal combination, against experimental model of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced hepatic damage, and also free radical scavenging activity by using different in vitro antioxidant assay systems.  Methods: The hepatoprotective activity of HD-03/ES was evaluated using an experimental model of CCl4-induced hepatic damage. The liver marker enzymes such as serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) and serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) were estimated apart from liver glycogen content and routine histopathological evaluation of liver samples. The free radical scavenging activity of HD-03/ES was evaluated by in vitro methods such as 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), reducing power (Fe3+-Fe2+) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays.  Results: Administration of CCl4 to rats showed significant elevation of SGPT, SGOT and decrease in liver glycogen content. In addition, histopathology of the liver showed mild-to-moderate inflammatory reactions, severe degeneration and necrosis. Pretreatment with HD-03/ES (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg, p.o.) showed significant and dose-dependent protection against CCl4-induced hepatic damage by normalizing serum SGPT and SGOT levels, and liver glycogen content. Furthermore, histopathology of HD-03/ES (500 and 1000 mg/kg) treated animals showed tendency toward normalization of cytoarchitecture of liver. In the antioxidant evaluation studies, HD-03/ES showed potent antioxidant activity by scavenging DPPH radicals (IC50 value = 499.4), exhibited reducing activity and also scavenging of peroxyl radical in the ORAC assay.  Conclusion: These findings suggest that HD-03/ES formulation possesses significant hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities.
With six valid species, Luciobrotula is a small genus of the family Ophidiidae, commonly known as cusk-eels. They are benthopelagic fishes occurring at depths ranging from 115–2300 m in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Among them, Luciobrotula bartschi is the only known species in the West Pacific. Three specimens of Luciobrotula were collected from the Philippine Sea, Bismarck Sea, and Solomon Sea in the West Pacific during the AURORA, PAPUA NIUGINI, and MADEEP expeditions under the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program, and all of them were initially identified as L. bartschi. Subsequent examination with integrative taxonomy indicates that they belong to two distinct species, with the specimen collected from the Solomon Sea representing a new species, which is described here. In terms of morphology, Luciobrotula polylepis sp. nov. differs from its congeners by having a relatively longer lateral line (end of the lateral line below the 33rd dorsal-fin ray) and fewer vertebrae (abdominal vertebrae 13, total vertebrae 50). In the inferred COI gene tree, the two western Pacific species of Luciobrotula do not form a monophyletic group. The genetic K2P distance between the two species is 13.8% on average at the COI locus.
The content of the paper is from the survey on land law enforcement of Yunnan Province entrusted by Yunnan Province Land and Resources Department and undertaken by the author independently in 2015. The objective of the paper is to organize the land law enforcement status of Yunnan Province, analyze difficulties and problems in land law enforcement, and then put forward solutions. The paper adopts literature analysis and field survey approaches to develop the research, and the main content is from actual survey results. The paper holds the opinion that the land law enforcement dilemma of Yunnan Province is caused by many reasons, and we need to take positive measures from the aspects of system, mechanism, legal system, reward and punishment, so as to improve the efficiency of land law enforcement.
We highlight a dynamical anomaly in which the rate of relaxation towards thermal equilibrium in a bi-partite quantum system violates the standard linear-response (Kubo) formulation, even when the underlying dynamics is highly chaotic. This anomaly originates from an ℏ-dependent sparsity of the underlying quantum network of transitions. Using a minimal bi-partite Bose–Hubbard model as an example, we find that the relaxation rate acquires an anomalous ℏ dependence that reflects percolation-like dynamics in energy space.
The characteristics of markets for free-range pigs in Busia District, Kenya were determined using retrospective analysis of veterinary records, key informant interviews and questionnaire survey. A total of 8,377 pigs were slaughtered between 2001 and 2005, which accounted for 27% of all the livestock slaughtered and inspected by the government officers. Loss of fetuses was recorded for 13% of slaughtered pigs and the loss was attributed to ignorance on pregnancy diagnosis. Although most of the money (82%) generated by the veterinary department arose from meat inspection fees, constraints including limited personnel and lack of enough vehicles were observed. The marketing system comprised of farmers, middlemen, slaughter-slab owners and butchers, while the government played the role of meat inspection. Majority of the butchers were males (94%) with a mean age of 39 (range: 21-74) years. The majority (63%) had a primary school level of education. The average net income per annum for each butcher was 887 USD and the profit earned per pig was 3.8 USD. The major constraints which affected the butchery business included conflicts with regulatory authorities, high government levies, erratic number of slaughter pigs mainly due to African Swine Fever (ASF) and poor mode of transportation. There is a need to address these constraints especially the control of ASF, reduction in levies and provision of incentives to improve pig trade in Busia District.
The serpin C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) is the only regulator of classical complement activation as well as the major regulator of the contact system. Its importance is demonstrated by hereditary angioedema (HAE), a severe disease with potentially life-threatening attacks due to deficiency or dysfunction of C1-INH. C1-INH replacement is the therapy of choice in HAE. In addition, C1-INH showed to have beneficial effects in other diseases characterized by inappropriate complement and contact system activation. Due to some limitations of its clinical application, there is a need for improving the efficacy of therapeutically applied C1-INH or to enhance the activity of endogenous C1-INH. Given the known potentiating effect of heparin on C1-INH, sulfated glycans (SG) may be such candidates. The aim of this study was to characterize suitable SG by evaluating structure-activity relationships. For this, more than 40 structurally distinct SG were examined for their effects on C1-INH, C1s and FXIIa. The SG turned out to potentiate the C1s inhibition by C1-INH without any direct influence on C1s. Their potentiating activity proved to depend on their degree of sulfation, molecular mass as well as glycan structure. In contrast, the SG had no effect on the FXIIa inhibition by C1-INH, but structure-dependently modulated the activity of FXIIa. Among the tested SG, β-1,3-glucan sulfates with a Mr ≤ 10 000 were identified as most promising lead candidates for the development of a glycan-based C1-INH amplifier. In conclusion, the obtained information on structural characteristics of SG favoring C1-INH potentiation represent an useful elementary basis for the development of compounds improving the potency of C1-INH in diseases and clinical situations characterized by inappropriate activation of complement and contact system.
A comprehensive test program on the behavior of high-strength mortar under different conditions has been performed by studying the propagation of ultrasonic waves (compressional and shear) through 2-in. (0.051 m) cubes. The increase of the ultrasonic wave velocities was monitored as a function of time. The attenuation of the ultrasonic waves under different conditions was analyzed. Special emphasis was given to the study of the effect of cracking on the ultrasonic velocities and attenuation of the mortar, including the development of anisotropic behavior once cracking had developed. The healing of the cracks over time was also analyzed, and it was shown that a substantial degree of healing can occur. The effects of changes in relative humidity and subzero temperatures on the seismic wave velocities were studied in detail.
Contaminant bioaccumulation has long been used as a key indicator of the potential risk and toxic effects of contaminants to the environment and human health. In the present study, a bibliometric analysis based on the Science Citation Index Expanded from Thomson Reuters’ Web of Science Core Collection was carried out to gain insights into research activities and tendencies of global bioaccumulation from 1991 to 2014. Study emphases included performance of annual outputs, countries, institutions, Web of Science categories, journals, research hotspots, and articles with lasting impacts. Results indicated that annual outputs of the bioaccumulation articles increased steadily in 1991 to 2014. USA dominated the bioaccumulation field, followed by China, Canada, and France. Government agencies, such as Environment Canada and the US Environmental Protection Agency were the leading institutions in bioaccumulation research. The most prolific and promising category was environmental science, which was significantly ahead of other categories, such as toxicology, marine and freshwater biology, as well as environmental engineering. The bioaccumulation articles were dispersed in 1,267 journals, whereas half of the articles reside on 19 core journals. Research focuses and hot issues in the bioaccumulation field were evaluated by word cluster analysis. Toxic effects, exposure, risk analysis and/or assessment, as well as bioavailability of chemicals, are major concerns in the bioaccumulation field. Metals, such as mercury, cadmium, copper, lead, and arsenic, were contaminants of greatest concern, among which mercury was the most studied. Persistent organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyl, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and organochlorine compounds, were also very significant in the study of bioaccumulation. Substances with lasting impact were evaluated by citation lives of top articles. Perfluorooctane sulfonate and methylmercury have lasting impacts for their unusual routes in bioaccumulation. Moreover, methodological innovations in acquiring food chain position with stable nitrogen isotopes played an important role in bioaccumulation research.
The main objective of this study is to investigate the translation of the erotic elements in the novel, Jin Ping Mei (1617?), based on the original Chinese text and its two versions translated into Spanish. The study begins with a series of analyses regarding a euphemistic word, gui (the turtle), and the variety of terms used to refer to it. The study then focuses on the translation strategies both translators apply. We conclude with an examination of the solutions adopted to translate such an erotic element in both versions and a reflection upon the entire translation of the erotic.
Background/Aims: The plasma concentration of catecholamines and their metabolites generated by catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) were measured and their correlation with the progress of renal dysfunction was investigated in two distinctive animal models: a 5/6 nephrectomized Sprague-Dawley rat model and a 1/2 nephrectomized diabetic fatty Zucker rat model. Methods: A highly sensitive, high-performance liquid chromatography-peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence reaction detection was employed to obtain values for the ratio [NMN]/([NE] + [NMN]), where [NE] represents the plasma concentration of norepinephrine and [NMN] represents the plasma concentration of normetanephrine. Results: The [NMN]/([NE] + [NMN]) ratio correlated with both the increase in blood urea nitrogen concentration and the decrease in creatinine clearance. Conclusion: The [NMN]/([NE] + [NMN]) ratio represents a quantitative indicator of the progress of renal dysfunction in the animal models. Regulation of COMT activity seemed to relate with the progress of renal dysfunction.
The inclusion of the effects of hyperfine splitting can significantly lower the abundance estimate of Eu from singly ionized lines which lie on the flat portion of the curve of growth. In the 21 cool Ap stars studied by Adelman and the five Am stars studied by Smith, the Eu abundance was reduced by 0.4 dex on the average. In individual cases, the reductions were as great as 0.9 dex. This makes the Eu abundance comparable to that of its neighboring rare earths Sm and Gd in the Ap stars and less than Sm and Gd in the Am stars, but still substantially overabundant with respect to solar values.
To realize Intelligent transformation based on the traditional 126kV SF6 circuit breaker, firstly, selection and installation of sensor is discussed, and the rotating shaft which connect the transmission shaft and the angular displacement sensor is improved. Secondly, to determine the heater power, the heater is calculated and studied, based on the temperature changing and spatial size of mechanism box; Finally, how to select the water vapor content transmitter is studied, in order to realize condition monitoring SF6 gas.
Agrobacterium tumefaciens is a plant pathogen that is widely used in plant transformation. As the process of transgenesis includes the delivery of single-stranded T-DNA molecule, we hypothesized that transformation rate may negatively correlate with the efficiency of the RNA-silencing machinery. Using mutants compromised in either the transcriptional or post-transcriptional gene-silencing pathways, two inhibitors of stable transformation were revealed-AGO2 and NRPD1a. Furthermore, an immunoprecipitation experiment has shown that NRPD1, a subunit of Pol IV, directly interacts with Agrobacterium T-DNA in planta. Using the Tobacco rattle virus (TRV)--based virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technique, we demonstrated that the transient down-regulation of the expression of either AGO2 or NRPD1a genes in reproductive organs of Arabidopsis, leads to an increase in transformation rate. We observed a 6.0- and 3.5-fold increase in transformation rate upon transient downregulation of either AGO2 or NRPD1a genes, respectively. This is the first report demonstrating the increase in the plant transformation rate via VIGS-mediated transient down-regulation of the components of epigenetic machinery in reproductive tissue.
This study examines the corporate turnaround which occurred in the company experiencing financial distress listing on the stock exchanges of Indonesia from 2010 to 2015. The purpose of this study is to prove the influence of company size, free assets, expenses retrenchment to corporarte turnaround. Company size, free assets, and expenses retrenchment moderated by CEO turnover. While Company Size, free assets and expenses retrenchment moderated by independent audit committee. The sample used in this study is 21 companies after going through the sampling process purposive sampling. The research method in this research is using logistic regression and moderated regreression analisys (MRA). The result shows the size of the company and free assets significant positive effect on the turnaround. Expenses retrenchment does not affect the turnaround process. CEO Turnover does not have a significant influence on the process of turnaround. Independent Audit Committee only affect or reinforce the results for the size of the company and free asset in conducting corporate turnaround, while at the expense retrenchment does not have a significant influence. DOI: 10.15408/etk.v16i1.4796
Eye scanning recordings were made for two drivers on a eight mile section of a rural hilly two-lane highway. Data was collected in both directions (total 66 warning signs). Nighttime data (with low beams) was also collected for one of the drivers. An instrumented vehicle with a corneal reflection technique television eye scanning recording system was used. Eye scanning behavior when approaching warning signs was analyzed for situations where there was no other traffic visible to the test driver. The results of this exploratory study suggest that: 1) drivers look practically at every warning sign, 2) drivers look on the average about 2.3 times at a warning sign, 3) the average first look distances for daytime and nighttime are about 450’ (137m) or about 7 seconds away from the warning signs, 4) the first look distances expressed as percentages of the maximum warning sign sight distances appear to be slightly larger for the nighttime condition than for the daytime condition (nighttime average 83%, daytime average 65%), 5) the fixation durations for looking at the warning signs during nighttime are considerably longer than during daytime (daytime average 0.45 seconds, nighttime average 0.75 seconds), and 6) different types of warning signs and warning sign arrangements appear to influence a driver's eye scanning behavior.
We show by vibrational and photoemission spectroscopy and by ab initio calculations that in ultrahigh vacuum oxygen adsorption at stepped Ag surfaces causes the formation of surface oxide phases with different stoichiometry, depending on the morphology of the steps involved in the nucleation process. On Ag(511), characterized by close-packed steps and (100) terraces, subsurface O occupies tetrahedral interstitials and an Ag2O-like phase forms; on Ag(210), showing open step edges, subsurface oxygen ends up off center in octahedral sites and an AgO-like structure nucleates.
While sensory fibres normally respond to a range of physical and chemical stimuli their activity and metabolism are profoundly altered by a variety of mediators generated by tissue injury and inflammation. These include substances produced by damaged tissue, substances of vascular origin as well as substances released by afferent fibres themselves, sympathetic fibres and various immune cells. The effects of inflammatory mediators, to activate or sensitize afferent fibres, are produced by changing membrane ion channels which are coupled directly via receptors or more commonly are regulated through receptor-coupled second messenger cascades. These latter processes also have the potential to alter gene transcription and thereby induce long-term alterations in the biochemistry of sensory neurones. This can have far-reaching consequences as the expression of novel proteins for ion channels (Na channels) and receptors (capsaicin, NPY) as well as the induction of novel enzymes (i-NOS) can profoundly affect the properties of nociceptors and their ability to transmit pain signals. However, such changes may be targeted successfully for the development of new analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents.
Ideal tooth preparation and interim prostheses are critical to a predictable esthetic and functional outcome in the treatment of full-mouth-fixed restorations. During the treatment stages, multiple procedures need to be considered for a successful and predictable outcome. These include the parallel preparation of multiple abutment teeth followed by the relining of the interim prostheses. The purpose of this article is to describe a technique to simplify tooth preparation and facilitate subsequent insertion of a complete-arch-fixed interim prosthesis using vacuum-formed templates.
We consider a virtual multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) system, where mobile user equipments (UE) in the vicinity of each other act as antennas for each other for communication with a multiple-antenna base station (BS). The UEs communicate with each other on an 'Interlink', and with the BS on an Up/Downlink. A 'Sample-and-Forward' strategy is proposed for the downlink. The capacity of the proposed scheme and of a conventional Decode-and-Forward scheme for the uplink are investigated. Rules for optimal partitioning of time and bandwidth resources between the Interlink and the Up/Downlink are obtained. Capacity outage curves are provided to compare the virtual MIMO schemes with conventional MIMO and single-input-single-output (SISO) schemes.
Some of the poorest countries of the world are facing an apparent paradox. Food insecurity, undernutrition, and overweight exist side by side within the same country. Indeed, food-insesure households often contain an overweight member. Data from 11 mega-countries (countries with a popolation of more than 100 millon) will be presented to illustrate the magnitude of the problem. These 11 countries represent more than 60% of the world's population. Agriculture is still a dominant industry. The links between food insecurity, nutritional status, and agriculture will be presented.
The study of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by non‐phagocyte NADPH oxidase 5 (NOX5) and dual oxidase (DUOX) is of growing importance for vascular physiology and disease development. Their ROS activities appear to be regulated by their self‐contained EF‐hand domains (EFDs). Here, we used differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine the thermostability of EFD for each protein. Our data revealed that Ca2+ binding stabilizes the EFD with the melting temperature difference (ΔTm) values of 16.8 oC and 30.4 oC for the N‐terminus (EF‐N) and EF‐C of NOX5, respectively, while ΔTm of EF‐DUOX was 38.2 oC, which are consistent with the Ca2+ binding affinity determined by Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC). However, it appears that Ca2+ binding to EF‐DUOX has a very different enthalpy change than that of EF‐NOX5. The Ca2+‐induced conformational changes of EFDs for each protein are essential for its interaction with its own flavoprotein (DH) domain, so the hydrophobicity upon Ca2+ binding was assessed by ANS fluorescence and binding studies. Furthermore, the interactions of EFD/DH domain interactions for each protein were investigated by ITC and fluorescence. Our results suggest that both domain‐domain and protein‐protein interaction are essential for the regulation of ROS production as EFD‐NOX5 and CaM enhance the cytochrome C reduction of DH‐NOX5. Currently, we are performing experiments to identify the peptide sequence located in DH‐DUOX that interacts with its EFD.
Crosshole resistivity tomography has been trialled at the Bolivar site north of Adelaide to delineate aquifer properties and preferential flow paths associated with artificial recharge and recovery operations. To date only the pre-storage electrical measurements have been carried out, but follow-up monitoring and background subtraction will be conducted at various stages of pumping to delineate storm-water injection and harvesting from the aquifer. This paper presents the results of the resistivity imaging experiments before water injection at the Bolivar site. The resistivity imaging experiment has entailed crosshole profiling and scanning with a specified bipole-bipole electrode array between four pairs of boreholes located on a circle of a radius of 75 metres from the water injection well, and the data were inverted for the resistivity structure of the aquifer using a new imaging scheme. The four resistivity images obtained between each pair of boreholes show a somewhat similar pattern, with alternative zones of high and low resistivity within the aquifer. There are at least five zones which can be recognised. They correlate with the major subdivisions found from geophysical logging of the boreholes and correspond with the stratigraphy of the T2-aquifer, which consists of variably cemented fine carbonate and sandstone layers.
Severe (stage IV) duodenal polyposis is difficult to manage in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), with no effective medical treatment, complex endoscopic treatment modalities, and a high morbidity and mortality from pancreaticoduodenectomy. We present the case of a 44-year-old woman with FAP, stage IV duodenal polyposis, and with an ileal pouch adenocarcinoma that required surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Her duodenal polyposis regressed to stage II after four sessions of FOLFOX4 adjuvant chemotherapy, which avoided the need for aggressive endoscopic therapy or pancreatoduodenectomy in this patient.
The degradation behavior of cefixime trihydrate was investigated under different stress conditions of acidic hydrolysis, alkaline hydrolysis and oxidation using spectrophotometry. Stability indicating spectrophotometric methods were developed that could separate the drug from its degradation products formed under these stress conditions. The UV spectral characteristics of the drug and degraded products were quite different and zero and first order derivative ultraviolet spectrophotometric methods were used to study the extent of degradation. Cefixime trihydrate was found to degrade extensively under experimental conditions. The methods were validated by establishing the linearity, inter and intraday precision, accuracy, selectivity and specificity.
We introduce algorithms and architectures for automatic spike detection and alignment that are designed for low power. Some of the algorithms are based on principal component analysis (PCA). Others employ a novel integral transform analysis and achieve 99% of the precision of a PCA detector, while requiring only 0.05% of the computational complexity. The algorithms execute autonomously, but require off-line training and setting of computational parameters. We employ pre-recorded neuronal signals to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed algorithms and architectures: the recorded data are processed by a standard PCA spike detection and alignment software algorithm, as well as by the several hardware algorithms, and the outcomes are compared.
In this study, the effect of the extraction medium on the properties and efficiency of biocoagulant, extracted of Jatropha curcas (Jc), in turbidity removal from aqueous solutions has been investigated. The optimized values of NaCl concentration (i.e., NaCl), solution pH and solution temperature were identified to improve the extraction of the coagulant. The optimized conditions were associated with an optimum coagulant dosage and a maximum turbidity removal from the synthetic aqueous solutions. The highest turbidity reduction was achieved with the coagulant extracted at a solution pH of 10 and an extraction temperature of 60°C (pH10/60°C-Jc press cake). Under these conditions, the coagulant dosage required was reduced by 80%–90%, depending on the coagulation pH. At the coagulation pH = 6, the pH10/60°C-Jc press cake well reduced the turbidity by 85%. However, the distilled waterbased extract failed to lower the turbidity. Several analytical techniques were employed to characterize the nature of the active components derived from Jc. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis showed that Jc extract was mainly made up of proteins with molecular weights between 20 and 35 kDa. The optimized extraction conditions significantly improved the efficiency of this promising bio-derived coagulant in turbidity reduction. This study demonstrates the potential employability of these enhanced bio-coagulants. This can be a step ahead in helping with the development of sustainable processes in (waste)water treatment, particularly in tropical regions, for example, Malaysia with an abundant access to Jc. Keyword: Jatropha curcas; Natural coagulant; Water treatment; Biomass; Protein; Turbidity removal
Single neutral atoms have been stored in a magneto-optical trap and imaged with the help of a CCD camera. The trapping of individual atoms is marked by steps in the fluorescence signal corresponding to the capture or loss of a single atom. The statistics of these capture and loss processes is explained by means of a birth-death model. The spatial distribution and the trap losses are investigated for the single-atom case and compared with the behaviour of a cloud of up to 2·105 atoms.
This paper proposes an efficient method for scene detection and scene text recognition using computer vision and machine learning. The scene recognition of police stations and hospitals is implemented using an ORB feature detector and extractor. The extracted features are optimised with K-Means and PCA for dimensionality reduction. The police station and hospital scene is accurately recognized using Random Forest with an accuracy 94%. The recognized scene is then analysed for scene text extraction using localization and character segmentation techniques. The text recognition model is trained to accurately detect scene text using Random Forest with 98% accuracy. This novel method can be used for autonomous driving to assist drivers with information about the hospitals and police stations around, while driving.
This article explains some moral dimensions of a transnational feminist research project designed to provide a better standard or metric for measuring poverty across the world. The author is an investigator on this project. Poverty metrics incorporate moral judgments about what is necessary for a decent life, so justifying metrics requires moral argumentation. The article clarifies the moral aspects of poverty valuation, indicates some moral flaws in existing global poverty metrics, and outlines some conditions for a better global metric. It then explains the methodology used in our project, providing its moral rationale and discussing some remaining moral concerns.
By using open-ended armchair (6, 6) single-wall carbon nanotubes as electrodes, we investigate the electron transport properties of an all-carbon molecular junction based on the C82 molecule. We find the most stable system among different isomers by performing structural optimization calculations of the C82 isomers and the C82 extended molecules. The calculated results show that the C82–C2(3) isomer and the C82 extended molecule with C82–C2v isomer are most stable. For the all-carbon hybrid system consisting of C82–C2v extended molecules, it is shown that the Landauer conductance can be tuned over several orders of magnitude both by changing the distance between two electrodes and by changing the orientation of the C82 molecule or rotating one of the tubes around the symmetry axis of the system at a fixed distance. Also, we find the most stable distance between two electrodes from the total energy curve. This fact could make this all-carbon molecular system a possible candidate for a nanoelectronic switch. Moreover, we interpret the conductance mechanism for such a molecular device.
The lecture ‘Sleep Disorders ‐ an Update for Psychiatrists’ was given by Professor Gregory Stores at the eighth Latest Advances in Psychiatry Symposium in London in March. Professor Stores discussed the fact that sleep disorders can often be misinterpreted as psychiatric disorders, and in this article, he provides more information on this often‐neglected topic. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Interface Ltd
Contents: General editor's preface Industrial change in England 1780-1820 The Poor Law and the parish apprentice Factory apprenticeship: structure, process and legislation The supply and distribution of parish apprentices Textile enterprise and the parish apprentice The costs and benefits of parish apprenticeship Parish factory apprenticeship and the nature of work The making of a gendered labour force? The exploitation of little children The voices of the children The protection of parish apprentices The neglect of parish apprentices Conclusion Bibliography Appendix Index.
The prediction of operons, the smallest unit of transcription in prokaryotes, is the first step towards reconstruction of a regulatory network at the whole genome level. Sequence information, in particular the distance between open reading frames, has been used to predict if adjacent Escherichia coli genes are in an operon. While appreciably successful, these predictions need to be validated and refined experimentally. As a growing number of gene expression array experiments on E.coli became available, we investigated to what extent they could be used to improve and validate these predictions. To this end, we examined a large collection of published microarry data. The correlation between expression ratios of adjacent genes was used in a Bayesian classification scheme to predict whether the genes are in an operon or not. We found that for the genes whose expression levels change significantly across the experiments in the data set, the currently available gene expression data allowed a significant refinement of the sequenced-based predictions. We report these co-expression correlations in an E.coli genomic map. For a significant portion of gene pairs, however, the set of array experiments considered did not contain sufficient information to determine whether they are in the same transcriptional unit. This is not due to unreliability of the array data per se, but to the design of the experiments analyzed. In general, experiments that perturb a large number of genes offer more information for operon prediction than confined perturbations. These results provide a rationale for conducting expression studies comparing conditions that cause global changes in gene expression.
In the present study 800 well water samples were collected from five Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions situated in Maharagama, Sri Lanka. The area is highly populated and urbanized with a very shallow ground water table. Ground water quality was analyzed and compared with different GN divisions identifying well water contamination pattern using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Eighty wells were sampled monthly using simple random sampling method from January 2012 to October 2012. PCA analysis identified three clusters, Navinna GN division as cluster 1’ with high electrical conductivity values, Jambugasmulla, Wijerama and Gangodawila South B together as ‘cluster 2’ with high organic pollution and Wattegedara being the highest polluted GN division as ‘cluster 3’. Overall results indicated that water quality of the area is deteriorated with risk of potential water borne diseases and all parameters tested were far above the SriLanka Standard Institute standards given for drinking water quality.
A prototype electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source has been designed and developed to deliver a maintenance-free, stable and controllable current ion beam. The plasma source can accommodate both low and high power microwave applicators for different applications. Selection of the optimum magnetic field arrangement and position with respect to the microwave applicator ensures a high density plasma operational at pressures below 5.0×10-2 Pa. From initial tests a plasma density of 5.0×1010 cm-3, electron temperature of 1.5 eV and a plasma potential of 10 V were measured 10 cm downstream for an input microwave power of 100 W at an Ar pressure of 0.1 Pa. A saturation ion current density of 2 mA/cm2 was measured independently using a biased Langmuir probe and results matched well the calculated values. Ion beams with non-uniformity of ±10% have been used to sputter with control a diamond-like-carbon film with rates of up to 30 nm/h at room temperature.
Fimbristylis comprises about 300 species (Willis 1966). Compared to the size of this taxon the cytological information available is scanty (Tanaka 1937, 1939,  Dnyansagar and Tiwari 1956, Sharma 1962, Sharma and Bal 1956, Chuang et al.1963, Gadella and Kliphuis 1964, Baquar 1969, Murin and Chaudhri 1970, Mehra and Sachdeva 1971, Sanyal and Sharma 1972, Nijalingappa 1972, 1973). The present contribution deals with cytological studies of 13 species from southern India.
Proteins in tears are known to be highly heterogeneous. We have tried to take into consideration some of the difficulties encountered in studying tear proteins such as tear collection, the choice of the parameters to be studied, the adequacy of techniques for small sample volumes, etc. Levels of total tear proteins were determined in 101 samples and the electrophoreses were performed. On gel slabs, four major proteins were always found to be present: lactoferrin, lysozyme and two tear specific proteins. Concentrations of some individual proteins, lactoferrin, lysozyme, IgA, IgG and albumin were determined. Comparisons of lactoferrin and lysozyme contents were found to be more reliable when based on total protein rather than on their own concentrations as such.
Floodplain wetlands are valuable ecosystems for maintaining biodiversity, but are vulnerable to hydrological modification and climatic extremes. The floodplain wetlands in the middle Yangtze region are biodiversity hotspots, particularly important for wintering migratory waterbirds. In recent years, extremely low winter water level events frequently occurred in the middle Yangtze River. The hydrological droughts greatly impacted the development and distribution of the wet meadows, one of the most important ecological components in the floodplains, which is vital for the survival of many migratory waterbirds wintering in the Yangtze region. To effectively manage the wet meadows, it is critical to pinpoint the drivers for their deterioration. In this study, we assessed the effects of hydrological connectivity on the ecological stability of wet meadow in Poyang Lake for the period of 2000 to 2016. We used the time series of MODIS EVI (Enhanced Vegetation Index) as a proxy for productivity to infer the ecological stability of wet meadows in terms of resistance and resilience. Our results showed that (1) the wet meadows developed in freely connected lakes had significantly higher resilience; (2) wet meadows colonizing controlled lakes had higher resistance to water level anomalies; (3) there was no difference in the resistance to rainfall anomaly between the two types of lakes; (4) the wet meadow in freely connected lakes might approach a tipping point and a regime shift might be imminent. Our findings suggest that adaptive management at regional- (i.e., operation of Three Gorges Dam) and site-scale (e.g., regulating sand mining) are needed to safeguard the long-term ecological stability of the system, which in term has strong implications for local, regional and global biodiversity conservation.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of self-reported chronic mental health problems (MHPs) and mental health service use and their determinants, among the Spanish population over 14 years of age. Methods: Data from the 1999 Spanish Survey on Disabilities, Deficiencies, and State of Health were used. The survey is a cross-sectional study based on a multi-stage stratified sample of all the non-institutionalized Spanish population aged over 14 years (n=59,101, 11% non-responders). Multivariate logistic regression analysis were used. Results: 10.7% of the Spanish population suffer from an MHP. The highest prevalences were found in women, divorced/separated persons, those with a lower level of education and income, and those suffering from a chronic somatic problem. The number of days of daily activity lost was 2-fold greater among those with an MHP than among those with a chronic somatic problem. Greater use of mental health services was associated with loss of daily activity, having a higher level of education, invalidity or disability. The probability of MHP being referred from primary to mental healthcare is reduced if somatic comorbidity is present. Conclusion: MHPs have a high prevalence and a significant repercussion on the patient’s life. An inverse relationship was found between certain risk factors for MHPs and the use of services, which suggests inequality. Problems of accessibility are identified.
in freemasonry, liberalism, and positivism. From there Dussel identifies the attacks on Roman Catholicism and its institutions that grew from the atheistic states of the twentieth century. These first few pages of history are quite accurate. But from that point on, Dussel starts to show his own liberation theology bent, when even before discussing that innovation he refers to the universal church and the papacy as "an international institution organized from Rome" (p. 547). Dussel sees the most significant alterations in the church's posture in Latin American society as having been enunciated at the 1968 Second General Conference of Latin American Bishops at Medellin. Arguing that the Medellin meeting of the hierarchy served to implement Vatican Council II decisions, Dussel makes the point that sin was no longer seen as an individual matter coming from the Fall and absolvable by a priest, but rather was from that point on to be considered as collective in nature. Such, of course, is a radical departure in Catholic theology and an inaccurate presentation of the Second Vatican Council's teaching. From the Medellin gathering of prelates in 1968 to the early 1990s, Dussel presents a liberation theology-biased interpretation of the history of Roman Catholicism throughout Latin America. From such a purview he discusses, among other topics, Catholic Action and Christian base communities, the priesthood, liberation theology itself, and the church in politics. The weaknesses in this coverage of Roman Catholicism in Latin America since 1930 are obvious. Not only is the study intellectually prejudiced, but in so being it ignores so many other developments which should have been discussed! As a consequence, this essay is valuable only to the extent that the reader sees liberation theology as the only, or at least the most important, historical aspect of Catholicism worthy of study in Latin America at the present time.
Parasitic nematodes that cause elephantiasis and river blindness threaten hundreds of millions of people in the developing world. We have sequenced the ∼90 megabase (Mb) genome of the human filarial parasite Brugia malayi and predict ∼11,500 protein coding genes in 71 Mb of robustly assembled sequence. Comparative analysis with the free-living, model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans revealed that, despite these genes having maintained little conservation of local synteny during ∼350 million years of evolution, they largely remain in linkage on chromosomal units. More than 100 conserved operons were identified. Analysis of the predicted proteome provides evidence for adaptations of B. malayi to niches in its human and vector hosts and insights into the molecular basis of a mutualistic relationship with its Wolbachia endosymbiont. These findings offer a foundation for rational drug design.
In 21st century there are five pillars of development namely Women empowerment, Youth advancement, intervention of Digital technology, Gender equality and rising trend of Subalterns and Marginalised sections of society. Having setting the bearings of priorities, Women empowerment is the key domain in the Role of women in local government in Panchayati Raj Institutions which finds its prominent role in the sustainable development in society. There are 29 power point programmes have been entrusted in the Panchayat institutions in Haryana at three tier system. The 73rd amendment Act in Haryana Panchayati Raj System becomes a vehicle of social change and acts as The Harbinger of Women’s engendering the Panchayati Raj Institutions since its inception in 1994. The Haryana Panchayati Raj Act 1994 provides for reservation of one third of elected seats for Women at three levels i.e. Gram Panchayat (G.P.) Panchayat Smiti (P.S.) and Zila Prishad (Z.P.) There is also one third reservations for women to the seats of chairpersons of these PRIs. These women include general and scheduled castes. This act further provides for reservation of one third seats for Schedule castes women out of total seats reserved for schedule castes in proportion to S.C. population. The engendering Panchayati Raj Institutions in Haryana requires rigorous regimen of total overhauling of social structure per se. In fact, engendering Panchayati Raj Institution in Haryana is a euphemistic concept. The PRIs are in infantile stage and lack in all encompassing approach. Bluntly stating, women are still at a periphery of progress in the eyes of policy makers and decision takers.
Complications affecting the nervous system following treatment by gold salts are very uncommon. I can find no reference to their occurrence in the British or American literature, with the exception of a warning by Findlay' and Copeman2 that neuritis may occur, but no further details are given. Hartfall and Garland,3 I in a recent analysis of 400 cases treated by gold salts, have found various complications in 37 per cent. of their cases, but none affecting the nervous system. French authors, however, have reported a few such cases. Nervous complications can occur soon after the first injection of the salt, or more commonly near the end of the first or even of subsequent courses. They are often preceded by other signs of susceptibility, especially of the skin, such as erythematous rashes, or even, though rarely, exfoliative dermatitis.
The conserved Trp residue within helix 5 of the N-lobe of human serum transferrin (hTF/2N, 40 kDa) has been mutated to Tyr. NMR and CD spectra and energy calculations show that the mutation causes little perturbation of the overall structure of hTF/2N although the chelating agent Tiron removed Fe3+ from the mutant protein about three times faster than from wild-type hTF/2N. 1H-NMR resonances of residues in the Leu122-Trp128-Ile132 hydrophobic patch are assigned both by ring current calculations and with the aid of the mutation. [1H, 15N]-NMR resonances for 11 of the 14 Tyr residues were observed in the spectra of 15N-Tyr-hTF/2N and a resonance for Tyr128 was assignable in spectra of the mutant. The 15N resonance of Y128 was sensitive to oxalate and Ga3+ binding, and Ga3+ binding perturbed 15N resonances for most of the Tyr residues. Since these are well distributed over the N-lobe, it can be concluded that metal-induced structural changes are not merely local to the binding site.
Extensions and improvements to a deflated preconditioned conjugate gradient technique are considered. In particular, the use of the technique for embedded grids, for cases where volume of fluid (VOF) or level set (LS) schemes are required, its implementation on parallel machines and its extension to the elasticity equations are considered. Several examples are included that demonstate a considerable reduction in the number of iterations and a remarkable insensitivity to the number of groups/regions chosen and/or to the way the groups are formed.
The pseudodielectric-function spectra, e(E)=e1(E)+ie2(E), of amorphous (a-) InSb and GeSe2 semiconductors in the 1.5–5.5 eV photon-energy range at room temperature were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry. The samples studied were prepared by radio frequency planar magnetron sputtering (a-InSb), and by the melt-quenching technique (a-GeSe2). The e2(E) spectra for these semiconductors showed a single broad peak (a-InSb) and a double-peaked structure (a-GeSe2), respectively. The single broad peak found in a-InSb is typically observed in amorphous tetrahedral semiconductors. The double-peaked structure in the e2(E) spectrum of a-GeSe2 closely resembles the a-Se and a-Te spectra and is described by a simple model consisting of two valence bands and a lower conduction band. The experimental e2(E) spectra are analyzed using Jellison-Modine model [Appl. Phys. Lett. 69, 371 (1996)], and excellent agreement is achieved between the calculation and experiment over the entire range of photon energies. Dielectric-r...
This is the second part of a two–part study of the NH3NH4SCN cellulose solvent system. Quasielastic light scattering was used to determine the diffusion coefficients of cellulose in solution and the effective hydrodynamic radius of the dissolved molecules. Additionally, the system was studied using light microscopy to determine the minimum critical volume fraction or liquid crystal formation. Very little change was found in the diffusion coefficients with change in cellulose concentration indicating little interaction between the chains in solution. Values of 7.69 and 2.66 × 108 cm2/s were measured for samples having a degree of polymerization of 153 and 969. The value of the coefficient relating the hydrodynamic volume to the radius of gyration was found to be in the range of 0.33 to 0.53, indicating an extended coil conformation according to the Kirkwood-Riseman theory. The minimum critical volume fractions necessary for liquid crystal formation, υ2′ were 0.039, 0.038, and 0.048 for the three solvent compositions studied. The values calculated for υ2′ based on the measured persistence lengths were much larger than the predicted values, indicating strong deviation from theory or possible aggregation in the system.
OBJECTIVES Allopurinol protects the heart against ischaemic events during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), possibly because of its antioxidant properties. This double-blind study was designed to investigate whether allopurinol (1 g), given before cardiopulmonary bypass and prior to the opening of cross-clamping, has an antioxidant effect in CABG patients by measuring plasma total peroxyl radical scavenging capacity.   DESIGN Twenty-seven patients with stabile angina were randomized into allopurinol (n = 14) or placebo (n = 13) groups.   RESULTS During 10 min reperfusion, plasma hypoxanthine and xanthine concentrations increased only in the allopurinol group, whereas uric acid concentrations decreased. Total peroxyl radical scavenging capacity (TRAP) decreased from the initial value at all measuring points in both groups.   CONCLUSIONS The reducing effect of allopurinol on free radical generation cannot be seen in TRAP values, obviously because the uric acid concentration of plasma decreases markedly. The positive clinical effects of allopurinol in CABG patients may arise from its direct oxygen free radical scavenging function.
This multivariate longitudinal study explored the relative contribution of 12th-grade students' (a) participation in a preparation program for mandatory military service, (b) feelings of adjustment at high school, and (c) perceptions of school climate to their evaluation of the program's impact on them, as well as to their later adjustment to military service. The sample included 247 male and female 12th graders, divided into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group participated in a 10-meeting preparation program focusing on the enhancement of empowerment feelings regarding entrance into military service. We conducted measurements at three points in time: (a) before exposure to the preparation program, (b) after exposure to the preparation program, and (c) 6–12 months after military enlistment. Research findings supported the notion that the preparation program had a short-term impact on students' feelings of preparedness for military service. Activities in which students were directly exposed to military life or to Army representatives gained more positive evaluations. But some of the activities conducted by school staff were also positively related to the overall evaluation of the program's contribution to preparedness. However, in the long run, students' later military adjustment was not related to participation in the preparation program but rather to their pre-intervention attitudes toward military enlistment as well as their preliminary general feeling of adjustment. Altogether, study findings indicate that the preparation program had a positive impact mainly for those students who manage well in high school before enlistment. Hence, it is suggested that efforts to foster school-to-Army transition should unfold in a three-step process: (a) preliminary screening for maladaptive behavior, (b) pre-enlistment preparation, and (c) post-enlistment support to all recruits.
A 33-year-old Chinese male patient with severe aplastic anemia received matched sibling allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation using antithymocyte globulin containing conditioning regimen after 4 months of unsuccessful treatment with cyclosporine A. Following transplantation, the patient was immunosuppressed demonstrated by intermittent infections, including a varicella 3 months after transplantation. Although DNA-STR results on day +30 confirmed complete donor engraftment, repeat DNA-STR analysis performed more than 3 months after transplantation showed a mosaic phenotype. Cyclosporine tapering commenced early, but the last DNA-STR result confirmed complete graft rejection. On day +198, the patient presented with fever, skin boil in the right temporal region, severe pancytopenia, intrabodominal lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Within 1 month, superficial lymphadenopathy and right exophthalmos developed. Excisional lymph node biopsy pathology confirmed Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). The patient succumbed due to intracranial bleeding as a result of thrombocytopenia. This is the first study of KS that developed following stem cell transplantation for severe aplastic anemia. The precipitating factors underlying KS development in this case and its differentiation from post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders are analyzed.
Oxygen free radicals have been proposed to mediate amyloid peptide (beta-AP)-induced neurotoxicity. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated the effects of EUK-8, a synthetic catalytic superoxide and hydrogen peroxide scavenger, on neuronal injury produced by beta-AP in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. Cultures of equivalent postnatal day 35 (defined as mature) and 14 (defined as immature) were exposed to various concentrations of beta-AP (1-42 or 1-40) in the absence or presence of 25 microM EUK-8 for up to 72 hours. Neuronal injury was assessed by lactate dehydrogenase release and semiquantitative analysis of propidium iodide uptake at various times after the initiation of beta-AP exposure. Free radical production was inferred from the relative increase in dichlorofluorescein fluorescence, and the degree of lipid peroxidation was determined by assaying thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Treatment of mature cultures with beta-AP (50-250 microg/ml) in serum-free conditions resulted in a reproducible pattern of damage, causing a time-dependent increase in neuronal injury accompanied with formation of reactive oxygen species. However, immature cultures were entirely resistant to beta-AP-induced neurotoxicity and also demonstrated no dichlorofluorescein fluorescence or increased lipid peroxidation after beta-AP treatment. Moreover, mature slices exposed to beta-AP in the presence of 25 microM EUK-8 were significantly protected from beta-AP-induced neurotoxicity. EUK-8 also completely blocked beta-AP-induced free radical accumulation and lipid peroxidation. These results not only support a role for oxygen free radicals in beta-AP toxicity but also highlight the therapeutic potential of synthetic radical scavengers in Alzheimer disease.
In this paper, I consider Heidegger's call for the recapturing of radical techne or "the original Greek essence of science" because, he argues, it reminds us of our tragic impotence in the face of nature—that humans are in the throws of a fate beyond their determination. For Heidegger, our thinking, our building, our politics, and our art must be episphales (precarious and prone to fall)—that is, its aim must not be to protect against or hide from, but to stand firm against the collapse and confusion of Western thinking and civilization.
Background: Obesity has become one of the most significant public health problems in the world in recent decades. It is associated with an increased incidence of postoperative complications, and there is a cause-and-effect relationship between obesity and increased prevalence of injury in children. Although there are studies in the world that indicate an increased incidence of obesity among surgically treated children, no such research has been conducted in Croatia so far.  Materials and methods: This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of children treated at the Department of Pediatric Surgery at two samples in the time lag of eight years (2010 and 2018). In 2010, 1205 children were treated in hospital, 790 children fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In 2018, 1316 children were treated in hospital, and 790 children met the inclusion criteria. The collected data were compared with the existing health statistics.  Results: The proportion of obese children was 29.7% in patients treated in 2010 and 29.7% in patients treated in 2018. In 2010 the highest prevalence of obese children was in pre-school age (23.8%) and overweight in school-age (16.7%). In 2018 the highest incidence of obesity in school children was 38.9%, in preschool-age 31.6%, in puberty 28.3%, and the lowest in adolescents 23.3%.  Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity in children undergoing hospitalization for surgical illness is higher than in the general population. There was no trend of increasing the incidence of obesity over a 10-year time lag.
chensinensis could enhance immunity function in mice. Oviductus Ranae is the dry fallopian tube of female rana temporaria chensinensis, with the efficacy of tonifying the kidney to arrest spontaneous emission, nourishing yin of the lung, bringing down a fever, and diminishing inflammation(Zhang, M.,2013). The mainly effective ingredients are protein (about 60%), amino acid,aliphatic acid,lipid-soluble vitamin,carbohydrate,phospholipid, estradiol,pregnendione,and microelement etc, full of nutriments(Sun,J.Z.,2008). Protein is difficult to get digestion and absorption by human body, thus technical study that macromolecular substance is hydrolyzed into small molecular peptide has deeply concerned. The innate immunity of vertebrates is mediated by a network of host-defense mechanisms involving in part a nonspecific chemical defense system that includes broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides (Bals, 2000; Aov et al.,1991; Jonathan et al.,2007 ). These peptides inhibit growth of numerous pathogenic microorganisms,including enveloped viruses,Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, protozoa, and fungi (Nicolas and Mor, 1995; Baba and Schneewind,1998; Hancock, 2001; Zasloff, 2002). 4th International Conference on Sensors, Measurement and Intelligent Materials (ICSMIM 2015)
Drug reference texts are an important part of a health care provider's daily collection of tools. With over 40,000 prescription drug products on the market, no one can be expected to remember the crucial details of more than a small number of them. Computer-based drug references are becoming more widely available, and possess many advantages over their paper counterparts. The Physicians' Desk Reference (Medical Economics Company, Inc., Montvale, NJ, USA) is now provided to practicing physicians yearly on CD-ROM for a nominal fee. Mosby's Complete Drug Beference: Physicians GenRx (Mosby Yearbook, Inc., St. Louis, MO, USA) is another drug reference program which is updated quarterly. This program will be reviewed here.
Describes an X-ray lithography system which allowed Bell Labs. engineers to make MOSFETs with channel lengths of 0.3 to 0.4 micrometers, switching speeds of 30 to 75 picoseconds, and speed-power products of 5 femtojoules (5×10-15 Ws) to 50 femtojoules. The X-ray system is smaller, less expensive, and more reliable than previous X-ray systems, and it also has a higher throughput-potentially 75 wafers per hour. It uses an exposure power of 4.5 kW, compared to the 20 to 40 kW in other systems. The key to a short exposure time with a low power source is the use of a novel resist that is more radiation-sensitive than conventional resists. Another advantage of the system is exceptional linewidth control-better than 0.1 micrometer across the wafer.
This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of the Future leadership Program in developing transformational leadership skills among 7th grade gifted female students in Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of (16) gifted female students who were intentionally chosen from public schools in Riyadh City, and randomly divided into two groups each containing (8) gifted female students; the experimental and the control group.  Both groups were subjected to the Multifactor Leadership Short-Answer Questionnaire (MLQ5X) to measure their transformational leadership skills. The experimental group was trained by using the Future Leadership Program, whereas the control group did not receive any training.  The results indicated that the Program had a moderate effect in developing transformational leadership skills among the experimental group members comparison to control group.  Their performance on the (MLQ5X) test was better than that for the control group members.  The results are discussed and some recommendations were presented.
Serious conceptual and procedural problems associated with current diagnostic methods call for alternative approaches to assessing and diagnosing students with reading problems. This study presents a new analytic model to improve the classification and prediction of children's reading development. Growth mixture modeling was used to identify the presence of 10 different heterogeneous developmental patterns. In all, 411 children in kindergarten through Grade 2 from 3 elementary schools in Texas were administered measures of phonological awareness, word recognition, and rapid naming skills 4 times a year. The mean ages were 5.8 years (SD = 0.35) for the kindergartners, 6.9 years (SD = 0.39) for Grade 1, and 8.0 years (SD = 0.43) for Grade 2; the percentage of boys was 50%. The results indicate that precursor reading skills such as phonological awareness and rapid naming are highly predictive of word reading (word recognition) and that developmental profiles formed in kindergarten are directly associated with development in Grades 1 and 2. Students identified as having reading-related difficulties in kindergarten exhibited slower development of word recognition skills in subsequent years of the study.
Using the data of the direct numerical simulation (DNS) for the turbulent compressible channel flow with the isothermal walls, a priori test for the one-equation subgrid-scale (SGS) model for turbulent compressible flows is performed. It is comfirmed that the model expressions for the grid-scale (GS) viscous and diffusive terms, SGS temperature-dilatation term with the filtering DNS's heat flux, SGS stress-strain term are effective. The SGS stress and flux are modeled by using the GS strain and coherent structure model function. From a posteriori result of the large-eddy-simulation (LES) using the proposed SGS model, the present model can reproduce the DNS one qualitatively.
Several groundbreaking trials and over 1 million years of patient experience have established tenofovir as an important component of HIV treatment. Tenofovir has demonstrated potent antiviral efficacy, with a low risk of developing resistance when used as part of an effective combination regimen. It is generally well tolerated, with a low risk of lipoatrophy and a favourable effect on lipid profile compared with older nucleoside analogue agents such as stavudine or zidovudine. Clinical data suggest that switching from thymidine analogues to a tenofovir‐containing regimen can benefit patients with lipid abnormalities or lipoatrophy. This article reviews the development of tenofovir, including pivotal studies that have influenced HIV clinical practice.
This article examines the political debate within Toronto's District Labour Council (DLC) from 1900 to 1921. It argues that divisive factors within the Council hindered the emergence of an effective third party alternative in the city. The majority of the delegates to the DLC favoured the formation of a labour party controlled by trade unionists. The Council fostered the formation of such a party, but the combined opposition of left-wing delegates, who advocated affiliation with the Socialist and later the Social Democratic Parties, and right-wing delegates, who opposed third party electoral action of any kind, prevented the DLC from affiliating or working too closely with the various labour parties. During the war the socialist and labourite delegates within the Council joined forces to promote a reorganized and more broadly based Independent Labour Party, but, again, severe internal conflict prevented the ILP from winning significant electoral support in Toronto.      Cet article etudie le debat politique au sein du Toronto District Labour Council (DLC) de 1900 a 1921. Il demontre que les divisions internes dans le DLC retarderent la formation d'un troisieme parti efficace dans la ville. La plupart des delegues au Conseil favoriserent la formation d'un parti travailliste controle par les syndicalistes. Le Conseil encourage la formation d'un tel parti, mais l'affiliation ou meme la collaboration du DLC avec les divers partis travaillistes fut empechee par l'opposition d'une part, des delegues de la gauche qui preferaient l'affiliation avec le Socialist Party et plus tard avec le Social Democratic Party , d'autre part, des delegues de la droite qui s'opposaient a toute activite electorale d'un troisieme parti. Pendant la guerre les socialistes et les travaillistes travaillerent ensemble pour lancer un Independent Labour Party (ILP) reorganise avec une base plus large, mais, encore une fois, un conflit interne grave empecha la ILP d'obtenir un appui electoral important dans Toronto.
Abstract Kinetics studies on the interaction between lead dioxide and methylcobalamin indicate a pattern of two parallel first‐order reactions with rate constants of 1.02 x 10‐3 s‐1 and 5.33 x 10‐5 s‐1. The relative importance of the two reaction pathways seems to depend on the available surface of lead dioxide. Acetone, methane and methanol form as the principal gaseous products. Traces of tetramethyllead form, and substantial quantities of lead dissolve in the aqueous layer. The product distribution is consistent with a mechanism involving formation and decomposition of methyllead triacetate. Other insoluble metal oxides also follow this pattern in their reaction with methylcobalamin.
Background Epidemiological studies link organophosphorus pesticide (OP) exposures to asthma, and we have shown that the OPs chlorpyrifos, diazinon and parathion cause airway hyperreactivity in guinea pigs 24 hr after a single subcutaneous injection. OP-induced airway hyperreactivity involves M2 muscarinic receptor dysfunction on airway nerves independent of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition, but how OPs inhibit neuronal M2 receptors in airways is not known. In the central nervous system, OPs interact directly with neurons to alter muscarinic receptor function or expression; therefore, in this study we tested whether the OP parathion or its oxon metabolite, paraoxon, might decrease M2 receptor function on peripheral neurons via similar direct mechanisms. Methodology/Principal Findings Intravenous administration of paraoxon, but not parathion, caused acute frequency-dependent potentiation of vagally-induced bronchoconstriction and increased electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced contractions in isolated trachea independent of AChE inhibition. However, paraoxon had no effect on vagally-induced bradycardia in intact guinea pigs or EFS-induced contractions in isolated ileum, suggesting mechanisms other than pharmacologic antagonism of M2 receptors. Paraoxon did not alter M2 receptor expression in cultured cells at the mRNA or protein level as determined by quantitative RT-PCR and radio-ligand binding assays, respectively. Additionally, a biotin-labeled fluorophosphonate, which was used as a probe to identify molecular targets phosphorylated by OPs, did not phosphorylate proteins in guinea pig cardiac membranes that were recognized by M2 receptor antibodies. Conclusions/Significance These data indicate that neither direct pharmacologic antagonism nor downregulated expression of M2 receptors contributes to OP inhibition of M2 function in airway nerves, adding to the growing evidence of non-cholinergic mechanisms of OP neurotoxicity.
I have only recently received the May number of the ‘Geological Journal’, containing the interesting paper of Dr. Heer on the plants above mentioned, and beg to request permission to address to the Society a few remarks on their supposed equivalency with the American Devonian Flora. The plants catalogued by Dr. Heer, and characterizing what he calls the “Ursa Stage,” are in part representatives of those of the American flora which I have described as the “Lower Carboniferous Coal-measures” (Subcarboniferous of Dana), and whose characteristic species, as developed in Nova Scotia, I noticed in the Journal of the Geological Society in 1858 (vol. xv.). Dr. Heer's list, however, includes some Upper Devonian forms; and I would suggest that either the plants of two distinct beds, one Lower Carboniferous and the other Upper Devonian, have been near to or in contact with each other and have been intermixed, or else that in this high northern latitude, in which (for reasons stated in my Report on the Devonian Flora) I believe the Devonian plants to have originated, there was an actual intermixture of the two floras. In America, at the base of the Carboniferous of Ohio, a transition of this kind seems to occur; but elsewhere in North-Eastern America the Lower Carboniferous beds are usually unmixed with the Devonian. Dr. Heer, however, proceeds to identify these plants with those of the American Chemung, and even with those of the Middle Devonian of New Brunswick, as described by me—a conclusion from which I
A series of in-plane bitextured ${ mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${ mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${ mathrm{O}}_{7 mathrm{ ensuremath{-}} mathrm{ ensuremath{ delta}}}$ thin films were obtained on yttria-stabilized ${ mathrm{ZrO}}_{2}$ substrates with various ratios of [100] and [110] grains. Their critical-current-density properties were measured in an applied magnetic field of up to 4 T. A diffraction pattern in ${ mathit{J}}_{ mathit{c}}$(H) ensuremath{ sim}H is observed at high magnetic fields in thin-film samples. This diffraction pattern is due to the weak-link character of 45 ifmmode^ circ else textdegree fi{} grain boundaries. The volume-pinning-force densities were calculated, with two separate mechanisms governing thin-film ${ mathit{J}}_{ mathit{c}}$ behavior in the magnetic fields identified. In the range of H0.5 T, weak-link properties of 45 ifmmode^ circ else textdegree fi{} grain boundary dominated. At fields above 1 T, flux flow along strongly coupled grains was determined to be the main mechanism of dissipation.
Symmetry is usually computationally expensive to encode reliably, and yet it is relatively effortless to perceive. Here, we extend F. J. A. M. Poirier and H. R. Wilson's (2006) model for shape perception to account for H. R. Wilson and F. Wilkinson's (2002) data on shape symmetry. Because the model already accounts for shape perception, only minimal neural circuitry is required to enable it to encode shape symmetry as well. The model is composed of three main parts: (1) recovery of object position using large-scale non-Fourier V4-like concentric units that respond at the center of concentric contour segments across orientations, (2) around that recovered object center, curvature mechanisms combine multiplicatively the responses of oriented filters to encode object-centric local shape information, with a preference for convexities, and (3) object-centric symmetry mechanisms. Model and human performances are comparable for symmetry perception of shapes. Moreover, with some improvement of edge recovery, the model can encode symmetry axes in natural images such as faces.
Exciton–polaritons are unique quasiparticles with hybrid properties of an exciton and a photon, opening ways to realize ultrafast strongly nonlinear systems and inversion-free lasers based on Bose–Einstein polariton condensation. However, the real-world applications of polariton systems are still limited due to the temperature operation and costly fabrication techniques for both exciton materials and photon cavities. 2D perovskites represent one of the most prospective platforms for the realization of strong light-matter coupling since they support room-temperature exciton states with large oscillator strength and can simultaneously be used for fabrication of planar photon cavities with strong field localization due to the high refractive index of the material. In this work, we demonstrate the affordable mechanical scanning probe lithography method for research purposes and for the realization of room-temperature exciton–polariton systems based on 2D perovskite (PEA)2PbI4 with the Rabi splitting exceeding 200 meV. By the precise control of lithography parameters, we broadly adjust the exciton–polariton dispersion and, in particular, vary the radiative coupling of polaritonic modes to the free space. Our findings represent a versatile approach to fabrication of planar high-quality perovskite-based photonic cavities supporting the strong light-matter coupling regime for the development of on-chip all-optical active and nonlinear polaritonic devices.
Distribution behavior of neutral amino acid enantiomers was examined in the aqueous and organic solvent of a two-phase system containing cupric ion and N-n-dodecyl-L-proline or N-n-alkyl-L-hydroxyproline. Significant enantioselectivity was observed when n-butyl, n-amyl, or n-octyl alcohol was used as the organic solvent. Equilibrium constants of ligand exchange reaction for several amino acid enantiomers were estimated for the n-butyl alcohol-water system. The enantioselectivity seems to depend primarily on the difference of the stability of mixed ligand complexes in the organic phase. 14 references, 2 figures, 3 tables.
Sialyllactose is an acidic oligosaccharide that has an immune-protective effect against pathogens and contributes to developing the immune system and intestinal microbes. In this study, a method for the determination of 3′-sialyllactose by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was established. The sample was treated with 0.1% formic acid methanol solution, and the gradient elution was performed with 0.05% formic acid water and 0.1% formic acid acetonitrile. The hydrophilic liquid chromatographic column was used for separation. The results showed that the linearity was good in the concentration range of 1~160 μg/L. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method were 0.3 μg/kg and 1.0 μg/kg, the recovery range was 91.6%~98.4%, and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was 1.5%~2.2%. This method is fast and sensitive. In addition, the 3′-sialyllactose content in edible bird’s nest products produced by different processes was studied. It was found that within the tested range, 3′-sialyllactose in edible bird’s nest products increased with the intensity of stewing and increased with the addition of sugar. In short, the results provided a new method for detecting the nutritional value of edible bird’s nests, as well as a new direction for improving the nutritional value of edible bird’s nest products.
Hereditary angiodema with normal C1 inhibitor and unknown mutation (HAE-nC1INH-UNK), an exceedingly rare subtype of HAE, appears to be often diagnosed in patients who do not have this condition, but have mast cell-mediated angioedema. Here, we report two patients diagnosed with HAE-nC1INH-UNK by their physicians, who referred them to our center for treatment continuation with costly kallikrein-kinin-system targeted therapies. We describe how we established the correct diagnosis of recurrent mast cell-mediated angioedema after thorough investigation of both patients and initiated effective treatment with omalizumab. Also, we present and discuss the consensus criteria for diagnosing the very rare condition HAE-nC1INH in light of recent research and based on our own clinical experience. In conclusion, HAE-nC1INH-UNK should only be considered after more common differential diagnoses, i.e., mast cell-mediated angioedema, have thoroughly been investigated and ruled out. This approach reduces both the patients’ disease burden and healthcare costs and contributes to meaningful research.
Abstract Analysis of the frequency response of the input parameters of a gust probe system, which measures the turbulent flow of air, is presented. The results show that the system is very sensitive to noise created by aircraft structural and power plant vibrations. This noise appears in the form of discrete frequencies in the range 10 to 50 Hz. The noise may account for as much as 97% of the total power output by certain sensors. Since the usual range of interest for the measurement of fluctuations of meteorological parameters is 0 to 10 Hz, aliasing of these discrete frequencies may become a problem. This analysis is intended to characterize the noise so that some justification may be given to eliminate it from useful, significant data.
ABSTRACT: Cryptosporidium parasites from a cross‐sectional study conducted in two national hospitals in Lima, Peru were genetically characterized to deteimine the diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. in HIV‐positive people. A total of 2,672 patients participated in this study and provided 13,937 specimens. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected by microscopy in 354 (13.3%) of the patients. Analysis of 951 Cryptosporidium‐ positive specimens from 300 patients using a small subunit rRNA‐based PCR‐RFLP tool identified 6 genotypes; Cryptosporidium hominis was the species most frequently detected (67.5%), followed by C. meleagridis (12.6%) and C. parvum (11.3%). Cryptosporidium canis (4.0%), C. felis (3.3%), and Cryptosporidium pig genotype (0.5%) were also found. These findings indicate that C. hominis is the predominant species in Peruvian HIV‐positive persons, and that zoonotic Cryptosporidium spp. account for about 30% of cryptosporidiosis in these patients.
Objective: Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays an important role in renal disease progression, through complex mechanisms modulating gene expression/protein translation. MicroRNAs (miRs) are non-coding RNAs that control the expression of target genes. Renal epithelial tubular cells may acquire a profibrotic phenotype (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) in response to different stimuli. The aim of this study was to investigate miRNA differential expression in rat renal epithelial tubular (NRK-52E) cells in response to Ang II stimulation. Design and method: NRK-52E cells (90% confluence) were either stimulated with Ang II (0.5 &mgr;M, added to serum free medium every 24 hours) or maintained in serum free conditions for 72 hours. After miRNA extraction (Mirvana kit), miRNA microarray analysis was performed using the TaqMan® MicroRNA Low Density Array (Life Technologies). Targetscan and Miranda softwares were used to identify the gene targets of miRNAs that, after Ang II treatment, resulted to be differentially expressed. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA) and e-cadherin expressions were evaluated by immunofluorescence and western blotting. Results: Ang II treatment caused a significant down-regulation of six miRNAs (miR-9, miR-200c, miR-125b*, miR-375, miR-425*, miR-532–5p) and an up-regulation of three miRNAs (miR-135a*, miR-690, miR-764–5p) in NRK-52E cells. Ang II also caused an increase in a-SMA and a decrease in e-cadherin expression, indicating a shift of tubular epithelial cells toward the mesenchimal phenotype. Gene ontology analysis of the putative target genes of Ang II-dependent differential expressed miRNAs has identified genes related to MAP-kinase pathway, solute carrier proteins and extracellular matrix proteins. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that Ang II modulates miRNA expression in NRK-52E cells, suggesting that Ang II could play a role in the pahogenesis and progression of renal diseases through the modulation of miRNAs.
Recently we obtained evidence for an arginine residue at the active centre of pig kidney alkaline phosphatase (Woodroofe & Butterworth, 1979). Such a residue has been implicated in Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase and in many other enzymes that act on substrates containing a phosphate group (Daemen & Riordan, 1974; Borders & Riordan, 1975). In continuing our study of essential residues in mammalian alkaline phosphatase, we have been working with the calf intestinal enzyme, since it is available commercially in a highly purified form and its amino-acid composition has been reported (Fosset et al., 1974). Calf intestinal. alkaline phosphatase (obtained from the Boehringer Corporation) was dialysed against 0.05 M-Tris/HCI buffer, p H 8.6, before chromatography on DEAE-cellulose by the method described by Fosset et al. (1974). The purified enzyme was stored at -2OOC. For reaction with O-SOmMphenylglyoxal, 1-2pg of alkaline phosphatase was preincubated at 20°C in 0.125 M-NaHCO,, . pH 8.35. The total reaction volume was 1 cm3. At appropriate times, samples (50pl) were withdrawn and assayed for residual phosphatase activity at pH 10 (0.1 M-Na,CO,/NaHCO, buffer) and 3OoC with 2.5 mM-p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate. The protective action of P, at concentrations up to 2 0 0 m ~ was tested by the inclusion in the preincubation mixture of phosphate that had been adjusted to pH8.35. For inactivation by iodoacetamide, a very similar procedure was adopted, except that the preincubation was usually carried out at p H 9 (0.1 M-Na,CO,/NaHCO, buffer). The effect of the H+ concentration on the rate of inactivation was investigated by varying the pH of the preincubation mixture between 8 and 10.5. Fig. 1 shows that the intestinal enzyme is inactivated by both phenylglyoxal and iodoacetamide. P, protected the enzyme against phenylglyoxal, but has no effect on the rate of inactivation by iodoacetamide. Comparison of the rates of inactivation of alkaline phosphatase suggests that iodoacetamide is more effective than phenylglyoxal on a concentration basis. The rate of inactivation by iodoacetamide is pH-independent between 8 and 9.5, but then decreases markedly above this range. Iodoacetate also inactivates the enzyme, but requires a concentration that is approximately five times higher than those shown for iodoacetamide. N-ethylmaleimide did not inactivate the enzyme. The inactivation by phenylglyoxal and iodoacetamide could not be reversed by passage through a column of Sephadex G-25, neither was reversal achieved by treatment with /3-mercaptoE e x
Designing artificial interface is a promising strategy to protect Zn metal anode but achieving long Zn plating/stripping lifespans and efficient nucleation/deposition kinetics, particularly at high current densities, remains a challenge. In this study, a permselective zincophilic heterogeneous interface consisting of metallic Ag layer and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is designed via a simple chemical displacement and drop casting process. The artificial interface plays a multifunctional role in inhibiting dendrite growth/side reactions by reducing the nucleation barrier through a large number of Zn nucleation sites offered by the bottom Ag layer, homogenizing electrical field/Zn2+ flux and shielding SO4 2- migration via the compact, conducting, and Zn2+ -permselective PEDOT:PSS supporting layer. Moreover, the heterogeneous interface demonstrates enhanced structural integrity owing to the binder effect of PEDOT:PSS. As a result, the modified Zn anode demonstrates a cyclic lifespan of 200 h and a reduced voltage hysteresis of ≈150 mV at 20 mA cm-2 /5 mAh cm-2 , far surpassing its counterparts. Moreover, the protected Zn anode allows the LiMn2 O4 -based full cells with remarkable rate and cycling performance. These findings provide new insight into the design of an efficient artificial interface for highly reversible and high-rate Zn electrodeposition.
PC-based video games are commonly controlled through a combination of pointing device and keyboard input. Although this conventional type of interface has a long history of successful implementation, a small group of people remains excluded due to accessibility issues. This is unfortunate, because virtual environment immersion can provide great benefits to people suffering from temporary or permanent physical disabilities. This work describes the development of a novel human-computer interface system that incorporates biosensors in order to replace conventional input devices. It will engage this group of overlooked users by addressing and eliminating the previously mentioned accessibility issues. In this system, the input from an eye-tracking device will be used to replace on-screen pointing, and a data-glove will be used to replace keyboard input for in-game navigation and interaction. It is expected that previously limiting physical conditions will be eliminated by the system’s effective, effortless, and pleasant interaction control implications.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) is an important item in Asian cuisine. It is currently produced through aquaculture, especially in China, after being overexploited in the wild in the 1990s. We isolated 70 novel polymorphic microsatellite loci using an enrichment-colony hybridization protocol. All loci were characterized in 48 individuals from a natural population in Rongcheng (Shandong, China) using genomic DNA isolated from muscle tissue. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 17 (mean 7.0), and the observed and expected heterozygosities varied from 0.0010 to 1.0000 and from 0.2125 to 0.9477, respectively. Thirty-one of the 70 loci exhibited departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite markers should be useful resources for population genetic studies and for molecular marker-assisted breeding of A. japonicus.
Epidemiologic data suggests that obesity increases bronchial asthma (asthma) prevalence and ineidence.Although the associations between obesity and asthma have been studied for more than one decade,indeed mechanism is still unknown. Oxidative stress levels are elevated in human obesity.Biomarkers of oxidative stress are increased in asthma. Oxidative stress may be obesity-asthma mechanism.Leptin-adiponectin ratio increasing induces oxidative stress. Adipose tissue content makes inflammation mediators to produce more,which induces oxidative stress.Levels of oxidaive stress art increased in asthma,and there is oxidant/antioxidant imbalance.There are genes inflammation-associated in overlap regions linked to two conditions.Evidence of inflamrnations and oxidative stress could he found not only in lung but also in the circulation of obesity-asthma people.Oxidative stress is extremely liked to be the key point to obesity-asthma mechanism.    Key words:  Obesity; Bronchatal asthma; Oxidative stress
Abstract The quest for a better understanding of the evolution of massive galaxies can be broadly summarised with 2 questions: how did they build up their large (stellar) masses and what eventually quenched their star formation (SF)? To tackle these questions, we use high-resolution ramses simulations (Teyssier 2002) to study several aspects of the detailed interplay between accretion (mergers and cold flows), SF and feedback in individual galaxies. We examine SF in major mergers; a process crucial to stellar mass assembly. We explore whether the merger-induced, clustered SF is as important a mechanism in average mergers, as it is in extreme systems like the Antennae. We find that interaction-induced turbulence drives up the velocity dispersion, and that there is a correlated rise in SFR in all our simulated mergers as the density pdf evolves to have an excess of very dense gas. Next, we introduce a new study into whether mechanical jet feedback can impact upon the ability of hot gas haloes to provide a supply of fuel for SF during mergers and in their remnants. Finally, we briefly review our recent study, in which we examine the effect of supernova (SN) feedback on galaxies accreting via the previously overlooked cold-mode, by resimulating a stream-fed galaxy at z ~ 9. A far-reaching galactic wind results yet it cannot suppress the cold, filamentary accretion or eject significant mass in order to reduce the SFR, suggesting that SN feedback may not be as effective as is often assumed.
Sperm cryosurvival is affected by altering the lipid composition of sperm plasma membranes and causes damage to spermatozoa during the cryopreservation process as loss of motile cells and functionality, compared with fresh sperm. Our objective was to compare the effect of adding cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrin (CLC) on sperm quality after freezing boar sperm. The CLC was prepared as described: 200 mg of cholesterol was dissolved in 1 mL of chloroform, and 1 g of methyl-β-cyclodextrin was dissolved in 2 mL of methanol. A 0.45-mL aliquot of the cholesterol solution was added to the cyclodextrin solution, after which the mixture was poured into a glass dish and the solvents removed using a hot plate for 24 h. The crystals were removed from the dish and stored at 22°C. A working solution of the CLC was prepared by adding 50 mg of CLC to 1 mL of BTS at 37°C. Thirty-five ejaculates from 5 boars were collected, diluted 1:1 in Beltsville thawing solution, and kept to 2 h at 22°C. The ejaculates were held at 15°C for 60 min and centrifuged at 15°C for 400g for 10 min; the pellet was suspended to 120 million cells in cooled diluent (80 mL of lactose solution 11%, 20 mL of egg yolk) and divided in 2 treatments: control and 1.5 mg of CLC/mL. The samples were incubated for 15 min at 15°C, cooled to 5°C over a 90-min period, and diluted 1:1 with freeze diluent (72.5 mL of lactose solution 11%, 6 mL of glycerol, 1.5 mL of Equex). Sperm were packaged into 0.5-mL straws, frozen in static liquid nitrogen vapor for 20 min before being plunged into liquid nitrogen. Straws were thawed in a water bath at 37°C for 30 sec, extended in Beltsville thawing solution, and analyzed by optic microscopy. Sperm were stained with 35 μg mL-1 of Hoechst 33342 and incubated for 15 min at 37°C, centrifuged at 400g for 5 min, and suspended in BTALP to a final concentration of 2 million spermatozoa/mL. A total of 10 000 spermatozoa (5 μL) from each sample were added to droplets containing 10 porcine oocytes. Porcine cumulus oocyte complexes were aspirated and placed in BTALP. The cumulus cells of the oocytes were removed by vortexing for 2 min at maximum speed. Denuded oocytes were washed 4 times in BTALP and incubated for 1 h at 38.5°C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air, following which 10 oocytes per treatment were randomly placed into 45 μL droplets of BTALP, using a small bore fire polished glass pipette to remove loosely bound spermatozoa. Five oocytes were placed onto glass slides and covered with a cover slip supported by a mix of paraffin wax and petroleum jelly. Oocytes were viewed using an epifluorescence microscope, and the total number of spermatozoa bound to each zona pellucida (ZP) was determined at 400× magnification. Treatment differences for sperm motility and zona binding were determined using ANOVA. The addition of CLC to boar sperm before cryopreservation resulted in higher percentages of motile sperm and higher numbers bound to the ZP (35% and 67 sperm/ZP) compared with control cells (26% and 36 sperm/ZP; P < 0.01). In summary, adding CLC to boar sperm before cryopreservation improved cells. FAPEMIG, Piglandia, CNPq, FACEPE.
COPD Genetic Epidemiology Study (COPDGene®) manuscripts have provided important insights into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathophysiology and outcomes, including a better understanding of COPD phenotypes relating computed tomography (CT) anatomic data to spirometric and patient-reported outcomes. Spirometry significantly underdiagnoses smoking-induced lung disease, and there is a marked improvement in sensitivity and specificity with CT scanning. This review also highlights the COPDGene® exploration of specific spirometry phenotypes (e.g.,PRISm), contributors to spirometric decline, composite physiologic measures, asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) syndrome, consequences of bronchodilator responsiveness, newer methods to assess small airway dysfunction, and spirometric correlates of comorbid diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
Exotic annual weeds on western U.S. rangelands owe at least part of their invasion success to prolific seed production. Reproductive output is determined largely by timing of flowering in relation to soil moisture, light, and competing vegetation. This study investigated the influence of temperature (including vernalization), photoperiod, and intraspecific competition on reproductive phenology in three populations (two varieties, typica and bracbypappa) of common crupina. Monthly plantings at four densities were grown in field plots through two consecutive cycles, and the date each plant reached bud and flowering stage was recorded. Development of greenhouse-grown plants from the same populations was compared with those grown outside for 4, 6, 8, and 10 wk of cold induction. Reproductive development in common crupina was influenced by all factors investigated: temperature, photoperiod, density, and vernalization. Conditions fostering the shortest thermal time from emergence to floral induction were a period of cold temperatures/short photoperiod as seedlings followed by warming temperatures and lengthening photoperiod. Both varieties of common crupina responded quantitatively to vernalization, but lack of vernalization caused a greater delay of flowering in var. brachypappa than in var. typica. Vernalization contributed to convergence of spring flowering among the August to December plantings, but earlier emergence and lower plant density greatly increased final plant size and fecundity. Lack of vernalization, high temperatures, and shortening day length delayed flowering of spring/summer emergents, increasing the probability of succumbing to drought before producing seed.
The basis for the study is the book fund of the Department of Foreign Ukrainian Studies of the VNLU, which has become an important information resource for source studies of works by scientists of the Ukrainian diaspora. It gives an opportunity to explore the history and evolution of creative interpretations of Vasyl Stefanyk’s cultural heritage. The article examines the “Stefanykiana” of the Ukrainians abroad, which puts the writer’s legacy in the global context. The works of I. Kostetsky, O. Chernenko, and M. Stekh present V. Stefanyk’s work for the first time against the background of processes that took place in European cultural and art life at the turn of the century, during the prime era of modernism. Stefanyk’s work was discovered by the Poles W. Moraczewski and S. Przybyszewski, who introduced him to their artistic environment and began to translate, print and promote his works. The chief theorist of modernism S. Przybyszewski considered him as a genius and put V. Stefanyk’s name next to the most prominent writers of Europe. The Polish critic H. Hescheles considered his work as more interesting than the work of the Nobel Laureate W. Reymont. However, the reception of Stefanyk’s works by the Ukrainian Galician community was adverse. There were objective and subjective processes of Stefanyk’s rejection from his native Ukrainian environment with its “folk” and “enlightenment” canon (i.e. the writer was to serve the people, write for the people, as well as awaken and develop the people). Stefanyk was an expressionist and a world-class writer who managed to get to the heart of things and phenomena, and portray life and people in a style inherent in European and world writers. The conflict with Ukrainian environment forced him to stop writing. He did not write for 15 years. As a result, the opportunity to bring his own people and literature to the international cultural space and to establish them in world culture was lost. I. Kostetsky believes that the fact that Stefanyk was unable to actualize himself under the pressure of his native Galician environment is one of the most burdensome points of the Ukrainian collective guilt.
Pulsed capacitively coupled plasmas (CCP) was applied to self-aligned-via (SAV) based all-in-one (AIO) etching process. Effects of bias and synchronous pulsed plasmas on the AIO etching process were analyzed to improve the reliability and reduce the RC delay in back-end-of-line (BEOL) copper interconnect system. For steps of hard-mask open and partial via etch, synchronous pulsed plasmas were applied. Etch front roughness could be reduced using shorter duty cycle, which might be related to its more uniform deposition of polymer and higher power at the initial active-glow period. For steps of trench and liner removal etch, bias pulsed plasmas were applied. The chamfer profile of via could be improved, and larger bottom critical dimension (BCD) of via could be achieved with shorter duty cycle, which might be related to its higher selectivity between N-doped carbon (NDC, SiCN) and low-k (SiCOH).
Badu-Apraku, B., Yallou, C., Oyekunle, M., Akinwale, R., Aweke, G. and Kamara, A. 2015. Consistency of performance of early-maturing maize cultivars in Striga-infested and Striga-free environments. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 1073-1084. Despite the immense potential of maize (Zea mays L.) in savannas of West and Central Africa (WCA), production and productivity is constrained by Striga hermonthica parasitism. Sixteen early-maturing cultivars were evaluated at two locations in Nigeria and three locations in the Republic of Benin from 2007 to 2009 to assess the grain yield, stability and the consistency of the rankings of the cultivars under Striga-infested and Striga-free environments. The combined analysis of variance showed significant (P<0.01) cultivar and cultivar×environment interactions for grain yield and other traits under Striga-infested and Striga-free environments. The test of concordance was significant (P<0.001) for grain yield (W=0.68), number of emerged Striga plants (W=0.74) and Striga damage (W=0.56) under Striga infestation, indicating stability of resistance in the cultivars developed from diverse sources under artificial S. hermonthica infestation across environments. There was high consistency of the rankings of the cultivars for grain yield and other Striga-resistance traits under Striga-infested and Striga-free environments in Benin and Nigeria. The additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) biplot analysis for grain yield revealed POOL15SR/ACR94TZECOMP5-W/ACR94TZECOMP5-W and 2004 TZE-Y Pop DT STR C4 as the most stable cultivars with above-average mean grain yield in Striga-infested environments and they can be combined with other crop management options to control the parasite in the Striga endemic environments. Cultivars TZE Comp 5-W C7F2 and TZE Comp5-Y C6 S6 (Set B) had less Striga damage and number of emerged Striga plants across test environments. These cultivars could therefore serve as unique sources of favorable alleles for improving Striga resistance in maize in different production environments and farming systems.
Accurate identification of pedestrian crossing intention is of great significance to the safe and efficient driving of future fully automated vehicles in the city. This paper focuses on pedestrian intention recognition on the basis of pedestrian detection and tracking. A large number of natural crossing sequence data of pedestrians and vehicles are first collected by a laser scanner and HD camera, then 1980 effective crossing samples of pedestrians are selected. Influencing parameter sets of pedestrian crossing intention are then obtained through statistical analysis. Finally, long short-term memory network with attention mechanism (AT-LSTM) model is proposed. Compared with the support vector machine (SVM) model, results show that when the pedestrian crossing intention is recognized 0 s prior to crossing, the recognition accuracy of the AT-LSTM model for pedestrian crossing intention is 96.15%, which is 6.07% higher than that of SVM model; when the pedestrian crossing intention is recognized 0.6 s prior, the recognition accuracy of AT-LSTM model is 90.68%, which is 4.85% higher than that of the SVM model. The determination of pedestrian crossing intention parameter set and the more accurate recognition of pedestrian intention provided in this work provide a foundation for future fully automated driving vehicles.
Lead-free dielectric ceramics with excellent energy-storage performance are crucial to the development of the next-generation advanced pulse power capacitors. However, low energy-storage density limits the evolution of capacitors toward lightweight, miniaturization, and integration. Here, an effective strategy of constructing highly dynamic polarization heterogeneous nanoregions is proposed in lead-free relaxors to realize an ultrahigh energy-storage density of ≈8.0 J cm-3 , making almost ten times the growth of energy-storage density compared with pure Bi0.5 Na0.5 TiO3 ceramic, accompanied by a higher energy efficiency of ≈80% as well as an ultrafast discharge rate of ≈20 ns. Ultrasmall polarization heterogeneous nanoregions with different orientations and ultrahigh flexibility, and significantly decreased grain size to submicron lead to reduced heat loss, improved breakdown electric field and polarization, enhanced relaxation, and delayed polarization saturation behaviors, contributing to the remarkable energy-storage performance. Moreover, the breakdown path distribution or electrical tree evolution behaviors are systematically studied to reveal the origin of ultrahigh breakdown electric field through phase field simulations. This work demonstrates that constructing highly dynamic polarization heterogeneous nanoregions is a powerful approach to develop new lead-free dielectric materials with high energy-storage performance.
There is usually a large amount of redundancy in hyperspectral pixels as they are acquired in hundreds of narrow and continuous spectral bands. Numerous techniques have been proposed to reduce the dimensionality of hyperspectral data in order to improve both computational and memory efficiency. In this paper, we explore the effect of random projection as a dimensionality reduction method on the performance of classical target detection techniques for hyper-spectral images. Specifically, each spectral pixel is projected onto a measurement space with a much smaller dimensionality by a linear transformation represented by a matrix whose entries are randomly generated. The detectors are then applied to the measurement vectors to detect the targets of interests. The detection performances are compared to those obtained from the entire spectrum by the receiver operating characteristics curves. Experimental results demonstrate that only a small number of measurements are necessary to achieve detection performance comparable to that obtained by exploiting the full-spectrum pixels.
Abstract We have recently reported a novel type of cell division involved in the origin and growth of cancers. Termed neosis, as opposed to mitosis and meiosis, this type of cell division occurs only in senescent polyploid giant cells and not in normal diploid cells. Up to ~10% of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo, are polyploid giant cells and so far there is no explanation for their role in cancer. These resemble senescent cells, which are thought to play a tumor suppressor role. We have shown that such cells have the potential to undergo neosis, a parasexual, somatic reduction division characterized by karyokinesis via nuclear budding, followed by asymmetric cytokinesis, (often) giving rise to aneuploid daughter cells termed Raju cells, which are the progenitors of tumor cells. These Tumor Initiating Raju Cells (TIRCs) are unique in that they transiently display stem cell properties, have inherited genomic instability, differentiate into tumor cells and have extended, but, limited mitotic life span (*MLS). At the end of their extended MLS (EMLS), the tumor cells repeat the cycle of senescence, neosis and production of Tumor Rejuvenating Raju Cells (TRRCs), which repeat the same cycle of events several times through the life of tumor in a progressively non-synchronous fashion. When tumor cells are subjected to chemotherapy or radiotherapy, they undergo premature senescence; but, some cells escape senescence via S/T-neosis and yield TRRCs, whose mitotic progenies may be resistant to genotoxins. Although neosis-like events have appeared in the literature sporadically for more than a century under different names, they were neglected since the significance of such events was not known till now. The data on neosis questions the basic tenets of the current concepts of cancer, i.e., (1) Cancer arises via mitosis, (2) Cancer cells are immortal and (3) Cancer cell continuity is due to the unlimited asymmetric mitotic potential of mutant stem cells or Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs). Neosis paradigm supports the concept that (1) Cancer arises via neosis, (2) cancer cells are not immortal, but undergo repeated senescent phases and that (3) tumor cell lineage continuity is due to escape from senescent phase via neosis, since tumor cells carry mutant or epimutant genes in the senescent checkpoint pathway. Thus, genesis and regenesis of Raju cells via repetitive neotic divisions is responsible for the origin and continuous growth of different tumor types. This concept accommodates epigenetic expression of telomerase, meiotic genes, multidrug resistance genes and stem cell-specific genes in tumor cells and also explains the role of senescent cells found in tumor tissues. Thus, neosis appears to involve global epigenetic modulation (EM), in order to fine-tune the chromatin with DNA damage important for producing reproductively viable genomes from the non-viable polyploid genome, before being discarded by post-neotic death of neosis mother cells (NMCs).
A planar gradiometric device for estimating current vectors in specimens, was fabricated as two orthogonal magnetic field gradiometers integrated on a 14.5-mm-square substrate. The gradiometers consist of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) and pickup coils made from a low-critical-temperature superconductor. The two gradiometers (one for the x direction and one for the y direction) have exactly the same structure, and their gradiometric centers coincide at the center of the substrate. The gradiometric balance of each gradiometer is 1/2000–1/3700, the cross-talk ratio between the two gradiometers is less than 1% below a few hundred hertz, and their intrinsic noise is 2–3 pT/(m√Hz). The gradiometric configurations of both the pickup coils and the SQUIDs provide good gradiometric balance. The parallel-type gradiometric SQUIDs produced a simple yet effective structure, although the superconducting loops of such SQUIDs have conventionally been thought to lead to adverse effects in the presen...
Incorrect Wave 4 Reporting To the Editor We have discovered an error in our questionnaire underlying the analyses of the article titled “Accuracy of Reports of Lifetime Mental and Physical Disorders: Results From the Baltimore Epidemiological Catchment Area Study.”1 The error was discovered internally in the process of reviewing the questionnaire for each wave. We found that the wave 4 lifetime diagnoses for obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, and alcohol use disorder were based on reports of these disorders since wave 3 and not the whole lifetime. This has likely led to some underreporting of lifetime disorders at wave 4. However, the substantive results of the study are valid because the cumulative lifetime prevalence estimates at wave 3 for most of these disorders were significantly larger than the prevalence estimates based on wave 3 lifetime reports alone. The wave 4 lifetime diagnoses for other disorders covered the whole lifetime. The primary data for all waves, the data analysis, and the data presented throughout the article were reviewed but remained unaltered. The article was corrected to clarify this error.2
In order to prepare a scanning tip suitable for scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)/scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) operated in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) with a reproducible and ideal profile of the [111]-oriented W tip, sharpening and cleaning treatments were carried out by heating the tip while applying high voltage in UHV (thermal field (T-F) treatment). The treated tips were evaluated by field emission microscopy (FEM). The appropriate values to build up the W tip along the [111] axis for a treatment parameter, |V T-F /V base |, range from 2 to 2.6 under fixed conditions of tip heating temperature and time of about 1300K and 60 s, respectively. It has been also realized that the formation of an ideal tip completely surrounded by three {112} facets at its apex requires a successive heat treatment: an initial T-F treatment, simple heating at about 1000 K to develop the {112} facets, and a final T-F treatment.
Ultrathin chip-in-flex (CIF) packages using anisotropic conductive film (ACF) as an interconnecting material were demonstrated as one of the flexible electronic packages for wearable electronics applications. In this paper, the effects of ACF resin material and conductive ball type on the CIF package bending properties were investigated. Various ACFs with different moduli were fabricated by adding silica particle to polymer resin. For the conductive ball type, solder ball, metal-coated polymer ball, and Ni ball were used. To quantify the bending properties of the CIF packages, dynamic bending test was performed. It was found that the lowest modulus resin (0.54 GPa) resulted early delamination between the conductive ball and the electrode interface. For the resin modulus of 1.04 GPa, the conductive balls and electrodes interface delamination was significantly suppressed due to lower deformation of ACFs. However, when the modulus was increased to 1.3 GPa, chip crack failure occurred presumably due to the internal stress increase at the chip area. Therefore, it is suggested that the optimal modulus of the ACF resin was around 1 GPa. In addition, among the various conductive ball types, metal-coated polymer balls showed no electrical and mechanical failure even after 160k dynamic bending cycles. The metal-coated polymer balls had better compliance compared with the solder ball and Ni ball, which eventually prevented chip crack and ACF contact loss to occur.
A multiple-objective decision model to structure tax-exempt serial revenue bonds is presented in this paper. Based on goals dealing with true interest cost, marketability, debt coverage, production, and level debt, we define a goal programming model to generate a maturity schedule and coupon rate assignment for a municipal bond issue. The model is designed to be a flexible interactive decision making tool to aid in the development of a minimal-risk, cost-effective issue.
In modern coexistence theory, species coexistence can either arise via stabilizing mechanisms that increase niche differences or equalizing mechanisms that reduce fitness differences. Having a common currency for interpreting these mechanisms is essential for synthesizing knowledge across different studies and systems. Several methods for quantifying niche and fitness differences exist, but it remains unknown to what extent these methods agree on the reasons why species coexist. Here, we apply four common methods to quantify niche and fitness differences to one simulated and two empirical data sets. We ask if different methods result in different insights into what drives species coexistence. We find that different methods disagree on the effects of resource supply rates (simulated data), and of plant traits or phylogenetic distance (empirical data), on niche and fitness differences. More specifically, these methods often do not agree better than expected by chance. We argue for (1) a better understanding of what connects and sets apart different methods, and (2) the simultaneous application of multiple methods to enhance a more complete insight into why species coexist.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of cancer and its non-surgical treatment has been the subject of many studies. Large lesions of this tumor are therapeutic challenges and the effective topical treatment has good applicability. The authors present a female patient diagnosed with multicentric superficial basal cell carcinoma in the lumbar region for more than 20 years, who refused to be treated surgically. The tumor reached dimensions of 12 cm x 10 cm. A decision was made for a non-surgical therapy, with the application of Imiquimod in a treatment of 5 weekly applications for 2 months. The treatment led to a clinical and histological cure, without recurrence to date (36 months), with excellent aesthetic results and few side effects.
Purpose: To investigate tear lipid layer patterns according to blinking using an interferometer for dry eye patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 132 patients who underwent dry eye disease-related evaluation, including LipiView, between August 2018 and January 2020. Data including past history, slit-lamp examination, tear film break-up time, Schirmer, Oxford score grading, lipid layer thickness (LLT), number of blinks, and tear lipid layer patterns according to blinking were collected. We subdivided dry eye as meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), aqueous deficiency dry eye (ADDE), and combined ADDE/MGD (Combine); we also classified the tear lipid layer patterns as uphill, flat, downhill, and mix. Results: The numbers of patients in each tear lipid film pattern were as follows; uphill 45, flat 16, downhill 53, and mix 18. The statistically significant clinical characteristics among the four patterns were Oxford score (p = 0.001), LLT (p = 0.019), number of blinks (p = 0.001), number of partial blinks (p = 0.013), and the partial/total blinks ratio (p = 0.001). The most common pattern for MGD was downhill 44.7%; for Combine, downhill 40.7% and uphill 35.8%; and for ADDE, uphill 38.5%. Conclusions: The tear lipid layer graph patterns according to blinking using LipiView were associated with the number of blinks, the partial/total blink ratio, and LLT. J Korean Ophthalmol Soc 2021;62(2):155-163
Covi, L., LIPMAN,R. S., PATrISON, J. H., el a! (1973)Length of treatmentwith anxiolytic sedativesand responseto their sudden withdrawal. Acta PsychiatricaScandinavica, 49,51â€”64. MANHEIMER,D. I., DAVIDSON,S. T., BALTER,M. B., et al (1973) Popular attitudes and beliefs about tranquillisers. American Journalof Psychiatry,130,1246-1253. MARKS,J. (1985) The Benzodiazepines. Use. Overuse. Misuse, Abuse (2ndedn).Lancaster:MTP Press. OLivizal, S.,CANT0PHER, T. & EDWARDS,J.G.(l986). Two hundred yearsof dependence onantianxietydrugs.HumanPsychophar macology. 1, 117â€”123. SMITh, M. C. (1988) Small comfort: the introduction of minor tran quillisers to the public and the medical profession. Journal of PsychoactiveDrugs.20,409-418. N. GENE-COS Charing Cross Hospital Fulham Palace Road, London K. KH0
This article discusses the application of a reduced‐size branch‐line coupler in the design of a LDMOS class‐AB balanced power amplifier at a center frequency of 2.14 GHz. In the proposed balanced configuration, at center frequency a size reduction, improved intermodulation distortion level by 7 dB, and power added efficiency by 5% are achieved, comparing with the balanced configuration with Wilkinson couplers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 445–448, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24058
A field-portable instrument has been developed for the purpose of classifying and identifying chemical agents within munitions by measurement of the linear attenuation property of the agent. For most chemical agents of interest, the gamma-ray linear attenuation coefficient is sufficient to separate the agents by class (nerve, blister, and blood). In addition, many chemical agents of a particular class are separable by the attenuation coefficient. Complications in gamma ray transmission measurements arise due to the packaging of the chemical agents in thick-walled steel containers of various configurations, corrosion, and changes in the state of the material from liquid to solid or gas. Identification of chemical agents within a container and without imaging is contingent upon sampling a region of the container that has a homogeneous distribution of the agent. The instrument allows for several degrees of freedom to accommodate multiple data acquisition protocols, including tomographic imaging. A variety of algorithms have been investigated including single-ray transmission to complete 2D-computed tomography using a collimated isotopic source. Recent results indicate that gamma ray measurements can provide identification of chemical agents in reasonable time frames. This paper will describe the system, data acquisition and processing, and present results from laboratory and field studies.
Retinol-binding protein (RBP) is secreted out of the cell in its ligand-bound holo-form. The apo-form of RBP is selectively retained within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by a mechanism that remains unknown. Using isolated microsomal system, we have recapitulated the biogenesis of RBP involving its oxidative folding and assembly with transthyretin in the ER. In addition to dissecting its pathway of disulfide oxidation, we have analyzed association of its early folding intermediates with ER-chaperones. Our results show that of the three intramolecular disulfides present in RBP (4-160, 70-174, and 120-129) the smallest loop (120-129) was most critical for RBP to fold. Its absence caused RBP to aggregate into an intermolecular disulfide-linked structure. After acquisition of the small loop, formation of one of the two big disulfides (4-160 or 70-174) was sufficient for RBP to acquire a folded state. Using cross-linking in intact microsomes and sedimentation on sucrose gradients, we show that newly synthesized RBP is associated with a complex of chaperones consisting of Grp94, BiP, PDI, and calnexin. The complex was constitutively present in the ER, independent of the presence of folding substrates. RBP dissociated from this complex coincident with the formation of one of the two big disulfide loops, whereas RBP mutant lacking both the large disulfides showed persistent association. While highlighting the matrix-like characteristics of ER in isolated microsomal system our results provide insight into RBP folding and assembly mechanisms that will aid our understanding of its complex secretion properties.
Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a consensus protocol  for the prevention of CINV at our institution and level of adherence  to it.  Method: Prospective observational study. Patients treated with  chemotherapy (CT) in whom a 120-hour follow-up was made  after the cycle were included. We assessed the response to the  therapy, categorized as: complete response (CR) (absence of  nausea and vomiting, without the need of additional treatment  within the 120 hours following the cycle), acute response (AR)  (within the first 24 hours) and delayed response (DR) (within 24  and 120 hours), depending on whether or not these were adjusted  to the hospital protocol. A descriptive statistical analysis  was performed analyzing the different risk factors and level of  adherence to the hospital protocol.  Results: A total of 167 patients were included in whom CR was  observed in 71.9% of the cases (88.9% AR and 73.7% DR),  with absence of vomiting in 89.8%. Seven point two percent  of the cases did not adhere to the protocol. There were no differences  in treatment response between the patients adhering  and adhering to the protocol (CR, AR o DR) but yes in vomiting  occurrence (8.3% vs. 36.4%, p = 0.014).  Conclusion: The effectiveness of our protocol is good specially  for controlling the vomiting although nausea during the delayed  phase still is a not resolved matter. Vomiting control is  poorer in those patients not adjusting to the protocol.
In Poland, similarly as in the entire Europe, the quality of air is shaped primarily by communal-living sources and road transport. Due to the steadily increasing share of city residents in the general population, the issue of providing clean air will become a more significant problem for human health over the years, and therefore a stronger incentive to intensify the research. Hence, the key challenge faced by a modern society is to limit the emissions of harmful substances in order to minimize the impact exerted by transport on air pollution and health. Increasingly stringent emission standards are imposed on car manufacturers while on the other hand, the problem of drivers is being ignored namely their awareness of possibilities to reduce the emissions and the ways in which they can help protecting also their own health and life by applying the rules related to the concept of eco-driving in practice. The aim of this paper is to present differences in perception of eco-driving principles in two random and nation-wide surveys: one carried out in 2015 and the other in 2017. Initial conclusions show a major increase (49.4% to 53.2%) of eco-driving awareness among respondents in 2017 when compared to 2015.
The purpose of this paper is to obtain the fuzzy least-squar es estimator for the two-parameter Pareto distribution and to compare the fuzzy estimator with different types of estimators. The trimmed linear moments (TL-moments), linear moments (L-moments) and linear quantile moments (LQ-moments) formulas will be obtained for the two-parameter Pareto distribution and the TL-moments estimator, L-moments estimator and LQ-moments estimator will be derived for the Pareto distribution. Numerical comparisons between the proposed method and the existing methods are implemented. According to these comparisons, it is suggested that the proposed fuzzy least-squares estimator is preferable all times.
Finding the optimal teaching strategy for an individual student is difficult even for an experienced teacher. Identifying and incorporating multiple optimal teaching strategies for different students in a class is even harder. This paper presents an Adaptive tutor for online Learning, AtoL, for Computer Science laboratories that identifies and applies the appropriate teaching strategies for students on an individual basis. The optimal strategy for a student is identified in two steps. First, a basic strategy for a student is identified using rules learned from a supervised learning system. Then the basic strategy is refined to better fit the student using models learned using an unsupervised learning system that takes into account the temporal nature of the problem solving process. The learning algorithms as well as the initial experimental results are presented.
Aperture-coupled coplanar patch antennas (CPA) were investigated. The antennas were simulated with a commercial simulator, and then four samples were fabricated and measured. The comparison between the aperture-coupled CPA and the aperture-coupled microstrip patch antenna (MPA) with the same patch dimension was presented. The result shows that the return loss and the radiation pattern of the CPA are similar to the MPA, and the front-to-back ratio and the gain of the CPA are better than the MPA.
A low-power, wide-bandwidth, and high-dynamic-range (DR) ADC is one of the critical building blocks in a wireless receiver design, in which a continuous-time delta-sigma modulator (CT DSM) has become a popular choice. However, the demand for a wider bandwidth has increased the sampling rate, Fs, which requires high-speed and highly linear analog building blocks, and excess loop delay compensation (ELDC) [1]. Reducing the over-sampling ratio can relax these requirements, but it results in more quantization levels and high-order noise shaping (NS). The feedback DAC often becomes a design challenge, as its distortion degrades ADC performance and can require linearization and higher supply voltage [2]–[4]. To avoid these issues, this work proposes a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)-based noise-shaping nonuniform sampling (NUS) ADC architecture, including an NUS modulator and a nonuniform digital signal processor (NU DSP). By leveraging the unique property of NUS [5], the spectral aliasing on the quantization error is independent of the actual average sampling rate, Fs, avg. Thus, the quantization error can be shaped to a frequency much higher than Fs, avg and later filtered by NU DSP. Achieving similar SNDR as CT DSM, the proposed architecture only requires first-order NS, enabling open-loop architecture without stability and ELD issues. The NUS modulator is mostly digital architecture without amplifiers, a reference voltage generator, and DACs, which is suitable for technology scaling. A proof-of-concept prototype has been fabricated in 28nm CMOS, achieving a peak SNDR/DR of 76.2dB/78.0dB over a 40MHz BW with a Walden FoMw of 41.5fJ/conv-step and a Schreier FoMs of 169.8dB/171.6dB (in SNDR/DR). To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first NS ADC prototype to integrate both an NUS modulator and an NU DSP on chip, generating uniform digital outputs from nonuniformly sampled analog input signals.
ABSTRACT RNase H inhibitors (RNHIs) have gained attention as potential HIV-1 therapeutics. Although several RNHIs have been studied in the context of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) RNase H, there is no information on inhibitors that might affect the RNase H activity of other RTs. We performed biochemical, virological, crystallographic, and molecular modeling studies to compare the RNase H function and inhibition profiles of the gammaretroviral xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV) RTs to those of HIV-1 RT. The RNase H activity of XMRV RT is significantly lower than that of HIV-1 RT and comparable to that of MoMLV RT. XMRV and MoMLV, but not HIV-1 RT, had optimal RNase H activities in the presence of Mn2+ and not Mg2+. Using hydroxyl-radical footprinting assays, we demonstrated that the distance between the polymerase and RNase H domains in the MoMLV and XMRV RTs is longer than that in the HIV-1 RT by ∼3.4 Å. We identified one naphthyridinone and one hydroxyisoquinolinedione as potent inhibitors of HIV-1 and XMRV RT RNases H with 50% inhibitory concentrations ranging from ∼0.8 to 0.02 μM. Two acylhydrazones effective against HIV-1 RT RNase H were less potent against the XMRV enzyme. We also solved the crystal structure of an XMRV RNase H fragment at high resolution (1.5 Å) and determined the molecular details of the XMRV RNase H active site, thus providing a framework that would be useful for the design of antivirals that target RNase H.
The conventional shape similarity measurements of remote sensing data face problems in the situation of noise interference, partial information occlusion and missing. A method of shape similarity measurement based on principal curvature enhancement distance transformation is proposed. The distance transformation is carried out to extend the range of the shape contour, improving the robustness of the similarity measure. Besides, to ensure the accuracy of measurement results, the distance map is enhanced by the principal curvature of the shape contour, improving the response of contours with rich information. Application experiments of road vectors with GPS data and optical remote sensing images show that the method is effective in practical application.
Photobiomodulation (PBM) has therapeutic effects on wound healing, diabetic microangiopathy and retinopathy. However, little is known about the use of PBM for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM). In this context, we aimed to evaluate the effects of PBM on pancreas morphology and insulin and glucose tolerance in an experimental model of DM. Thus, DM was induced by STZ (60 mg/Kg). Subsequently, the rats were treated with PBM (808 nm and 30 J/cm2). After euthanasia, morphometric parameters and immunoreactivity for insulin and 8-OHdG were evaluated in the pancreas. The results showed that treated animals had higher values of body mass and higher values in the number of beta cells in the pancreas. In conclusion, PBM resulted in decreased weight loss in STZ-induced diabetic rats and presented a stimulatory effect on the pancreas of the treated animals, highlighting the promising effects of this therapy in the clinical condition of DM.
The myriad conformers of the neutral form of natural amino acid serine (Ser) have been investigated by systematic computations with reliable electronic wave function methods. A total of 85 unique conformers were located using the MP2/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The 12 lowest-energy conformers of serine fall within a 8 kJ mol(-1) window, and for these species, geometric structures, precise relative energies, equilibrium and vibrationally averaged rotational constants, anharmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities, quartic and sextic centrifugal distortion constants, dipole moments, and (14)N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants were computed. The relative energies were refined through composite focal-point analyses employing basis sets as large as aug-cc-pV5Z and correlation treatments through CCSD(T). The rotational constants for seven conformers measured by Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy are in good agreement with the vibrationally averaged rotational constants computed in this study. Our anharmonic vibrational frequencies are compared to the large number of experimental vibrational absorptions attributable to at least six conformers.
The development and review of combination drug regimens in oncology may present unique challenges to investigators and regulators. For regulatory approval of combination regimens, it is necessary to demonstrate the contribution of effect of each monotherapy to the overall combination. Alternative approaches to traditional designs may be needed to accelerate oncology drug development, for example, when combinations are substantially superior to available therapy, to reduce exposure to less effective therapies, and for drugs that are inactive as single agents and that in combination potentiate activity of another drug. These approaches include demonstration of activity in smaller randomized trials and/or monotherapy trials conducted in a similar disease setting. This article will discuss alternative approaches used in the development of approved drugs in combination, based on examples of recent approvals of combination regimens in renal cell carcinoma.
The paper proposes a learning method for synthesizing associative memory in neural networks. The problem is formulated as determining the weights of the synaptic connections of neural networks such that, for any given set of desired memory vectors, each memory vector becomes an asymptotically stable equilibrium point of the network. We introduce a new architecture of neural networks, hybrid recurrent neural networks, in order to enhance the capability of implementing associative memories. An efficient learning method for synthesizing associative memories is proposed. The proposed method assures that all the memory vectors become asymptotically stable equilibrium points with the prescribed degree of stability. Synthesis examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability and performance of the proposed method.
595 Background: Neoadjuvant (Neo) chemotherapy (CT) with trastuzumab (H) improves pathologic complete response (pCR) rate for HER2+ breast cancer. Dose-dense regimens improve outcome in the adjuvant setting but have not been fully evaluated as preoperative therapy. We designed this regimen to utilize full doses of active agents including docetaxel (T) and H in a novel biweekly schedule to explore efficacy and safety.   METHODS Patients (pts) with biopsy proven, clinical stage IIA-IIIC, noninflammatory breast cancer were eligible. HER2+ by FISH was determined locally. CT consisted of epirubicin (E) 100 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide (C) 600 mg/m2 Q 14 days x 4 followed by T 75 mg/m2 and H 6 mg/kg loading dose, then 4 mg/kg Q 14 days x 4, all with pegfilgrastim support. Surgery was scheduled 20-24 weeks from start after a fifth cycle of H 4mg/kg. EF was measured prior to CT, after EC, after TH and at 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery. Additional adjuvant H to complete 1 year of therapy by conventional schedule was recommended after surgery. The primary endpoint was pCR for invasive cancer in breast and lymph nodes.   RESULTS 30 pts were enrolled at 5 centers: median age was 50.1 (range, 31-72); ethnicity African-American 14, Caucasian 14, other 2; clinical stage IIA, 14, IIB, 4, IIIA, 7, IIIB/C, 5; ER+ 18, PR+ 14; grade 3, 21 and grade 2, 8. Twenty eight pts were evaluable for pathologic response- 2 withdrew before completing treatment, 1 for toxicity. Dose delivery on schedule was >95% for all drugs. Clinical response prior to surgery was cCR 20; cPR 5; and stable 2 pts. Pathologic response: pCR 16 (57%) including 4 with residual DCIS only; 9 pPR, and 2 stable. Mean EF was 63.1 (range, 51-81) before treatment, 62.4 (49-75) after EC and 58.3 (35-74) after TH. Two pts had EF <50% during Neo, one with clinical CHF and 1 additional pt developed CHF during adjuvant single agent H. Both pts had symptomatic improvement with cessation of H. Adverse events were generally mild with 14 grade 3 AEs including 3 episodes of dyspnea and no grade 3 skin toxicity or any grade 4 toxicity noted.   CONCLUSIONS Sequential Neo dose-dense Q 14 day EC followed by Q 14 day TH yields a high pCR rate in HER2+ breast cancer with acceptable toxicity profile and no new safety signals noted. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Summary  This qualitative study explores the conceptual links between 2 different approaches to managerial cognition, sensemaking and cognitive bias, in the context of organizational change. A longitudinal case study utilizing both real-time assessments and retrospective sensemaking data from interviews with 26 hospital employees at 3 points in time was undertaken. Patterns related to individuals' retrospective accounts and real-time assessments were identified and used to construct 4 prototypical narratives. Data analysis revealed that organizational change was not a markedly negative experience for most informants, which is contrary to the prevailing theme in the literature. This and other findings are discussed in terms of sensemaking and cognitive bias. This study makes 2 contributions to our understanding of how individual's experience and make sense of organizational change over time as (a) little is known about how the process of change unfolds over time at the individual level and (b) extant research has not investigated the extent to which individuals' retrospective sensemaking about organizational change reflects or diverges from their real-time assessments over the course of the change. More broadly, the study provides insights and focused advice for management researchers regarding the use of retrospective data to understand individuals' perceptions of situations that have already occurred.
In this paper, the results of wideband outdoor to indoor and indoor to outdoor multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) measurements at 5.25 GHz are presented. The results are compared in terms of large scale parameters in temporal and spatial domains to clarify the concept of reciprocity. Propsound CStrade, a state-of-the-art radio channel sounder, was applied to measure the channel with 100 MHz bandwidth. In outdoor to indoor scenario the transmitter (Tx), employing 16 dual polarized antenna (DPA) elements, was located at a height of 6 m outside the building where the receiver (Rx) with 9 DPA elements was moving. In indoor to outdoor case, the scenario was vice versa except that Tx was equipped with 25 DPA elements. The results show that the scenarios are not as reciprocal as one might assume even though the correlation of certain parameters is high.
Three-dimensional CFD modeling of two-phase slurry flows is demonstrated in this paper. The flow domain consists of a vertically oriented annular pipe with outer and inner diameter of 0.125 m and 0.025 m, respectively. A mixture velocity range of 0.0738–0.197 m/s and overall volumetric concentration range of 0.8%–1.8% with 0.23 mm grain size (dp) are used for the simulation. Eulerian model with Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) for turbulence closure is adopted to analyze the monodispersed sand particles of varying granular diameters. The objective of this work is to study the slurry flow using CFD simulation and validating the simulation with experimental studies available in the literature. The simulated pressure losses are found to be in good agreement with experimental results at different conditions. Pressure drop per meter or pressure gradient increases with flow velocity of mixture but after a peak point pressure gradient decreases with the increasing velocity. These phenomena in vertical annular flow an...
This research paper examines the impact of the microfinance sector on small/micro enterprises in Ghana. The study uses 2007 BEEPS data and employs the financing constraints approach used by several other researchers in the study area to study if the presence of microfinance institutions has been successful in alleviating financing constraints associated with small enterprises. This is done by comparing investment sensitivity to internally generated funds (cash flow) in enterprises with and without access to microfinance institutions. The study also uses a Propensity Score Matching method to reinforce/support the results obtained from the financing constraints approach. The results obtained from the analyses indicate that small/micro enterprises in areas with adequate MFIs have investment less sensitive to the availability of internal funds due to the fact that they have better access to external funds. This result thus shows that the microfinance sector is alleviating financing constraints in the country.
OBJECTIVE To validate a screening instrument using self-reported assessment of frailty syndrome in older adults. METHODS This cross-sectional study used data from the Saúde, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento study conducted in Sao Paulo, SP, Southeastern Brazil. The sample consisted of 433 older adult individuals (≥ 75 years) assessed in 2009. The self-reported instrument can be applied to older adults or their proxy respondents and consists of dichotomous questions directly related to each component of the frailty phenotype, which is considered the gold standard model: unintentional weight loss, fatigue, low physical activity, decreased physical strength, and decreased walking speed. The same classification proposed in the phenotype was utilized: not frail (no component identified); pre-frail (presence of one or two components), and frail (presence of three or more components). Because this is a screening instrument, “process of frailty” was included as a category (pre-frail and frail). Cronbach’s α was used in psychometric analysis to evaluate the reliability and validity of the criterion, the sensitivity, the specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values. Factor analysis was used to assess the suitability of the proposed number of components. RESULTS Decreased walking speed and decreased physical strength showed good internal consistency (α = 0.77 and 0.72, respectively); however, low physical activity was less satisfactory (α = 0.63). The sensitivity and specificity for identifying pre-frail individuals were 89.7% and 24.3%, respectively, while those for identifying frail individuals were 63.2% and 71.6%, respectively. In addition, 89.7% of the individuals from both the evaluations were identified in the “process of frailty” category. CONCLUSIONS The self-reported assessment of frailty can identify the syndrome among older adults and can be used as a screening tool. Its advantages include simplicity, rapidity, low cost, and ability to be used by different professionals.
Coal is considered one of the major fuels alternative to petroleum. The possibility of its use in combustion engines is particularly great in marine engines, and its use could reduce fuel costs considerably.This paper presents the engine performance and exhaust gas emissions with Coal Oil Mixtures (COM; in the experiment carbon black was used instead of coal slurry) and Solvent Refined Coal-II (SRC-II) as diesel fuel substitutes. Properties of the fuels when blended with diesel fuel and their spray characteristics are also presented.The results of the experiment show that specific heat consumption and exhaust smoke were improved when 5w-% carbon black or 25v-% SRC-II were blended with the diesel fuel. However engine noise and NOx emissions increased with the increase in the carbon or SRC-II ratio in the fuel. The analysis of the indicator diagrams show that these fuels result in larger premixed combustion and shorter combustion duration compared with conventional diesel fuels.Both COM and SRC-II have higher viscosity than diesel fuels; the paper shows their viscosities in empirical formula as a function of the blending ratios. In spite of the higher viscosities, the spray atomization of these alternative fuels was better than diesel fuel.
A novel hybridized plasmonic whispering gallery mode (WGM) microcavities composed of graphene monolayer coated ZnO microrod with hexagonal cross section were proposed that operates in the ultraviolet region. π and π + σ surface plasmon modes in graphene monolayer at 4.7 eV and 14.6 eV can be used to achieve the near field coupling interaction between surface plasmonic modes and the conventional WGM microcavity modes in the ultraviolet band. Significantly, the coupling, happened in the evanescent wave field excited along the interface between ZnO and graphene, can lead to distinct optical field confinement and lasing enhancement experimentally, so as well as WGM lasing characteristics, such as the higher cavity quality factor (Q), narrower linewidth, lasing intensities enhancement. The results could provide a platform to study hybridized plasmonic cavity dynamics, and also provides the building blocks to construct graphene based novel microcavity for high performance ultraviolet laser devices with potential application to optical signal processing, biological monitoring, and so on.
In 2016, the American College of Physicians (ACP) published Stemming the Escalating Cost of Prescription Drugs: A Position Paper of the American College of Physicians, a series of recommendations to improve transparency, value, and competition for prescription drugs, with the goal of creating a sustainable and affordable prescription drug marketplace (1). The high prices and costs of prescription drugs in the United States continue to be a concern for patients, physicians, payers, policymakers, and government officials. Several recent proposals have looked at how to change the way prescription drugs are paid for through public health plans and how to decrease out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries while mitigating potential incentives to keep drug prices high. Background The United States spends more on prescription drugs than other high-income countries, with average annual spending of $1443 per capita on pharmaceutical drugs and $1026 per capita on retail prescription drugs (2). Reports show that although use of prescription drugs in the United States is high, it is not an outlier compared with 9 other high-income nations (3). The primary differences between health care expenditures in the United States versus other high-income nations are pricing of medical goods and services and the lack of direct price controls or negotiating power by centralized government health care systems. For example, the cost of new hepatitis C drugs, initially priced at more than $80000 for a course of treatment, accounted for 40% of the net growth in U.S. prescription drug spending in 2014 (4). The cost of the new generation of hepatitis C drugs has begun to drop off with intense public scrutiny and increased market competition; however, the pipeline for other high-cost specialty drugs is robust (5). These high costs are often passed on to patients and may result in patients delaying or forgoing care, which may lead to more serious health conditions. The continued influx of baby boomers into Medicare from private health insurance plans is expected to affect trends in spending growth in the program for the next decade. The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit is a voluntary program established by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). As of 2018, more than 43 million of 60 million Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in a Part D plan. Medicare expenditures account for a 29% share of all spending on retail prescription drugs, and in 2015, the Part D program spent $137.4 billion on drugs (6). Ten drugs accounted for 21% of Part D spending in 2015, including Harvoni (ledipasvirsofosbuvir) for hepatitis C, Lantus (insulin glargine injection) for diabetes, Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) for high cholesterol, Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) for acid reflux, and Humira (adalimumab) for rheumatoid arthritis (7). Medicaid has also seen recent increases in pharmaceutical spending. State Medicaid programs currently provide outpatient prescription drug coverage for all eligible beneficiaries. Medicaid spending on outpatient drugs increased by 25% (from $22.4 billion to $28 billion) between 2013 and 2014 and by another 13% (to $31.7 billion) between 2014 and 2015. This was primarily attributable to the introduction of high-priced direct-acting antivirals, but the introduction of high-priced specialty drugs and the financial effect and long-term sustainability are of particular concern to policymakers (8). These types of unpredictable costs can drive rapid spending growth and need to be addressed as part of broader efforts to curb the increasing cost of health care in the United States. Methods This policy paper was drafted by the Health and Public Policy Committee of the ACP, which is charged with addressing issues that affect the health care of the U.S. public and the practice of internal medicine and its subspecialties. The authors reviewed available studies, reports, and surveys about Medicare, Medicaid, and public health care programs from PubMed, Google Scholar, relevant news articles, policy documents, and Web sites. The literature review focused primarily on out-of-pocket spending by Medicare beneficiaries, the amount spent by Medicare on prescription drugs, Medicare Part D, Medicare Part B, Medicaid, and drug spending trends in the Medicaid program. Recommendations were based on reviewed literature and input from the ACP's Board of Governors, Board of Regents, Council of Early Career Physicians, Council of Resident/Fellow Members, Council of Student Members, and Council of Subspecialty Societies. The policy paper and related recommendations were reviewed and approved by the ACP Board of Regents in November 2018. Financial support for the development of this position paper came exclusively from the ACP operating budget. This executive summary provides a synopsis of the position paper. The full background and rationale are provided in the Appendix. Recommendations 1. ACP supports modification to the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy (LIS) program cost-sharing and copayment structures to encourage the use of lower-cost generic or biosimilar drugs, such as eliminating cost sharing for generic drugs for LIS enrollees. 2. ACP supports annual out-of-pocket spending caps for Medicare Part D beneficiaries who reach the catastrophic phase of coverage. 3. ACP supports the adoption of Medicare Part D negotiation models that would drive down the price of prescription drugs for beneficiaries. a. While ACP reaffirms its support for a full repeal of the noninterference clause, ACP also supports an interim approach, such as allowing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate for a limited set of high-cost or sole-source drugs. b. ACP supports a public Medicare Part D plan option that allows the Secretary of HHS to negotiate prices with drug makers. Any Medicare-operated public plan must meet the same requirements as private plans and be consistent with ACP's policy on formularies. 4. ACP supports efforts to minimize the financial impact on the federal government of prescription drug misclassification in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should identify which legal authorities are necessary to ensure compliance with the MDRP and Congress should pass legislation to grant such authorities. 5. ACP supports further study of payment models in federal health care programs, including methods to align payment for prescription drugs administered in-office in a way that would reduce incentives to prescribe higher-priced drugs when lower-cost and similarly effective drugs are available. Summary The United States spends more than other high-income countries on prescription drugs, and as the number of persons covered by Medicare increases and state Medicaid budgets are increasingly strained by high-cost brand-name drugs, action will be needed to ensure affordability for patients and government purchasers. Because the topic of prescription drug pricing continues to be of interest to patients, physicians, and government officials, ACP believes policymakers should act immediately to address current issues in the Medicare and Medicaid programs that add costs to the health care system, may inadvertently incentivize higher prices for prescription drugs, and increase out-of-pocket costs for consumers.
We investigated whether hyperuricemia is an independent predictor of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) and mortality in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In a single-center study of 1772 patients undergoing PCI, the development of CI-AKI and mortality during a 2.8-year median follow-up period was assessed. The incidence of CI-AKI was significantly higher in the hyperuricemic group than in the normouricemic group (5.78% vs 1.76%, P < .001). According to multivariate analysis (after adjusting for potential confounding factors), hyperuricemia predicted CI-AKI (odds ratio: 1.962; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.014-3.798; P = .045). The other risk factors for CI-AKI were >75 years, emergent PCI, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and anemia. Hyperuricemia with a tendency toward significantly independently predicted long-term mortality, after adjusting for CI-AKI, CKD, and emergent PCI (hazard ratio: 1.571; 95% CI: 1.006-2.452; P = .047). In patients undergoing PCI, hyperuricemia is associated with a risk of CI-AKI. Furthermore, after adjusting for other variables, including CI-AKI and CKD, long-term mortality after PCI was higher in those with hyperuricemia than with normouricemia.
Isolates of Mycoplasma hominis collected from patients in Boston and New York between 1976 and 1989 were studied. Minimal metabolism-inhibiting concentrations (MMCs) were determined by use of a terminal color change-broth dilution method, as well as by an agar inoculum-broth dilution method. Both methods gave comparable results. Tetracycline MMCs for 3 (7.0%) of 43 isolates of M. hominis collected from 1976 to 1979 were 8 micrograms/ml or more, but they were 8 micrograms/ml or more for 11 (20.3%) of 54 isolates collected from 1980 to 1983 (P = 0.083) and 16 (26.6%) of 60 isolates collected from 1984 to 1989 (P = 0.019). Similarly, doxycycline MMCs for 0 of 43 isolates of M. hominis collected from 1976 to 1979 were 8 micrograms/ml or more, but they were 8 micrograms/ml or more for 8 (14.8%) of 54 strains isolated from 1980 to 1983 (P = 0.0082) and 10 (16.6%) of 60 strains isolated from 1984 to 1989 (P = 0.0047). The susceptibility of M. hominis to clindamycin did not change. We conclude that isolates of M. hominis in the northeastern United States have become more resistant to tetracycline and doxycycline over the past decade.
This study aims to determine the anti-diabetic properties of the root extracts of Ruellia tuberosa L to enzymes (amylase, protease, and lipase) activities in serum of diabetic rats. Rats were divided into five groups: control, diabetic, and treatment groups with doses of 250, 375, and 500 mg/kg body weights. All treatment groups received root extracts of R. tuberosa L for 21 days by oral administration. Results from LC-MS study revealed that the flavonoids compounds including sorbifolin, cirsimaritin, cirsimarin, and cirsiliol 4’-glucoside, were detected in the extracts. The animal study results showed decreases in blood glucose levels by 54.56%, 37.70%, and 16.79%, for treatment doses of 250, 375, and 500 mg/kg body weights, respectively. All enzymes activities increased in diabetic rats, and after treatment the enzyme activities decreased. The decreases in protease activity were 52%, 36%, and 20% for doses of 250, 375, and 500 mg/kg body weights, respectively. In addition, the amylase and lipase activities also showed similar trends with decreasing activities to 63% and 51%, 42% and 37%, 16% and 21%, for treatment doses of 250, 375, and 500 mg/kg body weights, respectively.
We tested the hypotheses that bovine high-density (HDL) and low-density (LDL) lipoproteins differentially influence cellular proliferation and progesterone and IGF-I production by bovine small and large luteal cells. Unit gravity sedimentation was used to produce enriched cultures of small (> 95% pure) and large (75 to 90% pure) luteal cells from corpora lutea (CL) on d 4 and 10 of the estrous cycle. Addition of LDL, HDL, or both resulted in the maintenance of higher (P < .05) numbers of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD)-positive small and large cells in culture and produced a marked proliferation of 3beta-HSD-negative small luteal cells compared to control medium. Low-density lipoprotein and HDL each stimulated greater (P < .01) progesterone secretion in enriched large cell cultures on both days of the cycle, and by small luteal cells on d 10, compared to the control. Together, LDL and HDL maximized this response. Lipoproteins markedly stimulated (P < .01) the secretion of IGF-I by bovine large luteal cells, and secretion was greater (P < .05) by cells from d 10 CL compared to d 4 CL. Results suggest that the actions of lipoproteins in bovine luteal cells extend beyond their widely recognized roles in steroidogenesis and include remarkable effects on cellular proliferation and IGF-I secretion. Type of lipoprotein (LDL vs HDL) did not have differential effects on any of the variables measured.
The striking increase in colorectal cancer (CRC) has shown the great fatality in Korea for more than 15 years. The leading edge of this rising incidence rate is mainly due to the people"s dietary changes in Korea. Some studies have reported that the dietary fiber does not have significant cytotoxic effects on CRC cells, which contrasts to the effects of probiotics. It gives a positive evaluation that the nonpathogenic spore-forming Bacillus species among the probiotics including fermented bacteria might have optimistic effects on CRC incidence rate. Recently, we isolated Bacillus lentus (BL) from Korean soybean fermented food. BL showed the cytotoxic effect on human colon carcinoma cell lines HCT116 and SW480. Interestingly, BL did not have effect on human dermal fibroblast cells and human hepatoma cell line HepG2. It suggested that BL has the target cell-specific cytotoxicity toward human colon carcinoma cells. To clarify the death signaling pathway underlying the BL-induced apoptosis in cancer cells, we analyzed the expression of caspases, Bax and Bcl-2 by western blotting. The apoptotic effects by cytotoxic elements were executed by direct BL contact or membranederived vesicles isolated from BL. Treatment of HCT116 with BL activated caspase-9, -3 and increased cleavage form of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). However, caspase-8 activity was not increased by BL. BL-activated intrinsic pathway increased the pro-apoptotic Bax, decreased the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins on mitochondria, disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential, and then released the cytochrome c from mitochondria. The membrane-derived vesicles (MVs) from BL induced apoptosis of the HCT116. Here, we propose that BL as a strong candidate for the development of apoptosis-specific anti-tumor agent will give great contribution to the understandings of the tumor-microbe interdisciplinary areas.
one case by the Channel, in the other by the Atlantic, and each has been free from infection by militarist ideas or the domination of a military class. The disappearance of the Channel as a barrier against attack does not affect the parallelism, for its effect in the political sphere has scarcely begun to appear as yet.~ The title &dquo;perfidious Albion &dquo; was earned by the promptitude with which England after success in a combined resistance to the leading military power of the Continent declined the trammels of further alliance,
An evaluation study for the direct dipolar electron spin−spin (SS) contribution to the zero-field splitting (ZFS) tensor in electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is presented. Calculations were performed on a wide variety of organic systems where the SS contribution to the ZFS dominates over the second-order spin−orbit coupling (SOC) contribution. Calculations were performed using (hybrid) density functional theory (DFT), as well as complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) wave functions. In the former case, our implementation is an approximation, because we use the two-particle reduced spin-density matrix of the noninteracting reference system. In the latter case, the SS contribution is approximated by a mean-field method which, nevertheless, gives accurate results, compared to the approximation free computation of the SS part in a CASSCF framework. For the case of the triplet dioxygen molecule, it was shown that restricted open-shell density functional theory (RODFT), as well as...
ABSTRACT A class of fourth-order boundary value problems with general self-adjoint boundary and transmission conditions is investigated. It is shown that such boundary value problems with a finite number of eigenvalues are equivalent to certain types of matrix eigenvalue problems. Moreover, the results are given under the general self-adjoint transmission conditions and the self-adjoint canonical forms of the fourth-order problems which are classified as separated, mixed and coupled, respectively.
to measure the needs of people affected by large-scale human or natural disasters such as wars, earthquakes or tsunamis. The needs are identified and prioritized based on the perception of affected people. The HESPER scale was developed by the World Health Organization in collaboration with King's College London. The manual describes the HESPER scale and includes detailed explanation of the HESPER assessment process, references, and appendices. The HESPER scale was developed over three phases from 2008 to 2010. The first phase (2008) was item generation and item selection based on a literature review and a survey of humanitarian experts. The second phase (2009) included pilot testing with displaced people in Jordan, Gaza, Sudan, and refugees in the U.K. to assess the scale’s feasibility and cross-culture applicability. The third phase (2010) included field testing the revised draft scale in Jordan with displaced Iraqi people, in Haiti with people living in post-earthquake displacement camps, and in Nepal with Bhutanese refugees, to access its psychometric properties (i.e., validity and reliability). The scale focuses on the diverse needs of the population based on social, psychological, and physical aspects. It is a valid and reliable scale that may be completed in 15 to 30 minutes, is freely available in major languages, and requires minimal training to administer. It claims to be the only brief multi-sectoral tool that quantifies the prevalence and distribution of people's perceived needs in a general population in humanitarian settings. Also, this scale is useful for both representative and convenience sampling techniques. © International Review of Public Administration 2012, Vol. 17, No. 2 171
Groundwater beneath a former chemical reclamation facility in New Jersey is contaminated with metals and organic compounds. The off-site migration of these compounds has not been studied; however, a nearby public-supply well is contaminated, and a public-supply well 1,400 ft downgradient from the site may be threatened. The study is underlain by alluvial deposits composed of gravel, sand, silt, and clay. These deposits comprise the water table aquifer, the confining units, and the confined aquifer throughout the study area. The water table beneath the Swope Oil Superfund site is approximately 17 ft below sea level and groundwater levels throughout the study area are below the stage of the Delaware River. The aquifer system is recharged by precipitation, leakage of water through confining units, and the water induced from the Delaware River. Five public supply-well fields, primarily adjacent to the Delaware River, and four waste disposal sites with observation well networks are located in the study area. Both the water table and confined aquifers are contaminated in several locations. The concentration of metals and/or purgeable organic compounds in more than 20 wells exceeds the US Environmental Protection Agency primary drinking-water standard and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection recommended drinkingmore » water criteria. Selected data from wells and test borings are presented, including well construction details; drillers', geologists', and geophysical logs; water levels; specific-capacity and slug test data; and chemical analysis of groundwater samples. 35 refs., 5 figs., 14 tabs.« less
Charles Johnson’s 2001 short story collection Soulcatcher was commissioned with the purpose of complementing a PBS series Africans in America: America’s Journey through Slavery, by way of imaginatively revisiting some memorable events, personalities and generic idiosyncrasies of the antebellum United States. The task of producing literary renditions of such an ideologicallycharged historical period is valuable in its own right, yet it puts considerable constraints upon the artistic autonomy of the writer. As an African American novelist and scholar, Charles Johnson straddles two mildly dichotomous positions in this respect. As a literary scholar, he has criticized the lingering tendency to read and appreciate black fiction as a sociological probe, thereby downplaying its own artistic merits. He particularly deplores the implicit inauguration of a black writer as a spokesperson for his or her race, which may have generated a panoptical reflex within the African American literary community. Johnson regards this reflex as inevitably conducive to tendentious writing which he summarily calls “racial melodrama”. The paper therefore examines one story from the Soulcatcher collection, namely “The People Speak”, which displays overt symptoms of ideological literature. The analysis first identifies some panoptical anxieties within the narrative, but it ultimately looks for intertextual echoes which go beyond the literal frame of the story. In doing so, the paper seeks to point out that Charles Johnson manages to retain a considerable degree of artistic autonomy even when dealing with what seems to be a onedimensional and baldly ideological topic.
Non-rigid 3D shape correspondence is a fundamental and challenging problem. Isometric correspondence is an important topic because of its wide applications. But it is a NP hard problem if you detect the mapping directly. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to find the correspondence between two (nearly) isometric shapes. Our method is based on the geodesic structure of the shape and minimum cost flow. Firstly, several pre-computed base vertices are initialized for embedding the shapes into Euclidian space, which is constructed by the geodesic distances. Then we construct a network flow with the points of the two shapes and another two virtual points, source point and sink point. The arcs of the network flow are the edges between each point on two shapes. And the L2 distances in the k dimensional Euclidian embedding space are taken as the arc costs and a capacity value is added on each point in the above network flow. At last we solve the correspondence problem as a minimum cost max flow problem (MCFP) with shortest path faster algorithm (SPFA). Experiments show that our method is accurate and efficient.
A new formulation is presented for radiation-induced conductivity in insulators which takes cognizance of the fact that the ionization is formed along particle tracks rather than being uniformly distributed throughout the material. This leads to a linear dependence of conductivity on dose rate with, however, a possibility of an additional dependence on dose for high doses. Data are presented demonstrating this linear dependence.
Oligochaetes of the genus Branchiobdella live on freshwater crayfish. For a long time they were regarded as parasites. The current consensus is that most species are commensals or perhaps facultative parasites. In the northern Fichtelgebirge, northeastern Bavaria, the local branchiobdellids were identified as Branchiobdella parasita (BRAUN 1805) HENLE 1835. The abundance dynamics of the branchiobdellids are discussed in relation to their different density of infestation in separate noble crayfish populations. Chemical parameters of the water were analysed as one important factor. Another aspect was the preference of the branchiobdellids of special groups of host's and of crayfish's body regions. It was shown that they prefer larger crayfish stages. Analyses of the contents of the digestive tube verified that Branchiobdella parasita subsists on the epizoic flora and fauna on the crayfish and on plankton organisms. The crayfish is essential for the reproductive process of the branchiobdellids. For the adults the host merely serves to carry the worms and to offer an area for feeding on the abundant detritus and epizoic flora and fauna sticking to the crustacean surface.
Background/Objectives: The article studies the professional readiness of educational staff to implement the Federal State Standards of Preschool Education in the context of standardization of educational process in Russia. Methods/Statistical Analysis: A new approach is developed to the evaluation of professional readiness of the teaching staff of preschool education institutions, as well as professors and students of universities and teacher training colleges to implement new generation standards focused on the content of the preschool education standards. Findings: Data obtained in the study were formed as a result of individual questioning of 378 respondents. The study results made it possible to define levels of professional readiness of different educational staff to implement the standards of preschool education: Negative (low level), adaptive (low average level), intuitive (average level), technological (high average level), and creative (high level). The study empirically identified the well-formed of components of professional readiness of the teaching staff and students of universities and colleges: Cognitive, motivational, activity, among which only the latter component was formed in a half (50%) of respondents. The authors have determined that the increase of professional readiness of personnel to implement the federal state standards of preschool education depends on the development of the activity component and formation of a creative (high) level. Application/Improvements: Activity approach imposes requirements for professional readiness in terms of selection and organization of students’ activities at different levels of education, activation and formation of their positions of subjects of cognition, work and communication.
The article is devoted to the study of the scattering of nonlinear acoustic waves on cylindrical bodies. There was made a review of publications on the scattering of acoustic waves by inhomogeneities of the medium in the form of cylindrical bodies and shells. There were noted features of the small parameter method application in nonlinear acoustics. A three-dimensional model of the geometry of the problem in cylindrical coordinates was presented, nonlinear wave processes occurring between the falling plane and scattered cylindrical waves were described. The inhomogeneous wave equation is solved by the method of successive approximations of series expansion in a small parameter. An asymptotic expression for the acoustic pressure of a difference-frequency wave was obtained. A program for calculating scattering diagrams has been developed, and an algorithm for its operation is given. The acoustic pressure scattering diagram of a differential frequency wave on a rigid cylinder and its three-dimensional model are presented. The radius of convergence of the used method of expansion in a small parameter is determined.
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine the cane lengths currently used by patients with hemiplegic stroke for ambulatory assistance. The sample consisted of 116 adults with hemiplegic stroke. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test for trend were conducted to examine the distributions of cane lengths, which were classified as follows: reaching >2 cm below the greater trochanter (GT), reaching from <2 cm below to <2 cm above the GT, or reaching >2 cm above the GT. Cane lengths reaching >2 cm above the GT were most common (range 62%–88%). No difference in mean cane length was found with respect to gender, age, time elapsed after stroke, nature of pathology (infarction, hemorrhage), paralyzed region (left, right), cane type (mono or four-point), or those responsible for deciding cane lengths (clinicians, patients, family members). These findings mean patients with hemiplegic stroke are actually using canes longer than conventionally proposed cane lengths.
In 1991 Frederick Holmes, now Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Kansas, took sabbatical leave and enrolled in a graduate course in Modern British History, beginning with a colloquium on the period from James I to Queen Anne. It gave him the idea for this book. Maintaining that there was what he calls a weak bridge between the Tudors and the Hanoverians, he attempts to show that the failure of the Stuart dynasty to last beyond 1714 was entirely due to ill-health and medical misadventure. He remarks that, if Cromwell had accepted the crown when it was offered to him, the dynasty would have come to an end after the rule of just two monarchs—though this would hardly then have been from medical downfall, given that the decapitation of Charles I was not truly a surgical procedure.    The book starts with a description of disease in the seventeenth century, followed by an assessment of the physicians who looked after the six Stuart monarchs and their families. The family name came from Henry Stuart. Lord Darnley, when he married Mary Queen of Scots, James VI was born 2 years later, but he was deserted by his mother before his first birthday and fostered after that. He became King of England in 1603 when he was 36 years old, and apparently died of a stroke in 1625. His weak legs remain unexplained, as do episodes of jaundice, but a shrunken kidney containing stones at post mortem explains the attacks of blood and gravel in his urine. From 1616 he was disabled from arthritis, and began showing a dementia 6 years before he died. The possibility of hyperparathyroidism has not been a speculation until this review.    The order in the chapter on the three children of James I who became adults does not make for easy medical history. They were Henry, Prince of Wales (1594-1612), who was intellectually remarkable and died of typhoid; Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia (1596-1662), buried in Westminster Abbey on order of Charles II; and the unsatisfactory Charles I (1600-1649). The chapter starts with an account of the execution of Charles I, followed by the lives of Prince Henry and Elizabeth, before detailing the post mortem findings of Charles and those of Henry. It then discusses the childhood, the growing up, and the adult political failings of Charles, and ends by considering two of Elizabeth's children, Prince Rupert (1619-1682) and Sophia (1630-1714), who married the Protestant prince Ernst Augustus, later Elector of Hanover, and was mother of George I.    The devout Catholic Catherine of Braganza (1638-1703), the wife of the otherwise fertile Charles II, failed to become pregnant. Charles's death at 55 in 1685 may have been due to encephalopathy derived from his efforts to smelt and refine mercury in his laboratory—on the finding of raised levels of this metal in hair said to have come from his head.    In the Stuart family the deaths included one murder (Lord Darnley) besides the beheadings of Mary Queen of Scots and Charles I, and ten from uncertain causes. With some of the others there is inevitable speculation despite the surprising number of post mortem examinations. Historically, the poor health of a monarch may have had political importance, but it is the inability to produce a suitable heir that has been the usual cause for the end of a dynasty, as well as bad luck. Charles I (clearly more so) and James II were unsuitable in the way they dealt with Parliament, with both engendering a lessening power to the monarchy. However, James was deposed without losing his head—mainly because of his Roman Catholicism, a religion which he shared with the members of his second family, the Old and the Young Pretenders and Cardinal Henry Benedict, who died from uncertain causes aged 78, 68 and 82, and Louisa Mary, his daughter, who died from smallpox aged 20.    In exile after reigning for just 3 years, James set up his court in St Germain, near Paris, where he was buried in 1701 after a stroke at the age of 68. The elder of the two Protestant daughters of his first marriage, the childless Mary II, took the throne with William III in 1688 until her death from smallpox at the age of 32 in 1694. William died 8 years later, in 1702, from pneumonia after a fall from his horse, and was succeeded by Queen Anne. She died aged 49 in 1714, with only one of the five that survived childbirth from her seventeen pregnancies living beyond the age of 2 years. He was the hydrocephalic William, Duke of Gloucester, who died of pneumonia when aged 11. Anne's obstetrical calamities have been attributed to systemic lupus erythematosus, from the complications of which she may have died.    Professor Holmes's claim that the failure of the Stuart dynasty to last was entirely due to ill-health must be viewed with scepticism. It is also a bizarre view of history when he compares the Stuarts with the Bourbons and the Habsburgs, and then suggests that the countries of those other dynasties became more prosperous because of the longevity of their rulers. The book is nicely illustrated, and it is of interest to find out what happened to some of the less important Stuarts, such as the fourth son of Charles I, Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1620-1640), who died of smallpox. If he had survived, he might have been chosen to replace James II, as when he was pressed by their mother, Henrietta Maria, to become a Romanist, he was disowned by her on his refusal.
Abstract : Photoconductivity in photocrosslinkable second order nonlinear optical (NLO) polymeric materials and photovoltage generation in a poled guest- host polymer are reported. These NLO polymers have been functionalized with crosslinkable cinnamoyl groups and show relatively stable second order optical nonlinearities at room temperature when poled and crosslinked. Without introducing any photosensitizer or charge carrier transport agents, photoconductivity was obtained in these polymer systems. Optical excitation of the NLO chromophores lead to photocarrier generation and it is conjectured that these NLO chromophores also play a role in the carrier transport. In addition to photoconductivity, photovoltage generation was observed in the dye doped polymer upon poling. This poled polymer also exhibits a polarization dependent photovoltage when illuminated by light in the absorption region of the NLO chromophore.... Photocrosslinkable nonlinear optical polymer, Pphotovoltage generation, Guest host.
Background Mycoplasma genitalium is associated with genital discharge syndrome, but limited prevalence data are available in South Africa. The prevalence rates of M. genitalium infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection were determined in urogenital specimens collected from male and female patients presenting with genital discharge syndrome to a primary health care center in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2007 through 2014. Methods Genital specimens from 4731 patients were tested by a validated in-house multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, and M. genitalium. Sera were tested for HIV infection using the Determine HIV 1/2 and Unigold assays. Results The relative prevalence of M. genitalium in males and females was 8.9% and 10.6%, respectively. The prevalence of HIV infection in those infected with M. genitalium, without other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), was significantly higher than in those without M. genitalium infection (48.9% vs. 40.5%, P = 0.014). This significant difference in HIV seroprevalence was particularly observed among females in the study cohort. Conclusions The relative prevalence of M. genitalium and its association with prevalent HIV among females with vaginal discharge syndrome (VDS) calls for further research on the potential role of M. genitalium in the transmission and acquisition of HIV.
Queer(ed) bodies in punk subculture problematise deeply embedded heterosexual, cismale occupation of space and time. Traditional modes of media and documentation aid in establishing normative perspectives of who participates in punk, and how. Rather than reproducing dominant media expectations, queer people express and explore their self(s) through mediating fleeting-yet-concrete utopias which often leave only ephemeral evidence, but are picked up from the margins of scenes and medias by others who know where to find them. This article examines tattooing and its intersection with Instagram digitisation as forms of memorialising identity, not necessarily through the artwork of the tattoo, but the praxis and application of its subject. Through a reflexive analysis of interviews with queer people who have been involved with punk, as well as the authors’ autoethnographic reflections on their own experiences as queers in punk scenes and on Instagram, this article explores tattoo practice as a means of creating affective atmospheres and embodying queer futurity. We find that tattoos act as silos for bodily and digital memory, and that their utility for queer punx generates new forms of meaning, mediation and production.
This article critically assesses the debate surrounding Juan Linz's famous depiction of the Franco regime as an example and point of departure for conceptualising authoritarianism as a distinct type of nondemocratic political regime. It analyses the strengths and weaknesses of six main objections to Linz's framework and account: (1) the objection to his use of an abstract ideal-typical framework; (2) the objection to his depiction of the absence of ideology; (3) the objection to his account of the sources of apathy and forms of social control; (4) the objection to his description of the form and extent of the regime's limited pluralism; (5) the objection based on the allegedly legitimating function of his description; and (6) the objection to his account of the rule of law in the regime.
Current treatment for heart automaticity disorders still lack a safe and efficient source of stem cells to bring about biological pacemaking. Since adult Muscle-Derived Stem Cells (MDSC) show multilineage differentiation in vitro including into spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes, we questioned whether MDSCs could effectively differentiate into cardiac pacemakers, a specific population of myocytes producing electrical impulses in the sino-atrial node of adult heart. We show here that beating cardiomyocytes, differentiated from MDSC in vitro, exhibit typical characteristics of cardiac pacemakers: the expression of Hcn4, Tbx3 and Islet1, as well as spontaneous calcium transients and hyperpolarization-activated “funny” current, a unique signature of sino-atrial pacemakers. Pacemaker-like myocytes differentiated in vitro from Cav1.3-deficient mouse MDSC produced slower Ca2+ transients, consistent with the reduction of native pacemaker activity in these mice. In vivo, systemic injection of undifferentiated wild type MDSCs into bradycardic mutant Cav1.3-/- mice was ensued by their migration and homing to the sino-atrial node area within 48h and differentiation into Cav1.3 -expressing pacemaker-like myocytes within 10 days, a process accompanied by a significant improvement of the heart rate after 10 days that was maintained for up to 5 weeks. These findings identify MDSCs as directly transplantable stem cells that efficiently engraft, differentiate and improve heart rhythm in a mouse model of congenital bradycardia.
Three different Cu–Zn–Al catalysts (Cu : Zn : Al atomic ratio 60 : 38 : 2) were prepared by coprecipitation of the three metals (from their nitrate salts) either by separately precipitating each metal (Cu+Zn+Al), two metals (Cu and Zn coprecipitated+Al) before mixing together, or by precipitating the three of them together. XPS analysis detected a remarkably high Al enrichment at the surface of all calcined or reduced samples, along with a binding energy of the Cu 2p3/2core level peak assigned to Cu2+in CuAl2O4-like environment in the calcined state. ESR spectra of calcined samples showed signals attributed to surface Cu2+species with Al entities in their surroundings for samples in which Cu and Zn are coprecipitated and aged together. The higher Cu dispersion observed after reduction for these catalysts is attributed to the development of such interactions at the surface of Al-containing calcined samples.
Introduction Melatonin has been studied in headache disorders. Amitriptyline is efficacious for migraine prevention, but its unfavourable side effect profile limits its use. Methods A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was carried out. Men and women, aged 18–65 years, with migraine with or without aura, experiencing 2–8 attacks per month, were enrolled. After a 4-week baseline phase, 196 participants were randomised to placebo, amitriptyline 25 mg or melatonin 3 mg, and 178 took a study medication and were followed for 3 months (12 weeks). The primary outcome was the number of migraine headache days per month at baseline versus last month. Secondary end points were responder rate, migraine intensity, duration and analgesic use. Tolerability was also compared between groups. Results Mean headache frequency reduction was 2.7 migraine headache days in the melatonin group, 2.2 for amitriptyline and 1.1 for placebo. Melatonin significantly reduced headache frequency compared with placebo (p=0.009), but not to amitriptyline (p=0.19). Melatonin was superior to amitriptyline in the percentage of patients with a greater than 50% reduction in migraine frequency. Melatonin was better tolerated than amitriptyline. Weight loss was found in the melatonin group, a slight weight gain in placebo and significantly for amitriptyline users. Conclusions Melatonin 3 mg is better than placebo for migraine prevention, more tolerable than amitriptyline and as effective as amitriptyline 25 mg.
Network densification is promising to achieve higher data rates and higher network capacity, while causing new backhauling challenges especially when the network is highly dense. The flexible and cost efficient backhauling solutions are among the most concerning issues. Due to the high density of the next generation networks, the terrestrial wired backhauling approaches are not cost efficient. Having this challenge in hand, and recognizing the advantages of the networked flying platform (NFP)-enabled communications, we address in this paper the problem of wireless multi-hop backhauling of small cells (SC) using NFP hubs. We propose an efficient iterative heuristic algorithm that jointly optimize the SCNFP association and the SC-SC formation in order to maximize the total backhaul flow, with practical constraints in consideration, such as backhaul reliability, hardware and processing limitations in the SCs and the NFPs. Numerical simulations show that the proposed algorithm can achieve close to optimal solution at a much faster convergence rate.
Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional format which emphasizes collaborative and contextual learning and hence has favored face-to-face course design. However, with the plentitude of online tools which technology offers nowadays, PBL courses can also be effectively offered to students who cannot physically be present at the campus. The change process from offline to hybrid, blended, or online PBL courses need to be carefully managed and the right combination of technology and learning activities selected from the ever increasing available set. Hybrid, blended, or online courses differ in the amount of integration between offline and online activities. A mixed-method design was used to elaborate on how the different (hybrid, blended, or online) PBL courses can be effectively build and taught to create learner engagement. Twelve people (change agent, instructor, and participants) were interviewed and 82 students filled out a course evaluation form. The data was used to describe how a hybrid, blended, or online course was created and how the instructor and students perceived it. Instructional and change management implications for implementation are presented. Instructional implications deal with the needs of the learner, the role of the instructor, and the importance of sound technology integration in the course. Change management implication highlights the need to foster intra-institutional collaboration.
Total bacterial counts (TBC) and coliform counts (CC) were estimated for 328 colostrum samples from 56 British dairy farms. Samples collected directly from cows' teats had lower mean TBC (32,079) and CC (21) than those collected from both colostrum collection buckets (TBC: 327,879, CC: 13,294) and feeding equipment (TBC: 439,438, CC: 17,859). Mixed effects models were built using an automated backwards stepwise process in conjunction with repeated bootstrap sampling to provide robust estimates of both effect size and 95% bootstrap confidence intervals (BCI) as well as an estimate of the reproducibility of a variable effect within a target population (stability). Colostrum collected using parlor (2.06 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: 0.35–3.71) or robot (3.38 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: 1.29–5.80) milking systems, and samples collected from feeding equipment (2.36 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: 0.77–5.45) were associated with higher TBC than those collected from the teat, suggesting interventions to reduce bacterial contamination should focus on the hygiene of collection and feeding equipment. The use of hot water to clean feeding equipment (−2.54 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: −3.76 to −1.74) was associated with reductions in TBC, and the use of peracetic acid (−2.04 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: −3.49 to −0.56) or hypochlorite (−1.60 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: −3.01 to 0.27) to clean collection equipment was associated with reductions in TBC compared with water. Cleaning collection equipment less frequently than every use (1.75 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: 1.30–2.49) was associated with increased TBC, the use of pre-milking teat disinfection prior to colostrum collection (−1.85 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: −3.39 to 2.23) and the pasteurization of colostrum (−3.79 log cfu/ml, 95% BCI: −5.87 to −2.93) were associated with reduced TBC. Colostrum collection protocols should include the cleaning of colostrum collection and feeding equipment after every use with hot water as opposed to cold water, and hypochlorite or peracetic acid as opposed to water or parlor wash. Cows' teats should be prepared with a pre-milking teat disinfectant and wiped with a clean, dry paper towel prior to colostrum collection, and colostrum should be pasteurized where possible.
Background The protein kinase Chk1 is an essential component of the DNA damage checkpoint pathway. Chk1 is phosphorylated and activated in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe when cells are exposed to agents that damage DNA. Phosphorylation, kinase activation, and nuclear accumulation are events critical to the ability of Chk1 to induce a transient delay in cell cycle progression. The catalytic domain of Chk1 is well-conserved amongst all species, while there are only a few regions of homology within the C-terminus. A potential pseudosubstrate domain exists in the C-terminus of S. pombe Chk1, raising the possibility that the C-terminus acts to inhibit the catalytic domain through interaction of this domain with the substrate binding site. Methodology/Principal Findings To evaluate this hypothesis, we characterized mutations in the pseudosubstrate region. Mutation of a conserved aspartic acid at position 469 to alanine or glycine compromises Chk1 function when the mutants are integrated as single copies, demonstrating that this domain of Chk1 is critical for function. Our data does not support, however, the hypothesis that the domain acts to inhibit Chk1 function as other mutations in the amino acids predicted to comprise the pseudosubstrate do not result in constitutive activation of the protein. When expressed in multi-copy, Chk1D469A remains non-functional. In contrast, multi-copy Chk1D469G confers cell survival and imposes a checkpoint delay in response to some, though not all forms of DNA damage. Conclusions/Significance Thus, we conclude that this C-terminal region of Chk1 is important for checkpoint function and predict that a limiting factor capable of associating with Chk1D469G, but not Chk1D469A, interacts with Chk1 to elicit checkpoint activation in response to a subset of DNA lesions.
Abstract Introduction Cigarettes and little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs) are the most prevalent dual-use tobacco combination; one-third of cigarette smokers use LCCs. Risk factors for multiple tobacco product use have been reported; however, there is little understanding of why some individuals transition to and maintain multiple product use. In this study, we examine narratives of tobacco product initiation and decision-making among LCC-only and LCC-cigarette smokers. Methods We audio-recorded in-depth interviews with 60 individuals, aged 14–28, who reported smoking more than or equal to 1 cigarillo per week; half also smoked cigarettes. Transcribed interviews were coded using a phenomenological approach to examine themes about smoking initiation, motivation, and product decision-making. Results Among dual users, 60% began smoking LCCs before or at the same time as cigarettes, and 40% began smoking cigarettes first. Reasons for smoking cigarettes in addition to LCCs included easier access when experiencing craving and less time to smoke the product. Cigarette smokers reported first smoking LCCs in social contexts when sharing LCCs with other smokers, or when they could afford a single LCC but not a pack of cigarettes. LCC-only smokers reported not smoking cigarettes because of their expense, unpleasant taste and/or smell, and fear of becoming addicted. Conclusions In this sample of current LCC users, half also used cigarettes. Product initiation order was almost evenly split, but reasons for initiating the second product differed, with immediacy of reducing cravings as a key reason for LCC users to smoke a cigarette and social and financial reasons for cigarette users to smoke an LCC. Implications Understanding how and why dual use is initiated and sustained can inform policies to help prevent increased nicotine dependence and initiation of additional tobacco products. This study demonstrates that the beliefs, perceptions, and practices of LCC-only and dual users inform their product selection. Our findings point to the need to apply the strategies that have been effective at decreasing cigarette consumption to LCCs.
Spirometry flow-volume loop measurement is the screening test of choice to rule out obstructive lung diseases. Flow oscillations occasionally seen on flow volume loops, referred to as a "saw-tooth" sign, are thought to be due to an upper airway obstructive processes associated with upper airway collapsibility. Widely described in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, flow oscillations have also been linked to many other upper airway pathologies. The mechanism by which flow oscillations occur is centered on the inspiratory and expiratory flow of air. It has been theorized that the mechanism of flow oscillations result from rapid intermittent changes in driving pressure or airway resistance. Since visual inspection of the flow volume loop can reveal presence of flow oscillations clinicians should be aware of this phenomenon and the presence of flow loop oscillations should clue physicians to rule out upper airway pathology.
In recent studies, the authors presented a special class of planar and spatial linkage mechanisms in which for a continuous full rotation or continuous rocking motion of the input link, the output link undergoes two continuous rocking motions. Such linkage mechanisms were referred to as the “motion-doubling” linkage mechanisms. It was also shown that in a special case of such mechanisms, the fundamental frequency of the input motion is doubled. This class of mechanisms generally has dynamics advantage over regular mechanisms designed to achieve similar gross output motions. In the present study, it is shown that in general and for the same gross output motion, motion-doubling mechanisms require lower input torques, and that the high harmonics of the input torque have smaller amplitudes. The high harmonic components present in the input torque are the main source of vibration and control problems in the system or device that the mechanism operates and its own structure. It is therefore concluded that when vibration and motion precision is of concern, such as in high-speed and precision machinery, motion-doubling mechanisms are generally more suitable from the potential vibration excitation and control points of view and actuating torque requirements.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
The paper follows the development of digital tools for architects and briefly discusses their utility within education and practice. The move from static CAD tools to time based media followed by programmatic processes and virtual environment design is addressing the evolution of the profession and to an extent reflects practitioners’ needs. The paper focuses on the notion of interactivity and how it is been addressed in various fields. Borrowing from computer science and game design the author presents a course dealing with designing interactivity, responsiveness and users feeding their input back in the design. The aim of the paper is to analyse and support a new set of tools in architectural curricula that will implement interactivity and integrate it into spatial design leading to a holistic approach promoting intelligence, hybridity and responsiveness of the built environment. Following, the elaboration of the rationale, a brief discussion on tools and project directions is carried out.
The protection and management of lakes is closely related to people’s quality of life and the rapid development of urban economy, and it is also an important aspect of realizing ecological sustainability. Hubei Province has over 1000 lakes, so the importance of the protection and governance of lakes is self-evident. Since the Lake Protection Regulations of Hubei Province came into being, Hubei Province has achieved the gradual extension and improvement of the system of responsibility for the protection of the lake. In order to understand the development of the system of responsibility for the protection of the lake and to explore the shortcomings in the implementation of the lake management system, this paper takes Wuhan city, capital of Hubei Province, as an example, as the object of research and evaluates the implementation effect of the lake protection mechanism and system after the promulgation of Hubei Province Lake Protection Regulations. According to the evaluation results, since the implementation of the regulations, the formal protection of lakes in Wuhan city has been promoted step by step, and the effect of lake management has also been remarkable. The government attaches great importance to lake protection, and the enthusiasm of government staff participating in this is increasing. However, the evaluation results also reveal some weaknesses of the current system of lake protection and governance, including the protection of lake quality, the perfection of the annual appraisal system and the administrative responsibility system, and the optimization of the lake garbage disposal system. On the basis of the results, this paper puts forward countermeasures and ideas to perfect the mechanism and system of lake protection and management in Wuhan city, in order to provide reference for the lake protection and management in other areas.
One of the major challenges facing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is assessing the learner performances beyond traditional automated assessment methods. This leads to a bottleneck problem due to the massiveness of course participants, especially in the context of problem solving. To tackle this issue, peer assessment has been proposed as an effective method. However, the validity of this process is still under discussion, suffers from a lack of credibility and has many weaknesses, particularly with regards to group formation. This paper develops a new method of peer assessment for MOOCs to improve the accuracy and exactitude of the learner grade. Our proposition is based on three main steps: the formation of learner groups, the assessment and synthesis of the results. First, the group definition process can use different elements of the learner model and enables to build heterogeneous groups. After, each learner is required to grade a small number of peer productions. Finally, a synthesis of the various grades is proposed using both data about the ability to assess of each learner and complexity of problems. To evaluate the proposed peer assessment process, we conducted an experimentation devoted to teaching Software Quality Assurance to beginners with computer science during the first university cycle.
The efficacy of rifabutin (RIFA) alone or in combination with atovaquone (ATO) was examined in vitro and in a murine model of acute toxoplasmosis. In vitro studies were performed with MRC5 fibroblast tissue cultures, with quantification of Toxoplasma growth by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For in vivo studies, mice were acutely infected with 10(4) tachyzoites of the virulent RH strain and were then treated perorally for 10 days from day 1 or day 4 postinfection. The efficacy of each drug regimen was assessed by determination of survival rates and sequential titration of parasites in blood, brain, and lungs by a tissue culture method. In vitro, RIFA was inhibitory for Toxoplasma growth at concentrations between 0.5 and 20 micrograms/ml; the 50% inhibitory concentration was estimated to be 1.68 micrograms/ml. When RIFA and ATO were combined, synergistic effects were noted for RIFA at 20 micrograms/ml combined with ATO at 0.01 or 0.02 microgram/ml and RIFA at 1, 2, or 5 micrograms/ml combined with ATO at 0.02 microgram/ml. In vivo, administration of RIFA at 200 mg/kg of body weight per day from day 1 to day 10 resulted in a 100% protection during treatment, with clearance of parasites from the blood, brain, and lungs. After the cessation of therapy, relapses occurred in the brain and lungs; the mortality was 46% at the end of the experiment (day 30). Among the mice treated with RIFA at 200 mg/kg/day from day 4 to day 14, no death was recorded during the treatment period and a marked reduction in parasite burdens was observed in blood and tissues; however, relapses occurred and 10% of mice survived until day 30. Administration of RIFA at 200 mg/kg/day in combination with ATO at 100 mg/kg/day resulted in a marked prolongation of survival compared with that for mice that received ATO or RIFA alone. However, in mice receiving the combination, parasite burdens in blood and organs were similar to those in mice treated with RIFA alone. These results confirmed the activity of RIFA in the treatment of acute toxoplasmosis and the potential of the combination of RIFA-ATO since the two drugs act synergistically against Toxoplasma gondii.
Whereas social visual attention has been examined in computer-mediated (e.g., shared screen) or video-mediated (e.g., FaceTime) interaction, it has yet to be studied in mixed-media interfaces that combine video of the conversant along with other UI elements. We analyzed eye gaze of 37 dyads (74 participants) who were tasked with negotiating the price of a new car (as a buyer and seller) using mixed-media video conferencing under competitive or cooperative negotiation instructions (experimental manipulation). We used multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis to extract spatio-temporal patterns corresponding to mutual gaze (individuals look at each other), joint attention (individuals focus on the same elements of the interface), and gaze aversion (an individual looks at their partner, who is looking elsewhere). Our results indicated that joint attention predicted the sum of points attained by the buyer and seller (i.e., the joint score). In contrast, gaze aversion was associated with faster time to complete the negotiation, but with a lower joint score. Unexpectedly, mutual gaze was highly infrequent and unrelated to the negotiation outcomes and none of the gaze patterns predicted subjective perceptions of the negotiation. There were also no effects of gender composition or negotiation condition on the gaze patterns or negotiation outcomes. Our results suggest that social visual attention may operate differently in mixed-media collaborative interfaces than in face-to-face interaction. As mixed-media collaborative interfaces gain prominence, our work can be leveraged to inform the design of gaze-sensitive user interfaces that support remote negotiations among other tasks.
In this report, practical noise reduction has been attempted for a dot-matrix impact printer. An about -5dB(A) noise reduction has been accomplished for the internal machinery noise by taking countermeasures for the internal machinery parts. The printer noise source was classified into the follwing four systems: printing head system, platen system, carriage system (stepping motor) and fans, and their contributions were estimated. The printing head and the platen system noise have much larger contributions than the others. Contermeasures for these have been taken. The noise reduction efficiency of the cover was investigated. Noise level decreases with decreasing aperture size? In an enclosed condition, average noise reduction efficiency was about -13dB(A). The dominant moise components were lower frequency noise, whose frequencies coincide with the basic printing frequency or are close to it.
UK seasonal mean temperature and precipitation conditions are extremely variable from one year to the next but in the last decade have featured several cool, wet summers and mild, wet winters interspersed with some notable cold winter episodes. Jet stream variability is a major determinant of these fluctuations and is often represented by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. Recent work has shown some evidence of promising predictability in the winter NAO from 1 to 2 months ahead, while summer predictability remains very limited. Although the phase and magnitude of the NAO influences total UK rainfall, there are regional variations which it does not explain. Here we examine the relationship between UK regional summer and winter precipitation and temperature and a range of North Atlantic atmospheric circulation indices. While the NAO shows a significant relationship with temperature in both seasons and summer rainfall over most of the UK, the picture in winter is more complicated, with other circulation indices such as the East Atlantic pattern explaining rainfall anomalies in southern England. Other indices also show significant relationships with precipitation in regions where the NAO does not. Because UK weather is determined by the interplay between different circulation indices, attention should be given to developing seasonal forecasts of other circulation indices to complement the NAO forecasts. We also find that some potential drivers of jet stream variability are significantly associated with UK temperature and rainfall variability, particularly in summer. This provides further scope for producing seasonal forecasts based directly on these drivers. Improved seasonal forecasts will be useful to a range of end users in agriculture, energy supply, transport and insurance industries and can be extended to other UK weather variables such as extreme rainfall events and storm frequency, and related metrics such as wind power capacity and solar energy.
This study identified relevant content for standardized measures of organizational justice and evaluated the reliability, validity and context sensitivity of measures of procedural, interactional and distributive justice that assess the perceived fairness of organizational change programmes. Two organizations that were undergoing changes that differed in the severity and permanence of employee outcomes participated in the research. After refinement on the basis of test-retest reliability and factor analysis, the procedural and interactional justice measures demonstrated good reliability and validity, but the equity-based items that operationalized distributive justice performed poorly. The results offer some support for concerns over possible context-sensitivity of justice perceptions and emphasize the need for a comprehensive set of standardized measures that can be customized to assess and compare justice perceptions in different organizational contexts. Directions for further research and measurement development are discussed.
We have used magnetometry and resonant soft x-ray magnetic reflectometry to determine the depth-dependent charge and magnetization density on an absolute scale across a Permalloy/CoO interface above the N{acute e}el temperature of CoO. A thin magnetic layer of 1.0 nm forms at the interface. This layer has larger magnetization density and different temperature dependence of magnetization than Permalloy.
ABSTRACT Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful technique for the characterization of systems with highly ordered structures, such as liquid crystals and self-assembly systems. In the field of nanotechnology and nanomedicine, SAXS can be used to characterize the crystallographic properties — namely, the space group symmetry and lattice parameter — of the crystal phase of lyotropic systems and nanoparticles with internal crystal phase, such as cubosomes, hexosomes and multi-lamellar vesicles. In this work, we introduce a new web platform named: Small Angle Scattering Crystallographic Peak Treatment and Analysis (SCryPTA), capable of reading SAXS data and providing a comprehensive visualization of the scattering curve along with the calculation of important physical parameters, such as the lattice parameter of the crystal structure, the lipidic bilayer width, among others. Cubic, hexagonal and multilamellar scattering data had their crystallographic structure characterized in SCryPTA. So far, four different cubic structures, (Pn3m (Q224), Fd3m (Q227), Im3m (Q229), Ia3d (Q230)), the hexagonal phase and also multi-lamellar vesicle systems are described in the software. We believe that SCryPTA may help researchers from several fields, since it has a user-friendly interface.
Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common geriatric syndrome affecting bladder health and is especially prevalent in nursing homes (NHs). The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of UI and its associated factors in five Spanish NHs. UI (measured with Minimum Data Set 3.0), sociodemographic, and health-related variables were collected. Chi-square (or Fisher’s) or Student’s t-test (or Mann Whitney U) for bivariate analysis were used, with Prevalence Ratio (PR) as an association measure. The prevalence of UI was 66.1% (CI:95%, 53.6–77.2) in incontinent (n = 45, mean age 84.04, SD = 7.7) and continent (n = 23, mean age 83.00, SD = 7.7) groups. UI was significantly associated with frailty (PR = 1.84; 95%CI 0.96–3.53), faecal incontinence (PR = 1.65; 95%CI 1.02–2.65), anxiety (PR = 1.64; 95%CI 1.01–2.66), physical performance (PR = 1.77; 95%CI 1.00–3.11), and cognitive state (PR = 1.95; 95%CI 1.05–3.60). Statistically significant differences were found between incontinent and continent NH residents for limitations in activities of daily living (ADL), mobility, quality of life, sedentary behaviour, and handgrip strength. It can be concluded that two out of three of the residents experienced UI, and significant associated factors were mainly physical (sedentary behaviour, frailty, physical performance, ADL limitations, mobility, faecal incontinence, and handgrip strength) followed by psycho-cognitive factors (cognition, anxiety, and quality of life).
We establish an accurate and prompt intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) diagnostic system using in laparoscopy for gastric cancer. The system consists of a near infrared (NIR) laser, a near infrared camera, a spectroscope, two optical fibers, a monitor and imaging analyzer. The experiments on animals are performed to assess the availability of this system. It is able to verify fluorescence imaging and spectrum of gastric SLN, after injecting indocyanine green (ICG) (1 ml: 0.5?1 mg/ml) to the subserosa.
BACKGROUND: Animal breeds are often recognized through their specific characteristics, nevertheless, the breeds' anatomical and biochemical characteristics have not considered yet in many of the researches done on one-humped camels. There are some particular differences in camel breeds due to different climate conditions and rearing necessity. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to compare differences in anatomical and plasma biochem- ical parameters of two Iranian one-humped camels, the Jammaz (racing) and Balouchi (dual-purpose) breeds. METHODS: Anatomical parameters were body length (BL), neck length (NL), chest girth (CG), barrel girth (BG), hump circumference (HC), fore limb length (FLL), hind limb length (HLL), height at hump (HH), fore limbs interval (FLI), hind limbs interval (HLI), fore hoof circumference (FHC), hind hoof circumference (HHC), abdominal circumference (AC), shank circumference (SC) and leg circumference (LC). Moreover, concentra- tions of Glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, cholesterol, total bilirubin (Bili-T), direct bilirubin (Bi- li-D), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were measured as plasma biochemical parameters. Data analysis was conducted through t-test statistics. RESULTS: Results revealed significant differences between body type traits of breeds, especially in organs related to running ability, while the Jammaz breed has more height and longer limbs than the Balouchi breed. Some blood parameters (glucose, LDH, BUN, cortisol and T4) are considerably higher in Jammaz breed, too. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the current study suggest some anatomical (especially fore and hind limb lengths, neck length and body height at hump) and physiological characteristics (lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, cortisol, glucose and T4) of Iranian racing and dual purpose camels as breed markers.
Recently, a branch of multilevel converters is emerged, in which their ‘reduced structure’ topologies use lower number of devices compared to the available topologies. To get a cost efficient converter, lower number of components as well as high quality waveforms, multilevel converters with a ‘reduced structure’ (MCRS) are suitable for high/medium power systems. Also, utilizing the fast microprocessors available today, applications of predictive control in power converters are of very powerful and attractive alternatives to classical controllers. This paper proposes a finite control set model-based predictive control (FCS-MPC) for load current regulation and capacitor voltage balancing for a typical MCRS. A case study considered, three-phase seven level packed U-cell (PUC), which is among reduced structure multilevel converters. A discrete model of the system is derived, and a predictive model-based control is developed according to this model in order to predict the future behavior of the system for all possible switching states; then, the switching state that optimized the cost function is selected. The feasibility of the proposed FCS-MPC strategy for a seven level PUC is evaluated based on simulations with MATLAB/ SIMULINK. Moreover, experimental validation of the proposed control system on a 5 kVA PUC is examined through DSP implementation . Full Text: PDF DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijpeds.v7.i2.pp568-582
In this chapter, we describe a multilevel, longitudinal, comparative case study approach for investigating organizational heterogeneity based on our experience studying institutional change in the health care field (Scott, Ruef, Mendel, & Caronna, 2000). By examining the relationship between organizations, populations, and fields, differences between organizations can be captured in terms of their organizational identities as well as their (changing) relationships with the organizational field. We discuss the analytical strategies we used in our study of institutional change and describe our findings of organizational heterogeneity across levels and over time. We conclude with suggestions for future research that incorporate elements of our study design and lessons from our research process and outcomes.
The potential benefits of the state of the art in fiber-based video transmission for both broadcast and switched network configurations are examined, and these designs are compared based on performance, channel capacities, compatibility, ability to provide new interactive services, and cost per subscriber. Analysis results show that the broadcast network provides the best compatibility with video delivery but lacks the flexibility to deliver the interactive services of the future, and does not tend to lower the cost per channel. The switched network provides the best flexibility but it is the least compatible with today's video usage and may be too expensive. It is found that a hybrid system, using a subset of the features of both broadcast and switched networks, can meet both near-term and future video service demands, and offers the best flexibility. This network will be capable of implementing CATV (cable television) transport services while at the same time creating a flexible switch-based platform for new interactive video services, all with a lower capital cost per channel.<<ETX>>
The title compound, C11H9N3O2, exists in the E conformation with respect to the azomethane C=N bond, and has the keto form. There are two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit and each of these features a slight slanting of the pyridine and furan rings, which form a dihedral angle of 14.96 (10)° in one of the molecules and 5.53 (10)° in the other. The crystal structure is stabilized by N—H⋯O and N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, weak C—H⋯O and C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and C—H⋯π interactions and π–π interactions [shortest centroid–centroid distance = 3.7864 (15) Å].
This paper examines monthly and daily returns in eleven Asian-Pacific equity markets and the U.S. market, showing that the Asian-Pacific markets systematically follow the returns in the U.S. market (S&amp;P 500 index). For investment managers, the important findings include the fact that each Asian-Pacific market moves differently in response to U.S. market changes over a given time period and the response of most of these markets to changes in the U.S. market is not stable over time. Therefore, in their attempt to diversify a portfolio using individual Asian-Pacific country equities, past correlations and covariances are not necessarily a good predictor of future values, especially for the less developed countries. On average, more developed markets react more strongly to U.S. market changes than do the less developed markets. All markets exhibit asymmetries relative to the U.S. market, where reactions are stronger following down-days than following up-days. Finally, the tests suggest that the Asian-Pacific markets have little or no influence on U.S. market returns.
Growth hormone (GH) release was studied in adults of normal stature, ages 21-86 yr. The subjects were 85-115% of ideal body weight, between the 5th and 95th percentiles in height, and free of active or progressive disease. 9 to 12 individuals in each decade from thirds to ninth were evaluated. The following criteria of GH status were measured: serum GH concentration, analyzed by radioimmunoassay at half-hour intervals for 4 h after onset of sleep, and at 1-h intervals from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 52 subjects; daily retention of N, P, and K in response to 0.168 U human (h)GH/kg body wt3/4/day in 18 subjects; and plasma somatomedin C (SmC) level before and during exogenous hGH treatment in 18 subjects. All 10 individuals, 20-29 yr old, released substantial amounts of endogenous GH during both day and night (average peak serum GH obtained during day and night was 7.3 and 20.3 ng/ml, respectively); average plasma SmC was 1.43 U/ml (95% tolerance limits, 0.64-2.22 U/ml). There was no significant effect of exogenous hGH on elemental balances or on plasma SmC. In contrast, 6 of 12 individuals 60-79 yr old showed the following evidences of impaired GH release; peak waking and sleeping serum GH less than 4 ng/ml; plasma SmC less than 0.38 U/ml; a significant retention in N, P, and K; and a significant rise in plasma SmC, in response to exogenous hGH. Plasma SmC, serum GH during sleep, serum GH during the day, retentions of N, P, and K in response to exogenous hGH, and rise in plasma SmC in response to hGH were all intercorrelated (P less than 0.05). Plasma SmC less than 0.38 U/ml corresponded to peak nocturnal serum GH less than 4 ng/ml. The prevalence of plasma SmC less than 0.38 U/ml increased progressively from age 20 to 90: third decade, 0%; fourth, 11%; fifth, 20%; sixth, 22%; seventh, 42%; eight, 55%; and ninth, 55%. Within each decade, plasma SmC was inversely related to adiposity.
Telomeres are 30 DNA terminal protein–DNA complexes that form capping structures to stabilize chromosomal ends and prevent them from being recognized as DNA double strand breaks by the cells. In most normal somatic cells, the telomeric DNA sequence shortens over a period of many cell cycle divisions due to incomplete replication by DNA polymerase. Shortened telomeres are ultimately detected by cell cycle checkpoint pathways resulting in irreversible cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. This mechanism is crucial for maintaining limited proliferative capacity in normal cells. If these checkpoints fail, chromosomal instability may ensue leading to oncogenic mutations. The enzyme complex that replicates telomeres is called telomerase. Telomerase contains a catalytic human telomerase-specific reverse transcriptase, hTERT, and a RNA template for the telomere, hTR. It replicates telomeres based on this RNA template and therefore prevents telomeric DNA from being shortened during the cell division. Most normal cells lack telomerase activity except for stem cells, germ line cells, and cells in other renewable tissues. Even in stem cells, the hTERT activity is lower than in tumor cells and is active only at the time of proliferation. However, increased telomerase activity has been found in more than 85% of cancer patients or cancer cell lines. Telomerase provides the cancer cells unlimited replicative capacity and prevents lethal chromosomal instability. In the remaining 15% of cancer patients cases, a telomerase-independent pathway, called alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) may ensure the same functions. In a recent issue of the Journal of Surgical Oncology, Dr. Yu et al. [1] report that increased telomerase activity was found in squamous dysplasia (44.7%) and carcinoma of the esophagus (86.2%), but not in normal esophageal tissue (0%). These data indicate that telomerase activation might play a role in esophageal carcinogenesis including the early pre-malignant dysplasia. Laboratory studies have shown that transduction of hTERT into normal human esophageal squamous cells induced immortalization, a continuing cell proliferation in tissue culture [2]. Because pre-malignant lesions may have some degree of genetic dysfunction, it is logical to believe that these lesions maintain unlimited proliferative capacity through increased hTERT activity thereby preventing cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. With time, additional genetic dysfunction occurs and pre-malignant disease turns into malignant disease. Telomerase may be a critical and rate limiting step for cancer progression. Therefore, it may serve as a novel molecular marker and therapeutic target for cancer management. As shown in Dr. Yu’s article, telomerase activation may function as a molecular marker for esophageal cancer. However, more clinical data are needed to correlate telomerase activity with clinical outcome such as tumor grade, treatment response, local control, and survival. Increased telomerase activity has been found in other types of cancer and was reported to be correlated with poor clinical outcome in patients with cancers of the stomach, colon, breast, and lung [3]. Detection of telomerase may help to diagnose and determine the malignant grade of cancer. In addition, telomerase is a potential molecular imaging target for identifying cancer and guiding the treatments. Cancer-specific activation of telomerase activity also provides a potential cancer-specific targeting treatment using telomerase antagonist, tumor-specific therapeutic gene expression, oncolytic virus, immunotherapy, and cancer prevention.
The paper describes theory of operation, design and construction as well as results from primarily experiments with a portable wheel tester that has been developed by the authors as a device for on-site determination of tyre-road braking/driving friction and rolling resistance. The paper includes schematics, drawings, descriptions as well as graphical results form early tests with the presented device. It is expected that the tester can be useful in road accident reconstruction applications as well as in vehicle dynamics research.
Circular economy (CE) has garnered increasing attention in political circles and practitioner literature thanks to its potential to overcome the harmful consequences of linear patterns of growth. Nonetheless, the adoption of sustainable practices entails a holistic approach requiring businesses to make significant changes to their production, technologies and stakeholder management. These challenges resulted in limited progress in terms of the practical implementation of CE. This paper addresses the need for more literature focused on the pragmatic aspects of applying this paradigm to incumbent firms. The author presents the journey that Lucart S.p.A., a major European tissue paper manufacturer, has undertaken between 2014 and 2020 to apply CE principles to its practices. Insights from the transformation process, reconstructed through interviews with the firm's management and environmental impact data, suggest that to succeed it takes innovating (plants, products and marketing strategies) and setting up supply chains that reconcile environmental and economic sustainability.
Icosacerium nonadecamagnesium henoctacontazinc, Ce(20)Mg(19)Zn(81), synthesized by fritting of the pure elements with subsequent arc melting, crystallizes with an unusually large cubic unit cell [space group F overline{4}3m, a = 21.1979 (8) A] and represents a new structure type among the technologically important family of ternary rare earth-transition metal-magnesium intermetallics. The majority of atoms (two Ce and five Zn) display .3m site symmetry, two Ce and one Mg atom occupy three 2.mm positions, one Mg and one Zn have  overline{4}3m site symmetry, one Mg and three Zn atoms sit in ..m positions, and one Zn atom is in a general position. The Ce(20)Mg(19)Zn(81) structure can be described using the geometric concept of nested polyhedral units, by which it consists of four different polyhedral units, viz. A (Zn+Zn(4)+Zn(4)+Zn(12)+Ce(6)), B (Mg+Zn(12)+Ce(4)+Zn(24)+Ce(4)), C (Zn(4)+Zn(12)+Mg(6)) and D (Zn(4)+Zn(4)+Mg(12)+Ce(6)), with the outer construction unit being an octahedron or tetrahedron. All interatomic distances in the structure indicate metallic-type bonding.
In this paper an alternate approach to analyzing structures using MATLAB software is discussed. The procedure is to be implemented in teaching a structural analysis course offered in the Civil Engineering Technology Program at Georgia Southern University in the fall semester of 2002. A series of carefully selected set of problems are designed to familiarize the students to the MATLAB programming tools needed to analyze statically determinate as well as indeterminate structures. The problems designed for this project cover a number of major topics typically discussed in an introductory level structural analysis course such as equilibrium, shear and moment diagrams, and deflections. By performing the exercises selected for this course, the students learn how to utilize MATLAB to perform a variety of tasks related to analyzing structures. These tasks can involve activities such as determining the reactions in a simple statically determinate beam using static equilibrium considerations, or analyzing a more complicated indeterminate frame using the method of slope-deflection. The procedure implemented in this project arms the students with a powerful computational tool they could utilize to verify the accuracy of their developed hand-solutions. This project also helps the students to gain a more in-depth understanding of the structural concepts, since this knowledge is needed in writing MATLAB script files. By performing the exercises designed for this course, the students acquire a better appreciation for the power of computers and their application to solve structural analysis problems. Included in this paper are examples to illustrate the procedure described.
We measured settlement and recruitment of one of the main invertebrate herbivores in the Mediterranean, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, in 2 neighbouring and contrasting habitats: a seagrass meadow and a vertical rock wall. We quantified and compared temporal and bathymetri- cal variability in settlement and compared settlement with recruitment over a 4 yr period. Two settlement peaks were observed each year, a main peak in spring-early summer and a second peak in autumn-early winter. Interannual variability in settlement was very high (ca. 1 order of magni- tude). Settlement was generally higher on the rock wall than in the seagrass meadow. No apprecia- ble successful recruitment was observed in the meadow during the 4 yr studied despite the arrival of settlers. The few juvenile urchins found in the meadow were encountered at the shallow part and were completely hidden between the rhizomes. However, no differential settlement on the rhizome stratum was observed. In contrast to the seagrass meadow, recruitment occurred every year on the rock wall. Despite the arrival of settlers in both habitats, the population in the seagrass meadow appears to be recruitment-limited and probably mainly sustained by immigration, while settlement and recruitment appear to determine, to a certain extent, adult population structure and dynamics on the rock wall.
OBJECTIVE This work sought to characterize the scientific production of the degree works in the Master' in Collective Health (MCH) of the Faculty of Nursing at Universidad de Antioquia, during the period from 1996 to 2013.   METHODOLOGY Ours was a descriptive, observational study, based on documentary research and content analysis. The work analyzed the degree works presented in the MCH since 1996 until 2013, reported in the library of the Faculty of Nursing, and the scientific articles published. These were reviewed manually using an instrument containing the variables of the characteristics of the works and articles.   RESULTS Some 51 degree works were included, corresponding to eight cohorts from the Master' in which 65 master' students have graduated and 61 professors have participated as counselors. The most common themes have been Gender and Health (27%) and Food and Nutrition Safety (16%). The most frequent populations object of study were women (14%) and population groups and/or community (14%). The methodologies used have been 90.2% qualitative, 3.9% quantitative, and 5.9% mixed. A total of 52.9% of the degree works were published as articles in scientific journals; of these, 46.49% corresponded to A2 journals, according to the classification by COLCIENCIAS.   CONCLUSION The characteristics of the degree works show increased dissemination in scientific journals, as well as diversification in the populations object of study and progress in the dissemination of the knowledge generated in the MCH, thus, contributing to progress in collective health in national and international settings.
Abstract The present study examined two hypotheses concerning developmental changes in the neuropsychological performance correlates of reading achievement. Hypothesis 1 predicted that measures of earlier developing skills important for beginning reading (sensorimotor-perceptual) contributed more to the variability in reading achievement when predicting from kindergarten performance to reading achievement in Grades 2 and 5. Hypothesis 2 predicted that measures of later developing skills important for more advanced phases of reading acquisition (verbal-conceptual) explained more of the variability in reading achievement when concurrent assessments of achievement and neuropsychological performance were made in Grade 5. Results based on repeat assessments on the same children over time were in agreement with these hypotheses. When predicting from kindergarten performance to reading achievement in Grades 2 and 5, measures of sensorimotor-perceptual skills explained more of the variability in reading achieveme...
Working with implementing organizations and governments in over 32 countries, the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has contributed to the rapid acceleration of HIV treatment access, availability of care and support services, and HIV prevention interventions. In the first phase of PEPFAR, these activities were appropriately carried out in an emergency fashion with the goal of using available interventions to reduce mortality and alleviate suffering from HIV disease as quickly and effectively as possible. Many lessons have been learned through examination of programs, including simple evaluations and operations research. Commensurate with the emergency response, however, state-of-the-art monitoring, evaluation, and research methodologies were not fully integrated or systematically performed. In the second phase of PEPFAR, characterized by an increased emphasis on sustainability, programs must demonstrate value and impact to be prioritized within complex and resource-constrained environments. In this context, there is a greater demand to causally attribute outcomes to programs. Better attribution can be used to inform midcourse corrections in the scale-up of new interventions (eg, male circumcision) or to reevaluate investments in programs for which impact is less clear. To meet these demands, PEPFAR is adopting an implementation science (IS) framework to improve the development and effectiveness of its programs at all levels. IS is the study of methods to improve the uptake, implementation, and translation of research findings into routine and common practices (the ‘‘know-do’’ or ‘‘evidence to program’’ gap). For example, IS was used to evaluate the routine operational effectiveness of the South African National Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission Programme. Investigators explored the survival of HIV-free infants across program sites and identified specific sources of variation such as health system factors (eg, limited antenatal visits and lack of syphilis screening) and individual behaviors (eg, breastfeeding practices). By framing the problem through IS, the study revealed opportunities for improving program performance that could be translated into immediate solutions (eg, improving quality of care, infant feeding counseling). In this way, IS proved to be a valuable tool that was used not only to improve program effectiveness, but also to explain what worked, why, and under what circumstances. Although no less rigorous than biomedical research dictated by a static protocol with robust internal validity (ie, ‘‘proof-of-concept’’ research with a precisely defined and narrow objective), an IS approach represents a paradigmatic shift in emphasis to greater external validity. The IS scope is also broader, seeking to improve program effectiveness and optimize efficiency, including the effective transfer of interventions from one setting to another. The methods of IS facilitate making evidence-based choices between competing or combined interventions and improving the delivery of effective and costeffective programs.
Guatemala harbors a rich fauna of freshwater crabs of Pseudothelphusidae, consisting of 11 currently valid species in six genera. As far as we know, the only freshwater crab fishery in the Americas takes place in Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, and the species sustaining the artisanal crab fishery is supposedly Potamocarcinus guatemalensis (Rathbun, 1905). However, a close examination of the gonopods from specimens recently captured in Lake Atitlan revealed that they belonged to Raddaus bocourti (A. Milne-Edwards, 1866) and Potamocarcinus magnus (Rathbun, 1896). Another species, R. tuberculatus (Rathbun, 1897) has been reported from the surroundings of Lake Atitlan, but its occurrence in the lake itself remains to be confirmed. The presence of at least two freshwater crab species of two different genera has important implications for the management of this artisanal fishing activity, because local and regional authorities erroneously assumed to deal with a single-species fishery.
The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) observed a dozen of gamma-ray sources with significant emission above 100 TeV, which may be strong candidates of PeVatrons. Neutrino observations are crucial to diagnose whether the gamma-ray radiative process is hadronic or leptonic. We use the Bayesian method to analyze the ten-year (2008-2018) IceCube data, and hence constrain the hadronic gamma-ray emission in the LHAASO sources. The present neutrino data show that the hadronic gamma-ray flux from Crab Nebula is lower than the observed gamma-ray flux at the 90% C.L. and contributes less than 86%, which disfavors the hadronic origin of the gamma-rays below tens of TeV. For the other LHAASO sources, the present neutrino observations cannot put useful constraints on the gamma-ray radiative process. We consider the uncertainty of the source extension: the upper limits on hadronic gamma-ray flux tend to increase with the extension; and some sources, i.e., LHAASO J2032+4102, LHAASO J1929+1745, and LHAASO J1908+0621, show relatively high statistical significance of neutrino signals if the extension is<0.6 deg. We finally estimate the future observational results of LHAASO sources by the proposed neutrino telescopes. If the LHAASO-observed PeV gamma-rays are of hadronic origin, Crab Nebula may be detected at>100 TeV at 3-sigma C.L. within 20 years by a neutrino detector with the effective area 30 times that of IceCube.
The most recent Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey of teen substance use behaviors and attitudes, released last week by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), found that nicotine and marijuana vaping levels remain markedly high but did not increase between 2019 and early 2020. From 2017 to 2019, the percentage of teenagers who said they vaped nicotine in the past 12 months roughly doubled for eighth graders from 7.5% to 16.5%, for 10th graders from 15.8% to 30.7%, and for 12th graders from 18.8% to 35.3%. In 2020, the rates held steady at a respective 16.6%, 30.7%, and 34.5%, according to the survey results released Dec. 15, 2020.
We report a case study on a single military member who received moderate blast overpressure (OP) exposure during routine breacher training. We extend previous research on blast exposure during training, which lacked sufficient data to assess symptom profiles and OP exposure. The present work was conducted because a subjective symptom profile similar to that seen in sports concussion has been reported by military personnel exposed to blast. Data collection for this study was carried out under a research protocol approved by the relevant Human Subjects Review Committees on one subject, who received the highest OP exposure during training. The volunteer was a 20-year-old male with no prior history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) or blast exposure. The volunteer was part of a breacher training team that completed a 2-week explosive entry course. The course included 3 classroom days and 9 days of practical training, held in the morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. Blast exposure occurred on five of the nine practical training days, with multiple exposures over the course of each day. Assessments of serum, self-reported symptoms, magnetic resonance imaging, and blast characterization were conducted. Results indicated changes in glial fibrillary acidic protein and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 postblast exposure but did not manifest changes in spectrin-derived breakdown product 150 or magnetic resonance imaging. No additional symptoms were reported by the subject. Objective markers of mild TBI remain elusive, but support for serum biomarkers as an early detection mechanism is promising. Additionally, this case study demonstrated an association between OP and high level of neurotrauma biomarker in an individual.
A durable and multifunctional general purpose magnetic rotation sensor was developed. A magnetoresistive effect element was selected as the sensing device because of its excellent capability. The sensing element is manufactured by the process similar to semiconducter's. After studying about the manufacturing process, we established a reliable double layer wiring process, and realized a more complicated pattern design. The authors also studied the magnetic materials used for the rotating drum, and the magnetizing process. Thus, several series of standard sensors which are easy to use, multifunctional, and highly reliable were developed.
In the paper the influence of diferent simplified tillage per number and seeds botanical composition of weeds in 0-25 cm of soil layer under plants crop rotation (potato-spring barley-winter rape-winter wheat) on erodible loess soil was presented. The simplifications in soil tillage relied on replaceing ploughing by cultivation, rotary cultivator tillage or Gramoxone formula. The replaceing ploughing by cultivations or rotary cultivator tillage especially bringing in chemical tillage instead of after-harvest cultivation increasing the number of weeds seed under all plants excluding spring barley. Resource of weeds seed under all plants of crop rotation were formated mainly by short duration species, especially Chenopodium album and Viola arvensis as well as Stellaria media (potato, barley, wheat) and Veronica persica (wheat). It was proven that the number of weeds seed in 0-25 cm of soil layer on erodible loess slope depended from plant species more than the way of soil tillage.
This paper deals with 7 genera and 12 species of the tribe Meconematini from Hainan, China, three of which are new species, i.e. Xizicus (Axizicus) bispinus sp. nov., Xizicus (Eoxizicus) furcutus sp. nov. and Xizicus (Eoxizicus) streptocercus sp. nov., and the first record of Xizicus (Axizicus) szechwanensis (Tinkham, 1944), Xiphidiopsis (Xiphidiopsis) autumnalis Gorochov, 1998 and the female of Teratura (Teratura) flexispatha Qiu & Shi, 2010. The specimens examined are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University.
This study was designed to assess the utility of two psychometric tests with putative minimal cultural bias for use in field screening of lead (Pb)-exposed Ecuadorian Andean workers. Specifically, the study evaluated the effectiveness in Pb-exposed adolescents and young adults of a nonverbal reasoning test standardized for younger children, and compared the findings with performance on a test of auditory memory. The Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) was used as a test of nonverbal intelligence, and the Digit Span subtest of the Wechsler IV intelligence scale was used to assess auditory memory/attention. The participants were 35 chronically Pb-exposed Pb-glazing workers, aged 12–21 yr. Blood lead (PbB) levels for the study group ranged from 3 to 86 μg/dl, with 65.7% of the group at and above 10 μg/dl. Zinc protoporphyrin heme ratios (ZPP/heme) ranged from 38 to 380 μmol/mol, with 57.1% of the participants showing abnormal ZPP/heme (>69 μmol/mol). ZPP/heme was significantly correlated with PbB levels, suggesting chronic Pb exposure. Performance on the RCPM was less than average on the U.S., British, and Puerto Rican norms, but average on the Peruvian norms. Significant inverse associations between PbB/ZPP concentrations and RCPM standard scores using the U.S., Puerto Rican, and Peruvian norms were observed, indicating decreasing RCPM test performance with increasing PbB and ZPP levels. RCPM scores were significantly correlated with performance on the Digit Span test for auditory memory. Mean Digit Span scale score was less than average, suggesting auditory memory/attention deficits. In conclusion, both the RCPM and Digit Span tests were found to be effective instruments for field screening of visual-spatial reasoning and auditory memory abilities, respectively, in Pb-exposed Andean adolescents and young adults.
The flexor carpi radialis (FCR) is one of the long flexors, which is important in flexing and abducting the hand at the wrist. It originates at the medial epicondyle of the humerus and attaches at the base of the second metacarpal. Closed rupture of the long flexors of the finger is well-described, especially in association with rheumatoid hands. However, rupture of the FCR is rare; only 11 cases reported in the literature, most of them associated with scaphotrapezial-trapezoidal osteoarthritis. We describe 1 case of complete FCR rupture secondary to trauma, showing that long-term disability following FCR rupture is minimal.
In this work electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) is used to study the electronic properties of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexoxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene) (MEHPPV) diodes. Two kinds of MEH-PPV diodes were characterized. The first one was a bipolar light emitting diode whose structure was ITO/MEH-PPV/Al. In this diode the EDMR signal is composed of two lines, a line that can be fitted by a lorentzian with peak-to-peak linewidth of 5.0 ± 0.5 G and the other best fitted with gaussian line with a linewidth of 24 ± 1 G. The g factor of both components is 2.002 ± 0.001 and signals were only observed at forward bias. The second diode is a hole only device, with a structure ITO/MEH-PPV/Au, the EDMR signal in this case is dominated by a gaussian line with peak-to-peak linewidth of 5 ± 1 G and average g factor of 2.0014 ± 0.0002. In high forward bias (V > 30 volts at T = 130K) a second line could be observed with a linewidth of 10 ± 2 G and a g factor of 2.0012 ± 0.0004. The signal from both types of diodes is quenching, and tipically10-5 in amplitude. The EDMR signal is assigned to the spin-dependent fusion of two like-charged polarons. Our results indicate that the narrower component is coming from positive polarons while the broader to negative polarons.
In this paper we focus on the characterization of singing styles in world music. We develop a set of contour features capturing pitch structure and melodic embellishments. Using these features we train a binary classifier to distinguish vocal from non-vocal contours and learn a dictionary of singing style elements. Each contour is mapped to the dictionary elements and each recording is summarized as the histogram of its contour mappings. We use K-means clustering on the recording representations as a proxy for singing style similarity. We observe clusters distinguished by characteristic uses of singing techniques such as vibrato and melisma. Recordings that are clustered together are often from neighbouring countries or exhibit aspects of language and cultural proximity. Studying singing particularities in this comparative manner can contribute to understanding the interaction and exchange between world music styles.
We report the synthesis of giant carbon particles with spherical and interconnected porous morphologies. Direct organic–organic self-assembly between phenolic resin and polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) was employed to prepare these highly ordered carbon particles. Mesoporous carbon nanoparticles with tunable textural characteristics such as large surface area, uniform pore structure, and high thermal properties were achieved by simply adjusting the ratio between the block copolymer to phenol without using acid, base, or activating agents. The synthesized nanoparticles possess a very high surface area of up to 832 m2 g–1, and ultrasmall pore size, as small as 3 nm, and exhibited excellent electrochemical performance when used as active electrodes for lithium-ion batteries. Making use of the secondary interactions between the functional groups of the block copolymer and phenol, this study created tunable nanoparticles with excellent surface area and uniform morphologies that can be used in ...
The low-pressure hot-deformation methodology was applied to reprocess the nanocrystalline hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination (HDDR) Nd-Fe-B powders from end-of-life (EOL) permanent magnets’ waste to determine the mechanism of texture development and the resultant improvement in remanence (and BHmax) in the recycled material. Both the hot-pressed and hot-deformed magnets produced via spark plasma sintering (SPS) were compared in terms of their magnetic properties with respect to forging pressures. Also, a comparison was established with the microstructure to cite the effectiveness of texture development at low deformation rates and pressures which is pivotal for retaining high coercivity. The hot-pressed magnets maintain the high coercivity (better than 100%) of the original recycled powder due to the control of SPS conditions. The hot deformation pressure was varied from 100–150 MPa at 750 °C processing temperature to identify the optimal texture development in the sintered HDDR Nd-Fe-B magnets. The effect of post-hot-deformation thermal treatment was also investigated, which helped in boosting the overall magnetic properties and better than the recycled feedstock. This low-pressure hot deformation process improved the remanence of the hot-pressed magnet by 11% over the starting recycled powder. The Mr/MS ratio which was 0.5 for the hot-pressed magnets increased to 0.64 for the magnets hot-deformed at 150 MPa. Also, a 55% reduction in height of the sample was achieved with the c-axis texture, indicating approximately 23% higher remanence over the isotropic hot-pressed magnets. After hot deformation, the intrinsic coercivity (HCi) of 960 kA/m and the remanence (Br) value of 1.01 T at 150 MPa is indicative that the controlled SPS reprocessing technique can prevent microstructure related losses in the magnetic properties of the recycled materials. This route also suggests that the scrap Nd-Fe-B magnets can be treated with recoverable magnetic properties subsequently via HDDR technique and controlled hot deformation with a follow-up annealing.
It is well known that herbivores can induce chemical defenses in terrestrial vascular plants, but few examples of inducible production of defense chemicals have been reported for aquatic macrophytes. Furthermore, it is well established that water-borne chemical cues from predators or predator-wounded conspecifics can induce defensive changes of aquatic prey animals, but no such communication between aquatic herbivores and seaweeds has been reported. Here we show that water-borne cues from actively feeding herbivorous gastropods, flat periwinkles (Littorina obtusata), can serve as external signals to induce production of defense chemicals (phlorotannins) in unharmed individuals of seaweeds, knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum), and that the increased levels of defense chemicals deter further feeding by periwinkles. Because seaweeds have poorly developed internal-transport systems and may not be able to elicit systemic-induced chemical defenses through conveyance of internal signals, this mechanism ensures that seaweeds can anticipate future periwinkle attacks without receiving direct damage by herbivores.
This is the Technical Progress Report covering June 1998. All tasks have been completed, except for those discussed on the following pages. Unocal estimated the costs of dismantling and packaging the test facility for storage and shipment. The scope of work for the contract has been modified to accommodate the dismantling and packaging of the plant. An amendment to Sub-Contract No. MCP-9-UNO between M-C Power and Unocal has been executed which includes the Scope of Work in Unocal's cost estimate.
INTRODUCTION We investigate the clinical significance of the R.E.N.A.L. nephrometry score for renal neoplasm following open partial nephrectomy (PN) under cold ischemia.   METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical data of 98 consecutive patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma who underwent open PN by a single surgeon from December 2000 to September 2012. Tumour complexity was stratified into 3 categories: low (4-6), moderate (7-9) and high (10-12) complexity. Perioperative outcomes, such as complications, cold ischemic time, estimated blood loss and renal function, were analyzed according to the complexity by NS. Complications were stratified using the Clavien-Dindo classification system.   RESULTS Tumour complexity according to nephrometry score was assessed as low in 16 (16.3%), moderate in 48 (49.0%) and high in 34 (34.7%). The median cold ischemic time did not differ significantly among the 3 groups (36.0 minutes in low-, 40 minutes in moderate- and 43 minutes in the high-complexity group, p = 0.421). Total complications did not differ significantly (2 (2.0%) in low, 4 (4.1%) in moderate and 4 (4.1%) in high, p = 0.984). Each Grade 3 complication occurred in the moderate (urine leakage) and high groups (lymphocele). Postoperative renal functional outcomes were similar among the groups (p = 0.729). Only mean estimated blood loss was significantly different with nephrometry score (p = 0.049).   CONCLUSIONS The nephrometry score, as used in an open PN series under cold ischemia, was not significantly associated with perioperative outcomes (i.e., ischemia time, complications, renal functional preservation).
Purpose          The purpose of this study is to provide deeper and broader insights into human resource outsourcing (HRO) trends and practices specific to the Malaysian context.          Design/methodology/approach          Data were collected from HR managers through a questionnaire-based survey, using convenient sampling with random selection.          Findings          HRO practices were found to have evolved into second-generation outsourcing, with considerable potential to grow further in the future. Firm size and sector had little or no effect on the degree of HRO. Both cost benefits and resourced-based benefits were key drivers of HRO decisions, with a majority of the firms reporting having achieved these benefits equally and positively. Most of the functions outsourced were traditional-transactional HR functions. Slightly more than half of the HRO decisions were made by top management without the involvement of HR managers. More than half of the firms surveyed intended to do more outsourcing in the near future (i.e. within the next two to five years), including firms that had previously experienced HRO failure.          Research limitations/implications          While convenience sampling limits the generalisability of the findings, it is suitable for a study like this, especially as there is no pre-established list of firms outsourcing HR available in Malaysia. The study did not cover trends in either HR shared services or insourcing – either of which could potentially affect future HRO trends in the future. The findings also serve as a warning to future HRO researchers about the importance of contextual knowledge to strengthen the validity of their findings.          Practical implications          The findings provide both practitioners and service providers with insights into HRO practices and trends in Malaysia, which are comprehensively discussed in the paper.          Originality/value          This paper presents a broad, yet up-to-date, overview of HRO practices and trends specific to the Malaysian context. It covers aspects and details of HRO not explored or explicitly discussed before.
One hundred and forty-five acute back-pain patients were tested for the presence of personality traits connected with psychologic vulnerability, traits often found among chronic back-pain patients. All patients in the experimental group and the healthy individuals in the control group were tested with the Patient Pain Drawing test (PPD) and with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) on the scales hypochondriasis (Hs), depression (D), and hysteria (Hy). The patient group differed significantly from the control group on average Hs, D, and Hy scores and on the quantified PPD (measuring somatization pro-neness). The patients with the highest PPD scores had the highest values on MMPI (Hs, D, Hy), and the patients with low scores on the PPD-indicating low tendency to somatize -had MMPI values that did not differ significantly from those of the healthy controls. The study indicates that personality may influence the individual's tendency to somatize and express psychic and psychosocial problems ...
Purpose of reviewThe necessity for new and more effective management approaches to achieve blood pressure goals is still present in spite of the number of antihypertensive medications available. One of the cornerstones of successful therapy is implementation of drug combinations that act on complementary biological pathways. This review article focuses on the evaluation of recent data supporting newer combinations involving inhibition of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) with other drug classes such as calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and diuretics. Recent findingsNew angiotensin receptor blockers as well as renin inhibitors, with a more robust blood pressure-lowering effect than their predecessors, have emerged recently. The data presented in this text also strongly supports a combination therapy approach as initial therapy to achieve blood pressure goals in a timely fashion. Additionally, the blood pressure-lowering effect is more robust with lower-dose, single-pill combinations than with highest doses of single agents alone. Therefore, using combination agents is less prone to side effects. The challenges for such single-pill combinations remain affordability. For this reason, payers and patients have traditionally not preferred such agents in spite of better blood pressure control and adherence rates. SummaryThe new combinations of renin inhibitors and the new angiotensin receptor blocker combinations add to the armamentarium of agents to control blood pressure. Whereas the new angiotensin receptor blocker offers greater efficacy on blood pressure control over other agents in the class and the availability of the only chlorthalidone combination, no outcome data exist yet with any of the new agents.
Characteristics of sediments vary significantly temporally and spatially in the Yangtze subaqueous delta and adjacent East China Sea shelf due to complicated dynamic conditions. Magnetic properties of sediments are sensitive to hydrodynamics and provenance, and therefore can indicate sediment transportation and deposition. High-resolution surface sediments collected in different seasons and years from the Yangtze subaqueous delta and neighboring East China Sea shelf were subjected to environmental magnetic analyses. In combination with granulometric analysis, this paper discusses temporal and spatial variations of magnetic properties and their implications for indicating sediment transportation, sediment source identification, and hydrodynamic response. The results show that magnetic parameters SIRM and XARM/SIRM suggest sediment transportation path from the Yangtze River into the East China Sea, with majority migrating to the south and southeast and then deposited to the west of 123°E, while a little fine sediment delivered to the northeast in summer. Cluster analysis demonstrates three sedimentation districts according to magnetic properties and particle size in the study area, which represent modern Yangtze sediment, late Pleistocene relict sand, and their mixture, respectively. Temporal-spatial changes in particle size of sediments suggests erosion outside the North Branch in the past few years, while opposite trend of changes on particle size of surface sediment in the adjacent area might reflect different degrees of erosion.
Abstract Flexible regions in biomolecular complexes, although crucial to understanding structure–function relationships, are often unclear in high-resolution crystal structures. In this study, we showed that single-molecule techniques, in combination with computational modeling, can characterize dynamic conformations not resolved by high-resolution structure determination methods. Taking two Pif1 helicases (ScPif1 and BsPif1) as model systems, we found that, besides a few tightly bound nucleotides, adjacent solvent-exposed nucleotides interact dynamically with the helicase surfaces. The whole nucleotide segment possessed curved conformations and covered the two RecA-like domains of the helicases, which are essential for the inch-worm mechanism. The synergetic approach reveals that the interactions between the exposed nucleotides and the helicases could be reduced by large stretching forces or electrostatically shielded with high-concentration salt, subsequently resulting in reduced translocation rates of the helicases. The dynamic interactions between the exposed nucleotides and the helicases underlay the force- and salt-dependences of their enzymatic activities. The present single-molecule based approach complements high-resolution structural methods in deciphering the molecular mechanisms of the helicases.
By comparing the widths of absorption lines from O i, Si ii and Fe ii in the redshift zabs= 2.076 single-component damped Lyα system in the spectrum of Q2206−199 we establish that these absorption lines arise in warm neutral medium (WNM) gas at ∼12 000 ± 3000 K. This is consistent with thermal equilibrium model estimates of ∼8000 K for the WNM in galaxies, but not with the presence of a significant cold component. It is also consistent with, but not required by, the absence of C ii fine structure absorption in this system. Some possible implications concerning abundance estimates in narrow-line WNM absorbers are discussed.
Background: Inappropriate systemic inflammatory endothelial and leucocyte activation is a major pathogenic component of post-operative low cardiac output syndrome (LCOS) and associated pulmonary oedema, low urine output, and generalised oedema, in paediatric cardiac surgery. We hypothesised that acute pre-treatment with a parenteral nutrition component omega-3 fatty acid infusion in-vitro, would prevent the pattern of leucocyte and endothelial activation seen in paediatric cardiac surgery through induction of preconditioning. Methods: Endothelial cells were isolated from saphenous vein of 75 adult cardiac surgery patients, grown in monolayers, pre-treated, and then stimulated with either endotoxin (LPS), TNFalpha, or complement C5a (prime mediators of systemic inflammation with paediatric cardiac surgery). Endothelial production of the neutrophil recruiting cytokines IL-6, IL-8, and endothelial expression of the neutrophil adherence receptors E-Selectin, ICAM-1 were assessed. The effects on the inflammatory pro-coagulant response of the endothelium i.e. loss of surface thrombomodulin and production of tissue factor were also examined. Similar methods were employed using isolated peripheral blood neutrophils. The effects on endothelial nuclear translocation of the acute inflammatory transcription factor NFkB and the heat shock protein (HSP72) response were investigated for mechanistic insight. Results: Four hours pre-treatment with the omega-3 infusion prevented endothelial release of neutrophil recruiting cytokines IL-6 and IL-8, also prevented upregulation of endothelial receptors required for neutrophil adherence E-Selectin and ICAM-1, and maintained surface anticoagulant thrombomodulin levels, in response to stimulation with LPS (Table 1) or TNFalpha.
AbstractThe preservation of health is of paramount importance to the surveyor, who often has to carry out his work in a tropical or subtropical climate, and soon, discovers that loss of time through sickness means uneconomical surveying. It is not realized by everyone that enormous casualties are still caused among modern armies by disease; the best way of illustrating this fact is to quote figures for the last thirty years.
The nature of stable DNA adducts derived from the very potent carcinogen dibenzo[a,l]pyrene (DB[a,l]P) in the presence of rat liver microsomes in vitro and in mouse skin in vivo has been studied using 32P-postlabeling and laser-based fluorescence techniques. Analysis of DB[a,l]P-DNA adducts via 32P-postlabeling has been obtained by comparison of the adduct patterns to those obtained from reactions of synthetic (+/-)-anti-, (+)-anti-, (-)-anti-, and (+/-)-syn-DB[a,l]P-11,12-diol 13,14-epoxide (DB[a,l]PDE) with single nucleotides and calf thymus DNA. anti-DB[a,l]PDE-dA adducts derived from the (-)-enantiomer are the major adducts formed in calf thymus DNA and in mouse skin DNA. The ratio of deoxyadenosine to deoxyguanosine modification is approximately 2:1 in mouse skin exposed to DB[a,l]P; activation by rat liver microsomes leads to a similar profile of adducts but with two additional spots. The conformations of DB[a,l]P adducts in native DNA, as well as the possibility of conformation-dependent repair, have been explored by low-temperature fluorescence spectroscopy. These studies have been performed using polynucleotides and calf thymus DNA reacted in vitro with DB[a,l]PDE and native DNA from mouse epidermis exposed to DB[a, l]P. The results show that adducts are heterogeneous, possess different structures, and adopt different conformations. External, external but base-stacked and intercalated adduct conformations are observed in calf thymus DNA and in mouse skin DNA samples. Differences in adduct repair rates are also revealed; namely, the analysis of mouse skin DNA samples obtained at 24 and 48 h after exposure to DB[a,l]P clearly shows that external adducts are repaired more efficiently than intercalated adducts. These results, taken together with those for B[a]P-DNA adducts [Suh et al. (1995) Carcinogenesis 16, 2561-2569], indicate that the repair of DNA damage resulting from PAH diol epoxides is conformation-dependent.
BACKGROUND Drug utilization evaluation (DUE) is a systematic, criteria-based assessment of medicine that aims to optimize the appropriateness of antibiotic prescription. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the DUE on prescriptions of two commonly used antibiotics in a pediatric population, cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam, in a tertiary care hospital.   METHODS This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Ramathibodi Hospital, between March 2020 and August 2021. All hospitalized children aged 1 month to 20 years who received at least one dose of cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam were enrolled. Before implementing the DUE, cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam prescriptions were retrospectively evaluated using the DUE criteria. During the 6 month DUE implementation period, physicians voluntarily chose to use DUE to assess the prescriptions' appropriateness. Demographic data, antibiotic use, and clinical data were recorded.   RESULTS There were 304 prescriptions of cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam, with 108 empirical prescriptions (72 patients) in the DUE group and 158 prescriptions (138 patients) in the non-DUE group. The appropriateness of empirical prescriptions of cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam was significantly higher in the DUE group (93.5% vs. 83.5%; P = 0.003). Drug utilization evaluation was significantly associated with appropriate empirical prescriptions (adjusted OR 5.32: 95% CI 1.80-15.73; P = 0.003). Prescriptions in critical care wards and urinary tract infections (UTIs) were associated with not fulfilling the DUE criteria for appropriateness.   CONCLUSIONS Drug utilization evaluation could improve the appropriateness of empirical use of cefepime and piperacillin/tazobactam in pediatric patients. Patients in critical care units and with UTIs appeared to be associated with inappropriate empirical treatment.
PURPOSE Adult bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are a potential cell source for tendon repair in direct cell therapy and tissue engineering investigations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the tenogenic induction of undifferentiated BM-MSCs under indirect co-culture technique with trimmed native tendon tissue. Since the horse represents a preferred species to study tendon regenerative strategies, this work was conducted on equine BM-MSCs.   METHODS Equine BM-MSCs were co-cultured in a transwell system with tendon tissue fragments. The BM-MSC tenogenic differentiation was evaluated by cytochemical staining and real time PCR for gene expression. Cell viability in tendon fragments and cultured cells was analyzed.   RESULTS Our results indicate that under indirect co-culture with native and healthy tendon tissue the BM-MSCs expressed tendon-specific markers such as decorin, tenomodulin, tenascin-C, and collagen type I. They also retained a tenocyte-like phenotype during monolayer culture.   CONCLUSIONS Data are very encouraging for future in vitro investigations into committing cells to the tenogenic lineage without adding growth factors or serum to the culture medium for both cell therapy and tissue engineering.
Capillary torque is induced when a liquid bridge forms between two angle-positioned filaments. This paper aims to study the dependency of such capillary torque upon the filament orientation angle, filament spacing, contact angle, and liquid volume through detailed numerical simulation using a surface finite element scheme. Numerical results show that for hydrophilic liquid with contact angle below 90° and at given liquid volume as well as filament spacing, the surface energy of the system grows nonlinearly with increasing filament orientation angle from 0° (parallel filaments) to 90° (cross-positioned filaments). Accordingly, the capillary torque induced by the distorted liquid bridge increases from a torque-free state at 0° to the peak value and then decreases to the second torque-free state at 90°. At fixed filament orientation angle, the capillary torque grows with the liquid volume while decreases rapidly with increasing either contact angle or filament spacing. The peak value of capillary torque depe...
This study suggests that political order within families is manifested in and constructed through family narrative activity. The study is based on a corpus of 100 family dinner narratives of two-parent American families. Our findings show that narrative roles (introducer, protagonist, primary recipient, problematizer of protagonists or other co-narrators, problematizee) differ in the control they exert and in their distribution across family members. Parents, especially mothers, tended to introduce narratives, thereby controlling narrative topic and timing. Children were the most frequent protagonists yet they rarely introduced narratives about themselves and were rarely ratified as preferred recipients of others' narratives. Fathers tended to be primary recipients, often orchestrated through mothers' introductions. Not coincidentally, fathers were also the dominant problematizers of family-member protagonists/co-narrators, assuming a panopticon-like role. Children sometimes resisted family narrative activity, suggesting a certain awareness of the politics of narrative and its potential to expose them as objects of scrutiny.
Organic films can be produced either by MAPLE or directly by PLD (Pulsed laser deposition). For a reasonable deposition rate of ng/cm2 per pulse for film production by MAPLE a fluence of 1-1.5 J/cm2 is required at the laser wavelength of 355 nm, while the fluence can be considerably lower at 248 nm. At high fluence the deposition rate of proteins by MAPLE seems to decrease. The surface roughness is still an issue, but at low fluence it seems to be acceptable. The fragmentation rate increases with fluence, and seems to be less pronounced for MAPLE than for PLD. Also this issue is not yet resolved.
Movement of poliovirus I (Chat) through nonsterile core samples of a sandy forest soil was monitored, using several regimens of loading with either dechlorinated final effluent from an operating activated sludge treatment plant or distilled water. Stimulated cycles of rainfall and effluent applications, resulting in ionic gradients, were shown to affect virus movement. Such studies indicate that poliovirus applied in effluents may move considerable distances through this soil after rainfall. Survival of poliovirus in the soil at 4 and 20 C has been monitored for 84 days. During this period, the capacity of the virus to migrate is unchanged.
Immunological differences between tumors induced by either chemical carcinogens or viruses and the tissue from which such tumors originate have been demonstrated in almost all systems in which this feature was investigated. 1,2 In addition, antigenic properties have been shown for spontaneous experimental tumors of various histological types. 3 Antigens designated as a specific character of the neoplastic cells have been demonstrated by presensitization of an isologous host which then is relatively resistant to subsequent challenges with the transplanted tumor. This sensitization usually is achieved by excision of tumor after a short period of growth, irradiation of an established tumor, or injection of lethally irradiated tumor cells. The immunological basis for this resistance in chemically induced tumors has been found by demonstrating the in vitro activity of immune lymphocytes on tumor cells 4,5 or by adoptive transfer of immunity to syngeneic animals. Serological tests for demonstrating antibody against these tumors
The number of designated World Cultural Heritage Sites concerning Minority in China has increase by years. Dong village is such a subject and appealing to more and more research both in China and Japan pay close attention to it. In this paper, we consider a traditional Dong village named Zengchong as a case study and, reviewed the procedure of the traditional inhabitants and government maintaining and managing, discussed the role of the traditional custom named ‘Kuan’ and the function of governments at all levels refer. With regard to the collaboration and gaming between local inhabitants and governments, we make clear how they work collaboratively to maintain and manage the Dong village.
The BioPhotonics community is buzzing at the prospect that ulta-small bio-nanoparticles such as Polio virus and protein can be detected label-free in their native state and sized one at a time. As the awareness that the claim of label-free single protein sensing through the frequency shift of a bare microcavity by A.M. Armani et al in Science in 2007 fades from lack of independent experimental confirmation or a viable physical mechanism to account for the magnitude of the reported wavelength shifts, a new approach has captured the community’s interest. It is a product of a marriage between nano-optics and micro-photonics, and is poised to take label-free sensing to the limit.
Understanding the effects of sloped roads in the pedestrian environment on the body during ambulation with a walking frame can help design friendlier living environments for elderly individuals. A survey of the characteristics of walking frames used in different pedestrian environments was investigated in five communities, and a controlled study of the effects of a sloped road on a subject with different walking frames was carried out as foundational research in the laboratory. A synchronous acquisition system consisting of a wireless motion capture module and a physiological information recording module was applied to collect data on the motion of the shoulder joint and skin conductance response (SCR) of fingers in one participant. Force data were collected from sensors placed on the four legs of the walking frame. The experimental data obtained during different tasks were quantitatively analyzed. Compared to flat ground, the shoulder joint rotated in the opposite direction in horizontal and internal/external planes when using a wheeled walking frame on an uphill road, and the supportive force decreased on both uphill and downhill roads. The range of motion of the shoulder joint reduced and the direction of the shoulder joint motion changed when using a footed walking frame on both uphill and downhill roads. Additionally, the peak value of the supportive force on the uphill road appeared in the first 50% of the gait cycle, which was earlier than in the other cases. In addition, walking on the uphill road with a walking frame had a maximum SCR value, which means a greater impact of psychological arousal. Biomechanics of the shoulder joint and psychological arousal are closely related to the ease of walking on a sloped road with a walking frame. These findings are beneficial for designing more appropriate environments for elderly individuals who walk with aids.
This exploratory study examined three major issues: 1) Should more emphasis be placed on security issues in the IS curriculum, 2) If yes, should security issues be integrated in all IS courses or should there be a stand-alone course, and 3) Which security issues should be emphasized. A short survey was administered to members of the academic IS community. The results show that security issues should receive more emphasis in the IS curriculum. Ideally, security issues should be integrated into all other courses in the IS curriculum, but strong support for a stand-alone elective security course was also exhibited. Lastly, the relevance of security topics and sub-issues were examined as a guide for implementing a stronger emphasis on security issues in the IS curriculum.
AIM This study integrates autophagy transcripts miRNAs expression based on bioinformatic analysis followed by clinical validation.   METHODOLOGY Cellular jun proto-oncogene mRNA, LAMP2 mRNA, miR-16 and miR-146a level were investigated in the serum and tissue of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), chronic hepatitis C and healthy volunteers by quantitative real-time PCR. The prognostic power of this serum RNA panel was explored.   RESULTS The expression of serum cellular jun proto-oncogene mRNA, LAMP2 mRNA, miR-16 and miR-146a were positive in 85.1, 94, 97.1 and 84.2% HCC patients, respectively and they were correlated with tissue levels. Our results suggested that the chosen panel is an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with HCC.   CONCLUSION The current work provides four RNA-based biomarker panel for HCC diagnosis and prognosis.
The present paper deals with a characterization of supply voltage variations on induction motors when transient faults occur on distribution feeders or busbars. The main parameters that can qualify the voltage perturbation are presented and discussed both on the theoretical point of view and with example of application. The test network chosen shows the effectiveness of the index that represents the quality of the motor supply voltage when network faults occur.
Summary Behavioral researchers have focused considerable attention on the relationship between the professional employee and the organizational aspects of the work environment. Prior research, however, has failed to consider the extent to which cultural differences moderate this relationship. This study examined the antecedents and outcomes of the organizational-professional conflict using data collected from a sample of 404 Israeli and 469 U.S. professional accountants. In general, the results from the two samples were quite consistent; and while they failed to indicate a moderating influence attributable to cultural dimensions, they provided evidence that questioned traditional thinking.
Recent work by Ashman 1 and by Ashman and Woolley 2 has demonstrated that the compressed or injured cardiac muscle of the turtle may, after excitation, recover its conductivity along a curve which passes through a supernormal phase. Thus an impulse traversing the compressed muscle will travel most rapidly during the supernormal period. If the degree of compression is sufficient only impulses arriving at the compressed region during the supernormal phase are transmitted; earlier or later ones are blocked. These experimental observations add much weight to the argument for a supernormal phase in the recovery of conductivity in the human hearts discussed below. Lewis and Master 3 reported two cases of block in the human heart which they interpreted as evidencing a supernormal phase. In their first case typical complete heart block was interrupted at times by a ventricular systole in response to an auricular impulse and only when the latter arose during late systole or early diastole. Auricular impulses arising later in diastole were blocked. We have obtained electrocardiograms of two clinical cases of heart Mock which show phenomena attributable to a supernorind phase. Our first case is similar to Lewis and Master's excepting that, (a) a series of auricular impulses are transmitted if the auricles are rapid; (b) ventricular standstill supervenes when, as a result of auricular slowing, conduction fails, and (c) the period of ventricular quiescence is interrupted at irregular intervals by idioveiitricular contractions which do or do not permit conduction depending upon their time relations with the auricular systoles. As in Lewis and Master's case, Conduction time increases slightly as the interval between the K-wave and the subsequent P-wave widens.
The transcriptomic analysis (RNA‐seq) of a fur mutant of P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT 5344 has revealed that Fur regulates the expression of more than 100 genes in this bacterial strain, most of them negatively. The highest upregulated genes in response to fur deletion, with respect to the wild type, both cultivated in LB medium, corresponded to genes implicated in iron uptake. They include both TonB‐dependent siderophore transporters for the active transport across the outer membrane, and ABC‐type and MSF‐type transporters for the active transport across the cytoplasmic membrane. Therefore, the main response of this bacterium to iron limitation is expressing genes necessary for metabolism of Fe siderophores produced by other microorganisms (xenosiderophores). The number of genes whose expression decreased in the fur− mutant, as well as its normalized expression (fold change), was lower. Among them, it is remarkable the presence of one of the two cas operons of the two CRISP/Cas clusters was detected in the genome of this bacterium. The transcriptome was validated by qPCR, including the decrease in the expression of cas genes (cse1). The expression of cse1 was also decreased by limiting the amount of iron, carbon or nitrogen in the medium, or by adding menadione, a compound that causes oxidative stress. The higher decrease in cse1 expression was triggered by the addition of cyanide in minimal medium. These results suggest that this bacterium responds to stress conditions, and especially to cyanide, taking a reasonable risk with respect to both the uptake of (TonB‐dependent receptors gates) and the tolerance to (reduced immunity) foreign nucleic acids. In conjunction, this can be considered a yet unknown molecular mechanism forcing bacterial evolution.
In a great many control systems, error is primarily caused by transient load torques, often the result of static friction. To keep the error due to transient load torques small a high output inertia, and high values of gain crossover frequencies are required in the control loops. Integral networks that increase the static stiffness of the control system generally have negligible effect against transient load torques. The maximum error produced by a step of torque is approximately as follows for a rate feedback system:  theta_{e} =  frac{T}{J  omega_{c} omega_{r}} (1) where T is the magnitude of the step of torque, J is the output intertia, ω c , is the gain-crossover frequency of the position loop, and  omega{r} is the gain-crossover frequency of the rate loop. Thus, if the error is to be kept within a given bound  theta_{e} , the maximum allowable friction torque T f is given by T_{f}  leq  theta_{e}J omega_{c} omega_{r} (2) Structural compliance is a severe limitation upon the allowable values of gain-crossover frequency. The maximum value of rate loop gain-crossover frequency ω r in practice is usually about half the natural frequency of the structure ω n . The position loop gain-cross-over frequency is usually at least a factor of three below that of the rate loop. Therefore one can assume that  omega_{r}  leq  frac{ omega_{n}}{2} (3)  omega_{c}  leq  frac{ omega_{r}}{3}  leq  frac{ omega_{n}}{6} (4) Substituting (3) and (4) into (2) gives T_{f}  leq (1/12)J omega_{n}^{2} theta_{e} (5) Equation (5) shows that regardless of the type of control system used, there is a maximum possible value of friction torque that is related only to the allowable error, the output inertia, and the structural natural frequency. Although this limitation is derived in terms of a specific servo configuration, it also holds approximately for other configurations, and cannot be improved by integral networks.
Purpose: When pneumothorax occurs during a percutaneous needle biopsy, the radiologist usually stops the biopsy. We evaluated the usefulness of computed tomographic (CT) fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous needle biopsy in the presence of pneumothorax during biopsy. Materials and Methods: We performed 288 CT fluoroscopy guided percutaneous needle biopsies to diagnose the pulmonary nodules. Twenty two of these patients had pneumothorax that occurred during the biopsy without obtaining an adequate specimen. After pneumothoax occurred, we performed immediate CT fluoroscopy guided percutaneous needle biopsies using an 18-gauge cutting needle. We evaluated the success rate of the biopsies and also whether or not the pneumothorax progressed. We classified these patients into two groups according to whether the pneumothorax progressed (Group 2) or not (Group 1) by measuring the longest distance between the parietal pleura and the visceral pleura both in the early and late pneumothorax. Additionally, we analyzed the relationship between the progression of pneumothorax after biopsy and 1) the depth of the pulmonary nodule; 2) the number of biopsies; 3) the presence or absence of emphysema at the biopsy site; and 4) the size of the pulmonary nodule. Results: Biopsy was successful in 19 of 22 nodules (86.3%). Of the 19 nodules, 12 (63.2%) were malignant and 7 (36.8%) were benign. Twelve patients (54.5%) were classified as group 1 and 10 patients (45.4%) as group 2. The distance between the lung lesion and pleura showed a statistically significant difference between these two groups: ≤ 1 cm in distance for group 1 (81.8%) and group 2 (18.2%), and > 1 cm in distance for group 1 (30%) and group 2 (70%), p 0.05). Conclusion: When early pneumothorax occurs during a biopsy, CT fluoroscopy guided percutaneous needle biopsy is an effective and safe procedure. Aggravation of pneumothorax after biopsy is affected by the depth of the pulmonary nodule.
OBJECTIVE To describe the changes in temporal characteristics of sleep-wake cycle, which can serve as non-motor manifestations of an early stage of Parkinson's disease (PD), using the model of preclinical PD in rats of two age groups.   MATERIAL AND METHODS A prolonged (up to 21 days) model of preclinical PD in middle-aged (7-8 month) and aged (19-20 month) rats was created. The model was based on cumulative inhibition of proteasomal system of the brain caused by intranasal administration of lactacystin, a specific proteasome inhibitor. Polysomnographic data were recorded daily using telemetric Dataquest A.R.T. System (DSI, USA) in unrestrained animals.   RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Aging was accompanied with increased sleepiness during the active (dark) phase of the day (as was implied by a two-fold increase in the total time of drowsiness) and with 1.5-fold growth of light sleep during the inactive phase of the day. A common feature of sleep disturbances in the model of preclinical PD in both middle-aged and aged rats was hypersomnia during the active phase of the day. It was suggested to be similar to the excessive daytime sleepiness in humans. Hypersomnolence was more pronounced in aged rats because it added to sleepiness developing with aging. In both age groups, the model of preclinical PD was also associated with a decrease in EEG delta power during slow-wave sleep. It is considered dangerous because it might represent the decrease in protein synthesis rate and the weakening of restorative processes in neurons, occurring with the prolonged inhibition of proteasomal system of the brain. Sleep disturbances, identified the model of preclinical PD in rats of different age, may be recommended for clinical validation as low-cost early signs indicating the initial stage of PD.
Dysregulated mRNA–miRNA profiles might have the prospective to be used for early diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers, estimating survival, and predicting response to treatment. Here, a novel biomarker based on miRNAs binding to mRNAs in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites related to gastrointestinal cancers is introduced that could act as an early diagnosis. The electronic databases used for the recruiting published articles included EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and PubMed, based on MESH keywords and PRISMA methodology. Based on the considered criteria, different experimental articles were reviewed, during which 15 studies with the desired criteria were collected. Accordingly, novel biomarkers in prediction, early prognosis, and diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers were highlighted. Moreover, it was found that 20 SNP sites and 16 miRNAs were involved in gastrointestinal cancers, with altered expression patterns associated with clinicopathological and demographic data. The results of this systematic study revealed that SNPs could affect the binding of miRNAs in the SNP sites that might play a principal role in the progression, invasion, and susceptibility of gastrointestinal cancers. In addition, it was found that the profiles of SNPs and miRNAs could serve as a convenient approach for the prognosis and diagnosis of gastric and colorectal cancers.
Reported COVID-19 cases and deaths provide a delayed and incomplete picture of SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United States (US). Accurate estimates of both the timing and magnitude of infections are needed to characterize viral transmission dynamics and better understand COVID-19 disease burden. We estimated time trends in SARS-CoV-2 transmission and other COVID-19 outcomes for every county in the US, from the first reported COVID-19 case in January 13, 2020 through January 1, 2021. To do so we employed a Bayesian modeling approach that explicitly accounts for reporting delays and variation in case ascertainment, and generates daily estimates of incident SARS-CoV-2 infections on the basis of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths. The model is freely available as the covidestim R package. Nationally, we estimated there had been 49 million symptomatic COVID-19 cases and 404,214 COVID-19 deaths by the end of 2020, and that 28% of the US population had been infected. There was county-level variability in the timing and magnitude of incidence, with local epidemiological trends differing substantially from state or regional averages, leading to large differences in the estimated proportion of the population infected by the end of 2020. Our estimates of true COVID-19 related deaths are consistent with independent estimates of excess mortality, and our estimated trends in cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection are consistent with trends in seroprevalence estimates from available antibody testing studies. Reconstructing the underlying incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections across US counties allows for a more granular understanding of disease trends and the potential impact of epidemiological drivers.
The intestinal microbiota of marine animals was influenced by the water and environment in which they live. The Amur ide (Leuciscus waleckii) adapts to extremely high alkalinity and is an ideal material for aquacultural studies of alkaline adaptation. In this study, we screened intestinal indicator flora and functional redundancy of intestinal colonies in alkaline-water species (AW) and freshwater species (FW) of Amur ide (L. waleckii) in these different aquatic environments. The available vs. community composition correlations were then predicted by contrasting each other with the flora contained in environmental water samples. Here, five microbial species and six genera were identified owing to the classifiable sequence. The intestinal microbiota that existed in AW and FW had approximately 1/3 of the operational taxonomic units in the respective living water environments, meaning gut microbes in the aqueous habitats will have an influential association with gut microbes in AW and FW. Compared to the bacterial composition of the FW intestine and that present in freshwater, Moraxella osloensis, Psychrobacter maritimus, and Psychrobacter faecalis were significantly enriched in the intestine of AW and alkaline water samples. In the FW intestine and freshwater samples, however, Cryptomonas curvata and Polynucleobacter asymbioticus were highly improved, which can be summarized as Enterobacter sp., the predominant population in the AW gut, while Aeromonas and Ralstonia being primarily present in FW intestines. Photosynthetic bacteria were most significant in both water samples. The results indicated that the intestinal microbiota composition, abundance, and diversity of AW and FW were quite different. In contrast, the microbial composition of the additional alkaline water and freshwater environments showed slight differences. This study expects to enhance our understanding of the alkalinity tolerance of L. waleckii, which will be provided for the breeding of fish living in alkaline water, and push the development of alkaline water resources with increased efficiency.
OBJECTIVES Previous epidemiological evidence for the association of shift work exposure and increased leukocyte count is cross-sectional in nature, thus limiting cause-effect inference. We therefore used a longitudinal design to: (i) compare leukocyte counts at baseline between shift and day workers and (ii) examine the time trend of leukocyte counts over the follow-up period for these workers.   METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 6737 workers aged <60 years at two large organizations (a humanitarian organization and a university) in Bangkok, Thailand who had participated in at least two annual health check-ups during the period 2005-2016. Shift work exposure history was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire and categorized into day, former, and current shift workers. Data on leukocyte count were collected annually as part of worksite health screening during the observation period. Association of shift work exposure and increased leukocyte count was then examined cross-sectionally and longitudinally by using multiple linear regression and multilevel analysis of repeated measures data, respectively. In addition, trends for leukocyte count over the follow-up period and work years were examined using LOWESS smooth curves.   RESULTS Compared to day work, the current shift work was associated with increased leukocyte counts. The magnitude of percentage increase was the highest for basophil counts, followed by eosinophil and lymphocyte counts. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence revealed this association, although it was less pronounced longitudinally. For total leukocyte count, the magnitude of difference was constant across the 11-year follow-up period. However, for lymphocyte and basophil counts, these discrepancies tapered over the work years until they no longer differed (for lymphocyte count) or even differed in the opposite direction (for basophil count) in later work years.   CONCLUSION This study confirmed previous cross-sectional evidence that shift work exposure-increased leukocyte counts and that this was reversible. Whether this increase in immune cell count also results in an increased immune cell activity and serves as the intermediary in the association between shift work exposure and subsequent chronic disease development needs further investigation.
Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) associated with aspirinexacerbated respiratory disease (AERD, or Samter’s triad) is widely and appropriately recognized as being 1 of the most difficult forms of CRS to manage, is said to be identified in 6% to 10% of patients undergoing surgery for CRS and to have an incidence of 0.6% to 2.5% in the general population. Whereas previously these patients were considered as being bound to have multiple surgeries for their nasal polyposis, the opportunities offered by newer medical therapies and more extensive surgical options have markedly changed the diseaseprognosis, both from the standpoint of the upper airway and from the standpoint of their asthma, while minimizing the need for systemic steroids. Such medical therapies include high-dose, high-volume steroid nasal irrigations, anti-leukotrienes, aspirin desensitization, and more recently, a variety of monoclonal antibodies. Accordingly, optimal management of these patients requires close cooperation between otolaryngologist and allergist, as well as long-term endoscopic surveillance. Several articles in this issue of the International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology (IFAR) evaluate different aspects of AERD. Roland et al.1 use a national insurance claims database to explore the longitudinal progression of the disorder. They note that the average age at AERD diagnosis is 46 years, that it is more common in women than men, and that aspirin sensitivity is usually identified months to years later. The diagnosis of nasal polyps was also usually made after the diagnosis of asthma. Chu et al.,2 in a review article, evaluate the benefits and risks of aspirin desensitization. Their meta-analysis provides high-certainty and moderate-certainty evidence that, compared to placebo, aspirin desensitization in the AERD meaningfully improves upper respiratory symptoms and disease-related quality of life (QOL). However, they also found a significantly increased risk of severe adverse events including gastritis. The authors point out that, although observational studies in the AERD literature have not, to date, demonstrated the same risk of bleeding as has been observed in the cardiovascular literature, they identified an aspirin
Polycrystalline silicon were grown at high temperature in a gas-source molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and then exposed to cavitation impacts from the backside at different scanning times to introduce compressive stress. The micro-Raman spectroscopy showed that regions of greater structural change due to cavitation impacts experience higher full width at half maximum (FWHM) and that stress was a function of number of scans. AFM was used to analyze the surface morphology of the specimen in the as-grown condition and after exposed to cavitation impacts. The structural features were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM). HRTEM observations showed that nanoparticles size of grains at the growth/death zone of interface. The dislocations types, twinnings and defects caused by cavitation impacts are discussed.
Infants born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome or other lesions resulting in a single right ventricle face the highest risk of mortality among all forms of congenital heart disease. Before the modern era of surgical palliation, these conditions were universally lethal; recent refinements in surgical technique and perioperative management have translated into dramatic improvements in survival. Nonetheless, these infants remain at a high risk of morbidity and mortality, and an appreciation of single ventricle physiology is fundamental to the care of these high-risk patients. Herein, resuscitation and perioperative management of infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome are reviewed. Basic neonatal and pediatric life support recommendations are summarized, and perioperative first-stage clinical management strategies are reviewed.
The concentration of trans-resveratrol in 165 grape cane samples from three major grape production regions and four large distribution centers of Chinese wild Vitis species were determined by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Among the different genotype groups and purpose of uses, cultivars of V. vinifera had much higher amounts of trans-resveratrol than did the cultivars of both V. labrusca or V. labrusca and V. vinifera hybrids, and within the V. vinifera species, significantly higher amounts of trans-resveratrol were found in wine grapes compared to table ones. No significant differences were observed between V. labrusca and its hybrids from crosses with V. vinifera, and between red cultivars and white ones (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The contents of trans-resveratrol, as a normal constituent occurring in grape canes, in Chinese wild species of V. amurensis, V. pentagona, and V. davidii from their native habitats were also relatively high.
In the non-commutative phase space based on introducing the parameters of deformation in the Heisenberg’s known relations, we shall use the path integral method for constructing exact solutions to Green’s function which is associated with the Klein-Gordon’s oscillator problem. Then, we shall clarify the expressions of energy spectrum and the wave function corresponding are similar to the problem of Klein-Gordon particle under a constant magnetic field in ordinary phase space. The limit cases are then deduced from small parameters of deformations.
The flow of particulates and fluids from a reservoir has been described using different models. However, obtaining one model that has the capacity to simulate all the phenomena existing in a horizontal oil well may be very difficult. The model described here is very flexible and has the capacity to integrate the essential parameters necessary to give a detailed description of the flow phenomenon. Furthermore, clear descriptions of the flow dynamics, threshold and critical velocity estimation of the components that make up the phases have been attempted in this paper. Within the model’s high level of accuracy, the unsafe limits for incipient sand deposition and bed load transport were estimated to be drag forces of 8.938* (10-8-10-10 kgm/s2) as well as threshold and critical velocities of 0.0445 and 0.0134 m/s respectively for Reynolds number in the region of 300-1000. The findings of this study will aid upstream petroleum engineers in avoiding situations that will lead to critical/laminar flows which can in turn cause sand bed formation or bed load transport which can in turn lead to pipeline blockage and loss of productivity.
opportunity to discuss the nature of ecphrasis, and its contribution to the interpretative process. Beye points to the signiμcance of the Alexandrian aesthetic and particularly of Apollonius (and in more readily digestible form for the average undergraduate than D. Nelis, Vergil’s Aeneid and the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius [Leeds, 2001], to which it might serve as introduction). In doing so he discusses questions of intertextuality; and although his treatment here is sometimes unclear (if allusion, which he rejects, falls prey to the intentional fallacy, and intertextuality is ‘the better term’, how does it help then to claim that the poem is original in that ‘the narrator, by constant allusion or borrowing, directs the reader to a realm of intertextuality’?), it can serve to introduce more thorough discussions. Some themes surface in several essays: one of these is the signiμcance of Virgil’s treatment of women in the poem. This is addressed as the principal theme of Nugent’s essay (in the second, general, part of the volume), in which she examines the oppositional point of view apparently presented by the Aeneid’s women, while admitting the di ̧culty of evaluating that opposition. It also features largely, as one would expect, in Spence’s paper on Aen. 4; she concludes that the book grants power to a voice, Dido’s Junonian voice, denigrated elsewhere in the epic, thus also framing her discussion in the context of the volume’s continuing interest in the location of authority in the poem. Farrell’s essay (‘Aeneid 5: Poetry and Parenthood’) gives some emphasis to the prominence of the maternal voice in the poem, demonstrating that although focus on the issue of paternity brings out the importance of Aeneas’ relationship with, and loss of, his father for the development of his character, it obscures the wider issue of parenthood and the true signiμcance of the hero’s mother for his mission. Anderson on Aen. 11 pays careful attention to Camilla as a focus of sympathy. Miles, on the Aeneid as foundation story, also deserves particular attention; emphasizing the place of the poem ‘among a variety of views about Roman cultural identity and in the debate over who were the true Romans’, it well reminds the reader of the signiμcance of the poet’s choices. The book is nicely produced, and all quotations are translated (since the volume is designed for use with either Mynors’s Oxford edition or Mandelbaum’s translation). I noticed only one signiμcant misprint (insana for insano in Aen. 6.135 [p. 113]), and one error (in Aen. 1, Juno bribes Aeolus, not Neptune [p. 169]).
Abstract Here we report that N-phosphonium pyridinium intermediates are unusually reactive for pyridine SNAr reactions. Specifically, forming phosphonium salts from halopyridines typically requires elevated temperatures and Lewis acid additives. The alternative activation mode described in this paper permits C–P bond formation to occur at ambient temperatures in many cases, and functions across a broad range of substrates.
Background. In preclinical stroke models, improvement in motor performance is associated with reorganization of cortical motor maps. However, the temporal relationship between performance gains and map plasticity is not clear. Objective. This study was designed to assess the effects of rehabilitative training on the temporal dynamics of behavioral and neurophysiological endpoints in a rat model of focal cortical infarct. Methods. Eight days after an ischemic infarct in primary motor cortex, adult rats received either rehabilitative training or were allowed to recover spontaneously. Motor performance and movement quality of the paretic forelimb was assessed on a skilled reach task. Intracortical microstimulation mapping procedures were conducted to assess the topography of spared forelimb representations either at the end of training (post-lesion day 18) or at the end of a 3-week follow-up period (post-lesion day 38). Results. Rats receiving rehabilitative training demonstrated more rapid improvement in motor performance and movement quality during the training period that persisted through the follow-up period. Motor maps in both groups were unusually small on post-lesion day 18. On post-lesion day 38, forelimb motor maps in the rehabilitative training group were significantly enlarged compared with the no-rehab group, and within the range of normal maps. Conclusions. Postinfarct rehabilitative training rapidly improves motor performance and movement quality after an ischemic infarct in motor cortex. However, training-induced motor improvements are not reflected in spared motor maps until substantially later, suggesting that early motor training after stroke can help shape the evolving poststroke neural network.
Consider a filling process where containers are filled with an important ingredient in a character. All containers are inspected, and the containers satisfying to meet the predetermined specification limits are sold in a regular market for a fixed price, and failing to meet them are emptied and refilled by the same filling process after some reprocessing. We assume that reprocessing cost is proportional to the quantity of the ingredients in a container that is not changed after reprocessing. An economic model is constructed on the basis of the selling price and the costs of production, inspection, reprocessing, and quality. We assume that the quality cost function is a quadratic function of the deviation from target and the quantity of the ingredients in a container is normally distributed with a known variance. Method for finding the optimum process mean is presented and a numerical example is given.
Freshwater reserves are being polluted every day due to the industrial revolution. Man-made activities have adverse effects upon the ecosystem. It is thus the hour of need to explore newer technologies to save and purify water for the growing human population. Capacitive deionization (CDI) is being considered as an emerging technique for removal of excess ions to produce potable water including desalination. Herein, cost-effective activated carbon incorporated with carbon nanotubes (CNT) was used as a freestanding electrode. Further, the desalination efficiency of the designed electrodes was tuned by varying binder concentration, i.e., polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) in the activated carbon powder and CNT mixture. PVDF concentration of 5, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 wt% was selected to optimize the freestanding electrode formation and further applied for desalination of water. PVDF content affected the surface morphology, specific surface area, and functional groups of the freestanding electrodes. Moreover, the electrical conductivity and specific surface area changed with PVDF concentration, which ultimately affected the desalination capacity using the freestanding electrodes. This study paves the way to produce cost effective carbon-based freestanding electrodes for capacitive deionization and other applications including battery electrodes.
In this study we report on a microfluidic device and droplet formation regime capable of generating clinical-scale quantities of droplet emulsions suitable in size and functionality for in vivo therapeutics. By increasing the capillary number-based on the flow rate of the continuous outer phase-in our flow-focusing device, we examine three modes of droplet breakup: geometry-controlled, dripping, and jetting. Operation of our device in the dripping regime results in the generation of highly monodisperse liquid perfluoropentane droplets in the appropriate 3-6 μm range at rates exceeding 10(5) droplets per second. Based on experimental results relating droplet diameter and the ratio of the continuous and dispersed phase flow rates, we derive a power series equation, valid in the dripping regime, to predict droplet size, D(d) approximately equal 27(Q(C)/Q(D))(-5/12). The volatile droplets in this study are stable for weeks at room temperature yet undergo rapid liquid-to-gas phase transition, and volume expansion, above a uniform thermal activation threshold. The opportunity exists to potentiate locoregional cancer therapies such as thermal ablation and percutaneous ethanol injection using thermal or acoustic vaporization of these monodisperse phase-change droplets to intentionally occlude the vessels of a cancer.
ABSTRACT An aerobic bacterium (Mycobacterium sp. strain ELW1) that utilizes 2-methylpropene (isobutylene) as a sole source of carbon and energy was isolated and characterized. Strain ELW1 grew on 2-methylpropene (growth rate = 0.05 h−1) with a yield of 0.38 mg (dry weight) mg 2-methylpropene−1. Strain ELW1 also grew more slowly on both cis- and trans-2-butene but did not grow on any other C2 to C5 straight-chain, branched, or chlorinated alkenes tested. Resting 2-methylpropene-grown cells consumed ethene, propene, and 1-butene without a lag phase. Epoxyethane accumulated as the only detected product of ethene oxidation. Both alkene consumption and epoxyethane production were fully inhibited in cells exposed to 1-octyne, suggesting that alkene oxidation is initiated by an alkyne-sensitive, epoxide-generating monooxygenase. Kinetic analyses indicated that 1,2-epoxy-2-methylpropane is rapidly consumed during 2-methylpropene degradation, while 2-methyl-2-propen-1-ol is not a significant metabolite of 2-methylpropene catabolism. Degradation of 1,2-epoxy-2-methylpropane by 2-methylpropene-grown cells led to the accumulation and further degradation of 2-methyl-1,2-propanediol and 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, two sequential metabolites previously identified in the aerobic microbial metabolism of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and tert-butyl alcohol (TBA). Growth of strain ELW1 on 2-methylpropene, 1,2-epoxy-2-methylpropane, 2-methyl-1,2-propanediol, and 2-hydroxyisobutyrate was fully inhibited when cobalt ions were omitted from the growth medium, while growth on 3-hydroxybutyrate and other substrates was unaffected by the absence of added cobalt ions. Our results suggest that, like aerobic MTBE- and TBA-metabolizing bacteria, strain ELW1 utilizes a cobalt/cobalamin-dependent mutase to transform 2-hydroxyisobutyrate. Our results have been interpreted in terms of their impact on our understanding of the microbial metabolism of alkenes and ether oxygenates.
An ionic liquid was used in this work to dissolve rice straw at 90 °C to explore the dissolution of cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose in the straw at different treatment times. Compared with traditional methods, the method involved short time and high efficiency. The residual amounts of multiple substances were evaluated at different time periods. The results showed that the dissolution rate of triglyceride fats, water-soluble pectin, and lignin reached their maxima at 10 min, after which the dissolution rates decreased. Because lignin is wrapped as an outer layer surrounding cellulose and becomes dissolved in preference to hemicellulose and cellulose, cellulose and hemicellulose dissolve minimally at the beginning of the reaction, and the dissolution rate is slow. This study showed that there is a certain possibility for the direct utilization of ionic liquids for the treatment of straw biomass.
Implementing digital signatures on an individual basis presents many challenges, particularly with regard to key management and maintenance. The digital signature services standard eliminates the need to distribute user keys or signing devices across an organization. Instead, it facilitates the use of networked servers to create and verify signatures. The protocol's flexibility makes it suitable for applications from simple time-stamping to advanced forms of signatures with full legal recognition
Abstract The complete mitogenome of Cyclosa japonica (GenBank accession number MK512575) is 14,687 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and a putative control region. Its gene content and organization are identical with other spider mitogenomes. The overall base composition was as follows: A (35.61%), T (37.35%), C (10.87%), and G (16.18%), with an A + T bias (72.96%). Seven tRNAs (trnM, trnW, trnK, trnE, trnF, trnH, and trnT) lacked the TΨC arm stem, while two tRNAs (trnS1 and trnS2) lacked the dihydrouracil (DHU) arm. Phylogenetic tree based on concatenated amino acid sequences of 13 PCGs shows that C. japonica is closely related to Cyclosa argenteoalba, which accord with morphological classification.
Abstract Objectives : To study the usefulness and accuracy of MR cisternography as noninvasive study in the diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula with diagnostic sinonasal endoscopy and surgical correlation. Material and Methods: Twenty four patients with clinically suspected CSF rhinorrhoea were examined for CSF fistula with MR cisternography. The MR imaging technique included 3mm thin T2 weighted coronal and sagittal sections using Fast spin echo. In addition 1.5mm thin T2 weighted coronal sections were also obtained using CISS (Constructive Interference in Steady State) sequence. MR findings were correlated with diagnostic sinonasal endoscopy and surgical findings. Results : MR cisternography demonstrated the presence of fistula in 17 patients, absence of fistula in seven patients. Out of 17 patients with fistula, the diagnosis could be confirmed in 14 patients by diagnostic sinonasal endoscopy/surgery. Out of the seven patients without fistula, there was positive correlation in six patients when they were followed up clinically and by diagnostic nasal endoscopy. However in one patient, fistula was demonstrated on CT cisternography and was confirmed on sinonasal endoscopic surgery. The accuracy, sensitivity of MR cisternography was 96, 94% respectively. Conclusion : MR cisternography is a useful and accurate noninvasive study in localizing the site and extent of CSF fistula.
Today's mobile devices are likely to store various kinds of personal information, making it important to authenticate mobile device users. Since various types of mobile devices now have cameras, there has been growing interest in authentication based on images of the areas surrounding the eye due to the case of combing with iris and periocular from an image. We propose a method for authenticating mobile device users that uses AdaBoost to derive a fusion score from iris and periocular authentication scores. The use of AdaBoost provides better performance than the use of the weighted sum of the two authentication scores.
BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to systematically retrieve, examine and discuss scientific studies focusing on motivational correlates that both contribute to, and can be assumed to be effects of, participation in sport, recreation, or health-related physical activities in persons with intellectual disability (ID).   METHODS A systematic analysis of the literature retrieved through electronic databases and other resources was performed, covering articles published from 1980 through 2009. Inclusion criteria were based on terms referring to the participants, the psychosocial correlates and the type of activity.   RESULTS Twenty-three articles satisfied the inclusion criteria, and were divided into four categories of studies: (1) cross-sectional designs, (2) experimental prospective one-group designs, (3) longitudinal comparative intervention designs, and (4) qualitative designs. The level of quality regarding the intervention studies was assessed using four different scales, and on average they depicted a moderate level of evidence.   CONCLUSIONS Both exercise and sport-related activities seem to contribute to well-being. Improved physical fitness and elevated skill level gained during exercise and sport activities appear to serve as mediators for increased perceptions of self-efficacy and social competence. Peer modelling, as well as video and audio reinforcement, appear to be important modalities in maintaining compliance to exercise programmes.
BACKGROUND Balance and postural control (PC) disorders are frequent motor disorder symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis (MS).   OBJECTIVE To demonstrate the potential improvements in balance and PC among patients with MS who complete a virtual reality telerehabilitation program that represents a feasible alternative to physical therapy for situations in which conventional treatment is not available.   METHODS 50 patients was recruited. Control group (n = 25) received physiotherapy treatment twice a week (40 min per session). Experimental group (n = 25) received telerehabilitation treatment using the Xbox 360® console monitored via videoconference. Experimental group attended 40 sessions, four sessions per week (20 min per session). The treatment schedule lasted 10 weeks for both groups. A computerised dynamic posturography and clinical outcomes (Berg Balance and Tinettti scales) were used at baseline and at the end of the treatment.   RESULTS Results showed an improvement over general balance in both groups. Visual preference, the contribution of vestibular information, mean response time and Tinetti test yielded significant differences in the experimental group. An ANOVA revealed significant between-group post-treatment differences in the composite equilibrium score, Berg and Tinetti scales in the experimental group.   CONCLUSION We suggest that our virtual reality program enables anticipatory PC and response mechanisms and might serve as a successful therapeutic alternative in situations in which conventional therapy is not readily available.
Abstract It is often assumed that Latinos in the United States are deeply religious, and that this religious identity plays an important role in shaping their political beliefs and behaviors. A more controversial though unexplored proposition is that Latinos may not be as religious as is commonly believed and that forces beyond their religiosity play more prominent roles in shaping their political engagement. Relying on data from the 2006 Latino National Survey, we examine secularism — measured by church attendance — and civic engagement among Latinos. Our efforts are to analyze the social forces that shape levels of religiosity and find that generational status plays a significant role. Additionally, we further find that while church attendance declines among later generations, second and third generation Latinos have higher levels of civic engagement than their first generation peers, indicating that a decline in church participation does not depress political participation among later generations of Latinos.
To improve the stability and adaptability of the voltage measurement based on the E-field (electric field) integral method, in this paper we introduce a new method for the contactless voltage measurement of the overhead lines. The method adopts the node parameter reconstruction technology, which is based on the Gauss–Chebyshev algorithm. In order to achieve high-quality E-field detection at the reconstructed node position, we designed a novel D-dot sensor with parallel distributed electrodes. A Maxwell simulation model of multi-level voltages of the overhead lines was carried out to determine a comprehensive criterion of the reconstruction factors. The simulation employed a three-phase overhead line experiment platform to calculate and measure the distribution and the changing trend of the E-field. The deviations of the voltage measurement were reduced at a significantly low level within 0.4%. The result of the simulation demonstrates that the method optimizes sensor distribution by reconstructing node parameters, which enables the system to have high accuracy and reliability on the contactless voltage measurement of the overhead lines.
Surface aligned splatting is a popular rendering technique to visualize reconstructed meshes and point clouds scanned from the real world. Such data typically presents some degree of noise that jeopardizes any attempt to render a perfectly smooth normal ﬁeld and, more importantly, the estimated tangent vector ﬁelds are not locally continuous, thus affecting the overall visual quality. In this work, we compare two splat orientation techniques for rendering 3D noisy data, namely, the Covariance Matrix and the Householder formula. We evaluate both techniques using four publicly available meshes with synthetic noise, and four scanned point clouds with natural noise. Results indicate that the Householder technique is better suited for surface aligned splatting as it generates more coherent tangent vector ﬁelds, while Covariance Matrix reacts poorly to noise.
Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) have been widely studied by many researchers and they have been used to solve different real-world applications that have more than one objective function. However, most MOEAs work well only when the number of objective functions is small such as two or three. The performance of MOEAs starts degrading significantly when number of objective functions increases. Therefore, there is increasing importance for studying and analyzing the effect of increasing the number of objective functions on the performance of current multi objective evolutionary algorithms. In this paper, the performance of three state-of-the-art multi objective evolutionary algorithms is investigated when increasing the number of objective functions. The tested algorithms are analyzed using test DTLZ test suit. The results show that SMPSO and NSGA-II algorithms are the best two algorithms for high number of objective functions. In addition, the results show that the running time of SMPSO and GDE3 algorithms was effected and increased much when the number of objective functions is large.
A model for the origin of biochemistry at an alkaline hydrothermal vent has been developed that focuses on the acetyl-CoA (Wood–Ljungdahl) pathway of CO2 fixation and central intermediary metabolism leading to the synthesis of the constituents of purines and pyrimidines. The idea that acetogenesis and methanogenesis were the ancestral forms of energy metabolism among the first free-living eubacteria and archaebacteria, respectively, stands in the foreground. The synthesis of formyl pterins, which are essential intermediates of the Wood–Ljungdahl pathway and purine biosynthesis, is found to confront early metabolic systems with steep bioenergetic demands that would appear to link some, but not all, steps of CO2 reduction to geochemical processes in or on the Earth's crust. Inorganically catalysed prebiotic analogues of the core biochemical reactions involved in pterin-dependent methyl synthesis of the modern acetyl-CoA pathway are considered. The following compounds appear as probable candidates for central involvement in prebiotic chemistry: metal sulphides, formate, carbon monoxide, methyl sulphide, acetate, formyl phosphate, carboxy phosphate, carbamate, carbamoyl phosphate, acetyl thioesters, acetyl phosphate, possibly carbonyl sulphide and eventually pterins. Carbon might have entered early metabolism via reactions hardly different from those in the modern Wood–Ljungdahl pathway, the pyruvate synthase reaction and the incomplete reverse citric acid cycle. The key energy-rich intermediates were perhaps acetyl thioesters, with acetyl phosphate possibly serving as the universal metabolic energy currency prior to the origin of genes. Nitrogen might have entered metabolism as geochemical NH3 via two routes: the synthesis of carbamoyl phosphate and reductive transaminations of α-keto acids. Together with intermediates of methyl synthesis, these two routes of nitrogen assimilation would directly supply all intermediates of modern purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis. Thermodynamic considerations related to formyl pterin synthesis suggest that the ability to harness a naturally pre-existing proton gradient at the vent–ocean interface via an ATPase is older than the ability to generate a proton gradient with chemistry that is specified by genes.
Low tempera ture epitaxy using Si2H, at a tmospheric pressure was studied for minimizing autodoping from highly doped silicon substrate. The epitaxial growth temperature can be reduced to 800~ with good crystalline quality, i.e., defect density <l /cms The thickness of transition layer from highly doped substrate to epilayer was also reduced to below 0.3 ~m. A bipolar transistor fabricated in the epilayers grown with this technology exhibi ted base-collector breakdown voltage of higher than 25V when the epilayer of about 1 ~m thick was used. As the device feature sizes are scaled down to submicron levels, heavy emphasis is placed on the development of low temperature process technologies. Particularly in fabricating future bipolar and CMOS devices, a low tempera ture silicon epitaxial growth is necessary to minimize autodoping and solid-solid diffusion effects. Au todop ing in sil icon ep i taxy was d i scovered in 1961 and numerous studies have been done to min imize it (1-6). It is essential to reduce the growth temperature in order to reduce the autodoping. Various technologies such as molecular beam epitaxy, ion beam epitaxy, solid phase epi taxy, and plasma enhanced ep i taxy have been developed (7, 8). However, these processes do not satisfy manufac tu r ing r equ i r emen t s such as high t h roughpu t and low product ion cost. In this paper, the low tempera ture silicon epi taxy in atmospher ic pressure has been studied using disilane (Si2H,) as a Si source gas. A convent ional vert ical reactor was used in this study. Disilane is used as a Si source gas for amorphous sil icon and/or polys i l icon depos i t ion to ach ieve high depos i t ion rates (9). Low t empera tu r e ep i taxy was ach ieved with pho toep i t axy and low pressure epi taxy using disilane (10, 11). However, there is no report for epi taxy in a tmospher ic pressure. Experimental A commerc i a l induc t ion-hea ted ver t ica l reac tor was used in these exper iments . Disi lane gas, H~ carr ier gas, and PH~ dopant gas flow rate were cont ro l led by mass flow control lers . The 4 in. diam wafers are chemica l ly c leaned with the RCA process (12) before growth. The typica l growth sequence is shown in Fig. 1. The thickness and resist ivity of the grown epilayer were measured us ing FTIR and four-point probes. Crystal l ine qual i ty was eva lua ted with microscopic observa t ion of the surface after l ight Sirt l e tching. Carrier concen t ra t ion profile was obta ined by the spreading res is tance measurement . The au todop ing was es t imated from the carr ier concen t ra t ion-dep th profile of the epi layer which *Electrochemical Society Active Member.
BACKGROUND We tested the hypothesis that sodium nitroprusside (SNP) might improve the impairment of hepatosplanchnic microcirculatory blood flow (MBF) in septic shock.   METHODS Fourteen pigs were anaesthetized and their lungs mechanically ventilated. Sepsis was induced with i.v. infusion of live Pseudomonas aeruginosa [1x10(8) colony forming units (CFU) ml(-1) kg(-1)] for 1 h. Sixty minutes later, the animals received in a random succession either SNP or normal saline for 30 min. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac index (CI), mean pulmonary artery pressure (MPAP), carbon dioxide tension of the ileal mucosa (PCO2; by gas tonometry), ileal mucosal and hepatic MBF by laser Doppler flowmetry, blood gases, and lactates were assessed before, during administration, and 30 min after discontinuing the test drug.   RESULTS Bacterial infusion promoted hypodynamic shock (MAP -18%, CI -33%, ileal MBF -19%, and hepatic MBF -27%), which was converted to normodynamic shock by resuscitation. During SNP infusion, ileal mucosal MBF significantly increased (+19%) compared with control (P = 0.033). Although hepatic MBF increased (+42% from baseline), this did not differ from control. In order to maintain a constant central venous pressure and MAP, fluid loading and norepinephrine (P < 0.01) were increased. Acid-base status was not altered by SNP.   CONCLUSIONS In a resuscitated porcine model of the early phase of septic shock, SNP improved ileal mucosal MBF but required a concomitant increase in fluid and norepinephrine supplements to maintain constant systemic haemodynamic parameters.
The solid-phase synthesis of γ-AApeptides using a novel submonomeric approach that utilizes an allyl protection is reported. The strategy successfully circumvents the necessity of preparing γ-AApeptide building blocks in order to prepare γ-AApeptide sequences. This method will maximize the potential of developing chemically diverse γ-AApeptide libraries and thereby facilitate the biological applications of γ-AApeptides in the future.
Peripheral blood smears prepared routinely from nonneoplastic and leukemia cases were studied using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The peripheral blood glass slide is examined directly in the SEM following application of a thin carbon coat. The morphology of the nonneoplastic and neoplastic smears is described in detail utilizing the SEM secondary electron detector and backscattered electron detectors. Certain cell features are measured as well with the use of the measuring software resident in the SEM. The appearance of the SEM images of peripheral smear slides is compared to that of slides from fixed, processed, and sectioned bone marrow cases previously reported. The problem of cell constituent loss and overall shrinkage in the routinely processed and sectioned material is noted. The lack of these problems in the peripheral blood smear slides and their better appearance is emphasized. The resemblance of neoplastic cells to their normal counterparts is discussed. The monoblast resembles the normal monocyte but both cell size and nuclear size are greater; the moderately reticulated nuclear chromatin distinguishes the monoblast. Neoplastic lymphoid cells maintain the wispy extensions of the cytoplasm perimeter resembling microvilli and thereby differ from myeloid and monocytic cells. The neoplastic lymphoid cell shows coarse clumping of nuclear chromatin and in some instances coarse chromatin anastomoses to distinguish it from the normal lymphocyte. Lymphoid cells of acute lymphoblastic leukemia are 33% larger than those of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and normal lymphocytes. The neoplastic myeloblast has a finely granular nuclear chromatin, maintains a smooth cytoplasmic perimeter, and may show cytoplasmic reticulations. The myeloblast differs from the lymphoblast in that the former has a smooth cytoplasm perimeter. Further, myeloblasts show nuclear lobulations more frequently than lymphoblasts. Comparison of SEM findings with the three case studies by flow cytometry indicates satisfactory correlation. In case 15, flow cytometry indicated a monocyte subset positive for CD14 and CD64 among the neoplastic myeloid forms. A candidate for such a cell is recognized morphologically as well. The availability for SEM ultrastructural study of all the cells, both neoplastic and nonneoplastic, on a routine diagnostic smear slide is emphasized.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to compare emotional excitability in purebred Arabian racehorses trained either with a standard method or with additional off-racetrack training. The study was carried out on 46 horses that were trained for racing in a home stud. The control group (CN, n = 23) was trained only on the training racetrack, whereas for the experimental group (EX, n = 23), the training schedule was alternated between work on the training track and off-racetrack training in a forest. The emotional excitability in horses was determined according to the heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). The measurements (six times every 30 d) were taken at rest, during grooming and saddling, and during mounting and walking with a rider. The behavior of horses was also assessed. Higher activity of the parasympathetic nervous systems was found in EX horses during procedures preceding the training. This effect disappeared and the results paralleled those of CN horses once the training session with a rider began. The tested modification of the race training had a positive impact on the horse behavior of the horse during grooming, saddling, mounting, and walking with a rider. However, the modification influenced the autonomic system activity of horses only at rest and during the procedures preceding training sessions, whereas the effect was not seen during mounting and walking.
The logistics and transport operations, which have become more information intensive and more technologically dependent, are undergoing dramatic revolutions. Among various logistics activities, the role of transport is becoming more and more important. In order to provide high quality service and obtain higher return on investment, information sharing and cooperative decision making become a must in this dynamic changing environment. In particular, multi agent (MA) technologies have drawn significant attention for enabling autonomous information sharing and cooperation in a complex and distributed environment. This paper presents the development of coordination and decision making mechanisms for the implementation of autonomous control with MA technology in the domain of hinterland transport. It tackles the challenges of the hinterland transport planning caused by limited information sharing and lack of cooperation. The objective of the developed system is to provide quality transport plan to achieve high level of performance and robustness in hinterland logistics. The paper specifies and implements the MA cooperation, negotiation and decision-making processes. A case study is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed system.
In the present scenario surveillance systems are the most important factors in daily life owing to increasing demand of security and safety. It produces huge amount of data while operating 24/7 in public places including enterprises and educational institutions. These massive amounts of data can deluge the overall storage systems and other analytical applications. Hence the data need to be processed and may be stored to give a glimpse of some “interesting” incidents that is in execution in some particular location during a specified time frame. Cloud computing provides such infrastructure to handle these data by providing storing and processing elements. But in real time situation the overall latency and delay due to transmitting data in a cloud datacenter and revert back to end user's application devices are undesirable. Related to aforementioned scenario, a fog based intelligent surveillance system, that enables low latency and faster data processing by localization of data, is presented. Using ifogsim simulator, different scenarios have been created, computed and compared with the deployment of only cloud datacenter. Results depict that fog based system has lower energy consumption and higher processing rate compared to cloud.
In this paper, we consider a class of epidemic models  described by five nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The population  is divided into susceptible, vaccinated, exposed, infectious, and recovered subclasses.  One main feature of this kind of models is that treatment and vaccination  are introduced to control and prevent infectious diseases. The existence and local stability  of the endemic equilibria are studied.  The  occurrence of backward bifurcation is established by using center manifold theory.  Moveover, global dynamics are studied by applying the geometric approach.  We would like to mention that in the case of bistability, global results are difficult  to obtain since there is no compact absorbing set. It is the first time  that higher (greater than or equal to four) dimensional systems are discussed.  We give sufficient conditions in terms of the system parameters by extending  the method in Arino et al. [2]. Numerical simulations are also provided to  support our theoretical results. By carrying out sensitivity analysis of the basic  reproduction number in terms of some parameters, some effective measures to control  infectious diseases are analyzed.
A significant inhibition of desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis in rat granuloma cells was brought about by 6 repeated administrations (250 mg/kg) of hydroxyurea at 12 hr intervals from day 5 to day 7 after carrageenan injection. The suppressive effect of hydroxyurea on the amount of DNA in granulomatous tissue began to appear on day 8 (12 hr after the last injection of hydroxyurea), and then a maximum inhibition was attained on day 9. The inhibitory effect on the amount of collagen, on the other hand, was disclosed on day 9 with the retardation of around one day to the appearance of suppressive effect on DNA. The cellular activity for collagen synthesis in the hydroxyurea-treated group was gradually elevated accompanying coincidental suppression of DNA synthesis, suggesting that mature cells synthesized collagen more actively than newly formed cells. Suppression of cell proliferation by hydroxyurea seems to result in decrease in the number of mature cells with the retardation of time required for maturation of newly formed cells.
This paper discusses the hypothesis that, despite numerous similarities between Canada and the US in terms of their history, geography, life-style, living standard and democratic form of government, there are nonetheless significant differences between the two countries' social policies that translate into differences in several of their housing and related urban policies. Here the case is made that variations in each country's approach to housing result from differences in their founding principles and from their historical experiences.
For interstitial solid solutions various sublattice configurations have been applied in CALPHAD-type thermodynamic assessments. To construct a thermodynamic database for multi-component systems from the assessed binary and ternary systems, one difficulty is consistency of the thermodynamic models for those phases with sublattices. Previously, to combine parameters of the different sublattice configurations for the same phase, the thermodynamic assessment would need to be repeated. In the present work, we propose a simple method to convert parameters between the different sublattice configurations and demonstrate that the present parameter conversions work well for the Al-B, C-Fe, and O-Ti binary systems. Although it is a simple conversion process utilizing the known parameters, for the case where the valid composition range is limited, the thermodynamic database can be determined for multi-component systems. Furthermore, if a reassessment is required the conversion can be used to estimate initial values for the parameter optimization. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2014252]
Mixing performance in continuous rotary drums has been studied. The video analysis method was developed to evaluate different configurations of straight lifters in the rotary drum. The method converts a captured video into a single image, called stack image. The color marker tracking was estimated based on the color saturation of the stack image. Coefficients of variation and mixing indices were calculated from the color saturation profiles for different straight blade lifter configurations. The video analysis method was confronted to the impulse response of acid concentrations in water solutions. The developed analysis method has been superior with viscous fluids compared to traditional tracer impulse method in mixing evaluations. Water and 1% CMC-water solution were used in this mixing study for covering broadly different viscous materials. The drum lengthwise results for one lifter configuration were obtained from a single experiment due to the block representation of the image analysis method. It enables mixing analysis of axial segments and interaction analysis of mixer configurations. Thus, the axial mixing can be studied in more detail with rotary drums. The increase of lifters, residence time, and tip speed improved axial mixing in the studied experimental setup.
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in parallel computing. In parallel computing, multiple computing resources are used simultaneously in solving a problem. There are multiple processors that will work concurrently and the program is divided into different tasks to be simultaneously solved. Recently, a considerable literature has grown up around the theme of metaheuristic algorithms. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is a popular metaheuristic algorithm. The parallel comprehensive learning particle swarm optimization (PCLPSO) algorithm based on PSO has multiple swarms based on the masterslave paradigm and works cooperatively and concurrently. The migration period is an important parameter in PCLPSO and affects the efficiency of the algorithm. We used the well-known benchmark functions in the experiments and analysed the performance of PCLPSO using different migration periods.
In the post-poverty alleviation era, how to achieve sustainable poverty reduction is the most concerned issue. Therefore, adjusting the means of poverty alleviation is very important. Based on the data from 2014-2016 Statistical Yearbook of Tibetan Areas in Sichuan, this paper used the DEA-Malmquist (Data Envelopment Analysis-Malmquist) index model to measure the efficiency of fiscal and financial poverty alleviation in Aba and Ganzi prefectures. On the basis of whole, horizontal and vertical comparison, it can be found that the efficiency of fiscal and financial poverty alleviation in most counties is high, which shows that the poverty-alleviation policies in recent years have great effects. However, from any point of view, the efficiency of financial poverty alleviation is higher than that of fiscal poverty alleviation. Therefore, in the future, we should pay attention to the credit to achieve sustainable poverty reduction and income increase. In other words, we must improve the financial service system, innovate financial service products, and strive to achieve the match between credit supply and credit demand.
The range of an Electric Vehicle (EV) depends on its access to the battery charging stations. Such dependency may restrict the EV's range if some of the charging stations are not available due to lack of power or any other fault. To ensure uninterrupted access to the charging stations, in this paper we propose to maintain a limited number of backup stations which become operational once some of the existing stations get faulty. In this paper we study the optimal placement of the backup stations which can guarantee the access to the remaining operational charging stations. In this paper we propose algorithm for this problem and evaluate it with transportation network dataset.
Endostatin is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis that is cleaved from the basement membrane protein type XVIII collagen. Expression of endostatin has recently been shown by Western blot analysis of tissue lysates in normal pancreas and pancreas cancer tissue. We show here that the expression pattern of type XVIII collagen/endostatin is shifted from a general basement membrane staining and is mainly located in the vasculature during tumor progression. This shift in type XVIII collagen/endostatin expression pattern coincides with an up‐regulation of MMPs involved in endostatin processing in the tumor microenvironment, such as MMP‐3, MMP‐9 and MMP‐13. The circulating levels of endostatin was analyzed in patients with pancreas cancer and compared to that of healthy controls, as well as after surgical treatment or in a group of nonoperable patients after intraperitoneal fluorouracil (5‐FU) chemotherapy. The results show that patients with pancreas cancer have increased circulating levels of endostatin and that these levels are normalized after surgery or intraperitoneal chemotherapy. These findings indicate that endostatin could be used as a biomarker for pancreas cancer progression. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The differential diagnosis of hepatic focal lesions is challenging because the etiology can be inflammatory, infectious, and even neoplastic. A rare cause of metastatic liver nodules is cardiac angiosarcoma. We report a case of this tumor, which was diagnosed only after autopsy. A 26-year-old Caucasian man was admitted for progressive dyspnea and cough over the past 3 weeks. Physical examination showed only hypophonetic heart sounds. Laboratory analysis demonstrated anemia and elevated inflammatory markers, despite normal biochemical parameters and liver function. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed massive pericardial effusion. Abdomen computed tomography (CT) showed multiple hepatic nodules, the largest of which measured 3 cm, but the percutaneous biopsy revealed only lobular necrosis and perisinusoidal fibrosis without granulomas or neoplastic cells. During hospitalization, the patient had fever and night sweats with weight loss, and empiric treatment for extrapulmonary tuberculosis associated with corticosteroids was initiated. The outpatient follow-up revealed complete improvement of the pericardial effusion, but maintenance of the liver lesions. After 2 months of hospital discharge, the patient was readmitted with hemorrhagic shock due to bleeding liver lesions, which were evidenced by CT. Embolization of the right hepatic artery was performed, but the patient soon died. The autopsy revealed a primary cardiac angiosarcoma with multiple hepatic metastases, rupture of the Glisson’s capsule and laceration of the liver. The case shows how important and difficult the diagnosis of focal liver lesions is, since it may result in an unexpected fatal outcome.
Fourteen patients with transmural myocardial infarction were studied by gated cardiac blood pool scanning (to determine regional ventricular function) and 43-K myocardial imaging (to determine the regional distribution of myocardial perfusion). An akinetic area on the gated scan and an area of decreased tracer concentration on the 43-K image were detected. The area of reduced 43-K concentration averaged 33.5% of the left ventricular circumference which correlated (r = 0.74, p less than 0.01) with the area of infarction determined by the zone of akinesis, 34.2% of left ventricular circumference. The extent of akinesis and left ventricular ejection fraction were significantly different in those patients with left ventricular failure than in those without failure.
Abstract In nine dogs magnification renal angiograms were combined with simultaneous measurements of renal blood flow. Vasodilatation and immediate increases in renal blood flow resulted from injections of both contrast medium (Diatrizoate) and Bradykinin into the renal artery. No consistent correlation was observed between increases of vessel size and flow. In four experiments patterns of renal cortical “shut down” are described and one case of severe intrarenal arterial spasm with “pseudo-aneurysm” formation is shown.
In the context of target design for multi-keV x-ray laser-produced experiments, the concept of exploding metallic thin foils by two laser pulses delayed in time has been tested at the OMEGA laser facility [J. M. Soures, R. L. McCrory, C. P. Verdon et al., Phys. Plasma 3, 2108 (1996)]. The first laser pulse creates an underdense plasma (ne∕nc≈0.2), and the second laser pulse heats the plasma plume which produces strong line emission from the titanium K shell (Heα at 4.7 keV and Hα at 4.9 keV). Six OMEGA beams (500-ps duration) for the prepulse and nine beams (1-ns duration) for the heating pulse irradiate one side of the foil. Different experimental conditions have been investigated in order to optimize the conversion efficiency enhancement on titanium foils. The influences of the foil thicknesses (5 and 6 μm), the delays (3, 4, and 5 ns) between the laser pulses, and the laser intensities (1.3 and 2.2×1015Wcm−2) have been tested. The absolute output power was measured by a set of filtered x-ray diodes, gi...
First Part.   Cylindrical specimens of Southern California granodiorite and gabbro were creep-tested at constant torques in a high-magnification torsion apparatus. Complete creep and creep recovery curves at room temperature were recorded for periods of about 10,000 minutes.  The results are represented by an empirical equation of the form: s = p (a+b log t) where s is the strain, p the stress and t the time. No evidence was found of creep behavior suggestive of the Michelson equation.  For some granodiorite samples the viscosity was of the order of 3 x 10[superscript 15] poises. The behavior of the rocks under prevailing test conditions was not appreciably different from that of other polycrystalline materials.  Second Part.   A quantitative treatment of the Benioff aftershock sequences on the basis of the theory of viscoelasticity is given. The minimum coefficient of viscosity found by this method is of the order of 10[superscript 19] poises, in good agreement with accepted viscosity values for the earth's crust.
Objective: The present study was aimed to find the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity using the methanolic extract of Cinnamomum zeylanicum (as a natural inhibitor) on sheep tissues as the enzyme source. Methods: Hippuryl-histidyl-leucine (HHL) as a substrate, tissue ACE activity was measured spectrophotometrically at 228 nm. For an incubation period of 30 minutes at 37°C, the linearity of ACE activity of kidney, lung, and testis enzyme was established. A known medicinal plant C. zeylanicum was used as natural inhibitor of ACE. In this enzyme assay, inhibitory effect of methanolic extract of C. zeylanicum on kidney, lung and testicular ACE was determined. ACE activity was confirmed by captopril, a standard inhibitor of ACE. Results: In the presence of a methanolic extract of C. zeylanicum (10:1), ACE activity was determined and this has inhibited ACE activity very significantly. C. zeylanicum leaves extract has reduced sheep kidney, lung, and testis ACE activity by 70.06%, 12.63%, and 20.23%, respectively. Conclusion: Significant inhibition was observed in the kidney ACE than in lung and testis ACE activity. This can propose that there may be a possible role in controlling blood pressure or reduction in cardiovascular diseases. Some plants with the great medicinal property may be considered as promising sources of natural inhibitors of ACE for medicine and commercial uses. This comprehensive study may show numerous beneficial effects as a potential therapeutic agent for lowering blood pressure. Keywords: Angiotensin-converting enzyme, Natural angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, Kinetic assay, Hippuryl-histidyl-leucine, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cardiovascular diseases.
The objective of this study is to understand better how interruptions in television programming—such as commercials—can affect how much food is consumed. Participants viewed the beginning of high, moderate, or low involvement television programs. The program was then stopped and participants were given a very large plate of snacks or they were allowed to get snacks from a kitchen. After everyone obtained their snacks, the program was then played for an additional ten minutes. Participants then completed a questionnaire and their plate waste was recorded. Results indicate that the amount of food consumed was constant and high across program involvement levels when the food was placed in front of them. Conversely, when the participant went to the kitchen for food, increases in program involvement resulted in participants taking and consuming less. When snacking habits involve kitchen visits during high involvement television programming, people may not want to be distracted by food—thereby selecting and consuming less. However, and regardless of how involving television programming may be, an overabundance of highly salient food may render people powerless to resist it.
In software, teaching a programming language and how to compile and execute programs allows people to write programs immediately. Very likely, such programs will require considerable debugging. Errors and unit debugging are just an expected and integral part of programming. However, people with the right education and training need not unit debug their software any more than people need to look at the keys when they type. Serious programming begins only with formal methods, more explicit design, and verification from specifications. A proven software development process, Cleanroom Software Engineering, adds engineering rigor to the process and focuses on defect prevention and statistical quality control. Cleanroom has historically produced software with significantly superior quality and improved productivity. As a result, the University of Utah offers a new undergraduate course in Cleanroom Software Engineering. The course instills a defect-prevention, systematic/engineering philosophy in the students. This paper contains some introductory information on Cleanroom Software Engineering and explains how its principles are taught and enforced in the classroom.
The paper presents the results of the study of the influence of factors on the development indicators of road transport enterprises, describes the development indicators and their dynamics. On the basis of the theoretical foundations of non-stationarity, an interpretation of the concept of non-stationarity of the development of the economy and the industry market is proposed. On the basis of the crisis development scale developed by the author, the results of the cluster analysis of enterprises in the sample and the data of statistical processing of effective performance indicators, the forecast of the crisis development of road transport enterprises of Saint - Petersburg in the transport services market of the region is made using neural network modeling. With the help of the constructed neural network model of the dependence of the degree of crisis on the most significant indicators, it is possible to predict the development of crisis situations, and this indicates the possibility of predicting the non-stationarity development of road transport enterprises and the economy as a whole.
Photosynthesis must maintain stability and robustness throughout fluctuating natural environments. In cyanobacteria, dark-to-light transition leads to drastic metabolic changes from dark respiratory metabolism to CO2 fixation through the Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle using energy and redox equivalents provided by photosynthetic electron transfer. Previous studies showed that catabolic metabolism supports the smooth transition into CBB cycle metabolism. However, metabolic mechanisms for robust initiation of photosynthesis are poorly understood due to lack of dynamic metabolic characterizations of dark-to-light transitions. Here, we show rapid (on a time scale of seconds) dynamic changes in absolute metabolite concentrations and 13C tracer incorporation after strong or weak light irradiation in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Integration of this data enables estimation of time-resolved nonstationary metabolic flux underlying CBB cycle activation. This dynamic metabolic analysis indicates that downstream glycolytic intermediates including phosphoglycerate and phosphoenolpyruvate accumulate under dark conditions as major substrates for initial CO2 fixation. Compared with wild-type Synechocystis, significant delays in the initiation of oxygen evolution are observed in 12 h dark preincubated mutants deficient in glycogen degradation or oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (Δzwf, Δgnd, and ΔglgP). Accordingly, the degree of delay in the oxygen evolution initiation is proportional to the accumulated pool size of the glycolytic intermediates. These observations indicate that the accumulation of glycolytic intermediates is essential for efficient metabolism switching under fluctuating light environments.
Embedded and mobile smart devices face problems related to limited computing power and excessive power consumption. To address these problems, we propose Mixed YOLOv3-LITE, a lightweight real-time object detection network that can be used with non-graphics processing unit (GPU) and mobile devices. Based on YOLO-LITE as the backbone network, Mixed YOLOv3-LITE supplements residual block (ResBlocks) and parallel high-to-low resolution subnetworks, fully utilizes shallow network characteristics while increasing network depth, and uses a “shallow and narrow” convolution layer to build a detector, thereby achieving an optimal balance between detection precision and speed when used with non-GPU based computers and portable terminal devices. The experimental results obtained in this study reveal that the size of the proposed Mixed YOLOv3-LITE network model is 20.5 MB, which is 91.70%, 38.07%, and 74.25% smaller than YOLOv3, tiny-YOLOv3, and SlimYOLOv3-spp3-50, respectively. The mean average precision (mAP) achieved using the PASCAL VOC 2007 dataset is 48.25%, which is 14.48% higher than that of YOLO-LITE. When the VisDrone 2018-Det dataset is used, the mAP achieved with the Mixed YOLOv3-LITE network model is 28.50%, which is 18.50% and 2.70% higher than tiny-YOLOv3 and SlimYOLOv3-spp3-50, respectively. The results prove that Mixed YOLOv3-LITE can achieve higher efficiency and better performance on mobile terminals and other devices.
The compound Cp(2)TiMe(2) reacts with [Ph(3)C][B(C(6)F(5))(4)] in CD(2)Cl(2) at 205 K to give, inter alia, [Cp(2)TiMe(CD(2)Cl(2))][B(C(6)F(5))(4)]. This solvent-separated ion pair reacts in turn with 2,4-dimethyl-1-pentene (DMP) to give a series of cationic species, the first being the alkene complex [Cp(2)TiMe(DMP)](+), which undergoes ready migratory insertion to form the σ-alkyl complex [Cp(2)Ti(CH(2)CMe(2)CH(2)CHMe(2))](+). The latter, which does not contain a β-hydrogen atom, rearranges rapidly via an unprecedented 1,5-σ bond metathesis reaction involving two isomeric ε-agostic species to give the σ-alkyl species [Cp(2)Ti(CH(2)CHMeCH(2)CMe(3))](+); this does contain a β-hydrogen atom and, in concurrent processes, eliminates H(2) or 2,4,4-trimethyl-1-pentene (a major product) to form respectively the allylic complex [Cp(2)Ti{η(3)-(CH(2))(2)CCH(2)CMe(3)}](+) (a major product) or the hydride complex [Cp(2)TiH](+). The latter reacts reversibly with free DMP to give the insertion product [Cp(2)Ti(CH(2)CHMeCH(2)CHMe(2))](+) (V, a major product), in which the italicized hydrogen atom engages in a β-agostic interaction with the metal atom. Compound V is a rare example of both a β-agostic derivative of a group 4 metallocene and a β-agostic compound of any metal in which the (1)H resonance of the agostic hydrogen can be identified in the (1)H NMR spectrum (δ -3.43). Interestingly, a NOESY experiment on V indicates slow mutual exchange between the agostic hydrogen atom, the hydrogen atoms on C(1), and those of Me(2). These observations are consistent with the intermediacy of the allylic dihydrogen species [Cp(2)Ti(H(2)){η(3)-(CH(2))(2)CCH(2)CHMe(2)}](+), which loses H(2) to form [Cp(2)Ti{η(3)-(CH(2))(2)CCH(2)CHMe(2)}](+) (a minor product). Support for all steps of the proposed reaction scheme comes from product distributions, from labeling studies utilizing [Cp(2)Ti(CD(3))(CD(2)Cl(2))](+), and from extensive DFT calculations. The observed titanocene-based chemistry stands in stark contrast to that of the analogous zirconium system, in which the unusual but well-characterized cationic methyl alkene complex [Cp(2)ZrMe(DMP)](+) does not undergo migratory insertion and subsequent reactions.
Single point diamond turning (SPDT) currently is the leading finishing method for achieving ultra-smooth surface on brittle KH(2)PO(4) crystal. In this work, the light intensification modulated by surface cracks introduced by SPDT cutting is numerically simulated using finite-difference time-domain algorithm. The results indicate that the light intensification caused by surface cracks is wavelength, crack geometry and position dependent. Under the irradiation of 355 nm laser, lateral cracks on front surfaces and conical cracks on both front and rear surfaces can produce light intensification as high as hundreds of times, which is sufficient to trigger avalanche ionization and finally lower the laser damage resistance of crystal components. Furthermore, we experimentally tested the laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDTs) on both crack-free and flawed crystal surfaces. The results imply that brittle fracture with a series of surface cracks is the dominant source of laser damage initiation in crystal components. Due to the negative effect of surface cracks, the LIDT on KDP crystal surface could be sharply reduced from 7.85J/cm(2) to 2.33J/cm(2) (355 nm, 6.4 ns). In addition, the experiment of laser-induced damage growth is performed and the damage growth behavior agrees well with the simulation results of light intensification caused by surface cracks with increasing crack depths.
Laser Fault Injection (LFI) is a powerful method of introducing faults into a specific area of an integrated circuit. Because the minimum spot size of the laser spot is physically bounded, many recent publications investigate down to which technology node individual transistors can be targeted. In contrast, we develop a novel attack that is applicable even when a large number of gates is affected at the smallest feature sizes. To achieve this, we adapt Fault Sensitivity Analysis to the laser setting. Such attacks require reasoning about the critical path of a combinatorial circuit and were previously only considered for clock glitches. Indeed, we show that this prerequisite is available for LFI as well. This leads to a very relaxed fault model, especially in terms of the required laser spot size. We conclude that there is no intrinsic protection for the latest technology nodes and LFI remains a serious threat for embedded devices. Experimental results are provided by targeting the combinatorial AES Sbox of an Atmel ATxmega microcontroller with an artificially large laser spot. Finally, we discuss why this attack is still applicable to the smallest structure sizes.
As the positive psychology movement gains momentum, both within psychology and in the broader culture, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that the complexity of individual personality and psychological processes do not get lost in a "one-size-fits-all" approach to improving human functioning. In this article, we consider some of the ways that the costs and benefits of different kinds of optimism and pessimism may vary across different individuals, situations, and cultural contexts. We use defensive pessimism research to illustrate that there are times when pessimism and negative thinking are indeed positive psychology, as they lead to better performance and personal growth. We also consider the ways in which dominant American culture--and research in psychology--may underestimate some of the costs of optimism.
In this study, a new integrated approach is presented to solve the facility layout problem with unequal areas in an open field. This approach includes a two-stage method and a bi-level genetic algorithm. In the first stage of the proposed method, the arrangement of departments adjacent to each other is determined by an improved zone algorithm; in the second stage, the layout obtained from the first stage is improved by using a linear programming model, and the final locations of the departments are thus determined. This two-stage method is used in a bi-level genetic algorithm to achieve an appropriate layout. The orientation and aspect ratios of the departments are determined at the first level of the algorithm, and at the second level, the sequence of the departments is determined for the layout. The proposed approach is compared with the four approaches in the literature, by using 10 datasets in order to evaluate efficiency and performance. The quality of the proposed approach is confirmed by improving the best solutions obtained from previous studies in seven datasets. Furthermore, the presented approach obtains the best solutions from previous studies in the other three datasets.
In their seminal study of chess expertise, Simon and Chase (Chase & Simon, 1973; Simon & Chase, 1973) proposed that perceptual learning was a necessary component of skill acquisition. In their view, acquisition of skill results from the strategic use of learning at multiple levels to adaptively overcome inherent limitations. The knowledge acquired by way of perceptual learning that supported increasingly sophisticated perceptual discrimination processes, according to Simon and Chase, was referred to as a chunk. The chunk was conceptualized as a meaningful complex set of features that abstracted the notion of a perceptual object. Simon and Chase further suggested that meaningful combinations of chunks could be combined to form configurations (Simon & Chase, 1973, p. 399). The present study addresses this idea by framing the notion of a chunk in terms of two formal metatheories, one that addresses representation (Ashby & Townsend, 1986) and one that addresses processing (Townsend & Nozawa, 1995), and tests the prediction that perceptual learning produces organized perceptual objects (chunks). Two experiments combine behavioral and electroencephelographic (EEG) measures to show that perceptual learning produces (a) a shift from perceptual independence and separability to violations of separability, and (b) shifts from limited-capacity serial processing to supercapacity parallel processing. The evidence from both experiments is strong and consistent: perceptual learning does indeed induce chunking-the production of perceptual objects, and the foundation of perceptual expertise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Objectives Identify determinants of neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm children. Methods Prospective national cohort study of children born between 2009 and 2011 at <29 weeks gestational age, admitted to one of 28 Canadian neonatal intensive care units and assessed at a Canadian Neonatal Follow-up Network site at 21 months corrected age for cerebral palsy (CP), visual, hearing and developmental status using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III). Stepwise regression analyses evaluated the effect of (1) prenatal and neonatal characteristics, (2) admission severity of illness, (3) major neonatal morbidities, (4) neonatal neuroimaging abnormalities, and (5) site on neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI) (Bayley-III score < 85, any CP, visual or hearing impairment), significant neurodevelopmental impairment (sNDI) (Bayley-III < 70, severe CP, blind or hearing aided and sNDI or death. Results Of the 3700 admissions without severe congenital anomalies, 84% survived to discharge and of the 2340 admissions, 46% (IQR site variation 38%–51%) had a NDI, 17% (11%–23%) had a sNDI, 6.4% (3.1%–8.6%) had CP, 2.6% (2.5%–13.3%) had hearing aids or cochlear implants and 1.6% (0%–3.1%) had a bilateral visual impairment. Bayley-III composite scores of <70 for cognitive, language and motor domains were 3.3%, 10.9% and 6.7%, respectively. Gestational age, sex, outborn, illness severity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, necrotising enterocolitis, late-onset sepsis, retinopathy of prematurity, abnormal neuroimaging and site were significantly associated with NDI or sNDI. Site variation ORs for NDI, sNDI and sNDI/death ranged from 0.3–4.3, 0.04–3.5 and 0.12–1.96, respectively. Conclusion Most preterm survivors are free of sNDI. The risk factors, including site, associated with neurodevelopmental status suggest opportunities for improving outcomes.
Naos, Laboratoire Bioderma, Lyon, 75, Cours Albert Thomas, 69447 Lyon Cedex 03, France Corresponding Author Floriane Gayraud Naos, Laboratoire Bioderma, 75, Cours Albert Thomas, 69447 Lyon Cedex 03, France. Email: e.jourdan@bioderma.com ABSTRACT Introduction-Xerosis is a common skin condition affecting all skin types at all ages. However, itis somewhat more often observed in young children and the elderly. Objective-To assess the safety and benefit of a dermocosmetic balm in the management of xerosis. Methods-Non-interventional, non-comparative, prospective multicenter study conducted in xerosis subjects of at least 3 months of age. Clinical assessments included the investigator’s evaluation of local tolerance, xerosis signs and symptoms at Days0, 14 and 21, as well as the subject’s perception of improvement, satisfaction, and compliance. ResultsThe mean age of the 1149 recruited subjects was 42.4±24.9 years. According to the investigators, 882 (76.8%) subjects had severe xerosis. The local tolerance of SBT was excellent, with only 1% of the subjects reporting adverse events leading to withdrawal. All xerosis signs and symptoms had significantly (p < 0.0001) improved at all post-Day 0 visits, starting as early as Day 7.Xerosis had improved in 1127 (98.1%) subjects and in 864 (75.2%) subjects the disorder had completely disappeared. Patient perception improved significantly (all p<0.0001) between Day 7 and Day 14/21 as well as between Day 14 and 21.In total, 1081 (94.1%) subjects rated the efficacy of the dermocosmetic excellent or good, and 1032 (91.2%) subjects were satisfied with the balm. Conclusion-The local tolerance of the balm is excellent. The balm provides good clinical benefit in the management of xerosis. KeywordsBalm, dry skin, SBT complex, skin barrier, xerosis.
One of the main challenges in developing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems is to create a static coil that needs to generate magnetic field density along with the characteristics of optimal homogeneity and magnitude size. To do this, two N42 Block PMs are used and the iron core is designed and optimized in accordance with the dimensions of PM pieces using ANSYS Maxwell software. Then, all iron parts are lathed, the yoke pieces and pole spacers are welded. In addition, PM and pole pieces are installed. Finally, measurement is done by Lutron to evaluate the static coil performance.
A Monte-Carlo computer simulation has been performed to describe, at atomic level, the growth of titanium nitride films formed by ion beam enhanced deposition (IBED). The simulation is based on a random target, fixed free path of moving particles and binary collisions. An alternate process of deposition of titanium atoms and implantation of nitrogen ions is applied instead of the actual continuous and synchronous process of IBED. According to the actual conditions, the adsorption of nitrogen gas, which is leaked out from the ion source, at the fresh titanium layer surface has been considered. In addition, the change of the composition profile and the density profile during film growth is taken into account. It is demonstrated that the width of the intermixed region between the film and substrate increases with the increase of the atomic arrival ratio, R, of implanted nitrogen ions to deposited titanium atoms. When the titanium deposition rate is low, the nitrogen concentration of the film is relatively insensitive to R, indicating that a dominant contribution to the nitrogen concentration is derived from the nitrogen gas leaked out from the ion source. The results obtained in this study are in agreement with the experimental measurements.
In this article the gas diffusion mechanisms of the limiting current oxygen sensors was studied. For a limiting current oxygen sensor which the pore diameter d is about 30µm, the limiting current Il was quite linear with ln (1-X02) rather than X02 at 1 atm gas pressure, it showed the normal mechanism was more dominant than the Knudsen one. However at the low gas pressure, the limiting current Il was changed with the variation of total gas pressure P. This reveals the gas diffusion mechanisms is neither simply belonged to the normal diffusion nor Knudsen diffusion at low gas pressure. It may be belonged to a mixed diffusion.
Purpose:To investigate the efficacy of bleb needle revision with high-dose mitomycin C in reviving failed filtering blebs after 1 year. Patients and Methods:We reviewed the charts of 44 patients with one eye that had undergone bleb needle revision with a mixture of 0.1 mL of mitomycin (0.4 mg/mL) mixed with 0.1 mL of non-preserved 1% lidocaine. At least 12 months of follow-up were required. A successful bleb needle revision was defined as one that did not require a subsequent needling, glaucoma surgery, or medication to reach an intraocular pressure (IOP) greater than 4 mm Hg but less than 22 mm Hg. A qualified success was defined as a successful bleb needle revision that required subsequent needling or medication. Results:The bleb needle revision with high-dose mitomycin was a success or qualified success after 12 months in 28 patients or 64% (95% confidence interval, 50% to 78%). The baseline IOP in these patients was 26.7 ± 8.2 mm Hg (range 15 to 48 mm Hg) using an average of 1.5 ± 1.5 glaucoma medications. The IOP after 1 year was 13.6 ± 4.0 (range 6 to 21 mm Hg) with an average of 0.5 ± 0.8 medications. Of 44 patients, 17 (39%) were successes and 11 (25%) were qualified successes. Conclusion:Bleb needle revision with high-dose MMC was effective in reducing the IOP in 64% of eyes with a failed filtering bleb with minimal long-term complications.
Sink or float? Contents What do you think? A sampler Geometry Numbers Astronomy Archimedes' principle Probability Classical mechanics Electricity and magnetism Heat and wave phenomena The leaking tank Linear algebra What do youthink? Answers Geometry answers Numbers answers Astronomy answers Archimedes' principle answers Probability answers Mechanics answers Electricity answers Heat and wave phenomena answers The leaking tank answers Linear algebra answers Glossary.
Introduction: Conventional oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is relatively easy to diagnose on histopathology, as it comprises dysplastic epithelial cells with variable degrees of squamous differentiation. Different grading systems have been employed in grading OSCC based on its dysplastic features and host response. Some unusual features such as clear cell change, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), stromal hyalinization, stromal desmoplasia, perineural invasion, vascular invasion, tissue eosinophilia, giant cells, and tertiary lymphoid follicle formation are evident in OSCC histologically but have not yet been accounted in any grading systems of OSCC except perineural and vascular invasion. Aim: The aim of the present study was to identify these uncommon features and to correlate them with different grades of OSCC. Materials and Methods:This study was conducted on 100 histopathologically confirmed OSCC cases retrieved from the archives of our department. They were graded on the basis of Broder's grading system and were reviewed for the features mentioned above. Data collected were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: Clear cell change, EMT, foreign body giant cells, and tumor giant cells were observed in 13%, 20%, 1%, and 3% of cases, respectively. We found stromal desmoplasia in 15% and stromal hyalinization in 9% of cases. Tissue eosinophilia, tertiary lymphoid follicle formation, and perineural invasion were observed in 12%, 3%, and 2% of cases, respectively. Vascular invasion was not evident in any of the cases examined. Conclusion: The incidence of the unusual features was 7.8% in our study.
Expression of 40 kDa 2'-5' oligo (A) synthetase can serve as a marker of interferon (IFN) activity on the biological target. The mechanisms of induction of human 40 kDa 2'-5' oligo (A) synthetase by IFNs were investigated in HeLa and Molt 4 cells. Using a combined treatment with cycloheximide and actinomycin D we observed that in HeLa cells IFN-α did not need ongoing protein synthesis to induce the enzyme, whereas the addition of cycloheximide prevented the induction by IFN-γ. IFN-α induced the 40 kD enzyme in the T-cell line Molt 4 to a level comparable to that in HeLa cells, but only in the presence of active protein synthesis. These results suggest that an early response gene coding for a positive IFN-inducible protein may be needed in T cells, but not in HeLa cells to regulate the transcription of this 2'-5' oligo (A) synthetase gene.
Measuring pedestrian dynamics using the signals sent from smartphones has become popular. Notably, Wi-Fi-based systems are currently widely deployed. However, many such systems have also become subject to serious debate due to privacy infringement. For some time, secure hashing of a smartphone’s unique MAC address was considered to be sufficient, yet this method has been overruled by Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation which states that an individual should not be identifiable from any dataset without explicit prior consent. In this paper, we propose a novel anonymization technique that essentially anonymizes detected smartphones immediately at the sensor before any data on such a detection is stored for further analysis. Our solution borrows from the notion of k-anonymity, while avoiding its well-known drawbacks that lead to de-anonymization. Moreover, while ensuring what we coin detection k-anonymity, we also ensure high accuracy of counting measures when dealing with realistic pedestrian flows within crowds. We evaluate our solution both in a simulated environment and in a realistic environment reproducing real-life settings.
Background: Permanent pacemaker implantation is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in the management of patients with cardiac rhythm disturbances. Previous studies have reported gender differences in pacemaker selection. There is lack of evidences in selection of pacemaker mode with respect to gender in Nepal. Therefore, this study was performed to compare the frequency of implantation between men and women. Objectives: This study was performed to compare the frequency of implantation rate between men and women. Methods : The present study is based on all consecutive pacemaker implantations in a single centre between April 2014 and May 2015. A total of 116 patients were categorized into two cohorts according to the type of pacemaker implanted- single chamber or dual chamber. Data were presented as means ± standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables and as proportions for categorical variables. Comparison of continuous variables between the groups was made with independent Student’s t-test. For discrete variables distribution between groups were compared with Chi-square test. Results: The mean age (±SD) of total population at implant was 64.08 (± 15.09) years. Dual chamber units were implanted in 44 (37.93%) of patients, single chamber in 72 (62.06%). Only 14 women (31.81%) received dual chamber compared with 42 women (58.33%) who received single chamber (Chi-square=18, DF=1, P = 0.0084). Complete atrioventricular block was the commonest (56.03%) indication for permanent pacemaker insertion followed by sick sinus syndrome (33.62%), symptomatic high-grade AV block (11.20%). Hypertension (dual chamber 21.55%, single chamber 40.51%) was the most common comorbidity in both cohorts. Conclusions: Women were more likely to receive single chamber systems and less likely to receive dual chamber systems than men. Journal of Nobel College of Medicine Vol.4(1) 2015: 15-20
The RHF/6-31G(d) quantum chemical simulation of the mechanism of the secondary fatty aromatic amine N-methylaniline interaction with benzenesulfonyl chloride under conditions of N-methylaniline specific solvation by one water molecule and one 1,4-dioxane molecule, and under conditions of N-methylaniline specific solvation by two water molecules and one 1,4-dioxane molecule. Three-dimensional potential energy surfaces of the processes pointed out are computed. It is shown that in the both cases a single route of the reactions is realized, starting as an axial nucleophilic attack, which goes further with decreasing of the attack angle as reagent molecules approach each other. It was established that both simulated reactions proceed in accordance with bimolecular concerted mechanism of nucleophilic substitution SN2, which implies the formation of a single transition state in the reaction path. It was found that geometrical configuration of the reaction center in the transition states of the reactions is medium between the trigonal-bipyramidal and tetragonal-pyramidal, which is associated with the change in the angle of N-methylaniline attack as the reactant molecules approach each other. In the benzenesulfonyl chloride reaction with N-methylaniline, solvated by one water molecule and one 1,4-dioxane molecule, the transition state is solvated only by 1,4-dioxane molecule, while water molecule moves away from the reaction center, whereas in the benzenesulfonyl chloride reaction with N-methylaniline, solvated by two water molecule and one 1,4-dioxane molecule the transition state is solvated by 1,4-dioxane molecule and one water molecule that forms hydrogen bond with chlorine atom and promote the S–Cl-bond loosening. The activation energies of the reactions were calculated; it is shown that specific solvation increases the reactions energetic barrier as compared with the reaction in gaseous phase, that is caused by the partial dehydratation of N-methylaniline molecule before the transition state formation. A decrease of the activation energy of the reaction with participation of N-methylaniline, solvated by two water molecule and one 1,4-dioxane molecule as compared with the cases of non-specific solvation of the reactants and N-methyl-aniline solvation by one water molecule and one 1,4-dioxane molecule is caused by the existence of the second water molecule in the system, forming a bond with amine group and facilitating N–H bond break.
Resurgent Evangelicalism in the United States: Mapping Cultural Change Since 1970. Mark Shibley. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. 156 pp. $24.95. Recent massings of Promise Keepers have rekindled discussions of evangelical Christianity. In the popular mind, evangelicalism evokes the likes of Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, and Jerry Falwell, men who massage the media while mixing God and right-wing politics. Toss in Biblical inerrancy, family values rhetoric, patriarchy, veiled racism, and a location south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and the picture is complete. Loyola University Chicago sociologist Mark Shibley finds a lot wrong with this picture. He deftly separates fact from fiction, and rhetoric from practice and concludes that the evangelical world is far more diverse than is usually appreciated. Forget the South, he argues, and think California. Far from being a bastion of big-haired Stepford Wives and pompodored male Bible Belters, a typical evangelical service more resembles a carefully orchestrated Promise Keepers rally. Shibley concedes that Southern-style evangelicalism often conforms to popular stereotype. He traces this to the Second Great Awakening's challenge to constituted authority. Although Shibley could have developed more fully the ways in which white and black religious expressions cross fertilized, he ably describes the decoupling of Caucasian and African American agendas. The Civil War made evangelicalism the religion of the "Lost Cause" (14) and the solace of a defeated Confederacy. As modernist forces gathered in the early 20th century, evangelicalism proved useful to opponents of ascendant secularism. The Dust Bowl and war industry opportunities fueled a Southern exodus, but not necessarily a repudiation of long-held values. In essence, Southerners transported Southern culture and Southern religion to new homes. For Shibley, this raises the first of many red flags. Working from a thorough statistical base, he demonstrates that Southern out-migration was greater than the growth of evangelicalism, suggesting that not all Southerners retained their culture. Then why do evangelical churches now outnumber mainline Protestant congregations? Shibley turns to participant observation sociology to paint a different portrait of evangelicalism. Baptist and Pentecostal churches in California that preserve a Southern preaching style and its aggressive assault on popular culture are ill-adapted to the pluralist population of the Golden State. Several churches visited by Shibley have suffered a 93% decline in membership between 1975-1990, leaving them with graying Southern-born congregations and shrinking treasuries. They stand in marked contrast to evangelical churches who filter conservative theology through popular culture media. Such churches are growing rapidly, the pews filled with new converts who were weaned on television, rock music, and the language the street. Moreover, these evangelicals tend to be morally conservative, but socially liberal. In 1976, Ernst Troelstch argued that churches that adapted to pluralism; those that resisted would decline. California-style evangelicalism validates his claim. In an incisive chapter entitled "Jesus Rocks," Shibley notes that modern evangelical services often look "more like a rock concert than a religious gathering" (94). He also challenges the adherents are poorly educated, economically marginalized Baby Boomers. The congregations he observed were well-heeled: 22% held college degrees, and 83% were under 40. …
Abstract : The Bcl-2 protein family plays an important role in governing a cell's decision to live or die. Dysregulation of these proteins is observed in many breast cancer cases and thus it is important to understand their mechanism in order to develop new treatments. The Bcl-X(L) protein structure showed a strong similarity to pore-forming bacterial toxins, suggesting that Bcl-2 protein family protein may regulate apoptosis by pore formation or membrane insertion. Single cysteine mutants of Bcl-X(L) have been generated to probe the topology of the membrane-inserted state. Preliminary results show that the BH3 domain is present on the membrane surface but it is unclear as to whether this portion of the protein is actually membrane-inserted. Labeling of these cysteine mutants with thiol- specific probes such as BODIPY also yielded results suggesting that residues in both the putative pore-forming fifth a-helix and the BH3 domain were still solvent accessible, as indicated by the ability of a fluorescence- quenching anti-BODIPY antibody to quench fluorescence in the presence and absence of lipid vesicles on which the proteins display channel-forming capability.
In this chapter, we report and discuss the current literature of nutrient-deficiency anemia, also called nutritional anemia, in elderly patients in developed countries. For this purpose, a review of medical literatures was conducted searching PubMed, textbooks of hematology, internal medicine and geriatrics, and information collected from international meetings were also included. The term nutrient deficiency or nutritional anemia covers any anemia, defined by a hemoglobin level <13 g/dL (<130 g/L) in men and <12 g/dL (<120 g/L) in women, resulting from a deficiency of materials essential for erythropoiesis. Patients with nutritional anemia often have mild to moderate anemia, with hemoglobin levels between 8 and 10 g/dL (80 and 100 g/L). In practice, nutritional anemia represents one-third of all anemia in elderly patients. About two-third of nutritional anemia is associated with iron deficiency and most of those cases are the result of chronic blood loss from gastrointestinal lesions. The remaining cases of nutritional anemia are usually associated with vitamin B12 (cobalamin), most frequently related to food-cobalamin malabsorption (especially in case of atrophic gastritis), and Biermer’s disease (pernicious anemia); and/or vitamin B9 (folate) deficiency, most frequently related to inadequate dietary intake or malnutrition, several drugs (as methotrexate, cotrimoxazole) and chronic alcohol intake. In clinical practice, recognition of these disorders and deficiencies is essential for optimal treatment (nutrient-deficiency replacement).
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the influence of transformational leadership (TL) on job satisfaction by using the business perspective of the balanced scorecard.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an empirical study of the top four life insurance firms in Taiwan – Cathay, Nan Shan, Shin Kong, and Cumshaw Post Company – that held more than 50 percent of Taiwan's overall market share. The sales employees of these four firms were selected for empirical testing, since in these firms, emphasis is placed on leadership and on how the employees' job satisfaction is reflected in the reduction of internal process costs.Findings – Consistent with earlier predictions, the authors attained significant results, but they did find that group maintenance, group goal achievement behaviors, and their complementarity truly helped enhance employee job satisfaction. This suggests that group maintenance and group goal achievement behaviors, including their complementarity, will provide a m...
We have fabricated a composite ceramic rod that consists of a 0.8 at. % Nd:Y3Al5O12 core part and an Y3Al5O12 clad part. A high-power laser diode side-pumped cw laser was demonstrated with the composite ceramic rod. A maximum output of 70 W with a slope efficiency of 29% was obtained at 1064 nm. The laser output with the composite rod was about 25% higher than that of noncomposite rod under the same conditions. Thermally induced birefringence and the thermal lens effect of both rods were also investigated.
On the basis of facial geometrical feature and muscle model, this paper represents a generation method adapted to two-dimension human images. The method uses a feature mesh model to describe facial components accurately, and makes the displacement of contour feature point the parameter of facial image morphing and expression synthesis. At the same time, It controls interact relation between facial components and variety of facial contour by using a face integral modal. The result of experiments shows that the facial images generated by this algorithm are accurate, and the expression effect is more natural.
B. Das*, R. K. Sharma, P. Borah, S. Das, L. M. Barkalita, R. K. Mandakini Devi and B. C. Baishya Department of Microbiology, and Department of Animal Biotechnology, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati 781 022, India Department of Biotechnology, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781 014, India Department of Microbiology, Central Agricultural University, Selesih, Aizwal, Mizoram 796 014, India Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati 781 022, India
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) present a higher mortality rate in comparison to the general population. Cardiovascular complications are the main cause of death. Huge interest in the topic of intestinal microbiota causes that there are more and more studies indicating the influence of microorganisms and their metabolites on cardiovascular risk. The metabolites derived from intestinal microbiota are classified as uremic toxins. The best known metabolites are trimethylamine N-oxide, p-cresol sulfate and indoxyl sulfate. The aforementioned uremic toxins promote the development of atherosclerosis and contribute to the chronic inflammation. One of the factors influencing the composition of the gut microbiota is diet. The aim of the study is to present the latest research on metabolites of intestinal microbiota, diet and increased cardiovascular risk among patients with CKD.
Some tests of gravity theories--periastron shift, geodetic precession, change in mean motion and gravitational redshift--are applied in solar and stellar systems to constrain the cosmological constant. We thus consider a length scale range from {approx}10{sup 8} to {approx}10{sup 15} km. Best bounds from the solar system come from perihelion advance and change in mean motion of Earth and Mars, {lambda} < or approx. 10{sup -36} km{sup -2}. Such a limit falls very short to estimates from observational cosmology analyses but a future experiment performing radio ranging observations of outer planets could improve it by 4 orders of magnitude. Beyond the solar system, together with future measurements of periastron advance in wide binary pulsars, gravitational redshift of white dwarfs can provide bounds competitive with Mars data.
Kidney transplant rejection is an inflammatory process characterized by lymphocyte infiltration. Our earlier observations have shown that peritubular capillary endothelium (PTCE) is the site of lymphocyte entry into the rejecting renal allograft. During rejection, PTCE begins to express sialyl Lewis x de novo, and binds lymphocytes by a mechanism largely dependent on L-selectin. Hence, inhibiting the lymphocyte-endothelial interaction with oligosaccharide ligands of L-selectin offers an attractive possibility to prevent the inflammation and rejection. Here, we report enzyme-assisted synthesis of N-acetyllactosamine-based tetra-, deca-, and docosameric saccharides carrying one, two or four distally located sialyl Lewis x groups [Neu-NAc alpha 2-3Gal beta 1-4(Fuc alpha 1-3)GlcNAc] (sLex), respectively. When tested for their ability to inhibit lymphocyte-endothelial interaction during rat kidney transplant rejection, all sLex-saccharides were inhibitors in the Stamper-Woodruff binding assays; the analogues lacking fucose showed no inhibitory potency. The tetravalent sLex glycan proved to be a high-affinity adhesion inhibitor with an IC50 < 50 nM. While less powerful than the tetravalent glycan, also the divalent sLex saccharide was a much better inhibitor than the monovalent glycan. Hence, increasing multivalency and, possibly, increasing chain length of the polylactosamine backbone, enhances the inhibitory potency of sLex bearing glycans in the lymphocyte-endothelial adhesion assay. This suggests that L-selectin behaves as a "functional oligomer" on lymphocyte surfaces.
Transfer printing of Au micro-electrode patterns onto a polyimide (PI) film was investigated, and the optimum transfer conditions were obtained. Here, the line and space patterns with widths of 25 μm and 100 μm were successfully transfered on polyimide films at a molding temperature of 150 °C for 3 min under the molding pressure of 2.5 MPa. This technique is expected to provide simplified processes to fabricate electrode patterns on microelectro mechanical systems (MEMS).
In part I to III of the present paper a revised columnar high-order modelling approach to model gas-aerosol interactions in the convective boundary layer (CBL) was proposed, and simulation results of two nucleation scenarios (binary vs. ternary) on new particle formation (NPF) in the anthropogenically inﬂuenced CBL were presented. It 5 was demonstrated that both scenarios strongly di ﬀ er with respect to the amplitude and phase of the NPF burst detectable in the Prandtl layer, as well as with respect to the time-height evolution of turbulent vertical ﬂuxes and double correlation terms of physico-chemical and aerosoldynamical variables. In the present part, an attempt is made to re-evaluate previous observations of NPF bursts in the CBL in view of the 10 scenario simulations discussed in part III. Special attention is payed to the role of CBL turbulence in NPF burst evolution. At ﬁrst, a compilation of empirical ﬁndings and hypothesis on NPF in the CBL derived from a number of ﬁeld experiments, is performed. Secondly, it is demonstrated, that the binary scenario simulated in part III corresponds well to a number of NPF burst events observed in Hyyti ¨ al ¨ a (Finland) and Melpitz (East- 15 ern Germany). Here, one of the key hypothesis on the role of turbulence in NPF is conﬁrmed. Other NPF events, such as those observed at Hohenpeissenberg, a mountain site (Southern Germany), can not yet be conclusively explained. To note, that the results of previous box modelling studies to explain NPF events at Hohenpeissenberg are not unambiguous. Nonetheless, based on only two simulated scenarios it is demon- 20 strated, that a columnar high-order model is a helpful tool to elucidate the genesis of NPF bursts frequently observed in the CBL. A comprehensive veriﬁcation/validation
As it enters adolescence the Open Science Grid (OSG) is bringing a maturing fabric of Distributed High Throughput Computing (DHTC) services that supports an expanding HEP community to an increasingly diverse spectrum of domain scientists. Working closely with researchers on campuses throughout the US and in collaboration with national cyberinfrastructure initiatives, we transform their computing environment through new concepts, advanced tools and deep experience. We discuss examples of these including: the pilot-job overlay concepts and technologies now in use throughout OSG and delivering 1.4 Million CPU hours/day; the role of campus infrastructures- built out from concepts of sharing across multiple local faculty clusters (made good use of already by many of the HEP Tier-2 sites in the US); the work towards the use of clouds and access to high throughput parallel (multi-core and GPU) compute resources; and the progress we are making towards meeting the data management and access needs of non-HEP communities with general tools derived from the experience of the parochial tools in HEP (integration of Globus Online, prototyping with IRODS, investigations into Wide Area Lustre). We will also review our activities and experiences as HTC Service Provider to the recently awarded NSF XD XSEDE project, the evolution of the US NSF TeraGrid project, and how we are extending the reach of HTC through this activity to the increasingly broad national cyberinfrastructure. We believe that a coordinated view of the HPC and HTC resources in the US will further expand their impact on scientific discovery.
While historians are paying greater attention to the role of the post-colonial Third World in international affairs, there is a tendency to focus on North–South relations and the discourse of the 1955 Bandung Conference. Relying principally on Yugoslav and Algerian archival sources, this paper re-emphasises the dynamic historicity of ‘Third Worldism’ and the significance of ‘South–South’ connections. It explores the evolution of the Third World movement in the decade following Bandung, when smaller countries and non-state movements exerted greater influence while larger actors, such as India and China, quarrelled. The founding of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961 represented a victory for smaller actors who took a more provocative and subversive approach to international relations, to the extent that NAM was a means for the weak to wage the cold war on their terms. Over the following half-decade, Non-Alignment supplanted Afro-Asianism as the primary organisational concept for the Third World, confirming that the Third World was a political project with a potentially unbounded membership rather than the expression of a non-Western, non-white identity.
Rice, Oryzae sativa (L.) is an important staple food crop that is widely consumed in Nigeria, however, it is affected by diseases which thus affect the yield. This study was carried out to evaluate rice genotypes for resistance to natural population of blast pathogen and there agronomic performance. Seventeen (17) rice genotypes screened for blast disease resistance caused by Magnaporthe oryzae at the blast hot spot and water stress environment and there agronomic performance at National Cereal Research Institute, Badeggi showed different reactions. Genotype BR3 is highly resistant and has the list incidence of 28% may be utilized by incorporating it into the breeding programme. BR2 is moderately resistant and also gave the highest grain yield. The blast incidence and severity does not affect the agronomic performance of the rice genotypes as most of the genotypes yield above the average grain yield of 3 tons/hecter. Development of resistant varieties has been the most effective and economical strategy to control blast disease of Magnaporthe oryzae .
The ligand properties of 1,4-dithiane monosulfoxide (DTMSO) have been studied by preparing a number of coordination compounds of formula M(DTMSO)6(anion)n, and by investigating their structure and properties by means of physical measurements.        The ligand is shown, by means of infrared spectroscopy to coordinate via the oxygen lone pair electrons to the metal ions investigated.        Both infrared and ligand-field spectra showed the presence of octahedral ions M(DTMSO)6n+ in the compounds M(DTMSO)6(ClO4)n and M(DTMSO)6(BF4)n. In the case of M = Cu2+ these ions are distorted from regular octahedral, as is shown by infrared spectroscopy and by paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.        The ligand DTMSO has been placed in the spectrochemical and nephelauxetic series with respect to the metal ions Ni(II) and Co(II). The spectrochemical series appears to be DMSO < DTMSO < TOSO < PMSO, and the nephelauxetic series has the reversed order (DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide, TOSO = 1,4-thioxane sulfoxide, PMSO = pentamethylene sulfoxide).
The aim of this work was to study the changes in fruit quality and antioxidant activity depending on ripening levels, storage temperature and storage periods in two strawberry cultivars (Fragaria × ananassa cvs. Daewang and Seolhyang). Fully ripe strawberry fruits (100% colored fruits) and unripe strawberry fruits (50% colored fruits) were harvested and then stored at 4℃ and 15℃ for 10 days, respectively. Hardness, phytochemicals, sugars, organic acids and antioxidant activity of strawberry fruits were measured after storage for 5 and 10 days, respectively. When fruit hardness was compared between the two cultivars, ‘Daewang’ showed a greater degree of fruit hardness than ‘Seolhyang’. ‘Daewang’ also showed higher amounts of phenolic compounds and sucrose than ‘Seolhyang’. In contrary to this, ‘Daewang’ was shown to contain lower amounts of anthocyanin and fructose than ‘Seolhyang’. However, antioxidant activities of both cultivars were almost identical. When the effects of storage temperature were examined on fruit hardness, fruits stored at 4℃ showed a higher degree of hardness than those stored at 15℃. During the period of fruit storage at 4℃ or 15℃, both cultivars showed marked decline in the contents of phenolic compounds as well as sucrose. Contrastingly, they showed higher amounts of anthocyanin and glucose after 10 days of storage. On the other hand, the contents of organic acids in strawberry fruits were influenced only by the period of storage, not depending on cultivars or temperatures. Antioxidant activities of fully ripe fruits declined remarkably after 10 days of storage, as compared to unripe fruits which showed a minor decrease or increase. When fully ripe fruits of both cultivars were stored at different temperatures, those stored at 15℃ showed a significant decrease in the antioxidant activity as compared to those stored at 4℃. However, changes of antioxidant activity in unripe fruits were minor. These observations in order to supply high quality strawberry suggest that fully ripe strawberry fruits should be harvested for the short-term storage and the appropriate ripe level fruit should be harvested for the long-term storage. Storage temperature is appropriate at 4℃.
Anaerobic treatment of liquidized food waste (LFW) was carried out in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASBR) by stepwise increase in organic loading rate (OLR) and temperature. The chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), biogas and methane production were measured at hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 10 to 4d, and start up strategy of the reactor was monitored for 10 weeks. Thermophilic condition was achieved by increasing the temperature from 30 to 55°C, and pH was maintained at 7 ± 0.5 throughout the experiment. Maximum COD removal efficiency was 93.67% (r = 0.84) at an OLR of 12.5 g‐COD/L·d and 4d HRT. Maximum TOC removal efficiency was 79.14% (r = −0.94) at an influent TOC concentration of 3.59 g/L. Biogas and methane yield were recorded to a maximum of 1.364 L/g‐CODremoved·d (r = 0.81), 0.912 L/g‐CODremoved·d (r = 0.83), and average methane content of biogas was 63%. The reactor was fully acclimatized at 55°C and achieved stability with high removal efficiency and biogas production. An OLR of 12.5 g‐COD/L·d and HRT of 4 days were suitable for the treatment of LFW in UASBR. The treatment process can also be extendable for more than 10 weeks without any measurable problem. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2012
This study investigates how traditional news media and Internet services have become entangled in recipients’ habits of gathering information on current topics. Push media enable citizens to scan the issue environment while pull media enable them to seek out in-depth information if information needs have been elicited. Furthermore, content quality in many pull media may increase when more users generate content, removing flaws and adding information. We expected that TV and newspaper coverage of an issue will lead to increases in (a) searches for and (b) user edits in related articles in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Our findings reliably support the hypotheses, but the extent to which the count of page views increases is highly dependent on the topic at hand and how the search keyword relates to the issue. This matches the predictions of information-seeking theories and the dynamic transactional model of media effects.
The telecommunication technology PLC (Power Line Communication) is researched in given article. The method of calculation of frequency characteristics of telecommunication channel formed on base of building electric wiring network is proposed. The interference in PLC TS (transmission system) and achieved by PLC TS data transmission rate are calculated for typical network fragment under the different conditions. References 8, figures 7, tables 1.
Strangeness enhancement and collective flow are considered signatures of the quark gluon plasma formation. These phenomena have been detected not only in relativistic heavy ion collisions but also in high energy, high multiplicity events of proton-proton and proton-nucleus (small systems) scatterings. A universal behavior emerges by considering the parton density in the transverse plane as the dynamical quantity to specify the initial condition of the collisions, which in electron-positron annihilation at the available energies is too low to expect collective effects.
The paper presents a review of current data on mechanisms of natural and synthetic antimutagen action underlying the expediency and availability of their application as anticarcinogens. Previously, some molecular processes involved in carcinogenesis as well as some therapeutic targets are considered. The effects of antimutagens on those or other molecular targets have been summarized in table. Along with the literature data on plant antimutagens, some experimental results and supposed mechanisms of the 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives have been analyzed.
Evidence is accumulating that drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is by no means a homogeneous biological entity. This perception implies limitations of current procedures for in vitro drug susceptibility testing, based on unique but often poorly understood techniques in diagnostic mycobacteriology. The aim of this paper is to briefly review the molecular mechanisms of mycobacterial drug resistance, to critically reflect the principles involved in drug susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis in the diagnostic laboratory and to discuss possible implications for therapy.
Innovatory advances by outsiders: The example of the amateur astronomer William Herschel. — Every scientific experience and perception has been gained from within a particular historical situation constituted by numerous components, both internal and external to a particular science, called praesentabilia (Präsentabilien). They enable and determine the scope and the experiental pale of any given science as well as its way and method of acquiring experience and knowledge. The interaction of such praesentabilia forms, what may be called the Historische Erfahrungsraum (‘historical field of experience’), which each individual and/or (greater/smaller) group shares in respectively. A scientific (cultural, religious, social, disciplinal, etc.) community may be said to exist whereever the intersection of the various sets of praesentabilia making up its members' fields of experience comprises a minimum standard of praesentabilia that form this community, thus establishing its particular Historische(n) Erfahrungsraum. As long and as far someone outside the disciplinal community could acquaint himself with its praesentabilia in a selftaught manner, there will be outsiders and amateurs, who, while lacking any regular (and one‐sided) education and training, yet owning some extra praesentabilia, would be in a position to bring in novel methods of thinking and unconventional perceptions. There may be several reasons for this: (1) because they study fields that are not yet or no longer present in the disciplinal community, or (2) because they are not bound to the usual (uniform and standardized) instrumentation, or (3) because their social status does not seem from the professional scientific community (nor from the socio‐political community, conditional to the former's existence). Conversely they feel not being bound by the rules, the expectations and the aims posited by that scientific community. Since the disciplinal community lacks the praesentabilia that are prerequisite to fully understanding the outsider and amateur, he, in turn, has to overcome much more difficulties, till his innovatory perceptions are acknowledged. On the other hand, whenever his new methods, instruments or points of view prove to be helpful in solving an old problem of the disciplinal community, this solution will generally soon be acknowledged, in case its reproduction is sufficiently guaranteed by the traditional methods and by the usual instruments. Eventually the acknowledgement may lead to the approbation and the acceptance of the said methods, instruments and points of view, because the solution offered has by then become a praesentabile integral to the disciplinal community.
I've always thought that 3-D gadgets were like Twitter-impressive and charming, but rarely worth the fuss. In film, Hollywood's garish threedimensional visuals fail to disguise its typically two-dimensional characters and one-dimensional plots, and I can't be the only person who balks at the idea of donning clunky glasses to watch TV at home. So I approached Fujifilm's new FinePix Real 3D W3 digital camera full of doubt.
The authentication and key distribution schemes are widely used for providing safe communication. They are used for creating private communication channels in unsecured area. This paper deals with the concept of design of such schemes (protocols) and their properties. The paper starts with the properties and requirements of designed protocol, followed by the description of the design concept based on the trace formula and the process of its automation within the design library. The presented library supports both the handling of protocol properties and protocol design.
Some species of birds are known to whiffle, or fly inverted, in order to rapidly lose altitude, move laterally, or respond to gusts and atmospheric disturbances. Recently, gaps inspired by the bio-mechanics of whiffling have been found to change the forces and moments of an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) wing. These novel gapped wings have been studied in terms of rapid descent and roll control. However, their potential as gust alleviation devices and overall impact on aircraft dynamics remained unknown. Here, we analytically determined the trim state, free response, and gust response of aircraft with varying gapped wings. The gaps shifted the aerodynamic center of the wing forward but in general beneficially decreased the wing’s overall contribution to the aircraft pitching moment. This effect resulted in a steeper glide angle and higher velocity at trim. The gaps also reduced the phugoid mode by decreasing its natural frequency and increasing damping. However, all of the aircraft could require a controller for the short period mode due to a higher natural frequency. Finally, we showed that the gapped wings improved the aircrafts’ response to transverse and streamwise gusts by increasing damping and reducing the maximum amplitude of oscillations. Despite some practical design challenges associated with the gapped wings, they ultimately benefited the aircraft’s dynamic response and effectively mitigated gusts. Thus, the gapped wings could be a suitable control surface for gust alleviation.
Abstract The distribution and ecological 'preferences', in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, of the prominent, pathogen-carrying tick Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius) were reviewed, on the basis of the published literature, satellite imagery, and the examination of several tick collections. The tick has been collected from the southern U.S.A. (Texas and Florida) to northern Argentina, but is probably absent from Uruguay and southern Brazil (the few records of the species in these areas probably represent mis-identifications). The ecological conditions prevailing in the areas where the tick has been reported were characterized using remotely sensed data on temperature and vegetation stress (as indicated by the normalized derived vegetation index, or NVDI). In Mexico and the U.S.A., the species is found in areas where the mean temperature is around 13-16°C and the NVDI is high. South of Venezuela, however, the tick is only common in zones where the mean temperature is 18-20°C and the NVDI is again high. It is relatively low mean temperatures and differences in the seasonal patterns of rainfall that seem to limit the tick's colonization of areas to the north of its current distribution. Low temperatures also seem to be keeping the tick out of mountainous areas, such as the Sierra Madre in Mexico and the pre-Andean hills in Argentina. The southern distribution of A. cajennense is mainly restricted by relatively low temperatures and not by low humidity.
Inorganic solids are often present in real heavy oil systems, but are typically absent in asphaltene laboratory studies. For the first time, we investigate the influence of inorganic solids on the kinetic precipitation of asphaltenes. In contrast to potentially slow kinetics in homogeneous liquid petroleum mixtures, rapid kinetic precipitation of asphaltenes was observed when inorganic solids were present in the system. A combined homogeneous aggregation and diffusion-limited heterogeneous nucleation model was developed to quantify the rate of asphaltene precipitation under the explored experimental conditions. The rate of heterogeneous nucleation was generally observed to be faster than the rate of homogeneous aggregation; however, this trend was reversed as the solvent strength decreased and greater quantities of asphaltenes precipitated. The inorganic solids were characterized, and kaolinite clay was observed in the studied samples. This investigation leads to a clearer understanding of the complex asp...
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract and is associated with decreased bone mineral density. IBD patients are at higher risk of osteopenia, osteoporosis and fracture compared to non-IBD patients. The impact of IBD on the performance of orthopedic implants has not been well studied. We hypothesized that a history of IBD at the time of primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) would increase the risk of subsequent failure as assessed by revision surgery. A retrospective implant survival analysis was completed using the Swedish Hip Arthroplasty Registry and the Sweden National Patient Register. A total of 150,073 patients undergoing THA for osteoarthritis within an 18-year period were included in the study. THA patients with (n = 2,604) and without (n = 147,469) a history of IBD at the time of THA were compared with primary revision as the main endpoint and adjusted using sex, age category and comorbidity (Elixhauser scores) as covariates. We found that patients with a history of IBD had a relatively higher risk of revision surgery for septic causes while the non-IBD patients had a relatively higher risk of revision for aseptic causes (p = 0.004). Our findings suggest there may be an association between gut health and THA performance.
The latest trends of Space Optical Remote Sensing are high-resolution, multispectral, and wide swath detecting. High-speed digital image data transmission will be more important for remote sensing. At present, the data output interface of Space Optical Remote Sensing, after performing the image data compression and formatting, transfers the image data to data storage unit of the Spacecraft through LVDS circuit cables. But this method is not recommended for high-speed digital image data transmission. This type of image data transmission, called source synchronization, has the low performance for high-speed digital signal. Besides, it is difficult for cable installing and system testing in limited space of vehicle. To resolve these issues as above, this paper describes a high-speed interconnection device for Space Optical Remote Sensing with Spacecraft. To meet its objectives, this device is comprised of Virtex-5 FPGA with embedded high-speed series and power-efficient transceiver, fiber-optic transceiver module, the unit of fiber-optic connection and single mode optical fiber. The special communication protocol is performed for image data transferring system. The unit of fiber-optic connection with high reliability and flexibility is provided for transferring high-speed serial data with optical fiber. It is evident that this method provides many advantages for Space Optical Remote Sensing: 1. Improving the speed of image data transferring of Space Optical Remote Sensing; 2. Enhancing the reliability and safety of image data transferring; 3. Space Optical Remote Sensing will be reduced significantly in size and in weight; 4. System installing and system testing for Space Optical Remote Sensing will become easier.
Two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of oxytetracycline-supplemented diets on mortality of young endangered masked bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus ridgwayi). Inclusion of oxytetracycline at 200 g per ton in the feed for 6 weeks resulted in a marked, significant reduction in mortality of young masked bobwhite quail raised in captivity. Including the antibiotic in feed during the first week of life reduced mortality as effectively as feeding it for a longer period.
The problem of this research is that many pencak silat learners do not memorize a single martial arts stance. This study aims to determine the effect of the use of audio-visual media on the mastery of a single martial arts stance of Al-Istiqamah West Pasaman High School Students. This type of research is experimental. The time of the study was carried out on 19 June - 25 July 2018 at Al-Istiqamah West Pasaman High School. This sampling technique is by purposive sampling of 16 students (12 men and 4 women). Data analysis of the results of t test data processing obtained t countg t table (9.53g 1,753). The average value of mastery single martial arts after being given the audio visual media method is higher that is 378.69 compared to the average value before using audio visual media that is equal to 297.75. The results of the analysis show that there is an influence of the use of audio-visual media on the mastery of a single martial arts stance of Al-Istiqamah West Pasaman High School
Right ventricular (RV) systolic time intervals and hemodynamic parameters were determined by micromanometric techniques in 13 subjects with normal right ventricles (NRV). These data were compared to those of 16 patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) or predominant pressure overloading and 13 individuals with uncomplicated secundum atrial septal defects (ASD) or predominant volume overloading.In PH, the QP2 interval tends to remain within the normal range due to reciprocal changes in isovolunmic contraction (ICT) and ejection (RVET) times. Elevations of pulmonary artery diastolic pressure are associated with increases in the mean rate of isovolumic pressure rise (MRIPR) (r = 0.84), but the latter change does not fully compensate for the widened ventriculoarterial diastolic pressure dif-splitference and ICT becomes prolonged (P ⩽ 0.001). Factors other than stroke index depression which may contribute to the decreased duration of RVET (P ⩽ 0.001) include tricuspid regurgitation and elevation of pulmonary vascular impedance.In ASD, QP2 is significantly prolonged (P ⩽ 0.025) due to a significant increase in RVET (P ⩽ 0.005). In contrast to NRV, a linear correlation of RVET and stroke index was not present, which suggested an alteration of ejection dynamics in this group. Despite a high incidence of complete or incomplete right bundle branch block, the interval from QRS onset to rapid RV pressure upstroke was not prolonged. This is most probably the result of peripheral bundle branch block of genesis of the QRS pattern by right ventricular hypertrophy.
Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lethal chronic interstitial lung disease (ILD) of unknown cause and having a variable and unpredictable course. This study aimed to summarize the clinical features and follow‐up outcomes and to identify potential factors useful for the assessment of prognosis in IPF. Methods Two hundred and ten patients hospitalized and diagnosed as IPF in our unit from January 1999 to June 2007 were enrolled into this study. The baseline demographic, clinical, radiologic and physiologic characteristics were summarized. Clinical follow‐up data until February 2010 were collected, and the median survival time and 1‐, 2‐, and 5‐year survival rates, as well as the influences of the summarized baseline variables on the prognosis were analyzed. Results The age at diagnosis as IPF was (64±10) years, the duration before diagnosis of 106 patients (50%) was shorter than 2 years, and 73% were males. One hundred and forty‐five patients (69%) had a history of smoking with a median pack‐year of 18. Eighty‐nine patients (42%) had emphysema and 62 patients (29%) pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). One hundred and twenty‐four patients were followed up, of which 99 patients died from various causes including respiratory failure related to IPF (93%). The follow‐up period was (21±23) months. The median survival time was 38 months. The 1‐, 2‐, and 5‐year survival rates were 61%, 52%, and 39%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed clubbing, PAH, duration from initial onset to diagnosis, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) were independent prognostic indicators of IPF. Conclusion IPF patients who have clubbing, PAH, a higher FEV1/FVC, and a short duration from initial onset to diagnosis have a poorer outcome.
Following an approach presented by Frantzikinakis [Multiple correlation sequences and nilsequences. Invent. Math. 202(2) (2015), 875–892], we prove that any multiple correlation sequence defined by invertible measure preserving actions of commuting transformations with integer part polynomial iterates is the sum of a nilsequence and an error term, which is small in uniform density. As an intermediate result, we show that multiple ergodic averages with iterates given by the integer part of real-valued polynomials converge in the mean. Also, we show that under certain assumptions the limit is zero. A transference principle, communicated to us by M. Wierdl, plays an important role in our arguments by allowing us to deduce results for $ mathbb{Z}$ -actions from results for flows.
Abstract Macrodontia is a relatively uncommon dental anomaly and has often been reported to occur in association with other dental anomalies. Significant orthodontic and restorative challenges may arise in the management of patients with macrodont teeth. This case report demonstrates the opportune and carefully considered management of a patient presenting with both a macrodont and a supernumerary incisor tooth.
Plaque samples of 2, 5, 7 and 12 days were obtained under complete anaerobiosis with a special technique from the labial surfaces of the upper incisor teeth of six subjects. the samples were primarily assayed for their content of grampositive bacteria; actinomyces, eubacteria, lactobacilli, corynrbacteria, nocardia, propionibacteria, peptococci, peptostreptococci, and streptococci. At day 2 streptococci, corynebacteria and nocardia predominated, but after 5 days also anaerobic gram-positive cocci and rods were found. 15 strains of these cultivable gram-positive anaerobic cocci were investigated further with regard to morphology, biochemical reactions and fermentation products. Seven of these organisms resembled Peptostrepto-coccus intermedius and four of these strains were probably Peptostreptococcus anaerobius. One appeared to belong to Peptococcus magnus and the remaining strains could be considered as Peptococcus variabilis.
The resource‐based view (RBV) is one of the most widely accepted theories of strategic management. However, to date no systematic assessment of the RBV's level of empirical support has been conducted. In response, a sample of RBV‐grounded empirical articles was analyzed from which it was found that the RBV has received only modest support overall and that this support varies considerably with the independent variable and theoretical approach employed. It is therefore suggested that scholars avoid the tendency to test models reflecting early incarnations of the RBV and instead test those that incorporate its more contemporary theoretical extensions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In this paper, we theoretically and experimentally introduce a new reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADM) module which bases on the narrow-band optical switch (NBOS) technology and achieves the narrow-band optical switching with a Fabry-Perot cavity. In comparison with the analysis of the current ROADM technologies, the NBOS-based ROADM module is proven to be cost-effective, low insertion loss, narrow-band, and has a more mature technology. It would grow to be a cost-effective ROADM solution than any of the others.
This article advances the proposition that sustainable tourism can be achieved through recognition that the public and private sector, the host communities and the natural environment are interdependent stakeholders in a complex tourism ‘domain’, where no single individual, agency or group can resolve strategic tourism issues by acting alone. The planning and management of this domain for the purpose of achieving sustainability requires moving away from traditional approaches towards dynamic collaboration among the stakeholders of the tourism development and planning domain. Collaboration provides a flexible process which evolves over time, enabling stakeholders to disseminate and manage problems or issues on an interactive basis. It offers an attractive alternative to adversarial problem solving methods in tourism planning and management, when inter or multi‐sectoral participation is required. The paper commences with a discussion of the shortfalls of traditional tourism planning processes and models, fo...
Objective: To investigate the association between high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level and new-onset hypertension in different age groups. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study involving non-hypertensive population in Kailuan Group community who participated in health examination between 2006 and 2007.Follow-up was conducted every 2 years, and the time of new onset of hypertension was used as the endpoint of follow-up. The endtime of follow-up for patients without hypertension was the time of death or the last follow-up (December 31, 2017).According to the baseline hsCRP level, the participants were divided into low-risk group (hsCRP<1.0 mg/L), medium-risk group (hsCRP ≥1.0 and ≤3.0 mg/L), and high-risk group (hsCRP>3.0 mg/L), and further stratified by age. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the cumulative incidence of hypertension in each group. Multivariate Cox regression model was used to analyze the association between hsCRP level and new-onset hypertension. Results: A total of 51 179 participants were included in this study, including 38 606 males (75.43%) with an average age of (48.1±12.2) years. The baseline hsCRP was 0.64 (0.25, 1.60) mg/L. The baseline hsCRP was 0.30 (0.16, 0.59), 1.57 (1.20, 2.10), 5.17 (3.80, 7.10) mg/L respectively in low-, medium- and high-risk groups. During the follow-up of (8.1±2.2) years, a total of 9 523 (18.60%) patients developed hypertension, and the cumulative incidence rates of low-, medium- and high-risk groups were 17.41%, 20.48% and 20.73%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of hypertension in low-, medium- and high-risk groups of<45, 45-54, 55-64, ≥65 years old were 13.53%, 15.82%, 16.76%; 19.27%, 22.84%, 21.62%; 21.55%, 24.19%, 24.88%;20.20%, 22.35%, 19.11%, respectively. Except for people aged ≥65 years, there were significant differences in the cumulative incidence of hypertension in low-, medium- and high-risk groups (all P<0.05).Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the risk of new-onset hypertension in the high risk group was 1.11 times higher than that in the low risk group (HR=1.11, 95%CI 1.05-1.18). The risk of new-onset hypertension in the high-risk group was 1.22 times (HR=1.22, 95%CI 1.08-1.38), 1.14 times (HR=1.14, 95%CI 1.04-1.26), 1.16 times (HR=1.16, 95%CI 1.04-1.30), and 1.02 times (HR=1.02, 95%CI 0.86-1.20) of the low-risk group, in the<45, 45-54, 55-64, and ≥65 years old groups, respectively. Conclusion: Higher hsCRP level is a risk factor for new-onset hypertension, and the risk of developing hypertension caused by elevated hsCRP is age-dependent.
It is suggested that Akaike's information criterion cannot be used for model selection in real applications and that there are problems attending the definition of parsimonious fit indices. A normed function of the noncentrality parameter is recommended as an unbiased absolute goodness-of-fit index, and the Tucker-Lewis index and a new unbiased counterpart of the Bentler-Bonett index are recommended for those investigators who might wish to evaluate fit relative to a null model
The processes of petrology are essentially physico-chemical and are best understood by: 1) analysis of natural formations and processes; 2) experimental investigations; 3) thermodynamic calculations and constructions. Petrological systems historically have been considered as essentially closed. However, recent work has stressed the significance of open magmatic and metamorphic systems and the mobility of certain components in the form of "transmagmatic solutions. " Of particular importance is the alkalinity (concentration of potassium and sodium oxides) of such solutions and the acid-base interactions. Similarly, the regimes of water and carbon dioxide during metamorphism have a direct bearing on mineral paragenesis and should be investigated further. The concepts of infiltrational and diffusional solutions in metasomatic processes explain features of chemical and mineralogical zonality which cannot be satisfactorily explained by the conventional "pulsational" theory of post-magmatic solutions. Also, the ...
Abstract In the present study, composite materials were prepared from recycled PE, PP and commingled plastics, and waste cellulosics, e.g., sawdust (woodflour) of maple wood. In order to establish the compatibility, the woodflour was surface modified by precoating with maleated thermoplastics. Moreover, to improve the fire-retardancy, and at the same time to minimize the degradation of recycled plastics and woodflour various flame-retardant/heat-resistant/antioxidant materials (e.g., boric acid, Na-borate, Mg(OH)2 and irganox) were incorporated in the composites during processing. The variation in mechanical properties, e.g., tensile strength, tensile toughness, elongation at break and Young's modulus, on the concentration of both unmodified and modified woodflour in compression molded composites has been evaluated. The effect of particle size, e.g., mesh sizes 40, 60 and 100, of the woodflour on the performance of the composites has also been evaluated. Experimental results indicate that mechanical prope...
Professor Flew interprets my book Freedom and Liberation as a defence of a sort of radical authoritarianism disguised as a theory of freedom. He supposes me to be looking for a ‘Guardian élite’, a group of ‘new philosopher kings who will … create, and impose their own values upon, what Gibbs wants to honour as “a free society”’. In the title of his lecture Flew suggests that the message of the book might accurately be summed up in the Orwellian slogan ‘Freedom is Slavery’.
The home environment is a particularly significant part of life that is supposed to satisfy inhabitants’ needs, form their identity, and contribute to psychological wellbeing. The construct of home attachment is especially relevant for students as a most mobile social group. This study is devoted to the validation of the Short Home Attachment Scale (SHAS) in a student sample from five countries (Armenia, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Ukraine). A total of 1,349 (17–26 years; Mage = 19.82, SDage = 2.14; 78% females) university students participated in the study and filled in the 14 items of HAS. In order to avoid redundant items with high error covariances damaging the model, a new scale—the SHAS was developed by eliminating seven items. The shortened scale has satisfactory structure validity in terms of model fit in all countries except Indonesia; internal reliability values were acceptable in all countries. Measurement invariance across countries was tested with Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MG CFA) and Alignment Analysis. MG CFA confirmed both configurational and metric invariance. The invariance of item factor loadings, as well as item intercepts, was also confirmed by the Alignment Analysis. The mean scores varied across cultures, with the highest in India and the lowest in Russia. The final version of SHAS is a valid, reliable tool that may be recommended for use in cross-cultural research. However, the SHAS factor structure robustness in the Indonesian population should be investigated thoroughly.
INTRODUCTION: Controversy exists regarding the impact of various risk factors on noncolorectal cancer (CRC) mortality in healthy screening populations. We examined the impact of known CRC risk factors, including baseline colonoscopy findings, on non-CRC mortality in a screening population. METHODS: Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) #380 is comprised of 3,121 veterans aged 50–75 years who underwent screening colonoscopy from 1994 to 97 and were then followed for at least 10 years or until death. Hazard ratios (HRs) for risk factors on non-CRC mortality were estimated by multivariate Cox proportional hazards. RESULTS: Current smoking (HR 2.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78–2.52, compared with nonsmokers) and physical activity (HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.84–0.93) were the modifiable factors most associated with non-CRC mortality in CSP#380. In addition, compared with no neoplasia at baseline colonoscopy, non-CRC mortality was higher in participants with ≥3 small adenomas (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.06–1.94), advanced adenomas (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.99–1.75), and CRC (HR 2.95, 95% CI 0.98–8.85). Those with 1–2 small adenomas were not at increased risk for non-CRC mortality (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.94–1.4). DISCUSSION: In a CRC screening population, known modifiable risk factors were significantly associated with 10-year non-CRC mortality. Furthermore, those who died from non-CRC causes within 10 years were more likely to have had high-risk findings at baseline colonoscopy. These results suggest that advanced colonoscopy findings may be a risk marker of poor health outcomes. Integrated efforts are needed to motivate healthy lifestyle changes during CRC screening, particularly in those with high-risk colonoscopy findings and unaddressed risk factors.
Background Although video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) can significantly reduce postoperative pain, the incidence is as high as 30–50%. The purpose of this study was to explore the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) combined with dexmedetomidine (Dex) for patients undergoing VATS. Methods Eighty patients were randomized into two groups (20 mL 0.5% ropivacaine plus 0.5 µg/kg or 1 µg/kg Dex). Primary outcome was the visual analog scale of pain while coughing (VASc) score at 24 h after surgery. Secondary outcomes included hemodynamics, sufentanil consumption, number of patients needing rescue analgesia, time to first rescue analgesic, total dose of rescue analgesic, satisfaction scores of patients and surgeons, time of chest tube removal, length of hospital stay, adverse effects, the prevalence of chronic pain and quality of life. Results Compared with D1 group, visual analog scale of pain at rest (VASr) was significantly lower during the first 24 h after surgery, while VASc was significantly lower during the first 48 h after surgery (P<0.05). Mean arterial pressure was significantly decreased from T2 to T8, and heart rate was significantly decreased from T2 to T7 in the D2 group (P<0.05). Consumption of sevoflurane, remifentanil, DEX and the recovery time were significantly reduced in the D2 group (P <0.05). Consumption of sufentanil 8–72 h after surgery was significantly lower in the D2 group (P<0.05). Additionally, the number of patients who required rescue analgesia, the time to the first dose of rescue analgesia, and the total dose of rescue analgesia was significantly lower in the D2 group (P<0.05). Conclusion The results of this study show that 1 µg/kg DEX is a beneficial adjuvant to ropivacaine for single-injection SAPB in VATS patients while stable hemodynamics were maintained.
The vast amount of connected devices on the Internet of Things (IoT) creates an enormous potential for new applications, by leveraging synergies arising through the convergence of consumer, business and industrial Internet, and creating open, global networks connecting people, data, and “things”. In this context, the SEMIoTICS project aims to develop a pattern-driven framework, built upon existing IoT platforms, to enable and guarantee secure and dependable actuation and semi-autonomic behaviour in IoT/Industrial IoT applications. To achieve this, patterns are used to encode proven dependencies between the security, privacy, dependability and interoperability (SPDI) properties of individual smart objects and corresponding properties of orchestrations (composition) involving them. This paper sketches this approach followed by SEMIoTICS, whereby the SPDI patterns are used to generate IoT orchestrations with proven SPDI properties at design time, while at runtime these properties are monitored in real-time, across system layers, triggering adaptations to return the deployed orchestration to the desired SPDI state, when needed.
The purpose of this study is to describe the recruitment evaluation of head school candidates in Education foundation Darul Mujahidin NW Mataram, starting from the evaluation aspects of planning, organizing, implementing, and monitoring and evaluation. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques carried out through interviews, observation, and study of documentation. Data analysis techniques used are 1) data reduction, 2) data presentation, 3) conclusion or verification. Based on the results of this study it was concluded that 1) Planning for recruitment of head school candidates was carried out by the Chairperson of the foundation together with the Foundation's management through a foundation meeting or deliberation in order to prepare decisions and policies relating to the recruitment planning and selection of prospective principals, 2) Organizing the recruitment of head school candidates to determine the duties and authority, and the recruitment implementation team through a special meeting and closed the foundation, 3) Implementation of recruitment of of head school candidates by the Foundation board as an analysis of needs and as a person responsible for the implementation of activities, namely administrative selection, and academic selection. Whereas the Chairperson of the foundation as the policy maker determines the graduation or appointment and issuance of a decree on the appointment of school principals, and 4) Monitoring and Evaluation is carried out by the Chairperson of the foundation in accordance with his authority, such as: The Chairperson of the Foundation plays a role in overseeing the planning of needs, supervision of administrative selection, supervision of academic selection, and supervision foundation board meeting to determine the appointment of the principal.
This study investigated the potency of individual polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) to reduce hepatic vitamin A in the rat. Dose-response relationships were determined following long-term dietary exposure to 2,3,7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), 2,3,4,7, 8-pentachlorodibenzofuran, 1,2,3,4,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran, 1,2,3, 7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran, 1,2,3,6,7,8-hexachlorodibenzofuran, 1,2, 3,7,8-pentachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, octachlorodibenzofuran, or mixtures of some of these congeners. The aim was to estimate vitamin A-related relative potency (REP) values for each congener in relation to that of TCDD and to investigate if these values were in accordance with REP values estimated for the subchronic toxicity observed in the same study. An additional aim was to investigate if the effect on hepatic vitamin A levels was additive compared to the effect of the individual congeners. The obtained results demonstrate that hepatic vitamin A reduction occurs as a consequence of long-term low-level exposure to 2,3,7, 8-substituted but not to non-2,3,7,8-substituted congeners. Female rats were slightly more responsive to this effect as judged from the lower EC50 values for all the congeners in this sex. The vitamin A-related REP values were similar for female and male rats and were in good agreement with the estimated REP values for subchronic toxicity in the same animals. The vitamin A effect of the individual congeners in the mixture tended to be somewhat less than pure additive for male rats and very close to pure additive for female rats. In conclusion, the presented data show that reduction of hepatic vitamin A is a sensitive marker of an altered retinoid homeostasis following long-term low-dose exposure to dioxin-like compounds, which essentially conforms to their assumed additive mechanism of action.
Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare condition in which the viscera are transposed in a mirror image reversal. We report two cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) performed for SIT patients. A 63-year old male patient with SIT was diagnosed with symptomatic gallstones. We performed LC by 3-port method. The patient was discharged uneventfully on postoperative day 2. A 57-year old female patient with SIT underwent LC for acute cholecystitis. Due to severe inflammation an assistant was needed. The patient was discharged uneventfully on postoperative day 3. Over 80 cases of LCs in SIT patients have been reported so far and LC has become the standard treatment. The current report confirms the safety of laparoscopy in such cases. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be performed safely in SIT patients if care is taken. Surgeons need to be careful of reversed anatomy and unaccustomed working hand.
A computer aided design system for determining the color appearance of metallic automotive coatings has been developed. A sketch based bidirectional reflectance distribution function design interface allows simple concept art to be used to style new metallic car colors. The final design is specified using industrial measurement standards for metallic color appearance, and paint formulations are determined by employing an automotive refinish system. A virtual collection of existing automotive paints, specified using the measurement standard, is provided, and tools for searching this database, for both design and manufacturing purposes, are described. The system is assessed by using it in industrial and educational design studios. c 2015 Society for Imaging Science and Technology. (DOI: 10.2352/J.ImagingSci.Technol.2015.59.3.030403)
Introduction/Objective. Even with the current treatment mortality from aortic  dissection remains high. The study aimed to evaluate the early postoperative  outcome of patients with aortic dissection and identify which factors could  have influence on it. Methods. The study included all consecutive patients  who underwent surgery for acute aortic dissection type A from 2012 to 2017.  We registered all parameters that could potentially impact the outcome  (general data, medical history, clinical and cardiological diagnostic test  findings, preoperative complications, type of cannulation and the operation  performed, additional surgical procedures, operation duration, etc.).  Patients were surgically treated according to the current protocols. The  main outcome measures were complications and mortality during a one-month  postoperative period. All data collected pre-, intra-, and postoperatively  were compared and statistically analyzed. Results. The study included 246  patients, of an average 57.54+/-12.88 years of age and mostly male sex  (74%). Early postoperative mortality occurred in 17% of patients.  Preoperative chronic kidney insufficiency (p = 0.005) and cerebrovascular  insult (p = 0.047) and tamponade (p = 0.036) were the major risk factors for  postoperative complications and mortality. Long hypothermic cardiac arrest  (p = 0.001), cross clamp (p = 0.017) and cardiopulmonary bypass time (p =  0.036) increased postoperative complications. Postoperative complications  started occurring after ?33.5 minutes hypothermic cardiac arrest and ?67.5  minutes cross clamp time. Having more postoperative complications (p =  0.034) increased, while performing anterograde cerebral perfusion decreased  the frequency of lethal outcome (p = 0.001). Conclusion. The majority of  patients surgically treated for acute aortic dissection had good  postoperative outcome. However, numerous pre-, intra- and postoperative  factors can impact patient survival.
The feature selective validation (FSV) technique is becoming a favored approach to quantifying the comparison of numerical and / or experimental data for validation purposes. It is a heuristic approach and, therefore, has scope for developments, enhancements and refinements from researchers particularly interested in formal validation, particularly of computational electromagnetics. One area that is clearly ripe for development is in extending the current dasiaFSVpsila FSV approach to two or more independent axes, for example to compare surface currents over a whole body. As the central tenet of FSV is to mirror the perceptions of a group of experts, higher levels of dimensionality provide substantial challenges for calibration. However, a first step in this development is gaining experience and understanding of the quantification of multidimensional data. Building on previous work, this paper concludes with a set of recommendations for the full development of two dimensional FSV.
Rounded atelectasis (RoA) is an uncommon pulmonary condition presenting as a peripheral round opacity on a chest roentgenogram. Six cases of empyema who underwent regional lung and pleural resection, had local atelectatic induration beneath the pleura. Their clinical and pathologic features were examined. Five cases had past histories of pulmonary tuberculosis with therapeutic pneumothorax, and one other case had tuberculous pleuritis. Five of seven atelectatic indurations displayed RoA on preoperative plain radiography ++ and/or CT and on soft X-ray films of resected lung preparations. With pathological examinations, the pleura showed one or several indentations, often with deep invaginations into the pulmonary parenchyma. In these regions, the appearance was occasionally more complex due to several small folds emanating from the larger fold. Outside the pleural folds, there was dense fibrous thickening. Fibrosis of the pleural interstitial layer itself was mild. Lung parenchyma adjacent to the folded pleura appeared collapsed with mild interstitial fibrosis. These findings lead to the hypothesis that RoA may result from pleural invaginations occuring after pleural effusion or therapeutic pneumothorax and from fibrous adhesions of the outer regions.
Abstract. Eddy covariance data are widely used for the investigation of surface–air interactions. Although numerous datasets exist in public depositories for land ecosystems, few research groups have released eddy covariance data collected over lakes. In this paper, we describe a dataset from the Lake Taihu eddy flux network, a network consisting of seven lake sites and one land site. Lake Taihu is the third-largest freshwater lake (area of 2400 km2) in China, under the influence of subtropical climate. The dataset spans the period from June 2010 to December 2018. Data variables are saved as half-hourly averages and include micrometeorology (air temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, and water or soil temperature profile), the four components of surface radiation balance, friction velocity, and sensible and latent heat fluxes. Except for rainfall and wind direction, all other variables are gap-filled, with each data point marked by a quality flag. Several areas of research can potentially benefit from the publication of this dataset, including evaluation of mesoscale weather forecast models, development of lake–air flux parameterizations, investigation of climatic controls on lake evaporation, validation of remote-sensing surface data products and global synthesis on lake–air interactions. The dataset is publicly available at https://yncenter.sites.yale.edu/data-access (last access: 24 October 2020) and from the Harvard Dataverse (https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/HEWCWM; Zhang et al., 2020).
In this paper, we calculated the next-to-leading order (NLO) new physics contributions to the mass splitting $ dmd$ and the branching ratio $ brbxsga$ induced by the charged Higgs loop diagrams in the third type of two-Higgs-doublet models (model III) and draw the constraints on the free parameters of model III. For the model III under consideration, we found that (a) an upper limit $| ltt| leq 1.7$ is obtained from the precision data of $ dmd=0.502  pm 0.007 ps^{-1}$, while $| ltt|  approx 0.5$ is favored phenomenologicaly; (b) for $B  to X_s  gamma$ decay, the NLO QCD contributions tend to cancel the LO new physics contributions; (c) a light charged Higgs boson with a mass around or even less than 200 GeV is still allowed at NLO level by the measured branching ratio $ brbxsga$: numerically, $188  leq  mh  leq 215$ GeV for $(| ltt|,| lbb|)=(0.5,18)$; (d) the NLO QCD contributions tend to cancel the LO contributions effectively, the lower limit on $ mh$ is consequently decreased by about 200 GeV; (e) the allowed region of $ mh$ will be shifted toward heavy mass end for a non-zero relative phase $ theta$ between the Yukawa couplings $ ltt$ and $ lbb$. The numerical results for the conventional model II are also presented for the sake of a comparison.
This paper presents a biped gait optimization system that combines bio-inspired Central Patterns Generators (CPGs) and a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm. CPGs are modeled as autonomous differential equations, that generate the necessary limb movements to perform the walking gait of a biped robot. The search for the best set of CPG parameters is optimized by considering multiple objectives and according to a staged evolution. A sensitivity analysis is used to evaluate the relationship between objectives, objectives and parameters, and allows to determine the functional meanings of the parameters. This resulting functional analysis enables to verify which parameters are relevant to the motor behaviors. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The different obtained walking gait solutions correspond to different trade-offs between the objectives.
Intensive use of nanoparticles on an industrial scale leads to an increase in their content in the environment. This increases the risks of nano-sized objects entering the technological chains of the processing industries of the agro-industrial complex, in particular, brewing. The paper presents the results of the studies of the effect of nickel oxide nanoparticles used in various industries on the activity of the proteolytic type of enzyme preparation Neutrase 1.5MG, as well as on the results of laboratory mashing of light barley malt. The effect of different concentrations of NiO nanoparticles on the accumulation of low molecular weight nitrogenous substances during gelatin hydrolysis in model media was determined. It was found that if the content of nanoparticles exceeds 0.25 mg/cm3, the proteolytic capacity of the enzyme preparation is reduced up to 70% compared to the control at the concentration of nickel oxide nanopreparation of 2.0 mg/cm3. The experiments showed that an increase in the duration of contact between nanoparticles and proteases of the enzyme preparation in the reaction medium did not lead to an increase in the inhibitory effect of the nano-sized NiO. The laboratory mashing revealed more pronounced negative effect of nickel oxide nanoparticles on the accumulation of low-molecular nitrogen compounds. It is determined that in the presence of NiO nanopreparation, the hydrolysis efficiency of the starchy components of light barley malt is reduced. As a result, according to a number of indicators (concentration of amine nitrogen, reducing substances), the first wort obtained by mashing in the presence of nickel oxide nanoparticles at both lower (0.25 mg/cm3) and higher (2.0 mg/cm3) concentrations is inferior to samples obtained in the absence of nano-sized particles. Based on the above data, it is concluded that the presence of NiO nanoparticles in brewing environments is undesirable.
Native cytochrome c6 was purified from an extract of strain BP-1 of the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus. The protein was crystallized, and with only slight modifications of the buffer and vapour-diffusion conditions two different space groups were observed, namely H3 and C2. Both crystal structures were solved; they contained three and six molecules per asymmetric unit and were refined to 1.7 and 2.25 Å resolution, respectively. To date, the structure of native cytochrome c6 from T. elongatus has only been reported as a monomer using NMR spectroscopy, i.e. without addressing putative oligomerization, and related structures have only previously been solved using X-ray crystallography after recombinant gene overexpression in Escherichia coli. The reported space groups of related cyanobacterial cytochrome c6 structures differ from those reported here. Interestingly, the protein-protein interfaces that were observed utilizing X-ray crystallography could also explain homo-oligomerization in solution; specifically, trimerization is indicated by infra-red dynamic light scattering and blue native gel electrophoresis in solution. Trimers were also detected by mass spectrometry. Furthermore, there is an indication of post-translational methylation in the crystal structure. Additionally, the possibility of modifying the crystal size and the redox activity in the context of photosynthesis is shaping the investigated cytochrome as a highly suitable model protein for advanced serial crystallography at highly brilliant X-ray free-electron laser sources.
Five titanium compounds including TiF4, TiCl3, Ti02 of pure anatase phase, Degussa P25, and (NH&F6Ti were used in this study as the titanium sources to synthesize microporous titanosilicate molecular sieve ETS-I 0 in a hydrothermal system of 3NazO:K~O:Ti02:5.7SiO2:35OH~O without the presence of organic template or seeds. The aim of this study was to identify most suitable titanium precursor for synthesis of pure ETS-10 in the above-mentioned hydrothermal system. Synthesis parameters such as temperature and time were also studied. It was observed that among the Ti precursors studied, titanium dioxides of either pure anatase or P25 are the most suitable Ti sources, from which highly pure ETS-10 can be synthesized whereas the rest of titanium precursors resulted in the formation of impurities such as ETS-4. This is of importance as titanium dioxides are commercially readily available and cost-effective, enhancing application potentials of ETS-10 as a high-efficiency adsorbent for removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solution. It was also found that temperature has a dramatic influence on the formation of pure ETS-10. Crystallization kinetic data demonstrated that phase transitions occurred during the crystallization of ETS-10.
1 Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LAM (Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille) UMR 7326, 13388, Marseille, France 2 Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center, Rutherfordstrasse 2, 12489 Berlin, Germany 3 Department of Physics, Denys Wilkinson Building Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3RH 4 Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, 38205 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain and Universidad de La Laguna, Dept. de Astrof́ısica, 38206 La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 5 Institut d’astrophysique spatiale, Université Paris-Sud 11 & CNRS (UMR 8617), Bât. 121, 91405 Orsay, France
Background Herpes zoster infection and stroke are highly prevalent in the general population; however, reports have presented inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between herpes zoster infection and stroke. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to clarify this association. Material and methods The PubMed and Embase databases were searched for studies published from their inception to January 2016. Two investigators independently extracted the data. The pooled relative risk (RR) was calculated using a random effects model. Results A total of 8 studies met the inclusion criteria. During the first 1 month after herpes zoster infection, the pooled RRs for ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke were 1.55 (95% CI, 1.46–1.65) and 1.70 (95% CI, 0.73–3.96), respectively, and within 3 months after infection, the corresponding RRs were 1.17 (95% CI, 1.12–1.23) and 2.05 (95% CI, 1.17–3.60), respectively. At 1 year and more than 1 year after herpes zoster infection, a significant relationship was not observed between herpes zoster infection and the incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. Publication bias was not observed. Conclusion The accumulated evidence generated from this systematic review indicates that an increased risk for ischemic stroke occurred in the short term after herpes zoster infection, whereas a significant relationship was not observed in the long term after infection. With respect to hemorrhagic stroke, the association was not significant. With respect to hemorrhagic stroke, the association between was not significant except within 3 months after a herpes zoster infection.
In the present work, electrocatalytic properties of Pt‐EG and Pt/Mo‐EG composite electrodes are studied. These composites were prepared by a three-step synthesis. First, stage-1 HClO4‐GIC was synthesized using the chronopotentiometric method. Then, HClO4‐GIC was heat treated to obtain expanded graphite. Finally, expanded graphite was coated with platinum catalyst from a water‐alcohol solution of H2PtCl6. MoCl5‐GIC synthesized in parallel was subjected to thermal exfoliation to get Mo‐EG composite onto which platinum catalyst was dispersed. The X-ray diraction and energy dispersive X-ray analyses coupled with scanning electron microscopy were applied for characterizing the obtained GICs and EG-based composites, whereas cyclic voltammetry was used to study electrocatalytic properties of Pt/EG and Pt/Mo‐EG composite electrodes in sulfuric acid and sulfuric acid admixed with methanol.
An in-flight airframe vibration data sample taken from a propeller driven cargo aircraft is viewed in the wavelet and frequency domains, with an emphasis on propeller blade activity. Close examination in the wavelet domain reveals a mechanism by which this activity is shared between adjacent resolution levels, with subsequent wavelet packet decomposition demonstrating alternatives with fewer basis functions.
Recursion poses a severe problem for static optimizations because its execution frequency usually depends upon runtime values, hence being rarely predictable at compile time. As a consequence, optimization potential of programs is sacrificed since possible hot paths where most of the execution time is spent and where optimization would be beneficial might be undiscovered. In this paper, we propose a sophisticated machine learning based approach to statically predict the recursion frequency of functions for programs in real-world application domains, which can be used to guide various hot spot optimizations. Our experiments with 369 programs of 25 benchmark suites from different domains demonstrate that our approach is applicable to a wide range of programs with different behavior and yields more precise heuristics than those generated by pure static analyses. Moreover, our results provide valuable insights into recursive structures in general, when they appear and how deep they are.
Abstract The severity and incidences of arrhythmias induced by left coronary artery occlusion (7min) and reperfusion (7min) were compared in two groups of rats anaesthetized by using urethane (1.25gkg −1 , i.p.) or sodium pentobarbitone (60mgkg −1 , i.p.). A possible modification by nitric oxide synthesis blocker N G -nitro- L -arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 20mgkg −1 , slow i.v. bolus) was also investigated. The ectopic activity observed in urethane-anaesthetized rats was less in number when compared to that of sodium pentobarbitone. The duration of ventricular tachycardia (VT) was significantly less in urethane group during the occlusion and reperfusion periods but incidence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) during the reperfusion was significantly higher. The administration of L-NAME caused a significant increase in the arterial blood pressure which disappeared after coronary artery occlusion in either anaesthesia groups. However, L-NAME had no significant effect on the differences observed between the two groups except the significant difference between total number of ectopic beats in both anaesthesia groups during occlusion was abolished by L-NAME treatment. These results suggest that, in this experimental model, the anaesthetic agent used can affect the severity of ischaemia–reperfusion arrhythmias and basal nitric oxide release does not have a major influence on them.
L'Idée, quand elle s'est completement incorporée à l'être moral, devient aussi impulsive que le sentiment, se transforme on peut dire en sentiment. — D. Bellegarde. Louis-Dantès Bellegarde, (1877-1966), is acknowledged generally to have been the most significant and influential diplomat produced by the Republic of Haiti in this century. His first diplomatic assignment came fortuitously at age forty-four, when President Philippe-Sudre Dartiguenave appointed him on an impulse to the Paris legation, the Holy See, and to the League of Nations in 1921. In that period, he also served as a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (The Hague), and was the Honorary President of the Second Pan-African Congress held under the aegis of W. E. B. DuBois. Previously, from age twenty-seven, he had occupied high governmental positions at the sub-cabinet and then cabinet level, primarily in the fields of education and agriculture. His formal training had been in law, banking, and commerce. That particular training was to serve him well, but color his perspective. The League's Council named him to the Commission of Slavery and Forced Labour in 1924. In 1927, he was a special guest at the Fourth Pan-African Congress held in New York. Later, in 1930, President Louis-Eugène Roy appointed him anew to France and the League of Nations where again he created a sensation.
Introduction The U.S. dairy industry entered 2020 with an optimistic farm milk price outlook that had been largely missing for the previous five years. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States in March and April 2020, some of the more compelling images were of dumped milk on farms and discussion about “broken” supply chains. This paper examines the dairy market disruptions and adjustments related to the pandemic.
The ascension of the NLN Center for Diversity and Global Initiatives has begun. This new center champions a diverse and global community of nurse educators. Its major goals are to strengthen academic cultures in diversity and inclusiveness and promote strategies to facilitate nurse educators' global engagement. Previous efforts by the NLN, including the development by members of a Diversity Toolkit, were designed to strengthen academic cultures in diversity and inclusiveness. However, following the 2008 NLN Education Summit, "The Power of Diversity," in San Antonio, Texas, the need to broaden the NLN's definition of diversity and advance inclusive strategies useful to nurse educators became evident. The NLN Diversity Think Tank was charged with broadening the definition, beyond "affirming the uniqueness of and differences among persons, ideas, values, and ethnicities." The following definition of core value of diversity, published on the NLN website, is foundational to the work of the NLN Center for Diversity and Global initiatives described below: "DIVERSITY: A culture of diversity embraces acceptance, respect, and inclusivity. We understand that each individual is unique and recognize individual differences, which can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. A culture of diversity is about understanding ourselves and each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the richness of each individual. While diversity can be about individual differences, it also encompasses institutional and system-wide behavior patterns. We must always remember that diversity without inclusivity lacks action, representing a missed opportunity." LEADERSHIP The NLN Center for Diversity and Global Initiatives, in partnership with the NLN Center for Transformational Leadership, sponsored the 2014 Leadership Conference: "Academic Leadership Excellence: Creating Inclusive Environments." Reviews from participants in Savannah indicated that nursing education programs continue to struggle with inclusiveness. The leadership conference was timely and effective in formulating strategies for inclusiveness for faculty and administrators. THE NLN EDUCATION SUMMIT The NLN's strong presence in the global arena includes an international roundtable at the annual NLN Education Summit. The roundtable brings together faculty who were educated abroad and have appointments in the United States, faculty educated in the US who have appointments outside the country, and faculty educated in countries other than the US who have appointments in their countries of origin or elsewhere. …
AIM The aim of this study was to report and contrast the aspects of two therapies considered by clients and therapists to be most and least useful.   METHOD In the UK Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT), 742 clients were treated by 49 therapists with up to three sessions of motivational enhancement therapy (MET) or up to eight sessions of social behaviour and network therapy (SBNT). After each treatment session, clients and therapists were asked to independently complete two sentences, one inviting a statement about the 'most useful' and the other about the 'least useful' thing that had happened during the session.   RESULTS The proportion of 'most useful' sentences completed was greater than the proportion of 'least useful' and equally so for MET and SBNT. The content of comments was significantly different for the two treatments: more comments on social aspects followed SBNT and more motivational comments followed MET, with larger numbers of comments following both treatments that were more general. Clients more often completed 'most useful' sentences than therapists and less often completed 'least useful' sentences. There were a number of differences in the content of their comments: notably more 'most useful' client comments about talking to their therapists, and more therapist comments about client engagement.   CONCLUSIONS MET and SBNT left distinct impressions on the participants immediately following treatment sessions, adding to the evidence that they are different treatments, and hence deepening the mystery about why outcomes following the two treatments were so similar [UKATT Research Team. (2005) Br Med J 331: 541-58].
The assessment of genotoxicity upon exposure to chemical and environmental agents plays an important role in basic research as well as in pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic and food industry. Low sensitivity and lack of inter-laboratory comparability are considered problematic issues in genotoxicity testing. Moreover, commonly used mutagenicity assays lack information about early and specific genotoxic events. Previously, we developed an automated version of the 'Fluorimetric Detection of Alkaline DNA Unwinding' (FADU) assay as a high-throughput screening method for the detection of DNA strand breaks in living cells. Here we report an enzyme-modified version of the cell based FADU assay (emFADU) for the determination of oxidative and methylation lesions in cellular DNA. Our method is based on the use of formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase or human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase for the detection of chemically-induced nucleobase modifications in lysates of immortalised cell lines, growing in suspension or as adherent cells, and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. We could show that upon treatment with sub-cytotoxic doses of known genotoxins, oxidative and methylation lesions are readily detectable. This fast, inexpensive, and convenient method could be useful as a high-content screening approach for the sensitive and specific assessment of genotoxicity in human cells. Thus, when implemented in the early compound development in an industrial setting, the emFADU assay could help reduce the number of animals used for toxicity testing. Furthermore, as we established the method for different cell types, this new assay may provide an opportunity for population studies and/or mechanistic research into DNA repair pathways.
The Gorbachev challenge continues to gather pace, although in 1987 it was a case of two steps forward and one step back. The two largest leaps forward were in relations with China and Southeast Asia, while the step back was in relations with Japan. Yet the overall impression remains of a Soviet administration that is serious about foreign policy reform that can serve the more important task of domestic "restructuring" (perestroika). With the announcement of a major new initiative for the development of the Soviet far east, it becomes increasingly hard to disentangle perestroika at home and abroad.
Statutes, p. 111). At pp. 316 and 401, B. deals with the tribe of Larinum, certainly the Clustumina after the Social War. The problem is that a third-century inscription from Carrawburgh (RIB 1545) reveals a man who describes himself as domo Vltina col. Sept. Aur. L[arino]. (Why soldiers should describe themselves in this curious way is not obvious.) Few will want to follow Birley and hold that the Clustumina was not after all the tribe of Larinum; but B.’s suggestion that Larinum changed its tribe when it became a Severan colony is not obviously preferable: the case of Canusium which he cites is not a parallel, since it did indeed become a colony, but did not change its tribe. I should not want to exclude the possibility that the man had come from an area of the Voltinia tribe and become a citizen of Larinum, or indeed that his years of military service had caused him to forget the tribe of his home town, by now in any case pretty meaningless. B. should also have considered the suggestion of Taylor (‘Voting Districts’, pp. 321–2), that this and other cases of intrusive members of the Voltinia tribe are the result of Caesarian settlements. Finally, some nugae: on the mosaic inscription from Castel di Ieri, B.’s μrst thoughts were much better than his second, induced by Olli Salomies, namely that we have three times a praenomen + nomen + μliation, not a praenomen + nomen + tribe (!) + cognomen and a praenomen + nomen + μliation (pp. 41 and 45); the best correction of the MS of Varro RR II, 9, 6, gives us not an emporium at Heraclea, but an ora maritima (pp. 71 + 116 + 797); there is in my view no good evidence for a Caesarian municipal reform of 49 .. (p. 196: see in Modus Operandi. Essays in Honour of Geo¶rey Rickman [London, 1998], pp. 31–46, ‘How to create a municipium’), the life of Vincenzo Balzano is rather spectacularly prolonged at p. 556; Geza Alföldy is mis-spelt at p. 886. Otherwise, these are volumes of astonishing accuracy, with nearly 150 pages of meticulous indexes. Are we entitled to believe that CIL IX2 is imminent? I fervently hope so.
Background Relapse continues to place significant burden on patients and tuberculosis (TB) programmes worldwide. We aimed to determine clinical and microbiological factors associated with relapse in patients treated with the WHO standard 6-month regimen and then evaluate the accuracy of each factor at predicting an outcome of relapse. Methods A systematic review was performed to identify randomised controlled trials reporting treatment outcomes on patients receiving the standard regimen. Authors were contacted and invited to share patient-level data (IPD). A one-step IPD meta-analysis, using random intercept logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic curves, was performed to evaluate the predictive performance of variables of interest. Results Individual patient data were obtained from 3 of the 12 identified studies. Of the 1189 patients with confirmed pulmonary TB who completed therapy, 67 (5.6%) relapsed. In multipredictor analysis, the presence of baseline cavitary disease with positive smear at 2 months was associated with an increased odds of relapse (OR 2.3(95% CI 1.3 to 4.2)) and a relapse risk of 10%. When area under the curve for each multipredictor model was compared, discrimination between low-risk and higher-risk patients was modest and similar to that of the reference model which accounted for age, sex and HIV status. Conclusion Despite its poor predictive value, our results indicate that the combined presence of cavitary disease and 2-month positive smear status may be the best currently available marker for identifying individuals at an increased risk of relapse, particularly in resource-limited setting. Further investigation is required to assess whether this combined factor can be used to indicate different treatment requirements in clinical practice.
System-on-a-chip architectures are generating increased interest as the level of integration is expanded by the arrival of 0.25 /spl mu/m processes. Many merged DRAM and logic applications use custom logic circuits that either surround or are embedded in a DRAM core. A more classic ASIC library approach where a DRAM macro family is used as a logic building block with the software tools associated with ASIC logic macros: i.e., timing analysis, place-and-route, logic simulation, and test generation. The macro operation is generic, yet versatile, allowing gate-array or standard-cell interface personalization. The design has a wide databit interface of 128 or 256 bits, separate databit-in and databit-out to ease bus contention, bit-write capability for multiplexing to narrower databit widths or partial databit-writes, and granular-density options from 0.5 Mb-8 Mb. Built-in self test (BIST) with two-dimensional redundancy calculation and allocation, along with in-situ burn-in capability, is also included. The DRAM macro design is architectured for reuse on future DRAM-generation sub-arrays and is adaptable to any number of address or databit-pin configurations. Its methodology and functionality have been verified in a 0.45 /spl mu/m trench DRAM technology.
An analysis is made of the published data on the discharge and lasing characteristics, and on the level population kinetics of pulsed lasers based on vapours of metals and their halides mixed with hydrogen and HBr additives. The influence of dissociative attachment, particularly to the HBr molecule, on the population inversion kinetics of these lasers is considered. Such attachment makes it possible to explain all the observed features of the investigated lasers, including an increase in the efficiency and power of a CuBr laser with added hydrogen and of a 'HyBrID' laser. The addition of molecules with a large dissociative-attachment cross section and with a suitable position of the maximum of this cross section provides new opportunities for improving the characteristics of pulsed lasers based on r — m transitions between resonance (r) and metastable (m) levels.
Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has been proposed as a therapy for lysosomal storage diseases. In the present study, the distribution of donor enzyme and the clinical effects after BMT were studied in two murine models for lysosomal enzyme deficiency. In the galactosylceramidase deficient Twitcher mice (model for Krabbe's disease), prolonged survival was seen after BMT (> 50 days; survival of untreated Twitchers: 30-40 d.). A benificial effect on the neurological symptoms was not observed. Six weeks after transplantation an increase in enzyme activity was measured in organs rich in bone marrow derived cells (spleen, liver and lung) but not in kidney and central nervous system (CNS). Similarly, in the β-glucuronidase deficient C3H-mice increased enzyme activity was observed upon BMT in spleen plasma, leukocytes, lung and liver. Remarkebly, enzyme levels were also increased in kidney and peripheral nervous system, tissues which are not known to contain cells of hematopoietic origin. These data suggest that uptake in these tissues may depend on the type of enzyme involved. Uptake of donor-derived β-glucuronidase was also found in isolated liver parenchymal cells. By subcellular fractionation, the increased enzyme activity was found to be present in the lysosomal fraction. Both in Twitcher and in C3H mice enzyme activity in the CNS was not increased after BMT, indicating that treatment of lysosomal storage diseases, which primarily affect the CNS requires a different approach.
A total of 337 isolates were recovered from 200 samples of meat. The rate was higher in meat obtained during slaughter (2.3) in comparison to that obtained from butcher shops (1.0). On the other hand,790 fungal isolates were recovered from 120 environmental samples. The highest rate of isolation was from floors (11.6 isolates per sample) and the lowest was from workers hands (1.6 isolates / sample).The most commonly isolated fungi belonged to the genera Aspergillus, Penicillium, Candida and Rhodotorula. Aspergillus niger was by far the most common, followed by Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terreus. The most common Penicillium species were Penicillium chrysogenum, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium oxalicum and Penicillium citrinum.Of the 27 Aspergillus flavus isolates tested for the production of aflatoxins, 21 isolates (77.7%) were found toxigenic. They produced aflatoxins B1, B2 or G1, either singly or combined. On the other hand, 15 out of 26 isolates of Aspergillus ochraceus produced ochratoxins.The rate of proteolytic activity was slightly higher in buffalo meat isolates, than in cattle meat, where 80% of Aspergillus isolates and 100% of Penicillium isolates were proteolytic. Corresponding figures for cattle isolates were 74% and 86.6%.The least proteolytic activity was demonstrated by Candida albicans recovered from both types of meat. However, 70%-80% of Rhodotorula isolates produced proteases. All tested mould and yeast isolates showed lipolytic activity. New Egyptian Journal of Microbiology Vol. 17 (2) 2007: pp. 1-14
This study examines two ways by which education might affect the probability of civil war onset. First, educational investment provides a strong signal to the people that the government is attempting to improve their lives, which is apt to lower grievances, even in desperate times. Second, education can generate economic, political, and social stability by giving people tools with which they can resolve disputes peacefully, making them less likely to incur the risks involved in joining a rebellion. This theory is tested by examining the effect of educational expenditures, enrollment levels, and literacy rates on the probability of civil war onset from 1980 through 1999. The results provide evidence for both the grievance and stability arguments, providing strong support for the pacifying effects of education on civil war.
Despite the involvement of genetic alterations in neoplastic cell transformation, it is increasingly evident that abnormal epigenetic patterns, such as those affecting DNA methylation and histone posttranslational modifications (PTMs), play an essential role in the early stages of tumor development. This finding, together with the evidence that epigenetic changes are reversible, enabled the development of new antineoplastic therapeutic approaches known as epigenetic therapies. Epigenetic modifications are involved in the control of gene expression, and their aberrant distribution is thought to participate in neoplastic transformation by causing the deregulation of crucial cellular pathways. Epigenetic drugs are able to revert the defective gene expression profile of cancer cells and, consequently, reestablish normal molecular pathways. Considering the emerging interest in epigenetic therapeutics, this review focuses on the approaches affecting DNA methylation, evaluates novel strategies and those already approved for clinical use, and compares their therapeutic potential.
Due to growth tensile stress, which evolves in diamond films during deposition, thick diamond films are easily cracked. In this study we successfully prevented growth cracks by introducing thermal compressive stress with step-down control of deposition temperatures during growth. Three deposition temperature drops of 10 °C each during deposition enabled us to successfully synthesize crack-free four-inch diamond wafers several hundred micrometers in thickness. This method is very simple and may be applicable to coating of films of various materials different from those of substrates.
The Gram-positive spore-forming anaerobe Clostridium sporogenes is a significant cause of food spoilage, and it is also used as a surrogate for C. botulinum spores for testing the efficacy of commercial sterilization. C. sporogenes spores have also been proposed as a vector to deliver drugs to tumor cells for cancer treatments. Such an application of C. sporogenes spores requires their germination and return to life. In this study, Raman spectroscopy and differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy were used to analyze the germination kinetics of multiple individual C. sporogenes wild-type and germination mutant spores. Most individual C. sporogenes spores germinated with L-alanine began slow leakage of ∼5% of their large Ca-dipicolinic acid (CaDPA) depot at T1, all transitioned to rapid CaDPA release at Tlag1, completed CaDPA release at Trelease, and finished peptidoglycan cortex hydrolysis at Tlys. T1, Tlag1, Trelease, and Tlys times for individual spores were heterogeneous, but ΔTrelease (Trelease – Tlag1) periods were relatively constant. However, variability in T1 (or Tlag1) times appeared to be the major reason for the heterogeneity between individual spores in their germination times. After Trelease, some spores also displayed another lag in rate of change in DIC image intensity before the start of a second obvious DIC image intensity decline of 25–30% at Tlag2 prior to Tlys. This has not been seen with spores of other species. Almost all C. sporogenes spores lacking the cortex-lytic enzyme (CLE) CwlJ spores exhibited a Tlag2 in L-alanine germination. Sublethal heat treatment potentiated C. sporogenes spore germination with L-alanine, primarily by shortening T1 times. Spores without the CLEs SleB or CwlJ exhibited greatly slowed germination with L-alanine, but spores lacking all germinant receptor proteins did not germinate with L-alanine. The absence of these various germination proteins also decreased but did not abolish germination with the non-GR-dependent germinants dodecylamine and CaDPA, but spores without CwlJ exhibited no germination with CaDPA. Finally, C. sporogenes spores displayed commitment in germination, but memory in GR-dependent germination was small, and less than the memory in Bacillus spore germination.
The fourth annual East-West Human Computer Interaction conference was quite a surprise, at least for veterans of the earlier EWHCI conferences. The first author attended the first conference (which was held in Moscow the week before the coup which saw the break-up of the old USSR) and served as logistics chair for the second conference (also held in St. Petersburg) and he found this most recent conference showed unbelievable improvements in the overall organization, location, and technical quality of the presentations. Logistics problems which would have taken hours to solve in previous years were either non-existent or taken care of behind the scenes by Juri Gornostaev and his team from the International Centre for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI). St. Petersburg itself has also become a world-class city and was hosting the Goodwill Games during the conference period. None of the problems of 2 years ago were encountered as restaurants were plentiful, shops were well-stocked and the media hype about crime proved to be unfounded.The conference itself was actually held in the suburbs outside St. Petersburg in a village called Pushkin, about 30 minutes by commuter train from the centre of St. Petersburg. Named for the famous Russian writer who studied here as a boy, the village is also known as 'Tsarskoye Selo' or 'Tsar's Village'. Almost half of the city is taken up by Katherine's Park, a huge landscape garden built by Katherine the Great as the site for her palace. The conference centre/hotel was in Kochubey Palace, a former home for the Russian nobility situated on the edge of the park. This was a perfect conference site with comfortable rooms, fantastic artwork and decor, a peaceful park and gardens for walking, with the village market and restaurants a short walk away, and a cosmopolitan city only a short train ride away.This year's conference was co-chaired by Allen Cypher (West) and Juri Gornostaev (East). As usual, the terms 'East' and 'West' refer to the old political boundaries as opposed to the geographic meaning, since the participants from South Korea, Japan, and the large Australian contingent were considered part of the 'West' for this conference. The rest of the West was represented by participants from the USA and Europe, including Austria, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland. Hyper-inflation has caused large cost-of-living increases for Russian academics in the last year and this resulted in decreased attendance from the East, but a large number of Russian delegates did attend from places as far away as Ekaterinburg in the Ural mountains as well as Romania and the Ukraine. The Moscow SIGCHI Chapter provided a grant to encourage Eastern participation while ACM SIGCHI acted as a cooperating society and provided assistance to encourage Western participation.Apple Computer, Inc. was the major corporate sponsor in addition to some smaller Russian companies. Donations from sponsors were used to work towards the conference's primary goal: increasing the effective communication between researchers in the East and those in the west. Translators were hired for both technical sessions and social events in order to help those who needed it. Often the translators weren't necessary as a number of the Russian speakers were not shy about experimenting with English while several Western accompanying persons and participants, including the third author, had taken some Russian lessons before the conference and were keen to try their new linguistic talents.
For the rich indium material ternary alloys, the manufacturing technology has become mature, but there is still larger space for the research on the modeling of their physical characteristic. Among the material band gap that emitting wavelength directly related to and their corresponding bending coefficient (bowing parameter), the lattice constant, bond lengths, and components, there are small theoretical study at home and abroad at present, but since the fact that these physical properties have a certain impact on the craft itself, so this paper uses the Materials Studio Software based on first principles to analyze the relationships among the band gaps and their corresponding lattice constant, the bond length, the bowing parameter and the components on the basis of the previous method. Comparing the simulated with the experimental data, the results showed that all the simulated band gaps value are in good agreement with the previous researches.
Even as an acute hospital doctor I recently shouted at the television, when Newsnight reduced a debate on the whole NHS to one about hospitals,1 “There are other services, you know!” I understand why non-hospital staff are even more exasperated at the obsession with hospitals.  The health service’s internal commentariat repeatedly blames hospitals, and the frontline staff who work in them, for the NHS’s problems.2 3 4 We’re too financially dominant, apparently, and the government gives us too much priority. It argues that hospitals, in their current form, inhibit vital investment in primary and community services …
The coexistence of aspergillosis and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the maxillary sinus was very rare. To our knowledge, this is the second report of coexistent SCC and aspergillosis in the maxillary sinus. A 58-year-old man underwent surgery for unilateral maxillary sinus infection with oroantral fistula. In the surgical specimen, SCC and aspergillosis were co-detected with routine and immunohistochemical stainings. Moreover, human papillomavirus 18 (HPV-18) was detected by polymerase chain reaction in the sinus specimen. The patient was re-operated with subtotal maxillectomy and has been followed up for two years without any evidence of recurrence or metastasis. Although it is not understood how aspergillosis could induce carcinoma formation, the chronic inflammation caused by prolonged fungal infection might be carcinogenic. Moreover, HPV-16 and - 18 were another causative pathogens of SCC in the head and neck region. We recommend careful examination, including preoperative cytology, in patients with maxillary sinus fungal infections because of the potential for cancer development.
Background: Mirroring the image of the affected side is a widely used technique for surgical planning in orthopedic surgery, especially for fractures and custom-made prostheses. Our objective is to evaluate the three-dimensional symmetry of the femurs using finite element analysis and manual alignment. Methods: Using the computed tomography of 15 patients without lower limb pathology, 30 3D biomodels of their femurs were obtained. The error obtained through image manipulation was calculated and broken down into a rendering error and a manual overlay error. The Hausdorff–Besicovitch method was applied to obtain the total asymmetry. The manipulation error was theb subtracted from it to obtain the intrapersonal asymmetry. Results: The mean intrapersonal asymmetry was 0.93 mm. It was obtained by subtracting the error derived from rendering and alignment of 0.59 mm (SD 0.17 mm) from the overall mean error of 1.52 mm (SD 1.45). Conclusions: Intrapersonal femoral asymmetry is low enough to use the mirror image of the healthy side as a reference for three-dimensional surgical planning. This type of planning is especially useful in deformity surgery when the objective of the surgery is not to restore only one specific parameter but to obtain a general functional morphology when a healthy contralateral femur is available.
Algorithms for joint subcarrier pairing and power allocation are investigated in order to maximize the worst-case energy efficiency (EE) in dual-hop decode-and-forward (DF) relay networks in the presence of an active eavesdropper. Accordingly, we study the impact of number of subcarriers on the trade-off in performance between the EE and the spectrum efficiency (SE). The formulated EE optimization problem is the ratio of the secure SE over the entire power consumption in the network, subject to the constraints of total transmit power and subcarrier pairing. A near-optimal iterative algorithm is proposed to perform the subcarrier pairing and power allocation for achieving the maximum EE in the networks. Furthermore, a suboptimal algorithm is proposed with two-step resource allocation. By considering the subcarrier channel quality of the source-to-relay and relay-to-destination links, the subcarrier pairing is first performed, followed by an energy-efficient iterative power allocation scheme to maximize the EE. Numerical results validate the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed algorithms.
In this brief review of functional movement variability in sport, it has been demonstrated that both inter- and intra-individual variability is an inherent feature of performance across the broad continuum of expertise. The enhanced focus on variability in movement at an individual level has resulted from changes in theoretical influences in the literature on motor control and from advances in data collection and analysis techniques. The existence of inter-individual variability implies that there is no optimal movement pattern for a given activity and that movement expertise is a reflection of the performer’s ability to adapt to dynamic constraints. Intra-individual variability shows us that an individual must recipro­cally link their actions with relevant environmental information to consistently achieve performance outcomes. Characterizing learners as complex, biological systems promotes awareness by practitioners that a learner’s coordination solutions are the products of self-organization and that periods of movement variability (or instability) should be valued as part of the learning process (Chow et al. 2007). To encourage acquisition of functionally relevant coordination solutions performer-environment interactions should be manipulated through altering relevant task, environmental and performer constraints. Thereby, constraints operate on different timescales, which has important implications for the practitioner’s judgment of the learner’s rate of progress. When learning a new coordination pattern, more permanent behavioural changes take longer to appear than immedi­ate adaptations to task constraints during practice. Practitioners should understand that some behaviours might represent transient adaptations to immediate task constraints imposed during practice, which interact with organismic constraints related to developmental status (Seifert et al. 2013). A struggling learner can be viewed as a system that is temporarily trapped in a stable attractor state that does not correspond well with a behavioural solution satisfying task demands. As Davids et al. (2008) suggest to practitioners, a strategy of perturbing the movement system may be necessary to help the learner to let go of previous movement experiences. Techniques such as altering task constraints like rules, space, equipment and number of opponents are useful ways to induce variability in movement and encourage exploration for alternative information sources and movement solutions. Note that the learner may need additional encouragement and reassurance at this important stage, as performance could fluctuate as a consequence of the perceptual-motor reorganization. In this chapter, we have demonstrated the value of employing individualized analyses in research on movement to gain a clearer picture of how performers exploit variability. As more studies employ methods such as coordination profiling and cluster analysis, researchers are becoming increasingly convinced that varied movement trajectories emerge from the interplay among the specific task, environmental and organismic constraints unique to each situation. This is particularly apparent within sport, where such factors change frequently and unexpectedly. As we have demonstrated, expert performers are increasingly recognized as having an ability to continually adapt their techniques as perceptual demands change. The mechanisms by which humans progress to this level of control as a function of learning or relearning provide a fruitful focus for future research.
A rapid (≤2 min) and high-yield low-temperature synthesis has been developed for the in situ growth of gold nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled sizes in the interior of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). A combination of HAuCl4 in ethanol/toluene, oleic acid, and oleylamine surfactants and ascorbic acid reducing agent with mild heating (55 °C) readily lead to the growth of targeted nanostructures. The sizes of Au NPs are tuned mainly by adjusting nucleation and growth rates. Further modification of the process, through an increase in ascorbic acid, allows for the formation of nanorods (NRs)/nanowires within the HNTs. This approach is not limited to gold-a modified version of this synthetic strategy can also be applied to the formation of Ag NPs and NRs within the clay nanotubes. The ability to readily grow such core-shell nanosystems is important to their further development as nanoreactors and active catalysts. NPs within the tube interior can further be manipulated by the electron beam. Growth of Au and Ag could be achieved under a converged electron beam suggesting that both Au@HNT and Ag@HNT systems can be used for the fundamental studies of NP growth/attachment.
Coriander is a vegetable crop with large consumption in Brazil, of high social and economic importance. Problems related to low seed vigor and cultivation are reported in this crop. In the present study, eleven seed lots of coriander cultivars 'Verdao', 'Americano Gigante', 'Tapacura', 'Tabocas', 'Palmeira' and 'Asteca' were used to determine the purity, germination, vigor and pathological seed quality. In another study, effects on seed germination of the same commercial cultivars and 'Verdao HV' were evaluated at temperatures of 15; 20; 25; 30 and 35oC. Little variation in the germination was observed among seed lots. All lots exhibited germination above the national standard, and lot 1 presented purity below the standard for seed trading. Purity and germination of coriander seeds in Brazil is generally, satisfactory. Regarding to pathological seed quality, some important fungi of coriander crop were detected, as Alternaria alternata and Alternaria radicina. In one lot was detected Alternaria dauci. Effects of temperature, cultivar and an interaction effect between cultivar and temperature on seed germination was observed. Temperatures between 15 and 25oC were favorable to germination whereas higher temperatures reduced the germination. The cultivars 'Verdao HV' and 'Palmeira' germinated at 30oC. At 35oC no germination was observed in all tested cultivars, possibly due to thermoinhibition, since the seeds germinated when transferred to 20oC.
Many haloarchaea produce extracellular subtilisin-like proteases (halolysins) during late log phase; however, the physiological function and regulatory mechanism of growth phase-dependent production of halolysins are unknown. Halolysin SptA, the major extracellular protease of Natrinema sp. J7-2, is capable of intracellular self-activation to affect haloarchaeal growth. Here, we report that deletion of sptA leads to loss of extracellular and intracellular protease activities against azocasein and/or suc-AAPF-pNA, as well as a change in growth-phase transition of the haloarchaeon. Our results suggest that SptA is important for strain J7-2 to enter the stationary and death phases. Deletion and mutational analyses of the 5′-flanking region of sptA revealed two partially overlapping, semi-palindromic sequences upstream of the TATA box act as positive and negative cis-regulatory elements, respectively, to mediate sptA expression in late log phase. Additionally, a negative cis-regulatory element covering WW motif and a distant enhancer contribute to the modulation of sptA expression. Our results demonstrate that SptA functions both extracellularly and intracellularly, and that sptA expression relies on the cooperative action of multiple cis-regulatory elements, allowing SptA to exert its function properly at different growth stages in strain J7-2.
Gordon Morgan Holmes, MD, MRCP was an Irish born neurologist who received his medical education at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. He was trained in neuroanatomy and neuropathology at the Senckenberg Institute, Frankfort-Am-Main by Ludwig Edinger. He then returned to serve as a Registrar (House Officer) mentored by Richard Gowers and John Hughlings Jackson at the National Hospital, Queen Square, London. He collaborated with Thomas Granger Stewart in describing the loss of recoil in patients with cerebellar hemispheric tumors in 1904. Volunteering in 1914 for frontline hospital duty, he examined soldiers who had injuries to their occipital area causing hypotonia, dysmetria, staggering gait, and falling to the side ipsilateral to their injured cerebellar hemisphere. Holmes discovered that increasing the pace of the finger-nose manuever and applying slight resistance to a moving limb attenuated the dysmetria. Continuing observation of these patients afforded him to describe the evolution of their injuries to include increasing tremor and decreasing hypotonia. Holmes first attached levers to the limbs of hispatients to record their movements on a moving smoked paper kymograph. In 1939 he published photograh tracings made by low mass minature light bulbs attached to ataxic limbs that showed thehpometira and hypometria of their movements ipsilateral to their damaged cerebellar lobes. Holmes made sigficant contributions to understanding of the physiology of the human cerebellum.
The nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan—a direct consequence of the tragic Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011—has reopened the sensitive discussion on the use of nuclear energy. First and foremost, we express our deepest sympathy towards the victims of this event, and admire the crews that are, at great personal risk, working to secure the severely damaged reactors. While most of the world is watching their progress with bated breath, the political debate about the risks and benefits of nuclear power has flared up. Although ChemSusChem is not the right venue for such a broad discussion, it is the duty of scientists to contribute to this debate by providing scientifically correct results and solutions.
Primary cells cultured in vitro gradually lose features characteristic of the in vivo phenotype. Culture techniques that help maintain cell-specific phenotype are advantageous for development of tissue engineered and bioartificial organs. Here we evaluated the phenotype of primary human renal tubular epithelial cells subjected to fluid shear stress by culturing the cells on an orbital shaker. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), cell density, and gene and protein expression of proximal tubule–specific functional markers were measured in cells subjected to orbital shear stress. Cells cultured on an orbital shaker had increased TEER, higher cell density, and enhanced tubular epithelial specific gene and protein expression. This is likely due at least in part to the mechanical stress applied to the apical surface of the cells although other factors including increased nutrient and oxygen delivery and improved mixing could also play a role. These results suggest that orbital shaker culture may be a simple approach to augmenting the differentiated phenotype of cultured renal epithelial cells.
The evidence in support of the deterrent effect of the certainty of punishment is far more consistent than that for the severity of punishment. However, the evidence in support of certainty’s effect pertains almost exclusively to apprehension probability. Consequently, the more precise statement is that certainty of apprehension, not the severity of the ensuing legal consequence, is the more effective deterrent. This conclusion has important policy implications among which are that lengthy prison sentences and mandatory minimum sentencing cannot be justified on deterrence. There are four major research gaps. The first concerns the mechanism by which police affect perceptions of the probability of apprehension. The second concerns the inextricable link between the deterrent effect of the threat of punishment and the potentially criminogenic effect of the experience of punishment. The third concerns the concept of a sanction regime defined by the sanctions legally available and how that legal authority is administered. Theories of deterrence conceive of sanctions in the singular not the plural and do not provide a conceptual basis for considering the differential deterrent effects of different components of the sanction regime. The fourth involves sanction risk perceptions. Establishing the link between risk perceptions and sanction regimes is imperative; unless perceptions adjust, however crudely, to changes in the sanction regime, desired deterrent effects will not be achieved.
The intense electromagnetic environments (EMEs), such as the intentional electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic pulse, pose severe threats to the normal functions of electric and electronic systems. A system is usually composed of numbers of interdependently linked subsystems or equipments. The interactions of the system and the high-power EME involve large quantities of parameters and scenarios, so the complete tests or computations are usually difficult to fulfill, which leads to a hard mission to assess the system-level electromagnetic vulnerability. This paper provides the thought of divide-and-rule to cope with this problem. First, it divides the system into relatively independent and manageable subsystems, and after respective tests and computations, the subsets of data are fused to characterize the whole system. The key point for this assessment methodology is to set up one model or framework to unify all the activities, which is completed here by the causal Bayesian networks (BNs). The system-level effects and the environment threats are characterized with the probability theory. The modeling and parameter determining techniques are presented. Since fault tree analysis (FTA) is also utilized in the electromagnetic risk assessment, the assessment procedures based on relatively BN and FTA are compared. The final results indicate that BN is capable of extending the modeling and analysis power of FTA.
The reductive cleavage of aryl ether linkages is a key step in the disassembly of lignin to its monolignol components, where selectivity is determined by the kinetics of multiple parallel and consecutive liquid-phase reactions. Triphasic hydrogenolysis of 13C-labeled benzyl phenyl ether (BPE, a model compound with the same C-O bond energy as the major -O-4 linkage in lignin), catalyzed by Ni/-Al2O3, was observed directly at elevated temperatures (150 - 175 °C) and pressures (79-89 bar) using operando magic-angle spinning NMR spectroscopy. Liquid-vapor partitioning in the NMR rotor was quantified using the 13C NMR resonances for the 2-propanol solvent, whose chemical shifts report on the internal reactor temperature. At 170 °C, BPE is converted to toluene and phenol with k1 = 0.17 s-1 gcat-1, and an apparent activation barrier of (80 ± 8) kJ mol-1. Subsequent phenol hydrogenation occurs much more slowly (k2 = 0.0052 s-1 gcat-1 at 170-175 °C), such that cyclohexanol formation is significant only at higher temperatures. Toluene is stable under these reac-tion conditions, but its methyl group undergoes facile H/D exchange (k3 = 0.046 s-1 gcat-1 at 175 °C). While the source of the reducing equivalents for both hydrogenolysis and hydrogenation is exclusively H2/D2(g) rather than the alcohol solvent at these temperatures, the initial isotopic composition of adsorbed H/D on the catalyst surface is principally determined by the solvent isotopic composition (2-PrOH/D). All reactions are preceded by a pronounced induction period associated with catalyst activation. In air, Ni nanoparticles are passivated by a surface oxide monolayer, whose removal under H2 proceeds with an apparent activation barrier of (72 ± 13) kJ mol-1. The operando NMR spectra provide molecularly-specific, time-resolved information about the multiple simultaneous and sequential pro-cesses as they occur at the solid-liquid interface.
Conventional ultrasonic imaging based on the difference in acoustic impedance fails to detect and visualize small heterogeneities and local plastic deformation in metals. Nonlinear ultrasonic imaging technique visualizes higher harmonic amplitudes which are generated at the heterogeneities by finite amplitude sinusoidal burst waves, therefore, it can be applied for detecting small non-metallic inclusions, local plastic deformation and micro cracks. By transmitting 35 MHz sine burst waves and receiving harmonics of 105 MHz in the maximum, non-metallic inclusions in stainless steel of some ten in size and crack tip plastic zone of 2 mm in diameter are visualized.
Tacrolimus (FK506) is a calcineurin inhibitor with potent immunomodulating properties. It has been marketed worldwide since 1993-1994 for the rejection of liver and kidney transplants (Prograf). The pharmacologic properties of tacrolimus resulted in its development as an ointment for the treatment of atopic dermatitis. An outline of nonclinical pharmacology studies that provided a rationale for this development is presented. The key nonclinical toxicology-safety studies that supported clinical efficacy/safety trials are also discussed. Taken collectively, these studies contributed to the marketing approval of 0.03% and 0.1% tacrolimus ointment (Protopic) as a first in class treatment for atopic dermatitis.
We construct a low-temperature microwave waveguide interferometer for measuring the high-frequency properties of two-dimensional electron gases. Coupled plasmon-cyclotron resonance (PCR) spectra are used to extract effective mass, bulk plasmon frequency, and carrier relaxation times. In contrast to traditional transmission spectroscopy, this method does not require sample preparation and is nondestructive. PCR signals can be resolved with a microwave power source as low as 10 nW. We observe PCR in the multi-photon transition regime, which has been proposed to be relevant to the microwave-induced resistance oscillations.
Online monitoring of bioethanol production is challenging due to the complex, viscous sample matrix, also containing solids. Suitable targets for online measurement are identified and potential monitoring techniques in addition to standard physicochemical measurements are reviewed. Advantages and limitations of chromatographic techniques, spectroscopic methods and software sensors are discussed in detail. In conclusion, bioethanol production processes should certainly benefit from online measurement of key process variables, especially if measurements are incorporated in process control loops. However, convincing case studies are lacking, and therefore development of suitable sampling methods and online measurement techniques should first be prioritized.
Abstract The effect of hostage, the instar of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) parasitized, on the growth and development of Encarsia formosa (Gahan) was studied. E. formosa was able to parasitize and complete its life cycle no matter which instar of B. tabaci (Strain B), [also identified as B. argentifolii (Bellows and Perring)], was provided for oviposition, but parasitoid development was significantly slower when 1st or 2nd instar B. tabaci rather than 3rd or 4th instars were parasitized. Host age influenced the day on which E. formosa nymphs hatching from eggs was first observed. Mean embryonic development was significantly longer when 1st (5.4 days) rather than 2nd, 3rd or 4th instars (4.1, 3.4 and 3.5 days, respectively) were parasitized. The duration of the 1st instar parasitoid and the pupa, but not the 2nd or 3rd instar parasitoid, were also significantly greater when 1st instars were parasitized than when older host instars were parasitized. Interestingly, no matter which instar was parasitized, the parasitoid did not molt to the 3rd instar until the 4th instar host had reached a depth of about 0.23 mm (Stage 4–5) and had initiated the nymphal-adult molt and adult development. Histological studies revealed that whitefly eye and wing structures had either disintegrated or were adult in nature whenever a 3rd instar parasitoid was present. It appears, then, that the molt of the parasitoid to its last instar is associated with the host whitefly's nymphal-adult molt. However, the initiation of the host's final molt, while a prerequisite for the parasitoid's 2nd–3rd instar molt, did not necessarily trigger this molt. In contrast to its significant effect on various aspects of parasitoid development, host instar did not significantly influence the mean size of the parasitoid larva, pupa, or adult. Larval and pupal length and adult head width were similar for all parasitoids, regardless of which host instar was parasitized as was adult longevity. Adult parasitoid emergence was more synchronous when 2nd, 3rd and 4th instars were parasitized than when 1st instars were parasitized. Results are compared with those reported when the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum, was parasitized by E. formosa, and provide possible explanations for why T. vaporariorum is a more suitable host than B. tabaci for E. formosa.
It is supposed that there is a multisensor system in which each sensor performs sequential detection of a target. Then the binary decisions on target presence and absence are transmitted to a fusion center, which combines them to improve the performance of the system. We assume that sensors represent multichannel systems with possibly each one having different number of channels. Sequential detection of a target in each sensor is done by implementing a generalized Wald's sequential probability ratio test which is based on the maximum likelihood ratio statistic and allows one to fix the false alarm rate and the mis-detection rate at specified levels. We first show that this sequential detection procedure is asymptotically optimal for general statistical models in the sense of minimizing the expected sample size when the probabilities of errors vanish. We then construct the optimal non-sequential fusion rule that waits until all the local decisions in all sensors are made and then fuses them. It is optimal in the sense of maximizing the probability of target detection for a fixed probability of a false alarm or minimizing the maximal probability of error (minimax criterion). An analysis shows that the final decision can be made substantially more reliable even for a small number of sensors (3-5). The performance of the system is illustrated by the example of detecting a deterministic signal in correlated (color) Gaussian noise. In this example, we provide both the results of theoretical analysis and the results of Monte Carlo experiment. These results allow us to conclude that the use of the sequential detection algorithm substantially reduces the required resources of the system compared to the best non-sequential algorithm.
Commonly, the sensor installed by these entities collects the citizen and infrastructure data by explicit approval. The performance based on the outline of the citizens could be done through AI depending on the data they offer that could promote advancements in the cities, or it could be utilized for the profit of the corporation. Certain barriers should be crossed in order to succeed in achieving the deployments of the cities. Commonly, the only target is to inform AI through the data gathered by the IoT in the real-time process. At certain times, the generation of data is the main part that is done by several elements, and this could be employed in a deliberate way. Certain challenges are also faced in the economic growth and its impact on biomedical industry. This chapter presents the impact of smart technology and economic growth for biomedical applications.
In field studies, we assessed the effects of irrigation with dairy factory effluent on the surface (0–10 cm) properties of 3 rhyolytic tephra soils. Horotiu and Te Kowhai soils had been irrigated for 22 years and Taupo soil for 2 years. Soil properties measured were: total organic C, total N, pH, bulk density, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, moisture release characteristics, readily and totally available water, particle density, microbial C, soil respiration, mineralisable N, denitrification enzyme activity, and nitrification potential. Matched, non-irrigated areas were sampled for comparison. Average annual loadings (kg/ha) of C, N, and P since 1990 were 1120 kg N, 560 kg P, and 36 300 kg C onto Horotiu soil, and 760 kg N, 380 kg P, and 25 200 kg C onto the Te Kowhai soil. These post-1990 loadings were, on average, 23% less than pre-1990 values. Irrigation for 22 years onto the Horotiu and Te Kowhai soils caused no change, or a slight decrease, in total C and N in the topsoil, but microbial C and mineralisable N contents were more than doubled, and N cycling activity much increased. Soil pH was increased by up to 1.8 units. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity was increased from 8.5 to 49.8 mm/h on the Horotiu soil, and from 6.5 to 29.0 mm/h on the Te Kowhai soil. Irrigation increased the volumetric water content between 10 and 100 kPa. Most of the changes in soil properties suggest current application rates and pasture production can be maintained or increased. The high loading and mineralisation of N in the irrigated soils raises concerns about potential leaching of nitrate; current management practices are targeted towards minimising N loadings from effluent.
The shallow atmospheric fronts that develop in the early winter along the east coast of North America have been attributed, in various modeling and observational studies, to the land‐sea contrasts in both surface heating and friction. However, typical synoptic conditions are such that these ‘‘coastal’’ fronts could also be a type of upstream influence by the Appalachian Mountain chain. Generalized models have suggested that relatively cold air can become trapped on the windward side of a mountain range during episodes of warm advection without a local contribution from differential surface fluxes. Such a process was proposed decades ago in a study of observations along the coast of Norway. Could coastal frontogenesis be primarily a consequence of a mountain circulation acting on the large-scale temperature gradient? A two-dimensional, terrain-following numerical model is used to find conditions under which orography may be sufficient to cause blocking and upstream frontogenesis in a baroclinic environment. The idealized basic flow is taken to have constant vertical shear parallel to a topographic ridge and a constant perpendicular wind that advects warm or cold temperatures toward the ridge. Land‐sea contrasts are omitted. In the observed cases, the mountain is ‘‘narrow’’ in the sense that the Rossby number is large. This by itself increases the barrier effect, but the experiments show that large-scale warm advection is still crucial for blocking. For realistic choices of ambient static stability and baroclinicity, the flow can be blocked by a range like the northern Appalachians if the undisturbed incident wind speed is around 10 m s21. Cold advection weakens the barrier effect. The long-term behavior of the front in strongly blocked cases is described and compared to observations. Because of the background rotation and large-scale temperature advection, blocked solutions cannot become steady in the assumed environment. However, the interface between blocked and unblocked fluid can settle into a balanced configuration in some cases. A simple argument suggests that, in the absence of dissipation, the frontal slope should be similar to that of the ambient ‘‘absolute momentum’’ surfaces.
Two species of parasitic wasp, Venturia canescens and Leptomastix dactylopii, were killed and preserved by various methods used for Hymenoptera and in mass‐collecting devices. Total genomic DNA was subsequently extracted and a 524 bp fragment of the mitochondrial 16s ribosomal RNA gene amplified by PCR. Results for these techniques were compared with that for fresh material and museum specimens. Material from ‐80°C, 100% ethanol, air‐drying in a desiccator, and critical‐point dried from alcohol all yielded good results after short and long‐term storage, as did specimens from ethylene glycol but not formalin (the latter two being commonly used in pitfall and flight intercept traps). Specimens killed in ethyl acetate vapour and air‐dried yielded very degraded DNA which did not successfully PCR. The use of this killing agent is a likely reason for previous reports of inconsistent results obtained from museum specimens, and the now widespread use of critical‐point drying of wasps and other insects from alcohol is advocated as a potential source of DNA from rare taxa.
Abstract In this paper, we consider the following Brézis-Nirenberg problem involving the fractional Laplacian operator: (−Δ)su=λu+|u|2s∗−2uinΩ,u=0on∂Ω,$$ begin{array}{}  displaystyle left { begin{array}{ll} (- Delta)^s u= lambda u+|u|^{2_s^{*}-2}u &  textrm{in}   ,  Omega,    u=0 &  textrm{on}   ,  partial Omega,  end{array}  right.  end{array} $$ where s ∈ (0, 1), Ω is a bounded smooth domain of ℝN (N > 6s) and 2s∗=2NN−2s$ begin{array}{}  displaystyle 2_s^{*}= frac{2N}{N-2s}  end{array}$ is the critical fractional Sobolev exponent. We show that, for each λ > 0, this problem has infinitely many sign-changing solutions by using a compactness result obtained in [34] and a combination of invariant sets method and Ljusternik-Schnirelman type minimax method.
Abstract Using the Antecedents, Decisions and Outcomes (ADO) format as an organizing framework, this article gives an overview of the literature on different dimensions and characteristics of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) by firms from emerging countries. Based on an extensive coverage of studies published over a period of nearly 25 years between 1993 and 2017, we review extant research on this phenomenon from mainly China, as well as other emerging countries. We identify advances and analytical areas of OFDI research and pinpoint the key theories, methodologies, observed characteristics and the variables that have been examined in this growing research literature. Many areas of the above research themes remain underexplored, despite recent significant advancements, and may provide directions for future research.
It has been proposed that the endocrine cells of the digestive tract derive from the neuroectoderm (neural crest). To test this hypothesis we removed the entire ectoderm, the precursor of the neural crest, of embryonic rats prior to the formation of the neural crest and cultured the mesoendoderm for 11 days. In every case where a pancreas developed, insulin was detected or B cells were observed. Thus, a neural crest origin for these cells is eiliminated.
Increasing importance is being placed on the role of drug solubilisation in the drug development pipeline. In order for drugs to successfully pass through the pre-clinical studies required before clinical trials they often require addition of excipients or solubility modifying agents. This study highlights the use of sulfonated calix(4) resorcinarenes as drug solubilising agents. The rigid nature of these compounds form cone-like structures with hydrophobic interiors which are capable of accommodation of hydrophobic entities such as drugs. The calix (4)resorcinarenes in this work have varied length of alkyl chains attached to their lower rim. This work investigated the effect of chain length (C = 4 (SC(4)RC4), C = 7 (SC(4)RC7)) on the degree of solubilisation of two model hydrophobic drugs: propofol and griseofulvin. The data showed that the compounds were capable of solubilising both drugs up to 8 mgmL-1 (SC(4) RC7-propofol) and 3 mgmL-1 (SC(4)RC4-griseofulvin). The size measurements carried out using photon correlation spectroscopy indicated that the SC(4)RC4 was likely to form 1:1 interactions with drug molecules whilst the SC(4)RC7 formed supramolecular structures capable of increased drug loading in the case of propofol. In the case of griseofulvin it is postulated that similar structures were formed however these exceeded the limit of the filter used and may have been lost. Additionally, the supramolecular structures appeared more stable with a reduction in drug release. In vitro testing on BxPC-3 cells indicated that the calix(4)resorcinarenes were relatively non-toxic. These studies highlight the potential of these systems in drug delivery.
established that adopted youth are at greater risk for impaired mental health than their nonadopted peers, given the host of early life stressors that many experience. However, the specific trajectories of risk and resilience into adulthood remain unclear. The present study examines longitudinal trajectories of mental health in 52 adolescents and young adults adopted from foster care. We investigated the contribution of two major preadoptive risk factors, abuse/ neglect and age of placement, to childhood trajectories of behavior problems. We also utilized these risk factors and behavioral trajectories to predict current outcomes of mental health. Children exposed to abuse/ neglect exhibited higher levels of internalizing problems, but not externalizing problems, into adolescence/young adulthood (YA). In addition, childhood internalizing problems mediated between abuse/neglect and frequency of later marijuana use. Irrespective of risk factors, higher average levels of internalizing and externalizing problems in childhood predicted a number of later mental health outcomes. The effects of age of placement were no longer significant in adolescence/YA, demonstrating the positive impact of stable, nurturing adoptive homes. Trajectories of Mental Health in Children Adopted From Foster Care
As population and development levels increase in both urban and rural areas, the implementation of access management strategies is vital for creating safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation systems. To meet the changing needs of transportation systems and their users, the accuracy and the applicability of the base assumptions used to develop access management guidelines must be verified. This research effort utilized a driving simulator study to investigate several assumptions related to driver behavior and access management. The simulator study focused on driver perception–reaction time in the vicinity of driveways and driver behavior in response to differing driveway activity types. The results indicated that the average and 85th percentile perception–reaction times for all drivers were 2.8 s and 4.3 s, respectively. Surprisingly, older drivers (age 65 and older) appeared to be more alert and had an 85th percentile perception–reaction time a full second shorter than that of their younger counterparts (3.3 s versus 4.4 s). The researchers also observed that deceleration rates had a curvilinear (not constant) relationship with vehicle speed, and these values were much lower than the accepted AASHTO value of 11.2 ft/s2. Finally, the predominant response to driveway activity was a slowing maneuver, not a stop or a lane change. This finding suggests that sight distance calculations based on an urgent stop may not be the most appropriate metric for determining access spacing guidelines for commercial urban road environments.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The translation and cultural adaptation were performed in accordance with the principles of good practice for the translation and cultural adaptation process for patientreported outcomes measures. Sentences were adapted according to the Brazilian syntax. Total content validity coefficient was above the established average (> 0.8). Reliability was evaluated with the coefficients McDonald omega and Cronbach alpha. The lowest Cronbach alpha found was 0.47 (CI 95%, 0.35–0.59) in the organization domain, where the lowest response rate was also concentrated. The values of the other domains were as follows: 0.64 (95% CI, 0.55–0.73) for information, 0.77 (95% CI, 0.71–0.83) for care and treatment, 0.72 (95% CI, 0.66–0.78) for parent participation, and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.65–0.79) for professional attitudes. The total internal consistency independent of the domain was 0.90 (CI 95%, 0.88–0.92). With regard to McDonald Omega, values were identified: 0.68 (95% CI, 0.49–0.88) for information, 0.73 (95% CI, 0.61–0.85) for care and treatment, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.47–0.80) for parent participation, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.76–0.93), and 0.72 (95% CI, 0.58–0.86) for professional attitudes.
We analyse the relationship between tail risk and crisis measures by governments and the central bank. Using an adjusted Merton model in a game theoretical set-up, the analysis shows that the participation constraint for interventions by the central bank and the governments is less binding if the risk of contagion is high. The strategic interaction between governments and the central bank also influences the effectiveness of the interventions. A joint effort of both the governments and central bank leads to a better outcome. To prevent a bad equilibrium a sizable commitment by both players is required. Our stylized model sheds light on the strategic interaction between EMU governments and the Eurosystem in the context of the Outright Monetary Transactions program (OMT).
Dr. Andrews, thank you for reading the article on using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) with students who are deaf or hard of hearing that was recently published in the American Annals of the Deaf and for taking the time to craft a response sharing some of your perceptions of the article. Dr. Paul, thank you for inviting me to continue the dialogue. In an effort to further the discussion, I provide the following comments, responses, and questions.Dr. Andrews, I agree with many of the points you made, including (a) the additional reasons for teaching literacy, (b) the potential limitations of how evidence-based practices (EBPs) are identified, and (c) the need for multiple paradigms for early literacy in the field of education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. I also think that readers would benefit from some additional discussion of a few of the issues you note.In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to begin by reminding you and informing readers that I asked you to serve on the panel to examine the DIBELS. You declined the offer (J. Andrews, personal communication, October 2, 2010). Two additional important points need to be highlighted to help frame this discussion.First, the DIBELS is used for progress monitoring; that is "frequent and ongoing measurement of student knowledge and skills and the examination of student data to evaluate instruction" (Vaughn, Bos, & Schumm, 2007, p. 74). Progress monitoring is brief and repeatable, allows for error analyses, and helps educators to determine if an instructional adjustment needs to be made so that instruction can be more effective (Salvia, Ysseldyke, & Bolt, 2010). Progress monitoring data are recorded on graphs so that professionals can easily evaluate an individual's progress, or lack of progress, over time. Progress monitoring has become an essential component of early prevention and intervention models. Data collected and reviewed during the progress monitoring process have helped move professionals from the position of teach and hope to the precise process of assess, teach, monitor, evaluate, and adjust (Wagner & Scierka, 2012). Progress monitoring measures are also used as efficient screening tools, providing educators with data to indicate which students may need additional assessment or supplemental instruction (Foegen, 2012). Finally, progress monitoring is considered one of the features of effective instruction (Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts, 2007). Surprisingly, you did not address the topic of progress monitoring in your response, but instead chose to focus much of your discussion on the general topic of assessment.Second, the DIBELS includes seven measures (i.e., Letter Naming Fluency, Initial Sound Fluency, Phoneme Segmentation Fluency, Nonsense Word Fluency, Oral Reading Fluency, Retell Fluency, and Word Use Fluency). Your discussion focuses on phonology and phonemic awareness, with no recognition of the other measures such as oral reading, retelling, and word use. In addition, there is a portion of the population of students who are deaf or hard of hearing who benefit from explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics (Lederberg, Schick, & Spencer, 2013).In the section of your letter you title "Alternative Views of the Assessment of Early Literacy," you write,Stallman and Pearson (2009) and Mason and Stewart (1990) advocate informal assessment that involves systematic observation and, for young children, performance samples of reading and writing. This type of evaluation can provide teachers with information on how to design more effective instruction. As an informal early reading assessment, it also allows teachers to understand how children comprehend, compose, decode, and encode in meaningful reading and writing activities like those that happen in the day-to-day classroom.I agree, informal assessments that can guide instruction are excellent. …
The paper presents the development of an experimental setup in a subject-in-the-loop configuration for voice retraining. The goal is to provide means for modifying human voice by feeding back to the subject the computer altered signal as a mental reference for voice retraining. This system can be used for recuperating voice quality after accidents or illnesses that affected normal voice. A main challenge in the design of such a system is the achievement of a latency of the reception of the modified voice signal that is so small that is not perceived by the subject versus the voice output production. Various alternatives of the development of such a computed based voice manipulation system were investigated. The experimental setup validity was verified in real-time tests.
We provide a comprehensive analysis of the differences between two important standards for randomized benchmarking (RB): the Clifford-group RB protocol proposed originally in Emerson et al (2005) and Dankert et al (2006), and a variant of that RB protocol proposed later by the NIST group in Knill et al, PRA (2008). While these two protocols are frequently conflated or presumed equivalent, we prove that they produce distinct exponential fidelity decays leading to differences of up to a factor of 3 in the estimated error rates under experimentally realistic conditions. These differences arise because the NIST RB protocol does not satisfy the unitary two-design condition for the twirl in the Clifford-group protocol and thus the decay rate depends on non-invariant features of the error model. Our analysis provides an important first step towards developing definitive standards for benchmarking quantum gates and a more rigorous theoretical underpinning for the NIST protocol and other RB protocols lacking a group-structure. We conclude by discussing the potential impact of these differences for estimating fault-tolerant overheads.
The trade‐off between international cooperation gains and national sovereignty has become increasingly salient in recent years. This paper examines how voters assess this trade‐off in Switzerland, focusing on the choice between the economic benefits of EU integration versus sovereign immigration control. Using survey data, we identify voters for whom this choice is not clear, either because they are cross‐pressured (favouring Swiss‐EU bilateral treaties, while opposing increased immigration) or because they do not have clear preferences. We show that these are sizeable groups within the Swiss electorate and that in particular the potentially cross‐pressured mainly consist of politically mobilized, high‐income voters, supportive of right‐wing parties. Among the potentially cross‐pressured and voters with indistinct preferences, leaning towards the SVP strongly predicts a preference for immigration control over sustaining cooperation with the EU. Beyond this, our findings suggest that political variables have stronger explanatory power than individual‐level economic vulnerabilities in predicting choice.
Eigenstructure control involves modification of both the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a system using feedback. Based on this key concept, algorithms are derived for the design of control systems using controller structures such as state feedback, output feedback, observer-based dynamic feedback, implicit and explicit modelfollowing, etc. The simple-to-use algorithms are well suited to evolve practical engineering solutions. The design of control laws for modern fly-by-wire high performance aircraft/rotorcraft offers some unique design challenges. The control laws have to provide a satisfactory interface between the pilot and the vehicle that results in good handling qualities (HQ) in precision control tasks. This book, through detailed aircraft and rotorcraft design examples, illustrates how to develop practical, robust flight control laws to meet these HQ requirements. This book demonstrates that eigenstructure control theory can be easily adapted and infused into the aircraft industry's stringent design practices; therefore practicing flight control engineers will find it useful to explore the use of the new design concepts discussed. The book, being interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing control theory and flight dynamics, should be of interest to both control and aeronautical engineers. In particular, control researchers will find it interesting to explore an extension of the theory to new multivariable control problem formulations. Finally, the book should be of interest to graduate/doctoral students keen on learning a multivariable control technique that is useful in the design of practical control systems.
Recommended Citation Stock, Joseph D.; Calderón Díaz, Julia A.; Mumm, Jared M.; Azarpajouh, Samaneh; Johnson, Anna K.; Dekkers, Jack C. M.; and Stalder, Kenneth J. (2017) "Changes in Feet and Leg Joint Angles in Gilts Divergently Selected for Residual Feed Intake during their First Gestation," Animal Industry Report: AS 663, ASL R3201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31274/ans_air-180814-345 Available at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ans_air/vol663/iss1/74
Summary A thick endothelial glycocalyx contributes to the barrier function of vascular endothelium in macro- and microcirculation. We hypothesised in the current study that diet-induced hyperlipidaemia perturbs the glycocalyx, resulting in decreased dimensions of this layer and increased transendothelial lipoprotein leakage in capillaries. Glycocalyx thickness was measured in mouse cremaster muscle capillaries by intravital microscopy from the distance between flowing red blood cells and the endothelial surface. In control C57BL/6 mice on standard chow, glycocalyx thickness measured 0.58 ± 0.01 (mean ± SEM) μm, and no lipo-proteins were observed in the tissue. After three months administration of an either mild or severe high-fat / high-cholesterol diet (HFC) to C57BL/6 and ApoE3-Leiden mice, circulating large lipoproteins appeared into the subendothelial space in an increasing proportion of cre-master capillaries, and these capillaries displayed reduced glycocalyx dimensions of 0.40 ± 0.02 and 0.30 ± 0.01 μm (C57BL/6 mice), and 0.37 ± 0.01 and 0.28 ± 0.01 μm (ApoE3-Leiden mice), after the mild and severe HFC diet, respectively. The chylomicron nature of the accumulated lipoproteins was confirmed by observations of subendothelial deposition of DiI-labeled chylomicrons in capillaries after inducing acute glycocalyx degradation by heparitinase in normolipidaemic C57BL/6 mice. It is concluded that while under control conditions the endothelial glycocalyx contributes to the vascular barrier against transvascular lipoprotein leakage in the microcirculation, diet-induced hyperlipidaemia reduces the thickness of the glycocalyx, thereby facilitating leakage of chylomicrons across the capillary wall.
The problem of reliable automatic target recognition (ATR) from incoherent radar returns is discussed. In the problems under consideration, feature extraction methods are divided into two basic types: (1) Feature extraction directly based on time-domain description; (2) Feature extraction based on multiple transformation technique. In this paper, we shall demonstrate the problem of feature extraction by considering two examples of ship target recognition. The main algorithms and the recognition processing are discussed in detail. The experimental results show that a high reliability of recognition can be achieved.
Shading of the mound surfaces of a series of Pogonomyrmex badius colonies caused an increase in the number of migrations to new colony sites. Only 18% of the control colonies moved, while all of the shaded colonies moved at least once. The shading caused a reduction in soil temperature to a depth of 50 cm. It is speculated that the reduction in soil temperature interfered with the normal development of the brood and the colonies' response was migration to a new site. Since it invokes a predictable response, shading may be an excellent tool for future experimental studies into the behavior of P. badius. See full-text article at JSTOR
A suspect Spinozism : concerning Boulainvillier's god. ; Boulainvilliers, who claims that he is explaining Spinoza's system, defines God as a substance with an infinity of attributes. However, an attribute is here not the essence or nature of substance, but simply our way of knowing it. Substantial essence and thought discussed by Boulainvilliers are abstractions ; infinite substance is being and being is the determined being of modes. That is why he says that God is the universality of things. But a divisible whole, composed of parts, cannot be infinite. As he believes this contradiction to be insoluble, despite the solution implicit in his works, Boulainvilliers proclaims that the divinity is unknowable and thus he deforms Spinoza's doctrine.
Although the Holocene is characterized by prominent vegetation changes, some vegetation types can reveal surprising stability. We studied Holocene woodland history in a sandstone pseudokarst area (Doksy region, Northern Bohemia, Czech Republic). Twelve soil profiles collected under native or semi-cultural pine forests were analyzed using anthracological methods. In seven of them, the age of profile bases was established using radiocarbon dating. All analyzed samples show a high degree of mutual similarity of species composition regardless of the site or the depth of the sampled soil layer, as well as a good concordance between the composition of fossil and contemporary vegetation. Forest vegetation dominated by Pinus sylvestris with a low but regular occurrence of Picea abies, Quercus sp. and Vaccinium sp. has prevailed since late Boreal up to the present. No considerable vegetation changes were detected during this period, except for succession after fire events. A high content of charcoal within soil profiles indicates that the study area has been affected by forest fires through a substantial part of the Holocene. Recurrent wildfires probably represented a crucial factor sustaining pine forests by cyclic succession, although the relative contribution of human versus natural causes of fire cannot be assessed. In earlier phases of the Holocene, the prevalence of pine in the local vegetation was revealed using palynological data, so that we can conclude that the pine-dominated forests ecosystem existed during the entire Holocene in the study area. This pronounced vegetation stability contrasts sharply with the changeable historical vegetation of Central European lowlands.
those aspects of Platonic, Aristotelian and Stoic epistemology that C. considers most relevant to the concerns of the Lucullus. Through this selection of particular topics and passages (e.g. Rep. 7.523a– 525b from Plato; DA 2.5–12 from Aristotle), C. traces a common ‘Platonic-Aristotelian theory’ characterized mainly by a view of perception as a discriminatory faculty able to discern objects in their distinctness (Unterscheidung). This is contrasted with a ‘two-step’ Stoic theory of perception as presentation (Vorstellung), whereby the senses passively receive impressions whose content is subject to approval (assent) by the commanding part of the soul (ch. 2). The central aim of the book, which is to shed light on Cicero’s reception of Plato (p. 9), is pursued in ch. 3, where the discussion turns to the Lucullus. The main challenge is to assess the relevance of a Platonic/Aristotelian background in a dialogue that essentially recreates the Hellenistic debate between Stoics and Academic Sceptics over the feasibility of secure knowledge acquired through the senses. C. points to the Platonic connection offered by two of Cicero’s own teachers, Philo of Larissa and Antiochus of Ascalon, both of whom claimed to be Plato’s ‘rightful heir’ and enlisted him as an ally for their respective views. The fact remains, however, that in the Lucullus the eponymous character, speaking on behalf of Antiochus, rehearses explicitly Stoic arguments against Academic scepticism (see Luc. 17, 28) while only a few oblique references are made to Philo’s views. C. rightly acknowledges that all the arguments put forward in the dialogue (even the sceptical ones of the pre-Philonian Academy voiced by Cicero in propria persona) are derived from Stoic premises. Thus the analysis eventually centres on clarifying the differences between this dominant Hellenistic Vorstellung-approach and the Platonic/Aristotelian Unterscheidung-view (C. maintains that these differences have been obscured and overlooked by Antiochus and modern scholars respectively, p. 193). C. fi nds traces of pre-Hellenistic epistemology mainly in Luc. 19–22, but it would have been equally possible to refer to Stoic parallels for the views expressed there on the senses delivering their own judgements (S.E. M 7.258) or on experts’ ‘technical’ impressions (D.L. 7.51). C.’s investigation is conducted on the basis of parallels between the Lucullus and earlier epistemological views at the theoretical level, and there is no discussion of source-critical or historical problems such as the availability of particular texts and the extent of their consultation by Antiochus and/or Cicero. On the whole, C.’s book provides an interesting additional angle for examining the debate in the Lucullus and Antiochus’ syncretistic project which (in the case of epistemology) is seen by C. to have subsumed Plato and Aristotle into the Stoic outlook. It will be more useful for scholars who are familiar with the text and the issues and wish to consider an alternative approach, than for newcomers to Cicero’s Lucullus.
In recent years electrodeposition from ionic liquids has become an extremely active area of research. Many authors have utilised their stability over a wide potential range to deposit materials which would be unstable in conventional aqueous or non aqueous systems. Silicon electrodeposition is one such case which has recently seen a growing level of interest.(1-3) Silicon has a large number of applications in the electronic and optoelectronic (including a need of inverse opal silicon structures) industry (4) and as such a reliable electrodeposition technique may prove to be extremely useful. Inverse opal structures of gold and other materials have been prepared via templated electrodeposition for several years. (5) This work seeks to develop this methodology to prepare silicon inverse opal structures.
Uterine leiomyosarcomas (LMSs) are rare tumors, comprising 1.3% of all uterine cancers. Primary therapy for localized disease entails complete surgical resection. The majority of patients recur within 2 years of primary therapy as these tumors tend to undergo early hematogenous spread. A randomized, controlled trial showed no improvement in the overall or disease-free survival with adjuvant radiotherapy, compared with observation, following resection of early-stage uterine LMS. A Phase II study of adjuvant chemotherapy following complete surgical resection of uterine LMS reported promising results. However, in the absence of Phase III randomized data demonstrating improved outcomes, the role of post-resection chemotherapy for early-stage disease remains experimental. For metastatic or unresectable LMS, systemic chemotherapy forms the mainstay of treatment. First-line treatment options include gemcitabine–docetaxel or doxorubicin with or without ifosfamide. Novel targeted therapies are under investigation in an attempt to devise more effective treatment strategies.
Class-D amplifiers have high efficiency and are used when high audio frequency power is necessary and also when low power consumption in battery powered equipment is required. A new kind of class-D amplifier is presented and analyzed. The ripple of the high power class-D amplifier stage is compensated by a small (low power) high dynamic amplifier, which can be realized either as an analog one or as a second power class-D converter. The main part of the power is handled by a half-bridge with relatively small switching frequency (compared to the output bandwidth) and therefore low switching losses. Furthermore, the compensation mechanism leads to no additional current or voltage stress in the main switching stage. In the presented example the switching frequency of the main power processor is selected at only twice the required output bandwidth of the amplifier. The resulting output ripple is compensated by using the transformer coupled supplement power processor. Only small filters are necessary. The concept is well suited for consumer as well as aerospace applications as due to the improved efficiency, and the battery lifetime can be increased without any quality reduction.
Surface electromyographic signal (sEMG) is deep related with the activation of motor muscle and motion of human body, which can be used to estimate the intention of the human movement. So it is advantaged in the application of bilateral rehabilitation, where hemiplegic patients can perform rehabilitation training to their impaired limbs following the motion of intact limbs by using a certain training tool. In this paper, we discussed the motion pattern recognition of human upper limb based on the sEMG signals. The main features of motion patterns based on sEMG signals are extracted via wavelet packet transform. Because the sEMG signal is a kind of non-stationary signal and there are many factors which can affect it like inherent noise, cross talk and so on. Therefore, a simple new method to obtain the trend of sEMG with weighted peaks as features was proposed and support vector machine (SVM) is utilized as the classifier. The contrastive experimental results show that the proposed method improved the recognition rate.
The RH vacuum refining process is vitally important for the production of ultra‐low‐carbon steels, due to its effective degassing and homogenizing. A combined physical and mathematical modeling approach is performed in the current study to investigate the multiphase fluid flow and mixing phenomena during the RH vacuum refining process. The numerical simulation coupled VOF and DPM is used to obtain the flow pattern and the interface profile in the RH reactor in the water‐air system. Turbulent characteristics are predicted by a modified k‐ϵ model. A water model is used to validate calculated results. Based on the results of RH water modeling, the 2D‐velocity distribution in the section Y = 0 is captured by particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. To improve the refining efficiency and the service life time of the RH reactor, a new designed RH degasser with an optimized down‐leg snorkel is established. The oval down‐leg snorkel with a larger cross‐sectional area will increase the circulation rate of the fluid by 20% and weaken the impact on the ladle wall compared with the traditional one, which has immense potential in future applications to improve the service life of the ladle.
We have measured radiative pion π+ → e+νγ (RPD), and muon μ+ → e+νν̄γ (RMD) decays, over broad phase space regions using the PIBETA detector. Preliminary results of fits to integral and differential RPD distributions yield the axial and vector pion form factors of FA = 0.0116(1), and FV = 0.0262(11), respectively, with a first ever evaluation of their q2 dependence. We have evaluated B(μ+ → e+νν̄γ) = 4.40(9)× 10−3 for Eγ > 10 MeV and θeγ > 30◦. We have extracted a new upper bound on the Michel decay parameter η̄ ≤ 0.033 (at 68% C.L.). Our results are in excellent agreement with the Standard Model.
An ovarian mass will be detected in as many as 20% of women at some point in their lives. As ultrasound imaging becomes more commonly used, many such masses are identified in asymptomatic women, raising uncertainty about appropriate next steps. In a review, gynecologic oncologists detail the roles of ultrasound morphology and serum biomarkers to evaluate ovarian masses.  Ultrasound-determined morphology can classify ovarian masses as likely benign, likely malignant, or indeterminate. Unilocular (simple) cysts are …
Acute epididymitis represents a common medical condition in the urological outpatient clinic. Mostly, epididymitis is caused by bacterial ascent through the urogenital tract, with pathogens originating either from sexually transmitted diseases or urinary tract infections. Although conservative antimicrobial therapy is possible in the majority of patients and is usually sufficient to eradicate the pathogen, studies have shown persistent oligozoospermia and azoospermia in up to 40% of these patients. Animal models of epididymitis are created to delineate the underlying reasons for this observation and the additional impairment of sperm function that is often associated with the disease. Accumulated data provide evidence of a differential expression of immune cells, immunoregulatory genes and pathogen-sensing molecules along the length of the epididymal duct. The evidence suggests that a tolerogenic environment exists in the caput epididymidis, but that inflammatory responses are most intense toward the cauda epididymidis. This is consistent with the need to provide protection for the neo-antigens of spermatozoa emerging from the testis, without compromising the ability to respond to ascending infections. However, severe inflammatory responses, particularly in the cauda, may lead to collateral damage to the structure and function of the epididymis. Convergence of the clinical observations with appropriate animal studies should lead to better understanding of the immunological environment throughout the epididymis, the parameters underlying susceptibility to epididymitis, and to therapeutic approaches that can mitigate epididymal damage and subsequent fertility problems.
In this paper, we investigate the joint job and data assignment problem in cloud data centers with non-volatile memory (NVM) for makespan minimization. Through extensive analysis, we find that there is an indicator variable that characterizes the hardness of the problem. Depending on the value of the indicator variable, we classify our problem into three cases: inf-case, opt-case, and nph-case. We first show that there is no feasible assignment under the inf-case. For the opt-case, we present an optimal algorithm. We show that a mixed data assignment with diversified popularity achieves high memory utilization. For the nph-case, we first prove the problem's NP-hardness and then propose a heuristic algorithm and a 2-approximation algorithm to tackle it. We conduct extensive simulations, and we find that the performance of the heuristic algorithm is better than the 2-approximation algorithm and that it is nearly the same as the theoretical optimal solution.
Tandem systems based on multi-layer perceptrons (MLPs) have improved the performance of automatic speech recognition systems on both large vocabulary and noisy tasks. One potential problem of the standard Tandem approach, however, is that the MLPs generally used do not model temporal dynamics inherent in speech. In this work, we propose a hybrid MLP/Structured-SVM model, in which the parameters between the hidden layer and output layer and temporal transitions between output layers are modeled by a Structured-SVM. A Structured-SVM can be thought of as an extension to the classical binary support vector machine which can naturally classify “structures” such as sequences. Using this approach, we can identify sequences of phones in an utterance. We try this model on two different corpora – Aurora2 and the large-vocabulary section of the ICSI meeting corpus – to investigate the model’s performance in noisy conditions and on a large-vocabulary task. Compared to a difficult Tandem baseline in which the MLP is trained using 2nd-order optimization methods, the MLP/Structured-SVM system decreases WER in noisy conditions by 7.9% relative. On the large vocabulary corpus, the proposed system decreases WER by 1.1% absolute compared to the 2nd-order Tandem system.
This article presents experiments of the measurement of heat transfer in multilayer structures of FR4 material with different topologies at the first and second levels in the presence of thermoal vias. For the purpose of the experiment a power diode in SMC package is used as heat source and copper pads are placed on the second conductive layer in order to extract the heat. The thermoal vias, connecting the top solder pads and the copper pads, are designed with a different diameter and the structures are electrically charged. The goal is to investigate the change in the diode temperature when applying a different power supply. This article illustrates the heat dissipation dependence on the diameter and thickness of the thermal-vias. The measurement of the temperatures for obtaining the results is done by a thermal camera FLIR P640.
Given the current growth of mobile and online commerce, this research attempts to review and classify the variables that can be used to characterize the profiles of the buyers and compare them in the context of online and mobile purchasing. To achieve this goal, we will use demographic, socioeconomic, psychographic, behavioral and motivational characteristics of the buyers and thus enhance the literature about the analysis of these variables.
Monitored infection and vaccination rates during past past waves of the coronavirus are used to infer a posteriori two-key parameter of the SIRV epidemic model, namely, the real-time variation in (i) the ratio of recovery to infection rate and (ii) the ratio of vaccination to infection rate. We demonstrate that using the classical SIR model, the ratio between recovery and infection rates tends to overestimate the true ratio, which is of relevance in predicting the dynamics of an epidemic in the presence of vaccinations.
Objective: Investigate the attitudes of general practitioners (GPs) concerning predictive testing for late-onset diseases, as well as the perception of their own role in this context. Methods: 356 GPs received mail questionnaires with telephone pre-notifications and reminders. Results: The questionnaire was returned by 60% (n = 215). The GPs’ attitudes toward predictive testing for breast cancer, thyroid cancer, Alzheimer disease and Huntington’s disease were influenced by the availability and the type of preventive and therapeutic options, the age of onset of the disease as well as by ethical concerns. Regarding a possible task for GPs, most of the GPs focussed on gate-keeping aspects, such as providing information and making referrals. Conclusion: The GPs were supportive of a limited role for general practice in predictive testing. Genetic education for GPs is needed, with attention to non-directiveness and the characteristic psychosocial and ethical implications of this particular type of genetic testing.
Quantitative analysis of methylene blue (MB) has been performed with Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering, SERS, using citrate reduced silver colloid activated with NaCl. In this study, the combination of SERS occurring at the proximity of the plasmon surface and of resonance Raman with excitation wavelength matched to the maximum absorbance of the molecule being analyzed, was successfully applied to maximize the Raman scattering intensity. The surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) spectra of aqueous solutions of the dye at various concentrations were collected in right-angle scattering geometry configuration which results favorable when nanocolloidal dispersions are used. The MB concentration was correlated with the intensity of the peak centered at 1,625 cm−1 in the SERRS spectrum and this correlation resulted in an extremely sensitive quantitative investigation of the MB with limit of detection in pM level. Among others, this method can be easily applied for the examination of both the selectivity of waste water purification membranes for relevant small molecular weight contaminants or/and the solar photocatalytic effectiveness of such membranes for the degradation of pertinent pollutants by their quantitative assessment in the permeate at very low concentration range.
ABSTRACT The emergence of New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase (NDM-1) has become a major health threat to clinical managements of gram-negative bacteria infections. A novel incompatibility group X3 plasmid (IncX3) pNDM-HN380 carrying bla NDM-1 has recently been found to epidemiologically link with multiple geographical areas in China. In this paper, we studied the metabolic responses of host bacteria E. coli J53 upon introduction of pNDM-HN380. A reduction of bacterial motility was observed in J53/pNDM-HN380. We profiled the RNA repertoires of the transconjugants and found a downregulation of genes involved in flagella and chemotaxis metabolic pathways at logarithmic (log) phase. We also identified a novel intragenic region (IGR) small RNA plas2. The plasmid-transcribed sRNA IGR plas2 was further characterized as a regulator of fucRwhich controls the fucose metabolism. By knockdown of IGR plas2 using an antisense decoy, we managed to inhibit the formation of bacterial biofilm of the host. Our study demonstrated a potential way of utilizing plasmid-transcribed sRNA against infectious bacteria.
Until 1952 there was no agency in India directly concerned with the preservation of the country's wild life, and the Forest Departments of the various States were only able to extend a limited measure of protection within certain of the reserved forests under their jurisdiction. At the end of 1952 the constitution of the Indian Board for Wild Life, consisting of non-officials as well as of officials, to advise the Central Government in New Delhi, was an important step forward in nature conservation in India. It was followed within a very short time by the constitution of State Wild Life Boards in nearly all the States of the Indian Union. By now several States also possess separate Wild Life Departments, within the Forest Department, concerned solely with the preservation of wild life.
e20104 Background: Malignant melanoma represents one of the most common malignancies metastasizing to gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcome of patients undergone therapeutic or palliative surgery for melanoma metastases to gastrointestinal tract. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 90 stage IV melanoma patients undergone surgical resection for gastrointestinal metastases at the National Cancer Institute of Milan from 1985 to 2014 were evaluated. The performed surgical procedures were radical or palliative resections. Results: The intent of surgery was palliative in 60 patients (66.7%) and curative in 30 (33.3%). The 5-year survival for the whole patients who received complete and incomplete resections were 28% and 4% respectively (p < 0,001). A radical surgery performed in the gastrointestinal tract resulted to be related to a better survival irrespectively to the presence of melanoma metastases in other districts. Also a palliative surgical treatment was relate...
Spontaneous autoimmune diabetes in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice is the result of a CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell-dependent autoimmune process directed against the pancreatic beta cells. CD8(+) T cells play a critical role in the initiation and progression of diabetes, but the specificity and diversity of their antigenic repertoire remain unknown. Here, we define the structure of a peptide mimotope that elicits the proliferation, cytokine secretion, differentiation, and cytotoxicity of a diabetogenic H-2K(d)-restricted CD8(+) T cell specificity (NY8.3) that uses a T cell receptor alpha (TCRalpha) rearrangement frequently expressed by CD8(+) T cells propagated from the earliest insulitic lesions of NOD mice (Valpha17-Jalpha42 elements, often joined by the N-region sequence M-R-D/E). Stimulation of splenic CD8(+) T cells from single-chain 8. 3-TCRbeta-transgenic NOD mice with this mimotope leads to preferential expansion of T cells bearing an endogenously derived TCRalpha chain identical to the one used by their islet-associated CD8(+) T cells, which is also identical to the 8.3-TCRalpha sequence. Cytotoxicity assays using islet-derived CD8(+) T cell clones from nontransgenic NOD mice as effectors and peptide-pulsed H-2K(d)-transfected RMA-S cells as targets indicate that nearly half of the CD8(+) T cells recruited to islets in NOD mice specifically recognize the same peptide/H-2K(d) complex. This work demonstrates that beta cell-reactive CD8(+) T cells mount a prevalent response against a single peptide/MHC complex and provides one peptide ligand for CD8(+) T cells in autoimmune diabetes.
We report on a patient with bulbar‐onset, clinically defined, sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who also showed a Chiari I malformation. This malformation, otherwise asymptomatic, was detected during the diagnostic work‐up for ALS. To our knowledge this is the first report of an association between these two relatively uncommon disorders. Since our patient worked for many years as a bus‐driver and because the ALS symptoms began in the brainstem region, we suggest that his hindbrain anomaly, along with the mechanical stress on the spine and cranio–vertebral junction due to the daily driving, might have played a role in the region‐specific onset of ALS.
We report photoemission and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure measurements of the occupied and unoccupied valence electronic states of the regular surface layer of Bacillus sphaericus, which is widely used as the protein template for the fabrication of metallic nanostructures. The two-dimensional protein crystal shows a semiconductorlike behavior with a gap value of approximately 3.0 eV and the Fermi energy close to the bottom of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. We anticipate that these results will open up new possibilities for the electric addressability of biotemplated low-dimensional hybrid structures.
An experimental study has been performed to investigate the shear damage mechanism of aluminium alloy 2024T3 by an in-situ single shear test using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The observation of microstructural change and measurement of shear strain in mesoscale have been undertaken simultaneously. Hence, the shear damage mechanism and the shear stress–strain curve have been obtained. By measuring the deformed grid of a laser-marked sample, the shear strain distribution has also been found. On the basis of the experimental results, the relation between the shear damage evolution and the corresponding shear stress–strain state have also been obtained. It has been observed that two groups of microshear bands were formed in the shear process. When the shear stress is close to the shear strength of the alloy, slipping within the microshear bands occurs. The causes of macro-shear band formation and the interrelation and interaction among different types of microdefects are also discussed.
This study provides a better understanding of the effect of density and thickness on impact strength of laminated floor panel from Kenaf high density fibreboard (KHDF). The objective of this study was therefore to determine the role of density and thickness on the impact strength of laminated floor panel. Laminated floor panels consisted of high density fibreboard (HDF) as core and decorative paper as surface layer and backing. Kenaf bast fibres were used for HDF with three different densities (850, 960 and 1000 kg/m3) with thickness of 8mm and 12mm for each panel. Energy (J) value was evaluated to determine the impact strength of all various floor panels. It was found that thickness has affected statistically on impact strength while there was no significantly difference existed on density of laminated floor panel on impact strength.
The subject of this paper is an universal software for reinforced concrete annular and circular slabs reinforced in the radial and tangential direction. Such slabs are used for roof and ceiling structures of buildings. The software can be used for design and assessment of rotationally symmetrically loaded annular and circular reinforced concrete slabs with arbitrary supports and span. Based on user's choice, the software proposes solutions to not only meet all the design principles, but especially ultimate limit state and serviceability limit state.
ABSTRACT This research investigates trends and conditional convergence of industrial concentration and price-cost margin in 410 subsectors of the Indonesian manufacturing industry. This study uses firm (establishment) level survey data provided by the Indonesian Bureau of Central Statistics (BPS) in the period 1980–2011. The conditional convergence model is employed using four-year intervals. This research finds that the industrial concentration and price-cost margin are relatively high for most of the subsectors. Moreover, the Indonesian manufacturing industry is classified as a tight oligopoly structure. This research also reveals that the industrial concentration and price-cost margin for all subsectors tend to converge to the same value in the long run. The competition law supports the convergence of the industrial concentration and price-cost margin for the subsectors. This research concludes that the higher industrial concentration can create a higher market power in the industry.
We present the fabrication and testing of a prototype high-speed, quad-channel mid-board optics transceiver chipset and module applicable to VCSEL-based intra-satellite optical interconnects. The optical transceiver (OTRx) chipset comprises a VCSEL driver and a TIA integrated circuit (IC) both manufactured in IHP 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS process. The 4-channel OTRx module operates at 850 nm wavelength. It features low power consumption, a small form factor and it is pluggable on the host board through a micro edge card (MEC) connector. We present first functional test results in loop-back configuration at data rates up to 15 Gb/s per channel. The work is performed within the framework of H2020-SPACE-SIPHODIAS project. Additional presentation content can be accessed on the supplemental content page.
This paper provides an overview of SimGen, a prototyping tool which aids in the creation of 3D simulations for embedded systems testing. SimGen relies on a domain specific language to describe the components of the simulation and the communication protocol used to interface with them. A game engine called Unity is used to power the 3D environment in which the simulation takes place. The prototyping tool generates the necessary scripts to fully build the simulation within the Unity environment. By using the power of the Unity environment with the simplicity of the domain specific language, users are able to create simulations customized to their testing needs. The communication protocol between individual objects and the users application is defined by the user in the DSL and runs on TCP sockets for a general and easy to implement connection. Demonstration video: https://youtu.be/4ROt2N6i6KA Download link: https://github.com/PasternakMichal/SimGen.git
Corruption in high places of societies is known everywhere around the globe. This phenomenon is not something new among God’s people. The book of Micah shows that corruption among leaders of all sectors of the society existed in ancient Judah. This article looks at the book from the perspective that the powerful men in Judah were perpetrators of corruption. The poor and needy suffered in the hands of these men. Surprisingly, these men claimed to be religious. The prophet Micah as a concerned citizen preached against these men and their corrupt practices. This article reveals that the corrupt behaviour of “powerful” in ancient Judah pertains in African societies. It challenges the Church in Africa to stand up to preach against these men and their evil deeds. It finally shows that evil attitudes of the “powerful” bring down societies.
By extending and implementing the many-electron, many-photon theory (MEMPT) to the dichromatic case with commensurate frequencies, we computed multiphoton ionization rates of He for experimentally realizable situations. Specifically, λ1 = 248 nm and λ2 = (1/3)248 nm with I1 = 1×1014 W cm-2 and I2 = 1×1010, 1×1012 and 1×1013 W cm-2. For I2 = 1×1012 W cm-2, we present the curve of the rate as a function of the phase difference, , from 0 to 2π. For the other cases, we report the rates for = 0 and π and we compare the MEMPT complex eigenvalues with those obtained by Telnov and Chu (1998 Int. J. Quantum Chem. 69 305) who used a generalized Floquet formulation of the time-dependent density functional theory at the independent-particle level. The effect of electron correlation, which is included in the MEMPT, is quantitative. Specifically, compared with the results of Telnov and Chu the MEMPT energies are lower by 0.04 au and the rates are larger by a factor of three.
Background: Many approach have been tried for management of vestibular fistula, most of them have post operative complication like wound infection, wound dehiscence, more hospital stay which compromise the functional out come and aesthetic appearance of the perineum. Objective: The aim of present study was to see the effectiveness of Transfistula Anorectplasty (TFARP) Which was required minimal dissection without interruption of perineal body and perineal skin. Methodology: The cross sectional study on 43 patients with vestibular fistula were held in Dhaka Shishu Hospital from September 2008 to April 2010. Patients were operated after obtaining informed consent and standard bowel preparation. Data on demographics, operation time and postoperative complications were collected as a questionnaire and plotted on Microsoft Excel and analyzed systematically by SPSS version 17. Patients were followed up for a period of 2½ months postoperatively. Results: There is no statistical deference in patient population regarding age, geographical distribution, and clinical presentation. Mean operation time was 76.5 min for TFARP and 84.34 min for ASARP. Two (02) cases had wound infection after TFARP operation and 11 patients after ASARP operation. One patient develops partial wound dehiscence after TFARP and was healed after conservative treatment within 7 days. On the other hand 05 patients developed partial wound dehiscence and 04 patients developed complete wound disruption after ASARP which were also treated conservatively need more than 2 weeks on an average. Mean hospital stay were 6.45 days after TFARP operation and mean hospital stay were 7.87 days after ASARP operation. 20 neonates and infant who were treated by TFARP operation have good bowel movement without laxative and symmetrical anal contraction after stimulation. Conclusion: TFARP is an operation produce less morbidity and is more effective procedures and superior procedures than that of ASARP operation and give aesthetic appearance of the perineum. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jssmc.v4i1.11996 J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll, 2012;4(1):10-14
Therapy-related myeloid neoplasms have been well characterized. However, precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in patients with prior malignancies is uncommon, and the effect of prior cytotoxic therapy on development of precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is controversial. Therapy-related precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been reported occasionally. However, cytotoxic therapy-related precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia has been reported in Korea only rarely. We herein describe two cases of therapy-related precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. (Korean J Med 2013;85:96-100)
Abstract  We report a case in which a regimen of interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) achieved pathologically complete remission against renal cell carcinoma with multiple lung metastases. A 63‐year‐old man was admitted to the Osaka University Hospital with a right renal tumor and multiple lung metastases. Right radical nephrectomy was performed and the histological diagnosis was clear cell carcinoma, G3 > G2, INFβ, pT3a, pN0. Postoperatively, despite treatment with interferon‐α, the lung metastases progressed. Consequently, intravenous administration of IL‐2 was started at a dose of 70 × 104 JRU/day five times per week. After 16 weeks of IL‐2 therapy, most of the multiple lung metastases completely vanished and the largest metastatic lung mass was reduced in size. Resection of this residual lung mass was performed and pathological examination revealed no viable cancer cells.
Dairy ration formulation to meet protein and amino acid requirements with the National Research Council Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle (NRC, 2001) model depends on accuracy of predicting feed passage rates out of the rumen. The NRC (2001) passage rate (Kp) equations were evaluated for validity and sensitivity to input variables in predicting supplies of rumen degraded protein, rumen undegraded protein, and metabolizable protein. The database used in the development of the 3 Kp equations (for dry forage, wet forage, and concentrate) was used to independently derive the 3 equations using a meta-analysis technique. To extract quantitative relationships between statistically significant input variables and rate of passage, a random coefficients model that used each study effect as a random variable was used. The database was comprised of studies that only used rare earth markers. Outliers were identified by acceptance criteria defined a priori or the difference in fit statistic (DFFITS) value; 319, 63, and 139 treatment means were used to develop the Kp equations for dry forage, wet forage, and concentrate, respectively. We found that the sign of the regression coefficient for concentrate content in diet dry matter in the equation for Kp dry forage was inverted; it should be positive. A sensitivity analysis was conducted with a spreadsheet version of the NRC (2001) model developed for this study, using the Monte Carlo technique. The sensitivity analysis indicated that all Kp predictions were the most sensitive to variation in DM intake, and thus accurate measurement of DM intake is the most important factor in predicting Kp. Predictions for protein supply (rumen degraded protein, rumen undegraded protein, and metabolizable protein) were sensitive to variability in amount of feed crude protein (CP, %DM), digestion rate (Kd) of the B fraction of feed CP (%/h), and the Kp for concentrate (%/h), due to the high proportion of dietary CP in lactating dairy rations coming from concentrates. The sensitivity analysis indicated that accurate determinations of DMI, the Kd of the B fraction of feed CP, and feed CP are the most important variables needed to predict MP supply in lactating dairy cows with the NRC (2001) model. We conclude that the empirical Kp equations in the model are suitable for predicting passage rate in lactating dairy cows. More accurate predictions of Kp will require the development of a more mechanistic model that accounts for more of the biologically important variables (e.g., physical property of particles, liquid flow, and timely variation of intake) affecting passage rate.
OBJECTIVE To estimate the characteristics and number of nonelderly adults eligible and ineligible for Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansions.   DATA SOURCES AND SETTINGS Two secondary data sources are used in this analysis: the 2008 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 2009 American Community Survey (ACS).   STUDY DESIGN We use multiple imputation to incorporate model-based uncertainty into the prediction of immigration status into the ACS from the SIPP. Key variables include place of birth, year of entry to the U.S., and health insurance coverage.   DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTING METHODS No primary data are used in this study.   PRINCIPLE FINDINGS We estimate that potentially 3.5 million nonelderly adults will be excluded from the ACA Medicaid Expansion and 2 million from the health insurance exchanges because of their immigration status. We also find significant differences in estimates of excluded nonelderly adults across states.   CONCLUSIONS Over 15 percent of income-eligible uninsured nonelderly adults will be potentially excluded from the ACA coverage expansions due to their immigration status. Policy makers must be careful to exclude ineligible nonelderly adults before estimating the impact of the ACA on coverage rates.
This article presents a multi-objective economic environmental/emission dispatch (EED) of variable head hydro-wind-thermal power system. The combination of NOx emission, SO2 emission, and fuel cost are minimized for non-smooth hydrothermal plants while satisfying various operational constraints like non-smooth fuel cost, penalty coefficient, and wind power uncertainty. The objectives—cost, NOx emission, and SO2 emission—are optimized at the same time. In this research, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) has been employed for solving the given problem where the total cost, NOx emission level, and SO2 emission level are optimized at the same time while satisfying all the operational constraints. The simulation results that are obtained by applying the two test systems on the proposed scheme have been evaluated against strength pareto evolutionary algorithm 2 (SPEA 2).
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive type of brain tumor in adults. The triazene Temozolomide (TMZ), an alkylating drug, is the classical chemotherapeutic agent for gliomas, but has been disappointing against the highly invasive and resistant nature of GBM. Hybrid compounds may open new horizons within this challenge. The multicomponent therapeutic strategy here used resides on a combination of two repurposing drugs acting by different but potentially synergistic mechanisms, improved efficacy, and lower resistance effects. We synthesized a new hybrid compound (HYBCOM) by covalently binding a TMZ analogue to valproic acid, a histone deacetylase inhibitor drug that was shown to sensitize TMZ-resistant glioma cells. Advantages of this new molecule as compared to TMZ, in terms of chemotherapeutic efficacy, were investigated. Our results evidenced that HYBCOM more efficiently decreased the viability and proliferation of the GL261 glioma cells, while showing to better target the tumor cells than the functionally normal astrocytes. Increased cytotoxicity by HYBCOM may be a consequence of the improved autophagic process observed. Additionally, HYBCOM changed the morphology of GL261 cells into a nonpolar, more rounded shape, impairing cell migration ability. Most interesting, and in opposite to TMZ, cells exposed to HYBCOM did not enhance the expression of drug resistance proteins, a major issue in the treatment of GBM. Overall, our studies indicate that HYBCOM has promising chemotherapeutic benefits over the classical TMZ, and future studies should assess if the treatment translates into efficacy in glioblastoma experimental models and reveal clinical benefits in GBM patients.
The applications of whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing (WMGS) in routine clinical analysis are still limited. A combination of a DNA extraction procedure, sequencing, and bioinformatics tools is essential for the removal of human DNA and for improving bacterial species identification in a timely manner. We tackled these issues with a broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) sample from an immunocompromised patient who had developed severe chronic pneumonia. We extracted DNA from the BAL sample with protocols based either on sequential lysis of human and bacterial cells or on the mechanical disruption of all cells. Metagenomic libraries were sequenced on Illumina HiSeq platforms. Microbial community composition was determined by k-mer analysis or by mapping to taxonomic markers. Results were compared to those obtained by conventional clinical culture and molecular methods. Compared to mechanical cell disruption, a sequential lysis protocol resulted in a significantly increased proportion of bacterial DNA over human DNA and higher sequence coverage of Mycobacterium abscessus, Corynebacterium jeikeium and Rothia dentocariosa, the bacteria reported by clinical microbiology tests. In addition, we identified anaerobic bacteria not searched for by the clinical laboratory. Our results further support the implementation of WMGS in clinical routine diagnosis for bacterial identification.
In this article, we investigate a novel multisensor odor detection system (electronic nose) for low-concentration volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In order to break through the limitation for detecting low concentration VOCs, we design a conformal symmetric preconcentration unit structure based on the finite element method. A typical application for exhaled breath is developed to investigate the proposed scheme. The designed preconcentration system can increase the concentration of the concentrated substance, so that the sensor can detect it. Besides, we choose the alveolar gas at the bottom of the human lung, which can better represent the health status of the human body, to carry out the effectiveness test of the system. In order to combine the gas acquisition system with the preconcentration system, this article further designs a cost-effective alveolar gas collection device by a doubled adaptive pulsewidth modulation (PWM) operation. Finally, the effectiveness of the preconcentration system is judged by the detection results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We also use the classical algorithm to classify lung cancer and nonlung cancer patients, which proves the effectiveness of our proposed integrated design system and shows the potential of practical application of the system.
The purpose of this paper is to show how we can obtain spectra for different astronomical objects using low coat equipment. Where a high-efficiency diffraction grating named “The Star Analyzer” was used by the International Astronomical Center (IAC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE to get the spectrum of different astronomical objects. Balmer series was readily visible when observing an “A” type star. TiO absorptions lines were distinguished by observing an “M” type star. Methane absorption lines were visible by observing Uranus and Neptune. Whereas HI and HeI emission lines were detected by observing a blue hypergiant. In addition, C2 Swan band absorption lines were identified by observing a red giant carbon star. This type of observation is very interesting for public outreach as well as university students, because it shows astrophysical principles for public and students practically and by using low cost equipment.
The dissolution rate of a solid metal such as Cu, in contact with molten solder can be calculated with the use of the Nernst‐Brenner equation. We describe how this equation should be correctly used in cases when the solder is in contact with both the base metal and any intermetallic compounds that have formed. We also show that the concentration of solute in the solder will generally lie between the metastable solubility limit and the equilibrium solubility limit, illustrating these ideas with reference to a system comprising Nb as the base metal and eutectic In‐Sn as the solder, where the concentration levels can be directly correlated to the crystal growth rate.
ABSTRACT This study numerically investigates the effects of stratified temperature distributions on the end-gas combustion mode in a constant volume reactor. The initial temperature in the reactor was globally stratified with linear gradients. The effects of negative temperature coefficient (NTC) characteristics are addressed through a comparison between the results of a non-NTC fuel and an NTC fuel. The compressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved with detailed chemistry. The results show that the addition of large temperature gradients such as −10 or −5 K/cm can prevent the pressure wave development associated with end-gas autoignition, and the knocking intensity is significantly reduced. In contrast, small temperature gradients such as −1 K/cm lead to the generation of the developing detonation mode and thus to large knocking intensities. In the NTC fuel case, the knocking intensity becomes relatively large because the spatial gradient of the ignition delay time decreases even with the addition of large temperature gradients, especially in the NTC regime. Based on all the results, a correlation is presented between the initial temperature and the reaction front speed (the spatial gradient of the ignition delay time) for the prediction of end-gas combustion mode. The correlation suggests that the possibility of preventing large knocking intensities by temperature gradients is reduced under high-pressure conditions because of the increase in the reaction front speed. Consequently, this study suggests that very large temperature gradients would be required under high-pressure conditions to prevent large knocking intensities under the concept of thermal stratification.
T. Aushev, I. Adachi, K. Arinstein, 36 V. Aulchenko, 36 A. M. Bakich, V. Balagura, V. Bhardwaj, M. Bischofberger, A. Bondar, 36 A. Bozek, M. Bračko, T. E. Browder, M.-C. Chang, A. Chen, P. Chen, B. G. Cheon, R. Chistov, I.-S. Cho, K. Cho, K.-S. Choi, Y. Choi, J. Dalseno, 45 M. Danilov, A. Drutskoy, S. Eidelman, 36 D. Epifanov, 36 V. Gaur, N. Gabyshev, 36 A. Garmash, 36 B. Golob, 16 H. Ha, K. Hayasaka, H. Hayashii, Y. Horii, Y. Hoshi, W.-S. Hou, H. J. Hyun, T. Iijima, K. Inami, A. Ishikawa, R. Itoh, M. Iwabuchi, Y. Iwasaki, T. Iwashita, T. Julius, J. H. Kang, T. Kawasaki, H. J. Kim, H. O. Kim, J. H. Kim, M. J. Kim, Y. J. Kim, K. Kinoshita, B. R. Ko, P. Kodyš, P. Križan, 16 T. Kuhr, T. Kumita, A. Kuzmin, 36 Y.-J. Kwon, S.-H. Kyeong, J. S. Lange, S.-H. Lee, J. Li, C. Liu, Y. Liu, D. Liventsev, R. Louvot, A. Matyja, S. McOnie, K. Miyabayashi, H. Miyata, Y. Miyazaki, R. Mizuk, G. B. Mohanty, M. Nakao, H. Nakazawa, Z. Natkaniec, S. Neubauer, S. Nishida, O. Nitoh, S. Ogawa, T. Ohshima, S. L. Olsen, 9 W. Ostrowicz, P. Pakhlov, G. Pakhlova, H. K. Park, R. Pestotnik, M. Petrič, L. E. Piilonen, A. Poluektov, 36 K. Prothmann, 45 M. Röhrken, S. Ryu, H. Sahoo, K. Sakai, Y. Sakai, O. Schneider, C. Schwanda, K. Senyo, O. Seon, M. E. Sevior, M. Shapkin, V. Shebalin, 36 C. P. Shen, J.-G. Shiu, B. Shwartz, 36 F. Simon, 45 J. B. Singh, P. Smerkol, Y.-S. Sohn, A. Sokolov, E. Solovieva, S. Stanič, M. Starič, M. Sumihama, 6 T. Sumiyoshi, S. Tanaka, Y. Teramoto, I. Tikhomirov, K. Trabelsi, M. Uchida, 49 T. Uglov, S. Uno, Y. Usov, 36 S. E. Vahsen, G. Varner, K. Vervink, A. Vinokurova, 36 A. Vossen, C. H. Wang, M.-Z. Wang, P. Wang, Y. Watanabe, K. M. Williams, B. D. Yabsley, Y. Yamashita, Y. Yusa, Z. P. Zhang, V. Zhilich, 36 P. Zhou, V. Zhulanov, 36 A. Zupanc, and O. Zyukova 36
Hyperfine coupling constants for small radicals have been calculated using the density-functional theory with a gradient-corrected (GC) local-spin-density approximation (LSDA). The agreement between the calculated and observed results is fairly good. The GC-LSDA is essential to calculate the isotropic hyperfine coupling constants for  ensuremath{ pi} radicals. For  ensuremath{ sigma} radicals, the simple LSDA also leads to relatively good results.
DEAR EDITOR, We read with great interest the article by Penny et al. The authors reported patients who developed enfortumab vedotin (EV)-induced cutaneous adverse events. In these cases, skin biopsy revealed deposition of antibodies on the surface of keratinocytes. Moreover, the authors indicated that these deposited antibodies were EV. Generally, EV targets nectin-4, which is expressed in urothelial cancer cells and keratinocytes. Therefore, it would make sense to consider that these deposited antibodies were EV, in skin samples from patients with EV-induced cutaneous adverse events. However, it would have been helpful for the readers if the authors had provided some additional information to support their conclusion that the detected antibodies were EV. Firstly, we suggest that the authors might have described the method of measuring anti-desmoglein (Dsg) antibody titres. Although the authors reported negative results for anti-Dsg antibodies, there is no description of the technique used to detect the anti-Dsg antibody. Antibody titres are commonly evaluated by chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (CLEIA) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Although the reliability of these tests has been assured, their ability to detect anti-Dsg antibodies varies. Mai et al. reported several patients with pemphigus with antiDsg3 and/or anti-Dsg1 autoantibodies that were not detected by CLIEA, but were detected by ELISA. This discrepancy was resolved by extending the antigen–antibody reaction time of CLEIA. Therefore, if the antibody titre was evaluated by CLEIA in the present study, it would have been better to extend its antigen–antibody reaction time or to assess the titres by ELISA. Secondly, we suggest that the authors might have described the duration between the last EV infusion and skin biopsy. There is a lack of evidence indicating the accurate time for nectin-4 internalization after binding to EV. However, MRabet et al. examined nectin-4 internalization using ectopically expressed Flag-tagged nectin-4-expressed breast cancer cell lines. According to their experiment, binding of anti-nectin-4 antibody induced a 60% decrease in surface nectin-4 in cell lines within 24 h. Moreover, a clinical study demonstrated that the half-life of EV was approximately 1 day, and the EV concentration in serum had decreased significantly by the next interval. These facts indicate that the amount of EV on the keratinocyte cell surface may gradually decrease over time after the last EV infusion. Therefore, description of the duration between the last EV infusion and skin biopsy may help clinicians interpret the results of direct immunofluorescence of EV-induced cutaneous events. Although there are several limitations, the present study regarding the presence of IgG antibodies in the skin of the patients who underwent treatment of EV could be helpful to understand the mechanism of cutaneous adverse events caused by EV.
BACKGROUND Exercise affects growth and development through a complex interaction between the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. To date very little is known about how these systems respond to exercise in children or adolescents. Moreover, there are few studies that have examined growth factors, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and peripheral blood mononuclear cell responses to 'real-life' or field exercise solely in girls.   AIM To determine the acute exercise-induced alterations in the growth hormone (GH)-insulinlike growth factor-I (IGF-I) axis, inflammatory cytokines, and certain aspects of immune function (white blood cell [WBC] subpopulations and their associated adhesion molecules) in a group of adolescent girls following a typical cross country practice.   METHODS Eight, healthy, postpubertal, high school females, 15-18 years old, performed a single, typical, one hour cross-country practice session. Blood was sampled before and after the session.   RESULTS Following exercise, lactate increased by 364 +/- 67% (p < 0.001). Significant increases were noted in circulating IL-6 (p < 0.023), TNF-alpha (p < 0.027), IL-1beta (p < 0.047) and IL-1ra (p < 0.002), as well as a substantial increase in GH (p < 0.007). The exercise led to significant increases in all WBC subpopulations and platelets. The most significant changes were observed for natural killer cells (p < 0.0005). The exercise significantly influenced adhesion molecules (such as CD62L, CD54).   CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that an intense exercise bout in adolescent females leads to profound increases in inflammatory cytokines, with substantial changes in WBC and adhesion molecules. The role of these frequent, almost-daily perturbations on growth, development and immunity has yet to be determined.
I have read with interest the article by Mathieu and colleagues1 regarding the cardiovascular effects of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates that HCQ treatment is associated with an improved cardiovascular risk profile. However, it has some methodological issues. First, although the authors searched conference abstracts, using the MEDLINE database alone may not …
In this paper, we report on a study of the relationship between trust and psychological distress in a community near Three Mile Island (TMI). Trust is defined as the expectation that others will honor agreements, either implicit or explicit. Evaluation of a path model indicated that mistrust of authorities associated with the accident was directly related to perceptions of danger and harm to health and indirectly related to distress through these perceptions.
Recently, Numerous dynamic key management schemes have been proposed for WSNs , and it has long-lived networks, more sustained security and survivability, such as SHELL and LCOK. But most of these schemes are greatly depend on some central nodes (gateways), if these nodes were compromised, there will be great threat to the whole networks security and survivability. In this paper, we proposed a Location-aware and secret share based dynamic key management scheme to effectively replace the compromised central node and enhance the security level of the network.
Low-resolution near-infrared spectra were obtained for 14 quasars with redshift z<0.3. The observed continua from 0.95 to 2.5 μm were reproduced remarkably well with a combination of two radiation components, i.e., the power law and the blackbody radiation which are, respectively, dominated at shorter than ∼1.2 μm and longer than ∼1.5 μm. The longer part of the spectra fit a single-temperature blackbody of 1470±90 K which is attributable to the thermal emission from hot dust grains heated by the central power source. The flux ratio of the blackbody of the power-law component ranges by a factor of 6. It was found that an IRAS color selected sample tended to have a larger flux ratio as compared to non-IRAS quasars
This paper investigates the mapping relationship between surface micro–defects and haze of polycarbonate (PC) plate. Experiment studies showed that the PC plate with different degree of surface micro–defect can be produced by the process of injection and hot embossing, and then the haze of the PC plate can be measured by haze tester. Simulation studies were made through ray tracing method to find the proper topography function of the surface of the plate and calculate the haze of the plate, so as to study the relationship between surface micro–defect and haze. Finally, it was found that the experimental results validated the theoretical simulation well. And the prediction and evaluation of the haze through the mapping relationship was available.
The high-redshift universe is now the frontier of modern astronomy, and is the key object for current and near-future telescopes. The high-redshift quasars put a tight constraint on existing BH growth model, as it is challenging to form a 1010 M⊙ BH at z∼6. In this work, we relax the widely-adopted Salpeter BH growth model, to consider a more realistic path. We consider the variation in the mass and angular momentum orientation of gas supply (i.e. through ∊L and n), as well as the change in accretion mode (hot versus cold). Moreover, the conventionally considered BH spin impact on the radiative efficiency ∊M is also taken into account. Our key results can be summarized as follows. Firstly, sufficient gas supply (larger in ∊L) is obviously a key factor to make the BH grow efficiently. Also, The BH spin (a*), through the radiative efficiency ∊M, has a dominant impact on the BH growth, i.e., those high-redshift quasars with MBH > 1010 M⊙ should be formed in a chaotic gas supply situation, where the angular momentum orientation of the gas is random. Finally, through analyzing the most realistic accretion model, we find that the only existing model of seed BH is through the direct collapse, driven by either dynamical processes or thermodynamics
Coordinated weighted sum-rate maximization in multicell MIMO networks with intra- and intercell interference and local channel state at the base stations is recognized as an important yet difficult problem. A classical, locally optimal solution is obtained by the weighted minimum mean squared error (WMMSE) algorithm which facilitates a distributed implementation in multicell networks. However, it often suffers from slow convergence and therefore large communication overhead. To obtain more practical solutions, the unrolling/unfolding of traditional iterative algorithms gained significant attention. In this work, we demonstrate a complete unfolding of the WMMSE algorithm for transceiver design in multicell MU-MIMO interference channels with local channel state information. The resulting architecture termed GCN-WMMSE applies ideas from graph signal processing and is agnostic to different wireless network topologies, while exhibiting a low number of trainable parameters and high efficiency w.r.t. training data. It significantly reduces the number of required iterations while achieving performance similar to the WMMSE algorithm, alleviating the overhead in a distributed deployment. Additionally, we review previous architectures based on unrolling the WMMSE algorithm and compare them to GCN-WMMSE in their specific applicable domains.
The Internet was born in 1969; it was originally developed so that computers could share information on research and development in the scientific and military fields. The original Internet consisted of four university computers networked in the United States. Email became available two years later. The infant Internet initially required complex computing knowledge to be used. However, this was all to change with the development of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s, which made the Internet much more widely accessible. The Internet has since grown at a phenomenal rate and has evolved into a global communications tool. It is by nature anarchic, in that it is an unrestricted broadcast medium. Although this lack of censorship is a strength, it is also a weakness. The quality of information available on the Web is variable and discernment is required. With the growth of e-health, medicine and its allied specialties are faced with the challenges of providing their services in a novel way while maintaining the first principle of medicine, primum non nocere (first, do no harm). This provision of e-health care is in its infancy and this review explores issues arising from the use of the Internet as a medium for organizing menopausal health care in the third millennium.
We consider there is a vacancy in the plasma in the solar system, and calculate the vector potential produced by the magnetic field frozen in the plasma. The result shows that, in the vacancy, the vector potential produced by the magnetic field frozen in the plasma is much less than the large scale cosmic vector potential. This means if our earth is in such a vacancy, the total vector potential on the surface of the earth is dominated by the cosmic magnetic vector potential, which gives a further support of the reliability of the limit on photon mass given by rotating torsion balance experiment [Phys. Rev. Lett. 90 (2003) 081801].
To solve the problems in the calibration of polyaromatic hydrocarbons sensor used in seawater, we proposed a new method that using 1,5-Naphthalenedisulfonic acid, disodium salt dihydrate instead of polyaromatic hydrocarbons standard substances to calibrate seawater polyaromatic hydrocarbons sensor. Relative to polyaromatic hydrocarbons standard substances, 1,5-Naphthalenedisulfonic acid, disodium salt dihydrate shows higher solubility in seawater, better stability under the detection wavelength of polyaromatic hydrocarbons and lower toxicity to organisms. Our results showed that the relative errors between real concentrations of standard substances and measuring concentrations of these standard substances via 1,5-Naphthalenedisulfonic acid, disodium salt dihydrate-calibrated sensor varied from 5~15%. Our method can reduce the complexity of calibration procedures, and keep the accuracy and precision of sensors in the determination of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in seawater.
The articles in this special section describe the most recent advances in halitosis research presented at the Ninth International Conference on Breath Odor Research, a joint conference with the XXIV CONBRAPE (Brazilian Congress of Periodontology) held at Bahia Othon Palace Hotel in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil on 25–28 May 2011. It has been almost half a century since Joseph Tonzetich of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada (the first honorable member of the International Society for Breath Odor Research (ISBOR) who died in 2000, and is known as 'the godfather of halitosis research') published his first halitosis paper entitled 'Evaluation of volatile odoriferous components of saliva' in Archives of Oral Biology in 1964 [1]. This was the starting point for breath-odor research, long before ISBOR was established, although research in this area had declined by the time we convened global collaboration in halitosis research. One must ask the question; what progress have we made during the past half-century? Although a few bad-breath detectors have appeared on the market, organoleptic scoring is still likely to remain as the 'gold standard'. In the 21st century, people in modern dentistry or medicine are still sniffing their patients' breath in order to diagnose halitosis, a very subjective method! Halitosis is widely believed to be simple to diagnose and treat, but this is certainly not the case, considering we have not yet even completed an objective detection measurement protocol for oral malodor. In the treatment of halitosis, for many years before Tonzetich came into the field, tongue coating had been suspected to be the main cause, and this was scientifically proven a quarter of a century ago. However, people still visually and subjectively measure the amount of tongue coating to diagnose halitosis and an objective and more accurate method is required and needs to be developed. Those of us that work in this field employ mainly subjective protocols for diagnosis, but scientists are well aware that the data obtained by subjective procedures are not universal and therefore it is not possible to compare data obtained by a subjective measure with data from a different paper. It has been suggested that our procedures in halitosis clinics are not scientific and are almost the same as they were hundreds of years ago. Why have we not made progress in these fundamental measures for halitosis clinics? Everybody involved in halitosis clinics or the related sciences should ask themselves this question. Removing tongue coating (TC), which consists mostly of bacteria and exfoliated keratinized epithelial cells, is a radical remedy and is considered as the most effective way to treat halitosis. For many years, people employed mechanical tongue-cleaning methods, such as using a tongue scraper. In the early 1970s it was reported that mechanical stimulation promotes tongue cancer [2] . This hypothesis may not be absolutely correct, since most tongue cancers are found on the side (lateral margin) of middle third of the tongue, and so the relationship between tongue scraping and cancer has not yet been confirmed. However, there is still a possibility that mechanical stimulation is one of the causes of tongue cancer. To effectively and safely remove tongue coating there is no doubt that we must develop a novel technology without using mechanical stimulation, but no such research efforts have yet been reported since the early 1970s. The protocols for halitosis clinical research can be divided into two sub-classifications: short-term and long-term. For both groups, subjects must abstain from ingestion of food, drinking and oral hygiene for four hours prior to evaluation of oral malodor, as described in [3], since this is the best time to measure volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs), as defined by the ADA guidelines. A recent paper has suggested that this protocol might not be correct, since eating and oral hygiene may affect VSCs in mouth air for longer than four hours after these activities [4]. In long-term studies, three weeks' intervention is recommended by the ADA, during which time they measure malodor strength or VSC concentration at the baseline each day. The premise of this protocol is that the baseline of VSC concentration or malodor strength is constant over certain days, but there are those who doubt that the baseline is consistent. The organoleptic procedure is perceived as the gold standard for diagnosing oral malodor; however, for clinical work on halitosis, not only detection but also quantification is required. Organoleptic measurements do not require purpose-build apparatus, which explains why this has been a popular method among clinicians. But there are many drawbacks to this type of diagnosis. Quantification of odor sensations is very difficult, and the most difficult feature of the organoleptic procedures is stimulus presentation, while objective measurements directly determine the concentration of stimulus. Therefore, halitosis detectors should be the method of choice for clinicians. A number of halitosis detectors have been used in the past 30 years. The portable sulfide monitor was very popular, but it also reacts with other compounds which cannot be accurately detected. Recently, portable gas chromatographs (GCs) were introduced, but this exciting technology could only report a few evaluations. Even using portable or regular GCs, the ADA recommends that their protocols be employed in clinical research. The papers selected for this special section provide some answers to the above questions or demonstrate a novel aspect of halitosis pathology. Moreover, they illustrate the diversity of approaches to the pathological and physiological activities of VSCs. It is a challenging field. The main challenges, as noted by K Yeagaki et al [5], are that problems have been identified in current, widely-used protocols. (1) The baselines of VSC concentrations in mouth air varied considerably over the course of a week. (2) When subjects refrained from eating, drinking and oral hygiene, including mouth rinsing, the VSC concentrations remained constant until the subject began eating again. (3) Over a six-hour period after a meal and oral hygiene, VSC concentrations decreased significantly. The above data point to optimal times and conditions for sampling subjects. Yeagaki et al also compared measurements obtained using several portable devices with measurements obtained using GCs, showing that portable devices demonstrate capabilities similar to those of GCs. Thus, a recommended protocol has been established. The proposed protocol includes the following recommendations: (a) a short-term rather than long-term study is strongly recommended, since VSC concentrations are constant in the short term; (b) a crossover study would best avoid the effects of individual specificities on each clinical intervention; and (c) measurements of VSCs should preferably be carried out using either a GC or a portable GC. To control VSC production, removing the TC is essential for the maintenance of oral hygiene and tongue-brushing or a scraper is utilized for this purpose. Mechanical stimulation needs to be eliminated as much as possible for the reasons mentioned above or to avoid unpleasant side effects. Nohno et al [6] have developed candy tablets containing a protease, actinidine, and effect of long-term use of these on both TC accumulation and the concentration of VSCs in mouth air has been determined. This is a novel procedure that removes the TC safely. Although most researchers and clinicians evaluate TC accumulation subjectively and visually, this is neither scientific nor objective. Nohno et al have also demonstrated an objective method of evaluating TC using a digital camera and the software ImageJ (NIH, USA). Moreover, they suggest that a long-term research design might not be appropriate. To develop new halitosis sciences, ISBOR would never to nip new knowledge in the bud—we should nurture such a promising young bud. Tangerman et al [7] found no association between halitosis and H. pylori infection of the stomach, although H. pylori is believed to be a cause of extra-oral pathologic halitosis. Suzuki et al [8] found that the use of probiotics, a now popular way for controlling oral malodor, is effective in reducing TC accumulation, but they also described its limitations. Determining the limitations of a remedy is essential for both clinicians and patients. We must encourage the adoption of such a presentation style as demonstrated by Suzuki et al among breath-odor clinical scientists or clinicians. Possible chemosensory dysfunction can elicit halitosis complaints. Falc ~ao et al [9] found that chemosensory dysfunction may cause pseudo-halitosis that proves very difficult to treat. Aoyama et al [10] reviewed the role of p53 in the apoptosis of periodontal tissues caused by oral malodorous compounds, and emphasized its toxicity. This information could be very useful in enabling people to prevent halitosis. Ishkitiev et al [11] established the protocol for differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells to hepatic cells, and found that hydrogen sulfide increases hepatic differentiation. This is a positive effect of oral malodorous compounds. However, they still need to establish universally accepted standards for evaluating the toxicity or positive effects of VSCs as shown in their report, since those topics are not yet well understood among halitosis scientists. I would like to emphasise that this editorial represents only my own views on some of the most interesting findings in halitosis research. However, I must stress again that it is time to re-evaluate the halitosis clinical sciences, and to invest in the newly-arising sciences of halitosis. We look forward to our next ISBOR conference in two years' time. References [1] Tonzetich J and Richter V J 1964 Arch. Oral. Biol. 9 39–45 [2] Yaegaki K, Co
The mortality of female psychopaths has scarcely been investigated. To estimate the association between psychopathy and mortality, data from subjects having been in forensic psychiatric assessments at Niuvanniemi Hospital during 1984–1993 were linked to the data from the National Death Registry. Sixteen psychopathic females scoring 25 points or higher in the PCL-R scale (psychopaths) were followed up for a median (IQR) 21 (17–25) years and 41 offenders scoring <25 on the PCL-R (non-psychopathic offenders) for 22 (17–25) years. In both psychopath and non-psychopath offender groups, the mortality was significantly higher (p < 0.01) than in the general population, being over 12-fold among psychopathic and over 6-fold among the non-psychopathic offenders.
Research on violence in indigenous communities refers to traditional practices of competition for scarce goods and clashes with other populations over their territories. Violence against children is not described, and authors of some studies state a tradition of good treatment towards them. In our study we shows that the situation has changed and new forms of violence are affecting 725,000 inhabitants from 51 indigenous groups of Venezuela, especially those composed of children and adolescents. The method used was interviews with key informants and for secondary census, civil society data and journalists' reports. Results describe the existence of four types of violence: (a) structural violence, derived from the shortage of food and medicines that have caused deaths due to malnutrition and lack of medical attention, prostitution, girl trafficking and forced emigration; (b) violence of organized crime, which exercise control of illegal mining and affect the Yanomami and Pemón peoples, as workforce for the production of coca and drug trafficking with the Yupka people; and contraband of gasoline in the Wayúu people; (c) domestic violence due to cultural changes derived from new patterns of alcohol consumption or the use of physical punishment of children between Piaroa and Yekuana peoples; and (d) the illegal violence of the State for the imposition of mining with the Pemón people or the repression for the protests with the Warao and Inga peoples. In the article we show the great difference between the official discourse of protection of indigenous peoples and the realities of violence, criminal exploitation and violation of rights suffered by indigenous children and adolescents.
Aim The aim of the present study was to evaluate total phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as antioxidant activity of the peel, juice and seed extracts of pomegranate fruit from different Egyptian cultivars. The selected cultivar was subjected for evaluation of the effect of peel homogenate on volatile compounds in juice supplemented with this homogenate. Background Pomegranate fruit is a rich source of natural antioxidants; it has wide applications in food and pharmaceutical industry. Materials and methods Five cultivars of Egyptian pomegranate were subjected to a comparative study of phenolic and flavonoid contents as well as its antioxidant activity. The phenolic compounds were determined through high-performance liquid chromatography, and the volatile compounds of selected cultivar peel were added to juice through gas chromatography and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results While the total phenolic content varied between 5.21 mg gallic acid equivalent/g in PG4 fruit juice and 17.24 mg gallic acid equivalent/g in PG1 peel, the total flavonoid content ranged from 9.64 in PG2 juice to 34.28 mg rutin/g in the peel of PG1. All peel, juice and seeds extracts exhibited high antioxidant activities, evaluated using 1,1’-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and β-carotene assays. Gallic acid, chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid were the predominant phenolic compounds of the pomegranate cultivars. A total of 17 volatile compounds were identified, including six monoterpenes, three monoterpenoids, three aldehydes, three esters, and two alcohols. Conclusion Peel, juice and seed of Egyptian pomegranate cultivars contain significant amounts of phenolics and flavonoids contents. However, the peel contains higher contents compared with juice and seeds. Peel homogenate of the selected cultivar showed a remarkable effect on volatile compounds when used for fortification of the pomegranate juice.
The subaerial expression of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on Iceland comprises two overlapping spreading axes, referred to as the West Volcanic Zone (WVZ) and the East Volcanic Zone (EVZ), respectively. The way the spreading rate is distributed on both volcanic zones has an important impact on the stress pattern in the overlap area. Our field data from the area trace the evolution of the stress direction as recorded by slip motion on fault planes. We found four different strike-slip stress phases. An early N-S compression phase (A) preceded a NE-SW compression phase (B). This phase was followed by a SE-NW compression phase (C). However, we cannot date an E-W compression, phase (D), relative to the other phases. Numerical modeling based on the assumption that the WVZ has been permanently active during the last 3 Myr and that the EVZ is propagating southward confirms that stress directions have rotated clockwise by more than 140°. These results fit perfectly with our field analysis, and we propose that phase A corresponds to initial EVZ ridge-tip propagation, phase B to emplacement of the EVZ southern tip near Torfajokull, and phase C to an extreme southern location near the Surtsey Islands of the EVZ southern tip. Phase D could correspond to an intermediate stage between phases B and C. We suggest that this sequence of tectonics, recorded in a regional overlapping ridge-tip setting, is directly analogous to smaller-scale and more common phenomena at second-order ridge discontinuities throughout the global mid-ocean ridge system.
Calculations using a density functional theory-based methodology have been performed to study the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) properties of Cu(II)−faujasite models. Cluster models of sites II and III have been investigated. The calculated spin density is distributed both on Cu and on the framework atoms. Its value for Cu depends on its local bonding interactions with the zeolite framework. The calculated hyperfine coupling constants vary linearly with the calculated Cu spin density, whatever the models and methodologies are. Comparison with experimental results shows that Cu cations in four- and six-membered rings (sites III and II) can be related with the measured EPR signals, although no explicit site−signal correlation could be found.
The Transgender Studies Reader 2 is a thoroughly researched, deeply engaging volume of empirical and theoretical pieces with broad relevance to the field of higher education. Existing research demonstrates climates in colleges and universities across the nation are hostile to transgender students (Effrig, Bieschke, & Locke, 2011), with students reporting harassment on campus due to their gender identity (Rankin, Weber, Blumenfeld, & Frazer, 2010). Policies and practices within colleges and universities perpetuate dominant power relations that legitimize gender norms, making it very difficult for transgender students to experience and navigate campus environments authentically and visibly. While the work does not focus specifically on higher education, readers of this book are pushed to think critically about the ways the experiences of transgender persons require student affairs professionals to rethink present practices. This book reveals the field of transgender studies as intersectional and far reaching in that it is a field living within every discipline and is challenging the normative approach to scholarship.
Infections caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) are major public health problems globally. The objective of this study is to assessed risks for GC acquisition in lesbian women in a prospective study. We used comprehensive computer-assisted self-interview (CASI) to assess behavioral risks. Women were followed for 18-months with interval examinations for genital symptoms at any time. PCR for GC-associated bacteria (GCAB) were applied to vaginal fluid obtained at enrollment. Of 467 participants, 134 women (28.7%) had GC at enrollment and were excluded from the longitudinal analysis of risks for GC acquisition, which thus included 333 participants. These 333 women who not have GC at the enrollment visited 277returned for at least one follow-up visit. Median duration of follow-up for these 277 women was 18 months and 95 episodes of GC occurred among these 277 women. Furthermore; analysis the sexual behavioral data which revealed a direct dose-response relationship with increasing numbers of reported episodes of receptive oral-vulvo-vaginal sex. The corresponding estimated relative risk (RR) of 1.02 per act translates to a 31% increase in risk of GC for each additional 10 such acts in the last three months. A similar association with receptive oral-anal sex did not reach statistical significance. Furthermore, the multivariate model of risks for acquisition of GC included a composite variable that was based on detection of any positive PCR assay for the bacteria that were significantly associated with subsequent GC.
In this study, a zero-inertia model (ZIMOD) is presented to simulate all phases of border and furrow irrigation systems. The governing equations were discretized using a control volume of moving cells, by procedures reported in the literature for borders and for furrows. Later, the discretized equations were linearized by applying a Taylor series expansion according to the Newton-Raphson procedure, and then the algebraic linearized equations were iteratively solved using the Gaussian elimination technique. The ZIMOD was verified against several field experimental data and output of various numerical models in the SIRMOD package. Computational times, errors in predicting advance and recession trajectories, and estimated runoff and infiltrated volumes were compared. All models used in the comparative analysis predicted the advance and recession times and the infiltrated and runoff volumes satisfactory. However, models in the SIRMOD package were computationally faster than ZIMOD.
It is expected that the building-type fish or agricultural farms will appear in towns or suburbs of the Republic of Korea in the near future. The advanced water-circulating systems and LED technology are already in use helping the farmers to settle in these areas. Nevertheless, there are some other requirements for a successful operation of the farm. One of the surrounding factors is the atmospheric conditions which often have an impact on the growth of fishes or produce. This research describes a process of obtaining the analytical results by visualizing the data of atmospheric environment of the Gangnam District, one of the busiest areas in the capital city of Seoul. The data was used to create a model for the preliminary big data analysis which will be appropriate for the establishment of adequate city-oriented farms. Also, this model can be used to establish countermeasures to suppress bioaccumulation of heavy metals in the farm-grown fishes or produces. The basic research process involves visualization Corresponding author 1448 Jun-Ho Huh and Kyungryong Seo of data obtained from the univariate, simple and multiple regression analyses so that the data can be viewed conveniently. This also facilitates the procedures of finding a log-transformed model and modeling of overall characteristics through categorization of the explanatory variables.
Representation of electromagnetic expressions in terms of the four-dimensional differential-form formalism has been recently shown to allow simple analysis to problems involving general classes of linear electromagnetic media. In the present paper, another class of media is defined by expressing the medium dyadic representing the mapping between the electromagnetic two-forms in terms of one dyadic representing mapping between two four-vectors. Thus, the class, labeled as that of IB-media, is represented by 16 parameters instead of the 36 of the most general bi-anisotropic medium. Condition for the medium dyadic is derived and and properties of fields in the IB-medium are discussed.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the factor structure of the verbal paired-associates (VPA) subtest in the WMS-III using a theoretically driven model of semantic processing previously found to be well-fitting for the WMS-IV version of the test.   METHOD Archival data were used from 267 heterogeneous neurosciences patients and 223 seizure disorder patients who completed the WMS-III as part of a standard neuropsychological evaluation. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test theoretically driven models for VPA based on principles of semantic processing. Four nested models of different complexities were examined and compared for goodness-of-fit using chi-squared difference testing. Measurement invariance testing was conducted across heterogeneous neuroscience and seizure disorder samples to test generality of the factor model.   RESULTS After removing items with limited variability (very easy or very hard; 12 of 40 items), a four-factor model was found to be best-fitting in the present patient samples. The four factors were "recreational", "functional", "material", and "symbolic", each representing semantic knowledge associated with the function of the target word referent. This model subsequently met the criteria for the strict measurement invariance, showing good overall fit when factor loadings, thresholds, and residuals were held to equality across samples.   CONCLUSIONS The results of this study provide further evidence that "arbitrary" associations between word pairs in VPA items have an underlying semantic structure, challenging the idea that unrelated hard-pairs are semantic-free. These results suggest that a semantic-structure model may be implemented as an alternative scoring in future editions of the WMS to facilitate interpretation.
Niche partitioning among close relatives may reflect trade-offs underlying species divergence and coexistence (e.g., between stress tolerance and competitive ability). We quantified the effects of habitat and congeneric species interactions on fitness for two closely related herbaceous plant species, Mimulus guttatus and Mimulus laciniatus, in three common habitat types within their sympatric range. Drought stress strongly reduced survival of M. guttatus in fast-drying seeps occupied by M. laciniatus, suggesting that divergent habitat adaptation maintains this niche boundary. However, neither seedling performance nor congeneric competition explained the absence of M. laciniatus from shady streams where M. guttatus thrives. M. laciniatus may be excluded from this habitat by competition with other species in the community or mature M. guttatus. Species performance and competitive ability were similar in sympatric meadows where plant community stature and the growing season length are intermediate between seeps and streams. Stochastic effects (e.g., dispersal among habitats or temporal variation) may contribute to coexistence in this habitat. Habitat adaptation, species interactions, and stochastic mechanisms influence sympatric distributions for these recently diverged species.
Optical Fiber Thermometry (OFT) using single-crystalline, flexible sapphire fibers combines the benefits of a pyrometric temperature measurement concerning accuracy and resolution with a high local sensitivity and low invasiveness as given for a thermocouple. In the first part of the work flexible OFT sensors have been manufactured from bare fibers and characterized with respect to optical properties like the effective acceptance angle and parasitic light entering the fiber sideways and to the minimum bending radius. The tests have yielded that the optical quality of the fibers with a diameter of 325 micrometers , 150 micrometers , or 100 micrometers is sufficient for the application as control sensors in a high-temperature furnace. However, bending of these fibers at temperatures above 1000 degree(s)C has turned out to be very critical. Finally, an active temperature control loop for a multi-zone furnace using rigid and flexible fibers as sensing elements for a temperature of 1500 degree(s)C has been developed. The control algorithm which takes the thermal coupling between neighboring zones into account could establish a short-term stability of (Delta) T equals 0.015 degree(s)C over 25 min for all four zones. This achieved control stability is improved by one order of magnitude compared to a thermocouple based control system.
Influenza is a common disease that occurs in yearly epidemics throughout the world. Although the majority of infected individuals will exhibit a self-limited acute febrile illness or remain asymptomatic, influenza can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Each year, 3–5 million individuals develop severe disease and 250,000–500,000 die as a result of influenza [101]. Identifying influenza early as the cause of an acute febrile respiratory illness is important for patient management. Antiviral treatments for influenza have been shown to reduce the duration of symptoms, hospitalizations and mortality [1,2], and as such are recommended in hospitalized patients, those with severe illness and those at high risk of complications because of age or associated conditions [3,4]. However, antiviral therapy must be started early in the course of illness to produce maximum benefit, ideally within 48 h of symptom onset [1,4]. This leaves clinicians with a very narrow window of opportunity to influence the outcome of the disease. Knowledge of a patient’s influenza status at the time of the clinical encounter also has the potential to reduce additional testing and antibiotic prescription [5–7], which are prescribed in up to one-third of patients with a sole diagnosis of influenza [8]. However, the clinical diagnosis of influenza, based on fever and cough or sore throat, has been shown to have only moderate sensitivity (64%) and specificity (67%) [9]. Conventional laboratory diagnostic tests for influenza are considered gold standards, but are seldom able to give clinicians a timely result. Viral culture has a turnaround time of at least 48 h (for shell vial culture), and even RT-PCR, which has a turnaround time of 4–6 h, is usually run in batches, which may delay the results. These tests also require sophisticated laboratory infrastructure that is unlikely to exist outside of hospitals, while most patients with influenza are likely to be seen in community or outpatient settings. This has led to the development of an array of rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs). These immunochromatographic assays are simple to use, give a simple yes/no result in 15–20 min and are, in some cases, licensed to be used at the point-of-care, such as a physician’s office or an emergency department. However, their reported accuracy has varied widely, with sensitivity ranging from 10 to 80% [3,4]. So, how accurate are RIDTs and what value do they have for clinical practice? To address this question, we recently published a meta-analysis to summarize available evidence on the diagnostic accuracy of RIDTs [10]. The analysis included 119 articles evaluating 26 different commercial RIDTs, which were compared with a reference standard of either RT-PCR or viral culture. Overall, RIDTs had a modest sensitivity of 62.3% (95% CI: 57.9–66.6) and a high specificity of 98.2% (95% CI: 97.5–98.7%), corresponding to a positive likelihood ratio of 34.5 (95% CI: 23.8– 45.2) and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.38 (95% CI: 0.34–0.43). For the clinician, this means that although false-negatives Expert Rev. Anti Infect. Ther. 10(6), 615–617 (2012)
The control of multiple robots in the context of tele-exploration tasks is often attentionally taxing, resulting in a loss of situational awareness for operators. Unmanned aerial vehicle swarms require significantly more multitasking than controlling a plane, thus making it necessary to devise intuitive feedback sources and control methods for these robots. The purpose of this article is to examine a swarm's nonverbal behaviour as a possible way to increase situational awareness and reduce the operators cognitive load by soliciting intuitions about the swarm's behaviour. To progress on the definition of a database of nonverbal expressions for robot swarms, we first define categories of communicative intents based on spontaneous descriptions of common swarm behaviours. The obtained typology confirms that the first two levels (as defined by Endsley: elements of environment and comprehension of the situation) can be shared through swarms motion-based communication. We then investigate group motion parameters potentially connected to these communicative intents. Results are that synchronized movement and tendency to form figures help convey meaningful information to the operator. We then discuss how this can be applied to realistic scenarios for the intuitive command of remote robotic teams.
One of the prime activities of Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) Space Program is providing satellite communication services, viz., television broadcasting, mobile communication, cyclone disaster warning and rescue operations etc. so as to improve their economic conditions, disseminate technical / scientific knowledge to improve the agriculture production and education for rural people of India. ISRO, along with National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) conducted experimental satellite communication project i.e. Satellite Instructional Television Experiment (SITE) using NASA’s Advanced Telecommunication Satellite (i.e. ATS 6) with an objective to educate poor people of India via satellite broadcasting in 1975 and 1976, covering more than 2600 villages in six states of India and territories. Over the years India built communication satellites indigenously to meet the communication requirements of India. This has further lead to launch of an exclusive satellite from ISRO for educational purposes i.e. EDUSAT in 2004 through which rich audio-video content is transmitted / received, recreating virtual classes through interactivity. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) established in 1966, a premier institute in south East Asia in disseminating Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS), mainly focusing on contact based programs. But expanded the scope with satellite based Distance Learning Programs for Universities, utilizing the dedicated communication satellite i.e. EDUSAT in 2007. IIRS conducted successfully eight Distance Learning Programs in the last five years and training more than 6000 students mainly at postgraduate level from more than 60 universities /Institutions spread across India. IIRS obtained feedback and improved the programs on the continuous basis. Expanded the scope of IIRS outreach program to train user departments tailor made in any of the applications of Remote Sensing and Geoinformation, capacity building for ISRO’s operational projects / new satellite missions, developing e-learning contents and launching e-learning courses under twelfth five year (i.e. 2012–17) plan period of Government of India, in addition to continuing of existing distance learning programs for universities.
The international activities of academic institutions dramatically expanded in volume, scope, and complexity during the past three decades. This expansion raised the need to monitor and assess the process at various levels and ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of internationalization. This study has two main aims: first, to present a model large-scale feasibility test for internationalization assessment through institutions’ websites; and second, to assess internationalization using the proposed methodology in teachers’ colleges in Israel. A website-based analysis was combined with in-depth interviews with colleges’ leadership. The use of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through systematic assessment of 21 teachers’ colleges in Israel. The effect of contextual variables such as colleges’ size, location (national periphery vs. center), and educational stream (Jewish-Secular, Palestinian-Arab, and Jewish-Religious) on internationalization expression and intensity are presented and discussed in detail. Internationalization levels were found to positively relate to the size of each institution and its proximity to Israel’s geographic center. In addition, Jewish-Religious and Palestinian-Arab colleges were found to possess lower general levels of internationalization in comparison to the Jewish-Secular stream. This article presents discussion and policy implications of the findings.
The number of users and their network utilization will enumerate the traffic of the network. The accurate and timely estimation of network traffic is increasingly becoming important in achieving guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) in a wireless network. The better QoS can be maintained in the network by admission control, inter or intra network handovers by knowing the network traffic in advance. Here wireless network traffic is modeled as a nonlinear and nonstationary time series. In this framework, network traffic is predicted using neural network and statistical methods. The results of both the methods are compared on different time scales or time granularity. The Neural Network(NN) architectures used in this study are Recurrent Radial Basis Function Network (RRBFN) and Echo state network (ESN).The statistical model used here in this work is Fractional Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (FARIMA) model. The traffic prediction accuracy of neural network and statistical models are in the range of 96.4% to 98.3% and 78.5% to 80.2% respectively.
Objective: To compare corneal morphological parameters between diabetics and age matched non-diabetic control subjects and to evaluate the correlation of these parameters in relation to duration of diabetes mellitus (DM), glycemic status and severity of diabetic retinopathy.(DR). Methods: This cross sectional comparative study was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, PNS Shifa Karachi from February 2016 to January 2017. Patients with ages between 10 to 80 years of either gender who were diagnosed to have DM were recruited in the study. Control group comprised of age matched healthy volunteers who did not have DM. Corneal morphological parameters (CED, Average cell size, CV of cell size and hexagonality) was evaluated in each subject with non-contact specular microscope and findings were endorsed on a pre devised proforma. Results: Data of 298 eyes (149 diabetic patients and 149 healthy controls) was evaluated. Mean corneal endothelial cell density (CED) of diabetic population was 2494.47 ± 394.10 cells/mm2, while mean CED of control group was 2574.46 ± 279.97 cells/mm2 [p = 0.04]. Between group differences in mean average cell size, CV of cell size and hexagonality was statistically not significant. Analysis of corneal endothelial parameters among subgroups of patients with no DR, with NPDR and PDR did not show statistically significant difference. Moreover, patients with diabetes of more than 10 years duration had significantly lower CED (p <0.01) and larger average cell size (p= 0.03). Duration of DM was significantly correlated with type of DR, HbA1c level, CED, polymegethism and hexagonality. Conclusion: Mean corneal endothelial cell density (CED) was found to be significantly lower in diabetic population as compared to healthy controls.
among fire experts, scientists and consultants. Contributions to The Forum will not be refereed in the conventional sense, but will be subject to review by the Journal’s Editorial Board relative to appropriateness, clarity, timeliness, and scope of interest. The Editorial Board will be the sole judge of those contributions to be published. Opinions expressed, however, are those of the authors and not of the Editors or Technomic Publishing Company, Incorporated.
We consider ascending auctions for finding Walrasian equilibria in markets with indivisible items and gross substitutes valuation functions. Each price increase step in the auction algorithm requires finding an inclusion-wise minimal maximal overdemanded set at the current prices. This can be formulated as a submodular function minimization problem. We observe that minimizing this submodular function corresponds to a polymatroid sum problem, and using this viewpoint, we give a fast and simple push-relabel algorithm for finding the minimal maximal overdemanded set. This improves on the previously best running time of Murota, Shioura and Yang (ISAAC 2013). Our algorithm is an adaptation of the push-relabel framework by Frank and Mikl 'os (JJIAM, 2012) to the particular setting. We obtain a further improvement for the special case of unit-supplies. Furthermore, we show that for gross substitutes valuations, the component-wise minimal competitive prices are the same as the minimal Walrasian prices. This enables us to derive monotonicity properties of the Walrasian prices. Namely, we show that the minimal Walrasian prices can only increase if supply decreases, or demand increases.
Thirty-one internists in private practice chose items of care that they considered essential and likely to be recorded in the evaluation and management of diabetics, hypertensives, women with symptoms of dysuria or frequency, and patients requesting a general examination. Records of patients with these conditions, in those practices, were reviewed to determine which items of care were routinely performed and recorded. Overall, physical examination and laboratory evaluation items were more likely both to be considered essential and to be recorded than were history questions or management instructions. The lists of care criteria and frequently performed components of the care process are presented for use by other peer review groups and for the interest of other practicing internists.
sophical doctrine is a central element in his thought from the very outset. In the Preface to the Tractatus, he stresses that the work is "not a textbook" (TLP, p.3). He describes the aim of the book as one of "draw[ing] a limit to thought" or "to the expression of thoughts" ( Z P , p.3). In TLP 4.112, he remarks that "a philos o p h i c ~ ~ work consistskssentia~~~ of elucidations" and that it "does not result in 'philosophical propositions'." And in the penultimate remark of the work, after characterizing his propositions as "elucidations," he glosses what he means by this as follows: "anyone who understands me eventually recognizes them as nonsensical, when he has used them-as steps-to climb up beyond them. (He must, so to speak, throw away the ladder after he has climbed up it.)" (TLP 6.54). It seems clear from this that, however we understand the philosophical activity of "elucidation," nothing substantial-nothing that could bi viewed as a philosophical answer to a philosophical question-should survive at the end of it. What remains unclear is exactly what the activity of elucidation amounts to or what exactly its purpose is. The word suggests that something is illuminated or clarified, but are we to understand this process of clarification as leading to a form of philosophical understanding or insight? If so, does that mean that there is a kind of philosophical understanding that cannot be expressed in the form of a philosophical doctrine about what is the case? The idea may strike us immediately as problematic. It seems to threaten to turn philosophy into something mystical or irrational. James Conant and Cora Diamond have argued very persuasively that any attempt to preserve the idea that Wittgenstein intends the philosophical activity in which he is engaged to lead to a distinctive sort of insight or understanding-one whose "unsayabili ty...p recludes its being said, [but] which we can nevertheless grasp"'-fails to do justice to the radical nature of his thought. If we take seriously Wittgenstein's claim that he eschews philosophical doctrine, then the only end of the philosophical activity in which he is engaged must, they argue, be the realization that there are no philosophical insights-expressible or otherwise-to be had:
BACKGROUND Extensor pollicis longus (EPL) rupture and tenosynovitis of the third dorsal compartment is often described in association with a history of rheumatoid arthritis or in the setting of a distal radius fracture. However, the literature suggests multiple other potential factors that may lead to a seemingly spontaneous rupture.   METHODS We performed a systematic review following guidelines set forth by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. The search consisted of headings and keywords related to tendon injuries, tendinopathy, hand surgery, tendon transfer, and injections, as published in reports and studies. Citations were screened by title and abstract against predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria by 2 independent reviewers, with a third reviewer resolving discrepancies. To be eligible, articles had to meet the following inclusion criterion: describe cases of spontaneous EPL rupture or tenosynovitis of the third dorsal compartment. The exclusion criterion was any history of distal radius fracture or rheumatoid arthritis.   RESULTS We identified 29 articles that met the inclusion criterion.   CONCLUSIONS A myriad of prodromal events or predisposing factors ultimately led to EPL rupture or tenosynovitis of the third compartment. Methods of reconstruction described included primary repair, tendon grafting, and tendon transfer techniques; all with generally good outcomes. These results highlight the inherent fragility of this tendon and support the historical recommendation for early release of the EPL tendon in the setting of tenosynovitis of the third dorsal compartment.
The discovery that more than one route may be employed in the removal of cerebrospinal fluid has given rise to the question of whether fluids removed from different loci are alike in their physical and chemical properties. At first, the question concerned itself with the comparative composition of lumbar and ventricular fluids. More recently, the frequent employment of cisternal puncture both in children and in adults has extended the problem to include a comparison of lumbar and cisternal fluid. The problem assumes a practical significance with regard to the dextrose content of the cerebrospinal fluid, which is of diagnostic value in meningitis. Namely, does the determination of the dextrose content in fluid obtained by cisternal puncture furnish information of the same value as the examination of cerebrospinal fluid obtained via the lumbar route? Some comparative studies of lumbar and cisternal fluid have been reported in the literature. Most of these
Three methods were used to obtain dose distribution inside human body : experimental, semiempirical and numerical. The computer code was developed for calculations of dose equivalents in 23 organs of adult mathematical phantom for photon energies from 10 keV to 150 keV. The X-ray spectra were measured for 5 types of X-ray sets by using NaI (Tl), Si (Li) and Ge (Li) detectors. The organ doses and effective dose equivalents were determined for 47 types of X-ray diagnostic examinations. It was shown, that the estimated effective dose equivalent is 1.4 mSv/person-year due to medical irradiation for the population of the USSR.
AbstractSchofield (1981) demonstrated a degree of incompatibility in simultaneously maximizing pupils' cognitive and affective outcomes in elementary school mathematics. In contrast, computer-assisted instruction (CAI) incorporates elements that should facilitate accomplishing both goals. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of CAI on the mathematical achievement and self-concept as well as the perception of the quality of school life among disadvantaged boys and girls in third, fourth, and fifth grades (V = 376). Results indicated that in a combined CAI-traditional program, as oppossed to only traditional instruction, students consistently scored higher on both cognitive and affective measures while grade level and gender were generally nonsignificant. Differences between this study and previous research are discussed as well as the differential influence of CAI and traditional instruction on disadvantaged pupils.
In this work, we show how broad-bandwidth femtosecond pulses can be used to achieve high spectral resolution in nonlinear spectroscopy and microscopy. Our approach is based on chirping the excitation pulses in order to focus their entire bandwidth into a narrow spectral region. We show that spectral features which are 100 times narrower than the excitation light can be resolved with this simple spectral focusing. The gain in spectral selectivity and sensitivity makes its application to nonlinear microscopy very convenient. This is demonstrated with diffraction-limited coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy.
Using the modified finite element method, the nonlinear shell-spring finite element model is established with taking the van der waals force into account. Based on the B-R motion criterion, the dynamic bucking behaviors of multi-walled carbon nanotubes are examined systemically. The dynamic critical loads for buckling and failure of double-walled carbon nanotubes under axial impact load are obtained. It is shown that in the dynamic buckling process of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, the deformation of each wall is harmonious to each other and the change of interlayer spacing is very small. The magnitude and the duration of impact load as well as the length of carbon nanotube have greater effects on the dynamic buckling of carbon nanotubes. For the shorter carbon nanotubes, asymmetrical buckling mode appears earlier. The simulations further show that the stress wave propagation in carbon nanotubes induces the asymmetrical buckling mode. In the dynamic buckling process of carbon nanotubes, there are four circumferential lobes that can be observed obviously, and their wave crest and trough of the lobes change alternately.
We develop a novel data-driven approach to modeling the atmospheric boundary layer. This approach leads to a nonlocal, anisotropic synthetic turbulence model which we refer to as the deep rapid distortion (DRD) model. Our approach relies on an operator regression problem which characterizes the best fitting candidate in a general family of nonlocal covariance kernels parameterized in part by a neural network. This family of covariance kernels is expressed in Fourier space and is obtained from approximate solutions to the Navier--Stokes equations at very high Reynolds numbers. Each member of the family incorporates important physical properties such as mass conservation and a realistic energy cascade. The DRD model can be calibrated with noisy data from field experiments. After calibration, the model can be used to generate synthetic turbulent velocity fields. To this end, we provide a new numerical method based on domain decomposition which delivers scalable, memory-efficient turbulence generation with the DRD model as well as others. We demonstrate the robustness of our approach with both filtered and noisy data coming from the 1968 Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory Kansas experiments. Using this data, we witness exceptional accuracy with the DRD model, especially when compared to the International Electrotechnical Commission standard.
A mathematical formulation and numerical simulation for non-isothermal cell growth during the post-filling stage of microcellular injection molding have been developed. The numerical implementation solves the energy equation, the continuity equation, and a group of equations that describe the mass diffusion of dissolved gas and growth of micro-cells in a microcellular injection molded part. The “unit-cell” model employed in this study takes into account the effects of injection and packing pressures, melt and mold temperatures, and super-critical fluid content on the material properties of the polymer-gas solution and the cell growth. The material system studied is a microcellular injection molded polyamide 6 (PA-6) resin. Two Arrhenius-type equations are used to estimate the coefficients of mass diffusion and solubility for the polymer-gas solution as functions of temperature. The dependence of the surface tension on the temperature is also included in this study. The numerical results in terms of cell size across the sprue diameter agree fairly well with the experimental observation. The predicted pressure profile at the sprue location has also been found to be in good agreement with the dynamics of the cell growth. Whereas for conventional injection molding the pressure of the system tends to decay monotonously, the pressure profile in microcellular injection molding exhibits an initial decay resulting from cooling and the absence of packing followed by an increase due to cell growth that expands the polymer-gas solution and helps to pack out the mold uniformly. Polym. Eng. Sci. 44:2274–2287, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Abstract This finite element analysis (FEA) compared stress distribution on different bony ridges rehabilitated with different lengths of morse taper implants, varying dimensions of metal-ceramic crowns to maintain the occlusal alignment. Three-dimensional FE models were designed representing a posterior left side segment of the mandible: group control, 3 implants of 11 mm length; group 1, implants of 13 mm, 11 mm and 5 mm length; group 2, 1 implant of 11 mm and 2 implants of 5 mm length; and group 3, 3 implants of 5 mm length. The abutments heights were 3.5 mm for 13- and 11-mm implants (regular), and 0.8 mm for 5-mm implants (short). Evaluation was performed on Ansys software, oblique loads of 365N for molars and 200N for premolars. There was 50% higher stress on cortical bone for the short implants than regular implants. There was 80% higher stress on trabecular bone for the short implants than regular implants. There was higher stress concentration on the bone region of the short implants neck. However, these implants were capable of dissipating the stress to the bones, given the applied loads, but achieving near the threshold between elastic and plastic deformation to the trabecular bone. Distal implants and/or with biggest occlusal table generated greatest stress regions on the surrounding bone. It was concluded that patients requiring short implants associated with increased proportions implant prostheses need careful evaluation and occlusal adjustment, as a possible overload in these short implants, and even in regular ones, can generate stress beyond the physiological threshold of the surrounding bone, compromising the whole system.
Greece is a significant cement producing country. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of lung function impairment among Greek cement workers. One hundred thirty- seven cement production workers participated in this study. In addition, 110 employees not exposed to cement dust comprised the control group. The concentration of cement total dust at workplace varied from 1.1 to 11.6 mg/m3. In only one of the measurements, the Threshold Limit Level of 10 mg/m3 has been exceeded. Cement production workers presented a higher prevalence of FEV1<80% in comparison to controls (13.9% vs. 2.7%; Chi-Square Test; p=0.002). Multivariate analysis has shown that cement production workers have recorded an almost 5 fold risk of low lung function, as expressed by FEV1<80%, in comparison to the reference population OR=4.92; 95% C.I.=1.22–12.62). Current smoking was associated with an almost 4- fold increased risk of FEV1<80% (OR=3.91;95% C.I.=1.32–11.56). In conclusion, we found a high prevalence of impaired lung function among Greek cement production workers, despite the fact that total and inhalable dust levels were below the occupational exposure limits.
The paper is focused on issues related to the behavior of reinforced soil walls at working stress and near failure, and the prediction accuracy of internal stability working stress and limit equilibrium (LE) design methods. The paper identifies the key variables, principles and assumptions that affect the accuracy of these methods considering the full range of conditions from working stress to failure. The strain at peak strength of a granular soil wall backfill is identified as a key parameter for understanding the differences between working stress and LE design methods. Both geosynthetic and steel reinforced wall systems are examined using measured reinforcement strain and loads taken from full-scale walls under both working stress (operational) conditions and at incipient collapse (failure).
ABSTRACT VacA and CagA serological responses were detected in pediatric patients: 44 and 56%, respectively, in peptic ulcer (PU) patients, 33.3 and 44.4% in active chronic gastritis (ACG) patients, and 23.2 and 39.2% in non-ACG patients. Higher seroprevalence to CagA+VacA and to CagA+VacA+35-kDa antigen was found among PU patients. However, a low level of sensitivity and specificity was found for indirect detection of PU patients.
The BACTEC high-blood-volume fungal medium (HBV-FM) (Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Instrument Systems, Sparks, Md.) was compared with the Isolator (IS) tube and the BACTEC Plus 26 (BP26) blood culture bottle for the ability to recover fungi from the blood of adult patients suspected of having fungemia. A total of 6,836 blood culture sets that fulfilled criteria for inclusion in the study were received. Three separate comparisons were performed: 4,907 HBV-FM versus IS, 4,886 BP26 versus HBV-FM, and 4,949 BP26 versus IS. For the HBV-FM versus IS comparison, 218 isolates were recovered: 125 (57.3%) were bacteria and 93 (42.7%) were fungi. HBV-FM was comparable to IS for recovery of yeasts, but IS was superior for recovery of Histoplasma capsulatum (25 versus 0 isolates recovered [P < 0.001]). Growth of Torulopsis glabrata was detected earlier (P < 0.05) in HBV-FM bottles. For the BP26 versus HBV-FM comparison, 229 isolates were recovered: 161 (70.3%) were bacteria, and 68 (29.7%) were fungi. HBV-FM was superior for recovery of T. glabrata (P < 0.025) and all fungi combined (P < 0.025). There were no statistically significant differences in the speed of detection of microbial growth. For the BP26 versus IS comparison, 251 isolates were recovered: 165 (65.7%) were bacteria, and 86 (34.2%) were fungi. IS was superior for recovery of H. capsulatum (P < 0.001), T. glabrata (P < 0.05), and fungi other than H. capsulatum (P < 0.025). BP26 was superior for recovery of all bacteria combined (P < 0.001) and viridans group streptococci (P < 0.01). Growth of T. glabrata (P < 0.05) was detected earlier in IS tubes. Growth of Staphylococcus aureus (P < 0.01), viridans group streptococci (P < 0.01), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P < 0.05), and all microorganisms combined (P < 0.05) was detected earlier in BP26 bottles. For yeast, 57 of 59 (96.6%), 79 of 80 (98.7%), and 64 of 67(95.5%) were recovered from BP26 bottles, HBV-FM bottles, and IS tubes, respectively, by day 14; for H. capsulatum, 14 of 36 (38%) isolates were recovered from IS tubes by day 14. Mean times of recovery were similar for BACTEC bottles and IS. We conclude that (i) for recovery of fungi from blood cultures, HBV-FM is equivalent to IS (with the exception of H. capsulatum); (ii) for recovery of bacteria, BP26 is superior to IS; (iii) BP26 bottles are inferior to both HBV-FM bottles and IS tubes for recovery of T. glabrata; and (iv) HBV-FM bottles must be paired with another blood culture bottle or system to optimize detection of bacteremia.
Researchers and managers agree on the importance of organizations adopting a total quality management model. However, while an organization's adoption of such a model can be considered a potential source of competitive advantage, and therefore value generating, its implementation is not always successful. The authors focus on the importance of complementarities among the elements of the EFQM Excellence model in the process of its implementation by the firm, and the influence of these complementarities on business performance. They classify a sample of firms into four groups according to the level of quality implemented by the firms for each element of the EPQM Excellence model. The authors find that firms with a higher level of quality in all the criteria of the EEQM Excellence model obtain better results, while firms with the lowest scores in all the variables obtain the worst results. Additionally, the find that firms that make partial adjustments do not improve their results significantly. Thus, this model should be implemented not in terms of isolated decision making for each of the model variables, but rather the decisions should be part of a coherent course of action, since the variables show complex relations of complementarity among themselves.
We demonstrate the control of terahertz (THz) wave generation in nitrogen gas using shaped optical pulses with a spatial light modulator (SLM). We employ a genetic optimization algorithm to optimize the optical excitation pulses for the THz wave generation. A comparison of the optimization processes using THz power and second harmonics intensity as fitness functions is given. We also show that THz pulse trains with variable separation of pulses can be generated by using a series of periodic rectangular optical phases in Fourier space.
MR. ALFRED JOHNSON said he was sure that a good mechanical result was only to be obtained by exercising the greatest care when performing nephropexy. In the first place, the cases for operation should be selected very carefully, and it should be borne in mind that every kidney which could be felt easily was not necessarily an abnormally movable one. An easily palpated kidney might be a low-lying one, in which case a skiagram of an opaque bougie in the ureter would show that the ureter was straight instead of tortuous, as in a true case of movable kidney. Pyelographs were shown illustrating the pelvis and ureter in cases of permanently low-lying kidneys with straight ureter, and also of normally placed kidneys, in which it was seen that the upper calyx lay Dpposite the last rib and the ureter also ran a straight course. X-ray slides were also shown illustrating the tortuous course of the ureter in cases of movable kidney and the way in which this was made permanent by fixing the kidney to the muscles of the loin. In cases of successful nephropexy, fixing the kidney to the last rib by the method which he would describe later, it was seen that the straight course of the ureter could be restored. This was a result which he thought was desirable, for he felt that in order to obtain a cure of the condition it was necessary to get a good mechanical result. To do this it was important freely to expose the kidney, the renal pelvis and the ureter, and divide any adhesions or aberrant vessels which might be causing deformity or obstruction. The kidney should then be fixed as high as possible after a suitable bed had been prepared for it. The method he had adopted had been to raise two quadrilateral flaps of capsule from the posterior surface of the kidney. Starting from the middle, one flap was reflected upwards and the other downwards. The lower flap was used to fix the kidney by means of a stout suture running through the flap and tied round the last rib. A suture from the upper flap was passed above the last rib and fixed to the muscles overlying it in order to keep the kidney steady. In this way the kidney was fixed firmly and in its normal position. Pyelographs showed that this method of fixation gave a good mechanical result. In cases in which he had obtained a good mechanical result the general result had been satisfactory, while kidneys which had been fixed low often caused considerable trouble afterwards.
The periodontal ligament has a rich sensory nerve supply which originates from the trigeminal ganglion and trigeminal mesencephalic nucleus. Although various types of mechanoreceptors have been reported in the periodontal ligament, the Ruffini ending is an essential one. It is unknown whether the distribution of periodontal nerve fibers in deciduous teeth is identical to that in permanent teeth or not. Moreover, morphological changes in the distribution of periodontal nerve fibers during resorption of deciduous teeth and eruption of successional permanent teeth in diphyodont animals have not been reported in detail. Therefore, in this study, we examined changes in the distribution of periodontal nerve fibers in the cat during changes in dentition (i.e., deciduous, mixed and permanent dentition) by immunohistochemistry of protein gene product 9.5. During deciduous dentition, periodontal nerve fibers were concentrated at the apical portion, and sparsely distributed in the periodontal ligament of deciduous molars. During mixed dentition, the periodontal nerve fibers of deciduous molars showed degenerative profiles during resorption. In permanent dentition, the periodontal nerve fibers of permanent premolars, the successors of deciduous molars, increased in number. Similar to permanent premolars, the periodontal nerve fibers of permanent molars, having no predecessors, increased in number, and were densely present in the apical portion. The present results indicate that the distribution of periodontal nerve fibers in deciduous dentition is almost identical to that in permanent dentition although the number of periodontal nerve fibers in deciduous dentition was low. The sparse distribution of periodontal nerve fibers in deciduous dentition agrees with clinical evidence that children are less sensitive to tooth stimulation than adults.
A new design for a polymeric microgripper was developed. Two microgripper with different dimensions were considered. An evaluation between these models was performed using the simulation results. Finite-element analyses of the microgripper, using COVENTORWARE, are performed in order to evaluate the relation between the displacement, temperatures and the electrical current passing through the metallic layers.
This brief proposes the design of a low-voltage static random access memory (SRAM) for biomedical chip applications. The SRAM is designed using a standard 8T bit cell, featuring a shared data-aware write scheme and a differential reference-based sense amplifier. The proposed techniques make it possible for the 8T SRAM to use bit-interleaving architecture and address the half-select problem, achieving area efficiency and power reduction. A 96-kb 8T SRAM test chip is implemented in a 65-nm CMOS process to verify the proposed schemes, which operates functionality at a VDDmin of 0.36 V and has a power consumption of 5.1 μW.
The present study was undertaken to evaluate whether the respiratory inductive plethysmograph (RIP) 1) reflects changes of cross-sectional area enclosed by its transducer band in the presence of deformations of shape or whether it 2) has a stable base line. Testing of RIP was carried out with a device incorporating a thermally compensated oscillator and digital demodulatory circuitry. This system, introduced to commerce in 1983, superceded the nonthermal compensated oscillatory and analog demodulator circuitry first used in 1977. Testing the effects of changing cross-sectional area was accomplished by stretching a standard RIP transducer band around wooden dowels placed in holes on a peg board grid to form 23 curved and 5 rectangular shapes. The output voltage from RIP was linear for both the curved and rectangular shapes for changes of cross-sectional area within a physiological range. However, the regression line of voltage vs. cross-sectional area for the rectangular shapes was parallel and slightly displaced from the regression line for the curved shapes due to mutual coupling of inductance in the corners. Base-line drift from a RIP transducer band stretched to enclose an elliptical shape was less than 2.5 mV over a 12-h observation period. Current RIP technology accurately reflects changes of cross-sectional area of physiological shapes and has a stable base line.
The statistical method of principal components, when applied to mean sea level pressure data from the Australian region, shows that, in addition to the well-known eastward succession of cyclones and anticyclones and the zonal pressure index type of oscillation, an important source of pressure variability is a quasi-periodic oscillation of pressure over the eastern Australian region, which has ‘periods’ considerably longer than those due to the normal succession of cyclones and anticyclones. These several effects are revealed in the first three principal components which together account for 75 per cent of the total pressure variation.
The most plausible set of chemical shift assignments for alpha-bungarotoxin as deduced from the combined use of two-dimensional J-correlated and two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was in conflict with the accepted amino acid sequence between residues 8 and 12 and residues 66 and 70 [Basus, V. J., Billeter, M., Love, R. A., Stroud, R. M., & Kuntz, I. D. (1988) Biochemistry (first paper of three in this issue]). Furthermore, NMR spectra of alpha-bungarotoxin, purified by conventional methods, evidenced a second species at the level of approximately 10% total protein. The minor component was separated from alpha-bungarotoxin by Mono-S (cationic) chromatography. Sequencing of Mono-S-purified alpha-bungarotoxin and one of its tryptic peptides showed that the correct sequence for alpha-bungarotoxin is Ser-Pro-Ile at positions 9-11 and Pro-His-Pro at positions 67-69. The electron density map of alpha-bungarotoxin [Love, R. A., & Stroud, R. M. (1986) Protein Eng. 1, 37] was refined with the new sequence data. Improvements in the structure were found primarily for residues 9-11. Sequence analysis of two overlapping tryptic peptides proved that the minor species differed from alpha-bungarotoxin by replacement of a valine for an alanine at position 31. This new toxin, alpha-bungarotoxin(Val-31), binds to the acetylcholine receptor with an affinity that is comparable to that of alpha-bungarotoxin.
Between 1973 and 1983, the portion of eggs produced under contracts or vertical integration increased from an estimated 62 percent to 88 percent. This article adduces and tests two hypotheses to explain the effects of the increased vertical control on industry performance. The results suggest that deficiencies in the market mechanism rather than anticompetitive factors are responsible for the increased vertical control. The farm-retail price spread for eggs between 1973 and 1983 declined 42 percent in real terms; about 58 percent of this decline is estimated to be attributable to increased vertical control.
Background: Polycythemia vera (PV) is a clonal myeloid stem cell disease characterized by a growth-factor independent erythroid proliferation with an inherent tendency to transform into overt acute myeloid malignancy. Approximately 95% of the PV patients harbor the JAK2V617F mutation while less than 35% of the patients harbor cytogenetic abnormalities at the time of diagnosis. Methods and Results: Here we present a JAK2V617F positive PV patient where G-banding revealed an apparently balanced t(2;4)(q35;q21), which was confirmed by 24-color karyotyping. Oligonucleotide array-based Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH) analysis revealed an interstitial 5.4 Mb large deletion at 4q23q24. Locus-specific fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses confirmed the mono-allelic 4q deletion and that it was located on der(4)t(2;4). Additional locus-specific bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) probes and mBanding refined the breakpoint on chromosome 2. With these methods the karyotype was revised to 46,XX,t(2;4)(q36.1;q24)[18]/46,XX[7]. Conclusions: This is the first report on a PV patient associated with an acquired novel t(2;4)(q36.1;q24) and a concurrent submicroscopic deletion del(4)(q23q24). The study also underscores the benefit of combined usage of FISH and oligo-based aCGH analysis in characterizing chromosomal abnormalities. The present findings provide additional clues to unravel important molecular pathways in PV to obtain the full spectrum of acquired chromosomal and genomic aberrations, which eventually may improve treatment options.
Imposing a magnetic field on a turbulent flow of electrically conducting fluid incurs the Joule effect. A current paradigm is that the corresponding dissipation increases with the intensity of the magnetic field, and as a result turbulent fluctuations are all the more damped as the magnetic field is strong. While this idea finds apparent support in the phenomenology of decaying turbulence, measurements of turbulence in duct flows and other, more complex configurations have produced seemingly contradicting results. The root of the controversy is that magnetic fields promote sufficient scale-dependent anisotropy to profoundly reorganise the structure of turbulence, so their net effect cannot be understood in terms of the additional dissipation only. Here we show that when turbulence is forced in a magnetic field that acts on turbulence itself rather than on the mechanisms that generate it, the field promotes large, nearly 2D structures capturing sufficient energy to offset the loss due to Joule dissipation, with the net effect of increasing the intensity of turbulent fluctuations. This change of paradigm potentially carries important consequences for systems as diverse as the liquid cores of planets, accretion disks and a wide range of metallurgical and nuclear engineering applications.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the breast cancer subtype with the highest fatality rate, and it seriously threatens women's health. Recent studies found that the level of immune cell infiltration in TNBC was associated with tumor progression and prognosis. However, due to practical constraints, most of these TNBC immune infiltration studies only used a small number of patient samples and a few immune cell types. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate more TNBC patient samples and immune cell types to comprehensively study immune infiltration in TNBC to contribute to the prognosis and treatment of patients. In this study, 12 TNBC datasets were integrated and an extensive collection of 182 gene sets with immune-related signatures were included to comprehensively investigate tumor immune microenvironment of TNBC. A single sample gene set enrichment analysis was performed to calculate the infiltration score of each immune-related signature in each patient, and an immune-related risk scoring model for TNBC was constructed to accurately assess patient prognosis. Significant differences were found in immunogenomic landscape between different immune risk subtypes. In addition, the immunotherapy response and chemotherapy drug sensitivity of patients with different immune risk subtypes were also analyzed. The results showed that there were significant differences in these characteristics. Finally, a prediction model for immune risk subtypes of TNBC patients was constructed to accurately predict patients with unknown subtypes. Based on the aforementioned findings, we believed that the immune-related risk score constructed in this study can assist in providing personalized medicine to TNBC patients.
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) is a tightly regulated enzyme that controls carbohydrate partitioning to organic acid anions (malate, citrate) excreted in copious amounts by cluster roots of inorganic phosphate (Pi)-deprived white lupin plants. Excreted malate and citrate solubilize otherwise inaccessible sources of mineralized soil Pi for plant uptake. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses that (1) PEPC is post-translationally activated by reversible phosphorylation in cluster roots of illuminated white lupin plants, and (2) light-dependent phosphorylation of cluster root PEPC is associated with elevated intracellular levels of sucrose and its signalling metabolite, trehalose-6-phosphate.   METHODS White lupin plants were cultivated hydroponically at low Pi levels (≤1 µm) and subjected to various light/dark pretreatments. Cluster root PEPC activity andin vivophosphorylation status were analysed to assess the enzyme's diurnal, post-translational control in response to light and dark. Levels of various metabolites, including sucrose and trehalose-6-phosphate, were also quantified in cluster root extracts using enzymatic and spectrometric methods.   KEY RESULTS During the daytime the cluster root PEPC was activated by phosphorylation at its conserved N- terminal seryl residue. Darkness triggered a progressive reduction in PEPC phosphorylation to undetectable levels, and this was correlated with 75-80 % decreases in concentrations of sucrose and trehalose-6- phosphate.   CONCLUSIONS Reversible, light-dependent regulatory PEPC phosphorylation occurs in cluster roots of Pi-deprived white lupin plants. This likely facilitates the well-documented light- and sucrose-dependent exudation of Pi-solubilizing organic acid anions by the cluster roots. PEPC'sin vivophosphorylation status appears to be modulated by sucrose translocated from CO2-fixing leaves into the non-photosynthetic cluster roots.
Given the inherent DN and assembly limitations of rolling-element bearings, research is underway to develop hybrid bearings (combining hydrostatic and hydrodynamic effects) for their replacement. Hybrid bearings develop cross-coupled stiffness coefficients due to fluid rotation, leading to predictions of onset speeds of instability and potential limitations in their range of application. Injecting fluid into a bearing recess against rotation, versus the customary radial injection, can reduce the circumferential flow and the cross-coupled-stiffness coefficients, and increase the margin of stability. Test results are presented here for a hybrid bearing with against-rotation injection. The bearing has a 76.4 mm diameter with LID = 1, and Cr IR = 0.001. Data are presented for 55°C water at three speeds out to 25000 rpm and three pressures out to 7.0 MPa. Compared to a radial-injection hybrid bearing, experiments show injection against rotation enhances stability, yielding reductions of cross-coupled stiffness coefficients and whirl frequency ratios. However, increased flow rate and a drop of effective stiffness with increasing speed adversely affect the bearing performance. The prediction code developed by San Andres (1995) includes angled-orifice injection. The code correctly predicts trends, but at low speed, measured cross-coupled stiffness coefficients are positive, versus a prediction of larger negative values.
Every consumer has different style and considerations in making decisions when they are faced with choices of products. Indonesian society tends to like to shop (sophaholic). The survey showed that 93 percent of Indonesian rather going to shopping centers. Indonesian was in second ranked after Hong Kong’s for shopping tendency. Indonesia was ranked second after Hong Kong's shopping tendency in society. Based on this phenomenon, this study will focus on Indonesian consumer shopping styles and trying to find out and compare the Sundanese and Javanese ethnic shopping styles. Analysis units used are the society who shops in supermarket or hypermarket in Bandung and Surabaya. This study used primary data by surveys and distributing questionnaire. The sampling technique used was an area probability sampling. The survey was conducted at the site of modern shopping centers where there are supermarkets and hypermarkets. Data were analyzed using the software Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) and LISREL. Descriptive analysis carried out by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and frequency distribution analysis. Both of these analyzes yield a picture of consumer shopping style CFA is used to formulate a new dimension of shopping style shown by consumer in Indonesia. The results showed that when shopping at the supermarket, Indonesian people showed hedonic shopping styles, innovation, perfectionist, brand orientation, doubt, spontaneous, loyalty, promotional sensitivity, and female gender roles. Sundanese ethnic consumer shopping styles differ significantly by Javanese ethnic. Although it shows the difference, the two ethnic groups have the same style of shopping, the perfectionist, brand-oriented, doubt, spontaneous, and gender sensitive
Purpose To compare postoperative astigmatic correction between femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx) and small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) in eyes with myopic astigmatism. Methods We examined 26 eyes of 26 patients undergoing FLEx and 26 eyes of 26 patients undergoing SMILE to correct myopic astigmatism (manifest astigmatism of 1 diopter (D) or more). Visual acuity, cylindrical refraction, the predictability of the astigmatic correction, and the astigmatic vector components using Alpin’s method, were compared between the two groups 3 months postoperatively. Results We found no statistically significant difference in manifest cylindrical refraction (p=0.74) or in the percentage of eyes within ± 0.50 D of their refraction (p=0.47) after the two surgical procedures. Moreover, no statistically significant difference was detected between the groups in astigmatic vector components, namely, surgically induced astigmatism (0.80), target induced astigmatism (p=0.87), astigmatic correction index (p=0.77), angle of error (p=0.24), difference vector (p=0.76), index of success (p=0.91), flattening effect (p=0.79), and flattening index (p=0.84). Conclusions Both FLEx and SMILE procedures are essentially equivalent in correcting myopic astigmatism using vector analysis, suggesting that the lifting or non-lifting of the flap does not significantly affect astigmatic outcomes after these surgical procedures.
Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies, are nanosized membrane vesicles derived from most cell types. Carrying diverse biomolecules from their parent cells, EVs are important mediators of intercellular communication and thus play significant roles in physiological and pathological processes. Owing to their natural biogenesis process, EVs are generated with high biocompatibility, enhanced stability, and limited immunogenicity, which provide multiple advantages as drug delivery systems (DDSs) over traditional synthetic delivery vehicles. EVs have been reported to be used for the delivery of siRNAs, miRNAs, protein, small molecule drugs, nanoparticles, and CRISPR/Cas9 in the treatment of various diseases. As a natural drug delivery vectors, EVs can penetrate into the tissues and be bioengineered to enhance the targetability. Although EVs’ characteristics make them ideal for drug delivery, EV-based drug delivery remains challenging, due to lack of standardized isolation and purification methods, limited drug loading efficiency, and insufficient clinical grade production. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the application of EVs as DDS from the perspective of different cell origin and weighted the advantages and bottlenecks of EV-based DDS.
While landmark studies have shown that microbiota activate and educate host immunity, how immune systems shape microbiomes and contribute to disease is incompletely characterized. Primary immunodeficiency (PID) patients suffer recurrent microbial infections, providing a unique opportunity to address this issue. To investigate the potential influence of host immunity on the skin microbiome, we examined skin microbiomes in patients with rare monogenic PIDs: hyper-IgE (STAT3-deficient), Wiskott-Aldrich, and dedicator of cytokinesis 8 syndromes. While specific immunologic defects differ, a shared hallmark is atopic dermatitis (AD)–like eczema. We compared bacterial and fungal skin microbiomes (41 PID, 13 AD, 49 healthy controls) at four clinically relevant sites representing the major skin microenvironments. PID skin displayed increased ecological permissiveness with altered population structures, decreased site specificity and temporal stability, and colonization with microbial species not observed in controls, including Clostridium species and Serratia marcescens. Elevated fungal diversity and increased representation of opportunistic fungi (Candida, Aspergillus) supported increased PID skin permissiveness, suggesting that skin may serve as a reservoir for the recurrent fungal infections observed in these patients. The overarching theme of increased ecological permissiveness in PID skin was counterbalanced by the maintenance of a phylum barrier in which colonization remained restricted to typical human-associated phyla. Clinical parameters, including markers of disease severity, were positively correlated with prevalence of Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and other less abundant taxa. This study examines differences in microbial colonization and community stability in PID skin and informs our understanding of host–microbiome interactions, suggesting a bidirectional dialogue between skin commensals and the host organism.
This study aimed to describe perioperative care after anatomical lung resection in the Netherlands, before publication of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery®/European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ERAS®/ESTS) guidelines in 2019. An online survey was sent to all 43 Dutch lung surgical centers in December 2017, addressing topics in the four phases of perioperative care (preoperative, admission, perioperative, postoperative). Respondents were requested to report care that would be delivered to a standardized patient without perioperative complications. To compare current care with ERAS®/ESTS guidelines, we assigned an ERAS®/ESTS score per hospital, weighted for evidence level per recommendation. Higher scores indicate higher application of recommendations. Response rate of centers was 100%, median response rate per question was 98% [interquartile range 94-100]. Some perioperative recommendations are commonly applied (>85%), such as minimally invasive surgery and regional anesthesia; others, such as admission carbohydrate drinks, are not (<35%). Wide variation was observed regarding patient counselling, pre- and post-operative admission logistics, anemia correction, fluid management, pain management and chest drain management. Median 62% [interquartile range 53-72%] of the maximum ERAS®/ESTS score was achieved. Large variation in ERAS®/ESTS score between hospitals were found in all phases (preoperative: 6.0 [6.5-10.5] points, admission: 5.0 [1.0-6.0] points, perioperative: 21.5.0 [16.0-22.5] points, postoperative: 8.0 [5.0-8.5] points). Large variation exists in perioperative care after anatomical lung resection in the Netherlands. Given previously published data linking variation in perioperative care to variation in outcomes, standardization of perioperative care in lung surgery, preferably based on the ERAS®/ESTS guidelines, may be warranted but requires further study.
The phenomenon of early marriage results in a variety of problems, one of which is the economic problems caused by dropping out of school. Based on data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), 94.72% of early married children drop out while only 11.54 are married % passed high school level, in other words the early marriage actors had a low quality of Human Resources (HR), while from various studies said poverty occurred due to a lack of quality human resources. To cover up the problem, Young mother psychiatric school was present to provide entrepreneurial counseling assistance to young mothers. Starting with program design which included determining the location of assistance in each region, program budgeting, determination of entrepreneurial counselors, exploration of regional business potential, and program socialization to the community. In its implementation, there are five programs that will be implemented, namely sharing class (psychological and family economic counseling), "business from the environment" class explores the business potential that exists in the surrounding environment, product making, community marketing and regeneration to continue piloting young mothers to become more independent. Next will be an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of the program as an improvement material.
A series of N-substituted isatin thiosemicarbazone ligands (L1–L5) and their nickel(II) complexes [Ni(L)2] (1–5) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses and UV-Visible, FT-IR, 1H & 13C NMR, and mass spectroscopic techniques. The molecular structure of the ligands (L1 and L2) and complex 1 was confirmed by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The single crystal X-ray structure of 1 showed distorted octahedral geometry. The interaction of calf thymus (CT) DNA and bovine serum albumin (BSA) with the nickel(II) complexes was explored using absorption and emission spectral methods. A DNA cleavage study showed that the complexes cleaved DNA without any external agents. The alterations in the secondary structure of the protein by the nickel(II) complexes (1–5) were confirmed by synchronous and three dimensional fluorescence spectroscopic studies. The interaction of the complexes with DNA/protein also has been supported by molecular docking studies. An in vitro cytotoxicity study of the complexes found significant activity against human breast (MCF7) and lung (A549) cancer cell lines, with the best results for complexes 4 and 2 respectively, where the IC50 value is less than 0.1 μM concentration.
Stochastic linear programs require the evaluation of an integral in which the integrand is itself the value of a linear program. This integration is often approximated by discrete distributions that bound the integral from above or below. A difficulty with previous upper bounds is that they generally require a number of function evaluations that grows exponentially in the number of variables. We give a new upper bound that requires operations that only grow polynomially in the number of random variables. We show that this bound is sharp if the function is linear and give computational results to illustrate its performance.
Anticipation of regret for choosing the wrong option may directly affect physicians' choice of treatment. As part of a pilot survey of physician practices for agitated dementia patients, we asked geriatric psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and neurologists to estimate the degree of anticipated regret that they might experience in response to a series of brief case vignettes describing typical treatments and outcomes for agitated dementia patients. Eight written vignettes described physician action (ordering vs. not ordering), type of intervention (haloperidol vs. physical restraints), and outcome of the intervention (adverse patient outcome vs. adverse staff outcome). Regret was measured by using a five-point Likert scale. A full factorial regression model found that "not ordering" actions were associated with more regret than "ordering" actions, regardless of specialty, intervention, or outcome. Also, geriatric psychiatrists, compared with the other physician groups, expressed the least regret for ordering (and the most for not ordering) haloperidol.
In this paper, we present a novel formulation of the inverse kinematics (IK) problem with generic constraints as a mixed-integer convex optimization program. The proposed approach can solve the IK problem globally with generic task space constraints: a major improvement over existing approaches, which either solve the problem in only a local neighborhood of the user initial guess through nonlinear non-convex optimization, or address only a limited set of kinematics constraints. Specifically, we propose a mixed-integer convex relaxation of non-convex SO ( 3 ) rotation constraints, and apply this relaxation on the IK problem. Our formulation can detect if an instance of the IK problem is globally infeasible, or produce an approximate solution when it is feasible. We show results on a seven-joint arm grasping objects in a cluttered environment, an 18-degree-of-freedom quadruped standing on stepping stones, and a parallel Stewart platform. Moreover, we show that our approach can find a collision free path for a gripper in a cluttered environment, or certify such a path does not exist. We also compare our approach against the analytical approach for a six-joint manipulator. The open-source code is available at http://drake.mit.edu .
In vitro whole cell recording revealed intrinsic firing properties and single-cell morphology in the cochlear nucleus angularis (NA) of the chick. We classified three major classes of neurons: one-spike, damped, and tonic. A delayed inward rectifying current was observed in all classes during hyperpolarization injections. One-spike neurons responded with a single spike to depolarizing current injection and had small (stubby) radiate dendritic trees. Damped neurons responded with only a few spikes at the onset of positive current injection. More positive current inputs led to a damped response. Damped cell dendrites had a planar orientation parallel to the isofrequency axis in NA. Tonic cells produced trains of action potentials in response to a depolarizing current injection. Three variations of the tonic type had multipolar morphology, with dendrites oriented either radially (I and III) or perpendicular to the tonotopic axis (II; vertical). Tonics I and III differed in the shape of their action potential undershoot. Thus NA is both physiologically and morphologically heterogeneous.
Petrella RJ: Hyaluronic acid for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: Long-term outcomes from a naturalistic primary care experience. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2005;84:278–283. Objective:Intraarticular hyaluronic acid is indicated for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. However, clinical experience, especially efficacy and adverse events, with repeated injection series in the long term are limited. Design:Patients were referred to a large primary care center for management of osteoarthritis of the knee. All were naive to intraarticular hyaluronic acid therapy and met our entry criteria, including resting visual analog scale pain of >45 mm, radiographic confirmation of unilateral knee grade 1–3 osteoarthritis, and willingness to receive intraarticular therapy. Patients received a three–intraarticular injection series with Suplasyn (10 mg/ml, 2-ml injection) over 3 wks. Patients were instructed to return for consideration of repeat injection series based on their perception of pain restricting daily activity and a resumption of severity similar to their initial presentation. This prospective naturalistic cohort was followed for 6.7 yrs. Patients completed baseline assessment of rest and walking visual analog scale pain (primary efficacy variable), completed a 5-point categorical global satisfaction score, and recorded adverse events and concomitant therapeutic modality use at each study visit. Patients returned for consideration of a repeat injection series based on their perception of symptom severity and were eligible if their resting visual analog scale pain was >45 mm. The three-injection series and data collection were repeated, and again, patients were given similar instructions regarding consideration of a third injection series. Results:Of 897 referral patients, 537 (mean age, 68 ± 8 yrs; mean duration of symptoms, 7.4 ± 4.1 yrs) met our criteria, and only 21 patients did not return for a second injection series. The mean time between first and second series was 27 ± 7 wks. The change in walking visual analog scale pain was significantly improved from baseline after the first series (81.3%, P < 0.001) and second series (86.7%, P < 0.0001). Similarly, resting visual analog scale pain was significantly decreased from baseline after the first (P < 0.001) and second (P < 0.001) series, and patient satisfaction was significantly improved with each injection series (P < 0.03 and P < 0.01). Very few adverse events were recorded and were limited to local pain and swelling. Use of concomitant therapeutic modalities at presentation for a second injection series included: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs/cyclooxygenase-2 medications (37%), acetaminophen (31%), oral nutraceuticals (12%), and physical therapy and bracing (12%). Conclusions:Intraarticular hyaluronic acid injections were highly effective in improving resting and walking pain in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee on a first and a second treatment series. Duration of symptom control was about 6 mos, and the therapy was highly satisfactory to patients and was associated with very few local adverse events and limited use of concomitant therapeutic modalities. These data support the potential role of intraarticular hyaluronic acid as an effective long-term therapeutic option for patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Construction projects are plagued by numerous risks, most notably cost and schedule overruns besides quality and environmental risks. Various management techniques are usually applied to manage these risks. However, the lack of risk-based decision methods often produces unsatisfactory results. In this paper, a risk-based decision method is proposed to develop risk scale for construction projects using risk management and decision-making approaches. For this purpose, risks involved in construction projects and the corresponding risk factors are identified through an objective-oriented risk identification approach. Then, qualitative and quantitative risk levels are established for the identified risk factors depending on their nature. These levels correspond to no risk, minimum, average and maximum allowable risks in the case of standards availability for the quantitative risk measures where equal levels of risk are defined subjectively for the qualitative risk measures. Afterward, preferences and strengths of preference are determined between each risk level to obtain normalized values for each risk criteria using MACBETH, a multi-criteria decision-making technique. After assigning weights through pairwise comparison employing expert judgment, the weighted normalized values are aggregated by means of an additive model to form risk scores. Each score represents a level of aggregated risk used as a yardstick to determine how critical the actual risk is compared to the established aggregated risk levels. A risk bar graph is then developed to visualize the ranges of risk to facilitate decision making.
Background Many studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) in addressing substance use problem. However, owing to the shortage of counsellors, it has not been widely used in China. With the development of smart medicine, we developed a web-based electronic SBIRT (E-SBIRT) program and explored the effectiveness of E-SBIRT in reducing substance use in China. Methods A randomised controlled trial will be conducted in primary healthcare institutions. Four primary healthcare institutions will be selected and randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group (each institution will recruit 60 participants, and in total, 240 participants will be recruited). The control group will get a pamphlet of drug abuse prevention, and the intervention group will get the E-SBIRT intervention and the pamphlet. Both groups will receive baseline and follow-up assessment at 1 and 3 months after the intervention. The primary outcome is the change in scores on the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Use Involvement Screening Test, and the secondary outcomes include changes in motivation, depression, anxiety, positive/negative emotion, self-esteem, addiction knowledge and addiction severity index. Conclusions If the ‘E-SBIRT’ program is found to be effective, it will be an accessible, affordable and widely implementable intervention to help participants at moderate risk of substance use to reduce their consumption. The potential benefit is to provide early intervention to high-risk patients in time and reduce the harmful consequences to individuals and society. Trial registration number NCT03452241.
Having been neglected by journalism scholars in the past, recent years have seen renewed interest in journalism’s role in everyday life, in addition to the traditional focus on journalism’s relationship with politics. In particular, a growing body of work is concerned with the practices, content and distribution of lifestyle journalism. Yet, there are still large gaps in our knowledge of the field in terms of how lifestyle journalists themselves think about their work and their role in society. Based on an online survey of more than 600 Australian lifestyle journalists, this article identifies four key roles that these journalists see themselves as fulfilling: service providers, life coaches, community advocates and inspiring entertainers. These dimensions tie into recent theorizations about journalistic roles and everyday life, and not only enhance our understanding of lifestyle journalism, but more importantly contribute to a better recognition of journalism’s role in society. Further, the article explores some key determinants for differences in the way journalists value the four roles, identifying economic aspects on the organizational level, as well as specializations within lifestyle journalism as key areas of influence.
An analysis based upon necropsy figures has been made of the frequency of deaths with dissecting aneurysms and ruptured fusiform or saccular aortic aneurysms. More deaths from these conditions were found at necropsies conducted on people dying suddenly in the community than in those dying in hospital. Dissecting aneurysms were nearly all found to involve the thoracic segment of the aorta and were equally common in men and women whereas ruptured saccular and fusiform aneurysms were usually sited in the abdominal aorta and mainly occurred in men. There was also a clear seasonal variation in death rates with ruptured and dissecting aneurysms. Death more commonly occurred with both types in the winter months.
To facilitate the immediate effects of social media activism, some activists adopt a deceptive strategy, swaying lay individuals’ perceptions and manipulating their behavior despite ethical considerations. This study identified instant activism, which targets lay individuals’ effortless supportive actions (e.g., clicking) on social media and examined its effects in the context of GMO (genetically modified organisms) labeling issues in the United States. Grounded in the situational theory of problem solving, this study investigated who engages in instant activism and what their behavioral consequences are. Results of an online survey (n = 483) suggested that (a) individuals with a low level of issue knowledge but a high level of issue involvement tend to believe a social media hoax and (b) belief in the hoax leads individuals to engage in active communicative activities that involve problem solving and behavioral changes when mediated by situational motivation. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.
This work presents a method to estimate the average yearly solar radiation on tilted surfaces. In addition, calculation of the monthly average daily diffuse fraction correlation by using the monthly average daily solar radiation on horizontal surface of satellite data, and review of the monthly average daily diffuse solar radiation on horizontal surface of R. H. B. EXELL are presented. The proposed method is compared to the cases of Serm Janjai, Page, and Liu and Jordan. The estimation of an average yearly solar radiation consists of a zero azimuth surface and non-zero azimuth surface.
Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) spoofing attacks are a critical threat to navigation integrity. We previously developed an analytical framework to evaluate the performance of Inertial Navigation System (INS) monitors against spoofing attacks, which is necessary for eventual clarification and certification of the INS monitor. In this paper, we develop and execute an experimental setup to verify the resistance of the monitor against worstcase GNSS spoofing attacks. The test setup includes generation of the worst-case spoofed code and carrier phase GPS signals (using a GNSS simulator) that feed the receiver through a cable without needing to broadcast via transmitter. Using these signals, the miss-detection rates of the Kalman filter innovations-based monitor, has been observed through a tightly-coupled integration of a tactical grade inertial and a standalone GNSS receiver on a static platform. The experimental evaluation technique in this paper is fundamental because it is the first hardware test to quantify spoofing resistance of a widely used IMU with worst-case spoofing signals. We realistically demonstrate that, even if the spoofer tracks the position of the receiver and filters the high-frequency tracking errors, the monitor is still capable of detecting that with low missed detection probability.
The unfolding of individual interests is reconstructed as part of a person's everyday experience in dealing with multiple goals. This is exemplified by referring to how adolescents cope with developmental tasks while striving for their ideal selves. Exploratory interaction with objects of potential interest is regarded as a central element that provides information on the criteria for interestingness and enables selective choices. When exploring an object of potential interest, persons have to take into account other goals that may or may not be conflicting. The basic idea is to foster interest development while minimizing goal conflicts and the resulting problems of diminished experience in the interesting activity or diminished performance in noninteresting but important activities.
1. Aho AJ, Heinonen R, Lauren P. Benign and malignant mucocele of the appendix. Acta Chir Scand 1973;139:392–400. 2. Landen S, Bertrand C, Maddern GJ, et al. Appenciceal mucoceles and pseudomyxoma peritonei. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1992; 175:401–4. 3. Wolff M, Ahmed N. Epithelial neoplasms of the vertiform appendix. Cancer 1976;37:2511–22. 4. Jones CD, Eller DJ, Coates TL. Mucinous cystadenoma of the appendix causing intussusception in an adult. Am J Gastroenterol 1992;5:898–9. 5. Deans GT, Spence RAJ. Neoplastic lesions of the appendix. Br J Surg 1992;82:299–306. 6. McGinnis HD, Chew FS. Mucin-producing adenoma of the appendix. Am J Roentgenol 1993;160:1046.
The authors suggest that the polar heliospheric magnetic field, at large heliocentric distances, may deviate considerably from the generally accepted Archimedean spiral. Instead, they suggest that the large-scale field near the poles may be dominated by randomly-oriented transverse magnetic fields with magnitude much larger than the average spiral. The average vector field is still the spiral, but the average magnitude may be much larger. In addition, the field direction is transverse to the radial direction most of the time instead of being nearly radial. This magnetic-field structure has important consequences for the transport of cosmic rays. Preliminary model calculations suggest changes in the radial gradient of galactic cosmic rays which may improve agreement with observations.
Multicomponent semiconductor oxides mainly composed of elements like indium, zinc, tin or gallium are very promising new class of materials for application in transparent electronics, multifunctional sensors and other electronic applications. The major characteristic of these materials is high mobility, and the electrical behavior is a consequence of a conduction band primarily derived from spherically symmetric heavy-metal cationns orbital with (n-1)d10ns0 (n ≥4) electronic configuration. The carrier transport becomes insensitive to the degree of disorder of the film, and makes this class of quasi-polycrystalline and amorphous semiconductors attractive for numerous applications.We report here on the environmental sensing, such as ultra-violet-radiation and various gases of pulsed-laser deposited composite semiconductor films. These films demonstrate outstanding sensing capability from measuring the surface resistivity taking into account the absorption of sensing species. Our results show new possibilities for the low-cost high performance environmental sensors for numerous potential applications. The details of the results will be presented.
The authors present a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of a novel design, which has been integrated into their field-emission scanning microscope. It has been developed for large-area scans (50 mu m*50 mu m) with site selection under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) control and subsequent zooming to high-resolution STM scans. The authors show that significant images of relatively large areas can be obtained. Initial field-emission scans indicate that topography can be distinguished by the field-emission behavior of a surface. The lowest beta values observed on an arbitrarily chosen spot on a niobium samples were on the order of 1.6. The remaining difference from the ideal case of beta =1 is unexplained. >
Background Abundant evidence indicates that thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels are associated with insulin resistance in adipocytes. However, the potential mechanism of the association remains uncertain. The objective of this study was to determine the potential role of TSH in the suppression of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) expression and IRS-1 tyrosyl phosphorylation, which might contribute to insulin resistance. Methods Mouse 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were differentiated into adipocytes. After treatment with 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mIU/ml bovine TSH, the TNF-α concentration in the medium was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) DNA-binding activity was quantified by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). IRS-1 levels in adipocytes were quantified by Western blotting, and tyrosine phosphorylation was measured by immunoprecipitation. Results TSH induced TNF-α secretion in a dose-dependent manner. There was a significant positive correlation between NF-κB DNA-binding activity and TNF-α secretion. This effect and correlation were weakened by BAY 11-7082 (a nuclear NF-κB inhibitor) and H89 (an inhibitor of cyclic adenosine monophosphate- (cAMP-) dependent protein kinase A (PKA)). Treatment of cultured adipocytes with TSH inhibited insulin-stimulated IRS-1 tyrosyl phosphorylation but promoted TSH-dependent secretion of TNF-α and activation of NF-κB DNA-binding activity. The effects of TSH were significantly inhibited by BAY 11-7082 and H89 and were completely blocked by the TNF-α antagonist WP9QY. Conclusion TSH inhibited IRS-1 protein expression and tyrosyl phosphorylation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by stimulating TNF-α production via promotion of NF-κB DNA-binding activity. TSH might play a pivotal role in the development of insulin resistance.
Aim: Micro and macro vascular invasion (VI) are known as independent predictors of tumor recurrence and poor survival after surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we aimed to re-analyze The Cancer Genome Atlas of liver hepatocellular carcinoma datasets to identify the VI-expression signatures. Materials & methods: We filtered The Cancer Genome Atlas liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) datasets into three groups: no VI (NVI = 198); micro VI (MIVI = 89) and macro VI (MAVI = 16). We performed differential gene expression, methylation and microRNA analyses. Results & conclusion: We identified 12 differentially expressed genes and 55 differentially methylated genes in MAVI compared with no VI. The GPD1L gene appeared in all of the comparative analyses. Higher GPD1L expression was associated with VI and poor outcomes in the HCC patients.
Two women a week die in the UK as a result of interpersonal violence. It occurs throughout society and has a devastating effect on survivors, their families and communities. However, some healthcare professionals are unclear about their roles and responsibilities when supporting women and children. This article considers the prevalence of domestic violence, examines its effect on women and their families, and gives an update of policy and best practice.
Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) is an effective approach to analyzing various complex business problems, and graph is considered as a common scheme to represent the business datasets. Network analysis is a broad analytics scheme for exploring the connectivity and deriving useful analytics results. However, network analysis for graph-based OLAP presents a set of more specific analytics methods by utilizing graph model, network property, and OLAP principles. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey on network analysis conducted on graph model for the purpose of OLAP, and we summarize the current research focus, paradigms, and the future needs on the target technology.
Abstract Conventional wisdom suggests that the power to do otherwise is necessary for being morally responsible. While much of the literature on alternative possibilities has focused on Frankfurt’s argument against this claim, I instead focus on one of Dennett’s (1984) arguments against it. This argument appeals to cases of volitional necessity rather than cases featuring counterfactual interveners. van Inwagen (1989) and Kane (1996) appeal to the notion of ‘character setting’ to argue that these cases do not show that the power to do otherwise is unnecessary for moral responsibility. In this paper, I argue that their character setting response is unsuccessful.
We present the results of a study comparing density maps reconstructed by the Delaunay Tessellation Field Estimator (DTFE) and by regular SPH kernel-based techniques. The density maps are constructed from the outcome of an SPH particle hydrodynamics simulation of a multiphase interstellar medium. The comparison between the two methods clearly demonstrates the superior performance of the DTFE with respect to conventional SPH methods, in particular at locations where SPH appears to fail. Filamentary and sheetlike structures form telling examples. The DTFE is a fully self-adaptive technique for reconstructing continuous density fields from discrete particle distributions, and is based upon the corresponding Delaunay tessellation. Its principal asset is its complete independence of arbitrary smoothing functions and parameters specifying the properties of these. As a result it manages to faithfully reproduce the anisotropies of the local particle distribution and through its adaptive and local nature proves to be optimally suited for uncovering the full structural richness in the density distribution. Through the improvement in local density estimates, calculations invoking the DTFE will yield a much better representation of physical processes which depend on density. This will be crucial in the case of feedback processes, which play a major role in galaxy and star formation. The presented results form an encouraging step towards the application and insertion of the DTFE in astrophysical hydrocodes. We describe an outline for the construction of a particle hydrodynamics code in which the DTFE replaces kernel-based methods. Further discussion addresses the issue and possibilities for a moving grid-based hydrocode invoking the DTFE, and Delaunay tessellations, in an attempt to combine the virtues of the Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches.
INTRODUCTION Chronic Rhino Sinusitis (CRS) is one of the most prevalent chronic illnesses across the globe, affecting persons of all ages. It is an inflammatory process that involves the paranasal sinuses with symptoms lasting longer than 12 weeks.   AIM To establish the significance of blood eosinophil (count) levels in CRS with nasal polyps and to compare blood eosinophil count with eosinophil count in the histopathology specimens of the polyps.   MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a retrospective study done to review the medical records of 63 patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for CRS with Nasal polyps. The patients were divided into two groups, 1 and 2 based on the number of patients suffering from non eosinophilic rhino sinusitis (Group 1) and those from eosinophlic rhino sinusitis (Group 2). The clinical examination findings, nasal endoscopy observations and MDCT-Paranasal sinuses were notified. Also, the mean Eosinophil Count (EC), Absolute Eosinophil Count (AEC), and Histopathology Eosinophil Count (HPE) was compared between two groups. This was aided by CT Scan Lund Mackay Scores (LMS).   RESULTS Among the patients from Group 1, the male to female ratio was found to be 1.14:1 with 53.3% males and in Group 2 the same were noted as 1.75:1 and 63.6% respectively and found a male preponderance. With regard to symptomatology, significantly higher number of patients in the Group 2 suffered from nasal block (97% vs. 46.7%; p<0.001), nasal obstruction (90.9% vs. 46.7%; p<0.001), nasal discharge (81.8% vs. 56.7%; p=0.030), hyposmia (97% vs. 30%; p<0.001) and asthma (69.7% vs. 3.3%; p<0.001). However, facial pain (66.7% vs. 81.8%; p=0.168) and para nasal sinus tenderness (53.3% vs. 54.6%; p=0.923) were comparable in Groups 1 and 2. Mean EC, AEC and HPE were significantly high in Group 2 compared to Group 1.   CONCLUSION The study demonstrated that there was a significant correlation between tissue and blood eosinophil counts with increased severity of symptoms in patients with Eosinophilic CRS with nasal polyps in the Indian population.
The documentary basis of the article is the correspondence of two friends, poets-translators Yu. I. Abyzov (1921–2006) and V. S. Rutminskii (1926–2001), which they conducted in the 1960s–1980s. Coming out of the same Alma Mater, being adherent to the same ideas and literary predilections, sharing, in general, the fate of one “stopped writing generation”, these two talented people have implemented different behavioral models of functional socialization. The attention of the research is focused on the pages of the biography of the Ural literary critic V. S. Rutminskii.
This case study of 9 information technology (IT) support staff in 3 Australian (Victoria) public hospitals juxtaposes their experiences at the user-level of eHealth security in the Natural Hospital Environment with that previously reported by 26 medical, nursing and allied healthcare clinicians. IT support responsibilities comprised the entire hospital, of which clinician eHealth security needs were only part. IT staff believed their support tasks were often fragmented while work responsibilities were hampered by resources shortages. They perceived clinicians as an ongoing security risk to private health information. By comparison clinicians believed IT staff would not adequately support the private and secure application of eHealth for patient care. Preliminary data analysis suggests the tension between these cohorts manifests as an eHealth environment where silos of clinical work are disconnected from silos of IT support work. The discipline-based silos hamper health privacy outcomes. Privacy and security policies, especially those influencing the audit process, will benefit by further research of this phenomenon.
Aluminum nitride (AlN) films were grown on Si substrates by dc magnetron sputtering in plasma containing a mixture of argon and nitrogen, using a pure aluminum target. In this paper, we studied the growth of AlN films on Si(100) substrates under varying gas ratio (N2 to Ar gas ratio) by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at moderate deposition temperature (400°C-600°C). Phase formation and orientation of the thin films were determined by Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD). Surface morphology of the deposited thin films was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope. Film orientations were studied by varying the gas ratio and deposition temperature to obtain (002) oriented film. The highest Texture coefficient along (002) direction (γ=3.2) is obtained for optimized growth condition at Argon to Nitrogen gas ratio 10:10 and substrate temperature 550°C. This oriented film can be used in MEMS based devices.Aluminum nitride (AlN) films were grown on Si substrates by dc magnetron sputtering in plasma containing a mixture of argon and nitrogen, using a pure aluminum target. In this paper, we studied the growth of AlN films on Si(100) substrates under varying gas ratio (N2 to Ar gas ratio) by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at moderate deposition temperature (400°C-600°C). Phase formation and orientation of the thin films were determined by Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD). Surface morphology of the deposited thin films was investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope. Film orientations were studied by varying the gas ratio and deposition temperature to obtain (002) oriented film. The highest Texture coefficient along (002) direction (γ=3.2) is obtained for optimized growth condition at Argon to Nitrogen gas ratio 10:10 and substrate temperature 550°C. This oriented film can be used in MEMS based devices.
Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80% of diagnosed lung cancer patients. RAD52 has been reported to be associated with the development of squamous cell lung carcinoma. In this study, we assessed the relationships of RAD52 genetic polymorphisms and NSCLC risk among the Chinese population at high altitude. Methods: Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of RAD52 were genotyped in the Agena MassARRAY platform among 506 NSCLC patients and 510 healthy controls. We examined the association of RAD52 polymorphisms with NSCLC risk using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) via multiple genetic models. Results: The rs10774474 A allele was related to a decreased risk of NSCLC in a high altitude population of China (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.69–0.98, p = 0.032), whereas mutant alleles of rs1051672, rs7310449, rs1051669, rs6413436, rs4766377 and rs10849605 significantly increased NSCLC risk. Haplotype analysis showed that four haplotypes of RAD52 polymorphisms conferred an enhanced susceptibility to NSCLC (Ars1051672Grs7310449Trs1051669Ars6413436: OR = 1.29, p = 0.021; Grs1051672Ars7310449Crs1051669Grs6413436: OR = 1.21, p = 0.027; Grs4766377Crs12822733Trs10774474Crs10849605: OR = 1.26, p = 0.032; Ars4766377Crs12822733Ars10774474Trs10849605: OR = 1.21, p = 0.032). Conclusions: Our findings suggested the remarkable association of RAD52 polymorphisms with NSCLC risk among the Chinese population in a high altitude area. The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.
The purpose of this note is to provide an expository introduction to some more curious integral formulas and transformations involving generating functions. We seek to generalize these results and integral representations which effectively provide a mechanism for converting between a sequence’s ordinary and exponential generating function (OGF and EGF, respectively) and vice versa. The Laplace transform provides an integral formula for the EGF-to-OGF transformation, where the reverse OGF-to-EGF operation requires more careful integration techniques. We prove two variants of the OGF-to-EGF transformation integrals from the Hankel loop contour for the reciprocal gamma function and from Fourier series expansions of integral representations for the Hadamard product of two generating functions, respectively. We also suggest several generalizations of these integral formulas and provide new examples along the way.
Background: Internal corrosion and the formation of scale in water distribution pipes are the most important problems for an urban water distribution system. Physical, chemical, or biological factors can lead to these two processes. Internal corrosion and scale formation can impact health, economy, and aesthetics. This study assessed the physicochemical quality parameters and evaluated the potential for corrosion and scale formation in drinking water at the distribution systems of 5 selected cities in Bushehr province (Kangan, Dashtestan, Dashti, Bushehr, and Ganaveh) from 2009-2012. Methods: This study was carried out based on laboratory data collected from monthly samplings of tap water in the Water and Wastewater Company of Bushehr province during the years 2009-2012. Internal corrosion and scale formation rates were calculated using the Ryznar, Langelier, Aggressive, and Puckorius indices. Results: The results of the Ryznar, Puckorius, Aggressive and Langelier indices indicated that the drinking water in the 5 selected cities of Bushehr province was corrosive. Moreover, the majority of parameters used to determine water quality exceeded Iran’s national standards. Conclusion: It is concluded that there is problem of water corrosion and scaling in drinking water of distribution systems in selected cities.
Circadian rhythms control multiple physiological and pathological processes, including embryonic development in mammals and development of various human diseases. We have recently, in a developing zebrafish embryonic model, discovered that the circadian oscillation controls developmental angiogenesis. Disruption of crucial circadian regulatory genes, including Bmal1 and Period2, results in marked impairment or enhancement of vascular development in zebrafish. At the molecular level, we show that the circadian regulator Bmal1 directly targets the promoter region of the vegf gene in zebrafish, leading to an elevated expression of VEGF. These findings can reasonably be extended to developmental angiogenesis in mammals and even pathological angiogenesis in humans. Thus, our findings, for the first time, shed new light on mechanisms that underlie circadian clock-regulated angiogenesis.
Spontaneous rupture of the esophagus (Boerhaave's syndrome) is a critical disease. Most patients should undergo surgery for primary closure and drainage of the mediastinum and thorax. We treated a total of 7 cases of spontaneous rupture of the esophagus between December 2000 and August 2007. The time delay was 3 hours to 4 days (mean 16.7 hours) and the length of longitudinal tears ranged from 3 to 10cm (mean: 5.6cm). All cases underwent pedicled omental flap repair to reinforce the suture line. We introduced our technique by pedicled omental flap for successful treatment.
Wireless technogies provides unique adavantages in their implementation on launch vehicles in two major areas, Low-Cost Drop-in wireless telemetry systems and Statge to stage mreless communication, Low-Cost Drop-in wireless telemetry systems provide engineers the ability to easily integrate new sensors in the later stages of vehicle development with minimal changes to vehicle configuration. Statge to stage wireless communication systems provide a risk mitigating alternative to traditional break away umbilicals between stages.
We are entering the 10th year of the world’s largest public health experiment in evidenced based medicine—the target driven QOF (Quality and Outcomes Framework). It has cost £10bn in direct payments to general practitioners,1 but this is just the tip of an expensive iceberg. Hidden are the appointments systems overloaded with arbitrary “reviews” and huge increases in investigations and prescribing. Once highly functional general practice computing systems are now clogged with constant pop-up reminders to enter data that are meaningless, useless, and frankly often erroneous. …
Introduction: The nature of firefighters’ work is characterized by its unexpected emergencies, sleep deprivation, night shift schedules, and smoke exposure during firefighting. Methods: Eighteen firefighters were involved in simulated live-fire activities. Firefighters’ health status in terms of cardiovascular and mental conditions was checked by a physician and through reviewing their medical records. Firefighters’ cognitive functions were evaluated by visual and auditory continuous performance tests (VCPT and ACPT) and paced visual and auditory serial addition tests (PVSAT and PASAT). Results: VCPT and ACPT scores were lower after the activity relative to baseline. The results revealed that ACPT appears to be more difficult than VCPT. Also, PVSAT and PASAT scores decreased significantly after the experiment. PASAT scores following firefighting tasks experienced a more significant decline compared to those of the PVSAT. Conclusions: These findings suggest that firefighters have visual and auditory cognitive function problems following firefighting activities. In conclusion, auditory cognitive function was more influenced than the visual ability as a result of the experiment.
The calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a peptide which normally circulates. It is encoded by the calcitonin gene, whose precise function is unknown. Since it has recently been shown that human CGRP (hCGRP) lowers plasma calcium levels in both the rat and the rabbit, we examined the in vitro effects of human synthetic CGRP on bone resorption (as measured by 45Ca release) stimulated by PTH, prostaglandin E2, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. CGRP caused a dose-dependent inhibition of PTH-stimulated resorption, with 50% inhibition at approximately 5 X 10(-8) M CGRP. The inhibitory effects of CGRP on PTH-mediated bone resorption were not due to toxic effects, since bones preincubated with CGRP for 48 h were subsequently able to respond to PTH. The inhibitory activity of CGRP in the rat was approximately 3 orders of magnitude less potent than that of human calcitonin. In contrast to the effects of calcitonin, a marked inhibition of PTH-stimulated bone resorption was still observed after 96 h in the continued presence of CGRP. CGRP (10(-6)-10(-8) M) also inhibited resorption stimulated by prostaglandin and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in a dose-dependent manner, but had no significant effect on basal bone resorption. In conclusion, these data show that hCGRP inhibits hormone-stimulated bone resorption in vitro. Although it is less potent than calcitonin in the rat, CGRP has been shown to have potency comparable to that of calcitonin in other species, and therefore, a role for CGRP as a therapeutic agent in states of increased bone resorption cannot be ruled out.
The need for effective search for television content is growing as the number of choices for TV viewing and/or recording explodes. In this paper we describe a preliminary prototype of a multimodal Speech-In List-Out (SILO) interface in which users' input is unrestricted by vocabulary or grammar. We report on usability testing with a sample of six users. The prototype enables search through video content metadata downloaded from an electronic program guide (EPG) service. Our setup for testing included adding a microphone to a TV remote control and running an application on a PC whose visual interface was displayed on a TV.
The German Enlightenment has often been described as a philosophical or literary movement. This is certainly true to some extent; however, it is far from being an adequate description. It seems more justified to regard it as a general reform movement, even though many reforms that were suggested were not introduced. In the second half of the eighteenth century, social and economic problems became increasingly important for the enlightened thinker. First the emancipation of the peasants was demanded, then that of the Jews, and towards the end of the century, some even asked for the emancipation of women, to name just a few major groups. The enlightened reformers advocated the abolition of the guilds, the introduction of free trade and agricultural reforms. The old penal law was to be brought up to the standards of the time, and the system of poor relief to be reorganized. Groups that needed special care, like the blind, the deaf, and the insane, now received more attention. For the first time, public health became a matter of general concern. Educational reforms were proposed, not only to improve schooling, but also in order to change society through an educative process.
Bee stings are commonly encountered worldwide [1]. Various manifestations after bee sting have been described. Local reactions such as pain, wheal, flare, edema and swelling are common and generally self-limiting. Uncommonly manifestations like vomiting, diarrhea, dyspnea, generalized edema, acute renal failure, anaphylactic shock, myocardial infarction, hypotension, collapse, pulmonary hemorrhage, acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis, atrial fibrillation, vasculitis, serum sickness, neuritis and encephalitis may occur [2]. We report a case of a 27-year-old male who developed right sided hemiparesia and dysphasia following multiple bee stings.
One of the adolescent's most basic developmental tasks is the establishment of self-identity. Prejudice and discrimination from the dominant culture have been shown to affect the responses of minoritygroup members to themselves and their groups.' It would be expected thalt the self-concept of black youth has been adversely influenced in a predominantly white society. Substandard scores in selfacceptance for black youth were reported by Froe.2 Later, evidence was found by two researchers which indicated no significant differences in self-concept scores between black and white high school students in segregated schools.3
We re-examine the evidence for the existence of ultramassive (M > 1.1 M� ) white dwarfs based on gravitational redshift of white dwarfs in common proper motion binaries or in clusters, on parallax measurements, on orbital solutions and, finally, on the analysis of hydrogen-line profiles. We conclude that the best evidence is largely based on the analysis of Balmerline profiles although the companion to the A8V star HR 8210 is a compelling case made initially using the large binary mass function and confirmed by an analysis of the Lyman-line spectrum. The confirmation and identification of high-mass white dwarfs, more particularly non-hydrogen-rich (non-DA) white dwarfs, using parallax measurements may prove critical in establishing the population fraction of these objects and in constraining the high end of empirical initial-mass to final-mass relations. The existence of a substantial population of ultramassive white dwarfs supports the concept of a steeper initial-mass to final-mass relations
CUZD1, the CUB, and zona pellucida-like domains-containing protein 1, is a newly identified antigen of pancreatic autoantibodies (PAB) giving a reticulogranular pattern in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, and in particular Crohn's disease. The exact mechanisms by which this pancreatic antigen becomes the target of IBD-specific pancreatic autoantibodies are unclear. At the same time, evolving data strongly support a role for CUZD1 in carcinogenesis. Human CUZD1 is mapped at chromosome 10q26.13 and the loss of this region is a frequent event in various malignant tumours. mRNA overexpression of CUZD1 has been noted in ovarian cancer and serum levels of CUZD1 are elevated in women with ovarian cancer and patients suffering from pancreatic cancer. CUZD1 appears to be one of the relatively few biomarkers that serve as both cancer biomarker and autoantigen of autoantibodies in an autoimmune disease unrelated to cancerous organs. This review discusses the role of CUZD1 in cancer and autoimmunity. We anticipate that a better understanding of the function of CUZD1 will help us to understand how it becomes the focus of an autoimmune attack specifically targeting the intestine and its enigmatic role in carcinogenesis.
Abstract To conserve local biodiversity and ensure the provision of pollination services, it is essential to understand the impact of pesticides on wild honey bees. Most studies that have investigated the effects of pesticides on honey bees have focused on the European honey bee (Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae)), which is commonly domesticated worldwide. However, the Asian honey bee (Apis cerana) is widely distributed throughout Asia, and toxicity data are lacking for this species. This study aimed to fill this important knowledge gap. In this study, we determined the acute contact toxicity in A. cerana to various pesticides, including neonicotinoids, fipronil, organophosphorus, synthetic pyrethroids, carbamate, and anthranilic diamide. Based on the test duration of 48 h of contact LD50 tests, A. cerana was most sensitive to dinotefuran (0.0014 µg/bee), followed by thiamethoxam (0.0024 µg/bee) and fipronil (0.0025 µg/bee). Dinotefuran is used extensively in Asia, thereby potentially creating a substantial hazard. More generally, A. cerana was approximately one order of magnitude more sensitive than was A. mellifera to most of the pesticides evaluated. The results of our study suggest that neonicotinoid pesticides should not be considered as a single group that acts uniformly on all honey bees, and that more careful management strategies are required to conserve A. cerana populations than A. mellifera.
To assess HIV risk behavior, beliefs, attitudes and intentions among HIV-seropositive drug users (DUs), we studied 122 HIV-positive DUs (including ninety-five current injectors) participating in a longitudinal HIV-study among DUs in Amsterdam. All were familiar with their serostatus. Over a period of four months, 20% of the sample put others at risk of HIV infection, mainly through unsafe sex. Forty-nine percent think they might infect someone with HIV in the future, again mainly through unsafe sex. Although the majority intends to use condoms, self-efficacy and response efficacy is low; that is, many do not think they are able to use condoms when necessary and many have limited confidence in the efficacy of condoms in preventing HIV transmission. Correlates of HIV risk behavior were non-Dutch nationality and being a female prostitute. The results suggest that, next to efforts which aim to prevent new infections among HIV-negative injectors or sexual partners of injectors, prevention efforts should focus on HIV-seropositive DUs or former DUs.
A subband analysis of the stationarity characteristics of speech signals is performed. The analysis is based on the evaluation of seven distance measure techniques between consecutive speech segments. The overall ensemble comprised a total of 600 speech sentences each of duration varying from 2 s to 3 s, generated by two male and one female speakers. Segment lengths of 10 ms to 30 ms were considered. The experiments have shown that: most distance measure techniques yielded equivalent results; segments of 10 ms presented greater level of stationary between 0 and 1 kHz; for other lengths, all bands presented similar stationarity degrees. Results can be applied for a proper subband speech processing (e.g., coding) that depends on the stationary assumption of the signals involved.
The association of anti-EGFR to gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) chemotherapy did not improve survival in biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) patients. Multiple mechanisms might be involved in the resistance to anti-EGFR. Here, we explored the mutation profile of EGFR extracellular domain (ECD), of tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), and its amplification status. EGFR mutational status of exons 12, 18–21 was analyzed in 57 tumors by Sanger sequencing. EGFR amplification was evaluated in 37 tumors by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH). Kaplan-Meier curves were calculated using the log-rank test. Six patients had mutations in exon 12 of EGFR ECD and 7 in EGFR TKD. Neither EGFR ECD nor TKD mutations affected progression free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) in the entire population. In the panitumumab plus GEMOX (P-GEMOX) arm, ECD mutated patients had a worse OS, while EGFR TKD mutated patients had a trend towards shorter PFS and OS. Overall, the presence of mutations in EGFR or in its transducers did not affect PFS or OS, while the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) mutated patients had a worse prognosis compared to WT. Nineteen out of 37 tumors were EGFR amplified, but the amplification did not correlate with survival. ECC EGFR amplified patients had improved OS, whereas the amplification significantly correlated with poor PFS (p = 0.03) in gallbladder carcinoma patients. The high molecular heterogeneity is a predominant feature of BTC: the alterations found in this work seem to have a prognostic impact rather than a predictive role towards anti-EGFR therapy.
The concept of professionalism is dominant within healthcare education and the lives of practising clinicians globally, and yet there is no single agreed definition nor framework applied universally across the healthcare professions. Taking into consideration how professionalism is viewed across national boundaries, this article questions how much attention is paid to where definitions of the concept of professionalism came from, and whether the accepted norms within the dominant discourses are still truly applicable to a 21st century workforce. Using the locus of medical education, the article argues that the extant definitions are grounded but also stuck in a background of Western, white, heteronormative view of society and the professions of the past, and argues that we need to better understand the expectations of professionalism from the perspectives of those who now work in healthcare and healthcare education, as well as reviewing the views of the "public" within this debate. By reopening the 'Pandora's box' of professionalism, this article argues that we can improve the quality of definitions - and thus application - of professionalism for healthcare professionals and patients.
ABSTRACT V pattern strabismus is the most common ocular motor disorder reported in patients with craniosynostosis. Strabismus management may prove challenging, and few studies provide perspective on surgical approach. The purpose of this review is to discuss evaluation and surgical options for treating V pattern strabismus in patients with craniosynostosis. We provide a step-by-step approach to facilitate surgical planning.
We perform several high-resolution simulations of low surface brightness galaxies (LSBGs) embedded in cold dark matter haloes to study how likely bar formation is in such systems. The behaviour of various collisionless galaxy models is studied both in isolation and in the presence of a large perturbing satellite. We also consider models with a dominant gaseous component in the disc. We find that in general bar formation requires disc masses at least a factor of 2 higher than those inferred for LSBGs under the assumption of a normal stellar mass-to-light ratio. Instead, if LSBGs have fairly light, low surface density discs, they are stable to the formation of a stellar bar within NFW (Navarro‐Frenk‐White) haloes spanning a range of concentrations. However, a purely gaseous light disc can form a bar for realistic temperatures provided that cooling is very efficient (we adopt an isothermal equation of state) and that the halo has a very low concentration, c < 5. The bars that form in these low surface brightness (LSB) models are significantly shorter than the typical halo scale radius ‐ their overall angular momentum content might be too low to affect significantly the inner dark halo structure. Once formed, all the bars evolve into bulge-like structures in only a few gigayears and can excite spiral patterns in the surrounding disc component. The recently discovered red LSBGs show significant non-axisymmetric structure and bulge-like components, and share many of their structural properties with the final states of our LSB models with massive discs. Our results imply that a bulge-like component must be present in any LSBG that ever went bar-unstable in the past.
The type species (ATCC 13637) and one other strain (ATCC 17444) of Pseudomonas maltophilia have been examined for their ability to use the disaccharide lactose for growth. These organisms lack the usual high levels of β-galactosidase found in most lactose-positive bacteria, although both strains were found to have high levels of the enzyme lactose dehydrogenase. If this latter enzyme is responsible for all lactose splitting, P. maltophilia is unlike other pseudomonads, which have lactose dehydrogenase but which apparently cannot use lactose as a source of carbon and energy for growth.
Background: Management of H1N1 viral infection-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has primarily been focused on lung protective ventilation strategies, despite that mortality remains high (up to 45%). Other measures to improve survival are prone position ventilation (PPV) and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. There is scarcity of literature on the use of prone ventilation in H1N1-associated ARDS patients. Methods: In this retrospective study, all adult patients admitted to medical intensive care unit (ICU) with H1N1 viral pneumonia having severe ARDS and requiring prone ventilation as a rescue therapy for severe hypoxemia were reviewed. The patients were considered to turn prone if PaO2/FiO2ratio was <100 cmH2O and PaCO2was >45 cmH2O; if no progressive improvement was seen in PaO2/FiO2over a period of 4 h, then patients were considered to turn back to supine. Measurements were obtained in supine (baseline) and PPV, after 30–60 min and then 4–6 hourly. Results: Eleven adult patients with severe ARDS were ventilated in prone position. Their age range was 26–59 years. The worst PaO2/FiO2ratio range on the day of invasive ventilation was 48–100 (median 79). A total of 39 PPV sessions were done, with a range of 1–8 prone sessions per patient (median three sessions). Out of the 39 PPV sessions, PaO2/FiO2ratio and PaCO2responder were 38 (97.4%) and 27 (69.2%) sessions, respectively. The median ICU stay and mechanical ventilation days were 15 (range: 3–26) and 12 (range: 2–22) days, respectively. The common complication observed due to PPV was pressure ulcer. At ICU discharge, all except two patients survived. Conclusion: PPV improves oxygenation when started early with adequate duration and should be considered in all severe ARDS cases secondary to H1N1 viral infection.
Utilizing the Kaufman (1959) and Sutton-Kolaja (1960a, 1960b) conceptualization of community, empirical techniques are developed to identify community boundaries. These techniques are unique because they allow simultaneous consideration of boundary and interaction aggregation problems. A sociological conceptualization of community is coordinated with layman respondent's perceptions so empirical data, faithful to both perspectives, may be gathered from community residents. Community boundaries are identified from conditional probability matrices applied to residents identified as business, education, and government leaders in ten rural areas of Illinois. Township boundaries regularly coincide with community boundaries. Techniques developed here appear widely applicable to identifying community and other boundaries.
An introduction to the charter, history, and activities of the Emerging Applications Technical Committee (EATC) is given along with a status report on the EATC membership. Near terms activities including meetings during the 1994 Symposium in San Jose are discussed along with long range ideas for the EATC. A sample of a technical product from the EATC's Resources and Environmental Management Working Group is provided.
As Bill Bradley recently observed, "A pair of strong hands are not what they used to be. Now those hands have to be able to use a keyboard." In 1997, over half of all workers directly used a computer keyboard on the job. Workers who use a computer at work are paid more than those who do not, and are more highly sought after by employers. The Commerce Department's 1999 report, Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide, highlighted that African-American workers are less likely than others to have access to information technology at home and at work. The Commerce Department report did not address the issue of training African-American students and workers to use computer technology. This paper seeks to fill that void by exploring the magnitude of the racial divide in the use of computer technology among school children, and considering the consequences of the digital divide. The key findings are summarized.
Salmonella is a Gram-negative bacterium causing a gastro-enteric disease called salmonellosis. During the first phase of infection, Salmonella uses its flagella to swim near the surface of the epithelial cells and to target specific site of infection. In order to study the selection criteria that determine which host cells are targeted by the pathogen, and to analyze the relation between infecting Salmonella (i.e., cooperation or competition), we have established a high-throughput microscopic assay of HeLa cells sequentially infected with fluorescent bacteria. Using an automated pipeline of image analysis, we quantitatively characterized a multitude of parameters of infected and non-infected cells. Based on this, we established a predictive model that allowed us to identify those parameters involved in host cell vulnerability towards infection. We revealed that host cell vulnerability has two origins: a pathogen-induced cellular vulnerability emerging from Salmonella uptake and persisting at later stages of the infection process; and a host cell-inherent vulnerability linked with cell inherent attributes, such as local cell crowding, and cholesterol content. Our method forecasts the probability of Salmonella infection within monolayers of epithelial cells based on morphological or molecular host cell parameters. Here, we provide a detailed description of the workflow including the computer-based analysis pipeline. Our method has the potential to be applied to study other combinations of host-pathogen interactions.
Multi-detector CT scanning has greatly expanded the capabilities of non-invasive imaging. The impact of this technology is protean, seen not only in the clinical arena but also through improved productivity which can lower overall health care costs. But there are potential risks as well. Poorly conceived multi-detector CT scanning protocols can lower the efficacy of the examination or worse, potentially cause unintended harm through inappropriate use of contrast media and x-ray dose. Therefore, in order to take full advantage of multidetector technology, radiologists need to understand how these ‘high-tech’ machines work so that optimal scanning techniques and contrast material administration protocols can be designed. This supplement to JCAT has been prepared based on the proceedings of the “Advances in Multi-Detector CT” Conference conducted in Washington, D.C. on September 13–14, 2003. This program, which assembled the leading experts in CT, was aimed at providing a pragmatic approach to multidetector CT from head-to-toe. Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Director, CT Services, Massachusetts General Hospital Copyright © 2004 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
The problem of developing non magnetic cube textured metallic substrates other than pure Ni, to be used for epitaxial deposition of Y-123 superconducting film (with an intermediate oxide buffer layer) is being tackled since three years by several laboratories. As reported in this paper, we have developed a new substrate, based on Ni-V 10 wt % alloy, which exhibits a cube texture comparable to Ni, but has a Curie temperature < 4.2 K; in addition, it has a hardness which is more than twice higher and a comparable oxidation resistance.
Traditionally, various vacuum‐based processes have been used for producing interference‐type anti‐reflection (AR) coatings on large area substrates for different commercial applications. In this paper, the development of sol‐gel derived AR coating on large plastic substrates for display application is presented. The sol‐gel dip coating process was used to deposit thin films on large size plastic panels. By developing solutions with different refractive indices, multi‐layer thin‐film AR coating stacks were designed and fabricated. Optical constants of the coating materials were characterized by using spectroscopic ellipsometry. Optical, mechanical and environmental tests were performed on the sol‐gel derived AR coating stack. These coatings possess good uniformity and meet stringent automotive specifications. This technology has been commercialized successfully for dashboard instrument panel application in Toyota Prius, a new hybrid car. The sol‐gel derived AR coating possesses equivalent or superior properties when compared to the major commercially available AR coating products. These AR coated panels are also useful for other commercial applications.
The goal of regression testing is to validate the modified software. Due to the resource and time constraints, it becomes necessary to develop techniques to minimize existing test suites by eliminating redundant test cases and prioritizing them. This paper proposes a 3-phase approach to solve test case prioritization. In the first phase, we are removing redundant test cases by simple matrix operation. In the second phase, test cases are selected from the test suite such that selected test cases represent the minimal set which covers all faults and also at the minimum execution time. For this phase, we are using multi objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) which optimizes fault coverage and execution time. In the third phase, we allocate priority to test cases obtained from the second phase. Priority is obtained by calculating the ratio of fault coverage to the execution time of test cases, higher the value of the ratio higher will be the priority and the test cases which are not selected in phase 2 are added to the test suite in sequential order. We have also performed experimental analysis based on maximum fault coverage and minimum execution time. The proposed MOPSO approach is compared with other prioritization techniques such as No Ordering, Reverse Ordering and Random Ordering by calculating Average Percentage of fault detected (APFD) for each technique and it can be concluded that the proposed approach outperformed all techniques mentioned above.
A multicopy plasmid containing the Escherichia coli fur gene was introduced into Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA103C. This strain contains a toxA‐lacZ fusion integrated into its chromosome at the toxA locus. Beta‐galactosidase synthesis in this strain is regulated by iron, as is seen for exotoxin A production. Beta‐galactosidase synthesis and exotoxin A production in PA103C containing multiple copies of E. coli fur was still repressed in low iron conditions. The transcription of regA, a positive regulator of toxA, was also found to be inhibited by multiple copies of the E. coli fur gene. In addition, the ability of PA103C containing multiple copies of E. coli fur to produce protease was greatly reduced relative to PA103C containing a vector control.
Environmental Context. Determining concentrations of dissolved copper in seawater is of interest, because copper (i) affects the health of aquatic biota, and (ii) has the potential to act as a water mass tracer, a marker which can be used to follow the movement of water in oceans. In situ analyses of copper and other trace metals in seawater have become increasingly popular, because they circumvent potential contamination problems associated with sample collection, storage, and transport to off-site analysis locations. This paper describes the assembly of a low-cost, mobile laboratory utilizing adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (AdCSV) for the real-time determination of total dissolved copper in surface waters. Abstract. The main advantages of using a mobile laboratory for the real-time analyses of copper in surface waters over classical discrete sampling include a reduction in the risk of sample contamination and significant savings in both time and money to the analyst. This paper outlines the development of a portable voltammetric laboratory, capable of deployment from ships or road vehicles, and an experimental method for the real time analysis of total dissolved copper in surface waters. It has been tested in estuarine and coastal waters to the west of Ireland and has proved suitable for the analysis of both fresh and marine waters. The system includes a trace metal-free sampling fish (for shipboard sampling), in-line filtration and UV-digestion units, and a voltammetric analyzer and electrode controlled by a portable PC. Analysis of samples is completed using adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry (AdCSV). Using this portable AdCSV laboratory, the high sample throughput – approximately three per hour with standard additions completed on every sample – means that for ship-board surveys good spatial coverage is possible without the need for time-consuming station stops. For van-based tidal surveys, the portable AdCSV laboratory is both straightforward and low in cost to deploy.
Recent advances have placed the pro-inflammatory activity of amyloid β (Aβ) on microglia cells as the focus of research on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Researchers are confronted with an astonishing spectrum of over 100 different Aβ variants with variable length and chemical modifications. With the exception of Aβ1-42 and Aβ1-40, the biological significance of most peptides for AD is as yet insufficiently understood. We therefore aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the contributions of these neglected Aβ variants to microglia activation. First, the impact of Aβ receptors, signaling cascades, scavenger mechanisms, and genetic variations on the physiological responses towards various Aβ species is described. Furthermore, we discuss the importance of different types of amyloid precursor protein processing for the generation of these Aβ variants in microglia, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons, and highlight how alterations in secondary structures and oligomerization affect Aβ neurotoxicity. In sum, the data indicate that gene polymorphisms in Aβ-driven signaling pathways in combination with the production and activity of different Aβ variants might be crucial factors for the initiation and progression of different forms of AD. A deeper assessment of their interplay with glial cells may pave the way towards novel therapeutic strategies for individualized medicine.
Objective  To analyze the clinical features, pathogenic factors and sites of thrombus involvement in patients with cerebral venous/venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) complicated with cerebral hemorrhage.      Methods  Eighty-seven patients with CVST, admitted to our hospital from January 2013 to December 2016, were selected and divided into observation group (n=39) and control group (n=48) according to cerebral hemorrhage. The demographic data, clinical features, pathogenic factors, and location of the involved venous/venous sinus were compared and analyzed between the two groups. The independent influencing factors of CVST combined with intracerebral hemorrhage were assessed using multivariable Logistic regression.      Results  Percentages of patients with decreased visual acuity (35.9%), epileptic seizure (48.7%), motor/sensory disorders (46.2%), consciousness changes (25.6%) and aphasia (12.8%) of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group (12.5%, 16.7%, 18.8%, 8.3%, and 0%, P<0.05). In the aspect of potential pathogenic factors, the proportion of patients at pregnancy/puerperium in the observation group (20.6%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (6.3%, P<0.05). In the aspect of involving venous/venous sinus area, the proportion of patients involved in straight sinus in the observation group (30.8%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (12.5%, P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that pregnancy/puerperium and involvement of straight sinus were the independent influencing factors of CVST combined with cerebral hemorrhage (OR=6.752, P=0.017, 95%CI: 2.295-16.213; OR=4.573, P=0.029, 95%CI: 1.316-11.751).      Conclusion  CVST patients at pregnancy/postpartum or with straight sinus thrombosis are more prone to cerebral hemorrhage, and targeted treatment should be given as soon as possible.      Key words:  Cerebral venous/sinus thrombosis; Intracranial hemorrhage; Influencing factor
The “data pipe” model used by the existing Internet protocol stack is no longer ideal for many emerging applications, due to multimedia, multicast, mobility, machine learning, and network management challenges. A new learning-oriented network architecture is required to deal with these challenges and serve learning-centric applications in data centers, around network edges, and on mobile devices. This article focuses on the network for AI and AI for network for learning-oriented network architecture. This is done by leveraging, improving, and creating new learning techniques to determine and optimize protocol mechanisms and control policies. The new network architecture can provide ample research opportunities in network topology control, protocol design, and performance evaluation, aiming to network a truly dependable cyber-infrastructure. The learning-oriented network can also learn from applications and communications automatically and continuously while running on different infrastructures to support diverse requirements. In addition, the network can keep evolving its protocol mechanisms and control policies in an online manner. It does this while maintaining protocol security and preserving user privacy, to learn and perform more effectively and efficiently. Finally, the main challenges and opportunities of learning-oriented network are discussed, encouraging further research.
Aging leads to a progressive decrease in the capacity to maintain homeostasis, a key role being played by the progressive age-related impairment of neuroendocrine balance.'*2 Among the systems that undergo age-related alterations, impairments of the adrenergic system are well doc~mented.'.~ In particular, total beta-adrenergic receptor (PAR) density of the mouse brain cortex was observed to decrease with advancing aging and such a decrease is in charge of the PIAR subtype.5 These alterations were demonstrated to be nondefinitive as we succeeded in reversing them by grafting a neonatal thymus into old Thymus was chosen to slow down or recover this alteration due to its widespread action.I0-" Pineal gland was also proposed as a possible further modulator of the agedependent alterations of the adrenergic system in the brain cortex. Experimental findings showed that a pineal gland from a young donor grafted into an old animal induced differential modifications of adrenergic receptor density. Whereas the agerelated changes in PARS are counteracted, those found in a-adrenoceptors (aARs) are further deepened.12 The question arises of whether melatonin, the main hormone produced by the pineal gland, can exert a regulatory role similar to that obtained by gland transplantation. A comparison of the effects induced by gland grafting and hormone treatment may give indications about the possible mechanism of action. The aforementioned considerations prompted us to study the effect of melatonin treatment on mouse brain cortex PAR and aAR density. Receptor characteristics were studied in young, old, and melatonin-treated old mice.
Estimating accurately dust emission flux during aeolian erosion events is crucial for quantifying the amount of dust in the atmosphere. The rare existing field experiments quantifying such flux were mainly performed using the flux‐gradient (FG) method. Here, we present the first intercomparison of the size‐resolved dust fluxes estimated by both the FG and the eddy‐covariance (EC) methods during several erosion events. Both methods were applied simultaneously during the WIND‐O‐V (WIND erOsion in presence of sparse Vegetation)'s 2017 field experiment over an isolated erodible bare plot in South Tunisia. Overall, both methods predict similar dust fluxes for particle smaller than about 4 μm. For coarser particles, the EC method predicts a smaller dust flux than the FG method. Factors explaining this difference are discussed such as the different sampling heads used by the dust particle counters of both methods, or the possible weakening of the constant dust flux layer at the location of the upper dust particle counter of the FG method. This intercomparison highlights the difficulties and advantages of each method as well as their complementarity.
a ccupational safety and occupational health have come a long way sin ce their separate beginnings in the pre-World War I era. It was an aroused social con cern with the plight of the injured worker that gave rise to safety programs and the Workme n's Comp ensat ion laws . It was a s imilar concern over working conditions in the sweat shops and du sty tr ades that gave ris e to occupational health programs . Our own program in the Federal es ta blishment was started in 1914 as an Office of Industrial Hygiene and Sanitation in the PHS Mar ine Hospital in Pittsburgh. This early activity made a name for itself through a number of classic studies among the dusty trades, e.g. pottery workers , hatters. foundry workers, miners. In tho se days, industry was happy with the voluntary approach and such recommendations as "use with adequate ventilation" and "avoid excessive dust. " Labor was more interested in hazard pa y than in prevention and control of hazards . And we in the Publi c Health Service were satisfied with the holy trinity of research , tra ining. and technical assistance to the States . There were peaks of interest and activity along the way , as during World War II, when manpower resources wer e scarce. The Public Health Service was one of the Arm ed Forces in that war and assumed responsibility for industrial hygiene in th e arse nals. Th ey must have pa id more attention to health than safety, because we lost a number of engineering offi cers in expl os ions . I've heard it said that the Publi c Health Service had a higher proportionate mortality than the Arm y or Navy in World War II.
Accidents caused by snakes, especially in tropical and subtropical countries, still constitute a serious public health problem due to the lack of knowledge of health professionals and the precariousness of health systems in the regions where most accidents occur. Snake venoms contain a range of molecules that may provoke local swelling, pain, renal and respiratory insufficiencies. The study of the effects of each molecule on humans can help the development of complementary therapy. Similarly, the knowledge of clinical aspects of envenomations provides a better identification and implementation of appropriate treatment. In addition, to understand Bothrops envenomations and improve the therapeutic strategy, it is necessary to understand and study the role of important inflammatory mediators, particularly nitric oxide (NO), cytokines and the complement system.
ABSTRACT In HeLa cells the assembly of modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), an attenuated vaccinia virus (VV) strain, is blocked. No intracellular mature viruses (IMVs) are made and instead, immature viruses accumulate, some of which undergo condensation and are released from the cell. The condensed particles may undergo wrapping by membranes of the trans-Golgi network and fusion with the plasma membrane prior to their release (M. W. Carroll and B. Moss, Virology 238:198-211, 1997). The present study shows by electron microscopy (EM), however, that the dense particles made in HeLa cells are also released by a budding process at the plasma membrane. By labeling the plasma membrane with antibodies to B5R, a membrane protein of the extracellular enveloped virus, we show that budding occurs at sites that concentrate this protein. EM quantitation revealed that the cell surface around a budding profile was as strongly labeled with anti-B5R antibody as were the extracellular particles, whereas the remainder of the plasma membrane was significantly less labeled. To test whether budding was a characteristic of MVA infection, HeLa cells were infected with the replication competent VV strains Western Reserve strain (WR) and International Health Department strain-J (IHD-J) and also prepared for EM. EM analyses, surprisingly, revealed for both virus strains IMVs that evidently budded at the cell surface at sites that were significantly labeled with anti-B5R. EM also indicated that budding of MVA dense particles was more efficient than budding of IMVs from WR- or IHD-J-infected cells. This was confirmed by semipurifying [35S]methionine-labeled dense particles or extracellular enveloped virus (EEVs) from the culture supernatant of MVA- or IHD-J-infected HeLa cells, respectively, showing that threefold more labeled dense particles were secreted than EEVs. Finally, although the released MVA dense particles contain some DNA, they are not infectious, as assessed by plaque assays.
Analyses of solar-wind observations from mid-1964 through 1973 confirm the earlier results reported by Intriligator (1974) that there were statistically significant variations in the solar wind in 1968 and 1969, years of solar maximum. These variations were in phase with the solar cycle and consistent with a solar-cycle variation in the solar wind. High-speed stream parameters show that the number of high-speed streams in the solar wind in 1968 and 1969 and the total duration (in days) of high-speed streams in 1968 were considerably more than the predicted yearly average, and in 1965 and 1972 considerably less. Histograms of solar-wind speed from 1964 through 1973 indicate that in 1968 there was the highest percentage of elevated solar-wind speeds, and in 1965 and 1972 the lowest. Studies by others confirm these results, although their authors did not indicate this fact. The duration of the streams and the histograms for 1973 may imply a shifting in the primary stream source.
This article aims to show new records of  Conepatus chinga  for the states of Parana and Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, contributing to increase knowledge on its distribution, besides describing the microstructural patterns of its guard hair. Three run-over specimens were found in highway BR-280, two of them in the town of Palmas, in Parana, and one in the town of Abelardo Luz, in Santa Catarina. For describing the cuticular and medullary pattern of guard hairs, sixty slides were made.  Conepatus chinga  has a cross-sectional and undulated cuticular pattern and an anisocytic medullary pattern. The description of microstructural patterns of  C. chinga  makes it easier to conduct studies related to its ecology, increasing the chances to identify hairs found in fecal samples from carnivores in mastofauna studies.
To investigate the optimum culture conditions of &#947;-aminobutyric acid (GABA) production by a strain CC-W11 identified as Lactobacillus brevis in submerged fermentation, certain fermentation parameters involving inoculum volume of seeds, incubation temperature, initial pH value, period of cultivation and glutamate concentration in medium were investigated separately. The optimal cultivating conditions of GABA production in submerged fermentation were MRS medium with 5% monosodium glutamate (MSG), 32°C incubation temperature, 5% inoculum volume, 5.5 initial pH of medium, and 60 hours cultivation period. Under the optimized cultivation conditions, the maximum GABA production was 3.67±±0.23 g /L after 60 h of fermentation. This study also showed that industrial residues from seasoning corporation which contained approximately 400~450 g/L MSG could be used by Lactobacillus brevis as the substrate of glutamate decarboxylase for GABA biosynthesis and it was benefit to waste recycling.
We study injective homomorphisms between big mapping class groups of infinite-type surfaces. First, we construct (uncountably many) examples of surfaces without boundary whose (pure) mapping class groups are not co-Hopfian; these are the first examples of injective endomorphisms of mapping class groups (of surfaces with empty boundary) that fail to be surjective. We then prove that, subject to some topological conditions on the domain surface, any continuous injective homomorphism between (arbitrary) big mapping class groups that sends Dehn twists to Dehn twists is induced by homeomorphism. Finally, we explore the extent to which, in stark contrast to the finite-type case, superinjective maps between curve graphs impose no topological restrictions on the underlying surfaces.
Abstract Background A laboratory worker suffered an accidental needle stick resulting in infection with the Ugandan strain (MR766) of Zika virus (ZIKV), a strain that has rarely been studied in humans. We report the clinical presentation and outcomes, molecular and serological diagnostic results, and immunological response. A 34-year-old Brazilian-born female laboratory researcher, presented with malaise, skin rash, myalgia and joint pain 10 days after an accidental needle stick while inoculating a mouse with ZIKV-MR766. On physical examination she had bilateral maculopapular rash on the cheeks, and tender effusions at the metacarpal and proximal interphalangeal joints and ankles. Symptoms and signs resolved within 3 weeks. ZIKV infection was confirmed by Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (Lab Corp®) in urine. Serological testing using the ZIKV IgM ELISA test from Lab Corp®, and a confirmatory plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), results were negative. Methods Whole blood, plasma, urine, saliva, and a vaginal swab were collected from day (D) 14 post exposure (PE) to D104 PE. A novel, antibody competition-based ZIKV diagnostic test (highly specific for ZIKV antibodies) was performed in serum, and detection of ZIKV-MR766 genomic RNA was performed in all body fluids longitudinally. Results Antibody response revealed broad IgM response to both ZIKV-Paraiba (strain from the 2015 outbreak) and ZIKV-MR766 during the acute phase of the infection, suggesting cross-reactivity. There was no cross-reactivity against dengue or yellow fever viruses. An IgG response was detected against both ZIKV strains and increased until D104 PE. ZIKV RNA was detected in whole blood, saliva, urine, and the vaginal swab at D14 PE. At D20 PE, virus was only detectable in whole blood at a value of less than 37 copies per mL. At D23 PE, there was no detectable virus. (figure). Conclusion This case highlights the potential for ZIKV occupational exposure. Findings may be useful for the development of diagnostic tests against ZIKV as we were able to accurately determine time of exposure, presence of virus in body fluids, development of symptoms, and antibody responses after a well-documented infection. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.
from this, I maintain that the syphilitic origin of tabes is a mere non sequitur from the fact that a syphilitic history can be traced in a large .number of tabetic subjects. In strict logic, the broadest conclusion which we can deduce from that fact is that syphilis alters the physiological condition in such a way as to favour the attack and operation of the actual cause of tabes and allied conditions. In this respect its influence, in my opinion, is similar to that of measles or scarlet fever in leading to the development of tuberculosis, and similar also to the action of the influenza bacillus in relation to other pathogenic organisms. When to these facts of clinical experience we add the evidence of experimental bacteriology, from which we learn, for example, that the presenoe of staphylococci and streptococci leads to a much more luxuriant growth of the influenza bacillus, and further, that the latter will grow more readily in a medium through which these other organisms have passed, we are strongly attracted to the existence of an analogy in the relation of the syphilitic virus to the toxic agent responsible for tabes. I submit that the proper line of investigation is directed to the discoveryof the nature and source of the toxic substance at work. At the same time we must study the clinical facts of the disease in the light of the results obtained by experimental bacteriologists and others investigating the allimportant subject of immunity. In my opinion the alimentary tract furnishes the chief area of investigation, and in all probability it will be proved to be the original source of the tox&-mia. In this connection it is interest?ng to refer to the experimental work of Adami and others on the different forms of chronic infection due primarily to the presence in the tissues of bacterial poisons derived from the intestine. The diseases-specially investigated by Adami were cirrhosis of the liver, hmamochromatosis, and pernicious anaemia. and this author, as quoted by Putnam and Taylor,8 suggested that this subinfection would be found to play a definite part in the development of many chronic fibroid conditions. In conclusion, I have much pleasure in expressing my indebtedness to Dr. Ford Robertson, Director of the Laboratory of the Scottish Asylums, for invaluable assistance. It was originally proposed that a joint,communication should be written by us, but the pressure of other work compelled Dr. Robertson to abandon the idea. He has, however, kindly allotWed me to state that he accepts the interpretation which I have put on the histological appearances described. I -have also to thank Dr. Carmichael for permission to investigate and record the eases of tabes under Tis care in the poorhouse hospital; Dr. W. R. Watson, Hawkhead Asylum, Paisley, for the tissues from which most of the illustrations have been derived; arid the various members of the staff of the Royal Infirmary, who have kindly given me material used in the course of the investigation.
As part of a project to develop a high speed (500 MHz) monolithic silicon fiber-optic digital receiver IC, we have produced a novel and practical lateral fiber-detector coupling scheme employing a 45° mirror fabricated on the end of the fiber. Coupling losses of 1.1 dB have been achieved. The technique shows its greatest promise at very high speeds where the IC interconnect issue is emerging as one of utmost relevance. In the work described here, the laterally coupled IC's were packaged in high speed metal flat packs. This technique rendered a fiber-optic digital receiver compatible with two-dimensional layout techniques common in high speed electronics. However, the lateral coupler concept itself is not dependent on the use of metal flat packs. In fact, it is likely to find its greatest utility in the optical coupling of many fibers to a single IC. In this paper, system design considerations, fabrication techniques, and measured results for the lateral coupler concept are discussed.
The formation of agricultural land use adequate to the tasks of the market economy is the most important task of the post-reform period. Agrarian transformations were of a social and political nature and solved the problems of transition from a planned to a market economy. To implement them, we used not the experience of Russia in previous years, but examples from the practice of advanced economies of the European Union. Therefore, the appearance of such a phenomenon as unused land (in general, characteristic of the crisis periods of the market economy) caused a negative perception. The paper considers this problem as an important social and economic phenomenon and suggests ways to solve it. For this purpose, the technology of identifying and detailed study of the state of the land is proposed. The identification of the natural suitability for the cultivation of the main agricultural crops is confirmed by ensuring sufficient efficiency of crop production. Based on the analysis of the conditions of land use (labor, capital and energy supply) and their legal status, the economic feasibility of involving unused plots in economic turnover is established. This will make it possible to make the necessary and reasonable decisions to restore the land and resource potential of agricultural production. To ensure the controlled and systematic implementation of the program to solve the problem, a state-commercial center is being created in the subject of the Federation, which organizes, controls and finances the activities carried out.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global health problem, with an estimated 170 million people being chronically infected. HCV cell entry is a complex multi-step process, involving several cellular factors that trigger virus uptake into the hepatocytes. The high- density lipoprotein receptor scavenger receptor class B type I, tetraspanin CD81, tight junction protein claudin-1, and occludin are the main receptors that mediate the initial step of HCV infection. In addition, the virus uses cell receptor tyrosine kinases as entry regulators, such as epidermal growth factor receptor and ephrin receptor A2. This review summarizes the current understanding about how cell surface molecules are involved in HCV attachment, internalization, and membrane fusion, and how host cell kinases regulate virus entry. The advances of the potential antiviral agents targeting this process are introduced.
The problem of scattering from a periodic structure requires the task of computing the Green's function, which is typically in the form of a series that converges very slowly. The purpose of this paper is to unify the approaches of f1.21 to enhance the understanding of the acceleration procedure. To illustrate the procedure. we consider the problem of a plane wave incident on an array of perfectly conducting strips, as shown in Figure 1. We begin by examining the case where the incident wave is TM to the i direction and incident in the x^ .ŷ plane. For this case. the only non-zero component of the current is J, , which satisfies the integral equation -Einc = s.7, ( X '1 Gp (X .x '1 dx ' (1)
Laser Direct Writing (LDW) are used in the manufacture of electronic circuits, pads, and paths in sub millimeter scale. They can also be used in the sensors systems. Ablative laser writing in a thin functional layer of material deposited on the dielectric substrate is one of the LDW methods. Nowadays functional conductive layers are composed from graphene paint or nanosilver paint, indium tin oxide (ITO), AgHTTM and layers containing carbon nanotubes. Creating conducting structures in transparent layers (ITO, AgHT and carbon nanotubes layers) may have special importance e.g. for flexi electronics. The paper presents research on the fabrication of systems of paths and appropriate pattern systems of paths and selected electronic circuits in AgHTTM and ITO layers deposited on glass and polymer substrates. An influence of parameters of ablative fiber laser treatment in nanosecond regime as well as an influence of scanning mode of laser beam on the pattern fidelity and on electrical parameters of a generated circuit was investigated.
In this work we present a novel trap spectroscopy based on stress induced leakage current measurements for constant voltage stress and substrate hot carrier injection stresses in nMOSFET devices. Peaks in the stress induced leakage current at several gate voltages are attributed specifically to defects in the bulk and at the interface by using the substrate hot electron injection technique to specifically create defects in different spatial locations. Our results show that low energy carriers preferentially creates defects which are deep in the bandgap but close to the interface, while injection into the HfSiON conduction band creates bulk defects approximately aligned with the Si conduction band.
Prosthetic treatment with removable prosthesis is necessary in cases of genetic and hereditary diseases, multiple caries and severe traumas in order to restore effective chewing and speech function, to achieve acceptable appearance and to ensure unimpeded development of the oral structures and the whole organism. The purpose of the study is to investigate the use of removable prosthetic treatment in children in the daily practice of dentist in Bulgaria. Material and methods: A source of information is a specially designed questionnaire. 767 doctors from all over the country are subjected to the research. The results are statistically processed using the methods of variation, comparison and correlation analysis. Results: Of all respondents, only 0.4% indicated that they use/ or used total dentures in children, and 4.2% note that they are using partial prostheses as a means of restoring of the disturbances. Conclusion: Partial and total edentulism is a rare problem in young patients, which also determines the sporadic use of removable prostheses in daily practice by dental practitioners.
Political responsibilities for systemic mass violence have been subordinated to the moral guilt and legal liability of perpetrators and collaborators, while the role of the bystander has been narrowly construed in terms of charitable rescue or negligence. This dominant victim–perpetrator framework ignores the complex political dimensions of bystander responsibilities for systemic mass violence, especially those responsibilities that stem from the benefits that bystanders receive. The films of Claude Lanzmann, Rithy Panh, and Yael Hersonski contain elements of an alternative framework of bystander responsibility and also can serve as catalysts for the political education of bystander beneficiaries and those from whom they have benefited.
As hallmark of TTP, generalized hyaline thrombi in the patient's microcirculation is known. These thrombi are composed of platelets and VWF. A severe defect of the VWF cleaving protease (VWF-CP) was found in all known patients with the inherited form of TTP. In contrary, although a severe deficiency of VWF-CP is specific for the acquired form, too, only a fraction of these patients is characterized by a severe deficiency. In most patients with a severe deficiency autoantibodies directed against VWF-CP is detectable in plasma. However, many patients with acquired TTP do not show any severe deficiency. Because treatment differs in inherited and acquired forms and as persistance of autoantibodies during clinical remission is of prognostic value, the determination of the activity of VWF-CP and of antibodies against VWF-CP are important parts in the workup of patients with TTP. In all methods for the determination of the activity of VWF-CP the first step is proteolysis of a specific substrate for the protease. In the second step the activity of the protease is measured by analysis of the residual VWF multimers, by the generation of specific fragments, by using the residual VWF:CB or VWF:RCo as marker of the loss of multimers or with help of specific monoclonal antibodies. In less than 30 min the cone and plate(let) aggregometer helps to distinguish between different forms of thrombotic microangiopathies. While adhesion and aggregation of platelets from a healthy person are clearly enhanced after addition of a small amount of plasma from a TTP patient, both characteristics are weakened by plasma from patients with other forms of thrombotic microangiopathy (dilution effect). Molecular genetics are established methods in the differentiation between inherited and acquired forms of TTP in those cases without autoantibodies against VWF-CP.
A thesaurus is a reference work that lists words grouped together according to similarity of meaning (containing synonyms and sometimes antonyms), in contrast to a dictionary, which contains definitions and pronunciations. Three kinds of relationships used in a thesaurus includes: (1) equivalency, (2) hierarchy, and finally (2) association. This paper proposes a novel method to develop a classification task in general Persian context while it employs a thesaurus. Two kinds of word relationships are employed in our used thesaurus: (1) equivalency, and (2) hierarchy. Each of these kinds has a weight that can be tuned. The paper explores all possible weights for the proper ones. After that a feature selection mechanism is also employed. A host of machine learning algorithms are employed as the classifier over the frequency based features. Experimental results indicate the usage of the best weights for these relationships; can lead to a good result.
The title compound, C12H9Cl2NO2S, crystallizes with two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit. The dihedral angles between the two aromatic rings are 70.8 (1) and 74.8 (1)° for the two molecules. The crystal structure features dimers made up of one each of the two asymmetric molecules linked by pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. An intramolecular N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bond is also observed in both molecules.
We analyze the potential of the e{sup +}e{sup -} linear colliders, operating in the e{gamma} and {gamma}{gamma} modes, to probe anomalous quartic vector-boson interactions through the multiple production of W's and Z's. We examine all SU(2){sub L}(circle times)U(1){sub Y} chiral operators of order p{sup 4} that lead to new four-gauge-boson interactions but do not alter trilinear vertices. We show that the e{gamma} and {gamma}{gamma} modes are able not only to establish the existence of a strongly interacting symmetry breaking sector but also to probe for anomalous quartic couplings of the order of 10{sup -2} at 90% C.L. Moreover, the information gathered in the e{gamma} mode can be used to reduce the ambiguities of the e{sup +}e{sup -} mode.
Three conjugated oligomer series with terminal donor–acceptor substitution were studied: oligo(1,4-phenylenevinylene)s DAOPVs 4a–d (n = 1–4), oligo(1,4-phenyleneethynylene)s DAOPEs 6a–d (n = 1–4) and oligo(2,5-thienyleneethynylene)s DAOTEs 8a–e (n = 1–5). Dialkylamino or methoxy groups served as electron donors and 2,2-dicyanovinyl groups as strong electron acceptors. The push-pull effect polarizes the molecular chains – an effect which is documented by the splitting of the 13C chemical shifts of two carbon atoms of the double or triple bonds in the chain. For higher oligomers (n ≥ 3), the effect is mainly localized at the chain ends. The long-wavelength absorption results in a charge-transfer band which loses gradually its CT character since the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) declines with increasing numbers n of repeat units (increasing chromophore extension, increasing distance D–A). As a consequence, theDAOPVs 4a–d and the DAOPEs 6a–d represent hypsochromic series, for which the λmax values decrease steadily from n = 1 to n = 4. This is also true for the DAOTE series 8a–e, but contrary to 4a–d and 6a–d the decrease is very small in the beginning [λmax(1) – λmax(2) = 1 nm] and grows with increasing n to λmax(4) – λmax(5) = 29 nm. Thus, series 8a–e represents an until now unknown type of conjugated push-pull oligomers. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)
Little attention has been given to the unusual strategic significance of leased departments in the early development and maturation of discount retail organizations. In this article, the authors analyze the reasons for the unprecedented reliance upon leased departments, examine the origin and growth characteristics of leased department companies, and evaluate the future prospects for leased departments in discount companies.
Underweight adults have higher rates of respiratory death than the normal weight but it is unclear whether this association is causal or reflects illness-induced weight loss (reverse causality). Evidence from a 45-year follow-up of underweight participants for respiratory mortality in the Whitehall study (N=18 823; 2139 respiratory deaths) suggests that excess risk among the underweight is attributable to reverse causality. The age-adjusted and smoking-adjusted risk was 1.55-fold (95% CI 1.32 to 1.83) higher among underweight compared with normal weight participants, but attenuated in a stepwise manner to 1.14 (95% CI 0.76 to 1.71) after serial exclusions of deaths during the first 5–35 years of follow-up (Ptrend<0.001).
This cross-sectional study applied self-determination theory to understand the relationship between coaching behaviors, psychological need satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation among young Chinese athletes from 2 universities in Macao, China (N = 208). In the path model with the demographics adjusted, coaching behaviors (training instruction, democratic behaviors, autocratic behaviors, social support, and positive feedback) and need satisfaction (perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness) explained 44% of the variance in intrinsic motivation. We also found indirect effects of some coaching behaviors on intrinsic motivation through satisfying the psychological needs. Furthermore, independent self-construal significantly moderated the relationship between perceived relatedness and intrinsic motivation.
Intestinal malrotation is a developmental anomaly resulting from embryologic failure of fixation and rotation of the gut and predisposed to midgut vovulus and small bowel obstruction. Although various forms of malrotation anomalies in the gut can occur, nonrotation of prearterial segment with the initial symptomatic presentation at advanced age has been rarely reported. Here, we report a case of nonrotation of the prearterial segment of the midgut presenting with duodenal obstruction in a 60-year-old man. To our best knowledge, this is the first case reported about nonrotation of prearterial segment of the midgut in Korea.
This article examines the process of status determination - the translation of background status characteristics into economic outcomes - as it changes over thte later stages of the life cycle. Because of the increased dependence of cohtorts on public transfers during old age, the extent to which old age reduces, heightens, or maintains thte importance of market-based sources of stratification reflects the redistributive impact of retirement income relative to market income. Using data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Older Men, we compare the impact of status characteristics important during work careers - race, residence, education, occupation - on economic outcomes before and after the normal age of eligibility for retirement benefits. For family income and assets, adjusted for family size and inflation, the results show only modest change in the effects of background variables over time, across ages, or witht htours worked, and suggest more continuity than change in the determinants of income.
Alpha-catenin functions to anchor adherens junctions to the filamentous actin (F-actin) cytoskeleton, through direct and indirect binding mechanisms. When truncated at amino acid 865, alpha-catenin exhibited a markedly reduced F-actin binding affinity compared to wild-type. Expression of the truncated mutant in the α-catenin deficient colon carcinoma cell line, Clone A, could not restore an adhesive phenotype when compared. Furthermore, the truncated α-catenin fusion protein failed to concentrate at sites of cell-cell contact, to promote morphological changes associated with epithelial monolayers, and to stimulate resistance to shearing forces in a hanging drop aggregation assay. Subsequent attempts to isolate single residues governing the direct F-actin interaction, using neutralizing charge or reverse charge mutations of basic residues within a homology modeled alpha-catenin C-terminal 5-helix bundle, had no effect on F-actin cosedimentation. We conclude that direct attachment of alpha-catenin to F-actin is required to promote cadherin-mediated contact formation and strong cell-cell adhesive states.
We propose a test scheduling algorithm that ensures the resource compatibility and satisfies both power and thermal constraints. The proposed algorithm can start a test at an arbitrary time and it has the capability of delaying a test to let a core cool down to find a valid schedule even when traditional scheduling schemes cannot find a solution. To reduce the execution time of thermal simulation, we exploit superposition principle to compute the thermal profile rapidly and accurately. We apply our scheduling algorithm to ITC'02 SoC benchmarks and the results show a remarkable improvement in the total test length over other methods, while meeting the thermal and power constraints.
All higher animals, whether they live in water or on dry land, are faced with the necessity of regulating rather closely their intake and excretion of salts and water in order to maintain the constancy of their internal ionic environment. The kidney is in general the most important organ of the body as far as the excretion of sodium, potassium, chloride and water is concerned, but there are other tissues which also play a part in controlling the ionic balance between the internal and external environments, such as the intestinal mucosa, the skin and urinary bladder in amphibia, the gill epithelium in fishes, the salt gland in marine birds, and the epithelium of the rumen in ruminants. In addition to excretory and absorptive organs of this type, there are others which are secretory and whose function involves the production of fluids differing in ionic composition from the blood plasma. Examples include the glands which secrete saliva and sweat, the oxyntic acid-producing cells of the gastric mucosa, and the epithelium of the stria vascularis which generates the potassium-rich endolymph of the mammalian cochlea. The purpose of this article is to consider briefly what is known about the active transport of salts and water across some typical multicellular secretory tissues, and to attempt in the process to discern what properties they have in common and in what respects they are specialized.
It is important to describe weaknesses in rearing calves not only to improve their welfare, but also to detect areas where current scientific knowledge is poorly integrated into practice. A survey of preweaning calf-rearing practices was conducted using a farmer questionnaire. The survey included 136 farms, representing 11.9% of all dairy cows in the Czech Republic. Mean herd size (± standard deviation) was 326 ± 131.4 cows, and mean milk production 7,413 ± 1,389.5 kg per cow per year. We evaluated 59 farms with Holsteins (H) and 77 with the Czech Fleckvieh breed (C). The survey revealed that (1) calving in group pens predominated (67.6% of farms); (2) no disinfection of calf navels occurred on 11.8% of herds; (3) pooled colostrum was fed on 15.4% of farms; (4) colostrum quality was controlled on only 44.1% of farms, and only 73.5% of farms had reserve colostrum stocks; (5) nonmarket waste milk was fed in 64.7% of herds but it was pasteurized in only in 6.8% of herds and acidified in 35.2% of herds; (6) milk replacer was mixed with nonmarket waste milk on 52.9% of farms; (7) 58.8% of farms enabled calves to obtain milk by sucking and 41.2% by drinking from a bucket; (8) the main criterion in weaning was calf age (61.7%), followed by acceptance of starter and concentrated feed (19.9%) and lack of housing capacity (18.4%); and (9) newborn calves were individually housed on 96.7% of farms and group-housed on 3.3% of farms. The most marked differences in calf-rearing management between Holstein and Czech Fleckvieh farms were (1) a higher proportion of operations calving in tie-stalls or stanchions in C (6.5%) versus H (1.7%) farms; (2) a higher proportion of untreated navels on C (15.6%) versus H (6.8%) farms; (3) a lower proportion of C (11.7%) versus H (20.4%) farms feeding pooled colostrum; (4) a lower proportion of C (39%) versus H (50.9%) farms monitoring colostrum quality; (5) sucking milk from nipple buckets predominated (61%) on C farms, whereas drinking from an open bucket was most common (64.4%) on H farms; (6) age was the main criterion in weaning calves of both breeds (C farms: 55.8%, H farms: 69.5%), whereas the second most important criterion was lack of housing capacity (28.6% of farms) on C farms and the amount of consumed starter (25.4%) on H farms. We observed a difference in duration of colostrum period between C herds (median 5d) and H herds (median 4d). A tendency was observed for age of calves at weaning (C herds: median at 9.1 wk, H herds: median at 10 wk).
The African elite has the advantage in the competition for top government positions and other scarce socio-political and economic resources. The patron-client system which the elite controls, in most cases using the state apparatL provides the major basis for arguing that ethnicity is an ideology of inter-elite competition. While agreeing that the elite is fragmented enough to be masters of the ethnic strategy in a situation where the rest of the society is largely illiterate, this paper argues that the conception of ethnicity as an "ideology" of inter-elite competition is too limited and inadequate. First, ethnicity is not just an ideology; it is a reality of every multiethnic society, and this reality manifests both in cultural and non-cultural ways. Second, ethnicity, as an effective strategy and major manipulative tool in the competition for societal resources, is not an exclusive preserve of the elite. It is also available to the non-elite who are empirically adept at what I call an elite­ challenging ethnicity.
This article examines whether the balance currently struck by the European Commission between long-term contracting and the introduction of competition will ensure a sustainable level of competition on European gas markets, i.e. competition that not impedes investments. It examines whether this balance -which can be derived from a recently closed antitrust case against Distrigas – takes proper account of the benefits of long-term contracting. The current balance recognizes the possibility of efficiencies related to long-term contracts. This article uses the transaction cost economics framework to assess this balance, because this science of contract explicitly focuses on contracts and their ex-post properties. It turns out that the Commission's balance is inadequate because the advantages of long-term contracting in terms of mitigating opportunistic regulatory behaviour are not acknowledged. One likely consequence is that the Commission will intervene, and force adaptations to long-term contracts, more often than efficient.
In the last couple of years, the intensive conservative insulin treatment (basal-bolus regime) became more and more popular even in patients with type 2 diabetes. Using this insulin treatment, continuous patient education, co-operation between the medical team (diabetologist, dietician and diabetes-nurses) and the patient as well as the availability of modern insulins, pens and glucometers are of great importance. Clearly, the basal-bolus treatment with human insulin has advantages over the conservative (conventional) treatment with twice daily premix insulins. Moreover, the basal-bolus treatment with insulin-analogues proved to be superior in some aspects as compared to human insulins. The intensive insulin treatment (basal-bolus regime with insulin-analogues) approaches the optimal insulin substitution and, with its use the adequate correction of each element of the glucose triad (fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, HbA1c) should be considered feasible even in patients with type 2 diabetes.
In this paper, we investigate the argument that stock market is a barometer of economy in the context of cross-country effect between the U.S. and Japan. With grouped multivariate autoregressive model, Geweke linear dependence and spectral feedback between one country's stock market and the other country's macro economy was examined. A computing program for Geweke linear dependence and feedback spectrum of grouped VAR was developed and used. It is found that the U.S. stock market can be a barometer of Japanese economy in long run, while Japanese stock market's barometer effect to the U.S. economy is limited.
The congeries of theoretical views collectively referred to as “situated action” (SA) claim that humans and their interactions with the world cannot be understood using symbol-system models and methodology, but only by observing them within real-world contexts or building nonsymbolic models of them. SA claims also that rapid, real-time interaction with a dynamically changing environment is not amenable to symbolic interpretation of the sort espoused by the cognitive science of recent decades. Planning and representation, central to symbolic theories, are claimed to be irrelevant in everyday human activity.    We will contest these claims, as well as their proponents' characterizations of the symbol-system viewpoint. We will show that a number of existing symbolic systems perform well in temporally demanding tasks embedded in complex environments, whereas the systems usually regarded as exemplifying SA are thoroughly symbolic (and representational), and, to the extent that they are limited in these respects, have doubtful prospects for extension to complex tasks. As our title suggests, we propose that the goals set forth by the proponents of SA can be attained only within the framework of symbolic systems. The main body of empirical evidence supporting our view resides in the numerous symbol systems constructed in the past 35 years that have successfully simulated broad areas of human cognition.
In 1989, the Hong Kong government embarked on a program to increase the provision of first-year first-degree places. The expansion of tertiary education represents a large and exogenous increase in the supply of university graduates to the territory. This article measures the labor market effects of the expansion program by studying the changes in earnings premium for university graduates. Two alternative hypotheses-crowding and quality effects-are identified to explain why the earnings premium shrank. The results support the view that the declining quality of university graduates is the prime candidate for the declining earnings premium. (JEL "J31", "I28", "J18") Copyright 2005 Western Economic Association International.
Aim. During the pandemic situation of Covid-19, various true or false information about the spread, treatment, prevention, and vaccination against Covid-19 began to spread in the media, as well as in the real world. It is necessary to fight against various hoaxes on the basis of modern and especially scientifically documented information. Method. This study addresses human rights and change in society before and during the Covid-19 pandemic situation. The authors of the study worked with specific texts and with the help of literary and textual analysis, as well as analytical and synthetic methods. Basic human rights and freedoms during the pandemic were pointed out, together with various myths which circulate among non-professional individuals Results. The results of the study confirm that the pandemic situation of Covid-19 requires constant explanation, exploration, and confirmation of professional and scientific studies by experts in the media as well as within the social life of people, just to reject various hypotheses of people who are not experts in the field and who disseminate false and scientifically and technically unsubstantiated information.
abstract:This article interrogates the form of the relationship between political theory and utopia through a consideration of the thought of Niccolò Machiavelli. This article argues that Machiavelli can be read as an exemplary theorist of utopia who gives expression to the antinomies internal to the tradition. It identifies in Machiavelli’s thought two distinct models of utopia that exist in uneasy tension with one another: the thought of utopia as a critical expression of the inexhaustible human desire to be otherwise and the thought of utopia as an object to be fabricated by an instrumentally rational subject. After demonstrating the nature of the tension between these two utopias—and how they generate distinct conceptions of politics that differ in their relation to democracy—this article concludes by locating in Machiavelli’s thought a germinal mode for overcoming the utopian contradiction, potentially allowing for a more productive relation between political theory and the utopian tradition.
Active doping of B was observed in nanometer silicon layers confined in SiO2 layers by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling analysis and confirmed by Hall effect measurements. The uniformly distributed boron atoms in the B-doped silicon layers of [SiO2 (8 nm)/B-doped Si(10 nm)]5 films turned out to be segregated into the Si/SiO2 interfaces and the Si bulk, forming a distinct bimodal distribution by annealing at high temperature. B atoms in the Si layers were found to preferentially substitute inactive three-fold Si atoms in the grain boundaries and then substitute the four-fold Si atoms to achieve electrically active doping. As a result, active doping of B is initiated at high doping concentrations above 1.1 × 1020 atoms cm − 3 and high active doping of 3 × 1020 atoms cm − 3 could be achieved. The active doping in ultra-thin Si layers was implemented for silicon quantum dots (QDs) to realize a Si QD solar cell. A high energy-conversion efficiency of 13.4% was realized from a p-type Si QD solar cell with B concentration of 4 × 1020 atoms cm − 3.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: There are 2 competing approaches to optimize drug-eluting stent implantation: angiography-guided routine postdilation or intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance. Methods: From the pooled data of 2 randomized trials, IVUS-XPL (Impact of Intravascular Ultrasound Guidance on the Outcomes of Xience Prime Stents in Long Lesions) and ULTIMATE (Intravascular Ultrasound Guided Drug Eluting Stents Implantation in All-Comers Coronary Lesions), that compared IVUS- versus angiography-guided drug-eluting stent implantation, we compared 1037 patients (1265 lesions) with IVUS-guided postdilation, 905 patients (1170 lesions) with angiography-guided postdilation, and 383 patients (397 lesions) with angiography-guided drug-eluting stent implantation without postdilation as a reference group; all patients required ≥28 mm long stents. The primary end point was composite of cardiac death, target lesion–related myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization at 3 years. Results: Postintervention quantitative coronary angiography–based minimum lumen diameter was not different between the angiography guidance with postdilation versus the angiography guidance without postdilation group (2.5±0.4 mm versus 2.5±0.4 mm; P=0.367). However, it was larger in the IVUS guidance with postdilation versus the angiography guidance without postdilation group (2.6±0.5 mm versus 2.5±0.4 mm; P=0.046), and also in the IVUS guidance with postdilation versus the angiography guidance with postdilation group (2.6±0.5 mm versus 2.5±0.4 mm; P<0.001). The rate of the primary end point was not different between the angiography guidance with postdilation versus the angiography guidance without postdilation group (8.6% versus 9.8%; hazard ratio, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.58–1.29]; P=0.473). However, it was lower after IVUS guidance with postdilation versus angiography guidance without postdilation (4.5% versus 9.8%; hazard ratio, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.28–0.68]; P<0.001) and also after IVUS guidance with postdilation versus angiography guidance with postdilation (4.5% versus 8.6%; hazard ratio, 0.51 [95% CI, 0.35–0.74]; P<0.001). Conclusions: In patients undergoing long drug-eluting stent implantation, IVUS-guided postdilation was associated with improved long-term clinical outcomes, unlike angiography-guided postdilation.
Research on the relationship between the inferential impact of testimony and the credibility or reliability of sources or witnesses is summarized. Formal expressions are discussed which prescribe the nature of this relationship in certain well-defined cases. Also discussed are empirical studies which show that people typically do not degrade the impact of testimony in a manner consistent with the reliability of the sources of testimony. Attempts to improve inferences and decisions by decomposing the tasks performed are also summarized. Problems in applying such aiding techniques in judicial proceedings are discussed.
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes can reject established tumors if their target peptide is efficiently presented by MHC class I molecules (pMHC-I) on the surface of cancerous cells. Therapeutic success upon adoptive T-cell transfer (ATT), however, requires additional cross-presentation of the same pMHC-I on noncancerous cells. Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 (ERAP1) is an enzyme that customizes the N-terminus of proteasome-generated peptides so they can be loaded onto MHC-I molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We show here that ERAP1 is critically involved in the process of tumor rejection and assumes a dual role by independently operating on both sides. Direct presentation of two MHC-I-restricted epitopes of a cancer-driving transplantation rejection antigen through ERAP1 moderately affected tumor rejection by adoptively transferred T-cell receptor gene-modified T cells in each case. ERAP1 expression by antigen cross-presenting cells of the ATT recipients was critical for expansion of therapeutic monospecific T cells and correlated with tumor rejection. Specifically, lack of ERAP1 expression in the ATT recipient's noncancerous cells enabled progression of pMHC-I-positive, IFNγ-responsive tumors, despite the presence of antigen-specific functional cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These data reveal a decisive role for ERAP1 in T-cell-mediated tumor rejection and will enhance the choice of MHC-I-restricted epitopes targeted by adoptive T-cell transfer.Significance: This study demonstrates a role of ERAP1 in the efficacy of adoptive T-cell transfer and has potential to improve personalized T-cell therapy for solid tumors. Cancer Res; 78(12); 3243-54. ©2018 AACR.
What special students of so-called psychic phenomena will think of Mr. Henry Holt's two generous volumes I do not know, but to me, and no doubt to many like me, they are quite the most important and significant, as they are the most entertaining, exposition of the subject. This is indeed something more than a dead book; it is a life—as it were the voice of a friend confiding to us through the hours of a long winter night the lessons, still mingled with hesitations and questions, of his ripe experience. The publicity of high spirits may abound; but there are pages also which will reveal their full meaning only to those who know the author as a friend in the literal sense of the word, passages, for those who understand, of almost sacred privacy. So, for instance, the minute account of the spectacle unfolding at sunrise to the eyes of the watcher at the author's summer home has its place and weight for all readers as an argument that, as these lovely things are far beyond “our ancestors' universe of darkness and silence,” so there may be infinite ranges of perception still to be discovered by mankind; but to one who has entered that hospitable “gate, open to all who care to come,” and with the kindly guidance of his host has seen the sunlight falling from mountain top to valley and from valley to lake, the printed words will be something more than the speech of a book to its unseen audience.
The general rationale for conducting Foresight studies is to reduce uncertainty, for instance, by providing information in the form of scenarios, critical technology lists, priorities and recommendations for action. Such initiatives, aside from their discrete outputs, also tend to foster process benefits, which can include increased networking and coordination among actors. We propose Foresight Support Systems (FSSs) as collaborative computer-based systems aimed at supporting    communication      decision modelling      rules of order in foresight processes.          The relevance of the authors’ proposal arises from the growing necessity in Foresight for instruments that allow researchers and practitioners to innovate by means of an intensive use of Information Technology (IT). Issues such as the scope, the features, users and components of FSS are discussed.
35 Laryngeal lymphoepithelial carcinoma (LEC) is a rare tumor with only 34 cases in the published literature. Epidemiologically, laryngeal LEC is extremely rare in Asian. Originally, LEC is a common type of carcinoma in nasopharynx. Laryngeal LEC resembles nasopharyngeal LEC, except that most cases of laryngeal LEC are not associated with Epstein-Barr virus. We present a case of laryngeal LEC which developed at the left false cord extending to true vocal cord, para-glottic space and pre-epiglottic space. Total laryngectomy with bilateral neck dissection was performed. LEC was reported as biopsy confirmation result. The patient underwent postoperative radiotherapy and showed no evidence of recurrence during follow-up period of 42 months. In consideration that LEC in larynx have not been reported in South Korea yet, we introduce the clinical features and treatment outcomes of laryngeal LEC with literature review.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis that affects the adult population. Early diagnosis and treatment are the cornerstones to prevent joint damage and avoid long-term costs and disability. This article reviews the limitations of the currently available tools for the evaluation of patients with early arthritis, including clinical assessment, serologic markers and imaging modalities. It also discusses gene expression analysis, a newer and potentially promising approach to the early diagnosis of RA.
The implications of religion for support of the Negro struggle for equality are somewhat contradictory. As a normative source for inspiring protest against injustice, religion may perform an important instrumental role in encouraging white commitment to the civil rights movement. On the other hand, as a value system fostering spiritual transcendence of secular life, religious involvement may impede commitment to civil rights ideology. For a large sample of college students, analysis of the effect of religiosity on attitudinal support of the civil rights struggle indicates that the greater the religious commitment, the less the militancy. However, analysis further indicates that religion need not inhibit attitudes of protest when an acitve as opposed to a passive position of man's responsibility for social change is held. The relationship between religious commitment and prejudice, discrimination, and support of the civil rights movement remains unclear. On the one hand, there exist studies which purport to demonstrate a correlation between religiosity and prejudice towards Negroes (Ross, 1950; Stouffer, 1955; Goldsen, 1960). On the other hand, there are also studies which report a negative association between prejudice and religious commitment (Holtzman, 1956; Tumin, 1958; Vanecko, 1966; Glock and Stark, 1966). In addition, the prominent representation of some white clergy as leaders in the civil rights struggle further portrays the difficulty of specifying a clear relationship between these variables (Johnstone, 1963; Thompson, 1965; Bloom, 1966). To some extent, this confusion is reminiscent of the broader controversy regarding the relationship of religion to social change (Glock and Stark, 1965:169ff.). Much of the difficulty in stating acceptable generalizations stems from wellknown problems in sociological research: the use of small localized samples, the presence of inadequate controls which produce spurious relationships, theoretical and empirical differences in the selection and operationalization of variables, et al. Granted the complexity of the problem, it is therefore unlikely that any research will successfully satisfy the canons of theory and methodology to the satisfaction of everyone. More likely, a comprehensive picture will emerge only from numerous partial analyses in which each study contributes but a little to our understanding. With this precautionary note, the following paper offers data on the relationship of religious commitment to civil rights militancy in a large sample of primarily white Protestant middle-class college students.
Epidemiology of NSAIDs gastropathy is increasing as increase number of usage. From arthritis to cardiovascular events and cancer prevention, the versatility of NSAIDs is not questioned. However, no dose of NSAIDs is safe. No matter low dose, or single use, NSAIDs will cause gastric damage upto 3-7 days after use. In inflammation and healing process of gastropathy there are various proteins involved, but treatment with COX-2 and SRF are associated with an immediate healing and better quality of gastric mucosa. Cyclea barbata (miers.) has been declared as functional food for preventing and treatment gastropathy yet, its mechanism of actions have not yet clearly discovered. Hence the aim of this study is to analyze the effects of Cyclea barbata (miers.) ethanol extract to COX-2 and SRF in gastric tissue, in time series basis. Laboratory mice was induced with aspirin to produce gastropathy and then treated with Cyclea barbata (miers.) extract for 1, 3, 7, 10 or 14 days. Gastric tissue then harvested and analysed with elisa procedure to determine tissue SRF and COX-2 level. Treatment was proven to increase COX-2 and SRF higher than control group. This concludes one of Cyclea barbata (miers.) mechanism for NSAIDs gastropathy is by increasing tissue COX-2 and SRF.
Mersacidin, a new peptide antibiotic, was four- to eightfold less active (MIC for 90% of isolates, 8 micrograms/ml) than vancomycin, teicoplanin, or daptomycin against Staphylococcus aureus. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were inhibited by 8 micrograms/ml, and the MICs of mersacidin for hemolytic streptococci and Streptococcus pneumoniae were 4 to 8 micrograms/ml. The mersacidin MICs for anaerobic organisms were as follows: Clostridium perfringens, 4 micrograms/ml; Propionibacterium acnes, 8 micrograms/ml; peptococci, 1 microgram/ml; and peptostreptococci, 8 micrograms/ml. Mersacidin had no activity against members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, Neisseria and Haemophilus species, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The size of the inoculum, the pH of the assay (5.5 to 7.5), the type of medium, and the anaerobic conditions had minimal effects on the MICs and MBCs of mersacidin. Overall, mersacidin proved less active than available glycopeptides and peptolides.
We have isolated two type 1 copper-containing proteins (M(r) approximately 13K) from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans (NCIMB 11015) grown under denitrifying conditions. Amino acid sequence analysis of these two proteins shows one to be the previously identified azurin (Ambler, 1971), which we shall call azurin I, and the other to be a related, but previously undescribed, blue copper protein which we show to also be an azurin and propose to call azurin II. Thus, NCIMB 11015 becomes the second system where two distinct azurins are found, the other being Methylomonas J (Ambler & Tobari, 1989). On isoelectric focusing, azurin I migrates very similarly to the previously identified azurin from this organism while azurin II migrates similarly to azurin purified from Alcaligenes denitrificans NCTC 8582. The sequence of azurin II is 33% different than the azurin I sequence but is only 11% different than the azurin from Alcaligenes denitrificans NCTC 8582. Optical spectra for the two proteins are very similar with epsilon mM values of 6.27 and 5.73 mM-1 cm-1 for azurin I and II, respectively, at lambda max approximately 620 nm. The 291 nm shoulder normally ascribed to the hydrophobic nature of tryptophan 48 is clearly observed in azurin I but is missing in azurin II. Amino acid analysis confirms that this tryptophan is missing in azurin II. Azurin I and azurin II show essentially the same redox potential of 305 +/- 10 mV at pH 7.5 and are equally effective electron donors to the purified dissimilatory nitrite reductase of Alc. xylosoxidans in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
We have developed a new computerized biomechanical ex vivo perfusion system for intact conduit vessels in which a wide range of combinations of intraluminal pressure, fluid flow and shear stress could be set and maintained at target levels in mammalian conduit vessels under controlled metabolic conditions. Mean wall shear stress is calculated using the formula:τ = 1/2 * (ΔP/L)3/4 * (8ηQ/Π)1/4.Accuracy of the wall shear stress calculation was validated by ultrasonographic imaging of the vessel radius. In a series of simulation experiments, the hemodynamic homeostasis functions of the system were challenged by generating a wide range of vascular resistance in artificial vessels and by pharmacologically induced changes in vascular tone in intact human vessels. Despite rapid changes in vessel resistance, shear stress and pressure, or flow and pressure were maintained well at target levels. Shear- and pressure-stimulated production of the vasodilator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) was used to validate the biological relevance of the model. PGE2 release was significantly more stimulated by high (25 dyn/cm2) compared to low (<4 dyn/cm2) shear (ANOVA, p = 0.012). High compared to low intraluminal pressure depressed the production of PGE2 (ANOVA, p = 0.019). In summary, the computerized perfusion model appears to offer new possibilities of investigating the complex interplay between fluid mechanics and the vascular wall.
The high frequency of p53 mutation in human cancers indicates the important role of p53 in suppressing tumorigenesis. It is well established that the p53 regulates multiple, distinct cellular functions such as cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Despite intensive studies, little is known about which function is essential, or if multiple pathways are required, for p53-dependent tumor suppression in vivo. Using a mouse brain carcinoma model that shows high selective pressure for p53 inactivation, we found that even partially abolishing p53-dependent apoptosis by Bax inactivation was sufficient to significantly reduce the selective pressure for p53 loss. This finding is consistent with previous reports that apoptosis is the primary p53 function selected against during Eμ-myc–induced mouse lymphoma progression. However, unlike observed in the Eμ-myc–induced lymphoma model, attenuation of apoptosis is not sufficient to phenocopy the aggressive tumor progression associated with complete loss of p53 activity. We conclude that apoptosis is the primary tumor suppressive p53 function and the ablation of additional p53 pleiotropic effects further exacerbates tumor progression. Mol Cancer Res; 9(4); 430–9. ©2011 AACR.
The Australian Water Resources Assessment (AWRA) system (Stenson et al. 2011, van Dijk et al. 2011) was developed to support the production of national scale water resources assessments and accounts by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. This paper examines a comparative verification process for identifying errors in the development of the river modelling component of the AWRA system. The AWRA system is comprised of integrated modelling components representing the major parts of the terrestrial water balance, including landscape, river and groundwater processes. Several versions of each of these modelling components have been developed to support different use cases including: testing model improvements, optimizing model parameter sets, simple and stable deployment, high usability, and data model fusion. To meet these use cases there is some duplication in behavior across AWRA versions. AWRA river modelling consists of separate calibration and operational systems. Across these systems equivalent data handling, execution sequencing, and model connectivity concepts are duplicated. Duplication can increase: the overhead maintaining synchronization, the logistics required to track duplicates, and the number of software bugs and conceptual errors introduced during development (Li 2006). The duplication and complexity in AWRA increase the risk of bugs in code and in data pre-processing and management. Ensuring AWRA is numerically correct was an important part of development efforts. We describe a software verification technique that leverages the duplication present in AWRA to improve quality. For the purposes of this paper, verification of hydrological models is a set of processes that identify errors in software implementations and ensure the implementation matches the specification. Verification can reduce errors in software and thus can improve quality. Verification differs from model validation which assesses the performance of the model for its intended use. (Sargent 2005). A high level verification approach is function testing that checks the program against external specifications (Myers 2004). Freebairn et. al. (2005) describe a general purpose system that employs a variation of this technique for assessing the quality of a ported hydrological model. A similar strategy was used to create a comparative verification process to improve the quality of the AWRA river modelling systems. Fundamental in the comparative verification process were comparative tests. These tests helped identify software bugs and issues related to the management of parameters and inputs in the operational and calibration implementations and were automated to provide continuous quality monitoring. The comparative tests compared modelled results checking that, for equivalent inputs, results matched across implementations. We found that, during the development of a modelling system, where there were duplicate components, errors in software structure, implementation, and specification could be identified and resolved through a comparative verification process.
Background/Aims: A recent duplication of the gene encoding SLIT-ROBO Rho GTPase-activating protein 2 (SRGAP2) in the primate lineage has been proposed to be associated with the human-specific extraordinary development of intelligence. There is no report regarding the role of the SRGAP2 gene in the expression of neural traits indicating intelligence in mammals. Methods: A phylogenetic tree of the SRGAP2 gene from 11 mammals was reconstructed using MrBayes. The evolution of neural traits along the branches of the phylogenetic tree was modeled in the BayesTraits, and the dN/dS ratio (i.e. the ratio between the number of nonsynonymous substitutions per nonsynonymous site and the number of synonymous substitutions per synonymous site) was estimated using the codon-based maximum likelihood method (CODEML) in PAML (phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood). Results: Two neural traits, namely brain mass and the number of cortical neurons, showed statistical dependency on the underlying evolutionary history of the SRGAP2 gene in mammals. A significant positive correlation between the increase in cortical neurons and the rate of nucleotide substitutions in the SRGAP2 gene was observed concomitantly with a significant negative correlation between the increase in cortical neurons and the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions in the gene. The SRGAP2 gene appears to be under intense pressure of purifying selection in all mammalian lineages under stringent functional constraint. Conclusion: This work indicates a key role of the SRGAP2 gene in the rapid expansion of neurons in the brain cortex, thereby facilitating the evolution of remarkable intelligence in mammals.
The developing of agriculture has many supports from both government and non-government institutions, implementing in the form of grants/assistance/loan to farmers. There are many types grants can be accessed by farmers on the condition of submitting proposals. On the other hand, farmers with a majority of low-educated people find it difficult to perform. As a extension agent, the contract officer  (THL-TB) of agricultural extension agents have obligation to provide assistance to the farmers. Unfortunately, they have limitation capacity and access to develop self-capacity cause the number THL-TB of agricultural extension agents have limitation experiences. This study has aims to determine the characteristics of THL-TB of agricultural extension agent in Jember Regency and to analyze the introduction of training plan model of grant writing skill for THL-TB agricultural extension agent in Jember Regency. The analysis method is descriptive analysis and training plan model of Goad. The target of training participants are 48 THL-TB agricultural extension agents in Jember Regency who  under  40  years  old  with  highest  education  (D3  and  bachelor  degree  I). Introducing training plans uses the basis of the Pimentel and Franco approache consist of 3 elements, they are pre-implementation, implementation and post-implementation.
A new flow-injection spectrophotometric method for the determination of glutathione (GSH), penicillamine (PEN) and tiopronin (mercaptopropionyl glycine, MPG) in pharmaceutical formulations is reported. The method is based on the reduction of Cu(II)-neocuproine reagent to Cu(I)-neocuproine by GSH, PEN or MPG in buffered medium (pH = 3) to form a stable coloured complex (λmax = 458 nm). Experimental conditions were optimized by univariate method, resulting with linear calibration curves in concentration range from 2 × 10−6 to 3 × 10−5 mol L−1 for GSH, 6 × 10−7 to 4 × 10−5 mol L−1 for PEN and 4 × 10−7 to 4 × 10−5 mol L−1 for MPG. The achieved analytical frequency was 180 h−1 for GSH and PEN and 120 h−1 for MPG. The proposed method was successfully applied for determination of GSH, PEN and MPG in pharmaceutical formulations, and the usual excipients in pharmaceuticals did not interfere with the analysis.
History A 60-year-old woman with a history of alcohol abuse and hypertension presented to the emergency room because of increasing fatigue and shaking chills. Her temperature was 39.7°C (103.4°F) and her blood pressure was 90/60 mm Hg. Tenderness was present in the left upper and lower quadrants of the abdomen with guarding. Crepitus was noted along the left lateral side of the abdominal wall. Laboratory findings included a white blood cell count of 20 000/mm 3 (20.0×10 9 /L) with a leftward shift, abnormal results on liver function tests, anemia, a serum urea nitrogen concentration of 44 mg/ dL (15.5 mmol/L), and a creatinine level of 1.6 mg/dL (140 μmol/L), in addition to a prolonged prothrombin time. Roentgenograms of the abdomen and chest were obtained (Fig 1). Diagnosis Pneumoretroperitoneum, pneumomediastinum, and subcutaneous emphysema secondary to sigmoid diverticulitis with extraperitoneal perforation. A plain x-ray film of the abdomen showed a calcified
Building multidimensional systems requires gathering data from heterogeneous sources throughout time. Then, data is integrated in multidimensional structures organized around several axes of analysis, or dimensions. But these analysis structures are likely to vary over time and the existing multidimensional models do not (or only partially) take these evolutions into account. Hence, a dilemma appears for the designer of data warehouses: either keeping trace of evolutions therefore limiting the capability of comparison for analysts, or mapping all data in a given version of the structure that entails alteration (or even loss) of data. We propose a novel approach that offers another alternative, allowing to track history but also to compare data, mapped into static structures. We define a conceptual model and provide possible logical adaptations to implement it on current commercial OLAP systems. At last, we present the global architecture that we used for our prototype.
Although cells migrate in a constrained 3D environment in vivo, in-vitro studies have mainly focused on the analysis of cells moving on 2D substrates. Under such conditions, the Golgi complex is always located towards the leading edge of the cell, suggesting that it is involved in the directional movement. However, several lines of evidence indicate that this location can vary depending on the cell type, the environment or the developmental processes. We have used micro contact printing (μCP) to study the migration of cells that have a geometrically constrained shape within a polarized phenotype. Cells migrating on micropatterned lines of fibronectin are polarized and migrate in the same direction. Under such conditions, the Golgi complex and the centrosome are located behind the nucleus. In addition, the Golgi complex is often displaced several micrometres away from the nucleus. Finally, we used the zebrafish lateral line primordium as an in-vivo model of cells migrating in a constrained environment and observe a similar localization of both the Golgi and the centrosome in the leading cells. We propose that the positioning of the Golgi complex and the centrosome depends on the geometrical constraints applied to the cell rather than on a precise migratory function in the leading region.
This paper empirically estimates disaggregated crime categories for Sabah from 1968 to 2006. The criminometric analysis incorporated in a within sample analysis of cointegration and error correction framework and the beyond sample analysis using the decompositions of variance. Our findings suggest that any support for the deterrence hypothesis is sensitive to the inclusion of prison or courts related variables. In the long run we find that only robbery is exogenous in all crime model tested however, the beyond sample estimation proves that in longer time period of approximately 50 years the post-sample dynamic VDC imply that a substantial portion of the variance of the forecast error of these crime are explained by their explanatory variables.
Drug repositioning has been based largely on genomic signatures of drugs and diseases. One challenge in these efforts lies in connecting the molecular signatures of drugs into clinical responses, including therapeutic and side effects, to the repurpose of drugs. We addressed this challenge by evaluating drug‐drug relationships using a phenotypic and molecular‐based approach that integrates therapeutic indications, side effects, and gene expression profiles induced by each drug. Using cosine similarity, relationships between 445 drugs were evaluated based on high‐dimensional spaces consisting of phenotypic terms of drugs and genomic signatures, respectively. One hundred fifty‐one of 445 drugs comprising 450 drug pairs displayed significant similarities in both phenotypic and genomic signatures (P value < 0.05). We also found that similar gene expressions of drugs do indeed yield similar clinical phenotypes. We generated similarity matrixes of drugs using the expression profiles they induce in a cell line and phenotypic effects.
Nanosilica was modified with a silane coupling agent 3-Glycidoxypro- pyltrimethoxysilane (KH-560) and then reacted with p-aminodiphenylamine (RT) to obtain a new nanosilica-based antioxidant. Fourier transform infrared and thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis measurements confirmed the successful grafting of RT to the nanosilica surface. Scanning electron microscope analysis showed that the nanosilica-based antioxidant could be homogeneously dispersed in a natural rubber matrix. Differential scanning calorimetry and TGA were used to measure the thermal oxidative behavior of rubber vulcanizates with different types of fillers. It was found that the thermal oxidative stability of rubber vulcanizates with the nanosilica-based antioxidant was improved to a greater extent than that with other fillers examined.
Bioassay-guided fractionation of the aerial parts of Dasymaschalon echinatum led to the isolation of five known aristolactams; aristolactam AII (1), aristolactam BII (2), piperolactam A (3), piperolactam C (4), and goniopedaline (5), together with two aphorphine alkaloids; duguevalline (6) and noraristolodione (7) and two amide derivatives; asperphenamate (8), and N -benzoyl-L-phenylalaninol (9). Alkaloids 2 and 7 were isolated for the first time from the Dasymaschalon genus. The anti-HIV 1 reverse transcriptase (RT) activity of all isolated compounds was determined. Except for aristolactam BII (2), this is the first report of the anti-HIV 1-RT activity of compounds 1 and 3-9. Compounds 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8 showed weak anti-HIV 1-RT inhibitory activity with IC50 ranging from 112.74 to 225.55μM.
Abstract This paper reviews the cooperating solver approach to building simulation as encapsulated within the ESP-r system. The application of the approach to the core technical domains underpinning building simulation is discussed along with its extension to the additional, diverse domains needed to support broader and/or more detailed analysis. The implications for computational overhead through expanding the repertoire of ESP-r are also considered. The paper concludes with an appraisal of the ability of the cooperating solver approach to cater for anticipated future application demands.
Contemporary analysis of the food sector has failed convincingly to link production to consumption, and it has not provided a sociological account of such links. This paper makes a provisional attempt to begin such an analysis and does so by examining the case of the market for organic food in Tuscany. It proposes that the ‘pioneers’ of organics in this region constituted a new food movement that succeeded in opening up a new market. However, this market could only be successfully expanded once other actors were enrolled in the market-making process, notably state agencies and supermarkets. The regional government, through new regulations and specific initiatives, integrated organic foods into rural development policy, thereby assisting producers in the process of conversion. Supermarkets co-operated in the implementation of these policies and made space for Tuscan organic products in their stores. So while the ‘pioneers’ began the process of market building, these later entrants were crucial to the stabilization and expansion of the organic sector in Tuscany. Thus, it can be concluded that the emergence of these new ‘markets’ for nature can only be adequately explained by analysing the full range of actors. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This paper focuses on the aspect of Constitutional morality and societal morality in the present scenario and its relevance in all the modern societies. As we all know that morality is the very basis of law and therefore a law reflects the idea of morality. The concept of live in relationship is one of the issues which is related to Constitutionality and societal morality. The concept of live in relationship although is a part of Constitutional morality under Article 21 of Indian Constitution, but fails to be within the ambit of societal morality in context of the Indian society. The paper discusses the difference and the relationship between Constitutional morality and societal morality and its impact on live in relationship. As it said that a society grows only if it adapts itself with the changing time and thereby widening the scope of societal morality by accepting the new concept like live in relationship. The goal of this study is to develop a balance between the constitutional and societal morality in order to give recognition to the concept of live in relationship thereby not limiting itself within the principles of morality. Article Received: 10 August 2020, Revised: 25 October 2020, Accepted: 18 November 2020
The College of Education Technology Group is a pilot program that supports teacher candidates in developing an understanding of the integration of technology. By engaging teacher candidates with local schools the program is enhancing technology-based learning in the classroom for high school students, especially those from First Nations and other cultural backgrounds. This innovative program is based on the key goals of the College of Education and the Learning Charter of the University of Saskatchewan. This paper will share an overview of the first two years of the pilot and what has been learned about the application of technology to provide an enhanced learning experience for teacher candidates .
Diseases such as stroke and proprioception loss may cause inability to control the arm in the activities of daily living. Studies show that intensive motor training with virtual reality games can help patients to restore arm functions. This paper proposes a pseudo-haptic feedback method to add motion assistance or resistance to virtual reality-mediated upper-limb rehabilitation. The alterations to the cursor speed produced by the proposed technique create the illusion of virtual forces providing motion assistance or resistance to the arm movement during rehabilitation training. The proposed method is experimentally evaluated involving human subjects to demonstrate the feasibility. The experimental results reveal that the motion assistance mode is more time-efficient and is claimed to be easier than the motion resistance mode by human subjects. The difficulty of the path following task of virtual reality-mediated upper-limb rehabilitation training can be modulated by the proposed pseudo-haptic feedback method without using any haptic feedback devices.
Energy at the Crossroads Global Perspectives and Uncertainties. By Vaclav Smil. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 2003. 443 pp. $34.95, £22.95. ISBN 0-262-19492-9. Considering what is possible and what is desirable in our energy future, Smil argues that human dependence on fossil fuels must be reduced not because of impending resource shortages but because of the environmental, economic, and political problems caused by our current consumption.
Background: Both smoking and diabetes are attributed to be strongly linked with pulmonary tuberculosis. The significance of the study lies in assessing severity of manifestations in pulmonary tuberculosis patients due to smoking and diabetes. Subjects and Methods:This is a cross sectional observational study among patients presenting to Department of Tuberculosis and Chest Diseases, Government Medical College, Patiala.  200 Patients were enrolled in this study who are sputum smear positive pulmonary kochs patients already on ATT and admitted in this department were evaluated by clinical history, blood and radiological investigations and the data was statistically analyzed.Results:Non smoker non diabetic group had maximum of females, n=28(56%), whereas purely diabetic study group has maximum of males, n=30(60%).The total number of patients whose sputum showed bacterial culture was 19 (9.5%). In the patients having both diabetes and smoking as risk factor there was maximum culture positivity, n=6 (31.5%)and most common organism isolated was klebsiella pneumonia, n=3 (50%), Klebsiella was also the most common organism isolated overall, n=10 (62.5%).Conclusion: The combination of smoking and diabetes can lead to serious disease, sputum positivity and complications.
Elastography is a rapidly developing diagnostic me-thod and enables to identify and to differentiate focal masses of different origin, as well as the stage of fibrous transformation of the liver, as evidenced by many research works. The method is firmly established in the practice of gastroenterology. The appearance of a new generation devices with the function of ARFI (VTQ) and SWEI has allowed scientists to begin a transient study of the stiffness of pancreatic parenchyma. However, there is small quantity of these works, it is necessary to standardize the technique of execution of the research and its results in various diseases. The apparatus Ultima PA Expert® (Radmir, Ukraine) with the function of SWEI enables to conduct transient elastography of the pancreas, when using certain technical methods, in order to determine the stiffness of the parenchyma in normal and in diffuse pathology. The values of the stiffness obtained with the apparatus Ultima PA Expert® (Radmir, Ukraine) presented in kPa and at the same time in m/s, making these data comparable with those obtained by other researchers on the devices having only one measurement function. In apparently healthy individuals, we have received the parameter of the stiffness of pancreatic parenchyma of (4.86 ± 0.05) kPa, (1.33 ± 0.05) m/s. In chronic pancreatitis, this measure is (6.48 ± 0.80) kPa, (1.52 ± 0.17) m/s. The findings make it possible to determine the therapeutic approach, as well as its effectiveness, based on the indicators of stiffness.
A nonlinear aircraft tracking filter using a point mass flight dynamics model with three degrees of freedom is presented. While the models used by conventional air traffic control tracking filters are based on simple kinematics, the model for the present filter is based not only on kinematic relations but also on three-dimensional aircraft translational force equations and control variables. This allows for practical and sophisticated implementation of the attitude effects on translational acceleration. The control variables, which consist of the angle of attack, roll angle, and thrust setting, are treated as states with random processes. Tracking with simulation data indicates that the present filter is superior to other single and multiple model-based filters in terms of position and course accuracy, and the model associated with it is insensitive to flight motion types and design parameters. The results of tracking with real flight data also correspond well with those found by tracking with the simulation data.
7717 Background: Accelerated fractionation proved beneficial in INT0096, but the total dose was low and local recurrence was high with higher acute grade (Gr.) 3+ esophagitis. RTOG 0239 was a phase II trial to improve local control and survival with LSCLC with acceptable acute Gr. 3+ esophagitis using accelerated high dose TRT and concurrent cisplatin/etoposide. This is the first report of acute Gr.3+ esophagitis and Gr.5 toxicities. Methods: Patients (pts) with LSCLC without pleural effusion, contralateral hilar or contralateral supraclavicular nodes and PS 0–1 were enrolled. TRT was given to large fields to 28.8 Gy at 1.8 Gy per fraction, 5 days per week for 16 fractions followed by BID with large field in AM, boost in PM, then off-cord boost BID for last 5 days, all at 1.8 Gy per fx for a total dose of 61.2 Gy in 34 fx in 5 weeks. Concurrent chemotherapy was started with TRT with cisplatin, 60 mg/m2 i.v. day 1; etoposide, 120 mg/m2 i.v. day 1; etoposide, 240 mg/m2 p.o. per day or 120 mg/m2 i.v. per day...
We contest each other's memory claims all the time. I am concerned with how the contesting of memory claims and narratives may be an integral part of many abusive situations. I use the writings of Otto Weininger and the False Memory Syndrome Foundation to explore a particular strategy of discrediting women as rememberers, making them more vulnerable to sexual harm. This strategy relies on the presentation of women as unable to maintain a stable enough sense of self or identity to be trustworthy testifiers to their own harm.
This article describes the symbolic, physical and demographic changes experienced by the Peruvian capital over the past fifty years. In this period, Lima came to its current image of a historical, hybrid, multicultural and post-modern city. A city that confines, within its boundaries, all the nuances of Peruanity that remain determined by a constant tension between its visible and invisible face, of being a city split between being simultaneously legal and illegal. Invoking a historical, urban and sociocultural approach of some of its representational luminaries (Valdelomar, Salazar Bondy, Matos Mar, De Soto), the article describes the current risks and possibilities that the project of hyper-modernization and consumption has come to mean for a jumbled and historical city, whose heterotypical undulations are faced with unilateral risks of a logic marked by “urban-marketization”.
Gastric hyperplastic polyps (GHP) constitute up to 93% of all benign epithelial polyps of the stomach. The average probability of malignant transformation in GHP is 0.6-22% in large series. The aim of the study was to present the coexistence of GHP with early gastric cancer (EGC), gastric adenoma (GA), neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia (NH) and well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour (NET G1). Three cases were studied to reveal clinical data and morphological changes and to assess the relationship between GHP and accompanying gastric neoplastic lesions.
Mice are commonly used as an experimental model to investigate the Equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) infection. This model easily reproduces the disease, and the clinical signs are more or less similar to those observed in the horse, the natural host. During natural infection, the acute course of respiratory infection is mandatory for the development of adaptive immune response. Since interactions between EHV-1 and anesthetics are possible, the study investigated whether the early events of murine pulmonary immune response could be affected by different anesthetics. Therefore, mice were experimentally infected with a unique EHV-1 strain under the effects of ether, ketamine/xylazine, or isoflurane. Clinical signs and histopathological lesions in the lungs were described, and the cell death and proliferation rates of sham-inoculated or infected animals were quantified using immunohistochemistry. Clinical signs were more severe in animals anesthetized with ether. Qualitative differences in the recruited inflammatory cells were observed following application of anesthesia. The level of infection between the infected groups was not statistically significant. However, lungs from ketamine/xylazine-anesthetized animals showed the highest cell death rates, whereas those from isoflurane-anesthetized animals showed the highest proliferation rates. It has been emphasized that anesthetics alone or their interactions with EHV-1 modify the response against the infection. An appropriate selection of the anesthetic during experimental studies is relevant to minimize wrong conclusions.
A framework is defined as a set of reusable designs of all or part of a software system described by set of abstract classes and the way in which instances of those classes collaborate. It is intended to capture the functionality that is common to several similar applications. By developing and reusing frameworks, the reuse also encompasses design and analysis. When programmers develop applications in a specific domain using a RAD (rapid application development) tool with which frameworks are provided, they can focus their attention on their particular problem domain and do not have to start from scratch each time they write applications. In this paper, we design and implement a framework diagram and a framework-based RAD tool, called INTRAD (INTranet RAD). Also, we implement an e-mail framework for the INTRAD system, which supports the development of intranet applications.
Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has determined the millimeter wave (mmWave) as one of the main technologies to achieve a high data rate communication scheme for 5G. Unlike conventional sub-6 GHz bands, mmWave communication has short areal coverage due to its propagation characteristics. As a result, mmWave strongly depends on beamforming using Massive MIMO to achieve expected optimal spectral efficiency. For this propose, accurate channel state information is essential to align the antenna arrays properly. However, mmWave channel estimation is challenging because of its sparse delay-angular characteristics. In this paper, we are examining the local Spatio-temporal correlation of the non-stationary mmWave channel to study the effect of the spatial consistency from mmWave channel estimation point. We are employing Correlation Distance Matrix (CDM) to characterize the correlation between channel ensembles in non-stationary mmWave channel model. Our observation shows that spatial consistency decreases sharply as the physical distance between the channel ensembles increases. Also, we observed that channel estimation using a sparse recovery algorithm preserves the spatial consistency between estimated channels. Our results show that the spatial consistency can be employed to design more efficient channel estimation techniques for mmWave massive MIMO system provided that the update distance is very short.
Background: Intestinal resection causes inevitable vascular damage, which cannot always be seen during an intraoperative clinical assessment of local intestinal perfusion. If left unaltered, impaired perfusion can lead to complications, such as anastomotic leakage (AL). Therefore, we demonstrate the use of a novel laparoscopic laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI)-based approach in order to assess local intestinal perfusion during the construction of intestinal anastomoses. Methods: Three segments were isolated from the small intestine of a pig, while the perfusion of each was compromised by coagulating 7–8 mesenteric arteries. Both clinical assessments and LSCI were used to detect the induced perfusion deficits and to subsequently guide a transection in either a well perfused, marginally perfused, or poorly perfused tissue area within the segment. Bowel ends were then utilized for the creation of three differently perfused anastomoses: well perfused/well perfused (anastomosis segment 1), well perfused/poorly perfused (anastomosis segment 2), and poorly perfused/poorly perfused (anastomosis segment 3). After construction of the anastomoses, a final perfusion assessment using both clinical assessment and LSCI was executed in order to evaluate the vascular viability of the anastomosis. Results: Laparoscopic LSCI enabled continuous assessment of local intestinal perfusion and allowed for detection of perfusion deficits in real time. The imaging feedback precisely guided the surgical procedure, and, when evaluating the final anastomotic perfusion, LSCI was able to visualize the varying degrees of perfusion, whereas standard clinical assessment yielded only minor differences in visual appearance of the tissue. Conclusions: In this technical note, we demonstrate a novel LSCI-based approach for intraoperative perfusion assessment. With its ability to continuously visualize perfusion in real time, laparoscopic LSCI has significant potential for the optimization of anastomotic surgery in the near future.
Earth and Mars should have been frozen worlds in their early history because of lower solar luminosity but were not, which challenges our understanding of early atmospheres and surface conditions and/or our understanding of solar evolution. This is known as the “faint young Sun problem.” One resolution to the problem is that the Sun was more massive and luminous in its youth before blowing off mass. Astrophysical studies of stellar evolution and behavior, however, including recent analysis of Kepler space-telescope data, indicate that mass loss is both insufficient and occurs too early to allow for a more luminous Sun after ca. 4 Ga. Alternatively, greenhouse gases were surprisingly effective at warming young Earth and Mars. High concentrations of CO2 with the possible addition of biogenic CH4 are likely dominant factors promoting open-water conditions on Archean Earth. Evidence of precipitation and flowing water on young Mars, including river valleys thousands of kilometers long, is more problematic. Recent studies indicate that 3–4 Ga river valleys and delta deposits in crater lakes could have been produced in <~107 years. Highly transient warm periods during times of favorable orbital parameters possibly led to brief melting under otherwise icy conditions. Seasonal melting and runoff would be more likely with ~1%–10% atmospheric H2 and CH4, perhaps derived from serpentinization of olivine in the martian crust and released from frozen ground by impacts and volcanism, and/or derived directly from volcanic outgassing. The recently recognized effectiveness of hydrogen and methane at absorbing infrared radiation in a thick CO2-dominated atmosphere, in a process known as “collision-induced absorption,” is probably essential to the solution to the faint young Sun problem for Mars. INTRODUCTION The basic concepts involved in stellarenergy generation were known by the 1950s and include the insight that stellar luminosity gradually increases over time because of increasing density in stellar cores resulting directly from thermonuclear fusion (e.g., Burbidge et al., 1957) (Fig. 1). Solar luminosity at birth was calculated to be ~70% of modern luminosity. The idea that Earth should have geologic evidence of its presumably frozen youth was gradually determined to be inconsistent with growing evidence for liquid water at the surface of Archean Earth. The problem was first addressed by Sagan and Mullen (1972), who proposed that atmospheric ammonia was crucial to early warming. More recent robotic exploration of Mars similarly indicates surprisingly warm and wet conditions during its early geologic history. The discrepancy between low solar-energy production and warm early Earth and Mars is known as the “faint young Sun problem” (Ulrich, 1975; Feulner, 2012). This article is a brief review of solar evolution and the faint young Sun problem for Earth and Mars that highlights recent developments. STELLAR ENERGY PRODUCTION Stars form by gravitational contraction of clouds of interstellar gas dominated by hydrogen. During contraction and adiabatic heating, increasing stellar energy production by nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium eventually terminates gravitational contraction (e.g., Haxton et al., 2013). Over millions of years, helium produced by fusion of hydrogen accumulates in the cores of stars and increases core density, causing gravitational contraction and adiabatic heating which, in turn, raise fusion rates and energy generation. This process occurs gradually and continuously, resulting in increasing core temperature and total luminosity (Fig. 1) (Bahcall et al., 2001). The Sun began with ~71% hydrogen Jon Spencer, Dept. of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA, spencer7@email.arizona.edu GSA Today, v. 29, https://doi.org/10.1130/GSATG403A.1. Copyright 2019, The Geological Society of America. CC-BY-NC. Figure 1. Evolution of solar properties (from Bahcall et al., 2001). A simple approximation of solarluminosity evolution (Equation 1 of Gough, 1981) is also shown. 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4
Using Ti–Ta alloy to which Ta was added systematically, i.e. Ti–5 mass%Ta, 10 mass%Ta, 20 mass%Ta, 30 mass%Ta, 40 mass%Ta and 50 mass%Ta alloys, the effect of Ta concentration on phase constitution in the solution treated and quenched state and aging behavior is studied by electrical resistivity and Vickers hardness measurements and X-ray diffactometry. All alloys were solution treated at 1173 K for 3.6 ks and then quenched into ice water (STQ). STQed specimens were isochronally heat treated from 323 to 1173 K. STQed specimens of Ti–50 mass%Ta alloy were isothermally aging at five different temperatures, 573 K, 623 K, 673 K, 723 K and 773 K. In the solution treated and quenched state, only reflections of hexagonal martensite, α′ were obserevd by XRD in Ti–5Ta to 30Ta alloys, whereas only orthorhombic martensite, α′′, was identified by XRD in Ti–40Ta and 50Ta alloys. α′′ in Ti–50Ta alloy is reversely transformed into β upon isochronal heat treatment: the starting temperature is situated at a temperature between 623 K and 673 K. Isothermal aging of this alloy shows that α′′ directly decomposes to α and β phases without reverse transformation of α′′ at 573 K and 623 K aging. On isothermal aging above 673 K, α′′ reversely transforms into β and then isothermal ω phase precipitates in the reversed β.
An electronic structure calculation for the novel quantum wire structure recently fabricated and named the ‘‘ridge quantum wire’’ [Koshiba et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 64, 363 (1994)] is reported. In the calculation, the actual confinement potential was approximated by an analytic model, which considerably facilitates the solution of the Schrodinger equation by the finite element method. The result clearly indicates the strong confinement of both electrons and holes. Also the quantization energy obtained, with exciton effects included, is in good agreement with the photoluminescence peak energy.
A novel analytic solution to field distribution is used to calculate the intensity distribution for channel waveguides with a two-dimensional diffusion-type refractive index profile. Composition profiles for the waveguides are obtained by applying the two-dimensional diffusion theory to treat the case of isotropic sideways diffusion. The dependence of the field distributions on the width/depth ratio is studied as an aid to the design of modulators and switches for integrated optics.
Hamstring strain injuries frequently occur during professional soccer practice. Low hamstring strength represents an intrinsic modifiable risk factor but cutoffs of isokinetic knee strength ratios are controversial to predict hamstring strain in professional soccer players. We aimed to predict hamstring strain in accordance with cutoffs of isokinetic knee strength ratios. Bilateral, conventional, and functional isokinetic strength ratios were calculated in 194 professional soccer players at the beginning of 15 consecutive seasons. 36 soccer players presented a moderate hamstring strain and 158 were not injured. The different calculated isokinetic ratios were compared with the right and left limb of the uninjured population. Different usual cutoffs were tested: at 0.85 and 0.90 for the bilateral concentric and eccentric hamstring‐to‐hamstring ratio, at 0.60 and 0.47 for the conventional hamstring‐to‐quadriceps ratio and at 0.80 and 1 for the mixed hamstring‐to‐quadriceps ratio. The specific ratios for the studied population were also determined by the 10th percentile and then tested. Hamstring strain prediction was established in terms of odds ratios. No cutoff with bilateral, conventional, or functional isokinetic strength ratio was predictive of hamstring strain after univariate analysis. Specific cutoffs determined from the studied population were not more predictive. Very few injured soccer players presented values under the cutoffs at 0.47 for the conventional ratio and at 0.80 for the mixed ratio. Regardless of their values, cutoffs of isokinetic strength ratios were not predictive of hamstring injuries. The use of isokinetic cutoffs is not recommended to predict hamstring muscle strain in professional soccer players.
Kochia resistant to glyphosate (Roundup), chlorsulfuron (Glean), and dicamba (Banvel or Clarity) has become quite common in the U.S. Great Plains, whereas multiple resistance to additional herbicides, including fluroxypyr (Starane Ultra), atrazine (AAtrex), and metribuzin (Sencor) has also been reported recently. Effective management of these multiple herbicide-resistant (MHR) kochia populations warrants the need of alternative herbicide strategies. The main objective of this research was to investigate the efficacy of auxinic herbicides, including Duplosan (dichlorprop-p), Weedone (2,4-D), Clash (dicamba), and/ or Pixxaro (premix of halauxifen and fluroxypyr) alone or in various combinations for controlling MHR kochia. Separate greenhouse and field experiments were conducted at the Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center (KSU-ARC) in Hays, KS. Greenhouse studies included an MHR kochia population (resistant to glyphosate, dicamba, fluroxypyr, chlorsulfuron, atrazine, and metribuzin) from Garden City, KS, and a susceptible (SUS) kochia population from Hays, KS. The postemergence (POST) applied herbicide programs, including Clash Weedone, Duplosan alone or in tank-mix combinations were tested. Field experiments were conducted in a fallow field at KSU-ARC with a natural infestation of kochia population with multiple resistance to glyphosate and dicamba. Herbicides, including Duplosan, Weedone, Clash, and Pixxaro were tested alone or in tank-mix combinations. Results from greenhouse study indicated that Clash, Duplosan, and Weedone applied alone provided inadequate control (5 to 42%) of MHR kochia at 21 days after treatment (DAT). In contrast, control of SUS population was 83 to 92% with Clash and Duplosan alone treatments. Tank-mixing Duplosan with Clash and/or Clash + Weedone significantly improved visible control (72 to 90%) of MHR kochia as compared to Duplosan, Clash, or Weedone alone treatments. Similarly, tank-mixing Clash to Duplosan or Pixxaro (two-way mixtures) and to Duplosan + Weedone, Pixxaro + Duplosan or Pixxaro + Weedone (three-way mixtures), provided an excellent control (91 to 97%) of MHR kochia compared to Clash, Pixxaro, Weedone, and Duplosan alone treatments in a field study. Altogether, these results suggest that tankmixing Clash with Duplosan and/or Pixxaro can potentially provide synergistic effect in controlling MHR kochia in fallow fields.
Morphology of the daughter sporocysts of Cercaria etgesii Shchenkov, 2017 (Pleurogenidae) has been described according to conventional histological techniques and subsequent 3D reconstruction with BitplaneImaris® software. Novel data were obtained concerning the spatial organization of the brood cavity of Pleurogenidae daughter sporocysts. It was shown that the laminated structures of the endocyst are lining the brood cavity and carry out its compartmentalisation by formation of the chambers around developing and disintegrating embryos of cercariae. First description of the germinal mass of the Pleurogenidae daughter sporocysts is given. No mitoses in germinal mass were evident although apparent production of the cercariae embryos by the sporocysts take place. The analogous principle of daughter sporocysts morphofunctional organisation was noted for the studied representatives of closely related taxa of trematodes: Pleurogenidae (C. etgesii) and Microphallidae (Microphallus ‘pygmaeus’ group).
We reviewed the causes of death in 50 patients treated for systemic lupus erythematosus at the University of Mississippi Medical Center between 1973 and 1985. Two groups of patients could be distinguished based on the age at onset but not on the duration of disease. Younger patients more often died of active renal disease and infectious complications, while older patients died of other organ involvement, inactive renal disease, and miscellaneous causes. Common causes of infection were gram-positive cocci and gram-negative bacilli. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was an infrequent cause of death, and no patients died of malignancy. Patients who died had more multisystemic involvement, with serositis and renal, central nervous system, and hematologic manifestations than patients who were alive at last follow-up.
Abstract. Handayani F, Sumarmiyati, Rahayu SP. 2019. Morphological characteristic of local accessions job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) of East Kalimantan. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 5: 228-233. Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) is known as jelai in East Kalimantan, and has many local names all over Indonesia. For Dayak society, job’s tears has cultural value as it uses in custom ceremonies. Job’s tears has low glycemic index so it can be used as functional food as rice substitution/complementary. East Kalimantan has many local accessions of job’s tears. The aim of this research was to characterize the morphological characters of three local varieties of job’s tears from Kutai Kartanegara i.e. PJSR 1, PJSR 2, and PJSR 3. The field study was held on Lempake trial garden of BPTP Kalimantan Timur in Samarinda from April to September 2018. Plant morphological of the varieties was similar. The significant difference was on antocyanin coloration of the stem and midrib, which is PJSR 2 was the strongest. PJSR 1 and PJSR 2 have shorter harvest time (5 months) and higher productivity (5 t/ha) than PJSR 3 (6 months, 4 t/ha). Seed and kernel of PJSR 1 were light brown, while PJSR 2 was dark brown. Meanwhile, PJSR 3 has light brown seed but dark brown kernel. The rice of PJSR 1 is little sticky, while PJSR 2 is more sticky, and the most sticky is PJSR 3.
Adding low power nodes is one option to meet the increased mobile broadband traffic demands. In the resulting heterogeneous network (HetNet) with different node power levels, range expansion is a key feature to improve uplink as well as to increase the coverage of micro/pico nodes. In this paper measurement results from a trial with Release 8 terminals and system verify that range expansion can improve uplink bit rate at a limited cost in downlink bit rate. Also, the macro versus micro/pico indoor coverage is assessed by scanning three office buildings. Coverage using a 2x1 W pico node is assessed to 75 percent of the coverage with a 2x5 W micro node. Range expansion can increase the indoor coverage with 1.5 to 4 percentages per dB.
Improving Computer Science (CS) education requires increasing the meaningful usage of research-supported pedagogy and curriculum. Studies on propagation have largely looked at dissemination and adoption from the perspective of adopters: what motivates them to discover, experiment with, and continue using innovative teaching. This study adds to a growing body of research on approaches to encourage adoption by examining the perspectives and advice of successful propagators-education researchers who have had their innovations widely adopted. Drawing on interviews with fourteen CS education researchers, this paper identifies both points of convergence and unique insights across several broad areas: barriers to adoption, the structure of academia, relevant principles of design and techniques for deployment, and strategies for propagation. Notable findings include: the structure of academia has aspects that both impede and facilitate successful propagation; traditional academic funding sources do not adequately support ongoing propagation; and some successful strategies for getting the word out involve oblique approaches for reaching potential users. This exploration of common successful approaches can serve as a guide for developers and educational advocates when working to attract new users and broaden impact.
If the and oscillators are not synchronized, it may arise some kinds of blocking arrhythmias in the system of heart. In this paper, in order to examine the heart system more precisely, we apply the three-oscillator model of the heart system, and to prevent arrhythmias, perform the following steps. Firstly, we add a voltage with rang and frequency to node. Then, we use delay time factor in oscillators and finally the appropriate control is designed. In this paper, we have explained how simulating and curing these arrhythmias are possible by designing a three-oscillator system for heart in the state of delay and without delay and by applying an appropriate control. In the end, we present the simulation results.
Some major disadvantages of traditional drum water level gauges for high pressure boilers are considered, and features are presented of a new type of gauge—the ‘Hydrastep’—based on a series of independent electrical resistance measurements made concurrently to determine the presence of water or of steam at discrete levels in a side-arm vessel. The thermal considerations are described which result in a density error for Hydrastep systems of only one-sixth of the error of conventional visual gauges, and evidence is presented of the validity of resistance measurements for discrimination between water and steam at temperatures up to at least 360° C. Philosophies of redundancy, as well as of the use of parallel binary information collection and transmission, are incorporated in the basic gauge to give both ‘fail-safe’ and ‘fail-operative’ characteristics. The application of these philosophies is described to systems using a number of Hydrastep gauges on one boiler, whereby enhanced security of measurement may be achieved. Reference is made to the field trials to which a number of single Hydrastep gauges have been subjected on boilers operating at both 110 and 183 bar (1600 and 2650 lb. f/in2, 318 and 358° C respectively), and to the electronic reliability and electrode survival times achieved. Both indication and alarm facilities were provided, and the possibility is mentioned of extending the use of the equipment to provide signals for automatic control purposes, without endangering security of indication. A guide to the costs is included. Hydrastep has been approved by H.M. Chief Inspector of Factories as a legally acceptable alternative to the visual sight glass (Factories Act, 1961: Part II Section 32). The system is protected by U.K. and Foreign patents.
Background: There is an unmet need for a reliable method of airway management for patients in the lateral position. This prospective randomized controlled two-center study was designed to evaluate the feasibility of intubation using a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope in the lateral position during surgery. Methods: Seventy-two patients scheduled for elective nonobstetric surgery in the lateral decubitus position requiring tracheal intubation under general anesthesia at Lishui Central Hospital of Zhejiang Province and Jiaxing First Hospital of Zhejiang Province from April 1, 2015, to September 30, 2015, were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to the supine position group (Group S, n = 38) and the lateral position group (Group L, n = 34). Experienced anesthetists performed tracheal intubation with a fiberoptic bronchoscope after general anesthesia. The time required for intubation, intubation success rates, and hemodynamic changes was recorded. Between-group differences were assessed using the Student's t-test, Mann–Whitney U-test, or Chi-square test. Results: The median total time to tracheal intubation was significantly longer in Group S (140.0 [135.8, 150.0] s) compared to Group L (33.0 [24.0, 38.8] s) (P < 0.01). The first-attempt intubation success rate was significantly higher in Group L (97%) compared to Group S (16%). Hemodynamic changes immediately after intubation were more exaggerated in Group S compared to Group L (P = 0.02). Conclusion: Endotracheal intubation with a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope may be an effective and timesaving technique for patients in the lateral position. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Register, ChiCTR-IIR-16007814; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=13183.
In the present paper the phenomena predicted in [1] for substances with coexisting FE and AFE phases coexistence is experimentally shown. The examples of PZT-based solid solutions are investigated. The solid solutions for which FE and AFE states have equal or close energy stability possess the following experimental properties: - a high degree of (paraelectric) PE phase transition diffuseness; - an essential dispersion of permittivity in the region of diffuse maximum of the dependences l '(T) and l ''(T) and fulfilment of the Fogel-Fülcher law; - an increase of the measuring AC field amplitude E 0 leads to a linear decrease of T' m and to an increase of l '(T' m ); the tangent of T' m (E 0 ) dependence decreases with an increase of AC field frequency; - the presence of effects which point to the existence of polar phase domains at temperatures essentially higher than T' m and T'' m ; - dependence of their properties on the sample's history; - a long-duration relaxation.
We prove that the limits of the semi-discrete and the discrete semi-implicit Euler schemes for the 3D Navier-Stokes equations supplemented with Dirichlet boundary conditions are suitable in the sense of Scheffer [1]. This provides a new proof of the existence of suitable weak solutions, first established by Caffarelli, Kohn and Nirenberg [2]. Our results are similar to the main result in [3]. We also present some additional remarks and open questions on suitable solutions.
Methods of treatment that were once considered “alternative” are more frequently used by patients for the management of pain conditions. This paper provides a basic overview of one of those modalities: acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Considered “a whole medical system” by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, an institute within the National Institutes of Health, acupuncture and TCM have been used for hundreds of years to treat disease. A description of acupuncture and TCM techniques and an introduction to basic TCM theory will be presented as well as information on research into the mechanism of action of acupuncture, conditions treated, and basic practice information.
To effectively send a message, a single neuron must cooperate with its peers. Such cooperation can be achieved by synchronizing their spikes together within the time window limited by the ability of the downstream reader neuron to integrate the incoming signals. Therefore, the cell assembly, defined from the point of view of the reader neuron, can be considered as a unit of neuronal communication, a “neuronal letter.” Acting in assemblies has several advantages. A cooperative assembly partnership tolerates spike rate variation in individual cells effectively because the total excitatory effect of the assembly is what matters to the reader mechanism. Interacting assembly members can compute probabilities rather than convey deterministic information and can robustly tolerate noise even if the individual members respond probabilistically.
The Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East are precariously perched on an uncertain nuclear threshold. Several regional states may be reconsidering their non-nuclear status. Iran's confrontation with the international community over its refusal to honour its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is the overriding component states are viewing. Another element is Israel's nuclear program and its policy of preventing any regional state from threatening the Jewish state with nuclear weapons. Another complicating element in the strategic framework is a resurgent interest in nuclear energy. What is the security policy community to make of these dynamics in which proliferation, deterrence, extended deterrence, and conflict escalation are all interacting in a complex interstate bargaining framework? This article applies a series of competing theoretical explanations for nuclear proliferation and assesses the implications they offer for policy prescriptions. Stressing neo-realist insights, it is shown here that control of proliferation requires recognition that the Middle East security dilemma has been altered – probably permanently – by the American invasion of Iraq, the increased political influence of Iran, and the continued violent spiral in the Arab–Israeli dispute. These three factors have combined to create new internal political pressures on regional regimes while at the same time creating a new and disturbing regional distribution of power that is shaping the region's approach to nuclear issues. Dealing with these factors is crucial in developing policies that can mitigate the further spread of nuclear weapons in the region.
Cardiospermum L. belongs to the Paullinieae tribe (Sapindaceae) and comprises 16 species. Of these, 12 species are present in South America and all occur in Brazil. Cardiospermum shows the most variable chromosome number of the tribe. Phylogenetic relationships within the genus Cardiospermum, especially with other species of the tribe, are poorly understood. This research focuses on characterisation of the karyotypic features of Cardiospermum using conventional cytogenetic methods, CMA/DAPI chromosome banding and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). To elucidate the phylogeny of the genus, the nuclear markers ITS1 and ITS2 were sequenced and analysed using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. Cardiospermum shows important diversity in basic numbers, with x = 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12. All species studied have metacentric and submetacentric chromosomes, some species have subtelocentric chromosomes, while telocentric chromosomes are absent. The interphase nuclei differentiate the Cardiospermum species into two groups. The CMA(3) /DAPI chromosome banding revealed the presence of an AT-rich terminal region in C. corindum, C. grandiflorum and C. urvilleoides, whereas GC-rich regions were found in C. grandiflorum, C. halicacabum var. halicacabum, C. halicacabum var. microcarpum, C. heringeri and C. integerrimum. FISH revealed syntenic and non-syntenic distribution of the 18-5.8-26S and 5S rDNA. The syntenic distribution always occurred in the short arms of the same chromosome in all of the species. The phylogenetic relationships reveal, in part, the taxonomic arrangement of the genus Cardiospermum.
Abstract In this paper, experimental results of unsteady fluid-force measurements are reported. Important deviations of the measured fluid forces from their single-phase flow counterparts were uncovered. Most importantly, the resulting force coefficients are not simple functions of the reduced flow velocity U/fD, as is the case for single-phase flow. Test results at 0·5 MPa challenge the basic assumption of the existence of a time-invariant linear transfer function between tube displacement and the resulting fluid forces. Time–frequency analysis using Wigner–Ville transforms shows that the phase difference between tube displacement and the fluid force (an indicator of stabilizing or destabilizing fluid effects) undergoes significant variation under what may be considered steady flow conditions. This variation may explain the previously reported phenomenon of intermittent fluidelastic instability in two-phase flows.
This report provides a guidebook with a decision-making process for airport management to use in justifying airport planning and funding decisions (operations and maintenance (O&M) and capital) related to supporting irregular operations (IROPS) contingency planning. This decision-making process includes the principal stakeholders involved: airports, airlines, and agencies and considers the differences in airport characteristics (e.g., geographic location, use and lease agreements). Factors considered include the projected frequency of IROPS events, impacts on the airport and its stakeholders, and effectiveness of the proposed mitigation alternatives. Each potential investment is evaluated in terms of strategic challenges, user benefits, and tactical complexity. The research presents a structured approach to quantifying the lifecycle economic value of proposed IROPS mitigation alternatives through a spreadsheet-based business-planning and decision support tool. The tool is entitled the IROPS Investment Support Tool (IRIS) and is included with the print version of the report in CD-ROM format (CRP-CD-144). The CD-ROM is also available for download from the Transportation Research Board’s website as an ISO image.
The electoral representation model is insufficient and inadequate for new participatory roles such as those played by members of health councils. This article analyzes representation and representativeness in the Bahia State Health Council, Brazil. The study included interviews with 20 current or former members of the State Health Council, analysis of the council minutes and bylaws, and observation of plenary meetings. Discourse analysis technique was used to analyze interventions by members. The article discusses the results in four analytical lines: the process by which various organizations name representatives to the Council; the relationship between Council members and their constituencies; interest representation in the Council; and criteria used by the plenary to take positions. The study reveals various problems with the representativeness of the Bahia State Health Council and discusses the peculiarities of representation in social participation forums and the characteristics that give legitimacy to representatives.
The article, “Agriculture performance and malnutrition in India” by Gulati et al., makes an important contribution to the nutrition/food security literature by exploring the relationship between agriculture and nutrition in a holistic manner. It is commendable that the UNICEF framework articulating the necessity of food, health and care is included. That perspective has been lacking in other research on the subject and has led to the continuation of poorly designed policies and programs. The field of nutrition has been plagued by inadequate collaboration with the agricultural sector, resulting in the perpetuation of an incorrect belief that more agricultural production will directly lead to improvements in nutrition. Nutritional theory and practice (illustrated in the UNICEF framework) disproves this by identifying improvements in food access as necessary but not sufficient to improve nutrition. The Feed the Future Initiative (www.feedthefuture.gov) is dealing with this very issue, as funds are often directed to improve agriculture, but without a clear mechanism articulated for how nutrition will improve, despite having nutrition indicators. Addressing food, health and care issues in the same location is the straightforward answer, and the Gulati et al. article is a welcome piece of research helping to illustrate this point. Often agricultural programs are not co-located with health or care-oriented programs, and this stalls improvements in nutrition. There is a vast amount of literature that demonstrates that a direct relationship between improving agriculture and income is unlikely to directly improve nutrition. That relationship is mediated by food access, health and caring practices [1–5]. This paper helps to make clear that improvements in agriculture can lead to positive nutritional outcomes if these other mediating factors are in place. That is key, because many nutrition programs have simply focused on promoting nutrition, but have not addressed the underlying agriculture/food security constraints, and have thus not seen the desired improvements in nutrition either. Growth monitoring programs have a history of making this error—promoting dietary diversity, but no support to food insecure households, and thus no improvements in child nutrition. Additionally, large-scale staple grain programs continue to be supported with the assumption that maternal and child nutrition will improve in participating households. This has not proven true, beyond increased caloric consumption in some instances. Dietary diversity and childcare suffer. Income in these types of schemes also typically flows to the male head of household because it is a cash crop. If resources are not flowing to support good food, health and care, it is unreasonable to expect improvements in nutrition. This is what the data have shown. The Gulati et al. paper makes a strong contribution by demonstrating that agriculture WITH these other interventions/conditions can make a difference.
1. Periodate-oxidized NADP+ inhibits the catalytic activity of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase from Candida utilis, competing with NADP+. 2. Incubation of the enzyme with the coenzyme analogue causes partial reversible inactivation of the enzyme as a result of affinity labelling of the coenzyme-binding site. 3. Some kinetic values of the reaction were calculated. 4. The inactivation can be made irreversible by treatment with NaBH4, which reduces a Schiff base formed between an aldehyde group on the coenzyme analogue and a lysine residue on the enzyme. 5. Complete inactivation can be correlated with the binding of only one inhibitor to each enzyme subunit. 6. The lysine residue involved in the binding of the inhibitor is present at the coenzyme-binding site.
Abstract The U.S. Army has established a policy of achieving a 50 percent reduction in hazardous waste generation by the end of 1992. To assist the Army in reaching this goal, the Environmental Division of the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (USACERL) designed the Economic Analysis Model for Hazardous Waste Minimization (EAHWM). The EAHWM was designed to allow the user to evaluate the life cycle costs for various techniques used in hazardous waste minimization and to compare them to the life cycle costs of current operating practices. The program was developed in C language on an IBM compatible PC and is consistent with other pertinent models for performing economic analyses. The potential hierarchical minimization categories used in EAHWM Include source reduction, recovery and/or reuse, and treatment. Although treatment is no longer an acceptable minimization option, its use is widespread and has therefore been addressed in the model. The model allows for economic analysis for mini...
Curcumin, a functional food polyphenol reported to inhibit cancer cell proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis through interaction with multiple molecular targets. However, the clinical usefulness of curcumin in the treatment of cancer is limited due to poor solubility in water at acidic and neutral pH, hydrolytic degradation in alkaline pH and metabolism in the liver and intestine, resulting in decreased or absence of therapeutic efficacy. Hence, the present study was aimed to overcome the limitations of curcumin in the treatment of cancer by codelivery of nanosized curcumin and bioenhancer using acid degradable polymeric nanoparticles. Modified nanoprecipitation method was used to prepare void, curcumin-piperine, curcumin-quercetin and curcumin-silibinin encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles. Prepared nanoformulations were evaluated for particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, surface morphology, drug content, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, invitro release, stability at elevated storage conditions, toxicity on normal liver cells, anticancer activity on various cancer cell lines and on cancer induced rats. Prepared curcumin-bioenhancer encapsulated polymeric nanoparticles were (a) spherical in shape with size <100 nm and displayed excellent uniformity; (b) showed >95% release of curcumin and bioenhancers within 45 minutes in gastric fluid; (c) proved non-toxic to normal liver cells; (d) extremely stable at elevated storage conditions; and (e) demonstrated enhanced anticancer activity against various cancer cell lines and mammary cancer in rats than the pure curcumin. Study concludes that the prepared curcumin-bioenhancer encapsulated polymeric nanoformulations significantly overcome the limitations of curcumin in the treatment of cancer and synergistically enhance its anticancer activity. However, out of three polymeric nanoformulations, curcumin-silibinin polymeric nanoformulation showed superior anticancer activity.
ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the use of covariate balancing propensity scores (CBPS) in estimating the impact of the South African child support grant (CSG) on the height-for-age score of benefiting children. CBPS is a different approach to estimating propensity score, under CBPS the scores are estimated such that the estimation incorporates covariate balancing condition. This approach is therefore relatively robust to misspecification of the propensity score model which makes it ideal for this case study. We show that utilising the CBPS leads to treatment effect estimate that is larger and more precisely estimated than estimates that have been reported in the literature because the method exploits the dual function of propensity score. The effect of CSG under CBPS is as large as 44% of standard deviation on average. This implies that the effect of the grant cannot be regarded as small as previously reported in the literature.
Background Keeping track of the developments in a scientific field can be challenging. Regarding increasing numbers of publications, summarizing the contents of hundreds of thousands of scientific publications on specific topics is necessary to gain insights into the processes of a scientific field. Many databases offer classifications, i.e., broad subject headings for categorizing the publications’ contents. Past research has treated these categories as research topics (e.g., Krampen, 2016), but regarding the level of detail, topicality, and flexibility this approach has been criticized (e.g., Bittermann & Fischer, 2018). Techniques for automated content analysis represent a promising approach for getting insight into large text corpora. Topic modeling (e.g., Blei, Ng, & Jordan, 2003), in particular, is gaining in popularity in scientometrics. In their well-known paper, Griffiths and Steyvers (2004) demonstrated how to find scientific topics by applying topic models to a corpus of scientific abstracts. A topic-guided and user-friendly interface for databases of scientific literature can open publication trends to a broader audience with various user scenarios: exploring the current “hot topics,” investigating the ups and downs of topic popularity over time, or comparing publication trends concerning societal processes (e.g., the increasing trend of a topic referring to refugees and emotional trauma in psychological publications from the German-speaking countries after 2015).
The importance of quality of life due to the direct impact on the urban community and system has been the subject of study by experts in various fields. In this regard, urban poor neighborhoods due to Inappropriate quality of life is one of challenges faced by the managers, urban planners, sociologists and other related fields. Urban poor neighborhoods as informal settlements due to the informal nature or considering informal, is the location of the poor which has always been in the improper status of the quality of life’s indices (like housing, literacy and education, income, environment, etc.). Assessment and evaluations of the quality of life in informal settlements’ neighborhoods are one of the most important studies of the empowerment project of these neighborhoods, which its result can be taken into account in providing sound solutions with regard to the quality of life in the mentioned neighborhoods. This paper examines and assess the quality of life in informal settlements’ neighborhoods by using two way of library research (theoretical framework) and Field research (collecting statistical data and questionnaires) on the Islamabad in Zanjan as a Case study and try to offer the cooperative strategies to increase quality life.
Rotation about the vertical stimulates primarily the horizontal semicircular canals and produces compensatory horizontal nystagmus whose slow component velocity response during constant velocity can be approximated as having a simple exponential decay time constant, Tvor. Constant velocity yaw rotation about a horizontal axis stimulates both the horizontal canals and the otolith organs, producing two additional nystagmus components thought to be of otolithic origin: a steady component called bias and a periodic component known as modulation. We tested a group of 7 human subjects using rotation about each of these axes. We found a strong, negative correlation (r = 0.956) between these individuals' dominant time constants, Tvor, and the magnitude of their modulation components. Canal and otolith signals originate from different parts of the same endorgan and travel separately to the vestibular nucleus. The reflexive eye movements in response to these inputs are thought to be the result of additional processing by the central vestibular and ocular motor systems. Thus, the source of these strongly correlated otolith-ocular and canal-ocular reflex components could logically be due to common factors affecting peripheral transduction or to a subsequent common central processing step. Using anatomical measurements of human vestibular end organs, biophysical endorgan models, and models of central vestibular processes, we examined the alternatives to determine which was the most likely. Correlations were not found between Tvor and the anatomical data or between the Tvor and the biophysical model elements. However, modifications of the velocity storage integrator of Raphan to incorporate either a highpass filter (HPF) or a lowpass filter input for otolith modulation signals allowed for the desired strong negative correlation between Tvor and modulation. We argue in favor of the HPF configuration because it better explains the tendency for the modulation component to increase in amplitude as the modulation frequency is increased. In the above mentioned representation of the central processing of vestibular afferent inputs, we conclude that the modulation component input to the vestibuloocular reflex is within the indirect pathway, but it is "down stream" from the velocity storage integrator.
The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between CT depth, indentation depth determined by a new hardness tester (Cariotester), and the transverse microradiography (TMR) parameters, i.e., lesion depth and mineral loss. For that purpose, this study evaluated the feasibility of using Cariotester as a root caries diagnostic system and capability of Cariotester to detect effect of fluoride application on inhibiting dentin demineralization. Fluorides were applied to bovine root dentin specimens, which were subsequently demineralized for 1-21 days and then CT depth and TMR parameters were assessed. There were significant correlations between CT depth and TMR parameters in fluoride and non-fluoride groups. There were significant differences between fluoride and non-fluoride groups for CT depth and TMR parameters respectively. Current results suggested that Cariotester may be capable of providing an objective evaluation of root caries progression and the fluoride effect on inhibiting dentin demineralization.
The recent UK vote to leave the EU has impacted strongly on many industries within the UK, and the veterinary industry is not exempt from this. Although there are many areas within the industry which would be affected, one of the most obvious is pet travel. This, naturally, also has strong implications for pet owners and the general public. So, how might the leave vote affect the advice and information we currently give pet owners when travelling abroad with their pets?
Italy, like every country member of the European Union (EU), will have to achieve the objectives required by the Energy Roadmap 2050. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the environmental impacts of residue recovery arising from the management of public and private green feedstocks, activity of the cooperative “Green City” in the Bologna district, and usage in a centralized heating system to produce thermal energy for public buildings. Results, obtained using the ReCipe impact assessment method, are compared with scores achieved by a traditional methane boiler. The study shows some advantages of the biomass-based system in terms of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions and consumption of non-renewable fuels, which affect climate change (−41%) and fossil resources depletion (−40%), compared to the use of natural gas (NG). Moreover, scores from network analysis denote the great contribution of feedstock transportation (98% of the cumulative impact). The main reason is attributable to all requirements to cover distances, in particular due to stages involved in the fuel supply chains. Therefore, it is clear that greater environmental benefits could be achieved by reducing supply transport distances or using more sustainable engines.
Lung cancer invading pulmonary trunk is a locally advanced condition, which may indicate poor prognosis. Surgical resection of the lesion can significantly improve survival for some patients. Lobectomy/Pneumonectomy with pulmonary arterioplasty via thoracotomy were generally accepted and used in the past. As the rapid development of minimally invasive techniques and devices, pulmonary arterioplasty is feasible via video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). However, few studies have reported the VATS surgical techniques. In this study, we reported the techniques of pulmonary arterioplasty via VATS.
The academic architects of the Burlington circle felt themselves to be the custodians of the tradition formed by Palladio and Inigo Jones, in whose works they believed that they had discovered the eternal rules of architecture. In theory and practice they attempted to restore this great art to its former glory, and it is well known how closely they followed the precepts of their models. We tend to look at their works in the light of their endeavours rather than with an eye on their achievements. In reality, their Palladianism is a good deal more English than is generally realized. These men could neither ignore the development of the previous hundred years in English architecture nor their own national tradition, and it can be shown that they gave a new meaning to almost all the elements which they derived from Palladio: to his planning, to the 'monolithic' character of his structures as well as to his orders and detail. Moreover, certain recurrent motives of importance in English academic architecture between I720 and I760 are not Palladian at all, and others occur only as ephemeral experiments in his work. It is with two such motives that this paper is concerned, and its aim is to study their translation from Italian into English idiom, and thereby to throw new light on the movement as a whole.
With the official release of the Ministry of Education, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance in October 2015 on guiding the transformation of some local undergraduate colleges into applied applications, the future application of technical undergraduate colleges will account for the total number of undergraduate universities nationwide. More than 50% of the work is suitable for the construction of professional curriculum system in applied undergraduate colleges. The traditional curriculum architecture is constructed according to the disciplinary system. It focuses on the classification, induction and storage of knowledge, and is more suitable for the cultivation of research-based talents with thick foundation. For the cultivation of applied talents, a curriculum system based on knowledge application is needed. Combining the experience of many years of applied curriculum reform, the author first proposed the "point-line-face-body-network" curriculum system model, and proposed the "four-step method" of curriculum design according to Professor Jiang Dayuan's "systematization of work process". It provides a certain reference for universities that are undergoing transformational development and curriculum reform. Background of Modern Vocational Education Reform On February 26, 2014, Premier Li Keqiang presided over the State Council executive meeting, deployed to accelerate the development of modern vocational education, and guided a group of ordinary undergraduate colleges to transform into applied technology universities, opening up the upward channel from secondary vocational, specialist, undergraduate to postgraduate education. With the official release of the Ministry of Education, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance in October 2015 on guiding the transformation of some local undergraduate colleges into application-oriented, the direction of local university transformation is more clear. According to the statistics of the Department of Development Planning of the Ministry of Education in 2016, there are 1219 undergraduate colleges in China, including 1106 local undergraduate colleges (including 423 private colleges), accounting for 90.73% of the total number of undergraduate colleges and universities nationwide. With the rapid expansion of the scale of colleges and universities, the shortage of students, the characteristics of running schools are not obvious, the students' practical ability is weak, and the professional skills are low. In this regard, Vice Minister of Education Lu Hao pointed out at the China Development High-level Forum that “more than 600 local undergraduate colleges will shift from applied technology to vocational education.” It can be seen that future applied technology-based undergraduate colleges will it accounts for more than 50% of the total number of undergraduate universities nationwide. The Key to the Transformation of Applied Technology Universities The teaching mode of higher education in China has always been based on the elite education of research universities. From the design of curriculum system to the choice of course content to the method of teaching, all of them are infiltrated into the induction and memory of the knowledge system and the theory of light practice. Education and teaching methods, but with the popularization of higher education from elite education to popular education, most college graduates have migrated from scientific research to applied technology jobs, and work level and work area have undergone major changes. Therefore, the traditional teaching mode has been unable to adapt to the teaching needs of applied technology undergraduate colleges. Regardless of the major, the path design of the talent training program can be achieved by referring to the six steps of “establishing training objectives – clarifying graduation requirements – designing the curriculum system – designing course content – teaching staff construction – teaching resources support”. System design is the core issue of the whole talent training program. It is not only the training path to achieve the goal of talent training, but also the guiding principle of curriculum content design, and an important reference for teachers and other resources construction. However, at present, the design of professional personnel training curriculum system in colleges and universities in China is basically a tree structure based on knowledge reserve. It is usually composed of public courses, professional basic courses, professional courses and practical courses. The structure of this course is based on the construction of the disciplinary system focuses on the classification, induction and storage of knowledge, and is more suitable for the cultivation of research-based talents with a thick foundation. For the cultivation of applied talents, a curriculum system based on knowledge application is needed. This kind of curriculum system not only has certain requirements for students' theoretical knowledge, but more importantly, it has a more obvious effect on the cultivation of students' practical ability. There should be an organic connection between the courses. Teachers should be based on social needs, with real projects as the carrier, focusing on the integration of knowledge points in relevant fields. Students should do it in the middle school and gradually internalize knowledge into Skills, and ultimately achieve the purpose of the application of technical talent training. In view of this, the author puts forward the design idea of the application-oriented "point-line-face-body-network" course system model based on the systematic design of the course structure of Professor Jiang Dayuan's work process. The following is an example of computer network course. Based on the Work Process Systematic Curriculum Design Steps (Four-step Method) According to the systematic process of work process, the steps of structural design of the "Computer Network Technology" course are as follows: Step 1: Restore the work process Design projects according to the size of the network, with the project (task) as the carrier, according to the order of network scale from small to large, design 4 learning scenarios, namely, dormitory network formation, home network formation, campus network formation, government and enterprise network formation; Guided by the working process of network formation, design six implementation steps, namely network planning and design, communication cable production, switch settings, router configuration, server configuration, network security settings; repeated learning processes in different learning situations It is a step, the content is not repeated, the learning situation is from easy to difficult, the implementation steps are from simple to complex, and the skill is mastered from shallow to deep. Step 2: Decomposition Capability Unit According to the four learning scenarios and the six implementation steps designed in the first step, 25 capacity units should be set. The design of the capability unit should fully consider the difficulty of the project, the integrity of the project, the learning and training time, and so on. Designed and developed in accordance with the existing teaching hardware and software conditions of the school, and in the process of teaching implementation, as the learning situation changes from simple to complex, the time spent by the teacher is less and less, and the time spent by the students is becoming more and more The more skills training progresses, the more demanding requirements are gradually improved. Step 3: Set the ability goal Determine the competency goals and assessment styles of the 25 competency units. For a course, students should have certain comprehensive technical skills in addition to a certain theoretical basic knowledge, and have the ability to solve relatively complex problems in engineering. Therefore, the corresponding competency requirements of the 25 competency units must be clear, and the assessment method of each competency unit must also provide necessary explanations to the students in advance, and specific quantitative explanations should be made in the syllabus or curriculum standards and the opening instructions. Students who have mastered 25 sub-capabilities will be able to have the comprehensive technical capabilities of computer network engineering implementation. Step 4: Inductive "Double-Based Double Skills" The curriculum structure design based on the systematic process of work process emphasizes the application of knowledge, emphasizes engineering practice, and reflects the cultivation of skills. However, it does not abandon the traditional disciplinary system and has its own way. In the process of “doing and doing middle school”, the course involves the relevant knowledge points have been internalized into the training of skills. Although the traditional disciplinary structure has been broken, the basic theoretical knowledge is still preserved. The double-base and double skills summarized in an applied course can basically cover the knowledge points of traditional courses. . This course is based on the ability of 25 competency units to summarize 53 basic concepts and basic theories, 50 general skills and professional skills for 3 different professions. The Design of the "Point-Line-Face-Body-Net" Course System Model The fourth part of the above-mentioned curriculum-based design steps (four-step method) based on the work process summarizes 120 knowledge points and skill points. These knowledge points and skill points constitute the smallest unit of the course, knowledge points and skill points. The integration can form a competency unit. The combination of competency units can constitute a learning situation. The combination of learning situations can constitute a curriculum unit. The combination of curriculum units can constitute a curriculum system. Th
Mammary gland hyperplasia (MGH) is a non-tumor, non-inflammatory proliferative breast disease that increases the risk of breast cancer. Early treatment and management can prevent breast cancer, but current treatment methods such as hormone medications and surgery have limitations, including adverse reactions and changes in breast appearance. Therefore, safe and effective treatment methods are needed to address these limitations. Phytolacca acinosa Roxb and Phytolacca americana L are perennial herbaceous plants belonging to the Phytolaccaceae family, commonly found in tropical or temperate regions like Assam, North-Central China, Japan, Korea, East Himalaya, Vietnam, Arizona, California, and Mexico (Plants of the World Online, 2023a; Plants of the World Online, 2023b). Phytolaccae Radix, a medicinal material, contains diverse chemical compounds such as saponins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, sterols, and polysaccharides, which have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory (Liu et al., 2022) and anti-tumor (Jung et al., 2015) activities. Moreover, Phytolaccae Radix has been found to be effective in the treatment of MGH and endometriosis (Gao et al., 2009). Li et al. (2018), conducted a study in which they treated estrogen and progestogen induced MGH in rats with total saponins of Phytolaccae (TSP). After 1 month of treatment, OPEN ACCESS
This paper gathered British MSMEs data if they are using the appropriate internationalisation theories and DTs as an independent variable for internationalising. This paper also includes criticism concerning internationalisation theories, DTs usage, and how the deployment of DTs might assist these theories as moderators and their relevance to addressing the MSMEs issue amid the COVID-19 epidemic. The dynamic capability is recognised to help MSMEs operate more effectively because it allows them to specialise more goods and readily adjust to changing company demands, and it can help MSMEs internationalise 77 times more than those that do not use this mechanism. Website and electronic sharing use, also known as DTs adoption, may impact MSMEs to internationalise 1750 and 49 times, respectively, since they enable MSMEs to reach a larger region, establish new sales channels, and simplify knowledge transfer to develop for new products. The existence of DTs as internationalisation theories moderators, on the other hand, produces distinct effects. Resource internalisation can benefit MSMEs’ export if paired with a website, online selling, and electronic sharing, albeit only online selling, has a significant influence. However, the dynamic capability, which is proven, can assist MSMEs export individually, but it is less effective in supporting export when combined with DTs since only online selling fits it to support export. In contrast to its partnership with resource internalisation, moderation has little influence on exports.
In this paper, a machine vision system is developed for fluorescent tube defects classification, a new rotation invariant method is presented for texture analysis. The objective of research is to study a new texture analysis method and classify the surface defects of fluorescent tubes. Tri-phosphor fluorescent powder is sprayed onto the surface of glass tube; some defective products are made during the spraying process, how to find and classify them are important. In this research, the characteristics of fluorescent tube are studied; an algorithm of rotation invariant is presented to find the differences between the defects. In the algorithm, GLCM (Gray-Level Co-occurrence Matrices) is calculated to get the orientation of defect, LBP (Local Binary pattern) vector is got along the orientation, then the detects are classified according to the combined features and distance formulas. The experiment results show that the new method is more convenient and effective to classify typical defects.
A VESCF molecular-orbital study of the electronic structure of the triiodide anion in its crystalline environment in caesium triiodide and in tetraphenylarsonium triiodide reveals the effect of the lattices upon the electronic structures. The calculated total valence-electron energy as a function of the position of the central iodine nucleus provides an understanding of the observed geometries of the anion in the two crystals. The energy plot also implies that the asymmetric stretch of the triiodide is strongly anharmonic in the crystal. A satisfactory correlation exists between observed iodine : iodine bond lengths and computed bond orders.
This paper addresses the development of an automatic segmentation technique for detecting cell nuclei. The technique uses a new approach for segmenting nuclei in images taken from tissues with colon carcinoma. The segmentation problems encountered in these images and solved by the proposed technique are related to the non-uniform illumination on the background, out-of-focus nuclei, the physical structure of cells in the tissue section, the activity status of the cell and the clustered cell nuclei. First, the region growing method is used for accurate background detection. The separation regions between grouped cell nuclei are detected using the cross-correlation method and validated based on their link with the background. Then, the nuclei boundaries are identified by applying the watershed algorithm on the complemented distance transform of the binary image containing the selected separation lines.
We calculate the coherent population trapping (CPT) resonance in slow beam of rubidium 87 atoms caused by their interaction with laser bichromatic electromagnetic field in two separated spatial domains. We study influence of the finite width of the atomic beam, its angular divergence and residual beam velocity spread on the parameters of CPT-Ramsey resonance. We analyze properties of the CPT resonance depending on intensity of electromagnetic field, applied magnetic field strength and on width of the laser light beams.
Breast Cancer has become the common cause of death among women. Due to long hours invested in manual diagnosis and lesser diagnostic system available emphasize the development of automated diagnosis for early diagnosis of the disease. Our aim is to classify whether the breast cancer is benign or malignant and predict the recurrence and non-recurrence of malignant cases after a certain period. To achieve this we have used machine learning techniques such as Support Vector Machine, Logistic Regression, KNN and Naive Bayes. These techniques are coded in MATLAB using UCI machine learning depository. We have compared the accuracies of different techniques and observed the results. We found SVM most suited for predictive analysis and KNN performed best for our overall methodology.
Arginine (ARG) supplementation (5% arginine in chow) restores plasma ARG levels in S+S-Antilles mice to that found in C57BL mice and is associated with a reduction in Ca ++ activated K + channel (Gardos channel) activity, MCHC and high density red cells (Romero, Blood 99(4):2002). However the mechanisms for these effects are not entirely clear. Endothelin-1 (ET) is a potent vasoconstrictor that has been shown to activate Gardos channel activity and reduce MCHC. We hypothesized that reduced ET could account for the decrease in Gardos channel activity. We report here that arginine diet reduced ET levels in mouse plasma from 137 ± 10 to 89 ± 17 pmol/ml using a modified HPLC technique originally proposed by Kumarathasan (Anal Biochem299:37, 2001). We measured Gardos channel activity in ex vivo red cells as the influx of 86 Rb in the presence or absence 10μM clotrimazole. Consistent with our previous report, we observed that ARG supplementation was associated with a decrease in Gardos Channel activity. In addition, incubation of red cells with 500 nmol/L of ET for 15 min at 37°C stimulated an increase in Gardos channel activity in cells from both ARG supplemented vs non-supplemented mice that was sensitive to 1 mmol/L of the specific ET receptor B antagonist, BQ788 (9.4 ± 2.5 vs 14.6 ± 3.8 mmol/L cell x h, respectively). However, the maximal response of the Gardos channel activity to ET was significantly blunted in ARG supplemented vs non-supplemented mice (15.7 ± 2.8 vs 22.1 ± 2.2 mmol/L cell x h, p
Since the mid 1980s, there has been a strong national movement to include all children in general education classrooms within their neighborhood schools. This movement has met with much support; however, there are many challenges professionals encounter when implementing inclusionary programs. Although, for years, we have acknowledged the challenges and concerns teachers have, these issues continue to plague our educators. To rectify the problems, we need to specifically identify the teachers' concerns and then begin to establish methods to directly address the issues. This study investigated the attitudes of elementary school teachers towards inclusion within three rural school districts in a southwestern area of United States. Summary information was obtained, analyzed and used to make recommendations to address the teachers' concerns for implementing effective and successful inclusionary programs.
Deuterium nuclear magnetic resonance line splitting arising from deformed cis-1,4-poly(butadiene) network, of which the network chain concentration is varied by incorporating protonated free chains of similar kind, is investigated. The results are discussed according to the theoretical framework, introduced by Brereton and Ries,1 which dealt with network vectors which were treated as quenched variables, to show explicitly how they collectively determine the anisotropy in the mean field. The influence of the network chain concentration on the NMR line splitting and molecular weight dependence of Flory interaction parameter χ and the possibility of using the deuterium NMR line splitting to investigate χ parameter of a system are discussed.
Using the theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of peer aggression, the aim of the present study was to examine if we could use the same predictors of peer aggression at schools for boys and girls. The research included 880 participants, elementary school students from the fifth to the eighth grade, who self-estimated aggressive behavior toward their peers, affective empathy, impulsivity, parental behavior, peer acceptance, a number of friends, exposure to media, school climate, perception of neighborhood dangerousness, and also nominated aggressive peers and gave data about the school achievement and a number of friends. The same number of their parents gave data about family SES, while 107 teachers estimated attendance of parents at the parent-teacher meetings and other school events. Multivariate multilevel modeling revealed different predictors of boys vs girls peer aggression. Selected predictors of ecological model better explained peer aggression in boys than in girls. The main differences were in individual characteristic and family microsystem, whereas more statistically significant predictors were for boys, while some distal predictors in an interaction with individual characteristics and family microsystem were important in the explanation of boys’ aggressive behavior. The overall results indicate that gender, as a biological category, had a strong influence on peer aggression. Psychological characteristics, as well as parental upbringing, better explained boys’ than girls’ aggressive behavior. These findings are very important for the school policy, which means that the intervention and prevention programs for peer aggression should differ depending on the child’s gender.
This paper seeks to explore the relationship between gender and political narratives by drawing on autobiographical memoirs generated by way of a collection project called Politics and Power Games, which was organised by the Folklore Archives of the Finnish Literature Society in 2006-2007. The materials stored in the memory institution with a long history of collecting cultural heritage open up a terrain for experiences of political culture and traces of gendered political heritage as occurring in ordinary people's minds and narratives. By highlighting experiences of gender-based political culture, the article aims to show the importance of collecting and archiving political narratives as part of history culture and heritage. When writing to an archive, narrators participate in a dialogue not only between the present and the past but also between the personal and the public sphere.
Visual perception is one of our most important senses. To be able to see our eyes transform the light signal into spiking data streams. Our brain extracts from this data relevant information. To provide vision to a mobile robotic system both computational steps have to be implemented. With today’s technology it is possible to build visual sensors with high resolution and high recording frame rates that dissipate little power. The sensors provide a clear, detailed view of the robot’s environment. Therefore the first aspect of vision is implemented. The second aspect is to extract relevant information from the visual data. Information are relevant for the robot if they allow its interaction with the environment, e.g. determining its location or recognizing obstacles. Therefore, the extraction has to happen in real time. The problem for the robot is to extract relevant information from the huge amount of visual data provided by its sensors in real time with limited computational resources. In biology an analogy of this phenomenon can be observed: Our eyes provide far more data than the human brain can process. Nevertheless we are able to interact with our environment in real time. The mechanism that allows us to extract the relevant information from the data provided by our eyes in real time is called selective attention [Treisman and Gelade, 1980]: Only a subset of the visual data is processed in detail, the rest is discarded. A preprocessing system identifies regions in the visual space that are salient. The visual data from these regions is processed further by our brain in a serial fashion. An alternative to master the described problem is to adapt this bio-inspired strategy to robotics. In this thesis I present a neuromorphic multi-chip system that is derived from a saliency-based selective attention model [Koch and Ullman, 1985]. My proposed solution uses building blocks derived from the brain: emulates of neurons and synapses. Therefore, it achieves very efficient computations. To estimate the most relevant regions of the input scene the model uses a “saliency map”: this map assigns to each pixel of the input image a value for its saliency. In the model, saliency is computed by using center-surround operations [Itti et al., 1998]. In this thesis I implement this operation by making use of a 2D-array of silicon neurons with excitatory and inhibitory synapses. The synaptic weights are realized with the help of a probabilistic mapping device. The selective attention model scans sequentially the regions of high saliency. I implement this operation by using a neuromorphic chip implementing a 2D-Winner–Take–All (WTA) network with Inhibition of Return (IOR) functionality. In order to control the operational parameters of the neuromorphic chips used in this thesis as well as for the communication of the individual chips with a workstation, I developed a custom hardware/software infrastructure. Furthermore, I present results of experiments conducted with the visual selective attention system to show its functionality. By implementing the bio-inspired method of selective attention a mobile robot can better assign its computational resources to certain regions in the robot’s visual input space. It is the first time that such an implementation of a selective attention system based on a neuromorphic
The dynamic conditional score (DCS) models with variants of Student's t innovation are gaining popularity in volatility modeling, and studies have found that they outperform GARCH-type models of comparable specifications. DCS is typically estimated by the method of maximum likelihood, but there is so far limited asymptotic theories for justifying the use of this estimator for non-Gaussian distributions. This paper develops asymptotic theory for Beta-t-GARCH, which is DCS with Student's t innovation and the benchmark volatility model of this class. We establish the necessary and sufficient condition for strict stationarity of the first-order Beta-t-GARCH using one simple moment equation, and show that its MLE is consistent and asymptotically normal under this condition. The results of this paper theoretically justify applying DCS with Student's t innovation to heavy-tailed data with a high degree of kurtosis, and performing standard statistical inference for model selection using the estimator. Since GARCH is Beta-t-GARCH with infinite degrees of freedom, our results imply that Beta-t-GARCH can capture the size of the tail or the degree of kurtosis that is too large for GARCH.
Eight previously undescribed sesquiterpenoids, tremutins A-H (1-8), together with three known ones (9-11), were isolated from cultures of the basidiomycetes Irpex lacteus. Structures of the new compounds together with absolute configurations were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods, as well as single-crystal X-ray diffractions and equivalent circulating density calculations. Compounds 1 and 2 possess an unusual 6/7-fused ring system that might be derived from a tremulane framework. Compounds 3-7 and 9-11 are tremulane sesquiterpenoids of which 4 and 5 are the first tremulane examples with a 1,2-epoxy moiety to be reported. Compounds 6, 7, 10, and 11 possess weak activities to several human cancer cell lines. Compound 8 shows a weak inhibitory effect on NO production with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 22.7 μM. Compound 1 inhibits the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced proliferation of B lymphocyte cells with an IC50 value of 22.4 μM, while 2 inhibits concanavalin A (Con A)-induced T cell proliferation and LPS-induced B lymphocyte cell proliferation with IC50 values of 16.7 and 13.6 μM, respectively.
Generalization of small angle modification method of spherical harmonics in a case of a point monodirectional (PM) light source in an infinite turbid medium with an anisotropic scattering is carried out. Within the framework of the deduced generalization, a solution of the vector radiation transfer equation for an unpolarized PM-radiant is obtained. The expressions featuring the state of polarization of scattered light are given in a form convenient for use in engineering practice. The obtained expressions are analyzed and it is shown, that the minimum of polarization coincides with the direction of sighting on the maximum of radiance, which corresponds to the Umov law.
Background: Non-adherence to comprehensive management of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) remains a significant barrier to effective management of the population. Interventions to improve adherence need to target the contributing factors to enhance the quality of life.  Objective: To highlight the factors contributing to non-adherence in CKD patients.  Methods: Articles were identified from online data bases namely Medline, PubMed, Cinahl, Google scholar and Grey literature. A comprehensive search was done to identify articles which highlight the factors contributing to non-adherence in CKD patients. The following words were used for this search: Adherence & non-adherence, factors contributing to non-adherence to dialysis, medication, diet and fluid, CKD patients. 96 of them were identified.  Results: Six categories of factors contributing to nonadherence were identified. These were patient related, socioeconomic factors, psychological factors, therapy related factors, pathophysiological related factors and health care system related factors.  Conclusion: Non adherence remains a major obstacle in the effective management of CKD population. There is need for collaborative approach to devise measures that eliminate relevant contributing factors to non-adherence in CKD patients.
A thermal absolute pressure sensor of the heated microbridge type has been integrated with an active bias circuit and an 8-bit successive-approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital (A/D) converter. The chip, which contains about 1000 MOSFETs, measures absolute gas pressure between 10 to 10/sup 4/ Pa, and it is implemented in a 14-mask, 4- mu m NMOS technology merged with the microsensor process. The fabrication process and sensing performance of the mu -pirani gauge are described.<<ETX>>
The paper describes an investigation, at frequencies of 580 and 904 Mc/s, of the apparent gains relative to a half-wavelength dipole of a number of directive aerials at a typical selection of receiving sites in urban and rural areas. It is shown that variations of the apparent gains occur, as a result of the complexity of the radio field patterns generally found at such sites, to an extent which may be significant in the estimation of the coverage of transmitters operating in the broadcasting bands IV and V.
A time-dependent self-consistent large-signal simulation code for gyroklystron is developed and the key technologies involved are introduced. To validate the code, a Ka-Band gyroklystron amplifier is simulated and the effects of time step and space step are observed, which lead up to a coarse criterion about the choice of appropriate time step and space step so as to take consideration of both computation efficiency and accuracy. At the end, the simulated performance of the gyroklystron is proved to be consistent with the designed performance indexes.
Pediatric tinea capitis displays a wide range of prevalence, with significant variability among populations. We retrospectively extracted the medical records of 456 pediatric patients diagnosed with tinea capitis during the years 2010–2021, from the dermatology outpatient clinics in two tertiary medical centers. Three species were isolated in 90% of patients: T. tonsurans, M. canis, and T. violaceum. While T. tonsurans presented a six-fold increase in incidence during the years 2019–2021, M. canis maintained stable incidence rates. Furthermore, terbinafine was the most efficient antifungal agent against T. tonsurans, achieving complete clinical clearance in 95% of patients, as compared to fluconazole (68%) and griseofulvin (38%) (p < 0.001). The mycological cure was recorded in 61/90 (68%) of patients with available data, at an average of 10 weeks. For patients with M. canis, griseofulvin and fluconazole were equally efficient (73% and 66%, respectively) (p = 0.44). Kerion was described in 36% and 14% of patients with T. tonsurans and M. canis, respectively, (p < 0.001). In conclusion, since 2019, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of T. tonsurans, establishing this pathogen as the most common cause for tinea capitis in our population. Our data suggest that terbinafine is effective and presents high cure rates for tinea capitis in the pediatric population.
A facilely available zwitterionic ligand, 1,1′-(1,4-phenylenebis(methylene))dipyridin-4(1H)-one (PBPO), has been designed to bear intraligand charge transfer (ILCT) energy states. PBPO was used to assemble two series of Ln(III) complexes with either 2D (6,3)-hcb network (LIFM-24(Ln), Ln = Pr, Nd, and Sm), or 1D loop-and-chain (LIFM-25(Ln), Ln = Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb) polymeric structures, as determined by the radius of the lanthanide ions. Highly efficient photoluminescence (PL) in the visible to near-infrared (NIR) regions can be obtained in these Ln-complexes, due to the extended energy transfer from both the triplet and ILCT states of the zwitterionic ligand. Among these complexes, LIFM-24(Pr) and LIFM-25(Dy) display excitation-dependent color tunable luminescence and white-light emission based on the combination of ligand-centered (LC) and metallic-centered (MC) emissions. Uniquely, a strict linear relationship was established between the excitation wavelength and the emission CIE (Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage) coordinates in a wide color range (orange to blue for LIFM-24(Pr), and yellow to blue for LIFM-25(Dy)), thereby providing prototype models for programmable PL color tuning and white-light emission, which are rarely achievable in homometallic Ln-complexes.
Allergic contact dermatitis from cosmetic pigments is uncommon. The European Standard and the facial series of contact allergens used in our clinic encompasses the majority of sensitisers commonly causing contact dermatitis of the face but does not include pigments. We report a lady who developed a contact sensitivity to the pigment in her blusher. The allergen responsible would have been missed if cosmetics and toiletries were not routinely used in patch tests when investigating facial eczema.
The aim of this study to evaluate the fractional order controller with difference normalize method for controlling steam temperature in steam distillation plant. There are two types of normalize method used in this study namely F-Tuning 1 and F-Tuning 2. Both normalize methods are evaluated under two types of environments which is simulation (ideal) and real-time (hardware realization). The performance of controller are evaluated on plant transient response such as rise time, settling time and percentage overshoot. The results indicate that F-Tuning 1 has better control performance compared to F-Tuning 2 in both simulation and real time application.
This paper investigates patterns and determinants of temporary labour migration in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine after EU enlargement in 2004. Migration incidence, destination choices and migration determinants differ between poorer and better-off countries. Although broadly in line with general results from the migration literature, we observe some peculiarities like the high share of older migrants and a modest role of family obligations in the migration decision process. We find no indication of a brain drain related to temporary migration in sending regions as the educational background of migrants is rather low. Migration is used as household insurance against unemployment and is associated with lower incidence of poverty. This finding remains robust when attempting to reduce the potential omitted variable bias with an instrumental variable approach.
Contents: Foreword, Jeff McMahan Introduction, Andrea Ellner, Paul Robinson and David Whetham Part I Arguments For and Against Accepting Selective Conscientious Objection: The duty of diligence: knowledge, responsibility, and selective conscientious objection, Brian Imiola There is no real moral obligation to obey orders: escaping from 'low cost deontology', Emmanuel R. Goffi Selective conscientious objection: a violation of the social contract, Melissa Bergeron Who guards the guards? The importance of civilian control of the military, David Fisher An empirical defense of combat moral equality, Michael Skerker Selective conscientious objection and the just society, Dan Zupan. Part II Case Studies in Selective Conscientious Objection: Selective conscientious objection in Australia, Stephen Coleman and Nikki Coleman (with Richard Adams) Conscientious objection to military service in Britain, Stephen Deakin Selective conscientious objection: philosophical and conceptual doubts in light of Israeli case law, Yossi Nehushtan Claims for refugee protection in Canada by selective objectors: an evolving jurisprudence, Yves Le Bouthillier Conscience in lieu of obedience: cases of selective conscientious objection in the German Bundeswehr, Jurgen Rose. Part III Conclusions: Selective conscientious objection: some guidelines for implementation, J. Carl Ficarrotta War resisters in the US and Britain - supporting the case for a right to selective conscientious objection?, Andrea Ellner The practice and philosophy of selective conscientious objection, Andrea Ellner, Paul Robinson and David Whetham Bibliography Index.
With the improvement of satellite resolution and the object-oriented detection method in satellite images, traffic data can be more quickly and widely acquired in large area satellite images compared with the traditional data acquired method. With the technology of image enhancement, the paper improved the image quality first, and then utilized the multi-scale segmentation technology and supervised classification method to detect the vehicle from satellite images. In the process, three classification decision trees for vehicles in different situations have been summed up. At last, the paper has achieved the empirical research using the remote sensing images of typical regions in the urban road from Worldview-2 and the GeoEye-1. Based on the precision analysis of the experimental results, it shows that the average accuracy is more than 90%.
While most recent breakthroughs in scientific research rely on complex simulations carried out in large-scale supercomputers, the power draft and energy spent for this purpose is increasingly becoming a limiting factor to this trend. In this paper, we provide an overview of the current status in energy-efficient scientific computing by reviewing different technologies used to monitor power draft as well as power- and energy-saving mechanisms available in commodity hardware. For the particular domain of sparse linear algebra, we analyse the energy efficiency of a broad collection of hardware architectures and investigate how algorithmic and implementation modifications can improve the energy performance of sparse linear system solvers, without negatively impacting their performance.
Large quantities of construction and demolition waste (C&D) are produced globally every year, with little known about potential environmental impacts. In the present study, the slug, Deroceras reticulatum (Mollusca: Gastropoda) was used as the first biomonitor of metals (Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Ti, Tl, V and Zn) on wetlands post infilling with construction and demolition (C&D) waste. The bioaccumulation of As, Ba, Cd, Co, Sb, Se and Tl were found to be significantly elevated in slugs collected on C&D waste when compared to unimproved pastures (control sites), while Mo, Se and Sr had significantly higher concentrations in slugs collected on C&D waste when compared to known contaminated sites (mining locations), indicating the potential hazardous nature of C&D waste to biota. Identifying exact sources for these metals within the waste can be problematic, due to its heterogenic nature. Biomonitors are a useful tool for future monitoring and impact studies, facilitating policy makers and regulations in other countries regarding C&D waste infill. In addition, improving separation of C&D waste to allow increased reuse and recycling is likely to be effective in reducing the volume of waste being used as infill, subsequently decreasing potential metal contamination.
Measurements of the equation of state of dark energy from surveys of thousands of Type Ia Supernovae will be limited by spectroscopic follow-up and must therefore rely on photometric identification, increasing the chance that the sample is contaminated by core collapse supernovae (CC SNe). Bayesian methods for SN cosmology can remove contamination bias while maintaining high statistical precision but are sensitive to the choice of parameterization of the contaminating distance distribution. We use simulations to investigate the form of the contaminating distribution and its dependence on the absolute magnitudes, light curve shapes, colors, extinction, and redshifts of CC SNe. We find that the CC luminosity function (LF) dominates the distance distribution function, but its shape is increasingly distorted as the redshift increases and more CC SNe fall below the survey magnitude limit. The shapes and colors of the CC light curves generally shift the distance distribution, and their effect on the CC distances is correlated. We compare the simulated distances to the first year results of the SDSS-II SN survey and find that the SDSS distance distributions can be reproduced with simulated CC SNe that are ∼1 mag fainter than the standard Richardson et al. LFs, which do not produce a good fit. To exploit the full power of the Bayesian parameter estimation method, parameterization of the contaminating distribution should be guided by the current knowledge of the CC LFs, coupled with the effects of the survey selection and magnitude limit, and allow for systematic shifts caused by the parameters of the distance fit.
Abstract Planing hard chine hull forms are widely used for high-speed small craft. While monohedral1 deep V forms have been commonly used for more than 25 years, recent trends are toward non-monohedral forms in which most of the hydrodynamic lift is produced by low deadrise areas in the after part of the hull. The deadrise gradually increases in the centre and forebody, allowing greater angles of incidence that are beneficial to reduce wave impact forces and ship motions. Wetted surface also is reduced in comparison to the standard monohedral form, resulting in smaller frictional resistance. This trend has been initiated by the search for better seakeeping performances, and made possible by a general reduction in ship weight due to higher main engine power/weight ratio and lower structural weight. Resistance predictions based on Savitsky’s method are commonly used, although this procedure has been developed on the hypothesis of monohedral geometry for the wetted part of the hull. The results are consequently affected by errors due to wrong assessment of both hydrodynamic lift and centre of pressure In this paper, two procedures for the application of Savitsky’s method to non-monohedral hulls are proposed. The results relative to a recently developed non-monohedral hull form are compared to those obtained by the standard Savitsky method and by towing tank tests. Furthermore, a study for the analysis of error propagation in Savitsky’s long form procedure is proposed.
A microcantilever sensor platform is used for detecting the self-assembly of poly-（N-isopropylacrylamide） （HS-PNIPAM） on gold surface. The change of the interaction between molecules caused by conformation transition will change the surface stress of the microcantilever which causes its bending. The kinetic curves of self-assembly can be obtained by real-time monitoring the deflection of the microcantilever using the optical lever read-out technique. HS-PNIPAMs of different molecular weight were used to study the self-assembly process, and the results showed that the kinetic curves can be divided into three stages corresponding to different conformations, respectively. The first stage cor responds to physical adsorption of HS-PNIPAM on gold-coated side. The second and third stages correspond to chemical adsorption on gold-coated side with conformation transition. The kinetic curves fit Langmuir adsorption isotherm well. The results also show that the reaction rate κ of HS-PNIPAM is far less than that of small molecules and decreases exponentially with the molecular weight; while the time of HS-PNIPAM’s self-assembly is far greater than that of small molecules and proportional to the molecular weight. The change of the surface stress is linear to the molecular weight of HS-PNIPAM.
Research on social innovation has grown significantly in the last decade. The objective of this study is to map the international scientific production on social innovation, in order to identify and cluster the variables of social innovation, through network analysis. The database used was Scopus, for the period ranging between 2010 and 2020. Through the analysis of the keywords of the articles, 35 categories were grouped, having as a criterion nature and the conceptual similarity, through the Node XL Software. The results demonstrate a network with four clusters: (1) Social Entrepreneurship, Social Value, and Innovation; (2) Co-creation, Technology, and Sustainability; (3) Social Innovation, Organizational Aspects, and Business Model; and (4) the Non-profit Sector, Strategy, and Learning. The most cited categories, beyond social innovation, were social entrepreneurship and organizational aspects, whose focus of analysis takes place at the organizational level, i.e., resources and capabilities needed for the process of developing social innovation. Also, research gaps have been identified, as networks of actors, community, and social innovation ecosystems.
Aim: The preparation and physical stability of submicron emulsion of Oleum curcumae oil extracted from Rhizoma curcumae Royle is focused on.Methods: Dispersed phase,stabilizer and co-surfactant of submicron emulsion are identified and studied by applying multiple parameters of steam sterilization according to mean droplet size,particle size distribution and zeta potential.Results: Submicron emulsion of Oleum curcumae oil possesses high load capacity of drug and can keep stability under high-temperature and pressure sterilization.The emulsion can be kept stable under room temperature for 6 months.A typical formulation is: Oleum curcumae oil 2.0%;purified soybean oil 2.0%;purified eeg yolk phospholipids 1.2%;purified oleic acid 0.04%;poloxamer188 0.8%;bidistilled water to 100 mL.Conclusion: Oleum curcumae oil contains many volatile components,stable submicron emulsion available for veinal injection could be prepared according to volatility of different components.
The article deals with the problem of comparing the results of fatigue tests of laboratory specimens with fatigue behavior of real structural elements supporting blocks of fixed offshore platforms. On the basis of open data from various literary sources proposed a method by which it is possible to transfer the results of laboratory tests on real objects. The influence of the scale factor, surface roughness, sensitivity to stress concentration and dependence on the type of hardening treatment. On the basis of the analysis provided the use of operational and technological factor, which takes into account the mutual influence of these factors. The parameters of the fatigue curve for columns, horizontal belts and braces the bearing block. Constructed fatigue curves for steels Vst3sp5 and 09G2S under the offshore field.
Present-day programs are brittle as computers are notoriously lacking in common sense. While significant progress has been made in building large common sense knowledge bases, they are intrinsically incomplete and inconsistent. This paper presents a novel approach to bridging the gaps between multiple knowledge bases, making it possible to answer queries based on knowledge collected from multiple sources without a common ontology. New assertions are found by computing graph similarity with principle component analysis to draw analogies across multiple knowledge bases. Experiments are designed to find new assertions for a Chinese commonsense knowledge base using the OMCS ConceptNet and similarly for WordNet. The assertions are voted by online users to verify that 75.77% / 77.59% for Chinese ConceptNet / WordNet respectively are good, despite the low overlap in coverage among the knowledge bases.
This paper studies the crack propagation of the deck with initial crack of container ship and its effects on the ultimate strength which has a very important significance for the safe operation of the ship. Based on the case of 8530 TEU container ship, it calculates the residual ultimate tensile strength of a deck plate with initial crack. The results show that: the initial crack size has a very large impact on the crack propagation in its life; and a critical value is found in crack propagation lifetime. When larger than the threshold value, the rapid of crack propagation increases, the residual tensile strength decreases rapidly, and the deck will be fracture usually within three to five years. So it is recommended that in the first 10 years, the target deck needs to be inspected and the serious parts needs to be changed.
In a world plagued by the effects of climate change, ocean iron fertilization and other geoengineering techniques could help to respond and adapt to this global environmental crisis. Ocean iron fertilization involves adding iron to the sea to artificially stimulate the rapid growth of phytoplankton, whose photosynthetic activity could potentially absorb enough heat-trapping carbon dioxide to help cool the atmosphere of the Earth. Nevertheless, the international community, consistent with its reactions to other science-inspired responses to modern problems, has approached the promise of ocean iron fertilization with a half-hearted embrace and a surplus of healthy skepticism.This article explores the promise and perils of ocean iron fertilization and the intricacies of its regulation under international environmental law. Part I examines the science of ocean iron fertilization and its strengths and limitations as a strategy to mitigate climate change. Part II reviews the overlapping international legal regimes that govern ocean fertilization-the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the CBD, and the London Convention and Protocol — and the applicability of those regimes to ocean iron fertilization projects. Part III addresses the controversy and conflicting legal obligations at issue in the LOHAFEX project to illustrate the need for a new legal framework to govern ocean iron fertilization. Part IV proposes a new international regulatory framework to govern ocean iron fertilization. This framework would harmonize incongruous treaty obligations by bringing all classes of activity under UNCLOS with permitting and arbitration authority delegated to the International MaritimeOrganization (IMO). It would also seek to harness the capital. and innovation of private enterprise by allowing those entities that can prove that their carbon sequestration efforts are effective and benign to conduct ocean iron fertilization projects and sell carbon credits.
ABSTRACT    Hospital is a place for delivering health services. Hospitals will produce solid waste due to their health care related daily activities. If not properly handled, the waste will of cause harm to patients, visitors and the environment. Therefore, the importance of healthy environment around the hospital has become a prominent issue to analyze in order to find out problems associated to hospital solid waste management. This research aimed to analyze solid waste management at Roemani Hospital, Semarang. Object of the research is process of integrated solid waste management using data obtained from interview and observation pursuant on the Ministry of Health Decree of the Republic of Indonesia No.1204/Menkes/Sk/2004. These data were then subject to a descriptive analysis. Results of the study showed that solid waste management had not fulfilled the requirement of the Minister of Health Decree of the Republic of Indonesia No.1204/Menkes/Sk/2004. In the current solid waste management, phase segregation, collection, and disposal of end waste had not fulfilled the decree’s requirements. Poorly trained personnel and the absence of personal protective equipment, as well as facilities were among the major problems in the management of solid waste. In short, the solid waste management at Roemani Hospital, Semarang did not meet environmental health requirements stipulated within Minister of Health Decree of the Republic of Indonesia No.1204/Menkes/Sk/2004. To make worse, resources of waste management was inadequate due to lacking of education training and personnel management, which should have been made available, supported by the application of appropriate guidelines and safety standards, provision of equipment and waste treatment facilities are safe for workers and the environment. Evaluation of waste management is a good management for creating the effectiveness and efficiency of solid waste management.    Key words : waste disposal, solid waste management, hospital.
The purpose of this paper is to develop a shared control takeover strategy for smooth and safety control transition from an automation driving system to the human driver and to approve its positive impacts on drivers’ behavior and attitudes. A ”human-in-the-loop” driving simulator experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of the proposed shared control takeover strategy under different disengagement conditions. Results of thirty-two drivers showed shared control takeover strategy could improve safety performance at the aggregated level, especially at non-driving related disengagements. For more urgent disengagements caused by another vehicle’s sudden brake, a shared control strategy enlarges individual differences. The primary reason is that some drivers had higher self-reported mental workloads in response to the shared control takeover strategy. Therefore, shared control between driver and automation can involve driver’s training to avoid mental overload when developing takeover strategies.
Polymerizable analog of beta-galactosyl ceramide (beta-GalCer) was synthesized and converted to water-soluble polymers of beta-GalCer (poly-beta-GalCer) having specific affinity with recombinant gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 or V3 loop derived synthetic peptide. It was demonstrated that the binding affinity of poly-beta-GalCer greatly depends on the density of GalCer moieties on the polymer backbone.
En-bloc double lung transplantation with tracheal anastomosis and direct revascularization of the bronchial arteries to the left internal mammary artery has been carried out in Denmark since June 1992. Forty-seven patients (32 with alfa-1 antitrypsin deficiency, 11 with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, two with cystic fibrosis and two with primary pulmonary hypertension), 25 men and 22 women, average age 39 years (17-64 years), have received their first double-lung transplant with bronchial artery revascularization. Arteriography of the internal mammary artery and bronchial arteries was performed in 42 (89%) of the patients from 1-150 days after the operation. Successful bronchial artery revascularization was demonstrated arteriographically in 40 patients, in two patients the arteriography failed to show bronchial artery revascularization. Arteriography was not performed in five patients due to early complications and death. Bronchoscopy showed rapid, uncomplicated airway healing in 42 patients. Mucosal necrosis under the tracheal anastomosis was found in three patients, and severe obstructive endobronchial growth of the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus was diagnosed in the last two patients. The one- and two-year survival is 83% (Kaplan-Meier). Eleven patients are dead, five due to pulmonary causes and six due to extra-pulmonary causes. Pulmonary function became normal in nearly all surviving patients between three to six months after the transplantation. In conclusion, en-bloc double-lung transplantation with bronchial artery vascularization has shown good short-term results, and the one- and two-year survival gives hope that a successful bronchial artery revascularization will improve the long-term survival following lung transplantation.
Among the Ottomans, dress was one of the means of expression of the society to which an individual was belonged, and as much as the cloth of the dress, its color reflected the individual's class. Those cloths, and the type and color of the dresses that were worn in the court, were forbidden to ordinary people. In addition, whatever the person's position was, his/her clothes were changed according to that special time and position. The clothes that were worn on trips and ceremonies were different from ordinary clothes in everyday life. At the time of the Ottoman Empire and the old Turkey, the miniature forms, and historical manuscripts were an indicator of the time of that day, and each of them is used as a document from the history of that time for today. The method used in this study is descriptive-analytical and the data collection procedure has been done through library. In this article, the cloth, shape and form of the Kaftan is considered. Firstly, a summary of the history and an explanation of this style of dressing and the importance of it at that time are considered. Finally, by the completion of this research, some of the findings of this research are mentioned, such as the distinctive features of this style and the process of updating it to use it in the present era. Keywords—Kaftan, cloth, Ottoman, Turkey.
The problems of reserves estimation and the oil recovery ratio determination are considered. It is shown that the oil recovery conceptions depend on the reliability of information on the geological structure of the specific object and applied headway technologies. It is noted that an effective application of the methods of enhanced oil recovery in the fields with hard-to-recover reserves plays the principal role in problems of the innovative design, the organization of works on the creation, testing and implementation of methods of enhanced oil recovery has no less importance. The basic ways to stimulate methods of enhanced oil recovery implementation and improve the final oil recovery ratio are suggested.
Jacksonville, Florida, was the king of the infant film industry. Devastated by fire in 1901, rebuilt in a wide variety of architectural styles, sharing the same geographic and meteorological DNA as southern California, the city was an ideal location for northern film production companies looking to relocate.In 1908, New York-based Kalem Studios sent its first crew to Jacksonville. By 1914, fifteen major companies - including Fox and Metro Pictures - had set up shop there. Oliver Hardy, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, and the Barrymores all made movies in the Florida sunshine. In total, nearly 300 films, including the first Technicolor picture ever made, were completed in Jacksonville by 1928.But the city couldn't escape its past. Even as upstart Hollywood boosters sought to discredit Jacksonville, the latter imploded from a combination of political upheaval, simmering racial tensions, disease, and World War I. Shawn Bean uses first-person accounts, filmmaker biographies, newspaper reports, and city and museum archives to bring to light a little-known aspect of film history. Filled with intrigue, backroom shenanigans, and missed opportunities, ""The First Hollywood"" is just the kind of drama we've come to expect from the big screen.There wasn't always just one Tinseltown.
Purpose – The aims of the present study were to test the predictive validity of the Swedish version of the Team Diagnostic Survey (TDS). Design/methodology/approach – A model with both performance and satisfaction was tested with structural equation model (SEM) analyses. Participants completing the survey were employees (N = 214) across three large workplaces. Analyses were done at the group level and data from 33 teams were included in the final data material. Findings – Results from validation data indicate that the TDS has satisfactory high Cronbach’s alpha values on most factors. Results from the SEM analyses show a moderate model fit for the main model. Team-level factors predict both performance and satisfaction, while organization and coaching factors do not. Research limitations/implications – The present study was limited to a cross-sectional design, but earlier studies have shown that the accuracy of the TDS remains consistent over time. The main purpose of this study was to test the predictive ...
A new system of determination of lead(Ⅱ) by lead(Ⅱ) 7,16 dithiabenzo 18 crown 6 tetrabromofluorescein extraction photometric method was studied. Lead(Ⅱ) reacts with 7,16 dithiabenzo 18 crown 6 and tetrabromofluorescein to form ion pair complex with λ max 546 nm and e 9.0×10 4 l ·mol -1 ·cm -1 in 1,2 dichloroethane. The calibration is linear for 0～6 μg/ 5ml .This method was satisfactorily applied to environmental samples.
Country park is the new hot spot of China landscape construction.Because of the locations of country parks in wide suburb,the vegetations,textures,histories,cultural heritages,and touring modes are more diversified.Thus the planning and design patterns of country park should be more garden variety of ways,so the law of the country park planning and design should not necessarily be same as ordinary city park,and their planning models are more practical and targeted and design goals are compound to meet various needs.The planning model of Zhanjiang Dongpo Liyuan Country Park is introduced in this paper,and it is discussed that how country park can explore highly compound planning model in line with local conditions and with regional culture,production and social development,and follow-up maintenance considered on the major premise of maintaining the sustainability of site habitat base.
To improve the precision of casing collapse pressure calculation,the analysis of variance of the full scale collapse test data of 213 pieces of casings was conducted with statistical method.The effects of the ratio of outer diameter/wall thickness,material yield strength,ovality,eccentricity and residual stress to the casing collapse resistant were analyzed in this paper.The results showed the ratio and yield strength were the main parameters of predicting the collapse pressure of casing and the decreasing of the casing collapse resistant was a random process with the increasing of ovality,eccentricity and residual stress.And the casing simulation analysis of various combinations of the location of ovality,eccentricity and residual stress under external pressure was performed.From the simulation results,it was concluded that the casing collapse pressures differ much between different combinations.In the end a new casing collapse predicting formula was put forward which give the more accurately prediction of casing collapse.
Herein, we report the preparation, characterisation and catalytic applications of air-stable Fe(iii)-acetate complexes consisting of salan, salen and salalen ligand frameworks. Owing to the simple synthetic protocol employed, a wide range of complexes have been prepared and structure-activity-relationships investigated. X-ray diffraction confirmed the solid-state structures for eight of the complexes. These represent the first Fe(iii)-acetate complexes applied for the selective coupling of CO2/epoxide and lactide polymerisation. The coupling of CO2 and challenging cyclohexene oxide substrate was performed under mild, solvent-free conditions (80 °C, 10 bar CO2) to selectively form the cis-cyclohexene carbonate as the exclusive product (selectivity >99%) with a metal loading of 0.08 mol%. A reduced aminopiperidine ligand backbone was found as the most active catalyst, and after investigating four co-catalysts, showed high functional group tolerance and robustness when applied to a broad, commercially available, terminal epoxide substrate scope with high conversions observed. The ring-opening polymerisation of rac-lactide was achieved using the Fe(iii)OAc complexes using triethylamine and benzyl alcohol for initiation, interestingly isoselectivity was observed in some cases.
Choose the hyperfine high strength steel of the 390Q as research object,relatively to study the related function of 390Q steel and the 16MnL steel.Research the 390Q microstructure the hyperfine high strength steel of the variety regulation and characteristic that the organization and function learn the temperature impact behind,as the strength that the welding sews the heat influence area when the super and thin high strength that points out the 390Q steel just welds from repair the characteristic,Prove the 390Q steel super and thin high strength steel is the manufacturing material of the blunt welding bridge hull of a car.
Abstract : The paper is concerned primarily with the sheath construction used in terminating cable. This application, therefore, requires a cable specifically designed to meet certain needs. Considering where and how it is used, it must: Have a fire resistant outer jacket since it is installed inside buildings. Withstand the flexing and sharp radius bends so often necessary with installations in limited access areas. It was decided that the standard 8-mil thick aluminum used for years in Alpeth sheath provided adequate shielding. The next step was to find a plastic material with electrical characteristics and low temperature brittleness properties approaching those of polyethylene. A polyvinylchloride sheathing compound with adequate electricals and low temperature brittleness which could tolerate bending and handling at -30F. was formulated. After passing all tests, it was finally accepted and the material described in a formal material specification. The resulting sheath construction was designated 'Alvyn.' (Author)
As the representative of liberalism in modern China,Hu Shi's attitude on the Soviet Russia changed from highly praise to severely criticize. In the period of May 4th movement,Hu Shi maintained a cautious and observational attitude to the Soviet Russia according to his experimentalism. In 1920s and 1930s,though Hu Shi showed appreciation to the Soviet Russia,but it wasn't deviated from his fundamental position of liberalism. In 1940s,Hu Shi dramatically changed his attitude. He gave severe criticism on the despotism of the Soviet Russia,and gave up the socialist dream which he has been pursuing for a long time in his late years.
The present invention relates to a cerasus humilis fruit wine made up by using psammophyte cerasus humilis fruit as raw material and its making method. (1) breaking cerasus humilis fresh fruit, (2) fermentation; (3) adding pectinase and red wine yeast, fermentation, regulating acid and regulating sugar; (4). separating and removing residuum; (5) fermentation; (6) apple milk fermentation; (7) overhauling; and (8) clearing so as to obtain the invented product cerasus humilis fruit wine with red colour and palatefull taste.
Over the last few years there has been increasing emphasis placed on the importance of the role of bacterial adhesion, both in the initial stage and the clinical manifestations of urinary infection. It has been clearly demonstrated that all urinary infections are accompanied by an immunity response usually related in degree to the severity of the infectious lesion. Moreover, various in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that bacterial adhesion to uro-epithelial cells can be inhibited immunologically. A study was conducted to analyze and compare results of different immunization procedures, in an animal model (female rat), on in vivo inhibition of adhesion to bladder epithelium of various bacterial strains. The bacteria selected were E. coli (075) and E. coli (06) with respectively a mannose-resistant (MR) hemagglutinin (HA) and a Klebsiella pneumoniae. The three immunization procedures were: intravaginal instillation, oral doses completed by intraperitoneal injection and subcutaneous administration. The instilled or injected antigen was made up of a formalized bacterial suspension emulsified in Freund's incomplete adjuvant: only the orally administered antigen was composed of live bacteria. Quantitative in vivo test of bacterial adhesion was by radioactive labelling of bacteria instilled into the bladder. Of the three immunization routes, only vaginal instillation significantly inhibited bacterial adhesion to bladder mucosa whatever the HA type involved. Furthermore, although E. coli (075), which possesses an HAMR, adhered more than E. coli (06) to the bladder wall, a marked and comparable inhibition of its adhesion was noted after immunization by the homologous (E. coli (075)) as by the E. coli (06) strain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The callus texture modification,establishment of suspension cell lines and plant regeneration were systematically studied with immature embryos from Chengdan15,18 genotypes in maize.The results showed that:a kind of golden,non mucilaginous, grainy texture,fast growing and friable callus which is suitable for suspension culture was obtained by adjusting 2,4 D concentration,salts concentration,adding NaCl and KT,GA 3, NH 4NO 3 and being cultured in liquid medium for a period before the beginning of suspension culture.After being cultured for 10d in the liquid medium containing high concentration of 2,4 D,so far the five suspension cell lines have been established.Growth of suspension cell line Ⅱof Chengdan 15 genotype was determined and regenerated plants were obtained from this suspension cell line by using the method of transition differentiation,the ratio of regeneration is about 50%.The authors also observed the changes of shapes of suspension cell during the establishment of suspension cell line.
Three new genera of extinct Dictyopharidae, Lophopidae and Eurybrachyidae respectively are described. Wedelphus gen. nov. with Wedelphus dichopteroides sp. nov. placed in Dictyopharidae, Baninus gen. nov. with Baninus thuringiorum sp. nov. of the family Lophopidae and Amalaberga gen. nov. with Amalaberga ostrogothiorum sp. nov. placed in Eurybrachidae (first fossil record of the family) are described, all from deposits of the Grube Messel Lagerstatte in Germany. A representative of an unrecognised family, possibly related to Henriksenopterix Petrulevicius, 2005 is reported. The oil shales of the Messel maar in Hessen are well known for their extremely rich fossil flora and fauna. They are of Lower Middle Eocene age (about 48 million years) and contain a highly diverse insect fauna.
Objective To investigate the advantages and indications of minimally invasive anterolateral muscle sparing approach total hip arthroplasty.Methods From February 2006 to October 2008,the 51 cases of the total hip arthroplasty operation with anterolateral muscle sparing approach were compared with 51 cases of the total hip arthroplasty operation with posterolateral approach in random.observing operative time,blood loss,incision length,complications,post-operative Harris hip score and imaging evaluation.Results Statisdically significant differences were found in two groups in terms of incision length,total blood loss and Harris hip score 1 month later.There was no remarkable difference between the two groups in the aspect of operative time and prosthetic position.Conclusion By using minimal invasive anterolateral muscle sparing approach,acetabular and femeral stem are implanted in single small incision without fluorescence imaging and muscle attachment striping Early function recovery can be achieved.It is feasiblc with strict indication,adequate surgical training and use of specialized Instrumentation.
Objective: To investigate the effect of Pingchuanning on expression of ERK2 mRNA and c-fos mRNA in Lung tissues of asthma rats. Methods: 70 male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group, model group, dexamethasone group, Guilongkechuanning group and Pingch uanning low, middle, high-dose group, with 10 in each group. The asthma model was established by ovalbumin sensitized and cold stimulate on rats. After 21 days of the model establishment, the rats in normal and model control groups were gavaged with the same amount of distilled water every day. The dexamethasone group, Guilong Kechuanning group and high, medium and low dose of Pingchuanning groups were gavaged with drug drench according to the ratio of human to rat body surface area. After 4 weeks of treatment, the rats were dissected, and their lung organs were taken out. The lung histopathology changes were observed by HE staining. The expression of ERK2 mRNA and c-fos mRNA in the lungs were detected by RT-PCR. Results: The rats in model group had obvious lung organ inl ammation and airway remodeling. Compared with the model group, the rats in the treatment group had better changes in varying degrees; The ERK2 mRNA and c-fos mRNA in asthma model group were increased than the control group(P0.01, P0.05); After the treatments of low, middle and high-does of Pingchuanning, the ERK2 mRNA and c-fos mRNA were reduced(P0.01, P0.05). Conclusion: These results show that Pingchuanning might effectively alleviate the airway inl ammation and reverses the airway remodeling by inhibiting the expressions of ERK2 mRNA and c-fos mRNA.
A light emitting diode package structure, comprising: an insulating substrate having a first surface and a second surface with respect to a first surface of a groove, the first surface of the insulating substrate, the second electrode layer is formed of two recess bottom a second end extending to the surface of the insulating substrate, an LED chip is located the groove and connected electrically to the two electrodes, and connected to the bottom of the groove is provided in parallel with the light emitting diode chip and the second electrode layer is electrically Zener diode . The LED package structure according to the present invention, the Zener diode is provided in the insulating substrate, and an integrated light emitting diode package structure, material and labor costs can be reduced. At the same time, the built-in zener diode is not necessary to wire the external electrode layer electrically connected, not only to improve the stability of the Zener diode is electrically connected to the electrode layer, but also reduce the complexity of the light emitting diode package structure. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a light emitting diode package structure.
This paper is an effort to realize and explore the connections that exist between nonmonotonic logic and confirmation theory. We pick up one of the most wide-spread nonmonotonic formalisms – default logic – and analyze to what extent and under what adjustments it could work as a logic of induction in the philosophical sense. By making use of this analysis, we extend default logic so as to make it able to minimally perform the task of a logic of induction, having as a result a system which we believe has interesting properties from the standpoint of theory of confirmation. It is for instance able to represent chains of inductive rules as well as to reason paraconsistently on the conclusions obtained from them. We then use this logic to represent some traditional ideas concerning confirmation theory, in particular the ones proposed by Carl Hempel in his classical paper "Studies in the Logic of Confirmation" of 1945 and the ones incorporated in the so-called abductive and hy-pothetico-deductive models.
The heavy metal concentrations in agricultural soils are directly associated with food safety and human health. In this study,the concentrations of Cu,Pb and Zn in agricultural soils in Fengdu, Fengjie, Jiangjin,Wanzhou,Wulong and Zhongxian counties of Chongqing in the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR) area were determined,and their polluted status were evaluated. The results showed that the total concentrations of Cu,Pb and Zn in the agricultural soil of Chongqing in the TGR area were(29.96±12.80)mg·kg-1,(25.45±8.80)mg·kg-1 and (64.79±18.79)mg·kg-1; respectively,and the average available concentrations of Cu,Pb and Zn were(1.66±1.36)mg·kg-1,(1.67±1.24)mg·kg-1 and (2.95±3.02)mg·kg-1, respectively. The available coefficients of Cu,Pb and Zn were (5.53±3.77)%,(7.52±7.18)% and (4.36±4.14)%, respectively. The variability of three heavy metal elements in the soils was much more than their total concentrations. The available concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn in the soils were highly associated with their total concentrations. There were significantly positive or positive relations between total Cu and total Pb, total Pb and total Zn, and total Cu and total Zn. The polluted status sequence of heavy metals in agricultural soils of Chongqing in the TGR area was followed by CuZnPb according to the monomial pollution index. The soil's comprehensive pollution index of Cu, Pb and Zn was 0.38±0.20, suggesting that the soils investigated in TGR area were clean and safety according to the standard of the second grade of GB 15618—1995.
A new method to assay americium and plutonium in soil samples is reported here. Using the method, it is possible to have a uniform and thin layer of the sample on alpha-spectrometer disc by electroplating. Prior to electrodeposition, the sample is separated by short column chromatography. A current of 900 mA and a plating time of 90 min in the pH range 2i?½2.5 have been found to be the best conditions for the deposition of americium. Optimum conditions for separation and electrodeposition of plutonium from soil samples have also been obtained. The modified procedures have been successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of Am and Pu.
Nowadays, Electric vehicle parking (EVP) can be used as a distributed generation (DG) as an important opportunity. EVP is different with other DGs and can be used as a load or supplier, so it helps to flatten the grid load curve. Based on this matter optimal placement of EVP is an important matter. In this paper an optimal placement problem with considering multi-objective optimization is defined. Solving this problem, causes to improve some objects i.e. congestion, Voltage security margin (VSM), cost and voltage stability. To solve modeled optimization problem, an Elitist genetic algorithm optimization has been developed. This algorithm consists of continuous and discrete sections, so in addition placement, the optimal capacity of the selected parking can be calculated. These results have been analyzed and evaluated in different conditions and modified IEEE 14-bus and 30-bus networks are used as cases study.
Steering knuckle is an important part of rear suspension of a car. It uses to be pivot point in steering system. Steering knuckle must have enough toughness and stiffness to support load of  a  car.  The  steering  knuckle  that  investigates  belongs  to  Kancil  car.  The  aim  of  this research  is  to  know  the  function  of  steering  knuckle  in  a  car,  and  to  know  what  kind  of materials that fill the requirement. Base on analysis of micro structure and hardness test, Nodular Cast Iron is chosen that fit with standard ASTM a 536 grade 80-55-06.
Microalgae are the most promising production facilities. They are capable of fixing several-fold more CO2 per unit area than trees or crops. Such CO2 fixation by photoautotrophic algal cultures has the potential to diminish the release of CO2 into the atmosphere, helping alleviate the trend toward global warming. To realize workable biological CO2 fixation systems, selection of optimal microalgae species is vital. The selection of optimal microalgae species depends on specific strategies employed for CO2 sequestration.
In today's modern business environment, e-business is gaining stronger role and application. Electronic communication becomes an everyday unavoidable part of business processes in many organizations, regardless of their activity and size. That also implies the creation and expansion of efficient external electronic communication with consumers, as well as strengthening the internal electronic communication among the employees. This is study of the application of the intranet in the public company "Post" of Serbia. Basis of the research were the employees in "Post" of Serbia, in the region of Srem. The purpose of the paper was to determine the correlation between intranet design and its efficient functioning in the company "Post" of Serbia. Research and analysis of the results obtained have indicated that current intranet design does not provide its true application, and thus it weakens its very important function in the sense of supporting the company's e-business.IntroductionRapid and permanent development of technology has opened new frontiers and possibilities for organizations. Creating the communication and value delivery for consumers through e-technology have created new forces in marketing functions of many organizations. E-business can be described as new business logic that exists in the world without borders. It refers to a broader definition of electronic commerce, because, besides covering e-commerce, it implies and includes internal processes such as productivity, knowledge management and human resources. However, focus on external marketing, through the Internet, has largely overshadowed the significance of internal marketing in e-business, known as intranet.If we would want to simply define intranet, we could describe it as internal part of the net based on Internet and World Wide Web technology that enables rapid information and service on the network of employees, within the organization. Intranet represents generators and distributors of data and therefore it is a powerful tool for horizontal and vertical communication within the organization. The data, which a company wants to make available to its employees, are kept in databases that are easily accessible by any user (employee), through a Web browser interface that is easy to use. The employees can easily and rapidly share the information and knowledge through the intranet. In that way, with the use of the right information at the right time, the employees can do their jobs more efficiently.This paper, through empirical research, tries to identify how much attention and significance it is given to internal marketing in e-business environment, related to the operation of public companies in Serbia. Tost" of Serbia is a company that can be, by many criteria, classified as a representative of public companies in Serbia. By determining the method and efficiency of application of electronic communication by employees in the company Tost" of Serbia, the paper provides a detailed analysis of previous intranet use and formulates a conceptual framework with suggestions how to focus on internal marketing and make it more efficient. This provides a starting point for future research and empirical studies about causal relations between intranet designing and its efficient functioning, as important support of e-business. The facts that Serbia is a country in transition and that market liberalization largely reflects itself on public services' operation, point out to the significance of subject research. Scientific information obtained by research on the title subject could be purposeful to the management of public services in Serbia, as well as other countries in transition.The purpose of researchChoice and dealing with problems on the title topic was initiated by current way of operating and application of e-business in public companies in Serbia. Public company "Post" of Serbia, as one of the dominant public enterprises and a monopolist until recently, was interesting for subject analysis for several reasons. …
The objective of this paper is to disseminate the technique of fuzzy regression and to give a practical example of its use. To this end, classical regression is compared to several fuzzy regression models on a problem concerning the consumer confidence index with respect to the dollar rate, the latter taken as the independent variable. A brief introduction is given to each of the different methodologies employed. The results obtained using the regression algorithms, one with ordinary least squares and another two with fuzzy regression, are presented. The instances generated using the official historical data for the problem are given and the numerical results obtained with the regression methods are reported.
Based on information concerning the relative rate constants of fundamental reactions a mathematical model is formulated for pyrolysis of a hydrocarbon raw material. The relative kinetic constants are calculated based on structural analogies of molecules, thermodynamic functions of known reactions and several empirical parameters, estimated from experimental data. The model proposes ideal mixing from molecular components and significant change in concentrations of radicals and temperature with respect to reactor radius. The results of modeling of the process are used to calculate an industrial furnace unit for pyrolysis. 37 references, 1 figure.
Each year there are approximately 589, 000 nonfatal violent victimizations (e.g., aggravated assault, simple assault) committed by an intimate partner (US Dept. of Justice, 2003). Of that, roughly 85% of these violent victimizations were committed against females (US Dept. of Justice, 2003). Even with this large amount of violence against women, only about 33% of the perpetrators of those crimes are brought to trial in state courts (US Dept. of Justice, 2005). Even a cursory look at the literature indicates that extra-legal factors, including the personal views of the police, judges, and prosecutors, have an effect on which cases are brought to trial. Mandatory prosecution laws attempt to overcome these extra-legal factors. I will investigate if these laws succeed in reducing prosecutorial discretion and result in a greater percentage of domestic violence cases going to trial or if the views of the prosecutors’ offices still determine which cases are brought to trial.
The effect of(NH4)2HPO4 fertilizer on yields of vegetable-type and grain-type soybeans was studied by using 4 vegetable-type cultivars and 2 grain-type cultivars.The results showed that there were no significant effect of fertilizer on pod weight per plant and 100-seed weight.Fertilizer would result in the increase of the ratio of 2-seed pod and 3-seed pod,which would improve the quality of vegetable-type soybean.There was no effect of fertilizer on seed yields of vegetable-type and grain-type soybean,however,there was a significant yield difference.Among the vegetable-type cultivars,Shen'nong yin 132 had the highest seed yield,while yield for Shen'nong yin 122 was the lowest,only the seed yield of Shen'nong yin 132 was higher than that of grain-type cultivar,which implied that there was a potential of seed yield improvement for vegetable-type soybeans
The literature belongs to the cultural category,the different land has the different culture,similarly also can have the different literature.The literature cannot leave the land,the different local conditions and social customs produce the different story.There is a story,there is the literature.Australia's land is raising the Australian literature.Australian country is very young,but her literature has jumped onto the world literature stage by its unique style,in particular her contemporary literature,for example,“The Thorn Birds ”and “The Touch” written by Colleen McCullough,has received the world's attention.
Based on the technological developments of waste glass fiber recycling at home and abroad and the actual experiences in waste glass fiber recycling,the author discusses the recycling technology systematically in aspects of waste fiber processing,glass batch preparation and furnace operation. The experiment compared the operations and results of different processes. The results have shown that when waste glass fibers are reused as batch material,it is very important to adopt a technology suitable to their characteristics.
Author: Heidi W. Durrow is the New York Times best-selling author of The Girl Who Fell From the Sky(Algonquin Books), which received writer Barbara Kingsolver's 2008 Bellwether Prize for Literature of Social Change, and is already a book club favorite. The Girl Who Fell From the Sky has been hailed as one of the Best Novels of 2010 by the Washington Post, a Top 10 Book of 2010 by The Oregonian, a Top 10 Buzz Book of 2010 by the Boston Herald and named a Top 10 Debut of 2010 by Booklist. Ebony Magazine named Heidi as one of its Power 100 Leaders of 2010 along with writers Edwidge Danticat, Malcolm Gladwell and Ntozake Shange. Heidi was nominated for an2011 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Debut.
BACKGROUND/AIMS The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the endoscopy findings, clinical symptoms, signs and biochemical data of elderly patients with ischemic colitis (IC). METHODOLOGy: A retrospective study of 58 patients diagnosed with IC in the endoscopy center of Jinan Central Hospital from October 2008 to October 2013 was carried out. The patients were divided into two groups based on the age: elderly group (≥ 65 years) versus young group (< 65 years). Symptoms, signs, biochemical data, endoscopic findings and the length of hospitalization were compared.   RESULTS Of the 58 patients with IC (43 women and 15 men), the median age was 72.5 years (range 30-84 years), and 70.69% (41/58) were over the age of 65 years. Compared with the young group, the elderly group had a less frequent hyperactive bowel sounds, a higher baseline levels of C-reactive protein(CRP) and a longer average periods of hospitalization.   CONCLUSION Clinical characteristics of IC in the elderly were similar to those in the young group. CRP may be involved in the development of IC in the elderly patients. By considering the basic dieases combined with CRP levels, it is possible to more effectively predict and prevent the development of IC.
This paper examines the empirical association between corporate social responsibility(CSR) and default risk. Default risk affects virtually every financial contract. Based on the argument that CSR would play the role of reducing conflicts between firms and society, this study hypothesized that corporate social responsibility would be concerned in the firms’ credit rating as a proxy measure of default risk. Specifically, the firms with higher CSR activities are predicted to have higher credit rating, higher firm values than those with lower CSR activities. This study examined theses hypotheses, using a sample of 1,879 on Korean firms over three-year period (2010-2012). An ESG(Environment, Social, Governance) index published by Korean Corporate Governance Service (KCGS) was used as the measure of corporate social responsibility. The results of this study find that the firms with high corporate governance performance exhibit better credit rating as a proxy variable of default risk. These results are robust across different measures of variables and testing methodologies.
Abstract : TRIP steel rods were warm extruded to reductions of area of 40%, 60%, and 80%. Temperature increases on the order of 300 F were compensated for by selecting a lower initial billet temperature than the optimum of 850 F used for warm rolling. The billet preheat temperature was selected to produce a maximum extrusion temperature (at the die exit) of 850 F. The 40% and 60% reductions were each performed in one extrusion pass. The 80% reduction required a two-step sequence (60% followed by 50%). This procedure was necessary to avoid the excessively low preheat temperature required for a single reduction to 80%. The extrusion constants are approximately 50 ksi for hot extrusion, 150 ksi for single-pass warm extrusion, and 300 ksi for the second (50%) warm reduction. With the procedures established, the material was successfully extruded to hardness levels equivalent to those obtained by warm rolling.
The emerging learning society requires a different development strategy, but also a conceptual and statistical framework that goes beyond the conventional approach and provides a broader dynamic framework for policy analysis. The novel time distance methodology is applied to the analysis of digital divide in the USA by income and educational level. It also shows that different statistical measures lead to diverse conclusions about the gap between North America and Europe in Internet users per capita. Percentage difference is decreasing, while time distance is increasing. Policy discussion relates to preparation of national strategy for information society in Slovenia.
For design, the fatigue characterization of a composite is generally based on constant amplitude fatigue data at a single load ratio or at most a few load ratios. For these ratios Stress(S)-Life(N) curves are obtained and properties at other load ratios are generally obtained using the linear Goodman diagram. It has however been observed that the linear Goodman model and modifications of the Goodman model do not match well to the extensive composite fatigue dataset of the Upwind and Innwind projects [1]. The relatively new Multislope model [2] has been evaluated by applying it to the Upwind material database. The evaluation shows that the Multislope model fits the dataset very well compared to the fit of Goodman based models. The residual sum of squares of the test data versus the model predictions is considerably smaller than that of the other models. Sensitivity analysis shows that the Multislope model is relatively insensitive to the input data. Good predictions can be obtained using a much reduced dataset for obtaining model parameters.
The transition and reconstructing of government's management mode is one of the questions that can not be avoided in global social evolution.Combining the practices of the western main developed countries and our government, to analyse and investigate government's management mode-this new developing field which demand further studied urgently is very important for constructing scientific and reasonable government's management mode.
The influence of the glucocorticoid hormones (cortisone, cortisol, corticosterone) on the biosynthesis of purine nucleotides (inosinic acid, guanylic acid and adenylic acid) in different organs was investigated in vivo, by following the incorporation of formate-14C into the acid-soluble nucleotides, after administration of the hormones to adrenalectomized rats. Cortisone and corticosterone show a remarkable and comparable increase of the incorporation of formate-14C only in the purine bases of the liver: cortisol is much more effective, increasing the incorporation of formate-14C into the purine bases even ten times over the basal values. No specific effect is evident either in the kidney or in the heart after glucocorticoid administration. Results are interpreted considering that the action of an individual hormone is specifically restricted to the purine nucleotide synthesis in the liver, and that cortisol seems to be the most efficient from this point of view.
Objective To construct the bicistronic eucaryotic expression vector of human interleukin 12(hIL12)pVAX1-IRES-hIL12 co-expressing the hIL12 double subunits.Methods The fusion gene P35-F2A-P40,amplified by overlap extension PCR,was inserted into the downstream of the eukaryotic expression vector pVAX1-IRES.Then the recombinant plasmid pVAX1-IRES-hIL12 was transfected to 293T cells,and its expression was detected by ELISA.Results Enzyme digestion and sequence analysis showed that the bicistronic eucaryotic expression vector pVAX1-IRES-hIL12 was successfully constructed.The expression of recombinant plasmid was detected by ELISA,suggesting that the fusion genes can express in 293T cells.Conclusion Successful construction of the vector can provide an effective immune tool for the development of anti-tumor vaccine.
In study of the tourist sphere to activity alongside with system-structured approach are actively introduced behavioural, cultural, fenomenological and the other methods of the cognition. Occurs the offset an accent and comparatively object of the study. Attention is focused on tourist, its taste, presentations and perception. The Scientific interest moves from vague "tourist-resources of the potential of the territory" to concrete small terrain and object, capable to interest the potential tourist.
HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS A 63-year-old woman was admitted with fatigue, general malaise, paraesthesiae, muscle cramping and weakness of the limbs. Since the age of 13, she had suffered from a transient lower extremities paralysis 3 times. Past history was unremarkable. There was no family history of disease. In addition, she denied any form of self-medication, surreptitious diuretic and laxative abuse, persistent vomiting and diarrhea. The blood pressure was 120/70 mmHg, BMI = 23.0 kg/m2, WHR = 0.84. A little anxious. The results of physical examinations were unnoticeable. The cranial-nerve functions were intact. Manual muscle tests revealed her extremities in normal condition. Sensation was normal in all modalities. The deep tendon reflexes were present but decreased mildly.   INVESTIGATIONS Laboratory tests showed moderate to severe hypokalemia with a serum potassium concentration of 2.77 to 3.17 mmol/L, hypomagnesemia (0.31-0.35 mmol/L), hypocalcaemia (1.79-1.99 mmol/L), hypocalciuria (0.12-1.10 mmol/24 h), and metabolic alkalosis. The patient had elevated plasma renin activity and normoaldosteronism; her parathyroid hormone level was normal. Urinary calcium to creatinine ratio was (5.17-23.57) x 10(-3) mg/mg Cr. The renal clearance studies in this patient using furosemide or hydrochlorothiazide disclosed that urine volume and chloride clearance (CCL) were increased after furosemide administration, but there was no obvious change after the administration of hydrochlorothiazide. Furthermore, the distal fractional chloride reabsorption [CH2O/(CH2O+CCI)] was dramatically decreased by furosemide administration, whereas thiazide had little effect on it. These findings pointed to the presence of a non-functional thiazide-sensitive sodium/chloride cotransporter in the distal convoluted tubule, so the diagnosis of Gitelman's syndrome (GS) was made.   TREATMENT The patient was treated with indomethacin 50 mg, tid; after 3 days, the potassium increased, but calcium and magnesium serum levels failed to improve. So triamterene 50 mg, tid was also administrated. After 4 days, the serum levels of potassium, calcium were normalized, and the serum levels of magnesium increased from 0.35 mmol/L to 0.52 mmol/L; weakness and fatigue improved markedly, the clinical symptoms disappeared. The 18-month-follow-up study found the magnesium serum level normal.   CONCLUSION GS may be present with severe hypocalcaemia and hypokalemic periodic paralysis; the renal clearance studies by diuretic administration may be of help in diagnosing Gitelman's syndrome, and the combined use of indomethacin with triamterene has good therapeutic effect.
References 1. Boltenkov A.A., Chizhov V.N, Shery- shev V.P. Modelling and prediction of the con-ditions of the process of electric resistance sin-tering of metallic powder materials in recondi-tioning of components // Welding Internation-al. — 2002. — Vol. 16 (1). — S. 69-72 (Sva-rochnoe proizvodstvo. — 2001. — № 8. — S. 24-27). 2. Sheryshev V.P., Chizhov V.N., Seliver-stov M.V., Telgozhaeva F.S. Sterzhnevye sis-temy v zadachakh modelirovaniya teplovykh protsessov v detalyakh pochvoobrabatyvayush-chikh mashin pri ikh vosstanovlenii s pomoshch'yu elektrokontaktnogo nagreva // Materialy mezhdunarodnoi nauchnoi konferentsii «Modelirovanie-2010». — Kiev, 2010. — T. III. — C. 202-208. 3. Bek Dzh., Blakuell B., Sent-Kler Ch., ml. Nekorrektnye obratnye zadachi teploprovod-nosti / per. s angl. — M.: Mir, 1989. — 312 s. 4. Kazanskii N.L., Kolpakov A.I., Kolpa- kov V.A., Paranin V.D. Metod opredeleniya temperatury poverkhnosti v oblasti ee vzai-modeistviya s potokom nizkotemperaturnoi plazmy // Zhurn. tekhn. fiziki. — 2007. — T. 77. — Vyp. 12. — S. 21-25. 5. Bekbaev A.B., Karbozova A.M., Sher-yshev V.P. Kontrol' teplovogo sostoyaniya el-ektricheskogo kontakta // Tematicheskii vypusk: Problemy avtomatizirovannogo elektro-privoda. Teoriya i praktika: nauchno-tekhnicheskii zhurnal Kremenchug. — 2012. — Vyp. 3 (19). — S. 575-578. 6. Bekbaev A.B., Zhalmukhamed E., Utebaev R.M., Koltun N.A. Laboratornaya ek-sperimental'naya ustanovka dlya ispytaniya intel-lektual'nogo datchika temperatury nedostupnoi poverkhnosti // Vestnik KazNTU im. K.I. Satpaeva. — 2013. — № 6 (100). — S. 36-42. 7. Godunov S.K., Ryaben'kii V.S. Vvedenie v teoriyu raznostnykh skhem. — M.: Fizmatgiz, 1962.
The low daily energy consumption of the average adult in the developed countries may be increased in certain individuals either because of the occupation or by voluntary activity in leisure. Jogging is one example of this. However, we have little objective information on activity within the population and epidemiologically this is a serious deficiency. There is a need for not only quantitative data on duration of activity but also its level of strenuousness. On the other hand, depending on the purpose of the measurement, it may not often be necessary actually to measure energy expenditure--heart rate measurement or energy values taken from published tables may be adequate. Indeed, energy expenditure or VO2 may not only be unnecessary but even misleading in some cases. When knowledge of energy consumption is required, (for example, in specialized biochemical or in nutritional studies) heart rates will not usually give an accurate enough prediction and oxygen uptake has to be measured. This has to be converted to energy units either by using the RQ or Weir's (1949) formula. Errors of up to +/- 10% may be common here, especially in short-term measurements in exercise. Weir's formula is more likely to lead to larger error and perhaps should be superceded.
From the orientation and level of science development,some problems associated with agriculture and developmental tendency of world agriculture,this paper discusses the basic trend of our leading agricultural technology at the beginning of present century.In the meantime,the interrelationship between the leading agricultural technology at the beginning of present century and modern agricultural technology is elucidated.
Lesser date moth, Batrachedra amydraula (Meyr) is a very important insect pest of date. It attacks the date fruits and causes heavy losses. There are three generations of this insect per year. It appears in April, while the fruits are in unripe stage and remains till September. The study was carried out on Aseel variety of date palm, to monitor the peak period of infestation of the insects both on intact fruit as well as dropped fruit on four locations viz: Kot Digi, Kingri, Khairpur and Therhi district Khairpur, Sindh Province, Pakistan. The observations were recorded on weekly basis from 1 st April to the end of August during 2007 and 2008. It was concluded that the attack of this insect was on its peak during the months of June. It was also found that the attack on dropped dates was more than on intact fruit. The attack during peak period reached 10-12% in intact fruits and 17-18% in dropped fruits. The infestation percentage decreased during August and September, 2007-08.
FIELD: communication systems, in particular, method and device for adaptive control over a set in communication system. SUBSTANCE: always present in communication system are certain unbalance levels between direct communication line and reverse communication line. Despite the fact that serious unbalance levels cause harmful influence on quality of communication and capacity, unbalance only is a problem when it worsens capacity by one degree in direct communication line. Therefore, adaptive control over a set evaluates unbalance among sectors in the list of client station in accordance to quality coefficient of direct communication line and reverse communication line, and removes only the sector that causes serious unbalance from the list of client station. Despite the fact that keeping of sector in the list of client station may improve capacity, it may negatively affect other functions of communication system, such as power control. Therefore, control method is modified, if unbalance level affecting power control is detected. EFFECT: increased capacity. 4 cl, 2 dwg
A theoretical analysis of an electromagnetic vibration controller is presented. The analyzed device consists of a pot-type iron core with a coil and a permanent magnet as a source of constant magnetic flux. The magnetic circuit is closed by a yoke, excited by an external harmonic mechanical force. The so generated magnetic flux variation induces alternating voltage in the electric circuit, which is dissipated in a shunt resistor. The induced current driven through the coil generates magnetic force, which damps the excitation force and changes the damped natural frequency of the oscillatory system. Due to the hysteretic effects in the magnetic material the internal losses influence the overall system’s performance. A mathematical model of the force balance in the oscillatory system is derived in a simplified, linearised form. The electric as well as mechanical system is modelled using lumped-parameter approach and the actuating principle for control of forced vibration is investigated.
Objective To explore the effect of Nd∶YAG laser irradiation on the seal capability between 3 kinds of normally used filling materials without acid erosion and tooth cavity walls. Methods The teeth were randomly divided into 3 groups according to different filling materials. In each group, we set four subgroups with 9 teeth in each subgroup: a control subgroup and 3 Nd∶YAG laser irradiation subgroups with output power of 2 W, 3 W, 8 W respectively. All teeth of laser irradiation subgroups underwent scanning laser irradiation of the cavity border. The specimens were observed examined under scanning electron microscope.Results In Ag Hg alloy group, The gap between Ag Hg alloy and cavity walls decreased followed with the increasing of output power. When the output power of Nd∶YAG laser reached 8 W, there was regional fusion of alloy and dental tissue. Comparison between laser irradiation subgroups and the control subgroup showed a significant difference (P0 01). There also showed significant difference (P0 001) between subgroup 2 W, 3 W and subgroup 8 W. In glass ionomer group and FX group: The effect of laser iradiation was different with various output powers. Laser irradiation with output power of 2 W decreased the gap between filling materials and cavity walls. 3 W irradiation induced regional fusion. 8 W widened the gap. Comparison between laser irradiation subgroups and the control, between 2 W and 8 W, between 3 W and 8 W showed significant difference (P0 01). Conclusion An appropriate output power of Nd∶YAG irradiation may be an effective method of decreasing the microleakage between 3 kinds of normal used filling materials without acid erosion and cavity walls.
BACKGROUND Signs of malnutrition have been detected in patients with chronic renal failure and a possible relation with complications of the disease has been speculated. The aim of the present study was to analyze the nutritional status of a group of patients with the aforementioned diagnosis on a substitutive treatment program with outpatient continuous peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) and its relation with complications over one year.   METHODS The nutritional status of 29 of these patients and 22 individuals with normal renal function (controls) with global parameters of body fat, muscular protein and visceral protein being evaluated. The study was repeated at 6 and 12 months after the initial evaluation. The incidence of mortality, need for hospital admission because of complication and episodes of clinical peritonitis were analyzed.   RESULTS More than 70% of the patients presented protein-caloric malnutrition to a greater or lesser degree. This percentage dit not modify throughout the study and was produced at the expense of visceral protein, additionally affecting the fat and muscular protein of the males. Mortality, need for admission and the number of cases of peritonitis were greater in those presenting the lowest fat parameters with these complications beings foreseen from determined fat values.   CONCLUSIONS These patients have malnutrition which is related with the complications in the course of substitutive therapy making surveillance and nutritional support necessary.
The thesis examines the concept of security that states and other actors in Southern Africa have acted upon. It argues that Southern Africa, due to its peculiar colonial history and apartheid, and the regions' links with great powers, embraced the traditional concept of security, a concept that was unsustainable and inappropriate for its specific conditions. The traditional concept seeks to protect states and domestic societies from outside threats. This concept was inherently militaristic, nationally focused, state-centric and narrow in scope. The emphasis is on immediate problem-solving rather than on a sustained attempt to identify the underlying causes of insecurity. Its application to Southern Africa led to regional confrontation and produced more insecurity than security. Southern Africa needs a new concept which is broader and long term in its outlook in order to restore stability and prosperity. The new concept should essentially be people centred, because people are the only object of security. The new concept should take into account the diverse factors, military and non-military impinging on the security of people. Placing people at the centre, when conceptualising security, requires focusing on making the environment secure rather than on the threats to and the vulnerabilities of the state. The environment of security is defined by the coexistence of three pillars: order, justice and peace. Thus the task of building security in Southern Africa should be orientated towards the strengthening of these pillars. In the final analysis the pillars need to be supported and reinforced by a political process which seeks to promote the good of all members of society as the final goal of all policy. This cannot be achieved without building legitimate states, i.e. states regarded as protectors of their citizens interests and strengthen social agents other than those merely around the state. The task of building a legitimate state and strengthening civil society then become primary steps in the process of building the desired security community in Southern Africa. National integration of different political communities within the states and regional co-operation are essential. This implies strengthening domestic and regional institutions. While domestic institutions are necessary to reduce internal conflicts, regional institutions are essential to allow the predictability of peace in relations among states. The economic and social inequalities between the states and the military asymmetries, will hamper states quick integration, hence the building of the security community. Regional institutions will tend to drain the resources of the relatively richer states, even though there is a strong will to avoid the confrontations of the past. This thesis suggests that a security system, defined as a pattern of relations aimed at assuring the sharing of common values and interests, should be followed in the process of building security in Southern Africa.
The present invention relates to a bearing assembly having a damping characteristic. Specifically, a turbocharger bearing assembly may include a compressor-side bearing, the turbine side bearing, and a partition member configured to axially spaced turbine side bearing and a compressor-side bearing, wherein the partition member comprises a lubricant a guide member partitioning a plurality of bearing lubricant channel interface, and wherein, optionally including spacer disposed at the center of the through hole of the spring load to the bearing. Variety of other examples are also disclosed apparatus, assemblies, systems, methods and the like.
BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to determine clinical manifestations and outcome of Listeria monocytogenes meningitis (LM) and to compare with other forms of bacterial meningitis (BM).   MATERIAL AND METHODS We analyzed records of all adult patients with BM who were hospitalized between January 2010 and December 2017 in the largest neuroinfection center in Poland.   RESULTS Out of 343 analyzed patients with BM 24 were diagnosed to have LM. Patients with LM were older compared to patients with other forms of BM (62 years vs. 57 years, p=0.039), were more likely to have cancer (16.7% vs. 4.7%, p=0.045), receive immunosuppressive treatment (45.8% vs. 10.7%, p<0.001), or be immunocompromised in any way (62.5% vs. 35.5%, p=0.016). Blood tests showed lower WBC (10.7 × 103 cells/µl vs. 15.5 × 103 cells/µl, p=0.004), C-reactive protein (150 mg/L vs. 221 mg/L, p=0,019) and procalcitonin (1.27 ng/mL vs. 3.78 ng/mL, p=0.003) in LM group. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid showed lower cell count (531.5 cells/µL vs. 1100 cells/µL, p<0.001) and lower chloride (113 mmol/L vs. 117 mmol/L, p=0.036) in patients with LM. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, immunosuppressive therapy was the only variable independently associated with LM (OR:8.72, CI 95%:1.41-64.34, p=0.024).   CONCLUSIONS LM is associated with older age, cancer and immunosuppressive therapy. However, in multivariate analysis only immunosuppressive therapy turned out to be an independent risk factor for LM.
A method and / or arrangement for investigating fluorescent samples with a microscopic imaging system, preferably a laser scanning microscope, wherein the sample is scanned pointwise or linewise in at least one surface section, and dispersive splitting is carried out a the radiation coming from the sample during the scanning, wherein the split up radiation is detected dependent on the wavelength by at least one row of detector elements, at least one of these detection elements and / or at least one other detection element for the light reflected from the sample radiation by image processing is performed based on the recorded and stored intensity distribution of a variety of two- or three-dimensional sample parts which correspond to pre-stored two- or three-dimensional geometric objects, or similar and for at least a portion of these sample regions the arranged to you fluorescent marker, an analysis of the spectral signatures and / or spatial spectral sequence respect.
The internet has become a channel that allows people who are connected to it, can enjoy alI kinds of benefits it provides. Among these benefits stands the convenience of virtual banking service via internet banking. It is emphasized that these benefits can not be pleased at alI, considering that the various segments of society have different impressions of each other, and to delivering a quality service, we need to know about printing customer. This study aims to investigate the printing of retirees with internet banking customers through attributes of online services, but also the impression of the  overall satisfaction and behavioral intentions. For this exploratory research was conducted with bank customers of agencies of the towns of Volta Redonda, Rio Claro.  Data from 216 respondents were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. It was found that most of the attributes surveyed had a not positive evaluation in relation to  Internet banking service available and that the ease and use the website of the banks and the range of services offered are the ones who deserve more attention since the evaluation of overall satisfaction was not performing well and that these items may have contributed to this.
The present invention relates to a bismuth-containing catalysts which can be obtained by reacting with at least one 1,3-ketoamide having the formula (I) at least one bismuth (III) salts or bismuth (III) complex. Such complex compounds are particularly suitable as catalysts for the one-component and two-component polyurethane composition. The present invention further comprises at least one polyisocyanate as a first component, at least one polyol as a second component, and at least one of such bismuth-containing catalysts relates to a two component polyurethane composition . The present invention further comprises at least one polyisocyanate is prepared from at least one polyol, at least one polyurethane prepolymer having isocyanate groups, and, one of such bismuth-containing catalysts, One about component polyurethane composition. The present invention also relates to various uses of the polyurethane composition.
OBJECTIVE To report the findings of qualitative studies designed for use in improving sexually transmitted disease (STD) programs. The studies explore illness conceptions and treatment behaviors for STD in five African countries. These targeted intervention research (TIR) studies were performed on clinic-based and community-based samples in representative communities and utilized a variety of qualitative research methods (e.g. in-depth and key informant interviews, focus group discussions).   FINDINGS Study findings revealed that community members' explanations of symptoms, classification of illnesses, and perceptions of whether symptoms are pathological or serious influence individual health-care-seeking behaviors. Data also showed that local terms for STD are often disparaging and do not fit into biomedical designations. STD patient care-seeking frequently reflects an ordered, albeit loosely constructed, process of elimination in pursuit of symptom relief, wherein alternative treatments are tried and proven effective or abandoned.   CONCLUSIONS The TIR studies highlight the importance of community-specific strategies aimed at increasing prompt care seeking at qualified biomedical facilities. Information from study data should lead programs to sensitize health professionals to community understanding about STD and to design services and communication programs that are meaningful and appropriate to local contexts.
Intercellular bridges first appear during lizard oogenesis when follicles are rather small (150 microgram in diameter); at this stage they form connecting links between the oocyte and follicle cells, which have not yet differentiated into pyriform cells. Later on, when the follicles have become larger (1 mm) and the follicular epithelium appears constituted by 3 types of cells (small, intermediate and pyriform cells) they form connecting links between the oocyte and both intermediate and pyriform cells. The establishment of intercellular bridges between pyriform cells and the oocyte precedes the complete differentiation of the former, which excludes the possibility that the fusion between pyriform cells and oocyte occurs only after these cells are completely differentiated. In still larger follicles (up to 2 mm in diameter), during the degeneration of the pyriform cells, the occurrence, inside the bridges, of mitochondria and other cytoplasmic material suggests that these cells at the end of their function transfer their contents into the oocyte.
We analyze the effectiveness of the foreign exchange market interventionsconducted by the European Central Bank (ECB) in the fall of 2000 to support the external stability of the euro. To this end, we discuss different channels through whichinterventions may influence exchange rate dynamics. We use the insights provided by the theoretical and empirical literature to evaluate the effectiveness of theintervention policy of the ECB. In addition, we present an empirical analysis in which we use intra-daily exchange rate data to examine in detail the effects of theinterventions. We find that the interventions only had a rather short-term impact on the exchange rate path and had no effects beyond the short term. Therefore, our results suggest that the intervention policy of the ECB was not effective.
In a lubricated hot rolling method using a lubricating oil which contains one kind or two or more kinds among an high-basic alkaline-earth metal phenate, high-basic alkaline-earth metal carboxylate, high-basic alkaline-earth salicylate, or high-basic alkaline- earth metal sulfonate having a basicity of 40 mgKOH/g or higher, and has a viscosity at 40 C of 800 cSt or less, rolling is performed by granulating or atomizing the lubricating oil into particulates whose average size is less than 1 mm, supplying it to rolls by using a noncombustible gas whose flow rate is 2000 cm^3 or more per minute per lubricating nozzle and whose velocity is 1 m or more per second, and controlling the amount supplied of the lubricating oil to 0.01 cm^3 or more and 20 cm^3 or less per 1 m^2 of a surface area of the rolls.
This paper introduces the design of large diameter bored pile foundation,and points out the problems that should be paid attention in construction. It is believed that the bored pile foundation is especially suitable for space-intensive sites,and a punching perfusion can be completed at different depths,with the big pile diameter,good stiffness,high bearing capacity,direct transmission,and a smaller settlement 0f the building.
The web access log is the best repositories for the information source. It maintains the entire record of even a tiny low event. The web log updates each time a user starts a new session. Initially the log file contains each and every detail regarding the user, the Ip address, website name, time stamp and other details. The web usage pattern analysis is a method of distinguishing browsing patterns by analyzing the user’s navigation and behaviour. The internet server log files that store the knowledge concerning the guests of internet sites is employed as input for the web usage pattern analysis method. It must to trace the visitors’ on-line behaviors for website usage analysis. This paper reviews the method of Preprocessing that is helpful to take clear web log data from the online server log file. The preprocessed and analyzed results are used in many areas such as net traffic analysis, economical web site administration, website modifications, system improvement and personalization and business intelligence etc.
Surface tension is a key parameter in the Kohler equation describing cloud droplet formation, but which has been ignored for many years, mostly because of the lack of information on the surfactants present in aerosols and their effects on the surface tension. For this reason we have recently developed methods to extract the total surfactant fraction from aerosols (= sum of all the components affecting their surface tension), measure their concentrations, and determine the overall surface tension isotherm of the aerosols. This work presents the application of these methods to PM1 aerosols from different regions; Lyon, France (urban site, 55 samples), Rozgonica, Croatia (coastal site, 17 samples), and Pallas, Finland (remote site, 237 samples), and the first results on their surfactants and how much they might contribute to cloud formation. The results show that, in spite of large differences in the concentration and size distribution of aerosols in these different regions, the average molar concentrations of anionic, cationic and non-ionic surfactants inside the PM1 particles displayed similar trends: non-ionic surfactants represented 60 to 70 % of the total surfactant concentration, anionic ones 20 to 35 %, while cationic surfactants were negligible. However, large differences were observed in the Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC), the key point of the surface tension isotherm: the CMC of surfactants in remote aerosols was nearly 10 times lower than that in urban aerosols (1.7 x 10-4 M and 9.3 x 10-4 M, respectively) evidencing very different molecular structures and the greater cloud-forming efficiency of the surfactants from remote regions. In a second study, the potential role of surfactants on cloud formation was explored by comparing the analysis of the surfactants in PM1 aerosols (237 samples) with cloud occurrence over 9 months (257 clouds) at the remote Pallas Supersite of the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Finland. Statistical analyses (Canonical Correlation Analysis, CCA, and regression analyses) were applied to the data and revealed strong co-dependencies between the surfactant properties (ratio of concentration over CMC, C/CMC, quantifying the surfactant efficiency) and cloud frequency. As no such co-dependency was found between the surfactants and any of the other cloud-relevant variables (temperature, relative humidity, aerosol particle radius, and hygroscopic composition) these results suggested a direct, physical connection between the surfactants properties in PM1 and cloud properties. This connection was further confirmed by time-dependent analyses showing that each increase in surfactant efficiency observed over a 48h-period coincided with an increase in cloud frequency. These results are the first atmospheric evidence for a causality relationship between surfactants in PM1 aerosols and cloud formation
Hand washing with soap and water is a simple way to reduce the spread of disease. It doesn't require complicated technology, it's usually affordable and even young children can do it. Yet many people don't wash their hands when they should: before touching food, after using the toilet or after cleaning a baby's bottom. Campaigns to remind people to wash their hands aren't always successful, even in places where both soap and water are easy to find. For health experts, the problem is puzzling. Bacteria, parasites and viruses can easily spread when people don't wash their hands, putting children at risk of potentially fatal diarrheal and respiratory infections. The World Bank is committed to ending poverty and giving everyone an equal chance in life, and promoting healthy habits can help make this happen. There are so many things that can conspire to keep people poor: bad education and few jobs usually come to mind first. But poor health can be as devastating, if not more so, to a person's ability to create, find and utilize opportunities. Illness drains finances and keeps people out of school and work. For young children, the results can be deadly: diarrhea is the second leading cause of death in children under the age of 5, and this despite the fact that it's both preventable and treatable. As these studies underscore, changing behavior is difficult. The two studies taken together build on existing evidence showing that handwashing campaigns must move beyond traditional mass media into more personalized and intensive programs at the community and institutional level. Further research into how such approaches can be deployed on a large scale is needed, as is a better understanding of other environmental factors and fecaloral transmission pathways that can spread illnesses. This Evidence to Policy note was jointly produced by the World Bank Group, the Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF), and the British government's Department for International Development.
The study examined informal modes of communicating development information to the grass roots communities in Uganda. The case study Makindye Division in Kampala District. The objectives of the study were to: establish the informal modes of communication used in the Division; find out the advantages of informal modes over formal modes of communication among the grass roots communities; establish barriers to informal modes of communication; and recommend how best the informal communication modes could be used to mobilize grass root communities. Major findings of the study reveled that the majority of the grass roots people were illiterate, poor and in poor state of health; both formal and informal modes of communication existed in Makindye Division; although the formal modes were recognized their effectiveness had little or no impact on communities mainly due to illiteracy and poverty. Furthermore, the majority view was that information needs among the grass root communities concerned poverty alleviation, health, education and unemployment; that almost all the people at the grass root acknowledged that it was due to lack of information that they remained slaves of poverty, ignorance and disease. Major conclusions of the study revealed that the possible reason for the failure of formal media (radio, TV and Newspapers) was because they served only a small section of the elite who might not necessarily be in the mainstream production activities. Consequently, the grass roots communities continued lacking basic information, which was the catalyst for development. In addition, failure of the formal media at the grass roots level was due to its undemocratic structures, which operated in an extremely centralized fashion with a sharp concentration on power, resources and services to the rich elites. The communication system neglected the grass roots communities by only transmitting the values and ideologies of the ruling elites. The study recommended: the strengthening of community development centers, where informal modes of communication could be encouraged to make people well informed; identification of grass roots community information needs carefully matching the proposed system (informal modes) to the socio-cultural realities of these communities; communication technologies needed to be decentralized to the grass roots communities to give both these communities access to information produced, and also enhance their development. Lastly, theatre practitioners should be helped to perform plays that carry messages bearing such themes as nutrition, literacy, health and agriculture in grass roots communities.
Objective To observe the self-adjustment of the anterior mandibular teeth after extraction of the first mandibular premolar.Methods A total of 30 patients from case history of clinical orthodontics,Department of Stomatology,the Central Hospital of Panzhihua,were selected.All of them were treated with extraction of the first mandibular premolar,fixed appliance to the upper teeth,and the drift situation of lower canines were observed.Results The average distal drifting distance of the lower canines is 2.1mm,and crowding of the lower anterior teeth decreases 4.2mm.Conclusion Severe crowding could be successfully treated with first molar extraction,applying fixed appliance to the upper teeth first,by self-adjustment of the anterior mandibular teeth.
The utility model relates to a fast tying of guan zhongguan constructs, including inner tube fixed loop and outer tube go -between, the inner tube fixed loop is fixed firm with inner tube and joint, and the inner tube setting is in the outer tube, and the outer tube end is inserted and is equipped with the joint of being connected with intake piece or play water spare, outer tube go -between cover is established and is connected on connecting the periphery wall and with intake piece or play water spare, outer tube go -between periphery side is provided with a location convex part, and the outer tube go -between periphery broadside on of location convex part both sides calls to be provided with fixed protruding round pin, intake or go out water spare on be provided with and fix a position convex part matched with clamping orient groove, intake or go out to be provided with on the water spare and fix a position the fixed orifices with fixed protruding round pin matched with, the terminal cover of outer tube is equipped with the copper big envelope, be provided with the seal groove on the joint, be provided with the sealing washer on the seal groove, the utility model discloses simple structure, occupation space is little, and the installation is simple swift, feels convenient to use.
The prevalent use of the Internet not only brings with it numerous advantages, but also some drawbacks. The biggest of these problems is the threat to the individual’s personal privacy. This privacy issue is playing a growing role with respect to technological advancements. While new service-based technologies are considerably increasing the scope of information flow, the cost is a loss of control over personal information and therefore privacy. Existing privacy protection measures might fail to provide effective privacy protection in these new environments. This dissertation focuses on the use of new technologies to improve the levels of personal privacy. In this regard the WSP (Web Service Model for Personal Privacy Protection) model is formulated. This model proposes a privacy protection scheme using Web Services. Having received tremendous industry backing, Web Services is a very topical technology, promising much in the evolution of the Internet. In our society privacy is highly valued and a very important issue. Protecting personal privacy in environments using new technologies is crucial for their future success. These facts, combined with the detail that the WSP model focusses on Web Service environments, lead to the following realizations for the model: • The WSP model provides users with control over their personal information and allows them to express their desired level of privacy. Parties requiring access to a user’s information are explicitly defined by the user, as well as the information available to them. • The WSP model utilizes a Web Services architecture to provide privacy protection. In addition, it integrates security techniques, such as cryptography, into the architecture as required.
BACK GROUND :  Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem and increasing cause of morbidity and mortality. The acquired incretin defect leads to increase in glucose level in Type 2 DM patients. Dipeptidy peptidase- 4 inhibitors have a new therapeutic approach in the treatment of T2DM. DPP-4i act by inhibiting the DPP-4 enzymes there by it increases the circulating incretin hormone levels. Sitagliptin was first discovered and approved by FDA in 2006. Sitagliptin 100mg once daily is effective and safer as monotherapy or combined therapy with other oral hypoglycemic agents. Vildagliptin is second selective potent DPP-4 inhibitors approved by FDA in February 2007. Vildagliptin 50 mg once daily or twice daily is found to be effective, safe and well tolerated in patients with T2 DM as mono therapy or in combination therapy with oral hypoglycemic agents.  AIMS AND OBJECTIVES :  The aim of my study is to evaluate the comparative effect of sitagliptin and Vildagliptin on glycemic control and lipid profile in Type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients.  MATERIAL AND METHODS :  The study was conducted after obtaining institutional ethical clearance from institutional ethical committee, Chennai Medical College hospital and Research Centre. Irungalur,  Tiruchirapalli. The study period was 12 week (from June 2014 to July 2015). Total 180 patients were enrolled in this study after obtaining informed consent. The subjected were randomly divided into six groups and treated with sitagliptin and Vildagliptin in different combinations. Clinical and biochemical parameters were monitored at 0th, 4th, 8th and 12th week of study period.  RESULTS :  Sitagliptin and vildagliptin significantly (P<0.001) reduces the fasting plasma glucose, postprandial plasma glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels. They have therapeutic effect on serum lipid profile by reducing lowdensity lipoprotein and triglycerides at the end of 12th week. Serum amylase levels were found unaltered at the end of 12th week in all the six groups.  CONCLUSION :  Sitagliptin and vildagliptin as combined therapy with metformin or sulfonylurea significantly reduces blood glucose levels. The combination therapy of metformin with Sitagliptin and vildagliptin was found to be very effective in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus.
Work stress was assessed by continuous logging of heart rate in 31 air traffic control personnel at seven airports in Norway. The results showed work stress within reasonable limits in all categories of air traffic controllers. Tests of psychomotoric functions in 36 operators revealed that all categories of operative personnel, but the air traffic controllers especially, emphasized accuracy at the expense of speed. Measurements of blood pressure in nine of the 33 air traffic controllers who had shown significantly elevated blood pressure in 1981 during a serious labour conflict revealed values below what was to be expected for their age group.
Engine's malfunction information is contained in the wearing off process of lubricating oil.Meanwhile,the oil's dielectric constant has some change during the wearing out process.The method of online oil monitoring based on dielectric constant measurement is proposed,and the principle for oil monitoring is introduced.Oil monitoring system is also developed,which includes capacitance sensor,tiny capacitance detecting circuit and software of monitoring and analysis.Experiments are carried out on lubricating oil with different contamination.The results show that change of lubricating oil's dielectric constant can be detected effectively and properly,which has some reference meaning in lubricating oil replacing and fault diagnosis.
The invention discloses pantoprazole sodium enteric micro-pellet capsules and a preparation method thereof. The micro-pellet capsules comprise a main medicine layer, a first isolation layer, a second isolation layer, an enteric layer, a pigment layer and a capsule layer from inside to outside. The micro-pellet capsules comprise the first and second isolation layers to ensure that an environment pH value of pantoprazole sodium can be slowly transited to a slightly acidic environment of the enteric layer, and under the protection of the enteric layer and two isolation layers, pantoprazole sodium and an enteric layer material with acidity can still exist stably under the condition of being placed for a long time, so that the stability of products can be ensured. Meanwhile, the preparation method disclosed by the invention is simple to operate, high in production efficiency, low in equipment investment and low in product cost.
The novel titled Red Spirit makes a contrast between different cultural views referring to two historical periods.Xiao Shan,the father who has contradictory character with both a red heart and conservative ideas.The contradiction of thoughts to the work and love between"me"and"father"and their loss and gain make up the major part of different cultural ideas.The hope and initiative of the masses,the happiness and sufferings of the fate of four women characters form the value base for the writer to set up his standing point.
Two ion-selective electrodes with liquid membrane for N-butylscopolamonium bromide are described, with N-butylscopolamonium tetraphenylborate (I) and N-butylscopolamonium reineckate (II), respectively, solved in benzylic alcohol as electroactive material. These electrodes have a linear response in the concentration range of 10(-2)-10(-6) M N-butylscopolamonium bromide, with the detection limit of 10(-7) M for both electrodes. These electrodes were used with good results for quantitative assay by direct potentiometry of injectable solutions of N-butylscopolamonium bromide.
Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is an ominous radiologic sign and indicates the need for urgent surgical intervention. The causes are varied, but the commonest and most serious is infarcted bowel. Because HPVG is difficult to detect on plain abdominal x-ray films, more reliable methods have been sought. The authors describe the case of a 31-year-old man to illustrate the need for and benefit of early detection of HPVG using ultrasonography, which was instrumental in the survival of the patient.
THE INVENTION CONCERNS A METHOD FOR LAMINATED GLAZING INCLUDING A MONOLITHIC SUPPORT OR LAMINATED GLASS ETOU PLASTIC HAVING AN EDGE ON ONE SIDE EMAILLEE AND SHEET PLASTIC WITH AT LEAST ONE LAYER POLYURETHANE CONTACT THE FACE HAVING THE BORDER EMAILLEE. According to the Invention, ON TREATY BEFORE ASSEMBLY SUPPORT WITH PLASTIC SHEET AREA MAINLY RELATED TO BORDER EMAILLEE, AT LEAST TWO FACES CONTACT THE BORDER WITH EMAILLEE LAYER POLYURETHANE BY FILING OF A PRIMARY INCLUDING A REACTION MIXTURE HAVING NCO GROUPS FREE THESE GROUPS BEING FREE NCO rEACT LIKELY WITH gLAZED AND SUPPORT WITH PLASTIC SHEET AND TO FORM LINKS CROSS-LINKING WITH OTHER COMPONENTS AT PRIMARY CYCLE THERMAL ASSEMBLY LATER, ON THE ASSEMBLY AV PLASTIC SHEET EC SUPPORT AND ON THE WINDOW TO SUBMIT A CYCLE FOR THERMAL REACTION OF PRIMARY AND MEMBERSHIP OF PERIPHERAL FINAL WINDOWS.
Water distribution system design is a challenging optimisation problem with a high number of search dimensions and constraints. In this way, Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) have been widely applied to optimise WDS to minimise cost subject whilst meeting pressure constraints. This paper proposes a new hybrid evolutionary framework that consists of three distinct phases. The first phase applied CMA-ES, a robust adaptive meta-heuristic for continuous optimisation. This is followed by an upward-greedy search phase to remove pressure violations. Finally, a downward greedy search phase is used to reduce oversized pipes. To assess the effectiveness of the hybrid method, it was applied to five well-known WDSs case studies. The results reveal that the new framework outperforms CMA-ES by itself and other previously applied heuristics on most benchmarks in terms of both optimisation speed and network cost.
There are many strict articles on the fraud behaviors of the economic field in the codes of Tang Dy- nasty.The focus of the codes of Tang Dynasty is to encourage the interfere of the government,to protect the interests of Tang government,and to investigate and affix the responsibility of the officials.Making this reasearch on the arti- cles of Tang codes on the economic fraud will make a valuable contribution towards stopping economic fraud behav- iors and facing the serious credit crisis of today.
The construction of campus culture,an important aspect of the construction of spiritual civilization in colleges,plays an essential role in turning out qualified college students.In recent years,campus culture has been a keynote in the study of the construction of campus culture.The paper mainly discusses the concept,functions and forms of campus culture in colleges and it also predicts the tendency of the study in the future.
Effect of NaCl stress on yield and various physiological parameters (leaf area, osmotic potential, glycine-betaine, total sugars and chlorophyll contents) was studied in 7 wheat genotypes (Lu-26s, Sarsabz, Bhittai, KTDH22, Khirman, B-7012 and Bakhtawar) grown under two salinity levels (NaCl 1.5 and 12 dS/m) in the cemented tanks having river sand. Seeds were allowed to germinate under normal condition and salinity treatments were imposed after one week of germination. Salinity was imposed by irrigating the crop at an interval of two weeks or whenever required with 1/4 Hoagland nutrient solution having respective NaCl concentrations. Salinity reduced the grain yield, leaf area and chlorophyll contents however it resulted in an increase in the osmotic potential, glycine-betaine and total sugar contents. The results clearly indicated that under salt stress, genotypes with higher leaf area, osmotic potential, glycine-betaine, total sugar and chlorophyll contents, had more grain yields as compared to the genotypes with lower values for these attributes. On the basis of yield reduction, four genotypes viz., Lu-26s, Sarsabz, Bhittai and KTDH-22 were found to be salt tolerant whereas genotypes V-7012, Khirman and Bakhtawar were designated as sensitive ones. The tolerant genotypes also maintained higher leaf area, osmotic potential, glycine-betaine, total sugar and chlorophyll contents under saline conditions.
Transmission electron microscope investigations on ascidian interspecific fertilization have been carried out on some crosses: Ascidia malaca female x Ascidiella aspersa male, Ascidia malaca female x Phallusia mammillata male, Ascidiella aspersa female x Ascidia malaca male. The morphological aspects of heterospecific sperm-egg interaction were compared with those of homospecific fertilization to complete the previous light and scanning electron microscope observations in this field. Sperm behaviour in homo- and heterospecific crosses mainly differs in the power of sperm passageway through the egg envelopes. Foreign spermatozoa, firstly interacting with the follicle cells (FCs), remain on the FC surface, leaving the interfollicular clefts empty. In homospecific fertilized eggs the initial events, also observed in hybrid crosses, are: attraction, entrapment and sperm mitochondrion translocation. But in homospecific crosses the FCs, by means of projections on their surface, facilitate the sperm path between the clefts for reaching the vitelline coat; the clefts are full of spermatozoa. These observations suggest a role of initial reproductive barrier for the FCs.
Petri Nets is very interesting tool for studying and simulating different behaviors of information systems. It can be used in different applications based on the appropriate class of Petri Nets whereas it is classical, colored or timed Petri Nets. In this paper we introduce a new approach of Petri Nets called orbital Petri Nets (OPN) for studying the orbital rotating systems within a specific domain. The study investigated and analyzed OPN with highlighting the problem of space debris collision problem as a case study. The mathematical investigation results of two OPN models proved that space debris collision problem can be prevented based on the new method of firing sequence in OPN. By this study, new smart algorithms can be implemented and simulated by orbital Petri Nets for mitigating the space debris collision problem as a next work.
This article provides an overview of the physician assistant profession in general and in South Carolina. Information on the educational program at the Medical University of South Carolina and the results of a study of the satisfaction and contribution of the physician assistant as perceived by a sample of South Carolina supervising physicians is included. The study demonstrates that the physician assistant makes an important contribution to health care in South Carolina.
Logistic regression is a commonly used building block in ecological modeling, but its additive structure among environmental predictors often assumes compensatory relationships between predictors, which can lead to problematic results. In reality, the distribution of species is often determined by the least-favored factor, according to von Liebig's Law of the Minimum, which is not addressed in modeling. To address this issue, we introduced the min-linear logistic regression model, which has a built-in minimum structure of competing factors. In our empirical analysis of the distribution of Asiatic black bears ($ textit{Ursus thibetanus}$), we found that the min-linear model performs well compared to other methods and has several advantages. By using the model, we were able to identify ecologically meaningful limiting factors on bear distribution across the survey area. The model's inherent simplicity and interpretability make it a promising tool for extending into other widely used ecological models.
Objective:To investigate the relationship between curative effects of olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia and serum homocysteine levels.Method:A total of 68 patients with schizophrenia were divided into high homocysteine(HHcy) group and non-HHcy group according to the serum homocysteine level.They were treated with olanzapine for 12 weeks,and serum homocysteine levels were tested by fluorescence polarization immunoassay.The patients assessed with the positive and negative syndrome scale(PANSS) and clinical global impressions scale(CGI) before and after treatment.Results:There was significant difference in the effective rate between the HHcy group and non-HHcy group(P0.05 or P0.01)(41% vs 65%).After 2 weeks treatment,the total score of PANSS and CGL-SI in both groups decreased significantly compared with that before trentment(P0.05 or P0.01).Conclusion:The serum homocysteine level has certain influence on curative effects of olanzapine in patients with schizophrenia.
Approach to agriculture risk management has extended in the EU and the possibilities of public support for yield risk management have increased. Crop insurance products are supported in EU’s Common Agricultural policy (CAP). The problem in policymaking is finding the balance between crop insurance supply and demand, because adequate data on farm-specific yield density functions are rarely available. We used a choice experiment (CE)to evaluate the willingness of farmers to buy crop insurance products. Demand for crop insurances was revealed, but we found that farmers anchor their willingness to pay for crop insurances to the price levels introduced.
Combined H 2 evolution and degradation of organic wastewater would be amajor advantage for environmental friendly technology in converting solar energy into hydrogen energy.Acetate was the dominant product of organic wastewater degradation,therefore,it was important to develop a system for H 2 photoproduction from acetate.15 pure cultures were isolated from pulp effluent,rice field and sludge of sewage aquatic environment using sodium acetate as sole electron donor under natural ecological conditions.Their primary taxonomic characteristics were investigated.According to morphological characteristics,the presence of bacteriochlorophylls and carotenoid pigments,growth temperature,and the ability to utilize organic compounds,reduced sulfur compounds and NaCl requirement,the strains were divided into four groups,Cells of group 1,2 and 4 contain bacteriochlorophyll a and the carotenoid of spirilloxanthin. However,colors of suspension of group 1 (strain Z and Bu) were purple-red,group 2 (R 1 R 3 R 4) were redish-brown,group 4 (SP 1 SP 2) were rose-red to redish-brown.The cells of group 4 were able to employ reduced sulfur as the sole photosynthetic electron donor for CO 2 assimilation and were capable of growth at concentration of NaCl of 1g·L -1 .These strains grew at 20～40℃,optimal growth temperature was at 30～40℃ and 30～35℃ ,respectively.Group 3(Y 7-Y 13 )is different from the above strains,cultures color were yellowish brown,the photosynthetic pigments were bacteriochlorophyll a and the carotenoid of lycopene series.These strains grew at 20～35℃,and good growth occurrde at 25～35℃.The cells divided by binary fission.Among these examined strains,Z,Bu,Y 7,SP 2 were selected to determine their capacity of hydrogen photoproduction due to their rapid growth,rich photosynthetic pigments,wide substrates utilization for growth.The result showed that the four strains were capable of producing molecular hydrogen used acetate as the sole hydrogen donor.The highest activity of hydrogen production was observed with strain Z.The dynamics of hydrogen liberation indicated that the maximal H 2 yield was 308.9ml·g -1 with acetate as hydrogen donor.These strains would have potential application value in turning industrial and sewage waste into hydrogen energy.
1-arm, wherein comprising a -c-met antibody, wherein the anti -c-met antibody sequence KSSQSLLYTSSQKNYLA (SEQ ID NO: 1) HVR-L1, HVR-L2, comprising the sequence WASTRES (SEQ ID NO: 2) comprising the sequence QQYYAYPWT (SEQ ID NO: 3) a HVR-H3 comprising an HVR-L3, SEQ ID GYTFTSYWLH (SEQ ID NO: 4) HVR-H2, and SEQ ID ATYRSYVTPLDY (SEQ ID NO: 6) comprising the HVR-HI, SEQ GMIDPSNSDTRFNPNFKD (SEQ ID NO: 5) comprising a containing will pharmaceutical preparations and their use, including there is provided herein.
A total of 50 vibration disease patients were assessed by stimulation and needle myography. The authors revealed highly diagnostic parameters: wider range of excitation velocity in motor axons of mixed nerves, preferential decrease in minimal motor velocity, lower number of motor units (MU) functioning, denervation changes of MU action potentials, potentials of spontaneous activity of muscular fibers and fasciculations. Distal muscles of limbs demonstrate the most striking changes in electric activity of MU.
Zhang, Di Virtual Resource-Sharing Mechanisms in Software-Defined and Virtualized Wireless Network Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2018, 62 p.(+included articles) (Jyväskylä Studies in Computing ISSN 1456-5390; ) ISBN 978-951-39-7469-5 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-7470-1 (PDF) Finnish summary Diss. On the way towards providing scenario-based transmission (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (uRLLC), and massive machine type communications (mMTC)) in 5G, the incorporation of software-defined networking (SDN) and wireless network virtualization (WNV) is foreseen to offer such softwarization and service-oriented architecture. This research concentrates on reducing the capital expenses (CapEx) and operation expenses (OpEx) significantly from a radio resource management(RRM) perspective. With this objective, one software-defined and virtualized (SDV) architecture for enabling different-level virtualization is first proposed. The designed wireless virtualization scheme offers the ability to abstract and slice the wireless network by separating the control and data planes in a flexible m anner. Second, multiple virtual resource-sharing (VRS) mechanisms for ensuring fairness and competitiveness among mobile operators and providers using auction and contract theories are proposed. With such VRS mechanisms, diverse quality-of-service (QoS) requirements of users (data rate, delay, priority, etc.), profits of conflicting operators and providers, and different system-level objectives (system throughput and energy efficiency) are e nsured. To validate our proposed VRS mechanisms, a variety of mathematical demonstrations are conducted with different theoretic approaches (auction and contract theories). The performance of each mechanism is separately evaluated with system level simulations.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to share part of a postdoctoral research to examine the role of Malay women in the Malaysian workforce from 1970-2000 and analyze its impact on the young generations’ consciousness on ethics and integrity. It will initially outline the socio-economic factors which have contributed to women’s increasing participation in the Malaysian workforce, with a focus on Malay women. It will discuss the challenges of combining full time jobs with home obligations from Eastern and Islamic dimensions. Design/methodology/approach: At the macro-level, library research is carried out through texts and on-line resources including journal publications of local authors. Secondary data have also been collected from Labour Force Survey Reports in Malaysia of the various years as well as Malaysia Plan Reports. Due to limited resources and data available from East Malaysia, this study will mostly include demographic figures from Peninsular Malaysia. Findings: Malaysia has been experiencing a significant demographic change in workforce pattern with increasing participation of women since 1970s, much driven by industrialization policies and market demands within a competitive economic environment. Studies have shown that employers in Malaysia do not seem to be introducing change within their human resource policies and frameworks to support the continuous increasing trend of women’s participation in a diverse workforce and dual career family pattern. Practical implications: Considering these trends, it is doubly justified for the Malaysian government to take the lead, if employers are not sensitive to introduce change within their human resource policies and frameworks. An integrated collaborative effort between the Malaysian Ministry of Women, Family and Development and Ministry of Human Resources with representation from the employment sectors (i.e. both public and private) needs to be initiated urgently to address this pressing issue. Originality/value: This paper will provide an insight for policy makers and employers to develop strategies to support women at work, as a way forward to balance market considerations within the society’s requirements for nation building. Assessing the triple role of woman as a mother, home manager and career person from eastern culture and Islamic perspectives, this paper will recommend measures within the socio-economic and legal frameworks to support women at work.
The effects of a mobile telephone conversation on driving were studied in the advanced driving simulator at VTI. Twenty subjects, 10 men and 10 women, ages 60 to 71, and 10 men and 10 women, ages 23 to 58 participated in this study. The road driven by the subjects was straight and not expected to cause any problems with speed choice and steering. The workload imposed on the subjects was thought to be very low. The telephone task included handling of the phone and a conversation. The handling task consisted of pushing the hands-free button to activate the telephone when calling. During the conversation, subjects were asked to listen to pre-recorded sentences and for each sentence to judge if it was "sensible" or "nonsense". After a numer of sentences they had to recall the last word in each sentence.
With microwave digestion-graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry method,the effects of the microwave digestion system,matrix modifier,ashing and atomization temperature on the test are analyzed in bush leaves.The results show that the average recovery of Arsenic(As),Lead(Pb),Chromium(Cd),Cadmium(Cr),Nickle(Ni)were 97.5%,98.3%,99.8%,99.0% and98.2%,and the detection limits were 0.045,0.058,0.008,0.064,0.130mg/kg,respectively.The content of tested bush leaves were 0.96,7.46,0.15,2.35and 1.73mg/kg,which close to the standard value.
Objectives: To investigate the effect of bioactive glass addition on the physicomechanical properties of Biodentine TM . The study compares the setting time, compressive strength and radiopacity of Biodentine TM modified by three different compositions of bioactive glasses Design: This was an exploratory lab based quasi-experimental study Setting: The study was conducted in the laboratory at Queen Mary, University of London Dental Physical Sciences Unit. Materials and methods: Dental cements based on Biodentine TM and its modifications were used in the study. Original unmodified Biodentine TM cement was coded BO. Three bioactive glasses based on high fluoride (Q), high strontium (I) and high fluoride + strontium (H)were synthesized and 0.07g of each of the bioactive glasses added to Biodentine TM powder to yield 3 additional types of cements which were coded BQ, BI and BH respectively. A set mass of each cement type was prepared by adding 5 drops of the liquid supplied with Biodentine TM to the powders and triturating for 30 seconds in a 4000rpm electric amalgamator. These cements were subjected to setting time determination, compressive strength testing and radiopacity testing according to ISO 9917-1: 2007.Setting time and compressive strength were statistically analysed using T-test at 95% confidence level at a significance level of 0.05. Results: Bioactive glass addition resulted in initial setting times of11.31+0.18, 12:22+ 0.11, 11:59+ 0.15 and 13:35+0.23 minutes for BO, BQ, BI and BH respectively. The increased setting time of BQ and BH were statistically significant. Student t-test analysis of compressive strength demonstrated statistically higher 14 day compressive strengths for BI (p=0.036) and BH (p=0004). BH cement had the highest grey scale value equivalent to 2.9mm of aluminium, which was consistent with the best radiopacity among the 4 Biodentine TM based cements. Conclusion: Bioactive glass addition to Biodentine TM improved the radiographic detectability and compressive strength of the cement. This is important since current use of Biodentine TM is limited owing to inadequate strength and detection on radiographs. However, further studies are needed to explore alternative modifications that could shorten the setting time of this cement.
Low-cost Earth-imaging instruments typically require high performance structures to ensure that critical alignments of optical components are maintained between the assembly phase, and the on-orbit operational phase. There are a number of threats to structural dimensional stability, including thermal cycling, moisture desorption and launch vibrations. This last area is the subject of this thesis. The main aim of the research described here is to better understand the effects of random vibration on the dimensional stability of precision structures. The first part of this research considered the degree to which random vibration is a problem - this was assessed by comparing its effects on dimensional stability with those of other typical environmental stressors. This was accomplished by performing a series of environmental tests on an optical breadboard structure, and measuring the dimensional stability throughout. These tests showed that random vibration could indeed pose a significant threat. The second part of the research aimed to better understand the dimensional stability response of specific structural elements - namely materials and bolted joints - to random vibration. This required the development of novel test setups and metrology techniques. Controlled tests were performed in both these structural areas, and a number of useful conclusions were drawn. The final part of the research was to investigate the empirical results using FEA methods. A significant challenge was to develop a modelling technique that is capable of predicting dimensional stability responses to random vibration. In the case of the material tests, the response of the test samples was correctly predicted using FEA with cyclic plasticity properties and parameters identified from static tests. This research has produced a number of relevant findings for spacebased stable optical bench structures. These have been condensed into a series of recommendations for design, analysis, testing, metrology and bedding-in vibration for future optical payload projects.
Fall-of-potential method is used usually to measure the ground impedance of large scale grounding system exactly. Because the interlinked magnetic flux between closed loops to inject test current and to measure potential rise is existed in E-P-C straight line arrangement, mutual(or inductive) coupling influences greatly on the measurement correctness. Therefore, we measured the ground impedance differences according to the coupled lengths of test lead and analyzed the measurement error of ground impedance by frequency.
Tel : (852) 2780 0022 Fax : (852) 2771 9899 e-mail : drauyeung@yahoo.com.hk ABSTRACT Use of dental implants to replace missing teeth in the posterior maxilla has long been a challenge for dentists due to the limited availability of alveolar bone. Various sinus-lift techniques, such as the lateral window approach and Summer’s osteotome technique, have been used for bone augmentation to facilitate implant placement but these techniques have a number of drawbacks. This article presents an alternative technique that may be considered by practitioners.
Objective To investigate the influence of serums HBV-DNA quantity in pregnant women on HBV transmission between mothers and infants.Methods Serum HBV-DNA quantity was performed by fluorescence quantitative PCR in 96 paired mothers and infants.Different groups were divided according to the concentration of serums HBV-DNA.Results The cumulative calculation of different groups of maternal serum HBV-DNA showed that there was a positive correlation of serums HBV-DNA between paired mothers and fetal cord blood,and also the mother-infant transmission rates were higher.Conclusions HBV transmission rates were influenced by maternal serum HBV-DNA concentration.
E-Learning is called electronic learning. It is the way of learning with the use of effective technology and computer students get education without time and distance limitations. The study examine that how students perceive and interact with technology in their education. This paper is Analysis of day which define students’ enthusiasm with technology, appropriate course and instructors. Survey methodology is used in this paper. Questionnaire is designed to distributes and get responses of those students who communicate and learn with computer/technology.
This panel focused upon the following major issues: the special position of aviation and the future role of national governments; the present status of deregulation in domestic markets in and outside the USA; the effects of deregulation in the international and intercontinental markets; and the world after deregulation. The panel discussed, on a qualitative basis, the changes it foresees in the international, and more particularly the intercontinental markets, in the Western world to the year 2000. This period was selected as being sufficiently foreseeable in light of the market development which can be anticipated today.
Zoning of salt licks area is one of the decision-making issues faced in managing biodiversity conservation that is parallel to ecotourism development. There is uncertainty in general method to distinguish areas with the permitted tourism impacts. Previous studies described several management plans that measured the success rate applicable to national parks but there are still lacking in tropical rainforest. The issue regarding the wildlife and their environment has been largely ignored and there is an underestimation about the true contribution of forest to this ecology. The salt licks areas, however, are opened to the visitors, thus risking the wildlife population in the state park. The aim of this study is to develop a tourism zoning nearby the salt licks area in Royal Belum State Park (RBSP) which could improve the sensitivity of environment and the needs of wildlife. This study used two different methods which were qualitative method and quantitative method. The qualitative method was conducted by distribution of questionnaires to the RBSP and Department of Wildlife and National Park staff. This method provides more explanations and assumptions about the characteristics of the salt licks. The survey could help RBSP staff to develop the tourism zoning area. This study applied the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique to support tourism zoning at RBSP. There are three protection levels of tourism zoning designation, which are high, moderate, and low level. Different level shows different characteristics, where suitability map highlights the effectiveness of zoning in the protected areas is produced. The zoning system can balance between conservation goals and tourism needs. Another method that has been applied was quantitative method which required sample of wildlife photos taken from the camera traps placed at the fieldwork areas in the RBSP. The analyses were carried out from January 2014 to April 2015. The results of correlation between the wildlife distribution which are distracted by human activities are classified into two different zoning areas; the salt licks area nearby the tourism places and the salt licks area which are far from the tourism places. Both zoning areas tend to have moderate negative correlation. Meanwhile, the range value for the salt licks nearby the tourism places and the salt licks area far from tourism places are -0.305 to 0.373 and -0.539 to 0.398 respectively. As conclusion, the increasing number of tourists will cause the number of wildlife decreases. The produced map could contribute to ease the management of wildlife by the RBSP staff and the entry of tourist in the future.
Student Database of STIKOM Dinamika Bangsa contains student data in large and variedquantities. The data can be processed in order to become more valuable information. Thisstudy aims to determine the relationship patterns among variables on the data graduationstudents using data mining techniques, calculated and translated using RapidMiner tools.Before the mining process is done, the data first pass through the process of cleaning,selection and transformation. The method used in this research is association rules methodby using algorithm apriori, that is algorithm to determine the highest frequency pattern.Result of contribution from this research is make rule / rule that can be used decisionmaker to be consideration when STIKOM Dinamika Bangsa will do promotion and alsodevelopment in certain scope. the establishment of association rule with minimum supportand minimum confidence parameters, resulting in a relationship pattern between thegraduation data and the parent data in the form of association rules. The informationdisplayed in the form of support and confidence relationship between the variables in thestudent's graduation data. The higher the value of confidence and support the stronger thevalue of the relationship between attributes.
Heated food is known to be often contaminated with B. cereus, leading to cases of diarrhoeal or emetic diseases. Battalion kitchens or army catering facilities present a food safety risk, as temperature abuse and long storage time can result in serious public health problems affecting a high number of served people. In contrast to civil catering facilities, no microbiological monitoring systems are currently implemented in Swiss military kitchens. In this study toxin gene profiles and cytotoxicity levels of 21 isolates of B. cereus originating from six different food categories were determined. Nearly all isolates (95%) harbored the nhe gene, whereas no hbl could be detected. Seven isolates displayed the cytK2 gene and one cereulide-producer was isolated out of vegetables. While most isolates displayed low cytotoxicity, highly cytotoxic strains were detected, with three isolates even exceeding the cytotoxicity level of the reference strain for high-level toxin production, underpinning that cytotoxicity cannot be deduced only from presence or absence of toxin genes. These findings further underline the importance of rapid cooling of foods or maintenance over 65°C before serving. This is especially important in mass catering facilities, such as military kitchens, in which food is often prepared a long time in advance.
The optimization of cutting parameters is an important means in raising productivity,improving the quality and decreasing the cost. In this paper, The combination genetic algorithm is used to optimize the cutting parameters. This method retains the traditional genetic's advantage of rapidly arriving the sphere of the optimum values. And through combining the simulated annealing algorithm it improves the convergence of the traditional genetic in final.
Fault injection technique is an effective means for BIT software testing.Addressing to the problems encountered in the board-level BIT software testing,this paper proposes a fault simulation and injection method based on the open source simulator QEMU.This method models and simulates a variety of processor class fault mode after the expansion and development of QEMU,which joins faulty behavior simulation and fault injection modules to achieve a system level simulator BitVaSim.Firstly,processor function failure mode analysis is given,key-value pair of faults are extracted,and XML Schema is used to define and model faults.Secondly,a second development is conducted on QEMU codes so as to simulate the fault behavior of processors.Thirdly,fault injection interfaces are configured to implement failure mode matching and fault conditions triggering to inject faults on demand in simulator runtime.Experimental results demonstrate the accuracy and potential of BitVaSim in the evaluation of the dependability properties of the complex computer systems and the BIT system.
Research over the last decade has confirmed that facial injuries caused by violence occur most frequently among young males, often under the influence of alcohol, and less frequently in women and children following domestic violence. Evidence of injuries may be used in court or in claims for compensation, and must be carefully documented. Facial asymmetry, deviation of the mandible in opening, altered occlusion and/or abrasions under the chin may be indications of jaw fractures; such patients are referred to oral surgery units for further treatment. Lacerations and ulceration in the oral mucous membrane should be treated as skin wounds. A fractured tooth should be referred to a general dental practitioner. Luxated teeth should be carefully replaced and immediately referred to a dentist for fixation. Completely avulsed teeth should immediately be replaced, preferably at the site of the accident, or immediately upon arrival at the clinic. Prompt referral to a dental practitioner for follow-up treatment is essential for the success of replantations. Additional documentation of the injury may be provided by photographs, radiographs and drawings. The letter of referral to the dentist should contain the following information: data on the patient, the circumstances, clinical findings, treatment performed and prescriptions given, together with advice given to the patient.
A fundamental aspect of statistical inference is representation of real-world data using statistical models. This article analyzes students’ articulations of statistical models and modeling during their first steps in making informal statistical inferences. An integrated modeling approach (IMA) was designed and implemented to help students understand the relationship between sample and population, as well as reasoning with models and modeling. We explore the articulations of a pair of primary school students, who had previously participated in the Connections Project exploratory data analysis (EDA) activities, and suggest an emergent conceptual framework for reasoning with statistical models and modeling. We shed light on ideas of statistical models and modeling that can emerge among primary students and how they articulate those ideas. Implications for teaching and research are discussed.
Polysaccharide was extracted from the leaves of erberry(Sambucus williamsii) using water as extract solution.The phenol-sulfuric acid method was adopted to determine the content of polysaccharide.The effects of factors including extraction temperature,extraction time,mass ratio of material to water,concentration of alcohol used for deposition,extraction times and pH of extract system on the yield of polysaccharide were studied by single factor tests.And orthogonal design was adopted to optimize the extraction technology.The optimized extraction conditions were,extraction temperature,75 ℃;Extraction time,3 h;Mass ratio of material to water,1∶30;Concentration of alcohol(volumn ratio),80%,and the yield of polysaccharide could be 15.52%.
This wide-ranging and accessible Reader provides a useful introduction to the historical and contemporary debates about the values, ethics and pleasures of tabloid news, entertainment and culture.  Arranged thematically, the book addresses definitions and debates, values and ethics, carnival and excess, celebrity, gender and sexuality, production and the audience. With specially written introductions to the volume and to each section, the Reader features key writings from leading scholars in the field. Essays explore the history and origins of tabloid culture and concepts such as the press, magazines, shock-jocks, the public sphere, reality and talk show television, photojournalism and voyeurism, and examples used include:  • heat magazine  • Loaded and men’s lifestyle publications  • Jackass  • The tabloid life of O.J. Simpson  • Big Brother’s Jade Goody  Each section is followed by recommendations for further reading.  Contributors: Mark Andrejevic, Feona Attwood, Karin Becker, S. Elizabeth Bird, Anita Biressi, Frances Bonner, Kate Brooks, Martin Conboy, Mark Deuze, John Fiske, Bob Franklin, Des Freedman, Kevin Glynn, Laura Grindstaff, Jostein Gripsrud, Bridget Griffen-Foley, Su Holmes, Patricia Holland, Leon Hunt, A. M. Jonsson, Jason Kosovski, P. David Marshall, Victoria Mapplebeck, Heather Nunn, Henrik Ornebring, Mark Pursehouse, Graeme Turner, Pamela Wilson.
A huge amount of studies have shown that dyslexic individuals exhibit poor performance in visual perceptual, oculomotor and visual attentional tasks which, according to many researchers, reflect an impairment of the magnocellular pathway. Our work evaluates the link between the visual attention span (VA span), eye movements and the magnocellular pathway in both dyslexic and typically developing children. In accordance with the multitrace memory model's predictions, results show that the VA span is associated with fixation number in reading, independently of the participants' phonological skills. In contrast, no relation was found between the VA span and eye movements in visual search. Saccadic latencies of those dyslexic children with a VA span deficit differ from those of normal-readers and of dyslexic children without VA span disorder on a prosaccade task including Gap and Overlap conditions. Finally, the VA span deficit was not found to be associated with a lower sensibility to phantom contours. The present findings allow proposing an alternative account of the different eye movement patterns observed in dyslexic children during reading and visual search. They suggest a VA span disorder as contributing to the atypical eye movements found in reading. They further show that the VA span reduction is associated with neither visual perceptual or basic oculomotor deficits, nor single letter identification difficulties. The VA span reduction seems related to subtle but abnormal repartition of visual attention. We found no evidence for an associated disorder of the visual magnocellular pathway. Our findings further speak for the necessity to take into account the heterogeneity of the cognitive profiles in developmental dyslexia.
In the paper some results of experimental and numerical analysis concerning penetration of a steel rod (with conical and flat-faced heads) into heavy high-strength steel and AlMg6, Al-Zn-Mg and D16 aluminum alloys plates are presented. The calculations are conducted for relatively Iow velocities of penetration (200–1000 m/s), so the hydrodynamic component of the pressure on the contact surface is much lower than the strength of the material with allowance for viscosity effects. In most variants, the strains in the rod are assumed to be elastic for revealing effects of viscosity of the plate material. The resistance to penetration at its initial stages (prior to the rod plastic flow and fracture) is found to be determined by the dynamic strength of the plate material, its viscous component (proportional to the plastic strain rate) prevailing at the impact velocities of up to 500 m/s. From the experimental analysis it follows that the depth of penetration varies with the resistance, and it is conditioned by wave processes in the plate, their scale being dependent on its thickness. Such experimental results are in agreement with results of computer simulation of the initial stage of rigid rod penetration in plates of limited thickness.
Lawmakers, advocates, and scholars have trained a great deal of attention on the collateral consequences of criminal convictions, particularly the effects of conviction on employment. This article focuses on an overlooked problem: employers’ widespread use of nonconvictions, including acquittals, to reject job applicants or fire employees. Using real-world case studies as discussion points, this article surveys the patchwork of laws applicable to the use of non-conviction records in employment, and makes proposals for legislative solutions to a problem that threatens the employability of millions of Americans who may never have been convicted of any crime.
In order to classify the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias(IIPs), extraction and interpretation of features on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) image is considered to be effective. The purpose of our study is to develop a diagnosis support system to help diagnostician of classification for those HRCT images using an artificial neural network called counter propagation network. The CPN is a hybrid type neural network model composed from self-organizing map (SOM) for feature extraction and from multi-layered perceptron (MLP) for classification. Applying the CPN for the IIPs images, we could obtain both a kind of similarity map and classification system.
To prevent cosmetically undesirable orbital concavity after enucleation, methyl methacrylate spheres were implanted into the orbits of 73 dogs and 5 cats. In all cases, follow-up reports were obtained until suture removal 2 weeks after surgery, and for 58 animals (79%) until 6 months after surgery. Information was available for 46 animals (60%) 1 year after surgery, 28 animals (36%) 2 years after surgery, and 7 animals (9%) 3 years after surgery. Implants failed in 3 dogs and 2 cats. Complications were not detected in the remaining 73 animals (93%), and owners were pleased with the cosmetic results. The causes of implant failure in dogs varied; however, in cats, fluid accumulation was the consistent complication associated with failure. Orbital implantation of methyl methacrylate spheres was found to be a safe, practical, and inexpensive method of improving the cosmetic appearance of dogs requiring enucleation. Although the number of cats evaluated was limited, the accumulation of orbital fluid in a high percentage of those suggested that orbital implants may be less successful in this species.
Spatial and vertical boundaries were studied for the oxygen-hydrogen sulfide intermediate layer in the Black Sea. The wind has a great influence on the thermohaline structure of the Danube coastal waters. It causes strong out-and-influx processes and up-welling of hydrogen sulfide waters of the intermediate layer in the north-western part of the Black Sea, which is supposed to be one of the reasons for the ecological equilibrium disturbance in this region.
Student government organizations play a variety of roles on college campuses, ranging from fostering students' sense of civic responsibility to assisting students to engage in the campus community. This study explored voter turnout at student government elections at 100 colleges and universities. Voter turnout averages were identified, along with differentiating voter participation by institutional type. Findings identified that most institutions engage less than a fifth of their student population in annual student government elections.
The present invention rapidly disintegrate without water in the oral cavity, and practical tablet hardness was possess, (a) a pharmacologically active ingredient solubility of at least about 1mg / ml in water, the average of (b) primary particles particle size to provide an oral rapidly disintegrating tablet containing crystalline or particulate, and (c) crospovidone D- mannitol and a specific surface area of about 30μm or more is not more than about 0.4 m 2 /
OBJECTIVE:To document the prevalence and factors associated with severe fibrosis and cirrhosis in a large population of Asian chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients.METHODS:Transient elastography was performed in unselected CHB patients. Liver stiffness score of <8.1 kPa was used as a cut-off for the presence of severe fibrosis or liver cirrhosis.RESULTS:1315 patients were recruited, of which 951 (72%) were treatment-naïve. Of these, 319 (34%) had severe fibrosis, with higher prevalence seen in males compared with females (39% vs 24% respectively, p < 0.01. Severe fibrosis was seen with increasing age from 20% in patients <25 years to 81% in those >65 years. Higher prevalence of severe fibrosis was seen in HBeAg(+) patients compared to HBeAg(−) patients age >45 years (58% vs 43% respectively, p = 0.03), in patients with HBV DNA levels ≥4 log compared with <4 log copies/ml (41% vs 27% respectively, p < 0.01), and in patients with stepwise increase of ALT levels (<0.5 × ULN vs 0.5–1 × ULN vs 1–2 × ULN; 11% vs 30% vs 48% respectively, p < 0.01). After multivariate analysis, gender, age and ALT levels were significant factors associated with severe fibrosis. Patients who received antiviral treatment had lower ALT, stiffness score and prevalence of cirrhosis compared to treatment-naïve patients [25 vs 35 U/L (p < 0.01), 6.2 vs 6.7 kPa (p = 0.031) and 14% vs 22% (p = 0.008) respectively].CONCLUSION:The overall prevalence of severe fibrosis in CHB patients was 34% with higher rates seen in older age groups, males, and in patients with higher ALT levels.
Objective To evaluate laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) versus open cholecystectomy (OC) in compensated cirrhotics and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score and Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) classification in predicting perioperative morbidity. Methods Between January 1998 and June 2011,128 cirrhotic patients of symptomatic innocuous gallbladder disease at CPT class A or B liver function were prospectively and randomly divided into LC group (64 patients) and OC group (64 patients ). Data were analyzed by T test, Mann-Whitney U test and Pearson x2 test.Results There was no statistical differences in operation time between the two groups ( t =1.761,P =0.081 ).The intraoperative blood loss ＞ 200 ml occurred in 15 ( 26％ ) LC patients and 35 ( 55％ ) OC patients ( x2 =4.467,P =0.035 ).LC patients had earlier up and about,earlier oral intake,short hospital stay ( t =5.424,t =8.573,t =15.634; P =0.000,respectively) and lower complication rate [ CTP:24％ (14/58) vs 38％ (24/64),x2 =4.582,P =0.032; MELD scores 21％ (12/58) vs 34％ (22/64),x2 =4.238,P =0.040] compared with OC patients.LC patients' VAS- fatigue and VAS-pain scores on first 3 days were lower than OC according to the VAS (visual analogue scale) (Mann-Whitney U =473.0,MannWhitney =6.0,Mann-Whitney =22.5,Mann-Whitney =24.0,Mann-Whitney =46.0; P =0.000,respectively),and the VRS-cosmetic score was higher in LC group than in the OC group according to the VRS ( verbal rating scale) ( Mann-Whitney =145.0,P =0.000).MELD score ＞ 14 predicted higher blood loss and complication rate regardless of LC or OC,while CPT classification did not seem to predict intraoperative bleeding volume and morbidity. Conclusions LC can be performed safely in cirrhotic patients with CPT class A and B.LC has less,blood loss lower postoperative complication rate,and quicker postoperative recovery.MELD score system is more valuable than CPT classification system in predicting blood loss and postoperative complication rate in cirrhotics undergoing cholecystectomy.    Key words:  Liver cirrhosis; Cholecystectomy, laparoscopic; Liver function tests
Foreword by Ron Ellis Introduction Living with a Concussion Before the Beginning Attitudes & Perspectives Toward Concussions in Sport The Crosby Factor The Media & Concussions The Medical Perspective An Associations Perspective-Reality Check A Parents Role Diagnosing a Concussion A Hockey Moms Intuition Concussion Testing Types of Concussion Tests Concussion Management What to Watch For Recovery: The Importance of Rest When Symptoms Linger Communication Getting Back to the Normal Swing Return to Play Not Returning to Play Stop, Rest & Recover: Concussion Protocol at School Equipment The Right Helmet Concussion Instruments The Genesis of the Concussion App for iPhone from SportsSafety Labs Possible Long-term Effects Second Impact Syndrome (SIS) Post-concussion Syndrome (PCS) The Dangers of Multiple Concussions & CTE Bus Ride to Somewhere Personal Stories Our Inspiration In the Minds of Pros Invisible Injuries Can Happen to Anyone Frequently Asked Questions Questions to Ask Your Doctor Typical Activities to Avoid During Recovery Concussion Signs & Symptoms Specific to Classroom Learning Return to Play Guidelines Afterword: It Will Take a Village Appendix References.
We describe 2 patients with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) who manifested characteristic pathologic abnormalities in the urinary bladder. Increased connective tissue deposition in the lamina propria and between smooth muscle bundles was demonstrated in both patients and endovascular proliferation in small arteries of the bladder was noted in one patient. Both patients had persistent unexplained microscopic hematuria; one patient manifested urinary frequency and incontinence. The relationship of these clinical abnormalities to the pathologic findings in the bladder is unclear. Structural or functional abnormalities of the urinary bladder may develop in patients with PSS.
Objective To investigate the effect of adjuvant therapy on the treatment of stage Ⅱ pancreatic carcinomas.Methods The clinical data of 139 patients with stage Ⅱ pancreatic carcinoma were analyzed tetrospectively.Results The overall 1,3 and 5-year cumulative survival rate of 139 patients was 40%,6% and 3% respectively,and the median survival time(MST) was 279 days.The MST was 390 days for the radical resection group,270 days for the bypass operation and laparotomy group,and 132 days for the non-surgical group;and 399 days for those with adjuvant therapy,210 days for those without adjuvant therapy;The adjuvant therapy did not significantly prolong the survival time nor decrease the liver metastasis rate in the patients with stage Ⅱ carcinoma undergoing radical resection(P0.05).However,in the patients undergoing bypass operation,laparotomy or non-surgiery,the adjuvant therapy improved the survival significantly(P0.05),but the survival rate was not significantly different between systemic venous chemotherapy,radiation therapy,interventional therapy and combination therapy(P0.05);and was also not significant difference between gemcitabine(GEM) regimen and 5-fluorouracil regimen(P0.05),or between GEM monotherapy and GEM combined with platinum/capecitabine(P0.05).Conclusions The proper adjuvant therapy can be suggested for the patients after radical resection for stage Ⅱ pancreatic carcinoma according to patient′s condition.Chemotherapy combined with radiation should be applied aggressively for the patients whose cancer was not radically resected.The clinical efficacy of GEM combined with platinum/capecitabine is relatively better than GEM alone.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Many data suggest that the density of mast cells (MC) is strongly correlated with the extent of both normal and pathologic angiogenesis, such as the vessel formation that occurs in chronic inflammatory diseases and tumors. We have previously demonstrated that isolated MC and their secretory granules, but not degranulated MC, induce an angiogenic response in the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay.   DESIGN AND METHODS The aim of this study was to investigate whether pre-treatment of MC with an anti-angiogenic molecule, namely recombinant human interferon-alpha2a (rhIFN-alpha2a), reduced the angiogenic activity of their conditioned media (CM) in the CAM assay.   RESULTS Our data indicate that rhIFN-alpha2a at 500-1000 IU is able to reduce the angiogenic activity of CM significantly. When MC were treated with rhIFN-alpha2a at 25-250 IU they retained their angiogenic activity. Addition of anti-fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) antibodies (but not anti-vascular endothelial growth factor) substantially reduced the angiogenic activity of CM treated with sub-optimal concentrations of rhIFN-alpha2a.   INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS FGF-2 may be the main angiogenic factor secreted by MC and higher concentrations of rhIFN-alpha2a possibly inhibit angiogenesis by blocking the actions of FGF-2 produced by MC. Finally, the morphologic features of MC treated with rhIFN-alpha2a, characterized by an atypical secretory pathway, are compatible with a slow release of the angiogenic cytokines stored in MC granules.
In a period of less than three months the fluid couplings of two boiler feedwater pumps for a 125MW unit had all broken down due to a furnace flame out caused by boiler slag drop thumping. A detailed analysis has shown that the failure condition and component damage are identical for each of the two cases of the coupling failure. The main cause can be attributed to an excessively high operating oil temperature of the couplings, which has exceeded the fusion temperature (130℃) of the tungalloy of the coupling component. In view of the above, several measures were proposed to deal with the situation, such as a reduction of the coupling operating oil temperature, a lower speed adopted for conducting boiler load increase and decrease, a moderate range of adjustment for the coupling flow guide tube, etc. The introduction of the above measures has resulted in an enhancement of the feedwater pump unit service life as well as the safety and economic operation of the boiler units.
PURPOSE: To improve operability by displaying a desired window easily under plural-window display environment. CONSTITUTION: This device is provided with a table 6 to store the identification information of the windows belonging to respective groups when respective windows W1-W4 are devided into plural groups, and window specifying means 3 to specify one desired window from the windows displayed at present. And this device is provided with a window control means 4B to refer to the table 6 by the identification information set beforehand in the window specified by this specifying means 3, to detect the windows which belong to the same group, to display the windows which belong to the same group along with the window specifies by the window specifying means at the front position prior to the windows of the other groups. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio
The contemporary society demands to the superior education to form professionals able to have a successful acting; nevertheless, the current state of the formation of the professionals of the Physical Culture in Cuba is not the one wanted so that these they can act chord to the social demands in relation to the education of the free time. Presently work is presented an analysis of the main theoretical budgets - methodological that base the formation of professional competitions for the education of the free time in the university students of Physical Culture, as well as the characterization and critic of the formative process around this thematic one. Key Words: professional Competitions, education of the free time, the professional's formation
A convective flow is generated in the sidearm of a lake due to surface cooling. In this paper, steady, incompressible, and 2D flow in a horizontal sidearm having constant width is analyzed. The vertical acceleration terms and the variation of the temperature function along the sidearm (which were neglected in the previous studies) are considered. The equations governing the distributions of velocity and temperature were developed, then solved numerically by using a ''shooting tech- nique'' and Runge-Kutta method. The numerical results were compared with the available field data for validation.
Abstract : This paper focuses on and compare dimensions of Argentine and Brazilian foreign policy in the international system, coupled with changes in their domestic and regional politics. Both countries have adoped independent foreign policy strategies aimed toward regional and global interdependence. Their pursuit of independent action has tended to ignore United States influence unless it coincided with perceptions of their national interests. These strategies have resulted in marked diversification of contacts with other nations, both developing and developed. Additionally, these traditional rivals acknowledge the benefits to be gained politically and economically by cooperating. In final, assessment of their bids for independence and self-sufficiency have only highlighted Argentine and Brazilian interdependence on the Latin American region and the international system. (Author)
This research is aimed at carrying out a systematic investigation of the nucleation, and growth of spurious “misoriented” grains during directional solidification in the low gravity environment of space. Three Al–7 wt. % Si alloy cylindrical samples (MICAST-6, MICAST-7 and MICAST2-12) were directionally solidified on the Space Station at growth speeds varying from 5 to 50 μms under thermal gradients varying from 14 to 33 K cm in alumina crucibles, under a joint NASA-ESA (European Space Agency) project called, MICAST (Microstructure formation in casting of technical alloys under a diffusive and magnetically controlled convection conditions). The primary purpose of directionally solidifying these three Al-7Si samples in the low gravity environment of space was to eliminate gravity-induced convection in the melt, and grow dendrite array morphology under purely diffusive transport conditions. However, when these directionally solidified samples were extracted from their alumina crucibles, they all showed evidence of surface pores along their length. We believe that these pores formed because in microgravity, there is no imposed force to pull the liquid column down on to the solidifying portion below to continue to feed the volume shrinkage due to liquid to solid phase transformation. There was no additional built-in mechanism, such as a piston and spring, in the MICAST ampoules to keep the melt column pressed onto the solid below. We also believe that even in the absence of gravity, a liquid coulmn which gets detached from the crucible internal waals (forming surface pores), under an imposed positive thermal gradient, would lead to the
In this paper, we investigate the dynamics of spherical droplets in the presence of a source-sink pair flow field. The dynamics of the droplets is governed by the Maxey-Riley equation with Basset-Boussinesq history term neglected. We find that, in the absence of gravity, there are two distinct behaviours for the droplets: small droplets cannot go further than a specific distance, which we determine analytically, from the source before getting pulled into the sink. Larger droplets can travel further from the source before getting pulled into the sink by virtue of their larger inertia, and their maximum travelled distance is determined analytically.  We investigate the effects of gravity, and we find that there are three distinct droplet behaviours categorised by their relative sizes: small, intermediate-sized, and large. Counterintuitively, we find that the droplets with minimum horizontal range are neither small nor large, but of intermediate size. Furthermore, we show that in conditions of regular human respiration, these intermediate-sized droplets range from a few $ mu$m to a few hundred $ mu$m. The result that such droplets have a very short range could have important implications for the interpretation of existing data on droplet dispersion.
A 57-year-old female suffered from chronic renal failure and was treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The patient received an intravenous infusion of linezolid 0.6 g twice daily for the treatment of acute peritonitis. Two days later, the patient developed leucopenia (WBC 2.43×109·L-1) and neutropenia (N 0). The medication was stopped immediately, and the patient was treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) 100 μg. Two days later, the WBC count increased to 9.10×109·L-1 and N 41.6%. Linezolid was replaced by other antimicrobial drugs, and leucopenia and neutropenia didn't reoccur.
During erection of cables on the steel box arch rib, the displacement and internal forces of arch ribs may deviate from actual situation due to the impact of geometric nonlinear factors such as the effect of cable sag, large displacement and beam column structure. To minimize the linear deviation of the arch axis and ensure construction safety, comparative analysis is made of two situations, i.e. considering the geometric nonlinearities or not, with the proposal that some section of the arch rib be lifted accordingly during erection of cables to counteract its sagging due to the geometric nonlinear impact.
A new division of ice engineering sub-areas is set up based on the ice physical and mechanical parameters distributions in Bohai. The characteristic of the division shows that the load on the vertical structures with same diameter or width is (equal) in a same division area. Therefore, the new division index becomes the product of a uniform ice sheet design thickness and peak compressive strength at different return periods. To obtain these physical and mechanical parameters, we use history data to set up the expressions of a uniform ice sheet or ice sample temperature, salinity and density with air temperature, water temperature, ice period and ice thickness. Then ice porosity is obtained. Later ice peak compressive strength is calculated by using the experimental relationship of Bohai ice peak compressive strength and porosity. At last, the ice sheet physical and peak compressive strength distributions at different return periods in Bohai are developed from ice sample results. The new ice engineering sub-areas at different return periods are obtained with the help of the new division index. The new ice sub-areas in return periods of 25-, 50- and 100-year are given as samples.
Summary   Crosslinked poly(methyl methacrylate/ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) P(MMA/EGDMA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with the antimicrobial agent methyl paraben (MP) were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization. The MP-loaded NPs (i.e., ≤9.63 wt% MP) had an average size in the range of 108 to 145 nm. The NPs were subsequently incorporated in a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) matrix, in the form of individual NPs and small aggregates (<1 µm), employing a twin screw extrusion process in the presence and absence of appropriate compatibilizers (i.e., montmorillonite clay (MMT), mesoporous silica (MCM-41)). MP exhibited a sustained release profile from the P(MMA/EGDMA) (NPs) as well as from the LDPE matrix.
A bstract This study aims to reveal: (1) The difference learning outcomes of students using the modules and non-modules on the subjects of Geography, (2) difference in learning outcomes of students with high learning motivation and learning by using a non-module module on the subjects of Geography, (3) Differences learning outcomes of students with low motivation to learn and use the module that uses a non-module on the subjects of Geography, (4) interaction with a module of learning strategies and motivation towards learning outcomes. This research was conducted using a quasi experimental methods, the population in this study is the class X SMA N 1 Peranap. Sample class is a class X 5 as classroom learning modules and classroom learning X 2 as a non-module class. The results of analysis after the study of Geography students studied the results obtained are taught using the module higher than the learning outcomes of Geography students who use non-module, while the learning outcomes of Geography with a high motivation to learn is taught using the module higher than the learning outcomes of Geography students who use non- module, learning outcomes Geography students with low motivation to learn is taught using the module higher than the learning outcomes of Geography students who use non-module. In addition, there is no interaction between learning modules and non-modules on the Study abroad. From these date, we can conclude that learning by using the better than the non learning modules. Kata Kunci : Modul, Motivasi, Hasil belajar
Shadow has a long history,is important for thousands of years of folk expression of aesthetic sense.May 20,2006,Jianghan shadow was included in the national intangible cultural heritage protection list.This paper studies the art of singing Jianghan shadow,Carve Art,made the conservation,development Jianghan shadow vision of making this treasure of folk art can be carried forward,so that delay and Shadow Art can never pass one.
The Small and Medium enterprises play a vital role in the Indian economic structure due to its significant contribution in terms of output, exports and employment. For a developing nation like India, where the labour is abundant and capital is scarce, the small sector is a major source of employment for millions of people. Keeping in view the importance of SMEs, the Indian government has included this sector in its five-year plans. The SMEs are still hampered by the problems of finance, marketing and low quality. Taking into account the enormous potential of the small sector, the entrepreneurs and the policy-makers must act collectively to facilitate growth in this sector.
This paper introduced the reuse method of building solid waste from the intra-industry aspect,inter-industry aspect and social aspect,based on triple cycle of the recycle economy theory and the analysis of current situation of the reuse of building solid waste in Beijing,and finally put forward the reuse system of building solid waste in Beijing based on the recycle economy theory,providing a reference for the reuse of building solid waste in Beijing.
After a recursive multi-step-ahead predictor for nonlinear systems based on local recurrent neural networks is introduced, an intelligent PID controller is adopted to correct the errors including identified model errors and accurnulatec errors produced in the recursive process. Characterized by predictive control, this method can achieve a good control accuracy and has good robustness. A simulation study shows that this control algorithm is very effective.
Abstract : One hundred and thirty three references to published work pertaining to transparent armor for use in the vision ports of Army ground vehicles or in aircraft enclosures are listed under ten categories, as follows: state of the art; glass; plastic; glass-plastic; single crystal ceramics; dynamic properties of polymers; fiber optics; vision blocks; military specifications, handbooks; and drawings; bibliographies.
Did the Greek gods play tennis? What is the ambassador from the land of Alchemy telling us? What secrets are being told on the shores of the Island of Venus? And what is the monk doing on the Ship of Fools? These and other questions are asked about famous works of art in this book from the successful ""Examining Paintings""-series. Suddenly the pictures come alive and relate previously untold stories. In their own language they recall earlier fashions and opinions, trends and intrigues, and tell of love, sin and lifestyles from the past. Powerful men and their mistresses, painters and models all come together in this illustrated history of culture. They cease to be two-dimensional figures of art and become flesh and blood before our eyes. This is thanks to the forensic sixth sense with which the two authors expose the secrets of the paintings under scrutiny. They spotlight each individual section of the painting, analyse them, and then put them back together again like a huge jigsaw puzzle, revealing the history of art as a lively panorama of forgotten worlds. For once, works of art are not to be enjoyed simply as art for art's sake, but as a living testimony of bygone times.
The importance of selection pressures during the first generations, in farms with artificial feeding, is evidenced by the study of strains of Acrolepiopsis assectella Zeller subjected to dietary changes. the evolution of the survival rate and the duration of the development of the larvae was followed during the first generations after the change, and subsequently controlled during several years of breeding under the same conditions. The survival rate seems to reach a fairly rapid equilibrium, the level of which is not independent of the food consumed, while the duration of larval development becomes identical for all strains in the fourth generation. These phenomena seem to correspond to an adaptation of the insects to their breeding conditions, which cause a selection in the populations of origin.
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to measure changes of total hemoglobin concentration, 'Delta'(Hb)_(total), and relative vascular oxygenation 'Delta'(HbO2) in rat mammary and prostate tumors in response to hyperoxic gas interventions. 19F NMR of vascular perflubron was used to compare with the NIRS observations. The consistent trends between 'Delta'(Hb)_(total) and 'Delta'V_(T-blood) demonstrated that the NIRS can serve as an accurate, non-invasive, real time, monitoring tool for tumor vascular volume measurement. Meanwhile, these results also demonstrated that different types of tumors may respond to hyperoxic gases differently, and that NIRS could be used to assess vascular oxygenation changes non-invasively for guiding tumor therapy.
The present invention relates to a solid-state image sensor, at least one transmission line among a plurality of transmission lines corresponding to one photoelectric conversion region is configured of a transparent conductive material. The solid-state image sensor of the present invention as described above the first and second transmission line are here is of a transparent material of a single layer structure can be reduced because of the high pixel solid-state image sensing each width of the transmission line so as to have the maximum aperture ratio of a clock signal applied of the device it can be applied at the time of manufacture. In addition, the effect of improving the light sensitivity of the device makes a reduction in the opening ratio given by the transmission line.
Objective To evaluate the effect of insulin aspart and novolin R in keep on subcutaneous injection in the insulin pump. Methods 100 patients in the hospitalization of January of in 2005 January of in 2007 were randomly divided into two groups: Insulin aspart was used in observe group,Novolin R was used in control group,all two weeks.Observe the control of three meals in front and back blood sugar,and dawn blood sugar,occurrence rate of the low blood sugar etc.Results The control of three meals in front and back blood sugar of the observe group was better than control group,the rate of the low blood sugar was lower obviously than the control group.lncrease aspect to have no obvious difference in the weight.Conclusion The application of Insulin aspart in the insulin pump was better than Novolin R.
The purpose of this article is development of theoretic-methodical provisions of formation of the differentiated mechanism of the state support of small business on the basis of its high-quality identification. As object of research in article small business acts, an object of research are the organizational and economic relations arising between small business and the state concerning rendering the state support to small enterprises. The author during research proved need of orientation of a state policy in the field of support of small business on qualitative criteria of its identification for the purpose of rendering the state support depending on a role of small enterprises in economy: innovative potential and social responsibility. The author offered the organizational and economic mechanism of the state support of small business differentiated, first, on degree of compliance of small enterprises to each of the offered qualitative criteria, and, secondly, in the directions of the state support of small enterprises. The differentiated mechanism of support of small business developed by the author includes two blocks: the executive, including analysis and an assessment of environment, monitoring of a condition of small business in general, and also development on the basis of two previous stages of the directions of the state support of small business. The executive block means application of the directions of the state support in relation to small enterprises according to accessory of them to qualitative criteria. The directions of support of small enterprises offered by the author include the general measures directed on creation of the effective institutional environment of functioning of small enterprises (organizational and legislative and infrastructure) and the special, differentiated depending on reference of small enterprise to qualitative criteria identifications of small business (tax, financial and credit, information and consulting).
The two line system hybrid rape Liangyou 586 was the best new combination which was used a GMS two line system 501 8S sensitive to temperature and photoperiod in Brassica napus and a restoration line C6 1 by hybridization, selection. It appeared high yield, good quality, moderate growing period and strong resistance. Through three years' comparison of varieties, two years' regional tests, two years' productive tests, all tested results showed an increase by 9.9% over that of CK (Zhongyou 821). According to analysis of all characteristics, it comes in the first of all tested varieties.
This study assessed the instrumentality of Touch ’n Go eWallet mobile app at selected areas in University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) and Politeknik Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin (PTSS) Perlis, Malaysia, in July and August 2019. Fifteen staff from the two institutions was selected as participants. The purpose of the test was to assess the usability of the app and get user feedback to improve the instrumental quality of the application in order to meet user satisfaction and their experience. This report contains the participants’ feedbacks, task completion rates, ease or difficulty of task completion, time on task, errors, and recommendations for improvements. This study used 4 tasks to assess the instrumental quality of Touch ‘n Go eWallet mobile app. Overall, the outcome of the study revealed that the app is generally usable and instrumental to assisting users accomplish their electronic wallet goals. There is however some observed issues in the app that require fixing to enhance the instrumental quality of app.
The use of ICT in teaching-learning process is a relatively new phenomenon and it has been the educational researchers' focus. Within education, ICT has begun to have a presence but the impact has not been as extensive as in other fields. Education is a very socially oriented activity and quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high degrees of personal contact with learners. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. This paper highlights the significance  of ICT in Sudanese higher education. The paper argues the role of ICT in transforming teaching and learning and seeks to explore how ICT has positively have added new dimension in the language teaching in the higher education.  Finally, the paper assesses how Information Technology has facilitated the growth in interactive learning and what has been its impact in the higher educational in the country. The findings of this study revealed that teaching staff as well students have  a strong desire and interest to integrate ICT into teaching-learning processes.
ABSTRACT Structural barriers such as a restrictive legal environment, limited medical resources, and high-costs inhibit access to safe abortion in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); these barriers are exacerbated by two decades of conflict. Socio-normative barriers further complicate access to safe abortion and post-abortion care (PAC) in DRC, where fear of abortion-related stigma may lead women to avoid PAC services. Programme partners support the Ministry of Health to provide good quality contraceptive and PAC services in North and South Kivu, DRC. This paper presents results from focus group discussions that explored community members’ attitudes towards women who induce abortion and their care-seeking behaviour in programme areas. Results indicate that while abortion stigma was widespread, community members’ attitudes towards women who induced abortions were not one-dimensional. Although they initially expressed negative opinions regarding women who induced abortion, beliefs became more nuanced as discussion shifted to the specific situations that could motivate a woman to do so. For example, many considered it understandable that a woman would induce abortion after rape: perhaps unsurprising, given the prevalence of conflict-related sexual violence in this area. While community members believed that fear of stigma or associated negative social consequences dissuaded women from seeking PAC, a majority believed that all women should have access to life-saving PAC. This commitment to ensuring that women who induced abortion have access to PAC, in addition to the professed acceptability of induced abortion in certain situations, indicates that there could be an opening to destigmatise abortion access in this context.
Checks and tests are made of such aspects as chemical composition,mechanical properties,microstructure,crack and fracture and corrosion products of the bellows that causes to be effect.In combination with the stress calculations and analyses based on the operation conditions of the bellows,this paper probe into the cause of the burst failure of its expansion joints and some preventive measure in hightemperature flue gas piping.
The present invention relates to a method for piece goods, boxes, workpieces or articles such as bottles, cans and the like is divided, packet synchronization apparatus and having a guide in which the stream of articles and a conveyor with a plurality of the conveyor cooperating means divided or partitioned member, which in a predeterminable position on a moving conveyor acting between these members or the piece goods cargo behind them and individually, in rows or groups divided, wherein the distance of the partitioning member may be varied and may produce different set of dimensions, and is divided or partitioned finger member is held on the conveyor with the article conveyor, or the like irrespective of the cycle operation. Wherein the upper conveyor (2) with a first tab support (4) is forcibly guided and associated with the other on a first plane (6) of the support webs (7) in a second plane (9) guided and the first and second plane (6, 9) may be placed on each other and the same may be varied in a distance.
This method for forming a protective film using a plasma cvd method on the surfaces of a plurality of conductive substrates includes the following steps to be performed using a plasma CVD device (1) for implementing this method: a step for dividing the plurality of substrates into two groups, and mounting the substrates inside a vacuum chamber (2) in a state in which the first group and the other group and the chamber are electrically insulated; a step for creating a vacuum state in the interior of the vacuum chamber (2); and a step for forming a protective film on the surfaces of the substrates by supplying the interior of the vacuum chamber (2) with a processing gas containing a deposition gas, and generating a discharge plasma between the substrates by supplying AC power between the two groups of substrates.
Peritrochanteric femur fracture are usually sustained from a fall or road traffic accident. Reduction and Internal fixation is an alternative due to frequent development of non-union, increase in morbidity and related complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this prospective study of 83 patients with peritrochanteric femur fracture operated with proximal femur nailing were enrolled. RESULTS Results were considered in terms of complication ,mobility and Harris hip score. CONCLUSION Peritrochanteric femur fracture operated with Proximal femur nailing yielded good overall results.we recommend operating peritrochanteric femur fracture with Proximal femur nail in adults as well as elderly.
The invention provides a method for executing tasks parallelly on a heterogeneous multiprocessor, specifically a method for executing a plurality of executable programs parallelly on one or a plurality of physical computing device CPUs or GPUs. The dependency among the executable programs decides which one of the executable programs is chosen by the numerous threads running in a plurality of physical computing devices simultaneously to call and execute. If one thread is initialized by certain GPU in the physical computing device, but the GPU is busy in processing other image processing threads, then the thread can be initialized by another thread in the physical computing device. In order to execute a plurality of executable programs parallelly on the a plurality of physical computing devices, source codes and existing executable programs as API functions are all stored in an API library. The executed executable programs can be the existing executable programs as well as executable programs which are compiled on line from the source codes.
Neu-Laxova syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive congenital disorder. Prenatal diagnosis is possible via second trimester ultrasonography. Characteristic ultrasound findings include hydramnios, severe intrauterine growth restriction, craniofacial and CNS anomalies, limb contractures, skin lymphedema, skin restrictions, and akinesia. Fewer than 70 cases have been reported, and no survival beyond six months of age is known with most neonatal deaths occurring within the first few days of life. Overall, this is a lethal condition after birth secondary to severe lung hypoplasia and brain anomalies. Herein we report a recent case from our institution with prenatal diagnosis.
This paper examines the asymmetric relationship between price and implied volatility and the associated extreme quantile dependence using a linear and non- linear quantile regression approach. Our goal is to demonstrate that the relationship between the volatility and market return, as quantified by Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression, is not uniform across the distribution of the volatility-price re- turn pairs using quantile regressions. We examine the bivariate relationships of six volatility-return pairs, namely: CBOE VIX and S&P 500, FTSE 100 Volatility and FTSE 100, NASDAQ 100 Volatility (VXN) and NASDAQ, DAX Volatility (VDAX) and DAX 30, CAC Volatility (VCAC) and CAC 40, and STOXX Volatility (VS- TOXX) and STOXX. The assumption of a normal distribution in the return series is not appropriate when the distribution is skewed, and hence OLS may not capture a complete picture of the relationship. Quantile regression, on the other hand, can be set up with various loss functions, both parametric and non-parametric (linear case) and can be evaluated with skewed marginal-based copulas (for the non-linear case), which is helpful in evaluating the non-normal and non-linear nature of the relationship between price and volatility. In the empirical analysis we compare the results from linear quantile regression (LQR) and copula based non-linear quantile regression known as copula quantile regression (CQR). The discussion of the prop- erties of the volatility series and empirical findings in this paper have significance for portfolio optimization, hedging strategies, trading strategies and risk management, in general.
The universal banking system has made it imperative for Taiwan banks to merge. The study employed the two-stage method to analyze the 1997-1999 data of 43 commercial banks in Taiwan. The first stage employed the DEAP Version 2.1 software of Tim Coelli, where (data envelopment analysis, DEA) was used to measure the operating efficiency of each bank. The second stage employed the SAS software, where the Tobit regression method was used to analyze the effects of bank mergers on the operating efficiency of banks. The empirical findings revealed: (1) generally, bank mergers tend to upgrade the technical efficiency, allocative efficiency, and cost efficiency of banks; however a yearly decline was noted in allocative efficiency and cost efficiency. (2) In terms of technical efficiency and allocative efficiency improvement, the effect of bank mergers was significant; however, in terms of cost efficiency improvement, the effect was insignificant. I. Introduction A review of the 20th Century business growth performance reveals record highs in the number of cases and the total dollar value paid involved in corporate mergers and acquisitions (abbreviated MA Deutsche Bank (Germany) and the Bankers Trust Company (US) merged to become the world's largest bank. The following year, Kogyo Bank (Japan), Fuji Bank (Japan) and the Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank Ltd. announced their merger to form the Mizuho Holdings Corp. in an effort to become the world's largest bank. As size became the new trend in the banking industry, the global banking map began to undergo rapid changes. Last year, the Chase Manhattan Bank (US) merged with Morgan Bank (US) and Citibank Group merged with First Capital Co. mergers; they ranked fifth and sixth in the 2000 top ten largest MA large corporations stay large. A look into the Taiwan banking environment revealed strict government control during the early period. The banking industry of Taiwan did not have a complete banking system for development; it also lacked reliable institutions and credible indices for bank management and operating performance evaluation puiposes. Since 1991, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) licensed the establishment of sixteen new banks, afterwards, the MOF allowed the conversion of credit cooperatives, trust investment companies, and small & medium business banks into commercial banks; hence the soaring increase in numbers of commercial banks. In the process, the nation saw an excessive number of similar bank products, thus diminishing the margin between bank profits. The stiff price competition resulted to the development of "too many banks with not enough business to handle"; as a result non-performing accounts began to pile up. A long period of faction disputes, internal trading, excessive overdue loans eroded the asset structure of a number of banks. The high level of non-performing assets made them seek mergers and acquisitions deals for reorganization into commercial banks or assimilation into other banks1. Last November, the government passed the Bank Mergers Act in an aggressive effort to promote bank mergers. Aside from promulgating tax incentives and extension of the legal validity deadlines, the new law also relaxed regulations on mergers between banks and non banking corporations2, as well as granted the Ministry of Finance the right to force the receivership and merger of debt-laden farmer or fishery association credit departments. Moreover, it provided the legal foundation for placing overextended credit establishments under the "asset management company" setup. The paper conducted an empirical study on Taiwan commercial banks through literature review and the two-stage method3 in the hope of providing local bankers and government authorities a reference for bank mergers evaluation. …
Delamination (along ply interfaces) and splitting (along the fiber-matrix interfaces) are the main modes of FRP fracture. This modes follow all types of fracture and they lead to bear capacity lose for composite elements of construction. Traditional strength criteria in term of maximum stresses or maximum strains cannot describe exactly the conditions of delamination or splitting onset, start and propagation. The energy approach in this paper, uses as the necessary condition of delamination (in according with Griffith-type criterion) the excess of the initial value of the elastic energy over the value of final energy (stored after fracture) by the value of the work of delamination which is proportional to square of crack and to specific work of delamination. Some simple examples for bending, torsion and compression of composites plates demonstrate an important consequent of energy criterion: scale effect, critical stresses (strength) dependence on absolute sizes of structure elements. Some new results are connected with analysis of composite plates delamination under the combination of bending and torsion moments and also with the conditions of equi-strength beams delamination under bending and torsion. Some experimental methods of specific work of delamination estimation are reviewed.
The current state-of-the-art of ride quality criteria is reviewed. In particular the existing technique of describing the guideway in terms of its spectral density and of defining the ride quality standard as the acceleration spectral density is outlined. By utilizing linear system theory, an alternative deterministic approach is presented. A deterministic ride quality standard is proposed and an analytical technique to design vehicle-suspension systems to meet this standard is presented.
Still controversial is the role of surgery in symptomatic colon diverticular disease, outside the major complications. In such circumstances the surgeon has to comfort himself with diagnostic and then with operative choices, and also the preventive colectomy has to be considered. To make a correct decision very important is the global evaluation of the patient, for age, sex life habits, other existing pathologies, general condition. Also unsolved doubt for a neoplastic evolution has its worth.
The results of the study 88 strains of yeast fungi of the genus Candida isolates from patients resuscitation and intensive care with suspected invasive candidiasis (IС). The fraction of Candida albisans was 43.2%, and Candida non-albicans 56.8%. Resistance of pathogens IС was 30% to fluconazole, 18% to voriconazole. Comparison of the sensitivity of strains and species C.albisans Candida non-albicans has shown that in general non-albicans strains were less sensitive to fluconazole (18.0 ± 5.4% sensitive strains) than C.albisans (pCandida non-albicans (72.0±6.3%), than C.albisans, but without significant differences for these indicators.
Objective To establish a loop-mediated isothermal amplification(LAMP)detection method for BT 11.Methods The primers were designed according to the specific sequence(AY123624.1,AY629236)of BT 11,and then the LAMP reaction system was established.The specificity,sensitivity and stability of the system were analyzed.Results The primers in this research specifically detected the BT 11.The detection sensitivity was up to 0.5%,and the precision of the experimental analysis was proved to be of high stability.Conclusion The results showed that LAMP was a specific,stable,rapid,sensitive and visible way for the detection of BT 11,and it would have broad prospects for application.
The invention relates to an electrical-stimulation bladder dynamic detector and a detecting method thereof. The invention provides the electrical-stimulation bladder dynamic detector comprising an electrical pulse generating device for transmitting electrical pulses, a hydraulic conducting voltage measuring device for conducting liquid pressure and a multi-channel physiological recorder for recording physiological parameters, wherein the electrical pulse generating device and the hydraulic conducting voltage measuring device are respectively connected with the multi-channel physiological recorder. The invention also provides the detecting method using the electrical-stimulation bladder dynamic detector, which can be used for detecting skin on body surfaces and the inner parts of bodies. The bladder dynamic detector in a basis and excited state in the invention can accurately detect the function conditions of bladders so as to be convenient for doctors to further determine therapeutic schedules.
A new analytical design method is developed for the guard rings (field limiting rings) in high voltage devices with the critical field concept. Diffusion rings are approximated as cylindrical junc­tions and the impurity concentration of rings is assumed to be infinite Equations based on Gauss' law arc used with simple approximations when necessary. The minimum number of rings and the optimum ring spacings can be obtained easily and quickly with this analytical method Design examples are shown and compared with others' numerical calculations showing good agreements.
The soluble protein, whole soluble protein, globulin and albumin fraction from human placenta, both normal and toxemic, have been introduced repeatedly into normal and pregnant rabbits and histological changes in the liver were observed. The striking changes in the liver have been induced by treating the animals with the globulin fraction and histologic pictures suggest that the toxemic liver damage is of allergic nature.
Estimating substitution frequencies at sites that influence (Ka) and do not influence (Ks) the amino acid sequence is important for understanding the dynamics of molecular sequence evolution and the selective pressures that have shaped genetic variation. The aim of this work was to gain a deeper understanding of the driving forces of substitution frequency variation in human pathogens. Rickettsia prowazekii, the causative agent of epidemic typhus and Helicobacter pylori, which has been implicated in gastric diseases were used as model systems. A specific focus was on the evolution of orphan genes in Rickettsia. Additionally, adaptive sequence evolution and factors influencing protein evolutionary rates in H. pylori were studied.The comparative sequence analyses of orphan genes using Typhus Group (TG) and Spotted Fever Group (SFG) Rickettsia, indicate that orphan genes in the SFG correspond to pseudogenes in the TG and that pseudogenes in the SFG correspond to extensively degraded gene remnants in the TG. The analysis also showed that ancestral gene sequences could be reconstructed from extant gene remnants of closely related species. The studies of split genes in R. conorii indicate that many of the small fragmented ORFs are probably pseudogenes. Analysis of the H. pylori carbamoyl phosphate synthetase provided an opportunity to understand natural selection acting on a protein undergoing adaptive evolution. Factors such as network properties, protein-protein interactions, gene essentiality and chromosomal position on protein evolutionary rates in H. pylori were studied, of which antigenicity and gene location were identified as the strongest factors. In conclusion, high Ka/Ks ratios in human pathogens may reflect either adaptive sequence evolution or gene deterioration. Distinguishing between the two is an important task in molecular evolution and also of great relevance for medical microbiology and functional genomics research.
Technological advances in medicine and surgery have undoubtedly changed today’s practice. One of the most important recent developments to surgical practice has been the adoption of computer assisted robots. Although robots have been around for the past 75 years, it is only recently that their use in surgery has dramatically increased1. With the growing market pressures for minimally invasive procedures, the role of robotic assisted surgery and its advantages of improved surgical precision over standard open and laparoscopic procedures will likely grow. To date since 1998, there have been approximately 80,000 robotic assisted surgical procedures. Currently about 400 medical centers in the United States have surgical robotic systems. As the number of surgeons adopt and learn to master this new tool, which is still in the learning phase, anesthesiologists should have a basic knowledge of these systems in order to formulate an anesthetic plan, recognize potential complications and provide safe patient care.
A process is disclosed for preparing monofunctional, bifunctional and polyfunctional aromatic olefins of formula (I), in which R to R independently represent hydrogen, C1-C8-alkyl, (C1-C8)-alkoxy, (C1-C8)-acyloxy, O-phenyl, phenyl, fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, OH, NO2, OSO2CF3, CN, COOH, CHO, SO3H, SO2R, SOR, NH2, NH-(C1-C8)-alkyl, N-(C1-C8)-alkyl2-, CHal3, NHCO-(C1-C4)-alkyl, N-(C1-C4)-alkyl-CO-(C1-C4)-alkyl, COO-(C1-C8)-alkyl, CONH2, CO-(C1-C8)-alkyl, NHCOH, NCOO-(C1-C4)-alkyl, CO-phenyl, COO-phenyl, CHCH-CO2-(C1-C8)-alkyl, CHCHCO2H, PO-phenyl2, PO-(C1-C4)-alkyl2, OSO2-phenyl, OSO2CH3, or of formula (Ia), in which R stands for hydrogen, (C1-C8)-alkyl, phenyl, O-(C1-C8)-alkyl, fluorine; R and R independently represent hydrogen, CN, CO2H, CO2-(C1-C8)-alkyl, CONH2, CONH-(C1-C4)-alkyl, CON(C1-C4)-(alkyl)2, fluorine, CO2-phenyl, alkyl, (C1-C8)-phenyl, PO(phenyl), PO-(C1-C4)-(alkyl)2, CO-phenyl, CO-(C1-C4)-alkyl, O-(C1-C4)-alkyl, NH-(C1-C4)-alkyl, PO3H, SO3H, SO3-(C1-C4)-alkyl, SO2-(C1-C4)-alkyl, O-phenyl, (C1-C8)-alkyl, by reacting halogenated aromatic compounds of general formula (II) with olefins of general formula (III), in which R to R have the above-mentioned meanings, X having the same meaning as radicals R to R . This process is characterised in that a palladium compound of general formula (IV) is used as catalyst. In formula (IV), R , R independently represent hydrogen, (C1-C4)-alkyl, (C3-C12)-cycloalkyl, (C1-C4)-alkoxy, fluorine, N-(C1-C4)-(alkyl)2, CO2-(C1-C4)-alkyl, OCO-(C1-C4)-alkyl or aryl; R , R , R , R independently represent (C1-C8)-alkyl, (C3-C12)-cycloalkyl, aryl; or in which R and R , R or R and R or R , R and R , R or R and R or R , R and R form together an aliphatic ring, or in which R and R , R or R and R or R form together an aromatic ring, and Y stands for an anion of an inorganic or organic acid.
The secrete investigation has the important application value in the judicial practice.In the western nations criminal activity legislation has made the explicit stipulation to the secrete investigation,guarantees to achieve the essential balance between the punishment of crime and the safeguard of human rights.There is no general system to restrict the secrete investigation in China,we must use the success experience of western countries to restrict the secrete investigation and change the present situation of the legislation and practice of secrete investigation.
The legal regulation of art: introduction French and general mechanisms of control - the notion of outrage, the old article, the nature of the evil, the difficulty of assessment of the evil, experts, distinctively French legal mechanisms American public morality doctrines English doctrines - the Rushdie experience, the foetus earrings case, the facts, the appeal, comment conclusions. The judicial approach to art: introduction the case law conclusions. Artistic as a category and criterion: introduction how the law awards copyright protection future development a further look at quality tests conclusions. The concept of art in defamation law: introduction the problems - situation, situation conclusions. The public funding of art: introduction public funding policy - England, France, America conclusion. The concept of art in the Anglo-American law of trusts: introduction the law of charitable trusts the law on non-charitable purpose trusts conclusions. The conceptualisation of art in its international movement: the international movement of art export and import regulations on art in England, France and America - England, France, America the movement of art in the European Union conclusions. Art and the custom law of the European Union and America: introduction the treatment of art classification two EU law paradigms - paperweights and photographs conclusions. A short miscellany: jurisprudence the law of armed conflict cultural heritage, cultural property and art freedom of expression. Some general conclusions. Appendices: postmodernism - a critical guide a critique of the obscene in art, pornography, law and society art and defamation - a comparative moral perspective on the nature of art and law.
5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) injected to rats in the neonatal period is shown to produce a pronounced carcinogenic effect which brings about the appearance of various benign and malignant tumours. Exposure of females to X-ray total-body irradiation (1.5 Gy) was followed by intensification of the carcinogenic effect of BUdR. Assuming that this pyrimidine analog reacts solely with DNA substituting thymidine during DNA synthesis and induces point mutations due to tautomerization, the data obtained demonstrate the possibility of tumour induction by a selective DNA perturbation.
PURPOSE: A computer system and a method for replacing a cache line are provided to improve performance with dynamic reconfiguration of the method that is selected to make a cache controller handle a mistake without influence on the cache controller by properly loading contents to a CRCA(Cache Replacement Control Array). CONSTITUTION: The computer system includes a set associative cache memory(420), the cache memory controller(410) operated/connected to the set associative cache memory, and a writable CRCA(430) operated/connected to the cache memory controller. The writable CRCA includes an array of a comparator. The array of the comparator has a structure to enable parallel comparison for states of all entries in the CRCA and each line in a cache set, and a result of the parallel comparison is a plurality of identity comparison results. The writable CRCA selects the replacement cache line from the cache set by selecting the cache line of the identity comparison value having the entry in the CRCA of the highest replacement priority depending on a preset order for a replacement priority position of the CRCA.
Adult abuse, and more specifically, elder abuse,1 has increasingly become the focal point of attention for human service professionals (including lawyers, doctors, social workers and assorted clinicians), legislators, and planners concerned with the elderly.2 Throughout the 1980s we can expect to see a proliferation of legislation designed to cope with, and solve, this newly 4'discovered" form of violence
The traditional role of the journalist as gatekeeper is being undermined and challenged in the online world where anyone with an internet connection can publish to a global audience. As a consequence the role of the journalist is being constantly redefined as the “profession” no longer holds exclusive rights to the dissemination of news to the masses. This study seeks to explore how local British journalists perceive their role in the era of Web 2.0 and how willing they are to adapt. Through interviews and observation at two local British newspapers it was possible to gain a greater understanding of the modern role of the local journalist and their professional distinctions from the public. These NCTJ qualified journalists increasingly view themselves as verifiers of news who use their training and expertise to amplify news to the wider public. Despite some initial reluctance they are largely enthusiastic about technological and cultural adaptations to their role although some are still resisting this change. There is also evidence to suggest audiences play a role in secondary gatekeeping by influencing the selection and prominence of stories on newspaper websites. Furthermore the findings seek to inform educators of the continued relevance of the professional accreditation body, the NCTJ, to an industry persistently challenged by citizen journalism.
Business process management aims to align the business processes of an organisation with customers’ needs. Such alignment is of particular importance for services and requires a good understanding of the interactions among the actors involved. Although several process modelling languages and a service design technique called ‘service blueprint’ provide good support for modelling of service delivery processes, the actual execution of service and networked interactions among actors seem to have not been sufficiently considered. To overcome these limitations, we developed the Service Journey Modelling Language. Each version of the language has been evaluated, and the results were used as input for the next version. Results from our case studies show that our language might supplement the management of business processes for services by aligning business processes with customer perspectives and by supporting depiction of the actual service journeys with networked interactions of involved actors using appropriate visual representations. Keywords-business process management; service; process modelling; service design; visual language.
The invention discloses an automatic dewatering system for an intercooler of a diesel engine for ships. The automatic dewatering system for the intercooler comprises an air outlet end cover of the intercooler and an automatic dewatering valve, wherein the automatic dewatering valve comprises a valve body and a temperature sensor with double metal spiral springs, the valve body can be arranged at the bottom of the air outlet end cover of the intercooler in a rotating penetration manner through a central shaft of the valve body, and a plurality of valve dewatering holes corresponding to dewatering holes of the air outlet end cover are formed in the peripheral direction in the valve body; the tail end of the outer ring of the temperature sensor with the double metal spiral springs is fixed to the air outlet end cover of the intercooler. The automatic dewatering system for the intercooler does not need frequent dewatering maintenance or operation, so that the maintenance intensity is lowered, the situation of condensed water deposition in the intercooler is avoided, and the normal use of an engine is guaranteed.
Mutations in any of the three genes coding for the extracellular matrix protein collagen VI cause different types of muscle diseases, including Bethlem Myopathy (BM), Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (UCMD) and Congenital Myosclerosis (1). Collagen VI null (Col6a1–/–) mice display a myopathic phenotype with organelle defects, mitochondrial dysfunction and spontaneous apoptosis of muscle fibers (2). Based on the findings obtained in the murine model, similar defects could be revealed in muscle biopsies and cultures of UCMD/BM patients (3). Our previous studies demonstrated that one major pathogenic event is the PTP-dependent latent mitochondrial dysfunction (4), however the cause for the accumulation of dysfunctional organelles remained unsolved.    The presence of swollen mitochondria and dilated sarcoplasmic reticulum prompted to check whether the machinery for organelle removal, the autophagic system, is affected. We found that persistence of abnormal organelles and apoptosis are caused by defective autophagy in collagen VI deficient muscles. Autophagy is a process of cytosolic 'renovation', which is essential for the maintenance of cell homeostasis by clearing misfolded proteins and dysfunctional organelles. Skeletal muscles of Col6a1–/– mice display impaired autophagic flux, which matches the lower induction of Beclin 1 and Bnip3 and the lack of autophagosomes after starvation. Furthermore, muscle biopsies from patients affected by UCMD or BM show reduced levels of Beclin 1 and Bnip3. Notably, forced reactivation of autophagy by either genetic (overexpression of Beclin-1), nutritional (low protein diet) or pharmacological (cyclosporin A) approaches restores myofiber survival and leads to a marked amelioration of the structural and functional defects of Col6a1–/– muscles, with normalization of the dystrophic phenotype (5, 6)    These findings indicate that defective activation of the autophagic machinery has a key pathogenic role in congenital muscular dystrophies linked to collagen VI deficiency. Altogether, our data are the first demonstration that impaired autophagy plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of some muscular dystrophies, thus providing new insights into the pathogenesis of muscle degeneration and opening new perspectives for treatment.
Introduction. The purpose of this work was to establish the nutritional postmortem status of children with AIDS and compare them with children who died with leukemia. Material and methods. Autopsy protocols of 26 children with AIDS, and 26 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were reviewed. Gender, age, clinical data, cause of death and weight (W) and height (H) were obtained. Results. Age in both groups varied from 2 to 15 years; 18 males were in each group; 16 AIDS patients presented low W/H relation, 24 low W/age, and 24 low H/age index, while in the leukemia group 10 presented a normal nutritional condition, 16 low W/age index, and 13 low H/W relation; 85% of patients with AIDS presented an opportunistic infection and the gastrointestinal tract was affected by them, while 58% of children with leukemia presented an infectious process, namely bacterial sepsis. Conclusion. The main postmortem nutritional alteration in children with AIDS was failure to thrive followed by emaciation; these findings may be explained by the high frequency of gastrointestinal infection observed in them.
Now the food processing industry is a dynamically developing sector of Russian economy. However in the condition of market economy with a free game of prices some enterprises have a number of serious problems in obtaining positive financial results of their activity. At the same time, the success of food enterprises development influence not only their financial well-being but also the level of food supply, the profitable part of the national budget and the foodstuff export potential. Thereupon it is expedient to pay attention to successful experience of restructuring in foreign practice and to design the restructuring model for Russian food enterprises.
Il DepartmentofMedicalHistory,CollegeofOrientalMedicine.KyungHeeUniversity 承政院日記 is a journal written by the scribes belonging to the Royal Secretariat and consists of objective and detailed records about events, dialogs, and actions that happened in the presence of the king and also collections of all the documents output by the Royal Secretariat. The medicine-related records in 承政院日記 are mainly records of the medical examination and treatment of the king and the royal family and related documents of operation. Of the many different entries involved with clinical practices, this study focuses on the medical examination and treatment of the king. Through the case studies displayed in the clinical records of 承政院日 記 , trial and error of its time as well as clinical results can be verified. Sorting out of affirmative tradition that could not be handed down due to institutional interruption is also made possible through comparison of effective treatment methods of late Chosun dynasty including patterns or distinctive methods of treating specific diseases against their counterparts in Traditional Korean Medicine
Composite floor systems are being increasingly used in building and footbridge constructions, as they are economical and easy to construct. These composite floor systems use high strength material to achieve longer spans and are thus slender. As a result, they are vulnerable to vibration induced under service loads. Resonance of such structure is one of the most critical problems which without considering dynamic aspects in design, may lead to unsafe and discomfort circumstances for the users. The purpose of this study is to provide an appropriate analysis methodology through finite element analysis to assess the dynamic responses of composite slab and corresponding human comfort problems. A linear elastic finite element analysis through consideration of walking load model (applied in mid-span) with respect to application of different percentages of ply orientation and stacking sequences of FRP laminate in slab is conducted. Variation in material properties for each case and damping ratio is established separately to capture the maximum responses in terms of deflection and accelerations. The dynamic responses of deflection and accelerations are compared with the serviceability deflection limits and human comfort levels (of acceleration) to assess these floor types
Background & Aim: Exposure to blood-borne pathogens by needlestick injuries (NSIs) continues to pose significant risks to healthcare workers (HCW). The number of contaminated NSIs sustained by HCW primarily due to underreporting, is still unclear. Therefore the objective of this study was to investigate the Needlestick Injuries and the rate of reporting among Clinical Nurses. Material &Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses in one teaching hospital and one nonteaching hospital in Tehran. To investigate the causes of these injuries 111nurses with using purposive sampling method, were contributed and voluntarily and anonymously filled in a questionnaire on the demographic and professional characteristics. In this study, data regarding the frequency of contaminated needlestick and the rate of reporting the injuries and the reasons for not reporting such injuries, were collected. Results: According to the findings, 54.1% (n=60) of the subjects had no contaminated injuries and 45.9% (n=51) had experienced at least one contaminated NSI in their period of clinical practices. Thirty-four percent of the nurses experienced 58 contaminated needlestick injuries in the past 12 months (Crude Incidence Rate: 0.52 NSI/nurse/year). Only 36.8% (n=14) of the nurses who had experienced NSIs in the previous year, were reported all exposures to the needlestiks. The reasons for not reporting injuries consisted of dissatisfaction with follow up (33.3%), low probabilities of the infection risk of the injury source (29.2%), to be busy (12.5%), not familiar with reporting process (16.7%) and low perception of risks (8.3%). Conclusion: This study suggests that the ferequency of NSIs and the rate of underreporting among Iranian nurses are considerable and it needs to be further investigated. Interventions such as continous training of nursing staff about standard reporting protocols and precautions of the post-exposure procedures might improve reporting of such injuries among nurses.
espanolCon este trabajo, se pretende abordar la justicia indigena en la Constitucion de la Republica de Ecuador de 2008, desde la disciplina antropologica. Concretamente desde la antropologia juridica. Ofrece una amplia vision sobre aspectos relevantes para el lector interesado en conocer la relacion entre el derecho indigena, sistema penal y derechos humanos. Asi como, el codigo penal de la justicia indigena, el derecho indigena y el ritual de purificacion, los tipos de sanciones, la fundamentacion legal. Tambien se hace referencia a las faltas, quebrantamientos y delitos integrados en el sistema penal indigena. EnglishWith this work, it is tried to approach the indigenous justice in the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador of 2008, from the anthropological discipline. Specifically from the legal anthropology. It offers a broad view on relevant aspects for the reader interested in knowing the relationship between indigenous law, penal system and human rights. As well as, the penal code of the indigenous justice, the indigenous right and the ritual of purification, the types of sanctions, the legal foundation. Reference is also made to the offenses, violations and crimes that are part of the indigenous criminal system.
Thinking about quality management started in the fifties. Until now many different quality management systems have been developed. Deficits in food safety and the globalisation were reasons for the development of quality systems in the agribusiness and food industry. Sometimes several quality systems are relevant for firms. However, it is more efficient for firms to analyse different requirements of quality management systems to eliminate double requirements. The result would be an integrated quality management system. The aim of this project is to develop an instrument that reduces this work and which gives an insight into the effectiveness of quality systems.
OBJECTIVE To obtain a profile of tuberculosis (TB) cases caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in northern KwaZulu Natal (KZN) for 2001.   METHOD The demographic and drug resistance characteristics were determined. A total of 251 smear and culture confirmed cases was obtained and the resistance of three major anti-tuberculosis drugs was tested using the proportion method.   RESULTS The patients were mainly from Ngwelezane (57.8%), Stanger (23.5%) and Manguzi (18.7%); 59.0% were male; 54.2% of the isolates were obtained from new TB patients. The mean age of the TB patients was 29.6 years, with the maximum notification age range at 25-34 years. A high prevalence of drug-resistant and multiresistant TB was observed in this region. At least 55% of previously treated and 19% of new cases from all areas were resistant to at least one of the drugs tested. New patients from Ngwelezane and Manguzi area had a high prevalence of any rifampicin resistance (11.0%) and ethambutol resistance (3.9%), respectively.   CONCLUSION Our results indicate that the TB epidemic in northern KZN, especially in Ngwelezane, is severe. An infrastructure to educate stakeholders about the need to ensure consistency in treatment is needed.
A thorough review of the literature has yielded several interpretations of temperature level effects on fundamental properties of the porous medium which have not previously been suggested. The overview presented is intended to provide some new insight into the nature of temperature and pressure effects on the properties of the rock-fluid system, by applying conventional similarity criteria such as the Leverett J function, the capillary number, and the mobility ratio. 22 refs.
The operating conditions of pump in eight central air conditioning projects were measured,and the results showed that the measured flow of pump was greater than the designing flow in seven projects,the measured flow was average 22.27% greater than the design flow.In this seven projects,the rated flow of pump was average 12.56% greater than the the designing flow,and the rated head of pump was average 93.98% greater than the designing head.The measured energy of pump was average of 2.08 times for the energy of reasonable conditions in seven projects.If using the way of throttling to make the flow of system reach the designing flow,then the throttling energy was average 9.57% lower than the measured energy.
There are several prerequisite functions in order to achieve communication. Newborn babies bring these functions with them. However, they will only be deployed during the encounter given by adults, and particularly by the mother to the infant. The kinesthetic sensibility, the perceptive and expressive abilities, the rhythms and, temporal pattern are conditions for communication to emerge. From there, other encounters will be brewed, which will bring regularity to the baby’s life and will provide him/her the necessary tools to give meaning to the world; these are the game formats stated by Bruner. Within the frame of these formats, the early contact with books and reading provides to the baby numerous possibilities from the social, affective, cognitive and linguistic development point of view. Encouraging these situations – presence of books and shared reading moments with adults of the newborn surrounding – we initiate the baby with written material and the language of books. Without noticing it, we introduce babies into the road of literacy and we provide the tools in order to organize and  structure their language. Likewise, we expand their vocabulary, enrich their syntax, and make them handle a lexicon which grant them independence and security when framing their hypothesis.
In this paper,a periodical generating method of system matrix with a higher degree of freedom is proposed to satisfy the complex communication need of multi-master node network,which is based on the time triggered CAN bus protocol(TTCAN). The proposed method optimizes both the TTCAN system matrix and the reference message delivery mechanism and operates in coordination with the corresponding time slice length of matrix,achieving the reasonable communication news scheduling of multi-node network. To verify the performance of the proposed method,simulation is implemented based on the MATLAB/SIMULINK Stateflow tools. The results show that the optimized TTCAN protocol can work orderly in the multi-node network. The network exhibits a good stability and real-time performance and the bus utilization is more higher than that of the network without optimization.
Foresters and other natural resource professionals with agencies and nonprofit groups can use this recipe to create an opportunity for people who traditionally have not been involved in urban and community forestry. The information on this card is taken from the following publication: McDonough, Maureen; Russell, Kasey; Nancarrow, Lee; Burban, Lisa. 2003. Dialogue on Diversity: Broadening the voices in urban and community forestry. NA-IN-03-03. Saint Paul, MN: USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry and Michigan State University.
Recent studies have demonstrated that klotho protein plays a role in calcium/phosphate homeostasis. Urakawa et al demonstrated that the concerted action of klotho and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 reconstitutes the fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) receptor (Nature 444,770,2006). We investigated the correlation between hyperphosphatemia and Pi transport activity in klotho mutant mice (kl/kl mice). kl/kl mice displayed hyperphosphatemia, high plasma 1,25 (OH) (2)D(3) levels, increased activity of the renal and intestinal sodium-dependent P (i) cotransporters, and increased levels of the type II a, type II b, and type II c transporter proteins compared with wild-type mice. Interestingly, transcript levels of the type II a/type II c transporter mRNA abundance, but not transcripts levels of type II b transporter mRNA, were markedly decreased in kl/kl mice compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, plasma FGF23 levels were 150-fold higher in kl/kl mice than in wild-type mice. Feeding of a low-P (i) diet induced the expression of klotho protein and decreased plasma FGF23 levels in kl/kl mice, whereas colchicine treatment experiments revealed evidence of abnormal membrane trafficking of the type IIa transporter in kl/kl mice. These results indicate that hyperphosphatemia in klotho mice is due to dysregulation of expression and trafficking of the renal type II a/ II c transporters rather than to intestinal P (i) uptake.
In this paper,a new poly(acryl-p-toluenesulfonamideamidine-p-toluenesulfonylamide)chelating fiber was synthesized from polyacrylonitrile fiber and used for preconcentration and separation of trace Ru(Ⅲ)and Rh(Ⅲ)ions from solution samples.The acidity,flow rate and interference on the adsorption of ions on the chelating fiber as well as their desorbed conditions from the fiber were investigated in detail,and the condition of reaction and trace for chelating fiber was determined preliminarily.
IoT is highly diverse and open to different application field. Consequently, it cannot be reduced to one specific technology. Rather, it encompasses various technical solutions which enable the identification of objects and which collect, store, process and transfer data not only in physical environments but also between physical contexts and virtual worlds. Interoperability between the all the components’ systems creates a great deal of complexity. The major concern is thus how to improve and better connect and integrate existing technologies. These generic features naturally weigh on the characteristics to be expected from regulation of the IoT. They include, first, the identification of some major guidelines requested by. Secondly, they address specific decisions related to more general technological regulation (spectrum management or FttH architecture, for instance). From a more general perspective, the process assumes a shift from ‘reactive’ regulation (whether ex ante or ex post, symmetric or asymmetric) to ‘proactive’ one. It is less about defining the architecture of the rollout of settled technologies (and the corresponding competitive issues between incumbents), than anticipating the emergence of a massive deep-emerging sector with significant impacts on the economy of electronic communications. In this context of rapid technological progress, opening markets to competition acted as a clear driving force. Far from impeding innovation development, regulating the sector actually served as something of a neutral arbitrator for technological developments, if not actually a breeding ground for them.
In this article I present and provide the edition of two short questions on the moral habits by the Augustinian Hermit, James of Viterbo. In the first question James shows in what sense it is legitimate to say that moral habits are innate. In the second question, he argues that the habits of moral principles belong in a more profound way to the soul than do the intellectual habits. Because James indicates that he disagrees with Aquinas’view, the last part of the article seeks to identify the philosophical reasons for his disagreement.
Through investigation,abundant poisonous plants have been found in Fujian Province.They belong to 119 families,378 genera and 563 species.But many superior species are located in Papilionaceae,Asteraceae,Euphorbiaceae,Araceae,Solanaceae,Liliaceae,Apocynaceae,Rosaceae,Ericaceae,Rutaceae,etc.Different regions of Fujian have different poisonous plant resource.The abundant coefficients show that Sanming has the most poisonous plants and Xiamen has the fewest.The Bray-Curtis distant coefficients show that poisonous plants in Quanzhou are the most similar to those in Fuzhou.Those in Xiamen are the most different to those in Sanming.
Para- sosial behavior is one of the intermediary for individuals who are lonely . Individuals who are prone to loneliness is a young adult woman. Young adult women who are lonely will more often be at home and have a greater tendency to perform behaviors parasosial. This study aims to deter- mine whether there is a relationship between loneliness with parasosial behavior in young adult women. The study was a quantitative research study in which samples are taken as many as 150 young adult women aged 20-35 years. Meth- ods of data collection was conducted by questionnaire from the scale of loneliness, Parasocial Interaction Scale (PSIS) and Celebrities Attitude Scale (CAS) as well as some open questions regarding the factors that in uence the behavior of parasosial. Analytical techniques used were correlation of Karl Pearson Product Moment and descriptive statistics .. The result is there is a relationship between loneliness with parasosial behavior in young adult women. These re- sults are based on the correlation between loneliness and Parasocial Interaction Scale (PSIS) (r = 0340, sig = 0.000). Similarly, the results obtained from the correlation between loneliness and Celebrities Attitude Scale (CAS) obtained correlation coecient for 0291 and the value sig = 0.000, which means there is a relationship between loneliness with parasosial behavior in young adult women. Age can aect loneliness in young adult women. The increasing age and with increasing one's skills, it will be more realistic to ex- pect social relations are young adult women so it is likely to experience loneliness is getting smaller. The educational level can aect the behavior of parasosial, where the higher level of education a young adult woman it would be a bit too young adult women do parasosial behavior.
The traditional image filtering restoration technology regards the noise as a harmful disturbance and eliminates it,but if the noise intensity increases,the traditional image restoration means is very bad to restore the image under the strong noise background.According to the principle of stochastically resonating the Hodgkin-Huxley(H-H) neuron threshold,the paper increases the noise realization image unceasingly through an auto-adapted adjustment method of stochastic resonating,thus achieves the best image restoration effect.The experimental results prove that,compared with the traditional image restoration method,this method has a better effect in image restoration under the strong noise background,and it provides a new mentality in the image restoration,and along with the noise intensity changes this method has better robustness than the traditional one.
In Detail Ruby on Rails is an open-source web application framework ideally suited to building business applications; accelerating and simplifying the creation of database-driven websites. Often shortened to Rails or RoR, it provides a stack of tools to rapidly build web applications based on the Model-View-Controller design pattern. This book is a tutorial for creating a complete website with Ruby on Rails. It will teach you to develop database-backed web applications according to the Model-View-Controller pattern. It will take you on a joy ride right from installation to a complete dynamic website. All the applications discussed in this book will help you add exciting features to your website. This book will show you how to assemble RoR's features and leverage its power to design, develop, and deploy a fully featured website. Each chapter adds a new feature to the site, adding new knowledge, skills, and techniques. What you will learn from this book? Installing, configuring, and testing both Ruby and RoR Setting up the application and databaseManaging users and roles for your websiteGathering and managing user commentsSetting up the template and generating migrations for your tablesUsing plug-ins; adding and searching a tagEnhancing usability with AJAXDeveloping an administration interfaceDeploying the application on a production server Approach This book is a practical guide to creating a complete Web 2.0 website with Ruby on Rails. In this book, each chapter adds a new feature to the site, adding new knowledge, skills, and techniques. You will learn about the features of RoR by adding those features to your website. You will also learn about Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as each chapter closely follows the SDLC starting from requirement gathering and ending with testing. Who this book is written for? This book is for anyone who has basic concepts of object-oriented programming as well as relational databases and wants to develop online applications using Ruby on Rails. Prior knowledge of Ruby or Rails is not expected.
For studying the seasonal changes in the cerebral blood flow and the tone of the cerebral vessels under conditions of the arid zone of the Turkmen SSR, clinicorheoencephalographic examinations of 65 patients with residual signs of cerebral stroke were carried out. The results of the dynamic seasonal examinations were compared with data obtained from 35 control subjects. Besides that 219 case histories of patients who had cerebrovascular disorders in 1977 were analyzed. A substantial lowering of the cerebral circulation intensity in winter, an instability and a drop of the cerebral blood flow and the vascular tone in spring, a rise of the vascular tone in summer, and a tendency (in the presence of this rise) to a lowering of the cerebral blood flow in autumn were revealed. Prophylactic measures for increasing the body resistance to unfavourable weather conditions are recommended.
Mobility and personal communications is Area 4 of seven principal areas of research identified in the ACTS Programme under the European 4th Framework umbrella. The budget allocated for Area 4 substantially exceeds that available previously in RACE I and II, but preparation of the workplan for this element of ACTS exposed significant differences of view among contributors to the "Task" definition process. On the one hand there was a strong feeling that evolution of GSM/DCS 1800 would meet the targets originally defined for UMTS, but on the other, the perceived need for individual users to have access to bandwidth on demand in the third generation environment pointed to a more radical approach. The workplan which ultimately emerged to some extent accommodates both positions in that it presupposes that by the year 2000 the personal communications environment will offer a continuum of services embracing presently conceived UMTS, the mobile broadband service (MBS) and wireless LAN capability. The emphasis in ACTS has, however, shifted from fundamentals of enabling technology to "services and applications" and to investigating these aspects by offering the new services to communities of potential users via "National Host" networks.
Lin Shu’s Jinling Qiu has been paid little attention t o the point of art in academia.The article holds that,in Jinling Qiu,the coexistence of multiple voices and their dialogues form the polyphony of ideolog ical image.The narrative perspective is switched freely among characters,chara cters and the narrators,insider and outsider of stories,which formed the polyp hony of the narrative voice.The combination of various styles and the parallel of independent dual plot build the polyphony of the structure.Multi-voice,mult i-perspective,multi-style and multi-plot,constitute the polyphonic characteris tics of Jinling Qiu.
Cancer stem cells(CSC) exist in tumor tissues and their biologic characteristics of self-renewing and differentiation play a role that cannot be ignored in cancer formation and metastasis.Because cancer has features of insidious onset,easily transferring and poor prognosis,the authors combined TCM theory of latent toxin and characteristics of cancer and CSC,integrated clinical common syndromes of healthy qi efficiency and toxin bind and academic summarization by physicians in all dynasties,and put forward a basic therapeutic principle,therapy of reinforcing healthy qi and eliminating toxin,for preventing cancer metastasis.
Abstract—Topology optimization technique utilizes constant element densities as design parameters. Finally, optimal distribution contours of the material densities between voids (0) and solids (1) in design domain represent the determination of topology. It means that regions with element density values become occupied by solids in design domain, while there are only void phases in regions where no density values exist. Therefore the void regions of topology optimization results provide design information to decide appropriate depositions of web-opening in structure. Contrary to the basic objective of the topology optimization technique which is to obtain optimal topology of structures, this present study proposes a new idea that topology optimization results can be also utilized for decision of proper web-opening’s position. Numerical examples of linear elastostatic structures demonstrate efficiency of methodological design processes using topology optimization in order to determinate the proper deposition of web-openings.
Clinical shade selection is one of the key steps in esthetic restoration. There are two kinds of shade selection,namely visual shade selection and instrument-based shade selection. Optical properties of the natural teeth should be analysed carefully;visual shade selection should be completed under proper conditions such as lighting and background. High resolution digital photos are necessary to communicate color information with technicians. Instrument based shade selection is more objective and can be an adjunct to visual shade selection. Prosthodontists should be trained to master shade selection technique.
This investigation aims to extend our knowledge of the fossil mammalian microfauna found in the Australopithecus-bearing breccias of the Transvaal System at Taung, Sterkfontein and Makapansgat. The available data derived from other localities such as Kromdraai and Bolt's Farm have been incorporated. The origin of these fossils, the method of extraction from the breccias, and a brief review of the geological nature of the deposits under consideration are discussed. Nearly 10,000 skeletal elements taken from five localities were studied, including 2,000 cranial fragments. The species represented are described systematically and a new species Malacothrix makapani is described. The contents of the breccia have been analysed statistically, on the dental complements of the various smaller mammals such as elephant shrews, bats and rodents. The information thus gained holds prospects for learning more about the persistence of the recent mammalian microfauna during the Pleistocene; the generic densities during the Pleistocene; and climatic and time differences between the different fossiliferous localities. Some forms such as Elephantulus langi, Palaeotomys gracilis and Cryptomys robertsi were stable genotypes ranging over a great span of time. In these breccias there is a preponderance of Mystromys hausleitneri and Palaeotomys gracilis while the true murids are numerically of lesser importance. The T aung deposit is ecologically different and the oldest, followed by Sterkfontein which slightly antedates Makapansgat.
A simple, sensitive and economical spectrophotometric method was developed for the determination of Nifedipine in pharmaceutical formulations. This method is based on the formation of pink colored chromogen complex by the reaction of drug with ferric chloride and 1, 10-Phenanthroline, which absorbs maximally at 551 nm. Beer’s law is obeyed at a concentration range of 1-12mcg/ml for method. This method has been successfully applied for the assay of the drug in pharmaceutical formulations.
This paper describes two denial of service attacks against the Z-Wave protocol and their effects on smart home gateways. Both utilize modified unencrypted packets, which are used in the inclusion phase and during normal operation. These are the commands Nonce Get/S2 Nonce Get and Find Nodes In Range. This paper shows how both can be manipulated and used to block a Z-Wave gateway's communication processing which in turn disables the whole Z-Wave network connected to it
Objective:To determine the content of bullatacin in the seeds of Annona squamosa by HPLC.Method:The conditions of HPLC method were as follows:Hedera ODS-3(250 mm ×4.6 mm,5 μm);Mobile phase was composed of methanol-water(90∶10) at the flow rate of 1.0 mL ·min-1;Detection wavelength was 220 nm;Column temperature was 25 ℃.Results:The calibration curve was linear at the range of 2.01-20.1 μg(r=0.999 8).The average recovery was 99.7% and the relative standard deviation(RSD) was 2.2%(n=6).The content of bullatacin in the seeds of Annona squamosa collected in 2008 and 2009 were determined as 1.09% and 1.42%,respectively.Conclusion:The method is simple and sensitive,and the resolution is good.It can be used for the content determination of bullatacin in the seeds of Annona squamosa.
The process of abstracting mathematical symbols from practical problems==using the symbols to conduct calculations==applying the calculation results to the real-world scenarios is the process of mathematics.Explorating and experiencing this process incorporate the cognitive activities of the students,and promote their comprehensive development.In the teaching of mathematics,this exploration process involves the participation of both the teacher and the students,who share a mutual objective and base their discussions on the content of the text book.The students,under the guidance of the teacher,not only learn to master knowledge proactively,but also gain proficiency in conducting analysis,develop their ability of critical thinking,and cultivate their personalities in the process of mathematics.Therefore,this process is enriching and integrated.A good cognitive system is terse,simple,evolving,with rigorous thinking and wide application.It encourages the teaching process that starts from a holistic and systematic design,helps the students build up their cognitive systems,and is helpful for promoting the efficiency of the teaching process,especially in terms of advancing the students' ability of learning.
The quadratic saturation and D-optimum design of three factor was used in this experiment.Two varieties of Heiya14(high yield and mid-fibre percent) and AG(mid-yield and high-fibre percent) were planted in pot,and leaf area,weight of dry matter and accumulations of N,P,K in aboveground part had been investigated in different growth stages.The results indicted that the accumulations of N,P,K changed with S curve,and the order of total accumulation in mature stage was NKP.Using N fertilizer could enhance leaf area and accumulation of dry matter markedly.If cooperated with P and K fertilizer,it would be more effective.P fertilizer was favorable to the assimilation of N,it should be used with N fertilizer to enhance the accumulation of dry matter;K fertilizer was favorable to resist to lodge and slow down shedding of leaf in mature stage,but only K fertilizer didn′t benefit to the accumulation of dry matter.
Every year, millions of individuals in the United States become victims of crime. Crime victims have countless needs, while the needs of domestic violence crime victims are even more acute. Over twenty five years ago, the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (“VOCA”) was enacted to address some of the needs of victims of violent crime, including domestic violence victims. VOCA provides federal funding to eligible state Crime Victim Compensation ("CVC") programs. CVC programs are sponsored by the federal and state governments to directly reimburse victims for crime related expenses. Prior to the enactment of CVC programs, crime victims have always had to bear both the emotional and economic consequences of crime alone.The underutilization of CVC funds by domestic violence victims and the barriers to compensation leads one to ponder the true purpose of CVC funds and whether the funds are merely a charitable gift or an obligation to crime victims. An old proverb cautions against looking a gift horse in the mouth, suggesting that it is improper to criticize or examine a gift to assess its value. Instead, the recipient is encouraged to be grateful for the gift without questioning it. CVC funds are an important resource for all crime victims, but they are also similar to a gift horse that requires further examination in the context of domestic violence. This article seeks to identify and explore the barriers preventing domestic violence victims from utilizing crime victim compensation funds. In Part II, I examine the federal Victims of Crime Act (“VOCA”) and explain the purpose and history of crime victim compensation funds. Historically, domestic violence victims were considered ineligible for crime victim compensation funds due to fear that the batterer would be unjustly enriched. In response, VOCA expressly includes domestic violence victims as eligible victims for compensation funds. I argue that in spite of the expressed inclusion, domestic violence victims are still underrepresented in applying for compensation funds. In Part III, I consider whether crime victim compensation funds are superfluous for domestic violence victims in light of the availability of other resources including restitution, tort law and private insurance, welfare, and domestic violence shelters. I argue that crime victim compensation funds fulfill a unique need for emergency assistance that is not satisfied by other available resources. In Part IV, I outline potential barriers for receiving crime victim compensation funds including lack of information, and unnecessary eligibility restrictions which conflict with the primary mission of aiding victims.In Part V, I argue that the barriers which prevent domestic violence victims from receiving funds can be overcome by Compensation Boards renewing their commitment to the primary mission of aiding crime victims and dismantling barriers which do not advance that mission. Compensation programs must choose whether the primary goal is to support law enforcement efforts or to aid victims of crime regardless of their willingness to testify. I conclude that focusing on victims and dismantling the barriers will result in an increase in compensation funds for domestic violence victims.
In order to realize digital and networked video surveillance,the hardware design of embedded digital video camera based on Ethernet and the communication protocol was completed,The exclusive audio-video compression chip and digital signal processor(DSP) chip as well as the user data protocol(UDP) data message transmission technology were applied,and the goal of the real time collection,compression,storage,and transmission of audio-video data were achieved.The research results prove that the design can provide good consistency for real-time multimedia communication,and can also help multi-computers simultaneously receive audual and video data from one same digital video camera.
According to the fact that agricultural science and technology personnel and other agricultural information users lack information retrieval means,a Chinese word segmentation-based information retrieval platform is presented,in which a variety of agricultural information documents are dealt with in the form of inverted files and TF/IDF similarity score is used as a sort standard.The experimental application of Chinese word segmentation-based information retrieval system in the field of agricultural information achieves better results.
Machine learning has a recognised need for large amounts of annotated data. Due to the high cost of expert annotations, crowdsourcing, where non-experts are asked to label or outline images, has been proposed as an alternative. Although many promising results are reported, the quality of diagnostic crowdsourced labels is still unclear. We propose to address this by instead asking the crowd about visual features of the images, which can be provided more intuitively, and by using these features in a multi-task learning framework through ensemble strategies. We compare our proposed approach to a baseline model with a set of 2000 skin lesions from the ISIC 2017 challenge dataset. The baseline model only predicts a binary label from the skin lesion image, while our multi-task model also predicts one of the following features: asymmetry of the lesion, border irregularity and color. We show that multi-task models with individual crowdsourced features have limited effect on the model, but when combined in an ensembles, leads to improved generalisation. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.794 for the baseline model and 0.811 and 0.808 for multi-task ensembles respectively. Finally, we discuss the findings, identify some limitations and recommend directions for further research. The code of the models is available at this https URL.
A new group of 1, 3-imidazolones incorporating a sulfonamide moiety and N-substituted  dehydroamino acid  derivatives were efficaciously synthesized from the nucleophilic acyl substitution and ring opening reaction  of 4-arylidene-2-phenyl-5(4H)-oxazolones (1)  using an appropriate synthetic strategy. All synthesized compounds were screened for their in vitro antibacterial activities against two identifiable strains using cup plate method. Thereby, it was found that the benzocaine and ester derivatives of N-substituted dehydroamino acids (3 and 6-9) revealed promising antibacterial activity against both  strains, while  none of the synthesized 1, 3-imidazolones (2) exhibited likely result against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Supplementary to these, the constitutions of the newly synthesized 1, 3-imidazolones and N-substituted  dehydroamino acid derivatives have been confirmed on the basis of their IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR spectral data
Background: There are multiple conflicting theories of depression and clients are frequently given contradictory explanations of their difficulties. Evidence that brings together biological, psychological and social factors of depression would be particularly useful in addressing this. The current study investigates the neural correlates of self-referential processing following psychological intervention for depression. This provides neurological evidence of how a central feature of psychological models may change following therapy.  Methodology: Fourteen participants, who had received psychological intervention for depression, underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scans whilst completing three types of cognitive task: a self-referential processing task, an other-referential processing task, and a graphical task. Participants’ neural activation during self-referential processing was compared to that of ten depressed participants and twelve control participants, which had been collected for a previous study.  Results: When positive and negative self-referential processing were considered together, there was no normalisation of neural activation in the post-therapy group, despite normalisation on the BDI II. When positive and negative self-referential processing were considered separately there were fewer areas of significant neural activation during negative self-referential processing in the post-therapy group than in the depressed group. Indicating that neural activation in the post-therapy group normalised. In contrast, during positive self-referential processing, a lack of difference between the control group and the depressed group precluded the possibility of normalisation.  Conclusions: The findings provide further support for the importance of the self in models of depression. In presenting neurological evidence in relation to psychological models and psychological therapy, they help bring together biological and psycho-social models of depression. It is possible that the ongoing patterns of atypical activation during self-referential processing represent a vulnerability to future episodes of depression. Possible explanations for the valence-specific findings are discussed and these are highlighted as interesting future research questions. Limitations of the research methodology are discussed and possible directions for future research are outlined.
A lane departure prevention apparatus comprising: a control section configured to carry out a lane departure prevention control to prevent a vehicle from departing from a lane, and to finish the lane departure prevention control by using a predetermined finish parameter; a vehicle-state detecting section configured to detect a state of the vehicle at least when or after the lane departure prevention control is started; and a control finish-parameter correcting section configured to correct the predetermined finish parameter on the basis of the vehicle state detected by the vehicle-state detecting section.
Gas assisted injection molding is unpopularity production process for plastic industry in Thailand because of process informations lacking. The surface quality problem and uncontrolled dimension of workpiece occur frequently as the result of nitrogen flow behavior. Furthermore gas assisted mold design is complicated when compare with conventional mold design due to gas unit and particular gate design. Aims of this research is to study and compare the related information between conventional and gas assisted injection molding. Especially cost, quality and part weight are compared in this research. Moldex 3D which is computer program for plastic flow analysis was used for simulation of plastic flow behavior while gas was injected into mold impression. Plastic part that used in this research for results comparison is water canteen handle. Plastic material of typical part is PP (Polypropylene) and plastic injection machine size 50 tons was used for experimental. Nitrogen was used in plastic injection experiment in the reason of lower cost and inflammable. Size of gas injection unit is 280 bars. The results of experiment, dimension tolerances between conventional and gas assisted are different approximately 0.087 mm. Part could assembly with water canteen and was tested for part stiffness in the condition of 2 kg containing. Cost for gas assisted injection molding parts were reduced 0.22 bath/piece when compared with conventional process.
X-ray diffraction technique was utilized to determine the relative degree of crystallinity of some coniferous wood tissues, namely Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) normal and compression wood, and normal wood of Sitka spruce ( Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) and western hemlock ( Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.). Total creep values were available from a previous study for test samples matched with those used for determining degree of crystallinity. Creep response was measured using two constant loads corresponding to predetermined initial strain levels of 3,000 (A) and 6,000 (B) μinches/inch. The relative degrce of cell-wall crystallinity was found to be linearly correlated (inversely) with short-term creep. Results of this investigation also revealed that cell-wall crystallinity contributes up to 67.2 and 51.8% of the total variability in creep response for samples tested at constant loads corresponding to strain levels (A) and (B), respectively. It is suggested that a relatively high degree of crystallinity increases the rigidity of cell wall, which thereby resists excessive creep deformation.
The value of soil water potential at Yepupa Regency and Griyo Puspito Regency subdisditrict of Tampan in pekanbaru by using Pumping Test method is reported. The result of the measurement shows the reduction value of water soil and explosion debit on every step, data were processed by using microsoft excel to achieve the value of aquifer loss (B) and the value of well loss (C) from every measured aquifer. Achieved data is processed by formula which is used to obtain well efficiency value percentage in every explusion debit level. The result of the first location at Yepupa regency produced 32% in maximum debit and 65% in minimum expulsion debit. The second location produced 63% in minimum expulsion debit and 30% in maximum. The third location of the research showed that well efeciency value in minimum expulsion debit reached 43% while in maximum expulsion debit the value became 16%. The fourth location produced 29% in minimum expulsion debit meanwhile 15% in maximum.
The nonlinear response of the loudspeaker is a undesired phenomenon which produces audible distortion. The construction of the loudspeaker is a trade-off between various factors and therefore makes it difficult to build a linear loudspeaker. This work takes another approach to address this issue. By using digital signal processing, the terminal voltage can be pre-distorted to compensate for the nonlinear behavior and render the system input-output linear. In order to compute a controller which achieves this, a model of the moving coil loudspeaker was implemented. This model was made from the extended ThieleSmall model. The theory of exact input-output linearization was used to compute the control law from this model. Since the control law assumes full-state feedback, a state estimator is used. Two types of state estimators, a feed-forward based and a observer based, were computed and analyzed. The feed-forward one simply uses the terminal voltage to estimate the states of the loudspeaker and can therefore be implemented without sensors. The observer one uses the theory of the unscented Kalman filter to estimate the states using the terminal voltage and the current passing through the loudspeaker. The simulation results showed that the loudspeaker can be rendered fully linear assuming that the hardware does not limit the control signal and that the loudspeaker model is perfect. Various simulation were done to simulate hardware limitation and process noise. This resulted as expected, that the system was able to compensate for the nonlinear behavior but its performance was still affected by the limitation and the noise. The unscented Kalman filter proved to be more capable of estimating the states than the feed-forward estimator when affected by process noise.
OF DISSERTATION A MEASUREMENT OF THE PROMPT FISSION NEUTRON ENERGY SPECTRUM FOR U(n,f) AND THE NEUTRON-INDUCED FISSION CROSS SECTION FOR U(n,f) Two measurements have been made, addressing gaps in knowledge for U(n,f) and U(n,f). The energy distribution for prompt fission neutrons is not well-understood below 1 MeV in U(n,f). To measure the U(n,f) prompt fission neutron distribution, a pulsed neutron beam at the WNR facility in Los Alamos National Laboratory was directed onto a U target with neutron detectors placed 1 m from the target. These neutron detectors were designed specifically for this experiment and employed a unique geometry of scintillating plastic material that was designed to reject backgrounds. Fission fragments were detected using an avalanche counter. Coincidences between fission fragment production and neutron detector events were analyzed, using a double time-of-flight technique to determine the energy of the prompt fission neutrons. A separate measurement was made, investigating the neutron-induced fission cross section for U(n,f). This measurement also used the pulsed neutron beam at the WNR facility. The neutron flux was normalized to the well-known hydrogen standard and the fission rate was observed for beam neutrons in the energy range of 130-300 MeV. Using an extrapolation technique, the energy dependence of the cross section was determined. These new data filled a sparsely populated energy region that was not well-studied and were measured relative to the hydrogen standard, unlike the majority of available data. These data can be used to constrain the fission cross section, which is considered a nuclear reaction standard.
An experience with treatment of 193 patients with carcinoma of the thoracic part of the esophagus during the recent 7 years is generalized. A characteristic of oncological and functional operability in patients of this group is given. More than half of them were elderly (41.9%) and senile (12.4%) patients. Radical operative interventions were thought to be possible in 161 patients (83.4%). Resections of the esophagus in combination with esophagogastro-or esophagoenteroplasty were performed in 146 of them. Resectability was 90.6%. Postoperative lethality was 9.9%. For the last 2 years resectability had increased up to 96%, while the postoperative lethality had decreased to 4%.
The demand for high performance cast aluminum alloy components is often disturbed by increasing impurity elements, such as iron accumulated from recycled scraps. It is strongly required that coarse plate-like iron compound of β-Al5FeSi turns into harmless form without the need for applying refining additives or expensive virgin ingots. The microstructural modification of Al-7mass%Si alloy billets with different iron contents was examined by applying ultrasonic vibration during the solidification. Ultrasonically melt-treated billets were thixocast right after induction heating up to the semisolid temperature of 583 oC, the microstructure and tensile properties were evaluated in the thixocast components. Globular primary α-Al is required to fill up a thin cavity in thixocasting, so that the microstructural modification by ultrasonic melt-treatment was firstly confirmed in the billets. With ultrasonic melt-treatment in the temperature range of 630 oC to 605 oC, the primary α-Al transforms itself from dendrite into fine globular in morphology. The coarse plate-like β-Al5FeSi compound becomes markedly finer compared with those in non-treated billets. Semisolid soaking up to 583 oC, does not appreciably affect the size of β-Al5FeSi compounds; however, it affects the solid primary α-Al morphology to be more globular, which is convenient for thixocasting. After thixocasting with preheated billets, eutectic silicon plates are extremely refined due to the rapid solidification arising from low casting temperature. The tensile strength of thixocast samples with different iron contents does not change much even at 2mass% of iron, when thixocast with ultrasonically melt-treated billets. However, thixocast Al-7mass%Si-2mass%Fe alloy with non-treated billets exhibits an inferior strength of 80 MPa, compared with 180 MPa with ultrasonically melt-treated billets. The elongation is also improved by about a factor of two in thixocastings with ultrasonically melt-treated billets for all iron contents of Al-7mass%Si alloys, for example, the elongation of 11% in thixocast of Al-7mass%Si-0.5mass%Fe alloy with ultrasonically melt-treated billets, 5% in that with non-treated billets.
Sandu Bay region is endowed with unique strengths of the habour,regional location and ecological marine resources.In order to grasp the opportunity to realize the great-leap-forward-development,Sandu Bay region must highlight its four functional postions as the newly-developed industries'bases,strategic location at the west coast of the Taiwan Straits,environment-friendly livable harbour for holidays,and international professional harbour hub;focus on the developing strategies of industralization,urbanization,regionization,and ecologilization.The government must develop the coastal industries as coastal heavy and chemical industries,machinery making,coastal tourism;promote the planning of the regional economy growth,initiate the construction of New Coastal City,make more investments on the infrastructure construction,establish the Sandu Bay Region brand,and strive for setting up the national developing zone and free trade zone in Sandu Bay region.
Visual Prosody in Speech-Driven Facial Animation: Elicitation, Prediction, and Perceptual Evaluation. (May 2005) Marco Enrique Zavala Chmelicka, B.S., Army Polytechnic School Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Ricardo Gutierrez-Osuna Facial animations capable of articulating accurate movements in synchrony with a speech track have become a subject of much research during the past decade. Most of these efforts have focused on articulation of lip and tongue movements, since these are the primary sources of information in speech reading. However, a wealth of paralinguistic information is implicitly conveyed through visual prosody (e.g., head and eyebrow movements). In contrast with lip/tongue movements, however, for which the articulation rules are fairly well known (i.e., viseme-phoneme mappings, coarticulation), little is known about the generation of visual prosody. The objective of this thesis is to explore the perceptual contributions of visual prosody in speech-driven facial avatars. Our main hypothesis is that visual prosody driven by acoustics of the speech signal, as opposed to random or no visual prosody, results in more realistic, coherent and convincing facial animations. To test this hypothesis, we have developed an audio-visual system capable of capturing synchronized speech and facial motion from a speaker using infrared illumination and retro-reflective markers. In
Nowadays the constitutional discussion about the institution of justice focuses on the judicial independence. However, it is necessary to distinguish the judicial independence as a value -the judge must be submitted to the system of law sources- from the judicial independence as a guarantee -group of mechanisms addressed to achieve this objective-. According to the different means to guarantee judicial independence, the European constitutionalism has two big models of judge: the common law model and the civil law one.
This study examines the spatial structure of the duty-free shops at the departures concourse of Incheon International Airport and investigates the relations between the spatial structure and sales revenue in order to suggest an efficient layout for each shop and provide design guidelines for airport duty-free shops in general. Visual Graphic Analysis (VGA) was chosen as the analysis method and it was conducted by using the Depthmap program to quantitatively determine the visual characteristics of the spatial structure of the duty-free shops. The VGA result set the distance to each shop from the center of the departures concourse and the area of each shop as analysis indexes. Furthermore, the revenue for individual products, which was used for the analysis, was obtained from the 2010 sales records collected by the Korea Customs Service and from each business. Based on the field study conducted on January 12, 2011 to determine the locations and take photographs of each shop according to product item, 53 duty-free shops were categorized into 6 groups for detailed analysis: cosmetics/perfume, liquor/tobacco, boutique, fashion/accessory, packed food, and others. Correlation analysis and simple regression analysis were conducted using the quantitative data of spatial structure and sales revenue using SPSS 12.0 for Windows. The results of this study are as follows: First, the visual sales space structure was deduced for the whole area of Incheon International Airport’s departures concourse. Second, the characteristics of the shop layouts were determined for each product group. Third, the correlation analysis to review the relations between the spatial structure and sales revenue confirmed the discrepancy and influence of the analysis index, which is highly regarded for each product group. Lastly, simple regression analysis evinced that each product group has its own variables for the regression equation with statistical significance, and for the same space, the factors to be considered in the design must vary depending on product group.
A low-scale neutrino seesaw may be probed or even reconstructed at colliders provided that supersymmetry is at the weak scale and the LSP is a sterile sneutrino. Because the neutrino Yukawa couplings are small, the NLSP is typically long-lived and thus a significant fraction of colored or charged NLSPs may stop in the detector material before decaying to the LSP and a charged lepton, gauge boson, or Higgs. For two-body NLSP decays, the energy spectrum of the visible decay product exhibits a monochromatic line for each sterile sneutrino which can be used to extract the sterile sneutrino masses and some or all entries of the neutrino Yukawa matrix modulo phases. Similar methods can be used to extract these parameters from the Dalitz plot in the case of three-body NLSP decays. Assuming that the sterile sneutrino and neutrino are roughly degenerate, one can confirm the existence of a neutrino seesaw by comparing these measured parameters to the observed active neutrino masses and mixing angles. Seesaw spectroscopy can also provide genuinely new information such as the value of $ theta_{13}$, the nature of the neutrino mass hierarchy, and the presence of CP conservation in the neutrino sector. We introduce a weak-scale theory of leptogenesis that can be directly tested by these techniques.
BACKGROUND Acne vulgaris is a common disease mostly affecting the adolescents. The lesions can be distributed over the sebaceous rich areas of the body like face, chest, back and upper arm. The commonest location is face. Face is psychologically the most important part of the body. So, the presence of lesions on the face can have significant effects on the quality of life of the patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect on the quality of life (QOL) of the patients who have acne vulgaris on their face. Along with that this study was planned to assess as to whether the effect on QOL is related to two demographic factors - age & gender and two clinical factors - duration of disease and grade of acne vulgaris. METHODS 81 patients having acne vulgaris on their face who attended the Dermatology OPD were assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire. RESULTS Acne vulgaris of the face had significant adverse effect on the QOL of the affected patients. DLQI score was found to be more with increase in age of the patients. There was no significant association between DLQI score & gender. The clinical factors, duration of disease and the grade of acne vulgaris had statistically significant positive correlation with DLQI score. CONCLUSIONS Acne vulgaris had an adverse effect on the QOL of the patients. QOL was more affected with increase in age of the patients. Duration of the lesions and grade of acne vulgaris had a positive correlation with the effect on the QOL of the patients. The lesions can be controlled with treatment. Proper counselling is also very important. KEYWORDS Acne Vulgaris, Quality of Life (QOL), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)
WT4”BZ]The effects of reaction conditions, including temperature, operating pressure, space velocity and ratio of methanol to isobutene, on MTBE synthesis over modified-zeolite β have been extensively studied after the modified-zeolite β had been successfully developed The results show that the reaction conditions can affect the catalyst reactivity In a given range of temperature, the conversion of iC = 4 increases with reaction temperature increasing, MTBE selectivity and catalyst stability were not influenced, but when the temperature is up to 100℃, the selectivity and the stability begin to drop Reaction pressure must be higher than that of reactants kept in liquid phase completely Ratio of MeOH/iC = 4(≥1) has no effect on MTBE selectivity and catalyst stability, but if the ratio is less than 1, the selectivity and the stability will drop with reaction carrying on In order to obtain the optimum catalytic performances, the reaction should be carried out in the appropriate conditions (T=70℃, P=2 1MPa, MeOH/IB=1 1, WHSV=4h -1 ) The results shows that catalytic performances are stable duing a long time test [WT4”HZ]
The invention relates to a multi-compressor air conditioner control method which comprises the following steps: a, judging whether the absolute value of difference between the first temperature measured by a temperature sensor and the set temperature set by a temperature setting unit exceeds a first threshold, and if the absolute value exceeds the first threshold, executing step b; b, starting one compressor and accumulating the operation time of the compressor; judging whether the absolute value of difference between the second temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the set temperature set by the temperature setting unit exceeds a second threshold, and if the absolute value exceeds the second threshold, executing step c, wherein the second threshold is greater than the first threshold; and c, starting another compressor and accumulating the operation time of the compressor. The invention also relates to a corresponding control system. According to the invention, the working states of multiple compressors are adjusted by detecting the backwater temperature of chilled water in real time, thus the service life of equipment is prolonged on the basis of maintaining the reliable work of the system.
Recording evoked potentials (EPs), electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and polysomnographic biosignals requires particular attention with respect to amplification, filtering, and data handling. The present paper is aimed at providing a short overview of the fundamentals on recording techniques and the basics on biosignal processing methods used in EEG studies. It also examines the aspects associated with the reproducibility of EEG measurements, as well as the recording duration by Pharmaco-EEG (PEEG) studies.
A war zone monitoring network based on C/S structure is presented.Traditional structures have too many control terminals,which requires simultaneous transmission of monitoring data to different controls,thus the monitoring data defects and poor accuracy of the monitoring network.The proposed monitoring network structures can overcome such disadvantages.The construction of the hardware system and software system design is introduced in detail.The experimental results show that this method can effectively improve the accuracy of the warzone surveillance network with satisfactory result.
As in other countries, the growing resistance to antimicrobial drugs is also taking place in the Netherlands; the primary cause being the total consumption of antibiotics. Given the steady decline in the discovery of new antimicrobials, better use of agents currently available is warranted. Guidelines describing appropriate antimicrobial therapy play an important role; however, such guidelines are not optimally used in daily practice. Quality indicators can be used to assess the quality of antibiotic treatment and evaluate the impact of interventions aimed at improving care. Quality indicators used for evaluating treatment of infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts are developed previously. A comprehensive set of indicators that could be used to assess the quality of hospital antibiotic use for all bacterial infections has not yet been developed. A new project has recently been started in the Netherlands called 'The development of Reliable generic quality Indicators for the optimalisation of ANTibiotic use in the hospital' (RIANT study) for developing such a set of comprehensive indicators.
The photocatalytic properties of TiO_2 rutile powder with acicular primary particles were characterized using the photocatalytic reaction in aqueous 4-chlorophenol (4CP) solution and compared to those of TiO_2 anatase with almost the same surface area of approximately 200 m^2g. The characteristics of commercial P-25 TiO_2 powders with the surface area of approximately 55 m^2/g were also compared to rutile and anatase powders. The rutile phase powders surpassed both anatase and P-25 ones in decomposition rate for 4CP. The excellent photo-oxidative ability of the powder was dependent on the specific powder-preparation method, which led to a direct crystallization in aqueous solution, regardless of the crystalline structures of the powders.
English writing can embody higher vocational college students' comprehensive ability of using English. Students' English writing ability at higher vocational college can be improved by changing students' attitude toward English writing,strengthening text recitation to train basic writing ability,stregethening writing practice through Chinese-English translation,learning writing skill systematically with effective inputs,overcoming negative transfter of the mother language and training thinking ability in English.
The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act provides the statutory requirements for marriage and dissolution of marriage in Illinois. Section 604(b) gives courts the discretion to appoint an evaluator in order to aid in the determination of child custody by evaluating the relevant parties and writing a report. If and when these 604(b) evaluators are appointed, there are virtually no guidelines that set forth what they may or may not do in the course of their evaluations. As a result of this lack of guidelines, 604(b) evaluators often employ clinical assessment instruments (i.e., psychological tests that assess clinical constructs such as personality) in order to aid in coming to a conclusion concerning custody. Judges often tend to favor an evaluator’s opinion and fail to notice the tests’ biases and lack of validity. As a result, the main determinant in child-custody decisions often comes down to the conclusions of faulty psychological testing despite the fact that other more effective methods such as interviewing may have been used in the course of evaluation. This process leaves much room for questioning whether the way child-custody evaluations are being employed are in fact serving the best interests of the child.
The classical model by Tanksy on a two-level food web with a predator feeding on two kinds of prey is revisited and extended. The ecosystem with intraspecific and interspecific competition for resources among the prey is analized. Two equilibria are found: a segment of conditionally (neutrally) stable equilibrium points and the interior coexistence equilibrium, which is proven to be inconditionally stable. The predator population settles to a lower level than the one arising in the original Tansky's model. In addition, there is inverse proportionality between the predators' mortality and the equilibrium value. Predators' recovery and the settling of the system toward coexistence are also allowed by a large prey carrying capacity.
Along with the gradual penetration of state power,Sanyan society at last became a locality under the direct control of the state after the bureaucratization of native officers in the end of Qing.However,traditional culture restricted the symbols of state power,the concentrated reflection of which is temple——religion,school——education as well as its human-ground contradiction.By analyzing the changeable process of Sanyan's social identity after it entered the direct control of the state,this thesis points out that the state not only broke the traditional identity mechanism but also provided new opportunities for Sanyan society to solve their human-ground contradiction.
First,the characteristics of multi-Agent technology and its applications were discussed.Moreover,the structural framework of urban freeway control system was designed,which includes the control Agent and the regional coordination Agent.For implementation of the Agent's learning ability,a coordinated control strategy based on Q-learning was proposed.Finally,a freeway control system model of the Dawang-Sihui Bridge section was built via the microscopic traffic simulation software PARAMCIS.The results show that the coordination control strategies can improve the traffic conditions of the overall freeway regional control system,with the combination of Q-learning,fuzzy control,information technology and simulation methods.
According to domestic and international practice of drainage gas recovery technologies,not all of the drainage gas recovery technique can be applied in any water-production gas wells,main bases for evaluation of the drainage gas recovery technology include: reservoir characteristics,production status of water producing gas wells,economic investment situation.In this paper,before optimal selection of drainage gas recovery technologies,characteristics of Sulige gas field were studied as well as gas field development policy,producing well performance and economic investment,then appropriate technology was chosen.
Cutworms feed on grape buds at night during the spring causing a reduction in yield. In a previous study, 1 % to 5% bud loss resulted in economic damage to Concord grape. The spotted cutworm, Xestia cnigrum (L.), and the redbacked cutworm, Euxoa ochrogaster (Guenee) were believed to be the most important cutworms causing damage to grapes. In 2003 and 2004, we sampled vineyard floors to determine the cutworm species present in south central Washington vineyards. We began sampling vines during the night in 2004 to determine the species that were actually on the vines. This work continued through 2007. The results of the nocturnal sampling are reported here.
Oregano ( Origanum vulgare L., Lamiaceae) is used for centuries as a culinary spice due to its food flavor enhancing properties and its specific aroma. Essential oil isolated from oregano is known to affect the function of the gastrointestinal system by causing stomach and throat smooth muscle relaxation. The present work aims to evaluate the potential protective effects of oregano essential oil in rat ileum intestinal mucosa injury, induced with high doses of L-arginine, by tracking pathological changes in ileum mucosa. Male Wistar rats, divided into four groups (n=6), were treated with 50 mg/kg of oregano essential oil or 200 mg/kg of allopurinol (xanthinoxidase inhibitor) 1 h before a single dose of L-arginine (3.5 g/kg). Two groups served as the controls – one treated with a single dose of L-arginine, while the second group of animals remained untreated. One day after the treatment, all animals were sacrificed and the segments of distal ileum were dissected and fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution. Afterward, the tissue was processed routinely in order to obtain paraffin molds which were further cut into 4-5 µm thin sections and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Microscopic analysis of the control group ileum revealed short and cylindrical villi, with great resemblance to fingers, with no pathological substrate present. Ileum villi from the group of animals treated only with L-arginine appeared swollen, with the villi tip significantly dilated. Also, in the lamina propria, a large number of leucocytes were visible. The application of both allopurinol and oregano essential oil was able to prevent such significant alterations in the intestinal villi appearance (both in its intensity and frequency) and to reduce the number of leucocytes that migrated to the lamina propria. The detected activity can possibly be attributed to numerous oil constituents found in this essential oil, but predominantly to its major constituents thymol and carvacrol.
The goal of this research is to discover and understand the difference between Psychological needs theory based of Maslow` Need Theory and Christian approach. My aim is to explore to confirm that Spiritual needs precede every needs. This study proposed the following hypotheses. First, Need is classified by Self-preservation needs and Psycho-social needs. Second, Need does not go through each hierarchical step. Third, Spiritual needs precede all needs. Fourth, Self-preservation needs will mediate the relationship between Spiritual needs and Psycho-social needs. The results are as follows. First, The goal of Need is to recover relationship between God and me, not to attain self-realization(or self-love). Second, Maslow thinks that needs develop hierarchy, but according to Christian standpoint needs insist of two over and spiritual needs always is to be included commonly. Third, Maslow thinks wants of needs, however, Christian position understands desires as needs. Because if Wants are dissatisfied and continually are filled with something to lack, Desires will recover relationship with God and then continually are filled with faith and love of God. Fourth, Maslow neglected here cognitive needs and aesthetic needs, yet they hold a very important position in christianity identity such as knowledge for God and Joining in on the hardships of Jesus Christ. Fifth, Maslow explains that Need makes little difference and follows hierarchical step, but Christian viewpoint makes a vast difference to an individual, especially bring about a change in my state of mind in before and after Salvation.
Results showing the radiation amplitude zero in e/sup + -/p ..-->.. e/sup + -/p..gamma.. are presented. There are two terms contributing to the differential cross section in each case. One term has the zero while the other does not. Nevertheless, there remains a sizeable dip which could be experimentally detected at HERA (DESY). The position of the dip provides a measure of the quark charges via real photons.
Integrated water ressource management has to balance spring protection requirements with a variety of demands for land-use activities. This complex issue can be supported by Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS), which integrate data from various sources and help to make decision processes more effective and transparent. Successful application of a SDSS depends on its acceptability by stakeholders, which can be improved by integrating a broad range of practical experiences of stakeholders with formal knowledge of experts in a knowledge base. As example of SDSS implementation the trans-national Interreg project KATER will be presented, including the methodological approach and the SDSS in working examples. Main project objective was the development of a SDSS to handle the main tasks of water management: administration, crisis management and planning. The results of KATER project cover a wide range of land-use conflicts and different pre-conditions for decision making (national legislations, spatial dimension, data availability). As technological basis for SDSS development a GIS and database based approach was choosen and complemented with a knowledge base, defined as ontology, in order to support decision work-flows. 1. Problem statement Water management can be defined as the planned development, distribution and use of water resources. Water management is a central issue in the 21 century, because water is rapidly becoming a scarce resource. The focus in dealing with water resources on a global scale thus has to shift from a water development perspective to one of water management (WORLD BANK 1998). As basic tasks of water management can be identified ! administration, ! crisis management and ! planning activities. A more detailed task list for the roles of “Water Supply” and ‚ Water Protection” can be categorised: Task category Water supplier Water protection Administration ! monitoring of discharge and outlet (water quantity and water quality) ! regulation of used amount of water ! Property Management ! Monitoring of Land Use Activities ! Monitoring of Natural Environment Crisis management ! technical accidents ! water contamination ! Elementary Natural Accident ! Global Contamination ! Local Contamination Planning ! maintenance work ! forecast of quantity and quality ! analyses supply versus demand Analyses concerning possible changes in
Background Mining key transcription factors (TFs) in genome-wide transcriptome profiling data has been an active research area for many years and it has been partially solved by mathematically modelling the ranking orders of genes in the target gene-set for the TF of interest in the gene-list ranked by expression values, called gene-set enrichment analysis (GSEA). However, in some application scenarios the gene-set itself also has a rank attribute, such as the putative target gene-set predicted by the Grit software and other alternatives like FIMO and Pscan. New algorithms must be developed to analyze these data properly. Methodology/Principal Findings By implementing the weighted Kendall’s tau statistic, we proposed a method for genome-wide transcriptome profiling data mining that can identify the key TFs orchestrating a profile. Theoretical properties of the proposed method were established, and its advantages over the GSEA approach were demonstrated when analyzing the RNA-Atlas datasets. The results showed that the top-rated TFs by our method always have experimentally supported evidences in the literatures. Benchmarking using gene ontology (GO) annotations in the AmiGO database indicated that the geometry performance (SQR_P) of our method is higher than GSEA in more than 14% of the cases. Significance The developed method is suitable for analyzing the significance of overrepresentation of ranked gene-sets in a ranked gene-list. A software implementing the method, called “Flaver”, was developed and is publicly available at http://www.thua45.cn/flaver under an academic free license. Author Summary Identification of the regulation roles of TFs in the transcriptome is fundamental in understanding various biological processes. Improve the performance of the prediction tools is important because accurate TF-mining in transcriptome data can finely improve the efficiency of wet-lab experiments. Also, genome wide TF-mining can provide new target genes for transcriptome regulation analysis in system biology perspective. This study developed a new TF-mining tool based on weighted rank correlation statistical method. The tool has better performance in analyzing ranked gene-set and ranked gene-list than its competitor, the GSEA tool. It can help the researchers in identification of the most important TFs in transcriptional data.
A slightly modified latex agglutination test was applied for detection of rinderpest antigen. The antigen was added to sensitized latex particles in the presence of hyperimmune antiserum to facilitate agglutination. Out of 129 samples tested by latex agglutination (LA), solid phase aggregation of coated erythrocytes (SPACE), reverse phase passive haemagglutination (RPHA) and counter immunoelectrophoresis (CIE) test, 86.0, 86.8, 84.4 and 79.8 per cent, respectively, were found positive.
In 25 hypertensives (42 +/- years), predominantly at stage I according to WHO-criteria, by the application of daily 5 +/- 4 mg prazosine and as combination of 9 +/- 6 mg with 73 +/- 31 mg propranolol the blood pressure normalized itself from on an average 183 to 148 mgHg systolically and 113 to 93 mgHg diastolically. In a long-term experiment confirmable also echocardiographically prazosine alone decreased the afterload of the heart in an unchanged high energy requirement at rest, and in a submaximal ergostasis the aerobic metabolic situation deteriorated. This could again be balanced by the combination with propranolol, whereby oxygen pulse, product of the pressure frequency and PWC 130 even improved. Function and size of the left ventricle remained echocardiographically uninfluenced in the two forms of therapy.
Rapid drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using conventional solid media. T. Schaberg, B. Reichert, T. Schulin, H. Lode, H. Mauch. ERS Journals Ltd 1995. ABSTRACT: Radiometric methods for M. tuberculosis drug susceptibility testing yield much faster results than standard techniques; however, these methods require sophisticated equipment and are expensive. We investigated a rapid drug suscep- tibility testing method for isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, streptomycin and pyra- zinamide in specimens from 197 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis using a simplified agar-dilution method. Middlebrook 7H11 agar solid medium and microcolony detection were used to test sputum from 64 smear-positive, and from 70 culture-positive but smear-nega- tive patients. Culture-positive material from bronchoscopy, surgical biopsy, pleur- al fluid or gastric fluid of 63 patients was tested. In 64 smear-positive patients, the median time for final susceptibility results was 11 days (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 10-12 days) compared to 62 days (95% CI 56-66 days) with the standard method. In 133 smear-negative patients, results were available after a median of 35 days (95% CI 32-40 days) in contrast to 72 days (95% CI 62-83 days) with the standard method, regardless of whether or not sputum or other materials were used for primary culture. The rapid method detect- ed all cases of single-drug resistance (n=20) and multidrug resistance (n=14) with- in 13 days (95% CI 9-17 days) in smear-positive patients (n=8), or within 38 days (95% CI 35-48 days) in smear-negative patients (n=26). Only one discrepancy was encountered in 985 resistance tests. Moreover, contamination was not observed. Our rapid susceptibility testing method for M. tuberculosis on Middlebrook 7H11 agar is fast, practical and inexpensive. It provides an alternative when more sophis- ticated techniques are not available or affordable.
The study examines the dynamic link between inflation and financial development in Ghana using annual time series from 1964-2012. Specifically, the paper assessed whether the direction of causality between the two differs in the short and long run. In the short run, the paper established a dual negative relationship between the two, while a unidirectional negative effect of inflation on financial development was detected in the long run using sequence of econometric techniques. Inflationary effect was much stronger on Private Credit/GDP than on M2/GDP, while the dampening effect of financial development on inflation largely originated from Private Credit/GDP. Keywords: Inflation, Financial Development, Deepening, Intermediation, Bivariate, Multivariate, Correlation Analysis, Engel-Granger Causality, Vector Error Correction, Vector Autoregression Models, Variance Decomposition, Impulse Response and Ghana. * Disclaimer : This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of Bank of Ghana. The opinions expressed in this working paper reflect those of the author and do not represent those of the Central Bank.
Composites were prepared by incorporating magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles into the matrix of a sulfonated polyaniline (SPAN) [poly(aniline-co-8-amino-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid) PANSA] through chemical oxidative polymerization of a mixture of aniline and 8-amino-2-naphthalenesulfonic acid in the presence of magnetite nanoparticles. The composite, magnetite/SPAN(PANSA) was characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis (EA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, UV-vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), conductivity and magnetic properties measurements. TEM image shows that magnetite nanoparticles were finely distributed into the SPAN matrix. XRD pattern of the nanocomposite reveals the presence of additional crystalline order through the appearance of a sharp peak at ∼43° and 71°. Conductivity of the nanocomposite (0.23 S/cm) is much higher than pristine copolymer (1.97 × 10−2 S/cm). The results of FT-IR and UV-visible spectroscopy reveal the presence of molecular level interactions between SO groups in SPAN and magnetite nanoparticles in the composite. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Title: Sensory Marketing - Does music influence customers?Effects of music on customer behaviour, emotion and perceived atmosphere towards a specific product categoryBackgroundA new area of research within the field of marketing have grown since the 2010’s. This type of marketing is called Sensory Marketing and it can be used to trigger subconscious emotions within consumers by using the human senses: sight, hearing, smell, feeling and taste. In order to make products more attractive for the customers.PurposeThe object of this study is to conduct an experiment where music is added to a specific product category located in specific part of the service environment. The goal of the experiment is to find out if the music changes the customers perceived atmosphere, emotions and actual behaviour when they are being exposed to music near a specific product category. The study aims to increase the understanding of customers emotions, perceived atmosphere, quantity of products bought and how long customers stay in a area of a service environment that is being targeted with music.Method and theoryThrough reviews of relevant literature within Sensory Marketing twelve hypotheses was created, which either got confirmed or rejected after 4 days of observations and questionnaires done on a sample consisting of 300 customers in a service environment.ResultsMost of the hypotheses were confirmed and the results shows that there is a significant correlation between music and customers emotions, behaviour and perceived atmosphere of a specific section in a service environment.
Abstract A method is presented whereby meteorological conditions encountered during air pollution episodes may be simulated. Meteorological conditions are expressed in terms of atmospheric stability, mixing depth, surface temperature, present wind direction, present wind speed, and wind direction and speed variability. Realistic conditions are obtained by varying stability, mixing depth and surface temperature diurnally in accordance with patterns observed during past episodes. Wind direction and speed are determined by using a digital computer to generate values from empirical frequency distributions and random number generator routines. Once an initial wind direction and speed are selected, subsequent directions are obtained by generating wind direction changes from wind direction variability frequency distributions and adding them changes to former values. Wind speeds are generated from conditional frequency distributions appropriate for each wind direction. Comparison of computer generated and observe...
The growth of network bandwidth requires that intrusion detection systems (IDSs) have higher performances than ever. In this paper, two efficiency detecting approaches of IDSs are presented. One is to use an IDS traffic controller managed by an appropriate traffic control strategy to perform payload balancing; the other is to use attack level classification according to detection cost to arrange the tasks of different IDS. By using the two methods, the IDS traffic payload is balanced, resulting the increased overall detection efficiency; in addition, different IDSs are complemented each other, therefore the anticapability of IDSs can be enhanced.
In order to understand the present situation, some historical considerations might be useful. I will start with an episode told by Vasari. According to him, in 1504 the young and relatively little-k­nown Michelangelo was given a huge block of marble to work on, which was however deemed untreatable because of a crack on its bottom. As we all know, he nevertheless made a tremendous success of the commission, creating the famous David. This sculpture was originally meant to adorn the outside of the clerestory wall of the cathedral as part of a programme consisting of several heroes from the Old Testament. But when Michelangelo had finished his work, everyone agreed, that it deserved a better location. [...]
OBJECTIVE We assessed the long-term risk of mortality associated with mechanical and biological aortic valve replacement (AVR).   METHODS We reviewed articles published during the last decade, with emphasis on large series reporting mortality data and follow up of 5 years or longer. The latest editions of textbooks on cardiology and cardiac surgery were also reviewed. We used mortality analysis methodology, comparing the observed mortality in these series to the expected mortality calculated from country specific life tables, to calculate the risk of mortality expressed as the mortality ratio (MR), values above 100% traducing the excess risk of mortality compared to the general population.   RESULTS After AVR, the MR varied from 120% to 350% for mechanical valve prostheses, and from 100% to 300 for bioprosthetic valves according to age at surgery. MR above 400% was associated with an AVR before the age of 50 years. No significant difference in the MR over age 50 years was found between mechanical and biological AVR. Independent prognostic factors after AVR are age at surgery, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class at time of surgery, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), atrial fibrillation, and type and severity of valvular lesion.   CONCLUSION No difference was found for excess mortality between mechanical and biological AVR. Under the age of 50 years, higher mortality was associated with both mechanical and bioprosthetic AVR.
Traditional fireflooding has been conducted using compressed air to supply the oxygen for combustion. Because air contains only 21% oxygen, large capacity air compressors usually are needed to supply the necessary oxygen flux for sustaining combustion in the reservoir. In wells where compressed air must be delivered at high pressures, compression and operating costs can become excessive. Oil producing companies have a growing interest in the substitution of oxygen for compressed air in their in situ enhanced oil recovery (EOR) combustion projects. However, there is concern over the operational hazards associated with the use of oxygen. This study describes the design and operating concerns an operator faces in developing an oxygen fireflood project. It also presents broad operating guidelines and design recommendations to assist him in resolving these concerns.
The Australian judicial concept of income involves a narrow approach which is similar to that taken by the courts in the United Kingdom but which stands in sharp contrast to the much broader approach taken by the courts in the United States. The early Australian income tax statutes, however, sought to tax income under a global statutory structure which can be considered much closer to the global model of federal income tax statutes in the United States than the UK legislation which was based on a schedular structure. This article traces the introduction of income tax legislation in Australia and early development of Australia’s judicial concept of income and finds that the narrow interpretation was by no means a certain outcome at the time. If efforts by the Victorian Commissioner to assess amounts such as legacies, gifts and ex gratia payments had been upheld, an income tax system very different from that which is familiar today may have developed in Australia.
Summary The mechanical power output was measured from scaphognathite (SG = gill bailer) muscle L2B of the crab Carcinus maenas (L.). The work was determined from the area of the loop formed by plotting muscle length against force when the muscle was subjected to sinusoidal length change (strain) and phasic stimulation in the length cycle. The stimulation pattern (10 stimuli per burst, burst length = 20 % of cycle length) mimicked that which has been recorded from muscle L2B in intact animals. Work output was measured at cycle frequencies ranging from 0-5 to 5 Hz. The work output at optimum strain and stimulus phase increased with increasing cycle frequency to a maximum at 2-3 Hz and declined thereafter. The maximum work per cycle was 2-7 J kg" 1 (15 °C). The power output reached a maximum (8-8 W kg" 1 ) at 4 Hz. Both optimum strain and optimum stimulus phase were relatively constant over the range of burst frequencies examined. Based on the fraction of the total SG musculature represented by muscle L2B (18%) and literature values for the oxygen consumption associated with ventilation in C. maenas and for the hydraulic power output from an SG, we estimate that at a beat frequency of 2 Hz the SG muscle is about 10 % efficient in converting metabolic energy to muscle power, and about 19 % efficient in converting muscle power to hydraulic power.
An optimization and composition algorithm based service workflow templates in network environment was proposed in this paper.The algorithm turns the problem of service optimization and composition into a problem of service workflow templates,thus it can largely reuse history workflow templates and decrease the buildup work of new workflow templates.In the algorithm,optimization makes the structure of the service workflow more reasonable and the execution time shortened.A network stream media courseware-making service workflow as an example was modeled with a Petri net.The comparison of SPNP performance analysis results of the service workflow between pre-optimization and post-optimization proves the algorithm's effectiveness.
We describe a Swedish version of CALL-SLT, a web-deployed CALL system that allows beginner/intermediate students to practise generative spoken language skills. Speech recog- nition is grammar-based, with language models derived, using the Regulus platform, from substantial domain-independent feature grammars. The paper focusses on the Swedish grammar resources, which were developed by generalising the existing English feature grammar into a shared grammar for English and Swedish. It turns out that this can be done very economically: all but a handful of rules and features are shared, and English grammar essentially ends up being treated as a reduced form of Swedish. We conclude by present- ing a simple evaluation which compares the Swedish and French versions of CALL-SLT.
Lessons learned from 2009 pandemic flu gave evidence that key issues in pandemic flu vaccine production are shortage of time, scalability, speed and biosafety of production. Developing of new universal flu vaccine preparations, alternative technological production platforms and new process equipment to overcome drawbacks of existing are the main trends for future vaccine production. Ideally, future vaccine manufacturing facilities would handle multiproduct  campaigns and include a range of safe  and profitable production and process platforms and technologies. It’s time for business to reconsider their business production model. References 1. http://www.flu.gov/pandemic/history#. Pandemic flu history. 2. http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/H1N1Vaccinevirusrecommendation26May2009.pdf. Characteristics of the emergent influenza A (H1N1) viruses and recommendations for vaccine development. 3. http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/vaccine_virus_development/en/index.htmlStatus of candidate vaccine virus development for the current Influenza A(H1N1) virus. 4. http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/SAGEH1N1vaccinerecommendation2009_05_19.pdf. Recommendations of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Influenza A (H1N1) vaccines. 5. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2010/04/h1n1-lessons-learned-vaccine-production-foiled-confirmed-experts. H1N1 LESSONS LEARNED Vaccine production foiled, confirmed experts' predictions. 6. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2009/08/officials-lower-expectations-size-first-novel-flu-vaccine-deliveries. Officials lower expectations for size of first novel flu vaccine deliveries. 7. http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/swineflu/safety_results_reassortant_cw_ivr_153.pdf  Biocontainment requirements for vaccine production from and quality control of the reassortant candidate vaccine virus IVR-153.9. 8. BioPharm International: Challenges and Trends in Vaccine Manufacturing. S. Ray, October, 2011, 7 P. 9. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2010/05/who-pandemic-showed-limits-vaccine-production-capacity. WHO: Pandemic showed limits of vaccine production capacity. 10. http://www.who.int/immunization/topics/influenza/en/index.html. World Health Organization. Influenza. 25 January 2008. 11. http://www.pharmaceuticalengineering.org/pharmaceutical-engineering-magazine/online-exclusives. W. Flaherty, P. Perrone. Environmental and Financial Benefits of Single-Use Technology. 2012. 12.  http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publi cations/influenza/CDS_EPR_GIP_2006_1.pdf. World Health Organization (WHO). Global pandemic influenza action to increase vaccine supply. Geneva, Switzerland:WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert Response (EPR) Publications; 2006 [cited July 1, 2007].
For the past 25 years, the AIDS pandemic has inflicted excruciating pain upon humanity, having ravaged the lives of millions of people around the world. Over the past few years, however, a quiet global revolution has enabled millions infected by HIV to live healthy lives through the free antiretroviral treatment program initiated by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In "Access to Life", eight of the worlds leading photojournalists, all members of Magnum Photos, follow 30 individuals in nine countries before, and four months after, they began the antiretroviral treatment, documenting the transformative effect on their bodies, their lives, and the lives of their families. Here are the faces, voices, and stories representing millions of people who would otherwise be dead if not for access to free life-saving drugs. But there are also the stories of those individuals for whom treatment came too lateshowing how the fight to bring access to AIDS treatment is still a difficult one.
The problem of this thesis is to evaluate the democracy of the practices and organization of certain school councils. As the problem is thus stated, it is necessarily two-fold in scope. The first approach is to devise some method of evaluating the practices and organization of school council work. The second approach is to apply these evaluative criteria to the practices and organization of the above mentioned school councils.
Renewable hybrid systems have been widely and successfully used as an alternative way to produce electrical energy in the off-grid areas where the grid connection is by far not economic to be accessed. Several software tools have been designed to simulate and optimize hybrid systems. However, not many of them provide a hydroelectric component as an energy source in addition to the standard ones such as PV, wind turbines and generators. Moreover, only a few integrate a multi-objective optimization where net present cost (NPC), CO 2 emission and the unmet load are the parameters in their simulation processes. In this paper, firstly, case study with two optimization criteria is performed. In the first on e, only the NPC and the CO 2 emission are treated and in the second one, the NPC, the CO 2 emission and the unmet load are all taken into account. The optimization is carried out using two different simulation software tools. The optimization results are then compared regarding the unmet load. Next, the problem of an unused excess of energy is then summarized and discussed. Lastly, the need to facilitate the connections among the components making up the hybrid system via power electronic devices to the system load (mini-grid configuration) is raised and discussed.
The purpose of this article is to explore the benefits of Alternative Dispute Resolution in the work place mediation. ADR is a process and procedure that provides alternatives to adjudicated settlement and institutional framework of conflict. It is revolutionizing the whole court system in many countries, although most people are not committed to it. A trusted judicial structure is of importance to the legitimacy of ensuring justice. However, as the dissatisfaction continues to grow in administration of justice in the court systems, we need a model that provides a new arena where parties can manage their own disputes.           Key words: Third party, mediation, negotiation, arbitration, litigation, alternative dispute resolution, disputes, dispute settlements, conflict management, corporate culture.
The invention relates to the field of wind power generation in clean energy, in particular to a high-altitude suspension wind power generation system for buoyancy lift and flow guiding through a vacuum ring. The wind power generation system is composed of a vacuum buoyancy lift unit, a wind power generation unit and a power transmission unit. The vacuum buoyancy lift unit comprises the vacuum ring and a vacuum pump fixedly arranged on the inner side wall of the vacuum ring. The wind power generation unit comprises a motor support, a generator, generator blades installed at the front end of the generator, and balance tail wings arranged at the rear end of the generator. The power transmission unit comprises a balance wire and a cable electrically connected with the generator. The generator is located on the inner side of the vacuum ring, and is coaxial with the vacuum ring. The generator is fixed to the inner side wall of the vacuum ring through the motor support. The high-altitude suspension wind power generation system is simple in structure, easy to install, easy and convenient to operate, high in work efficiency and good in safety performance; and the wind power generation cost is greatly reduced, and the high-altitude suspension wind power generation system can be allocated to any remote mountainous area and island and replace expensive diesel generators.
Objective:To explore the role of p15 gene and nm23 gene in the generation and development of human uterine endometrial carcinoma.Methods:The expressions of p15 and nm23 were detected by immunohistochemistry S-P method in 60 specimens of uterine endometrial carcinoma and 10 specimens of normal endometrial tissues.The relation between the genes and the clinical pathology was studied in human uterine endometrial carcinoma.Results:The positive expression rates of p15 were significantly different between endometrial carcinoma and normal endometrial tissues(66.7% and 100%,P 0.01).The positive expression rates of nm23 were 60% and 70% between endometrial carcinoma and normal endometrial tissues(P 0.05).By chi-square test,the positive expression of p15 was significantly related with the pathological grades(P 0.05).The expression of nm23 was significantly related with operation-pathological stages and lymph node metastasis(P 0.05).By logistic regression analysis,there was positive correlation between the expression of p15 and pathological grades in endometrial carcinoma(OR=8.825,95%CI was 2.214-35.178,P 0.05).There was no correlation between the expression of nm23 and all the clinic-pathology parameters of uterine endometrial carcinoma.By rank correlation test,there was positive correlation between p15 expression and nm23 expression in the endometrial carcinoma(rs=0.754,P 0.01).Conclusion:The expression of p15 has an important meaning in judging prognosis evaluation of endometrial carcinoma.
The ultrastructural features of five mandibular ameloblastomas were investigated. The morphological comparison between ameloblastoma and enamel organ was made, and the cause of the appearance of granular cells in the tumor was discussed. The peripheral columnar cells were morphologically similar to the inner enamel epithelium of the enamel organ. The central cells were similar to the stellate reticulum cells. There were not stratum intermedium-like cells in the tumors. This implied that the tumors were developed earlier than the enamel organ of bell stage. The squamous cells were sometimes found in the central part of the tumor cell masses. These cells were flat with a few organelles in the plasma, but had a lot of tonofilaments. This suggested that these cells were not active. Upon the ultrastructure, however, it could not be determined whether the appearance of these cells reflected a low differentiation or a degeneracy. Granular cells contained a lot of lysosomes, but no autophage was noticed. We thought that the appearance of these cells was due to accumulation of some unusual substances in the cells, the substances might be related with the glycosaminoglycan.
The present investigation aims to determine the incidence due to the application and SPOT IVAP in rice production chain Jequetepeque valley in tax revenues, leaving the state to collect some monetary resources, which serve to develop , social and economic community to which they belong.  In this thesis seeks to review and analyze all the rice production chain, from production to marketing to the consumer of it, trying to find why farmers, millers and rice traders and especially people who have nothing to do with the matter, involving ghostly order to take advantage of the situation and opt for informality, even though the state has created special tax laws led to the latter, in order to avoid that tax evasion and seek their formalization. And likewise give the agency responsible for tax collection (SUNAT) of strategies to avoid such a misapplication of the tax laws with respect to rice production chain.  SUNAT has to strengthen its power to control in order to prevent funds for the state for taxes, have to end up enriching people who do not belong to the category and nor do business with it.
Economic analysis of historical facts and problems of origin, making of business on Kuban at the end of 19 in the beginning of 20 century was conducted in the article. Problems of small-scale business were shown up in the course of analysis. Experience of application of a range of instrumental sets of problems decision and creation of economic, social and entrepreneunial preconditions for their decision was considered. Experience of small-scale business development on one territory, but in different epochs, bears some historical identification.
OBJECTIVE To study the effects of LPS on the morphology and function of HUVECs, so as to explore the roles of activated vascular endothelial cells (VEC) by LPS in systemic inflammatory reaction, sepsis and MOF.   METHODS HUVECs primarily cultured in vitro were employed as the model. Inverted microscope was used to observe the effects of LPS on the morphology of HUVECs. ELISA was used to assess the IL-6 content. The expression of ICAM-1 was determined by immunofluorescent staining method with confocal laser-scanning fluorescence microscope.   RESULTS The morphology of HUVECs could be altered by LPS to become long cord-like in shape. The smallest dose of LPS for stimulating the secretion of IL-6 from HUVEC was 1 ng/ml, and the effect was enhanced parallel to the increase of the concentration of LPS and reached top level at 8 postburn hours. The expresson of ICAM-1 on the nucleic and cytoplasmic membrane of HUVECs increased obviously after HUVECs was cultured with LPS (10 ng/ml) for 24 hours when observed by laser confocal scanning light microscope.   CONCLUSION The morphology and function of HUVECs could be evidently affected by LPS. As a result, LPS might play important roles in the increase of vascular permeability, the promotion of leukocytic adherence, and the initiation of inflammatory cascade reaction.
All measures of preventive maintenance of extragenital pathology assotiated complications in pregnant women are offered for dividing on specific and not specific. The specific preventive maintenance is directed on prevention of complications of the basic disease which character is determined by the diagnosis. Not specific preventive maintenance complex of measures allowing to prevent a numberf subclinical conditions of pregnancy which are capable to aggravate current of extragenital pathology. The measures of not specific preventive maintenance are shown to all pregnant women and their character does not depend on the diagnosis. The basic ways of prevention of deficiencies, inherent in pregnancy, venous and infectious complications are described.
Present study aims to study the relation between child behavioral problems and parenting stress in mothers. The study was conducted in 60 mothers of children aged between 5 and 15 years. They were divided into two groups. Group 1 comprised 30 mothers of normal children (SDQ Difficulty Score 14). The data was collected using Strength and Difficulty Questionnaire (SDQ) (Goodman, 1997), and Parental Stress Scale (PSS) (Berry & Jones, 1995). Analysis was done using student's ‘t’ test and product moment correlation. The results indicated that the parenting stress in mothers was positively correlated with conduct problems in children. Mothers of normal children reported more stress when their children displayed conduct problems and hyperactivity, while mothers of children diagnosed with ADHD and co-morbid disruptive behavioral problems were reported more stress when their children displayed conduct problems and peer problems.
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is common in Mediterranean countries especially in Iran. It can be seen in many different ages. Two such cases were a housewife with a huge lesion over her shins from Hashtgerd and an army soldier with multiple skin lesions over his arms from south east of Iran. They were treated with Meglumine Antimoniate (Glucantime) with success. A discussion on CL and its management follows.
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty. By Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson. New York: Crown Business, 2012. Pp. 544. Acemoglu and Robinson undertake a thorough and detailed enquiry of the existing puzzle of economic, social and political inequality in the current world scenario. The authors make an attempt to address the fundamental problem of glaring income gaps and variation in the standards of living in various parts of the world, "why [some] nations fail" while others succeed. The answer to the puzzle is embedded in the "institutions" which shape up the overall governance in terms economic, social and political policies of a specific country. The authors present a strong case by delving in-depth in a "historically path dependent" analysis of how some nations have followed an institutional path which resulted in effective institutions that are able to render policies beneficial for the citizens. This has been further elaborated by providing stories of "success and failure" and juxtaposing "dissimilar-similar" examples, dissimilar in terms of socio-economic indicators and similar regionally and geographically, for example, Nogales, Arizona (United States) and Nogales, Sonara (Mexico) in Chapter 1, North and South Korea in Chapter 3. Linking history and the contemporary conditions authors opine that historical revolutionary turning points of a nation matter only when they succeed in altering the social structures fundamentally as happened in the case of England in 1688 and French revolution in 1789. The authors cite the example of recent revolution in Egypt (overthrowing Hosni Mubarak) where earlier revolutions (the Ottoman Empire and the end of British rule in 1952) failed to establish a new order leading to much familiar to absolutism (Mubarak's rule). Following from the previous patterns, the authors cast a shadow of doubt whether the recent revolution would result in any fundamental change in the existing socio-economic and political structures in Egypt. A historical institutional exploration of success and failure stories according to the authors is instructive in providing answers and solutions to the existing dilemma of variation in prosperity and poverty. The book initially presents a contrasting case of the two Nogales, one which is situated in the United States in the north and the other in Mexico in the south. Despite similar geography and climate, the two have glaring differences in income and standards of living. The authors argue that these differences are embedded in the types of institutions which took shape historically in the two countries. Institutions providing incentives to the citizens for overall growth is the key for the success and failure. However, economic institutions alone cannot provide the necessary structure for development; politics and political institutions also dictate the shaping of economic institutions as is the case of United States since 1619. It is pertinent to examine the interactions between political and economic institutions. The kind of institutions which take shape is path dependent on the past forces; "different patterns of institutions today are deeply rooted in the past because once society gets organized in a particular way, this tends to persist" (p. 44). Acemoglu and Robinson, while presenting a strong case for institutional analysis, negate some popular hypotheses which attempt to provide reasons for the world inequality in terms of geography, culture, and ignorance of the rulers, resulting in poor policy choices. Some prominent examples like Asian and African economies of Malaysia, Singapore, Botswana, and China are cited to support their argument. Why some nations fail while others succeed is highly dependent on the types of institutions which take root historically. The authors further classify and distinguish them as "inclusive and extractive" institutions. Inclusive economic institutions provide incentives to the citizens resulting in technological innovations (Thomas Edison in the United States) and increase in education. …
A medical equipment allocation and management system was designed in the hospital to improve the use rate of medical equipment effectively and reduce the wastes of medical resources. The system included multiple function modules, such as login, loan, return and query, which could meet the function requirements in in-use equipment query and management. Application of the management system improved the management level and promoted economic benefits of medical equipment.
Phyc gene was amplified from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens genomic DNA by PCR.The Phyc gene was inserted into the expression vector pPIC9K and transformed into the Pichia pastoris strain GS115 by elect-roporation.Then the Phyc gene was expressed by induction of methyl alcohol.SDS-PAGE analysis showed that recombinant neutral phytase was successfully produced at a high level in Pichia pastoris.And after induced for 72 h,the enzyme activity can reach 2 330 U/L.
Spatio-temporal data is the description of the time,space,and attribute information of geographic spatio-temporal processes,which reflects the spatio-temporal process information of geographical phenomenon changing with the time on the earth-surface space. The spatio-temporal process information is complex and changeable,target of dynamic visualization of geographic process was proposed to guide methods in the paper. On the basis of this,a break-through dynamic visualization method was developed to express the geographical spatio-temporal evolution process directly.
Introduction The beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in decreasing LDL levels on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is well defined. The influence of this drug on HDL levels is still under debate and information about its effect on cholesterol reverse transport is lacking. Objective To evaluate the effects of HCQ on HDL levels and the transfer of lipids to this lipoprotein in SLE. Methods Nineteen SLE patients using only HCQ (SLE WITH HCQ), 19 SLE patients without any therapy (SLE WITHOUT THERAPY), and 19 healthy controls (CONTROL) were included. All three groups were premenopausal women age- and gender-matched. Serum lipids and apolipoproteins were determined by commercial kits. An in vitro transfer of four lipids (14C-Phospolipid, 3H-Cholesteryl ester, 3H-Triglyceride, and 14C-Unesterified cholesterol) from a radioactively labeled nanoemulsion donor to HDL was performed in all participants. Results Groups had comparable mean age, weight, height, BMI(body mass index), and waist circumference (p > .05). Mean HDL levels were higher in SLE WITH HCQ group compared to SLE WITHOUT THERAPY(58.37 ± 14.04 vs 49.79 ± 8.0 mg/dL; p < .05) but lower than CONTROL (58.37 ± 14.04 vs 68.58 ± 9.99 mg/dL; p < .05). Total cholesterol (TC) and LDL levels were also significantly lower in SLE WITH HCQ compared SLE WITHOUT THERAPY(148.16 ± 16.43 vs 167.11 ± 30.18 mg/dL; p < .05, 75.05 ± 22.52 vs 96.05 ± 25.63 mg/dL; p < .05) and CONTROL (148.16 ± 16.43 vs 174.11 ± 23.70 mg/dL; p < .05, 75.05 ± 22.52 vs 88.53 ± 20.24 mg/dL; p < .05). The in vitro lipid transfer to HDL study revealed a significant difference among the three groups (p = .002) with a higher transfer of unesterified cholesterol(UC) in SLE WITH HCQ compared to SLE WITHOUT THERAPY(5.40 ± 1.05% vs. 4.44 ± 1.05%; p < .05). The latter was significantly decreased compared to CONTROL (5.40 ± 1.05% vs. 5.99 ± 1.71%; p < .05).The percentages of transfer of triacylglycerol (4.93 ± 0.69% vs. 4.50 ± 0.69% vs. 5.14 ± 1.01%; p = .054), esterified cholesterol (5.24 ± 0.70% vs. 4.96 ± 0.89% vs. 5.69 ± 1.27%; p = .079), and phospholipid (15.67 ± 1.03% vs. 15.34 ± 1.44% vs. 16.47 ± 1.89%; p = .066) were similar among groups. Conclusion The present study is the first to demonstrate that HCQ promoted a higher transfer of unesterified cholesterol which may account for the increased HDL levels in lupus patients under HCQ. This desirable effect may underlie the reported reduced atherosclerosis in SLE.
The pyrolysis of the known polymer (-B/sub 10/H/sub 12/.Ph/sub 2/POPPh/sub 2/)(x)- to give a boron-containing ceramic was studied. The pyrolysis to 1000 C gives an amorphous solid in 93% ceramic yield that contains boron, phosphorus, oxygen, and a large excess of carbon. Further studies devoted to this material have served to characterize it with respect to surface area, pore size and distribution, density, grain size, crystalline phases, and elemental composition as a function of the temperature up 2350 C.
The purpose of this research is to evaluate the data shown by Corporate Social Responsibility at shareea banks in Indonesia, which analyzed by ISR index. This research used a sampling method. The samples which are used for the purpose of this research are the purposive sampling taken from shareea banks at Indonesia which already registered on 2015 and 2016. The result of this research showed that Indonesia Muamalat Bank scored the highest at CSR at 86% and disclosed consistently, while Victoria Bank of Indonesia scored the lowest at 54%. The data also showed that there were four shareea banks which ranked as very informative, they were: Indonesia Muamalat Bank, Shareea Bank of Indonesia Nation, Mandiri Shareea Bank, and Central Asia Bank. There were also five shareea banks which simply ranked informative, they were: Mega Shareea Bank, Shareea Bank of Indonesia Citizen, Bukopin Shareea Bank, Shareea Bank of Banten of West Java and Panin Shareea Bank. Last, there were two banks which are evaluated as less informative namely Shareea Bank of Maybank Indonesia and Victoria Shareea Bank. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Shareea Banks, ISR index.
A systematic study has been made on the Middle Permian sequence stratigraphy of the Mid-Yangtze area, the sequence framework has been established,the characters of system tract and sequence boundaries have been researched,and the basic kinds of sequence style and their features have been analysed.As a result,there is one 2-order sequence and six 3-order sequences (PSQ2—PSQ7),and the average age of the sequences is about 1.7myr. The coloration of the rock in the trandsgressive system tract is dark in general, and the deposit is a complex retrograding to coast.The coloration of the rocks in the high system tract is light in general,and the deposit is a complex prograding to sea.The main sequence style is H style, and T and TH styles are equal in content.The character shows that transgression is rapid,regression is slow,and the range ability is not large,the water mass may be midium in the Middle Permian. The 2-order and 3-order sequences in the north are not distinctly different from those in the south.
This paper researches the green six-hole brick with crushing autoclaved aerated concrete block and fly ash as the main raw material,and researches its strength,shrinkage and frost resistance in natural maintenance condition and wet maintenance condition by experiment.Research results show that the six-hole brick not only keeping environmental health,saving energy and recycling,but also its performance meets the relevant requirements,so it deserves popularization and application.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between genetic variation of Furin and insulin resistance in Chinese Kazakh population.   METHODS Based on a cross-sectional epidemiological study in a Chinese Kazakh population, a case-control study was conducted. All the sequence variants located promoter and exon regions of Furin were identified by directly sequencing of PCR product in 50 (25 males) individuals with insulin resistance, which were randomly chosen from the study population. The representative polymorphism was detected by TaqMan PCR in 861 subjects (366 males, 254 in case group and 607 in control group). The relationship between genetic variation of Furin and insulin resistance in this cohort was analyzed.   RESULTS Twelve genetic variations in Furin were identified by sequencing 50 individuals with insulin resistance and 4 common SNPs (rs6226, rs6227, rs2071410, and rs4932178) were selected as representatives for genotyping in this Chinese Kazakh population. The rs6226, rs6227, rs2071410, and rs4932178 polymorphisms were successfully genotyped. The distribution of the genotypes of rs6226, rs6227, rs2071410, and rs4932178 polymorphism was similar between case and controls (all P > 0.05). The homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels was also similar among individuals with different genotypes (all P > 0.05).   CONCLUSION The genetic variation of Furin is not associated with insulin resistance in this cohort of Chinese Kazakh population.
The purpose of this paper is to reconsider chronological order of mid-Goryeo ceramics with excavating the underwater relics of a wrecked ship in the sea near Ma island, Taean county as a momentum. 12-13th Centuries are considered as middle era and in those centuries many changes were appeared in respects of quality and quantity. Scholars have taken attention about exquisitely fine relics of the 12th century, but they have not succeeded to figure out the process of developments of celadon in the 13th century. Just in time, a wrecked ship in the sea near Ma island, Taean county(泰安 馬島 1號船) is excavated. In that ship, many relics are found. In those, some bamboo tablets are found, therefore celadon relics in that ship are also studied. That wrecked ship was sunk down in the course to Gaegyung via Jangheung, Haenam, Naju, Youngam. By analyzing bamboo tablets, we find that the celadon relics were made in early 13th century. And we also know the celadon making style and distribution information of that period. Also, we presume the making place as Gangjin Yongun-ri 10th kiln site and Haenam Jinsan-ri kiln site. The excavated and analyzed kiln sites of mid-Goryeo period are almost 10, and the excavated relics in these sites show that they have some common characters in form, figure expression style, figure material etc. Therefore, we can presume that those kiln sites were operated in almost same ages. Nevertheless, the chronological orders of reports are various. It may be because of insufficiency of materials to help presuming the chronological order. We can be helped to settle down the chronological order about mid-Goryeo celadon relics by the relics of Injong Jangreung(1146), Gongyu Mun`s grave(1159?), The Queen Moter Sungyoung Gareung(1236), Heejong Sukreung(1237), The Queen Moter Wondeuk Gonreung(1239), Myeongjong Jireung(1255). These relics and the relics of a wrecked ship of Ma island show that many celadon relics which has been understanded as 12th century celadon were continuously made in 13th century. In reconsidering process of the chronological order of mid-Goryeo ceramics, we are helped by the relics of a wrecked ship of Ma island to presume making period of underglaze iron black celadon and crude quality celadon. Those celadon have been known as productions of 11-12th centuries. But, after comparison and analyzing, we can consider that underglaze iron black celadon are continuously made even after 13th century. Besides, we can confirm the possibility of the making period about crude quality celadon of Haenam Jinsan-ri kiln site, Incheon Gyeongsan-dong kiln site is extended to the first half of the 13th century.
The simulated training system in the marketing plans is a new topic.This paper introduces The concept of designing the simulated training system in the marketing plans from its technique,module design,information processing,processing methods as well as page effect and some questions in designing it in order to provide a way for the practical training of enterprise education.At the same time,stimulating the design of marketing plans on computer can increase the designing effeciency,guide the students to learn how to design a book of marketing plans and a process,and enablethem to know what they should pay attention to in their designs,which may make the students avoid detours
Background : Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast is becoming a useful adjunct to mammography and sonography for the detection of breast lesions. However, it is not yet accepted as a routine examination for all breast cancer patients due to the lack of data regarding whether breast magnetic resonance imaging impacts recurrence or survival. This trial examines the use of magnetic resonance imaging for detection of additional lesions in patients with dense breasts and its effect on surgical treatment. Methods : Between November 2011 and November 2012, 51 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer and dense breasts underwent bilateral breast magnetic resonance imaging. Cases were reviewed to determine if the breast magnetic resonance imaging detected additional masses, changed the preoperative clinical staging, the operation plan, or prompted additional testing. Results :Magnetic resonance imaging detected 37 additional masses in 19 patients that were not detected by mammography. Cancer occult to mammography was detected by magnetic resonance imaging in one woman. Breast magnetic resonance imaging upstaged the cancer in 7 (13.72%) out of 51 patients. Magnetic resonance imaging impacted surgical treatment in 4(7.84%) out of 51 patients. Conclusions : Magnetic resonance imaging is effective in the identification of additional masses in dense breasts that are not visualized on mammography. Of the 51 patients, 4 (7.84%) who underwent magnetic resonance imaging altered their surgical management due to the magnetic resonance imaging findings. Further studies should be undertaken to show that breast magnetic resonance imaging can change local recurrence and survival.
Section speed enforcement systems are becoming established as cost-effective measures to reduce the incidence of speeding and thus improve road safety. It is also widely acknowledged that speed levels affect pollutant emissions. Therefore, significant co-benefits in environment and road safety are expected from the application of such systems. Yet few studies have investigated the environmental effects of speed limit reduction and even fewer those of tight speed limit enforcement. In this study an empirical analysis is carried out to investigate the impact of a new 80km/h speed limit and tight enforcement on an urban motorway in Italy. First a detailed analysis of individual-vehicle section speeds (i.e. section travel times) is performed. The study focuses on seven motorway sections and three reference periods, namely weekday peak hours, free-flow hours and the entire week. This allows the effect of road geometry and traffic conditions to be evaluated as well. Secondly, thorough calculation of pollutant emissions and fuel consumption is carried out. As it is based on individual vehicle speeds, the effect of changes in speed variance among drivers is also captured. This turned out to be relevant to the application. Basically, study outcomes suggest that the strategy can be a straightforward and effective policy to put eco-driving principles into practice, only in network stretches or in time periods in which congestion is not too heavy. Therefore, for such systems the opportunity for significant co-benefits in fuel economy and road safety appears to exist only under these strict conditions.
According to the invention an internally ventilated brake disc for a disc brake, adjacent with two mutually arranged friction discs which are connected by between an outer peripheral edge and an inner peripheral edge of the friction plates extending, arranged over its periphery webs together so that the spaces between the ridges form with the cooling air flowed through the cooling channels characterized in that over each having at least one peripheral portion of at least one friction disc, the webs to this friction plate toward a recess and that at the to the webs pointing towards area of ​​the friction disc, in the region of the recess of the ridges, an identifier is attached, which by is visible outside the brake disc.
The global use of solar photovoltaic system is accelerating rapidly due to the ever-decreasing cost and improvement on cell efficiency [1]. Solar cell, which generates the electricity directly from sunlight, is expected to play a major role in solving the global energy crisis in an environmental-friendly and sustainable way. Among them, organic solar cells have attracted a great deal of attentions owing to several advantages, including wide range of applicable materials, low-cost, and compatible with flexible substrates [2]. Organic solar cell a third generation photovoltaic cell, consists of an organic photovoltaic active layer placed between a transparent electrode and a metal electrode [3]. With the continuous progress of society, unprecedented achievements have been made in scientific and technological innovation in various fields, and a large number of patent documents have also been produced and accumulated. Patent is the largest technical information source in the world and the carrier of scientific and technological knowledge. Patent applications and registrations in the domain of organic solar cells have been increasing rapidly over the past two decades. Patent text-mining is a kind of effective method for decision-making of technological development. With the explosive growth of the number of patents, the massive patents have been time-consuming and labor-intensive, and even beyond the processing limit of human beings. How to quickly filter out useful information and the internal patterns of data from this information has become a difficult problem in front of us. Therefore, it is necessary to develop intelligent data analysis methods. Python is an interpretable, high-level, general-purpose programming language. One of the areas where Python excels at is analysis of data and visualization. Based on the Python language, this paper uses the NLTK package to preprocess the patent text data, uses the TF-IDF method to vectorize the text. The K-means++ algorithm is used to cluster the data. The NetworkX library is used to create, manipulate graphs and analyze networks. The theory of structure holes is used to identify key nodes.
This report examines changes made to emergency preparedness and disaster response and management since Hurricane Katrina. Also examined is the degree to which strategies employed by New Orleans' organizations and individuals can be transferred to other American cities. The list of improvements made to emergency preparedness in post-Katrina New Orleans has been narrowed down to 13 components, which are identified as best practices in emergency preparedness and disaster response.
The nursing process is a method for organizing the practice of nursing, for individual nurses as well as nursing teams. The nursing process is also an area of academic study. The present study takes a detailed look at the nursing process and its applicability, while analyzing the views of Brazilian nursing students on the nursing process, at a time when they were participating in nursing practicum's in local hospitals. The study involved a quantitative field research utilizing semi-structured questions. The data analysis showed that it is not enough to know the various phases of the nursing process, it is also necessary to understand the importance of their applicability.
In The aim of the present study is to evaluate the analyses of language teaching software conducted by teacher candidates’ who have taken the elective course FRN4104 Computer Assisted Language Teaching II. The study focuses on investigating software in relation to the subheadings: technical and educational features, general structures and content, limitations and the possibility of effectiveness. Software selection addressed the criteria that the software was designed for enhancing autonomous learning and at the same time were previously not analyzed by other researchers within related online publications. Participants of study consist of 12 teacher candidates studying in their final year of education at Uludag University, Education Faculty, Department of French Language Teaching, in the academic year of 2009-2010. Participants analyzed the software via the scales used by Kartal (2004) within the related literature. The software analyzed was designed to develop the teaching of Turkish, English, French and Spanish. The findings of the study reveal that the software meets the needs of the learner or the user particularly in terms of improving language skills in general. The results of the present study indicate that there is a high need for the analyzed software to be improved especially to ensure that learners become more active and motivated in the learning process.
This notice sets forth a schedule of limits on hospital per deim inpatient general routine operating costs that may be reimbursed under Medicare beginning October 1, 1981. This is a special revision of the schedule, not an annual update, and replaces the current schedule, which was published in the Federal Register on June 30, 1981 (46 FR 33637). It incorporates two changes required by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981: . The limits are lowered from 112 percent of mean costs to 108 percent; and . The limits are revised to reflect a reduction in the nursing salary differential. As required by statute, this notice also has a special provision for its effective date.
Mice, inoculated with Salmonella typhimurium, either intraperitoneally (i.p.) or intragastrically (i.g.), developed a systemic infection with a high death rate within a few days after inoculation. Pretreatment of the mice with moderate concentrations of i.p. administered TNF-alpha 24 h before the administration of bacteria reduced the establishment of intracellular infection in the intestinal epithelial cells, and development of bacteremia. The mortality rate was reduced, and the survival time was extended by the same treatment. This effect of TNF-alpha was more pronounced against i.g. than against i.p. inoculated bacteria. The effect was dose dependent, thus concentrations above or below the optimal dose had less effect. No synergistic effect was seen if TNF-alpha was given in combination with interferon-gamma. These results indicate, that TNF-alpha may have a physiological effect in the host defence against facultatively intracellular Gram-negative bacteria.
The authors discuss the problem concerning the substitution of ozone-destroying fire extinguishing halogen hydrocarbons 13B1, 12B1 and 114B2 with alternative means of volumetric fire extinguishing. The toxicological-and-hygienic characteristics of chladon 13B1 and of the new ozone-harmless extinguishers (chladons 124B1 and 125, sulphur hexafluoride and aerosol-forming means of volumetric fire extinguishing) are shown.
Presented was a description of a clinical case of successful surgical treatment of a 10 year old child with a tumor of the midbrain. The resolution power of the magnetic resonance imaging made it possible to verify the diagnosis in the patient at the age of 2,5 years. The current potentials of micro-neurosurgery allowed the surgeon to improve the patient"s condition by removing the cystic tumor of the left part of the brain. The child was discharged in satisfactory condition with regression of symptoms
In a group of Scandinavian women in labour, application of sterile water wheals intradermally was compared with a "dry needling" technique as a way of treating labour pain. 101 women received intradermal wheals, 50 were "dry needled" and 117 served as a control group for perinatal complications. 57.6% of the women in the wheal group experienced more than 50% relief of pain compared with 18% in the dry needling group (p less than 0.0001). Mean duration of pain relief was 79 +/- 15 min. (SD) in the wheal group and only 19 +/- 15 min. in the dry needling group. The duration was longest if the wheals were applied early in labour. Judged by the mean Apgar scores one and five minutes after delivery, the method did not seem to have any side effects, either on the mother or on the foetus. It was impossible to carry out the study double blind, but it still strongly indicates that application of small amounts of sterile water intradermally during labour is an efficient and safe way of reducing pain in labour.
Applications of Trigger Units (TU) can be found in almost all accelerators at CERN. The requirements in terms of operating frequencies, configuration or modes of operation change from one application to another, how-ever, in terms of design requirements for the Trigger Unit, the operating frequency is probably the most demanding one. In this work, we present an implementation of a Trigger Unit almost fully embedded in the FPGA logic operating at a maximum frequency of 1 GHz using the internal serializer/deserializer circuitry to simplify the timing constraints of the design. This implementation allows easy reconfiguration of the module and the development of new modes of operation, which are described in this paper.
This paper investigates how belief, social power, and ideology work together to create the subjectivities and social structures that guide our behaviour. Phenomena such as cognitive shortcuts, memory, bias, empathy, and dissonance are used to trace the effects of power and ideology on social construction and role-taking behaviour. Research on mass opinion in the United States is then used to identify the effects of information and salience on construction. Different conceptions of ideology and interest, drawn from the work of Hume, Marx, Gramsci, Althusser, Foucault, and others were referenced to explore the larger social dynamics of ideas and structures. Academic, ethical, and democratic implications are investigated at different points. The paper concludes by connecting parenting style to moral development in order to find strategies for resisting the tendency towards institutional behaviour.%%%%MAST
One of the main problems faced by communication systems is the presence of skip-zones in the targeted areas. With the deployment of the fifth-generation mobile network, solutions are proposed to solve the signal loss due to obstruction by buildings, mountains, and atmospheric or weather conditions. Among these solutions, re-configurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), which are newly proposed modules, may be exploited to reflect the incident signal in the direction of dead zones, increase communication coverage, and make the channel smarter and controllable. In this paper, we tackle the skip-zone problem in near-terrestrial free-space optical (nT-FSO) systems using RIS. We carry out a performance analysis of RIS-aided nT-FSO links affected by turbulence and pointing errors, for both heterodyne detection (HD) and intensity modulation-direct detection (IM/DD) techniques. Turbulence is modeled using the Gamma-Gamma (G-G) distribution. We analyze the model and provide exact closed-form expressions of the probability density function, cumulative distribution function, and moment generating function of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio, $ gamma$. Capitalizing on these statistics, we evaluate the system performance through the outage probability, $ P_{out} $, ergodic channel capacity, $ overline{C}$, and average bit-error-rate, $ overline{P}_b$, for selected binary modulation schemes. Numerical results obtained for different turbulence levels and pointing errors confirm that the HD technique outperforms IM/DD even in RIS-aided nT-FSO systems. These results also show that using a blue color offers better channel capacity and communication performance compared to red and green colors.
An imaging panel (10), which generates an image on the basis of scintillation light obtained from x-rays passing through a subject, is provided with: a substrate (40); a plurality of conversion elements (15) for converting the scintillation light to charges; insulating films (45, 46) having a plurality of conductive parts (47) reaching each of the plurality of conversion elements (15); and bias wiring (16) formed on top of the insulating films (45, 46) so as to cover the plurality of conductive parts (47), and connected to each of the plurality of conversion elements (15) via the conductive parts (47) for supplying bias voltage to the plurality of conversion elements (15). The size of the plurality of conductive parts (47) in the direction of extension of each bias wiring (16) is greater than the size of the conductive parts (47) in the direction of width of the bias wiring (16).
In recent years in Japan, longer medication periods and greater numbers of types of prescribed medicines tend to lead to more failures in taking medication. An educational method must be considered that enables patients to understand and take medication correctly to improve medication adherence, to reduce medical costs, and to alleviate symptoms effectively because increased medical expenses by residual medications or overlapping medication and negative effects on human health by side effects and interactive effects exist. Therefore, in this study we developed a patient teaching program to improve medication adherence effectively that uses communication robots at one pharmacy. Particularly, we aimed at more effective instruction and improved robot behavior to raise patients' learning motivation by create effective communication with patients. We report the concept and overview of this teaching robot system.
Severe sepsis is a common problem associated with substantial mortality and a significant consumption of healthcare resources. The number of cases per year, currently estimated at 750 000 in the US alone, is expected to increase at a rate of 1.5% per year, and an increasingly significant proportion of these patients will be elderly. Older persons are more prone to infections due to the effects of aging, comorbidities, use of invasive devices, and problems associated with institutionalization. The diagnosis of sepsis in this population can be difficult, as older patients may have atypical responses to sepsis and may present with delirium or falls, thus delaying therapeutic interventions that may influence their outcome. There is a tendency to treat older persons less aggressively; however, it is important to consider criteria other than just chronological age, such as recent performance level, quality of life, comorbidities, and patient preference, when determining the aggressiveness of care. Future studies should focus on both short- and long-term outcomes of older patients, such as their ability to achieve previous physiological status and social independence, in addition to their risk of mortality after an event of severe sepsis.
Indigenous governments in Canada are increasingly authorized to adopt laws that convert communally held lands to individual fee simple. They will convert title to fee simple in order to obtain the economic benefits commonly associated with private ownership and its securitization. However, Indigenous peoples are also likely to experience rapid social change that may necessitate the adaptation of law to local context. Governments expect to address social dislocation by exercising legislative and regulatory authority over lands, which continue irrespective of ownership. Seeking to examine the reliability of this argument, I analyze whether the legislative reforms of the Nisga'a Nation, one of the first to define its Aboriginal title as an estate in fee simple, are sufficient to address social changes likely to arise from titling.Based on the authority obtained by the Nisga'a in the Nisga'a Final Agreement and already established in Nisga'a statutes, I argue that social impacts and laws necessarily implicated by titling reform can be addressed through the legal authority vested in the Nisga'a. However, because ownership works in collaboration with other laws to impact the social and economic environment of a community, continuing governing authority may not be sufficient to effect significant control over the use and development of the land. Drawing on the insight that titling is used as one part of a broader regime aimed at investment I argue that local reforms by Nisga'a governments that seek to ameliorate the impacts of titling are likely to be countered by investor concerns over certainty of title and security. I conclude with the observation that while privatization may be superior to communal ownership for particular Indigenous governments, law related to the social impacts of privatization should be identified as part of future land reform efforts.
The ultrastructure of lipoblast-like cells produced by clones of transformed culture of strain in the medium with an increased (60%) concentration of bovine serum was studied. The aim of using the stimulator rich in adipogenous factors was the elucidation of the origin of lipid accumulation in some of cell types during heterogeneous differentiation of clones. In these conditions non-differentiated lipoblasts assumed the fine structure of mature lipid cells. The statement of the marker significance of lipid accumulation in non-differentiated cells of the clones and the conversion of these cells under the influence of non-specific stimulator to the mature lipocytes confirms the data on conservation of over-all cytogenetic potentials and the capacity of their realization in the cells of transformed cultures. It is suggested that the increased concentration of bovine serum in the cultural medium not only stimulates differentiation (by any way determined cells), but is also capable of acting on the stem elements produced by the clone. In that case the influence of the stimulator on the trends of heterogeneous differentiation is not unlikely.
The phenomenon of mythologization of the history in its connection with ideas of social identity existing in the social conscience is analyzed in the article. Using the characteristics of the main models of these ideas, the transformation processes are explicated in the content of mythologems, from the discourse of which realizing the mythological interpretation of event history in preindustrial and industrial societies. The main thing to prove is that the transformation of the content of sceneries of the mythologies is connected with the change of the ideas of social identity which existing in the different historical periods.
A frame for supporting a distribution line is provided to prevent a short circuit of a jump wire by applying a sufficient absorbing force to an insulator body and a fixed unit. An ARM main body(F) is installed at an electric pole, a pivot unit(20) is settled by a pivot rotating globein the seating hole(h) of a case(10). An insulator main body(30) is fixed to the pivot rotating outlet through a first spring installation part of the case. A lock mechanism engages with the jumper wire, and an absorbing mechanism(50) supports the insulator main body elastically. An anti-fall device(60) comprises a cylinder(61), a piston(62), a second spring(63), and a wire.
Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBRs) provide several advantages in terms of flexibility and robustness to variations in the inflow concentrations and sludge alterations. Adjusting the duration of the load, reaction and discharge phases, it allows to optimize the treatment, saving time and energy. Optimal policies can be defined by observing and analyzing some chemical and physical parameters such as pH, redox potential and dissolved oxygen concentration. Various Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have been proposed and used to recognize the state of the biological processes inside the plant, using the signal trends and changes as indirect indicators. In particular, the termination of a process (typically, denitrification in the anoxic phase or nitrification in the aerobic one) can be estimated by a management system and used in control policies. In this paper, we point out that this recognition task is only part of the responsibilities of a potential Environmental Decision Support System (EDSS) managing an SBR, and by no means the only one which can take advantage of AI techniques. In fact, the entire control and management system could be defined and implemented using declarative AI techniques, deployed within a uniform execution environment. In particular, we propose two alternative but similar models of the SBR operation cycles: one is based on workflows, exploiting the BPMN2 (Business Process Management Notation v.2) standard for the definition and execution of business processes; the other instead is founded on the principles of (Reactive) Event Calculus. Both representation capture the operational behavior of the SBR, supporting the state transitions and the actions associated to each state. The transitions themselves are driven by events, i.e. relevant state changes. The events are identified either directly, through the sensor system installed on the plant, or analysing a combination of other more elementary events, and conditioned by the actual state of the plant. The correlations between events, states and control actions, as well as their consequences, will eventually be defined using rules, which will also encode the necessary knowledge to deal with exceptional conditions, accounting for a more flexible system.
Under the background of popularization of higher education,employment guidance to college students is more important. In the process of guiding college students' employment,this paper noted the importance of full employment based on employment status of graduates,and analyzed the root cause of the current difficult employment problem,to help students establish to adapt the changes in the employment concept,put forward the People-oriented guiding to graduates' employment,to enhance the employability and competitiveness of graduates.
Inventory routing problems combine the optimization of product deliveries (or pickups) with inventory control at customer sites. Our application concerns the planning of single product pickups over time; each site accumulates stock at a deterministic rate; the stock is emptied on each visit. At the tactical planning stage considered here, our objective is to minimize a surrogate measure of routing cost while achieving some form of regional clustering by partitioning the sites between the vehicles. The fleet size is given but can potentially be reduced. Planning consists in assigning customers to vehicles in each time period, but the routing, i.e., the actual sequence in which vehicles visit customers, is considered as an ``operational'' decision. The planning is due to be repeated over the time horizon with constrained periodicity. We develop a truncated branch-and-price-and-cut algorithm combined with rounding and local search heuristics that yields both primal solutions and dual bounds. On a large scale test problem coming from industry, we obtain a solution within 6.25% deviation from the optimal. A rough comparison between an operational routing resulting from our tactical solution and the industrial practice shows a 10% decrease in number of vehicles as well as in travel distance. The key to the success of the approach is the use of a state-space relaxation technique in formulating the master program to avoid the symmetry in time.
Asset management has quickly become one of the European Commission's key points on the post- Financial Services Action Plan (FSAP) agenda. The combination of Europe's demographic decline and the poor state of public finances means that asset management will play an increasingly important role in securing retirement income for the masses, as well as in channeling personal savings to productive investments. At the same time, the internal market for asset management is a project still very much under construction. While the commission's work has largely focused on supply-side considerations with a view to improving overall market integration and efficiency, this report tackles some key demand-side issues. The authors take a longer-term approach to the critical challenges that will arise following release of the European Commission's White Paper in the fall of 2006.
This paper summarizes results from a study to explore thermal pollution abatement possibilities for proposed steam electric generating units, and to develop methods for deriving approximate estimates of associated abatement costs. A procedure for developing functional relations between minimum abatement costs and degrees of effluent control, defined in terms of effluent flow rate and temperature, is presented. This procedure yields estimates of the costs of meeting alternative standards on effluent flow rate and temperature. Results of case study applications on fossil-fuel and nuclear generating units serve to clarify the description of the procedure and demonstrate its feasibility. The case study applications also demonstrate the importance of considering modifications in both the steam cycle and the cooling system in developing cost estimates. The integration of the cost-estimating procedure with temperature prediction models in establishing thermal quality standards is also examined.
The instrumented Indentation Test is based on simultaneous recording of force and indentation depth, obtained during test cycle. The force-depth curve, describing the indentation pattern, is typically formed by two parts having the "zero-point" in common, i.e. the first contact point between the indenter and the surface of test piece. The zero-point determination is a crucial aspect for Martens Hardness evaluation, so that relevant ISO standard suggests to estimate it by extrapolation of polynomial fitted functions. In this paper a new model, based on a segmented function, is proposed. This approach implies the use of maximum likelihood estimator for parameters determination. The corresponding uncertainty is provided through the covariance matrix of the regression model.
Foreword. Preface. Fundamentals of Numerical Analysis. Novel Computational Procedure. PART I: MODEL PROBLEM: LINE ELEMENT FOR SCALAR WAVE EQUATION. Concepts of Scaled Boundary Transformation of Geometry and Similarity. Wedge and Truncated Semi-Infinite Wedge of Shear Plate. Scaled Boundary Transformation-Based Derivation. Mechanically-Based Derivation. Modelisation with Single Line Finite Element. Statics. Mass of Wedge. High-Frequency Asymptotic Expansion for Dynamic Stiffness of Truncated Semi-Infinite Wedge. Numerical Solution of Dynamic Stiffness, Unit-Impulse Response and Displacement of Truncated Semi-Infinite Wedge. Analytical Solution in Frequency Domain. Implementation. Conclusions. Appendix A: Solid Modelling. Appendix B: Harmonic Motion and Fourier Transformation. Appendix C: Dynamic Unbounded Medium-Structure Interaction. Appendix D: Historical Note. PART II: TWO- AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL ELASTODYNAMICS, STATICS AND DIFFUSION. Fundamental Equations. Statics. Mass Matrix of Bounded Medium. High-Frequency Asymptotic Expansion for Dynamic Stiffness of Unbounded Medium. Numerical Solution of Dynamic Stiffness, Unit-Impulse Response and Displacement of Unbounded Medium. Analytical Solution in Frequency Domain. Extensions. Substructuring. Examples for Bounded Media. Examples for Unbounded Media. Error Estimation and Adaptivity. Concluding Remarks. References. Index.
A cross-sectional study has been carried out on a group of 180 male preretired managers and top executives in order to investigate their health status. This study is the first part of a longitudinal survey undertaken to analyze the adjustment to retirement among managers. These 180 subjects were 63 or 64 years old, still working at full time. The study included a standardized medical questionnaire, a medical examination as well as various biological, physiological and psychological measurements. For each main ICD categories of diseases, the prevalence rate was assessed; for each subject two indices of global morbidity were established. Furthermore, some risk factors of cardio-vascular diseases were assessed.
Adolescence is a developmental period that is filled with many challenges. Early developmental theorists have defined the period of adolescence as one of identity versus role confusion, in which adolescents must determine who they are, combining their self-understanding and social roles into a coherent identity. However, today'sadolescents live amidst a society that is multi-complex, making the roles of adolescents very diffuse and confusing. This makes it imperative for parents and teachers to rightly assist in equipping children towards making them more efficacious and resilient for a better tomorrow.Role of self-efficacy on adolescentsSelfefficacy refers to thoughts and feelings of a person about his or her own ability to perform an action. It is the belief in one's ability to organize and execute the courses of action required to produce a given attainment (Bandura, 1997). Self-efficacy is one's belief in his or her ability to perform a specific behaviour to achieve an outcome. Self-efficacy is usually thought to influence behaviour in specific domains of action and is considered to be a universal construct, which applies to all individuals regardless of race, gender or culture. Self-efficacy beliefs determine an individuals' resiliency to adversity and her vulnerability to stress and depression (Bandura, Caprara, Barbaranelli, Gerbino & Pastorelli, 2003). Wang and Liu, (2000) that general self-efficacy was related to physical and mental health and aims at providing a stable sense of personal competence to deal effectively with a variety of stressful situations. Caprara et al. (2006) studied adolescents' well-being: self-efficacy beliefs as determinants of positive thinking and happiness. Findings attest to the impact of affective and interpersonal-social self-efficacy beliefs on positive thinking and happiness both concurrently and longitudinally. Adolescents' self-efficacy beliefs to manage positive and negative emotions and interpersonal relationships contribute to promote positive expectations about the future, to maintain a high self-concept, to perceive a sense of satisfaction for the life and to experience more positive emotions.Furthermore, review of literature indicates that adolescents receive information from diverse sources such as at their homes,in school and with their peers which have a direct bearing on their self-efficacy and consequential growth and development. Here is an overview of the same: (SeeFig.no. 1)Family/Home Environment and Self Efficacy: Family/Home is the first and foremost agent of socialization for a child when he/she steps into this world. Comprehensive review of literature indicates that adolescents acquire and develop most of their efficacy related information and grooming from their families and home environments. Research indicates that family influences thatpromote effective interactions with the environment enhance self-efficacyand competence beliefs. More specifically, parents and caregivers helpchildren build a sense of competence when they provide an environmentthat offers some challenges, encourages, sets high but realistic aspirations,contains positive role models, provides and supports mastery experiences,and teaches how to deal with difficult situations. Furthermore, parents who are most successfulin promoting positive competence perceptions are able to modify theirexpectations and demands according to the changing needs, abilities, anddispositions of children as they develop (Eccles et al., 1998).Another crucial factor determining one's self-efficacy is the degree of parental involvement in their children's education. It is indicated that as a child approaches adolescence, there seems to be less direct involvement by them in their children's activities. This gives a child ample opportunity to develop his/her identity and spend quality time with their peers that may assist in strengthening their self-efficacy. However, since adolescence is a very productive and on the other hand a fragile stage of development extra caution needs to be taken by parents to help their children to use the autonomy given to them judiciously. …
An optimized GPS detection algorithm is proposed in this paper which can increase the detection speed tremendously. Based on this algorithm,this paper proposes a novel structure of the detection correlator by using HDL. Pipeline technique is introduced in this correlator which can help to reduce the circuit scale and enhance the data throughput on the same parallelism. In this paper,the function and timing simulation have been done on modelsim. The simulation results indicate that function of the correlator is correct and satisfies timing requirement.
With the investigation and study on children's service in public library for years,the author makes,from theoretical and practical perspective,an analysis of the three layouts of children's service areas in Chinese public library;brings forward four basic principles for the topological design of public children's library.Meanwhile,the author illustrates the existing problems in the current layouts with specific cases,and seeks for methods for designing scientific and rational layout of children's multi-functional service areas in public library,thus promoting the development of children's service in public library healthily and effectively.
In modern urban life,elevators are the main vertical transport of high-rise buildings.In the daily personnel carries,cargo transport and other aspects,elevators play an important role.In order to reduce the horizontal vibration of high-speed elevator,a dynamic model for active control of horizontal vibration is established based on 6 DOF,and the differential equations are also given.Then a kind of hydraulic active guide shoe sketch is put forward,and its control principle is analyzed as well.The simulation results show that the hydraulic active guide shoe adopts adaptive fuzzy control strategy,which performance is better than PID control strategy and fuzzy control strategy,and the horizontal vibration acceleration value of elevator is reduced significantly.Thus the vibration reduction is achieved.
The effects of 20-week cold exposure on contractile properties of soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles and plasma hormone levels were studied in rats. Twenty male Wistar rats (5 week old) were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 10 each): cage-control and cold-exposed. The rats in the cold-exposed group were immersed in shoulder-deep water (approximately 18 degrees C) for 1 h/d, 5 d/week, for 20 weeks. The temperature and humidity of the animal room with 12:12 h light-dark cycle were maintained at approximately 23 degrees C and 55%, respectively. The rats were pair-fed powdered diets. The electromyogram activities in soleus and EDL were elevated by cold exposure. The body weight and absolute soleus wet weight of the cold-exposed group were significantly less than controls at the end of experiment. The one-half relaxation time and contraction time of EDL were significantly longer in the cold-exposed group than in the control group. The rate of twitch tension development, normalized by the maximum twitch tension, in EDL of the cold-exposed group was less than in the control group. Further, the fatigue resistance of EDL, but not of soleus, in response to train stimulation at 10 Hz was improved by cold exposure. The plasma levels of thyroid hormones, 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine and thyroxine, were significantly greater in cold-exposed group. Similar changes were also seen in the plasma catecholamine levels in the cold-exposed group (p > 0.05). It is suggested that long-term cold exposure causes a shift of the contractile properties of fast-twitch EDL muscle toward the slow-twitch type. The results also indicated that the characteristics of muscles responded more strongly to an increased activity level than to the elevation of plasma hormones.
Purpose: This study investiges the level of organizational Sociability among librarians in comparison with organizational socialization of other staff in the organization of libraries, museums and documents center of Astane Qudse Razavi. Methodology: The present study was conducted through a survey method. The statistical population of this study consisted of all employees (including 625 librarians and non-librarians). Using a Cochran formula, a sample of 238 people was selected by stratified random sampling. Finally, 215 questionnaires were completed and collected. The research tool was a questionnaire of 20 questions of Taurinma's organizational socialization (1997). Data were analyzed using one-sample t-test and stepwise regression. Findings: The results showed that there are significant differences in subscales of education and future prospects of librarians in comparison with other staff. Level of organizational socialization among librarians is more than other staff in the organization of libraries, museums and documents center of Astane Qudse Razavi. value/originality: This study highlights the importance of the organizational socialization in the success of organizations and libraries. This is the first research that investigates the level of librarians organizational socialization in comparison with other staff. According to the findings, the high level of organizational socialization of librarians indicates that the sub scale of organizational socialization, education and future prospects are strong predictors for increasing organizational socialization. Finally, the level of librarians' organizational socialization appeared to be related to having homogenous society and expert staff.
The paper analyzed takes stock of top leaders' charismatic leadership behavior, explore the influence and the mechanism between charismatic leadership and self-innovation, meanwhile we also analyses the different influence extent at different contingency.The finding reveals:top leaders' charismatic leadership has a positive influence on self-innovation, explorative organizational learning partially mediates the relationship. Charismatic leadership and self-innovation, in terns of contingency, we find that environmental dynamism takes a positive moderating role between Charismatic leadership and self-innovation, while subordinate's traditionality takes a negative moderating role between them.
Next to thromboembolism from the atherosclerotic plaque, impaired cerebral perfusion is the main mechanism of cerebral ischemia in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. There is supporting evidence of a synergistic effect of both embolic and hemodynamic factors. An understanding of both mechanisms in the occurrence of cerebral ischemia is important. This thesis explored the role of cerebral perfusion in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. Three etiologic questions related to cerebral perfusion were addressed in this thesis. First, is cerebral perfusion related to the presence of a carotid artery stenosis? Second, does cerebral perfusion improve due to the treatment of carotid stenosis by carotid endarterectomy (CEA) or carotid artery stenting (CAS)? Third, is cerebral perfusion related to the occurrence of cerebral ischemia? In chapter 2 describes an inverse relation found between the degree of carotid artery stenosis and the cerebral perfusion in the ipsilateral MCA territory was found. The improvement of cerebral perfusion after CEA and CAS on cerebral perfusion is described in patients with an unilateral carotid artery stenosis in chapter 3. An important new finding in this study is that significantly more improvement in cerebral perfusion was found in the patients treated with CAS than in patients treated with CEA. Pre-operative cerebral perfusion asymmetries were assessed in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis before CEA in chapter 4. The occurrence of the cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome after CEA is related to higher cerebral perfusion asymmetries before treatment. Cerebral perfusion measurements were related to the occurrence of silent ischemia, as in the presence of ischemic lesions on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), after CAS in chapter 5. The occurrence of new ipsilateral lesions was related to impaired cerebral perfusion before the procedure. This supports the synergistic effect of both embolic and hemodynamic factors. In chapter 6 the difference in the occurrence of silent cerebral ischemia after CEA or CAS were examined by DWI before and after treatment. Approximately three times more patients in the CAS group than in the CEA group had new ischemic lesions on DWI on post-treatment scans. In chapter 7 we used multidetector-row CT angiography to examine the prevalence of in-stent lesions during follow-up after carotid artery stenting. In-stent lesions are present in 20% of the patients treated with CAS. The presence of in-stent lesions was not related to ischemic complications or in-stent restenosis at one year follow-up. In chapter 8 the findings of this thesis are discussed and the three etiologic question posed in the introduction are answered. First, the presence of a carotid artery stenosis in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis results in impaired cerebral perfusion. Second, cerebral perfusion improves after CAS and CEA and may explain the decreased risk of recurrent ischemic events in long-term follow-up. Third, impaired cerebral perfusion in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis is related to the occurrence of their ischemic symptoms. These findings support the presence and role of cerebral perfusion in the occurrence of ischemia in patients with symptomatic carotid artery stenosis
Both the U.S. biomedical research environment and health care system are undergoing simultaneous change. Changes in these broad areas will impact professional education, graduate education, and research in schools of pharmacy. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the need for re-examination of the mission and value of research and graduate education programs in basic sciences1 in schools of pharmacy. Reviews of recent U.S. biomedical research funding trends and the present status of U.S. graduate education in basic sciences is presented. These reviews are followed by a discussion of the mission and value of research and graduate education programs in basic sciences in schools of pharmacy in light of both the changing biomedical research climate and the changing mission of professional practice in our evolving health care system. The continued necessity and viability of traditional research and graduate education programs in basic sciences in schools of pharmacy is questioned. The discussion reviews contributions of basic science research programs to pharmacy education, pharmacy practice, and the national research enterprise followed by a review of contributions of graduate education programs. Finally, recommendations are presented to guide schools of pharmacy in discussion of future directions for research and graduate education programs in basic science.
Abstract : Optimizing operations at plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) battery swap stations is internally motivated by the movement to make transportation cleaner and more efficient. A PHEV swap station allows PHEV owners to quickly exchange their depleted PHEV battery for a fully charged battery. The PHEV-Swap Station Management Problem (PHEV-SSMP) is introduced, which models battery charging and discharging operations at a PHEV swap station facing nonstationary, stochastic demand for battery swaps, nonstationary prices for charging depleted batteries, and nonstationary prices for discharging fully charged batteries. Discharging through vehicle-to-grid is beneficial for aiding power load balancing. The objective of the PHEV-SSMP is to determine the optimal policy for charging and discharging batteries that maximizes expected total profit over a fixed time horizon. The PHEV-SSMP is formulated as a finite-horizon, discrete-time Markov decision problem and an optimal policy is found using dynamic programming. Structural properties are derived, to include sufficiency conditions that ensure the existence of a monotone optimal policy. A computational experiment is developed using realistic demand and electricity pricing data. The optimal policy is compared to two benchmark policies which are easily implementable by PHEV swap station managers. Two designed experiments are conducted to obtain policy insights regarding the management of PHEV swap stations. These insights include the minimum battery level in relationship to PHEVs in a local area, the incentive necessary to discharge, and the viability of PHEV swap stations under many conditions.
Submitted for the DFD08 Meeting of The American Physical Society Experimental measurements of the collapse of a 2D granular gas under gravity GREG VOTH, REUBEN SON, JOHN PEREZ, Wesleyan University — We experimentally measure the decay of a quasi-2D granular gas under gravity. A granular gas is created by vibrofluidization, after which the energy input is halted, and the time-dependent statistical properties of the decaying gas are measured with video particle tracking. There are two distinct cooling stages separated by a high temperature settling shock. In the final stage, the temperature of a fluid packet decreases as a power law T ∝ (tc − t)α just before the system collapses to a static state. The measured value of α ranges from 3.3 to 6.1 depending on the height, significantly higher than the exponent of 2 found in theoretical work on this problem [Phys Rev. E 73, 61305 (2006)]. We also address the question of whether the collapse occurs simultaneously at different heights in the system. Greg Voth Wesleyan University Date submitted: 01 Aug 2008 Electronic form version 1.4
The paper focuses on the extraordinary transmission phenomenon, an example of plasmonics. In a periodic arrangement of sub-wavelength holes in a metal film the transmitted fraction of the incident light exceeds the open air fraction of the film for certain colours. This enhanced transmission has been attributed to a resonant excitation of surface plasmons set up by the periodicity of the array. But by merely changing the shape of the sub-wavelength holes from circular to rectangular can affect the extraordinary transmission.
Indonesia with an area of tropical waters 5.4 billion km 2 depend on the largest source of foreign exchange earnings derived from prawns. Freshwater prawns of the genus Macrobrachium shown a wide distribution and high economic value. Bali has potential for high freshwater prawns diversity with an area 10,000 Ha of cultivation. Pakerisan river is one of Bali’s rivers with high population, so affected prawns ecosystem in habitat. The study was conducted to determine the diversity of freshwater prawn species belonging to genus Macrobrachium based on morphological identification and molecular analysis with 16S mitochondrial gene from the downstream of Pakerisan river. Sampling was administered by Gianyar Research Team in March 2015. Initial identification and determination of morphological characters was done. Afterwards, identification of prawns molecular characters using primers 16Sar and 16Sbr were analyzed by DNAStar software, MESQUITE, DNA Sequence Polymorphism 5.10, and MEGA 7.0.21. The results based on morphological identification of individual CR1 and CR2 that was: second pereiopod had longer carpus than merus and chela, epistome split into 2 round anterior lobes, rostral formula: 3+5/3, and 2 pairs of spines on parallel telson. Supported by molecular identification DNA fragment length sequencing were 561bp. BLAST analysis similarity 99%, average genetic distance 0.24%, and bootstrap value 100% in reconstruction with Neighbor-Joining phylogeny tree showed monophyletic group with seven samples sequence Macrobrachium lancesteri from NCBI GenBank. So morphological and molecular identification was declared CR1 and CR2 individuals included to species Macrobrachium lanchesteri .
The paper deals with inference about the parameters a and b 2 of the random process {bwt + at; t 0}, where {wt; t 0} is the Wiener process, a 0 and b 2 > 0. Inference is based on the first time when the process reaches a pre-specified positive boundary, where the boundary can be dierent for each observation. We focus on estimation and we shortly deal with testing hypotheses about one parameter at a time. We will show that neither the variance of estimators, nor the power of tests depend on the choice of the boundaries. These characteristics only depend on the number of observations and on the sum of the boundaries.
Lung fibrosis is a severe, chronic lung disease, with a median survival of 3 – 5 years after diagnosis. While there has been significant progress in defining cell-specific functions in disease development and progression, a detailed analysis of definitive cell compartments during fibrosis remains to be elucidated. Intratracheal installation of bleomycin (3U/Kg) or PBS was performed in C57/bl6 mice, and single cell suspensions of the lungs were obtained at day 14 after treatment. To analyze dynamic changes in the parenchyma, epithelial, endothelial, and mesenchymal markers were used for flow cytometry analysis. Parenchymal CD45- cells were sorted and further analyzed by immunofluorescence staining for epithelial, endothelial cells and mesenchymal cells. FACS analysis of single cell suspensions from lung homogenates confirmed an increase in cellularity during the onset of fibrosis. Cell-specific analysis for mesenchymal, endothelial, and epithelial markers revealed an increase in CD45- cells at day 14 to 3.3x10 6 (144.75%), compared with 2.3x10 6 (100%) of controls. Epithelial cells were gated as CD45-, EpCAM+ and showed a slight increase during fibrosis (6.1x10 5 -132.46%- vs. 4.6x10 5 -100%-). Endothelial CD45-, CD31+ cells showed up to two-fold increase (2.8x10 6 -187.30%- vs. 1.5x10 6 -100%-), similar to the mesenchymal CD45-, CD90.2+ population (2.7x10 5 -274.59%- vs. 1.0x10 5 -100%-). Sorted CD45- CD31+ CD90.2 -cells showed a positive staining for T1α, E-Cadherin, proSPC and α-SMA. Our results show that an overall increase in cellularity is a critical determinant of parenchymal expansion in lung fibrosis. To characterize these populations more in detail, further analysis needs to be done.
This study aims to understand what role the landscape, and the management thereof, played in the March 2003 floods in the Kogmans River catchment. The Kogmans River (H3) secondary catchment is situated in the Klein (Uttle) Karoo region of the Western Cape, approximately 170km east of the city of Cape Town. With an area of approximately 1205km2, this mountainous, largely agricultural catchment forms part of the greater Breede River basin. Two relatively small towns, Montagu and Ashton with a combined total population of 23 100 people (OWAF, 2003c), are located on either side of the Kogmanskloof which cuts through the Langeberg mountains. On Sunday March 23, a cut-off low, fed by moist tropical air from an extensive inland low pressure intensified causing intense rainfall over the much of the south Cape area, including the Kogmans (H3) River catchment. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall in 23 years caused the Kingna River to break its banks and flood the towns of Monatgu and Ashton. The 2003 flood caused significant damage to primary infrastructure (bridges, roads, electricity, sewage), houses, orchards, vineyards and irrigation systems and forced the evacuation of more than 500 households in Montagu and the local Primary School (OiMP.2003). Three main areas were investigated to determine their possible effects on the flood severity of the March 2003 floods. Urban expansion, land degradation and the management of the river ecosystem with particular focus on the riparian zone and in-stream vegetation. The study revealed that all three areas played a role in the flooding of the Kogmans River catchment, but the prolific growth of Phragmites australis reed beds, caused by agricultural nutrient supply, water abstraction and diversion and exacerbated by drought, was most significant in influencing the severity of the floods. Un ive rsi ty of Ca pe To wn
Since the first oil shock Belgium has been confronted with a high and persistent unemployment, which mainly affects women and younger and lowly-educated employees. The problem is most acute in the French-speaking part of the country. Unemployment can be due to an ill-working labour market («classical unemployment»), or to an insufficient goods demand («Keynesian unemployment»). Whereas classical unemployment can be eliminated through wage moderation, Keynesian unemployment has to be solved by stimulating goods demand. In Belgium the latter can be achieved by low wages as wages determine the Belgian competitiveness on foreign markets. In the seventies the Belgian government followed a Keynesian policy, even after the goods demand had recovered. This caused a tremendous government budget deficit and very high real wages. The government was forced to cut down expenditure and to pursue a stringent income policy in the eighties. This policy has been continued in the nineties, especially after the Maastricht agreement was signed in December 1991. Notwithstanding the low growth figures of the economy, government gives priority to budget control and wage policy, making the Keynesian unemployment problem worse. The recent employment policy concentrates on preserving the competitiveness of the Belgian economy and on structural rigidity on the labour market. Measures are taken for groups that are specially affected by unemployment (the younger and lowly-educated), to enhance the employment chances of these groups. As high unemployment is nowadays mainly caused by a lack of growth (Keynesian unemployment), we cannot expect very good results from these measures in the short run
This paper analyses the relationship between the gender division of housework time of parents, with children living in the parental home, and that of the same children when they become adults and form their own families. Using the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS), we exploit its panel structure jointly with detailed information on children and parent’s time use, to analyse the time devoted by parents during their children’s adolescence (between 1994 and 1999) and that of the same children about ten years later (from 2006 to 2009). The results suggest that a greater involvement of fathers in the domestic activities traditionally done by mothers is related to a reduction in gender inequality in their children’s future families: father’s involvement in domestic activities has a significant impact on their sons’ time spent in the same activities. These findings shed light on the persistence of parental behaviour across generations.
The invention discloses a storage setting method and device in a virtualization system. The method comprises the steps that a magnetic disk added to the virtualization system is positioned, the magnetic disk is formatted into a magnetic disk with the heartbeat function, the heartbeat function includes the function of monitoring the working state of each calculation node in the virtualization system; the magnetic disk is secondarily formatted into a magnetic disk with both the heartbeat function and the storage function, the magnetic disk is mounted to each calculation node, and the storage function includes the function of creating shared storage and providing storage space for each calculation node. The heartbeat function corresponds to a heartbeat disk in the prior art, and the storage function corresponds to a data disk in the prior art, so that the magnetic disk can be used as both the heartbeat disk and the data disk and has dual purposes, so that the storage using space is saved, and the storage using efficiency in the virtualization system is improved.
Bundled with various kinds of adhesion molecules and anchored to the basement membrane, the epithelium has historically been considered as an immotile tissue and, to migrate, it first needs to undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Since its initial description more than half a century ago, the EMT process has fascinated generations of developmental biologists and, more recently, cancer biologists as it is believed to be essential for not only embryonic development, organ formation, but cancer metastasis. However, recent progress shows that epithelium is much more motile than previously realized. Here, we examine the emerging themes in epithelial collective migration and how this has impacted our understanding of EMT.
Pulmonary vasoconstriction in response to alveolar hypoxia (HPV) is frequently impaired in patients with sepsis or acute respiratory distress syndrome or in animal models of endotoxemia. Pulmonary vasodilation due to overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) by NO synthase 2 (NOS2) may be responsible for this impaired HPV after administration of endotoxin (LPS). We investigated the effects of acute nonspecific (N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, L-NAME) and NOS2-specific [L-N6-(1-iminoethyl)lysine, L-NIL] NOS inhibition and congenital deficiency of NOS2 on impaired HPV during endotoxemia. The pulmonary vasoconstrictor response and pulmonary vascular pressure-flow (P-Q) relationship during normoxia and hypoxia were studied in isolated, perfused, and ventilated lungs from LPS-pretreated and untreated wild-type and NOS2-deficient mice with and without L-NAME or L-NIL added to the perfusate. Compared with lungs from untreated mice, lungs from LPS-challenged wild-type mice constricted less in response to hypoxia (69 +/- 17 vs. 3 +/- 7%, respectively, P < 0.001). Perfusion with L-NAME or L-NIL restored this blunted HPV response only in part. In contrast, LPS administration did not impair the vasoconstrictor response to hypoxia in NOS2-deficient mice. Analysis of the pulmonary vascular P-Q relationship suggested that the HPV response may consist of different components that are specifically NOS isoform modulated in untreated and LPS-treated mice. These results demonstrate in a murine model of endotoxemia that NOS2-derived NO production is critical for LPS-mediated development of impaired HPV. Furthermore, impaired HPV during endotoxemia may be at least in part mediated by mechanisms other than simply pulmonary vasodilation by NOS2-derived NO overproduction.
Our paper contends that interpreters and translators cannot be regarded as mere conduits of non-contextualized meanings, but rather that they perform ‘readings’ of texts against situational and cultural contexts. Such performers are also liable to be constrained by their position as perhaps unconscious agents of their employers or ‘patrons’, whose influence is exerted on the ways in which the interpreters produce their readings. Using an analysis of two live televised presidential interviews and speeches with real-time translation for an Iranian audience, we suggest that extra-linguistic factors such as the ideological stance of the ‘patron’, led to attitudinal shifts during interpretation tasks in the Iranian political context of the time. These shifts were traced using the Appraisal framework (Martin and White 2005), where literal (English) translations of both the source texts and the interpreted texts by one of the authors allowed us to compare the evaluative resources used in each. The results of analysis demonstrate an interdependency between what is being said in the original language and the degree of the interpreters’ mediation in the communicative process. We present evidence of the interpreters’ inclination to mediate in the communicative process, apparently to ensure preserving the patrons’ stance in the political and ideological context in which they operate.
suffering an electrical energy shortage; foreign petroleum sup plies are evanescent, domestic ones nonexistent, and ultimately there are physical limits or ecological barriers to expanding outputs based upon local coal, running water, or nuclear energy. But in New Zealand yet another and more esoteric source, geothermal power, has been utilized for nearly two decades and is currently undergoing significant enlargement. As an early entry into the geothermal power field the New Zealand experience may prove instructive in evaluating the world picture of geothermal power prospects and problems.
Sequential stream segregation by normal hearing (NH) and cochlear implant (CI) listeners was investigated using an irregular rhythm detection (IRD) task. Pure tones and narrowband noises of different bandwidths were presented monaurally to older and younger NH listeners via headphones. For CI users, stimuli were delivered as pure tones via soundfield and via direct electrical stimulation. Results confirmed that tonal pitch is not essential for stream segregation by NH listeners and that aging does not reduce NH listeners' stream segregation. CI listeners' stream segregation was significantly poorer than NH listeners' with pure tone stimuli. With direct stimulation, however, CI listeners showed significantly stronger stream segregation, with a mean normalized pattern similar to NH listeners, implying that the CI speech processors possibly degraded acoustic cues. CI listeners' performance on an electrode discrimination task indicated that cues that are salient enough to make two electrodes highly discriminable may not be sufficiently salient for stream segregation, and that gap detection/discrimination, which must depend on perceptual electrode differences, did not play a role in the IRD task. Although the IRD task does not encompass all aspects of full stream segregation, these results suggest that some CI listeners may demonstrate aspects of stream segregation.
A blend composed of a high-density polyethylene and a low-density polyethylene was subjected to thermo-oxidative ageing at 160 °C, under conditions where oxygen diffusion effects lead to a non-uniform distribution of chemical defects throughout the specimens. The existence of highly and lightly oxidised regions was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and confocal Raman microprobe spectroscopy and the effect of these on the dielectric behaviour of the system was investigated. Dielectric spectroscopy revealed a broad loss peak at frequencies above 1 Hz that increases in strength with increasing ageing time, which we associate with the motion of polar chain segments within the polymer. For ageing times below 3 h, samples exhibited reduced conductivity under a constant electric field compared with the initial unaged system; above 3 h, the conductivity was found to increase monotonically with ageing time and corresponded to the appearance of an additional low frequency (<1 Hz) dielectric loss process and marked migration of space charge into the bulk away from the relevant physical electrode. This change in behaviour was found to occur abruptly and the final distribution of space charge was found to correlate well with the distribution of ageing inducing chemical defects within the system. From these observations, the effects of chemical defects on charge transport dynamics are discussed.
Quality-Diversity optimization algorithms such as MAP-Elites, aim to generate collections of both diverse and high-performing solutions to an optimization problem. MAP-Elites has shown promising results in a variety of applications. In particular in evolutionary robotics tasks targeting the generation of behavioral repertoires that highlight the versatility of robots. However, for most robotics applications MAP-Elites is limited to using simple open-loop or low-dimensional controllers. Here we present Policy Gradient Assisted MAP-Elites (PGA-MAP-Elites), a novel algorithm that enables MAP-Elites to efficiently evolve large neural network controllers by introducing a gradient-based variation operator inspired by Deep Reinforcement Learning. This operator leverages gradient estimates obtained from a critic neural network to rapidly find higher-performing solutions and is paired with a traditional genetic variation to maintain a divergent search behavior. The synergy of these operators makes PGA-MAP-Elites an efficient yet powerful algorithm for finding diverse and high-performing behaviors. We evaluate our method on four different tasks for building behavioral repertoires that use deep neural network controllers. The results show that PGA-MAP-Elites significantly improves the quality of the generated repertoires compared to existing methods.
History. —J., a man aged 45, Swedish, a sheet-metal worker, entered the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Sept. 11, 1913, complaining of chills, fever and bloody urine. The family history was unimportant as related to the present illness. The patient had interstitial keratitis at 3 years (?), and measles and small-pox as a child, but no other infectious diseases in childhood. The patient came to the United States nineteen years ago and served in the Navy during the Spanish-American War. He has been a sailor for several years since, usually serving as engineer on a private yacht. Patient has not been south of New York for twelve years. Ten years ago he had an attack of pneumonia; there was no residue. Four years ago in September, patient had a sudden chill, followed in one hour by fever and sweating. Following this attack, he passed dark urine for from six to eight hours.
For many years, hydrometeor scatter interference has not been considered to be of operational concern in the microwave region despite the large co-ordination areas produced by Appendix 28 of the Radio Regulations and by the ITU-R Recommendations, and despite the experimental evidence of rain scatter that supports the basic propagation models contained in the procedure. The main reason for this is the low probability of exact intersection between the transmitter and the receiver main beams assumed by the intentionally conservative co-ordination procedure. This paper describes a method for deriving additional contours based on avoidance angle, this being the angle of the earth-station away from the azimuth bearing of the terrestrial station. Thus, knowledge of the relevant antenna bearings can lead to the rapid elimination from further consideration of stations where the risk of significant interference is remote. Results for two representative earth stations are presented, which highlight the value of including this procedure in the frequency co-ordination process.
Background There is a lack of studies on trauma exposure and PTSD prevalence in Poland on representative samples. Available data from studies on convenient samples show very high rates of probable PTSD compared with relevant estimates in other countries. Objective This study aimed to measure the exposure to self-report traumatic events (PTEs) and to estimate the current rate of prevalence of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in accordance with DSM–5 criteria in a population-based sample of Poles. Additionally, the link between PTSD intensity and level of life satisfaction was investigated. Method A representative sample of 1,598 adult Poles was recruited. Probable PTSD was assessed with the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM–5 (PDS–5) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was also used. Results The findings showed that 60.3% of Poles had experienced at least one PTE and 31.1% of those who had been exposed to trauma reported symptoms of PTSD. At the level of the entire sample, the obtained rate for probable PTSD was 18.8%. The traumatic events with the highest probabilities of PTSD symptoms were child abuse and sexual assault. Levels of life satisfaction were significantly lower in the group of participants with probable PTSD. Conclusions We found that the current prevalence of probable PTSD in Poland is intriguingly high relative to rates reported in comparable representative samples from other countries across the world. Possible mechanisms are discussed, including a lack of social acknowledgement of WWII and other traumas as well as poor access to trauma-focused care. We hope that this research may inspire more studies investigating cross-national differences in PTSD and trauma exposure.
Background Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CV risk factors and scoring algorithms vary by country but comparisons have not been performed for RA. Objectives To compare CV risk factors, scoring algorithms and outcomes in RA patients from 7 countries. Methods RA cohorts from 8 rheumatology centers in UK, Norway, Netherlands, USA, Sweden, Greece and South Africa were compared. Data on CV risk factors, algorithms (SCORE and Framingham) and RA characteristics were collected at baseline for each cohort; CV outcomes were collected prospectively using standardized definitions. Chi-square and rank sum tests were used to compare risk factors and algorithms; Kaplan-Meier methods were used to compare CV event rates between centers. Results 3176 RA patients without prior CVD were included (mean age: 55 [SD: 14] years, 73% female). During a mean follow-up of 7.8 years (24733 total person years), 314 patients developed CVD. Disease duration varied by center: 2 with early RA (<1 year duration), 4 established (mean 9-13 years) RA and 1 with both. Mean age varied from 53 to 61 years (younger in the early RA cohorts - p<0.001); females varied from 66% to 87% (p<0.001). 1 cohort consisted of Hispanics, the rest Caucasians. All CV risk factors (smoking status, blood pressure, hypertension, lipids, diabetes mellitus, body mass index and use of antihypertensive or antilipemic medications), SCORE and Framingham algorithms and RA characteristics (rheumatoid factor and/or anti-citrullinated protein antibody seropositivity, disease activity scores [DAS28] and acute phase reactants) differed significantly across centers, p<0.001 for each comparison. Mean risk scores were highest in Norway, UK, Netherlands, and Sweden. However, CV event rates were lowest in Norway and UK and highest in South Africa, Netherlands, US-Mayo and Sweden. Center SCORE, % Framingham risk score, % 5 year CV event rate, Mean (SD) Mean (SD) % (SE) Norway 10.0 (14.2) 6.0 (8.9) 3.6 (1.5) UK 6.9 (8.8) 4.6 (6.1) 2.4 (0.9) Netherlands 6.3 (8.7) 5.9 (7.8) 7.5 (0.9) Sweden 6.1 (9.0) 5.8 (8.5) 6.8 (1.3) US-Mayo 4.5 (7.7) 3.9 (6.3) 7.4 (1.0) South Africa 2.4 (3.0) 2.5 (3.8) 7.7 (1.6) Greece 4.1 (4.8) 3.2 (4.5) [Only 2 years follow-up] US-UCLA 1.8 (2.5) 2.4 (3.9) Conclusions Statistically (but not necessarily clinically) significant differences in CV risk factors, algorithms and RA characteristics exist among RA cohorts from different countries. Misalignment between CV event rates and risk algorithms across RA cohorts illustrates the need for RA-specific and possibly country-specific risk algorithms. Acknowledgements Sherine Gabriel, Cynthia Crowson, George Kitas, Karen Douglas, Anne Grete Semb, Silvia Rollefstad, Eirik Ikdahl, Piet Van Riel, Elke Arts, Jaap Fransen, Solbritt Rantapää-Dahlqvist, Solveig Wållberg-Jonsson, Lena Innala, George Karpouzas, Petros P. Sfikakis, Evi Zampeli, Patrick H. Dessein, Linda Tsang, Miguel A. Gonzalez-Gay, Alfonso Corrales, Hani El-Gabalawy, Carol Hitchon, Virginia Pascual Ramos, Irazú Contreras Yáñez, Daniel Solomon, Katherine Liao. Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.1714
Three techniques, a hemagglutinin (HA) serotyping scheme, carbohydrate fermentation patterns, and antimicrobial drug resistance patterns, were used to examine 92 isolates of Haemophilus paragallinarum. The results were used to create biotyping schemes. The carbohydrate fermentation and antimicrobial drug resistance patterns each resulted in the identification of five biovars. With both of these techniques, a large majority of the isolates fell into one biovar: 81% were biochemical biovar I and 73% were antimicrobial biovar I. However, by combining the results of these techniques with those of the HA serotyping, a much greater discrimination could be achieved. The combined use of hemagglutinin serotyping, biochemical biotyping and antimicrobial biotyping appears to provide a suitable approach for epizootiological studies on infectious coryza.
A retrospective analysis of the records of 107 free flap transplants in 94 patients operated on between May of 1992 and September of 1997 at the Center for Microsurgery of Extremities, Nopparatrajathanee Hospital, was conducted to study the risk factors leading to free flap failure. These factors were periods of operation to reflect the experience of the surgeon, locations of the defects, anastomotic techniques, and the use of vein grafts. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to determine the significance of the data. The overall vascular complication rate was 28 percent (30 of 107 transplants) and the re-exploration rate was 13 percent (14 of 107 transplants), the flap salvage rate was 50 percent (7 of 14 flaps), whereas the overall failure rate was 15 percent (16 of 107 transplants). The significant factors that caused free flap failure were the experience of the surgeon and the use of vein grafts. The most important experience was in the choice and preparation of the recipient vessel. When the surgeon gained more experience in the past 2 years (from October of 1995 to September of 1997), the success rate improved significantly. Moreover, the use of vein grafts no longer affected the outcome. Therefore, in this investigation the most important factor that improved the outcome of free tissue transplantation in the extremities was the experience of the surgeon in choosing and preparing the recipient vessels.
A video surveillance system has become an integral part of the smart city infrastructure. However, it still lacks its utilization to the full potential. In this work, we present a case study in which a storage center surveillance data has been used to extract useful information automatically. A surveillance camera records the movement of trucks passing through a storage center gate where a clerk registers the truck-related data. This process is prone to suffer from inaccuracy, fraud, and loss. The challenge is to automate the data entry process through video such that the warehouse achieves a seamless and errorfree record-keeping. In this paper, we present a framework to use the surveillance video to extract useful information such as detection of trucks, their registration number/ownership identification, count of incoming and outgoing trucks, and count of loaded or empty trucks. We tested the work presented in this paper at the paddy storage centers in Chhattisgarh, India, and the results were very encouraging.
INTRODUCTION This study investigated the relationship between Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) and the neural networks between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and precuneus (PCun)/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in disorders of consciousness (DOC) patients with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) using diffusion tensor tractography (DTT).   MEASURES Twenty-five consecutive patients with TBI admitted to the rehabilitation department of a university hospital were enrolled in this study. The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) was used to evaluate the consciousness state. The pathway of the neural networks between the mPFC and the PCun (mPFC-PCun DMN)/PCC (mPFC-PCC DMN) were reconstructed using DTT. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and the tract volume (TV) were obtained to assess the diffusion tensor imaging parameters.   RESULTS The CRS-R score had strong positive correlations with the FA value and TV of the mPFC-PCun DMN (p < 0.05), while it showed a moderate positive correlation with the TV of the mPFC-PCC DMN (p < 0.05). In addition, the FA value of the mPFC-Pcun DMN showed that it could explain the variability in the CRS-R score.   CONCLUSIONS The close correlation was noted between the consciousness state and the mPFC-PCun DMN and mPFC-PCC DMN in DOC patients with TBI. On the other hand, the mPFC-PCun DMN appeared to be more closely correlated with the consciousness state than the mPFC-PCC DMN.
Abstract Determining insect parasitism rates is problematic due to the small size and lack of useful distinguishing morphological characters of many parasitoid taxa. To solve this problem, entomologists have employed one of four general methods to detect parasitoid protein or nucleic acid markers: serological assay; random amplified polymorphic DNA–polymerase chain reaction “RAPD-PCR” allozyme electrophoresis; or specific PCR. Serological methods, especially with monoclonal antibodies, are unrivalled for specificity, enabling discrimination at the stage as well as species level. However, they have not found favour with many workers, possibly due to complexity and expense. RAPD–PCR has been widely used, but can only be recommended for restricted applications because of its poor reproducibility. Allozyme electrophoresis provides reproducible detection and discrimination of closely related species. Specific-PCR is highly specific and reproducible, and also has the shortest latency for detection, usually 24 h or less after parasitization. The substantial existing literature on allozyme electrophoresis and specific PCR is used to support recommendations on what are apt to be fruitful enzyme systems or genomic regions for detecting and discriminating parasitoids in untried parasitoid–host assemblages.
A novel method is presented for enhancing the natural visual perception afforded by augmented reality (AR) workstations. The approach incorporates a method for simulating perspective viewing using a monitor-based AR workstation that acts as a window to the physical workspace in front of it. Although similar AR workstations are often used in industry, they do not provide natural visual perception. By incorporating user head tracking and a spherical mirror, the method proposed enhances visual perception by simulating the depth cue of perspective viewing. The method interactively adjusts the viewing parameters to provide accurate perspective viewing of both the video stream (representing the physical environment) as well as the virtual objects superimposed within it. Hence, the user gains the impression of 3D viewing of the entire AR scene when moving ones head in front of the monitor. This paper describes the hardware setup and the method for perspective simulation within an AR software application. Finally, an experimental evaluation of the accuracy of the system is described to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.
Objective  To explore the effect of grain-moxibustion combined with routine western medicine therapy on the quality of life of the patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism after hemodialysis.      Methods  According to the random number table, 80 hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidismin were divided into two groups, 40 in each group. The control group was treated with routine western medicine therapy, while the observation group was treated with grain-moxibustionon the basis of the control group. Both groups were treated for 3 months. Clinical curative effect was evaluated after treatment. The quality of life was assessed by SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36) before and after treatment, serum Ca, P and ALP levels were measured by colorimetry, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) was detected by double antibody sandwich ELISA.      Results  Total effective rate was 95.0% (38/40) in the observation group and 80.0% (32/40) in the control group, where there was significantly difference between two groups (χ2=4.114, P=0.043). After treatment, the levels of serum Ca (2.27 ± 0.18 mmol/L vs. 2.07 ± 0.16 mmol/L, t=5.252) in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.01), the levels of serum P (1.32 ± 0.02 mmol/L vs. 1.60 ± 0.04 mmol/L, t=39.598), iPTH (210.15 ± 16.24 pg/ml vs. 325.41 ± 21.55 pg/ml, t=27.015) and ALP (71.14 ± 10.73 U/L vs. 116.42 ± 12.26 U/L, t=17.577) were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, the scores of physical health, body role function, body pain, overall health score, middle energy, social function, emotional role function and mental health in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group (t=2.399, 3.572, 2.684, 3.598, 3.076, 2.811, 4.958, 2.176, P<0.01).      Conclusions  Grain-moxibustion combined with routine western medicine therapy in treatment of hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism can adjust the calcium and phosphate metabolic disorders, reduce the parathyroid hormone levels, and they improve the quality of life of patients.      Key words:  Hyperparathyroidism, secondary; Moxibustion with seed sized moxa cone therapy; Hemodiafiltration; Quality of life; Integrated Chinese traditional and western medicine therapy
In modern medicine, patient choice and involvement in treatment decision-making are increasingly recognised as an important issue in improving the quality of healthcare, and in recent years the concept of shared decision-making has attracted attention as a new approach in the medical encounter. This model is particularly appropriate in life-threatening situations in which no best treatment exists and there are trade-offs between benefits and risk of available treatments. In this article, I demonstrate how clinical uncertainty makes shared decision-making difficult in practice, using the case of elderly patients with end-stage renal failure based on data collected by interviewing renal healthcare professionals in the U.K. I then propose the possibility of ‘patient choice’ becoming a burden for some elderly patients and the institutionalisation of shared decision-making, and discuss the importance of building a good relationship between healthcare professionals and patients to facilitate shared decision-making.
The aim of this study is to explore the effect of Tinospora cordifolia (Guduchi) on cardiotoxicity in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. All animals were divided into 8 groups of 5 animals each, fed with High fat diet (HFD) except the ones in Sham, NPD and NPD-C-I groups. Food and water intake were monitored daily at the same time during the experimental period. The Food Efficiency Ratio (FER) was calculated during the experiment period. All the animals were pretreated as per the treatment protocol. Streptozotocin; STZ (50mg/ Kg) was administered subcutaneously to induce the diabetes which was confirmed in all the administered groups by testing blood glucose level after 48 hours. Cardiotoxicity was induced by administering isoprenaline (85mg/Kg). Troponin was checked after 4-5 hours of second isoprenaline injection to confirm cardiac damage. At the end of the study the animals were weighed and then sacrificed with high dose of Diethyl ether. Blood samples were collected from retro-orbital plexus and were used for biochemical estimations. The hearts were excised immediately and were weighed. Photomicrographs were taken for gross examination rest of the hearts were kept in 10% Formalin solution for histopathological studies. Pretreatment with Tinospora cordifolia (200 mg/kg ) showed very significant improvement against Streptozotocin induced diabetes (p< 0.01) as blood glucose level were found to be decreased when compared to the untreated D-HFD group. The Food efficiency ratio (FER) was found to be significantly increased when compared to D-HFD (p<0.01). Significant decrease in the elevated activities of the cardiac marker enzymes, viz, alanine transaminase (ALT) (p < 0.01), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (p < 0.01), creatinine kinase (CK-MB) (p < 0.01) and negative troponin test were observed. The observed results were further confirmed by histopathological findings which indicated that Tinospora cordifolia (200mg/Kg) shows highly significant reduction in cardiotoxicity and considerable improvement, compactly arranged muscle fibres with minimum interstitial tissue, long spindle shaped vascular nuclei and well marked muscles striations.The findings of this study indicate that Tinospora cordifola (Guduchi) root extract exerts potent cardioprotection against isoprenaline induced cardiotoxicity in diabetic rats. This effect is comparable with that of carvedilol and pioglitazone.
The political constitution of the European polity has become strained in recent years by insistent pressures on its institutional capacity to resolve social problems. The article examines the EU's polity crisis in the context of the development of a distinctive modern conception of secular constitutional authority, focused on the ideal of sovereign self-determination. As the work of Neil MacCormick illustrates, the EU provides a radical challenge to the on-going capacity of the concept of sovereignty to provide a framework to address problems of legitimacy. The article explores the nature of this challenge, its historical context and its consequences with reference to debates over the nature of constitutional pluralism. It sets out a path to the renewal of the European constitutional debate through a re-consideration of secular constitutional authority and the necessity of its connection to the idea of sovereignty. The article seeks to re-engage in the task of ‘questioning sovereignty’.
This short essay posits a navigational perspective regarding research philosophies, particularly arguing in favor of inclusive philosophies that avoid dividing research communities and scholars into two distinct camps. Thus, researchers are encouraged herein to navigate away from potentially divisive concepts such as “quantitative” and “qualitative” and navigate toward inclusive concepts that distinguish between research approaches without simultaneously fracturing research communities.
X-Ray reflectivity enables the determination of interface and surface roughness along with the variations present in the electron density. Total reflection X-ray fluorescence allows surface analysis with high sensitivity and quantification. By use of grazing angle x-ray fluorescence taken simultaneously with the reflectivity measurements, over a range of angles near the critical angle, it is possible in principle to produce a depth profile of each element, with a composition sensitivity of 0.0002%. A silicon-germanium single layer was used to calibrate the instrument and a Si-Ge 5- period superlattice for a demonstration measurement.
Among the different categories of natural images, face images are very important because of their broad range of applications. One challenging topic of face processing by computers is extracting information related to only specific concepts from face images without the help of labels. In this article, we propose a deep autoencoder model for extracting facial concepts based on their scales. A novel adaptive resolution (AR) reconstruction loss is introduced for training the autoencoder model. With the help of this new reconstruction loss, the deep autoencoder model is able to receive a real face image and compute its representation vector, which not only makes it possible to reconstruct the input image faithfully but also separates the concepts related to specific scales. We demonstrate that the autoencoder trained using the AR reconstruction loss is able to outperform benchmark models in generating faithful and high-quality reconstructions of real face images and is able to successfully transfer the facial concepts associated with a specific scale from one input image to another.
The writer had recently the good fortune of discovering a second Connecticut station for Nardia crenuliformis (Aust.) Lindb., in Glastonbury, the first one (for New England as well) being at Beacon Falls, where it was collected by Dr. Evans in 1907. At this new station, which is in the ravine of Roaring Brook, South Glastonbury, the plants grew abundantly on schistose granulitic gneiss, on the south-
Recent advances in solid-phase epitaxial recrystallization suggest that this technology may dramatically improve the crystallinity of heteroepitaxial silicon-on-insulators, such as silicon-on-sapphire (SOS). Recent improvements of 0.3- and 0.5-μm SOS films using two solid-phase epitaxial recrystallization processes (SPEAR and DSPE) are reported. Both techniques have reduced the total microtwin densities of SOS samples by more than 100-fold, while increasing electron and hole mobilities approximately 50%. The resulting properties are very close to those of bulk silicon. High-performance submicrometer CMOS devices and circuits in 0.3-μm recrystallized SOS films have been fabricated.
The international cruise industry has consistently recorded an average annual growth rate of 8.4 per cent since 1980 with the fastest growth happening in the last decade. However, while the domestic market is small - some 50,000 Australians take a cruise annually - Australia's cruise potential lies in the growing international recognition as a safe, interesting destination. Measuring the economic impact of a cruise ship's visit is a challenging task. Consideration must be given to whether it is a port of embarkation/disembarkation or a port of call only, and the facilities and infrastructure available for both ship operations and passenger needs. This paper provides estimates of cruise related expenditure using data for Cairns. A framework for classifying cruise related expenditure is developed. This framework can be used to estimate the economic impacts on Cairns of cruise tourism and, depending on data quality, can be used to estimate the net benefits to cairns from this special interest vi sitor market.
A technique called Differential Sensitivity Theory (DST) is applied to the system of equations solved by the MESA continuum mechanics code. DST uses adjoint technique to determine exact sensitivity derivatives, i.e., if R is a calculation result of interest (response R ) and αi is a calculational input (parameter αi), then αR/αi is defined as the sensitivity. The advantage of using DST is that for an n‐parameter problem all n sensitivities can be obtained by integrating the solutions from only two calculations, a MESA calculation and its corresponding adjoint calculation using an Adjoint Continuum Mechanics (ACM) code. This work presents the derivation and solution of the appropriate set of adjoint equations for the purpose of computing sensitivities for high‐rate two‐dimensional, multi‐component, high‐deformation problems. As an example, results for a flyer plate impact problem are given.
THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT AND FEDERAL STEM CELL RESEARCH POLICY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF INFLUENCE AND ADVOCACY STRATEGIES IN CONGRESS (2001-2009) By: Todd L. Gathje, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Director: Dr. William C. Bosher Distinguished Professor, Public Policy and Education Former Dean, School of Education Executive Director, Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs The Christian Right has been a major contributor to the policy process since the 1980s, helping shape the national agenda by illuminating a number of social issues and influencing elections with strong grassroots campaigns. For political scientists, Christian Right organizations provide a rich source of information for studying interest group activity, electioneering, and general political theory. In particular, their efforts to lobby various policy issues such as prayer in school, education, abortion, and traditional marriage, has caused them to become a distinct coalition of advocacy groups, and the focus of much research by many scholars. However, as we advance into the twentyix first century, new biotechnology-related issues have emerged that challenge Christian Right organizations and their values. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the involvement of the Christian Right between 2001 and the beginning of 2009 in legislative debates regarding stem cell research policy, and attempt to distinguish its effective and non-effective lobbying strategies, and the general perception of its influence. This study addressed three research questions. First, to what extent do Christian Right organizations participate in the legislative process regarding stem cell research? Second, what is the perceived influence of its lobbying activities on federal stem cell research legislation? Third, in what ways does the Christian Right engage in lobbying legislators on stem cell research legislation? Within these broad research questions, the following subsequent study objectives were pursued: 1) learn about the reasons for the Christian Right’s influence or lack of influence; 2) understand the goals of its advocacy efforts; 3) learn about its use of outside and inside lobbying strategies; 4) better understand the approach used by Christian Right organizations in lobbying legislators who were undecided about a particular stem cell research legislation; 5) learn about the kind of rhetoric it used; and 6) find out what, if any, forms of coalition building it engaged in as part of its advocacy efforts. In addition, this study examined why legislators voted against the majority of their political party when it came to stem cell research legislation. The epistemological approach for this study was qualitative. Data consisted of verbal responses to semi-structured questions during telephone interviews with x representatives from Christian Right organizations, advocacy groups that support the expansion of stem cell research policy, former legislators, and current staff members. In addition to the in-depth interviews, data was also obtained through organizational and government documents. Finally, this dissertation analyzed the Christian Right and its participation in the development of stem cell research legislation through the lens of the advocacy coalition framework. In doing so, the study captures of the essence of the stem cell debate and the role of the Christian Right within it, and offers a new theoretical framework for examining the Christian Right.
The analysis considers Italian SMEs and investigates, over the years 2006-2011, the existence of interdependencies between trade credit policy and trade debt policy and the co-existence of conditions of complementarity and substitutability between trade credit and other financing sources. Linear regression models on a yearly basis are used and these models are put under observation for six years.The paper shows that there are interdependencies between trade credit policy and trade debt policy; trade credit can be a complementary and substitute source of financing to bank loans; conditions of substitutability and complementarity can also be observed by considering separately firms involved in agricultural or industrial activities and firms that perform services. Keywords: Trade credit, trade debt, bank-firm relationship, SMEs, intercompany financing  JEL Classification: G10, G20, G21
The stretching modes of MLx complexes have the same symmetry as the atomic orbitals on M that are used to form its σ bonds. In the exercise suggested here, the atomic orbitals are used to derive the form of the stretching modes without the need for formal group theory. The analogy allows students to help understand many conceptually difficult aspects of the vibrational spectroscopy of polyatomic molecules, including IR activity, degeneracy, and orthogonality. The approach intentionally requires active participation and is nonmathematical and “low tech”. It is suitable for large classes of chemistry majors and nonmajors.
ABSTRACT Detailed investigation of virus replication is facilitated by the construction of a full-length infectious clone of the viral genome. To date, this has not been achieved for members of the family Dicistroviridae. Here we demonstrate the construction of a baculovirus that expresses a dicistrovirus that is infectious in its natural host. We inserted a full-length cDNA clone of the genomic RNA of the dicistrovirus Rhopalosiphum padi virus (RhPV) into a baculovirus expression vector. Virus particles containing RhPV RNA accumulated in the nuclei of baculovirus-infected Sf21 cells expressing the recombinant RhPV clone. These virus particles were infectious in R. padi, a ubiquitous aphid vector of major cereal viruses. The recombinant virus was transmitted efficiently between aphids, despite the presence of 119 and 210 vector-derived bases that were stably maintained at the 5′ and 3′ ends, respectively, of the RhPV genome. The maintenance of such a nonviral sequence was surprising considering that most RNA viruses tolerate few nonviral bases beyond their natural termini. The use of a baculovirus to express a small RNA virus opens avenues for investigating replication of dicistroviruses and may allow large-scale production of these viruses for use as biopesticides.
Although near-field acoustic holography (NAH) is recognized as a powerful and extremely fast acoustic imaging method based on the inverse solution of the wave-equation, its practical implementation has suffered from problems with the use of the discrete Fourier transformation (DFT) in combination with small aperture sizes and windowing. In this paper, a method is presented that extrapolates the finite spatial aperture before the DFT is applied, which is based on the impulse response information of the known aperture data. The developed method called linear predictive border-padding is an aperture extrapolation technique that greatly reduces leakage and spatial truncation errors in planar NAH (PNAH). Numerical simulations and actual measurements on a hard-disk drive and a cooling fan illustrate the low error, high speed, and utilization of border-padding. Border-padding is an aperture extrapolation technique that makes PNAH a practical and accurate inverse near-field acoustic imaging method.
A typical problem for a search engine (hosting sponsored search service) is to provide the advertisers with a forecast of the number of impressions his/her ad is likely to obtain for a given bid. Accurate forecasts have high business value, since they enable advertisers to select bids that lead to better returns on their investment. They also play an important role in services such as automatic campaign optimization. Despite its importance the problem has remained relatively unexplored in literature. Existing methods typically overfit to the training data, leading to inconsistent performance. Furthermore, some of the existing methods cannot provide predictions for new ads, i.e., for ads that are not present in the logs. In this paper, we develop a generative model based approach that addresses these drawbacks. We design a Bayes net to capture inter-dependencies between the query traffic features and the competitors in an auction. Furthermore, we account for variability in the volume of query traffic by using a dynamic linear model. Finally, we implement our approach on a production grade MapReduce framework and conduct extensive large scale experiments on substantial volumes of sponsored search data from Bing. Our experimental results demonstrate significant advantages over existing methods as measured using several accuracy/error criteria, improved ability to provide estimates for new ads and more consistent performance with smaller variance in accuracies. Our method can also be adapted to several other related forecasting problems such as predicting average position of ads or the number of clicks under budget constraints.
We studied 172 episodes of bacteremia attributed to nosocomial pneumonia in 168 patients, observed in the 4 major hospitals of a single metropolitan area over a 5-yr period. Overall mortality for these patients was 58%. Deaths attributed directly to nosocomial pneumonia occurred almost exclusively in patients with serious and largely irreversible underlying diseases. These data confirm the high mortality associated with endemic hospital-acquired pneumonia. Although some deaths appear to be preventable, primarily by measures designed to reduce the risk of aspiration, analysis of the data herein raises doubts whether overall mortality can be significantly reduced by currently available measures.
The characterization of humic substances in groundwater is usually performed using isolated humic substances from a large volume of groundwater. However, the isolation process requires extensive time and effort, and is not feasible for small-volume samples. In this study, characterization methods available for small-volume ( approximately 1 L ) samples were applied to groundwater and surface water in the Horonobe area, Hokkaido. The methods, 3D- ﬂ uorescence analysis, gel permeation chromatography, and ion chromatography, were used to characterize dissolved organic matter ( DOM ) in the samples, including humic substances. The results indicated that the 3D- ﬂ uorescence spectrum obtained from a small volume of groundwater was similar to that obtained from isolated humic substances and showed little variation with depth. However, the peak position in surface water was di ﬀ erent from that in groundwater. Gel permeation chromatography showed that the DOM in groundwater mainly consisted of humic substances with a molecular weight of approximately 1200–2000 Da, and that the molecular weight decreased with depth. These results are consistent with the characteristics of isolated humic substances. Ion chromatography revealed that organic matter with low molecular weight was a minor component of DOM in the groundwater, which is consistent with gel permeation chromatography results. These results indicate that the methods applied in this study are useful for the characterization of DOM in groundwater using small sample volume.
One hundred fifty-eight procedures were performed on 136 patients with unresectable hepatic metastases using hepatic cryotherapy to ablate the tumors. The median age was 62 years. Patients included 90 males and 46 females. Fifty-eight patients had synchronous metastases, 55 had bilobar lesions, and 90 had precryo chemotherapy. Median preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was 14.4 ng/dl. The numbers of lesions treated, frozen, and resected were two and one. Median survival of all patients was 30 months. Survival for 39 patients was 37 months. Patients with a CEA level > 100 ng/dl had a statistically worse survival rate than those with a level < 100 ng/dl (P < .001). Twenty patients underwent recryotherapy with median survival of 34 months. Recurrent disease developed in 78% of patients--82% of the patients developed liver recurrence. Complication rates were comparable to liver resection. Operative mortality was 3.7%. Hepatic cryotherapy is effective and safe in treating colorectal hepatic metastases under ultrasound guidance.
What virtues should judges have? What about attorneys and legal officials? This work is focused on the ethical nature of the legal profession and raises the need to have models of excellence that lean toward the promotion of justice. Understanding the law as the art of persuasion, the classic What virtues should judges have? What about attorneys and legal officials? This work is focused on the ethical nature of the legal profession and raises the need to have models of excellence that lean toward the promotion of justice. Understanding the law as the art of persuasion, the classic
High-dimensional data such as hyperspectral imagery is traditionally acquired in full dimensionality before being reduced in dimension prior to processing. Conventional dimensionality reduction on-board remote devices is often prohibitive due to limited computational resources; on the other hand, integrating random projections directly into signal acquisition offers alternative dimensionality reduction without sender-side computational cost. Effective receiver-side reconstruction from such random projections has been demonstrated previously using compressive-projection principal component analysis (CPPCA). While this prior work has focused on squared-error quality measures, the present work reports experimental results illustrating preservation of statistical class separation and anomaly-detection performance for CPPCA reconstruction following random-projection-based dimensionality reduction.
This study assessed differences between men and women in the association of perceptions of service quality with customer evaluations. Functional (efficiency with which the service is delivered) and relational (customers' emotional benefits, beyond the core performance, related to the social interaction of customers with employees) dimensions of service quality were measured as well as customer satisfaction and loyalty. The sample of 277 customers (191 men, 86 women), surveyed in 29 Mexican hotels, had a mean age of 38.1 yr. (SD = 9.7) for men and 34.5 yr. (SD = 11.0) for women. To be eligible for survey, customers had to have spent at least one night in the hotel in question. Analysis indicated that the women and men differed in the association of functional and relational dimensions of service quality with their satisfaction and loyalty. Functional service quality was higher for the men than the women, while relational service quality showed greater predictive power for women than for men, although these accounted for only 4% of the customers' satisfaction variance and 6% of the loyalty variance.
IMPORTANCE Pertussis is associated with encephalopathy and seizures in infants. However, the risk of childhood epilepsy following pertussis is unknown.   OBJECTIVE To examine whether pertussis is associated with the long-term risk of epilepsy.   DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We used individually linked data from population-based medical registries covering all Danish hospitals to identify a cohort of all patients with pertussis born between 1978 and 2011, followed up through 2011. We used the Civil Registration System to identify 10 individuals from the general population for each patient with pertussis, matched on sex and year of birth.   EXPOSURES Inpatient or hospital-based outpatient diagnosis of pertussis.   MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Cumulative incidence and hazard ratio of time to hospital-based epilepsy diagnosis (pertussis cohort vs general population cohort), adjusted for birth year, sex, maternal history of epilepsy, presence of congenital malformations, and gestational age. Unique personal identifiers permitted unambiguous data linkage and complete follow-up for death, emigration, and hospital contacts.   RESULTS We identified 4700 patients with pertussis (48% male), of whom 90 developed epilepsy during the follow-up. The cumulative incidence of epilepsy at age 10 years was 1.7% (95% CI, 1.4%-2.1%) for patients with pertussis and 0.9% (95% CI, 0.8%-1.0%) for the matched comparison cohort. The corresponding adjusted overall hazard ratio was 1.7 (95% CI, 1.3-2.1).   CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In Denmark, risk of epilepsy was increased in children with hospital-diagnosed pertussis infections compared with the general population; however, the absolute risk was low.
In this study, concentrations of free amino acids (FAA) and amino group containing compounds (AGCC) following graded diffuse traumatic brain injury (mild TBI, mTBI; severe TBI, sTBI) were evaluated. After 6, 12, 24, 48 and 120 hr aspartate (Asp), glutamate (Glu), asparagine (Asn), serine (Ser), glutamine (Gln), histidine (His), glycine (Gly), threonine (Thr), citrulline (Cit), arginine (Arg), alanine (Ala), taurine (Tau), γ‐aminobutyrate (GABA), tyrosine (Tyr), S‐adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), l‐cystathionine (l‐Cystat), valine (Val), methionine (Met), tryptophane (Trp), phenylalanine (Phe), isoleucine (Ile), leucine (Leu), ornithine (Orn), lysine (Lys), plus N‐acetylaspartate (NAA) were determined in whole brain extracts (n = 6 rats at each time for both TBI levels). Sham‐operated animals (n = 6) were used as controls. Results demonstrated that mTBI caused modest, transient changes in NAA, Asp, GABA, Gly, Arg. Following sTBI, animals showed profound, long‐lasting modifications of Glu, Gln, NAA, Asp, GABA, Ser, Gly, Ala, Arg, Citr, Tau, Met, SAH, l‐Cystat, Tyr and Phe. Increase in Glu and Gln, depletion of NAA and Asp increase, suggested a link between NAA hydrolysis and excitotoxicity after sTBI. Additionally, sTBI rats showed net imbalances of the Glu‐Gln/GABA cycle between neurons and astrocytes, and of the methyl‐cycle (demonstrated by decrease in Met, and increase in SAH and l‐Cystat), throughout the post‐injury period. Besides evidencing new potential targets for novel pharmacological treatments, these results suggest that the force acting on the brain tissue at the time of the impact is the main determinant of the reactions ignited and involving amino acid metabolism.
Information on steric effects is most easily seen through the dependence of the molecule‐fixed reaction cross section on the mutual orientation of the reactants. However, the observed cross sections in oriented molecule molecular beam reactions are laboratory‐fixed quantities and depend on the orientation of the ‘‘diatom’’ with respect to the relative velocity of the atom–diatom collision pair. In this work, the laboratory‐fixed cross section has been determined using the venerable line of centers model for two idealized potentials which describe the dependence of the threshold energy on reactant orientation. For the painted‐sphere and the linear‐barrier model (here, a painted sphere with a linear dependence on the cosine of the angle of attack), the molecule‐fixed cross section is nearly trivial whereas the laboratory‐fixed cross section is not. In the painted‐sphere model, the orientation‐dependent laboratory‐fixed cross section was calculated analytically and exactly and is accurately approximated by a...
The prognosis of cholesterol embolism is often poor, and no treatment is presently available. We report the use of a stable prostacyclin analogue in treating cholesterol embolism in a diabetic patient with arteriopathy. As a sole therapy, it improved cutaneous manifestations and pain, in parallel with an increased transcutaneous oxymetry. We think that prostacyclin analogues are novel candidates for the treatment of cholesterol embolism. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We have observed the two-wave mixing of the photorefractive GaAs/AlGaAs semi-insulating multiple quantum wells fabricated by film lift-off approach and protonimplanting technique. Under the non-optimized condition, we have obtained the two-wave mixing gain larger than 180 cm-1 at wavelength near 784 nm for a field of 10 kV/cm. Energy transfer is also observed when the applied field is perpendicular to the grating vector.
The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991, 2003) is widely used in clinical and forensic practice. Its latent factor structure has been subject to debate and controversy for almost 40 years. Various principal component and factor models have been proposed. It is argued that the use of independent cluster models has been questionable. The use of models that assume that symptoms will have zero loadings on all but one factor fails to reflect the clinical reality that symptoms of personality disorder are likely to be the consequence of multiple latent traits. This misspecification of models will lead to excessive latent factor correlations, which, in turn, have a negative impact on the nomological network of relations among latent traits and other constructs. In this study, we applied exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) to PCL-R data derived from a multisite U.K. sample. First, we tested models derived from the 3- and 4-factor perspectives using confirmatory factor analysis. Second, we tested ESEM models based on these two perspectives. The 3-factor model displayed stability across both analytic methods, with the latent factor correlations being smaller in the ESEM analysis. The 4-factor model displayed less stability across analytic methods, with a major crime factor accounting for a large proportion of variance in numerous items. Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality domain ratings were used as external criteria. The concurrent validity of the 3-factor ESEM model was conceptually clearer than that for the equivalent 4-factor model. The application of ESEM may provide greater clarity to the debate regarding the latent structure of the PCL-R.
A patient of 41 years of age presented with insidious onset atraumatic swelling arising from medial end of right clavicle with apparently normal radiograph. Initial computed tomography ascribed it to benign bony pathology requiring no specific treatment but patient did not respond to symptomatic management. FNAC done elsewhere was inconclusive, with no bacteria on Gram's staining and negative bacterial culture and AFB smear examinations. Patient had possible exposure to tuberculosis and Mantoux skin test done which showed significant induration. Possible differential diagnoses related to clavicle including infective, neoplastic, rheumatological, degenerative and idiopathic conditions considered. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed focal periosteal reaction with marrow signal changes with sparing of sternoclavicular joint. Correlation between patient's history, clinical findings and investigations done and diagnosis of isolated clavicle tuberculosis was made. Patient showed good response to anti-tubercular chemotherapy. Repeat MRI showed resolution of initial imaging findings. At the end of 2 years patient was completely symptom free.
The traditional view of genital herpes is that it is a low prevalence sexually transmitted disease, principally caused by herpes simplex virus type 2.1 However, the new type specific antibody tests, which can accurately distinguish between antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2, have shown that infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 is not only common2 3 4 but often goes unrecognised–only about a third of those infected are diagnosed.3 5 Among patients in Britain presenting with a first episode of genital herpes, infection due to herpes simplex virus type 1 is common, accounting for 20-60% of cases.6 7 8  Genital herpes is often associated with considerable psychosexual morbidity, particularly around the time of initial diagnosis.9 A major concern for infected people is that they may infect their sexual partners.10 In the past, patients were reassured that this could happen only if they had sex during episodes of acute genital blistering and ulceration.11 12 Recent data from epidemiological, natural course, and antiviral studies suggest that this advice may be misleading. In one of the few prospective studies of transmission of genital herpes, …
Objectives: Sunlight exposure is an important environmental factor in the pathogenesis of skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM). Ultraviolet (UV) from sunlight can cause excessive intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in damage from oxidative stress to cells. As a major iron-rich and ROS-producing organelle, mitochondria are considered as an important place for cell ferroptosis. Thus, the pathology and potential biological process of UV exposure-induced ferroptosis in the development of SKCM has aroused our strong interest. Methods: Gene expression profile datasets of melanoma cell line datasets (GSE31909) and UV-irradiated mitochondria dataset (GSE3632) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and ferroptosis-related genes were obtained from the FerrDb v2 database. After identifying the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs), comprehensive analyzes were performed, including functional annotation, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction, hub gene identification, and gene and tissue protein expression levels, survival analysis, and immune cell infiltration analysis. Results: A total of 14 common DEGs was identified for subsequent analyses. Seven DEGs, including PSMB4, CRELD2, CDKN2A, TIMP1, NDRG1, ATF3 and JUND, have consistent performance in mRNA and protein expression in normal skin and SKCM tissues can be regarded as a good biomarker with SKCM diagnostic effectiveness. Functional enrichment analysis results indicate that HIF-1 signaling pathway and angiogenesis involved in the pathogenesis and development of SKCM. Induction of ferroptosis in tumor cells by enhancing the function of CD8+ T cells is expected to be an effective intervention to promote tumor therapy. Conclusion: Our study reveals the pathogenesis and potential biological processes of UV exposure-induced ferroptosis in the development of SKCM, which may provide potential immunotherapy targets for SKCM treatment via tumor cell ferroptosis mechanisms.
Abstract 5131 Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a multifactorial disease, and increased levels of coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) has been demonstrated as a risk factor for first and recurrent episodes. Inflammatory processes may play a key role in venous thrombosis by inducing a procoagulant state through the action of cytokines and chemokines on monocytes and endothelial cells. The role of inflammation process in the initiation and evolution of venous thromboembolism is not well understood yet. The aim of the study was to evaluate some coagulation and inflammatory markers in VTE patients. Design and Methods: Between March 2009 and June 2011, 385 consecutive patients with treated VTE were attended at Hematology and Hemotherapy Center of Campinas. The study comprised 71 patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs or pulmonary embolism. We excluded patients with DVT at unusual sites, younger than 18 years old or older than 70 years old, those with cancer, chronic liver, renal or inflammatory disease, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, natural anticoagulant deficiency. Healthy adult individuals were chosen as controls. FVIII levels (FVIII:C) were measured by a one-stage clotting assay. D-dimer levels were performed by immunoturbidimetric analysis. VWF:Ag, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were determined by a nephelometric method. The presence of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) was evaluated and classified by the Villalta scale. Results: Seventy-one patients with VTE (23M:48F) with a median age of 44 years (range 20–70) were included in the study. The control group consisted of 67 subjects (23M:44F) with a median age of 42 years (range 22–70 years). VTE was spontaneous in 41 (57. 7%) patients and secondary to an acquired risk factor in 42. 3%. Patients with VTE had higher plasma levels of FVIII:C (146. 2 IU/dL vs. 105. 4 IU/dL; p In a linear regression univariate model, FVIII levels of VTE patients showed association with VWF, D-dimer, IL-6, TNF-α and CRP levels. So, these parameters associated with FVIII were evaluated in a linear regression multivariate model, and VWF and IL-6 levels were independent factors associated with FVIII levels (p Conclusions: Our results show that patients with previous VTE have increased levels of coagulation and inflammatory markers even long time after the acute episode. Moreover, there seems to be a relationship between moderate/severe post-thrombotic syndrome and increased levels of VWF. A possibility is that in moderate and severe PTS, the vascular injury stimulates a increased endothelial cell secretion of VWF. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
To the Editor. —Winkler et al, in an article entitled "Orbital Metastasis From Prostatic Carcinoma: Identification by an Immunoperoxidase Technique" in the AugustArchives(1981;99:1406-1408), reported an unusual case of prostatic carcinoma that was seen initially with an orbital metastasis. Although this circumstance is undoubtedly rare, actual metastasis to the orbit is probably more common than was inferred. Report of a Case. —A 54-year-old man was seen initially for a routine examination on Nov 20, 1980. His condition was diagnosed as cancer of the prostate gland in 1979, and, subsequently, he underwent radical prostatectomy. The next year, osseous metastases developed, and orchiectomy was performed, with remission of pain. In July 1980, there was involvement of the lower thoracic spine, which responded to decompressive laminectomy and radiotherapy (4,000 rad). Findings from an ocular examination indicated the visual acuity corrected to 20/20 OD and 20/25 OS, Jaeger 1 OU. There were mild
Abstract Introduction: Periodontitis affects more than 20% of the Latin American population. Oxidative markers are associated with greater progression of periodontitis; therefore, its role in pathogenesis should be studied. Objective: To determine the prevalence of the main oral bacteria and viruses associated with periodontitis and estimate the total antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxidation in saliva from patients with periodontitis. Materials and methods: We conducted systemically a cross-sectional study in 101 healthy subjects, 87 of whom had been diagnosed with periodontitis (P), according to the criteria of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Periodontology, and 14 without periodontal pockets as controls (C). In subgingival samples, major viruses and dental pathogenic bacteria were identified using PCR techniques. The levels of total antioxidant capacity and malon-di-aldehyde (MDA) were determined by spectrophotometry in samples of unstimulated saliva. Results: The mean of periodontal depth pocket and clinical attachment loss in patients with periodontitis was 5.6 ± 1.7 and 6.1 ± 3.1 mm, respectively. The most prevalent microorganisms were Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (32.5%) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (18.6%). The patients from rural areas showed a higher percentage of A. actinomycetemcomitans (urban: 17.9% vs. rural: 48.9%, p=0.0018). In patients with periodontitis, the frequency of EBV, HSV1 & 2, and HCMV genes was 2.3%. Periodontitis patients had higher levels of MDA (P: 2.1 ± 1.5; C: 0.46 ± 0.3 µmol/g protein; p=0.0001) and total antioxidant capacity (P: 0.32 ± 0.2; C: 0.15 ± 0.1 mM; p< 0.0036). Oxidative markers showed no modifications due to the presence of periodontopathic bacteria. Conclusions: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans was the most prevalent bacteria; its presence did not modify the levels of oxidative markers in the saliva of patients with periodontitis.
The great utility and importance of zeolites in fields as diverse as industrial catalysis and medicine has driven considerable interest in the ability to target new framework types with novel properties and applications. The recently introduced and unconventional assembly, disassembly, organization, reassembly (ADOR) method represents one exciting new approach to obtain solids with targeted structures by selectively disassembling preprepared hydrolytically unstable frameworks and then reassembling the resulting products to form materials with new topologies. However, the hydrolytic mechanisms underlying such a powerful synthetic method are not understood in detail, requiring further investigation of the kinetic behavior and the outcome of reactions under differing conditions. In this work, we report the optimized ADOR synthesis, and subsequent solid-state characterization, of 17O- and doubly 17O- and 29Si-enriched UTL-derived zeolites, by synthesis of 29Si-enriched starting Ge-UTL frameworks and incorporation of 17O from 17O-enriched water during hydrolysis. 17O and 29Si NMR experiments are able to demonstrate that the hydrolysis and rearrangement process occurs over a much longer time scale than seen by diffraction. The observation of unexpectedly high levels of 17O in the bulk zeolitic layers, rather than being confined only to the interlayer spacing, reveals a much more extensive hydrolytic rearrangement than previously thought. This work sheds new light on the role played by water in the ADOR process and provides insight into the detailed mechanism of the structural changes involved.
The subject of the study are the relationships between the Late Triassic A-type granites of the Baga-Gazriin Chuluu pluton in Central Mongolia and the magmatic bodies located either adjacent to or a short distance from this intrusion. We compare new geochemical data from the most representative samples of the Baga-Gazriin Chuluu pluton with published data from the Mesozoic granitoids of the Egiindavaa complex and Tsagduul massif in the Hotont area. The geochemical analyses of all these granitoids are also compared with the geochemical characteristics of trachyandesites of unknown age which neighbour the Baga-Gazriin pluton. The Baga-Gazriin granites, most of the Tsagduul granites and a few samples from Egiindavaa are A-granites with strong crustal affinity. By contrast, most of the Egiindavaa granitoids include considerable mantle-derived material and so seemingly formed in different conditions, with a higher water content in the magma. The trachyandesites adjacent to the Baga-Gazriin Chuluu pluton have been referred to a Permian volcano-sedimentary complex, making them distinctly older than the granitoids. All the A-type granites discussed were emplaced in extensional conditions, which developed after cessation of the compressional regime resulting from the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean. The shallow-lying source for their generation was connected with slab break-off or the presence of a hot spot. The granitoids, in the late stage of crystallisation, were enriched in complex ions that were REE carriers, as shown by a distinct “tetrad effect”.
We report on a preliminary study designed to assess the impact of the sound of the closure on the taste of wine. Given that people hold certain beliefs around the taste/quality of wines presented in bottles having different closure types, we expected that the sound of opening might influence people’s wine ratings. In particular, if participants hear a cork being pulled vs. the sound of a screw-cap bottle being opened then these two sounds will likely set different expectations that may then affect people’s judgment of the taste/quality of the wine that they are rating. In order to test this hypothesis, 140 people based in the UK (and of varying degrees of wine expertise) rated two wine samples along four scales, three relating to the wine and one relating to celebratory mood. The results demonstrated that the sound of a bottle being opened did indeed impact ratings. In particular, the quality of the wine was rated as higher, its appropriateness for a celebratory occasion, and the celebratory mood of the participant was also higher following the sound of the cork pop. These results add to the literature demonstrating that the sounds of opening/preparation of food and beverage products can exert a significant influence over the sensory and hedonic aspects of people’s subsequent tasting experience.
BACKGROUND Within a pilot trial regarding chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, the secondary aim of the main study was explored. This involved measuring the effects-as shown on two key measurement scales reflecting quality of life (QoL)-of verum versus sham acupuncture on patients with ovarian cancer during chemotherapy.   OBJECTIVE The aim of this substudy was to determine the feasibility of determining the effects of verum acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on QoL in patients with ovarian cancer during chemotherapy.   DESIGN This was a randomized, sham-controlled trial.   SETTING The trial was conducted at two cancer centers.   PATIENTS Patients with ovarian cancer (N=21) who were receiving chemotherapy-primarily intravenous carboplatin and paclitaxel-participated in this substudy.   INTERVENTION The participants were given either active or sham acupuncture 1 week prior to cycle 2 of chemotherapy. There were ten sessions of acupuncture, with manual and electro-stimulation over a 4-week period.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer-Quality-of-Life Questionnaire-Core 30 Item (EORTC-QLQ-C30) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire-Ovarian Cancer Module-28 Item (QLQ-OV28) were administered to the patients at baseline and at the end of their acupuncture sessions.   RESULTS Of the original 21, 15 patients (71%) completed the study, and 93% of them completed the questionnaires. The EORTC-QLQ-C30 subscores were improved in the acupuncture arm, including the mean scores of social function (SF), pain, and insomnia (p=0.05). However, after adjusting for baseline differences, only the SF score was significantly higher in the active acupuncture arm, compared with the sham acupuncture arm (p=0.03).   CONCLUSIONS It appears feasible to conduct a randomized sham-controlled acupuncture trial measuring QoL for patients with ovarian cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. Acupuncture may have a role in improving QoL during chemotherapy.
Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe-NP) are currently considered for various diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the brain. However, little is known on the accumulation and biocompatibility of such particles in brain cells. We have synthesized and characterized dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) coated Fe-NP and have investigated their uptake by cultured brain astrocytes. DMSA-coated Fe-NP that were dispersed in physiological medium had an average hydrodynamic diameter of about 60 nm. Incubation of cultured astrocytes with these Fe-NP caused a time- and concentration-dependent accumulation of cellular iron, but did not lead within 6 h to any cell toxicity. After 4 h of incubation with 100–4000 µM iron supplied as Fe-NP, the cellular iron content reached levels between 200 and 2000 nmol mg − 1 protein. The cellular iron content after exposure of astrocytes to Fe-NP at 4 °C was drastically lowered compared to cells that had been incubated at 37 °C. Electron microscopy revealed the presence of Fe-NP-containing vesicles in cells that were incubated with Fe-NP at 37 °C, but not in cells exposed to the nanoparticles at 4 °C. These data demonstrate that cultured astrocytes efficiently take up DMSA-coated Fe-NP in a process that appears to be saturable and strongly depends on the incubation temperature.
We report our experience of 20 patients who have had permanent pacemakers implanted for the first time after the age of 90. The main indications were syncope or presyncope which occurred in 15 patients. Complete heart block was present in 14 patients. Syncopal and presyncopal symptoms were cured in 73%. Nonagenarians paced for complete heart block can expect to survive for as long as others of the same age without heart block. Permanent pacing is an effective and appropriate treatment in the very old.
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Latinas. Time from cancer diagnosis to treatment initiation is critical in optimizing cancer care. Patient navigation is a potentially effective means of promoting timely treatment of breast cancer, yet efficacy is insufficiently documented. Redes en Accion here evaluates a culturally sensitive patient navigation program to reduce time from cancer to diagnosis to treatment and increase proportions of women treated within 30 days of diagnosis. METHODS: We analyzed 109 Latinas diagnosed with breast cancer from July 2008-January 2011 (42 navigated, 67 controls). Women were navigated by locally trained navigators or non-navigated (data abstracted from charts). Kaplan-Meier, Cox proportional hazards, and logistic regression were used to determine group differences. RESULTS: Time from cancer diagnosis to 1st treatment was lower in the navigated group (MED 21 days, control 32 days, HR 1.6, p=0.02). 64.3% began treatment within 30 days of cancer diagnosis, compared to 47.8% of non-navigated Latinas (p=0.015) controlling for stage of cancer at diagnosis and numerous characteristics of clinics and participants. Effects were due to navigator activities compared to those who did not need or utilize them, including appointment reminders, transportation arrangements, accompaniment to appointments, and translation services. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-centered navigation to assist Latina women with breast cancer diagnoses significantly reduces time from diagnosis to treatment, and increases the proportion of women who begin treatment within 30 days of diagnosis. Improvement appears to be associated with specific navigator activities. Acknowledgement: Redes En Accion: The National Latino Cancer Research Network (NCI U01 CA114657-05) and the Cancer Therapy and Research Center at the University of Texas Health Science at Center San Antonio (Grant # P30CA054174). Citation Format: Amelie G. Ramirez, Eliseo Perez-Stable, Gregory A. Talavera, Frank J. Penedo, J. Emilio Carrillo, Maria E. Fernandez, Alan E. C. Holden, Edgar Munoz, Dorothy Long-Parma, Sandra San Miguel de Mejors, Kipling Gallion. Time to treatment of Latinas with breast cancer utilizing patient navigation: the Six Cities Study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-190. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-190
Disproportionation propensity of salts (HCl, HBr, heminapadisylate) and adipic acid cocrystal of corticotropin releasing hormone receptor-1 antagonist was studied using model free kinetics. Using thermogravimetic weight loss profile or heat flow curves from differential scanning calorimetry, an activation energy plot for salts and cocrystal was generated based on model free kinetics. This activation energy of disproportionation provided qualitative information about the solid state salt stability. To ensure the stability throughout the shelf life, "prototype" formulations of salts and cocrystal in tablet form were stored at 40 °C and several water vapor pressures. Disproportionation kinetics were studied in these prototype tablet formulations using two-dimensional X-ray diffractometry. Formulations containing the adipic acid cocrystal or heminapadisylate salt did not show disproportionation of API when stored at 40 °C/75% RH for 300 days. On the other hand, formulations containing HCl or HBr salt disproportionated. Though isostructural, the disproportionation propensity of HBr and HCl salts was quite different. The HCl salt highlighted the important role that volatility of the counterion plays in the physical stability of the formulations. Solution state stability (i.e., in dissolution medium) of salts and cocrystal was also assessed and compared with solid state stability, by determining their solubility at different pH's, and intrinsic dissolution rate.
The objective of this work was to investigate the concept of knowledge in order to obtain useful for the techniques of artificial intelligence and knowledge representation. several definitions of knowledge proposed by various authors are analyzed, compared and graded, they are then merged into a new definition, which is partially formalized tools logical-algebraic, and finally, discusses the possible links with the areas of intelligence artificial intelligence and knowledge representation.
Let $a,b,c,d,e,f in mathbb N$ with $a ge c ge e>0$, $b le a$ and $b equiv a pmod2$, $d le c$ and $d equiv c pmod2$, $f le e$ and $f equiv e pmod2$. If any nonnegative integer can be written as $x(ax+b)/2+y(cy+d)/2+z(ez+f)/2$ with $x,y,z in mathbb Z$, then the tuple $(a,b,c,d,e,f)$ is said to be universal over $ mathbb Z$. Recently, Z.-W. Sun found all candidates of such universal tuples over $ mathbb Z$. In this paper, we use the theory of ternary quadratic forms to show that 47 concrete tuples $(a,b,c,d,e,f)$ in Sun's list of candidates are indeed universal over $ mathbb Z$. For example, we prove the universality of $(16,4,2,0,1,1)$ over $ mathbb Z$ which is related to the sophisticated form $x^2+y^2+32z^2$.
Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeCoronavirus 2). To date, seven coronaviruses that can infect humans were reported. Among them, infections with four coronavirus strains (HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-HKU1) resulted in mild symptoms such as common cold, whereas SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV caused severe symptoms and epidemics in 2002 and 2012, respectively. In the most recent, SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and became a notorious cause of the ongoing global pandemics. To diagnose, treat, and prevent COVID-19, the development of rapid and accurate diagnostic tools, specific therapeutic drugs, and safe vaccines essentially are required. In order to develop these powerful tools, it is prerequisite to understand a phenotype, a genotype, and life cycle of SARS-CoV-2. Diagnostic techniques have been developing rapidly around world and many countries take the fast track system to accelerate approval. Approved diagnostic devices are rapidly growing facing to urgent demand to identify carriers. Currently developed commercial diagnostic devices are divided into mainly two categories: molecular assay and serological & immunological assay. Molecular assays begins the reverse transcription step following polymerase chain reaction or isothermal amplification. Immunological assay targets SARS-CoV-2 antigen or anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody of samples. In this review, we summarize the phenotype, genome structure and gene expression of SARS-CoV-2 and provide the knowledge on various diagnostic techniques for SARS-CoV-2.
The scientific interest in health and well-being demands well-founded research strategies in order for the complexities, the depth, and the many nuances of health-related phenomena to be thoroughly explored. Often, but not always, 1 the scien-tific/philosophical inspiration is made clear. In many qualitative research approaches, phenomenology and/or hermeneutics serve as the ontological, epis-temological, and methodological foundation. Some authors employ phenomenological approaches, philosophically referring to Husserl or Merleau-Ponty and methodologically to, for example, Giorgi. Others describe their approaches as hermeneutical, referring philosophically to Heidegger, Ricoeur, or Gadamer and methodologically to, for example, van Manen. The essential distinction is description versus interpretation. Phenomenological supporters usually emphasise description while the hermeneu-tical supporters emphasise interpretation. We have looked into this, trying to find motives for the one or the other choice. It seems that interpretive approaches are more attractive to many journals due to its explicit acceptance of pre-understanding and because contextual meaning or theory is included in the analyses. There thus seems to be an attractive methodological flexibility that allows for the researcher to use her/his pre-understanding, which cannot be ''bracketed,'' and to move beyond her/his data. Here exists also some suspicion of the idea of essences. On the other hand, it seems that phenomenological approaches demand more rigour from the researcher and allow for less freedom. There seems to exist a requirement to control ones pre-understanding in order for the phenomena's essences to be illuminated and theories are understood as unwelcome within the description of findings. Questions that arose while looking at this were: Are the differences between phenomenology and hermeneutics overemphasised? Do the differences belong to philosophy or to methodological practise? From a philosophy of science perspective, all phenomenological and hermeneutical research relates both to the particular meanings and to the more abstract, general, or essential meanings. There is an interest in lived experience*in all variations, nuances, and contexts*at the same time as there is a scientific demand to transfer the research findings to other areas and other people than those who where involved in the research. This is true both for phenomenology and for hermeneutics. Again following the perspective of the philosophy of science, authors duly acknowledge the ever present pre-understanding, but Husserl as well as Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Gadamer, and Ricoeur further emphasise the importance of epistemological openness. Practising such a philosophical ideal means to sensitively open up for the focal phenomenon of the research, which is a stance that …
Abstract The project to introduce modifications to the air target SZERSZEŃ has been undertaken by the Air Force Institute of Technology. SZERSZEŃ has been used by the Polish Army for 10 years, during which time a number of modifications were introduced. Given this fact, it was decided to develop a new version of this UAV based on the experience gained during its maintenance and operation. Another aspect of this project is to focus on improving the repeatability of production by optimizing the technology processes. To achieve this aim the new instrumentation for the production of composite parts in prepreg technology was designed. The paper reviews the production possibilities for this aircraft using a new technology and presents the advantages of the modified construction and the new technology.
Indoor vegetable production, or production in greenhouses enables year-round production, the combined off-season production, greater control of diseases and pests, but also significantly greater production value compared to open field crop production. The aim of this paper is to determine such a structure of vegetable production in greenhouses that will realize the maximum financial result considering various biotechnological, production, technological and market constraints. In this context, model for optimization of vegetable production structure in greenhouses was formulated, and at the same time, model analysis and model solving was made using the method of linear programming and the software package "LINDO". Model was analyzed in three variants, depending on the selected optimality criterion: maximization of net income (variant I), maximization of economics of production (variant II), minimum deviation from the extreme values (variant III). The results show the optimal sowing - planting structure for all three variants of defined model; the participation of certain groups of crops in the overall sowing - planting structure; the required number of working hours in the observed months of working peaks; that variant I achieves the highest net income for defined limiting conditions (4.216.867 din); that variant II achieves the highest economics of production (2,25), while variant I and variant III generate the same economics of production (2,20).Moreover, variant I realized the greatest value ofproduction (7.080.300 din), but also the highest variable (2.863.433 din) and total costs (3.263.433 din). Published data of various experimental paperworks were used for this analysis, as well as data from the accounting records of the farms and data of Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.
It is all too easy to idealize family care. We can imagine partners and grown-up offspring demonstrating loving kindness to a family member in the home. We can list the benefits of family care to the care recipient, to the caregivers and to our community as a whole. Care recipients benefit from having bespoke care delivered by someone who has known and loved them for decades and who believes he or she knows what care interventions will make them comfortable and happy. After so many years together, it seems likely that the best possible care will come from family members. The family caregiver benefits from feeling they are fulfilling their obligations as spouse or offspring and can, we might assume, sleep easy, and feel happy that they are contributing to the flourishing of a loved one. Our communities as a whole benefit when scarce public resources are being spared by the input of families and where health and social care practitioners are not requested. However, what should nurses and other practitioners do when family members want to go it alone to the detriment of their own well-being? Over these last few months on sabbatical, I have had many conversations with families and friends of older people, most particularly, with those caring for people experiencing dementia. The stories I have been told illuminate and enable us to reflect further on the ethical questions. As Arthur Frank writes,
Evidence has accumulated that murine haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) share several markers with the germline, a connection supported by recent reports that pituitary and gonadal sex hormones (SexHs) regulate development of murine HSPCs. It has also been reported that human HSPCs, like their murine counterparts, respond to certain SexHs (e.g. androgens). However, to better address the effects of SexHs, particularly pituitary SexHs, on human haematopoiesis, we tested for expression of receptors for pituitary SexHs, including follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin (PRL), as well as the receptors for gonadal SexHs, including progesterone, oestrogens, and androgen, on HSPCs purified from human umbilical cord blood (UCB) and peripheral blood (PB). We then tested the functionality of these receptors in ex vivo signal transduction studies and in vitro clonogenic assays. In parallel, we tested the effect of SexHs on human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Finally, based on our observation that at least some of the UCB‐derived, CD45− very small embryonic‐like stem cells (VSELs) become specified into CD45+ HSPCs, we also evaluated the expression of pituitary and gonadal SexH receptors on these cells. We report for the first time that human HSPCs and VSELs, like their murine counterparts, express pituitary and gonadal SexH receptors at the mRNA and protein levels. Most importantly, SexH if added to suboptimal doses of haematopoietic cytokines and growth factors enhance clonogenic growth of human HSPCs as well as directly stimulate proliferation of MSCs.
A series of well-known iridium(III) complex molecular materials are selected for a comprehensive theoretical investigation into their complete or partial ligand deuteriation products. These compounds, respectively, are two homoleptic compounds fac-Ir(ppy)3 [ppy = 2-phenylpyridinate] (1) and fac-Ir(dfppy)3 [dfppy = 2-(2′,4′-difluorophenyl)pyridyl] (2), and two heteroleptic compounds Ir(ppy)2acac [acac = acetylacetonate] (3) and Ir(dfpypy)2pic [dfpypy = 2′,4′-difluoro-2,3′-bipyridinato-N,C4′, pic = picolinate] (4). Unlike traditional strategies for enhancing the radiative decay process or reducing the non-radiative decay process through cumbersome ligand decorations, our simple and controllable deuteriation strategy, which is insensitive to the radiative decay process, enables us to suppress the non-radiative decay process by almost 50%. It is consistent with previous experimental findings, under our theoretical evaluation, that deuterium has a significant influence on non-radiative deactivation processes due to the reduction in the amplitude and frequency of vibrational modes caused by the increased deuterium mass. The systematic computational approach for the evaluation of the non-radiative decay processes provides us with alterations of every single vibrational mode, from the primitive complexes to the completely or partially deuterated ligand complexes, in detail. The two-averaged modes assessment informs us that deuteriation exerts its main influence on the high-frequency modes, rather than the low-frequency modes. Additionally, partial ligand deuteriation has a correlation with the nature of the electronically excited state decay pathways.
A novel dedicated architecture for an HDTV video decoding chip is developed. Each task is mapped to a highly optimized hardware unit by classifying the video processing tasks into three levels. On the function level, a data driven architecture is adopted to make each processing unit operate once the processing data and buffer are available. Therefore the high computing efficiency of each unit is exploited, hardware is saved, and the computing capability is maximized compared with conventional pipeline decoder. On the system level, a decentralized control scheme is designed to provide high efficient communication between all the processing units to yield the best overall performance. Moreover it features simple control logic and minimum size of the connecting buffers.
policy or policies analyzed and (2) studies that indicate that the determinants of policy vary over time or that they vary depending upon whether one examines policy across systems or over time. He believes that available findings provide the basis for a contingency model of state policy systems. He concludes that "the exact mixture of politics and the environment . . . (that determines policy) depends on what policy area is being examined and how the environment, the political system, and policy outputs are being measured" (p. 179). The strength of this volume is its fairly comprehensive coverage of the political science literature on comparative state policy analysis and its attempt to organize and make sense of the diverse findings in that literature. Treadway has organized the material well. He provides concise descriptions of the various studies and their findings. He writes clearly. The book makes accessible a large and scattered body of literature. The book is limited in what it provides. It offers little in the way of new theory. Its criticisms of various studies are the standard criticisms that appear in the literature. It offers no new empirical evidence. In addition, Treadway it is not particularly sensitive to the validity or reliability of individual studies. While noting some criticisms and shortcomings, he reports the findings of various studies as if they were of equal value. Part of the problem is that he does not establish a set of standards by which to assess contributions to the literature. Thus, it is hard to tell how much weight to attach to various studies in formulating a set of hypotheses or a model for futher exploration.
This paper aims at discussing the applicability of the three-factor model in China’s multiple security markets. The monthly returns of Shenzhen Main Board Market, Shanghai Stock Market, GEM Securities Market and Small and Medium Board Securities Market from January 2012 to December 2016 are selected as samples. The following conclusions are drawn: the three-factor model is applicable in Shenzhen Main Board Market, that is, the change of stock return is proportional to market factor, book-to-market ratio factor, and inversely proportional to scale factor. Moreover, in terms of the explanatory power of the change of stock return, the market factor is the highest, the scale factor is the second, and the book-to-market ratio factor is the lowest. But in the other three markets, the two-factors model that excludes the ratio of book market value can explain the change of stock return better. In addition, the explanatory power of market factor is better than scale factor.
The drive to understand how altered cellular metabolism and cancer are linked has caused a paradigm shift in the focus of cancer research. The discovery of a mutated metabolic enzyme, isocitrate dehydrogenase 1, that leads to accumulation of the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate, provided significant direct evidence that dysfunctional metabolism plays an important role in oncogenesis. Striking parallels exist with the Krebs cycle enzyme fumarate hydratase (FH), a tumor suppressor, whose mutation is associated with the development of leiomyomata, renal cysts, and tumors. Loss of FH enzymatic activity results in accumulation of intracellular fumarate which has been proposed to act as a competitive inhibitor of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenases including the hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) hydroxylases, thus activating oncogenic HIF pathways. Interestingly, our studies have questioned the role of HIF and have highlighted other candidate mechanisms, in particular the non-enzymatic modification of cysteine residues (succination) that could lead to disruption or loss of protein functions, dysfunctional cell metabolism and cell signaling. Here, we discuss the evidence for proposing fumarate as an onco-metabolite.
Drainage methods for liquefaction remediation have been in use since the 1970s and have traditionally included stone columns, gravel drains, and more recently prefabricated vertical drains. This paper presents the results from a dynamic centrifuge test designed to evaluate the performance of a liquefiable site treated with prefabricated vertical drains. The centrifuge model consisted of gently sloping, untreated and treated liquefiable soil deposits overlain by a clay crust. The model was subjected to multiple shaking events that included both recorded earthquake acceleration-time histories and sinusoidal input motions. Comparisons of deformations and excess pore water pressures in the untreated and treated areas showed that drains were effective in expediting the dissipation of excess pore water pressures and reducing deformations. However, depending on the characteristics of the input ground motion, the peak excess pore pressures in the treated area were not always substantially smaller than in the untr...
The stress in identifying useful information on the internet facilitated the use of recommendation systems by e-commerce and social network platforms to help users find their interested information quickly. However, this study seeks to investigate the impact of recommendation system overuse on the subjective wellbeing of internet users. The study reviewed previous studies in developing a research framework from the SOBC model that identifies social media overload as a (Situation) that triggers the intentions of internet users (Organism) to excessively use recommendation systems on the internet based on their level of self-concept clarity (Behavior) which (Consequently) affect their subjective wellbeing. SmartPLS 3.0 and SPSS v.22 software were deployed to analyze the research data and discover links between the constructs. The obtained results of the study confirm that, overuse of online recommendation systems negatively affect users’ subjective wellbeing.
ABSTRACT Anatolian Black Pine wood chips were pulped using kraft method in laboratory scale batch digester. A series of experimental kraft pulping was carried out according to Central Composite Design (CCD) to investigate the pulping process and to study the effect of its variables (active alkali rate, sulphidity rate and Vroom's H-factor combining temperature and time) on pulp quality and yield. Second order polynomial regression equations using three independent process variables, were found to be approprite for describing kraft pulping of Anatolian Black Pine wood fibers. The derived equations were able to predict the kappa number, viscosity, yield, holocellulose and α-cellulose content of the pulp with adjusted R2 values of 96.1%, 96.8%, 86.3%, 62.5%, 96.1% and 92.2% respectively. H-factor level and the active alkali charge are the most strongly influcing all the dependent variables. In order to obtain acceptable levels of the pulp properties, high sulphidity rate (45%), medium H-factor (1600) and medium alkali concentration (18%) can be used in kraft pulping of Anatolian Black Pine woods.
A real-time selective plasma light intensity measurement technique involving optical emission spectroscopy (OES) is proposed for process uniformity monitoring and detection in various plasma regions during semiconductor processing. Among plasma diagnostic techniques, OES is a noncontact plasma measurement technique for process end point and plasma abnormality detection that does not cause any process damage. Therefore, it is mostly used in all plasma-based tools. However, conventional OES systems are incapable of real-time plasma uniformity detection at specific OES sampling times, and therefore, there is a need for improving them. In this study, we show that selective plasma light intensity, including those on the left and right sides of a process chamber, can be measured with transparent-LCD-module-adapted conventional OES for determining process uniformity. The proposed technique can be used to measure the selective plasma light intensity in specific regions of the process chamber, such as the center and edge regions of a wafer, and to thereby analyze the plasma process uniformity.
Abstract This article reassesses the grammatically problematic half-line prologa prima (l. 89a) in the Old English wisdom poem Solomon and Saturn I, and suggests that it ought to be emended to the grammatically viable reading of “prologa prim”. Line 89 a introduces a passage in which the words of the Pater Noster become anthropomorphised as warriors and attack the devil. I will argue that “prologa prim” is an exegetical exercise, informed by grammatical theory and liturgical practice, designed for an audience of monastic readers. This multivalent half-line offers different levels of meaning when read according to different permutations of language and metaphor, in a process analogous to the interpretation of scripture according to the influential model of fourfold exegesis. When read literally, as ‘the first of the initial letters’, “prologa prim” indicates the unfolding and time-bound process of reading. Previous scholars (Anlezark 2009; Anderson 1998) have noted the allusive references in line 89 a to Greek logos (‘word’) and Old English prim (‘first hour’, ‘Prime office’), but not their full significance. Through these allusions, the reader shifts from a literal reading to a spiritual and metaphorical reading of the half-line, achieving a diachronic perspective of the Pater Noster’s recitation across time, and finally an atemporal perspective, reading in line 89 a a paraphrase of John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word”. In conjunction with the subsequent episode of the battle, line 89 a forms an exemplum of the monastic practice of lectio divina. This example of ‘monastic poetics’ (O’Camb 2014; Niles 2019) moves from grammatical analysis to a vision of the Word.
Abstract: [3H]Sulpiride bound to rat striatal membrane preparations with a saturable, high affinity component. This binding was displaced potently by dopamine antagonists (both classic neuroleptics and the benzamide, sulpiride) and less potently by dopamine agonists. GTP and its stable analogue Gpp(NH)p did not affect [3H]sulpiride binding to the membranes but altered the affinity for dopaminergic agonists. This effect was specific in that antagonist binding was not affected and only GTP, GDP, and Gpp(NH)p produced the effect. Similar alterations in ligand binding affinity caused by guanine nucleotides have been observed for binding sites linked to an adenylate cyclase. Such an interpretation for the case of [3H]sulpiride is contrary to suggestions that sulpiride labels only those dopamine receptors that are not cyclase linked.
In today’s modern world people use to move from one place to another regularly. So there is a need for a mechanism which gives mobile user the necessary information about the new location. The proposed project implements two such mechanisms known as Pull technology and Push technology. The project proposes a trajectory prediction which estimates the users futures movement based on the information of the past movements of the user. Mobility prediction algorithm comprises of three modules. The system can allocate the resources to the most probable cell with the prediction module instead of allocating excessive resources blindly to the neighboring cells of the user. Also recommends a filtering mechanism, which avoids the unwanted data to be sent to the user by the server. We propose two mechanisms for the filtering of data.
We present elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) coprocessor, which is dual-field processor with projective coordinator. We have implemented architecture for scalar multiplication, which is key operation in elliptic curve cryptography. Our coprocessor can be adapted both prime field and binary field, also contains a control unit with 256 bit serial and parallel operations, which provide integrated high-throughput with low power consumptions. Our scalar multiplier architecture operation is perform base on clock rate and produce better performance in term of time and area compared to similar works. We used Verilog for programming and synthesized using Xilinx Vertex II Pro devices. Simulation was done with Modelsim XE 6.1e, VLSI simulation software from Mentor Graphics Corporation especially for Xilinx devices.
Analog to digital converters (ADC) are used in wireless receivers to process signals in the presence of blockers. These blockers, usually much larger than the signal itself, necessitate the use of a filter upfront to reduce the dynamic range requirement of the ADC. A filtering ADC can be created by placing both the filter and the ADC in a global feedback loop, with improvement in noise and power efficiency. This paper reviews and analyzes two design methodologies for analog filtering ADCs, where the filter response is defined by analog circuits. Then, a digital filtering ADC architecture is discussed that takes advantage of the programmability of digital circuits.
This paper proposes a method for designing diagonal preconditioners for a preconditioned primal-dual splitting method (P-PDS), an efficient algorithm that solves nonsmooth convex optimization problems. To speed up the convergence of P-PDS, a design method has been proposed to automatically determine appropriate preconditioners from the problem structure. However, the existing method has two limitations. One is that it directly accesses all elements of matrices representing linear operators involved in a given problem, which is inconvenient for handling linear operators implemented as procedures rather than matrices. The other is that it takes an element-wise preconditioning approach, which turns certain types of proximity operators into analytically intractable forms. To overcome these limitations, we establish an Operator norm-based design method of Variable-wise Diagonal Preconditioning (OVDP). First, OVDP constructs diagonal preconditioners using only (upper bounds) of the operator norms of linear operators, thus eliminating the need for their explicit matrix representations. Furthermore, since OVDP takes a variable-wise preconditioning approach, it keeps any proximity operator analytically computable. We also prove that our preconditioners satisfy the convergence condition of P-PDS. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of OVDP through applications to mixed noise removal of hyperspectral images, hyperspectral unmixing, and graph signal recovery.
Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) has been shown to inhibit various immune functions in vivo and in vitro. We have confirmed that UVR inhibits human natural killer (NK) activity in vitro and have shown that UVR inhibits human ADCC. In this report, the mechanism by which UVR inhibits NK function was investigated by analyzing the stage at which the inhibiting activity occurs and the ability of the NK cells to release cytotoxic factors previously shown to be involved in CMC. Single cell assays in Agarose revealed that inhibition of NK activity was localized at the postbinding lethal hit stage rather than the initial recognition or binding stage of lysis. We then examined whether UV-treated cells were able to release cytotoxic factors after stimulation with target cells. As expected, stimulated cells released cytotoxic factors, yet, surprisingly, these factors were also released in the absence of stimulator cells. The spontaneous release was detectable in the supernatants as early as 30 min after UV irradiation. The lytic material examined in 48- to 72-hr viability assays was not NK specific, because lysis was obtained with a wide range of NK sensitive and resistant target cells. These results demonstrate that UVR does not alter the capacity of the cells to secrete cytotoxic material, but in fact enhances its release. Several possible mechanisms are proposed to explain the UVR-induced NK inhibition.
Looks at the decision‐making process, noting examples of good and bad practice. Considers how to ensure decisions are acted upon by confronting possible problems encountered along the way and reasons most often, after the event, for failure. Focuses on the “action plan” as used by many managers and organisations and highlights important factors that are often left out of such plans. These include suggestions for anticipating reactions to decisions and changes.
Equine dysautonomia, also known as equine grass sickness (EGS), is a well documented disease in several countries. To the authors' knowledge, EGS has not been reported previously in North America. This report describes EGS in a 6-year-old female mule in the USA. Failure initially to consider EGS resulted in a delayed diagnosis. EGS should be considered as a differential diagnosis and appropriate diagnostic tests performed in similar cases in North America.
Due to using gaseous fluorine monomer with toxicity, waterborne fluoropolymers are synthesized by semi-continuous high-pressure emulsion polymerization method which differs from free-pressure emulsion polymerization. To dates, the research on preparing process and kinetics for high-pressure emulsion polymerization is reported relatively less, which hinders researchers from understanding of mechanisms for monomer-fluorinated emulsion polymerization. The paper also provides a new method by element auxiliary analysis to calculate kinetics parameters of high-pressure emulsion polymerization. Based on aforementioned consideration, waterborne fluoropolymers were prepared by copolymerization of chlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE), vinyl acetate (VAc), butyl acrylate (BA) and vinyl ester of versatic acid (Veova 10) using potassium persulfate as initiator and mixed surfactants. The kinetics of emulsion polymerization of waterborne fluoropolymers was then investigated. Effects of emulsifier concentration, initiator concentration, and polymerization temperature on polymerization rate (Rp) were evaluated, and relationship was described as Rp∝[I]0.10 and Rp∝[E]0.12. The apparent activation energy was determined to be 33.61 kJ·mol-1. Moreover, the relative conversion rate of CTFE with the other monomers was observed, and results indicated that CTFE monomer more uniformly copolymerized with the other monomers. The resulting emulsion properties and pressure change in an autoclave were evaluated at different stirring rates. The initial reaction time, defined as the beginning time of dropwise addition, was determined by the change in solid content and particle size of emulsion.
Andrei Kolmogorov's Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeits-rechnung put probability's modern mathematical formalism in place. It also provided a philosophy of probability--an explanation of how the formalism can be connected to the world of experience. In this article, we examine the sources of these two aspects of the Grundbegriffe--the work of the earlier scholars whose ideas Kolmogorov synthesized.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is upregulated in the hippocampus by antidepressant treatments, and BDNF produces antidepressant-like effects in behavioral models of depression. In our previous work, we identified genes induced by BDNF and defined their specific roles in hippocampal neuronal development and plasticity. To identify genes downstream of BDNF that may play roles in psychiatric disorders, we examined a subset of BDNF-induced genes also regulated by 5-HT (serotonin), which includes the neuropeptide VGF (nonacronymic). To explore the function of VGF in depression, we first investigated the expression of the neuropeptide in animal models of depression. VGF was downregulated in the hippocampus after both the learned helplessness and forced swim test (FST) paradigms. Conversely, VGF infusion in the hippocampus of mice subjected to FST reduced the time spent immobile for up to 6 d, thus demonstrating a novel role for VGF as an antidepressant-like agent. Recent evidence indicates that chronic treatment of rodents with antidepressants increases neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus and that neurogenesis is required for the behavioral effects of antidepressants. Our studies using [3H]thymidine and bromodeoxyuridine as markers of DNA synthesis indicate that chronic VGF treatment enhances proliferation of hippocampal progenitor cells both in vitro and in vivo with survival up to 21 d. By double immunocytochemical analysis of hippocampal neurons, we demonstrate that VGF increases the number of dividing cells that express neuronal markers in vitro. Thus, VGF may act downstream of BDNF and exert its effects as an antidepressant-like agent by enhancing neurogenesis in the hippocampus.
End-linked tetrafunctional model networks were simulated using the bond-fluctuation algorithm. The kinetics of network formation was studied and compared with the solution of the rate equation for a four-step process. A crossover from diffusion-controlled to reaction-controlled time behavior depending on the reaction speed was observed. For a reaction probability of 10−3 per movement of an unreacted chain end and a cross-linker into nearest neighbor position, the rate equation gives a satisfactory description of the kinetics of the reaction.        The evolution of the largest cluster as well as local imperfections of the network were considered in detail. The evolution of the cyclic rank differs from the model of Queslel and Mark.        The mobility of cross-links of different functionality was measured.
This work considers the study of the diffusion of carbon dioxide in polypropylene and amorphous polymers containing carbon nanoparticles, particularly carbon nanofibres and graphene, as well as nanoclays, to be used in microcellular foaming. The diffusion of CO2 out and into the nanocomposites was studied during high pressure CO2 dissolution, as the amount of CO2 dissolved into the nanocomposite and CO2 desorption rate are crucial in order to have a proper control of foaming. Comparatively, platelet-like nanoparticles slowed down the desorption of CO2 out of the nanocomposites by means of a physical barrier effect, enabling a higher concentration of CO2 to remain in the polymer and be used in foaming. As a consequence of the higher amount of CO2 retained in the polymer and the cell nucleation effect promoted by the nanoparticles, polymer nanocomposite foams presented finer microcellular structures, in the case of PMMA even sub-microcellular, and higher specific moduli and electrical conductivities when compared to their pure counterparts.
The adoption of synonyms, homonyms, and antonyms is inevitable when studying English as a foreign language. Acquiring, mastering and practicing of these types of words and the essence of the mutual relationships that they pose amongst them are of essential importance to any existing or potential speaker of the English language. Given the morphological productivity, as well as the changing nature as a characteristic of any language, their referential and poetic function also develops. Learning vocabulary is a key element in the study of any language and its wealth is seen precisely in the number of synonyms, homonyms and antonyms represented in it. On the other hand, the recognition and proper usage and practice of these types of words are considered as one of the most proficient characteristics and level of knowledge of foreign speaking skills language. This paper starts from a theoretical consideration of the semantic aspect of the adoption of synonyms, homonyms and antonyms in English teaching as foreign language. In order to determine the problems that might arise in their adoption in teaching in English as a foreign language, the factors that affect the general adoption of the language are given first and comparisons are made between the adoption of mother tongue and any other foreign language. The results of the research show that certain problems in the adoption these types of words can cause not only the differences between Macedonian as mother tongue and English as foreign, but also the very way of their adoption. The problems in teaching when adopting synonyms, homonyms and antonyms stand as a subject of this research. Article visualizations:
Most online businesses try to get the attention of people and then sell advertisers access to that attention. The scarcity of attention — there’s only 24 hours in a day and much of that is spoken for — results in intense competition for people’s time and incentives to develop creative ways to people’s attention. Competition for attention helps explain how the web-based ecosystem has evolved over the last two decades and why ostensibly different companies see themselves in mortal combat. This paper describes this “attention market” and what it means for the past, present, and future of online competition.
Increasing proportions of people, including older adults, live alone. Studying living arrangements of the elderly is important because these affect and reflect general well-being of the elderly and inform communities’ response to elderly housing needs. We analyze data from the 2006 Canadian Census and the 2006 American Community Survey to examine living alone among non-married older adults aged 55 and older in Canada and the U.S. The paper has two parts. First, we compare native- and foreign-born elderly to see if immigrants are less likely to live alone. Second, we examine factors associated with living alone among older immigrants. While older immigrants in both countries are less likely to live alone, the large differences are substantially reduced once various explanatory variables are considered. Comparisons of four gender/country groups of older immigrants show the positive role of economic and acculturation factors on living alone among older immigrants. With few exceptions, predictors of living alone are similar for older immigrants in Canada and the U.S.: living alone is mainly explained by a combination of economic and acculturation factors, taking demographic variables into account. Findings underline the need for age-friendly housing with innovative design and technology that can accommodate older people who live alone, including older immigrants who may have different needs and cultural preferences.
Since Brownian motion is point recurrent in R1, recurrent in R2 and transient in Rn, n ≧ 3 (see (7)), it follows that the total time spent in a bounded open set in R1 or R2 is unbounded. With the following ergodic theorems for Brownian motion in R1 and R2 as motivation, we examine the rate of convergence in these theorems. Note that there is no ergodic property in Rn for n ≧ 3 since Brownian motion is not dense there.
Introduction: Nursing is considered to be a complex and high demanding profession. A combination of high workplace demands, over-responsibility, and over-authority has been identified as a major source of occupational stress among nursing staff. Material and methods: Our study measured level of α-amylase in the saliva, non-invasive, reliable biomarker for stress exposure, of nurses using the Japanese device SALIVA AMYLASE MONITOR 2004. The questionnaire was considered to figure out how all 473 nurses from the Mongolian tertiary referral hospitals perceive and accept the stress. The Likert scale was used in measuring the questions. Participants were recommended not to eat any meal in the morning 8-10a.m. and after work for examination. The indicators were evaluated by cross-sectional research model. Results: The amylase levels of nurses in the study ranged from 2-34 in the low stress group to a minimum of 16,083, while in the morning, the amylase levels in the medium group ranged from 2-105 to a maximum of 25,226 KU/L. The one-way ANOVA results revealed that the differences between the morning sAA level groups were statistically significant (F = 3.481, p = 0.032). Conversely, the evening sAA levels (F = 1.256, p = 0.286) had no statistical differences (F = 1.144), (p = 0.331). Occasionally, our study was conducted at the quarantine period of pandemic COVID-19, and we can see clearly that the nurses at National Center for Infectious Diseases are working hard under the urged stressed condition.
OBJECTIVE Shunt failure is common among patients undergoing ventriculoperitoneal shunting for treatment of hydrocephalus. The present study examined long-term shunt failure and associated risk factors in pediatric patients by using a national hospitalization database of Thailand.   METHODS Patients 17 years or younger who had been admitted to 71 public hospitals in 2012-2017 for first-time ventriculoperitoneal shunting for diseases with known etiology and discharged alive were followed through 2019 to ascertain shunt failure. Shunt survivals were calculated using Kaplan-Meier estimates and time to failure was analyzed to identify risk factors for the first failure by using Cox proportional hazards regression. Differences in risks of subsequent failures with respect to place in the order of failures (i.e., first, second, third) were determined using a cumulative hazard function.   RESULTS Over a median follow-up of 29.9 months, shunt failure occurred in 33.7% of 2072 patients (median age 8.8 months), with a higher proportion in patients < 1 year than in patients 1-17 years (37.8% vs 28.9%, p < 0.001), and ranged from 26.1% of those having posttraumatic hydrocephalus to 35.9% of those having infectious diseases. The shunt failure rates at 3, 6, and 12 months were 11.5%, 19.0%, and 25.2%, respectively. Patients < 1 year had a higher risk of the first failure than patients 1-17 years (hazard ratio 1.45, 95% CI 1.20-1.76). Among those with shunt failure, 35.8% had multiple failures and 52.9% failed within 180 days after the index shunting. The cumulative hazard of subsequent failure was consistently higher than that of an earlier failure regardless of age and etiology, and the cumulative hazard of the second failure in the patients with 180-day failure was higher than that in the patients in whom shunts failed beyond 180 days.   CONCLUSIONS Shunt failure occurred more frequently in younger pediatric patients. Much attention should be placed on the initial shunt operation so as to mitigate the failure risk. Close follow-up was crucial once patients had developed the failure, because the risk of subsequent failure was more likely than an earlier one among those with multiple failures.
Flooded abandoned coal mines are a potential source of geothermal energy, which could be used for heating and cooling of energy efficient buildings. Cherno More Coal Mine is located in SE Bulgaria and has been closed for more than 20 years. It represents a large human-induced subsurface reservoir which consists of three interconnected coalfields (“Brigadir”, “9.IX.” and “Blagoev”). Their total volume of about 2.0 × 10 m has been calculated considering the size of the stone drifts. The mine water temperature is measured to be about 16 ◦C in the only accessible vertical shaft (“9.IX.” coalfield). This is the first study of an abandoned coal mine in Bulgaria aiming at assessing its low-valued energy potential and evaluating the opportunity for heating and cooling buildings. The geological and hydrogeological characteristics of Cherno More Mine have been analyzed by using existing archive data and conducting additional chemical analysis of water samples and temperature measurements in the mine. The obtained data were used to develop a regional groundwater model of the The funding from the European Commission (CONCERTO II) for carrying out the survey is gratefully acknowledged.
Gathering data in an energy efficient manner in wireless sensor networks is an important design challenge. In wireless sensor networks, the readings of sensors always exhibit intra-temporal and inter-spatial correlations. Therefore, in this letter, we use low rank matrix completion theory to explore the inter-spatial correlation and use compressive sensing theory to take advantage of intra-temporal correlation. Our method, dubbed MCCS, can significantly reduce the amount of data that each sensor must send through network and to the sink, thus prolong the lifetime of the whole networks. Experiments using real datasets demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of our MCCS method.
Peter Laslett’s 1984 introduction to a special issue of Ageing & Society on the history of aging was rooted in demographics.1 How populations aged, changing patterns and markers of the lifecourse, and attempts to explain policy in relation to these were fundamental aspects of emerging histories of aging. Since this, the challenges accompanying demographic change—often conflated with “the ageing society”—have inspired a large body of both historical and sociological literature that has sought to broaden debates about the experience of aging, as well as scholarship from across the arts and humanities.2 Building on a long-standing tradition of aging as a source of social anxiety, much of this scholarship has sought to highlight the complex relationships between social factors—gender, race, class—and biological understandings of what aging is.3 At the very outset of Science, Technology and the Ageing Society, sociologist Tiago Moreira characterizes “the ageing society” as “a collective predicament, a swelling uncertainty concerning how to deploy procedures of scientific
Oral contraception (OC) and energy intake may play a role in fuel selection during exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of OCs (OC+ vs. OC-) in fed and fasting conditions on substrate oxidation and metabolic and hormonal responses in women during exercise. Substrate oxidation (respiratory exchange ratio and lipid and carbohydrates oxidation rates), metabolic (glycerol, free fatty acids (FFA), and glucose), and hormonal (insulin, adrenaline, and noradrenaline) responses were determined in 21 women: 10 regularly menstruating women (OC-) and 11 women using OCs (OC+: low-dose monophasic pill; ethinyl estradiol ≤ 30 µg) during 45 min at 65% of maximal oxygen consumption in fasting and postprandial states. At rest, OC+ presented higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglyceride plasma concentrations as compared with OC-. OC status had no influence on substrate oxidation and metabolic and hormonal responses during exercise. In the fasting state, whatever the OC status, women exhibited greater reliance on fat than in postprandial condition. This occurred in the presence of lower plasma insulin concentrations and higher plasma FFA and glycerol levels. The results indicated that the use of low-dose monophasic combined with OCs did not modify fuel selection and metabolic and hormonal responses during exercise in women. The fasting condition, compared with the fed condition, decreased carbohydrate oxidation during exercise, leading to a greater lipid mobilization and utilization whatever the OC status. Thus, in women, the realization of an exercise in either the fed or fasting conditions had a greater impact on substrate oxidation than OC status.
The effects of PGA1, PGA2 and PGB1 on the vasculature of the liver and small intestine were studied in 73 dogs. Infusions were made into a branch of the superior mesenteric artery, the hepatic artery, portal vein or femoral vein. They decreased systemic arterial pressure and dilated the hepatic arterial and prehepatic splanchnic (small intestinal) vascular beds, PGA being most active. Dilator response was not decreased by beta-adrenergic blockade. Compounds appear to be inactivated by liver and decreased systemic pressure less when infused directly into liver circulation. Dilator response was transient, particulary in small intestine, and abated or even converted to constriction when infusion was continued for a period of time. Intrahepatic portal venous vasculature appeared to be constricted by PGA.
The use of trenchless methods for pipeline water crossings in the Province of Alberta has grown significantly during the past decade, primarily as a result of increasingly strict water protection regulations. Because the feasibility of using a trenchless method is dependent on subsurface conditions, a geotechnical assessment should be performed during the planning stages. The results of this assessment are used in the selection of the most appropriate crossing method, and to assess the risk of encountering difficulties during construction. A discussion of the current state of practice for geotechnical investigations of trenchless projects in Alberta is initially presented. The importance of a good understanding of the engineering geological framework and associated geological-geotechnical complexities is highlighted. Recommended stages of a geotechnical assessment are described, namely the desk study, the site reconnaissance, and the field exploration, which involves drilling and sampling and geophysical surveys where appropriate. It is described how each stage interacts with, and is dependent on the others. It is noted that because the cost of a field drilling and sampling can be expensive when compared to the construction costs, obtaining as much information as possible during the desk study and field reconnaissance stages is considered to be a cost effective strategy. Drilling and sampling techniques currently used in Alberta are briefly reviewed, including continuous flight and hollow stem augering, wet rotary, and cased down-hole air percussion methods. Emphasis is placed on describing the advantages and limitations of each method. Some of the concepts presented are illustrated through evaluation of a recent case study of a recent major river crossing in Central Alberta.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Gout is a common chronic arthritis that can lead to significant disability. Gout is one of the few rheumatological conditions that can be diagnosed with certainty, has a known cause and can be cured with appropriate therapy. Hypouricaemic agents reduce uric acid concentrations through inhibiting uric acid production (allopurinol) or enhancing uric acid excretion (probenecid, benzbromarone). Allopurinol is the most commonly used hypouricaemic agent but at recommended doses often fails to reduce adequately uric acid concentrations and prevent acute attacks of gout. The use of probenecid is limited by lack of efficacy in renal impairment. In the last few years, new agents in the management of hyperuricaemia and gout have become available. Febuxostat, a new xanthine oxidase inhibitor, is an effective hypouricaemic agent although further data are required for patients with renal impairment and other significant medical conditions. Rasburicase, a recombinant uricase (which catalyses the conversion of uric acid to the more readily excreted allantoin) is available for prevention of tumour lysis syndrome. However, its repeated use, as would be required in chronic gout, is limited by antigenicity. A less antigenic PEGylated uricase can rapidly reduce serum uric acid concentrations and promote resorption of tophi. However, further information with regard to the long‐term risks and benefits of these agents is required. These agents may ultimately be used in the short term to rapidly deplete urate stores (induction therapy) followed by long‐term therapy with an alternative hypouricaemic agent to prevent subsequent accumulation of uric acid (maintenance therapy).
Aboriginal people are increasingly making use of digitising technologies for their cultural and educational work. However, databases are not innocent objects. They bear within them Western assumptions about the nature of knowledge, and how it is produced, which may inhibit or undermine the intergenerational transmission of Aboriginal knowledge traditions. Words (or text strings), for example, have a particular constitutive function in Aboriginal epistemology, which implies a rethinking of traditional structures and uses of metadata. Knowledge and truth are understood more in terms of performance than content, which implies something about how digital resources are to be configured and represented. This paper looks at collaborative work done developing a database to support the ongoing work done by Yolngu (northeast Arnhem Land Aboriginal) people in keeping their knowledge traditions strong.
In finite element simulations of high speed sheet metal forming processes the contact between workpiece and forming tools has to be modeled very carefully. Several important aspects have to be taken into account. Robust and locking-free finite element formulations are required to model the sheet forming process, the die has to be considered as a deformable component, and the description of the contact constraints between workpiece and forming tools is a significant source of shortcomings in modeling. The contact and impact simulation makes high demands on the robustness of finite element formulations. For this reason finite elements with low order ansatz functions are preferred. Furthermore, they prove to be advantageous when automatic meshing tools are applied. To overcome the undesired effects of locking we work with an improved version of the innovative solid-shell concept proposed by [11]. It is based on the concept of reduced integration with hourglass stabilization. The use of this solid-shell finite element allows us to test the influence of the modeling of the die and the contact constraints in a very efficient way. An overview of so-called macro and micro deformations of forming tools in sheet metal forming simulations can be found in [8]. We show that the deformation of the die has a noticeable influence in electromagnetic sheet metal forming. However, in most commercial finite element codes taking into account elastically deformable forming tools requires a full finite element discretization of the die which leads to very high computational effort. Therefore users often assume the tools as being rigid and apply node-based spring-dashpot systems to improve the modeling of the interaction between sheet metal and die. But also in this case local interactions cannot be taken into account realistically. As a possible remedy we investigate a fully elastic description of the forming tools in combination with model reduction techniques. These significantly reduce the number of degrees-of-freedom in the finite element simulation. For this reason we present different alternatives of this technique.
Purpose: In this paper a new nonlinear multivariable regression method is presented in order to investigate the relationship between the central corneal thickness (CCT) and the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph (HRTII) optic nerve head (ONH) topographic measurements, in patients with established glaucoma. Methods: Forty nine eyes of 49 patients with glaucoma were included in this study. Inclusion criteria were patients with (a) HRT II ONH imaging of good quality (SD < 30 μm), (b) reliable Humphrey visual field tests (30-2 program), and (c) bilateral CCT measurements with ultrasonic contact pachymetry. Patients were classified as glaucomatous based on visual field and/or ONH damage. The relationship between CCT and topographic parameters was analyzed by using the new nonlinear multivariable regression model. Results: In the entire group, CCT was 549.78 ± 33.08 μm (range: 484–636 μm); intraocular pressure (IOP) was 16.4 ± 2.67 mmHg (range: 11–23 mmHg); MD was −3.80 ± 4.97 dB (range: 4.04 – [−20.4] dB); refraction was −0.78 ± 2.46 D (range: −6.0 D to +3.0 D). The new nonlinear multivariable regression model we used indicated that CCT was significantly related (R2 = 0.227, p < 0.01) with rim volume nasally and type of diagnosis. Conclusions: By using the new nonlinear multivariable regression model, in patients with established glaucoma, our data showed that there is a statistically significant correlation between CCT and HRTII ONH structural measurements, in glaucoma patients.
The 2H model that resembles the Higgs sector of the minimal N=1 SUSY version of the standard model is considered and the contribution of the charged Higgs boson to the rate of the b→sl+l− transition is studied as a function of the free parameters MH, Mt and the squared two Higgs doublet v.e.v. ratio r. It is shown that this process can be suppressed by the charged Higgs boson contribution and that in general it is not very sensitive to its presence unless (SUSY-forbidden) values of r>1 are assumed.
To assess the efficacy and safety of the Leo stent used alone or with coiling to treat complex intracranial aneurysms (IAs) not eligible for simple or balloon-assisted coiling, this single-center retrospective study included consecutive adults with ruptured or unruptured IAs treated in 2011–2018 by stenting with or without coiling. The indication for stenting was IA complexity precluding simple or balloon-assisted coiling. Extensive data on the patients, IAs, antiplatelet treatments, procedures, and outcomes over the first 36 months were collected. Risk factors for early complications (univariate analysis) and delayed ischemia (multivariate analysis) were sought. We include 64 patients with 66 IAs. The procedural success rate was 65/66 (98.5%). Obliteration was Raymond Roy class I or II for 85% of IAs. Six patients died including four of the 12 patients presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was the only significant risk factor for early major complications. At 1 month, 45/64 (69%) had no disabilities. No rebleeding was reported. Ischemia was detected by routine MRI in 20 (35%) of the 57 patients with long-term data and was asymptomatic in 14. The stent-within-a-stent configuration was the only independent risk factor for ischemia. The Leo stent used alone or with coils to manage challenging IAs was associated with a high procedural success rate and complete or nearly complete IA obliteration of 85% of IAs. The high frequency of ischemia is ascribable to our use of routine serial MRI. In patients with bleeding, the Leo stent was associated with an excess risk of early, major, intracranial complications, as compared to patients without bleeding. Long-term follow-up was marked by the occurrence of ischemic events in the vascular territory of the stent, mostly silent.
Monocular visual odometry (VO) and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) have seen tremendous improvements in accuracy, robustness, and efficiency, and have gained increasing popularity over recent years. Nevertheless, not so many discussions have been carried out to reveal the influences of three very influential yet easily overlooked aspects, such as photometric calibration, motion bias, and rolling shutter effect. In this work, we evaluate these three aspects quantitatively on the state of the art of direct, feature-based, and semi-direct methods, providing the community with useful practical knowledge both for better applying existing methods and developing new algorithms of VO and SLAM. Conclusions (some of which are counterintuitive) are drawn with both technical and empirical analyses to all of our experiments. Possible improvements on existing methods are directed or proposed, such as a subpixel accuracy refinement of oriented fast and rotated brief (ORB)-SLAM, which boosts its performance.
Although it is well known that EELS near edge fine structures (ELNES) are a powerful tool for studying chemical bonding at the nanometer level, important applications were prohibited due to the limitation of the initial energy width of the source, which is typically 0.6 eV for Schottky emitters. If the energy resolution can be improved towards the 0.1 eV regime, near edge fine structure details can be revealed not previously observable by EELS in common instruments.
We studied how environmental conditions affect reproduction in sympatric skua species that differ in their reliance on marine resources: the exclusively marine foraging south polar skua Catharacta maccormicki, the terrestrially foraging brown skua C. antarctica lonnbergi and mixed species pairs with an intermediate diet. Egg size, clutch asymmetry and hatching dates varied between species and years without consistent patterns. In the south polar skuas, 12 to 38% of the variation in these parameters was explained by sea surface temperature, sea ice cover and local weather. In mixed species pairs and brown skuas, the influence of environmental factors on variation in clutch asymmetry and hatching date decreased to 10-29%, and no effect on egg size was found. Annual variation in offspring growth performance also differed between species with variable growth in chicks of south polar skuas and mixed species pairs, and almost uniform growth in brown skuas. Additionally, the dependency on oceanographic and climatic factors, especially local wind conditions, decreased from south polar skuas to brown skua chicks. Consistent in all species, off- spring were more sensitive to environmental conditions during early stages; during the late chick stage (>33 d) chick growth was almost independent of environmental conditions. The net breeding success could not be predicted by any environmental factor in any skua species, suggesting it may not be a sensitive indicator of environmental conditions. Hence, the sensitivity of skuas to environ- mental conditions varied between species, with south polar skuas being more sensitive than brown skuas, and between breeding periods, with the egg parameters being more susceptible to oceano- graphic conditions. However, during offspring development, local climatic conditions became more important. We conclude that future climate change in the Maritime Antarctic will affect reproduction of skuas more strongly through changes in sea ice cover and sea surface temperature (and the result- ing alterations to the marine food web) than through local weather conditions.
Find of Treasure Trove near Tullamore, King's County.—Mr. E.C. R. Armstrong, F.S.A., Local Secretary for Ireland, reports that 140 silver coins, found in the early part of the year by Mr. James Devoy, of Clonmore, Tullamore, King's County, were forwarded as Treasure Trove for inspection to the Royal Irish Academy on 22 March 1922. The coins consisted of 1 sixpence Edward VI, mint mark, ton ; 4 groats Mary, mark, pomegranate; 38 English shillings, marks, martlet, cross-crosslet, lis, bell, A, escallop; 3 Irish shillings, mark, harp; 90 English sixpences, marks, lis, pheon, rose, portcullis, lion, coronet, castle, ermine, acorn, cinquefoil, cross, sword, A, escallop, crescent; 1 English groat, mark, martlet; 2 English threepences, marks, cross, and cinquefoil, all 134 coins being of Elizabeth ; 1 small Spanish coin, much cut, inscription unreadable. Not being required for the National Collection, these coins were returned to the Treasury Remembrancer.
Abstract : Guidelines for the human factors engineering of the man-machine interface have traditionally focused on sensing and acting: i.e., display features and input devices that conform to human perceptual/motor capabilities and preferences. In recent years, however, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have introduced a new class of systems with which humans are required to interact: systems which attempt to replicate, or improve on, human reasoning. As intelligent systems are proposed for an expanding sphere of operational roles, attention has begun to turn to machine-assisted thought, and to the manner in which computer-implemented storage and transformation of information can be optimally interfaced with human knowledge representations and processing strategies. Human-computer interface design has become cognitive. This report is intended as a contribution to the emerging application of cognitive science to human-computer interaction.
In 1977, Symon et al.1 adapted the term ischemic penumbra from astronomy to describe the region of susceptible brain between the necrotic core and normal brain (the umbra, or shadow) in a model of focal ischemia. The limits of the ischemic penumbra were defined by the thresholds of electrical and membrane failure; neurons in the penumbra were defined as structurally intact, with their ultimate fate dependent on the duration of ischemia, thus uniting reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral function and metabolism.  Subsequent studies suggest a more complex process. During the initial few hours of vascular occlusion, different neuronal functions break down at widely varying CBFs. At declining flow rates, protein synthesis is first inhibited; this is followed by anaerobic glycolysis, the release of neurotransmitters, impaired energy metabolism, and finally membrane depolarization2; in ischemia models, this can precisely define, temporally and spatially, the penumbra. The imaging of the penumbra in humans can be performed by several techniques, but is challenging. PET first demonstrated the ischemic penumbra, defined by PET parameters of CBF,3 cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2), and …
The aim of this work was to investigate the morphologic changes, LH/hCG receptor content in the ovaries and plasma levels of LH, progesterone and estradiol of hypo--and hyperthyroid rats injected with PMSG and hCG. The hypothyroid state was induced by thyreoidectomy (Tr-X) and the hyperthyroid condition by injections of 40 micrograms L-thyroxine daily during 21 days (T4). Gonadotropins were injected during 14 days in daily doses: PMSG--5 i.u. and hCG--10 i.u. The following 8 groups (n = 10-20) were established: control (euthyroid, no treatment), Tr-X, PMSG + hCG, Tr-X + hCG, Tr-X + PMSG, Tr-X + PMSG + hCG, T4 and T4 + PMSG. At the end of experiments rats were sacrificed, ovaries weighed, macroscopically inspected and concentration of LH/hCG receptors was estimated. In blood plasma the level of LH, progesterone and 17-beta estradiol was also analysed. The experiments showed that injections of PMSG alone, or PMSG + hCG in eu-or hypothyroid rats, appear the most effective in induction of PCO syndrome in rats. Low levels of thyroid hormones sensitized the ovaries to gonadotropin action, but a hyperthyroid status diminished or inhibited this response. Thyroid function is also essential in production of LH/hCG receptors in the ovaries. In hypothyroid animals the amount of these receptors was greatly increased, while in hyperthyroid animals they decreased. The level of plasma LH, progesterone, and estradiol showed insignificantly differences and various inconsiderable deviations from norm. These differences were not dependent on large doses of gonadotropins, altered thyroid function, or on cystic or luteinizing changes in the ovary.
Insensitive munitions compounds (IMCs), such as 2,4‐dinitroanisole (DNAN) and 3‐nitro‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐one (NTO), are replacing conventional explosives in munitions formulations. Manufacture and use of IMCs generate waste streams in manufacturing plants and load/assemble/pack facilities. There is a lack of practical experience in executing biodegradation strategies to treat IMCs waste streams. This study establishes a proof‐of‐concept that bacterial consortia can be designed to mineralize IMCs and co‐occurring nitroaromatics in waste streams. First, DNAN, 4‐nitroanisole (4‐NA), and 4‐chloronitrobenzene (4‐CNB) in a synthetic DNAN‐manufacturing waste stream were biodegraded using an aerobic fluidized‐bed reactor (FBR) inoculated with Nocardioides sp. JS 1661 (DNAN degrader), Rhodococcus sp. JS 3073 (4‐NA degrader), and Comamonadaceae sp. LW1 (4‐CNB degrader). No biodegradation was detected when the FBR was operated under anoxic conditions. Second, DNAN and NTO were biodegraded in a synthetic load/assemble/pack waste stream during a sequential treatment comprising: (i) aerobic DNAN biodegradation in the FBR; (ii) anaerobic NTO biotransformation to 3‐amino‐1,2,4‐triazol‐5‐one (ATO) by an NTO‐respiring enrichment; and (iii) aerobic ATO mineralization by an ATO‐oxidizing enrichment. Complete biodegradation relied on switching redox conditions. The results provide the basis for designing consortia to treat mixtures of IMCs and related waste products by incorporating microbes with the required catabolic capabilities.
Because they will impact so many areas, copyright issues will inevitably arise as 3D printing expands into the content industry. The problem is that protections based on conventional methods are not effective, because the 3D printing process disables those protections. In this paper, we propose a robust and blind watermarking scheme that is able to protect content not only when the 3D model is shared in the digital world, but also when the 3D digital content is converted to analog content by 3D printing. First, we base our proposed watermark on a component that is unchanging to the printing direction for robustness against the printing process. The printing artifacts, instead of being regarded as severe distortion, are treated as a template that provides orientation information to the watermark detector. To achieve this, we also propose a blind estimation algorithm for the printing direction that starts from an analysis of the layering artifact. Using the results from a proposed estimator, the watermark from the printed-and-scanned model is synchronized with the original orientation. With the results of our tests with various 3D mesh models and attacks, we experimentally verified that the proposed method does not lose embedded patterns during the 3D print-scan process, especially with low-cost printers. Moreover, our method provides a new solution for estimating the printing direction that will be useful in a variety of fields.
A shape memory polymer (SMP), the tBA/PEGDMA, is elaborated and characterized. The dynamic mechanical characterization of this SMP highlights promising damping properties. The frequency and temperature dependency of the SMP is represented by a viscoelastic model allowing the introduction of the material in the design process of complex structures. A composite sandwich is developed by coupling the SMP with aluminum skins. A finite element model is developed for modeling the behavior of the SMP when integrated in a sandwich structure. The damping performances obtained by the numerical approach are validated experimentally using modal analysis. The experimental results are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of the finite element model. Furthermore, it is found that the controlled heating of the SMP core allows damping the structure over a wide frequency range. The SMP core temperature is tuned from the time-temperature superposition through a calibration curve to correspond to optimal values of damping ratio in the frequency range of interest; a vibration attenuation of about 20dB is observed.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
A signal processing technique is presented for determining the composition of multiphase oil–water–gas flow in a pipe using noninvasive ultrasonic speed of sound measurements from a transmitter–receiver pair bonded to diametrically opposite sides of a pipe. A linear chirp excitation is used to send broadband ultrasonic energy that propagates in two paths from transmitter to receiver such as: 1) a wave through the pipe wall and then the multiphase mixture and 2) ultrasonic guided waves along the pipe wall in the circumferential direction. As the ultrasonic attenuation of the multiphase mixture increases, the amplitude of the signal through the fluid mixture decreases relative to that of circumferential guided waves, making it difficult to determine the time of arrival of the fluid-path signal and, hence, the speed of sound in the mixture. The proposed signal processing technique overcomes this challenge by using: 1) a guided wave subtraction approach to suppress the strength of guided wave signals relative to the fluid-path signal and 2) a Gaussian reconstruction approach for synthetic enhancement of the fluid-path signal by output signal reconstruction at frequencies corresponding to peak transmission of ultrasonic energy. The efficacy of the technique is demonstrated using experiments carried out in a field-scale flow loop with varying compositions of oil–water–gas mixtures. It is shown that the proposed approach can enhance the signal detectability by approximately 20 dB in comparison with the traditional approach that does not utilize guided wave subtraction and also improves the gas tolerance of composition measurements up to 20% in gas volume fraction.
The scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) images of isolated iron phthalocyanine (FePc), cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc), nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc) and copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) are simulated theoretically. All the simulated STM images show submolecular structures and reproduce well the features of the experimental images. The results show that there is a strong dependence of the STM images on the ion valence configuration of the metal ion. At the small tip bias voltages of less than 0.5 V, the central metal ions in NiPc and CuPc appear as holes in the molecular images, while they are the highlighted bumps in FePc and CoPc. The simulated images are interpreted by the fact that both FePc and CoPc systems have a significant dz2 character near the Fermi level while the NiPc and CuPc systems do not. Moreover, we predict that the central nickel ion for NiPc appears as a highlighted point when the tip bias voltage is larger than 0.7 V.
whole oeuvre is frequently and superficially viewed as somehow "tainted" by the perceived egoism of her deployment of the Holocaust in these poems. Such straightforward condemnation, however, disguises the difficulties surrounding any judgment of Plath's treatment of this material-difficulties which are clearly exhibited by the respected critic George Steiner, who in 1965 applauded "Daddy" as "The 'Guernica' of modern poetry" ("Dying" 330), yet later, in 1969, declared that the extreme nature of Plath's late poems left him "uneasy": "Does any writer, does any human being other than an actual survivor, have the right to put on this death-rig?" ("In Extremis" 305). It is important to study both why and how the Holocaust appears in Plath's poetry, because our reaction to it as readers and the strategies Plath uses to approach it are tied to a wider problem relating to the place of the Holocaust in our culture. If we understand this, it is possible to place the disturbing appearance of the Holocaust in Plath's poems in its proper context, and to see this effect as symptomatic of a more general problem she recognizes, a conflict about
Among the various solutions for the series association of high power IGBTs, the active clamping circuit insures both protection and voltage balancing, within good reliability and compactness. Therefore, this structure has been chosen to be integrated closed to the IGBTs. The design of this circuit leads to the resolution of a compromise between a good balancing and limited additional losses. The aim of this paper is to optimise this circuit, in order to reduce the losses, in the IGBTs as well as in the active clamping circuit. This design has been validated in a 3 kV 400 A test bench, using three 1.7 kV components in series.
The P‐element‐induced wimpy testis (PIWI) protein, which associates with small non‐coding RNAs, is responsible for maintaining the integrity of germ cells and stem cells. Thus, transcriptional regulation of PIWI is critical for its effective functional modulation. In this study, we identified the promoter region of the PIWI homolog in chicken (CIWI), and investigated the transcriptional regulatory elements that control expression of CIWI in chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs). We constructed a vector that included the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene controlled by the 4‐kb CIWI promoter. The vector was expressed in chicken PGCs, but not in chicken embryonic fibroblasts. Based on promoter deletion and fragmentation assays, we found that a 252‐bp fragment of the CIWI promoter (−577 to −326 bp) was crucial for CIWI expression in PGCs. A CCAAT transcriptional regulatory element (−498 to −494 bp) was detected in the proximal region from the transcription initiation site of CIWI, and mutational analysis confirmed that this element regulates transcriptional initiation in chicken PGCs. Interestingly, the regions flanking the CCAAT element, which are positioned differently in HIWI (human), Miwi (mouse), and CIWI orthologs, were highly conserved. In addition, we predicted that specificity protein 1 (SP1) motifs modulate the transcriptional initiation of CIWI by binding to the 5'‐flanking regions of the CCAAT box. Overall, 252 bp of the CIWI promoter possessing the transcriptional regulatory element CCAAT is crucial for regulating CIWI gene expression in chicken PGCs. This promoter may be applicable for the regulation of CIWI expression during germ‐cell development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 81: 871–882, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automotive electronic systems must operate as designed while exposed to the RF energy produced by mobile transmitters including cellular telephones. Automotive OEMs often verify functional performance using test procedures delineated in ISO 11452-3 [1] and ISO 11452-9 [2]. Test procedures simulate the mobile device via use of a small antenna placed in close proximity to the electronic device. RF immunity levels are based on a specified net power delivered from a broadband amplifier attached to the antenna via coaxial cable. The ISO standard makes only cursory reference to minimizing the antenna VSWR and cable loss for accurate delivery of the specified net power. This paper will focus on the effect of mismatch loss and its specific impact on the error in the actual net power delivered to the antenna.
This paper deals with the simulation of complex belt conveyor drive systems used in open pit mines. In this work, the Co-simulation methodology is used. This technique is based on the integration of different software tools with subsystems modelled in the corresponding software tools. The electrical subsystem is modelled using the tool Matlab®/Simulink®. The tool ITI-Sim® is used to model the mechanical subsystems. The interface between the software tools is established with the help of S-function. In order to verify the simulation models, real time measurements are performed in an open pit mine. The simulated results are in good conformance with the measurement results showing the efficacy of the simulation methodology. Finally, the Co-simulation model is used for the analysis of the three phase electrical fault and the loading on the different components of the drive are shown.
OBJECTIVE To estimate hospitalization rates for pneumococcal disease based on the Brazilian Hospital Information System (SIH).   METHODS Descriptive study based on the Hospital Information System of Brazilian National Health System data from January 2004 to December 2006: number of hospitalizations and deaths for pneumococcal meningitis, pneumococcal sepsis, pneumococcal pneumonia and Streptococcus pneumoniae as the cause of diseases reported in Brazil. Data from the 2003 Brazilian National Household Survey were used to estimate events in the private sector. Pneumococcal meningitis cases and deaths reported to the Notifiable Diseases Information System during the study period were also analyzed.   RESULTS Pneumococcal disease accounted for 34,217 hospitalizations in the Brazilian National Health System (0.1% of all hospitalizations in the public sector). Pneumococcal pneumonia accounted for 64.8% of these hospitalizations. The age distribution of the estimated hospitalization rates for pneumococcal disease showed a "U"-shape curve with the highest rates seen in children under one (110 to 136.9 per 100,000 children annually). The highest hospital case-fatality rates were seen among the elderly, and for sepsis and meningitis.   CONCLUSIONS PD is a major public health problem in Brazil. The analysis based on the SIH can provide an important input to pneumococcal disease surveillance and the impact assessment of immunization programs.
Simple ranking and rating procedures for hedonic testing were developed from which signal detection analysis gave simple probability values indicating preference. Data were pooled over judges to give preference scores for specific groups of consumers. Rating was preferable when forced choice was to be avoided; ranking was preferable when response bias was a consideration. The rating procedure was less prone to instructional bias than the 9-point hedonic scale. Ranking methods were extended to measure 'likelihood to buy', when price was included in the decision, as well as degree of reference.
The directional total emittance ε′ of coated float glass (fluorine-doped tin oxide coating 300 nm thick) and uncoated float glass was measured at 283 K and in the angular range 10° to 84°. The direct method was employed in which the radiation emitted by the sample was measured using a broad-band Golay detector. A novel scheme of discriminating against unwanted radiation allows fractional uncertainties of ±1% or better (1 s.d.) to be achieved. The uncoated glass, the directional total emittance of which can be calculated accurately, was used to test the apparatus, and the difference between the measured and the calculated values was found to be not greater than ±1%, fractional, for angles less than 80°.
There is growing concern among health institutions worldwide to supply clean water to their populations, especially to more vulnerable communities. Although sewage treatment systems can remove most contaminants, they are not efficient at removing certain substances that can be detected in significant quantities even after standard treatments. Considering the necessity of perfecting techniques that can remove waterborne contaminants, constructed wetland systems have emerged as an effective bioremediation solution for degrading and removing contaminants. In spite of their environmentally friendly appearance and efficiency in treating residual waters, one of the limiting factors to structure efficient artificial wetlands is the choice of plant species that can both tolerate and remove contaminants. For sometimes, the chosen plants composing a system were not shown to increase wetland performance and became a problem since the biomass produced must have appropriated destination. We provide here an overview of the use and role of aquatic macrophytes in constructed wetland systems. The ability of plants to remove metals, pharmaceutical products, pesticides, cyanotoxins and nanoparticles in constructed wetlands were compared with the removal efficiency of non-planted systems, aiming to evaluate the capacity of plants to increase the removal efficiency of the systems. Moreover, this review also focuses on the management and destination of the biomass produced through natural processes of water filtration. The use of macrophytes in constructed wetlands represents a promising technology, mainly due to their efficiency of removal and the cost advantages of their implantation. However, the choice of plant species composing constructed wetlands should not be only based on the plant removal capacity since the introduction of invasive species can become an ecological problem.
PURPOSE The cytokine osteopontin (OPN) has been localized to the retinal ganglion cell layer in the normal rodent retina, prompting the suggestion that it could serve as a useful marker for identifying and quantifying such neurons in models of retinal and optic nerve neurodegeneration. In the present study, we characterized the time course and cellular localization of OPN expression in the rat retina after excitotoxic and ischemic injuries.   METHODS Excitotoxicity and ischemia-reperfusion experiments were performed by using standard techniques. Rats were killed at various time points, and the retinas were removed either for mRNA analysis or to be processed for immunohistochemistry.   RESULTS In the normal retina, double-labeling immunofluorescence indicated that OPN is expressed by the majority of, if not all, RGCs, since OPN was associated with more cells than Brn-3, but was colocalized with Thy1.1. NMDA, kainic acid, and ischemia-reperfusion all caused decreases in the total retinal levels of Thy1 and Brn-3 mRNAs, reflecting injury to RGCs, but a dramatic, short-lived upregulation in OPN mRNA. The source of the increased OPN signal after excitotoxic-ischemic insults is unlikely to be injured RGCs, as no alteration in the intensity of OPN immunostaining in RGCs was apparent. Instead, additional cells, mostly contained within the IPL, were identified as positive for OPN. Double-labeling immunofluorescence showed that ED1 always colocalized with OPN in these cells, indicating their status as activated microglia.   CONCLUSIONS OPN is exclusively expressed by RGCs in the physiological retina, but in response to retinal neurodegeneration is synthesized de novo by endogenous, activated microglia.
The increasing wind power penetration brings big challenge for wind turbine to provide Low Voltage Ride-Through (LVRT) capability. Current grid codes require that wind turbine should support the grid voltage by the reactive power control. Doubly Fed Induction Generation (DFIG) system commonly uses rotor crowbar to protect the vulnerable power converter during grid voltage dips. Its unavoidable drawback is that the stator would absorb reactive power from the grid. This paper analyzes the reactive power capacities of grid side converter (GSC) and rotor side converter (RSC). Then a method is proposed to calculate the amount of stator reactive power when the rotor crowbar is active. To avoid this inductive reactive power consumption, two measures are implemented: (i) a proper dc-chopper is designed to reduce the active probability of crowbar; (ii) GSC compensates the reactive current for the stator. The paper presents the principle of choosing the dc-chopper resistor value and the reactive power priority control strategy of GSC. Simulation results validate the feasibility of the proposed design and control strategy. And the compared reactive power performances indicate the importance of the dc-chopper.
Cells expend a large amount of energy to maintain their DNA sequence. DNA repair pathways, cell cycle checkpoint activation, proofreading polymerases, and chromatin structure are ways in which the cell minimizes changes to the genome. During replication, the DNA-damage tolerance pathway allows the replication forks to bypass damage on the template strand. This avoids prolonged replication fork stalling, which can contribute to genome instability. The DNA-damage tolerance pathway includes two subpathways: translesion synthesis and template switch. Post-translational modification of PCNA and the histone tails, cell cycle phase, and local DNA structure have all been shown to influence subpathway choice. Chromatin architecture contributes to maintaining genome stability by providing physical protection of the DNA and by regulating DNA-processing pathways. As such, chromatin-binding factors have been implicated in maintaining genome stability. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we examined the role of Spn1 (Suppresses postrecruitment gene number 1), a chromatin-binding and transcription elongation factor, in DNA-damage tolerance. Expression of a mutant allele of SPN1 results in increased resistance to the DNA-damaging agent methyl methanesulfonate, lower spontaneous and damage-induced mutation rates, along with increased chronological life span. We attribute these effects to an increased usage of the template switch branch of the DNA-damage tolerance pathway in the spn1 strain. This provides evidence for a role of wild-type Spn1 in promoting genome instability, as well as having ties to overcoming replication stress and contributing to chronological aging.
Triticum aestivum is an important crop worldwide, which is a large source of food grain. T.aestivum demands on developed countries will grow every year, this increase in the demand is profoundly serious especially in the light climate change which would lead to a 29% reduction in final productivity. Rust fungus attacks the T.aestivum, specifically newly planted T.aestivum plants, which block the vascular system, stun, and finally damage grain and tillers. In present study we predict the 3D structure then find the binding pocket and conserved domains for MAPkinase-1 of Puccinia triticina. After that, screen the FungiPAD, PubChem, NPAtlas databases by physicochemical properties, docking, clustering, ADME (Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) and PAINS (pan assay interference compounds) filter analysis. Through this screening process screen the nine compounds, which are benzovindiflupyr, furametpyr, isopyrazam, fenaminstrobin, and flumorph from Fungicide database: zoxamide, vinclozolin, pentachloronitrobenzene, and dithianon from PubChem database, based on the binding energy, clustering, ADME and PAINS analysis. All these nine compounds bind in the same pocket and show the same pattern of interaction. Among these nine compounds, select the two compounds (PubChem:122087 (-6.96 kcal/mol) and FDBD02904 (-8.62 kcal/mol)) based on binding energy for 100 ns MD simulation and free energy calculation. MD simulation shows stability throughout the simulation, and it shows the sable interaction when compounds bind to the MAPKinase 1 protein which may help to protein kinase pathways in plant defense response. This result helps to design alternative fungicide against the wheat rust disease.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
OBJECTIVE To study the value of screening hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) kindreds by detecting the expressions of hMLH1/hMSH2 with tissue microarray.   METHODS A tissue microarray with 22 colorectal cancers from HNPCC families and 15 sporadic colorectal cancers was established, and the expressions of hMLH1/hMSH2 were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC).   RESULTS The expressions of hMLH1 or hMSH2 were negative in 15 of 22 HNPCC and 1 of 15 sporadic colorectal cancers in routine IHC. The expressions of hMLH1 or hMSH2 were negative in 17 of 22 HNPCC and 2 of 15 sporadic colorectal cancers in tissue microarray. The examination of hMSH2 expression yielded same results between routine IHC and tissue microarray. There were no difference on the hMLH1 expressions between routine IHC and tissue microarray.   CONCLUSION Tissue microarray is a high-throughput way to detect the expressions of hMLH1/hMSH2 and is applicable to screen HNPCC kindreds.
This paper proposes two kinds of novel hybrid voltage controlled ring oscillators (VCO) using a single electron transistor (SET) and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistor. The novel SET/MOS hybrid VCO circuits possess the merits of both the SET circuit and the MOS circuit. The novel VCO circuits have several advantages: wide frequency tuning range, low power dissipation, and large load capability. We use the SPICE compact macro model to describe the SET and simulate the performances of the SET/MOS hybrid VCO circuits by HSPICE simulator. Simulation results demonstrate that the hybrid circuits can operate well as a VCO at room temperature. The oscillation frequency of the VCO circuits could be as high as 1 GHz, with a -71 dBc/Hz phase noise at 1 MHz offset frequency. The power dissipations are lower than 2 uW. We studied the effect of fabrication tolerance, background charge, and operating temperature on the performances of the circuits
An analysis is made of the feasibility of enhancing the reflectivity of BeO-based materials in the middle infrared. It is shown that the deposition of a Ge film 0.8 ?m thick on a BeO single crystal makes it possible to achieve a reflection coefficient of 0.992 at ? = 10.6 ?m. When Ge films of thickness d?0.3 ?m are deposited on a BeO ceramic, the upper limit of the existence of surface polaritons is shifted to the low-frequency part of the spectrum, thereby eliminating their excitation by CO2 laser radiation and making the reflection coefficient of the ceramic similar to that of single-crystal BeO.
Pellets were collected under an active Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) nest in the city centre of Denizli, Turkey. The nest was located in a conifer tree in a 5.7 ha urban park, centrally-located in the city of Denizli, with a human population of 577,000 people. During April-June 2014, a total of 64 pellets containing remains of 86 individual prey items was found. All prey were Passeriformes and consisted of two species belonging to Passeridae and Hirundinidae. 78 of the 86 prey items (90.7%) were House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the other eight (9.3%) were House Martin (Delichon urbicum). This is one of the first studies to indicate that the Long-eared Owl's nesting season diet consists entirely of birds. The main factor affecting this result is probably the fact that the owls live in an urbanised setting.
The gamma-ray-induced crosslinking of polyacrylamide was carried out under various conditions. The molecular weight of the polymer before inrradiation was found to be the most important factor for crosslinking. When polymers have low molecular weights such as 80,000, the intensity of radiation, the external pressure applied, and the water content of the polymer powder became important for crosslinking. Although the polycrylamide hydrogel can be obtained directly by irradiating the monomer, it was obtained more conveniently by the irradiation of monomer—polymer mixtures. The hydrogels obtained by the radiation with a dose of over 50 kgray, absorb water by 1000–1500 wt %.
Background: Palbociclib (PAL) plus fulvestrant (FUL) demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) vs placebo (PBO) plus FUL in women with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer (ABC) whose disease had progressed on prior endocrine therapy (ET). Because the effectiveness of standard therapies after progression on PAL is unknown, it is important to understand whether the benefits of PAL with respect to PFS extend to subsequent treatments. Method: Pre-, peri-, and postmenopausal patients (pts) with HR+/HER2- ABC who had relapsed/progressed on prior ET were randomized 2:1 to PAL (125 mg/d oral [3 wk on drug, 1 wk off]) + FUL (500 mg/mo intramuscular, per standard of care) or PBO+FUL. One prior line of chemotherapy (CT) for ABC was allowed. For 9 mo immediately after participation in PALOMA-3, pts were assessed every 3 mo for information on poststudy progression and treatment; the type of treatment, its duration, and sites of progression were analyzed. Results: As of Oct 2015, with a median follow-up of 15.8 mo for PAL+FUL and 15.3 mo for PBO+FUL, 333 PFS events were observed (200 and 133, respectively). Median PFS was 11.2 vs 4.6 mo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.497 [95% CI, 0.398–0.620]; P Conclusion: The current analysis demonstrated that the treatment effect of PAL+FUL was retained in the most immediate line postprogression and that progression after PAL has no effect on the therapeutic benefit from subsequent treatments. Sponsor: Pfizer Citation Format: Turner NC, Andre F, Cristofanilli M, Verma S, Iwata H, Loi S, Harbeck N, Ro J, Colleoni M, Zhang K, Huang Bartlett C, Giorgetti C, Slamon D. Treatment postprogression in women with endocrine-resistant HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who received palbociclib plus fulvestrant in PALOMA-3 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-22-06.
To facilitate the co-design of next generation hardware architectures, it is critical to characterize the workloads of deep learning (DL) applications and assess their computational patterns on different levels of the execution stack. Time series prediction is one such DL application heavily used in areas that include critical decision making: ensuring power grid resiliency, climate forecasting, transportation infrastructure optimization, stock market prediction, etc. Unlike cross-sectional data (e.g. images), time-series data is inherently sequential, posing challenges to parallelization in the context of deep learning. In this paper, we developed a proxy application for deep learning based time-series application that uses spatio-temporal data from a dynamical system for model training and inference. We study the performance profiles of the associated computational patterns for both training and inference on four different levels: models (Long short-term Memory and Convolutional Neural Network), DL frameworks (Tensorflow, PyTorch), data-types (FP64, mixed-precision), and single-node dense GPU platforms (Nvidia™ DGX A100 and DGX-2 V100). Overall, our findings indicate that, in the context of multiple variants of our time-series prediction proxy application, computational profiles of Tensorflow and PyTorch mostly exhibit divergent overheads across GPU platforms. Our studies also demonstrate that associated data movement, transformation and combination can take more than 50% of the overall execution times. Both, source code and workload profiles are made public for community-use and future studies.
Objectives: Club foot is one of the most common congenital limb deformities. A considerable number of malformations, genetic syndromes, neuromuscular diseases or aneuploidies can be associated. When club foot is prenatally diagnosed, management across centre is not consensual. The objective of our study was: 1. to assess ultrasound diagnostic accuracy and 2. to evaluate the usefulness of examination performed. Methods: All cases of infants born between 2014 and 2018 with unilateral or bilateral club foot deformity identified in French Occitanie region and systematically referred to a single physiotherapist were retrospectively collected. Based on these born children, we retrieved their prenatal sonographic images and ultrasound description (isolated/associated malformation), and collected pregnancy management (screening and testing) and compared it with postnatal outcomes. We also collected all cases of TOP during this time period were children had a club foot among other trouble. Results: 217 children were included. The diagnosis was made prenatally in 69% of cases. Ultrasound diagnosis was concordant in 86% of cases regarding laterality. An associated pathology with club foot was found in 11% of children. The proportion of uni/bilateral club foot was the same in the associated and isolated forms (p = 0,8). An incorrect prenatal diagnosis of isolated or associated character was found in 8% of cases. Amniocentesis was offered to 74% patients, with only 39% acceptance (microarray analysis performed in 62% amniocentesis). Aneuploidy was found for 4 children and a microdeletion syndrome for one child. 42 TOP had been performed during that period and all cases had an associated club foot. Conclusions: When a club foot is prenatally diagnosed, management should include: 1. a specialised ultrasound examination to confirm diagnosis, characterise the malformation and look for associated abnormalities and 2. genetic counselling to offer amniocentesis with microarray analysis regardless of uni/bilateral or isolated/associated status.
A total of 19 Brazilian frozen pulps from the following fruits: açai (Euterpe oleracea), blackberry (Rubus sp.), cajá (Spondias mombin), cashew (Anacardium occidentale), cocoa (Theobroma cacao), coconut (Cocos nucifera), grape (Vitis sp.), graviola (Annona muricata), guava (Psidium guajava), papaya (Carica papaya), peach (Prunus persica), pineapple (Ananas comosus), pineapple and mint (A. comosus and Mentha spicata), red fruits (Rubus sp. and Fragaria sp.), seriguela (Spondias purpurea), strawberry (Fragaria sp.), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), umbu (Spondias tuberosa), and yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) were analyzed in terms of chromaticity, phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and in vitro antioxidant activity using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Data were processed using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Antioxidant capacity was measured by DPPH and FRAP assays, which showed significant (P < 0.01) correlation with total phenolic compounds (r = 0.88 and 0.70, respectively), total flavonoids (r = 0.63 and 0.81, respectively), and total monomeric anthocyanins (r = 0.59 and 0.73, respectively). PCA explained 74.82% of total variance of data, and the separation into 3 groups in a scatter plot was verified. Three clusters also suggested by HCA, corroborated with PCA, in which cluster 3 was formed by strawberry, red fruits, blackberry, açaí, and grape pulps. This cluster showed the highest contents of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity.
The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of five groups of people—students, parents, community organization representatives, guidance counsellors, and principals—in dealing with a community involvement requirement for secondary school graduation in Ontario. Ten people were interviewed, resulting in insights as to what makes the program work for the various groups, and suggestions for improvement. Interviewee recommendations include creating a more structured program to increase the consistency of program implementation, reducing the administrative burden on schools, increasing the number of required hours, and having more support for the program from the Ontario government and the Ontario Ministry of Education.
Objective: Detection of tibial fractures in which a concomitant ankle injury may exist. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Department of Trauma Surgery, University Hospital. Patients: 43 (20.1%) of 214 patients with a tibial fracture were found to have an associated injury of the ankle joint. Intervention: Analysis of all patients with tibial fractures regarding typical mechanisms of injuries and typical radiographic criteria for concomitant injuries of the ankle joint. Main Outcome Measures: Primary x-rays were analyzed looking for spiral fractures of the tibia or proximal fibular fractures or an intact fibula, typically associated with syndesmotic injury. The assessment of patients was based on radiological findings and functional recovery. Results: 45 ankle injuries in 43 patients were found. There were distal fibular fractures in 14, Maisonneuve fractures in 13, isolated ruptures of the syndesmosis in 3, fractures of the posterior malleolus in 8, and fractures of the medial malleolus in 7 of the cases. In 38 of the 43 patients, the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis was ruptured, and 88.4% of the tibia injuries were spiral fractures located in the distal third. Of the 38 patients who could be followed, 31 were categorized according to the Phillip's Score as very good, 3 as good, 2 as satisfactory, and 2 as unsatisfactory after an average of 19.8 months (12-26). Conclusion: Due to the obvious injury of the tibia, the potential instability of the ankle joint is often overlooked, and the risk of development of secondary osteoarthritis is often consequently underestimated. Added attention should be paid to the ankle in the following tibial fracture cases: pronation-eversion trauma, spiral fracture of the tibia, proximal fibular fracture, or intact fibula. Using these markers, we were able to diagnose 20.1% of combined injuries compared to our retrospective study in 1999, in which only 13.6% of these injuries could be detected (Pearson r = 0.1305, not significant).
Electrolyte leakage from leaf discs of three Ulmus species when challenged with cultural filtrate of an NAN aggressive isolate of Ophiostoma ulmi paralleled their susceptibility to the disease in the field. But the correlation was not working with some hybrids derived from the common field elm showing intermediate resistance. The possible explanation will be checked in further tests which are in progress to assess the possibility of using this technique in early screening for resistance.
In the present work, two different classification methods, a dissimilarity-based clustering approach (DBC) and the model-based latent class analysis (LCA), were used to analyse responses to a questionnaire designed to measure children's mental representation of the Earth. It contributes to an ongoing debate in cognitive psychology and science education research between two antagonistic theories on the nature of children's knowledge, that is, the coherent versus fragmented knowledge hypothesis. Methodology-wise the problem concerns the classification of response patterns into distinct clusters, which correspond to specific hypothesised mental models. DBC employs the partitioning around medoids (PAM) approach and selects the final cluster solution based on average silhouette width, cluster stability and interpretability. LCA, a model-based clustering method achieves a taxonomy by employing the conditional probabilities of responses. Initially, a brief presentation and comparison of the two methods is provided, while issues on clustering philosophies are discussed. Both PAM and LCA attained to detect merely the cluster which corresponds to the coherent scientific model and an artificial segment added on purpose in the empirical data. The two methods, despite the obvious deviations in cluster-membership assignment, finally provide sound findings as far as hypotheses tested, by converging to identical conclusions.
Aqueous two‐phase systems (ATPS) have found various applications in bioseparations and microencapsulation. The primary goal of this technique is to partition target biomolecules in a preferred phase, rich in one of the phase‐forming components. However, there is a lack of understanding of biomolecule behavior at the interface between the two phases. Biomolecule partitioning behavior is studied using tie‐lines (TL), where each TL is a group of systems at thermodynamic equilibrium. Across a TL, a system can either have a bulk PEG‐rich phase with citrate‐rich droplets, or the opposite can occur. We found that porcine parvovirus (PPV) was recovered at a higher amount when PEG was the bulk phase and citrate was in droplets and that the salt and PEG concentrations are high. To improve the recovery, A PEG 10 kDa‐peptide conjugate was formed using the multimodal WRW ligand. When WRW was present, less PPV was caught at the interface of the two‐phase system, and more was recovered in the PEG‐rich phase. While WRW did not significantly increase the PPV recovery in the high TL system, which was found earlier to be optimal for PPV recovery, the peptide did greatly enhance recovery at a lower TL. This lower TL has a lower viscosity and overall system PEG and citrate concentration. The results provide both a method to increase virus recovery in a lower viscosity system, as well as provide interesting thoughts into the interfacial phenomenon and how to recover virus in a phase and not at the interface.
Optical coupling by absorption and reflection of a wafer during rapid thermal anneals (RTA) determines the temperature transients during heating, and the behavior of thermally activated processes. It is shown experimentally that the heating rate and temperatures during the early phases of a RTA cycle depend on the doping of the wafer being heated. High doping is accompanied by high free carrier absorption which results in a relatively rapid increase in temperature. Differences of heating rates of 50 °C/sec and temperatures several hundred degrees centigrade are obtained in the first 5 sec of a RTA cycle for N+ and N− wafers and significant effects on the heating rate of heavily implanted wafers are also seen. Experiments were carried out using thermocouples, optical pyrometer and also by observing the lateral solid‐phase growth of silicon on sapphire (SOS). A simple theoretical description is given for the enhanced heating rate for N+ and heavily implanted wafers.
The nature of numerous strategies of firms is often discrete or countable. This adds difficulty to measuring and testing for the existence of complementarities among several strategies. This paper introduces a generalized multivariate count data model that allows estimating correlations of any sign among the pricing decisions of competing firms in a manner that is robust to the existence of unobserved heterogeneity leading to either over- and underdispersion of the distribution of counts. Thus, it is possible to overcome a major challenge in testing whether two decisions are strategic complements or substitutes, namely, dealing with the effect of unobserved heterogeneity. I study how firms actually compete in nonlinear tariffs by analyzing the interrelation between the incumbent and entrant's decisions to offer a given number of tariff options. Results document the existence of complementarity among tariff options regardless of whether they are dominated or not. This result supports the view that the implementation of nonlinear tariffs by means of a menu of self-selecting two-part tariffs has some strategic competitive value. (JEL: C35, D43, M21)
This article studies the impact of regional trade agreements (RTAs) on changes in China's foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow. A modified gravity model is adopted in the empirical analysis, using FDI inflow as a dependent variable, and home-country factors, host-country factors, and bilateral linkage factors (including RTA variables) as determinants. The article analyzes a set of home countries investing in a group of host countries using pooled data. It models China's FDI inflow from a set of home countries as a special case, using panel data regression with country fixed effects. Time series data are differenced once to eliminate a nonstationary data problem. The results indicate that the formation and implementation of RTAs is an important determinant of FDI inflow in some cases. Membership in APEC stimulates China to attract more FDI from non-APEC countries.
model of resistive artistic practice that defies atomisation and alienation through a ‘politics of solidarity’ is rooted in embodiment and community (241). The chapters gathered by the editors offer a rich discussion of feminist theatre and performance at the intersections of neoliberal capitalism, state brutality, economic vulnerability, gendered violence, job precarity, and racism across the world, at the same time as they make an active effort to perform the periphery. Readers who are looking for a creative engagement with the repertoire of feminist theatre scholarship will be inspired by this collection, while graduate students interested in feminist theory, affect, and cultural politics in Asia, Africa, and the Americas could usefully pair this book with other unrecognised and marginalised archives in these places.
A theory is presented of the active speetroscopy using steady-state spontaneous Raman scattering by polaritons, i.e., spontaneous Raman scattering of a "test" wave ωπ by polaritons generated in an independent process of polariton stimulated Raman scattering of a given high-power pump wave ω1 with a possible additional illumination at the frequencies of polariton ωπ and/or Stokes ωs =ωπ–ωp waves. A fluctuation-dissipation method is used to find the intensities of the scattered waves at frequencies ωa,σ = ωπ ±ωp . The cases of weak and strong absorption at a frequency ωp are considered and various regimes are discussed. A detailed analysis is made of the interference of three- and four-photon mechanisms of the formation of scattered waves. The possibility of the active speetroscopy based on the spontaneous Raman scattering by polaritons in certain spectroscopic measurements is discussed.
Abstract The upward trend in reported tornadoes during the past few years has led many people to suspect that atomic explosions are responsible for the increase. Because there is no known physical reason for believing that atomic explosions should affect the tornado frequency, the records of tornadoes and atomic explosions are examined in considerable detail to find evidence which will support or contradict this popular hypothesis. It is found that tornado reports have always been incomplete and that much of the recent upward trend in tornado frequency can be accounted for by improvements in the tornado reporting system. A comparison of the distribution of tornadoes and of debris from an atomic explosion in time and space does not support the hypothesis that atomic explosions tend to increase the tornado frequency.
This article considers the facts before the World trade Organization (WTO) panel in China - Definitive anti-dumping duties on x-ray security inspection equipment from the European Union (China - X-rays) and how its findings require a more detailed domestic industry price analysis than currently employed in some countries. It proposes a methodology for the determination of both the price undercutting and the margin of injury and briefly explores how, if the price undercutting exercise has to be done in such considerable detail, the lesser duty rule can be applied with little additional burden.
In a discussion during a recent Boston Symposium on “The Future Direction of Nursing Homes in Meeting Mental Health Needs of the Aged,” Miss Janet Wien (Director of the Social Service Department, New England Medical Center Hospitals) spoke of the need for helping the families of the aged when a change of environment is contemplated for the old person.. . . “Shouldn’t we then focus on treating these patients and their families before the change and immediately afterward?” (1) . Through a joint endeavor with the Psychology Department of the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital, such a family therapy program has been in effect since November 1965 a t the Park View Home for the Aged in Chicago. This is a report of some of the procedures used and the results obtained.
Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a transmembrane enzyme involved in regulation of tissue pH balance. In cancer, CAIX expression is associated with tumor hypoxia. CAIX is also overexpressed in renal cell carcinoma and is a molecular target for the therapeutic antibody cG250 (girentuximab). Radionuclide imaging of CAIX expression might be used for identification of patients who may benefit from cG250 therapy and from treatment strategies for hypoxic tumors. Affibody molecules are small (7 kDa) scaffold proteins having a high potential as probes for radionuclide molecular imaging. The aim of the present study was to evaluate feasibility of in vivo imaging of CAIX-expression using radiolabeled Affibody molecules. A histidine-glutamate-histidine-glutamate-histidine-glutamate (HE)3-tag-containing CAIX-binding Affibody molecule (HE)3-ZCAIX:1 was labeled with [99mTc(CO)3]+. Its binding properties were evaluated in vitro using CAIX-expressing SK-RC-52 renal carcinoma cells. 99mTc-(HE)3-ZCAIX:1 was evaluated in NMRI nu/nu mice bearing SK-RC-52 xenografts. The in vivo specificity test confirmed CAIX-mediated tumor targeting. 99mTc-(HE)3-ZCAIX:1 cleared rapidly from blood and normal tissues except for kidneys. At optimal time-point (4 h p.i.), the tumor uptake was 9.7±0.7% ID/g, and tumor-to-blood ratio was 53±10. Experimental imaging of CAIX-expressing SK-RC-52 xenografts at 4 h p.i. provided high contrast images. The use of radioiodine label for ZCAIX:1 enabled the reduction of renal uptake, but resulted in significantly lower tumor uptake and tumor-to-blood ratio. Results of the present study suggest that radiolabeled Affibody molecules are promising probes for imaging of CAIX-expression in vivo.
There has been debate as to whether the EU remains within the ambit of the competence assigned to it, and this concern has been voiced in relation to both EU legislative and judicial action. The Kompetenz-Kompetenz discourse is indeed premised on the fact that the boundary line as to what is intra or ultra vires the EU can be contestable, thereby rendering the issue of who has the last word all the more important. This article begins by specifying in greater detail the ways in which EU legislative or judicial action might be felt to transgress the limits of its assigned power. The analysis then shifts to the demands of coherence when assessing such claims, which is relevant albeit in different ways for the EU courts, academic commentators and national courts. This is followed by examination of some controversial areas, where it is felt that the EU may have strayed beyond its assigned power. The final section of the article examines some of the new challenges posed by the Lisbon Treaty.
We report spatially resolved measurements of free carrier collective excitations in a doped semiconductor. Using $ ensuremath{ sim}10$ meV resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in an electron microscope with $ AA{}$ spatial resolution, we identify both surface and bulk carrier plasmons at infrared energies in a freestanding film of indium tin oxide (ITO). The interference patterns of long wavelength propagating surface carrier plasmons are revealed using spatially resolved EELS, from which we extract a dispersion relation. We further show that the energies of these plasmons vary near the surfaces and grain boundaries of the film due to band bending. Modeling based on dielectric theory agrees very well with experimental results. Finally, carrier plasmons in amorphous and crystalline ITO films are compared. These results should also be helpful for understanding the free carrier plasmons in other doped semiconductors in nanoscale volumes.
We describe experiments with a biased electrode inserted into the scrape-off layer (SOL) of the CASTOR tokamak. The resulting radial and poloidal electric field and plasma density modification are measured by means of Langmuir probe arrays with high temporal and spatial resolutions. Poloidally and radially localized stationary structures of the electric field (convective cells) are identified and a related significant modification of the particle transport in the SOL is observed.
Acoustic signatures of the single-site quadrupolar Kondo effect in Y_{0.966}Pr_{0.034}Ir_{2}Zn_{20} are presented. The elastic constant (C_{11}-C_{12})/2, corresponding to the Γ_{3}(E)-symmetry electric-quadrupolar response, reveals a logarithmic temperature dependence of the quadrupolar susceptibility in the low-magnetic-field region below ∼0.3  K. Furthermore, the Curie-type divergence of the elastic constant down to ∼1  K indicates that the Pr ions in this diluted system have a non-Kramers ground-state doublet. These observations evidence the single-site quadrupolar Kondo effect, as previously suggested based on specific-heat and electrical-resistivity data.
The scientific interest in the effects of systems competition on economic outcomes as well as in the forces that shape its proper functioning prevails unabatedly. While the impact of systems competition is theoretically contested (Weingast [1995], Sinn [2003]), more recent efforts have been focused on studying this relationship empirically. One example is the literature on fiscal federalism, decentralization, and growth (for a meta-analysis, see Feld, Baskaran, and Schnellenbach [2007]). There is, however, also growing interest in the role of systems competition in economic history. Bernholz and Vaubel (eds.) [2004] collected studies on the role of political competition in innovation and economic growth in the history of Asian societies. Vaubel [2005] considers the role of competition in the rise of baroque and renaissance music. Most related to the paper by Boerner and RlTSCHL [2009] is the study by Volckart [2002] on how competition between jurisdictions in the premodern Holy Roman Empire of German Nations contributed to the economic success of that area.
Objective  To investigate the correlation between the elastographic characteristics of liver and postoperative function of liver allografts.      Methods  Forty-eight cases of liver transplantation from The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were analyzed, Shear wave elastography (SWE) was performed before operation or at one week or one month post-operation.Liver function was evaluated by measuring alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), total bilirubin (TBIL), γ-glutamine transferase (GGT), albumin (ALB), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and international normalized ratio (INR). Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) was also analyzed with reference to SWE among liver transplant recipients.      Results  SWE at one week after transplantation was significantly correlated with TBIL (r=0.525 6, P<0.01), APTT (r=0.668 3, P<0.000 1), PT (r=0.593 7, P=0.000 1), INR (r=0.609 6, P<0.000 1) and prealbumin (r=-0.464 1, P<0.01). However, no significant correlation was observed between pre-operative SWE and parameters of post-operative liver function.SWE in EAD patients was higher than that of patients without EAD (17.60±1.09 kPa vs.13.38±0.99 kPa, P<0.01). The optimal cut-off value of SWE at one week post-operation was 14.85 kPa.      Conclusion  Postoperative SWE is significantly correlated with postoperative liver function tests and EAD, suggesting SWE is a potential test for evaluating the quality of liver allografts.      Key words:  Ultrasonic examination; Shear wave elastography; Liver transplantation; Early allograft dysfunction
In the paper, we extended the propagation equation of the large chirped pulse based on the nonlinear Schrodinger equation, and then analyzed the spatiotemporal instability of chirped pulsed-beam by using the perturbation theory. The influence of the spatiotemporal noise and the effect of chirp on the perturbation modulation of noise of the broadband pulsed-laser with large chirp were investigated theoretically. The results showed that the chirp of pulse has no direct influence on the modulation growth of noise under the same value of γI 0 (the product of the nonlinear coefficient and the peak intensity). Then the spatial small-scale self-focusing of chirped pulse was measured in experiment using nonlinear medium, and the modulation growth of the temporal noise of the broadband chirped pulse were also simulated numerically, and the result was basically consistent with the analysis of perturbation theory.
The impact of motive incongruence on psychological and physical well-being has received considerable research attention during the past several years. However, little headway has been made to date in declaring the role of incongruence in the power motive for interpersonal behavior, such as parenting. Parenting is one of the most important domains of social interaction inherently related to the power motive. In this study, we examined incongruence in the implicit (nPower) and the explicit power motive system (sanPower) as predictor of inconsistent parenting in 36 mothers. The results suggest that nPower and sanPower combine to explain variance in mothers’ inconsistent parenting. Specifically, inconsistent parenting of mothers was associated with the interaction of high levels in nPower and low levels in sanPower. Given the nature of this incongruent motive base, their parenting behavior is not consistent over time and situations. The present study extends previous research on motive incongruence and provides potential implications for the family adjustment.
This study proposes novel design options for a compact passive transponder that incorporates both stepped impedance resonators (SIRs) and rectangular stub resonators in a hybrid approach. The analysis aims to support the progress of chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by overcoming barriers like cost, size, and coding capacity. A step-by-step analysis of the design ensures a 10-bit coding capacity with a physical footprint of 32 mm $ times 15$ mm having −25.66 dBsm of maximum radar cross section (RCS) response. The same has been analyzed at the receiver with a rectangular windowing approach, which enhances the coding capacity and security features of the RFID system. Further, this has been analyzed with Hamming, Hanning, and Bartlett windows to show the effectiveness of the windowing techniques in RFID coding. The performance of the tag is analyzed for different tilt angles and read distances to strengthen the detection accuracy. The hybrid resonator (HR) with windowing analysis is a novel approach to enhance the usage of the transponder by improving the coding capacity, information storage capability, and detection performance in various retail and healthcare domains in the RFID industry.
Anthracnose (Colletotrichum lindemuthianum) fungus is an important in the urdbean legumes crop. In the present investigation, the rate of growth of Anthracnose (C. lindemuthianum) has been compared in various temperature, culture media solid and liquid while in case solid media types viz., simple PDA (Potato Dextrose Agar), Potato carrot sucrose agar, Carrot juice agar, Blackgram leaf extract agar, Richard’s agar, Czapeck’s (Dox) agar, Asthana and Hawker’s agar had tested. Among all the solid media tested, maximum mycelial growth was obtained in Potato dextrose agar medium (80.04 mm), which was statistically at par with Richard’s agar medium (76.52 mm).Similarly in the liquid media, maximum dry mycelial weight was recorded in Richard’s broth medium (444.34 mg) after 10 days of inoculation which was significantly superior over rest of the broth medias and followed potato dextrose agar broth (429.03 mg). Temperature plays an important role in infection and disease development. Maximum mean colony diameter of fungus was recorded at temperatures of 30 C (80.92 mm) and 25 C (78.62 mm) which was significantly superior over all other temperatures. Lowest mean colony diameter was obtained at temperatures of 10 C (24.01 mm) and 40 C (21.37 mm). This is important for further study of disease management. How to view point the article : Sardhara, M.J., Davara, D.K., Moradia, A.M. and Kapadiya, H.J. (2016). Effect of culture media and temperature on growth and sporulation of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum of urdbean in vitro. Internat. J. Plant Protec., 9(1) : 47-51.
Objective To investgate the changes in the expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)and c-met in the lungs in a rat model of pulmonary hypertension.Methods Eighty 7 week old male SD rats weighing 180-250 g were randomly divided into 2 groups ( n =40 each ):control group (group C) and pulmonary hypertension group (group PH).Pulmonary hypertension was induced by left pneumonectomy and subcutaneous monocrotaline (MCT) 60 mg/kg 2 weeks later.Pulmonary artery pressure and the ratio between the weight of right ventricle and left ventricle + interventricular septum ( RV/LV + S) were measured at 7,14,21 and 28 d after MCT administration.HGF and c-met protein and mRNA expression and TGF-β content in the lung tissue were determined.Results Pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy associated with hypertrophy of pulmonary artery tunica media and muscularization of small pulmonary arteries developed after MCT administration in PH group.In PH group HGF protein and mRNA expression in the lungs was significantly down-regulated as compared with group C.There were no significant differences in c-met protein and mRNA expression in the lungs between the 2 groups.The TGF-β content in the lungs was significantly increased in group PH as compared with group C.Conclusion Decrease in HGF production in the lungs plays an important role in the pulmonary hypertension.Increasing of pulmonary TGF-β may play an important role in the down-regulation of pulmonary HGF expression during pulmonary hypertension.    Key words:  Hepatocyte growth factor;  Proto-oncogene proteins c-met;  Hypertension, pulmonary
The /sup 32/S(t,p)/sup 34/S reaction was studied at a bombarding energy of E/sub t/ = 10 MeV. The outgoing protons were analyzed in a multiangle magnetic spectrogragh. Levels in /sup 34/S below E/sub x/ = 8.50 MeV were identified and angular distributions were extracted for 30 groups. These angular distributions were analyzed using distorted-wave techniques. Results are compared to recent shell-model calculations.
Exposure to green space and nature has a potential role to play in the care of people with dementia, with possible benefits including improved mood and slower disease progression. In this observational study at a dementia care facility in the UK, we used carer-assessed measures to evaluate change in mood of residents with mid- to late-stage dementia following exposure to a nature garden. We found that exposure to nature was associated with a beneficial change in patient mood. There was a non-linear relationship between time spent outdoors and mood outcome. Improvements in patient mood were associated with relatively short duration exposures to nature, and no additional measureable increases in mood were found with exposures beyond 80–90 minutes duration. Whilst further investigation is required before causality can be determined, these results raise important questions for policy about the integration of outdoor space into the design of dementia care facilities and programmes.
Pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is a disorder involving episodes of involuntary or exaggerated emotional expression that do not correspond with the valence or degree of (1) the patient’s subjective emotional experience and (2) environmental stimuli. It has been reported with various neurological disorders including tumors of the posterior fossa, especially those involving the pons and midbrain. We report the first case, to our knowledge, of resolution of PBA after temporal lobectomy for epilepsy associated with an unresectable petrous apex meningioma extending along the clivus. A 60-year-old, right-handed woman presented with medically refractory epilepsy since the age of 47 years. She had been diagnosed with an unresectable left petrous apex meningioma extending inferiorly along the clivus at the age of 37 years, which had been immediately debulked. Residual mass effect on the midbrain, pons and extension into the cavernous sinus was associated with longstanding diplopia with left partial oculomotor and abducens palsy, hypesthesia in the left V2 distribution and left-sided hearing impairment. There was no dysarthria or dysphagia. Otherwise, the remainder of her cranial nerve examination was unremarkable as was examination of tone, power, coordination, reflexes and sensation throughout. She continued to have a seizure cluster every 3 days despite being on carbamazepine, lamotrigine and clobazam. Since the meningioma was diagnosed, the patient’s family had noted that she was increasingly impulsive and unable to await her turn to speak in conversations, with frequent interruptions. This progressively worsened, particularly over the past 5 years, during which emotional lability was also persistently present. There was no evidence on direct and collateral history to indicate a depressive, anxiety, psychotic or substance use disorder. There had been no episodes of persistent low mood or anhedonia lasting longer than 2 days. There was no past history of features meeting criteria for manic or hypomanic episodes, such as persistently elevated, expansive or irritable mood, persistent increase in activity or energy, decreased need for sleep, grandiosity and increase in goal-directed activity. There was no temporal relationship between her behavioral symptoms and seizures. There was no family history of bipolar disorder or epilepsy. During the interview, she made frequent interruptions after which she would immediately apologize. Speech was increased in rate but not pressured. She described her mood as good but her affect was labile; she rapidly vacillated between tearfulness when talking about her psychosocial stressors and joy when talking about her daughters. The degree of her emotional expression was more than expected based on her thought content. Thought process was tangential and overinclusive of detail. Thought content and perception did not show any evidence of psychosis. Symptoms of PBA were not psychometrically quantified. Citalopram was prescribed for PBA but she stopped it within days because of reported “out-of-body” sensations. On brain MRI (Figure 1), the size of the meningioma showed no interval change compared with 3 years earlier. It measured 6.7 × 3.7 × 3.0 cm and exerted mass effect medially as described above (with encasement of the left cavernous internal carotid artery) and laterally toward the mesial temporal region. Neuropsychological assessment revealed mild impairments in attention capacity, aspects of executive functions including response inhibition and problem-solving and moderate impairment in visual planning/organization. Verbal memory was average; although left anterior temporal lobectomy would carry a risk of significant verbal memory decline, risk of global amnesia was low. Four seizures were captured on 48-hour ambulatory electroencephalography, all with left temporal lobe origin, in keeping with the likely effect of compression from the meningioma. In discussion with the patient, the decision was made to proceed with a combination of anterior temporal lobectomy and mesial temporal resection. It was made clear to the patient that this was aimed at seizure control rather than improving PBA, although the latter was the more disabling symptom. At 2 weeks post-operatively, the PBA had essentially subsided, along with the rapid speech and tangentiality. On postoperative CT (Figure 1), the meningioma appeared to exert less mass effect on the brainstem. At 2 months post-operatively, the patient remained seizure free. She noted mild deterioration in verbal memory but was pleased with the outcome in terms of seizure control, affective improvement and quality of life. On the basis of the model proposed by Lauterbach et al, PBA in our patient appears to have arisen owing to compression of the meningioma on the “voluntary” frontopontine pathway, which normally inhibits a network that regulates “involuntary” emotional expression including the amygdala-hypothalamusperiaqueductal gray-dorsal tegmentum complex. Several case reports have described PBA with extra-axial tumors of the posterior fossa. McCormick and Lee highlight the reversibility of this presentation in two cases after the resection of a petroclival meningioma.
Declining populations of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) necessitate accurate estimates of population trends. The most widespread approach to monitoring sage-grouse populations involves counting males attending leks and tracking changes across years. Visibility of male sage-grouse on leks is likely <100% for numerous reasons, but this potential bias has generally been overlooked. Our objectives were to estimate the visibility bias (failure to enumerate all males on a lek during a count) of sage-grouse and identify variables that influence visibility of males attending leks by developing a sightability model. We conducted simultaneous counts of male sage-grouse from a truck using standard lek-counting procedures and ground blinds during 2007–2009 in south-central Idaho, USA. We built candidate sightability models using logistic regression with proportion counted from the blind that were also counted from the truck as the response variable. Naive visibility in our study averaged 79%. Our sightability model suggests visibility bias decreased when sun was shining on the lek and when female birds were present, but increased with time of day. Additionally, cloud cover appeared to negatively affect visibility before sunrise, but improved visibility later in the mornings. Per our model, average visibility of male sage-grouse on leks decreased 16% from 33 min before sunrise to 90 min past sunrise when both female birds and direct sun were recorded, and decreased 28% over the same time without direct sun or females. Additionally, our model predicted visibility decreased 9% as cloud cover increased from 0% to 100% at 30 min before sunrise, but increased 44% as cloud cover increased from 0% to 100% at 90 min past sunrise. Our study does not suggest the visibility bias we observed necessarily relates to a bias in the lek route index. However, by accounting for visibility bias, detecting population changes should require fewer counts or be evident with fewer years of data. © 2017 The Wildlife Society.
In mathematics learning, the determination of the approach greatly determines student learning outcomes, because mathematics subjects are assessed for students as quite difficult subjects, this assessment appears due to the discomfort experienced by students during the learning process in class. The method used in this research is an experimental method with two-way ANOVA test analysis. This study aims to determine differences in learning outcomes through the PMR and PMR approaches based on the Math App game in terms of student learning styles. The research was conducted at SD IT Tadzkia Langsa with a total sample of 34 students. The data collection technique uses the distribution of learning style questionnaires and by conducting tests (pre-test and post-test). This study found that there were differences in learning income between PMR and PMR based on the Math App game based on a significant value of 0.045 <0.05. Then there were also differences in learning styles based on the results of the SPSS calculation with a significant value of 0.049 <0.05. Whereas in the interaction section between the learning style approach and learning style, it was found that there was an interaction between the learning style approach and the learning style with a significant value of 0.018 <0.05.
Architectural changes of the mandibular ramus following masseterectomy were analyzed by means of the split-line technique in both adult and growing monkeys. The right masseter muscle was resected in ten tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) and they were sacrificed following a 12-month period. Along with modifications in the shape of the mandible, the masseterectomy induced structural changes as revealed by alterations in the split-line patterns. These changes were much more evident in the adult animals. In growing monkeys, intrinsic forces determine an architecture of mandibular growth, represented by the direction of the splits. This is not influenced by the lack of mechanical factors like muscle action. Conversely, the final fibrous architecture of the bone in the adult monkey may be modified by extrinsic mechanical factors.
PURPOSE The dose response of radiochromic dosimeters is based on radiation-induced chemical reactions and is thus likely to be thermally influenced. In this study we have therefore investigated the temperature dependence of the dose response for such dosimeters, regarding both irradiation and storage conditions.   METHODS Dosimeter samples in cuvettes were irradiated to 5 Gy. The temperature for the different cuvettes during irradiation and post-irradiation storage was varied in the range of 3-30 degrees C in order to quantify the temperature dependence of the dosimeter response. The optical properties of the dosimeter samples were measured using a spectrophotometer before irradiation as well as at several times after irradiation to quantify the temporal variation of dose response (expressed as the optical density change induced by irradiation) as a function of storage temperature.   RESULTS The measurements show considerable temperature dependencies of dose response both during irradiation and storage. Fit to an Arrhenius equation revealed an activation energy of 1.4 +/- 0.2 eV for the variation in irradiation temperature, indicating a contribution from a thermally activated process. Variation in dose response at different storage temperatures showed an exponential increase with time followed by a decrease in optical density. Exponential Arrhenius fits to rate constants gave activation energies of 1.7 +/- 0.2 eV for the increase in dose response and 2.3 +/- 0.5 eV for the subsequent decrease, in this case dominated by thermally activated processes.   CONCLUSIONS Due to the exponential dependencies, stabilization of the dosimeter during irradiation at low temperatures (e.g., 5 degrees C) is preferable in clinical use to optimize the accuracy of the dose response. In addition, a low storage temperature is recommended in order to minimize the post-irradiation temporal change in dose response and thereby increase the post-irradiation stability of the dosimeter. The measurements in this study show that if the observed temperature and temporal dependencies are not considered, this could potentially deteriorate the accuracy of the dosimeter.
COPD is recognised as one of the major health challenges for the coming decades. This is primarily driven by a growing burden of the disease due to persistent exposure to tobacco smoke and environmental pollutants, an ageing population, and no curative therapies to date. To change the disease course, to reduce its societal impact and eventually eliminate the disease, a recent Lancet commission paper made a plea for a complete rethinking of our current approach in COPD [1]. One of the six major challenges identified is the huge unmet need for a personalised approach based on a holistic assessment of pathophysiological traits, clinical symptoms and patients’ needs. Current pharmacological therapies may improve respiratory symptoms, quality of life and reduce exacerbation frequency, but the majority of COPD patients remain highly symptomatic despite optimised drug combinations and innovative inhalers. In COPD, a holistic and yet personalised approach is mandatory if we want to improve risk management, to control symptoms and achieve disease remission. Global access to nonpharmacological interventions will be essential for these ambitious targets. https://bit.ly/3k7aGAa
Abstract Background The inoculum effect (InE) refers to an increase in the MIC of an antibiotic when a large burden of bacteria is present. MSSA producing type A or C β-lactamase (β-lac) that display this effect may be at risk of clinical failure when treated with cefazolin (CFZ) for a deep-seated infection. We have previously shown that CFZ plus clavulanic acid (CL) abolished the InE in vitro. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the combination in vivo at clinically achievable concentrations of both CFZ and CL. Methods S. aureus TX0117, a type A Bla+ clinical isolate from a patient who failed CFZ therapy and TX0117-cured (TX0117c), a derivative of TX0117 which lacks β-lac activity, were used in a rat model of endocarditis. One animal per strain, in addition to historical controls (n = 22), was sacrificed at the start of therapy to assess colony forming units (CFU) per gram of vegetation at T = 0. CFZ 50mg/kg alone (n = 11) or CFZ 50mg/kg plus CL 4mg/kg (n = 7) was given IM every 8 hours for 72 hours. Doses were selected to mimic mean serum concentration of standard doses (given IM (CFZ) or PO (CL)) in humans. Rats were sacrificed 16 hours after the last antibiotic dose, aortic valves were aseptically excised, weighed, homogenized in 1ml of saline and the entire volume was plated in serial 10-fold dilutions on mannitol salt and/or brain-heart infusion agar. Representative recovered colonies were tested for β-lac activity using nitrocefin. Comparisons of CFU between groups were done by the Mann–Whitney, Wilcoxon unpaired test with significance at p < 0.05. Results At baseline, there was no significant difference between the CFU/g of control animals infected with the two strains (TX0117 7.3±1.3 and TX0117c 7.89±0.83, mean log10 ± SD). Compared with untreated controls, the TX0117 group treated with CFZ alone had a reduction of 2±0.6 CFU/g, while the CFZ plus CL arm had a 7.1±0.5 CFU/g reduction, a statistically significant difference between the two arms (P = 0.0002). CFZ treatment of the TX0117c strain lacking blaZ activity was similar to CFZ+CL (6.5±0.6 log10 CFU/g reduction, P < 0.0001). Conclusion Against Bla+ TX0117, the addition of CL, at a dose mimicking human PO kinetics, restored the efficacy of CFZ and overcame the InE. This provides a proof-of-concept for the use of oral CL with CFZ when there is a concern for the InE. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.
A low-cost usability engineering methodology (heuristic evaluation combined with small-scale expert assessment) is examined in the context of the design and development of a Web-based telemedicine system. Six experts - three human-computer interaction (HCI) experts and three medical-content experts - examined the Spacebridge to Russia Web site for usability. The HCI experts identified 52 interface problems using a set of ten usability criteria or heuristics; these problems ranged in severity from cosmetic to a major failure. The content experts completed a series of six simple tasks while describing their actions. The usage difficulties were related to the HCI problems identified and were primarily characterized by a mismatch of the designer model and the content expert model. This heuristic/usage methodology can provide an incremental benefit in a variety of other design activities. It is suggested herein that the combined heuristic/usage methodology should be included as a standard design component of dynamic telemedicine systems.
The deletion (D)/insertion (I) polymorphism in intron 16 of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene has the greatest impact on serum ACE level in Caucasians of any factor yet discovered. The aim of the present study was to establish new ACE genotype-corrected normal ranges for serum ACE level in a population of central European origin. After a medical examination, 159 healthy Caucasians volunteered to donate blood for the study. ACE genotypes were assessed by PCR and serum ACE levels were determined using two different kinetic tests. The distribution of the D/I polymorphism of the ACE gene was in accordance with the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Serum ACE levels and ACE genotypes correlated significantly, with the highest serum ACE levels in subjects with ACE genotype D/D, and the lowest serum ACE levels in subjects with genotype I/I (mean±sd, assay 1: D/D 59.3±15.1 U·L-1, D/I 45.5±15.2 U·L-1, I/I 34.8±13.7 U·L-1; assay 2: D/D 43.7±14.1 U·L-1, D/I 33.7±12.1 U·L-1, I/I 25.4±9.5 U·L-1). Although they gave different absolute values of serum ACE levels, the results of the two test kits correlated significantly. In conclusion, the present authors recommend the use of new, genotype-specific reference values for serum angiotensin-converting enzyme levels, especially to improve the sensitivity and specificity of tests for angiotensin-converting enzyme in the follow-up of sarcoidosis.
Coronary venular endothelial cells were isolated by a bead-perfusion technique that allowed the selection of endothelial cells from venules of a specific size. Culture conditions for the microvascular cells were established. Cells grew well in supplemented Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. The effect of various substrata on the proliferation of the venular endothelial cells was determined. Matrigel, gelatin, and fibronectin supported high levels of proliferation. Cell shape was correlated with ability of the substratum to support cell proliferation. Cells exhibiting a broad, flattened morphology achieved high levels of proliferation. The formation of vessel meshworks by the coronary venular endothelial cells provides an in vitro model for the study of coronary angiogenesis. Confluent monolayers of these cells can be utilized to examine mechanisms of water and protein transport across coronary venules.
The owner of Paks NPP, Hungary’s nuclear generating facility, is aiming at adjusting the ISI program to meet ASME Code requirements. The objective is to achieve an internationally acceptable level in structural integrity assessment of long-lived and passive components, and to create the basis for a proper ageing management program for the operations period beyond design life of the units. Apart from this, it would allow to extend the current four-year inspection interval for Class 1 components up to an eight-year one, which would contribute to a more cost-efficient operation and maintenance. Hungarian nuclear regulatory regime gives an opportunity for this because the nuclear safety regulation does not determine explicitly the applicable codes neither for the design nor for the ISI. First, the basic regulatory principles related to ASME adaptation will be summarized. They focus on aspects of maintaining the current licensing basis as well as on the necessity to demonstrate the compliance with Section III requirements. The substantial part of the work is the construction review of selected Class 1 and 2 components. Then, the results of comparison of the current ISI program, mainly based on Russian normative documents, and the Section XI based one will be shown. These comparative studies have justified the feasibility of the project. The licensing of the ASME based ISI program is under way, and the regulator’s position will be presented as well.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Automatic semantic propagation is an important technique to complete the image retrieval process which is provided to increase accuracy, speed and performance of image retrieval systems and also to decrease human expenses. In this paper, an automatic approach to propagate the semantics in the image data base is presented. The proposed approach provides a suitable framework for semantic propagation without user's interference at two different levels including local level and global level at the offline mode. This method propagates the related semantics of the image to its similar images based on visual similarity and semantic relations and also, updates the semantic relations between images and the semantic network. Evaluating results of our system provide the acceptable accuracy for semantic image retrieval after doing the automatic semantic propagation process.
The purpose of this research is to identify the effects of consumer behavior. and to know the needs and desires of the consumer, as well as the search for methods and strategies to reduce the problem of mental dissonance of the consumer to repeat the purchase process, data were collected through the questionnaire, observation and reference to some of the relevant references, The research found that the problem of mental dissonance due to technology has a great impact on the youth group between the ages of 21 and 39 years, according to the field study. The findings also show that the intensity of mental dissonance among the consumer, increases whenever there is a high degree of financial risk, Psychological mental dissonance is due to the severity of the purchase side between what is familiar and what is new. The study recommended that the company take into account some of the things that reduce the feelings of conflict as advertisements showing that the buyer is satisfied with the product after the purchase, and recommended that the messages should include in the promotional campaigns directed to the purchaser of Apple products.
SUMMARYMeiotic pairing was analyzed in wheat-rye hybrids obtained by crossing Triticum aestivum cv. Chinese Spring with Secale cereale cv. JNK carrying different number of B-chromosomes. The results showed no significant effect of rye B- chromosomes on homoeologous pairing but the variance of distribution of means of bivalent and paired chromosome complement was significantly increased when 3 or 5 B-chromosomes were present.
This paper presents a comparative investigation of distance measures that may be used in image registration algorithms specialized for two-dimensional electrophoresis gel images. Standard image registration techniques employ correlationbased similarity measures but they are not robust against geometric and large intensity distortions. Exploitation of specific electrophoresis gel image patterns allows achieving better registration performance. In order to make comparison of distance measures synthetic electrophoresis images were generated. Synthetic data gave ability to control variation of amount of image dissimilarity specific to 2D electrophoresis images. Relation of distance measure response to variation of image dissimilarity was analyzed using self-organizing feature maps. Measures that gave desired responses of self-organizing feature maps were determined. These results were consistent with matching performance of real gel image regions. Computational needs of measures were tested additionally.
Tables are an important tool used by business analysts engaged in early requirements activities (in fact it is safe to say that tables appeal to many other types of user, in a variety of activities and domains). Business analysts typically use the tables provided by office tools. These tables offer great flexibility, but no underlying model, and hence no consistency management, multiple views or other advantages familiar to the users of modeling tools. Modeling tools, however, are usually too rigid for business analysts. In this paper we present a flexible modeling approach to tables, which combines the advantages of both office and modeling tools. Freeform information can co-exist with information managed by an underlying model, and an incremental formalization approach allows each item of information to transition fluidly between freeform and managed. As the model evolves, it is used to guide the user in the process of formalizing any remaining freeform information. The model therefore helps users without restricting them. Early feedback is described, and the approach is analyzed briefly in terms of cognitive dimensions.
The aim of this study was to compare USG-guided Transversus Abdominis Plan Block (TAP) and wound infiltration in terms of intraoperative parameters, postoperative complications, VAS scores, analgesic requirement time in the patients undergoing open appendectomy. A total of forty patients, aged 18-65 years, ASA physical status I or II scheduled to undergo open appendectomy, were enrolled in this retrospective study and allocated to two groups. We reviewed the procedures that was experienced in 2014 retrospectively. Patients were allocated into two equal groups: Transversus Abdominis Plan Block (TAP group) (n=20) group and wound infiltration (WD group) (n=20) group. The patients demographic datas such as intraoperative hearth rate (HR), noninvasive blood pressure (NBP), duration of anesthesia, postoperative Visuel Analog Scala (VAS) values, complications (nausea, vomiting, somnolence, wound infection, ichting), duration of analgesic requirement were recorded retrospectively. The data were compared using t-test and chi-square test within the groups, p values < 0.05 were considered significant. Demographic datas such age, sex, weight, lenght and ASA status were similar in both groups. The duration of anesthesia (min) was significantly higher in Group TAP (49 ± 12,2 min) compared with Group WD (32,75 ± 10,06 min) (p=0.001). Intraoperative opioid consumption (mcg) was significantly shorter in Group TAP group. There was statistically significant difference between the two groups as regards the first time of analgesic requirement (Group TAP 24,74 ± 7,77 h, Group WD 3,5 ± 3,52 h). HR values were compared between the groups, it was no significiant difference found expect HR-20, HR-25 and HR-30. it was lower in Group TAP. We didnÂ’t find significant difference between groups at all hours for postoperative complications. VAS pain scores were lower in Group at rest and on couching at PACU, postoperative first, second and third hours (p
Construction is a serious environmental problem and a challenge for people who concerned with sustainability in the construction field. Previous studies showed positive results for the use of recycled aggregates in the concrete production. This study portrays the results for utilizing construction debris for casting different types of concrete blocks. The recycled concrete debris was used in different ratios (0%, 50%, and 100%) in replacement for natural coarse aggregates for different targeted compressive strength (B250, B300, B350 and B400). Two types of water (pure and sea water) were used for curing the blocks. In addition, hollow block and paving block were casted with different ratios of recycled aggregate (0%, 20%, 45% and 100%) and cured with two types of water. The results showed a decrease in compressive strength with the increase recycled aggregate content. It was also noticed that the absorption capacity increases with high recycled aggregate content.
Horseshoe (flap) retinal tears are the leading cause of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Identification of the most significant predictors of RRD in patients with a horseshoe tear will enable the development of an optimal treatment strategy.   PURPOSE This study aimed to determine the main risk factors for RRD development based on the analysis of the condition of vitreoretinal interface in the area of horseshoe tears, both isolated and those that resulted in retinal detachment.   MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 88 patients with horseshoe retinal tears (43 patients with RRD due to the horseshoe tear and 45 with isolated horseshoe tears) were included in the study. All patients underwent wide-field multispectral laser scanning and optical coherence tomography to determine the shape of the horseshoe tear and the extent of vitreoretinal adhesion (VRA). Cluster analysis was used to differentiate horseshoe tears by shape. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to identify the relationship between the shape of the horseshoe tear and localization of VRA.   RESULTS Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between the length-to-width ratio of the horseshoe tear and the extent of VRA. Cluster analysis helped determine four shapes of horseshoe tears, each corresponding to a certain localization of VRA. Analysis of RRD risk, depending on the characteristics of the horseshoe tear, showed that the most significant risk factor for the development of RRD is the presence of a horseshoe tear with width greater than its length, which is characterized by a larger VRA area.   CONCLUSION The study established that the larger the horseshoe tear width and the smaller its length, the larger the VRA area and, consequently, the higher the risk of RRD development. Horseshoe retinal tears with a length-to-width ratio of less than 1/1 are the most dangerous in terms of RRD risk, which is important to consider when selecting the treatment tactics.
Bioconvergence is a growing area within the evolving bioeconomy that seeks out synergistic opportunities at the intersection of engineering and the life sciences (Greenbaum 2023). One example is the expanding development and use of virtual representations of objects, referred to as “Digital Simulacra” by Cho and Martinez-Martin (2023). These virtual representations are gaining significant traction in the healthcare literature. In our 2020 paper, we explored various applications of these virtual representations in the biosciences (Greenbaum 2020). As the technology advances, it holds the potential for enhanced and proactive medical care, the development of more efficacious drugs, and more targeted personalized medicine. The technology could also be eventually used to develop alternatives to the conventional long-standing goldstandard, double-blind trials in the drug development process. In our paper however, we favored the terminology established earlier by engineers: digital twins (Glaessgen and Stargel 2012). Arguably, the choice of terminology carries considerable significance. Consider the perhaps more biologically appropriate term: digital clone. This term better underscores the numerous bioethical considerations associated with the technology. Similar to a traditional clone, a digital clone involves transferring biological information from the original entity to create a cloned counterpart, aiming to recreate and closely approximate various biological aspects of the original entity. One of those bioethical concerns pertains to the issue of ownership. In the United States, a series of legal cases has established that donated biomaterials, including any resulting profits, belong to either the researcher (Moore 1990) or the institution (Washington University 2007), but clearly not the biomaterial’s original host. What is not clear is whether a court would similarly find that an individual also relinquishes property rights in their digitally transferred biological data to create a digital clone. While numerous states are deliberating on legislation concerning genetic privacy and DNA ownership rights, only a handful of states have actually implemented targeted genetic privacy laws. Of those, perhaps only Alaska’s recent Genetic Testing Law is relevant: “a DNA sample and the results of a DNA analysis performed on the sample are the exclusive property of the person sampled or analyzed” (AK Stat 2022). In all other states, the relatively narrow scope of their respective legislations will likely not apply to the development of digital clones (Greenberg 2021). Furthermore, even if property rights attach to the biological data, will the original individual necessarily also retain any legal property claims to the subsequent computational model (i.e., the clone itself) built from their data, or the downstream results from the application of that model? Moreover, is it morally appropriate or legally possible for the individual who has undergone digital cloning to contest the use of their digital clone in potentially objectionable downstream research? The uncertainty regarding the original donor’s potential claims to the model created from their data and its resulting applications thereof draws parallels to some of the claims made by the descendants of Henrietta Lacks in recently settled litigation (LaLacks 2021). Unfortunately, another one of the few relevant
Significance Novel therapies are urgently needed that can ameliorate the clinical syndromes of cerebral malaria, the most severe consequences of Plasmodium infection, and thereby reduce malaria fatality. Monoclonal antibodies that target CD47, a “don’t eat me” signal, have been demonstrated to enhance cellular clearance of cancer cells by promoting macrophage phagocytosis. We sought to adopt this therapeutic strategy to ameliorate the clinical syndromes associated with cerebral malaria with the goals of reducing disease-associated morbidity and mortality. We demonstrate that CD47 blockade by anti-CD47 injection leads to survival from cerebral malaria in mice. CD47 is an antiphagocytic “don’t eat me” signal that inhibits programmed cell removal of self. As red blood cells (RBCs) age they lose CD47 expression and become susceptible to programmed cell removal by macrophages. CD47−/− mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii, which exhibits an age-based preference for young RBCs, were previously demonstrated to be highly resistant to malaria infection. Our study sought to test the therapeutic benefit of CD47 blockade on ameliorating the clinical syndromes of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM), using the Plasmodium berghei ANKA (Pb-A) murine model. In vitro we tested the effect of anti-CD47 mAb on Plasmodium-infected RBC phagocytosis and found that anti-CD47 treatment significantly increased clearance of Plasmodium-infected RBCs. Infection of C57BL/6 mice with Pb-A is lethal and mice succumb to the clinical syndromes of CM between days 6 and 10 postinfection. Strikingly, treatment with anti-CD47 resulted in increased survival during the cerebral phase of Pb-A infection. Anti-CD47–treated mice had increased lymphocyte counts in the peripheral blood and increased circulating levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-22. Despite increased circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines, anti-CD47–treated mice had reduced pathological features in the brain. Survival of ECM in anti-CD47–treated mice was correlated with reduced cellular accumulation in the cerebral vasculature, improved blood–brain barrier integrity, and reduced cytotoxic activity of infiltrating CD8+ T cells. These results demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of anti-CD47 to reduce morbidity in a lethal model of ECM, which may have implications for preventing mortality in young African children who are the highest casualties of CM.
This paper describes an advanced concept for an electronically steerable antenna for mobile satellite communications. The antenna consists of eight stacked patches, mounted on a heptagonal surface. By switching between either single elements or combinations of two active elements hemispherical coverage can be reached. The realization of an inertial sensor system and an active power control makes the antenna suitable for worldwide L-band satellite communications. Typical applications for this antenna are boats, ships, trains and trucks.
Primary cultures were established from vestibular schwannomas of NF2 patients. The cultured tumor cells were selectively amplified by growth factor supplemented medium and characterized by immunocytochemistry. NF2 cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR and mutations were detected by both the non-isotopic RNase cleavage assay and direct DNA sequencing, no detectable wild-type NF2 transcript was found in cDNA from the cultured cells. Distinguishable morphology and growth rate differences have been observed in different passages of the primary cells. The data suggest that a pure schwannoma primary culture can be established and could be very useful in vitro model for further understanding the NF2 gene function in Schwann cells.
The classification of cat retinal ganglion cells as X or Y on the basis of linearity or nonlinearity of spatial summation has been confirmed and extended. Recordings were taken from optic tract fibres of anaesthetized, paralysed cats. 2. When an alternating phase sine wave grating was used as a stimulus, X cells had null positions and Y cells responded at all positions of the grating. 3. These results did not depend on the temporal wave form or the temporal frequency of pattern alternation over a wide range. 4. At high spatial frequencies for the particular cell, a Y cell gave abig 'on‐off' response, or frequency doubling, at all positions of the grating, while an X cell did not. 5. The use of contrast sensitivity versus spatial phase also served to differentiate the two cell types. With an alternating sine grating stimulus X cells had a sinusoidal dependence on spatial phase, while each Y cell's sensitivity depended in a complicated manner on spatial phase. 6. Sensitivity versus spatial phase for different Fourier components of the neural response also separated the two classes of cells. Significant second harmonic distortion was present in Y cells. The second harmonic component was spatial phase insensitive, and became dominant at high spatial frequencies. 7. The maximum of the 2nd/1st harmonic ratio was taken as an index of nonlinearity. X cells always had a nonlinearity index less than 1 while in Y cells this index always exceeded 1. 8. Response to spots, diffuse light and drifting gratings were compared to the nonlinearity index as a basis for classifying cells. The nonlinearity index was most reliable because it was least dependent on retinal eccentricity.
The drawback of conventional Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) is an occurrence of excessive binder drain down due to the designation of SMA that has gap-graded bituminous mixtures. Stabilizing additive such as fibre in SMA mixtures can prevent excessive binder drain down. In order to prevent excessive binder drain down, sugarcane bagasse fibre was utilized in this study. The utilization of this fibre can also reduce the excessive volume of agricultural solid waste. Application of Marshall Mix Design method by using 50 blows compaction standard to produce the SMA mixture was used in this study. Range of bitumen content from 5 percent to 7 percent (at an increment of 0.5 percent) and about 1.3 percent sugarcane bagasse fibre by total weight of SMA mixtures is added to determine Optimum Bitumen Content (OBC). The finding of OBC is 5.98 percent which resulted to 0.02 percent of binder drainage. Rut depth obtained for SMA Mix without fibre was higher (1.945 mm) compared with SMA Mix with sugarcane bagasse fibre (1.635 mm). Dynamic modulus value for sugarcane bagasse fibre mix was higher at 25°C at all load frequencies. This could be due to the fact that the natural fibre could withstand higher temperatures. In conclusion, the idea of using sugarcane bagasse as fibre in SMA Mix can be considered and commercialized for road construction industry thus will provide durable and quality pavement. In addition, the use of natural fibre has environmental significance and is a cost-effective solution.The drawback of conventional Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) is an occurrence of excessive binder drain down due to the designation of SMA that has gap-graded bituminous mixtures. Stabilizing additive such as fibre in SMA mixtures can prevent excessive binder drain down. In order to prevent excessive binder drain down, sugarcane bagasse fibre was utilized in this study. The utilization of this fibre can also reduce the excessive volume of agricultural solid waste. Application of Marshall Mix Design method by using 50 blows compaction standard to produce the SMA mixture was used in this study. Range of bitumen content from 5 percent to 7 percent (at an increment of 0.5 percent) and about 1.3 percent sugarcane bagasse fibre by total weight of SMA mixtures is added to determine Optimum Bitumen Content (OBC). The finding of OBC is 5.98 percent which resulted to 0.02 percent of binder drainage. Rut depth obtained for SMA Mix without fibre was higher (1.945 mm) compared with SMA Mix with sugarcane bagasse fibre (1.6...
Over the years some excellent books have introduced into digital signal processing (DSP) readers with different background ranging from undergraduate and graduate students to scientists and engineers interested to the field. Digital Signal Processing by Thomas J. Cavicchi is a well organized and clearly written textbook delivered by an experienced teacher. His enthusiasm leads the reader into the DSP and the wide number of different applications where the DSP is often used to process samples of continuous-time signals. When a DSP practitioner needs to move into the application, the accuracy is in order. The author covers all the topics with perhaps excessive details. The extra steps in analytical derivations are included to lead the reader into DSP. The reader is motivated to be accurate by several examples and exercises where the use of Matlab/Simulink is an essential part. This practicing with DSP is a way to fascinate the reader and to “bring the formulas into life”! Many’ pictorial examples that arise from the teaching experience of the author are helpfhl fbr the inexperienced readers to understand. The first two chapters of the 800 pages book of Thomas J. Cavicchi provide the motivation and the basic synthetic review of continuous-time and discrete-time signal and systems. Examples are chosen to help the reader to review the essential topics. After the z transform and difference equations, chapter 4 introduces continuousand discrete-time transforms and motivates the readers about the need to handle different transforms (and domains) in the field of DSP. Properties of the transforms are discussed in chapter 5 , each one is illustrated by a pertinent example. In chapter 6 signal processing of sampled and continuous-time data are dealt with. The extensive use of the DFT in DSP is revised in chapter 7 together with the basics on sampling rate conversion. Chapters 8 and 9 represent two well organized sections of the book dealing with the IIR and FIR filter design. Implementation issues and quantization effects are considered as well. The last chap ter covers in perhaps too concise a manner (about 100 pages) quite a large part of the statistical signal processing: review of random process and estimation theory, parametric and non-parametric methods for spectral estimation, mean square estimation (deconvolution, prediction), adaptive filters. In conclusion, the book should not be seen as a quick reference to DSP but as a first-level textbook on DSP. It can be adopted by teachers as a reference text at undergraduatejgraduate levels (teachers can find many interesting examples to introduce different DSP topics). I t is fbr the scientists that would like to find the answers to their curiosity by being led into DSP.
The cytoplasmic protein TraM is one of four essential gene products of the F factor which are involved in DNA transfer after mating pair formation. TraM binds to three specific sites within the oriT region. Besides regulation of its own synthesis, the precise function of TraM during conjugation is not yet known. In the present work, the affinity of TraM to TraD was studied in vitro by an overlay assay and by affinity chromatography. Whether the interaction between TraM and TraD causes a transient or permanent anchoring of the F factor to the site of transfer is discussed. A 35-kDa host membrane protein of yet unknown function also shows affinity to TraM and may be involved in this anchoring process as well.
THE prolonged strike in which the hospital porters and other ancillary staff were recently involved was an unhappy and uncharacteristic episode in the life of the hospitals, where a friendly spirit of co-operation is usually to be found among all grades of staff. Indeed, in the early phase of the dispute there were doctors and nurses as well as members of the public who had considerable sympathy for the underpaid hospital workers whose pay rise had been caught in the freeze, but their sympathy began to run out when sick patients had to be turned away from hospitals and as . . .
The role of endogenous opioids in the control of gonadotropin secretion in uremic male rats was investigated using the narcotic antagonist, naloxone. In order to eliminate the effect of weight loss due to uremia-induced anorexia as a cause of previously described altered gonadotropin secretion in uremia, we also studied a group of normal pair-fed control animals who exhibited a weight loss comparable to that of the uremic animals. Naloxone administration had no effect on the basal or LRH-stimulated peak concentrations of LH and FSH in the normal or the uremic rats. Basal and LRH-stimulated gonadotropin responses in the pair-fed rats were comparable to those seen in the normal rats. Similarly, opioid blockade produced no change in the basal or LRH-stimulated gonadotropin responses in the pair-fed animals. Testosterone concentrations were significantly lower in the uremic and pair-fed animals compared to the normal rats. The data suggest that experimental renal failure is not associated with altered opioidergic tone, as it relates to gonadotropin secretion, or to diminished sensitivity of the gonadotroph to LRH stimulation. The decreased testosterone concentration seen in the uremic and pair-fed rats may reflect abnormalities in gonadal hormone secretion due to primary pathology occurring at the level of the gonad. These abnormalities may be reflected as diminished Leydig cell sensitivity to LH. The inappropriately low concentrations of LH in the presence of low testosterone together with normal gonadotropin response to exogenous LRH also suggest an abnormal secretion of endogenous LRH. It is not clear whether this presumed abnormality in LRH secretion is a primary event or is related to decreased testosterone production by the testes in the uremic and pair-fed rats.
The main objective of this study is to improve mechanical properties of bioplastic film and resistant to bacteria by the addition of percent ratio Zinc Oxide/Organoclay (ZnO/Clay) nanoparticles as enforcement and clove essential oil. All bioplastic film was formed by casting method. The addition of clay nanoparticles in the plastic films was varied from 1:9%, 2:8%, 3:7%, 4:6%, and 5:5% (w/w) by weight of starch. Structural characterization was done by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Surface morphologies of the plastic film were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The result showed that the Tensile strength (TS) was improved significantly with the addition of ZnO/Clay nanoparticles. The optimum tensile strength obtained was 20.87 MPa on the additional of ZnO/Clay nanoparticles by 0.3:0.7% and plasticizer by 25%. Based on data of FTIR, the produced film plastic does not change the group function and it can be concluded that the interaction in biodegradable plastic produced was only a physical interaction. The biodegradable plastic based on cassava starch-ZnO/Clay nanoparticles and plasticizer glycerin showed that interesting mechanical properties being transparent and clear.
Oxygen Prescription in Interstitial Lung Disease: 2.5 Billion Years in the Making Julie Morisset, Christopher J. Ryerson, and Kerri A. Johannson Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Medicine and Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia and St. Paul’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; and Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Abstract First years of specialised retail (in terms of department stores or shopping centres) either that we discuss of the period before the communist regime or that during the regime period itself it is a reality that both benefit from few relevant evidences. As a parallel to those times, the time frame starting from 1990, is the one that provides us with many more details, and like this allowing us to develop an accurate portrait of those retail days. The objectives of the current study is to identify the GLA distribution in the panel of the evaluated cities (as in comparison to the Activ Property Services - APS study) and starting from here to illustrate the existing retail agglomeration in those 24 major cities of Romania. The work behind the proposed paper implied a market research using personal expertise for this field, internet resources, retail magazines, specialised retail agency studies so that to be able to point out, as accurately as possible, all relevant information related to the retail field of activity. Among the conclusions that this study provides, starting with the analysis of the existing shopping centre stock (in the major cities of Romania) and comparing these results with those from the research conducted by APS, in 2017, we find out that more than 77% of the entire GLA of this retail sector is located in those 24 major cities analysed in the current study.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling the deployment of distributed applications based on ubiquitous computing and convergent networks. Due to its heterogeneous structure, it introduces new security challenges and requirements. Particularly, the security mechanisms implemented in the IoT should adapt to the dynamic context. This paper proposes a game-based model for adaptive security in the IoT, with an emphasis on eHealth applications. We use the trade-off between security-effectiveness and energy-efficiency to evaluate adaptive security strategies. We also present the results of simulation experiments to assess the performance of the proposed model. We show that our model allows extending the lifetime of the smart things by 47% compared to existing models.
Most low and low-middle income countries adopting National Health Insurance (NHI) programs to achieve Universal Health Coverage are struggling to implement the program due to underlying problems at implementation. However, there is a lack of research that focuses on these problems. The Nepal NHI program initiated in 2016 has experienced numerous implementation challenges. This qualitative study delves into the NHI program's inputs and throughputs/implementation bottlenecks. The study based in Nepal's four districts included 28 in-depth interviews, six focus group discussions, and identified 12 themes that pointed to the NHI program's inadequate inputs causing bottlenecks. The analysis employed the Grounded Theory. The main challenges identified were insufficiently defined NHI implementations guidelines, conflicting Act clauses, a lack of HIB organizational guidelines, and inadequate human resources. The major throughput bottlenecks were difficulty enrolling the insurees, the inability to select the health providers competitively and to act as a prudent purchaser of the services. These inadequate inputs and throughput bottlenecks led to negative outputs such as insurees' high dropouts, and low coverage of poor households. The NHI program's sustainability might be at stake if the identified problems persist, further exacerbated by the plummeting economic situation in the country due to COVID-19.
As airborne spores of toxic Aspergillus species cause mild symptoms to invasive fungal infections, their indoor concentration should be controlled through real-time management. Aptamer-based biosensors could provide economical and simple solutions for point-of-care. In this study, we isolated aptamers binding to the spores of three representative toxic Aspergillus species (A. fumigatus, A. flavus, and A. niger) for the first time, using cell-SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands through exponential enrichment). Among the aptamer candidates, Asp-3 showed a broad and high binding affinity for the Aspergillus spores. Considering the low binding affinity with proteinase-treated spores, we speculated that the Asp-3 binding sites could be possibly associated with cell surface proteins. The high Asp-3 specificity was confirmed by comparing the binding affinity between the Aspergillus target species and other common indoor fungal species. Moreover, we also established quantitative linear relationships between Asp-3 and the spore concentration of each Aspergillus species. Therefore, the selected Asp-3 aptamer, conjugated with detection sensors, could be an effective biorecognition element for the spores of three toxic Aspergillus species.
1 Mianserin is a tetracyclic piperazino-azepine compound synthesized in 1966 for its peripheral anti 5-hydroxytryptamine properties. Animal screening showed that mianserin was centrally active, but the profile did not indicate possible antidepressant activity. Following clinical observations of sedative and possible mood-lifting effects, a quantitative electroencephalogram (EEG) study showed that the EEG effects of mianserin are similar to those of amitriptyline. 2 Subsequent clinical and pharmacological studies have indicated that mianserin is an effective antidepressant which differs from the tricyclic antidepressants not only chemically but also in its pharmacological and clinical profile. Mianserin seems to lack anticholinergic and cardiotoxic properties, and has unusual effects on monoamine metabolism. 3 On the basis of the initial profile a series of clinical and pharmacological studies has been carried out, and the results of many of these studies are presented in these Proceedings.
The objetive of this study is to research the incidence of explosive strength on the ball kick of senior category soccer players from the “Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo”. The study was carried out through the application of a comprehensive training program to improve explosive strength and ball kick for 8 weeks. In this study, 50 soccer players were also evaluated. The age, body weight (kg), height (cm), and body mass index were also evaluated. The pre – post ball kick horizontal jump test was applied as well. The soccer sketch 2.5.0 program was used for the preparation of the training sessions, while the SPSS statistical package was used for the results tabulation. The results obtained are as follows: average age of 21.82, average body mass index 26.72 (kg/m2 ). An average of 2.13cm was obtained in the pre-test horizontal jump while an average of 2.16 cm was obtained in the post-test whit a level of significance of 0.002. In conclusion, the application of training sessions based on comprehensive exercises of explosive strength and ball kick are very important in improving the sports performance of the soccer players.
Purpose – The aim of this study is to develop an applicable and detailed model for customer lifetime value (CLV) and to highlight the most important indicators relevant for a specific industry – namely the banking sector. Design/methodology/approach – This study compares the results of the least square estimation (LSE) and artificial neural network (ANN) in order to select the best performing forecasting tool to predict the potential CLV. The performances of the models are compared by the hit ratio, which is calculated by grouping the customers as “top 20 per cent” and “bottom 80 per cent” profitable. Findings – Due to its higher performance; LSE based linear regression model is selected. The results are found to be highly competitive compared with the previous studies. This study shows that, beside the indicators mostly used in the literature in measuring CLV, two additional groups, namely monetary value and risk of certain bank services, as well as product/service ownership-related indicators, are also ...
The first release of 5G technology is being rolled out worldwide. In parallel, 3GPP is constantly adding new features to upcoming releases covering well-known use cases. This raises the questions i) when will 6G be introduced?, ii) how can 6G be motivated for the stakeholders, and iii) what are the 6G use cases? In this letter, we present the perspective of these stakeholders, namely the network operators, manufacturers, and verticals, identifying potential 5G shortcomings and the remaining 6G solution space. We will highlight the Metaverse as the enabler for 6G addressing omnipresent daily challenges and the upcoming energy problem.
Purpose: The aim of this study is to assess the psychological effect related to accident among victims in Najran City hospitals, Saudi Arabia.  Study Design: A cross sectional study.  Subjects and Methods: This is a descriptive study of cross-sectional design conducted in Najran City hospitals. The study population encompasses all patients of post-traumatic accidents that were admitted to Najran City hospitals during the data collection period. The patients were invited to participate in the study. Non-probability convenience sampling method was used. A questionnaire was devised, developed, and administered to measure the psychological effects related to accident among victims. For statistical analysis, descriptive measures, including frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and p-value were employed.  Results: The study reveals that more than half of the studied victims (57.8%) were between 21 to 30 years old. All of them were males, indicating high rate of causalities in Najran City among youngsters. In terms of post-traumatic experience, the study reveals that 82.2% of the respondents had negative feelings about themselves. The victims also complained of several other psychological effects. In addition, certain cases of oversleep and excessive anxiety were recorded. The statistical analysis showed no significance between the studied psychological effects related to accident among victims in Najran City hospitals and their characteristics except in terms of marital status and work income.  Conclusion: The study concludes that victims of accidents suffer psychologically in the post-traumatic phase. The injuries sustained after the incidents leave the victims suffering from negative feeling about themselves. Given these results, it is recommended that authorities should increase the road instructions to improve awareness of drivers. It is believed that the road instruction would increase road safety and minimize the risk of vehicle accidents.
Purpose. To investigate the alternation in cerebral and ocular blood flow velocity (BFV) in patients of carotid stenosis (CS) with or without contralateral carotid occlusion (CO) early after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Patients and Methods. Nineteen patients underwent CEA for ≥50% CS. Fourteen patients had the unilateral CS, and five patients had the ipsilateral CS and the contralateral CO. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) and Color Doppler Imaging (CDI) were performed before and early after CEA. Results. In patients with unilateral CS, significant improvements in BFV were observed in anterior cerebral artery (ACA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) on the ipsilateral side after CEA. In patients of ipsilateral CS and contralateral CO, significant improvements in BFV were observed in the ACA and MCA not only on the ipsilateral side but also on the contralateral side postoperatively. The ipsilateral ophthalmic artery (OA) retrograde flows in two patients were recovered to anterograde direction following CEA. The BFV in short posterior ciliary artery (SPCA) of the ipsilateral side significantly increased postoperatively irrespective of the presence of contralateral CO. Conclusions. CEA improved cerebral anterior circulation hemodynamics especially in patients of unilateral CS and contralateral CO, normalized the OA reverse flow, and increased the blood perfusion of SPCA.
This study was conducted over 10 weeks using several types of oils containing unsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids, namely coconut oil, bulk oil, used cooking oil and pig oil. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of used cooking oil of the sress oxidative and inflammasion on wistar rats. The study design was a randomized post-test only control group design, conducted in male wistar rats. Twenty-five rats were divided into five groups: control, treatment-1, treatment-2, treatment-3 and treatment-4, each of 5 rats. The control group were given only the standard food, treatment-1 were given standard food and pig oil, treatment2 were given standard food and used cooking oil, treatment-3 were given standard food and bulk oil and the treatment-4 were given standard food and coconut oil. The allocation of this fatty diet conducted by taking into account all sampel shows that the fatty-high diet is 2.5 mL/day. After 10 weeks of treatment for blood plasma samples were taken for examination of stress oxidative (MDA) and Inflammasion (TNF-? and IL-6). The average different of content among the groups is tested using One Way ANOVA method, which is then followed by LSD, in which the statistical testing is declared significant if p < 0.05. The results showed an increase in the levels of MDA, TNF-? and IL-6 blood plasma were significantly (p <0.05) in all treatments compared to the control. However, the group treated with coconut oil gave levels of MDA and TNF-? were not significantly different (p> 0.05) and was lower than the control. Two treatment groups showed differences in the levels of MDA, TNF-? and IL-6 the highest is the treatment used cooking oil and pig oil. The results showed an increase in significantly (p <0.05) in the treatment of used cooking oil compared with the control and other treatments (coconut oil, oil bulk oil and pig). Based on these results it can be concluded that the used cooking oil has the potential to cause oxidative stress and inflammation which is a risk factor for atherosclerosis formation.
Piglets born with low birth weights (LBiW) are likely to be lighter at weaning. Starter regimes tailored for pigs of average BW therefore may not be optimal for LBiW nursery performance. The objective was to determine if LBiW pigs benefit from a high specification starter regime and the provision of extra feed (additional allowance of last phase diet of the starter regime) in comparison to a standard commercial regime. Additionally, the effect of starter regime on performance of normal birth weight (NBiW) pigs at weaning was determined and compared to that of LBiW pigs. Finally, the cost effectiveness of the treatments was determined. The experiment was therefore an incomplete 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design, as the provision of extra feed was given only to LBiW pigs (n = 6 replicates per treatment; 5 pigs per replicate). Treatments comprised birth weight (LBiW or NBiW), starter regime (high specification [HS] or standard starter [SS]), and extra feed 3 quantity (yes [YF] or no [NF], for LBiW pigs only; feed 3 corresponded to the last phase diet of the starter regime). At weaning (d 28), pigs were randomly assigned within each birth weight category to treatment groups. Nutritional treatments were fed ad libitum on a kilogram/head basis for approximately 3 wk followed by a common weaner diet fed ad libitum until d 70. Starter regime (P = 0.019), feed 3 amount (P = 0.010), and their interaction (P = 0.029) had an effect on ADG of LBiW pigs from d 28 to 49, with pigs on HS followed by YF (HY) performing best. An improvement in feed conversion ratio (FCR) was noted between d 28 and 49 for pigs fed the additional feed 3 (P = 0.030); between d 49 and 70, the only residual effect seen was of starter regime (P = 0.017) on ADG. In contrast, there was no significant effect of starter regime from d 28 to 70 on ADG, ADFI, or FCR of NBiW pigs. By d 49 and 70, LBiW pigs on regime HY weighed the same as NBiW pigs (d 70 BW; 30.0 vs. 30.6 kg; P = 0.413), with similar growth rates from d 28 to 70 (0.570 vs. 0.533 kg/d; P = 0.137). Despite highest feed cost for regime HY at US$12.30 per pig, its margin over feed was greatest ($23.40). Conversely, regime SS gave the best margin over feed for NBiW pigs at $22.70 per pig. In conclusion, a postweaning feeding regime formulated for LBiW pigs improved the ADG and FCR to the end of the nursery phase enabling them to achieve the same weight as NBiW. Targeting the provision of the high quality expensive regime only to light pigs will ensure maximum growth and increased profitability.
This paper addresses conflictual interactions that can emerge between the beginning family therapist and client system. Intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics that can inadvertently promote conflict and culminate in a traumatizing experience for the therapist and clients are explored. In addition to discussing the factors and implications associated with therapist-client conflict, strategies designed to assist in conflict analysis and reparation are offered.
Nothing, in the authors’ view, shows the clear originality of the English legal system in quite the same way as a trust. This mechanism has evolved to be applied in a multitude of ways in extremely varied circumstances, affecting individuals (succession, incapacity, etc) and the business world (charities, security interests, etc). It is therefore quite natural that common law lawyers seek to use this mechanism in the mining industry and, for example, envisage setting up a trust over that specific asset which is a mining title. The diversity of the use of trusts is a good illustration of the pragmatic approach of a law which is concerned primarily to satisfy practical requirements. It is clear that the technique of the trust is always somewhat disconcerting for the continental lawyer insofar as it remains closely linked to the English legal system and it is difficult, indeed impossible, to understand in the traditional categories of continental law—it should be noted, for example, how the French legislator has difficulty in introducing a concept equivalent to a trust (‘fiducie’) into its legal system. However, it is with this perilous exercise in mind that legal systems inspired by French law are at time forced to recognise trusts constituted over assets situated in their countries. In the absence of international conventions governing the recognition of trusts (the Hague Convention), solutions found to the difficulties caused by trying to classify the trust into one of the categories of French law can appear unpredictable and uncertain under French private international law. In the case of a trust constituted over a mining title, these difficulties are accentuated by the application, in the name of lex rei sitae or mandatory rules, of provisions of mining law which, insofar as they relate, for example, to the indivisibility of mining titles, are likely to perturb the trust mechanism envisaged by the parties.
Abstract. Fluorescence cystoscopy (FC) efficiently enhances the detection and improves the therapeutic management of early bladder cancer. During an FC, about 150 ml of water is needed to inflate the bladder. The water is quickly diluted by urine which can be fluorescent. If this bladder washout fluid (BWF) becomes fluorescent, the FC images are frequently degraded. Unfortunately, it is unclear which elements of the diet may contribute to this background fluorescence. We propose to start this exploration with over-the-counter (OTC) vitamin supplements. To this end, we measured excitation–emission matrices of urine samples and the kinetics of modifications of urine fluorescence obtained from nine healthy volunteers before, during, and after intake of a commercially available OTC vitamin supplement. The pharmacokinetics shows that the BWF fluorescence values reach a maximum 8 to 10 h after vitamin intake. They decrease in the half-day that follows and reach values close to baseline ∼1 day afterward. Based on these results, we conclude that, in order to avoid degradations of fluorescence images, it is likely best that the intake of OTC vitamin supplements be avoided during the week preceding an FC.
Superhard nanocomposite coatings are currently of great interest for tooling applications in order to improve the mechanical properties and functionality of some engineering materials. In this work (Ti,Si,Al)N coatings were produced by reactive magnetron sputtering using dc and rf power supplies. Chemical composition, thickness, film structure and the mechanical properties were investigated by Rutherford Backscattering (RBS), Electron Microprobe Analysis (EPMA), ballcratering, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and ultramicroindentation respectively. The compositions of as-deposited samples are in the range: 27  30 at.% of Ti, 8  10.5 at.% of Si, 8  13.5 at.% of Al, 47  53 at.% of N. The thickness and density values are within the range of 2.6  5.4 μm and 3.3  4.5 g/cm 3 , respectively. Regarding the mechanical properties, a hardness value of about 56 GPa was obtained for the Ti0.60Al0.24Si0.16N sample. This sample was deposited on rotation mode with the dc power supply on both Ti and Al targets and the rf power supply on the Si target, at a substrate temperature of 400 oC and biased with 100 V. Samples deposited by rf sputtering on static mode revealed a slightly lower maximum hardness, around 47 GPa. Almost all samples prepared on rotation mode showed a good adhesion with critical loads for total adhesion failure higher than 98 N.
This paper examines the relationship between people’s sociodemographic characteristics and their use of Information Technology (IT) in Chile, employing an abridged version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The data collected supports the TAM, showing that the perceived easiness of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) positively impact the use of computers Polis, Revista de la Universidad Bolivariana, Volumen 10, No30 , 2011, p. 365-390 Polis, Revista de la Universidad Bolivariana, Volumen 10, No 30, 2011 366 (U). In turn, perceived ease of use favors perceived usefulness. Regarding the socio-demographic variables, family income (FI) and educational level (EL) positively influence PEOU, PU and U, contrary to age (A), which negatively impacts those variables. Likewise, the data showed a positive correlation between FI and EL, and a negative correlation between A and EL. Unlike previous studies, this research gathered data using a heterogeneous sample, which included subjects who exhibited different income, age, and educational levels, approximating the urban Chilean population. Thus, this paper presents a picture of the use of IT, which makes it useful for guiding government policy making aimed at promoting the collective use of IT in a developing country.
Since the late 19th century homarid lobsters have been cultured under hatchery conditions, and hatchery-reared Homarus americanus and H. gammarus have been released into the wild on many occasions in North America and Europe, respectively. The success of such re-stocking programmes could not be evaluated, however, due to lack of a suitable tagging method to discriminate between hatchery-reared lobsters and natural stock. This paper reviews the early attempts at re-stocking, and then describes in some detail more recent experiments that make use of coded microwire tags. The recent results show that hatchery-reared animals can survive to recruit to a fishery, but despite this initial success, there remain important biological questions on whether re-stocking programmes are likely to provide sustainable benefits to fisheries and whether released animals actually enhance or simply displace natural stocks. The success of future re-stocking programmes will be easier to evaluate if biological and economic objectives are more tightly defined at the planning stage.
Ruthenium dioxide-(RuO2)-containing carbon paste electrodes exhibiting electrocatalytic responses toward alcohols are described. The electrocatalytic behavior is exploited for developing a highly stable and sensitive flow-detection scheme for simple alcohols with a constant-potential operation (+0.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl). The optimization of the system with respect to variables such as pH, flow rate, operating potential, and RuO2–surface “loading” is reported. The electrode response as stable over 2 weeks with a signal loss of 6%. Repeated injections (60) of methanol over a 120 minute period yielded a relative standard deviation of 3.4%. Detection limits for the various alcohols are dependent on the number and position of the hydroxyl groups, with limits ranging from 30 ng for glycerol to 3 μg for ethanol. Use of these electrodes in liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection is envisaged.
The initial response to infection is recruitment of acute inflammatory cells to the involved site. Interleukin (IL)-8 is the prototypical effector molecule for this process. Transcription of the IL-8 gene is primarily governed by the nuclear transcription factor (NF)-κB. Intestinal epithelial cells produce IL-8 in response to infection by enteric pathogens yet remain quiescent in a milieu where they are literally bathed in normal bacterial flora. We therefore sought to investigate NF-κB activation in response to enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), nonpathogenic E. coli, and bacterial lipopolysaccharide in an intestinal epithelial cell (T84) model and to determine whether EPEC-induced activation of NF-κB factor is causally linked to IL-8 production. We report herein that NF-κB is activated by EPEC, yet such a response is not extended to nonpathogenic organisms or purified E. coli lipopolysaccharide. Transcription factor decoys significantly diminished IL-8 production in response to EPEC, demonstrating a causal relationship. Furthermore, deletion of specific EPEC virulence genes abrogates the NF-κB-activating property of this pathogen, suggesting that specific bacterial factors are crucial for inducing this response. These studies show for the first time that infection of intestinal epithelial cells with EPEC activates NF-κB, which in turn initiates IL-8 transcription, and highlight the differential response of these cells to bacterial pathogens vs. nonpathogens.
Recently, technological advances in the detection and biological characterization of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) have enabled the implementation of liquid biopsy testing into clinical practice. Methods for analysis of liquid biopsies have rapidly evolved over the past few years and have continued to advance, thus providing details about tumor biological characteristics such as tumor progression, metastasis, tumor heterogeneity, genomic mutation profile, clonal evolution, etc. In tandem with technological advances, the implementation of liquid biopsy in routine clinical settings has proceeded. In 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first ctDNA liquid biopsy test to detect epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as a companion diagnostic for molecular targeted drug of EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI, EGFR-TKI). More recently, multigene panel assays of liquid biopsy have been approved as companion diagnostics and have been used in routine clinical settings. The estimation of blood tumor mutation burden (bTMB) to predict the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment can be one of the promising approaches to liquid biopsy. The next stage of implementation of liquid biopsy for routine clinical settings is for monitoring of ctDNA after surgical treatment to predict prognosis and to detect disease relapse earlier than conventional imaging diagnosis. Its clinical utility is under assessment in several clinical trials. This review introduces recent advances in liquid biopsy methodology, the development of biomarkers, and its clinical utility in the treatment of NSCLC patients.
The development of modern imaging techniques makes it possible to examine directly the relationship between brain abnormalities and memory impairment. Alcoholic amnesics may perform normally on certain tests (priming tasks) that require implicit (unconscious) memory, even though they may not be able consciously to recall the memory. Researchers have therefore postulated the existence of multiple memory mechanisms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) observations suggest that independent memory mechanisms are not necessary to explain the dissociation between explicit and implicit memory. Alcoholic amnesics appear to suffer from damage to structures in two areas of the brain, affecting two separate processing components that are both required in most priming tasks: a stimulus processing component and a memory processing component.
fisheries has been based on Garrett Hardin’s ‘tragedy of the commons’—a simple model of human behavior that concludes: ‘individuals locked into the logic of the commons are free only to bring universal ruin’ (Hardin 1968; de Steiguer 1997; Baden and Noonan 1998). Fishing management has integrated Hardin’s presuppositions into policy design, thereby assuming all fishers are self-profit maximizers, who are inveterate free riders, unaware of conservation. Recently, anthropologists have drawn attention to the dynamics of small, traditional fishing communities, many of which have existed for centuries without collapsing the populations of harvested species, and all of which have some form of indigenous environmental regulation (McGoodwin 1990; Cordell 1989; Dyer and McGoodwin 1994; Pinkerton and Weinstein 1995). This work points to two important deficiencies in the religious environmental ethics literature—relatively little is known about: (1) how specific communities or trades develop an ‘environmental ethic’; and (2) how religious practice and belief respond to changing environmental concerns in industrialized cultures. The purpose of this study is to document the impact of fisheries decline on religious beliefs, superstition and concepts of animal protection in coastal communities in the Republic of Ireland. Fisheries in the North Atlantic, North Sea and the Irish Sea have suffered major collapses in the last two decades (FAO 1997; MacGarvin 1990; Kennedy 1995; Charles 1996; Berrill 1997; Kurlansky 1997; Soares 1998;
This article provides a review of the past and current literature on the neurobiology of sexual function. The influence of endocrine, neurotransmitter, and central nervous system influences on male and female sexual function are discussed for sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm or ejaculation stages of sexual responding. Endocrine factors reviewed include the following: androgens, estrogens, progesterone, prolactin, oxytocin, cortisol, and pheromones. Neurotransmitters and neuropeptides discussed include nitric oxide, serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, opioids, acetylcholine, histamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. Central nervous system influences on sexual function are discussed briefly with reference to brainstem regions, the hypothalamus, and the forebrain.
Abstract This study evaluates MODIS snow cover characteristics for large number of snowmelt runoff events in 145 catchments from 9 countries in Europe. The analysis is based on open discharge daily time series from the Global Runoff Data Center database and daily MODIS snow cover data. Runoff events are identified by a base flow separation approach. The MODIS snow cover characteristics are derived from Terra 500 m observations (MOD10A1 dataset, V005) in the period 2000-2015 and include snow cover area, cloud coverage, regional snowline elevation (RSLE) and its changes during the snowmelt runoff events. The snowmelt events are identified by using estimated RSLE changes during a runoff event. The results indicate that in the majority of catchments there are between 3 and 6 snowmelt runoff events per year. The mean duration between the start and peak of snowmelt runoff events is about 3 days and the proportion of snowmelt events in all runoff events tends to increase with the maximum elevation of catchments. Clouds limit the estimation of snow cover area and RSLE, particularly for dates of runoff peaks. In most of the catchments, the median of cloud coverage during runoff peaks is larger than 80%. The mean minimum RSLE, which represents the conditions at the beginning of snowmelt events, is situated approximately at the mean catchment elevation. It means that snowmelt events do not start only during maximum snow cover conditions, but also after this maximum. The mean RSLE during snowmelt peaks is on average 170 m lower than at the start of the snowmelt events, but there is a large regional variability.
OBJECTIVE To compare oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) glucose, C-peptide, and insulin responses and insulin sensitivity in youth and adults with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 66 youth (80.3% with IGT) and 355 adults (70.7% with IGT) underwent a 3-h OGTT to assess 1) insulin sensitivity (1/fasting insulin), 2) C-peptide index (CPI) and insulinogenic index (IGI) over the first 30 min, and 3) glucose, C-peptide, and insulin incremental areas above fasting over the 3-h post-ingestion (incremental glucose [G-iAUC], incremental C-peptide [CP-iAUC], and incremental insulin area under the curve [I-iAUC] responses, respectively). RESULTS Fasting, 2-h glucose, and G-iAUC were similar in both age-groups, but youth had ∼50% lower 1/fasting insulin (P < 0.001), 75% higher CPI (mean [95% CI] 0.703 [0.226, 2.183] vs. 0.401 [0.136, 1.183] nmol/mmol; P < 0.001), and more than twofold higher IGI (257.3 [54.5, 1,215.8] vs. 114.8 [28.0, 470.8] pmol/mmol; P < 0.001). Two-hour C-peptide and insulin concentrations, CP-iAUC, and I-iAUC were all higher in youth (all P < 0.001). C-peptide and insulin responses remained significantly greater in youth after adjustment for insulin sensitivity. Within each age-group, individuals with type 2 diabetes versus IGT had significantly lower CPI and IGI with no difference in insulin sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS The balance between insulin sensitivity and β-cell responses differs between youth and adults with IGT or recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Despite similar postload glucose levels, youth demonstrate greater C-peptide and insulin responses that exceed what is needed to compensate for their lower insulin sensitivity. Longitudinal studies are required to determine whether this feature contributes to a more rapid decline in β-cell function in youth with dysglycemia.
T his paper discusses the experience gained during the first five years ofoperation of La Maison Michel Sarrazin with 952 terminal-phase cancer patients. A detailed analysis is given of the profiles ofthe patients, ofthe symptomatology, and of the causes ofdeath. Using this analysis it has been possible to trace the evolution ofeach type ofcancer and each patient. A further objective is to demonstrate the importance ofdeveloping an "anticipatory" therapy, based on experience, which offers an alleviation ofthe numerous symptoms and problems affecting terminally ill cancer patients.
The swamp buffalo (Bubalus carabanensis) is mainly bred for meat, transport and rice cultivation in China and Southeast Asian countries. In the current study, we investigated the genetic diversity, maternal origin and phylogenetic relationship of swamp buffalo by analyzing 1,786 mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) sequences from China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, India and Bangladesh. Our results indicated that the swamp buffalo can be divided into two major lineages (SA and SB with the sublineages) and three rare lineages (SC, SD and SE), which showed strong geographic differentiation. The SA1 lineage represented a major domestication event, which involved population expansion. Regions III and V showed higher haplotype diversity than the other regions, indicating that the regions of Southwest China and IndoChina are potential domestication centers for the swamp buffalo. In addition, the swamp buffalo showed a closer phylogenetic relationship to tamaraw. In conclusion, our findings revealed a high level of genetic diversity and the phylogenetic pattern of the swamp buffalo.
Chronic eosinophilic leukaemia is a rare disorder. It can cause irreversible target organ damage which can be life threatening,so early diagnosis of the disease is a necessity.It may pose as a diagnostic dilemma. Active consideration of the possibility of the disease is necessary. We intend to report a case of a boy of 13 years who presented with hepato-splenomegaly, generalized lymphadenopathy, a cardiac mass and a very high eosinophil count. He was ultimately diagnosed with chronic eosinophilic leukaemia.Though rare, this disease can occur in our country, too. Unavailability of confirmatory tests warrants more vigilance and awareness among physicians. Bangladesh J Medicine Jan 2014; 25 (1) : 25-28
Today's children are tomorrow's hope, who can constitute a stronger nation. Growing children in their tender age are at increased risk of becoming sick especially children of under-five year. Communicable diseases are one of the leading cause of death among Under-five children. It's transmitted through direct contact with infectious pathogens include some viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular parasites and aberrant proteins known as prions. Transmission of pathogens can occur in various ways including physical contact, contaminated food, body fluids, objects, airborne inhalation and through vector organisms. In this era under five children's are suffering and dying each year due to the communicable diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, and scabies etc. Anganwadi teachers are influential people in the community who are able to disseminate the knowledge to children's as well as to the care givers. An ganwadi teachers can educate the mother regarding the upliftment of the health of their children, and thereby they can minimize the health problems among children. A study was conducted among 300 primary care givers regarding knowledge, attitude and practices regarding communicable diseases in Kampala district revealed that 40% of anganwadi teachers are not having adequate knowledge regarding treatment of communicable diseases. It is therefore desirable that these teachers have the knowledge prevent and manage communicable diseases among their children in any eventuality. Hence investigator felt to develop a planned teaching programme among primary caregivers here anganwadi teachers to improve their knowledge. In this study the pre-test majority (63%) samples had moderate knowledge level, (10%) samples had inadequate knowledge on prevention of selected communicable diseases among under five children. There is a significant increase in knowledge of anganwadi teachers after the introduction of planned teaching programme. During the post-test all (100%) anganwadi teachers gained adequate knowledge level of knowledge. The mean post-test knowledge score (22.7±1.70) was higher than the mean pre-test knowledge score (14.66±4.47).The 't' test (t29=2.05 p<0.005) was computed to compare the significant difference between the mean pre-test and posttest knowledge score. The calculated 't' value indicate that there is significant gain in knowledge score. The study concluded that planned teaching programme is effective in increasing the knowledge of anganwadi teachers regarding prevention of selected communicable diseases among under five children.
This review provides a complete overview of the deoxydehydration (DODH) reaction including metal-free and transition metal-based DODH processes for the upgrading of bio-based polyols towards olefins. It relates to one of the main challenges of the 21st century, i.e. providing new chemical strategies to support the transition from a petro-based to an alternative bio-based chemical industry. The oxygen rich backbone signature of bio-based molecules imposes the development of new processes among which the DODH reaction stands as a gold standard for reaching olefins. The DODH research field has witnessed significant advances for both metal-free and metal-catalyzed protocols tailored for the specific context of using bio-based polyols as substrates. The selectivity for the preparation of specific olefin building blocks is thoroughly discussed in light of their environmental footprint (E-factor), hence providing a selection guide for the upgrading of polyols towards industrially relevant olefins and other valued added chemical building blocks.
Pulmonary embolism is a common condition that often escapes diagnosis in life. The mortality attributable to pulmonary embolism depends on many factors but can be up to 30% in untreated patients, more than 10 times the annual mortality for patients treated with anticoagulant drugs (2.5%).1 Balanced against the danger of underdiagnosis are the risks of treatment with anticoagulants.2 Investigation is often haphazard and treatment empirical, reflecting the relative insensitivity and poor specificity of traditional non-invasive diagnostic tests such as ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) scintigraphy.3 In an attempt to improve diagnostic precision, many studies have recommended combinations of tests.4 5 6 Pulmonary arteriography is justly regarded as the final arbiter, but it is underused and is available in only a third of hospitals in the United Kingdom.7  Spiral computed tomography images the pulmonary vessels directly. It is non-invasive and increasingly available. During a scan, which is performed in a single breath hold, intravenous contrast medium is given, and …
We consider the transport of electrons passing through a mesoscopic device possessing internal dynamical quantum degrees of freedom. The mutual interaction between the system and the conduction electrons contributes to the current fluctuations, which we describe in terms of full counting statistics. We identify conditions where this discriminates coherent from incoherent internal dynamics and also identify and illustrate conditions under which the device acts to dynamically bunch transmitted or reflected electrons, thereby generating super-Poissonian noise.
This paper intends to show the potential interest for linguistic, cultural and socio-historical research of a detailed analysis of the structure and typography of the GC . The aim of this paper is to show the advantages of a system of reference first proposed in v. LXXXIX/2, 2009, of the RFE . Through close examination of its typography, the main characteristics of the text as a didactic treatise soon appear; it also becomes possible to observe certain features of Renaissance prose as it moves towards modern standards (chapter, paragraph, utterances, syntax).
The amino acids glutamate (Glu) and glycine (Gly) trigger large, rapid rises in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and a concomitant rise in membrane potential (depolarization) in plants. The possibility that plant homologs of neuronal ionotropic glutamate receptors mediate these neuron-like ionic responses was tested in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings using a combination of Ca2+ measurements, electrophysiology, and reverse genetics. The membrane depolarization triggered by Glu was greatly reduced or completely blocked in some conditions by mutations in GLR3.3, one of the 20 GLR genes in Arabidopsis. The same mutations completely blocked the associated rise in cytosolic Ca2+. These results genetically demonstrate the participation of a glutamate receptor in the rapid ionic responses to an amino acid. The GLR3.3-independent component of the depolarization required Glu concentrations above 25 μm, did not display desensitization, and was strongly suppressed by increasing extracellular pH. It is suggested to result from H+-amino acid symport. Six amino acids commonly present in soils (Glu, Gly, alanine, serine, asparagine, and cysteine) as well as the tripeptide glutathione (γ-glutamyl-cysteinyl-Gly) were found to be strong agonists of the GLR3.3-mediated responses. All other amino acids induced a small depolarization similar to the non-GLR, putative symporter component and in most cases evoked little or no Ca2+ rise. From these results it may be concluded that sensing of six amino acids in the rhizosphere and perhaps extracellular peptides is coupled to Ca2+ signaling through a GLR-dependent mechanism homologous to a fundamental component of neuronal signaling.
Cancer is the one of the most important public health problems in recent years [1]. It is only over the past 40 years since the passing of the national Cancer Act in 1971 in the US and the spending of hundreds of billions dollars, that the mortality rate of many cancers is at a level similar to that in 1930 (even when corrected for age) or somewhat declining [1–3]. Declining is largely a result of earlier detection (cancer of the cervix, breast and colorectal cancer). Similarly, recent changes in mortality from lung cancer are certainly due to decreases in smoking patterns over the past few decades. The observed trends may largely reflect changing incidence or earlier detection, rather than improved therapy [4]. In the last half a century, some topics have become fashionable in cancer research, and most cancer research resources are directed to these topics. First, the fashion was on “oncogenes” [5]. This, after a long delay, was displaced by tumor-suppressor genes. The mentioned trends of cancer fashion was followed by others such as cell cycle gene mutation, apoptosis, aneuploidy, angiogenesis [4] and lastly “bad luck” [5–7]. According to WHO, early detection of cancer greatly increases the chances for successful treatment [8]. Recognizing possible warning signs of cancer and taking prompt action leads to early diagnosis and early diagnosis is particularly relevant for cancers of the breast, cervix, mouth, larynx, colon and rectum, and skin. Screening refers to the use of simple tests across a healthy population in order to identify individuals who have disease, but do not as yet have symptoms [8]. Examples include breast cancer screening using mammography and cervical cancer screening using cytology screening methods, including Pap smears [9]. A huge US project (US$100-million) to genetically profile 10,000 tumors started in 2006. In 2009, this project received an additional $275 million [3]. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is now the biggest component of the International Cancer Genome Consortium, a collaboration of scientists from 16 nations
Regulation of the environment is often characterized as a polarizing issue that pits public health against economic growth. Although researchers have examined the decisions of federal district court judges in environmental civil penalty cases and examined the decision making of administrative law judges (ALJ), there has been no research which has examined factors that influence ALJ decision making in environmental civil penalty cases at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). I theorize that ALJ decisions, like federal district court judge decisions, are a function of personal policy preferences, hierarchical controls by higher courts, separation of powers influences, and case and defendant characteristics. Results demonstrate that the size of civil penalties issued by ALJs at the EPA is influenced by personal policy preferences, political constraints via Congress, hierarchical control by the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) and the Supreme Court, litigant characteristics, and case characteristics. Overall, EPA ALJs seem to put more emphasis on their role as judge than their role as bureaucrat. The influence of attitudes raises normative concerns regarding the level of independence that is provided to ALJs as the weighing of public health versus economic growth seems to be based in personal policy preferences rather than technical expertise.
Silicosis and tuberculosis (TB) are both global health concerns, with high prevalence among miners from the South African gold mines. Although knowledge has accumulated about these two conditions as distinct diseases since the early 20th century, and despite progress in technology with multiple diagnostic tools and treatment options available for TB, the challenge of distinguishing and therefore efficiently managing these two conditions in this population remains as current as it was 100 years ago. To illustrate the diagnostic and health service problems of distinguishing TB and silicosis clinically and radiologically in former gold miners from the South African mines living in resource-poor areas, we discuss four cases reviewed for this report by a panel of experts. For each case, occupational history, past and current medical history, physical examination, radiological and laboratory findings are described. Common themes are: (1) poor agreement between radiological and clinical presentation; (2) poor agreement between radiology findings and detection of active TB on sputum Xpert MTB/RIF testing; and (3) difficulty in distinguishing the clinical and radiological presentations of silicosis and tuberculosis. Possible consequences at the population level are undertreatment or overtreatment of TB, and underdiagnosis or overdiagnosis of silicosis. There is a need for training of practitioners who are screening or attending to former gold miners in the clinical and radiological features of combined disease, using a curated database of miners' chest X-ray images. Investment in protocols for management of both acute and chronic silicotuberculosis in ex-miners is needed, as is clinical, epidemiologic, and operations research.
This work is concerned with the problem of the transient behaviours of the axisymmetric thermocapillary laminar flow occurring inside a half zone subjected to a variable thermal boundary condition during a heating process. The molten liquid with its deformable free surface is considered incompressible with constant physical properties except for its density in buoyancy forces where Boussinesq’s approximation has been applied. The system of governing equations has been successfully solved by using the modified‐SIMPLE method, while the instantaneous position of the free surface was determined by employing a special procedure. Numerical simulations have been carried out for both NaNO3 and Silicon float zones operating under 1‐g and μ‐g conditions. The transient behaviours as well as the influence of the Marangoni number and the aspect ratio have been investigated.
The synthesis and characterization of new deuterated liquid crystal (LC) compounds based on phenyl tolane core is described in this paper. The work presents an alternative molecular approach to the conventional LC design. Correlations between molecular structure and mesomorphic and optical properties for compounds which are alkyl-hydrogen terminated and alkyl-deuterium, have been drawn. The compounds are characterized by mass spectrometry (electron ionization) analysis and infrared spectroscopy. They show enantiotropic nematic behavior in a broad temperature range, confirmed by a polarizing thermomicroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Detailed synthetic procedures are attached. Synthesized compounds show a significantly reduced absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) and medium-wavelength infrared (MWIR) radiation range, and stand as promising components of medium to highly birefringent liquid crystalline mixtures.
It is very challenging for various visual tasks such as image fusion, pedestrian detection and image-to-image translation in low light conditions due to the loss of effective target areas. In this case, infrared and visible images can be used together to provide both rich detail information and effective target areas. In this paper, we present LLVIP, a visible-infrared paired dataset for low-light vision. This dataset contains 33672 images, or 16836 pairs, most of which were taken at very dark scenes, and all of the images are strictly aligned in time and space. Pedestrians in the dataset are labeled. We compare the dataset with other visible-infrared datasets and evaluate the performance of some popular visual algorithms including image fusion, pedestrian detection and image-to-image translation on the dataset. The experimental results demonstrate the complementary effect of fusion on image information, and find the deficiency of existing algorithms of the three visual tasks in very low-light conditions. We believe the LLVIP dataset will contribute to the community of computer vision by promoting image fusion, pedestrian detection and image-to-image translation in very low-light applications. The dataset is being released in https://bupt-ai-cz.github.io/LLVIP/.
Background: Clopidogrel and aspirin combination remains a cornerstone for modern dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following coronary stenting. Although monitoring is not currently recommended, certain high-risk cohorts may benefit from tailoring antiplatelet options to reduce thrombotic or/and hemorrhagic risks. Patients with diminished estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) are prone to both vascular occlusions and bleeding events in whom monitoring may be especially advantageous. We compared the residual platelet reactivity assessed by 3 conventional tests during the maintenance antiplatelet therapy dependent on eGFR. Methods: Post-stenting patients (n = 701) receiving aspirin 100 mg/daily and clopidogrel 75 mg/daily were prospectively enrolled in the cross-sectional single-center study. Patients were dichotomized into 5 groups: eGFR >90, 60-89, 30-59, <30 ml/min/1.73 m2, and dialysis. Platelet reactivity by VerifyNow™, light transmittance aggregometry (LTA), and Multiplate analyzer by multiple electrode platelet aggregometry (MEA) assays together with eGFR calculations were done simultaneously at 1 month after coronary stenting. Results: VerifyNow assay distinguished residual platelet reactivity dependent on eGFR deterioration (191 ± 72 vs. 216 ± 78 vs. 248 ± 80 vs. 264 ± 70 vs. 317 ± 96 PRU; p < 0.001). In contrast, LTA (34.3 ± 18.1 vs. 34.7 ± 18.1 vs. 38.0 ± 16.6 vs. 33.0 ± 17.3 vs. 34.1 ± 29.3%; p = 0.242), or MEA (37.2 ± 19.6 vs. 33.8 ± 18.4 vs. 38.6 ± 21.4 vs. 36.5 ± 20.5 vs. 38.3 ± 28.3 AU/min; p = 0.086) failed to triage platelet reactivity in renal patients. Agreement among assays to identify patients with impaired platelet reactivity and eGFR during antiplatelet therapy was low. The multivariable regression analyses confirmed the VerifyNow advantage, since the differences in the platelet reactivity were highly significant for all renal impairment (RI) groups. In contrast, LTA did not distinguish RI patients, and for the MEA, only RI5 (dialysis) cohort exhibit borderline significant decline of residual platelet reactivity. Conclusion: Among 3 assays, VerifyNow was capable to reliably triage residual platelet reactivity in post-stenting DAPT patients dependent on the gradual decline of eGFR during therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin. These data should be confirmed in a large validation longitudinal trial, and may justify future platelet activity monitoring for potential regimen/dose adjustment in high-risk patients. The clinical implications of these data are still unclear, but may give an indication as to whether or when DAPT dose adjustment will become a reality.
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory is responsible for the design and construction of a large bore 900 MHz NMR magnet. The magnet's protection system consists of an active quench detector circuit controlling a persistent switch electrically in series with the magnet. The quench heater network is electrically in parallel with this persistent switch and powered when the switch is resistive. Heater network design entails a definition of the design constraints required to operate the 900 MHz magnet, a review of the material properties, and the developmental data to validate the design. Quench heater development will entail power testing and quench initiation studies. Heater power testing will establish the reliability of the epoxy heater interface. Quench initiation studies will measure the characteristic times required to induce quench in coils at design fields. This paper presents developmental progress on the power testing results, and a discussion of the power testing results on the heater network design for 900 MHz.
INTRODUCTION The potential translation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy into a multimodal protocol for traumatic brain injury requires evaluation of viability and cytokine production in a hyperosmolar environment. Optimization of MSC therapy requires delivery to the target area without significant loss of cellular function or viability. No model evaluating the potential efficacy of MSC therapy at varying osmolarities currently exists.   METHODS Rat MSCs were characterized with flow cytometric immunophenotyping. MSCs (passage 3) were placed in culture with multipotent adult progenitor cell media at varying osmolarities (250, 270, 290, 310, 330, 350 and 370 mOsm) potentially found with hypertonic saline infusion. After culture for 24 h, cellular viability was measured using flow cytometry (n = 6). Next, brain tissue supernatant was harvested from both normal rat brains and injured brains 6 h after cortical injury. Subsequently, MSCs were placed in culture with multipotent adult progenitor cell media +/- 20% normal brain or injured brain supernatant (at the aforementioned osmolarities) and allowed to remain in culture for 24 h (n = 11). At this point, media supernatant cytokine levels were measured using a multiplex cytokine assay system.   RESULTS MSCs showed no clinically significant difference in viability at 24 h. MSCs cultured with 20% injured brain supernatant showed an decrease in proinflammatory cytokine production (IL-1alpha and IL-1beta) with increasing osmolarity. No difference in anti-inflammatory cytokine production (IL-4 and IL-10) was observed.   CONCLUSION Progenitor cell therapy for traumatic brain injury may require survival and activity in a hyperosmolar environment. Culture of MSCs in such conditions shows no clinically significant effect on cell viability. In addition, MSC efficacy could potentially be enhanced via a decrease in proinflammatory cytokine production. Overall, a multimodal traumatic brain injury treatment protocol based upon MSC infusion and hypertonic saline therapy would not negatively affect progenitor cell efficacy and could be considered for multicenter clinical trials.
Software reuse is the use of existing software artifacts to build new system rather than building from scratch. It has potential in improving the quality, the productivity, and reduces the overall software development cost. Reusable software components are usually kept in a components library or repository, from where they can be retrieved during reuse. In this paper we present a fast way of identifying a subset of repository models that are potentially similar to a user query prior to retrieval stage. The shortlisted repository models are then compared with the query models in a subsequent computationally demanding retrieval stage to ascertain their actual degree of similarity with the query models. Our method of selecting the subset of repository models is called Pre-filtering. This technique lead to significant reduction in retrieval time, especially when the repository contained large number of candidates solutions to be analyzed during retrieval.
Simulations of outdoor sound propagation are compromised by many sources of uncertainty and error. A key step in validating computational acoustics models, which may be interpreted as the act of assessing predictive skill, is estimating ensemble sound pressure variability due to uncertainties in the parameters that define the propagation conditions. This paper describes elementary steps toward achieving this goal. The atmospheric surface layer is represented through Monin‐Obukhov similarity theory and the acoustic ground properties with a relaxation model. Randomness is assumed across appropriate ranges of the governing parameters. The parameters are modeled herein as independent random variables, but future efforts will extend this formulation to include random field models of the parameters with varying levels of correlation. Sound propagation is predicted with the parabolic equation method. Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) are employed to develop low‐dimension re...
Abstract Intestinal angioedema caused by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors such as lisinopril is rare but well documented in the literature. Patients with this condition typically present with common symptoms such as diffuse abdominal pain, cramping, nausea, and emesis. Imaging is needed to reveal segmental edema of the small intestine, often associated with free fluid in the abdomen. The authors report 2 cases of intestinal angioedema caused by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Awareness of this allergic reaction and careful history taking—noting temporal relationship to occurrence of symptoms—are essential to diagnose this condition; laboratory and radiologic findings are needed to confirm the diagnosis. An accurate diagnosis helps the patient recover quickly and avoid complications from unnecessary tests and invasive procedures.
Abstract Aim: The author reports on whether sexual history was documented in files of persons with alcohol-use disorders as part of initial intake by psychiatry postgraduate trainees. Methodology: Chart review of files of persons with alcohol use disorders. Results: A total of 53 charts were reviewed to determine whether sexual history was documented. Sexual history was not documented in 79.24% of the files as part of the initial psychiatric intake. Conclusions: Postgraduate psychiatric trainees do not document sexual history in files of persons with alcohol-use disorders as part of initial intake. This is an important issue to be addressed as part of postgraduate psychiatry training.
Mycobacterium scrofulaceum is an environmental mycobacterial species rarely reported to cause disseminated infection in adults. We report the case of a disseminated M. scrofulaceum infection in a 55-year-old nonhuman immunodeficiency virus-infected Thai man with anti-interferon-γ autoantibodies. The clinical signs of the infection improved after the induction regimen with amikacin, rifampicin, ethambutol, and clarithromycin, followed by the consolidation regimen with ethambutol, clarithromycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Our review of previous reported cases of this infection indicates its association with immune deficiency, complex treatment, and a high rate of unfavorable outcomes.
In modern design flows, technology-dependent logic optimizations consist of technology mapping and transformations applied after mapping. Advances have been made in technology mapping in the last decade. However, it is inherently an intractable problem and state-of-the-art algorithms produce suboptimal netlists in terms of area and timing. Also, during the design flow, when physical information becomes available, wire loads and net delays change the timing values at the gates. That presents opportunities for further timing and area optimization. This is accomplished by transforms such as gate sizing, gate replication, buffer optimization, restructuring and remapping, and pin permutation. In this paper, we survey algorithms for technology-dependent optimizations, along with a comparison of their relative power to optimize the netlist.
We propose a new family of natural generalizations of the pentagram map from 2D to higher dimensions and prove their integrability on generic twisted and closed polygons. In dimension $d$ there are $d-1$ such generalizations called dented pentagram maps, and we describe their geometry, continuous limit, and Lax representations with a spectral parameter. We prove algebraic-geometric integrability of the dented pentagram maps in the 3D case and compare the dimensions of invariant tori for the dented maps with those for the higher pentagram maps constructed with the help of short diagonal hyperplanes. When restricted to corrugated polygons, the dented pentagram maps coincide between themselves and with the corresponding corrugated pentagram map. Finally, we prove integrability for a variety of pentagram maps for generic and partially corrugated polygons in higher dimensions.
This paper presents the application at Panama starting in October, 2010 of the initiative Efficient and Transparent Municipalities – MuNet developed by the Organization of American States – OAS. The objective of this project is to help Latin-American municipalities to use ICT tools to improve efficiency and transparency in its activities. The phase I was developed between 2005 and 2006 in 22 municipalities distributed in 11 Latin-American countries supported by 5 experts of 5 different nationalities. The process implies a diagnosis of the general situation of the municipality including technological aspects, transparency and efficiency perceptions, and citizen participation development. Besides the diagnosis, participants receive a course for the Introduction to the Formulation of Electronic Government Strategies in order to prepare a strategy proposal to apply electronic government with collaboration of a Consultancy Team and a Task Force defined by the Major in each municipality. The document approved by the society and the political ambit is implemented by the Task Force. In some cases, using the technological support offered by the project, specifically with software applications to develop the WEB page of the municipality – MuniPortal –, another software – MuniCompra – to improve the buying process, another to support the creation of a one stop window for the municipality services – MuniServi –and a last one – MuniParticipa – to improve the citizen participation.
We present a detailed analysis of finite-frequency noise for the ν = 5/2 fractional quantum Hall state in a quantum point contact geometry. The results were obtained within the Pfaffian and anti-Pfaffian models. We show that the behaviour of the coloured noise allows us to unambiguously discriminate among tunnelling excitations with different charges. Optimal values of the external bias are found in order to emphasize the visibility of the noise peak associated with the tunnelling of a 2-agglomerate, namely an excitation with charge that is double the fundamental one. These correspond to the regime in which the bias is larger than the neutral modes cut-off frequency. The dependence on temperature is also investigated to discriminate between the considered models.
Single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) was used in the present study to detect the DNA damage induced by Di-(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in three organs (liver, testis, and brain) of mice. The results showed that DEHP could induce DNA damage in mice, and the damage effect increased with the concentrations of DEHP, indicating the dose-dependent manner of DEHP toxicity. A significant DNA breakage was observed in the cells of testis, stomach and brain was the concentration of DEHP was 375mg/kg (p<0.01). Meanwhile, DEHP at concentration of 125mg/kg could induce significant DNA breakage in the cells of liver (p<0.01). When the concentration of DEHP was 500mg/kg, DNA breakage was not significant except in brain cells, which may be probably resulted from the formation of crosslinks. These results combined suggested that DEHP could induce DNA damage in mice.
The disposal of unwanted and expired medications has been a concern to public health practitioners, and patients alike. The objective of the current investigation was to look closely at the practice of patients and cares in Nablus-Palestine with regard to disposal of unused or expired medicines. The study was a cross-sectional survey administered via face-to-face structured interviews with randomly selected patients, community pharmacists and physicians from Nablus-Palestine. Two hundred and fifty patients/cares completed a questionnaire regarding medicines disposal current practice, effects on environment, and their views to overcome this problem. Most of the people completing the questionnaire (67%) stated that they throw unwanted medicines in the normal household bins, and about 75% think that this can impose illegal and environmental hazards. Nearly half of the questionnaire showed that main reason for need to dispose medicines was possessing expired ones with almost believe there should be more appropriate way to dispose medicines. About 95% said they have not been directed for safe disposal of medicines with 46% thinking that a national campaign can be very educative in this issue mainly through Ministry of Health (54%) followed by .73% of the sampled patients were in favor of national campaign to direct people to safe disposal of medicines. This pilot study in Nablus clearly highlights the need for appropriate method for safe disposal of medicines in Palestine through guidelines in pharmacies and hospitals. A well organized method for collecting unwanted medicines from people should be encouraged through appropriate teaching of patients and carers about effects of waste medicines on environment as well as being domestic hazard. The data and information is valuable for furthering discussions regarding patients behaviour and also provides a basis for future research into determining what quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are disposed, enter the environment and what effects it can impose.
Nanocrystalline materials have attracted a great deal of attention because of their intriguing size/shape-dependent properties. Remarkable progress has been made in the fabrication of zero, one, and two-dimensional (0D, 1D, and 2D) nano-materials such as nanoparticles, rods (wires, cables, tubes, ribbons, and helixes), and sheets. [1–4] However, it is still a challenge to develop simple “bottom-up” techniques for preparing functional ringlike objects in strict circular, oval, or polygonal forms. The ability to construct artificial ringlike building units has implications in the design of complex nanostructures for precise nanofabrication. [5] Because of their unique structural features, ringlike objects exhibit novel properties with ring cavities. This may strongly enhance the functionality of nanomaterials. For instance, remarkably uniform field enhancement effect occurs in the cavities of gold nanorings. It has been demonstrated that they could serve as resonant nanocavities for holding or probing smaller nanostructures (e.g., biomolecules or quantum dots) in sensing and spectroscopy applications. [6] In virtue of their stably retained vortex states, magnetic nanorings have been proposed for applications in high-density magnetic storage and vertical magnetic random access memory (V-MRAM). [7] To date, the fabrication of ringlike structures is almost limited to either electron beam lithography (EBL) or template techniques. [8–10] However, the high cost and complexity associated with the introduction of templates has limited the practical application of these approaches. Among various strategies, solution-phase methods appear to be of particular interest for preparing nanostructures since they offer the potential
Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) and Transfer Learning (TL) are two widespread methods of successfully deploying ML models to resource-starving devices. Tiny ML provides compact models, that can run on resource-constrained environments, while TL contributes to the performance of the model by using pre-existing knowledge. So, in this work we propose a simple but efficient TL method, applied to three types of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), by retraining more than the last fully connected layer of a CNN in the target device, and specifically one or more of the last convolutional layers. Our results shown that our proposed method (FxC1) achieves about increase in accuracy and increase in convergence speed, while it incurs a bit larger energy consumption overhead, compared to two baseline techniques, namely one that retrains the last fully connected layer, and another that retrains the whole network.
Introduction and Objective: Existing epidemiologic data do not support an association between circulating levels of sex steroid hormones and risk of prostate cancer. Although it has been suggested that the combined action of androgens and estrogens9specifically their balance9may play a key role in prostate carcinogenesis, epidemiologic studies to evaluate this hypothesis are sparse, have assessed a limited number of sex steroid hormones, and have provided inconsistent results. We investigated associations between serum sex hormones9with a particular focus on estrogen metabolites9and risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Study Population, Design and Methods: In a case-control study nested within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial, we measured 15 parent serum estrogens (estrone and estradiol) and estrogen metabolites, including those in the C-2, -4, or 16 hydroxylation pathways, using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) assay. Cases (n=195) were defined as non-Hispanic white men diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer (stage III or IV and/or Gleason ≥7) between and 1994 and 2009 who were 55–70 years at diagnosis. Controls (n=195) were non-Hispanic white men who were free from prostate cancer for the duration of follow-up and frequency-matched to cases by age at study entry (5-yr intervals), time since baseline screen (1-yr time windows) and year of blood draw. Only cases and controls included in a previous study that measured serum androgens and sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were eligible. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results: Individual parent estrogens and individual estrogen metabolites were unrelated to risk of aggressive prostate cancer; with the exception of a non-linear inverse relationship between cancer and levels of methylated catechols, namely 2- and 4-methoxyestrone. However, there was an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer associated with an increasing ratio of 2:16 hydroxyestrone (fourth vs. first quartile: OR 2.44, 95% CI 1.34–4.45, p trend=0.001) and a strong trend of decreasing prostate cancer risk with an increasing ratio of estradiol to testosterone (fourth vs. first quartile: OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.12–0.59, p trend=0.003). Conclusion: We observed a strong protective effect of higher serum estradiol to testosterone levels in relation to risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Men with higher concentrations of methylated catechols in the 2- and 4-hydroxylation pathway may have a reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer, while those with higher ratios of 2:16 hydroxyestrone may be at increased risk. These findings suggest a role for sex steroid hormone metabolism in prostate carcinogenesis. Citation Format: Amanda Black, Paul F. Pinsky, Robert L. Grubb, III, Roni T. Falk, Ann W. Hsing, Lisa W. Chu, Tamra E. Meyer, Tim Veenstra, Xia Xu, Kai Yu, Louise A. Brinton, Robert N. Hoover, Michael B. Cook. Estrogen metabolism in relation to the risk of aggressive prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr A53.
The magnetization reversal of magnetic multilayers with spin-valve like characteristics, patterned into an array of parallel stripes, was structurally and magnetically analyzed, in detail, via x-ray scattering, magnetometry, and polarized neutron reflectivity. Each stripe contains a multiple repetition of the layer sequence [Fe/Cr/Co/Cr]. X-ray and neutron scattering maps of the patterned multilayer show rich details resulting from the superposition of Bragg peaks representing the lateral in-plane periodicity and the out-of-plane multilayer period. Detailed analysis of specular and off-specular polarized neutron intensity was used to ascertain the antiparallel alignment of the Co and Fe magnetization within the kink region of their combined hysteresis loop between the coercive fields of Fe and Co layers. This includes also an examination of domain formation and inter- as well as intra-stripe correlation effects upon magnetization reversal. Our combined study shows that the shape induced anisotropy via patterning is capable of overriding the four-fold crystal anisotropy but is unable to eliminate the ripple domain state of the Co layers, already present in the continuous multilayer.
Electrical field stimulation of brain slices previously incubated with 'H-labeled transmitters is a widely employed method to study transmitter release. Of particular interest has been the study of presynaptic autoreceptors, the activation of which by released transmitter causes inhibition of action potential-evoked transmitter release.' Since the introduction of a method to elicit transmitter release with a single pulse of electrical stimulation,* a condition that allows the examination of release in the absence or near absence of presynaptic inhibition, detailed analyses regarding this mechanism have been carried out. Thus, investigations on autoinhibition using onepulse stimulation have been performed on release of 3H-noradrenaline ('H-NA) from slices of rat brain cortex,' as well as of release of 'H-NA, 'H-dopamine ('H-DA), and 3H-acetylcholine from slices of rabbit brain cortex or ~ t r i a t u m . ~ The present study, in its first part, expands these investigations by examining release of 'H-NA and 'H-DA evoked by single pulses as well as by four pulses delivered a t frequencies from 0.0125 Hz to 100 Hz, i.e., pulse-to-pulse intervals of 80 seconds to 10 milliseconds. It was the aim of the experiments to fully explore the properties of negative feedback mediated through presynaptic alpha, and dopamine receptors in the rat brain. The second part of the study deals with the problem of pharmacological analyses of the release-modulating presynaptic receptor under ongoing autoinhibition of release. The determination of the dissociation constant ( K A ) of the alpha,adrenoceptor agonist 5-bromo-6-(2-imidazolin-2-ylamino)quinoxaline (UK-14,304)5 was chosen as example. Concentration-response curves for the agonist were generated using two types of electrical stimulation, i.e., without and with activation of autoinhibition, in brain slices from control rats and in slices of rats treated with the irreversible alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist N-cthoxycarbonyl-2-ethoxy-1,2-dihydroquinoline (EEDQ).6 Classical Furchgott analysis7 was used to determine K A . The results bear out the expectation that released transmitter in the biophase, by acting as endogenous agonist, will lead to an underestimation of the dissociation constant of the exogenous agonist.
Chapter Seven, “The Duty to Treat Others as Equals: Who Stands Under It?,” focuses on the obligations of governments and private individuals to treat people as equals. The author considers several arguments for the claim that governments owe those whom they govern a duty to treat them as equals. The author then turns to the duties of individuals. The author argues that we do not acquire a duty to treat others as equals only when we occupy certain institutional roles. Rather, we always have an obligation to treat others as equals, in the specific senses discussed in this book: we must not unfairly subordinate some to others, or infringe their right to a particular deliberative freedom, or deny them access to a basic good when it is in our power to give it to them. The author argues that this obligation is not too demanding, and distinguishes it from the duty to give equal concern to everyone’s interests in one’s deliberations. The author tries to show that this duty is consistent with recognizing the importance of a variety of individual freedoms, and that there are often good reasons for the state not to use anti-discrimination law to regulate decisions made in more personal contexts. The author also explains why, nevertheless, the state has an obligation to help us fulfil our obligations in these more personal context, by creating the conditions under which we can relate to others as equals.
Abstract In recent years the number of studies which attempt comparisons without adequate randomization has increased rapidly, particularly in disciplines and areas of research involving human populations. This article highlights some of the more important developments (and emerging needs) in the design and analysis of such investigations. It provides a historical overview of those techniques adapted to bias reduction, covers recent developments in contingency table analysis, particularly as this relates to the identification and estimation of possible bias components, and considers recent work on the statistical evaluation of methods of bias removal. Since it is clearly relevant to considerations of bias, pertinent work on measurement error is also included.
AN UNDERSTANDING OF music implies much more than merely the mastery of the bare techniques of harmony, counterpoint, composition, etc. This fact is borne out by the failure of so many music students to be even vaguely aware of what goes on during the performance of a musical composition, even with a "heavy" background in the so-called fundamentals of music. This is doubtless due, in some measure, to the fact that most courses in harmony, ear-training, etc., do not take into consideration the "trimmings" which separate a Beethoven theme from the ordinary classroom exercise. A student may play, sing, listen to and write the chord progression I, IV, V, I and yet after doing so will not recognize the same when embellished by Chopin in something as simple as his Ab Waltz. It is assumed--and I think falsely so-that through a study of the separate elements of music an understanding of music will follow. This conclusion would seem invalid for the same reason that an understanding and an awareness of the aesthetic values of poetry and prose do not follow from a study of the parts of speech, poetic meter, rhyme and the like. There is a missing link, and that is the artistic combination of all these elements into an organized whole. Where the parts are lacking in emotional significance, the art product of a Beethoven or a Browning is so overpowering to the senses that it requires familiarity, keen insight and extensive experience in the field of the arts to be fully sensitive to all that is expressed. All this merely corroborates the Gestalt theory as applied to music. Realizing these facts, it is easy to see why a student of music resents the labor and struggle which accompanies the mastery of such colorless, insignificant and unfruitful techniques as those to which he is so often subjected. Throughout his period of musical study he is exposed to very little music, with the result that when faced with an aesthetic musical whole he finds little transfer from his training in "bit by bit" listening and performing, and encounters insurmountable obstacles in grasping what seems to him ambiguous and complex. On the contrary, if a student is exposed to and guided in listening to as much music as can possibly be given him, the basic structural principles will be more readily grasped because of the vital significance then attached to them. Mastering all the rules of harmony extant cannot sell a Bach chorale. But, try a Stokowski recording and see what happens. Once the listener is thrilled and impressed by a piece of music, there is little he won't do to learn more about it. And once he discovers the need for technical facility, he will be pleased to learn it. As a demonstration of this, the symphonies of Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikowsky (chosen only for the richness and adaptability of the material) can serve as the basic text for a so-called intermediate course in ear training. In this way the techniques can be put in their proper place and have a valid relation to the whole. The use of the symphony orchestra enhances immediately the appeal, not to mention musical value, of such a course. Although piano transcriptions of symphonic works are invaluable for study, they cannot hope to serve as a substitute for the same in their original orchestral form. The piano must be recognized as having definite limitations and used accordingly. The historical, cultural and emotional values have their part in developing complete sensitivity to music, and why they should be so completely separated from the intellectual or analytical elements has not been convincingly argued. The emotional content of melody, harmony and rhythm is undeniable, and how fascinating these elements become when observed in such a light! From such an approach, insight into the character of the composer, the characteristics of his period and country can be learned. Composers' styles and idiom can be traced, vicissitudes and innovations-formal and otherwise-can be observed, and countless other artistic values can attend the learning of these specific techniques.
Worm Mutants, an IBI Prize–winning module, offers Biology majors the opportunity to identify mutants and learn about genes that regulate biological functions. With ∼36,000 students enrolled, the University of North Texas is the fourth largest state university in Texas. To provide each of the >1800 undergraduate Biology majors the opportunity to participate in a discovery-based project, we developed “Worm Mutants,” a worm mutant screen module for the required genetics laboratory, where students apply approaches used by geneticists to identify genes that regulate biological processes.
The panelists in this session accepted a challenge. Each agreed to perform a first-pass GOMS/Model Human Processor (MHP) analysis (Card, Moran, & Newell, 1983) based upon a “mystery” videotape that would be sent to them prior to the conference. They also agreed that at the conference they would, in real-time, compare their analyses, discuss why and how each of their analysis differed from the others, and attempt to derive a second-pass, consensual analysis. It was understood that the domain of the videotape would be one to which GOMS/MHP had not yet been applied. (Indeed, they were told that it might be a domain for which many people believed that GOMS/MHP could not be applied.) The mystery videotape was sent out this summer. As threatened it involved a type of task for which a GOMS analysis had never been done. The videotape showed an expert user interacting with a computer ir a real-time interactive environment, one that involves alternative subgoals, realtime decision making, and real-time recovery from errors. The expert is 9 years old. The task is Super Mario III™. GOMS Background. GOMS has come out of the basic research laboratory to become a valuable tool for the practitioner. GOMS analyses of user interactions have been accepted by major corporations as a way to evaluate telephone operator workstations (quantitative prediction), to interpret confusing results from empirical trials (qualitative explanation), and as a means to structure documentation and HELP for major, consumer, software applications (prescriptive guidance). Despite these successes GOMS (as well as analytic modeling in general) has not had the wide-spread application that it should. There are, at least, two reasons why this is so. First, while GOMS analyses are straight forward (if time-consuming) for those with experience doing them, it is hard for the uninitiated to know where to begin. Most of those who currently use GOMS have acquired their initial skill as an apprentice to a recognized GOMS-master. Second, and related to the first, it seems difficult for the neophyte to imagine applying GOMS to a domain for which a precedent does not exist. Hence we have the has-not-yet-been-done-and-therefore-cannot-be-done phenomena. For example, at one period everyone knew that GOMS was only good for tasks like text-editing (1983 common knowledge), later on it was spreadsheets (1988 common knowledge), still later help systems and documentation (1989 common knowledge), and now phone company type tasks (1990 common knowledge). But GOMS has not (and therefore cannot?) be used for real-time, interactive environments. Likewise it has not (and cannot?) handle alternative subgoals, realtime decision making, and so on. Both of these problems were presented as a challenge to the panel members. While the outcome is by no means certain, we challenge the attendees of HFS ′90 to come, watch, and participate. Panelists Background. Mike Atwood, the panel chair and discussant, works with the Intelligent Interfaces Group at the NYNEX Science and Technology Center. He is interested in the Cognitive Engineering side of Cognitive Science and sees GOMS and its related developments (such as Cognitive Complexity Theory and Cognitive Walk-Thrus) as the current best hope of the field. Jay Elkerton is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan's Center for Ergonomics. He is a veteran of many HFS conferences at which he has presented his and his students' work on applying GOMS to the design of on-line computer help and to the design of minimalist documentation. His current, GOMS-related interests include applying GOMS/MHP to explain and design direct-manipulation interfaces. Wayne Gray is a Member of Technical Staff at the NYNEX Science & Technology Center. At HFS ′89 he presented preliminary data on a project that compared empirical data with GOMS-based predictions. That project is billed as the World's First Real-World validation of GOMS. His current, GOMS-related interests include using GOMS for interface design as both a prescriptive and descriptive tool. Bonnie John is a Research Scientist of Computer Science and Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science. For her dissertation she developed GOMS models of stimulus-response compatibility and expert transcription typing. She showed that quantitative parameters could apply across task domains and that a GOMS model could explain more data and make better predictions than other typing models. This work extended the GOMS keystroke paradigm to include parallel activities and critical path analysis. Her long term goal in this area is to develop GOMS into an off-the-shelve tool that designers and engineers will find easy to use, convenient, and useful. Judith Olson is a professor in the Computer & Information Systems Department of the University of Michigan. She has applied GOMS to help analyze the differences in cognitive demands made by two different spreadsheet packages and, recently, has written a review of GOMS theory and application which will be appearing in Human-Computer Interaction. Her continuing interest in GOMS is as a vehicle to study basic cognitive processes as well as a framework for HCI applications.
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a severe adverse cutaneous drug reaction with mortality up to 10%. It is a rare condition with risk varying between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10 000 drug exposures. The aim of the study was to describe clinical features, management and drugs responsible for causing DRESS. The study was retrospective, observational study. The data of patients admitted to hospital with diagnosis of DRESS during study period (March 2018 to February 2020), were retrieved and analyzed. The descriptive data of patients were summarized. The continuous variables were summarized as mean ± SD and/or median, depending on the skewness of the data. The categorical variables were expressed as absolute numbers, frequency, and proportions (%). The data was tabulated and analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2019 version. A total of 20 patients who met inclusion criteria (probable or definite DRESS as per RegiSCAR criteria) were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 41.2 ± 15.7 years. The average latency period was 26.45 ± 5.65 days (range: 7‐60). The commonest culprit drugs were dapsone and phenytoin, each in five (25%) patients. Commonest morphology of rash was morbilliform in 13 (65%) patients. One patient with targetoid rash had multi‐organ involvement. Facial edema, periorbital edema, and conjunctival injection were seen in 17 (85%), seven (35%), and six (30%) cases, respectively. Eosinophilia was present in 18 (90%) patients with mean (±SD) value of 1976 ± 840 cells/μl. Liver was the commonest internal organ involved in 14 (70%) patients and kidney in three (15%) patients. The initial dose of prednisolone for treatment varied from 0.75 to 2 mg/kg/day. The mean duration of steroid treatment was 64 ± 21 days. Two patients were treated with intravenous methylprednisolone and one with intravenous immunoglobulin. Two patients (10%) had recurrence of adverse drug reaction >6 months after completion of initial treatment and two (10%) developed autoimmune thyroiditis during follow‐up. Small sample size and retrospective nature of the study were main limitations. Selection bias is a possibility as study was carried out in tertiary care center. Tests for incriminating culprit drugs such as patch test, intradermal test, and lymphocyte transformation test were not performed. DRESS is a rare disease that can be diagnosed early with high index of suspicion and treated successfully with steroids. The internal organ involvement is common in DRESS and requires a thorough evaluation.
An effective design is proposed to solve the design of acoustical treatemnts in enclosures at low frequencies, especially below the Schroeder frequency. In this paper, the boundary element method is used to predict the sound field of acoustical systems. The Sequential Quadratic Programming is selected as the continuous design variable optimizer, and the Branch and Bound method is used to treat the non-continuous design variable. A two-dimensional rectangular cavity is demonstrated. The general agreement between this paper and previous work [Berhard and Takeo, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 83 (6)] is considered good enough for the proposed tool to be used for preliminary design studies of acoustical treatments in enclosures.
Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) was first described 60 years ago’ as a disease of the human central nervous system (CNS) which manifests itself as a diffuse encephalitis with sclerosing inflammation of the white and grey matter.’ Dependent on the neuropathological changes emphasised by different researchers, other names given were panencephalomyelitis, subacute sclerosing leukoencephalitis and inclusion body encephalitis. The histopathology of the disease is characterised by the presence of necrotic neurones and intracytoplasmic and intranuclear Cowdry type A inclusion bodies in the brain tissue of the affected individual.’ Clinically the disease is characterised by the appearance of severe neurological disturbances in the affected children or adolescents and the development of many motor dysfunctions and myoclonic jerks. These are often preceded by milder symptoms in which the patients are unable to concentrate and show intellectual deterioration. The latter are often not recognised as early signs of SSPE. A recent epidemiological study found that children with learning difficulties are present at higher frequency in the SSPE patient groups than in the general population indicating that the persistent viral infection may have had an effect, long before the onset of characteristic symptoms. In the final stages the patients lapse into coma and die.’ In most cases the disease progresses to death within I to 3 years. However, much shorter (3 months) disease processes with acute fulminant encephalitis are known as well as much longer processes (10 years) in which apparent remissions and relapses take place. These differences are as yet totally unexplained by any of the proposed pathogenic mechanisms. SSPE has to be distinguished from a disease occurring in children with an immune system compromised by the use of drugs or by genetic factors, i.e. measles inclusion body encephalitis (MIBE). This disease follows the same sort of clinical progression as SSPE, although often in a shorter time span. Usually, the immune responses to measles antigens that characterise SSPE (see below) are absent in this d i~ease .~
In this report, an atypical case of Noonan syndrome (NS) associated with sarcomeric hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in a 33-year-old patient was described. Genetic testing revealed two different disease-causing mutations: a mutation in the PTPN11 gene, explaining NS, and a mutation in the MYBPC3 gene, known to be associated with HCM. This case exemplifies the challenge in achieving a definite etiological diagnosis in patients with HCM and the need to exclude other diseases mimicking this condition (genocopies or phenocopies). Compound heterozygous mutations are rare but possible in HCM patients. In conclusion, this study highlights the important role of genetic testing as a necessary diagnostic tool for performing a definitive etiological diagnosis of HCM.
A mathematical model was presented to calculate phosphorus flux across water-soil interface of construc- ted wetlands by employing hydrodynamic dispersion and sorption theory.A critical value of inflow phosphorus con- centration(C_R)was derived from the model.The critical value can be used to indicate the shift condition as nutri- ents sink or source of wetlands.According to the model,removal of phosphorus is a joint effect of hydrodynamic dispersion and sorption.During the first few years after construction of wetlands,the sorption process is dominant resulting in a low value of C_R.During that period,the condition of the wetland as a nutrient sink can be easily sat- isfied,which make the wetland effectively remove phosphorus.After several years' running,the wetland soil may become sorption-saturated,which make the hydrodynamic dispersion process dominant.This further results in an increased value of C_R.At that stage,the condition of the wetland as a nutrient sink may be hardly met,and the wetland may function as a nutrient source rather than a sink.The model presented in this paper is physically based and can explain the decline of phosphorus removal efficiency of a wetland with time and the shift condition as a sink or a source.The model was used to interpret the observation data of a constructed wetland right upstream of Fuxian- hu Lake,Yunnan Province.It was concluded that the wetland did not have apparent phosphorus removal effects af- ter two years' operating with a value of 0.58 mg/L for C_R.
A role for antigen-driven stimulation has been proposed in the pathogenesis of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma (MM) based largely on the binding properties of monoclonal Ig. However, insights into antigen binding to clonal B cell receptors and in vivo responsiveness of the malignant clone to antigen-mediated stimulation are needed to understand the role of antigenic stimulation in tumor growth. Lysolipid-reactive clonal Ig were detected in Gaucher disease (GD) and some sporadic gammopathies. Here, we show that recombinant Ig (rIg) cloned from sort-purified single tumor cells from lipid-reactive sporadic and GD-associated gammopathy specifically bound lysolipids. Liposome sedimentation and binding assays confirmed specific interaction of lipid-reactive monoclonal Ig with lysolipids. The clonal nature of lysolipid-binding Ig was validated by protein sequencing. Gene expression profiling and cytogenetic analyses from 2 patient cohorts showed enrichment of nonhyperdiploid tumors in lipid-reactive patients. In vivo antigen-mediated stimulation led to an increase in clonal Ig and plasma cells (PCs) in GD gammopathy and also reactivated previously suppressed antigenically related nonclonal PCs. These data support a model wherein antigenic stimulation mediates an initial polyclonal phase, followed by evolution of monoclonal tumors enriched in nonhyperdiploid genomes, responsive to underlying antigen. Targeting underlying antigens may therefore prevent clinical MM.
Since 2004, Ireland has included in its system of social welfare payments criteria for receipt which limit the extent to which immigrants can receive welfare payments. In this paper, we compare the rates of receipt of welfare for immigrants and natives to see if the outcome is consistent with the operation of this policy. Using data from 2008, we generally find lower rates of welfare receipt among immigrants. While the numbers of immigrants claiming unemployment-related payments surged at the outset of the recession, there appears to have been a quicker stabilisation in the number of immigrants claiming such benefits relative to natives, based on official data from 2007 to 2010. This would be consistent with the on-going implementation of the type of criteria introduced in 2004.
Electroplax, single cells dissected from electric tissue of Electrophorus, are labeled in a two-step procedure: reduction by dithiothreitol followed by alkylation by the affinity label 4-(N-maleimido)-alpha-benzyltri-[methyl-(3)H]methylammonium iodide, either alone or in combination with [2,3-(14)C]N-ethylmaleimide. Electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate on polyacrylamide gel of an extract, prepared with this detergent, of single-labeled or of double-labeled cells results in a major peak of (3)H activity, with a mobility corresponding to a polypeptide of molecular weight 42,000. In addition, in the double-labeled samples, there is a unique peak in the ratio of (3)H to (14)C that is coincident with the (3)H peak. The electrophoretic patterns of extracts of cells in which affinity alkylation of the reduced receptor has been suppressed by dithiobischoline, an affinity oxidizing agent, by cobratoxin, an irreversible ligand, or by hexamethonium, a reversible ligand, show a considerably diminished peak of (3)H activity in the region of molecular weight 42,000. This is the predominant difference between the electrophoretic patterns of extracts of unprotected and of protected cells. Furthermore, extracts of cells protected with dithiobischoline before labeling with both tritiated affinity label and [(14)C]N-ethylmaleimide do not show the peak in the (3)H to (14)C ratio seen in the absence of protection. Thus, by several diverse criteria, the peak of (3)H activity corresponding to a molecular weight of 42,000 contains affinity-labeled acetylcholine receptor or receptor subunit.
Binding s i t e s for p r o l a c t i n have been i d e n t i f i e d and characterized in a plasma membrane enriched f r a c t i o n i s o lated from l i v e r s of mature female rats. By chemical and enzymatic analysis the membrane preparation was shown to have s l i g h t contamination with nuclei and endoplasmic reticulum, while mitochondria were not detected. Sidedness analysis indicated that the membrane preparation was 125 largely composed of inside-out v e s i c l e s . I-oPRL prepared by the lactoperoxidase method had a s p e c i f i c a c t i v i t y of 40-60 ^(Ci/^g. Competition studies using iodoprolactin indicated that iodination of the hormone did not a f f e c t i t s a f f i n i t y for the receptor as compared to the native hormone. 125 Binding of I-oPRL was inhi b i t e d by p r o l a c t i n from various species including ovine, bovine and rat p r o l a c t i n while bGH, pACTH and AVP had no e f f e c t on binding. The binding of 125 I-oPRL was activated by both bivalent and monovalent cations bivalent cations exerting a greater e f f e c t than monovalent cations. In the presence of 10 mM CaCl 2 , binding 125 of I-oPRL was equal to the binding i n the presence of the physiological concentration of NaCI. The association of 125 I-oPRL with the membrane was a time and temperature dependent process, being maximal at 37°. The d i s s o c i a t i o n 125 of I-oPRL was time and temperature dependent only with 150 mM NaCl at 3 7-° while at a l l other temperatures and in
Professions are sometimes characterised as comprising a mixture of art and science. Such labels do not offer an adequate account of the nature of professional work, singly or together. Professions are better understood on their own terms and an alternative approach takes as its point of departure the engagement of professions in doing rather than knowing. Such doing can, in turn, be conceptualised in terms of the characteristic functions of each profession, the contingencies that bear on such functions and the procedures or processes used to carry them out. This framework suggests three root questions: What do professionals do? What affects what they do? And how do they do it?, that together form the basis of a three‐dimensional model of professional work. To date, three models, of teaching, management and medicine, have been published and work on others is continuing. This framework also allows us to begin to sketch out a phenomenology of professional practice: what it is like to do medicine, engineering...
Summary Eleven sera of patients with bullous skin diseases were studied for antibodies to cell surface antigens by means of mixed-agglutinatioon tests with cell cultures. It was shown that seven sera contained IgG antibodies reacting with epithelial cell cultures but none of them had antibodies combining with fibroblastic cell cultures. The antibodies reacting with cell cultures were different from antibodies to intercellular antigens of epidermis detectable by immunofluorescent staining technique. Besides these antibodies, some sera of patients with bullous skin diseases were shown to contain IgM antibodies with anti-gamma globulin activity resembling the rheumatoid factor.
The most crucial process of success in the logistics outsourcing is the selection of third party logistics (3PL) providers. So, the evaluation indicators system of 3PL providers has become a very important subject. In this paper, first of all, a three-lever evaluation indicators system is designed based on the long term cooperation between manufacturers and 3PL providers. Then, the modified grey multi-hierarchical comprehensive evaluation method is adopted to give an overall and systematic evaluation for the selection of 3PL providers. And the weight of every evaluation indicator is determined by integrating analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy method in the process of evaluation. Finally, an instance illustrates the comprehensive evaluation method is simple and effective.
Abstract Recent scholarship examining political contestation in Thailand has emphasised concepts such as “network monarchy,” while pointing to the populism and enduring political influence of Thaksin Shinawatra. While this descriptive work has helped shed light on the architecture of governance in Thailand, it has not been embedded in a broader theoretical approach that might help to train our attention on other powerful actors that play important roles in shaping Thailand’s political and institutional landscape. In this article, I outline one such approach and advance the term “autonomous political networks,” to refer to collections of people who share strong value commitments and political goals and who operate in the space between the country’s dominant political institutions – often straddling positions in the state and civil society simultaneously. This theoretical discussion is grounded empirically in a description of one such network whose power is derived from sources other than electoral legitimacy or long-standing historical tradition. The article discusses the enormous influence this network has exercised in reshaping Thailand’s political order, all while remaining largely invisible to the public eye. It suggests the need to use this approach to elaborate other hidden political networks that play important roles in governance in Thailand and beyond.
With diffusion of various mobile devices, mobile learning has been one of the dominant learning styles in education fields. The purpose of this research is to examine the difference between students` perceived importance-performance of mobile learning satisfaction. The researchers reviewed the literature looking for variables which affect influential factors of students` mobile learning satisfaction such as system, contents, service, use, and outcome. As a result of t-test, the performance is lower than the importance of all the influential factors. Also, according to the result of Importance-Performance Analysis(IPA) matrix, it was noted that system factor is the most crucial factor in improving mobile learners` satisfaction. This result implies that offering technical support and simplifying the navigation design for mobile learning are urgently required.
Measurements of the longitudinal-mode spectra of 1.3 μm InGaAsP buried-heterostructure lasers are used to determine the form and magnitude of the nonlinear gain. It is shown that nonlinear gain is responsible for the anomalous longitudinal-mode spectra which appear to be universally observed in InGaAsP lasers, and also for the anomalously strong damping of the relaxation oscillations observed in pulse-modulated lasers.
BACKGROUND Language impairment (LI) risk is increased for perinatally acquired human immunodeficiency virus-infected (PHIV) and perinatally exposed to HIV but uninfected (PHEU) youth. This study evaluates the persistence of LI in these groups.   METHODS The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals was repeated on participants of the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study Adolescent Master Protocol 18 months postbaseline. Regression models identified factors associated with change in standardized score (SC) and the resolution or development of LI.   RESULTS Of 319 participants, 112 had LI at baseline. Upon re-evaluation, SCs were highly stable and changes were similar in PHIV (n = 212) and PHEU (n = 107) participants. Those with family history of language delays had a 2.39 point lower mean increase in SCs than those without, after controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors and baseline LI status. Among PHIV participants, CD4 count <350 cells/mm3 was associated with lower mean SC change (4.32 points), and exposure to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) or protease inhibitors (PIs) was associated with a higher mean SC change (5.93 and 4.19 points, respectively). Initial LI was persistent in most cases (78%); 20 new cases occurred (10%). Female sex was associated with higher odds of LI resolution. Among PHIV, duration and baseline cART and history of PI use were associated with LI resolution; higher percentage of detectable viral loads before baseline was associated with lower odds of resolution.   CONCLUSIONS The PHIV and PHEU youth are at risk for persistent LI, and family history of language delays was a risk factor for persistence of problems. Measures of successful HIV treatment predicted more favorable outcomes among PHIV youth.
Scatterometry has been presented as a solution for next generation Critical Dimension (CD) metrology for advanced lithography scanners [3,9-16]. Scatterometry used in Integrated Metrology (IM) is an entirely different technique for measuring CD data than the previous CD SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) method and has benefits beyond those of the CD SEM including: 1) faster process time, 2) direct integration with the lithography track/scanner link, and 3) additional data collection such as line profile and stack data to detect non-litho excursions. This paper will describe technical issues and implemented solutions that allows scatterometry to seamlessly replace the CD This paper focuses on the following IM spectrometry implementation aspects: Scatterometry model creation/optimization to control multiple pitch layers and unique structures using standard scatterometry features and stack properties change control. Sample plan optimization methodology for extended scanner and track characterization, and excursion prevention (EP), from additional real-time feedback capabilities, such as: 1) within-field variation, 2) within-wafer and wafer-to- wafer variation data, 3) scan direction delta, 4) scan uniformity, 5) resist thickness uniformity, and 6) track modules health. Automation system optimization for scatterometry IM extended data and new capabilities as EP and Advanced Process Control (APC). Scatterometry vision for Litho Process Control optimization by combining scatterometry overlay and critical dimension measurement capabilities in one integrated metrology solution for the Litho track/scanner link. For the newer, faster and more expensive 193nm (and beyond) Litho links, integrated metrology is the way to ensure the link is producing quality material with high utilization. Scanner/track performance is monitored continuously and includes previously unavailable field/wafer/track module data. Automatic Process Control is improved due to fast and extended feedback, and excursions are detected immediately. Scatterometry as a methodology enables new opportunities for further process improvement when overlay and critical dimension measurement capabilities are combined in the same tool, integrated with the Litho link.
Background: A recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), which began in Wuhan, China, with a high level of human-to-human transmission has been reported. There are limited data available on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with hematological malignancies with more than 60 days of follow-up. This study describes the clinical characteristics, including multiple recurrences of COVID-19, in a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) during 69 days of follow-up. Case Presentation: A 72-year-old female was admitted to hospital isolation after being infected with COVID-19 as part of a family cluster on January 30, 2020. Apart from SARS-Cov-2 virus infection, laboratory results revealed lymphocytosis of uncertain etiology and abnormal distribution of T lymphocytes. On blood smears, small blue lymphocytes with scant cytoplasm were observed, and the presence of high levels of circulating clonal B cells was also demonstrated by flow cytometry. The patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 and CLL. Among her family members, she had the highest viral loads and the fastest progression on lung injury and developed severe pneumonia. Serological results showed she had both 2019-nCoV-specific IgM and IgG antibodies; however, only IgG antibodies were detected in her husband's plasma. Results: A combination regimen of antiviral therapy and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in the early stage seemed to be effective for treating CLL and SARS-Cov-2 infection. Because of the low humoral immune response, the CLL patient could not effectively clear the SARS-Cov-2 infection and suffered from recurrence twice during the 69-day follow-up. Conclusion: In CLL, a neoplastic antigen-specific B-cell clone proliferates, and the progeny cells accumulate and outgrow other B cells, leading to immune deficiency. Considering the low humoral immune response and ineffective clearance of SARS-Cov-2 in CLL patients, the follow-up and home quarantine period should be extended. We need further studies to clarify suspending or continuing CLL therapy during COVID infection. For those patients who are prone to progression to severe disease, administering humoral immunity therapies can help to prevent disease progression and quickly meet the cure criteria.
The invention relates to the tri-p-toluensulphonate of S-adenosil-L-methionine, to the process for its preparation by addition of p-toluensulphonic acid in critical proportion to an aqueous solution containing S-adenosil-L-methionine, as well as to pharmaceutical compositions containing the new salt as the active principle, for use in numerous fields in humar therapy. The salt is an active ingredient in therapeutic compositions useful in the treatment of morbic affections wherein the metabolism of the lipids, of the glucids, of the protids, or of the catecholamines or of the biogene amines is primitively or secondarily altered.
Connexin 43 (Cx43), which is highly expressed in the heart and especially in cardiomyocytes, interferes with the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms. Conversely, Cx43 gene expression is down‐regulated by nitric oxide derived from the inducible NOS. Thus, a complex interplay between Cx43 and NOS expression appears to exist. As cardiac mitochondria are supposed to contain a NOS, we now investigated the expression of NOS isoforms and the nitric oxide production rate in isolated mitochondria of wild‐type and Cx43‐deficient (Cx43Cre‐ER(T)/fl) mice hearts. Mitochondria were isolated from hearts using differential centrifugation and purified via Percoll gradient ultracentrifugation. Isolated mitochondria were stained with an antibody against the mitochondrial marker protein adenine‐nucleotide‐translocator (ANT) in combination with either a neuronal NOS (nNOS) or an inducible NOS (iNOS) antibody and analysed using confocal laser scanning microscopy. The nitric oxide formation was quantified in purified mitochondria using the oxyhaemoglobin assay. Co‐localization of predominantly nNOS (nNOS: 93 ± 4.1%; iNOS: 24.6 ± 7.5%) with ANT was detected in isolated mitochondria of wild‐type mice. In contrast, iNOS expression was increased in Cx43Cre‐ER(T)/fl mitochondria (iNOS: 90.7 ± 3.2%; nNOS: 53.8 ± 17.5%). The mitochondrial nitric oxide formation was reduced in Cx43Cre‐ER(T)/fl mitochondria (0.14 ± 0.02 nmol/min./mg protein) in comparison to wild‐type mitochondria (0.24 ± 0.02 nmol/min./mg). These are the first data demonstrating, that a reduced mitochondrial Cx43 content is associated with a switch of the mitochondrial NOS isoform and the respective mitochondrial rate of nitric oxide formation.
Magnetic cleanliness is a severe electromagnetic compatibility topic in nearly all science space missions. Nowadays this interest is expanding from dc to the area of extremely low-frequency magnetic sources. This article presents an enhanced methodology to minimize the magnetic field at a volume in the vicinity of the spacecraft where sensitive instruments or measurement sensors are placed. A common process in early design stages of a space mission is to measure the candidate equipment separately and throughout this unit-level test campaign, a robust design of the system-level platform taking into consideration strict magnetic cleanliness requirements is developed. Based on this unit level magnetic signature characterization and through heuristic approach, the proper equipment ordinance or in case this is not possible the proper placement of compensation magnets can lead to system-level magnetic field minimization. The proposed methodology considers all the parameters of the equipment regarding dimensions, avoiding this way the overlap of the units inside the spacecraft providing feasible placement. Moreover, since the magnetic moment orientation and the center of the unit are the main optimization parameters, this methodology, when the appropriate measurements are available, can also include the induced magnetic behavior of the equipment. Authors prove with simulations that with appropriate equipment ordinance, the synthesis of a suitable electromagnetic environment is possible to be achieved.
Revamping an existing column in an operating plant for a higher throughput is always a challenge especially when the column is already operating at its rated capacity. This is particularly true for a Vacuum Distillation Unit (VDU) column which involves multiple product and pump-around streams and associated auxiliary units like a steam ejector system. Optimizing the design and operation of the column, hence, is inevitable to ensure the viability of a brownfield project as it avoids major modifications required to the column and its associated auxiliary systems. This paper discusses how optimization was done on the design and operation of an existing VDU column in an oil refinery, avoiding major modifications of the associated ejector, steam, cooling water, sour water systems and heat exchanger network, allowing a brownfield project to stay commercially viable.
As a new kind of kinetic-energy weapon system, electromagnetic railgun possesses one major advantage of high muzzle velocity which can be controlled artificially and accurately. Since the muzzle velocity error has a great influence on the hit rate, accurate velocity control is of importance. However, studies on muzzle velocity control are still inadequate. In order to solve this problem, the paper proposes a method to calculate the triggering strategy of the PFUs (Pulsed Forming Unit) of the pulsed power supplies. The armature acceleration process is equivalent to the uniform acceleration motion. And several velocity detecting devices are equidistantly placed along the rails. The triggering time of each PFU group is the moment when the armature passes by each velocity detecting device. The number of each PFU group is selected, based on the principle of minimizing the absolute error between the actual velocity and the ideal velocity (uniform acceleration) at the next velocity detecting device. In this way, the actual armature velocity waveform can coincide quite well with that of the ideal uniform acceleration process, thus the armature muzzle velocity can be controlled quite accurately. Simulations show that, with 0.15-kg armature mass and 6-m barrel length, if the target velocity is between 1.5 to 2 km/s, the control precision of the muzzle velocity is within 0.5%.
A phase-based alignment technique for scanning electron-beam lithography is proposed and evaluated. The approach uses a grid alignment mark rotated with respect to the beam deflection axes and requires only a single, one-dimensional (1D) line scan to perform subpixel registration in both the x and y directions. This 1D, phase-based method promises subpixel alignment without interpolation, faster mark signal acquisition, and more computationally efficient detection. Theoretical limits for alignment accuracy and a simple phase-estimation algorithm that approaches these limits are described. Monte Carlo simulations indicate that nanometer-level registration precision can be achieved with modest grid periods and signal to noise ratios (SNRs). Experimental measurements of registration variance as a function of SNR agree well with both theory and simulation. Registration errors of 3 nm (1-standard deviation) are observed using a 1μm grid period, 49 nm pixel size, and the highest observed SNR of 5.9.
Commentary The brain receives a disproportionate amount of blood flow, relative to its weight. There are many possible explanations for this phenomenon, but provision of energy substrates, based on metabolic demand, is thought to be one major factor. Evidence for changes in blood flow during seizures includes signal changes using SPECT during a seizure (1) and decreased blood flow in the area surrounding a seizure focus 1 to 5 seconds prior to a seizure in a feline model (2). In contrast to blood flow, the study of metabolism underlying seizures is an underexplored and somewhat poorly understood area of scientific inquiry. There are major unanswered questions in this field, including whether energy deficits lead to seizures (or vice versa) and which metabolic pathways predominate during seizures (i.e., glycolysis or oxidative metabolism). The cyclical nature of many metabolic pathways inevitably leads to the chicken or the egg conundrum—that is, which part of a metabolic pathway is most impacted by seizures; what is the cause and what is the effect? The importance of energetics in epilepsy is suggested by mitochondrial dysfunction in epileptic foci of rodents and humans with epilepsy (3) and mitochondrial DNA mutations that are associated with epilepsy (e.g., myoclonus epilepsy with ragged red fibers) (4). Another line of evidence comes from treatment of epilepsy using the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet, which alters the quality and quantity of metabolic substrates, resulting in altered mitochondrial physiology (5). The highlighted study by Ivanov et al. provide elegant data on energy metabolism during seizures in their latest contribution from a line of work that models seizure dynamics from first principles (6). Although somewhat intimidating at first glance, only a few basic facts from basic biochemistry are needed to understand the main points. NADH is made in both the cytoplasm and mitochondria, while flavin adenine nucleotide (FAD+) is made primarily in the mitochondria (where the bulk of oxygen consumption occurs). Each of these intermediates can be measured fluorometrically. Measurements were made in intact hippocampi dissected from postnatal day 5 (P5) and 7 (P7) mice, which is roughly equivalent to a late third trimester human infant. By exposing the tissue to a low-magnesium solution (increasing neuronal firing activity by sensitizing mainly extrasynaptic NMDA receptors to the endogenous excitatory amino acid glutamate), a wide spectrum of abnormal activity was observed, including (in increasing order of severity) Metabolic Responses Differentiate Between Interictal, Ictal and Persistent Epileptiform Activity in Intact, Immature Hippocampus In Vitro.
In this paper, a robust nonlinear controller is proposed for trajectory tracking of underwater vehicle-manipulator systems (UVMS). The controller is non-adaptive and of sliding mode type, and is designed based on the decentralized form of the dynamics of UVMS. It has the advantages of simplicity, robustness, precise performance, and ease of implementation. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controller, several simulations using a five degrees of freedom UVMS are conducted. The results show that the proposed controller provides high performance of trajectory tracking in the presence of uncertainties about the dynamics and hydrodynamic disturbances
There is increasing recognition of the prolonged illness following acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-1). In a longitudinal cohort of 99 patients, 32% reported persistent symptoms and 19% had Long COVID (Defined as fatigue or dyspnoea or chest tightness) at median 240 days after initial infection. There was no significant improvement in symptoms or measures of health-related quality of life between 4 and 8-month assessments. In multivariable analysis, female gender (OR 3.2, 95%CI 1.3-7.8, p=0.01) and acute COVID-19 hospitalisation (OR 3.8, 95% 1.1-13.6, p=0.04) were independently associated with Long COVID at 8-months. Only 80% patients reported full recovery at 8 months. Further research is required to understand the immunologic correlates of abnormal recovery and the long-term significance.
Indigenous customary law (ICL) has always coexisted with national law throughout the history of Ecuador. At first it was tolerated, then it became illegal, and now it is fully recognized by the Constitution and by International Human Rights Law (IHRL). An integral part of ICL is the power to enact and apply punishments. Such punishments are in principle lawful, because of the broad wording of the constitutional recognition. A number of sanctions and the rituals that precede them have a physical component. As a result, indigenous peoples and Ecuadorian authorities are engaged in a debate over the compatibility of such punishments with human rights. Some maintain that corporal sanctions violate the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishments (CIDP). Indigenous peoples respond that their traditional practices must be respected. The aim of this research is to show that not all indigenous corporal punishments amount to forbidden acts. I will not try to undermine the prohibition of torture, instead, using the elements of the concept of ‘torture’ and ‘cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishments’ (CIDP) given by IHRL, I will show that certain indigenous corporal punishments do not fulfill all the requirements of torture or CIDP. I will also demonstrate that despite the views of several international bodies of the contrary, the culture of a society is always present in what it considers acceptable suffering for the assessment of the elements of torture and CIDP.
The authors describe the use of electromyographic (EMG) signatures for controlling functional electrical stimulation (FES) in upper-motor-neuron paraplegics to enable them to walk with the help of a walker. It was shown that the above-lesion EMG control and below-lesion response-EMG control serve complementary and crucial roles in total FES control. It was also shown that below-lesion response-EMG control of stimulation levels can play a crucial role in FES, regardless of above-lesion EMG control. Actual patient-test-results using the above EMG controls are discussed. These results illustrate how the present control system, which integrates the paralyzed person and electrical stimuli by signature analysis of EMG signals, yields walker-supported walking by paraplegics in a manner that recognizes and executes the patient's intended limb functions and compensates for muscle fatigue. >
The effect of B-endorphin upon plasma arg8-vasopressin release was studied in vivo in rabbits and in vitro in rat neural lobes. Following intravenous administration of 200 μg/kg synthetic β-endorphin plasma AVP rose significantly by five minutes after injection and remained elevated for twentyfive minutes compared to controls. In contrast β-endorphin had no significant effect on AVP release from isolated rat neural lobes in vitro. β-Endorphin stimulates AVP secretion in vivo, but this is not due to a direct action upon the neural lobe.
ABSTRACT Introduction: Emotion dysregulation (ED) has long been recognized in clinical descriptions of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but a renewed interest in ED has advanced research on the overlap between the two entities. Autonomic reactivity (AR) is a neurobiological correlate of emotion regulation; however, the association between ADHD and AR remains unclear. Our aim was to explore the clinical differences, AR, and subjective emotional responses to visual emotional stimuli in ADHD children with and without ED. Method: School-aged ADHD children with (n = 28) and without (n = 20) ED, according to the definition of deficiency in emotional self-regulation (DESR), and healthy controls (n = 22) were interviewed by using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children–Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL) to screen frequent psychopathologies for these ages. All subjects were evaluated with Child Behavior Checklist 6–18 (CBCL), the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), the School-Age Temperament Inventory (SATI), and Conners’ Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48), which were completed by parents. To evaluate emotional responses, the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) and the subjective and physiological responses (electrodermal activity and heart rate reactivity) to selected pictures were examined. Results: Regarding clinically distinctive features, the ADHD+ED group differed from the ADHD–ED and the control groups in terms of having higher temperamental negative reactivity, more oppositional/conduct problems, and lower prosocial behaviors. In the AR measures, children in the ADHD+ED group rated unpleasant stimuli as more negative, but they still had lower heart rate reactivity (HRR) than the ADHD–ED and control groups; moreover, unlike the two other groups, the ADHD+ED group showed no differences in HRR between different emotional stimuli. Conclusion: The presented findings are unique in terms of their ability to clinically and physiologically differentiate between ADHD children with and without ED.
Diabetic patients are prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD), in which microglia play a critical role. However, the direct effect of high glucose (HG) on microglia and the role of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) signaling in this interaction have not been examined before. Here, these questions were addressed in microglia cultured in HG versus normal glucose (NG) conditions. Initially, HG induced microglial differentiation into the M2a phenotype with concomitant ERK5 activation. However, longer exposure to HG further induced differentiation of microglia into the M2b-like phenotype, followed by the M1-like subtype, concomitant with a gradual loss of ERK5 activation. BIX021895, a specific inhibitor of ERK5 activation, prevented M2a- differentiation of microglia, but induced earlier M2b-like polarization followed by M1-like polarization. Transfection of microglia with a sustained activated form of MEK5 (MEK5DD) prolonged the duration of the M2a phenotype, and prevented later differentiation into the M2b/M1 subtype. Conditioned media from the M2a-polarized microglia reduced neuronal cell apoptosis in hypoxic condition, while media from M2b-like or M1-like microglia enhanced apoptosis. Together, our data suggest that chronic hyperglycemia may induce a gradual alteration of microglia polarization into an increasingly proinflammatory subtype, which could be suppressed by sustained activation of ERK5 signaling.
Radiographic examination after injection of uroselectan intravenously confirmed appearance of almost normal renal pelvis and greatly dilated ureter on left side. Right side not clearly visualized. The uroselectan was held up in the left ureter to such an extent as to be still clearly visible outlining the ureter, three hours after the injection. Cystography.-Showed normal bladder with sodium bromide entering left, but not right, ureter. Second attempt at catheterization of ureters one week ago: turbid, blood-stained urine obtained from left renal pelvis; on culture this yielded Staphylococcus albus only. It was not found possible to pass a catheter lip the right uretern
Introduction: Breathing difficulty is a frequent symptom in emergency and prehospital care associated with a 30-day mortality rate around 12 %. It is complex to assess breathing difficulty, so the patient’s own assessment is important. However, there is no gold standard acute breathing difficulty scale, and no scale to use in the ambulance. Our aim was to develop a verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) for breathing difficulty assessment in the ambulances, to acquire information from the patients themselves. Methods: Prospective study of VNRS developed as a module in the prehospital medical record in ambulances. North Denmark Region patients over the age of 18 were included in the period 1. July 2017 – 31. January 2019. Ambulance personnel asked patients with breathing difficulty “On a scale from 0 to 10, where 0 is no difficulties breathing at all and 10 is the worst possible breathlessness imaginable, how are you experiencing your breathing now?” at their first contact and last contact with patient. Results: In total, 1 576 patients had VNRS measured. 1 184 (74 %) had an initial VNRS median score of 8 (interquartile range 6-9) which decreased to 4 (2-5) before leaving the ambulance. For 272 (17 %) the VNRS score was unchanged, it increased for 40 (3 %), and could not be used by 95 (6 %). Conclusion: It was possible to assess acute breathing difficulty in the ambulance by a simple VNRS. Patients had high initial scores, emphasizing the severity of their subjective symptoms. The VNRS may aid ambulance and emergency department personnel to monitor severity and assess symptomatic relief of treatment. We plan to validate and investigate clinical prognostic significance of the VNRS.
This study examined the reading and math achievement profiles and longitudinal growth trajectories of a nationally representative sample of children ages 6 through 9 with an autism spectrum disorder. Four distinct achievement profiles were identified: higher-achieving (39%), hyperlexia (9%), hypercalculia (20%) and lower-achieving (32%). Children with hypercalculia and lower-achieving profiles were more likely to be from low socioeconomic families and had lower functional cognitive skills than the higher-achieving profile. All four profiles lost ground in passage comprehension over time. Slower improvement occurred for the higher-achieving group on letter–word identification, the hyperlexia group on conversation abilities and the hypercalculia group on calculation and functional cognitive skills relative to the lower-achieving group.
Inflammaging is a state of chronic, low grade inflammation associated with biological aging which contributes to age-related diseases. Recently, an age-associated increase in inflammation has been documented in the mammalian ovary, which is accompanied by a shift in the immune cell profile. In this Point of View article, we consider a unique population of macrophage-derived multinucleated giant cells, found in all reproductively old mouse ovaries, as potential markers or functional drivers of inflammation in ovarian aging.
We have previously reported the isolation and characterization of the broad-spectrum antifungal protein, victoriocin, from culture filtrates of a virus-infected isolate of the plant-pathogenic fungus Helminthosporium (teleomorph: Cochliobolus) victoriae. We predicted that the 10-kDa mature victoriocin is derived in vivo from a preprotoxin precursor that is processed by a signal peptidase and kexin-like endopeptidase. We also presented evidence that the victoriocin precursor is encoded by a host gene, designated the victoriocin (vin) gene. In the present study, an H. victoriae genomic DNA library was constructed in the cosmid vector pMLF-2, and a cosmid clone carrying the vin gene and flanking sequences was isolated and used to generate constructs for transformation of virus-free and virus-infected H. victoriae isolates with the vin gene. Culture filtrates of the virus-free vin transformants exhibited high levels of antifungal activity compared with that revealed by the nontransformed virus-free wild-type strain, which exhibited little or no antifungal activity. Moreover, transformation of the wild-type virus-infected H. victoriae strain with the vin gene resulted in still higher production of victoriocin and higher antifungal activity in the culture filtrates of the vin transformants compared with the virus-infected wild-type strain. As previously predicted, the presence in the vin transformants of the preprovictoriocin and its post-translationally generated products, the provictoriocin and the mature victoriocin, was clearly demonstrated. Processing of the victoriocin preprotoxin requires eukaryotic host factors because no processing occurred in an in vitro translation system or in bacteria. It is of interest that some of the virus-free isolates transformed with the vin gene exhibited some features of the virus-induced disease phenotype, including moderate stunting and sectoring. Present data suggests that victoriocin may play an indirect role in disease development. Taken together, these results indicate that victoriocin is the primary protein responsible for the antifungal activity in culture filtrates of virus-infected H. victoriae isolates and that virus infection upregulates the expression of victoriocin. Overproduction of victoriocin may give the slower-growing virus-infected fungal strains some competitive advantage by inhibiting the growth of other fungi.
Superconducting MoGe nanowires with extremely small transverse dimensions have served as unique platforms for exploring physical phenomena in one-dimensional (1D) superconductors. Here we report on networks of superconducting MoGe nanowires with transverse dimensions down to a few nanometers, fabricated by sputter-deposition of MoGe onto commercially available filtration membranes containing dense nanopores. These networks of nanowires exhibit physical properties of individual MoGe nanowires, such as thermally activated phase slips char22{}a dissipation mechanism expected for 1D superconducting nanowires. Furthermore, anomalies in the magnetic field versus temperature phase diagram around 1.2 char21{}1.5 Tesla and in the magnetoresistance curves can be understood with the Little char21{}Parks effect, consistent with the multiply connected nature of a network of 1D nanowires.
Background Since 2012, a cut-off value of ≥3 inflammatory lesions was suggested by the ASAS/OMERACT group, as positive MRI of the spine (MRI-spine). Moreover, fatty lesions on MRI-spine are associated with axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA). Objectives To determine the prevalence of inflammatory (BME) and fatty lesions on MRI of the spine in patients (pts) with and without axSpA Methods Pts aged 18-50 with inflammatory back pain (≥3 months, ≤3 years) from 25 participating centers in France were included in the DESIR-cohort (n=708). All available baseline MRIs were independently scored by 2 well-calibrated readers, blinded to any other data. In case of disagreement, an experienced radiologist served as adjudicator. BME and fatty lesions typical for axSpA were scored when visible on ≥2 consecutive slices. Prevalence of MRI lesions was calculated based on several cut-offs and lesions were considered present if 2/3 readers agreed Results All pts with symptom onset <45 yrs with MRI-spine (n=549) were included in the analyses. Pts fulfilling the ASAS criteria could either fulfill both arms, only the imaging arm or only the clinical arm. The first 2 groups were subdivided; pts with radiographic sacroiliitis (mNY+) & sacroiliitis on MRI (MRI+), pts with mNY+ & no sacroiliitis on MRI (MRI-), pts without radiographic sacroiliitis (mNY-) & MRI+. BME lesions occur in all different subgroups of the ASAS criteria and in pts without axSpA (table). The prevalence in no SpA group (which can be seen as false positives) is only 6.1%. With a cut-off ≥2 BME lesions false positives drop below 5% while the prevalence in the ASAS axSpA groups is still reasonable. Especially prevalence in pts with mNY+ & MRI+ is very high; 61.9% (both arms positive) and 43.8% (imaging arm only positive). Fatty lesions are seen slightly less often seen in all patient groups. However the same trend is seen as with BME lesions; Even with cut-off ≥1 the prevalence in no SpA group is low (5.5%), with cut-off ≥2 false positives drop below 5% and again pts with mNY+ & MRI+ have the highest percentage of spinal fatty lesions Conclusions In a low percentage of pts without axSpA BME and fatty lesions is found indicating that spinal BME and fatty lesions are specific for patients with axSpA. These lesions are especially prevalent in pts with sacroiliitis on imaging. In this cohort, a cut-off ≥2 or ≥3 BME lesions and similarly ≥2 or ≥3 fatty lesions discriminate best between pts with and without axSpA Disclosure of Interest None declared DOI 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.1986
Coconut oil combustion characteristic is observed experimentally by evaporating oil in the boiler then mix it with air before being burned at various equivalence ratios in the Hele-shaw cell. The result shows that, coconut oil tends to break into glycerol and fatty acid due to hydrolysis reaction producing the flame propagation, where the fatty acid flame propagates first then glycerol flame. Micro-explosion occurs when moisture from fatty acid combustion is absorbed by glycerol and higher heating due to higher flame speed produces more micro-explosion.
Abstract Venezuela’s ongoing economic and political crisis has forced >6 million people to emigrate from the country since 2014. In the Andean region, Ecuador is one of the main host countries for Venezuelan migrants and refugees. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, specific measures were implemented in the country to control the spread of the disease and its associated impacts. In this context, we conducted a scoping review to understand how policies implemented by the Ecuadorian government during the pandemic impacted Venezuelan migrants’ right to health. The literature search focused on scientific and grey publications between 2018 and 2022 in electronic databases and institutional websites, complemented by snowball sampling and expert advice. Our thematic analysis revealed discrepancies between the rights granted to migrants in Ecuador’s legal framework and their practical implementation during the pandemic, with several instances of policy and programmatic infringement. The disruption of services further complicated migrant’s options for regularization. Some measures, like border closures, negatively impacted migrants’ health, including increased exposure to abuse and violence. While migrants were included in the country’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, they were excluded from other national aid programmes. There are indications of an increase in xenophobia and discrimination stigmatizing migrants as ‘disease carriers’ and ‘resource takers’, resulting in a prioritization of services for the Ecuadorian population. We found limited research on the emergent topic of migrants’ vulnerability and related health system challenges. Future research should include working in border zones, consider socioeconomic factors and further explore the poor implementation of Ecuador’s legal framework towards upholding migrants’ right to health.
The genes encoding bioluminescence (lux genes), derived from the marine bacterium V. fischeri, have been fused next to the genes encoding mercury detoxification (mer genes), derived from a clinical isolate of S. marcescens. The fusion has been made so that the expression of the light genes comes under the control of the mer regulatory gene and promoter. These genetic elements activate the expression of the light genes in the presence of mercury. The light can readily be collected and quantitated, resulting in a biosensor for the detection of mercury.
Patients 52 families in which 1 member was a patient (mean age 31 y, 60% men) who had a first psychiatric inpatient admission; met DSM-III-R criteria for a schizophrenic disorder (31%) or an affective disorder with psychotic features (69%); and lived with a parent, sibling, or spouse for ≥ 1 of the 3 months before admission and ≥ 2 months after discharge; and whose family lived within 50 km of Brisbane.
Mechano-bactericidal surfaces deliver lethal effects to contacting bacteria. Until now, cell death has been attributed to the mechanical stress imparted to the bacterial cell envelope by the surface nanostructures; however, the process of bacterial death encountering nanostructured surfaces has not been fully illuminated. Here, we perform an in-depth investigation of the mechano-bactericidal action of black silicon (bSi) surfaces toward Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We discover that the mechanical injury is not sufficient to kill the bacteria immediately due to the survival of the inner plasma membrane. Instead, such sublethal mechanical injury leads to apoptosis-like death (ALD) in affected bacteria. In addition, when the mechanical stress is removed, the self-accumulated reactive oxygen species (ROS) incur poststress ALD in damaged cells in a nonstressed environment, revealing that the mechano-bactericidal actions have sustained physiological effects on the bacterium. This work creates a new facet and can introduce many new regulation tools to this field.
A study was made of 46 patients with anaplastic germ cell tumours of the testis with no evidence of disease elsewhere as judged by computed tomography (CT) of thorax and abdomen, ultrasound and tumour marker measurements. A repeat CT 3 months after the first and clinical examination with chest X-ray and tumour marker measurements ensured that the 30.7% of patients who relapsed were detected promptly enough for them all to enter complete remission. Lymphography as part of the staging did not reduce the relapse rate. There was no difference between this group and a comparable group who underwent radiotherapy to para-aortic lymph nodes.
Purpose of review In spite of numerous efforts, asthma rates in the United States remain historically high and disparities persist among low-income and minority populations. This review assesses the current status of asthma inequities from the perspective of disease development, progression, and outcomes. Recent findings Recent findings highlight the complex and multifactorial nature of asthma. There is a clear line of emerging evidence suggestive of important hierarchical relationships between the predisposed or affected individual and his or her intrapersonal life, familial relationships, social networks, and broader community. Summary Approaches in basic, clinical, and translational asthma research must be modified to account for the social construct of race and to detangle complex interactions of contributing factors at and across the individual and community level. However, there are a number of obvious opportunities to dramatically reduce asthma disparities at hand.
The amphibian epidermis presents many barriers that prevent pathogen infection. Much effort has been placed on examining determinants of infectivity and pathogenicity of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in amphibians. How- ever, no research has examined how trauma to the epidermis can affect susceptibility to and virulence of Bd infections in amphibians. Trauma is a common entry point for secondary infections that would otherwise be immunologically defensi- ble to a host. The objective of our study was to determine if epidermal trauma would impact the outcome of Bd exposure. We predicted that epidermal trauma would make amphibians more susceptible to infection and result in more virulent in- fections. To test this prediction we compared susceptibility to infection, mortality, and survival time among three groups of Fowler's Toads, Anaxyrus fowleri (Hinckley); trauma and Bd, Bd only, and no Bd. Counter to our predictions we found that, with reference to negative controls, epidermal trauma and Bd together reduced susceptibility to infection, reduced overall mortality, and increased survival time compared to toads exposed to Bd only. Epidermal trauma is commonplace for wild amphibians, and is caused by predation attempts, combat, and unfavorable environmental conditions. We suggest that trauma to the epidermis preceding exposure to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis elicits an innate immune response not initiated by the pathogen alone. Our data suggest that trauma could temporarily reduce susceptibility to, and virulence of, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infections of amphibians.
Benzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate in DMSO decomposed instantaneously with evolution of nitrogen upon addition of a DMSO solution of sodium nitrite. Orientations and partial rate factors for phenylation of substituted benzenes indicated that not phenyl cation but phenyl radical was produced as an intermediate. Hammett’s plots of partial rate factors of meta and para positions yielded good straight lines with ρm=0.46 and ρp=1.67. Plausible mechanisms were discussed. From m-dinitrobenzene 2,6- and 2,4-dinitrobiphenyl were produced in 47 and 23% yields, respectively, and the synthetic value of this method was pointed out.
Sixteen paired human cadaver femora were prepared using conventional broaches. Cancellous bone was irrigated with 1 L pulsed lavage in one femur and 1 L syringe lavage in the contralateral femur. The specimens were embedded in specially designed pots, and vacuum-mixed bone-cements were applied in a retrograde manner. After application of a standard pressure to the pots, the femora were removed and radiographed, and horizontal sections were obtained and analyzed to assess cement penetration into cancellous bone and the ratio of the area of supported to unsupported cancellous bone (Rcb). Our results show that in equal quality bone, the use of jet lavage yields significantly (P < .0001) improved cement penetration and Rcb compared with syringe lavage specimens. Jet lavage should be considered routine to achieve interdigitation with cancellous bone in cemented total hip arthroplasty.
Two different orientations to teacher identity can be presented as relevant to a consideration of identity in TESOL. One is an orientation derived from social psychology, which provides perspectives on teachers’ social identity. The other is an orientation derived from the teacher education literature, which provides perspectives on teachers’ professional identity. These two orientations can serve as a basis for a consideration of teacher identity in TESOL and how questions of identity impact on teacher preparation, continuing development, and quality in TESOL education.
Six healthy subjects received ethanol 0.35, 0.70, and 1.05 ml per kilogram intravenously in 1 hour, causing average blood ethanol concentrations of 40, 99, and 121 mg per milliliter, respectively. Resting ventilatory minute volume (VE) and end tidal carbon dioxide tension (PACO2) were inconsistently affected. The ventilatory response to CO1 was depressed in a dose‐dependent manner. The PACO2 at a VE of 20 I per minute was 3.9 torr greater than control after the 1.05 ml per kilogram dosage. Respiratory exchange ratio decreased from 0.779 to 0.709 1 hour after the 1.05 ml per kilogram infusion. Vital capacity decreased from 5.42 to 5.09 1, and expiratory reserve volume decreased from 1.14 to 0.9311 hour following this dosage. Irregular ventilatory patterns with transient inspiratory and expiratory apnea were observed frequently following the 0.70 and 1.05 ml per kilogram dosages.
Synthesis of Lower Rim Polyhydroxylated Calix[4]arenes Ma g rita Segura,a Francesco Sansone,b Alessandro Casnati,b Rocco Ungaro*b a Departamento de Quimica Organica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049, Madrid, Spain b Dipartimento di Chimica Organica e Industriale dell’Università, Parco Area delle Scienze 17/A, 43100, Parma, Italy Fax +39(521)905472; E-mail: ungaro@unipr.it Received 25 June 2001; revised 6 August 2001
Arantxa Echevarría's film Carmen y Lola (2018) takes a groundbreaking new approach to intersectionality and lesbian identity contextualizing a lesbian coming-of-age-story and its multicultural background and context. Owing to the colonial gaze and the outsider's perspective in the story telling, the film makes some major missteps in its representation of the Romani community in Spain. But nonetheless, the intersectional presentation is groundbreaking in terms of representation of lesbian diversity and experiences, since it portrays the lesbian subject as a triple minority: woman, lesbian, and Roma - a minority ethnic group still discriminated against in Spain. The story of two female Roma adolescents coming to terms with their mutual homoerotic desire intertwines with the marginality of their community and a conservative and homophobic environment in which lesbianism does not find a space. I argue that Echevarría's film explores the topics of minorities both in terms of ethnicity and sexual orientation. The director aims to represent this otherness as a marginalized and decentered subjectivity that intersects with other axes of discrimination. It is from this marginal position that the film explores the forms of resistance against the control of the lesbian body that women directors are carrying out in Spanish cinema.
Recurrent, pulseless-electrical-activity (PEA) cardiac arrests were the novel presentation of untreated systemic mastocytosis in an 85-year-old woman who lacked cutaneous findings of mastocytosis. Despite prior implantation of a dual-chamber cardiac pacemaker 3 weeks previously for similar spells, she experienced a PEA arrest accompanied by flushing, increased urinary N-methylhistamine excretion and serum tryptase values on the day of presentation to our clinic. Bone marrow biopsy findings conducted to rule out breast cancer metastases showed 30% mast cell infiltration, aberrant expression of CD25 and a positive c-kit Asp816Val mutation. Treatment with a combination of H1 and H2 receptor blockers reduced flushing and eliminated hypotension. Maintenance medication included aspirin, cetirizine, ranitidine, montelukast, oral cromolyn sodium and an epinephrine autoinjector (as needed). At 6-month follow-up, the patient remained free of PEA arrests, flushing, or any clinical signs of mastocytosis or mast cell degranulation. PEA cardiac arrests may therefore be a presenting sign of untreated systemic mastocytosis.
Despite the popularity and health benefits of running, a popular sporting activity performed by many individuals worldwide, runners are at risk of being injured. Of concern is the lack of evidence-based data and information on Ethiopian 10, 000-meter long-distance runners. The purpose of this study was to establish the incidence and the risk factors associated with lower-extremity running-related injuries amongst 10, 000-meter long distance runners in Ethiopia. A prospective study was used over a period of ten months in eleven running clubs and twelve Youth Athletics Training Programs in Amhara Regional State and Addis Ababa. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire on 1) demographic characteristics; 2) risk factors associates with running-related injuries and, 3) their injury status. Logistic regression analysis and odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated for the predictor variables. The incidence of running-related injury was 62.4%, corresponding to 0.35 injuries per 100 running hours or 3.54 injuries per 1000 running hours. The most commonly injured anatomical site was the knee (33.6%), with a strain the most common type of injury (36.4%). Participants previously injured had an 8.20 higher OR (2.14-31.40). Runners who train respectively 40km-50km (OR = 0.003, 95% CI, 0.000-0.073) and 50km-60km (OR = 0.053, 95% CI, 0.004-0.728) per week and runners that wore running shoes eight to eleven months (OR = 0.033, 95% CI, 0.003-0.392) was significantly associated with a protective benefit against running-related injuries. Runners, coaches, and medical professionals must acknowledge the specific risk factors associated with running-related injuries. The results underscore urgent interventions to ensure that 10 000-meter Ethiopian long distance runners become injury free.
Rate process theory was applied in a study of the creep behavior of a fireclay refractory (firebrick) after different heat treatments. The analysis was based on the assumption that, in the absence of phase changes, equivalent deformation substructures are produced for a given strain at constant stress independent of temperature. An activation energy of about 170 kcal/mole was determined for the flow process in a heat-treated firebrick, which corresponds closely to the value for mullite specimens. Varying but higher values obtained under different test conditions indicated that phase changes were also occurring during the creep tests. The effect of the amount and texture of the components on the creep behavior and strength of the firebrick specimens is discussed. Useful correlations based on this approach are presented, making it possible to predict creep behavior at constant or variable temperatures and also to calculate stress distributions through a wall containing a temperature gradient after a given strain is reached in a given time.
ABSTRACT Background: Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is currently one of the key medicines in the management of HIV-1 infection across the globe. Conversely, various studies indicate that TDF is associated with an increased risk of kidney injury. Furthermore, data from different studies indicate that clinically significant TDF-related kidney toxicity is uncommon, with an estimated incidence of reduction in creatinine clearance to below 50 ml/min ranging from 3% to 8%. Objective: This study investigated the prevalence of TDF-induced kidney injury, risk factors associated with the exacerbation of kidney injury, and reversibility of TDF-induced kidney injury in a South African cohort. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted, where quantitative data were collected through patient file reviews. Files of 600 patients initiated on TDF-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) were reviewed. The degree of kidney function was monitored using the eGFR at baseline, 3, 6, 12, and 36 months of TDF therapy. eGFR after TDF discontinuation was monitored to determine its reversibility. HIV parameters (CD4 count and viral load) were monitored to determine patients’ immune response to treatment throughout the study. Comorbidities and other factors that affect kidney function were extracted from the patients’ files. Results: Final sample comprised 413 files, 272 (65.9%) were females. Significant variability in the eGFR overtime was observed; 20 (5.9%) experienced mild-moderate kidney injury, four (1.2%) developed moderate-severe kidney injury and three (1%) had severe kidney injury. Significant association with decline in eGFR included high viral load, low CD4 count and long duration of treatment. Six (1.5%) patients were discontinued from TDF treatment and five patients of those fully recovered. Conclusions: TDF-induced kidney injury was uncommon in this setting and where it occurred was associated with full reversibility after discontinuation. Therefore, lack of resources in health-care settings in terms of frequent monitoring of renal function should not prevent prescribing TDF-based therapy.
Online medical community question answering (cQA) systems are playing important roles as a supplement of the traditional medical service systems. The answer recommendation service provides guidance to diagnose diseases and brings convenience and valuable reference to users. In this paper, we propose a method to recommend answer for particular questions on medical cQA system. There are three steps for the answer recommendation system, including similar cases retrieval, answers quality estimation and answer recommendation. The proposed algorithm is tested on a dataset collected from online medical community question answering system. The results show a good performance in answer recommendation.
There has been a resurgence of interest in complex coacervation, a form of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in systems of oppositely charged macroions, but very few reports describe the somewhat anomalous coacervation between acidic and basic proteins, which occurs under very narrow ranges of conditions. We sought to identify the roles of equilibrium interprotein complexes during the coacervation of β-lactoglobulin dimer (BLG2) with lactoferrin (LF) and found that this LLPS arises specifically from LF(BLG2)2. We followed the progress of complexation and coacervation as a function of r, the LF/BLG molar ratio, using turbidity to monitor the degree of coacervation and proton release and dynamic light scattering (DLS) to assess the stoichiometry and abundance of complexes. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) showed that initial complex formation is endothermic, but a large exotherm related to coacervate formation obscured other regions. On the basis of turbidimetry, proton release, and DLS, we propose a speciation diagram that presents the abundance of various complexes as a function of r. Although multiple species could be simultaneously present, distinct regions could be identified corresponding to equilibria among particular protein pairs.
A shared buffer ATM switch with a single hot-spot destination port, which is loaded with bursty input traffic, is modeled by a discrete-time queuing system. An approximation method to analyze the queuing system under consideration is developed. We first propose an efficient aggregation algorithm for superposing all the individual input processes to the switch. Then, the shared buffer space of the switching system is partitioned into two destination parts: an address queue dedicated to the hot-spot and remaining address queues having balanced traffic loading. By using an approximation method for estimating the number of nonempty queues in the remaining address queues at an arbitrary time slot, we can obtain the steady-state probability distribution of the queuing system. From the obtained steady-state probabilities, some performance measures such as cell loss probability in the shared buffer and that in the address queue dedicated to the hot-spot can be derived. To eliminate the starvation effect of buffer hogging, we propose two traffic management policies: priority access and cell dropping strategy. Numerical examples of the proposed method are given, which are compared with simulation results.
Background: Blood donation is a divine act that serves a humanitarian cause. Blood transfusion saves lives and improves health of many patients. Every component of blood can be used and it plays an important role in saving the lives of different individuals in the community. Blood banks urge everyone to respond to the needs of patients so that they can increase the stock and able to meet the demand of patients across the country. Objective: To collect the information on what is known and not known, their beliefs and practice among blood donors and nonblood donors in respect to voluntary blood donation. Materials and methods: There were four Focus group discussions (FGDâ€™s) were conducted among Voluntary Blood Donors and non-blood donors. There were nine voluntary blood donors non-blood donors participated in each group. The discussions were conducted in a separate place with a closed room and the whole sessions were recorded with their permission. The discussions were conducted in local language and later the verbatim translations were done into English. Results and Conclusion: The majority of the donors said, they are donating blood to save an ill person. Donors who work in the IT companies, preferred to donate in the blood donation camp rather than in blood bank because of time factors. There were common myths, fears and superstitions about blood donation, as with previous study results such as giving blood causes weakness in the human body, medical problems, fear of needles, general apprehension, and fear of after-effects. Donors experienced the joy of blood donation and seriously discussed the matter of waiting time. A few donors suggested that a short film could be used to create awareness. Many blood donors observed that advertisement and information on voluntary blood donation camp was very limited. Blood banks should not always target a high number of blood donors but should organize blood donation camps even for fewer blood donors in the community
Objective: Self-assessment scores such as the Patient-Oriented Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (PO-SCORAD) index being recommended by public health authorities for chronic disease management, we aimed at analysing correlations between PO-SCORAD and physician and patient assessment scores of atopic dermatitis (AD) severity and quality of life. Methods: We perfomed an observational study conducted in 12 European countries in 4,222 atopic patients aged ≥1 month and prescribed Exomega® emollient cream. AD severity was measured by the SCORAD index, PO-SCORAD, Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) and Self-Administered Eczema Area and Severity Index (SA-EASI) scales, and patient and family quality of life by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Dermatitis Family Questionnaire Impact (DFQI) scales, respectively. Their correlations were analysed. Results: PO-SCORAD was the only self-assessment score to be highly correlated with the SCORAD index and POEM (r ≥ 0.70). It was also the best correlated with the DLQI (r = 0.67) and DFQI (r = 0.56). After a 5-week treatment, SCORAD index and PO-SCORAD severity scores had decreased significantly by 60 and 56% (p < 0.0001), and quality of life had improved. Conclusion: PO-SCORAD is better correlated with quality of life scales than other self-assessment scores.
At present, broadband radiometric LED measurements with uniform and low-uncertainty results are not available. Currently, either complicated and expensive spectral radiometric measurements or broadband photometric LED measurements are used. The broadband photometric measurements are based on the CIE standardized V(λ) function, which cannot be used in the UV range and leads to large errors when blue or red LEDs are measured in its wings, where the realization is always poor. Reference irradiance meters with spectrally constant response and high-intensity LED irradiance sources were developed here to implement the previously suggested broadband radiometric LED measurement procedure [1, 2]. Using a detector with spectrally constant response, the broadband radiometric quantities of any LEDs or LED groups can be simply measured with low uncertainty without using any source standard. The spectral flatness of filtered-Si detectors and low-noise pyroelectric radiometers are compared. Examples are given for integrated irradiance measurement of UV and blue LED sources using the here introduced reference (standard) pyroelectric irradiance meters. For validation, the broadband measured integrated irradiance of several LED-365 sources were compared with the spectrally determined integrated irradiance derived from an FEL spectral irradiance lamp-standard. Integrated responsivity transfer from the reference irradiance meter to transfer standard and field UV irradiance meters is discussed.
It has been reported that retinoic acid (RA) enhances regulatory T (T reg) cell conversion by inhibiting the secretion of cytokines that interfere with conversion. This report shows that these conclusions provide a partial explanation at best. First, RA not only interfered with cytokine secretion but also with the ability of these cytokines to inhibit T reg cell conversion of naive T cells. Furthermore, RA enhanced conversion even in the absence of inhibitory cytokines. The latter effect depended on the RA receptor α (RARα) but did not require Smad3, despite the fact that RA enhanced Smad3 expression. The RARα1 isoform was not essential for RA-dependent enhancement of transforming growth factor β–driven conversion, suggesting that conversion can also be mediated by RARα2. Interleukin (IL)-6 strongly reduced RARα expression levels such that a deficiency of the predominant RARα1 isoform leaves too little RARα2 for RA to inhibit the generation of Th17 cells in the presence of IL-6.
This article analyzes the legal forms of public-private relations in the automotive industry in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. The automotive industry is a part of the transport engineering industry, which consists of a number of sub-sectors in the form of railway, aviation, sea, river, and pipeline transport. The author distinguishes the content and principles of public-private legal relations that form the basis of the Russian and Kazakh laws on public-private relations. The public-private partnership, laid down in the law, usually implies a social project, which must be implemented at the expense of financial investments of a private company and the relevant state body. The state body may otherwise determine its participation in the implementation of this project. The specificity and difference between public-private relations and public-private partnership, in which the relations between the automotive engineering industry and the state are formed, is that there are no separate projects. Public-private relations are formed between the entire transport engineering industry (its factories and enterprises) and the state represented by the relevant ministry of industry of Russia and Kazakhstan. The Russian and Kazakh states subsidize this industry, which consists of private-joint-stock automobile plants, credit them, provide them with tax and customs privileges and preferences, assist in the creation and operation of Kazakh-Russian joint ventures in the automotive industry, and in return they receive significant taxes. Analyzing the legal aspects of foreign economic activity of automobile industry enterprises, as well as actions to restore the economy of Kazakhstan and Russia, and their auto industry in connection with the coronavirus pandemic has required using the following methods: the comparative legal method, systemic analysis, dialectic method, and the method of legal projection.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most common metabolic diseases and represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality because of its related complications. The alarming rise in T2DM prevalence worldwide poses enormous challenges in relation to its social, economic, and a clinical burden requiring appropriate preventive strategies. Currently, lifestyle modifications—including approaches to promote a moderate body weight reduction and to increase regular physical exercise—are the first crucial intervention for T2DM prevention. In the light of the difficulty in reducing body weight and in long-term maintenance of weight loss, quality changes in dietary patterns—in terms of macro and micronutrient composition—can also strongly affect the development of T2DM. This may provide a more practical and suitable preventative approach than simply implementing caloric restriction. Along this line, there is increasing evidence that wholegrain consumption in substitution of refined grains is associated with a reduction of the incidence of several non-communicable chronic diseases. The aim of the present review is to summarize the current evidence from observational and randomized controlled clinical trials on the benefits of wholegrain on T2DM prevention and treatment. Plausible mechanisms by which wholegrain could act on glucose homeostasis and T2DM prevention are also evaluated. Altogether, the totality of the available evidence supports present dietary recommendations promoting wholegrain foods for the prevention and treatment of T2DM.
Background: Both environmental and genetic factors have been implicated in the induction of autoimmune disease. Therefore, it is important to understand the pathophysiological significance of the gut microbiota and host genetic background that contribute to an autoimmune disease such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We have previously reported that mice deficient for suppressor of cytokine signaling-1 (SOCS1), in which SOCS1 expression was restored in T and B cells on an SOCS1–/– background (SOCS1–/–Tg mice), developed systemic autoimmune diseases accompanied by spontaneous colitis. Methods: To investigate whether the proinflammatory genetic background affects the gut microbiota, we used SOCS1–/–Tg mice as a model of spontaneous chronic colitis. Fecal samples were collected from SOCS1–/–Tg mice and SOCS1+/+Tg (control) mice at 1 and 6 months of age, and the fecal bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes were sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Results: Gut microbial diversity was significantly reduced and the intestinal bacterial community composition changed in SOCS1–/–Tg mice in comparison with the control mice. Interestingly, the population of Prevotella species, which is known to be elevated in ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer patients, was significantly increased in SOCS1–/–Tg mice regardless of age. Conclusion: Taken together, these results suggest that the proinflammatory genetic background owing to SOCS1 deficiency causes dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, which in turn generates a procolitogenic environment.
2H-Benzotriazol-2-ylethylammonium bromide and iodide and its difluorinated derivatives are synthesized and employed as interlayers for passivation of formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI3) solar cells. In combination with PbI2 and PbBr2, these benzotriazole derivatives form two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden–Popper perovskites (RPPs) as evidenced by their crystal structures and thin film characteristics. When used to passivate n–i–p FAPbI3 solar cells, the power conversion efficiency improves from 20% to close to 22% by enhancing the open-circuit voltage. Quasi-Fermi level splitting experiments and scanning electron microscopy cathodoluminescence hyperspectral imaging reveal that passivation provides a reduced nonradiative recombination at the interface between the perovskite and hole transport layer. Photoluminescence spectroscopy, angle-resolved grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering, and depth profiling X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies of the 2D/three-dimensional (3D) interface between the benzotriazole RPP and FAPbI3 show that a nonuniform layer of 2D perovskites is enough to passivate defects, enhance charge extraction, and decrease nonradiative recombination.
In this Tutorial series, we aim to provide an accessible introduction to vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy, targeted toward people entering the VSFG world without a rigorous formal background in optical physics or nonlinear spectroscopy. In this article, we describe in depth how a broadband VSFG spectrometer is designed and constructed, using the instrument in SurfLab, Aarhus University, as an illustrative case. Detailed information about specific instrumentation (together with reasons why things are the way they are) is given throughout. This information is often omitted in other descriptions of such instrumentation and so will be invaluable to people new to the field.
In recent years, because of the birthrate declining and the elderly people’s population growing, the lack of doctors and the increase of the medical cost is becoming a big problem. One of solution for this problem is to prevent the humans from diseases in order to reduce the medical cost (e.g. by using the hospital as few times as possible). In this research, we have developed a wearable vital sensor which can be used anywhere without disrupting the everyday life of the patient. Furthermore, we have implemented a ubiquitous health monitoring system, which can confirm and share the sensor information received from a cellular phone attached to the wearable vital sensor immediately through the browser. This system can also send emergency report based on sensor information to the family and the doctor. In addition, we verified the system effectiveness by evaluating the implemented system.
Gloriosa superba L. is an important medicinal plant species found in tropical and subtropical regions of India. Seeds and tubers contain colchicine which is used for treating gout, rheumatism and for producing polyploides. Due to diverse use, the species has been largely exploited from natural habitat leading to its threatened status. A field experiment was conducted to study the influence of organic and inorganic fertilizers on its growth and seed yield. Eight treatments including Control (T1), NPK at 120:50:75 kg/ha (recommended dose) (T2), FYM at 20 t/ha (T3), Vermicompost(VC) at 6 t/ha (T4), FYM at 10 t/ha + ½ T2 (T5), VC at 3 t/ha + ½ T2 (T6), FYM at 13.3 t/ha + ⅓T2 (T7), VC at 4 t/ha + ⅓T2 (T8) were followed to find their effect on growth and yield. The treatments were significantly different from each other and higher values were recorded for plant height (144.96 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (172.03), number of branches plant-1 (4.35), number of flowers plant-1 (30.50), number of fruits plant-1 (10.10), seed yield plant-1 (4.47 g) and estimated seed yield hectare-1 (197.50 kg) in the treatment VC at 4 t/ha + ⅓T2. Available major nutrients (NPK) in soil also recorded higher after harvesting the crop in the treatment VC at 4 t/ha + ⅓T2.     Key words: Glory lily, inorganic fertilizers, organic manures, Gloriosa, seed yield.
A series of uncontrived experiences, of a somewhat unusual kind, encountered while sailing, have brought to light some framework illusions which may not be familiar to most people. The “experimental” situation is that of being in the cabin of a deep lieeled yacht which, having grounded, begins to list with the receding tide. An added and interesting feature of the situation is that as it lists the yacht slowly fills with water. Observations over periods of up to IZ hr. made by two and in soiiie cases three subjects may be summarized as follows:The increasing phenoiucnal visual list or movement out of the vertical of normally vertical components o f the yacht’s interior lags behind the real list as indicated by an inclinomctc~r Iiscd to the bulkhead.
Recently, biocompatibility report revealed that the TiO2 nano-network (TiO2 NT) structure has much higher cells colonization than the native TiO2 on Ti surface. In this study, we prepared the hyaluronic acid (HA) immobilized TiO2 NT layer by plasma surface modification and then evaluated biological behavior of MC3T3-E1 on the Ti, TiO2 NT and TiO2 NT/NH2/HA surface. The cell viability tests revealed slightly enhanced viability on the TiO2 NT/NH2/HA surfaces than on the untreated Ti surfaces.
Any school administrator who has attempted school reform in the 1970's knows the feeling of mixed emotions. On the one hand there are the double terrors of Scylla and Charbydis-of either being sucked under the whirlpool of conflicting pressures or dashed against the rocks of obstructionism. On the other hand, one faces the whimsy of falling through the looking glass with Alice and seeing things all upside down and backwards and finding that you have to keep running to stay at the same place. A case in point is the arts-ineducation movement. At a time when budgets are being cut, public confidence in schools is continuing to plummet, and the hue and cry is to go "back to basics," one might question calling for increasing our commitment to the "arts." However, one can support arts-in-education for some very sound and practical reasons without great risk by making a closer examination of the supposed enemy-"the basics," by exposing some of the biases which hamper the arts, and by providing some pragmatic backing for the cause. Disposing of the "basics" is the easiest. The basics are usually considered to be the "three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetic. Now one should have no difficulty dealing with proponents of the basics when it is obvious they can't even spell. After all, only one of the "three R's" is even an "R" word! Also, one must question what is so special about the number "three." Why not add a fourth "R": responsibility, or a fifth "R": responsiveness, or a sixth "R": reality? These additional "R's" at least have the decency to start with the right letter. The point I'm making is a "basic" one and that is that the so-called "basics" have never been the sole curriculum. Schools have always had a more diverse and rich curriculum than the "three R's" and always will. For educators to give in to the pressures at this point would be to abdicate all we know and should stand for. Another point concerning the basics is the increasingly documented fact that schools, in general, are doing a better job now in the basics than ever before. While this is heresy in some circles, let's look at the facts. A recent study by the National Assessment of Educational Programs found that over the last 30-50 years, there has been a long term gradual increase in average reading ability of students at each grade level. This is coupled with the fact that students at every grade level are younger today than they used to be. It would, therefore, be argued that schools today are in fact doing a better job of teaching the basics. It should also be noted that more children are staying in school longer. Thirty to forty years ago only about 30 percent of all students who could be in school were in school. Today that number is between 90 and 95 percent. Today's student body presents a far more diverse and striking challenge than did those of yesteryears. All of this is not to say that the basic subject areas are not important and do not need improvement. There is a crying need to make substantial improvement in teaching children how to function with language and numbers. but a simplistic turning to a past that never was is not a solution but a copout.
The technology advancement poses the challenge to the cybercriminals for doing various online criminal acts, such as identity theft, extortion of money or simply, viruses and worms spreading. The common aim of the online criminals is to attract visitors to the Web site, which can be easily accessed by clicking on the URL. Blacklisting seems not to be the successful way of marking Web sites with the “bad” content, considering that many malicious Web sites are not blacklisted. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the ability of C4.5 decision tree classifier in detecting malicious Web sites, based on the features that characterize URLs. The classifier is evaluated through several performance evaluation criteria, namely accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve. C4.5 decision tree classifier achieved significant success in malicious Web sites detection, considering all four criteria (accuracy 96.5, sensitivity 96.4, specificity 96.5 and area under the curve 0.958).
BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to outline the trend in the incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the city of Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), for comparison with previously published national CRC data.   MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective data analysis was performed on all cases of CRC diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2006 amongst Saudi patients in Jeddah using data retrieved from the Saudi Cancer Registry (SCR). Descriptive analysis was performed and results were compared to national CRC data from the SCR.   RESULTS In Jeddah, 644 cases of CRC were diagnosed during the time period, accounting for 15% of all CRC cases in KSA. Males were more commonly affected than females (58% versus 42%). The male preponderance of CRC was similar to that observed at a national level. In Jeddah, the incidence was higher among those >45 years (77.0%), and the mean age at diagnosis was 57 years. At diagnosis, 10% of patients presented with localized disease; 25% presented with distant metastasis and the remaining patients had various stages of regional extension. Adenocarcinomas accounted for 72% of cases. Statistical analysis did not reveal any clinically significant differences between cases diagnosed in Jeddah and those diagnosed throughout KSA.   CONCLUSIONS The increased trend in the incidence of CRC in Jeddah between 2000 and 2006 mirrors the recent trend in KSA. This highlights the magnitude of this healthcare hazard, not only in Jeddah, but also across the country and supports the need for preventive measures and early detection of the disease.
Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) of plants is present in high copy number and shows variation between and within species in the length of the intergenic spacer (IGS). The 45S rDNA of flowering plants includes the 5.8S, 18S and 25S rDNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2), and the intergenic spacer 45S-IGS (25S-18S). This study identified six different types of 45S-IGS, A to F, which at 363 bp, 1121 bp, 1717 bp, 1969 bp, 2036 bp and 2111 bp in length, respectively, were much shorter than the reported reference IGS sequences in B. oleracea var. alboglabra. The shortest two IGS types, A and B, lacked the transcription initiation site, non-transcribed spacer, and external transcribed spacer. Functional behavior of those two IGS types in relation to rRNA synthesis is a subject of further investigation. The other four IGSs had subtle variations in the transcription termination site, guanine-cytosine (GC) content, and number of tandem repeats, but the external transcribed spacers of these four IGSs were quite similar in length. The 45S IGSs were found to follow Mendelian inheritance in a population of 15 F1s and their 30 inbred parental lines, which suggests that these sequences could be useful for development of new breeding tools. In addition, this study represents the first report of intra-specific (within subspecies) variation of the 45S IGS in B. oleracea.
Estimates of riverine N2O emission contain great uncertainty because of the lack of quantitative knowledge concerning riverine N2O sources and fates. Using a 3.5-year record of monthly N2O measurements from the Yongan River network of eastern China, we developed a mass-balance model to address the riverine N2O source and sink processes. We achieved reasonable model efficacies (R2 = 0.44-0.84, Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients = 0.40-0.80) across three tributaries and the entire river system. Estimated riverine N2O loads originated from groundwater (38-88%), surface runoff (3-26%), and in-stream production (4-48%). Estimated in-stream losses via atmospheric release + complete denitrification accounted for 76, 95, 25, and 89% of riverine N2O fate for the agricultural, residential, forest, and entire river system, respectively. Considering limited complete denitrification, the model estimated an upper-bound riverine N2O emission rate of 2.65 ton N2O-N km-2 year-1 for the entire river system. Riverine N2O emission estimates were of comparable magnitude to those estimated with a power-law scaling model. Riverine N2O emissions using the IPCC default emission factor (0.26%) overestimated emissions by 3-15 times, whereas the dissolved N2O concentration-based emission factor overestimated or underestimated emissions. This study highlights the importance of combining comprehensive information on N2O sources and fates to achieve accurate riverine N2O emission estimates.
Abstract Big data are totally changing the business rules, the society, as well as the perception of ourself. The need of a big data oriented culture is becoming essential for everything that has an informative assets. Furthermore, technological innovation offers products and features unique that can help to convey values and meanings, for the purpose of communication based on increasingly strong interaction between people. In a world where everything is consumed in a short time, it is important to turn information as visual as possible, making simple what is complex. The visualization becomes a medium for increasing cognitive perception of the beholder, easing reasoning and storing of the information represented, showing patterns and relationships, known or not, maybe not easily visible without the aid of a visual representation of information.
SUMMARY    The basic idea of the fractional frequency transmission system (FFTS) is to use lower frequency, e.g. 50/3 Hz, to reduce the electrical length of the AC transmission line, thus to increase its transmission capacity. FFTS is particularly suitable for transmitting electricity produced by the renewable energy, such as hydro power and wind power, because the rotation speeds of their generators are very low. The paper first introduces the characteristics of integrating large wind farm via FFTS. Then, a case study for feasibility of integrating wind farm via FFTS is carried out in considerable details. The results show that the proposed FFTS-based approach for wind power integration is effective with high potential for practical implementation. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Three tests were conducted in a commercial cotton fields grown near Seminole, TX. The fields were on 36 or 40-inch rows, and were irrigated using a pivot irrigation system. All three tests were planted with the same variety, Phytogen 367WRF. All the tests were RCBD with four replications. Plots were 4-rows wide × 50 ft long. Insecticides were applied with a CO 2 pressurized hand-boom sprayer calibrated to deliver 10 gpa through TX-6 hollow cone nozzles (2 per row) at 40 psi. Insecticides were applied
In traditional compressed sensing MRI methods, single sparsifying transform limits the reconstruction quality because it cannot sparsely represent all types of image features. Based on the principle of basis pursuit, a method that combines sparsifying transforms to improve the sparsity of images is proposed. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method can well recover different types of image features and can be easily associated with total variation.
Dedicated CO/sub 2/ sensors enable monitoring of ambient air in private environments in order to generate air conditioning control inputs. The design requirements for such sensors are different to CO/sub 2/ sensors used for industrial applications. Main targets are high reliability, low maintenance, energy consumption and cost rather than high precision. Matched detectors with adaptive hardware and intelligent software enable engineers to build low power systems with the ability to detect measuring errors and provide self calibration in a required range.
The article discusses concepts of Community, Associativity, Legislation and Use of Social Networks in Community Radio from semistructured interviews. Use the Grounded Theory of Glaser and Strauss and Atlas.ti software analysis tool. Raises a discussion between the community and citizenship concepts and the need to observe the radial movements as a process. As a result, notes that there depth of speech about Needs and Participation; however, few people participate in management. In Associativity, participating in organizations, but there is little conversation with other stations, which defined as lack. The Use of Social Networks is massive (Facebook or Twitter), but not related to the growth of the same, in terms of increasing audiences or multiplication of Community message.
Abstract Terrain position (e.g., ridge, mid-slope, valley) is a potentially useful variable with which to model environmental parameters and processes using geographical information systems. Digital elevation data spaced on a regular 30 m grid were generated over an area of flat to moderate topography in south-east Australia. Streams and ridges were mapped from the digital elevation model using a new algorithm that utilizes basic geographical principles. Ridge and stream lines closely followed the original contour map and improved upon the results from three alternative algorithms. Mid-slope positions were successfully interpolated from the stream and ridge lines by a modified measure of Euclidean distance.
Abstract Corynebacterium striatum is part of the normal human flora, but it has recently gained recognition as a pathogen. It can cause serious infection in immunocompromised patients, although bone and joint infections due to C. striatum are uncommon. We present a patient with cirrhosis who developed C. striatum septic arthritis and bacteremia, review published reports of bone and joint infection due to C. striatum, and discuss important features of the illnesses associated with this organism.
A retinal prosthesis intended for rehabilitation of vision impaired patients will require continuous power supply in order to achieve real-time moving images. In this work, we explore the use of inductive coils fabricated using flexible circuit technologies for inductive powering of the implanted prosthetic device. We found that manufacturing technologies dictate the optimum operating frequency of the coil. For a minimum track width and spacing of 4 mils, the optimum frequency was found to be 2.9 MHz. We also looked at the distribution of electric and magnetic fields generated by the inductive coils in and surrounding the eye. These simulation results show that there are electric field concentrations around the conductive coils. Apart from the coils, we need to design an efficient circuit to drive the transmit coil and recover the transmitted power. In order to maintain optimal operation of the link, a closed-loop load modulation feedback operation is proposed. Adaptive control using back-telemetry of the induced voltage on the secondary side can close the power supply loop and result in optimum power transfer by boosting the supply voltage on the primary side when load is high and reducing this voltage when load is small.
Abstract The diheterosubstituted acetylenes of EC=COR type, where E is Si, Ge, Sn, B, possessing an increased react-ivity both in reactions with electrophilic reagents and fragmentation processes, are extensively investigated in the Moscow University. At the same time phosphorylated alkoxyacetylenes have gained less attention. The main purpose of this work was the synthesis of previously unknown phosphorus (III)-substituted alkoxyacetylenes (I), investigation of their stability, properties and applications in phosphororganic syntheses.
Garcinia lanceifolia Roxb. is an important and endemic medicinal plant of Assam which has been used by various ethnic communities of Northeast India to treat various disorders like dysentery, dyspepsia, and biliousness. The plant is considered to be containing much medicinal value and is also eaten raw or made into pickles by the local people. Our present study has been focused on the evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the methanolic extract of the bark of Garcinia lanceifolia which may lead us to a scientific evidence of the use of this plant in cases of dysentery and diarrhoea.
The present immunohistochemical study provides evidence that the kynurenine pathway is up‐regulated in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain, leading to increases in the excitotoxin quinolinic acid (QUIN). We show that the regulatory enzyme of the pathway leading to QUIN synthesis, indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO) is abundant in AD compared with controls. In AD hippocampus, both IDO‐ and QUIN‐immunoreactivity (‐IR) was detected in cortical microglia, astrocytes and neurones, with microglial and astrocytic expression of IDO and QUIN highest in the perimeter of senile plaques. QUIN‐IR was present in granular deposits within the neuronal soma of AD cortex and was also seen uniformly labelling neurofibrillary tangles. Our data imply that QUIN may be involved in the complex and multifactorial cascade leading to neuro‐degeneration in AD. These results may open a new therapeutic door for AD patients.
In economic duration analysis, it is routinely assumed that the process which led to censoring of the observed duration is independent of unobserved characteristics. The objective of this paper is to examine the sensitivity of parameter estimates to this independence assumption in the context of an economic model of optimal unemployment insurance. We assume a parametric model for the duration of interest and leave the distribution of censoring unrestricted, allowing it to be correlated with both observed and unobserved characteristics. This leads to loss of point-identification. We provide a practical characterization of the identified set with moment inequalities and suggest methods for estimating this set. In particular, we propose a profiled procedure that allows us to build a confidence set for a subvector of the model parameters. We apply this approach to estimate the elasticity of exit rate from unemployment with respect to unemployment benefit and find that both positive and negative values of this elasticity are supported by the data. When combined with the welfare formula in Chetty (2008), these estimates do not permit us to put an upper bound on the size of the welfare change due to an increase in the unemployment benefit. We conclude that given the available data alone, one cannot credibly judge if the unemployment benefits in the US are close to the optimal level.
Dorothy Day has long been seen as an enigma in understandings of twentieth-century American Catholicism. With the publication of Dorothy Day's extensive letters and diaries in 2008, the enigmatic character of Day's relation to various fault lines of Catholic identity has been made even more apparent. Day's ability to sidestep received opinion, in order to disclose (arguably) something of an inner resonance between apparently differing viewpoints, often left her sitting uneasily with the proponents of different positions across the spectrum of Catholic thinking, causing her to quote St Francis, saying that “being scorned by one's own is perfect joy.” This review article gives a summary of the contributions made by these volumes to understandings of Day's life and work, before discussing three particular fault lines, where Day's ability to straddle differing positions is most perceptible: her practice of pre-Conciliar spirituality, her attitude to ecclesiastical authority, and her position on matters pertaining to gender and sexuality.
Echinoids are key components of modern marine ecosystems. Despite a remarkable fossil record, the emergence of their crown group is documented by few specimens of unclear affinities, rendering much of their early history uncertain. The origin of sand dollars, one of its most distinctive clades, is also unclear due to an unstable phylogenetic context and discrepancies between molecular divergence times and fossil evidence. We employ seventeen novel genomes and transcriptomes to build a phylogenomic dataset with a near-complete sampling of major lineages. With it, we revise the phylogeny and divergence times of echinoids, and place their history within the broader context of echinoderm evolution. We also introduce the concept of a chronospace—a multidimensional representation of node ages—and use it to explore the effects of using alternative gene samples, models of molecular evolution, and clock priors. We find the choice of clock model to have the strongest impact on divergence times, while the use of site-heterogeneous models shows little effects. The choice of loci shows an intermediate impact, affecting mostly deep Paleozoic nodes, for which clock-like genes recover dates more congruent with fossil evidence. Our results reveal that crown group echinoids originated in the Permian and diversified rapidly in the Triassic, despite the relative lack of fossil evidence for this early diversification. We also clarify the relationships among sand dollars and their close relatives, showing that the genus Apatopygus represents a relict lineage with a deep Jurassic origin. Surprisingly, the origin of sand dollars is confidently dated to the Cretaceous, implying ghost ranges spanning approximately 50 million years, a remarkable discrepancy with their rich fossil record.
Background: Many chronic diseases and illnesses are associated with one or more chronic infections, dysfunction of mitochondria and reduced production of ATP.  This results in fatigue and other symptoms that occur in most if not all chronic conditions and diseases. Methods: This is a review of the published literature on chronic infections in neurodegenerative diseases and fatiguing illnesses that are also typified by mitochondrial dysfunction.  This contribution also reviews the use of natural supplements to enhance mitochondrial function and reduce the effects of chronic infections to improve overall function in various chronic illnesses. Results: Mitochondrial function can be enhanced by the use of various natural supplements, notably Lipid Replacement Therapy (LRT) using glyerolphospholipids and other mitochondrial supplements.  In various chronic illnesses that are characterized by the presence of chronic infections, such as intracellular bacteria ( Mycoplasma, Borrelia, Chlamydia and other infections) and viruses, LRT has proven useful in multiple clinical trials.  For example, in clinical studies on chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome and other chronic fatiguing illnesses where a large majority of patients have chronic infections, LRT significantly reduced fatigue by 35-43% in different clinical trials and increased mitochondrial function.  In clinical trials on patients with multiple intracellular bacterial infections and intractable fatigue LRT plus other mitochondrial supplements significantly decreased fatigue and improved mood and cognition. Conclusions: LRT formulations designed to improve mitochondrial function appear to be useful as non-toxic dietary supplements for reducing fatigue and restoring mitochondrial and other cellular membrane functions in patients with chronic illnesses and multiple chronic infections. Key words: Neurodegenerative and fatiguing illnesses, infections and mitochondrial dysfunction, ATP, Lipid Replacement Therapy (LRT)
The investigation of magnetization of digital alloys is presented with a model calculation, based on the structural characteristics of digital alloys that contain quasi-two-dimensional ferromagnetic islands and randomly distributed Mn ions. In addition to the spin-exchange interaction between a free carrier and a randomly distributed Mn ion, the interaction between a carrier and an island, and ferromagnetism of each island are taken into account simultaneously. In this model, the exchange interaction between free carriers and islands is ferromagnetic, based on energy minimization. This interaction occurs because of the carrier wavefunction penetration into the islands, which is treated empirically with an effective exchange constant. This model produces temperature-dependent magnetization as a function of external magnetic field qualitatively and shows the magnetization reversal of digital alloys at certain temperature range. The magnetization of digital alloys also strongly depends on the carrier and Mn ion concentrations and distribution of Mn ions in the system.
This paper concerns the links between labor-force accounts and national accounts. It first discusses the variation in the perception of labor force among countries that results in much disparity in recorded participation rates. This obviously makes international comparison difficult. Since benchmark labor-force information is often tied to population censuses that are infrequent and vary in concepts and approaches, even comparisons within a country over time are difficult. Finally a discussion of the use of labor-force data to estimate the unrecorded economy is followed by suggestions on the direction for future work. Copyright 1996 by The International Association for Research in Income and Wealth.
The present study is designed to explore the localized delivery of fluconazole using mucoadhesive polymeric nanofibers. Drug-loaded polymeric nanofibers were fabricated by the electrospinning method using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the polymeric constituent. The prepared nanofibers were found to be uniform, non-beaded and non-woven, with the diameter of the fibers ranging from 150 to 180 nm. Further drug release studies indicate a sustained release of fluconazole over a period of 6 h. The results of studies on anti-microbial activity indicated that drug-loaded polymeric nanofibers exhibit superior anti-microbial activity against Candida albicans, when compared to the plain drug.
Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs) have received great attention during the past decade due to their giant magnetic shape memory effect and fast dynamic response. The crystal structure and crystallographic features of two Ni-Mn-Ga alloys were precisely determined in this study. Neutron diffraction measurements show that Ni48Mn30Ga22 has a Heusler austenitic structure at room temperature; its crystal structure changes into a seven-layered martensitic structure when cooled to 243K. Ni53Mn25Ga22 has an I4/mmm martensitic structure at room temperature. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analyses reveal that there are only two martensitic variants with a misorientation of ~82° around axis in each initial austenite grain in Ni53Mn25Ga22. The investigation on crystal structure and crystallographic features will shed light on the development of high-performance FSMAs with optimal properties.
In vitro linked transcription-translation of chloroplast DNA has been used to show that the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase [3-phospho-D-glycerate carboxy-lyase (dimerizing), EC 4.1.1.39] is encoded by Zea mays chloroplast DNA. A BamHI-generated chloroplast DNA sequence cloned in Escherichia coli is shown to direct the in vitro synthesis of this protein identified as large subunit by its size, serological properties, and limited proteolytic digestion products.
BACKGROUND The racial and ethnic differences in trajectories of sleep disturbances in later life is crucial for addressing health disparities, but not well understood. This study examines (1) how trajectories of sleep disturbances vary by race and ethnicity and birth cohort and (2) whether social and health risk factors explain such variations.   METHODS The study uses longitudinal data from the 2002-2018 Health and Retirement Study (N=21,963) and the multilevel growth curve model to assess trajectories of sleep disturbances and their variations across six cohorts of White, Black, and Hispanic older adults. Sleep disturbances are measured using a modified Jenkins Sleep Scale.   RESULTS Without controls, sleep disturbances increased with aging for all racial and ethnic groups, but more rapidly among minorities, particularly younger cohorts of Hispanic older adults. When controlling for social and health risks, sleep disturbances did not change with aging for Whites and Blacks and increased for younger cohorts of Hispanics. Cohort effects were observed among White older adults, with higher sleep disturbances in younger cohorts. Importantly, the racial and ethnic disparities in age and cohort effects were not fully explained by social and health risks. Of the symptoms, the most salient racial and ethnic disparities were found in "waking up at night" and "not feeling rested."   CONCLUSIONS Findings reveal several differences by race and ethnicity and birth cohort in trajectories of sleep disturbances. Efforts should be made to improve sleep health for older adults as they age, especially for younger cohorts of Blacks and Hispanics.
AIM It is generally believed the calf muscles in humans are relatively unresponsive to resistance training when compared with other muscles of the body. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the muscle protein synthesis response of the soleus muscle following a standard high intensity bout of resistance exercise.   METHODS Eight recreationally active males (27 +/- 4 years) completed three unilateral calf muscle exercises: standing calf press/heel raise, bent-knee calf press/heel raise, and seated calf press/heel raise. Each exercise consisted of four sets of 15 repetitions (approximately 15 repetition maximum, RM, or approximately 70% 1RM). Fractional rate of muscle protein synthesis (FSR) was determined with a primed constant infusion of [2H5]phenylalanine coupled with muscle biopsies immediately and 3 h following the exercise in both the exercise and non-exercise (resting control) leg.   RESULTS FSR was elevated (P < 0.05) in the exercise (0.069 +/- 0.010) vs. the control (0.051 +/- 0.012) leg. Muscle glycogen concentration was lower (P < 0.05) in the exercise compared with the control leg (Decrease from control; immediate post-exercise: 54 +/- 5; 3 h post-exercise: 36 +/- 4 mmol kg(-1) wet wt.). This relatively high amount of glycogen use is comparable with previous studies of resistance exercise of the thigh (i.e. vastus lateralis; approximately 41-49 mmol kg(-1) wet wt.). However, the exercise-induced increase in FSR that has been consistently reported for the vastus lateralis (approximately 0.045-0.060% h(-1)) is on average approximately 200% higher than reported here for the soleus (0.019 +/- 0.003% h(-1)).   CONCLUSIONS These results suggest the relatively poor response of soleus muscle protein synthesis to an acute bout of resistance exercise may be the basis for the relative inability of the calf muscles to respond to resistance training programs.
Many times, due to space limitations it is necessary to decelerate and turn fluid simultaneously. For such requirement curved diffusers are being used. Five S shaped diffusers of turning angle 120 o were fabricated. The area ratio was 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5.5 and 6.5. The pressure on the outer wall is more than that on the inner wall in the first curvature and less in the second curvature. Variation in actual pressure recovery coefficient (Cp) and pressure recovery efficiency ( η) is not very much within the range of Reynolds number tested for a particular diffuser. As area ratio increases value of Cp and η also increases . The optimum area ratio for 120 o diffuser is 4.5.
The Himalayan mountain forest ecosystem has been degrading since the British ruled the area in the 1850s. Local understanding of the patterns and processes of degradation is desperately required to devise management strategies to halt this degradation and provide long-term sustainability. This work comprises a satellite image based study in combination with national expert validation to generate sub-district level statistics for forest cover over the Western Himalaya, Pakistan, which accounts for approximately 67% of the total forest cover of the country. The time series of forest cover maps (1990, 2000, 2010) reveal extensive deforestation in the area. Indeed, approximately 170,684 ha of forest has been lost, which amounts to 0.38% per year clear cut or severely degraded during the last 20 years. A significant increase in the rate of deforestation is observed in the second half of the study period, where much of the loss occurs at the western borders along with Afghanistan. The current study is the first systematic and comprehensive effort to map changes to forest cover in Northern Pakistan. Deforestation hotspots identified at the sub-district level provide important insight into deforestation patterns, which may facilitate the development of appropriate forest conservation and management strategies in the country.
Microbial infections affect people worldwide, causing diseases with significant impact on public health, indicating the need for research and development of new antimicrobial agents. Animal venoms represent a vast and largely unexploited source of biologically active molecules with attractive candidates for the development of novel therapeutics. Venoms consist of complex mixtures of molecules, including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Since the discovery of AMPs, they have been studied as promising new antimicrobial drugs. Amongst the remarkable sources of AMPs with known antimicrobial activities are ants, bees, centipedes, cone snails, scorpions, snakes, spiders, and wasps. The antimicrobial tests against bacteria, protozoans, fungi and viruses using 170 different peptides isolated directly from crude venoms or cDNA libraries of venom glands are listed and discussed in this review, as well as hemolytic ativity. The potential of venoms as source of new compounds, including AMPs, is extensively discussed. Currently, there are six FDA-approved drugs and many others are undergoing preclinical and clinical trials. The search for antimicrobial "weapons" makes the AMPs from venoms promising candidates.
Abstract The root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus penetrans) can cause significant reduction in tobacco yield and quality. This nematode also is a parasite of cereal rye (Secale cereale), which is a common rotation crop in tobacco areas. Row fumigation prior to transplanting tobacco in the spring is practiced by >95% of Ontario growers to control nematode populations. Planting of Tagetes sp. (marigold) also reduces nematode populations, and when used instead of rye as a rotation crop with tobacco, can provide an alternative to chemical fumigation. Field trials were conducted from 1996 to 1998 to compare the impacts of marigold rotation vs. a traditional fall rye rotation crop, with and without chemical fumigation, on flue-cured tobacco yield, quality, and cost of production. Both the marigold rotation and the non-fumigated rye rotation resulted in slightly less early season N available in the following tobacco crop year compared to the rye + fumigation check. Plant height in July and days to flowering, both...
10026 Background: To report on a prospective Phase II, investigator-driven, collaborative study to explore the activity of lapatinib, a dual EGFR and ErbB2 inhibitor, in EGFR-positive advanced chordomas. Methods: From December 2009 to December 2011, 19 advanced progressing chordoma patients entered this study (mean age: 59 yrs – range = 35-75; PS: 0-3 - ≥2 = 52%; site: sacrum = 68%, spine = 21%, skull base = 11%; disease extent: metastatic = 68%, locally advanced = 32%). EGFR expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in all patients. EGFR activation was detected in 15 of 17 evaluable cases by phospho-arrays and/or real-time PCR and/or fluorescence immunostaining. EGFR FISH analysis showed high level of gene gain in 4. HerB2 status is under evaluation. Patients received lapatinib 1500 mg/day (dose intensity in excess of 1250 mg/day), until progression or toxicity. The primary study end-point was response rate (RR) as for Choi criteria extended to MRI. Secondary end-points were RR by RECIST, PFS by C...
According to the Loss Distribution Approach, the operational risk of a bank is determined as 99.9% quantile of the respective loss distribution, covering unexpected severe events. The 99.9% quantile can be considered a tail event. As supported by the Pickands-Balkema-de Haan Theorem, tail events exceeding some high threshold are usually modeled by a Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD). Estimation of GPD tail quantiles is not a trivial task, in particular if one takes into account the heavy tails of this distribution, the possibility of singular outliers, and, moreover, the fact that data is usually pooled among several sources. Moreover, if, as is frequently the case, operational losses are pooled anonymously, relevance of the fitting data for the respective bank is not self-evident. In such situations, robust methods may provide stable estimates when classical methods already fail. In this paper, optimally-robust procedures MBRE, OMSE, RMXE are introduced to the application domain of operational risk. We apply these procedures to parameter estimation of a GPD at data from Algorithmics Inc. To better understand these results, we provide supportive diagnostic plots adjusted for this context: influence plots, outlyingness plots, and QQ plots with robust confidence bands.
Coal gangue is one of the industrial solid wastes that may harm the human body through the ecosystem for a long time. Using coal gangue in geopolymer preparation can effectively reduce cement output and meet the sustainability requirements. In this paper, the physical and chemical characteristics, including the heavy metal content, of coal gangue from different producing areas are described. Then, the mechanism of physical activation (mechanical and thermal activation), chemical activation, and compound activation of coal gangue are illustrated. The machinability, as well as the mechanical, microscopic, and toxicity consolidation properties of geopolymers prepared from coal gangue, are summarized and analyzed. The results indicate that the coal gangue geopolymers can have higher mobility and mechanical strength than cement-based composites by adjusting high calcium element material, alkali activator content, Na2SiO3 modulus, and curing condition. After physical activation, coal gangue is used in geopolymer preparation with a chemical activator (alkali excitation agent), which effectively forms a three-dimensional silicon aluminate polymer network. The pore structure is dense, the physical fixation and chemical bonding are strengthened, and the solidification and adsorption of heavy metal ions are improved. Further, it can also be applied to solidifying radioactive waste, which is following the future development direction.
The effect of CD3-CD4 coligation on CD3-mediated activation of normal mouse CD4(+) T lymphocytes has been analyzed in the absence of exogenous lymphokines. If anti-CD3 and anti-CD4 antibodies are adsorbed to culture wells by means of previously adsorbed anti-Ig antibodies (indirect binding), CD3-CD4 coligation inhibits activation measured as cell proliferation or as secretion of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-gamma. Addition of IL-2, anti-CD28 antibodies, or phorbol esters, but not IL-1, IL-4, or ionomycin, blocked CD4-mediated inhibition and restored the response to levels equal or higher than those of cultures activated by anti-CD3 alone. In contrast, CD3-CD4 coligation by antibodies directly adsorbed to culture wells potentiated anti-CD3-induced activation, either in the absence or in the presence of exogenous costimuli. Similar results were observed when CD4(+) T cells of naive phenotype (CD44(low), CD45RB(high)) were used in the experiments. The analysis of early tyrosine phosphorylation in CD4(+) T cells shows that phosphorylation of many cell substrates is clearly enhanced upon CD3-CD4 coligation using indirectly or directly bound antibodies, yet certain substrates are mainly phosphorylated under inhibitory conditions. Although CD28 ligation does not produce any clear change in the tyrosine phosphorylation pattern in lysates from cells activated by indirectly bound anti-CD3 plus anti-CD4 antibodies, the analysis of active forms of the MAP kinase ERK suggests that downstream signaling pathways involved in IL-2 gene activation can be differentially activated depending on the direct or indirect CD3-CD4 adsorption and CD28 ligation.
Objectives To assess and evaluate the knowledge of Shanghai, China, residents on the use of SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection and rapid diagnostic self-test. Methods A cross-sectional electronic survey using a self-administered questionnaire was sent via the online platform, Sojump, to general individuals. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the variables associated with knowledge of self-test. Results A total of 283 participants were recruited between July 1, 2022 and July 20, 2022 through an online survey. The mean score of knowledge on the tests was 14.33 ± 2.85 (out of 21). The questions concerning the depth of swab insertion and minimum number of swab rotations in the nostril, necessity of bilateral sampling, necessity of rotating and squeezing the swab for 10 times in the extraction buffer tube, and waiting time for the results showed the highest rate of incorrect responses. In the multiple regression analysis model, sex, social status, and source of information were associated with the knowledge on the self-test kits. Conclusion Immediate health education programs should be made available and the kits could be improved appropriately to ensure adequate knowledge. The use of technology should be fully leveraged to achieve accurate self-diagnosis and correct interpretation of the results.
Originally proposed by John Rawls, the idea of reasoning from conjecture is popular among the proponents of political liberalism in normative political theory. Reasoning from conjecture consists in discussing with fellow citizens who are attracted to illiberal and antidemocratic ideas by focusing on their religious or otherwise comprehensive doctrines, attempting to convince them that such doctrines actually call for loyalty to liberal democracy. Our goal is to criticise reasoning from conjecture as a tool aimed at persuasion and, in turn, at improving the stability of liberal democratic institutions. To pursue this goal, we use as case study real-world efforts to counter-radicalise at-risk Muslim citizens, which, at first glance, reasoning from conjecture seems well-placed to contribute to. This case study helps us to argue that the supporters of reasoning from conjecture over-intellectualise opposition to liberal democracy and what societies can do to counter it. Specifically, they (i) underestimate how few members of society can effectively perform reasoning from conjecture; (ii) overlook that the burdens of judgement, a key notion for political liberals, highlight how dim the prospects of reasoning from conjecture are and (iii) do not pay attention to the causes of religious persons’ opposition to liberal democracy. However, not everything is lost for political liberals, provided that they redirect attention to different and under-researched resources contained in Rawls’s theory. In closing, we briefly explain how such resources are much better placed than reasoning from conjecture to provide guidance relative to counter-radicalisation in societies (i) populated by persons who do not generally hold anything close to a fully worked out and internally consistent comprehensive doctrine and (ii) where political institutions should take responsibility for at least part of the existing alienation from liberal democratic values.
The relevance of TLR2 and TLR4 for recognizing Chlamydia pneumoniae in vivo during pulmonary infection and to survive the infection was explored. We found that early immune responses triggered by C. pneumoniae partially depended on TLR2, but not on TLR4. The chemokines MIP‐2 and MIP‐1α were not induced, while IL‐12p40 levels were higher in TLR2–/– mice compared to wild‐type mice. Secretion of TNF, keratinocyte‐derived chemokine and monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 was attenuated in TLR2–/– mice, while IFN‐γ was increased as in wild‐type mice. The pulmonary cyto‐ and chemokine response of TLR2–/–×TLR4d/d was similar to TLR2–/– mice. TLR2–/– and TLR2–/–×TLR4d/d mice also attracted fewer polymorphonuclear neutrophils into the lung, while TLR4d/d mice recruited them. Attenuated recruitment of polymorphonuclear neutrophils correlated with reduced weight loss in TLR2–/– and TLR2–/–×TLR4d/d mice and a lower chlamydial burden 3 days post infection. At 9 days post infection, TLR2–/– and TLR2–/–×TLR4d/d mice produced cyto‐ and chemokines as efficiently as wild‐type mice, indicating that the involvement of TLR in inflammation varies over time. All TLR2–/–×TLR4d/d mice succumbed to the infection, while about 50% of TLR2–/– mice died. Taken together, the function of TLR2 and TLR4 is required to survive pulmonary infection with C. pneumoniae.
Dysfunction in the understanding of social signals has been reported in persons with epilepsy, which may partially explain lower levels of life satisfaction in this patient population. Extensive assessment is necessary, particularly when the mesial temporal lobe, responsible for emotion processing, is affected. The authors examined multiple levels of social perception in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), including judgments of point-light motion displays of human communicative interactions (Communicative Interactions Database-5 Alternative Forced Choice format) and theory-of-mind processes evaluated using geometric shapes (Frith-Happé animations [FHA]). This case-control study included MTLE patients with anterior temporal lobectomies (ATL+) (N=19), MTLE patients without lobectomies (ATL-) (N=21), and healthy controls (HCs) (N=20). Both groups of MTLE patients were less efficient in recognizing goal-directed and mentalizing interactions of FHA compared with HC subjects. The ATL+ group attributed emotions to FHA less accurately than HC subjects. Both the ATL- and ATL+ groups classified individual point-light animations more often as communicative than the HC group. ATL+ patients were also less efficient in interpreting point-light animations in terms of individual actions than the HC group. The number of years of epilepsy duration was inversely correlated with recognition of FHA interactions. The mean number of seizures was inversely correlated with the interaction identification in point-light stimuli. Patients with MTLE, irrespective of surgical treatment, present impaired social perception in domains assessed with abstract moving shapes or nonabstract biological motion. This impairment may be the basis of problems faced by patients reporting difficulties in understanding the intentions and feelings of other individuals.
DOI: 10.1002/aenm.201400186 Si solar cells. This difference becomes more problematic during the scale up to larger size cells, because the total resistive power loss per unit area ( P R ) scales with the cell area. [ 17 ] P R is given by / / R S max 2 s max 2 S max 2 P R I A R J A A R AJ ( ) = = = , where R s is the series resistance in the device, A is the device area, I max and J max are the cell current and current density in the maximum power output respectively. This equation illustrates that the P R is proportional to the product of the series resistance and the area ( R s A ), which directly scales with the cell area. As a result, all the CNT/Si and graphene/Si solar cells with high effi ciency (>10%) reported in the literature are limited with very small junction area (<15 mm 2 ), while the cells with large junction area (≈50 mm 2 ) suffers from very poor effi ciencies (≈1.3%) ( Table 1 ). Besides the effi ciency, a drastic degradation of other device parameters is also observed with a scale-up of the junction-area. For example, Shi et al. reported that the fi ll factor decreased from 72% to 50% when the junction area of graphene/Si solar cells increased from 4.7 mm 2 to 14.5 mm 2 . [ 10 ] A similar reduction of fi ll factor from 45% to 38% was also observed in the scale up of organic solar cells from 2.4 mm 2 to 1.13 cm 2 . [ 18 ]
We demonstrate that the electron energy loss spectrum in collision with metal clusters or fullerenes depends strongly on the scattering angle of the electron. This results from the fact that the excitation probability of the surface plasmon modes of different multipolarity is correlated with the scattering angle of the electron. We derive the kinematic conditions under which the plasmon excitation with the given angular momentum dominates in the cross section. We perform our treatment in the resonance plasmon approximation and also in the random phase approximation with exchange using the wavefunctions of the Hartree-Fock jellium model. We compare the predictions of these two quite different approaches for the cluster and report their qualitative agreement. Theoretical results are compared with the available experimental data for the electron-fullerene collision. Reasonable agreement between theoretical and experimental results is reported.
In this paper, a new method for designing a particular brace system is proposed. This type of brace system, which is called Non Geometric Brace system are mostly used in seismic area and it allows architects to have more opening in the panel. Non-straight diagonal member of this system introduces eccentricity and it is connected to the corner of the frame by a third member.In designing this system, designers often use trial and error method to locate the connection point of the braced elements considering various parameters affecting the design such as opening and frame dimensions, cross section areas of brace elements and the location of brace element connection. Hence finding the best connection point with maximum stiffness and minimum weight of brace elements with conventional method is not trivial. In this paper, a multi-object genetic algorithm is proposed in determining the best selection for connection point. Equations of feasible area are determined, followed by utilization of some operators such as selection, mutation, crossover and elitist genetic algorithm. Based on the plain aggregation approach for transforming the objective vector in scalar, some modification are proposed considering the priority between the frame stiffness and structure's weight in this transformation.
This research has been done to examine the change of blood in SHR fed with different kinds of diet by combination of high-salt, low-protein, high-fat, and high-carbohydrate diets as reported formerly (Jap Heart J 15: 207, 1974 and 16: 340, 1975). Fifty SHR (F26) and 10 control Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups and have been fed with different kinds of diet from 6 weeks to 16 weeks of age (see the table on Jap Heart J 16: 340, 1975). The blood samples were taken and examined biochemically and hematologically and the cardiovascular organs were examined morphologically after necropsy. The blood of SHR under regular diet showed the increase of RBC, WBC, and thrombocyte when compared with control Wistar rat. Sixteenweek-old SHR fed with high-salt, low-protein, high-carbohydrate, and low-fat diet (so-called Akita diet) revealed more increase in RBC, hemoglobin concentration, and higher hematocrit than the SHR with regular diet. It is said that the serum potassium and alkaline phosphatase in SHR are low and the blood glucose level is high (Clinical Science 45: 49, 1973). The SHR with salt diet showed slight increase of serum potassium and albumin and decrease of BUN, blood glucose, and alkaline phosphatase level. The SHR with highprotein and high-salt diet showed high BUN and total protein level and reduction of serum cholesterol. The SHR with so-called Akita diet revealed higher serum potassium and alkaline phosphatase than the SHR with regular diet and also low total protein, albumin, and BUN. However, the SHR with Akita diet showed, when compared with control Wistar rat, lower potassium, total protein, albumin, Ca++, blood glucose, and cholesterol.
A significantly lower proportion of the patients in the Jay group (25%) experienced pressure ulcer formation during the three months of observation as compared to the foam group (41%). No statistically significant differences were found between groups on the location, severity, or healing duration of the pressure ulcers. Most lesions (65%) were limited to persistent erythema of intact skin, and healed in three to four weeks. Significantly higher proportions of patients in the Jay groups (7%) rejected their cushion because of discomfort as compared to foam (1%). The incidence of pressure ulcers was significantly higher among those patients who experienced peak interface pressures recorded at 60 mmHg or higher, had low Norton scores (< or = 11), or were malnourished.
PURPOSE While the immediate care and access disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have received growing attention in certain areas, the full range of gaps in cancer screenings and treatment is not yet well understood or well documented throughout the country comprehensively. METHODS This study used a large medical claims clearinghouse database representing 5%-7% of the Medicare fee-for-service population to characterize changes in the utilization of cancer care services and gain insight into the impact of COVID-19 on the US cancer population, including identification of new patients, gaps in access to care, and disruption of treatment journeys. RESULTS In March-July 2020, in comparison with the baseline period of March-July 2019, there is a substantial decrease in cancer screenings, visits, therapy, and surgeries, with variation by cancer type and site of service. At the peak of the pandemic in April, screenings for breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancers were lower by 85%, 75%, 74%, and 56%, respectively. Significant utilization reductions were observed in April for hospital outpatient evaluation and management (E&M) visits (−74%), new patient E&M visits (−70%), and established patient E&M visits (−60%). A decrease in billing frequency was observed for the top physician-administered oncology products, dropping in both April (−26%) and July (−31%). Mastectomies were reduced consistently in April through July, with colectomies similarly reduced in April and May and prostatectomies dipping in April and July. CONCLUSION The current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer care in the United States has resulted in decreases and delays in identifying new cancers and delivery of treatment. These problems, if unmitigated, will increase cancer morbidity and mortality for years to come.
Harvesting can induce rapid evolution in animal populations, yet the role of ecological change in buffering or enhancing that response is poorly understood. Here, we developed an eco-genetic model to examine how ecological changes brought about by two notorious invasive species, zebra and quagga mussels, influence harvest-induced evolution and resilience in a freshwater fish. Our study focused on lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in the Laurentian Great Lakes, where the species supports valuable commercial and subsistence fisheries, and where the invasion of dreissenid (zebra and quagga) mussels caused drastic shifts in ecosystem productivity. Using our model system, we predicted faster rates of evolution of maturation reaction norms in lake whitefish under pre-invasion ecosystem conditions when growth and recruitment of young to the population were high. Slower growth rates that occurred under post-invasion conditions delayed when fish became vulnerable to the fishery, thus decreasing selection pressure and lessening the evolutionary response to harvest. Fishing with gill nets and traps nets generally selected for early maturation at small sizes, except when fishing at low levels with small mesh gill nets under pre-invasion conditions; in this latter case, evolution of delayed maturation was predicted. Overall, the invasion of dreissenid mussels lessened the evolutionary response to harvest, while also reducing the productivity and commercial yield potential of the stock. These results demonstrate how ecological conditions shape evolutionary outcomes and how invasive species can have a direct effect on evolutionary responses to harvest and sustainability.
As cultural construct, gender is fictional and imagined, but is also real in its ideological and representational effects on the formation of self and identity. What is intriguing is the fiction behind the fictional, which many people accept as truth. Critiquing the fictive nature of socially accepted values about gender, the authors in this volume unravel the strategies adopted by writers and filmmakers in (de)constructing the gendered self in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
One of the enantiomers of a racemic drug may be pharmacologically inactive or toxic or ballast and, hence, U.S. FDA and European agencies have issued certain guidelines for marketing of optically active (homochiral) drugs. However, some homochiral drug enantiomers racemize in to human body leading to the generation of other antipodes, which may be toxic or ballast to the human beings. In addition, racemization reduces the administrated dosage concentration when the optically active enantiomer is converted into its inactive form. Therefore, racemization studies of homochiral drugs are the important and urgent need of today. This article reviews in vitro and in vivo racemization of homochiral drugs. The racemization of some homochiral drugs is described considering the affect of different variables such as temperature, concentration of the drug, ionic concentration, pH, addition of cyclodextrins, formation of inclusion complexes, etc. Efforts have also been made to discuss the mechanisms of the racemization process. Attempts have been made to suggest safe dosages of such drugs.
The gout-induced continuous deposition of urate in the kidney tissues is the main cause of renal injury, for which cystatin C (Cys C) is an important indicator. This research analyzed the correlation between general renal injury indicators and serum Cys C level, and further investigated the potential of Cys C in renal injury diagnosis. A total of 140 gout patients with renal injury (GRI) were recruited and grouped by their glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Urea nitrogen, uric acid, creatinine, and Cys C levels in the serum were evaluated. The diagnostic efficacy of serum Cys C was evaluated by the nonparametric receiver operating characteristic analysis. Serum Cys C level was increased with decreased GFR in GRI. Urea nitrogen, uric acid, and creatinine levels in the serum showed positive correlations with Cys C level. The area under the curve for serum Cys C was 0.8589 (P < 0.001). In conclusion, this research demonstrated that the serum Cys C level was a precise diagnostic marker for GFR and renal damage evaluation, and showed a significant diagnostic value for renal injury in patients with gout.
The present invention relates to the automotive coolant lack diagnostic method, and more specifically, the initial temperature and the cooling water temperature increase correction value is changed based on a variety of engine-driven environment of the cooling water when the cooling water in the water jacket of the radiator and the engine is provided with normally used to obtain the water temperature based on the model, it relates to the actually measured temperature of the cooling water and the lack of diagnostic methods of the vehicle the cooling water determines whether or not the lack of the cooling water compared to each other. Such a lack of water diagnostic method of the present invention is how the cooling water shortage diagnosis, a) obtaining an initial temperature and a cooling water temperature increase in cooling water temperature based on the model using the modification value of the cooling water measured at start-up; And b) the measured temperature of cooling water is greater than the sum of the cooling water temperature based on a temperature model and a predetermined temperature value complementary to this characteristic construction, including the step of determining the shortage of the cooling water. Cooling water, leaking, shortage, diagnosis, detection, both
To sufficiently survey the potential danger of a dust, an engineer is normally forced to carry out numerous laboratory tests that are based on standardized methods. The results are known as safety characteristics. Depending upon the effort spent, a more or less comprehensive picture will result, revealed as a mosaic. The scope of the tests has to be determined in close collaboration between the tester and user, working toward the solution of the problem. We will review these tests, and then show how to apply the results to set up handling procedures that will promote safety. Tests are made for both dust layers and dust suspensions, since these show different behavior. Transforming the safety characteristics to plant conditions is certainly the key for safe operation.
D ominos is a company that engages in the delivering of pizza. Recently it also had to meet the high demand of domestic consumption. Transportation is the movement of pizza from one location to another so, that the good reach up into the hands of consumers. There are 12 distribution centres including one production centre in a city. Dominos want to determine the best transportation route in a city in Jaipur, It is used to determine delivery routes or paths pass by any vehicle that will distribute these items by considering consumer demand from the sub-centres. This paper discussed the vehicle routine problem using Saving matrix Keywords : Route, Saving matrix, Saving, Distance, Transportation
The paper reviews the history of evolution of the ideas about the formation of personality and the value system phenomenon in the theory of philosophy, psychology, and education science. The concepts under consideration are also described in the context of the modern educational process. The author''s position is that today the educators should focus on the student as a subject of teaching, who is learning knowledge and mastering necessary skills and abilities in problem-set situations.
The growth and development analyses and also the tests made to determine the physico- mechanical properties of fast-grown korean pine (Pinus koraiensis S.et Z.) taken from a planta- tion established 30 years ago at Tsao-ho-kou Experimental Forest in Liaoning province,North- east China have been carried out.The data presented indicate that the fast-growing trees have pass the juvenile stage earlier,and there are no significant differences of strength properties be- tween the wood of fast-grown planted stands and the adult wood of slow-grown natural stands. From the viewpoint of modern materialistic biological science,i.e.the teaching on unity and interdependence between vegetation and all the conditions of its existance,the authors discuss the results with particular reference to the relationship between growth and development of the stand and the variations of timber quality. It is concluded that under the control of the forester,when a tree is growing rapidly,it could be expected to produce wood of reasonably high strength,due to the fact that it has reached the adult stage earlier.This means that a fast rate of growth does not have a deleterious effect on quality of the wood.The quality depends not on the rate of growth but on the stage of development.
The fast development of more electric aircrafts(MEA) and all electric aircrafts(AEA) and the rapid increase of airborne electrical equipments both demand a high-performance aircraft power system.Based on the traditional three stage starter-generator system,a type of two stage starter-generator is proposed,which adopts the brushless structure and combines the metrics of high power density and adjustable magnetic fields at the same time.So,it can be used in independent power supply system extensively.In this paper,a tangential/radial hybrid excitation synchronous machine(T/R-HESM) is used in the two stage starter-generator system.Through theoretical deduction and practical tests,a new start excitation strategy is put forward to solve the problem that the main generator cannot get the dc exciting current when rotor is static.Combining with space vector pulse width modulation(SVPWM) algorithm,the start process response speed and loading capacity are increased respectively.Both simulation and experiment results prove the validity and feasibility of the strategy.
Cloud computing is a set of Information Technology (IT) services that are provided to a customer over a network on leased basis and with the ability to scale up or down their service requirements. Cloud services are delivered from data centers located throughout the world. Cloud computing facilitates its consumers by providing virtual resources via internet. General example of cloud services is Google Apps, provided by Google and Microsoft SharePoint. Security has remained a constant issue for Open Systems and internet. Lack of security is the only hurdle in the wide adoption of cloud computing. Cloud computing is surrounded by many security issues like securing data, and examining the utilization of cloud by the cloud computing vendors.
Situated multi-agent systems are MAS with an explicit representation of the environment, which agents can observe and in which agents can act. One of the most important functions the environment should offer is the possibility for agents to communicate, and so allowing them to coordinate their activities. We determine requirements for such a coordination environment. Starting from a tuplespaces-based approach, we evaluate the requirements and present our own approach, ObjectPlaces, which can be seen as a tuplespaces variant. Finally, we apply our approach to an illustrative example.
There is obvious need to have the safest working environments and the best quality of health care delivery to patients by nurses working in the hospitals. Effective stress management and coping strategies is one very important step towards this goal. This research aims to identify the major stressors for nurses and the most effective management and coping strategies as contained in literature. This involved excellent review of relevant articles in addition to deductive content analysis of the data generated. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping by Lazarus and Folkman formed the theoretical framework for this study. In particular, the following research questions were invoked; 1. What are the major sources of stress for nurses working in healthcare institutions? 2. What combination of institutional management practices and individual coping strategies are most effective for nurses to manage their stress? Findings from this study show that combination of physical factors, administrative and organisational malfunction, psychological factors and interpersonal conflict are the major sources of stress for nurses working in the hospitals. On the other hand, the best management and coping strategies for nurses involves combination of personal coping skills, effective organisational plans and social support.
One hundred forty fine needle aspirations were performed on 124 patients with a variety of gynecologic conditions. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the adequacy of this technique in the primary diagnosis of pelvic masses and in the detection of persistent or recurrent gynecologic malignancies following irradiation or chemotherapy. In this, the first of two articles, the clinical aspects of the procedure, including clinical indications and the different approaches and pelvic sites of fine needle aspiration, are discussed. The simplicity and lack of complications of the method, combined with a high degree of accuracy in predicting the histologic picture of various lesions, merit wider application of this technique as a reliable diagnostic tool in gynecologic oncology.
Network traffic classification systems have been increasingly used to ensure the availability and resilience of computer networks. With the use of machine learning techniques, classification systems have become more accurate and capable of detecting a wide range of attacks and anomalies. The collection and analysis of data flows can be very costly and difficult to implement. The adoption of software-defined networking (SDN) have been widely discussed and popularized, especially in the scientific and academic community, thus we explore the simplicity afforded by the employment of this type of network to collect the necessary information for flows classification. More specifically achieved with its centralized control layer architecture. This work makes use of machine learning techniques for traffic flow classification in these networks aiming to detect attacks and anomalies. Furthermore, we conduct a comparative study on the performance obtained by the Expectation-Maximization and C4.5 algorithms.
Today's advances of mobile technologies in both hardware and software have pushed the vast utilization of mobile devices for diverse purposes. Along with this progress, today’s mobile devices are expected to perform various types of applications. However, the energy challenge of mobile devices along with their limited computation power act as a barrier. To address this deficiency, mobile cloud computing has been proposed in which cloud resources are used to extend mobile devices’ capabilities. However, due to varying conditions of wireless channel in terms of connectivity and bandwidth, an online offloading mechanism is required which may lead to high decision time and energy. To address this challenge, we propose a priority-based fast computation offloading mechanism which finds the optimal offloading solution based on a modified branch-and-bound algorithm. Results of intensive simulation and testbed experiments demonstrated that our proposal can outperform all existing optimal counterparts in terms of energy consumption and execution time.
to be shown in pictures, the teacher supplies the meaning in Arabic.  In the case of 3 teaching grammar, L1 is usually used to explain the grammatical rules.  According to Assalhi (2013), one of the teachers justified the use of L1in the classroom as follows: "I can't give the grammar in English, all in English, because they will not know very well. But, to make things easier, I write the rule in Arabic (pronoun + verb + complement)” (p.594) Moreover, teachers employ exercises that focus on the bits and discrete details of reading passages.  Therefore, the linguistic performances of these students are “exceptionally shocking” (Aldera, 2011).  Saudi female students at the university levels can hardly write a paragraph and their English skills remain low.   The problems in teaching EFL reading, as well as other skills, at Saudi female universities should be addressed and solved.  No matter how other apparatuses recognize Saudi women’s achievements, the recognition would be of no use if it did not start in the educational institutions. Purpose of the Project The purpose of the project is to create a reading handbook for teachers that will serve as a guide to teach reading effectively.  By using innovative language teaching techniques and methodology based on different language theories and beliefs, this project aims to develop a handbook for EFL female teachers in Saudi Arabia. The handbook serves as a guide for teaching reading comprehension to Saudi female students at the university levels.  It will illustrate different teaching methods that will activate different learning modalities.  It will also include sample lesson plans that will serve as models to teach reading, integrate different language skills and enhance the students’ communicative skills. The handbook will provide the teacher with some lesson plans and reading exercises to support the students’ learning process by activating different learning styles.  Finally, the 4 handbook will allow the teacher to empower her students through the use of innovative teaching approaches, like the communicative approach that encourages the student to speak up and engage in activities. Theoretical Framework This field project is based on two language­teaching theories: The Communicative Language Teaching Approach (CLT) and the Multiple Intelligences Theory (MI). The first approach that this project is based on is the Communicative Language Teaching Approach.  According to Brown (2007), the Communicative Language Teaching Approach is a model that is interpreted and manifested in many ways.  There is no fixed definition for the CLT. However, Brown has offered some characteristics to describe CLT: 1. Communicative competence is the main focus in CLT. 2. Teaching strategies aim to involve the students in the “pragmatic, authentic, functional use of language” (p. 46). 3. CLT provides learners the chance to explore their own learning styles. 4. The teacher plays the role of an orchestra leader, not the source of knowledge.  They facilitate, guide and coach the classroom.  Whereas students are “active participants in their own learning process, [not just passive recipients]” (p.47). Celce­Murcia (2001) states that language skills in CLT are integrated.  In other words, an activity must include reading, speaking, listening and writing. (p.8). Implementing procedures and techniques of CLT in the project at hand allows for better EFL teaching process in Saudi Arabian universities.  In other words, the handbook to be developed will focus on teaching reading interactively.  The teaching guidelines and the 5 sample lesson plans will demonstrate teaching EFL reading with other skills being integrated. The second framework this project is based on is the theory of Multiple Intelligences. The theory was first presented in 1983 by Howard Gardner in his book ​Frames of Minds: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences ​(Ghosn, 1997).  According to the Gardner (1983), intelligence is “the ability to solve problems or fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural settings” (p. 87).  People are able to know the world around them by eight systems of intelligences.  These are linguistic analysis, logical­mathematical analysis, visual­spatial representation, musical sensitivity, bodily­kinesthetic intelligence, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. In his 2000 book ​Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom ​, Thomas Armstrong adapts Gardner’s intelligence model.  He introduces practical applications of the theory of Multiple Intelligences in the classroom.  He also presents teaching strategies and classroom management techniques that are based on Gardner’s theory. Through the recognition and application of these intelligences, educators can provide lessons and activities that taps their students’ learning processes (Bas, 2008). The project will adapt both Gardner’s theory, Armstrong and other scholars’ application of it in order to develop a reading handbook.  The handbook will include teaching strategies that EFL Saudi teachers can use to address their students’ intelligences in class.
The paper introduced the basic concepts and priciples of game theory and It's application in the inviting and submtting tenders.With the mode of game Theory it put up a balanced analysis on the government's investing in project.The author pointed out that open inviting tender is the best policy decision that the government will invest in project;an enterprise submitting tender only uses the model of game theory to proportionally analyse the conditions, then can make correct decision.
Based on the investigation data of community biomass in Robinia pseudoacacia plantations under different stand conditions in the loess region of northwestern China,this paper explores the variation of stand density among different tree diameter classes,as well as the distributing characteristics of biomass in tree,shrub,herb,and litter layers. The stand density of plantations in the 30-year abandoned land, 35-year slope cropland and 30-year slope wasteland was 1 050,950 and 1 410 plant / hm2,respectively. In the three sample stands,trees with DBH less than 20 cm occupied major part,accounting for 77. 62%,85. 79% and 81. 70% of total trees respectively. In the plantations of abandoned land,slope cropland,and slope wasteland,the total biomass of R. pseudoacacia community was 146. 58,165. 76 and 160. 97 t / hm2,respectively. The proportion of tree layer biomass to the community biomass followed the trend of abandoned land( 78. 94%) slope farmland( 79. 57%) slope wasteland( 83. 47%); the proportions of shrub,herb and litter biomass to the community biomass were 16. 53%--21. 07%. Combining the stand growth indexes such as height,DBH and biomass to evaluate R. pseudoacacia plantations,the order was slope farmland abandoned land slope wasteland. According to the vegetation characteristics,we can judge that R. pseudoacacia plantation has reached the mature stage after 30 years growth in the loess region. Thinning should be reasonably used to obtain higher biological yieldand promote the growth of plantations.
Recently, interest has shifted away from considering just the outcomes and products of collaborative work, towards analyzing the interactions themselves. This shift to a more process-oriented account of productive group-work has brought with it an interest in understanding the nature of productive talk and joint activity and researchers have attempted to identify interactional features which are important for learning and cognitive change.
Objective To determine the incidence and risk factors of stent thrombosis(ST) after sirolimus-eluting stent(SES) implantation.Methods A total of 156 patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention procedure with SES implantation between Apr 2006 to Aug 2007 in our hospital were evaluated.Angiographic and procedural outcome were documented by interventional cardiologist,the clinical outcome was recorded before discharge.Clinical follow-up was carried out for 6 months in 72 patients and for 1 year in 84 patients,to investigate the incidence,risk factors and outcome of ST.Results Four patients had suffered from ST: 3 patients(1.92%) were early ST,1 patient(0.64%) was late ST.From the 4 patients there were 2 multivessel diseases,2 bifurcation lesions and 2 long diffuse lesions patients.Six stents were implanted,mean stents diameter was(2.88±0.38)mm,mean stents length was(25.5±6.12)mm and mean release pressure of stents was(13.33±1.03)atm with 1 high-pressure post-dilation,TIMI grade 3 flow was achieved after procedure in all 4 patients.One patient presented acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction 3d after procedure and received rt-PA and IABP treatment,now survives without any events;3 patients suffered from sudden death 6 d,15d and 81d after the procedure respectively.Conclusion In our study,3 developed early ST and 1 late ST in 156 patients after SES implantation.The clinical presentation is acute myocardial infarction or sudden death.The development of ST after SES implantation is probably associated with the following factors:(1) acute coronary syndrome with multivessel diseases,bifurcation lesions or long diffuse lesions;(2) the presence of residual dissection or stent under-expansion without intravascular ultrasound assessments.Coronary ST is a catastrophic complication after percutaneous coronary intervention,and the mortality is high.
This paper analyzes the current teaching status of Introduction to Computer in regional colleges and the necessity of it's teaching reform.Through the investigation of regional colleges together with personal experiences,we put forward reasonable reform plans for teaching structure,teaching mode,evaluation method,etc.Besides, combination of"2+2+1+1"teaching method is presented in this paper,which helps students better understand new input as well as arouses students' interest in study.Their learning efficiency is obviously improved.
The development of humanistic education in the 70-80th of the XXth century is the subject of the present research. Although party and governmental directive documents were directed to the realization of a humanistic principle being one of the basic principles of school development, in fact, many rules have been projecting and propagandistic, decisions have been illusory that finally have not come true.
An outline of the nature of the difficulty and the dyslexic's particular learning needs phonic programme - outline of the progression of work, testing to establish level of competence and monitoring learning approaches and procedures for teaching - how the programme might be implemented starting with pupils at different ages and with different levels of skill some key topics in the phonic work and how these might be tackled reading - general approach, needs at different stages, helping basic sub-skills, blending of sounds, reading whole words, word recognition, approaches to books materials, teaching aids and games other areas needing help - calendar, time, alphabet, dictionary work, handwriting, importance of oral work technology - computers for reinforcement of spelling work and as word processors, tape recorders transfer of work from individual lesson into general curriculum helping with general curriculum work importance of classroom support for dyslexic pupils samples of pupils' writing to illustrate work at various stages suggestions about priorities for work and ways of dealing with the difficulties showm list of materials - teaching aids, workbooks, suitable reading material, computer programs.
The paper presents results obtained from a sequence of research case SSI studies. The paper focuses on the effects of incoherency on the seismic SSI response of nuclear complex islands and structures with surface and embedded foundations, for rock and soil sites. These case studies include the EPRI AP1000 NI complex stick model [1] with and without embedment, a generic large-size shear wall structure with surface foundation, and a generic deeply embedded concrete pool structure. In addition to motion incoherency effects we also looked at wave passage effects for the large-size nuclear structure. The incoherent versus coherent SSI results are compared in terms of acceleration in-structure response spectra (ISRS) and structural forces and moments in the structural elements.
Methods for genetically and synthetically manipulating protein composition enable a greater flexibility in the study of protein dynamics and function. However, current techniques for incorporating biophysical probes in the form of unnatural amino acids (Uaas) can suffer from poor yield, limited selectivity for the desired probe, and an insufficient understanding of the impact that the probe has on protein structure and function. Each of the studies discussed herein addresses one or more of these shortcomings in an effort to improve the usage of Uaas in biochemistry. We have shown that using inteins as traceless, cleavable purification tags enables the separation of full length Uaa containing proteins from their corresponding truncation products. This method has been used to incorporate Uaas in previously unattainable positions in a variety of proteins using a myriad of Uaas, inteins, and purification tags. In other applications, we have used E. coli aminoacyl transferase (AaT) to selectively modify the N-termini of proteins with Uaas to be used in native chemical ligation or “click” chemistry reactions. Finally, we have previously used backbone thioamide modifications to enable biophysical studies of proteins by taking advantage of their properties as fluorescence quenchers. However, the impact of thioamides on the stability of proteins rich in secondary and tertiary structure has yet to be understood in detail. In this work, we have conducted the most comprehensive studies to date on the effect of thioamides on the structure and thermostability of the full-length proteins, using calmodulin and the B1 domain of protein G. We have found that the thioamide can have destabilizing, neutral, or even stabilizing effects depending on the position of substitution within alpha-helical and beta-sheet folds. Moreover, the advances we have made in thioamide peptide synthesis and protein ligation will enable us to install thioamides with increased efficiency, permitting the first syntheses of proteins with multiple thioamides. In general, by working at the interface of several protein modification technologies, we have developed rigorous methodologies for the incorporation of side chain and backbone modifications while scrutinizing the effects that these modifications may have on protein structure and stability. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Chemistry First Advisor Ernest J. Petersson
Ivanova, S., A. Dimitrova, T. Nikolova, S. Yordanov, R. Nedeva and K. Mateeva, 2018. Effect of Baykal EM-1 on growth development and microbiological status of suckling pigs Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 24 (Sup. 2): 27-32 In an experiment with 15 equalized by piglet age, origin and size litters, of which 8 litters in the trial and 7 litterts in the control group, the effect of Baikal EM-1 feed additive, a multi-purpose microbiological product containing a complex of living, useful microorganisms, on the weight development and the microbiological status of the gastrointestinal tract of the pigs, was studied. The additive was included in the feed of the sows and pigs at a dosage of 10 ml / kg of feed, from the day 8th after birth to the day 35th at weaning of the pigs. On the day 21st and day 35th the body weights of the pigs were recorded, and on the day 35th, 10 rectal tampon samples (RTS) from the two groups were taken and microbiologically examined. It was found that the data on weight development, total growth and average daily gain did not show any significant differences in the benefit of the trial group, which contradicts the hitherto established for many other feed additives. Microbiological tests showed that 40% of the RTS of both groups were positive for E. coli, of which in the trial group 75% were nonpathogenic and 25% pathogenic (O139:F4) in and in the control group 75% pathogenic (O139:F4) and 25% non-pathogenic, which represents the product as a good prophylactic remedy.
1. Ten surgically proven cases of posterior fossa neoplasms were examined by radioactive chlormerodrin brain scanning.2. Three acoustic neurinomas were missed.3. Six of 7 posterior fossa lesions were correctly localized.4. A survey of the recent literature indicated that the accuracy of localization of acoustic neurinomas with radioactive chlormerodnin is about 40 per cent and all other posterior fossa tumors about 80 per cent, and that the latter figure is very nearly the same as the accuracy with which supratentorial tumors can be localized.
When trying out various models for community diagnosis we registered a sample of doctor-patient contacts in Askvoll municipality over one year. One fifth of all contacts, 2,743, were registered. The contact rate per year was 3.8 per inhabitant. 79% of the contacts were consultations, 10% home visits and 11% telephone consultations. The three most commonly registered diagnostic groups were musculoskeletal diseases, cardiovascular diseases and "preventive medicine". Together with a household survey and an analysis of public statistics on mortality, morbidity and disability in our municipality, the registration of doctor-patient contacts form the basis of a community diagnosis. This community diagnosis will help to steer health planning and preventive work in our district in the right direction.
A contact force of the probe contact measurement device to allow fine adjustment, also possible to provide a contact type measuring device with a mechanism to eliminate the influence of its own weight of the probe. In contact measurement apparatus A contacts 3 and the surface of the measurement target of the probe 2 is to measure the displacement of the probe in contact, with the probe body 1 to support the probe 2 at the fluid bearing surfaces 4, probe 2 and fluid pressure control means 9,10,11,6,6a for controlling the fluid pressure within the probe body 1 in order to impart a tensile force or pushing force, the movable portion attached to the probe body 1 (spindle) 8a and distance adjusting means (micrometer) 8 having the movable part of the distance adjusting means 8 and the permanent magnet 7 attached to (spindle) 8a, and the contact 3 of the probe 2 resulting in repulsion or attraction between the permanent magnet 7 contact measurement apparatus that includes a member 5 made of magnetic material and a permanent magnet mounted on the opposite end, the. .The
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND In the past few years three-dimensional (3D) automated software for preoperative planning in shoulder arthroplasty has increased in practice. It has been used to improve accuracy on implant placement, size, and selection, especially on the glenoid side. New additions have been added however, to look at prediction of range of motion (ROM) for after surgery. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of the software feature of predicting impingement-free range of motion compared to postoperative functional outcomes. METHODS A shoulder arthroplasty database including 192 patients was reviewed and 55 patients who underwent a primary RSA without evidence of preoperative fracture, trauma, or neurological associated diseases which could impact postoperative rehabilitation were included in the study. Preoperative plans for RSA were created for all patients based on preoperative shoulder CT scan and each patient's preoperative predictive ROM (PROM) suggested by the software was recorded. These PROM were then compared to postoperative final follow-up clinical range of motion for accuracy (CE ROM). Demographic information and Walch classification were recorded. RESULTS Our cohort was composed of 30 males and 25 females with an average age of 71.2 years old and mean BMI 30.0kg/m2. The predominant diagnosis was rotator cuff arthropathy (RCA: 32 patients) followed by severe osteoarthritis (SOA: 19 patients). The mean difference between clinical and predicted ROM for active FF was 42° (SD = 46°), passive FF was 61° (SD = 39°), passive ABD was 81° (SD = 33°), active ER was 22° (SD = 22°), and passive ER was 24° (SD = 25°). Our results also showed that the CE ROM was significantly higher than PROM for each clinical measurement (p CONCLUSION Not all features available in preoperative planning for RSA using 3D automated software can be translated into practice. Our results demonstrated PROM weakly correlated with CE ROM for patients who underwent RSA. Surgeons need to be aware that surgical decisions should not be altered based on this feature. More research needs to be done to validate this new tool incorporating both scapulothoracic motion and clinical correlation with predictive ROM. As we move into the era with 3D preoperative simulation and optimizing outcomes for shoulder arthroplasty these features incorporating clinical outcomes and function will be critical to consider.
The present information reporting of mining right inspection is facing various kinds of problems,such as numerous organizations of ministerial-level,provincial,municipal,and county-level organs and exploration units all over the county,many mining right holders,diversified roles,complicated system and network environment,and poor timeliness. This study therefore adopted a multi-layer architecture idea of combining off-line offers with online reporting,and designed and realized an information reporting and management system of mining right inspection based on the RIA technique. It has become an important tool of information acquisition during the development process of mining administration from administration examination to comprehensive supervision.
Incidence and severity of brown stem rot (BSR) of soybeans were progressively reduced by long-term cropping with the maturity group II BSR-resistant A3 germ plasm line. BSR incidence remained high and severity fluctuated with long-term cropping of the BSR-susceptible cultivar Coles. Yield increases averaged 16.7% greater for four susceptible cultivars that were grown after the land had been cropped for 4 yr with the BSR-resistant A3 germ plasm than for land that had been cropped with the BSR-susceptible cultivar Coles
This paper completes and extends some earlier studies by the author to show that Morris-Thorne wormholes are compatible with quantum field theory. The strategy is to strike a balance between reducing the size of the unavoidable exotic region and the degree of fine-tuning of the metric coefficients required to achieve this reduction, while simultaneously satisfying the constraints from quantum field theory. The fine-tuning also serves to satisfy various traversabilty criteria such as tidal constraints and proper distances through the wormhole. The degree of fine-tuning turns out to be a generic feature of the type of wormhole discussed.
The multigrid properties of two data reconstruction methods used for achieving second-order spatial accuracy when solving the two-dimensional Euler equations are examined. The data reconstruction methods are used with an implicit upwind algorithm which uses linearized backward-Euler time-differencing. The solution of the resulting linear system is performed by an iterative procedure. In the present study only regular quadrilateral grids are considered, so a red-black Gauss-Seidel iteration is used. Although the Jacobian is approximated by first-order upwind extrapolation, two alternative data reconstruction techniques for the flux integral that yield higher-order spatial accuracy at steady state are examined. The first method, probably most popular for structured quadrilateral grids, is based on estimating the cell gradients using one-dimensional reconstruction along curvilinear coordinates. The second method is based on Green's theorem. Analysis and numerical results for the two dimensional Euler equations show that data reconstruction based on Green's theorem has superior multigrid properties as compared to the one-dimensional data reconstruction method.
A novel method for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) enhanced circular dichroism (CD), circular birefringence (CB), and degree of polarization (Dep) detection is proposed using Stokes-Mueller matrix polarimetry technique. The validity of the analytical model is confirmed by means of numerical simulations, and the simulation results show that the proposed detection method for CB and CD has a sensitivity of 10-5 RIU and 10-4 RIU (refractive index unit) for refractive indices in the range of 1.3~1.4, respectively. The practical feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated by the experimental results for detecting the CB/CD/Dep with the glucose-chlorophyllin compound samples contained polystyrene microsphere particles. It is shown that the extracted CB value decreases linearly with glucose concentration over the considered range while the extracted CD value increases linearly with the chlorophyll concentration over the considered range. In general, the results obtained in this study show that the measured CB and CD response is highly sensitive to the polarization scanning angle. Consequently, the potential of Stokes-Mueller matrix polarimetry for highresolution in CB/CD/Dep detection is confirmed.
A generic class of theories where gravity is mediated by one tensor field together with an arbitrary number of scalar fields is considered. The predictions of these theories are worked out in four different observationally relevant regimes: (i) quasi-stationary weak fields (solar system conditions); (ii) rapidly varying weak fields (gravitational wave experiments); (iii) quasi-stationary strong fields (motion of systems of compact bodies, i.e. neutron stars or black holes); and (iv) the mixing of strong and radiative field effects in the gravitational radiation of N-compact-body systems. Moreover, the authors derive several significant relations between the theoretical quantities entering these predictions. They show how strong-field-gravity effects in the motion and gravitational radiation of N-compact-body systems can be parametrized by a set of theory parameters that generalize the usual post-Newtonian parameters ( gamma , beta ,. . .) introduced in the context of quasi-stationary weak gravitational fields. These new parameters ( beta 2, beta ', beta 3, beta ",. . .) provide a chart for the yet essentially unexplored domain of strong-gravitational-field effects, and thereby suggest new directions for testing relativistic gravity. This is illustrated by studying in detail a specific two-parameter tensor-bi-scalar theory T( beta ', beta ") which has the same post-Newtonian limit as general relativity but leads to new nonEinsteinian predictions for the various observables that can be extracted from binary pulsar data.
In discussions about teleoperation systems and virtual reality environments, the notion of distance, i.e. in physical space, is often considered as a problem, causing many technological bottlenecks, such as time delay, communication breakdowns, lack of communication services quality, etc. In this paper, however, we propose to shift the engineering viewpoint, and to consider distance from an anthropological standpoint, that is, not as a source of “technological problems” but as the source of moral implications. In other words, we will review some of the sociological and psychological effects that the abnegation of distance, which is currently brought about by telepresence technologies, plays and has played on the moral dimension of human beings.
Ram-air wings form an ever increasing market of soft fabric, air inflated wings. They are primairily used in air sports such as parachuting, paragliding and kiting. Ram-air kites may also be used for electric power generation by letting the kite pull a cable from a drum that is connected to a generator. An example if this principle is the Laddermill concept. But since ram-air wings are flexible by nature they will deform and depart from their intended design shape when they are loaded by aerodynamic forces. These deformations generally affect the performance of the wings adversely. Kites with a higher lift-to-drag ratio on the Laddermill could mean a direct increase of the energy produced per square meter of kite. Besides this benefit for the Laddermill there is a huge, world-wide market of parachuting, paragliding and kiting that can benefit from more research and a better understanding of the deformation and aerodynamic performance of ram-air wings. The goals of this thesis are to be able to point out where a ram-air kite departs from the intended design shape, to investigate how well the kite performs, to understand how the deformations affect the airflow and to make suggestions for possible improvements of the design. Since little has been published about these subjects this report will most of all form a basis for further research. This report presents a method to analyse the shape and the aerodynamics of a ram-air kite. The kite is tested in the windtunnel. Its 3D shape is captured using two techniques: photogrammetry and laser scanning. Using the geometry data the structural deformation of the wing is dissected. With computational fluid dynamics the aerodynamics of the deformed shape is analyzed. An extra result of this study is the comparison of photogrammetry and laser scanning in terms of their suitability to capture the 3D shape of the ram-air kite. A number of interesting deformations and flow features were found on the ram-air wing: - Theoretically the bumps (ballooning) and grooves on a ram-air wing hinder the spanwise flow on a 3-dimensional wing, but in practise this effect is only visible on small parts of the upper surface. - The pull of the suspension lines on the under surface and the internal construction of the wing make the upper surface of the wing deform. This results in a decrease of the upper surface curvature, especially near the nose. This curvature decrease causes a loss of lift of at least 5%. - Because the flat, 2-dimensional fabric is inflated into a 3-dimensional shape the fabric wrinkles. The wrinkles continue from the top and bottom surface into the ribs that internally connect and support the top and bottom surface. On average these wrinkles shorten the ribs in chordwise direction by 3.5%. This decreases the surface area of the wing and it makes the ribs effectively thicker. Many more details became visible with the thorough analysis of the wing’s shape. The conclusion is that the performance of the ram-air wing can be improved by changing these details. The photogrammetry measuring technique gave better results than laser scanning and is very suitable tool to make these details visible. It allows a designer to identify where the real flying shape deviates from the design shape. This can help kite designers and designers of other ram-air wings to reverse-
Endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE-1) is a type II integral membrane protein which plays a key role in the biosynthetic pathway of the vasoconstricting endothelins. Three ECE-1 isoforms, differing by their N-terminal cytoplasmic tails, are generated from a single gene. When expressed in CHO cells, they display comparable enzymatic activity but whereas ECE-1a is strongly expressed at the cell surface, ECE-1b is exclusively intracellular and ECE-1c presents an intermediate distribution. In the present study these different localizations were further described at the ultrastructural level, by electron microscope immunocytochemistry. To characterize the motifs responsible for the intracellular localization of ECE-1b we constructed chimeric proteins and point mutants. Two di-leucine-based motifs, contained in the N-terminal part of ECE-1b, were thus identified. One of these motifs (LV), displayed by both ECE-1b and ECE-1c, accounts for the reduced surface expression of ECE-1c as compared to ECE-1a. Mutation of both motifs (LL and LV) induces a very strong appearance of ECE-1b at the cell surface indicating that their presence in the N-terminal extremity of ECE-1b is critical for its exclusively intracellular localization.
An approach which allows  to improve the efficiency of the search for local minima in cylinders packing problems is proposed. In order to resolve a question of falling into “bad” non-strict local minima at the initial stage of solution process replacement of cylinders by spherocylinders (i.e. cylinders bases of which are spherical segments of a given height) is proposed. This replacement will allows to go around of points where the trajectory of the gradients of the constraints will be canceled when searching for local extrema. In addition, the properties of a mathematical model based on the form of Ф -functions allowed to offer a way of significant reduction of the runtime and computational effort when searching for local minima. The proposed approach  reduce the number of constraints which describе the feasible region due to a process of search for a local minimum is reduced to the solution of sequence of mathematical programming problems on subregions of the feasible region.
Mapping neuronal morphology to physiology in a rhythmic motor circuit A dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Brandeis University Waltham, Massachusetts By Adriane G. Otopalik A neuron’s unique physiological waveform arises from its palette of ion channels and receptors, as superimposed on its geometrical structure. The crustacean stomatogastric ganglion (STG), a small rhythmic motor circuit, exhibits fourteen identified neuron types with highly-conserved physiological waveforms and complex morphologies. In this thesis, I examine how morphology shapes neuronal physiology in the STG. Using high-resolution neuronal reconstructions and a suite of computational tools, I quantify numerous morphological features of four STG neuron types. This work revealed remarkable animal-to-animal variability in neuronal morphology. I also demonstrate that STG neurons do not adhere to current hypotheses regarding wiring optimization principles. I then studied the physiological consequences of animal-to-animal morphological variability in one neuron type, the Gastric Mill (GM) neuron. Utilizing focal photo-uncaging of glutamate in tandem with electrophysiological techniques, I characterize passive voltage signal propagation. I find that GM neurons, despite their complex structures, operate much like single compartments. Taken together, these studies suggest that relatively compact electrotonic structures may effectively compensate for the observed morphological
Based on the present development situation of 3PL and logistic industry and the objective request of social economy to logistic industry,incubation theory was introduced to cultivate and develop the leading type 3PL enterprise.The definition,function,development necessity and difficulty of leading type 3PL were discussed;the possibility of incubating leading type 3PL was analyzed the carrier,function and object of incubating leading type 3PL were proposed.
In this paper, we propose a differential pricing scheme, named as Diff-Price, to deliver customized safety services to the users at an optimal price and maximizing the profit of Safety Service Provider (SSP) using the Safety-as-a-Service (Safe-aaS) platform. None of the existing pricing schemes addresses the dynamic variation of price as the type of users and decision parameters requested by them vary. We assume road transportation as the implementation scenario of Safe-aaS. In order to deal with these issues, we formulate a pricing scheme, which renders different prices for the same decision parameters. The amount charged from the users are based on their type, decision parameters selected by them, and the duration for which they request the service. Additionally, the SSP allows suitable discounted price to the users, which is determined from their mode of payment and history of services availed. Further, to model the interaction between the users and SSPs, we design our problem as a multiple leader multiple follower non-cooperative Stackelberg game. We calculate the utility of SSPs and formulate an optimization problem to compute the optimal value of the basic price charged from the users. The exhaustive mathematical analysis and simulation results reveal that the proposed pricing scheme, Diff-Price improves the financial gain of the service providers as the number of users increases by 13.51%, 15.75%, and 14.173% respectively, compared to the adaptive incremental spot pricing scheme [1], differentiated cloud virtual-network as-a-service scheme [2], and smart road pricing system [3].
The Messenger 141 – September 2010 use light diffracted from the Airy core of the central star to cancel out the coherent light in the outer diffraction rings. Small sinusoidal ripples of phase added to the incoming wavefront act like a simple dif­ fraction grating, creating a pair of “speck­ les” that can be adjusted to cancel out diffraction on one side of the star, but reinforcing it on the opposite side. Mathe­ matically adding many of these virtual gratings together forms the resultant APP pattern, seen in Figure 2. Its effect on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) point spread function (PSF) is seen in the com­ missioning data in Figure 3. The APP optical element itself is shown in Figure 4 prior to installation.
The automation of distribution canals in India promises to improve water-delivery service to end users by reducing operating cost and improving distribution efficiency. CWPRS has established a fully automated 190 m long model canal, which is entirely controlled and monitored remotely on SCADA platform. The facility has been equipped with various hydraulic structures and flow measurement devices. The canal is a demonstration unit, a training facility and a research platform for field engineers, academicians and scientists. Testing and implementation of canal automation has been carried out at CWPRS, Pune, for acquiring first-hand experience on various aspects of canal automation processes.
The research entitled social control of school rules violation in SMA KaryaSekadau. The problem of this research is: how is the social control of school rules violation in SMA KaryaSekadau. The sub-problems in this research are: 1) How is the form of preventive social control and 2)How is the form of repressive social control. The research aims to analyze the social control preventively and repressively of school rules violation in SMA KaryakaryaSekadau. Research form used was qualitative with descriptive method. Data informant were: 1) The principal, Drs. Sumardi, 2) Vice Principal on Student Sector, Yasinta Yuyun, S.Sos, 3) Counseling Teacher, Lasna, S.Pd, 4) Homeroom Teacher Maria Mardiana, S.Pd, 5) Subject Teacher Fransiska, S.Pd, 6) supervisor in-charge when the observation was being held, Lita Lia, S.Pd. The result proved that there was a serious or well function social control which was controlled by the school i.e. the principal, vice principal on student sector, counseling teacher, homeroom teacher, supervisor in-charge, and subject teacher. Efforts or steps had been done to overcome school rules violation were by giving advice such as giving guidance and guiding the problematic students and giving warning such as directly reprimanding the students.
In Rapanos v. United States, the Supreme Court addressed the issue of federal wetlands jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. The Court's fractionalized opinion left lower courts searching for the appropriate analysis to determine Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction over wetlands. In addition, the opinion left unclear the proper role that science should play in addressing the jurisdictional inquiry. Since Rapanos is a complex decision, and because South Dakota has numerous wetland areas that intersect with ranching, farming, and development, it is important for the South Dakota legal community to stay current with new developments in wetlands jurisdiction. One such new development is the 2011 Corps and Environmental Protection Agency Joint "Draft Guidance on Identifying Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act." The Draft Guidance and federal appellate court cases decided under Rapanos indicate that science plays a crucial role in assessing wetlands jurisdiction. Practitioners must be aware that evidence of scientific parameters, or lack thereof can have a major effect on the outcome of a given case. Clever litigators can use the Draft Guidance as a manual to discern appropriate types of evidence that can be used in determining jurisdictional claims under the Rapanos tests. I. INTRODUCTION In the same manner that the antagonist in a superhero film produces mayhem as the plot of the movie unfolds, so too has the United States Supreme Court's decision in Rapanos v. United States (1) created chaos in federal wetlands jurisdiction cases across the country. (2) While the storyline of such a film comes to denouement and the audience traipses away, thrilling at the thought of the villain defeated, such resolution in the Rapanos saga is not possible--the plot continues to unfold as the legal community attempts to parse through the rubble. (3) In Rapanos, three disjunct (4) portions of the opinion attempted to define the appropriate test to determine whether the Army Corps of Engineers ("Corps") should have jurisdiction over wetlands found next to non-navigable tributaries of navigable waters under the Clean Water Act ("CWA"). (5) The plurality and concurring portions of the opinion directed that the case be remanded, but offered different tests to analyze federal jurisdiction. (6) First, the plurality, written by Justice Scalia, determined that there must be a "surface connection" between the wetland at issue and the navigable water for the Corps to claim jurisdiction. (7) The plurality downplayed the role that science and ecology should play in determining Corps jurisdiction over wetlands. (8) Alternatively, Justice Kennedy's concurrence posited that the appropriate test should be whether a "significant nexus" exists between the wetland in question and the navigable water; if so, the Corps could claim jurisdiction. (9) In contrast to the plurality, Kennedy's concurrence acknowledged scientific factors as an important part of the CWA, (10) and verbalized those factors as part of the significant nexus test. (11) Finally, the dissent, authored by Justice Stevens, argued that the lower courts' decisions to grant jurisdiction to the Corps should be affirmed. (12) Justice Stevens asserted that lower courts should make use of either the plurality or the Kennedy test to determine jurisdiction in future cases. (13) Under this framework, federal appellate courts have largely been left to their own devices to puzzle out how the jurisdictional inquiry should proceed, resulting in inconsistency among court decisions. (14) For example, federal appellate decisions have split with regard to which test should be used to determine Corps jurisdiction over wetlands. (15) An additional misunderstanding has emerged with regard to the proper role of science in the jurisdictional analysis--while it is apparent that federal appellate courts expect that scientific evidence be used in proving jurisdiction under Rapanos, many cases demonstrate that litigators simply have not cued into this expectation. …
In this present paper,we take use of the compositive dynamic and static method and the multidimensional angle of view of sementics,grammatics and pragmatics in the synchronic level to analyze the relationship between dynamic meaning and static meaning,the linguistic conditions including sementic,grammatic and pragmatic aspects and the conversational conditions including context aspects and conversational process that create the dynamic meaning and the main kinds of the dynamic meaning according to the difference of the scientific context and the general context.
In some food industries, the demand for egg yolk was large, and egg white was often discarded as waste, which not only causes environmental pollution, but also wastes this valuable protein resource. Therefore, the comprehensive utilization of egg white is urgent. The research at home and abroad is currently focused on lysozyme extraction methods, egg white cold sterilization technology, the functional properties and the biological activities of egg white hydrolysates, and recent progress on the 4 aspects were reviewed in this article.
According to the stress characteristics of coal floor with faults,corresponding simplified mechanical model is built to obtain the equations of shear stress and normal stress on the fault,as well as the influential rules of fault dip on shear stress,normal stress and fault activation.At the same time,under the circumstances of different normal fault dips,the fracture distributions and seepage distribution of coal floor as well as the variation characteristics of inflow quantity of coal floor in the mined area are simulated with mining carried out by using the RFPA2D-Flow software.The numerical simulation reveals the formation principle of water inrush channel in coal floor with fault structure as well as influential rule of fault dip on water inrush in coal floor.Overall,the results indicate that normal faults with low dip angles are more easily activated to induce water inrush in coal floor,which has an important value in the case of coal floor with faults when waterproof coal pillars are needed.
Crisis intervention programs are becoming the standard of care in occupational environments such as law enforcement, fire suppression, emergency medicine, and rescue services, which are known to be at high risk for psychological morbidity. An area which is frequently overlooked, however, is the application of crisis intervention programs to businesses and other corporate environments. This paper describes the development and application of crisis intervention principles into a comprehensive psychosocial crisis management for the corporate setting immediately following disasters and other traumatic events. The approach used reinforces emergency responders' capacities of synthesis and integration as a systemically-oriented acute preventive intervention.
As the water scarcity in the agricultural sector increases, there is a greater demand for more efficient irrigation. With better predictions of the reference crop evapotranspiration (ETo), more efficient irrigation scheduling can be done. The is the evapotranspiration rate from a reference surface, which resembles a uniform surface of green grass with adequate water. In this study a model has been made for determining the on Java. This model can calculate the interpolated at a certain location when the coordinates and the predicted wind speed at that location are given. These calculations can be carried out for each month and the average over the year. The grid size of the interpolation is 1 by 1 minute, which is about 1.84 by 1.84 kilometers.  For this study, data from 24 measurement stations on Java have been used. For 20 of these stations, the data has been supplied by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). For the remaining 4 stations, the data has been supplied by the Indonesian National Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG). Also, altitude data from GEBCO has been used.  In this research, five methods have been used for predicting the . In each of these methods the is interpolated. Method 1 consists of interpolating the values calculated with data from the measurement stations, using triangle-based interpolation methods. In Method 2 the is divided into an aerodynamic and a radiation component, which are individually interpolated. In this method, the wind speed is partially excluded from these components, which means the given or predicted wind speed is used to calculate the . In Methods 3, 4 and 5 the is divided into four components representing the aerodynamic part, the radiation part, the psychometric constant and the saturation vapor pressure relationship. Here the wind speed is entirely excluded from these components. In Method 3 the psychometric constant is interpolated, in Method 4 it is calculated using the altitude data from GEBCO and in Method 5 it is calculated using the altitude given in the data from the measurement stations.
From the private company’s R&D plan to the national policies for aircraft industry, the understanding of the current market situation and the forecast of the market are important. In this research, the world aircraft market result is estimated and the market forecast is examined with prestigious market reports. As the results, the estimated aircraft production and the whole market size including aircraft engines, parts, and MRO in 2013 is estimated about $ 549.3 billion and the 10 years’ production until 2022 will be around $ 6,666.5 billion. Though the references are widely used reports, they show significant differences in the market size between them. So, this research result needs careful treatment to be applied for the R&D and policy planning that it has to be regarded as the tendances and the directions of the current and future industry productions rather than the market production numbers themselves.
Twelve patients, showing advanced left bundle branch blocks with axial deviation toward the left (beyond -45 degrees) were studied by clinical, radiological and vectocardiographic examinations. All of them showed a marked cardiomegaly and half of them had also severe congestive heart failure. The left axial deviation may be connected to an asyncronism of the left ventricular activation, due to a delayed excitation of the antero-superior wall because of a lesion of the anterior fascicle. The authors think that this asynchronism of the activation should be evident in ECG test by a more delayed intrinsecoid deflection in aVL than in V6, as has been previously pointed out in the isolated anterior fascicular block. This ecgraphic datum was found in two patients only. The other possible causes of a left axial deviation in advanced left bundle branch block are discussed.
We consider a broad class of continuous-time two-type population size-dependent Markov Branching Processes. The offspring distribution can depend on the current (alive) and total (dead and alive) populations. Using stochastic approximation techniques, we show that the time-asymptotic proportion of the populations either converges to the equilibrium points or infinitely often enters every neighbourhood and exits some neighbourhood of a saddle point of an appropriate ordinary differential equation with a certain probability (almost surely for the process with attack and proportion-dependent branching process). The result holds under finite second-moment conditions. We also show that certain normalized trajectories of the embedded chain almost surely converge to the solution of the ordinary differential equation uniformly over any finite time window as time progresses. In addition to extending the analysis of several existing BPs, we analyze two new variants: BP with attack and acquisition, and BP with proportion-dependent offspring. Using these results, we study competition in viral markets and fake news control on online social networks.
The successful project management is based on definition of project goals in construction industry. The WBS(Work Breakdown Structure) is one of the major factors which defines works related to project goals. The necessity of the WBS for owners in multi complex projects which would help them to understand the whole project is rising because the multi-complex project in the construction industry has increasing recently. Therefore, this study suggests directions to establish the WBS for owners through investigating a concept of the multi-complex project first and analyzing types of project, domestic and foreign WBS, and case studies.
The impact of mobile colloids on the transport of phosphorus in the subsurface environment is not well understood. We hypothesized that interactions between metals, organic matter, and P control the dynamics of mobile colloidal P species in excessively fertilized sandy soils. The effect of UV irradiation and additions of 32P, orthophosphate, Fe, Al, and NaF on the concentration of colloidal P was examined using gel filtration chromatography. In addition, molybdate unreactive P (MUP) was characterized using phosphomonoesterase assays. The high molecular mass reactive P (HMMRP) fraction did not react to orthophosphate additions, increased upon Al and Fe additions and decreased upon NaF addition and UV irradiation. These results support the hypothesis that HMMRP is present as organic matter-metal-orthophosphate complexes. The concentration of high molecular mass unreactive P (HMMUP) decreased upon UV irradiation. The MUP concentration slightly decreased upon incubation with phytase and acid phosphatase. These observations fitted well to the "protection" hypothesis, where hydrolyzable P bonds are protected from monoesterase attack through occlusion in colloidal material. Taken together, this study indicates the high potential for subsurface P loss by colloidal particles in soils excessively fertilized with animal manure.
A new model for asphalt oxidative aging is presented. The model proposes that the kinetics of low temperature aging in the pavement temperature range is largely governed by physicochemical effects related to the state of dispersion of the associated or micellar components of asphalt rather than the inherent reactivity of the components with oxygen. The model is supported by a variety of data from present and past laboratory and field experiments, and is consistent with and supported by the time-tested micellar model of asphalt. The findings presented suggest two pragmatic consequences with regard to the aging of pavements: 1) the level of age hardening in pavements should be strongly influenced by the maximum pavement temperatures experienced in a given climate, and 2) currently used high-temperature aging tests may be poor indicators of pavement aging characteristics.
A new hybrid genetic algorithm which combines the good property of the global search of genetic algorithm and regional search of conjugate gradient approach was proposed.In order to ensure the diversity of population and improve the velocity of convergence and efficiency,the niche skill was brought out,by which the best operator was better shared and the function was strengthened.Numerical experiment showed that the new method was feasible and efficient.
Biological, physical and chemical characteristics of suppressive and conducive soils to ginseng root rot were investigated. Population of antagonistic microorganisms to Fusarium solani was much higher in suppressive soils than in conducive soils, whereas the numbers of Fusarium species were smaller in suppressive soils. Mycelial growth and chlamydospore formation of Fusarium solani were inhibited in suppressive soils. In the water extract of suppressive soils, lysis of germination tube and macroconidia of F. solani was occurred by antagonistic microorganisms at 4 hours after treatment. There were no significant differences in physical and chemical characteristics between supressive soils and conducive soils to ginseng root rot, however, clay content of suppressive soils was a little higher than that of conductive soils.
Edward Snowden’s leaks laid bare the scope and breadth of the electronic surveillance that the U.S. National Security Agency and its foreign counterparts conduct. Suddenly, foreign surveillance is understood as personal and pervasive, capturing the communications not only of foreign leaders but also of private citizens. Yet to the chagrin of many state leaders, academics, and foreign citizens, international law has had little to say about foreign surveillance. Until recently, no court, treaty body, or government had suggested that international law, including basic privacy protections in human rights treaties, applied to purely foreign intelligence collection. This is now changing: several U.N. bodies, judicial tribunals, U.S. corporations, and victims of foreign surveillance are pressuring states to bring that surveillance under tighter legal control.This article tackles three key, interrelated puzzles associated with this sudden transformation. First, it explores why international law has had so little to say about how, when, and where governments may spy on other states’ nationals. Second, it draws on international relations theory to argue that the development of new international norms regarding surveillance is both likely and essential. Third, it identifies six process-driven norms that states can and should adopt to ensure meaningful privacy restrictions on international surveillance without unduly harming their legitimate national security interests. These norms, which include limits on the use of collected data, periodic reviews of surveillance authorizations, and active oversight by neutral bodies, will increase the transparency, accountability, and legitimacy of foreign surveillance.This procedural approach challenges the limited emerging scholarship on surveillance, which urges states to apply existing — but vague and contested — substantive human rights norms to complicated, clandestine practices. In identifying and valuing new, objectively verifiable, neutral norms, the article offers a more viable and timely solution to the perils of foreign surveillance.
Abstract Identifying frontal and lateral thrust fault ramp positions and areas of different decollement levels is an essential first step in analyzing the structural geometry of a thrust belt. Stratigraphic separation diagrams directly plot the geographic positions where faults change stratigraphic levels. When carefully divided into longitudinal and transport direction segments, they separate lateral ramp areas from frontal ramp areas. Magnitudes of fault slip only correlate with amounts of stratigraphic separation in areas of flat faults; in stepped fault areas, stratigraphic separation varies systematically with depth of erosion through ramp regions.
ObjectiveTo establish a new method for the determination of ranitidine hydrochloride in ranitidine hydrochloride capsules by microfluidic chip. MethodsRanitidine hydrochloride was rapidly separated by microfluidic chip and detected with contactless conductivity detection under high electric field.The electrophoretic parameters,such as the variety and concentration of buffer solution and additive,separation voltage and injection time etc,were researched. ResultsIn optimal conditions,using 1 mmol·L-1 HAc + 2 mmol·L-1 NaAc(pH = 4.5) as buffer solution,with 0.2 mmol·L-1 SDS at the separation voltage of 2.00 kV and 10s injection,ranitidine hydrochloride was separated and detected within 1 min.The linear dependence of the concentration of ranitidine hydrochloride ranged from 10 μg·ml-1 to 110 μg·ml-1(r2=0.999 6),the detection limit was 1.3 μg·ml-1(S/N=3),the RSD was 1.6% and the recoveries ranged from 97.6% to 98.6%. ConclusionThe method is simple,rapid,sensitive and well reproducible,and it can be used in the quality control of the product.
Over the past half century there has been an accelerating trend towards liberalization in the legal services industry. International free trade agreements have sought to promote open markets for legal services. The United States, United Kingdom, many European countries, Australia, Japan, Russia, China, and Singapore have all opened their legal markets to foreign law firms. India is something of an anomaly in this regard. Although it has one of the world’s largest economies and has benefited greatly from liberalization in many industries, its legal industry remains closed. Competition for foreign capital with other developing nations, particularly China, makes this an issue of paramount importance for India’s development. This article examines India’s ban on the entry of foreign law firms into its legal market and assess the implications of this policy on Indian firms’ ability to attract foreign direct investment. It then examines strategies that foreign firms currently use to participate in the Indian market and their costs and benefits for the development of India’s legal and governance infrastructure. Finally, it examines proposals for liberalizing the market in the light of their potential effects on India’s ability to attract foreign direct investment.
The authors make a brief review of the value of using the fly Drosophila melanogaster to detect possible mutagenic and carcinogenic activities of chemicals. The study of the induction of chromosome X-linked recessive lethal mutations, translocations and chromosomal deletions, and non-disjunction phenomena in Drosophila is very useful to detect direct carcinogenic agents a well as precarcinogenic compounds that are ativated within the fly organism. The assays with Drosophila do not substitute, but follow and complement at a different biological level the assays made in batteries of tests employing bacteria.
This article reports a case of spontaneous extracranial pneumatocele and introduces a new simple terminology for this clinical entity. A 10-year-old Saudi girl presented with left tympanoparietomastoid swelling. It was found to be fluctuant and full of air. On exploration, bony septae were found arising from the skull aponeurosis, the cranial boundary was elevated, and an ivory, cancellous bony swelling was over the root of the zygoma. No naked eye anatomic communication to the mastoid air cell was found. The mastoid pneumatization was within normal limits. All preoperative, operative, and postoperative investigations are presented. The authors introduce temporocele as a new term applied to this extracranial spontaneous pneumatocele.
The development of mechanisms as virtualization, load distribution, and data sharing has benefited the IT-evolution towards to cloud computing with its seemingly infinite resource capacities. This leads to novel approaches in resource provisioning and releasing. However, managing the cloud resource pool still needs manual configuration to react on changes in system load behaviour. This paper presents simulation results of the already described idea, which procures user-data based on social Web applications and uses this information for load forecasting. The solution includes the data of geocaching- or geotagging-services to determine how many people are located at a particular place with a specific interest focus. By inferring the pure load volume at a specific location and by the presented formulas, our system is able to provide an appropriately amount of resources. Thereby, we can optimize the trade-off between low costs with less resources and high user satisfaction with use of many machines.
We introduce a class of new sharing arrangements in a multi-stage supply chain in which the retailer observes stationary autoregressive moving average demand with Gaussian white noise (shocks). Similar to previous research, we assume each supply chain player constructs its best linear forecast of the leadtime demand and uses it to determine the order quantity via a periodic review myopic order-up-to policy. We demonstrate how a typical supply chain player can create a sequence of partial information shocks (PIS) from its full information shocks FIS and share these with an adjacent upstream player. We go on to show how such a sharing arrangement may be benecial to the upstream player by characterizing the player's FIS in such a case. Hence, we study how a player can determine its available information under PIS sharing, and use this information to forecast leadtime demand. We characterize the value of FIS sharing for a typical supply chain player. Furthermore, we show conditions under which a player is able to form and share valuable PIS without (i) revealing its historic demand sequence or (ii) revealing its FIS sequence. We also provide a way of comparing various PIS sharing arrangements with each other and with conventional sharing arrangements involving demand sharing or FIS sharing. We show that demand propagates through a supply chain where any player may share nothing or a sequence of PIS shocks with an adjacent upstream player as quasi-ARMA in - quasi-ARMA out.
Objective To observe the clinical effect of operation of nanophthalmos with implanting monocular piggyback intraocular lens.Methods Performing phacoemusification with double IOL for 4 nanophthalmos patients whose oculi axes are between 16.37～18.50mm,then recording the postoperative chang of their visual acuity,refraction,deep of anterior chamber and intraocular pressure. Results 4 patient's postoperative visual acuity of naked eye are good.Their hyperopia have been improved singificantly(+4.00～-0.5D).Anterior chamber are deeper,IOP is nomal. Conclusion Nanophthalmos with double implanted can improve the visual acuity of naked eye,correct the hyperopia and deepen anterior chamber.
A case is reported of autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura in a narcotics addict with antibodies against human immune deficiency virus (HIV). Three points need stressing: 1) HIV is a new viral cause of autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura, the first report of which dates from 1985; 2) this bleeding diathesis may be seen more often in normal anaesthetic practice because of the frequent association of intravenous toxicomania with anti-HIV antibodies and thrombocytopaenia. Thus, of the thirty cases detected in two years and followed by our Department of haematology, two were operated on in the orthopaedic unit; 3) the use of intravenous human gammaglobulins is of great interest each time the clinical situation requires a rapid increase in the platelet count, such as before surgery. The usual dose is 400 mg . kg-1 . j-1 for five consecutive days. The response to immunoglobulins is seen in two or three days; their efficacy, in the case described, lasted for five to seven days, this including the postoperative time. Booster doses were followed by a quick increase in platelet count.
The peripheral nervous system has the intrinsic capacity to regenerate but the reinnervation of muscles is often suboptimal and results in limited recovery of function. Injuries to nerves that innervate complex organs such as the larynx are particularly difficult to treat. The many functions of the larynx have evolved through the intricate neural regulation of highly specialized laryngeal muscles. In this review, we examine the responses of nerves and muscles to injury, focusing on changes in the expression of neurotrophic factors, and highlight differences between the skeletal limb and laryngeal muscle systems. We also describe how artificial nerve conduits have become a useful tool for delivery of neurotrophic factors as therapeutic agents to promote peripheral nerve repair and might even
It is very important to carry out research on New Rural Buria Siting and Controling because of a great serious waste of land in rural burial at present.On the basis of the study of home and abroad academy research,This paper started with the characteristics of the burial sites i n rural areas,combined the essence of Chinese ancient Feng Shui study with modern GIS technology to carry out burial site location,at the same time applicated the related population and death mode to predict Buria requairement,controled by The Basic Farmland Protect Line,The Green Line,Blue Line,The Purple Line,The Yellow line.At last,ensure the implementation of The rule of law and policy in order to achieve the purpose of the intensive use of land.
High pure polyhedral octavinylsilsesquioxane(OVS)was prepared using vinyltrichlorosilane(VTCS) as raw material without catalyst.The optimal reaction conditions were shown to be V(VTCS)∶V(H_2O)∶V(acetone)=2∶7∶20,40 ℃ and 72 h.Then peracetic acid was employed as oxidant to prepare POSS-epoxide and the epoxy value can be controlled by reaction temperature.The products were characterized by means of FTIR,NMR and MS.
Classical swine fever is a serious viral animal disease affecting pigs and wild boar. In wildlife population surveys data are often reported as small-area counts in time and space. Resources are tremendous to detect low virological prevalence for CSF in wild boar. Nevertheless up to 1.2/5.1 samples per sq km were taken per month/year in some regions of Germany. A methodology was applied to show, that modifications of the sampling interval and/or the sample size will save resources. The probability of the detection of the infection can only be guaranteed until a certain limit.
Recently, remarkable advances have been made in coupling a number of high-Q modes of nano-mechanical systems to high-finesse optical cavities, with the goal of reaching regimes in which quantum behavior can be observed and leveraged toward new applications. To reach this regime, the coupling between these systems and their thermal environments must be minimized. Here we propose a novel approach to this problem, in which optically levitating a nano-mechanical system can greatly reduce its thermal contact, while simultaneously eliminating dissipation arising from clamping. Through the long coherence times allowed, this approach potentially opens the door to ground-state cooling and coherent manipulation of a single mesoscopic mechanical system or entanglement generation between spatially separate systems, even in room-temperature environments. As an example, we show that these goals should be achievable when the mechanical mode consists of the center-of-mass motion of a levitated nanosphere.
The purpose of this study is to identify the skills of verbal fluency required for Russian-speaking Arabic language learners, and to assess the effect of the program on speed reading in accelerating students' electronic reading and developing their verbal fluency skills. The sample of the study consisted of 12 Russian-speaking Arabic language learners. The following instruments were used in the research: a list of verbal fluency skills required for non-Arabic students, a speed-reading e-program, a speed-reading manual, a reading speed test, and a verbal fluency test. Research findings indicated the effectiveness of the program of speed reading in the acceleration of electronic reading and the development of verbal fluency among Russian-speaking Arabic language learners.
In this paper we deal with on-line algorithms for blind source separation using second order statistics. We briefly describe separating algorithms based on stochastic gradient, and natural gradient optimization method, and propose an on-line separating algorithm based on the application of the extended Kalman filter. Performance evaluation of the proposed algorithm has shown that extended Kalman filter applied as an optimization algorithm can improve convergence speed and estimation accuracy of the separating algorithm.
Verification Involving PSTN Reachability (ViPR) is a technique for inter-domain SIP federation. ViPR hybridizes the PSTN, P2P networks, and SIP, and in doing so, addresses the phone number routing and VoIP spam problems that have been a barrier to federation. The ViPR architecture uses a server, the ViPR server, which performs P2P and validation services on behalf of call agents, which acts as clients to the server. Such an architecture requires a client/server protocol between call agents and the ViPR server. That protocol, defined here, is called the ViPR Access Protocol (VAP).
Int. J. Clin. Rheumatol. (2020) 15(4), 129-130 ISSN 1758-4272 The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to the development of new guidelines for managing patients who need Corticosteroid Injections (CSI) as part of their musculoskeletal conditions or symptom management. Guidelines on the use of CSI have been published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) [1] as well many professional bodies overseeing their independent health disciplines including Anaesthetics, Rheumatology, General Practitioners, Orthopaedics, Sports Physicians [2] and Physiotherapists [3]. These guidelines generally have been interpreted as discouraging the administration of CSI, with WHO guidance for patients with COVID-19 being to completely avoid systemic corticosteroids3. However, the evidence these recommendations have been made on is unclear.
The article presents a study of the dynamics of housing prices in Bulgaria in the context of the presence or absence of a price bubble during the period 1998 - 2010. The proposition is t hat during that period there was observed price deformation of the property market. There was formed a price bubble, which burst in 2009 as a result of the global financial and economic crisis of 2007. In order to prove that thesis there have been used the following indicators: the dynamics of real housing prices, the relationship between the price of a home and the income and the relationship between the price of a home and the rent for it.
Allowing for the diversity taste and different credit qualification of consumers,we establishes a model based on lending model and Hotelling model,and analyzes the strategic choice of commercial bank in Credit card markets using the model.We show that the competition behaviors of banks have deviated from rational way whten there is no unity credit qualification system and banks lack experience to operate credit card.Regulators should pay more attention to credit card markets and keep from credit crisis which have happened in South Korea.
Background: Oxygen therapy in the premature neonatal population is associated with negative outcomes and neonatal intensive care units (NICU) use continuous pulse oximetry to limit its use in these vulnerable subjects. The NICU at a large university hospital has a 4-pronged Target Oxygen Protocol 1) Set correct SpO2 alarm limits 2) Use Nellcor OxiMax N-600x pulse oximeter (Covidien, Mansfield, Massachusetts) to display histogram of percent time in each SpO2 quintile per 24h period 3) Display correct postmenstrual age oxygen target saturation card 4) Set oxygen blender FIO2
Objectives The authors have been contracted by the Welsh Assemble Government to conduct an evaluation of the Small Business Rates Relief Scheme in Wales. This working paper will present the findings of the first stage of this evaluation, which compares and contrasts the four different schemes currently running in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Approach The working paper will be based upon a comparative review of the four Rates Relief Schemes and a broader literature review of financial support schemes for small businesses. The study will be later developed through a survey of small businesses, focus groups and interviews with key stakeholders. Results There are significant differences between the schemes implemented throughout the UK, such that their impact is likely to vary. In the first instance the working paper will highlight these differences and their potential consequences. It is also hoped that some initial data analysis from the survey, focus groups and interviews may be available at the time of presenting. Implications The study seeks to evaluate the impact of small business rates relief in terms of a number of factors such as growth, survival rates, employment, location choice and social responsibility. Value The study will increase understanding of the impact of small business rates relief and as such will be of interest to policy makers and business advisors.
When prescribing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory treatment but also an analgesic or a glucocorticoid, the cardiovascular risk of the patient should be assessed. The analgesics have few cardiovascular side effects and the main complications observed are linked essentially to the vagal action of the opioids. Acetaminophen is considered by several scientific societies to be the first line analgesic treatment, particularly in case of cardiovascular risk but with caution since cardiovascular toxicity of acetaminophen cannot be totally excluded. An overdose of dextropropoxyphene can result in cardiotoxicity. On the other hand, the glucocorticoids need to be prescribed cautiously, at the lowest possible dose and for the shortest possible duration due to the non-negligible cardiovascular risk, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hypokaliemia.
Serotonin content in peripheral venous blood of inhabitants of the Nenets autonomous area (NAA) and population of the Primorsky district of the Arkhangelsk region at the age 25-60 y. o. in comparison with their immune reactivity indices has been studied. It has been established that in all the studied persons serotonin concentration was within the physiological limits, however the average level of the studied amine was higher in the NAA inhabitants. Strengthening of proliferation processes, lymphocytes activation and apoptosis against serotonin content increase have been detected. The cytokine profile of the NAA inhabitants was described by high concentrations of IL-6 and IFN-γ and low levels of TNF-α.
The consequences of the climate change led in many countries of Africa to irreversible dam-ages to the citizens, animals and nature, and as such; creating particularly negative conse-quences for the food security in these countries. All Central African countries signed and rati-fied the UN- Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. However these states are within the registered CDM projects underrepresented with scarcely zero projects. Since Cameroon could register a CDM project only in 2010 after four years of efforts, simple, as well as more efficient administrative structures must be developed. This work analyzed the perceptions, estimates and attitudes of the climate policy actors in Cameroon on the basis of field work by participating observations, interviews from experts, evaluation of development reports as well as budgets, in order to be able to react optimally to the national, regional and international causes and consequences of the climate change. According to the respondent, climate policy measures can contribute to the social and economic development in Cameroon. But also, different conflicting goals between the individual advantages of climate policy measures, particularly in the area of conflict between mitigation and adaptation, as well as between economic and social benefits are possible. This work could indicate that, theoretical conditions were created to a large extent for climate policy measures to be operational in Ca-meroon. The institutional, financial and organizational components are in contrast in different stages of a slow implementation process. The climate policy in Cameroon did not develop as one of the most important aspects of the national environmental policy and development strat-egy. An active participation in the international process to climate protection and for the adap-tation to the consequences of the climate change could be seen as the main driving force for the development of climate policy. Climate policy goals are to be specified, and different Strategies for operational measures should be developed.
In this period politically sophisticated Romans like his friend Atticus would never have accepted Athenian citizenship because they knew the rule against dual citizenship apart from the Roman and municipal, as well as the archaic Roman law about postliminium; 1 but new citizens from Campania and other places followed a widespread Hellenistic custom of welcoming citizenship in the foreign communities where they worked and largely resided. The terms are in numero iudicum atque Areopagitarum, secondly certa tribu, thirdly certo numero. The problem is to define precisely what these three terms suggested to Romans of 56 B.C. and then to define the Athenian realities which the Latin terms translated.
The modernization is now a trend in all countries and the local development inevitable.It is a fiercest social reform in human history.In Middle age,China and Japan both are in the feudal society.But seveal dozens later,Japan coped with the colonizstion crisis to doevelop into the independent industralized country successflly,but China actually lost some sovereignty and became a semi-colonization courtry.Through explorating the reasons of the slowness of modernization process,we can accelerate the modernization process of China.
A narrow linewidth single-longitudinal-mode fiber ring laser is demonstrated by incorporating an unpumped 3  Er -doped fiber section as saturable absorber. The saturable absorber acts as a narrow bandpass filter. The laser showed single mode operation with a narrow linewidth of MHz 44 . Output powers up to 76mW at 1550nm are obtained for lanched pump powers of 300mW at 980nm. The mode selection mechanisms of the un-pumped EDF and ring resonator are theoretically analyzed and simulated.
The amounts of condemned cylinder caused by bulging gradually grow in quantity through counting the defects while periodic inspection of tube trailer.In order to give a reasonable judgment,the performance analyses of the defect part were studied.The main acceptance factors on bulging cylinder were put in according to the judgment with relative codes and standards,and discussed respectively,which will provide a reference for the safety judgment of bulging cylinders.
The release of Aphelinus mali HALD. from artificial rearing for the control of Woolly Apple Aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum HAUSM.) was tested in field trials. The release of adults proved to be more suitable than the release of cards with parasitized mummies as practised in the first trial. Setting free adult A. mali at the beginning of June reduced the aphid population, though its efficiency was not high enough to prevent damage of the trees totally. The practical applications of A. mali in early spring (after blossom) were not effective because climatic conditions were not suitable enough. The fertility of A. mali depends on temperature and light intensity.  The application of Micula (rape oil) and T-S forte reduced the growth of the aphid population effectively. These substances may be used in a combined strategy to improve the successful subsequent release of A. mali. Possible phytotoxic effects, however, must be considered in this context.
The insidious damage to the immune system by the human immunodeficiency virus results in increasing susceptibility to opportunistic viral infections. These can be localised, widespread, confined to the skin, or systemic. They can cause mild though disfiguring lesions such as molluscum contagiosum (MCV), or lead to life-threatening infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV-induced squamous cell carcinoma. Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine Vol. 6 (1) 2005: pp. 12-16
The analysis of results of surgical treatment of the colonic cancer patients, basing on the quality of life scale indexes, using questionnaire SF-36, was performed. There were compared the quality of life in patients, who have been operated, using laparoscopic (I group) and open (II group) interventions in 1998--2003 yrs. The quality of life indexes in 7-8 days after the operation were higher in I group than in the II group. Positive influence of performance of laparoscopic intervention on quality of life trustworthy differed of such, achieved in the II group. In 3, 6 months, in 1 and 3 years after the operation the quality of life indexes were identical in both groups.
Rhizopus oryzae CJ-2114의 polygalacturonase 생성을 위한 최적조건은 수분이 60% 함유된 밀기울 배지에 1% albumin, 0.2% (NH₄)₂C₂O₄, 1% sorbitol을 첨가하여 96시간 배양시 최대활성을 나타내었으며, Sephadex G-75 및 G-150을 사용한 gel filtration과 DEAE-cellulose에 의한 이온교환 크로마토그라피를 통하여 이 효소를 11.13배 정제할 수 있었고, 수율은 40.3%였다. 정제효소는 polyacrylamide gel 전기영동에 의하여 단일밴드로 확인되었으며 분자량은 SDS-polyacrylamide 전기영동에 의하여 47,000정도로 측정되었다. 효소의 결정구조는 표면이 거친 기둥모양을 형성하고 있었으며 아미노산 조성은 17종류로써 glutamic acid 함량이 198.74㎎/g enzyme로 가장 많았다.
In order to smooth the MPEG2 video bitstream transmitted in the channel and keep better vision quality, this paper provided a VBR trafficsmoothing algorithm based on given transmission delay in noninteractive applications, the video transmission delay can be longer than frame period. According to the different bit rates of MPEG2 I/P/B frames, it proposed the correspondent computing expressions. The algorithm changes the corresponding frame transmission time, reduces the transmission rate changing times of different frames while insures the frame transmission delay. So it can simplify the channel access control. The simulation of software tesifies that this algorithm can achieve ideal smoothing effect and get stable bit rate of channel.
This report summarizes a two-day expert meeting on “Spatial Discovery,” organized jointly by the Library and the Center for Spatial Studies of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and held on June 16–17, 2015 at the Upham Hotel, in Santa Barbara. The 24 participants contributed expertise in Library Science, as well as knowledge pertaining to spatial information and relevant research on data-seeking behavior. Five keynote addresses as well as several plenary and break-out discussions explored the challenges, best practices, and potential strategies associated with the cross-platform discovery of spatial data in the context of modern libraries.
Multi-agent manufacturing system is composed of multi-set of agent that was distributed in logic and physics position, and resource is shared through network connections, a task is accomplished together by each other cooperation. Information between Agents is exchanged with communication mode, dialogue is a direct fashion in effect. Modeling process of communication and dialogue modules in the system includes confirming dialogue topic, defining dialogue mode and colored Petri modeling. Individual communication agent was collected from confirming dialogue topic start, and communication mode was assorted.
In serial A which is lined with n(n≥3) of elements of all Duality Subclass,minimum of twice-appeared count by of any element bordering upon is regarded as disconnected degree of the serial,and signaled as d(A).It has been testified that the max of d(A) is dn=[(n-3)/2].And when d(A)=an,A is regarded as disconnected serial.This paper mainly studies some characters of disconnected serial within the sense of same form when n is odd number.
The purpose of this study is to develop a statistical analysis method of glucose metabolism on torso FDG-PET/CT scans. The techniques of segmentation of organ region, deformation, and mapping are important for the statistical analysis. In this study, we segmented organ region automatically from CT scans of PET/CT and standardized them anatomically. We obtained Z-scores as the statistical information and discussed the usability of Z-score to distinguish the uptakes between normal and abnormal. As the result, the AUCs of Z-score are larger than those of SUV on some of the cases. Keyword FDG-PET, SUV, Z-score, Anatomical standardization
Research continues to seek a greater understanding of the quality of proxy reporting versus self-reporting responses. This paper examines the use of proxy reports versus selfreport responses in a study conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau designed to increase understanding of living situations in which individuals are likely to be duplicated (persons listed at more than one residence) in the decennial census. Cognitive interviews were conducted with either duplicated adults (self-report) or an adult within-household proxy. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there was a significant difference in quality of living situation information provided by the proxy versus the self-reporting respondent. Of the 226 cognitive interviews conducted, 130 respondents were self-reports and 96 respondents were proxies. Our analysis includes findings from interviewer observations as well as potential data quality indicators including percent providing match to duplicate address, percent providing complete dates and address for moves and other transitions, item nonresponse, and mention of privacy concerns. Results suggest that self-reports are of higher quality than proxy reports.
Various factors influencing Agrobacterium-mediatad genetic-transformation and regeneration were investigated. The PVA-CP gene was introduced into microtuber explants of potato cultivar Dongnong 303. The highest frequency of regeneration was obtained on the medium with 5 mg·L-1 ZT and 1 mg·L-1 IAA. The optimum genetic-transformation system was as following: the Agrobacterium concentration was OD600 = 0.5; infection time, 5 min; co-cultivated time, 2 days; and the concentration of kanamycin used in resistant buds selection, 75 mg·L-1. Twenty two resistant buds rooted on the medium containing 100 mg·L-1 kanamycin. Results of PCR and PCR-Southern hybridization indicated that 15 regenerated plants were positive. These evidences suggested that the PVA-CP gene had been introduced and integrated into the genome of Dongnong 303.
Bumblebees are widely used to pollinate various crops, especially tomato, in greenhouses and fields. An artificial hibernation is essential for year-round rearing of the bumblebee, which passes through one generation per year. Here, we investigated whether a chilling temperature and humidity affect artificial hibernation of the bumblebee queen Bombus terrestris. In chilling temperature regimes of , , , or under constant humidity >70%, the queens stored at exhibited the highest rate of survival, which was 74.0% at one month, 67.0% at two months, 60.0% at three months, 46.0% at 4 months, 33.0% at 5 months, and 24.0% at 6 months. Rates of survival decreased at the following temperatures: , , and . Colony developmental characteristics after diapause were 1.2- to 1.5-fold higher than those of queens stored at . In terms of chilling humidity, the queens hibernated at 70% under exhibited the highest rate of survival, which was at one month, at two months, at 3 months and at 5 months. The rates of oviposition, colony foundation and progeny-queen production of queens hibernated at 70% were 80.8%, 30.8% and 30.8%, respectively. These values correspond to 1.7- to 3.3-fold increases in comparison to queens stored at 50% humidity. Therefore, and 70% R.H. were the favorable chilling temperature and humidity conditions for diapause break of B. terrestris queens.
Since property crimes are crimes against other people’s property, there emerges a question of whether the exercise of one’s legitimate rights, although through illegal means, still satisfies the elements of property crime. In such cases, the rights to be exercised could be either the property right of claim based on ownership rights or the obligatory right of claim. The crime could be either the crime of illegal acquirement or the crime against economic interests. However, the legal scholars have been discussing only the issue of whether the exercise of obligatory right can constitute the crime of larceny. Also, the school that construes the meaning of illegal acquirement as the illegality in acquirement of property maintains that, if one secretly takes back his or her own property possessed by another, it constitutes a larceny. As the elements of larceny include taking of “another’s property,” it is clear that there cannot be a crime of larceny with respect to one’s own property. Despite this, the above-mentioned interpretation is still maintained by some scholars, and this is due to lack of consideration over the fact that there is a fundamental difference between the exercise of ownership rights and the exercise of obligatory rights. Also, when one employs illegal means to retrieve one’s own property from another’s possession, there is no invasion on ownership interests but on possessory interests. It is the exercise of one’s ownership rights, therefore, there can be no crime of illegal acquirement, but since it invades another’s posessory right, there can be a crime against economic interests. The academia has not noted this point yet. In light of the above, it is significant that Professor Sang-Gyu Lim of Chonnam University has presented a paper that distinguishes between the exercise of ownership right and the exercise of obligatory right in property crimes, based on the new view that the exercise of rights shall be treated as an excuse for criminal liability. However, I do not agree with the both views: the view that the exercise of ownershipright constitutes an element of property crime as a principle, by emphasizing the rule against self-help under civil code and the view that the exercise of legitimate rights can be an excuse for criminal liability. As such, it is meaningful for me to articulate my opinions with a critical review on Professor Lim’s paper, since it might attract the academia’s attention, which will in turn lead to a better solution. In my view, there is no need to adhere strictly to the principle against self-help. Likewise, there is no need to focus too much on the issue of criminal liability, as the issue of exercise of tights is one for the constitution of crime elements and the liability issues is a general issue. To state the essence, the exercise of ownership right cannot constitute a crime of illegal acquirement since it is not an act of acquirement. However, if another’s possession is a protected possession under the penal code, it can constitute a crime of interference of another’s rights, a crime of illegal deprivation of another’s possession, a crime of larceny by trick, or a crime of extortion, depending on the way of the deprivation of possession. The exercise of obligatory rights is an act of acquirement, even done by a person with the right to retrieval of a specific item, and if the means adopted are illegal, then it is a crime of illegal acquirement. The exercise of rights regarding monetary obligations or economic interest is the same.
Throughout the colonial period in Africa, indigenous Africans protested in a number of ways against their oppressed position. In Nyasaland (now Malawi), such protests culminated in the colonial Government's declaration of a State of Emergency in March 1959, which saw the arrest and imprisonment of a number of prominent nationalist leaders from the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC) and also led to the death of over 50 Africans.1 The State of Emergency which was declared in Malawi on 3rd March 1959 was probably the climax of mass nationalism in Malawi. It was also the climax of the political bickering and wrangling that had existed in Malawi since the imposition of both colonial rule and the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland in 1891 and 1953, respectively. This article contributes to the debates on the legacy of the State of Emergency on the country's subsequent political culture. By analyzing the events surrounding the declaration of the State of Emergency in March 1959, and the ruthless manner in which the African nationalists were treated, it will be argued that the heavy-handed approach with which the state dealt with the nationalists, chief among them being Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, and senior Congress leaders, had a significant influence on subsequent developments in the country's post-colonial political landscape, where those in power have often used similar tactics against the opposition.
AIM Our study's aim is to show how a five-week stretch training protocol, based on passive stretching, can change muscle performance during a drop jump (stretch shortening cycle).   METHODS This study observes in 8 healthy subjects (four males and four females), the effect of a 5-week passive stretch training protocol on the stretch shortening cycle (SSC) during the performance of a drop jump, and identify the architectural changes in the muscle. Subjects underwent measurements of their drop jump performance 3 times before, and 3 times after, the stretch training protocol. For the muscle tendon unit (MTU), changes were measured using the Hawkins and Hull's model. In order to calculate the length changes in the MTU, we measured the ankle and knee angles. For changes in the fascicle, the pennation angle and the thickness of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle were measured.   RESULTS After the 5-week stretch training protocol, a significant increase in flexibility was observed in the fascicle during the first phase of the jump (a shortening of 10% after training vs. 20% before). No significant change was observed in the tendon, while the MTU showed a highly significant improvement (P<0.01) in muscle compliance during the landing phase. The average performance during the drop jump also showed a highly significant change (P<0.01).   CONCLUSION The results show a higher degree of flexibility in the MTU, enabled the latter to store more energy which was then converted to kinetic energy during the push-off phase of the drop jump.
The study was mainly focused on local service e-business group buying.The influential factors of e-business group buying perceived risks were discussed firstly;then original factors were analyzed by using interview and questionnaire survey method.Group buying perceived risk factors of service e-business were eventually obtained in four dimensions,which are time risk,service quality risk of cooperation partners,financial risk and service quality risk of web site.Some suggestions were provided to decrease consumers′ perceived risk and enhance the service quality in local service e-business group buying based on the four dimensions.
Raman spectral interpretation often suffers common problems of band overlapping and random noise. Spectral decon- volution and feature-parameter extraction are both classical prob- lems, which are known to be difficult and have attracted major research efforts. This paper shows that the two problems are tightly coupled and can be successfully solved together. Mutual support of Raman spectral deconvolution and feature-extraction processes within a joint variational framework are theoretically motivated and validated by successful experimental results. The main idea is to recover latent spectrum and extract spectral feature parameters from slit-distorted Raman spectrum simul- taneously. Moreover, a robust adaptive Tikhonov regularization function is suggested to distinguish the flat, noise, and points, which can suppress noise effectively as well as preserve details. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out by visual inspection and quality indexes of the simulated and real Raman spectra.
The report gives results of an air pollution emissions control study to: characterize the current field population of industrial boilers; identify trends in boiler design; and assess operating problems associated with combustion modification. Statistics were analyzed to describe the field population and recent sales trends for firetube and watertube industrial boilers in the range from 10 million to 500 million Btu/hr. Boiler capacity, design type, mode of direction, primary and secondary fuels, firing method (for coal), industrial classification, and geographic region of the boiler installation were all considered. When combustion modifications are used to control nitrogen oxide emissions from industrial boilers, practical operating problems may arise, namely: fireside corrosion and deposits on boiler tubes; and flame instability, including blow-off, flashback, combustion-driven oscillations, and combustion noise or roar. These problems were assessed and research needs were identified in relation to such combustion modifications as low-excess-air operation, staged combustion, and fluegas recirculation. (GRA)
Aim To investigate whether ghrelin could inhibit apoptosis induced by palmiate in rat aortic endothelial cells.Methods Rat aortic endothelial cells were cultured in 0.3 mmol/L palmitate for 24 h with or without ghrelin.Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay.Apoptosis was detected using hoechst 33258 and annexin V-FITC/PI double staining assay.Spectrofluorometer assay was used to detect caspase-3 activity.Western Blot analysis was used to examine the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax.Results Exposure of cells to palmitate decreased cell viability.Palmitate increased cells apoptosis to 30.03%(P0.01) compared with the control group(5.01%).Palmitate increased caspase-3 activity and decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio.While ghrelin dose dependently increased cell viability.10 nmol/L was the minimum effective level.100 nmol/L was the most significant level.Ghrelin inhibited palmitate-induced apoptosis rate to 10.03% in endothelial cells(P0.05) compared with the palmitate group.Ghrelin decreased caspase-3 activity and increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio at the same time.Conclusions Ghrelin inhibits palmitate-induced apoptosis.Ghrelin may be a protective factor against palmitate-induced endothelial injury.
Preoperatively, 105 patients with cancer of the colon were subjected to radiation therapy with a braking beam from 25 MeV Betatron. The colon was examined roentgeno-endoscopically in all these cases. As a result of the radiation treatment a marked clinical effect was noted in 94 patients, while in 12 cases locally-unresectable tumors were rendered resectable. 77 patients were radically operated upon, and a morphological assay of the operation specimens indicated significant changes arising in the tumor tissue due to the effect of ionizing radiation. The results of the combined therapy of colonic cancer patients prove the rationale of employing high-energy radiation therapy preoperatively.
A battery charge control method of a hybrid vehicle according to the present invention allows a battery charge control device of a hybrid vehicle to control charging of a vehicle battery of a hybrid vehicle. The method comprises the following steps: detecting battery charge information when charging the battery; learning a state of health (SOH) of the battery using the battery charge information; calculating a battery charge output using the learned SOH; and controlling the battery to be charged using the battery charge output.
Knowledge can be described as the information which is linked to convey certain meaning. Management of these insubstantialresources and potentials helps the organization to generate competitiveness among other rivals in the market. The organizationcapability to recognize vital knowledge resources and utilize them objectively in solving the problem boosts competence,promotes self-confidence and directs to achieve productivity. “KM is concerned with making the right knowledge available to theright processor such as human or computer, at the right time in the right presentations for the right cost”. Knowledge management(KM) is the process of creating, sharing, using and managing the knowledge and information of an organization. It refers to amultidisciplinary approach to achieving organizational objectives by making the best use of knowledge
The primary objective of the investigation was to confirm the presence and determine the location of a cache of 30 to 60 buried 55-gallon drums that were allegedly dumped along the course of the pre-existing, northsouth diversion ditch (NSDD) adjacent to permitted landfills at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Kentucky. The ditch had been rerouted and was being filled and re-graded at the time of the alleged dumping. Historic information and interviews with individuals associated with alleged dumping activities indicated that the drums were dumped prior to the addition of other fill materials. In addition, materials alleged to have been dumped in the ditch, such as buried roofing materials, roof flashing, metal pins, tar substances, fly ash, and concrete rubble complicated data interpretation. Some clean fill materials have been placed over the site and graded. This is an environment that is extremely complicated in terms of past waste dumping activities, construction practices and miscellaneous landfill operations. The combination of site knowledge gained from interviews and research of existing site maps, variable frequency EM data, classical total magnetic field data and optimized GPR lead to success where a simpler less focused approach by other investigators using EM-31 and EM-61 electromagnetic methods and unfocused ground penetrating radar (GPR)did not produce results and defined no real anomalies. A variable frequency electromagnetic conductivity unit was used to collect the EM data at 3,030 Hz, 5,070 Hz, 8,430 Hz, and 14,010 Hz. Both in-phase and quadrature components were recorded at each station point. These results provided depth estimates for targets and some information on the subsurface conditions. A standard magnetometer was used to conduct the magnetic survey that showed the locations and extent of buried metal, the approximate volume of ferrous metal present within a particular area, and allowed estimation of approximate target depths. The GPR survey used a 200 megahertz (MHz) antenna to provide the maximum depth penetration and subsurface detail yielding usable signals to a depth of about 6 to 10 feet in this environment and allowed discrimination of objects that were deeper, particularly useful in the southern area of the site where shallow depth metallic debris (primarily roof flashing) complicated interpretation of the EM and magnetic data. Several geophysical anomalies were defined on the contour plots that indicated the presence of buried metal. During the first phase of the project, nine anomalies or anomalous areas were detected. The sizes, shapes, and magnitudes of the anomalies varied considerably, but given the anticipated size of the primary target of the investigation, only the most prominent anomalies were considered as potential caches of 30 to 60 buried drums. After completion of a second phase investigation, only two of the anomalies were of sufficient magnitude, not identifiable with existing known metallic objects such as monitoring wells, and in positions that corresponded to the location of alleged dumping activities and were recommended for further, intrusive investigation. Other important findings, based on the variable frequency EM method and its combination with total field magnetic and GPR data, included the confirmation of the position of the old NSDD, the ability to differentiate between ferrous and non-ferrous anomalies, and the detection of what may be plumes emanating from the landfill cell.
In this paper, we seek to understand how leg muscles and tendons work mechanically during walking in order to motivate the design of efficient robotic legs. We hypothesize that a robotic leg comprising only knee and ankle passive and quasi-passive elements, including springs, clutches and variable-damping components, can capture the dominant mechanical behavior of the human knee and ankle during level-ground walking at self-selected speeds. As a preliminary evaluation of this hypothesis, we put forth a simple leg model that captures the gross features of the human leg musculoskeletal architecture. We vary model parameters, or spring constants, damping levels and times when clutches are engaged, using an optimization scheme where errors between model joint behaviours and biological joint mechanics are minimized. For model evaluation, kinetic and kinematic gait data are employed from a single participant walking across a level-ground surface at a self-selected gait speed (1.3 m/sec). With only a single hip actuator, we find good agreement between model predictions and experimental gait data, suggesting that knee and ankle actuators are not necessary for level-ground robotic ambulation at self-selected gait speeds. This result is in support of the idea that muscles that span the human knee and ankle mainly operate eccentrically or isometrically, affording the relatively high metabolic walking economy of humans
To study the reliability of the new enucleation method for mouse oocyte:modified surface tension assisted method.Modified surface tension assisted method is significantly better than STA's method in the enucleated rates of time(P0.05).Rate of Enucleation is similar between two groups.Modified surface tension assisted method is a efficient and simple enucleation method with the advantage of saving manipulating time and non-damage to mouse oocyte.
Selenium (Se) is an essential mineral for animal  health. Deficiencies result in white muscle  disease (WMD), retained placenta, and ill thrift in  cattle. These health problems are known to occur  in some northern California herds. This survey was  initiated to provide knowledge on the epidemiological  features of Se deficiency in cattle in this region.    Blood samples were drawn from 10 cows on each  of 10 ranches in each of the northern 22 counties.  Whole blood Se and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)  activities were determined, and these values were  statistically compared with each other and with data  obtained by questionnaire. The latter included  information on animal diseases, soils, forages, and  general ranch descriptors like elevation and rainfall.  The GSH-Px spot test produced either a positive  (+), negative (-) or intermediate (+/-) enzyme  activity classification for each cow. Herd  classification was identified as + or - if > 70%  cow-values fell in that class, otherwise it was identified  as +/-.    The overall geometric mean blood-Se value was  47.6 ng/ml. Regressions of individual and herd  GSH-Px-class against blood-Se values produced  r = .75 and r = .82, respectively. Significantly  low blood-Se levels were recorded in herds with:  1) negative GSH-Px values, 2) past histories of WMD  and ill thrift, 3) predominantly hay diet, 4) pregnant  and early lactating cows, and 5) pure bred  cows. The Se status of herds using Se-salt blocks  was not different from non-supplemented herds. Descriptive  ranch variables did not reliably assess  the Se status of herds in this study.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) integrase (IN) catalyzes the integration of HIV DNA copy into the host cell DNA. It is an essential enzyme required for replication and further development of the AIDS virus. HIV-1 Integrase becomes a potential target for anti-HIV therapy. L-Chicoric acid has been found to be one of the most potent HIV-1 integrase inhibitor. Chicoric acid and its analogues act against HIV integrase and thus have the potential to become a part of anti-HIV drug regime. Chicoric acid analogues have all the structural features required for it to act as good anti–HIV agent like poly aromatic rings and a central linker.
The two enzymes 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase(3βHSDs) and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase(17βHSDs) are essential for the conversion of all steroid hormones from non-active to their active forms,which play an important role in regulating the balance between hormones and maintaining the normal physiological functions in mammals.Here we presented 3βHSDs and 17βHSDs gene molecular structure and function,tissu-specific expression,as well as regulation of transcription.Moreover,the relation of these two enzymes in pig production was also reviewed.
Objective:This article aimed at introducing the methods of comparative analysis of Chinese medicine prescription and correlation analysis of herbs matching by relational algebra,basing on database technology and taking formulae library of treatise of cold damage as example.Method:The classical formulae were input into database to execute the traditional set operation and technical relational calculus in relational algebra and finish the statistical analysis,which results reflect the importance of relational algebra in analysis of Chinese medicine prescriptions.Result:This method can effectively execute comparative analysis and matching relation analysis,such as generalizing the same herbs,frequency of occurrence,herbs matching rules among a group of prescriptions.Conclusion:Relational algebra is an effective method on simplifying analysis link,lowering technical difficulties,reaching scientific and credible results and is worthy of extending in research of Chinese medicine.
The physics of neutron stars leads historically towards Landau's speculation. Even before the discovery of the neutron, he postulated the possible existence of stars more compact than white dwarfs, containing matter of the order of nuclear density. From a modern point of view neutron stars are compact objects maintained by the equilibrium between gravity and the degeneracy pressure of the fermions together with a strong nuclear repulsion force due to the high density reached in their interior. While the physics in the vicinity of nuclear saturation density is well know from phenomenology, the physics of ultra-dense nuclear matter is still an open puzzle. In this work we study dense nuclear matter within a relativistic model, allowing hyperons to be present through beta equilibrium. The presence of hyperons is justifiable since the constituents of neutron stars are fermions. So, according to the Pauli principle, as the baryon density increases, so do the Fermi momentum and the Fermi energy. On the other hand, this hyperonic matter softens the equation of state (EoS) and a recent measurement of pulsar PSR J1614-2230 implies that the EoS has to be stiff enough to produce a 2.0 $M_{ odot}$ pulsar. We also consider Duncan's magnetar ideas and study the influence of strong magnetic fields on the EoS. We see that a strong magnetic field produces very massive neutron stars, in agreement with the astronomical observations.
Representation of free-surface boundary condition in numerical calculations is an important aspect for seismic wave simulation.The effectiveness of numerical representation directly relates to whether the wave field can represent the true response of free-surface medium characteristics.Five common implementations of free-surface boundary used in the staggered-grid finite-difference method were evaluated,including the direct method,the stress image method,the improved stress image method,the transversely isotropic medium approach and the acoustic-elastic boundary approach,and a comparison with the finite-element method was also conducted.Simulation results of the transversely isotropic medium approach and the finite-element method are consistent best in visual comparison of waveform curve and quantitative comparison of amplitude ratio and correlation coefficient.Further numerical simulation results of elastic wave in layered medium model show that the transversely isotropic medium approach is the most accurate and reliable one which could represent seismic wave propagation in free-surface medium.
The secretory systems of the living urn cell complex of Sipunculus nudus were studied by light and fluorescence microscopy, using vital stains. The complex comprises two morphologically distinct secretory systems which respond to different stimuli, secrete at different rates, and respond differently to vital dyes. One system apparently resides in the ciliated base cell of the complex, the other in a cluster of small secretory â€œ?�Râ€ cells (presumptive regulatory cells) attached to the central membrane of the base cell. R cells slowly secrete mucus that is selectively sticky for cell debris and foreign particulates. When stimulated by pathogenic bacteria or other defined substances, the other system rapidly synthesizes streams of mucus from four to five synthetic loci. The loci are at rest until stimulated. In vivo the two secretory systems keep S. nw/us coelomic fluid sterile and free of debris. Both systems respond in vitro. In in vitro suspensions, R cells are depleted over time; concomitantly, streams of mucus from stimulated loci become longer, suggesting a degree of regulation by R cells. R cells contain large granules of neutral red staining material, but do not stain with Janus green B. The synthetic loci stain intensely with the purple form of Janus green B but do not stain with neutral red.
Gambling like any other activity has transcended the physical boundary of territories and participants from various jurisdictions. The paper highlights the loopholes when gambling enters virtual realm and how complete prohibition as an idea is a farce. An attempt has been made to give certain suggestions to regulate gambling and betting in India. The conclusion therefore, focuses on the suggestions which are put forward to analyse the current scenario and assist the legislature to shape the laws accordingly.
Fazarabine (1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyl-5-aza-cytosine, or Ara-AC) is a nucleoside analogue that consists of the arabinoside ring of 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine and the pyrimidine base of 5-azacytidine. In Phase I and Phase II trials, neutropenia was dose limiting, with minimal nonhematological toxicity. The in vitro cytotoxic concentrations of Ara-AC could not be achieved in these studies; neutropenia precluded dose escalation. The objectives of this study were: to determine either the maximum tolerated dose of Ara-AC or to safely achieve target plasma levels of 2-5 microgram/ml when Ara-AC was administered as a 24-h infusion with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to patients with advanced refractory malignancies; to characterize the pharmacokinetic behavior of Ara-AC with G-CSF; and to define the relationship of Ara-AC pharmacokinetics to toxicity. Twenty-four patients received 67 courses of Ara-AC at doses of 54-112 mg/m2/h. Dose-limiting toxicity was approached but not reached. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and nausea were the principle side effects. Steady-state plasma concentrations exceeded the minimum target concentration of 2 microgram/ml in all patients who received >/=78 mg/m2/h for 24 h. The maximum target concentration was approached during administration of 112 mg/m2/h for 24 h. The mean steady-state clearance was 475 +/- 103 ml/min/m2 and did not change with dose. One partial response was seen. One patient received 16 courses and another received 7 courses of therapy before progression. Ara-AC can be safely administered in doses that result in plasma concentrations of 2-5 microgram/ml, if it is given with G-CSF. Phase II trials of Ara-AC in selected malignancies are planned.
The concern, over the last few years, about the deepening of the social and economic  problems on the Venezuelan borders has generated transformations in the regulations of the Venezuelan State. Nevertheless, on the colombiavenezuelan border an important gap can be observed between the institutional proposal and the specificity of the area. This is why the present article examines the National Constitution, The National Plan and the Border Law, with the purpose of knowing the border policies applied by the Venezuelan national government through these three tools and their repercussions on the local development of these zones. To do this, both the literature about the relationship between institutions- economic development, and local development, is examined. Bibliographic material, newspapers, magazines and videos are also explored. This is a descriptive study, with a documentary design.
Empathy is inseparable from social and cultural. One district in Surakarta Cities, Central Java that still has a specific character is Baluwerti which is the home area for family and courtiers of Kasunanan palace. The problem is the development of the district element in Baluwerti as a result of the shift emphati from its inhabitants. To assess, used syncrhonic-diachronic reading methods. Assessment of physical aspects reviewed through terms of compliance with spatial concepts of Mataram (Java) state. Assessment of non-physical aspects include: the function of the building, socio-cultural, and ownership status. It is known that a shift in physical and non-physical as the impact from reduced empathy of the occupants towards the Baluwerti existence .
The accuracy of self-measured waist and hip circumferences is investigated in 200 men and women 30-85 years old. Systematic bias is not found in circumferences measured by the men. Female subjects tend to underestimate waist circumference. This error is greatest in women with central fat distribution (characterized by waist:hip ratio). Misclassification of fat distribution pattern may result from this error, which may in turn lead to underestimation of associations between fat pattern and disease risk.
This paper, along with Tim Fitzpatrick's contribution to this collection, was part of a panel on various aspects of the performance preparation process, flowing from a research cluster initiative which has been funded by the Network for Early European Research, and which is seeking ARC funding through the Discovery Grants scheme. This work focusses on attempting to understand what might have been involved in the preparation process before the arrival of the director in the late nineteenth century. The research involves traditional archival work to uncover evidence from company records, analysis of the textual remnants of the predominantly oral process of organising performance, and analysis of oral testimonies of participants.
We show that particle-hole pairing is realized in the background of a charged black hole in magnetic field. The pairing instability occurs for sufficiently large fermion charges, which correspond to the Fermi liquid regime. The critical temperature for Fermi liquids is proportinal to the magnetic field and vanishes as we approach the non-Fermi liquid state. The pairing order parameter leads to a relative shift of the Fermi surfaces corresponding to the bulk fermions with spin up and down. The value of the shift in Fermi momentum $k_F$ and the critical temperature $T_c$ are proportional to the effective density of states at the Fermi surface. Our one-loop calculations provide a dual description of the magnetic catalysis for the lowest Landau level in graphene. This analyses may be relevant for the antiferromagnetic behavior in the cuprate superconductors and for the chiral spirals in the chiral magnetic effect.  We also discuss thermodynamic and transport properties of a system at the boundary at zero magnetic field. The scaling behavior of the specific heat is $c sim T$ for Fermi liquid and $c sim T^{2 nu}$ for non-Fermi liquid, while the behavior of the DC conductivity is the same $ sigma sim T^{-2 nu}$ in both cases. While it can be difficult to extract transport and hydrodynamic from the lattice, the $AdS/CFT$ approach provides a robust frame for nonperturbative calculation of these properties.
2010년 개정된 조세범처벌법에서는 사기 그 밖의 부정한 행위를 “조세의 부과를 불가능하게 하거나 현저히 곤란하게 하는 적극적 부정행위”라고 명확하게 법문에서 규정하고 있다. 법문상 조세의 부과를 단순히 ‘곤란’하게 한 정도가 아니라 ‘불가능’혹은 그에 준하여 ‘현저히 곤란’하게 하는 정도에 이르러야만 조세포탈범으로 처벌될 수 있도록 구성요건을 명시한 이상, 과연 조세의 부과를 ‘현저히 곤란’하게 하는 정도에 이르렀는지를 엄격히 따져 그에 이르지 않는다면 형사처벌이 아닌 가산세 부과에 그쳐야 할 것이다. 조세의 부과는 납세자의 신고와는 별도로 과세관청에서 세법에서 정한 바에 따라 세무조사를 통해 점검함으로써 이루어지는 것으로, 조세범처벌법상 사기 그 밖의 부정한 행위에 해당하는지를 판단하기 위해서는 과세관청이 납세의무자의 신고에 대해 어떠한 방법으로, 어느 수준까지 점검할 수 있느냐를 먼저 살펴보아야 한다. 즉, 납세의무자가 일견 부정하다고 평가되는 행위를 하였다고 하여 사기 그 밖의 부정한 행위라고 함부로 판단해서는 안 되고, 과세관청이 과연 정상적인 세무조사를 하였더라도 납세의무자의 부정행위로 인해 과소신고 사실을 적발하는 것이 불가능하거나 현저히 곤란한지를 판단해야 한다. 2010년 해외계좌 신고 의무화, 2011년 법인사업자부터 순차적으로 적용대상이 확대된 전자세금계산서 제도의 도입, 2013년 ‘특정 금융거래정보의 보고 및 이용 등에 관한 법률 시행령’개정으로 국세청이 확보 가능한 금융정보가 확대되는 등 과세관청은 납세의무자의 신고에 의존하지 않고 여러 방면으로 납세의무자의 신고 내용의 적정성을 검증할 수 있는 정보를 수집할 수 있게 되었다. 과세관청이 통상적인 세무조사를 통해 납세의무자의 신고 내용을 검증할 수 있다는 점이 조세범처벌법상 사기 그 밖의 부정한 행위를 판단하는 출발점이 되어야 한다는 점에서 보면, 과세관청이 납세의무자의 신고 내지는 소득과 관련된 정보를 어느 정도 파악할 수 있는지도 중요한 고려요소가 된다. 특히 전산회계장부 작성이 보편화된 납세환경하에서, 전산회계장부가 세무신고와 구별되는 독자적 증거자료로서의 의미가 없다면, 전산회계장부의 허위 작성만으로는 사기 그 밖의 부정한 행위가 성립하지 않는다고 보는 것이 옳고, 실질적으로 세무조사에서 점검대상이 되는 거래 증빙 등 객관적인 증명서류를 조작하는 정도에 이르러야 조세의 부과를 불가능하게 하거나 현저히 곤란하게 하기에 이르렀다고 평가하는 것이 타당할 것이다.
The mid 18th century witnessed the foundation of the first Royal Art School in Russia,which followed the teaching mode popular in Europe and gradually established its own realistic system of painting teaching in the 19th century.The system played an important role in turning out many world-known painters for the country and domesticating foreign painting styles.A study of the Russian"academicism"mode of painting teaching is,therefore,of realistic significance to China's practice of reforming and innovating its fine-arts education and improving the quality of teaching under the background of universal education in the light of the country's reality.
Planetary rings are ensembles of granular (icy) aggregates ranging in size from centimetres up to a few metres. They form an extremely thin Keplerian disk – vertical extent of about 10 metres – driven by a steady shear caused by the gravity of the central planet. The ensemble is dominated by dissipative collisions which, in densest regions of Saturn’s rings, reach more than > (3Ωτ)−1 collisions per orbital period T = 2π/Ω (Kepler-orbital frequency Ω). The optical depth τ ∝ σ is a measure for the surface-mass density σ in the rings. Each collision is able to either dissipate thermal energy of the ring-aggregates while it may change its size due to aggregation or fragmentation [1]. A balance between aggregation and fragmentation has found to successfully explain the observed size distribution of e.g. Saturn’s rings [2] under assumptions of Maxwellian velocity distribution (VD) and energyequipartition in form of an unique granular temperature T characteristic for all particles sizes k (k – number of model-monomers the aggregated consist of). However, an expression of the deviation from the thermodynamic equilibrium of the ensemble – irreversible collisional processes dissipate kinetic (thermal) energy of the ensemble – is the violation of the energy equipartition. The latter is characteristic for conservative Hamiltonian systems. In this work we quantify this effect by describing a balance between granular cooling ∝ (1− ) and viscous heating ∝ νΩ, again under the assumption of Gaussian VD, but with mass dependent granular temperatures T (k) = Tk. Here, the restitution coefficient (ratio of the normal impact speed before and after the collision) is assumed to be rather small 1 and constant, while ν labels the granular viscosity. Using the momentum-conservation and the energy-balance at a single binary collision between a small (mass ms) and a large (massml) we show that the respective specific energy-dissipation ∆Es/l ∝ ms/l/(ms + ml) is the larger the smaller the ring-aggregate is. In other words, the deviation from the energy equipartition becomes largest for the smalles members of the aggregate ensemble. We quantify this effect in a steady state by using the mass/size distribution nk = n(k) derived by Brilliantov et al. [2]. The extension of the state variables a temperature vector Tk, in addition to mass-densities %k and velocities ~uk ≈ ~u, allows to charactize the mass/size dependence of transport-processes (e.g. ν → νk). This offers the chance to investigate possible related instabilites like e.g. mass seggregation, clustering.
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques have been extensively performed to image and study bacterial cells with high-resolution images. Bacterial image segmentation in SEM images is an essential task to distinguish an object of interest and its specific region. These segmentation results can then be used to retrieve quantitative measures (e.g., cell length, area, cell density) for the accurate decision-making process of obtaining cellular objects. However, the complexity of the bacterial segmentation task is a barrier, as the intensity and texture of foreground and background are similar, and also, most clustered bacterial cells in images are partially overlapping with each other. The traditional approaches for identifying cell regions in microscopy images are labor intensive and heavily dependent on the professional knowledge of researchers. To mitigate the aforementioned challenges, in this study, we tested a U-Net-based semantic segmentation architecture followed by a post-processing step of morphological over-segmentation resolution to achieve accurate cell segmentation of SEM-acquired images of bacterial cells grown in a rotary culture system. The approach showed an 89.52% Dice similarity score on bacterial cell segmentation with lower segmentation error rates, validated over several cell overlapping object segmentation approaches with significant performance improvement.
Author(s): Chase, Nathnaiel | Advisor(s): Hill, Don | Abstract: The term “stage management” is misleading when trying to fully understand how someone functions in this role. The term in itself allows one to believe the primary function is to manage the stage and those involved. Saying that stage managers simply manage the stage, while accurate, is not the whole truth. One must not only be a manager, but also be a leader. A stage manager must act as a leader in varying degrees and at different points throughout the process of a production. With exploration of what constitutes a manager and a leader, I determine that one needs to understand and utilize both management and leadership in order to be a successful stage manager.
Tapetum lucidum is the specially modifided, bio-reflecting tissue layer, which at most vertebrates covers the biggest part of the middle eye tunic, the chorioidea. Physiologically, the most important role of this layer is to reflect light which passes through the retina back to it, causing the secondary stimulation of the photoreceptors. In the dim light ambient conditions when the pupil is dilated, reflected beams of the light create the visual effect of the “animals' eyes shining in the dark“, while exiting the eyes. The aims of this study are to define bio-reflecting and morphological charachteristics of the tapetum lucidum in the dog and cow eyes. Because the tapetum lucidum is an adaptive structure of the eye on poorly illuminated environment, the results of our research indicate that the anatomy of the eye, particulary shape of the pupil, placement of the eyes on the animals' head, and diet, all affect the morphology and bio-reflecting characteristics of this structure. Key words: tapetum lucidum, eyeshine, morphology
This work consists in optimization of the process of obtaining biodiesel from crude palm oil through basic transesterification with ethanol. A factorial design 32 have been used. Inputs Factors were the ethanol/oil ratio and the concentration of catalyst, while the output factor was biodiesel yield. An analysis of variance and a response surface methodology were accomplished as from the experimental design. The concentration of catalyst has principal effects on yield of biodiesel, while than the ethanol/ oil ratio does not have principal effect; interaction among these variables exists. The best conditions are 0.59 % of catalyst and 6.0 ethanol/oil molar ratio.
We study finite-time performance of a recently proposed distributed dual subgradient (DDSG) method for convex constrained multi-agent optimization problems. The algorithm enjoys performance guarantees on the last primal iterate, as opposed to those derived for ergodic means for vanilla DDSG algorithms. Our work improves the recently published convergence rate of $ Ocal( log T/ sqrt{T})$ with decaying step-sizes to $ Ocal(1/ sqrt{T})$ with constant step-size on a metric that combines suboptimality and constraint violation. We then numerically evaluate the algorithm on three grid optimization problems. Namely, these are tie-line scheduling in multi-area power systems, coordination of distributed energy resources in radial distribution networks, and joint dispatch of transmission and distribution assets. The DDSG algorithm applies to each problem with various relaxations and linearizations of the power flow equations. The numerical experiments illustrate various properties of the DDSG algorithm--comparison with vanilla DDSG, impact of the number of agents, and why Nesterov-style acceleration fails in DDSG settings.
Objective To explore the expression of GL50 on activated T cells and its biological significance.Methods Time courses of T cells activated by agonistic anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28 were chosen,then the positive rate of GL50 expression was analyzed through flow cytometry,the level of GL50 mRNA analyzed by RT-PCR.Effects of GL50 on T cells were measured by 3H-TdR incorporation.Results The positive percentage of GL50 on activated T cells at 24 h was 17.2%,and then rapidly increased to 95.7% at 120 h after activation,and which maintained stable to the 144 h;the expression of GL50 mRNA could be detected at 24-144 h after the activation of T cells;antagonist GL50 mAbs could inhibit the proliferation of T cells.Conclusion GL50 molecule can express inductively on activated T cells,and play an important role during the course of immune response through interaction of its corresponding receptor.
India crossed one billion population in May 2000. The census 2001 enumerated the total population of India on the 1st March 2001 as 1027 million. During 1991 the sex ratio for the total population was 927 (females per thousand males) it increased to the mark of 933 in 2001 an increase of 6 points. The unfavourable trend and steady decline in number of women is a matter of grave concern. The extent of anti-female bias in India is by no means limited to poor income society. Punjab and Haryana two of the richest states in terms of per capita incomes have among the lowest female to male sex ratios: 861 women to 1000 men in Haryana and 874 women for every 1000 men in Punjab. Overall proportion of children (0-6 year age) has been declining in India a favourable trend indeed to attribute to the success of family welfare programme intervention however the declining female child sex ratio over the years is a disturbing trend. (excerpt)
Application of molecular sieves in upgrading of FCC fuel was reviewed.As an acidic catalytic materials,molecular sieves or zeolites play an important role in upgrading of FCC fuel,especially in olefin reduction and desulfurization.Y and ZSM-5 zeolites are the basic catalytic components for FCC fuel upgrading.Modification of the molecular sieves and application of new structure molecular sieves are the trends in FCC fuel upgrading.
In blunt abdominal trauma in children, the basic diagnostic work-up should include, in addition to history, physical examination, routine laboratory and X-ray studies, ultrasound and color Doppler ultrasonography. With these methods, most lesions can be identified both in the acute phase and in follow-up. They are also helpful to decide if surgery is indicated or if conservative management is justified. The diagnostic hallmarks of the most common organ lesions are summarized. Additional imaging studies, e.g. CT, angiography, or MRI, should be reserved for specific questions.
From Art-making as a Defence to Works of Art, this anthology will help you navigate your way through the ever growing world of art therapy.    Art therapy is used in an increasing range of settings and is influenced by a range of disciplines, including psychotherapy, social psychiatry, social work and education. Navigating Art Therapy is an essential companion for both seasoned art therapists and those new to the field as it offers a comprehensive guide to key terms and concepts.  With contributions from art therapists around the world.    This book is an ideal source of reference as the concise, cross-referenced entries enable easy navigation through ideas and terms integral to the discipline. As such, it is invaluable for anyone working in the art therapy field.    Kevin Jones entries:    Jaques Lacan , Randomized Controlled Trials  ‘Reverie’,'Sublimation', Theories of Sublimation in Art Therapy and in Psychoanalysis, The Sublime, What works for whom?
It is not only an important task for the Party but also a pressing assignment for the trade unions' cadres to deepen the cognition of labor and labor theory of value in new historical conditions. All the trade unions' cadres are required to deepen the cognition of labor and labor theory of value. The reason is that in nature, the trade unions are organizations of the labor and objectively, the trade unions should have the function of balancing the labor policies and that it was on this theoretical basis that the“Bible of the Labor”——Capital appeared. What's more, we have to pay much attention to the“new historical conditions”, the theoretical innovation and its practical application in order to deepen the cognition of labor and labor theory of value.
Combined with debugging expirence in the field. the control system of incinerator, including the stocker control system, primary air control system, secondary air control system etc., used in Nanshan Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Incineration Power Plant has been presented. In the process of commision debugging, retrofit of the said system had been carried out on the basis of concrete situation in the field.
Increasing tensions of contact wire and messenger wire, changing dropper distribution and tec. should be performed in order to construct a test-bed for catenary system in the 400㎞/h speed on Honam high-speed railway. And it is also essential to develop a steady arm, bracket, in this study the maximum force applied to a steady arm under the worst condition was calculated to develop new stady arm. And through a stress analysis and etc, a new steady arm is designed and developed. From the results of this study regarding calculation process it will be possible to estimate the design of the steady arm which will be developed in the future.
This research is aimed to investigate among related factors that have been not effective in overcoming and stopping the illegal ownership and trading off the conserved wildlife and to come up with better solutions to overcome and stop the illegal acts of ownership and trading off the conserved wildlife at the Jakarta Natural Resources Conservation Center.   This is a non-doctrinal research in the frame of diagnostic research using descriptive method, which is the fifth concept of law, which to say that law is the manifestation of symbolic meanings portrayed in social behavior through interactions in communities. Data accumulation is done based on field research and supported by the references used. Both data accumulation methods are done in the purpose of getting primary and secondary data then all data analysis are executed by using the qualitative method.   This research has shown reasons to the unsuccessful actions of overcoming and stopping the illegal ownership and trading off the conserved wildlife at The Jakarta Natural Resources Conservation Center, here are some of the factors: 1) The rule and regulation has not included the punishments to the criminals, The Civil Servant Investigator does not have the power and authority to arrest and restraint the criminals, neither has the authority to request for the investigator expert, and he cannot report the document to the court, this point also leads to the absence of protections for witness and for persons who report the case also other legal rules related to the legal standing of the Non-profit Organization that is involved in the reported case. 2) Poor availability and management of Structural factors (this so called as law enforcement agents in the government structure) among which are Police Forest and PPNS (Civil Servant Investigator) that are still very few, poor facilities, less control from the upper top authorities, poor budgeting, policy of limiting the authority of police forest up to the customs lines (seaport and airport), 3) Cultural factors which includes poor ability and low integrity among the forestry staff members, this has caused poor quality performance and low productivity on the field; poor supports from the community due to lack of knowledge and being unaware of national conserved wildlife, poor supports from community is also triggered by hobbies for collecting rare species, prestige by middle to upper class society to keep the endangered animals; change of local wisdoms where people have become more consumptive and materialistic and have embraced new pragmatic or instant culture; and lack of socializing natural conservation to the society.   Steps taken into practice to overcoming and stopping illegal ownership and trading off conserved wildlife at The Jakarta Natural Resources Conservation Center are as follows: 1) Applying the law enforcement and following up closely, punishment given to the criminals based on the rule and regulation applied, 2) routine controls as preventive action to the prospective used locations, intensive watch at the seaport entrance gate, airport and stations, conservation campaign and socialization of the wildlife conservation to the society, developing information management and establishing and managing solid data resources, and facilitating the breeding and multiplying of the endangered species.   Implication of this research is to strengthen the solutions in the steps of overcoming and stopping the illegal actions towards the protected wildlife, comprehensively in the goal of achieving our national wildlife conservation.    Key words: Overcoming and Stopping, Ownership and Animal trading, conservation.
Objective To observe the behavior of Schwann cell migration and wrapping up of fibres during co-culture of Schwann cells with steroframe of PLA and PLGA fibres. Methods Schwann cells were mixed into 30% ECM gel and co-cultured with PLA non-spinning fibre steroframes and seeded on one ends of PLGA fibres which were treated with collagen,polylysine or ECM. The attachment,growth and migration of Schwann cells were observed under phase contrast microscope and laser scan confocus microscope. Results (1)When Schwann cells were co-cultured with PLA steroframes,most of the Schwann cells kept in the fibre holes and attached on PLA fibres to form Bungner band likd structures. (2)When co-cultured with PLGA fibers,Schwann cells could attach and migrate on PLGA fibres and the number of Schwann cells were obviously increased when PLGA fibres were treated by ECM. Conclusions (1)ECM gel colud promote Schwann cells attachment,growth and migration on PLA steroframes and PLGA fibers. (2)ECM gel is a good integrating substance for constructing tissue engineering bioartificial nerve.
A potential field method in the real-time approach toward avoidance of obstacles for a mobile robot has been developed. A collision-free path and goal-seeking behaviour are calculated using an artificial potential field method. The proposed reactive navigation approach is based on the coordination of elementary responses. To avoid convex obstacles, the navigator generates a ''reaching the middle of the collision-free space'' and goal-seeking behaviours. A control strategy based on artificial potential fields that generates a trajectory to be followed by a mobile robot that represents a reference for the robot at the same time is proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed method is numerically verified by a series of experiments on the emulator of the wheeled mobile robot Pioneer-2DX.
Introduction An increasing number of patients survive sepsis; however, we lack valid data on the long-term impact on morbidity from prospective observational studies. Therefore, we designed an observational cohort to quantify mid-term and long-term functional disabilities after intensive care unit (ICU)-treated sepsis. Ultimately, findings for the Mid-German Sepsis Cohort (MSC) will serve as basis for the implementation of follow-up structures for patients with sepsis and help to increase quality of care for sepsis survivors. Methods and analysis All patients surviving ICU-treated sepsis are eligible and are recruited from five study centres in Germany (acute care hospital setting in Jena, Halle/Saale, Leipzig, Bad Berka, Erfurt; large long-term acute care hospital and rehabilitation setting in Klinik Bavaria Kreischa). Screening is performed by trained study nurses. Data are collected on ICU management of sepsis. On written informed consent provided by patients or proxies, follow-up is carried out by trained research staff at 3, 6 and 12 months and yearly thereafter. The primary outcome is functional disability as assessed by (instrumental) activities of daily living. Other outcomes cover domains like mortality, cognitive, emotional and physical impairment, and resource use. The estimated sample size of 3000 ICU survivors is calculated to allow detection of relevant changes in the primary outcome in sepsis survivors longitudinally. Ethics and dissemination The study is conducted according to the current version of the Declaration of Helsinki and has been approved by four local/federal responsible institutional ethics committees and by the respective federal data protection commissioners. Results of MSC will be fed back to the patients and published in peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number German Clinical Trials Registry DRKS00010050.
Many scientists and research institutions anticipate the rapid and extensive spread of HIV throughout India. An estimated 5 million people are already infected in the country of whom 50000-100000 have AIDS. The main route of spread is through heterosexual contact mainly through prostitutes. HIV is spreading rapidly to rural areas through migrant laborers and truck drivers and in urban areas mainly through business executives and traders. About 2.5% of antenatal mothers examined in Bombay were HIV-seropositive and an estimated 3-4% of some rural populations probably have a sexually transmitted disease. HIV is also spreading to the middle classes of society. 10% of tuberculosis (TB) patients in Bombay are HIV-seropositive and TB as a presenting ailment was found in about 60% of AIDS cases. The challenge of HIV/AIDS is particularly serious because it is an infectious disease with much broader socioeconomic ties and consequences. HIV testing and patient confidentiality the economic burden of HIV/AIDS to both individuals and the health care system and equipping the health care system to cope with the disease are considered.
IBM's revolutionary Watson system has successfully beaten human Jeopardy champions, and is now being extended and used in other domains, such as healthcare question answering, and financial data analysis. It is a common misconception that Watson is a through-and-through formally semantic system, which translates questions into formal language queries, and returns answers by executing those queries over a large knowledge base. In actual fact, Watson uses a variety of technologies to produce candidate answers to each question, and semantic technologies are primarily used in the subsequent candidate answer ranking components. In particular, linked data sources are used to provide typing evidence for candidate answers, but also several other answer ranking components rely more or less on semantics and linked data.    In this speech Dr Welty discusses these semantic components and the data upon which they operate, giving examples of expected and unexpected behaviours, and how these affect the resulting answers returned by the system. He also touches upon the methods and practices employed in developing and testing Watson, giving useful suggestions for practitioners building real world large-scale cognitive systems.
In the current intensely conducted debate about the corona pandemic and its consequences, numerous citizens have spoken out mistrusting the statements of politicians and scientists and claiming that the virus has been spread by malicious persons or hostile powers intentionally and out of selfish interests Such conspiracy theories spread whenever people have to deal with surprising and frightening events This article provides an overview of the history of conspiracy theories and explores the question of which persons are prone to conspiracy theories and for what reasons From a psychodynamic perspective these are people who, partly from unconscious motives, tend to accuse others of having hostile intentions against which they have to defend themselves by force From some parallels to conflictual psychotherapeutic relationship situations, initial suggestions can be derived for a constructive approach to conspiracy theory supporters in educational and political contexts © 2020, Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature
Two ways of modeling of flows in lower atmosphere forced by stationary flows in upper layers of the atmosphere are presented in the paper. Attention is paid to inequivalence, due to the Coriolis force, of differential models based on 3-D equations of flow of liquid and based on the flow description by means of the stream function. Numerical difficulties of the two ways of solving the flow problem and a way of overcoming them are presented. Structural instability of the models is proved and some of the responsible factors are indicated. Among others are also formal parameters of the model, e.g. the time step of integration.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To assess recent developments in self-directed interventions for gambling disorder and at-risk gambling.   RECENT FINDINGS Relevant reviews and meta-analyses were published during 2017 and 2018. These reviews assess the nature and efficacy of self-directed and largely self-directed interventions including self-change, assisted self-change and mutual aid support groups. Additional reviews cover government and industry strategies to reduce harm including gambling venue and site self-exclusion and a variety of responsible gambling and consumer protection measures. Further studies were published that advanced understanding of self-directed and related interventions and identified priorities for development and research.   SUMMARY There is variable support for the effectiveness of the foregoing interventions. Some appear to achieve outcomes comparable with professionally delivered therapies. Research is required using more robust designs, larger and more diverse samples and longer follow-up to demonstrate effectiveness and provide a basis for matching at-risk and problem gamblers to interventions of different types and intensity.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in westernized populations. Low levels of alpha-tocopherol (AT) are associated with increased incidence of atherosclerosis and increased intakes appear to be protective. Recently, we showed that supplementation with AT resulted in significant decreases in monocyte superoxide anion release, lipid oxidation, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) release, and adhesion to endothelium. The reduction in superoxide and lipid oxidation by AT seemed to be mediated by inhibition of protein kinase C. The aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism(s) by which AT inhibits IL-1 beta release. Potential mechanisms examined included its effect as an antioxidant and its inhibitory effects on protein kinase C and the cyclooxygenase-lipoxygenase pathways. Although AT decreased superoxide release from activated monocytes, superoxide dismutase and catalase had no effect on IL-1 beta release. Also, a similar antioxidant, beta-tocopherol, had no effect on IL-1 beta release. The protein kinase C inhibitor, bisindolylmaleimide, did not inhibit IL-1 beta release from activated monocytes, in spite of AT decreasing protein kinase C activity. Leukotriene B4, a major product of 5-lipoxygenase, has been shown to augment IL-1beta release. In the presence of AT, a significant reduction in leukotriene B4 and IL-1 beta levels was observed, which was reversed by the addition of leukotriene B4. Similar observations were seen with specific inhibitors of 5-lipoxygenase. The product of cyclooxygenase, prostaglandin E2, has been shown to inhibit IL-1 beta activity in some systems. However, AT had no significant effect on prostaglandin E2 levels in activated monocytes. In the presence of indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, AT inhibited IL-1 beta activity. Also, AT had no effect on IL-1 beta mRNA levels or stability, suggesting a posttranscriptional effect. Thus, in activated human monocytes, AT exerts a novel biological effect of inhibiting the release of the proinflammatory cytokine, IL-1 beta, via inhibition of the 5-lipoxygenase pathway.
The present invention relates to an air conditioning apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, the air conditioning apparatus enabling offsetting of the temperature inside a vehicle into an optimal state by correcting the opening position of a temp door to be in an optimal state during a "motor operation mode" as well as, while having an engine re-operate during the "motor operation mode" on the basis of the temperature of engine cooling water, preventing unnecessary re-operation of the engine by changing a re-operation point of the engine in accordance with a "target discharge temperature" and the "opening position of the temp door", thereby aiming fuel efficiency enhancement. In order to attain the purpose, an air conditioning apparatus for a hybrid vehicle comprises a control unit for, after entering into a motor operation mode, re-operating an engine if the temperature of engine cooling water decreases to a lower limit or lower and stopping the engine, which has been re-operated, if the temperature of the engine cooling water increases to an upper limit or higher, wherein the control unit changes the lower limit and the upper limit in accordance with a target discharge temperature, which has been calculated on the basis of a temperature condition of the air inside and outside and a user set temperature, and controls during the motor operation mode a re-operation point of the engine so as to actively vary in accordance with the target discharge temperature.
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of detecting plasma(1→3)-β-D-glucan(BG) for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in rats.Methods Pulmonary aspergillosis model was established with immunosuppressive rats.MB-80 Microbiology Kinetic Rapid Reader and GKT-5M Set(G test) were used to detect the plasma contents of BG,and the results were compared with those detected by ELISA(GM test,Platelia Aspergillus).Results ① Nine samples(60.0%) in the immunosuppression infection group had positive results,with the plasma BF level being 10.12—181.50 ng/L [a median of 56.27 ng/L];the rest 6 samples had a negative results.The positive rate of G test in the immnuosuppression infection group was significantly higher than that of the normal control group(0,P0.01).② The sensitivity and specificity of G test for IPA were 60% and 97%,respectively;those of GM test were 73% and 91%,respectively.③ The combination of G test and GM test had a higher sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of IPA,being 86% and 98%,respectively.Conclusion G test,as a novel non-invasive index for diagnosis of IPA,has high specificity and satisfactory clinical diagnosis value.When combined with GM test,the sensitivity and specificity of G test for diagnosis of IPA are greatly increased.(Shanghai Med J,2009,32: 881-884)
OBJECTIVES This study explored and analyzed the prophylactic effect of Alprostadil on contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with renal insufficiency.   METHODS From June 2014 to June 2017, 156 patients with coronary artery disease and renal insufficiency who electively underwent PCI in our hospital were enrolled and randomly divided into Alprostadil group (n=77) and placebo control group (n=79) by random number table. The control group was given hydration and placebo, while the observation group received hydration and Alprostadil. The alprostadil and placebo were infused intravenously 30-90 minutes before operation until four hours after surgery. The changes of biochemical indicators, serum creatinine (Scr), glomerular filtration rate (GFR), the level of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in urinary neutrophils, and the incidence of CIN were compared between the two groups of patients before and after PCI surgery.   RESULTS The difference of SCr and GFR between the two groups of patients was statistical insignificant before and after PCI surgery (P>0.05), while the level of NGAL in both groups 12 h and 24 h after operation were critically higher than those prior-operation (P<0.05), and the increase in the control group was more obvious (P<0.05). The serum CysC, Hcy, and hs-CRP levels of the two groups 24 h after surgery were remarkably higher than those before surgery (P<0.05), and the indicators in observation group were superior to those in control group after surgery (P<0.05). The difference between the two groups of patients in incidence of CIN primary endpoint was statistically insignificant (P>0.05), while the incidence of secondary endpoint of CIN ≥ 0.3 mg/dL in Alprostadil group was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.05).   CONCLUSION For renal insufficiency patients undergoing PCI, the associative usage of Alpromazil with routine treatment can effectively prevent CIN and is worthy of clinical promotion.
A method for processing data, in a wireless application protocol for wireless applications using Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), includes the steps of: (a) receiving data from an upper layer into a Wireless Datagram Protocol (WDP) layer; (b) storing the data received in the WDP layer in step (a) in a common buffer which is commonly used by the WDP layer and a USSD Dialogue Control Protocol (UDCP) layer; and (c) forming packets in the UDCP layer using the data stored in the common buffer in step (b), and then transmitting the packets through the USSD. According to the method, memories for the WDP layer and the UDCP layer, which is an adaptation layer for a Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) USSD bearer, are integrated into one, effectively reducing a required memory size compared to conventional methods in which the WDP layer and the UDCP layer use separate memories.
Nasal obstruction may be caused by individual anatomy, a dysregulation of the nasal mucosa or, frequently, a combination of both. Persistent allergic inflammation deserves special attention, as initial therapy should not be surgical. The plethora of surgical techniques for the reduction of inferior turbinate volume is a good indicator of unresolved controversies regarding the ideal technique. This review analyses our current knowledge about success and complication rates of different surgical techniques. Many of these techniques have a distinct pro and contra-profile which is acceptable for both the patient and the surgeon. This is a good starting point for randomised clinical trials. The definition of the anterior turbinoplasty as a gold-standard for future trials is proposed.
This paper proposes the way forward in dealing with the unsatisfactory case law involving loss of chance in negligence, particularly medical negligence. It seeks to show that the current approach in England and in Singapore of applying traditional causation rules is arbitrary and inadequate, and fails to meet a deserving loss of chance claim. The authors seek to examine whether loss of chance is better understood as a theory of injury instead of a theory of causation. Inspecting major common law jurisdictions and the key controversies in reconciling the case law, it will be advanced that the best method (in terms of justice and doctrinal fit) for the development in tort jurisprudence lies in recognising and valuing lost chances as a new category of damage. A lost chance should be recognised if it fulfils a twofold precondition, namely that: (i) there was a significant chance about the outcome at the time of the alleged negligence; and (ii) the injury which affected the claimant's prospects lay in the future at the time of the alleged negligence. Once this is met, damages may be awarded accordingly in proportion to the chance lost based on a weighted mean.
The performance of clocks is limited by the characteristics of the underlying oscillator. Both the quality factor of the oscillator and the signal-to-noise ratio for the resonator state measurement are important. A superfluid helium Helmholtz resonator operating at approx.100mK temperatures has the potential of maintaining frequency stability of 5x10(exp -15)/t(exp 1/2) on the time scale of a few months. The high dynamic range of lossless SQUID position displacement measurement, and low losses associated with the superfluid flow, combined with high mechanical stability of cryogenic assemblies, contribute to the projected stability. Low overall mass of the assembly allows for multiple stages of vibration isolation.
The most difficult aspect of load modeling, which differentiates itself from other modeling problems, lies in the fact that the load is time-variant. Single polynomial model or exponential model in measurement-based theory can't satisfy the request, and other input-output models are very hard to realize. Aiming at the characteristic of the load modeling and fuzzy T-S model, the fuzzy T-S model for non-linear dynamic load model was proposed. To a certain extent it solves the problem based on strong time-variant of the load and predigests the complicate model. And the simulation results of T-S fuzzy model are more accurate than the simulation results of traditional polynomial modelandexponentialmodel.Theload modeling device hardware was designed. The application on powerload modeling results shows validity and practicability of the method.
Turning is one the most important machining operation in industries. The process of turning is influenced by many factors such as the cutting velocity, feed rate, depth of cut, geometry of cutting tool cutting conditions etc. The finished product with desired attributes of size, shape, and surface roughness and cutting forces developed are functions of these input parameters. Properties wear resistance, fatigue strength, coefficient of friction, lubrication, wear rate and corrosion resistance of the machined parts are greatly influenced by surface roughness. Forces developed during cutting affect the tool life hence the cost of production. In many manufacturing processes engineering judgment is still relied upon to optimize the multi-response problem. Therefore multi response optimization is used in this study to optimization problem to finds the appropriate level of input characteristics.  The objective of this project is to evaluate the optimal setting of cutting parameters cutting velocity (N) , depth of cut(d) , feed(f) and variation in principal cutting edge angle (Φ) of the tool to have a minimum cutting force and surface roughness(Ra)  In this project dry turning of aluminium 6061 as a work piece and carbide insert tool (SCMT 09T308-TN5120) is performed. The range of cutting parameters are cutting speed(11.86, 18.65,30.52m/min) ,feed rate(0.044,0.089,0.178 mm/rev), depth of cut(0.5,0.75,1.0mm) and the angle (0,3,6 degree)  This study highlights the use of Fuzzy logic and use of Taguchi design of experiment to optimize the multi response in turning operation. For this purpose Taguchi design of experiment was carried out to collect the data for surface roughness and various cutting forces. The results indicate the optimum values of the input factors and the results are conformed by a confirmatory test
By a research on primary gardens and virescence arbor of Longyan city,this paper analyze these trees about their composing of variety,characteristic of district,distributing frequency,purpose on gardens,effect of virescence,character of contradicting freezing,origin of species,and so on.Characteristics and problems existing at present are summarized on the basis of it.Some advice about programming and selection of gardens and virescence arbor of Longyan city for the future is put forward.
The utility model relates to a high-temperature high-pressure well-drilling fluid density measuring device in oil-gas well-drilling operation,which can evaluate the impact of the different temperature and liquid-column pressure on the well-drilling fluid density so as to provide the basis for well-drilling design and construction. The utility model relates to characterized in that piston assembly is placed into the autoclave body, the autoclave body top cover is provided with a spillover adjusting valve and an entrance pressure valve, the middle of central ring hole of the autoclave body top cover is provided with two O-shaped sealing rings, an O-shaped sealing ring is embedded on the surface of the piston ring, a piston top cap, a position limit device and a micrometer are arranged at the top of the piston rod, the autoclave body bottom cover is provided with a fluid discharge valve and is connected with the bottom end of the autoclave body by bolts, the autoclave body is placed into an oil bath temperature box, the temperature box is provided with a heating sleeve, a heating oil cavity and a heat insulation layer. The upper cover of the temperature box is provided with a heater, a temperature sensor and a temperature controller. The device can measure the density and performance of the various well-drilling fluids under the different temperature and pressure by simulating well underground high-temperature high-pressure condition.
Quantum computing takes fully advantage of the superposition principle to increase greatly (even exponentially) the speed of calculations, relative to the classical approach. The Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm is the simplest quantum algorithm illustrating this power. Unfortunately, the standard derivation involves several ingenious steps which usually leave students feeling that they could never have figured out the algorithm by themselves. We present here a different formulation of the problem which allows students to derive the algorithm using only basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and linear algebra.
In the Golden Age Theatre there are several plays with Goth queens as protagonists or minor characters, as the Queen Ingunda, wife of Saint Hermenegildo, named in some plays as Everinta, her aunt, the Queen Gosvinta, and the wives of Pelayo and Recesvinto, as well as the spouse of Bamba (a fictional queen named by Lope and Cubillo as Sancha). The main purpose of the playwrights recreating these powerful female characters is to seek in the Goth period the deep roots of the Catholicism in Spain and to show the influence of these queens in the religious dimension of the kingdom.
Objective This analysis was made to gain an insight into the epidemiological characteristics of measles in the Xiaoshan District of Hangzhou City in recent years in order to better control future epidemics. Methods An epidemiological analysis was made on the cases of measles diagnosed based on clinical manifestations and serological study. Results It was found that sporadic epidemics of measles were dominant with occasional outbreaks in the Xiaoshan district. There was an increasing trend in the incidence of the epidemic among the floating population. The peak season of the disease was from Feb. to Jun. with infants less than 1 year of age predominantly affected. Those aged 5 to 9 months accounted for 92.31% of the cases less than 1 year of age. Children aged over 1 year and school-age children among the floating population were predominantly affected. Of the cases under the age of 15 years (not including infants under 8 months of age ), those who had no history of immunization among the permanent residents and floating population accounted for 39.19% and 65.12% respectively,with the percentage of cases from the floating population significantly higher than that from the permanent residents. Conclusion Emphasis is to be placed on the continuous reinforcement of routine immunization; the maintenance of the high rates of immunization coverage and success; the management of immunization for floating children; and the elimination of blank immunization among the floating population in the prevention and control of measles in Xiaoshan district.
The salt solutions with the molar ratio of NaHCO3∶Na2CO3=9∶1,30,60,90 and 120mmol/L were used for alkaline stress to measure and analyse the germination and the growth of radical and plumule of Zoysia japonica and Festuca arundinacea seeds.The results showed that the seed germination percentage,germination energy,germination index and length of radical and plumule markedly decreased with the increasing of alkaline solutions concentration.Zoysia japonica and Festuca arundinacea seeds did not germinate when the concentration of alkaline solutions reached to 90mmol/L and 120mmol/L,and 30mmol/L and 60mmol/L were critical concentrations to germination of Zoysia japonica and Festuca arundinacea seeds,respectively.The alkaline tolerance ability of Festuca arundinacea seeds were stronger than that of Zoysia japonica seeds.
On the basis of being positioned in promoting the intergenerational fairness of the resource consumption,this paper studied the resources tax system design. In order to promote the sustainable use of resources,the levy range of the resources tax should be exhaustible resources; in order to influence resource consumption habits,the tax basis of resources tax should be the price of the resource; to have no too many negative impacts,resources tax should maintain a reasonable profit rate of mining enterprises; in order to play the regulatory role of the resources tax,the resources tax should be under the administration of the central government.
Tolerance is the attenuation, or loss, of one or several of the effects of organic nitrates after long term administration. All organic nitrate regimens using frequent doses of long-acting nitrates (3 or more times daily), continuous delivery systems [transdermal nitroglycerin (glyceryl trinitrate) patches or continuous intravenous infusions of nitroglycerin] or long-acting (sustained release) preparations will result in partial or complete nitrate tolerance. There are several proposed mechanisms which may contribute to the development of tolerance including activation of neurohormonal mechanisms, plasma volume expansion and depletion of intracellular sulfhydryl cofactors. To avoid tolerance to long term nitrate therapy, regimens should be tailored to provide a 10- to 12-hour nitrate-free interval when possible. This means that antianginal prophylaxis can only be provided by nitrate therapy for some portion of each day, and that some patients will develop an increase in angina in the nitrate-free intervals which will necessitate short term therapy with sublingual nitroglycerin or a similar preparation.
HCV is a both a major public health concern and a specific concern for HCWs. All occupational exposures must be reported to supervisors, and medical attention must be sought and follow-up testing performed, both to comply with the bloodborne pathogens standard and to ensure greater safety for HCWs Postexposure follow-up consists of base-line blood testing for the source (if consent to testing is obtained in accordance with state and other laws) and for the person exposed. Follow-up testing should occur at four to six months. HCV RNA testing can provide earlier detection and may be performed at four to six weeks.
Various social events demonstrate a trend that religious influence is increasing in the current society and even in universities.This tendency should be paid great attention to by universities and advanced educators.In this paper,we analyzed in detail the phenomenon and proposed that strengthening development of lofty ideal and guiding university students with proper attitudes to religions was effective to eliminate the negative effect of religions.
Abstract The role of parapancreatitis in the intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) progression in patients with severe acute pancreatitis with various forms of organs failure was studied. It was analyzed the treatment results of 63 patients with severe acute pancreatitis. The patients were divided into 4 groups: the first group (n=24) had not the signs of organs failure, the second group (n=15) - with symptoms of acute respiratory failure (ARF), the third group (n=11) - with a combination of ARF and acute cardiovascular failure (CVF) and the fourth group (n=13) - with a combination of ARF, CVF and acute renal failure. Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) was measured at 1, 3, 5, 7- days from the beginning of the disease with calculation of the abdominal perfusion pressure and filtration gradient values. The prevalence evaluation of parapancreatitis was carried out on the basis of CT-data with bolus-dosing of the contrast agent, ultrasound, video laparoscopy as well as data obtained during operation and autopsy. It was defined that the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) values was not significantly different and complied with intra-abdominal hypertension of the first grade in patients of the groups 1-3 at the first day. IAP was significantly higher and complied with intra-abdominal hypertension of the second grade in patients of the fourth group. IAP normalized to 5-7th days in patients of the first and the second groups. The patients of the third and the fourth groups had IAH of the second grade in the 7th day. There was reliable (p<0.01) average positive correlation (r=0.57) between the indications of IAH and the scale APACHE II. The patients with common parapancreatitis (n=39) had indications of IAP and APACHE II significantly higher than in patients with local forms of parapancreatitis (n=24; p<0.01). Common defeat of retroperitoneal fat determined persistent increase of IAP more than the presence of effusion in the abdominal cavity. In case of the first grade of IAH the mortality was 6.6%, the second grade - 37.5%, the third grade - 58.3% and the fourth grade - 80%. All died patients had a common parapancreatitis. The authors consider that the indications of IAP and APACHE II let to suppose an adverse outcome by the development of multiple organ failure in the early stages of the disease. Common parapancreatitis is the main feature of the persistent IAH (IAP increase during 5-7 days), which is an indication for early decompression operations on the abdominal wall.
A digital simulation method for estimating the part's reliability based on the importance sampling method is discussed.After the fuzzy variable is transformed to the equivalent random variable,a design point is calculated according to the genetic algorithm,and an important sampling density function is obtained based on the equivalent random variable.Then the failure probability is obtained by sampling the equivalent random variables.An example is given in order to compare the results by using the method in this paper with those by the Monte Carlo method.The example proves that the importance sampling method is feasible and effective for sampling the fuzzy variables.
This paper presents a laser intensity image based algorithm for automatic vehicle classification system (AVC) on highways. The algorithm performs line by line processing of laser intensity images, produced by laser sensory units, and extracts vehicle features used for the classification. The features include vehicle length, width, height, speed, and some distinguishable patterns in the vehicle profile. The proposed technique outperforms the range data technique in deteriorated atmospheric conditions (such as rain and fog). A software package with a graphical user interface has been developed to illustrate the usage of the classification algorithm and to evaluate its performance.
Intracerebral haematoma (ICH) distantly from the site of insertion of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt or external drain is an extremely rare complication. In contrast to ICH caused by disruption of small cerebral vessels by the catheter, the cause of haematoma distantly from the shunt is unclear. We report three cases of ICH occurring distantly from the tubing path. We also discuss possible mechanisms and provide a literature review of this complication.
Combined use of adjunctive negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and instillation of topical wound solutions and suspensions (NPWTi) has proven to be an effective next-generation NPWT technique for wounds at risk for compromised healing. Fluid instillation has been shown to enhance exudate and debris removal, provide regular cleansing of the wound bed, and add moisture to the wound. Positive results have been demonstrated with NPWTi in assisting healing of stalled wounds and treating painful wounds as well as wounds at high risk for amputation. NPWTi has been used instead of conventional NPWT in wounds with thick exudate and slough content, acute traumatic wounds, wounds acutely debrided due to infected soft tissue, large areas of post-debrided exposed bone, and cases of critical bacterial colonization. Instilled solutions have included topical solutions such as saline, topical wound cleansers, and antiseptics. While various systems that combine instillation or irrigation with NPWT have been commercialized during the past decade, until very recently these have been relatively cumbersome to use and limited in their ability to regulate solution volume delivery. Recent advances in NPWTi technology (V.A.C. VeraFlo™ Therapy, KCI, San Antonio, TX) include automated volumetrically controlled delivery of fluids and upgraded foam dressing technology to provide better control and delivery of solutions to the wound bed. This article describes the latest NPWTi technology and provides recommendations for successful application of NPWTi in an effort to inform clinicians about product decision-making and practice.
The study of objects plays an important role in the system of anthropology.On one hand,the object is the focus of attention in anthropologists' researches;on the other hand,anthropologists represent the genealogy of anthropology by an objectified way--object of ethnography.There is a specific space for the object——material space,and in the interaction of the object and its space,the object is constructed,applied and interpreted.The museum is an example.In colonial period,the museum was emerged as a place where collected objects from colonial countries.Till now,the museum has been a place for cultural display of objects.Nevertheless,the function,the form of the exhibitions and the collections are all be rethinked and questioned.In terms of objects and museums,we had a discussion below.Discussants are Prof.Peng Zhaorong from School of Humanities and parts of PhD candidates of Department of Anthropology in Xiamen University.
The marine central cooling system has advantages over the conventional sea water cooling system. With more equipment installed in the central cooling system, the central cooling system should be calculated frequently. The mathematics model of the marine central cooling system is established in the paper. This mathematics model is very practicable for the design and installation of the marine central heat exchanger.
A polar extract of leaves of Justicia ghiesbreghtiana yielded N-(2-hydroxy-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-(S)-α-malamic acid, 1. Incomplete spectral analysis yielded a hypothetical structure, which was then proven by total synthesis. Coupling of the trifluoroacetate of malic anhydride (trifluoroacetoxysuccinic anhydride) with an arylamine provided the key to regiospecific preparation of the α- rather than β-malamic acids.
Some four years ago experimental and theoretical investigations (Mayneord, 1940) were commenced on the absorption of energy during X-ray and radium treatment. It was emphasised that the total energy absorbed throughout the body is a quantity of great physical and clinical importance, and our own intervening experience (Mayneord, 1942, 1943), as well as the work of other investigators (Happey, 1940, 1941; Ellis, 1942; Bush, 1943; Hilton, 1943; Smithers, 1942), has developed this conclusion. As a first approximation to a unit of “integral dose”, that is, total absorption throughout a given mass of tissues, we have suggested (Mayneord, 1940) 1 gramme-rontgen. This quantity is the energy conversion when 1 r is delivered to 1 gm. of air, and is approximately equal to 85 ergs. For clinical use this unit is too small, but 1 megagramme-rontgen (one million gramme-rontgens) proves to be of a convenient order of magnitude and has been generally adopted. One megagrammerontgen is equivalent to approximately 2 gm. cal...
New mosquito traps were developed by substance-field analysis and resource analysis. At the concept development the useful and harmful relationship between mosquito and human was modeled by substance field model and resolved by one standard. The resource analysis and technology forecasting stimulated to generate the new mosquito traps by using the photo catalysis, TiO2 (titanium dioxide). The new traps implemented catch over 10 thousands a one night near cattle shed in Korea, in summer.
Abstract : On December 2, 1986, G. Howard Mauldin, better known to many of us as Howie, passed away. Howie was the programmatic and spiritual leader of the perfluorocarbon impregnated capacitor technology. His work at Sandia National laboratories in the capacitor area spanned some 38 years. This paper is a status report of the technology and memorial to a gentle man who quietly carried a flag. It appears the operational life of a perfluorocarbon impregnated-amorphous character of the polycarbonate (PC) dielectric material. X-ray diffraction studies and thermomechanical analysis (TMA) of the material at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, have known new information. Gas studies of the impregnate solution have yield new answers also. We will also discuss the dynamics of both the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and the equivalent dynamic capacitance of an in situ device as observed during testing at the test facility of the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Future short range communications will provide high speed data links between portable and stationary devices. Spatial limitations require a high integration level of the whole communication system. Compared to integrated analog and digital circuits, antenna systems, especially antenna arrays with beam forming or beam steering capabilities, usually waste a lot of space inside the devices. Ultra wide band communications in the mm-wave and sub-mm-wave range offer the possibility to integrate antennas inside the chip package or directly on-chip. This paper introduces a very compact novel array concept for ultra wide band antenna systems based on planar stacked Vivaldi structures. It is applicable to system-in-package (SiP), or in a slightly modified version, directly to system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. Following the trends in the consumer market, a center frequency of 60 GHz was chosen to demonstrate the antenna performance.
We present a trophic chain model that describes the invasion of Lemna obscura (a duckweed) in Lake Maracaibo. We consider a prey (the Lemna), with a predator (a herbivore), and we include an explicit equation for a nutrient. It is no teworthy that our model does not present some well- known paradoxes such as Rosenzweig’s enrichment paradox, and Luck’s unstable low prey paradox. We find that both stable nutrient and Lemna equilibrium populations are proportional for small nutrient in flux. For higher flux input, the Lemna population grows linearly with nutrients, but a stable predator population requires a threshold nutrient density. We suggest that the huge amounts of Lemna in Lake Maracaibo could be profitable as an important protein source for manufacture of manure, and also for animal and/or human nutrition.
The best work program is selected from the results of optimized experiment which is on CZ175F internal-combustion engine by using self-developed universal camshaft for engine performance testing.The property of different profile cam is analyzed,and the contrast test is conducted.The results showed the variant hyperbolic function type valve cam has some advantages,such as the plump coefficient being big,the minimum radius of curvature being large,the lubrication property being good,the maximum positive and negative acceleration being lower significantly,high-speed property and high performance being good.
In the bonding structure of the optical-mechanical system,for researching the influence on lens of the adhesive's curing shrinkage,the viscoelastic model is used for adhesive's simulation,and the theory solution can be gotten from the constitutive equation.The method of equivalent temperature and the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) soft ANSYS is used for simulating the shrinkage to analyze the influence on the surface figure error.Compared with the elastic model,the viscoelastic model has its advantages.Change the curing time for analyzing the influence on the lens.The analysis result shows that the simulation result fit the theory solution well,and the viscoelastic model can better describe the relationship between the time and the final shrinkage stress.Moreover,it can better simulate the generation of shrinkage stress.In regard to the same adhesive,through prolonging the curing time properly,there is the smaller influence on the surface figure error of the lens,so it can prolong the time for reducing the shrinkage stress.
The transition maps for a Sobolev $G$-bundle are not continuous in the critical dimension and thus the usual notion of topology does not make sense. In this work, we show that if such a bundle $P$ is equipped with a Sobolev connection $A$, then one can associate a topological isomorphism class to the pair $ left( P, A right),$ which is invariant under Sobolev gauge changes and coincides with the usual notions for regular bundles and connections. This is based on a regularity result which says any bundle in the critical dimension in which a Sobolev connection is in Coulomb gauges are actually $C^{0, alpha}$ for any $ alpha < 1.$ We also show any such pair can be strongly approximated by smooth connections on smooth bundles. Finally, we prove that for sequences $(P^{ nu},A^{ nu})$ with uniformly bounded $n/2$-Yang-Mills energy, the topology stabilizes if the $n/2$ norm of the curvatures are equiintegrable. This implies a criterion to detect topological flatness in Sobolev bundles in critical dimensions via $n/2$-Yang-Mills energy.
A double-T RFID tag antenna matching the complex chip impedance is presented with bandwidth 80 MHz(882~962 MHz)under the condition of voltage standing wave ratio(VSWR)less than 2.By adding a double-U structure,the bandwidth is extended to 102 MHz(875~977 MHz)(VSWR2).The novel double U-T tag antenna is presented with 1.93 dBi gain,while with 84o half-power beamwidth(HPBW)and with the dimension of 89.2 mm×29.0 mm.By tuning the stubs,the new type antenna can be matched with different impedance chip.
The great agricultural scientist George Washington Carver once said, "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world" (Thinkexist.com, George Washington Carver quotes, n.d.). What an appropriate statement from a true genius. If you think about it, that statement sums up why we remember "The Plant Doctor" today. Carver, a man from the most humble of beginnings, with all of the odds against him, discovered uncommon uses for some of the most common of plants - peanuts, soy beans and sweet potatoes - and is now revered by people the world over. Carver's words of wisdom hold the secret for our effectiveness as teachers. While Carver gained the "attention of the world," by doing "uncommon" things in his laboratory, we can use that same formula for success in our classrooms. Teachers aren't looking to gain the attention of the world; they just want the attention of their classes! What does it mean to do things in an uncommon way? To us, it comes down to one, simple word that describes a very complex process - creativity. Carver also said that "...new developments are the products of a creative mind" (Thinkexist.com, George Washington Carver quotes, n.d.). To capture and maintain the attention of their students, teachers must use their creative minds to develop new ways to do common things. As is the case with most talents and abilities, creativity varies from one person to the next. Some people find it very natural to express their qualities of originality, artistry, ingenuity and innovativeness while others are not as imaginative or resourceful. Teachers have no choice! To be successful with today's students, in a time that many experts say children's attention spans are becoming shorter, teachers must discover ways to engage their students. In his book, A Whack on the Side of the Head (199)," Roger von Oech outlined mental locks to creativity. Let's take a look at eight of these locks that pertain to teachers and discuss keys to open them. 1. "The Right Answer" (von Oech, 1990, p. 21) From the time we enter schools as kindergarteners, we begin the process of looking for the right answer. As we all know from our teacher education classes, the vast majority of test questions ask students to simply regurgitate memorized facts rather than process information. For teachers, focusing on "the right answer" causes us to teach as we were taught. The same tired, old ways are tired and old! Give 'em a rest! Rather, seek out alternative approaches to introducing lessons and illustrating key points. Consider different kinds of assignments and learning activities to assess student achievement. How have you been introducing your lesson on the part of a plant? How else could you teach it? How else? How else? One of those alternative ways might be better than what you've been doing in the past. If you don't look for another answer, you'll never find a better way. 2. "That's Not Logical" (von Oech, 1990, p. 33) Albert Einstein said, "Imagination is more important than logic" (Thinkexist.com, Albert Einstein quotes, n.d.). If Einstein valued imagination so highly, surely it has some value for agriculture teachers as well. Many of the subjects we teach are based in science and other principles of logic. They are exact, precise, ordered and consistent. As illogical as it might sound, sometimes the best way to communicate those principles is by using what von Oech called "soft thinking." Creative teachers use metaphors, humor, music and other unique, seemingly unrelated approaches to develop powerful links to what they teach. Are your students bored when you go through your summary of parliamentary procedure motions handout? How about setting the types of motions to a rap? What about creating physical movements related to each motion? If it seems illogical, it just might work! 3. "Follow the Rules" (von Oech, 1990, p. …
With the wall thermal system the paper analyzes the impact of energy-saving exterior wall configuration form on the time lag and decrement factor.Taking the residential buildings in Yinchuan areas for example,the paper calculates the time lag and decrement factor to the disturbance quantity of the outdoor temperature for the walls of different configuration forms with the same heat-transfer coefficient and heat inertia index,the paper also analyzes the difference of stabilizing ability to the disturbance quantity of the outdoor temperature in three kinds of wall thermal insulations.The results show that the wall configuration form has obvious effect on the thermal stability,in which the decrement factor of the outside thermal insulation configuration form is maximum,while the sandwich thermal insulation configuration form has the longest time lag.
Access to microdata for social and economic research and analysis is a key part of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) mission to encourage informed decision making, research and discussion. Since 1985, the ABS has been making microdata available for statistical purposes in the form of Confidentialised Unit Record Files (CURFs). Microdata use is governed by the requirement to protect respondent confidentiality, as enshrined in the Australian Census and Statistics Act 1905. Confidentialisation of the data prior to its release is the foremost ABS strategy to protect respondent confidentiality. To date, ABS policy provides that the most highly confidentialised Basic CURFs are available through the least controlled CD-ROM mode; the more detailed Expanded CURFs are accessible through the more controlled Remote Access Data Laboratory (RADL); and the most detailed Specialist CURFs are available only through the ABS Data Laboratory (ABSDL) in ABS Offices. In 2009 ABS commenced a long term project that will meet user demand for access to more detailed unit record data, across a wider array of datasets and through means that are more flexible than the current services. Development of a Survey Table Builder is underway, to be followed by a new microdata analysis service.
The morphometrics and reproduction of shrews (Sorex araneus, S. minutus, S. alpinus) was studied in Slovakia. Significant differences in weight, body length and tail length were recorded in adult and subadult shrews. Adult individuals and males had higher mean somatometric values (apart from tail length of subadults). The hind foot length was the least variable characteristic, which can be considered as the most stable taxonomic somatic characteristic of shrews. Weight and body length varied considerably. Values of somatic characteristics in S. araneus and S. minutus increased with increasing altitude, apart from hind foot length in S. araneus, which decreased with increasing altitude. The values of somatic char- acteristics declined with increasing continentality, but tail length gradually increased in the direction west - east at the highland level. Sorex minutus was characterized by the greatest reproductive activity (length of reproductive cycle April - October, average number of embryos 6.97). The lowest reproductive activity was observed in S. alpinus (average number of embryos 5.72). The mating season of S. araneus began at the end of March and ended in August with an average number of embryos of 6.12.
Introduction: Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is increasingly used in the management of connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MMF in patients with CTD-ILD based on the ILD subtype regardless of the underlying CTD. Method: This was a retrospective single-center study. Patients with ILD-CTD who had either non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) or usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) who received MMF therapy were included. Patients who received cyclophosphamide (CYC) or rituximab (RTX) were excluded. A 5% change in the forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide (DLco) and a 30-meter change in the 6-min walk test (6MWT) were considered significant. Results: Forty patients were included. There was a female predominance (67.5%), with a mean (± standard deviation) age and disease duration of 54.1 ± 15.8 years and 61.4 ± 75.5 months, respectively. The mean ILD duration was 43.2 ± 27.7 months. The mean FVC and DLco were 54.6 ± 16.0% and 59.4 ± 14.2%, respectively. There were 22 (55%) and 18 (45%) patients in the CTD-NSIP and CTD-UIP groups, respectively. All patients achieved a target dose of 2-3 g/day. Treatment with MMF resulted in stabilization and/or improvement of FVC in 28 (70%) patient, of DLco in 24/33 (72.7%) patients, and of 6MWT in 23/37 (62.1%) patients. The response to MMF was identical in both ILD subtypes, with all measures achieving a statistical significance. No safety signals were detected. Conclusion: MMF is safe and effective in the management of CTD-ILD regardless of the underlying ILD subtype.
Object trajectory is one of the most important cues for tracking and behavior recognition and can be widely applied to numerous such as visual surveillance and guidance. However, it is a difficult problem to directly model spatio-temporal variations of trajectories due to their high dimensionality and nonlinearity. This paper proposes a novel trajectory tracking and recognition algorithm by combining a bi-directional deep neural network called "autoencoder" into a particle filter. First, the "autoencoder" network embeds the high-dimensional trajectories in a two-dimensional plane based on a peculiar training rule and learns a trajectory generative model by the inverse mapping. Then a series of plausible trajectories are generated by the trajectory generative model. In the tracking process, the generated samples from the plausible trajectory set are weighted by the color likelihood and are resampled so as to obtain target state estimation at each time step. Finally the tracking trajectory is recognized by min-distance classification method in the two-dimensional plane. In particular, the "autoencoder" provides such a bi-directional mapping between the high-dimensional trajectory space and the low-dimensional space and is therefore able to overcome the inherited deficiency of most nonlinear dimensionality reduction methods (e.g. LLE and ISOMAP) that do not have an inverse mapping. The experiments on tracking and recognizing handwritten digits show that the proposed algorithm can robustly track and exactly recognize in background clutter.
This article researches the microscopic structure of the fresh bamboo shoots,which is treated by boiling,dried,and potting.And we found some relations between the characteristic through sensory organ and the changes of microscopic structure.The first is that boiling mathod has less influence to the structure and we could get the good sease.The second is that dried bamboo shoots has a little damage in structure besides the top and is felt better.The third is that potting mades the destroy of epidermis and some cell are splited,but tasted still better.So these handles are all good storage mathods for the different purposes.
Granular/vesicular transport is thought to be supported by microtubule-based force-generating adenosine triphosphatases such as kinesin. Kinesin is a motor molecule that has been well studied in brain and other neuronal tissues. Although vesicular transport is important for pancreatic beta-cell secretory activities, the role of kinesin in beta-cell function has not been investigated. It is hypothesized that kinesin functions as a translocator that associates with both microtubules and insulin-containing granules in beta-cells and transports the secretory granules from deep within the cytoplasm, where insulin is synthesized and processed, to the surface of beta-cells upon secretory stimulation. To test this hypothesis, a mouse beta-cell kinesin heavy chain complementary DNA was cloned and sequenced. Kinesin expression in primary cultures of mouse beta-cells then was selectively suppressed by antimouse beta-cell kinesin heavy chain antisense oligonucleotide treatment. Analysis of insulin secretion determined that the basal level of insulin secretion from the treated cells was decreased by 50%. Furthermore, glucose-stimulated insulin release from treated beta-cells was reduced by almost 70% after suppression of kinesin expression by antisense treatment. The findings from this study provide the first direct evidence that kinesin, a microtubule-based motor protein, plays an important role in insulin secretion.
Estimating targets' dimension using high resolution range profile(HRRP) is an important means of character extraction and target recognition of ballistic missile mid-course defense radars.In this paper,the classic methods based on spectrum estimation are introduced,as well as their concrete flow.And then a new integrated method is brought forward,which combines the fourier method and the super-resolution method and takes advantage of both.The integrated method can effectively solve the problem existing in the single spectrum method that the estimation precision of model order and scatter position cannot be improved synchronously.Finally,simulation results based on simulation data are given,which validates the validity of the integrated method by comparing the performance.
Lannea discolor is an important component of the traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine health-care systems in several countries. This study is aimed at reviewing the botany, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical and biological activities of L. discolor. Information on its botany, medicinal uses, chemistry and pharmacological properties was undertaken using electronic databases such as Pubmed, SCOPUS, Medline, SciFinder, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, EThOS, ProQuest, OATD and Open-thesis. Pre-electronic literature was sourced from the University Library. The species is used as herbal medicine for 24 human diseases. The major diseases and ailments treated using concoctions prepared from L. discolor include gastrointestinal problems, gonorrhea, infertility in women, convulsions, dizziness, injury, and wounds. Different aqueous and organic extracts of L. discolor exhibited anthelmintic, antibacterial, antimycobacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antiplasmodial, and nematicidal activities. Detailed studies on the phytochemistry, pharmacological, and toxicological properties of L. discolor are required to correlate the medicinal uses of the species with its phytochemistry and pharmacological properties.
The utility model discloses a well water temperature control blueberry cuttage seedling culture semi-automatic linkage control system, which relates to the field of automatic control and new seedling fast propagation. A structure of a large greenhouse sheathed on a small greenhouse, a double-layer sun shade net and a single-layer plastic film is adopted, a temperature control instrument and an intermittent spraying control device are combined for controlling the underground well water spraying and the manual operation, and the blueberry tender stem cuttage rooting environment factors in a small arch greenhouse are regulated and controlled and are controlled in the requirement indexes, so the seedling culture survival rate and the seedling culture quality are improved.
Right energy mix while meeting the growing need for energy demand is becoming extremely important especially for countries having very few indigenous fossil fuel resources of its own, such as Turkey. Heavily dependent on oil and gas imports, country’s budget deficit is growing and competitiveness in energy intense sectors like iron and steel making is decreasing. There is an ongoing trend toward greater use of renewable and alternative energy generation methods in the energy sector for addressing these challenges.
During the recent years, a new area called Cloud Networked Robotics (CNR) has evolved from conventional robotics, thanks to the increasing availability of cheap robot systems and steady improvements in the area of cloud computing. Cloud networked robots refers to robots with the ability to offload computation heavy modules to a cloud, in order to make use of storage, scalable computation power, and other functionalities enabled by a cloud such as shared knowledge between robots on a global level. However, these cloud robots face a problem with reachability and QoS of crucial modules that are offloaded to the cloud, when operating in unstable network environments. Under such conditions, the robots might lose the connection to the cloud at any moment; in worst case, leaving the robots “brain-dead”.This thesis project proposes a machine learning-based network aware framework for a cloud robot, that can choose the most efficient module placement based on location, task, and the network condition. The proposed solution was implemented upon a cloud robot prototype based on the TurtleBot 2 robot development kit, running Robot Operating System (ROS). A continuous experiment was conducted where the cloud robot was ordered to execute a simple task in the laboratory corridor under various network conditions. The proposed solution was evaluated by comparing the results from the continuous experiment with measurements taken from the same robot, with all modules placed locally, doing the same task.The results show that the proposed framework can potentially decrease the battery consumption by 10% while improving the efficiency of the task by 2.4 seconds (2.8%). However, there is an inherent bottleneck in the proposed solution where each new robot would need 2 months to accumulate enough data for the training set, in order to show good performance. The proposed solution can potentially benefit the area of CNR if connected and integrated with a shared-knowledge platform which can enable new robots to skip the training phase, by downloading the existing knowledge from the cloud.
Objective: To investigate the changes of human detrusor transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) after bladder outlet obstruction(BOO) induced by benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH).Methods: Obstructive detrusor stability was found in 33 patients and obstructive detrusor overactivity in 21 patients; and bladder tumor in 15 men(control) who were operated on in the same period.TGF-β was measured by immunohistochemical staining.Results: The TGF-βlevels of the obstructive groups were much higher than those in the control group.There were significant differences among the three groups(P0.01).Conclusion: The TGF-β level is significantly higher after BOO,which might be correlated with denervation supersensitivity and detrusor overactivity.
This paper presents a framework for Thai morphological analysis based on the theoretical background of conditional random fields. We formulate morphological analysis of an unsegmented language as the sequential supervised learning problem. Given a sequence of characters, all possibilities of word/tag segmentation are generated, and then the optimal path is selected with some criterion. We examine two different techniques, including the Viterbi score and the confidence estimation. Preliminary results are given to show the feasibility of our proposed framework.
Rain gardens are bioretention systems that are designed with urban landscaping and used for retaining and purifying urban stormwater runoff.Rain gardens can mitigate the adverse impact of urbanization on hydrology and water quality.This paper presented an experimental study on the infiltration capability of a rain garden constructed in Xi'an,China.Time and volume for overflow in the rain garden under storms of variable duration and recurrence interval were calculated.The results showed that the loess soil in Xi'an area had a good infiltration capacity,the average value of the measured infiltration rates was 2.346 m/d in the rain garden,nearly all stormwater runoff collected in the relatively wet year of 2011 infiltrated and recharged to the groundwater.For storms of a specified recurrence interval,rainfall intensity and the duration were two controlling factors that caused overflow in the rain garden.
Background & Objective: Due to the burden on citizens seeking access to the pharmacies, the optimal location of pharmacies, patients' access to medicines, and the pharmacies proportional distribution, are some significantly important factors to consider. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the current distribution of pharmacies and to determine the best location for the establishment of new pharmacies in the study area. Materials & Methods: This study was a case study that was conducted in the city of Shiraz. This study collected data in the form of a map to locate the service centers, weighting the criteria and compare them with other test methods which were used to analyze the hierarchy in the geographical information system (GIS). The layers (maps) used in this study were eight dual-layer maps, including 200 meters of daily pharmacies and 1000 meters of overnight pharmacies. In addition, the final weight was calculated for each layer by AHP-Fuzzy method. Results: 24 locations in the city were demonstrated, as the best places to establish a new pharmacy according to the research criteria layers. The incompatibility rate of 0.8 was calculated, which shows the weight of the layers located within the accepted range. The government hospitals and pharmacies layers are in the highest weight (23%) and the lowest weight (3%) respectively. Conclusion: By the combination layers of information on the final map, the locations were identified for the establishment of pharmacies. This study showed that the current location of pharmacies in the city of Shiraz do not match the standards and requirements.
The utility model provides an injection mold core with a suction-exhaust and quick-cooling functional structure, which comprises a core body (1), a breathable surface (2), a suction-exhaust passage (3) and a heat-conducting pin (4). The utility model adopts high-thermoconductivity beryllium-copper material to produce the core body, the breathable surface made of porous breathable steel is firmly inlaid in the top of the core body, and the suction-exhaust passage communicated with an air passage of a mold is arranged in the core body; the technical scheme in which the heat-conducting pin arranged at the bottom of the core body is directly inserted into a cooling water passage of the mold and cooled overcomes the problems and defects of the molding of small-diameter deep-cavity injection-molded products in the part art, i.e., low qualification rate, high cost and poor product quality consistency, and by structurally increasing the cooling speed of the core body of the injection mold core and improving the suction and exhaust conditions of the injection mold core, the molding of small-diameter deep-cavity injection-molded products achieves the purposes of increasing the qualification rate, reducing the cost and ensuring product quality consistency.
The heavy vehicle brings large dynamical loads to the road surface, which would reduce the vehicle ride comfort and shorten road service life. Therefore the heavy vehicle handling stability, ride comfort, driving safety and initial road damage has attracted researchers’ wide attention. Based on the multi-body dynamics theory, a rigid-flexible coupled model of a heavy vehicle is proposed. The geometric parameters of the vehicle system, the nonlinear characteristics of shock absorber, the flexibility of leaf springs and the stochastic road surface are precisely considered in the built model. In order to study the interaction between vehicle and road, an orthogonal experiment method is adopted to obtain an optimal solution of the parameterized vehicle multi-body model. And an orthogonal optimization program for the vehicle model is presented to discuss the effect of vehicle parameters on ride comfort and road friendliness. After several virtual experiments and range analysis, the most important influencing vehicle parameter and its range are screened out. Thus a matching scheme of the best level of each parameter that affects the vehicle performance is achieved. The orthogonal optimized theory of the statistics is applied successfully to the vehicle ride comfort and road friendliness optimization, which offers a new way for improving the vehicle ride comfort and road friendliness.
This thesis investigates the policy frames employed by civil society organizations (CSOs) in the network neutrality debate in Canada and the United States. Network neutrality is defined as restrictions on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to respect freedom of expression on the Internet and not seek to prevent innovative competition nor control the services or content available to users. The primary question under investigation is the policy frames of CSOs in the debate. The second question is whether CSOs have influenced policy outcomes in either legislation or regulation. The focus of the analysis is on regulatory agencies (CRTC and FCC); proposed legislation in Parliament and Congress is also analyzed as well. By examining the arguments advanced by various policy participants (government, ISPs, and CSOs), common points can be identified that may help the participants come to agreement.
Equilibrium programming problems: Prox-regularization and prox-methods.- Conically equivalent pairs of convex sets.- Global minimax approaches for solving discrete problems.- Gradient approaches to equilibrium.- On the best approximation of set-valued functions.- ?-Intervals in nonsmooth optimization.- A new decomposition method in nonconvex programming via a separable augmented Lagrangian.- Suboptimal solutions of control problems for distributed parameter systems.- Polynominal affine-scaling algorithms for P* (?) linear complementary problems.- Multi-step proximal method for variational inequalities with monotone operators.- Which fixed point does the iteration method select?.- On differential properties of approximate optimal solutions in parametric semi-infinite programming.- Global Optimization Approach to optimizing over the efficient set.- Combining the auxiliary problem principle with approximation methods.- Stable methods for ill-posed variational inequalities in mechanics.- Variational methods in image restoration.- On a special class of mathematical programs with equilibrium constraints.- On the reconstruction problem for nondifferentiable functions.- Nonsmooth continuation for generalized equations.- Locally monotone multifunctions in spaces without linearity.- On the regularized Bingham problem.- Numerical experiments with modern methods for large scale QP-problems.- Models of singular variational inequalities and complementarity problems arising in FEM and BEM unilateral contact problems.- Trap-doors in the solution set of semi-infinite optimization problems.- On compactly Lipschitzian mappings.- Quasiconvex duality for the max of two functions.
The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the quality of the water in El Hondo Park, an important wetland located in the east of Spain (province of Alicante) and included on the Ramsar List. The influence of the input of pollutants was assessed over a 14-month period in order to propose remedial action. Three different sources of waters were studied: irrigation water, brackish water and reservoir water. The irrigation water was found to have a high value of conductivity with high concentrations of Cl−, SO4 2 −, Na+ and K+ due to the influence of the brackish water. The concentration of organic matter given as COD T (total chemical oxygen demand) was found to be in the range of 70–600 mg/L of CODT, which was comparable to low-middle strength wastewater. A high concentration of Chlorophyll (a) was found in samples of reservoir water and the eutrophication of this water was thus observed. A high linear relationship was found among CODT, CODF (filtered COD) and BOD5; among electrical conductivity (E.C.), Cl−, SO4 −2, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ and among pH, CO3H− and CO3 2− in all the samples evaluated. Taking this fact into consideration, a simplified water quality index (WQI) was calculated. Using this parameter, the quality of the water from different sources and its variation during the period evaluated was determined to be at a maximum during the months of December to February, which coincided with the period of high precipitations and low temperature. The highest values of this parameter were found in the samples corresponding to the reservoir water while the lowest values were found in the samples of the brackish water. By determination of the WQI, the influence of the brackish water on the quality of water for irrigation and reservoir waters was confirmed.
In 2006, Congress provided funding to the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study new technologies that could be used to treat contamination from the Hanford Site that might impact the Columbia River. DOE identified three high priority sites that had groundwater contamination migrating towards the Columbia river for remediation. The contaminants included strontium-90, uranium and chromium. A natural systems approach was taken that uses a mass balance concept to frame the problem and determine the most appropriate remedial approach. This approach provides for a scientifically based remedial decision. The technologies selected to address these contaminants included an apatite adsorption barrier coupled with a phytoremediation to address the strontium-90 contamination, injection of polyphosphate into the subsurface to sequester uranium, and a bioremediation approach to reduce chromium contamination in the groundwater. The ability to provide scientifically based approaches to these sites was in large part due to work the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed under previous DOE Office of Science and Office of Environmental Management projects.
Saliva is used to describe the combined fluids present in the mouth. However in strict sense this word re- fers only to the hypnotic, watery fluid secreted by the major and minor salivary glands. Saliva is not only a pleasant lubricant which makes oral functions such as speech, mastication and swallowing easier, but also a fluid with many important functions in the maintenance of oral, general and metabolic health of the mouth as a whole. Saliva is a complex fluid which serves many important functions in the oral cavity that also contributes to the quality of life of an individual. In the recent past, research on saliva have been directed towards better understanding of the potential of saliva as an aid in the diagnosis of several diseases where presence/absence or a change of one or more of its con- stituents can act as a marker. Saliva is a fluid that can be easily collected non-invasively, contain locally derived and systemically derived markers of periodontal disease hence may offer the basis for patient specific diagnosis for peri- odontal disease. This review article emphasis on Role of saliva as a Biomarker for Periodontal Diagnosis
1 * Abstract: A proof of existence, uniqueness, and smoothness of the Navier-Stokes equations is an actual problem, whose solution is important for different branches of science. The subject of this study is obtaining the smooth and unique solutions of the three-dimensional Stokes-Navier equations for the initial and boundary value problem. The analysis shows that there exist no viscous solutions of the Navier- Stokes equations in three dimensions. The reason is the insufficient capability of the divergence-free velocity field. It is necessary to modify the Navier-Stokes equations for obtaining the desirable solutions. The modified equations describe a three- dimensional flow of incompressible fluid which sticks to a body surface. The equa- tion solutions show the resonant blowup of the laminar flow, laminar-turbulent transition, and fluid detachment that opens the way to solve the magnetic dynamo problem.
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and aggressive neuroendocrine skin carcinoma. The purpose of this study is to describe clinical and pathological characteristics, diagnostic procedure and treatment outcomes of the patients with MCC of the head and neck treated in Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Department of the University Hospital Center Zagreb between the years 2007 and 2011. Three patients with MCC of the head and neck were treated during this period. First patient was diagnosed with MCC of the left retroauricular region with metastases in the lymph nodes of the left side of the neck, pT2N2M0 Stage IIIB. Second patient was diagnosed with anaplastic carcinoma of the lower lip, pT1N1bM0 Stage IIIB and third patient was diagnosed with MCC of the face which was previously treated as benign lesion, cT1N1bM0 Stage IIIB. Two of the patients had second primary tumor of different histology. All of the patients were treated with wide surgical excision of the tumor and neck dissection combined with adjuvant radiotherapy. Treatment outcome was poor and reason for this was late detection of disease. Menagment of the MCC patients requires multidisciplinary approach with high clinical suspicion of the treating specialist and pathologist due to immunohistochemical techniques required for diagnosis. Detection of the MCC in earlier stages is necessary for the better survival rate.
Results of experiments conducted to maximize the productivity of potatoes grown under controlled environmental conditions are discussed. A variety of parameters is examined which affect potato growth, specifically, photoperiod, light intensity, temperature, nitrogen nutrition, carbon dioxide concentration and culture techniques. These experiments were conducted using five different cultivars, Russet Burbank, Norchip, Superior, Kennebec and Norland. To achieve high productivity, three specific objectives were explored: (1) to develop effective cultural procedures, (2) to determine the most effective photoperiod and (3) to develop a mist culture system. It is felt that the productivity obtained in this study is below the maximum that can be obtained. High irradiance levels coupled with tuber-promoting conditions such as cooler temperatures, increased CO2 levels and lowered nitrogen concentrations should allow increases in tuber production. Tuberization appears to be accelerated by short daylengths although final yields are not increased. Mist culture techniques have not yet produced fully developed tubers. The use of supporting media and alteration of the nitrogen content of the mist solution are being explored as a way to allow tubers to develop to maturity.
Early-life stress (ELS) can lead to enduring changes in the structure and function of neural circuits and endocrine pathways, resulting in altered vulnerability thresholds for stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety.  The question addressed in this work was whether epigenetic mechanisms contribute to the long-term programming of altered hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity in ELS (maternal separated on postnatal days 1-10) mice.  Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), a key pituitary mediator of the adrenocortical response to stress, is encoded by the proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) gene. Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are the main upstream neural regulators of Pomc gene expression and the post-translational processing of its peptidergic products, whereas glucocorticoids, secreted by the adrenals in response to stress, exert negative feedback actions on Pomc synthesis and ACTH secretion. It was shown that Pomc mRNA level is persistently increased in ELS mice and leads to sustained hypersecretion of glucocorticoids. Interestingly, ELS causes a reduction in DNA methylation at a critical regulatory region of the Pomc gene; this occurs with some delay after onset of the stress and persists for up to 1 year. A series of experiments (including reporter-, EMSA-, IHC- and ChIP-assays) supported the concept that the adverse early-life event induces changes in Pomc gene methylation and results in persistently upregulated expression of the Pomc gene. Interestingly, stress-induced changes in DNA-methylation were found to be more pronounced in males than in females, raising the possibility that epigenetic encoding occurs in a sex-specific manner; this may help to explain sex differences in susceptibility to stress-related disorders.  Collectively, the results of this study indicate that epigenetic mechanisms can serve to translate environmental cues into stable changes (“cellular memory”) in gene expression in post-mitotic tissues, without the need for alterations in the genetic code.
In this study, natural fibre such as paddy straws and cockle shell was chosen due to its abundance and renewable natural fibre reinforced matrix. The fibres were reinforced with polymer using conventional compression molding. The specimen lubricated with water, were slided at different sliding speed using the rotating pin-on-disc friction and wear tests. The best performance under lubricated boundary condition was found for bio-shell cockle reinforced matrix followed by paddy-straw reinforced matrix while pure polypropylene has the highest wear rate and coefficient of friction. With the addition of cockle shell powders or paddy straw, wear rate and coefficient of friction of the material decreases with a minute degree of changes in their properties. The wear mechanism was identified using SEM.
Solar receivers for tower type Solar Thermal Power Plants are subjected to complex thermo-mechanical loads  including fast and severe thermo-mechanical cycles. The material temperatures can reach more than 800 °C and  fall to room temperature very quickly.  In order to predict the fatigue life of a receiver design, receiver tubes made of Alloy 625 with a wall thickness of  0.5 mm were tested in isothermal and thermo-cyclic experiments. The number of cycles to failure was in the  range of 100 to 100,000. A thermo-mechanical fatigue life prediction model was set up. The model is based on  the cyclic deformation of the material and the damage caused by the growth of fatigue micro cracks. The model  reasonably predicts the experimental results.
Background: One of the eight MDG goal number two is on the order of achieving education for all by 2015. One way to make it happen by increasing the intelligence and emotional development that will affect the optimal kesipan children to school. Critical period occurs in children aged 1-3 years which required the development of stimulation. This study aims to determine the relationship between the mother’s level of knowledge about the stimulation of growth and development with the development of children aged 12-36 months. Methods: The study design was a descriptive cross sectional analytic approach. The study population was mothers who have children aged 12-36 months. Sampling with purposive sampling technique. Data analysis using the Kendall tau. Results: Based on the statistical test using Kendall tau, the value o = 1.000 Results: Based on the statistical test using Kendall tau, the value o = 1.000. This means that there is a very strong relationship between maternal knowledge about stimulation of growth and development with the development of children. Conclusion: There is a relationship between maternal knowledge about stimulation of growth and development with the development of children. Keywords: Knowledge, toddler development, stimulation
Endless efforts are required in the investigation of the best organ preservative. Normal Saline, 5% dextrose, Darrows and Ringers’ Lactate were used as preservatives with the view to investigate the prospect of kidney survival in these solutions post harvest at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University-Zaria. Sixteen normal kidneys were harvested, preserved and evaluated from sixteen adult Nigerian indigenous breed of dogs. The dogs were acclimatized and conditioned for 2 weeks while presurgical evaluations were done. Kidney harvesting was performed under ge neral anaesthesia, asepsis was observed strictly in all cases. The left kidneys were harvested for each dog through an 8 cm cranioventral midline approach under general anaesthesia. Post nephrectomy, the kidneys were flushed/perfused through the renal artery and preserved for 96 hours at 40C in labeled bowls (A, B C and D) containing these solutions: ARingers Lactate, B-Darrows, C-5% Dextroses and D-Normal Saline solutions which was incorporated 15000 iu of heparin, 5mls of 2% xylocaine, 400000 iu penicillin and 75mg streptomycin. Following preservation for 96 hours, histopathology study was undertaken. Mean pre-surgical haematological, serum chemistry and urinalysis values were within normal range. The gross appearances of the harvested kidneys post preservation were normal. The renal parenchyma for all the kidneys preserved for 72 hours were normal. At 96 hours, kidneys preserved in solutions C and D showed no histological changes. The findings revealed that Normal Saline would preserve better followed by 5% Dextrose and then Darrows and Ringers Lactate being the mild preservative. Keywords: Canine kidney, crystalloid, histologic, preserved, transplantation
Embodiments provide a light emitting device package including a first lead frame and a second lead frame, a light emitting device electrically connected to each of the first lead frame and the second lead frame, the light emitting device having a first electrode pad asymmetrically formed on a top surface thereof, and a reflective member disposed around the light emitting device to reflect light emitted from the light emitting device. The reflective member is configured such that a standard deviation of tilts of a reflective surface of a first area, in which the first electrode pad is disposed, is greater than a standard deviation of tilts of a reflective surface of a second area opposite to the first area. According to the technical scheme of the invention, the light emitted from the light emitting device can be uniformly arranged.
The primary goals of asthma treatment are to minimize symptoms and preventing exacerbations, and decrease the morbidity of asthma. To improve asthma management international guidelines have been introduced which recommend use prophylactic therapy. Current therapeutic strategies for treating asthma focus on suppressing the inflammatory process by using kromones in mild childhood asthma or inhaled steroids in moderate to severe asthma. The beneficial effects of inhaled corticosteroid outweigh their possible impairing effects on linear body growth. The inhaled route of administration of the drugs is the most appropriate way to treat asthma, it means best clinical effect with the smallest systemic side effect. The age of the child is a major determinant of the inhaled therapy which can be used. Drug delivery in infants and toddlers is the most difficult part of asthma treatment.
We study the optimal emission standards under uncertain pollution damages and transaction costs associated with policy changes in a dynamic setting. We consider three alternative forms of transactions costs and show that they can lead to different kinds of delays of policy changes or smaller scales of these changes. Thus, policy persistence can be a rational response of forward-looking policy makers to future transaction costs, rather than an inefficient outcome of the current political process.
In the first part of this thesis I studied the genome wide distribution of gammaH2AX, H2AX and H3 under physiological conditions and after 10 Gy X-ray exposure in HepG2 cells. This was done using a chromatin immune-precipitation approach coupled to massively parallel DNA sequencing (ChIP-seq). This method enables the mapping of sequences that are coupled to the above-mentioned histones to the genome and thus allows studying the DNA damage response with high resolution in a genome-wide manner. Using these data I could show that under physiological conditions neither H3, H2AX nor gammaH2AX are randomly distributed, but all three histone variants are overrepresented in euchromatic regions. But the relative gammaH2AX abundance (compared to H2AX) is inverted with a weak enrichment in heterochromatic areas. After exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) euchromatic areas show an overrepresentation at early time points, positively correlated to high GC content, transcription and H3K36me3 histone marks. In contrast at 24h an inverted gammaH2AX distribution becomes apparent, with correlation to H3K9me3 histone marks, low GC content and non-genic regions. Detailed analysis revealed that the expression level influences the phosphorylation levels at early time points in genic regions and that intermediately expressed genes show the strongest response. The analysis of repetitive elements revealed that different repetitive elements respond either according to their GC content, e.g. ALUs, or independent of their GC content but rather directed by their secondary structure, e.g. satellite repeats.  The second part of the thesis was aimed to study the genome-wide distribution of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) following UVC exposure. Therefore a modified DNA immunoprecipitation technique was developed to combine with high-throughput sequencing that provided strand specific information (ssDIP-seq). The induction and persistence of a major DNA photo-lesion CPDs are thought to affect transcription, induce mutagenesis and finally contribute to skin cancer. Since CPDs can be repaired by two different sub-branches of the nucleotide excision repair pathway (NER), namely a XPC dependent global genomic (GG-NER) and CSB dependent transcription coupled NER (TC-NER), we studied the CPD repair in a NER proficient (HaCaT) and a XPC deficient cell line. The XPC-/- cells show higher levels of endogenous copy number variations than HaCaT cells and thus support the idea that repair deficiency might contribute to genomic aberrations. Chromosomes 16, 17, 19, X with high densities of microsatellites show resistance of CPD repair in a chromosome-specific manner. The motifs of CPD hotspots are confirmed as continuous di-pyrimidine dimers and CPD distribution analysis revealed a non-random dispersal with preferential enrichment in repetitive regions especially in microsatellite and low complexity repeats. In genic regions, CPDs are distributed in a strand-specific manner and CPDs are overrepresented in the anti-sense strand rather than the sense strand, gradient increase from transcription start to stop site of the sense strand and anti-correlated to the expression levels. The chromatin feature analysis around the CPD hotspots shows that condensed chromatin does not inhibit the formation of CPDs but hinders the repair process. Furthermore, histone marks for euchromatin are underrepresented around CPDs and heterochromatin is slightly enriched. This validates that a majority of un-repaired CPDs are located inside of heterochromatic regions and are deplete in regions with euchromatin histone modifications. And this tendency is enhanced in repair deficient cells at late repair time points.
The Amazon region, following a tropical pattern, is experiencing socio-economic changes at an exceptionally high rate, generating pressure on the people that need to adapt to new settings. Despite the change, indigenous people still rely on the forest they are embedded in and – among other activities – do hunt and trade wildlife in order to meet their livelihood requirements. Their forest dependency combined with added external pressures forces them to walk the fine line between overhunting and exacerbated poverty. Individual strategies, shaped by the hunters' values and ambitions as well as external conditions, need to cope with the novelty and evolve accordingly. For the effective implementation of conservation initiatives, we, as scientists, should acknowledge this delicate balance and take into account people' strategies with their underlying drivers and their adaptive capabilities. Lacking the understanding that drives decision-making of the forest dwellers can lead to frustration and mistrust by both parties while at the same time delivering poor outcomes hampering present and possibly future initiatives. To uncover hunting strategies in the Colombian Amazon and their evolution under the current socio-economic transition, we co-designed a role-playing game together with the relevant stakeholders. The game simulates the mosaic of activities that hunters perform in the wet and dry season, while also allowing for specific hunting strategies. Conditions change while the game unfolds, opening up to alternative potential scenarios that have been suggested by the stakeholders themselves. Will hunters give up hunting when given the opportunity of an alternative income source? Will institutional changes affect their livelihoods? These are some of the questions that we have been able to explore through the game. When it comes to coupled human-nature systems, the best way forward to produce just and resilient conservation strategies might be triggering an adaptive process of experiential learning and scenario exploration. It is about identifying the strings that pull the system and adjusting our strategies whatever direction we take. The use of games as “boundary objects” helps us eliciting the plurality of those strategies, their drivers and how outside change affect them.
The invention provides 1, 2, 3-thiadiazole-5-formamide compounds as well as a synthetic method thereof and the screening to the pesticide biological activity, relating to heterocyclic compounds containing 1, 2-diazole, in particular to 1, 2, 3-thiadiazole, and having the above chemical constitution general formula, wherein: R1 is H and methyl; R2 is H and methyl; and R3 is H and methyl; and the invention discloses chemical constitutions and the synthetic method of the compounds, and a using method of the 1, 2, 3-thiadiazole derivates for resisting TMV viruses and purposes thereof, as well as a using method for inducing tobacco to resist the TMV viruses and purposes thereof, and also discloses a using method of the compounds for insect disinfestations and inhibiting the growth of plant disease fungi as well as purposes thereof; meanwhile disclosing purposes of the compounds in preventing and curing disease pests and weeds as well as viruses and diseases in agriculture, forestry and horticulture by combining with the current commercialized antivirus medicaments and bactericides as well as herbicides and insecticides.
OBJECTIVE:--Homeostatic glucose control may play an important role in the development of peripheral arterial disease among individuals without diabetes. We sought to evaluate the association of HbA[subscript 1c] (A1C) with peripheral arterial disease in a representative sample of the U.S. population with and without diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS--A cross-sectional study was conducted among 4,526 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002 participants [>/=]40 years of age. Peripheral arterial disease was defined as an ankle-brachial index /=]7%, respectively. After multivariable adjustment and compared with nondiabetic participants with A1C /=]7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:--An association exists between higher levels of A1C and peripheral arterial disease, even among patients without diabetes. Individuals with A1C levels [>/=]5.3% should be targeted for aggressive risk factor reduction, which may reduce the burden of subclinical cardiovascular disease even among those without diabetes.
In the basic form of the reverse mode for calculating derivatives, the amount of memory needed to record the intermediate values can become excessively large for problems of practical interest. If sequential checkpointing schemes are used, the memory requirement can be dramatically reduced, but the run time may be signiicantly increased. Implementing suitable checkpointing schemes on multiprocessor systems can decrease the run time to its theoretical minimum. Among the many possible scheduling strategies, we develop one that minimizes resource requirements. We present diierent communication structures that depend on the memory architecture of the multiprocessor system and the available resources. We also estimate the limits of the complexity and the memory requirements of the problem function.
The inability to initiate switching from one immunoglobulin isotype to another is the hallmark of the hyper-IgM immunodeficiency syndrome1. Patients with this primary immune disorder, originally termed “dysgammaglobulinemia type 1,”2 usually present with recurrent bacterial infections, including otitis media and pneumonia. Additional clinical features include opportunistic infections, recurrent neutropenia, lymphoid hyperplasia, and autoimmune manifestations. Abnormalities of serum immunoglobulins include low levels or an absence of IgG, IgA, and IgE and normal or, more frequently, elevated levels of IgM and IgD. The hyper-IgM syndrome can be inherited in an X-linked or autosomal recessive fashion. The candidate gene for this disease . . .
Objective To study the pharmacokinetics of tropisetron hydrochlorideafter a single dose administration in human subjects. Methods After oraladministration of 10 mg tropisetron hydrochloride capsule in 18 voluteers and 20mg in 4 voluteers. The blood concentrations of tropisetron hydrochloride in allvolunteers were determinated by HPLC-UV. And concentrations-time profilewere simulated and pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated with 3P97software. Results Pharmacokinetic parameters of tropisetron hydrochloridecapsule in 10 and 20mg groups were obtained as follows: tmax were (2.53±0.52) and (2.35±0.90) h , Cmax were (10.16±2.89) and (19.56±4.04)mg·L-1 ,AUC0-24h were (113.61±40n .34) and (213.36±42.53)mg.h.L-1. ConclusionTropisetron hydrochloride distributed and eliminated rapidly in volunteersafter a single dose of 10 and 20 mg administration, and their Cmax and AUC aredirectly proportional to doses.
Low‐voltage operating organic electronic circuits with long‐term stability characteristics are receiving increasing attention because of the growing demands for power efficient electronics in Internet of Things applications. To realize such circuits, inverters, the fundamental constituents of many circuits, with stable transfer characteristics should be designed to provide low‐power consumption. Here, a rational inverter design, based on fully screen printed p‐type organic electrochemical transistors with a channel size of 150 × 80 µm2, is explored for driving conditions with input voltage levels that differs of about 1 V. Further, three different inverter circuits are explored, including resistor ladders with resistor values ranging from tens of kΩ to a few MΩ. The performance of single inverters, 3‐stage cascaded inverters and 3‐stage ring oscillators are characterized with respect to output voltage levels, propagation delay, static power consumption, voltage gain, and operational frequency window. Depending on the application, the key performance parameters of the inverter can be optimized by the specific combination of the input voltage levels and the resistor ladder values. A few of the inverters are in fact fully functional up to 30 Hz, even when using input voltage levels as low as (0 V, 1 V).
Presently,there is resource mobilization in resistant collective activities in rural areas in China.Based on analysis of the three resistant activities in coastal area in Fujian province,the authors think that the reuse of traditional community and clan culture is an important resource for resistant collective activities in rural areas.Grassroots organizations such as rural associations of senior citizens play an organizing and driving role in the activities.In order to prevent these resistant activities,we should guide farmers to resist by law.
Bodies and graves present a unique and exciting aspect of archaeology, providing much information about social status through the quality and quantity of goods found in graves and tombs. This book surveys the great variety of this archaeological form from around the world, from the earliest fossil humans to the royal burials of Ur and the victims of the Battle of Little Bighorn, and explores what it is they have to tell us about the lives and deaths of our ancestors.
This investigation was intended to test the possible protective role of taurine and garlic extract against the toxicity of copper sulphatetoClarias gariepinus. For this purpose experiment was setup in seven groups (I-VII) containing 20 fish in each group. The fish of group I were kept as control. The fish of groups of II, IV and VI were challenged with 4 ppm solution of copper sulphate, where as groups III, V and VII were exposed to 8 ppm copper sulphate. Simultaneously, groups II and III were maintained as copper sulphate exposed non antioxidant treated control whereas, groups IV and V were treated with taurine (5 ppm) and groups VI and VII were treated with garlic extract (5 ppm) during the entire experiment period of 90 days. Histopathological observation of the gills after 15, 30, 60 and 90 days on exposure of sublethal copper sulphate concentrations revealed severe histopathological changes including, lamellar epithelium lifting, disintegration in pillar cell system with formation of aneurysms, increased infiltration of erythrocytes and leucocytes, haemolysis and haemorrhage, hyperplasia, complete fusion of secondary lamellae. While as addition of garlic extract and taurine has comparatively minimized histopathological alterations in groups VI and VII, respectively. It seems that simultaneousexposure of fish to taurine or garlic extract with copper sulphate were found to partly mitigate i ts toxicity indicating their potential
Distribution system (40) comprising: at least one circuit breaker means, the breaker device having an electrical path provided with power interrupt system, at least one micro-electromechanical switch (MEMS) device in the electrical path electrically coupling the at least one mixing Arcless limiting technology (the HALT) is connected, and at least one control connection. HALT circuit (190) electrically coupled to the HALT connection member on the circuit breaker apparatus, and the controller is electrically coupled to the control means connected to the circuit breaker. The controller is configured and arranged to selectively connect via a HALT HALT circuit connected (190) at least one circuit breaker member and means for controlling at least one current flowing through the circuit breaker apparatus.
Automatizing the process of understanding the global narrative structure of long texts and stories is still a major challenge for state-of-the-art natural language understanding systems, particularly because annotated data is scarce and existing annotation workflows do not scale well to the annotation of complex narrative phenomena. In this work, we focus on the identification of narrative levels in texts corresponding to stories that are embedded in stories. Lacking sufficient pre-annotated training data, we explore a solution to deal with data scarcity that is common in machine learning: the automatic augmentation of an existing small data set of annotated samples with the help of data synthesis. We present a workflow for narrative level detection, that includes the operationalization of the task, a model, and a data augmentation protocol for automatically generating narrative texts annotated with breaks between narrative levels. Our experiments suggest that narrative levels in long text constitute a challenging phenomenon for state-of-the-art NLP models, but generating training data synthetically does improve the prediction results considerably.
The invention discloses a simple radio frequency adjustable match circuit. The structure of the circuit comprises an adjustable inductor and a capacitor. The match circuit can be widely used in wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) mobile communication power amplifiers, radar antennas, radio frequency (RF) circuits and so on, which have strict requirements on signal performances. The match circuit can suppress out-of-band noise and improve the stability of electronic circuits. In addition, compared with RF match circuits of other structures, the match circuit can realize adjustable RF match, and can be applied to different frequency bands of a communications system.
The environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) of manned spacecraft consumes long training period for learning model due to huge number of ECLSS parameters and uncertain factors,so that it is hard to predict those parameters quickly and accurately in real time. This paper presents a new ECLSS parameters prediction model based on a genetic neural network by optimizing BP neural network with a genetic algorithm,and develops a simulation software. The model is verified by real spacecraft flying data in the case of predicting obit cabin pressure. It is proved that the training epochs of the genetic neural network are 30% less than that of BP network within the same error limitation,and the former has smaller mean error. So it is believed that the genetic neural network based model can predict the key parameters more accurately and fast for ECLSS decision support system.
This paper describes the construction of a 21’4” postensioned segmental beam and its respective loading test. The segments were two solid end blocks and nine hollow blocks, all of them were cast using high strength lightweight concrete, poured on a metal form. The postensioning was performed according to the design plan so as to control the deflections produced by the postensioning of each strand. Two strands were located along the bottom of the beam, another strand was located along the center, and a fourth half-loaded strand ran along the top of the beam. The segmental beam was tested to failure by applying a load at the center of the beam. The strains, deflections, and the ultimate load obtained during the tests match well with the theoretical predictions.
The Norwegian company Ocean Sun has proposed a concept of a floating solar plant as an alternative to conventional land-based installations. This thesis reports the results from a model test on the suggested concept, based on double semi-submerged circular HDPE tubes similar to those of gravity fish cages. In the inner basin of these tori, a membrane is fastened to serve as support for solar panels. Three different model configurations were tested: one without solar panels on the membrane, one with solar panels and one with solar panels rotated 30° relative to the incoming waves, all based on the same floating collar and mooring configuration. The models were tested in both regular and irregular waves with the purpose of investigating the seakeeping capabilities of the suggested installation. The results presented in this thesis include response amplitudes in the frequency domain, mean mooring loads and visual observations of the model’s general behavior in waves with focus on wash, deformations and radiated waves. A thorough presentation of error sources in the experiment is included. The floating solar plant is flexible and contours long period waves. In shorter waves the floating collar is too stiff to fully follow the wave elevation, and the vertical response decreases. The response plots does not show resonance frequencies within the range of tested waves. Through visual observations the limiting factor for what waves the structure can withstand is considered to be wash from waves breaking over the structure. Significant amounts of water over-topped the installation in steep waves, which may affect the installation in terms of sloshing loads, corrosion and coverage of panels leading to decreased efficiency. It is suggested to do a model test dedicated to determining the extreme limits of what weather the installation can withstand, with a focus on modeling the strength of the structure accurately. Furthermore, finding mooring load estimations for a specific area and associated weather condition is recommended.
This article introduces lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) and directory services. After introducing LDA P’s protocol,the article discusses the identity authentication and the way of identity based on LDAP. Then the paper analyzes the authentication principle and implementation procedure based on LDAP, it discusses the implementation procedure in detail. Finally,the article gives the implementation of authentication method based on LDAP in the web application system.
Bronchoprovocation may be defined as the administration of a stimulus in susceptible individuals, followed by measurements of the resulting bronchospasm. Inhalation challenge is a method of testing for bronchial reactivity following inhalation of specific antigen to which the patient may be sensitive or, alternatively, following more “nonspecific” pharmacologic agents such as histamine, methacholine, and carbacholine. The method of inhalation challenge has been
Sediment lithology and biological assemblages from low energy intertidal environments (tidal flat to salt-marsh then upland communities) are valuable archives of relative sea level (RSL) information. Sediment organic matter and grain size are often recorded in addition to microfossil data to aid environmental interpretation. This study aims to assess use of sediment organic matter and grain size as indicators of former tidal level to aid diatom based RSL reconstructions.  This study firstly investigates modern (top 1cm) sediments from Loch Laxford in northwest Scotland. Grain size analysis in these sediments shows local processes are overprinting the general expected pattern of decreasing grain size away from the sea. Analysis of the modern total carbon distribution shows there a linear increase in percentage total carbon with elevation (r=0.92) between the low marsh and high marsh. Comparison of the modern total carbon distribution at a contrasting site, Beluga Slough in Alaska, shows the linear relationship still exists, but with lower total carbon values for equivalent elevations. This shows the importance of location, and climate, for total carbon distribution.  Secondly, this study applies the modern Loch Laxford total carbon – elevation distribution to reconstruct paleo marsh surface elevation (PMSE) and RSL at Loch Laxford, and in an older sediment sequence from Mointeach Mhor in western Scotland. These are compared with diatom based reconstructions from the same sites. Decomposition complicates the use of organic carbon as a sea-level proxy but does appear to stabilise. At Loch Laxford, this occurs after approximately 100 years. Sediment grain size appears to influence the total carbon value and should also be investigated. Total carbon has most potential as a sea-level proxy in sediments from the last millennium, where a local modern distribution is available and it is unlikely that large changes in grain size or volume, or organic matter accumulation have occurred.
In this paper, we investigate effect of the generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) under the doubly special relativity (DSR) on the thermodynamics properties of the topological charged black hole in Anti-de Sitter (AdS) space only in the spherical horizon case have. Our study is based on a heuristic analysis of a particle which is captured by the black hole. We also report here some results of a usual analytical computation. However, we obtain the black hole thermodynamic properties as familiar concepts such as temperature, entropy and heat capacity under DSR-GUP. we also compare our both analytical results. Beside we discuss the behavior of the corrected thermodynamic properties vs. changes of black hole characteristics under different condition.
Atomic fluorescence spectrometry(AFS) has such characteristics of chemical vapor separation and non dispersive optical system.It is one of the most successful analytical methods available to determine trace As,Sb,Bi,Hg,Se,Te and Ge elements.Researchers in China have made important contributions to the development of AFS.Many technological patents have been invented,for example,the high-strength hollow cathode lamp,small flame atomization,and argon-hydrogen flame low temperature automatic ignition device.The multi-channel atomic fluorescence spectrometer,hydride generation and flame atomic fluorescence spectrometer and atomic fluorescence RoHS analyzer have also been further developed.New chemical vapor generation systems and specific reagents for the determination of Pb,Zn,Cr and Cd.A new method for indirect determination of I and Mo by AFS have also been established.Five monographs have been published and many achievements in research and application have been published annually.Described herein is an overview of the development of AFS in the past nearly twenty years,synthetically described on monograph publications,review literatures,equipment,technology and applications respectively in geological,biological,water,air,metals,alloys,chemical raw materials and reagents,etc.The developments of AFS in the form and valence state analysis are also reviewed in this article.It points out that research on a new type of laser excitation source,the development of a more stable and reliable high-strength hollow cathode lamp,broadening the testing elements and areas,and an in-depth study on the reaction mechanism are the future direction of the development of AFS.
Veterinary clinicians associated with 18 colonies of nonhuman primates were surveyed for their experience with diarrhea disease in colony animals for calendar year 1981. The 1981 diarrhea incidence rate, diarrhea-specific mortality rate and diarrhea case fatality rate for 13,385 monkeys were 10.6%, 1.2% and 11.1%, respectively. It was not possible to incriminate age or type of housing as risk factors for diarrhea, but some species seemed at greater risk than others. Erythrocebus patas monkeys had relatively high diarrhea incidence rates (18.8%) and the highest case fatality rate (48.4%) of all species surveyed. Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and baboons (Papio sp.) had low diarrhea incidence rates (2.1% and 3.2%, respectively). This opinion survey indicated a lack of uniformity among primate clinicians with respect to approaches to diagnosis and therapy of monkey diarrhea. The survey also suggested that many of the agents associated were perceived differently among primate clinicians, and that the roles of some agents are still poorly understood.
Traditional manufacturing practice has depended upon Statistical Process Control (SPC) to eliminate defects. However, our research demonstrates that these sampling based methods significantly underestimate the tails of a distribution. As a consequence of the limitations of SPC, mistakes require different methods of control to achieve defect rates in the tens of parts per million range. Furthermore, product complexity contributes to defects resulting from both mistakes and excess variation. Correlations between defects and complexity lead to a new opportunity for selecting superior product concepts.
Based on the established corpus of more than 1000 English texts as the subjects,this study intends to integrate three theories: Mann Thompson's(1987,1988) RST,Bhatia's(1993) genre analysis and Nattinger DeCarrico's(1992) formulaic language,to make module annotation of texts.This study aims to explain how these three theories are combined to guide the text module annotation and demonstrate the theoretical feasibility.A general template of academic writing is established as the basis of the module structure annotation.The main purpose is to help writers use more professional and normative language in academic writing.
Objective: To establish the quantitative analysis method for hyperin, isoquercitrin, reynoutrin, quercetin-3-O-β-D-arabinopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-α-L-furanarabino side ethyl acetate from Psidium guajava leaves extracts. Methods:High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) was performed on a Syncronis C18 column(4.6mm×250mm, 5μm). The acetonitrile with 0.2% phosphoric acid(v/v) was used as an aqueous solvent(A) and CH3 CN as an organic solvent(B) with gradient at a flow rate of 1.0mL/min. The column temperature was set at 40℃, and UV detection wavelength was at 254 nm.Results: The quantitative analysis by HPLC showed that the linear rang of hyperin, isoquercitrin, reynoutrin, quercetin-3-O-β-D-arabinopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-α-L-furanarabino side ethyl acetate was 0.0318-0.2544μg(r=0.9998), 0.0575-0.4600μg(r=0.9998), 0.1860-1.4880μg(r=0.9998), 0.1482-1.1856μg(r=0.9998), 0.2012-1.6816μg(r=0.9998), respectively. The average recovery of sample above was, in order, 100.7(RSD=2.6%), 100.5(RSD=0.8%), 103.4(RSD=2.6%),98.1(RSD=1.7%), 100.7(RSD=1.2%). Conclusion: The method was accurate, feasible and reliable, which was available for the quantitative analysis of ethyl acetate extract from Psidium guajava leaves.
Tufts University School of Medicine's new health sciences education building, the Arthur M. Sackler Center for Health Communications, will house a modern medical library and computer center, classrooms, auditoria, and media facilities. The building will also serve as the center for an information and communication network linking the medical school and adjacent New England Medical Center, Tufts' primary teaching hospital, with Tufts Associated Teaching Hospitals throughout New England. Ultimately, the Tufts network will join other gateway networks, information resource facilities, health care institutions, and medical schools throughout the world. The center and the network are intended to facilitate and improve the education of health professionals, the delivery of health care to patients, the conduct of research, and the implementation of administrative management approaches that should provide more efficient utilization of resources and save dollars. A model and scenario show how health care delivery and health care education are integrated through better use of information transfer technologies by health information specialists, practitioners, and educators.
precision of underwater navigation, especially to underwater vehicles that lack of high precise navigation source, The problem is very serious to these vehicles that need to keep under sea level for a long time, and there is a strong need to solve it. To solve this problem, the paper puts forward a new data fusion method of underwater navigation information that overcomes the problem by constituting a perfect ocean database. The new method can greatly improve the precision of underwater navigation. The paper also compares the new method of data fusion with classic kalman filter. Through a lot of simulation experience and sea-experience, it is provesd that the new method is effective and has a good practicability.
I.- Introduction, Facts and Phenomenology.- Shower Detection Methods and Basic Event Reconstruction.- Hadronic Interactions and Cascades.- Electromagnetic Interactions and Photon-Electron Cascades.- Muon and Neutrino Interactions.- Longitudinal Development and Equal Intensity Distributions.- Depth of Shower Maximum and Elongation Rate.- Lateral Structure of Showers and Energy Flow.- Temporal Structure of Showers and Front Curvature.- Derived Shower and Interaction Parameters, Refined Event Reconstruction.- Primary Cosmic Radiation and Astrophysical Aspects.- II.- Common Shower Properties, Observables and Data.- Hadrons.- Muons.- Electrons and Photons.- Atmospheric Cherenkov Radiation.- Atmospheric Fluorescence.- Radio Emission and Detection.- Correlations and Miscellaneous Topics.- Air Shower Simulations.- Definitions and Relations.- Experimental Installations.
The analysis of the time series 1991-2000 carried out in Veneto Region has allowed to identify both the periods during which the forest fires occur more frequently and the characteristics of the forest fires on regional, provincial and municipality basis. The analysis concerning the forest fire dangerousness and hence the ones concerning gravity and the vulnerability have been firstly carried out on municipality basis and then at level of base area. The base areas, identified through their essential characteristics, are important points of reference to set out the intervention strategies, mainly for choosing the personnel and the implements. For each one of the analysis results a thematic mapping has been produced. All the analyses strengthen the importance of insisting on the prevention activity in those areas characterized by rare but disastrous fires, in which dangerousness and vulnerability could reach maximum values. On the basis of the results the Veneto Region will be able to organise new link procedures with the Co-ordination Centres of Forest Fire Fighting Volunteer Associations, arranged on base area and no more with each single Association. In this way it will be possible to guarantee to the personnel vocational training, machinery and implements suitable to the risk of the area where they must intervene. The results of the study could be used as a condition for the forest fire fighting planning in the Veneto Region, as stated in the national law 353/2000.
m Abstract -Frequency spectrum ofpiezoelectric resonator withanarbitrary convex surface concerning non- equidistance ofspectrum tothefrequency square isobtained. Ananalysis ofobtained spectrum taking into consideration small curvature 1/Rofconvex surface isprovided. Itisshowhownon-equidistant spectrum depends onorientation ofmaindirections ofnormal cutsrelative toeigenaxes ofanisotropic tensor andon relation ofmainradiuses ofcurvature ofconvex surface. Keywords: frequency, piezoelectric, resonator, eigenvibrations Further improvement offrequency stabilization methods ofquartz resonators isclosely related withaccurate determination ofthefrequency spectrum ofeigenvibrations of piezoelectric resonators (1). Getting resonators withoptimal characteristics isofspecial attention and, therefore, thestructure ofafrequency spectrum ofaconvex piezoelectric isof interest (2). Ananalysis ofthefrequency spectrum withanarbitrary convex surface (3) demonstrates that thespectrum ofthelocalized vibrations inthefirst order approximation for asmall parameter 1/R isequidistant for thesecond degree offrequency andstrongly depends onthemajor radiuses ofthesurface curvature, R,andR2.Also, itdepends ontheorientation ofthemajor directions ofaconvex surface withregards totheself axesofapiezoelectric constants tensor do.Theproblem, asitwasshownin(4), needsaccounting more approximation terms forI/R todetermine thespectrum with enough accuracy. Thespectrum thenbecomes non-equidistant. Inthis paper, wepresent thenecessary analysis forthe approximation terms ofthesecond order. Letusconsider acrystal resonator withaconvex piezoelectric plate ofanarbitrary shape 2~~~~~~~~~ +c2WT(X1 X2)=2'T(x sX2), (2) inwhichd,andd2areeigenvalues ofatensor d,fg whichdepends onthepiezoelectric constants, aw, isafundamental frequency ofthenthovertone, andW isdetermined by
The dispersion-matched condition of passively mode-locked fiber laser was determined by spectrum sideband measuring.By changing the length of total single mode fiber in the ring cavity,self-starting 520.5 fs mode-locked pulse train at 25 MHz repetition rate with 1.81 mW output power was obtained in nonlinear polarization rotation passively mode-locked fiber laser which is centered at 1 558.4 nm with 29.5 nm 3 dB spectrum width.At cavity dispersion-matched condition,the pulse splitting and the coexistence of CW mode with soliton and harmonic modelocking were also studied experimentally by increasing pump power.
Human beings living in a community interact with each other everyday, and friction becomes inevitable. In order to reduce friction and maintain peace and social harmony, each society has developed certain sets of rules.Lakoff1calls such rules 'politeness rules' (Watts,Richard :2004:61). Politeness then is the lubricant that helps people achieve verbal communication more smoothly. Congratulation is, in fact, part of the positive politeness strategies The fundamental goals behind the present study are to evaluate the fourth year subjects' at College of Education University of Thi-qar mastery of the speech act of congratulation, and their ability to use its grammatical structures and forms. And to know whether they are able to produce the proper form of congratulation. In addition, the test attempts to examine how far these subjects are capable of recognizing and producing congratulation. It is hypothesized that the fourth year students at College of Education University of Thi-qar do not adequately master the reorganizing and producing of the speech act of congratulation. The second hypothesis is that females are more proficient than males in their responses, and the third one, is that males and females tend to use particular types of linguistic forms rather than others in expressing congratulation. To achieve the aims of this paper and verify the validity of its hypotheses, a test is designed of two parts (recognition and production). After applying the test, its results show that the three hypotheses are confirmed and yielded the following main results: first, the subjects lack the ability to recognize and produce congratulation, but their performance is better at recognition congratulation than producing it. Second, the females are better than males in both sides of the test. And finally, the subjects tend to use certain formulaic expressive congratulation such as "congratulations!", "well done!", "bravo" to express their joy rather than use grammatical structures. ةصلاخلا : . سسلأا وا دعاوقلا نم ةلمج ریوطت ىلع عمتجم لك دمع يعامتجلاا . فوكلا اھیلع قلطأ يتلاو ةیعامتجلاا ةسایكلا دعاوق مسا . نم دیزملا قیقحت ىلع سانلا سلس وحن ىلع لعافتلاو لاصتلاا . يھ ةئنھتلا , عقاولا يف , ءزج يباجیلاا يعامتجلاا ةسایكلا تایجیتارتسلاا نم . / ملاكل ا لع ف مادختسا ىلع راق يذ ةعما ج " " ملاكلا لعف مادختساو زیمت ىلع مھتردق ىدمو ةئنھتلا نع ریبعتلل مدختسملا ةیوغللا " ةئنھتلا ." : / " . " . ةئنھتلا نع بارعلإا يف ىرخلأا نود ةنیعم ةیوغل غیص مادختسا ىلا نولیمی ةبلطلا ءلاؤھ . , , م را بتخا ممص ) يكا رد لاا يجاتنلااو ( , تلصو ت و ىلا ةساردلا : / ةیكاردلاا نم لضفا . ةیناثلا , . " "! , " انسح تلعف "! , " وفارب " ا بیكارتلا مادختسا نم لادب مھتحرف نع ریبعتلل ةیوحنل .
Fixed and interface trap charges in hot-carrier degraded metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET's) can be distinguished by ultraviolet light (λ=253.7 nm) annealing, and observing the resultant changes in the gate-to-drain capacitance. Trapped electrons anneal readily, resulting in large changes in the gate capacitance and the threshold voltage. This suggests a trap level below the conduction band edge of SiO2 that is smaller than the photon energy (4.9 eV). In contrast, trapped holes and interface traps do not anneal, or anneal insignificantly even after prolonged irradiation. This is consistent with a much deeper hole trap level in SiO2, generally reported.
Combinatorial auction winner determination is a NP complete problem,which has been a hotspot in operation research,artificial intelligence and computer science research fields.The paper proposed a novel algorithm for WDP based on item association analysis method in data mining.A lot of simulating experiments were performed to testify its efficiency compared to the classic optimal and approximate algorithms proposed in previous literatures.The algorithm provides a new approach for the research of combinatorial auction winner determination problem.
Here, a numerical model for analysis of a capillary valve for use in microfluidic devices was presented. Capillary valves are preferred especially in passive microfluidic systems, where the capillary forces dominate the liquid motion, to manipulate the flow. The capillary valve in this work, was formed by the sudden expansion of a rectangular microchannel to an opening, whose depth and width are larger than the height and the width of the channel respectively. Noting that there was no available analytical model to determine the pressure capacity of such valves, a numerical model based on energy minimization was utilized. Free software Surface Evolver was used to solve the model. Dependence of the pressure capacity on the contact angle of the working liquid on the channel material was investigated. It was found that the pressure capacity of the valves would be maximum if the contact angle on all surfaces is 90 o . Accordingly, the valves could withstand approximately 2.5 kPa for 100 µm × 100 µm channels when the contact angle was 90 o . The model was verified by comparing the results with those available in the literature.
This study is aimed to analyze on transmission attenuation characteristics of water supply and drainage noise according to opening and closing of door in apartment bathrooms. The measurement was performed for 84B1 and 84D unit floor types. The measurement point was located on the inside of up and downstairs bathroom, in front of downstairs bathroom door and adjacent room. As a result, a difference of noise level by door condition is 1.9 dB(A) ~ 3.6 dB(A) on the inside of downstairs bathroom, and 1.9 dB(A) ~ 2.7 dB(A) on in front of downstairs.
This paper focuses on the legal environment, particularly the insolvency system, that would influence the success of Philippine Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), also known as asset management companies (AMCs) in other countries. Since SPVs will have to operate under a given insolvency regime after they acquire the bad assets, existing bankruptcy procedures have an impact on SPV behavior, ex-ante. In particular, it influences the price that SPVs offer for the NPAs that, in turn, affects the banks’ willingness to sell, and thus the achievement of the government goal of banks’ bad loans clean-up. The paper discusses the features of the SPV Act, the pace of bad asset transfers to SPVs, the current rehabilitation procedures, and the proposed legal bankruptcy reforms that would affect the effectiveness of SPVs.
We studied the resilience of southeastern Norwegian old-growth Picea abies forest floor vegetation to experimental disturbance. Five treatments, differing in depth of removal of vegetation and soil layers and making up a gradient in disturbance severity, and three controls, were replicated 10 times. The experiment was analyzed with respect to the full species composition before and for seven years after treatment. The soil-buried propagule bank and local environmental conditions were recorded before treatment. Total cover of vascular plants and bryophytes and lichens increased slowly after treatment and was still below pre-disturbance levels after seven years. The rate of succession, measured as change in floristic dissimilarity between recordings made in successive years, declined with time for all treatments. The magnitude of vegetation change was strongly influenced by disturbance severity. DCA ordination revealed a main gradient in species composition from undisturbed forest floor to severely disturbed vegetation three years after disturbance, while in the fourth year, the direction of vegetation change turned in the direction of pre- disturbance positions. The turning point represented the maximum abundance of pioneer species (e.g., Luzula pilosa and Pohlia nutans) relative to dominant species before the disturbance (e.g., Dicranum majus and Hylocomium splendens). The return to pre-distur- bance positions from the fourth year was, however, slow and will probably take 5-25 more years to be completed if current trends continue. DCA ordination revealed two additional, interpretable, gradients in vegetation; one related to pulses of regeneration from the soil- buried propagule bank; the other represented a gradient in pre-disturbance environmental conditions. We demonstrate that one vegetation gradient related to time after disturbance is insufficient to account for the full complexity of revegetation processes following dis- turbance.
Directive 91/676 / EEC on the protection of waters against pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources is transposed into Romanian legislation by HG. 964/2000 approving the Plan of Action for the Protection of waters against pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources. In accordance with art. 6. (1) of the annex to Government Decision no. 964/2000 approving the Plan of Action for the protection of waters against pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources in accordance with art. 2. (8) of the Rules of organization and functioning of the Commission and support group for protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, approved by Order no. 425/105951/2001 of Water and Environment Minister and the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Commission to implement the Action Plan for the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, issued Decision no. 21130/DC/14.10.2010 approval of the Action Program for vulnerable zones to nitrate from agricultural sources. The measures from this Action Programme regard to that holdings of more than 8 UVM, the spread manure annual amount not to exceed a specified amount per hectare over a year, one of the ways to exploit a liquid manure of animals farms consisting and their use as liquid organic fertilizer for crops. Physico-chemical properties of soil samples (texture, pH, humus and N, P, K, content etc..) and biochemical and microbial diversity of the samples were analyzed in the Research Laboratory of USAMVB-OSPA Timisoara after national norms and standards approved by the Standards Association of Romania (ASRO). Knowledge of these special features of the soil presents a theoretical and practical importance. Theoretical, because it provides to the expert the posibility to interpret the phenomena that occur in soil and to predict soil evolution in particular and the wider environment in terms of present and future health and warns the farmer what action should be taken to bring optimum soil conditions for growth and development of plants. Importance, originality and timeliness of work is the necesity of soil and environmental protection by implementing the Action Program for vulnerable zones to nitrate from agricultural sources, in Timis county, it being the focal point for monitoring the implementation of the Nitrates Directive for soil and crops, to ensure information for the country report on Nitrates Directive.
Surianto, 2010. Response of Oil Palm Seedlings on Peat dan Saline Soils Combination as Potting Media Which was Applied Copper on Main Nursery. The purpose of this trial was to find the treatment effects of the best combination among peat and saline soil, copper and combination between copper and potting media on the oil palm seedlings growth. This trial was conducted on four-months old Marihat Research DxP oil palm seedlings in February 2010 until June 2010 at PT. Simpang Ampat, United Kingdom (Ukindo) Plantation Group, Simpang Ampat Village, Serdang Bedagei District, North Sumatera Province. The design of the trial was a Factorial Randomized Block Design (RBD) consisted of five treatment levels of soil potting media and three treatment levels of copper and tested with contrast test. The results of this trial that potting soil media treatment showed significant difference among parameters such ash wet and dry root weight (g), girth diameter (cm), palm height (cm), total no of fronds, palm leaf area (cm 2 ) and wet and dry palm weight (g) meanwhile treatment of K3 (75% peat and 25% saline soil combination) had the mean highest among parameters of wet and dry root weight (g), palm height (cm), girth diameter (cm), total no of fronds, palm leaf area (cm 2 ), wet and dry palm weight (g) and no significant difference of K2 treatment (50% peat and 50% saline soil combination). Statistically, no significant difference of copper treatments of all palm growth parameters.
In this paper we present a unicationbased lexical platform designed for highly inected languages like Roman ones. A formalism is proposed for encoding a lemmabased lexical source well suited for linguistic generalizations. From this source we automatically generate an allomorph indexed dictionary adequate for eficient processing. A set of software tools have been implemented around this formalism access libraries morphological processors etc.
The test tube method and isolated method of the circular filter paper chromatographic were used to identify the chemical compotion of Eriocaulon buergerianum koern.The results showed that it constains alkaloid,phenol,organic acid,flavonoids,glycoside,volatile oil,plant sterol,tannin and so on.The antiblastic experiment in vitro of Eriocaulon buergerianum Koern water extracts was investigated by tube dilution method and filter-paper method. The effect demonstracted:Eriocaulon buergerianum Koern water extracts have stronger bacteriostatic to Staphylococcus aureus,streptoc,Pasteurella,Salmonella,E.coli,the diameter of bacteriostatic ring to various pathogenic bacteria is 12.16±0.33mm,15.36±0.29mm,13.57±0.61mm,8.63±0.26mm,9.88±0.72mm;MIC is 0.125g/ml,0.063g/ml,0.125g/ml,0.5 g/ml,0.25g/ml;and MBC is0.25g/ml,0.125g/ml,0.25g/ml,1 g/ml,1g/ml respectively.
Pr doped Mg2 Sn O4 in the scope of 0~1.5nm% was synthesized by hydrothermal method and corresponding calcination at low temperature. X-ray diffraction(XRD), Scanning electron microscope(SEM) and luminescence/ fluorescence spectrophotometer were applied to characterize Pr doped Mg2 Sn O4. The relationship between Pr doping contents and the morphologies of Mg2 Sn O4 particles was studied. The results show that the Mg2 Sn O4: Pr3+ are confirmed to be the cubic inverse spinel structure and exhibit as cubic particles. An augment of the grain sizes and obvious sharpen edges of the cubic nanoparticles are observed with increasing Pr doping amounts. The emission spectra of Mg2 Sn O4 nanoparticles with various Pr doping contents indicate two bands centered at 530 nm and 570 nm, respectively. The former emission band is related with the oxygen vacancies in Mg2 Sn O4 and the latter emission band is attributed to the 3P0-3H5 energy transitions of Pr3+. The increase of luminescence center's number and Pr-doped Mg2 Sn O4 particles size result in an obvious enhancement of emission intensity centered at 570 nm with increasing Pr doping contents.
Trickle irrigation has been proved to be the most efficient irrigation system regarding water application efficiency. On average, water saving from 42 to 47% has been observed when compared to furrow irrigation system. Use of saline water upto reasonable limits is also possible. Problem of clogging of emitters/drippers is commonly experienced but it has been shown that this could be avoided by proper filtration of water through sand and screen and with continued acid treatment.
A number of mesogenic poly(methacrylates) with the varying dipole architecture of mesogenic nuclei were studied by equilibrium electric birefringence, dielectric measurements, and refractometry. It was shown that the introduction of halogen substituents into the mesogenic nuclei leads to a reduction in the dipole moments and the Kerr constant for the polymers under study. The effect of the dipole structure of macromolecules on the electrooptical characteristics of the studied poly(methacrylates) was analyzed.
Mao Zedong made both primitive practice and brave innovation on socialism. He led Chinese people win great victory in the new democratic revolution and established the foundation for socialist system. However he was unfortunately trapped in "classic struggle" which eventually led to the tragedy of the "CultureRevolution". Based on the historical experience, Deng Xiaoping restated the CCP′s tradition of being practical and realistic, resolved the problem of"what is socialism and how to construct it",announced the"BasicRoute"which guaranteed prominent success in China′s "Reforming and Opening". Under the new historical condition, Jiang Zemin, went with the time, claimed "ThreeRepesentation" Theory, connecting socialism with the construction of the ruling Party. It will surely lead our socialist construction with Chinese character to brilliant victory in the 21 century.
With the more sophisticated computer programs now available for the dynamic analysis of structures, use of time-history excitation of such structures has become common practice. Besides affording a more rigorous analysis of the structure itself, a time-history excitation simplifies the calculation of the response of equipment located at the higher elevations in a structure. Regarding the time-history excitation of a structure, the main problem would be the selection of an accelerogram that is compatible with a given smooth spectrum curve. A method to obtain a comaptible accelerogram is discussed herein.
Atmospheric oxygen provides one of the most powerful tracers to study the carbon cycle through its close interaction with carbon dioxide. Keeling and co-workers demonstrated this at the global scale by using small variations in atmospheric oxygen content to disentangle oceanic and terrestrial carbon sinks. It would be very exciting to apply similar ideas at the ecosystem level to improve our understanding of biosphere-atmosphere exchange and our ability to predict the response of the biosphere and atmosphere to climate change. The eddy covariance technique is perhaps the most effective approach available to quantify the exchange of gases between these spheres. Therefore, eddy covariance flux measurements of oxygen would be extremely valuable. However, this requires a fast response (0.1 seconds), high relative precision (0.001% or 10 per meg) oxygen sensor.
This paper proposes a 18-step back-to-back voltage source converter using four sets of 3-Level converter module with auxiliary circuit to increase the number of steps. The proposed back-to-back voltage source converter has an independent control capability of active power and reactive power at the interconnected ac system. The operational feasibility of proposed system was verified through computer simulations with PSCAD/EMTDC software. The feasibility of hardware implementation was verified through experimental results with a scaled hardware model. The proposed back-to-back converter can be widely applied for interconnecting the renewable energy source to the power grid.
Porcine cholecystokinin-33 has been synthesized on solid phase and characterized both chemically and biologically. In order to develop a successful synthetic strategy, a new anchor molecule (4-succinylamido-2,2',4'-trimethoxybenzhydrylamine) was designed and coupled to aminomethyl-polystyrene. The resulting 4-succinylamido-2,2',4'-trimethoxybenzhydrylamine resin was successfully used for the synthesis of cholecystokinin-33 using N-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl amino acid symmetric anhydrides. Tyrosine-O-sulfate has been synthesized by direct sulfation of tyrosine with chlorosulfonic acid and incorporated into the peptide sequence by coupling as N-fluorenylmethoxy-O-sulfatotyrosine-pentafluorophenyl ester. Side chains of the trifunctional amino acids were protected mostly by t-butyl-type protecting groups. The guanidino function of arginine was protected by the 2,2,5,7,8-pentamethylchromane-6-sulfonyl group. After completion of the synthesis, the peptide was cleaved off the support with 50% trifluoroacetic acid (15 min); this treatment cleaved the side-chain protecting groups simultaneously. Preparative high-performance liquid chromatography resulted in pure cholecystokinin-33 of full biological activity. The structure of the peptide was proved by amino acid analysis, IR and UR spectroscopy, fast atomic bombardment mass spectroscopy and comparative high-performance liquid chromatography of the synthetic and native cholecystokinin-33.
Cladribine (Leustatin; Janssen-Cilag, Ortho Biotech Inc, Raritan, NJ) is a novel injectable nucleoside analogue with marked efficacy against hairy cell leukemia and considerable, although less dramatic, activity against chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The effect is thought to be due to the drug's ability, after intracellular phosphorylation, to inhibit repair of single-strand DNA breaks in certain malignant lymphocyte and monocyte subtypes. We treated 49 patients with active hairy cell leukemia with continuous infusion of cladribine at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg/ d for 7 days. A single course of therapy gave a complete response rate of 76% and a partial response rate of 24%; the effect was durable for several years in most cases. We also treated 14 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia with cladribine and obtained an overall response rate of 43%; this required several courses of monthly treatment. These responses tended to be short-lived and did not substantially change life expectancy of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients. In both diseases, myelosuppression and immunosuppression, sometimes resulting in neutropenic fever, were the only toxicities associated with cladribine.
Hungry larvae from 17 clutches by spontaneously infected Ixodes persulcatus females were examined by inoculation of the BSK II medium, by microscopy of fixed smears, and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the primers specific toward the conserved sequences of Borrelia burgdorferi 16S ribosomal RNA gene. A study of 781 larvae individually or as pools could not reveal Borrelia DNA by PCR. Inoculations of the BSK II medium with 600 larvae yielded no positive results either; immobile spiral forms of Bacillus spp. were detected in 16 (26.7 +/- 5.7%) cultures of the larvae obtained from 7 females. Microscopy of 1416 fixed smears showed typical Borrelia in 7 (0.5 +/- 0.4%) specimens of larvae resulting from the same hatch; spirochaete-like cells were present in 13 (0.9 +/- 0.5%) cases. The single female from those of the 17 hatches transmitted Borrelia through eggs to filial-generation larvae. The infection rate of the larvae emerged from the eggs of this hatch was 7% and their individual infection rates were 0.4-0.8 Borrelia per 100 fields of vision. The findings suggest that there may a transovarian transmission of Borrelia in I. persulcatus ticks, but its likelihood is very little.
Nano-sized Li4Ti5O12 powder with high dispersivity was prepared by a novel sol-gel route using lauric acid as surfactant.The crystal structure,microstructure and the electrochemical properties of samples were characterized by XRD,FESEM,TG-DSC,laser particle size analysis,A.C.impedance and galvanostatically charge-discharge experiments.The results demonstrated that the crystallization,microstructure and electrochemical properties were influenced significantly by heat-treatment temperature.Li4Ti5O12 powders calcined at 800℃ for 10h were comprised of crystallites with the particle size in the range of 120-275nm,revealing high dispersivity almost without any agglomerates,and exhibiting an excellent electrochemical performance.Its discharge capacities at 0.5C and 1C rates were 174.7mAh/g and 163.3mAh/g,respectively.After 50 cycles,fairly stable cycling performance was achieved without obvious capacity fading.Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests demonstrated that the surface reaction kinetics of Li4Ti5O12 was improved significantly from the state of the complete charge to the state of the complete discharge.The charge and discharge results of samples demonstrated that the route to synthesis highly dispersed nano-crystalline was appropriate for preparing Li4Ti5O12 with high electrochemical performance.
Booms in house prices are usually followed by busts. This pattern is called “mean reversion.” Mean reversion in housing markets has historically coincided with economic recessions across the world. Chapter 1 establishes mean reversion in U.S. data, and attempts to explain it using the dynamics of wages in cities. Chapter 2 takes a different approach. It models mean reversion resulting from speculation and uncertainty. This model explains why strong mean reversion in prices occurs in cities where it is easy to build houses, a phenomenon that Chapter 1 cannot explain. Chapter 3 takes the spirit of Chapter 2 and applies it to the optimal design of the income tax.
The invention discloses an erlotinib-phthalocyanine conjugate which targets anti-cancer molecules, and a preparation method as well as an application of the erlotinib-phthalocyanine conjugate. Through introducing erlotinib with a long alcoxyl chain into the periphery of the metal phthalocyanine large ring, the amphipathy, the biocompatibility and the targeting of photo-sensitizer can be increased. The phthalocyanine conjugate is not easy to aggregate, which is beneficial for improving cell uptake rate; meanwhile, the compound is simple in structure and is free from isomer, and the product is easy to purify accordingly. By adopting the compound, the targeting of the photo-sensitizer in photo-dynamics therapy is helpful to be enhanced, and the activity of the photo-sensitizer in photo-dynamics therapy can be enhanced at the same time. As the synthetic method provided by the invention is simple, the side reaction is small, the yield is relatively high, the raw material is easily available and the cost is low, and the preparation method is beneficial for industrial production.
Amylase activity in crude leaf extracts from starchless mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana is 5 to 10 fold higher than in the wild type (WT) when plants are grown under a 12 h photoperiod. Visualized on native PAGE, the increased activity is attributed primarily to a previously characterized extrachloroplastic {beta}-(exo)amylase. The {beta}-amylases from phosoglucomutase deficient (starchless) and WT leaves were purified to homogeneity in two steps utilizing polyethylene glycol fractionation, and cyclohexaamylose affinity chromatography. The enzyme from both mutant and WT leaves had negligible activity toward either {beta}-limit dextrin or pullulan. The specific activities of both purified enzymes were similar indicating that the protein is over-expressed in the mutant. Preliminary antibody neutralization experiments suggest that the two {beta}-amylases are not different.
This paper contributes to symbolic inference from text, including naturally occurring text. The idea is to take sentences in a framework like CCG, and then run a polarizing algorithm like the one in Hu and Moss 2018 to determine inferential polarity markings of all the constituents. From this, it is just a small step to obtain an inference engine which is both simple to describe and implement and at the same time is surprisingly powerful. We have implemented the basic inference step. This paper is work in progress, also going into detail on our projected next steps. The overall goal is to have a working symbolic inference system which covers "in-practice" inference and also is correct and efficient.
BACKGROUND In Australia, primary healthcare is largely delivered through two parallel systems: Medicare supported primary care delivered by fee-for-service general practitioners, and state funded and managed community health services.   METHODS Semistructured interviews with 18 GPs to investigate the current links between GPs and local primary healthcare providers.   RESULTS Barriers to links include: communication and information, access and availability of services, GP lack of awareness and understanding of services provided in the state funded sector, and lack of time to gain information. Discussion General practitioners reported dealing with more complex and challenging patients. However, this did not appear to increase their likelihood of engaging with state funded primary healthcare services in case management. Medicare Locals are a once-in-a-generation chance to establish a genuinely coordinated and multidisciplinary primary healthcare sector. To be successful, Medicare Locals will need to bring together two parallel systems of care and improve integration and coordination.
Some contend that increasing globalization will blur the lines between nations and cultures because the world will become one global village that partakes of one culture. In the Philippines, however, instantaneous accessing of global information and cultural products remains a privilege only of an elite minority. The economic and social condition of the majority has not changed dramatically since the colonial period. It is, therefore, difficult to imagine that within a decade or two, globalization will remove national boundaries and obliterate differences between and among cultures. The Philippine experience also shows that the seemingly powerful influence on the American Popular culture and industry and the onslaught of American pop culture products have not resulted in the wholesale Americanization of Filipino pop culture products. Certainly, pop culture forms were borrowed but producers altered the formula and content to articulate their own view of the world and the Filipino self. Today, the Filipinization of television and has reclaimed for the mass audience their space and power. This process initially resulted from liberalization of, and experimentation in, the media and recently from the migration of English shows to cable TV. For the popular culture industry in the Philippines, therefore, globalization is turning out to be beneficial. The technology enables producers to reach out to Filipino communities worldwide and, at the same time, arms the regions with the means to speak. We are witnessing not uniformity but multi-cultural diversity.
At times one may need to extract many months of data from datasets that contain merely one month worth of data. And, the dataset name has the month it represents as part of its file name. This paper demonstrates a macro that allows the files to be read between the beginning and ending months, determining the months in between. This is done by using %sysfunc macro function to: I) run the data step function, intnx, to increment by months and 2) return a macro value with the appropriate format of the month using the second argoment of the %sysfunc function. Thus, the macro can read many monthly files, and concatenate the many months of data together.
Allocation/routing problems involve determining a set of routes for a fleet of vehicles over a multiple day time horizon. Thus, these problems can be viewed as containing two components, one that allocates deliveries to days of the week and a second that forms routes over each day of the week. Allocation/routing problems arise in such diverse settings as garbage collection, industrial gas distribution and beer and soft drink distribution. In this paper, we describe application environments in which these problems arise, present formulations for several versions of the problem and review solution procedures. (Author/TRRL)
This article illustrates the necessity of the Party's management on talent and its great and profound significance on strengthening talent group construction in higher education, improving the Party's managing power, ensuring the practice of state-enforcement strategy, and realizing the goal of a well-off society. With such three key factors of talent development as cultivation, attraction, and application, the persistence and realization of the Party's management on talent lies in striving to perfect the inquiry decision system, moderation settlement system, and monitor limitation system.
The Solihull Approach is an integrated model (containment, reciprocity and behaviour management) of working with families with babies, children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It has developed a range of training, resources and a parenting group. It has also been adapted for professionals working in the antenatal period, fostering and adoption and foster carer training. The training and resources are delivered across the UK THE MULTI-AGENCY TRAIN THE TRAINER CASCADE MODEL IN KENT It is therefore vital that all frontline staff are trained in child and adolescent mental health and development and have a good understanding of the role parenting plays in this process. 2 COMMON THEMES THROUGHOUT THE POLICY DOCUMENTS The importance of the emotional well-being and mental health of children and the role of parenting and early attachment
After snorting crystalline cocaine, the nasal and airway mucosa will be exposed to high concentrations of this drug. We have examined the actions of mucosal and serosal cocaine application on the basal short circuit current (Isc) and the changes in Isc (delta Isc) induced by acetylcholine (ACh) and isoproterenol (ISO) across swine tracheal epithelium. Cocaine displacement of muscarinic receptor and beta adrenoceptor radioligands was also examined. Cocaine at low, less than 1 mM, concentrations induced basal Isc to increase in some tissues by 9 to 10 microA in some preparations it induced only a decrease in basal Isc. The maximal decrease was 15 to 20 microA in these preparations. In all tissues 14 mM cocaine decreased basal Isc. The IC50 for the cocaine inhibition of Isc was 3 +/- 0.9 mM after mucosal application. Mucosal cocaine (3 mM) did not affect the actions of mucosal amiloride, an epithelial sodium channel blocker (IC50 = 0.6 +/- .1 microM, control; 1.5 +/- 0.3 microM, in the presence of 3 mM cocaine) or serosal tetraethylammonium, a potassium channel blocker. However, cocaine altered the response of the tissue to ACh and ISO. Cocaine (14 mM) applied mucosally reduced the maximal delta Isc induced by ACh (serosal) to 34 +/- 14% of control. By contrast, serosal cocaine (3 mM) caused a parallel shift to the right in the concentration-response relationships for ACh- and ISO-induced increases in Isc (EC50 increased by approximately 6.3 and approximately 2.5 times, respectively) but did not reduce the maximal response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
ABSTRACT Contoured hydraulic head cross sections constructed from well logs in the central Tuscaloosa gas trend of Louisiana provide information about fluid flow near the hydropressure-geopressure interface. Extensive head inversions correspond to long, dip-oriented convolutions of the interface. The inversions occur where permeable, hydropressured massive sandstone facies in the lower Tuscaloosa underlie geopressured Eagle Ford Shale updip of fault zones which preserve geopressures downdip. Thus, regional fluid pressure regimes in the Tuscaloosa and Eagle Ford are predominantly structurally controlled, with some lithofacies control updip. Hydraulic head trends indicate an overall pattern of regional upward flow from depth, with highest hydraulic gradients corresponding to the top of the Austin Chalk in most places. This pattern is complicated by inversions, which are nearly horizontal and tend to show very high hydraulic gradients, and by a sharp, upward-protruding head peak which becomes nearly vertical along a trend above the Lower Cretaceous limestone shelf edge. This peak represents the escape of highly pressurized fluids from depth along a preferred path which may be fault controlled. Highest hydraulic gradients occur locally and regionally where fluids flow from geopressured shale toward permeable, hydropressured sandstone. Salinities are also reported to show a regional increase toward hydropressured, sandy, updip facies of the Tuscaloosa. Thus, reverse osmotic effects are probably unimportant. The head peak above the Lower Cretaceous shelf edge, although characterized by relatively low hydraulic gradients, could be a locus of membrane filtration at the top of Tuscaloosa sandstone if bypassing of reverse osmosis by fluid escape along faults has been minimal. The role of permeable Tuscaloosa sandstone as a sink for fluids near the top of geopressure may have localized gas there, along the producing trend.
The dispersion and stability of nanodiamond in aqueous medium are investigated.The combined effects of mechanical and chemical forces are conducted to modify the surface of nanodiamond particles aim to achieve the dispersion and stability of nanodiamond in water.When different chemical and mechanical processes are applied,excellent dispersion system of both acidic and alkaline aqueous medium can be obtained.Surface modification mechanism of nanodiamond is also discussed.
OBJECTIVES :  1. To study the utility of urinary levels of VCAM-1 in lupus nephritis.  2. To study the association between lifestyle factors and disease activity of lupus nephritis.  METHODOLOGY : It was a diagnostic case control study. The patients presenting to Medicine, Nephrology and Rheumatology OPD were recruited into this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups, SLE without active nephritis and SLE with active nephritis based on the renal SLEDAI. Urinary VCAM1 was tested in all patients using an early morning spot urine sample. Renal biopsy was done in those patients with active nephritis. All patients underwent a lifestyle assessment including dietary, stress and physical activity.VCAM1 levels were compared with the renal SLEDAI, renal biopsy disease activity and standard of care markers. The lifestyle factors were also compared with the disease activity.The results were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. A 2x2 analysis for the diagnostic test was done. The validity and predictive value statistics was presented with 95 percent confidence interval. As  VCAM1 provides levels, the best cut off was identified using ROC analysis. The risk factor analysis for the nutritional intake was done using multivariate regression analysis.  RESULTS : Out of 83 patients, 74 patients were taken up for final analysis. Urinary VCAM 1 levels had significant correlation (p=0.01) with disease activity based on renal SLEDAI. However, the correlation between the biopsy findings and VCAM levels was not statistically significant. The sensitivity and specificity of urinary VCAM 1 is 65.22% and 75% respectively. The cut off value of urinary VCAM 1 is 23.8 pg/mg of creatinine.  Stress was found to be statistically significant in active nephritis (p value <0.001). The positive predictive value was 55% and negative predictive value was 81%.
Existing high performance work system (HPWS) research has rarely considered cultural influences. This study investigates the relationships between guanxi, HPWS and employee attitudes in China. A data set consisting of 226 employees in a Chinese state-owned enterprise in the railway sector was used to test the hypotheses. Using structural equation modelling as an analytical tool, we found that guanxi was positively related to HPWS and trust. Similar to research in the Western context, HPWS was found to be positively related to trust and job satisfaction. Moreover, the results also revealed that HPWS mediated between guanxi and both trust and job satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications are both discussed.
Eight irrigated areas are traversed in the north Hebei segment of South-North water transfer mid-route, 29 channel intersection structures will need to be built, including 16 irrigation canal flumes, 2 irrigation canal culverts and 11 irrigation canal inverted siphon culverts. The paper introduces main fruits of axis structure choices, structural plan layout and hydraulic design of intersection structures.
In 47 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, pretreatment studies by microradiography, radioimmunoassay and other methods showed increased bone resorption, normal bone formation, and decreased serum immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (PTH). In patients treated with a physiologic replacement dose of estrogen, bone resorption decreased to normal and PTH increased after short-term therapy; bone formation decreased to very low levels after long-term therapy. These data indicate that, in most patients, both an intrinsic abnormality of bone cell function and a disruption of the normal regulation of bone turnover by PTH and sex hormones, as a result of the menopause, are important in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.
A contents management device of a portable terminal and a method are provided to display predetermined contents at a time on the basis of a function axis and a time axis, and to synthesize at least two contents of the predetermined contents displayed at a time, thereby generating user-oriented contents. A display unit(240) displays contents according to each time and each function in a contents area consisting of a function axis indicative of functions corresponding to the contents and a time axis indicative of a time when the contents are accessed by a portable terminal(200). A contents generator(250) synthesizes at least two contents of the contents. The display unit displays at least one of a time axis change button for changing time of the time axis, a date change menu for changing date of the time axis, and a search menu for searching a target which becomes a basis of generation of the contents.
Long before History Studies became one of Nigeria’s key research fields, details of local history had steadily been passed on through village elders. Since 1996, The Battle of Musanga and Love in Vendetta, a growing number of films have been showcasing Nigerian history through scenarios inspired by memories of real events gathered from community elders or archived reports, which can safely be considered as testimonies on the past. In doing this, those films opened a new channel for the passing of information concerning regional and national history, giving a new lease of life to events from the pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial eras by commenting them for wider audiences. To fulfil this mission, film directors modelled folktale structure and style, with the main characters taking on the storytellers’ mantle and the film script reduced to a rough sketch, leaving actors more or less free to improvise. This new channel of communication has equally adopted the didactic approach of folktales, thus facilitating the informal teaching of the country’s cultures, informed by popular readings of them. This influence of orality on Nigerian video films, which has not yet been studied, will be examined here in a number of films including nine directly inspired by past and contemporary Nigerian history.
The growing competition and highly stressed profits have brought new challenges to restaurant managers. In order to meet these challenges and gain competitive advantages in restaurant marketplace, managers should know and understand customers’ expectations. The purpose of this study is to  investigate the expected service quality in Croatian restaurant settings. The main goals are to empirically assess restaurant customers’ expectations and to determine main factors that best explain customers’ expectations  regarding restaurant service quality. The paper aims to compare customers’ expectations in 2007 and 2010. An adopted version of the DINESERV model was developed. The questionnaire was designed in accordance with Stevens  et al. (1995) and Andaleeb and Conway's (2006) research. The empirical research was conducted in two stages, first in 2007 and second in 2010. Questionnaires were distributed in 32 restaurant settings in Opatija Riviera and in 31 restaurant settings in city of Rijeka. In order to meet study goals, descriptive, bivariate (t-test) and multivariate (exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis) statistical analyses were conducted. The findings suggest rather high level of customers’ expectations. There were identified seven factors in first study and five factors in second study that best explain expected service quality in restaurants. The factor structure in both  studies is similar. The study results can help restaurant managers to better understand customers’ needs and meet their expectations in order to successfully manage resources, provide high service quality, gain profit and  ensure sustainable business performance.
This study examines the success of community colleges in providing students with adequate college-preparatory instruction. Research focuses on the place of remedial writing instruction in two California Community Colleges, one large and urban, the other smaller and suburban. The study used transcript analysis to investigate how well students from the two key college preparatory writing courses one an ESL course and one a non-credit beginning college reading and writing course fared in their academic work. The guiding research questions were: (1) how well do students in developmental writing courses fare in subsequent academic writing courses? (progress tracking); and (2) how well do Associate Degree English and college level English students with different instructional histories do in their academic writing classes? (historical tracking) . The research found that for many students, remedial coursework is preliminary to extensive further college work, and the ESL cohort is most academically accomplished. The non-ESL students, the pre-collegiate basic skills students starting their college career with "English Fundamentals," did not fare as well. Only 58.6% passed the course, compared to 65.5% of the ESL students. Tables, charts and figures illustrate ethnicity demographics, cohort descriptive statistics, college English outcomes, progress tracking, failure and withdrawal rates by group, and grade point average. (17 references) (AS) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************************
The cinematographic representation of workers was significantly transformed during the 1960s in which the importance of the working class in the French society reached its peak. This change occurred in documentary pictures and not in fictional dramas which generally neglected this theme. Some filmmakers developed new techniques based on light cameras and synchronous sound, and used them to capture words directly taken in the filmed scenes. This new way of filming shook up the documentary tradition hampered by heavy equipment and relatively high costs thus depending on institutional funds. Until then, the workers served as extras in motion pictures praising the industrial performance of firms. The new documentaries revealed individuals, both common and singular. Their live words, shot in automobile plants still filled with a positive aura, produced a strong impression of being true and contradicted the enchanted image of the post-war decades. After 1968, a new trend among filmmakers, critics, and spectators, tend to present these characters as political figures, giving their expression an anti-establishment role.
Background/Aim. The general problems of persons with malignant diseases (stages of asthenia, chronic fatigue and exhaustion, followed by depression and anxiety) lead to a decrease in functional abilities and a declining quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine the level of difficulty, the type of required assistance and the level of satisfaction that derives from maintaining life habits. The study also examined the correlation between the level of accomplishment of life habits and the level of satisfaction with how they are maintained. Methods. The research was conducted at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade and in the “Get Together” Association of Women with Breast Cancer from June to September 2012 on a sample of 30 women. A standardised questionnaire, Assessment of Life Habits – LIFE-H v.3.0, was administered. Results. The lowest level of maintaining normal activities was related to education, housing and recreation. The greatest need for support to maintain normal activities was in the domains of housing, interpersonal relationships and employment. The greatest satisfaction in the accomplishment of normal activities was observed in the domains of mobility, nutrition and housing, and the lowest level of satisfaction was in the domains of recreation, communication and interpersonal relationships. The correlation between the level of accomplishment of normal activities and the level of satisfaction was the highest in the domains of general physical activity, responsibility and life in a community; the lowest level was in the domains of personal hygiene, housing, mobility, employment and recreation (p < 0.001). Conclusion. The results indicate that research participants found it more difficult to maintain their social activities than their everyday activities. This clearly indicates the necessity to develop and implement special advisory and educational programs aimed at preventing social exclusion and to strengthen and support personal resources in the area of the social roles of women with breast cancer.
A nurse-administered, protocol-driven model (NP) for preventive services delivery was compared with a traditional physician reminder (PR) model with nursing back-up among 473 patients attending Internal Medicine and Family Medicine clinics. A total of 240 patients were randomized to the NP group and 233 to the PR group. Demographic characteristics including gender [71% female (NP) and 71% female (PR)], race (78% and 75% African American, respectively) and age (numbers of persons aged 18-54, 55-64 and 65+ years) were similar in each group. In the NP group 244/244 screening tests for breast, cervical and colon cancers and alcohol abuse were initiated or completed by nurses, while in the PR group 110/215 (51%) were initiated or completed by physicians. The NP group received 552/552 counseling services from nurses for tobacco, alcohol, nutrition, exercise and prostate screening, while in the PR group, physicians delivered 10% of the needed services (56/560). Aside from counseling for prostate cancer screening, which was 100% in both the NP and PR groups, all other between-group differences for each service were significant at the level of p<0.001. Results show the feasibility of a nursing protocol for initiating equitable cancer prevention services in a primary care setting.
By adding thermoplastic elastomers including POE or GMA grafted POE( gPOE),PET /PC blends were prepared via twin screw reactive extrusion processing. By methods of DSC,DMA,MFR and SEM,the crystallinity,compatibility,processing behavior and phase morphology of PET / PC blends were characterized. The results indicated that the impact strength of PET / PC blend was 27. 8 kJ / m2by addition of 15 phr gPOE,which was about six times than that of the pure PET,and the elongation at break was increased to 373%,the dispersed phase were mostly stretched and the continues phase around became rough, which was the reason that the improved compatibility resulting from the copolymer by the reactions between end groups of PET and peroxide group of gPOE. Moreover,the blends with gPOE avoided the phenomenon named "extrusion expanding"and performed better processing behavior.
Drive shafts are the key parts of cars,and the forging quality affects the vehicle safety directly.Two different forging processes were simulated by Deform-2D numerical simulation software,and the stress,strain,load,damage and other parameters acquired in simulation were analyzed.The optimization objective is to reduce and uniform the load of die in every station during the forging process,and to produce parts with excellent quality and no cracks at the same time.According to the analysis and verification of the finite element numerical simulation,the parts produced by the second scheme have no cracks and other defects,and have less deformation in single process.The second scheme is more suitable for mass production.
Objective To explore the effect of oxidative stress on the apoptosis of HEK293 cells induced by cadmium.Methods The apoptosis were measured by flow cytometry,and the content of cytosolic reactive oxygen species(ROS) were measured respectively by flow cytometry and confocal laser microscopy.The HEK293 cells homogenates were prepared to detect the levels of malondialdehyde(MDA) and reduced glutathione hormone(GSH)in spectro photometric assay.Western blot was used to analyze the expressions of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 proenzyme.Results The rate of apoptosis exhibited in the dose-dependent manner in definite CdCl2 concentrations extent.After six hours with treatment 60μmol/L CdCl2,the rate of apoptosis was in peak,the levels of cytosolic ROS and MDA increased and the level of GSH decreased significantly(P0.01).The expression of Bcl-2 was lower compared with three-hour treatment with 60 μmol/L CdCl2,and the expression of Caspase-3 proenzyme decreased compared with the control.Conclusion Cd-induced apoptosis involves enhancive ROS,oxidative injury,the expression of Bcl-2 down regulation and the activation of Caspase-3 in HEK293 cells.
A new setting method for distance zone-2 protection is introduced in this paper,which covers a higher percentage of remote line than the conventional distance zone-2 protection.In order to further enlarge the protective range,the function of on-line identification of system operation condition is added on the basis of the method.Thus,the adaptive principle of distance zone-2 setting using real-time data is formed.On the condition that selectivity is guaranteed,the method has a greater protective range.
Different schools and methods for research kept emerging in the western literary circle in the past century. Taking an overall view on their development, we may see that one school attaches importance to "the internal research of the text" while another to "the external research of the cultural context". However, there still exists mutual rejection and even mutual calumniation among those schools. Different readers may take different angles to interpret literary works. So are the cases for the methods for literary criticism.
Seafood represents a very broad category of food and is a major source of protein in the human diet. The increase of its consumption and the epidemiological data confirm the role of seafood (especially shellfish) as a carrier of foodborne toxinfections and has brought the need for a higher monitoring level and an increase of the studies of their microbiological characteristics. Edible Lamellibranch Molluscs (M.E.L) are frequently involved in food poisoning outbreaks of outstanding severity, due to the fact that they are filter-feeding animals which tend to accumulate  any toxic substances or microorganisms already present in their environment. In the context of food security, the main target is to ensure food health by fulfilling specific  hygiene requirements and by means of monitoring activities on shellfish conducted on the production chain of mussels and within their own environment. Microbiological eligibility for human consumption (Reg CE 1441/2007) is based on only two fecal contamination bacteriological parameters (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp) and does not provide the identification of other microorganisms which are naturally present within the marine environment and potentially pathogenic such as those belonging to the genus Vibrio. In accordance with the data provided by the Centre of Disease Control (USA), food poisoning linked to the consumption of shellfish is mainly related to (20%) enteric viruses (Corraine et al., 2007), hepatitis A virus (HAV), norovirus (NV), and marine environment pathogens, such as Vibrio spp, whereas faecal bacteria (Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli) account just for 4% of the total (Serracca et al., 2007) (Lipp EK, Rose JB, 1997). In order to assess the hygienic quality and health of M.E.L (mussels, clams and oysters) bred in Sardinia, both parameters required by law (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp) and Vibrios of major public health interest have been investigated in this study. Within the 440 examined samples, 40% contained potentially harmful Vibrios species to human being, while only in 6.4% of the samples, the levels of Escherichia coli were above the Italian legal limit and only within one sample, Salmonella spp was isolated. An interconnection between the presence of micro-organisms of fecal origin and potentially harmful Vibrios to human health was not detected. Vibrio bacterial strains have been identified by means of biochemical techniques. Vibrio cholerae strains have been processed through the use of serological and molecular identification techniques and their toxigenic properties have been evaluated by PCR assay (search for the toxin CT and gene for the toxin NAG-ST). Overall, 14 strains of Vibrio cholerae were isolated which were found to be non-O1 and non-O139 Vibrio cholerae (NCVs) and therefore unable to give epidemic cholera. No strain was found to be producing CT and NAG-ST toxins.
Connie Chatterley,the heroine in D.H.Lawrence’s last master piece Lady Chatterley’s Lover,realizes her mental and physical rebirth through her choice between two men,who represent the industrial society’s sexual repression and the expression of human natural sex instinct respectively.Since understanding the spiritual transition course of the heroine is the key to appreciating this novel’s essence,this paper analyses Connie’s mental world in every step of her dramatic marriage life.
The oxygen ionic conductor KNb_(0.9)Zr_(0.1)O_(2.95) with orthorhombic perovskite structure was synthesized by using high-temperature and high-pressure method. Results from impedance spectrum analysis show that the temperature dependence of conductivity obeys Arrhenius empirical formula, and the total conduction is determined to be predominately ionic. The conductivity of KNb_(0.9)Zr_(0.1)O_(2.95) is about 3.82×10~(-3) S/cm at 800 ℃. In the range of measured temperature, the ionic conductivity data for KNb_(0.9)Zr_(0.1)O_(2.95) are separated into two linear ranges. The activation energy below 530 ℃ is 0.95 eV, and it is lower than that 1.21 eV above 530 ℃. The cause of the variations of conductivity and the activation energy are discussed.
Objective To explore the case of prophylactic use of antimicrobial drugs intervention on the perioperative period in oral and maxillofacial surgery,and to evaluate the rationality of antibacterial agents application,provide clinical evidence for the clinical management of antimicrobial agents.Methods 320 cases with oral and maxillofacial surgery and antimicrobial drugs intervention from June 2011 to June 2012 in People's Hospital of Dongying City( "our hospital" for short) were selected as observation group; 320 cases without antimicrobial drugs intervention from June 2008 to June 2009 in our hospital were chosen as control group.The use of antibacterial agents,single drug rate,duplex medication rate in two groups were analyzed; the antimicrobial drug use opportunity,the average medication time of postoperative,hospital stays and the incidence of postoperative infection in two group were reported.Results ①314 cases with antimicrobial drugs in observation group and 301 cases of antivnicrobial drugs in contro group were found.Single drug rate in observation group [37.58 %(118/314)] was higher than that in control group [20.26 %(61/301)],duplex medication rate in observation group [62.42 %(196/314)] was lower than that in control group [79.74 %(240/301)],the differences were statistically significant(P 0.05).②Preventive medicine proportion of preoperative 0.5-2 h in observation group [68.15 %(214/314)] was higher than that in control group [28.90 %(87/301)],the proportion of antimicrobial drug use time ≤24 h in observation group [27.71%(87/314)] was higher than that in control group [0.00%(0/301)],the proportion of antimicrobial drug use time 3 d in observation group [49.36 %(155/314)] was lower than that in control group [86.38%(260/301)],the differences were statistically significant(χ2= 94.7408,97.1398,95.9543,P = 0.0000,0.0000,0.0000).③The average medication time of postoperative in observation group [(3.24±1.87) d] was shorter than that in control group [(5.26±2.41) d],the difference was statistically significant(χ2= 11.5793,P = 0.0000).The differences of hospital stays and the incidence of postoperative infection between the two groups were not statistically significant(χ2= 0.6207,1.0449,P = 0.5348,0.3067).Conclusion Treating oral and maxillofacial surgery patients with antimicrobial drugs intervention can improve the level of rational drug use.It is right to strengthen supervision and monitoring,and promote the safe,effective and economic use of antibacterial drugs.
SafeTrip-21 popularized transportation technology by making traffic and transit data available to the public via websites, smartphone apps, and other electronic media. Federal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) field tests were carried out between November 2008 and November 2010 in partnership with state government, private companies, and universities. The results showed that public ITS research can provide a conceptual foundation for real-world and commercial products.
A study was made of comparative ability of hydrazine, benzhydrazide, phenacet-hydrazide, L-γ-glutamylhydrazide, carbazic acid, methylhydrazine, and meso α, β-diaminosuccinic acid to produce fatty livers in the fasted rabbit. Fatty infiltration was observed following administration of hydrazine, benzhydrazide, phenacethydrazide and carbazic acid. In contrast no fatty livers were obtained after administration of methylhydrazine, L-γ-glutamylhydrazide and meso-α, β-diaminosuccinic acid. Meso-α, β-diaminosuccinic acid, in contrast to the findings of Suzuki, Suzuki and Egami (1952) in E. coli coli was not degraded to determinable hydrazine by the rabbit. After administration of either benzhydrazide or hydrazine, hydrazino nitrogen was present in the urine. Fourteen to 21 per cent of the administered dose of the former was excreted in thirty hours. Under similar conditions 17 to 25 per cent of the administered dose of hydrazine was excreted in thirty hours.
The invention provides a large area ordered porous film material, belonging to fields of chemical engineering, material and optics. The material is made by smearing the compound emulsion of monodisperse waterbome inorganic nano-oxide/acrylic ester on the regular base at 10 to 150 degrees C to form ordered accumulated structure of monodisperse latex particles and then volatilizing the wet, wherein, the compound emulsion is made by home position nonsoap emulsion polymerization or blending method. The large area ordered porous film material has the advantages of good adhesion, high hardness, good heat resistance, variable aperture and good angle-dependent color effect, and can be used on the surfaces of glass, silicon wafer, metal, ceramic, concrete and plastic as transparent coating layer or as the brightening material for photon crystal lattice material, makeup, printing and optical sensor or lighting device. The large area ordered porous film material also has the advantages of simple preparation technique and convention operation, can solidify to form the film at normal temperature and can be used in large-area construction.
Objective To study the diagnostic value of the combinative measuring of proteinuria electrophoresis and urinary β_2 -M in renal tubular interstitial damage.Methods The proteinuria detected with sodium dodecyl sulfate-argarose gel electrophoresis(SDS-AGE) and the urinary β_2 -M detected with radioimmuno assay were used to analyze 70 urine samples from patients with renal tubular interstitial damage.Results The tubular proteinuria in the renal tubular interstitial damage group was significant more than that in the normal group. The urinary β_2 -M in the renal tubular interstitial damages group were significant higher than that in the normal group .There were 44 cases of tubular proteinuia and 41 cases of urinary β_2 -M increasing in 70 urine samples from patients with the renal tubular interstitial damage. There were 53 urine samples diagnosed renal tubular interstitial damage combinalively measured with the two methods.Conclusion The combinative measuring of proteinuria electrophoresis and urinary β_2 -M can be used as sensitive indexes for the early diagnosis of the renal tubular interstitial damage.
The aim of this study is to determine levels of some heavy metals contaminating White Nile water and their bioaccumulation in various organs of Tilapia species ( Oreochromisniloticus). Water and fish samples were taken from two stations in Khartoum city, both of them located on the White Nile River.The first station is Adobaseen Brigade area near the sewage bonds exit and the second station is Jebal awllia dam. Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) were analyzed quantitatively using Perking Elmer Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The water of the first station contain high level of lead concentration ranging from 0.140 ± 0.02 mg/L compare to the second station Pb range 0.037 ± 0.01 mg/L. Cd concentration in the first station water ranges of 0.049± 0.012 while in the second station ranges between0.0110 ± 0.002 mg/L. Copper concentration in the first station was 0.040±0.009 while in the second station was 0.0151±0.002.Studies on thedifferent parts (muscle, liver gills, and kidney) of the fish revealed higher concentration ranges between0.602 to 0.576mg/g dw in the gills followed by liver ranges between 0.519_0 203mg/g dw, and 0.409_0.307 mg/g dw in kidney while the muscle recorded low level ranges between 0.307_0.247mg/g dw Pb. The highest concentration ranges between0.455_0.188 mg/g Cd was detected in the gills, lowestconcentration with a value ranges between0.113_0.121 mg/g dw in the muscle. Also results indicated highest concentration ranges between 0.874 to 702mg/g dw cu was detected in the gills followedby range between 0.673_ 0.358 mg/g dw. In the kidney range is between 0.603 and 0.457 mg/g dw, and 0.418 to 0.369 mg/g dw in liver and muscle respectively. The results indicated that Adobaseen station contained the highest concentrationof all the detected heavy metals, except (Pb) in liver and (Cu) in gills. Muscle tissues appeared to be the least preferred site for the bioaccumulation of metals as the lowest metalconcentration. This suggests that the fish samples could be used to monitor Pb, Cd and Cu pollution levels in the White Nile River.
Development has become a necessity for man's survival today and for every step put forward by man, nature has had to take three backwards. We have developed all kinds of technical know-how to make our lives simpler, swifter and better in all ways but there has been very little movement towards making our efforts "Greener" too. We have managed to put man on moon but not without first putting a hole on the ozone layer. But today the environment has been kicking back stronger and harder than ever, making it impossible for man to overlook it. Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost, and biological pest control. The study has been conducted to assess the overall consumers attitude and buying behaviour of Organic/ Green Product.. It was analysed using the model and the overall hypothesis was framed to determine the overall perception of the respondents about the consumer's attitude.
Purpose: Heterozygous variants in BCL11A underlie an intellectual developmental disorder with persistence of fetal hemoglobin (BCL11A-IDD, a.k.a. Dias-Logan syndrome). We sought to delineate the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of BCL11A-IDD. Methods: We performed an in-depth analysis of 42 patients with BCL11A-IDD ascertained through a collaborative network of clinical and research colleagues. We also reviewed 33 additional affected individuals previously reported in the literature or available through public repositories with clinical information. Results: Molecular and clinical data analysis of 75 patients with BCL11A-IDD identified 60 unique variants (30 frameshift, 7 missense, 6 splice-site, 17 stop-gain) and 8 unique CNVs (microdeletions involving BCL11A only). We redefined the most frequent manifestations of the condition: intellectual disability, hypotonia, behavioral abnormalities, postnatal microcephaly and autism spectrum disorder. Two thirds of patients have brain MRI abnormalities, and we identified a recurrent posterior fossa phenotype of vermian hypoplasia and/or small brainstem. Truncating BCL11A variants, particularly those affecting the long (BCL11A-L) and extra-long (-XL) isoforms, sparing the short (-S) isoform, were associated with increased severity. Conclusions: We expand the clinical delineation of BCL11A-IDD and identify a potential isoform-specific genotype-phenotype correlation. We show that BCL11A-IDD is associated with posterior fossa anomalies and highlight the differences between BCL11A-IDD and 2p16.1p15 microdeletion syndrome.
This paper explores the use of biogeochemistry as a means for conducting geological prospecting in search of economic grade anomalies of precious metals, base metals and rare earth elements. The use of randomized soil sampling for geostatistical coefficient calculations and aeromagnetic remote sensing systems in conjunction with biogeochemical prospecting for ferromagnetic elements is examined. The paper concludes that the evidence presented indicates that bioprospecting can be an extremely powerful economic geology tool for conducting rapid and cost effective micro-targeting mineral discovery.
One of the most critical characteristics of colorectal cancer (CRC) is the difference between proximal (right-sided colon cancer, RCC) and distal (left-sided colon cancer, LCC) disease. The recent CRC studies showed the unique characteristics of RCC; RCCs were more prevalent in women than men and old patients, and the age difference between RCC and LCC was more apparent in women. Moreover, relatively poor protection against RCC by colonoscopy is a clearly hot issue for alarm. Thus, the left and right colon have been considered as dichotomous or even different organs in the view of molecular, histopathological, epidemiologic and clinical bases for over three decades. However, the evolutionary data suggesting linearity from the rectum to ascending colon beyond the simple right-left dichotomization in the views of cancer molecular features and site specific clinicopathological differences, support the need for a paradigm shift to the colorectal continuum model rather than the traditional two-colon concept. This new multi-segmental or colorectal continuum hypothesis would provide both the better understanding of the complex etiology of colorectal carcinogenesis and the tailored preventive and therapeutic strategies for CRC including individualized CRC screening programs.
In this paper, I study the diffusion of new terms, called neologism, in social networks. I consider it as an example of information dynamics on networks and I hope that solving this problem can help us to understand and describe the information dynamics problem. To do so I develop a phenomenological model for the diffusion mechanism. I find an analytical relationship between number of people in the society who has learned the term and time taken. The Network parameters are imported in this analytical solution. I also present some simulation for this mechanism for several sample and some real networks which confirms the analytical results. In addition, I study the effects of network topology on diffusion process.
Elderly in puskesmas kalinyamatan jepara very span of psychosocial problems especially is anxiety. Disorders experienced by the elderly need efforts to decrease anxiety. The purpose of this study was to identify the elderly anxiety before and after benson relaxation. The method used in this study is a case study with two elderly subjects who live in kalinyamatan. The focus of this study is the level of anxiety of the elderly before and after benson relaxation with the use of SRAS measuring instruments through interviews, observation and observation. The results of the study showed that both subjects before Benson relaxation experienced moderate level of anxiety (scores of 45-49) and after benson relaxation 10 times anxiety dropped to mild anxiety. Suggestions from researchers need to apply an Benson relaxation exercise at least 1 time a day and regular schedule for Benson relaxation exercises.    Keywords: Anxiety, Elderly, Benson relaxation
Summary: According to a number of authors, manufacturing vibrations appear to be a probable factor leading to changes in lipid and mineral metabolism of professional workers. Particular high frequency of dislipidemias is established in individuals with vibration disease in combination with arterial hypertonia. The work with hand vibrating machines is connected with a double risk of AMI without a specific doseanswer influence being established between them. The aim of this study is to explore the influence of vibration in the working environment on the AMI development. The relative share of people exposed to physical and chemical factors in the control group is statistically reliable higher than that among the cases. Considering the age, duration of the working day and working week, specialized work experience and the main conventional risk factors such as hypertonia, diabetes and enhanced values of serum cholesterol, the risk activity of the dust composition is established. The combined effect of vibrations and dust regarding the risk of AMI is higher than the isolated influence of dust on men in able-to-work age. Taken separately, neither local (shoulder-hand) nor general vibrations increase the risk of AMI. In males, dust and vibrations have unidirectional potentiating interaction for the risk of AMI.
Objective : The aim was to study experimentally the effects of Daeyoungjeon(DYJ) on the hypothyroidism of rats induced by thiouracil. Methods : Spargue-Dawley rats were separated into four groups. Except normal group, the other three groups were treated with thiouracil 0.50g/kg/days for 30 days by oral administration. Among the three groups, one group was treated DYJ extract 0.75g/kg/days for 20 days separately. Another group was treated DYJ extract 1.50g/kg/days for 20 days separately. T3-uptake, T3, T4, TSH, hematological values, enzyme activity, total cholesterol, triglyceride and Na+ content change in the Serum of rats were measured after medication of solid extract of DYJ. Results : As a result of this study, in the serum T3-Uptake and T4 level, hematological values and sodium were increased in DYJ group compared to control group. The serum TSH, total cholesterol, triglyceride, enzyme activity and body weight were decreased in DYJ group compared to control group. Conclusion : According to the above results, it is suggested that DYJ is effective to cure hypothyroidism.
In this study,wheat starch was used for the purpose of investigating resistant starch preparation technologies,which included the autoclaving method and the acid hydrolysis method.Optimal technical parameters of producing wheat resistant starch in these two methods with single factor test,and orthogonal test.The results showed that the primary and secondary sequence of influence factors in resistant starch production with autoclaving method was autoclaving temperature,starch concentration,retrogradation time and autoclaving time respectively.The optimal parameters for wheat resistant starch production were that 30% starch concentration,pH value 6.0,120 ℃ heated temperature and last for 40 minutes,4 ℃ placement temperature and last for 24 hours,the average yield of wheat resistant starch was 7.26%.The primary and secondary sequence of influence factors in resistant starch production with acid hydrolysis method was that acid dosage,boil treatment time,starch concentration and acid hydrolysis time.The optimal parameters for wheat resistant starch production were that,2% acid dosage,15% starch concentration,2 hours acid hydrolysis time,2.5 hours boil treatment time,4 ℃ placement temperature and last for 24 hours,and the average yield of wheat resistant starch was 7.74%.
In an age where information has become a crucial commodity, accessing appropriate information quickly is essential to economic success. Developing ways of improving information retrieval is therefore of central concern to human factors and technologists alike. One aspect of information access relates to the ability of individual office workers to manage and retrieve their own information effectively, and this is what the present research addresses. Previous work in the area has been dominated by designing computer interfaces for the average user. This research investigates how people's needs might differ according to circumstance and examines a wider range of design possibilities. Specifically it sets out to relate retrieval problems (specific information retrieval rather than e.g. browsing or reminding) to job and individual (personality) differences within the general context of personal information management in offices using traditional technologies of paper, filing cabinets and desks. This is achieved by both extensive fieldwork and the use of simulated filing-retrieval systems in a controlled context. [Continues.]
The invention discloses a permanent-magnet synchronous motor for a duplex-winding inner rotator with a low location torque, relates to the technical field of permanent-magnet synchronous motors and aims at solving the problem that the application range of the permanent-magnet synchronous motor in low-speed performance and high-precision position control is restricted for the reason that the existing permanent-magnet synchronous motor has fixed location torque. A first gap and a second gap are formed among an outer circular surface of a permanent-magnet rotator yoke of the permanent-magnet synchronous motor, inner circular surfaces of a first group of outer stator magnetic poles and inner circular surfaces of a second group of outer stator magnetic poles; the shaft ends at the two sides of the permanent-magnet rotator yoke are rotatably connected with an outer housing by a first bearing and a second bearing respectively, so that the permanent-magnet rotator yoke coaxially rotates relative to the first group of the outer stator magnetic poles and the second group of the outer stator magnetic poles; the first group of the outer stator magnetic poles are mismatched in circumferential phase relative to the second group of the outer stator magnetic poles, wherein the mismatched angle is 10 degrees to 13 degrees. The permanent-magnet synchronous motor for the duplex-winding inner rotator with the low location torque can be used for effectively reducing the fixed location torque of the permanent-magnet synchronous motor by 25%-30% relative to the fixed location torque of the conventional motor; and moreover, the permanent-magnet synchronous motor has the advantage of being low in cost.
Optical encoders include a light receiving element for receiving the light beam reflected by a point light source and the reflective scale, investigating the reflective scale, the reflective scale in a cylindrical shape. The pitch of the reflective scale have the pitch of the interference fringes formed by the light beam reflected by the reflective scale is set to an appropriate value at a position having a predetermined distance so as to match the pitch of the light-receiving element.
To help quality assurance (QA) professionals and clinical practitioners keep up with advances in health care knowledge and technology, we describe a prototype Health Science Information Management (HSIM) publication. We conceptualize HSIM to include: (a) identification of unique science information needs; (b) rapid retrieval of valid needed information; and (c) use the information to improve health care benefits. To more adequately accomplish these functions, we suggest that five specific categories of information will be essential: (1) reports of recent advances in Science Information Management methods; (2) original reports of Science Information Syntheses (SISs) providing information immediately applicable for QA; (3) previously published reports of "classic" SISs relevant to QA; (4) reviews of new technologies and products immediately applicable to quality management; (5) cumulative indexing of the above methods and products. Making the above information available to QA professionals might substantially improve the impact of quality management.
This study aims to determine the effect of simultaneous work stress (job conflict, workload, working time, karaktcristik tasks, support group leadership and influence) on employee performance, 2) determine whether the stress of work (work conflict, workload, working time, the characteristics of tasks, support groups and the influence of leadership) simultaneously positive effect on employee performance, 3) determine whether the stress of work (work conflict, workload, work time, task characteristics, group support and influence leadership) partially significant effect on employee performance. The results of this study indicate that Taken together or simultaneously, six factors or variables that job stress is a factor into the analysis of the research work conflict, workload, work time, task characteristics, support groups, and the influence of leadership , meaningful and significant influence on the performance of employees in South Sulawesi Provincial Election Commission Office. Individually or farsial, six factors or variables that job stress is a factor into the analysis of the research work conflict, workload, work time, task characteristics, support groups, and the influence of leadership, meaningful and significant influence on the performance of employees in the Office of the Provincial Election Commission South Sulawesi.
Vietnam, evaluated by World Bank and UNDP, has one of the most stable political systems coupled with economic growth ranked amongst the highest in the world. Although facing such enormous difficulties as floods, drought, landslides, Bird Flu and sharply increasing prices of fuel, the GDP index of Vietnam has achieved satisfactory results at 7.6 % growth (362,000 billion dong), the highest level in the last 4 years, ranked as the second highest growth figure in South East Asia. In recent years, FDI capital inflows in the real-estate sector have increased strongly and can be compared to those of during the 'golden age' of 1990 - 1991. New regulations have provided many investment incentives to attract more foreign investors.
The invention discloses a conductive band winding type machine core of an indoor purifying fresh air ventilator and a machining method of the conductive band winding type machine core of the indoor purifying fresh air ventilator, and belongs to the technical field of indoor air purification. The conductive band winding type machine core of the indoor purifying fresh air ventilator comprises a machine frame, a winding type conductive band, an electromagnetic field generator and a covering plate, wherein a rib plate is arranged on a ventilation passage inside the machine frame, the winding type conductive band is wound in a strip mode and assembled in the machine frame, and the winding type conductive band is wound clockwise in parallel and is clamped in a clamping groove of the rib plate inside the machine frame. The conductive band winding type machine core of the indoor purifying fresh air ventilator is a single-band-type conductive band winding type machine core or a double-band-type conductive band winding type machine core or a composite-band-type conductive band winding type machine core, the winding interval of the winding type conductive band is 1-20 mm, and the width range of a winding space of the winding type conductive band is 2-190 mm. The conductive band winding type machine core of the indoor purifying fresh air ventilator and the machining method of the conductive band winding type machine core of the indoor purifying fresh air ventilator have the advantages that a winding band type structure is adopted, the length of the electromagnetic field is increased, the purification effect is improved, and ozone gas is not generated; the conductive band winding type machine core of the indoor purifying fresh air ventilator is low in cost and high in work efficiency and is widely used for air purification of an indoor ventilation environment.
In 9 patients with stable angina pectoris of effort the authors studied the relation between the effect of verapamil in single and regular administration and concentration of invariable preparation and its primary metabolites in the blood serum. Antiischemic effect of verapamil was assessed with use of repeated identical and individual loads on treadmill in combination with ECG monitoring before and at the end of treatment. Linear correlation was established between the effect and concentration of verapamil in the blood serum under the conditions of single and regular administration. In long-term use of verapamil the authors noted a significant increase in the action of a single dose caused by verapamil cumulation in the blood serum. During long-term treatment by verapamil a marked effect was recorded in significantly more high concentrations of the preparation in the blood as compared to a single administration. The main primary metabolites of verapamil failed to affect on antianginal effect both in single and regular administration.
Objective:To explore the risk factors,pathogen distribution,clinical features,treatment and prognosis of fungal infection of lung.Methods:50 cases with fungal infection of lung from January 2009 to April 2010 in my hospital who were early experientially treated were retrospectively analyzed.Results:Most of them had predisposing diseases in which COPD,bronchiectasis,tumor and diabetes were major.Long-term use of antibiotics and corticosteroids and hypoalbuminemia were significant risk factors.Candida was ranked as the first pathogen and aspergillus followed it.Early diagnosis and treatment could improve the healing rate of fungus infection of lung.Conclusion:Fungus infection of lung is the secondary infection in many diseases.The clinical features of fungal infection of lung is not specific and the morbidity of it is high.Early diagnosis and treatment are particularly important.
A Salter-Harris type-II fracture of the proximal portion of the right femur in a 2-month-old filly was reduced and stabilized with three 6.5-mm-diameter, 100-mm-long cancellous bone screws through a dorsal approach to the right coxofemoral joint. The screws were removed after 11 months because the filly became lame in the affected limb. The surgical wounds dehisced despite preventive measures, most likely because of tightness of skin in the coxal region. Seven years after the original injury, the horse could perform vigorous paddock exercise without any disability. Early internal fixation of proximal femoral physeal fractures in foals can provide a good long-term prognosis.
This study considers the literature concerning remote employment, how early estimates suggested 30-50% of Americans would be working by the beginning of the 21st century. Surveys of top executives, though positive in outlook, would lead one to predict just over 13% of the population is involved in full-time remote work practices at the end of the last century and decreasing between 2006 and 2008. This paper suggests a technological solution that offers a means of resolving trust and control issues and/or determining the true underlying management dilemmas that might inhibit the growth of daily remote work.
At a time when the development of a common EU immigration policy remains far from a reality, the integration of migrants has been placed at the very top of the EU agenda. In this report we critically assess what integration may involve at the EU and national levels. Although the Council has agreed on a set of common basic principles underlying a coherent European framework on integration, the bulk of directives so far adopted on regular migration have not followed the two-way approach, where both the state and the migrant have a role in successful integration. The way in which integration conditions have been included by the Council of Ministers in these legal measures may be considered restrictive. Looking in particular at Directive 2003/109 on the long-term resident status, member states will have overly wide discretion to ask migrants to comply with mandatory integration requirements. Immigrants will first need to pass an integration test and cover the financial costs of it before having secure access to the benefits and rights conferred by the status of long-term resident. These provisions should hence be revised. Otherwise, by using this restrictive conditionality, such provisions may negatively affect social cohesion and inclusion, and undermine the fundamental rights of immigrants. Integration is by nature an elusive concept. Instead of worrying about the need to conceptualise this term, any policy intending to frame this field should instead look at it as a compendium of processes of inclusion tackling social exclusion. These processes should seek to guarantee equal rights and obligations to those not holding the nationality of the receiving society. Facilitating equality of treatment and full access to a set of economic, political, social and cultural rights and duties should be the real goal pursued.
OLIVIER GOURMEL IRIT, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, France and LOIC BARTHE IRIT, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, France and MARIE-PAULE CANI Laboratoire Jean Kuntzmann, Grenoble Universités, CNRS, INRIA Grenoble, France and BRIAN WYVILL Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria, Canada and ADRIEN BERNHARDT Laboratoire Jean Kuntzmann, Grenoble Universités, CNRS, INRIA Grenoble, France and MATHIAS PAULIN IRIT, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, France and HERBERT GRASBERGER Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria, Canada
The main purpose of the current research was to study the chemical quality of the groundwater in the Gezira area to achieve better management of its water resources. The study was carried out by utilizing the data obtained from recent and historical analyses of more than 1300 of groundwater samples collected from various wells, which were selected to cover the whole area of study. The analyzed data was filtered using the imbalance ratio equation to determine the error in the chemical analysis of each sample. Only a 5% error was considered acceptable. The analyzed data was classified into two distinct classes pertaining to the Nubian and Gezira aquifers. The area of study, which is greater than 26000 km, encompasses the two Niles and is approximately bounded by latitudes 13°-15.6° North and longitudes 32°-34.5° East. Using GIS techniques, estimation models for the chemical constituents of the Gezira groundwater have been conveniently devised. The developed models can be used as primary predictors for estimating the expected values of the chemical constituents of the groundwater pertaining to new locations in the map. The GIS tools were utilized efficiently and a comprehensive map of the Gezira groundwater was produced. The map is composed of all the collected data and the established models of the chemical parameters (Integrated model). The developed integrated map was extended to include also the mapping of groundwater clusters, ionic ratios and saturation indices. The essential chemical parameters of the groundwater were analyzed using conventional statistical methods. The values of the mean concentrations of the total dissolved solids, Sodium, Sulphate, Silica and Chloride ions were higher in the groundwater of the Gezira formation than in the Nubian aquifer. The groundwater of both the Nubian and Gezira aquifers was found to be slightly or moderately alkaline and most of the analyzed chemical parameters were found to lie within the permissible ranges stated by the WHO and Sudanese standards except in the Gezira aquifer where very confined areas were noted to have high levels of salinity. The sources of salinity in the Gezira area were found to be related to the high concentrations of the ions of Ca, Mg, Na, HCO3, and Cl in the Gezira aquifer and Na, HCO3, Mg, SO4 and Cl in the Nubian aquifer. The classification of the Gezira area groundwater was carried out using cluster analysis and the Piper, Durouv and Schoeller diagrams. The main water type and the dominant anion in both the Nubian and Gezira aquifers were found to be (Na-Ca-HCO3) and HCO3, respectively. Factor analysis was employed to study the factors that control the mineralization of the groundwater. The factors for the Gezira aquifer were: (SO4, CaCO3, TDS, Cl, and EC), (alkalinity HCO3), and (Ca, Na, and Mg). The factors for the Nubian aquifer were: (EC, TDS, CaCO3, and SO4), (alkalinity), and (Mg and Ca). Composition diagrams and ionic ratios were used to examine the cation exchange processes, and the hydrogeochemical processes that occur in the groundwater. The dissolution of sulphide minerals, halite and magnesium carbonate minerals has been noted to take place in the Gezira aquifer. The oxidation of sulphide minerals and dissolution of carbonate and dolomite have been identified in the Nubian aquifer. High values of bicarbonate, calcium, and magnesium were obtained close to the Blue Nile and high values of bicarbonate, sodium and potassium were also obtained close to the White Nile, indicating the contribution of the two rivers to the recharge of the groundwater in the Gezira area. The evaporation process in the Gezira and Nubian aquifers is minor as indicated by the low correlation between Na and Cl and as shown from their composition diagrams. The negative ion exchange, where Ca and Mg are replaced by Na in the water is the dominant process in both aquifers. The groundwater in both aquifers has been found undersaturated in terms of anhydrite, CO2, and Gypsum, and oversaturated in terms of Aragonite, Calcite and Dolomite. It is worth mentioning here that the hydrochemical analysis of the groundwater in the Gezira area has yielded similar facies for both the Nubian and Gezira aquifers. This is an indication of interconnection of the two aquifers.
Cross Q1ltural inRuence and 때tural mixture are fundamental proce잃es that underlie many kinds of music throughout history. Yet in much of Asia and Africa in recent decades the mix between indigenous musical practices and those from outside, mostly Western, have intensified. In Korea, these kinds of mixture are genera11y referred to as “fusion" music, a sweeping term under whose umbre11a many disparate styles and practices coexist and interact. Despite its growing presence in Korea, particularly in the last 10-15 years, it has largely escaped the sch이arly 5σutiny of musicologists and sociologists. In choosing to focus on fusion music in this article, 1 hope to raise some new issues and stimulate debate and further scholarly atlention to the growing variety of musical activity in which Korean musicians seek to combine Korean and non-Korean elements. My methodology has involved interviews with some fusion musicians, discussions with Korean music scholars, and, most of a11, extensive listening to recordings that can be considered examples of fusion music. My approach here differs somewhat from the model to which 1 am accustomed.1 Based on my training as an ethnomusicologist,
The purpose of this overview is to demonstrate the new complexities that have been revealed in secretory pathways. It is clear that in some areas (e.g. ATP-driven translocators), mechanisms have been conserved between bacteria and higher eukaryotic cells, while certain new processes involve modified secretory routes (e.g. antigen presentation) which will be restricted to eukaryotic cells. It is generally believed that in the evolution of living systems, the development of membrane-delimited compartments was crucial, and that insertion of proteins into membranes allowed more control of the passage of molecules through the membrane. It has been suggested that the first secretory proteins were in fact membrane bound, and extracellular proteolysis was responsible for the release of the first soluble secretory proteins. If so, it is interesting to note that the process still exists today and Pandiella [259-262] has described how the release of the growth factor transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF alpha) from mammalian cells is a case of regulated surface proteolysis. Finally, it is clear to see that as regards secretory pathways, we should keep an open mind as to which routes are utilized and which are not, and indeed, which routes exist and which do not. It appears that if two secretory organelles exist then some protein will be shown to move between them. Even the cytosol can provide a reservoir for secretory proteins or peptides. Perhaps in time S. S. Rothman will be thought of as the Nostradamus of protein secretion.
We combine relational and attributional similarity for the task of identifying instances of semantic relations, such as PRODUCT-PRODUCER and ORIGINENTITY, between nominals in text. We use no pre-existing lexical resources, thus simulating a realistic real-world situation, where the coverage of any such resource is limited. Instead, we mine the Web to automatically extract patterns (verbs, prepositions and coordinating conjunctions) expressing the relationship between the relation arguments, as well as hypernyms and co-hyponyms of the arguments, which we use in instance-based classifiers. The evaluation on the dataset of SemEval-1 Task 4 shows an improvement over the state-ofthe-art for the case where using manually annotated WordNet senses is not allowed.
The mammographer is the vital link in relaying pertinent patient information to the radiologist at the time of the breast imaging examination or procedure. All relevant breast health history and areas of clinical concern should be documented carefully and precisely in the patient's record. The mammographer also is directly responsible for accurate and timely recording of quality control equipment function tests and the corrective actions taken. This article supplies mammographers with tools to complete effective and consistent documentation as a basis for continuity of patient care.
Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have achieved great success in natural image saliency prediction. The primary goal of this study is to investigate the performance of saliency prediction in CNN and classic models with psychophysical synthetic images under noise perturbation. Is it still as decent as natural images in terms of performance? In the meantime, it can be used to investigate the relationship between CNNs and human vision, mainly low-level vision functions. On the other hand, are CNNs exact replicas of human visual function? This study used CNNs, Fourier, and spectral models inspired by low-level vision systems to investigate saliency prediction on psychophysical synthetic images rather than natural images. According to our findings, saliency prediction models inspired by Fourier and spectral theory outperformed current pre-trained deep neural networks on psychophysical images with noise perturbation. However, psychophysical models were more unstable in noise than pre-trained deep neural networks. Meanwhile, we suggested that investigating CNNs with psychophysical methods could benefit visual neuroscience and artificial neural network studies.
Java Layers extends the Java programming language by implementing a software component model based on layer composition. Each layer implements a single design feature and may contain code that crosscuts multiple classes. Layer composition enables large software applications to be constructed in a more modular way, and with a higher level of semantic checking, than is typically achieved using current programming techniques such as object-oriented frameworks. This paper describes the Java Layers language extension.
It is high time for the Corporate Law to be revised,because of its deficiency and shortcomings.The revision and perfection of the Corporate Law aims to help enterprises to improve their competitiveness,reduce their starting cost,give emphasis on the stock limited company and promote the corporate governance structure .Making the best of the WTO rules and foreign legislation and experience in practice,we can protect the accordance of the corporate law system.
Cardiovascular diseases from the primary death causes worldwide. Doxorubicin (DOXO) consider one from the most widely and potent anticancer drugs. Free radicals are responsible for cardiotoxicity induced by DOXO. Hawthorn leaf has potent antioxidant, anti-cardiac remodeling, vasodilating, anti-inflammatory and anti-reperfusion/ischemia injury. The current work was aimed to investigate the possible action of hawthorn leaves methanolic extract (HLME) on the damage effects of DOXO in heart tissue. Adult male rats (n=40) were equally divided into 4 groups; Control (Con), DOXO, HLME and HLME+ DOXO groups. The HLME (400 mg/kg) was administrated for 3 weeks before intraperitoneal (i.p) injection with DOXO (20 mg /kg, single dose). Serum cardiac function enzymes, cardiac antioxidant biomarkers and serum inflammatory biomarkers were determined. As well as the cardiac muscle in all groups were histopathologically examined. Pre-treatment with HLME significantly lowered the elevated serum cardiac function activities and inflammatory cytokine biomarkers, as well as ameliorated cardiac antioxidant biomarkers via decreasing oxidative stress and increasing antioxidant status. The histopathological examination of cardiac muscle tissue confirmed these results. Therefore, the HLME has cardio protection effect against DOXO induced cardiotoxicity in rats, this effect could be explained via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
BACKGROUND Risk factors associated with persistent pain after breast cancer treatment are needed to develop prevention and treatment strategies to improve the quality of life for patients with breast cancer.   OBJECTIVES To identify factors associated with persistent pain in women undergoing breast cancer treatments.   STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study.   SETTING Regional hospital in the Netherlands.   METHODS The primary outcome was pain associated with surgery at more than 6 months postoperatively and patients were stratified based on the associated visual analog" scale score they reported: reporting no pain as "no pain," pain 1 - 29 mm as "mild pain," and pain 30 - 100 mm as "moderate/severe pain." Secondary outcomes were function, symptom, and total quality of life scores. Predefined risk factors analyzed for association with outcomes included: age, smoking status, diabetes, body mass index (BMI), disease stage, surgery type, axillary lymph node dissection, reoperation, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone therapy.   RESULTS Of the 718 patients who were approached, 492 were included (follow-up 2.5 ± 1.8 years). Thirty-five percent of patients developed persistent pain (n = 122 "mild pain," n = 53 "moderate/severe pain'"). Age, BMI, surgery type, axillary lymph node dissection, disease stage, reoperation, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy were identified as potential risk factors in univariate ordinal regression analyses (P < 0.10). Age (P < 0.01) and BMI (P = 0.04) remained independently predictive in the multivariate model. BMI and age were associated with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.04 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 1.00 - 1.08) and 0.97 (95% CI: 0.95 - 0.99), respectively per point and year increase. BMI was associated with a higher symptom score (r = 0.14, P < 0.01), a lower level of function (r = -0.11, P = 0.01), and lower total quality of life scores (r = -0.13, P < 0.01).   LIMITATIONS The retrospective nature of this study makes it prone to response and misclassification bias.   CONCLUSIONS BMI and age may be risk factors for persistent postoperative pain after breast cancer treatment.   KEY WORDS Persistent postsurgical pain, breast cancer treatment, BMI, age, chronic postoperative pain, breast cancer surgery.
For image synthesis in computer graphics, two major approaches for representing a surface's appearance are texture mapping, which provides spatial detail, such as wallpaper, or wood grain; and the 4D bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) which provides angular detail, telling how light reflects off surfaces. I combine these two modes of variation to form the 6D spatial bi-directional reflectance distribution function (SBRDF). My compact SBRDF representation simply stores BRDF coefficients at each pixel of a map. I propose SBRDFs as a surface appearance representation for computer graphics and present a complete system for their use.  I acquire SBRDFs of real surfaces using a device that simultaneously measures the BRDF of every point on a material. The system has the novel ability to measure anisotropy (direction of threads, scratches, or grain) uniquely at each surface point. I fit BRDF parameters using an efficient nonlinear optimization approach specific to BRDFs.  SBRDFs can be rendered using graphics hardware. My approach yields significantly more detailed, general surface appearance than existing techniques for a competitive rendering cost. I also propose an SBRDF rendering method for global illumination using prefiltered environment maps. This improves on existing prefiltered environment map techniques by decoupling the BRDF from the environment maps, so a single set of maps may be used to illuminate the unique BRDFs at each surface point.  I demonstrate my results using measured surfaces including gilded wallpaper, plant leaves, upholstery fabrics, wrinkled gift-wrapping paper and glossy book covers.
Rating: Mature Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: M/M Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Relationship: Keith/Lance (Voltron), Keith & Lance (Voltron) Character: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron), Coran (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Pidge (Voltron) Additional Tags: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Mutual Pining, Pining Keith (Voltron), Friends With Benefits, Fuckbuddies, Friends to Lovers, Basketball, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance is charming, Lance (Voltron) is a Dork, Spanish Lance (Voltron), Smut, Fluff and Smut, The fall in love eventually, Rich Keith, POV Keith (Voltron), Keith has a lot of money, Lance in sleeveless hoodies, Lance playing basketball, i dont know what im doing, They are older, please dont hate me Collections: I've got you, The Best, Best of Klance, I love these fics with all my heart , Smut. Pure Filth., The Klance Fanfic Survey Fics, klanceforthelongrun Stats: Published: 2017-07-12 Completed: 2018-01-15 Chapters: 14/14 Words: 117792
Constrained minimally-invasive surgical environments create a number of challenges for the surgeon and for automated tools designed to aid in the performance and analysis of complex procedures. The 3D reconstruction of the operative field opens up a number of possibilities for immersive presentation, automated analysis, and post-operative evaluation of surgical procedures. This paper presents a method for estimating complete 3D information about scope and instrument positioning from monocular imagery. These measurements can be used as the basis for deriving and presenting additional cues during procedures, and can also be used for post-procedure analysis such as objective estimates of high-level performance measures like economy of motion and ergonomic metrics.
Since 2014 in Korea ocean dumping was banned, and the treatment of organic waste on land emerged as one of the social problems. The pretreatment methods for anaerobic digestion such as ultrasonication, heat, acid, and base has been widely used to enhance solubilization and methane production. Ultrasonication studies were conducted to evaluate characteristics and solubilization of food waste (FW) and sewage sludge waste (SW) in three experimental parameters: ultrasonication time (min), power density (W/mL), and mixing ratio (% FW/SW). There was no significant change in TCOD, TS, and VS after ultrasonication, while SCOD was increased by an average of 12.9 %. It was because ultrasonic pretreatment allowed to solubilize the particulate matter. The highest SCOD increase rate of 26.1 % and the maximum SCOD increase of 5,589 mg/L was observed in the case 7 (10 min, 1.0 W/mL, 0 % FW/SW) and case 14 (16 min, 1.6 W/mL, 83 % FW/SW), respectively. The average solubilization rate was 19.0 %, and the highest solubilization rate of 37.5 % was achieved in the case 15 (19 min, 1.0 W/mL, 50 % FW/SW). The solubilization rate was increased with increasing ultrasonication time and mixing ratio. Food waste is expected to be effectively treated by the anaerobic digestion combined ultrasonic pretreatment.
A field experiment was conducted during 2014-2015 to study the effect of planting density and N levels in zero till sorghum in randomized block design with factorial concept and was replicated thrice. The treatments comprised three planting densities viz S1 (3.33 lakh plants/ha), S2 (2.22 lakh plants/ha) and S3 (1.66 lakh plants/ha) allotted to factor-A and four nitrogen levels viz N0 (0 kg/ha), N1 (50 kg/ha), N2 (100 kg/ha) and N3 (150 kg/ha) allotted to factor-B. Maximum grain yield of sorghum and the economic returns were obtained at a plant density of 2.22 lakh plants/ha with the application of 150 kg N/ha. Maximum net balance of nitrogen was recorded with increased nitrogen and spacing. The application of 150 kg N/ha with a plant density of 2.22 lakh plants/ha gave the highest net returns (Rs 64921) and B:C ratio (2.74).
The concept of program invariant is described combined with java modeling language in this paper.The important role of program invariant in the software quality is showed with the technology of static analyzing and dynamical analyzing.In this paper two kinds of tools of detecting program invariant with the name Daikon and Diduce are introduced separately.The main functions of Daikon and Diduce are explicated and the invariants detecting processes are showed.The common characters of the invariants detecting tools are summarized.Based on the common features,the theory model of invariants detecting is expressed in detail.At last,the main problems of Daikon and Diduce are analyzed.
In treating of municipal wastewater,a experiment was carried out to study the influent parameters for nitrogen and phosphorus removal by the Anaerobic/ aerobic /Oxic MBR.The results show that: the removal rate of TN、TP、NH3-N is above 80%、90%、95%,and the effluent quality meets the standard of the Reuse of Urban Recycling water-water Quality Standard for Urban Miscellaneous Water Consumption(GB/T18920—2002).
A fast and convenient soil analytical technique is the basis of precision soil fertilization in lychee orchard. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of near infrared spectroscopic(NIR)technique to predict soil Cation Exchange Capacity(CEC),exchangeable K(EK),exchangeable Ca(ECa) and exchangeable Mg(EMg)contents of lychee orchard. 15 soil samples were collected within the dropline of lychee canopy of different lychee orchards in Northern Guangzhou during the period of the flower bud differentiation. Near-infrared spectra and the concentrations of soil properties were analyzed respectively. Calibrations models of the above-mentioned properties were developed based on stepwise multiple linear regression(SMLR)and partial least squares regression(PLSR)methods using the first derivatives of optical density [log 1/R)] for the spectral range from 1000 to 2500 nm. The cross-validation was used to validate the prediction accuracy of the estimation models. The results showed that the first difference of spectra could bring about better calibration than original spectra. CEC content was successfully predicted by NIR spectroscopy( =0.96; =0.92;RMSECV=0.50;the ratio of prediction to deviation RPD=3.69). And the most sensitive wavebands were located at 1897,2168 and 2410 nm. The prediction for ECa came second( =0.86; =0.77;RMSECV=1.32;RPD=2.13)with three wavebands at 2390,1931 and 1408 nm. The prediction model for K(R2c=0.80; =0.62;RMSECV=0.13;RPD=1.63)and Mg( =0.77; =0.69;RMSECV=0.58;RPD=1.81)were less accurate than the other two parameters with the wavebands at 1347,1272,1931 nm and 1638,1555 nm,respectively. Generally speaking,after wavelength selection by the optimum correlation,the prediction models obtained by the NIR spectroscopic data at 2-3 wavelengths could predict the CEC and Ca contents of soil samples collected within the dropline of lychee canopy. The prediction models of K and Mg were considered possible to make quantitative prediction. The above results would make sense to the detection of soil nutrients fast and conveniently and the practice of precision fertilization of lychee orchard.
Objective To analyse the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and its gene polymorphism in old patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and its clinical significance.Methods The plasma levels of TNF and its gene polymorphism in 40 patients with CHD were measured by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sandwich enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and 30 healthy subjects were used as the control.Results The frequency of TNF gene polymorphism in CHD group was not different significantly from that in the control group,but the level of plasma TNF in CHD patients was markedly higher than that in control.Conclusions TNF gene polymorphism may be not a correlative gene of essential CHD.Neither TNFA nor TNFB gene polymorphism is related to the elevation of plasma TNF a level.Thus,other factor may be more important in CHD.
A wide spectrum of “real world” problems, such as vehicle routing, machine and crew scheduling, facility location, portfolio analysis, electricity generation planning, and communication and transportation network design, demands the use of combinatorial optimization methods. By a combinatorial optimization problem, we mean a program where a linear or nonlinear objective function must be optimized satisfying a finite set of (linear or nonlinear) constraints where some, or all, variables are required to be integer.
The authors analyse the recent 15 years' results of treatment of 51 patients with generalized myasthenia who underwent operation in the clinic for various surgical diseases. Forty-three of them had a history of operation on the thymus. The specific features of preoperative management, anesthesia, and postoperative treatment in this serious category of patients are discussed. It is concluded that it is expedient to hospitalize these patients in special surgical hospitals possessing experience in the treatment of patients with generalized myasthenia and the possibility of conducting long-term ventilation of the lungs and other measures of resuscitation.
One the problem of transformers is either an overload. If the overload is constantly ignored, it can cause the temperature in transformers to rise and cause the life of transformers to become less and the power that is channeled to shrink.  Based on these conditions, it would make this final task as an example of a transformer’s overload (an alert system) with a 500 Watt data based microcontroller atmega328. Displays of the system use transformers simulation object of 3 stop contact as fasa arae R, S, and, T, while transformers belated simulation object use an alumunium plate furnised with the peltier element as heat producer. Displays of the system use transformer load output of household electronics, including: electrical stove, rice cooker, hair dryer, and iron. The system’s display consists if hardware designs (microcontroller ATMega328, ACS712 sensor, thermokopel sensor, peltier, relay, exhaust fan, LCD, and GSM  SIM900) and software (Arduino IDE). The ACS712 sensor test results have an averaged frequency R, S, and T are 3,59%, 4%, and 4,1%, while thermocouple sensor result have an averaged error is 1,69%. Test results show that if a transformers was detected to overload, the system could transmit an early  overload alert of Short Massage Service (SMS, the time of the average delivery of 11,01 seconds. Furthermore, if the object of a transformers simulation has a temperature rise and has reached a designated nominal parameters, an exhaust fan can work automatically
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of scientific discussions based on student-constructed preand post-laboratory concept maps on students’ attitudes toward chemistry laboratory in the university general chemistry. As part of instruction, during the first four laboratory sessions, students were taught how to construct and objectively score concept maps using a scoring scheme with a symbol system. Then, students were required personally to construct a map prior (pre) and after (post) each of the five laboratory experiments. Concept mapping was used as a tool to carry out the scientific discussions about chemical concepts involved in general chemistry laboratory experiments between instructors and students, and among students. In the experimental group, students (N=45) performed their general chemistry laboratory experiments using individual, small and large group discussions based on preand postlaboratory concept maps, whereas the control group students (N=46) performed their laboratory investigations using traditional approaches. A questionnaire of attitudes toward chemistry laboratory (QATCL) developed by the researchers was administrated to both groups to determine the pre-existing differences between the two groups as a pre-test. At the end of the study, QATCL was re-administered to all of the students in both groups to analyze the effect of the intervention on students’ attitudes toward chemistry laboratory. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The statistical results of the QATCL post-test scores showed that there was a significant difference favoring the experimental group. Hence, it is concluded that scientific discussions founded on preand post-laboratory concept maps are more effective in improving students’ attitudes toward chemistry laboratory than traditional teaching. * Poster presented at 18 International Conference on Chemical Education “Chemistry Education for the Modern World”, Istanbul, TURKEY, 2004.
In this talk we want to present a novel global parameterization scheme for points on a CAD geometry. This algorithm can then be used to compute mesh deformations for changes of the underlying geometry. The creation of structured meshes is a time-consuming trial and error process, which is not suitable for e.g. automatic optimization. Particularly gradient based optimization often performs only small changes of the design variables, which should result in only slightly different meshes. Therefore, methods are required that deform an initial mesh based on the change of the initial geometry. Here, we present a projection method that computes a bijective mapping between a point in space and its global parameterization with respect to the trimmed NURBS based CAD geometry. After a geometry change, the parameterized points can be back-projected into 3D space which eventually yields the deformed mesh.    Providing support for trimmed NURBS geometries is particularly challenging, as their surface parameters u;v mighty be valid only in a non-rectangular trimming region. This region however varies on geometry changes, which would lead to a loss of mesh points, if this is not properly handled. To overcome this issue, we reparametrize the trimming region such that the domain of some new parameters u0;v0 is rectangular. Our projection algorithm is separated into three different problems: first – finding the face a mesh point belongs; second – reparametrize the face to get a bijective mapping; third – project the point onto the reparametrized surface. The first and third problem are comparable simple and can be performed using standard CAD algorithms. For the reparameterization problem, we provide a method that converts the 2d trimming domain of the NURBS into a series of two-dimensional untrimmed patches. This is done by first subdividing the original NURBS face into multiple faces. Then, we identify or create four boundary curves for each of these sub-faces. The four boundary curves are finally used to create a reparameterization patch e.g. using the Coons method. The projection of a point leads only to a unique solution, if the reparameterization patch is invertible. We check invertibility of the patch, by separating the patch into rational Bezier spline surfaces and check that their Jacobian determinant is larger than 0. This strategy allows a large range of different face types, including faces with holes and faces with more or less than four boundary curves. The back-projection method is analogous, and also requires the creation of the reparameterization surfaces. This algorithm is implemented in a C++ based library, which utilizes the CAD functionality of the Open CASCADE framework. The library is designed to be used on computing clusters by providing functions for the serialization and deserialization of the geometry. This enables the parallelized projection and back-projection of large computation meshes with millions of points to reduce the computational runtime. Since this algorithm only works for small geometry changes - i.e. for geometries with the same topology - we also added functions to compare and store the topology of two CAD objects.      Our method is currently used within a DLR-internal project to enable a large scale gradient based optimization of an aircraft. In our work flow, the software TiGL converts the parametric aircraft description into a CAD representation. The initial structured mesh is created with a commercial mesh generator. In the subsequent iterations of the optimization, the mesh is deformed using the presented method. Details to the robustness of this algorithm and its computational performance will be presented at the talk.
Blow tube (7) in printing machines for the cyclic blowing a Blasluftstrahles (8) on the conveyed sheet (9), wherein a) the blow tube (7) is disposed across the width of the sheet conveying path, b) (on the blowpipe 7) on the sheet (9) facing the nozzle (10) is provided, c) is connected to the blow pipe (7) via a valve (17) to an air generator (11), d) the blow tube (7) is formed in the interior (as volume vessel 12), e) in volume vessel (12) constantly abuts an overpressure and f) (the blowpipe 7) is a cyclically adjustable locking element (13) with openings (14) movably associated with g) the nozzle (10) having air supplying openings (14) in the blocking element (13) are arranged in the immediate vicinity of the nozzle (10).
The flash memory device including fuse is provided to prevent the adjacent fuse from being not damaged due to expansion and break of fuse by arranging the fuses between the interlayer insulating layers. The flash memory device comprises the cell array region(C), the semiconductor substrate(100), and the first and second fuses(156, 170). The cell array region has the selection transistors and the memory cell transistors. The semiconductor substrate has the peripheral circuit region(P) in which the driver circuit for operating selection transistors and the memory cell transistor is arranged. The first and the second fuse are arranged and adjacent in the peripheral circuit region. The first fuse and the second fuse are arranged in the respective layer in order to have the step height about the adjacent fuse.
Digital blood flow was assessed by photoplethysmography, ultrasonic arterial flow tracing and measurement of systolic blood pressure, and compared to nailfold capillary microscopy in 20 normal controls, 16 patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon, 40 with undifferentiated connective tissue disease and 30 with systemic sclerosis. All 4 measurements showed significant differences between controls, Raynaud's phenomenon and systemic sclerosis but only capillaroscopy (mean number of enlarged capillary loops and avascular score) was able to differentiate between primary Raynauds and undifferentiated connective tissue disease. Capillaroscopy (mean numbers of enlarged capillary loops) was the most sensitive (100%) and specific (81%) test with a positive predictive value of 90% for systemic sclerosis.
The original description of M-mode echocardiography in 1953, by Inge Edler (1911-2001) and his physicist friend Hellmuth Hertz, marked the beginning of a new diagnostic noninvasive technique. Edler used this technique primarily for the preoperative study of mitral stenosis and diagnosis of mitral regurgitation. His work was carried forward by cardiologists all over the world, who developed Doppler, 2-dimensional, contrast, and transesophageal echocardiography. These are now standard in cardiologic examinations. Edler also influenced neurologists and obstetricians at Lund University (Sweden) to use ultrasound in their fields. For his landmark discovery, Edler is recognized as the "Father of Echocardiography."
The invention relates to a metal collar for connection to a hose under pressure. According to the invention, the collar comprises a cylindrical metal sleeve (37) which defines an axis, the annular grooves (40) formed in the outer surface of the sleeve and a corresponding number of annular beads (41) which are formed face to the grooves on the inner surface, each of the beads and grooves defining a number of circumferentially spaced interruptions. The invention is particularly applicable to flexible hoses for water or compressed air.
The developmental process of forest tourism in China is summarized,and nowadays forest park,scenic resort,nature reserve and botanic garden are the main carriers of forest tourism industry.Forest tourism industry has already obtained huge social and economic benefit for over 20 years.The paper sums the problems up existed in the tourism development concerning multi-grade management,excessive exploitation,unbalanced benefit allocation,not enough depth in development.And then it analyzes the developmental tendency of forest tourism industry in the future.
Traditionally, children with autism have not been addressed as a marketable audience for extra curricular activities such as day camps. This is understandable since there is a conflict in the definitions of autism and camps. (Autism is defined by atypical patterns of social interaction, while camps are defined by social interaction.) The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the behaviors of children with autism in a camp setting as compared with a classroom setting, define the characteristics of a camp setting for children with autism, and determine why the parents of these children chose to send their children to camp. The questions that framed the study were what is the behavior of children with autistic spectrum disorder in a camp setting designed for children with autism as compared with a classroom setting, how do children with autism interact with each other in a camp setting, how are camp settings different from classroom settings for children with autism, and why do parents of children with autism choose to send their children to camps. Data were collected from sources including the observation of three children in camp and classroom settings, an interview with the parents of the children, an examination of the children's educational records and a comparison of camp and classroom curricula. Analysis of the data included categorizing the units of meaning recognized from the observations into themes. The analysis revealed that the behavior of the children did not differ significantly between the environments, although the physical settings and the curricula were different and that these children with autism, a developmental disability defined in terms of socialization, were social. An analysis of the parent interview identified four categories within the data including why parents send their children to camp, parental perceptions about camp, perceived differences in the
Propulsion, auxiliary, and electric machinery developments for surface combatants are surveyed---overall system characteristics are covered to permit a broad coverage of related activities. Prime movers in both propulsion and ship service sizes are discussed. All will demonstrate improved economy, especially at part power, and increased attention to thermal and acoustic signatures. Gas turbines are the source of propulsion power, but diesels join turbines in ship service application. Electric drives may be selected where machinery is widely separated or geometries are restrictive. Reversing motors or reversing gears will provide backing power without the inefficiencies of controllable--pitch (CP) propellers. Transmission component improvements, including surface-hardened gears and composite shafts, will increase power density. Shaftline elements compatible with contrarotating propellers may lead to significantly increased propulsive coefficients. Auxiliary machinery developments are driven by the need to improve performance in smaller, simpler packages with lower acquisition and operating costs. This encourages the development and adaption of new materials and design approaches such as composite structures, rotary screw pump and compressor arrangements, variable speed or geometry units, and molecular sieves and membrane separation for gas and fresh-water production. Ventilation system requirements will be expanded and integrated with the new demands of collective protection. The ship's service generation and distribution system will reflect the increasingly nonlinear character of electric loads. Developments will emphasize power quality and continuity in system arrangements which promote both survivability and energy efficiency. Propulsion-derived ship's service, uninterruptible power at the system and component levels, and variable-speed auxiliary motor drives reflect these thrusts.
Dialogism is one of the essential features of oratory speech. Russian, European and American rhetorical circles have already realized the importance of the study of dialogism but their viewpoints differ a lot. In order to discover the essence of dialogism, we should try to find out the source of dialogic thinking in the study of oratory speech as well as referring to some ideas from philosophy, especially those dialogism theories by Bakhtin. Only by absorbing various ideas can we have a complete and scientific analysis and definition of dialogism in oratory speech.
This paper describes the design of a multistandard video encoder. The proposed encoder accepts conventional NTSC/PAL video signals. It also processes the PAL-plus video signal which is now popular in Europe. The encoder consists of five major building functions which are letter-box convener, color space converter, digital filters, color modulator, and timing generator. In order to support multistandard video signals, a programmable systolic architecture is adopted in designing various digital filters. Interpolation digital filters are also used to enhance signal-to-noise ratio of encoded video signals. The input to the encoder can be either YCbCr signal or RGB signal. The outputs are luminance(Y), chrominance(C), and composite video baseband(Y+C) signals. The architecture of the encoder is defined by using Matlab program and is modelled by using Verilog-HDL language. The overall operation is verified by using various video signals, such as color bar patterns, ramp signals, and so on The encoder contains 42K gates and is implemented by using 0.6um CMOS process.
Given an undirected graph G or hypergraph H model for a given set of variables V, we introduce two marginalization operators for obtaining the undirected graph GA or hypergraph HA associated with a given subset A ⊂ V such that the marginal distribution of A factorizes according to GA or HA, respectively. Finally, we illustrate the method by its application to some practical examples. With them we show that hypergraph models allow defining a finer factorization or performing a more precise conditional independence analysis than undirected graph models.
Through monitoring content of lead and cadmium in foods of six cities in Jilin Province, situation of lead and cadmium pollution and their possible sources was realized. Pb and Cd contents in foods were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry after pre-treatment according to national standard method. 917 samples of 13 kinds of foodstuffs were monitored during the period from 2001 to 2004. it was found that Pb in 9.49% of samples and Cd in 6.24% of samples were over standard. Results showed that pollution of lead and cadmium in Jilin not very serious during that period. However, lead and cadmium detected in all kinds of foodstuffs suggest accumulation and potential harmful impact on human health may be existing.
The objective of this work was to verify and evaluate the emission and exposure limits of electromagnetic field - EMF generated by microwave ovens, according to established by the International Electrotechnical Commission - IEC and according it set in benchmarks in the Recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation - ICNIRP. This work was developed on sample of 30 household microwave ovens from different manufacturers, located in various faculties of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos – UNMSM, the 2011. After studying of the literature on the health effects related the CEM of the microwave ovens, measurements were performed of electric and magnetic fields with frequency value of 60 Hz and radiofrequency electric fields 2.4 GHz emitted by microwave ovens, the results were compared with national and international standards. The measured values obtained in all cases tested showed that remain within regulated emission and exposure internationally.
Motivated by scanning tunnelling microscopy experiments on AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = Cs, Rb, K) that revealed periodic real-space modulation of electronic states at low energies, I show using model calculations that a tripple-$ bf Q$ chiral pair density wave (CPDW) is generated in the superconducting state by a charge order of $2a !  times  !2a$ superlattice periodicity, intertwined with a time-reversal symmetry breaking orbital loop current. The CPDW correlation survives even when the long-range superconducting phase coherence is diminished by a magnetic field or temperature. The superconducting critical field is enhanced beyond the Chandrasekhar-Clogston limit, pointing to a rare quantum state above the superconducting transition. The presented results suggest that the CPDW can be regarded as the origin of the pseudogap observed near the superconducting transition.
The investigation research indicated that the temperature of 15℃ during Mar.～May,and the relative humidity of 70% and more were the suitable climate conditions of plum tree gummosis occurrence;the disease occurred seriously with moist fruit garden and extensive management.The temperature and humidity may be taken as the important reference indexes of forcasting the occurrence degree of the disease in this year
Anja Zimmermann Media and Metaphors of Black-and-white. History, Gender and Visual Politics in the Work of Kara Walker, Cindy Sherman, and Zwelethu Mthethwa Artistic techniques of black-and-white are loaded with cultural meaning. In part referring to color and contrast, black-and-white also always connotes racial difference. The article explores this intertwined relationship of certain artistic strategies and their cultural effects. Concentrating on the work of the American artist Kara Walker, who uses silhouettes in her work, the aim is to show how this and other related techniques are used to thwart prevailing notions of gender and race. Having created a fiercely debated body of work that has been called sexist and racist by a number of critics, Kara Walker is an example of the ambiguous effects of invoking pertinent stereotypes. Another focal point is the possible consequences for analyzing artwork that does not overtly deal with race but which nevertheless – e.g. by using black-and-white techniques –should be read in this context. Cindy Sherman is a case in point, as her work deals with representations of white femininity, but was received merely as a comment on postmodern debates about gender.
The function of the nasal muscles in rhinoplasty has not been investigated sufficiently. On this reason electromyographical and neuromyographical investigations were done in a group of rhinoplastics before and immediately after surgery but also at least 8 weeks later on. By performing a conservative technique the initial disturbance of the muscles immediately after surgery disappears in a high percentage and voluntarily movements of the nasal muscles can be observed. Different results are discussed.
Among the emerging breakthroughs for future wireless communications, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) has attracted a lot of interest. To harvest its potential, however, accurate channel state information (CSI) is required at the base station. Unfortunately, the accurate CSI is hard to be obtained when Doppler spread occurs. The mismatch between the precoder and the actual channel causes the signal to be phase-shifted, and the interuser interference arises. To overcome this problem, we propose a power allocation technique based on the predicted interference level of all users. First, we extract the Doppler shift information from the pilots sent by the mobile station (MS) to create predicted channel matrix. Based on this matrix, we conduct a recursive power allocation to minimize the interuser interference at the MSs. Computer simulation shows that our proposed technique enables the time varying massive MIMO transmission even when the precoder matrix is not frequently updated.
The study develops a framework to find out the investment opportunities for the real estate business in the region of Delhi NCR. Using analytical hierarchy process, we find the factors that affect the real estate business are number of projects launch, increased demand of residential units and the influence of the governmental policies. Besides, the study also prioritizes the different sub regions of Delhi NCR in terms of real estate market growth. On the policy front, the study can bring immense opportunities to the investors/buyers by providing them an in-depth analysis of each sub region corresponding to their specific investment opportunity.
As parents today strive for balance between family and career, the Internet has emerged as one of the most effective and efficient ways for them to engage in their child's educational progress from the home or office. But, many parents are unaware of the tremendous value the Internet can offer in terms of the development of their child's education. Teachers and parents are recognizing the value of technology. They are also becoming more comfortable integrating the Internet and technology into classroom and home activities. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Commerce says that 90 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 now use computers at home and at school. However, teachers and parents are not using this medium to communicate with one another. According to the Milken Exchange on Education Technology, part of the Milken Family Foundation, only 12 percent of U.S. elementary and middle school teachers report using the World Wide Web to communicate with parents. As teachers and parents work together to assist students in their studies, the Web has emerged as a highly effective and informative communication tool to meet the needs of today's busy teachers and parents. A technologically savvy parent is of great benefit to a teacher and can be a critical component to a child's educational success. Parental involvement in schools improves student achievement, school programs and the learning environment as a whole. According to a 2001 report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, kids today are online more than ever, with 41 percent of online teens saying they use e-mail and instant messaging (IMing) to contact fellow classmates about schoolwork. There is no better way to encourage a child's growth and development than by parents and teachers working together to meet a student's educational needs. Together, teachers and parents can improve school-home communications by tracking a student's progress via the Internet. With the onset of technology, parents can occupy a virtual seat in the classroom to participate in their child's day-to-day education, which is a significant step toward achieving the aforementioned goals. Wired Parents Assume that your students' parents have varied skill levels. Some may have access to computers at home, the office or both, while others will have to use the resources at the local library or community center. For parents without Internet access, you should have a list of available computer resources on hand so they know where they can get online, preferably at no cost. The following tips have proven useful in helping to educate and inform parents on how to use the Internet: * Ask your PTA to set up a "family night" on computers, technology and the Internet to help educate parents, and teach them how to use the Internet to become more involved with their child's studies. * Encourage parents to look into sites that offer services for parents. For example, the Learning Network (www.learningnetwork.com) offers a "What Works" section on technology, discussions about Internet safety and guidelines for parents using the Internet as an educational source. This will allow those who are new to the Internet to learn basic skills, while allowing those tech-savvy parents to explore the latest in online education. * Invite parents to participate in a technology-planning group at school. Get them involved in the planning and implementation of your technology plan. Allow parents to offer insight on how best to incorporate the Web into classrooms, and keep them posted on any upgrades or changes in the curriculum. Power to the Parents Once parents are brought up to speed, there are ways in which teachers can encourage parents to maximize their role in their child's education by using the Internet, including: Supporting the use of e-mail and IMing as a means of communication. …
Objective: To construct a RNAi expression vector aimed at human Nuclear factor E2 p45-related factor 2(Nrf2) gene and it to study the chemoprevention for colon cancer.Methods:Two sequences targeting the ORF of Nrf2 were cloned into the RNA polymerase III based expression vector pSUPER.These recombinants were transfected into HT-29 cells.Fluorescence microscope and flow cytometry were used to determine the lipfectin transfection efficiency after being transfected with pEGFP-N1 plasmids.The stable cells were selected in medium 48hours after pEGFP-N1co-transfected with G418.The expression of Nrf2 was assayed using RT-PCR and Western blotting.RT-PCR analysis of UGT1A mRNA was performed on the stable cells.Results:The construction of the recombinant expression vector pSUPER-Nrf2-A1,B1 and its control vector pSUPER-Nrf2-A2,B2 was successfully confirmed by the results of enzyme digestion,electrophoresis and sequencing.The transfection efficiency was 30%～75%.The ability of these vectors inhibiting Nrf2 in a transient and stable expression experiment in HT-29 cells was compared.(Importantly,) pSUPER-Nrf2-B1 was able to significantly knockdown Nrf2 expression. pSUPER-Nrf2-A1 only had a moderate activity,whereas pSUPER-Nrf2-A2,B2 were inactive in this assay.Moreover,activities of UGT1A was reduced by 20%～30% in the stable cells transfected with pSUPER-Nrf2-A1,B1 vector.Conclusion:siRNA expression mediated by the pSUPER vector causes efficient,stable,and specific down-regulation of Nrf2 gene expression,suggesting the suppression of Nrf2 gene expression results in down-regulation of the constructive expression of UGT1A gene.
This paper intends to suggest a new methodology of studying poetic images. In a formalistic view, studying poetry means investigating formal features in the text, such as metaphors, tones, structures, irony, etc. On the other hand, there is a tendency to research poems to get some social and historical informations, as in cultural studies and social system researches. However, these two ways of viewing poetry are not mutually exclusive. This paper strongly argues that a poetic image can be a clue to make those two views meet. That’s why a new methodology of studying poetic image is to be developed. As Georges Didi-Huberman said, the way how we imagine determines basic conditions of politics. Likewise, poetic images are both specific and general, both individual and social. To make a new suggestion, this paper examines various studies on images. Especially, the iconological approach established by Aby Warburg and Erwin Panofsky is closely examined in this paper. W.J.T. Mitchell’s iconology, which gives a helpful idea of ‘text-image’ is also reviewed with an importance. Consequently, this paper suggests a new methodology of studying poetic images.
The focus of this panel is on transnational mobility as a key component of contemporary forms of higher education internationalization. Transnational mobilities within the context of higher education include student mobility (e.g. study abroad, international student learning), academic mobility (e.g. teaching abroad and international research partnerships); program and provider mobility (e.g. branch campuses, dual-degree programs). This panel brings together scholars who have conducted empirical research on the internationalization of higher education that address these forms of transnational mobility. Specifically, panelists will present their research on student and academic/faculty mobility, as well as program mobility. Panelists bring a critical lens to their research, drawing upon a variety of post-foundational theories influenced by the work of critical policy scholars (e.g. Ball, Rizvi, Lingard), and other theorists such as Foucault, (discourse theory) Bourdieu (cultural and social capital), Ong (cultural anthropology) and Urry (mobilities theory) in order to problematize the implications of pressures that students, faculty and staff face to engage in transnational mobile practices.
Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) is a process that is being used in industry for sheet joining purposes especially in the Automobile and Aerospace industry. The problems associated with RSW are tendency of alloying with the electrode resulting in increased tool wear, and subsequent deterioration of weld quality. More current and time lead to expulsion and over heating of the electrode affecting the weld quality and less value result in insufficient weld strength. The complicated behavior of this process must be analyzed to set the optimum parameters to get good quality weld. This paper presents an experimental investigation for optimization of Tensile Shear (T-S) strength of RSW for Galvanized steel by using Taguchi method. RSW of galvanized steel is always difficult due to tendency of zinc coating alloying with electrode. The experimental studies were conducted under varying welding current, welding time, electrode diameter and electrode force. Taguchi quality design concepts of L27 orthogonal array has been used to determine Strength to Noise(S/N ratio), Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and F test value for determining most significant parameters affecting the spot weld performance. The experimental results confirmed the validity of used Taguchi method for enhancing welding performance and optimizing the welding parameter in RSW process. The confirmation test indicated that it is possible to increase tensile shear strength significantly.
PURPOSE: A test socket capable of performing location alignment easily is provided to align location of an elastic conductive sheet, by inserting a protruded conductive part of the elastic conductive sheet into an alignment member attached to a test device. CONSTITUTION: A number of through-holes are formed in an alignment member (110). The alignment member is attached to a test device (150). An elastic conductive sheet (120) includes a conductive portion (121), an insulating support portion (122) and a protruded conductive portion. The protruded conductive portion is protruded downward from the conductive portion, and is inserted into the through-hole of the alignment member. When the protruded portion is inserted into the through-hole, the location of the elastic conductive sheet is aligned.
Objective:To investigate the relationship of the appearances of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and the serum level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:24 HCC patients were performed DSA for 30 times,and serum VEGF level was measured with the quantitative enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in those patients and healthy control subjects.Results:DSA showed tumor staining in 18 cases including hypervascular supply from hepatic artery to tumor in 15 and hypovascular in 3;portal venous supply of tumor in 4,superior mesenteric arterial supply of tumor and artery venous shunt formation in 1,and no tumor staining in 1.Serum VEGF level in patients of HCC (194.5±104.2)ng/l was significantly elevated comparing with those of the normal controls (132.4±47.9)ng/l ( P 0.01).Conclusion:When the patient of HCC has hypervascular supply to tumor or artery venous shunt formation,serum VEGF level is markedly elevated.Moreover,VEGF expression is significantly related to intrahepatic dissemination,recurrence and metastasis in patients with HCC.
Death was ever determined on the basis of extinguished partial functions of the entire organism (partial death). In intensive medicine with its possibilities of reanimation, with its possibilities of artificial maintenance of breathing and circulation the individual death of man is equated with his cerebral death. It comes only under conditions of reanimation and nearly always shows a clinically recognizable development. Practically above all "the syndromes in the forefield of cerebral death" are of interest as well as its obligatory and optional symptoms, the valency of which was critically tested. A 5-year-analysis (1969 to 1973) of 487 deaths in an internal intensive therapy unit (18% of mortality) was shown that causes, frequency and age distribution of the mortal conditions of disease as well as the average survival time of 4.5 days, in which cases, however, 43% of all deaths occurred within the first 24 hours, very rarely caused us to establish the irreversibility of the loss of the cerebral function on account of an organic dysfunction, but rather resulting from the question of the interruption of an absurd reanimation.
Worldwide, coronary heart disease (CHD), have assumed epidemic proportions. Increasing use of interventional therapy and a higher adherence to medical therapy have led to a 33% reduction in cardiac deaths at 5 years after hospital discharge. Angina pectoris is a common symptom of ischemic heart disease. The goals of anti-ischemia therapy in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) include relieving angina symptoms, improving duration of exercise and quality of life, improving prognosis and preventing cardiovascular (CV) events. The consensus statement was devised with the help of multiple meetings held across India. Ten regional advisory board e-meetings were held in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Cochin, Trivandrum, Lucknow, Bhopal and Varanasi. These meetings were attended by ten eminent experts from the field of cardiology from each region. Extensive literature review, intense discussions, and feedback from the cardiologists led to the development of the following consensus statements on definition, diagnosis, and management of angina, which have been reported in this article.
ii This study explores the history and background of student-run public relations firms on college campuses and the benefits, if any, that students receive as a result of working in such a firm. The public relations industry estimated expansion of the public relations industry, and subsequently, public relations education, evidence suggests that recent public relations graduates often times do meet entry-level outcome expectancies of employers, leaving a need for a change in curriculum (Creedon, Dostal, Gael, Smith & Walker, 1999). It is becoming increasingly more important to evaluate public relations education and look for alternative methods of teaching public relations skills that meet or possible exceed public relations employer's expectations for entry-level outcomes. " Given their important pedagogical benefits, it may be time for [academic] departments to take a serious look at student agencies as an integral part of their curricula, " (Bush, 2009, p.36).
The present invention relates to a novel epoxy resin having improved heat-resistance, thermal expansion properties and processability, and to a thermosetting resin composition comprising the same. To this end, the present invention provides an epoxy resin of Chemical Formula 1 as disclosed in the Description, an epoxy resin composition comprising the same, and a packaging, substrate and transistor formed thereof. When a composition that contains an epoxy resin with a specific side functional group according to the present invention and/or an epoxy resin with a specific core structure is cured, a filler forms a strong chemical bond with the epoxy resin, thereby maximizing filling effects of the filler for the epoxy resin. Moreover, with the specific core structure, heat resistance and heat expansion properties of a cured product are substantially improved (CTE is reduced), and enhanced glass transition properties, strength and processability are demonstrated.
ABSTRACT Bacterial, micotic and viral disease of aves cause high levels mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this work was to investigate the disease which appear frequently and how to handle the patients in Klinik Hewan Jogja Jl. Pamularsih no. 55, Klasemen, Condongcatur, Yogyakarta for one week. Data were collected by recording the data of aves ambulatoir cards in the period 23 June 2013 - 15 March 2014. The total of patient during period 23 June 2013 - 15 March 2014 there were five patients, consist of one popinjay, two bangkok chicken and two cock. The disease observed in aves in Klinik Hewan Jogja were Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD), Infectious Coryza (Snot), Pulorum and Infectious Bronchitis (IB). The treatment for the CRD infection in Klinik Hewan Jogja were tylosin, oxytetracyclin, enrofloxacin and linkomicin. Treatment for Infectious Coryza were sulfatiasol or sulfadimetoksin. Treatment for Pulorumdisease is sulfonamida, nitrofuran, antibiotic and antibacterial, while treatment for Infectious Bronchitis was antibiotic/antibacterial and multivitamin.
The market of products catalogued as “Green” or environmentally friendly has grown considerably during the last years. In 2013, it produced a profit of 230 billons, and it is meant to increase in 2015 to $845 billons approximately (Delmas & Burbano, 2011). Hence, it is not surprising that many companies are incorporating them to this economic sector using greenmarketing and green publicity. Previous foreign studies suggest that ‘Y’ generation is the main target of those disciplines. Those individuals are not only attracted to this industry, but also sceptic and suspicious about its claims. In Ecuador, there is limited or non-existent information about it. Currently, at University San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) there are not any studies which provide field experimental evidence. Thus, this investigation discovered, using a mix survey, from a sample of 212 participants how the consumers of the ‘Y’ generation at USFQ react to greenmarketing and greenwashing in order to understand better the relationship environment – society.
Since 1996, Infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) can be successfully treated with a combination therapy of 3 antiviral drugs from 2 different classes. Life expectancy has increased dramatically by this treatment. Especially in the early years these combination therapies had many adverse effects and the regimens were difficult to take because of a high pill burden. We have demonstrated in 120 HIV-infected patients that a simplified combination of 3 drugs from the same class in a fixed-dose tablet can successfully maintain viral suppression, after this has been reached by a standard combination. This simplified regimen, though not strong enough by itself , was still successful after 1 year and 2 years. Although in the meantime newer combination therapies have become preferred regimens, we think that in special circumstances these single-class combinations still can be used, at least temporarily. Life expectancy of HIV patients is still lower than in HIV-negative people. HIV patients have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. We have measured with a simple device the fluorescence level of the skin. HIV patients have a higher level of skin auto fluorescence than age-matched healthy persons. Just as in patiens with diabetes or a kidney diasese, the level of autofluorecence predicted the occurrence of cardiovascular disease after 5 years. Risk of venous thrombosis is also increased in HIV infection. We show that after one year of anti-HIV combination therapy levels of coagulation markers have decreased but have not completely normalized compared with healthy persons.
The invention discloses a preparation method for xylitol oleinic acid monoester surfactant, and relates to a preparing technology for surfactant. The preparation method adopts xylitol and oleinic acid as main raw materials to prepare the surfactant, and the formulation ratio of the raw materials is as follows: 480 to 500 grams of crystallized xylitol with purity of more than 98 percent, 220 to 240 grams of liquid oleinic acid with acid value of between 190 and 210, and 1.5 to 3.5 grams of liquid orthophosphoric acid with purity of more than 85 percent (or 4 to 7 grams of solid sodium hydroxide with purity of more than 95 percent). The preparation method comprises the following steps: 1, blending; 2, vacuum dehydrating; 3, reacting; 4, decoloring; and 5, packaging. The innocuous xylitol oleinic acid monoester can be synthesized at certain temperature by adopting the preparation method; the surfactant has the same performance as Span but is superior to the Span, does not contain harmfulsubstances to human body, and can be more widely used in the food industry; at the same time, reaction temperature is reduced to between 150 and 170 DEG C from more than 200 DEG C in the prior art, so the preparation method solves the problem of side reaction easily generated during reaction in the prior art, and reduces production energy consumption.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the reconstruction of mandibular segmental defects bydistraction osteogenesis(DO) and the feasibility of dental implantation in regenerated bone. METHODS: Internal trifocaldistractors were used to reconstruct the mandibular segmental defects of 4 cases immediately after the tumors wereresected. After 8 days of latency period, trifocal DO was started at a rate of 0.25mm four times per day at each transportdisk. After distraction period, the distractors were left in place for 16 weeks for consolidation. RESULTS: According tothe distraction design, the mandibular defect was successfully reconstructed from 40 to 45 mm in length without anycomplications. With enough new bone tissue, 1 case out of 4 received two dental implants and achieved initial stabilityafter consolidation period. CONCLUSION: Mandibular segmental defects can be reconstructed by trifocal distractionosteogenesis. The regenerated bone meets the requirements of dental implantation.
This paper deals with the study of behaviour of unsymmetrical I-section with tendon located at bottom flange of the steel beam. Parametric study includes the effect of parameters like depth ratio, percemage of web area to total area, location of tendon and self stressing factor for the beam on allowable uniform safe load. Since there is no design procedure available, a general methodology is developed for step-by-step design of prestressed steel beam and the design aids are presented for the unsymmetrical prestressed I-section at par with Table XII of IS-SP: (6-1)-64. The design aids suggest the unsymmetrical prestressed I-section for the various permissible uniform loads and different spans of simply supported steel beams.
Many athletes require lower body power for their various sports, such as track and field athletes. When determining this particular attribute in track and field athletes, it is vital that the reliability of the test is determined for the particular athletic group so that coaches can monitor the training state of the athletes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of the standing long jump (SLJ) in NCAA track and field athletes. METHODS: Thirteen NCAA Division I track and field athletes (male n=6 and female n=7) (age: 21.0±2.0yrs, height: 178.0±7.6cm, mass: 80.0±18.2kg) participated in three trials of the SLJ. After completing a dynamic warm-up, the trials of the SLJ were executed. The athletes stayed warmed-up in between the trials, walking and jogging to keep moving, as is the nature of athletics. In completing the SLJ trials, the athletes performed a standard countermovement SLJ, and distance was measured from the starting line to where the rear heel was upon landing. In order to determine the reliability of the SLJ, the best of Trials 1 and 2, were compared to Trial 3 with: Pearson (PCC) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), SEm, ∆ Means, and CV%. RESULTS: The best of trial 1 and trial 2 SLJ scores were: 2.37±0.37m, while trial 3 scores were: 2.39±0.37m. The interclass reliability coefficient was r=0.99 (UL:1.00, LL:0.97). The intraclass reliability coefficient was ICC=0.99 (UL:1.00, LL:0.97). The Standard Error of Measurement (SEm) =0.04m (UL:0.07, LL:0.03). The ∆ Means= 0.02±0.06m (UL:0.05, LL:-0.01). The typical error CV% =1.97 (UL:3.0, LL:1.5). CONCLUSION: Within the parameters of this study, it was found that the SLJ is a highly reliable field test of horizontal muscular power for collegiate track and field athletes.
Customary criminal law is a part of the positive law that still applies in Indonesia  up to this date. Customary criminal law differs in each and every indigenous  group that exists in Indonesia, so that the customary criminal law that exist in  each and every indigenous groups that exists in Indonesia would also differs and  none of it were completely the same. The Customary Criminal Law of the Dayak  Pangkodan Tribe is the customary criminal law that applies since the beginning of  the existence of Dayak Pangkodan Tribe’s existence itself, until today. Dayak  Pangkodan occupies the area that is known as “Benua Pangkodan”, and is one of  many of indigenous groups in Indonesia that applies their own customary criminal  law to all of the people who lives in whole areas that included as part of “Benua  Pangkodan”. The Customary Criminal Law of the Dayak Pangkodan Tribe is a  law that came as a discretion and also as an identity of the Dayak Pangkodan  Itself, and it is an unseperated part of Dayak Pangkodan people’s life.
The final conclusion is that communication in implementing local regulations No. 02 of 2012 on Print Cost Recovery Levy Identity Card And Deeds Registry runs as expected where the communication goes smoothly to the public good it komunikasilangsung or indirect communication so many people who know about the existence of regulation of this area . Source - the resources to implement local regulations No. 02 of 2012 on Print Cost Recovery Levy Identity Card And Deeds Registry has been fulfilled because in addition to human resources , the government is also preparing dna supporting infrastructure facilities in the implementation of this regulation . Position or attitude in implementing local regulations No. 02 of 2012 on Print Cost Recovery Levy Identity Card And Deeds Registry is considered not run as expected because of the attitude of the apparatus that implements this rule is not everything can be accepted by society . Bureaucratic structures in implementing local regulations No. 02 of 2012 on Print Cost Recovery Levy Identity Card And Deeds Registry rated highly convoluted so many people are confused and feel fatigue in obtaining citizenship documents . Keywords : Implementation , Policy , e - KTP
SETTING Government hospitals in five districts in Malawi.   OBJECTIVE To determine care seeking behaviour and diagnostic processes in patients newly diagnosed with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).   DESIGN Structured questionnaires completed by interview between January to September 1998.   RESULTS During the study period 1,518 patients were registered with PTB, of whom 1,099 (72%) were interviewed. The median delay between onset of cough and diagnosis was 8 weeks. There was a variable pattern of care seeking behaviour, with 70% of patients initially visiting a place of orthodox medical care and 30% visiting traditional healers, grocery shops, etc. Of these, 867 (79%) patients had one or more subsequent contacts for help, with these visits targeted more to orthodox medical care. At all stages, antibiotics resulted in symptomatic improvement in up to 40% of cases. There was a median time of 7 weeks between cough and first submission of sputum specimens. Almost all patients received sputum smear results after a median length of 4 days; 474 (43%) of patients were only aware of their diagnosis at the time of receiving smear results, this observation being significantly associated with lack of schooling and not knowing another person with TB.   CONCLUSION More needs to be done to educate communities and non-orthodox care providers about the diagnosis and treatment of TB.
Sixty-six representatives of rebreather manufacturers, training agencies, government agencies, rebreather users, and DAN met in November 2006 to discuss objectives for rebreather fatality investigations. DAN has collected information on 80 recreational diving rebreather deaths from 1998 through 2006. The annual number of rebreather fatalities appears to have tripled since 1998. The percentage of fatalities involving rebreathers among US and Canadian residents increased from about 1 to 5% of the total number of diving fatalities captured from 1998 through 2004. Rebreather fatality investigations attempt to reduce future occurrences by identifying causative factors, primarily focusing on three areas: medical, equipment, and procedural. Medical investigation dwells on diver health and final cause of death. Equipment investigation addresses potential hardware issues. Procedural problems appear to be more common than equipment problems but are often difficult to identify. Witness reports and 'black box' recordings of rebreather function could help untangle procedural and equipment issues. Enhanced international training and cooperation will facilitate effective incident investigation and, ultimately, the education of the diving community. Introduction This paper is a compilation of information from multiple sources: 1) a two-hour meeting before the 2006 Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Show in Orlando with 66 representatives from rebreather manufacturers, training agencies, government agencies, and rebreather users; 2) comments on a draft of the meeting report; and 3) a preliminary review of rebreather fatality data collected by the Divers Alert Network (DAN). The data are from recreational diving with open-circuit fatality data presented for comparison. The term rebreather is used to describe closed-circuit or semi-closed circuit mixed gas scuba. The paper attempts to give the reader a sense of the issues and potential opportunities. The Problem Figure 1 summarizes 80 rebreather deaths collected by DAN America for 1998 through 2006. The information was obtained from internet searches or sent to DAN by interested persons. This does not necessarily include all rebreather fatalities in the world, just those about which DAN has been informed. The total number of rebreather fatalities per year appears to have tripled since 1998. In general, annual fatalities among non-US or Canadian residents have been greater than among US and Canadian residents but both are increasing. The most likely explanation for the increase in rebreather fatalities is that rebreathers have become more popular, and manufacturers are selling more. We do not know this for sure, however. Sales data are not currently available.
Consumer awareness and interest in ethical issues is growing with sustained and significant rises in sales of ethical products (L. Vickery (personal communication, January 12, 2007); The Co-operative Bank 2010); despite this, little research has been conducted into how ethical factors affect consumers’ choices. The clothing sector accounts for over 12% of UK retail expenditure (Office for National Statistics 2011a), and a wide range of potential ethical issues are present within the industry including very low wages paid throughout the supply chain, poor working conditions and the extensive use of chemicals  leading to long term injuries and deaths (World Trade Organisation 2008). Given the importance of the clothing sector, the significance of ethical issues in clothing  manufacture and supply, and the recent growth in consumer interest in ethical issues, research in this area is both necessary and timely. A conceptual framework developed from a comprehensive evaluation of the literature examining consumer behaviour, ethical decision-making, and clothing selection is presented, and informed a sequential mixed methods primary research strategy. Indepth, semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to inductively probe the research area before exploring the possible relationships using a quantitative survey (n=384) distributed to a random sample of the UK population.  The research found that the boycotting of brands, stores or products for ethical reasons is important to some consumers. Ethical indicators provided influence in guiding final purchase decisions, and post-purchase reflection on items purchased may trigger positive or negative emotions depending on the product’s perceived ethical credentials. Survey data verified these relationships, measuring their importance in clothing purchase decisions. Results also show that while ethical factors are secondary to most consumers, they exert a clear influence on decisions in some situations. Female respondents were found to be more sensitive to ethical issues and those with higher household incomes likely to be less strongly influenced. The key findings from the study are synthesised into a theoretical model which provides a clear account of the role of ethical considerations in clothing purchase decision-making. This research provides the first thorough examination of ethics within the purchase of clothing. Given the scale of the clothing industry, the findings are of significant academic  and commercial interest.
Objective To explore the relationship between VEGF-C and lymphangiogenesis,lymphatic metastasis in colon carcinoma.Methods Total 50 patients with colon carcinoma(Study Group) diagnosed by surgery and pathology were divided into lymph node metastasis subgroup(28 cases) and non-metastasis subgroup(22 cases).40 patients with benign colon polyp(Control Group) were collected.The expression of VEGF-C and VEGFR-3 in tumor tissues was detected by immunohistochemical technology.The relationship between VEGF-C expression and LVD,lymph node metastasis was analyzed.Results Study group had significantly higher VEGF-C positive rate and LVD level as compared to Control Group(P0.01).Lymph node metastasis subgroup had a higher VEGF-C expression as compared to non-metastasis subgroup(90% vs 31.8%,P0.01).Conclusion The high expression of VEGF-C may accelerate lymphatic metastasis in colon carcinoma by lymphangiogenesis.
Amorphous carbon (a-C) films and amorphous carbon films incorporating with the nitrogen (a-C∶N) were deposited on silicon substrates in a radio-frequency driven plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition system, while the surface electrical properties of films were investigated by electrochemical capacitance-voltage measurements. It was examined the effect of the interface defects on the properties and deduced that the conducting type of a-C∶N films was n-type. Subsequently, a comparative studies of a-C and a-C∶N films were performed by photoluminescence spectra depending on the temperature. With the decrease of the temperature, the main band with peak energy of 2.48 eV in the a-C∶N films was more intense compared with the other three bands caused by amorphous C in the a-C films.
Decision rules based on maximising expected utility can be justified by strong Bayesian arguements. Such rules correctly accommodate both objective and subjective criteria. Portfolio theory, as applied to dairy sire selection problems, 1s consistent with maximising expected utility. However* the utility function 1s restricted and distributional assumptions must hold. A more direct approach 1s the explicit use of utility theory and related Bayesian methods. New applications for utility theory In animal selection are described. Two situations for long-term Improvement (after several selection decisions) of additive merit are considered: gene pool selection and mate selection. Utility functions are given which accommodate subjective concerns about risk and genetic variability.
The present paper suggests that, despite the earning gap between the two genders, female workers, especially in developing countries, tend to be more satisfied with work than male workers. Pay has been found to affect work satisfaction of men, but not of women. Relation with the employer, on the other hand, affects work satisfaction of both men and women. The data were collected in 1990 on a sample of 268 Palestinian workers, employed in the local industry of the West Bank and Gaza Strip
The study of plants and plant resources was carried out in Maidan Valley, District Dir of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan to assess and analyze the potential and problems of the area. It is the first attempt to explore extensively Maidan Valley with particular emphasis on medicinal plants and biodiversity of the area. Maidan Valley is experiencing high population pressure on its land and forest resources with a population density of 453/km2 and a growth rate of 3.0 percent per annum. Intensive exploration of Maidan Valley shows that 757 Angiosperm species are found here representing 113 families and 420 genera, among these families Asteraceae is the leading one with 61 species in almost all habitats showing their highest ecological amplititude. 10 species were recorded as new addition to the flora of Pakistan from Maidan Valley.The gymnosperms are represented by three families with 10 species of 8 genera.Out of these, 7 species are indigenous and the rest of the 3 are exotic. 29 moss species of 19 genera representing 11 families has been recorded which is considered as one of the highest number of mosses from a single valley, as comparable to any area of Pakistan.The liverworts species collected were 14 belongs to 10 genera.19 Pteridophytes species with 12 genera distributed among 9 families in Maidan Valley. Various species of mushrooms can be seen in the area but the prominent with high economic value are Morchella esculenta and Morchella conica.The ethnobotanical information revealed that there are 46 different uses of 363 plants in the valley.The number of plants in each use were quantified and the major uses are of 274 plant species as medicine, 96 fuel wood, 43 pot herb, 30 fencing, hey fodder 26, soil binder 24, furniture 23, fodder and poison 22 species each.The part use data shows that mostly the leaves, whole plant, fruit and stem are in common use.There are 77 species belonging to 70 genera and 49 families used in different monoherbal and polyherbal recipes.The plants used as fodder are 85 species of 41 families and 77 genera.Among them 18 are grasses, 43 are herbs and shrubs and 25 are trees. Fuel wood species are the main sources of cooking energy and the most popular fuel in the Valley. Use of multi-fuels, is the common energy strategy in the household sector. High costs of electricity restrict its use as fuel.About 10% people are engaged in collection of fuel wood directly from the forest areas whereas 54% people purchase fuel wood from the local shops and 36% obtain fuel wood from their farmlands.It has been discovered that due to several factors the species are no more available in their respective habitats due to over collection and has been threatened by unsustainable extraction, grazing, cutting, deforestation, unawareness and misuse.one of the major causes of the degradation of forests is poverty that most of the people live below poverty line in hilly areas.Sustainable harvest of natural resources may help to partly alleviate poverty. Programmes for natural resources management must become integral parts of overall developments strategies.There are 96 threatened plant species in Maidan Valley, of which 34 species were ranked as critically endangered, 26 species endangered, 20 species vulnerable and 16 species were assessed as infrequent.The flora of Maidan Valley has 12.33 % threatened plants, 4.37% critically endangered, 3.34% endangered, 2.57% vulnerable and 2.06% are infrequent.There are several variants of wild fruit species such as the Pyrus pashia, Prunus armeniaca, Prunus amygdalus, Malus pumilla and Diospyrus kaki, which require conservation for future germplasm from the area before their extinction.
Introduction  Pharmacy is the profession of not only drug dispensing, but also patient care. Clinical pharmacy was developed to ensure the reduction in drug related problems and the improvement in clinical outcomes. Patients with heart failure (HF) are generally suffering from multiple comorbidities. HF patients are predisposed to polypharmacy and medication errors. They need pharmaceutical care services such as: accurate medication reconciliation; drug therapy selection, dosing, monitoring of drug, promoting medication adherence, and counseling regarding complexities of drug therapy.  Aim  The aim of the current study is to document the potential interventions for clinical pharmacists in a multidisciplinary HF team.  Methodology  This is a retrospective observational study. The files of heart failure patients will be inspected for pharmacist interventions for evaluation and significance assessment.  Results and Discussion  The study included 99 patients of heart failure and receiving a clinical pharmacist intervention. Males were prevalent (68.7%). The mean ejection fraction percent (EF%) is 29.2%. The mean value of brain natriuretic peptide (Pro BNP) is 2235.9 ng/L. The mean number of drugs that the patient of heart failure is taking is 7.3. The current study is documenting the pharmacist interventions, as a member of the HF team. These interventions included several aspects such as detection of drugs with no indication 20.2%, identification of inappropriate drugs 10.1%, changing doses 32.3%, increasing or decreasing administration frequency 9.1%, discovering possible drug-drug interactions 1.1%, omitting duplicate order drugs 4%, addition of medication 45.5%, and asking for extra laboratory tests 28.3%. Clinical pharmacists offered patient education regarding life style, exercise, and diet. The agreement between the clinical pharmacist recommendation and the consultant decision: In 79.7% the consultant agreed and implemented the advice of the clinical pharmacist. In 3.8% the consultant decision and course of action was not compatible with the clinical pharmacist advice.  Conclusion  The clinical pharmacist proved very essential as a member in the heart failure team. Interventions made by the pharmacist were important and lifesaving. Most of the pharmacist recommendations were implanted by the physician. The pharmacist recommendations aimed at the improvement of the HF patient quality of life and maximum benefit of the drugs.
Organizing wireless sensor networks into clusters enables the efficient utilization of the limited energy resources of the deployed sensor nodes.If the network is organized into heterogeneous clusters,where some more powerful nodes take on the cluster head role to control network operation,it is important to ensure that energy dissipation of these cluster heads and "critical sensor nodes" is balanced.We propose a Cluster Head Scheduling scheme to determine which cluster head should be turned off or on.The proposed mechanism is based on the coverage information as well as residual battery power,which can lead to more uniform energy dissipation among cluster head nodes and critical sensor nodes,thus increasing network lifetime.Moreover,the proposed scheme strengthens the robustness of heterogeneous sensor networks.
In the last decade in-vehicle systems have developed to an important and integral part in the car industry. These systems are supposed to help the driver in crucial situations and deliver information to the driver, who then can react accordingly and keep him or herself and the surrounding safe. But to keep driving safe, the systems have to give reliable information and the systems should not distract the driver. A rather disastrous situation may occur when information systems provide wrong information in a situation when the driver is distracted. Therefore, we investigated the effects of valid and invalid advanced information for the performance of lane change manoeuvres in a simulated driving environment. The manoeuvers were either performed in a control condition without secondary task or in two blocks of dual task condition. Distraction was realized by a secondary task, which had to be performed during the primary driving task. The main findings of the study are that as in previous studies participants without any advanced information had longer reaction times than with advanced information and that the performance of the participants in the distracted situation improved over time due to less errors and an increase in the performance of the secondary task. In contrast to our expectations reaction time and error analyses did not provide hints that preparation was affected by dual task load. Also, in contrast to our expectations invalid advanced information did not differ from neutral information. The findings may suggest, that distraction has no effect on valid and invalid advanced information. However, alternative explanations may be possible and are addressed in the discussion of the results.
Research on the theory of schema had a great impact on understanding reading comprehension in first and second language. Most research agrees that if the schemata are activated, students may have the greater chance to get a better understanding of written text. However, students might have sufficient schemata, yet unable to comprehend the text if such schemata are not appropriately activated. Teachers of reading have the responsible in activating students’ schemata in order to help the students comprehend the reading text easier. This involves providing students with appropriate strategies and activities to facilitate their reading comprehension.
Politics and discussion in parliament is likely to be influenced by the party in power and associated election cycles. However, little is known about the extent to which these events affect discussion and how this has changed over time. We systematically analyse how discussion in the Australian Federal Parliament changes in response to two types of political events: elections and changed prime ministers. We use a newly constructed dataset of what was said in the Australian Federal Parliament from 1901 through to 2018 based on extracting and cleaning available public records. We reduce the dimensionality of discussion in this dataset by using a correlated topic model to obtain a set of comparable topics over time. We then relate those topics to the Comparative Agendas Project, and then analyse the effect of these two types of events using a Bayesian hierarchical Dirichlet model. We find that: changes in prime minister tend to be associated with topic changes even when the party in power does not change; and the effect of elections has been increasing since the 1980s, regardless of whether the election results in a change of prime minister.
Objective:To analyze clinical value of hyperacoustic in the uterine artery embolization intervention treatment of cervical pregnancy. Methods:74 cervical pregnancy patients were divided into observation and control groups randomly,each group had 37 cases.Patients in observation group were given uterine artery embolization intervention in the guide of hyperacoustic to proceed surgical treatment,while just given amethopterin as systenic treatment to those who were in control group.Serum β-HCG level,shen capsule echo diameter,local blood flow resistance index,pulse index and clinical curative effects were observed. Results:The serum β-HCG level and shen capsule echo diameter size in observation group were evidently lower than those of control group,resistance index and pulse index were obviously higher than those of control group,the differences were statisticly significant(P0.05),the recovery rate was evidently higher than that of control group,the difference was statisticly significant(χ2=8.044 9,P0.05). Conclusion:The way of uterine artery embolization intervention in the guide of hyperacoustic can produce fairly well clinical curative effects on the treatment of cervical pregnancy,hyperacoustic has important clinical vaule in the uterine artery embolization intervention treatment for cervical pregnancy.
Anisotropy of electrical and optical properties in β-Ga2O3 single crystals has been investigated at room temperature. The conductivity and mobility of the degenerate sample along the direction of b and c axes are 38 Ω−1 cm−1, 46 cm2 V−1 s−1, and 2.2 Ω−1 cm−1, 2.6 cm2 V−1 s−1, respectively. The absorption edges of the insulating sample for light polarized E//b and E//c were 4.79 and 4.52 eV, respectively. The rate of the band gap widening with increasing carrier concentration was much larger for E//b than E//c. The origin of these properties are discussed by considering the crystal and electronic structure of β-Ga2O3.
Geological logging in a new area usually clips the formation by stratigraphic paleontological correlation,structural correlation,electrical property correlation,lithology correlation,oil and gas show correlation,but sometimes these methods can't meet the needs of clipping levels at wellsite.In view of this problem,on the basis of formation prediction at same block and the same batch of wells using the same seismic velocity model,the paper introduced the analysis method of the error horizontal correlation between the predicted formation border and thickness and the drilled formation border and thickness,that was to calculate the error of the predicted the border and thickness of the well to be yet drilled in the geological design according that of predicted formation border and thickness and the practical drilled formation border and thickness of the well drilled,thus realizing the calibration to the predicted formation border and thickness in geologic proposal for the well to be drilled,achieving to reduce the error between formation predicted and practical drilled formation border and thickness,and making clipping levels for geologic logging accurately.It was shown by the application in Wells XH 2 and TK 334 that the method can meet the needs of clipping levels in new exploration area,and will get better results in blocks at higher exploration extent and during developing stage.
To obtain a city building decoration of indoor air pollution caused by renovation of a city,the formaldehyde pollutants of staying or not staying home in a certain district were detected and analyzed.The results showed that indoor formaldehyde pollution of within six months of renovation was more serious,and the decoration within two years can basically meet the national standard,with a low formaldehyde content.The selection of suitable building materials and extension of stay,reasonable decoration decoration design and suitable indoor season can reduce the hazards of formaldehyde.
There is always a political context to definitions whether of the medical body or the disabled body. The meaning of disability has been challenged and redefined over the past sixty years as has the meaning of sport and disability while the battle for disability rights and inclusion strengthened. This paper describes the research documenting the profound change in the organization of the Paralympic Games and IPC Swimming from being segregated and medically and disability-based to sport-based classification for competition based on functioning in the water. Swimmers with diverse disabilities competed together and the four Canadian disability swimming teams were replaced by one swim team. At the same time the lives of swimmers transformed as they became identified as swimmers rather than as persons with disabilities.
Collecting and testing readers' responses is the key point of Nida's equivalence theory.Based on Nida's Cloze Technique,with the original English version and two different Chinese versions of Pride and Prejudice,after questionnaires and comparison of all these readers' responses,the paper is to illustrate some degree of equivalence between the source text and the target text can be achieved as far as ease of comprehension is concerned,and it is feasible to test the equivalence in Nida's translation theory from the aspect of readers' responses.
INTRODUCTION. That riparian communities in the southwest provide valuable and unique wildlife habitat is becoming increasingly clear and well-documented (Johnson and Jones, 1977; Johnson and McCormick, 1979). The adverse effects upon these communities resulting from intensive use of resources which are a part of, or which support, these communities is also becoming clear. These uses vary from grazing practices and stream modification to clearing for agricultural development. This project was part of an overall study designed to document the amount of wildlife use of riparian communities along the lower Colorado River and ultimately determine if existing plant communities could be enhanced for wildlife. The intent of this aspect of the study was to examine avian use within citrus orchards and to compare their wildlife use values to other exotic and native floral communities along the river valley. Given a better understanding of the wildlife relationships between adjacent agricultural systems and riparian communities, one can then more effectively develop management strategies. We wish to thank Nancy Jackson for typing the first versions of the manuscript and Beatrice Anderson for typing the final manuscript. Linda Cheney kindly made the graph. We are grateful to the several field biologists who assisted in data collection. The work was supported by grant #14-06-300-2415 from the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Objective:To learn about the present situation of medical risk management and the measures for preventing medical risk in The Second Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University.Methods:Make on-the-spot questionnaire for patients and medical workers,deal quantitatively with data by using various softwares,and make standardized qualitative and quantitative analysis with theories of multiple disciplines of sociology,economics and politics.Results:It is perfect in the aspect of system construction and training for staff members and staff members feel professionally stressed,which,to some degree,increases the occurring rate of medical risk.Conclusion:There is perfect system construction and training system in the hospital.However,it is still necessary to enhance management and popularization,and perfect shortages.
Navier-Stokes control equations and standard turbulence model are employed to numerically simulate the aerodynamic characteristics of forward-swept wing(FSW) and backward-swept wing(BSW).The superiorities and shortages are compared,and then the flow mechanism is analyzed by streamlines display.The research results show that the lift coefficient of BSW is higher in low angle of attack while the stall characteristics of FSW are better in big angle of attack owing to the opposite direction of the spanwise velocity.The premature wingtip stall induces lower angle of attack while stalling.The reason why FSW has better performances during big angle of attack is the favorable interference produced between vortices of side-strake and wingtip leading edge,which affords great vortex lift and enhances the control ability to the flow on the wing surface.The flow mechanism of the forward-swept wing can provide theoretical references for the design of the advanced aircraft configurations.
A simple formula was derived which represents all effective resonance integrals measured by Hellstrand satisfactorily. For homogeneous fuel elements a two-term expression is given which depends only on the radius of the fuel element, the concentration of the uranium atoms, the scattering cross section per uranium atom, and the resonance parameters. Two constants dependent only on the resonance parameters were seen as clear parameters and were adaptable to the measurement results in massive metallic uranium rods. It was shown that all usual resonance integrals were largely represented accurately within the measurement accuracy, when the fuel elements concerned are simply homogenized. The theoretical permissibility of the homogenization was discussed. (tr-auth) 3l635 Experimental data on the Pb/sup 212/ yields Bi/sup 212/ decay are reported. The investigation of the Pb/sup 212/ decay scheme is of intrest because of shell model considerations. Coincidence spectra and gamma , gamma angular correlations are employed to measure the intensities of weakest transitions, and to make spin assignments. A decay scheme is proposed. Further, the existence of a 177 kev gamma ray is demonstrated. (auth)
The efficiency of laparoscopic para-aortic lymphadenectomy and radiodiagnostic methods in pre-treatment clarification of tumor lesion extent in stage IB2-III cervical cancer patients was compared. The Magnetic Resonance or sonographic imaging data was found to be inferior to lymph nodes morphological investigation followed by morphological study of distant lymph nodes. The results demonstrate the adequacy of surgical staging by laparoscopic para-aortic lymphadenectomy in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer for therapy tactics decision making.
PURPOSE To explore the efficacy and safety of apatinib (an anti-angiogenic drug) combined with S-1 (a fluorouracil drug) in the third-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer, and to analyze the factors influencing the prognosis.   METHODS Eighty-four patients with advanced gastric cancer, who did not respond to second-line or above chemotherapy and were treated in our hospital were enrolled and divided into Apatinib+S-1 group (n=42) and S-1 group (n=42), based on different treatments applied. Next, the clinical responses and adverse reactions of patients were observed and recorded. The patients were followed up through the outpatient service and telephone to record their survival and disease progression. Additionally, the factors affecting the prognosis of patients were analyzed.   RESULTS The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) in the Apatinib+S-1 group were 9.5% (4/42) and 71.4% (30/42), respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the S-1 group. The main adverse reactions after therapy included neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, stomatitis, hypertension, proteinuria, hand-foot syndrome and gastrointestinal reaction, which were mostly of grade I-II. The incidence rates of hypertension, proteinuria and hand-foot syndrome were 42.9%, 26.2%, and 23.8%, respectively, in the Apatinib+S-1 group, which were overtly higher than those in the S-1 group. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall survival (OS) of patients between two groups (p=0.063), while the progression free survival (PFS) of patients was overtly longer in the Apatinib + S-1 group than that in S-1 group. Univariate analysis of PFS showed that the PFS of patients with high differentiation of tumor or post-treatment proteinuria or hand-foot syndrome was evidently higher than that of patients without high differentiation of tumor or post-treatment proteinuria or hand-foot syndrome.   CONCLUSION Patients with advanced gastric cancer achieve relatively satisfactory short-term therapeutic effects after treatment with apatinib combined with S-1 in the third-line therapy, whose PFS is notably better than those treated with S-1 alone, and they are tolerant to adverse reactions. Highly differentiated tumors and post-treatment proteinuria and hand-foot syndrome are predictable factors for the PFS of patients.
As carrier of information and platform of public opinion,network is like a rapier,which can prevent mass disturbance taking place if properly used,otherwise,it can directly cause mass disturbance happen or propel it toward a vicious development. Therefore,to cope with mass disturbance scientifically,government should establish and perfect laws and regulations and refine network environment; express social function of supervision and enhance moral self-discipline; and consolidate construction of network and give full scope to the theme of the times.
Abstract : Introduction: The complications of radiation dermatitis and fibrosis on breast cancer therapy are well established. To date the only proven approaches to reducing radiation toxicity are to decrease the treatment dose or field-size. Altering these has the potential of reducing treatment efficacy and is therefore not advised. We proposed that drugs aimed at the suppression of cytokines involved in the initiation and perpetuation of radiation-induced inflammation would be beneficial in preventing normal tissue toxicity after radiation therapy. Of particular interest were inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor-alpha plus or minus (TNFalpha plus or minus) interleukin 1 (IL-1) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) Body: We examined a number of agents to suppress generally and specifically cytokines be believed affect the severity and progression of radiation fibrosis in women after breast irradiation. Importantly IL-1 related interventions consistently reduced cutaneous fibrosis after irradiation. We tested thin in mice deficient in the IL-1 receptor 1 in mice treated with IL-1 Ra the natural soluble IL-1 receptor blocker and in mice treated with non-specific drugs that reduce IL-1 expression including COX2 inhibitors. All interventions greatly reduced the rate of fibrosis development and the severity of the fibrosis. A manuscript describing the most important experiments has recently been accepted for publication in the Radiation Research Journal and is attached in appendix I. Key Research Accomplishments: We have identified 4 agents that should reduce radiation fibrosis in women treated for breast cancer. One curcumin is in development for national clinical testing. Others including IL-1 Ra are being evaluated as radiation protectors in case of bioterror.
This study investigates the conceptualisation of e-SQ in the hotel industry. The study examines the e-SQ attributes of hotel websites by identifying customers' needs through interviews. Based on the literature reviews and the interview results, this study conceptualised hotel e-SQ in the hotel context. Participants were drawn from two countries: Australia and Korea. It was found that e-service quality attributes of hotel websites can be conceptualised using two main categories; Environment Quality: (1)Information quality, (2)Audio-visual appearance and (3)Atmosphere; and Process Quality: (1)Usability, (2)Online Trust, (3)Responsiveness, (4)Accessibility, (5)Customer review, (6)Emotional engagement and (7)Personalisation. Australians seemed to value the dimensions which make a website simple to use while Koreans relatively valued the dimensions which are related to website features such as visual appearance.
AIMS A retrospective review of patients being treated by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) at Auckland Hospital from 1993-4 was undertaken in order to determine patient characteristics, clinical outcome and to compare these results with published series.   METHODS The case notes of all patients having PEGs performed in the Auckland Hospital gastroenterology unit during the defined period were reviewed. Demographic details, indications, morbidity and mortality data were obtained. Data were supplemented with information obtained from the general practitioner.   RESULTS Fifty procedures (18 in 1993, 32 in 1994) were performed on 41 patients (29 male 12 female), with a mean age of 61 years. Neurological disorders represented the most common clinical indication (25) followed by head and neck malignancy (9). Three patients (7) died within 30 days of the procedure and 13 (32) had early complications (less than 30 days) with four (10) having late complications. Significant pain requiring narcotics occurred in 18.   CONCLUSIONS Results were in general comparable to published series apart from a higher early complication rate (32% vs 16%). Pain may be significant post procedure and should be anticipated. The increasing use of this procedure in our hospital reflects its acceptability to patients, relatives and staff as a means of providing nutritional support to the patient with disorders of swallowing.
Taking line 1 of Shengyang Metro as case history,the author presents the design of the wedged segment rings and the determination of the proportions of the wedged segment rings to the standard segment rings for curved sections of shield-driven Metro tunnels so that the array of the segment rings for various curved tunnel sections can be made artificially.The paper can provide reference for the relevant construction persons.
INEFFICIENT BREAKDOWN OF WOMEN WORKER IN STATE OF MANAGEMENT The present investigation deals with the ineffective dismissal of the working women pregnant, where we will discuss the welfare of individuals in a situation of vulneralidad, to demand that their rights be respected and that are recognized in international treaties, the Constitution of the Republic, the Labour Code, And in the reforms that were carried out in the labor courts whose procedure was established for better disbursement within the legal framework. With the ineffective dismissal, not only benefits women in State of pregnancy or maternity leave but also to trade union leaders, in the case of women workers by their condition has a special protection during and after childbirth, in my reactive show that Maria rights have been violated by your employer, discriminating by her State of pregnancy, but that also threatens her son preventing having a life worthy. Today to declare ineffective dismissal by the labour judge, the judgment must be heeded otherwise stipulates jail to ignore those who made to the judgment issued by the authority.
The fi rst tarīqas are said to have been founded in the 12th century by several Sufi s. However, the individual aspects of tarīqas such as silsilas, schools and Sufi orders have their origins in the pre-tarīqa period, and the substantial contribution of the alleged founders of early tarīqas to their formation is dubious. Therefore, the emergence of tarīqas is to be regarded as a continuation and integration of existing traditions, rather than the invention of a new style of Sufi sm. Yet another aspect of the emergence of tarīqas is the formation of identity. The tarīqas as well as the concept of tarīqa itself were formed by Sufi s who identifi ed themselves as the successors of the alleged founders.
Ville Otra-Aho A project management office as a project organization’s strategizing tool Lappeenranta 2019 72 pages Acta Universitatis Lappeenrantaensis 864 Diss. Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT ISBN 978-952-335-398-5, ISBN 978-952-335-399-2 (PDF), ISSN-L 1456-4491, ISSN 14564491 Organizations are increasingly searching for ways to create value and enhance competitiveness. One way to increase the value contribution of an organization’s assets is to establish a project management office (PMO). A PMO orchestrates an organization’s assets by creating coherence between the assets and the organizational strategic goals; however, selecting consistent PMO processes that match the context to maximize value creation remains challenging. In a similar vein, the changing rate of operational environments affects the chosen roles’ and processes’ value contribution that creates extra challenges for PMO professionals. The project management is an interdisciplinary research field and to avoid getting stuck with the theoretical and analytical siloes, which limit to look for new horizons the author utilizes two central theoretical concepts as the organizational contingency theory and the dynamic capability view. These theoretical perspectives provide structure, rationality, and guidance for building a fresh perspective of a PMOs purpose as a project organization’s strategizing tool. Then this dissertation shed light on the process how the PMOs orchestrate organization assets and increase organization competitiveness. Finally, this dissertation introduces two novel methodologies for defining and measuring fitness between the PMO roles, contextual variables measured with organizational value contribution. This dissertation is divided into two parts. The first part gives a general overview of the relevant literature, the research design and the conclusions of the study. The second part comprises the four Publications.
A specific feature of risk investment is "high risk, high profit .Strengthening the high-tech risk invesment is an urgent demand for the industrialization development. The hige-tech risk investment of our country has just begun and made slow progress. There exist many problems to such as policies, mainstay and professional talented people which restrain the development of the high-tech risk investment. Therefore, we must make further in perfecting the system of market economy, deepen reform of the melt funds system, organize system of the insuraree and security, protect interest of risk invesment, so that meet the high-speed development of the economy of the technology after entering WTO.
Interventions on dubious grounds is nothing new, violation of the principle of sovereignty and the violation of the territorial integrity of an independent state is an area that is a constant current field of study. Developments in Europe in aspect of Russia's military interventions in Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 shows a new method for states to legitimize military action in another sovereign state. This study argues that passportization has become a phenomenon in the foreign policy context. By distributing citizenship to residents in other territories Russia becomes enabled to intervene in other states despite the principle of sovereignty by referring to the protection of its own citizens.  By analyzing Russia's arguments in the primary material, which consists of the records of meetings from the Security Council, Russia’s actions in aspect of conflicts in Georgia and in Ukraine from realistic theory enables this study to confirm the hypothesis of passportization, as a method for intervention in sovereign states. The analysis is based on Kenneth Waltzs analysis levels, the individual level, state level and system level. Classical realist Morgenthau is incorporated to broaden the theory in respect of human nature at an individual level as well as in the context, in which domestic politics are formed at state level. The system level is analyzed from Waltz structural neorealism.  The study regards the historical legacy of Russia, concerning concepts as policies of resentment, imperialism, expansionism and power politics. As well as sovereignty and intervention, these concepts are part of the context that the study examines to enable the analysis.
Programs in palaeoanthropology (the study of human evolution) do not often provide professional fieldwork training. Palaeoanthropology students are thus at risk of being unaware of the professional practices and responsibilities that come with a career in this subject area. Here I describe palaeoanthropology in the context of aligned field sciences, and make the case for requiring pre-fieldwork preparation through the implementation and evaluation of a seminar focusing on professional practice in palaeoanthropological fieldwork. The seminar was delivered to a small cohort of Masters of Science students at Durham University, UK. I qualitatively evaluate the seminar via semi-structured interviews, exploring how students varied in their awareness of and approaches to the topic, what new awareness developed, and how necessary this is to their overall understanding of the discipline and their potential future roles as professional researchers. Interviews show that students recognized the novelty of the seminar topic but varied in their approaches to the material. However, they all selectively focused on aspects of the material which might have a bearing on their future careers. This demonstrates the usefulness of supporting their professional practice training, regardless of whether students intended to conduct fieldwork, palaeoanthropological or otherwise.
Flame-retardant cross linking composite is prepared as following: The first composite made of metal hydrate and polyolefin resin without halogen is mixed with silane grafting polyolefin resin without halogen, becoming the second composite which is cross-linked with silane, becoming flame-retardant cross linking composite. Compared with traditional flame retardant composite, it is of excellent flame-retardancy, heat-resistance, good formability and low cost, above all it would not set out poisonous gas such as hydrogen halide or halogen when it is burned. Therefore this kind of lame retardant cross lining composite is especially suitable for the out layer and insulating material of flame-retardant wire and cable.
During the years of Jacques Delors' presidencies, and indeed going back to before 1985, the European Commission very successfully played the role of policy entrepreneur. This is not an original assertion, but it has been contested, so in Part 1 of the paper the concept of policy entrepreneur is defined, and evidence is assembled that the Commission did play that role in a number of policy sectors. A distinct strategy is discerned which the Commission pursued.
Book of the 18 International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment, 12 to 15 September 2016, Ghent, Belgium This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. – 697 – 18th International Conference on avy Metals in the Environment 12 to 15 September 2016, Ghent, Belgium ICHMET 2016 Proceedings of the 18 International Confer nce on Heavy Metals in the Environment, 12 to 15 September 2016, Ghent, Belgium
While research has shown that security, cleanliness and location are key attributes when customers choose hostels, the relationship between these attributes has not been properly examined. We take a word-of-mouth (WOM) approach to study the relationship between these attributes using data from a leading hostel booking website. Based on our empirical study, we find that customer perceptions of hostel security are primary determined by the cleanliness of the establishment, followed by its location.
Two-factor field experiment was conducted in 2011-2014 and it was designed with split-plot method. The objective of the research was to assess the effect of undersown white clover and common serradella into single-cultivar and three-cultivar mixture of winter rye (Secale cereale L.) on selected physical soil properties. Under normal distribution of precipitation, but in the high annual temperatures, the presence of undersown species in rye significantly affected the decrease of soil moisture and the increase in soil compaction. In the remaining years, when more optimal distribution of precipitation and temperatures was noticed, the implementation of white clover and serradella did not affect soil moisture and soil compaction was significantly lower under both undersown species. The implementation of white clover and serradella into agricultural practices of rye did not affect bulk density, although its slight increase was observed. The presence of white clover and serradella in the rye stand significantly increased total and capillary porosity in a 5-10 cm layer. The similar tendency, although statistically not proved, was observed in a 15-20 cm layer.
The degree of interaction is a very important factor determining stiffness, strength and deflection performance in the composite beam. Because this synthesis is made through the shear connector, the structural performance of the shear connector is very important. In this study, the connection method was developed using the driving pin to solve the problem of conventional welding connection method. To verify the structural performance of the developed connection method, the push-out test was performed and analyzed against numerical analysis results. Based on the results of the analysis, it is deemed that the structural performance can be obtained by joining the shear connection in proposed method.
To some extent,most of the economies are not optimum currency areas.The economic activities in different regions of a country respond to monetary policy actions differently in terms of the response magnitude and timing.While there exists considerable heterogeneity across the regional economies in China and each region responds to monetary shocks with great difference,the literature on the studying the regional imbalanced effects of monetary policy is fairly limited.Reviewing the latest foreign literature in detail has a positive significance for the monetary policy development and regional economic development.The authors review the development course of the research methodology on regional imbalanced effects of monetary policy and evaluate the contribution made by these methods to studying of regional imbalanced effects of monetary policy.Comparison and analysis of the formation mechanisms of regional imbalanced effects of monetary policy are made in such perspectives as monetary policy transmission channels,financial and economic structures,the behaviors of economic entities and so on.The latest research trends in this field are summarized and concluded,which suggests that the study will focus on the combination of aggregate level research in the future.Finally,the authors evaluate the significance of research on regional imbalanced effects of monetary policy and suggest further research needed in China.
The results of using enzyme immunoassay and latex preparations for the diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis are presented. High effectiveness of the enzyme immunoassay system developed in the USSR with latex diagnostic agents, such as Rotalex (Orion Diagnostica, Finland), Slidex Rota Kit (BioMérieux, France), The Wellcome Rotavirus Latex Kit (Wellcome Foundation Ltd., Great Britain), 48-63% and 21-41% respectively, has been noted. The results of the comparison of the system developed in the USSR with Wellcozyme Rotavirus, an enzyme immunoassay system manufactured by Wellcome Foundation Ltd. (Great Britain), are practically comparable. The results of the block test and the confirmation test used for control indicate that the Soviet preparation is specific. Materials on the practical evaluation of the assay system at health institutions are presented. Good prospects for the use of this system in the diagnosis of rotavirus gastroenteritis, as well as in the realization of epidemiological surveillance on this infection, are substantiated.
Ina multimedia information system, different typesof digital media(suchasvideo, audio, etc.) arestored, transmitted, andpresented. During presentation time, the synchronization between audioandvideodatahastobe preserved inorder tooffer thebestperceptual quality. However,the timestamp-based synchronization methodology inMPEG/System layer suffers datapacket lossduring transmission, andtheresulted absence of synchronization will beunacceptable forusers. Inorder to addressthisissue, an information hidingbased synchronization methodology hasbeenproposed. Inthis methodology, audiodatais embeddedwithinthe corresponding videoframesbymeansofhighbitrate information hidingtechniques. At thereceiver, the embedded audio dataisextracted andplayed withthehost videoframes toachieve thesynchronization. Withthis approach, significant advantages havebeenobtained: (1)the communication channel foraudiodatatransmission is avoided; (2)thesynchronization between audio andvideo data isrobust topacket loss.
A quick tour of SQL Plus declarative constraints analyzing constraints through the data dictionary PL/SQL program units the development environment syntax and constructs embedded SQL data types and composite structures error handling and exceptions interprocess communication dynamic SQL triggers triggers as procedural constraints a trigger methodology mutating tables a trigger methodology (part 2) case study stored procedural testing.
The Hungarian physicist Eugene Wigner introduced random matrix models in physics to describe the energy spectra of atomic nuclei. As such, the main goal of Random Matrix Theory (RMT) has been to derive the eigenvalue statistics of matrices drawn from a given distribution. The Wigner approach gives powerful insights into the properties of complex, chaotic systems in thermal equilibrium. Another Hungarian, Cornelius Lanczos, suggested a method of reducing the dynamics of any quantum system to a one-dimensional chain by tridiagonalizing the Hamiltonian relative to a given initial state. In the resulting matrix, the diagonal and off-diagonal Lanczos coefficients control transition amplitudes between elements of a distinguished basis of states. We connect these two approaches to the quantum mechanics of complex systems by deriving analytical formulae relating the potential defining a general RMT, or, equivalently, its density of states, to the Lanczos coefficients and their correlations. In particular, we derive an integral relation between the average Lanczos coefficients and the density of states, and, for polynomial potentials, algebraic equations that determine the Lanczos coefficients from the potential. We obtain these results for generic initial states in the thermodynamic limit. As an application, we compute the time-dependent ``spread complexity'' in Thermo-Field Double states and the spectral form factor for Gaussian and Non-Gaussian RMTs.
A general view of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade in camp close to the line near Ypres in World War I. Shows riflemen walking about the camp among camouflaged tents. Sandbagged dugouts are also visible. Photograph taken 19 September 1917 by Henry Armytage Sanders.  Other - An original print from this negative is in album PA1-f-091  Inscriptions: Photographer's title on negative - bottom right - H254  Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s).  Physical Description: Dry plate glass negative 3.25 x 4.25 inches
Objective:To identify and assay of watersoluble dyestuff-lemon yellow and sunset yellow in Adulterated Rhizoma Belamcandae.Method: Use TLC for iddentification and HPLC-DAD for iddentification and assay lemon yellow and sunset yellow.Result: Both TLC and HPLC-DAD can identify lemon yellow and sunset yellow in Adulterated Rhizoma Belamcandae,and HPLC detection indicate the content of lemon yellow between 0.11-0.37 g·kg-1,and sunset yellow between 0.04-0.11 g·kg-1.Conclusion: Staining Iridis kectori khizoma or other adulterants with lemon yellow and sunset yellow as Rhizoma Belamcandae for sales is not only unnecessary,but also increase unsafe factors in clinic.It is necessary to pay attention to about this by relative medicine researcher and manufactory.
keyword: TRANSLATION, ENGLISH, MACHINE TRANSLATION ABSTRACT : The paper discusses about the translation of English news article into Indonesian and comparison between the writeri?½s translation and machine translation. The aims of the  research are to find out the problems in translating the English news article into  Indonesian, and to find out the superiorities and weaknesses of writeri?½s translation and  machine translation.  Data used to translate the English news article into Indonesian were taken from  libraries and literature online and data used to compare are from the writeri?½s translation  and machine translation taken from English news article, the Jakarta post in www.thejakartapost.com, released on May 6, 2006. The analysis of these data used  qualitative descriptive.  In the result of the study, the writer found the problems in translating from  English news article into Indonesian. There are two problems; first, there is translation of  some of English words that borrowed by Indonesian by using the loan word translating  rules. Second, there is translation of some idiomatic expression words that translate into  Indonesia. Besides finding two problems above, the writer also found the superiorities  and weaknesses between the writeri?½s translation and machine translation.  The result of problem in translating English news article the writer using the loan word translating rules by changing some alphabet of the English words and the change  has to be suitable with the Indonesian Spelling Rules. The result of problem in  comparison between the writeri?½s translations and the machine translation is the writeri?½s  translation is better than the machine translation both in the meaning and accuracy.
A summary of the status of present technology for the detection of single photons is presented with a view towards applications in biophotonics. Included are careful discussions of the numerous problems that can be encountered and how to get around them with the hope that this will be of help to biologists interested in doing work in the field of biophotonics. Emphasis is placed on traditional devices, but the field is one which is continuously developing and we review the status of new and very interesting technologies which are becoming available. The paper is meant to be fairly self-contained and assumes no extensive knowledge of the physics of photodetection.
The invention discloses a dendrobium officinale health-care tea and a preparation method thereof. The dendrobium officinale health-care tea comprises, by weight, 30-35 parts of dendrobium officinale, 12-18 parts of honeysuckle flower, 10-15 parts of chrysanthemum, 10-13 parts of haw, 10-15 parts of acacia honey and 20-30 parts of wolfberry. The dendrobium officinale health-care tea has effects of dendrobium officinale, chrysanthemum, honeysuckle flower, haw, wolfberry and acacia honey, has a pure and fresh taste, and has functions of clearing heat and removing toxins, protecting liver and improving eyesight, generating body fluid and moisturizing dryness, and maintaining beauty and resisting ageing. The preparation method has simple processes and strong operationality and can be used widely.
BACKGROUND Primary cardiac tumors are rare. There are only a few reports of such tumors from India.   METHODS AND RESULTS We report our experience with 34 patients with primary cardiac tumors operated on at our institute between December 1989 and October 2001. The study group comprised 16 males and 18 females with a mean age of 40.05 +/- 13.06 years (range 7-65 years). The predominant symptoms were breathlessness and congestive heart failure. In addition, 1 patient presented with peripheral embolism with impending limb ischemia that necessitated emergency embolectomy. Echocardiography was confirmatory in the diagnosis of all the benign tumors, whereas the malignant tumors were incidentally found during surgery. All the patients survived the operation. Complete resection of the tumor was possible only in benign tumors; however, malignant tumors were partly removed to relieve obstruction. All the excised benign tumors showed no recurrence on a mean follow-up of 54.78 +/- 31.30 months (range 3-108 months). Myxoma was found in 31 patients, left ventricular fibroma in 1, and leiomyosarcoma in 2. Both the patients with malignant tumors developed recurrence postoperatively, and succumbed to extensive distant metastases.   CONCLUSIONS The long-term outcome of surgery was excellent in patients with benign cardiac tumors. However, malignant tumors had an unchanged prognosis, although symptomatic relief was achieved.
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Clinico-morphological and immuno-histological data on 15 cases of marked lymphocytic lung tissue infiltration are presented. The nature of B- and T-lymphocyte distribution, their proliferative activity as well as patterns of distribution of cells synthesizing light chains of immunoglobulins are described. In 12 cases, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia was diagnosed; it featured distinct boundaries between zones of B- and T-lymphocytes of proliferating and resting cells. However, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (MALT) detected in 3 cases lacked such a pattern. That might be interpreted as a marker of the particular pathology.
A proton magnetometer has been designed using a microcontroller. Microcontroller is used to implement a least square based signal processing technique to estimate the precession frequency of proton precessions. The dependence of accuracy on the signal to noise ratio and decay of the signal is discussed. The processing technique used to estimate the frequency is discussed. Results are compared with data from other standard magnetometers. Results show a considerable amount of increase in the measurement accuracy compared to conventional methods.
This study aims to determine how big the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors of motivation class XI student of SMK Negeri 7 Yogyakarta subjects KKPI. Intrinsic factors which consist of several indicators of health, attention, interest and aptitude. While extrinsic factors consist of indicators of teaching methods, learning tools, time and environmental conditions.   This study is a quantitative descriptive study using survey method with the data collection technique used observation and questionnaires. This study population is a class XI student of SMK Negeri 7 Yogyakarta, amounting to 285 students. The number of samples used is 46 students. The sampling technique used in this study are proportional random sampling, which took 15% of the class XI student of SMK Negeri 7 Yogyakarta. Test the validity of using Product Moment correlation technique with a number of points about the original 40 and fall 5 points so that a valid point about 35 grains. Instrument reliability using Cronbach Alpha formula, obtained at 0.968, which means reliable.   Results showed that overall Student Motivation Class XI against SMK Negeri 7 Yogyakarta KKPI lesson in the high category with a percentage of 86.96% of 40 students. Factors intrinsic on the class XI students' motivation SMK Negeri 7 Yogyakarta able to influence the motivation to follow the lessons in the high category KKPI and 78.26% for a number of 36 students, whereas extrinsic factors can also affect the motivation to follow the lessons KKPI in the category at 76.09% higher the number of 35 students. The high influence of intrinsic factors on students' motivation because students already have a degree of health in the category of very high at 69.56% a number of 32 students, besides that they also have an interest in the high category on the lessons of 78.26% KKPI number 36 students, have very high interest in the following categories KKPI lessons for a number of 32 students 69.56%, and have the talent in that category at 73.9% higher the number of 34 students. While the high influence of extrinsic factors due to the teaching methods of teachers have a high variation of 69.6% some 32 students, means that there are lessons to have a high level of completeness of 60.87% some 28 students, suitability of the lessons that the students have a high number of 21 for 45.7% of students, and environmental conditions have the support of 54.35% a high number of 25 students.
Abstract : This report documents the demonstration of a self-adhering, thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technology applied to a new aluminum-zinc coated standing-seam metal roof (SSMR) with a high-performance coating. The demonstration took place at Kilauea Military Camp (KMC), HI, which has a uniquely corrosive environment due to the periodic presence of volcanic gases. It also has high electric utility costs and limited grid capacity. The corrosion performance of the roof and PV solar array was evaluated by periodic visual examination, onsite atmospheric coupon testing, and accelerated weathering laboratory tests of material coupons. Sensors were also installed at the interface between the PV membrane and roofing material, mounted in outdoor exposure at the site, to record any developing signs of corrosion. Af-ter a year in service, the PV appliqu modules were found to have no deleterious effect on the new SSMR, and the PV system performed as expected. However, due to the high first-costs related to procuring the thin-film PV components, the 30 year return on investment (ROI) ratio was only 0.19. Although the system is not economical enough to warrant Army-wide implementation, it may be specified in individual cases where energy sustainability is a higher priority than ROI.
The purpose of this report is to stimulate the design of effective engagement strategies between the public and proponents of CCS projects in Scotland. Engagement is the process of having an informed, two-way discussion as to whether a CCS project is appropriate in a particular locality and context. Successful engagement is not a guarantee that every project will go ahead. Projects may be rejected by publics even if they are technically viable, and establishing if this is the case early on would greatly speed the search for a suitable site. However if the reasons for a CCS project are sound, the plans carefully laid, and social conditions favourable, a good engagement strategy should greatly increase the chances of acceptance. Key steps towards public acceptance have been identified (Figure I). Whilst not every step will be necessary for every stakeholder, during an engagement campaign this is the likely minimum information which will be required.
Universal Signature Aggregators.- Fully Structure-Preserving Signatures and Shrinking Commitments.- Disjunctions for Hash Proof Systems: New Constructions and Applications.- Quasi-Adaptive NIZK for Linear Subspaces Revisited.- Leakage-Resilient Circuits Revisited - Optimal Number of Computing Components Without Leak-Free Hardware.- Noisy Leakage .- Privacy-Free Garbled Circuits with Applications to Efficient Zero-Knowledge.- Two Halves Make a Whole: Reducing Data Transfer in Garbled Circuits Using Half Gates.- One-Out-of-Many Proofs: Or How to Leak a Secret and Spend a Coin.- The Bitcoin Backbone Protocol: Analysis and Applications.- Linear Secret Sharing Schemes from Error Correcting Codes.- Function Secret Sharing.- Cluster Computing in Zero Knowledge.- Hosting Services on an Untrusted Cloud.- How to Obfuscate Programs Directly.- Cryptographic Agents: Towards a Unified Theory of Computing on Encrypted Data.- Executable Proofs, Input-Size Hiding Secure Computation and a New Ideal World.- Semantically Secure Order-Revealing Encryption: Multi-input Functional Encryption Without Obfuscation.- Improved Dual System ABE in Prime-Order Groups via Predicate Encodings.- Resisting Randomness Subversion: Fast Deterministic and Hedged Public-Key Encryption in the Standard Model.- Cryptographic Reverse Firewalls.- Mind the Gap: Modular Machine-Checked Proofs of One-Round Key Exchange Protocols.- Authenticated Key Exchange from Ideal Lattices.- Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Proofs in the Quantum Random Oracle Model.- Privacy Amplification in the Isolated Qubits Model.- Generic Hardness of the Multiple Discrete Logarithm Problem.
Integration of Polish agriculture is recognized as a success. Nevertheless some remarkable difficulties have emerged. Some of them are related to low production quotas in the dairy, sugar and starch sectors. The authors argue that the level of potato starch quota inscribed for Poland is incompatible with the principle of fair competition in the inner EU market. The quota ceiling of a mere 145 thousand tons is a heavy constraint to the processing plants – their total processing capacities are estimated at some 220–260 thousand tons. Therefore, they are utilized at c. 56–66%, leading to the increase of unit costs of starch production by about 9,2% and a decrease in the competitiveness. Another point is the ratio of the quota to the volume of harvests: 0,1121 for Denmark, 0,057 for Germany and (only) 0,0131 for Poland. Furthermore, the domestic consumption of starch products in Poland is two-fold bigger than the quota with a resultant increase in importation. Paradoxically, such practices are pronounced in spite of the unutilized natural resources of Polish agriculture – a high proportion of light soils. The temporary solution is to increase the quota – the long-run one is to rethink the concept of the quota system – under the new CAP reform. ZASADA UCZCIWEJ KONKURENCJI NA JEDNOLITYM RYNKU UE A KWOTA SKROBI ZIEMNIACZANEJ PRZYDZIELONA POLSCE Jacek Chotkowski, Benon Gaziński 1 Pracownia Badań Rynkowych Instytut Hodowli i Aklimatyzacji Roślin w Boninie 2 Instytut Nauk Politycznych Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie S ł o w a k l u c z o w e: konkurencja na rynku, kwota skrobiowa, rolnictwo polskie.
In the development of several diseases the oxidative stress is a significant aetiological or important pathogenetic factor. Its significance has been proved in the pathogenesis of several diseases, among them in arteriosclerosis and reperfusion, in inflammation and immunological disorders, as well as in toxic alterations and in carcinogenesis. The increased incidence of malignant tumors may be attributed to smoking, intemperate alcohol abuse, as well as inappropriate nutrition. Inappropriate nutrition is thought to be responsible for the development of about 30-50% of malignancies. In this paper the authors review the processes of the development of free radicals based on oxygen and nitrogen. They discuss the modalities which are able to decrease the oxidative stress, like the low oxygen tension in the tissues, the enzymatic and antioxidant protections, and the different repair mechanisms. In details the roles of ubiquinone, with other name of coenzyme Q, as well as of the selenium are discussed in the antioxidant defence processes. As a conclusion they suppose that oxidative stress in the organism and the alterations caused by them can be decreased by adequate nutrition or nutriceuticals.
In order to help youth with physical disabilities and their families to plan for the transition to adulthood, well-planned service delivery is essential. This paper provides an account of the work of a children's rehabilitation centre to develop a transition framework reflecting evidence-based practice. Examination of current transition practices, a review of the literature, and site visits to health care facilities and universities were conducted to identify promising practices in the field of transition to adult services. A transition framework was designed to facilitate the adoption of a shared management approach for helping families and their children to grow up ready. Key elements of the transition framework are described and future plans discussed.
Objective To prepare extended-release matrix tablets of zidovudine using hydrophilic Eudragit alone or their combination with hydrophobic ethyl cellulose.Methods Five recipes were determined.Matrix tablets were prepared by wet granulation method.Results The in-vitro drug release study revealed that Eudragit preparation was able to sustain the release only for 6 hours(94%±4.5%),while combining Eudragit with ethyl cellulose could sustain the drug release for 12 hours(88%±4.1%).Conclusion The developed sustained-release tablets of zidovudine have better therapeutic effect than the conventional dosage forms,leading to improved efficacy and better patient compliance.
In the first part of this report, the authors analyze the economics of three different fuel cell applications, 200 kW cogeneration, 50 MW stand alone power generation, and a central power plant application of a fuel cell integrated into a 225 MW gas turbine/combined cycle power plant. In the second part of this report, the authors estimated the cost of fabricating a planar SOFC stack using a variety of manufacturing techniques. For a facility producing 200 MW/year of fuel cell systems, the authors obtained vendor equipment quotations, material cost estimates, utility requirements, and projected labor and overhead costs. The authors used a minimum after tax rate of return requirement of 20% to estimate SOFC stack costs.
Objective:To evaluate the clinical significance of conserving surgery for early breast cancer.Methods:22 cases of early-stage breast cancer were treated with breast-conserving surgery.After operation,accessory treatments,such as radiotherapy,were used.Results: The form of breast was considerably improved after breast-conserving surgery,the breast on both sides were essential symmetry,and the recurrence rate of the breast cancer was fairly low.Conclusions: The result of early-stage breast cancer treated with breast-conserving therapy is satisfied and worthy of spreading.
With reference to Carole Maso’s Ghost Dance and focusing on one specific character, the Italian American grandfather, Angelo, the present paper tried to study the archetypal images of Caesars which fed the self-centred patriarchal Western ‘ego’ and, thus, poisoned the character’s soul, hindered his freedom, and affected his relationships. While the first part dealt with the four manifestations of ‘Caesar’: the Christian God, the patriarchal Father, the white Anglo-centric man, and the Italian ‘master,’ the second part attempted to highlight the importance of masks in freeing the ‘ego’ from the dominance of Caesars. The soul selects ‘its’ own society by discovering other images, gods, spirits, and ghosts and the character’s freedom depended on the ‘remythologization’ of these multiple facets of the psyche.
This paper considers the indirect impact the recent tariff increases between the US and China can have in third countries through links in global supply chains. We combine data from input-output relationships, imports and tariffs, to calculate the impact of the tariff increases by both the US and China on cumulative tariffs for other countries and thus hurt trade partners further downstream in global supply chains. We also show that this is particularly important for tariff increases on Chinese imports in the US. These are likely to be used as intermediates in production in the US, which are then re-exported to third countries. The most heavily hit third countries are the closest trade partners, namely Canada and Mexiko. We estimate that the tariffs impose additional burden of around 500 to 600 million US dollars on these two countries. China's tariffs on US imports have less of an effect.
Schizophrenia is a severe and enduring mental health disorder. Treatment includes antipsychotic medication and psychological interventions. Medication can be administered as a depot injection; these treatments reduce the risk of relapse in some people with schizophrenia who have difficulties adhering to oral medication regimens. This article outlines the types of depot and medications that are available for the treatment of schizophrenia, and discusses the evidence base supporting their efficacy. The role of antipsychotic medication as part of a treatment plan should be reinforced by enabling patients to make an informed choice about which medication best supports their health and wellbeing.
An innovative MABR (membrane-aerated biofilm reactor) membrane technology was demonstrated at the O9Brien Water Reclamation Plant (OWRP) of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (Chicago MWRD). The demonstration unit was equipped with one full-scale membrane cassette. The technology was evaluated for its potential to improve performance for total suspended solids (TSS) and ammonia removal during stressed conditions (specifically cold temperature peak flow periods) and to meet future effluent phosphorous limits. Over a period of 9 months, the MABR oxygen transfer rate was stable and ranged between 8 and 12 g-O 2 /d/m 2 of membrane surface area. The nitrification rate varied between 0.5 and 2.5 g-N/d/m 2 and was affected primarily by the ammonia loading rate and the feed carbon to nitrogen ratio. Most of the oxygen transferred was accounted for by nitrification. The MABR hybrid process enables important process improvements while reducing plant energy consumption.
Lampreys are extant members of the agnathan (jawless) vertebrates that diverged ~500 million years ago, during a critical stage of vertebrate evolution when image‐forming eyes first emerged. Among lamprey species assessed thus far, the retina of the southern hemisphere pouched lamprey, Geotria australis, is unique, in that it possesses morphologically distinct photoreceptors and expresses five visual photopigments. This study focused on determining the number of different photoreceptors present in the retina of G. australis and whether each cell type expresses a single opsin class. Five photoreceptor subtypes were identified based on ultrastructure and differential expression of one of each of the five different visual opsin classes (lws, sws1, sws2, rh1, and rh2) known to be expressed in the retina. This suggests, therefore, that the retina of G. australis possesses five spectrally and morphologically distinct photoreceptors, with the potential for complex color vision. Each photoreceptor subtype was shown to have a specific spatial distribution in the retina, which is potentially associated with changes in spectral radiance across different lines of sight. These results suggest that there have been strong selection pressures for G. australis to maintain broad spectral sensitivity for the brightly lit surface waters that this species inhabits during its marine phase. These findings provide important insights into the functional anatomy of the early vertebrate retina and the selection pressures that may have led to the evolution of complex color vision.
Abstract Identifying pharmacologically safe lipid-lowering ‘deliverables’ could potentiate therapeutic outcome for diet-induced atherogenesis. Accordingly, we investigated the potential of molluscan (Katelysia opima) glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in modulating the early lipid changes in atherogenesis. Wistar rats were fed a diet with (n=24) or without (n=6) hypercholesterolemic atherogenic CCT (rat chow supplemented with 4% cholesterol, 1% cholic acid, and 0.5% thiouracil) for 17 days. CCT-fed rates were (i) treated with isolated molluscan GAG (40 mg/kg/day, s.c.) for 10 days after the introduction of CCT diet, (ii) cotreated with GAG (40 mg/kg/day, s.c.) for 17 days, or (iii) treated with heparin (200 units/kg/day, s.c.) for 10 days after the introduction of CCT. The increases induced by CCT diet in the plasma levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein were completely attenuated with GAG treatment. Consistently, alterations induced by CCT diet in the levels of plasma lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase and lipoprotein lipase activities were restored to baseline levels with GAG treatment. Coherently, histology revealed a decrease associated with GAG treatment in the CCT-diet-induced foam cells (in aorta), tubular damages (kidney), and lipid accumulations (liver). Together, these results suggest that GAG may exert antiatherogenesis potential by significantly attenuating lipid modulations derived by a high-fat diet. Further, the data imply that the GAG extracts may comprehensively prevent hypercholesterolemia-associated tissue damage and could thus serve as a therapeutic deliverable for hypercholesterolemia.
A new experimental model for free-flap transfer has been developed in the rat. This "thigh flap" is an osteomyocutaneous free flap of bone (femur), muscle (thigh), and skin (groin) based on the femoral vessels. The flap is harvested from the left groin and thigh of an inbred female rat and is transferred to a subcutaneous pocket in the left groin of a male rat of the same inbred strain. The femoral vessels supplying the flap are anastomosed end-to-end with the femoral vessels of the recipient. Thirty flaps have been transferred, with 5 technical failures. Three of the remaining 25 flaps developed necrosis within 24 hours. The other 22 flaps remained viable until the rat was sacrificed at 7 days. The survival rate of the thigh flap was thus 88 percent. The model is suitable for use in metabolic, vascular, and immunologic studies of composite free flaps.
The effects of norcholate (a C23 bile acid that differs from cholate in having a side chain containing four rather than five carbon atoms) on bile flow and biliary lipid secretion were compared with those of cholate, using the anesthetized rat with a bile fistula. Norcholate and cholate were infused intravenously over the range of 0.6-6.0 mumol X min-1 X kg-1. Both bile acids were quantitatively secreted into bile; norcholate was secreted predominantly in unconjugated form in contrast to cholate, which was secreted predominantly as its taurine or glycine conjugates. The increase in bile flow per unit increase in bile acid secretion induced by norcholate infusion [17 +/- 3.2 (SD) microliters/mumol, n = 8] was much greater than that induced by cholate infusion (8.6 +/- 0.9 microliters/mumol, n = 9) (P less than 0.001). Both bile acids induced phospholipid and cholesterol secretion. For an increase in bile acid secretion (above control values) of 1 mumol X min-1 X kg-1, the increases in phospholipid secretion [0.052 +/- 0.024 (SD) mumol X min-1 X kg-1, n = 9] and cholesterol secretion (0.0071 +/- 0.0033 mumol X min-1 X kg-1, n = 9) induced by norcholate infusion were much less than those induced by cholate infusion (0.197 +/- 0.05 mumol X min-1 X kg-1, n = 9, and 0.024 +/- 0.011 mumol X min-1 X kg-1, n = 9, respectively; P less than 0.001 for both phospholipid and cholesterol). The strikingly different effects of norcholate on bile flow and biliary lipid secretion were attributed mainly to its possessing a considerably higher critical micellar concentration than cholate.
Mesocosm experiments conducted for ecological purposes have become increasingly popular because they can provide a holistic understanding of the biological complexities associated with natural systems. This paper describes a new outdoor mesocosm designed for CO 2 perturbation experiments of benthos. Manipulated the carbonate chemistry in a continuous flow-through system can be parallelized with diurnal changes, while irradiance, temperature, and nutrients can vary according to the local environment. A target hydrogen ion activity (pH) of seawater was sufficiently stabilized and maintained within 4 h after dilution, which was initiated by the ratio of CO 2 -saturated seawater to ambient seawater. Specifically, pH and CO 2 partial pressure (pCO 2 ) levels gradually varied from 8.05-7.28 and 375-2,691 μatm, respectively, over a range of dilution ratios. This mesocosm can successfully manipulate the pH and pCO 2 of seawater, and it demon-strates suitability for ocean acidification experiments on benthic communities.
Lighter organic particulates emitted from a high-speed four-cycle DI diesel engine at various loads for commercial diesel fuels and some blended fuels have been studied under steady operating conditions. Emissions of lubricating oil, fuel fractions, and combustion products in the lighter organic fraction have been evaluated by chemical analysis using a gas chromatograph and a mass spectrometer. Furthermore, flow reactor experiments under atmospheric pressure were conducted to simulated the effects of temperature on forming particulates in the engine cylinder. The fractions having higher boiling points than 300°C are hot fully decomposed even at flow-reactor temperatures of 880°C. Side-chained two-ring compounds which are the major aromatic component in commercial fuel rapidly decompose to yield a polymerized substance at much lower temperatures than other fuels. This explains the dependence of SOF emission on load and fuel property.
We've embraced the "Growing a Language" philosophy (Guy Steele, OOPSLA'98): Languages expose a small core while libraries add the domain-specific tasks, manage communication and scale computation to thousands of machines in a reliable fashion. It's both amazing and scary to see what can be achieved with a small core language and a liberal syntax: we're at a point where programmers use domain-specific languages without even realizing it, thanks to the perfect host language integration. Yet, there is a conflict in this approach: Although libraries open up domain-specific optimization opportunities, such as fusion, we don't have the means to exploit that. Being implemented in terms of the core language, both libraries and client programs are all compiled down to low-level intermediate representations, where even the smartest optimizers can't recover the high-level optimization opportunities. There's a fundamental mismatch - despite their good integration with the host language, domain-specific libraries simply don't have good optimization mechanisms. We are sorely missing a mechanism for library self-optimization, and even more, inter-library optimization. Unfortunately, the existing approaches, such as macros, multi-stage programming and partially evaluated interpreters (like Truffle) are difficult to use for mainstream programmers and make it almost impossible to express optimizations across different libraries. Missing this cross-library composition means each optimization has to make pessimistic assumptions about the code outside its control, reducing the number of possible optimizations for a library taken alone. For example, there's little one can do to to optimize an off-heap array in general, but if we know it stores pairs of integers and sparse matrices, there's suddenly an opportunity to reorganize the data and to make access more efficient. Therefore the most benefit can be gained from inter-library optimizations. In this presentation, I show my work on programmer-driven domain-specific transformations, which can work across different libraries. This approach can express high-level transformations in the host language in a very natural and self-contained way, making them amenable to distribution along with libraries or as separate artifacts. In turn, this allows the library users to mix and match both the libraries and transformations they need for the task at hand. Furthermore, the transformation is expressed based on the conversion methods, which allow triggering the transformation for both generic (e.g. for all vectors, regardless of the element type) and specific targets (e.g. only vectors of pairs of numeric types) -- the full type system expressivity is available to select the transformation target and to specify the transformation result. On the compiler side, the work focuses on correctly transforming programs, assuming an open-world and allowing object-oriented dynamic dispatch and overriding. There are many considerations to take into account. For example, when overriding methods change signatures due to the transformation, bridges need to be created in order to preserve the object model. The Scala implementation, made as a compiler plugin, relies on a strong type-flow-based data representation transformation mechanism (Late Data Layout) that currently powers specialization (through miniboxing), value class transformations and compiler support for multi-stage programming. The project implementation is open-source at https://github.com/miniboxing/ildl-plugin and the paper is available at https://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/207050. You can also read about the sample transformations, such as deforestation, array of struct to struct of array and localized optimistic specialization on the project wiki: https://github.com/miniboxing/ildl-plugin/wiki.
In order to study the interaction between the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and nitric oxide (NO), we analyzed the activity of aspartyl- (AspAP), glutamyl- (GluAP), alanyl- (AlaAP), and cystinylaminopeptidase (CysAP) enzymes involved in the RAS cascade, in the hypothalamus, and plasma of normotensive adult male rats after the inhibition of NO production with the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME (L-N (G)-nitroarginine methyl ester). L-NAME treatment produced a significant increase of systolic blood pressure (SBP). In plasma, while GluAP activity decreased significantly, suggesting a lower Ang III formation, the other aminopeptidases did not change after L-NAME treatment. In hypothalamus, the activities of AspAP and CysAP were not affected after L-NAME treatment. In contrast, GluAP and AlaAP increased significantly. These results suggested mainly a higher formation of Ang III, but also higher levels of Ang IV in the hypothalamus of L-NAME treated rats. Both peptides have hypertensive properties at central level. On the contrary, Ang III may counteract the hypertensive action of Ang II at the periphery. Therefore, the increased SBP in L-NAME treated rats may be due in part to the increased activity of GluAP and AlaAP in hypothalamus and to a decreased activity of GluAP in plasma.
Simple Summary Ventricular arrhythmias occur commonly in horses. Knowledge on the origin of ventricular arrhythmias is essential for proper treatment. Former studies in horses showed contradictory results regarding the diagnostic value of 12-lead electrocardiography and vectorcardiography due to the anatomical differences in horses compared to humans and small animals. As a consequence, no standardized approach is available for electrocardiography electrode configurations in horses. The current study investigated whether the anatomical origin of experimentally induced ventricular premature depolarizations in horses could be differentiated based upon spherical statistics of the vectorcardiography characteristics. Vectorcardiography shows the magnitude and direction of the cardiac electrical forces in three dimensions. The vectorcardiogram was recorded in seven horses under general anesthesia while right and left ventricular pacing was performed from inside the heart. Using spherical statistics, it could be shown that pacing induces significantly different initial and maximum electrical axes between different locations and between pacing and normal sinus rhythm. The current approach could be used in clinical patients to identify the origin of ventricular arrhythmias without the need for invasive studies. The technique could also be used in other species for which a standardized electrocardiogram electrode configuration is not available. Abstract In human cardiology, the anatomical origin of ventricular premature depolarizations (VPDs) is determined by the characteristics of a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG). Former studies in horses had contradictory results regarding the diagnostic value of the 12-lead ECG and vectorcardiography (VCG), which results were attributed to the different cardiac conduction system in this species. The objective of this study was to determine if the anatomical origin of pacing-induced VPDs could be differentiated in horses based upon VCG characteristics. A 12-lead ECG was recorded in seven horses under general anesthesia while right and left ventricular endomyocardial pacing was performed (800–1000 ms cycle length) at the apex, mid and high septum and mid and high free wall, and at the right ventricular outflow tract. Catheter positioning was guided by 3D electro-anatomical mapping and echocardiography. A median complex, obtained from four consecutive complexes, was calculated for each pacing location and sinus rhythm. The VCG was calculated from the 12-lead ECG-derived median complexes using custom-made algorithms and was used to determine the initial and maximum electrical axes of the QRS complex. An ANOVA for spherical data was used to test if VCGs between each paced location and between pacing and sinus rhythm were significantly (p < 0.05) different. The model included the radius, azimuth and elevation of each electrical axis. Pacing induced significantly different initial and maximum electrical axes between different locations and between pacing and sinus rhythm. The current results suggest that VCG is a useful technique to identify the anatomical origin of ventricular ectopy in horses.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the status of physical activity and exercise (PAE) adherence and identify its influential factors among community-dwelling stroke survivors.   BACKGROUND Regular PAE after stroke is essential for recovery and secondary prevention, while adherence to PAE and its influential factors are rarely studied.   DESIGN A cross-sectional descriptive study.   METHODS In total, 208 stroke survivors (70.25 ± 9.08 years) were randomly selected from three communities. The influential factors of PAE adherence and associations between these variables were explored using multiple linear regression and path analyses. This study adhered to the EQUATOR checklist, STROBE.   RESULTS The mean adherence rate was moderate (62.00%), and stroke survivors tended to be more adherent to PAE than monitoring and seeking advice (70.30%>53.50%>48.30%). The regression results revealed that seven factors were significantly associated with PAE adherence, including knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, social support, self-care ability, community rehabilitation experience and times since stroke. Furthermore, the path analysis showed that knowledge had a significant indirect positive influence on adherence with self-efficacy as a mediator, while attitude and social support impacted both directly and indirectly with self-efficacy as the mediator. Moreover, self-efficacy had the most substantial direct effect on community-dwelling stroke survivors' PAE adherence. These four variables accounted for a total of 67.00% of the variance in PAE adherence among community-dwelling stroke survivors.   CONCLUSIONS The PAE adherence of community stroke survivors needs to be improved. Healthcare professionals should develop more effective interventions to promote PAE adherence through enhancing self-efficacy among this population.   RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Adherence to the recommended regimen is the most challenging dimension of stroke physical activity and exercise. This study contributes to exploring status and influential factors of PAE adherence, and self-efficacy was found to be a significant determinant. The results could be used to inspire future community-based intervention programs for stroke survivors.
this paper, a method is proposed for feature extraction of offline signature recognition system. The proposed method is based on global features to identify forgeries and also median filter is introduces for noise reduction. The Proposed feature extraction method is compared with Discrete Radon Transform (DRT). Both the feature extraction method extracts one dimensional global features and the alignment between features is performed by Dynamic Time Warping (DTW). When being trained using 6 genuine signatures of each person and 250 forgeries taken from our database, the proposed method obtained an equal error rate (EER) of 8.40%. The false acceptance rate (FAR) for proposed method was also kept as low as 8.80%. Keywordsfilter, Global features, Discrete Radon transform, Dynamic time warping.
In Sweden, contraceptive methods for birth control are readily available, but one in four pregnancies was legally terminated during the period from 1975 to 1990. Our purpose in conducting the present study was to describe young women's choices and use of contraceptive methods and their attitudes to abortion. The participants were 305 Swedish women ages 23-29 years. Eighty-eight percent of the women were using some contraceptive method. The most common method was hormonal (43%), followed by a barrier method (22%). The women considered that abortion should not be used as a method of birth control and that the fact that a pregnancy is unintended is not a sufficient reason for terminating it. An acceptable reason, they thought, for a woman to have an abortion is the woman's present situation, in particular her social situation. The women were aware that the use of contraceptive methods gives them the chance to choose if and when they wish to have children.
Soft-input soft-output building blocks (modules) are presented to construct and iteratively decode in a distributed fashion code networks, a new concept that includes, and generalizes, various forms of concatenated coding schemes. Among the modules, a central role is played by the SISO module (and the underlying algorithm): it consists of a four-port device performing a processing of the sequences of two input probability distributions by constraining them to the code trellis structure. The SISO and other soft-input soft-output modules are employed to construct and decode a variety of code networks, including “turbo codes” and serially concatenated codes with interleavers.
Cyanobacteria are biogeochemically significant constituents of coral reef ecosystems; however, little is known about biotic and abiotic factors influencing the abundance and composition of cyanobacterial communities in fringing coral reef waters. To understand the patterns of cyanobacterial biogeography in relation to coastal environmental factors, we examined the diversity of planktonic and benthic cyanobacteria at 12 sites along the west coast of Hawaii's Big Island. We found distinct cyanobacterial communities in sediments compared to the water column. In both sediments and water, community structure was strongly related to overall biomass (chlorophyll a concentration), although both these communities corresponded to different sets of biotic/abiotic variables. To examine the influence of freshwater input on planktonic cyanobacterial communities, we conducted a mesocosm experiment where seawater was amended with freshwater from two sources representing high- and low-human population influence. Planktonic cyanobacterial abundance decreased over time in mesocosms, although chlorophyll a concentration significantly increased with time, indicating cyanobacteria were likely outcompeted by other phytoplankton in incubations. Our results show that cyanobacterial community structure may be affected by runoff from terrestrial habitats, but that the composition of cyanobacterial communities inhabiting these locations is also structured by factors not measured in this study.
Majority of the existing works on network analysis study properties that are related to the global topology of a network. Examples of such properties include diameter, power-law exponent, and spectra of graph Laplacian. Such works enhance our understanding of real-life networks, or enable us to generate synthetic graphs with real-life graph properties. However, many of the existing problems on networks require the study of local topological structures of a network, which did not get the deserved attention in the existing works. In this work, we use graphlet frequency distribution (GFD) as an analysis tool for understanding the variance of local topological structure in a network; we also show that it can help in comparing, and characterizing real-life networks. The main bottleneck to obtain GFD is the excessive computation cost for obtaining the frequency of each of the graphlets in a large network. To overcome this, we propose a simple, yet powerful algorithm, called GRAFT, that obtains the approximate graphlet frequency for all graphlets that have up-to five vertices. Comparing to an exact counting algorithm, our algorithm achieves a speedup factor between 10 and 100 for a negligible counting error, which is, on average, less than 5 percent.
The combined effects of nonspecific immunostimulation with Candida albicans (CA) and chemotherapy were studied in (BALB/cCr X DBA/2Cr)F1 and (C57BL/6Cr X DBA/2Cr)F1 mice bearing virus-induced LSTRA lymphomas. Paradoxically, animals treated with a relatively high number of tumor cells responded better to therapy with 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) than those challenged with a low number of tumor cells. However, the majority of mice subjected to low initial tumor load were cured when they were treated with chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus booster injection of CA at a relatively "late" stage of the disease, i.e., when high tumor load was present in tumor-bearing hosts. It has been shown that this phenomenon, provisionally called high tumor load protection, occurs when the animals are challenged ip but not when they are challenged iv with the tumor and is abolished by total-body gamma-irradiation. Moreover, marked host protection can be attained when immunostimulated mice, inoculated iv with lymphoma cells, are subjected to simultaneous challenge with high inocula of the same tumor ip, followed by BCNU administration. These data stress the importance of the peritoneal cavity for successful CA plus drug treatment and suggest that optimal tumor "antigen load" should be present at the time of CA and/or BCNU administration.
One approach to modeling multibody mechanical systems, which is easy to understand and implement in bond graphs, is to define a set of maximal inertial coordinates (sometimes called “primitive coordinates”), and constrain them using velocity constraint equations. As we’ve seen previously, if you constrain the velocity nodes in a bond graph, then the force or torque equations (Newton’s Laws) will be automatically satisfied.
On June 11, 2020, the Harvard Data Science Review’s Editor-in-Chief, Xiao-Li Meng, and Media Feature Editor, Liberty Vittert, conducted an online interview with L. Rafael Reif, the 17th President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). President Reif joined the editors to discuss the newly established MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing; the use of data behind the difficult decision-making process for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic; and MIT’s Task Force on the Work of the Future to form more evidence-driven plans for preparing the future workforce.
The purpose of study is to evaluate a culture program at the family support centers and to suggest a development direction. Therefore evaluation indication areas are planning adaption, practice validity, and an outcome(output) satisfaction. The study subject was 40 family support centers' final reports. The collected data was analyzed by evaluation framework. The results were as followed; first, the culture program plan described healthy of family, included various family type, family-unit program, but a clear culture program wasn't identified; second, the evaluation of culture program practice presents high goal achievement with small financial budget, large number of participants and various type of program, and finally, the program output showed high satisfaction.
Objective: To discuss the method for retaining outer venipuncture transfusion in MEBT/MEBOtreatment of pediatric burn. Method: 121 cases of pediatric burn were treated with MEBT/MEBO and retaining outervenipuncture transfusion was performed. Results: The shortest time of outer venipuncture retention was 3 days, and thelongest 7 days. The shortest time of transfusion was 3 days and the longest 30 days. 5 cases had the puncture tube fell off.20 cases had slight pain. All the children were cured without complications. Conclusion: The application of retaining outervenipuncture transfusion is easy and convenient. It is no need to do the operation frequently and the tube can be retainedfor a long period, so that the efficiency of the transfusion is greatly promoted.
PURPOSE: A container and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to minimize transmission of heat produced from contents stored inside the container by forming a space between a main body and an outer cover. CONSTITUTION: A container(10) includes an inlet, an inner container(110) having an accommodating space in which the content are received and connected to the inlet, and a convex part(130) formed on an outer container and the inner container. The convex part includes a first convex part(131) which is vacant and a second convex part(132) protruded toward to an outer direction of the outer container. An air layer(133) is formed in the first convex part and the second convex part.
Preparation of R-123 using conventional solid state method requires high purity oxides and carbonate powders as starting materials, multiple grindings and extended heat treatment to achieve a complete reaction via solid state diffusion. However, high sintering temperature (> 940 °C) and long heating duration (48 - 100 hours) would cause the composition of compound to change, and consequently lowers the quality of the samples. Co-precipitation method (COP) has the capability to overcome these problems because the initial mixtures of cations in the solution are in atomic scale. This enhances the reaction during the heat treatment and the resulting starting powders are more homogenous with grain size in the nanometer range, higher purity than the powders produced by the solid state method at shorter thermal and processing time.  COP method was used to prepare nanosize metal oxalate (> 50 nm) of R-123 superconductors and the oxalate powders were analyzed via Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Five major drops due to the loss of weight from the bulk sample in the formation of R-123 were observed. Base on the TGA results and previous studies, the calcinations was carried out at 900 – 960 °C. The calcined samples were pelletized and sintered under oxygen atmosphere for 15 hours at 920 oC, 930 oC, 940 oC and 950 oC. Larger grains (~ 20 μm) which were highly compacted and randomly distributed were observed for the resulting sintered samples by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).  The Ho-123 and Sm-123 samples which were preheated and calcined at 900 oC, followed by sintering at 920 oC gave single-phased compounds as confirmed by the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). However, secondary phase of R-211 can be observed for Gd-123 samples that were treated with the same heat treatment.  In resistivity measurement critical current, IC and transition temperature, TC for R-123 samples were observed above 200 mA and 90 K. However, Sm-123 showed decreasing IC when the sintering temperature was increased and zero transition temperature, TC(R=0) for Sm-123 and Ho-123 sintered at 950 oC were below 90 K.
Changes in the volume of rat liver nuclei have been monitored as a function of modifications in ionic environment (from 0 to 20 mM), temperature (from 4 to 37 degrees C), and pH (from 1 to 8). An abrupt reduction of nuclear volume occurred with increasing ion concentration, this contraction being more pronounced with bivalent (either Ca2+ or Mg2+) than with monovalent (either Na+ or K+) cations. The lowering of pH produced a similar effect. Parallel changes in chromatin structure took place at the same time as phase-like transitions. Atomic absorption spectroscopy allowed determination of free and nuclei-bound ions, pointing to the presence of a sizeable number of free binding sites for chromatin-DNA even within intact nuclei. DNA-phosphate sites appear to be neutralized by ions strictly according to the size of the electric charge and polyelectrolyte theory. Partial digestion (by micrococcal nuclease) or simple breaks (by chemical carcinogens) of the chromatin-DNA fiber caused respectively elimination or reduction of the abrupt volume changes in the intact nuclei. The apparent role of chromatin structure versus nuclear matrix in determining the shape and volume of intact nuclei is briefly discussed.
Since the mid 1990s, a substantial growth of the containerized traffic along the Eastern Seaboard took place. Even if containerization in theory “levels the playing field” by permitting a standard transport product, its spatial accumulation is far from being ubiquitous. While in prior stages deconcentration prevailed, the trend has reversed with a process of traffic concentration among the largest port gateways. This paper investigates port divergence taking place along the Eastern Seaboard. Hinterland access, the configuration of shipping line networks and supply chain management are the most significant factors driving the process.
Based on the understanding and grasp for the tendency of modern information service,this paper deals with the organization and management of department libraries at universities.We relocate the position of department libraries from the point of view of knowledge arrangements.New development direction is proposed for the libraries in information times so that the libraries can satisfy the requirement of knowledge service.
Capacitive sensor for measuring water level has successfully been fabricated and characterized. Capacitive water level sensor has been fabricated using coaxial cylinder with an inner and outer radius at 0,955 and 1,435 cm, respectively. The cylinders have a length of 82 cm. The study was used water and air as dielectrics for filling in the space of two cylinders. The design of sensor based on the principle of cylindrical capacitor with two dielectrics. Measurements of water level repeated three times to ensure an accuracy of data. The ruler was used as calibrator for measurement of water level. The result showed that the capacitive water level sensor can be used to measure water level with the maximum of standar deviation around 1,40, when the system was used to measure increased water levet at 50 cm and standar deviation minimum at 0,01 occured when it was used to measure decreased water level at 0 cm. Range of measurement was 0,16 -78,99 cm with an average error value when measurements of increased and decreased water level w as 2.30 and 1.75%, respectively. Keywords : w ater level, capacitive, coaxial cylinder .
If soil tests for phosphorus, traditionally focused on soil fertility and agricultural productivity, can give additional information about the potential risk of soil P to be transported to groundwaters, is nowdays an openissue. Study of the relationships between some parameters proposed as indicators of the leaching potential of soil P (e.g., Change Point, Degree of P Saturation-DPS, and Equilibrium P Concentration-EPC o ), carried out on soils with low to very high available P content, showed that the Olsen soil test method might be successfully used in support of both agronomic and environmental P management of those soils.
Phase transformations of natural and synthetic hematite and goethite by reducing with starch at temperature range up to 650°C were investigated. The saturation magnetization of all initial samples was ~1 A*m2/kg, while the saturation magnetization of the samples after phase transformations increases greatly (up to 70 A*m2/kg for synthetic goethite sample). It was shown by X-Ray diffraction method that all phases transformed into magnetite. Rather high saturation magnetization of obtained magnetic particles makes them promising for different medical-biological applications (cells separation, DNA purification, targeted drug delivery, adsorbents of radioactive waste, etc.).
Legal practice teaching system for vocational education is the key to cultivating higher applied legal professionals.This system is composed,from its static state,of practice teaching module in class,simulation practice teaching module and practice teaching module in real situation;and from its dynamic state,of practice teaching link in class,simulation practice teaching link and practice teaching link in real situation.The theoretical basis for this system is Marxist conception of practice,theory of knowledge doctrine,constructivism theory and situated cognition theory,among which Marxist conception of practice theory is the philosophical basis,constructive theory is the pedagogy basis,and situated cognition theory is psychological basis.
This paper examines the abuse of the administration of justice in 1 Kings 21:1-29. This will be done in three stages. First, we address the administration of justice before the monarchic period. Second, we analyse the abuse of the administration of justice in 1 Kings 21. Finally, we provide a brief outline of the administration of justice in South Africa and spell out the significance of the abuse of the administration of justice for our South African context.
Abstract : Nine species of marine mammals were evaluated to determine the intraspecific variation in the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen under varying conditions of pH and temperature. A typical sigmoidal curve of oxygen saturation versus partial pressure of oxygen was found in all species under each condition tested. This curve was shifted to the right in pinnipeds (harbor seals, California sea lions, northern elephant seals) relative to cetaceans (common dolphin, Pacific white-sided dolphin, Commerson's dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, killer whale), indicating a lower affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen in the former. The affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen was greater in the smaller species of odontocete cetaceans (common dolphin, Commerson's's dolphin, Pacific white-sided dolphin). It increased substantially with temperature in sea lions and elephant seals but not in harbor seals or the cetaceans and decreased with decreasing pH (Bohr effect) in all species. Overall, the hemoglobin of phocid pinnipeds, which are known to be long and deep breath-hold divers, was generally lower than in the other species. These characteristics are evidently adaptations which promote the unloading of oxygen to the tissues at the end of a long dive, when oxygen stores are depleted, in the former species whereas they allow rapid loading of oxygen at the surface during the brief but frequent surface periods of the latter species.
This paper presents a conceptual framework that seeks to explain the dynamics of requirements change and evolution. As an initial validation of the framework, it was used to analyze two contrasting cases of groupware implementation. The framework makes a distinction between, on the one hand, requirements as problem definition and as solution specification, and, on the other hand, business requirements and software requirements. This distinction yields four different requirement domains. Changes in requirements can be triggered by breakdowns in any of these domains or by technology-driven initiatives. Requirements evolution, then, is the resolution of these breakdowns and the enactment of initiatives. An increased understanding of the dynamics of requirements evolution can be beneficial for structuring and managing a groupware implementation project and, more importantly, software maintenance in the post-deployment phase of a system.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease of elderly men. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is the most commonly method for BPH nowadays, but it is still insufficient. Transurethral enucleation of the prostate (TUEP) was invented by Professor Liu Chunxiao in 2002. This article will summarize TUEP systemically, and compare with other surgical methods simultaneously. TUEP has been proved to be better than TURP in clinical practice. TUEP is an innovative progress, and it will replace TURP as the new "gold standard".
Academic problems resulting from both internal and external factors affect the ability of students to be successful in their course study. Verbalization about problems and concerns to supportive teachers and counselors is not uncommon. However students often do not possess the knowledge and skills needed to handle these problems. This article describes support programs that have been put into place at Indiana University School of Nursing to assist students with specific problems and describes the benefits associated with these programs.
The check valve at the evaporator pipeline oscillated in a test of LOX/kerosene engine because the flux of the pipeline was less than that of its design requirement.The oscillation of the valve brought an excitation to the LOX system of the generator,then resonance arose,which caused the acute engine oscillation and the test had to be cut off.The configuration of the check valve was improved to meet the system.Emulation and experimental verification of the optimized check valve were taken with AMEsim.The results indicate that the measure is effective.The optimized check valve worked normally in a test of LOX/kerosene engine.
Anaerobic streptococci were isolated from 100% of tonsil tissue samples obtained from 36 chronic tonsillitis patients. The strains displayed antigenic and other differences. Sera of chronic tonsillitis, paratonsillitis and periodontitis patients exhibited significantly more often, and in significantly higher titres, antibodies to the anaerobic streptococci isolated from tonsils than did sera of normal persons.
The Macheng iron mine overlain by the thick quaternary aquifer belongs to the ore deposit of large quantity of water.Stope roof stability is the key to deposit mining.FLAC3D is used to analyze the roof stability in the situation of both different roof thicknesses and varying dot pole space based on overhand cut-and-fill method.Research results show that the roof of the Ⅲ thin ore body is more stable than that of the II thick ore body,and the roof thickness should be reserved by 15 m for the Ⅲ thin ore body,and 30 m for the Ⅱ thick ore body.
This report addresses the problem of burnt area discrimination using remote sensing images. The detection is based on a single post-fire image acquired by SPOT 5 satellite. To delineate the burnt areas, we use a recent classification method called Support Vectors Machines (SVM). This approach is compared to more conventional classifiers such as K-means or K-nearest neighbours which are widely used in image processing. We also proposed a new automatic classification approach combining K-means and SVM. The results given by the different methods are finally compared to ground truths on various burnt areas.
IntroductionMultilevel marketing organizations (MLMs) are a rapidly growing organizational type, also known as network marketing, referring to the practice of distributing, selling or supplying products or services through various levels of independent agents (contractors, distributors, etc.). These agents are paid commissions, bonuses, discounts, dividends or other forms of consideration in return for selling products or services and/or for recruiting other agents. The MLM Company may be an individual, firm, corporation or any other type of business entity. Avon, Amway, Equinox International, Mary Kay, NuSkin and Tupperware are examples of MLMs. MLMs may be legal or illegal. MLMs become both illegal and unethical if they operate as “pyramid” or “endless-chain” schemes. If it is dependent on unlimited recruitment of endless chains of participants as primary customers then it is called “pyramid schemes.” It assumes infinite expansion in a finite market. It also assumes relatively virgin markets. As a business model, MLM (if using pyramid schemes) becomes inherently flawed, fraudulent, and unprofitable except for a few at or near the top of a pyramid of participants. It is also extremely viral and predatory, preying on the most vulnerable among us. Since an MLM operates by recruiting a network of salespeople, this type of corporation easily degenerates into unethical, fraudulent, recruitment-centered pyramid schemes. The courts are well aware of this problem and have imposed certain tests to distinguish between legal, non fraudulent MLMs and illegal pyramid of endless chain schemes. In general, MLMs must do the following to be legitimate: 1. Monitor performance of independent agents to ensure that they really are making retail sales.2. Have buy-back policies in place so that independent contractors do not get stuck with excess product.3. Charge low upfront-fees for the right to market the MLM product.4. Make purchases of sales training materials completely voluntary.As MLM is becoming a vibrant topic to be concerned in the marketing world, the study is conducted to know how this type of business model works and ethical issues involved in it to find whether it will be sustainable or not. At present the major question that arises is -- is it really futuristic? Does the MLM business have a long term future? Is it really sustainable? Can it become a preferred mode of marketing? The following study tries to address these important questions Objectives of the study The major objectives were framed relating to the capabilities of the participants to sell products via MLM and products/services that were provided by the companies associated with MLM. The major objectives of the study could be framed as under: • To understand the business model and concept of multilevel marketing.• To understand why MLM companies appear attractive.• To study the product orientation of MLM companies.• To identify the perception of MLM participants regarding its future prospects.Research methodologyResearch SettingA well structured and pre-tested questionnaire was prepared for the research covering demographic questions related to respondents, some questions on multilevel organizations, some questions regarding products and services offered by MLM companies. The respondents were taken on a random basis from various cities of Rajasthan who had been using or selling MLM products.Participants220 respondents associated with MLM business were targeted for the study. Some of the respondents were the buyers of the products of the companies who were engaged with MLM and some of the respondents were distributors and sellers whereas some were both sellers and users of the products.Measuring InstrumentAn extensive review of literature was done before the study. A well structured questionnaire was prepared and some statements were intentionally reverse coded for the purpose of data analysis and thus, interpreted accordingly. Frequency statistics was used in order to identify the demographic characteristics of the respondents. Cluster analysis was used to reduce the complexity of data. One way ANNOVA was used to test the significance of the results . Findings/conclusionsThe expected findings from the study are as follows:• MLM concept was futuristic and its penetration level would be higher.• MLM companies projected their products to be better than conventional products.• Motivation of the sales persons of MLM was high as compared to other modes of marketing.• Attrition rate of MLM participants was higher than participants associated with any other mode of marketing. Managerial implicationsThe study could be useful for multi level marketing organizations to develop strategies to sustain in the future by knowing what are the most preferred products or services available to grow and expand their business. The study could also be of great use to the public at large to understand what actually MLMs are and how one can see his/her future in this field. Marketing and sales is the only department which gives reason to any organization to be in existence in this era of cut throat competition to generate revenue. It can help the government to understand the need for regulatory body/ authority to get good results such as lower cost, high growth etc.Limitations of the study /further research First, this study was carried out mainly in Rajasthan; therefore, the results obtained may not be Pertinent to the country on a whole. The study can be extended to other states of India. Second, the present study has been conducted by taking a sample of 220 participants of multilevel marketing organizations/companies. But participants of only few multilevel marketing organizations/companies were used for the purpose of study. This cannot lead to the generalizability of the findings and the results may not be implied conclusively to the whole multilevel marketing organizations/companies. Finally, these limitations may decrease the ability of generalizing the results of this study to other multilevel marketing organizations/companies settings. Therefore, the conceptual and methodology limitations of this study need to be considered when designing future research.
The microstructure and texture characteristics of warm-rolled Ti-IF steel sheets and Ti+Nb-IF steel sheets were investigated.The results of optically metallographic observation,morphology analysis of dispersed second phase particles and texture analysis showed that the grain size and the size and quantity of second phase particles of Ti-IF steel sheets are all greater than that of Ti+Nb-IF steel sheets.In the surface layer,the texture intensity of these two steel sheets are quite different.But in the middle layer,cold rolled texture component appears in both steel sheets.The fibre texture components are(1 1 0)∥ND,(1 0 2)∥ND in surface layer,and(0 0 1)∥ND,(1 1 1)∥ND and(1 1 2)∥ND in middle layer.The(〈0 0 1〉)∥RD and(〈1 0 2〉∥RD) appear in the surface and middle layers of Ti-IF steel sheet samples respectively,which is different from Ti+Nb-IF steel sheets.
The invention relates to a nursing lip moistening device. The nursing lip moistening device comprises a water storage bag, a water delivery long neck and a brush head, wherein the water storage bag is hollow spherical, the hollow cylinder-shaped water delivery long neck is processed on the upper part body of the water storage bag, and is communicated with the inside of the water storage bag, a smooth arc-shaped radial indentation neck is processed close to the inner edge of the end part of the water delivery long neck, the brush head is coaxially embedded in the end part of the water delivery long neck, an axial hairbrush is processed on the brush head, and water outlet holes are processed in the gaps of the hairbrush on the brush head. The nursing lip moistening device is composed of the water storage bag, the water delivery pipe, the hairbrush and an outer cover, and by adopting the water storage bag and the water delivery pipe, water is in the closed environment, so that dust and pathogenic bacteria from the outside world are prevented from falling to the water, and finally the health conditions of a patient are protected from being damaged.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an adhesive for electronic component which can prevent the warpage or the like of the electronic component and has excellent adhesion reliability. SOLUTION: In the adhesive for electronic component containing a multifunctional epoxy compound having an epoxy equivalent of 50 to 150 and an acid anhydride having at least one skeleton selected from the group consisting of the following (a), (b) and (c) in its molecule. The cured product of the adhesive has glass transition temperature (Tg) of 110 to 150°C, storage elastic modulus of 1,000 to 4,000 MPa at 10 to 50°C, and MPa minimum storage elastic modulus of ≥40 at ≥170°C. (a) a 10-30C alkyl group, (b) a 10-30C alkenyl group, (c) a 10-30C aralkyl group. COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT
Through comparison analysis of the development backgrounds and characteristics of business incubators of the United Sates of American, Japan and China, this essay evaluated the development efficiency of Chinese incubators from 1995 to 2002. The results show that efficiency is highly associated with government supports, such as the releases of its policies. It means that the improvement of the efficiency of the business incubators of China can be realized by governmental supports and governmental policies.
The invention provides a method for determining volatile impurity of pharmaceutical grade ethanol. The method comprises the following steps: accurately measuring 1 [mu]ml of contrast solutions (a), (b), (c) and (d) and 1 [mu]ml of tested object solution (a) and 1 [mu]ml of tested object solution (b), respectively injecting the raw materials in a gas chromatograph, taking 6% of cyanopropyl phenyl-94% of dimethyl polysiloxane as a fixing solution, wherein an initial temperature is 35 DEG C, keeping for 5 minutes and heating the materials to the temperature of 180 DEG C with a speed of 15 DEG C/min, keeping for 10 minutes, performing determination, and recording chromatogram and recording a peak area; wherein total content percentage of acetaldehyde and acetal is a sum of 0.001*AE/AT and 0.03%*CE/Cr, benzene content percentage is 0.0002%/BT, wherein, AE is the acetaldehyde peak area in the tested object solution (a), AT is the acetaldehyde peak area in the contrast solution (b), CE is the acetal peak area in the tested object solution (a), and the Cr is the acetal peak area in the contrast solution (c), and BT is the benzene peak area in the contrast solution, and the method has the advantages that determination time is short, precision is accurate, and application is convenient.
The ultrasound velocity of longitudinal wave of NiTi shape memory alloy(SMA) had been determined by pulse-echo method and the ultrasound velocity was measured at different temperature.The results show that the ultrasound velocity varied slowly with temperature if no phase transformation was induced,but sudden change in the ultrasound velocity could be observed when phase transformation occured.The phase transformation temperature determined by the ultrasound velocity method had a good consistence with that of the traditional electric resistance method.It could be concluded that the ultrasound velocity method with the advantage of operating conveniently,no damage to parts and so on could be used to examine phase transformation of SMA.
Two groups of patients with constrictive pericarditis were identified on the basis of clinical and instrumental examination including echocardiography and computerized tomography of the heart: patients with complete obliteration of the pericardial sac and constriction, and those with exudative/adhesive pericarditis and constriction. Part of the patients were subjected to subtotal pericardectomy. An improvement of left-ventricular diastolic function and hemodynamic parameters was demonstrated 1 to 1.5 months after the operation. Postoperative echocardiography showed persistent disorders of interventricular septum movement and multilayer abnormal echoes in the left-ventricular posterior wall area.
Abstract: The purpose of the work was to compare effectiveness of common secondary sampling methods for assessing the distribution of soil pollution. The study case is based on an example of assessing the spatial distribution of soil contamination with lead in Slawkow area (Upper Silesian Industrial Region). This comparison was made in regard to both precision of the spatial estimation and minimization the cost of measuring campaign. The special attention was given to the often applied secondary sampling designs such as threshold radial (also known as adaptive cluster sampling) and adaptive fill sampling. These two methods were tested in typical municipal and suburban environment in Slawkow area. The work contains also detailed statistical and geostatistical analysis of above-mentioned contamination, and elaboration of series of its spatial distributions using numerous alternative sampling designs. The determined sampling plans make it possible to find compromise between ecological and financial aspects. A combination of the obtained results with the legal regulations in force concerning concentrations of heavy metals in soils are the basis for reliably estimation the ecological hazard arising from the soil contamination with lead in the Slawkow area. The results of performed analyses show that better efficiency in terms of cost and precision of measuring campaign gives rather coarser preliminary sampling design followed by appropriate secondary sampling then use the one-stage very dense measuring grid. However, the effectiveness of both threshold radial and adaptive fill secondary sampling designs is much worse than secondary sampling designs based on geostatistical methods using eg minimization of maximum or mean kriging variance criterion. However, it was also found that the effectiveness of both threshold radial and adaptive fill secondary sampling designs is significantly worse than secondary sampling designs based on geostatistical methods. Therefore, when a larger environmental research is envisaged the collaboration with experienced geostatisticians is always the right choice.
This article proposes two different approaches to automatically create a map for valid on-street car parking spaces. For this, we use park-out events data from car2go. The first one uses spatial aggregation and the second a machine learning algorithm. For the former, we chose rasterization and road sectioning; for the latter we chose decision trees. We compare the results of these approaches and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, we show our results for a neighborhood in the city of Berlin and report a classification accuracy of 92% on the original imbalanced data. Finally, we discuss further work; from gathering more data over a longer period of time to fitting spatial Gaussian densities to the data and the usage of apps for manual validation and annotation of parking spaces to improve ground truth data.
The Carter Administration has pledged that the US will be getting 20% of its energy from the sun by the year 2000. The goal should be reached. Passive solar technology is proven and economical. Progress being made into the solar industry to lower costs on equipment is discussed. Competitive technologies being developed are discussed; photovoltaic technologies are the promising developments that could bring a full-scale revolution within the next decade. The status of solar cells using semiconductive silicon wafers is summarized, and activities of companies engaged in development of these cells are discussed. The development of a silicon cell at Texas Instruments involves immersing the cells in an electrolyte of halogen acids; when sunlight strikes the cells, the current they generate breaks the electrolyte down into the hydrogen and halogens of which it is composed. These are piped separately to a fuel cell where, in a reversal of the chemical reaction in the collector, they are recombined to generate electricity. The electrolyte is circulated through a heat exchanger to capture thermal energy that would otherwise be wasted. The author feels that rooftop electrical generation remains a gamble, but that solar thermal systems could eventually become commonplace. Actions to lessen solar'smore » disadvantages through legislation are discussed. Other non-technical difficulties involving zoning ordinances, building codes, equipment standards, and problems of utilities and state public service commissions are noted briefly.« less
In this article the international experience of providing housing with mortgage lending. The calculation showing the profitability of the accumulation of funds for the purchase of housing. Proposed model is funded with state, allowing a future owner to reside in the apartment after the conclusion of the treaty and to reduce the overpayment for the acquired dwelling. It is concluded that the management of public authorities need to ensure increased availability of housing for its citizens, using a variety of financial models and mechanisms for the accumulation of funds.
Abstract : Level set methods are often used to capture interface behavior in two-phase, incompressible flow models. While level set techniques for structured computational grids have been widely investigated, approaches for unstructured meshes are less mature. This report details the formulation and implementation of a discontinuous Galerkin-based approach that is suitable for unstructured meshes and offers potential gains in accuracy and efficiency over more traditional level set techniques.
In this paper we go through our approach at solving the PAN Author Profiling task. We introduce a novel way of computing the type/token ratio of an author and show that, although strong correlations have been observed between high extroversion and low type/token ratios in the past, this ratio is not necessarily a strong indicator of extroversion. Since the text of a person is influenced by all 7 features (gender, age, and big five personality traits) that are required to be automatically identified in this task, we used this ratio, along with Term frequency-Inverse document frequency (tf-idf ) matrices, in all 7 subtasks and all 4 corpora and obtained good results.
The high-pressure melamine plant in Urumqi petrochemical company of CNPC is introduced from the European technology engineering Company,and the OAT condensing system(OAT crystal system and ultrafiltration system) is the third generation modified process.The OAT condensing process is a new design and still under testing.Blocking problem frequently occurred at OAT condensing system in similar plants in China.This problem in our plant is studied and solved,and the system can run steadily in long period.
A host device and a printing control method thereof are provided to reduce waste of printing paper and toner by generating printing data of each page, and performing printing after generation of an interrupt when a printing option is reset during printing, and reduce total printing time by increasing printing data generation and transfer speeds. A printing data generator(110) generates printing data by each page of a printed document. A transferor(120) transfers the generated printing data to an image forming device. A menu generator(130) generates a printing option setting menu when an interrupt occurs in transferring the printing data. A controller(140) enables the printing data generator to convert the printing data after occurrence of the interrupt into the printing data applying the reset printing option when the printing option is reset through the printing option setting menu. A buffer(150) temporarily stores the printing data applying the reset printing option. A display unit(160) displays a waiting list of the printing data stored in the buffer. The controller enables the menu generator to generate the printing option setting menu for resetting the printing option to the selected printing data when the interrupt occurs and the printing data is selected from the waiting menu.
Since Daegu subway arson fire disaster in 2003, there have been several copycat crimes such as at Seoul Metro line number seven and Hongkong Chuiwan line cases. Oil and gas were used for fire propagation in most cases as in Daegu case and such fire could be expanded to a whole subway cabin within several minutes. The fire may eventually cause the whole subway system stop. Fire damage can be minimized when fire occurrence and diffusion are blocked by stages or isolated rapidly. This study suggests an effective early response system that separates passengers from fire and a real-time fire extinguishment program by stages. Based on the subway arson case studies, the early response scenario has been structured by three stages, i.e., confirmation of fire and damage, early fire extinguishment, and information dissemination and passengers evacuation.
The cytokine of granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a glycoprotein, which is synthesized in the female reproductive tract and has embryonic trophic effect in mammals. The objective of this study was to examine the optimal dosage of GM-CSF to improve the mouse embryo development in vitro. To collect two and eight cells embryos, the pregnant NMRI mice were sacrificed by cervical dislocation at 48 h and 72 h post hCG injections, respectively. The embryos were cultured randomlly in T6 medium supplemented with 5 mg /ml bovine serum albumin (BSA) and 0, 2, and 10 ng / ml human rGM-CSF. The data of blastocyst formation and hatching in different groups of embryo culture were compared by chi-square analysis. The results showed that the developmental rates of 2 and 8 cells embryos to hatching blastocyst in the presence of 2 ng/ml of GM-CSF their control groups (51.5% and 49.7%, respectively) were more than those in the other groups, but insignificant. It seems more researches are necessary to confirm this suggestion that the GM-CSF with 2 ng/ml concentration may have a better potential, not only to enhance the developmental rates of 2 and 8 cells embryos but also for decreasing the degeneration of those embryos.
This course is designed to provide students with the ability to model optimization problems in uncertain settings and develop and analyze the convergence properties of the associated algorithms. It consists of six parts: 1) Review and Overview of models for decision-making under uncertainty; 2) Stochastic programming (Theory); 3) Decomposition Methods; 4) Monte-Carlo Sampling Methods); 5) Robust optimization; 6) Special topics: Risk-averse optimization, stochastic variational inequality problems; and/or distributed stochastic optimization. Apart from students in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, this course would be of interest to students from math, engineering, computer science, statistics, machine learning, economics and operations management. Students are required to have some background in optimization and probability theory.
The device for introducing ink in the ink cartridges in one and / or more chambers has a guide (59) having an opening surrounding a part of a cartridge (2), and comprises at least one hole (72, 74, 76) in which is housed a screw (101), the point of perforating (103) is adapted to pierce a hole in the cartridge (2) for the ink introduction and a housing (56) for receiving the cartridge. applicable in particular to ink cartridges used in ink jet printers.
Irrigated agriculture has increased steadily in Syria over the last decades, almost doubling since 1985. This mounting pace has responded to the nation’s food security policy objectives to satisfy the food production needs of an increasing population that features one of the largest growth rates in the world, namely 3,50 percent in 1985 and still 3,39 percent in 2007. Total expenditures for irrigated agriculture accounted for almost 70 percent of all expenditures in agriculture. Sustainable irrigation water policies aimed at increasing the efficiency of water use in agriculture and at conserving water resources by reducing future consumption. The Euphrates River is 2.800 km long and its middle traverses a wide floodplain in Syria, where it is used extensively for irrigation, and the Euphrates Dam is 230 ft (70 m) high. The total estimated water use volume is about 15 billion m3. The Euphrates and Orontes basins account for about 50% and 20% of the water use respectively. About 701.634 ha has been irrigated by ground water in the year 1997. This area represents 60% of the total irrigated land in Syria It has been gradually increased from 30% during 1970 to 44% in 1980 and 49% in 1990. The Government projects extended on 349.820 hectare area, which includes large, medium and small scale farms. The small scale government project is under 2000 hectare, but large scale project over 20.000 hectare areas. The Syrian Government wants to ensure the food supply for sharply increasing population based on established governmental agricultural projects, as state-owned farms. Water balance for Syria indicates that most of the basins are in deficit. This will be exacerbated further especially in basins encompassing large urban areas and if the country’s population continues to grow at its current rate (about 3%) and water use efficiency is not increased effectively.
The waistband as the furnishings has become an important part of the clothing image.And it has a significant function in the clothing.This article has made various aspects discussion in view of the decoration function of waistband in clothing.The article embarks from the waistband’s characteristic:the position of the waistband in clothing,the waistband’s material,pattern and making to summarize the characteristic of the waistband.Then it’s important to research the decoration function of the waistband to the cloth and induce the function of the waistband of different color,different design,different material,different way of tie and different style.Through these researches,let us have multi-angles to know the decoration function of the waistband on clothing.
Mollaret's meningitis is characterised by recurrent aseptic meningitis in otherwise healthy persons. It has recently been shown that most cases are caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). In this article we describe five women, age 33-57 years, with altogether 12 episodes of virus-culture negative aseptic meningitis, where polymerase chain reaction detected HSV-2 in samples of cerebrospinal fluid. Only three patients had a medical history of previous genital herpes infection. None of our patients has been offered prophylactic antiviral treatment.
This summary of information on the development process in Costa Rica and its relation to fertility from 1950-70 is a revision of a study prepared for the Workshop on Socioeconomic Development and Fertility Decline held in Costa Rica in April 1982 as part of a UN comparative study of 5 developing countries. The report contains chapters on background information on fertility and the family historical facts and political organization of Costa Rica; the development strategy and its consequences vis a vis the composition of the gross domestic product balance of trade investment trends the structure of the labor force educational levels and income; the allocation of public resources in public employment public investment credit public expenditures and the impact of resource allocation policies; changes in land tenure patterns; cultural factors affecting fertility including education women and their family roles behavior in the home women and politics work and social security and race and religion; changes in demographic variables including nuptiality patterns marital fertility and natural fertility and birth control; characteristics and determining factors of the decline in fertility including levels and trends decline by age group decline in terms of birth order differences among population groups how fertility declined and history and role of family planning programs; and a discussion of the modernization process in Costa Rica and the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic variables. Beginning with the 1948 civil war Costa Rica underwent drastic changes which were still reflected in national life as late as 1970. The industrial sector and the government bureaucracy have become decisive forces in development and the government has become the major employer. The state plays a key role in economic life and state participation is a determining factor in extending medical and educational resources in the social field. The economically active population declined from 64% in 1960 to 55% in 1975 due to urbanization and migration from rural to urban areas but there was an increase in economic participation of women especially in urban areas. Increased educational level of the population in general and women in particular created changes in traditional attitudes and behavior. Although there is no specific explanation of why Costa Ricas fertility decline occurred some observations about its determining factors and mechanisms can be made: the considerable economic development of the 1950s and 1960s brought about a rapid rise in per capita income and changes in the structure of production as well as substantial social development increased opportunities for self-improvement for some social groups and a rise in expectations. The size of the family became an aspect of conflict between rising expectations and increasing expenses. The National Family Planning Program helped accelerate the fertility decline.
Juristical act is the meat of legal norm,but there is a disputing theme in the law academia.Now social conditions have changed in the mixed and information society especially.So we must recognize the nature of juristical act in the new social conditions and break away from the bondage of traditional legal thoughts.It has guiding significance to the legislation and judicature of the present age.It is very important for the times to establish and consummate our socialist system of jurisprudence.The purpose of this article is to elucidate the nature of juristical act.The nature of juristical act is the unity of opposites of rights and duties or power and responsibility.
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION. Chapter 2 NATURE AND DIMENSIONS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Why knowledge management now? The Drivers 2.3 Nature of knowledge 2.4 Extra organisational knowledge and absorptive capacity 2.5 Key knowledge processes 2.6 Conclusions. Chapter 3 CONSTRUCTION AS A KNOWLEDGE-BASED INDUSTRY. 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Construction industry and knowledge intensive products and services 3.3 Knowledge production in Construction 3.4 Communicating and sharing knowledge 3.5 Creating and sustaining a knowledge culture 3.6 Conclusions. Chapter 4 THE BUSINESS CASE FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 4.1 Introduction 4.2 What does Knowledge Management mean to Construction? 4.3 What Knowledge Management strategy should be adopted? 4.4 Delivering Knowledge Management in practice 4.5 A business case for Knowledge Management 4.6 The Future. Chapter 5 ORGANISATIONAL READINESS FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Importance of knowledge lifecycle management (KLM) 5.3 Preparing the organisational context for KLM 5.4 Conclusions. Chapter 6 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Knowledge management tools 6.3 Selecting Knowledge management tools 6.4 The SeLEKT approach 6.5 Conclusions. Chapter 7 CROSS-PROJECT KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Nature of projects 7.3 Construction projects 7.4 Cross project knowledge transfer 7.5 Live capture and re-use of project knowledge 7.6 Conclusions. Chapter 8 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AS A DRIVER FOR INNOVATION. 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Knowledge management and innovations - building and maintaining capabilities 8.3 Knowledge management and improved innovations: Issues of strategy, process, structure, culture and technology 8.4 Managing knowledge for exploitations: Implications for managers 8.5 Conclusions. Chapter 9 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT IN KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT. 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Why measure the performance of knowledge management and knowledge assets 9.3 Types of performance measures 9.4 Measurement approaches 9.5 Application tools 9.6 Conclusions. Chapter 10 KM STATEGY DEVELOPMENT: A CLEVER APPROACH. 10.1 Introduction 10.2 The CLEVER project 10.3 The Clever Framework 10.4 Utilisation and Evaluation of the Framework 10.5 Conclusions . Chapter 11 CORPORATE MEMORY. 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Research Methodology 11.3 Related Research 11.4 Tacit knowledge, capture, sharing and reuse 11.5 Tacit and explicit knowledge capture, sharing and reuse 11.6 Conclusions. Chapter 12 BUILDING A KNOWLEDGE SHARING CULTURE IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECT TEAMS. 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Case study 12.3 Discussion 12.4 Conclusions. Chapter 13 CONCLUDING NOTES. 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Summary 13.3 Benefits of knowledge management to construction organisations 13.4 Issues in knowledge management implementation Future directions
EUV illumination system for lithography with wavelengths ≤ 193 nm with 1.1 a light source (1); 1.2 outbound a collector (9) for collecting the light from the source (1) radiation; 1.3 a double-facetted optical component comprising a first optical element with first raster elements (3) and a second optical element with second raster elements (5); 1.4 includes a second optical component which follows the double-facetted optical component and at least a first reflective optical element (19); 1.5 a first beam path (14) between the light source (1) or an intermediate image of the light source and the first optical element with first raster elements (3); 1.6 a second optical path (15) between the first optical element with first raster elements (3) and the second optical element with second raster elements (5); 1.7 a third beam path (16) between the second optical element with second raster elements (5) and the first reflective optical element (19); characterized in that ...
While immediate type allergy to latex is described frequently, the occurence of a mixture of type-I and type-IV is rare. 120 volunteers belonging to medical professions took part in an investigation concerning the prevalence of latexsensitization. One volonteer presented hints to a simultaneous occurence of typ-I and type-IV sensitization (specific-IgE RAST-class 2, positive allergic patch test reaction to latex and pieces of latex gloves). Clinical references to latex-allergy were not found. If latexallergy is suspected and conventional tests are negative, a patch test with latex should be carried out
The first signaling event that occurs after stimulation of the TCR is an increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of proteins including the TCR-zeta chain and CD3 subunits. It is known that proliferating T cells respond differently to TCR stimulation when compared with naive T cells. Stimulation of the TCR on proliferating T cells has been shown to result in cell death by apoptosis, a process referred to as activation-induced cell death (AICD). In this study we have determined the pattern of tyrosine phosphorylation of TCR-zeta and the CD3 subunits of naive and proliferating CD4- CD8+ T cells that express a transgenic TCR that is specific for the male Ag presented by Db class I molecules after TCR stimulation. AICD in proliferating T cells was mediated by stimulation with anti-TCR/CD3, but not anti-Thy-1, anti-CD8, or anti-Db mAbs. When compared with naive T cells, tyrosine phosphorylation of TCR-zeta was dramatically decreased in proliferating cells. Furthermore, whereas CD3 delta, CD3 epsilon, and CD3 gamma of naive T cells were phosphorylated in a 1:2:1 ratio after TCR stimulation, these subunits in proliferating T cells were tyrosine phosphorylated in a 1:1:0 ratio after TCR stimulation. Altered phosphorylation of these subunits was not caused by the lack of synthesis or amount of these proteins in proliferating cells. This is the first study implicating altered tyrosine phosphorylation of TCR/CD3 subunits in AICD.
CHP can produce electricity energy and make full use of the waste heat energy. Hence its total thermal efficiency is much more than the traditional energy conversion plant .At the same time CHP can effectively reduce the emission of carbon dioxide so as to relieve the pressure of global warming. the development of an energy conversion plant-Combined Heat and Power(CHP) is summarized in this paper, andthe several avaluating parameters are introduced.
Traditional business models that used to govern the operations of travel and tourism businesses, defined in a rigid way their functional areas and the relationships among them. The advent of Information and Communication  Technologies (ICT) has driven the transformation of these business models into novel destination marketing models.  National Tourism Organisations’ task of managing the process of destination marketing has been augmented with the advent of electronic marketing methods. The complexity of managing the diverse interests of the multiplicity  of the stakeholders involved in destination marketing has been extended by the novel electronic communication channels that have been introduced. This has made the need of establishing an explicit model for managing the process  of destination marketing more imperative than ever before.  Recognising the need for explicitly managing the process of destination marketing for the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO), an integrated marketing model has been developed to guide the management of the  destination’s marketing process. The key for optimising the destination’s  marketing processes is the successful implementation of the model through  the integration of traditional with electronic marketing activities.  The model is founded upon the CTO’s marketing executives’ mindset and expectations and facilitates the satisfaction of the CTO’s online visitors / customers’ expectations. Moreover, it reflects on the CTO’s existing marketing  services, the Cyprus tourism industry’s eMarketing deployment and European NTOs’ eMarketing deployment level. The utter objective that is aimed to be achieved through the implementation of the developed model is the improvement of Cyprus’ competitiveness as a tourism destination worldwide.
Under mesopic conditions, the light-evoked waveform of horizontal cells in Xenopus retina reflects synaptic input from both rod and cone photoreceptors. These inputs interact non-linearly: the response to a weak red (cone-effective) flash is increased up to four-fold when the red stimulus falls on a green (rod-effective) background by reference to the response elicited by the same red flash on a dark field. We refer to this phenomenon as enhancement. It was not observed either when stimulus and field wavelengths were reversed or were of the same color. Enhancement was not altered by polarization of the horizontal cell membrane up to +/- 30 mV with extrinsic current. Enhancement could not be elicited with any combination of test and background wavelengths under photopic conditions. Superfusion of the retina with GABA resulted in a hyperpolarization of the horizontal cell membrane and an emphasis of the rod input to the horizontal cell light-evoked response. Picrotoxin depolarized the cell and favored the cone input. Enhancement was altered in predictable ways by these drugs. Glycine reduced selectively the cone input to the horizontal cell, whereas its antagonist, strychnine, increased the rod input. The results are interpreted to indicate that the excitability of the horizontal cell is modified both by distal and proximal retinal circuits; a glycinergic interplexiform cell probably plays a role in the latter pathway.
A "two-step" process was developed to fabricate PS/Ag core-shell nanoparticles.Firstly PS microparticles prepared in latex are sensitize and activation.Then the liquid with Ag are added in the PS with unending stirring.At last PS/Ag core-shell nanoparticles are fabricated.The products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM) and ultra violet-visible light spectrograph(UV-vis).The results shows: The PS microparticles we prepared are only 40nm,PS/Ag core-shell Nanoparticles are 45-350nm,the shell of Ag can be controlled freely.
RESPECT THE INVENTION STORAGE AND TRANSPORT OF THERMAL ENERGY, LOW TEMPERATURE IN USING LATENT HEAT CHANGE OF STATE OF A PRODUCT. SUCH A PRODUCT IS IN SALT HEAT LATENT OF SIGNIFICANT CHANGE STATE, AS NASO 10 HO, ASSOCIATED CLOSELY TO SUCH AS nucleating agent borax AND SCATTERED IN OIL added an emulsifier. THIS PRODUCT IS PARTICULARLY USED FOR STORAGE OF SOLAR ENERGY AND LOW TEMPERATURE HEATING ALL LOCAL.
This article critiques the usefulness of double stimulation, a key concept in Vygotskian analyses of human development, with leaders in early childhood services in Australia. A series of formative interventions was conducted to identify and address systemic tensions that were confounding leaders’ attempts to realise a central object of activity in their work: the development of their staff in order to enhance children’s learning. An example of double stimulation is drawn from workshop comments and interviews with one of the participating leaders. The article elaborates on a tension identified between explicit cultural expectations of professionalism and an implicit division of labour that position leaders as having the primary responsibility for solving problems of practice. The article concludes by reflecting on the usefulness of double stimulation in fostering sustainable leadership practices in early childhood education.
Identity authentication is very important in the theory and technology of information security. Traditionally,static password is employed as the authentication way. However,the static password has its natural defect,including the risk of being cracked. To solve this problem,S/KEY OTP system is introduced. Based on analyzing the faults of S/KEY OTP system,including large overhead,oneway authentication,easy encounter of fishing attack,replay attack and so on,an improved one-time password authentication protocol is proposed. As compared with the original one,this protocol is more efficient and safe,and could achieve bidirectional authentication.
By definition, patients who respond to antidepressant treatment show significant improvements in most, if not all, of their depressive symptoms. We assessed the patterns of change in depressed outpatients treated openly with fluoxetine 20 mg/day for 8 weeks. We studied 62 depressed outpatients with major depressive disorder who showed full response following fluoxetine treatment. Analysis of the data revealed that the symptoms that tended to improve relatively early during treatment were suicidal ideation, excessive guilt, and lack of appetite. Our tentative conclusion from this pilot study was that symptom improvement tends to occur in both cognitive and neurovegetative areas early in treatment as well as later.
The localized aggressive periodontitis, called an early onset periodontitis, is periodontal tissue destruction that symptoms appear at adolescence and youth that the prevalence of it is different in different areas. The crosssectional present study was done by two-step method on 1000 individuals at 14-16 years high school students. The examination was done in two parts. After isolating samples at office school in normal light, overthrow of the lips and cheeks by tongue blade or mirror examination, the pockets of mesiobuccal, mesiolingual, distobuccal, distolingual, buccal and lingual of first molar and incisors of both jaw were measured by Williams probe. In step two the suspicious student invited to clinic for more diagnosis. Other information was collected by Questionnaire. There were 500 boys and 500 girls that were examined. In the first step of examination, the 32 individuals who suspected were isolated. In the second examination, the 7 persons isolated as patient. The prevalence of that was 0.7% in population. ). The prevalence divided into 0.3% females and 0.4& males. By Chi-square was determined that there wasn`t any significant relationship about gender (p>0.05). In respect of 0.7% prevalence for local aggressive periodontitis in Ilam, Iran and the prevalence around the world about 0.1-0.3%, it can concluded that Ilam has the more prevalence and it needs more healthy services attention.
This paper presents the binary group search optimization algorithm (BGSO) for solving the optimal distribution network reconfiguration problem. The objective of the optimization is loss reduction in distribution system. The proposed GSO algorithm is introduced with fundamental modifications, such as introducing binary form of the GSO in order to be fit for reconfiguration and all binary form problems. All formulation of conventional GSO has been modified for accessing a novel powerful binary searching algorithm. Additionally, the forward–backward sweep, load flow is used in this paper, due to its accuracy. The Comparative studies are conducted on standard networks to verify the validity of the proposed algorithm. The simulations on different test cases confirm validity of the BGSO in solving optimal distribution network reconfiguration problem.
In Hong Kong and China, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is the commonest cause of liver cirrhosis, which is also a risk factor for development of hepatocellular carcinoma. In CHB patients, persistent hepatic inflammation leads to progressive liver fibrosis and subsequently cirrhosis. The process of liver cirrhosis is reversible. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for the management of CHB patients.1 Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing cirrhosis, but is an uncomfortable and risky procedure. Therefore, serum markers for reliable detection of liver cirrhosis are needed. Carbohydrate side-chains of serum glycoproteins are altered in patients with liver cirrhosis. Degrees of fucosylation on haptoglobin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein and cholinesterase increase in liver cirrhosis, but not in viral or chronic hepatitis.2 Hyposialylated variants of haptoglobin, alpha1-antitrypsin, and transferrin are detected in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.3 We developed a method to profile specific types of glycosylation variants of serum proteins by the combined use of lectin affinity chromatography and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE).4 We aimed to identify serum glycoproteins as biomarkers of liver cirrhosis.
Hemodialysis is widely acknowledged as a treatment option to stabilize acute medical conditions where biochemistry management is paramount. One of the most challenging situations is during liver transplantation, when patients with moderate renal dysfunction are likely to become acutely acidotic. For nephrology nurses, this extended role requires increased knowledge, advanced skills, and a high level of communication with unfamiliar team members. With appropriate procedures and a supportive environment, delivering such a service is feasible.
Cervical spinal cord injury is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in body functions below the site of the injury. In particular, the impairment of the upper limbs limits the patient’s autonomy in the execution of activities of daily living. This paper illustrates the use of a low-cost robot with a virtual reality platform for upper limb rehabilitation of cervical spinal cord injury patients. Vibration and pressure haptic feedback sensations are provided thanks to a custom-made thimble feedback device. The virtual reality platform consists of three different virtual rehabilitation games developed in Unity. They provide the user with the opportunity to interact with the virtual scene using free hands thanks to the data collected by a hand tracking system. During the therapy session, quantitative data about the motor performance are collected. Each virtual reality environment can be modified in settings according to the patients’ needs. A proof of concept was performed with both healthy subjects and spinal cord injured patients to evaluate the platform and its usability. The data saved during the sessions are analyzed to validate the importance of haptic feedback and stored both for patients and therapists to control the performance and the recovery process.
The influence of therapeutic intraoperative auditory suggestions on the incidence and severity of emetic episodes was investigated in 50 adults ASA I and II patients undergoing elective abdominal hysterectomy. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, each consisting of 25 patients. In group I, a blank tape was played and in group II, positive suggestion was played via headphones throughout the anaesthetic period. It was observed that there was statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) between the incidence of vomiting in group I (60%) and group II (36%). The number of vomiting episodes per patient in group I was 3.1 +/- 1.2 as compared to 1.7 +/- 0.6 in group II. This difference was statistically significant. The patients requiring rescue antiemetic was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in group I (66.6%) as compared to group II (22.2%). It is concluded that positive therapeutic suggestion may be considered as an alternative to antiemetic therapy.
The issue of the influence of poetry style of A. Rudaki, the founder of Tajik and Persian classical literature, on the works of his contemporaries and succeeding centuries' poets is very relevant in modern Tajik and Persian literary studies. A particularly important issue is the influence of A. Rudaki's poems on artistic thinking and creative writing of contemporaries and succeeding centuries' poets. In this context, the author focuses on the question of perception of the famous A. Rudaki's qasida "Buijui Muliyon" (The Smell of Muliyan Stream) by poets, contemporaries and succeeding centuries' poets, and the influence of this poem's style on their works. The author notes that the impact of A.Rudaki on creations of contemporaries and succeeding poets is not only limited to the use of artistic expression means but also to their artistic thinking. A.Rudaki's creations had an enormous influence on poetic forms and content of poetry of succeeding poets.
Background: Over the past 3 decades of research, it has become apparent that one of the most common surface structures on the archaea and bacteria are monomolecular crystalline arrays of proteinaceous subunits, termed surface layer or S-layer. S-layer protects bacteria to the phagocytosis and prohibits the entry of some biomolecules and adhesion molecules to the matrix proteins which increase the stability of infection and antibiotic resistance in virulence agents. Therefore the spread of bacteria which have S-layer in the hospitals should be avoided. Surfaces can serve as reservoirs of potential pathogen and is important in the chain of infection. Surfaces bacteria have low potential to spread, but staff hands have many contacts with hospital surfaces, especially with high contact surfaces. Therefore it could be a potential source of bacteria transmission from surfaces.    Methods: This research was performed between 2005 to 2007, in the Alzahra hospital of Isfahan university of medical sciences. 274 samples were randomly selected (194 sample from surface and 80 sample from staff hand). Environmental samples collected, from high and low contact surface with swab in NB and staff hand. Samples were collected through finger print method and identification of bacteria, were performed with microbiological methods: staining, chemical test, use of differential and selective media. Isolated Bacillus cereus strains, performed with Bacillus cereus Selective Agar, for preparation samples, in first culture Bacteria in TSA, for 16h, then separated surface proteins and finally, specimen's electrophoresis proximally molecular weight marker. S-layer in Bacillus cereus has 97KD molecular weight.    Findings: According to the results, the prevalence of Bacillus cereus strains was %9.49. The prevalence of Bacillus cereus strains in environmental and staff hands were respectively %6.7 and %16.25, and of 13 isolated Bacillus cereus from, staff hand 11 strain (84/6%) and from 13 isolated Bacillus cereus from environmental samples 1 strain (7/7%) production S-layer.    Conclusion:Result show, high prevalence Bacillus cereus in staff hands and hospital surfaces and frequency surface layer in Bacillus cereus isolated of staff hands into hospital surfaces.    Key words: Surface layer, Bacillus cereus, Staff Hands, Hospital Surfaces, Nosocomial Infections.
Confronted with the imperatives of a digital world, firms are striving to become agile, resulting in a large-scale agile transformation as part of their organizational digital transformation. Although initial research exists, empirical literature on the process, challenges, and actions of a large-scale agile transformation is scarce. Consequently, this paper conceptualizes the agile transformation process through the lens of sociotechnical systems theory and employs a qualitative research approach comprising two in-depth case studies. As a result, a large-scale agile transformation can be interpreted as an episodic change process that comprises a sequence of multiple agile transformation phases. These phases include radical and incremental change and are delimited by barriers which are formed by emerging challenges. Such barriers are encountered by specific actions that serve scaling and coping purposes. Besides pertinent theoretical insights, the paper offers guidance for managers that direct an agile transformation in the wake of their firms’ digital transformation.
Abstract: Aiming at the secure problems during the rapid development of wireless network, this paper presents a novel integrated secure gateway for intelligent wireless networks. The gateway integrates intrusion detection system (IDS), firewall, controlling and obstructing modules. It can realize the linkage of the whole system, supply real time protection to the wireless network, lock and obstruct the dangerous objects, and implement the integration of active and passive defense strategies.
INTRODUCTIONFish don't try to turn sharks into vegetarians. Living immersed in a world of constant risk forces the fish to develop multiple ways to live with risk, rather than trying to eliminate it. The fish can dash away from the shark in a burst of speed, live in places sharks can't reach, use deceptive coloration to hide from the shark, form schools with other fish to confuse the shark, it can even form an alliance with the shark, and all of these things may help the fish solve the problem of how to avoid getting eaten by the shark. But none of these adaptations will help the fish solve the general problem of predation, and they don't need to. The fish doesn't have to be a perfect predator-avoidance machine. Like every single one of the countless organisms it shares a planet with, the fish just has to be good enough to survive and reproduce itself.The world in which we spend our daily lives is also full of risk. Acts of terrorism that seem to come out of nowhere. Wars that have carried on too long and show little progress toward resolution. Catastrophic failures of supposedly fail-safe oil rigs. Intensifying natural disasters fueled by global changes in climate. A distribution of food that leaves billions undernourished and millions of others facing an obesity epidemic. A cyber infrastructure that we've become increasingly dependent upon that also has become increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic attack. New diseases and new mutations of old diseases that threaten to become global pandemics. The major threats society faces today are ominous and complex interplays of human behavior and environmental change, global politics, and local acts of cruelty or carelessness, historical accidents, and long-simmering tensions. Some of these threats have plagued us as long as we have been human and yet we've made little progress against them, others are becoming more dangerous in synergy with rapid climatic and political changes, and still others are just now emerging.Yet the responses we been offered or forced to accept by the experts we've entrusted to solve these problems often seem frustratingly ineffective, naive, or just plain ridiculous. When increased body screening of airline passengers was implemented after 9/11, Richard Reid attempted to destroy an airliner with a bomb in his shoe. When shoes began to be screened in response to Reid's attack, al Qaeda plotted to use a liquid explosive attack. When liquids were banned, Umar Abdulmutallab used a powdered incendiary hidden in his underwear in an attempted attack. A wall constructed between parts of the U.S. and Mexico border at a cost of between $1 million and $10 million per mile, slows down illegal immigrants by an estimated twenty minutes, even in its most fortified areas. 1 And on a tiny island in the tiny town of Beaufort, North Carolina there is a tiny outpost of the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that studies fish populations and coastal ecology. There is little reason to suspect this outpost is on any terrorist's list of desirable targets. Yet when the NOAA coastal scientists wanted to renovate and add some space a few years back, they were forced by the Department of Homeland Security to install enormous Wal-Mart style parking lot lights on their facility as a required security measure. This was ironic, since the scientists working at the lab know full well that nighttime light pollution is a major threat to the ecology of the same coastal marine environments that they are paid by taxpayers to study. 2The most famous line of the 9/11 Commission report was that 9/11 represented a "failure of imagination," 3 and this was certainly an apt description of the security situation up until 9/11. However, now that we imagine almost anything to be a threat to our security, a more pernicious problem faces all of our security systems: a failure of adaptation. Adaptation is the process of changing structures, behaviors, and interactions in response to changing conditions in the environment. …
Estimation of endotracheal (ET) cuff pressure by finger palpation is one of the methods currently used in the clinical setting. We compared the accuracy of this method with instrumental intracuff pressure measurement in tracheal model tests by 20 members of our ICU team. Four different ET tubes at three different pressure levels were examined. Accuracy for the estimated method by finger palpation was 69% for high pressures, 58% for normal pressures, and 73% for low pressures. We observed differences in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive power between different tubes reflecting differences in tube characteristics and interobserver variability. We conclude that precise intracuff pressure measurement is mandatory to prevent complications of over- or underinflation.
A high rate of HIV carrier state was observed in seropositive children with early symptoms of HIV infection. The virus was also isolated from 2 seropositive adults (mothers) showing no clinical manifestations. The intervals of virus manifestation in culture varied from 6 to 30 days with maximal frequency of detection in the 2nd week. Different modifications of the procedure for HIV isolation were assayed, and it was shown that the efficacy of isolation (shortening of the period of virus detectability and increase in the number of the antigen-containing cells) could be improved by the addition to the culture of the Jurkat-tat III line expressing the product of the tat gene important for virus reproduction.
Measured from establishment-level data on employment gains and losses, job creation and destruction average nearly 8 percent of employment per quarter in the U.S. private sector. Worker flows in the form of establishment-level hires and separations are more than twice as large. (1) These facts summarize the remarkable extent of job and worker flows in U.S. labor markets. They provide powerful motivation for theories of frictional unemployment. In recent research with several coauthors, I explore the relationship of job flows to worker flows, develop methods to improve the measurement of worker flows, investigate job loss and business volatility trends, and provide new evidence on the determinants of long-term movements in the unemployment rate. Job Flows and Worker Flows in the Cross Section Data from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) display a very tight link between job flows and worker flows in the cross section of employers. In Figure 1 we see that hires rise a bit more than one-for-one with establishment-level job creation. Separations rise a bit more than one-for-one with job destruction. (2) Further investigation reveals that layoffs are the main margin of employment adjustment for establishments with high job destruction rates, while both quits and layoffs are important margins at moderate destruction rates. Many studies find, not surprisingly, that layoffs are much more likely than quits to result in unemployment spells. (3) Thus, higher rates of job destruction bring higher layoff rates and greater worker flows into unemployment. Pitfalls in Measuring Worker Flows from Employer Survey Data A striking feature of Figure 1 is the highly nonlinear relationship of hires and separations to employer growth rates. These relations exhibit pronounced kinks at zero, steep slopes moving away from zero in one direction, and mild slopes with an opposite sign in the other direction. Similar patterns hold for quits and layoffs. These highly nonlinear relations create potential pitfalls in the measurement of worker flows from survey data. To see the issue, observe that aggregate hires, for example, are the weighted sum of hires at establishments with different growth rates, with weights given by the amount of employment at each growth rate. In order to accurately measure aggregate worker flows, it is necessary to combine good estimates for the type of cross-sectional relations in Figure 1 with an accurate measure of the (weighted) cross-sectional distribution of employer growth rates. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Using survey data to construct an accurate measure of the growth rate distribution is challenging for two reasons. First, employer surveys typically capture new establishments with a considerable lag. Entrants account for a disproportionate share of hires and, more generally, newer establishments exhibit a much higher incidence of extreme growth rates. (4) Second, survey response rates are correlated with employer growth rates in the cross section. More to the point, and borrowing a line from Robert Hall: the first employee let go from a declining establishment is the person who fills out government surveys. For both reasons, employer surveys tend to produce growth rate distributions with too little mass in the tails. Inspecting Figure 1, it is easy to see why missing tail mass generates a downward bias in worker flow estimates. My coauthors and I study this issue in the JOLTS program, a leading source of information about worker flows and job openings for the U.S. economy. (5) We verify that the growth rate distribution generated by the JOLTS sample has much less tail mass than that implied by the comprehensive Business Employment Dynamics (BED) database. We also develop a method to correct the problem. The key idea is to reweight the cross-sectional distributions of employment growth rates in JOLTS to match the corresponding distributions in the comprehensive BED. …
OBJECTIVE To investigate the feature of histomorphology and biology of uterine bizarre leiomyoma from the clinical, pathological features as well as the immunohistochemical expression.   METHODS Totally 25 cases of leiomyomas were studied. Among them, immuno-histochemical staining (SP and ABC methods) for smooth muscle actin (SMA), proliferative cell nucleus antigen (PCNA), estrogen receptors (ER), and progesterone receptors (PR) were performed in 20 cases. The clinical features and follow-up records were analyzed.   RESULTS The main clinical findings were irregular vaginal bleeding, pain and pelvic tumor. One case was with immense amount of ascitis and the other two were with pregnancy. All the cases had no history of taking pregestine. Light microscopy showed that part of all the cell nuclei were bizarre, accompanying with double or multiple nuclei in which rather big and reddish staining inclusion bodies were obtained (D = 7 - 26 micro m), and the mitotic figures were 0 - 2/10 HPF. Among 20 cases with immunohistochemical staining, markers indicating muscle cells in origin were positive in the bizarre cells, 15 of which (75%) with negative or weak positive PCNA, and 18 of which (90%) with negative ER. There were significant difference between the studied and control groups (P = 0.027, P < 0.005 respectively) and in addition, PR was positive in both these two groups. A majority of the nucleus inclusion bodies was SMA positive. Follow-up records demonstrated so far no recurrence cases obtained.   CONCLUSIONS Uterine atypical leiomyoma belongs to benign tumor, although its shape is bizarre. In this group, the morphology changes are correlated with pregnancy, but not with pregestine. The expression of immunohistochemistry shows certain features, and is important to identify uterine bizarre leiomyoma with leiomyosarcoma and STUMP in pathological diagnosis.
THE greatest single advance in blast-furnace technology  in recent years has been the recognition that blast-furnace operations can be improved upon by proper process-engineering analysis.The blast-furnace is a moving packed-bed reactor in which the iron-bearing material is dried, heated, reduced, melted, and partly refined. Simultane-ously, heat and reducing gases are produced in the tuyere  zone by burning coke with preheated blast air.
By calculating the visibility inhibit mosquito shaped video compression systems (200) and blocking artifacts formation processing pixel intensity. Applying a predetermined noise variance, a predetermined autocorrelation coefficient, comprising a plurality of pixels, and the plurality of previously processed pixel intensity of the original pixel intensity and a local neighborhood of the pixel intensity is determined after the processing (100). This eliminates the dependency on local signal and the estimated value of the noise power.
Fifty-one crossed lambs(3 months old) of German mutton merino and Small-tail Han sheep were divided into three groups to investigate the effects of diet added with sodium bicarbonate and yeast culture XP on lamb short-term fattening,normal diet(as the control),normal diet with sodium bicarbonate(A1) and normal diet with yeast culture XP(A2).The results demonstrated that the average daily gain of A1 and A2 increased 16.33 g and 5.00 g respectively than control group,while all groups had no significant difference(P0.05).From view of profits,A1 group and A2 group were greater than control group.It suggested that diet with sodium bicarbonate and yeast culture XP had a beneficial effect on lamb short-term fattening,and economic benefits were increased significantly.
With the establishment of socialist market economy and the fast development of China mass higher education,some fundamental changes occurred in China higher education system,especially on student status,teacher status,university governance,higher education structure and government macro-management,which are changing rapidly without being noticed.The influence on future development brought by these changes deserves our systematic research.In new era,we should adapt to international trend,keep Chinese characteristics,and deepen reform steadily to perfect the governance of China higher education.
Situated on the borders dividing the factual from the fictional, testimonial narratives of the First World War offer us a wide collection of wartime experiences presented in a series of loosely related episodes. The dialogue, which functions as a veritable focus of communicative and ideological effervescence in these testimonies, allows the reader to compensate for the absence of a true teleological structure of the narrative. Gifted with an internal dynamic force, it serves to enhance the fluctuating interaction of the combatants and encourages the birth and the maintenance of several "conversational narratives" between them. Based on different examples taken from the testimony of Barbusse, Dorgeles, Genevoix and Myrivilis, we examine the mechanism used by the combatants in order to reproduce their painful apprenticeship of the trenches and the battlefront. Inspired by recent studies on the conversational narrative, the collective memory and the testimonial pact, we analyse their protests and their demands as well as their reflections about their difficulty in communicating their experience. We finish by demonstrating how dialogue elucidates testimonial writing and its impasses.
We examine the effect on energy flow and unimolecular dissociation of anisotropic diffusion in quantum number space and dephasing, using a scaling approach to describe the energy flow and localization. This approach can be applied to systems with local couplings in the quantum number space of approximate normal modes. We find that anisotropy in the coefficient of diffusion on the constant energy surface can combine with anistropy in the finite extent of state space to produce results which mimic those of a lower dimensional isotropic system, due to the early saturation of rapidly relaxing modes. We discuss the diffusion which is caused by dephasing, for both delocalized and localized systems. The results for the energy flow dynamics are used to find corrections to the RRKM reaction rate caused by returns to the region of reactive states. We find that returns are enhanced near the transition to localized eigenstates, causing a greatly diminished average reaction rate. However, we also find that dephasing can cause the average reaction rate to increase over the value for an isolated system.
I INTRODUCTION China is a relative newcomer to competition law. Though many jurisdictions around the world adopted competition laws beginning in the early 1990s, China's Anti-Monopoly Law (AML) was enacted only in 2007. (1) At least three other features distinguish China's experience with competition policy. First, China enacted its competition law as part of a gradual evolution of domestic economic and regulatory policy, rather than as a result of pressure or conditionality from international development and funding bodies, such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund, (2) or from mature competition jurisdictions. (3) Second, unlike the laws of some recent adopters, (4) the AML is not a wholesale transplant of a pre-existing template of the competition law and enforcement apparatus of a mature jurisdiction. Although China sought to learn from the legal texts and enforcement experiences of established competition regimes, the AML reflects a more deliberate process of selecting features from different competition policy models (5) and includes a number of rules specifically tailored to the Chinese setting. (6) Finally, unlike with many other transplanted competition laws, (7) the enactment of the AML was not followed by a long period of dormancy whereby the law went unenforced. Instead, even as the AML came into force and in the period thereafter, the responsible authorities issued a steady stream of decisions and have maintained consistent levels of enforcement activity over time. (8) The relative global importance of the Chinese economy and the number of competition decisions affecting international firms have generated considerable interest both in understanding the reasons for the quick uptake of competition policy, as well as in characterizing and assessing China's emergent competition practice. A number of scholars have examined the legislative process behind the AML in an effort to explain the peculiar Chinese characteristics of the law. (9) The degree of convergence of the AML with common international antitrust rules and best practices has been of particular interest due to the resulting impact on international business compliance. (10) From the enforcement perspective, commentators have assessed Chinese practice by examining the outcomes and reasoning in antitrust decisions, (11) as well as the evolution of the competition regime over its first decade. (12) Though some contributors suggest that AML enforcement is largely in line with international practice, many have also argued that it exhibits a number of country-specific concerns. (13) These include political concerns, such as consolidating decisionmaking powers by the central government vis-a-vis the regions, (14) as well as economic concerns, such as balancing development needs and economic efficiency. (15) Some have even argued that the AML has been abused as a competition instrument, by turning it into a protectionist tool to favor or shield domestic industry or local economic interests. (16) Mixed reviews notwithstanding, the adoption of competition law in the Chinese context over its first six years may be regarded as an overall success. (17) Such an assessment may seem surprising given the AML's short tenure, as well as China's history of strong state intervention in the economy, its lack of experience with antitrust enforcement, and its gradualist and cautious adoption of competitive market principles. In seeking to provide an account of the reasons for the quick uptake, effectiveness, and success of Chinese competition enforcement, this article starts from the observation that legal transplants are more easily received in settings where there is demand (or need) for the transplanted rules by local actors. (18) Such local demand allows for the transplant to be adapted to local circumstances, problems, and policy needs in the process of reception. (19) The transplant can be adapted through the legislative process, so that local needs are reflected in an exercise of informed choice in selecting the rules. …
Murray Bowen Theory has deeply impacted family psychology. The most important concept in this theory is the differentiation of the self, which basically assumes that the individual can clearly distinguish between his emotions and his thoughts, behaving more as a unique person than as a part of the family group. The present article reviews this concept and establishes the possibility of develop an analysis of couple's relationships from this theoretical frame.
The development of information technology can be used to optimize the delivery of knowledge that one example is the use of Expert System for the delivery of information on the utility in determining the type of land or crops. Expert systems with a method cultivation of food crops Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) can provide solutions and information suitable crops grown on a specific field based on characteristic features. Suitability parameters used in the application system consists of 22 types of land characteristics, and 12 kinds of crops. After going through the process of training and testing data characteristics have dientrikan then the system will classify the suitability of crops in 4 categories namely the S1 class (very suitable), S2 (Quite appropriate), S3 (marginal line), and N (Not suitable ).
In the background of popular higher education,colleges should consider the current situation of Chinese higher vocational education and study the effective direction and ways of personnel training,in order to improve the further development of vocational education.Colleges should uphold the personnel training mode of college-enterprise cooperation,insist on the reform and development,and focus on cultivating technical and applied talents with high quality,so as to improve the quality of personnel training.
A practical method exists for calculating the undrained lateral load capacity of piles in level ground. However, the reduction in capacity brought about by constructing piles or piers adjacent to a slope is more problematic. In this paper, an upper bound plasticity method has been used to estimate the undrained collapse load of laterally loaded piles. For the case of level ground, the method yields results that are very similar to those from the conventional approach. The effect of a slope adjacent to the pile was incorporated by truncating part of the assumed collapse mechanism. The results of the analysis are presented in chart form as reduction factors on level ground collapse loads. The reduction factor in any case depends largely on the distance of the pile from the crest of the slope, the slope gradient, and the length to diameter ratio of the pile. A method of calculating the ultimate lateral load capacity of piles in clay was presented by Broms (1964), and is generally well accepted for practical purposes. This method was developed for a level ground surface, and was verified against a number of field and laboratory tests. However, there are many practical situations where piles are constructed near to the edge of a slope, particularly to support signs, light towers and noise barriers around roads and railways. There have been several publications dealing with the effect of sloping ground on the lateral capacity of piles in sand or cohesive-frictional materials, although very little information is available about the same problem in clays under undrained conditions. In this paper, an upper bound plasticity method developed by Murff and Hamilton (1993) for calculating the undrained lateral capacity of piles in clay is used to assess the effect of an adjacent slope on the ultimate load capacity. It is first shown that the method yields results that are comparable to simpler calculations based on Broms (1964) work. The results are then summarised in chart form as reduction factors on level ground calculations.
Mobile Adhoc Network (MANET) is characterized by mobile hosts, dynamic topology, multi-hop wireless connectivity and infrastructureless ad hoc environment. The adhoc environment is accessible to both legitimate network users and malicious attackers. Moreover, as the wireless links are highly error prone and can go down frequently due to mobility of nodes, therefore, energy efficient, secure and stable routing over MANET is still a very critical task due to highly dynamic environment. In this research paper, an effort has been done to combine these factors of security, power and stable routing by proposing a new protocol EESSRP (Energy Efficient, Secure and Stable Routing Protocol). An experimental analysis of proposed protocol has been carried out using network simulator NS-2.34. An effort has been made to perform analysis using random way point mobility model. The results have been derived using self created network scenarios for varying number of mobile nodes. The performance metrics used for evaluation are packet delivery ratio, average end to end delay, throughput, normalized routing load and packet loss. It has been concluded that the proposed protocol i.e. EESSRP provides energy efficient, secure and stable routing strategy for mobile adhoc networks.
I HE programs described in this paper represent a set of related ideas for overcoming the ancient danger of the isola tion of the classroom from the world. They share some common qualities which may be indicated by the title: "The Technological and the Liberal in General Education." ' These programs have been developed in vari ous parts of the country and contain ideas for innovation for the elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels. No one has yet brought them together in a unified way. The prospect remains for some urban area to take on that interesting challenge.
In newly-diagnosed untreated (n = 24) and thiazide treated (n = 18) hypertensive patients erythrocyte ion content and plasma ion and metabolite levels were determined. Thiazide treated patients had lower arterial blood pressure, plasma ion levels, erythrocyte magnesium and potassium content but higher fasting plasma insulin (66 +/- 7 v 87 +/- 8 pmol/L P < .02), triglycerides (1.88 +/- 0.24 v 2.34 +/- 0.44 mmol/L P < .05), free fatty acids (0.68 +/- 0.11 v 0.81 +/- 0.18 mmol/L P < .05). Subsequently, in a double-blind fashion and in random order thiazide diuretic treated patients were assigned to two groups: the first (n = 9) taking magnesium (15.8 mmol/day) and the other (n = 9) a placebo. Each treatment period lasted 8 weeks. At the end of each treatment period, each patient underwent blood sampling for determination of erythrocyte ion content and plasma ion and metabolite levels and was submitted to an euglycemic hyperinsulinemic (1 mU/kg/min for 120 min) glucose clamp. In this latter test D-3-H glucose infusion and indirect calorimetry allowed determination of glucose turnover parameters and substrate oxidation respectively. Chronic magnesium administration (CMA) raised fasting plasma (0.79 +/- 0.03 v 0.83 +/- 0.02 mmol/L, P < .05) and erythrocyte (1.98 +/- 0.08 v 2.35 +/- 0.03 mmol/L, P < .01) magnesium content. Along with insulin infusion, CMA improved glucose uptake, glucose metabolic clearance rate, and oxidative glucose metabolism. In the multiple linear regression analysis of the pooled basal data (n = 42), erythrocyte magnesium content displayed an independent correlation with basal plasma insulin levels (t = -2.08, P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The field of service marketing is in a state of flux, questioned from the ‘outside’ as well as from scholars ‘within’ the field. Its very foundation, the service definition, is subject to discussion. Three possible trajectories forward can be noticed among scholars from ‘within’ the field in this discussion; the abandonment of service as a general category, the formulation of a new, more defendable service definition, and the ontological re-framing of service as a perspective. What these trajectories to a lesser or higher degree has in common is an inability to incorporate heterogeneous materialities of services, empirically as well as conceptually speaking. Future service marketing is still imagined as an ontological and epistemological obelisk that should either be secured through a better defense (better definitions) or through an offensive maneuver (the marketing of a new marketing logic). This paper is a call for an opening-up of the obelisk and offers an alternative, post-paradigmatic approach to service marketing as a new logic or a new paradigm. As an example of an opening towards a post-paradigmatic approach, the perspective of actor-network theory (ANT) in service marketing is introduced. However, the version of ANT presented here is less the ethnographical version with a focus on the heterogeneous networks per se. Rather, we present a version preoccupied with the power/knowledge of actant-rhizome marketing services (stressing the often-neglected liaison between Michel Foucault and Bruno Latour) with ominous disciplinary and surveillance capacities. (Less)
Case report on a 25-year-old patient with diabetes mellitus which is difficult to be controlled. Relapsing vomitting, loss of body-weight, retention of substances normally contained in the urine, hyperpotassaemia, hypernatraemia as well as an increased insulin sensitivity render an additionally existing morbus Addison probable. Confirmation by means of the determination of the Porter-Silver chromogenes. It is referred to the apparantly frequently not understood syntropy in diabetes mellitus and Addison's disease. An autoimmunological process is discussed.
A procedure for reducing the functional integral of QED to an integral over bosonic gauge invariant fields is presented. Next, a certain averaging method for this integral, giving a tractable effective quantum field theory, is proposed. Finally, the current–current propagator and the chiral anomaly are calculated within this new formulation. These results are part of our programme of analyzing gauge theories with fermions in terms of local gauge invariants.
Object of the present invention is to provide an insulating film in the TFT are not completely separated at the end of a parasitic MOSFET semiconductor layer is separated, a small variation in characteristics of the TFT. A gate electrode formed in the TFT, the gate width direction both end portions of at least a portion of the TFT formed within the semiconductor region, and both ends of the gate electrode is extended to the outside of the semiconductor region of the TFT formed in the gate length direction. Thus, the end portion in the width direction of the gate of the MOSFET does not generate parasitic, to obtain a uniform TFT.
This article considers how partnered fathers’ involvement may be shaped by their understandings of the salience and impact of their children’s racial belonging where fathers do not share the same race as their (biological) children. We draw on findings from a small-scale study of fathers with a partner from a different racial background living in Britain and New Zealand, to consider their involvement with their mixed or multi-racial children. Bringing up mixed/multi- race children can involve White fathers in thinking about issues that they would not necessarily otherwise have to consider. It could, for example, mean that they supported their children’s access to minority cultural knowledge and challenge racism. Equally, bringing up mixed/multi- race children can involve fathers from racial minorities in thinking about racial considerations in a different way. Notably they may transmit racial pride and cultural history to help their children deal with prejudice from the father’s own minority ethnic group as well as racism from Whites.
The majority of membrane proteins synthesized in the cell is inserted into the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The ER forms a network that extends from the nuclear envelope (NE), a double membrane surrounding the nucleus, to the cortical ER that underlies the plasma membrane (PM). Localization of membrane proteins to their destined membrane depends on the presence of sorting motifs. We investigated the transport of membrane proteins to the inner nuclear membrane (INM) of the NE and to regions where the ER membrane and PM are closely associated. Both targeting routes rely on a sorting motif composed of basic amino acids and an intrinsically disordered (ID) region between the transmembrane domain and the basic amino acids. To reach the INM, membrane proteins have to travel through the nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) that form selective gates between the outer nuclear membrane and INM. For the transport route that we studied, the basic amino acids interact tightly with transport factors that are able to overcome the barrier of the NPC, while the ID region allows flexibility for the transport factors to interact properly with components of the NPC. In the targeting of membrane proteins to the PM-ER junctions the transmembrane domain of the protein remains in the ER, while the basic amino acids interact with the PM. Here, the ID region creates length to span the distance between the two membranes. For both localizations the ID region should be of sufficient length to mediate efficient targeting of the proteins.
FIELD: physics, computer engineering. SUBSTANCE: invention relates to displaying a user interface of a digital book. The method comprises steps of: displaying a first page of a digital book in a first display area and a second page of the digital book in a second display area; in response to a first semantic zoom out request, displaying both the first page of the digital book and a context of the first page in the first display area, and displaying both the second page of the digital book and a context of the second page in the second display area; in response to a second semantic zoom out request, displaying the digital book in the first display area, and multiple additional digital books in the second display area; in response to a request to enter electronic notepad mode, cleaning part of the second display area by moving the multiple additional digital books in the second display area to the first display area and displaying said multiple additional digital books together with the digital book in the first display area and displaying in the second display area a plurality of pages of the digital book that were selected by the user of the device from the first display area to add into the second display area. EFFECT: shorter time needed by a user to select/arrange pages/books. 15 cl, 14 dwg
We consider the problem of estimating the intergenerational correlation of incomes in the context of a panel data framework with measurement errors. We present single equation estimation methods as well as system methods under various assumptions regarding the serial correlation of the error term and taking into account possible correlations among children of the same family. Application to a sample of US parents and children leads to estimates of the order of 0.42 to 0.60 for the coefficient of income transmission.
BACKGROUND Oral anticoagulants (OAC) reduce the risk for stroke and death from all causes in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).   OBJECTIVES To explore adherence rates of OAC among patients with NVAF in long-term use in a real-world setting and to examine patient characteristics associated with good adherence.   METHODS We conducted a population-based cohort study with members of Clalit Health Services, Israel. All patients aged ≥ 30 years with a diagnosis of NVAF before 2016 who were treated with OAC were included. We included patients who filled at least one prescription per year in the three consecutive years 2016-2018. We analyzed all prescriptions that were filled for the medications from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017. We considered purchasing of at least nine monthly prescriptions during 2017 as good medication adherence.   RESULTS We identified 26,029 patients with NVAF who were treated with OAC; 10,284 (39.5%) were treated with apixaban, 6321 (24.3%) with warfarin, 6290 (24.1%) with rivaroxaban, and 3134 (12.0%) with dabigatran. Rates of good medication adherence were 88.9% for rivaroxaban, 84.9% for apixaban, 83.6% for dabigatran, and 55.8% for warfarin (P < 0.0001). Advanced age was associated with higher adherence rates (P < 0.001). Socioeconomic status was not associated with medication adherence. Good adherence with OAC was associated with lower low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and glucose levels.   CONCLUSIONS Adherence rates to OAC in chronic use among patients with chronic NAVF are high. Investing in OAC adherence may have a wider health impact than expected.
Paulo Coelho’s novels are an inspiration to many lives and he has been cited as an inspiration by many notable personalities. His novels can be categorized as an autobiography, allegory, paradox and religious novel. Coelho’s works are more philosophical and spiritual in nature. Paulo Coelho, in his novels The Alchemist and Brida speaks about the general philosophy of life and spirituality. The novel The Alchemist revolves around a shepherd boy and his quest for a treasure that appears in his dream. Brida is a novel about a young Irish girl. The novel depicts the journey of the twenty one year old female protagonist. The story is about the discovery of her purpose in life. The protagonists of both the novels search for the true meaning of life. The search for destiny, quest for identity, love, self-realization, soul mate, religious and spiritual themes are common in his novels. The characters of the novel make them realize the philosophies, wisdom, knowledge and God.
The invention discloses a method for preparing functional xyio-oligosacchandes by taking agricultural wastes as raw materials and using ultrasonic treatment and bio-enzyme degradation. The method comprises the following steps: hydrolyzing the agricultural wastes after the ultrasonic treatment by using endo xylanase generated by Streptomyces rameus, converting hemicellulose in the agricultural wastes into the high-quality xyio-oligosacchandes, and preparing a xyio-oligosacchandes product having low xylose content and the polymerization degree between 2 and 5.
The lean manufacturing system is stated the right tool to improve production systems in order to meet the performance and change demands of todayâ€™s rapidly evolved technology. The theory of the process is to eliminate wastes, empower workers, reduce inventories, and ensure to meet customersâ€™ requirements. The purpose of this study is to construct a lean manufacturing process experimented at Factory 123, Huu Nghi Company. This process is expected to be applicable to nationwide garment enterprises in Viet Nam.The main issues are mentioned in this study:Â - Assessment of the status (in Content 2)Â - Arranging production facilities and warehouses for Factory 123 (in Content 3)Â - Implementing 5s for Factory 123 (in Content 4)Â - Purchasing policy (inventory) for Huu Nghi Company (in Content 5)- Deploying a pilot scale group for Factory 123 (in Content 6)Â - Lean the manufacturing process applied to Factory 123 (in Content 7)- Training to help a thinking change in a positive way, aiming to apply this process in an active and continuing (in Content 8).
The method comprises at least: - a first radar processing (21) for locating and estimation of trajectory said target (1) from radial distance measurements, Doppler frequency and azimuth angle and elevation of said target (1) from a radar signal towards said target (1); - a second radar processing (21) location and trajectory of said target (1) along a vertical axis, by applying the principle of inverse synthetic aperture; the difference between said given path and the estimated path by said first processing projected on a horizontal plane and the gap between said given path and the estimated path by the second processing along said vertical axis being used for controlling the direction of movement of said target (1).
A novel approach to retrieving atmosphere NO2 slant column density is described, in which the sunlight scattered in the zenith direction and the skylight are used as the light sources. The slant column density of the same azimuth but different obliquities, which are between 0.5 x 10(16) and 11 x 10(16) molecule x cm(-2), with the angle from 85 degrees to 10 degrees, as well as that of the same obliquity but different azimuths, which are between 10(16) and 10(17) molecule cm(-2), were calculated. The study indicates that the results have good correlation with real atmosphere status. The angle spatial distribution could be embodied by the difference of NO2 slant column density in different azimuths and obliquities. The reference spectrum and sample spectrum were collected with the same instrument at the same time, so the measurement accuracy has been improved. This method favored not only real-time monitoring NO2 content of space arbitrary direction, especially near the ground NO2 pollution emergencies, but also overcast and rainy areas where it is very difficult to collect good direct solar spectrum.
Fatigue is an important failure mode of mine trunk. However, swing frame have so that it is difficult to analyze their fatigu experimental measurement methods. In this pap strain analysis of swing frame is obtained software with the help of the dynamic analysis f software. Improved model of swing frame is m stress concentration. The fatigue life prediction and improved swing frame are achieved vi cumulative damage in fatigue by MSC.Fatigu results show that the fatigue life of improved extended and satisfied with the practical applica Keywords-swing frame; fatigue life; stress and st e for swing frame o many attributes e damage using per the stress and by MSC.Patran from MSC.Adams made according to ns of unimproved ia the theory of ue software. The d swing frame is ation. train analysis
The invention discloses a subcooling water circulating system which comprises more than one cooling tower, a water tank, production line water using equipment, a water inlet main pipe, a water return main pipe, a water replenishing system, a water replenishing main pipe, and a control device, wherein the water inlet of the cooling tower is communicated with the water tank and the water outlet of that is communicated with the water inlet main pipe through a water inlet branch pipe; the water tank is communicated with the water return main pipe through a plurality of circulation pumps and a water return branch pipe; both the water inlet main pipe and the water return main pipe are communicated with the production line water using equipment; the water replenishing system comprises an underground water replenishing system and a tap water replenishing system; the water outlet end of the water replenishing main pipe is divided into two branch pipelines, wherein the first branch pipeline is connected with the water tank and the second branch pipeline is communicated with the production line water replenishing equipment; the water inlet main pipe, the first branch pipeline, and the second branch pipeline are all provided with electromagnetic valves; and the electromagnetic valves are switched into the control device. The invention has the benefit that copious cooling tower technology is adopted to lower the cooling water temperature, meeting manufacturing technology demands and achieving energy conservation and environmental friendliness.
This study aims to analyze the surface waters of the Trebes River. The Trebes-Negel River Basin is also known as the representative basin and it is the right tributary of the Bistrita River. The monitoring of this river reflects in a database necessary for the analysis of the long-term tendency of the hydrological regime, both in natural conditions and influenced by anthropogenic activities. The contact area between the Eastern SubCarpathians, in their middle part, and the Central Moldavian Plateau present a series of morphological peculiarities determined by a corrugated and varied structure, by an alternation of tough hard rocks and the action of the flowing water. These morphohydrographic peculiarities corroborated with climatic conditions dependent on the latitude, orientation and altitude of the major relief forms are determinant for genesis and flow regime. The first advantage in studying small river basins is that the results can be extrapolated for larger basins. Also, the magnitude of the analyzed data is smaller. The results of this study can certainly provide important information and can contribute to the implementation of effective measures in order to protect and prevent floods. The results of this study play an important role in the elaboration of hydrological prognosis of immediate or long-term utility because it is necessary to know in detail the variability in time and space of some hydrological parameters. The current period is characterized by an economic distinguished soar that requests for increasingly more water as a component of technological processes or as an indispensable part of sanitation for large human agglomerations.
In the paper,the polyurethane(PU)/carbon nanotubes(CNTs) composites were produced by ultrasonic dispersion and solution-blending methods.The selection of PU dissolution and CNTs dispersing solution,and fabrication of composites were analyzed.The results showed that tetrahydrofuran and N,N-dimethylfomamide(DMF) could be used as resolving solution with 1:1,and 1 g PU was resolved with 20 mL solutions about 72 h.The DMF was used as the dispersion solution of CNTs with ultrasonic dispersion about two hours.The producing processes of PU/CNTs composites were successively to heat on the furnace,dry in the vacuum box,and solidify in the air.The smooth surface of composites could be produced.
Composite materials, especially fibre reinforced plastics (FRP), are widely used in different fields such as aerospace, automobile, electrical and electronics, domestic, building and construction. In developing countries like India that low cost housing / building is to be provided within short duration at times of natural crisis such as Tsunamis, earthquake, floods etc. With this main objective the present work is aimed at carrying out studies systematically using different Flame retardant additives such as ATH, Sb2O3, a novel halogenated compound, Tricresyl phophate at different loading levels with general purpose unsaturated polyester resin and chopped strand glass fibre mat. The FRP laminates were prepared using hand lay up method and the samples were tested for various properties such as mechanical, thermal, flammability and smoke density tests. The work is focused on arriving at cost effective flame retardant additive combination with excellent properties compared to the currently used grades in FRP industry.
The behavior of an electrostatic plasma wave of initial amplitude Ei in a collisionless electron plasma depends crucially on the ratio [delta] = [gamma]L/[omega]B, where [gamma]L is the damping coefficient calculated from linear plasma kinetic theory and [omega]B = (ekEi/m)[sup 1/2] is the [open quotes]bounce[close quotes] frequency for trapped electrons. For sufficiently small E[sub i], i.e., [delta] [much gt] 1, the wave damps away completely; conversely, a wave of large initial amplitude, for which [delta] [much lt] 1, saturates at a finite final amplitude due to the nonlinear effects of particle trapping. In this paper, we report results concerning the transition region [delta] [approximately] 0(1), which separates these two regimes. For the case of weak damping, i.e., [vert bar][gamma]L/[omega]p[vert bar][much lt]1, where [omega]p is the plasma frequency, we calculate analytically the critical value [delta][sub i,e] below which complete damping occurs and derive the first explicit analytic relationship between E[sub i] and E[sub f], the time-asymptotic amplitude, for E[sub i] above the critical value E[sub i,c] = (m,ek)([gamma]L/[delta][sub i,c]). The results predict an interesting phenomenon - a finite jump [delta]E in the final field amplitude as E[sub i] is increased through E[sub i,c]. We have corroborated the reality of this phenomenonmore » through large-scale numerical simulations of the Vlasov-Poisson system, carried out using the spectral splitting code of Klimas. These important new results establish a detailed picture of the fundamental transition between linear and nonlinear Landau damping and, in particular, show that the onset of essentially nonlinear behavior occurs very abruptly as the initial wave amplitude increases through its critical value.« less
We describe the production and characterization of a novel monoclonal antibody (MAb) that recognizes a human endothelial cell antigen expressed mainly in inflamed and malignant disease states. We have used immunohistochemistry to determine the spectrum of reactivity of this MAb compared with that of a MAb to factor VIII-related antigen (MAb FVIII). MAb 4A11 does not react with several myeloid or lymphoid cell lines or with peripheral blood cells. Unlike MAb FVIII, MAb 4A11 does not react with platelets. MAb 4A11 reacts with most vascular endothelial cells in lymphoid tissue but with few (< 10%) endothelial cells in thymus, spleen, liver, lung, adrenal gland, placenta, testes, and skin. MAb 4A11 detects endothelial cells in diseased tissues such as rheumatoid and osteoarthritic synovium and psoriatic skin. Vascular endothelial cells in both adrenal tumors and cutaneous Kaposi's sarcomas lesions are MAb 4A11 reactive. In vitro the 4A11 antigen is not detectable on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells and its expression is not induced on these cells by treatment with lipopolysaccharide, interferon-gamma, interleukin-1 and -6, or tumor necrosis factor-alpha. However, in an in vivo model of allergic contact dermatitis the 4A11 antigen is upregulated differentially from other endothelial markers such as E-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1. In this dermal model of inflammation, poison ivy extract is applied to the skin and biopsies taken at 0, 6, and 24 hours. In addition to focal keratinocyte expression, 4A11 antigen is found on 11% of dermal endothelial cells at time 0 and antigen expression increases with time until 24 hours, when 4A11 antigen is present on 63% of the endothelial cells. Using thin layer chromatography, MAb 4A11 reacts with the H-5-2 [Fuc alpha 2Gal beta 4GlcNAc beta 3Gal beta 4Glc beta 1Cer] and Lewis(y)-6 [Fuc alpha 2Gal beta 4(Fuc alpha 3)GlcNAc beta 3Gal beta 4-Glc beta 1Cer] blood group glycolipids. The presence of the novel 4A11 antigen in inflamed and malignant tissues containing many blood vessels and its differential upregulation in allergic contact dermatitis may signify an important function for this antigen in the inflammatory process.
At the time of the Wei,Jin,and Southern and Northern Dynasties,XIN Mu family was one of the most prominent and prestigious families of literati,who had more than ten family members working on honest and incorruptible officials that had been recorded with a good reputation in history books.XIN Mu with his successful achievements in office was the most famous among the family literati.The excavation of his tomb epitaph is of great historical value to the textual criticism of history and the make-up of historical records of XIN Mu family.
Part of the Plant Sciences Commons, and the Soil Science Commons This document is available at https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/23/1-1-2/2 The 23rd International Grassland Congress (Sustainable use of Grassland Resources for Forage Production, Biodiversity and Environmental Protection) took place in New Delhi, India from November 20 through November 24, 2015. Proceedings Editors: M. M. Roy, D. R. Malaviya, V. K. Yadav, Tejveer Singh, R. P. Sah, D. Vijay, and A. Radhakrishna Published by Range Management Society of India
Introduction: Viral encephalitis by yellow fever vaccine is a rare disease and little is known about its effects. Objective: To present a case of a 59 year-old woman with viral encephalitis after being vaccinated with attenued viruses for yellow fever. Design: Case report. Results: The viral encephalitis caused bilateral hippocampal lesions, with an irreversible and pervasive affection of anterograde declarative memory. This paper discusses the images and neuropsychological evaluations of the patient. This work compares the clinical presentation, diagnostic images and neuropsychological evaluations of this case versus other similar cases reported on medical literature and presents an anatomo-clinical correlation. Conclusion: The medial temporal lobe is the anatomical seat of declarative recent memory, and the damage of these areas cause a profound, and frequently irreversible, damage of this type of memory.
This report describes the continuation of a project which collects police fatal road accident reports at TRL. These reports, which are prepared by the police for presentation in evidence at the coroner's inquest, can provide comprehensive details of the circumstances surrounding these severe road accidents. Such reports have been used over a period of many years for research into the causes of road accidents, the behaviour of vehicle structures in crashes, and the mechanisms by which the occupants suffer their injuries. However, until the setting up of the first phase of this project at TRL, no attempt had been made in the UK to make these reports routinely available to accident researchers. The report describes the fatal file collection scheme, which encompasses nearly every police force in England and Wales. Overall, reports relating to as many as 75% of the fatal accidents occurring in these countries each year are recovered from the police. The files are of varying ages when they are acquired by TRL, the average being about three to four years, and they will be kept until they are ten years old. A structured means of access to the files via the National Stats19 injury accident database is available, allowing pre-selection of accidents of interest. The files received from the police are sometimes incomplete, but the file cataloguing process also records the presence of such items of information as post-mortem reports and photographs of the vehicles and the accident scene, so that, if desired, only files containing information of importance to a particular analysis can be selected. Detailed information from a proportion of the reports has been extracted and placed in a computerised database, which forms a powerful means of analysis of this information. All reports received from the police during the current and future phases of the project will be included in this database, which will therefore continue to grow as time goes on and more reports are received. A spin-off benefit is that this database can also be used for more detailed pre-selection of accident types, before consulting the relevant hard-copy reports. This combination of rapid computerised analysis coupled with the in-depth information available in the hard-copy reports makes for a very powerful resource in the accident investigation arena. (A)
Remote sensing image classification is the basis of remote sensing image analysis and understanding.It aims to assign each pixel an object class label.To achieve satisfactory classification accuracy,single feature is not enough.Multiple features are usually integrated in remote sensing image classification.In this paper,a method based on neural network to combine multiple features was proposed.A single network was used to perform the task instead of ensemble of neural networks.A special architecture of network was designed to fit the task.The method effectively avoids the problems in direct conjunction of multiple features.Experiments on Indian93 data set show that the method has obvious advantages over conjunction of features on both recognition rate and training time.
Understanding the transport phenomena in magnetic materials has been a crucial ingredient for designing novel materials with desired properties for spintronic applications. In bilayer systems of magnetic material (MM) and heavy metal (HM), the electrical resistance of the heavy metal layer can be tuned by varying the angle between the applied current and the magnetization direction of the magnetic material layer [1]. This effect is commonly known as the spin Hall magnetoresistance effect [2]. This attractive magnetic proximity effect (MPE) has been widely investigated experimentally. On the contrary, there are only few reports on the theoretical side. In the present work, we use the theoretical approach to study the SMR by using the first-principles calculation, full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method (FLAPW) [3] in order to design materials with high efficiency of SMR. We employed Pt|Co bilayer film system as our calculation model. In reference to previous work [4], the single layer Co is stacked on top of Pt substrates at the fcc site. Calculation of electric conductivity and spin Hall conductivity was based on linear response theory and Kubo formula [5]. We considered the electric conductivity and spin Hall conductivity while varying the magnetization directions in the system from x to z, where the z direction is perpendicular to the film plane. As a result, the resistance of the system increased by almost 2% when the magnetization direction is perpendicular to the plane compared to the in-plane magnetization case. We will present more detailed discussions on the obtained SMR properties and driving mechanisms of the SMR in the system.
We examine the problem of synthesis of control systems, where we need to find the control as a function of the space coordinates of the object´s state. To solve the problem it is proposed to use a new method of variational genetic programming. A description of the method of variational genetic programming is given. In contrast to the classical method of genetic programming in a new variational method for genetic programming all genetic operations are performed on sets of vectors describing small variations of possible solutions. Small variations in genetic programming are defined and a data structure as an integer vector to describe a small variation is proposed. To describe a possible solution there proposed to use an ordered set of vectors of the two components, the first one of which indicates the number of arguments to a function, and the second one indicates the function index. To describe a small variation a three components´ vector there used. The first component indicates the index of variation, the second part sets the points of variation, and the third component indicates the function index, if it is necessary while realizing the variation. There is a numerical example of the synthesis of mobile robot controlling system under spatial constraints conditions.
Machine Learning (ML) models have been widely applied for clinical decision making. However, in this critical decision making field, human decision making is still prevalent, because clinical experts are more skilled to work with unstructured data specially to deal with uncommon situations. In this paper, we use clinical experts’ privileged information as an information source for clinical decision making besides information provided by ML models and introduce a collaborative human-ML decision making model. In the proposed model, two groups of decision makers including ML models and clinical experts collaborate to make a consensus decision. As decision making always comes with uncertainty, we present an interval modelling to capture uncertainty in the proposed collaborative model. For this purpose, clinical experts are asked to give their opinion as intervals, and we generate prediction intervals as the outputs of ML models. Using Interval Agreement Approach (IAA), as an aggregation function in our proposed collaborative model, pave the way to minimize loss of information through aggregating intervals to a fuzzy set. The proposed model not only can improve the accuracy and reliability of decision making, but also can be more interpretable especially when it comes to critical decisions. Experimental results on synthetic data shows the power of the proposed collaborative decision making model in some scenarios.
In this article, general method of discerning the metal part defect in eddy current NDT is introduced. While discussing the application of signal processing technic, it mainly discusses the principle of wavelet transform, studies its application in eddy current NDT, and also mainly analyses and compares BP and RBF algorithm in artificial neural network, introduces its application in eddy current testing defect. The development and application of eddy current NDT are also discussed.
Step-by-step instructions are given for converting existing south-facing masonry walls into Trombe walls. Locally-available materials are used for the most part and minimal carpentry skills are required. Some design variations and modifications are suggested. Performance monitoring and operation and maintenance are discussed. Costs are estimated to total $374. A way is given to estimate energy savings. (LEW)
American Jewish novelist Jonathan Safran Foer told the traumatic story of an ordinary American family by deconstructing the indecipherable 9/11 events in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. This article demonstrates how Foer echoes Mikhail Bakhtin’s conception of chronotope through configuration of time and space in the text’s representation of counter-narratives and traumatic discourse. Reflecting on the nature of humanity and postmodern context, Foer expresses his longing for redemption by exploiting multilayered and meta-textual narrative structure to construct the sense of narrative space of redemption. Moreover, within the novel Foer reinforces diverse traumatic narratives through juxtaposing the post 9/11 event with the past traumas such as the Dresden bombing in World War II. The novel further demonstrates this Bakhtinian concept in the representation of language and physical spaces, since Foer proposes the redemptive myth that dialogical narration and epistolary writing can heal past traumatic experience although the traumatic past is inexpressible.
World Health Assembly resolution in 1997 for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (ELF) by 2020 made all the filaria endemic countries in the world to put efforts for its elimination by progressively reducing and ultimately interrupting the transmission of lymphatic filariasis. National Health Policy, 2002 has set the goal for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (ELF) in India by the year 2015. In pursuit to achieve this goal, the strategy of mass drug administration (MDA) with annual single dose of diethylcarbamazine citrate (DEC) tablets was introduced in 2004 in all the filaria endemic states of the country and 202 districts were covered. Intensive information education and communication (IEC) and awareness campaign were organised and more districts were included for MDA in subsequent years after 2004.Presently 250 districts are covered under MDA. The coverage of population during MDA against eligible population in the country has been reported 73.19% in 2004, 71.54% in 2005, 60.92% in 2006 and 81.41% in 2007. The microfilaria (mf) rate estimated in sentinel and random sites of each filaria endemic district revealed that in 2007, 177 districts are with less than 1% mf rate and 73 districts are with more than 1%.
This Bachelor thesis discusses green subaerial algae of the genus Trentepohlia (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta). Firstly, I focus on general description of the family Trentepohliaceae and the genus Trentepohlia, especially on morphology, ultrastructure and reproduction. Secondly, I summarize the knowledge of the literature available about the species of the genus Trentepohlia living in the Czech Republic. I also concern with the symbiotic relationship of these algae with other organisms and with some curiosities of their growth leading to ecological and other important consequences. Finally, in this thesis I introduce the issues of the species delimitation using traditional morphological methods in contrast to molecular approaches. There are several facts resulting from this thesis. The genus Trentepohlia is a green alga of the Chlorophyta lineage curious in some aspects, mostly due to presence of some structures among the cells (such as plasmodesmatas, MLS, carotenoids, etc.). There is also a problem of determination of individual species. For almost two hundred years, this problem has been solved by use of morphological features. However, molecular methods are often in contrast to these traditional methods. Therefore, reorganization on a genus level is essential, based on the discovery of phylogenetically relevant morphological criteria.
Abstract Foodborne disease outbreaks are often caused by one of the major pathogens. Early identification of the causal pathogen is crucial for disease control and prevention. We describe a real-time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) assay that can identify, in a single reaction, up to eight common foodborne bacterial pathogens, including Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus, Campylobacter jejuni, Enterobacter sakazakii, and Shigella spp. This multiplex rtPCR assay takes advantage of modified molecular beacons and the multicolor combinational probe coding strategy to discriminate each pathogen and the homo-tag assisted non-dimer (HAND) system to prevent dimer formation. The detection limits of the assay ranged from 1.3×103 colony-forming units (CFU)/g stool (L. monocytogenes) to 1.6×104 CFU/g stool (Shigella spp.). The target genes were 100% specific as assessed on 986 reference strains covering 41 species since no cross...
Chinese chestnut was used as raw materials to produce Chinese chestnut fruit wine by liquid fermentation and the production process was as follows: ke rnel∶water as 1∶4, 0.2 % SO2 for color protection, 10 min destroying oxidation enzyme for slurry, keep cooking for 30～40 min at 75 ℃, addition of 25 % self-compounded composite saccharifying enzyme at 65 ℃ for 60 min saccharification, complete iodine solution reaction at 70 ℃, inoculation of 0.2 ‰ yeast, 6～7 d chief fermentation at 25 ℃, then after aging, clarification and blending, quali ty fruit wine of favorable color, aroma and taste was finally produced. (Tran. by YUE Yang)
The main objective of this paper is to define an analysis model for high resolution spotlight SAR imagery, which is able to integrate the radiometric, as well as geometric and texture properties of the SAR data, in order to facilitate large data-base queries by informational content indexing of the images. The model proposed in this paper uses the information contained in the spectra of the SAR signal. A scene is described by a number of parameters computed based on Short-Time Fourier Transform. Considering the properties of the spotlight imaging mode, a phase correction algorithm is applied to the images prior to feature extraction. The classification is done using a Bayesian Support Vector Machine classifier. The method allowed for the recognition of more than thirty targets and structures in the scenes. The method is extended on quadpol TerraSAR-X data, where a Clifford-Fourier Transform is employed. This gives a representation of the spectra in a multidimensional space.
This paper describes an observation set up at the CMPP in Lorient (Morbihan). It deals with very young children—under four years of age—with regard to whom, following a first consultation, doctors feel require extended exploration. This set up involves two professionals trained in observation and offers four appointments over a period of four weeks. The observation is on the model of the psychoanalytic observation as it was developed by Esther Bick (1948) and Martha Harris (1960) at the Tavistock Clinic in London. The author emphasizes the experience that is made possible by this type of observation and the support it provides in work with children and families. The clinical material that is used shows how the set up as it is conceived can bring about in parents the functioning or re-functioning of a dynamics of thinking about their child that may have long been interfered with by their worries or anxieties about the developmental difficulties in the child.
The invention relates to a detecting device and a detecting method for a rotation center of an angle-of-attack mechanism of a wind tunnel test section. The detecting device comprises a supporting positioning structure with a horizontal extending structure. The supporting positioning structure is provided with a guiding structure which can make the horizontal extending structure move vertically. The extending end of the horizontal extending structure is provided with a detecting positioning structure, and a measuring device which is arranged on the bent cutter supporting plate of the angle-of-attack mechanism of the wind tunnel test section correspondingly with the detecting positioning structure and can perform positive and negative angle-of-attack arc movement of the bent cutter supporting plate. The detecting device and detecting method for the rotation center of the angle-of-attack mechanism of the wind tunnel test section realize more visual and quick measurement process and furthermore establish a standard with small error and high stability. Furthermore the detecting device and the detecting method have advantages of remarkably shortening an application period, reducing number of operators, reducing labor intensity, and greatly reducing cost at each aspect.
The analysis of ways and methods for determination of optimal time of car operation in Ukraine and in the world has been made. The factors which affect the specific operating costs change have been defined. It has been established that it is inefficient to consider the economic costs on the car operation as the main criterion. These costs are for combustive and lubricating materials and working liquids, maintenance and repair, rebasing technical equipment. For more precise determination of optimal time of operation and meeting the requirements of environmental legislation the Zecol(t) ecological costs, namely, eco-economic damages occurred while operating the car should be considered. The formula for car operation specific consumption calculation due to the ecological aspect has been justified and given. While operating the car and running on the same fuel type the rate of ecological damage caused by this transport vehicle increases in 1,5-1,7 after 8 years and doubles after 1012 years compared with the new transport vehicle. Due to the ecological damage analysis it has been possible to establish that the optimal time of car operation should not exceed 78 years.
Modelling via finite mixtures is one of the most fruitful Bayesian approach, particularly useful when  there is unobserved heterogeneity in the data. The  most  popular algorithm under this model  is  the reversible  jump  MCMC, that can be nontrivial to design,  especially in high-dimensional spaces. In this work, we first introduce a class of finite  discrete random probability measures obtained by normalization of finite point processes. Then, we use the new class as the mixing measure of a mixture model  and derive its posterior characterization. The resulting new class encompasses the popular finite Dirichlet mixture model; here, in order to compute posterior, we propose an alternative to the reversible jump. In particular, borrowing notation from the nonparametric Bayesian literature, we set up a conditional MCMC algorithm  based on the posterior characterization  of the unnormalized point process. In order to show the performance of our algorithm and the flexibility of the model, we illustrate some examples on the popular Galaxy dataset.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are ligand-gated ion channels. These receptors play important roles in physiological as well as pathophysiological processes. The present work was aimed at studying three questions that were centered on pharmacology, expression and physiology of nicotinic receptors. The first chapter describes the results of work that was aimed at understanding the molecular determinants of interaction between α-conotoxin BuIA and complementary subunits of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Proline 6 of BuIA was found to be a major determinant of binding to nAChR β2 subunit. Coupling between proline 6 and the residue at 59 th position of the β subunit was found to be equal to 2.4 kcal/mol. This work paves the ground for creating selective ligands that discriminate between α3β2 and α3β4 receptors. The second chapter describes the dependence of expression of human α9containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system on the 5’leader sequence of the α9 subunit. The human α9 subunit was determined to be the limiting factor in the functional expression of α9-containing receptors. The inclusion of the 5’leader from alfalfa mosaic virus before the α9 coding sequence facilitated the expression of human α9 homomeric receptors by ~70 fold and human α9α10 receptors by ~80 fold. As a result, a vector was created that allowed high
approved: ______________________________________________________ Jerri L. Bartholomew ABSTRACT Parasites are ubiquitous members of ecological communities, capable of contributing to the decline of vulnerable populations. Therefore, monitoring parasite level is a critical component for host management. Molecular tools, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), can be valuableParasites are ubiquitous members of ecological communities, capable of contributing to the decline of vulnerable populations. Therefore, monitoring parasite level is a critical component for host management. Molecular tools, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), can be valuable additions to monitoring protocols that assess parasitic disease risk to hosts. To be successful, monitoring protocols must capture biologically relevant environmental data, and relate that data to disease risk. This project assesses the application of molecular analysis of environmental water samples for monitoring the ciliate protozoan Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) in the Klamath River, CA. Ich is an economically and ecologically significant parasite of freshwater fishes, and has contributed to mortality of pre-spawning adult salmon throughout the Pacific Northwest, including in the Klamath River. Chapter 1 introduces the study site (the lower Klamath River, CA), host population of concern (Klamath River salmonids), parasite of interest (Ich), and primary molecular technique (qPCR). Chapter 2 describes the development and validation of a qPCR assay targeting the SSU rDNA of Ich, as well as the initial application of the assay to environmental water samples. Chapter 3 presents a field application of the sampling method. Chapters 2 and 3 demonstrate the assay’s potential to inform the management of Ich infections in the Klamath River. Chapter 4 compares the genetic variation of Ich isolates published in GenBank, and those collected from pet shops (OR) and natural rivers (CA) (primarily the Klamath River) at the cox1 and SSU gene loci. This research indicates that qPCR analysis of environmental water samples could be a valuable monitoring tool for waterborne Ich in the Klamath River. ©Copyright by Claire K. Howell December 12, 2017 All Rights Reserved Molecular Analysis of Environmental Water Samples as a Monitoring Method for the Fish Parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis by Claire K. Howell A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Presented December 12, 2017 Commencement June 2018 Master of Science thesis of Claire K. Howell presented on December 12, 2017
Introduction Virtually all humans in every clime believe in some sort of the sacredness and dignity of human life, and this is why the instinct of self-protection and the desire for the promotion of self-comfort is almost natural in all human beings. However, the precarious nature of human life and the harshness human life is treated is a contradiction to the facts of its sacredness and dignity. In order to stem this tide and engender the flowering of human personality and the fulfillment of human destinies, contemporary discourse in the humanities and social sciences are replete with discourse in human development; yet there is little likelihood that much has improved or is going to be improve in regards to human development. Life frustrations, unfulfilled dreams, untapped potentials, and all kinds of attacks and abuses against on the human personality has impoverished many people in the world. The understanding of human development as a process of social transformation which involves the replacement of factors that inhibit the capacity of the individual to gain self-direction and to promote social cooperation is ideal wherein it creates an environment in which all people can expand their capabilities to live long, healthy, creative lives to advance other goals they may have reason to value and to engage in as they help to shape human development equitably and sustainably on a shared planet, which is very instructive because it speaks to an environment where human development is or is not possible (Human Development Report, 2010:12). Human life is characterized with dreams, potentialities and ambitions, but these are values that cannot be fully realized by the individual alone without a needed environment and the cooperation of others in community. The capabilities that are needed to live the kind of life one has reason to value are such that the individual cannot provide alone. Therefore, the provision of capabilities that enable people to lead the kind of life they value involves the environment and the kind of human relations where these capabilities are cultivated, nurtured and sustained for relevant human development. However, the provision of the needed capabilities and the cultivation of the right environment and relationships for human development is a function of the way the human person is conceived and understood. As much as the various indices of human development as espoused by Human Development Report, Amartaya Sen and other well-meaning scholars of Human Development is accepted, however, it is noted that the philosophical foundation for the application of these indices is lacking. For example, in the areas of the right kind of social relationships that should exist amongst persons in the society, hence, wholesome human relationships which provide capabilities, and an enabling environment for the workability of the developmental processes for human flourishing. This is important because unless we understand adequately and rightly the subject of the human development indices (the human person and relationships) that should exist amongst persons in the community, it may be difficult to apply the said indices of human development. This paper, therefore, intends to provide these philosophical foundations vis-a-vis an analysis of what the right and adequate conception of the human person should be, and second, what is the right kind of social environment and relationship needed for a correct application of human development indices. And next, it argues that Communitarian personhood from an African standpoint provides the virtues of cooperative togetherness, liberty, solidarity, respect etc. that can provide capabilities, right relationships in an environment that enable people to lead the kind of life they value. Understanding Human Development Human development involves the advancement of people capacities that will determine human destiny. It is an appreciation of human worth in terms of liberty and responsibility. …
The paper presents the system of crisis management from the legal point of view and on the basis of the relevant literature. The Author provides interpretations of such notions as: crisis management, a crisis situation, a crisis. The article is focused on the praxeological approach to quality along with the analysis of its important indicators. The indicators include: functionality which, according to the Polish School of Praxeology consists of efficacy, efficiency and effectiveness. The paper also characterizes those qualities from the point of view of more recent literature. The Author emphasizes the possible role of security culture in perfecting the functioning of the system of crisis management.
Programs depend on the entities. Their hierarchy varies with the complexity and as their utilization increases the complexity involved in hierarchy also increases. Visualization is a traditional method of representing complex entities to enhance the human understanding. Visualization of parallel programs is not a new concept. But, the approaches followed to obtain this goal of visualizing the Message Passing Interface (MPI) programs are unique in their own ways. There are no tools, which are capable of implementing all aspects of MPI programs in an efficient way. The main reason is the complexity of parallel programs. This thesis involves using Flatland [1], a virtual reality application and its implementation through a concept called Continuous Semantic Zooming (CSZ) [2]. It is hypothesized that this method of visualization can help naive programmers, that is, people with little or no programming experience to understand the concept of MPI programming and also can serve the purpose of the experts in the fields of MPI programming to look deeper into the issues involving debugging and analyzing the MPI program behavior. The output generated as a trace file from a set of nine MPI programs is taken as an input for the visual representation. We focus on the design, data format, the results and experiences obtained from this project.
The invention relates to an ignition circuit for a two-stroke engine in a hand-held device such as a chain saw or the like .. A spark plug (2) via a switch (14) connected to a voltage source (16), wherein the ignition switch (14) (by an electronic control circuit 15) is actuated, which includes (as a function of the crankshaft angle, and other operating parameters such as the speed of the motor 1) the ignition switch (14) to trigger per revolution of the crankshaft (10) an ignition spark. For speed limit for a predetermined final speed the ignition switch is kept open (14), in order to suppress an ignition spark via at least one crankshaft revolution is exceeded. In order to avoid that are excited by the speed limiting additional vibrations, the ignition switch (14) is closed by a random principle, and depending on the position of the crankshaft (10) after exceeding a final rotational speed, such that a crankshaft rotation corresponding spark randomly is triggered.
Objective: To develop a transpedicular external correction system and apply it clinically. Methods, After the tissues in the curvature section had been prepared by conventional procedures one pedicle screw was each inserted into the pedicle above the upper neutral vertebra and into that in the lower stable zone on the concave side with their tail parts extending out of skin. Distraction was effected by the external correction system. Results:In a follow-up period of 3. 5 to 4 years, 3 cases with congenital scoliosis of 50 to 90 degrees of Cobb angle got satisfactory results. One case of degenerative lumbar scoliosis had improved symptoms and function.Conclussion:This system provided powerful correction forces and conformed to the biomechanical features of the structure of the spine. It has high safety and can dispense with another operation to remove the internal instruments. Moreover,the distractive stress can be monitored on the rod.
Photovoice is a method of qualitative social research. It has potential to analyze living environments, social spaces and organisations. In the following, we describe the theoretical framework of Photovoice in the context of the approach of lifeworld orientation. We then will be showing the benefit of the method using a study on perceptions of information technology among unemployed youth and their connections in Mamelodi, South Africa. This example points out that photovoice is an effective method to give vulnerable people a voice to tell a story about their lives and their community. This can play an important role in the profession of social work in the context of the analysis of the lifeworlds of its addressees.
A series of molybdenum disulfide intercalation compounds was prepared to study the effect of varying loadings of the samples with intercalated molecules. The molecules, (5,7,7,12,14,14-hexamethyl-1,4,8,11- tetraazacyclotetradeca-4,11-diene) macrocycles, occupy the gallery spaces between the MoS2 layers in a single layer. The samples were characterized by thermogravimetry, wide angle X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM images reveal the layer stacking as the filling of the gallery spaces with macrocycles increases gradually up to one monolayer per gallery space. Fourier transforms of these images are in excellent agreement with the X-ray scattering of the bulk compound. X-ray scattering by these compounds was simulated by evaluating the Debye sum for weighted averages of model particles that have sequences of open and closed gallery spaces. Open and closed gallery spaces coexist in the samples with less than one monolayer of intercalated molecules per gallery space. The fraction of open gallery spaces increases with macrocycle loading, from zero for restacked MoS2 without macrocycles to one for a fully intercalated compound. The sequence of open and closed spaces is approximately random, and the MoS2 layers stack with the same orientation but with random lateral shifts. The binding enthalpy of the macrocycles in the gallery spaces is about 14 meV.
Objective: To analize could dental arch forms be used in prediction of tooth-size discrepancies in Class I and II malocclusions.Materials and methods: Samples included randomly selected plaster dental casts of 85 patients (41 Class I mean age 14.4±0.3 (18 males and 23 females) and 44 Class II 14.5±0.4 (19 males and 25 females)) from the Department of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Dental models were scanned and digitized using ATOS II SO ("small objects") scanning technology (GoM mbH, Braunschweig, Germany), and 3D virtual objects were created. Twelve points were digitally marked on each model (representing midpoint of the facial axis of the clinical crown), using ATOS viewer version 6.A.2 software. The following measurements were calculated for upper and lower dental arches: anterior Bolton ratio, overall Bolton ratio, width/depth ratio, molar width/depth ratio, canine / molar depth ratio, canine / molar width ratio. Data were analyzed using SPSS 10.0 software. Multiple regresion was used for analysis, a level of p<0.05 was considered statisticaly significant.Results: Maxillary molar width/depth ratio (p=0.036) and mandibular canine/molar depth ratio (p=0.012) could be used in prediction of anterior Bolton ratio in class I malocclusions, but the regression model accounted for only 37 % of the variance in anterior Bolton ratio (p = 0.041). While controlling for all other variables in regression model the independent contribution of maxillary molar width / depth ratio to the prediction of anterior Bolton ratio is 9.4% (r=0.307), and mandibular canine / molar depth is 13.9% (r=-0.373). In class II malocclusions archform can not be used in prediction of Bolton ratio.Conclusion: Dental arch forms are poor predictors of tooth size discrepancies.
The invention relates to a multifunctional foam liquid soap containing glucoside and derivatives of glucoside, which comprises the following raw materials by weight percent: 6.0-9.0% of citrate, 1.0-3.0% of alkyl glycoside or alcohol ether glycoside, 0.5-1.5% of coconut oil monoethanolamide (CMEA), 0.1-1.0% of bacteriacide, 0-0.4% of essence, 0-0.001% of pigment and the balance of deionized water. The multifunctional foam liquid soap has the advantages of being non-toxic and harmless to the skin.
Although we all possess the capability for anaerobic and aerobic energy metabolism, the capacity for each form of energy transfer varies considerably among individuals. Sports such as football or weightlifting, rely almost exclusively on energy derived from the muscles's pool of high-energy phosphates. Researchers have proposed different tests to estimate the power-generating capacity of high energy phosphates: stair-sprinting power tests, jumping-power tests or sprint cycling. In reality, however, it is difficult to obtain precise physiological or biochemical data during all-out exercise of brief duration.
After reading this book, you will really know how exactly the importance of reading books as common. Think once again as what this leg ulcers gives you new lesson, the other books with many themes and genres and million PDFs will also give you same, or more than it. This is why, we always provide what you need and what you need to do. Many collections of the books from not only this country, from abroad a countries in the world are provided here. By providing easy way to help you finding the books, hopefully, reading habit will spread out easily to other people, too.
As a major medical imaging technology, medical ultrasound imaging with its many advantages, such as no harm to the human body, real-time, cheap and easy to use, is widely used in clinic. But the ultrasonic imaging speckle noise make it difficulties to distinguish between normal tissue and pathological tissue. According to the character of noise in the medical ultrasonic image, an new method of the medical ultrasonic imaging filter based on mathematics morphology and adaptive filtering is proposed after analysis of speckle noise and general filter, and an experiment is made to validate. The experimental method is as follows : Firstly the Rayleigh noise is imposed on the original image, and then the median filter and the adaptive median filter are used on the contaminated image. Secondly the morphological filter is used to improve image quality and enhance the contrast, after the adaptive median filter is used on the image, to retain more necessary details. Finally the three noise filtering methods are compared from the images denoising and evaluation. And the results indicate that the new method is superior to other ones.
With the development of the oil field and the use of hydraulic pressure clamp,the worker's load has been reduced,but at the same time,it also exposed some unavoidable problem: tubing screw deflection,the lower tubing falling into the bottom of the well,and so on.They have made big loss to our company and country.The tubing centralizer worked by hydraulic,solved the problem of tubing screw deflection and met the need of production.
The popularity of smart learning has soared due to its flexibility, ubiquity, context-awareness, and adaptiveness. In particular, video-based m-learning has the biggest impact on the learning process. Its live and realistic features make learning interactive, easy, and fast. This article establishes the importance of video-based learning and m-learning in smart learning while discussing the basics of a smart learning environment and requirements. A framework and model for smart learning is presented. A streaming video adaptation model is also proposed for mobile devices. Based on the model, an interactive video-based smart learning system has been designed, which allows for the streaming video of live as well as prerecorded lecture sessions offering an interactive teaching-learning experience. The application supports both mobile devices and desktop computers. The model is practically implemented with a group of students and their feedback shows a high rate of acceptance of the system while a sizable percentage of them acknowledged that it improved their teaching-learning process significantly.
ATM is a key technology of integration of multimedia service. Recently, Many study have been concentrated on performance testing for evaluation network performance are stronger everyday. The performance testing is on evaluation of maximal throughput of network by measuring and analyzing of various performance parameters. There are two ways to test ATM network performance; one is using QoS in cell level on the point of network's view, and the other is using metric in frame level in the point of user's view. And, the standardization process is also under way. In this paper, we derive a performance requirement of TCP in TCP/IP data transmission over ATM UBR service. By applying the derived requirements to ATM and packet networks, we evaluate the performance of TCP over UBR based on the result of our simulations. Therefore, we evaluate the result of simulation and find degradation of network throughput by interaction between TCP congestion control and ATM cell drop policy. So we suggest the accelerated Vegas that modify traditional TCP Vegas in congestion control mechanism for batter network throughput.
At present,in Party branches of universities and colleges there exist common problems such as formalism of regular learning activities of the organization,not exercising effective supervision with regard to the Party members and so on.In order to open up a new prospect,the ideology learning of Party branches at the basic level should be strengthened,the learning contents and methods should be improved,the system of central speaking should be tried and the learning Party branches should be established.
In this paper, we present an approach for the automatic verification of software requirements specifications. This approach is based on the representation of software requirements in XML and the usage of the XSLT language not only to automatically generate requirements documents, but also to verify some desired quality properties and to automatically compute some metrics. These ideas have been implemented in REM, an experimental requirements management tool that is also described in this paper.
GDI+ is graphics device interface+.It is a class libraries.It transforms data to a form which is compatible with graphics device.Microsoft Visual C# is object oriented language which is simple,modern and secure.It provides us with environment which is able to exploit program that run at Windows and other flat.Therefore,with the use of GDI+,it will achieve the alternation conveniently and quickly between application and graphics device in C#.This paper will introduce approaches to implementation of dynamic graphical in C# so as to meet with the requirements of complex engineering and more flexible display.
Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were used to study Ba2+ currents through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in dorsal root ganglion x mouse neuroblastoma hybrid (F-11) cells. Opioid agonists selective for either mu (Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-Mephe-Gly-ol; DAMGO) or delta (Tyr-D-Pen-Gly-Phe-D-Pen-OH; DPDPE) receptors inhibited high-threshold Ba2+ currents. The inhibition was reversible, naloxone-sensitive, and dose-dependent. The inhibitory effects of both DAMGO and DPDPE were blocked by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin (PTX) as well as by brief exposure to the sulfhydryl alkylating agent, N-ethylmaleimide (NEM). The N-type Ca2+ channel antagonist omega-conotoxin GVIA (omega-CTX GVIA) irreversibly inhibited high threshold Ba2+ currents by 66% and blocked the inhibitory effect of DAMGO or DPDPE. In contrast, the L-type Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine inhibited high threshold Ba2+ currents by 15% and failed to block the inhibitory effect of DAMGO or DPDPE. These results demonstrate that mu and delta opioid receptors are negatively coupled to N-type Ca2+ channels via PTX- and NEM-sensitive GTP-binding proteins in F-11 cells.
Using the potential parameters developed in Part I of this series of papers we now present a comparison of the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured thermodynamic properties of the four inert gas solids, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. It is shown that without the inclusion of any three‐body term the exp‐6 potential gives a good prediction of most available data. The predicted data are sensitive to the inclusion of the three‐body term, but its inclusion in the calculations removes the good agreement with experiment. Some discussion is given to the usefulness of the “effective pair additive” potential, for which the exp‐6 is obviously a better choice than is the commonly accepted Lennard‐Jones (12–6). The calculations further show that the prediction of the solid state properties using a cell model, and including the triple‐dipole nonadditive term, can indicate the unacceptability of a pair potential which nevertheless is able to accurately predict second virial gas data. The exp‐6 potential, when parameters are characterized from solid state data with the inclusion of the three‐body term in the calculation, is only partially successful in the prediction of either second virial or solid state data but at least shows the likelihood of a pair potential being successful in these two greatly disparate tasks.Using the potential parameters developed in Part I of this series of papers we now present a comparison of the theoretically predicted and experimentally measured thermodynamic properties of the four inert gas solids, neon, argon, krypton, and xenon. It is shown that without the inclusion of any three‐body term the exp‐6 potential gives a good prediction of most available data. The predicted data are sensitive to the inclusion of the three‐body term, but its inclusion in the calculations removes the good agreement with experiment. Some discussion is given to the usefulness of the “effective pair additive” potential, for which the exp‐6 is obviously a better choice than is the commonly accepted Lennard‐Jones (12–6). The calculations further show that the prediction of the solid state properties using a cell model, and including the triple‐dipole nonadditive term, can indicate the unacceptability of a pair potential which nevertheless is able to accurately predict second virial gas data. The exp‐6 potential...
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is a discipline in itself. Students benefit from being taught by people who have a deeper and wider understanding of teaching and learning. In this article, I identify twelve interdependent and intermingling activities in which scholars of teaching and learning engage as well as comment on the body of knowledge about how the brain learns, the conditions ideal to learning, and the ways in which individuals learn is ever expanding. This is an exciting time for teachers and an opportune time for students. 1. Creativity and Choices I often find myself, as I drift off to sleep, contemplating the difficulties my students experience while they learn new skills. From time to time, I wake with a start charged with a new teaching idea to try in my adult literacy class. I also find myself, while showering or driving, off in space - a special, creative, reflective space - where I dream up new lesson plans and new approaches to teaching so that the students' learning will be meaningful and enduring. As I write my thoughts on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), I ask myself why I do this. Why do teachers spend time developing new ideas and new approaches to teaching? Some subjects, such as English and math, don't change all that much. Why don't we just do the same things our teachers did when we were learning to read and write? The answers to this question begin to define the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). As scholars of teaching and learning, we are interested not only in our subject matter, in my case English literacy and upgrading, but also in how we teach and most importantly, how our students learn. Many of us can remember the brilliant professor who barely raised his head from his notes to look at the auditorium full of students during his lecture. He was an accomplished scholar of his discipline - perhaps chemistry, psychology, or art history - but not a scholar of teaching and learning. The chances are that he did not study the discipline of teaching and learning unless he was an education professor. Now, the SoTL is a discipline in itself. Our students benefit from being taught by people who have a deeper and wider understanding of teaching and learning. As instructors, we are no longer limited to the lecture mode. We can create our own activities and chose from a range of teaching methods and the many available technologies that can make course content more stimulating and memorable. More and more, teachers are as equally engaged with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as they are with their disciplines. How they teach the subject matter is as important as the content. This is an exciting time for teachers and an opportune time for learners. Information on how the brain learns, the conditions ideal to learning and the ways in which individuals learn is ever expanding.
Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) research and development at General Electric focuses on cost-effective design improvements that will be reflected in availability and capacity performance. BWR plants showed a 21% improvement in capacity and a 13% gain in availability during the 1975-1978 period. Feedwater sparger nozzle cracking and local power-range-monitor in-core vibration were among the problems needing correction. This summary of General Electric programs includes efforts directed at improving the performance of personnel, equipment, facilities, and fuels.
Steer By Wire (SBW) system is a prospective new chassis technology which eliminates mechanical linkages between steering wheel and steering gearbox. SBW system steers a vehicle by using actuators which receive vehicle information from sensors. This paper proposes an dual motor Independent-type steer by wire system which has two steering actuators in RH and LH so that the steered angle of front tires can be controlled by ECU respectively. This system has merits over the conventional SBW system in that it can highly enhance system Fail-safety and realize ideal handling performance at various driving situation by controlling right and left wheels independently. First, the configuration, features, and the control signal flow of the proposed SBW system will be mentioned, and then the verification results of control logic followed. The verification was carried out by comparing the results from HILS with those from test vehicle.
To clarify the characteristics of Japan Stroke Scale Higher Cortical Function (JSS-H), we compared the results of JSS-H with those of Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS-R), on the 47 patients with cerebrovascular disease visiting to the day-care center of the Yoshinaga Municipal Hospital. The scores of the two scales significantly correlated. Especially, among the patients who gained over 21 points (non-dementia) in HDS-R, the results of both scales were almost parallel, but among those who gained less than 20 points(dementia), the scores showed some discrepancy. Most of the patient with discrepancy had higher scores in JSS-H than in HDS-R, and were independent in their daily life despite of their memory disturbance. These results suggest that JSS-H can assess more global cerebral function than HDS-R and will be useful for estimating the characteristics of the higher cortical function of the patients, although it has some problems to be solved for clinical application.
The invention discloses a preparation method of a nickel metal hydride sealing square battery electrode. A foaming nickel base body without any filling material section on one end of an electrode plate (1) is clamped in the middle by a double-layer nickel plated steel band with regular shape or a double-layer nickel band, and the electrode plate and the foaming nickel base body are firmly welded together to form an electrode (3) by spot welding positioning and rolling welding. In the structure, the double-layer nickel plated steel band with regular shape or the double-layer nickel band is called as an integral electrode ear diversion strip (2); the foaming nickel base body filled with electrical chemical active substances for a battery is called as the electrode plate (1) after being dried, rolled and cut into a sheet with regular dimension, and the double-layer integral electrode ear diversion strip (2) clamping the foaming nickel base body without filling material section and weldingwith the foaming nickel base body is called as an electrode (3).
Considering the disadvantage of multi- objective dynamic weighted aggregation evolution strategies which don't effectively solve high dimension variables' multi- objective functions, using difference evaluation to replace evolution strategies,a multi-objective dynamic weighted aggregation difference evaluation is proposed in this paper.Finally,the efficiency of the proposed method is validated by optimizing on benchmark multi-objective functions optimization and power economic dispatch. ;
As I write my report for this first edition of TJA for 2012, DonateLife staff in state/territory agencies and hospitals are preparing for their annual thanksgiving services and organ donation awareness week. Transplant nurses and coordinators across the country will join these services, thanking the very special families that have supported organ and tissue donation, providing a life-changing gift to the many recipients we look after each year. This week poignantly reminds us that donation is ultimately linked to transplantation and without one we could not have the other.
A primary objective of the QUARTET Project is the design and implementation of pilot IRTE architectures that allow the smooth introduction of ATT systems in the urban context. It aims to demonstrate the feasibility of integrated traffic management and control systems and the overall benefits of synergy due to the coordination of the discrete operation of the component systems, and to show that the solutions provided are transferable to other European cities. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 868006.
1. A process for separating at least two immiscible liquids, which comprises the steps of: a) feeding a stream comprising a mixture of at least two immiscible fluids, namely a liquid with a higher density and another liquid with lower density, the separation device, and the direction of flow so as to contact with the tow of the fibers in separation device; ! b) a liquid separation at a higher density from fluids of lower density in the separation device by creating conditions to the mixture flowed through the tow of fibers to form two separate fluid layers, namely, to form a bottom layer containing a liquid with a higher density, and an upper layer containing a liquid with a lower density, a collection zone in the separation device. ! 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid of higher density comprises water. ! 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid of higher density comprises an aqueous solution. ! 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid of lower density comprises a hydrocarbon or mixture of hydrocarbons. ! 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid of higher density comprises an aqueous solution and the fluid of lower density comprises a hydrocarbon or mixture of hydrocarbons. ! 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid of higher density comprises water and the liquid of lower density comprises a hydrocarbon or mixture of hydrocarbons. ! 7. The method of claim 1, which further comprises removing the liquid of lower density from the separation device by O ver
The utility model relates to an integrated micro-blood body-fluid collector. The collector comprises a micro suction pipe (4), an air bag (6) and a blood-collecting needle head (3) which are communicated in turn, wherein the tail end of the blood-collecting needle head (3) is a triangular needle pin (2) or analgesia blood-collecting needle head. The integrated micro-blood body-fluid collector is integrated with a blood collector, thereby being convenient to use and place, being high in operation speed and high in efficiency, shortening the blood-collecting time, and relieving the pain of a person whose blood is collected. The operation process is difficult to be infected, the hospital infection is avoided, and the collector is convenient to be damaged centrally.
Objective: The extraperitoneal laparoscopic approach (EXTRA) has been shown to be an effective and safe repair for primary (PIH), recurrent (RIH) and bilateral hernia (BIH). There is very little data examining the merits of laparoscopic repair for hernias under local anesthesia. In this paper, we compare EXTRA performed under both general and local anesthesia. Methods: This nonrandomized prospective study was performed selectively on a male population only. Patients with associated pulmonary disease and high risk for general surgery were selected. Patients with recurrence and previous abdominal operations were excluded to decrease confounding variables in the study. A Prolene mesh was used in all patients. Results: Between May 1997 and September 1998, 92 male patients underwent the repair of 107 groin hernias using the EXTRA technique. The procedure was explained to them, and different anesthesia options were given. Fourteen of these repairs were performed under local anesthesia and 93 under general anesthesia. Of the 10 patients who underwent a repair under local anesthesia, there were 8 indirect, 5 direct and 1 pantaloon. The mean age was 53 years. In the group of general anesthesia, the types of hernias repaired were 45 indirect, 30 direct and 11 pantaloon. The mean age was 45 years. The mean follow-up was 15 months. Each patient was sent home the same day. Two peritoneal tears were recorded in the first group. The operative time was longer in the local group (47 ± 11 vs 18 ± 3). None of the patients required conversion to an open technique or change of anesthesia. No recurrences were found in either group. The average time of return to work and regular activity was 3.5 ± 1 and 3 ± 1 days, respectively. Conclusion: There appears to be no significant difference in recurrence and complication rates when the EXTRA is performed under local anesthesia as compared to general. Blunt dissection of the preperitoneal space does not trigger pain and does not require lidocaine injection. The most painful area is the peritoneal reflection over the cord structure. The laparoscopic repair under local anesthesia represents an advantage in the repair of the inguinal hernia, particularly in the population where general anesthesia is contraindicated.
Objective To explore the status and influencing factors of nurses' job retention in teaching hospitals,so as to provide theoretical references for nurse administrators to raise the level of nurses' job retention.Methods Totally,458 nurses in 3A-level teaching hospitals in Dalian were recruited and investigated with Nursing Retention Scale,Conditions Work Effectiveness Questionnaire and Psychological Empowerment Scale.Results The total score of nurses' job retention was(22.12 ± 4.41),the main influencing factors of nurses' retention were structural empowerment,reason to choose a job,psychological empowerment and employment way.Conclusion Nurse managers should improve the level of nurses' structural empowerment in order to enhance their perceptions of empowerment and then strengthen their job retention.
The food safety problem of on-line take-out food enterprises is a hot issue of current research. This paper chooses two typical on-line take-out food enterprises in J City as the research object, and uses the mathematical statistics, logical reasoning and model evaluation methods to conduct in-depth research on the food safety of on-line take-out food service enterprises. The main results are as follows: (i) The rapid growth of on-line take-out food service industry poses a serious challenge to food safety in today's society; (ii) This paper constructs an food safety evaluation index system for the on-line take-out food service enterprises, which includes four modules (management qualification; procurement and transportation; conversion of finished products; take-out delivery), and 17 specific evaluation indexes, such as catering licensing status, health status of employees and management system; (iii) Using the evaluation index system in (ii), this paper evaluates the food safety status of enterprises A and B in J City, and finds that the two enterprises have different levels of food safety problems, which are mainly reflected in two modules: procurement and transportation; take-out delivery.
Banker plants, Lapsana communis and Chelidonium majus, were utilized to rear the whitefly Aleyrodes proletella. The parasitic wasp Encarsia formosa was reared on this host in order to facilitate biological control of glasshouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum on cucumber. Banker plants with E. formosa showed to be a good alternative to weekly introductions of E. formosa. Moreover, banker plants were refugia for E. formosa between two crops. Another parasitic wasp Eretmocerus eremicus was unable to reproduce on A. proletella. However, during the summer E. eremicus supplemented control of glasshouse whitefly by E. formosa. Whiteflies are important pests in glasshouse horticulture. The larvae and the adults suck fluids from the plants and a surplus of sugar contents is excreted as honeydew. Honeydew is an excellent medium for the growth of sooty mould fungi, which may result in complete collapse of plants. Moreover, whiteflies are potential vectors of virus. At present, cucumber crops are planted three times per year in Dutch commercial glasshouses. Glasshouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood may easily get out of hand, because cucumber is a very attractive and excellent host-plant. Woets (1978) developed a scheme for introduction of the whitefly parasitoid Encarsia formosa Gahan in tomato. However, in cucumber it is clearly more difficult to achieve control of whitefly. At the time of replanting the risk is even higher, because the whiteflies concentrate on the small leaf area of the young crop. This may result in sticky plants and the growth of sooty mould. Removal of the old crop results in a gap in biological control, because parasitized pupae are removed from the glasshouse. Adult parasitoids, that are still present in the glasshouse are unable to parasitize or to conduct host-feeding, because there are no whitefly larvae available. Banker plants could serve as refugia for parasitoids during the process of removing the old crop and replanting the new crop. One of the indigenous whiteflies that is a candidate for a banker plant system is the cabbage whitefly, Aleyrodes proletella. Suitable host-plants are Nipplewort, Lapsana communis (Asteraceae) and Greater Celandine, Chelidonium majus (Papaveraceae) (Bink et al., 1980). A. proletella is fairly easy to rear and it is a host for E. formosa. A preliminary test showed that E. formosa reared on A. proletella readily accepts the glasshouse whitefly again. In addition to E. formosa, the parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus (Rose & Zolnerowich) is now being introduced commercially for control of whiteflies. An experimental alternative for replanting the cucumber crop is growing the plants in a layering system at a high wire. The advantage of this method is that the crop stays in the glasshouse. However, in an experimental layered crop, the oldest leaves were removed before E. formosa was able the hatch from the black pupae. This also resulted in poor control of whiteflies. A banker plant system would also be necessary with this method of cucumber growing, if this method is commercially adopted in the future. In order to investigate the possibility of facilitating whitefly control, the development of both pest and parasitoids was followed in glasshouses with either weekly introductions of parasitoids or with a banker plant system.
A sofa bed is one of the products that improve people life style. It comes in  different type and pattern to satisfy the users require. This product has been a great  development and evaluation since couple of year ago. Starting development from it sizes  until the simple mechanisms, this product has a great potential to increase the market  chart.  A sofa bed can make our life become simpler, easy and relax. It can make 2 main  product combine become 1 new product. The sofa bed can reduce living cost such as  when we need to buy furniture and other equipments, we don’t have to buy sofa and bed.  Enough with sofa bed, it can be multi function equipment for every one.  The methods that use in this research are Design for Manufacturing Assembly  (DFMA) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD). DFMA’s method use to analyze and  make comparison between existing product design and new concept product design. It  determines which design should be develop and modify. QFD’s method is use to  determine the customer requirement and their need. So the new design is refer to their  requirement.  Generally, sofa bed gives good effect and benefit for human life style. It can make  our life become simple, relax and easy with this stuff. There is no waste to develop this  product.
Potentially, the online environment offers many advantages over traditional methods used for the delivery of distance education. Increased communication and interactivity allow for the use of different and varied learning and teaching strategies. The challenge in developing online courses is to incorporate these advantages in an educationally sound and cost-effective manner. The focus of this study was on the development and delivery of successful online courses for remote and rural distance education students in the Northern Territory. Accordingly, the task chosen for the study was first to develop an online module for Year 8 Science from a set of pre-existing printed materials and then to evaluate its subsequent delivery in Term 2, 2001. From this experience many issues that need to be considered in the development of online courses were raised and conclusions on the likelihood of developing a process or template for converting other modules were drawn. The study was a pilot project written up from the perspective of a participant observer who was both the online materials developer and a postgraduate student observing the processes and the issues at stake. The findings of this study were disappointing. Due to the poor telecommunications infrastructure in the NT, CDs rather than the Internet had to be used to deliver the course. Without the use of Internet connections, communication tools such as email and discussion boards could not be used in the instructional design. This severely limited the teaching and learning strategies that could be used. The delivery of the module was beset by technical difficulties, as the students did not have the level of technical literacy required to complete the online module. On the economic side, the cost of developing the online module was significantly higher than that for the print based version and worse, the cost for developing subsequent similar modules was unlikely to be significantly less. In conclusion, these results suggest that if the NTOEC is to realise the potential of the online module a very different approach to online development is needed and the technical literacy of their students needs to be improved.
We present several approaches to a possible “simple” proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem (FLT), which states that for all n greater than 2, there do not exist x, y, z such that x n + y n = z n , where x, y, z, n, are positive integers. Until the mid-1990s, when a proof was given by Andrew Wiles, this had been the most famous unsolved problem in mathematics. But Wiles’ proof was well over 100 pages long, and involved some of the most advanced mathematics of its time, and so the question lingers, “Is there a ‘simple’ proof of the Theorem?” Probably our most promising approach is what we call the “Vertical” approach. Here, instead of trying to expand the set of exponents n for which FLT is true, as had been traditionally done, we attempt to expand the set of ordered triples for which FLT is true for all exponents n. For example, for the assumed counterexample x p + y p = z p we study the sequence x + y  z, x 2 + y 2  z 2 , x 3 + y 3  z 3 , ..., x p + y p = z p with the aim of deriving a contradiction. We also study several approaches utilizing ideas from computer science.
The presentation summarizes and discusses results from a survey in 2013 directed to students who dropped out from the Teacher program at Uppsala University. Students from two cohorts were included in the study (students which started their studies in the fall 2006 and in the fall 2011). From the population of 366 students, 181 completed questionnaires were returned, which corresponds to a response rate of 49 %. However, it was clear that 30 % already had completed the teacher program, but not yet had ordered their diploma officially. 9 % had graduated from another program. In total the dropout rate was 42 % in the 2011 cohort and 50 % in cohort 2006, based on administrative registration data from the university. But, by taking the new information in account from the survey, the dropout rate from cohort 2006 could be reduced to 37 %. The main reasons for dropping out were; 1.realizing that they had made a wrong choice of professional education (38 %) and 2. that they had got behindhand in their studies (25 %), 3. They were uncertain about their choice when they applied for admission (25 %), 4. Low quality on teaching in the program (20 %), 5. Not motivated/tired of studying (20 %) and 6. Lack of more help in students counselling or better teaching (20 %). Paper only available in Swedish
Dutch multicultural cities are becoming increasingly culturally diverse. At the same, Dutch politicians are urging cultural organisations in the Netherlands to implement cultural diversity more structurally into their organisations. In reaction, the cultural sector initiated a Code Cultural Diversity, suggesting cultural diversity can be implemented regarding the organisation's program, public, partners and personnel. At the same time, cultural organisations are relatively running behind when it comes to applying a strategic communication. By conducting in-depth interview with eight pop music venues and a qualitative content analysis on online communication, this study examined how cultural diversity can be efficiently implemented as a value proposition by Dutch pop music venues in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Results showed that cultural diversity is collectively understood as different groups of people being represented together at one place. Program and publics are discussed mostly in relation to differences between music genres and sub cultures. Even though most music venues perceive cultural diversity as an important additional societal value, few venues are actively implementing cultural diversity as much as they'd like to. At the same time, some venues experience improvement in a more culturally diverse program and public, even though most of them are still exploring the opportunities for now. Partnerships and personnel are considered as highly influential to stimulate cultural diversity in the organisations. External factors including a venue's capacity, history and the degree of social segregation in the cities are considered as complicating for efficient implementation. Nevertheless, some external factors can be used in advantage to transform pop music venues into a meeting place.
This paper analyzes a multicriteria matrix goal game under entropy environment. Here a new game model known as multicriteria entropy matrix goal Game is formulated. Multiobjective non-linear programming model for each player is established. The concept of Pareto-optimal security strategy assures the property of security in the individual criteria against an opponent’s deviation in strategy; however the idea is based on expected values, so that this security might be violated by mixed strategy when replications are not allowed. To avoid this inconvenience, we propose the G-goal security strategy, which includes as a part of solution with the probability of obtaining presanctifled values of the payofi functions when the players are want to maximize the information about their strategies. A numerical example is included to illustrate the results in the paper. c
Universities nowadays keep receiving complaints from the industry regarding the capability of engineering graduates to work. This problem is actually caused by the lack of exposure to the world of work given to the engineering students by the university. Therefore, it is imperative to give and expose the engineering students towards real world experience. Project-Based Learning (PjBL) is a teaching method that is appropriate to be implemented on engineering students. Hence, this research was conducted to investigate the effectiveness PjBL in providing real-world experience to electrical engineering students based on the opinions and perceptions of students and lecturers. This study also intended to develop a framework of PjBL that can be used to as an effective teaching method in order to provide real world experience to the electrical engineering students. This study used a qualitative method in which the data were collected by using interviews and observations. The respondents for this study were the students and lecturers that were involved in the PjBL from two universities in Malaysia. The results of this study found that the students and lecturers agreed that PjBL is an appropriate teaching method to provide real-world experience to students, where the students were exposed to the actual practices of an engineer in the industry and also able to learn the skills needed by engineer. Therefore, this study suggests that the proposed PjBL framework can be used to teach the engineering students in order to expose them with real world experience.
Objective To study the location of coronary chronic total occlusion and the correlatin between coronary chronic total occlusion and coronary collateral. Methods SPSS was used to analyze the general clinical and coronary angiographic data of 113 patients with coronary bypass surgery performed. Results There were 61 patients with coronary chronic total occlusion. 71 sites of coronary chronic total occlusions were observed by coronary angiography, of which, one was located in left main coronary artery (0 9%), 17 in proximal left anterior descending artery (15 0%) , 9 in middle left anterior descending artery (8 0%), 3 in distal left anterior descending artery (2 7%), 5 in proximal left circumflex artery (4 4%), 6 in middle left circumflex artery (5 3%), 3 in distal left circumflex artery (2 7%), 9 in proximal right coronary artery (8 0% ), 10 in middle right coronary artery (8 8% ) and 8 in distal right coronary artery (7 1% ). There were 72 patients with coronary collateral. The coefficient of correlation between collateral and coronary chronic total occlusion was 0 707 (P=0 000 ).Conclusions Coronary chronic total occlusion is frequently located in proximal, middle left anterior descending artery and right coronary artery. There is significantly positive correlation between collateral and coronary chronic total occlusion.
Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the association between the symptoms of boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the attention-deficit hyperactivity symptoms, temperament and character patterns of their parents. Methods : Forty-five boys with ADHD and who met the DSM-IV criteria were evaluated by using the ADHD rating scale (ADHD-RS), and their parents completed the Korean Adult ADHD scale (K-AADHDS) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Results : The parental K-AADHDS scores were not associated with the ADHD-RS total score and the subscale scores of their siblings. The most potent variable related to the ADHD-RS total score was the maternal self-directedness, and the second was the maternal persistence. The maternal self-directedness was the variable that was most correlated with the hyperactivity/impulsivity subscale scores of the ADHD-RS. Conclusion : The results suggest that the paternal ADHD symptoms may not be related to the ADHD symptoms of boys with ADHD. Higher maternal self-directedness and persistence may decrease overall the ADHD symptoms of these boys, and higher maternal self-directedness itself may predict lower hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms of the boys with ADHD.
Introduction The cis-enol forms of -dicarbonyls are stabilized by strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IHB) [1-3]. In the first part of this study [3], it has been theoretically concluded that the hydrogen bond strength of 1,1,1-trifluoro-5,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexanedione, TFMHD, is between those of trifluoroacetylacetone (TFAA) and 5,5-Dimethyl-2,4-hexanedione (DMHD). Since the vibrational spectroscopy is a highly sensitive technique to experimentally examine the hydrogen bonding, we used this data as the empirical witness. The goal in this part is to predict the hydrogen bond strength of TFMHD using spectroscopic methods and comparison with TFAA and DMHD. It will be showed that there is a good compliance between theoretical results and experimental data.
Partial canonical correlation analysis (partial CCA) is a statistical method that estimates a pair of linear projections onto a low dimensional space, where the correlation between two multi-dimensional variables is maximized after eliminating the influence of a third variable. Partial CCA is known to be closely related to a causality measure between two time series. However, partial CCA requires the inverses of covariance matrices, so the calculation is not stable. This is particularly the case for high-dimensional data or small sample sizes. Additionally, we cannot estimate the optimal dimension of the subspace in the model. In this paper, we have addressed these problems by proposing a probabilistic interpretation of partial CCA and deriving a Bayesian estimation method based on the probabilistic model. Our numerical experiments demonstrated that our methods can stably estimate the model parameters, even in high dimensions or when there are a small number of samples.
Glycerol production of repeated batch fermentation technology was investigated. After fermented repeatedly for twelve cycles, the free cells of osmophilic yeast could be and still showed the excellent stability. In comparison with immobilized cells of osmophilic yeast, free cells could result in better yield, productivity and operation stability during repeated batch fermentation. According to analysis of kinetics, the reason of better performance of repeated batch fermentation with free cells was higher cell density in fermentive liquid.
This paper describes the design and simulation of a millimeter fourth subharmonic mixer using an antiparallel diode pair for a down converter, which was specifically designed for low cost with minimal sacrifice in performance. The component is designed to operate at RF frequentcies of 92-96 GHz, IF frequency of 70 MHz. The microstrip subharmonic mixer with good recovery circuit and a novel RF filter has conversion loss of 12.8 dB-14 dB with 8 dbm LO power and shows significant improvement compared with previously reported microstrip fourth harmonic results.
The present study focuses on the genetic transformation of a local variety of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) with (glyphosate tolerance gene) GTgene and zinc finger transcription (GaZnF) which is responsive against abiotic stresses and also locally isolated from Gossypium arboreum. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation procedure showed the 4.66% transformation efficiency and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified the GaZnF and GTGene in the transgenic plants. Transgenic plants were found to be surviving healthy and fresh after 5 and 10-days of drought stress. Transgenic cotton were showing better growth after 200 mM NaCl and 4°C of cold stress for 4 days. Transgenic cotton showed a significant increase in height and root to shoot length ratio under drought, NaCl and cold stress. Similarly, other growth parameters such as % reduction in biomass and ratio of root, stem and leaf to the total plant weight were significantly improved in transgenic plants as compared to the wild type (WT). Leaf relative water content was higher in transgenic plants under 5 and 10 day drought, 200 mM NaCl and 4°C of cold stress. Our observations conclude that GaZnF transcription factor is effective for crop improvement under drought, salt and cold stress.
If a coach in the university intends to raise his career satisfaction in the daily education administration,he must career himself,promote his professionalism,improve his specialized skills in the study and research,establish the harmonious human relationship,cultivate good physical and mental quality,raise his aesthetic taste and make his working conditions better with the help of his university.
This study focuses on the poets who use Sefil (means poor/wretch) pseudonym and Sefil pseudonym in Turkish Folk Literature. The study aims to make some explanations about the reasons of pseudonym usage by focusing on a common pseudonym with the transfer of poets with the same pseudonym while drawing attention to the reasons of pseudonym usage.In the study, a list of folk poets using Sefil pseudonym and their determination from many conks (a kind of diary or notepad which contains poetries) in private and official libraries are also given. It wasdetermined that seventy-four folk poets used the pseudonym “Sefil”. Thus, it will be seen that folk poets, who preferred the pseudonym of “Sefil”, also facilitated the clues about both time and placeand the lore and sufism circles to which they belong. Since the use of pseudonym in poetry is common, it is not possible to restrict a particular pseudonym using a specific Sufi school. However, it is possible to say that the poets who used the pseudonym “Sefil” is mostly in circles with Alawi Bektashi poetry tradition. In order to facilitate the understandingof this issue, both the list of poets who use the “Sefil” pseudonym in the selected conks, which is evaluated for this study and the works of poets who use the “Sefil” pseudonym will be given withexamples.As a result, the study dealt with the people of “Sefil” pseudonym poets and by calling himself/herself “Sefil”, he/she pulls himself/herself into ruin and gives the impression that he/she has avoidedthe arrogance and ego that he/she has loaded and tries to direct. The poet expresses the depth and influence in his/her poetry with his/her pseudonym “Sefil”, which he/she prefers to attract himself/herself to modesty or to protect himself/herself modestly.
The gene of dhaD encoding glycerol dehydrogenase was amplified by PCR from the genomic DNA of Klebsiella. pneumoniae As1.1736 and the expression vector pET-28a(+)/dhaKL-dhaD was constructed. Sequence analysis showed that dhaD gene is 1104 bp length and encodes 367 amino acid residues; SDS-PAGE showed that the dhaKL gene and dhaD are expressed, and the enzyme activities of glycerol dehydrogenase and dihydroxyacetone kinase are 23.2 U/ml 25.6 U/ml respectively in supernant.
It is proposed an actuator device (12) in a return pump (10) comprising a housing (14), in which a magnetic coil (18) is located, and comprising an axially movable armature (16). The armature (16) is accommodated in the housing (14), wherein between the housing (14) and the armature (16) a return spring (38) is arranged. The armature (16) has an end surface (22) facing an end surface (24) of the inner pole (40) in the housing (14). Further, between the end face (22) of the armature (16) and the inner pole (40) is arranged a damping element (46).
This study was aimed at developing a scale for determining motivation of primary school students towards learning Mathematics. A preliminary form of the scale included 74 Three-point scale items and data was collected from a total of 482 participants who were 3rd and 4th grade primary students. For construct validity, varimax orthagonal rotation connects with exploratory factor analysis was used. In the result of factor analysis, the scale involves in one factor explaining 42.46% of total variance. Based on the result of item analysis, the scale consisted of 33 items of which 29 were positive and 4 were negative. The overall Cronbachalpha coefficient of the scale was high (α= 0.94) indicating that it was a fairly consistent measure.The results of the study indicate that the scale named as primary school mathematics motivation scale (PSMMS) has good psychometric properties and is reliable and valid. It can be used reliably in future educational researches
The notion of common prior is well-understood and widely-used in the incomplete information games literature. For ordinary type spaces the common prior is defined. Pinter and Udvari (2011) introduce the notion of generalized type space. Generalized type spaces are models for various bonded rationality issues, for finite belief hierarchies, unawareness among others. In this paper we define the notion of common prior for generalized types spaces. Our results are as follows: the generalization (1) suggests a new form of common prior for ordinary type spaces, (2) shows some quantum game theoretic results (Brandenburger and La Mura, 2011) in new light.
Three Haemophilus somnus isolates (2a, 3a, and 27b) and one H. somnus-like (13b) isolate from tonsils of commercially reared American bison were compared with 2 known H. somnus isolates from cattle, namely, 2336, shown to cause respiratory disease, and 129Pt, from the prepuce of an asymptomatic bull. All H. somnus isolates, but not the H. somnus-like isolate, required CO2 for growth. Biochemical utilization profiles were identical for bison and bovine H. somnus isolates with the exception of alpha-fucosidase production by isolate 3a. Isolate 27a varied from 2a, 2336 and 129Pt by hemolysis of bovine erythrocytes. Isolate 13b hemolyzed sheep but not bovine or bison erythrocytes and varied from other isolates in biochemical utilization tests. Outer membrane protein profiles of 2a, 3a and 27a were almost identical with those of bovine isolate 2336 and similar to that of 129Pt, but quite different from that of 13b. Western blots of bison isolates were similar to that of the virulent bovine 2336 isolate, including detection of high molecular mass antigens above 100 kDa and the 76 kDa antigens associated with bovine IgG2 Fc binding characteristic of virulent strains, as well as antigens of approximately 78, 60 and 40 kDa. Producers and veterinarians should be aware that H. somnus may be carried by bison and may have potential for causing diseases in bison similar to those described in cattle and sheep.
Objective:To compare the difference of tongue cancer traditional oral nursing effect and personalized oral nursing effect,and investigate the application value of personalized oral care in tongue cancer after the operation.Method:40 tongue cancer patients treated with skin flap transplantation after tongue cancer radical surgery were selected in our hospital from July 2011 to July 2013,they were randomly divided into the observation group and the control group,20 cases in each group.The control group was treated with oral care method,the observation group was treated with personalized oral nursing method designed by our hospital.After 1 week of treatment,the nursing effect and oral comfort between the two groups were compared and analyzed.Result:The excellent and good rate of oral care in the observation group was 95.00%,it was significantly higher than 60.00% of the control group,and the excellent and good rate of patients with oral comfort in the observation group was 100%,it was significantly higher than 60.00% of the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion:Personalized oral nursing care can improve the oral health status of the patients,alleviate patient's pain and reduce the chance of infection in patients with oral cavity at the same time,is worthy of popularization and application.
The curing characteristics of FM73M adhesive film was monitored by DSC and investigated under different heating rates.According to the DSC graph,the theoretical parameters such as gelation temperature,peak temperature and the kinetic model of FM73M adhesive film were acquired.And then 125±2℃/90min is confirmed as the actual curing of the film.The distribution of FM73M adhesive film in the PMI foam core and the interface between the foam core and the film(interface wetting situation,porosity,defects) were observed by SEM.The adhesive mechanism of PMI foam and FM73M adhesive film was analyzed.
The paper, which disputes with the article of "Baitou Mountain and Northern Boundary-Yalu River and Tumen River Are Not Our State Frontier" written by Kimdehuan, a Korea scholar, made a historical study on the origin of the name of Changbai Mountain and its relationship with various northeast nationalities. From the study the author proved that the Changbai Mountain and its region culture had been belonging to Chinese nationality since ancient times, and the nationalities in Korea Peninsular had never related with it at all. The Taibai Mountain in Korea Peninsula, which in fact is Miaoxiang Mountain, is the place where the Tanjun Myth originated and is unrelated with Changbai Mountain. The paper also studied historically on such various questions as the definition of territory, ascription of nationalities and culture circles.
Albunex" is an ultrasound contrast agent that has been used in echocardiography among other areas. This paper presents theoretical and experimental considerations on the physical properties of Albunex", particularly the attenuation and backscattering coefficients, which are absolute quantities. ?hey were measured as a fundion of the frequency using four transducers, covering the range from 800 KHz to 11 MHz. For a normal batch of Albunex", the attenuation results show a resonance peak at a frequency of approximately 2.2 MHi while the backscatter results show an increase of the backscattering coefficient for frequencies up to approximately 4.0 MHz, and a relatively &it response beyond this frequency. The theoretical model considering elastic properties with an additional restoring force caused by the microsphere's shell agrees reasonably well with the experiments.
In a recent phase I study of inhalative, human natural interleukin-2 (hnIL-2) treatment of pulmonary metastases from previously resected solid tumors (mainly renal carcinoma), we have reported that this treatment resulted in an increased accessory function of alveolar macrophages (AM) [1]. Encouraged by these data, we investigated the influence of hnIL-2 inhalation on proinflammatory cytokines spontaneously released by AM. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in four groups, each of four patients, before and after 2 weeks of daily inhalation of 0, 200,000, 600,000 and 1,200,000 IU of hnIL-2, respectively. Bronchoalveolar cells were cultured without stimulation to allow spontaneous release over a period of 24 h, into the supernatant. Concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-6, IL-8 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha) were determined by the ELISA technique. Before hnIL-2 inhalation, we measured the following spontaneous cytokine release: TNF-alpha: 1,115.4 +/- 469.1 pg/ml, IL-6: 267.5 +/- 67.7 pg/ml cells, IL-8: 137.8 +/- 40.5 ng/ml, MIP-1alpha: 9.5 +/- 6.8 ng/ml. Inhalation of hnIL-2 did not result in any significant changes in these cytokines. Comparing TNF-alpha release in healthy controls (250.6 +/- 46.7 pg/ml) with that of tumor patients (1,115.4 +/- 469.1 pg/ml), we observed significantly (p < 0.05) elevated TNF-alpha levels in the patient group, which did not change significantly in response to IL-2 inhalation. Our data demonstrate that the activation of AM previously observed after hnIL-2 inhalation is not directly related to a hnIL-2-induced cytokine release by bronchoalveolar cells.
The mesoscopic properties of a plasma in a cylindrical magnetic field are investigated from the view point of test-particle dynamics. When the system has enough time and spatial symmetries, a Hamiltonian of a test particle is completely integrable and can be reduced to a single degree of freedom Hamiltonian for each initial state. The reduced Hamiltonian sometimes has an unstable fixed point (saddle point) and a separatrix. Using a maximum entropy principle we compute dynamically compatible equilibrium states of the one particle density function of these systems and discuss how the unstable fixed points affect the density profile or a local pressure gradient, and are able to create a so called internal transport barrier.
The success of angioplasty depends on a balance between two conflicting objectives: maximization of artery lumen patency and minimization of mechanical damage. A finite element model for the patient-specific prediction of angioplasty is proposed as a potential tool to assist clinicians. This paper describes the general methodology and the algorithm that computes device/artery friction work during balloon insertion and deployment. The potential of the model is demonstrated with examples that include artery model reconstruction and prediction of friction on the arterial wall during balloon insertion and deployment.
A method for simultaneous determination of aminophenazone and phenazone in antondine injection by HPLC was established.The experiment used Waters Corporation Symmetry C18(4.6 mm× 250 mm,5 μm) column,methanol-water(40∶60) as mobile phase,the detection wavelength was 260 nm with flow rate of 1.0 mL·min-1 and column temperature of 25 ℃.Results showed that linear range of aminophenazone was 20 ~ 200 μg·mL-1 with r of 0.999 8,average recovery was 100.4%.Linar range of phenazone was 10 ~ 60 μg·mL-1 with r of 0.999 7,the average recovery was 100.2%.This method was simple,accurate and reliable.It could be used in drug quality control.
Cysticercus cellulosae were picked out from infected pigs and humen.The cyst wall and neck were observed by transmission and scanning electron microscope.The basic ultrastructures are divided into three parts,i.e.tegument,mesenchyma and parenchyma.The microtrichias are densely distributed on the surface of the tegument.In the matrix of tegument,there are smooth endoplasmic reticulum and a number of vesicles and vacuoles.The mitochondria are dispersed in the deeper matrix zone near the basic membrane.The tegument is separated from the mesenchyma by the basic membrane.The mesenchyma is characterized by the reticular fibers which form a lot of branches into the deeper parenchyma as a support structure.The muscles are scattered in the mesenchyma.The parenchyma zone is a heterogeneous,the parenchyma cells,tegumentary cells,myoblasts and calcareous coupusel forming cells were described.Three and five flame cells in a group were observed,each connects with a capillary.Also another excretory ducts in various diameters were seen.Cellular organs of Cysticercus cellulosae cultured cell are lamproser than Cysticercus cellulosae.The cell organelles number in the cultured cell are less than body cell.The extmorph of Cysticercus cellulosae corpuscular is round or oval-shap and most of them have gab,lophos and chorionic villi.
Through a series of immunohistochemical, luminescent-histochemical methods, and general histologic methods was studied the thymus of nonlinear laboratory male rats at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days after injection of 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in a total dose of 40 or 80 mg/kg. Found that the administration of a rat 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in different given dose leads to the formation of accidental thymic involution against the background of tumor growth. This is refl ected in the deformation of the lobules, the fatty degeneration body, reducing the size of the cortex and medulla on the background of the parallel decrease in weight of the thymus, as well as an increase in the number of mast cells with a predominance of young non degranulated forms, S-100 +, CD3 +, CD1A +, PCNA + cells. The process is more pronounced and occurs earlier in the rats with the introduction of a carcinogen at a higher dose.
Objective: Breakthrough Cancer Pain (BTCP) is a prognostic factor of poor associated cost are increasingly present. The objective was to define the most pain control. The several formulations of fentanyl for BTCP treatment and the efficient formulation of fentanyl for BTCP management in our hospital and in its area of  influence.    Method: An analysis of the consumption and cost data (including hospital and walk-in clinics) and a review of the evidence on the efficacy and effectiveness of the fentanyls for BTCP were performed.    Results: There are not clinical trials that compare fentanyl formulations.Which one is ideal remains to be defined. After analysing the total health cost, the average amount per dose, the cost per patient and the cost per patient per month of treatment, it was found that sublingual fentanyl and fentanyl pectin nasal spray  are the most effective in primary healthcare and fentanyl aqueous nasal spray is the most cost effective in the hospital.    Discussion: Uncontrolled BTCP increases direct and indirect costs given that not one of fentanyl has been proven to be more effective, other aspects are considered: the clinical experience, the environment or the preferences and abilities of the patient or his/her carers. We must also consider aspects that minimise  healthcare costs.    Conclusions: In our hospital the most economic drug per dose is fentanyl aqueous nasal spray in a single dose container. In the same period, in our area of primary healthcare, the most economic drug is sublingual fentanyl and fentanyl pectin nasal spray
Intracerebroventricular administration of carbachol chloride induced a characteristic wet-dog shake response in rats. Histamine did not change the number of wet-dog shakes during a 60 min observation but intensified the number of episodes in the first 30 min of the experiment. Antagonists of H1 (thenalidine and antazoline) and H2 (cimetidine and ranitidine) receptors, attenuated carbachol-induced wet-dog shakes. It may be suggested that inhibition of the central histaminergic structures decreased central cholinergic activity.
Objective To study the expressions of human β defensin-2(HBD-2) and interleukin 1β(IL-1β) in the middle ear mucosal epithelia so as to explore the effects of HBD-2 and IL-1β on the pathological process of otitis media.Methods Expressions of HBD-2 and IL-1β were detected immunohistochemically in the middle ear mucosal epithelia in chronic otitis media and in the skin of external auditory canal.Results The expressions of HBD-2 and IL-1β were significantly up-regulated in the middle ear mucosal epithelia in otitis media compared with those in the skin of normal external auditory canal(P0.05).There was a positive correlation between expressions of HBD-2 and IL-1β in the middle ear epithelial mucosa(r=0.9117,P0.05).Conclusion Expressions of HBD-2 and IL-1β in the middle ear mucosal epithelia in otitis media are both up-regulated.They may affect each other in regulating the pathological development of otitis media.
Conventional ferrokinetic studies were done in patients with idiopathic hemochromatosis, secondary siderosis of the liver and iron overload in consequence of sideroblastic or aplastic anaemia. By means of the isotope 59Fe we determined the clearance of radioiron from the plasma, the plasma iron turnover, the utilization of iron by the erythropoesis and the iron uptake by the liver. The later value showed a good correlation with the iron content of the liver determined by atomic absorption spectrometry as well in patients with hemochromatosis as in patients with secondary siderosis of the liver. The 59Fe uptake by the liver was normal in treated hemochromatosis. There was no correlation between the degree of the iron overload and the 59Fe uptake by the liver in patients with anaemia.
Background: Non -verbal communication is a common term for wordless exchange between two or more people. Instead of gathering with the words you use body language in the form of gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, touch, tone and in silence listen. Research shows that non – verbal communication is the best opportunity to achieve communicative performance with patients who for various reasons cannot fully express themselves verbally, for example by aphasia as a complication of stroke and in dementia. Another group where non – verbal communication are useful is to patient from other cultures, then you do not have a common language. Non – verbal communication requires empathy, mutual trust between the nurse and patient as well as time to function optimally. Nurses expresses that nonverbal communication is a problem and that they need more experience in using non - verbal communication.Aim: Aim of the study was to describe the nurses experience of non – verbal communication.Method: The essay based on literature study involving then scientific articles from which the two main categories and three subcategories were identified to be particularly important for the aim of the study to describe the nurses experience of non – verbal communication.Results: Two main categories and four subcategories were identified. The first main categorie shows what facilitates nurses non – verbal communication and has the subcategory; Nurses positive emotions affect the non – verbal communication. The other main category shows what hinders nurses non – verbal communication and have subcategories; Nurses negative emotions affect the non – verbal communication, lack of time a barrier to nurses non – verbal communication and nurses experience of non – verbal communication in technologically advanced care. The results of the study show that non – verbal communication is perceived as a resource even in such difficult and technically complex medical care situations as respiratory care.Discussion: The relationship between nurse and patient is in many ways complicated and over time it undergoes several stages of development according to the nursing researcher Joyce Travelbee. Therefore, it may take time to get to know the patient and understand each other. In varying degrees lacks nurses both ability and experience to communicate non – verbally. Effective non – verbal communication allows nurses feelings of both satisfaction and happiness at work.
The helix-coil transition of dACATGT was investigated by 1H-NMR spectroscopy at 276 and 400 MHz. The results suggest that the fraying process only consists of two stages: The AT extreme base pairs open at first then the GC internal and AT central base pairs open simultaneously at higher temperatures. The midpoint temperature of each base pair, the helix-coil dissociation constants and the corresponding enthalpy were determined from the delta = f (t degree) curves of non exchangeable protons. The unusual line width of the H1, proton resonance of the cytidine residue, observed at t less than 42 degree C was attributed to the fact that this proton is located in the proximity of the (cytoxine) C = O ... H2N (guanine) hydrogen bond.
Through the tests of PM2.5concentration of a Shanghai office building in different conditions at different time,this paper obtains the distribution and variation characteristics of indoor PM2.5concentration. It also analyzes the influence factors of PM2.5concentration variation,including outdoor particle concentration,doors and windows opened or closed,test time,indoor personnel,smoking,air-conditioning system,carpet dust. Besides,the correlations between PM2.5and other particulate matter concentrations are studied as well. The result shows that indoor PM2.5concentration of the office building varies considerably. Therefore,in order to ensure the health of staff indoor,it is encouraged to keep doors and windows closed,and to strengthen fresh air filtration. And air cleaner is recommended in certain rooms with high PM2.5concentration.
The volume Philosophy and Life Sciences in Dialogue is a result of the IV International Summer School Bioethics in Context, organized by Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and FernUniversität in Hagen. The book is exemplary in many ways. It contains 11 high-quality articles on fundamental themes and concepts with real philosophical depth – nature, autonomy, the future of transand post-humanism, the metatopic of bioethics and its relations with life sciences. The authors present illuminating historical backgrounds as a context to these theoretical discussions and a source of interesting or forgotten arguments. Most of the articles analyze recent and avantgarde scientific research with its social implications: CRISPR-Cas9 technology, digitalization of health care, justification of animal experiments, questions of human cloning, moral enhancement and the artificial synthesis of life. The main idea of the book is that bioethics is necessarily connected to human practice: it is not just knowledge but a living culture.
Attitude does not usually exist in isolation. It is likely, for example, that one’s attitude toward where one works is linked with one’s attitudes toward the work itself, co-workers, the location of the workplace, and so forth. The study explores how satisfied managers are with their organization and also how they perceive HR practices such as scope for advancement, objectivity and rationality, wages and benefits, job characteristics and leadership. The sample consists of 51 executives from the BPO industry having offices in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). Data were collected using an attitudinal survey scale and the results were analyzed with the help of SPSS package using mean score, standard deviation, correlation and regression.
Serial communication circuit design of intelligent instrument based on DSP is expounded.Using MAX202 chip,serial communication between intelligent instrument and computer is completed.The calculation method of SCI baud rate is analyzed and program design of serial communication is illustrated.RS485 communication circuit design is realized.Hardware Anti-jamming and division of internal circuit are described.The methods of restraining disturbing source and enhancing anti-jamming performance of sense component are expounded.
Both recall ratio and precision ratio are the important indexes to evaluate the result of literature retrieval. Through analyzing the factors influencing the recall ratio and precision ratio,this paper probes into the requirements of novelty retrieval on recall ratio and precision ratio,and points out that people should pay attention to recall ratio and guarantee the precision ratio in novelty retrieval.
Abstract : The memorandum presents estimates of the manning requirements for fire control systems associated with Torpedo MK 48. No increase of billets is required for ships whose fire control system will undergo modification. Officers assigned to the modified fire control systems will receive one week's instruction. Technicians will receive approximately eight week's training in the maintenance of the new components. (Author)
Measures that challenge the generation of waste are needed to address the global problem of the increasing volumes of waste that are generated in both private homes and workplaces. Source separation at the workplace is commonly implemented by environmental management systems (EMS). In the present study, the relationship between source separation at work and at home was investigated. A questionnaire that maps psychological and behavioural predictors of source separation was distributed to employees at different workplaces. The results show that respondents with awareness of EMS report higher levels of source separation at work, stronger environmental concern, personal and social norms, and perceive source separation to be less difficult. Furthermore, the results support the notion that after the adoption of EMS at the workplace, source separation at work spills over into source separation in the household. The potential implications for environmental management systems are discussed.
This paper describes the development of a high-precision measuring device with DSP (digital signal processor) for the accurate measurement of the 6-axis force/moment sensor mounted to a humanoid robot’s ankle. In order to walk on uneven terrain safely, the foot should perceive the applied forces Fx, Fy, and Fz and moments Mx, My, and Mz to itself, and control the foot using the measured them. The applied forces and moments should be measured from two 6-axis force/moment sensors mounted to the feet, and the sensor is composed of Fx sensor, Fy sensor, Fz sensor, Mx sensor, My sensor and Mz sensor in a body (single block). In order to acquire output values from twelve sensors (two 6-axis force/moment sensor) accurately, the measuring device should get the function of high speed, and should be small in size. The commercialized measuring devices have the function of high speed, unfortunately, they are large in size and heavy in weight. In this paper, the high-precision measuring device for acquiring the output values from two 6-axis force/moment sensors was developed. It is composed of a DSP (150 ㎒), a RAM (random access memory), amplifiers, capacities, resisters and so on. And the characteristic test was carried out.
Parameters of the power transmission line are the base of power system load flow calculation as well as protection value setting.Acquiring accurate values of the parameters are important for power system operation arrangement and relay protection's reliability and sensitivity improvement.A method is proposed to calculate the sequence parameters of transmission lines based on the decomposition of the induced voltage(current) into positive,negative and zero sequence.The proposed method and traditional method are applied to calculate the sequence impedance of 4 transmission lines on a same tower.The comparison of these two results shows that the two methods have almost same accuracy which means the proposed is qualified for measuring.The effect of voltage amplitude dispersion on the measuring results is discussed.It is shown that a larger amplitude dispersion of voltage indicates a smaller measuring error of the zero sequence impedance.
Within the framework of star formation in starburst galaxies undergoing interactions, connections among the red quasars, the BL Lacs, and the Blazars with the gamma-ray bursts are discussed in the light of the "hypernovae" scenario. It is proposed that the gamma-ray bursts occur primarily in the star formation regions in starburst environments, and arise from the core-collapse of super-massive Wolf-Rayet stars, that are formed in interacting systems. In this interacting environment star formations cause supernovae explosions. As the stars explode, shock waves propagate outward and collide with the ambient medium, forming a high-density super-shell, where intense star formation begins; subsequently supernovae explosions within the shell cause an outward expansion of the shell. In another scenario of star formation the interactions among the large gas-rich low-surface brightness (LSB) spiral galaxies give rise to fragmentation of their tidal tails. These fragmented clouds collapse to compact dwarfs, which undergo rapid star formation. In such a scenario of interactions, where most quasars are observed, we discuss the MgII absorption lines in GRB 970508, whose spectra resemble a BL Lac object, and the spectral evolution of GRB 971214 that may also indicate a similar connection. Beside the BL Lac connection, the recent discovery of GRB 980425 in a nearby galaxy indicates asymmetric supernovae explosions that give rise to relativistic jets. We propose that the gamma-ray light curves arise due to inverse Compton scattering of soft-photons from precessing relativistic blobs of plasma moving in jets. This brings into light the mechanisms of supernova explosions, that give birth to relativistic jets.
Objective:To investigate the expression and clinical significance of survivin in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma(SACC).Method:The expression of survivin was examined in 38 patients suffered with SACC and normal parotid gland tissues nearby from 8 patients as control were detected with immunohistochemical method(S-P).Result:The positive rate of survivin in SACC was 68.4%,and survivin was not expressed at adjacent normal parotid gland tissues.The positive expression of survivin was not associated with ages,gender,site,histological classification,the tumor size,TNM stages and lymph node metastasis(P0.05),but the 5-year postop survival rate was significantly lower in positive expression group than in negative expression group(P0.05)Conclusion:There is close relationship between survivin and SACC,the over-expression of survivin suggests the bad prognosis in SACC;Survivin gene may be identified as a defining diagnostic marker and a potential therapeutic target in SACC
Objective To establish absorbance ratio method for the determination of assay of sodium lactate in compound sodium lactate and glucose injection.Methods The ultraviolet visible spectrophotometry in determination of 435 nm and 544 nm wavelength absorbance(A 1,A 2),calculated the absorption ratio r(r= A 2 /A 1).Results Using r on the x values of linear regression,the regression equation was x=1.353-1.812r,the correlation coefficient was 0.995,the average recovery was 100.5%.RSD was 0.45%.Compared with the pharmacopoeia method,determination of 4 batches of sample,the error was ± 0.4%.There was no difference in outcome.Conclusion The method is simple,rapid,accurate,and can use the absorbance ratio method instead of ion exchange resin method for the determination of the content of sodium lactate.
The following stereological parameters of mitochondria were compared in trophoblast of 5 and 6 day blastocysts: volume density of inner membrane (Vim), outer membrane (Vom), matrix (Vmat), outer compartment (Voc), surface density of outer membrane (Som) and inner membrane (Sim). They were the basis to calculate the partition coefficient of matrix (Emm) and the partition coefficient of outer compartment (Eocm). On 6 day after fertilization we found statistically significant volume increase of Vim, Voc, Sim, Som, Eocm and volume decrease of Vom, Vmat and Emm. Mitochondria visual evaluation and stereological analysis made for both groups allow to classify them to metabolic transitional state.
I would like to begin my commentary with thanks to Dr. Edward Foulks, for his effort at self-disclosure and critique in this journal. From one perspective, Foulks presents us with an anatomy of a failure. It is my impression that he has written this review to inform American Indian and Alaska Native communities as well as mental health researchers in their future collaborations. He allows us to benefit from mistakes in the Barrow Alcohol Study that led to the serious consequences of misalliances. Obviously, this post-mortem examination is reported from the author's bias; this does not detract from the uniqueness of its disclosure. First, a personal word about Foulks. He received his medical degree from McGill University with advanced training in child psychiatry and postdoctoral studies in anthropology. He has served as a faculty member at Hahnemann Medical College, the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, the University of Pennsylvania, and currently at Tulane University. His subspecialty interests have included administrative psychiatry, consultationliaison psychiatry, individual psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, as well as transcultural psychiatry. Prior to the Barrow Alcohol Study, he had worked at the University of Fairbanks with Alaska Natives and written with sensitivity on clinical issues in transcultural psychiatry. The design, implementation, and outcome of the Barrow Alcohol Study are reported in detail in his paper. Critics of the study have labeled it as a product of cultural imperialism. Ironically, one of the most vociferous critiques was a non-Native faculty member of the Inupiat University of the Arctic. This critic said,
For reducing or bridging gap between small scale laboratory investigations and large scale field investigations, a simple and portable model which is based on real situation and has a compatibility to laboratory core sampling, the pressure infiltrometer technique is introduced for determination of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity. The field -saturated hydraulic conductivity, K(FS), is obtained from measurements of steady flow rates applying constant head as well as falling head principle. The device is also used for field core sampling on which laboratory constant head as well as falling head tests is carried out. The field device is validated through comparison to laboratory core sample experiment and other existing methods. This paper describes first time a versatile field device representing good performance for in situ determination of hydraulic parameters in a short time.
The pathology of the knee causes disability for activities of daily living, which has become a growing medical, social and economic challenge. It is necessary to have better assessment tools in order to evaluate new treatments and protocols, set programs for each patient and make them more effective and efficient. Biomechanical techniques are used for functional assessment of subjects with knee pathologies.  The objective of the study is to improve the knowledge about the functional consequences caused by knee pathology in walking up and down stairs. A new assessment protocol using photogrammetry and force platforms has been developed. 95 subjects were evaluated: 58 in the control group (CG) and 40 with various pathologies of knee (PG). A reduction of variables with principal factors was performed. The differences between the CG and PG were analyzed. Subsequently, the observation of different impaired movement patterns led to divide the PG into subgroups with related pathology. 4 functional impairment patterns were established from its differences with the CG: Meniscopathy, Ligamentoplasty, Patellofemoral and High functional impairment.  The results show that the PG has significant differences with the CG in the 4 factors during stair ascent. CG showed a longer stance time, lower primary angles at loading response and swing, lower secondary swing angle, lower picks in vertical forces at loading response and push-off, higher vertical force in midstance and lower picks of external adductor and extensor moments. During stair descent, significant differences were observed in 4 of 5 factors between the groups. The PG showed longer stance time, lower primary and secondary angles, lower vertical forces at loading response, increased midstance force and lower external adductor and flexo-extensor moments. In the Meniscopathy pattern there was a predominant impairment in the loading phase during stair descent. The Ligamentoplasty pattern showed a predominant impairment during stair ascent. Patellofemoral pattern highlighted lower extensor and adductor moment peaks in both tests. The High functional impairment pattern had an important impairment at all levels.  The assessment methodology in the activities of walking up and down stairs using biomechanical techniques is a repeatable, objective and quantitative way to measure the impact of knee pathology in these activities. The description of 4 movement patterns aims to help in the interpretation of the tests in the fields of Clinical Functional Biomechanics and Rehabilitation.
The sex-ratio trait described in several Drosophila species is a type of naturally occurring X-linked meiotic drive that causes males bearing a sex-ratio X chromosome to produce progenies with a large excess of females. We have previously reported the occurrence of sex-ratio X chromosomes in Drosophila simulans. In this species, because of the co-occurrence of drive suppressors, the natural populations and the derived laboratory strains show an equal sex-ratio even when sex-ratio X chromosomes are present at a high frequency. The presence of sex-ratio X chromosomes is established via crosses with a standard strain that is devoid of drive suppressors. In this article, we show first that the sex-ratio trait in D. simulans results from the action of several X-linked loci. Second we describe drive suppressors on each major autosome as well as on the Y chromosome. The Y-linked factors suppress the drive partially whereas the autosomal suppression can be complete.
Objective:To discuss the clinical feature of megaureter.Methods:21 cases in our hospital were reported. Their clinical symptoms and signs, B-ultrasonic scan(B-US), radiologic data, treatment as well as the results and follow-up were studied.All the 21 cases were administered by surgical intervention, in which 2 cases underwent nephroureterectomy,19 cases were treated by ureteroneocystostomy(UNC) following ureter tailoring or folding.All the patients without nephrectomy were executed to remove the stricture of the ureter if existed.Results:16 of 21 cases were followed-up from 1 year to 3 years.They were checked by intravenous urography(IVU).The result indicated that hydronephrosis and hydroureter reduced in 14 cases, no improvement in 2 cases.Conclusions:B-US,IVP,retrograde urography and cystourethrography are the major examination methods for the megaureter. Ureteroneocystostomy with ureter tailoring or folding is an ideal surgical method for treatment of megaureter.
This invention provides durably hydrophilic, thermoplastic fiber comprising a thermoplastic polymer, such as polyamide, polyurethane, or polyolefin, e.g., polypropylene, and a mixture of: (a) one or more fluoroaliphatic group-containing nonionic surfactants and (b) one or more nonionic, non-fluorinated, polyoxyethylene group-containing surfactants that contain between 20 and 80 weight percent polyoxyethylene. The mixture of the surfactants (a) and (b) is present in the fiber in an amount sufficient to impart durable hydrophilicity to the fiber at its surface. Durably hydrophilic films and durably hydrophilic fabrics and webs constructed from said fibers are also disclosed.
I teach a course I developed entitled "Women and Violence in Literature and the Media." Extending the definition of "violence" to include not only physical and emotional abuse but psychological manipulation and destruction as well, the course has these objectives: to establish that violence against women occurs with appalling frequency in our society and that such violence is culturally approved of and perpetuated; and to explore the expression in literature and the media of male violence against women, the ways women respond to that violence, and the conditions under which women become violent themselves.
Lapangan Pancasila Salatiga is a field in the city center as a place to socialize among Salatiga Salatiga  and the surrounding communities. Field as one of the public space are still many shortcomings which should be available  in a public space. Thus the method of direct observation Courses Pancasila, in order to know what are the shortcomings  of existing, as well as any facilities required the local community as a complement various akivitas in Pancsila Field.  Urban pubic space sustainable certified course is very suited to complement the existing deficiencies. Of course, with  various architectural approach that fits the needs that exist
Abstract : Paper has long has been the standard medium for recording and communicating transportation transactions in the Department of Defense. Paper's time has now passed; the future is in electronics. Successful private-sector firms conduct much of their transportation business electronically. They use techniques generally referred to as electronic data interchange (EDI) to improve productivity, reduce staffing, and strengthen financial control. The same payoffs are available to DoD's transportation activities. To obtain those payoffs, however, DoD needs to undertake six major initiatives simultaneously: 1) Establish an EDI Program Office to coordinate entry into an electronic environment; 2) Upgrade the electronic processing capabilities at DoD payment centers; 3) Install EDI capability at 145 of the largest shipping activities; 4) Coordinate the development of automated systems within the Military Services, Defense Logistics Agency, Military Traffic Management Command, and General Services Administration; 5) Configure a telecommunications network linking shippers, consignees, commercial carriers, payment centers, and other transportation activities. Include, as part of the network, commercial telecommunication services. 6) Modify Federal regulations and DoD directives and instructions that inhibit DoD from conducting its transportation business, both domestic and international, electronically.
Informal settlement areas (often referred to as squatter settlements or squatter camps) exist in all provinces of South Africa. These areas are characterized by rapid and unplanned development. The result of these is that property boundaries in most of these areas are not surveyed. Since the plots do not have boundary beacons, the land parcel is not properly defined and therefore, the property cannot be registered in the user or owner's name. Consequently, ownership is not guaranteed. Thus there are no legal documents to prove the relationship between an individual and the property. This paper discusses the problems in the land reform process that can be attributed to the existence of informal settlements. The paper is based on a research carried out to assess the effect of informal settlements on the success of the land reform programme in South Africa. A review of literature on the land reform programme and its implementation plan was carried out. The research also included a literature review on informal settlements in relation to property ownership, cadastral surveying and land registration. Three informal settlements in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa were identified for study. These included Cato Manor and Umlazi section CC in Durban and Peace Valley 2 in Pietermaritzburg.
The Land Allocations Goods had a dual purpose charitable or religious housing a benevolent and altruistic action. They were Muslims donations made to please God in an act of piety and religious merit by the founder of the hubs. The purpose was to obtain rewards for good works, reaching a right relationship with God through the personal piety. In this document we study the Land Allocations Goods belonging to mosques and rabitas of Mecina Bombaron, Yegen and Golco. These Alquerias, placed in the Alpujarras, belonged to the Taha of Jubilies during the Muslim domination.
Dr Martin's study of Pierre Duhem's work refutes many prevailing legends about Duhem. His book pays particular attention to the political and intellectual context of French Catholicism, wracked as it was by the tensions of the Dreyfus affair and the so-called modernist crisis. Duhem took his inspiration, not from the Papally-sponsored revival of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, but from Pascal, a fact that aroused suspicions of skepticism in the minds of conservatively-minded Catholics. The tensions between Duhem's work and authoritarian Catholic positions became more explicit at his historical work unfolded. Duhem has often been interpreted as a mere instrumentalist or conventionalist, denying the meaningfulness of a reality behind the theory. Dr Martin shows that Duhem was a Pascalian, arguing that both logic and intuition were indispensible in approaching the truth. Duhem argued that physics could not legitimately be used to attack Christianity, but he held that physics was equally useless for the defense of Christianity, a position which made him unpopular with many Catholics. Duhem is now well-known for his historical work refuting the myth that there was no medieval science. Duhem showed that figures like Leonardo and Galileo were not isolated; far from being the founders of a new science, they were continuing a tradition of scientific work that had been developing for centuries. It has been surmised that Duhem was predisposed to rehabilitate medieval science for apologetic motives. Martin shows that Duhem's discovery of medieval science can be dated to within a month, and came as a complete suprise to him, changing the whole course of his work, and introducing an abrupt discontinuity between his earlier and his later preoccupations. Furthermore, Duhem's findings in medieval intellectual history have proved indigestible ever since, to believers and unbelievers alike.
The utility model discloses a runtime-programmable BIST system for testing a multiport memory device. The embodiment of the utility model provides a runtime-programmable system comprising a plurality of methods and devices for testing the multiport memory device to find the fault of a multiport memory as well as the fault of a typical single-port memory which can be activated when accessing single port of the memory device. More concretely, the system comprises a plurality of mechanisms that can be configured to realize the functions of activating and detecting any real faults influencing the memory device when two memories are accessed simultaneously. In operation, the system can receive an instruction sequence when testing the memory device, and the instruction sequence realizes a new testing program for testing the memory device. Besides, the system can realize a built-in self test (BIST) solution for testing any multiport memory device and also can partially take the information of the instruction sequence as a basis to generate a test aiming at specific memory design.
This study aims to identify Effect of assistance exercises for the snatch on barbell speed and performance for Weightlifters. Applied study on a sample of 14 lifters from the Youth weightlifters team in Beni Suef cities/Egypt of the season 2014/2015, the researcher used experimental method to design two groups; one experimental consisted of 7 lifters and the other control group of 7 lifters. Where the average age of 18.21 ± 0.80 years, height 174.28 ± 6.03 cm, weight 74.14 ± 8.88 kg and age training 3.92 ± 0.91 month. The experimental group underwent an assistance exercises for the snatch program for barbell speed and performance in the snatch, while the control group underwent a training program with exercises classic. Assistance exercises for the snatch program Continued for 8 Weeks 5 times per week and the training session lasted 2 hours. The training program using exercise showed a statistically significant improvement for assistance exercises on barbell speed, velocity (vertical, horizontal) for snatch lift and performance weightlifters. Interest in using assistance exercises for snatch and private exercises of pull, power snatch and squat snatch has an important role in the success of the performance of the snatch. Training according to power curve, speed and time of the barbell trajectory and muscle working performance. The need for evaluation of barbell trajectory during the performance by modern techniques for analysis of kinetic activity links it with training programs for weightlifters. These results must be taken into account by the coaches and weightlifters to use the assistance exercises for snatch to improve the kinetic performance and the level of achievement lifting snatch for weightlifters.
Proposed one kind uses the model algorithm PI forecast control and in the numerical control engine bed servosystem application plan,to forecast controls three essential factors(forecast model,referred to path and control law) has made the detailed elaboration.The model algorithm PI forecast control caused the numerical control engine bed servosystem to realize fast,the precise position control.And actual treads after the simulation indicated that,this system has the good robustness and the track performance.
The debate over more effective tax regulation for top-earning athletes has recently intensified, following media reports about tax evasion in the football industry and the potential abuse of image rights arrangements to reduce tax liabilities. According to the 2016/2017 report by the UK Public Accounts Committee, 43 players, including Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, 12 clubs and eight agents are currently the subject of open tax inquiries related to image rights agreements. In separate investigations, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho, have been targeted by Spanish and British tax authorities for allegedly moving more than £100 million in a tax avoidance scheme on the British Islands. This article provides an update on the status of recent efforts to reform the taxation of foreign domiciled persons and offshore trusts as at January 2017. The new rules may have implications on tax and image right structures commonly used by foreign wealthy footballers in or moving to the UK. While the proposals are a step in the right direction, it is noted that existing and forthcoming tax rules must be enforced more effectively to reduce tax evasion in the sports and entertainment industry to a bearable minimum.
BACKGROUND A retrospective analysis of 28 cases of duodenal tuberculosis (TB) was done to evaluate radiological findings and their value in the diagnosis of the disease.   SUBJECTS AND METHODS Upper gastrointestinal and small bowel series of 28 patients with duodenal tuberculosis were analysed for radiological findings. The diagnosis of duodenal TB was confirmed by surgery and biopsy in 18, on the basis of radiological findings and response to treatment in 9, and on the basis of findings on upper gastrointestinal scopy and biopsy in 1 patient.   RESULTS The study included 28 patients (14 males, 14 females). The mean age was 32.1 (range 5-65). Twenty-three (82.2%) patients presented with obstructive symptoms while five manifested with dyspeptic symptoms. Of the latter, 4 had ulcerations in the third and fourth parts of the duodenum. In the remaining patient, the mucosa of the duodenum could not be clearly visualised. Two patients had extrinsic impression at the D2-D3 and D3-D4 segments. In 23 patients with obstructive symptoms, 18 demonstrated luminal narrowing of varying degrees and 5 had a sharp band-like cut-off at the third part of the duodenum. Of the 18 patients with luminal narrowing, 13 had extrinsic compression, 12 had proximal dilatation and 14 had ulcerations mainly in the second and third parts of the duodenum. Biliary involvement was seen in 3 patients without any signs or symptoms directly referable to the biliary involvement.   CONCLUSION Though duodenal TB lacks specific radiological features, barium studies help to localise and define the area of narrowing and ulcerations and help to confirm the presence of lymph nodes causing compression of the duodenum.
We use a quantum analog of the polynomial ring $ mathbb{Z}[x_{1,1}, ldots, x_{n,n}]$ to modify the Kazhdan-Lusztig construction of irreducible $H_n(q)$-modules. This modified construction produces exactly the same matrices as the original construction in [$ textit{Invent. Math.}$ $ textbf{53}$ (1979)], but does not employ the Kazhdan-Lusztig preorders. Our main result is dependent on new vanishing results for immanants in the quantum polynomial ring.
The polemical target of the paper is ‘radical cultural relativism’ —according to which the validity of principles, values, statements, theories and the like is exclusively relative to the culture within which these have developed. Drawing heavily on Hilary Putnam’s thinking, the paper aims to show how this kind of relativism is fundamentally false.   An element that is central to Putnam’s philosophy is addressed, i . e . zi truth —a substantive normative notion discussed by Putnam in connection with the issue of realism, thereby inheriting the achievements gained in the course of his “long journey from realism back to realism”. Some of these achievements are then isolated. Since they seem to compel Putnam to leave no room whatsoever for the notion of objectivity, preventing him from envisaging any anti-relativist position, another element of his philosophy which substantiates the notion of objectivity is tackled: that of fallibilism .  Distancing itself somewhat from Putnam’s later work, the paper then goes on to show how fallibilism enables the formulation of an anti-relativist stance based on epistemic premises.  The paper ends with an analysis of the bearing of this kind of anti-relativism on the notions of universality and absoluteness, as well as a brief discussion of fallibilism itself.
The purpose of the loan associations is simply to convert deposits collected withlower rate of interests, into credits with the higher rate of interest. However, return of thiscycle involves high level of potential risk. In order to minimize the risk, several financialmodels are utilized. Since these models are insufficient, new models are required todevelop. Present paper is to make an attempt to identify the risk faced by banking sectorsand to trace out the credit risk management models and theoretical approach. Themethodology of the paper is theoretical model based on the extensive research for whichthe secondary source of information has gathered. The sources include onlinepublications, books, Journals and websites. In times of volatility and fluctuations in themarket, financial institutions need to prove their mettle by withstanding the marketvariations and achieve sustainability in terms of growth and well as have a stable sharevalue. Hence, the essential component of risk management framework would be tomitigate all the risks and rewards of the product and service offered by the bank. Themain results of the study are the creation of a credit risk management model by Indianbanking sector
This exploratory study of gender and racial differences in risk and protective factors and the recidivism of youth on probation in Cook County, Illinois was conducted using secondary data analysis. Information was collected by probation officers and clinicians using the Youth Assessment Screening Instrument (YASI) on 5,831 girls and boys ages 12 to 17 comprising demographics, risk and protective factor characteristics and unique identifiers (names, birthdates and IDs). Associations between race, gender, risk and protection, and recidivism were examined. This dissertation project involved the linkage of administrative probation information available from the Cook County Juvenile Probation Department to court records from the Office of the Chief Judge. The creation of this unique dataset and the resulting dissertation indicated that girls experienced more risk factors than boys while boys experienced more protective factors than girls. Many of the risk factors for girls and boys were consistent with previous research. Unlike girls, boys had significant findings across most racial/ethnic groups and across recidivism. Seven percent of the sample recidivated including a higher number of boys than girls (7.5% and 3.2%, respectively). One significant risk factor for boys for recidivism was age at first offense. The significant protective factors for boys that didn’t recidivate were appropriate parental discipline and being close to prosocial peers. Separate multivariate analyses for boys and girls could not be conducted due to the small sample of girls that recidivated. Intensive family focused mental health and substance abuse treatment would be useful to address some of the family issues that girls experience. Social workers have an important role as providers but also as advocates to lobby legislators for increased funding to support innovative treatment services. Future knowledge concerning recidivism of youth, their risk and protective factors associated with their probation status, with practical implications relating to the identification of specific factors that may directly influence desistance, the targeting of appropriate services and the future prevention of delinquent behavior of girls is needed.
Landslides are a worldwide phenomenon that can have strong economic impact on infrastructure objects and sometimes tragically result in fatalities. There are many factors that can make area prone to a landslide, like drainage and removal of vegetation which can be controlled, and some other factors such as topography and slope material which is difficult to control. Accessing and mapping such locations can be dangerous and unapproachable. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), commonly known as “drone” is remotely piloted aircraft which can be used to collect series of high resolution images from which is possible to create Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of a landslide. By using such models it is possible to generate volumes, areas, cross sections and contour lines in a very short time. This paper gives an overview of modern remote sensing method using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle DJI Phantom 2 Vison+ and Pix4Dmapper software on a landslide which occurred on rail notch Doljan in km 80+830, railway track R201 Zapresic – Cakovec between railway stations Novi Marof – Turcin.
Spinach chloroplasts have been prepared nonaqueously using non-polar solvents (n-hexane, CCl4, n-hepatane) and the beta-carotene content extracted in a controlled manner. This procedure is reproducible and does not result in large structural or spectral changes of the chloroplasts. The organisation of the chlorophyll-proteins is unaltered, as fragmentation with digitonin results in the appearance of the same fractions as found previously for aqueously-prepared chloroplasts, including the pink zone containing cytochromes f and b6 in the ratio 1 : 2. The chloroplasts possess both Photosystem I activity (P-700 photo-bleaching, and NADP+ photoreduction) and Photosystem II activity (parabenzoquinone reduction with Mn2+ as electron donor, and chlorophyll fluorescence induction). Use of moderate intensity red illumination has allowed a study of the role of beta-carotene in photochemistry separate from its roles in energy transfer and photoprotection. Removal of the fraction of beta-carotene closely associated with the Photosystem I reaction centre caused the rate of NADP+ photoreduction to fall to a low, but significantly non-zero level. Thus, in the complete absence of beta-carotene, photochemistry can still be observed, however the specific association of beta-carotene with the reaction centre is required for maximal rates. We propose that beta-carotene bound at the reaction centre decreases the rate of transfer of excitation energy away from the reaction centre, and increases the rate of photochemistry. It is possible that this occurs via formation of an exciplex between ground state beta-carotene and chlorophyll in the first excited state.
Objective To understand the distribution of natural infectious focus of human Angiostrongylus cantonesis in Shenzen and identify the species and ecology of intermidiate host and final host of Angiostrongylus cantonesis as well as its prevalent features and transmission routes. Methods The infecton rate and density of Angiostrongylus cantonesis in different hosts in 12 different ecology areas in Shenzen were investigated by microscopy of snails . Wild mice were captured and Angiostrongylus cantonesis were detected. The life cycle of Angiostrongylus cantonesis were observed in laboratory to verify the results obtained in the field. Results Positive Achatina fulica, was identified in 4 of the 12 districts surveyed, most in the southeast part of Shenzhen with a average infection rate of 31%. Rattus andersoni and Achatina fulica extensively distributed in shrub areas in Shenzhen, where the climate, humidity and vegetation suitable for breeding of Achatina fulica were all infected with Angiostrongylus cantonesis with a mean infection rate of 12% and the infeection rate the female rats was higher than that of the males (P0.01). The infectiosity was associated with body weight of the snails, the infectiosity was higher in snails with body weight over 55g than those with less body weight (P0.05) Conclusion There were natural infectious foci of Angiostrongylus cantonesis in Shenzhen that is the main cause of sporadic distribution of patients infected with Angiostrongylus cantonesis .
In this thesis,the convergence properties of 2_dimension B_valued random Dirichlet series are studied while { Xn (ω)}is a sequence of independent and equally distributed or not. Then the associated abscissa of convergence and Valiron formulas of 2_dimension B_valued random Dirichlet series are given. Here, the Valiron formulas are expressed wih parameter. The author also proved that the 2_dimension B_valued Dirichlet series have the same associated convergent abscissa asits corresponding 2_dimension B_valued series under suitable conditions.
Faced with the internal and external disorder,Dantes finished one eternal pursuit in his Divina Commedia in the turning point of Middle Ages and Modern Ages.Divina Commedia implies Dantes' profound thought and exploration concerning the permanent contradictions and embarrassment.The paper explains the relationship between Divina Commedia and modern literature in the social,cultural and artistic way in the angle of Modern readers.
An approximate analytical expression for the ion current density near the cathode in glow discharge is obtained in the presence of a periodic relief of small amplitude and an insulating oxide film of varying thickness on its surface. It is found that ion focusing at the cathode sections with the minimum film thickness, located on any parts of the surface relief, takes place, resulting in an increase of the film thickness non-uniformity with time. Therefore, under the existence of an oxide film on the cathode, its sputtering in glow discharge is determined mainly by the film thickness non-uniformity and not by the surface relief.
Teaching Adult Literacy: Principles and Practice edited by Nora Hughes and Irene Schwab. London: Open University Press, 2010. 364 pp. ISBN 978-0-33-5237364. The 1970s saw the rapid rise of a new field in education, adult literacy, as a response to the increasingly visible economic gap between developing and developed countries. International humanitarian organizations such as UNESCO and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) saw the need to stimulate economic growth in developing countries by increasing employment rates; for this to happen, literacy would necessarily have to be a required skill, especially in those countries where schooling was not mandatory. And so began adult literacy campaigns and projects on an international scale. It is true that origins of adult literacy programs can be found in religious institutions from the 19 th century as a means to the emancipatory goals that literacy could provide, namely politically motivated goals, and yet, it is through international organizations in the 20 th century that adult literacy has become an established and recognized field that demands research and applied practice. In Teaching Adult Literacy, editors Hughes and Schwab briefly trace this development of literacy and bring its relevance to the present by putting together a number of articles which offer a comprehensive review of the changing definitions of adult literacy; an examination of the linguistic and grammatical systems which constitute the traditional understanding of language as a set of discrete units and how different varieties of these systems affect issues of identity and power; detailed discussions of how to work with adult learners on the four key skills of literacy, which include reading, writing, speaking, and listening; and finally, a discussion on the importance of inclusive learning, particularly for learners with dyslexia and adults with “global learning difficulties.” Primarily aimed at teacher trainers and people studying for teacher training qualifications—and not beginner adult literacy teachers—Teaching Adult Literacy is full of case studies of real student (aged 17+ from around the world) experiences, samples of learners’ writing with commentary and analysis, application of linguistic theory to literacy teaching, practical suggestions for teaching, planning, and assessment, guidance on supporting learners with dyslexia and global learning difficulties, and reflective tasks encouraging readers to develop and apply their knowledge. Such features firmly position the seven contributors to this book, including the editors, in a heavily practice-oriented mindset which itself is founded in, and informed by, research and theory. This expository collection of experiences is a valuable resource for practicing adult English literacy teachers and teacher trainers who wish to connect more closely with their learners, by allowing instructors to approach their learners from a sociocultural, almost Freirian stance.
One of actual problems is the choice of a method to treat geriatric patients with acute myocardial infarction. 220 elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction were examined; 93 of them were given standard thrombolytic therapy, 62 patients were given perftoran and 65 patients were given combined therapy by streptase and perftoran. Efficiency of the therapy was estimated by results of ECG and clinical data. The obtained results prove that timely application of combined therapy by streptase and perftoran in complex treatment of acute myocardial infarction in elderly patients promotes efficacy of the treatment.
The effect of ethanol with various concentration on iontophoresis of diclofenac sodium has been investigated.The results showed ethanol did not influence the passive flux of drug through rat abdominal skin,but when compared with the iontophoretic flux of saturated aqueous solution of the drug,20%～80% ethanol could increase the flux of drug by iontophoresis in various degrees.The maximum flux of drug was 297±34.7μg/h/cm2 with 60% ethanol,this result is 14.6-fold of passive flux of drug and 3-fold of flux of saturated aqueous solution of drug with iontophoresis.
The Orem's Self-Care Theory was used as a guide for a nursing care plan of a 16 year-old adolescent with renal failure in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialyses (CAPD). The theory was used to assess the self-care deficits, the ability of the family to meet the patient's self-care demands, and the nursing actions needed in this case. Conditioning factors such as motivation, social economic status and education greatly interfered on the ongoing process of self-care.
The invention provides an optical navigation target satellite analog simulation image generating method. The method allows a navigation target satellite analog simulation image library having different characteristics to be generated through setting the observation orientation angle, the illumination intensity and the celestial body structure; the method can effectively analogue the optical images of a target celestial body having different characteristics in the stages of flyover, fly-around, close-range orbital transfer, celestial body rendezvous and the like of a deep space detector, the generated analog simulation images can really display real images, and the analog precision is high; and the generated reliable image library can be directly used for designing, verifying and assessing autonomous optical navigation related algorithms, so the validity and the reliability of the designing of the algorithms contained in the autonomous optical navigation of the deep space detector and comprising image processing, characteristic information extraction, navigation filtering and the like are guaranteed.
Question Answering (QA) on Electronic Health Records (EHR), namely EHR QA, can work as a crucial milestone towards developing an intelligent agent in healthcare. EHR data are typically stored in a relational database, which can also be converted to a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG), allowing two approaches for EHR QA: Table-based QA and Knowledge Graph-based QA. We hypothesize that the graph-based approach is more suitable for EHR QA as graphs can represent relations between entities and values more naturally compared to tables, which essentially require JOIN operations. To validate our hypothesis, we first construct EHR QA datasets based on MIMIC-III, where the same question-answer pairs are represented in SQL (table-based) and SPARQL (graph-based), respectively. We then test a state-of-the-art EHR QA model on both datasets where the model demonstrated superior QA performance on the SPARQL version. Finally, we open-source both MIMICSQL* and MIMIC-SPARQL* to encourage further EHR QA research in both direction
This article addresses the questions of why and how precarity should be conceptualized in a Marxian framework on labor. We argue that precarity should be put back to production, which has a twofold meaning: first, we emphasize that the labor process is of crucial importance for conceptualizing precarity, and precarity in the labor process is interrelated with precarity in the labor market and labor reproduction. Second, precarity should be understood through the relationships of production, particularly through capital-labor conflict. Using one case study on Didi Kuaiche drivers in the city of Nanjing, China, we examine the nature of precarity in the flexible labor of the digital economy and present a more nuanced micronarrative of precarious work in the ride-hailing service.
Introduction Part 1: 1.The historical ball and chain 2.Modern Languages: 20 years of change Part 2: 3.The Communicative Approach to Language Teaching: An Introduction 4.The communicative approach and authentic texts 5.De l'imparfait du subjonctif aux methodes communicatives 6.Communication: sense and nonsense 7.Mistakes are the mistake Part 3: 8.Differentiation in the Foreign Language Classroom 9.Autonomy in language learning 10.Extending opportunities: Modern Foreign Languages for pupils with special educational needs 11.Learning, acquiring, remembering and producing language 12. Getting Pupils talking 13. Teaching grammar in the target language, 14. Why do I have to get it right anyway? 15.Raising Reading Attainment in Modern Languages Part 4: 16.A la recherche du sylo perdu 17.Drama techniques in language teaching 18.Approche communicative: un second souffle 19.Role Activities in The Foreign Language Classroom
A new cyclometalated iridium(Ⅲ) quinoxaline complex with the formula Ir(DPQF)3(DPQF=4,4′-difluoro-2,3-diphenylquinoxaline) was prepared by reaction of DPQF with iridium trichloride hydrate under microwave irradiation.The complex was characterized by elemental analysis,1HNMR,and mass spectroscopy.The complex showed strong 1MLCT(singlet metal to ligand charge-transfer) and 3MLCT(triplet metal to ligand charge-transfer) absorption at 391 nm and 453 nm,respectively.The complex also showed strong photoluminescence at 618 nm at room temperature.These test results suggest the complex to be a promising phosphorescent material.
Compared to conventional steel sections, the Steel Hollow Sections have better structural performance due to excellent properties of the tubular shape with regard to loading in compression, torsion and bending in all directions. In many structural engineering applications Hollow Sections are widely used such as airport terminal buildings, railway stations, industrial structures, etc. Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strengthening of structures has been with success applied to concrete structures, and additionally it applied to steel structures recently. In hollow section, Steel-CFRP composite combine the benefits of the high strength to weight ratio and more ductile. This paper presents an experimental investigation carried out with two different matrix layouts of carbon fibres on the axial capacity and crushing behaviour of CFRP strengthened Circular Hollow Section (CHS). With and without CFRP wrapping the experiments were conducted on short steel columns. From the experimental studies It has been inferred that the application of CFRP to short column sections increases ductility of the section and also increases axial load carrying capacity of the section. To improve the performance of existing structures, Carbon fibre could also be with success externally bonded to metal CHS, and such application could also be provided.
Liu Zongyuan adopted Qu(interest)of Remarks of Monarchs or Guo Yu,in his prose,showing a perfect command of metaphor,and emphasizing much on integrating the refined images with those of popular tastes.His prose contains sarcastic humor,sometimes bitterness and grief.Also,Liu Zongyuan was skillful in showing humor by using irony,which improved vividness and style of his writing,and revealed its humor and wit.
In this study, pupils’ constructions of some concepts related to biodiversity like classifying living things, variation in living things and ecosystem elements, and the concept of life were investigated in the light of constructivist theory of learning. For this purpose, a biological diversity conceptual understanding test formed by a series of open ended questions was developed and applied to 191 first class high school pupils in seven different high schools in the city of Izmir–Turkey. For the clarification of the responses taken from the test and to follow up some responses a semi–structured interview was developed and applied 14 pupils among the 191. Moreover, to understand the teaching style in seven different schools and to find out the reasons of some responses taken from the pupils a semi–structured teacher interview was developed and applied to seven teachers – one from each school. The results of the study implicated that although pupils’ views towards living things and the nature were similar to holistic understanding, their constructions of the topics of nutrition relationship and energy flow were weak, and the idea of anthropocentric view in which human beings are in the centre of all living things were seem to be widespread among them.
There is provided a particulate filter for purifying exhaust gases from internal combustion engines, wherein the particulate filter 1 includes a substrate 2 having a gas inlet side 3 and a gas outlet side 4 and which is arranged between the gas inlet side and the gas outlet side gas flow channels 10, 12 with porous walls 14; wherein the gas flow channels are coated with an oxidation catalyst 16; and wherein in a gas-exit-side region of the gas flow channels is more oxidation catalyst than a gas-inlet-side region. Further, an exhaust gas purifying system for purifying exhaust gases from internal combustion engines and a method for purifying exhaust gas from internal combustion engines is provided.
The access to high-quality data is essential to make accurate decisions. Consequently, when a database becomes inconsistent is crucial to restore its consistency. The main approach for database consistency restoration is based on the notion of repair. In this work, we use Argumentation techniques to provide a better understand of the reasoning process behind database reparation. We introduced an extended argumentation framework that provides a comprehensive and alternative way to identify, represent and resolve the conflicts between tuples in an inconsistent database. We studied the complexity of this framework and show that it can be used to check the optimality of a repair based on the extended notions of locally, semi-globally and globally optimal repair with respect to Denial Constraints and Tuple-Generating Dependencies classes.
Insect resistant transgenic cotton has been planted commercially in the United States, China and Australia, and plays an important role in integrated pest management (IPM). However, concerns have been raised about the potential ecological risks of transgenic plants. This paper reviews the current status of knowledge on the development and ecological impact of insect resistant transgenic plants, with emphases on the major categories of insect resistant transgenic plants, evaluation of their resistance to insect pests, effects on non target insects and natural enemies, effects on biodiversity of agroecosystem, pest resistance management and gene flow of insect resistant transgenic plants.
Cyclone preheater is the most critical preheating equipment in the whole cement production process,and the working effect will directly influence its output,quality,production costs and the contamination degree of its exhaust emissions to the environment and so on.Therefore,it's necessary to implement real-time monitoring to the entire work process.Based on introduction to the overall structure of the cement kiln preheater cyclone remote monitoring system,this paper discusses the overall program of realizing monitoring interface with VC++.
Protein kinases are present in the plasma membrane of the human parasite Leishmania. A marked increase in enzyme activity has been detected as cultures entered into the stationary phase of growth. Since avirulent parasites can be separated from virulent forms by the peanut agglutinin (PNA), we have examined the change in the protein kinase activity of L. major during growth in vitro and the difference in phosphorylation with virulent promastigotes (PNA-) of L. major. Marked similarities were found between the phosphorylation patterns of the logarithmic and stationary phase promastigotes of L. major. On the other hand, when the phosphorylation pattern of those proteins, shared by both the metacyclic (PNA-) promastigotes and the stationary phase cells, was examined, a marked increase in both the total number of phosphoproteins and the extent of their phosphorylation was observed in PNA-. Both the increase in protein kinase activity in the stationary phase parasites and the marked changes in phosphorylation in the highly infective promastigotes, may provide a clue as to the adaptative mechanism which enable promastigotes to survive within the vertebrate host.
aware of the strategic use of language in this adult literacy context ■A recent magazine advertisement contained a headline designed to have the same type of advertising punch for the U.S. adult literacy movement as the well known "be all that you can be" sound bite has had for the U.S. Army. The idea behind the ad was to recruit volunteers for The Coalition of Adult Literacy. Produced in 1989 by the National Advertising Council, the advertisement portrayed a crowd of mostly average-looking people in a large picture. Underneath was the eyecatching message, "There's an epidemic with 27 million victims. And no visible symptoms." The application of certain trigger words in the headline was intended to shape the reader's perspective and to recruit volunteers to assist nonreading adults in need. The text of the advertisement was even more gripping, in that it appealed to both altruistic and patriotic instincts. It stated that "millions of Americans are victims
With the development of coal resources and increasing in occupation of land, geological environmental disasters, such as three wastes (waste gas, waste water and waste residue) pollution, the ground deformation and subsidence and water invasion, become more and more serious, All these influence the quality of the geological environment and the continuous and smooth development of economy in this paper, a discussion is made on the current situation of geological environment and the trend of development of geological environmental disasters in areas of coal mines in China The measures to prevent and control geological environmental disasters are proposed
In "The decision on issues regarding the improvement of the socialist market economic system", the CPC Central Committee proposed to implement tax and fee reform for city building, to impose real property tax of unified standard for real estate and to abolish relevant charges correspondingly when conditions are ready. The imposing of real property tax is one of the issues that call great attention from the economist community, the related industries and the common people in the new round of tax reform. This thesis analyzes the current situation and major problems in China's real estate tax system reform. It also discusses the difficulties and necessities of imposing real property tax and gives suggestions on how to impose real property tax.
Objective:To observe the levels of Guanxin Tongmai capsule on interleukin 6(IL-6),tumor kecrosis fator-α(TNF-α),endothelial cells micro particles(EMPs) and von willebrand factor(vWF) in patients with coronary heart disease and the action mechanism of Guanxin Tongmai capsule.Method:Sixty patients were divided randomly into treatment group(Guanxin Tongmai capsule 3# Tid) and control group(Tongxinluo capsule 3# Tid).After 4 weeks treatment,the results of IL-6,TNF-α,EMPs and vWF and the clinical effects were compared between the two groups.Result:There were no significant difference between the treatment group(85.7%)and the control group(90.0%) on ECG,no significant difference between the treatment group(92.9%)and the control group(93.3%) on clinical effect.The content of IL-6,TNF-α,EMPs and vWF in the two groups were both significantly decreased after treatment,no statistically significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion:Guanxin Tongmai capsule could decrease the content of IL-6,TNF-α,EMPs and vWF in the patients with coronary heart disease.Guanxin Tongmai capsule can play a considerable role compared with Tongxinluo capsule,the action mechanism may be anti-inflammatory.
Pakistan is facing a number of calamities on economic, social and environmental front s. Recently, elevated food inflation along with high rates of redundancy has pessimistically affected food security of millions of people, especially of small farmers. Although all of the farmers were sowing wheat along with other crops but the produce of the sown crops were not satisfying food needs of a large majority of respondents. Other than wheat all food items were bought from market which were easily available from market but were not economically accessible to most of the respondents. Equal access and utility of all food items by all family members was also lacking in study area, only 35-37% of the respondents said that their hunger needs are satisfied. Respondents were also not having awareness about all aspects of food security .
The invention provides a device capable of monitoring riding gestures and an exercise bicycle. The device includes a detecting assembly and a processing assembly, wherein the detecting assembly is used for detecting the riding gestures of a user and generating data values about the riding gestures, and the processing assembly is used for receiving the data values from the detecting assembly and judging whether or not a current riding gesture needs to be adjusted according to the data values. The device can monitor the gestures of the user when the user uses the exercise bicycle, and gives an alarm when an unreasonable gesture is detected.
This document provides background information on EPA's technical support for selecting and developing the proposed treatment standards for the constituents to be regulated in acrylonitrile wastes. Section 2 presents waste-specific information (the number and location of facilities affected by the land-disposal restrictions, the waste-generating process, and waste characterization data). The technologies used to treat the waste or similar wastes are discussed in Section 3. All available performance data, including data on which the treatment standards are based, are presented in Section 4. Section 5 explains EPA's determinations of BDAT, and Section 6 discusses the selection of constituents to be regulated. The proposed treatment standards are determined in Section 7.
OBJECTIVE Persons with mental illness frequently encounter public stigma and may suffer from self-stigma. We aim to clarify the concept of mental illness stigma and discuss important consequences for people with mental illness.   METHOD A search of scientific literature on mental illness stigma was conducted with a focus on conceptually relevant empirical studies.   RESULTS After giving a conceptual overview of stigma, we elaborate on the consequences of stigma, focussing on self-stigma/empowerment, coping behaviour, fear of stigma as a barrier to using health services, and on structural discrimination. Main strategies to reduce stigma -- protest, education, and contact -- are discussed.   CONCLUSIONS Stigma is of central importance to persons with mental illness, both to how they experience their illness and its consequences and whether they use available health services. Well-designed anti-stigma initiatives will help to diminish the impact of mental illness stigma.
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the level of safety awareness among pre-service teachers in technical and vocational education. This study focus on tools and equipment arrangement, uses of personal protective devices and years of study in the program in regards to safety awareness. This study utilized survey that was administered to 196 samples of technical and vocational pre-service teachers in Malaysia. The findings shows mean of safety awareness, tools and equipment arrangement are moderate among pre-service teachers. Meanwhile, finding shows that there are significant differences of safety awareness between pre-service teachers’ years of study.
The changes of composition of the processed traditional Chinese medicine will affect the curative effect of drug, such as the four kinds of processed rhubarb. The characteristics data of each rhubarb was measured with terahertz spectroscopy system and analyzed with chemometrics, and the spectral data was classified according to the category of rhubarb. The substance components of anthraquinone and tannins make changes in processed rhubarb by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The correlation among the terahertz spectroscopy of processed rhubarb was in accordance with the variations of content. This means that terahertz spectroscopy is sensitive to the substance components of processed Chinese traditional medicine. It can also pave the way for the study of the structural changes of traditional Chinese medicine.
Abstract : Cerenkov x-ray emissions should not exist in media where the index of refraction is less than unity. In previous work, x-ray Cerenkov radiation at the K absorption edge of aluminum was reported to have been observed. The present experiment observed no x-ray Cerenkov radiation. However, radiation not characteristic of the Cerenkov mechanism was seen. The results of the experiment are provided. Various aspects of an experiment designed to investigate Cerenkov radiation in the x-ray region are also considered by exploring procedures, methods, equipment design and limitations. Suggestions for improvements to facilitate further experiments with media that allow the formation of Cerenkov radiation are provided. (Thesis) (Author)
The Director-General of the National Health and Population Development in the Republic of South Africa defends the departments decision to not require health workers to report HIV/AIDS cases. Wide consultation has indicated that notifiability of HIV/AIDS as the situation now exists would be politically insensitive. Likewise it does not improve the ability to collect accurate data and may even prevent HIV-infected people from going to health workers for care. The Department depends on periodic epidemiological surveys rather than making HIV and AIDS notifiable to monitor the HIV/AIDS epidemic and effects of interventions. Since the interval between exposure to HIV and symptoms is quite lengthy contract tracing a reason often used for requiring notifiability of a disease is difficult and impractical. Instead the Department has a National AIDS Prevention Strategy and a far-reaching Communication Strategy to prevent the spread of HIV. Its targets include school-age children and their parents health care workers community workers and people with sexually transmitted diseases. Besides the fact that no vaccine against HIV infection exists is another reason why making HIV/AIDS notifiable does not benefit the population. HIV is now spreading rapidly among heterosexuals but has stabilized in the homosexual community. Notifiability does not keep people from having penetrative sexual intercourse. Because HIV/AIDS carry a stigma and society often shuns people with HIV/AIDS notifiability which some people interpret to have a moralistic undertone would strengthen such attitudes. Some people falsely believe that notifiability protects health care workers but it is use of universal precautions which actually protects them. Testing of patients results in a false sense of security thereby increasing the actual risk of acquiring HIV for health workers. The Department continuously monitors the HIV/AIDS situation.
After the eighties of the 20th century,Deng Xiaoping formed a set of more systematic national benefit views progressively. The question as the national benefit becomes his analysis guide for the international and domestic situation,as well as the foreign policy.The paper regarding two aspects as taking national benefit as criterion to deal with relations among countries by Deng Xiaoping,and national benefit must be in line with the policy of opening to the outside world to demonstrate his great contribution to the motherland.Meanwhile, studying Deng Xiaoping's national benefit view conscientiously still has important practice meanings.
In this article we present our work about retrieving and assessing methods for processing vibratory signal data from accelerometer positioned on gear systems. We will show that cepstral analysis of data retrieved through angular sampling method can be an effective tool to assess potential failures or defective parts. We calculated to what extent cepstrum is modified by variations induced different rotational period. We will show that the cepstral peaks linked with each period is constant a fact which borne out by experimental result.
Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pyramidal neurons are altered in neuropsychiatric disorders. cAMP is a component of the transduction pathways involved in the control of ionic channels by metabotropic receptors. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cAMP modifies the activity of the G protein-dependent inward rectifier K(+) (GIRK)-like channel current in the mPFC pyramidal neurons of 3-week-old rats. Channel currents were recorded in a patch clamp cell-attached configuration. Membrane-permeable adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin (10 μM) and membrane-permeable protein kinase A (PKA) activator 8-Br-cAMP (100 μM) were found to significantly decrease the open probability (Po) of the GIRK-like channels. Conversely, selective protein kinase A inhibitors: H-89 (10 μM) and KT5720 (0.5 μM) increased the open probability of the GIRK-like channels. Also, the effect of forskolin was tested after preincubation of the neurons with the PKA inhibitor (KT5720). The application of forskolin, despite PKA inhibition, significantly decreased the Po of the GIRK-like channels. This finding suggested that GIRK-like channel current activity might also be inhibited by cAMP in a PKA-independent manner. A compound, 8CPT-2Me-cAMP (10 μM), which is a specific activator of the Epac protein, which in turn is another intracellular target of cAMP, was also found to inhibit GIRK-like channel activity. We conclude that the constitutive activity of neuronal GIRK-like channel currents is inhibited by cAMP. We suggest that PKA and Epac might be components of the transduction pathway between cAMP and the GIRK channels.
Objective To investigate the adhesion and growth of rat bone marrow stroma cells(MSCs) combined onto β-tricalcium phosphate(β-TCP) and the optimum time of the combination implanted in vivo. Methods MSCs were cultured with DMEM containing 10% fetal bovine serum(FBS).After inoculating the cells onto the surface of β-TCP,the cellular characteristics of proliferation were measured by cell counting every day and the cellular morphology was examined by scanning electronic microscope. Results Rat MSCs could be attached to and extended on the surface of β-TCP.After 7 days cultivation,the number of cells reached the highest level and that was the optimum time of implanted in vivo. Conclusion The results showed that β-TCP has good biocompatibility and can be used as biomaterials in bone tissue engineering.
A series a 40 patients with severe sprain of the medial collateral ligament of the metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb is reported. Anesthesia was performed by infiltration of the superficial branch of the radial nerve and the palmar collateral nerves of the thumb via of the flexor tendon sheath, with 0.5% bupivacaine without adrenaline, 3-4 ml each. This technique, easy and reliable (complete success) with a prolonged analgesia, is useful in the operating room and for stress examination or dynamic X rays.
ii Although variables such as location and locomotion of animals are important, the reason why the animals prefer to appear in certain zones is more meaningful for the farmer. In chapter 4, elliptical modelling was used to investigate if laying hens prefer to attend chambers with lower ammonia levels. Because the use of the elliptical model could explain why animals choose certain zones in their living area, the effect on their performance became of interest. To understand this, two important indicators of animal’s performance were selected: namely weight gain and water volume usage. In chapter 5, the topview body area of pigs were measured using “real-time” image analysis. This area was linked to actual body weight using mathematical modelling. In chapter 6, the number of visits pigs give to their drinker and how long they stay at the drinker was measured by image processing. In this case, real-time mathematical modelling helped link drinking visits and duration to actual water volume used by the pigs. In both cases, mathematical modelling helped interpret livestock variables extracted from the images and linked them to physical variables that indicate the performance of pigs. In all of the previous chapters, individual animals within a group were studied. However, there are variables (e.g. distribution) that are only meaningful for groups of animals. Additionally, the impact of individual animal performance on groups was examined. In chapter 7, the distribution of broiler chickens was studied. The geometrical model was used to measure how chickens spread around the house and a real-time mathematical model was developed to predict future distribution. Therefore, abnormalities in how group of broilers are distributed could be detected and reported in format of a warning system. These automatic monitoring techniques developed can be used to complement the manual welfare measures and provide the farmer with relevant management information. Specifically, early warning systems can assist the farmer and the veterinarians to take early action for securing health and welfare of farm animals.
The micropolar elasticity equations in distributions' space D'(R 3 × R) are established. These equations include both the initial conditions and the boundary conditions. Then it is shown that there is a certain dependence between the components of the displacement vector and the components of the microrotation vector, using the notion of fundamental solution, as well as the properties of the partial convolution product
A novel hindered amine light stabilizer has been synthesized using 1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidinol and 4-bromobenzoyl chloride as the raw materials,and has been utilized to end-cap the blue electroluminescent poly_(9,9'-dioctylfluorene).The chemical structure of the polymer has been characterized with nuclear magnetic resonance(1H-NMR)and gel permeation chromatograph(GPC).Its thermo-stability was investigated by comparing the fluorescent spectra after annealing at elevated temperature in air.It clearly demonstrated that the light fluorescent spectroscopic stability of the polymer was greatly improved and the common phenomenon of greenish blue emission has been effectively restrained after end-capped with the hindered amine light stabilizer.
Despite the advances in diagnostic methods and techniques for surgical treatment in the last two decades, aortic diseases remain a major cause of mortality and cardiovascular morbidity, challenging physicians and molecular biologists. It is believed that about 600 million years ago, during the Cambrian period, variant forms of life appeared, among them were the oxygen-producing cyano bacteria. The progressive enrichment of oxygen in the atmosphere continued during this period. Because most specimens were adapted to a preexisting atmosphere without oxygen, many have disappeared. New mutations, allowed the surviving specimens to adapt to aerobic forms of life [1].
The Z39.50 protocol is a relatively new concept in the libraries' world. Its essential power is that it allows diverse information resources to look and act the same to the individual user. Its implementation may be proved of strategic importance to the Library.  The University of Crete within the context of the 2nd Community Support Framework has undertaken a project, to build and put into production, its own Z39.50 client/server software. The functionality of the protocol has been based on software components that are products of other European projects, or publicly available software (toolkits produced by Z39.50 experts). This effort has enriched us with know-how and experience, part of which we want to disseminate in this presentation. The main objectives of our presentation are focused on:  • The potential of the protocol  • The problems which may be encountered by its use  • The issues that are a prerequisite for putting into operation the basic functionality of the protocol.
The metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) hypothesis predicts an increase in the metabolic rate of ectotherms from cold environments compared with their more temperate counterparts. This adaptive hypothesis is one of the most controversial in physiological ecology, for which the evidence comes principally from the meta-analysis of data sets of arthropods. Important for the study of metabolic cold adaptation are comparisons at a geographic level, especially on a latitudinal scale, because mean annual temperature decreases towards high latitudes. Furthermore, few studies have conducted intraspecific comparisons of metabolic rates along a latitudinal gradient. We tested the MCA hypothesis in the common woodlouse, Porcellio laevis, using different populations along a distributional range with a wide range of mean ambient temperatures (5, 12, 18 and 25C) in Chile. Our results demonstrated that metabolic rate increased towards low latitudes – that is, woodlice from the warmer (i.e. northern) part of the distribution range had markedly higher metabolic rates than those from the cooler (i.e. southern) region, for almost all experimental temperatures. Thus, our results provide direct evidence of intraspecific latitudinal differences in metabolism, rejecting the MCA hypothesis, which is more difficult to resolve with interspecific level comparisons.
Methyl hypofluorite was until recently grouped as a hypothetical member of those smallest organic molecules which had not been synthesized. Passing F 2 through a solution of methanol in MeCN or PrCN resulted in its successful preparation. MeOF is an unique reagent, since it generates the novel electrophilic methoxylium moiety in contrast to the much more common methoxide group. This hypofluorite was reacted with several types of olefins including benzylic, cyclic, bicyclic, straight chain, and steroidal ones. In most cases the regioselectivity is very good, reflecting the unique polarization of the reagent: MeO δ+ F δ- . The stereoselectivity tends to be less emphasized, but usually anti addition is dominant
The presence of surface contaminations such as carbon monoxide,steam,carbon dioxide and methane inhibits the hydrogen dissociation and recombination reactions in palladium membranes due to the fact that these contaminations occupy the active sites for hydrogen adsorption and form compounds with palladium or deposit carbon adhere to surface,therefore influence the hydrogen permeability of palladium membranes.This paper gives a comprehensive review on the effects of these familiar gases on the hydrogen permeability of palladium membranes in various conditions,summarizes a thorough analysis of the poisoning effects and mechanisms of carbon monoxide and steam,illuminates the effects of deposited carbon,and at last explains the effects of the thickness and composition of membranes on hydrogen permeability.
In the industry, the load of transformer usually varies. So when the load of  transformer was changing, it will be impact the losses and the efficiency of  transformer is not perfect, that is no one hundred percent. If the load of the transformer  is high, so the losses of transformer will be high too. And also the efficiency of a  transformer will be influenced by the higher power output of being measurable so the  efficiency of a transformer is getting close one hundred percent and the higher of  copper losses so the efficiency of a transformer is smaller, that is not getting close one  hundred percent.  Keywords: Transformer, copper losses, the efficiency of transformer
A simple tool setting device relates to the field of numerical control machine tool machining auxiliary tooling, in particular to a device for determining relative positions of cutters and workpieces after the workpieces are clamped. The simple tool setting device is provided with a plurality of points contacting with a machine tool cutter and provided with a plurality of points contacting with a machining surface of a workpiece, all the points of the tool setting device contacting with the machine cutter can be connected to form a line which is parallel to the tested plane of the workpiece, and more than two of the points of the tool setting device contacting with the workpiece are not coincided. The simple tool setting device is convenient in operation without limitation of size and surface shape of workpieces, shortens tool setting time, increases working efficiency, realizes accurate tool setting, and can meet machining requirements of workpieces completely.
Rule of law is the strategy of administering the state a affairs that holds a ruling position. Judiciary impartiality is the final barrier to slowing community disputes. There's a certain dialectical relation between rule of law and judiciary impartiality while the latter is the value target of the former .The process of carrying forward rule of law is the process of tuning judiciary impartiality from ideal to reality and of realizing the rule by law.
In the field trials conducted at Main Agriculture Research Station, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, during kharif 2009–10 and 2010–11, Spinetoram 12% SC @ 56 g.a.i ha−1 emerged as the best and optimum dose as it registered lowest number of thrips (4.52 leaf−1), Spodoptera litura (2.17 basin−1) and Helicoverpa armigera (1.02 plant−1) at 10 days after spray on chilli and recorded the highest green chilli yield of 165.4 q ha−1.
The present invention discloses a method for cooling the RF electrostatic shielding (the ESRF) plasma source (100) a method and system. The method and system utilizing an electrostatic shield (300,360) having a plurality of ribs (303,330) in which the evaporated refrigerant and the injection of steam into the processing pipeline (400) or a bias shield (300,360) on. Or between the steam is injected into the bottom of the ribs, or is injected into the adjacent ribs. This design may avoid the use of gas absorbing liquid coolant bath resulting in arcing between the conductive coil.
Arsenic is a toxic metalloid, widely available in the natural ecosystem, and poses serious problem in Gangetic delta basin of India and Bangladesh through contamination of groundwater and drinking water. The widespread arsenic contamination in West Bengal, distributed over 111 blocks primarily within 12 districts of the state, adjoining the river Bhagirathi, as well as contiguous districts of Bangladesh is of great concern. Arsenic uptake by plants and its translocation to the edible parts were observed to vary with crops and even among the cultivars of the same crop. Keeping this in view, the present investigation has been undertaken to study the arsenic accumulation and the varietal tolerance with relative pattern of arsenic uptake vis-a-vis yield and yield attributes by selected cultivars of sesame at farmers’ fields of village Nonaghata in Nadia district of West Bengal during summer season of 2007-08. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design (RBD) replicated thrice having the six selected popular sesame cultivars. The arsenic accumulation of different plant parts was estimated by using AAS, PerkinElmer AAnalyst-200 coupled with FIAS-400. Results revealed that different cultivars of sesame accumulated different amount of arsenic in different plant parts and arsenic accumulation in different parts of sesame remained in an order to root >leaf >stem >seed irrespective of all the cultivars tested. Regarding varietal effect cv. SWB 32-10-1 showed maximum accumulation of As in its seeds, whereas the least accumulation was noted from the cv. Rama. The yield and different yield attributes of different cultivars of sesame were significantly different from each other.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has embarked on an ambitious effort to re-evaluate all of the nation’s coastal flood hazards for the purpose of updating Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). These coastal study updates will include storm-surge modeling, overland-wave-height propagation analysis, and coastal-hazard mapping. Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) is a Corporative Technical Partner (CTP) for FEMA and is one of the first to perform a new coastal study. The overall process is divided into two phases: the storm surge analysis with overland wave height analyses and mapping of the FIRMs. The following issue will focus on the entire process of coastal inundation assessment for the Florida Big Bend region, namely Franklin, Wakulla, and Jefferson Counties.
This article reviews the empirical studies (investigations by means of questionnaire or experiment) in mainland China over the past decade on correlations with English learning strategies employed by Chinese EFL learners. The correlations in this review mainly include the correlations between the learners’ strategies and their gender differences, between their strategies and their English achievement or proficiency, and between their strategies and strategies-based instruction.
Alopecia areata (AA) is a common autoimmune disease manifesting varying degrees of hair loss. Rapidly progressive AA (RP‐AA) is a severe subtype of AA and often resistant to skin‐directed treatments. i.v. corticosteroid pulse therapy has been applied for RP‐AA; however, the treatment outcome can only become evaluable several months after the intervention, discomposing the patients. In this study, we attempted to develop a scoring system to predict treatment outcomes based on statistical correlations between newly identified predictors and the recovery rates calculated by digital image analysis. Thirty RP‐AA patients (15 men and 15 women) who underwent pulse therapy and demonstrated total hair loss during the clinical course were included. The percentages of hair regrowth (%HR) at 6 months after the treatment were quantitatively calculated by image analysis software. The correlation between %HR and clinicopathological and immunological variables were statistically assessed. The analysis identified four confirmatory contributors including female sex (P = 0.015), absence of previous AA history (P = 0.02), lower peripheral blood eosinophil count (P = 0.02) and mild to moderate cell infiltration around the hair bulb (P = 0.034), together with a potential contributor, namely absence of atopic dermatitis in their medical history (P = 0.08). The scoring system was developed by double counting confirmatory variables and single counting a potential variable. Importantly, the scores obtained by this system demonstrated significant correlation with %HR (r = 0.61, P < 0.001). The usefulness of this scoring system was further validated by assessing additional 20 cases of RP‐AA. When combined with a recently published algorithm for early detection of self‐healing subset, the current scoring system may help strategize the therapeutic approach for RP‐AA.
In order to grasp the fluctuation of the domestic agricultural price and to raise the accuracy of price prediction. A new hybrid forecasting model based on ARIMA and SVM was proposed,ARIMA model was used to predict the linear component of the agricultural prices and SVM model was applied to the nonlinear residual component. The prediction performances of the single models and hybrid model were tested based on the data of agricultural prices in 1999-2011. The results indicate that the hybrid model has better accuracy than the single models.The hybrid model which can raise the accuracy of price prediction is an effective method for the agricultural prices.
From their earliest beginnings in 17 century England, Baptists have been committed to radical expressions of discipleship and have engaged in mission in innovative ways. The local church was envisaged as a group of believers who had made a binding covenant to God and to one another. Together they were the visible witness of the kingdom of God in the world. Within this traditional Baptist ecclesiology, church buildings were used for mission initiatives in the local community. This has been the traditional paradigm in the New Zealand context, but in the last thirty years several Baptist churches have chosen to function without their own designated church buildings. This research project makes a case study of four Baptist churches that had chosen to exist without their own buildings and explores the proposition that the choice to depart from the prevailing paradigm represented a deeper and more zealous commitment to mission. The project first explores the development of a Baptist ecclesiology in the New Zealand context to develop a frame of reference. Seven church leaders were interviewed and their experiences and values were evaluated against an historic Baptist ecclesiology. There were significant differences in the interviewees understanding of their role in God’s mission and the place of the local church. There were also significant differences in the way that each church made decisions. These differences demonstrated a departure from an historic Baptist ecclesiology and the choice to function without church buildings had not necessarily resulted in these churches adopting a more missional or more radical stance. Effective mission and vital witness may be achieved without church buildings, but only when there is a will to engage strategically and theologically with issues of Baptist identity and calling.
Simulative analysis shows that the short circuit current frequency of doubly-fed induction generator during low-voltage ride-through period deviates from the fundamental frequency according to the working conditions before the fault.When the transformer internal fault occurs,the differential action and braking currents of differential protection based on phasor values fluctuate widely and the action conditions of differential protection based on sample values are not satisfied at certain sampling points,resulting in the incorrect and instable operations.With an actual regional wind farm as an example,the off-line action performance of the main transformer protection of wind farm and the step-up transformer protection of wind power group is tested and analyzed on EMTDC platform,which shows that,the fast action of differential protection based on either phasor or sample values can not be ensured and the factors influencing the accurate operation of protections for wind farm outgoing transformers are generator type,operating condition, fault location,fault type and short circuit capacity ratio.
The invention relates to the field of information and particularly relates to a Flash data transmission method and system, as well as a server and a client. The Flash data transmission method comprises the following steps that: a secret key obtaining rule shared by a Flash server and a Flash client is established; the Flash server determines a secret key confusion data block; the Flash server extracts a secret key from the secret key confusion data block according to the secret key obtaining rule; the Flash server encrypts the data to be transmitted through the secret key; the Flash server transmits the encrypted data and the secret key confusion data block to the Flash client; the Flash client extracts the secret key from the secret key confusion data block according to the secret key obtaining rule; and the Flash client decrypts the obtained encrypted data according to the secret key. The Flash server, the Flash client and the Flash data transmission system transmit data after using the encryption method. According to the invention, the security in the Flash network communication is improved.
In the literary tradition inspired by S. Ignatius Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises images are normally placed before the meditative preludes, and have a certain number of functions in relation to the whole spiritual exercise, or to the whole reading of a catechetic lesson. This article will try to make a few observations on how images are organized in order to carry out these functions. I will study in particular the organization of space, some basic textual models (map and flux) and the strategies by which the observer might be involved (this involvement is included in what Victor Stoichita calls the phatic function of image). Semiotics tries to find what can be called a grammar of images, or at least some rules that guide meaning production inside images: this is exactly the object of this paper. I will notably consider some works published mainly in the Southern Low Countries, chiefly in Antwerp.
Summary Surgical carotid endarterectomy is traditionally considered the standard approach for the treatment of atheroscle­ rotic carotid artery disease based on its long history of favorable outcomes. Many of the patients could, however, be offered carotid artery stenting (CAS), which has over time evolved into an elaborate method. With proper selec ­ tion of patients, CAS provides comparable long­term outcomes and very low risk of periprocedural complication. This article summarises the current knowledge, trends and innovations in CAS.
A bimodal low-floor tram is designed to provide the flexibility of bus and the punctuality of trains together to the passengers. The propulsion equipment of the bimodal tram is a series hybrid type using a set of CNG engine generator and Li-polymer battery. The present paper describes the specifications of the propulsion system in the bimodal tram which was drawn by a desirable driving cycle. In addition, it shows how the propulsion system of the bimodal tram can be controlled. With using a computer simulation tool of hybrid vehicles, ADVISOR, the performance of the bimodal tram was verified.
With more attention to climate change issues in the world wide,low carbon tourism is developing gradually as a new kind of sustainable development model.Tourists' behavior and willingness to participate in low carbon tourism are important.The paper uses questionnaire survey to make deep understanding on tourists who are visiting forest parks and natural scenic spots,the questionnaire includes tourists' basic information,travel characteristic,the way to travel and attitude on low carbon tourism,and the paper uses Stata software to do binary logistic regression.The results indicate that tourists' gender,age,education,income,travel distance,attitude towards using disposable goods and green foods have significant influence on their participation willingness.The conclusion includes that:(1)the public knows little about low carbon tourism,so it needs more publicity and spread;(2)the development of low carbon tourism is in early stage,and the government should normalize low carbon tourism development model;(3)the tourist enterprises should establish low carbon production mode;(4)the consumers should pay more attention to the idea of low carbon.
The invention relates to a starch film forming agent for wetting glass fibers and discloses a preparation method of the starch film forming agent. The film forming agent is esterified starch obtained by modifying a raw material, namely amylopectin. The starch film forming agent has the advantages of good film forming property, cohesive property and the like, and has very good bundling and protection effects in a production process of the glass fibers; mechanical properties of the glass fibers are improved.
Neural crest (NC) is a transient embryonic tissue, whose cells are motile and multipotent until they reach their destination and differentiate according to microenvironmental cues into a variety of cell types. However, a subpopulation of these cells remains multipotent. They were found, among other locations, in a bulge of adult murine whisker follicle and were designated epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs). The aim of this work is to ascertain whether the EPI-NCSCs could be isolated from human hair follicles as well. Due to their exceptional properties, they could represent potential candidates for stem cell therapy. The presented work focuses on the isolation and characterization of EPI-NCSCs from human skin. We obtained a population of cells that expressed markers of NC, NC progeny and general stem cell markers. After prolonged cultivation, the subpopulation of cells spontaneously differentiated into some of NC derivatives, i.e. neurons, smooth muscle cells and Schwann cell progenitors. Targeted differentiation with neuregulin 1 highly increased the number of Schwann cells in the culture. Human EPI-NCSCs could also grow under non-adherent conditions and form 3-dimensional spheres. Microarray analysis was performed and gene profile of human EPI-NCSCs was compared with the list of key genes of murine EPI-NCSCs and the list of genes up-regulated in newly induced NC cells. This revealed 94% and 88% similarity, respectively. All presented results strongly support the NCSC identity and multipotency of isolated human cells. These cells could thus be used in regenerative medicine, especially because of the easy accessibility of donor tissue.
The author discusses the postmodernist claim that the "grand theories" have lost credibility, even in the field of medical science and practice. Rather than representing a shared reality among physician and patient, illness represents two quite distinct realities--the meaning of one being significantly and distinctively different from the meaning of the other. However, existential clinical narratives can function as important bridges between the world of the patient and the world of the physician. Such narratives provide important information regarding the patient's biographical situation and, particularly, the personal and cultural meanings which are a function of the biographical situation. At the same time, these narratives provide physicians with useful information for the practice of medicine.
The dwindling government funding of agricultural extension in developing countries and the call on extension organizations to support farm households’ livelihood security initiatives, has made the practice of pluralistic extension a realistic option for ensuring efficient and effective use of available resources for extension and sustainable development. The aim of the study was to understand the key factors that can contribute to successful pluralistic agricultural extension system in a decentralized policy environment in developing countries for sustainable agricultural development. The research used a qualitative case study based on a successful district level public agricultural extension organization in Ghana. Semi-structure interviews, supported with documents and observations, were used for the data collection. The case study shows that an important factor that can contribute to the success of a local level extension organization is its ability to coordinate its activities, and collaborate with other stakeholder organizations through the provision of forums, where organizations from different sectors can interact. Also, by establishing mutually beneficial working relationships and trust with stakeholder organizations where training of staff and other resources including working materials, funds, vehicles, and library resources can be exchanged or shared. These relationships can increase extension organization’s capability to assist farm households in meeting their broader livelihood security needs in a more sustainable manner.
The large-scale disasters occur to unexpected accidents such as natural disasters(earthquake, typhoon, tsunami, etc.), and human-caused accidents(fire, collapse, terror etc.). Rescue teams perform rescue activities to save many lives in large-scale disaster area. The main purpose of this study is to compose a optimal routing planning for rescue of multiple victims in disaster area. A realistic routing planning with rescue limit time which considers rehabilitation and reconstruction will be suggested in this study. A mathematical programming model and a hybrid genetic algorithm will be suggested to minimize the total spending time. By comparing the result, the suggested algorithm gives a better solution than existing algorithms.
In petroleum chemistry, waxy oil from paraffins can cause operating problems for oil production. The chemical method is used to remove by using chemicals or additives to prevent the wax problem. In this study, the performance of wax inhibitor are evaluated by the measurement of pour-point reduction and wax deposition of crude oil from Mae Soon area, Fang oilfield. Wax deposition is determined by cold finger technique. Wax inhibitors, hexane, Poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAO) and monoethanolamine (MEA) are mixed in oil sample at various concentrations. From the experiment, it is presented that hexane is used to reduce pour-point temperature up to 19.55 % and to reduce wax deposit up to 92.56 %. Moreover, MEA and PMAO have less effect on pour-point reduction. However, they have high efficiency to prevent wax deposition. PMAO provide the better wax deposition performance than MEA. The amount of wax deposit is lower at the same conditions. The percentage of wax deposit is from 39.19 % to 83.02 % for MEA and from 58.54 % to 88.51 % for PMAO. Furthermore, from the results, the preferred concentration of hexane can be at 10 % and PMAO can be 7500 ppm at low temperature or 5000 ppm for higher temperature. The results of this research can be applied to the practical way for wax deposition prevention operation in Mae Soon area in Fang oilfield to reduce the wax problem in the future.
This paper presents VoiceLDM, a model designed to produce audio that accurately follows two distinct natural language text prompts: the description prompt and the content prompt. The former provides information about the overall environmental context of the audio, while the latter conveys the linguistic content. To achieve this, we adopt a text-to-audio (TTA) model based on latent diffusion models and extend its functionality to incorporate an additional content prompt as a conditional input. By utilizing pretrained contrastive language-audio pretraining (CLAP) and Whisper, VoiceLDM is trained on large amounts of real-world audio without manual annotations or transcriptions. Additionally, we employ dual classifier-free guidance to further enhance the controllability of VoiceLDM. Experimental results demonstrate that VoiceLDM is capable of generating plausible audio that aligns well with both input conditions, even surpassing the speech intelligibility of the ground truth audio on the AudioCaps test set. Furthermore, we explore the text-to-speech (TTS) and zero-shot text-to-audio capabilities of VoiceLDM and show that it achieves competitive results. Demos and code are available at https://voiceldm.github.io.
Global attention has been drawn to exploiting the potentials of renewable energy systems, especially their hybrid configurations, due to sustainability issues and climatic impact associated with the use of fossil fuels. Power management in such hybrid renewable energy systems is still a progressive research. Many power control solutions have been proposed. However, much of them lack validation. This work was done to validate a proposed novel intelligent power management scheme based on fuzzy logic control. The controller, designed by a group of researchers, was validated by adapting it to a hybrid renewable energy system, and simulating test case scenarios to validate the functionality claims of the controller. For each test case, the controller was confirmed to emulate expert decisions. The novel fuzzy logic controller was thus validated and the claims of the authors verified.
Description A luminous scholar and mentor at the interface of chemistry, biology, and medicine Christopher Walsh, a pioneer committed to extending the frontiers of knowledge at the interfaces of chemistry, biology, and medicine, died on 10 January, a month before his 79th birthday. He was responsible for countless penetrating insights into complex catalytic chemistry in living systems. Our community has lost a creative force in drug discovery and a warm, inspiring mentor who opened doors for generations of diverse leaders.
ABSTRACT The Galerkin spectral method with basis Junctions previously introduced by Gelfgat 111 is applied for analysis of oscillatory instability of convective flows in laterally heated rectangular cavities. Convection of water and air in a square cavity, and convection of a tow-Prandtl-number fluid in a square cavity, and a cavity with a ratio length / height of 4 are considered. Patterns of the most unstable perturbations of the stream function and the temperature are presented, and mechanisms of oscillatory instability are discussed. Comparison with other numerical investigations shows that the Galerkin method with divergent-free basis functions, which satisfy all the boundary conditions, needs fewer modes than other methods using discretization of the flow region.
In order to analyze wave propagation, tidal current, and sediment transport in the vicinity of the Gaeya open channel, it was classified into before(CASE1W) and after(CASE2W) installation of various artificial structures, and the calculation results for CASE1W and CASE2W were compared. For wave propagation, the results of incident and reflected waves were derived using the SWAN numerical model, and the tidal current velocity results were derived using the FLOW2DH numerical model for tidal current. The results of the SWAN numerical model and the FLOW2DH numerical model became the input conditions for the SEDTRAN numerical model that predicts sediment transport, and the maximum bed shear stress and suspended sediment concentration distribution near the Gaeya open channel were calculated through the SEDTRAN numerical model. As a result of the calculation of the SWAN numerical model, the wave height of CASE2W was increased by 40~50 % compared to CASE1W because the incident wave was diffracted and superimposed and the reflected wave was generated by about 7 km long northen jetty. As a result of the calculation of the FLOW2DH numerical model, According to the northen breakwater, the northen jetty and Geumrando, CASE2W was calculated 10~30 % faster than CASE1W in the tidal current of the Gaeya open channel. As a result of the calculation of the SEDTRAN numerical model, the section where the maximum bed shear stress is 1.0 N/m or more and the suspended concentration is 80mg/L or more was widely distributed in the Gaeya open channel from the marine environment by the complex wave field(incident wave, reflected wave and tidal wave) and the installation of various artificial structures. it is believed that a sedimentation phenomenon occurred in the Gaeya open channel.
During the present Sars-CoV-2 pandemic, there has been an increase in the development of UVC disinfection systems. Researchers and members of the lighting community shifted their interests to this new field to help develop systems for disinfecting facemasks and other small equipment. In this paper we show that it is possible to use DIALux to simulate the irradiance distribution provided by a lamp emitting in the UVC range. We will compare the results provided by DIALux with those obtained from Zemax OpticStudio in three different scenarios. We compared the minimum, maximum, and mean irradiance at the detection plane. The differences between the two software were less than 12%, 2%, and 6%, respectively. We also compared the contour maps of isoirradiance lines. We conclude that DIALux is well suited for UVC lighting design in the UVC range. We think that this finding will contribute to increasing the design and manufacturing of new UVC disinfection systems needed to fight against the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic.
With the proliferation of mobile devices, mobility management has been one of critical research issues. To make high quality mobility management protocol, PMIPv6 is developed. However, to use PMIPv6 widely in the real world, security issues must also be considered. Authentication is the most basic solution to protect many security threats, but detailed authentication procedure is not specified in the PMIPv6 standard document. So, many researchers have proposed their own authentication schemes. Most of these schemes assume that there is only one PMIPv6 domain. Recently, inter-PMIPv6-domain handover schemes, which consider multiple domain environments, were devised to enable PMIPv6 to cover much larger area, but little research has been done about authentication procedure of inter-domain handover. In this paper, we propose a public key based PMIPv6 authentication scheme. According to our analysis, proposed scheme shows better performance than other previous works.
XII International Workshop on Quantum Optics (IWQO-2015) is a regular conference on relevant problems of quantum optics. It is held in Russia with the participation of representatives of foreign research groups. The first workshop was organized in October 1989 in Kazan by Prof. Vitaly Samartsev (Zavoisky Institute of Physics and Technology, Kazan, Russia). Currently the Workshops are held quadrennially in different places of Russia (2003 St. Petersburg, 2007 Samara, 2011 Volgograd).
Controlling overexposed facets with high energy is pivotal for various applications, particularly catalytic reactions which occur on the surfaces of nanostructures. Herein, we report a combined solvothermal and etching method to synthesize anatase TiO2 nanocrystals with energetic exposed facets, which exhibit enhanced visible light photodegradation activity towards RhB. Electron microscopic photographs revealed that the initially prepared nanocrystals had a hierarchical structure stacked by secondary nanoplates, and time dependent experiments proved that the formation process followed an oriented aggregation mechanism and a subsequent grain growth. In addition, quantum mechanical calculations revealed that the etching process could occur along three directions of TiO2 nanocrystals, and the formation of Ti3+ defects was thermodynamically favorable, which was further demonstrated by XPS spectra. The reasons for the enhanced photodegradation activity are also discussed through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which revealed that the adsorption of surface hydroxyls and H2O may be the main reason for this enhancement.
Introduction Dysfunctional breathing (DB) has been linked to health conditions including low back pain and neck pain and adversely effects the musculoskeletal system. Individuals with DB often have decreased pain thresholds and impaired motor control, balance, and movement. No single test or screen identifies DB, which is multi-dimensional, and includes biochemical, biomechanical, and psychophysiological components. Several tools assess and test for DB, but no screen exists to determine whether additional testing and assessment are indicated.   Purpose/Background The purpose of this study was to develop a breathing screening procedure that could be utilized by fitness and healthcare providers to screen for the presence of disordered breathing. A diagnostic test study approach was utilized to establish the diagnostic accuracy of the newly developed screen for DB.   Methods A convenience sample of 51 subjects (27 females, 27.0 years, BMI 23.3) were included. To test for DB related to the biochemical dimension, end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) was measured with a capnography unit. To test for DB related to biomechanical dimension, the Hi-Lo test was utilized. To test for DB related to the psychophysiological dimension, the Self Evaluation of Breathing Symptoms Questionnaire (SEBQ) and Nijmegen questionnaires were utilized. Potential screening items that have been shown to be related to DB in previous research and that could be performed by non-health care personnel were utilized to create the index test including activity level, breath hold time (BHT), respiration rate, and the Functional Movement Screen (FMS™).   Results There were no strong correlations between the three measures of DB. Five subjects had normal breathing, 14 failed at least one measure, 20 failed at least two, and 12 failed all three. To develop screening items for each dimension, data were examined for association with failure. BHT and a four-item mini-questionnaire were identified as the most closely associated variables with failure of all three dimensions. A BHT of < 25 seconds and four questions were combined and yielded a sensitivity of 0.89 (0.85-0.93) and a specificity of 0.60 (0.18-0.92) for clinical identification of DB.   Conclusion Easily obtained clinical measures of BHT and four questions can be utilized to screen for the presence of DB. If the screen is passed, there is an 89% chance that DB is not present. If the screen is failed, further assessment is recommended.   Level of Evidence 2b.
In designing an airborne early warning system to warn of incoming air raids, one should match the radar range to the velocity of the incoming raid, the reaction time of one's interceptors, and the capacity of the airborne early warning system to flee to safety. This paper, through the application of simple analytical models, investigates the minimum radar ranges necessary to permit interdiction of the raid as well as escape to safety of the airborne early warning system. These radar ranges are dependent on characteristics of all the aircraft in the scenario. The results of many calculations are presented, showing the sensitivity of radar range to selected parameters.
The role of purified iron-regulated outer-membrane proteins (IROMPs) from Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi in modulation of specific T-cell responses was studied. The cellular immune response induced by IROMPs was measured by assessing the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response, lymphocyte proliferation, T-cell phenotyping and cytokine-producing cells using lymphocytes isolated from the spleen and Peyer's patches of IROMPs-immunized, immunized-challenged, infected and control mice. IROMPs immunization resulted in an enhanced DTH response and exhibited a significant increase in the protein-specific proliferative response of lymphocyte from the spleen as well as Peyer's patches. A significant increase was also observed in the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ cells in the immunized mice as compared to the infected mice. Results of the cytokine analysis revealed that during the initial period there was increased production of interleukin (IL)-2- and interferon (IFN)-gamma-producing cells in the spleen and Peyer's patches, indicating a Th1 type response, whereas in the later period of the study, increased production of IL-4-producing cells suggested a Th2 type response. The results of this study suggest a role for S. Typhi IROMPs in modulating the cellular immune response at peripheral and mucosal levels.
Determining progression-free survival (PFS) for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients is a challenging but pertinent task that could help stratify patients for improved overall outcomes. PET/CT images provide a rich source of anatomical and metabolic data for potential clinical biomarkers that would inform treatment decisions and could help improve PFS. In this study, we participate in the 2021 HECKTOR Challenge to predict PFS in a large dataset of HNSCC PET/CT images using deep learning approaches. We develop a series of deep learning models based on the DenseNet architecture using a negative log-likelihood loss function that utilizes PET/CT images and clinical data as separate input channels to predict PFS in days. Internal model validation based on 10-fold cross-validation using the training data (N=224) yielded C-index values up to 0.622 (without) and 0.842 (with) censoring status considered in C-index computation, respectively. We then implemented model ensembling approaches based on the training data cross-validation folds to predict the PFS of the test set patients (N=101). External validation on the test set for the best ensembling method yielded a C-index value of 0.694. Our results are a promising example of how deep learning approaches can effectively utilize imaging and clinical data for medical outcome prediction in HNSCC, but further work in optimizing these processes is needed.
A novel in situ method for electroplating oxide coated metals is described. Termed VORP, for voltage oxide removal for plating, the process utilizes a voltage pulse ∼20–200V, ∼2ms in duration, applied between working and counterelectrodes while both are immersed in a copper electrolyte. The pulse is almost immediately followed by galvanostatic plate-up. Adherent copper deposits up to ∼4μm in height on stainless steel 316 coupons have been obtained. Temperature testing up to 260°C in air does not affect the copper adhesion. A preliminary model for oxide removal is proposed utilizing concepts of dielectric breakdown.
Summary Haemopoietic regeneration following chemotherapy was studied on serial bone‐marrow trephine specimens from 10 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), and seven with chronic granulocytic leukaemia (CGL) in blast transformation. In AML following the stage of treatment‐induced hypoplasia during which the marrow was extremely hypocellular, oedematous, and contained widely dilated sinuses, areas of large, uniform, unilocular fat cells, designated ‘structured fat’ developed from multilocular precursor fat cells. Early foci of haemopoietic regeneration were present almost exclusively in areas of structured fat: only scattered small erythropoietic foci were seen in the earliest specimens taken 1 week after the completion of treatment; small granulopoietic foci were first seen 2 weeks later, and the first megakaryocytes were not seen until the third week. Transient regeneration was observed in two patients who subsequently failed to enter remission and died.
We discuss the implications of the recently reported R K and R K * anomalies, the lepton flavor non-universality in the B → Kl + l − and B → K * l + l − decay channels. Using two sets of hadronic inputs of form factors, we perform a fit of new physics to the R K and R K * data, and significant new physics contributions are found. We suggest the study of lepton flavor universality in a number of related rare B , B s , B c and Λ b decay channels, and in particular we give predictions for the μ -to-e ratios of decay widths with different polarizations of the final state particles, and of the b → dl + l − processes, which are presumably more sensitive to the structure of the underlying new physics. With the new physics contributions embedded in the Wilson coefficients, we present theoretical predictions for lepton flavor non-universality in these processes.
Abstract: In this paper, a new viewpoint on the activity determination of β-galactosidase is reported. Glucose oxidase was directly immobilized on a glassy carbon electrode and mediated by ferrocene. The biosensor's performance was based on mediated electron transfer by ferrocene, which reduced via glucose oxidase reaction. In this reaction, substrate of glucose oxidase, glucose was provided by the activity of β-galactosidase in the sample. The parameters of the fabrication process for the electrode were optimized. Experimental conditions influencing the biosensor performance, such as pH, ferrocene and lactose concentrations, and temperature, were investigated and assessed. Finally, the biosensor was successfully applied to determination of β-galactosidase activity of artificial intestinal juice.
Background: Community participation is central to the success of primary health care. However, over 30 years since the Alma Ata declaration, the absence of universal community participation remains a major obstacle to combating all types of diseases. This study investigated community participation in water and sanitation activities towards schistosomiasis control in Nyalenda B, an informal settlement in Kisumu City. Methods: Eight key informant interviews (KIIs) and 8 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Additionally, data on NGOs dealing with water and sanitation activities in Kisumu was collected from the local NGO registration Board. Qualitative data was organised into themes and concepts and analyzed using Atlas.ti. Results: Most participants felt that project implementers did not involve them in key levels of project implementation, leading to unsustainable projects and unacceptance from the community. Community structures identified that could be used as avenues of engaging the community in improving water and sanitation situation included the use of organised groups, such as youth, gender-based, farmers and HIV support groups, and merry-go-rounds. Factors mentioned that hindered community participation included negative attitude from community members, poor monitoring and evaluation strategies, limited disclosure of project details, and overdependence from the community. Conclusion: Effective community participation in water and sanitation activities requires a multipronged paradigm that incorporates a change of attitude from the community, information sharing and consultation, improved monitoring and evaluation, transparency and accountability.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is worldwide one of the most important development and contract research institutes of its specific field. The activities cover a wide range of areas such as the development of new laser beam sources and components, precise laser based metrology, testing technology and industrial laser processes. This includes laser cutting, caving, drilling, welding and soldering as well as surface treatment, micro processing and rapid manufacturing.
A new detector technology was developed, particularly suitable for low-cost radioactivity monitoring in radwaste storage sites. It consists of a scintillating optical fiber coupled at each end to a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). The single photon sensitivity of the SiPM, along with the left-right coincidence constraint, allows to achieve a reasonable sensitivity to gamma radiation even though using a thin 1mm diameter plastic scintillating fiber. Simulation results are in perfect agreement with the measured behavior, and several implementations are under way. The possibility of choosing the fiber length and shape makes them very flexible both conceptually and mechanically. Any improvement in the SiPM development technology reflects immediately into an improvement in the detector performance.
High Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) is one of the major drawbacks in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). The high PAPR increases the complexity of Analogue to Digital (A/D) and Digital to Analogue (D/A) converters and also reduces the efficiency of RF High Power Amplifier (HPA). In this paper, we propose two novel PAPR reduction techniques for OFDM systems, Zadoff-Chu matrix Transform (ZCT) precoding based PAPR reduction technique and ZCT postcoding based PAPR reduction technique. Simulation results show that, at clip rate of 10-1, the PAPR of our both proposed systems reduced to 0dB, 3dB, 4.1dB and 4.3dB for M-QAM (where M = 4, 16, 64, 256). Both ZCT precoding and postcoding based OFDM systems are shown better PAPR gain and Bit Error Rate (BER) performance than Walsh Hadamard Transform precoded OFDM (WHT-OFDM) and OFDM conventional.
Terrestrial hydrocarbon spills have the potential to cause significant soil degradation across large areas. Identification and remedial measures taken at an early stage are therefore important. Reflectance spectroscopy is a rapid remote sensing method that has proven capable of characterizing hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. In this paper, we develop a deep learning approach to estimate the amount of Hydrocarbon (HC) mixed with different soil samples using a three-term backpropagation algorithm with dropout. The dropout was used to avoid overfitting and reduce computational complexity. A Hyspex SWIR 384 m camera measured the reflectance of the samples obtained by mixing and homogenizing four different soil types with four different HC substances, respectively. The datasets were fed into the proposed deep learning neural network to quantify the amount of HCs in each dataset. Individual validation of all the dataset shows excellent prediction estimation of the HC content with an average mean square error of ~ 2 . 2 × 10 - 4 . The results with remote sensed data captured by an airborne system validate the approach. This demonstrates that a deep learning approach coupled with hyperspectral imaging techniques can be used for rapid identification and estimation of HCs in soils, which could be useful in estimating the quantity of HC spills at an early stage.
Identifying corresponding objects from geospatial databases at different levels of detail is crucial, especially in multi-scale road network matching, which is the prerequisite of data conflation, updating and quality assessment. ‘Stroke’ has a considerable effect on automatic road network generalization, and is essential in the road network matching process. In road network generalization, topological relationships may change, and some roads may be deleted. In this paper, we propose a combined stroke-based matching approach of road networks considering the constraints of cartographic generalization for road networks under different scales. In the entire stroke matching, we utilize the modified Hausdorff distance for geometric similarity. We consider the topological differences in the structural similarity calculation and propose a new weight calculation method. Partial stroke matching can further identify the corresponding roads with changes and updates in different scales. We also propose a method of roundabout detection and matching. The proposed approach could not only match road networks with a small scale difference, but also road networks with a large scale difference. And it can successfully identify the M:N, M:1, 1:1, 1/M:1/N, and 1/M:1 matching relationships. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is verified by experimental results.
Rigorous lower bounds to the average electron radial density 〈 ensuremath{ rho}〉 in terms of any two moments of the charge density have been found for N-electron systems. Similar bounds to the average electron momentum density 〈 ensuremath{ gamma}〉 are also given by means of any two momentum expectation values. These bounds allow us to establish rigorous inequalities to 〈 ensuremath{ rho}〉 and 〈 ensuremath{ gamma}〉 (which have been recently found to be experimentally measurable) and other fundamental and/or measurable quantities such as the electronic energy, the diamagnetic susceptibility, and the Compton profile peak height J(0). The quality of the bounds is analytically discussed and numerically studied within the Hartree-Fock framework. Best bounds turn out to be (1) 〈 ensuremath{ rho}〉 ensuremath{ ge}〈${r}^{ mathrm{ ensuremath{-}}1}$${〉}^{3}$/9 ensuremath{ pi}N, (2) 〈 ensuremath{ gamma}〉 ensuremath{ ge}8[J${(0)]}^{3}$/9 ensuremath{ pi}N. .AE
DNA base composition (per cent GC) of thirteen coagulase-negative staphylococci has been determined. The strains originate from urinary tract infection and include members both of the genus Micrococcus and Staphylococcus in the sense laid down by the Subcommittee on Taxonomy of Staphylococci and Micrococci. All strains were found to have a per cent GC in the range typical of staphylococci (30–40). It is concluded that this observation supports the proposal by Baird-Parker to place organisms of this type in the genus Staphylococcus.
Introduction: Many surgical procedures are being performed using local anesthesia. Several articles about breast surgery describe tumescence; however, IV or general anesthesia is also used. This study examines submuscular implantation with only mild oral sedation and tumescence. Materials and Methods: Patient preparation and education was important. One hour before surgery, patients took antibiotics and pain medication. One half hour before surgery, they were given 0.11 mg of clonidine and 2 mg lorazepam. Using local anesthesia, an inframammary crease stab allowed the introduction of the infiltration sprayer under the pectoralis major muscle: 350–500 mL of 0.2% lidocaine and 1:500 000 epinephrine and bicarbonate were infiltrated and allowed to setup for 20–30 minutes. The standard implantation procedure was then performed. Results: All patients tolerated the procedure easily and were able to walk out of the office 15 minutes later. Discussion: Breast augmentation by tumescent anesthesia is a safer, more affordable alternative to general anesthesia.
The psychosocial effects of an earthquake which occurred in Newcastle, Australia in 1989 are the focus of the Quake Impact Study, a four‐phase community survey conducted over 2 years. Comparisons were made between adults aged less than 65 years (N=2371) and those aged 65 years and older (N=636). Results revealed that older subjects reported fewer threat and disruption experiences and used fewer general and disaster‐related support services. However, older subjects reported higher overall levels of post‐traumatic stress symptoms on the Impact of Event Scale (IES) compared with younger subjects. On both the IES and a general measure of morbidity (General Health Questionnaire: GHQ‐12) the effects of earthquake exposure were more marked among the elderly. Within the older group, subjects who had high levels of post‐traumatic stress symptoms (IES>25,N=117) were more likely to be female, report higher levels of exposure and use behavioural and avoidance coping styles. Although psychological distress declined with time, post‐traumatic stress symptoms remained higher for the high exposure group throughout the study. We conclude that older people may be more at risk for experiencing post‐traumatic stress reactions despite having fewer disaster‐related experiences. They may also underutilize support services following a disaster. Older women in particular and people with an avoidance coping style appear to be most vulnerable.
A down-hole tubular string in an inclined wellbore, under variable axial and torsional loading, may simultaneously undergo a sinusoidal as well as helical buckling, at different sections. In this paper, the buckling equation for a tubular string, in an inclined wellbore, subjected to axial and torsional loading, is established by an equilibrium method. The analytical solutions for the buckling equations, for sinusoidal and helical configurations of buckled tubular string, are obtained by Galerkin and nonlinear scaling methods. Methods for computing the contact forces between the buckled tubular string and wellbore, are developed. The analytical solutions are in good accordance with the numerical results, for the nonlinear buckling equation. The critical loads for sinusoidal as well as helical buckling of a down-hole tubular string are determined, using the constraint condition under which the contact force is nonnegative. Thus, the post-buckling behavior of a tubular string, with different configurations, in an inclined wellbore, is determined by the presented analytical method.
ncreased intracranial pressure (ICP) can cause bradycardia and hypertension and is referred to as the I Cushing response (1). The receptive area for the Cushing response lies in the lower brainstem (21, and the effects of increased ICP on the cardiovascular system are mediated through the autonomic nervous system (3). What is less well appreciated is that bradycardia can also be precipitated by a sudden decrease in ICP. We describe three cases where sudden decreases in ICP during neurosurgical procedures were followed by severe bradycardia and, in one case, prolonged asystole. The first case involved lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage, which was done to facilitate surgical exposure during a craniotomy. In the remaining two cases, bradycardia occurred during the application of closed negative pressure drainage systems after craniotomy.
While there are several studies on the relationship between learning disabilities and creativity, there is no conclusive scientific proof of a direct relationship between the two at this time. Like several of the case studies available, Wendy Wasserstein's life and work provide examples of the effect a learning disability like dyslexia can have on career choice and an individual's ability to develop and implement novel ideas. This article examines Wasserstein's education, early work, and the role dyslexia played in choices she made related to her decision to become a writer, and her creative process. It also considers the advantage of reframing the way a learning disability can be viewed in relation to career choice and creativity. Keywords: dyslexia, learning disability, creativity
Monte Carlo calculations using the codes PENELOPE and GEANT4 have been performed to characterize the dosimetric parameters of the new 20 mm long catheter-based 32P beta source manufactured by the Guidant Corporation. The dose distribution along the transverse axis and the two-dimensional dose rate table have been calculated. Also, the dose rate at the reference point, the radial dose function, and the anisotropy function were evaluated according to the adapted TG-60 formalism for cylindrical sources. PENELOPE and GEANT4 codes were first verified against previous results corresponding to the old 27 mm Guidant 32P beta source. The dose rate at the reference point for the unsheathed 27 mm source in water was calculated to be 0.215 +/- 0.001 cGy s(-1) mCi(-1), for PENELOPE, and 0.2312 +/- 0.0008 cGy s(-1) mCi(-1), for GEANT4. For the unsheathed 20 mm source, these values were 0.2908 +/- 0.0009 cGy s(-1) mCi(-1) and 0.311 0.001 cGy s(-1) mCi(-1), respectively. Also, a comparison with the limited data available on this new source is shown. We found non-negligible differences between the results obtained with PENELOPE and GEANT4.
Amorphous SiGe nanoparticles embedded in an oxide matrix, with controlled composition, diameter of a few nm, located in the same plane and with an areal density above 1012 cm–2 have been deposited by Low Pressure Chemical Vapour Deposition in a single run using a conventional hot wall reactor. The deposited nanoparticles were crystallized by Rapid Thermal Annealing. X‐ray Reflectometry and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry, with models developed for these purposes, have been tested as fast and reliable analytical tools to determine the composition, size and areal density of the nanoparticles. Transmission Electron Microscopy has been used to validate the results and to study the nanoparticle crystallization. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The  world  faces  a  major  challenge  in  adapting  to  a  future  where  demand  for  water  is  accelerating,  but  supply  remains  essentially  fixed  and  increasingly  variable.  Meeting  this  challenge  is  central  to  achieving  the  Sustainable  Development  Goals  (SDGs)  as  water  is  a  common  denominator  linking  health,  food  security  and  nutrition,  clean  energy,  sustainable  cities,  climate  action,  gender  equality  and  the  protection  of  ecosystems.  The  overall  framing  of  the  SDGs,  and  Goal  6  specifically,  marked  a  desire  to  unite  the  hitherto  polarised  spheres  of  environment  and  development,  recognising  the  need  to  both  develop  water  resources  for  domestic  and  productive  uses,  and  to  protect  them  for  current  and  future  generations  (1,  2).  Against  this  background,  Goal  6   ‐  Ensuring  availability  and  sustainable  management  of  water  and  sanitation  for  all  by  2030  –  represents  a  hard  ‐  won  marriage  of  environmental  and  developmental  objectives.  But  can  we  ‘have  our  cake  and  eat  it?’  Unlike  energy,  where  tradeoffs  between  energy  expansion  and  environmental  degradation  can  be  negated  through  renewables,  extending  access  to  water  without  a  commensurate  increase  in  ‘efficiency’,  or  reallocation  from  another  use/user,  may  increase  pressure  on  a  finite  resource.  In  a  2050  world  of  almost  10  billion  people  1  requiring  food,  energy  and  drinking  water,  demands  and  trade  ‐  offs  will  increase
Recently, thoracoscopic approaches to the spine have taken on greater clinical applications in the treatment of spinal deformity with generally good results. However, the steep learning curve must be ascended by the surgeon and may lead to complications early in one's experience. There also exists a learning curve for the anesthesiologist to become adept at obtaining single lung ventilation and managing this throughout the operative procedure. We report a case of an 11-year-old patient with severe scoliosis who developed air in both chest cavities, mediastinum, peritoneum, retroperitoneum, and subcutaneous tissue after intubation with a double-lumen endotracheal tube. The patient remained hemodynamically stable throughout this period, and bilateral chest tubes were placed. The patient remained on the ventilator for 24 hours and was extubated without sequelae. Complications from a thoracoscopic approach to the spine for deformity are most often attributed to the learning curve of the surgeon; however, the entire operative team becomes exposed to the challenges of performing this procedure. This report documents a life-threatening complication of air throughout the chest, mediastinum, abdomen, and subcutaneous tissues in a patient with severe scoliosis.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of focal or diffuse myelin damage or remyelination may provide important insights into disease progression and potential treatment efficacy in multiple sclerosis (MS). We performed post-mortem MRI and histopathological myelin measurements in seven progressive MS cases to evaluate the ability of three myelin-sensitive MRI scans to distinguish different stages of MS pathology, particularly chronic demyelinated and remyelinated lesions. At 3 Tesla, we acquired two different myelin water imaging (MWI) scans and magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR) data. Histopathology included histochemical stainings for myelin phospholipids (LFB) and iron as well as immunohistochemistry for myelin proteolipid protein (PLP), CD68 (phagocytosing microglia/macrophages) and BCAS1 (remyelinating oligodendrocytes). Mixed-effects modelling determined which histopathological metric best predicted MWF and MTR in normal-appearing and diffusely abnormal white matter, active/inactive, inactive, remyelinated and ischemic lesions. Both MWI measures correlated well with each other and histology across regions, reflecting the different stages of MS pathology. MTR data showed a considerable influence of components other than myelin and a strong dependency on tissue storage duration. Both MRI and histology revealed increased myelin densities in inactive compared with active/inactive lesions. Chronic inactive lesions harboured single scattered myelin fibres indicative of low-level remyelination. Mixed-effects modelling showed that smaller differences between white matter areas were linked to PLP densities and only to a small extent confounded by iron. MWI reflects differences in myelin lipids and proteins across various levels of myelin densities encountered in MS, including low-level remyelination in chronic inactive lesions.
A consistent response to liver injury is the activation of resident mesenchymal cells known as lipocytes (Ito, fat-storing cells) into a proliferating cell type. In cultured lipocytes, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is the most potent proliferative cytokine, but requires the activation-dependent expression of its receptor protein (Friedman, S. L., and M. J. P. Arthur. 1989. J. Clin. Invest. 84:1780-1785); the role of PDGF receptor (PDGFR) in liver injury is unknown. We have examined PDGFR gene expression in freshly isolated lipocytes during liver injury and correlated these findings with a culture model of cellular activation. Whereas lipocytes from normal rats had no detectable transcript for the beta-PDGFR subunit, this mRNA was induced within 1 h after a dose of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). In contrast, alpha subunit mRNA was detected in normal cells, but was unchanged after liver injury. Similar results were observed in lipocytes from bile duct-obstructed rats, although beta-PDGFR induction was less marked. By immunoblot, induction of beta-PDGFR protein in lipocytes isolated from CCl4-treated animals correlated with mRNA increases. In contrast to lipocytes, endothelial cells from normal liver expressed low levels of alpha- and beta-receptor subunit mRNA, which did not increase with injury. Using a beta-PDGFR antibody, receptor protein could be identified within fibrotic septa in CCl4-treated animals in regions where cells expressed proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). In cultured lipocytes activated by growth on uncoated plastic, beta-PDGFR transcripts appeared within 3 d after plating, which coincided with the onset of cellular proliferation. In contrast, quiescent cells in suspension culture had no detectable beta-PDGFR mRNA. These results indicate that beta-PDGF receptor induction by lipocytes is an early event during hepatic injury in vivo and in primary culture.
Epilepsy is one of the common nervous system diseases and a complex brain disease that severely damages the life and health of humans. One-third of all epilepsy patients have medically intractable epilepsy (IE), for which anti-epileptic drugs are not effective. Therefore, discovery of potential drug targets is urgent and meaningful for better clinical solutions. Using the IE terms from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terminology, we integrated literature-based disease-gene relationships, which were extracted from the CoreMine PubMed search engine system, protein-protein interactions (PPI) and drug-target relationships from heterogeneous data sources, and used the network medicine approach to identify disease modules and detect enriched pathways. The potential drug targets and the underlying mechanisms were confirmed by chemical-protein interaction network and published literatures. Using 23 IE MeSH terms, we manually searched the CoreMine system to obtain 1,400 diseasegene associations, which had 871 distinct genes from the PubMed database. With the help of the PPI database (i.e. String 9), we mapped the genes to the PPI network and utilized the BGL community detection method to find 33 disease-related topological PPI modules that contain 640 proteins and 2,483 links. After that, we used the enrichment analysis method to obtain the PPI modules with pathway and gene ontology enrichment. Finally, we confirmed nine significant PPI modules that are considered as epilepsy disease modules with significant functional signatures. We combined genes with drugs in the DrugBank database to confirm the four proteins, MT-CYB, UQCRB, UQCRC1 and UQCRH, which would be potential drug targets for IE. The results of this study demonstrated that integrated network data sources and network-based approach are useful to understand the molecular mechanism and extract potential drug targets for IE.
The ring-like cohesin complex mediates sister chromatid cohesion by encircling pairs of sister chromatids. Cohesin also extrudes loops along chromatids. Whether the two activities involve similar mechanisms of DNA engagement is not known. We implemented an experimental approach based on isolated nuclei carrying engineered cleavable RAD21 proteins to precisely control cohesin ring integrity so that its role in chromatin looping could be studied under defined experimental conditions. This approach allowed us to identify cohesin complexes with distinct biochemical, and possibly structural properties, that mediate different sets of chromatin loops. When RAD21 is cleaved and the cohesin ring is opened, cohesin complexes at CTCF sites are released from DNA and loops at these elements are lost. In contrast, cohesin-dependent loops within chromatin domains and that are not anchored at CTCF sites are more resistant to RAD21 cleavage. The results show that the cohesin complex mediates loops in different ways depending on genomic context and suggests that it undergoes structural changes as it dynamically extrudes and encounters CTCF sites.
We have demonstrated what is to our knowledge the first quasi-three-level CW Nd:CLNGG laser with simple linear resonator. When the pump power was 18.2 W, a maximum output power of 1.63 W was obtained at the dual-wavelength of 935 nm and 928 nm. The optical-to-optical conversion efficiency was 9.0% and the slope efficiency was 11.5%. Lasing characteristics of a quasi-three-level CW Nd:CNGG laser were also investigated. A maximum output power of 1.87 W was obtained at the single-wavelength of 935 nm with 15.2 W pump power, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 12.3% and a slope efficiency of 15.6%.
The Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass (CREAM) balloon‐borne experiment, designed to directly measure cosmic‐ray particle energies from ∼1011 to ∼1015 eV, had two successful flights since December 2004, with a total duration of 70 days. The CREAM calorimeter is comprised of 20 layers of 1 radiation length (X0) tungsten interleaved with 20 active layers each made up of fifty 1 cm wide scintillating fiber ribbons. The scintillation signals are read out with multi pixel Hybrid Photo Diodes (HPDs), VA32‐HDR2/TA32C ASICs and LTC1400 ADCs. During detector construction, various tests were carried out using radioactive sources, UV‐LEDs, and particle beams. We will present results from these tests and show preliminary results from the two flights.
SAGE journals patient relapsed again (red line), their OT score reduced again so took longer to recover. At 12 months after baseline, the OT score will now be recovering in the relapsing patients, and that may explain why there was no difference in score improvement at this timepoint, when compared to baseline (median 0.25 (interquartile range [IQR] = 2.00) vs median 0.25 (IQR = 2.00), p = 0.537); in Bsteh’s Supplemental Table 1). To further support this theory, Bsteh’s Supplemental Table 3 shows that patients with lower OT scores relapse significantly earlier, which may not be enough time for OT score recovery (e.g median time to relapse 2 years if OT M0 ⩽ 5.75 v. 3.6 years if OT M0 > 5.75).
Abstract Piezoelectric composites of PZT and polymers were prepared by mixing tiny plastic spheres with PZT powder in an organic binder and firing the mixture to give a ceramic skeleton. After cooling, the skeleton was back-filled with polymer and poled. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties were measured on samples ranging from 30 to 70 volume % PZT, and compared with a rectangular skeleton model for 3–3 composites. Composites containing 50% PZT-50% silicone rubber appear especially useful for hydrophone applications with dhgh products a hundred times larger than PZT.
Given a subspace<inline-equation><f><blkbd>X⊆R</blkbd><sup>d</sup></f></inline-equation> and a finite set <inline-equation><f>S⊆<blkbd>R</blkbd><sup>d</sup></f></inline-equation>, we introduce the Delaunay simplicial complex, <inline-equation><f><sc>D</sc><inf><blkbd>X</blkbd></inf></f></inline-equation>, restricted by <inline-equation><f><blkbd>X</blkbd></f></inline-equation>. Its simplices are spanned by subsets<inline-equation><f>T⊆S</f></inline-equation> for which the common intersection of Voronoi cells meets <inline-equation><f><blkbd>X</blkbd></f></inline-equation> in a non-empty set. By the nerve theorem,<inline-equation><f><lim align="c"><op>⋃</op></lim><sc>D</sc><inf><blkbd>X</blkbd></inf></f></inline-equation> and <inline-equation><f><blkbd>X</blkbd></f></inline-equation> are homotopy equivalent if all such sets are contractible. This paper shows that <inline-equation><f><lim align="c"><op>⋃</op></lim><sc>D</sc><inf><blkbd>X</blkbd></inf></f></inline-equation> and <inline-equation><f><blkbd>X</blkbd></f></inline-equation> <?Pub Caret1>are homeomorphic if the sets can be further subdivided in a certain way so they form a regular CW complex.
Polymorphonuclear eosinophilic leucocytes (PME) participate in wound healing processes, the inflammatory response, bronchial asthma, allergies and defence against invading parasites. We have examined the effects of thiopental, methohexital, propofol, etomidate and ketamine on PME chemotaxis in vitro. PME were isolated from venous blood samples of 10 healthy volunteers using multi-stage Percoll gradient centrifugation. Eosinophilic chemotaxis was determined using a 48-well microchemotaxis chamber. Thiopental 150 micrograms ml-1 and etomidate 0.32 microgram ml-1 caused significant (P < or = 0.05) inhibition of PME chemotaxis. We conclude that thiopental and etomidate may have an adverse influence on wound healing processes and parasitic diseases. Further studies are recommended.
Black silicon structures were formed by etching of silicon substrates based on the surface structure chemical transfer method. Formed structures show gradient of material density in the nanocrystalline Si layer leading to ultralow spectral reflectance below 3% in wide spectral region. In study of the development of microstructure properties during the forming procedure the TEM images were used. Information abut the microstructure observed in the TEM images was analysed by the Abbott-Firestone method. By using this approach limiting conditions for the black silicon layer formation were obtained. Spectral reflectances of studied samples were modelled by using the effective medium theory. Multilayer theoretical model based on splitting the black silicon layer into 20 sublayers was constructed. Optical properties of each individual sublayer were described by using Bruggeman effective media theory combining Si, SiO2 and void fractions. Gradual development of real and imaginary part of complex index of refraction was observed in the volume of black silicon layers. Results of optical analysis correspond to the microstructure development during sample forming.
to the fullest physical, mental, social, vocational, and economic usefulness of which he is capable. In the past, nursing care has too often stopped short of fulfilling the obligations of that definition. Nurses have helped restore the physically sick to health and the mentally ill to emotional balance but they have known very little about residual disability and handicapping conditions. One member of the medical profession has said that we all have been more
Gerard Schurmann was born of Dutch parents in the former Dutch East Indies in 1924, but spent more than 40 years, including the most formative period of his musical life, in England before moving to the US in 1981. Even during his years in the Netherlands as orchestral conductor with the Dutch Radio in his early twenties, he maintained an apartment in London, sometimes commuting to his place of work in Hilversum. His experience was similar to Bernard van Dieren, another Dutch-born composer who lived in England, although not for as many years as Schurmann: Holland has made no particular move to claim either as a Dutch composer. It was in England that Schurmann developed his skills and persona as a musician, after arriving as a teenager in 1941.
This paper describes a new fault-tolerant routing algorithm for k-ary n-cubes using the concept of " probability vectors ". To compute these vectors, a node determines first its faulty set, which represents the set of all its neighbouring nodes that are faulty or unreachable due to faulty links. Each node then calculates a probability vector, where the lth element represents the probability that a destination node at distance l cannot be reached through a minimal path due to a faulty node or link. The probability vectors are used by all the nodes to achieve an efficient fault-tolerant routing in the network. An extensive performance analysis conducted in this study reveals that the proposed algorithm exhibits good fault-tolerance properties in terms of the achieved percentage of reachability and routing distances.
Abstract The suboesophageal ganglion of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, contains three clusters of neurosecretory cells that are imrnunoreactive with antisera against the diapause hormone (DH) and the pheromone biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide (PBAN), the two neurohormones that are generated from a common precursor protein. The cells lie on the ventral midline of the ganglion. Neurosecretory cell clusters responsible for the diapause induction activity and the pheromonotropic activity of females were determined by surgically removing one or two of the three clusters of the DH/ PBAN imrnunoreactive cells. A potent diapause induction activity was obtained in females retaining a posterior cluster of cells while a strong pheromonotropic activity was obtained in case of females with a medial cluster. The functional differentiation of these cells may relate to different biochemical and/or physiological natures.
The results of photoelectric and spectrographic observations of Nova Vul 1968 No. 1 are described. U, B, V magnitudes and colours ranging from 1968 April 18 to June 15 are given. The distance of the nova was estimated to 1450 ± 400 pc (m. e.). Its interstellar absorption amounts to AV = 1.2 ± 0.2 mag (m. e). Spectra were obtained between 1968 April 18 and May 8 and were used to measure radial velocities for two absorption systems.
Given the limited performance of 2D cellular automata in terms of space when the number of documents increases and in terms of visualization clusters, our motivation was to experiment these cellular automata by increasing the size to view the impact of size on quality of results. The representation of textual data was carried out by a vector model whose components are derived from the overall balancing of the used corpus, Term Frequency Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF). The WorldNet thesaurus has been used to address the problem of the lemmatization of the words because the representation used in this study is that of the bags of words. Another independent method of the language was used to represent textual records is that of the n-grams. Several measures of similarity have been tested. To validate the classification we have used two measures of assessment based on the recall and precision (f-measure and entropy). The results are promising and confirm the idea to increase the dimension to the problem of the spatiality of the classes. The results obtained in terms of purity class (i.e. the minimum value of entropy) shows that the number of documents over longer believes the results are better for 3D cellular automata, which was not obvious to the 2D dimension. In terms of spatial navigation, cellular automata provide very good 3D performance visualization than 2D cellular automata.
Objective The T allele of C-reactive protein (CRP) +1444C/T (rs1130864) polymorphism was associated with increased risk for some inflammatory conditions. The objective of the study was to explore the association between the CRP +1444C/T polymorphism with the susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in a Chinese population. Methods This case-control study enrolled 480 PTB patients and 480 healthy controls. The CRP +1444C/T polymorphism was determined using Sanger sequencing. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were assessed to examine the strength of genetic correlation. Results The genotype and allele frequencies of PTB patients differed from controls (CT vs. CC, OR = 1.924, 95% CI: 1.099-3.371, adjusted P value = 0.022; T vs. C, OR = 1.884, 95% CI: 1.085-3.273, adjusted P value = 0.024). Stratified analysis by sex found that PTB patients' genotype and allele frequencies differed from controls in the male subgroup but not the female subgroup. Conclusion In conclusion, the minor T allele of CRP +1444C/T polymorphism was associated with increased PTB risk.
Intracellular pH is an important modulator of cell functions, and its subtle change may dramatically affect the cellular activities and cause diseases. A reliable imaging of the intracellular pH is still a great challenge. We imaged the intracellular pH during the cell cycle at the single living cell level using newly designed cell-penetrating peptide conjugated pH nanosensors on a home-built in situ microscopic cell culture platform. The conjugated cell-penetrating peptide greatly enhanced the uptake of nanosensors without sacrificing the pH response. We observed a gradual alkalization from interphase to prophase and rapid acidification from prometaphase to telophase, reflecting variation and consumption of the species related to the energy storage during cell cycle. We realized SERS-based pH and fluorescence dual-mode imaging when the pH sensor was further modified with fluorescence dye. The integration of SERS imaging with in situ microscopic cell culture system offers great opportunity for revealing the intracellular pH-related biological and pathological processes.
Hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry is a sensitive, salt-tolerant and high-throughput method useful to probe protein conformation and molecular interactions. However, a drawback of the MALDI HDX technique is that sample preparation methods can typically result in higher levels of artificial deuterium in-exchange and/or hydrogen back-exchange just prior to or during mass analysis; this may impair data reproducibility and impede structural and kinetic data interpretation. While methods to minimize effects of back-exchange during protein analyte deposition on MALDI plates have been reported, this study presents a readily available, highly sensitive protein control set to facilitate rapid MALDI HDX protocol workup. The Ca2+-induced solvent accessible surface area (ASA) changes of calmodulin (CaM) and S100 proteins were employed to monitor and optimize HDX protocol efficiency. Under non-stringent room temperature conditions, the Ca2+-induced deuterium exchange of CaM, ΔDca2+, MH+ shifts −17 Da to −24 Da, while S100 ΔDca2+ MH+ shifts +8 Da to +12 Da. By comparing the divergent CaM and S100 Ca2+-induced deuterium mass shift differences, HDX sample workup and MALDI plate spotting conditions can easily be monitored.
In advanced time-division multiple-access (TDMA) mobile communications systems, reduced-state equalization algorithms have to be employed because high-level modulation is used in order to improve spectral efficiency. Reduced-state equalizers yield only high performance, if the overall discrete-time system to be equalized is minimum-phase. Therefore, in general, a discrete-time prefilter has to be inserted in front of equalization. For prefilter computation, several approaches are investigated in this paper. For the finite impulse response (FIR) prefilter case, which seems to be more relevant for practical applications than the in finite impulse response case, we discuss a method based on minimum mean-squared error decision-feedback equalization and a novel approach based on linear prediction (LP). The LP method seems to be very robust and requires an only moderate amount of computational complexity. Here, the prefilter consists of the cascade of a channel-matched filter and a prediction-error filter, which may be viewed as a finite-length approximation to the noise whitening part of the ideal prefilter transfer function. A key observation of the paper is that the proposed cascaded structure enables a very efficient prefilter computation because a prediction-error filter can be calculated via the Levinson-Durbin algorithm. Simulation results are given, which demonstrate that the performance of reduced-state equalization with proper FIR prefiltering is close to that of equalization combined with ideal all-pass prefiltering. Furthermore, it is shown that high performance can be obtained for TDMA mobile communications systems, if the LP scheme is employed for prefiltering.
Globally, average dietary sodium intake is double the recommended amount, whereas potassium is often consumed in suboptimal amounts. High sodium diets are associated with increased cardiovascular and renal disease risk, while potassium may have protective properties. Consequently, patients at risk of cardiovascular and renal disease are urged to follow these recommendations, but dietary adherence is often low due to high sodium and low potassium content in processed foods. Adequate monitoring of intake is essential to guide dietary advice in clinical practice and can be used to investigate the relationship between intake and health outcomes. Daily sodium and potassium intake is often estimated with 24-h sodium and potassium excretion, but long-term balance studies demonstrate that this method lacks accuracy on an individual level. Dietary assessment tools and spot urine collections also exhibit poor performance when estimating individual sodium and potassium intake. Collection of multiple consecutive 24-h urines increases accuracy, but also patient burden. In this narrative review, we discuss current approaches to estimating dietary sodium and potassium intake. Additionally, we explore alternative methods that may improve test accuracy without increasing burden.
Recurrent infection of the oral tissues with herpes simplex virus (HSV) may be manifested as the familiar lesions of recurrent herpes labialis (RHL), as silent oral excretion of HSV (carrier state), or by oral excretion of HSV in association with the lesions of recurrent intraoral HSV infection (RIH). The latter two clinical manifestations may occur alone or in association with RHL (GREENBERG ET AL, J Dent Res 48:385-391, 1969; WEATHERS and GRIFFIN, JADA 81:81-88, 1970). Since levels of immunoglobulin A have been suggested as important humoral factors in susceptibility to recurrent herpes (TOKUMARU, J lInmunol 97: 248-259, 1966), serum concentrations of the three major immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM) were measured in patients who exhibited each of the three main types of recurrent herpes of the oral tissues. Serum was obtained from 58 febrile, hospitalized patients within three days after the onset of fever, and from 53 afebrile controls from the same ward (GREENBERG ET AL, 1969). Seventy-eight of the 111 patients had serum complement-fixing antibody to HSV and 14 of these had recurrent herpes confirmed by isolation of HSV at the time the serum was obtained. Four of the 14 had RHL only, six were carriers, and four had both RHL and RIH. IgA, IgM, and IgG were measured in each serum by a modification of the Mancini technique of immunodiffusion in agar gel.* To check the accuracy of the plates, a series of 18 determinations of IgG, IgA, and IgM were made on a serum sample. In this serum, IgG had a mean of 920, SD-+-58.2, mg % (CV, 7%); IgM a mean of 65, SD --+ 6.8, mg % (CV, 10.4%); and IgA a mean of 135, SD ± 3.7, mg % (CV, 2.7%).
The white skate Rostroraja alba is assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Endangered globally and is now considered rare in the Mediterranean. This species has never been recorded in Sardinian seas (central western Mediterranean), but an empty eggcase was collected on a sandy bottom off the western Sardinia coasts during the MEDiterranean International Trawl Survey (MEDITS) program in 2019. A morphometric and morphological description of the Sardinian eggcase, after a comparison with measurements from other Mediterranean and Atlantic specimens, showed it to be clearly ascribable to Rostroraja alba.
Osteoporosis is a disease attributed to an imbalance in communication between osteoblasts and osteoclasts, possibly arising from a locally acidic microenvironment which hinders normal cell function. However, to date, little or no attention has been paid to these cells' milieu in respect of implant materials. Although it has been claimed for a few biomaterials that they stimulate bone formation, seldom has their surface behavior been invoked to explain behavior. With degradation, ion concentrations and pH at the material's surface must vary and thus may affect osteoblast response directly. On degradation of a recently developed biomaterial, Sr-containing CaSiO3, the interfacial pH was found to be appreciably higher than that of the bulk medium and the "standard" physiological value of 7.4. At these high values (pH > 8), both the proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of osteoblasts was significantly enhanced, with a maximum response at 10% Sr substitution for Ca. This shows that the chemistry of the solid-liquid interface is a critical factor in bone regeneration, although this has generally been overlooked. Thus, the interfacial pH in particular is to be considered, rather than the bulk value, and this may be of importance in many related contexts in bone-tissue engineering.
A path-following steering controller of automated lane change system with adaptive preview time is proposed in this paper. Model predictive control is employed to design the steering controller. A path geometry change (PGC) index is proposed to adjust the preview time of the controller. The PGC index is defined as the average of the absolute value of the double derivative of the target path in the prediction horizon. A cost function which consists of the lateral displacement errors between the target path and predicted path for lane change, and the steering angles within the prediction horizon is minimized to generate the optimal path-following steering angle command to perform the automated lane change control. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively reduce the path-following error while reducing the lateral acceleration and jerk for a more comfortable lane change maneuver.
The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of vowel height and vocal intensity on the magnitude of anticipatory nasal airflow in normal speakers when producing vowel-nasal-vowel (VNV) sequences. Measurements of nasal and oral airflow were obtained from 15 men and 12 women with normal speech during production of the VNV sequences /ini/ and /ana/ at low, medium, and high intensity levels. Ratios of nasal to oral-plus-nasal airflow were calculated for the initial vowel of both utterances at each of the intensity levels. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures indicated a significant main effect of intensity level and a significant vowel-by-sex interaction effect (p < .05) on the airflow ratios. Overall, the airflow ratio was reduced at high as compared to low intensity levels, regardless of sex of the speaker or vowel type. Female speakers exhibited greater airflow ratios during production of /ini/ than during productions of /ana/. Their airflow ratios were also greater during production of /ini/ than were those of male speakers. The results suggest that vocal intensity may affect velopharyngeal (VP) function in an assimilative nasal phonetic context. The results further suggest that anticipatory nasal airflow may be determined by the configuration of the oral cavity to a greater extent in women than in men. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
ABSTRACT Carrying out effective and efficient research on Mexican law presents special challenges. Some of these are structural because they condition the entire research process. This guide covers all aspects of Mexican legal research, providing a contextualized overview of the subject. The guide is organized into three main sections: Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, and Online Resources. The reader of this guide will gain a solid foundation in how to do research on Mexican law.
Single species non-neutral plasmas have very robust confinement properties because the conservation of canonical angular momentum in a system with azimuthal symmetry provides a powerful constraint on the allowed radial positions of the particles. If no external torques act on the plasma, the plasma cannot expand radially to the wall. However, collisions with a background neutral gas will exert a torque on the rotating plasma thus allowing the mean-square radius to increase. In the electron diffusion gauge experiment, a pure electron plasma is confined in a Malmberg–Penning trap and the radial density profile is measured as a function of time. The base pressure is 5×10−10 Torr and purified helium is injected to pressures ⩾5×10−9 Torr. The magnetic field is varied between 100 and 600 G. The experimentally measured radial density profile shape is found to match closely the theoretically predicted (expanding) equilibrium profile, where a single free parameter proportional to the electron temperature T is vari...
Uncertainty is an important characteristic of scheduling model for scale farm machinery operation organizing. Practice shows that scheduling model without considering uncertainties is nearly useless. Uncertain influence factors arisen from natural environment, society and economy, market and supply, and customer and behavior, exist widely, emerge frequently, and affect production deeply. Uncertainties interfere with the allocation of productive factors on temporal and spatial dimensions for farm machinery operation scheduling and management. Questionnaire for farm machinery organizations was designed and finished in 2014. Both occurrence frequency and influence degree for each factor were quantified. Four influence factors including operation location change, weather mutation, parts supply delay, and operation skill defects appear in both list of high occurrence and deep influence. Then results of questionnaire and results of specific investigation were used to study temporal and spatial scheduling model and system for farm machinery management. Three case studies are introduced. The first case is about the uncertainty and countermeasure of forage harvesters scheduling and monitoring for a professional forage plantation company. The second case is about the uncertainty and counter measure of cotton-picker scheduling and monitoring for a professional cotton picking company. And the third case is about the uncertainty and countermeasure of social service management for a professional cooperative. The cases show that the research has strong pertinence to deal with uncertainties and can improve management efficiency of farm machinery operation.
SiGe p-metal–oxide–silicon field-effect transistors (p-MOSFETs) were fabricated with ultrathin thin (∼20 A) remote plasma chemical vapor deposition gate oxides deposited directly on SiGe. A low temperature water vapor annealing was used to improve the SiO2/SiGe interface and performance of SiGe p-MOSFETs. After the wet annealing, dangling Si and Ge bonds at the interface are passivated by atomic hydrogen, the threshold voltage of SiGe p-MOSFETs decreases from −0.39 to −0.20 V, the subthreshold slope from 117 to 87 mV/dec, and more than 20% output current enhancement is observed in these SiGe p-MOSFETs compared with Si control devices.
Objective  To explore the efficacy of middle and high (mid-high) flow intracranial-external vascular bypass in treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms and selection of grafts.      Methods  The clinical data of 79 patients with complicated intracranial aneurysms treated by mid-high flow extracranial-intracranial bypass in our hospital from August 2010 to October 2017 were collected retrospectively. The grafts were radial artery (n=21), saphenous vein of the calf segment (n=29) or thigh saphenous vein segment (n=29). The efficacy was determined based on Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) scores at discharge and modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores at follow-up, and the differences of occlusion in different types of grafts were analyzed.      Results  CTA showed patency of the grafts in all patients one d after surgery. There were 6 patients having vascular occlusion: 2 patients (the grafts at saphenous vein of the calf segment) were occluded 3 and 4 d after surgery, without symptom; 2 patients (the grafts at the radial artery), with decreased limb muscle strength, were occluded 5 and 25 d after procedure; 2 patients (the grafts at the saphenous veins of the calf segment) were occluded 6 months after procedure without any symptom. There were 4 patients developed cerebral ischemia after operation: one had cerebral infarction and three had vasospasm. GOS scores at discharge and mRS scores at follow-up showed that 78 patients had improved symptoms and good prognosis; one patient showed no improvement in symptoms and plant survival.      Conclusion  Mid-high flow extracranial-intracranial bypass for treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms is effective; the graft should be individually selected based on preoperative assessment results.      Key words:  Extracranial-intracranial bypass; Intracranial aneurysm; Mid-high flow; Graft
A theoretical analysis of convective instability driven by buoyancy forces under the transient concentration fields is conducted in an initially quiescent, liquid-saturated, cylindrical porous layer with gas diffusion from below. Darcy’s law and Boussinesq approximation are used to explain the characteristics of fluid motion, and linear stability theory is employed to predict the onset of buoyancy-driven motion. Under the principle of exchange of stabilities, the stability equations are derived on the basis of the propagation theory and the dominant mode method, which have been developed in a self-similar boundary layer coordinate system. The present predictions suggest the critical Darcy–Rayleigh number RD, which is quite different from the previous ones. The onset time becomes smaller with increasing RD and follows the asymptotic relation derived in the infinite horizontal porous layer.
Increasing spatial resolution and increasing ensemble size both tend to improve the skill of ensemble forecasts. Due to computational constraints, a balance needs to be found in operational NWP. Here, we examine a scenario where ensembles are formed by pooling k lower‐resolution and m higher‐resolution members such that the overall computational cost is equal to the constraint. The approach is applied to medium‐range weather forecasts with ECMWF's Integrated Forecasting System using horizontal resolutions of 18, 29 and 45 km and ensemble sizes ranging from 8 to 254 members. The methodology is similar to the multi‐level Monte‐Carlo approach but does not use stochastic perturbations that are shared between members at different levels. Probabilistic skill is quantified for 850 hPa temperature verified against analyses and 2 m temperature verified against station observations. Generally, dual‐resolution ensembles with similar numbers of lower and higher‐resolution members provide the optimal configuration for 2 m temperature prediction. In contrast, single‐resolution ensembles appear to be the most skilful for 850 hPa temperature. The dual‐resolution ensembles are a special kind of multi‐model ensemble. An analytic model describing the skill of such a multi‐model ensemble is developed and its parameters are estimated from the actual verification statistics. The model is capable of describing the general differences in behaviour between 2 m temperature and 850 hPa temperature.
Several large cloze-style context-question-answer datasets have been introduced recently: the CNN and Daily Mail news data and the Children's Book Test. Thanks to the size of these datasets, the associated text comprehension task is well suited for deep-learning techniques that currently seem to outperform all alternative approaches. We present a new, simple model that uses attention to directly pick the answer from the context as opposed to computing the answer using a blended representation of words in the document as is usual in similar models. This makes the model particularly suitable for question-answering problems where the answer is a single word from the document. Ensemble of our models sets new state of the art on all evaluated datasets.
Background: Adult weight gain and obesity have consistently been associated with breast cancer development but the biological mechanisms operating remain unclear. Adipose tissue may develop low-grade inflammation, observed as apoptotic adipocytes surrounded by macrophages forming characteristic crown-like structures (CLS). We questioned whether CLS and adipocyte size in breast fat tissue are biomarkers of patient9s body fat distribution, dyslipidemia and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), factors associated with breast cancer development. Material and Methods: Among 55 women, aged 35-75 years, with newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer (stage I/II), measurements of body composition: waist to hips ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and total fat percentage (DEXA,%) were assessed. Concentrations of lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides) and hs-CRP were determined in fasting serum blood samples. Surgical specimens of breast tumours with surrounding fat tissue were examined in Haematoxylin Eosin and CD68 stained slides to assess the size of adipocytes (μm) and CLS density (CLS/cm2). We used linear regression models to study the association between mammary adipose tissue parameters, body composition, serum lipids and inflammatory markers. Results: The breast cancer patients had the following means: age at diagnosis, 55.2 years, BMI, 25.2 kg/m2, WHR, 0.88, truncal fat, 38.1%, total cholesterol, 5.76 mmol/l, triglycerides, 1.19 mmol/l and hs-CRP 1.75 mg/L. The mean tumour size was 16.3 mm, 93% of tumors were estrogen receptor positive and 82% were progesterone receptor positive. Mean adipocyte size was 68.0 μm and mean CLS density was 0.12 CLS/cm2. Adipocyte size and CLS density were positively associated with BMI (padipocytes = 0.004, pCLS-density = 0.008), WHR (padipocytes = 0.003, pCLS-density = 0.009) and truncal fat (padipocytes Conclusion: Breast adipose tissue markers such as adipocyte size and CLS, reflecting local low-grade inflammation, were positively associated with excess weight, truncal fat, dyslipidemia and a high level of hs-CRP. In addition to the systemic effect, it is conceivable that fat tissue inflammation in the vicinity of the breast cancer can influence events in a paracrine manner. These findings point to important biomarkers in breast tissue that may co-exist with serum biomarkers associated with breast cancer development. Citation Format: Charlotte Vaysse, Inger Thune, Oystein Garred, Catherine Muller, Ellen Schlichting, Froydis Fjeldheim, Anne McTiernan, Hanne Frydenberg, Anders Husoy, Steinar Lundgren, Morten W Fagerland, Erik A Wist, Jon Lomo. Crown-like structures and adipocyte size in fat tissue adjacent to breast tumor reflect parameters of obesity, dyslipidemia and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 3925.
The literature on the potential impacts of climate change on the health of outdoor workers has received limited attention as a whole, and in sub-Saharan African countries in particular. Yet, substantial numbers of workers are experiencing the health effects of elevated temperature, in combination with changes in precipitation patterns, climate extremes and the effects of air pollution, which have a potential impact on their safety and wellbeing. With increased temperatures within urban settlements and frequent heats waves, there has been a sudden rise in the occurrence of heat-related illness leading to higher levels of mortality, as well as other adverse health impacts. This paper discusses the impacts of extreme heat exposure and health concerns among outdoor workers, and the resultant impacts on their productivity and occupational safety in tropical developing countries with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, where there is a dearth of such studies. Aside from the direct effects caused by extreme heat exposure, other indirect health hazards associated with increasing heat among this group includes exposures to hazardous chemicals and other vector-borne diseases. In addition, reduced work capacity in heat-exposed jobs will continue to rise and hinder economic and social development in such countries. There is an urgent need for further studies around the health and economic impacts of climate change in the workplace, especially in tropical developing countries, which may guide the implementation of the measures needed to address the problem.
A subtracted library was constructed of genes expressed specifically in the chick precardiac mesoendoderm. The subtracted library was obtained by hybridization of nucleic acids derived from a starting tester library of stage 4–7 chick precardiac mesoendoderm and a starting driver library of stage 2 area pellucida. Approximately 11,000 clones from the resulting subtracted library were printed onto a microarray. Screening of the microarray with probes derived from cardiac and noncardiac tissues, followed by in situ hybridization during chick embryo development, has identified multiple cardiac‐specific genes, including several that have not been characterized previously. The microarray will be useful for future attempts to identify additional novel cardiac‐specific genes, as well as to characterize patterns of gene expression during heart differentiation. Developmental Dynamics 230:290–298, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Formal specifcations are essential but usually unavailable in software systems. Furthermore, writing these specifcations is costly and requires skills from developers. Recently, many automated techniques have been proposed to mine specifcations in various formats including fnite-state automaton (FSA). However, more works in specifcation mining are needed to further improve the accuracy of the inferred specifcations. In this work, we propose Deep Specifcation Miner (DSM), a new approach that performs deep learning for mining FSA-based specifcations. Our proposed approach uses test case generation to generate a richer set of execution traces for training a Recurrent Neural Network Based Language Model (RNNLM). From these execution traces, we construct a Prefx Tree Acceptor (PTA) and use the learned RNNLM to extract many features. These features are subsequently utilized by clustering algorithms to merge similar automata states in the PTA for constructing a number of FSAs. Then, our approach performs a model selection heuristic to estimate F-measure of FSAs and returns the one with the highest estimated Fmeasure. We execute DSM to mine specifcations of 11 target library classes. Our empirical analysis shows that DSM achieves an average F-measure of 71.97%, outperforming the best performing baseline by 28.22%. We also demonstrate the value of DSM in sandboxing Android apps.
In the past 20 years, mesoporous materials have been attracted great attention due to their significant feature of large surface area, ordered mesoporous structure, tunable pore size and volume, and well-defined surface property. They have many potential applications, such as catalysis, adsorption/separation, biomedicine, etc. [1]. Recently, the studies of the applications of mesoporous materials have been expanded into the field of biomaterials science. A new class of bioactive glass, referred to as mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG), was first developed in 2004. This material has a highly ordered mesopore channel structure with a pore size ranging from 5–20 nm [1]. Compared to non-mesopore bioactive glass (BG), MBG possesses a more optimal surface area, pore volume and improved in vitro apatite mineralization in simulated body fluids [1,2]. Vallet-Regi et al. has systematically investigated the in vitro apatite formation of different types of mesoporous materials, and they demonstrated that an apatite-like layer can be formed on the surfaces of Mobil Composition of Matters (MCM)-48, hexagonal mesoporous silica (SBA-15), phosphorous-doped MCM-41, bioglass-containing MCM-41 and ordered mesoporous MBG, allowing their use in biomedical engineering for tissue regeneration [2-4]. Chang et al. has found that MBG particles can be used for a bioactive drug-delivery system [5,6]. Our study has shown that MBG powders, when incorporated into a poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) film, significantly enhance the apatite-mineralization ability and cell response of PLGA films. compared to BG [7]. These studies suggest that MBG is a very promising bioactive material with respect to bone regeneration. It is known that for bone defect repair, tissue engineering represents an optional method by creating three-dimensional (3D) porous scaffolds which will have more advantages than powders or granules as 3D scaffolds will provide an interconnected macroporous network to allow cell migration, nutrient delivery, bone ingrowth, and eventually vascularization [8]. For this reason, we try to apply MBG for bone tissue engineering by developing MBG scaffolds. However, one of the main disadvantages of MBG scaffolds is their low mechanical strength and high brittleness; the other issue is that they have very quick degradation, which leads to an unstable surface for bone cell growth limiting their applications. Silk fibroin, as a new family of native biomaterials, has been widely studied for bone and cartilage repair applications in the form of pure silk or its composite scaffolds [9-14]. Compared to traditional synthetic polymer materials, such as PLGA and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV), the chief advantage of silk fibroin is its water-soluble nature, which eliminates the need for organic solvents, that tend to be highly cytotoxic in the process of scaffold preparation [15]. Other advantages of silk scaffolds are their excellent mechanical properties, controllable biodegradability and cytocompatibility [15-17]. However, for the purposes of bone tissue engineering, the osteoconductivity of pure silk scaffolds is suboptimal. It is expected that combining MBG with silk to produce MBG/silk composite scaffolds would greatly improve their physiochemical and osteogenic properties for bone tissue engineering application. Therefore, in this chapter, we will introduce the research development of MBG/silk scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
Emerging thoughts on quality suggest that three principal sources of customer-based value creation exist for firms operating in the online marketplace. These include a focus on delivering (1) service quality, (2) product quality, and (3) eBusiness quality. Drawing on strategic choice theory coupled with configuration theory, we conducted a profile deviation analysis among customers of online grocery firms using the “ideal” quality profile for four operational logistics strategies as the benchmark (semi extended strategy, fully extended strategy, de-coupled strategy, and centralized extended strategy). The findings suggest that service, product, and eBusiness quality-based fit with operational logistics strategy type are associated with customers' behavioral (repurchase) intentions. This lends support to the notion that capitalizing on the appropriately weighted quality-focus represents a strategic vehicle to create superior outcomes in online businesses. The makeup of these ideal quality profiles that represent the strongest repurchase intentions of customers is also provided.
A double PWM plus double phase shift (DPDPS) control with equal duty cycles is proposed for current-fed dualactive bridge (DAB) bidirectional DC-DC converters with low and wide voltage range. With these, the circulating current during the non-power transfer stage can be minimized. The mode analysis of the current-fed bidirectional DC-DC converter using the proposed control strategy is given. The root-mean-square (rms) leakage current can be reduced significantly by using the proposed DPDPS control. The ZVS and ZCS conditions for the power switches are given. The converter with the proposed control has lower conduction loss, lower peak current and higher efficiency. A 1kw prototype is built to verify the proposed topology employing the proposed DPDPS control.
We examined the spatial expression of the relaxin‐3 gene in the developing zebrafish brain, one of the vertebrate model systems in which this gene has been identified. Until the pharyngula stage, the gene is expressed diffusely in the brain, where, starting at about 40 hpf, the transcripts appear restricted in a midbrain cell cluster of the periaqueductal gray. Later, at 72 hpf, the transcripts are still evident in that cluster and distributed in a larger cell number; at this stage, the gene is also expressed posteriorly, in a smaller cell group that, as we report for the first time, could be homologous to mammalian nucleus incertus. The gene expression persists in both cell clusters at 96 hpf. This pattern indicates both conserved and divergent expression features of the relaxin‐3 gene among developing zebrafish and rat brains, where only scattered cells express the gene in the periaqueductal gray. Developmental Dynamics 237:3864–3869, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Well-defined poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-vinyl acetate) thermoresponsive particles physically crosslinked by means of hydrophobic interactions were synthesized by polymerization-induced self-assembly. It was highlighted that a xanthate-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-X) efficiently acted as both a stabilizer and a macromolecular chain transfer agent for the RAFT/MADIX batch emulsion copolymerization of N-vinylcaprolactam (VCL) and vinyl acetate (VAc), enabling the direct synthesis in aqueous dispersed media of PEG-b-P(VAc-co-VCL) block copolymers. It was emphasized that a fraction of 47 mol% of hydrophobic VAc in the second block of the copolymer was suitable for maintaining the integrity of the self-assembled PEG-b-P(VAc-co-VCL) block copolymer particles at low temperature while exhibiting a temperature-induced phase transition. The well-defined physically crosslinked particles interestingly behaved as thermoresponsive colloids analogous to chemically crosslinked microgels. The PEG-b-P(VAc0.47-co-VCL0.53) particles were able to undergo a reversible swollen-to-collapse transition with increasing temperature in the absence of hysteresis. The PEG-b-P(VAc0.17-co-VCL0.83) block copolymer with a lower fraction of VAc in the copolymer (17 mol%) behaved oppositely as very small objects were present in the aqueous phase at low temperature (T < 20 °C) and self-assembled into large aggregates by increasing the temperature. Finally, the statistical copolymers based on VAc and VCL were successfully hydrolyzed into promising thermoresponsive biocompatible statistical copolymers based on vinyl alcohol and N-vinylcaprolactam co-monomer units.
Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors (GPCRs) respond to a variety of different external stimuli and activate G proteins. GPCRs share many structural features, including a bundle of seven transmembrane alpha helices connected by six loops of varying lengths. We determined the structure of rhodopsin from diffraction data extending to 2.8 angstroms resolution. The highly organized structure in the extracellular region, including a conserved disulfide bridge, forms a basis for the arrangement of the seven-helix transmembrane motif. The ground-state chromophore, 11-cis-retinal, holds the transmembrane region of the protein in the inactive conformation. Interactions of the chromophore with a cluster of key residues determine the wavelength of the maximum absorption. Changes in these interactions among rhodopsins facilitate color discrimination. Identification of a set of residues that mediate interactions between the transmembrane helices and the cytoplasmic surface, where G-protein activation occurs, also suggests a possible structural change upon photoactivation.
ABSTRACT This report, using the ‘Facts on Ageing Quiz’ developed by Erdman Palmore as a measure, compares responses from US (N=206) and Japan (N=591) samples, thus adding a cross cultural dimension to the literature on age bias measurement. The scale taps for ‘facts’ and indirectly obtains evaluations of stereotypes and attitudes. The data indicate the FAQ is a reliable measure but the validity of the measure's age bias dimension is more complex than previously indicated. Contrary to normative expectations, the Japanese responses indicate a negative age bias that has implications for social norms which affect Japan's elderly.
Abstract Based on their eminent importance for medical applications, G-protein coupled receptors are currently amongst the most frequently membrane protein targets analyzed by cell-free expression. The cell-free expression approach removes most bottlenecks known from conventional cell-based protein production pipelines and ensures fast access to a selected receptor target. In addition, receptors can be synthesized in presence of a large variety of artificial solubilization environments comprising detergents, lipids, nanodiscs and other amphiphilic compounds. The currently accumulated data based on a variety of analyzed receptors already opens promising perspectives for applications of cell-free synthesized samples in functional characterization and drug screening. Structural evaluation still suffers from high conformational dynamics causing sample instability and might be addressed in future by molecular engineering or immuno-stabilization approaches.
Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report a case of Rhabdomyolysis that occurred after shock related to overworking, presenting myalgia(especially in the neck), muscular weakness, and dark urine. Methods : A patient diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis received Korean medical treatment from November 17th to 24th. Clinical improvement was evaluated using a numerical rating scale(NRS), neck disability index(NDI), and laboratory tests which included complete blood count, kidney function, liver function, serum eletrolytes and Creatinine kinase(CK). Results : After treatment, myalgia, muscular weakness and dark urine each improved. Laboratory results, including CK, had decreased to within normal range. Conclusions : Korean medical treatment could be effective for Rhabdomyolysis patients. Further extensive studies should be carried out.
Objective  To investigate the role of pDCs and CD4+ CD25+ Treg cells in the mechanism of immune-tolerant chronic HBV infection.      Methods  12 patients with immune-tolerant chronic HBV infection and 6 patients in recovery period of acute hepatitis B were examined. Frequencies and expression of CD80/CD83/CD86 of pDCs and Frequencies of Treg cells in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry. Plasma cytokines IFN-α2, IFN- gamma, TGF- alpha, FLT-3L, IL-10, IL-6, IL-17A were measured by Luminex.      Results  Frequencies and expression of CD80/CD83/CD86 of pDCs in immune tolerance group were similar to the resolved acute HBV infection group, but the level of plasma IFN- alpha 2 was significantly higher than that in acute hepatitis B recovery group.Frequencies of Treg cells and cytokines IL-10 in immune-tolerant group was also significantly higher than that in acute hepatitis B recovery group.      Conclusion  The number and function of pDCs in chronic HBV infection immune tolerance group was normal, while Treg cells and IL-10 with a significant increase.      Key words:  Hepatitis B; Dendritic cells; T-Lympha cytes; Interloukin-10; Interferon-alpha
Summary A sensitive and specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for mouse intestinal mast cell proteinase (IMCP). Specificity was demonstrated by the absence of immunoreactivity with extracts of isolated serosal mast cells (SMC), or with high concentrations (50 μg/ml) of the antigenically similar rat mast cell proteinases I or II. The small and large intestines in normal mice were the major sources of IMCP, there being little or no IMCP in non‐mucosal tissues. Concentrations of IMCP in normal (non‐parasitized) mice were low, but were increased 100–1000‐fold in intestines of mice infected 10 days earlier with Trichinella spiralis. The kinetic response of secreted IMCP into the blood of mice following infection with T. spiralis was also studied. Systemic release of IMCP coincided with the immune expulsion of adult worms from the intestine, and peak concentrations (9.45 μg/ml IMCP) occurred 9 days after infection. The tissue distribution of IMCP, its secretion into blood, and its enteric accumulation during parasite infection, are consistent with a mucosal mast cell (MMC) source for IMCP. The results are discussed in the context of similar findings for rat mast cell proteinase II.
Business Managers and owners of any company generally show interest in financial soundness of the company. Operating efficiency of the company indicates financial soundness. Ability to get good profits for the businessmen or owners indicates operating efficiency. An analysis of profitability trends indicates operating efficiency as well as financial soundness. Profitability Ratios will be useful in analysing Profitability Trends. This Research paper makes an attempt to analyse Profitability Trends in an Indian Engineering Company namely The Ramco Cements Limited. The Ramco Cements Limited is an important company owned by Ramco Group. It is a most popular group in South India as well as in entire India. This companys important product is Portland cement. In this Paper, Profit Margins including Gross Profit Margin (GPM), Operating Profit Margin (OPM) and Net Profit Margin (NPM) are calculated. Profitability Ratios including Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Capital Employed (ROCE), Return on Share holders Equity (ROSE), Cost of Goods Sold Ratio (CGSR), Operating Expenses Ratio (OER), Administrative Expenses Ratio (AER), Selling Expenses Ratio (SER) and Financial Expense Ratio (FER) are also calculated. Formed Hypotheses are tested by using Chi-Square Test.
The metabolism and excretion of a hypoxically activating prodrug for the treatment of cancer, TH-302, were studied in beagle dogs following intravenous administration of 20 mg/kg 14C-TH-302. TH-302 was extensively metabolized with total recovery of 75.1%, with 47.5% and 25.3% excreted through the urine and through the bile into the feces, respectively. The three TH-302 metabolites in plasma were: DM7, a conjugate of TH-302 with glutathione replacing a bromine atom; DM5, a hydrolysis product of DM7 with loss of the glutamic acid moiety; and DM6, a hydrolysis product of DM5 with loss of the glycine moiety. DM6 and TH-302 were the major radioactive components in plasma and accounted for 69.8% and 27.3% of the total AUC, respectively. The major metabolite in urine was DM6, which accounted for 22.7% of the administered dose. Two other metabolites identified in urine were: DM3, a dicysteine conjugate of TH-302; and DM4, which was formed by hydrolysis and loss of the 1-methyl-2-nitro-imidazol-5-yl methoxy moiety, followed by oxidation on the cysteinyl ethylamine moiety. DM1 and DM2 in urine accounted for 6.50 and 7.76% of administered dose and were not identified. DM1 was the only fecal metabolite. Further investigations are required to completely characterize the metabolism of TH-302.
Fuzzy control is a human-imitating control technique which is independent of the mathematical model of plants. It utilizes priori knowledge to carry out approximate reasoning. However, it lacks the abilities of self-tuning or self-learning in industrial applications. The temperature control process of an oil-burning tunnel kiln is a multivariable and nonlinear dynamic system. This paper presents a fuzzy neural network control strategy which is able to enhance the capacity of self-learning of fuzzy control rules, based on the self-learning ability of neural networks. Simulation research and a physical analog experiment prove the feasibility of this control strategy.
DIDS (Distributed Intrusion Detection System) is the best project for detecting distributed intrusion. On account of complicated architecture, difficulty for deployment and no condition for testing, DIDS has not been emploied. This paper analyzes the existing architecture of DIDS, and proposes the idear of designing a RIDS (Reconfigurable Intrusion Detection System), and proposes the construction principle of component and analysis for reconfiguration. In addition, this paper formally describe the RIDS, and present two measurement for reconfiguration based on the different object.
Abstract : The Crew Technology Division of Armstrong laboratory is developing an insert for the MBU-20/P aircrew oxygen mask. The insert is placed inside the mask to enhance comfort and seal at high mask cavity pressures. The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Rapid Test and Evaluation Directorate (AFOTEC/TA), conducted this evaluation of prototype mask inserts using Air National Guard pilots flying training sortics in F-16 aircraft. The evaluation addresses the operational use of an aircrew oxygen mask insert. The objective was to evaluate mask comfort and mask seal. A re-evaluation questionnaire was designed to assess the comfort and seal of the masks without the insert. A post-evaluation questionnaire addressed the comfort and seal of the mask with the insert. It was planned that each pilot would fly with the insert for at least two sortics. Each pilot had their original mask without insert and an unmodified mask with insert so they could swap masks between sortics and evaluate the seal and comfort of the altered mask. Pilots answered questionnaires as soon as possible after the last flights. Eighteen pilots evaluated the insert. Five pilots reported previous seal problems. All five pilots indicated the insert improved the mask seal and they would continue using the insert. However, most pilots indicated there was a problem with the comfort of the mask with the insert. There was an insufficient sample size to make a statistical determination of the mask insert improvement. Seven of 18 pilots stated they would continue to use the mask insert as it improved the mask seal. However, these pilots were split on the issue of improved comfort, and half reported that comfort decreased with the insert.
To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with HIV and five other STIs among outdoor female sex workers (OSFW) and indoor FSW (IFSW). Methods Cross-sectional survey using respondent-driven sampling methodology. Participants answered a bio-behavioural questionnaire and were tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), syphilis (lifetime contact) and Mycoplasma genitalium (MG). Weighted HIV and other STIs prevalence and 95% CIs were calculated. Weighted multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with having at least one STI (including HIV). Results Between October 2017 and July 2018, 385 FSW participants were recruited, among whom 206 (53.5%) were IFSW and 179 (46.5%) were OFSW. The mean age was 31.4 years. Weighted HIV prevalence was 3.1% (95% CI 1.5 to 7.0). Weighted prevalence of other STIs was: 4.1% (95% CI 2.2 to 8.0) for NG, 8.8% (95% CI 5.9 to 13.0) for CT, 12.7% (95% CI 8.6 to 18.0) for TV, 13.9% (95% CI 9.9 to 19.0) for syphilis (lifetime contact) and 14.9% (95% CI 10.5 to 21.0) for MG. STI prevalence was significantly higher among OFSW for CT, TV and MG (p<0.001). In total, 43.2% of the participants had at least one HIV/STI. Factors associated with having HIV/STI were being an OFSW (OR 3.29; 95% CI 1.72 to 6.27); being registered in another Russian region (2.61 (95% CI 1.05 to 6.48)); having never been tested for HIV (2.51 (95% CI 0.98 to 6.41)) and having a low level of knowledge regarding HIV transmission (4.88 (95% CI 0.96 to 24.78)). Conclusion Prevalence of HIV and STIs was high among FSW in Moscow. OFSW were more vulnerable to STIs. There is an urgent need to tailor programmes for sexual and reproductive health for FSW in Russia.
An Optical Mass Gauge Sensor, (OMGS) was designed, built and tested in both sub‐scale and full‐scale cryogenic hydrogen storage tanks. The design utilized two small optical fibers mounted flush with the surface of the tank to perform quantitative measurements. The mechanical design was subjected to elevated pressures and cryogenically shocked to determine hardware survivability. Signal processing techniques were developed to eliminate potential errors due to changes in the optical throughput from factors such as tank wall contamination and the presence of multi‐phase fluids. The OMGS was evaluated through comparison to silicon diode point sensors and continuous capacitance probes. The data was within 1% agreement. The optical sensor was required to measure quantities in stabilized set points and in highly volatile rapidly boiling liquid hydrogen environments. Measurements were successfully taken in all tests. Due to the nature of the design, the patented (US patent 6,118,134) OMGS concept is capable of de...
State on admi88ion.-Temperature 97' F.; pulse 120; respiration 26. Small child. Stands with marked lordosis. Measurements: Height 341 in. Height from pubis to soles 15 in., and vertex to pubis 19i in. Weight 32 lb. 14 oz. Circumference of head 201 in., thorax 213 in., and abdomen 221 in. Hair rather sparse, not unduly brittle. Skin rough and sallow. Features coarse; bridge of nose sunken. Tongue normal. Teeth very good. Neck short. Supraclavicular regions full. Abdomen prominent. No umbilical hernia. Heart and lungs normal. No thyroid palpable. Mentally very slow indeed. Quite lethargic and stays in whichever position she is placed. Will not answer questions, but does not resent examination. X-ray examination: Skull: Normal sella turcica. Wrists: Delayed epiphysis and abnormal ossification at epiphyseal lines. Hips: Stippled fragmented epiphysis (fig. 4). Shoulders: Stippled epiphysis. Dentition: Normal. Blood-count: R.B.C. 4,110,000; Hb. 75%o; C.J. 049) W.B.C. 11,500. Differential: Polys. 47% ; lymphos. 430o; large hyals. 9%"0. B.M.R. 32%. Treatment and progre8s.-Given thyroid 1 gr. t.d.s. 11.1.38: Dose of thyroid increased to 3 gr. t.d.s. The temperature has been persistentlv suibnormal. but the child has brightened considerably and has become quite lively.
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a neurological disease with high mortality and disability. Recent studies showed that white matter injury (WMI) plays an important role in motor dysfunction after ICH. WMI includes WMI proximal to the lesion and WMI distal to the lesion, such as corticospinal tract injury located at the cervical enlargement of the spinal cord after ICH. Previous studies have tended to focus only on gray matter (GM) injury after ICH, and fewer studies have paid attention to WMI, which may be one of the reasons for the poor outcome of previous drug treatments. Microglia and astrocyte-mediated neuroinflammation are significant mechanisms responsible for secondary WMI following ICH. The NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation, has been shown to exacerbate neuroinflammation and brain injury after ICH. Moreover, NLRP3 inflammasome is activated in microglia and astrocytes and exerts a vital role in microglia and astrocytes-mediated neuroinflammation. We speculate that NLRP3 inflammasome activation is closely related to the polarization of microglia and astrocytes and that NLRP3 inflammasome activation may exacerbate WMI by polarizing microglia and astrocytes to the pro-inflammatory phenotype after ICH, while NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition may attenuate WMI by polarizing microglia and astrocytes to the anti-inflammatory phenotype following ICH. Therefore, NLRP3 inflammasome may act as leveraged regulatory fulcrums for microglia and astrocytes polarization to modulate WMI and WM repair after ICH. This review summarized the possible mechanisms by which neuroinflammation mediated by NLRP3 inflammasome exacerbates secondary WMI after ICH and discussed the potential therapeutic targets.
In this paper a novel adaptive Maximum Torque per Ampere (MTPA) control scheme of an interior permanent magnet synchronous machine (IPMSM) is introduced. To avoid an on- or off-line numerical calculation of the reference current for the MTPA curve, a reference model of the torque which is equivalent to the IPMSM with zero d-axis current is utilized to enforce the torque of the IPMSM towards its reference value along the MTPA curve dynamically. Considering the parameter variation, an adaptive current controller with parameters and torque estimation using model reference adaptive system (MRAS) is embedded. The uncertainty within the IPMSM plant is estimated by a general voltage error to guarantee the stability of the current control loop. The parameter error of the IPMSM is estimated by a recursive least square method with a forgetting factor (RLS-FF). The stability of the proposed control scheme is proved. The simulation results demonstrate the performance of the adaptive torque controller with MTPA.
Abstract Tree sparrows exhibit a range of breeding tactics from nesting in solitary pairs to forming breeding aggregations. We present a case study on the reproductive consequences of nest positioning in a loose breeding colony of Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) in central Turkey. We tested whether height and centrality of nests, together with their interaction, influenced fledging success in a single breeding season by running a generalized linear mixed-effects model. Nest height did not influence fledging success in a significant way. Also, productivity did not differ relative to the distance from the colony edge. This study provides the first detailed information about the effects of nest location on productivity for tree sparrows outside Continental Europe, and emphasizes the need for further studies on this model species.
The Schottky diode (Al/p-CuInSe2/FTO) was fabricated by simple deposition of pure Aluminum on the front side of the CuInSe2 thin film. We have investigated its electrical characteristics by measuring the current-voltage (I-V), the capacitance-voltage (C-V) and the electrical impedance in the range of temperature (300 K - 425 K). At room temperature, this heterostructure has shown non-ideal Schottky behavior with 3.98 as ideality factor and 38 μA/cm2 as a reverse saturated current density. The C-V measured at 100 kHz has shown non-linear behavior and an increase with temperature. Similarly, we have estimated, at room temperature, the carrier doping density, the built-in potential and the depletion layer width which are of about 8.66 × 1015 cm﹣3, 1.12 V and 0.37 μm respectively. By the impedance spectroscopy technique, we have found a decrease with temperature of all the serial resistance Rs, the parallel resistance Rp and the capacitance Cp. The frequency dependence of the imaginary part of this impedance was carried out to characterize the carrier transport properties in the heterostructure. From the Arrhenius diagram, we have estimated the activation energy at 460 meV. An equivalent electrical circuit was used for modeling these results.
The coronavirus pandemic has placed renewed focus on expanded access (EA) programs to provide compassionate use exceptions to the waves of patients seeking medical care in treating the novel disease. While commendable, justifiable, and compassionate, EA programs are not designed to collect the necessary vital clinical data that can be later used in the New Drug Application process before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In particular, they lack the necessary rigor of properly crafted and controlled randomized controlled trials (RCT) which ensure that each patient closely monitored for side effects and other potential dangers associated with the drug, that the data is documented, stable and are traceable and that the patient population is well defined with the defined target condition. Overall, while RCTs is deemed to be of the most reliable methodologies within evidence-based medicine, morally, however, they are problematic in EA programs. Nevertheless, actionable data ought to be collected from EA patients. To this end, we look to the growing incorporation of real-world data real-world evidence as increasingly useful substitutes for data collected via RCTs, including the ethical, legal and social implications thereof. Finally, we suggest the use of digital twins as an additional method to derive causal inferences from real-world trials involving expanded access patients.
Built in the mid-1860s by artist Frederic, Lord Leighton (1830–1896), Leighton House was part studio space, part domestic space; a ‘private palace of art’ at the social centre of the Victorian art world. Upon entering, its heavy doors exclude the hustle and bustle of Kensington and Chelsea, and its sombre exterior gives way to lavish interior decoration. A two-year project of restoration returned the house to its former glory in 2010, making it the ideal setting for an exhibition of artworks originally purchased or commissioned for the houses of affluent Victorian businessmen. For five months, fifty-two paintings and drawings from the extensive private art collection of modern-day businessman Juan Antonio Pérez Simón were hung. Many of these had rarely, if ever, been publicly exhibited since the nineteenth century. Curators Daniel Robbins and Véronique Gerard-Powell assigned paintings to rooms with similar colour schemes, which created an overall effect of intimacy and touchingly evoked the houses of early patrons and collectors. The drawing room, for example, provided the introduction to the collection, where the soft red and brown tones of the interior decoration were echoed in Edward Burne-Jones’ watercolour Fatima (1862), and Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s delicate pastel depiction of Venus Verticordia (1867–1868). The combination of artists gracing the room’s walls established the character of the collection; famous favourites Lawrence AlmaTadema, Rossetti, and Burne-Jones sat comfortably alongside lesserknown artists, such as John Melhuish Strudwick and Henry Arthur Payne. Payne’s beautiful painting The Enchanted Sea (1899) served as an example of popular taste in the late nineteenth century. The catalogue entry provides a discussion of its narrative content and examples of its many iterations in newspapers, embroidery and a woodcut, highlighting the wide-reach and reproducibility of artworks during that period. The catalogue employs a biographical approach, in which works are grouped by artist and preceded by a short introduction to their life and work. Payne’s entry provides clear information about his education, his subsequent career, and his interests in stained glass, embroidery and painting. The catalogue additionally includes Lists of Works detailing their provenance, exhibition history and literature, which will be a helpful
The antibacterial activities of the fluorinated 4-quinolones (e.g., ciprofloxacin) have been ascribed to a marked inhibition of bacterial DNA gyrase. In contrast, the influence on purified mammalian DNA enzymes, including topoisomerases, has been reported to be several orders of magnitude weaker, occurring at concentrations higher than 100 micrograms of ciprofloxacin per ml. In this study, using a nondenaturing filter elution method, a marked induction of double-strand DNA breaks in human lymphoblastoid cells exposed to 80 micrograms of ciprofloxacin per ml was seen. The proportion of single-strand versus double-strand DNA breaks was similar to that seen with the topoisomerase II inhibitory antitumor agent VP-16. The cellular recovery was more rapid after treatment with ciprofloxacin than after treatment with VP-16, displaying a normal elution profile within 15 min at 37 degrees C (60 min for VP-16). These data indicate that ciprofloxacin has an effect on intracellularly located topoisomerase II in humans.
AIM This paper is a report of a study to answer the research question: can participative action research help to halt the deterioration in methadone substitution treatment and develop new care strategies which are better geared toward the patients' needs?   BACKGROUND In the Netherlands, methadone substitute treatment has been the main medical treatment for heroin addiction since the early 1980s. Although effective at first, this methadone provision has deteriorated during the last 15 years. Over time, nursing staff have had to restrict their activities to simply dispensing methadone and have not been able to develop any other interventions, such as outreach care.   METHOD A participative action research process was used in two outpatient methadone substitute treatment clinics. Using the four stages of the cooperative inquiry design of Heron and the knowledge development model of Johns, a diagnosis of all the bottlenecks was made and innovative care strategies were implemented. Reflection meetings were held to offer nursing staff maximum benefit in improving the quality of nursing care.   FINDINGS Action research partially succeeded in enhancing care strategies. Of the two clinics involved in the study, one improved both its care organization and patient-centred outcome. The other managed to improve the organization of the care.   CONCLUSION Participative strategies can be, but are not always, a helpful method for enhancing professional care in addictions nursing. By setting out attainable goals in daily practice, some nurses were able to become active change agents. The development of knowledge is inextricably connected with the growth of new care strategies. Chronic opiate users can benefit from the expansion of professional nursing knowledge.
Tasks provide a framework for communicative performance. Underlying each task is a set of learning opportunities—potential activities for learning. Not all of these opportunities are exploited for learning by teachers or learners. It is proposed that, when using tasks, the range of such learning opportunities needs to be identified and modelled for learners in order to encourage them to manage their learning independently, with a focus on improving their performance in the task. This approach is illustrated by analysing one task for potential learning opportunity. Teaching guidelines for such an approach are suggested, together with specific action research questions for exploration of the approach in context.
Intrapartum emergencies are challenging to all perinatal nurses because of the increased risk of adverse outcomes for the mother and fetus. Perinatal emergencies, such as seizures, amniotic fluid embolus, hemorrhage, and uterine rupture, create physiological challenges and trigger intrinsic survival techniques. The pregnant uterus becomes a vital source of blood volume during hypovolemic events because it is not considered a vital organ. The pregnancy itself may become burdensome, and birth may occur as an intrinsic maternal compensatory mechanism. The resultant fetal hypoxemia may also stress the fetus into initiating labor. During extensive oxygen desaturation and decompensation, the focus should be on maternal stabilization, which will subsequently enhance fetal stabilization. Clinical assessments, critical thinking, decision making, and resource allocation must be quick and appropriate to increase the likelihood of a positive outcome for the mother, fetus, and neonate.
In this study, a dual-piezoelectric energy harvesting system with contact and non-contact characteristics was driven by a cantilever beam. The harvester performance of the multipoint energy harvesting system driven by cantilever-beam vibration was designed, detailed analysis and optimization strategies were developed, and its application in the security field was successfully demonstrated. Herein, we provide theoretical guidance for the design of the dual-piezoelectric energy harvesting. We designed and fabricated a prototype of the dual-piezoelectric energy harvesting. A test system was designed and constructed. The relationships among the distance and frequency of the two piezoelectric acquisition mechanisms and the open-circuit voltage were investigated. Additionally, the effects of different loads on the output power were examined. The peak power reached 10.12 mW under a gravitational acceleration of 1g. The analysis indicated that the dual-piezoelectric energy harvest device has a higher energy harvest efficiency than the single-piezoelectric energy harvest device. Owing to the multipoint harvest strategy, even if a generator suddenly deteriorates or fails, the entire system can maintain a certain power output, which is more commercially feasible. The results of this study indicate that the output of the piezoelectric energy harvesting is stable and reliable and that the output energy satisfies the requirements for a safety warning device.
Abstract Cancer survivors are at accelerated risk of aging and more susceptible to unhealthy diets and lifestyles than people without cancers. However, current dietary guidelines for cancer survivors not quite different from that for general healthy population. Further, these guidelines are not specific for cancer survivors who are past smokers. Acid-producing diet can accelerate aging and stimulate cancer development if acid-base balance is not regulated properly. Cancer survivors and past smokers have reduced capacities to adjust acid-base balance. Thus, we conducted prospective cohort analyses among 2950 early-stage breast cancer survivors who enrolled in the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living study and provided dietary information through 24-hour recalls at baseline and during follow-up. We assessed dietary acid load using two common dietary acid load scores, potential renal acid load (PRAL) score, and net endogenous acid production (NEAP) score. We assessed past smoking intensity by pack-years of smoking. After an average of 7.3 years of follow-up, there were 295 total death, and 249 breast cancer-specific death. Increased PRAL and NEAP scores were positively associated with total mortality and breast cancer-specific mortality (p for trend <0.1 for PRAL and <0.01 for NEAP). Further, dietary acid load and pack-years of smoking had joint positive associations with mortalities (Comparing the highest to the lowest categories, risk increased by 2.5-3 times; P for trend <0.01 for both PRAL and NEAP). Our study provides valuable evidence for adding dietary acid load to dietary guidelines for breast cancer survivors and developing specific guidelines for past smokers.
This paper examines the elasticity of the demand for water as well as the household characteristics that influence their demand for water. Two empirical models are estimated employing a panel dataset from South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The initial model employs a probit model to determine the characteristics that might classify a home as a “high user”. The second model estimates a simple OLS model for estimating elasticity. The findings are twofold, first consumer elasticity demand is dependent on where along the demand curve that consumer is. Second, household characteristics are an important determinant in their demand for water.
Resource discovery is an important mechanism in P2P applications. Chord is usually one of the structured overlays applied in the resource discovery mechanism. Chord adopts the finger table to record the connection between the node and its successors in order to support resource discovery in O (log (N)) (N is the number of nodes). However, Chord has some restrictions, e.g., the keyword searching and the scalability problem. This study proposes a multi-attribute range query (MARQ) overlay based on Chord. The MARQ overlay embeds the node attributes into the node ID to form a structured multi-attribute and multi-ring architecture. Due to the hierarchical multi-attribute property of MARQ, this structured overlay could reduce the search radius and provide the attribute search. Because of the multi-ring property of MARQ, the proposed overlay could improve the scalability and reduce the maintaining cost. This study preserves the characteristics of Chord systems, and adopts the double-link approach to reduce the average number of traveled hops in searching. Therefore, the MARQ overlay could support the multi-attribute range query. Experimental results show that our proposed mechanism could efficiently reduce the average number of traveled hops in searching and then decrease the average searching time.
ZnO and N-doped ZnO thin films were grown by MOCVD on sapphire and ZnO substrates. Diethyl zinc and O2 were used as sources for Zn and O, respectively. A specially designed plasma system was employed to produce atomic N dopant for in-situ doping. Proper disk rotation speeds were found for ZnO growth on different size wafers. High crystal quality N-doped ZnO films were grown based on optimized growth conditions. Wet chemical etch of ZnO was investigated by using NH4Cl, and etch activation energy was calculated to be 463meV. Ohmic contact on N-doped ZnO film was achieved by using Ni/Au/Al multiple layers. ZnO based p-n junction has demonstrated rectification. Electroluminescence at about 384nm was obtained from ZnO based LED.
The paper gives an overview on the actual roots of Lambert's ideas on photometry including the excerpts of original sources as found in the Scientific library of castle Friedenstein in Gotha and in the Rostock university library, both in Germany, as well as some ideas on the system theoretical consequences and shortcomings and elegance of the concept of an angular cosine distribution. Further some almost lost paragraphs of Lambert's work on multiple reflection in dioptric systems are presented in translated and commented form.
To assess the intra‐ and interscan reproducibility of LV twist using FAST. Assessing the reproducibility of the measurement of new MRI biomarkers is an important part of validation. Fourier Analysis of STimulated Echoes (FAST) is a new MRI tissue tagging method that has recently been shown to compare favorably with conventional estimates of left ventricular (LV) twist from cardiac tagged images, but with significantly reduced user interaction time.
BACKGROUND Flatfoot is a musculoskeletal problem associated with dysfunctional active and passive supporting structures of the normal foot curvature. Strengthening of the intrinsic foot muscles or using shoe orthosis are recommend treatment approaches. However, investigating the effect of combining both approaches is still warranted. AIM To examine the effect of applying short foot exercises (SFE) combined with shoe insole versus shoe insole alone on foot pressure measures, pain, function and navicular drop in individuals with symptomatic flexible flatfoot. DESIGN Prospective, active control, parallel-group, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial and intention-to-treat analysis. SETTING Outpatient physical therapy clinic of a university teaching hospital. POPULATION Forty participants with symptomatic flexible flatfoot. METHODS A six-week treatment protocol of SFE (three sets of 10 repetitions a day) in addition to shoe insole (eight hours a day) (experimental group, N.=20) or shoe insole only (eight hours a day) (control group, N.=20). Clinic visits were made at baseline and every two weeks for monitoring and follow-up. The static and dynamic foot area, force and pressure measures, pain, lower extremity function, and navicular drop were assessed at baseline and postintervention. RESULTS Forty participants joined the study and 37 (92.5%) completed the six-week intervention period. Foot pressure, pain and function showed a significant interaction (P=0.02 – <0.001) and time (P<0.001) effects with a non-significant group effect in favor of the experimental group. Post-hoc analysis revealed that the experimental group had lesser pain (P=0.002) and better function (P=0.03) than the control group at six weeks. Navicular drop decreased equally in both groups. CONCLUSIONS Implementation of shoe insole and SFE for six weeks improved pain and function and altered foot pressure distribution greater than shoe insole alone in patients with symptomatic flatfoot. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT Wearing shoe insole is an easy, but passive, treatment approach for a flatfoot problem. This study provided evidence regarding the added benefit of SFE. It is recommended that rehabilitation practitioners implement a comprehensive treatment protocol including both shoe insole and SFE for at least six weeks to achieve better results for their flatfoot patients.
The least-square active element pattern expansion (LS-AEPE) has been introduced for linear array synthesis including mutual coupling and platform effect. A new method based on combination of LS-AEPE and iterative Fourier transform (IFT) is proposed to optimize the excitation phases for sidelobe reduction and null control. Simulation results illustrate the new method outperforms the GA-FFT method base on LS-AEPE in terms of computational efficiency.
Parasites are diverse and challenging group of eukaryotes, including zoonotic pathogens naturally occurring in the environment, already significantly changed by globalization and anthropogenic impact. Climate changes can further modify fundamental features and transmission dynamics of zoonosis (e.g., parasites’ host preference, infectivity, areal). The proximity of humans and animals in several settings, such as in the rural landscapes, as well as in fragmented sylvatic habitats, in the natural environment close to urban areas and for the companion relationship between human and animals, may represent additional risk factors. The Research Topic aims to gather the most updated studies on zoonotic neglected and foodborne parasites, taking into account two pivotal aspects: (i) challenging scenarios represented by climate change and anthropogenic impact and (ii) the “One-Health” concept. The Research Topic collected 11 contributions including 3 reviews, 1 minireview, 1 brief research report and 6 original research articles, ranging from protozoans (Toxoplasma, Leishmania, Cryptosporidium) to metazoans (Echinococcus, Taenia, Dirofilaria, Toxocara, Trichuris).
Abstract A new control chart is being presented using an exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) statistic and moving average (MA) statistic to monitor the number of defective counts before specified time which follows Weibull distribution. Steps for construction of the control charts are presented, and the efficiency of the control chart is measured using average run length (ARL). To find ARL values and standard deviation of run length (SDRL) values, Monte Carlo simulations are performed by setting different parameters of the control chart. The proposed control chart is applied to simulated data and real-life data. The efficiency is compared with the popular Shewhart control chart and usual EWMA control chart, and found that the proposed MA-EWMA control chart better detects shifts in an ongoing process.
The testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS) hypothesis, which proposes that common reproductive disorders of newborn and adult human males may have a common fetal origin, is largely untested. We tested this hypothesis using a rat model involving gestational exposure to dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which suppresses testosterone production by the fetal testis. We evaluated if induction of TDS via testosterone suppression is restricted to the "masculinization programming window" (MPW), as indicated by reduction in anogenital distance (AGD). We show that DBP suppresses fetal testosterone equally during and after the MPW, but only DBP exposure in the MPW causes reduced AGD, focal testicular dysgenesis, and TDS disorders (cryptorchidism, hypospadias, reduced adult testis size, and compensated adult Leydig cell failure). Focal testicular dysgenesis, reduced size of adult male reproductive organs, and TDS disorders and their severity were all strongly associated with reduced AGD. We related our findings to human TDS cases by demonstrating similar focal dysgenetic changes in testes of men with preinvasive germ cell neoplasia (GCNIS) and in testes of DBP-MPW animals. If our results are translatable to humans, they suggest that identification of potential causes of human TDS disorders should focus on exposures during a human MPW equivalent, especially if negatively associated with offspring AGD.
ABSTRACT    Tri Hita Karana, Tri Mandala, and Sanga Mandala are the Balinese spatial planning philosophies. Core values in Tri Hita Karana are balanced and harmony among parahyangan, palemahan, and pawongan. Denpasar city plan was stated formally based on Tri Hita Karana. Application of this concept was revealed into Tri Mandala and Sanga Mandala which producing nine zones. If these philosophy implemented fully then the land allotment in the spatial plan follow the rules and there is no problem of disharmony between the elements of Tri Hita Karana. The purpose of this study is to identify deviations in the application of traditional Balinese spatial concepts in the Denpasar city plan and proposed prevention of the emergence of problems in its implementation. To find deviations between the Tri Hita Karana concept and the city spatial plan, an overlapping analysis was conducted between the Sanga Mandala zoning and the Denpasar city spatial plan. The results show that there have been deviations in various zones. To prevent the emergence of problems due to deviations, implementation needs to be supported by zoning regulations and other supporting regulations.    Keywords: tri hita karana, city spatial plan
Supranational law shows phenomena of fragmentation, as well as aspects of constitutionalization. Theories that deal with global constitutionalism analyze phenomena of constitutionalization of supranational law, as well as the prescriptive requirements of this process. This paper analyzes the different ways in which it is possible to understand global constitutionalism, and in a preliminary way addresses its relevance to the theory and the concept of law.
The dynamical properties of quantum entanglement in an integrable quantum dimer are studied in terms of the reduced-density linear entropy with various coupling parameters and total boson numbers. The characteristic time of decoherence process in the early-time evolution of the linear entropy is obtained, indicating that the characteristic time and the corresponding entropy exhibit a maximum near the position of the corresponding classical separatrix energy.
Background Dengue fever has been a significant public health challenge in China. This will be particularly important in the context of global warming, frequent international travels, and urbanization with increasing city size and population movement. In order to design relevant prevention and control strategies and allocate health resources reasonably, this study evaluated the economic burden of dengue fever in China in 2019. Methods The economic burden of dengue fever patients was calculated from both family and the organisation perspectives. A survey was conducted among 1,027 dengue fever patients in Zhejiang, Chongqing, and Yunnan Provinces. Treatment expenses, lost working days, and insurance reimbursement expenses information were collected to estimate the total economic burden of dengue fever patients in 2019. The expenditures related to dengue fever prevention and control from government, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), communities and subdistrict offices of 30 counties (or districts) in Zhejiang Province and Chongqing City were also collected. Results The direct, indirect and total economic burden for dengue fever patients in 2019 in the three Provinces were about 36,927,380.00 Chinese Yuan (CNY), 10,579,572.00 CNY and 46,805,064.00 CNY, respectively. The costs for prevention and control of dengue fever for the counties (or districts) without cases, counties (or districts) with imported cases, and counties (or districts) with local cases are 205,800.00 CNY, 731,180.00 CNY and 6,934,378.00 CNY, respectively. The total investment of dengue fever prevention and control in the 30 counties in China in 2019 was approximately 3,166,660,240.00 CNY. Conclusion The economic burden of dengue fever patients is relatively high, and medical insurance coverage should be increased to lighten patients’ direct medical economic burden. At the same time, the results suggests that China should increase funding for primary health service institutions to prevent dengue fever transmission.
This article describes a psychoanalytic consultation model to an independent grade 7–12 school that offers a practical and efficient approach to improve school climate. This model may stand alone or complement other approaches, and it can be implemented in both independent and public school settings. It focuses not only on “at risk” students, overwhelmed parents, teachers, and staff but also on the school community as a whole. The process of psychoanalytic consultation emphasizes the understanding of both the overt and hidden meanings of attitudes and behavior in a school. This understanding provides opportunities for active and collaborative problem solving and conflict resolution. Psychoanalytic consultation promotes a safe and caring school climate.
Interactions between the p53 and PI3K/AKT pathways play a significant role in the determination of cell death/survival. In benign cells these pathways are interrelated through the transcriptional regulation of PTEN by p53, which is required for p53-mediated apoptosis. PTEN exerts its effects by decreasing the phosphorylated AKT fraction, thereby diminishing prosurvival activities. However, the link between these pathways in cancer is not known. In this study, PIK3CA, encoding the p110alpha catalytic subunit of PI3K, is identified as an oncogene involved in upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) carcinomas. Simultaneous abnormalities in both pathways are rare in primary tumors, suggesting that amplification of PIK3CA and mutation of p53 are mutually exclusive events and either event is able to promote a malignant phenotype. Moreover, the negative effect of p53 induction on cell survival involves the transcriptional inhibition of PIK3CA that is independent of PTEN activity, as PTEN is not expressed in the primary tumors. Conversely, constitutive activation of PIK3CA results in resistance to p53-related apoptosis in PTEN deficient cells. Thus, p53 regulates cell survival by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT prosurvival signal independent of PTEN in epithelial tumors. This inhibition is required for p53-mediated apoptosis in malignant cells.
We show that fermionic high-spin systems with spin-changing collisions allow one to monitor superexchange processes in optical superlattices with large amplitudes and strong spin fluctuations. By investigating the non-equilibrium dynamics, we find a superexchange dominated regime at weak interactions. The underlying mechanism is driven by an emerging tunneling-energy gap in shallow few-well potentials. As a consequence, the interaction-energy gap that is expected to occur only for strong interactions in deep lattices is re-established. By tuning the optical lattice depth, a crossover between two regimes with negligible particle number fluctuations is found: firstly, the common regime with vanishing spin-fluctuations in deep lattices and, secondly, a novel regime with strong spin fluctuations in shallow lattices. We discuss the possible experimental realization with ultracold 40K atoms and observable quantities in double wells and two-dimensional plaquettes.
Experiences of violence during youth contravene young people’s rights and increase the risk of depression and poor human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care outcomes among youth living with HIV (YLWH). Intervention targets for mitigating the negative psychosocial effects of violence are needed, particularly in areas like rural South Africa where violence remains pervasive and mental healthcare is limited. This study aims to quantify the associations between physical and sexual violence and depressive symptoms in YLWH in rural South Africa and explore the modification of these associations by key measures of psychosocial well‐being.
This	  research	  defines	  a	  widely	  used,	  but	  largely	  unrecognized	  genre	  of	  software. From	  a	  User	  Experience	  Design	  standpoint,	  this	  genre	  definition	  considers	  any	  application that	  helps	  users	  capture,	  understand,	  and	  manipulate	  time-­‐series	  data. Computer	  user	  interfaces	  investigated	  within	  this	  genre	  help	  users	  manage	  time-­‐ series	  data.	  Digital	  interactions	  with	  time-­‐series	  data	  range	  from	  simple	  presses	  of	  the play/pause	  button,	  loops	  to	  find	  the	  right	  information,	  to	  complex	  analyses	  necessary	  for greater	  understanding.	  A	  child	  may	  watch	  a	  movie	  played	  on	  a	  media	  player	  like	  Apple’s iTunes.	  A	  student	  may	  compose	  a	  musical	  presentation	  with	  Steinberg’s	  Cubase.	  Trying	  to determine	  market	  trends,	  investors	  may	  conduct	  a	  stock	  analysis	  on	  Charles	  Schwab’s OptionsXpress. This	  thesis	  investigates	  applications	  and	  discovers	  properties	  shared	  by	  each application.	  By	  looking	  at	  how	  the	  interfaces	  in	  this	  genre	  are	  composed,	  this	  thesis establishes	  common	  practices	  and	  conventions	  enabling	  other	  designers	  to	  create successful	  user	  experiences.
The reaction of N4P4Cl8(1) with sodium phenoxide (or phenol in the presence of triethylamine) has been studied under a variety of experimental conditions. The chloro(phenoxy)-derivatives, N4P4Cl8–n(OPh)n[n= 1 or 2 (mixture of four non-geminal isomers), 3(mixture of non-geminal isomers), 4(mixture of isomers), 5(mixture of isomers), 6(mixture of four non-geminal isomers), or 8], have been isolated by column chromatography over silica gel. Attempts to separate geometric isomers were unsuccessful. Structural elucidation of the products is based on the 31P n.m.r. data for the chloro-precursors and 1H and 31P n.m.r. spectra of the dimethylamino- and/or methoxy-derivatives. The chlorine-replacement pattern is discussed.
Mobile phones are characterized by limited energy sources. Saving this energy is therefore a primordial subject. As well as for the low level communication protocols (typically from Physical and MAC layers), unnecessary energy consumption can be caused by the behavior of high level protocols, typically from Application and Transport layers. In this paper, we study the case of a classical but not well-known mechanism, the "keep alive mechanism", that induces increase of the energetic cost on mobile phones. We then propose a solution to reduce this cost and provide NS-3 experimentations that show the resulting benefits.
Neonatal mortality is still high in Nepal with U5MR 54 and IMR 46 per 1000 live births. 1 out of 22 Nepali child dies before age 1 year and 1 in 19 dies before he or she turns 5 years. In a low resource country like Nepal if expectant mothers are screened for risk factors and extra care given within existing resources for those who need more, there will be an impact on their risk status and on the outcome of pregnancy. In this study 187 expectant mothers were grouped into low and high risk categories using simple scoring system and their neonatal outcome was observed. Neonatal Death and Low Birth Weight (LBW) were undesirable outcome. At risk mothers can be identified with a simple risk scoring system at community level and timely intervention has definite impact on neonatal outcome.
It is necessary to suppress harmonics because of electric railway traction power supply system has serious harmonic problems. This paper has established averaging model, and the robustness of active power filter is analyzed based on the H-infinity control theory. Simulation results show that electrified railway harmonic control effect is good based on H-infinity control. And it has the fairly good stability and robustness.
A Master of Science (MSc) conversion degree is one which retrains students in a new subject area within a fast-tracked period of time. This type of programme opens new opportunities to students beyond those gained through their originally-chosen degree. Students entering a conversion degree do so, in a number of cases, to improve career options, which might mean moving from an initially-chosen path to gain skills in a field that they now consider to be more attractive. With a core goal of improving future employability prospects, specific requirements are therefore placed on the learning outcomes achieved from the course content and delivery. In this paper, the learning outcomes are focused on the transferable skills intended to be gained as a result of the assessment design, disseminated to a cohort of students on a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Professional Software Development at Ulster University, United Kingdom. The coursework submissions are explored to demonstrate how module learning has been applied, in a creative way, to facilitate the assessment requirements.
Biomineralization proteins are widely used as templating agents in biomimetic synthesis of a variety of organic-inorganic nanostructures. However, the role of the protein in controlling the nucleation and growth of biomimetic particles is not well understood, because the mechanism of the bioinspired reaction is often deduced from ex situ analysis of the resultant nanoscale mineral phase. Here we report the direct visualization of biomimetic iron oxide nanoparticle nucleation mediated by an acidic bacterial recombinant protein, Mms6, during an in situ reaction induced by the controlled addition of sodium hydroxide to solution-phase Mms6 protein micelles incubated with ferric chloride. Using in situ liquid cell scanning transmission electron microscopy we observe the liquid iron prenucleation phase and nascent amorphous nanoparticles forming preferentially on the surface of protein micelles. Our results provide insight into the early steps of protein-mediated biomimetic nucleation of iron oxide and point to the importance of an extended protein surface during nanoparticle formation.
Research examining neuropsychological profiles of girls with Asperger’s disorder (AD) is sparse. In this study, we sought to characterize neurocognitive profiles of girls with AD compared to girls with learning disabilities (LD). Two groups of school-age girls referred for neuropsychological assessment participated in the study. A total of 23 girls with AD were compared to 50 girls with LD using intellectual, academic, neuropsychological, and behavioral assessments. Standard two-tailed t-tests revealed statistically significant discrepancies in a number of areas, and results were interpreted to conclude that the participants with AD had a more severe cognitive and behavioral presentation than same-age girls with LD. The severity of these discrepancies indicates the need for routine neuropsychological and behavioral screening to promote early diagnosis and intervention. Based on this study, we challenge the idea that girls present with a more benign expression of AD than boys.
Computer security concerns have been rapidly increasing because of repeated security breaches and leakages of sensitive personal information. Such security breaches are mainly caused by an inappropriate management of the PCs, so maintaining integrity of the platform configuration is essential, and, verifying the integrity of the computer platform and software becomes more significant. To address these problems, the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) has developed various specifications that are used to measure the integrity of the platform based on hardware trust. In the trusted computing technology, the integrity data of each component running on the platform is recorded in the security chip and they are securely checked by a remote attestation. The infrastructure working group in the TCG is trying to define an Integrity Management Infrastructure in which the Platform Trust Services (PTS) is a new key component which deals with an Integrity Report. When we use the PTS in the target platform, it is a service component that collects and measures the runtime integrity of the target platform in a secure way. The PTS can also be used to validate the Integrity Reports. We introduce the notion of the Platform Validation Authority, a trusted third party, which verifies the composition of the integrity measurement of the target platform in the Integrity Reports. The Platform Validation Authority complements the role of the current Certificate Authority in the Public Key Infrastructure which attests to the integrity of the user identity as well as to related artifacts such as digital signatures. In this paper, we cover the research topics in this new area, the relevant technologies and open issues of the trusted computing, and the detail of our PTS implementation.
Catastrophic events such as oil spills, hypoxia, disease, and major predation events occur in marine ecosystems and affect fish populations. Previous evaluations of the performance of spatial management alternatives have not considered catastrophic events. We investigate the effects of local and global catastrophic events on populations managed with and without no-take marine reserves and with fishing mortality rates that are optimized accounting for reserves. A spatial population dynamics model is used to explore effects of large, catastrophic natural mortality events. The effects of the spatial spread, magnitude, probability of catastrophe, and persistence of a catastrophic event through time are explored. Catastrophic events affecting large spatial areas and those that persist through time have the greatest effects on population dynamics because they affect natural mortality nonlinearly, whereas the probability and magnitude of catastrophic events result in only linear increases in natural mortality. The probability of falling below 10% or 20% of unfished abundance was greatest when a no-take marine reserve was implemented with no additional fishing regulations and least when a no-take marine reserve was implemented in addition to the maintenance of optimal fishing mortality in fished areas. In the absence of implementation error, maintaining abundance across space using restrictions on fishing mortality rates, regardless of the existence of a no-take marine reserve, decreased the probability of falling below 10% or 20% of unfished abundance.
3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photo­ graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in "sectioning" the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand comer of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on untfl complete.
Leishmania genus protozoan parasites have developed various strategies to overcome host cell protective mechanisms favoring their survival and propagation. Recent findings in the field propose a new player in this infectious strategy, the Leishmania exosomes. Exosomes are eukaryotic extracellular vesicles essential to cell communication in various biological contexts. In fact, there have been an increasing number of reports over the last 10 years regarding the role of protozoan parasite exosomes, Leishmania exosomes included, in their capacity to favor infection and propagation within their hosts. In this review, we will discuss the latest findings regarding Leishmania exosome function during infectious conditions with a strong focus on Leishmania-host interaction from a mammalian perspective. We also compare the immunomodulatory properties of Leishmania exosomes to other parasite exosomes, demonstrating the conserved, important role that exosomes play during parasite infection.
Conventional traffic control plans such as the one used in Nebraska (NDOR Merge) for lane closures of rural Interstate highways normally work well as long as congestion does not develop. However, when the traffic demand exceeds the capacity of the work zone, queues may extend back past the advance warning signs, often surprising approaching traffic and increasing the accident potential. The Late Merge is a merge-control concept developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to reduce the length of queues and reduce the road rage that often develops among drivers. The operational effects of the Late Merge were evaluated. The traffic flow characteristics determined from the field data indicate that the Late Merge is more effective than the NDOR Merge in terms of the safety and efficiency of merging operations in advance of lane closures on Interstate highways. The Late Merge has higher capacity and results in fewer traffic conflicts. However, it was also found that the concept might not be working as effectively as it is capable of. Based on the lane distribution data obtained during both free-flow and congested-flow periods, it can be concluded that some motorists did not follow the directions given by the traffic control signs, thus reducing the effectiveness of the merging operation. The potential benefits of the Late Merge will not be fully realized until drivers, particularly truck drivers, gain a better understanding and acceptance of the concept.
A zinc‐dependent proteinase was extracted from the cell wall of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and partially purified despite a marked unstability. The caseinolytic activity was associated with a polypeptide chain of 65 kDa that belonged to the M1 family of zinc‐dependent proteases. This zinc‐dependent proteinase could degrade intact caseins, with a significant preference for β‐casein. The pH‐profile of its activity indicated that its relative contribution to the caseinolytic activity increased at acidic pH, suggesting that this zinc proteinase could be involved in the late stages of milk fermentation.
Rhabdomyolysis is usually attributed to trauma. However there is an association of rhabdomyolysis with hyperosmolar states. Recognition of this association will enable better management of the patient and reduce the burden on the care taker by preventing the onset of complications that can prove fatal. It is also important to realise that hyperosmolar coma can be the presenting complaint of a diabetic seeking medical attention for the first time.
Unbiased or upper limit estimates of the rate (U) of genomic mutations to mildly deleterious alleles are crucial in genetic and conservation studies and in human health care. However, only a few estimates of the lower bounds of U are available. We present a fairly robust estimation that yields an upper limit of U and a nearly unbiased estimate of the per generation fitness decline due to new deleterious mutations. We applied the approach to three species of the freshwater microcrustacean Daphnia and revealed that the upper limit of U for egg survivorship is 0.73 (SD = 0.30) in 14 D. pulicaria populations. For the first four clutches, per generation decline in fecundity due to deleterious mutations ranged from 2.2% to 7.8% in 20 D. pulex populations and from 1.1% to 5.1% in 8 D. obtusa populations. These results indicate the mutation pressure is high in natural Daphnia populations. The approach investigated here provides a potential way to quickly and conveniently characterize U and per generation effects of deleterious genomic mutations on fitness or its important components such as fecundity.
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a universally used solvent in various synthetic reactions, and trace amount of DMSO residual is often seen on the surface of chemical product. It is difficult to quickly determine whether the residual DMSO is washed completely. This work reports a Cd(II) metal-organic framework (MOF) SXU-4 which can detect trace amount of DMSO in various solvents. Fluorescence experiments reveal its turn on fluorescence effect toward DMSO with high selectivity and sensitivity, indicating that it can be used as an effective luminescent probe for rapid chemical product purity detection by testing the washing solution. Crystallographically characterized DMSO loaded SXU-4 (DMSO@ SXU-4 ), in combination with computational results uncover that the enhanced DMSO-MOF conjugation through multiple DMSO-MOF supramolecule interactions and charge rearrangement are the main causes of fluorescence intensification.
Smoking during pregnancy is a persistent public health problem that has been linked to later adverse outcomes. The neonatal period--the first month of life--carries substantial developmental change in regulatory skills and is the period when tobacco metabolites are cleared physiologically. Studies to date mostly have used cross-sectional designs that limit characterizing potential impacts of prenatal tobacco exposure on the development of key self-regulatory processes and cannot disentangle short-term withdrawal effects from residual exposure-related impacts. In this study, pregnant participants (N = 304) were recruited prospectively during pregnancy, and smoking was measured at multiple time points, with both self-report and biochemical measures. Neonatal attention, irritable reactivity, and stress dysregulation were examined longitudinally at three time points during the first month of life, and physical growth indices were measured at birth. Tobacco-exposed infants showed significantly poorer attention skills after birth, and the magnitude of the difference between exposed and nonexposed groups attenuated across the neonatal period. In contrast, exposure-related differences in irritable reactivity largely were not evident across the 1st month of life, differing marginally at 4 weeks of age only. Third-trimester smoking was associated with pervasive, deleterious, dose–response impacts on physical growth measured at birth, whereas nearly all smoking indicators throughout pregnancy predicted level and growth rates of early attention. The observed neonatal pattern is consistent with the neurobiology of tobacco on the developing nervous system and fits with developmental vulnerabilities observed later in life.
Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco, a mangrove shrub species in the Myrsine family, often grows at the seaward edge of the mangrove zone in China. In the present study, seasonal dynamics of nutrient resorption and phenolics concentration associated with leaf senescence of A. corniculatum were investigated in order to evaluate its possible nutrient conservation strategies in the subtropical Zhangjiang river estuary. It was found that the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations in mature leaves showed similar seasonal changes with the highest concentrations in winter and the lowest in summer, and were significantly higher than those in senescent leaves. The N:P ratios of mature leaves through the year were found to be less than 14, indicating that the A. corniculatum forest was N-limited. The nitrogen resorption efficiency (NRE) was higher than phosphorus resorption efficiency (PRE), and N resorption was complete. In addition, A. corniculatum leaves contained high total phenolics (TPs) and total condensed tannin (TCT) levels (both above 20%). TPs concentrations in mature and senescent leaves were all inversely related to their N or P concentrations. TPs:N and TCT:N ratios in senescent leaves were significantly higher than those in mature leaves. The obtained results suggested that high NRE during leaf senescence and high TPs:N and TCT:N ratios in senescent leaves might be important nutrient conservation strategies for the mangrove shrub A. corniculatum forest growing in N-limited conditions.
Abstract This paper assesses whether English law recognizes a concept of negotiorum gestio. Claimants intervening in other' affairs and seeking restitution or reimbursement of expenses are often labeled ‘officious’, and disallowed relief. That, however, gives a misleading impression of English law. English law does recognize a concept of negotiorum gestio, which while very different to that found in German law, has parallels to versions found in other Civilian systems. It provides a cause of action to recover the intervenor's expenses, and any loss suffered during the intervention. It also provides a defence to the intervenor's intentional torts, although negligent intervenors will remain liable for their negligence
This study addresses the problem of real-time tracking of high-speed ballistic targets. Particle filters can be used to overcome the nonlinearity of motion and measurement models in ballistic targets. However, applying particle filters (PFs) to real-time systems is challenging since they generally require a significant computation time. So, most of the existing methods of accelerating PF using a graphics processing unit (GPU) for target tracking applications have accelerated computation weight function and resampling part. However, the computational time per part varies from application to application, and in this work, we confirm that it takes a lot of computational time in the model propagation part and propose accelerated PF by parallelizing the corresponding logic. The real-time performance of the proposed method was tested and analyzed using an embedded system. And compared to conventional PF on the central processing unit (CPU), the proposed method shows that the proposed method significantly reduces computational time by at least 10 times, improving real-time performance.
Synovial sarcoma (SS) is the most common nonrhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue sarcoma in childhood, but the head–neck site accounts for less than 5% of cases. The authors report a 10-year-old boy with SYT-SSX1 positive left parapharyngeal SS, resistant to front-line VAIA chemotherapy, who obtained a good partial response by salvage regimen (I3VE + CEV + I3VE) and local radiotherapy, so a complete surgical resection could be performed. The complete remission was subsequently consolidated by ablative high-dose chemotherapy, followed by autologous stem cell reinfusion. The child remains in complete remission at 36 months after completion of treatment.
In the case of the aphtho- and cardioviruses, the primary cleavage in the region of the polyprotein was known to be different, occurring at the C terminus of 2A. Precursor forms spanning the 2A/2B junction are not observed in aphtho- or cardiovirus polyprotein processing. Deletions downstream of 2A did not appear to affect cleavage. Experiments analyzing the endogenous processing properties of recombinant aphthovirus indicated that the cleavage activity could be a property of the 2A oligopeptidic region alone. Consistent with this notion, studies on the endogenous processing properties of domains of the cardiovirus Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) polyprotein localized the 2A/2B cleavage activity within the 2AB region. With artificial reporter polyprotein systems the 2A/2B cleavage activity of both EMCV and TMEV was subsequently mapped to the C-terminal 18 aa of their 2A proteins—these cardiovirus sequences being as efficient as the FMDV 2A in mediating cleavage. The molar excess of the translation product N terminal of 2A over that C-terminal of 2A is a product of inserting the 2A sequence into our artificial polyprotein systems. In summary, the authors and others have shown the aphtho- and cardiovirus 2A/2B cleavage is mediated by an oligopeptidic region, representing either the whole (aphthoviruses) or part (cardioviruses) of the 2A region.
Antibodies of the IgM isotype are often neglected as potential therapeutics in human trials, animal models of human diseases as well as detecting agents in standard laboratory techniques. In contrast, several human IgMs demonstrated proof of efficacy in cancer models and models of CNS disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Reasons for their lack of consideration include difficulties to express, purify and stabilize IgM antibodies, challenge to identify (non-protein) antigens, low affinity binding and fundamental knowledge gaps in carbohydrate and lipid research. This manuscript uses HIgM12 as an example to provide a detailed protocol to detect antigens by Western blotting, immunoprecipitations and immunocytochemistry. HIgM12 targets polysialic acid (PSA) attached to the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). Early postnatal mouse brain tissue from wild type (WT) and NCAM knockout (KO) mice lacking the three major central nervous system (CNS) splice variants NCAM180, 140 and 120 was used to evaluate the importance of NCAM for binding to HIgM12. Further enzymatic digestion of CNS tissue and cultured CNS cells using endoneuraminidases led us to identify PSA as the specific binding epitope for HIgM12.
A literature review has indicated that a majority of researchers tend to define quality as meeting customers' needs. This study therefore attempts to develop a new service quality instrument called SQ-NEED based on Maslow's theory of needs. The results from the empirical analysis suggest that the SQ-NEED not only has a sound theoretical basis, but also possesses a reasonable reliability and validity. Moreover there is significant evidence to show that SQ-NEED performs better in this study than SERVQUAL for services directed at people and providing intangible actions.
E-government is the important way to enhance the administration and the public service. By the analysis of Chinese government's organizations and positions, the paper proposes an improved RBAC model which faces the integration of various business fields in the organization. In the view of management and technology, it solves the problem of the separation between organization management and empowerment, and decrease the complexity of management. It is hoped to be referenced for the construction of E-government.
We examine whether groups of precariously balanced rocks in the Mo- jave Desert, southern California, may have remained standing for thousands of years because anomalous site conditions prevent the rocks from toppling during large earth- quakes. Measurements of peak ground velocity at bandwidths of 0.5-1, 1-2, 2-4, 4-8, and 8-16 Hz for 56 earthquakes (ML 3.5-4.8) at two sites of precarious rocks are compared with velocities recorded for the same earthquakes by three TRI- NET* stations located on engineering "rock" (National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) site class B). We find that the residuals (the logarithm of the ratio of the amplitudes recorded at the precarious-rock sites to the TRINET amplitudes for the same earthquake and epicentral distance) at frequencies less than about 4 Hz are negative (i.e., deamplification of 50%-250%), whereas the residuals are slightly positive at the higher frequencies (i.e., amplification of up to 25%-50%). High- frequency ground motions (e.g., peak ground acceleration) may therefore be slightly amplified at the precarious-rock sites, which means that site conditions do not appear to explain the existence of the precarious rocks in areas where high peak ground accelerations are predicted in recent probabilistic seismic-hazard (PSH) models. This discrepancy between the precarious rocks and the PSH models should be urgently resolved.
Abstract If there is a cost to producing a dark color patch, the size of a patch may not correspond with its pigment concentration. The plumage of male house sparrows represents a case of dark, melanin-based ornamentation, but also a case of neglecting the composite nature of dark signals in birds. Here, I investigated what kind of associations exist between the brightness, chroma, and hue of dark integumentary patches and the size of a secondary sexual trait, the bib, in male house sparrows. I found that males with a larger bib also had a darker bib and bill, and a more saturated bib, bill, epaulets, head crown, and breast than small-bibbed males. Male bib coloration in terms of brightness and chroma was more strongly related to bib size than the coloration of other integumentary patches. However, with respect to hue, only the hue of the bill and cheeks was related to bib size. My results indicate that size, brightness, and chroma of the bib, but also chroma of other deeply colored patches, convey redundant information about the signaler's quality in male house sparrows.
The concern for climate change has increased worldwide. Localized rain storms with high intensity and short duration have been observed in Asia. South Korea is one of the countries that have also been impacted by extreme rainfall events during typhoons. Extreme rainstorms have caused major damage from landslides and debris flows in the South Korean mountains. Korea is also experiencing changes in climate parameters, including annual temperature and precipitation. In this research, a physically based slope stability model for shallow landslide is presented. A model for the prediction of both topographic and climatic control on shallow landslide initiation processes in hilly mountainous terrain is proposed. We applied two simple hydrological models, coupled with the infinite slope stability analysis, to the July 2011 landslide event in Yongin, South Korea. The rainfall predicted to cause instability in each topographic element is characterized by duration and frequency of occurrence. The results obtained from the QD-SLaM has been compared with those obtained by the steady-state model, SHALSTAB. A GIS-based landslide inventory map of 109 landslide locations was prepared using data from previous reports, aerial photographic interpretation, and extensive field work. And this inventory of landslide scars was used to document sites of instability and to provide a test of model performance by comparing observed landslide locations with model predictions. This result demonstrate the QD-SLaM was successful in identifying the unstable areas under return critical rainfall than the SHALSTAB was.
ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the relationship between self-reported disease burden (stroke, congestive heart failure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, or cancer) and functional improvement during and after inpatient rehabilitation among older adults with hip fractures. DesignThis is a longitudinal study examining 238 community-dwelling adults 65 yrs or older with unilateral hip fractures who underwent surgical repair and inpatient rehabilitation and were followed for 1 yr after discharge from the inpatient rehabilitation facility. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) instrument was the outcome variable, collected at inpatient rehabilitation facility admission and discharge and at 2, 6, and 12 mos after discharge from the inpatient rehabilitation facility. A mixed-effect model was applied to quantify FIM functional improvement patterns between groups with and without selected preexisting chronic conditions while adjusting for potential confounders. ResultsMaximum functional improvement occurred during rehabilitation and the first 6 mos after rehabilitation for all six chronic conditions under study. In regard to the effect of disease on selected FIM outcomes, compared with patients without the selected preexisting chronic conditions, those who have had a stroke had significantly worse self care (&bgr; = −0.33; P = 0.02), transfer (&bgr; = −0.36; P = 0.03), and locomotion (&bgr; = −0.84; P = 0.0005) ratings, whereas the patients with congestive heart failure had significantly worse transfer (&bgr; = −0.59; P = 0.001) and locomotion (&bgr; = −0.71; P = 0.01) ratings. Significant interactions in stroke with time were seen in self-care (&bgr; = −0. 03; P = 0.04), suggesting that those who have had a stroke before hip fracture had poorer functional improvement over time than those who did not have the conditions. The patients with congestive heart failure demonstrated a faster rate of recovery over time in locomotion than those without (&bgr; = 0.06; P = 0.03). ConclusionsIntervention strategies should monitor the first 6 mos after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, during which the maximum level of functional improvement is expected. However, the individuals who have had a stroke had poor functional improvement at 1 yr (adjusted mean FIM score, 5.74) than those who have not had a stroke (adjusted mean FIM score, 6.56). The patients who have had a stroke required human supervision at 12 mos after rehabilitation. Therefore, long-term care needs should be monitored in the discharge plan.
The research presents a new method for determination of concrete damage under cyclic freezethawing by the parameters of the electrical response under impact excitation. It is established that the attenuation coefficient of the energy of the electrical responses under impact excitation can be used as a diagnostic criterion for crack process determination. A higher accuracy of evaluation of crack processes by the parameters of the electrical signal in comparison with the acoustic method is shown.
The notion of curriculum as contested was central to this thesis. In particular, the focus was on how children (aged from 8 months to 5 years) experienced and influenced the scope of curriculum and participated in the process in defining what constituted null curriculum in one New Zealand childcare centre. Qualitative methods were used to investigate this process of setting curriculum boundaries. Participant observations over five months yielded detailed observations, and these were supplemented by conversations with children which occurred in the context of a range of research strategies; children's perspectives have been foregrounded throughout. Data generation and analysis was guided by principles of the generic inductive qualitative model. Critical pedagogy and the sociology of childhood together provided the theoretical and methodological framework for the study, and 'strategies of dislocation' were devised to assist in seeing unfamiliar aspects in a familiar context. The central source of curriculum boundaries was found to be the assumed demarcation between adults and children; not only did this wider social norm influence the teachers, but it was also found to be embedded within the physical structure and organisation of the centre. It is argued this generational division conflicted with teachers' commitment to implementing sociocultural practices. The core of curriculum for children was found to be relationships with others. However, many relationships were characterised by a dialectic tension between a desire to establish relationships and be accepted within the community, and a desire to exercise control/power. It is argued that these two concerns were significant aspects of curriculum for children. Children's focus on gender and their individual interests also influenced the scope of curriculum, although children's ability to introduce interests depended upon how conducive the physical and social environment was to their expression. Teachers' and children's interpretation of what constituted null curriculum varied. Some aspects, and particularly the body, appeared to be null curriculum for all. Children used strategies of resistance to introduce new elements into the curriculum. Findings from the thesis are aligned with those of other recent qualitative studies in similar New Zealand settings and implications for the early childhood profession are discussed, particularly in relation to scrutinising the image of the child that is implied in practices, and challenging assumptions about the roles of adults and children, as a first step towards dismantling expectations that currently limit the potential scope of curriculum.
Developmental changes in protein N‐glycosylation activity have been studied using cultures of dissociated fetal rat brain cells as an in vitro model system. These cultures undergo an initial phase of neurite outgrowth and cell proliferation (4–6 days in culture), followed by a period of cellular differentiation. N‐Glycosylation activity has been measured by assaying the incorporation of [2‐3H]‐mannose into dolichol‐linked oligosaccharides and glyco‐protein over a period of 1–25 days in culture. This study revealed a marked induction of N‐glycosylation activity beginning at approximately 1 week of culture. [2‐3H]‐Mannose incorporation into the oligosaccharide‐lipid intermediate fraction and glycoprotein reached maximal values between 12 and 16 days of culture and declined thereafter. The major dolichol‐linked oligosaccharide labeled by the brain cell cultures was shown to be Glc3Man9GlcNAc2 by HPLC analysis. Parallel incorporation studies with [3H]leucine showed that the increase in protein N‐glycosylation was relatively higher than a concurrent increase in cellular protein synthesis observed during the induction period. Maximal labeling of glycoprotein corresponded to the period of glial differentiation, as indicated by a sharp rise in the marker enzymes, 2′,3′‐cyclic nucleotide 3′‐phosphohydrolase (an oligodendroglial marker) and glutamine synthetase (an astroglial marker). The results describe a developmental activation of the N‐glycosylation pathway and suggest a possible relationship between N‐linked glycoprotein assembly and the growth and differentiation of glial cells.
This chapter documents and analyses women's activity in and experience of formal public worship in the synagogue. The synagogue is central to the performance of male religious obligations, but much less so to the performance of women's religious duties. Many observant women rarely attend synagogue, even if their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons go every week. Women have mixed feelings about synagogue attendance. Some find it essential to their experience of the sabbath, and some are resigned to their synagogue experience. Women traditionally play no or very little role in life-cycle celebrations. At some synagogues, women's participation is actively discouraged. Women held formal titles in the synagogues of ancient Rome, but there are no further instances of this until the twentieth century. Most Orthodox women emerge from the Jewish educational systems with little competence in reading Hebrew or in studying classical texts. Women find it hard to place acquired knowledge in a wider context, and tend to describe themselves as 'not very learned', ignoring their often immense expertise in areas of domestic knowledge, such as the running of a Jewish household. Women's lack of confidence, text-based knowledge, and training has prevented them from becoming Jewish educators. This survey of women's activity and experience in the 'official' communal sphere clearly illustrates the different attitudes and strategies of the three groups identifiable in the London Jewish community: Haredi, Modern Orthodox, and traditionalist.
The use of TEGDMA as a diluent comonomer in the formulation of hydrophobic adhesives for ethanol wet-bonding is a concern, due to its leaching potential, higher water sorption, and bio-incompatibility. This study tested the hypothesis that hydrophobic bonding to acid-etched dentin may be accomplished with the use of ethanol-solvated BisGMA only. Phosphoric-acid-etched, oxalate-occluded, deep coronal dentin bonded under 20 cm water pressure with experimental BisGMA adhesives by ethanol wet-bonding exhibited tensile strengths that were not significantly different from that achieved with OptiBond FL bonded according to the manufacturer-recommended protocol, with similar acid-/base-resistant hybrid layers, resin tags, and nanoleakage distribution. Ethanol replacement of water-saturated dentin produced wider interfibrillar spaces, more extensive shrinkage of the collagen fibrils, and narrower hybrid layers. Experimental BisGMA adhesives provide the proof of concept that relatively hydrophobic resins may be coupled to acid-etched dentin by increasing its hydrophobic characteristics via ethanol replacement. They should be further optimized before clinical application.
Exact mass capabilities of time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry along with other mass spectrometric techniques have been evaluated to elucidate a complete range of dichlofenac phototransformation products. Photolysis experiments with diclofenac in water under direct solar irradiation were performed to characterise the main phototransformation products generated and to determine their stability. Photolysis experiments were performed in both demineralised water and reconstructed standard freshwater. Samples were extracted before analysis by solid phase extraction (SPE) with Oasis HLB and MAX cartridges. Separation and identification of the transformation products were accomplished by the combined use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOFMS). Both techniques provided complementary information that enabled the identification of 13 phototransformation products. Six of them were identified by GC/MS through the structural information provided by the full scan mass spectra obtained under electron impact (EI) ionisation and the confirmation of the molecular mass provided by positive chemical ionisation (PCI) analyses. Accurate mass measurements obtained by LC/TOFMS provided the elucidation of seven polar transformation products. The low mass error observed (<2 ppm) enabled the assignment of highly probable empirical formulas as well as identification of a process dimerisation route. The photoproducts identified demonstrated that photolysis of diclofenac occurs by two main routes. One is the consequence of the initial photocyclisation of diclofenac into carbazole derivatives. The other route goes through the initial decarboxilation of diclofenac and further oxidation of the alkyl-chain, which are typical photolytic process reactions. The main photoproduct identified was 8-chloro-9H-carbazole-1yl-acetic acid.
Objects  To prepare the mouse anti recombinant human tetraspanin 33 (TSPAN33) antibody and to determine the ratio of TSPAN33+ B cells in B cells in peripheral blood.      Methods  The gene coding of TSPAN33 was amplified by PCR from the cDNA of Hodgkin's lymphoma cells and cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET32a.The recombinant plasmid pET32a/TSPAN33 was transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3) and expressed under IPTG induction.The recombinant TSPAN33 was purified through Ni2+ -NT agarose gel column and the purified TSPAN33 was used as imunogen to imunize the mouse.The immune serum polyclonal antibody was purified by peptide affinity chromatography, peptide of extracellular domain of TSPAN33 combined epoxy modified magnitic beads.The titer and specificity of purified antibody were analyzed by ELISA, WB and Flow cytometry (FCM) repectively.      Results  The recombinant TSPAN33 was successfully expressed and purified, and the anti-TSPAN33 polyclonal antibody was prepared successfully.The antibody for the peptide of extracellular domain of TSPAN33 was purified by affinity chromatography.The titer of the purified antibody was1: 64 000 determined by ELISA.Western blot and FCM analysis showed that the purified antibody reacted specifically to recombinant TSPAN33 and native TSPAN33.The ratio of TSPAN33+ B cells in B cells from HT peripheral blood(4.71±0.43)% was higher than healthy donors(1.95±0.36)% by flow cytometry Method(FCM)(P<0.05).      Conclusions  The purified anti-TSPAN33 antibody with high titer and specificity has been successfully prepared.This antibody lays the foundation for further research in detection of TSPAN33 and its application.      Key words:  Tetraspanin33; Affinity purification; Antibody; Flow cytometry
Copyright ©2016 Bezmarevic M. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Volume 1 : Issue 1 Article Ref. #: 1000POJ1105 Nutritional Support of Patients With the Abdominal Compartment Syndrome During Severe Acute Pancreatitis
We propose the use of cross-leg flaps for the repair of various lesions of the lower extremities, given the versatility and manageability of the technique. The method has been well tested and carries minimal risk in the hands of an expert. Even the position the patient is obliged to maintain is less painful than one would imagine if the legs are secured only by adhesive tape. A few case histories are presented and conclusions are drawn from an analysis of the 183 patients treated.
Objectives. Endothelium dysfunction is one of the critical pathophysiologic disorders in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). To investigate the effect of continuous blood purification (CBP) on endothelial function, we conducted a prospective study of 20 patients with SAP, 9 of whom had evidence of sepsis. Methods. All patients underwent CVVH for 72 h. Soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), soluble thrombomodulin, permeability of the endothelial monolayer, and endothelial intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) levels were used as the markers for the assessment of endothelial function and the effect of CBP therapy in patients with SAP. Blood samples were taken from the patients at 0, 2, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h during CVVH therapy. sE-selectin and thrombomoduiln were measured by ELISA. The endothelial permeability and activation were evaluated using cultured endothelial monolayer and intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Results. The results showed that during CVVH treatment, the hemodynamics and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were stable. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score was improved significantly after CVVH. Endothelial dysfunction was evident in patients with SAP as compared to normal controls. Patients with SAP had increased levels of sE-selectin, endothelial permeability and intracellular [Ca2+]i, which was higher in patients with sepsis than in those without sepsis. The level of thrombomodulin showed a tendency to increase; however, these changes were not significant between SAP patients and controls. After CBP treatment, sE-selectin levels substantially decreased in all patients. CBP treatment also significantly diminished the endothelial permeability and decreased the intracellular [Ca2+] concentration. Conclusions. These data demonstrate that endothelial dysfunction is present in patients with SAP and the degree of endothelial damage may be correlated with the disease severity. CBP therapy can not only improve the general conditions, as measured by the APACHE II score, but also effectively improve endothelial dysfunction.
South Africans have made substantial changes to their sexual behaviour and fewer people are living with HIV than was previously estimated according to results from the biggest household HIV/AIDS study ever undertaken in the country. The independent study was commissioned by former president Nelson Mandela and is based on a representative sample of almost 10 000 people 8840 of whom consented to anonymous HIV saliva tests. (excerpt)
Interrupted time series are increasingly being used to assess the population impact of public health interventions. These data are usually correlated over time (auto correlated) and this must be accounted for in the analysis. Typically, this is done using either the Prais‐Winsten method, the Newey‐West method, or autoregressive‐moving‐average (ARMA) modeling. In this paper, we illustrate these methods via a study of pneumococcal vaccine introduction and explore their performance under 20 simulated autocorrelation scenarios with sample sizes ranging between 20 and 300. We show that in terms of mean square error, the Prais‐Winsten and ARMA methods perform best, while in terms of coverage the Prais‐Winsten method generally performs better than other methods. All three methods are unbiased. As well as having good statistical properties, the Prais‐Winsten method is attractive because it is decision‐free and produces a single measure of autocorrelation that can be compared between studies and used to guide sample size calculations. We would therefore encourage analysts to consider using this simple method to analyze interrupted time series.
Recent experiments on the single ionization of excited hydrogen-like atoms revived new interest in the theoretical questions related to these processes. In order to make some predictions for future experiments the authors consider here for fast projectiles different types of triple differential cross sections and their angular distributions for both small and large momentum transfer. The authors also pay special attention to states with high quantum number n and to the influence of electron-ion interactions in the final state. They give the kinematical conditions to observe a new diffractional structure for symmetric collisions and the main peak for asymmetric collisions.
D'Alessandro MP, Galvin JR, Erkonen WE, Albanese MA, Michaelsen VE, Huntlcy JS, McBurney RM, Easley G. The instructional effectiveness of a radiology multimedia textbook (HyperLung) versus a standard lecture. Invest Radiol 1993; 28:643-648. RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES.Information overload is a significant problem for the modern radiologist. This prospective study compares the instructional effectiveness of a multimedia textbook (HyperLung) with a lecture. HyperLung is a radiologic multimedia textbook about imaging diffuse lung disease created using a multimedia authoring tool, the Annotator (the University of Iowa Second Look Computing, Iowa City, IA), on the Apple Macintosh computer (Apple Computer, Cupertino, CA). METHODS.Forty-nine staff physicians and residents in the Department of Radiology were randomized to receive instruction either by HyperLung or by a lecture. The instructional content was the same in both groups, and both groups were tested before and after instruction. The actual time spent in each instructional situation was recorded. RESULTS.The instructional effectiveness of the multimedia textbook and lecture was equal. The instructional efficiency of HyperLung was only 60% of the lecture. Users of the multimedia textbook found it enjoyable and straightforward to use. CONCLUSIONS. Multimedia textbooks have a promising future in radiology education.
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ABSTRACT Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous population involved in intercellular communication. Little attention has been paid to a peculiar EV type with the appearance of a multivesicular body: extracellular multivesicular body (EMVB), also termed matrix vesicle cluster/multivesicular cargo. The aim of this work is to assess the ultrastructural characteristics, participation, and tissue location of EMVBs in inflammation/repair and tumors (with physiopathological processes involving intense intercellular communication), for which representative specimens were used. The results showed several forms of EMVBs: a) mature EMVBs, made up of clusters of vesicles surrounded by a plasma membrane, b) pre-EMVBs, with protruding grouped vesicles under the cell membrane, and c) post-EMVBs, releasing their vesicles. In tissues with inflammation/repair, EMVBs were observed in vessel lumens, interstitial spaces of vessel walls (between endothelial cells, pericytes, and smooth muscle cells) and between inflammatory and stromal cells. In tumors, such as basal cell carcinoma, craniopharyngioma, syringocystoadenoma, fibrous histiocytoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, lymphomas, neuroblastoma, astrocytomas, meningiomas, and hydatiform mole, EMVBs were present in tumor gland lumens and between tumor cells. In conclusion, in numerous physiopathological processes, we contribute EMVB ultrastructural characteristics (including different forms of mature, pre- and post-EMVBs, suggesting a more efficient EV transport), location and relationship with different types of cells. Further studies are required to assess the role of EMVBs in these physiopathological conditions.
ABSTRACT The rice straw (agricultural waste) was included in the construction of homes in Africa. This application is still useful since it improves some physical properties of materials. However, the great absorption of water of such fibers constitutes an obstacle to the hydration of cement. To remedy this we offer a fiber processing technique. This technique using soil reduces from 15 to 33% absorption rate of rice straw. The processing performance depends on the soil used.
We have recently proposed a new method to extract the three-dimensional (3D) velocity vector data from double-exposure holographic particle image velocimetry (HPIV), which we call the digital shearing method. In contrast to the full 3D correlation, it has been shown that all three components (3Cs) of particle image displacement can be retrieved using six two-dimensional fast Fourier transform operations and appropriate coordinate transformations. In this paper we demonstrate the capabilities of this approach on actual HPIV data. The holographic recording method described uses an imaging system to record a hologram of high numerical aperture using a conventional 35 mm film. The holograms are digitized and particle images are reconstructed numerically. From particle images reconstructed from separate holograms, we illustrate the analysis process by computing the 3Cs of particle image displacement in a step-by-step manner.
Summary. The malignant B cells of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) constitutively express interleukin 8 (IL‐8) and IL‐8 receptors. Ex vivo culture with exogenous IL‐8 enhances IL‐8 expression and prolongs leukaemia cell survival, partly through increased bcl‐2 expression. IL‐8 may function as an autocrine growth and apoptosis resistance factor in CLL. Therefore, we evaluated the prognostic relevance of plasma IL‐8 levels in 151 CLL patients [median age 61 years (range, 32–84 years), median plasma IL‐8 level 18·9 pg/ml (9·1–89·1 pg/ml)]. All Rai stages were represented; advanced stage was associated with significantly higher plasma IL‐8 levels (P < 0·0001, Kruskal–Wallis). Also, plasma IL‐8 level was correlated with serum β2‐microglobulin (β2‐M) (R = 0·24, P = 0·0081), haemoglobin (R = −0·39, P < 0·0001) and platelet count (R = −0·23, P = 0·0049) by Spearman's rank correlation. Univariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards models identified elevated IL‐8 and β2‐M as significant prognostic factors with relative risks of 7·43 (P = 9·1 × 10−9) and 16·40 (P = 5·9 × 10−10) respectively. High levels of IL‐8 were associated with shorter survival independent of β2‐M level. Using recursive‐partitioning procedures, an IL‐8 cut‐off point of 26·2 pg/ml segregated a group of CLL patients with significantly shorter survival (median 9·3 months) (P < 0·0001). In conclusion, plasma IL‐8 level in CLL patients correlates with other prognostic factors, such as Rai stage and β2‐M, and is associated with increased risk of death in CLL patients. The role of IL‐8 inhibitors in the treatment of patients with CLL should be explored.
Total-energy pseudopotential calculations are used to study the imaging process in non-contact atomic force microscopy on Si(111) surfaces. The atomic resolution seen in some parts of the experimental images is attributed to the onset of covalent bonding between a localized dangling bond on the atom at the apex of the tip and the dangling bonds on the adatoms in the surface. This interaction dominates the force gradients, which drive the frequency changes used to create the experimental images, and provides a mechanism for atomic resolution imaging on reactive surfaces. [S0031-9007(96)02218-1]
AbstractThis study analyzed the global and seasonal characteristics of cloud phase and ice crystal orientation (CTYPE-lidar) by using the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on board the Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO). A dataset from September 2006 to August 2007 was used to derive the seasonal characteristics. The discrimination scheme was originally developed by Yoshida et al., who classified clouds mainly into warm water, supercooled water, and randomly oriented ice crystals or horizontally oriented ice plates. This study used the following products for the comparison with CTYPE-lidar: (i) the vertical feature mask (VFM) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), (ii) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and (iii) European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Overall, the results showed that the CTYPE-lidar discrimination scheme was consistent with the outputs from VFM, MODIS, and E...
A new growth method of roughed p-GaN has been demonstrated in this paper. First, some crystal seeds of p-GaN are obtained by utilizing low-temperature growth. Then, a p-GaN high-temperature expitaxy layer is grown on it subsequently with a fast growth rate, which will enlarge the roughness degree. Compared with the luminous flux of the conventional light emitting diode with flat p-GaN, the luminous flux is improved by 45%. Meanwhile, it is found that the problems of large reverse current and high forward bias aroused by the low-temperature epitaxy are also solved.
In the early 1980s, an "atypical" beta-adrenergic receptor was discovered and subsequently called the beta (3)-adrenoceptor (beta(3)-AR). Agonists of the beta(3)-AR were observed to simultaneously increase lipolysis, fat oxidation, energy expenditure and insulin action leading to the belief that this receptor might serve as an attractive target for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. In vivo studies lent credence to this postulate with the finding that stimulation of this receptor by selective agonists lead to glycemic improvements and weight loss in rodent models of diabetes and obesity. This lead to intensive research efforts directed at developing beta(3)-AR selective agonists for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity in humans. Unfortunately, endeavour been largely unsuccessful to date. Major obstacles have included the pharmacological differences between the rodent and human beta(3)-AR, the lack of selectivity of previous compounds for the beta(3)-AR over beta(1)-/beta(2)-ARs, and unsatisfactory oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetic properties. Cloning of the human beta(3)-AR has allowed for the development of novel compounds targeted specifically at the human receptor. Encouraging data has emerged from clinical studies wherein CL-316,243, a highly selective, albeit rodent specific beta(3)-AR agonist was observed to increase lipolysis, fat oxidation and insulin action in humans. More recently, beta(3)-AR agonists directed at the human receptor are showing promising results in their ability to increase energy expenditure in humans following a single dose. However, they do nor appear to be able to sustain their effects when administered chronically. Further clinical testing will be necessary, using compounds with improved oral bioavailability and potency, to help assess the physiology of the beta(3)-AR in humans and its attractiveness as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) is a powerful encephalitogen for experimental autoimmune demyelination. However, the use of MOG peptides or recombinant proteins representing part of the protein fails to fully address the possible pathogenic role of the full‐length myelin‐derived protein expressing post‐translational modifications. Immunization of mice with central nervous system tissues from wild‐type (WT) and MOG‐deficient (MOG–/–) mice demonstrates that MOG in myelin is necessary for the development of chronic demyelinating experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice. While immunization with WT spinal cord homogenate (SCH) resulted in a progressive EAE phenotype, MOG–/– SCH induced a mild self‐limiting acute disease. Following acute EAE with MOG–/– SCH, mice developed T cell responses to recombinant mouse MOG (rmMOG), indicating that MOG released from myelin is antigenic; however, the lack of chronic disease indicates that such responses were not pathogenic. Chronic demyelinating EAE was observed when MOG–/– SCH was reconstituted with a dose of rmMOG comparable to MOG in myelin (2.5% of total white matter‐derived protein). These data reveal that while immunization with the full‐length post‐translational modified form of MOG in myelin promotes the development of a more chronic autoimmune demyelinating neurological disease, MOG (and/or other myelin proteins) released from myelin during ongoing disease do not induce destructive autoimmunity.
Since the South Korean financial crisis of the late 1990s, the number of nonstandard workers in South Korea has increased rapidly. With such a drastic change, it has been difficult to establish national welfare systems (e.g., accident insurance or support for families with dependent children) for nonstandard workers and identify critical aspects of their health. To evaluate job and life satisfaction among nonstandard workers, this study used a representative sample of South Koreans. Using data from the 2008 Korean Labor and Income Panel Study, the sample size totaled 4,340 observations, of which 1,344 (31.0%) involved nonstandard workers. Significant differences in job and life satisfaction between nonstandard workers and standard workers were found. The results also indicate discrimination in the welfare and fringe benefit systems in South Korea. Occupational health nurses must address the physical and psychological health issues, personal problems, and everyday life concerns of nonstandard workers. Given that the employment status of nonstandard workers in companies is generally unstable, it is difficult for these workers to report poor working conditions to employers or other authorities. Accordingly, occupational health nurses should advocate for nonstandard workers by notifying employers of the many problems they face.
Correctional health care has improved tremendously over the past 25 years. This rejoinder is a response to an article published in Justice Quarterly by Michael Vaughn and Linda Smith, in which they assert that the quality of correctional health care is suspect in correctional settings, and that an examination of one jail's problems with health care delivery revealed a “penal harm medicine” movement. We call into question such an assertion, claim that the penal harm medicine hypothesis cannot be proven by the data presented by Vaughn and Smith, and state that many of their conclusions are tenuous and harmful to correctional health professionals. We offer an analysis of their claims and suggest a more balanced view of correctional health care.
The economic load dispatching (ELD) among thermal units can be formulated as one of the constrained optimization problems in power system operation. Since an optimization is required under severe constraints, all constraints cannot be taken into account. Therefore, at present stage, an automation is performed considering several constraints and, for the time interval where some constraints are not satisfied, a manual operation is performed for ELD based on the empirical knowledge of operators. This paper presents an application of artificial neural network to ELD. The method uses one of the probabilistic neuron model, called Gaussian Machine and several constraints are handled by heuristic methods. The method can solve a local minimum problem, initial condition problem of neurons, and parameter tuning problem. In this paper, parallel processors are used for implementation of the system. The processors are high performance microprocessors that support parallel processing through on-chip hardware. The number of processors is examined for detecting appropriate parallel computation,
Alginate hydrogels are a class of biomaterials that can be used as local release depots for therapeutic agents. A particular drug that can take advantage of alginate hydrogel for controlled release is hydrocortisone acetate. Hydrocortisone acetate is a widely used anti-inflammatory agent, but is limited in application due to poor solubility and lack of controlled delivery. To overcome this limitation, a mechanically responsive β-cyclodextrin-conjugated alginate (Alg-β-CD) hydrogel was synthesized and characterized for enhanced aqueous solubility and controlled release of hydrocortisone acetate. We demonstrated that mono-6-deoxy-6-ethylenediamine-β-cyclodextrin and hydrocortisone acetate formed a 1:1 inclusion complex, thus resulting in marked increase in hydrocortisone acetate solubility, while causing no significant inhibition to the growth of cultured mouse fibroblasts (L929). More importantly, the release of hydrocortisone acetate from the hydrogel system was increasingly sensitive to mechanical compression, and the mechanical responsiveness of hydrocortisone acetate release increased dramatically as the concentration of mono-6-deoxy-6-ethylenediamine-β-cyclodextrin increased from 0% to 46%, whereas the swelling rate and stiffness of the hydrogel decreased as the concentration of mono-6-deoxy-6-ethylenediamine-β-cyclodextrin increased. The mechanical responsiveness of hydrocortisone acetate release was attributable to conformational distortion of mono-6-deoxy-6-ethylenediamine-β-cyclodextrin moieties and deformation of the polymer network. Moreover, we demonstrated that the hydrogel continuously released and accumulated hydrocortisone acetate in the medium when compressed for up to 72 h, which led to increasing suppression of nitric oxide production in the lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse macrophages (RAW264.7), indicating desirable anti-inflammatory effect at the cell level. Hence, this hydrogel system may provide a useful platform for drug delivery, such as hydrocortisone acetate release to wound site, by intentionally generated mechanical force.
The potential involvement of the endogenous opioid and dopamine (DA) systems in the mechanism(s) mediating arginine vasotocin (AVT)- and arginine vasopressin (AVP)-induced prolactin (PRL) release was investigated in vivo. The injection of AVT (5 micrograms) into unanesthetized male rats resulted in a 2-fold stimulation of PRL release 15 min later, followed by an inhibition of PRL release 30 min thereafter; both the stimulatory and inhibitory PRL responses to AVT were obviated by naloxone (NAL) (200 micrograms). Similarly, the administration of either AVT or AVP (5 micrograms) to urethane-anesthetized rats led to a 3- and 5-fold increase in plasma PRL levels, respectively, 10 min after injection. The PRL stimulatory response to both peptides was completely blocked by pretreating the animals with apomorphine (APO) (5 mg); however, the injection of APO by itself had no effect on PRL secretion in these animals. Both AVT and AVP were also effective in stimulating PRL release 10 min after injection in estrogen (50 micrograms)-progesterone (25 mg) (EP)-treated rats anesthetized with urethane. APO negated the PRL stimulatory response to these compounds in the EP-treated rat as well. Normal, urethane-treated rats experienced a 7- to 8-fold increase in PRL levels 20 min following the injection of methysergide (MET) (250 micrograms). Both AVT and AVP caused approximately a 2.5-fold greater PRL response in MET-treated animals than in AVT and AVP controls, respectively; however, only in the MET + AVT-treated rats was the PRL stimulatory response greater than in the MET controls. MET probably stimulated PRL through its DA antagonistic properties.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Abstract Everywhere, in the business world and not only, we speak about the competitiveness. And while talking about this concept, it seems appropriate to explain what the competitiveness is and how it influences the organizational performance. Nowadays, there has been a growing intensity of competition in all business areas and this has resulted in a greater attention to analyze the competitive behavior under environmental dynamics and complexity. The industry is the "arena" where starts and applies every company`s activity. Usually, facing the high level of competition, it is necessary to study all the variables which influence the organization in order to achieve goals such as: the profitability and ensuring organization`s longevity. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between industry forces and organizational performance to test the applicability of Porter`s model explaining the differences in the performance of construction companies. The methodology used is in the function of links between variables that characterize the industry and the realized performance, expressed through overall performance. The primary data collection was conducted through a questionnaire. Besides the demographic characteristics of the sample, the questionnaire as well aims to collect information on a high number of variables. Geographically, the companies participated by completed the questionnaire, were performing their business activity in Vlora region (such as Vlora city, Orikum and Himara), covering areas where construction sectors had the major development, including urban and coastline areas. The processing data collected via questionnaire shows that the construction industry is characterized by a high level of competitiveness and market fragmentation.Through the empirical analysis of competitive forces, the study contributes to the specific orientation that investors and managers should have when they face a high rivalry among companies.
Search over graph databases has attracted much attention recently due to its usefulness in many fields, such as the analysis of chemical compounds, intrusion detection in network traffic data, and pattern matching over users' visiting logs. However, most of the existing work focuses on search over static graph databases while in many real applications graphs are changing over time. In this paper we investigate a new problem on continuous subgraph pattern search under the situation where multiple target graphs are constantly changing in a stream style, namely the subgraph pattern search over graph streams. Obviously the proposed problem is a continuous join between query patterns and graph streams where the join predicate is the existence of subgraph isomorphism. Due to the NP-completeness of subgraph isomorphism checking, to achieve the real time monitoring of the existence of certain subgraph patterns, we would like to avoid using subgraph isomorphism verification to find the exact query-stream subgraph isomorphic pairs but to offer an approximate answer that could report all probable pairs without missing any of the actual answer pairs. In this paper we propose a light-weight yet effective feature structure called Node-Neighbor Tree to filter false candidate query-stream pairs. To reduce the computational cost, we further project the feature structures into a numerical vector space and conduct dominant relationship checking in the projected space. We propose two methods to efficiently check dominant relationships and substantiate our methods with extensive experiments.
Background Postoperative intrathoracic wrap migration is the most frequent morphological complication after laparoscopic antireflux surgery. Previous authors have studied the use of prosthetic materials for hiatal closure to prevent recurrence of hiatal hernia and/or postoperative intrathoracic wrap herniation. Hypothesis Patients with prosthetic hiatal closure have a higher rate of short-term dysphagia but a significantly lower rate of postoperative intrathoracic wrap herniation at follow-up. Design Prospective randomized trial. We compared patients who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with simple sutured hiatoplasty with those who underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with prosthetic hiatal closure. Setting Universtity-affiliated community hospital. Patients One hundred consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for gastroesophageal reflux disease and hiatal hernia repair. Intervention Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with simple sutured crural closure (n = 50 [group 1]) vs laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with simple sutured cruroplasty and onlay of a polypropylene mesh (n = 50 [group 2]). Main Outcome Measures Recurrences; complications; results of esophageal manometry, 24 - hour pH monitoring, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and barium swallow test; and symptomatic outcome. Results Patients in both groups had similar preoperative values in esophageal manometry, 24-hour pH monitoring, and symptom scoring. At the 3-month and 1-year follow-ups, functional outcome variables (lower esophageal sphincter pressure and DeMeester score) improved significantly compared with the preoperative values. A higher postoperative dysphagia rate could be evaluated in group 2. An intrathoracic wrap migration occurred in 13 patients (26%) in group 1 vs 4 (8%) in group 2 ( P Conclusion Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication with prosthetic cruroplasty is an effective procedure to reduce the incidence of postoperative hiatal hernia recurrence and intrathoracic wrap herniation.
This study explored the effects of parenting efficacy and parental role satisfaction on the life-satisfaction of employed and unemployed mothers. The 527 mothers(234 employed, and 277 unemployed), with a child under 7 years old, were selected for this study. The results were as follows. First, employment had significant correlations with several factors, including the number of children, family income, educational level of parents, parent-child relations, preparedness for parental role conflict, and life-satisfaction. Second, for employed mothers, life-satisfaction had positive relationships with various factors, including family income, fathers` educational level, parenting efficacy, and parental role satisfaction; whereas, that of unemployed mothers had positive relationships with parenting efficacy, and parental role satisfaction. Third, for employed mothers, life-satisfaction was affected by several factors, such as family income, parental role satisfaction, parent-child relations, and preparedness for parental role conflict; however, unemployed mothers were affected by the number of children, the fathers` educational level, and self-confidence relating to the parental role, general satisfaction, and preparedness for parental role conflict.
Valuable and convenient prognostic predictors are essential for targeted therapy of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients with early‐stage cancer and EGFR mutations who's neutrophils‐to‐lymphocytes rate (NLR) could be prognostic factor to evaluate efficacy. However, the prognostic role of NLR in patients receiving ALK inhibitors has not been established. Additionally, the relation between the efficacy of ALK inhibitors and derived NLR (dNLR), platelets‐to‐lymphocytes rate (PLR), white blood cells (WBC) and hemoglobin (HGB) are still unknown.
Abstract : In our previous bi-monthly progress report (reporting period Oct.l, 1994 - Nov.30, 1994) we reported the accomplishments on (1) performance comparison of two different operational modes using photorefractive materials, (2) performance comparison of using different photorefractive materials, and (3) HOE array design for dynamic image. The simulation results indicated that real-time mode of operation combining with BSO crystal offers the best performance. During the last two months we focused our efforts on the following 5 items: (1) Fabricate the HOE array that was designed previously and demonstrate a dynamic imaging system using the HOE array. (2) Investigate different 3D visualization data rendering software that are commercially available and fmd out which are suitable for our display system. (3) Investigate a new 3D display scheme that uses two counter-propagating pulses collision and compare it with the orthogonal illumination scheme. (4) Investigate the performance of using 2-photon 3D material and compare it with photorefractive materials. (5) Preliminary design of a prototype 3D display system
Significance Only ∼5% of individuals infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis develop clinical TB in their lifetime. We previously reported that homozygosity for the P1104A variant of the TYK2 gene, found in ∼1/600 Europeans and ∼1/5,000 individuals from elsewhere (except East Asians and sub-Saharan Africans), was a monogenic etiology of TB in a genetically heterogeneous cohort of patients from non-European countries endemic for TB. Making use of the UK Biobank cohort, we report a strong enrichment of P1104A homozygotes in a British sample of 620 patients with TB (1%), relative to 114,473 controls (0.2%), 97% of whom were of European descent. Our findings suggest that homozygosity for the P1104A TYK2 variant may underlie TB in ∼1% of European patients. The human genetic basis of tuberculosis (TB) has long remained elusive. We recently reported a high level of enrichment in homozygosity for the common TYK2 P1104A variant in a heterogeneous cohort of patients with TB from non-European countries in which TB is endemic. This variant is homozygous in ∼1/600 Europeans and ∼1/5,000 people from other countries outside East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. We report a study of this variant in the UK Biobank cohort. The frequency of P1104A homozygotes was much higher in patients with TB (6/620, 1%) than in controls (228/114,473, 0.2%), with an odds ratio (OR) adjusted for ancestry of 5.0 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.96–10.31, P = 2 × 10−3]. Conversely, we did not observe enrichment for P1104A heterozygosity, or for TYK2 I684S or V362F homozygosity or heterozygosity. Moreover, it is unlikely that more than 10% of controls were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as 97% were of European genetic ancestry, born between 1939 and 1970, and resided in the United Kingdom. Had all of them been infected, the OR for developing TB upon infection would be higher. These findings suggest that homozygosity for TYK2 P1104A may account for ∼1% of TB cases in Europeans.
The benefits associated with structural control include the mitigation of undesired structural responses and reduction in the probability of damage to structural components during seismic events. Structural control systems in current use depend on extensive wired communication systems to connect sensors and actuators with a centralized controller. While wired architectures are appropriate when control systems are small, the cost and installation complexity of tethered systems increases as the control system grows large (i.e., defined by hundreds of nodes). Alternatively, wireless sensors are proposed for use in large-scale structural control systems to keep costs low and to improve system scalability. Wireless sensors are capable of collecting state data from sensors, communicating data between themselves, calculating control actions, and commanding actuators in a control system. However, bandwidth and range limitations of the wireless communication channel render traditional centralized control solutions impractical for the wireless setting. While computational abilities embedded with each wireless sensor permit fully decentralized control architectures to be implemented, strategic utilization of the wireless channel can improve the performance of the wireless control system. Toward this end, this paper presents a partially decentralized linear quadratic regulation control scheme that employs redundant state estimation as a means of minimizing the need for the communication of state data between sensors. The method is validated using numerical simulations of a seismically excited six-story building model with ideal actuators. Additional experimental validation is conducted using a full-scale physical realization of the six-story building. A wireless sensor network commanding magnetorheological dampers is shown to be effective in controlling a multistory structure using the partially decentralized control architecture proposed.
In this paper the current raw milk standard specification for Zimbabwe is reviewed. The hygienic quality and the compositional quality parts of the standard are recast in fuzzy logic terms and linked with rule bases to form a structured judgment system for grading both the hygienic and compositional quality. These may also be merged to provide an overall or total quality assessment. The structured judgement system is applied to two raw milk samples from different sources. The data from the one sample yield a higher hygienic quality rating than the data from the other, but a lower compositional quality rating. A total quality rating is found for each of the two samples and compared. The structured judgment system provides a clearer and more comprehensive assessment than the currently used system, and since it embodies an expert system element there is also a conclusive opinion of the grading in the form of membership values of certain sets. It therefore goes further than the present system as the basis for decision support.
Cell surface engineering has emerged as a powerful approach to forming cell aggregates/spheroids and cell-biomaterial ensembles with significant uses in tissue engineering and cell therapeutics. Herein, we demonstrate that cell membrane remodeling with a thermoresponsive boronic acid copolymer induces the rapid formation of spheroids using either cancer or cardiac cell lines under conventional cell culture conditions at minute concentrations. It is shown that the formation of well-defined spheroids is accelerated by at least 24 h compared to non-polymer-treated controls, and, more importantly, the polymer allows for fine control of the aggregation kinetics owing to its stimulus response to temperature and glucose content. On the basis of its simplicity and effectiveness to promote cellular aggregation, this platform holds promise in three-dimensional tissue/tumor modeling and tissue engineering applications.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The sleep-wake cycle is characterized by a circadian rhythm involving neurotransmitters and neurohormones that are released from brainstem nuclei and hypothalamus. The aim of this review is to analyze the role played by central neural pathways, neurotransmitters and neurohormones in the regulation of vigilance states.   METHOD We analyzed the literature identifying relevant articles dealing with central neural pathways, neurotransmitters and neurohormones involved in the control of wakefulness and sleep.   RESULTS The reticular activating system is the key center in the control of the states of wakefulness and sleep via alertness and hypnogenic centers. Neurotransmitters and neurohormones interplay during the dark-light cycle in order to maintain a normal plasmatic concentration of ions, proteins and peripheral hormones, and behavioral state control.   CONCLUSION An updated description of pathways, neurotransmitters and neurohormones involved in the regulation of vigilance states has been depicted.
The clinical standard test of patient fitness is the upright bicycle exercise test. For a number of reasons, no proper equivalent human MR exercise test has been available. Past 31P MR studies employing single limb exercise regimens generally failed to put any significant demands on the cardiovascular system (1). As such, a comprehensive understanding of skeletal muscle performance during whole body activity has been lacking. Here, we report on 31P MRS studies employing a novel ergometer that for the first time offers true in‐magnet human bicycling exercise testing. Heart rates directly following exercise were of 150 + 15 bpm. In addition to 31P MRS study of ATP metabolism over a 100‐fold dynamic range of ATP turnover at near‐constant pH, it allows for non‐invasive 31P MRS study of glycogenolysis through the dynamics of hexose monophosphate (HMP) resonances. Here (but not previously (2)) we routinely observed HMP accumulations of up to 10 mM within 2 minutes after termination of exercise at high workloads indicating massive activation of glycogenolysis during the preceding exercise. Yet intramuscular pH typically did not fall below 6.8 during exercise confirming our previous observation of unique homeostatic robustness of quadriceps muscle involved in two‐legged exercise (2).
Aggregative growth of non-slime-forming strains of Zoogloea ramigera was induced by growing the organisms at a depressed pH. Calcium and magnesium ion was found to reverse aggregative growth of the organisms. Conversely, aggregation was stimulated when the available inorganic cation concentration of the growth medium was lowered by the use of a chelating agent. The aggregative effects of pH depression or cation depletion and the dispersal effects of cation supplementation were observed only during cellular growth. The data suggest that aggregate formation of non-slime-forming strains of Z. ramigera may be related to the calcium or magnesium metabolism of the organisms, or both.
The measurement of power supply noise and current by electron-beam probing is described. Noise measurements can be made on the chip under test, and current measurements can be made on the circuit board. It is noted that power supply voltages are obtained simultaneously. This measurement method is particularly useful when combined with a larger program of circuit characterization, or design verification, by electron-beam probing. >
Raman spectra of a series of styrene-sodium methacrylate copolymers of varying sodium methacrylate contents have been investigated in the 425–100 cm−1 region. The bands appearing at 254 and 166 cm−1 have been attributed to ion multiplets and clusters, respectively. From an analysis of the intensities of these bands and a comparison of these intensities with those obtained from an analysis of dielectric data, it seems that Raman spectroscopy is a useful method for determining the concentrations of ions in the two different kinds of sites.
In adult oncological patients semen cryopreservation offers the possibility of preserving fertility prior to aggressive therapy that may lead to infertility. The cryopreserved semen can later be used to induce pregnancies in the partner by techniques of assisted fertilization. In adolescent boys the question of fertility is often beyond consideration when the young patient's life is threatened acutely. However, improved survival rates increasingly prompt the question of quality of life after therapy, including fertility. Semen quality is known to be impaired in patients with malignancies and may be further impaired by the process of cryopreservation. Since normal values for semen in adolescents are not known and spermatogenesis may be impaired by the malignant disease, it was unclear whether semen samples from adolescents with malignancies warrant cryopreservation at all. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of semen cryopreservation in adolescent males, we compared the results from 12 pubertal boys aged 14-17 years with those from 17 young adults aged 18-20 years who had similar malignancies and, additionally, to 210 adults with malignancies (> 20 years). Luteinizing hormone serum values were significantly lower in adolescents than in adult patients. Follicle stimulating hormone showed a significant increase with age. Testosterone serum levels and testicular volumes showed similar distribution patterns in adolescent and adult men. Sperm concentrations, sperm motility, and normal sperm morphology in the adolescent patients did not show significant differences compared with adults. Thus cryopreservation of semen should be considered as an option to young male patients whose cancer therapy will include potentially gonadotoxic treatment.
Identification of genetic predispositions to susceptibility towards bovine tuberculosis (bTB) for the purpose of improving herd resistance to bTB through marker/genomic selection has been one of the thrust areas of research in animal production. Immune response genes, such as Toll Like Receptors (TLRs) which are involved in mycobacterial recognition and activation of innate and adaptive immune responses and Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFa) which is a vital pro-inflammatory cytokine with pleiotropic roles in immune response that enables mounting of a strong microbicidal action, are potential strong candidates for exploring genetic basis of resistance. Present investigation was aimed at exploring the association of three SNPs (rs43702940, rs68343175 and rs55617317) in TLR1 gene and one SNP (rs109967811) in TNFa gene with susceptibility to bTB infection in cattle. In a case-control population of bTB established using single intradermal tuberculin test, three of the investigated SNPs were found to be polymorphic while rs43702940 revealed monomorphism. SNP loci rs109967811 in TNFa gene was found to be significantly (P < 0.01) associated with susceptibility to bTB in the study population. These findings suggest that SNPs rs109967811 located in exonic region of TNFa can likely serve as a potential marker against bTB infection in cattle upon validation in independent, larger resource population.
Reliable and precise methods capable of unambiguously identifying target analytes in real-world samples are indispensable in various fields, ranging from biological studies and diagnosis to quality control. Among various analytic techniques, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is uniquely powerful as it provides multidimensional data useful for structural analysis at the atomic level. The rich information obtained from various NMR experiments allows one to access not only molecular structures and interactions but also the dynamics and diffusional properties. However, the interpretation of NMR data in the analysis of real-world mixtures can be challenging and is often complicated by the overlap of the NMR resonances of each component. Moreover, the inherently low sensitivity of the NMR technique hampers its implementation in many detections, where the analytes of interest are present at low concentrations. By a combination of heteronuclear NMR, dedicatedly designed sensors, ingenious transduction mechanisms, and powerful NMR pulse sequences, significant advancements were made to conquer these limitations. The present review summarizes the sensing systems that effectively facilitate NMR-based detection with an emphasis on the chemical perspective of sensor design and transduction mechanism. Advances in hyperpolarized sensors to boost the sensitivity of detection will also be included where appropriate.
This article studies how to employ aggregate data to estimate sectoral price stickiness, which is described by the Calvo-style price setting. We find that sectoral price stickiness cannot be effectively estimated by the Bayesian approach of the multisector new Keynesian model that is used in Carvalho and Dam (2010). Then, we propose a structural GMM estimation of sectoral new Keynesian Phillips curves to obtain sectoral price stickiness and the results are well consistent with the available microeconomic evidence on price setting.
Abstract Background: Body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) has produced mixed results compared with other therapeutic techniques. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an intensive intervention (intensive mobility training) including BWSTT provides superior gait, balance, and mobility outcomes compared with a similar intervention with overground gait training in place of BWSTT. Methods: Forty-three individuals with chronic stroke (mean [SD] age, 61.5 [13.5] years; mean [SD] time since stroke, 3.3 [3.8] years), were randomized to a treatment (BWSTT, n = 23) or control (overground gait training, n = 20) group. Treatment consisted of 1 hour of gait training; 1 hour of balance activities; and 1 hour of strength, range of motion, and coordination for 10 consecutive weekdays (30 hours). Assessments (step length differential, self-selected and fast walking speed, 6-minute walk test, Berg Balance Scale [BBS], Dynamic Gait Index [DGI], Activities-specific Balance Confidence [ABC] scale, single limb stance, Timed Up and Go [TUG], Fugl-Meyer [FM], and perceived recovery [PR]) were conducted before, immediately after, and 3 months after intervention. Results: No significant differences (α = 0.05) were found between groups after training or at follow-up; therefore, groups were combined for remaining analyses. Significant differences (α = 0.05) were found pretest to posttest for fast walking speed, BBS, DGI, ABC, TUG, FM, and PR. DGI, ABC, TUG, and PR results remained significant at follow-up. Effect sizes were small to moderate in the direction of improvement. Conclusions: Future studies should investigate the effectiveness of intensive interventions of durations greater than 10 days for improving gait, balance, and mobility in individuals with chronic stroke.
There was a big issue for most children with the age of going to school remaining at home, these children mostly come from poor families. Poverty in most families in Kenya is very high, Kuria West in Migori County being among the poorest districts in Kenya. Therefore this study was to help examine the influence of financing educational projects on the rate of public secondary schools enrolment, in Kuria West Sub-county Migori Kenya. The study was guided by the following objectives: To establish to what extent provision of school physical infrastructure influences the rate of enrolment in schools, to assess the extent to which provision of school equipment influences the rate of enrolment in schools, to determine how payment of school fee influenced the rate of enrolment in schools, and to establish how provision of food influences the rate of enrolment in schools. The study was guided by the theory of socialist economics of education whose prominent was Louis Blanc. The theory emphasis the need to create an economy that redistributes income from rich to the poor in order to create equality of being. The study population was 24 public secondary schools whereby the data was collected by using a combination of random and purposive sampling procedures. The study adopted descriptive design which was used to analyze primary data. The data was analyzed by using frequency distributions,. Qualitative data in form off experience, opinions and suggestion was analyzed by using qualitative procedures and was used to strengthen the quantitative findings. A total of 355 questionnaires were administered to schools in Ekerege, Kehancha, Masaba, Isibania and Mabera division members .349 copies (98.3%) of the questionnaires were returned with a few gaps where one or two questions were not responded to. The rate of return was above 75% minimum advocated by Bailey (1987) and Schutt (1999) at 60% .The study investigated whether funding of educational projects influences the rate of public secondary school enrolment in Kuria west sub-county Migori Kenya. The results show that funding of physical infrastructure, equipment, fee and food program influences the rate of enrolment in public secondary school. Funding of school physical infrastructure attracted high rates of enrolment immediately after initiation of the projects .but this did not last long because after some years the rate of enrolment in schools which had high population seemed to have dropped, main problem not identified. School equipments are key factors in any learning environment.Hence funding of these equipments also attracts high rate of enrolment in schools as the study revealed.Fee payment poses a lot of challenges to students from the research findings it was realized that financing of school fee also attracts high rates of enrolment to schools in Kuria west Migori Kenya. The challenge faced here was sustainability of the rate of enrolment in the schools.The study also revealed that most of food programs in schools are due to payments made by parents, just a number of the schools have sponsors who funds food programs to some school. Suggestions for further research be carried on similar study in other parts of the country to get a balanced view of whether financing of educational projects influences the rate of enrolment in public schools, another research to be carried out to identify why rate of enrolment in schools is not sustainable in Kuria West sub-county Migori Kenya, and research also be carried out to identify whether its boys or girls who mostly drop out of school in Kuria West sub-county Migori Kenya. xvi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background of the study In the entire world education is a key factor to the development of a nation, each and every country has its own ways of funding and improving educational sector. Education in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: central, state, and local.Bellah etal...(1985). Under various articles of the enrollment, and a 19% increase in girl's enrollment. While quantitatively India is inching closer to universal education, the quality of its education has been questioned particularly in its government run school system. Some of the reasons for the poor quality include absence of around 25 percent of teachers every day. States of India have introduced tests and education assessment system to identify and improve such schools. Since 1947 the Indian government has tried to provide incentives for girls' school attendance through programmes for midday meals, free books, and uniforms. In 1986 the National Policy on Education decided to restructure education in tune with the social framework of each state, and with larger national goals. It emphasized that education was necessary for democracy, and central to the improvement of women's condition. The new policy aimed at social change through revised texts, curricula, increased funding for schools, expansion in the secondary and higher education; and rural and urban institutions. The report tried to connect problems like low school attendance with poverty, and the dependence on girls for housework and sibling day care. Vya Neena (2012).
The material of 30 dogs has been studied with histological technique and electron microscopy to investigate the reaction of dense fibrous connective tissue that forms the tunica media of the aorta and endothelial lining of its tunica intima to the implantation of three types of polyester implants for a period of six months and a year. It has been established that in all cases the fibrous connective tissue capsule was well formed around the implanted material and its filaments. The deformation and displacement of implants result from continuous remodeling of the connective tissue that may cause the aortal wall perforation by a suture or implant filaments. It has been established that for periods of 180 and 360 days the Lintex material is the best because of its less deformation. The most deformed material is B. Brown.
The pile foundation engineering and the soft ground treatment engineering is studied through the red clay of the region. It puts forward a new type of concrete of the prefabricated single-pile composite foundation. Three groups of variable section piles and two groups of uniform section piles is conducted by contrast model test of single-pile composite foundation,and researches five groups of single-pile composite foundation load-settlement changes under certain conditions,achieves some scientific conclusion.
Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome affects 60,000 to 70,000 infants each year in the United States. Although the mortality rate has decreased dramatically over the past 30 years, many infants die or have sequelae from the syndrome. Three innovative techniques are now playing a role in improving the course of neonates with respiratory distress syndrome: surfactant replacement therapy, high-frequency ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Surfactant therapy should be considered the standard of care for infants with respiratory distress syndrome who require mechanical ventilation. Further investigation is needed to define the precise roles of high-frequency ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the management of neonates with respiratory distress syndrome.
Medical imaging is very useful in the assessment and treatment of many diseases. To deal with the great amount of data provided by imaging scanners and extract quantitative information that physicians can interpret, many analysis algorithms have been developed. Any process of analysis always consists of a first step of segmenting some particular structure. In medical imaging, structures are not always well defined and suffer from noise artifacts thus, ordinary segmentation methods are not well suited. The ones that seem to give better results are those based on deformable models. Nevertheless, despite their capability of mixing image features together with smoothness constraints that may compensate for image irregularities, these are naturally local methods, i. e., each node of the active contour evolve taking into account information about its neighbors and some other weak constraints about flexibility and smoothness, but not about the global shape that they should find. Due to the fact that structures to be segmented are the same for all cases but with some inter and intra-patient variation, the incorporation of a priori knowledge about shape in the segmentation method will provide robustness to it. Active Shape Models is an algorithm based on the creation of a shape model called Point Distribution Model. It performs a segmentation using only shapes similar than those previously learned from a training set that capture most of the variation presented by the structure. This algorithm works by updating shape nodes along a normal segment which often can be too restrictive. For this reason we propose a generalization of this algorithm that we call Generalized Active Shape Models and fully integrates the a priori knowledge given by the Point Distribution Model with deformable models or any other appropriate segmentation method. Two different applications to cardiac imaging of this generalized method are developed and promising results are shown.
This paper is written to commemorate Prof. Berin. U. Yurdadog on the first anniversary of her death. It emphasizes her specific personal characteristics, in addition to her vast knowledge, accumulation, and experience both in librarianship, information and records management, and in other areas which had been attracted her attention. The paper concludes with a memory that belongs to the days just before her death.
The utility model discloses a novel spray type cooling tower of a condenser. The cooling tower comprises a condensation chamber provided with a heat exchanger, a sprinkling header tank is arranged at the bottom of the condensation chamber, and a sprinkle pump is mounted on the side surface of the sprinkling header tank and is connected with a water pipe; the water pipe reaches the interior of the condensation chamber and provided with a spraying device in the section inside the condensation chamber; a refrigerant steam inlet is formed at the upper end of the heat exchanger and a refrigerant steam outlet is formed at the lower end; a PVC anti-spattering air intake grid is arranged between the heat exchanger and the sprinkling header tank; and a PVC water collector is arranged at the top of the condensation chamber. By adopting the spray evaporation type cooling tower, industrial fluid is driven by a primary circulating pump, a blower is replaced by the spraying device, external air is intaken in a pressure-free manner under spraying performed by recirculated cooling water, and function conversion is conducted in the mixing procedure of water, wind and air. At the same time, heat interchange is performed, without requiring a motor and causing aerodynamic force noise and machinery noise.
The author asserts to avoid common misunderstandings on the relevance of Sharia to modern women in the Arab World that a) Shari’s relevance to the lives of modern women in the Arab World has been largely confined to the area of family law, b) in the modern nation state Sharia has been codified, i.e., certain rules derived from Islamic jurisprudence on the family have been selected and passed as laws, each nation state having its own unique combination of such rules, c) the courts and the judges who adjudicate disputes on family law are either secular courts/judges, or judges trained in state-run judiciary institutions with specific instruction on the state-based modern understanding of what Sharia is and d) the code, rather than Quran, the prophetic traditions, or the school of Islamic jurisprudence, is the primary source of the law. The latter constitute secondary sources.
The plates reinforced by ribs are being considered in the paper. For such plates, by assuming a periodic distribution of the ribs in the plate, the average model was being constructed, consisting the plate dynamics equations, which are the linear differential ones with constant coefficients. For modeling the tolerance not asymptotic averaging technique were used. Consequently, in the modeling equations, a microstructure parameter remains (basic cell size). In the paper the free vibrations of the consideration plates were tested and the presence of scale effect was demonstrated.
Patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis may develop hypertension, recurrent pulmonary edema and chronic renal failure, but have a much higher risk of dying from stroke or myocardial infarction than of progressing to end-stage renal disease. Indeed, atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis typically occurs in high risk patients with coexistent vascular disease elsewhere. Recent controlled trials comparing medication to revascularization have shown that only a minority of such patients can expect hypertension cure, whereas the results of trials designed to document the ability of revascularization to prevent progressive renal failure are not yet available. Revascularization should be undertaken in patients with atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis and resistant hypertension or heart failure, and probably in those with rapidly deteriorating renal function or with an increase in plasma creatinine levels during angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, especially if their renal resistance--index before revascularization is less than 80. With or without revascularization, medical therapy using antihypertensive agents, statins and aspirin is necessary in almost all cases.
Link dynamics of vehicular ad hoc networks(VANETs)have great difference withthat of the traditional mobile ad hoc networks(MANETs)due to the impact of simulationscenarios.Based on Manhattan mobility model,the influence factors of vehicular nodes inurban environments are analyzed,including traffic light and drivers'behavior.Analyticalexpression of expected link lifetime is derived.The impact of traffic light and drivers'behavior to the expected link lifetime is analyzed.The simulation results verified the accuracy ofthe analytical results.
Reverberation is one of the effects that occur regularly in closed room due to multiple reflections. This paper investigates the result of reverberation on both male and female speech signals. This effect is reflected in pitch frequency of speech signals. This parameter is important as it is usually used for speaker identification. Hence, several methods for pitch frequency estimation are investigated and compared on clear and reverberant male and female speech signals to select the one that is not affected so much by the reverberation effect.
At present, China is the largest energy producer and the second largest energy consumer in the world. With the increasing pressure to cut GHS emissions and to improve energy efficiency, China is now changing its traditional energy mix, mainly through consuming more renewable energy instead of fossil energy. This change has resulted in a policy adjustment which in turn boosts the utilization of the wind power resources. However, the development of the wind power resources in China is confronted with some significant challenges, such as greater installed electricity capacity than the electricity generation, greater electricity generation than the electricity transmission capacity and greater inland wind power generation than the offshore wind power generation. Therefore, the further development of China’s wind power electricity in the coming years depends largely on the ways these challenges will be addressed.
AdvR, Inc., has built an efficient, fully integrated, waveguide-based source of spectrally uncorrelated photon pairs that will accelerate research and development (R&D) in the emerging field of quantum information science. Key to the innovation is the use of submicron periodically poled waveguides to produce counter propagating photon pairs, which is enabled by AdvR’s patented segmented microelectrode poling technique. This novel device will provide a high brightness source of down-conversion pairs with enhanced spectral properties and low attenuation, and it will operate in the visible to the midinfrared spectral region. A waveguide-based source of spectrally and spatially pure heralded photons will contribute to a wide range of NASA’s advanced technology development efforts, including on-demand single photon sources for high-rate spaced-based secure communications.
During a radiotherapy course for head and neck cancer, that typically lasts 6-7 weeks, patients show many changes in posture and anatomy. These so-called anatomical deformations are currently accounted for with safety margins. As a result, healthy tissue around the tumor receives high doses, leading to toxicities including mucositis, xerostomia, and the need for a feeding tube. This thesis investigates the magnitude and frequency of anatomical deformations. Strategies to mitigate the effects of these deformations and reduce the safety margins were explored. We applied Cone Beam CT (CBCT), which is acquired in clinical routine just prior to treatment as part of image guidance radiotherapy. First, deformations of the bony anatomy were studied and a method was evaluated and introduced clinically to take these deformations into account in the image guidance process. Next, tumor shrinkage was investigated by evaluating the day to day motion of gold markers that were surgically implanted close to the tumor. We found that microscopic tumor extensions may not follow shrinkage of the bulk tumor edge and that care should be taken when adapting the treatment to account for shrinkage. With MRI, the tumor is better visible, but the same limitation applies. Then, deformable image registration methods were developed and validated for clinical use in adaptive procedures. Finally, a novel adaptive technique was proposed using the average deformation between the planning and treatment situation. It is shown that this technique, using CBCT scans, effectively reduces uncertainties and allows smaller safety margins to be applied.
Although audio generation shares commonalities across different types of audio, such as speech, music, and sound effects, designing models for each type requires careful consideration of specific objectives and biases that can significantly differ from those of other types. To bring us closer to a unified perspective of audio generation, this paper proposes a framework that utilizes the same learning method for speech, music, and sound effect generation. Our framework introduces a general representation of audio, called"language of audio"(LOA). Any audio can be translated into LOA based on AudioMAE, a self-supervised pre-trained representation learning model. In the generation process, we translate any modalities into LOA by using a GPT-2 model, and we perform self-supervised audio generation learning with a latent diffusion model conditioned on LOA. The proposed framework naturally brings advantages such as in-context learning abilities and reusable self-supervised pretrained AudioMAE and latent diffusion models. Experiments on the major benchmarks of text-to-audio, text-to-music, and text-to-speech demonstrate state-of-the-art or competitive performance against previous approaches. Our code, pretrained model, and demo are available at https://audioldm.github.io/audioldm2.
This paper presents the measurement and analysis results of the cooling performance of ground-source heat pump(GSHP) system using borehole heat exchanger and surface water heat exchanger(SWHE). In order to measure the performance of a system, we installed monitoring equipments including sensors for measuring temperature and power consumption, and then measured operation parameters. From measurement results, we analyzed the effect of combination ratios of ground heat source on the performance of the heat pump and the system. For Mode 2 operation, the average coefficient of performance(COP) of heat pump was 5.73, while the entire system was 2.99 over the measurement period. In steady state, the heat pump COP was slightly decreased with an increase of entering source temperature. In addition, the parallel use of surface water heat exchanger and borehole one was beneficial to the system performance; however, further research are needed to optimize the design data for combination ratios.
Adults with aphasia, right hemisphere brain damage or no brain damage completed a  semantic judgment task alone and in competition with a lexical decision task. The study’s  purpose was to specify further resource models of aphasia by examining whether  attentional factors interact with stimulus parameters (i.e., semantic relatedness) known to  influence semantic processing, and whether execution of the semantic task in isolation  (i.e., material-specific resource limitations), attention test scores (i.e., general attentional  abilities), or both are important predictors of dual-task outcomes. Findings relate to the  nature of attention deficits in aphasia, and interactions between attention and language in  normal and patient populations.
This report contains a good part of the results of my reserach in additive combinatorics I have been conducting during the last decade, the central theme being the structural theory of set addition. The four main chapters contain results obtained by four different methods reflected in their respective titles, most prominently by the so-called polynomial method. The results in the first three of those chapters nicely fit into a general framework that we explain in the introduction. The last chapter appears to be out of this context at a first glance. Most of the results therein, however, can be traced back to the Erdos--Heilbronn problem, which is in the center of these investigations.
Nineteenth-Century Science is a science anthology which provides over 30 selections from original 19th-century scientific monographs, textbooks and articles written by such authors as Charles Darwin, Mary Somerville, J.W. Goethe, John Dalton, Charles Lyell and Hermann von Helmholtz. The volume surveys scientific discovery and thought from Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's theory of evolution of 1809 to the isolation of radium by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. Each selection opens with a biographical introduction, situating each scientist and discovery within the context of history and culture of the period. Each entry is also followed by a list of further suggested reading on the topic. A broad range of technical and popular material has been included, from Mendeleev's detailed description of the periodic table to Faraday's highly accessible lecture for young people on chemistry of a burning candle. The anthology will be of interest to the general reader who would like to explore in detail the scientific, cultural, and intellectual development of the nineteenth-century, as well as to students and teachers who specialize in the science, literature, history, or sociology of the period. The book provides examples from all the disciplines of western science-chemistry, physics, medicine, astronomy, biology, evolutionary theory, etc. The majority of the entries consist of complete, unabridged journal articles or book chapters from original 19th-century scientific texts.
We assess the spot price forecasting performance of 10 commodity futures at various horizons up to two years and test whether this performance is affected by market conditions. We reject efficient markets based on in-sample tests but, out-of-sample, we find that the forecast from the futures market is hard to beat. We find that the forecasting performance of futures does not depend on the slope of the futures curve, in contrast to the predictions of well-known models of commodity markets. We also find futures’ forecasting performance to be invariant to whether prices are in an upswing or downswing, casting doubt on aspersions that uninformed investors participating during bull markets impede the price discovery process.
South subtropical rain forest reserve at Huboliao of Nanjing County in Fujian Province, is rich in bamboo resources (8 genus, 20 varieties and 5 cultivation types), of which Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Obtusangula was newly found in Fujian Province. The main bamboo forests are Phyllostachys heterocycla cv. Pubescens forest, Dendrocalamopsis oldhami forest, Dendrocalamus latiflorus forest, Phyllostachys nuda forest and Bambusa cerossima forest. Exploitation and utilization of bamboo resources have wide prospects.
During the delivery- inspection test, there has always been a problem about the adjusting of fuel pumps. Thus the authoritativeness of parameter delimiting on fuel volume of fuel pumps determined by engines is damaged. Lots of research work has been done by Dongfeng Cummins and the relevant revised strategies have been worked out. The improvement focused on test controlling system, fuel pump, installation and debugging of engines, test parameters and so on, which helped to solve this problem at last.
There are several drugs for hyperlipidemia except for statin and fibrate. Resin is a commonly used drug for hypercholesterolemia and is known to very useful for the prevention of coronary heart disease(CHD). Probucol is also used for hypercholesterolemia and recently is known that it prevent the restenosis of the coronary artery after PTCA. Nicotinic acid is used for hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia, both. It is also known to very useful for the prevention of CHD. Eicosapentaenoic acid is effective for hypertriglyceridemia and also shows an inhibition of platelets aggregation. These drugs as well as statin and fibrate are used in combination with each other for severe hyperlipidemia.
The in vitro fungitoxic activity of crude extracts of ginger (Zingiber officinale),  bitter-kola (Garcinia cola), aloe (Aloe vera) and neem (Azadirachta indica) was tested on Pythium aphanidermatum isolated from root rot of tomato (Lycopersicon  esculentum). The organic solvent (methanol) extracts of leaves of neem and aloe,  seeds of bitter kola, and rhizomes of ginger at 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%  concentrations were tested on Potato dextrose agar (PDA) for activity against the  mycelia growth of Pythium aphanidermatum. The experiment was a completely  randomized design with three replications per treatment. The results showed that mean percentage inhibition of mycelia growth was highest in plates containing ginger extract; followed by aloe. The fungitoxic components in bitter kola and neem were only effective in inhibition of mycelia growth of the pathogen at higher concentrations (80% and  100%) respectively. Key words : Extracts, fungitoxic, inhibition, mycelia growth, root rot, tomato.
This paper preliminary discusses the current main restricting the further development of agriculture IOT bottleneck problem,put forward the applied research lacks is the key factor. Facility agriculture IOT application research to combine the production practice and future development trends, mainly in five aspects, including the data accumulation and analysis, research suitable application model, development for making a fool of Internet management system, study agriculture IOT application standards, strengthen the monitoring and research on crop physiological and ecological information.
This is the fifth annual report of the National Mycobacterial Surveillance System (NMSS), for new and relapsed cases of tuberculosis notified to State and Territory health authorities in 1995. Cases of atypical mycobacterial infection notified to the scheme are also briefly summarised. The notification rate for new cases of tuberculosis was 5.47 per 100,000 population, and for relapsed cases 0.28 per 100,000. These rates have remained stable for a number of years in Australia, and are low compared with rates in other countries. Some identifiable groups in the Australian community continue to experience higher rates of tuberculosis, including members of indigenous communities and some groups born overseas. Surveillance through the NMSS has a major role to play in the control of tuberculosis.
Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease, characterized by increased porosity of the skeleton resulting from reduced bone mass, the associated structural changes predispose the bone to fracture. The drug discovery process in this direction is very attractive, because of non- availability of suitable, safe and effective means for the management of this condition. The objective of the study was evaluation of Chamomile recutita L roush for Antiosteoporosis activity. Ovariectomized rats module was used in this study for evaluation. Effects were evaluated by using biomechanical bone mineral, serum and urine biochemical parameters. The effect on health status during the treatment was evaluated by regularly checking the body weight of the ovariectomized rats. In this study no significant change in body weight was observed. Biomechanical properties of bone shown femur weight (p<0.01) and density of femoral bone also significant (p<0.001) result on compare to negative control group and effect of Chamomile recutita extract on histopathological examination has shown epiphyseal femoral region showing lesser thick elongated trabeculae and narrowed and loss intertrabecular space compare to negative control and estrogen treated group. We conclude from this study Chamomile recutita methanolic extract has considered as anti-osteoporosis drug in treatment of post menopausal and senile osteoporosis.
A small modular fast reactor is thought to be one of the solutions to meet future energy security with low research and development (R&D) risk. In the present study, a new small reactor concept for a modular power source is proposed. A minimum configuration with a compact reactor vessel, one-loop main cooling system, and simple fuel-handling system is adopted, enhancing cost reduction. In the present one-loop main cooling system, there are double electromagnetic pumps in series considering pump failure. To show the reliability of the one-loop main cooling system, pipe-break transient analyses have been carried out. In addition, the construction cost of a set of a first-of-a-kind reactor and small fuel cycle plant is evaluated to show the economical potential at the demonstration stage. A major advantage of the present concept is that the demonstration reactor and fuel cycle plant can be directly appropriated for first commercial modules and the power plant can easily increase its capacity adding reactor and electrorefiner modules. Commercialization of the nuclear fuel cycle fusing the present modular concept is thought to reduce R&D risk since the total budget for demonstration is small and the facilities for demonstration are directly appropriated to commercial use.
Hematopoietic growth factors regulate the production and differentiation of immature progenitor cells and activate mature effector cells. With recombinant DNA technology, these human proteins have been biosynthesized, and their clinical applications hold promise for beneficial therapeutic effects. The hematopoietic growth factors are generally classified in 2 groups, the colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) and the interleukins. In oncology, it has been shown that the administration of CSFs will attenuate chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and permit administration of the planned chemotherapy doses, especially in chemosensitive tumors like small-cell lung cancer. Widespread clinical administration of the CSFs at this time without regard to the predicted risk of a given therapeutic regimen would seem to be inappropriate both therapeutically and economically. Continuing investigations should focus on important clinical end points. Until then, our ability to use the CSFs optimally, rationally, and in a cost-effective manner will remain limited.
Disposal-style is an important sentence structure in the development of Chinese grammar,and there's some imbalance in the development of history.By comparing the descriptions with disposal-style in both Dream of Red Mansions and Mirage Chi,we found there's great difference of disposal-style sentences used in these two works which were 50 years apart.The finding shows that the diversity and flexibility of the use of disposal-style in Mirage Chi cannot match that in Dream of Red Mansions earlier created,and it may be affected by the dialect.
The differences between English and Chinese cultures are embodied in their own language. As words are the construction materials of languages.The differences lead to the incorrespondency between English and Chinese words inevitably. The present paper deals with this incorrespondency from such aspects as words' meaning,words' register and words' function and probes into the methods for translation between English and Chinese words.
As IC's technique advances, integrated circuit chips are developing toward higher density, higher performance and higher integration. The conventional silicon wafers manufacturing technique chiefly suited to the production of smaller diameter ( ≤200 mm ) silicon wafers .With the application of larger diameter silicon wafer, high precision grinding is widely used for its manufacturing. This paper mainly discusses the manufacturing technique of smaller diameter silicon wafers, as well as the principle and characteristic of silicon wafermanufacturing based on the wafer rotation grinding method for larger diameter silicon wafer.
Critical component design is based on minimizing product failures that results in loss of life. Potential catastrophic failures are reduced to secondary failures where components removed for cause or operating time in the system. Issues of liability and cost of component removal become of paramount importance. Deterministic design with factors of safety and probabilistic design address but lack the essential characteristics for the design of critical components. In deterministic design and fabrication there are heuristic rules and safety factors developed over time for large sets of structural/material components. These factors did not come without cost. Many designs failed and many rules (codes) have standing committees to oversee their proper usage and enforcement. In probabilistic design, not only are failures a given, the failures are calculated; an element of risk is assumed based on empirical failure data for large classes of component operations. Failure of a class of components can be predicted, yet one can not predict when a specific component will fail. The analogy is to the life insurance industry where very careful statistics are book-kept on classes of individuals. For a specific class, life span can be predicted within statistical limits, yet life-span of a specific element of that class can not be predicted.
Classical geodesic active contour is sensitive to initial location and noise.So,it often fails to converge to the true edge when the initial location is far from target edge or there is noise interference.The geodesic active contour aided with CV-GVF method is therefore proposed by way of combining the geodesic active contour with the coupling force field composed of gradient vector flow and CV method.Experimental results showed that it can converge exactly to the target edge in noise background from any initial location without special setting,i.e.,high adaptability to initial location and background noise.
In supervised learning, it is typically assumed that the labeled training data comes from the same distribution as the test data to which the system will be applied. In recent years, machine-learning researchers have investigated methods to handle mismatch between the training and test domains, with the goal of building a classifier using the labeled data in the old domain that will perform well on the test data in the new domain. This problem is called domain adaptation or transfer learning, and it is a common scenario in speech processing applications. Labeled training data are often produced by an expensive hand-annotation process, and may consist of only one or two annotated corpora which are used to train virtually all systems regardless of the target domain. Often little or no labeled data is available for the new domain. In this work, we review the statistical machine learning literature dealing with the problem of “domain adaptation” or “transfer learning”. We focus on unsupervised domain adaptation methods, as opposed to model adaptation or supervised adaptation in which some labeled data is available from the test distribution. We consider four main classes of approaches in the literature: instance weighting for covariate shift; selflabeling methods; changes in feature representation; and cluster-based learning. Covariate shift methods re-weight training samples in the old domain to try to match the new domain, putting more weight on samples in populous regions in the new domain. Self-labeling methods incorporate unlabeled target domain examples into the training algorithm by making an initial guess about their labels and then iteratively refining the guesses or labeling more examples. Feature representation approaches try to find a new feature representation of the data, either to make the new and old distributions look similar, or to find an abstracted representation for domain-specific features. Cluster-based methods rely on the assumption that samples connected by high-density paths are likely to have the same label. Domain adaptation is a large area of research, with related work under several frameworks (and several names). A limited review from March 2008 can be found in [1], and one from Oct 2010 can be found in [2]. A recent book [3] investigates train/test distribution mismatch in machine learning (particularly focused on covariate shift.) Some of the organization here roughly follows that in [1].
The overall picture presented by the media regarding the two day and two night Amsterdam meeting of the Heads of State and Government in June 1997 was largely negative. The main reason for the negativity was that the Intergovernmental Conference (“IGC”), by failing to agree on Treaty amendments concerning the size of the Commission and the weighting system for qualified majority voting in the Council, supposedly could not produce satisfactory responses as to the need to reform the institutions of the European Union with a view to its next enlargement. Is this picture justified in light of the actual outcome of the IGC? It certainly would be if the IGC’s scope had been limited to institutional reform and if the IGC had not produced any concrete results in the institutional field. But neither of these statements is true. One only needs to look at the changes brought about by the Treaty of Amsterdam to appreciate the extent of the reform. The purpose of this Article is to provide such an illustrative overview of the reform, with particular emphasis on institutional aspects. This will be done against the background of the preparation and development of the IGC.
A process for Datenverkehrsseparierung in a packet-oriented operating mobile radio network (GPRS), in which in an access network node (GGSN) of the mobile radio network (GPRS) is an emerging data traffic, consisting of a plurality of each of multiple data streams comprising layer-2 connections (PDP contexts) selectively with respect to a connection - and / or data-flow-specific treatment is separated and proportionally via a corresponding treatment exporting processing unit (IP flow handler) is passed, wherein a control function (S) within the access network node (GGSN) on the basis of application-specific information and / or local information of an (in the access network node GGSN ) integrated information unit (Internal policy) decides whether a Layer 2 connection (PDP context) of data traffic via the processing unit (IP flow handler) to be passed, then where connection-based on the application-specific information and / or local information and stream specific treatments are performed nd / or.
Many maximum power point tracking( MPPT) methods suitable for partial shade conditions have been proposed in recent years,which are called multi-peak MPPT methods. Their tracking performance differs greatly from each other in different applications. Also,there is no uniform standard to evaluate the performance of multiMPPT methods in complex shade conditions. However,the low-knowledge of multi-MPPT methods remains a barrier to choose and apply MPPT methods. The basic principles of multi-peak MPPT methods are illustrated briefly based on reading and summarizing of many literatures. Their accuracy and dynamic power oscillation under plenty partial shade cases are analyzed through Matlab simulation. As results,static tracking performance,dynamic tracking performance and MPPT efficiency of multi-peak MPPT methods are summarized. These works are helpful to engineers who devote to PV power engineering to well-understand latest MPPT methods and their performance,and provide advice to choose MPPT methods and advance MPPT efficiency in practical application.
Preface Contents List of Dreams Acknowledgements Definition of Terms Introduction PART ONE: THE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP Psychotherapy with the Dying Patient Intimacy Revealed: Establishing a Therapeutic Relationship The House and Boarding School: Intimacy and Exile PART TWO: DREAMS AND THE EROTIC TRANSFERENCE AND COUNTERTRANSFERENCE Dreams Dreams and Diagnosis Dreams and the Erotic Transference The Erotic Transference and Countertransference Sexual Attraction and Erotic Violence: Men Who Leave Too Soon Revisited The Inner World Parents: The Paternal Function and the Maternal Realm Talking about Love, Sex and Death PART THREE: MOURNING AND MOVING Boundaries and the Bereavement of Dying Envy and Stasis The Link Between Psychotherapy and Cancer The Problem of Ending When the End is Death PART FOUR: THE FINAL PHASE Breakdown, Boundaries and Hospital The Hospice and Medication Home Conclusions: Supervision, Countertransference Bereavement and Research Questions Bibliography Index
OBJECTIVE The study was carried out to understand the pathogenesis of hematological dyscrasias and cytotoxicity following administration of both purified and commercially available form of Clozapine in an animal model.   METHODS The Albino Sprague Dawley rats (n=30) with an average weight of 180g were taken and divided into three groups. Haematological parameters including haemoglobin, haematocrit, RBC and differential counts, absolute indices, Red cell Distribution Width (RDW) and morphological features of RBCs by peripheral blood smear were performed by standard laboratory methods. Additionally Serum Iron Concentration (SIC), Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) (Roche Ltd.) and the serum ferritin level (Randox Ltd.) were also determined in each group. All statistical analysis was performed using graph pad prism.   RESULTS Clozapine induced neutrophil toxicity was manifested in both experimental groups, with condensation and subsequent breakdown of chromatin material.   CONCLUSION Our data, raised concerns about haematological safety and the potential mechanisms of neutrophil cytotoxicity related to the use of this drug.
Abstract: This study aims at providing a model for aligning training management in family with public and formal training. In this survey, the population consisted of professionals and experts in Iran’s public and official training and family issues. On the basis of Morgan Table and simple random sampling, 385 subjects were selected as participants. For data collection, we utilized questionnaire of effective components in alignment of family with society ( =0,92). We analyzed collected data by principal component (factor) analysis and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Findings demonstrated seven factors in final model of aligning training management in family with public and formal training which were as follows: (1) mental and emotional preparation of family, school, and society for establishment of a comprehensive training system, (2) clarification of training system in school and society, (3) detection of training system of any family, (4) detection of duties and responsibilities of family towards training of children, (5) determination of duties and responsibilities of school and society towards training of children, (6) regular meeting for examining conditions of mutual responsibilities and duties, and (7) creation of educational comprehensive information network. Also, Kendall’s coefficient of concordance indicated significant compatibility of the experts’ viewpoints about the fitness of the final model.
We describe randomized algorithms for e ciently maintaining a binary space partition of continuously moving, possibly intersecting, line segments in the plane, and of continuously moving but disjoint triangles in space. Our two-dimensional BSP has depth O(log n) and size O(n log n+ k) and can be constructed in expected O(n log n+ k log n) time, where k is the number of intersecting pairs. We can detect combinatorial changes to our BSP caused by the motion of the segments, and we can update our BSP in expectedO(log n) time per change. Our three-dimensional BSP has depth O(log n), size O(n log n+k), construction time O(n log n+k log n), and update time O(log n) (all expected), where k is the number of intersections between pairs of edges in the xyprojection of the triangles. Under reasonable assumptions about the motion of the segments or triangles, the expected number of number of combinatorial changes to either BSP is O(mn s(n)), where m is the number of moving objects and s(n) is the maximum length of an (n; s) Davenport-Schinzel sequence for some constant s.
Under the effective-mass approximation,the analytic expression for self-focusing effect in ZnS/CdSe core-shell spherical quantum dots was derived by the density matrix theory with infinite well model.The relationship between the third-order optical susceptibilities in ZnS/CdSe core-shell spherical quantum dots,the size of quantum dots and the frequency of the incident light was analyzed with numerical caculations,and the results was explained by definite theory.
Over the centuries, rubber latex gained its popularity in machinery application due to its unique thermal properties, high elasticity and excellent impact resistance. It is widely accepted in food industry as rubber has good resistance to chemicals, including acids, alkalis and salts. For instance, rubber components comprise of couplings, shields, dust covers, gaskets and seals exist as group or standalone component in food manufacturing equipments or machinery. Even though most of the rubber based products in food industry fulfil the requirements of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, the presence of trace amount of chemicals upon the preceding processing of rubber might accidentally contaminate to the food products. The contamination that happened might caused changes in food quality in term of taste, smell or even visual appearance. Therefore, this paper aims to review some of the manufacturing process of natural rubber products and to understand the possibility of extractable and leachable contaminated food products. An overview of potential toxicological problems will be discussed and the finding will be summarized in this paper.
In the era of post-Human Genome Project, researches have shifted the emphasis from the mapping of human genomic to the discovery of correlation between genetic markers and clinical phenotypes, where finding effective treatment against disease are becoming crucial and applicable goals. The Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) data plays an important role in the completion of the Human Genome Sequencing and is widely used for gene discovery, polymorphism analysis, expression studies, and gene prediction. However, due to the chemical properties and manufacturing processes, ESTs data might contain errors, which might mislead Bioinformatics researchers that attempt to use EST-libraries to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). Therefore this study proposes a paradigm for EST data, where users might better address this issue and use them to correctly identify SNPs.
The probe of this instrument can be inserted into the flue directly for testing the specific resistivity of fly ash. It adopts the ceramic filtration catcher and iso-speed sampling based on static pressure balance technique with parallel short-tube. The collection efficiency of ceramic filtration catcher (η) can reach even exceed 99.9%, and the error of sampling in different velocities is less than or equal to 5%. All these make the sameness between samples and the actual fly ash in many facets, including size distribution, carbon content, element compositions, etc. The coefficient of optimizing ringed electrode for concentric cirques k is 14.6, which can adapt all kinds of fly ash whose specific resistivity is in the range from 10 4 to 10 13 cm · Ω . In addition, the ceramic filtration catcher made of white corundum powder can endure high temperature, high voltage, and acid cauterization. So this test instrument can work well under the conditions in which the flue temperature is from room temperature to 300 o C and in the caustic gas. Ceramic filtration catcher also has many excellences, such as avoiding disassembly, cleaning ash easily, repeating use for long time. This instrument has obtained the invention patent in China and applied widely in the domestic range.
This paper points out the necessity of detailed planning of the network of small airports at the Adriatic Sea area of south-east Europe (NSA AC). Construction, which must be balanced between the state criteria and end user benefits, must also include sustainable progress based on the environment management. There is a real necessity to build up new airports and, also, to renovate or reconstruct those ones which have already been existing. All of this is needed in regard to providing better traffic network and to have a better impact on business and tourism as well. Due to that, it is necessary to develop an optimal and quality airport network and many less specialised airports and aerodromes, located at the important areas for business and tourism as well.
In this paper,based on the data from four monitoring stations of water quality in 2006,the nutritional status of Qionghai Lake is comprehensively assessed adopting comprehensive trophic state index.It concludes that the water of Qionghai is now in mesotrophic state,from which measures are suggested such as controlling the pollution of upstream,adjusting the proportion of different cultivations,limiting the development of entertainment enterprises around the Lake and adopting bioremediation technology.
The purpose of this study was to design wedding dress by using Korean paper(Hanji). The Korean paper showed the good(excellent) properties of durability, softness, and tensile strength was 3.7Kg, tear index was 6 mN·m²/g and folding numbers was 466. The appreance of Hanji was widely varied by blending(mixing) with other materials and various effects, pleating, crumpling, twisting and so on were achieved. The dress silhouette and form transformation of Hanji was very easy. Detailed points those are frill, pleats, gather, bow, paper casting, pin tuck for wedding dress were able to express easily. Hanji wedding dress has the natural texture because of natural properties of Hanji and that is echo friendly products.
We live in a world, where the technology is growing to the next level every day. But it is very strange to see paralyzed people depending on someone's help for there mobility. In this project, we have developed a smart wheelchair which helps the completely paralyzed patient to move on their own. This is achieved by the voice control method by using an android application connected to the accelerometer. Another method is a hand gesture control method. In this method, we use the flex sensor to control the motion of the wheelchair. Hand gesture control can be used only by partially paralyzed patients. The Android-based voice control through the Bluetooth has been designed in the motor, the motor is controlled by the predesigned embedded C software.
Batches hematite particles were reduced to magnetite by hydrogen in small scale fluidized bed, from which samples of partially reduced ore could be extracted for metallographic studies or surface area measurements. A stabilized zirconia cell was used to monitor the gas phase composition at eight locations in the bed. With this device a complete picture of the consumption of hydrogen was established that could detect small changes in the efficiency of the reduction reaction. Approximate rates of reduction could also be calculated. Hematite reduction took place in three stages; an initial period in which the efficiency of the reaction increased with time, followed by a period of relatively constant reduction efficiency, and finally after about 85 to 90 pct transformation a period of falling efficiency. Wustite did not form while hematite was present. The efficiency of the reaction increased when the hematite particles were coated with platinum and decreased when the particles were coated either with silica or with a naturally occurring dirt film. A kinetic and morphological analysis indicated that the reaction was rate controlled by a surface reaction at the bottom of pores in the magnetite. These pores do not appear to penetrate to the receding hematite interface, The initial increase in the efficiency of the reaction was attributed to the developing pore structure of the magnetite which increased the area for reaction.
This master thesis is written at the Department of Electric Power Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The work has been carried out at NTNU in Trondheim. The thesis deals with configuration of large offshore wind farms and transmission systems, and is a continuation of the project written during the autumn 2008. Today several plans on 1000 MW offshore wind farms exists. The size of the wind farms has led to a challenge of how to find an efficient and secure design of the overall system. The system has to be cost-effective in order to compete with other forms of power generation. In this study, costs is not considered. The purpose of this thesis was to study different transmission systems and configuration of an 1000 MW wind farm located 75 km from shore. The optimal distance between the turbines is a compromise between wake effect, wind farm are and cable lengths. To perform a detailed study of wake effects and optimal spacing, computer programs like WindSim would be necessary. Three common wind farm configurations is radial, star and ring layout. The selection of layout depends on costs, wind data and the wind farm area. Various wind turbine systems have been developed and different wind generators have been built. According to the survey of different wind generator system and considering the grid connection requirements on wind turbines, the developing trends of wind turbine generator systems shows that variable speed is very attractive and concepts with full-scale power converters will become more attractive. In this thesis two wind farm configurations with different transmission system were further studied. AC/AC, AC/DC and DC/DC are possible transmission systems. In this thesis AC/AC and AC/DC were compared. The selected layout of the wind farm was the radial layout. Number of strings was 35, with eight turbines in each string. Each wind turbine could produce 3.6 MW, which gives a total generation of 1008 MW. The two configurations were modeled in PSS/E. Siemens has made a model called WT3 that was developed to simulate performance of a wind turbine employing a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG). The model was developed in close cooperation with the GE Energy modeling team. This model was used in this thesis. For the dc transmission the HVDC Light from ABB was used. Two different disturbances were applied. One at the connection point at shore, and one at the connection point for all the radials. The load flow results shows that the losses are 5.8$%$ higher in the AC/DC system. The dynamical result shows that both of the systems were stable, and fulfill the grid code requirements. The results indicates that the short-circuit MVA is higher in the ac system than in the dc system. After a fault the voltage recovery was more smoother in the dc system, and the voltage recovery time were shorter.
Bone mass loss and osteoporosis are associated with various conditions, such as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and treatments, such as prolonged steroid therapy. Bone densitometry is used to measure bone mass density to determine the degree of osteoporosis and to estimate fracture risk. Bone densitometers measure the radiation absorption by the skeleton to determine bone mass of the peripheral, axial, and total skeleton. Common techniques include single-photon absorptiometry (SPA) of the forearm and heel, dual-photon (DPA) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the spine and hip, quantitative computed tomography (QCT) of the spine or forearm, and radiographic absorptiometry (RA) of the hand. Part I of this report addresses important technical considerations of bone densitometers, including radiation dose, site selection, and accuracy and precision, as well as cost and charges. Part II evaluates the clinical utility of bone densitometry in the management of patients with ESRD. End-stage renal disease affected more than 242,000 Americans in 1992, and each year 10,000 to 20,000 new cases are diagnosed. Although the survival rate of ESRD patients has improved, metabolic bone diseases that fall under the generic term "renal osteodystrophy" represent abnormal development of bone and major long-term complications. Issues addressed are the type and extent of bone loss associated with ESRD and whether these patients have an increased risk for fracture. The other assessments in this series address the clinical utility of bone densitometry for patients with asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism, steroid-dependent patients, estrogen-deficient women, and patients with vertebral abnormalities.
The "Thrombin Reference Standard (Control 961)" of National Institute of Health Sciences was prepared. The precision of filling into ampoule was about 1% as C.V. The content of a-thrombin was about 87%. The thrombin potency of the standard material was assayed against the Thrombin Reference Standard (Control 8710) according to the method of JP XIII and the potency was 1033 +/- 59 unit/ampoule. From the results, the potency of the proposed material for Thrombin Reference Standard was defined as 1,030 units per ampoule.
Service firm of construction have typical characteristic, where development of project is not all finished in one accounting period and in general development conducted in the middle of the. So that there are some method used by construction company to confess its earnings, that is contract method finish and method percentage of solution. Usage of imprecise revenue recognition method will have an in with confession of expense so that affect also at periodic profit of company. Treatment of imprecise earnings accountancy will result company financial statement becoming not and andal of reliable and also cannot be made by reference to all user of financial statement. Keyword : Pendapatan, Perlakuan Akuntansi, Pengakuan Pendapatan, Metode Pengakuan Pendapatan, Konstruksi. Link Terkait : http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/277/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2008-sitiropiah-13821-A.+PENDA-N.pdf
An oblique expanding fusion cage device including a body with a superior portion and an inferior portion. The superior portion and the inferior portion have a proximal end and a distal end. The fusion cage device also includes a pathway, an opening, and an expanding member. The pathway travels from the proximal end to the distal end of the device between the superior and inferior portions. The opening in the proximal end of the body enables access to the pathway. The expanding member may be removably inserted into the opening and is moveable toward the distal end of the body, wherein the expanding member engages the superior portion and the inferior portion as the expanding member moves distally within the pathway.
Thymine glycol is a major oxidative DNA base damage product that can be produced spontaneously in normal cells or by certain chemicals and ionizing radiation. This lesion as well as other oxidatively damaged bases are recognized and removed in eukaryotic cells by the DNA repair enzyme redoxyendonuclease which the authors have identified in a variety of cell types. Transcriptional regulation is a key element in the control of gene expression. Deficiencies in the various steps of transcription of an essential gene may have catastrophic effects for a cell. In terminally differentiated cells, the removal of RNA-polymerase blocking lesions could be viewed as a critical function for DNA repair systems in such cells. Very little information exists on the effects of oxidative base damage products on the process of transcription. The authors show here that thymine glycol containing DNA templates can inhibit transcriptional elongation when these lesions are chemically introduced into a DNA template. A DNA segment containing a region of the human H3.3 histone gene was utilized to determine the effects of oxidative DNA base damage on transcription by pure E. coli core RNA polymerase and rat liver RNA polymerase II. Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic RNA polymerases are blocked bymore » the presence of thymine glycols appearing in certain clusters of thymines in the oxidatively damaged transcription template. To obtain quantitative efficiencies of transcriptional arrest, the authors are engineering a DNA template containing a single defined oxidatively damaged residue. The authors' results support the idea that an important function of DNA repair systems in terminally differentiated cells is to ensure the efficient transcription of genes necessary for normal cellular function.« less
Nano-sized CeO 2 was synthesized by the sol-gel method. The optimal conditions for stable CeO 2 gels obtaining were determined. The structure and phase composition of the samples were studied by X-ray diffraction. Obtained samples consisted of ceria with face-centered cubic crystal lattice. Acid-base properties of the nano CeO 2 surface were investigated by the indicator method. Adsorption of indicators on the surface of oxides allows determining the qualitative composition and concentration of active sites on the oxide surface, and distribution of active sites by the force. Processing of the results based on study of CeO 2 samples, calcined at temperatures above 400 °C, allowed identifying the active sites, whose concentration varies significantly with changing the calcination temperature. That was active sites with pKa = 3.8, pKa = 5.2, pKa = 6.4 and pKa = 9.4. For the samples calcined at different temperatures the concentration of basic active sites is higher than the concentration of acid and neutral active sites. When the calcination temperature is below 800°C, mainly the formation of oxygen vacancies occurs due to the removal of oxygen from the surface of CeO 2. Removal of cerium atoms from the surface begins at higher temperatures.
This paper presents an ultra-thin silicon based tactile sensor, in a piezoelectric capacitor configuration, realized through post-processing steps. The piezoelectric capacitor composed of polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), present an attractive avenue for tactile sensing as they respond to dynamic contact events (which is critical for robotic tasks), are easy to fabricate at low cost in standard microfabrication environment. The device is fabricated over bulk silicon, which is thinned down to 55 µm from original thickness of 636 µm using TMAH wet etching. The sensor is electrically tested and capacitance value is measured to be 1 nF and calculated relative permittivity is 11.3. The response of sensing device, to dynamic normal forces is measured using TIRA shaker setup and sensitivity is reported to be around 80mV/N.
Objective: To improve the accuracy of diagnosing submucosal tumors(SMTs) in upper gastrointestinal(GI) tract.Methods:Endoscopic ultrasonography(EUS) was performed in 42 patients with suspected submucosal tumor. Results:Ten protuberances from outside organ(aorta,n=8;spleen,n=2) and 32 submucosal tumors were detected including 16 myogenic tumors,4 lipomas, 1 etopic pancrease in stomach, 1 esophageal cyst, 10 gastric polyps, of which 11 were identified by pathologic examination. Conclusion:Five layers of gastrointestinal wall can be distinguished clearly by EUS to identify the association between tumor and the layer of gastrointestinal wall and to definite diagnosis and treatment of submucosal tumors. But it is difficult to diferentiate malignant tumor from the benigen.
There is an implicit assumption which exists in the study about the stock market on money demand, that is, the money velocity is stable, which is not true. After revising the Friedman's substation effect, we can find out the effect of the stock market on money demand is suitable to the real situation. The effect of the stock market on M1 is positive, but is negative on M2, which is caused by the speculative of stock market.
Purpose: To assess the accuracy of the Plusoptix A09 noncycloplegic photorefraction for detection of refractive amblyopia risk factors (RARFs) in children and determine cutoff points. Methods: This study included 402 children observed in Pediatric Ophthalmology Clinic between June and December 2014. All children underwent initially photorefraction using Plusoptix A09 followed by cycloplegic retinoscopy (obtained during a complete ophthalmologic examination). Patients were considered to have RARFs based on American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus 2013 guidelines. Considering cycloplegic retinoscopy as the gold standard, accuracy parameters of noncycloplegic photorefraction were calculated for detection of RARFs. Results: RARFs were found in 148 (36.8%) and 151 (37.6%) cases by cycloplegic retinoscopy and photorefraction, respectively. Plusoptix showed an overall 85.1% sensitivity for 90% specificity, 83.4% positive predictive value and 91.2% negative predictive value for detection of RARFs. Plusoptix had good specificity for detection of all specific types of RARFs (between 93.0 and 98.1%), and good sensitivity for detection of myopia (96.6%) and astigmatism (91.0%), however its sensitivity for detecting hyperopia RARFs was only 48.9%. Using a cutoff point of +1,5D for hyperopia instead of +3.5D (in children > 48 months), sensitivity can be improved to 88.6% in this group. Conclusions: The Plusoptix A09 is a useful, portable and accurate tool for the detection of RARFs in pediatric populations. However, in hyperopic RARFs an alternative cutoff value should be used.
We compare bioimpedance analysis (BIA) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in the assessment of free fat mass (FFM), fat mass (FM) and percentage of body fat under different conditions in relation to age categories, hydration parameters, body mass index (BMI) and sarcopenia. A cross-sectional analysis of body composition was estimated by BIA and DXA in 379 hospitalized elderly patients. In addition, estimates of FFM, FM and percentage of body fat were investigated across different conditions. Paired t-tests, Bland-Altman plot and intraclass correlation coefficient analysis were used to compare methods. Data showed an underestimation of means (BIA versus DXA) of FFM (women: 0,97 kg, p<0,01; men: 1,99 kg; p<0,01), and an overestimation of both the FM (women: +1,11 kg; p<0,01; men: +1,67 kg; p<0,01) and percentage of body fat (women: +2,07 %, p<0,01; men: +2,82 %, p<0,01). BIA underestimated FFM and overestimated FM and percentage of body fat in patients from the age group of 75 to 85 years, in patients with a total body water content <60%, in underweight and normal weight patients and in patients with sarcopenia (p<0,01). The intraclass coefficient results were indicative of poor reproducibility between BIA and DXA for FFM (women: +0,197; men: +0,250) and FM (women: +0,141; men +0,144). BIA is a good alternative for estimation of FFM and FM only in overweight or obese patients or in patients with good hydration status. BIA, on the other hand, is not an accurate method for assessing FFM in sarcopenic patients.
Although much of the discussion which preceded the formation of the Schools of Design turned on their potential benefit to industry, they were not simply a prototype of technical education, established for commercial  reasons. The formation of the schools occurred against. a background of increasing public encouragement of art, which laid emphasis on the national prestige, and social benefits, as much as on the commercial advantages to be derived from art. Above all, the campaign of B. R. Haydon,  an influential factor in securing government support for Schools of Design, was idealistic in its approach; moreover, the politicians who assisted his cause were mostly individuals with cultural and educational rather than  commercial interests.    As regards the industrial arguments for art education, an examination of parliamentary enquiries into the silk trade, calico printing and copyright of designs, reveals that the manufacturers were not wholeheartedly interested in art education. National pride was as prevalent as any sense  of real commercial deprivation, and the most persuasive arguments in favour of design schools were put by a few unrepresentative individuals.    Since local initiative was so important in establishing provincial Schools of Design, the particular circumstances surrounding their formation in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds, is closely studied. An industrial need for designers existed in varying degrees in each town, but also characteristic of each town was an expanding range of cultural activity with a marked growth of interest in the visual arts. The three schools were founded under the auspices of institutions already existing, and in two cases, at Manchester and Birmingham, these were societies with an interest in the fine arts. Aspects of the early history of each provincial school reveal their function to have been conceived locally as much in terms of fine as of applied art, and a detailed study of the schools, promoters shows that they were mostly drawn from what may be termed a 'cultural elite', men with interests in fine art or in the patronage of other educational, cultural and philanthropic institutions of their towns.
Controlled Release (CR) tablets were prepared using the following: anhydrous theophylline (Parke Davis) Methocel E4MCR® (supplied by Colorcon Sucursal de Colombia, Dow Chemical Company), Ludipress LCE A’ (supplied by BASF Fine Chemicals) and Magnesium Stearate. There were studied the CR tablets at eight pHs. The Methocel E4MCR A’ effect in the lowest Methocel E4MCR A’ formulation was disintegrant. 4, 5 and 6 formulations dissolution profiles were characterized by an initial burst effect with a greater amount of drug released, followed by a more-uniform release of drug. In the initial phase, the drug release was possibly due to the dissolution of free drug on the surface of the matrix and erosion. In the second phase, a linear relationship of the natural logarithm of remanent percentage drug to time was observed from such formulations, suggesting a diffusion-controlled mechanism of drug release. There were compared the dissolutions profiles of all the formulations with two formulations already marketed, it was found that 4 formulation showed the desired dissolution profile.
Designs for Sustainability and Eco-friendly are words that many of us get confused, misinterpreted and misused. Being sustainable means construction of an asset using optimal amount or resourcing and whole of life cycle cost of creation and maintenance of that asset and the ability to sustain to serve for future generations without difficulties. Eco-friendly design means making a design to minimize impacts on the environment, bio diversity & eco-systems. There are new trends on investments in sustainable modes of transport to optimise sustainability with minimal impacts on the environment, and creating healthier and prosperous societies and economies. Hence, the today's challenge is to make a balance on both and between the sustainability and being eco-friendly. For example, if we construct a new road pavement with new with kerb & channel, that solution should last for generations if used the right methodology, resources in a quality system. However residuals from wear & tear (of tyres and bituminous seal) release nasty chemical components to the environment through the provided drainage reticulation system. The resultant would be damaging the natural habitats of fish, flora & fauna, irreversible, natural environment and in today's built environment and urbanism. In contrary if we construct the road without kerblines but surface drainage fall into a grassed swale would filter and absorb contaminants naturally before the disposal into the rest of the environment. This process would also delay the time of concentration and provide managing the disposal system efficiently. However, there are some issues & challenges that we need to manage in a system approach using both eco-friendly and sustainability factors. For instance, potential to drive over and mis-use defined extents would cause in maintaining the system without additional investments. Hence, creating a more sustainable built-environment mitigating environmental impacts should provide maximum benefits to the society and the environment. To achieve this objective, there should be a better understanding among the parties who create facilities and societies that would enjoy the facilities in a win-win situation. Winning the sound support from the wider community and disciplined use of the asset are important in managing the life cycle of the assets.
Recent European literature on the frequency of side effects of ovulation inhibitors is reviewed. Libido changes gastrointestinal symptoms weight gain headache breast discomfort amenorrhea premenstrual syndrome jaundice and breakthrough bleeding were commonly reported. Although these side effects are quite frequent the author points out that they are mostly minor and that ovulation inhibitors are relatively harmless.
According to observations and interviews conducted towards fourth grade students of Elementary School 2 Sendangmulyo, the researcher found that students’ understanding of concepts and self-reliance were low. Purpose of this study were to identify the effectiveness of manipulative props (APM) on jigsaw technique in learning process; to improve students’ understanding of mathematical concepts; and toanalyse students’ self-reliance in Mathematics learning by implementing manipulative props on jigsaw technique observed from their ability in understanding the concepts. This study used mixed method by applying concurrent embedded research design. As a result, implementing manipulative props on jigsaw technique in learning process could improve the students’ understanding of mathematical concepts. It could be seen from the average number improvement of students’ understanding of mathematical concepts of 30.44 so that there were 92% of students improved their understanding of concepts after the technique was implemented. According to the students’ self-reliance category, students who have high understanding of concepts was showed to be in high category, students who have moderate understanding of concepts was indicated to be in medium-high category, while students who have low understanding of concepts was proven to be in medium-low category.
In this paper,reliability and anti-earthquake capability assessment of some inner-frame office building was introduced.The detecting content and detecting methods was expatiated in detail.Infinite element analyses to slab under dead load test was carried out,meanwhile anti-earthquake capability calculation and checking computations of structure was also accomplished.In the end,came the conclusion that structure security of this office building was insufficient.
FIELD: radio engineering. SUBSTANCE: there are three versions proposed for switching systems and modes of their operation, based on application of an external telescopic broadband television antenna as an alternative antenna for reception and/or transmission of digital communication signals in areas with a low signal, where efficiency of an inbuilt antenna of a mobile device is too low. EFFECT: reduced level of spurious signals. 22 cl, 9 dwg
Abstract In this study, we investigated the protective effect of mouse nerve growth factor (NGF) on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) injury induced by retinal ischemia–reperfusion (RIR) in rats and explored its possible mechanisms of action. RIR caused a significant injury to RGCs and an obvious impairment of the inner retina functions, which could be seen from flash electroretinogram and flash visual evoked potential recordings. RIR also increased the expression of the apoptotic protein Bax while decreasing the expression of Bcl-2 and the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) in RGCs. Preinjection (i.m.) of NGF for 22 d reversed the injury induced by RIR and ameliorated the inner retina functions. NGF also reduced the expression of Bax and reversed the reduction of Bcl-2 and the phosphorylated Akt induced by RIR. These results indicate that NGF produces a neuroprotective effect on RGCs against RIR injury and the protective effect of NGF is mainly mediated by the PI-3K/Akt signaling pathway.
Sixty-five patients presenting to three clinics were independently evaluated for thyroid dysfunction by applied kinesiology (AK), a clinical protocol, and laboratory testing. Each was rated on a scale of 1 (unquestionably hypothyroid) to 7 (unquestionably hyperthyroid). AK ratings correlated with clinical ratings (rs = .36, p less than .002) and with laboratory ratings (rs = .32, p less than .005). Correlation between clinical and laboratory ratings was .47, p less than .000. Three AK therapy localizations had a significant correlation with the laboratory diagnosis (p less than .05). Two of these (right neurovascular-left brain and left neurolymphatic-right brain) were points associated with thyroid function. The third, ventral hand on the glabella with the other on the external occipital protuberance, is associated with pituitary function. AK enhanced but did not replace clinical/laboratory diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction. Preliminary evidence indicates that there may be a significant correlation between certain AK tests and an elevated LDH in the serum.
Foreword by E.P.Velikhov.- Introduction.- Youth and Strasbourg years.- The Strasbourg years: radio engineering.- The Strasbourg years: optics.- The years of traveling (1914-1925).- Moscow State University (1925-1935).- Research in optics (Odessa - Moscow).- The Mandelstam school: the early steps and results.- The Mandelstam's school: the theory of non-linear oscillations.- Moscow State University and the Academy of Sciences.- Borovoe and the last year in Moscow.- The Mandelstam operationalism.- The Mandelstam interpretation of quantum mechanics 1930-1940.
Research supports the effectiveness of Mindfulness meditation in a number of applications including: reducing stress, managing chronic depression, improving concentration and impulse control and in the treatment of eating disorders (Brown, Ryan & Creswell, 2007). Six university students took part is a student researcher led six week programme of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) (Williams & Penman, 2011); the practice of daily meditations were interwoven into everyday life which included coursework deadlines and end of semester exams. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. Thematic Analysis (TA) (Braun & Clarke, 2013) was performed on the resulting transcripts. Three main theme clusters were identified as: Positive Change, Congruity with Mindfulness Practice, Increased Subjective Well-being. Results suggest that Mindfulness enriched the lives of each student participant; the practice increased positive affect, self-acceptance, and reduced stress with increased coping, all of which have the potential to enhanced academic achievement. These findings indicate that there may be merit in the introduction of an organised, structured, facilitator led programme of Mindfulness, accessible to both students and staff throughout the university.
Adynamic programming model of the tree-shaped water supply network is established by taking the object as the rural treeshaped pipe network system and taking the mini mum water supply network investment and operation and management costs,and the constrained conditions are the pressure,flow,flowrate and so on,The constrained problemis transformed into unconstrained problemby the penalty function method.Based on the basic principle of genetic algorithms and according to the actual situation,the genetic algorithmof this paper uses real number encoding techniques,the punishing tactics,and the arithmetic crossover.The engineering projects prove that these technologies have avoided redundant coding and have improved the calculation practicality and high efficiency.
26세 여자가 좌측 안면에 극심한 두통이 있어서 병원에 왔다. 이 두통은 3달 전부터 갑자기 발생했으며 외상력, 가족력, 과거 두통 병력은 없었다. 두통의 양상은 쥐어뜯는 듯하며 눈이 튀어 나올 것 같다고 하였으며 발작 기간은 20-30분 정도였고 1-2시 간 간격으로 반복되었다. 좌측 안와 부위의 통증이 가장 심하였 으며 동측 결막충혈과 눈물이 동반되었으나 동공수축, 발한, 눈 꺼풀처짐, 경부강직은 없었다. 환자는 통증으로 인해 안절부절 못하였으며, 두통의 강도는 일상생활을 못할 정도로 매우 심하 였고(Visual analog scale: VAS 9점) 통증 때문에 수면을 제대로 이룰 수 없어 수면제를 복용하였으나 효과는 없었다고 하였다. 타 병원에서 아세트아미노펜 650 mg, 아세트아미노펜 325 mg/ 트라마돌 37.5 mg, 옥스카바제핀(oxcarbazepine) 같은 다양한 약물을 복용하였으나 두통은 지속되었다고 하였다. 산소마스크 를 통한 100% 산소 10 L/min를 흡입 후 두통은 먹먹한 정도 (VAS 3점)로 호전되었다. 두부컴퓨터단층촬영는 정상이었고
In this thesis, we explore the possibility to define black hole mass in terms of the Weyl tensor for the entire family of Lovelock-AdS gravity theories. The level of degeneracy $k$ of the corresponding vacuum fixes the number of curvatures that should appear in the energy formula. Therefore, the charge expression which is a polynomial of maximal degree in the curvature, can be consistently truncated to an order $k$ in the Weyl tensor. In particular, for the maximally degenerate case in odd dimensions (Chern-Simons AdS) the expression identically vanishes and the mass must come from the formula that, in the other cases, produces the vacuum energy.
Based on Beihuan tunnel of Lanzhou pivotal project up-traversing Hongshanding tunnel,numerical simulation is performed to obtain effects of neighborhood tunnel blasting construction on existing tunnel.The results show that the existing tunnel has been less affected with excavation of bench cut method,and blasting construction,vibration velocity and stress of secondary lining have fulfilled security in existing tunnel,so the newly-built tunnel could across over the existing tunnel safely.
We examine Bayesian methods for learning Bayesian networks from a combination of prior knowledge and statistical data. In particular, we unify the approaches we presented at last year's conference for discrete and Gaussian domains. We derive a general Bayesian scoring metric, appropriate for both domains. We then use this metric in combination with well-known statistical facts about the Dirichlet and normal--Wishart distributions to derive our metrics for discrete and Gaussian domains.
A 26-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of facial lesions that had gradually increased in size and number. Initially they were tender and pruritic but eventually became asymptomatic. She denied aggravation with sun exposure and did not use regular sun protection. Multiple pulsed dye laser treatments to the lesions had not resulted in appreciable improvement. Review of systems revealed occasional blurred vision and joint pain in her wrist and fingers of her right hand. Physical examination revealed a healthyappearing woman. On the forehead and bilateral cheeks there were multiple atrophic, erythematous, sunken plaques with discrete borders. Each plaque measured more than 5 mm. Similar plaques were scattered across the frontal scalp, trunk, and upper extremities, though fewer in number and less atrophic with mild hyperpigmentation. There was diffuse hair thinning of the scalp. Laboratory test results included a normal complete metabolic panel, antinuclear antibody profile, and complete blood cell count. Histopathology revealed a superficial and mid perivascular and perifollicular inflammatory infiltrate composed of lymphocytes, histiocytes, and melanophages. Vacuolar changes in the dermoepidermal junction were present. There were few dyskeratotic keratinocytes and mucin deposition present in the dermis. Direct immunofluorescence was not performed.
Objective To investigate the effect of stapler combined with ligation under video-assisted thoracoscope in treatment of pulmonary bulla.Methods 150 cases were divided into three groups,group A(50 cases),group B(50 cases) and group C.Group A was treated by disposable stapler,group B was treated by ligation and group C treated by stapler combined with ligation.Bleeding volume,operation time,cost of hospitalization after surgery and blood oxygen saturation in three groups were compared.Results Stapler combined with ligation under video-assisted thoracoscope in treatment of pulmonary bulla was superior to single method in the every index.Conclusion The treatment of pulmonary bulla by stapler combined with ligation under video-assisted thoracoscope is worthy to spread.
This paper reports on a heat treated LiNO{sub 3}-MnO{sub 2} mixture in the presence of nitric acid that has shown rechargeability as a cathode material for lithium secondary batteries. XRD patterns of this compound are different from those of known Li-Mn composite oxides, such as LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} or Li{sub 2}NmO{sub 3}. The presence of nitric acid during heating is preferable for reducing the content of the by-product such as LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}.
Following antenatal diagnosis of a lethal disorder, some parents are so overwhelmed by grief that therapeutic abortion is seen as the least traumatic option. However, the impending death and anticipated mourning create a particularly complex emotional situation. When faced with such dramatic circumstances, some parents seek to restore meaning to their parenthood by accompanying their baby through to the end of its life. Methods derived from hospice care may be appropriate in such situations, considering the unborn child as "a living being among the living ", pregnancy as the first chapter of every life, and death as a natural process. This approach, which may be adopted in maternity wards and neonatal intensive care units, requires the medical team to provide consistent information to the parents and to ensure their close involvement. These new parental demands must be clearly understood if they are to be met as effectively as possible.
The invention concerns an integrated circuit with a housing which accommodates the latter. The integrated circuit can selectively be made to operate in one of a plurality of different ways by the selective provision of electrical connections between given contact points formed on the integrated circuit. The module described is characterized in that all the contact points of the integrated circuit provided for the operation and configuration thereof are connected to externally contactable connection elements of the housing.
This paper demonstrates the importance of community mobilization and participation in project implementation. It is based on the experience the author gained in the management of more than 19,000 refugees who fled armed conflict in their country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. The success of hygiene promotion in Mwange Refugee Camp largely hinged on convincing the refugees that sanitation was a priority that required their critical consideration. The lesson to be learnt is not so much the choice of technology; rather it is its transfer that could point to the success or failure of a project. With the ‘inside-out’ development approach, the project team served as catalysts thereby stirring the refugee community into action.
This is an exhibit made by the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission for the October 22, 1999 meeting. Topics covered include: adjusting the definition of “species” to allow continued developmental fisheries for species endangered or threatened elsewhere, such as squid and sardines; adjustments to the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) fishery in Lake Abert; adjustments to the spot prawn (Pandalus platyceros) fishery; a proposal to add flat abalone (Haliotis walallensis) to the developmental fisheries list; and an adjustment to licensing preferences. The report includes staff activities for 1999, staff analysis of issues and options, and statistical reporting. Appendices include an extensive report on the brine shrimp fishery and a report on the biology of the flat abalone.
A storage control device for controlling a storage device including an initial data storage area for storing initial data, an updated data storage area for storing updated data corresponding to the initial data, and a designation area for designating either the initial data storage area or the updated data storage area to be read out. The storage control device comprises a write unit which writes data in the updated data storage area, a re-write unit which re-writes the designation area in which information for reading the initial data storage area is set in the initial stage into the setting of reading the updated data storage area when writing into the updated data storage area occurs, an initializing unit for re-writing the information in the designation area to the setting of reading of the initial data, a selection unit for selecting to read either the initial data storage area or the updated data storage area when reading the data, and a reading unit for reading the updated data storage area or the initial data storage area according to the selection of the selection unit.
To solve the data association problem in multi-target tracking,a novel gorithm of data association is proposed based on grid probability.First,this algorithm calculates the whole effective echoes correlative coefficients,then uses grid probability concept to allot the value of effective echoes with smaller correlative coefficient to other effective echoes.For the effective echoes in interaction area of tracking wave-door,it uses the same method to assign the values to the other adjacent echoes within the two tracking wave-doors respectively.Finally the correlative coefficients of the echoes are correlated through probability-weighting.Simulation results show the algorithm can effectively solve the problem in multi-target tracking,and has a higher accurate rate of association.Besides,the CPU occupies a relatively short time.
Our presently inadequate knowledge of the functional anatomy of the deep branch of the ulnar nerve handicaps our management of ulnar nerve lesions. The extensive anatomical variations in the distribution of this nerve preclude adherence to a textbook pattern of innervation. Electrophysiological recordings of single sensory fibers in monkeys along with fascicular stimulation studies provided novel information about the functional organization of the deep branch of the ulnar nerve: (1) there is a wide range of sensory fibers not currently recognized by textbook descriptions; (2) the innervation pattern is far more diffuse and covers greater areas than previously suspected; (3) at the distal forearm level the motor component of the deep ulnar branch is distributed throughout the entire ulnar nerve and is not restricted to specific fascicles; (4) contrary to previous assumptions, the deep branch of the ulnar nerve is mixed, and not purely motor. In fact, it may be mostly sensory. Afferent fibers arise from muscle, joints, deep subcutaneous tissues and even skin. These findings suggest that it is unwise to look at any nerve as purely motor or having a set innervation pattern, and emphasize the pressing need for objective preoperative and/or intraoperative functional assessment in peripheral nerve surgery.
The first step to determine the nutritional requirements of cattle is to measure their body composition. The methods used to predict body (or carcass) composition can be classified as direct or indirect. Indirect methods involve predicting the composition of the body (or carcass) based on easily obtained parameters. Direct methods involve separating and dissecting all of the animal's body parts and determining their physical and chemical constituents. Thus, experiments involving the use of direct methods are extremely laborious, time-consuming and expensive due to loss of at least half of the carcass and the large number of people and laboratory analyses involved. Several indirect methods have been developed and used to different extents around the world. Kraybill et al. (1952) developed a method of estimating water and body ether extract by specific gravity. This tool has seen some use in Brazil (Alleoni et al. 1997; Lanna et al. 1995; Peron et al. 1993, Gill et al. 1991), but it generally has not produced good results for Zebu cattle (Lanna et al. 1995; Alleonni et al. 1997). Other methods, such as antipyrine, tritiated water, N-acetyl-amino-antipyrine (Panareto and Till, 1963), urea dilution (Preston and Kock, 1973) and K (Clark et al., 1976) have not been used in Brazil due to difficulty of the techniques, cost and/or lack of equipment and adequate instruction. The most commonly used method in Brazil was proposed by Hankins and Howe (1946), who developed equations for estimating the body composition of cattle based on a 9-10-11 rib cut (Rib9-11). This technique has been widely used because it is easy, fast and inexpensive, and it has produced good results in some studies (Paulino et al. 2005a; Henry et al., 2003; Silva, 2001).
A improved digital signature scheme is proposed base on the elliptic curve digital signature and the knapsack problem.The security of the scheme is set up on the intricate nature of the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem and the knapsack problem.By introducing the transformative knapsack problem into the scheme,the security of new scheme one is strengthened.On this base,the original scheme is expanded into a proxy digital signature scheme.Most of the current proxy digital signature schemes are based on the discrete logarithm problem or factoring big integer problem.Compared with them,the new scheme two satisfies the security request of the proxy signature,which possesses better attack resistance and higher practicability.
The paper introduces steel frame and net pouring concrete supporting system,all parameters,technological process,grid construction and technique requirement of its application, elaborates classification, mechanical properties, structure of steel frame, rebar net , pouring concrete, and puts forward noticable problems and constructional experience in application of grid and net pouring concrete supporting system.
Herein, the method analyzes breast disorder is provided which comprises measuring the genomic methylation status of one or more CpG di-nucleotides. In addition, the data-processing device when executed in a computer, comprising a software code adapted to perform the steps of the method - is stored in readable medium, the computer program product is also provided. It is also possible to provide means for supporting the clinician.
Expanding the scope of pharmacy practice demonstrates that the profession has been successful at improving public health. Despite being a late adopter, New York's limited experience with vaccines has improved immunization rates and lowered rates of disease. During emergencies, the 2017-2018 flu season for example, the state has turned to pharmacists to go beyond what the pharmacy practice law permits, in this case enabling immunizations in pediatric patients.1 This illustrates recognition of untapped potential within the profession to contribute to the public health. Another opportunity for pharmacists to enhance the public health is embodied in a Bill introduced in the New York State Legislature that would amend the pharmacy practice law to enable administration of "long-acting injectables" designed to treat mental health disorders including schizophrenia and substance use disorder ("SUD"). The goal of this paper is to review the proposed amendment, the relevant background, and to discuss the implications for patients and the pharmacy profession. Disciplines Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Comments Published by the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York. Inc.: https://pssny.site-ym.com/ Posted with permission. This article is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/pharmacy_facpub/306 Temporary Printing Window https://view.flipdocs.com/?ID=10017506_935238&P=0#24 22 of 28 11/29/2018, 5:47 PM Administration of Long-Acting Injections Christopher Noel, PharmD BCPP, Wegmans School of Pharmacy, and Karl Williams, RPh, LLM, JD, Wegmans School of Pharmacy Expanding the scope of pharmacy practice demonstrates that the profession has been successful at improving public health. Despite being a late adopter, New York's limited experience with vaccines has improved immunization rates and lowered rates of disease. During emergencies, the 2017-2018 flu season for example, the state has turned to pharmacists to go beyond what the pharmacy practice law permits, in this case enabling immunizations in pediatric patients.' This illustrates recognition of untapped potential within the profession to contribute to the public health. Another opportunity for pharmacists to enhance the public health is embodied in a Bill introduced in the New York State Legislature that would amend the pharmacy practice law to enable administration of ·1ong-acting injectables· designed to treat mental health disorders including schizophrenia and substance use disorder ("SUD'). The goal of this paper is to review the proposed amendment, the relevant background, and to discuss the implications for patients and the pharmacy profession.
The traditional and ecological narrative mode in China is mainly the communication,press close and fusion between the human and the natural world which is represented by animals and plants.The memory of folk custom is not simply to put animals and human beings in the opposite position,but always look forward to the peaceful coexistence,to make friends and help each other.The care of ancients to animals also affects the behavior of them to observe and describe the animal's behavior.For example,people care about animals and raise people's compassion for animals;these behaviors are within the scope of the performance evaluation of officials.The Buddhist literature and art have reserved much more of the concept of"human and animal equality"in South Asia.The introduction of the perspective of ecological criticism in India promotes the change of China's ecological and cultural value.After Ming and Qing Dynasties,people no longer limited to the view of animals and plants in the aspect of the felling about the objectification of the traditional social ethics,but focuses on reconstructing the image significance of animals and plants,changing the potential attitude between the human and beast with "everything has its conqueror",to show the rich complexity of the Ming and Qing Dynasties'ecological concepts.With reference to the cross disciplinary ecological criticism in Europe and the Americas,the distribution state of the traditional and ecological narrative in China can be observed more clearly.In addition,many of the traditional folk memory have been reserved in martial arts novel ecological resources during the period of the Republic China awaiting exploration.
This thesis presents new results in the design and the integration of the active front/rear steering control with front/rear electronic differential in four wheel drive  and steering vehicles; an application to vision based autonomous lane keeping control is also deployed.    In four wheel steering vehicles it is shown that the lateral speed and yaw rate dynamics can be asymptotically decoupled by feeding back longitudinal speed and yaw rate measurements: lateral speed measurements or observers are not required. A proportional-integral (PI) active front steering control and a proportional-integral (PI) active rear steering control from the yaw rate error together with an additive feedforward reference signal for the vehicle sideslip angle can asymptotically decouple the lateral velocity and the yaw rate dynamics, that is the control can set arbitrary steady state values for lateral speed and yaw rate at any longitudinal speed; moreover the PI controls can suppress oscillatory behaviours by assigning real stable eigenvalues to the basic linear model of the vehicle steering dynamics for any value of longitudinal speed in understeering vehicles.    The active front steering is also integrated with the front and rear active or semiactive electronically controlled differentials: the goal is to improve vehicle dynamics, by suppressing resonances and enlarging the bandwidth for the yaw rate tracking dynamics, and to reduce the driver effort. Moreover the control law on the electronically controlled differentials is designed in order to improve safety. The control strategy for the electronic differentials is not only aimed at keeping  the wheel speed differences at desired values but it is also integrated with the active steering control action (a PI control on the yaw rate error) to produce a yaw moment, based on the yaw rate error, which improves the vehicle steering dynamics since the corresponding eigenvalues can be placed to be all real at every speed to prevent oscillations. The stability analysis is performed using both singular perturbation and Lyapunov techniques in the presence of small parameters which are due to the ratio between the moments of inertia of the wheels and of the vehicle.    A control scheme which integrates the active steering action based on the yaw rate error with the lane keeping action based on lateral offsets is also analyzed. A nested PID steering control for lane keeping in vision based autonomous vehicles is designed to perform path following in the case of roads with a curvature which increases linearly with respect to time. No lateral speed measurement is used since it can be hardly measured with high cost and low accuracy and reliability. The designed control input is the steering wheel angle: it is computed on the basis of yaw rate measured by a gyroscope and the lateral offset measured by the vision system as the distance between the road centerline and a virtual point at a fixed distance from the vehicle. A PI active front steering control on the yaw rate tracking error is used to reject constant disturbances and the effect of uncertain parameters while improving vehicle steering dynamics. To integrate the additional lateral offset measure the yaw rate reference is viewed as the control signal in an external control loop: it is designed using a PID control (with an additive double integral action) on the lateral offset to reject the disturbances on the curvature which increase linearly with respect to time.    To confirm the results and to explore the robustness all the controls are tested  on CarSim vehicle model.
Several differences between EAC hemolysis and release of rabbit platelet amines by soluble antigen and antibody have been emphasized by contrasting the effects of some inhibitors on these two models of complement-mediated cell injury. Hemolysis of sensitized sheep cells in undiluted rabbit plasma is not inhibited by citrate. Immune platelet injury, in contrast, is completely inhibited by citrate, but only when this inhibitor is present before the interaction between antigen, antibody and complement. EAC hemolysis in undiluted rabbit plasma is not inhibited by tolsoyl arginine methyl ester (TAME) or acetyl tyrosine ethyl ester (AcTEE), whereas immune platelet injury is inhibited. Further, at plasma dilutions (10%) in which TAME (10 mM) does inhibit EAC hemolysis, the inhibitor must be added before or within 2.5 min after adding sensitized cells to plasma. In contrast, TAME inhibits immune injury to platelets even when added after 20 min preincubation of antigen, antibody and plasma (complement source), as long as it is present before addition of platelets. These observations add support to the concept that the details of complement action in producing EAC hemolysis on the one hand and platelet injury by soluble antigen and antibody on the other are quite different.
This paper is a discourse on Andre Gunder Frank’s contribution to the theory and study of development and underdevelopment with emphasis on its implication on Nigeria’s development. The study exposes the inequality in the pace of socio-economic wellbeing of the people of various societies of the world which led social scientists to call those societies whose socio-economic development is considerably low “backward nations”. They later abandoned this expression as it was considered derogatory, and adopted instead, the expressions “underdeveloped societies,” “less-developed societies” or “developing nations”. To explain the reason for the underdevelopment of these nations W.W. Rostow in 1960 developed his Modernization Theory. This theory conceived underdevelopment as an “original state”, as something characteristic of a “traditional society”, as something that has internal origin. In response to this theory, Andre Gunder Frank in 1966 propounded his “dependency theory which saw the world’s nations as divided into a core of wealthy nations which dominate the poor nations whose main function in the system is to provide cheap labour and raw materials to the core. It held also that the benefits of this system of relationship accrue almost entirely to the rich nations, which become progressively richer and more developed, while the poor nations, which continually have their surpluses drained away to the core, do not advance, rather, they are impoverished; he also asserted that for the underdeveloped nations to develop, they must break (radically) their ties with the developed nations and pursue internal growth. In addressing this thesis, the puzzle is can Nigeria break her ties with the core wealthy nations of the West which have advanced their economies at the detriment of Nigeria and pursue meticulously, internally generated growth? Even though A.G. Frank’s argument that the cause of Africa’s underdevelopment in general and Nigeria in particular is her dependency on the wealthy Western Countries, has been accepted, it should also be noted that these Western Countries are operating in connivance with some unscrupulous elements in the country and that if they are not found and flushed out of the system, the internal growth policy will not survive. These are the issues this paper has addressed and concludes by positing that the Andre Gunder Frank’s Dependency is not the ultimate cause of underdevelopment in Nigeria but leadership problem. Therefore, breaking the ties without a radical change in political leadership style will not salvage Nigeria’s underdevelopment situation.
The socialization of the safety of railway travel to the community by the  Pamtib (Security and Order) unit has not been effectively implemented. Facts in the  field shows there are still people who move on the railroad tracks. In the 3 months  beginning in 2017 there has been a train accident that took 17 victims died from  being hit by a train. Seeing the news about the accident, Public Relations PT KAI  Daop 3 Cirebon make communication strategies by socializing to the community,  especially the students. The selection of students as the target of socialization to be  embedded as early as possible about the dangers of activities on the railroad tracks.  This study aims to find out how the communication strategy used by Public Relations  PT KAI Daop 3 Cirebon in socializing the safety of train travel to students.  The research took place at PT KAI Daop 3 Cirebon interviewed the Daop 3  Cirebon Public Relations Manager as informan 1, Manager of Pamtib (Security and  Order) Daop 3 Cirebon as informan 2, and audience target of socialization as  informan 3 and informan 4. This research obtains the following findings information,  PR unit collects facts by way of media monitoring about the injury about rail accident  and information obtained from Pamtib unit. Then Public Relations PT KAI Daop 3  Cirebon make planning socialization program with the target community, especially  students. The purpose of the socialization program to reduce the train wreck so  decreased also the news about the train accident. In the implementation of  socialization activities, Public Relations Daop 3 Cirebon using print and online mass  media, local television Cirebon city, the installation of banners in accident-prone  areas, and also took the community of railroad lovers 'edan sepur' in the  dissemination of information. After the socialization program is implemented, the PR  unit evaluates by way of daily monitoring media and recapitulates every month. The  results of these evaluations turned out to be as expected of reduced railway accidents  seen from the news in print and online mass media.
This paper summarises the results of a study in which the maximum vertical contact stresses of the 1/3 scale test tyres of the Model Mobile Load Simulator (MMLS3) were compared with those measured for three types of full-scale test tyres of the Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS). The comparative tests were done using the Stress-In-Motion (SIM) device designed to capture three-dimensional (3D) tyre-pavement contact stresses on a relatively rough-textured test surface. As it is generally accepted that these stress conditions within the moving tyre contact patch are quite complex, a single parameter of the vertical stresses measured for the different test tyres was selected for the comparison. This parameter, referred to as the Maximum Vertical Contact Stress (MVCS) indicated, on average, that it increased linearly with tyre inflation pressure for both types of the 1/3 scale MMLS3 test tyres and full-scale test tyres. However, it was found that the MVCSs for the Diamond patterned square profile 1/3 scale tyres of the MMLS3 were, on average, much lower than those of the full-scale test tyres as they represented, at most, only 52.5 per cent of those measured for the 11R22.5 (full-scale HVS) test tyre, 37.5 per cent for the single 315/80 R22.5 (full-scale HVS) test tyre, and 12.5 per cent and 20 per cent respectively respectively for the smooth and rough-texture tests on the 12R22.5 (full-scale HVS) test tyre. Earlier studies of vertical contact stresses of the test tyres of the MMLS3 by Sime M & Ashmore SC, (1999), Epps Martin et al (2000) and Doupal et al (2002) that were conducted with different stress measuring devices reported higher vertical contact stresses at the upper level of tyre inflation pressures. It is therefore recommended that the influence of test surface characteristics and the impact on SIM measurements of HVS and MMLS3 tyres be investigated in greater detail in future similar studies. It is nevertheless strongly recommended that the foregoing be incorporated into MMLS3 and HVS comparative and/or individual testing programs (and protocols) to permit a more rational interpretation of test data from both these devices relative to structural road pavement performance issues, especially on the surface of flexible road pavements.
When collecting information, local differential privacy (LDP) alleviates privacy concerns of users because their private information is randomized before being sent to the central aggregator. However, LDP results in loss of utility due to the amount of noise that is added to each individual data item. To address this issue, recent work introduced an intermediate server with the assumption that this intermediate server did not collude with the aggregator. Using this trust model, one can add less noise to achieve the same privacy guarantee; thus improving the utility.  In this paper, we investigate this multiple-party setting of LDP. We first analyze the threat model and identify potential adversaries. We then make observations about existing approaches and propose new techniques that achieve a better privacy-utility tradeoff than existing ones. Finally, we perform experiments to compare different methods and demonstrate the benefits of using our proposed method.
A 49-year-old man presents with recurring facial pain of 6 months' duration. The pain initially occurred several times per week; it now occurs as often as several times per day. The paroxysmal pain is intense and incapacitating but abates within several minutes. It occurs in the right maxillary region and lower jaw and is sharp and lancinating. Hard chewing and teeth cleaning are the usual precipitating events. Between episodes, the patient is asymptomatic, without numbness or deficit in the affected region.
In speaker space,it occurs that speech varies with the difference of the sentence and time.This variability is mainly aroused with the variable speech information and speaker information in the speech database.If these two kinds of information are separated,robust speaker recognition is done.In this paper,on the assumption that large speaker variable space is "speech space" and small speaker variable space is "speaker space",speaker identification and speaker verification are presented by separating speech information and speaker information with subspace method.The result shows small quantity train databases can be used to set up robust speaker model by comparative experiments compared to traditional method.
Sixty four osteochondrosis patients after neurosurgical correction of the compression syndrome were examined psychologically before and after the course of rehabilitation. It was established that considerable relief of pain in the course of physiotherapy was seen in patients who, before the treatment, had less severe impairment of the psychological status, no significant symptoms of hypochondria, anxiety, depression. Psychologically unfavourable predictors of low efficiency of physiotherapy were psychic tension, excitability, low stress resistance, pessimism, high anxiety, intrapersonality conflicts.
Among the most remarkable ideological developments in Germany since unification has been the emergence of a powerful and explicit argument against public morality. The good is the bad, goes this argument, and an excessive concern for morality is to be denounced. The argument rejects the good on both aesthetic and political grounds. In a country that once championed the Enlightenment unity of the good, the true, and the beau tiful, and that is viewed at home and abroad as center of the twentieth century's incarnation of absolute evil—Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party—, this explicit rejection of morality deserves attention and explanation. In what follows, I explore the roots of the critique, examine two instantiations of public debate on the subject, and attempt to draw preliminary conclu sions about the meaning of the critique itself.
Three insect peptide hormones, eclosion hormone (EH), ecdysis-triggering hormone (ETH) and crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP), have been implicated in controlling ecdysis behavior in insects. This study examines the interactions between these three peptides in the regulation of the ecdysis sequence. Using intracellular recordings, we found that ETH is a potent activator of the EH neurons, causing spontaneous action potential firing, broadening of the action potential and an increase in spike peak amplitude. In turn, electrical stimulation of the EH neurons or bath application of EH to desheathed ganglia resulted in the elevation of cyclic GMP (cGMP) levels within the Cell 27/704 group (which contain CCAP). This cGMP production increases the excitability of these neurons, thereby facilitating CCAP release and the generation of the ecdysis motor program. Extracellular recordings from isolated nervous systems show that EH has no effect on nervous systems with an intact sheath. In desheathed preparations, in contrast, EH causes only the ecdysis motor output. The latency from EH application to ecdysis was longer than that after CCAP application, but shorter than that when ETH is applied to a whole central nervous system. These data, along with previously published results, support a model in which ETH causes pre-ecdysis behavior and at higher concentrations stimulates the EH neurones. EH release then facilitates the onset of ecdysis by enhancing the excitability of the CCAP neurons.
Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy techniques such as Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) not only possess an unprecedented high sensitivity but also have high temporal and spatial resolution. Therefore, they have an immense potential both in investigation of fundamental biological principles and in clinical applications. FCS analyses are based on both theoretical approximations of the beam geometry and assumptions of the underlying molecular processes. To address the accuracy of analysis, firstly the experimental conditions that should be fulfilled in order to obtain reliable physical parameters are discussed and the input parameters are carefully controlled accordingly to demonstrate the performance of FCS measurements on our home-built confocal multiparameter photon-counting microscope in several in vitro and in vivo applications. Secondly, we performed a comprehensive FCS analysis of rhodamine family of dyes to evaluate the validity of assigning the correlation relaxation times to the time constant of conformational dynamics of biomolecules. While it is the common approach in literature our
The test adopted random control design,300 broilers were randomly divided into basal diet + 1% formula 1(groupⅠ),basal diet + 1% formula 2(groupⅡ),basal diet+1% formula 3(groupⅢ)and basal diet + Tylosin(control),5 replicates in each group and 15 chickens in each replicate(8 males and 7 females).The results showed that the average daily gains(ADG)of 15~35 days of age were not significantly different in group Ⅰ'Ⅱ'Ⅲ'and control(P0.05).However there was an uptrend in the average daily gains(ADG)of 15~35 days of age in the experimental group.The daily weight gain of Group Ⅱwas significantly higher than that of the control(P0.05) in 36~42 days of age.The metabolic rates of nutrients were not significantly different in each group(P0.05).The mtabolic rate of crude protein of the two trial groups was slightly better than that of the control group.Formula 3 showed no significant difference in dry matter metabolic rate,fat metabolic rate and phosphorus metabolic rate(P0.05).Chinese herbal medicine can replace antibiotic for feed additives in the poultry industry.
Programs that respond to asynchronous events are challenging to write; they are difficult to reason about and tricky to test and debug. Because these programs can have a huge space of possible input timings and interleaving, the programmer may easily miss corner cases. We propose applying synthesis to aid programmers in creating programs more easily and with a higher degree of confidence in their correctness. We have written an efficient encoding of functional reactive programming (FRP) semantics based on functional programming over lists lifted in Rosette. We demonstrate that this technique is state-of-the-art by first comparing its performance against two existing synthesis tools that produce list manipulation programs, and then by synthesizing a suite of benchmarks given complete specifications. We also propose an interactive tool in which a programmer provides some initial partial specification in the form of input/output examples or invariants; the tool finds ambiguity in the specification by synthesizing two candidate programs and gives the user an input that distinguishes them; the user updates the specification and continues iterating until the correct program is found. As evaluation, we demonstrate the use of the tool on a suite of benchmarks from the web programming and Internet of Things domains and walk through a sample interaction on a realistic web benchmark, showing that we can converge on the target program with a tractable number of interactions. As future work, we discuss encoding additional FRP languages to in order to explore metalinguistic features, strategies for decomposition that would allow the synthesis of larger programs, and improved programmer tools such as a GUI to more easily elicit specifications.
According to the demand of technology in hyperspectral anomaly detection with small energy differences between background and objectives,an improved orthogonal subspace projection algorithm is proposed.We firstly project the hyperspectral imagery onto the background orthogonal subspace to suppress background information.On this basis,after adjusting the noise,decision radius can be selected according to the spatial density realizing anomaly detection,and the morphological filter process as addition to eliminate the false alarm in large area.The experimental results show that,the algorithm proposed can detect the anomalies with small energy difference relative to the background,and has high calculation efficiency.
We lay down the fundamental hypothesis that any electromagnetic radiation transforms progressively, evolving towards and finally reaching after an appropriate distance the value of the cosmic microwave background radiation, a 1,873 mm wavelength. This way we explain the cosmic redshift Z of far away Galaxies using only Maxwell’s equations and the energy quantum principle of the photons. Hubble’s law sprouts out naturally as the consequence of this transformation. According to this hypothesis we compute the constant Ho (84,3 Km/s/Mpc) using data from the Pioneer satellite and doing so deciphering the enigm of its anomalous behaviour. This hypothesis is confirmed by solving some cases that are still enigmatic for the standard cosmology. We review the distance modulus formula and comment on the limits of cosmological observations.
The present work is aimed to investigate the role and influence of certain elements as Cr, Ni, Mn and Si on the radiation stability of reactor pressure vessel steels. The 12 ferritic steels with basic typical composition of WWER-1000 and PWR reactor pressure vessel materials were manufactured and submitted to Charpy impact, Barkausen Noise, Vickers hardness and SEM testing. Results of Charpy impact test show, that DBTT (ductile-to-brittle transition temperature) values are independent on the tested steels composition and are ranging between -150 and -104 C. Only two steels show extremely high DBTT (-16 and -42 C ); the mentioned steels contain low concentration of Ni and high concentration of Cr and vice versa. For those materials an additional heat treatment is designed in order to increase the DBTT values to values more near to those of the other steels. The results of MBN measurements show that the amount of Cr plays an important role: an increase of Cr content in model steels leads to an increase of RMS (root means square) values independently on Mn and Si contents. The percentage of Ni has also significant influence i.e. low Ni content is responsible for lower RMS values. By comparing the HV10, RMS and DBTT values of the 12 model steels it is not possible to find a general conclusion. However, most of the model steels combine high values of RMS with low values of DBTT. The next step will be the neutron irradiation of such model steels in the HFRLYRA irradiation facility up to accumulated neutron fluence in the order of 1019 n.cm-2 and the further comparison of material properties before and after irradiation. URI: http://www.mrs-serbia.org.rs/images/2007-1.pdf [1] Authors: DEGMOVA Jarmila DEBARBERIS Luigi Publication Year: 2007 Type: Contributions to Conferences Publisher: Institute of Technical Sciences of SASA ISBN: 978-86-80321-11-0 Citation: THE NINTH YUGOSLAV MATERIALS RESEARCH SOCIETY CONFERENCE "YUCOMAT 2007" Programme and the Book of Abstracts p. 139 Source URL: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/publication/contributions-conferences/destructive-and-non-destructive-techniques-applied-c haracterization-cast-model-steels-parametric
Over the years, there has been a steady stream of scholarly papers, essays, case studies, reports, and similar narratives that seek to document, describe, or analyze corrupt practices and accountability problems in government. Curiously neglected, if not missing in these initiatives, particularly in the Philippines, is the analysis of so-called “whistleblowers” or those who voluntarily expose corrupt practices after having witnessed or participated in these acts. The phenomenological method is adopted as a framework towards understanding the realities and dynamics of corrupt practices. Phenomenology is a philosophy that derives its knowledge from direct and actual experience by an actor who has personal knowledge of phenomena. The whistleblower’s account can be used as a study in the phenomenological method for us to better understand the hidden and unknown realities of corrupt practices. The paper looks at a case of an insider or what has been referred to as the whistleblower. In 2005, Sandra Cam, a self-confessed participant in the gambling payoffs for illegal jueteng operations in Bicol, the Philippines, courageously exposed links and collection activities.
The economy test, also known as the ‘test by thrift’, is one of four undisputed criteria, or tests, of orality, along with the formula test, the thematic test, and the enjambement test. Formular economy – the avoidance in oral composition of metrically equivalent phrases expressing the same idea – is, as F. explains (p. 10), the single hallmark of oral diction, since unlike the other three criteria the principle of economy belongs exclusively to oral composition. It is surprising then, as F. observes (p. 9), that until now an economy test has never been formally applied to the Homeric epics. Milman Parry (The Making of Homeric Verse. The Collected Papers of Milman Parry, ed. A. Parry [Oxford, 1971], pp. 175–80) and his followers had instead extrapolated from Parry’s discovery of formular economy in the name–epithet formulas of the epics and had assumed that the same economy would be found throughout the whole of Homeric diction (pp. 10, 29, 30). F., however, has conducted such a test. This book presents a study of noun–epithet and name–epithet phrases in the Homeric epics which breach the principle of economy. F. argues on the basis of his observations that in the Homeric epics formular economy is residual, and that these epics, characterised by a schema-free style (p. 140), are not oral but post-oral (p. 141). F. presents the background to his argument (pp. 10–17) in careful detail, with, it may be said, a certain amount of repetition. He begins with oral diction. This he describes in terms of its formularity (that is, it is a diction which aids rapid verse-making in performance) and in terms of its economy of expression (which has the power to resist the inclusion of metrical doubles, thus keeping this potentially untidy formular system under control). He then discusses formulas, distinguishing, as Parry had (op. cit., pp. 119–24, 149–53, 153–65), the ornamental and the particularised. Ornamental formulas are context-neutral; they simply complete the metre of the verse. Particularised formulas, on the other hand, are rare; being context-speciμc they alone can complete the meaning of the verse. This distinction is critical to F.’s discussion. F. now turns to the study itself, the breaches of formular economy in Homer (p. 17). By ‘breach’ he means a noun–epithet formula that is a strict metrical duplication of, and is directly interchangeable with, another phrase, and therefore a violation of the principle of economy. After an illustrative test-run (pp. 30–5) working with the nominative case forms which express the essential ideas of Achilles and Zeus, F. proceeds to the heart of the matter: Table 1, which displays the entire name–epithet system for Achilles; Table 2, which displays the entire name-epithet system for Zeus;
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of trigeminal and occipital nerve blocks in post traumatic headaches. BACKGROUND: Post concussive headaches are the most common symptom encountered in patients following a mild TBI occurring in 25 to 78 percent of patients. DESIGN/METHODS: Retrospective chart review in a concussion clinic of 218 patients who suffered post concussive headaches consistent with trigeminal and/or occipital neuralgia who underwent a trigeminal and/or occipital nerve block. Changes in pain score (from 1-10) after trigeminal and/or occipital nerve blocks were compared before, after the procedure and at follow up visits. RESULTS: From a total of 218 charts screened, 18 patients with an average age of 21 received trigeminal and occipital nerve blocks with mixture bupivicane 0.5% and kenalog -40. There were 7 subjects with trigeminal neuralgia, and 6 with occipital neuralgia, and 5 subjects with both. The average initial pain score was 7/10, immediate post block pain score was 0 for 17 patients, and for one patient was 2/10. The patients had an average follow up of 55 days, with follow pain score of 0 in most of the cases. Adverse events included one patient who had transient numbness of the face in the superior orbital distribution and one subject felt light-headed for 10 minutes after the procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Trigeminal and occipital nerve blocks performed in patients with post traumatic headaches seems a safe and effective therapy for post concussive headaches. Disclosure: Dr. Delgado has nothing to disclose. Dr. Alberto has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gualberto has nothing to disclose. Dr. Nedd has nothing to disclose.
The ink-jet printing is a noncontact technique for production electrically conductive structures, also on flexible substrates. The greatest challenge is the conductive material for printing - the ink, because it influences the parameters of printed structures. The structures are nonconductive just after the printing and to obtain good electrical conductivity, they need an additional energy, mainly supplied during a heating process. Our aim is to produce the ink containing silver particles with the size dimension at the level of tens of nanometers without the nano-Ag particles aggregation and sedimentation phenomenon, which can be used for ink-jet printing on a cheap, flexible substrates with thermal resistance not higher than 150 oC. Additionally the ink can be improved by proper choice of nano-Ag manufacture process. It was done by the planning the experiment (Design of Experiment) and analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Abutilon indicum Linn (Sweet) (Malvaceae) leaves were extracted with water and evaluated for its antinociceptive effects by employing various models such as acetic acid-induced writhing test, tail immersion test, hotplate method and formalin-induced nociceptive test. The extract at 200 and 400 mg/kg concentration significantly (p<0.01) reduced the number of writhes produced by acetic acid (0.6%) and significantly increased the reaction time in thermal models such as hot water tail immersion, hot plate method and formalin-induced test in a dose dependent manner (p<0.01). Morphine (7.5 mg/kg) and Indomethacin (10 mg/kg) were employed as the standard drugs for comparison. The results of the present study revealed that the aqueous extract of leaves of Abutilon indicum exhibits a potential analgesic effect, which may be mediated by both central and peripheral mechanisms.
The invention discloses a fan fixing device, which is used for fixing a fan provided with two opposite side walls. Each side wall is provided with a plurality of fixing holes. The fan fixing device comprises a fixing wall and a plurality of fixing pieces. The fixing wall is provided with a ventilating part and a plurality of blocking grooves arranged around the ventilating part; each fixing piece comprises a sleeve and a splicing column; the sleeves penetrate the blocking grooves of the fixing wall and the fixing holes of one of the two side walls of the fan; the splicing columns pass through the fixing holes of the other side wall of the fan and are fastened onto the sleeves; and the sleeves and the splicing columns are respectively provided with a blocking cap which can be retained on the fixing wall and the other side wall of the fan. According to the fan fixing device disclosed by the invention, the sleeves are blocked onto the splicing columns penetrating the other side wall of the fan after penetrating the fixing wall and one side wall of the fan, and moreover, the splicing columns and the sleeves are respectively provided with the blocking cap which can be retained on the other side wall of the fan and the fixing wall, and thus, the fan can be conveniently disassembled and assembled.
Seven strains of bacteria which were separated from the active membrane on the mature manganese sand which are from different power plants. After identifying they are Leptothrix, Sphaerotilus and Siderocapsa. Studies show that the three strains of bacteria have a better removal of Fe2+, in which Siderocapsa No. 1 is the best. Leptothrix and Siderocapsa have a good removal of Mn2+ Siderocapsa No. 1 has the highest removal rate for Mn2+, Siderocapsa No. 2 is secondary. The mixture of separately cultured Leptothrix, Sphaerotilus, Siderocapsa No. 1 and Siderocapsa No. 2 which can remove iron and manganese were inoculated on the surface of manganese sand filter. Biofilm culturing with groundwater concentrations iron and manganese. The biological filter column has tended to maturate after 20d cultured. Test result indicates that the mature biological filter column can get rid of Fe2+ and Mn2+ nearly 100% and the biological filter column can run stably.
The Blue Nile Grid of Sudan, which supplies Electrical Power to the central region including the capital, Khartoum, has experienced a history of problems, of which the most important are the instability of the system and the generation shortages, which become particularly acute during certain months of the year. These problems have been complicated by a lack of real understanding of the system's behaviour, especially as it grows in size and complexity, and as the demand increases. [Continues.]
The present invention relates to a novel crystal form of cabazitaxel and a method to prepare the same and, more specifically, to a novel crystal form of cabazitaxel which has no moisture retention and can easily be stored by improving stability since a crystalline form does not change, and a method of preparing the same. The present invention also relates to very useful industrial methods since the cabazitaxel can easily be produced with improved stability.
Damming and diversion of stream flows has the potential to dramatically change fresh- water ecosystems. The depth, velocity and width of a stream are important habitat variables for many aquatic species and are directly affected by flow change. Widely used hydraulic habitat methods (e.g. PHABSIM, River2D) predict how these variables change with flow, based on inten- sive site surveys and calibrations. A major hurdle for the implementation of hydraulic habitat methods is the cost. The aim of this research was to predict the response function between hydrau- lic habitat and flow using riverscape and rapid-survey variables. Existing PHABSIM data for 17 sites in Colorado's Rocky Mountains were used to train a gen- eralized habitat model for juvenile brown trout. The habitat-flow response curves were represented using (1) magnitude (flow at maximum habitat), and (2) shape (a dimensionless quadratic function with one unknown parameter). Multiple regression was then used to model the two parameters from relevant riverscape variables, but little improvement could be achieved over univariate mod- els. Mean annual flow provided adequate predictions of flow at maximum habitat, and stream slope was an adequate predictor of the shape parameter. Together, the two functions allow desktop pre- dictions of habitat-flow response for juvenile brown trout. Improved predictions are possible using rapid-survey estimates of the channel inflection width (used to convert mean annual flow to a unit- width discharge). Potential applications of the generalized habitat model include basin-wide as- sessments, initial screening for high value streams and rapid assessment of less valued streams.
In order to deeply understand the morphological structure,physical and mechanical properties of fibers from rice straw,the morphology,chemical structure,crystallinity and orientation of fibers were tested by the scanning electron microscopy,infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction. The length,linear density,moisture regain,breaking strength,breakage elongation and flexibility of rice-straw fibers were tested. The experimental results indicated that the lengthwise of the fiber appears a large number of grooves and the specific surface area is large. Rice straw contains natural cellulose and some concomitants such as lignin and pectin. The crystallinity and orientation of rice-straw fibers are high. The length of the single fiber is very short. The processing fibers is made by half degumming process. The linear density of processing fibers is relatively great and the softness of processing fibers is poor. The moisture absorption of fibers is good.
Special quality of automobile clutch master cylinder(CMC) and analyzed aluminum, plastic material comparison. Efficiency of plastic master cylinder can modularize higher, light weight anger of parts, several piece parts by single parts, prove NVH(Noise, Vibration, Harshness) than aluminum master cylinder as analysis result. Also, structure is easy simplicity, exchange, maintenance costs can be reduced and decrease environmental pollution because recycling is superior. According as content of glass fiber increases, mechanical properties of matter of material increase equally and glass fiber changed variously by condition on manufacturing process. Through comparison analysis with Plastic body development connection site, did verification.
With increasing demand of new wireless applications and increasing number of wireless user’s problem of spectrum scarcity arises. Cognitive Radio technology supports dynamic spectrum access to address spectrum scarcity problem. Reliability of cognitive operation entirely depends upon how effectively task of spectrum sensing has been performed. Spectrum sensing is a process of discovering voids in spectrum which can be allocated to cognitive users opportunistically. There exists number of traditional spectrum sensing methods in literature for constant noise floor. Practically, noise spectrum density is uncertain under which performance of spectrum sensing scheme degrades. In this paper a new spectrum sensing adaptive algorithm considering noise uncertainty has been proposed. Simulation results of proposed scheme shows a constant detection probability has been achieved under noise uncertainty.
Corrugated , ليطتسملاو Rectangular-Corrugated ( يسمش يئاوه عمجمل  لوط هكمسو رتم دحاو هضرعو ه ٠,١ رتم لـئام قفلاا نع ) 30 ( ب ةرارحلا لاقتنا لماعم ىلع لمحلا يرسقلا يحطسـلا كاـكتحلاا لماعم تـباث يسـمش يرارـح ضيـف دـنع ) 530W/m ( ىدملو دلونير ددع ) 5000≤Re≤8000 ( .  ت م دختسأ ا م يددعلا جمانربلا ) Fluent ( ةيلاحلا ةساردلا يف , ثيح ةمكاحلا ةيلضافتلا تلاداعملا لح مت ) هيرارمتسلاا ةلداعم , ةقاطلاو مخزلا ( ةددحملا موجحلا ةقيرطب ) Finite Volume ( ةلاحلل دعبلا يئانث برطضم نايرجلا نأ رابتعلاا رظنب ذخلأا عم ةرقتسملا .  جئاتنلا ترهظأ ىلعا نا لخادلاو جراخلا ءاوهلا ةرارح ةجرد يف قرف تناك ) 13.65C ( ةرارـحلل لاـقتنا لماعم لضفاو جرعتملا عمجملا دنع ثدحي يرسقلا لمحلاب  ) V-Corrugated ( ) جرعتلا ةيواز 60 ( نسحت ةبسنبو ) 63% ( يوتسـملا عمجملا نع  ) Flat Plate ( دنع ددع دلونير ) ٨٠٠٠ ( , امكو  ىلعا نأ جئاتنلا ترهظأ ادقم يحطسلا كاكتحلاا لماعمل ر ) Cf ( عـمجملا يـف ثدحي جرعتملا ) V-Corrugated ( لب ثيح غ هتميق ت ) 0.22 ( دنع ددع دلونير ) ٨٠٠٠ .(  ةيسيئرلا تاملكلا : طسلا و صاملا ح ة , ةيسمشلا ةيئاوهلا تاعمجملا , يرسقلا لمحلا .
This dissertation aims to give a detailed understanding of financial management in a sample of Dublin families. By focusing on dual as well as single-earner couples, the findings reflect the behaviour and attitudes of this growing segment in Irish society.    Sociological and marketing studies on dual-earner families were used as a theoretical backdrop for this investigation.    Three separate levels of analysis were used in conducting the research. Firstly, family budgets were examined using data from the latest available Household Budget Survey (1987). Differences were identified in expenditure patterns in a total of 708 dual- and single-earner families within the Dublin region.    Secondly, the systems of family finance used by a sample of Dublin families were examined. Four hundred individuals (two hundred couples) were chosen by quota sample in randomly selected locations. Controls of age, social class and work status of the wife were implemented and self-administered questionnaires were separately completed by husband and wife. Management and control o f finances were examined as well as levels of satisfaction. In a cluster analysis, five personal money management styles were identified.    Finally, a sub-sample of twelve couples was chosen for a more detailed examination. Depth interviews were conducted with husbands and wives separately and findings are presented concerning spending, saving and financial decision-making.    Conclusions are drawn relating to each element of this study and recommendations are made for those marketing to such families.
FIELD: chemistry. SUBSTANCE: method of production of 5-methoxy-2[[(4-methoxy-3.5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyle)-methyl]-thio]-1H-benzimidazole, formula I , from (4-methoxy-3.5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)-methanol which includes the following reactions performed in sequence in one main solvent system without isolation of intermediate substances formed in the process: stage 1: interaction of (4-methoxy-3.5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)-methanol (pyrmethanolic alcohol), formula 1a , with chloro-dehydroxylating agent to obtain (4-methoxy-3.5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)-methylchloride (pyrmethylchloride), formula Ib ; stage 2: interaction of (4-methoxy-3.5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)-methylchloride, formula 1b, obtained at the stage 1 described above with 2-mercapto-5-methoxybenzimidazole (metmercazole), formula Ic , in the presence of alkali to obtain 5-methoxy-2[[(4-methoxy-3.5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl)-methyl]-thio]-1H-benzimidazole (pyrmethazole), formula I, and the solvent system which is common for the whole sequence of reactions and contains organic non-miscible with water solvent with definite quantity of water present at stage 1, and this quantity is higher that the saturation concentration of used organic non-miscible with water solvent . EFFECT: method proposed allows to obtain desired substance with high yield and high purity. 16 cl, 5 ex
This paper examines preservation strategies for both print and electronic scholarly journals focusing on strategic policy considerations relevant to these tasks. Developments in both areas of preservation are examined in their historical context. Recent promising developments for both print and digital preservation are discussed with an eye to integrating both activities. Four key pillars are outlined to sketch the framework for an integrated journal preservation strategy: legal agreements, archiving infrastructure, holdings registry and consortia leadership. Specific focus is given to the rationale for library consortia leadership in the North American context. The benefits of an integrated print and digital preservation strategy are then analyzed with some conclusions drawn and recommendations for future areas of research.
We read with great interest the article by Parkash et al1 about the effect of aggressive blood pressure control on the recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation, which shows that aggressive control of blood pressure for a median duration of 3.5 months before catheter ablation and after has no effect on subsequent arrhythmia outcome at the expense of treatment-related hypotension. Does aggressive blood control have a neutral effect on the recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation? We have several disagreements. First, before aggressive blood pressure …
Setting: Following the operational research study conducted during the isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) pilot phase in Zimbabwe, recommendations for improvement were adopted by the national antiretroviral therapy (ART) programme. Objectives: To compare before (January 2013-June 2014) and after the recommendations (July 2014-December 2015), the extent of IPT scale-up and IPT completion rates, and after the recommendations the risk factors for IPT non-completion, in 530 ART clinics. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Results: People living with the human immunodeficiency virus newly initiating IPT increased every quarter (Q), from 585 in Q 1, 2013 to 4246 in Q 4, 2015, with 5648 new IPT initiations in the 18 months before the recommendations compared to 20 513 in the 18 months after the recommendations were made. The number of ART clinics initiating IPT increased from 10 (2%) in Q 1, 2013 to 198 (37%) in Q 4, 2015. Overall IPT completion rates were 89% in the post-recommendation period compared with 81% in the pilot phase (P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, being lost to follow-up from clinic review visits 1 year prior to IPT initiation was associated with a higher risk of not completing IPT, while having synchronised IPT and ART resupplies was associated with a lower risk. Conclusions: Implementation of recommendations from the initial operational research study have improved IPT scale-up in Zimbabwe.
Objective To explore the clinical significance of the footprints and lateral X-rays in weight loading in evaluating the rehabilitation of talipes valgus in the children with cerebral palsy.Methods One hundred footprints of 56 children who were cerebral palsy with talipes valgus in the hospital-community-family-based rehabilitation mode were divided into light,middle and heavy types,and they were counted with two footprint-based approaches,and the two approaches were compared with chi-square criterion,and the dependability on consequence of the footprint and lateral X-rays in weight loading were analyzed.Results One hundred feet evaluated by the method of footprint were flatfeet radically,and the occurrence of flatfoot evaluated by three define lines were 11,57,32,respectively,and evaluated by footprint ratio were 6,7,87,respectively,but the degrees were different with two footprint-based approaches.There was a close correlation between two footprint-based approaches and lateral X-rays in weight loading.Conclusions Flat foot caused by talipes valgus can be evaluated by footprint in static state,while the development of bones of foot and the constitution of instep can be monitored on the lateral X-rays in weight loading.
Objective To observe the therapeutic effect and safety of probiotic agents on active ulcerative colitis(UC) and investigate its effects on the cytokines in mucosa. Method Eighty-six patients with active UC were randomly assigned to the treatment group(46 patients) and the control group(40 patients).Besides the basic treatment of oral taking mesalazine,they were treated by retention enema with hydrcortisone sodium succinate plus Gentamicin and Smectite Powder.In addition,the patients in the treatment group were treated by orally took probiotic agents,1.5 g each time,thrice a day.The efficacy of treatment such as the clinical symptom score,colon mucosa inflammation and the expressions of IL-10,IL-6 and IL-18 in mucosa of patients with immunohistochemistry 6 months after treatment were evaluated. Result The clinical symptom,colon mucosa inflammation had no difference between groups before treatment.Six months after treatment.The clinical symptoms and colon mucosa inflammation were better significantly than before(P0.05),especially in experiment group(P0.05).The disease active index(DAI) was lowered after treatment in both groups(P0.05),decrease of DAI in the treatment group were superior to those in the control group(P0.05).The expressions of IL-10 in mucosa was significantly increased,especially in experiment group(P0.05).The expressions of IL-6 in mucosa was significantly descended(P0.05),but the difference of IL-18 had no statistical significance.No adverse reaction was found in all patients. Conclusion The probiotic agents shows an effect obviously superior to that treated with oral taking mesalazine and retention enema,and with no adverse reaction.Its curative effect on ulcerative colitis is related to affecting IL-10,IL-6 and IL-18 in mucosa of patients.
Neckarwerke Stuttgart AG have in 1994 started with the construction of the 330MW/280MW Plant HKW 2. Commissioning was reached as scheduled in September 1997 and terminated November 1997. The plant is a so-called combined-cycle unit: a conventional steam process with advanced design data (solo operation 303MW) is connected on the steam side with the heat recovery boiler of a gas turbine of latest design (64.7MW) thus reaching a design capacity of 381MW. Under all operating modes (solo operation conventional process, solo operation gas turbine, combined-cycle operation) is it possible to extract up to 280MW district heat. Experience gathered with the quite complex commissioning period and the first year of operation is outlined.
Objective: To explore and compare the effects of occlusal reconstruction with occlusal splint removable denture and fixed denture on elderly patients with severe tooth wear and tooth lost.Methods: 24 patients with severe tooth wear and tooth lost were divided into two groups,15 in occlusal splint removable denture group,and 9 in fixed denture group.Their feelings(esthetic feeling,comfort),clinical symptoms,masticatory efficiency and temporomandibular joint disease symptoms(TMJDS) were observed and analyzed before and after occlusal reconstruction.Results: The patients were all satisfied with their prosthesis.Their clinical symptoms,masticatory efficiency were improved.Statistical analysis showed the significant difference before and after occlusal reconstruction(P0.01).The fixed denture had better effects than the occlusal splint removable denture(p0.05)on patients'feeling and masticatory efficiency.The TMJDS were all improved after occlusal reconstruction.There was no significant difference between the two methods.Conclusions: Occlusal reconstruction using occlusal splint removable denture and fixed denture was effective to improve the elderly patients'oral and occlusal function.The TMJDS can also be improved.The fixed denture has better effect on esthetics,feeling,comfort and masticatory efficiency.
Polyethylene-clay nanocomposites have been prepared using in situ polymerization. In this study we have evaluated two minerals, silica and bentonite (smectite), as catalyst carriers for the polymerization of ethylene withcommercially available zirconocene. The activities of the homogeneous and supported metallocene systems were also compared. We have observed that at high temperatures, ethylene consumption sharply decreases with time by employing homogeneous catalyst. Also, the polymerization profiles for both supported systems have rapidly achieved a steady state. Moreover, the performance of the smectite-supported system was very similar to that of the silica-supported catalyst. The obtained polymers were characterized according to their melting temperature (T m ) and crystallinity degree (X c ), through DSC analysis. The polyethylene melting temperature has significantly increased with the use of both supported systems in comparison with the homogeneous counterpart. The highest T m of the obtained polyethylenes was 136.8°C, which corresponds to that synthesized by the smectite-supported catalyst.
Thirty-two animals from one to over 15 years of age were selected from three horse establishments near Guelph, Ontario. There were 17 Thoroughbreds, seven Hunters, four Appaloosas, and two grade horses, one Shetland and one grade pony. Two mares were two and one-half, and nine months pregnant, and three others had been bred 17 to 37 days at the time of treatment. The pyrantel pamoate was a liquid formulation (suspension) containing 50 mg pyrantel base/ml in 30 ml vials. Each horse or pony received in one treatment between February and June 1973, the content of one or two 30 ml vials mixed in with its grain ration. Based on estimates of body weight the dose rate of the anthelmintic ranged from 2.5 to 13.9 mg pyrantel base/kg body weight. Fecal samples were collected on the day of treatment (DT) and 14 days after treatment (AT) for counts of nematode eggs and infective larvae. The Cornell-McMaster technique (4) was used to estimate the number of nematode eggs per gram (EPG) in a 10 g sample of feces. A 20 g fecal sample was cultured as described by WVhitlock (13). This latter sample was broken up, placed in a 16-ounce jar, and moistened with 0.1% sodium carbonate to reduce mold. A screw top lid was applied firmly but not too tightly to the jar and it was placed in a dark-
Objective To study the germicidal efficacy and mechanism of a compound chlorine dioxide disinfectant on Escherichia coli. Methods The suspension quantitative germicidal test and TEM method were used to study the germicidal efficacy and mechanism of the compound disinfectant. Results The average killing rates of Escherichia coli exposed to compound disinfectant solution containing 50 mg /L chlorine dioxide for 10 minutes were all above 99. 9%. Observation of transmission electron microscopic showed that chlorine dioxide destroyed the ultrastructure of Escherichia coli cells obviously. Protein leakage experiments showed that the cellular contents of Escherichia coli leaked largely after chlorine dioxide exposure. Conclusion The compound chlorine dioxide disinfectant can effectively kill Escherichia coli in low concentration,and the mechanism is to cause the damage of cell ultrastructure and the leakage of cellular contents.
The postcoital contraceptive efficacy of estrogen only and gestagen only has been well-known for a long time. Their side effects however particularly those of estrogen are important. Recently estrogen-gestagen combinations as a postcoital contraceptive method have been successfully employed. A prospective study evaluates the efficacy of a hormonal combination of 1 mg d-norgestrel and 0.2 mg ethinyl estradiol as a postcoital contraceptive. 641 women were treated during a 72 hour period following unprotected intercourse by taking 4 tablets of Neogynon 21043; 2 tablets were taken immediately and 2 were taken 12 hours later. 6 pregnancies occurred of which only 3 could be attributed to method failure. The corrected failure rate is thus estimated at 0.46%. 20 pregnancies may have occurred without contraceptive method use according to Tietze and Barrett. Side effects occurred in 35.9% of the cases but proved to be insignificant. (authors) (summaries in GER FRE ENG)
The world economy has, over the past half century, become increasingly intertwined, and countries mutually dependent. The convergence of emerging market economies (EMEs) with the advanced, richer ones has led to dramatic transformation where the former have sustained growth rates far higher than the latter. At the same time, given the global economic turbulence since 2007, questions arose as to whether the era of rapid convergence is over, and whether more EMEs are destined to get mired in the middle-income trap. This book takes a long-term perspective of the economic and social outlook of the world to 2050, focusing on cross-cutting intergenerational issues that often get overshadowed by the short-term crises and political preoccupations of the day. It argues that for a prosperous economic order, convergence of large developing economies led by East Asia and India with the developed world is crucial given the formers share in the global GDP. Addressing the various aspects of emerging markets such as international trade, urbanization, food security, climate change, and governance, the book brings out the role of the global economic community towards increasing living standards. A joint effort of a multidisciplinary, multicultural team of 26 authors who were born in twelve different countries on five continents, this book is an analytically rigorous exploration of the future of global markets.
The present invention relates to a substantially pure biological culture of a bacterial strain of the species It also relates to veterinary compositions comprising such strains. It also relates to their use in preparing compositions which eliminate the colonization by a pathogenic strain of the gastrointestinal tract in poultry. The effectiveness of the strains of the invention proves to be very high whether administered directly as if incorporated with the feed being fed to the birds and / or drinking water.
TiCl₄로부터 제조된 TiOCl₂ 수용액이 0.67M Ti⁴+ 농도를 갖도록 희석시킨 후, 17℃~100℃에서는 물의 증발을 억제하거나 자유롭게 하는 방법으로 그리고 100℃~230℃에서는 물의 증발을 억제하는 방법으로 균일하게 침전시켜 40 nm~400 nm의 지름크기를 갖는 결정성 TiO₂ 단분산구를 제조하였다. 침전조건에 관계없이 모든 침전반응은 TiOCl₂ 수용액에서의 자발적인 pH 값의 감소와 함께 일어났으며 이때의 모든 침전체들은 침전반응 중에 루틸상과 아나타제상으로 결정화되었다. 65℃ 이하는 물의 증발과는 관계없이 그리고 물의 증발을 억제하는 조건으로 얻을 수 있는 155℃ 이상에서는 여러 가지 침전조건에 관계없이 항상 순수한 루틸상 TiO₂가 형성되었으나, 중간 반응온도에서 물의 증발을 억제하지 않는 경우에는 70℃ 이상부터 아나타제상 TiO₂가 형성되기 시작하여 95℃ 이상에서 순수한 아나타제상 TiO₂가 형성되었고, 물의 증발을 억제시킨 경우에는 먼저 형성된 아나타제상이 루틸상으로 변태되어 침전체들이 형성되었다. 이러한 반응온도에 따른 침전현상은 TiOCl₂의 가수분해와 함께 먼저 생성된 핵들이 성장한 작은 침상입자들의 응집체 또는 미세한 cluster 내부에서 작용하는 모세관 압력, 반응속도 그리고 물의 증기압에 의해 결정구조가 결정되거나 바뀌는 결정화 단계로 이루어지는 것으로 추정된다.
The plasmin was purified from the fermentation solution by using of ammonium sulfate precipitation, DEAD-cellulose ion-exchange column chromatography and Sephadex G-75 gel filtration column chromatography. The purified enzyme showed a single band on PAGE and a level of fibrinolysis activity about 5.16 times that of the crude enzyme. The molecular weight was 12.6 kD determined by SDS-PAGE. The iso-electric point(pI) was proved to be 7.45 by fast polyacrylamide iso-electric focus electrophoresis. The fibrinolysis activity was determined by aragose-fibrous protein plate method. The optimum temperature and pH were 50 ℃ and 8.0 respectively. It is stable in the basic solution. According to the control of activity of this enzyme between positive and negative plate, this enzyme had high affinity to fibrin, and the ability of activating plasminogen was low. In vitro, this enzyme had strong ability to hydrolyze artificial thrombus.
This article presents the potential for new business models in the context of user generated content and services in the mobile environment. The approach is based on the concept of a new platform that incorporates multiple (mobile) network providers as well as private and commercial third party content and service providers. The potential for gaining and sharing revenues among the different participants in this ecosystem is described based on an application example in the domain of sport, fitness and health.
Background: Language barrier and access to mental health services in refugee and immigrants. Refugees and immigrants experience  specific mental health challenges during the process of adaptation due to linguistic and cultural differences.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relation between language barrier and lack of access to mental healthservices.    Method: Interviewed 19 refugees families including youth, children, and women who attended the clinic for anxiety PTSD, stress and stress related issues mainly from Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia for a period of 6 months. Using Eurostat data from 2016-to 2017 to show the number of refugees from the horn of Africa (34,245). In addition, reviewed previous publications from the 1990s. CAMH refugee mental health webinar provides extensive, studies about refugee and the confusing health care strategies in addressing immigrant mental health    Results: The results from interviewing refugees in the clinic showed that there is a strong link between mental health and lack of access to the available health care services due to language and communication difficulties. In particular women were suffering of ongoing abuse. Even where there are trained interpreters who are competent and appropriate to work with women in abusive situations, there are so few of these people available that few women have real access to their help. Sometimes you have to rely on people who are not trained properly. They feel inferior and humiliated because their personal life has become public knowledge. It is hard to answer phone calls or even asking for directions cannot be done, let alone to seek medical attention.
In this article, Mr. Stelzer describes the activities of management and crews when weather advisories dictate emergency shutdown of Marathon's western Gulf of Mexico drilling activities. The Lafayette, LA office monitors the atmospheric disturbances (seeds of potential hurricanes) and, eventually, the growing storm, and alerts all Marathon platforms in Sector 2 of the western Gulf to prepare for possible shutdown. In the example described here, management gave the order at 7:00 AM to shut down all Marathon platforms and shore bases in the vicinity of the western Gulf as Hurricane Alicia built up eastward. Within minutes, a well-practed series of exercises was put in motion - lowering and chaining down lengths of drill pipe, securing anything else that could be chained down, and starting the orderly evacuation of the platform workers (by helicopter, when possible). By 5:35 PM, just 10.5 hours after the alert, all personnel from the 13 Marathon platforms had been safely transported to Lafayette and Lake Charles, LA. The shore bases themselves were then secured and vacated to await the storm's fury. Alicia eventually slammed ashore, wreaking extensive storm damage in Galveston, Houston, and Texas City; a Marathon refinery in the latter sustained heavy property loss and more » interruption of work. Offshore, there was very little damage aboard the Marathon platforms; and, within hours, all platforms were back in operation. « less
The invention discloses a hard-amplitude limiting pulse compression-based radar dual-channel anti-co-channel interference method and is mainly applied to the radar signal processing technical field. According to the hard-amplitude limiting pulse compression-based radar dual-channel anti-co-channel interference method of the invention, hard amplitude limiting channel and linear channel parallel pulse compression processing is adopted; the characteristic of the constant false alarm rate of a hard amplitude limiting channel is utilized; stagger and multi-cycle correlation processing is used in combination; joint discrimination is carried out in an interference discrimination module; and therefore, co-channel signal interferences and various kinds of asynchronous signal interferences can be effectively suppressed, and the problem of co-channel interferences of a current radar on other radars when a plurality of radars work simultaneously in a short-distance range can be solved, and normal work of the radars can be ensured.
Firsdy,the reducing of additional stress due to groundwater submergence was studied,and the change law of preloading in Shekou ares was obtained.Next,the calculation results for several cases using the settlement formula of small-strain and large-strain consolidation theories were compared and analyzed.It is shown that the influence of submerge on consolidation settlement of ground increases with load,soil compressibility and thickness of soil;and the effect of preload change associated with large-strain analysis on settlement is significant compared to using traditional calculation methods.
This study aims at securing concrete fluidity capacity by applying blast-furnace slag powder and improved polycarbonate acid high performance water reducing agent to improve concrete structure and at enhancing performance of structure by improving filling and squeeze pumping performance. for this purpose, fluidity character and physical character of concrete which were substituted by 40~60% of blast-furnace slag powder were evaluated. and it demonstrated the best performance at 60% of the blast-furnace slag substitution rate.
Animals are sentient beings capable of many of the same feelings experienced by humans. They mourn a loss, they feel love and loyalty, and they experience fear. During wars and conflicts, fear is a prevailing emotion among humans, who worry for their well-being. Animals, too, feel fear during human conflicts, and that fear is magnified when those animals are caged. History has shown the victimization of zoo animals during military conflicts. Zoo animals already lack agency over their own lives, and in times of war, they are seen as a liability. From the Siege of Paris to recent Israel-Hamas conflicts in Gaza, zoo animals have been unwitting victims of manâ€™s inhumanity to man. Mahatma Gandhi once wrote, â€œThe greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.â€ If this sentiment is true, most nations have progressed little in the 150 years covered in this thesis.
Reflection on Norwid-the magician, poet and artist at the same time, makes one ask the question about possible sources of inspiration. One of such sources that has been missed until now, is constituted by the works of Salvator Rosa (1615-1673) – the Italian painter, engraver, writer and actor. Forgotten already at the end of the 17 th century, Rosa was rediscovered by English travelers and art collectors at the break of the 18 th century and interpreted as a forerunner of Romanticism. Norwid's mentions of Rosa – contained both in his poems and letters – allow distinguishing four aspects of the baroque artist’s work that made him close to the Polish poet. The literary aspect seems to be the most important; Norwid highly valued Rosa's Satires because of the attitude of creative freedom and reflection on art that is manifested in them. Secondly, he admired his role as an animator of artistic and intellectual life in the 17 th century Florence (Accademia dei Percossi confraternity). Thirdly, he pointed to the variety of the Italian's artistic talents and occupations – to his being a ‘magician’. And finally, he noticed an analogy to his own situation in Rosa’s conflicts with the critics. Among the Norwidian artistic motifs whose form points to inspiration with Rosa’s works two are of special interest: the motif of melancholy in his fine arts works (lithography Solo ) and the poetical reflection on silence.
Due to increasing concerns over issues with both water quantity and quality for turfgrass use, research was conducted to determine the response of five warm-season turfgrasses to deficit irrigation and to gain a better understanding of relative drought tolerance. St. Augustinegrass(Stenotaphrum secundatum [Walt.] Kuntze.) cultivars ‘Floratam’ and ‘Palmetto’, ‘SeaIsle 1’ seashore paspalum(Paspalum vaginatumSwartz.), ‘Empire’ zoysiagrass(Zoysia japonica Steud.), and ‘Pensacola’ bahiagrass(Paspalum notatum Flugge) were established in lysimeters in the University of Florida Envirotron greenhouse facility in Gainesville. Irrigation was applied at100%, 80%, 60%, or 40% of evapotranspiration(ET). Evaluations included: a) shoot quality, leaf rolling, leaf firing; b) leaf relative water content(RWC), soil moisture content, chlorophyll content index(CCI), canopy photosynthesis(PS); c) multispectral reflectance(MSR); d) root distribution; and e) water use efficiency. Grasses irrigated at 100% and 80% of ET had no differences in visual quality, leaf rolling, leaf firing, RWC, CCI, and PS. Grasses irrigated at 60% of ET had higher values in physiological aspects than grasses irrigated at 40% of ET. ‘SeaIsle 1’ and ‘Palmetto’ had a deeper root system than ‘Empire’ and ‘Pensacola’, while ‘Floratam’ had the least amount of root mass. Photosynthesis was positively correlated with visual assessments such as turf quality, leaf rolling, leaf firing, and sensor-based measurements such as CCI, soil moisture, and MSR. Reducing the amount of applied water by 20% did not reduce turfgrass quality and maintained acceptable physiological functioning.
Older individuals contribute heavily to the percentage of deaths due to myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is highest in subjects > 65 years. Prospective intervention trials involving groups of clinically comparable subjects > or = 60 allow the following statements to be made with regard to the use of antithrombotic drugs in the elderly. Antiplatelet agents. To prevent recurrence of ischaemic stroke and MI in stable/unstable angina, MI, TIA/stroke or peripheral arterial disease, aspirin is the drug of choice. Clopidogrel is more effective than aspirin in this respect. Heparin. For the treatment of acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), intravenous standard heparin or subcutaneous standard heparin are effective (aPTT 1.5-2.0 times baseline values). As the risk of bleeding increases with age, low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) are preferable in the elderly. For the prophylaxis of VTE in general surgery in subjects at low-moderate risk, low-dose heparin or low doses of LMWH are effective. In subjects at high risk, adjusted-dose heparin plus physical devices or high-dose LMWH are recommended. The combination of heparin and aspirin is the standard treatment for unstable angina and non-Q wave MI. LMWH are as active as standard heparin in this indication. Vitamin K antagonists. For the chronic treatment of VTE, warfarin is also the treatment of choice (INR 2.0-3.0) in the elderly, though lower doses are needed due to their hypersensitivity to oral anticoagulants. For the prevention of thromboembolic stroke in patients > 75 with atrial fibrillation, warfarin is the drug of choice. Patients aged 65-75 may receive warfarin or aspirin. Thrombolytic agents. Thrombolytic agents are not recommended for treating DVT in the elderly because of their limited risk/benefit ratio and should be confined to massive PE. In the absence of contraindications, thrombolysis for MI may be considered in the elderly.
More than one third (13 million) of adults aged 65 and above fall each year in the United States. Developing automated systems that detect falls is an important goal for those working in the field of eldercare technology. We developed an acoustic fall detection system (FADE) that automatically recognizes falls using purely acoustic (sound) information. The main challenge of building a fall detection system is providing testing data, since, no matter how realistic the falls for training the system are, they can not fully replicate the real elder falls. To address this challenge, we developed a knowledge based system rather than a data driven one. The system uses fuzzy rules based on knowledge of the specific frequency fingerprint of a fall and on the height of the origin of the sound. The rules were implemented in a Mamdani fuzzy rule system. We tested our system in a pilot study that consisted of a set of 23 falls performed by a stunt actor during six sessions of about 15 minutes each (1.3 hours in total). We compared the results of the fuzzy rule system to the results obtained using a Knearest neighbor (KNN) approach with cepstral features. While the fuzzy rule system did not perform as well as the KNN one in the low false alarm region, it had the advantage that it reached 100% detection rate.
According to the characteristic of teaching of organic chemistry experiments,through analysing the course system and content methods of teaching of organic chemistry experiment,teaching reform in organic chemistry have been explored.It is very useful to increase the students’ability and interest and cultivate the exploratory spirit of students in organic chemistry experiment.And good teaching results have been achieved.The relation of organic chemistry experiment teaching reform with innovation talent training was discussed as well.
This article explains the need for the use of mediation in social and labor relations in modern Россия with the aim of reaching agreement and the maintenance of peaceful ways of interaction between employers and employees. The article argue the position that the emergence of corporate social responsi-bility and social partnership requires a kind of non-state participation in the resolution of social and labor conflicts than opening a mediation perspective of social and labor relations and the resolution of social and labor conflicts.
In this study we have the serum level of CD44 in patients with disseminated melanoma during dendritic cell vaccinotherapy. Depending on the starting level of the patients were divided into two groups (with normal values CD44 and high values) in compare with healthy donors. Was analyzed content level of S-100 marker in both groups of patients. n the serum of patients with initially normal levels of CD44 found a statistically significant increase in the level of S-100, and in patients with elevated levels of CD44 S-100 increased significantly (p> 0,05). The analysis of survival showed no statistically significant differences in survival depending on the initial level of CD44 in serum samples of patients in both groups (p>0,05). The median survival of patients in group 1 was number 68,0±35,0 months. In the group number 2 the median survival was 75,0±4,6 months (p>0,05). We analyzed the time to progression of patients in both groups of patients distributed depending on the starting level of CD44. In the group number 1 (n=16), median time to progression was 14,0 ± 7 months, 5 patients high time to progression. In the group number 2 (n =15), median time to progression was 22,0 ± 18,0 months. High time to progression was 8 patients (p=0,086). Revealed the expression of CD44 antigen on human melanoma cell lines of the method RIF.
A new method of determining effective elastic properties of spatially reinforced carbon-carbonic composites is proposed. The method is based on nano-indentation of both filling material and binding agent and the finite element simulation. A new model of a homogeneous elastic orthotropic material is constructed, where all effective elastic properties are computed from the numerical solutions of six problems modeling three pure tensions and three pure shears.
Various methods have so far been used to treat pneumothorax, including rest, needle exsufflation and blind drainage. The results obtained are varied but the recurrence rate is high, averaging 50%. With thoracoscopy, not only can the pleura be explored and the cause of pneumothorax investigated, but specific treatment of the lesions can be carried out in some cases and symphysis can be obtained by pleural poudrage, thereby avoiding recurrences. One-hundred and eleven cases of pneumothorax collected over a 5-year period are reviewed in this study; the results of exploration and those of endoscopic treatments are given and commented upon.
We have developed a single station, manometric recording technic that allows quick and accurate measurement of motor activity occurring in all regions of the esophageal body. The manometric instrumentation features a catheter recording assembly with eight recording orifices spaced at uniform 3 cm. intervals. Each recording lumen is infused with water by a minimally compliant hydraulic-capillary system which achieves accurate recording of peristaltic and nonperistaltic motor activity in the esophageal body at an infusion rate of 0.5 ml./min. Because the recording sites of the manometric assembly span a distance of 21 cm., a distance which approximates the length of the esophageal body in humans, a detailed map of motor activity over the entire length of the esophageal body is achieved by securing the manometric assembly at one suitable portion. Because frequent repositioning of the manometric assembly is eliminated, the method described takes only a few minutes for comprehensive assessment of esophageal body motor activity.
This study was carried out to investigate the possibility of porcine artificial insemination (A·I) on fertilizing capacity using intrauterine inseminator (IUI) method and conventional A·I (CAI) method. Number of sows used in this study was 15 far IUI and 59 fur (CAI), respectively. The results obtained are as fellows: 1 . The frozen and liquid semen used for A·I showed the higher farrowing rate in liquid semen (86.4%) than frozen semen (67%). Number of pigs born per semen type showed the higher values of number of piglets with no statistical significance using frozen semen (9.7) than liquid semen (9.3). 2. The farrowing rate per parity was highest in the 3∼5th parities (100%), f311owe4 by 0∼ 2th parities (60%), and was the smallest in 6 ∼ 10th parities (25%). Number of pigs born per litter was highest in 0∼2th parities (11.3), followed by 3 ∼ 5th parities (9.2) and lowest in 6∼ 10th parities. In the number of pigs bort per litter, the sow s in the high parities delivered lower number of piglets than those in low parities with no significant difference. These results indicated that fertilizing capacity could be improved by using IUI method.
Study on environmental radiation protection and determination of contamination of natural radionuclides such as 40K, 226Ra, and 228Ra/228Th in soil and plants is important for the protection of public health. The environmental health surveillance program to develop a subject of interest in environmental science is therefore necessary for the awareness and the benefit of mankind. This study is focused on the transfer factors (TFs) of isotopes from soil to plants. Transfer factor is a value used in evaluation studies on the impact of accidental release of radionuclide into the environment. 80 samples (40 reed plants and 40 soils) were collected from Dulmaj marsh. Dulmaj is in the southwest of Wasit and northeast of Diwaniyah. 40K, 226Ra, and 228Ra/228Th activities were measured by using NaI(Tl) 3"×3". 40K, 226Ra, and 228Ra/228Th activity concentrations ranged from 87 to 706, 1.2 to 35.7, and 2.6 to 17 Bq·kg-1, respectively in soil. 40K, 226Ra, and 228Ra/228Th activity concentrations ranged from 9.6 to 472, 0.26 to 30, and 0.09 to16.1 Bq·kg-1, dry mass respectively in the plants. The transition factors of 40K, 226Ra, and 228Ra/228Th ranged between 0.02 to 0.97, 0.07 to 0.99, 0.09 to 0.99, respectively. TFs had shown different values in all locations. However, all the rates of values of the TFs have been shown to be less than one.
The present article has surveyed the extent of political participation of pre-university students of Hamadan province regarding their sex, course of study, academic mean score and socio-economic status. From the statistical population 757 people selected through systematic-random sampling, answered the researcher-made questionnaire measuring the political participation. The results indicate that the extent of political participation of the majority of the students is either at the average or higher level. It was also revealed that the extent of girl's political participation is more than that of boys. The results also showed that the extent of political participation of the students of Humanities is higher than of mathematics and natural science students. But the extent of political participation of the students regarding their academic mean scores and social-economical status had no significant difference.
Penetration of piperazine adipate into Ascaris lumbricoides var. suum L. was studied by scintigraphy andautoradiography. The results indicate that anthelminthic drugs, including piperazine, penetrate into the parasite mainly through the mouth or other natural orifices, and only slightly through the cuticle, and that the amount of piperazine that penetrates depende on its concentration in the solution.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the most common congenital viral infection in humans, occurring in 0.22.2% of all live births. However, only 10% of infected infants have symptoms at birth; in 90% of infants, congenital HCMV infection is silent at birth, yet 517% of these neonates will develop neurological impairment and many will be deaf (1). We report our experience of an infant treated with ganciclovir for congenital HCMV hepatitis. The patient, a female, was born at 35 weeks' gestation to a 25-year-old primigravida by spontaneous vaginal delivery, with birth weight 1870g, length 41 cm and head circumference 29.5cm. The newborn was in no distress but showed intrauterine growth retardation, hepatosplenomegaly and jitteriness. The next day serum bilirubin concentration was 130 pmol/l with a conjugated fraction of 36 pmol/l, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was 31 U/1 (normal range 7-33 U/l), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was 79 U/1 (normal range 1 1-39 U/l) and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) was 355 U/1 (normal range 11-53 U/l). Urine and blood samples were collected and examined for the presence of HCMV. Aliquots of 2 x lo5 polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) were used both for early HCMV isolation on human embryonic lung fibroblast (HELF) monolayers (viremia) and determination of antigenemia, i.e. direct detection of HCMV pp65 in nuclei of PMNL according to procedures reported previously (2). Both antigenemia and viremia were quantitated. In parallel, conventional virus isolation and identification were performed. HCMV-specific IgG and IgM were determined as described previously (3). Diagnosis of congenital HCMV infection was performed in the first week of life by virus isolation from urine, positive viremia and antigenemia, and the presence of virus-specific IgM (HCMV-IgM index was 1.56, positive value > 1 .O). Ultrasound examination of the liver was normal, whereas cerebral ultrasound showed multiple calcification. The patient's fundi were normal without signs of chorioretinitis, and brain stem audiograph indicated normal hearing. On day 19 of life the baby developed massive hepatomegaly with acholic stools. Abdominal ultrasound showed hepatomegaly with increased echogenicity of the liver and ascites. Increasing levels of antigenemia in the presence of stable levels of viremia were observed during the first month of life. At 34 days of life, on the basis of virology, laboratory (Table 1) and clinical findings, and after informed consent was obtained from the parents, ganciclovir therapy 5 mg/kg iv twice daily for a total of 21 days was initiated. HCMV viremia was the first parameter to become negative after only 3 days of therapy. By the end of the second week of therapy, antigenemia too was negative, a dramatic decrease in virus load was observed in urine, and biochemical findings improved (Table 1). As the treatment was well tolerated, it was decided to continue it for an additional week. After 3 weeks of ganciclovir therapy, HCMV could not be detected in blood or urine. In addition, stools were normocholic, biochemical investigations showed a steady improvement (Table 1) and abdominal ultrasound showed no evidence of hepatomegaly and ascites. There were no significant side effects during ganciclovir treatment. However, at the first control performed 9 days after cessation of therapy, a resumption of virus replication was detected both in blood and urine (Table 1). Despite this finding, a
Electrolysis cell (10) comprises a DC voltage source (12) with positive and negative terminals (14, 16) to alternating electrodes (18) and (20) respectively. The source (12) produces a voltage that cycles between a minimum voltage Vmin and a maximum voltage Vmax where Vmin = 0 volts, and Vmax = Vmin + ?, where ? > 0 volts. Thus, the voltage provided by the DC source (12) is in the form of a periodic wave having a period T, and frequency f. As the voltage source (12) cycles its voltage from Vmin to Vmax, there is an intermediate peak VP1 between Vmin and Vmax. When the voltage reaches VP1, it decreases for a period of time TP1, before again ramping up to voltage Vmax. The voltage then decreases relatively rapidly to Vmin, completing one cycle of period T.
The Pishin Belt is divisible into six tectono-stratigraphic zones bounded by major thrusts and/or unconformities; each zone having its distinct lithostratigraphy. Muslim Bagh Ophiolite is the base and Zone-I of this belt. Zone-II comprises the Eocene Nisai Formation and Oligocene Khojak Formation. The newly proposed Miocene Dasht Murgha group comprises Zone-III, the Miocene-Pliocene Malthanai formation comprises Zone-IV, the Pleistocene Bostan Formation makes Zone-V, and the flat-laying Holocene deposits of the Zhob valley comprise Zone-VI. The role of tectonics on sedimentation and stratigraphy of the Pishin Belt is evident from composition of the Neogene succession, which contains clasts of Muslim Bagh Ophiolite, and Nisai and Khojak formations, reflecting uplift of the pre-Miocene succession that supplied detritus for the younger fluvial sediments of the Dasht Murgha group, Malthanai and Bostan formations. In general, the tectono-stratigraphic zones and their bounding thrusts within the Pishin Belt are progressively younger towards south and southeast. We propose that tectonic uplift and east-southeastward transport of hanging walls of the major thrusts caused subsidence of the footwalls, which provided accommodation for development of the younger fluvial systems in which the Dasht Murgha group, Malthanai formation, Bostan Formation and the flat-laying Holocene deposits of the Zhob valley were deposited respectively.
service at master's level in Islamic Azad University of Dezful. In terms of objective, this is an applied research and in regard to methodology, it is a descriptive-analytical research. The statistical population included all students of master's degree in Islamic Azad University of Dezful. The sample size was determined using stratified random sampling method in different fields of study. The research questionnaire is the translated version of standardized Abdullah's HEdPERF 41-item scale [1] which is based on a
Received: Abstract: The Kelvin-Planck statement of the second law of thermodynamics precludes the extraction of work from a single thermal reservoir. Very early Carnot showed the efficiency of a heat engine vanishes if operated between reservoirs at the same temperature , or that wor k cannot be extracted from a single reservoir. Recent attempts to extract work from a single reservoir have relied on exotic quantum Carnot and photon steam engines , but require microwave energy to raise the efficiency of the work extracted above the classical Carnot limit. But exotic quantum engines need not be invoked to extract work from a single reservoir provided a heat engine is devise d that produces light as the temperature is lowered to absolute zero. Since means may be devised for the light to lift a weight, and since the temperature approaches absolute zero, work is extracted from a single reservoir in violation of the Kelvin-Planck statement. Rather than performing work, the process finds utility by pro ducing light from the environment at ambient temperature suggesting the Kelvin-Planck statement may need to be refined.
htmlabstractThe paper is the second part of the series of papers started in [1]. The paper deals with observability, reachability and minimality of linear hybrid systems. Linear hybrid systems are continuous-time hybrid systems without guards, whose continuous dynamics is determined by time-invariant linear control systems. We will show that that if a set of input-output maps has a realization by a linear hybrid system, then it has a realization by a minimal linear hybrid system. We will present conditions for observability and span-reachability of linear hybrid systems and we will show that minimality is equivalent to observability and span-reachability. We will sketch algorithms for checking observability and span-reachability and for transforming a linear hybrid system to a minimal one.
Between 1890 and 1920, the forces accompanying industrialization sent the familiar nineteenth-century world plummeting toward extinction. The traditional countryside with its villages and family farms was eclipsed by giant corporations and sprawling cities. In lively, accessible prose, John Chambers incorporates into his book the latest scholarship about the social, cultural, political, and economic changes that produced modern America. He illuminates the experiences of blacks, Asians, Latinos, as well as other working men and women in the cities and countryside as they struggled to improve their lives in a transformed economy. Striding these pages are many of the prominent individuals who shaped the attitudes and institutions of modern America: J. P. Morgan and corporate reorganization; Jane Addams and the origin of modern social work; Mary Pickford and the new star-oriented motion picture industry; and the radical labor challenge of "Big Bill" Haywood and the "Wobblies." While recognizing a "progressive ethos"-a mixture of idealistic vision and pragmatic reforms that characterized the period-Chambers elaborates the role of civic volunteerism as well as the state in achieving directed social change. He also emphasizes the importance of radical and conservative forces in shaping the so-called "Progressive Era." The revised edition of this classic work has an updated bibliography and a new preface, both of which incorporate particularly the new social and cultural research of the past decade. John Whiteclay Chambers II is professor of history at Rutgers University. He recently co-edited The New Conscientious Objection and is the author of To Raise an Army: The Draft Comes to Modern America.
Binding of tritiated ligands of muscarinic and dopamine receptors was analysed in rats 1, 7, 14, 28, 60 days and 24-30 months old. The following ganglia were studied: the nodose ganglion, the lumbar ganglia of sympathetic chain, the main pelvic ganglion in male rats and the paracervical ganglion in female rats. The same level was found for binding of each of ligands for all investigated ganglia. Parameters of postnatal dynamics of development M-cholino- and dopamine reception systems prove to be quite similar, but not identical. Both of the systems reach matured level during first 2 postnatal weeks. In comparison with quinuclidinylbenzilate binding failure of dopamine binding in aged rats is to be more pronounced.
The fissures of intact extracted human teeth were exposed to an acousto-optically Q-switched Nd: YAG laser in combination with 38% Yamaga's diamine silver fluoride [Ag (NH3) 2F]. The following results were obtained.1) The Ag (NH3) 2F treated and lased area of the fissure was macroscopically discolored in silver and the surrounding cusp area discolored in black and brown. The ground section of the fissure also showed that the inner layer of the enamel discolored in black and brown.2) The surface of the fissure was completely covered with dense, silver-colored materials, and the narrow fissure was almost filled with the same materials.3) The existence of silver was indicated at the silver-colored area of the surface of the fissure by X-ray diffraction analysis.4) Microradiographic appearance of the fissure showed that the lased enamel with Ag (NH3) 2F treatment markedly reduced the rate of subsurface demineralization, when compared with that of Ag (NH3) 2F treatment alone.These results suggest that laser irradiation in combination with Ag (NH3) 2F is more effective than Ag (NH3) 2F treatment alone in order to protect the fissure from a caries attack.
This study examines the mediating effects of communication and interaction on the relationships between individual, organizational and non-work variables and expatriate adjustment. We tested the model by using structural equation modeling with data obtained from 203 hotel expatriates in Malaysia. The analyses found that the link between previous international experience (individual), social support (organizational) and family adjustment (non-work) and expatriate adjustment was partially mediated by perceived communicative and interaction adaptability. These findings validated the proposed model and, in particular, the central role of communication in cross-cultural adjustment processes in workplace is empirically confirmed. Practical implications are also discussed in the paper.
From 9 May until 28 May, 1957, daily intramuscular injections of 10 mgm. progesterone in arachis oil were administered to thirty-one Merino and eleven Dorper ewes. Twenty-four hours after the last progesterone injection, the Dorpers and ten of the Merinos received subcutaneous injections of 500 i.u. freeze-dried pregnant mare serum (PMS). With the exception of one of the ewes which did not receive PMS treatment, all ewes showed oestrus between 52 and 96 hours after the last progesterone injection and 70.7 per cent were first served within 58 to 82 hours of the end of the progesterone treatment. PMS-treated ewes commenced oestrus significantly earlier than those receiving only progesterone treatment, but PMS treatment did not significantly influence the spread of the onset of oestrus. The mean time of onset of oestrus among the PMS-treated ewes did not vary significantly between breeds and it is suggested that synchronisation of the oestrous cycles of ewes by these or similar methods may be of value in large scale artificial insemination of sheep in South Africa.
Need for developing effective mechanism for communication of farm information and dissemination of technology to the farmers was identified and in this regard, the cyber extension model was envisaged. The study aimed at designing and validating cyber extension model to disseminate technology information to the farmers for solving farm problems and augmenting overall agricultural development. In the first phase of the project the information input, process and output behaviour of the farmers was studied and the information needs of the farmers were identified and prioritised so that the contents of the proposed agri-portal can be suitably developed, which can be used in the subsequent phases. A survey among 60 farmers of villages under Sidhauli block of Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh revealed that major sources of farm information were progressive farmers (53.3%) and input dealers (41.6%). Radio and Television were also used by 31.6 per cent and 21.6 per cent farmers, respectively. The investigation further revealed that a high percentage of farmers were the owners of modern Information and Communication Technologies. Radio was owned by 91.6 per cent farmers, while 81.6 per cent farmers had mobile phones. However, only 3.3 per cent of farmers owned computers. The awareness of respondents about improved technologies was found to be poor. Market related information was mostly accessed through input dealer (65%) followed by radio (60%) and progressive farmers (50%). Progressive farmers were also preferred for information about improved variety (68.3%) and crop production and crop protection technologies. It was observed that farmers were willing to pay for quality information, which could lead to substantial economic return.
Liquid-feed flame spray pyrolysis (LF-FSP) provides atomically homogeneous mixed metal powders with 30–40 nm average particle sizes, often producing kinetic phases due to the high quench rate As produced LF-FSP Al2O3-rich spinels, such as MgO·3Al2O3, form an Al2O3-rich metastable single-phase spinel. On heating, the powders phase separate to form MAl2O4 and α-Al2O3. Compacts of MO·3Al2O3 (M = Co, Ni, Mg) were produced and sintered to evaluate the final duplex microstructure. The same composition was also approached from stoichiometric LF-FSP MAl2O4 nanopowders ball-milled with Al2O3 nanopowders in an attempt to evaluate how the initial length scale of mixing affected the final microstructure. Contrary to traditional sintering, we observe two distinct mechanisms. At 1000°C–1200°C, cation diffusion appears to control densification as a consequence of high vacancy concentrations and atomic mixing where traditionally expected site inversion plays less of a factor given the high quench rates. The second mechanism follows α-Al2O3 exsolution and densification occurs via oxygen diffusion and α-Al2O3 grain growth. When sintering the duplex MAl2O4/α-Al2O3 compacts to at least 95% theoretical density, we find final microstructures that do not reflect the initial degrees of mixing. That is, the atomically mixed MgO·3Al2O3 does not does not offer an advantage over the submicron length scale of mixing in the ball-milled samples.
Thenumber of Smartphone user sand mobile application sare growing rapidly.Though smart phone sare expected to have PC like functionality, hardware resources such as CPUs, memory and batterie sare stilllimited. To solve this resource problem, many researches have proposed architectures to use server resources in the cloud for mobile devices. The system proposed conceptual architecture of development of android cloud for efficient implementation of platform as a service, which enables multiple user Android applications on cloud server via network. Though Androidis mainly designed for physical Smartphone, Android's to other feature sare useful to constructa server platform. Android is open-source product and run so nanx86 CPU. Android isanopen-source mobileOS initiated by Google. The main reason to use Android as a server platform is that it is able to run not only for smart phones but also for the x86 platform include in gservers. We show three types of multi- tenant architecture for an Android server platform and discuss the direction to take toitreality.
Let $f^1,f^2,f^3$ are three holomorphic curves from a complex disc $ Delta (R)$ into $ mathbf{P}^n( mathbf{C})  (n ge 2)$ with finite growth indexes $c_{f^1},c_{f^2},c_{f^3}$ and sharing $q (q  ge 2n+2)$ hyperplanes in general position regardless of multiplicity. In this paper, we will show the above bounds for the sum $c_{f^1}+c_{f^2}+c_{f^3}$ to ensure that $f^1 wedge f^2 wedge f^3=0$ or there are two curves among $ {f^1,f^2,f^3 }$ coincide to each other. Our results are generalizations of the previous degeneracy and finiteness results for linearly non-degenerate meromorphic mappings from $ mathbf{C}^m$ into $ mathbf{P}^n( mathbf{C})$ sharing $(2n+2)$ hyperplanes regardless of multiplicities.
Background: Recently, psychologists used the benefits of religion to promote a healthier community and educational status of students due to lots of investigations which indicated the positive effects of religion on mental health and self-regulation of students. Objectives: This study examines religious beliefs among medical students of Bandar Abbas Medical School and its association with their academic performance and mental health. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 60 medical student in 2015. Data was gathered through three part questionnaire: demographic characteristics, religious beliefs questionnaire which was designed by Golriz and Baraheni and also the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ–28). The obtained data were statistically analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and t-test by SPSS version 19 for windows. Results: There were 54 respondents from the total population of 60 students with a response rate of 90%. Highest percentage of students (38.89%) had good religious beliefs and mental health problem was also diagnosed in 17 (31.5 %) of respondents population. Among subjects, 11 students (20.37%) had "high" scores, 18 students (33.33%) had "good" scores, 15 students (27.78%) had "normal" scores and 10 students (18.52%) had "low" scores. Conclusion: Data analysis indicated a statistically significant positive relationship between the religious belief status of participants and their mental health status and also negative correlation of religiosity with smoking. However, no significant relevance was observed between religious values and academic performance.
The invention discloses a self-service blood pressure measurement system. The self-service blood pressure measurement system comprises a blood pressure measurement device, a charging device and a blood pressure state assessment device. The charging device is connected with a triggering mechanism of the blood pressure measurement device which comprises a non-invasive blood pressure measurement module, and the blood pressure state assessment device comprises a displayer, a host system and a user interaction instruction input device. The blood pressure measurement device outputs blood pressure data obtained in a measured mode to the host system, the host system looks up assessment results matched with the blood pressure data of users in a built-in resource library according to the blood pressure data obtained in the measured mode, and the results are displayed on the displayer. The self-service blood pressure measurement system is reasonable and compact in structure and convenient to use.
OSCILLATOR TEMPERATURE COMPENSATED INCLUDES FIRST AND SECOND ELEMENTS SENSITIVE TEMPERATURE22 23 WHICH ARE CONNECTED IN SERIES BETWEEN TERMINAL SUPPLY COURANT20, 21, CIRCUIT SERIES CONSISTS OF A THIRD AND A RESISTANCE24 SENSITIVE ELEMENT TO TEMPERATURE25 WHICH CIRCUIT SERIES PARALLEL TO THE SECOND ELEMENT TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE AND OSCILLATOR CIRCUIT CONSISTS OF A SERIES CIRCUIT OF A RESONATOR QUARTZ30 AND dIODE VARIABLE29 CAPACITY OR POWER COMPENSATION THROUGH THE THIRD ELEMENT TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE IS APPLIED LED VARIABLE CAPACITY TO SET THE FREQUENCY OF SWING SWING CIRCUIT.
Nitrogen fertilizer played an important role in agriculture.However,with the increasing of quantity of nitrogen fertilization and the decreasing of the nitrogen use efficiency,the proportion and quantity of nitrogen fertilization escaped to surrounding environment were continuously increasing.Excessive nitrogenous fertilizer had been one of the main pollution sources that had great influence on ecosystem including soil and water.The status and effects of nitrogen application were analyzed,and the countermeasures increasing the nitrogen use efficiency were put forward.
Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction (SOD) is a rare pathology that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with biliary pain episodes or recurrent acute pancreatitis and a background of cholecystectomy. Generally, these are patients with multiple consultations where this pathology has considerably affected their quality of life. Diagnosis is based on clinical findings, serological markers and supporting diagnostic tests requested according to the suspected sphincteric component. The most effective treatment is endoscopic sphincterotomy. The use of prosthesis is accepted but debated. We present the case of a male patient in his forties who consulted for multiple episodes of recurrent acute pancreatitis with etiology studies suspecting dysfunction of the pancreatic sphincter of Oddi and who was taken to endoscopic management with improvement of his clinical picture.
This paper presents the findings from a larger study of labor relations in the European fast-food industry. Its focus is the labor relations practices of the McDonald's Corporation in seven European Union countries: Germany, Austria, Denmark, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy. Each of these countries has well-established national statutory mechanisms for employee representation, usually through some form of statutory works council and/or employee or union representative. The findings suggest that despite the fairly stringent nature of most of these national systems, the McDonald's Corporation has, to varying extents, been able to find loopholes in national law and avoid or undermine most of these national systems. This has created a considerable number of long-term and continuing conflicts with trade unions and in many cases, has denied employees' their legal rights to independent representation. These practices have also had negative consequences for employees' pay and conditions of employment. In broader terms, the findings also suggest that the existing national European systems mostly established in the 1950s are not adequate for the task of dealing with the more "modern" form of employment found in this sector.
Two-dimensional images and three-dimensional volumes have found their way into our life and became a staple ingredient of our artistic, cultural, and scientific appetite. Images capture and immortalize an instance such as natural scenes, through a photograph camera. Moreover, they can capture details inside biological subjects through the use of CT (computer tomography) scans, X-Rays, ultrasound, etc. Three-dimensional volumes of objects are also of high interest in medical imaging, engineering, and analyzing cultural heritage. They are produced using tomographic reconstruction, a technique that combine a large series of 2D scans captured from multiple views. Typically, penetrative radiation is used to obtain each 2D scan: XRays for CT scans, radio-frequency waves for MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), electron-positron annihilation for PET scans, etc. Unfortunately, their acquisition is influenced by noise caused by different factors. Noise in two-dimensional images could be caused by low-light illumination, electronic defects, low-dose of radiation, and a mispositioning tool or object. Noise in three-dimensional volumes also come from a variety of sources: the limited number of views, lack of captor sensitivity, high contrasts, the reconstruction algorithms, etc. The constraint that data acquisition be noiseless is unrealistic. It is desirable to reduce, or eliminate, noise at the earliest stage in the application. However, removing noise while preserving the sharp features of an image or volume object remains a challenging task. We propose a multi-scale method to smooth 2D images and 3D tomographic data while preserving features at a specified scale. Our algorithm is controlled using a single user parameter -- the minimum scale of features to be preserved. Any variation that is smaller than the specified scale is treated as noise and smoothed, while discontinuities such as corners, edges and detail at a larger scale are preserved. We demonstrate that our smoothed data produces clean images and clean contour surfaces of volumes using standard surface-extraction algorithms. Our method is inspired by anisotropic diffusion within the volume. We compute our diffusion tensors from the local continuous histograms of gradients around each pixel in images and around each voxel in volume. Since our smoothing method works entirely on the GPU, it is extremely fast.
The central theme of this research is to explore the effectiveness of prisons staff in the reintegration of the prisoners with specific focus on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) jails. Mixed method was adopted to carry out the study.  Seven high-profile jails within Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, one jail each, in all the seven administrative divisions, were purposively selected.  Of all 277 respondents, 250 comprised of jail inmates (under trial and convicted adults and juveniles male prisoners) were randomly selected within the seven jails of the province and interviewed through semi-structured questionnaire.  The remaining 27 respondents, purposively selected and interviewed through interview-guide included judges, lawyers, jail officials, human right activists and ex-prisoners.  Further, One focus group discussion was arranged to gain more deep insight into the phenomenon in question. Concurrent triangulation strategy was adopted for the collection and analysis of data. It was found that prison staff in Pakistan is characterized by lack of will and skill to transform prisons into correction institutions. Their involvement in torturing the inmates, providing them proscribed stuff, sexual assaults on the prisoners, taking bribery for extending legal and illegal favors etc is deeply-seated within the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa prisons. Providing best trainings to the prisons’ staff considering modern-day needs, their salaries increase along with sound service structure, meritorious selection, transfer and up-gradation of the prisons’ employees, recruitment of the needed staff to bridge the staff-inmate huge gape and ensuring the effective accountability system of prisons are the suggested measures to overcome the problem at hand.
This is a larger-format version of Elements of Programming Interviews. The language is C++. Specifically, the font size is larger, and the page size is 7"x10" (the regular format uses 6"x9"). The content is identical. Before you buy this book, please first head over to our sample page -elements of programming interviews.com/sample The sampler should give you a very good idea of the quality and style of our book. In particular, be sure you are comfortable with the level and with our C++ coding style. Solutions include code snippets which are primarily in C++. Programs concerned with concurrency are in Java. Complete programs are available at epibook.github.io. Java versions of the C++ programs in the book can be found at the website. Since different candidates have different time constraints, EPI includes astudy guide with severalscenarios, ranging from weekend Hackath on to semester long preparation with a recommended a subset of problems for each scenario. All problems are classified in terms of the irdifficulty leveland include many variants to help you apply what you have learned more widely. All problems include shints for readers who get stuck. This simulates what you will face in thereal interview. The version being sold by Amazon itself is always current. Some resellers may have older versions, especially if they sell used copies.
Volume 4, Issue 1, January – February 2015 Page 108 Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its applications in the area of learning have played an important role to impart intelligence in learning tools and techniques. In recent years, many of teachers can cooperate together to put the curriculum of one/more computer programming language(s). The students can access the system through WWW, select any language they want to learn as well as the style of presentation they prefer and they can exchange their experiences. A personal assistant agent for teachers, a personal assistant agent for students with an adaptive interface, and tutoring agent has been built. The tutoring agent resides on the server side and communicates via HTTP and IIOP. This structure allows customization of the personal assistant agent for teachers and personal assistant agent for students to the needs of the teachers and students, without putting extra burden on the server. In addition, this allows having many teacher agents attending to the needs of a single or multiple student agent(s).
To understand the degree of the disaster damages to Castanopsis forests in Yangdongshan Shierdushui Provincial Nature Reserve,Lechang County,Guangdong Province,four 50 m×30 m sampling plots located from 700 to 1 000 m of elevation were stablished. Species composition and dominant species in the community were investigated in April and November,2008. The effects of the frozen rain and snow disaster on the communities were assessed by counting the numbers of plants in damaged modes of dominant species and at different classes of diameter at breast height(DBH) ,and the relationship of landforms with damaged stands. The results showed that:1) The community was analyzing dominated by Castanopsis species,which were Daphniphyllum macropodum,Daphniphyllum oldhamii,Castanopsis eyrei,Castanopsis fordii,C. carlesii,Cyclobalanopsis hui and Ilex chinenwsis. 2) D. oldhamii was severely damaged and,C. carlesii,D. macropodum,C. eyrei,C. fordii,and C. hui were moderately damaged,while I. chinenwsis was the most lightly damaged. 3) Plants with different DBH classes showed different damaged modes. The plants with 1.0～5.0 cm DBH class were mostly in damaged modes of lodging,stem bending and healthy,the plant with 5.1～10.0 cm DBH were subjected to trunk breakage and uprooting,and plants with more than 15 cm DBH mosthly suffered from top breakage. The 10.0～15.0 cm DBH class showed the least number of damaged plants. 4) The damaged degrees of different dominant species were differentially affected by elevation and slope.
Unicuspid aortic valve (UAV), which is a rare congenital anomaly, usually presents as aortic stenosis and/or aortic regurgitation. Here we present a case of UAV co-existent with an ascending aortic aneurysm. A 26-year-old male with no significant past medical history presented to the hospital after two episodes of syncope. Transthoracic echocardiogram showed an ejection fraction of 62%, severely stenotic aortic valve, and moderate aortic regurgitation. Computed tomography revealed calcification of the aortic valve, compatible with aortic stenosis and aneurysm of the ascending aorta measuring 4.3 cm in diameter. He underwent successful aortic valve replacement and repair of ascending aortic aneurysm. He recovered well without any complications. This case suggests that any young patient who presents with syncope, aortic stenosis would be a differential and further workup by any available non-invasive modality needs to be performed.
Objective To investigate the relationship between the levels of maternal and umbilical serum lipid peroxide(LPO)and nitric oxide(NO)and fetal growth restriction(FGR) and its clinical significance. Methods 38 pregnant women with FGR(FGR group) and 50 normal pregnant women in late trimester(normal control group) were studied.Maternal and fetal umbilical venous blood samples were collected from all the cases.The level of serum LPO was measured by improved thiobarbituric acid fluorescence analysis.The level of serum NO was measured by the Griess reaction after reduction with nitrate reductase. Results Compared with the control,maternal as well as umbilical serum LPO and NO in FGR group were significantly higher(P0.01 and P0.001 respectively).There was correlation between LPO and NO concentration in both groups. Conclusions LPO and NO in the pregnant women and their fetus may play an important role in pathogenesis of FGR.LPO and NO levels in the maternal and umbilical serum may be potential markers for FGR diagnosis.
Stress induced by ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation stimulates the accumulation of various secondary metabolites in plants. Nitric oxide (NO) serves as an important secondary messenger in UV-B stress-induced signal transduction pathways. NO can be synthesized in plants by either enzymatic catalysis or an inorganic nitrogen pathway. The effects of UV-B irradiation on the production of baicalin and the associated molecular pathways in plant cells are poorly understood. In this study, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity, NO release and the generation of baicalin were investigated in cell suspension cultures of Scutellaria baicalensis exposed to UV-B irradiation. UV-B irradiation significantly increased NOS activity, NO release and baicalin biosynthesis in S. baicalensis cells. Additionally, exogenous NO supplied by the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), led to a similar increase in the baicalin content as the UV-B treatment. The NOS inhibitor, Nω-nitro-l-arginine (LNNA), and NO scavenger, 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (cPTIO) partially inhibited UV-B-induced NO release and baicalin accumulation. These results suggest that NO is generated by NOS or NOS-like enzymes and plays an important role in baicalin biosynthesis as part of the defense response of S. baicalensis cells to UV-B irradiation.
Objective To study the T Lymphocyte Subsets and the cytokines in the newborns with infectious diseases. Methods Twenty cases of neonatal bacterial pneumonia(bacterial group), 15 cases of rotavirus enteritis(virus group) and 20 newborns with jaundice(control group) were recruited in this study. The peripheral CD4+T Cells and lymphocyte subsets were assessed by flow cytometry. Results The IL-4 level was significantly different among different groups(F=3.39, P=0.041). The levels of IL-17 and IFN-γ did not differ significantly among different groups(F=0.28 and 1.24 respectively, P0.05). The IL-4 level was higher in bacterial group than that in virus group and control group(P0.05). The percentages of CD3+, CD4+, CD19+and NK cells and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ had significant difference among different groups(F=3.30-26.69, P0.05). The percentages of CD3+ and CD4+ cells and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ were lower in bacterial group and virus group than those in control group(P0.05). The percentage of CD19+ cells was higher in bacterial group and virus group than that in control group(P0.05). The percentage of NK cells was lower in virus group than that in bacterial group and control group(P0.05). Conclusions The pattern of cytokines level is different in newborns with infection caused by different pathogens. Newborns with infectious diseases have immune dysfunction and Th2-dominated imbalance. The low percentages of T lymphocyte subsets indicate the depressed cellular immunity after infection, which may result in atypical symptom and prolonged disease course.
The paper briefly describes the free access services of the 17th International Medlars Centre (Indian Medlars Centre  IMC) and highlights the transition of these service to an open access mode. IMC offers the medical professionals with free access to peer reviewed Indian biomedical journals through its databases, IndMED and medIND. IndMED, a bibliographic database of over 70 peer reviewed journals and its full-text version, medIND provides the professionals with an one-point access to Indian biomedical literature. IMCs OpenMED@NIC archive (http://openmed.nic.in) is the 1st phase of the transition to open access. The paper then highlights issues for adopting Open Journal System (OJS) for medIND (http://medind.nic.in) that was evolved as an extension to IndMED to provide full-text free access through bibliographic information where ever possible. The database was designed to facilitate cross linking with IndMED and to retain this design in OJS various issues have to be resolved. These issues have been discussed in the paper and these primarily are involvement and training of journal staff; file organisation and naming policy that is being followed; medIND site design; content page layout; browsing and searching along with implication on IndMED database and cross linking.
Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), a molecule bound to the cell surface, is a ligand for leukocyte function antigen-1 (LFA-1), and the ICAM-1/LFA-1 system mediates various cell-cell interactions involved in immunity. Soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) is a circulating substance and binds with LFA-1 of leukocytes, thus, making leukocytes less available for binding with cell surface ICAM-1 on target cells. The serum level of soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) was found to be significantly elevated (p<0.01) in patients with early and advanced gastric cancer compared with healthy controls. Natural killer activity (NK activity) was assessed by measuring the cytotoxicity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for K562 cells. There was no significant difference in NK activity between gastric cancer patients and healthy controls when heat-inactivated fetal calf serum was used in assays. However, addition of patient serum significantly decreased (p<0.05) NK activity when the serum was from patients with advanced gastric cancer compared with healthy volunteers. Addition of anti-ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody 0 to 5.0 microg/ml caused little change in NK activity in healthy controls, but its addition at 10 microg/ml remarkably decreased NK-activity in gastric cancer patients, probably through antibody binding with ICAM-1 on target cells. In other experiments, liver metastasis was induced in mice by inoculation of colon 26 murine colon cancer cells. In vitro pretreatment of colon 26 cells with the anti-ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody significantly increased the number of metastatic nodules. These results suggest that both sICAM-1 and anti-ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody act as immunosuppressive factors by inhibiting the ICAM-1/LFA-1 system.
creatinine clearance, Wasserman reaetion, cryoglobuiins, cold agglutinins, Coombs test, immunoglobulins and complement. Homogeneous antinuclear factor is present at a titre of 1:100 but antibodies to ENA, RNP, centromere, SCi 70, Sm, Ro or La have not been demonstrated. Histology and immunohistology from a lesion were consistent with discoid lupus erythematosus. Treatment. Electrically-heated gloves have helped his circulation. The lupus erythematosus has grumbled on with some improvement from chloroquine, topical steroids and Coppertone super shade 15 as a light screen. Comment. This patient is one of three at Leeds with discoid lupus and mild systemic sclerosis. He shows the typical persistence of discoid lupus erythematosus in men. The exposure to vibrating tools is probably not relevant but his impotence is interesting in view of recent discussion about the relationship of impotence to systemic sclerosis.
The invention discloses a three-dimensional waxing, supply and extrusion integrated nozzle structure. The structure comprises a conveying drum fixed on the upper surface of a mobile slide block, wherein a conveying hole communicated with the conveying drum is formed in the mobile slide block; a screw rod is installed in the conveying drum, and is driven by a motor; the motor is fixed at the top of the conveying drum; the screw rod is inserted in the conveying hole of the mobile slide block; a nozzle is arranged below the conveying hole of the mobile slide block, and is fixedly connected to the lower surface of the mobile slide block; heating rods are arranged around the conveying hole of the mobile slide block, and are inserted into the mobile slide block; an inclined conveying pipe is fixed at one side of the conveying drum; and a discharge hopper is fixed at the top of the conveying pipe. The three-dimensional waxing, supply and extrusion integrated nozzle structure simplifies the structure of an extruded wax supply device of a three-dimensional waxing printer, solves the problem of feeding difficulty of molten wax, and improves the printed product precision. The three-dimensional waxing, supply and extrusion integrated nozzle structure is simple in structure, low in manufacturing cost and convenient for operation.
In order to thoroughly investigate the load of outer shaft lining, in-situ measurements on freezing pressure of vertical shaft lining are carried out during boring with freezing method sinking in deep alluvium in Juye coalfield. The in-situ measurements reveal that the maximum freezing pressure Pmax generally approches, even exceeds the permant horizontal ground presure P0 (estimitated according to the heavy liquid formulation); the average value of Pmax/P0 is 1.08. The freezing pressure increases sharply within 15 d after the outer shaft is cast, in more than 57%~68% of the total strata, the freezing pressure P(t) at 7, 10, 14 d, reaches 72%, 77%, 81% of Pmax respectively. It is indicated that the accumulation of frost heave pressure inside and outside the ice wall is the ultimate reason that the freezing pressure usually exceeds the permant horizontal ground pressure. Consequently, characteristic value of the load (i.e., freezing pressure) of outer shaft lining should be assumed to be equal to the permant horizontal ground pressure, meanwhile, proper measures shoud be taken to reduce the frost heave pressure so as to reduce freezing pressure. Further more, the compressive strength of outer shaft lining at 7, 10, 14 d, should respectively reach 80%, 85%, 90% of its design value so as to guarantee the safety of outer shaft lining during the early period.
The aim of this paper is to challenge a rather common but stereotyped opinion, according to which the elderly in Italy live their last working years with a smooth transition from stable jobs into retirement. I use the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) to put the main stylized facts about the transition into retirement in Italy into a European Perspective. The ECHP, however, does not allow to track with a satisfactory level of detail many relevant mobility events that may characterize the elderly’s job histories. To get deeper into the subject, I turn to two longitudinal datasets of administrative source, covering the working careers in the Italian private sector for the years 1985-1996. Preliminary results on this archives show that – besides those whose transition from work to retirement occurs painlessly (who nonetheless represent the majority of cases) – there is a large number of workers whose final working years are marked by an irregular pattern of labour market activity. Trying and sorting out the high heterogeneity among the individual histories, we arrive to a classification of the most typical paths towards retirement that can be observed. Important cases include (i) people having multiple job spells at the end of their career; (ii) people who transit directly form periods of time on temporary lay-off (cassa integrazione) and on layoff lists (liste di mobilita) to retirement; (iii) people who experience long spells of unemployment without any benefit. The same paths are analyzed along the main individual and job characteristics, showing important differences particularly across geographical areas.
In order to discuss the resistance to seawater erosion with geopolymer solidification MSWI fly ash, the research analyzed the influence of seawater erosion by studying the change of mass, compressive strength and leaching concentration. The results showed that geopolymer had a high resistance to seawater erosion: after 240 days, weight loss changed within 2.5% and the compressive strength reached 42.36 MPa. The leaching concentration of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, Hg, and Pb were 32.84, 21.27, 8.36, 0.07, 0.17 and 1.75 μg/L, respectively. The scales of decrease were 90.0%, 73.7%, 77.9%, 86.48%, 85.0% and 94.3%, respectively. XRD(X-ray diffraction), FTIR(Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), TG-DTA(thermal gravity and differential thermal analysis) and SEM(scanning electron microscope) studies were carried out to identify microstructure of the geopolymer. The results showed that the structure of the geopolymer was not damaged by seawater.
A secure remote access solution for mobile terminal was proposed.There were three types of user authentication process during the terminal remote accessing,terminal user login,wireless VPDN login and IPSec VPN login.A CPK-based(combined public key) unified identity management method for the remote access user′s identity was proposed.It can improve the security and manageability of secure remote access system.
Celestial navigation is a navigation technology which uses the location of sphere in star image to determine the location and the course of satellite.When the star image is imaging,it is inevitable to blurred because of the camera's movement.To solve this problem,we propose a method of image restoration for celestial navigation star image motion blur.First,we get the blur reason through establishing the celestial navigation model.Then we deduce a degradation functions by analyzing the model,and use the Wiener filtering restoration model.Finally,we take the image to simulate.The experiment results show that the restoration model has a well performance in restoration.
The article contains new experimental approach to research of psychological compatibility of groups. Experimental check of the theory of R. Ackoff was verified on the basis of the developed approach. Experimental results show any contradictions of Ackoff's hypotheses and allow essentially to expand a viewpoint to criteria of psychological compatibility for various personal types. The article suggests cartographical mathematical method of the analysis of psychological compatibility in groups.
Objective To observe the effects of ouabain and aconitine on I_(Na) of isolated guinea pig and rat ventricular myocytes.To discuss the arrhythmic mechanisms of the two drugs.Methods Whole cell patch clamp mode was used to record sodium current of isolated single ventricular myocytes.Results 5μmol/L ouabain inhibited I_(Na) from(-48.3±8.9) pA/pF to (-22.6±5.6) pA/pF at-40mV(inhibition rate of 60.1%,n=5,P0.01).1μmol/L aconitine increased I_(Na) from(-21.8±5.8)pA/pF to(-67.3±7.8)pA/pF at-40mV(increase rate of 208.7%,n=4,P0.01).Conclusion Ouabain can decrease sodium current and aconitine can increase sodium current.Either decrease or increase of I_(Na),these two drugs could destroy the balance of ion channels in the heart which is the important mechanism of arrhythmia.
The pragmatic use of nicknames as clarifiers separates the Maltese usage from those so common throughout the world where the nickname is used as a means of biding identity. The familial character of most nicknames in Malta suggests they are the vestiges of a pre-Christian naming system. The major peculiarity in MalJa is in the intermingling of seven naming devices in an eve, 'ative system. The study of evaluative methods reveals a stable set of principles and fluid usage. People are mobile in the system according to their relative ability and the Maltese play with the system and express their personal feelings about others through it, regardless of the correctness of their opinions. In the case of musicians, nicknames are applied based on the musician's competence, and factions develop based on these evaluations and change over time. Personal evaluations used as insults evoke responses that have become institutionalized in the song duel, which creates various interpretations of the evaluation system. The purpose of the duelling is to create a set of situations in which speech is used indirectly in a way that allows'for several possible'Anterpretations, representative of some aspects of Maltese  society. (MSE) ***********************************************************************. Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************
Implanting ions can help electroless copper plating on the ceramics surface.The composition of alkaline electroless copper plating bath with formaldehyde as reducing agent and TART·K·Na as chelating agent pH valve after implanting ions on ceremics is optimized.The effect of main salt,fomaldehyde and temperature on copper depositing rate and copper layer roughness is analyzed.In addition,the effect of Cu and Ni ion implantation on plating rate is studied.The result shows that the plating rate of Cu ion implantation is faster that that of electroless copper plating.
An electroencephalogram inspection apparatus having an electrocardiogram noise elimination device, and an inspecting method thereof are provided to detect and remove an electrocardiogram noise included in an electroencephalogram of a single channel. An electroencephalogram inspection apparatus having an electrocardiogram noise elimination device includes an electrode unit(100), an amplifying unit(130), a filter(170), an analog/digital converting unit(190), a calculation unit(200), and an output unit(330). The electrode unit has electrodes for detecting electroencephalogram. The amplifying unit amplifies the electroencephalogram signal detected in the electrode unit. The filter filters the amplified signal. The analog/digital converting unit converts the filter signal into a digital signal. The calculation unit calculates the signal received from the analog/digital converting unit. The output unit displays an output signal of the calculation unit. The calculation unit has an R-wave estimation unit(210), and an electrocardiogram estimation and elimination unit(260). The R-wave estimation unit detects an R-wave of a spike shape from the received signal from the analog/digital converting unit, and detects an impulse which is synchronized with the R-wave. The electrocardiogram estimation and elimination unit estimates and eliminates an electrocardiogram signal based on the output signal of the R-wave estimation unit and the received signal from the analog/digital converting unit.
Abstract Primer-dependent polynucleotide phosphorylase catalyzes the polymerization of ADP even in the absence of oligonucleotide primer. The reaction is very slow compared to the rate in the presence of primer, but the extent of reaction is directly proportional to time. Autocatalytic kinetics and long lags, observed earlier with cruder enzyme preparations, are absent with highly purified enzyme. The products of the reaction are very long polymer chains and do not serve as primers. No short chain intermediates are detectable and polymerization is therefore processive. Polymerization by primer-independent enzyme is also processive. In unprimed synthesis the apparent Km for ADP with dependent enzyme is several orders of magnitude higher than that found with independent enzyme. In the presence of oligonucleotide primer, dependent enzyme catalyzes the addition of mononucleotide residues to the primer. The reaction is not processive; no very long chain polymer is made and short chain intermediates are readily detected. On the other hand, primer-independent enzyme does not incorporate primer, if supplied, into long chain polymer; under these conditions polymer synthesis de novo continues in a processive fashion.
Strategic management of place - managing knowledge spillovers - the role of geographic proximity, D.B. Audretsch Location and organizing strategy - exploring the influence of location on the organization of pharmaceutical research, J.L. Furman from conception to birth - opportunity perception and resource mobilization in entrepreneurship, J.B. Sorensen, O. Sorenson hits and misses - managers' (mis)categorization of competitors in the Manhattan hotel industry, J.A.C. Baum, T.K. Lant strategic management of space: interorganizational learning and the location of manufacturing subsidiaries - is chain migration also a corporate behavior?, P.V. Bastos, H.R. Greve location choices under agglomeration externalities and strategic interaction, F. Flyer, J.M. Shaver geography and marketing strategy in consumer packaged goods, B.J. Bronnenberg, P. Albuquerque organization, evolution and performance in neighborhood-based systems, A. Lomi et al spatial diffusion of social organizing - modeling Trade Union growth in Sweden, 1890-1940, C.R. Edling, F. Liljeros combined perspectives - the diffusion of TQM within a global bank, D. Strang organizing for technological innovation in the US pharmaceutical industry, A.S. Chacar, M.B. Lieberman law firm office location and firm survival in Silicon Valley, 1969 to 1998, J. Jaffee the organizational advantage of nations - an ecological perspective on the evolution of the motorcycle industry in Belgium, Italy and Japan, 1898-1993, F.C. Wezel, A. Lomi.
Starch-gel electrophoretic studies on nine gene-enzyme systems comprising 14 loci revealed a fair level of genetic variation in two population samples of Anopheles maculatus from Peninsular Malaysia. The proportion of polymorphic loci was 0.36 for the Fort Bertau sample and 0.29 for the Gua Musang sample, while the mean heterozygosity value was 0.09 for Fort Bertau and 0.07 for Gua Musang. The values of genetic similarity (I = 0.98) and genetic distance (D = 0.02) were of the rank of geographical populations.
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Introduction Positive material identification (PMI) is an essential component of construction, maintenance, and safety in chemical, petroleum, and power generation plants. Failure to use the proper alloy in each application can result in production loss but, more importantly, it is a threat to the health, safety, and well-being of the public. In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the American Petroleum Institute, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and NACE International have all recommended the implementation of PMI programs in their respective spheres of influence (API, 2010; API, 2013; OSHA, 1998; PHMSA, 2009; PHMSA, 2015). Handheld X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a highly effective technique for PMI. The combination of fundamental science, modern electronics, and digital computing result in a technique that is simple, accurate, and precise. The nondestructive testing (NDT) technician is able to obtain definitive elemental analysis and alloy grade matching with little to no specimen preparation. Typically, this can all be accomplished in less than 30 seconds, with many commercial alloys being identified with only 2 to 3 seconds of test time. This ease of use enables fast and extensive testing, even on in-service samples. Given the critical nature of PMI, NDT technicians often wonder about the accuracy and precision of XRF instruments. How confident can they be in their measurements? This article clarifies the meaning and implications of accuracy, precision, and confidence level as they apply to XRF for PMI. Accuracy, Precision, and Confidence in X-ray Fluorescence for Positive Material Identification
Although most design replay techniques have been empirically tested against some performance program, there has been very little empirical evidence published that compares various approaches on the same problems to determine the source of power. Six different design replay algorithms based on approaches in the literature are implemented and tested on 20 different design replay problems. The resulting data indicate that there is a trade-off between efficiency and autonomy for certain types of adaptation strategies. Based on some of the lessons drawn from this data, a new algorithm, REMAID, has been developed. This algorithm recognizes two different types of mis-matches between previous experience and current problems: detours and pretours. The REMAID strategy takes advantage of its knowledge of mis-matches to improve replay autonomy without sacrificing efficiency. The success of the REMAID algorithm is empirically verified.
RINGKASAN To build a research environment, undergraduate students are now demanded to produce research article (RA) as one of requirements to graduate. Among many aspects to create persuasive RA, there is citation. However, it is widely acknowledged that in the process of writing RA, students rarely give attention to the citation. In fact, the use of citations will affect the persuasiveness of the RA itself. Therefore, this study is aimed to find out the use of citation observed from the types, the functions, and the reporting verbs in the RAs written by Indonesian EFL students. This study was a corpus based approach. The corpus consisted of 34 research articles written by English department students of Universitas Negeri Malang. The citations in the introduction and discussion sections were taken as the data. Later on, the data were analyzed manually and using software called MorphAdorner and AntConc. In results, the type was dominated with integral verb in both introduction and discussion sections while the occurrence of integral naming and non-integral citation were acknowledged differently in each section. Regarding the function, the introduction section was dominated with citation as support to the writer’s claim while the discussion section was dominated with citation as a comparison to sources with similar findings. For the reporting verbs (RVs), there were 47 RVs found in total. Either introduction or discussion section was dominated with the use of state/stated which was employed in different citation functions. Writers’ cultural and discipline background, writers’ position, insufficient knowledge about citation, evaluative vocabulary and the study area they investigate are the reasons which I strongly believe affect the writers in this trend of citing. Therefore, it is suggested that students are socialized into English discourse and academic writing practices which include citation practices in the curriculum. Kata Kunci : Research Articles; Citation Practices; Citation Types; Citation Functions; Reporting Verbs; EFL Students 1 1 1 1 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 0 2 DocumentNotSpecified 7.8 磅 Normal 0
In order to study the relation between structure,fiber morphology of PMIA-pulp and aramid paper properties,PMIA-pulp was classified.This research focused on the effect of structure and fiber morphology of PMIA-pulp on the property of aramid paper.Structure and fiber morphology of PMIA-pulp were characterized by its degree of crystallinity,molecular weight,average fiber length,specific surface area and beating degree,aramid paper properties were characterized by its density,tensile index and tear index.The results showed that specific surface area and beating degree of PMIA-pulp are the main factors influencing unhot-pressed aramid paper,however,molecular weight and crystallinity degree after hot press of PMIA-pulp are the main factors influencing the hot pressed aramid paper.PMIA-pulp with larger specific surface area and higher beating degree is suitable to make unhot-pressed aramid paper and PMIA-pulp with medium molecular weight is suitable to make hot pressed aramid paper.
Remarkable progress has been achieved in the treatment of gastric cancer during these three decades, the late survival rate being increased twice or more. The factors attributing to this result were analyzed and prospect for further progress was discussed. One of the most promising ways for this purpose lies in the development of multidisciplinary treatment. So far the mode of thinking has been placed on the organ-oriented basis. However, the search should be directed to the treatment specifically effective to each biological type involved in the tumor. A concept of "Type-Oriented Treatment" was proposed herein.
The waste water from tannery industry can be used for the construction purpose, so that the shortage in water can be greatly reduced. In addition the problem of disposal of waste water from these industries can be solved if the water is reused for some other purposes. The basic properties of the treated and untreated water from the tannery industry were tested and the results were found to be satisfactory such that it can be used for construction purposes with some minimal treatment. Even the mechanical properties of the concrete using these effluents are also found to be satisfactory. By using the waste water from the tannery industry, cubes and cylinders were casted and tested for its durability (sulphate attack, chloride attack and corrosion impact). The result shows some deviation compared to specimens casted using potable water and so chemicals in form of inhibitors were used and the results were found to be satisfactory.
A novel evaporator of miniature flat plate capillary pumped loop(CPL) is presented for application of dissipating high heat flux.Based on the structure characteristics of miniature flat plate CPL evaporator,the effect of metal side wall conduction of evaporator on the CPL work limit is analyzed.An overall numerical model for the miniature flat plate CPL evaporator is presented,which includes heat and mass transfer in the porous wick structure,liquid flow and heat transfer in the compensation cavity and heat transfer in the vapor grooves and metallic wall.The entire evaporator is solved with SIMPLE algorithm as a conjugate problem.The numerical results show that liquid evaporation takes place near the upper and left surfaces of wick structure in the evaporator.The flat plate evaporator with single aluminum wall results in lower heat transfer limit,but leads to low temperature level and good isothermal behavior of the heated surface.On the other hand,the evaporator with single stainless steel wall leads to higher heat transport capacity,but to higher temperature level of the heated surface.The evaporator with combined wall(upper wall with aluminum,side and bottom wall with stainless steel) increases heat transfer limit,and decreases temperature level and temperature gradient on the heated surface,which implies that the CPL can operate safely and cooled apparatus also can work effectively under high heat fluxes.
The regulation of mitochondrial dynamics is vital in complex cell types, such as neurons, that transport and localize mitochondria in high energy-demanding cell domains. The Armcx3 gene encodes a mitochondrial-targeted protein (Alex3) that contains several arm-like domains. In a previous study we showed that Alex3 protein regulates mitochondrial aggregation and trafficking. Here we studied the contribution of Wnt proteins to the mitochondrial aggregation and dynamics regulated by Alex3. Overexpression of Alex3 in HEK293 cells caused a marked aggregation of mitochondria, which was attenuated by treatment with several Wnts. We also found that this decrease was caused by Alex3 degradation induced by Wnts. While the Wnt canonical pathway did not alter the pattern of mitochondrial aggregation induced by Alex3, we observed that the Wnt/PKC non-canonical pathway regulated both mitochondrial aggregation and Alex3 protein levels, thereby rendering a mitochondrial phenotype and distribution similar to control patterns. Our data suggest that the Wnt pathway regulates mitochondrial distribution and dynamics through Alex3 protein degradation.
The present invention, energy receptors and / or energy accumulator for providing a driving force, at least one signal receiver for receiving a control signal, the drive signal as a function of at least one control signal obtained from at least one signal receiver control unit for generating a drive device is driven by the driving force, the moving device for moving, and are transported are independent laboratory product transport elements on the transfer path as a function of the drive signal of the control unit It relates laboratory product transport element for laboratory transport system having at least one holder holding laboratory products. The present invention also relates to a laboratory transport system having at least one laboratory product transport element, and transfer path arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is also in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention also relates to a method for the operation of laboratory transport system.
The aim of study was to research the consumption of biodiesel in various working operations of the tractor John Deere 8230 with trailer and plow under field conditions. Biodiesel was made from agricultural crop of oilseed rape according to etherification. Experimental measurements were made on land of the Slovak University of Agriculture, in Koliňany, Slovakia. The metering device was used EDMeco recorder and an electronic flow meter of the actual consumption of biodiesel. The measuring system was installed in the fuel system John Deere tractor, the 8230. On the base of the obtained results we can conclude that at the transportation of the tractor with trailer Mega 20 was the average hourly consumption of 15.43 liters of biodiesel. At the plowing with set of tractor and rotating 7-mouldboard plow Ostroj Opava, the average hourly consumption was of 33.93 liters of biodiesel.
Detecting the fundamental frequency(Fo) of the speech signal is a problem in many speech applications. A problem of the pitch detection method in the frequency domain is occurred by the first formant and the background noise. Thus, in this paper, we proposed a pitch detection algorithm in the frequency domain that reduces the effects of the first formant and the background noise by the spectral AMDF function. Several computer simulation results showed that the proposed algorithm was very effective for fundamental frequency detection.
Magnetic resonance mammography (MRM) has the highest sensitivity for detection of breast cancer. As opposed to x-ray mammography, MRM is unaffected by breast density, a condition fulfilled especially in younger women with dense breast tissue. Approximately 5–10% of all breast cancer cases will develop on the basis of genetic alterations. This high-risk group fulfils the breast density conditions above. Consequently, MRM has been used to screen for breast cancer in these individuals. This article seeks to assess the potential role of computer-aided diagnosis/detection (CAD) in a MRM screening setting. To do so, we describe screening MRI workflow conditions, possible CAD applications together with the use and limitations of available CAD systems. As differences in examination techniques present one major reason for the heterogeneity of reported results, we include our own detailed imaging protocol developed on the basis of more than 20 years of clinical MRM experience. We also provide a future perspective o...
The objective of the research was to evaluate the effects of a natural anticoccidial based on saponins from Yucca schidigera and Trigonella foenum-graecum on the incidence of coccidia and bioeconomic response in broilers; 75 male chickens from the Cobb 500 line, from 1 to 42 days old, were distributed through a completely randomized design with three treatments: DBSA (Base Diet without addition of anticoccidial), DBAN ( Base diet with addition of natural anticoccidial), DBQI (Base diet with addition of chemical anticoccidial ionophore), five replicates and five birds per experimental unit. At 14 days of age, chickens received 15 times the recommended dose of the live vaccine (Coccivac-D) containing E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. mivati, E. tenella, E. necatrix, E. brunetti, E. hagani, E. praecox. Eimeria oocysts were counted in feces, intestinal lesion score, productive parameters (weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion index, mortality) and economic analysis. For the statistical analysis, ANOVA was used using the statistical program Infostat and the Tukey test to compare differences between treatments. The results indicated that the natural anti-coccidial based on saponins from Yucca schidigera and Trigonella foenum-graecum controlled the coccidiosis infection, decreasing the number of oocysts in feces and intestinal lesions in challenged chickens, presenting a similar effect as the treatment with addition of Chemical anticoccidial ionophore; In addition both treatments did not present significant difference in the productive parameters, on the other hand the use of natural anticoccidial as the use of anticoccidial chemical ionóforo obtained the best profitability.
This paper develops a two-country model of a monetary union. In order to analyze fully the linkages between the countries, the model specifies structural equations for the goods, money and bond markets in each country. Interdependencies arise through trade, the asset markets, and a common currency. The model also includes a supply side for each economy based on an expectations augmented Phillips curve. Using this model it is possible to trace the shifts in aggregate demand and aggregate supply in both countries resulting from a change in fiscal and monetary policies. The results suggest that given asymmetries in current account balances, fiscal policies may cause friction among countries in a European monetary union.
The present study aims to systematically analyze the hyperspectral characteristics of apple florescence canopy and explore the sensitive spectra to provide the theoretical basis for large area apple information extracting and remote sensing retrieval for nutrition diagnosis. Based on the 120 hyperspectral data of apple florescence canopy acquired with ASD Field Spec 3 portable object spectrometer, the effects of different sample numbers on hyperspectral characteristics were analyzed. Using variance analysis method, the hyperspectral characteristics of apple florescence canopy and the sensitive wave bands were obtained. The results showed that with the increase in cumulative sample numbers, the hyperspectrum curves of apple florescence became stable and smooth. At the 550 nm green peak and the 760-1,300 nm reflection plateau, the reflection rate reduced with the increase in flowering amount, while in the red valley of 670 nm, the reflection rate increased with the increase in flowering amount; At the wave bands of 350-500, 600-680 and 760-1,300 nm, the variance analysis results showed very significant differences, indicating that they were sensitive wave bands of florescence canopy. With the increase in flowering amount, the red-edge position, the red-edge slope and red edge area tended to decrease gradually.
A study was conducted of the fire ignition potential of high-speed disk cutting saws (hotsaws). Surface temperature increases for the operating saw blade were measured during normal cutting and when stopping the disk using friction against a stump. Observed temperature increases during normal operation were as high as 17◦ C above ambient. Tooth temperatures tended to be highest, but were not observed to be vastly different from global saw disk temperatures. Dynamic increases in temperature at the cutting interface of saw disk and tree tended to be on the order of a few degrees C. Stopping the blade by dropping it on a stump caused much higher temperatures on the stump itself (to the point of charring), but average saw blade temperatures increased by only an additional 10◦ C. An additional test of sparking tendencies of various rocks found that the number of visible sparks thrown varied by rock type, with basalt-type rocks having the highest numbers.
Self-evaluation ability is a key factor to influence the learning effect of the adult students in regular higher schools,the construction of their personal value trend,the experiencing of the meaning of life,and the choice of their goals.At present,the self-evaluation ability of the adult students in regular higher schools is insufficient in general.So the higher schools should attempt to employ appropriate evaluation methods and help students to explore self-evaluation strategies to improve their evaluation ability.
Many enterprise employees and human resource managers think the appraisal standard is the key of performance management.In fact,however,more problems usually emerge in assignment allocation in the early stage and assignment direction in the intermediate stage.The view of majority managers and operational persons in the duty arrangement and instruction is not certainly unified,which results in erroneous zones in performance plans,implementation,evaluation and feedback.The fundamental reason is lack of necessary achievements communication.The communication exists in every link of performance management and must be continuous.
This research shows how the transition to a post-industrial society has transformed the use of social space in what is perhaps the archetype of postmodern urbanism in the late 20th century – the tourist city. The impact of change on the socio-spatial structure of postmodern cities is measured, the spatial patterns are quantified and the continuing applicability of the classic models is determined. A generalised pattern of social structure in a tourist city is identified and a stage of development model of spatial patterns is proposed to promote understanding of socio-spatial structure in postmodern cities. In this analysis of social structure in the recently developed tourist city of Gold Coast, physical, economic, social and political forces were found to have created a distinctive environment, an environment that, in turn, influenced the type of social structure, the spatial patterns of social variation that emerged and how these changed over time. Principal components analysis and cluster analysis were used to identify the main dimensions of social structure and their spatial representation in this tourist city at 1991 and again in 1996. The emergence of socio-economic status and family status, albeit with a number of minor dimensions and new sub-dimensions, showed that social structure in this city was fundamentally similar to that identified earlier in modern cities. These main dimensions reflected family structure, occupational and income status, while minor dimensions were associated with ethnicity and mobility. However, some change in the dimensions was identified in this research. Socio-economic status changed most over the five-year period to reveal two new sub-dimensions of social differentiation related to employment status and employment disadvantage, while family status also split to reflect new social differences according to age. These new sub-dimensions emerged from the analysis due to their growing importance in the postmodern city. Over time, these sub-dimensions have begun to account for more of the social variation in the increasingly complex contemporary city. Together these dimensions reflect a complicated interwoven social structure in contrast to the simple patterns of social structure previously identified in modern cities. The newly identified sub-dimensions are however, able to be described in terms of the commonly recognised three main dimensions of social structure and relate to aspects of employment status, employment disadvantage and lifestyle. When comparing the spatial patterns of social structure in this city to the classic sector and zone models of the modern city, some substantial differences emerged. In modern cities, socio-economic status most commonly varied in a sectoral fashion while family status varied by zone. However, in this research, socio-economic status and family status were each found to vary in both a sectoral fashion and in a zonal pattern. In another difference to the spatial patterns of the modern city, these neat zonal patterns were further complicated by the influence of secondary nodes of activity. Three such nodes were identified. Thus, the multi-nucleated settlement pattern was seen to be exerting its own influence on socio-spatial structure resulting in a complex pattern of over-lapping zones from each node. Compared with other cities, several differences in the socio-spatial structure of Australian postmodern cities were uncovered. Ethnicity did not exert as large an influence on social structure as in American or English cities. The relatively small Australian public housing sector prevented the emergence of concentrations of this type of housing being found in this postmodern city. Similarly, edge cities and concentrations of the global elite were not identified in this setting yet are typically found in American urban areas. According to the stage of development model proposed in this research, there is a range of possibilities in the socio-spatial structure of a postmodern city. The common main dimensions of social structure are likely to be in evidence but will probably split into a number of sub-dimensions reflecting the growing complexity of social differentiation in the postmodern city, as well as each city’s particular stage of development. Other minor dimensions will reflect the characteristics of the specific city. The possibilities described in this model also extend to variations in the spatial patterns of a postmodern city. One scenario involves the expansion of an expanding urban region to gradually encompass a number of previously separated nodes. The spatial patterns uncovered in this research into a contemporary tourist city were found to revolve around a number of related, but previously separated, nodes rather than a single dominant centre. This research concluded that, in the contemporary tourist city investigated, there remained strong evidence of the social structure and spatial patterns of the modern city. However, the patterns identified appear to reflect a new level of complexity and required a combination of earlier models to effectively explain. In effect, the socio-spatial patterns are a hybrid of the old and the new. Thus, we can rightfully designate this city as postmodern.
The authors review the various techniques of intravenous arteriography before an excretory urogram and discuss their role in the etiological diagnosis of hypertension. Detection of renovascular disease classically implied Seldinger arteriography, with its limited indications, because of side effects and cost. This classical approach should now be systematically replaced by the visualization of renal arteries during the intravenous pyelography procedure which appears to be a method more effective, as well as less expensive and hazardous. The pyelogram wash-out should still be performed when the visualization of the renal arteries is poor because of its value in the screening for renovascular hypertension. Furthermore, when a renal artery stenosis is clearly defined, the wash-out of the pyelogram should also be performed because of its prognostic value. As the classical approach for the etiological diagnosis of hypertension, this technique has limited indications. It is indicated in severe hypertension in the young, when medical treatment does not control blood pressure satisfactorily or when renal failure progresses rapidly. Furthermore, this technique allows a non traumatic follow up of operated or dilated stenoses.
While colloids are promising building blocks for the self-assembly of materials with novel microstructures, their numerous tunable parameters inhibit brute force searching for appropriate parameter combinations that yield self-assembly of a desired structure. Instead, inverse approaches that invoke a systematic optimization framework can effectively navigate this design space. In this proceeding, we apply one such inverse technique, Relative Entropy Minimization, to discover isotropic pairwise interaction potentials that prompt self-assembly of clusters in silico. The functional form of the pair interaction is chosen to model a mixture of charged colloids and neutral polymers that act as depletants, and the parameters are directly connected to experimentally tunable quantities.
Increasing proportions of the U .S . work force have been attracted to employment in private nonprofit institutions -organizations which constitute the third sector of the economy.' The popular view is that these persons are attracted by the ideals of selfless service and work fulfillment, and have chosen to avoid the competitiveness of profitmaking firms, and the impersonality of government bureaucracy . But the view also holds that low pay, job pressures, and lack of resources cause these workers to seek employment in other sectors . This study examines such popular views by comparing characteristics of work and the work force in the for-profit, government, and nonprofit sectors, using data from the 1977 Quality of Employment Survey, conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan . Sociologists, psychologists, and economists have treated organization size and technology, employee background and personality, and industry and occupation as the key explanatory factors in their models of the quality of employment . Sector-for-profit, government, or nonprofit-represents an important but neglected facet of the work environment . The nature of an organiza-
The funeral tradition with sarcophagus was carried out for years, later the next period pemakamam with sarcophagus replaced with Enao trees made like sarcophagus as a means to bury people who died, especially in the old village. Until now, many relics of the enao tree have been found as a means of burying the dead. Then the Spirit died at Puja near his house. The possibility of its evolution of worship of the ancestral Spirit was made a sanctified place, there was placed in the house room, there was a kind of Pelinggih. Other beliefs dismissed trust in ancestors, also trusted the power of nature, which was felt to be helpful in his life. So that you believe in natural forces such as: Water, big trees, mountains, lakes, seas and so on, so that Westerners sabotage the ancient people who believe in the forces of nature (Animism and Dynamism).
A practical model has been presented to analyze the response of ship hull to underwater shock according to DAA1 approximation. The equation of the total pressure loaded on the wet surface of the hull has been formulated based on fluid - structure interaction principle without considering low frequency responses of the hull. The model is implemented into the user - defined distributed loading subroutine of the finite element code LS - DYNA and is applicable to solve the high frequency response and local deformation under early shock waves. The dynamic responses of unstiffened naval hulls and stiffened navel panels to underwater shocks have been investigated using the presented method. The simulation results indicate that the method can reduce CPU time significantly and improve simulating efficiency with good precision.
According to the housing performance indicator system(HPIS), sound insulation performance of separating walls between units is being evaluated to 3 kinds of grade. For this reason, development of design methods of separating walls with sound insulation performance appropriate to the each grade is being required. In this study, small sized lightweight panel using bottom ash was used for the basic structure, and 46 kinds of separating wall were measured by changing of surface density, depth of air space and absorber. The result shows that the single-number quantities(Rw+C) of single panels have the sound insulation performance less than third grade. In the case of double panel installing air space, Rw+C was evaluated to second or third grade for almost kinds of the structure, so it didn't satisfy the first grade suggesting in HPIS. Double panel structures containing air space and absorber almost have the sound insulation performance of first grade.
Za-ya Paṇḍita Blo-bzang 'phrin-las (1642-1715) was a Khalkha Mongolian Tibetan Buddhist monk scholar belonging to the Dge-lugs-pa school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a renowned Buddhist master who left behind a huge corpus of religious writing of which the most famous is his Thob yig gsal ba'i me long (The clear mirror of the records of teachings received). As well as numerous transmission lineages of teachings and practices, this encyclopedic text contains detailed biographical, historical and instructional information on various topics. This article is a study of the Kriyātantra section of the thob yig . Emphasis is given to the biography of the nun Dge-slong-ma dpal-mo, founder of a major Dge-lugs-pa Kriyātantra fasting practice known as smyung gnas that belongs to the system of the Bodhisattva Mahākāruṇika Avalokiteśvara. My analysis aims to offer some clarity in regard to her dating and her identity within the religious context of Za-ya Paṇḍita’s tradition, the Dge-lugs-pa school during the 17th century.
The invention discloses a bottle cap capable of being opened and closed automatically. The bottle cap comprises a cap body which can be screwed on a bottle neck, as well as an elastic sealing piece which is pressed on a bottle mouth by the top of the cap body, wherein a hole is formed at the top of the cap body, a spherical bulge extends out of the hole, the edge of the spherical bulge is pressed on the edge of the elastic sealing piece by an opening on the inner side of the cap body, and one or more cuts are formed on the edge of the elastic sealing piece at intervals; and when the spherical bulge is pressed down, the edge of the spherical bulge can press the elastic sealing piece to produce deformation, the cuts are opened, then liquid in a bottle can be sucked, and when the spherical bulge is released, the cuts on the sealing piece can be closed automatically and the leakage of the liquid can be prevented.
Grain hardness is an important trait in wheat,affecting the quality of final products.Research about genetic diversity of grain hardness can provide theoretical guidance for wheat quality improvement.In this study,single kernel characterization system(SKCS),PCR and nucleotide sequencing were employed for evaluating genetic diversity of grain hardness of wheat cultivars in Qinghai province.According to hardness value,31hard,13semi-hard and 22soft wheat cultivars were classified in 66Qinghai wheat cultivars.The hardness values of 8cultivars were less than 30,which mean they could be used for biscuit.Five types of Puroindoline gene combinations existed in these cultivars.They were wild-type,Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1b,Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1c,Pina-D1a/Pinb-D1xand Pina-D1b/Pinb-D1a.The proportion of wild-type reached 59.09%.The average hardness value of wild type was44.12,and range was from 12.75to 84.89.Wheat varieties with wild-type Puroindoline gene were not always soft,but almost all cultivars with mutation Puroindoline were hard.Thus,molecularmarkers can be used for hard wheat breeding in Qinghai province,while the phenotype should be taken to consideration more seriously in soft wheat cultivar breeding except molecular marker.
Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the most important driving forces to improve the learning skill of the students. India is one of the developing countries, and in recent years, government of India has taken interest in introducing ICT for teaching learning process. The use of ICT in education and training has been a key priority to the government of India, as ICT has had a major impact on the education sector and equipping new generations with enhanced skills. The primary objective of the education experts is to promote learning, especially within academic settings where graduate students, are expected to develop deep learning approach, higher levels of critical thinking, enhanced academic skills etc. In India, students enter the engineering course with different academic background. Few students undergone ICT based teaching learning process before undergraduate level and most of the students may not have the opportunities. Hence, in this work, a survey was conducted to know the ICT knowledge and use, among the incoming undergraduate engineering students.
Dispersions of casein micelles (CM) were studied at a constant protein concentration of 5 wt % in high NaCl environment ranging from 0% to 12% by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). The rehydration profiles obtained were interpreted in term of wetting, swelling and dispersion stages by using a turbidity method. Two behaviours were observed depending on the salt concentration. The first behaviour (low salt concentration) presents a typical rehydration profile with a significant change between 3 and 6% NaCl indicating quick wetting, swelling and long dispersion stage. On the opposite, the dispersion stage of the second behaviour (high salt concentration) was significantly shortened indicating a strong modification of the protein backbone. A salt increase result to a destabilization of the micelle and the formation of mini-micelles more or less aggregated indicating an average micelles size ranging from 100 to 200 nm. For the first time, the estimations of secondary structural elements (irregular, ß-sheet, α-helix and turn) by the Amide III assignments were correlated with results from Amide I. Keywords—Casein, DLS, FTIR, Ionic environment.
The capacity and concealment are two of the important features in steganography.A new steganography is proposed in the ToS domain in the IP packet.The method makes use of the ID value of the IP packets to record the original packets sequence,and modifies the first three bits,which indicate the IP PRI,of ToS.Then,the modified IP PRI is utilized to rearrange the packets sequence,and thus complete the information hiding without imposing any influence on the statistics,content and sending order of the IP packets.Combining with the ordering menthod,security and the capacity is greatly enhanced.Meanwhile,prescambled with FSA,covert in-formation can be communicated with high security.
PURPOSE: To bond a semiconductor device by flattening the section of a board for mounting a semiconductor device while making the section in parallel with the semiconductor device. CONSTITUTION: A board of inorganic material (ceramic material) causes irregularity, generating a warp or undulation in case of baking. In a board 6 for mounting a semiconductor device, a flat face (a) is made in the copper material leads 5 and 5' at the section to mount the semiconductor device 1 by polishing process. Accordingly, the semiconductor 1 can be bonded in the condition that it is stable through solder bumps 3 and 3' and besides with nearly equal strength. COPYRIGHT: (C)1993,JPO&Japio
Ga/Al doped ZnO (GAZO) thin films were prepared on non-alkali glass substrate by co-sputtering system using two DC cathodes equipped with AZO (Al2O3:2.0 wt%) target and GZO (Ga₂O₃:6.65 wt%) target. This study examined the influence of Al/Ga concentration and substrate temperature on the electrical, structural and optical properties of GAZO films. The lowest resistivity 1.95×10 ?3 Ω㎝ was obtained at room temperature. With increasing substrate temperature, resistivity of GAZO film decreased to a minimum value of 7.47×10 ?4 Ω㎝ at below 300℃. Futhermore, when 0.05% H₂ gas was introduced, resistivity of GAZO film decreased to 6.69×10 ?4 Ω㎝. All the films had a preferred orientation along the (002) direction, indicating that the deposited films have hexagonal wurtzite structure formed by the textured growth along the c-axis. The average transmittance of the films was more than 85% in the visible light range.
In order to measure the pitching angle and yaw angle of the axes symmetry object in three-dimension orientation,an automatic method of extracting the axes of the object has been presented.The edge points of the target have been detected through Canny operator,the support region points of all the edge line have been obtained by using the improved Hough transform,and the line equation has been calculated with the least square algorithm.According to the characters of the target in the image,the specified parallel line has been detected to get the equation of the axes.Experimental results show that this method can extract the axes of the axes symmetry object effectively in high precision,and the mean error of the axes angle is 0.022°.
Objective To research the bacterial infection of patients with acute cholecystitis.Methods Bile samples taken from the patients with acute cholecystitis in the first people′s hospital of Mudanjiang,the operation was performed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy within one week,and send the sample for the bacterial culture.Culture results were analyzed.Results Positive rate of the bile bacterial culture was 53.9%,30.7%,86.8% respectively in patient,of which the operation was performed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy within one week,72 hours,and 72 hours to one week.Conclusion Early surgical treatment of acute cholecystitis can reduce the incidence of bacterial infection;antibiotics with higher sensitivity to bacteria may be applied in the treatment for non-surgical patients with contraindication for surgical treatment.
A fundamental principle of criminal law is that individuals may only be punished for offenses which they have personally committed; any punishment must be personal and individual. To that end, international law proscribes as collective punishment any sanction imposed on a population without regard to individual culpability for the offense that provokes the penalty. Compstat-based zero-tolerance or order-maintenance policing, the prevailing thesis in contemporary law enforcement, punishes entire communities for the crimes of a few. More specifically, zero-tolerance policing seeks to deter violent crime not by apprehending those relatively few perpetrators of crime, but by indiscriminate search-and-seizure operations and wholesale misdemeanor arrests for minor quality-of-life offenses in the neighborhoods where violent crimes occur, typically poor communities of color. As a form of collective punishment, such policing is contrary to international human rights law.In one eight-block section of Brooklyn, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) stopped, questioned, and searched 52,000 people in four years, 94% of whom had committed no offense. Residents of communities targeted for this type of intensive policing by Compstat are not only stopped and searched without individualized suspicion, but they are also routinely arrested and jailed on criminal trespassing charges for failing to provide police with identification. The indiscriminate policing in these neighborhoods closely resembles a counterinsurgency strategy known as cordon and search, in which troops seal off geographic areas and subject entire communities to violent search-and-seizure operations to suppress terrorist activity and seize weapons. Scholars and human rights activists have condemned the indiscriminate use of this tactic against civilian populations in Afghanistan, Uganda, and Sri Lanka as contrary to the Geneva Conventions and as collective punishment, since it penalizes entire communities for the crimes of a few of its members.Drawing on some of the language and principles of international humanitarian and human rights law, this Article offers a new theoretical framework to address the harm caused by zero-tolerance policing on targeted communities. It highlights the collective nature of the sanctions imposed by the strategy and the resulting erosion of the core due process norm of individual culpability. The policing strategy at issue is not characterized by the sensational atrocities typically associated with collective punishment regimes but by a mass of seemingly small harms that have, over time, perpetuated racial and socioeconomic segregation of inner-city communities and deepened resentment towards law enforcement among significant numbers of law-abiding citizens.
OBJECTIVE To discuss the clinical curative effect of lumbar cistern drainage and gentamicin flushing in treatment of intracranial infections with Acinetobacter baumannii and provide reference for the clinical treatment.METHODS Data of 30 craniocerebral trauma patients with postoperative intracranial infections during Jan.2009 to Dec.2012 were collected.All patients were detected with A.baumannii infections through the cerebrospinal fluid examination.Patients were equally divided into two groups by the random digital method.Patients in group A were treated with lumbar cistern drainage with gentamicin flushing,while patients in group B were administrated with cefoperazone/sulbactam the curative effect was observed.RESULTS Patients in group A had better effects than group B,the total effective rates were 86.7% and 66.7%,respectively,the difference was significant(P 0.05).And the hospital time for patients in group A (11.6±1.2d) was less than that of group B(23.3±1.5d),with significant differences(P0.05).At 3 dafter treatment,the body temperature and the CSF white blood cell count for group A and group B were 37.3±0.5℃ and (35.1±7.5)×106/L,38.2±0.6℃ and (36.1±8.6)× 106/L,respectively.At 7d after treatment,the body temperature and the CSF white blood cell count for group A and group B were 37.1±0.4℃ and(9.2±1.4)×106/L,37.6±0.5℃ and (16.6±3.3)×106/L,respectively.There were significant differences between the two groups compared with before treatment.Group A had more obvious decreases in the body temperature and the CSF white blood cell count compared with group B significantly(P0.05).CONCLUSION Lumbar cistern drainage with gentamicin flushing can achieve good clinical curative effect on treatment of intracranial infection with A.baumannii,which can reduce the body temperature.It is worthy of clinical application.
The present publication is intended to be a monograph on the family of Burmanniaceae. It is divided into three parts: General Part, Critical Part and Taxonomical Part. The first part, General Part, contains general remarks on the taxonomy, distribution and use of the family. The second part, Critical Part, contains general and geobotanical remarks on the genera of the family, whereas the third part, the Taxonomical Part, gives the determination keys to the tribes, subtribes, genera, sections, subsections and species, the description of these groups with literature, distribution and the indications of the types. New varieties, species and larger groups are described in the taxonomical part in foot-notes.
Distribution networks with periodically repeating events often hold great promise to exploit economies of scale. Joint replenishment problems are a fundamental model in inventory management, manufacturing, and logistics that capture these effects. However, finding an efficient algorithm that optimally solves these models, or showing that none may exist, has long been open, regardless of whether empty joint orders are possible or not. In either case, we show that finding optimal solutions to joint replenishment instances with just two products is at least as difficult as integer factorization. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time that integer factorization is used to explain the computational hardness of any kind of optimization problem. Under the assumption that Riemann's Hypothesis is correct, we can actually prove that the two-item joint replenishment problem with possibly empty joint ordering points is NP-complete under randomized reductions, which implies that not even quantum computers may be able to solve it efficiently. By relating the computational complexity of joint replenishment to cryptography, prime decomposition, and other aspects of prime numbers, a similar approach may help to establish (integer factorization) hardness of additional open periodic problems in supply chain management and beyond, whose solution has eluded standard methods.
Objective To study the roles of enzyme-linked immunosorbent accelerometer played in detecting antibody to HCV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Methods 4 mixed serum of different S/CO were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent accelerometer and conventional incubation method,while using real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay to detect HCV-RNA of gray zone specimens.Results There was significant difference(P0.05)in anti-HCV OD values of 4 mixed serum by two methods.The qualitative results of 3 mixed serum were consistent.The result of another mixed serum which S/CO was 0.9 detected by conventional incubation method was negtive,but was positive detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent accelerometer.Meanwhile,among 20 serum with S/CO of 0.9,HCV-RNA concentration of 14 serum was greater than 1×10~3 copies/mL.The CV%of OD values of 4 mixed serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent accelerometer was 2.5、2.0、2.1、2.3,respectively,and the CV%by conventional incubation method was 3.5、4.1、4.0、4.2,respectively.Conclusion When the best reaction time is determined,enzyme-linked immunosorbent accelerometer can accelerate the antifen-antibody reaction,and improve the sensitivity of ELISA.So it can provide a reliable basis for the clinical interpretation of specimens in gray areas to avoid misdiagnosis.
The case of a female patient of 35 years of age, with a pedunculated tumor dependent of the vagina, of approximately 25 x 12 x 8 cm, who had a wide resection. The report was consistent with myxoid aggressive angiomyxoma. This is a myxoid mesenchymal neoplasm of slow growth, which mainly appears in deep soft tissues of the pelvic, genital or perineal areas of adult women. It is usually diagnosed after surgical resection by histopathologic examination. Routine evaluation includes: complete physical examination, imaging and pathology report of diagnostic confirmation.
The article aims to investigate the managers' leadership styles in the North- Eastern Romanian companies. The research is based on the questionnaire method, where 50 managers were questioned on how they communicate decisions and set conflicts in their companies. The collected data have been analysed from different angles of statistical methods in order to bring forward managers'disimulated behaviors. Additionally, it presented the potential correlations between the leadership styles and implementation. It was showed that managers act dictatorially in decision communication and make compromises in disputes with employees. From the results of the research it was also argued that managers have a dissimulated behavior and provided desirable answers.
The invention discloses a preparation method of a novel adsorption material with photocatalytic degradation, and relates to the preparation method of the novel adsorption material with both efficient catalytic degradation and absorption for dyes and organic compounds. According to the preparation method, starch, carboxymethyl cellulose and TiO2 (Titanium Dioxide) are taken as raw materials, and epichlorohydrin is taken as a crosslinking agent, and then graft copolymerization is carried out. The raw materials are dissolved to form a homogeneous system; proper amounts of dispersants and emulsifiers are added to carry out emulsion dispersion; proper amounts of initiators and crosslinking agents are added to the system to be polymerized, and subjected to the steps of heat preservation, distilled water washing, vacuum drying and the like to obtain the novel adsorption material with the photocatalytic degradation. The water absorbency of the novel material prepared by the method can reach 1536g/g; the degradation rate of the novel material for 10mg/L of phenol solutions can reach 93.44%; the degradation rate of the novel material for 10mg/L of methylene blue solutions reaches up to 100%. The preparation method disclosed by the invention has simple preparation process, easy operation, biodegradable products and suitability for fields of industrial wastewater, medical wastewater, pesticide, biotechnology and the like.
In order to study the effect of planting date and different levels of nitrogen on yield and growths of nuts sunflower (var. Doursephid), an experiment was conducted at Mahoodabad Experimental Field in Isfahan, in 2009. A split plot layout within a randomized complete block design with 3 replicates was used. The treatments in the main plots were sowing dates (May 5th and 20th and June 5th) and in the subplots treatments were nitrogen levels (0, 150, 200 and 250 kg N/ha). Results showed that the effect of planting date was significant on stem diameter, head diameter, number of grain per head, grain yield and biological yield. The effect of different levels of nitrogen was significant on plant height, stem diameter, biological yield and harvesting index. Interaction between planting date and nitrogen had significant influence on plant height, stem diameter, biological yield and harvesting index. The highest stem diameter, head diameter, grain yield and total yield was obtained in May 5th, and the highest plant height, stem diameter, head diameter, number of grain per head, 1000 grain weight and grain yield was obtained from usage of 200 kg N/ha. Results showed that 200 kg N/ha and May 5th is suitable for this variety in this region.
The aim of this paper is to use previous research to identify determinants of mortality rates, an economic variable that affects the size of Russia's population. It is impossible to explain mortality solely in terms of socioeconomic factors, so the survey of medical literature conducted here was essential. It was concluded that factors such as a deterioration in levels of medical care or an increase in environmental pollution could not easily explain the rise in mortality rates throughout the Soviet era and the fluctuating mortality rates seen after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Previous research has explored the relationship between Russians and alcohol, which had been described anecdotally in literary works, the media, and so on, and demonstrated the significance of alcohol consumption as a factor exerting a decisive influence on long-term changes in mortality rates and the probability of death in Russia since the transition to capitalism.
To investigate the role of interleukin 2 (IL-2) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mononuclear cells (MNC) of 68 SLE patients were tested for their ability to produce and also to respond to IL-2. Cells were collected monthly over an one year period. IL-2 production by MNC was measured under various conditions after optimal and suboptimal stimulation. Although we found a large variation in IL-2 production by individual MNC preparations no statistical significant differences were found between normal and SLE cells. To study IL-2 responsiveness, proliferation of MNC was studied under conditions where endogenous IL-2 production is limiting. Addition of IL-2 resulted in a four- to eight-fold enhancement of proliferative responses. However also in this respect no differences were found between SLE patients and healthy controls. Thus, in this group of SLE patients no abnormalities in IL-2 production or response could be demonstrated.
PURPOSE: A method and a device for processing/outputting printing data to a print engine, and a computer-readable recording medium storing a computer program are provided to temporarily interrupt a current task in order to process an urgent task. CONSTITUTION: An interpretation manager(92) determines an order to interpret the printing data, checks that a process for a new urgent task is requested, checks that the currently interpreted task is the urgent task, and outputs checking results as the first and the second control signal. A data processor(84) interprets the printing data for the current task, stores an interpretation environment for the current task, which is interrupted by responding to the first/second control signals, in the first storing part(90), and interprets the printing data of the new urgent task. After the interpretation for the printing data of the new urgent task, the interrupted interpretation of the current task is restarted by reading the interpretation environment stored in the first storing part.
Abstract : A brief discussion is presented of problems and limitations encountered with classical techniques of vertical ionospheric sounding at very low frequencies. A sounder system is described that solves many of these problems and removes many of the limitations. Developed at the Naval Weapons Center Corona Laboratories, this system is capable of operating in a step-frequency mode with up to 10 frequencies. Pulses as short as 320 micro sec can be transmitted with a 10% duty cycle at each frequency. Continuous measurement of phase and amplitude are obtained for both the normal and abnormal components of the ionospherically reflected waves at all 10 frequencies. A special-purpose transmitter is utilized to give the experimenter control over the nature of the transmissions. Within limitations imposed by the transmitting antenna, the complete system is mobile to allow maximum freedom in the choice of geographic location for sounding experiments. Samples of data which have been collected with this system are presented and discussed. (Author)
The treatment of the liquid water of the turbine exhaust liquefaction cycle engine(TELCE) was studied in this paper.The theory solution was acquired by thermal analysis and was identified by thermal calculation.The analysis showed that there was about 2% specific impulse loss if liquid water was drilled out of engine directly.Further more,the energy transfer in TELCE was analyzed,and the enthalpy theory expression of the gas in engine center combustion region was given out,which could be as the detail analysis base for the chamber performance.
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device for restraining wasteful power consumption by adaptively controlling an interface to be used in linkage with a traffic volume to be transferred, in an Ethernet transfer device of 40 GbE or 100 GbE. SOLUTION: The traffic volume of low-speed Ethernet is monitored, and increase and decrease of the number of used lanes of 40 GbE and 100 GbE interfaces is determined in response to the traffic volume. In the case of decrease, the used lanes of the 40 GbE and 100 GbE interfaces are halted, thereafter the used lanes of 40 GbE and 100 GbE interfaces of an opposite device are halted, and thereby the number of lanes is decreased. In the case of increase, unused lanes of the 40 GbE and 100 GbE interfaces are restored, thereafter the unused lanes of the 40 GbE and 100 GbE interfaces of the opposite device are restored, and thereby the number of lanes is increased. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT
Background Fires that occur cause significant damage. In this connection the creation and application of effective methods of preventing and fighting fires is of special importance. It should be noted that by now no universal way to fight fires of different categories is known. Aims and Objectives To study how ionic wind affects the flame of the source of burning. Methods A high voltage generator with special electrodes (metal tube and copper plate) was used as the experimental unit. A copper plate (positive electrode) is placed in front of the metal tube that serves the negative electrode. The interaction between the plate and the tube resulted in the directed flow of charged particles in the tube. When the flow moved towards the flame of the source of burning the flame died out. A series of experiments was conducted with varying type of the electrodes, the voltage, and the distance between the electrodes. Conclusion Based on the results of the experiments it can be concluded that the impact ionization ration depends on the distance between the electrodes. Also, the dependence shows that the greater the distance between the electrodes, the greater the impact ionization ratio. When the distance between the electrodes is increased by 23 cm, the value of the impact ionization ratio increases by 75 % in average.
The invention relates to a door terminal comprising a housing (15) installed on a mounting base, a shaped cylinder insert (10) contained within the housing, and an emergency door-opening button (12) covered by a protective cover, whereby said emergency door-opening button is connected to a control block for the disconnection of a locking device. The invention further provides for an electronic circuit, which is wired in such a way that various mutually interchangeable modular inserts, used to authorize access, can be fitted by means of pin-plug connectors.
Simultaneous equation techniques are used to examine the behaviour of wholesale and retail margins for beef, lamb, mutton and pork in Sydney. Hypotheses tested relate to price levelling and price averaging, and to marketing cost and turnover effects. Additionally, an attempt is made to discern the differences, if any, in the determination of retail margins between high- and low-income locations, and between traditional butcheries and supermarkets.
A statewide baby safety bassinet loan scheme has operated in Victoria since May 1985. To November 20, 1986, 201 municipalities had joined the scheme with 9 municipalities not participating. Local Government Authorities initially received an allocation of one sixth their annual birthrate, followed by a "top up" equal to 25 per cent of the original allocation where required. 12585 bassinets were delivered during the first 18 months of the scheme, covering an estimated 40 per cent of the annual birthrate. A process evaluation highlighted the success of the scheme with over 50 per cent of scheme coordinators requesting additional bassinets. Problems relating to operation of the scheme have been minimal. Evaluation following three years operation will focus on whether the program should continue and at what level (A).
Abstract : The objective of this AGARDograph is to provide an introductory overview of logistics test and evaluation methods for supportability testing. This AGARDograph is an attempt to put into print the approach and techniques for a test team to execute logistics/supportability test and evaluation. To do so, the logistics/supportability test and evaluation process is subdivided into manageable functional areas and disciplines called Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) elements. The 10 ILS elements are: maintenance planning; manpower and personnel; support equipment; computer resources; facilities; packaging, handling, storage, and transportation; and design interface. Whether a program is a large one, like a new F-22 aircraft, or a small one, like a new 25K Loader, all logistics elements must be evaluated for applicability to the program. The only change between large and small programs is the depth of effort to be performed in each element. Examples will be provided to discuss the test and evaluation technique to each area and are adaptable to the reader s particular area of interest. This volume should complement the AG-300 Vol. 13 on Reliability and Maintainability.
Every day analysts and news agencies publish forecasts 7 of important macroeconomic indicators. When the announced value 8 of an indicator differs from its forecast, investors must revise their strategies. 9 The strength of investors’ reaction depend on the difference between 10 expectations and the true value of the indicator. In this paper we analyze the 11 reaction of investors on the WSE to U.S. macroeconomic news 12 announcements. We compare the strength of the reaction when forecasts are 13 based on information from different financial services. 14
This diploma thesis focuses on classroom management and its impact on English language teaching. The theoretical part aims at defining what is classroom management and its role in the teaching and learning process. The thesis deals with components of successful classroom management that help to achieve educational goals. The attention is devoted to a class as a community, peer relationships, teacher-pupil relationship, discipline, responsibility, motivation and enthusiasm as they are essential for effective teaching and learning to take place in the classroom. The practical part of the thesis consists of the action research into classroom management in the sixth grade at a Lower secondary school in English language classes. The action research concentrates on the physical arrangement of the classroom, classroom rules and rituals, interventions, motivation and enthusiasm. Four methods of data collection were chosen – observation sheets, teacher’s journal, audio recordings and pupils’ feedback. The aim is to analyze the obtained data, observation sheets, the journal, audio recordings and pupils’ feedback in order to see what impact they have on the pupils in the classroom. The action research findings provided sound evidence for us to claim that classroom management has a great impact on both the teaching and learning process and that it has an essential role in achieving educational goals.
OBJECTIVE To survey a large sample of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Mexico City to determine if patient experience, access to basic services, treatment, and outcomes differed between those with social security coverage and those without.   METHODS From 2001-2007 a total of 1 000 individuals with T2DM were surveyed in outpatient clinics of the three largest public ophthalmology hospitals in Mexico City. Patients reported information about their health status and receipt of basic diabetes services, such as laboratory glycemic monitoring and diabetes education. Rates were compared between those with (n = 461) and without (n = 539) social security.   RESULTS Almost half of the patients (46%) in these public facilities were social security patients that were unable to access other services and had to pay out-of-pocket for care. Half of respondents were originally identified as potentially diabetic based on symptom complaints (51%), including 11% with visual impairment. Most patients (87.9%) reported that their glycemic level was being monitored exclusively via fasting blood glucose testing or random capillary blood glucose tests; only 5.3% reported ever having a glycated hemoglobin test. While nearly all respondents reported an individual physician encounter ever, only 39% reported ever receiving nutrition counseling and only 21% reported attending one or more sessions of diabetes education in their lifetime. Processes of care and outcomes were no different in patients with and those without social security coverage.   CONCLUSIONS In Mexico, the quality of diabetes care is poor. Despite receiving social security, many patients still have to pay out-of-pocket to access needed care. Without policy changes that address these barriers to comprehensive diabetes management, scientific achievements in diagnosis and pharmacotherapy will have limited impact.
The anticancer agent irinotecan(CPT-11),in combination with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin,is indicated as a component of first-line therapy for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.It is also used for the treatment of recurrent matastatic colorectal cancer after initial fluorouracil-based therapy.The main adverse effects of irinotecan are myelosuppression and delayed diarrhea.The pharmacokinetics of irinotecan is extremely complex and the individual variation is significant.Irinotecan is subject to extensive metabolism by various polymorphic enzymes,including CES2,members of the uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase(UGT) 1A subfamily,CYP3A and the adenosine-triphosphate(ATP) binding cassette(ABC) transporters.In this article, we reviewed the role of genetic polymorphisms in the main enzymes of inirinotecan metabolism and ABC-transporters.
The paper reviews the results of breeding and quantitative traits of domestic cultivars of alfalfa, red clover, birdefoot trefoil, white clover and esparcet. Using different sources of genetic variability and appropriate breeding methods, 24 alfalfa cultivars, 10 red clover cultivars, 5 birdefoot trefoil cultivars, and one cultivar of each white clover and esparcet have been developed. Based on long-term trials conducted under the different agroecological conditions of the country, it was concluded that the domestic perennial legumes have high production potentials for yields of green forage (OF) and dry matter (DM). The domestic alfalfa cultivars produced on average 65.6 t ha-1 OF, or 15.3 t ha-1 DM. DM quality was very good - the average content of crude proteins (CP) was 199.6 g ka-1 DM, crude cellulose (CC) 261.8 g ka-1 DM and Pi-free extract (BEM) 392.0 g ka-1 DM. The respective average values for the red clover cultivars were 52.4 t ha-1 OF, 11.2 t ha-1 DM, 195.6 g kg-1 CP, 220.4 g ka-1 CC and 440.8 g kg-1 BEM. The respective average values for the birdsfoot trefoil cultivars were 52.9 t ha-1 QF, 14.1 t ha-1 DM, 199.7 g ka-1 CP, 274.8 g ka-1 CC and 397.7 g ka-1 BEM. Although the white clover cultivar K-33 and the esparcet cultivar Krajina were first of their kind developed in our country, their production potentials and quality were very good.
Phase space reconstruction method was introduced to power quality research field to investigate the disturbances including voltage sag,voltage swell,voltage interruption,voltage spike,harmonic and flicker.Disturbance signals in time domain were mapped into 2-D phase plane to construct different trajectories,which were converted to binary images after amplitude normalization and coding process.Four indices of trajectory image were defined to be maximum deviation(MD),carrier similarity ratio(CCS),disturbance overlay area(DOA) and mean amplitude(MA).The feature indices of the six disturbances were calculated to show that MD of voltage spike,CCS of harmonic and DOA of flicker were dramatically different from those of other disturbance.The value of MA can be utilized to distinguish among sag,swell and interruption.By the four indices,features of different disturbances can be extracted effectively.
AICPA ENGAGE brought together six conferences in Las Vegas for a massive event that featured experts in accounting and audit, accounting marketing, estate planning, personal financial planning, tax strategies for high-income individuals, and technology. A small sampling of guidance from the conference's speakers is presented in this article. UNDERSTANDING BLOCKCHAIN By Lou Carlozo By strict definition, blockchain is a global digital ledger of economic transactions that is transparent, continually updated by coundess users, and considered by many as almost impossible to corrupt or hack. But in the broader sense, blockchain is also a lightning rod for highly charged opinions, confusion, and even fear. Some argue that blockchain will completely transform finance, accounting, and auditing. Others are decidedly more circumspect regarding its impact. And a certain segment is nervous, not knowing whether blockchain will make portions of the accounting profession obsolete--perhaps large ones, specifically as it relates to the current audit and tax practices focusing on compliance. "I don't think it is going to cut our profession out," L. Gary Boomer, CPA/CITP, CGMA, former CEO of Boomer Consulting, and now the company's strategist and visionary, said in an interview. "But one of the things we have in our profession is the Rube Goldberg machine: A lot of processes that maybe don't add value. If you're not adding value, you'd better figure out how you're going to provide value in the future." As one of many speakers presenting at the ENGAGE conference, Boomer said CPAs would be wise to learn about blockchain quickly. Boomer highlighted a number of crucial concepts that help explain blockchain and give insight into its value propositions for the accounting profession. * Blockchain is secure and immutable. "While everyone thinks of the internet as public, blockchain protects transactions and increases the security and privacy," Boomer said. In theory it cannot be hacked because that would require overpowering all the computers that contribute to and update the ledger network--a feat akin to hijacking the entire internet. * Think of blockchain as the "internet of value." As opposed to focusing on the exchange and transmission of information, the internet of value centers on transactions. That concept also gives a clue to where blockchain's impact on accounting will be felt first. * Blockchain data will create new business opportunities. Boomer noted that because the speed of transactions on blockchain is increased significantly, "this has value for the audit, which is typically performed months after the fact. It will be faster and cheaper, but I don't think auditors should throw in the towel." Instead, they will need to develop a more datacentric approach. "They have to be more involved with the data and use it with a forward rather than historic perspective," Boomer said. "The result is a higher-valued service." Full story: tinyurl.com/y724ecbd DIGITAL DISRUPTION CREATES OPPORTUNITIES By Russ Banham To add value in this era of digital disruption, CPAs must understand how different technologies are transforming their clients' businesses. This is not a once-and-done exercise, due to continual technological ingenuity and innovation. Audit and advisory firms simply must keep abreast of all current and burgeoning innovations. Audrey Katcher, CPA/CITP, CGMA, a partner in RubinBrowns Business Advisory Services Group, spoke on the top six transformative changes in companies that are driven by technology: * Governance complexities. In many organizations, cybersecurity is "owned" by the IT function, which is tasked to implement, supervise, and maintain new systems and applications. Today, cybersecurity must be owned by the entity itself, because the location, accuracy, and security of a company's data, and the resiliency of its network to withstand cyberattacks, represent a business and compliance issue of importance to senior executives and board members. …
The nonlinear longitudinal equations of motion for AHFV's are characterized by a coupling due to the control surfaces as well as a significant coupling between engine and flight dynamics. In addition to these couplings the non-standard dynamic characteristics of AHFV's and uncertainties in the parameter values make the flight control design of these vehicles highly complex. In the presence of input coupling terms and uncertainties nonlinear control design using feedback linearization may not be possible. The reason is that the low order derivatives of the regulated outputs of the AHFV model contains an expression depending on the input and consequently this makes feedback linearization a highly challenging task. In this paper, we apply a methodology of using a feedback linearization base uncertainty modeling approach in order to design a nonlinear robust controller for an AHFV. In this paper we consider a more recent curve fitted model (CFM) model of an AHFV recently reported in the literature. This model contains an extra input in the form of a canard, input couplings and flexible effects. The main objectives achieved in this paper are the derivation of a control-oriented linearized uncertainty model (CLUM) based on the CFM and the design of a nonlinear robust tracking controller to track velocity and altitude step reference commands. The CLUM is developed by considering uncertain aerodynamic and inertial parameters. We assume that the uncertainties arising due to the couplings and parameters satisfy an integral quadratic constraint condition. This approach of modeling allow us to obtain a full vector relative degree system with respect to the regulated outputs of velocity and altitude, which is one of the conditions needed to be satisfied for feedback linearization. Based on the CLUM for the AHFV, a robust nonlinear tracking controller is constructed by using a minimax LQR approach. Simulation results using a curve fitted model (CFM) and varying uncertain parameters are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the CLUM and minimax control design method. Furthermore, a Monte-Carlo type simulation has been performed to verify the stability and performance of the proposed controller for the greater ranges of uncertainties.
Introduction: Hyponatremia secondary to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) during amiodarone therapy is a rare but potentially lethal adverse effect. We report a case of severe hyponatremia associated with amiodarone, and discuss its clinical implications. Case Report: An 84-year-old Caucasian man with a past medical history of hypertension and diabetes was admitted to the hospital with a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. He underwent coronary artery bypass graft and developed atrial fibrillation on postoperative day 2. A loading dose of amiodarone followed by a maintenance dose was started. The serum sodium level was 136 mmol/l at discharge and subsequently decreased to 105 mmol/l 11 days later, at which time the patient represented with altered mental status. The diagnosis of SIADH was made based on euvolemic hypoosmotic hyponatremia, lack of any other medication known to cause SIADH and urine that was less than maximally dilute. The serum sodium increased gradually to 123 mmol/l after 36 h of treatment with hypertonic saline, demeclocycline and fluid restriction. Conclusion: SIADH-induced hyponatremia associated with amiodarone occurs rarely. Since severe hyponatremia is associated with significant neurological damage and mortality, clinicians should carefully monitor serum sodium during amiodarone therapy.
Variation in tire-pavement noise levels produced by different ASTM Standard Reference Test Tires (SRTT) on ten different test track pavements was investigated using the on-board sound intensity method as a portion of the NCHRP 1-44 (1) Project, Measuring Tire-Pavement Noise at the Source: Precision and Bias. The measurements included eleven new SRTTs and six older, in-service tires. Ten different pavements were used in this evaluation including eight asphalt and two concrete test sections. The average of the ranges in level for the new tires as measured on the ten pavements was found to be 1.1 dB. In comparison, the average of ranges for a single tire tested multiple times was 0.7 dB. The six in-service tires produced a smaller average of ranges of 0.9 dB, however, when older and newer tires are considered together, the average increased to 1.6 dB. As groups, the older tires were found to produce levels 0.5 dB higher than the new tires on average. The older tires had higher tread rubber durometer hardness values than the new tires, however, within each group, consistent trends could not be identified. After nine months, the original new tires were retested. Some of the tires were subjected to mileage accumulation, accelerated aging, and wheel width changes. It was found that the effect of tire aging variables including hardness, tread depth, time since construction, and mileage, were not necessarily consistent from tire-to-tire. However, considering the extremes of durometer hardness, reduced tread depth, accumulated mileage, and in-service years, a proposed strategy for retiring test tires based on a combination of these factors is advanced.
Abstract The present research work is focused on the production of aluminum alloy 8011 with 12 wt.-% fly ash composite by using the stir casting method. A three-level central composite design experiment is developed using response surface methodology (RSM) with various parameters. Load, time and sliding velocity are varied in the range of (5-15 N), (5-15 min) and (1.5-4.5 m × s-1), respectively. Dry sliding wear tests are performed as per the experimental design using a pin-on-disc at room temperature. This paper describes how optimization studies were carried out on a dry sliding wear process with multi-response characteristics based on MCDM using the TOPSIS approach. The process parameters, load, time and sliding velocity are optimized with multi-response characteristics, including the wear rate (WR), and the coefficient of friction (COF). A sensitivity analysis is also carried out and compared with the relative impact of input parameters on wear behavior in order to verify the measurement errors on the values of the uncertainty in estimated parameters. The experimental results indicate that the multi-response characteristics of aluminum alloy 8011 with 12 wt.-% fly ash composite used during the wear behavior process can be enhanced through the TOPSIS method.
With the declining of our farmland and increasing of landless peasants,the livelihood of farmers in Chengdu Plain has been greatly affected and challenged.A large number of peasants are faced with the difficulty of changing their former simple traditional livelihood into livelihood diversity.How and what do they choose the means of livelihood diversity is closely connected with their household income and the stability of rural areas in Chengdu Plain.This paper,using foreign analysis method on farmers' livelihoods capital,analyzes the reasons and motivations of this change in Chengdu Plain by empirical study and case interviews.It also studies the great effect that human capital has made during this process.According to the survey results and the actual situation in the survey area,we adjust the specific index.This paper analyzes famers' livelihood capital status,the characteristics of livelihood diversity on Chengdu Plain,as well as the relationship between capital and livelihood diversity.The analysis results in the following conclusions:residents' livelihood capital and the livelihood diversity levels are in moderate positive correlation;human capital and livelihood diversity levels are in high positive correlation.
In various embodiments, the present invention is, for example, comprises administering a TACI-Ig fusion molecule in a patient in need, provides methods and compositions for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis. In certain embodiments, the TACI-Ig fusion molecules, dull growth induction function of BIyS and APRIL, is administered in an amount sufficient to suppress or inhibit.
With proper spectacle correction, the healthy human eye is capable of seeing 20/20. Common causes of reduced vision, such as cataracts and macular degeneration, are easily detected during routine examination. In many cases, however, patients present with reduced vision for which no obvious etiology is immediately apparent. This paper deals with the most common of such presentations. Entities to be discussed include amblyopia, hysteria/malingering, monofixation syndrome, partial albinism, subtle macula disease, and occult optic nerve disease.
We report our experiences with surgical repair of aneurysms of hemodialysis fistulas. After partial resection and suture of the aneurysm a perivascular metal mesh tubing (Biocompound Shunt) is applied to prevent the development of a new aneurysm. This method allows the use of the autologous vein for hemodialysis access for longer periods. In 6 patients treated in this way we found after a median period of 23 months a new dilatation of the vein of 10 up to 21 millimetres without stenosis, thrombosis or infection. All patients were satisfied with this type of surgery.
This article will report on several IP-based satellite backbones in operation in Indonesia. Basically, shared VSAT IP service, such as Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) service seems to be the favorite low cost solution for broadband IP satellite backbone compared to the more costly Single Channel Per Carrier (SCPC). Answers to questions, such as typical configurations providing the service, will be described. Some of these services may be run without any government license. The receive-only IP VSAT service is one of these.
It has previously been shown that there are many benefits to be obtained in combining several techniques in one in situ set-up to study chemical processes in action. Many of these combined set-ups make use of two techniques, but in some cases it is possible and useful to combine even more. A set-up has recently been developed that combines three X-ray-based techniques, small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) and quick-scanning EXAFS (QEXAFS), for the study of dynamical chemical processes. The set-up is able to probe the same part of the sample during the synthesis process and is thus able to follow changes at the nanometre to micrometre scale during, for example, materials self-assembly, with a time resolution of the order of a few minutes. The practicality of this kind of experiment has been illustrated by studying zeotype crystallization processes and revealed important new insights into the interplay of the various stages of ZnAPO-34 formation. The flexibility of this set-up for studying other processes and for incorporating other additional non-X-ray-based experimental techniques has also been explored and demonstrated for studying the stability/activity of iron molybdate catalysts for the anaerobic decomposition of methanol.
After describing the meaning,function and existing problems in wetland ecosystem,the current situa- tion of wetland ecosystems (WE) in Hainan,which plays an important role in WE of China,is described.From 1995 to 2003,the area of inland-wetland system,ocean and coastal wetland system has been reduced 20.7% and 41.4% respectively.The area of artificial wetland system has only been increased 1.2%.The worse situa- tion was mainly caused by reclamation and reformed without carefully planning.WE was destroyed by a vicious circle caused by the development of ecological tour,pollution and the destruction of biodiversities.These four reasons were interconnected which made the situation of WE in Hainan worse.Six management suggestions were proposed.They included the change of development conception,more detail investigation on WE,more financial support,strengthening the legislation and its implementation to protect WE,and to recover wetland on the basis of reasonable utilization.
Pediatric patients are subspecialists in obtaining or placing foreign bodies in odd places, commonly within the ears and nose. As emergency practitioners, we will be faced with identifying and removing these objects. This course will describe the evolution of foreign body types and update practitioners regarding newer modalities to identify and remove challenging foreign bodies. OBJECTIVES  Describe when foreign bodies may represent truly emergent conditions (presence of nasal button battery, risk of airway foreign body, etc.)  Discuss the role of plain imaging in identifying foreign body presence and type (button battery)
All-ceramic systems have been utilized for fixed partial dentures (FPDs) to replace a missing tooth since the early 1990s. Clinical studies that assess the long-term outcome of both anterior and posterior three-unit all-ceramic FPDs are required to determine whether they can serve as a viable treatment option for functional and aesthetic tooth replacement. This article discusses the evolution and development of all-ceramic systems for FPDs as well as the clinical and laboratory considerations for treating patients using these restorations.
As is well known, exact probabilistic graphical inference requires a triangulated graph. Different triangulations can make exponential differences in complexity, but since nding the optimum is intractable, a wide variety of heuristics have been proposed, most involving a vertex elimination ordering. Elimination always yields a triangulated graph, can produce all edge minimal triangulations, and can also produce triangulations having the smallest maximal clique size. In this paper, we show that there are cases of practical importance where the optimal triangulation is unobtainable with elimination. Specically , we show that real-world models with deterministic dependencies exist where the best elimination-based triangulation can have an unboundedly larger state space than the optimal triangulation. We present new methods that, unlike elimination, can generate optimal state space triangulations for such models, and give results for both real and randomly generated graphs. We also give an algorithm and correctness proof for determining if a triangulation can be obtained via elimination, and give a new proof that the decision problem associated with nding optimal state space triangulations is NP-complete.
This article explores the issue of diversity, first from a global perspective and then within the discipline of occupational therapy. Particular foci are the emergent diversity in occupational therapy theory, research, and finally in practice developments. Two symbols, meaningful in Aotearoa (New Zealand) are used as motifs throughout: the koru, capturing the potential of diversity in occupational therapy and the wero, or challenge that the profession faces in more fully embracing diversity in the future.
Sloep, P. B. (2009). Innovation as a distributed, collaborative process of knowledge generation: open, networked innovation. In V. Hornung-Prahauser & M. Luckmann (Eds.), Kreativitat und Innovationskompetenz im digitalen Netz - Creativity and Innovation Competencies in the Web, Sammlung von ausgewahlten Fach- und Praxisbeitragen der 5. EduMedia Fachtagung 2009 (pp. 33-38). Mai, 4-5, 2009, Salzburg, Austria: Salzburg Research Forschungsgesellschaft m.bH.
This report was prepared for the Forest Service’s National OHV Policy & Implementation Teams. The source of data is the National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (NSRE). The data used in this report from the NSRE were collected between the fall of 1999 through late 2004. More about the NSRE can be found at this web site, www.srs.fs.fed.us/trends. As the reader will note, detailed results from the NSRE describing off-highway vehicle users can be found in the Appendices to this report (reader, please note that wording . We chose to put the more detailed results in appendices to reduce the number and length of data tables in the main body of this report. The focus of this report is on off-highway driving of motor vehicles. Wording of the question in the NSRE referred to “off-road” driving because this is how the activity was phrased in previous NSRE surveys. For this report we will consider off-highway and off-road to be the same.
The present invention provides a flat pipe, and a plurality of grooves form of a flat plate type heat pipe extending from the inner surface to the left and right of the through-hole having a predetermined through hole formed therein, the interior of the heat pipe is a vacuum during state, for phase changes between the state of the liquid and gas of the working fluid, the heat in the heat pipe is released to the outside, the working fluid to flow by capillary forces produced by a plurality of grooves, thereby, while being produced by a simple process, it is possible to obtain a strong capillary force and good cooling effect.
There are currently over 2000 dental textbooks available. The Internet imposes new boundaries for an educational material making it more multimedia orientated and universally available. Our goal was to produce a virtual textbook of Gnathology. Project was conducted for one year and involved a team of computer sciences experts. Beside main textbook website, accessory functions were programmed. Glossary including most common terms was integrated into the textbook. Advanced features provided automatic explanation when pointer was over the term defined in glossary. Search engine and multimedia support was also included. Textbook was entirely editable using the default web browser software as a tool which enabled easy access for all contributors. The web site was tested by a group of students (N=30) and staff members (N=22) of the School of Dental Medicine University of Zagreb. Main features covered in evaluation questionnaire were: ease of usage, intuitiveness of browsing, site updating and ability to find information in the textbook. Results: The project resulted in fully functional web site Gnathology@net available at http://www.gnatologija.net . Mean ease of usage index calculated from gathered answers was 8.4 measured on scale from 1 to 10. Around 91% of students and 84% of staff found this web site intuitive to use. Approximately 43% of the staff had no significant problem in updating an article, 33% had problems which needed an educative course and 23% felt that technology was too complicated. When examinees were asked to find a picture or explanations of specific term in site, mean time was 57 seconds.
ABSTRACT Our study of 120 partners in dual-earner relationships (sixty couples with data collected from both partners) examined the impact of two independent variables - differentials in support and magnitude of support provision - on quality of life and marital conflict. We also investigated the role of individuals' normative beliefs about career priorities in dual-earner relationships on the support [arrow right] well being relationship. Our results supported our hypotheses that the magnitude of tangible and emotional support provision would be negatively related to marital conflict and positively related to quality of life. We also found that emotional support differentials related to elevated marital conflict, and that tangible support differentials contributed to decreased life quality. Finally, our data indicated that normative beliefs about career priorities moderated relationships between tangible support differentials and marital conflict, and magnitude of emotional support and quality of life. Key words: Normative beliefs, partner support differentials, career priority, marital conflict, quality of life. INTRODUCTION The burgeoning number of dual-earner couples in the workforce (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006) today has changed organizational and family life (Archer & Llyod, 2002; Bond, Thompson, Galinsky & Prottas, 2002) resulting in increasing research attention on the dynamics of dual-earner relationships (Byron, 2005; Litzky, Becker & Parasuraman, 1 998; Purohit, 2000) especially in terms of partner support (Livingston & Judge, 2008; Neff & Karney, 2005; Walen & Lachman, 2000). Partner support has been examined as a resource assisting individuals in dealing with intense, and often conflicting, work and non-work role demands (Eby, Casper, Lockwood, Bordeaux & Brinley, 2005; Friedman & Greenhaus, 2000; Litzky, Purohit & Weer, 2008). The present study furthers partner support research by examining the impact of support provision differentials and magnitude on individuals' marital conflict and quality of life. This study also contributes to existing research by examining whether individuals' normative beliefs about the career priorities of dual-earner couples influence the relationship between partner support and well being. PARTNER SUPPORT IN DUAL-EARNER RELATIONSHIPS Researchers have examined different aspects of partner support including types of partner support (Bird & Schnurman-Cook, 2005; Parasuraman, Purohit, Godshalk & Beutell, 1996), functions of partner support (Carlson & Perrewe, 1999; Grzywacz & Marks, 2000), sources of support (Beauregard, 2007; Friedman & Greenhaus, 2000; Neff & Karney, 2005), and predictors of partner support (Litzky et al, 2008; Purohit, 2000). Despite what we know, research examining partner support has disproportionately focused on support receivers rather than on support providers (Eby et al., 2005; Granrose, Parasuraman & Greenhaus, 1992; Purohit, 2000). With a unidirectional focus on support recipients, we know almost nothing about support providers' support perceptions (Purohit, 2000; Shumaker & Brownell, 1984). A related research gap stems from the fact that in most partner support research data is typically collected from only one partner despite the fact that partner support is widely acknowledged as a dyadic exchange phenomenon (Crossfield, Kinman, & Jones, 2005; Eby et al, 2005; Granrose et al., 1992; Greenhaus & Parasuraman, 1994). Consequently, researchers have emphasized that to understand truly the interpersonal nature of partner support it is imperative for future research in this area to study both partners in the support process, and to assess support as a continuous exchange progression (Eby et al., 2005; Parasuraman & Greenhaus 1992, 1993; Purohit, 2000). Previous research also indicated that there are systematic differences in the magnitude and types of support partners provide and receive (Cinamon & Rich, 2002; Neff & Karney, 2005; Reevy & Maslach, 200 1). …
limitation (Figs. 1–3). There was no evidence of paresthesias or other neurological symptoms. Under sedation, the patient received the injection of 20 mg of triamcinolone in each carpi. In a check-up 1 month later, she reported a clear improvement, mentioning the nearly complete disappearance of the pain within 24–48 h after the injection, and an improvement in mobility. We consider that, like the authors of the letter we comment here, local corticosteroid injection is a valid option in cases of carpal pain secondary to Madelung’s deformity during the pediatric age, even in the absence of symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. Moreover, as the skeleton of the child is still growing, it is necessary to postpone surgical treatment. Thus, in our opinion, local injection is an interesting conservative option given the potential relief of the symptoms, with a low probability of complications. Nevertheless, we have not found publications dealing with this therapeutic approach, nor of its mediumand long-term efficacy.
Objective To understand the infection status of trichomonas,Candida mycoderma and bacterial vaginosis in famale vaginitis patients in Qingdao area.Methods To collect vaginal secretion from vaginitis patients in the gynecologic outpatient.To use normal saline smearing for detecting trichomonas and Candida mycoderma bacteria and to use the sialidase method for rapid detection of bacterial vginosis.Results In 6 345 specimens,2 878 positive cases were detected with the positive rate of 45.4%.Among them,145 cases were trichomonas with the detection rate of 2.3%,1 617 cases were Candida mycoderma with the positive rate of 26.3% and 1 697 cases were bacterial vaginosis with the positive of 26.7%.Conclusion The infection rate of bacterial vaginosis in females of Qingdao is high.In order to understand the total infection rate of the females in Qingdao,we should make bacterial vaginosis detection as a routine test.By this way,we can provide more valuable information for clinical diagnosis and treatment of this kind of disease.
Aimed at the problem due to changes of the urban traffic flow,based on the improvement of the project of intersections signal lamp,bi-level optimal model of dynamic route guidance was established.In the upper level model,the minimization of travel time was used as the objective function;in the lower level model,the minimization of intersection delay was used as the objective function.Improved ant colony system algorithm(IACA) was applied to solution and improvement of the model,and multi-strip quasi-optimal routes were obtained.Taking practical intersections as example,calculated results of model before and after improvement of signal lamp time assignment were compared.Results show that the model after improvement of signal lamp time assignment can find more time-saving route and less waiting time of intersections.
The invention relates to an auditing interface generating method. The method comprises the steps that a patient ID of a patient seeing a doctor in a hospital is obtained; the basic information of the patient is called from a basic database by means of the patient ID; prescribing/medical advise information of the patient ID is obtained; drug information is extracted from the prescribing/medical advise information; test information of the patient ID is called from a test database, and first link information of the test information is generated; auditing associated information is called from a rational drug use rule base, and a second link information of the auditing associated information is generated; auditing warning information generated after the drug information is audited according to rational drug use rules is obtained; a first auditing information data set is generated by means of the basic information of the patient, the drug information, the first link information of the test information, the second link information of the auditing associated information and the auditing warning information; a first auditing interface is generated by means of the first auditing information data set.
The wide use of pesticides has led to the contamination of surface and groundwater which compose the main sources of drinking water worldwide. In drinking water production plants, sand filters are used for removing iron and manganese oxides. Although the concentrations of pesticides in environmental waters are typically within the μg/L range, the high water flow in these sand filters might cause growth of micro-organisms adapted to degrade pesticides or their degradation products. To investigate this hypothesis, mineralization of bentazone, 2methyl-4-chloorphenoxyacetic acid (MCPA) and 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) was examined in sand filter material sampled at 8 Belgian drinking water production plants differing in water source, water flow rate and contamination level.
This research described the applying of natural science learning CD which is based on the 5E learning cycles to overcome the problem about low of students’ competence achievement in learning natural science. This problem was caused by the limited materials and less interesting learning method used by the teachers so the students are lack of motivation to study and this situation drove to meaningless learning process. This research was Quasi-Experimental research and used Randomized Control Group Only Design. The population was VIII grade students in SMPN 2 Padang registered in 2014/2015 academic year. The samples were chosen by applying purposive sampling. There were two classes chosen as group samples; they are VIII3 class as experimental class and VIII2 class as control class. The data were collected and calculated statistically by using t-test in three domains equality test. The result of the research of three domains showed experimental class had higher average scores than control class. The result of statistical test showed that the differences of two classes had scores 0.05. It can be concluded that there is an effect on applying of natural science learning CD which is based on the 5E learning cycles
TNF-α is the first cytokine that appeared after brain injury. It can be neuroprotective or neurotoxic for the brain. IL-10 prevents astrocyt necrotic. IL-10 is needed to keep production of TNF-α not abundant. The aim of this study is to know the role of early serum TNF-α/IL-10 ratio as outcome predictor for operated epidural haematoma. The method used is observational with prospective study. Samples, 23 men and 4 women. Age intervals are 10-47 years old. Results showed that early serum TNF-α/IL-10 ratio >1,0 in more cases (74,1%) compared with worst (25,9%). After operated, TNF-α/IL-10 ratio didn’ t show many changes, (22,2% >1,0 and 77,8% 1,0, there are more unfavourable cases that meant if early serum TNF-α/IL-10 ratio become high, the case become more unfavourable. From patients with bad early serum TNF-α/IL-10 ratio >1,0, unfavourable cases were 17,1 times higher than groups with early serum TNF-α/IL-10 ratio 1,0, all cases were unfavourable (100%), and if brain injuries were moderate with early serum TNF-α/IL-10 ratio <1,0, none cases was unfavourable (0%). We concluded that early serum TNF-α/IL-10 ratio can be used as outcome predictor for operated patient with epidural haematoma. Keywords: brain injury, TNF-α, IL-10, epidural haematoma
Recent studies have suggested that regular use of beta2-agonists has adverse effects on asthma control, due to the cross-talk between cAMP responsive element binding proteins (CREB) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR). The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between GR and CREB on cytoplasmic protein level with a gel mobility shift assay and to determine the effect of this interaction on mRNA levels by Northern blot analysis. After exposing human bronchial epithelial cells for 1 hr to either 1 microM terbutaline or budesonide, more binding of CREB and GR, respectively, was observed to their responsive elements in DNA. Simultaneous exposure to terbutaline and budesonide also increased the binding of CREB and GR to DNA. After 4 hr, both alpha and beta GR mRNAs were down-regulated by 1 microM budesonide. Simultaneous addition of 1 microM terbutaline prevented this down-regulation. Adding 100 times more budesonide compared to terbutaline again down-regulated both GR forms, although significantly less compared to the down-regulation induced by 1 microM budesonide alone. Addition of terbutaline to cells already exposed to budesonide did not reverse the GR mRNA expression within 44 hr. Similar results were obtained with metallothionein-2 (MT2) mRNA levels. In conclusion, beta2-agonists interfere with the GR function in human bronchial epithelial cells when given simultaneously, with this being overcome by sequential exposure of the cells to first glucocorticoids and later beta2-agonists.
Coal is fuelling India’s economic growth. In 2012, it accounted for 45 per cent of total primary energy demand and 72 per cent of generated electricity, making India the third-largest coal consumer in the world (IEA Medium-Term Coal Market Report, 2014). Energy demand in India is set to more than double from 2012 to 2040. Despite substantial investments in other energy sources, especially in renewables, coal will remain the dominant fuel to 2040, with demand doubling over the period. This dominance is in large part due to India’s vast proved coal reserves – the world’s fifth largest (BP Statistical Review, 2014). Domestic production was 605 million tonnes (Mt) in fiscal year 2012/13 and is expected to increase to 736 Mt by 2019. However, the actual economic viability of reserves and their suitability for high-tech applications, especially in the power and steel sector, remain debated among experts. For example, untreated Indian coal has only limited suitability for super-critical power plants that are to become the norm for all coal-based generation starting from 2017. Consequently, the share of imported coal will increase sharply over the next decades. In FY 2012/13, India imported 135 Mt (22 per cent of total demand). Imports are expected to triple to 2040 and import dependency to rise to nearly 40 per cent (all data from IEA World Energy Outlook, 2014; IEA Medium-Term Coal Market Report, 2014). Given coal’s crucial role, the sector faces some important challenges that have implications for India’s economic development.
Determining whether something has a biological cause is difficult, and locating a specifically genetic link is even more so. The handful of studies that purportedly add up to incontestable "proof" that homosexuals are "born that way" are inconclusive at best and, as Dr. Rahman notes, "largely correlational in nature." In some cases, such as the twins studies, the evidence strongly indicates that early environment is more likely the dominant factor to have produced homosexual desires.
This study was conducted to determine the effects of four plant populations, four levels of NPK fertilizer and their interacions on summer and winter seed yield of sudangrass ( Sorghum sudanense "Piper" Stapf). Lower plant population of 8 plants per m2 (one plant/hole) coupled with 240 kg NPK/ha, which is equivelant to 1N, significantly increased number of panicles/plant, number of seeds/panicle, 1000-seed weight and final seed yield of sudangrass. Plant height and dry matter yield were increased when either one plant or three plants/hole were coupled with 240 kg NPK/ha. The highest seed yield (7.13 t/ha) of sudangrass was achieved from the main crop during the summer season when 8 plants/m2 (one plant/hole) were used with 240 kg NPK/ha. However, the highest air dry matter yield (11.25 t/ha) was obtained when the fertilizer rate of 240 kg NPK/ha and a plant population of 16 plants/m2 (2 plants/hole) were used. It is recommended that the crop should be sown during the summer season with a plant population of 80000 plants/ha (8 plants/m 2 , i.e. one plant per hole), coupled with 240 kg NPK/ha for seed production.
Abstract : This work indicates that the distribution and abundance of a class of marine microorganisms, the symbiotic luminous bacteria, are controlled by the dynamics of their relationship with their host. Such a conclusion constitutes the first time that the ecology of any marine bacterium could be related to a predictive biological factor. This study also points to the presence of a significant population of typically culturable V. fischeri cells in seawater that have entered a non-culturable state from which they can e recovered only through an association with a specific animal tissue. Such a phenomenon changes the way we view the initiation of the light organ symbiosis. However, of even broader interest, it suggests that at least a portion of the 99.9% of bacteria in seawater that can not be cultured may not be unknown or new species, but in fact are well-known, typically culturable bacteria that are awaiting a specific environmental cue that signals these cells to re-enter a proliferative stage.
This paper is a survey of recent achievements at the College of Optics and Photonics/CREOL at the University of Central Florida in the use of newly developed diffractive optical elements which are volume Bragg gratings recorded in a photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass. Three levels of semiconductor laser design are proposed to achieve high-power low-divergence output. The first level is coherent coupling of emitters by means of PTR Bragg gratings which provide excitation of only one common mode in a multichannel resonator. This type of phase locking automatically leads to a narrow spectral width of emission usually not exceeding a few tens of picometers. The second level is a change of the mechanism of transverse mode selection from spatial selection by apertures to angular selection by PTR Bragg gratings. This approach allows increasing of the aperture size without increasing the length and selecting of arbitrary mode but not necessarily a fundamental one. The third level is spectral beam combining by PTR Bragg gratings which re-direct radiation from several high-power fiber lasers to co-propagate in the same direction with diffraction limited divergence. This approach allows simplification of the thermal management because only passive devices with low absorption (a PTR volume Bragg gratings) are placed in the path of high power laser beam.
Boron deficiency is one of the most widespread of all micronutrient deficiencies. Plant response to boron deficiency varies widely among species or genotypes. In our past experiment, the differences were observed in boron content in shoots and distribution in different organs between B-efficient cultivar "9901" and B-inefficient one "9903". It has been proved that the phenomenon was in connection with different capacity of boron uptake between two cotton cultivars under boron deficiency. Bellaloui et al (1998) and Takano et al (2002) reported genotypic differences of boron efficiency in some species was attributed to different boron transport from roots to shoots. To further elucidate the mechanism of cotton genotypic differences, the transport of B and other mineral nutrients in xylem and phloem in two cotton cultivars with different B efficiency was studied under boron deficiency. The cotton seedlings were cultured in Hoagland solution, the 5-leaf-old seedlings were treated by 3 boron levels: 0, 0.002, 0.50 mg B per liter. The phloem and xylem exudation sap was collected after two weeks and the content of some mineral nutrients in the sap was determined by ICP-OES. Almost no boron was detected in cotton phloem sap at sufficient or insufficient boron supply, suggesting that B mobility in cotton was restricted. Boron concentration and exudation rate in xylem sap of two cotton cultivars were decreased at boron deficiency, but the trend was more obvious in B-inefficient cultivar. The B concentration in xylem sap of both cotton cultivars was lower than that of nutrient solution under sufficient boron supply (0.5 mg/L), but the contrary trend was found at a lower B supply (0.002 mg/L). B concentration in xylem sap for the efficient cultivar was up to 32 fold higher than in the nutrient solution and compared to 20.5 fold for the inefficient one. These suggest that there may be two different mechanisms for B translocation into xylem: a passive diffusion process plays an important role at sufficient B supply, but a concentration mechanism is involved at low B concentration. It seems that the latter mechanism works in B efficient (cotton) cultivar. The content of K, Mn, Cu and Zn in xylem sap in two cotton cultivars was increased at B deficiency, (but) with greater intensity in B efficient cultivar. The exudation rate of K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu and Zn in xylem sap of both (cotton) cultivars was cut down at B deficiency, the degree of reduction in B inefficient cultivar being greater than in B (efficient) one. When B was extremely insufficient, the exudation rate of K, Mg, Mn and Cu in phloem sap of B efficient (cotton) cultivar was raised, but depressed in B inefficient one. The exudation rate of Ca and Zn in phloem sap of both (cultivars) was decreased, but to greater degree in B inefficient one.
The origin of the Mount Edgar Batholith of the Pilbara Block in Western Australia is discussed, along with other Archean granitoids that show relatively primitive isotopic characteristics but more evolved bulk geochemistry. Geochemical evidence is presented in support of a multistage process of crustal ripening, involving partial melting of a thick basaltic crust to produce the tonalitic and dacitic sources of the more evolved granitoids. These events must produce stable continental crust in less than 200 Ma and are different geologically and geochemically from those which produced Phanerozoic granitoids in Andean margin settings.
espanolEl trabajo de investigacion se realizo con el objetivo de determinar los parametros cineticos en el cambio de color de la pulpa de cocona sometida a diferente tiempo y temperatura de tratamiento termico. Se recabaron frutos de cocona ovalado del mercado de abastos de la ciudad de Tingo Maria, se realizo la caracterizacion fisica y fisicoquimica de los frutos y se procedio al lavado, pelado y pulpeado y en una proporcion de 15 g/tubo fueron sometidos a tratamiento termico de 60, 70 y 80 °C por tiempos de 5, 10 y 15 minutos. Las fotografias digitales capturadas luego del tratamiento termico fueron procesadas mediante el software Just Color Picker determinandose los parametros de color RGB (Rojo, verde, azul), se determino la variacion del color y se determino la constante de la variacion del color arreglada a los diferentes ordenes de reaccion. Luego se determinaron los parametros cineticos: K, D, t0,5, Q10, z y la energia de activacion, La variacion del color de la pulpa de cocona se adapta a una cinetica de orden cero. Los datos cineticos de la variacion del color de la pulpa de cocona pueden ser usados para el diseno de tratamientos termicos de escaldado o pasteurizacion. EnglishThe research work was carried out with the objective of determining the kinetic parameters in the color change of the cocona pulp subjected to different time and temperature. heat treatment. Oval cocona fruits were collected from the market of supplies from the city of Tingo Maria, the physical and physicochemical characterization of the fruits under study was carried out, and washing, peeling and pulping were carried out and at a rate of 15 g / tube they were subjected to heat treatment of 60, 70 and 80 °C for 5, 10 and 15 minutes. The digital photographs captured after the heat treatment were processed by the Oval cocona fruits were collected from the market of supplies from the city of Tingo Maria, the physical and physicochemical characterization of the fruits under study was carried out, and washing, peeling and pulping were carried out and at a rate of 15 g/tube they were subjected to heat treatment of 60, 70 and 80 °C for 5, 10 and 15 minutes. The digital photographs captured after the heat treatment were processed by the Just Color Picker software, determining the RGB color parameters (Red, green, blue), the variation of the color was determined and the constant of the color variation adjusted to the different ones was determined. reaction orders. Then the kinetic parameters were determined: K, D, t0.5, Q10, z and the activation energy of the color variation. The color variation of the cocona pulp is adapted to zero order kinetics. The kinetic data of the color variation of the cocona pulp can be used for the design of scalding or pasteurization thermal treatments.
Abstract— This paper is based on an investigation to explore the dynamic relationship between US stock market index and three other stock indices of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This is accomplished by using discrete wavelet filtering, applied to daily data set from 6/29/2001 to 5/5/2009. After that cointegration test and VEC model are used to determine the long run and short run relationship between these stock markets. Cointegration test confirms the existence of cointegration between the studied series, and shows that there is a long run relationship between the US stock market and MENA stock markets, while the VEC model shows that there is a short run relationship between the aforesaid stock markets. Keywords— MENA stock markets, wavelet transform, cointegration test, unit root test, VEC model. I. I NTRODUCTION Increasing economic integration in the global encourages investors and academic scholars to focus on the issue of relationship among the stock markets around the world. This is mainly due to the importance of equity index as an economic indicator. The rise and fall of a country’s economy depends on the fluctuation of its stock market, which is influenced by local, regional, and global events.Although the stock markets of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries have recorded high returns and grown fast, yet the financial studies are poor on these countries. Since World War II, most of the world recessions are either a result of oil price shocks or some political instability within or uprising from MENA countries [8]. The empirical literature investigating the relationship among the stock markets predominantly apply simple correlation analysis, and multivariate analysis techniques such as cointegration tests and some models as VAR, GARCH model. Reference [3] used the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM); the static international CAPM, the constant-parameter intertemporal CAPM, and the Markov-switching intertemporal CAPM to examine the degree of integration between nine Middle East and North Africa countries with US stock market. The results show that the Turkey and Israel stock markets are most strongly integrated with US stock market. Moreover there is substantial time variation in the weights on local and global pricing of risk for all these markets, it was discovered that in most MENA markets there is primarily local pricing of risk and also a positive risk-return trade-off. Another study that investigated global and regional spillover effects was by [1] who used trivariate VAR-GARCH in mean model on 41 emerging market economies (EMEs) in Asia, Latin America, Europe and 7 countries of the Middle East and North Africa. It was found that spillovers from regional and global markets are present in the vast majority of EMEs. Spillovers in mean return dominate in emerging Asia and Latin America; however, spillovers in variance dominate in emerging Europe. The relative effecting of global and regional spillovers varies too, with global spillovers dominating in Asia, and regional spillovers in Latin America and the Middle East. Most of these studies have found that the relationship of stock returns is not constant over time. However the relationship and co-movement analysis should also consider the distinction between short and long term investors. Reference [2] argued that from the point of view of portfolio diversification, short term investors are more interested in the co-movements of stock returns at higher frequencies, and the long term investors focus on lower frequencies co-movements. As such one has to resort to a time frequency domain analysis to obtain an insight about co-movements at the particular time frequency level. Therefore, a useful analytical tool may be represented by Wavelet analysis which is a comparatively new and powerful mathematical tool for signal processing with the ability to decompose macroeconomic time series data into their time scale components. Recently [6] used, coherency of continuous wavelet analysis to examine the co-movement of US stock index and 22 emerging stock market returns namely( Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. They reported that the strength of co- movement differs by country. For example, there was a high degree of co-movement between US and Brazil, Mexico and Korea, while low degree of co-movement between US, Egypt and Morocco was observed. While in [4] used multi-scale correlations on scale by scale basis through the application of symmlities8 function of Maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT) to analyzed stock market returns co-movements among five countries of MENA region namely Jordan, Morocco, Israel, Egypt, and Turkey. The results show that the wavelet correlations coefficients exceed substantially unconditional at the longest wavelet scales. At the high frequencies there are the smallest numbers of significant co-movement of MENA stock market returns and the magnitude of the co-2014 Fifth International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Modelling and Simulation
The mammalian conceptus is surrounded by, and entirely supported by, maternal extracellular fluid, an environment whose stability is well regulated by the mother's own homeostatic mechanisms. However, it appears to be necessary for a fetus to maintain some independence from its mother. The placenta provides such a barrier; the fetus can enjoy a separate 'milieu interieur', which may be an advantage from immunological, endocrinological or nutritional aspects.Animal experiments suggest that the placental barrier is epithelial in nature. In common with other epithelia, it is relatively permeable to substances of high lipid solubility, such as gases. There is good evidence for the presence of special transfer mechanisms for those lipid-insoluble substances of biological importance such as sugars, aminoacids and at least some electrolytes. The development of such transfermechanisms would have been an evolutionary necessity in the presence of an otherwise relatively impermeable barrier, as transfer of adequate quantities of anabolic substrates needs to be guaranteed. Little is yet known of the selectivity of these mechanisms or of what controls them - or if they are controlled at all; and there is no evidence concerning whether their failure contributes to materno-fetal disease. At present, the placental epithelium may be considered to have a transport function in search of a pathology.Most experimental data have been obtained in animals, but observations in man suggest that, while there are differences in detail, there is considerable similarity in the overall pattern of placental epithelial function. Experiments made by man occur whenever medication is prescribed. The different patterns of permeability to drugs of differing properties provide support for the relative impermeability to lipid insoluble molecules, while the neonatal hyponatremia following intravenous glucose infusions to women in labour reflects the high placental permeability to water.Experiments of nature often depend on the constitutional differences between mother and the genetically different fetus. The markedly different protein phenotypes in mother and fetus implies a very low passive permeability to protein. Similarly the relative impermeability to thyroxine is evident from the delayed osseous maturation of the hypothyroid fetus in spite of normal maternal thyroxine levels. In some cases placental transfer functions contribute to fetal disease; for example, the placenta fails to protect the fetus from the hostile environment of maternal diabetes, phenylketonuria or rhesus isoimmunisation.Most such observations pose more questions than they answer. Yet these answers must be sought if we are fully to understand, and perhaps modify, the contribution of placental transfer mechanisms to fetal health and disease.
A multi-point fiber optic sensor array for methane detector (`OMEGA') has been developed and tested under semi- quantitative field conditions. The new system employed wavelength modulation spectroscopy using a DFB laser source scanned across the Q6 methane line at 1.665 micrometers . A branched fiber network connected the single source to up to 64 sensor heads. Controlled releases of natural gas were provided for test purposes within an array of four optical sensors and four pellistor reference sensors. An automated system delivered standard gases to each sensor, to enable routine calibration checks to be carried out. Agreement between the conventional and optical systems was excellent in the range 0 - 100% LEL (lower explosion limit). The optical system offers a simple, intrinsically safe design with a low cost of ownership per sensor head.
This study attempts to investigate the cross‐correlation between stocks listed under the XU100 index of Borsa Istanbul with several ratios and indices of the stock markets worldwide by using the Random Matrix Theory approach through a correlation matrix. In addition, Eigenvector Analysis, Network Analysis, Dimension Reduction will be carried out to investigate cross‐correlation between markets. It was found that XU100, which is an index that includes 100 stocks highest in volume, has a distinguishing behavior compared to other indices and rates in terms of eigenvalue and related eigenvector structures. Furthermore, mean‐value portfolio analysis showed that the empirical correlation matrix underestimates the portfolio risks than the correlation matrix obtained by filtering the noise. Coronavirus pandemic also affected Borsa Istanbul by breaking periodic behavior of volatility and correlation cycle.
The synthesis and crystal structures of two new macrocyclic compounds, As2(L2,5)2Cl2 and As2(L2,3)2Cl2, are described, where L2,3 and L2,5 are dithiolate ligands. For each compound, several diastereomeric isomers are possible (anti-“aligned”, syn-“aligned”, anti-“unaligned”, syn-“unaligned”), as shown by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, but only one is crystallized out of solution. For As2(L2,5)2Cl2, only the anti-aligned isomer crystallizes, as expected based on steric arguments and backed up by DFT calculations. Surprisingly, for As2(L2,3)2Cl2, an anti isomer crystallizes in which one As−Cl unit has folded into the macrocyclic cavity. While this goes against steric arguments and DFT calculations, this conformation best fills the space within the cavity, avoiding the entropic cost of a large void.
A lot of discussion lately has been about how to present Keynesian economics in the principles course. Some new principles textbook authors treat Keynesian economics as an historical artifact, no longer relevant to current economic events.' Others, such as McConnell and Brue (1999), continue to make Keynesian economics the core of students' understanding of macro. I am firmly on the side of saving Keynesian economics, or at least something similar to what we now call Keynesian economics. I explain in this article what I mean by that, but first, I present the arguments that have been put forward for dumping Keynesian economics. Four reasons have been generally suggested.
Introduction: Preterm infants are vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies, thus optimal nutrition is crucial in promoting growth among these infants. However, socio-cultural complexities and limited resources in the Asia-Pacific demands a judicious approach in implementing nutritional care that is pragmatic to align with current evidence-based recommendations. Methods: A roundtable meeting was held in Jakarta in 2017 for key opinion leaders in neonatology from the AsiaPacific to discuss issues when delivering nutritional care in this region and the unique circumstances encountered. Results: Priority areas discussed include: (i) breast milk feeding, (ii) donor milk bank/sharing, (iii) human milk fortification, and (iv) nutrient-enriched breast milk substitutes. Socio-cultural practices impeding breastfeeding, insufficient maternity leave, the religious issue of milk kinship, and limited availability of specialty nutritional care products were among the most challenging factors. Conclusion: The group proposed recommendations to enhance breastfeeding uptake, accessibility to a complete portfolio of specialty nutritional care products, and encouraging more active collaborations to engage policy makers in addressing these contemporary issues.
We have developed holders for scanning tunneling microscopy tips that can be used for in situ treatments of the tips, such as electron bombardment (EB) heating, ion sputtering, and the coating of magnetic materials. The holders can be readily installed into the transfer paths and do not require any special type of base stages. Scanning electron microscopy is used to characterize the tip apex after EB heating. Also, spin-polarized scanning tunneling spectroscopy using an Fe coated W tip on the Cr(001) single crystal surface is performed in order to confirm both the capability of heating a tip up to about 2200 K and the spin sensitivity of the magnetically coated tip.
In Reply .—We have carefully read the letter from Knobloch and Malone. They seem to have misunderstood the purpose of the KIDS chart as a simple screening tool. As stated, the KIDS chart is to be used as a screening mechanism to detect developmental delays. As such, it does not make diagnoses, much less differential diagnoses. Rather, it screens for deficiencies in several areas of development to alert the thoughtful clinician and prompt further and more comprehensive testing. Clear differences were demonstrated between our populations with normal and delayed development, and it is possible for delays in development of an individual infant to be detected early with this chart. We appreciate their pointing out that the Michigan Developmental Programming for Infants and Young Children is indeed a validated rather than a standardized profile, as was stated in our article. Lengthy, detailed lists of questions and items in ponderous, time-consuming developmental
Recent historical studies of social groups have stressed the need to know, in detail at a household and personal level, the precise objective character of individuals and their circumstances – the physical profile – to the extent that these can be defined, quantified and measured. One of the areas of success in the analysis of social change has come in studies that emphasize local situations. The local area – city, town, or district – was the context in which, for all but the small element who formed the upper class, life was conducted, social contacts circumscribed and power struggles and conflicts articulated. Local case-studies, particularly of urban and therefore geographically compact populations, have emerged as a major mechanism through which the details of dynamic social relationships can be identified and juxtaposed.
Abstract:We describe a distinctive tumor of the liver in four children composed of nested spindled and epithelioid cells with extensive desmoplasia that we have termed “desmoplastic nested spindle cell tumor of the liver.” All four patients were previously healthy. One patient had a presumptive diagnosis of hepatic hemangioma 11 years prior to presentation. Grossly, the tumors were well circumscribed, lobular white masses, ranging from 2.8 to 15 cm in diameter. These tumors were characterized by the presence of cohesive nests of plump, bland spindle cells arranged in short fascicles with an accompanying desmoplastic stroma. Epithelioid areas ranging from palisading epithelioid cells at the periphery of some nests to pseudoglandular and polygonal cells with intercellular bridges were invariably present. Mitotic activity was low. Calcification and ossification were present. Non-neoplastic bile ducts and hepatic elements were seen both within and surrounding the tumor cell nests. Each tumor displayed cytoplasmic reactivity for vimentin, pan-cytokeratin, CD57, and nuclear staining for WT1. Neuroendocrine markers were negative. Ultrastructurally, the tumor cells showed focally well-developed cell junctions, basal lamina, and few cytoplasmic organelles. All tumors were confined to the liver and were resected without complication. Two patients received postoperative adjuvant therapy for presumed hepatoblastoma. The patients are doing well without recurrence at 7.5 years, 7 years, 5 years, and 8 months post-surgery. The morphologic appearance and immunohistochemical profile of these lesions are unique in our experience and represent a new category of pediatric liver tumor.
Background: Skills to manage the chronic effect of stroke are often not sufficiently addressed in early stroke rehabilitation. Objectives: The study evaluated the feasibility of conducting a trial testing the efficacy of telehealth self-management support early in stroke recovery. Methodology: Process, resources, and scientific feasibility was assessed for a randomized controlled trial comparing the effect of motivational interviewing and a group-based self-management program to treatment-as-usual with first-time stroke patients. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, effect sizes, and thematic analysis. Results: Fifteen stroke patients were enrolled, and 10 completed the study (intervention n = 6). 100% attendance was achieved with technical support, reminders, and schedule flexibility. Participants were satisfied with the intervention and reported emotional benefits and gain of new insights. Perceived recovery showed moderate effect (r = 0.54). Conclusion: The findings support the feasibility of an efficacy trial as well as the potential benefit of integrating telehealth self-management support early in stroke rehabilitation.
This study numerically explores the diffusion rules of pollutants in an idealized urban street canyon where photochemical reactions are present in the neighbourhood. The airborne pollutants dispersion and reaction in street canyons are further investigated in this study. There is a relatively tense traffic pollutants release in urban neighborhoods, including nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. Photochemical reaction occurs at strong solar radiation, forming photochemical smog and other environment issues. We selected typical O3 + NO→O2 + NO2 reactions. Effects of the pollutant source location on pollutant dispersion and reaction are also investigated. Numerical simulations were conducted on chemically activity reactive air nitrogen oxides in urban street canyons with W (street canyon wide)/H (building height) = 1. Provided three different locations from the line source street canyon bottom exhaust nitric oxide diffusion and react with ozone in the free stream. The chemical reaction has a significant impact on the concentration of pollutants in the valley volume.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 includes health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) on the list of religious exemptions to the individual mandate. HCSMs are non-profit, faith-based organizations that share in the cost of medical bills but are not actually insurance. Precisely because HCSMs are not beholden to any of the ACA's insurance reforms, they have the advantage of costing less. Based primarily on in-depth interviews, I argue that thrift is the preeminent moral discourse that anchors the HCSM world. For members, thrift in health care is understood as a moral good and as a practice that offers possibilities for benefiting connected others and generating life fulfillment, or what Taylor refers to as "fullness." I suggest that a focus on thrift raises questions about how Americans make determinations about worth in health care and how they construct health care-seeking as deeply attached to their visions of how they want life to be.
PMMA bone cements are widely used in orthopaedics, but questions remain as to their long term durability. Although fatigue of bone cements has been widely studied, the effects of variable amplitude loading are not fully understood. This paper presents a novel method using a crossover experimental design, in which a crack is propagated under ΔK control and a series of different overload patterns are applied. This method allowed accurate and repeatable measurements of the effects of overloads on crack growth. It was found that single overloads every ten to 100 cycles caused a pronounced increase in the crack growth rate compared to Paris Law predictions; there was no evidence of retardation as would be expected in most materials. Overloads may fracture intermittently propagating crazes and help the crack past micro-structural obstacles, allowing disproportionately faster crack growth. The observed increase in crack growth rate over a wide range of different overload intervals and for single and block overloads could be accounted for by an eight-fold increase in crack growth rate for approximately fifty cycles after each overload.
The Early Eocene Margalla Hill Limestone is well exposed in core of Hazara Kashmir Syntaxis. A section at Battlian is measured and sampled for paleontological studies, where its lower contact with Patala Formation and upper contact with Chorgali Formation is transitional and conformable. The total observed thickness is 73 meters and 60 samples were collected from bottom to top at different levels, 50 thin sections were studied. 19 species of larger forams including age diagnostic Nummulites mamillatus, Nummulites atacicus, Assilina spinosa, Assilina laminosa, Assilina granulosa, Assilina exponens, Textularia sp., Miliolid sp., Alveoloina pasticillata, Alveolina elliptica, Alveolina ovulum, Quinqueloculina, Discocyclina peruviana, Rotalia trochidiformis, Ranikothalia sindensis, Skeasaria ornata Nodosaria sp., Lockhartia tipper and Dasycladacean algae were also observed. In conclusions, presence of benthic foraminifera indicated that Margala Hill Limestone was deposited in Neotethys warm and shallow marine in the Battlian area Muzaffarabad, whereas early Eocene age is assigned on the basis of benthic foraminifera observed.
Although surveying for radioactive contamination by wiping surfaces is the norm, this practice can be highly variable and may be inefficient for detecting low-energy beta emitters. Relying on wipe testing may likewise be an inefficient use of personnel and may seriously underrepresent the amount of contamination present. In general practice, it is better to clean and, where applicable, renew surfaces regularly as part of standard operating protocols and work practices.
Design of experiments has been widely applied to improve product quality and reliability. When the objective is to improve the reliability, the response of experiments is usually a life observation, and experiment is often stopped at a pre-specified time (i.e., type-I censoring) so that the gathered life data are incomplete. In this case, the traditional methods such as the Taguchi and response surface methods cannot be applied, and some assumptions have to be made so that the data can be analyzed using those methods. A typical assumption is that a right-censored time is treated as a failure time. This assumption is obviously unrealistic. To address this issue, this paper proposes a novel method to estimate mean lifetime with censoring of a right-censored time, which is used to replace the censored time. The proposed method first sorts the data in ascending order. Then, a weighted least squares method is used to fit the ordered data to a power-law model of the order number. Finally, the fitted model is used to extrapolate the mean lifetime with censoring. Three examples are included to illustrate the appropriateness and usefulness of the proposed method.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical outcome of arthroscopic synovectomy for persistent rheumatoid synovitis of the knee joints.   DESIGN Prospective clinical study.   SETTING Kasturba Medical College Hospital, Manipal.   PATIENTS Fifty two knee joints in 46 patients.   MEASUREMENTS The effect of the procedure and its influence in the progression of the disease process on knee joints were assessed in terms of reduction of pain, improvement in range of motion, improvement in functional activity and recurrence of synovitis with effusion.   RESULTS During the average follow up period of 5 years, the patients showed appreciable improvement (90% of knee joints) until 3 years of follow up. At the end of 5 years of follow up, it reduced to about 75%.   CONCLUSIONS Arthroscopic synovectomy along with medical treatment can control the disease process and preserve the knee joint function for up to 3 years.
Injectable epinephrine (Adrenalin) should be used with great care. Rare individuals exist who are extremely sensitive to epinephrine. They will develop acute fulminating pulmonary edema upon injection of small amounts of epinephrine while under general anesthesia. Two case reports are presented. The mechanism of epinephrine-induced pulmonary edema is a decrease in left ventricular compliance. The subsequent rise in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure causes increased pulmonary capillary pressure manifest as acute pulmonary edema.
A significant number of drug discovery efforts are based on natural products or high throughput screens from which compounds showing potential therapeutic effects are identified without knowledge of the target molecule or its 3D structure. In such cases computational ligand-based drug design (LBDD) can accelerate the drug discovery processes. LBDD is a general approach to elucidate the relationship of a compound's structure and physicochemical attributes to its biological activity. The resulting structure-activity relationship (SAR) may then act as the basis for the prediction of compounds with improved biological attributes. LBDD methods range from pharmacophore models identifying essential features of ligands responsible for their activity, quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) yielding quantitative estimates of activities based on physiochemical properties, and to similarity searching, which explores compounds with similar properties as well as various combinations of the above. A number of recent LBDD approaches involve the use of multiple conformations of the ligands being studied. One of the basic components to generate multiple conformations in LBDD is molecular mechanics (MM), which apply an empirical energy function to relate conformation to energies and forces. The collection of conformations for ligands is then combined with functional data using methods ranging from regression analysis to neural networks, from which the SAR is determined. Accordingly, for effective application of LBDD for SAR determinations it is important that the compounds be accurately modelled such that the appropriate range of conformations accessible to the ligands is identified. Such accurate modelling is largely based on use of the appropriate empirical force field for the molecules being investigated and the approaches used to generate the conformations. The present chapter includes a brief overview of currently used SAR methods in LBDD followed by a more detailed presentation of issues and limitations associated with empirical energy functions and conformational sampling methods.
The immobilization of carbohydrates for solid-phase assays, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), is difficult because they are hydrophilic. We developed four new methods for the immobilization of oligosaccharides. ELISA plates were first coated with methyl vinyl ether-maleic anhydride copolymer (MMAC) and an excess of active anhydride groups was introduced. They were subsequently reacted, in four different ways, to bind oligosaccharides. In method 1, the anhydride groups were reacted with hydrazide groups, in the presence of adipic acid dihydrazide, and then coupled to the reducing ends of sugar chains by reductive amination. In method 2, the anhydride groups were reacted with p-aminophenyl glycoside obtained by reduction with p-nitrophenyl glycoside. In method 3, the anhydride groups were reacted with 1, 6-hexamethylenediamine. Aminooxy groups were coupled to the amino groups introduced and then aminooxyacetic acid with carbodiimide and ligated to oligosaccharides by oxime formation. In method 4, stereospecifically aminated oligosaccharides reacted with the anhydride groups. We compared, in solid-phase assays systems, the ability of lectins to detect oligosaccharides immobilized with either one of these four new methods or one of the two methods previously described. Detection of sugars with lectins is useful because, in most cases, they recognize sugars stereospecifically. The immobilization method should therefore be carefully selected to avoid changing the configuration and substitution in C-1.
M USIC EDUCATORS have long observed that students who played instruments were better music readers than those who did not. The tones of an instrument exist in a space pattern so that their relationships may be seen and felt, as well as heard. Several kinds of imagery are developed by this multi-sensory perception, and they reinforce one another. Playing an instrument, however, has not always resulted in the ability to read music vocally; i.e., to sing at sight. This study was undertaken by the instructor of a music methods course required of students preparing to be elementary teachers.1 Part of the work of the course is the acquiring of functional piano skills, which are taught in piano laboratories. Music fundamentals are taught here, the piano keyboard providing a space frame for the perception and understanding of tonal relationships. Sight singing, also, is a valuable skill for elementary teachers to acquire, at least to some extent. The purpose of the study was to determine whether it could be developed in the piano laboratories by insisting that the students sing what they played and while they played, and whether this could be accomplished without permitting piano performance to suffer. There seemed to be good psychological reasons for the premise. The
This study developed a situated writing mobile learning (SWML) based on situated learning theory. We attempted to realize whether the situated writing via mobile learning activity could improve learners’ Chinese rhetoric ability which includes hyperbole, description, repetition, personification, and simile. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effectiveness of the practice of learners’ Chinese rhetoric ability via SWML. The research method was a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design. The participants consisted of 70 sixth grade students in an elementary school in southern Taiwan. The results showed that although the abilities of hyperbole, description, repetition, personification, and simile were not statistically significant, but the mean gain scores of the experimental group were higher than the comparison group. Besides, the ability of description was statistically significant. Finally, the findings suggested that SWML could help students’ delineation skill in Chinese rhetoric.
We show that the polynomial decay rate of the heat semigroup of the Dirichlet Laplacian in curved planar wedges equals the sum of the usual dimensional decay rate and a multiple of the reciprocal value of the opening angle. To prove the result, we develop the method of self-similar variables for the associated heat equation and study the asymptotic behaviour of the transformed non-autonomous parabolic problem for large times. We also establish an improved Hardy inequality for the Dirichlet Laplacian in non-trivially curved wedges and state a conjecture about an improved decay rate in this case.
This paper discusses the steps key to successful installation of complex seafloor communication, power and sensor networks. Emphasis on a systems engineering approach to design, development and deployment requiring the coordination of a diverse team of optical fiber specialists, marine cable engineers, technicians, deck hands, riggers, ROV operators, ship's crew and officers is essential to safely and efficiently install these systems at thousands of meters of ocean depth. This is illustrated through the detailed description of a system recently installed in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. CSnet's Offshore Communication Backbone (OCB) will initially serve as the Tsunami Warning and Early Response system of Cyprus (TWERC). Nascent hydrocarbon exploration has also recently begun in this region. As this activity increases, leading to drilling and production, this OCB will similarly be expanded. In a phased approach, the TWERC will be extended to also service this offshore energy enterprise, supporting environmental and well monitoring sensors and providing two way broadband communications and power from seafloor to shore. The initial installation was completed in two preliminary phases. The first phase utilized two vessels (a cable ship and a DP II support ship), each equipped with remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), to lay a total of 255 km of cable, five seafloor nodes, an anchor interface and a seawater ground anode. Both multi-beam and visual (ROV) pre-deployment seafloor surveys of each node (junction box) site was performed. Installing each node, connectivity was maintained (power and communications) with the deployment vessel enabling its functionality to be continuously monitored while being lowered through the water column and after its touchdown on the seafloor. The second phase of this OCB installation deployed a moored buoy that provides both power and communication to the TWERC, in advance of any eventual shore-ended cable and power station and the attendant permitting required for such an installation. This phase required three surface vessels and an ROV to deploy the anchor, the buoy itself and nearly 2.4 km of riser cable with its associated buoyancy modules. Upon their installation, buoy and mooring were “plugged” into the anchor and anchor interface via ROV wet mate connectors (WMCs). Prior to final connection of the TWERC to the surface buoy, final system testing was performed through the riser cable aboard the deployment vessel. With successful operation established, the buoy and riser were connected to the seafloor network and complete end-to-end verification testing was performed over satellite to the Network Operations Command Center (NOCC) on shore. The system is now in operation. The successful installation of the TWERC OCB resulted from strictly adhering to a program management plan, installation storyboard, deployment plan, detailed event table, quality management plan, desktop study (DTS), subsea survey and permits, route position list, load method of procedure, contingency plans and schedule, among other exacting preparation. A step-by-step event table incorporating contingencies for unplanned events during deployment should result in significant cost and schedule savings in addition to the most important aspect, assurance of the safety of personnel and equipment. This was the case in the recent TWERC OCB installation, despite the complexities of coordinating the numerous surface vessels and subsea vehicles required to successfully install the system. This paper also outlines some of the best practices gathered from this and prior cabled seafloor installations, which may assist in future subsea installations. As Benjamin Franklin is purported to have said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
We adopt a molecular dynamics simulation method to describe the self-assembly of nanoparticles in in-chain functionalized polymers. In such novel systems, the organization of nanoparticles is governed by the interplay of the intrinsic attractions between nanoparticles and the entropy of redistributing the functionalized polymers that are adsorbed on the nanoparticles. Our simulations also demonstrate that this approach to nanoparticle assembly enables considerable control for the creation of polymer nanocomposites with tailored properties.
Cytokinesis in eukaryotic cells is often accompanied by actomyosin cortical flow. Over 30 years ago, Borisy and White proposed that cortical flow converging upon the cell equator compresses the actomyosin network to mechanically align actin filaments. However, actin filaments also align via search-and-capture, and to what extent compression by flow or active alignment drive furrow formation remains unclear. Here, we quantify the dynamical organization of actin filaments at the onset of ring assembly in the C. elegans zygote, and provide a framework for determining emergent actomyosin material parameters by the use of active nematic gel theory. We characterize flow-alignment coupling, and verify at a quantitative level that compression by flow drives ring formation. Finally, we find that active alignment enhances but is not required for ring formation. Our work characterizes the physical mechanisms of actomyosin ring formation and highlights the role of flow as a central organizer of actomyosin network architecture. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17807.001
With semiconductor technology feature size scaling below 100 nm, mixed-signal design faces some important challenges, caused among others by reduced supply voltages, process variation, and declining intrinsic device gains. Addressing these challenges requires innovative solutions, at the technology, circuit, architecture, and design-methodology level. We present some of these solutions, including a structured platform-based design methodology to enable a meaningful exploration of the broad design space and to classify potential solutions in terms of the relevant metrics.
livia@computacao.ufcg.edu.br Abstract. Nowadays, solving problems is substantial for the social relationship human. Computational Thinking (CT) emerges as an interdisciplinary thought process encompassing mental abilities to help students solve and understand problems. Researchers invest in the methodological proposal of activities aimed at CT stimulation, educational approaches, and the conception of technologies that support these activities’ execution. Educational Robotics (ER) is one of these technologies that stand out at diﬀerent educational levels to favor teamwork, logical thinking, and creativity, skills intimately articulated with the computing paradigm. The main objective of this work is to investigate the impact of ER activities on CT development and subjects learning in the Technical and Vocational Education in High School. For this, we accomplished a study of intervention research type with students and teachers analyzing quantitative and qualitative aspects. The results indicate that the introduction of ER can favor students in the development of CT skills and learning High School decomposition, simulations, data collection, and analysis.
Topological formulas are obtained for networks containing voltage-dependent current sources, current-dependent voltage sources, voltage-dependent voltage sources, and current-dependent current sources. The formulas are expressed entirely in terms of trees of a single simply obtained graph. Each tree is multiplied by the appropriate product of transmittances, and the sign associated with a term is given. A simple example is provided.
A thermotropic acetylene-terminated liquid-crystal monomer, 2-methyl-1,4-phenylene bis(4-ethynylbenzoate) (MPBE), was prepared and used as a modification composition to react and cocure with a silicon-containing arylacetylene (PSA) oligomer for improving PSA resin. The curing behavior of the PSA–MPBE resins were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The microstructure and morphology of the PSA–MPBE resins were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. Their dynamic mechanical properties and thermostability were measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicate that the thermotropic acetylene-terminated liquid-crystal monomer melted into a schlieren texture. MPBE and PSA could copolymerize to fix the mesogenic domain in the crosslinked network and form a homogeneous-phase sea-island structure, which improved the rigidity and toughness of the materials. DMA showed that the storage modulus of the PSA–MPBE resins increased by about 400 MPa compared to the those of the pure components. The SEM experiments showed a noticeable change in the morphology, from a typical brittle fracture for the pure PSA to microplastic deformation behavior for the PSA–MPBE resins. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45141.
That ecological restoration helps restore natural capital and ecosystem services (ES) of value to human and societal well‐being is generally well‐accepted. But quantification of these societal benefits is sorely lagging our recognition that they exist. This may be the result of methodological concerns and/or philosophical objections to the monetization of nature's services; it may also be the result of practical challenges in monitoring that already plague restoration. In this article, I argue that, regardless of whether or not restoration efforts come to rely on formal systems of payment for ES, we should be doing a better job of rigorously quantifying the socioeconomic returns of our work. Recognizing the substantial obstacles to this effort, I suggest some possible ways to overcome them.
Background:The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQIs) include inpatient mortality for selected procedures and medical conditions. They have assumed an increasingly prominent role in hospital comparisons. Healthcare delivery and policy-related decisions need to be driven by reliable research that shows associations between hospital characteristics and quality of inpatient care delivered. Objectives:To systematically review the literature on associations between hospital characteristics and IQIs. Methods:We systematically searched PubMed and gray literature (2000–2012) for studies relevant to 14 hospital characteristics and 17 IQIs. We extracted data for study characteristics, IQIs analyzed, and hospital characteristics (e.g., teaching status, bed size, patient volume, rural vs. urban location, and nurse staffing). Results:We included 16 studies, which showed few significant associations. Four hospital characteristics (higher hospital volume, higher nurse staffing, urban vs. rural status, and higher hospital financial resources) had statistically significant associations with lower mortality and selected IQIs in approximately half of the studies. For example, there were no associations between nurse staffing and four IQIs; however, approximately 50% of studies showed a statistically significant relationship between nurse staffing and lower mortality for six IQIs. For two hospital characteristics—higher bed size and disproportionate share percentage—all statistically significant associations had higher mortality. Five hospital characteristics (teaching status, system affiliation, ownership, minority-serving hospitals, and electronic health record status) had some studies with significantly positive and some with significantly negative associations, and many studies with no association. Conclusions:We found few associations between hospital characteristics and mortality IQIs. Differences in study methodology, coding across hospitals, and hospital case-mix adjustment may partly explain these results. Ongoing research will evaluate potential mechanisms for the identified associations.
The parallelization of the waveform-relaxation-Newton (WRN) method for circuit simulation is described. The techniques are applied at three levels of granularity: subcircuits are processed in parallel for large-grain parallelism, time points are processed in parallel for medium-grain parallelism, and devices are processed in parallel for fine-grain parallelism. The effectiveness of each of these approaches is demonstrated with the PSPLAX program (which is a parallel version of a WRN program called SPLAX) using a number of industrial examples. Currently, PSPLAX is implemented on an Alliant FX/80 with eight processors. The results indicate that the combination of these approaches should be effective on larger systems. >
The authors analyze the optimal network structure of two types of terrorist organizations. In the centralized network, the leadership selects the level of individual effort and the level of group connectivity so as to maximize the expected net welfare of the organization’s membership. Leaders in loosely connected networks will also seek to balance the trade-off between security and communications. However, with decentralized decision making, the individual nodes may not make optimal decisions from the group’s perspective. As a consequence, the decentralized decision-making process is suboptimal from the overall perspective of the network. In particular, the leadership in a centralized network is able to coordinate the activities of all network members and to take advantage of important network externalities.
A technique has been developed, based on magnetic field measurements, to localize, in three dimensions, hypodermic and sewing needles lost in the human body. A theoretical model for the magnetic field generated by needles has been elaborated and experimentally validated. Using this model, the localization technique gives information about needle's centre, orientation and depth. The clinical measurements have been made using a SQUID system, with patients being moved under the sensor with the aid of an X-Y bed. The magnetic field associated with the remanent magnetization of the needle is acquired on-line and mapped over a plane. In all six cases that occurred, the technique allowed surgical localization of the needles with ease and high precision. This procedure can decrease the surgery time for extraction of foreign bodies by a large factor, and also reduce the generally high odds of failure.
Overlapping communities of American missionaries and higher education administrators and faculty laid the foundations for international education in the United States during the first half-century of that movement’s existence. Their interests and activities in China, in conjunction with Chinese efforts to develop modern educational systems in the early twentieth century, meant that Chinese students featured prominently among foreign students in the United States. Through the education and career of Meng Zhi, an American-educated convert to Christianity, staunch patriot, and long-term director of the China Institute in America, this article examines the transition of international education programs from U.S.-dominated efforts to extend influence overseas to initiatives intended to advance Chinese nationalist projects for modernization.
The enthesis of the elbow-joint capsule in the dog is described histologically in relation to the specific mechanical forces that operate in different regions along its line of attachment. Special attention is given to the collagen fibre-bone interface in those parts of the capsule that are highly affected by mechanical stress. The histological features of the enthesis are heterogeneous along the entire circumference of the attachment site. Three types of collagen fibre-bone interconnections can be distinguished: (1) periosteal insertion: attachment to the periosteum of the humerus; (2) bony insertion: attachment directly to peripheral osteons; (3) fibrocartilaginous insertion: attachment to the bone via fibrocartilage. The periosteal insertion covers the greatest part of the joint capsule attachment line, along the peripheral borders of the radial and olecranon fossae. In contrast, bony insertions and fibrocartilaginous insertions are focally arranged: bony insertions in the caudoproximal aspect of the olecranon fossa, related to nutrient foramina; fibrocartilaginous insertions in combination with the attachment of distinct ligaments. This distribution reflects a strict relation between the type of enthesis and the biomechanical stress at the attachment site. The periosteal insertion type is predominant in entheses adjacent to pouches of a loose joint capsule -- i.e., regions less dependent on the high tensile strength of collagen fibres. Fibrocartilaginous insertions characterise areas of the joint capsule which are subjected to high biomechanical traction during joint movement. Both structurally and functionally, the entheses of the fibrous layer of the joint capsule are similar to those of tendons and ligaments.
Research has shown that gender theory has flowed far more easily from the North to the South or from the West to the East (particularly from the United States to other parts of the world), whereas flows in other directions are practically nonexistent. However, there are many more invisible discursive trajectories that link the development of gender theories and movements in the world that have so far been ignored. In this article, I will take transnational feminism’s travel into China since the late twentieth century as an example in order to explore issues such as who the translators have been and what translations do during this journey. The aim is to develop an alternative way of thinking, which is a crucial task for confronting the predominant modes of knowledge production about globalization and achieving global justice. My approach to translation and traveling theory is to develop an alternative traveling theory as an interdisciplinary methodology that will contribute, I hope, innovative approaches to knowledge production.
Precise activation of prodrugs in tumor tissues is critical to ensuring specific antitumor efficacy, meanwhile reducing the serious adverse effects. Here, a spatiotemporally controlled prodrug activation strategy was provided by integrating the inverse electron demand Diels–Alder (IEDDA) reaction with two tumor-microenvironment-responsive nanovehicles. The prodrug (Dox-TCO) and [4-(6-methyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazin-3-yl)phenyl]methanamine (Tz) were separately camouflaged into low pH and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) sensitive micellar nanoparticles. After systemic administration, only in the tumor tissues could both the nanovehicles dissociate via responding to two special tumor microenvironments, with Dox-TCO and Tz released and then immediately triggering the prodrug activation through the IEDDA reaction. The hierarchically regulated and locally confined Dox liberation led to dramatically decreased side-effects that were much lower than those of the clinical Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposomal Injection (Doxil), while the antitumor therapeutic effect was potent.
The question of being an object in this paper is about the reconstruction of land law in the view of Islamic law, how Islam also participates in the mapping of the fairness of the money, which is for the welfare of the ummah. In the case of the use of twisted land (land belonging to village government) is the question of whether the land is solely for the sake of the provision of the salaries of village officials or more than that for the purpose of Village development. This research is done using a qualitative approach with the intent to know how the existence of the information Village program in the view of rural residents is the target of the program. The data collection process relies on observation methods and interviews.
The simplest and more popular of the classifications of hypertension today is the division into primary and secondary types (1). The latter implies some existing predisposing cause. It is the former variety, the primary, with which we shall concern ourselves here. The term primary implies the essential type in which the etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical course are in doubt, and in which the treatment is generally unsatisfactory. It has been estimated that about 80 per cent of hypertensive patients fall into the primary group (2). When it is stated that as high as 15 million persons in the United States are suffering from hypertension (3), it can readily be seen that we are dealing with a common malady. Both the actual numbers and relative percentage of such patients are higher in a geriatric practice. Although no specific figures exist, it has been generally conceded that a systolic pressure of over 140 mm. of mercury and a diastolic pressure of over 95 mm, permits classification as hypertension. Recently Master et ol. (4) found an increasing incidence of diastolic pressures over 95 mm. in the older age group. This should influence the management of such cases. From the prognostic and therapeutic points of view, the older the hypertensive subject, the more favorable is the picture. Murphy (4) expressed the opinion that in individuals over the age of 60 years, hypertension usually is a benign disease which presents few of the serious complications. Sex, too, seems to exert an influence on the prognosis. The female sex, in keeping with its reputation of being the biologically stronger, again demonstrates its strength. There is a more favorable prognosis in the female sex. The importance of hypertension lies mainly in its sequelae. The sudden change from the benign to the malignant phase, retinopathy, encephalopathy, cardiac, cerebral and renal complications, and the occasional dissecting aneurysm, are each of a serious nature and may lead to disability or premature death. The older the hypertensive patient, the less apt are these sequelae to occur.
Temporary threshold shift (TTS) is generally believed to grow during noise exposure and recover afterwards in proportion to the logarithm of time. However, these logarithmic laws of TTS disagree with experimental observations made very early or very late in these processes. Better agreement with experiment is obtained if TTS is regarded as the sum of two components that vary exponentially with time. Published information on TTS was analyzed to determine the properties of these two components. Only one of the components is believed to be associated with permanent hearing loss resulting from noise exposure, and its simple electrical analog makes possible the construction of a TTS meter for appraising noise hazard. The analysis also revealed two other components of TTS that account for the “bounce” sometimes observed very early in the recovery process. Additional studies are needed to refine the theory and improve understanding of the auditory process.
The objects contained in crime scene and its surroundings have significance in the examination of forensic identification. The most commonly used specimens in the examination for identification are blood/blood spots, semen patches, vaginal swabs, buccal swabs and bones, including items often used by the perpetrator/victim the last time. For example, a mobile phone hearing aid (headset/earphone). In the use of earphones attached to the outer ear skin so it is suspected there is a serumen attached to the tool. One factor that can affect the quality of DNA is the prolonged exposure. Until now in Indonesia the effect of long exposure to room temperature on the quality of DNA on the DNA material of earphone swabs through DNA analysis has not been widely known. The type of study was laboratory experimental. Used earphones are exposed at room temperature within 1, 7, 14 and 20 days. The results of this study indicate that the environmental effect, ie the duration of exposure, affects the decrease in DNA content significantly from day 1 to 20. Detection of PCR mtDNA D-Loop HVS I visualization results 143 bp nt: 16268 16410 shows positive detection results (+) Only at day 1 exposure to room temperature [4 sample/66,67%] and day 7 [3 sample/50%]. Visualization of PCR results mtDNA D-Loop HVS II 126bp nt: 34 -159 was performed on day 1 day room exposure [2 sample/33,37%] and day 7 [6 sample/100%]. Conclusion, the duration of exposure to room temperature affect the quality of DNA from earpiece swab material. Decreased levels of earphones DNA swabs showed a significance value (p <0.005) against the effect of long time exposure to room temperature.
The effect of soil and foliar Zn fertilization on two varieties of peanut’s ( Arachis hypogaea ) yield and some yield components were examined in this study. Soil applications of Zn doses were 0, 10, 20 and 40 kg ha -1 whereas 0, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 kg ha -1 Zn were sprayed to leaves. Applications of dose amounts of Zn lead to remarkable increase in yield and  100-seed weight. The effect of Zn treatment found to be statistically important at P<0.01 levels. The highest yield was obtained at COM variety as 6580.0 kg ha -1 with 0.5 kg ha -1 Zn foliar application. The lowest yield was measured at NC-7 variety’s control plot with 3660.0 kg ha -1 in 2007. Foliar application Zn was statistically determined to be important to NC-7 variety peanut’s grain Zn concentration at P<0.05 levels in each year. The economic analyses revealed that 0.5 kg ha -1 foliar application of Zn provided maximum profit with 10271.2 USD Dollars ha -1 .
Abstract. Sensitive field-deployable diagnostic tests can assist malaria programs in achieving elimination. The performance of a new Alere™ Malaria Ag P.f Ultra Sensitive rapid diagnostic test (uRDT) was compared with the currently available SD Bioline Malaria Ag P.f RDT in blood specimens from asymptomatic individuals in Nagongera, Uganda, and in a Karen Village, Myanmar, representative of high- and low-transmission areas, respectively, as well as in pretreatment specimens from study participants from four Plasmodium falciparum-induced blood-stage malaria (IBSM) studies. A quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for histidine-rich protein II (HRP2) were used as reference assays. The uRDT showed a greater than 10-fold lower limit of detection for HRP2 compared with the RDT. The sensitivity of the uRDT was 84% and 44% against qRT-PCR in Uganda and Myanmar, respectively, and that of the RDT was 62% and 0% for the same two sites. The specificities of the uRDT were 92% and 99.8% against qRT-PCR for Uganda and Myanmar, respectively, and 99% and 99.8% against the HRP2 reference ELISA. The RDT had specificities of 95% and 100% against qRT-PCR for Uganda and Myanmar, respectively, and 96% and 100% against the HRP2 reference ELISA. The uRDT detected new infections in IBSM study participants 1.5 days sooner than the RDT. The uRDT has the same workflow as currently available RDTs, but improved performance characteristics to identify asymptomatic malaria infections. The uRDT may be a useful tool for malaria elimination strategies.
The public visibility and political activity of women remain contentious social issues in the Middle East. Where women are encouraged by the state to be politically active, their ensuing visibility is perceived as threatening to the local male-dominated social order, which in turn hampers their efficacy as political agents. In this article I explore political commemoration in Syria as a socially sanctioned venue for apolitical political activity that allows women nonthreatening public visibility. I focus on the work of Dr. Nadia Khost in commemorative practices in Damascus to illustrate how gender can be utilized effectively to negotiate local power hierarchies and social norms. I conclude with a discussion of the ways in which the public visibility and political activity of women are sanctioned when perceived as reinforcing rather than challenging the local sociopolitical order.
Background and Purpose— Higher risk and burden of stroke have been observed within the southeastern states (the Stroke Belt) compared with elsewhere in the United States. We examined reasons for these disparities using a large data set from a nationwide cross-sectional study. Methods— Self-reported data from the 2005 and 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used (n=765 368). The potential contributors for self-reported stroke prevalence (n=27 962) were demographics (age, sex, geography, and race/ethnicity), socioeconomic status (education and income), common risk factors (smoking and obesity), and chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes, and coronary heart disease). Multivariate logistic regression was used in the analysis. Results— The age- and sex-adjusted OR comparing self-reported stroke prevalence in the 11-state Stroke Belt versus non-Stroke Belt region was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.19 to 1.31). Unequal black/white distribution by region accounted for 20% of the excess prevalence in the Stroke Belt (OR reduced to 1.20; 1.15 to 1.26). Approximately one third (32%) of the excess prevalence was accounted either by socioeconomic status alone or by risk factors and chronic disease alone (OR, 1.12). The OR was further reduced to 1.07 (1.02 to 1.13) in the fully adjusted logistic model, a 72% reduction. Conclusions– Differences in socioeconomic status, risk factors, and prevalence of common chronic diseases account for most of the regional differences in stroke prevalence.
We describe some major recent progress in exact and symbolic linear algebra. These advances concern the improvement of complexity estimates for fundamental problems such as linear system solution, determinant, inversion and computation of canonical forms. The matrices are over a finite field, the integers, or univariate polynomials. We show how selected techniques are key ingredients for the new solutions: randomization and algebraic conditioning, lifting, subspace approach, divide-double and conquer, minimum matrix polynomial, matrix approximants. These algorithmic progress allow the design of new generation high performance libraries such as LinBox, and open various research directions.  We refer to [3] for an overview of methods in exact linear algebra, see also [37], [1] (in French), and [7, x2.3]. For fundamentals of computer algebra we refer to [16, 7].
Ventrikuler septal defekt (VSD), tipik olarak genellikle perimembranoz tip olan VSD’lerin belirlenmesi ve tamirinde iyi bir gorus saglayan transatriyal yaklasim ile tamir edilir. Fibroz ve kordal yapisikliklar lezyonu cevreleyebilir ve bu anormal yapilar VSD’lere ulasmayi guclestirebilir. Bu yazida, perimembranoz tip VSD’si olan ve defektin trikuspid septal yaprakcik ve cok kalin pek cok kordal yapisikliklarla cevrelendigi bir olgu sunuldu. Kordal yapisikliklar dikkatle diseke edildi ve VSD basarili bir sekilde ortaya cikarildi. Defekt, Gore-Tex yama kullanilarak tamir edildi. Anah tar soz cuk ler: Kordal ayrisma; ventrikuler septal defekt tamiri. Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is typically repaired via a transatrial approach, which usually provides a good exposure for the assessment and repair of VSDs, generally the perimembranous type. Fibrosis and chordal fusion may surround the lesion, and these malstructures may compromise to reach VSDs. In this article, we present a case with the perimembraneous-type of VSD surrounded by a tricuspid septal leaflet and many thick chordal attachments. The attachments were carefully dissected, and the VSD was successfully exposed. The defect was then repaired using a Gore-Tex patch.
The effect of baffle gaps on the damping enhancement of a liquid rocket engine combustor has been elucidated through a series of tests, which include cold acoustic tests under both atmospheric and simulated viscous conditions and simulated combustion tests. The injector-formed baffles, which consist of an array of protruded coaxial injectors, were found to have a much greater acoustic damping effect than conventional planar baffles. For several axial baffle lengths, an optimal acoustic damping capacitance has been achieved at a 0.1 ∼ 0.2 mm baffle gap. The reason there exists an optimal baffle gap is thought to be mainly due to the viscous dissipation at the surface of the injector-formed baffles. Consequently, the axial baffle length can be reduced by taking advantage of the optimal baffle gap, providing a possible solution to the thermal cooling problem persistent with the baffle. Moreover, these optimum characteristics can provide some guidelines for manufacturing and assembling of the baffled injectors in rocket combustors.
The concept of smart windows that can change the properties of windows and doors in response to external stimuli has recently been introduced. Smart windows provide superior energy savings and control of indoor environments. This concept can advance sustainable architecture, and it will make it possible to connect with the fourth industry, which has developed recently. However, unlike the relevant hardware, is advancing rapidly, research on methods of adjusting smart windows is slow. Therefore, in this study, an analysis of energy use over time was conducted on electrochromic windows, one of the main types of smart windows. Through this analysis, the optimal properties of electrochromic smart windows were identified, and an operation schedule was created. In addition, energy saving rates were derived through a comparison with existing architectural windows.
The three extracellular acid phosphatases produced by Aspergillus ficuum have varying affinities for myo-inositol hexakis-, pentakis-, tetrakis-, and trisphosphate. Phytase (EC 3.1.3.8) has previously been shown to degrade phytate at pH 5.5 and 2.5, but similar activity has not been demonstrated in the concurrently produced extracellular acid phosphatases. Data obtained in this study demonstrate that the acid phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.2) with an optimum at pH 2.5 is a potent phytase at this pH. However, the pH 6.0 optimum acid phosphatase hydrolyzes phosphate from the myo-inositol backbone very poorly. The kinetic parameters obtained for these enzymes indicate the potential value of both phytase and pH 2.5 acid phosphatase as feed additives for monogastric animals
Hydrogen-absorption isotherms were measured over the range 535 to 835 C for zirconium--1 wt.% and--25 wt.% uranium alloys. X-ray-diffraction studies were made over approximately the same temperature range for the zirconium--1, -- 25, and --50 wt.% uranium alloys. In general, the alloys resenable the zirconium- hydrogen system, modified by the presence of uranium. With 1 wt.% uranium, the phase boundaries of the zirconium--hydrogen system are shifted to slightly lower hy-drogen contents. With 25 wt.% uranium, the first - two-phase-' region shifts to a hydrogen content 20 wt.% greater than in the zirconium--hydrogen system, while the second cctwo-phase'' region is unchanged. The eutectoid temperature is increased from 547 to 601 C. Heats of solution of hydrogen in the alloys were found to range from --25.9 to --47.9 kcal per mole for the 1 wt.% alloy, and from --30.7 to --50.6 kcal per mole for the 25 in.% alloy-. The x-ray-diffraction data support the interpretation that, as hydrogen is absorbed, the alloys break down to form uranium and zirconium, and the latter absorbs the hydrogen. The entire ternary isotherms could not be deduced from the data. However, three aspects appear certains (1) the extent of the phase fields along the zirconium-- hydrogenmore » binary at 1 wt.% uranium, (2) the existence of alpha zirconium, alpha uranium, and ZrH/sub x/ three-phase fields at low temperatures, and (3) the existence of fields containing beta uranium and ZrH/sub x/ at higher temperatures for both the 25 and 50 wt.% alloys. (auth)« less
The aim of the study was to explore local brand origin knowledge among young consumers in a developing country, specifically Indonesia. The study followed inductive logic and qualitative approaches. The research process was characterised by a hermeneutic process through which the search for meaning and understanding moved from pre-understandings to understandings on a higher level. The study relied on a small number of young consumers who had a very limited knowledge of local brands. The study suggests that young consumers in a developing country do not seek to find information on brand origin. They misclassified local brands based on their evaluation of the brand name, brand associations and the image of their home country and the misperceived country of origin. The paper is valuable for local brand owners seeking strategies to enhance competitiveness in the domestic market. They need to develop positive brand associations since it will lead to a more favourable home country image of and greater commitment to their brands.
INTRODUCTION:    Therapy of chronic orofacial pain (OFP) is often a challenge since OFP can be triggered by numerous medical conditions. Pulpitis is frequently related to acute OFP, only in rare cases pulpitis elicits chronic OFP e. g. due to a cracked tooth. Hypertrophy of masticatory muscles can also cause pain. While this pathosis is easily diagnosed, hypertrophy of masticatory muscles is challenging to treat.  METHODS:    The presented case demonstrates a combination of a cracked tooth and a symtomatic hypertrophy of the masseteric muscle in a 19-year old patient. The patient suffered from diffuse chronic OFP for more than four month. After diagnosis an interdisciplinary step-by-step treatment plan was realized with re-evaluation and adjustment.  RESULTS:    After physiotherapy and medicamentous pain control intramuscular injection of Botolinum toxin type-A was performed with remission of the muscle hypertrophy but only partial success regarding pain control. After root canal treatment of a cracked tooth the patient was free of symptoms.  CONCLUSION:    The high degree of specialization in dental medicine requires a multidisciplinary approach for OFP not thoroughly responding to therapy. Stepwise diagnostics and treatments are recommended to clarify the pathology and to address multiple causes of disease.
OBJECTIVE The behavioral ratings of preschoolers who sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI) prior to the age of 2 years and a typically developing group were compared; predictors of behavioral functioning were examined.   METHODS Eighty-two 3-year-olds comprised mild TBI (n = 31), moderate/severe TBI (n = 20), and typically developing (n = 31) groups, with Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as the primary outcome measure.   RESULTS Groups differed on the CBCL Withdrawal Scale. No differences emerged in the proportion of children demonstrating clinical elevations, with average mean scores for each group. Exploratory analyses yielded no differences between inflicted, non-inflicted, and typical groups. Glasgow Coma Scale and Self-Report Family Inventory Leadership predicted Externalizing Problems; developmental level predicted Internalizing Problems.   CONCLUSIONS After early TBI, preschoolers did not differ from one another or a matched comparison group in behavioral ratings; however, it may be premature to infer that preschoolers do not evidence behavioral dysfunction after early TBI.
Anterior cerebral artery dissection (ACAD), especially simultaneously presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and cerebral infarction (CI), is rare. Only a few cases of severe SAH due to ACAD have been reported. Herein, we present an unusual case of severe SAH with simultaneous CI caused by ACAD. A 56-year-old male was brought to our hospital for severe disturbance of consciousness. Head computed tomography (CT) disclosed SAH with intracerebral hematoma. We suspected ruptured anterior communicating artery saccular aneurysm on CT angiography. Emergency craniotomy was performed to avoid cerebral herniation which confirmed the ruptured ACAD of right A2. The dissecting site was treated by wrapping with a Goretex sheet. ACAD of A2 may present with a severe hemorrhagic event.
Present day workforce requires graduates to be self-starters, independent and willing to experiment, as genuine lifelong learners. One way to enable students with such skills is through an inquiry-based environment. Inquiry-based courses are designed for students to explore and learn being aware of their own style and pace [1]. Such courses are designed for students to ask questions, think and reflect in the space of the classroom and beyond [2]. The nature of freedom and openness in the inquiry classes, often requires students to rethink their approach to classes. Many students are tuned to change, and adapt this style when needed. Meanwhile some others fail to adjust due to prior notions or just due to their busy schedules and at times lack of flexibility. Through this work, we hope to explore how students perceive freedom in inquiry-based environments. Some questions we attempt to address are: “Does the freedom help them study better?”, “Does it inspire them to think out of the box?” or “Does it deter them from trying to do better?” The nature of the inquiry-based courses at our program is such that students can have the freedom to decide and modify their own learning path [3]. Students are given some basic background and are then encouraged to pursue their interests. Students can then start at a difficulty level of their choice and create stories of their own learning. While some students are at ease with the freedom, many are worried about grades and want to make sure that they are doing a sufficient amount of work. We support both groups of students, and while we follow our basic curriculum, students can have the freedom to adjust their path. Our study shows that overall, the lack of forced course deadlines and questions helps the students be more creative in their thoughts and actions. They are more willing to learn, communicate with other students and take risks. Such observations are hard to make when students are in a rush with packed courses and have hardly any avenues to reflect and think about their work. A student’s autonomy is sometimes challenging for instructors. They need to patiently wait for students to learn at their own pace and not prompt them with ready made solutions. This is commonplace when students don’t want to learn and are studying for the grade. Such students struggle with the open-endedness of the course. In our class we have ways to handle that, and in some cases we need to provide a direct path to few students before they can see the value of autonomy. This work will provide a student’s perspective on the autonomy they experience in inquiry based courses, their challenges and successes.
We present a smooth surface interpolation method enabling to take discontinuities (e.g. faults) into account that can be applied to any dataset defined on a regular mesh. We use a second-derivative multi-scale minimization based on a conjugate gradient method. Our multi-scale approach allows the algorithm to process millions of points in a few seconds on a single-unit workstation. The interpolated surface is continuous, as well as its first derivative, except on some lines that have been specified as discontinuities. Application in geosciences are numerous, for instance when a structural model is to be built from points picked on seismic data. The resulting dip of interpolation extends the dip of the input data. The algorithm also works if faults are given by broken lines. We present results from a synthetic and real examples taking into account fault network.
We have investigated the rotational motion of the dianion polyphenyl 2 (PP2) in polyacrylamide (PAA) gels by fluorescence anisotropy decay. A comparison of the dynamics of the probe molecule in various solvent mixtures of water–glycerol and water–methanol in solution as well as in the presence of the polymer matrix revealed a significant retardation of the reorientation with increasing PAA concentration. Having excluded specific interactions of PP2 with the gel matrix, we suggest that a modification of the solvent viscosity in the presence of the polymer is responsible for the alteration of the probe dynamics. The effect is strongly dependent on the solvent quality for the polymer component, i.e., more distinct under good solvent conditions (in pure water) than in a poor solvent (increasing glycerol content). Changing the crosslinker concentration from 0% to 4% we obtained fluid‐like solutions as well as viscoelastic gels. However, the reorientational motion of PP2 was independent of the macroscopic const...
Quick Response Code Abstract: Introduction: Antenatal care, which is one of the pillars of safe motherhood, is health services provided by health workers for mothers during their pregnancy, which are implemented in accordance with the antenatal service standards set out in the Midwifery Service Standards based on 10 T. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the determinants of the organization that affect the performance of midwives in implementing Antenatal Care (10T) in a very remote area of Kupang Regency. Material and Method: The number of research samples was 72 samples in 2019 with data collection techniques using documentation studies, namely the checklist sheet. Data were analyzed using simple logistic regression analysis and multiple logistic regressions. Results: The results showed that the factors that significantly correlated between organizational factors and the performance of midwives in implementing ANC according to 10 T standards were the completeness of infrastructure (p = 0.0.046; OR = 2.800) and leadership (p = 0.006; OR = 4.185). The most significant determinant related between organizational factors and midwife performance in implementing ANC according to 10T standards in very remote areas in Kupang Regency was leadership (p = 0.033; OR = 3,340; 95% CI: 1.103-10,118). Conclusion: In integrated Antenatal Care services, health workers must be able to ensure that the pregnancy takes place normally, improve the mother's health status, carry out various health efforts, both promotive, preventive and curative and rehabilitative, seek services for pregnant women, help deliveries by health workers, able to detect early problems and diseases experienced by pregnant women, intervene adequately so that pregnant women are ready to undergo normal delivery, family planning counseling services, and reproductive health.
Cold-formed steel (CFS) members designed with proper stiffener can significantly increase the loading capacity of the connected member even though they are thin and slender. Design recommendations of connections especially for CFS sections are mostly related to the load-carrying capacities of individual fasteners such as bolts, screws, and rivets. The proposed bolted top-seat flange cleat joint in this paper should be able to categorize as semi-rigid that can further enhance the use of CFS in structural steel. This paper aims to investigate the behaviour of cold-formed steel section with gusset plate integrated with angle cleats. The full-scale isolated joint test was conducted on three specimens where the size of column size is C30024, and the size of beams is C20024, C25024, and C30024. All sections are 2.4mm thick. The connections were stiffened with a rectangular gusset plate of 10mm thick and angle cleat of 6 mm thick, respectively. The result of the test showed that the moment resistance (Mj) of the connection for beam sections C20024, C25024 and C30024 were 45.3 kNm, 48,8 kNm, and 52.5 kNm respectively. The initial stiffness (Sj,ini) of the connections for beam section C20024, C25024 and C30024 were 510 kNm/rad, 650 kNm/rad and 610 kNm/rad respectively. The experimental results showed that the ratio of the moment resistance ranged from 1.00 to 1.16, and the ratio of initial stiffness ranged 1.00 to 1.35 as compared to the numerical analysis adopted from EC3 code.
A simple method is introduced to achieve efficient random walking in the energy space in molecular dynamics simulations which thus enhances the sampling over a large energy range. The approach is closely related to multicanonical and replica exchange simulation methods in that it allows configurations of the system to be sampled in a wide energy range by making use of Boltzmann distribution functions at multiple temperatures. A biased potential is quickly generated using this method and is then used in accelerated molecular dynamics simulations.
The formation of Schottky contacts on methane/hydrogen reactive-ion-etched (RIE) n+In0.52Al0.48As surfaces has been investigated for the first time. Two metallization systems (Ti/W/Au and Pt/Au) were examined. The ion etching-induced damage in the InAlAs surface layer was evaluated by means of I-V and C-V characterization. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at several temperatures was applied for damage removal. Dry-etched Schottky contacts were compared with wet-etched ones. Using the optimized condition of RTA, parameters achieved on RIE-based Schottky contacts were in agreement with theoretical predictions and comparable with thermally processed wet-based ones. The role of the thermal treatment in the final determination of metal-semiconductor interface and contact properties is discussed in detail.
To improve the efficiency of the glucoamylase signal peptide (GSP) of Saccharomyces diastaticus for the secretion of foreign proteins, hybrid plasmids containing one of four types of GSP mutant (m1, Pro(-18)-->Leu(-18); m2, Tyr(-13)-->Leu(-13); m3, Ser(-9)-->Leu(-9); m4, Asn(-5)-->Pro(-5)) were constructed and evaluated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using Bacillus endo-1,4-beta-D-glucanase (CMCase) as a reporter gene. CMCase secretion by m1, m2 and m3 GSP mutants was increased, likely resulting from a higher probability of the modified GSP to assume an alpha-helical structure. Especially in the case of m3, the substitution of Leu for a polar residue, Ser(-9), in the hydrophobic region resulted in approximately a twofold increase in extracellular CMCase activity. In mutant 4, which disrupts the alpha-helix of GSP, CMCase was less efficiently secreted.
Abstract A growing body of evidence reveals that the mistreatment of pregnant women during facility-based childbirth is occurring across the globe. As human rights bodies have increasingly recognized, numerous human rights are implicated in the context of mistreatment of women in childbirth, including the rights to be free from torture and other ill-treatment, privacy, health, non-discrimination, and equality. This paper builds on a previous paper published in this journal by Rajat Khosla, Christina Zampas, and others, and the new body of evidence describing the types of mistreatment that occur during childbirth, to unpack the drivers of the mistreatment of women during childbirth and how they are understood and addressed within human rights. Tracing recent developments, it examines how the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have addressed this issue. Understanding the drivers and human rights dimensions of the mistreatment of women during childbirth can contribute to accelerating progress toward universal health coverage, including access to reproductive health services, as mistreatment is a key barrier to women’s access to such services. The article concludes by offering guidance to states on a human rights-based approach to addressing mistreatment against women during facility-based childbirth.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Poster presentations are increasingly popular for dissemination of scientific and clinical knowledge at professional meetings; however, this professional skill is generally absent from advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) curricula and acquisition of the skill must occur in other arenas. The purpose of this article is to promote professional development by educating APRNs, students, and faculty on the essentials of poster development and presentation.   METHODS To aid in poster presentation skill development, types of posters, advantages and disadvantages, content and design, and tips to enhance these presentations are discussed. What is known on these topics is summarized and emphasis on professional appearance and conduct is highlighted.   CONCLUSIONS Content and layout, use of color, imagery, and positive and negative space are crucial design elements. Poster presentation essentials include being prepared, professional appearance, and professional behavior.   IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Designing and presenting a professional poster is an essential skill for all APRNs as the ability to communicate knowledge is central to the role.
For a given Rijke tube, self-excited combustion oscillations could be caused by the transient growth of flow disturbances. A premixed laminar flame, anchored to a metal gauze, is considered to investigate the role of non-normality and the resulting transient growth in triggering such oscillations. The unsteady heat release is assumed to be caused by the flame surface variations, which results from the fluctuations of the oncoming flow. The flame is acoustically compact and its presence causes a jump in mean temperature. Coupling the flame model with a Galerkin series expansion of the acoustic waves enables the time evolution of the flow disturbances to be calculated. It was found that the nonlinear model can predict the mode shape and the frequencies of the excited oscillations very well. Moreover, the fundamental mode with the lowest frequency is the easiest one to be excited among all the acoustic modes. Linearizing the model and recasting it into the classical time-lag formulation provide insights on t...
We report the case of a patient with successful total removal of a previously undescribed intracranial tumor arising in the right lateral ventricle (probably of metaplastic origin). The histopathological examination revealed benign chondromatosis of the choroid plexus. The pathogenesis of this lesion, with special reference to synovial chondromatosis and to the differential diagnosis of solid neoplastic chondromas, their clinical features, and computed tomographic and magnetic resonance imaging findings, is presented and discussed.
in the years surrounding the centenary commemoration of the rebellion of 1798 the leading Irish nationalist illustrators of the day— J.F. O’Hea, Walter C. Mills, Thomas Fitzpatrick, Phil Blake, and J.D. Reigh—applied their talents to interpreting the story of the rising.1 They had already honed their skills by depicting hundreds of stirring episodes from Irish history for a large audience of nationalist enthusiasts hungry for their work.2 Beginning in the 1870s such satirical publications as Zoz, Zozimus, and the Tomahawk carried black-and-white or monochrome illustrations as gratis supplements. The major nationalist weeklies followed suit during the early 1880s, and thanks to improvements in lithography and printing, they were able to feature multicolor, chromo-lithographic prints.3 These papers, along with publications such as Young Ireland: An Illustrated Magazine of Entertainment and Instruction, the Irish Fireside, the Emerald, and the Shamrock: A National Weekly Journal of Irish History, Literature, Science, and Arts, produced literally thousands of these illustrations in the three decades prior to the Great War.4 Typically measuring 20 x 16 inches, the drawings were
e13558 Background: Radioresistance is a major challenge in head and neck cancer radiotherapy (RT). PI3K/mTOR signal pathway has been considered an important regulatory mechanism of resistance to radiation therapy on OSCC. Here, we generated radiation-resistance OML-1R subline derived from OML-1, the certain oral cancer patient in Taiwan. We hypothesized that G2/M checkpoint are involved in radiation-resistance OML-1R and correlated with the PI3K/mTOR signal pathway; Specifically blocking the PI3K and mTOR signal pathway by NVP-BEZ235 improve OML-1R cells to radiosensitivity via disruption of the G2/M checkpoint. Methods: Clonogenic assays were performed to determine the radiosensitizing effect of RAD001 and NVP-BEZ235 on OML-1 and OML-1R cells. Target protein phosphorylation, apoptosis, and G2/M Checkpoint were assessed after treatment of OML-1 and OML-1R cells with NVP-BEZ235 and/or ionizing radiation. Results: We show that NVP-BEZ235 was more effective than RAD001 in reducing cell viability of OML-1R se...
The value of land is determined by the locations’ attractiveness and the degree of direct land use regulation. When regulations are binding, e.g., when a restriction on the maximum floor area ratio exists, the land price can be directly expressed as a function of the maximum floor area ratio and local amenities. We show theoretically and empirically how this approach can be used to determine land values from rental prices of residential structures built upon that land. From our empirical results, we derive two main sources for a monocentric structure of land prices. First, the location attractiveness of centrally located dwellings makes land prices more expensive. Second, as the maximum floor area ratio is high in central areas, the regulation works as a multiplier for land prices and inflates prices accordingly. Our model gives insights into the determinants of urban land prices and provides a useful approach for land appraisal in regions where land transactions are scarce.
Introduction Globally, the use of telestroke programmes for acute care is expanding. Currently, a standardised set of variables for enabling reliable international comparisons of telestroke programmes does not exist. The aim of the study was to establish a consensus-based, minimum dataset for acute telestroke to enable the reliable comparison of programmes, clinical management and patient outcomes. Methods An initial scoping review of variables was conducted, supplemented by reaching out to colleagues leading some of these programmes in different countries. An international expert panel of clinicians, researchers and managers (n = 20) from the Australasia Pacific region, USA, UK and Europe was convened. A modified-Delphi technique was used to achieve consensus via online questionnaires, teleconferences and email. Results Overall, 533 variables were initially identified and harmonised into 159 variables for the expert panel to review. The final dataset included 110 variables covering three themes (service configuration, consultations, patient information) and 12 categories: (1) details about telestroke network/programme (n = 12), (2) details about initiating hospital (n = 10), (3) telestroke consultation (n = 17), (4) patient characteristics (n = 7), (5) presentation to hospital (n = 5), (6) general clinical care within first 24 hours (n = 10), (7) thrombolysis treatment (n = 10), (8) endovascular treatment (n = 13), (9) neurosurgery treatment (n = 8), (10) processes of care beyond 24 hours (n = 7), (11) discharge information (n = 5), (12) post-discharge and follow-up data (n = 6). Discussion The acute telestroke minimum dataset provides a recommended set of variables to systematically evaluate acute telestroke programmes in different countries. Adoption is recommended for new and existing services.
Dear Editor, We read with interest the article entitled “Benefits of mitral valve repair over replacement in the elderly: a systematic review and meta‐ analysis” by Di Tommaso et al. published in issue 7 vol. 36 of the Journal of Cardiac Surgery. In this meta‐analysis, the authors discussed and analyzed the long and short‐term outcomes of mitral valve repair (MVP) compared to mitral valve replacement (MVR) in the elderly population. While we appreciate the authors for pooling the results of nine sound observational studies, during our literature search on the topic, we came across another observational study regarding the same that was not included in the current meta‐analysis despite meeting the inclusion criteria set by Di Tommaso et al. MVP versus MVR in the elderly: short‐term and long‐term outcomes by Gaur et al. was published in 2014 in the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The above mentioned is a retrospective cohort study done on patients aged 70 years and above who underwent mitral valve replacement or repair surgery with or without coronary artery bypass graft, tricuspid valve surgery, or a maze procedure between the years 2002 and 2011. In this study, Gaur et al. further elaborate on two outcomes that were not included in the said analysis which give us valuable insight regarding the benefits of mitral valve repair over replacement. According to Gaur et al., longer ventilation times were noted with patients who underwent MVR rather than those who underwent MVP (11.2 vs. 9.5 h) and more patients in the MVR cohort required prolonged ventilation (greater than 24 h) versus those in the MVP cohort (23.5% vs. 15.3%). Moreover, more patients in the MVR cohort required later blood transfusions (52.9%) compared to those in the MVP cohort (40.1%). These findings reaffirm the long‐ and short‐term benefits of MVP over MVR and add to the present literature. We congratulate the authors on their manuscript. We look forward to hearing the authors' opinions on this matter.
The effects of pretreatment with spironolactone, phenobarbital and 3,4–benzpyrene on biliary excretion of ouabain was studied in isolated perfused rat liver system after a single dose of 3H–ouabain. Spironolactone pretreatment (100 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 4 days) changed the time course of the excretion, thus accelerating the transport of ouabain into the bile. Phenobarbital pretreatment (75 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 4 days) enhanced bile flow and increased biliary excretion of ouabain only after 15 min. At longer time periods the increase in bile flow diluted the bile level of ouabain there being no difference in the amounts excreted into the bile between the treated and untreated groups. 3,4–benzpyrene pretreatment (20 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 4 days) was without effect on biliary excretion of ouabain. The results suggest that spironolactone differs from phenobarbital in its enhancing effect on biliary excretion of ouabain, possibly through a specific effect on an unknown hepatic transport mechanism.
Eduardo Luis Fabiano Franco,* Eliane de Fatima Duarte, and Antonio Vitor Ramos de Souza, Centro Medico de Campinas, Cx. Postal 30, 13100-Campinas-Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Antonio Carlos Corsini, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, 13100-Campinas-Sao Paulo, Brazil (*Present address: Parasitic Serology Branch, Parasitology Division, Bureau of Laboratories, Center for Disease Control, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA)
BACKGROUND Retinoids represent an old class of bioactives used in the treatment of different skin pathologies (such as acne and psoriasis) and in the treatment of many tumors. Unfortunately, they present several side effects, i.e., burning of skin and general malaise after systemic administration and they are very unstable after exposition to light.   METHODS One of the most promising new approaches for reducing the side effects of retinoids while improving their pharmacological effect is the use of drug-delivery devices. This review explains the current status of retinoid drug transport, which has been developing over the last few years, explaining the modification of their biopharmaceutical properties in detail after encapsulation/inclusion in vesicular and polymeric systems.   RESULTS/CONCLUSION Different colloidal and micellar systems containing retinoid drugs have been realized furnishing important potential advancements in traditional therapy.
Depression is a common but serious mood disorder that negatively affects how people think, feel, and function in their everyday life, and it can lead to other emotional and physical problems. This chapter provides a foundation for understanding depressed mood within the framework of integrative mental health nursing. Integrative mental health nursing is founded on the principles of whole-person, relationship-based care provided within the personal, lived context using a range of therapies to support the individual’s health and healing. Nursing approaches are exemplified in the chapter through a case study of an adolescent experiencing depression. Integrative nursing care for persons with depression is based on interventions that move from least intensive/invasive approaches to more, depending on need and context. Integrative nurses incorporate evidence-informed traditional and nontraditional approaches and can effectively promote wellbeing in persons with depressed moods.
take on ‘natural philosophy’; but it turns out he uses a similar approach when characterizing a particular thinker’s set of beliefs. In various chapter subtitles, he refers, for instance, to David Gregory’s ‘Newtonian Newtonianism’ (p. 39), Keill’s ‘Aristotelian Newtonianism’ (p. 44) or Hume’s ‘Newtonian Anti-Newtonianism’ (p. 59). One wonders how illuminating an exercise of this sort can really be. Wilson seems to be aware of this*he refers to some similar subtitles in his final chapter as ‘oversimplified’*but that doesn’t stop him from using them (p. 276). This is emblematic of Wilson’s preference for descriptive comparisons between Scottish thinkers when what one wants to know, beyond these, is why they did, or did not, differ in the ways they did. What, in fact, was distinctively Scottish about their approach to natural philosophy? Wilson’s answer is a limited one. Scottish natural philosophers, he writes:
The Microscopic Structure of the Charnwood Rocks. In many cases the task of determining the nature and structure of these rocks is comparatively easy; but in others it presents great difficulties. These arise from the amount of metamorphism which the rocks have undergone since they were first deposited. This metamorphism may be said to be of a double nature :—the one, readily apprehended by the eye, that which has converted sandstone into quartzite, and fine felspathic detritus into something resembling a felspathic igneous rock, being in all probability the combined effect of pressure, heat, and water; the other, almost wholly revealed by the microscope, in which the last of the above-named agents of change has probably been the most active, and which may still be in progress—namely, the gradual decomposition of the minerals which once composed the rocks, and the formation of new ones by fresh combinations of the chemical elements thus set free. This process often obscures, far more than the former, the original structure of the rock; and it is this accordingly which causes our main difficulty in the study of these Charnwood rocks. To investigate microscopically all the varieties of stratified rocks found in the Forest would be a most laborious task; and in all probability the result would not compensate for the labour. We have therefore selected a series of specimens which appeared either typical of the more important varieties, or likely to be useful in illustrating some point of structure or stratigraphy. Forty-four slides in
The possibility that proteins reaching the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia by axonal transport from the circumesophageal ganglia might be subject to secretion in that structure was examined. Transported labeled protein was found to be released from the abdominal ganglion; such release was enhanced by exposure to a high K+ medium and by electrical stimulation of the transporting axons. Stimulation of release was inhibited by lowering the Ca2+/Mg2+ ratio of the medium. The released material is predominantly of 1--2000 daltons in molecular weight and appears to have been derived from a group of transported peptides of about the same size. The possibility is raised that these data may reflect the existence of a peptidergic second-order neurosecretory pathway in this nervous system.
In an effort to relate various existent schools of thought, this paper describes four models of probabilistic finite-state systems, giving necessary and sufficient conditions for reciprocal describability. An algorithm for the realization (synthesis) of a stochastic sequential machine by a deterministic machine and additive noise is presented. Different definitions of equivalence are listed and related by theorems, the most important of which states that "behavioral equivalence" with the same cutpoints for sequence recognizers is identical to "stochastic equivalence" (indistinguishability) for sequence transducers. Corollaries show the import of these results to the state minimization problem. The paper composes a strong case in favor of the adoption of J. W. Carlyle's model as a unifying one.
Objective: To identify health problems among outpatient nursing personnel with high physiological workload and high Body Mass Index (BMI]), and their impact on the nursing personnel quality of life. Methods: A descriptive quantitative-qualitative approach was used. The sample consisted of 22 nursing personnel from an outpatient clinic from a university teaching hospital of Sao Paulo city. Data was collected though interview using a specific instrument developed for the study. Results: Nursing personnel physiological workload (42.11%) and high BMI (26.32%) were associated with musculoskeletal disorders characterized by pain in different parts of the body, leg varices and microvessels, and foot callosities. Conclusion: Although working at the outpatient clinic is perceived as “a gift,” the reported health problems negatively affected the quality of life and the job performance of the nursing personnel.
The use of teledermatology in primary care has been shown to be reliable, offering the possibility of improving access to dermatological care by using telecommunication technologies to connect several medical centers and enable the exchange of information about skin conditions over long distances. This paper describes the main points of a teledermatology project that we have implemented to promote and facilitate the diagnosis of skin diseases and improve the quality of care for rural and remote areas. Moreover, we present a blockchain-based approach which aims to add new functionalities to an innovative teledermatology platform which we developed and tested in the Sardinian Region (Italy). These functionalities include giving the patient complete access to his/her medical records while maintaining security. Finally, the advantages that this new decentralized system can provide for patients and specialists are presented.
OBJECTIVE: To report our experience using high-dose methylprednisolone (HDMP) treatment in a patient with primary acquired pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) who failed to respond to conventional prednisone therapy. CASE SUMMARY: A 29-year-old woman reported weakness, was easily fatigued, and had developed palpitations. On physicial examination, pallor and splenomegaly were detected. On blood smear, mild macrocytic anemia was seen. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy revealed normocellularity, erythroid hypoplasia (E/M:1/10), reduction in erythroid precursors, and normal megakaryocytes and myeloid series. No disease associated with secondary PRCA was detected. Oral prednisone 1 mg/kg (total 60 mg/d) was started as conventional treatment. However, the patient's status deteriorated and the hemoglobin concentration fell from 6.5 to 5.5 g/dL within the first week of hospitalization. HDMP was then begun. Treatment protocol consisted of methylprednisolone 30 mg/kg for 4 days, 20 mg/kg for 3 days, 10 mg/kg for 3 days, 5 mg/kg for 4 days, and 1 mg/kg for 2 weeks. The patient's hemoglobin concentration increased from 5.5 to 14.2 g/dL over a period of 9 weeks. Transient hyperglycemia and cushingoid appearance were seen during prednisone treatment. DISCUSSION: Exactly how steroids enhance erythropoiesis in PRCA is unknown. It seems likely that steroids render abnormal erythroid progenitors more sensitive to marrow growth factors, thereby permitting them to differentiate to functional precursors. HDMP treatment had been rarely used in patients with primary acquired PRCA. Limited studies using HDMP have shown variable results. CONCLUSIONS: HDMP treatment may be considered safe and effective in patients with primary acquired PRCA who do not respond to conventional steroid therapy.
Based on a new self-energy for atom-phonon interaction, the preceding Comment [Phys. Rev. B 101, 247401 (2020)] argues about the insufficiency of the mathematical techniques within the independent boson model (IBM) to study physisorption in graphene membranes. In this Reply, I show that the new self-energy reported in the Comment is a perturbative expansion approximated for a two-phonon process, severely divergent for membrane sizes larger than 100 nm and within its current mathematical form, ill suited for investigating the physics of physisorption in graphene micromembranes. Additionally, I provide further evidence of the adsorption rate within the IBM that reinforces the physical soundness of the mathematical techniques reported in Phys. Rev. B 100, 075429 (2019).
The epidermal cell kinetics of male DBA‐2 mice have been studied using tritiated thymidine. Liquid scintillation data from skin punches, taken after stimulation of hair growth by plucking, agree well with similar data from DBA‐1 mice. A technique has been devised for obtaining sheets of epidermal cells from haired mice. Labelling index values from these sheets show that epidermal proliferation increases after plucking and they agree well with values obtained from sections. Counts of cells per unit area of epidermis show that cells are removed by plucking.
OBJECTIVE To determine a dexmedetomidine concentration, to be added to an alfaxalone-based bath solution, that will enhance the anaesthetic and analgesic effects of alfaxalone; and to compare the quality of anaesthesia and analgesia provided by immersion with either alfaxalone alone or alfaxalone with dexmedetomidine in oriental fire-bellied toads (Bombina orientalis).   STUDY DESIGN Pilot study followed by a prospective, randomized, experimental trial.   ANIMALS Fourteen oriental fire-bellied toads.   METHODS The pilot study aimed to identify a useful dexmedetomidine concentration to be added to an anaesthetic bath containing 20 mg 100 mL(-1) alfaxalone. Thereafter, the toads were assigned to one of two groups, each comprising eight animals, to be administered either alfaxalone (group A) or alfaxalone-dexmedetomidine (group AD). After immersion for 20 minutes, the toads were removed from the anaesthetic bath and the righting, myotactic and nociceptive reflexes, cardiopulmonary variables and von Frey filaments threshold were measured at 5 minute intervals and compared statistically between groups. Side effects and complications were noted and recorded.   RESULTS In the pilot study, a dexmedetomidine concentration of 0.3 mg 100 mL(-1) added to the alfaxalone-based solution resulted in surgical anaesthesia. The toads in group AD showed higher von Frey thresholds and lower nociceptive withdrawal reflex scores than those in group A. However, in group AD, surgical anaesthesia was observed in two out of eight toads only, and induction of anaesthesia was achieved in only 50% of the animals, as compared with 100% of the toads in group A.   CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The addition of dexmedetomidine to an alfaxalone-based solution for immersion anaesthesia provided some analgesia in oriental fire-bellied toads, but failed to potentiate the level of unconsciousness and appeared to lighten the depth of anaesthesia. This limitation renders the combination unsuitable for anaesthetizing oriental fire-bellied toads for invasive procedures.
Several 1-(1-naphthylacetyl)-3-substituted carbamides were synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for anti-inflammatory and antiproteolytic activity. The protection afforded by most of these carbamides against carrageenan-induced edema in rats at a dose of 100 mg/kg ranged from 4.4 to 50%. Some of these carbamides, which showed higher protection against carrageenan-induced edema, were further evaluated for their antigranulation effect against cotton pellet-induced granuloma formation in rats. All carbamides showed a poor degree of protection against granuloma formation. The antiproteolytic activity of these carbamides, as reflected by their ability to inhibit trypsin-induced hydrolysis of the bovine serum albumin, was of a low order and was unrelated to their anti-inflammatory activity.
Abstract This paper describes an experimental investigation into the effect of strain rate on the plastic and fracture response of 304 stainless steel subjected to dynamic shear deformation by a torsional split Hopkinson bar in the strain rate range 102 s-1 to 3 × 103 s-1. Results indicate that dynamic shear response and fracture characteristics of 304 stainless steel depend strongly on applied strain rate. The yield and failure strength as well as the fracture strain increase with strain rate. It is also found that increasing strain rate increases work hardening, strain rate sensitivity, and deformation heat. However, the inverse tendency is observed for activation volume. The observed shear response can be described by the Kobayashi-Dodd constitutive relation. Good agreement is found between predicted and measured data. Fractographic analysis shows that localised shearing failure is predominant under all deformation conditions. The fracture surface consists of dimples, typical of ductile materials. Increasing the strain rate increases both density and depth of dimples, verifying that the fracture strain increases with strain rate. The presence of deformed shear bands confirms the existence of instability in the form of unstable flow due to flow localisation. Within the deformed shear bands, the deformation is not homogeneous and the grains are heavily distorted, resulting in enhancement of microhardness.
A four-year old boy presented one week before the consultation with a febrile rush. It had began with small red dots on the torso, then progressed to the face and legs with emergence of small blisters which became umbilicated then evolved to crusts. The patient was given ibuprofen for the fever. 48 hours later, he developped a painful swelling and redness on the right thigh. At the physical examination, he had a 41 degree fever, an exanthema made of lesions at different stages consistent with the diagnosis of varicella, as well as an erythema and oedema of the right thigh, with no necrosis, blisters or purpura (Fig. 1). Blood tests showed an elevated level of C reactive protein at 235, leucocytosis and a normal level of CPK. The diagnosis of erysipelas was then retained and the patient was put under antibiotics with a good outcome (Fig. 2).
The identification of genetic mutations known as oncogenic driver mutations that lead to the growth and survival of cancer cells has been an important advance in the field of oncology. Treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has transitioned from a more general approach to a more personalized approach based on genetic mutations of the cancer itself. Common mutations detected in patients with advanced NSCLC include mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). Targeted therapies are aimed at the products of these gene mutations and include erlotinib (used in epidermal growth factor receptor mutant NSCLC) and crizotinib (used in anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive NSCLC). In this review, we discuss common genetic mutations in advanced NSCLC, the role of targeted therapies, and imaging findings that can be associated with various genetic mutations.
A technique for frequency conversion of high-power lasers is described which uses two crystals for each conversion step rather than one. The two crystals are oriented so that the waves generated in them are orthogonally polarized. The conversion efficiency of these quadrature arrangements is much less sensitive to laser pulse nonuniformities than that in single-crystal methods. Consequently, very high conversion efficiency is possible for typically nonuniform laser pulses. Realization of the quadrature concept for all types of nonlinear optical processes are described. Data taken on second harmonic generation of Gaussian pulses shows that very high (internal) conversion efficiency is possible ( > 95 percent) over a substantial range of input energy.
Colloidal CsPbX3 (X = Br, Cl, and I) perovskite nanocrystals exhibit tunable bandgaps over the entire visible spectrum and high photoluminescence quantum yields in the green and red regions. However, the lack of highly efficient blue‐emitting perovskite nanocrystals limits their development for optoelectronic applications. Herein, neodymium (III) (Nd3+) doped CsPbBr3 nanocrystals are prepared through the ligand‐assisted reprecipitation method at room temperature with tunable photoemission from green to deep blue. A blue‐emitting nanocrystal with a central wavelength at 459 nm, an exceptionally high photoluminescence quantum yield of 90%, and a spectral width of 19 nm is achieved. First principles calculations reveal that the increase in photoluminescence quantum yield upon doping is driven by an enhancement of the exciton binding energy due to increased electron and hole effective masses and an increase in oscillator strength due to shortening of the PbBr bond. Putting these results together, an all‐perovskite white light‐emitting diode is successfully fabricated, demonstrating that B‐site composition engineering is a reliable strategy to further exploit the perovskite family for wider optoelectronic applications.
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are innate receptors that show high conservation throughout the animal kingdom. Most TLRs can be clustered into phylogenetic groups that respond to similar types of ligands. One exception is avian TLR15. This receptor does not categorize into one of the existing groups of TLRs and its ligand is still unknown. Here we report that TLR15 is a sensor for secreted virulence-associated fungal and bacterial proteases. Activation of TLR15 involves proteolytic cleavage of the receptor ectodomain and stimulation of NF-κB–dependent gene transcription. Receptor activation can be mimicked by the expression of a truncated TLR15 of which the entire ectodomain is removed, suggesting that receptor cleavage alleviates receptor inhibition by the leucine-rich repeat domain. Our results indicate TLR15 as a unique type of innate immune receptor that combines TLR characteristics with an activation mechanism typical for the evolutionary distinct protease-activated receptors.
Researchers have begun to examine whether centralized or decentralized (or federal) political systems have better handled the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we probe beneath the surface of China's political system to examine the balance between centralized and decentralized authority in China's handling of the pandemic. We show that after the SARS epidemic of 2003, China adjusted the central-local balance of authority over systems to handle both the detection and early response phases of health emergencies. In an attempt to overcome problems revealed by SARS, it sought both to centralize early infectious disease reporting and to decentralize authority to respond to local health emergencies. But these adjustments in the central-local balance of authority after SARS did not change "normal times" authority relations and incentive structures in the political system. As a result, local leaders had both the authority and the incentive to prioritize tasks that determine their political advancement at the cost of containing the spread of COVID-19. China's efforts to balance central and local authority shows just how difficult it is to get it right, especially in the early phase of a pandemic.
Computer-based knowledge support is now necessary to guide optimal test ordering and to enhance the interpretation of clinical laboratory results. The increasing application of evidence-based decision making, clinical practice guidelines, utilization management protocols, and local management rules has reached the point where human memory alone cannot be expected to recall all the facts and information required for effective clinical laboratory testing. Computer-based knowledge support (also known as clinical decision support or CDS) will become even more important in the future as medical care becomes progressively protocol driven and as data-intensive proteomic and genomic investigations enter the mainstream.
Abstract The work concerns the structures and properties of multilayer smectic phases with complex tilt and dipolar order. The symmetry and thermodynamical classification of multilayer antiferroelectric and ferrielectric phases is given. The main attention is paid to the difference of these phases with respect to classical ferroelectric S∗c. A two-layer model of the ferrielectric smectic phase is generalized to describe the sequence of the first order phase transitions ferro-ferri-antiferro-electric and to show the possibility of existence of two isostructural ferrielectric phases, which differ in the value of the helical pitch and in the sense of the helix.
A general analytic solution is given to the sphere‐growth problem which includes (1) oxygen and point defect transport, (2) interface reaction kinetics, (3) surface energy, and (4) strain energy storage. Short, intermediate, and long time behaviors are given. In the long time domain, where the Peclet number for oxygen is constant provided the far field conditions are constant, the growth rate is dominated at low and intermediate temperatures primarily by silicon interstitial formation and somewhat by strain energy storage. At high temperatures (≳1150 °C), these effects become small and the interface begins to approach the thermodynamic equilibrium state. However, at all lower temperatures, the supersaturation of silicon interstitials at the SiO2/Si interface is very large and the interface is far from the thermodynamic equilibrium. Extension of the mathematical approach to precipitates of other shapes is also given.A general analytic solution is given to the sphere‐growth problem which includes (1) oxygen and point defect transport, (2) interface reaction kinetics, (3) surface energy, and (4) strain energy storage. Short, intermediate, and long time behaviors are given. In the long time domain, where the Peclet number for oxygen is constant provided the far field conditions are constant, the growth rate is dominated at low and intermediate temperatures primarily by silicon interstitial formation and somewhat by strain energy storage. At high temperatures (≳1150 °C), these effects become small and the interface begins to approach the thermodynamic equilibrium state. However, at all lower temperatures, the supersaturation of silicon interstitials at the SiO2/Si interface is very large and the interface is far from the thermodynamic equilibrium. Extension of the mathematical approach to precipitates of other shapes is also given.
In this paper, we used cloud imagery from a NASA field experiment in conjunction with three-dimensional radiative transfer calculations to show that cloud spatial structure manifests itself as a spectral signature in shortwave irradiance fields – specifically in transmittance and net horizontal photon transport in the visible and near-ultraviolet wavelength range. We found a robust correlation between the magnitude of net horizontal photon transport (H) and its spectral dependence (slope), which is scale-invariant and holds for the entire pixel population of a domain. This was surprising at first given the large degree of spatial inhomogeneity. We prove that the underlying physical mechanism for this phenomenon is molecular scattering in conjunction with cloud spatial structure. On this basis, we developed a simple parameterization through a single parameter ε, which quantifies the characteristic spectral signature of spatial inhomogeneities. In the case we studied, neglecting net horizontal photon transport leads to a local transmittance bias of ±12–19 %, even at the relatively coarse spatial resolution of 20 km. Since three-dimensional effects depend on the spatial context of a given pixel in a nontrivial way, the spectral dimension of this problem may emerge as the starting point for future bias corrections.
ABSTRACT Various approaches for the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) indices were employed like Beaufil's ER, Elwali and Gascho and Jones. As per the Beaufil's approach of DRIS indices, the nutrient requirements in the initial stage of the apple tree were magnesium > nitrogen > sulfur > phosphorus > copper > zinc > iron > manganese > boron > calcium > potassium (Mg > N > S > P > Cu > Zn > Fe > Mn > B > Ca > K) and in the later stage at 40–50 years, the nutrient requirements were S > Cu > Mg > Fe > P > N > Ca > Mn > K > Zn > B, thus demanding a foliar application of magnesium salt and urea which are required in high amounts in the initial stage; however in the later stage, the yield depression was not attributed to the nutrient deficiency but rather trees' genetic make-up which destabilizes the higher yield in the period of 50 years. Nutrient sufficiency ranges for apple derived from DRIS norms were 1.91–2.24, 0.18–0.26, 1.11–1.61, 1.74–1.88, 0.30–0.33 and 0.28–0.30% for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S), respectively.
The term "dysplastic" melanocytic naevus has recently been used to describe pigmented naevi with unusual histological and clinical features. There is currently no clear clinical or pathological definition of the term, and this has led to a lack of comparability of material described in reports on these lesions. As a result of careful histological study and a clinicopathological correlation of 100 naevi, we suggest that three distinct groups of histopathological features distinguish so called dysplastic naevi from banal melanocytic naevi. These are architectural atypia, cytological atypia, and a host response. Description of each of these features in routine reports and in published series in place of the loose use of the term "dysplastic" would enable comparisons to be made between series of melanocytic lesions reported from different centres. In the course of this study we observed a considerably increased incidence of naevus type giant cells in the dermal portion of the atypical naevi. These giant cells should not be confused with possibly premalignant cytological atypia.
Parkinson's disease is characterized by the deterioration of dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta along with a substantial loss of noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus, which is the major source of noradrenaline (NA) in the brain. We have investigated the interaction of NA with α-synuclein (α-syn), the major protein constituent of Lewy bodies that are the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is expected that NA, like dopamine, could bind to α-syn and modulate its aggregation propensity and kinetics, which could also contribute to the onset of PD. We have, thus, evaluated the thermodynamic parameters of interaction of NA with α-syn monomer as well as species formed at different stages during its fibrillation pathway and have investigated the conformational and aggregation properties using various spectroscopic and calorimetric techniques. Binding isotherms of NA with α-syn species formed at different time points in the pathway have been observed to be exothermic in nature, suggesting hydrogen bonding interactions and weak affinity with binding constants in the millimolar range in all the cases. The interaction site of NA for α-syn was determined using Förster resonance energy transfer measurements that resulted in its binding in close proximity (23 Å) of an Alexa-labeled A90C mutant of α-syn. Docking studies further suggested binding of NA to the C-terminal as well as the non-amyloid-β component (NAC) region of α-syn. We have shown that α-syn oligomerization into sodium dodecyl sulfate resistant, higher-order, β-sheet-rich species is dependent on the oxidation of NA. Under non-reducing conditions, NA was also found to disaggregate the intermediates, populated during the fibrillation pathway, which are more cytotoxic compared to amyloid fibrils, as observed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cytotoxicity assay using a human neuroblastoma cell line. On the basis of these and earlier data, we propose that NA-induced formation of α-syn oligomers may contribute to the progressive loss of the noradrenergic neuronal population and the pronounced Lewy body deposition observed in patients with PD.
For speech recognition, deep neural networks (DNNs) have significantly improved the recognition accuracy in most of benchmark datasets and application domains. However, compared to the conventional Gaussian mixture models, DNN-based acoustic models usually have much larger number of model parameters, making it challenging for their applications in resource constrained platforms, e.g., mobile devices. In this paper, we study the application of the recently proposed highway network to train small-footprint DNNs, which are { it thinner} and { it deeper}, and have significantly smaller number of model parameters compared to conventional DNNs. We investigated this approach on the AMI meeting speech transcription corpus which has around 70 hours of audio data. The highway neural networks constantly outperformed their plain DNN counterparts, and the number of model parameters can be reduced significantly without sacrificing the recognition accuracy.
Large congregations are often plagued by free-riders members who participate, but do not contribute. However, large congregations also enjoy lower costs per member. On balance, as congregations grow, their revenues rise faster than the costs of providing services to their members. The extra monies fund disproportionate amounts of local benevolence programs and synodical and national church ministries. Unfortunately, large congregations have not parlayed their financial advantage into membership gains. Since increased benevolence boosts external ministry to others more than internal ministry to members themselves, members of small congregations have little incentive to move to larger, more efficient ones. Small congregations continue to survive and members will not passively abandon them.
Social networks are widely used for information consumption and dissemination, especially during time-critical events such as natural disasters. Despite its significantly large volume, social media content is often too noisy for direct use in any application. Therefore, it is important to filter, categorize, and concisely summarize the available content to facilitate effective consumption and decision-making. To address such issues automatic classification systems have been developed using supervised modeling approaches, thanks to the earlier efforts on creating labeled datasets. However, existing datasets are limited in different aspects (e.g., size, contains duplicates) and less suitable to support more advanced and data-hungry deep learning models. In this paper, we present a new large-scale dataset with ~77K human-labeled tweets, sampled from a pool of ~24 million tweets across 19 disaster events that happened between 2016 and 2019. Moreover, we propose a data collection and sampling pipeline, which is important for social media data sampling for human annotation. We report multiclass classification results using classic and deep learning (fastText and transformer) based models to set the ground for future studies. The dataset and associated resources are publicly available at https://crisisnlp.qcri.org/humaid_dataset.html.
The alternative sigma factors are regulated by a phosphorylation‐mediated signal transduction cascade involving anti‐sigma factors and anti‐anti‐sigma factors. The proteins regulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis sigma factor F (SigF), anti‐SigF and anti‐anti‐SigF have been identified, but the factors catalyzing phosphorylation–dephosphorylation have not been well established. We identified a distinct pathogenic species‐specific multidomain protein, Rv1364c, in which the components of the entire signal transduction cascade for SigF regulation appear to be encoded in a single polypeptide. Sequence analysis of M. tuberculosis Rv1364c resulted in the prediction of various domains, namely a phosphatase (RsbU) domain, an anti‐SigF (RsbW) domain, and an anti‐anti‐SigF (RsbV) domain. We report that the RsbU domain of Rv1364c bears all the conserved features of the PP2C‐type serine/threonine phosphatase family, whereas its RsbW domain has certain substitutions and deletions in regions important for ATP binding. Another anti‐SigF protein in M. tuberculosis, UsfX (Rv3287c), shows even more unfavorable substitutions in the kinase domain. Biochemical assay with the purified RsbW domain of Rv1364c and UsfX showed the loss of ability of autophosphorylation and phosphotransfer to cognate anti‐anti‐SigF proteins or artificial substrates. Both the Rv1364c RsbW domain and UsfX protein display very weak binding with fluorescent ATP analogs, despite showing functional interactions characteristic of anti‐SigF proteins. In view of conservation of specific interactions with cognate sigma and anti‐anti‐sigma factor, the loss of kinase activity of Rv1364c and UsfX appears to form a missing link in the phosphorylation‐dependent interaction involved in SigF regulation in Mycobacterium.
Earlier epistemic planning systems for multi-agent domains generate plans that contain various types of actions such as ontic, sensing, or announcement actions. However, none of these systems consider untruthful announcements, i.e., none can generate plans that contain a lying or a misleading announcement. In this paper, we present a novel epistemic planner, called EFP3.0, for multi-agent domains with untruthful announcements. The planner is similar to the systems EFP or EFP2.0 in that it is a forward-search planner and can deal with unlimited nested beliefs and common knowledge by employing a Kripke based state representation and implementing an update model based transition function. Different from EFP, EFP3.0 employs a specification language that uses edge-conditioned update models for reasoning about effects of actions in multi-agent domains. We describe the basics of EFP3.0 and conduct experimental evaluations of the system against state-of-the-art epistemic planners. We discuss potential improvements that could be useful for scalability and efficiency of the system.
We study the future prospects of the 21cm forest observations on the axion-like dark matter when the spontaneous breaking of the global Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry occurs after the inflation. The large isocurvature perturbations of order unity sourced from axion-like particles can result in the enhancement of minihalo formation, and the subsequent hierarchical structure formation can affect the minihalo abundance whose masses can exceed ${ cal O}(10^4) M_{ odot}$ relevant for the 21cm forest observations. We show that the 21cm forest observations are capable of probing the axion-like particle mass in the range $10^{-18} lesssim m_a  lesssim 10^{-12}$ eV for the temperature independent axion mass. For the temperature dependent axion mass, the zero temperature axion mass scale for which the 21cm forest measurements can be affected is extended further to as big as of order $10^{-6}$ eV.
MacLean CD, Susi B, Phifer N, et al. Patient preference for physician discussion and practice of spirituality. J Gen Int Med 2003; 18(1):38–43. A substantial number of patients desire spiritual interaction with their physician, but the desire is for a limited intensity in that interaction. The Religion and Spirituality in the Medical Encounter Study (RESPECT) was conducted at 6 academic medical centers in 3 states (NC, FL, VT) and involved 456 patients. Results may have been skewed by several factors, including: a limited geographic spread, a largely Protestant population (n 267, 56%), and the use of hypothetical questions. Two interesting trends were noted in this study. Firstly, the percentage interested in spiritual dialogue with their physician increased according to the severity of the illness, from 33% during a routine office visit, to 40% during general hospitalization, to 70% when dying. Secondly, patient desire for spiritual interaction decreased as the intensity of the interaction increased: although 40% wished their physician to ask about personal religious beliefs while hospitalized, 39% desired the physician to say a silent prayer for the patient, and only 29% wished the physician to pray with them. Interestingly, during routine office visits the majority (78%) did not wish to divert time from that spent discussing medical problems to time spent discussing spiritual issues. Time constraints may have been a consideration, helping to explain the increased percentage during hospitalization. Blacks were more likely to opt for such an exchange.
ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the scientific evidence on COVID-19 coping and prevention strategies implemented to female sex workers in the context of several countries. Methods: this is an integrative literature review, with data collected in the PubMed, Scopus, Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar databases using the Boolean descriptors “COVID-19” and “sex workers” and “Delivery of Health Care”, with a time frame from 2019 to 2020. A priori, 215 publications were found. After selection, anchored in the inclusion criteria and in the answer to the guiding question, 19 articles were used, whose information was organized in a synoptic table, and the texts were analyzed using semantic content. Results: after content analysis of actions implemented or recommended in different countries, so that female sex workers can prevent contamination by Sars-CoV-2, four categories were highlighted: programmatic/governmental actions and responses from society; combating the stigmas involved in sex work; health education through technological/digital and media resources; adjustment of health services. Conclusion: gender, race and class inequalities, as well as social stigmas, have been maintained by states governed by patriarchy and, therefore, are the main barriers for female sex workers to adopt strategies to combat COVID-19. Even so, intersectoral actions have been implemented/recommended in several countries such as the adjustment of sexual health services, financial incentives to improve the services of signal operators and digital technologies to implement effective actions to promote health education and enable the distribution of inputs for individual protection and prevention.
History. Atmosphere. High altitude, geography and human responses to altitude. Ventilatory response to altitude. Lung diffusion. Cardiovascular system. Haematological changes and plasma volume. Blood gas transport and acid base balance. Peripheral tissues. Exercise. Limiting factors at extreme altitude. Sleep. Nutritional and intestinal function. Endocrine and renal systems. Central nervous system. Permanent high altitude residents. Acute mountain sickness. High altitude cerebral oedema and retinal haemorrhage. Chronic mountain sickness. Thermal balance and its regulation. Reaction to cold. Hypothermia. General cold injury. Local cold injury. Mountain performance. Accidents, evacuation, management of surgical conditions at altitude, anaesthesia. Management of medical conditions at altitude. Clinical lessons of high altitude. Practicalities of field study.
Glasses are a neglected subject in the Peruvian history, even in the art  and archaeology fieldworks, devoted to the different aspects of material culture.  This knowledge gap generates a huge field of study but, this time, we focus on the  practices of glass consumption by Peruvian women, throughout the 18th century.  By highlighting their tastes and preferences, we underline their indirect agencies in  the manufacture and trade of this material and, above all, the existence of a local  production that was far from being limited to the supply of the wine sector, within  the framework of which the researchers have understood the creations of the Ica  kilns. Finally, by adopting the gender perspective to approach the material scenarios  of daily life, we access the artifactual narratives they composed. Thus, it has  been possible to capture their connection with a certain kind of collecting practices
Psoralen (P) and isopsoralen (IP) are the main active ingredients in the dried fruit of Psoralen corylifolia L. (PC), with a wide range of pharmacology activities. The intestinal bacteria biotransformation plays a central role in the metabolism of the complex ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Our study aimed to investigated the metabolic profile of P and IP in the intestinal condition, co-cultured with human fecal bacteria anaerobically. Four bio-transforming products were obtained, including 6,7-furano-hydrocoumaric acid (P-1) and 6,7-furano-hydro- coumaric acid methyl ester (P-2), which transformed from P, and 5,6-furano-hydrocoumaric acid (IP-1) and 5,6-furano-hydrocoumaric acid methyl ester (IP-2), which were transformed from IP. It is worth mentioning that IP-2 is a new compound that has not been published. Their structures were analyzed based on their spectroscopic data. Moreover, a highly sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was used to characterize the metabolic pathways of P, IP, and their bio-transforming products in the reaction samples. In addition, the dampening effects against the oxidative stress of P, IP, and their bio-transforming products by human intestinal flora were estimated in vitro via the human colorectal cells (HCT116) and heterogeneous human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2) cell lines. The results showed that the metabolites have stronger activity than P and IP, which possibly provides a basis for elucidating the treating mechanisms of PC extract against inflammatory bowel disease.
The article proposes a shortened German version of the UPPS impulsive behavior scales. In Study 1, 149 high-school students completed the UPPS questionnaire, a Big-Five questionnaire, additional established self-report scales to measure conscientiousness and impulsivity, as well as tests of working memory capacity, reasoning, and clerical speed. Measurement models were applied to the full translated UPPS scales using confirmatory factor analysis. A satisfactory measurement model could be established only by removing many of the initial items. The remaining items correlated as expected with other self-report and ability measures: Substantial correlations with impulsivity and conscientiousness contrasted with zero correlations with working memory and reasoning ability. The association between impulsivity factors and perceptual speed was primarily a result of the number of solved items rather than the number of mistakes in the speed tasks. In Study 2 the reduced item set from Study 1 was administered to 246 ...
This paper investigates the capability of a miniaturized radar sensor developed for mini Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) to provide the flying platform with radar-based navigation and sense-and-avoid (SAA) functions. A radar sensor based on Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology developed by IMST GmbH is therefore exploited both for tracking, SAA, and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) oriented acquisitions. Main challenges related with data interpretation are analyzed and the results suggest that valuable data for each envisaged application can be obtained.
We analyzed data from two surveys of fall migrating shorebirds in central and eastern North America to estimate annual trends in means per survey and to determine whether trends indicate a change in population size or might have been caused by other factors. The analysis showed a broad decline in means per survey in Atlantic Canada and the northeastern United States (North Atlantic region). For example, 9 of 9 significant trends in this region were B / 1( P /0.004), and the mean, annual rate of change among 30 species was 0.9783, a decline of / 2.17% per year (PB /0.001). Trends in the midwestern United States (Midwest region) showed no clear pattern. The mean among 29 species was 1.0090 (P /0.35). Only 4 of the trends were significant. Several hypotheses were evaluated to identify causes of the declining means per survey in the North Atlantic region. The most likely hypothesis appears to be a decline in the breeding populations that supply migrants to the North Atlantic region, but a change in movements, for example passing through the region more quickly in recent years, cannot be excluded as an explanation. Further surveys of arctic breeding areas coupled with analysis of long-term survey data from western North America would be helpful in determining whether the declines found in this analysis are also occurring in other areas.
Abstract A copper(II)-catalyzed multi-component one-pot approach for the synthesis of 1,3-oxazines at room temperature is reported here. Methanol is used as the solvent as well as the carbon source. The methylene carbon of the oxazine product comes from methanol via formaldehyde. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide is used as the oxidant. The reaction uses an environmentally benign metal catalyst and oxidant. No inert atmosphere or precaution is required for the reaction. Most importantly, the reaction avoids the use of carcinogenic formaldehyde.
In this paper, a three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) front-end ac-dc converter supplying a three-level inverter fed induction motor drive operating under direct torque and flux control (DTFC) is presented. The three-level ac-dc converter draws sinusoidal ac current from the supply and keeps the dc-link voltage constant. Hysteresis current controller is used for current control of the front-end converter because of its simplicity, easy implementation and good performance. A diode clamped multilevel inverter is used for driving induction motor operating under DTFC scheme. A new technique that ensures constant flux control for forward motoring and reverse motoring is proposed. This technique enables soft starting of the drive. In the proposed drive system, the DTFC principle can be applied in the entire speed range. Simulation results of three-level converter-inverter system demonstrate the validity of the proposed hysteresis current control method. The converter is found to be stable for a large range of hysteresis band. DC link voltage across each capacitor is maintained constant and balanced. The simulation results of the complete drive system are presented here for both forward and reverse motoring operations with regeneration.
Resonant tunneling is the main transport mechanism in quantum cascade lasers and has direct effects on the L-I characteristics. In this study, the tunneling transmission spectra of the active region of InP lattice-matched In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52AI0.48As and In0.53Ga0.47As/AIAS0.56Sb0.44 quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with vertical transitions were simulated using the transfer matrix method with various design parameters: quantum well numbers, layer thicknesses, and the choice of materials. Generally, we aim for a high tunneling transmission coefficient with a low transmission peak-to-valley ratio. The simulation results reveal that the number of transmission peaks increases with increasing well width and the number of quantum wells. Moreover, the transmission peak-to-valley ratio increases as the number of quantum wells increases. The simulations also suggest increases in both the transmission coefficient and the peak-to-valley ratio by reducing the barrier thicknesses. By comparing QCLs composed of different materials, we also show that different material systems have different optimum operational voltages that can improve the resonant tunneling properties.
This study is based on the assumption that subjectification through sexuality driven by gender ideologies during childhood and adolescence is closely related to the dominant discourse that interdicts sexuality and influences the construction of nurses' professional identities. This study's objective was to identify in the nurses' testimonies aspects of the process of subjectification through sexuality over the course of the construction of the participants' identities as women and nurses. The study was conducted with nine nurses from Barbacena-MG, Brazil. The empirical material was developed through histories of life and interpreted using the Critical Discourse Analysis framework. The results show that subjectivity involves the acquisition of gender performances, determinants in the learning process of masculinity and femininity, reinforced by social institutions. Therefore, the internalized well-behaved-woman model constructed within the family during childhood and adolescence eases one's acceptance of standards imposed during nurses' nursing education. DESCRIPTORS: Sexuality. Nursing education. Gender identity. Gender and health.
Certain applications such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) require the reconstruction of functions from Fourier spectral data. When the underlying functions are piecewise-smooth, standard Fourier approximation methods suffer from the Gibbs phenomenon – with associated oscillatory artifacts in the vicinity of edges and an overall reduced order of convergence in the approximation. This paper proposes an edge-augmented Fourier reconstruction procedure which uses only the first few Fourier coefficients of an underlying piecewise-smooth function to accurately estimate jump information and then incorporate it into a Fourier partial sum approximation. We provide both theoretical and empirical results showing the improved accuracy of the proposed method, as well as comparisons demonstrating superior performance over existing state-of-the-art sparse optimization-based methods.
Health care managers find their work increasingly difficult, due in part to rapid environment change that plagues organizational life. Management practices and attitudes that may have been appropriate in previous eras are ineffective today. A study was conducted among managers in the Ministry of Health, State of Bahrain, seeking information about current trends in the macro or external environment that affect the Ministry of Health, as well as internal environmental pressures that may be similar or different. This article provides a clear picture of the context in which managers perform their work and offers recommendations for coping with change in dynamic, complex organizations.
Moving in and out of small cavelike structures is a common daily activity of Colostethus palmatus . Such sites are used for shelter and spawning. Therefore, cave quality is important to survival and reproductive success. The frogs' association with caves was studied in a 24-cave communal paludarium. Adult frogs recognised cave quality, and chose large damp caves for spawning, but large, wet and dark caves were preferred for shelter, while small ones were used less or ignored. The search time needed to find an available cave gradually shortened over trials, reaching a minimum in about eight days, indicating that frogs learned cave position. Males and females had similar search times. Frogs less familiar with the test area had longer initial search times than frogs with more experience, but achieved equally short search times after about eight days. In conjunction with previous findings the results suggest that visual cues are important in habitat choice and spatial learning, and that territorial and reproductive behaviour are intimately associated with learning performance.
In recent history, different design approaches have been entering fields like management and strategy to improve product development and service delivery. Specifically, entrepreneurship has adopted a user-centric mindset in methodologies like the business canvas model and the value proposition canvas which increases the awareness of the users’ needs when developing solutions. What happens when a service design approach is used to understand the entrepreneurs’ experience through the creation of their startups? Recent literature suggests that entrepreneurial activity and success is conditioned by their local entrepreneurship ecosystem. This study investigates the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem of Medellín, Colombia - an ecosystem in constant growth but that lacks qualitative analysis. The sample consists of 12 entrepreneurs in early-stage phase. The data was gathered with two design research methods: Cultural Probes and Semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the information collected facilitated the development of 4 insights about the entrepreneurs and an experience map to visualise and interpret their journey to create a startup. The results of this study reflected the implications of the ecosystem, the explanation of the users’ perceptions and awareness and propose a set of ideas to the local government to improve the experience of undertaking a startup in Medellín.
Background—Propensity-score matching is frequently used in the cardiology literature. Recent systematic reviews have found that this method is, in general, poorly implemented in the medical literature. The study objective was to examine the quality of the implementation of propensity-score matching in the general cardiology literature. Methods and Results—A total of 44 articles published in the American Heart Journal, the American Journal of Cardiology, Circulation, the European Heart Journal, Heart, the International Journal of Cardiology, and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2006, were examined. Twenty of the 44 studies did not provide adequate information on how the propensity-score–matched pairs were formed. Fourteen studies did not report whether matching on the propensity score balanced baseline characteristics between treated and untreated subjects in the matched sample. Only 4 studies explicitly used statistical methods appropriate for matched studies to compare baseline characteristics between treated and untreated subjects. Only 11 (25%) of the 44 studies explicitly used statistical methods appropriate for the analysis of matched data when estimating the effect of treatment on the outcomes. Only 2 studies described the matching method used, assessed balance in baseline covariates by appropriate methods, and used appropriate statistical methods to estimate the treatment effect and its significance. Conclusions—Application of propensity-score matching was poor in the cardiology literature. Suggestions for improving the reporting and analysis of studies that use propensity-score matching are provided.
Abstract To demonstrate secretion of cumulus expansion-enabling factor (CEEF) by porcine oocytes, we used an interspecies testing system. Porcine oocytes were used to condition culture medium, and the presence of CEEF was tested using mouse oocytectomized complexes (OOX), which require CEEF for expansion. Follicle-stimulating hormone-stimulated expansion and synthesis of hyaluronic acid (HA) by mouse OOX were assessed after 18 h of culture in media conditioned by porcine oocytes: 1) at different stages of maturation and 2) in which maturation was inhibited with a specific inhibitor of cdk-kinases, butyrolactone I. Fully grown (GV-germinal vesicle), late-diakinesis (LD), metaphase I (MI), and metaphase II (MII) oocytes were prepared by culture of oocyte-cumulus complexes (OCC) for 0, 22, 27, and 42 h, respectively. To block GV breakdown, porcine oocytes were cultured for 27 h in medium supplemented with butyrolactone I (50 μM). Medium conditioned by oocytes in GV, LD, and after butyrolactone I block allowed full expansion of >90% of mouse OOX, whereas oocytes in MI and MII caused disintegration of mouse OOX without cumulus mucification. To measure synthesis of HA by cumulus cells, 25 mouse OOX were cultured in the conditioned media in the presence of 2.5 μCi of d-[6-3H]glucosamine hydrochloride. After 18 h, incorporation of the [3H]glucosamine into HA was determined either in complexes (retained HA) or in medium plus complexes (total HA). Total HA accumulation by mouse OOX was not different from that of intact OCC. However, oocytes in GV, LD, and after butyrolactone I treatment enabled mouse OOX to retain significantly more HA within the complex than oocytes in MI and MII. The results indicate that secretion of factors that promote the retention of HA within the complex is developmentally regulated during oocyte maturation.
According to Ayurveda, the ancient medicine of India, there are three doshas, or body types. Kapha (K) constitutions have solid builds and a tendency toward obesity while Pitta (P) constitutions are medium‐built and maintain the most regular eating patterns. Vata (V) constitutions are thin, have sporadic eating patterns, and are least likely to gain weight. Individuals may be either dominant for one dosha or have a combined dosha profile. To date, there have been no objective studies on body composition, physical activity, dietary intake, and eating behaviors among doshas. We compared these factors in a convenience sample of 16 healthy, non‐smoking subjects ages 18 to 49 y participating in a study of diet and obesity (final anticipated n=94). Subjects were classified into P (n=6), PK (n=5) and KP (n=5) dosha types according to a 49‐item published questionnaire (S Gerson 2002). After controlling for age and sex, there were significant differences among the groups in body weight, BMI, fat free mass (FFM), and waist circumference (p<0.05) and a marginal difference (p=0.07) in percent body fat (BOD POD), with the KP group having higher values than both P and PK groups. Resting metabolic rate (Body Gem) was also higher in the KP group (p<0.05). KP doshas scored higher for dietary disinhibition and emotional eating (Eating Inventory) than the other two groups (p<0.05). None of the physical activity or dietary intake variables considered thus far differed significantly among the groups. These preliminary findings support some tenets of Ayurvedic medicine.
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among women in the United States has reached the point where it is more common than a normal body weight. Body weight is evaluated by calculation of the body mass index (BMI), the weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared. This formula is believed to give an estimation of the amount of fat stored in the body. Using this definition, a BMI less than 18 is considered underweight, a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, 25.0 to 29.9 is overweight, and greater than 30 is obese (Table 1). Based on these definitions, more than 60% of American adults are overweight or obese. Of great concern is the increasing prevalence of obesity in the United States. While the percentage of overweight adults has been stable at about 33%, the percentage of obese adults has risen from only 16% as recently as 1980 to more than 27% today. The prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults increased by 1% each year during the 1990s. In addition, women of racial and ethnic minorities are affected disproportionately by obesity, as are women of lower socioeconomic standing. For example, 69% of African-American women are overweight or obese compared to “only” 47% of nonHispanic white women. In addition, women in the lowest socioeconomic strata are 50% more likely to be obese than those of higher status. Finally, the prevalence of obesity increases up to age 60, after which it tends to decline. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that obesity and related lifestyle issues cause 300,000 deaths per year and cost $117 billion in the year 2000.
Distraction is considered to be a factor in many spinal cord injuries. With a specially designed distraction apparatus and the 14C-antipyrine autoradiographic technique, the effect of distraction on spinal cord blood flow (SCBF) in cats was studied. Distraction was performed at L2-3 at a rate of 0.25 cm/10 min, and the spinal evoked response (SER) was monitored by stimulating the sciatic nerve and recording at T-13. The SCBF was assessed in five control animals, four animals in whom the SER was markedly altered by distraction, and five animals after the SER had been abolished and an additional 0.5 cm distraction applied. Control cats had gray- and white-matter flows of 44.5 +/- 1.4 (SEM) and 10.5 +/- 0.4 ml/100 gm/min, respectively. Distraction to the point of marked SER alteration caused a 50% loss of SCBF at and caudal to the distraction site. An additional 0.5 cm distraction produced total abolition of SCBF at the distraction site and for a considerable distance rostral and caudal to it. Thus, it is shown that spinal distraction causes cord ischemia similar to that seen with other types of spinal cord injury. In addition, distraction severe enough to cause loss of the SER has already produced severe cord ischemia.
OBJECTIVES Classic Whipple's disease is a chronic disease caused by Tropheryma whipplei. A recent study reported that intravenous treatment with ceftriaxone or meropenem followed by a 1 year treatment with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole cured all patients. However, we have previously reported that T. whipplei is poorly susceptible to beta-lactams and resistant to trimethoprim. Herein, we want to evaluate these antibiotic regimens.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Since the organism was first cultured in Unité des Rickettsies, Marseille (France), we received samples for the diagnosis of T. whipplei infections. Among the 37 patients referred to us for management, 24 patients presented classic Whipple's disease. Among them, 14 patients treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole were followed up for >3 years.   RESULTS None of the 14 patients was cured. One patient presented with an adverse side effect necessitating treatment cessation. Two patients developed an immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. One patient died 4 weeks after initiation of the treatment. Five patients developed clinical resistance; four of these having mutations on the target gene of sulfamethoxazole (folP). Five patients developed a relapse after cessation of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole after an average of 30 months. The high relapse rate may be linked to our recruitment. However, discrepancies with other centres could be due to the heterogeneity of diagnosis and cure criteria, different follow-up methods or infections due to T. whipplei strains with better susceptibility to antibiotics.   CONCLUSIONS We confirmed, as predicted from prior testing of T. whipplei susceptibility, that trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole is not optimal for classic Whipple's disease. In addition, 1 year treatment may be followed by relapses.
BACKGROUND Identifying the prevalence and management of patients at high-risk for breast cancer can improve resource utilization and provide individualized screening strategies.   OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of high-risk patients in our institution who presented for screening mammography and to understand how they utilized downstream resources offered to them.   MATERIALS AND METHODS This single institution retrospective study utilized the Tyrer-Cuzick risk assessment model to provide lifetime risk of breast cancer of patients presenting for screening mammography over a one-year period. Their subsequent management and resource utilization were collated.   RESULTS High-risk patients comprised 7.7% (701/9061) of our screening population. Of those high-risk women offered a Breast Center (BC) consultation, 75.2% (276/367) participated in the consultation, with 51.1% (141/276) of those patients completing MRI for supplemental screening. Risk reducing medication was adopted by 7.6% (6/79) of those offered. Of patients offered a genetics consultation, 66.3% (53/80) participated in the consultation, and 50.0% (40/80) completed genetic testing.   CONCLUSIONS Identifying and understanding high-risk patient cohorts, whether locally or in a population-based context, is important for individualized patient care and practice efficiency.
The practice of adding alkali metal nitrates such as sodium nitrate to borate fluxes and pre-oxidizing samples at low temperature has been taken a logical step further by the synthesis of sodium borate fluxes via the use of intimate mixtures of sodium nitrate and boric acid. The process of low-temperature pre-firing/decomposition followed by melting at normal high temperature gives enormous oxidative power yet does not give rise to crucible attack and provides a convenient route to produce fluxes from cheap and highly pure starting materials. An improvement in the efficacy of attack for a number of sample types has been observed, allowing for much smaller dilution ratios than have hitherto been achieved for chromite and cassiterite samples, for instance. Further, the inherent ease of formulation allows for the final stoichiometry to be achieved in stages whereby a liner can be made in a platinum crucible consisting of all of the boric oxide and a small amount of the sodium oxide. The remaining sodium oxide is added in the form of sodium peroxide mixed with the sample, which is sintered at a low temperature followed by safe decomposition and fusion at normal temperature. The use of pure alumina crucibles is shown to be possible for samples of such a nature that attack on platinum ware is to be feared and has allowed the use of sodium peroxide for the fusion of ferro-chrome and ferro-niobium. The complete retention of pyritic sulphur in the above methods and with lithium carbonate-tetraborate fluxes has been chemically proven.
Strengthening the pathway to entrepreneurship for high school students could be important in regions of the United States where economic mobility is low. We examine the impact of high school business education on the decision to be a self-employed entrepreneur in two southeastern urban U.S. high schools. We appeal to a potential-outcomes framework to estimate the treatment effect of having taken a business and coding/programming course in high school on actually being a self-employed entrepreneur, and planning to do so in the future. We find evidence that having taken a business course in high school increases the likelihood of actually being a self-employed entrepreneur, and on planning to be one in the future. Our results suggest that, at least in Atlanta and New Orleans, urban high school business education can be effective in increasing the supply of entrepreneurs, which could improve economic mobility in these urban regions. JEL Classification : C14, C21, E10, I26, J01, J20, J40, M13
The excavations at Çatalhöyük keep the lights on human history. Situated on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Çatalhoyuk is a Neolithic settlement. Çatalhoyuk is one of the most exciting excavation areas in the world archeological circles. It is a very large settlement of Neolithic and Chalcolithic Age, which was established 9.400 years ago today in the Çumra county of Konya in Central Anatolia. It is made up of two tumuli side by side in the east and west directions. The settlement called Çatalhoyuk-East in the east is located in the Neolithic Age, The western mound, called Çatalhoyuk-West), was planted in the Chalcolithic Age. It is 52 km away from Konya Province, approximately 136km away from Hasandağı, It lies 11km north of the Çumra District, on the grounds dominated by the Konya Plain. Eastern settlement forms a settlement unit reaching 20 meters high from the rubble during polished stone age. There is also a small settlement to the west and a Byzantine settlement to the east a few hundred meters. The mounds have been around for 2,000 years (Figures 1-4). It is particularly striking with its extensive neolithic settlement, its population, and its strong tradition of art and culture [1].
The modelling of a curl of surfaces associated with a pair of rolling centrodes, when it is known the profile of the rack-gear's teeth profile, by direct measuring, as a coordinate matrix, has as goal the determining of the generating quality for an imposed kinematics of the relative motion of tool regarding the blank. In this way, it is possible to determine the generating geometrical error, as a base of the total error. The generation modelling allows highlighting the potential errors of the generating tool, in order to correct its profile, previously to use the tool in machining process. A method developed in CATIA is proposed, based on a new method, namely the method of “relative generating trajectories”. They are presented the analytical foundation, as so as some application for knows models of rack-gear type tools used on Maag teething machines.
This paper studies speed control of Micro Gas Turbine with PD controller. The article  investigate the behavior of Micro Gas turbine with PMSG under load variations using different controllers .Most of these controllers are based on Evolutionary Computational Techniques (ECT), among these Evolutionary Computational Techniques, Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Adaptive Accelerated Coefficients Particle Swarm Optimization (AACPSO). In this study, PD parameters are defined using a conventional PD controller is tuned by Ziegler-Nicholas technique. The conventional controller compared with (ECT). Simulation results show that the response of the PSO-Fuzzy like PD, AACPSO-Fuzzy like PD, and AACPSO- PD controller is effectively improved compared with other controllers. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is confirmed via extensive study using MATLAB-Simulink software. The obtained results are promising.
ESD failure limits have been measured in a variety of silicon integrated passive devices using the Human Body Discharge Model. The failure mechanism for these circuits is typically the destructive breakdown of the thin insulator layer in metal-insulator-metal capacitors. The capacitors in this particular technology have a static breakdown of 70 to 100 V. Failure from ESD events for a single capacitor typically occurs for voltages of 200 to 300 V. Tests of more complex circuits show that the ESD performance is extended by using series arrangements of capacitors. In some circuit types it is possible to use inductive shunt protection. This has been found to increase the failure voltage to above 3KV, which was the limit of the test equipment.
Initiated by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) field exposition experiments have been designed to examine genotoxic effects of THz radiation in vitro. Under defined environmental conditions, two different human skin cell types are exposed to continuous-wave radiation at six distinct frequencies between 100 GHz and 2.52 THz originating from different sources of THz radiation. The cell containers are irradiated with free space power densities between 0.1 mW/cm2 and 10 mW/cm2 measured traceable to the SI units.
The overall mortality and the incidence of cancer have been studied among male employees at a plant producing calcium carbide. The cohort was defined as all men employed at the plant for at least 18 months in the period 1953 to 1970 and was classified according to 10 occupational categories. The 790 men have been observed from 1953 to 1983 and the incidence of cancer in the cohort has been compared with national incidence rates. A significant excess of colonic cancer (standardised incidence ratio, SIR = 2.09) and of prostatic cancer (SIR = 1.78) was found, and also a slight excess of lung cancer among furnace and maintenance workers (SIR = 1.56). The possible exposure of the workers to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, asbestos, and cadmium is discussed.
Time dependence of plasma parameters in a pulse-time-modulated electron cyclotron resonance plasma of Cl2 and Ar gases is measured. It is found that Cl2 plasma produces a large quantity of negative ions during afterglow and that decay times of electron density, electron temperature and sheath potential of Cl2 plasma are much smaller than those of Ar plasma. The results suggest that the pulse modulation of Cl2 plasma changes the flow of charged particles through the sheath region to the substrate surface and enables us to improve highly selective and charge-free poly-Si patterning.
The effects of tolazoline and Hydergine on blood pressure, cardiac contractility, and heart rate have been studied in dogs under pentobarbitone anesthesia. Whereas in the absence of reserpine, tolazoline had a pressor effect in two of four dogs, following reserpine it had a marked pressor action in each of eight dogs. The blood pressure rise was associated with positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects. Phenoxybenzamine abolished these effects of tolazoline. Hydergine had pressor and negative chronotropic effects in the absence of reserpine. Following reserpine these effects were associated with positive inotropic actions. Phenoxybenzamine reduced these effects of Hydergine. It is concluded that the pressor action of tolazoline is wholly due to adrenergic vasoconstriction, whereas that of Hydergine is only partly an adrenergic effect.
OBJECTIVE To explore the feasibility, advantages and clinical value of gasless abdominal-wall lifting laparoscopic myomectomy with 5 mm laparoscope and 2 abdominal holes (1.5-hole-gasless-laparoscopic myomectomy).   METHODS A total of 90 cases of uterine fibroids were randomly divided into 2 groups. Lifting gasless group (n = 46) underwent gasless abdominal-wall lifting laparoscopic myomectomy with 5 mm laparoscope and 2 abdominal holes, and pneumoperitoneum group (n = 44) pneumoperitoneum laparoscopic myomectomy. The operative duration, blood loss volume, average time of single-myoma-removal, intestinal function recovery and hospital stay of both groups were compared.   RESULTS The operative duration, blood loss volume and average time of single-myoma-removal of lifting gasless group were respectively significantly less than those of pneumoperitoneum group (P < 0.01) . The postoperative intestinal function recovery and postoperative hospital stay had no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). Three cases of pneumoperitoneum group were converted successfully into myomectomy with traditional 3-hole gasless abdominal wall lifting laparoscopy because of large fibroids in uterine isthmus. A total of 12 newly discovered myomas, not pre-detected ultrasonically, were removed in 10 cases of lifting gasless group.   CONCLUSION 1.5-hole-gasless-laparoscopic myomectomy, like traditional gasless laparoscopy, may avoid the complications of laparoscopic CO2 pneumoperitoneum. The smaller laparoscope-hole and sole operating hole make this maneuver a safe, easy and mini-invasive procedure. It is more suitable for clinical application and popularity in primary care.
Caged cauliflower plants infected with either cabbage black ring spot virus (CBRSV) or cauliflower mosaic virus (CIMV) were colonized with Myzus persicae or Brevicoryne brassicae. Winged and wingless aphids that voluntarily flew or walked from these plants were transferred singly to healthy cauliflower or other brassica seedlings to compare their feeding behaviour and ability to transmit the viruses. Wingless aphids settled to probe more readily than winged, and B. brassicae was initially more restless than M. persicae. CIMV was more readily transmitted than CBRSV by both species, and B. brassicae rarely transmitted CBRSV. Wingless aphids transmitted less often than winged ones, and no wingless B. brassicae transmitted CBRSV, although they did CIMV. Fewer aphids transmitted CBRSV from old plants than from young ones, but plant age had little effect on CIMV transmission.
Since epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) affect sodium reabsorption in renal tubules and dilate the renal vasculature, we have examined their effects on renal hemodynamics and sodium balance in male rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet by fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha) agonist and an inducer of cytochrome P-450 (CYP) epoxygenases; by N-methanesulfonyl-6-(2-proparyloxyphenyl)hexanamide (MSPPOH), a selective EET biosynthesis inhibitor; and by 12-(3-adamantane-1-yl-ureido)dodecanoic acid (AUDA), a selective inhibitor of soluble epoxide hydrolase. In rats treated with fenofibrate (30 mg.kg(-1).day(-1) ig) or AUDA (50 mg/l in drinking water) for 2 wk, mean arterial pressure, renal vascular resistance, and glomerular filtration rate were lower but renal blood flow was higher than in vehicle-treated control rats. In addition, fenofibrate and AUDA decreased cumulative sodium balance in the HF rats. Treatment with MSPPOH (20 mg.kg(-1).day(-1) iv) + fenofibrate for 2 wk reversed renal hemodynamics and sodium balance to the levels in control HF rats. Moreover, fenofibrate caused a threefold increase in renal cortical CYP epoxygenase activity, whereas the fenofibrate-induced elevation of this activity was attenuated by MSPPOH. Western blot analysis showed that fenofibrate induced the expression of CYP epoxygenases in renal cortex and microvessels and that the induction effect of fenofibrate was blocked by MSPPOH. These results demonstrate that the fenofibrate-induced increase of CYP epoxygenase expression and the AUDA-induced stabilization of EET production in the kidneys cause renal vascular dilation and reduce sodium retention, contributing to the improvement of abnormal renal hemodynamics and hypertension in HF rats.
The carbohydrate-containing polymer 1,3;1,6-s-Dglucan was obtained by transformation of laminaran from the alga Laminaria cichorioides with endo-s-1,3- glucanase from marine mollusks. In electron microscope observations of phosphotungstic acid-stained preparations from Nicotiana tabacum cv. Samsun leaves inoculated with a mixture of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) (1 µg/ml) and glucan (1 mg/ml) or with TMV alone, we found that such preparations contained, along with virus particles of normal diameter (about 18 nm), abnormal (swollen and thinner) particles. The highest number of thin viral particles was found in dips from leaves inoculated with TMV together with glucan. It is suggested that this may be caused by a glucan-mediated increase of TMV particle proteolysis in infected leaves.
Using fluorescence‐based techniques (excitation and emission spectra lifetimes), we have studied the jet‐cooled tyrosine derivatives tyramine and 3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl) propionic acid (HPA). For solvent addition resulting in small, mainly one adduct complexes, there is a high degree of analogy with the results for the corresponding analogs of the amino acid tryptophan. In particular, for tyramine, as had been the case with its tryptophan analog tryptamine, addition of one ‐OH bearing solvent molecule at the α‐amine apparently results in a complex in a single conformation.
In the 1990's, CEA has developed one of the most compact operational gamma cameras in the world, CARTOGAM, capable of mapping the surrounding radioactivity and representing it superimposed onto a visible-light image. Since, the camera has been successfully industrialized and commercialized. In the same time, the Kurchatov Institute has developed a coded-aperture gamma camera. The two teams have joined their efforts to develop a compact coded-aperture gamma camera. This paper presents the first results obtained with a coded mask adapted to the existing CARTOGAM camera. According to preliminary simulations compact coded-aperture gamma camera could enable Cs-137 or Co-60 source imaging. Innovative masks have been achieved that lead to the following results: a significant increase in the sensitivity (up to 10 times), an acceptable angular resolution (2/spl deg/ to 3/spl deg/) and a large field of view (about 30/spl deg/). The tungsten-alloy masks were produced and the adaptation of the camera was carried out. The laboratory results of Cs-137 and Co-60 imaging, including shadowgrams and reconstructed images for point sources, are presented.
This work outlines the development of a new model of the chemistry of the natural atmosphere. The model is 2.5-dimensional, having spatial coordinates height, latitude, and, the half-dimension, land and ocean. The model spans both the troposphere and stratosphere, although the troposphere is emphasized and the stratosphere is simple and incomplete. The chemistry in the model includes the O{sub x}, HO{sub x}, NO{sub x}, and methane cycles in a highly modular fashion which allows model users great flexibility in selecting simulation parameters. A detailed modeled sensitivity analysis is also presented. A key aspect of the model is its inclusion of clouds. The model uses current understanding of the distribution and optical thickness of clouds to determine the true radiation distribution in the atmosphere. As a result, detailed studies of the radiative effects of clouds on the distribution of both oxidant concentrations and trace gas removal are possible. This work presents a beginning of this study with model results and discussion of cloud effects on the hydroxyl radical.
The school counselor can play a key role in fostering a caring school community (CSC). The counselor can engage in a comprehensive, preventive, and developmental intervention that helps to promote a sense of belongingness. Furthermore, this intervention reflects a strengths-based counseling approach because it considers how contextual changes can be made to promote overall development of youth. Seven elementary school counselors’ perspectives were examined for their understanding about what constitutes a CSC and how they help to facilitate such a context. The school counselors in the study reported the following: There are a core set of elements that they believe make up a CSC; they draw upon their personal experiences within the school environment to help them understand how their CSC efforts can best be implemented; they implement a set of effective strategies to foster a CSC; and they utilize a shared guiding philosophy that is reflected by their efforts to foster a CSC.
By use of a wedge-shaped cell providing an absorbing layer tapering in thickness from less than one wavelength of visible light at one end to approximately 20 μm at the other end, we have measured the Lambert absorption coefficient for water in the spectral region between 4000 and 288 cm−1. After proper initial alignment of the cell windows had been established by the observation of interference fringes in the visible, we measured film thicknesses at various positions along the wedge by interferometric methods, employing convenient wavelengths in the infrared. We present the results of the study in graphical and tabular form.
India has developed its indigenous regional navigation satellite system called as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). IRNSS is given an operational name as Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC). NavIC satellite constellation is planned in such a way that at least four satellites are visible over India and 1500km outside its boundary. Satellite visibility of NavIC indicates its ability to provide navigation services. Knowledge of satellite visibility is vital as it is a significant parameter to analyze the accuracy of the user position. Moreover, to increase user position accuracy, the NavIC can be supplemented with other navigation satellite systems, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) of US, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) of Russia and Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) of China. The CAPS is a regional navigation satellite system developed by National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC). This paper focuses, initially, on the analysis of satellite visibility of standalone CAPS, over India. Eventually, satellite visibility of augmented CAPS with NavIC is paid attention. Comparative analysis of CAPS and CAPS augmented with NavIC is also performed in terms of Dilution of Precision (DOP). DOP is a factor which indicates the accuracy of the user position. The augmentation has caused improvement in the satellite visibility and DOP.
In order to study effects of surfactant on coal ' s wettabilityꎬ with SDBS taken as research objectꎬ Wiser coal chemical structure model and Material Studio molecular simulation software were used to establish a system where SDBS of six different mass fractions coexisted with water and coal. Thenꎬ the system' s adsorption configurationꎬ energy changesꎬ relative concentration distribution as well as mean square displacement (MSD) of water molecules were analyzed. The results show that hydrophobic alkyl chains of SDBS molecules are adsorbed on coal surfaceꎬ and hydrophilic group with benzene ring warps to water phaseꎬ which reduces liquid ̄solid interfacial tension of water and coal. As mass fraction of SDBS 中 国 安 全 科 学 学 报 China Safety Science Journal 第30卷 2020年 increasesꎬ the system's total energy decreasesꎬ but interaction energy between SDBS and coal increasesꎬ indicating that adsorption between molecules is more stable and wettability is enhanced. Spatial distribution difference of hydrophobic alkyl chains of SDBS molecules is one of the main factors affecting wettability. Diffusion coefficient of water molecules increases along with the growth of SDBS mass fractionꎬ which has a significant effect on wettability of coal.
Modifications in scattering strength of and local field enhancement by retardation-based plasmonic nanoantennas when being transformed from straight nanorods to split-ring resonators are investigated experimentally. Scattering properties are characterized with linear reflection and extinction spectroscopy of nanoantenna arrays, whereas local field enhancements are evaluated for individual nanoantennas using two-photon-excited photoluminescence (TPL) microscopy. The linear and nonlinear optical characterizations reveal that the optical response of nanoantennas is determined by the interference of counter-propagating short-range surface plasmon polaritons (SR-SPP) and that the transformation of nanorods into split-rings by bending significantly influences the scattering strength. Importantly, strong suppression of scattering for the fundamental SR-SPP resonance is observed when the bend radius is decreased, a feature that is attributed to the decrease in the nanoantenna electric-dipole response when bending the nanorods. The experimental observations are corroborated with numerical simulations using the finite-element method.
The biennial National Spectroscopy Congress, Turkey, is the most comprehensive spectroscopy meeting in Anatolia’s different cities and is attended by analytical chemists from various universities in Turkey and by other international scientists. The 12th National Spectroscopy Congress with International Participation was held from May 18–22, 2011, at Ankara University’s ÖRSEM campus, Side-Antalya, Turkey. The National Spectroscopy Congress creates a scientific forum for spectroscopists from different fields such as chemistry, physics, biology, the medical sciences (pharmacy, veterinary, and medicine), and related engineering disciplines to debate and exchange ideas on the recent developments of spectroscopy and its applications. The congress was very successful, with about 305 attendees including researchers, engineers, government officers, and company delegates from nearly 74 different universities from different countries and regions. During the conference six invited lecturers presented, and additional contributions were made by the attendees with 33 oral presentations and 223 posters. Invited lecturers of this congress were Prof. Beata Walczak (Poland), Prof. Lutgarde Buydens (Netherlands), Prof. Mustafa Soylak (Turkey), Prof. Ahmet Emin Eroğlu (Turkey), Prof. Arunas Ramanavicius (Lithuania), and Prof. Jiri Dedina (Czech Republic). The contributions collected in this special issue were selected from lectures and posters presented during the congress. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the honorary chair (Prof. Cemal Taluğ, Ankara University Rector), the organizing committee (Prof. Erdal DİNÇ [congress chair], Prof. Nurten Özdemir, Prof. Bilgehan Doğru, Prof. Ayşegül Güvenç, and Assoc. Prof. Levent Altun, all from Ankara University), the advisory committee (Prof. Yavuz Ataman, Middle East Technical University; Prof. Rehber Türker, Gazi University; Prof. Ali Osman Solak and Prof. Esin Aki, Ankara University), and the continuation committee (Prof. Şeref Güçer, Uludağ University; Prof. Şefik Süzer, Bilkent University; Prof. Ahmet Emin Eroğlu, İzmir Institute of Technology; and Prof. A. Rehber Türker, Gazi University) for their assistance in all aspects of the congress. Spectroscopy Letters, 45:313–314, 2012 Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0038-7010 print=1532-2289 online DOI: 10.1080/00387010.2012.666695
A cobalt-based polyoxometalate, (STA)10[Co4(H2O)2(PW9O34)2] (SEP) (STA = stearyltrimethylammonium), was prepared by ionic exchange of K10[Co4(H2O)2(PW9O34)2] and STA·Cl. SEP was approved as an effective catalyst for desulfurization of fuels in [Bmim]PF6 by using aqueous H2O2 as oxidant in an extraction and catalytic oxidative desulfurization system (ECODS). The optimum desulfurization conditions were obtained: DBT could be completely removed with only O/S molar ratio of 4 in 40 min at 60 °C in a three-liquid-phase micro-emulsion system. The catalyst could be recycled conveniently and reused at least six times without significantly reducing the desulfurization efficiency. Therefore, this catalyst shows excellent regeneration and a good prospect for industrial application. For different substrates, the efficiencies of sulfur removal decreased in the following order: DBT > 4,6-DMDBT > BT under the same conditions. Furthermore, the catalytic oxidation desulfurization mechanism of SEP was studied.
143: e211S–e250S. 9. El-Osta H, Jani P, Mansour A, Rascoe P, Jafri S. Endobronchial ultrasound for nodal staging of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer with radiologically normal mediastinum: a meta-analysis. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2018;15:864–874. 10. Kaseda K, Asakura K, Kazama A, Ozawa Y. Risk factors for predicting occult lymph node metastasis in patients with clinical stage I nonsmall cell lung cancer staged by integrated fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. World J Surg 2016;40:2976–2983. 11. Kanzaki R, Higashiyama M, Fujiwara A, Tokunaga T, Maeda J, Okami J, et al. Occult mediastinal lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients diagnosed as clinical N0-1 by preoperative integrated FDG-PET/CT and CT: risk factors, pattern, and histopathological study. Lung Cancer 2011;71:333–337. 12. Li L, Ren S, Zhang Y, Guan Y, Zhao J, Liu J, et al. Risk factors for predicting the occult nodal metastasis in T1-2N0M0 NSCLC patients staged by PET/CT: potential value in the clinic. Lung Cancer 2013; 81:213–217. 13. Park HK, Jeon K, Koh WJ, Suh GY, Kim H, Kwon OJ, et al. Occult nodal metastasis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer at clinical stage IA by PET/CT. Respirology 2010;15:1179–1184. 14. Gould MK, Donington J, Lynch WR, Mazzone PJ, Midthun DE, Naidich DP, et al. Evaluation of individuals with pulmonary nodules: when is it lung cancer? Diagnosis and management of lung cancer, 3rd ed. American College of Chest Physicians evidence based clinical practice guidelines. Chest 2013;143:e93S–e120S.
Circular external fixation using the Ilizarov apparatus combined with internal bone transport or compression-distraction techniques were used to treat 28 patients with infected nonunions or segmental bone loss of the tibia. There were 22 males and six females with an average age of 34 years (range, 17-58 years). Six of 28 patients had infected tibial nonunions associated with hemicircumferential bone loss. These tibiae were treated by anterior hemicircumferential corticotomy and partial bone fragment internal transport. Fifteen of the remaining 22 patients had an average of 4 cm of segmental bone loss (range, 2-7 cm). Seven patients without shortening or defect had infected nonunions associated with extensive diaphyseal sequestrae. These nonunions were treated by en bloc resection of the diaphyseal shaft and internal bone transport. All patients healed their infected extremities without the addition of cancellous bone graft, microvascular fibular, or soft-tissue grafting. Preoperative shortening was present in 13 of 28 patients. Regenerate new bone formation averaged 6 cm (range, 1.5-22 cm). Postoperative antibiotics were not administered in 21 of 28 patients. In seven patients, antibiotics were given for ten days after en bloc resection of the diaphyseal sequestrae. Equal limb length was maintained in 21 extremities, within 1 cm in five tibiae and less than 3 cm in two tibiae. Functional results were good to excellent in 21, fair in six, and poor in one. The application of Ilizarov techniques to diaphyseal infected nonunions and segmental defects is very encouraging. It may prove to be an excellent technique for future management of resistant diaphyseal infections of bone.
ABSTRACT Using high contents of the RAP material in newly produced asphalt mixtures leads to a reduction in the crack resistance of the mixtures. This shortcoming can be compensated using some methods such as polymer modification, rejuvenation, fibre-reinforcement, etc. In this paper, the effect of Cyclogen as a rejuvenator and glass fibre was investigated on the cracking behaviour of recycled asphalt mixtures. For this aim, the fracture energy and critical value of J integral (Jc)of semi-circular bending (SCB) asphalt specimens in terms of RAP content, Fibre content and testing temperature were investigated in this study and the results were used to develop an experimental model to predict the crack resistance of asphalt mixtures in terms of temperature and fibre and RAP content using the artificial neural network (ANN) and the multiple regression methods. The results indicated that the fracture energy and Jc valueof asphalt mixtures declined by increasing the RAP contentat intermediate temperatures. However, the reduction in fracture energy and Jc valuecould be compensated using the fibres. Both investigated models were appropriate for predicting the cracking behaviour of fibre-reinforced recycled asphalt mixtures. Nevertheless, the level of correlation was much higher for the ANN approach than the multiple regression model.
Pakistan because of its geographical location became a front line state in the war against terror since the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001. Pakistan decided to align with USA to combat the fundamentalist. It’s a war whose main purpose is to save people from terrorism but now lives of Pakistan own citizens are at stake. Innocent citizens have become the targets of deadly attacks. It has resulted in much more loss of lives than 9/11 attack. One obvious and tragic price of this open war is the toll of death and destruction. But there is an additional cost, a psychological cost borne by the survivors of war. The civilian population, and the children who have lost their parents in this war are the real casualties we need to take into consideration. This article will highlight the psycho-social aspects of war which could not achieve peace yet.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of skeletal muscle regeneration, but the underlying mechanisms are still incompletely understood. Here, comparative miRNA sequencing analysis of myogenic progenitor cells (MPs) and non-myogenic fibroblast-adipocyte progenitors (FAPs) during cardiotoxin (CTX)-induced muscle injury uncovered miR-501 as a novel muscle-specific miRNA. miR-501 is an intronic miRNA and its expression levels in MPs correlated with its host gene, chloride channel, voltage-sensitive 5 (Clcn5). Pharmacological inhibition of miR-501 dramatically blunted the induction of embryonic myosin heavy chain (MYH3) and, to a lesser extent, adult myosin isoforms during muscle regeneration, and promoted small-diameter neofibers. An unbiased target identification approach in primary myoblasts validated gigaxonin as a target of miR-501 that mimicked the effect of miR-501 inhibition on MYH3 expression. In the mdx mouse model, which models a pathological disease state, not only was miR-501 induced in regenerating skeletal muscle, but also its serum levels were increased, which correlated with the disease state of the animals. Our results suggest that miR-501 plays a key role in adult muscle regeneration and might serve as a novel serum biomarker for the activation of adult muscle stem cells. Summary: MicroRNA 501 is a novel muscle-specific microRNA that is induced during muscle regeneration and regulates the transition of myosin heavy chains during early myogenesis.
Using quantum chemical density functional calculations, we study two possible pathways for manipulating the optical and electronic properties of all-carbon fullerenes structures. In the first, the optical properties of C{sub 60} are shown to be enhanced via reduction of the perfectly spherical Ih symmetry structure to energetically feasible lower symmetries. A D{sub 3d} symmetry structure of C{sub 60} proved to be 39 meV lower in energy than the Ih conformation. This reduction in symmetry activates otherwise silent modes in the IR and Raman spectra, possibly achievable via solvation effects. In the second pathway, fusing a building block of an-all carbon hexagonal unit as a connector between two C{sub 60} cages is considered. Optimizations on a resulting series of dumbbell-like structures, molecular C{sub 126}, C{sub 132}, C{sub 138}, C{sub 144}, and C{sub 180}, impart distinct variation in the electronic properties of these novel structures with size. These structures are further shown to support stable anionic radical forms.
PURPOSE It has been realized that inter-patient radiation sensitivity variability is a multifactorial process involving dosimetric, clinical, and genetic factors. Therefore, we explore a new framework to integrate physical, clinical, and biological data denoted as radiogenomic modeling. In demonstrating the feasibility of this work, we investigate the association of genetic variants (copy number variations [CNVs] and single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) with radiation induced rectal bleeding (RB) and erectile dysfunction (ED) while taking into account dosimetric and clinical variables in prostate cancer patients treated with curative irradiation.   METHODS A cohort of 62 prostate cancer patients who underwent hypofractionated radiotherapy (66 Gy in 22 fractions) was retrospectively genotyped for CNV and SNP rs25489 in the xrcc1 DNA repair gene. Dosevolume metrics were extracted from treatment plans of 54 patients who had complete dosimetric profiles. Treatment outcomes were considered to be a RESULT OF FUNCTIONAL MAPPING OF RADIOGENOMIC INPUT VARIABLES ACCORDING TO A LOGIT TRANSFORMATION. MODEL ORDERS WERE ESTIMATED USING RESAMPLING BY LEAVE-ONE OUT CROSS-VALIDATION (LOO-CV). RADIOGENOMIC MODEL PERFORMANCE WAS EVALUATED USING AREA UNDER THE ROC CURVE (AUC) AND LOO-CV. FOR CONTINUOUS UNIVARIATE DOSIMETRIC AND CLINICAL VARIABLES, SPEARMANS RANK COEFFICIENTS WERE CALCULATED AND P-VALUES REPORTED ACCORDINGLY. IN THE CASE OF BINARY VARIABLES, CHI-SQUARED STATISTICS AND CONTINGENCY TABLE CALCULATIONS WERE USED.   RESULTS Ten patients were found to have three copies of xrcc1 CNV (RB: χ2=14.6 [p<0.001] and ED: χ2=4.88[p=0.0272]) and twelve had heterozygous rs25489 SNP (RB: χ2=0.278[p=0.599] and ED: χ2=0.112[p=0.732]). LOO-CV identified penile bulb D60 as the only significant QUANTEC predictor (rs=0.312 [p=0.0145]) for ED. Radiogenomic modeling yielded statistically significant, cross-validated NTCP models for RB (rs=0.243[p=0.0443], AUC=0.665) and ED (rs=0.276[p=0.0217], AUC=0.754).   CONCLUSION The radiogenomic modeling approach presented herein has been shown to identify NTCP models which have increased predictive power. Furthermore, CNVs appears to be useful genetic variants when added to dosimetric NTCP models. This work was partially supported by CIHR grant MOP-114910.
Cells are not uniformly distributed in the human cerebral cortex. Rather, they are arranged in a regional and laminar fashion that span a range of scales. Here we demonstrate an innovative imaging and analysis pipeline to construct a reliable cell census across the human cerebral cortex. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to establish a macroscopic reference coordinate system of laminar and cytoarchitectural boundaries. Cell counting is obtained with both traditional immunohistochemistry, to provide a stereological gold-standard, and with a custom-made inverted confocal light-sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM) for 3D imaging at cellular resolution. Finally, mesoscale optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables the registration of the distorted histological cell typing obtained with LSFM to the MRI-based atlas coordinate system.
Human epidermal growth factor has been isolated from a concentrated chromatographic eluate of human urine. The purification method utilizes six chromatographic steps including adsorption to aminoethylcellulose (AE-11), gel filtration on Sephadex G-50, carboxymethylcellulose (CM-52) chromatography, ion-exchange HPLC and reverse-phase HPLC. The final product appears homogeneous and identical to pure gamma-urogastrone when analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse-phase HPLC using two eluent systems. The yield of the method described above allowed the development of a sensitive radioimmunoassay system for this growth factor.
The purified plasma membrane Ca-ATPase is fully activated through the enzyme concentration-dependent self-association at physiologically relevant Ca concentrations (Kosk-Kosicka, D., and Bzdega, T.(1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 18184-18189; Kosk-Kosicka, D., Bzdega, T., and Wawrzynow, A.(1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 19495-19499). We have previously shown that the Ca-ATPase activity of the oligomeric enzyme is independent of calmodulin, in contrast to another active enzyme species, a presumable monomer, that is activated by calmodulin binding. Presently, we have succeeded in determining the molecular mass of the two active enzyme species by equilibrium ultracentrifugation. For the calmodulin-dependent species, the molecular mass is 170 ± 30 kDa, which is consistent with predominantly monomeric Ca-ATPase with bound calmodulin. The molecular mass of calmodulin-independent oligomers is 260 ± 34 kDa, indicating that they are dimers. Results of experiments performed under different calcium and potassium concentrations and in the presence of dextran that causes molecular crowding verify a strict Ca requirement of the dimerization process. We conclude that the active species of the Ca-ATPase are a monomer-calmodulin complex and a dimer.
We study critical properties of anisotropic branched polymers modeled by semi-directed lattice animals on a triangular lattice. Using the exact transfer-matrix approach on strips of quite large widths and phenomenological renormalization group analysis, we obtained pretty good estimates of various critical exponents in the whole high-temperature region, including the point of collapse transition. Our numerical results suggest that this collapse transition belongs to the universality class of directed percolation.
We examined the activity (services recorded) and cost (benefits paid) of reimbursement associated with telepsychiatry services in the Australian public health-care sector. We reviewed the activity and costs administered through the government's Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) from July 2002 to June 2011. During this nine-year-period, almost 14 million psychiatric consultations were funded through Medicare at a cost of $1.6 billion. Of these, 8003 were telepsychiatry consultations which cost $934,000, i.e. the video consultations subgroup represented 0.06% of all psychiatric consultations provided and 0.06% of the total cost to the government for these services. Despite telepsychiatry being a widely reported and successful example of telehealth internationally, the uptake of telepsychiatry in Australia has been slow.
Anthracene can be bound covalently to calf thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by means of long-wavelength u.v. irradiation to a greater extent than any other of seven polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons investigated. 3H is incorporated into the photochemical product resulting from the irradiation of doubly labelled hydrocarbons and DNA to a lesser extent than is 14C. In the case of anthracene, the ratio of incorporation of the two isotopes is ca. 3 : 4 and is independent of the extent of irradiation or of hydrocarbon binding. The relevance of these results to the mechanism of binding of hydrocarbons to DNA and to the photodynamic carcinogenicity of anthracene is discussed briefly.
Online literature databases are important for higher education and research organizations since they represent a vast collection of academic literature that researchers can utilize and review previous research conducted so far. The study aims to test a theory explaining what drive research students adopt online academic literature databases. Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (Venkatesh, Thong, & Xu, 2012) is a new theory in Information Systems that should be tested in a different circumstance. The study surveyed 614 respondents in a Thai university. The data are analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results show that behavioral intention and facilitating conditions did not influence use behavior where as other paths suggested by UTAUT2 are still significant. However, only gender moderates the path from facilitating conditions to behavioral intention. The order moderators did not moderate the path suggested by the theory.
Introduction: Chronic stress impairs memory and certain brain functions such as locomotor activity. Crocin is one of the active components of saffron and has neuroprotective effects on brain functions. This study investigated crocin effects on locomotor activity and recognition of new conditions (exploration time) as well as novel object recognition and object location memories in chronic restraint stress rats. Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly allocated to control group, restraint stress group (6h/day for 21days) and two groups receiving daily intraperitoneal injections of crocin (30 and 60mg/kg) accompanied by restraint stress. Memories were evaluated using the relevant novel object recognition (NOR) and object location (OLT) tests. Results: The NOR and OLT results, respectively, revealed significant and nonsignificant decreases in locomotor activity in the stressed group. The NOR results revealed enhanced locomotor activity due to crocin administration (30 and 60mg/kg). The NOR revealed significant enhancements in recognizing new conditions in both crocin treatments while the OLT test did so only with a crocin dose of 60mg/kg. Restraint stress and crocin treatments led to no significant differences in novel object recognition and object location memories. Finally, the stressed group exhibited significant increases in serum corticosterone levels but corticosterone levels declined significantly with crocin dose of 30mg/kg. Conclusion: The high and low doses of crocin had different effects on the NOR and OLT variables under restraint stress conditions. The NOR test as cognitive test was found more sensitive to crocin treatments than the OLT test as spatial test although neither the memories showed changes in response to such treatment. http://dx.doi.org/10.32598/ppj.24.2.80 iD D ow nl oa de d fr om p pj .p hy ph a. ir at 1 5: 06 + 04 30 o n F rid ay A pr il 23 rd 2 02 1 [ D O I: 10 .3 25 98 /p pj .2 4. 2. 80 ] Crocin and stress induced memory impairment Physiol Pharmacol 24 (2020) 123-132 | 124 (such as memory processing) by activating the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis and secreting glucocorticoid hormones (Mohammadi et al., 2014; Sandi and Pinelo-Nava, 2007). In addition, the steroid receptors are highly expressed in the brain structures involved in mental and cognition health (Ghadrdoost et al., 2011). Crocin (along with picrocrocin and safranal) is one of the major biologically active components of Crocus sativus L. (saffron) (Ghadrdoost et al., 2011) cultivated in various parts of the world including Iran, China, Spain, India and Greece (Pitsikas et al., 2008). It is reported that pharmaceutical advantages as antioxidant and neuroprotective effects, crocin has been found instrumental in improving scopolamine or ethanol-induced impairments of learning and memory as well as brain deficit in rodents (Gonda et al., 2012; Hosseinzadeh and Ziaei, 2006; Pitsikas and Sakellaridis, 2006; Pitsikas et al., 2007). Moreover, high doses of crocin have been shown to exhibit better protective effects on cognitive memory deficit induced by chronic isolation stress that had impaired cognitive and spatial memories (Khani et al., 2018). McMorran et al. (2006) indicated that different types of stress seem to play different roles in impairing different brain functions such as mood, memory, attention and cognition. Hence, more specifically, it is necessary a study strives to determine whether or not different doses of crocin have identical effects on the various aspects of brain functions under different psychological stress types. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the effects of different crocin doses on locomotor activity, recognition of new conditions, novel object recognition and object location memories as well as serum corticosterone level following chronic restraint stress in male rats. Materials and methods
Abstract Background Birch pollen‐related apple allergy is the most frequent IgE‐mediated food allergy in Central‐Northern Europe with Mal d 1 as major allergen. Its concentration in apples varies with the cultivar and storage time. Year‐round appealing, hypoallergenic cultivars still are needed to satisfy the nutritional needs of affected individuals. We characterized three promising cultivars by multidisciplinary in vitro assays including long‐term storage and by clinical challenges of allergic individuals before and after the birch pollen season. Methods Proteins were extracted from fruits of ‘Santana’, ‘Golden Delicious’ (GD), and three genuine cultivars in November 2018 and April 2019. Mal d 1‐levels were analysed by mass spectrometry, SDS‐PAGE, immunoblotting, competitive ELISA, and basophil activation tests. Twenty‐eight allergic individuals underwent single‐blinded open food challenges and skin testing with the cultivars and birch pollen in November 2018 and May 2019. Allergen‐specific IgE‐levels were determined. Results After storage all cultivars except ‘Santana’ were of appealing appearance and taste. Their Mal d 1 content had increased, also reflected by significantly amplified basophil activation and stronger reactions in clinical challenges. Besides, individuals showed boosted reactivity after pollen exposure indicated by enhanced allergen‐specific IgE‐levels and skin reactions to birch pollen. Still, all cultivars remained significantly less allergenic than GD and comparable to Santana in November 2018 in all assessments except for skin testing. Conclusions Combined expertise in pomology and allergology identified promising new cultivars for allergic consumers. The evaluation of hypoallergenic apples should incorporate long‐term storage and birch pollen exposure. Basophil activation tests may be suitable in the selection of promising cultivars for oral challenges.
Abstract Microcantilevers, modified with a monolayer of cysteine, oscillate in response to pulses in saline solutions. The pulse was mimicked by opening and closing a gate in a flow system every 0.5 second, respectively. The possible mechanism is the disruption and restoration of the electric double layer on the monolayer surface. A device constructed with such microcantilever sensors may be used for impulse monitoring.
To detect the respiratory disease through pig cough sound in the early stage, a novel method based on Deep Neural Networks-Hidden Markov Model (DNN-HMM) was proposed to construct an acoustic model for continuous pig cough sound recognition. Noises in the continuous pig sounds were eliminated by the Wiener algorithm based on wavelet thresholding the multitaper spectrum, and the experimental corpus was obtained from the denoised continuous pig sounds. The 39-dimensional Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) extracted from the corpus were considered as feature vectors. Sounds in pig farms were divided into pig coughs, non-pig coughs, and silence segments. In the HMM, the number of hidden states of pig cough, non-pig cough and silence segments were 5, 5 and 3 respectively, and the observation states represented the feature vectors of the continuous pig sound signal. Based on experiments and empirical theory, the DNN model with 3 hidden layers and 100 nodes per layer was used to describe the correspondence between hidden states and observation serials. Through experiments, the context frames of DNN input were set to 5. Under the condition of optimal parameter setting, the traditional acoustic model Gaussian Mixture Model-Hidden Markov Model (GMM-HMM) was compared with DNN-HMM through a 5-fold cross-validation experiment. It was found that the Word Error Rate (WER) of each group in DNN-HMM was lower than that in GMM-HMM, and the average WER was 3.45% lower. At the same time, the best result of the DNN-HMM model was obtained with the lowest WER of 7.54%, and the average WER was 8.03%. The results showed that the method of DNN-HMM based acoustic model for continuous pig cough sound recognition was stable and reliable.  Keywords: DNN-HMM, acoustic model, continuous pig coughs, recognition, pig industry  DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20201303.4530    Citation: Zhao J, Li X, Liu W H, Gao Y, Lei M G, Tan H Q, et al. DNN-HMM based acoustic model for continuous pig cough sound recognition. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2020; 13(3): 186–193.
We investigate the role supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic played in U.S. producer price index (PPI) inflation. We exploit pre-pandemic cross-industry variation in sourcing patterns across countries and interact it with measures of international supply chain bottlenecks during the pandemic. We show that exposure to global supply chain disruptions played a significant role in U.S. cross-industry PPI inflation between January and November 2021. If bottlenecks had followed the same path as in 2019, PPI inflation in the manufacturing sector would have been 2 percentage points lower in January 2021 and 20 percentage points lower in November 2021. (JEL F13, F14, F44)
We report successful transcatheter closure of a post‐MI ventricular septal rupture acutely following unsuccessful surgical repair. Catheter closure was accomplished by the use of a 26‐mm Amplatzer atrial septal occluder. Initial attempts to close the defect with the use of 28‐mm and 33‐mm CARDIOSEAL were unsuccessful. Closure technique, immediate and long‐term follow‐up outcomes are reported. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2003;59:230–233. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In a double-blind study, 20 patients with contact allergy to gold were given an intramuscular injection of gold sodium thiomalate or placebo, inducing a clinical and histological flare-up of healed patch test sites in the gold-injected but not in the placebo group. The test area of the placebo group showed some perivascular lymphocytic foci (UCHL-1+) and vascular endothelial ELAM-1 staining. The gold group, with flare-up, showed larger and more extensive lymphocytic foci with ELAM-1+ endothelium as well as lymphocytic epidermotropism. CD1a+ LC cells were downgraded, tryptase+ mast cells accumulated and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages markedly increased. Probably, a significant part of the tissue priming as a result of patch testing comprises memory T-cells and endothelial ELAM-1 upgrading, but blood-borne CD68+ monocytes may also be instrumental in the flare-up.
In the absence of brood parasitism in North America, black-billed magpies, Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1822), and yellow-billed magpies, Pica nuttalli (Audubon, 1837), may have retained egg-discrimination behaviour that evolved in Eurasian magpies, Pica pica (L., 1758), in response to parasitism by Old World cuckoos. We further examined this hypothesis by testing the egg-discrimination abilities of black-billed magpies and the American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm, 1822, which has no history of brood parasitism. In addition, we tested an alternative hypothesis that black-billed magpies evolved or retained egg discrimination to counter conspecific parasitism by testing their ability to eject foreign conspecific eggs and by using a signal detection model to estimate the level of conspecific parasitism required for ejection to be favoured. Black-billed magpies ejected all non-mimetic eggs and 62% of mimetic eggs. Significantly more mimetic eggs were ejected during the incubation stage than during the laying ...
To better understand the role of preventive knee braces in injury prevention, a biomechanical study using fresh frozen cadaveric knees (N = 18) was conducted. Liga ment tensions and joint displacements were measured at static, nondestructive valgus forces as well as low- rate destructive forces. After quantifying and establish ing individual ligament contributions to valgus restrain ing function, knees were then braced with two different laterally applied preventive braces, the McDavid Knee Guard and the Omni Anderson Knee StabIer.The effects of lateral bracing were analyzed according to valgus force, joint line opening, and ligament tensions. Valgus applied forces, with or without braces, consis tently produced medial collateral ligament (MCL) disrup tions at ligament tensions surprisingly higher than the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and higher than or equal to the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Although large joint displacements were necessary for complete ligament failure, bundle disruption in the MCL, ACL, and PCL was noted at much smaller joint openings. In Part I of this study, no significant protection could be documented with the two preventive braces used. Also, four potentially adverse effects were noted: MCL pre load, center axis shift, premature joint line contact, and brace slippage.
7-Methoxy-1,2-aziridinomitosenes were prepared from mitomycin A and its N-methyl homologue by catalytic reduction followed by air oxidation. Treatment of these products with amines, including ammonia, ethylenimine, 2-methylethylenimine, propargylamine, and furfurylamine gave the corresponding 7-(substituted amino) derivatives. Screening of these compounds against P-388 leukemia in mice revealed some good activities. The more easily reduced compounds gave prolongation of life span comparable to that of mitomycin C, but their optimal doses were higher. Among these compounds, a methyl group on the aziridine nitrogen increased potency. The 7-amino derivatives, which were difficult to reduce to hydroquinones, were essentially inactive. The aziridinomitosenes were subjected to a Hansch-type analysis, but no statistically significant correlation was found.
To what extent is this book itself propaganda? With a preface by President of the Commission, Jacques Santer, and a conclusion by Commissioner Marcelino Oreja, it is clearly an approved text. However, I think the book is far more than that suggests. Wim Blockmans is clearly a very considerable historian of great range, humanity and vision. He is a Professor of Medieval History at Leiden, and the main message of his book is that Europeans share a common heritage far older than their respective nationalisms which were largely the product of political expediency in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Like many Dutchmen and indeed most citizens of the smaller states of Europe he is a convinced European in the sense that he believes that the exercise of power at supra-national level is today necessary if democratic political forces are to prevail against the dictates of the market economy. He believes that the globalization of economic power has created a situation in which, to quote the final chapter, the mass media are 'hidden persuaders' which make 'the propaganda campaigns of preachers in the thirteenth century, Jesuits in the seventeenth, nationalists in 1900 and bolshevists and nazis look paltry.' The messages conveyed are those of 'materialism, individualism and competition, the core values of capitalism. Other values, such as democracy, the rights of man and pacifism are put second by the capitalist entrepreneur and are in practice desecrated daily whenever that improves his profit.' Whether or not one agrees with his political standpoint it seems to me clear that this is the voice of an independent man.
Nucleosome occupancy controls the accessibility of the transcription machinery to DNA regulatory regions and serves an instructive role for gene expression. Chromatin remodelers, such as the BAF complexes, are responsible for establishing nucleosome occupancy patterns, which are key to epigenetic regulation along with DNA methylation and histone modifications. Some reports have assessed the roles of the BAF complex subunits and stemness in murine embryonic stem cells. However, the details of the relationships between remodelers and transcription factors in altering chromatin configuration, which ultimately affects gene expression during cell differentiation, remain unclear. Here for the first time we demonstrate that SNF5, a core subunit of the BAF complex, negatively regulates OCT4 levels in pluripotent cells and is essential for cell survival during differentiation. SNF5 is responsible for generating nucleosomedepleted regions (NDRs) at the regulatory sites of OCT4 repressed target genes such as PAX6 and NEUROG1, which are crucial for cell fate determination. Concurrently, SNF5 closes the NDRs at the regulatory regions of OCT4 activated target genes such as OCT4 itself and NANOG. Furthermore, using loss and gain of function experiments followed by extensive genome-wide analyses including gene expression microarrays and ChIP-sequencing, we highlight that SNF5 plays dual roles during differentiation by antagonizing the expression of genes that were either activated or repressed by OCT4, respectively. Together, we demonstrate that SNF5 executes the switch between pluripotency and differentiation.  This abstract is also presented as Poster A39 .  Citation Format: Jueng Soo You, Daniel D. De Carvalho, Chao Dai, Minmin Liu, Kurinji Pandiyan, Xianghong Zhou, Gangning Liang, Peter A. Jones. SNF5 is an essential executor of epigenetic regulation during differentiation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr PR07.
Background Stroke is the leading cause of neurological disability and the second commonest cause of death globally. Despite the fact that renal dysfunction is a common comorbidity of stroke, there is no data on the prevalence of renal dysfunction among patients with acute stroke in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude of renal dysfunction, factors associated with renal dysfunction and risk of in-hospital mortality. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Yekatit 12 Hospital Medical College among consecutive 192 patients, who were admitted with acute stroke from September 2020 to September 2021. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire after pilot survey was done. A Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was fitted to identify determinants of renal function abnormalities. Renal dysfunction was defined as serum creatinine >1.2mg/dl. Result The mean age (SD) of study participants was 62.2 (15.9) years. Hundred-one (52.6%) participants were males. Thirty-four (17.7%) of the participants had renal dysfunction. Among patients with renal dysfunction, more than half of them were ≥70 years old and two-thirds were males. Male gender and hypertension increased the risk of renal dysfunction among hospitalized stroke patients. The mortality rate was higher in stroke patients with renal dysfunction (35.3%) as compared with patients having normal renal function (15.2%), but it was not a statistically significant. Conclusion Renal dysfunction was a frequent comorbidity among acute stroke patients who were hospitalized. Male gender and hypertension were statistically significant predictors of renal dysfunction. Mortality rate was higher in stroke patients with renal dysfunction, but not a statistically significant predictor of post stroke in-hospital mortality.
The 3D bioprinting of stem cells directly into scaffolds offers great potential for the development of regenerative therapies; in particular for the fabrication of organ and tissue substitutes. For this to be achieved; the lineage fate of bioprinted stem cell must be controllable. Bioprinting can be neutral; allowing culture conditions to trigger differentiation or alternatively; the technique can be designed to be stimulatory. Such factors as the particular bioprinting technique; bioink polymers; polymer cross-linking mechanism; bioink additives; and mechanical properties are considered. In addition; it is discussed that the stimulation of stem cell differentiation by bioprinting may lead to the remodeling and modification of the scaffold over time matching the concept of 4D bioprinting. The ability to tune bioprinting properties as an approach to fabricate stem cell bearing scaffolds and to also harness the benefits of the cells multipotency is of considerable relevance to the field of biomaterials and bioengineering.
The molecular structure of trifluorophosphine tetraborane(8), B(4)H(8)PF(3), has been studied in the gas phase by electron diffraction. The experimental data can be fitted using a model which represents the gas as consisting solely of the endo conformer with C(s)() symmetry, the PF(3) group staggered with respect to the B(1)-H(1) bond. Important experimental structural parameters (r(alpha) degrees ) are r[B(1)-B(2)] (hinge-wing) = 184.7(9) pm, r[B(1)-B(3)] (hinge-hinge) = 172.2(12) pm, r[B(2)-B(3)] = 179.9(10) pm,r[B(1)-P] = 179.8(9) pm, and r(P-F) (mean) = 152.8(1) pm; B(3)B(1)P = 131.6(11) degrees, and the dihedral ("butterfly") angle between the planes B(1)B(2)B(3) and B(1)B(4)B(3) is 133.9(23) degrees. These values agree well with the ab initio (MP2/TZP level) optimized molecular geometry for the endo conformer; at the MP2/TZP//MP2/TZP + ZPE(HF/6-31G) level, the exo conformer is predicted to represent ca. 2% of the compound vapor, consistent with the experimental (11)B NMR solution spectrum. The experimental and theoretical geometries are supported by comparison of the calculated (IGLO) (11)B NMR chemical shifts with the experimental NMR data.
The Joint Commission International (JCI) is responsible for upholding standards in healthcare and organizations in compliance receive accreditation. JCI requires quality improvement on patient safety goals, but requirements may prolong the total procedure/surgery time and reduce efficiency. Here, we evaluate the impact of JCI requirements on time periods in the operating room. We included patients who received elective and emergency surgeries under general anesthesia at Juntendo University Hospital between December 2014 and June 2016. Patients were classified as before and after JCI accreditation on December 12, 2015. The primary outcome was total procedure/surgery time. Secondary outcomes include five time periods comprising the total procedure/surgery time: pre-anesthesia time, anesthesia induction time, procedure/surgery time, anesthesia awareness time and post-anesthesia time. We compared these time periods between patients before and after JCI accreditation and patients were matched for age, sex and the specific type of surgery. Although total procedure/surgery time did not change significantly, pre-anesthesia time significantly increased (8.2 ± 6.9 minutes vs. 8.5 ± 6.9 minutes, before vs. after JCI, respectively, p = 0.028) and anesthesia induction time significantly decreased (34.4 ± 16.1 minutes vs. 33.6 ± 15.4 minutes, before vs. after JCI, respectively, p = 0.037) after JCI accreditation. Other secondary study outcomes did not change significantly. Quality improvement initiatives associated with time periods in the operating room can be achieved without undermining efficiency.
1,2,3 Assistant Professor, Dept of General Surgery, RUHS College of Medical Sciences, Jaipur (Rajasthan) Corresponding Author Dr Ajay Singh Kalyanwat AddressD93, Prem Nagar, Jhotwara, Jaipur (Raj) 302012 Email: drkalyanwatd93@gmail.com Abstract Introduction: Chest trauma constitutes 10-15% of all trauma patients and is cause of 25% of mortality. There are many vital organs in chest (heart, lung, major vessels, esophagus) that may injured due to trauma. Usually patients with chest trauma can be managed conservatively. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of chest trauma, management strategies and outcome of chest trauma in terms of morbidity and mortality. Material & Methods: It was an observational study done on 50 consecutive cases of chest trauma of age >16years, who required hospitalization. A case was included when patient was having chest injury with or without rib fracture or those with hemothorax, pneumothorax or hemopneumothorax. Diagnosis was initially made by chest X-ray and further, computed tomography of chest was performed in suspected cases of lung parenchymal injury. Management of the patients was followed and recorded in term of morbidity and mortality. Results: Out of fifty patients 49 were males. Most common cause of chest trauma was road traffic accident followed by fall from height. 64% succumbed ribs fracture and lung contusion present in 36% whereas flail chest found in 4% patients. Head injury and fracture of upper and lower limb bones (16% each) were commonly associated with chest trauma. Most of the patients managed conservatively with only one (2%) patient required thoracotomy. ICDT on one side done in 72% patients and 2% required bilateral ICDT. Blood transfusion was done in 28% and ventilator support given in 3 (6%) patients. No mortality reported in the study. Conclusion: It was concluded that with simple supportive measures like analgesia, antibiotics, breathing exercise, pulmonary toilet, oxygen therapy and ICDT morbidity and mortality rate in chest trauma patients can be reduced significantly.
In this article, a novel robust initial alignment method for the strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS) and global positioning system (GPS) integrated system is proposed to eliminate the outliers containing in the outputs of GPS. There are two innovations in the proposed method. First, the traditional quaternion Kalman filter method is often used to estimate the constant attitude quaternion in the swaying base. However, this article devises the new quaternion state model, which can be used in the in-motion base, expanding the scope of application. Second, based on the Huber’s robust theory and the in-motion quaternion Kalman filter state model, the novel algorithm called the robust quaternion Kalman filter method is devised. This method can construct the improved observation vectors to eliminate the outliers and estimate the constant attitude quaternion more accurately than the traditional in-motion method when GPS contains outliers. The experiment using the miniature inertial measurement unit (MIMU)-based SINS aided by GPS has shown the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Aiming at the large error of traditional grey GM (1,N) model in cost prediction, this paper analyses the defects of the model itself, and puts forward a model improvement scheme. Firstly, on the basis of grey relational analysis, weighting factor is introduced to optimize the background value; secondly, linear correction term and grey action are introduced to make the model structure more reasonable, and an improved grey GM (1,N) model is proposed. Finally, an example is given to simulate and compare the model. The results show that the improved model can effectively improve the prediction accuracy.
Cloned Haemophilus influenzae type b capsulation genes were used as hybridization probes to isolate DNA from the capsulation loci (cap) of other serotypes of H. influenzae. Mapping of the resulting clones and Southern hybridization analysis of chromosomal DNAs from type a, b, c, and d strains showed that in each strain cap was organized in the same way: a central DNA segment specific to each serotype flanked by DNA segments of common structure. We infer that enzymes necessary for the synthesis of specific capsular polysaccharide are encoded in the central segment of cap, while proteins involved in a more general way in the process of capsulation are encoded in the flanking segments. Studies of the function of the DNA in one of these non-serotype-specific flanking segments (J. S. Kroll, I. Hopkins, and E. R. Moxon, Cell 53:347-356, 1988) have previously identified a gene encoding a protein necessary for polysaccharide export, an event now deduced to proceed by a mechanism independent of the nature of the disaccharide subunit in the polysaccharide. The near-total duplication of cap that has been found in most type b strains was not found at the analogous locus in the other serotypes. This reinforces our previous hypothesis, based on study of type b strains alone, that while such a duplication is unnecessary for capsulation, it confers some unexplained survival advantage on the widely prevalent strains with this clinically important serotype.
In this work, we employ a new normalization Bernstein basis for solving linear Freadholm of fractional integro-differential equations nonhomogeneous of the second type (LFFIDEs). We adopt Petrov-Galerkian method (PGM) to approximate solution of the (LFFIDEs) via normalization Bernstein basis that yields linear system. Some examples are given and their results are shown in tables and figures, the Petrov-Galerkian method (PGM) is very effective and convenient and overcome the difficulty of traditional methods. We solve this problem (LFFIDEs) by the assistance of Matlab10.
Pet ownership is increasing worldwide, including in Korea, with dogs being the most common household pets. This rise in pet ownership has increased the dog allergen sensitization rate and the incidence of allergic diseases in Korea over the past decade.1 Hypoallergenic pets are a lucrative business, but the real existence of hypoallergenic dog breeds remains controversial.2 In Korea, most pets are kept indoors; therefore, small-sized breeds are more popular.3 Here, we evaluated the popularity of different dog breeds in Korea and investigated the allergenic differences in the hair extracts of popular small-sized dog breeds in the country.
Research in open-set language identification (LID) generally focuses more on accurate in-set modeling versus improved out-of-set (OOS) rejection. Unknown or OOS language rejection is a challenge, since research developers seldom commit equivalent OOS corpus development effort versus the desired in-set languages. To address this, we propose an OOS candidate selection method for universal OOS language coverage. Since effective selection always requires abundant knowledge of inter-language relationships, three broad measurements across world languages are considered. Finally, the advanced OOS selection method is evaluated on a database derived from a large-scale corpus (LRE-09) with a state-of-the-art i-Vector system followed by two back-ends. The baseline system is realized using a random selection of OOS candidates. With the proposed selection method and probabilistic linear discriminative analysis (PLDA) back-end, the OOS rejection performance is improved with false alarm and miss rates achieving a relative reduction of 32.6% and 4.4%, respectively. In addition, the overall classification performance are relatively improved 8.4% and 7.5% according to the two back-ends based on an average cost function.
Approximation of problems in linear elasticity having small shear modulus in a thin region is considered. Problems of this type arise when modeling ground motion due to earthquakes where rupture occurs in a thin fault. It is shown that, under appropriate scaling, solutions of these problems can be approximated by solutions of a limit problem where the fault region is represented by a surface. In a numerical context this eliminates the need to resolve the large deformations in the fault; a numerical example is presented to illustrate efficacy of this strategy.
Background: Several evidences show metformin decreases vitamin B12. Diabetics are also at the risk of developing neuropathy which is treated with vitamin B12. metformin being initial therapy for diabetic patients, it becomes all the more important to know the extent of this decrease. The study was designed with the objective to compare the levels of vitamin B12 in patients on metformin vis-a-vis on antidiabetic drugs other than metformin and to evaluate the increase in vitamin B12 levels after prescribing a combination of metformin and mecobalamin, in T2DM patients. Methods: Of 500 enrolled, 321 patients completed the study for duration of 6 months, divided in two periods of 3 months each. At the end first period of 3 months the vitamin B12 levels were compared form Metformin vs. that of other antidiabetics. In second period of 3 months a combination of metformin and mecobalamin was given instead of plain metformin and vitamin B12 levels were repeated at the end of this period. Results: There was reduction in vitamin B12 levels with metformin with levels of 272.5pg/ml compared to 714.6pg/ml with other antidiabetics at the end of first period. The levels increased from 272.5pg/ml to 615.9 pg/ml at the end of second period after receiving the combination of metformin and mecobalamin. Conclusions: T2DM patients being treated with metformin had a greater risk of reduction in vitamin B12 levels and addition of vitamin B12 in the form of mecobalamin would decrease the reduction in vitamin B12 levels associated with Metformin therapy.
INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between parents' anxiety level and that of the child patient.   METHODS The Short Form of the Dental Anxiety Survey Schedule was administered to 81 children who were attending the dental clinic for the first time. The Dental Anxiety Scale was also used to collect relevant information from the parents.   RESULTS There was no statistically significant correlation between the anxiety level of the mother (r = -0.02, P = 0.82) or the father (r = -0.59, P = 0.62) and that of their child. However, bivariate analysis showed a closer association between the anxiety levels of the mother and the child (P = 0.055) compared to that between the father and the child (P = 0.475) although this was again found not to be statistically significant.   CONCLUSION Assessment and management of the anxiety level of the mother may be needed in some cases, both to manage the child effectively and to break the cycle of dental care anxiety in families.
This brief presents a method for an automated generation of improved representations of linear parameter varying (LPV) systems, which is based on principal component analysis applied to typical scheduling trajectories. The procedure can help to reduce the conservatism in controller design by finding tighter regions in the space of scheduling parameters that contain the set of given trajectories. In addition, this method allows to determine approximations of LPV models with a reduced number of parameters and facilitates a systematic tradeoff between the number of parameters and the desired accuracy of the model. The proposed technique is illustrated by the application to a model of a two-link robot. Performance achieved with the controller designed using the reduced model is compared with those obtained by a robust control approach.
Removal of Al, As, Cd, total Cr (Tot. Cr), Cu, Total Fe (Tot. Fe), Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, and Zn from urban effluent by wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operated under five-stage Bardenpho® process were investigated and water soluble metals in the dewatered sludge were quantified. Samples were collected from two WWTPs on a weekly basis over an approximately 2.5-year time span. Tot. Fe and Al were the most abundant, As, Pb, Ni, Cu, and Cd were the least abundant metals in the influents of both WWTPs. Removal efficiencies above 75% were achieved for Tot. Cr, Tot. Fe, Al, and Cu, whereas, no significant removal was observed for As, Cd, Pb, Sb, and Sn. Removal of Tot. Cr, Cu, Tot. Fe, Zn, Al, Mn, and Ni were influenced by influent suspended solids concentrations, and of Tot. Cr, Zn, and Cd were influenced by their initial content in the influent. Zn removal efficiency of biological nutrient removal (BNR) system in this study was higher and Cd removal efficiency was lower than that of conventional activated sludge reported in the literature. No remarkable difference for metals such as Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb was observed between the removal efficiencies of conventional system and BNR system.
BACKGROUND With increasing doses the highly tumoricidal anthracycline drugs cause heart damage. Based on empirical drug limitations about 10-15% of patients will develop congestive heart failure (CHF) with a mortality of -50% within 2 years on digitalo-diuretic therapy alone. To avoid CHF there is a consensus recommendation that cardiac function should be monitored in close connection with anthracycline administration. As no prospective studies in a larger series have been performed, these recommendations are based on retrospective data on small numbers of patients.   PATIENTS AND METHODS In a prospective, blinded observational study 120 patients with advanced breast cancer were followed before, during, and a median 3 years after treatment with epirubicin. They had 604 serial radionuclide measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) that were stored without calculations except in patients who developed a well-defined CHF.   RESULTS Anthracycline cardiotoxicity was closely correlated with the cumulative dose, with a great variability in individual susceptibility and a dramatic increase with advancing age. With a delayed onset of 3 months or more, epirubicin induced a threatening, slowly progressive deterioration of cardiac function continuing years after treatment. An actuarial estimation of 59% of the patients experienced a 25% relative reduction in LVEF 3 years after 850-1000 mg/m2 of epirubicin and 20% had deteriorated into a CHF. The patients did not spontaneously regain cardiac function whereas continued therapy with a circadian angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor for more than 3 months caused a remarkably potent and long-lasting recovery.   CONCLUSIONS Due to the displaced cardiotoxic manifestation, functional monitoring in close connection with anthracycline administration appears to be a poorly effective method while later monitoring is essential. Current monitoring recommendations should therefore be revised.
Triple-negative breast cancer refers to a specific subtype of breast cancer that does not express the genes for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) or Her2/neu. About 12-17 % of ca breast  have triple negative ca breast This subtype of breast cancer is clinically characterized as more aggressive and less responsive to standard treatment and associated with overall poorer prognosis. Chemotherapy is the choice of systemic therapy for triple-negative tumors. They are more susceptible to non-receptor mediated therapies than other tumors. A number of new strategies are currently being tested in clinical trials. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v3i2.5384 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences 3(2012) 16-20
A potent class of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) targets the envelope glycoprotein’s membrane proximal exposed region (MPER) through a proposed mechanism where hypervariable loops embed into lipid bilayers and engage headgroup moieties alongside the epitope. We address the feasibility and determinant molecular features of this mechanism using integrative modeling. All-atom simulations of 4E10, PGZL1, 10E8 and LN01 docked onto HIV-like membranes consistently form phospholipid complexes at key complementarity-determining region loop sites, solidifying that stable and specific lipid interactions anchor bnAbs to membrane surfaces. Ancillary protein-lipid contacts reveal surprising contributions from antibody framework regions. Coarse-grained simulations effectively capture antibodies embedding into membranes. Simulations estimating protein-membrane interaction strength for PGZL1 variants along an inferred maturation pathway show bilayer affinity is evolved and correlates with neutralization potency. The modeling platform developed here uncovers insights into lipid participation in antibodies’ recognition of membrane proteins and highlights antibody features to prioritize in vaccine design.
ABSTRACT The Minority Stress Model has proposed that connectedness to a specific minority community may be a protective factor for stigmatized groups. This study evaluated the mediational role of connectedness with the gay men’s and lesbian women’s community on the relationship between two minority stressors (internalized homophobia and perceived sexual stigma) with anxiety-depressive symptomatology and life satisfaction. The sample consisted of 467 Chilean self-identified as gay men (57%) and lesbian women (43%). Results revealed that the two minority stressors were associated with anxiety-depressive symptomatology, but only internalized homophobia was associated with life satisfaction. The mediation hypothesis was partially supported by the relationship between internalized homophobia and life satisfaction. Unexpectedly, we found a negative association between connectedness with the gay men’s and lesbian women’s community and life satisfaction. This finding introduces a view that contrasts with the literature, which proposes that connectedness with the specific community would be a protective factor against sexual stigma.
A novel intelligent switched capacitor AC contactor is proposed in this paper. This kind of intelligent AC contactor is developed by modifying the control circuit and the structure of a general AC contactor. It is especially designed to improve the power factor of a system through the reactive compensation of its switching capacitors. It adopts a novel approach, where the system's capacitors switch within a narrow domain around the voltage zero-crossing. This way the surge current is greatly reduced, leading to energy savings, low operating noise, high electrical span, and high operating frequency. We expect this new type of intelligent AC contactor to find broad applicability in power distribution systems, especially smart power grids.
BACKGROUND Twenty-four-hour urinary sucrose and fructose (24uSF) has been studied as a biomarker of total sugars intake in two feeding studies conducted in the UK and Arizona (AZ), US. We compare the biomarker performance in these populations, testing whether it meets the criteria for a predictive biomarker.   METHODS The UK and AZ feeding studies included 13 and 98 participants respectively, aged 18-70 years, consuming their usual diet under controlled conditions. Linear mixed models relating 24uSF to total sugars and personal characteristics were developed in each study and compared. The AZ calibrated biomarker equation was applied to generate biomarker-estimated total sugars intake in UK participants. Stability of the model across AZ study subpopulations was also examined.   RESULTS Model coefficients were similar between the two studies [e.g., log(total sugars): UK 0.99, AZ 1.03, p=0.67], as was the ratio of calibrated biomarker person-specific bias to between-person variance (UK 0.32, AZ 0.25, p=0.68). The AZ equation estimated UK log(total sugar intakes) with mean squared prediction error of 0.27, similar to the AZ study estimate (0.28). Within the AZ study, the regression coefficients of log(total sugars) were similar across age, gender and BMI subpopulations.   CONCLUSIONS Similar model coefficients in the two studies and good prediction of UK sugar intakes by the AZ equation suggest that 24uSF meets the criteria for a predictive biomarker. Testing the biomarker performance in other populations is advisable.   IMPACT Applications of the 24uSF biomarker will enable improved assessment of the role of sugars intake in risk of chronic disease, including cancer.
the presence of high-spin Mn 3 + :t2g 3 eg 1 ions—resulting in a huge change of volume and severe fading of the capacity. [7] The power density (rate capability) of these cathode materials with bulk sizes in the micrometer-regime is generally low due to the high level of polarization at high charge–discharge rates (above 2 C). This high polarization is believed to result from slow lithium diffusion or low electrical conductivity in the active material. Therefore, “nanostructuring” was introduced to overcome these shortcomings, through shortening the diffusion paths for mass transport and increasing the surface area for charge transfer. [8–10] In addition, electrode density is considered to be one of the factors that affects the energy density: a higher electrode density leads to a higher energy density. [11] A
ABSTRACT State bureaucratic settings and associated governance patterns have an enormous impact on the planning and implementation of a country's climate development policy. Contextually, a typical superior bureaucratic framework with its decision-making power centred on climate adaptation projects funding prevails in Bangladesh. This paper deploys the concepts of Weberian bureaucracy and super-bureaucracy and its governance pattern to explore the power attributes of climate bureaus and associated bureaucratic practices and decision-making behaviour regarding adaptation funding in climate adaptation governance. The study employs all climate adaptation development projects (n = 573) financing in Bangladesh. The analysis finds that the general administration cadre employees rather than technical professionals are involved in multiple decision-making processes, including appraisal and approval and monitoring and evaluating projects holding powerful pivotal positions both centrally and locally. These super bureaus also expand their power resources in climate adaptation policy by governing big adaptation projects, keeping the project director position, and approving the said position. The power capabilities and interests of the super-bureaus accrue by creating new climate institutions too. The decision-making behaviour and governance pattern underpin a state of super-bureaucracy, which are not supportive enough of innovative policy-making through inclusive participation and collective decision-making for governing dynamic climate adaptation policy.
Photonic gradient metasurfaces are ultrathin electromagnetic wave-molding metamaterials that provide a route for realizing flat optics. However, the up-to-date metasurface design, manifested by imprinting the required phase profile for a single, on-demand light manipulation functionality, is not compatible with the desired goal of multifunctional flat optics. Here, we report on a generic concept to control multifunctional optics by disordered (random) gradient metasurfaces with a custom-tailored geometric phase. This approach combines the peculiar ability of random patterns to support an extraordinary information capacity and the polarization helicity control in the geometric phase mechanism, simply implemented in a two-dimensional structured matter by imprinting optical antenna patterns. By manipulating the local orientations of the nanoantennas, we generate multiple wavefronts with different functionalities via mixed random antenna groups, where each group controls a different phase function. Disordered...
A 65-year-old man presented with a left-sided pulmonary artery aneurysm with a fusiform shape. He was considered to be inoperable. Pulmonary hypertension is common with right heart enlargement, as in the present case. Posttraumatic aneurysms have also been reported. Differential diagnosis must distinguish between these two conditions. If 2D echo and CT have failed to distinguish the condition then right heart catheterization and pulmonary angiography are the methods of choice.
Flower-like hydroxyapatite (HA) nanostructures were synthesized by a polymer-assisted hydrothermal method. The thickness of the petals/plates decreased from 200 nm to 40 nm as the polymer concentration increased. The thickness also decreased as the hydrothermal treatment time increased from 6 to 12 hr. The HRTEM and SAED patterns suggest that the floral-like HA nanostructures are single crystalline in nature. Structural analysis based on XRD and Raman experiments implied that the produced nanostructure is a pure form of HA without any other impurities. The possible formation mechanism was discussed for the formation of flower-like HA nanostructures during polymer-assisted hydrothermal synthesis. Finally, in vitro cellular analysis revealed that the hierarchically arranged HA nanoceramic had improved cell viability relative to other structures. The cells were actively proliferated over these nanostructures due to lower cytotoxicity. Overall, the size and the crystallinity of the nanostructures played a role in improving the cell proliferation.
An overview of studies for technological developments in the first stages of the value chain of groundfish in Iceland is introduced. It presents the results of recent research performed on board fresh fish trawlers and is aimed to evaluate the process performance in terms of product quality and shelf-life for fresh cod and saithe. This includes studies on time and temperature control, different bleeding conditions, superchilling methods and storage. The main objectives of the research are to provide design parameters to the processing deck redesign and to evaluate the impact of new onboard processes from catch to post-processing storage. The results of the studies indicate that storage methods have a greater impact on fish quality than the specific method of cooling. Also, the results indicate which parameters should be adjusted during the bleeding process to achieve the most effective drainage of blood from the fish.
Approximately 6 million patients visit the emergency department (ED) each year with complaints of chest pain, constituting 9% of all patients seen in EDs in the United States. Over the last 10 years, the total number of ED patients with noninjury complaints increased by 22%, whereas the percentage of patients with chest pain decreased slightly. Chest pain is a symptom caused by several life-threatening diseases and has a broad differential diagnosis. It is complicated by a frequent disassociation between intensity of symptoms and signs and seriousness of underlying pathology.
Lithium amide (LiNH2) and imide (Li2NH) have recently attracted much attention as part of the Li-H-N system suitable for hydrogen (H) storage applications. However, the ground-state imide structure is still unknown with at least six candidate structures, with ground state energies all very close to one another. In order to discover possible pathways for the imide-amide-imide transformations during the hydrogen absorption/desorption cycles, we have examined the molecular structures involved (along with their changes during these processes) using ab-initio calculations based on the linear combination of atomic orbitals (LCAO). In addition, the influence of Li substitution by some other elements of interest on the system behaviour was investigated. These analyses were complemented by density functional theory (DFT) calculations of several crystal structures appearing in the processes. In this way a thorough insight into the structures and the processes taking place at atomic level is attained, providing a starting point for understanding these complicated systems, and the mechanisms governing their transformations.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the situation and evaluation strategies and processes of nine library and information science (LIS) education programs in the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Muscat, and Bahrain. It also aims to explore what accreditation practices can be introduced and how this process can be streamlined.Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted, using an electronic questionnaire. Nine schools provided information. Saudi Arabia's four universities have six LIS programs; Kuwait has two, and Qatar and Oman have one each. The paper describes the situation of the LIS programs in terms of their organizational placement, strategic plan, students, faculty, and resources and facilities. It also describes the evaluation efforts undertaken in these programs through self‐study and external assessment and the outcomes of these exercises.Findings – Policies and practices of evaluatio...
Recent exploration in Colombia gives indication of a far richer fern flora than has previously been known from that country. This is true especially of the tree-ferns (Cyatheaceae), in which perhaps not more than half the specimens of several large collections can be identified with reasonable certainty. To me the more interesting members of the family are those species — mostly small plants — with pinnate-pinnatilid fronds, in habit and general appearance most resembling various species of Dryoptcris (Polypodiaceae), and I have previously published descriptions of nearly a dozen from tropical America as new. Of the four additional species here described three are of the sort mentioned, with pinnate-pinnatifid fronds. The fourth, Alsophila mollicula, is quite unlike these in having the blades fully bipinnate, the secondary pinnae deeply pinnatifid; it is not approached by any of the diminutive tropical American species thus far known.
Upon exciting the investigated ZnS crystals by the light of two wavelengths, 0.37 and 0.33 μ, in succession, their blue luminescence at low temperatures was found to rise to a maximum Im from which it decayed to its normal steady value I∞. The green luminescence band showed a similar effect above 170°K. A reduction in the degree of filling of the ``blue'' traps was found to take place during the decay of the transients at low temperatures. Results are discussed using a previously proposed energy model.
Evidence-based policymaking is all about developing and implementing better public policies. Although the logic underpinning this philosophy is simple, the practicalities of demonstrating causal effects of a public policy are much more complex. In recent years, there has been a wave of optimism about the usefulness of experimental approaches to public policy evaluation which mimics the clean, causal inferences observed in clinical trials. Although these methods, such as randomised controlled trials, have been widely advocated and implemented, they are not without their potential problems. In this paper, we consider the strengths, weaknesses, and challenges posed by the revolution in policy evaluation brought about by embracing experimental methods.
Syntheses of highly functionalized 4-alkylated 1,4-dihydropyridines (1,4-DHPs) from cyclic ethers and enaminones via iron(II)-mediated oxidative free radical cascade C(sp3)-H bond functionalization/C(sp3)-O bond cleavage/cyclization reaction have been first developed. This novel synthetic strategy offers an alternative method for the construction of 1,4-DHPs by using esters as the C4 sources, as well as expands the application of ethers in heterocycle synthesis.
Summary form only given, as follows. Cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) is newly developed spectroscopic technique which may be used to determine the concentration of very dilute gas-phase species present in hostile environments. Unlike traditional absorption techniques which measure the attenuation of light passing through a sample, in CRDS light from a pulsed laser is injected into a high-finesse cavity formed by two or more high reflectivity mirrors. Light leaking from the resonator through one of the mirrors is then used to measure the rate of decay of the pulse of light within the cavity. Absorption by species present within the resonator increase the rate of decay of light in the cavity. Therefore, by measuring this ring-down rate with and without sample present within the resonator, the absorbance of the sample may be measured and its absolute concentration determined. The largest advantage of CRDS is its insensitivity to fluctuations in the intensity of the light source; these fluctuations limit the sensitivity of traditional absorption techniques. Furthermore, since the decay of coherent light from the resonator is being detected, CRDS may be used to measure species in environments with high background radiation levels such as flames and discharges. Advancements in the use of this technique to measure the concentration of species in hostile environments will be discussed as well as the application of continuous-wave laser sources to the technique.
We performed Vecchietti's operation in 10 patients with absence of the vagina (8 Rokitansky-Küster-syndrome, 1 testicular feminization, 1 occlusion of the vagina after radiotherapy). There were no intra- or postoperative complications; on discharge the neovagina was patent for 2 fingers in all cases. On follow-up examinations 2 to 20 months postoperatively the neovagina was no longer patent in the patient after radiotherapy, all other patients had neovaginas with a length ranging from 5 to 9 cm and reported satisfactory coitus without dyspareunia. According to our experience the conditions for successful surgical formation of a neovagina are: good psychosocial adjustment, some preoperative sexual experience, higher age, preoperative counselling, and longterm follow-up.
Abstract The electronic absorption spectra of some chromium(IV) complexes as the products of chromyl chloride and chromyl acetate reaction with alkylaromatics have been studied in some organic solvents. A detailed computer analysis of the spectra including resolution into component bands as well as calculation of crystal field parameter Dq, Racah's parameter B and Franck-Condon analysis of the vibronically structured charge-transfer O—Cr band have been performed. The solvent effect on the Dq parameter has been established.
Clathrate hydrates are crystalline compounds consisting of water molecules forming cages (so-called "host") inside of which "guest" molecules are encapsulated depending on the thermodynamic conditions of formation (systems stable at low temperature and high pressure). These icelike systems are naturally abundant on Earth and are generally expected to exist on icy celestial bodies. Carbon monoxide hydrate might be considered an important component of the carbon cycle in the solar system since CO gas is one of the predominant forms of carbon. Intriguing fundamental properties have also been reported: the CO hydrate initially forms in the sI structure (kinetically favored) and transforms into the sII structure (thermodynamically stable). Understanding and predicting the gas hydrate structural stability then become essential. The aim of this work is, thereby, to study the structural and energetic properties of the CO hydrate using density functional theory (DFT) calculations together with neutron diffraction measurements. In addition to the comparison of DFT-derived structural properties with those from experimental neutron diffraction, the originality of this work lies in the DFT-derived energy calculations performed on a complete unit cell (sI and sII) and not only by considering guest molecules confined in an isolated water cage (as usually performed for extracting the binding energies). Interestingly, an excellent agreement (within less than 1% error) is found between the measured and DFT-derived unit cell parameters by considering the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (denoted PBE) functional. Moreover, a strategy is proposed for evaluating the hydrate structural stability on the basis of potential energy analysis of the total nonbonding energies (i.e., binding energy and water substructure nonbonding energy). It is found that the sII structure is the thermodynamically stable hydrate phase. In addition, increasing the CO content in the large cages has a stabilizing effect on the sII structure, while it destabilizes the sI structure. Such findings are in agreement with the recent experimental results evidencing the structural metastability of the CO hydrate.
This paper presents a case study, which is currently being carried out on a high-pressure sub-sea gas export pipeline. The main objective of the case study is to determine if the risk mitigation measures that are already in place are sufficient considering the level of risk for different sections of the pipeline. The methodology utilizes a Geographical Information System and the COmputer Assisted Shipping Traffic (COAST) database to determine the level of risk caused by vessels traveling over the pipeline. The factors considered are damaged due to anchor drop and drag, vessel foundering and grounding over the pipeline. Live vessel tracks obtained from nearby radar stations are used to determine the annual traffic volume, size, type and speed of vessels as well as vessel headings. This information is then fed into the COAST database and presented graphically. The pipeline is then divided into equal area cells and the probability of anchor dropping and dragging and vessel foundering and grounding are calculated based on the type, size and speed of the vessels identified to have passed over the pipeline. The results of the frequency of occurrences and fatalities are presented and then evaluated against the set As Low As Reasonable Practicable (ALARP) level. The “hot spots” of the pipeline are identified and a base case study is carried out for the risk reduction measures that are in place (if any) for each of the “hot spots” identified. Alternative risk reduction measures are considered and a cost benefit analysis is carried out to determine the most feasible option. The risk levels are then recalculated with the risk reduction measures in place to see if this has reduced the risk to ALARP. The COAST database is thought to be very useful as it can be updated to reflect the current navigational practices of vessels and hence, it would be easy to update analyses as and when required.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Technology within the medical field has grown, especially in the last few decades. Many diseases and medical conditions are easily diagnosed with the use of innovative machines and information technologies. There are greater storage capabilities and better computer applications that assist medical providers with understanding health findings to create more accurate diagnoses. There are several rare medical conditions that affect various people throughout the world. In many of these situations, the condition goes untreated because people don’t have access to medical facilities with utilizes innovative technologies. However, as we are moving further into the twenty-second century, more medical facilities are investing in this new equipment and computer systems. Additionally, there are more health care facilities (traditional and nontraditional) that are popping up all over the world and in the United States. Rarer medical conditions are being recognized and correctly diagnosed. One example of a rare condition that often was incorrectly diagnosed in prior years that can be detected easier with medical technology of today is hypothenar hammer syndrome. Hypothenar hammer syndrome is a type of ischemia located within the fingers. The preceding paragraphs will review what this syndrome is, the radiology modalities utilized to diagnose it, and the treatment of this rare condition.
The art of state of onboard metro passenger information system is introduced. The structure and main functions of onboard metro passenger information system are described. The main controlling and remote connected, audio communications, video display, content management, CCTV surveillance subsystem and communications interface are designed in this paper. The onboard metro passenger information system can also operate in a variety of public mass transit transportation modes.
BACKGROUND Intersphincteric resection (ISR), the ultimate anus-preserving technique for ultralow rectal cancers, is an alternative to abdominoperineal resection (APR). The failure patterns and risk factors for local recurrence and distant metastasis remain controversial and require further investigation. AIM To investigate the long-term outcomes and failure patterns after laparoscopic ISR in ultralow rectal cancers. METHODS Patients who underwent laparoscopic ISR (LsISR) at Peking University First Hospital between January 2012 and December 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Correlation analysis was performed using the Chi-square or Pearson's correlation test. Prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were analyzed using Cox regression. RESULTS We enrolled 368 patients with a median follow-up of 42 mo. Local recurrence and distant metastasis occurred in 13 (3.5%) and 42 (11.4%) cases, respectively. The 3-year OS, LRFS, and DMFS rates were 91.3%, 97.1%, and 90.1%, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that LRFS was associated with positive lymph node status [hazard ratio (HR) = 5.411, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.413-20.722, P = 0.014] and poor differentiation (HR = 3.739, 95%CI: 1.171-11.937, P = 0.026), whereas the independent prognostic factors for DMFS were positive lymph node status (HR = 2.445, 95%CI: 1.272-4.698, P = 0.007) and (y)pT3 stage (HR = 2.741, 95%CI: 1.225-6.137, P = 0.014). CONCLUSION This study confirmed the oncological safety of LsISR for ultralow rectal cancer. Poor differentiation, (y)pT3 stage, and lymph node metastasis are independent risk factors for treatment failure after LsISR, and thus patients with these factors should be carefully managed with optimal neoadjuvant therapy, and for patients with a high risk of local recurrence (N + or poor differentiation), extended radical resection (such as APR instead of ISR) may be more effective.
Background. Excessive gestational weight gain poses significant short- and long-term health risks to both mother and baby. Professional bodies and health services increasingly recommend greater attention be paid to weight gain in pregnancy. A large Australian tertiary maternity hospital plans to facilitate the (re)introduction of routine weighing of all women at every antenatal visit. Objective. To identify clinicians' perspectives of barriers and enablers to routinely weighing pregnant women and variations in current practice, knowledge, and attitudes between different staff groups. Method. Forty-four maternity staff from three professional groups were interviewed in four focus groups. Staff included midwives; medical staff; and dietitians. Transcripts underwent qualitative content analysis to identify and examine barriers and enablers to the routine weighing of women throughout pregnancy. Results. While most staff supported routine weighing, various concerns were raised. Issues included access to resources and staff; the ability to provide appropriate counselling and evidence-based interventions; and the impact of weighing on patients and the therapeutic relationship. Conclusion. Many clinicians supported the practice of routine weighing in pregnancy, but barriers were also identified. Implementation strategies will be tailored to the discrete professional groups and will address identified gaps in knowledge, resources, and clinician skills and confidence.
PURPOSE Listening to children using age-appropriate techniques supports evidence-based clinical decision-making. In this article, we test the Sound Effects Study Drawing Protocol, an arts-based technique, to support children with speech sound disorder (SSD) to express their views about talking.   METHOD Participants were 124 Australian children aged 4-5 years in the Sound Effects Study. Their parents and teachers were concerned about their talking, and they were assessed as having SSD on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology. Drawings and children's interpretations were elicited then analyzed using the (a) Who Am I? Draw-a-Person Scale and (b) Sound Effects Study Focal Points.   RESULTS Drawings were developmentally typical for 4- to 5-year-olds. The six Sound Effects Study Focal Points were identified across the 124 drawings: body parts and facial expressions, talking and listening, relationships and connection, positivity, negativity, and no talking. Participants portrayed talking and listening as an action requiring mouths and ears represented by symbols (letters, speech bubbles) or as an activity with a variety of people. Children typically portrayed themselves as happy when talking; however, some portrayed negativity and some chose not to draw talking.   CONCLUSIONS In keeping with Articles 12 and 13 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this research demonstrated that 4- to 5-year-old children with SSD can express their views about talking via drawing. Professionals may use the Sound Effects Study Drawing Protocol as a child-friendly technique to support children to express views to guide holistic, evidence-based, child-centered speech-language pathology practice.
A Fast Flux Service Network (FFSN) domain name system method is a technique used on botnet that bot herders used to support malicious botnet actions to rapidly change the domain name IP addresses and to increase the life of malicious servers. While several methods for the detection of FFSN domains are suggested, they are still suffering from relatively low accuracy with the zero-day domain in particular. Throughout the current research, a system that’s deemed new is proposed. The latter system is called (the Fast Flux Killer System) and is abbreviated as (FFKS)). It allows one to have the FF-Domains “zero-day”, via a deployment built on (ADeSNN). It is a hybrid, which consists of two stages. The online phase according to the learning outcomes from the offline phase works on detecting the zero-day domains while the offline phase helps in enhancing the classification performance of the system in the online phase. This system will be compared to a previously published work that was based on a supervised detection method using the same ADeSNN algorithm to have the FFSNs domains detected, also to show better performance in detecting malicious domains. A public data set for the impacts of the hybrid ADeSNN algorithm is employed in the experiment. When hybrid ADeSNN was used over the supervised one, the experiments showed better accuracy. The detection of zero-day fast-flux domains is highly accurate (99.54%) in a mode considered as an online one.
miR-1271 is a multifunctional post-translational modulator, which is involved in several diseases. However, the association between microRNA (miR)-1271 and fibronectin 1 (FN1) remains to be fully elucidated in neuroglioma. In the present study, it was hypothesized that a post-translational mechanism of miR-1271 regulates the expression of FN1 in the progression of neuroglioma. The present study aimed to investigate the clinical significance and underlying molecular mechanisms of miRNA-1271 in the development of glioma. The miR-1271 levels in glioma tissues and cell lines were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). miR-1271 mimics and inhibitors were transfected to gain or loss of miR-1271 function. Cell proliferation was analyzed by using an MTT assay. The targeted genes were predicted by a bioinformatics algorithm and confirmed by a dual luciferase reporter assay. The mRNA and protein levels were assessed by RT-qPCR and western blotting. The results showed that miR-1271 was downregulated in glioma tumor tissues and cell lines. In addition, it was demonstrated that low levels of miR-1271 in patients with glioma were correlated with low survival rate. In vitro, the cell viability was significantly suppressed following transfection with miRNA-1271 mimics and increased following transfection with the miRNA-1271 inhibitor. The miRNA-1271 mimics induced cell apoptosis and the miRNA-1271 inhibitor suppressed cell apoptosis in H4 and U251 cell lines. Furthermore, the 3′-untranslated region of FN1 was bound by miR-1271. Therefore, it was concluded that miR-1271 inhibited glioma cell growth by targeting FN1, and a low level of miR-1271 in glioma tumor tissues was associated with lower survival rates in patients with glioma.
Work engagement is generally accepted to have three factors: vigour, dedication and absorption. I studied whether this three-factor model is valid for India. 182 Indian working professionals completed the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9). Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three factor model may not be appropriate for India. Instead, it may be more appropriate to consider work engagement as a single-factor construct for India. Further analyses showed that the single-factor model is invariant across gender, organizational tenure and dyadic duration, but varies across age groups. It may indicate the need to consider culture as a boundary condition for work engagement.
OBJECTIVE To compare MRI using perfusion and diffusion techniques with 6-[(18)F]-fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ((18)F-FDOPA) positron emission tomography (PET) in the follow-up of low-grade gliomas (LGGs) and to identify the best imaging parameter to differentiate patients with different prognosis.   METHODS Between 2010 and 2015, 12 patients with a pathology-proven diagnosis of LGG and MR (with perfusion and diffusion sequences) and a PET study during their follow-up were retrospectively included in our study. Cerebral blood volume (CBV) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps on MR studies and PET images were evaluated using a region of interest-based method. All patients were categorized as stable or as having progressive disease at 1-year follow-up. Statistical analysis was performed using Pearson's correlation test and multivariate analysis of variance (p < 0.05).   RESULTS No significant correlations were found between PET parameters [maximum tumour-to-controlateral normal brain ratio (T/Nmax) and tumour-to-striatum ratio] and ADC or relative CBV values measured in both PET hotspot regions and areas of maximum signal alterations. T/Nmax demonstrated a good sensitivity (83%) and specificity (100%) for differentiating two subgroups of patients with different outcomes at 1-year-follow-up (p < 0.05).   CONCLUSION Perfusion and diffusion MR images provide different information compared with (18)F-FDOPA PET in LGGs during follow-up and therefore, they should be considered as complementary tools in the evaluation of these tumours. (18)F-FDOPA PET showed a significant prognostic role in the follow-up of LGGs and appeared to be a better tool than MR advanced techniques for outcome prediction. These results need to be confirmed with longitudinal studies on a larger population.   ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE This is the first study that compared (18)F-FDOPA PET with perfusion and diffusion MR in LGGs during follow-up. These preliminary results highlight the importance of a multimodality approach in this field and evidence a potential role for (18)F-FDOPA PET to predict patients at risk for tumour progression.
The objective of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics of people with mental health problems who frequently attend an Australian emergency department (ED). A retrospective clinical audit of presenter characteristics was conducted in a 550-bed tertiary referral metropolitan hospital with data reflecting 12 months of consecutive ED presentations between September 2002 and August 2003. A sample of 868 individuals accounted for 1076 presentations. Patients attending more than once accounted for 12.5% of the total sample. Significant variables associated with frequent attendance included: younger age; English speaking background; and mood and anxiety disorders. Lone arrival of a patient to the ED showed marginal significance. The significant associates of frequent attendance found in this study may be used to identify patients earlier to a multidisciplinary case review process and individual management planning involving clinicians, carers and patients.
PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how the internet of things (IoT) contributes to manufacturers' advanced services development and delivery. To better understand the creation of these IoT contributions, the study adopts a socio-technical research perspective, which expands the scope of the investigation and integrates the technological, information and social factors that enable these IoT contributions.Design/methodology/approachA multiple-case research method was employed to investigate the IoT contribution scenarios of 15 manufacturers who offer advanced services and to examine their dependence on other non-IoT factors, using thematic analysis.FindingsThe analysis identified five advanced services value propositions, which are enabled by nine “IoT-enabled information systems (IS) artefacts” that specify the distinct interactions between the technological, information and social subsystems supporting the manufacturers' advanced services value propositions.Originality/valueThe study advances the servitisation research by demonstrating that IoT technology on its own is insufficient for the creation of the IoT contributions. It shows, instead, the need for close interactions with a diverse range of other factors, which are often not considered when developing an IoT strategy. The study also introduces the IS artefact notion as a unit of analysis that constitutes an alternative to the commonly adopted techno-centric perspective used to conceptualise IoT contributions. The study and its findings add to the development of a socio-technical perspective on the IoT in advanced services and thereby suggests a number of theoretical and practical implications.
During the calibration of optical microscopic image measurement system, how to quickly and accurately extract the feature point coordinates from micro image of calibration sample is the key factor to affect the calibration precision. Microscope calibration has unique characteristics that are quite different from traditional camera calibration. In this paper, a method for extracting feature points of micro calibration sample is provided based on the analysis of microscope calibration system and calibration sample. The method preprocesses the micro image with threshold segmentation, dilation, erosion and other operations; then labels connected components and computes the coordinates of the feature points by computing centroid of image connected regions. The experiment results show that this method can quickly and efficiently obtain the coordinates of the feature points.
In this paper, a new procedure for generating a mesh structure of image representation has been proposed. The proposed algorithm employs a feature map extraction with a specific threshold level to place initial nodes densely in regions that contain high frequency features and nodes are placed coarsely in smooth regions. After that, many insignificant nodes are removed using node elimination scheme. The proposed algorithm is well suited for usage at very low bit-rate image and video coding as processing results have demonstrated that it provides a good subjective and objective image quality at a lower number of required nodes. Moreover, comparison shows that the proposed method provides comparable image quality while requiring fewer mesh nodes than the several existing methods.
Marine reserves can protect fish populations by increasing abundance and body size, but less is known about the effect of protection on fish behaviour. We looked for individual consistency in movement behaviours of sea trout in the marine habitat using acoustic telemetry to investigate whether they represent personality traits and if so, do they affect survival in relation to protection offered by a marine reserve. Home range size had a repeatability of 0.21, suggesting that it represents a personality trait, while mean swimming depth, activity and diurnal vertical migration were not repeatable movement behaviours. The effect of home range size on survival differed depending on the proportion of time fish spent in the reserve, where individuals spending more time in the reserve experienced a decrease in survival with larger home ranges while individuals spending little time in the reserve experienced an increase in survival with larger home ranges. We suggest that the diversity of fish home range sizes could be preserved by establishing networks of marine reserves encompassing different habitat types, ensuring both a heterogeneity in environmental conditions and fishing pressure.
The structure and equation of state of the crystalline molecular phase II of carbon dioxide have been investigated at room temperature from 15.5 to 57.5 GPa using synchrotron x-ray diffraction methods. The CO${}_{2}$ samples were embedded in neon pressure medium in order to provide quasihydrostatic conditions. The x-ray diffraction patterns of phase II are best described by a tetragonal structure, with space group $P{4}_{2}/mnm$ and 2 molecules per unit cell, in accordance with a previous study [Yoo et al., Phys. Rev. B 65, 104103 (2002)]. There is however a large (15%) difference in the intramolecular C=O bond length between the present study, 1.14(3)  AA{}, and the latter work (1.329--1.366  AA{}). The present value is similar to that of the free molecule and is in very good agreement with predictions based on density functional theory. The compressibility of CO${}_{2}$-II determined here also disagrees with the previous study: our value for the zero-pressure bulk modulus, ${B}_{0}=8.5(3)$ GPa [with ${B}_{0}^{ ensuremath{'}}={( ensuremath{ partial}B/ ensuremath{ partial}P)}_{0}=6.29$], is 15.5 times smaller. These findings oppose the view that CO${}_{2}$-II is an intermediate state between the low-pressure molecular phases and the high-pressure nonmolecular forms, consistent with our previous results for phase IV [Datchi et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 185701 (2009)]. The x-ray diffraction patterns of CO${}_{2}$-II above 15 GPa indicate the presence of a large orthorhombic microstrain. Carrying out density functional theory calculations of the elastic tensor and stress-strain relation, we interpret this as due to the softness of the crystal against deviatoric stress in the [110] and symmetry-related directions. Unlike the other dioxides of the group-14 elements, there is however no mechanical or dynamical instability of the $P{4}_{2}/mnm$ structure in CO${}_{2}$ up to 57.5 GPa at 295 K, and therefore no symmetry lowering to $Pnnm$.
In this paper, multi-channel estimation schemes for a GMSK-based system with transmit diversity (space-time coding) are presented. For such a system, the channel information (impulse response) is critical for both space-time decoding and equalization at the receiver. Three non-blind estimation schemes, which decompose the channel in the process, are proposed for the GMSK receiver to obtain the impulse response of each of the multipath channels (i.e. transmit antennas): oversampling deconvolution, minimum mean-square error, and joint adaptive and correlation estimation. Since the received signal is the sum of emitted GMSK signals, interference cancellation is employed to facilitate the estimation process. Three cancellation algorithms, including direct cancellation, mean-square cancellation, and iterative cancellation, combined with each channel estimation method are investigated and compared. The estimated channel information will feed to the receiver consisting of space-time decoder and equalizer to decode the symbols of interest. Two receiver architectures are investigated in this paper, where the first design is the space-time decoder followed by the equalizer, the other is in the reverse way (equalizer followed by space-time decoder). In each of the two receiver architectures, the channel estimation needs additional modification and so does the equalizer. The equalizer in the design is a maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) based on Viterbi algorithm. To prove the concept and algorithms, both simulation and hardware implementation are performed. From the experimental results, it is shown that all the channel estimation algorithms can produce acceptable impulse response for space-time decoding and equalizer, in which the joint adaptive estimation with iterative cancellation is superior to the others. It is also shown that the diversity gain of this transmit diversity system is as good as a system with the same degree of receive diversity.
Purpose To determine factors that significantly affect the focal disturbance (FD) ratio calculated with an acoustic structure quantification (ASQ) technique in a dietary-induced fatty liver disease rat model and to assess the diagnostic performance of the FD ratio in the assessment of hepatic steatosis by using histopathologic examination as a standard of reference. Materials and Methods Twenty-eight male F344 rats were fed a methionine-choline-deficient diet with a variable duration (3.5 days [half week] or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 weeks; four rats in each group). A control group of four rats was maintained on a standard diet. At the end of each diet period, ASQ ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy were performed. Then, the rat was sacrificed and histopathologic examination of the liver was performed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the FD ratio in the evaluation of the degree of hepatic steatosis. The Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated to assess the correlation between the ordinal values, and multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify significant determinant factors for the FD ratio. Results The diagnostic performance of the FD ratio in the assessment of the degree of hepatic steatosis (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 1.000 for 5%-33% steatosis, 0.981 for >33% to 66% steatosis, and 0.965 for >66% steatosis) was excellent and was comparable to that of MR spectroscopy. There was a strong negative linear correlation between the FD ratio and the estimated fat fraction at MR spectroscopy (Spearman ρ, -0.903; P < .001). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the degree of hepatic steatosis (P < .001) and fibrosis stage (P = .022) were significant factors affecting the FD ratio. Conclusion The FD ratio may potentially provide good diagnostic performance in the assessment of the degree of hepatic steatosis, with a strong negative linear correlation with the estimated fat fraction at MR spectroscopy. The degree of steatosis and stage of fibrosis at histopathologic examination were significant factors that affected the FD ratio. © RSNA, 2017 Online supplemental material is available for this article.
Purpose: MLH1 is a major tumor suppressor gene involved in the pathogenesis of Lynch syndrome and various sporadic cancers. Despite their potential pathogenic importance, genomic regions capable of regulating MLH1 expression over long distances have yet to be identified. Experimental Design: Here, we use chromosome conformation capture (3C) to screen a 650-kb region flanking the MLH1 locus to identify interactions between the MLH1 promoter and distal regions in MLH1-expressing and nonexpressing cells. Putative enhancers were functionally validated using luciferase reporter assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and CRISPR-Cas9–mediated deletion of endogenous regions. To evaluate whether germline variants in the enhancer might contribute to impaired MLH1 expression in patients with suspected Lynch syndrome, we also screened germline DNA from a cohort of 74 patients with no known coding mutations or epimutations at the MLH1 promoter. Results: A 1.8-kb DNA fragment, 35 kb upstream of the MLH1 transcription start site enhances MLH1 gene expression in colorectal cells. The enhancer was bound by CTCF and CRISPR-Cas9–mediated deletion of a core binding region impairs endogenous MLH1 expression. A total of 5.4% of suspected Lynch syndrome patients have a rare single-nucleotide variant (G > A; rs143969848; 2.5% in gnomAD European, non-Finnish) within a highly conserved CTCF-binding motif, which disrupts enhancer activity in SW620 colorectal carcinoma cells. Conclusions: A CTCF-bound region within the MLH1-35 enhancer regulates MLH1 expression in colorectal cells and is worthy of scrutiny in future genetic screening strategies for suspected Lynch syndrome associated with loss of MLH1 expression. Clin Cancer Res; 24(18); 4602–11. ©2018 AACR.
Abstract Angiogenesis is in a constant balance between pro and anti-angiogenic factors. Neoangiogenesis, implicated in metastatic spreading is characterized in solid cancers, but fairly new in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We hypothesize that secretion of angiogenic factors could be correlated to the pathogenesis of CLL, and therefore predict the outcome of patients. We investigated concentrations of 22 cytokines and chemokines in 137 non-del 17p B-CLL patients, treated with a fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab (FCR)-based regimen. We constructed a biomarker index defining different risk groups based on lymphocyte count, the intensity of CD20 antigen on CD19+ cells, Ang-2, and PDGF-BB plasma concentrations at diagnosis. Four groups were defined, exhibiting specific molecular signatures and correlated with progression-free survival of patients. Our results suggest that we can determine at diagnosis of non-del 17p B-CLL patients, those with a very high probability of progression-free survival, independently of IGVH mutational status and residual disease at the end of treatment.
Background: The sciatic nerve block by the posterior approaches represents one of the more difficult ultrasound‐guided nerve blocks. Our clinical experiences with these blocks indicated a point slightly distal to the subgluteal fold as an advantageous position to allow good ultrasonic visibility. In this study, we systematically scanned the sciatic nerve from the subgluteal fold to the popliteal crease, to determine an optimal point for ultrasonographic visualization.
In most of Africa south of the Sahara, imported languages (English, French, Portuguese, Arabic) dominate as language of instruction (LOI), whilst children start school speaking only indigenous African languages. This hampers learning and contributes to school repeats and dropouts. Countries adopt different language policies to cope with this pedagogical challenge in highly multilingual societies. This chapter discusses some representative cases, based on recent empirical studies. Language policy defines, inter alia, if African languages are to be used as LOI and/or as subject matter, alone or in bilingual programs, in which classes and in which disciplines. The choice of LOI(s) depends on the languages’ demographic, social, political, and historical weight, economic issues (didactic material and teacher training in widely used/minority languages), language instrumentation (lexical development, standardization), and dialectal differences. This policy must also take into account people’s attitudes, grounded in both identity and utility needs, and meet them with adequate measures.
Low temperature transport properties of InP/InGaAs double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs) have been carefully investigated. The mechanisms for the devices operating in different temperature range have been clearly identified. The base current in the temperature range of 240 to 300 K is dominated by electron-hole band-to-band recombination and trap related recombination. In the temperature range of 77 K to 240 K, trap related recombination mechanism plays a important role in determining the base current. For temperature lower than 77 K, both collector and base currents are found to be limited by the electron tunneling through the barrier formed by conduction-band discontinuity at E-B junction.
Although Bayesian methods have been very effective for spatial–spectral analysis of hyperspectral imagery (HSI), they had not been fully explored for enhanced subpixel mapping (SPM) by simultaneously considering several key issues, i.e., endmember variability, the discrete nature of subpixel class labels, and the spatial information in HSI. Therefore, we propose a new Bayesian SPM method based on the discrete endmember variability mixture model (DEMM) and Markov random field (MRF), which has three main characteristics. First, DEMM allows the advanced SPM by completely accounting for the endmember–abundance patterns of each pixel to accommodate the endmember variability, the discrete hidden class label field of subpixels, while taking into account the noise heterogeneity effect. Second, the discrete class label fields modeled by MRF together with the DEMM, which can be integrated into a novel Bayesian model to better exploit the spatial contextual and spectral information. Third, the resulting Bayesian model can be efficiently solved by a designed expectation–maximization iteration, where E-step estimates the subpixel class label field using a simulated annealing algorithm and M-step estimates the endmembers for each pixel in HSI using the alternating non-negative least squares approach. The experimental results on three HSI datasets demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms previously available SPM techniques.
With the developing of communication technology and power electronic technology, building smart grid has been a development trend for power grid in the future. Smart substation is the key link of building smart grid, as the point of the construction for the smart grid. Building smart substation mainly through build the new smart substation and transformation of conventional substation intelligent The thesis make a series studies on the scheme of transformation of conventional substation intelligent based on the reliability of substation operation and economy of transformation cost. At first we analysis difference about main technical between smart substation and conventional substation, and make sure the main technical about the transformation of conventional substation intelligent. Then we discuss innovation methods about equipment and function in station layer, process layer and interval layer to build three layers and two networks in smart substation. Finally, we get a scheme of transformation of conventional substation for Integral function of Substation, and this thesis proposes the scheme of transformation intelligent which takes into account the requirements of the development of smart substation technology reliability and economy.
This report presents evidence for FDA approval of pembrolizumab for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with either unresectable or metastatic, microsatellite instability‐high (MSI‐H) or mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) solid tumors that have progressed following prior treatment, and who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options, or who have metastatic, MSI‐H or dMMR colorectal cancer that has progressed following treatment with a fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan.
Abstract Optimal chemotherapy protocols for high‐risk mast cell tumours (MCTs) are unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine the tolerability and toxicity profile of a rapidly escalating vinblastine and prednisolone protocol (VPP) in which 3.00 mg/m2 was administered once 7 days apart: at day 14 and at day 21. Dogs with chemotherapy‐naïve MCTs presenting to the Oncology Service of a single institution were prospectively enrolled to receive escalating vinblastine, and haematology and a standardised quality‐of‐life questionnaire were assessed prior to each dosage. Thirty‐four dogs were included: 30 with microscopic disease treated with adequate local therapy and four with macroscopic disease. Of 220 doses of vinblastine administered, 4% were associated with grade 3 and 4 toxicity. A total of 70% of dogs tolerated 3.00 mg/m2 given 7 days apart at day 14 and 21, although 29% of dogs developed dose‐limiting toxicities and 8% discontinued the protocol due to toxicity. In conclusion, VPP was well‐tolerated overall, although prior to further dose intensity optimisation, it is important to determine if dose intensity is linked to outcome in canine MCT to avoid unwarranted toxicity.
SK&F 86466, 6‐chloro‐3‐methyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1‐H‐3‐benzazepine, is a potent and selective antagonist of the α2‐adrenoceptor in vitro. This compound produced a small pressor response accompanied by a marked bradycardia when administered i.v. to the pithed normotensive rat. The pressor response was not affected by reserpine treatment, pretreatment with α‐ or β‐adrenoceptor antagonists, atropine, or hexamethonium. The bradycardia was markedly reduced by bilateral vagotomy and pretreatment with atropine and attenuated by hexamethonium. The negative chronotropic action of SK&F 86466 was abolished by a combination of vagotomy and atropine. Mediation of the bradycardia by a baroreceptor reflex was ruled out by the observations that a lack of change in heart rate was associated with the vasopressor response to phenylephrine in the pithed rat pretreated with propranolol. It is concluded that the negative chronotropic action of SK&F 86466 in the pithed rat is mediated indirectly by activation of the cholinergic innervation of the heart.
Temporal Expression Extraction (TEE) is essential for understanding time in natural language. It has applications in Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks such as question answering, information retrieval, and causal inference. To date, work in this area has mostly focused on English as there is a scarcity of labeled data for other languages. We propose XLTime, a novel framework for multilingual TEE. XLTime works on top of pre-trained language models and leverages multi-task learning to prompt cross-language knowledge transfer both from English and within the non-English languages. XLTime alleviates problems caused by a shortage of data in the target language. We apply XLTime with different language models and show that it outperforms the previous automatic SOTA methods on French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Basque, by large margins. XLTime also closes the gap considerably on the handcrafted HeidelTime method.
Recently, we have developed a novel reaction for the transformation of boranophosphate diesters to the corresponding H-phosphonate diesters in the presence of trityl cation under acidic conditions. In this study, DNA and backbone-modified DNA analogs were synthesized in good yields upon applying this reaction. We report the transformation of boranophosphate DNAs, fully protected with 2-azidomethylbenzoyl groups, to various backbone-modified DNA analogs via the H-phosphonate intermediates in solution and on a solid support.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in particular the category preeclampsia (PE), remains a major cause of both maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Angiogenic growth factors (PlGF and VEGF) and their tyrosine kinase receptors -1 and 2 (Flt-1 and KDR) are involved in both fetal and placental development. Inadequate placentation and the consequent release of antiangiogenic soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) is thus instrumental in the etiology of this disease. sFlt-1 binds to both angiogenic growth factors and neutralizes their effect thereby creating an angiogenic imbalance. This imbalance is frequently reported in women diagnosed with preeclampsia occurring before the clinical manifestation of the disease. The recent prognostic value of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio has received considerable attention as a risk indicator of preeclampsia development. The aim of this review is to highlight the current advances in the diagnostic utility of the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio with regards to preeclampsia development.
Based on available borehole temperature logs and the thermal conductivity determination of core samples in northeastern Sichuan Basin, 12 estimated terrestrial heat flow values are presented. The results show that the present-day geothermal gradients range from 18 to 25°C/km, with an average of 21°C/km, and that the paleo-heat flow varies from 41 to 57mW/m2, with a mean of 49mW/m2, which is much lower than the average value in the continental area of China. Thermal history reconstruction in northeastern Sichuan Basin using vitrinite reflectance data indicates that the maximum paleo-heat flow (62~70mW/m2) was reached at ~255Ma, and then decreased to the present, which is quite different from the Bohai Bay basin, eastern North China. The maximum erosion occurred on the Mesozoic-Cenozoic unconformity and reached as much as ~2100m. The abnormal high pressure in the area was formed under geotemperature background characterized by low paleo-heat flow.
As part of a recent experiment on signals from blast waves, it was possible to instrument a mountain slope to the east of the source locations. Four infrasound sensors were deployed about 1 km apart from the base of the mountain up. In addition, infrasound sensors were deployed close to the mountain peak, and then along a ridge extending to the east at roughly constant altitude. It was observed that signals developed a long, low frequency tail as they propagated up the slope. Data and theoretical analyses will be presented.
Annona squamosa, commonly known as custard apple, possesses various medicinal properties such as antimicrobial, insecticidal, cardiotonic, etc. Leaves of A. squamosa are known to contain various types of flavonoids which are responsible for these activities. The aim of this article was to develop and validate a high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method for the determination of rutin and isoquercitrin in the extracts of A. squamosa and in an in-house developed herbal pharmaceutical formulation. Analysis was performed on TLC aluminum plates precoated with silica gel 60 F254 as the stationary phase. Linear ascending development was carried out in a twin-trough glass chamber saturated with a mobile phase consisting of ethyl acetate-formic acid-glacial acetic acid-ethyl methyl ketone-water 50:7:3:30:10 (v/v/v/v/v) at room temperature (25 ± 2°C). A CAMAG TLC scanner III was used for the spectrodensitometric scanning at 366 nm. The system was found to give compact bands for rutin and isoquercitrin (RF values of 0.32 ± 0.05 and 0.59 ± 0.03, respectively). The detector response was linear for concentrations ranging between 200 and 1600 ng per band (r2 = 0.9885 ± 0.0041 for rutin and 0.9828 ± 0.0013 for isoquercitrin). The limits of detection and quantitation were 75 and 100 ng per band for rutin, and 40 and 80 ng per band for isoquercitrin, respectively. The recovery study was carried out by the standard addition method and was found to be 96–107%. The present method was found to be simple, specific, sensitive, and accurate and was used successfully to quantitate rutin and isoquercitrin in the leaf extracts of A. squamosa collected from five different locations of India and in a pellet formulation of the extract.
Purpose: The lipoate derivative CPI-613 is a first-in-class agent that targets mitochondrial metabolism. This study determined the effects of CPI-613 on mitochondrial function and defined the MTD, pharmacokinetics, and safety in patients with relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies. Experimental Design: Human leukemia cell lines were exposed to CPI-613 and mitochondrial function was assayed. A phase I trial was conducted in which CPI-613 was given as a 2-hour infusion on days 1 and 4 for 3 weeks every 28 days. Results: CPI-613 inhibited mitochondrial respiration of human leukemia cells consistent with the proposed mechanism of action. In the phase I trial, 26 patients were enrolled. CPI-613 was well tolerated with no marrow suppression observed. When the infusion time was shortened to 1 hour, renal failure occurred in 2 patients. At 3,780 mg/m2, there were two dose-limiting toxicities (DLT). At a dose of 2,940 mg/m2 over 2 hours, no DLTs were observed, establishing this as the MTD. Renal failure occurred in a total of 4 patients and resolved in all but 1, who chose hospice care. CPI-613 has a triphasic elimination with an alpha half-life of approximately 1.34 hours. Of the 21 evaluable, heavily pretreated patients, 4 achieved an objective response and 2 achieved prolonged stabilization of disease for a clinical benefit rate of 29%. Following drug exposure, gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from responders demonstrated immune activation. Conclusion: CPI-613 inhibits mitochondrial function and demonstrates activity in a heavily pretreated cohort of patients. Clin Cancer Res; 20(20); 5255–64. ©2014 AACR.
Abstract. The article examines the features of the activities of teachers of higher educational institutions, gives a characteristic of the emotional burnout of a teacher of higher educationalFPS of Russia higher educational institutions, presents the results of a study of the level of emotional burnout among teachers of the VLI of the FPS of Russia, suggests directions for the prevention of emotional burnout of teachers. Key words: teacher, pedagogical activity, emotional burnout, factors of emotional burnout, official activity, prevention of emotional burnout. institution, reveals the specifics of the activities of
The current article discusses the importance of increasing racial-ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in cognitive developmental research. It begins with discussion of the implications of the underrepresentation of ethnic minority children in cognitive developmental research. It goes on to suggest reasons underlying these omissions, such as the cost of effective recruitment methods, fear of committing cultural faux pas, and lack of expertise interacting with such populations. Finally, recommendations for addressing such limitations are provided via examples of successful and innovative methodological techniques used in prior research with ethnic minority children.
Some argue that, as place-bound, development-oriented entities dependent upon capital, community development corporations (CDCs) are ineffective political agents beyond the boundaries of the disadvantaged neighborhoods they serve. In response I ask: how have CDCs worked through policy networks to rescale the ‘spaces of engagement’ for community development policy beyond the local? Data gathered through document analysis, a survey, and interviews point to three distinct phases of the CDC rescaling project: (1) linking the local through a national network; (2) expanding spaces of engagement through state policy networks; and (3) a national network of networks. CDC policy networks have had uneven success in establishing their legitimacy, proving CDC effectiveness as agents of local economic development, overcoming ‘militant particularisms’, and mobilizing both the state and capital. CDCs can expand their spaces of engagement beyond the local through policy networks if they successfully develop boundary-spanning relations, defend their place-based agenda, combat essentialization through performance measurement, strengthen their state networks, and reimagine their national rescaling project.
Thousands of atmospheric aerosol samples have been analyzed by PIXE at accelerator lab of Fudan university since 1980. These samples were sampled in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Taiyuan, Shanyang, Lhasa, on the Mt. Jolmo Lungma and at the Great Wall Station of China in the Antarctica, etc., by samplers of Model DK-60 and Wuan-75, cascade impactor and streaker. In this paper, the 12 main elemental concentrations, e.g., Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb and Br of the atmospheric aerosol in the cities and area mentioned above are listed and the variations of some elemental concentrations with aerosol particle size and with time are shown. The results are discussed.
Jatropha Curcas is a very useful plant that can be used as a bio fuel for diesel engines replacing the coal. In Indonesia, there are few plantation that plant Jatropha Curcas. But there is so limited farmers that understand in detail about the disease of Jatropha Curcas and it may cause a big loss during harvesting when the disease occured with no further action. An expert system can help the farmers to identify the lant diseases of Jatropha Curcas. The objective of this research is to compare several identification and classification methods, such as Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbor and its modification. The comparison is based on the accuracy. Modified K-Nearest Neighbor method given the best accuracy result that is 67.74%.
Aggregation is a major problem for hydrophobic carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in water because it reduces the effective particle concentration, prevents particles from entering the medium, and leads to unstable electronic device performances when a colloidal solution is used. Molecular ligands such as surfactants can help the particles to disperse, but they tend to degrade the electrical properties of CNTs. Therefore, self-dispersed particles without the need for surfactant are highly desirable. We report here, for the first time to our knowledge, that CNT particles with negatively charged hydrophobic/water interfaces can easily self-disperse themselves in water via pretreating the nanotubes with a salt solution with a low concentration of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and sodium bromide (NaBr). The obtained aqueous CNT suspensions exhibit stable and superior colloidal performances. A series of pH titration experiments confirmed the presence and role of the electrical double layers on the surface of the salted carbon nanotubes and of functional groups and provided an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon.
A nuanced portrait of our evolutionary cousins encourages empathy and understanding Over the past several decades, many academic and popular writers have attempted to narrow the long-entrenched gulf between humans and Neanderthals, focusing, for example, on the misinterpretations and racist presumptions of the 19th and early 20th centuries out of which the dim view of our evolutionary cousin arose, or on more recent paleoanthropological, archaeological, and genetic evidence suggesting that they interbred with our ancestors and displayed a range of sophisticated behaviors. In her new book, Kindred, Rebecca Wragg Sykes nevertheless brings something new to this discussion.
Though Colles' fracture is a common injury its complications and their treatment are seldom dealt with in surgical papers. In this paper it is proposed to discuss the following complications: I. Redisplacement. 2. Mal-union. 3. Laxity of the inferior radio-ulnar joint. 4. Joint stiffness and adhesions. 5. Traumatic arthritis of the wrist joint. 6. Pain over the ulnar aspect of the wrist. 7. Late rupture of the extensor pollicis longus tendon. 8. Sudeck's atrophy (post-traumatic osteodystrophy). 9. Injuries of the median nerve. io. Prolonged absence from work.
Study Design. The characteristics of the scoliosis that develops after pinealectomy in young chickens were determined from weekly posteroanterior radiographs. These data were compared with similar data collected from human patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Objectives. To characterize the scoliosis produced in young chickens after pinealectomy and to compare these characteristics with those seen in human patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Summary of Background Data. Although it has been recognized that pinealectomy produces scoliosis in chickens, the characteristics of these curves have never been well described other than by simple visual descriptions. Methods. The characteristics of the scoliosis produced in chickens after pinealectomy done 3 days after hatching were measured from radiographs taken at weekly intervals. These characteristics were compared with similar data collected from human patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Results. Similarities included development of single and double curves, degree of curvature, stability of the curve, numbers of vertebrae involved, direction of rotation, and progression characteristics. Differences included wedged vertebrae in the chickens, in conjunction with curve development and increased variability in vertebrae involved. Conclusions. There are many similarities in the development of scoliosis in young chickens after pinealectomy and in children with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. The few differences might be related to the different biomechanical properties associated with the spine in the two species.
With the changing business environment, firms are adopting flexible systems across their supply chains as a survival as well as a growth strategy. The aim of the article is to identity the key enablers of supply chain flexibility (SCF) adoption and to evaluate their fitness in the context of the personal hygiene industry in India. After a systematic literature review, 22 key dimensions of SCF have been extracted. A field investigation through interviews and a brainstorming session with industry experts have resulted in 11 dimensions, finally. Twenty-six experts participated in this interview and brainstorming session. These 11 dimensions have been exposed to interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to assess the hierarchal interaction among them. Fuzzy MICMAC has been employed to identify the driving dimensions of supply chain flexibility for the personal hygiene industry. The findings suggest that seven dimensions, namely process, manufacturing, sourcing, volume, market, new product development and coordination, have high dependence but weak driving power and are thus dependent on the other dimensions to influence the supply chain flexibility. Demand management and product flexibilities were found to have the strongest driving force and act as the key drivers for SCF. The originality of the conducted study lies in the multilevel hierarchical structure.
The paper aims at investigating the impact of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 on Italian “public interest entities” both in term of approaches to non-financial disclosure and on business strategies. The analysis focuses on the investigation of the relationships between the 17 SDGs and the set of non-financial information defined in bont the EU Directive 2014/95/EU and the related Italian L.D. n. 254 of 30 December 2016. SDGs has been significantly analysed in the literature, considering the effects on sustainability policies adopted by the States, but little attention has been paid to the policies adopted by companies. The awareness of companies towards the business implication connected to the achievemt of these goals translate into a new conscientious path, in compliance with sustainability standards. In this framework, the paper investigates the entire population of Italian companies subject to the publishing of non-financial information disclosure, with the exclusion of banks and insurance companies. For each company under investigation, two kinds of analysis are presented: (1) firstly, the company’s level of sustainability derived from the company website; (2) the approach in pursuing the 17 SDGs. The overall results are quite comforting in term of companies’ sustainability aptitude. Over the years, Italian public interest entities have implemented active policies linked to the achievement of some specific goals, in compliance with the Italian legislation, although divergences still emerge among the Italian areas, as a result of cultural differences that still exist and affect companies’ approaches to sustainability issues. In this regard, the results of the analysis are interesting for government authorities to regulat the pursuit of sustainability goals.
Government spokesmen have frequently emphasized that their approach to the problems of nationalization has been based on the merits of each case. These indications of policy have usually been intended to apply to such broad questions as which industries should be nationalized or how they should be taken over, but a similar variety of approach is discernible in the more restricted field of the methods adopted for financing the industries once they have been taken over. To some extent these differences are attributable to the differing physical nature of each industry but the methods of acquisition and compensation, the choice of organizational forms and the price and profit policy followed, to which more extensive reference is made in other articles in this symposium, have also played their part. In regard to the provision of finance, three nationalized undertakings have peculiar features. The Bank of England stands in a class apart, since the Act which nationalized the Bank made no provision for financing its subsequent operations nor for the publication of any report from which the methods adopted might be judged. The Bank has, as an act of grace, published an annual report each year since nationalization, but the information therein is somewhat meagre, and the value of the extensive real estate holdings, including the rebuilding and extensions now in progress, is not distinguished in the balance sheet. The absence of any reference to finance in the nationalizing Act or the new Charter is perhaps explainable by the facility with which a bank can create money by credit expansion. Indeed, the Bank of England, being the central bank of the country and not now in any way restricted by the size of its gold or other reserves, is able to create money at will. This ability, of course, is exercised only in close agreement with the broad lines of governmental financial policy as a whole, and in any event, the amount of new finance required annually by the Bank for its own purposes must be comparatively small and would certainly be dwarfed by the vast sums needed in other nationalized industries. Another peculiarity concerns the airways corporations, for it was envisaged that, unlike other nationalized concerns, these might have to be operated at a loss, at any rate in the early years, and provision was made for subsidies from public funds. For each financial year the corporations are required to submit to the Minister of Civil Aviation estimates of their expected revenue and expenditure, and on the basis of these estimates and other information, the minister determines the amount, if any, of the grants which may be made to them from the Exchequer at the end of
Data from 54 hybrid (mainly Large White × Landrace) pigs, comprising 18 male, 18 female and 18 castrated pigs, were used to quantify and mathematically describe the temporal growth and development of body tissues of live pigs. The pigs were 31.1 ± 3.6 kg liveweight (LW) and 70 ± 1 day of age (mean ± s.d.) at the start of the study, were individually penned, fed ad libitum and were weighed weekly. Computed tomography (CT) imaging was used to determine the weights of lean, fat and bone tissues of each pig at five different times during the study, which corresponded to ~30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 kg LW. The highest age and LW achieved by a pig were 31.4 weeks and 166.6 kg, respectively. A nonlinear mixed effects model of Gompertz function with sigmoidal behaviour was fitted to the data for each of the three sexes (male, female and castrate) to study the temporal growth and development of CT LW and the body tissues (lean, fat and bone). The estimate for CT LW at maturity was 237.5, 198.6 and 210.1 kg for males, females and castrates, respectively, and the corresponding prediction for the point of inflection (maximum growth rate) was 87.4, 73.1 and 77.3 kg. The predicted point of inflection for lean tissue was 47.0, 37.5 and 34.3 kg for males, females and castrates, respectively. In general, male pigs were the leanest, and castrates were the fattest, with females in between. Within sex, the ages at the point of inflection for lean tissue and bone tissue were lower than those for CT LW, whereas those for fat tissue were higher than those for CT LW. The percentage of bone tissue in the body generally remained stable with age (e.g. castrates had 9.2 and 9.0% at 14 and 26 weeks of age, respectively), whereas the percentage of lean tissue decreased with age (e.g. castrates had 61.3 and 50.4% at 14 and 26 weeks of age, respectively), and that of fat tissue increased with age (e.g. castrates had 16.8 and 25.8% at 14 and 26 weeks of age, respectively). Accurate mathematical models are required to develop management strategies to optimise pig production. The results of this study indicate that serial data on live pigs generated by CT imaging technology can be used to describe temporal growth and development of LW and body tissues of pigs using sigmoidal growth functions.
A 34-YEAR-OLD MAN presented with 1 year’s duration of right-sided finger extension weakness, with mild sensory symptoms over the dorsum of the hand on exercising the right hand. There was a history of pain over the lateral aspect of the right elbow on playing tennis. On clinical examination, there was weakness of the finger extensors, with mild involvement of the wrist extensors. Muscle power testing of the brachioradialis and triceps were within normal limits. There were no associated sensory deficits, and tendon reflexes were normal. The possibility of right posterior interosseous nerve palsy was considered.
265 ©Copyright 2019 by the Bezmiâlem Vakif University Bezmiâlem Science published by Galenos Publishing House. Cite this article as: Kefeli U, Kaymaz S, Aydın D, Işık D, Çabuk D, Sonkaya A, Açıkgöz Ö, Işık U, Özden E, Uygun K. Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Elderly Patients with Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Bezmialem Science 2019;7(4):265-70. Received: 11.06.2018 Accepted: 10.12.2018 Address for Correspondence: Umut KEFELİ, Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Oncology, Kocaeli, Turkey E-mail: ukefeli@yahoo.com ORCID ID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6126-5377 Introduction
Evolution in finite populations is often modelled using the classical Moran process. Over the last 10 years, this methodology has been extended to structured populations using evolutionary graph theory. An important question in any such population is whether a rare mutant has a higher or lower chance of fixating (the fixation probability) than the Moran probability, i.e. that from the original Moran model, which represents an unstructured population. As evolutionary graph theory has developed, different ways of considering the interactions between individuals through a graph and an associated matrix of weights have been considered, as have a number of important dynamics. In this paper, we revisit the original paper on evolutionary graph theory in light of these extensions to consider these developments in an integrated way. In particular, we find general criteria for when an evolutionary graph with general weights satisfies the Moran probability for the set of six common evolutionary dynamics.
Abstract 3078 Poster Board III-15 Leukemia in children less than 1 year of age confers a poor prognosis, despite intensification of therapy. These leukemias possess unique biologic characteristics including the presence of mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) gene rearrangement and high expression of Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3). AT9283, a potent inhibitor of Aurora A and B kinases, JAK2, JAK3, and mutant Abl Kinase, has demonstrated inhibition of multiple solid tumor cell lines in vitro and in mouse xenograft models. Aurora kinase inhibition has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth by interfering with the mitotic apparatus. We investigated the activity of AT9283 against cell lines derived from refractory infant leukemia cells to identify its efficacy in a future treatment protocol. Method Five cell lines derived from infant leukemia cells were used (ALL: BEL1, KOPN8, KCCF2, B1 and AML: TIB202). We also included the cell line SEM that was derived from a 5 year old child with t (4;11) MLL-AF4 preB-ALL. Normal bone marrow stromal cells were used to evaluate cytotoxicity against non-malignant cells. AT9283 was provided by Astex Therapeutics Ltd. (Cambridge, UK). Approximately 1×10 4 cells per well were seeded in 96-well plates and incubated with increasing concentrations of AT9283, alone or in combination with a panel of conventional and novel therapeutic agents. After four days, cell survival was measured by Alamar blue assay and IC 50 values and combination indices were calculated. Stem-like cells were quantified by the distribution of ALDH bright cells by Aldefluor assay (Stem cell technologies) and characterized by conventional clonogenic assays. Alterations in cell-signaling pathways and survival proteins were measured by Western blot analysis using total and phospho-specific antibodies. Results AT9283 inhibited the growth of all five cell lines with a 10 fold variation in IC 50 within cell lines (IC 50 range, 0.1 to 0.01 μM). There was a corresponding increase in the number of cells displaying a polyploid phenotype, an effect of aurora kinase inhibition. No significant cytotoxicity against bone marrow stromal cells was seen under the experimental conditions used in this study (IC 50 > 10 μM). Changes in the activation and expression of a variety of intracellular proteins were noted, including the down regulation of activated ERK1/2, MYC and AKT within 10 minutes of exposure to the agent. An increase in the activated form of RAF and ATF2 was observed immediately after drug exposure. Importantly, a significant decrease in the level of constitutive pFLT-3 was demonstrated. A concurrent increase in cleaved PARP was also noted, indicating the initiation of apoptosis. In combination studies, the HDAC inhibitor Apicidin showed synergy across all cell lines (CI range: 0.07 to 0.62). A decrease in ALDH bright stem-like cells was observed in a dose dependent manner, up to 50% over 24 hours at IC 50 concentrations. Conclusions Our in vitro studies show that AT9283 significantly decreases the growth and survival of infant leukemia cell lines. Importantly, AT9283 potently induces FLT3 de-phosphorylation, inhibiting a critical growth stimulatory pathway of infant ALL cells. We have identified changes in a number of signaling and apoptotic molecules that can provide a panel of markers for biological correlative analysis for drug activity in vivo. Also, the drug combination studies demonstrate the potential of HDAC inhibition to synergize with the activity of this agent. Finally, the effect on stem-like cells provides a rationale and critical preclinical data for the formulation of an effective clinical trial for the treatment of infants with refractory ALL. Disclosures Squires: AstexTherapeutics Ltd: Employment.
The normal response of the body when exposed to cold is one of vasoconstriction, which, according to Lewis,17 comprises three distinct reactions. One is a local and persistent vasoconstriction which is due to the direct effect of the low temperature on the blood vessels; the second is a local reflex vasoconstriction mediated through the sympathetic nervous system; the third is a generalized vasoconstrictor response consequent to the effect of the cooled blood upon the hypothalamic vasomotor center. Though the arterioles and small arteries are primarily involved, all components of the vascular tree are affected; even spasm of the common iliac artery has been observed in frostbite of the foot.2 Coincident muscular weakness and inactivity of the chilled extremity contribute further to the decrease in circulation. All of these reactions undoubtedly tend to serve a useful function in aiding the conservation of heat, but in exposure to cold of sufficient severity and duration, they jeopardize the exposed part by contributing to tissue anoxia. An additional factor mitigating toward injury from anoxia is the failure of the blood to part with oxygen at low temperatures.16 The protective mechanisms of supercooling8 and of the response of the arteriovenous anastomoses9 are ineffective in preventing freezing if the exposure is too intense and of too long duration. Because of the vasoconstrictor response which is inevitably associated with injury from cold, two important questions arise. The first concerns the reaction of the sympathetically denervated limb to exposure to freezing temperatures. Does the sympathetically denervated extremity withstand such exposure better or worse than the normally innervated extremity, or do the two react in the same manner? The second related question concerns the influence of immediate sympathetic interruption upon the course of events after freezing of a part. Does such a procedure minimize or increase the likelihood of gangrene and other residual difficulties? A search of the literature has failed to reveal an adequate
Scotland has a strongly differentiated mass media network, which reflects and emphasises the particular characteristics of its society and its political system. It is one of the most active centres of newspaper-publishing outside London, with 6 daily morning, 6 evening, 2 Sunday, and around 100 weekly or twice-weekly newspapers. Many of these papers are independent, or are autonomous members of London publishing companies. There is also a vigorous broadcasting output in Scotland, derived from BBC Scotland (principal studios in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen), Scottish Television (STV)(Glasgow and Edinburgh), and Grampian Television (Aberdeen). Border Television, which operates from Carlisle in England, transmits programmes to parts of the southwest of Scotland and the Borders, as well as to the extreme north-west of England and the Isle of Man. Independent local radio stations are (1983) Radio Clyde (Glasgow), Radio Forth (Edinburgh). Radio Tay (Dundee), North Sound (Aberdeen), Moray Firth Radio (Inverness), and West Sound (Ayr). Local BBC Radio is provided by Radio Highland (Inverness), Radio Nan Eilean (a Gaelic service for the Western Isles, from Stornoway), Radio Aberdeen, Radio Orkney, Radio Shetland, Radio Tweed, and Radio Solway. All the communications media in Scotland assert varying degrees of independence from London, and they are able to achieve it to a greater extent than any other media output centres in Britain. Scots demand, and support, a separate newspaper press and separate broadcasting, and their tastes are reflected in the strongly Scottish content of the press, TV, and radio. The newspaper structure is shown in Table 25.
Todaypsilas Internet has a growing number of protocols and mechanisms to protect data in transmission. One can choose from IP Security (IPsec), Transport Layer Security (TLS), and many other protocols. However, available security protocols and mechanisms are not widely used due to usability issues [1], [2] and because users often underestimate the risk their data is exposed to. An approach to solve this problem consists of automated selection and configuration of available security protocols in a user-transparent way. In this paper, we present a method for automatically choosing the right security protocol based on Security, Quality of Service, and Energy Consumption aspects. We describe the necessary aspects, value functions, and a hierarchical, flexible, and efficient decision process.
A review of fast electron dynamic studies in the tokamaks TS, JET, and ASDEX during lower hybrid current drive is presented. In almost all experiments, the collisional slowing down is predominant, so a straightforward assessment of the fast electron radial transport is difficult, especially for large size tokamaks. From recent LH power modulation experiments performed on TS at low density, the fast electron diffusion coefficient, Dst, is found between 0.1-0.3m2s-1, close to the value determined on ASDEX in similar plasma conditions. An estimate of Dst is also obtained in TS and JET by modeling the plasma dynamics, using ray-tracing+Fokker-Planck codes. For JET, the fast electron transport is fully taken into account in the Fokker-Planck equation. Despite some quantitative discrepancies between Dst values determined from different methods, the diffusion rate of the fast electrons is weak enough for current profile control scenarii to be relevant on large tokamaks. A determination of the type of the turbulence - electrostatic or magnetic - that could drive the radial transport of fast electrons requires finer LH experiments.
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of a natural language processing (NLP) system in classifying a database of free-text knee MRI reports at two separate academic radiology practices.   MATERIALS AND METHODS An NLP system that uses terms and patterns in manually classified narrative knee MRI reports was constructed. The NLP system was trained and tested on expert-classified knee MRI reports from two major health care organizations. Radiology reports were modeled in the training set as vectors, and a support vector machine framework was used to train the classifier. A separate test set from each organization was used to evaluate the performance of the system. We evaluated the performance of the system both within and across organizations. Standard evaluation metrics, such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score (i.e., the weighted average of the precision and recall), and their respective 95% CIs were used to measure the efficacy of our classification system.   RESULTS The accuracy for radiology reports that belonged to the model's clinically significant concept classes after training data from the same institution was good, yielding an F1 score greater than 90% (95% CI, 84.6-97.3%). Performance of the classifier on cross-institutional application without institution-specific training data yielded F1 scores of 77.6% (95% CI, 69.5-85.7%) and 90.2% (95% CI, 84.5-95.9%) at the two organizations studied.   CONCLUSION The results show excellent accuracy by the NLP machine learning classifier in classifying free-text knee MRI reports, supporting the institution-independent reproducibility of knee MRI report classification. Furthermore, the machine learning classifier performed well on free-text knee MRI reports from another institution. These data support the feasibility of multiinstitutional classification of radiologic imaging text reports with a single machine learning classifier without requiring institution-specific training data.
Mechanical properties of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) sheet exhibit anisotropy under various strain rates. The split hopkinson tension bar (SHTB) tests were performed with Ti-6Al-4V sheet orientations under strain rates of 1500 s−1, 2500 s−1 and 3500 s−1. The microstructures and dynamic properties were obtained of Ti-6Al-4V sheet. Notable anisotropy was observed in all three kinds of high strain rates loading and all five orientations (0°(Rolling direction: RD), 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°(Transverse direction: TD)). The anisotropy of mechanical properties was quantitatively expressed by introducing plane anisotropy index (IPA). The mechanical properties (tensile strength) were greatly enhanced with the occurred recrystallization at different orientations and high strain rates. Ductile fracture was detected under the high strain rate, and the dimple size and depth varied at different orientations. The void defects were occurred which resulting in the macroscopic flow stress decreases sharply at the fracture stage. Finally, the relationship between mechanical properties and microstructure was also analyzed in detail.
Modern networks have become immensely complicated, while future networks are expected to be more highly dynamic and sophisticated. In such a complex network environment, it is challenging to design effective control schemes to allocate network resources and manage network systems. Recently, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made tremendous successes and breakthroughs. Particularly, as a branch of AI technology, the model-free experience-based machine learning (ML) technology has attracted widespread attention in the field of Network Control Problems (NCPs). Motivated by recent breakthroughs in AI technology, we share our vision of deploying ML technology to the field of solving NCPs to achieve experience-driven networking. Compared with the domain knowledge-based heuristic algorithms and fixed policies, which face mounting challenges in achieving desirable performance in highly dynamic and complicated networks, the ML-based methods can accumulate experiences by constantly collecting system feedback, and finally learn desirable/optimal control policies. In this article, we first summarize the differences between the traditional solutions and the ML-based methods and highlight the advantages of experience-driven networking with ML. Then we introduce several state-of-the-art AI-enabled experience-driven works for NCPs. In the end, we shed light on the future directions of adapting ML to more networking problems and the emerging opportunities for experience-driven networking. We hope that our work can help and encourage researchers to propose more innovative experience-driven solutions for the NCPs of modern network systems.
The first blood transfusion was administered in 1492 to Pope Innocent VIII, but safe transfusions started to be practised after 1900 when Landsteiner discovered the ABO blood system. Platelet transfusions developed later during the 1960s and still represent an immunological challenge due to alloimmunization and developing refractory states. Alloimmunization, the most challenging issue in modern transfusiology, represents development of antibodies as a result of exposure to foreign antigens such as blood cell antigens or plasma proteins and usually appears after blood transfusion or postpartum. (1) The aim of this paper is to review the main antigens involved in alloimunization, to define platelet transfusion refractoriness, and to present several preventive and therapeutic strategies for alloimunisated patients.
In 2015, medical professionals in Brazil elicited attention around the globe when they drew attention to an association between maternal infection with the Zika virus (ZIKV) and an increased number of newborns with birth defects, including microcephaly, a condition characterized by reduced brain and head size (Rasmussen, Jamieson, Honein, & Petersen, 2016). In December of that year, the Brazilian government declared the ZIKV outbreak a national emergency (CDC, 2018a). Headlines in U.S. media appeared shortly thereafter. “Zika virus starting to appear in U.S.,” noted a January 20, 2016 article in U.S. News (Sternberg, 2016). “The Hawaii State Department of Health said that a baby born in an Oahu hospital with microcephaly—an unusually small head and brain—had been infected with the Zika virus, which is believed to have caused the same damage in thousands of babies in Brazil in recent months,” reported the New York Times on January 16, 2016. “The child’s mother had lived in Brazil in May last year and probably was infected by a mosquito then, early in her pregnancy, the health department said. The virus presumably reached the embryo and damaged its developing brain” (McNeil, 2016). The incident was not isolated. By mid-summer 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had identified 2,474 pregnant women in the United States and the District of Columbia who had laboratory-confirmed evidence of ZIKV infection. With more than 4,800 affected pregnancies, the numbers in U.S. territories (American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Puerto Rico, Republic of Marshall Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands) were even higher (CDC, 2018b). “Of the 1,450 babies resulting from these pregnancies whose follow up care after their first year could be tracked, about 1 in 7 (or 14%) had one or more health problems possibly caused by Zika reported to the US Zika Pregnancy and Infant Registry” (CDC, 2018b). Termed Zika (ZIKV) because it was first found as part of a surveillance effort monitoring yellow fever in a Ugandan forest by that name in 1947 (Gatherer & Kohl, 2016), ZIKV is a Flavivirus that is part of the genus that includes the West Nile virus, Dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. Spread primarily through the bite of an infected mosquito (with the Aedes species the vector), ZIKV can also be sexually transmitted. Where past CDC campaigns have informed the public that some viruses such as HIV can be transmitted sexually and others such as Dengue are spread by mosquitos, ZIKV was the first able to be transmitted in both ways. Compounding the challenges in eliciting such preventive behaviors as condom use was the fact that the virus can be transmitted by an infected person who is asymptomatic. Upon returning home to a locale uninhabited by Aedes mosquitoes, a symptomfree Zika-infected traveler can unknowingly transmit the disease to a pregnant woman. An asymptomatic mother can transmit the virus to her fetus as well. In addition to causing microcephaly, ZIKV can cause a number of other uncommon but serious fetal brain birth defects, and in rare instances can produce Guillain-Barré in adults (Rozé et al., 2017). Delivering the message about risks that include asymptomatic transmission assumed particular importance because many of those infected are unaware that they are carrying the virus. Rapidly evolving knowledge about ZIKV and its transmission complicated the process of disseminating information about prevention. “As the weeks and months go by, we learn more and more about how much we don’t know, and the more we learn the worse things seem to get,” head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony Fauci told reporters on March 10, 2016 (Sun, 2016). While in early March 2016, CDC Director Tom Frieden noted that the Centers’ maps indicating where the Aedes aegypti mosquito had been found in the United States were “both incomplete and out of date” (Branswell, 2016), updated maps had been posted by the end of that month. Similarly, early in March, Brian Custer, Associate Director of Blood Systems Research Institute, revealed: “We don’t have anything we can use today to screen the blood supply for Zika” (Seipel, 2016). Yet, on March 30, the Food and Drug Administration
This article is a critical reflection, in essay form, about some dimensions neglected or poorly developed in the main theoretical approaches of “public policies”. Methodologically, conceptual issues are related to the public debate, starting from the review of the term “public policy” itself. We conclude that issues such as the role of conflict, with various natures; the constraints due to the capitalist accumulation model and the political system (the Brazilian, in this case) with regard to the effectuation of transformative reforms; and the veto power of mass media and other actors must be revalued and resignified, aiming at a more fruitful interpretation of the role of “public policies”. Particularly, these dimensions may contribute to the understanding of “public policies” in the Brazilian society: their characteristics, functions, and impacts.
Significance Catechol chemistry has emerged as a cornerstone of bioinspired polymers and adhesives due to its versatility in creating diverse covalent and dynamic noncovalent interactions (including metal coordination). The concept initially arose from the discovery that mussels use catechol moieties of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) to mediate robust surface adhesion in seawater and to reinforce tough and self-healing biopolymer fibers. Currently, difficulties controlling DOPA redox chemistry limit its synthetic application; yet, mussels overcome this challenge daily through apparent physical and chemical process control. Here, we reveal that mussels employ several different processing pathways that predetermine the cross-linking fate of DOPA-containing proteins via spatiotemporal control of microenvironments in secretory vesicles and later in mature threads—with key significance for advanced polymer design. Inspired largely by the role of the posttranslationally modified amino acid dopa (DOPA) in mussel adhesion, catechol functional groups have become commonplace in medical adhesives, tissue scaffolds, and advanced smart polymers. Yet, the complex redox chemistry of catechol groups complicates cross-link regulation, hampering fabrication and the long-term stability/performance of mussel-inspired polymers. Here, we investigated the various fates of DOPA residues in proteins comprising mussel byssus fibers before, during, and after protein secretion. Utilizing a combination of histological staining and confocal Raman spectroscopy on native tissues, as well as peptide-based cross-linking studies, we have identified at least two distinct DOPA-based cross-linking pathways during byssus fabrication, achieved by oxidative covalent cross-linking or formation of metal coordination interactions under reducing conditions, respectively. We suggest that these end states are spatiotemporally regulated by the microenvironments in which the proteins are stored prior to secretion, which are retained after formation—in particular, due to the presence of reducing moieties. These findings provide physicochemical pathways toward greater control over properties of synthetic catechol-based polymers and adhesives.
Diminazene aceturate (DIZE) is an FDA-listed small molecule known for the treatment of African sleeping sickness. In vivo studies showed that DIZE may be beneficial for a range of human ailments. However, there is very limited information on the effects of DIZE on human cancer cells. The current study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic responses of DIZE, using the human carcinoma Hela cell line. WST-1 cell proliferation assay showed that DIZE inhibited the viability of Hela cells in a dose-dependent manner and the observed response was associated with the downregulation of Ki67 and PCNA cell proliferation markers. DIZE-treated cells stained with acridine orange-ethidium and JC-10 dye revealed cell death and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Ψm), compared with DMSO (vehicle) control, respectively. Cellular immunofluorescence staining of DIZE-treated cells showed upregulation of caspase 3 activities. DIZE-treated cells showed downregulation of mRNA for G1/S genes CCNA2 and CDC25A, S-phase genes MCM3 and PLK4, and G2/S phase transition/mitosis genes Aurka and PLK1. These effects were associated with decreased mRNA expression of Furin, c-Myc, and FOXM1 oncogenes. These results suggested that DIZE may be considered for its effects on other cancer types. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the effect of DIZE on human cervical cancer cells.
Glucose supplied as a metabolic substrate to excised wheat leaves by means of the vacuum infiltration technique is converted to sucrose. It has been shown that the rate of this conversion is not wholly referable to enzyme kinetics for the reaction is a complex physiological process. It is conditioned by numerous factors, being stimulated by high concentrations of substrate, by low temperature during incubation, by both high and low relative humidity, and being depressed by starvation. A new technique of first injecting and then withdrawing the substrate has indicated that the rate of cellular absorption of the substrate can be a limiting factor in the synthesis of sucrose.
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Level structure, oscillator strengths, and transition probabilities are evaluated for 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 3d , 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 3d 4l (l=0,1,2,3,4), 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 3d 4l (l=0,1,2,3,4), and 1s 2s 2p 3s 3p 3d 4l (l=0,1,2,3,4) states inW. The calculations are carried out using COWAN code and are compared with other results in the literature. A good agreement is found. The results are used in the determination of the reduced population for 14 fine structure levels in W ion over a wide range of electron density (from 10 to 10 cm) and at various electron plasma temperatures. For those transitions with positive population inversion factor, the gain coefficients are determined and plotted against the electron density.
In this paper we develop an approach to conformal geometry of piecewise flat metrics on manifolds. In particular, we formulate the combinatorial Yamabe problem for piecewise flat metrics. In the case of surfaces, we define the combinatorial Yamabe flow on the space of all piecewise flat metrics associated to a triangulated surface. We show that the flow either develops removable singularities or converges exponentially fast to a constant combinatorial curvature metric. If the singularity develops, we show that the singularity is always removable by a surgery procedure on the triangulation. We conjecture that after finitely many such surgery changes on the triangulation, the flow converges to the constant combinatorial curvature metric as time approaches infinity.
Focusing on the events of 1943, particularly the Zoot Suit/Sailor Riots, this article outlines the four intersecting components of an interdisciplinary paradigm employed in teaching an undergraduate multicultural psychology class, which systematically explores how the historical, political, and social context shapes the psychological development of American subordinate groups. Moreover, this article draws parallels between the oppression of persons of Mexican ancestry and analogous experiences of other subordinate group members during the same year.
Histone acetylation plays an important role in the chromatin structure prior to zygotic gene expression during early embryonic development. Successful animal clones indicate that differentiated somatic nuclei must be reprogrammed to some extent during pre-implantation development. However, the molecular mechanisms regarding epigenetic reprogramming of somatic nuclei in the early-stage embryos are poorly understood. To test this, the patterns of hyperacetylated histone H4 lysine 5 (AcH4K5) in the nuclear-transferred (NT) embryos were monitored, comparing in vitro fertilized (IVF) embryos and Trichostatin A (TSA)-NT embryos with TSA-treated cells. The intensity signals of AcH4K5 were observed in early-stage embryos and somatic cells (bovine ear skin fibroblasts composed of about 80% at G0/G1 stage) by immunofluorescence analysis with anti-AcH4K5 using image the analyzer system, SigmaScan-pro V5.01 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Our data were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) using an SAS package (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Somatic cells were exposed to TSA (1 μM for 60 h), a specific inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC), to induce hyperacetylation prior to somatic cell nuclear transfer. Signal intensity for AcH4K5 in TSA-treated cells (n = 80) was significantly increased (P < 0.05), which was approximately double compared to that of normal cells (n = 80). In normal cells, histone H4 acetylation was profoundly reduced from the pro-metaphase to the early telophase and then reappeared at the late telophase. Acetylation signals of TSA-treated cells gradually increased to the early anaphase, abruptly decreased at the late anaphase and the early telophase, and recovered during late telophase. During early embryonic development (1 cell to 8 cell stage), NT embryos (n = 8) were hypoacetylated at the metaphase, whereas IVF (n = 10) and TSA-NT embryos (n = 8) were hyperacetylated. Our findings demonstrate that aberrant epigenetic reprogramming of histone modification occurs as early as the pronuclear stage in cloned embryos.
With the aim of increasing the knowledge about endophytic fungi, a group of microorganisms with high biotechnological potential and a valuable source of useful metabolites, a survey in leaves of mangrove plants (Avicennia schaueriana, Laguncularia racemosa, and Rhizophora mangle) was performed at the Itamaracá Island, PE, Brazil. Leaves were collected, during two seasons, dry and rainy, superficially sterilized and fragments maintained in Petri dishes with Potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28o ± 2o C until isolation of the fungi. Fourty taxa were isolated: 25 species representing 19 genera and 15 morphotypes determined as Mycelia sterilia. Leaves of L. racemosa hosted the highest number of colony forming units (CFU) and taxa. Guignardia sp. and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides were the most frequently isolated, while Glomerella cingulata was the only species found in association with the three host plants. The proportional importance of each fungus differed among hosts. The similarity of fungi species between the two seasons reached only 4.2%, and that between the hosts was also low, with the maximum (A. schaueriana x L. racemosa) reaching 24.2%. Sphaerosporium, as well as Chloridium virescens var. virescens, Microsphaeropsis arundinis, Penicillium pinophilum, Periconia cambrensis, Phoma herbarum, P. diachenii, P. obscurans, Sordaria prolifica and Torula elisii are reported for the first time as endophytic in tropical regions.
AbstractThe aim of this paper is to present a semantically- based and pragmatically-oriented model of translating expository texts, to expound its main components and to establish links between its subcomponents. The model is discourse-centered. It caters for the properties of meaning, semantic relationships, rhetorical patterns and discoursal values, and considers the cognitive processes of interpretation which involve interaction and negotiation between schemata- the system of prior conceptual knowledge and the textual information. The model considers both the macro- and micro-dimensions of discourse analysis. It starts with macro-structure analysis, i.e. the discoursal organizational patterns and proceeds to micro-structure analysis, i.e. the intersentential relationships that bind together the portions of the text and the lexical items which encode the imparted meaning. The model takes into account the four translation processes of discourse decomposition, conversion restructuring and editing. It views the text as a subcomponent of the communicative context which in turn is a subcomponent of the context of culture (see Figure 4). The analytical procedure proceeds in terms of three levels: level 1 involves discourse decomposition (Component A), level 2 involves communicative context analysis (Component B) and level 3 involves cultural restructuring (Component C). To properly comprehend a text, a trainee translator has to: (a) decompose the intricate network of semantic and textual relationships, (b) consider the parameters of the communicative context that are relevant to discourse interpretation and (c) link the text to its cultural context.ResumeThe aim of this paper is to present a semantically- based and pragmatically-oriented model of translating expository texts, to expound its main components and to establish links between its subcomponents. The model is discourse-centered. It caters for the properties of meaning, semantic relationships, rhetorical patterns and discoursal values, and considers the cognitive processes of interpretation which involve interaction and negotiation between schemata- the system of prior conceptual knowledge and the textual information. The model considers both the macro- and micro-dimensions of discourse analysis. It starts with macro-structure analysis, i.e. the discoursal organizational patterns and proceeds to micro-structure analysis, i.e. the intersentential relationships that bind together the portions of the text and the lexical items which encode the imparted meaning. The model takes into account the four translation processes of discourse decomposition, conversion restructuring and editing. It views the text as a subcomponent of the communicative context which in turn is a subcomponent of the context of culture (see Figure 4). The analytical procedure proceeds in terms of three levels: level 1 involves discourse decomposition (Component A), level 2 involves communicative context analysis (Component B) and level 3 involves cultural restructuring (Component C). To properly comprehend a text, a trainee translator has to: (a) decompose the intricate network of semantic and textual relationships, (b) consider the parameters of the communicative context that are relevant to discourse interpretation and (c) link the text to its cultural context.
Sequence-specific cleavage of collagen by mammalian collagenase plays a pivotal role in cell function. Collagenases are matrix metalloproteinases that cleave the peptide bond at a specific position on fibrillar collagen. The collagenase Hemopexin-like (HPX) domain has been proposed to be responsible for substrate recognition, but the mechanism by which collagenases identify the cleavage site on fibrillar collagen is not clearly understood. In this study, Brownian dynamics simulations coupled with atomic-detail and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations were performed to dock matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) on a collagen IIIα1 triple helical peptide. We find that the HPX domain recognizes the collagen triple helix at a conserved R-X11-R motif C-terminal to the cleavage site to which the HPX domain of collagen is guided electrostatically. The binding of the HPX domain between the two arginine residues is energetically stabilized by hydrophobic contacts with collagen. From the simulations and analysis of the sequences and structural flexibility of collagen and collagenase, a mechanistic scheme by which MMP-1 can recognize and bind collagen for proteolysis is proposed.
The study is carried out to understand the new corrosion protection technique, non-polarization concept, using current/voltage pulses to achieve a potential of zero charges (Epzc) of the metal-solution interface. As a result, a cost-saving and ecological method has been proposed as a new anti-corrosion method. In the methodology, U-bend samples are immersed in a 3.5% NaCl solution with different pH values. The readings prove the occurrence of electrochemical reaction, absence of charges, and the effect of Epzc. An examination on the ZCCP on low-carbon steel in 3.5% NaCl solution was analyze for 120 hours days. This study is carried out to understand the concept of corrosion behaviour and a new corrosion protection technique which applies non-polarization concept. A U-bend mild steel is used to corrosion effect in various pH values under zero charge protection. Samples were then immersed in 3.5% NaCl solution with different pH values. Electrochemical behaviour of steel sample in 3.5% NaCl solution was analysed by means of Tafel extrapolation. It was found that Ecorr and icorr recorded dissimilar readings at different pH values. As Ecorr rises, icorr drops from pH 6 to pH 9, hence corrosion rate also decreases from pH 6 to pH 9. Zero charge corrosion protection (ZCCP) technique is used to study the efficiency of corrosion protection method in different pH values. Readings of alternating current (IAC) and direct voltage (VDC) are recorded throughout the ZCCP experiment. These readings prove the occurrence of electrochemical reaction, absence of charges and the effect of Epzc.
African borders, which mostly follow the contours of the former colonies, are widely regarded as artificial and yet have enjoyed remarkable longevity. On the one hand, there have been relatively few serious secessionist and/or irredentist bids. On the other hand, a limited number of border disputes have been settled and mostly without recourse to conflict. This is often attributed to the willingness of states to accept the principle of the intangibility of borders inherited from colonialism and the associated legal principle of uti possidetis. Most claims to secession are based on a preexisting sense of territoriality, whereas there are relatively few that are premised on the rights of peoples to self-determination. It has been pointed out that claims to secession are often tabled as a bargaining position rather than as a nonnegotiable demand. However, the secession of South Sudan has created a genuine precedent, and there has been an upsurge of secessionist movements that reflects this reality. In addition, there has been a proliferation of fresh border disputes, which reflects the increased competition for valuable resources such as oil. This would suggest that some of the landscape of border politics is undergoing a shift.  However, a number of factors continue to work in favor of the reproduction of existing borders. Paradoxically, the fact that guerrilla insurgencies tend to breed in borderlands, from where movements either aspire to take over the existing state or seek to carve out zones of de facto control, means that the borders themselves are not challenged. War economies depend on transboundary flows in which local populations themselves are deeply invested. Moreover, the flight of displaced populations and refugees toward borders may create greater insecurity at the margins but also tends to reinforce borders in both a legal and a practical sense. Finally, the struggle to determine the basis on which trade and transport is managed involves associational actors operating at the national level. Equally, fishermen, herders, farmers, and other local actors frequently invoke national affiliations to justify their own right to exploit resources within border zones. At the border itself, one observes a convergence of international, national, and local political scales in a particularly striking manner.
With the remarkable technological evolution of mobile devices, the use of computing resources has become possible at any time and independent of the geographical position of the user. This phenomenon has various names such as omnipresent diffuse computing, pervasive computing, or ubiquitous systems. This new form of computing allows users to have access to shared and ubiquitous services focused on their needs, and it is based on context prediction, especially the prediction of the user’s location. This paper aims to present a new approach for predicting a user’s next probable location, by presenting an ontological model which is based on the pattern technique. This is carried out by using an ontological model that comprises different user behaviors and presents details about the environment, where the user is located. The results after tested on real data show that the presented ontological model was able to achieve 85% future location-prediction accuracy (in the case of no similar patterns). Future work will focus on the integration of the Bayesian network to improve the results. This approach will be implemented in smart homes or smart cities to reduce energy consumption.
An 11-year-old schoolgirl was first seen in May 1997 with pain and swelling in her right knee and inability to extend the knee since 2 years. Her complaints had started following a valgus and internal rotatory strain of the knee while running. Clinical examination revealed wasting of the quadriceps, fullness and tenderness at the medial joint line and painful thudding on the medial aspect with McMurray's maneuver. There also was a fixed flexion deformity of 20" with full flexion possible beyond. Our clinical diagnosis was that of an old traumatic tear of the medial meniscus. The opposite knee was normal, but for occasional clicks on the medial side with McMurray's test. The routine laboratory tests were normal. The radiographs of the right knee were initially interpreted as normal, but, looking back, there definitely was medial joint space widening, with flattening of the medial tibial condylar epiphysis not only on the right side but also on the left. MRI poorly visualized the medial meniscus, particularly the posterior horn, probably due to a traumatic tear. Arthroscopy of the right knee was carried out in June 1997. We found a complete discoid medial meniscus with its anterior horn continuous with the anterior cruciate ligament at the tibial attachment. There was also a mid-substance horizontal cleavage tear, which communicated with the joint cavity through a rent in the superior surface of the meniscus. Since the peripheral rim of the meniscus was stable, a partial meniscectomy with reshaping was done. The abnormal attachment was left alone. Postoperatively, continuous below-knee skin traction with 2 kg weight was applied to the right lower leg to correct the fixed flexion deformity. Quadriceps strengthening and knee-roll exercises were also instituted. At the end of 3 weeks of traction, a cylindrical splint with straps to hold the knee in maximum possible extension was prescribed. It was removed only to exercise the knee. In the light of the arthroscopic findings, the MR images were reviewed and now the slab-like discoid meniscal shadow was obvious, especially in the coronal sections. The similarity in the radiological appearance of the knees alerted us to the possibility of this being a bilateral case. Therefore, a MRI of the left knee with special cuts to demonstrate an anomalous linkage between the medial meniscus and the ACL was made. Indeed, the sagittal and coronal sections revealed the slablike shadow of a discoid medial meniscus while special oblique cuts showed a probable connection between the medial meniscus and the ACL. This could not be confirmed arthroscopically, however, because there was no indication for surgery. When the patient was discharged 1 month after surgery, her knee was normal, but for a flexion deformity of 5". She was advised to continue using the splint and doing the exercises.
A simple method is given for using a fast but not necessarily accurate scattering approximation to interpolate the results of an exact calculation. The goal is to minimize the number of points where the expensive, exact calculation must be done. The approximate theory is used to remove the rapidly varying parts of the exact S‐matrix to obtain a slowly varying correction matrix which can then be interpolated over a large interval in energy or angular momentum. After the interpolation, the rapidly varying approximate parts are put back in to give an accurate S‐matrix. The method preserves the phase of the S‐matrix. It is demonstrated for the cases of symmetric molecular charge exchange and for rotationally inelastic scattering.
It has been 18 months since NASA conducted the highly successful Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment Study (CRYSTAL-FACE). The measurement campaign was designed to investigate the physical properties and formation processes of tropical cirrus clouds. CRYSTAL-FACE was sponsored by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise as an integral component of its Earth observation research strategy and included substantial collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Naval Research Laboratory. During July 2002, the mission's six aircraft (NASA ER-2, NASA WB-57, Scaled Composites Proteus, University of North Dakota Citation, NSF-supported NRL P-3,and NRL Twin Otter) operated from the Key West Naval Air Facility.
A male in his early 30s presented for evaluation of papules on the ventral penis that had been present since adolescence. He noted that since being discovered, the papules have caused significant psychosocial distress. He was sexually active with one female partner and was concerned about transmitting the lesions to his partner. He was previously seen by his primary care physician and diagnosed with genital warts and was treated with topical podophyllin, which he had used for several months prior to his referral. The podophyllin use precipitated significant irritation and ulceration of the lesions without overall improvement. Physical examination revealed a 4 mm pink to white papule on the ventral aspect of the left glans penis, and a 1 mm skin colored papule overlying the medial portion of corona on the contralateral side (Fig. 1). He was circumcised and two additional minute, white papules were noted on the corona. Shave biopsies of the ventral papules were performed both for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes (Figs. 2–4). Scanning magnification of the larger, pink papule revealed a projectile-shaped architecture with acanthosis and hyperkeratosis. The dermis featured an increase in small-caliber vessels with perivascular fibroplasia and increased dermal fibroblastic cells with spindledto triangular-shaped nuclei. The smaller papule displayed similar histological features. There was no evidence of koilocytic changes or dysplasia to suggest human papillomavirus-mediated warts, or Bowenoid papulosis, which usually present as pinkto skin-colored papules on the shaft of the penis. Features of molluscum contagiosum, such as molluscum (Henderson-Patterson) bodies, were not seen. Clinically, the lesions also lacked creamy white cores and umbilications and did not undergo spontaneous resolution. The patient was diagnosed with pearly penile papules and reassurance of the benign and non-contagious nature was provided to the patient. Angiofibromas are common, benign, fibroblastic proliferations that take on several clinical forms. They are a common feature of tuberous sclerosis and may appear as multiple lesions on the face (adenoma sebaceum), plaque-like lesions on the forehead or body (fibrocephalic plaque), or periungually (Koenen tumor). Multiple angiofibromas have also been reported in endocrine neoplasia type 1.1 Solitary angiofibromas of the face are extremely common and are known as fibrous papules, often occurring on the nose.
In green-sulfur bacterial photosynthesis, excitation energy absorbed by a peripheral antenna structure known as the chlorosome is sequentially transferred through a baseplate protein to the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) antenna protein and into the reaction center, which is embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane. The molecular details of the optimized photosystem architecture required for efficient energy transfer are only partially understood. We address here the question of how the baseplate interacts with the FMO protein by applying hydrogen/deuterium exchange coupled with enzymatic digestion and mass spectrometry analysis to reveal the binding interface of the FMO antenna protein and the CsmA baseplate protein. Several regions on the FMO protein, represented by peptides consisting of 123-129, 140-149, 150-162, 191-208, and 224-232, show significant decreases of deuterium uptake after CsmA binding. The results indicate that the CsmA protein interacts with the Bchl a #1 side of the FMO protein. A global picture including peptide-level details for the architecture of the photosystem from green-sulfur bacteria can now be drawn.
The thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR) is expected to hold in nanoscale electronic conductors, when the electron transport process is quantum coherent and the transmission probability is constant (energy and voltage independent). We present measurements of the electron current and its noise in gold atomic-scale junctions and confirm the validity of the TUR for electron transport in realistic quantum coherent conductors. Furthermore, we show that it is beneficial to present the current and its noise as a TUR ratio in order to identify deviations from noninteracting-electron coherent dynamics.
Driven by climatic processes, wind power generation is inherently variable. Long-term simulated wind power time series are therefore an essential component for understanding the temporal availability of wind power and its integration into future renewable energy systems. In the recent past, mainly power curve-based models such as Renewables.ninja (RN) have been used for deriving synthetic time series for wind power generation, despite their need for accurate location information and bias correction, as well as their insufficient replication of extreme events and short-term power ramps. In this paper, we assessed how time series generated by machine learning models (MLMs) compare to RN in terms of their ability to replicate the characteristics of observed nationally aggregated wind power generation for Germany. Hence, we applied neural networks to one wind speed input dataset derived from MERRA2 reanalysis with no location information and two with additional location information. The resulting time series and RN time series were compared with actual generation. All MLM time series feature an equal or even better time series quality than RN, depending on the characteristics considered. We conclude that MLM models show a similar performance to RN, even when information on turbine locations and turbine types is unavailable.
Organizational memory, the knowledge gained from organizational experience, has significant potential for competitive advantage. Many authors in the knowledge management and human resource management literatures consider mentoring to be a particularly effective method of transferring organizational memory. In addition, older workers are often considered ideal mentors in organizations because of their experience and alleged willingness to pass on their knowledge to less experienced employees. There is an associated assumption that these workers also anticipate and experience positive outcomes when mentoring others. This chapter considers whether these assumptions hold up in the workplaces of the 21st century, particularly within Western countries. Individualistic cultural norms and some discriminatory practices towards older workers, along with a changing career contract that no longer guarantees employment in one organization for life, may discourage knowledge sharing in organizations. This chapter discusses the constraints and motivations that may operate when older experienced workers consider mentoring others. It considers relevant global and organizational cultural characteristics that may influence mentoring to transfer knowledge, and accordingly suggests strategies for those eager to capitalise on the knowledge experienced employees possess.
The present field study offers new insights into the role played by plant lipid pathways in the modulation of fumonisin accumulation in maize. Untargeted metabolomics was applied to better understand the multifactorial plant-pathogen-interaction mechanisms, including host resistance. Our results showed a significant influence from the hybrid genotype and the environmental growing conditions on fumonisin accumulation. A total of 25 significant metabolites have been identified, with glycerophospholipid and linoleic acid metabolism as the main pathways affected by the plant-pathogen interactions. This evidence highlighted the crucial role played by lipid signaling as an integrated part of the complex regulatory network in plants.
We consider the dynamics of forward rate pr か cess which is modeled by the parabolic type infinite-dimensional factor model with stochastic volatility. The parameters included in 出 isparabolic model are estimated by using the yield curve as the observation data. In this paper ， we propose the filtering and identification method for the parabolic type factor model by using the maximum likelihood technique.
The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to tumor invasion and metastasis in a variety of cancer types. In human breast cancer, gene expression studies have determined that basal-B/claudin-low and metaplastic cancers exhibit EMT-related characteristics, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this observation are unknown. As the family of miR-200 microRNAs has been shown to regulate EMT in normal tissues and cancer, here we evaluated whether the expression of the miR-200 family (miR-200f) and their epigenetic state correlate with EMT features in human breast carcinomas. We analyzed by qRT-PCR the expression of miR-200f members and various EMT-transcriptional inducers in a series of 70 breast cancers comprising an array of phenotypic subtypes: estrogen receptor positive (ER+), HER2 positive (HER2+), and triple negative (TN), including a subset of metaplastic breast carcinomas (MBCs) with sarcomatous (homologous or heterologous) differentiation. No MBCs with squamous differentiation were included. The DNA methylation status of miR-200f loci in tumor samples were inspected using Sequenom MassArray® MALDI-TOF platform. We also used two non-tumorigenic breast basal cell lines that spontaneously undergo EMT to study the modulation of miR-200f expression during EMT in vitro. We demonstrate that miR-200f is strongly decreased in MBCs compared with other cancer types. TN and HER2+ breast cancers also exhibited lower miR-200f expression than ER+ tumors. Significantly, the decreased miR-200f expression found in MBCs is accompanied by an increase in the expression levels of EMT-transcriptional inducers, and hypermethylation of the miR-200c-141 locus. Similar to tumor samples, we demonstrated that downregulation of miR-200f and hypermethylation of the miR-200c-141 locus, together with upregulation of EMT-transcriptional inducers also occur in an in vitro cellular model of spontaneous EMT. Thus, the expression and methylation status of miR-200f could be used as hypothetical biomarkers to assess the occurrence of EMT in breast cancer.
Many open problems and important theorems in low-dimensional topology have been formulated as statements about certain 2-complexes called gropes. This paper describes a precise correspondence between embedded gropes in 4-manifolds and the failure of the Whitney move in terms of iterated 'towers' of Whitney disks. The 'flexibility' of these Whitney towers is used to demonstrate some geometric consequences for knot and link concordance connected to n-solvability, k-cobordism and grope concordance. The key observation is that the essential structure of gropes and Whitney towers can be described by embedded unitrivalent trees which can be controlled during surgeries and Whitney moves. It is shown that a Whitney move in a Whitney tower induces an IHX (Jacobi) relation on the embedded trees.
Knowledge-based systems are data bases with more powerful front ends for dealing with the meaning of data. This paper discusses requirements for a conceptual schema that is general enough to support knowledge bases as well as ordinary data bases. It presents seven features that such a schema must support and evaluates various approaches to data base semantics in terms of them. The AI notations for semantic networks or conceptual graphs are highly general ones that can support all seven features.
In recent years, numerous central banks throughout the world have introduced plastic banknotes in order to combat counterfeiting and reduce their operating costs. In this paper, we provide an analytical framework that allows central banks to assess whether changing the manufacturing material of their coins or banknotes would be beneficial. We use this framework to estimate, for the case of the U.S. Federal Reserve, the potential operating gains and the break-even horizon of the adoption of plastic banknotes. In our benchmark scenario, we find that a complete adoption of plastic notes would save the Fed $140 million per year, and that the $1 bill would be the most lucrative to replace.
A certain number of scanned lines ( line images ) in a real-life image may display sinusoidal intensity profiles, but not all line images along the x or y axis are likely to contain sinusoidal or periodic intensity variations. Despite the nonperiodic nature of line images, and hence the whole image frame, the frequency spectrum of an image or an image segment is derived by extending the Fourier series to nonperiodic waveforms. Much of the 1D Fourier transform mathematics developed in Appendix A is extended to two dimensions in frequency-based image analysis and filtering. In image processing, the 2D image frequency spectrum is commonly used to enhance the visual appearance or accentuate frequency-related features, to correct distortions introduced during the capturing process, or to retrieve image information from noise. At a very basic level, all operations are related to removing, highlighting, or estimating certain frequency components to derive a filtered frequency spectrum, which generates the desired image after inversion. Figure 13.1 illustrates this concept with a collection of edge images created by the summation of cosinusoidal line images. When viewed from the bottom up, the collection shows the construction of a sharp edge image with the successive addition of sinusoidal line images. When viewed from the top down, it shows the smoothing or blurring of a sharp edge by successive removal of the high-frequency line images. Smoothing or low-pass filtering is used to remove high-frequency noise. In contrast, higher-frequency components are gradually added to create a sharp edge, and the edge area dominates the image. This edge enhancement, image sharpening , or high-pass filtering shows the other side of filtering when image edges are required - for example, to separate subimages in image segmentation.
This paper re-examines the trade-based explanation of increased wage inequality in developed countries by focusing on international outsourcing. It is the first detailed study to address the effects of outsourcing on labour markets in the UK. In a recent paper, Feenstra and Hanson (1996) estimate the effect of international outsourcing on wage inequality in the US. This paper extends the FH approach by using more detailed definitions of outsourcing and skill. The analysis applies to UK manufacturing over the period 1982-1997. Extending the analysis to the 1990s is considered to be crucial as outsourcing is predominantly a phenomenon of the 1990s. The econometric results suggest that technical change, import penetration and outsourcing all play an important role in explaining UK wage inequality. Outsourcing may account for about half of the increase in domestic wage inequality.
High-performance mediaprocessors that aim oat high-level language programming without sacrificing much would be very desirable in many applications including medical imaging. Media Accelerated Processor (MAP) 1000 that is jointly being developed by Hitachi, Ltd. and Equator Technologies, Inc. is one of such next-generation mediaprocessors. We present the two main issues in programming these mediaprocessors, i.e., using C intrinsics and data flow control, which still requires a high degree of expertise in the detailed architectural features including many low-level instructions, handling input/output data transfers, and in- depth understanding of the algorithm. To ease the programming burden and allow flexible and efficient deployment of the MAP-based target system, we have developed the MAP University of Washington Image Computing Library (UWICL) for the MAP1000. Currently, it consists of 105 functions. The UWICL functions effectively decouple the data flow control and data processing in a flexible two-layered software structure, where the upper layer is responsible for the data transfer between on-chip cache and off-chip memory by utilizing the on-chip DMA controller in a double- buffering scheme and the lower layer performs the data processing. This hierarchy allows the flexibility to use the UWICL modules depending on how the application is implemented and/or the level of user's experience in programming the MAP1000 mediaprocessor.
In this paper, we present an analysis of user behavior and mobility patterns based on a trace of accesses to a department e-mail server. In contrast to previous studies, we consider a single service and examine how a user community connects to it while moving across a variety of different service providers' wireless and wired networks. By measuring an e-mail service, one that users access often, we were able to monitor a large number of sessions originating from a diverse set of locations. Our contributions include: a unique approach to extracting user mobility information from traces of client application interactions; a novel approach to modeling user behavior and mobility; and a demonstration of how such models can be used to generate synthetic traces. Overall, although some users are highly mobile, we find most users have a low degree of mobility - 70% of users access their e-mail from 2 or fewer unique locations. We also find that our observed session times are longer than those reported by previous mobility studies in wireless networks.
Background and Purpose : Aflatoxin M1, in milk and dairy products, is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as human carcinogens (class 2B). The aim of this study was to evaluate aflatoxin M1 contamination level in dairy products from Iranshahr city, Iran, using ELISA technique. Materials and Methods: In our study, 87 samples of milk, white cheese, yoghurt, and butter were collected in different seasons and after preparation, were analyzed by ELISA technique. Results: The contamination level of aflatoxin M1 in pasteurized milk (n=40) yoghurt (n=15), white cheese (n=6), and butter (n=10) samples were determined to be 81.6%, 83.3%, 60%, and 100%, respectively. However, in 8.1% of the pasteurized milk samples, aflatoxin M1 concentration was above the legal accepted limit (>50 ng). The level of aflatoxin M1 was significantly higher in winter compared to summer (P<0.05). In addition, the concentration of aflatoxin M1 was higher in urban regions than rural ones (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study emphasized the importance of seasonal and regional effects on aflatoxin M1 contamination of dairy products.
Pulse detonation engines (PDEs) are currently attracting considerable research and development attention because they promise performance improvements over existing airbreathing propulsion devices. Because of their inherently unsteady behavior, it has been difficult to conveniently classify and evaluate them relative to their steady-state counterparts. Consequently, most PDE studies employ unsteady gasdynamic calculations to determine the instantaneous pressures and forces acting on the surfaces of the device and integrate them over a cycle to determine thrust performance. A classical, closed thermodynamic cycle analysis of the PDE that is independent of time is presented. The most important result is the thermal efficiency of the PDE cycle, or the fraction of the heating value of the fuel that is converted to work that can be used to produce thrust. The cycle thermal efficiency is then used to find all of the traditional propulsion performance measures. The benefits of this approach are 1) that the fundamental processes incorporated in PDEs are clarified; 2) that direct, quantitative comparisons with other cycles (e.g., Brayton or Humphrey) are easily made; 3) that the influence of the entire ranges of the main parameters that influence PDE performance are easily explored; 4) that the ideal or upper limit of PDE performance capability is quantitatively established; and 5) that this analysis provides a basic building block for more complex PDE cycles. A comparison of cycle performance is made for ideal and real PDE, Brayton, and Humphrey cycles, utilizing realistic component loss models. The results show that the real PDE cycle has better performance than the real Brayton cycle only for flight Mach numbers less than about 3, or cycle static temperature ratios less than about 3. For flight Mach numbers greater than 3, the real Brayton cycle has better performance, and the real Humphrey cycle is an overoptimistic (and unnecessary) surrogate for the real PDE cycle.
Ferromagnetism in the nanostructures of undoped oxide semiconductors has become an exciting problem nowadays for its potential future applications in spintronics. In order to elucidate the room temperature d0 ferromagnetism of oxide semiconductors, we have investigated the changes in magnetic property of ZnO nanoparticles with the reduction of size by mechanical milling. We have observed that ferromagnetic ordering appears in the sample when the particle size decreases from 39 ± 1 nm to 30 ± 1 nm. This observation strongly supports the idea of the effect of specific grain boundaries in nanoparticles. The results of Raman scattering also support this observation. From photoluminescence spectra shifted green emissions have been found for ferromagnetic samples. This indicates clearly two different origins for green emissions that are strongly related to the changes in magnetic property. Observations from electron spin resonance spectra suggest that zinc related interstitial defects are significant to give rise to this ferromagnetic coupling. An impurity level formed by the interstitial defects at the surfaces could satisfy the Stoner criteria for the occurrence of band ferromagnetism for these samples.
Abstract Adam Smith's discourse on wage labour is both original for its time and complex. While Smith indisputably considered the substitution of serfdom by wage labour as an improvement in both opulence and independence, we argue that he nevertheless saw the wage relationship as one founded on subordination. We then cast light on the material factors and symbolic mechanisms which, in his writings, explain how and why the worker agrees to this subordination. Finally, we endeavour to show that Smith's praise for the system of natural liberty as well as his repeated criticisms of merchants and capital owners aimed to transcend this issue.
Shifting our eating patterns toward less animal-based and more plant-based diets is urgently needed to counter climate change, address public health issues, and protect animal welfare. Although most consumers agree that these are important topics, many consumers are not particularly willing to decrease the meat intensity of their diets. In supporting consumers to shift their diets, it is important to understand consumers’ attitudes, motivations, and preferences related to meat consumption and to take differences across consumers on these aspects into account. This study aims to in-depth research meat abstainers (vegetarians and vegans), and to explore how and to what extent they differ from avid meat eaters and committed meat reducers in terms of their (1) socio-demographic characteristics, (2) attitudes and norms, (3) food choice motives, and (4) food preferences and behavior. A survey has been conducted among a representative sample of Dutch adults. Comparisons show that meat abstainers (N = 198) differ from committed meat reducers (N = 171) and avid meat eaters (N = 344) on the four included categories of variables. In terms of demographics, we largely confirm the stereotype of vegans and vegetarians being highly educated females. In attitudes and norms, large differences exist with meat abstainers being least pro-meat and avid meat eaters being most pro-meat. Food choice motives confirm this, with meat abstainers valuing animal welfare and a good feeling higher than committed meat reducers and avid meat eaters. Finally, differences across the groups are most pronounced in terms of their food preferences and consumption, with a much higher appreciation of plant-based protein sources among meat abstainers, a high appreciation of non-meat animal-based proteins across committed meat reducers and a high appreciation of meat products among avid meat eaters. This shows that although differences across the groups are gradual and expected, in terms of reduction motivations and preferences of protein sources the three groups (frequent meat consumption-meat reduction-meat avoidance) are very distinct, which makes it unlikely to expect big shifts from one group to another in the short term.
Several massive black holes exhibit flux variability on time-scales that correspond to source sizes of the order of few Schwarzschild radii. We survey the potential of near-infrared and X-ray polarimetry to constrain physical properties of such black hole systems, namely, their spin and inclination. We have focused on a model where an orbiting hotspot is embedded in an accretion disc. A new method of searching for the time-lag between orthogonal polarization channels is developed and applied to an ensemble of hotspot models that samples a wide range of parameter space. We found that the hotspot model predicts signatures in polarized light which are in the range to be measured directly in the near future. However, our estimations are predicted upon the assumption of a Keplerian velocity distribution inside the flow where the dominant part of the magnetic field is toroidal. We also found that if the right model of the accretion flow can be chosen for each source (e.g. on the basis of magnetohydrodynamic simulations), then the black hole spin and inclination can be constrained to a small two-dimensional area in the spin–inclination space. The results of the application of the method to the available near-infrared polarimetric data of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) are presented. It is shown that even with the currently available data, the spin and inclination of Sgr A* can be constrained. Next generations of near-infrared and X-ray polarimeters should be able to exploit this tool.
ABSTRACT Needlestick injuries (NIs) are considered a substantial occupational health and safety hazard in contemporary health care practice. Unlike human medicine where much effort has been devoted to reduce the incidence of these events, the same aggressive approach has not been used in veterinary medicine. This study investigated the occurrence of blood-contaminated NIs in Portuguese veterinarians. Participants of a veterinary meeting were asked to complete a questionnaire-based survey. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to produce predicted probabilities for NI episodes in veterinarians. From the total of 373 enrolled veterinarians, 293 (78.5%) reported having had at least one NI during their professional life. Veterinarians working with dogs were more likely to have experienced a NI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 145.74, P < .001). The high level of NIs observed in these professionals shows that NIs are a potential occupational health problem in Portuguese veterinarians, with the possibility for transmission of haematogenous zoonosis.
Background Recent studies have proposed the existence of a blood microbiome, even in the healthy host. However, we do not know how the blood microbiome changes when a bloodstream infection (BSI) occurs. Here, we analyzed the dynamics of the blood microbiome in a porcine model of polymicrobial bacteremia induced by fecal peritonitis. Serial blood samples were taken over 12 hours post-induction of fecal peritonitis, and BSI was validated by conventional blood culture and assessment of clinical symptoms. Results The bacterial populations in the blood microbiome were retained throughout the experimental period. However, there were significant taxonomic differences between the profile in the fecal and blood microbiomes, reflecting tropism for the blood environment. We also confirmed that the microbiota we detected was not contaminated by low mass bacteria in the bloodstream. However, at the same time, we noted a slight increase in Bacteroidetes, which is a major component of the gut microbiome, as sepsis developed. Comparison of the functional pathways in the blood and fecal microbiomes revealed upregulation of pathways involved in environmental interactions, and downregulation of those related to cell proliferation, in the former. Based on the enriched biological pathways, we concluded that communication and stress management pathways are essential for the survival of the blood microbiome under harsh conditions. Conclusion This study suggests that the microbiota can be stably retained in the bloodstream over time. Although further investigation in humans is required, we suggest that the blood microbiome may be another factor to be considered in the context of BSI and subsequent sepsis.
O NJUNE 13, 1895, Louis Pasteur retired to Villeneuve-L'Etang, near Paris, where the stables that were once part of Napoleon III's mounted guard were being used to obtain antidiphtheria serum. The cerebrovascular ischemia which had left him hemiplegic on the left side since he was 46 had worsened. The great biography of Pasteur, published in 1900 by his son-in-law Rene Vallery-Radot, describes the end this way:
Abstract Introduction: Student participation has shown positive effects on the curriculum development process for a single health profession. This qualitative study explores faculty members’ and students’ perceptions and experiences regarding student participation in interprofessional course development. Methods: Interprofessional courses were developed and implemented by interprofessional teams of faculty members and students. Two focus group discussions were carried out: one with faculty members and one with students. Results: Students contributed to both the process and the results of interprofessional course development in a complementary manner. Student participation was facilitated via motivation for and through work on interprofessional education, a balance between clarity on tasks and students’ autonomy, and a low-hierarchy team atmosphere. Students developed professionally, and faculty members saw them as future ambassadors for interprofessional collaboration. Conclusions: This study provides multiple qualitative evidence for a positive, complementary role of student participation in interprofessional course development. A number of factors were identified that should be nurtured to facilitate this effect. Our findings may stimulate and guide other schools to actively involve students in the development of interprofessional education.
Orderly, or natural, transition to turbulence in dilute polymeric channel flow is studied using direct numerical simulations of a FENE-P fluid. Three Weissenberg numbers are simulated and contrasted to a reference Newtonian configuration. The computations start from infinitesimally small Tollmien–Schlichting (TS) waves and track the development of the instability from the early linear stages through nonlinear amplification, secondary instability and full breakdown to turbulence. At the lowest elasticity, the primary TS wave is more unstable than the Newtonian counterpart, and its secondary instability involves the generation of $ unicode[STIX]{x1D6EC}$ -structures which are narrower in the span. These subsequently lead to the formation of hairpin packets and ultimately breakdown to turbulence. Despite the destabilizing influence of weak elasticity, and the resulting early transition to turbulence, the final state is a drag-reduced turbulent flow. At the intermediate elasticity, the growth rate of the primary TS wave matches the Newtonian value. However, unlike the Newtonian instability mode which reaches a saturated equilibrium condition, the instability in the polymeric flow reaches a periodic state where its energy undergoes cyclical amplification and decay. The spanwise size of the secondary instability in this case is commensurate with the Newtonian $ unicode[STIX]{x1D6EC}$ -structures, and the extent of drag reduction in the final turbulent state is enhanced relative to the lower elasticity condition. At the highest elasticity, the exponential growth rate of the TS wave is weaker than the Newtonian flow and, as a result, the early linear stage is prolonged. In addition, the magnitude of the saturated TS wave is appreciably lower than the other conditions. The secondary instability is also much wider in the span, with weaker ejection and without hairpin packets. Instead, streamwise-elongated streaks are formed and break down to turbulence via secondary instability. The final state is a high-drag-reduction flow, which approaches the Virk asymptote.
A Bayesian statistics approach for subtraction of incoherent scattering from neutron total-scattering data has been developed and implemented in a public domain software package. In this approach, the estimated background signal associated with incoherent scattering maximizes the posterior probability, which combines the likelihood of this signal in reciprocal and real spaces with the prior that favors smooth lines. The probability distributions are constructed according to the principle of maximum entropy. The method enables robust subtraction of incoherent-scattering backgrounds while providing estimated uncertainties for recovered signals. The developed procedure was first tested using simulated data and then demonstrated using three representative experimental data sets, collected on bulk materials and nanoparticles, featuring distinct ratios of coherent to incoherent scattering.
A cylindrical waveguide with a square-law medium is used to demonstrate theoretically the possibility of optical image transmission along multimode waveguides over long distances (from hundreds of meters to a few kilometers). Expressions are derived to determine the position of the distant cross sections where the image is formed, and the number of image elements which can be transmitted to these cross sections. Requirements on the radiation source are formulated allowing for the chromatic aberrations in the waveguide.
From the density (ρ) and speed of sound (c) measurements, the interactions of drug chloramphenicol with l-leucine and the dipeptide glycyl-l-leucine, have been examined in aqueous medium at T = (288.15–318.15) K and experimental pressure p = 0.1 MPa. For l-leucine and the dipeptide, the apparent molar volume (Vϕ), the apparent partial molar volume (Vϕo), and the apparent partial molar volumes of transfer (ΔVϕo), from water to aqueous chloramphenicol have been calculated from density data. We have also calculated the limiting apparent molar expansibilities. From the speed of sound data, apparent molar isentropic compression (Kϕ,s), apparent partial molar isentropic compression (Kϕ,so), and apparent partial molar isentropic compression of transfer (ΔKϕ,so) have been calculated. The pair and triplet interaction coefficients are determined from apparent partial molar volumes of transfer and apparent partial molar isentropic compression of transfer. For the present mixtures, the absorption spectra have also be...
BECAUSE SMALL AND medium-size enterprises are a major component of most economies, it is not surprising that many communities have specific programs to support these businesses. In Wales, this assistance includes design help. Gavin Cawood has positioned the Welsh Design Advisory Service as a strategic resource for SMEs, able to contribute to individual projects but also to promote techniques that build design into the processes organizations use to develop and leverage innovation.
Two electrons on a lattice pose an interesting problem which can be solved exactly. When the effective interactions are strong enough, the bound states are formed. The properties of such bound pairs in an extended Hubbard model are examined for both signs of nearest neighbor hopping integral t. The stabilization of s∗-wave pairing is found for t 0. Phase diagrams for the existence of none, one or two s∗-wave solutions are calculated.
In a d.c. discharge tube with sectional cathodes and a common grid anode, second derivative Langmuir probe measurements were performed in the Faraday dark space in argon gas discharge at intermediate pressures. Experimental results for different radial probe positions and different distances from the cathode in axial direction are presented. It is shown that the electron energy distribution function is bi-Maxwellian. Taking into account the electron depletion caused by their sinking on the probe surface, an extension of the Druyvesteyn formula is applied for more accurate determination of the electron temperature value, T, the electron density, n, and the plasma potential, Upl, from the experimental results acquired.
Purpose Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common prostate disease in aging men. Microseminoprotein-beta (MSMB) is abundant in semen. In this study, we investigated association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at the promoter of the MSMB gene and the risk for developing BPH in a Korean population. Methods We genotyped two promoter polymorphisms (rs12770171, -184C/T and rs10993994, -2C/T) of the MSMB gene by direct sequencing. Ninety-five BPH patients and 78 control subjects were recruited for this study. SNPStats and Haploview version 4.2 were used for genetic analyses. Multiple logistic regression models (codominant, dominant, recessive, and log-additive models) were applied to determine the odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI), and P-value. Results Genotype frequency of the rs12770171 SNP showed significant difference between BPH patients and controls (OR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.07-4.27; P=0.032 in the codominant 1 model; OR, 2.31; 95% CI, 1.19-4.47; P=0.011 in the dominant model; and OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.17-3.61; P=0.009 in the log-additive model). Moreover, the SNP also showed association between the two groups (OR, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.19-3.52; P=0.009). The rs10993994 SNP was not associated with BPH. In haplotype analysis, CC and TT haplotypes were associated with BPH (P<0.05). Conclusions This result indicates that a promoter polymorphism (rs12770170, -184C/T) in the MSMB gene may be associated with BPH development in a Korean population.
We study phase imprinting on Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) with the fast-forward scaling theory revealing a nontrivial scaling property in quantum dynamics. We introduce a wave packet with uniform momentum density (WPUM) which has peculiar properties but is short-lived. The fast-forward scaling theory is applied to derive the driving potential for creation of the WPUMs in a predetermined time. Fast manipulation is essential for the creation of WPUMs because of the instability of the state. We also study loading of a BEC into a predetermined Bloch state in the lowest band from the ground state of a periodic potential. Controlled linear potential is not sufficient for creation of the Bloch state with large wavenumber because the change in the amplitude of the order parameter is not negligible. We derive the exact driving potential for creation of predetermined Bloch states using the obtained theory.
Precise eye center localization constitutes a very promising but challenging task in many human interaction applications due to many limitations related with the presence of photometric distortions and occlusions as well as pose and shape variations. In this paper, a Fully Convolutional Network (FCN), namely DeepPupil Net is proposed to localize precisely the eye centers by performing image-to-heatmap regression between the eye regions and the corresponding heatmaps. Moreover, a new loss function is introduced in order to incorporate into the training process the predicted eye center positions and penalize inaccurate localizations. The proposed method achieves real-time performance in a general-purpose computer environment and outperforms in terms of accuracy the state-of-the-art eye center localization techniques.
Non-market strategy researchers have postulated that political and social strategies reduce the exposure of firms to risk, but those arguments have received little empirical attention. In this paper, we integrate social capital and institutional theories to examine the efficacy of managerial political ties (MPTs) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in institutional risk reduction. Using survey data from 179 firms in Ghana we find that, whereas CSR reduces institutional risk exposure, MPTs do not. We also find that the effect of MPTs on risk exposure is moderated by public affairs functions. Contrary to extant literature, we do not find evidence of complementarity between MPTs and CSR. Altogether, the findings not only show that the proposed efficacy of MPTs in risk reduction is illusive, but they also signal the need for scrutinizing the harmony between non-market political and social strategies.
Background: Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and recognized as a heavy burden on health system in Afghanistan.,95% of confirmed cases are due to P. vivax which is challenging because of the non-specific nature of the signs and symptoms, relapses of the infection weeks to months after the initial attack for up to about 2 years and requires radical treatment but still not well-administered due to fear of hemolysis as according the literature the Mediterranean variant of G6PD is common in many ethnic groups in Afghanistan, Primary objective : To determine the normal hematological response, following P. vivax infection and treatment in malaria endemic population in Afghanistan. Secondary objectives: 1) To measure the hemoglobin difference before and after treatment. 2)To assess independent risk factors associated with anaemia. 3)To assess the time to recovery from anaemia after administration of chloroquine+primaquine and compare this with chloroquine alone 4) To assess the effect of primaquine mg/kg dose on hemoglobin reduction and time to anaemia recovery. 5) To describe evidence of hemolysis in patients receiving primaquine. 6) To estimate the prevalence of G6PD deficiency. Method: remains first-line treatment for the erythrocyte stage of P. vivax infection, with no evidence of resistance, although it provides a shorter period of post-treatment prophylaxis than DHA-primaquine in a previous comparative trial (10). Limited resources and security challenges hamper malaria control efforts (11), In order to quantify the risks and benefits of P. vivax current treatment, it is crucial to determine the normal hematological response following P. vivax infection and treatment. The Complete Blood Count (CBC) assesses the cellular elements of the blood, that is, red cells, white cells, and platelets, both qualitatively and quantitatively (12) and is an essential tool in assessing hematological changes. The leukogram is part of the CBC that analyzes white blood cells; it comprises the total WBC and subpopulation counts including neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes. Their reference values vary according to age, race, physiological condition (pregnancy), use of some drugs, and time of day (13). We also aim to investigate G6PD activity particularly, in heterozygous females in order to explore the diverse mode of the inherited enzymopathy in Afghan population. Our purpose is to encourage early and prompt treatment of patients at risk of complications and improve their disease outcome.
The neurohypophyseal function was assessed in a group of 15 patients with postpartum hypopituitarism by measuring plasma arginine-vasopressin concentrations during 5% hypertonic saline infusion. None of the patients had symptoms of diabetes insipidus and all patients were on adequate cortisone and thyroxine replacement therapy before testing. The mean basal plasma vasopressin value in the patients (0.6 +/- 0.1 pmol/l) was significantly lower than that in the normal subjects (2.9 +/- 0.3 pmol/l; p < 0.01), whereas the mean serum sodium, plasma osmolality, plasma renin activity and serum aldosterone values were similar in the two groups. During the osmolar load (5% hypertonic saline), the patients revealed varying degrees of arginine-vasopressin responses to the increase in plasma osmolality. Three patients showed normal arginine-vasopressin responses, 10 had subnormal responses, and 2 had no response. During the dehydration test, the patients revealed significantly lower maximum urine osmolalities (p < 0.0025) with significantly higher concurrent mean plasma osmolality (p < 0.0025) than the controls. None of the patients showed overt polyuria at the time of the study. The results indicate the impaired osmoregulation of arginine-vasopressin secretion to an osmolar stimuli in patients with postpartum hypopituitarism, suggesting neurohypophyseal damage. In patients with Sheehan's syndrome, partial diabetes insipidus seems to be much more frequent than previously believed.
This paper reports the analytical formulation of a surface wave sustained plasma antenna based on the antenna theory and the theory for a surface wave sustained plasma. The antenna (tube) structure is a basic quarter-wavelength monopole antenna, comparable to a wavelength of a surface wave. The theory for a surface wave sustained plasma in a semi-infinitely long tube is extended to a finite length plasma. The electron density distribution is calculated based on the extended theory, and antenna characteristics are obtained from the electron density distribution. The analytical results obtained from the formulation show good agreement with the numerical results. The electron density in the finite length tube depends on the existence of the interference between forward- and backward-traveling waves and the boundary condition at the tube end. The electron density distribution is determined based on the balance between the forward- and backward-traveling waves. In the case that the plasma does not reach the tube end, which is equivalent to the case of a semi-infinitely long tube, the antenna gain is constant at a low value due to high plasma resistance and low radiation resistance, without the propagation of the backward-traveling wave. Once the plasma reaches the tube end, due to the coexistence of the forward- and backward-traveling waves with their interference, the electron density is elevated fairly beyond the critical density for sustaining surface wave propagation. Consequently, the antenna gain increases with the synergistic effect of the decrease in plasma resistance and the increase in radiation resistance, and the surface wave sustained plasma works as an antenna.This paper reports the analytical formulation of a surface wave sustained plasma antenna based on the antenna theory and the theory for a surface wave sustained plasma. The antenna (tube) structure is a basic quarter-wavelength monopole antenna, comparable to a wavelength of a surface wave. The theory for a surface wave sustained plasma in a semi-infinitely long tube is extended to a finite length plasma. The electron density distribution is calculated based on the extended theory, and antenna characteristics are obtained from the electron density distribution. The analytical results obtained from the formulation show good agreement with the numerical results. The electron density in the finite length tube depends on the existence of the interference between forward- and backward-traveling waves and the boundary condition at the tube end. The electron density distribution is determined based on the balance between the forward- and backward-traveling waves. In the case that the plasma does not reach the tu...
Accurate forecasting of building cooling load has been one of the most important issues in the electricity industry. Recently, along with energy-saving optimal control, accurate forecast of electricity load has received increasing attention. Because of the general nonlinear mapping capabilities of forecasting, artificial neural networks have played a crucial role in forecasting electricity load. Support vector machines (SVMs) have been successfully employed to solve nonlinear regression and time series problems. In order to improve time efficiency of prediction, a new hourly cooling load prediction model and method based on Support Vector Machine in this paper. Moreover, simulated annealing (SA) algorithms were employed to choose the parameters of a SVM model. Subsequently, examples of cooling load data from Guangzhou were used to illustrate the proposed SVM-SA model. A comparison of the performance between SVM optimized by Particle Swarm Optimization (SVM-PSO) and SVM-SA is carried out. Experiments results demonstrate that SVM-SA can achieve better accuracy and generalization than the SVM-PSO. Consequently, the SVM-SA model provides a promising alternative for forecasting building load.
Early neurological improvement as assessed with the NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) at 24 h has been associated with improved long-term functional outcomes following acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Cardiac dysfunction is often present in AIS, but its association with outcomes is incompletely defined. We performed a pilot study to evaluate the association between non-invasively measured cardiac parameters and 24-h neurological improvement in prospectively enrolled patients with suspected AIS who presented within 12 h of symptom-onset and had an initial systolic blood pressure>140 mm Hg. Patients receiving thrombolytic therapy or mechanical thrombectomy were excluded. Non-invasive pulse contour analysis was used to measure mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), cardiac stroke volume index (cSVI), cardiac output (CO) and cardiac index (CI). Transcranial Doppler recorded mean middle cerebral artery flow velocity (MFV). We defined a decrease of 4 NIHSS points or NIHSS ≤ 1 at 24-h as neurological improvement. Of 75 suspected, 38 had confirmed AIS and did not receive reperfusion therapy. Of these, 7/38 (18.4%) had neurological improvement over 24 h. MAP was greater in those without improvement (108, IQR 96–123 mm Hg) vs. those with (89, IQR 73–104 mm Hg). cSVI, CO, and MFV were similar between those without and with improvement: 37.4 (IQR 30.9–47.7) vs. 44.7 (IQR 42.3–55.3) ml/m2; 5.2 (IQR 4.2–6.6) vs. 5.3 (IQR 4.7–6.7) mL/min; and 39.9 (IQR 32.1–45.7) vs. 34.4 (IQR 27.1–49.2) cm/s, respectively. Multivariate analysis found MAP and cSVI as predictors for improvement (OR 0.93, 95%CI 0.85–0.98 and 1.14, 95%CI 1.03–1.31). In this pilot study, cSVI and MAP were associated with 24-h neurological improvement in AIS.
The broad-spectrum antiviral pseudobase T705, a fluorinated pyrazinecarboxamide, is incorporated via its triphosphate form into nascent viral RNA by viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. Since it mimics guanine or adenine it can act as a mutagen, whereas consecutive incorporation leads to chain termination. Here we examine the structural basis for incorporation and stalling for the case of influenza polymerase, using T1106-TP, the nucleotide form of T1105, the de-fluoro analogue of T705. We used a specially designed template that allows single T1106-MP incorporation at a defined site followed by consecutive T1106-MP incorporation and stalling four nucleotides later, as demonstrated by biochemical analysis. A high-resolution cryoEM structure of influenza A/H7N9 polymerase, stalled after transcribing this template, revealed that the entire product-template duplex has backtracked by five nucleotides. Consequently, the singly incorporated T1106-MP resides at the +1 position and forms an unexpected wobble base-pair with a U in the template. The relative stability of the canonical and wobble T1106:U base-pairs in different contexts is investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. Using a different template and influenza B polymerase we also observe stalling after double incorporation of T1106-MP and structural analysis showed again that backtracking occurs, this time by four nucleotides. These results show that, at least in early elongation, consecutive T1106-MP incorporation into the product destabilises the proximal end of the product-template duplex, promoting irreversible backtracking until a more favourable overall configuration is achieved. These results give new insight into the unusual mechanism of chain termination by pyrazinecarboxamide base analogues.
Abstract : Prolactin receptor (PRLR) is a single transmembrane receptor that normally requires ligand-binding to trigger intracellular signaling. Several isoforms of the human PRLR have been identified, including a long form (LF) and two short forms (SF1a and SF1b). These isoforms share identical amino acid sequence in the extracellular domain, but altered cytoplasmic domain as a consequence of alternative splicing. The extracellular domain consists of two fibronectin-like subdomains, S1 and S2. Recently we have identified the existence of naturally-occurring S2 deleted (delta S2) variants in several human cancer cell lines. We also showed that these human delta S2 isoforms were constitutively dimerized in the absence of PRL. When overexpressed in breast cancer cells, the delta S2 LF increased cell proliferation. The aim of our proposed training grant was to analyze the effect of delta S2 PRLR in a stable transfection system. We found that one of the S2 deleted short isoforms, delta S2 SF1b, was able to inhibit cell growth and migration.
The properties of the high-field polynomials Ln(u), where u = exp [ -4J / (kBT)] are investigated for the Bethe approximation of the spin 1/2 Ising model on a lattice which has a coordination number q. (The polynomials Ln(u ) are essentially lattice gas analogues of the Mayer cluster integrals bn(T) for a continuum gas.) In particular, a contour integral representation for Ln(u) is established by applying the Lagrange reversion theorem to the implicit equation of state for the Bethe approximation. Various saddle-point methods are then used to analyse the behaviour of the integral representation as n->∞. In this manner, asymptotic expansions for Ln[u) are obtained which are uniformly valid in the intervals 0 < u ⩽ uc and uc ⩽ u < 1, where uc = [(σ-1 )/(σ + l)]2 is the critical value of the variable u, σ ≡ (q-1) and σ > 1. These expansions involve the Airy function Ai (z) and its first derivative. The high-field polynomial Ln(u) is found to have a trivial zero at u = 0, and n — 1 simple non trivial zeros {uv(σ,n); v = 1, 2, ..., n — 1} which are all located in the real interval uc < u < 1. An asymptotic expansion for uv (σ, n) in powers of n2/3 is derived from the uniform asymptotic representation for Ln(u) which is valid in the interval uc ⩽ u < 1. It is also shown that the limiting density of the zeros {uv ( σ, n); v = 1 ,2 ,..., n-1} as n → ∞ is given by the simple formula ρ(σ,u)=n(2π)−1(σ+1)u−1(u−uc)1/2(1−u)−1/2 where uc < u < 1. Finally, the asymptotic properties of the Bethe polynomial Ln(u) are determined in the mean-field limit q → ∞ and J → 0 with qJ = J0 held constant.
The influence of the impact of a high-velocity water microdrop on the detachment of Streptococcus mutans UA159 biofilms from the interproximal (IP) space of teeth in a training typodont was studied experimentally and computationally. Twelve-day-old S. mutans biofilms in the IP space were exposed to a prototype AirFloss delivering 115 µL water at a maximum exit velocity of 60 m/sec in a 30-msec burst. Using confocal microscopy and image analysis, we obtained quantitative measurements of the percentage removal of biofilms from different locations in the IP space. The 3D geometry of the typodont and the IP spaces was obtained by micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) imaging. We performed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to calculate the wall shear stress (τw) distribution caused by the drops on the tooth surface. A qualitative agreement and a quantitative relationship between experiments and simulations were achieved. The wall shear stress (τw) generated by the prototype AirFloss and its spatial distribution on the teeth surface played a key role in dictating the efficacy of biofilm removal in the IP space.
Vector beams are light beams with spatially variant polarization [1]. During the last decade vector beams have become an indispensable tool in many areas of science and technology such as optical trapping, quantum memories, and quantum optics. In particular, radially and azimuthally polarized light beams are the paradigm of vector beams. Radial vector beams are especially interesting due to the non-vanishing longitudinal electric field component present in tightly focusing systems, which allows to sharply focus light below the diffraction limit [2]. On the other hand, azimuthal vector beams can induce longitudinal magnetic fields with potential applications in spectroscopy and microscopy. However, the spectral limitations of the generation techniques of vector beams based on linear optics prevent their efficient generation in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) and x-ray regimes, which would further extend their applications down to the nanometric scale. High-order harmonic generation (HHG) is known as a unique non-perturbative frequency up-conversion process for the generation of coherent EUV and soft x-ray radiation. A remarkable aspect of HHG is its fully coherent nature, mapping the characteristics of the driving field to the high frequency spectral region and thus allowing to harness the angular momentum properties of the harmonic radiation through modifications of the driving field [3-5].
Applying robots in narrow and cluttered disaster environments such as oil refineries requires a slim body and a wide range of motion. It is also necessary to have abilities to absorb unexpected contact with the environment and to walk on scattered debris. In this paper we propose new compact and high performance torque-controlled actuators for legged robots to satisfy the above mentioned requirements. For axial compactness, torque sensors are designed as ring-shaped thin cylinders surrounding motors or gears with strain gauges for sensing. To achieve broad bandwidth of torque control, we introduced an analog differentiator circuit into an analog digital converter (ADC) board in order to suppress noise in the differential control of joint torque. We also propose methods to reduce torque ripple caused by the deformation of the harmonic drive gear and electromagnetic interference (EMI) from a motor and a motor driver. Finally, experiments of a collision with objects and movement on scattered debris were executed with a fully torque-controlled legged robot built with the proposed actuators.
The linkage relationship and chromosomal locations of the major histocompatibility (B) complex and nucleolar organizers (18S + 28S ribosomal RNA genes) were studied in normal and aneuploid chickens. The Balloantigens were defined by hemagglutination, using monospecific alloantisera. A chicken having three B haplotypes was detected and used in test matings to normal disomic chickens. Additional cases of birds having three different haplotypes were generated in the progeny of such matings. Analysis of the segregation patterns of B haplotypes suggested that the chickens with an additional haplotype were trisomics. Chickens having three B haplotypes also displayed a maximum of three nucleoli in somatic cells instead of the normal two nucleoli of diploids. This indicated the presence of an additional nucleolus organizing region (NOR). Cytogenetic and cytochemical studies were performed on cells of normal and putative trisomic chickens. All chickens displayed a normal array of chromosomes for pairs 1 through 9. Silver staining differentiated Ag-NORs on the long arms of two and three microchromosomes in disomic and trisomic types, respectively. Viable tetrasomic chickens, produced from inter se matings of trisomics, displayed four nucleoli and four Ag-NORs in somatic cell preparations. These results indicate that the DNA sequences encoding the B histocompatibility antigens and the 18S + 28S ribosomal RNAs are linked on an acrocentric microchromosome in the domestic chicken.
The positive gains made in the development of a national food policy have occurred within the context of intense political debate on a number of policy issues. These issues often involve the amount of expenditures in food assistance programs, willingness to sustain program-associated income transfer benefits, impact of the program on food costs, participation, program abuse, and the magnitude of program impact on food consumption patterns and nutritional status of beneficiaries.
INTRODUCTION The aim of this review was to describe the work that the Başkent University Faculty of Medicine has done to increase kidney donors' number in Turkey and also to discuss the major effects that donor-organ shortage is currently having worldwide.   MATERIALS AND METHODS From 1975 through 2003, our transplantation team at Hacettepe University Hospital and later at the Başkent University Transplantation Center (BUTC) performed 1451 kidney transplantations. Cadaver donation rates prior to and after the establishment of the National Coordination Center (NCC) were calculated and compared. Also, patient and graft survival rates for various groupings of transplantation types were compared. All statistical analysis was done using the log-rank test.   RESULTS Of all the renal transplantations completed in Turkey from 1975 to January 2004, 20% were performed by our team in our center. For the years 1990 through 2003, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival rates in the first-degree-living-related kidney transplantation group were 96%, 93%, and 91%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 93%, 84%, and 81%. In the second-degree living-related group, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year patient survival rates were 94%, 90%, and 87%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 93%, 86%, and 84%. For living-unrelated transplantations, the 1-, 3- and 5-year patient survival rates were 93%, 90%, and 83%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 83%, 78%, and 76%. In the cadaver-kidney transplantation group, the 1-, 3- and 5-year patient survival rates were 85%, 78%, and 70%, respectively, and the corresponding graft survival rates were 82%, 64%, and 53%. During this same period, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year graft survival rates for our cadaver donors and living donors older than 55 years of age were 80%, 52%, 46% and 88%, 69%, 61%, respectively.   CONCLUSION Vigorous efforts by our group at Başkent University and by other transplant surgeons across the nation have increased the numbers of transplantations performed each year. As well, since the NCC was established in 2001, the number of cadaver-kidney transplantations has more than doubled. The initial results with this new nationwide organ-sharing system are promising, and there is every indication that this approach will continue to raise the number of transplant operations performed across Turkey each year. We suggest that Turkish citizens should consider changing our national policies on organ donation. Opt-out policies can increase the pool of cadaver-organ transplants. In addition, to increasing cadaver donation, we feel that living-related donation restricted to first- and second-degree relatives and acceptable non-blood-related donors (such as spouses) is the best path to expanding kidney transplantation worldwide.
The purpose of this work is to measure the influence of brand experience of users of smartphones and its consequence in relation to the brand loyalty. The data collection occurred through the use of social media and 570 valid questionnaires were obtained in more than 120 cities in Brazil. The data analysis occurred through the application of the techniques of multivariate data analysis. Of the eigth tested hypotheses, seven of them were supported. It was concluded that the brand experience significantly influences the brand personality, which also significantly influences the consumer satisfaction. In addition, the brand experience, the brand personality and the satisfaction influence the consumers loyalty, which has a value of approximately 60% for the explained variance. The formation of the constructs was also verified of a second level of experience of the brand and the brand personality.
The   collective low frequency longitudinal vibrational modes of the α-helix are isolated using Dean's method, (P. Dean, Proc. Phys. Soc., London, 1959, 73, 413; P. Dean, Proc. R. Soc. London, Ser. A, 1960, 254, 507), which considers   the different masses of the amino acids involved. The spectrum range extends up to f  = 100 cm−1 for the α-portion   of several proteins within the range of experimental results (S.   Cusack, J. Smith,   J. Finney, B. Tidor   and M. Karplus, J. Mol. Biol., 1988, 202, 903).
Eruption clouds contain a variety of solid, liquid, and gaseous materials. Silicate glass particles with melting temperatures of 800-1200°C are often the dominant solid material, and can cause significant problems in turbine aircraft engines. Plinian eruptions propel silicate glasses to altitudes of up to 60 km, and are then dispersed over large areas by prevailing winds. The basic characteristics of these clouds are described, and suggestions about how to avoid aircraft mishaps are listed.
There is a prevalent assumption that the phenomenal character of a mental experience is an ontological property existing as part of the fabric of the world. This implies that the problem of explaining the phenomenal property of a mental experience is a metaphysical one. Contrary to this assumption, the present paper argues that phenomenal properties of mental experiences are the results of our epistemological perspectives of the world. Consequently, the paper contends that in developing issues for African Philosophy of Mind, care must, ab initio , be taken to avoid the metaphysical pitfalls of considering phenomenal characters or properties of mental states to be part of the fabric of the world. Key words . Consciousness, phenomenal property, mental experience, raw feels, qualia , Metaphysics, African Philosophy of Mind Thought and Practice: A Journal of the Philosophical Association of Kenya (PAK) New Series, Vol.3 No.1, June 2011, pp.131-143
Some two hundred and fifty years after the Enlightenment, religion—much to the surprise of many of us—continues to be a major force in political life. The triumphs of the nation-state, professional bureaucracies, science and technology, public education, the Internet, or MTV notwithstanding, great numbers of human beings turn to scripture, religious authorities, and spiritual ideals for direction not only in their personal lives but also as the foundation and even content of the norms they believe should inform political relationships. The peculiarly inspirational power of religious ideas and movements—rooted, at least in their own self-description, in Ultimate Truths about the universe and the self—has led to distinctive forms of religiously inspired political passion. Such passion may take the form of suicide car bombings and political assassination or nonviolent demonstrations against brutal dictatorships and selfless efforts toward reconciliation of ethnic conflicts. This variable character of religiously based activist politics inspired the title of R. Scott Appleby’s new book. Religion, he argues, has no fixed character in regard to the dyads of violence-peace, intolerance-tolerance, strife-reconciliation, or social conservatism–social liberalism. Rather, religion is “ambivalent,” containing within itself a wide range of possible responses and necessarily giving rise to a kind of “internal pluralism” which signals a continuing struggle over the essentially contested meaning of the religious tradition itself. Appleby, a professor of history at Notre Dame and an international expert on peace studies and religious fundamentalism, makes it clear that he is firmly committed to the “tolerance, peace, reconciliation, social justice” side of religion’s ambivalence. Along with detailed accounts of religious movements on both sides, he offers long-term strategies for self-consciously training and utilizing religious peacemakers. The Ambivalence of the Sacred is a rich and rewarding volume. It chronicles the religious presence in countless social contexts and national or ethnic struggles—including South Africa, Ireland, Israel, Southeast Asia, and Central America—and shows just how widespread contemporary religious activism is. Along with descriptions of familiar groups such as the hard-core Israeli religious nationalists of Gush Emunim, the Islamic fundamentalists of Hezbollah, and both sides of the Northern Ireland conflict are fascinating accounts of more obscure organizations. These include Sant’Egidio, a lay Catholic body which, inspired by Vatican II and Pope John XXIII’s stress on outreach to the non-Catholic world, has been instrumental in peace and reconciliation efforts in Mozambique, Uganda, Burundi, Algeria, Kosovo, and Guatemala. Similarly, the Mennonites, despite their long tradition of withdrawal from the perils of modernity, have
We compute critical properties of a general class of quantum spin chains which are quadratic in the Fermi operators and can be solved exactly under certain symmetry constraints related to the classical compact groups U(N),O(N), and Sp(2N). In particular we calculate critical exponents s,ν, and z, corresponding to the energy gap, correlation length, and dynamic exponent, respectively. We also compute the ground state correlators 〈σ_{i}^{x}σ_{i+n}^{x}〉_{g},〈σ_{i}^{y}σ_{i+n}^{y}〉_{g}, and 〈∏_{i=1}^{n}σ_{i}^{z}〉_{g}, all of which display quasi-long-range order with a critical exponent dependent upon system parameters. Our approach establishes universality of the exponents for the class of systems in question.
ABSTRACT The control law for simultaneous pressure and thrust control of solid DACS(Divert Attitude Control System) is suggested. To regulate the two variables effectively, the control structure of sequential loop closer is applied to the system considering the physical characteristics of each variable and the weighted pseudo-inverse method is suggested to allocate effecti ve command for indeterminate system. Also, the pressure guidance law for safe and high acceleration is applied to the homing stage to verify the effectiveness of the command distribution.초 록 고체 추진제를 연료로 사용하는 DACS의 압력 및 추력을 동시에 제어하기 위한 제어기법을 제안하였다. 두 제어변수를 효과적으로 제어하기 위하여 각 변수의 물리적 특성을 고려한 연속형 루프 닫힘 구조를 적용하였고, 부정정 구조를 가진 제어명령을 효율적으로 분배하기 위하여 가중벡터를 이용한 의사 역행열 기법을 제안하였다. 아울러 높은 가속도를 안정적으로 획득하기 위하여 압력 유도기법을 종말 호밍구간에 적용함으로써 추력과 압력에 관한 명령 분배의 효용성을 입증하였다.Key Words:Divert Attitude Control System(궤도수정 및 자세제어 시스템), Pressure Guidance(압력유도), Pressure Control(압력 제어), Thrust Distribution(추력 분배)Received 22 December 2014 / Revised 5 March 2015 / Accepted 9 March 2015
Novel and widespread ICT and Internet of Things (IoT) technology can provide fine-grained real-time information to the tourist sector, both to support the demand side (tourists) and the supply side (managers and organizers). We present the POLIS-EYE project that aims to build decision-support systems helping tourist-managers to organize and optimize policies and resources. In particular, we focus on a service to monitor and forecast people presence in tourist areas by combining heterogeneous datasets with a special focus on data collected from the mobile phone network.
In recent years, more and more recommendation algorithms have been proposed that are based on time-ordered user interaction logs. Algorithms for session-based recommendation tasks are among the most prominent examples of such approaches. Differently from the more traditional matrix completion algorithms, where for each user-item pair only one interaction (e.g., a rating) is considered, sequence-aware algorithms are typically designed to learn sequential patterns from user behavior data. These patterns can then be used to predict the user's next action within an ongoing session or to detect short-term trends in the community. In this tutorial, we first outline the application areas of sequence-aware recommendation. We then focus on sequential and session-based recommendation techniques and discuss algorithmic proposals as well as evaluation challenges. Finally, the tutorial will be concluded by an hands-on session.
A recent episode of the A&E show Mad Men, set in 1963, showed Betty Draper giving birth to her third child. Betty entered the hospital with her husband Don, but the two were quickly separated. A nurse escorted Betty to the labor room, while Don was shown to the waiting room, where he spent the next several hours bonding with an anxious father-to-be over a bottle of Scotch. (While they drank, Betty was transferred from the labor room to the delivery room and heavily sedated for the birth. She woke up the next morning in a hospital bed with the newborn in her arms.) In her new book, Make Room for Daddy: The Journey from Waiting Room to Birthing Room, Judith Waltzer Leavitt, a pioneer in the history of childbirth in America, turns her attention to the men in the waiting room and their experiences with childbirth in the four decades after World War II. Leavitt’s first book, Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America, 1750–1950, was one of the first to examine women’s birth experiences. It analyzed the use of interventions like chloroform, ether, forceps, and twilight sleep, and explained the movement of birth from home to hospital between roughly 1900 and 1950. In her latest book, Leavitt breaks new ground as she returns to this familiar subject and rectifies an omission in a literature that she claims “has entirely neglected the fathers-to-be” (p. ix). Contests of power between pregnant women, midwives, and physicians in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been well documented, by Leavitt among others, as have the consequences of moving childbirth from home to hospital. In Make Room for Daddy, Leavitt argues that the history of childbirth in the hospital is not complete until it includes an analysis of husbands who became active participants in this event after World War II. Her book accomplishes three important objectives. First, it provides a detailed discussion of medicalized
This article describes and explains the complexity of dynamic process of sea fishery in Pulau Sembilan since the ancient up to now. With the application of the concepts such as diverging, homogenizing, continuity, and temporal, it has been found that the complexity of dynamic process of the fishing economy has oscillated between divergence and homogeneity. The divergence refers to different kinds of fishing activities based on various fish species by different traditional catch techniques, on the other hand, homogeneity refers to the concentration of fishermen activities on one or more similar kinds of fishing activities such as catching life fish (kerapu, sunu, napoleon) and life lobster as top commodities in the period of 1990s. When the populations of the main fish species were decreased as negative impact of overexploitation since the beginning of the 2000s, there were many fishermen returning again to different kinds of fishing activities. It means that the diverging process began its era. The process of diverging and homogenizing of fishery involve cognitive systems as guide for fishermen decision making. These processes indicate persistent and temporal functions of traditional and new fishing techniques of Pulau Sembilan fishing communities. By processual and contextual explanation, it was clear that diverging and homogenizing of fishery is a continuum of its dynamic process. The processes are influenced by internal and external socio-cultural factors and the change of sea physical environment and natural resource conditions. From this explanation known that new practice of using potassium cyanide contributes significantly to the serious degradation of large part of coral reef zones in and outside of Pulau Sembilan water. Key words: Coral reef resource use, diverging and homogenizing, continuity and temporal functions.
BACKGROUND Dogs are natural reservoir of Chagas disease (CD) and Leishmaniasis and have been used for studies of these infections as they develop different clinical forms of these diseases similar to humans.   OBJECTIVE This revision describes publications in dog model relative to CD and Leishmaniasis chemotherapy.   METHODS The search of articles was based in PubMed, Scopus and MESH using the keywords: dog, Trypanosoma cruzi, treatment (T. cruzi chemotherapy analysis) in addition to dog, Leishmania chagasi, Leishmania infantum, canine visceral leishmaniasis, treatment (Leishmania chemotherapy evaluation).   RESULTS Benznidazole and nifurtimox were used as reference in the treatment of CD and associated with other compounds. Eleven out of the fifteen studies have authors from the same team, using similar protocols and post-treatment evaluations, which assured more reproducibility and credibility. Twenty Leishmaniasis studies, especially in visceral leishmaniasis, presenting at least one parasitological analysis tested in distinct monochemotherapy and polychemotherapy approaches were accessed. Data demonstrated that polychemotherapy was more effective in improving the clinical signs and parasitism control.   CONCLUSION The benefits of treatment in terms of reducing or eliminating lesions and/or cardiac dysfunctions were demonstrated at acute and/or chronic phases relative to parasite load and/or the T. cruzi strain resistance to treatment. BZ presented better therapeutic results than the two EBI compounds evaluated. Although treatment of the canine visceral leishmaniasis was not able to induce complete parasite clearance, it can improve clinical recovery. Thus, the dog is a good model for CD and Leishmaniasis studies of chemotherapy and may be indicated for pre-clinical trials of new treatments.
Maize is a very important crop that is used for grain, silage and green fodder. It is a raw material for production of starch, vegetable oil, dextrin, liquid and medical glucose, alcohol, paper, fibers and other drugs. It is the only cultural plant in Bulgaria by which are produced so many products and the crop is the second most important cereal in the country after wheat. The purpose of this study is to bring out the possibilities for maize production in Bulgaria, based on the comparison and analysis of data on maize production for twenty years. The purpose’s realization is done by analysis of the state of maize production in Bulgaria, determination of the main differences in the economic systems functioning during the researched period from the positions of their impact on maize production and formulation of the main problems facing farmers producing maize by evaluating the potential for future production. The study is based on several key indicators: planted area, average yields, and total production of the crop. The covered period is from 1980 to 2009. On this basis, the trends in maize production are specified and conclusions about the state and perspectives of manufacturing in Bulgaria are drawn.
The invention discloses a complete permeable compound type road surface structure. The complete permeable compound type road surface structure comprises a surface layer, a bonding layer, a grid layer, a base layer and a cushion layer which are arranged on a roadbed in sequence from top to bottom, wherein the surface layer is a permeable surface layer formed by permeable asphalt concrete; the bonding layer is a permeable asphalt bonding layer formed by asphalt; the grid layer is a glass fiber grid; the base layer is a permeable base layer formed by permeable cement concrete; the cushion layer is a permeable particle cushion layer formed by mixing one or more of graded broken stones, graded gravels and graded broken gravels; the complete permeable compound type road surface structure has the advantages of no joints of an asphalt road surface, small driving vibration, low noises, and easiness and convenience for maintenance, and also has the advantages of high strength of the cement road surface, long service life and the like; and on the other hand, the complete permeable compound type road surface structure has the characteristics of water permeability, ventilation and the like, rainwater can rapidly permeate and can be discharged into the stratums, a city ecological balance system is effectively kept, the load of city drainage facilities also can be relieved when the rainfall capacity is relatively great, so that the structure has the active meaning.
We report on a methodology for the evaluation of the DC characteristics, small-signal frequency response and large-signal dynamic response of carrier and photon density responses in semiconductor laser diodes. A single mode laser is considered and described with a pair of rate equations containing a novel non-linear gain compensation term depending on a single parameter that can be chosen arbitrarily. This approach can be applied to any type of solid-state laser as long as it is described by a set of rate equations.
Spence (1974a) considered a variant of his signaling model in which there are two types of jobs, and in which signaling can increase wealth by improving the allocation of individuals to jobs. Using results in signaling games since Spence’s work---the Riley outcome (Riley, 1979), the intuitive criterion (Cho and Kreps, 1987), and undefeated equilibrium (Mailath et al., 1993)---it is possible to be more precise than Spence was in determining when signaling would occur and what the effect of signaling on wealth would be. We find the likelihood of efficient signaling, inefficient signaling, and pooling equilibria depends on the fraction of more able individuals in the population. With non-trivial gains from job allocation, inefficient signaling does not appear to be the most likely outcome. Key Words: signaling, pooling, Riley outcome, intuitive criterion, and undefeated equilibrium
Gas gaps are familiar heat transfer structures in micro-devices. In general, heat conduction by the gaps is the primary way of heat transfer between surfaces. In this paper we investigate the relative significance of heat conduction and thermal radiation on various scale levels and under different temperatures. It is found that thermal radiation will become the dominant way of heat transfer when the distance between surfaces gets to tens of nanometers. The heat transfer between surfaces under different distances and temperatures is divided in terms of the relative significance of heat conduction and thermal radiation.
The invention discloses a preparation method of a catalyst for preparing light olefins from a synthesis gas, and the preparation method comprises the following steps: (1) preparing a mixed solution containing divalent metal cations and trivalent metal cations; (2) dipping silica as a carrier in the mixed solution of the step (1), drying, roasting at 700 DEG C ~ 1000 DEG C for 1h-10h, preferably roasting at 800 DEG C ~ 900 DEG C for 2h-8h; and (3) loading active component iron and metal additives onto the roasted carrier of the step (2), and drying and roasting to prepare the final catalyst for preparing the light olefins from the synthesis gas. The catalyst has the advantages of long-cycle operation activity and high stability, and is conducive to industrial popularization and application.
Cerebral ischaemia caused by inflammatory vasculopathies has been described as a complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The goal of our study is to report two cases of pediatric human immunodeficiency virus infection and cerebrovascular manifestations. We describe two pre-school boys, from a group of 204 outpatients, who presented fever, seizures, hemiparesis and impairment of conscience level as a first symptom of HIV-1 infection. The serial imaging studies revealed infarction of middle cerebral artery in both cases. The first one child had a severe spastic tetraparesis and partial epilepsy and died four years later without any improvement despite of the antiretroviral therapy. The second patient had a right hemiparesis and global aphasia totally recovered two years later with antiretroviral and rehabilitation therapies. HIV infection should be included in differential diagnosis of children who present with seizures, mental status change or focal neurological deficits and seizures.
As a sub_system of instruction support system on internet, online assignment management system provides teachers and students with a convenient assignment management environment and makes automatic and paperless assignment management come true Online assignment management system includes the following key functions, arranging assignment, submitting assignment, grading assignment and assignment statistics. It is exposed in detail to how to implement the preceding functions.
The experiments were conducted to study the effects of different plant growth regulators NAA,GA,IAA and some nutriments on tobacco agronomic traits and chemical components.The results indicated that the growths of tobacco were promoted by NAA,GA,IAA obviously. The length ,width and leaf area of the last leaf increased by 15.24%,34.23% and 57.98% respectively,and the length ,width and leaf area of the leaf latter rised by 9.74%,17.31% and 29.85% respectively.The plant height increased by 19.07% compared with CK and the yield went up remarkably. Reducing sugar was improved slightly,nicotine content was reduced remarkably and polyphenolic content was affected slightly.NAA+GA+IAA+Mo and NAA+GA+IAA +ABA are the best treatment,the effect of reducing nicotine and nicotine are obvious. Margin of two sugar are 3.50% and 3.97% ,the ratios of carbohydrate to alkali are 7.80 and 7.96,and the tobacco chemical components are harmonized.
The model of a computer supported databank for children and young people in the Suhl area in order to secure the guaranteed performance of an effective treatment strategy is explained. The use of suitable software equipment has been shown and effectively demonstrated. The solution introduced was successful in the evaluation of the series of checkups in the academic school year 1986/87 at the area and district level.
The aim of the study is to identify the level of job satisfaction among forensic physicians and its relationship with personality traits and alexithymia. A number of 37 forensic physicians from 11 forensic institutions answered some questionnaires. In order to identify the level of job satisfaction The Job Satisfaction Scale was used, to evaluate the alexithymia score the TAS-20 was used and to identify the personality traits the BIG FIVE Inventory was applied. Socio-demographic data, information related to the professional activity and self-evaluated psychological data were also registered. Data analysis was done using SPSS Statistics v23.0.0 for MAC.OSX. For the comparative analysis the t-test for independent samples was used and the statistical difference was defined as p<0.05. For the correlational study, Pearson correlations were applied and to identify the influence of our personality factors on job satisfaction we used multiple linear regressions. Regarding job satisfaction, we obtained an average of 4.38 ± 0.75, which corresponds to a medium level of job satisfaction and the score for alexithymia was 43.27 ± 3.71, meaning that forensic physicians showed a low level of alexithymia. Analyzing the job satisfaction, high scores were obtained for the payment and promotion factor. For the third factor, organization and communication skills, the low scores indicate the employee’s dissatisfaction regarding the manner in which his tasks are organized and defined (e.g. defining the tasks, the effort required to do the tasks, communication and feedback).
Currently it is lack of objectivity to adopt fuzzy comprehensive evaluation in transit depot distribution scheme comparison. A new transit station distribution scheme assessment and comparison model based on vector norms in Hilbert space is proposed. Firstly, an index system of transit despot distribution schemes is constructed, then making quantification processing of quantitative and qualitative index. Finally, the evaluating value is computed by using vector norm. In order to identify the primary factors in single scheme, the elastic factors for each index are computed by partial derivative. A trial calculation is made on the basis of Chengdu transit despot planning schemes evaluation. Compared with the real outcome, the rationality of model is proved.
The formation and development conditions of the cloud streets over the yellow sea by the Cold Surge of Siberian Anticyclone Expansion which produce the heavy snowfall events over the southwestern coast, Honam District of the Korean peninsula, has been investigated through analyses of the three dimensional snow cloud structures by using the CAPPI, RHI, VAD and VVP data of X-band Radar at Muan Weather Observatory and S-band Radar at Jindo Weather Station. The data to be used are obtained from January 04, 2003, when heavy snow storm hits on Gwangju and Honam District. The PPI Radar images show that the cloud bands distribute in perpendicular to the expansion direction of the high pressure and that the radius of cloud cells is about 5~8 km with 20~30 dBz and distance between each cell is about 10 km. And but the vertical Radar images show that the cloud street is a small scale convective type cloud within height of about 3 km where a stable layer exists. From the VVP images, the time period of the high pressure expansion, the moving direction and development stages of the system are delineated. Finally, the vertical distribution of wind direction is fairly constants, while the wind speed sheer increases with altitude to 3 km.
The effect of low protein diet on rat brain AChE activity has been studied during gestation, lactation and postweaning periods. There was decrease in enzyme activity of pups undernourished either during gestation and lactation or lactation alone, the decrease being maximum in 18-day-old pups. In postweaning rats, a significant decrease was observed after 2 and 4 weeks of undernutrition compared to the control. However, the effect of undernutrition was annuled by 2-week rehabilitation, thereby indicating that imposed undernutrition only delays the normal level of the enzyme. Moreover, it appears that the enzyme activity depends both on the nutritional status and the development age.
It is proposed to establish an Integrated Distance Education System in India by designing modern technology based information communication network, connecting all its ODL (Open and Distance Learning) institutions to the headquarters of the ODL system in India. The principle roles to be performed by such a system have been discussed; according to which it would enable, educate and empower every member of the academic community including distance learners so as to provide them quality distance education. The connectivity between the ODL institutions would be achieved through the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network) involving wireless networking and optical networking. Various benefits of providing VPN connectivity to the ODL institutions in India, such as cost effectiveness, security, and shared applications/services have also been discussed. Thus, the networking of all the ODL institutions in India would provide a national framework so as to build an excellent Integrated Distance Education System necessary for providing equity and quality distance education at national level.
General practitioners (GPs) may lack specialist microbiological knowledge, making it difficult for them to use documents concerning antibacterial spectra provided by French health authorities. We have developed a tool to help GPs to compare antibacterial spectra, based on an ontology of bacteria generated using OWL-DL language. This tool makes it possible to search for information concerning the antibiotic susceptibility of given bacteria, regardless of the way in which this information is expressed in the document. Applied to the whole document, the tool made 4528 spectra explicit, whereas only 3471 could be understood without microbiological reasoning. A preliminary study showed that the performance of this tool was similar to that of an expert microbiologist (94 to 98% correct responses) and better than that of unassisted GPs (84-90% correct responses).
Diabetes mellitus, which affects millions of people all over the world, produces significant ocular morbidity. Corneal complications such as tear film dysfunction, elevated glucose in tears, different forms of epitheliopathy, neurotrophic ulcers, corneal edema, wrinkles in Descemet's membrane and decrease in corneal sensitivity have been reported. While a few reports described altered epithelial morphology as the possible basis for epithelial disease, all other clinical phenomena have been unexplained thus far. In this first-ever multifaceted approach to study the pathogenesis of diabetic keratopathy, striking abnormalities were observed in corneal nerves, corneal epithelium and corneal endothelium of diabetics. We have clearly demonstrated the existence of neuropathy in diabetic cornea, both in an animal model and in the humans, -- the first demonstration of such an abnormality. Our in vivo specular microscopic observations on epithelium confirmed in vitro observations in our study as well as of others while the analysis of endothelium provided the basis for the problems noticed in the diabetic cornea following intraocular surgical procedures. Our observations should help the clinician in the understanding of diabetic keratopathy and in developing better prophylactic and therapeutic strategy against some recalcitrant forms of corneal disease in this group of individuals.
T evaluate the effect of supplementation with Enterococcus faecium strain SF68 (NCIMB10415) on immune function, responses to a multivalent vaccine were investigated in kittens given palatability enhancer with or without E. faecium SF68 daily. E. faecium SF68 was detected in the feces of seven of nine treated cats. Supplementation of kittens with E. faecium SF68 did not affect developmental parameters. The percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes was significantly higher in the treatment group. There were no statistical differences in measurements of any other nonspecific or specific immune parameters between groups.
Part I. Introductory: 1. Dimensions and contexts of selfhood 2. Between ancients and moderns Part II. British modernity: 3. Personal identity and modern selfhood: Locke 4. Self-centeredness and sociability: Mandeville and Hume 5. Adam Smith and modern self-fashioning Part III. Society and Self-Knowledge: France from Old Regime to Restoration: 6. Sensationalism, reflection, and inner freedom: Condillac and Diderot 7. Wholeness, withdrawal, self-revelation: Rousseau 8. Reflectivity, sense-experience, and the perils of social life: Maine de Biran and Constant Part IV. The World and the Self in German Idealism: 9. Autonomy, limitation, and the purposiveness of nature: Kant 10. Purposiveness and Bildung: Herder, Humboldt, and Goethe 11. The ego and the world: Fichte, Novalis, Schelling 12. Universal selfhood: Hegel Part V. The Past in the Present: 13. Dejection, insight, and self-making: Coleridge and Mill 14. From cultivated subjectivity to the polarities of self-formation in nineteenth-century France 15. Society and selfhood reconciled: Janet, Fouill, Bergson 16. Will, reflection, and self-overcoming: Schopenhauer and Nietzsche 17. Being and transcendence: Heidegger 18. Deaths and transfigurations of the self: Foucault and Derrida 19. Conclusion Bibliography Index.
FIELD: inorganic chemistry. SUBSTANCE: product: silicon dioxide sol of specific surface 750-1000 m 3 /g at microgel content 8-45 wt.-% and modification degree with aluminium - 2-25%. Sol is obtained by acidification of water glass solution to pH = 1-4 followed by alkalinization up to SiO 2 content 4.5-7 wt.-%, ripening and modification with aluminium up to modification degree 2-25%. Proposed sol is used for paper production. EFFECT: improved method of sol producing. 19 ex, 3 cl, 6 tbl
Within the framework of a comparative cross-national study led by INRETS, France, in 1991/92, representative surveys of drivers were conducted in 15 European countries. The survey covered a wide spectrum of biographical driver data as well as opinions and attitudes to practically all subjects of road traffic. In this context, the "drinking and driving" subject was of special interest. A comparison was made between drivers from 10 countries with a legal BAC limit of 0.08% and drivers from 5 countries with a legal BAC limit of or under 0.05%. Drivers from countries with a legal BAC limit below 0.08% state more often that they never drive after drinking even a small amount of alcohol; have been stopped and breathalysed by the police on at least one occasion; expect to be stopped and breathalysed by the police on a typical journey. They further advocate more breath tests by the police in their country and harsher penalties for drivers found to be over the limit. Where low legal BAC limits are in force, they are accepted in most cases. The extent to which these basically positive attitudes may also be relevant on the traffic scene, cannot be answered based on this survey alone. It is common knowledge that opinions and attitudes represent only one determining factor of a whole complex of factors influencing behaviour.
A new low-phase noise low-power quadrature voltage-controlled oscillator (QVCO) using adiabatic logic is proposed. Power can be reduced by using this technique. The QVCO is a group of two superposable current-switching distinction Colpitts VCOs in which the major core VCO is affiliated to the second in an in-phase method, and the second core VCO is securely coupled to the first in an anti-phase mode. To syndicate the two core VCOs, the Substrates of the cross-connected transistors as well as the substrates of MOS varactors are used; they need not for any additional fundamentals for coupling, which could decrease the noise and decrease the power dissipation. The power is reduced up to 0.02 nW and the frequency range is reduced up to 1.8 MHz compared to existing system.
The purpose of the diploma thesis was to investigate the energy behavior of a residential apartment on the 2nd floor of 99,50m2 in the area of Moschato Attica and to achieve its energy upgrading through appropriate interventions. For the achievement of this objective important role possess the equitable management of work (project management) that is to say the suitable planning (years and costs) the corresponding work. In the first chapter, reference is made to relevant studies and researches both for the energy upgrading of dwellings and for the management of projects that have been published in international scientific journals. In the second chapter, which is the methodology of our research, all the necessary calculations were made so that the selected scenarios can be applied for the required interventions for the energy upgrade of the apartment. In this chapter, nine scenarios are analyzed with the corresponding implementation times, the required tasks and the cost required for each scenario respectively. Finally, we select the scenarios that best fit the objectives of our study as they better meet the cost-benefit function and the more correct management of the respective times. In the third chapter, became import of all required elements of apartment in the program of "K.EN.A.K. tool" of company CiviLTools with which been appreciated the energy situation of apartment before the interventions and was created script in which were imported the data that resulted from the corresponding proposals of interventions that we selected as more effective in capital 2. The file that was created by the program of "K.EN.A.K. tool" was imported in the program of "T.E.E. K.EN.A.K." so that it is fixed in which energy category belongs the apartment before and afterwards the interventions. In addition, Project Libre's project management study focused on the organization of selected interventions for the energy upgrade of the apartment as well as the times and costs required to reach the final goal. Finally, the fourth chapter recorded the results of our research and was compared with the results of corresponding research published in international scientific journals.
This paper is to test the applicability of ModKIMSTORM (Modified KIneMatic Wave STOrm Runoff Model) by applying it to Namgangdam watershed of . Model inputs (DEM, land use, soil related information) were prepared in 500 m spatial resolution. Using five typhoon events (Saomi in 2000, Rusa in 2002, Maemi in 2003, Megi in 2004 and Ewiniar in 2006) and two storm events (May of 2003 and July of 2004), the model was calibrated and verified by comparing the simulated streamflow with the observed one at the outlet of the watershed. The Pearson's coefficient of determination , Nash and Sutcliffe model efficiency E, the deviation of runoff volumes , relative error of the peak runoff rate , and absolute error of the time to peak runoff showed the average value of 0.984, 0.981, 3.63%, 0.003, and 0.48 hr for 4 storms calibration and 0.937, 0.895, 8.08%, 0.138, and 0.73 hr for 3 storms verification respectively. Among the model parameters, the stream Manning's roughness coefficient was the most sensitive for peak runoff and the initial soil moisture content was highly sensitive for runoff volume fitting. We could look into the behavior of hyrologic components from the spatial results during the storm periods and get some clue for the watershed management by storms.
Feeding ‘ikan sapu-sapu, ‘ISS’ (Hypostomus plecostomus) to egg producing ducks is a common practice among duck farmers in Mataram. However their diet formulation model varied. The objectives of the study was to evaluate the effect of models of feed formulation based on ISS on egg production in semi intensive ducks farming in Mataram. Fourteen farmers raising 40 – 50 ducks based on feeding ISS in a semi intensive 4 X 5 m2house were surveyed. Types and amount of feed ingredient given to the ducks and their corresponding egg production were noted for 3 months. Most farmers (78.6%) gave only 186,8 g ISS and 201 g rice bran per day (model 3); 7.1% of them gave 154.5, 122.4, 3.8, and 38,5 g ISS, rice bran, concentrate, and dried rice respectively (model 2); and 14.3% fed 155.1, 158.6, and 3.9 g ISS, rice bran and concentrate respectively (model 1). Protein (%) and energy (kkal/g) content of the diets for model 1, 2, and 3 were 17.76 and 1576.9; 18.24 and 1326.9, and 18.27 and 1301.6 respectively. Egg production of ducks raised with model 2 diet produced up to 81%, but only 61.56% for model 3 and 70.44% for model 1. This indicate that model 2 diet provide sufficient nutrients for egg production.
Abstract In November 2005, our research consortium deployed an Autonomous Underwater Hydrophone (AUH) array to begin long-term hydroacoustic monitoring of the waters in the Bransfield Strait and the Drake Passage. The array takes advantage of the efficient propagation of sound in the oceans to detect, locate, and analyze the distribution of small- to moderate-size earthquakes along the South Shetland Islands, Bransfield Strait, and Scotia Sea. Preliminary review indicates the hydrophones recorded hundreds of earthquakes from the seafloor spreading centers and submarine volcanoes within the Bransfield Strait, as well as events from the subduction zone off the South Shetland Islands and from throughout the Scotia Sea. Moreover, we have observed harmonic tremor produced by the movement of large icebergs, and have detected the vocalizations of several critically endangered cetacean species. Citation: Dziak, R. P., M. Park, H. Matsumoto, D. R. Bohnenstiehl, J. H. Haxel, D. K. Mellinger, K. Stafford, and Won Sang Lee (2007), Hydroacoustic monitoring of the Bransfield Strait and Drake Passage, Antarctica: A first analysis of seafloor seismicity, cryog enic acoustic sources, and cetacean vocalizations, in Antarctica: A Keystone in a Changing World—Online Proceedings of the 10
Natural phytochemicals are extensively considered to potentially ameliorate or reverse the pathological progression of colitis-associated colon cancer (CAC). The present study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of menthol on CAC and the promoting effect on the gut microbiome and metabolites. In this study, azoxymethane (AOM) combined with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was adopted to build CAC mouse models. H&E staining was performed to identify the pathological damage of colon tissue. By immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence, the expression levels of β-catenin and Ki67 were measured. The mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines and myeloperoxidase (MPO) was evaluated through RT-PCR. The infiltration of immune cells was measured by flow cytometry analysis. With 16SrDNA sequencing technology, the composition of gut microbiome were detected. To determine the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the feces, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was performed. A significant inhibiting effect of menthol on AOM/DSS-induced tumorigenesis was observed, as indicated by the significantly fewer small adenomas, lower disease activity index (DAI) scores and histopathological scores, lower expression of proliferation biomarkers (β-catenin and Ki67) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α and MPO), and decreased immune cells infiltration. As suggested from the results of 16SrDNA sequencing, compared with AOM/DSS (AD) group, MSD exhibited higher α-diversity and shared more similar β-diversity with the control (Ctrl). Moreover, a higher abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria (Allobaculum, Roseburia and Intestinimonas) and the higher fecal butyrate concentrations were measured in the MSD compared with the AD group. MSD effectively ameliorated AOM/DSS-induced tumorigenesis and facilitated the predominant growth of butyrate-producing bacteria.
Small Town, Giant Corporation traces the maturation of the profession of economic development as applied to Japanese manufacturing investment in the United States. The book is a case study of the wooing and eventual location of a Japan-based global auto parts producer in a small Midwestern community. The study considers motivations for Japanese investment, location patterns, and the adaptation of Japanese-owned companies to U.S. communities and business conditions. Economic development experts and other observers will find that the story of the successful interface between a global giant from Japan and a small Midwestern community forms an education case study of drawing and managing foreign investment. Contributors include Charles Bartha, Durene Booher, Randall Brock, Takeshi 'Dennis' Doi, Richard Florida, Cynthia Fridgen, Michael Gagnon, Dr. Peter Kobrack, Edwin Matthewson, Michio 'Henry' Ohiwa, Kazuhiro 'Ben' Ohta, Mamoru Tanabe.
Abstract. Although oceanic spreading is often perpendicular to the ridge trends, in some cases the angle between these two directions can be significantly less than 90 o (40o-50o). This occurs because of either a bend of the ridge trend or a change of the spreading direction. We here describe oblique spreading in the Mohns Ridge, resulting in deformation partitioning between the valley walls, which are dominantly affected by strike-slip displacements, and the axial valley which is subject to nearly pure extension. The axial valley walls are characterized by en dchelon normal faults affecting the walls, while the axial valley is affected by parallel faults grouped into oblique sets. These fault sets define different structures, horst or tilted blocks, that are regularly spaced inside the axial valley. Moreover some ridge segments mainly undergo pure extension, whereas others are affected by oblique extension. We explain this faulting pattern, including the along-strike and transverse variations, as a consequence of depth variations of the brittle-ductile transition.
Mycoplasma genitalium is a self-replicating cell with a small genome size and just a small percentage of protein structures known, whose genome was completely unravelled in 1995. In the present work two M. genitalium proteins, MG438 and MG200, potentially implicated in the microorganism virulence and/or pathogenicity processes, were mainly studied from a structural point of view. The MG438 protein constitutes a type I Restriction-Modification (R-M) S subunit. These subunits are involved in the DNA sequence recognition in type I R-M systems. In M. genitalium, MG438 appears as an orphan S subunit suggesting it can have other functions rather than its regular activity in the methyltransferase (MTase) and restriction endonuclease (REase) complexes from type I R-M systems. The MG438 crystal structure, the first described from a type I R-M S subunit, was determined by the Multiple-wavelength Anomalous Dispersion method and refined at 2.3 A resolution. The protein consists of two globular domains of about 150 residues each, separated by a pair of 40 residues long antiparallel ?-helices, which form a left-handed super-coil. The globular domains correspond to the variable Target Recognition Domains (TRDs) while the coiled-coil structure correspond to the central (CR1) and C-terminal (CR2) Conserved Regions, respectively. Moreover, the MG438 structure presents an overall cyclic topology with an intra-subunit two-fold axis that superposes the N- and C-half parts of the molecule, each half containing a TRD and a CR. The straight structural resemblance found to exist between TRDs and the small domain of type II R-M N6-adenine DNA TaqI MTase, together with the presence of the intra-subunit quasi-symmetry in MG438, allowed the proposal of a model for the recognition of the target DNAs by the S subunits. The comparison between the MG438 structure and the almost simultaneously reported structure of an S subunit from the archae Methanococcus jannaschii, S.Mja, highlights the preserved structural features despite the low sequence identity. The comparison also reveals important differences in the TRDs and in their disposition with respect to the CRs. M. genitalium presents a complex cytoskeleton with a differentiated terminal organelle that is involved in cell adherence and motility. The MG200 multi-domain protein, thought to be localized in the terminal organelle, was found to be directly involved in mycoplasma motility. Production of the full-length MG200 protein revealed that it behaves as a tetramer in solution but also has a high tendency to aggregate and an intrinsic heterogeneity which prevents crystallization and, consequently, the X-ray crystal structure determination. The crystal structure of the EAGRb domain from the MG200 protein was solved to 2.9 A resolution by the Single-wavelength Anomalous Dispersion method. This structure is the first piece of structural information from any terminal organelle protein. The domain presents an essentially new fold containing an accurate intra-domain symmetry, which relates with a sequence repeat. The EAGRb forms a dimer, contained in the crystal asymmetric unit, which is stabilized by a conserved hydrophobic core. Some of the domain features, such as its plasticity and the presence and organization of the intra- and inter-subunits symmetry axes, which result in the unbalance of interactions, strongly suggest a role for the EAGRb in protein-protein interactions. Information on the possible quaternary structures for each of the MG200 protein domains, together with preliminary single particle Electron Microscopy studies, allowed the proposal of a 222 (D2) symmetry for the full-length MG200 protein. The particular properties of the MG200 DnaJ and EAGRb domains could permit the interaction with other components of the terminal organelle and result in the formation of supra-molecular structures as the ones observed in the terminal organelles of M. pneumoniae cells.
Domain adaptation aims to mitigate the domain gap when transferring knowledge from an existing labeled domain to a new domain. However, existing disentanglement-based methods do not fully consider separation between domain-invariant and domain-specific features, which means the domain-invariant features are not discriminative. The reconstructed features are also not sufficiently used during training. In this paper, we propose a novel enhanced separable disentanglement (ESD) model. We first employ a disentangler to distill domain-invariant and domain-specific features. Then, we apply feature separation enhancement processes to minimize contamination between domain-invariant and domain-specific features. Finally, our model reconstructs complete feature vectors, which are used for further disentanglement during the training phase. Extensive experiments from three benchmark datasets outperform state-of-the-art methods, especially on challenging cross-domain tasks.
Changes in the tumor-suppressor gene p53 are frequently acquired during the course of malignant development of human tumors. Recently, constitutional heterozygous mutations in p53 exon 7 have been identified as the primary cause of cancer predisposition in cases of the familial Li-Fraumeni cancer syndrome. These findings underline the need for extensive mutation screening in families with high cancer incidence. This report describes the detection and follow-up by two-dimensional single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (2DSSCP) of a new germline mutation of p53 exon 8 in a case of suspected Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Although a high cancer incidence had been reported in the family history of the father of siblings suffering from brain tumor and rhabdomyosarcoma, a constitutional heterozygous p53 mutation was identified only in the affected children. Retrospective analysis of archival tissue of a half-sister who died several years ago from a tumor of previously uncertain diagnosis revealed the same mutation. The mutation had therefore occurred in the germ cells of the mother, who thus appears to be a mosaic. The cancer predisposition of the paternal ancestors must have been due to other factors.
A backstepping control strategy was presented to control AC position servo system characterized by wide variations in loads,inertia moment and large disturbed moment.Backstepping control laws were proposed to guarantee that all the signals in the closed-loop control system were uniformly ultimately bounded in a Lyapunov sense,making servo system track the instruction of reference position globally and asymptotically.Effects of the backstepping control in motion control were analyzed by tests at different conditions.The test results illustrate the controller has better dynamic performance and steady state accuracy.
Vasopressin and its analogs are used inthe treatment of bleeding esophageal varices. Since gastrointestinal reflux may have a deleterious effect on variceal hemorrhage, the effect of 2,3-phenylalanine-8-lysine-vasopressin upon the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) was studies by rapid pull-through manometry in 24 persons. PLV infusion up to a dosis of 2.7 mU/kg/h raised LES pressure from 15.1 +/- 1.3 (SEM) to 17.9 +/- 2.0 mm Hg. Higher doses lowered LES pressure progressively to 12.1 +/- 0.7 mmHg at 54 mU/kg/h. The serum gastrin level did neither correlate with basal LES pressure not with LES pressure changes during PLV infusion. Therefore, PLV does not appear to act indirectly through serum gastrin. Because of the danger of systemic side effects and of the undesirable in LES pressure with the usual high doses of vasoactive substances, a continuous infusion of lower doses of vasopressin analogs appears to be advantageous.
The trapping effect and distance of the sex attractant for Holcocerus artemisiae was tested with seven traps set equidistantly from damaged Artemisia ordosica in the upwind,downwind and crosswind directions,respectively.The upwind trap was optimal(accounting for 60% of males) and crosswind trap was better than that in the downwind direction.Males were trapped at the distances of 30 210 m upwind,with the largest capture number at 60 m.The sex pheromone could last up to 25 34 days.The boat and triangle traps were effective than novel practical type.In addition to H.artemisiae,the sex attractant also attracted Loxostege sticticalis,Protexarnis squalid and Bombyliidae species.
Combustion has been a subject of increasingly vigorous scientific research for over a century, not surprising considering that combustion accounts for approximately 85% of the world's energy production and is a key element of many critical technologies used by contemporary society. Although combustion technology is vital to our standard of living, it also poses great challenges to maintaining a habitable environment. A major goal of combustion research is production of fundamental (foundational) knowledge that can be used in developing accurate simulations of complex combustion processes, replacing current "cut-and-try" approaches and allowing developers to improve the efficiency of combustion devices, to reduce the production of harmful emissions, and to reduce the incidence of accidental uncontrolled combustion. With full understanding of the physics and chemistry involved in a given combustion process, including details of the unit processes and their interactions, physically accurate models which can then be used for parametric exploration of new combustion domains via computer simulation can be developed, with possible resultant definition of radically different approaches to accomplishment of various combustion goals. Effects of gravitational forces on earth impede combustion studies more than they impede most other areas of science. The effects of buoyancy are so ubiquitous that we often do not appreciate the enormous negative impact that they have had on the rational development of combustion science. Microgravity offers potential for major gains in combustion science understanding in that it offers unique capability to establish the flow environment rather than having it dominated by uncontrollable (under normal gravity) buoyancy effects and, through this control, to extend the range of test conditions that can be studied. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that our program is dedicated to taking advantage of microgravity to untangle complications caused by gravity, allowing major strides in our understanding of combustion processes and in subsequent development of improved combustion devices leading to improved quality of life on Earth. Fire and/or explosion events aboard spacecraft could be devastating to international efforts to expand the human presence in space. Testing to date has shown that ignition and flame spread on fuel surfaces (e.g., paper, wire insulation) behave quite differently under partial gravity and microgravity conditions. In addition, fire signatures-i.e., heat release, smoke production, flame visibility, and radiation-are now known to be quite different in reduced gravity environments; this research has provided data to improve the effectiveness of fire prevention practices, smoke and fire detectors, and fire extinguishment systems. The more we can apply our scientific and technological understanding to potential fire behavior in microgravity and partial gravity, the more assurance can be given to those people whose lives depend on the environment aboard spacecraft or eventually on habitats on the Moon or Mars.
Abstract : The general hypothesis of this investigation is that domestic sheep can serve as valuable research models for developing, applying and comparatively examining conventional and new embryo biotechniques which can be integrated toward the preservation of related nondomestic species. A series of projects focused on: 1) analyzing the effects of various hormonal ovulation induction procedures on ovarian function and the production of transferable quality embryos; 2) determining whether atraumatic embryo collection/transfer procedures could be developed and efficiently applied without compromising subsequent fertility; and 3) evaluating novel cryoprotective solutions and cooling procedures for cryopreserving embryos. In Project I, it was determined that the number of corpora lutea (CL) and transferable quality embryos was greater (P0.05) in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH-P)- and human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG)-treated sheep than in pregnant mares' serum gonadotropin (PMSG)-treated ewes. However, regardless of the type of gonadotropin treatment, a high proportion ( 40%) of ewes experienced premature luteal regression which was associated with embryo collection failure.
A 70-year-old man who had been drinking a bottle of whisky each day was scheduled for laser resection of a tongue tumor. His electrocardiogram showed sinus bradycardia (heart rate was 35-40 bpm), and transient complete heart block was observed. Echocardiography showed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. After a temporary transvenous pacemaker had been inserted, anesthesia was induced with thiopental and vecuronium bromide, and maintained with sevoflurane and fentanyl. Heart rate was 45.min-1 before the induction of anesthesia, and after the induction increased to 70-80.min-1. Analysis of heart rate variability suggested that the increase in heart rate was due to augmentation of sympathetic nervous activity after intubation and operation stress. After the operation his bradycardia improved gradually, and after 3 months heart rate settled at about 55.min-1. Cadiomyopathy is known to be one of the complications of alcoholism. It was reported that alcoholic heart disease was improved promptly by abstinence from alcohol. During his long hospitalization, abstinence might have improved his severe bradycardia. Thiopental is useful for induction of anesthesia in a patient with severe bradycardia from alcoholic cadiomyopathy.
Lipid biomarkers and stable carbon isotopes can track the evolution of microbial communities and carbon cycling, respectively, in preserved organic matter. Traditionally, carbon isotopes are measured in bulk materials, though technological advances allow us to measure the carbon isotope composition of individual hydrocarbon molecules, providing direct insights into the carbon source and microbial metabolism used for biosynthesis. During sedimentary diagenesis, lipids are incorporated into a complex macromolecular matrix—(proto)-kerogen. Lipids associated with or tightly bound within the kerogen matrix are not routinely analysed, thus a large repository of geochemical information relating to mode of binding and preservation remains unexplored.Presented here are two studies of marine organic matter preservation and cycling, from the enigmatic late Ediacaran Shuram excursion of South Oman and from the modern hypersaline microbial mats of Guerrero Negro, Baja California, Mexico. From South Oman, we present the first detailed bulk isotope, lipid biomarker, and compound-specific carbon isotope compilation from an organic-rich, deeper water facies that captures the unique ‘Shuram excursion’—a carbon isotope excursion in carbonate (down to -12‰) that is not paralleled in magnitude by the coeval organic carbon phases. Our results definitively demonstrate that preserved organic matter is syngenetic and marine-derived and has two distinct organic carbon isotopic sources. The extractable alkane hydrocarbons preserve a smaller overall magnitude carbon isotope excursion in phase with a primary surface seawater origin. From Guerrero Negro, we investigated kerogen-bound lipid biomarker profiles from two cores of different salinity and compare them to lipids extracted using conventional techniques. Additionally, to investigate the mode of binding and incorporation of sterols and hopanoids into kerogen during diagenesis, we extracted kerogen-bound lipids of pre-extracted microbial mat residues that were subjected to three selective chemical degradations. Our findings indicate a suite of lipid biomarkers, including sterols and hopanoids, are rapidly incorporated into kerogen via strong covalent linkages and preserved during sedimentary diagenesis. The absence of sterols or other polycyclic biomarker compounds classes is unlikely the result of taphonomic bias in periods of Earth history where benthic organic matter source inputs are pronounced.
The point of departure for this study was a recognition of the differences in suppliers' and acquirers' judgements of the value of technology when transferred between the two, and the significant impacts of technology valuation on the establishment of technology partnerships and effectiveness of technology collaborations. The perceptions, transfer strategies and objectives, perceived benefits and assessed technology contributions as well as associated costs and risks of both suppliers and acquirers were seen to be the core to these differences. This study hypothesised that the capability embodied in technology to yield future returns makes technology valuation distinct from the process of valuing manufacturing products. The study hence has gone beyond the dimensions of cost calculation and price determination that have been discussed in the existing literature, by taking a broader view of how to achieve and share future added value from transferred technology. The core of technology valuation was argued as the evaluation of the 'quality' of the capability (technology) in generating future value and the effectiveness of the transfer arrangement for best use of such a capability. A dynamic approach comprising future value generation and realisation within the context of specific forms of collaboration was therefore adopted. The research investigations focused on the UK and China machine tool industries, where there are many technology transfer activities and the value issue has already been recognised in practice. Data were gathered from three groups: machine tool manufacturing technology suppliers in the UK and acquirers in China, and machine tool users in China. Data collecting methods included questionnaire surveys and case studies within all the three groups. The study has focused on identifying and examining the major factors affecting value as well as their interactive effects on technology valuation from both the supplier's and acquirer's point of view. The survey results showed the perceptions and the assessments of the owner's value and transfer value from the supplier's and acquirer's point of view respectively. Benefits, costs and risks related to the technology transfer were the major factors affecting the value of technology. The impacts of transfer payment on the value of technology by the sharing of financial benefits, costs and risks between partners were assessed. The close relationship between technology valuation and transfer arrangements was established by which technical requirements and strategic implications were considered. The case studies reflected the research propositions and revealed that benefits, costs and risks in the financial, technical and strategic dimensions interacted in the process of technology valuation within the context of technology collaboration. Further to the assessment of factors affecting value, a technology valuation framework was developed which suggests that technology attributes for the enhancement of contributory factors and their contributions to the realisation of transfer objectives need to be measured and compared with the associated costs and risks. The study concluded that technology valuation is a dynamic process including the generation and sharing of future value and the interactions between financial, technical and strategic achievements.
Database preservation frequently happens postfactum: databases are transferred and migrated into preservation formats and environments after a project has ended. This increases the risks concerning incompatibility and pushes the preservation burden after the initial lifetime and use of the data. We propose a database repository infrastructure, where databases are created, used and preserved directly in the data curation environment. This increases the FAIRness of the data curated as professional data stewardship activities accompany the databases right from the onset. We present the FAIR Data Austria Database Repository (FDA-DBRepo) infrastructure and provide a first version of an open-source reference implementation.
In this study, high public external costs are taken as responsible for Turkey's underdevelopment. Main reasons for such public costs are political instability, extravagancy, no rule or bad rule, which impede the growth, lack of transparency, centralization, rent seeking, lack of control and corruption. As a result, due to such costs, Turkish goods become more expensive, thus loose competitive strength at the international market. Hence, Turkey's overall economic performance falls as well. Turkish economy would be better off in the absence of such a public cost which about 184,2 billion US dollars for the period of 1990-99, as put forward in this study.
Accurate determination of protein secondary structure from the chemical shift information is a key step for NMR tertiary structure determination. Relatively few work has been done on this subject. There needs to be a systematic investigation of algorithms that are (a) robust for large datasets; (b) easily extendable to (the dynamic) new databases; and (c) approaching to the limit of accuracy. We introduce new approaches using k-nearest neighbor algorithm to do the basic prediction and use the BCJR algorithm to smooth the predictions and combine different predictions from chemical shifts and based on sequence information only. Our new system, SUCCES, improves the accuracy of all existing methods on a large dataset of 805 proteins (at 86% Q(3) accuracy and at 92.6% accuracy when the boundary residues are ignored), and it is easily extendable to any new dataset without requiring any new training. The software is publicly available at http://monod.uwaterloo.ca/nmr/succes.
E28 I CUTIS WWW.MDEDGE.COM/DERMATOLOGY PLEASE TURN TO PAGE E29 FOR THE DIAGNOSIS A 28-year-old man with a history of hyperimmunoglobulinemia E syndrome (previously known as Job syndrome), coarse facial features, and multiple skin and soft tissue infections presented to the university dermatology clinic with persistent white, macerated, fissured groin plaques that were present for months. The lesions were tender and pruritic with a burning sensation. Treatment with topical terbinafine and oral fluconazole was attempted without resolution of the eruption. A biopsy of the groin lesion was performed.
The kinetics of flunitrazepam (FNTZ) N-demethylation to desmethylflunitrazepam (DM FNTZ), and 3-hydroxylation to 3-hydroxyflunitrazepam (3-OH FNTZ), were studied in human liver microsomes and in microsomes containing heterologously expressed individual human CYPs. FNTZ was N-demethylated by cDNA-expressed CYP2A6 (K(m) = 1921 microM), CYP2B6 (K(m) = 101 microM), CYP2C9 (K(m) = 50 microM), CYP2C19 (K(m) = 60 microM), and CYP3A4 (K(m) = 155 microM), and 3-hydroxylated by cDNA-expressed CYP2A6 (K(m) = 298 microM) and CYP3A4 (K(m) = 286 microM). The 3-hydroxylation pathway was predominant in liver microsomes, accounting for more than 80% of intrinsic clearance compared with the N-demethylation pathway. After adjusting for estimated relative abundance, CYP3A accounted for the majority of intrinsic clearance via both pathways. This finding was supported by chemical inhibition studies in human liver microsomes. Formation of 3-OH FNTZ was reduced to 10% or less of control values by ketoconazole (IC(50) = 0.11 microM) and ritonavir (IC(50) = 0.041 microM). Formation of DM FNTZ was inhibited to 40% of control velocity by 2.5 microM ketoconazole and to 30% of control by 2.5 microM ritonavir. Neither 3-OH FNTZ nor DM FNTZ formation was inhibited to less than 85% of control activity by alpha-naphthoflavone (CYP1A2), sulfaphenazole (CYP2C9), omeprazole (CYP2C19), or quinidine (CYP2D6). Thus, CYP-dependent FNTZ biotransformation, like that of many benzodiazepine derivatives, is mediated mainly by CYP3A. Clinical interactions of FNTZ with CYP3A inhibitors can be anticipated.
The burgeoning and wide applied information technology brings about great change for human beings' social environment and life style on one hand,and causes some impact on traditional morality on the other hand.Therefore,information ethics emerge are required to do research on information ethics problems.Protects the people information security,and causes the information technology to serve well for the humanity,must follow certain moral.For example: Respect right of privacy,conservative national secret;Respect intellectual property rights,safeguard energetic achievement and so on.And then try to make an exploration of the legalization path of information ethics from the aspects of civil law system,administrative law system,criminal law system and international law system.
Methamphetamine (METH) is a highly addictive psycho-stimulant that induces behavioral changes, most likely due to high level of METH-induced dopamine in the brain. Nucleus accumbens (NAc) and hippocampus are the critical part of the brain in which the changes occur in drug addiction. However, little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms of METH-induced addiction on miRNA, transcriptome and protein expression. The main objectives of this study are to study the behavioral changes that occur with use and addiction to METH and to determine the global miRNA, transcriptome and protein profiling in the NAc and hippocampus of METH-addicted rats, and also to identify miRNAs, genes and proteins which are associated with METH exposure and addiction. The experimental rats were divided into 3 groups of 6 each: a control group, a single dose METH (5 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment group and a continuous 15 alternate days METH (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 mg/kg) treatment group. Addiction behavior in rats was determined using Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) task. The analysis of the miRNA and transcriptome profiling in the NAc and hippocampus was performed using Affymetric microarray GeneChip® System, while the protein profiling was performed using Thermo Scientific LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometer. The results of the study showed that the continuous 15 alternate days METH treatment rats showed a preference for the drug-paired compartment of the CPP. However, a one-time acute treatment with 5 mg/kg METH did not show any significant difference in preference when compared with the control group. Addiction behavior was only seen when rats consumed increasing doses of METH over a continuous exposure period. We also found that the continuous exposure with administration of increasing doses may reduce the learning and memory ability in rats. Differential molecular profiling indicated that 170 miRNAs, 3 genes and 15 proteins were up-regulated, while  iv  4 miRNAs, 26 genes and 27 proteins were down-regulated in the NAc when the continuous METH treatment group was compared with the controls. In comparing the METH addiction group (continuous treatment) with the non-addiction group (acute treatment), 38 miRNAs, 6 genes and 25 proteins were shown to be up-regulated and 4 miRNAs, 32 genes and 15 proteins were down-regulated. In the hippocampus, 180 miRNAs, 8 genes and 28 proteins were up-regulated, while 10 miRNAs, 13 genes and 5 proteins were down-regulated when the continuous treatment group was compared with the controls. In comparing the addiction group with those without addiction, 104 miRNAs, 10 genes and 33 proteins were shown to be up-regulated and 5 miRNAs, 20 genes and 20 proteins were down-regulated. The level of significance applied was when changes were more than two fold change and with ANOVA and FDR test with p<0.05. Our results suggest that the rat model that has been developed is adequate as an addiction behavior model for METH, and that dynamic changes occur in the expression of mRNAs, miRNAs and proteins with METH exposure and addiction.
Lashihai is the largest plateau lake in Lijiang county, Yunnan province. The area is 9. 33 km2 only. There are 31 species of waterfowl have been recorded in Lashihai. These species which account for 25. 8% of total waterfowls recorded in Yunnan and belong to 7 orders and 10 families. 29 species are winter visitors. About 25 000 nembers of waterfowls and 27 species were observed during November to December in 1997. The species has increased by 300% over 1984. Lashihai is becoming one of the important waterfowl overwintering habitats in Yunnan province.
This study investigated the application and the effect of Group Investigation(GI) in the College English Program in a Chinese University. A qualitative case study method was used to understand the GI system used by Chinese instructors as well as the achievements acquired and challenges met by the participants. Three instructors and fifteen second-year-undergraduates taking a course titled Sources of European Culture participated. Interviews, observations, and documents were used to collect the data. Data analysis showed Chinese instructors applied a GI technique similar to that discussed by Johnson and Johnson(1999); however, GI in the Chinese context demanded more effort from the teacher for designing tasks and provided help in modeling uses of English and in preparing visual, especially Power Point, presentations. Although participants used their mother tongue at some stages, their autonomy over English learning was activated, and horizons in the course content were broadened.
Lexical frequency and orthographic neighbourhood are two very important variables in experiments on word recognition. In this paper, we present a normative study which includes all four letters words selected from a corpus of over 5 million words. The word frequency, number and relative neighbourhood frequency, acumulative neighbourhood frequency and the neighbourhood number in relation to the changing letter are include in this normative study.
To improve highway transport security, VANET (Vehicular Ad Hoc Network) is used which is a developing technology incorporating ad hoc network, cellular technology and wireless LAN. VANETs are different from other type ad hoc networks by their cross network constructions, node association features and new application setups. The approach of an effective routing protocol for VANETs is vital as VANETs show various distinctive networking research challenges. In this paper, we discuss the research challenges of routing in VANETs and compare recent routing protocols of VANETs.
Using ethylene glycol (EG) and vitamin D3 as crystal-inducing diet (CID) in rats, we investigated the effect of the dosage of EG on the generation of chronic calcium oxalate (CaOx) nephrolithiasis. We collected weekly 24 hour urines and measured herein the amount of oxalate, calcium, glycosaminoglycans (GAG's), creatinine, protein, alkaline phosphatase (AP), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma-GT), and N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG). The potential of these urines to inhibit crystal growth and agglomeration was also evaluated. After four weeks, the kidneys were screened by histology and radiography for the presence of CaOx crystals and the amount of kidney-associated oxalate was biochemically measured. Using 0.5 vol.% EG, only a part of the rats showed CaOx deposition in the renal cortex and/or medulla, without obvious differences between Wistar and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. If a dietary EG concentration of 0.75, 1.0, or 1.5 vol.% was used, the amount of kidney-associated oxalate was proportionally higher and CaOx crystal formation was consistently found in all rats. Most crystals were encountered in the cortex, whereas in the medulla and the papillary region, crystals were only occasionally detected. From these data, we conclude that in the chronic rat model, based on EG and vitamin D3, a consistent deposition of CaOx crystals is obtained using a EG concentration of at least 0.75%.
Inappropriate leachate treatment could cause contamination of  groundwater, surface water, and can have a negative impact on public health. The leachate treatment plant (LTP) was  evaluated on the performance and recommended the appropriate technology choices to improve it’s performance. Temperature, pH, DO, TDS were field tested. BOD, COD, TSS, NH 3 and Pb were tested in the laboratory. It was tested  once a week as much as 6 times. The performance then compared to the leachate quality standards and design criteria based on the literature. The test results showed that  LTP’s outlet of TSS 531.33 mg/L, TDS 4201.50 mg/L, BOD 194.08 mg/L, COD 423.33 mg/L, NH 3 208, 27 mg/L exceed the quality standards of each 200 mg/L, 2000 mg/L, 50 mg/L, 100 mg/L and 1 mg/L. LTP performance on BOD removal in facultative pond at 4.08%,  maturation pond BOD and NH 3 14.34% and 12.70%, on a rock filter TSS and BOD 21.27% and 19.04%, respectively were bellow design criteria standards. The poor performance of LTP was caused by low DO due to excessive loading on facultative and maturation ponds.  The ratio of BOD/COD from 0.48 to 0.51 indicates that leachate can still be treated by aerobic biological system with some modifications. Keywords : leachate , stabilization ponds, facultative, maturation, rock fil ter
The present paper describes the initial ideas for the author PhD thesis dissertation. The main goal of the research is to use Federated Identity and Access Management techniques in widespread use in academic networks, and more every day on the whole Internet, to the controlled, accountable and open access to health information over the Internet as well as controlling and securing the linkage of such data to a given individual. The challenge is to open the data buried in health records for research without giving out information that will allow to identify the individual persons. All of it keeping the real owners of the data, the individuals, in control of the information release. For this, we propose federated identity use to control access to linkage information about medical acts made publicly available. Using this technique, it would be even possible to provide totally anonymous informed health care. Keywords-health record; security; accountability; Federated Identity and Access Management.
This paper investigates the effectiveness of adversarial training in enhancing the robustness of Deep Q-Network (DQN) policies to state-space perturbations. We first present a formal analysis of adversarial training in DQN agents and its performance with respect to the proportion of adversarial perturbations to nominal observations used for training. Next, we consider the sample-inefficiency of current adversarial training techniques, and propose a novel Adversarially-Guided Exploration (AGE) mechanism based on a modified hybrid of the $ epsilon$-greedy algorithm and Boltzmann exploration. We verify the feasibility of this exploration mechanism through experimental evaluation of its performance in comparison with the traditional decaying $ epsilon$-greedy and parameter-space noise exploration algorithms.
Non-line of sight(NLOS) propagation is the dominant factor resulting in location error.Study on the statistical property of RSSI is beneficial to improving the accuracy of location.Because of its simple equipment and high accuracy,fingerprinting positioning technology based on RSSI becomes the focus for the research of positioning technology in recent years.Based on the in-depth analysis of RSSI statistical property and combined with the relationship between AP ID and the location of MS(Mobile Station),an improved fingerprinting location algorithm based on the filter of AP ID is proposed.And with the simulation platform of MATLAB,the fingerprinting location algorithms are simulated and analyzed.The simulation results show that the proposed method could reduce the computational complexity while improving the location accuracy.
Since the reference MRAM cells and a method for writing the cell. The present disclosure relates to a method for self-referencing MRAM cell comprising a magnetic tunnel junction for writing, the magnetic tunnel junction comprising: a memory layer, the memory layer comprises a first ferromagnetic layer having magnetization in a first memory, a second memory having magnetization of the second ferromagnetic layer, and separating the first non-magnetic coupling layer and second ferromagnetic layer; sensing layer, which has a free sense magnetization; and a includes a tunnel between the sensing layer and the memory layer, a barrier layer; a first and second ferromagnetic layers are arranged such that the dipolar coupling between the storage layer and the sense layer is substantially free; the method comprising: passing a spin-polarized current through the magnetic tunnel junction to convert a second ferromagnetic magnetization; wherein, according to the direction of polarization is sensed when the magnetization spin polarized current passing in the sensing layer. The MRAM cell can be written to at low power consumption.
In Germany,traumatic brain injury (TBI) has an annual incidence of approximately 200000. In contrast to earlier assumptions, pituitary insufficiency is a common complication of TBI, with a prevalence of 30-50%. Since the symptoms are often nonspecific and may be masked by the sequelae of head injury, it may go unrecognized and may possibly aggravate the symptomatology of such injury. It is therefore to be recommended that patients who suffer a head injury should be examined to exclude pituitary gland insufficiency, by measuring the basal hormone level--where necessary in combination with stimulation tests.
And a second set positioned between the sound inlet and the diaphragm within the housing; a housing; a diaphragm disposed within the housing; a first sound inlet and the second sound inlet: An electret condenser microphone, comprising acoustically resistive material in the sound path. The acoustically resistive material may also be electrically coupled to a backplane amplifier disposed within the housing, the backing plate coupled to the diaphragm.
About the relationship between man and nature, th e ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius put forward the idea of heaven and man in harmony, which stressed the harmony and balance between them while another anci ent Chinese philosopher proposed the idea of separation of man from heaven, whi ch emphasized man's remake and exploitation of nature based on the respect for o bjective law Since the two kinds of viewpoints are complementary , they can be combined with each other, from which people may get valuable enlightment in de aling with the relationship between man and nature—the proper combination of the remake of nature with the protection of the ecological environment—so as to establish a comprehensive and harmonious relationship between man and nature
Medical fraud is a new form of civil tort behavior,and the paper tries to discover the institutional reasons behind the behavior by describing its status quo,defining the concept,summing up its nature,and studying the responsibility.At present,the problem is very serious,and we should pay great attention to it.Responsibility should be made clear within the framework of law,and regulations should be made to recover law-protected medical order,protect the rights of both doctors and patients,and promote the harmonious relationship between them.
Wetlands play a key role in regional and global environments and are critically linked to many major issues such as climate change, water quality, the hydrological and carbon cycles, and wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Mapping wetlands and monitoring their change are a long-term task. Remote Sensing characters with macrocosm, dynamics, quantity, and comparability will largely favor wetland research, especially radar remote sensing, which is not limited by climate conditions, has been proved an effective tool in wetland monitoring. In this paper, the unique polarimetric data of RADARSAT-2 is investigated for wetland classification. The target decomposition is used for optimum characterization of wetland target scattering. In this study, it is shown that the polarimetric information provided by RADARSAT-2 permits discriminating eight classes of land surface, and leads to an effective unsupervised and supervised Wishart classification of Poyang Lake wetland. Hence, the combination of RADARSAT-2's polarimetric and all-weather capabilities should provide unique information for operational mapping and monitoring of wetlands.
This paper presents a survivability quantitative analysis method for network information system based on intrusion scenario. The method indicates that the survivability is not only relevant to the system but also to its running environment. So the survivability computing formulas are given according to attack scene. A case study proves the correctness and effectiveness of the method, it can find out the weak nodes that can be damaged by attacker and give the network administrator valuable suggestions to enhance system survivability.
Currently, the human diet includes different new products of seafishing, including non-fish--bivalves and gastropods, holothurias, echinoderms, jellyfishes that demands careful studying of their chemical composition. The purpose of the study was to determine the nutritional and biological value of all soft parts of the burrowing bivalve MOLLUSK Anadara broughtoni from the Far East region. It was established thatfood parts of a bivalve were significantly flooded (water content--73.5-84.2%), with the minimum water content in the adductor and maximum in the mantle. Dry solids are presented by organic (89-93%) and mineral (7-11%) components. Organic components consist of protein (14.6-20.7%), lipids (1.8-2.3%), carbohydrates (2.1-2.6%). The analysis of amino-acid composition of proteins of food parts of the mollusk of Anadara broughtonishowed the presence of all essential amino acids with slight differences in their content depending on the localization of the protein. All edible parts have tryptophan as the limiting amino acid. Muscle proteins have maximum level of lysine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine and tyrosine; mantle proteins--leucine, isoleucine and threonine; adductor proteins--valine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, methionine and cysteine. Predominant nonessential amino acids forproteins of all food pieces are glycine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, arginine. The coefficient of amino-acid score differences of adductor protein (31.7%) is less than the same of cloak by 3.7%. The indicator "biological value" is maximal for adductor (68.3%), but the differenceformuscle is only 0.83%. Mantle proteins are characterized by minimum biological value (64.6%). The coefficient of utility of amino acid composition of protein is maximalfor muscle (57.83%), and values for a cloak and an adductor differ slightly (55.81 and 55.96%). Taurine content in food parts of a mollusk Anadara broughtoni is rather high compared to with other bivalve mollusks of the Far East region. Muscle tissue has maximal content of taurine (569.3 +/- 28.2 mg/100 g wet tissue), adductor occupies an intermediate position (387.9 +/- 18.2 mg/100 g wet tissue) and the minimum content of this amino acid is characteristic for mantle (297.1 +/- 13.4 mg/100 g wet tissue).
Non-motorized traveling embraces ideas of equity and harmony,human-friendly and sustainable development,especially for today when looms a tight energy supply plus a worsening of traf-fic congestion in large cities,and planning a non-motorized traffic system with high quality could guide the traveling public to come up with a new understanding of how they might travel daily.In light of ideas of planning and design of ped and bike system both at home and abroad,this paper starts with a ped and bike system plan-ning in line with current urban development of Hangzhou City,as well as the strategic target and main planning contents,and further introduces a guidance for planning and design from the perspectives of road conditions,street space,facilities and environment of pedes-trian and bicycling.The paper concludes with characteristics of the planning,i.e the use of the method of zoning and classification,the introduction of the definition "guidance of planning and design",and planning of pedestrian and bicycling along river.
Finance Commissions have progressively let sophisticated mathematical and statistical methods determine their recommendations. This approach was not free of deficiencies of varying kind and seriousness, but worse, it brought in its wake two elements inimical to the participative process of revenue sharing: obscurity, bordering on opacity, of the rationale of recommendations, and lack of accountability for their deficiencies. This critical review of past Commissions' work attempts to remind the new Commission of this reality and alert the state governments to it.
A designing method of Security-control Data Collection and Control System is put forward in order to solve the existing problems of the security and protection of intelligent community. Based on RS-485 interface protocol, the system adopts MAX487 of Maxim Integrated Products to construct the uptown net, MCU with high performance and other peripheral circuits as its mainly hardware. Connecting the terminal management system and in-door control system,it realizes the real-time inspecting of various in-door accident. The system features good security, low cost, high efficiency and convenience in popularization.
The utility model provides a hub and a bicycle provided with the same. The hub is characterized by being provided with a shaft sleeve, a shaft sleeve combining part, a rim, spokes and spoke ribs, wherein the shaft sleeve combining part is arranged at the periphery of the shaft sleeve and is combined with the shaft sleeve; the rim is arranged at the periphery of the shaft sleeve combining part; the spokes are arranged between the shaft sleeve combining part and the rim and used for connecting the shaft sleeve combining part with the rim; each spoke rib is arranged between every two adjacent spokes; the shaft sleeve, the shaft sleeve combining part, the rim, the spokes and the spoke ribs are molded to form a whole body; and each spoke rib comprises a spoke reinforcing rib combined with each spoke, and a rim reinforcing rib which is arranged on the inner side of the rim and is combined with the rim.
The invention relates to a glass roof of a motor vehicle, comprising a fixed part (111) and a panel (112) that is mobile with respect to the fixed part (111), able to close an opening (13) formed in or next to said fixed part (111), in a closed position, the movement of said mobile panel (112) being implemented with the aid of two shuttles (24) guided in translation respectively in two rails (21), each of said shuttles (24) engaging with a peg (26) secured to said mobile panel (112). According to the invention, said mobile panel (112) carries two bearing elements (23) that bear against bearing surfaces (R) formed respectively on a longitudinal portion of said rails (21), defining a third movement zone in which said mobile panel (112) is slid with respect to said fixed part (111), parallel to the rails (21), said bearing surface (R) being interrupted in an end portion of each of said rails (21) so as to allow said bearing elements (23) to move in a direction perpendicular to said rails (21).
In this age of rapid developments in emergency medicine and access to advanced life-saving techniques, familiarity with pre-hospital first-aid principles is of key importance. Increasing numbers of procedures of varying degrees of complexity and difficulty are performed in dental offices each year, from filling simple dental cavities to complex surgical techniques and the use of additional equipment and medication. Dental offices are visited by patients of various ages and, as a consequence of the ageing of our society, increasing numbers of patients suffer from chronic internal or neurological ailments. The purpose of this paper is to outline methods and procedures to be applied in a dental office in life-threatening emergency situations, analyzing the literature and the procedure algorithms related to life-threatening situations. Such situations can occur at any time due to aggravation of a patient’s underlying disease, or the occurrence of an anaphylactic reaction directly related to dental procedures. In these situations appropriate steps taken in pre-hospital conditions can increase the patient’s chances of survival (Adv Clin Exp Med 2011, 20, 4, 527–533).
This research elaborated the Turkestan’s life Muslim community in 1941 – 1945 under the Soviet Union. This research made based on researcher’s interest in the history of the Soviet Union’s Muslim community especially the Muslim community in Turkestan whowere in an apprehensive extreme condition when they were under the Stalin regime rule. That was the reason why Turkestan’s Muslim community finally fought back. The research aimed to identify the Turkestan Legion’s effort in fighting back Stalin’s regime. The method was the historical method. Turkestan’s Muslim community fought backbecause Stalin made a discriminative rule and disserve Turkestan’s Muslim community, such as prohibiting the religious freedom and occupied over all natural resources in Turkestan, which resulting poverty and hunger for Turkestan’s Muslim community because Turkestan got nothing from them. Therefore, when Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1942, it benefited the Turkestan Muslim community by made cooperation with Germany to fight The Stalin regime. The cooperation between Germany and Turkestan Muslim community marked by forming Germany voluntary soldier with a special member from Turkestan’s Muslim community named TurkestanLegion. Not only used by Germany in fighting in the Soviet Union, but Turkestan Legion also took part in the fighting in Western Front faced England and the United State of America in Normandy.
Alternative methods to provide space conditioning in supermarkets were studied. Four basic air-conditioning systems were selected for evaluation in a store in Miami, Florida: (1) conventional vapor compression systems, (2) vapor compression air-conditioning systems designed for supermarket loads, (3) hybrid desiccant air-conditioning systems, and (4) cool storage systems. Computer models were created and annual simulations of performance were made. The impacts on energy use and cost of circulation flow rate, store humidity set point, heat pipe heat exchangers, and climate on energy use and cost were determined. Dual path electric systems and desiccant systems were found to consume the least electrical energy. Savings of the desiccant system are partially offset by natural gas needed to reactivate the desiccant. Single path systems with reduced circulation air flow consumed significantly less electricity than the conventional system. Lower humidity shifts the air-conditioning load from the refrigerated cases to the HVAC system and reduces the electrical use for all but the conventional system. Heat pipe heat exchangers provide little benefit. Flat and time-of-use electric rate schedules were used to estimate operating savings and to determine the cost effectiveness of the alternative approaches.
Our goal is to develop an interactive software GraSMA that illustrates the execution of mathematical algorithms in the context of numerical methods. We want to create a working tool for teachers and learning tool for students. To achieve it we only use free software (as it is the Open Source software). The strategy followed was to extend the original algorithm code, implemented in Octave, with inspector instructions, recording in a XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file everything that happened during the execution. Subsequently, the XML file is parsed by a Java application that graphically represents the mathematic objects and their behaviour during execution. In this paper, we report the procedures followed, the difficulties encountered and the first results we achieved. Index Terms — E-Learning Tool, Numerical Methods, Open Source Software, Octave, OpenGL, Code Instrumentation. ——————————  ——————————
Vaunting his own refusal to boast, he would appear to advocate a ban on all discussions of ethical issues, lest someone actually believe in the validity of one position and, believing in it, sound too proud. Should fear of appearing self-righteous keep vegetarians from doing what is right? If it is right not to consume the flesh of sentient beings, is there not also a moral imperative to make the reasons public? Opponents of infanticide and suttee are not content with eschewing the practices themselves.
6-year-continuing-long culture experiment of the Guanxi red-fleshed honey pomelo's cultivation in Pinghe County was conducted,the results showed lime,and Poncirus trifoliate had small effects on the engraft survival rate as red-fleshed honey pomelo's rootstocks,but lime seed germination rate was high;fruit-storage method was best for lime seed,seed was collected in current year,and insemination and seedling raising were conducted in current year;the survival rates were relatively high with 2 engraft methods introduced in this paper;the afforestation density was best,600 treees/hm2 for Ⅰtype of land,and best,750 trees/hm2 for Ⅱ type of land;the fruit quality with applying green fertilizer with organic manure was better than the quality with applying chemical fertilizer with weeding and perform deep tillage;top grafting could effectively improve bad honey pomilo variety.
In the last decade, there has been a resurgence of interest in tidal power as a renewable, and environmentally friendly source of electricity. Scotland is well placed in this regard, as the currents in the surrounding seas are primarily tidal; that is to say, driven by lunar and solar tides. Investigations into tidal streams as an energy source, their viability in particular locales, the efficient organisation of marine turbine farms, and most importantly, the effect of such farms on the environment, demand the use of computational fluid dynamics for effective modelling. They also require a turbine model sophisticated enough to generate realistic power output and wakes for a variety of flow conditions, yet simple enough to simulate a number of turbines on modest computing resources. What is presented here then, is the justification for such a model, the development and deployment of it during my PhD, and my validation of the model in a variety of environments.
An important line of recent literature has found gender differences in attitudes toward competition, with men being more likely to choose competitive incentive schemes, even when factors such as ability and risk aversion are controlled for. This paper examines the effect of information on the gender gap in tournament entry. We present experimental evidence that the competitiveness difference between men and women declines significantly when individuals are given performance feedback before making their incentive scheme choice. The result suggests that policies that reduce uncertainty can reduce the gender gap in tournament entry.
Many barriers exist in health care that limit and or prevent Aboriginal women from receiving culturally competent care during childbirth. Social, political, and economic factors exclude Aboriginal women, such as Mi’kmaq women from receiving the same privileges as other women in society. Safe and effective childbirth care requires caring and competent health care providers. These providers need to understand health from the clients’ perspectives. Lack of knowledge and respect on clients’ views of health only perpetuates misunderstanding and creates barriers to health. Afat I. Meleis (1996) maintains that providing culturally competent care should not be viewed as a luxury but rather an essential component of health care (1). This paper is based on a recent qualitative study that was conducted in a First Nations community in Nova Scotia. The purpose of the study was to provide new knowledge and gain greater understanding about Mi’kmaq women’s childbirth experiences, which occur in a large tertiary care center outside their rural Nova Scotian Community. This study explored their perceptions of culturally appropriate care during childbirth. Four themes were identified that described their experiences of giving birth in a non-Aboriginal health care setting. They included unpreparedness for childbirth, professional relations as sites for invalidation, access to health care, and support during birthing. Discussion included issues around effectiveness of care, marginalization, and the meaning of childbirth. Continued collaboration and commitment from stakeholders including governments, health professionals, administrators, academics, and communities are required to address and improve health inequalities for Mi’kmaq women and families.
Background: Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a common complication after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT), characterized by fibroproliferation, fibrotic occlusion of small airways, and poor prognosis. As BO is strongly associated with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), it is believed to be a pulmonary manifestation of chronic GVHD. The management of BO comprises the augmentation of immunosuppressive therapy, but treatment response is generally poor. Here, we investigated the effect of methylprednisolone (mPRED), cyclosporine A (CsA), and tacrolimus (FK506) on the proliferative capacity of fibroblasts isolated from surgical lung biopsies of SCT patients with histologically proven BO.  Methods: Primary cultures of human lung fibroblasts were grown from surgical lung biopsies obtained from 8 patients with BO after SCT. Fibroblasts were stimulated with increasing concentrations of each drug, and cell proliferation was assessed by [3H]-thymidine incorporation.  Results: In fibroblasts derived from patients with BO after SCT low concentrations of CsA (0.01 mg/l, 0.1 mg/l) and FK506 (0.001 mg/l, 0.01 mg/l) significantly induced proliferation compared to untreated cells. Only high dose CsA (50 mg/l) and FK506 (5 mg/l) exerted an anti-proliferative effect in primary human lung fibroblasts derived from BO patients. mPRED caused an inhibition of proliferation in clinically relevant concentrations (10 mg/l, 50 mg/l).  Conclusion: Our data suggest that calcineurin inhibitors such as CsA and FK506 have no beneficial effect during the fibroproliferative phase of BO following allogeneic SCT.
As one of the most proactive countries in international education, UK has formulated research theories in higher education internationalization. Under the framework of Process Approach, this article explores the strategies, policies, and implementation practice of British Universities by a case study. The article patterns the findings into the overall institutional internationalization strategies and polices, and the government’s influence. Afterwards, the article analyses the characteristics of British HE Internationalization, including emphasis on students and teachers taking-in, on education quality and university reputation, being profit-oriented, and being active in education marketing. The last part proposes suggestions on Chinese HE internationalization: adopting a decentralized managing mode, establishing internationalized programs, improving assistance service system, and etc.
IN STUDYING THIS BOOK, one is ironically reminded of Fux's Aloysius,1 who soars through the various species of counterpoint with the greatest of ease, perhaps even fooling the unwary reader into believing that the Gradus ad Parnassum consist of a leisurely stroll to be achieved in an afternoon (or perhaps two). The reader is certainly at no such risk with Learning to Compose, arguably the first in a long line of such Lehrbuicher to approach the incredibly complex synthesis of vision, art, craft, and so forth that is composition at those complex and difficult levels, not by watering it down to mere dogmatic "recipes" for well-formed musical structures or propaedeutic examples cataloging every imaginable technique, but by
The current study evaluated the cytotoxic activity of 11-(1,4-bisaminopropylpiperazinyl)5-methyl-5H-indolo[2,3-b]quinoline (BAPPN), a novel derivative of 5-methyl-5H-indolo[2,3-b]quinoline, against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), colon carcinoma (HCT-116), breast (MCF-7), and lung (A549) cancer cell lines and the possible molecular mechanism through which it exerts its cytotoxic activity. BAPPN was synthesized and characterized with FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. The binding affinity scores of BAPPN for caspase-3 PDB: 7JL7 was −7.836, with an RMSD of 1.483° A. In silico screening of ADME properties indicated that BAPPN showed promising oral bioavailability records in addition to their high gastrointestinal absorption and blood–brain barrier penetrability. BAPPN induced cytotoxicity, with IC50 values of 3.3, 23, 3.1, and 9.96 μg/mL against cancer cells HepG2, HCT-116, MCF-7, and A549, respectively. In addition, it induced cell injury and morphological changes in ultracellular structure, including cellular delayed activity, vanishing of membrane blebbing, microvilli, cytoplasmic condensation, and shrunken nucleus with more condensed chromatin autophagosomes. Furthermore, BAPPN significantly increased the protein expression of caspase-3 and tumor suppressor protein (P53). However, it significantly reduced the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein into the medium and decreased the protein expression of proliferation cellular nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Ki67 in HepG2, HCT-116, MCF-7, and A549 cells. This study indicates that BAPPN has cytotoxic action against liver, colon, breast, and lung cancer cell lines via the up-regulation of apoptotic proteins, caspase-3 and P53, and the downregulation of proliferative proteins, VEGF, PCNA, and Ki67.
The authors’ intent is to examine the current direction of reforms in Poland’s higher education in the light of the fulfilled Nordic utopia, i.e. the systemie Solutions in school education and universities which Poland’s higher education is aiming for, ideologically and structurally. Despite many years of tradition in employing universities as a tool to establish the idea of egalitarism and social utilitarianism within a welfare State, Nordic countries have gradually modified their higher education policies in the last twenty years, making significant steps towards replacing the State control model with a more loose State supervision over the sector. Therefore, they went ahead of Poland in making a change which theoreticians put in a broader context of evolution from the Humboldtian to the Anglo- American model of higher education. The paper focuses on key aspects and dividing lines between the Anglo-American model and the Humboldtian model, making a reference to two meta-areas of higher education i.e. management and funding. The proposed Polish Solutions are juxtaposed with the already-implemented Nordic Solutions in order to show that this process is more complex than one might assume on the basis of formulaic descriptions of ideal types.
The aim of the study was to identify and appraise the participation of women in household and community decision-making and its implications for their empowerment. Test samples were selected through a multi–stage random sampling technique. A total of ninety respondents were chosen from the five sampled wards, and ten communities from the study area. Data were collected through a structured interview schedule and analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that, about 30% of the respondents were between the ages of (31-40) years. Majority (77.7%) was married and half of them (54.4%) had no formal education. The findings also reveals that, (78.9%) of the women take active part in making decisions at their various households while (76.67%) take part in community decision-making. The respondents were grouped into three, based on their participatory scores as; low (33.3%), average (61.1%) and high (5.6%). Chi Square analyses indicated that, marital status (χ2 = 2.54, p Keywords : Appraisal, rural women, participation, household, community and decision-making. Bowen Journal of Agriculture Vol. 5 (1&2) 2008: pp. 32-40
Rose is an important ornamental flower which is one of species that contains the highest amount of producing and exporting of cut branches around the world as well as in Iran. One of the most important researching issues in cut branches is to lengthen the life of these branches by using un chemical methods through application of medical plant essence in a proper density. This study was done in agricultural department of Zahedan Azad university by doing an experiment with a split plot frame work and randomly chosen samples in order to investigate the effect of plant compounds as antimicrobial compounds which have been used in flower conservative solutions. The used essence included hot mint, cumin and carnation, in five different levels (0, 100, 200, 300, 400 PPM). The zing features have been studied every four days until the twentieth day. Therefore, based on the results of the study, using carnation and hot mint - more than cumin - leads to increasing the percent of solution, weight and diameter of flower and reducing the flower withering. However, the hot mint (300 PPM) has a positively effective role on mentioned features which makes the flower life longer after 20 days of harvesting. Therefore it is recommended to use this compound with 300 PPM in conservative solution of rose in order to lengthen the flower life after picking them up.
Society (as mandated by the Clean Air Act) requires that we protect our environment and minimize human exposure to harmful air pollutants with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The authors also seek to minimize the economic costs of the necessary pollution control to meet the NAAQS targets. Air quality simulation models, and associated monitoring of air pollution provide information about current pollution levels. The models will require the handling of myriad of types and quality of information including input data such as emission inventories, boundary conditions, meteorological information, as well as solving numerous systems of equations that describe current understanding of the relevant and contributing processes. The EPA Models-3 system is currently being developed to satisfy these requirements and to provide a computational platform that will serve the air pollution community in their quest for the optimal air pollution control strategy.
Access to basic healthcare is a major persisting problem around the globe, especially in rural parts of the world. One of the many facets of this problem is access to vaccine treatment. The transportation and storage of vaccines at the proper temperature is an issue that is still being solved and improved upon today. One of the common solutions to this problem is the use of passive coolers such as ice packs and other refrigerants. The potential issue with passive cooling is that the temperature cannot be actively controlled. This is evident, as many vaccines are wasted due to incorrect storage temperature. Additionally, these products are generally bulky in size. In order to solve both the issue of transportation and storage, we designed an active cooling system using thermoelectric modules that keep vaccines and blood samples at the proper storage temperature range of 2-8 °C. This device was designed to be transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and is equipped with a temperature control system as well as a battery pack. This delivery system was conceptualized and fabricated by the SkyPort social enterprise project, a group of mechanical engineers split into teams to focus on different aspects of the system. As the team responsible for the payload, we developed a device that stores up to 6 vaccine vials and 3 blood sample vacutainers at a temperature of 5 °C. The payload operates with a feedforward loop, controlled by the temperature of the chamber and environment. Our design operates in ambient temperatures of 40 °C for over 10 hours. The SkyPort UAV is a viable and innovative alternative to vaccine delivery because it does not rely on ground transportation infrastructure. In addition, the temperature control system maintains the vaccines and blood samples at the required temperature range, ensuring that they remain safe during transport. This is still a proof-of-concept design and can be improved upon further to produce a refined product. The device can be improved in terms of efficiency and manufacturability in addition to user interface.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) was originally described as an exclusively digestive disease causing early death in infants due to extreme malnutrition before any sign of respiratory illness had developed. Once the pathological etiology was established, the suggestion was logical to introduce pancreatic enzyme therapy. One of the key findings in the care for people with CF was that energy is the magic cornerstone, which should be provided by food, rich in taste and calories. The next important step was to introduce enteral feeding using nasogastric tube and subsequently via gastrostomy. The help of psychologists is also invaluable in behavioural feeding problems at any age but especially in pre-school children. Since the earliest years, fat soluble vitamins were supposed to be problematic in CF because of the fat malabsorption. Their supplementation has been introduced and nowadays new specific preparations are available. Essential fatty acids and ω-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids – increasingly have been demonstrated to be beneficial. Finally, feeding of newborns and infants has received the required attention. In many countries diagnosis is made at an early age thanks to systematic newborns screening. This is as efficient as the subsequent follow-up. At first stages breast-feeding should be continued. When it becomes impossible or not efficient, industry now puts a special formula (Cystilac) at our disposal, containing more energy, partially hydrolyzed protein, MCT fat, more salt, calories and vitamins, needing less enzyme substitution.
Radiation therapy services provide essential therapeutic procedures for cancer, one of the main causes of population morbidity and mortality. Despite their importance in the health system and their potential risks due to the use of ionizing radiation, there are few studies on such services. We evaluated compliance with technical standards for radiological protection in radiation therapy services in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Forty-nine services were studied in 2000 through interviews with technical staff. Typologies of performance profiles focusing on structure and process variables were constructed and services compared. Important differences were observed in the services' positions in the health care system, level of complexity, and geographic distribution, with better average performance in structural conditions but very inadequate performance in patient protection, indicating the need for more effective health surveillance.
The kinetics of formation reaction of Zn 2SiO 4 during roasting the sphalerite concentrate with high silica was investigated. The effects of temperature, particle size on the formation rate of Zn 2SO 4 were also studied. The results show that the kinetics of formation reaction of Zn 2SiO 4 fits a shrinking core model, and the control step is solid film diffusion. The activation energy was calculated to be 406?kJ/mol and the rate constants were determined. Thus a general kinetic rate equation was developed. The effective method of controlling rate formation of Zn 2SiO 4 is to increase properly the particle size and lower the temperature to 860?℃ or so. [
In matched observational studies, the inferred causal conclusions pretending that matching has taken into account all confounding can be sensitive to unmeasured confounding. In such cases, a sensitivity analysis is often conducted, which investigates whether the observed association between treatment and outcome is due to effects caused by the treatment or it is due to hidden confounding. In general, a sensitivity analysis tries to infer the minimum amount of hidden biases needed in order to explain away the observed association between treatment and outcome, assuming that the treatment has no effect. If the needed bias is large, then the treatment is likely to have significant effects. The Rosenbaum sensitivity analysis is a modern approach for conducting sensitivity analysis for matched observational studies. It investigates what magnitude the maximum of the hidden biases from all matched sets needs to be in order to explain away the observed association, assuming that the treatment has no effect. However, such a sensitivity analysis can be overly conservative and pessimistic, especially when the investigators believe that some matched sets may have exceptionally large hidden biases. In this paper, we generalize Rosenbaum's framework to conduct sensitivity analysis on quantiles of hidden biases from all matched sets, which are more robust than the maximum. Moreover, we demonstrate that the proposed sensitivity analysis on all quantiles of hidden biases is simultaneously valid and is thus a free lunch added to the conventional sensitivity analysis. The proposed approach works for general outcomes, general matched studies and general test statistics. Finally, we demonstrate that the proposed sensitivity analysis also works for bounded null hypotheses as long as the test statistic satisfies certain properties. An R package implementing the proposed method is also available online.
BACKGROUND Multi-minicore disease is a rare form of myopathy characterized by slowly progressive or nonprogressive muscle weakness and characteristic multiple cores within the muscle fibers. To the best of our knowledge, this is first documentation of the clinicopathological features of this rare entity from India.   MATERIALS AND METHODS A ll cases of multi-minicore disease diagnosed in our laboratory were retrieved. Clinical and pathological features were reviewed.   RESULT During a period of two years (January 2004 to December 2005), we received 985 muscle biopsies for various reasons. Of which, 15 were diagnosed as myopathies and four of which were of multi-minicore disease. Thus, multi-minicore disease comprises 0.40% of all muscle diseases and 26.6% of all myopathies. All were male and presented in early childhood (first decade of life) with generalized hypotonia and muscle weakness. All of them had dysmorphic facies and three had high arched palate. CPK levels were normal and EMG was myopathic except in one patient. Microscopic examination revealed minimal changes with Type I fibers' predominance but characteristic multiple cores in the myofibers. Ultrastructural examination showed both structured and unstructured cores.   CONCLUSIONS Multi-minicore disease, although a rare form of myopathies, should be suspected in children who present with generalized hypotonia and slowly progressive muscle weakness along with dysmorphic facies.
The spaA gene encoding mature surface protective antigen A(SpaA)without signal peptide was amplified from genomic DNA of E.rhusiopathiae C43065 by PCR,The BamHⅠand HindⅢdigested PCR product was cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET32a to generate a recombinant plasmid pET-spaA.The recombinant protein rSpaA was expressed in E.coli BL21 harboring the recombinant plasmid pET-spaA by IPTG inducing,and the expressed protein was determined by SDS-PAGE.The DNA sequence analysis showed that the spaA gene of C43065 strain was 1794 bp in length.SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a single protein band with a molecular weight of 86 kDa successfully expressed in E.coli BL21.The expressed protein of rSpaA will contribute to further study on protective domain of this protein.
Effect of curing agents and roasting parameters on acid value,peroxide value of Cantonese sausage was determined,and roast parameters for manufacture sausage were also optimized by response surface analysis.The results showed that main curing ingredients of Cantonese sausage retarded lipolysis and lipids oxidation during drying process.Temperature and humidity influenced acid value of Cantonese sausage obviously;increase of acid value in Cantonese sausage which roasted by high temperature(55～60℃) was restrained in storage.The optimum drying conditions were determined by response surface analysis as follows:high temperature,59.5℃;high temperature roasting time,16.2h;and low temperature,37℃.Verification experiment showed that Cantonese sausage,manufactured under the optimized conditions,prolonged shelf life to 50d at 30℃ in bulk.
The extracting process with acid-water method was optimized for berberine from Rhizoma Coptis by orthogonal test.The minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC)was measured by method of bacteriostasis tests in vitro with eight kinds of pathogenic Escherichia coli.The results showed that the optimum extracting process was C3B3A1,namely,0.2%sulfuric acid,the cold-maceration for 72h,salting out with salt at 15%.MIC of berberine against pathogenic Escherichia coli was 0.50-1.50 mg/mL.Thus,berberine was shown to have significant inhibition on the pathogenic Escherichia coli.
Improvement in left ventricular function following intra-aortic balloon pumping (IABP) in 15 patients (aged 51 to 86 years) after coronary artery bypass grafting was evaluated. Using transesophageal atrial echocardiography, the mitral flow velocity integrals in the rapid filling phase (IntR) and in the contraction phase (IntA) were measured from transmitral flow patterns, and the sum of IntR and IntA (IntR + IntA), and the ratios of IntA to IntR (IntA/IntR) were calculated for ON and OFF states of balloon pumping (IABP OFF test). The same parameters were determined during 1:2 assist balloon pumping (IABP 1:2 test); the cardiac cycle with balloon assist was defined as "ON", and that without balloon assist as "OFF". 1. IABP OFF test: IABP increased IntR from 6.4 +/- 1.6 cm to 7.6 +/- 1.9 cm (p less than 0.01), suggesting that a decreased afterload improves left ventricular relaxation. IntA did not change with balloon assist (ON 3.5 +/- 1.2 cm, OFF 3.7 +/- 1.2 cm). IntR + IntA increased from 10.0 +/- 2.0 cm to 11.1 +/- 2.4 cm during IABP (p less than 0.01). IABP reduced the IntA/IntR from 0.62 +/- 0.25 to 0.50 +/- 0.20 (p less than 0.01). The increment in the IntA/IntR without IABP suggests that impaired diastolic filling of the left ventricle due to an increased afterload may be compensated for by enhanced left atrial contraction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The paper discusses Rush Rhees’ critique of Wittgenstein, concerning the question of the essence of language. While Wittgenstein, in Philosophical Investigations, keeps on insisting that there is no such thing as the essence of language (PI, § 65), Rhees, in “Wittgenstein’s Builders”, argues for the opposite: that there has to be something in language to be called its essence, and sees this crucial element in “discourse”, “dialogue” or “conversation”. The present analysis reveals these aspects of Rhees’ reflections to be parallel to Robert B. Brandom’s more recent inferentialist project. Accordingly, such semantic stances as essentialism, propositionalism, holism and inferentialism – characteristic of Brandom’s conception – are also ascribed to that of Rhees’, along with the claim that the core of language constitutes the inferentialist “game of giving and asking for reasons”. In § 65 of PI Wittgenstein articulated his widely known view that there is no such a thing as the essence of language: Instead of pointing out something common to all that we call language, I’m saying that these phenomena have no one thing in common in virtue of which we use the same word for all – but there are many different kinds of affinity between them. And on account of this affinity, or these affinities, we call them all “languages” (Wittgenstein 2009: 36) The affinity Wittgenstein speaks about here is the sort of similarity that can be called “family resemblances” between different “language games” (§ 66-67). Thus, there is no one specific game, or function, that would be essential for language, on virtue of which it can be named “language”. Various language games, like games in the ordinary sense of the word, are not covered by any common definition, nor do they share any joint constitutive content. Instead, they are connected far less strictly, being akin to each other in a way the family members are: they all do not have to manifest one characteristic feature, but still are somehow similar to each other. On the same basis, what we call “language” comprises a variety of different dimensions and activities, none of which plays a special, essential role. In § 18 of PI, this matter has been captured by a suggestive simile; Wittgenstein writes: Our language can be regarded as an ancient city: a maze of little streets and squares, of old and new houses, of houses with extensions from various periods, and all this surrounded by a multitude of new suburbs with straight and regular streets and uniform houses (Wittgenstein 2009: 22). As it is impossible to answer the question: “how many houses or streets does it take before a town begins to be a town?” (Wittgenstein 2009: 22), it is also unworkable to determine which and how many games it does take before language begins to be a language. The urban analogy of § 18 can be interpreted – for example after Harald Johanessen (Johanessen 2008: 67) – in the following way. The pursuit of the essence of language resembles the search for the downtown of such an old city. Our quest for it could proceed gradually by discarding its particular quarters, streets, parks and houses, in hope of discovering its true core. Similarly, the philosophical pursuit of the essence of language consists in progressively tearing different language games off, as to get to such a game that is constitutive of the language and thus can be regarded as its essence. This would be an autonomous language game, possible to be played out while, assumingly, not playing any other. Wittgenstein’s answer suggests that in both cases, the city and the language, there is no way to get to the core. In addition, it seems that Wittgenstein’s words ought not to be interpreted to mean only that an autonomous, complete, essential language game does not exist; it also means that many various, even if primitive, language games are autonomous, still none constitutes the linguistic essence. For, at the beginning of § 18, he emphasizes: Don’t let it bother you that languages (2) and (8) consist only of orders. If you want to say that they are therefore incomplete, ask yourself whether our own language is complete – whether it was so before the symbolism of chemistry and the notation of the infinitesimal calculus were incorporated into it (Wittgenstein 2009: 22). Some examples of such primitive but complete language games would be – while following Wittgenstein’s suggestions – a language consisting only of imperatives (§2, §8), of orders and reports in battle (§ 19), or “of questions and expressions for answering Yes and No” (§ 19) (Wittgenstein 2009: 22), or even Augustinian naming language of § 1. Yet, to repeat, the game that would constitute the real essence of language cannot exist.
This study investigated the relationship between the depressive attributional style described by Beck and Seligman and elevation of mood. It was proposed that mood elevation would reduce the level of depression and, in addition, would reduce the number of negative attributions. The reduction of negative attributions was assumed to be a more cognitively mediated process and was proposed to occur subsequent to mood change. These assumptions are contrary to the current cognitive theories of depression and attribution which view attributional style as a prerequisite to both the development and reduction of depression. Subjects were 30 undergraduate students between the ages of 19 and 40 years old who volunteered to participate in the study. They were screened on the basis of demonstrated depression (13 and above on the Beck Inventory) and susceptibility to hypnosis (high susceptibility on the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility) . Subjects were randcmly assigned to one of three groups; (1) hypnosis with mood elevation, (2) hypnosis with relaxation, and (3) no treatment control. The results supported the hypothesis that mood elevation would reduce level of depression. The mood elevation group demonstrated a lowering of depression. The effects of the treatment procedure did not appear until the fourth session. As anticipated, reduction in negative attributions did not precede or coincide with reduction in depression. It was not possible to determine the change in the attributional style of subject during the time period of this study. The results were discussed in terms of Bower's Associative Network Theory in which activation of mood facilitates the access to memories, behaviors, and interpretation of events which are congruent with the mood state.
This extended essay explores the validity of teaching twentieth century dystopian  fiction in twenty-first century classrooms. This extended essay explores changing state society  interactions, the role of the individual in a world in which technology is ubiquitous and  increasingly plays a role in driving those changes, the simultaneous perceived freeing and  enslaving tendencies of those same technologies, and the ambiguous relationship that exists  between these technologies and individuals. At the heart of the discussion is the question of  the compatibility of classical dystopian literature in the contemporary classroom.  The scope of the essay is not limited to one novel. The corner stones of twentieth  century dystopian literature such as Huxley’s Brave New World, Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-  Four and Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 are compared and contrasted with the popular dystopian  novels of the present which young adults prefer. Malley’s Declaration, Legacy & Resistance  trilogy and Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy are two of them. Literary commentaries and  articles from literature journals have been used to support the discussion.  This essay concludes that the aim of an author while creating a dystopia is to mirror  questionable or disturbing trends in his society in order to shift the direction that the society  appears to be taking. From this perspective, dystopian literature can be seen as embodying a  cautionary tale. Besides their literary value, the dystopias of the twentieth century may not be  able to offer a prescriptive point of view to young adults who have been born into a world  which in many respects is already characterized by the very context about which the classic  genre warns. This essay acknowledges the power of literary texts over the public and the  constructivist interplay that exists between an author and his society.
Technology trends are making communication, both on and off the microprocessor chip, more expensive relative to computation. In this dissertation, it is shown how a current-generation microprocessor spends over two-thirds of its time performing no useful work, stalled for memory. For the aggressive, modern processors that were measured, over half of the stalls due to memory result from insufficient memory bandwidth, as opposed to bank access or data transmission latency. While bandwidth limitations can be obviated by paying a sufficiently high price, in this dissertation hardware techniques to mitigate bandwidth-related performance losses are explored. The efficiency of caches is measured, showing that the fraction of useful data in the cache over time is generally under 20%. A theoretical lower bound is placed on the amount of bus traffic that a cache may produce, and it is shown that current caches generally produce one to two orders of magnitude more traffic than is necessary. A number of solutions are proposed for reducing traffic to improve performance. Two techniques are measured that dynamically adapt what is fetched upon a block miss, filtering unneeded data. The first policy is dual-size fetching , which alternates between fetching large and small blocks depending on how much spatial locality exists. The second is subblock prefetching, which fetches discontiguous sets of small blocks when stable usage patterns exist. A technique calledbus prioritization schedules speculative fetches on the bus, to reduce queueing delays for data that are needed by the processor. Cache and physical memory hybrids are explored, to better manage large on-processor memories. A memory hierarchy taxonomy is proposed, and a hybrid called the Indir ct Cache (ICE)—which manages an on-chip cache much like a physical memory, with its own page table and translation buffer—is evaluated. It is shown that the performance of ICE is both superior to and more stable than conventional alternatives. Finally, the distribution of processing power into physical memory, to reduce both memory latency and traffic, is explored. One such architecture is evaluated in detail (the DataScalar architecture), and it is shown that—for memory-limited applications—this scheme can offer significant speedups (9% to 100%).
Most developing countries exhibit a great variation with respect to the patterns of rural and urban development and poverty. It is noted that the process of rapid urbanization has contributed to the increase of circular migration between the rural and urban spheres. Thus it is noted that in the dynamics of poverty in the rapidly urbanizing countries have to be understood in the interplay between the rural and the urban spheres. As such this paper examines a sample of reports sponsored by the Poverty Strategies Initiative (PSI) of the UN Development Programme in 9 countries. These countries include Angola Lesotho South Africa and Zambia in sub-Saharan Africa; Maldives Nepal Palestine and Papua New Guinea in Asia; and Latvia in Eastern Europe. It identifies five rural-urban issues regarding the formulation of national poverty reduction strategies. This is followed by a presentation of several empirical findings contained in the PSI studies confirming that there is no emerging consensus on how rural-urban dynamics work. Furthermore details on how the prevalence of poverty is presented and explanations of rural-urban discrepancies are provided. How this is translated into policy prescriptions is indicated. Overall it is noted that analyzing poverty requires distilling insights on the rural-urban interface in these countries and identifying lacuna in the analyses.
The behaviour of hydrogen induced cracking of three low carbon alloysteels, 15Mn, 15MnVB and 20MnVB, has been studied in the aqueous solution of 0.1N HCl. Three different structures ,of them: bainite, tempered martensite and F/M dual-phase revealed after heat treatment. Using the data of the delayed failure and fracture mechanics tests, the σ_n/σ_(bn) vs t_f and da/dt vs K were plotted. The experimental results showed that the best susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement resistance is the structure of isothermal bainite, the worst one is of tempered martensite and F/M duai-phase structure is obviously reduced the hydrogen induced cracking tendency.
Reserve capacity is useful to all nodes of the grid. But different users at different nodes have different demands for power reliability. The integrated power consumption reliability model of the node is built, which takes two factors into consideration, i.e. reliability of generation and transmission system and uncertainty of load forecasting. Based on the principle that the power with high reliability has high reliability price, the influence of different reliability demand information from different users on the grid’s optimal reserve capacity is analyzed and a way to calculate different users’ reliability price is given. According to their own power consumption features and the reliability pricing published by power grid, the power consumers declare the demands of power supply reliability. And then the power grid company determines the reserve capacity according to the power consumers’ demand. The new mechanism proposed can satisfy the individualized reliability demands for reliability and is apt to be received by the power users and easy to be carried out.
Andri Purwanto. Annotated Translation of Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. Thesis. Faculty of Letters. Graduate Program. Gunadarma University. Jakarta: October 2009. This study entitled Annotated Translation of Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child discussed the problems of translation and some strategies of translation in dealing with medical text. The aim of this study was to annotate the translation of medical text. There were 25 items classified into words, phrases, clauses, sentences and idioms that were analyzed. The result of the analysis showed that there were four broad strategies employed in translating the medical text, namely syntactic strategies (shifting the word class, changing the phrase, clause or sentence, and adding or changing cohesion), semantic strategies (using hyponyms or superordinates, altering the level of abstraction, and redistributing more or fewer elements), pragmatic strategies (naturalizing or exoticizing, altering the level of explicitness, and adding or omitting information), emphasis on stylistic appropriateness (the choice of oral or written mode; the role of sociolinguistic and situational factors; the selection of appropriate genre and type of discourse; appropriate language varieties or styles; the choice of formal features and lexical items).
The authors report a case of an unusual site for chondromatosis in the hand: at the distal interphalangeal joint of the third ray. Swelling is the most important sign, without a history of trauma. A study of the literature revealed twelve publications of osteochondromatosis localised to the hand and only five at the interphalangeal joints of the fingers. The authors stress the necessity of a pathological examination and early surgery before joint destruction begins.
A constant velocity torque transmitting coupling presenting a dynamically balanced operation under variable degrees shaft misalignment in a transmission system. A plurality of rotatable linkages are mounted for revolution about a common axis and a link, rotatable about each end of a linkage, connects one end to a driving member and the other end to a driven member. A synchronizing linkage is connected between each of the links in a linkage.
Scientific knowledge has demonstrated that breastfeeding is the ideal method of feeding and nurturing infants and has recognised breastfeeding as primary in achieving optimal infant health, growth and development. Human milk is species-specific and offers a superior method of feeding. All other options differ markedly from it. Milk formulas are designed to mimic human milk as much as possible, but important compositional differences between human milk and formulas remain, and it is unlikely that this situation will change very soon, if ever. Thus, the breastfed infant remains the reference model against which all alternative feeding methods are measured, with regard to health, growth and development. Human milk has a dynamic nature and varies with time postpartum, but the variations of its composition with time of lactation match the changing needs of the growing infant. The role of the pediatrician is essential in promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in the hospital, medical schools, individual practices and in the community. The purpose of this review is to describe and provide insight into the nutritional benefits, the contributions to host defence and the social and psychological benefits of maternal-infant bonding obtained by breastfeeding. This paper also summarises other substantial advantages obtained when infants are fed at the breast and describes the rare situations and medical reasons when human milk is not recommended, when alternative options should be considered, or when breastfeeding must be closely monitored. Early identification of those infants fed at the breast who have inadequate intakes is important, also to preserve breastfeeding.
During the first 24 h of light-induced chloroplast development in Ochromonas danica , the single plastid nucleoid increases 4-fold in volume. During this interval, the concentration of DNA within the nucleoid, as determined by eye and by counts of fibrils per µm 2 of nucleoid sectioned, remains constant. Thus, on morphological grounds, it appears that the amount of plastid DNA increases 4-fold during greening. To determine whether the chloroplasts of light-grown cells contain more DNA than the proplastids of dark-grown cells, exponentially growing cultures of dark- and light-grown cells were each labelled for exactly one generation with [ 3 H]thymidine. After fixation, the cells were embedded in Araldite, and serial 1-µm sections through entire plastids and nuclei were prepared for autoradiography. In this study, the chloroplasts of light-grown cells incorporated almost 4 times as much label into DNA as the proplastids did, whereas the nuclei of the dark- and light-grown cells were equally labelled. Another study showed that light-grown cells have slightly more total cell DNA than dark-grown cells. These 2 studies provide prima facie evidence that chloroplasts contain more DNA than proplastids and support the hypothesis that an increase in plastid DNA accompanies chloroplast development in Ochromonas .
The limited time interval in which buildings were built during industrialisation period and the low degree of thermal insulation level of envelope members or inefficient cooperation of experts had as a consequence the defective design of a large number of buildings that today have to face issues such as inefficiency from energetically point of view, low interior confort, moisture and structural damages. Nowadays, the energy efficiency in buildings has become a critical and essential asp ect for sustainable development as well as for improving the dwellers comfort, diminishing the maintenance and utilities costs, or their impact upon the environment. The paper analyses the thermal balance of a residential building considering three constr uctive scenarios for highlighting the benefits (save energy for heating, reduce CO2 emission) resulting from designing the building envelope on the basis of sustainable reasons.
Abstract : Multinational operations under the direction of both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) have become the norm rather than the exception. In the light of an emerging partnership between these organizations, this paper analyzes the NATO Strategic Concept 2010 and assesses its consequences for the operational level of war and effective operational art in multinational operations. Because of changed fiscal realities in Europe there is a widening strategic military capability gap between the United States and European countries, and an increasing divergence between multinational ambitions and the reality of national military capability planning. The most significant outcomes for effective operational art in multinational operations are the following: first, the operational level of war needs to integrate civilian planning in campaign design, which requires an adaptation of NATO's command structure and its operational level doctrine; second, the study argues for an adaptation of existing NATO standardization agreement provisions for efficient operational logistics in multinational operations and enhanced tactical military training among European countries; and third, this will require a high effort in armament cooperation to make military equipment more interoperable. In this field, the European Defense Agency has great potential to become a key actor.
There is a trend in Thailand for the design of dwellings to move away from the traditional, climate responsive architecture towards a style influenced by western architecture. This trend means that buildings are less able to control the internal environment to comfortable conditions without mechanical air conditioning. One technique for reducing the scale of air conditioning is to apply thermal insulation in walls and roofs. This project is exploring the potential for using agricultural waste as the material for this thermal insulation, a solution which offers a reduction in resource use in addition to reducing energy consumed by air conditioning, similar to the use in the UK of sheep fleece as a thermal insulation to reduce heat loss. The criteria evaluated include the availability of agricultural waste materials, their physical properties when transformed into a useable product, methods of production and their environmental impacts. There are several possible materials including bagasse (the waste from sugarcane production), rice hulls, coconut husk, corn stalk, durian peel, and palm oil leaves. The results from preliminary evaluations have identified the three materials offering greatest potential are bagasse, rice hulls and coconut coir.
The present study aims to research the opinion of physiotherapy services users in  relation to the quality of healthcare provided by the associated/contracted to EOPYY  healthcare providers. The reason to choose this topic is the economic changes  occurring the last few years in Greece (the economic crisis) and the degree to which  these changes affected the healthcare services and specifically the service of  physiotherapy practice.  The finance of the Greek National Health System is mixed in terms that is provided  by the general taxation and national insurance of both public and private  bodies/operators. The healthcare system in Greece has many problems mainly in  relation to organization and finance that result in patients’ low satisfaction. Therefore,  it is important to regularly measure the level of satisfaction of the healthcare users in  order to acknowledge their problems and needs and hence enhance the healthcare  services accordingly.  The study of the healthcare users’ opinion aims to enhance the quality of the services  and in turn increase the users’ satisfaction for the healthcare service they receive. The  basic components for the quality of the healthcare service include organization,  procedures and results of the services, as well as behavior of the healthcare providers.  The measurement of patients’ satisfaction level consists of a fundamental indicator of  the quality level of the services. The patients’ opinion reflects their needs and  expectations from the healthcare system and the degree to which these have met or  not.  The methodology followed for the present study was mixed including narrative  review of the relevant literature followed by a survey on the satisfaction of the users  of physiotherapy services using structured questionnaires. The results from the  questionnaires on the satisfaction of patients to the physiotherapy healthcare are  promising and show that the quality of the service is of outstanding importance  (especially in the private sector).
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) also known as sea buckthorn is an ancient plant with modern virtues, due to its nutritional and medicinal value. It is a deciduous species, widely distributed all over the world, including India. It contains different kinds of nutrients and bioactive substances such as vitamins, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, free amino acids and elemental components etc. The fruit is the main component of value, although the leaves are occasionally made into sea buckthorn tea. The juice from the fleshy tissue and seed as a single seed from each berry provides a nutritious beverage, high in suspended solids and very high in vitamin C and carotenes. Medicinally, it has been proven to possess various pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, metabolic disorders, immunostimulatory activity, hepatoprotectant and anticancer activity. Several studies reveals the presence of various phytochemical constituents viz., flavonoids (isorhamnetin, quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol and their glycoside compounds), carotenoids (β and δ-carotene, lycopene, Zeaxanthin), few essential amino acids, sitosterol, triterpene, fatty acids, tannin acid, 5-hydroxytryptamine, umbelliferone, antioxidant vitamins and minerals in various parts of this plant. Studies on human and animals suggested that sea buckthorn may have various beneficial effects: cardioprotective, anti-atherogenic, antioxidant, anti-cancer, immunomodulatory, anti-bacterial, antiviral, and wound healing and anti-inflammatory. It could also be used for human and animal nutrition. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to perform more scientific research on this medicinal plant and to promote its large-scale utilization
OBJECTIVE To assess the initial levels of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products in LDL and to study changes in oxidative resistance (OR) of precipitated LDL in acute and chronic pancreatitis patients (OP and CP).   METHODS were examined 39 CP patients and 37 OP patients, and the control group - 7 persons without pancreatic diseases and diabetes mellitus (DM). All CP patients were examined in the acute stage, OP patients - in the first 5 days after admission to hospital. Determination of LPO products in LDL and OR of LDL to Cu2+ - induced oxidation were carried out its own method (Ragino, 1998).   RESULTS In CP patients the initial level of LPO products in LDL was higher (8.9 +/- 1.5 nmol MDA/mg LDL protein) than in those in control group (5.3 +/- 0.8) and in OP patients (5.0 +/- 0.5, p<0.05), and the OR of LDL is significantly lower than those in the control group. In AP and CP patients with permanent pain syndrome in the left hypochondrium initial level of LPO products in LDL is much higher (7.0 +/- 0.6, and 5.0 +/- 0.6, p = 0,016), and OR of LDL after 0, 5, 1 and 2 h incubation with Cu2+ (2 h: 31.7 +/- 1.8 and 23.2 +/- 1.9, p = 0.002) - much lower compared with AP and CP patients without pain. Only CP patients combined with DM type 2 were defined reducing the OR of LDL after 0.5, 1 and 2 h incubation with Cu2+.   CONCLUSION The activity of LPO in the blood and LDL were affected in AP and CP patients.
In Cao Yu's plays, there is a series of "weak male characters". It includes Zhou Ping, Jiao Da-xing, Zen Wen-qing, Gao Jue-xing and so on. This is one kind of the most successful characters in Cao Yu's plays. You can find implicit conformity in describing these characters. They all lived in the dense atmosphere of feudal families in which patriarchal system was very strong. They were greatly influenced by feudal moral principles and literati culture. Emotionally speaking they often lived between two women. In depicting these characters, on the one hand, the writer negated the social environment which should be responsible for bringing up this kind of good-for-nothing, and on the other hand, the writer also explored into the environment in which people should live.
A kind of micro-combined cooling,heating and power(CCHP) system with a core of gas engine and adsorption chiller was analyzed from the optimal operation point of view.By taking the minimal operation cost meeting the load demand of cooling,heating and power as optimizing function,the economic optimization model of the micro-CCHP system was established.The specific optimum operational strategy of the system was obtained with real projects,and it was explored that the micro-CCHP system has the assurance of economic benefits.The study results indicate that the optimal operation mode is associated with energy price.Under identical natural gas price,the higher the electrical price,the better the micro-CCHP system's economic feature is.
This paper researches the number of annihilators of a Boolean function,gives a new way to take count of the independent annihilators based on the coefficient matrix of a Boolean function. It presents the concept of low annihilators of a Boolean function,and gives a way to find them based on the new way of counting the independent annihilators of a Boolean function. It depicts the attack notion by using the low annihilators of a Boolean function to establish an equation group.
It is clear that the octapeptide is able to enhance tissue responses to both sym- pathetic nerve stimulation and to exogenous adrenoceptor agonists by acting at specific pre- and post- junctional sites. As illustrated in Fig. 1, angiotensin II has been reported to increase the rate of noradrenaline synthesis, to enhance nerve impulse-evoked noradrenaline release, to inhibit re-uptake of the transmitter by the presynaptic nerve terminals, and to enhance effector cell respon- siveness to the transmitter’. The relevance of each of these actions to the overall enhancement of noradrenergic transmission by angiotensin II and the extent to which they represent indepen- dent actions are matters not yet fully resolved. As indicated above, reports of facilitation of noradrenergic trans- mission by angiotensin II are not restricted to the fir.dings of
This article describes a quasi-dimensional analysis of laterally loaded piles obtained by neglecting the vertical displacements. The results of such analyses appear to agree extremely well with full three-dimensional solutions for elastic soil behaviour. The second part of the paper, is concerned with elastoplastic soil behaviour and with the interface behaviour at the pile-soil contact. Both the non-linear interface behaviour and the elastoplastic soil behaviour seem to necessitate the use of powerful mainframe computers. In the present analysis, however, this is avoided by means of a sub-structuring technique in which the soil is divided into interacting horizontal layers. First, attention is focused on the analysis of such an individual layer using the finite element method. Next, this layer-model is incorporated in the main program for laterally located piles, and a complete elastoplastic continuum analysis of a laterally loaded pile is made. Finally the method is evaluated and a judgement is made on the applicability of the method to practical problems. (TRRL)
OBJECTIVE To assess if laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy (LSH) had any advantage over traditional total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH) carried out for benign conditions.   METHODS This prospective case control study was carried out between June 2005 and October 2006 in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Zagazig University Hospitals, Zagazig, Egypt. Twenty-eight women operated upon by LSH were compared to 56 women who had undergone TAH. Variables compared were patient's age, weight, preoperative diagnosis, number of previous laparotomies, operative time, intra/post-operative complications, blood loss, uterine weight, hospital stay, need for analgesia, and resumption of normal activity.   RESULTS Patient's demographics were similar in both groups. The operative time was longer in the LSH group (93.7+/-5.7 versus 69.0+/-6.8 min, p=0.001). Other operative and post-operative parameters were similar except that LSH patients showed shorter hospital stay (1.7+/-0.5 versus 4.0+/-0.7 days), time to resume normal activity (20.8+/-2.6 versus 50.0+/-7.9 days) and lower dose of post-operative analgesia (141.7+/-62.4 versus 282.0+/-87.4mg diclofenac), (p=0.001).   CONCLUSION Laparoscopic supra cervical hysterectomy is a safe procedure and should be considered, if hysterectomy will be carried out for a benign condition with healthy cervix. A further larger study is needed to confirm these findings.
The digital switching module (DSM) is arranged as an LSI device providing digital (p.c.m.) switching for 256 channels in a space-time-space format. It is unidirectional in operation and is capable of switching data (digitally encoded speech) from any incoming channel to any outgoing channel. It is arranged to act as a building block in constructing larger digital switching networks. The DSM can be programmed to permit combinations of parallel or serial operation at input and output data interfaces, the mode being selected by the length of the pulse width of the frame start reference signal. The switching configuration of input channels to output channels is held within the DSM and can be amended by messages sent along a serial control interface. Interrogation of the switching state and of the data passing through the switch is provided by messages applied to an output control interface. The DSM can be arranged into square arrays to provide full availability switching for a greater number of channels. Three programming pins are provided which influence the control logic of the DSM to route the control information incoming to a square array to the appropriate control store. The array may be grown fram 8x8 to 16x16 and to 32x32.
In this paper, we propose QoS-aware AQM(Active Queue Management) method considering video quality level that service users request in DiffServ network environment. QoS provision is essential in order to provide multimedia services because real-time multimedia services such as IPTV and VoIP are sensitive to delay and packet loss. However, existing AQM methods can't guarantee QoS for a multimedia service because they control queue threshold just considering queueing delay or accept the service considering only packet loss rate. So, we propose the QoS-aware AQM method guaranteeing end-to-end network delay and packet loss rate which can derive the QoS lever range for multimedia service requested in each hop according to the number of hops in IPTV CDN(Contents Delivery Network). As another contribution of the proposed scheme, its compatibility in DiffServ is also considered by cooperating with the provider's quality policy.
The CP-violating phase may arise beyond the SM Higgs sectors. Due to the possible cancellation mechanism in the electric dipole moment (EDM) contributions mediated by the CP-violating Higgs sectors, the CP violation may escape the current and even the future constraints of the eEDM measurements. The cancellations in the quark and chromo-EDMs driven by the same sources alleviates the constraints of the neutron and diamagnetic atom EDM measurements. This property can be induced by the mass degeneracy of two heavy Higgs bosons. On the other hand, the diamagnetic atom EDM experiments can be more competitive to constrain or detect the CP-violating phases in this scenario. We explore this point in the framework of the type-II two-Higgs-doublet model and the minimal supersymmetric Standard Model.
Organic acids can accelerate the dissolution of soil minerals and the release of metal ions into the aqueous environment. This chemistry is integral to many processes occurring in soils, including contaminant transport, soil formation, and diagenesis. In order to model these geochemical processes, it is necessary to know the chemical identity and distribution of organic sorbates at aqueous mineral surfaces. In this study, time-resolved and CW polarized fluorescence are used to elucidate the surface speciation of salicylate anions in highly turbid media. Laser excitation of fluorescence enables detection of alumina-salicylate complexes at geochemically relevant concentrations (10{sup -7} M; approximately one molecular complex per colloidal particle). Two types of surface complexes are observed: short wavelength emission is assigned to the bidentate salicylate-aluminum complex and long wavelength emission is assigned to either monodentate or ion-associated complexes, which can undergo intramolecular excited state proton-transfer. Fluorescence polarization anisotropy measurements demonstrate that both types of surface species are rotationally restricted. It is demonstrated that quantitative evaluation of polarized fluorescence is fruitful even in the presence of the depolarizing effects of multiple light scattering in the turbid suspensions.
A PERSON standing erect in a perfectly easy posture on the bed of an ordinary spring weighing-machine, and maintaining, as far as possible, perfect stillness, will be found, if the instrument is delicately adjusted, to impart a rhythmic movement to the index, synchronous with the pulse and according to the following rule:-At each occurrence of systole in the heart, the needle will be vigorously deflected toward the zero point of the dial, and in the intervals of systolic action will return by a slower movement to the starting point; this point nearly coinciding with the point at which the needle would rest if the subject were laid horizontally on the bed of the instrument. The return of the needle is effected by a series of secondary vibrations which appear to bear an appreciable but imperfect analogy to corresponding features in the sphygmograph. This phenomenon may very easily be verified, but in repeating the experiment it should be borne in mind that the following are desiderata:-That the skeleton of the subject be brought as nearly as possible into contact with the instrument and that the hipand knee-joints be so disposed as to secure the maximum possible of rigidity in a perpendicular direction. It does not appear that this phenomenon has heretofore been anticipated by any process of theorising, or turned to any useful account. It may therefore be permitted me to point out what may prove to be its phenomenal cause and practical consequences. As to its cause-When the heart is contracting it propels blood in all directions; but the greatest column is propelled downward, along the aorta, almost in the direction of the axis of the body. If, therefore, we disregard all blood that is propelled upward, and make a compensating abatement from that which is propelled downward, there will remain a certain mass of blood which at each contraction of the heart is forced
An important step of image processing before its identification and classification is to do background segmentation.It is helpful to identify the object and the image background.Threshold algorithm is commonly used in image segmentation,but how to set the threshold to fulfill image background adaptive segmentation is a problem.The paper put forward a method by using image segmentation technology and analyzing the weak and strong points of different algorithms.By this algorithm,the threshold can be selected automatically,and it is ideal for different circumstances.
Dehumanization is defined as people?s tendency to perceive the outgroup as being less human than the ingroup (for reviews, see Haslam, Loughnan, Kashima, & Bain, 2008; Leyens, Demoulin, Vaes, Gaunt, & Paladino, 2007, Vaes, Leyens, Paladino and Pires Miranda, 2012). Thus, it might be thought that groups that are denied humanness will be discriminated against to a greater degree than groups considered to be fully human (Vala, Pereira and Leyens, 2009). Indeed, as Leyens et al. (2007) pointed out, this process has subtle and important consequences in our daily lives that can affect intergroup relations.  Furthermore, according to Haslam (2006), dehumanization can be manifested in two forms: animalistic and mechanistic. In his model, the author posited how individuals can be likened to animals, and hence, they will be perceived as unintelligent, immoral, coarse or uncivilized. Likewise, people can also be seen as robots or machines, in which case, they will be perceived as cold, rigid, mechanical, or lacking emotions or agency.  The present dissertation used the model by Haslam in order to analyse and compare these two forms of dehumanization. In our analysis, we will attempt to clarify how animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization affect intergroup relations. This insight was the basis for the development of different empirical studies that form part of this thesis. Accordingly, the chapters included in this dissertation are built on experimental research and show some results related to the different senses of humanness, the creation of new procedures to capture them and discriminate between animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization, and the study of the consequences that both forms of dehumanization have on different interpersonal and intergroup measures. The thesis is structured in four chapters. The first chapter is a theoretical review of the most relevant literature on infrahumanization and dehumanization. Specifically, it provides theoretical support for the main sections included in this dissertation: the different senses of humanness; the various forms of measuring animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization; the consequences of dehumanization reported in the literature. The second chapter includes the main goals set in the thesis, as well as our hypotheses. The reader will find the empirical part of the dissertation from chapter 3 onwards. Eleven studies are presented across four papers. Lastly, in the fourth chapter, we discuss the main findings and analyse the theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and also some ideas for future research.  It should be noted that the papers presented in the third chapter of the thesis were written with the intention of being submitted for publication, therefore, certain explanations of basic concepts and theories inevitably appear several times. Additionally, in order to fulfill the requirements of the International PhD program at Granada University, some chapters were written in Spanish (chapter 1), and others in English (chapters 2, 3 and 4).
Objective: TO built the standard of Pen YanQin enemas′quilty controling.Method :Adopting the TLC to test the Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge、Sparganium stdoniferum Buch.-Ham.、Sargentodoxa Cuneata(Oliv.)Rehd.et Wils、Lindera aggregata(Sims)Kosterm in the preparation,then using the HPLC to test the extraction of Salvianolic Acid B.Result: Qualitative identification had good separation and specificity,and Sal B and the injection volume was within the range of 0.0422～0.2532 mg/ml peakarea showed a good linear relationship,y=8620485678x-9724.5(r=0.9997,n=6),Preparations measured concentration in the stability of Sal B.Conclusion: The method is reliable,accurate and specific and can be used to control the quality.
The sedimentary sequence of the Palaeozoic Baltic Basin contains numerous bentonite layers whose composition is dominated by the mineral assem- blage of illite-smectite-K-feldspar-kaolinite. The contents of these minerals may vary between in- dividual bentonite layers as well as laterally from almost pure illite-smectite to K-feldspar and/or kaolinite end-member compositions, but the assem- blage remains principally the same. In this respect the bentonites of the Upper Ordovician Ashgill Pirgu (Regional) Stage are exceptional and unique in the Baltic Basin. The clay mineral composition of these bentonites is characterized by the chlorite- smectite (corrensite) and illite-smectite assemblage. The micritic-bioclastic to argillaceous limestones of Pirgu age in the northern Baltic Basin include up to three (four?) individual bentonite beds, all of which contain chlorite-smectite and/or corrensite miner- als. In this contribution we present preliminary data on the clay mineral composition of these beds. The clay fraction (<2 µm) of 21 samples studied contains random (R0) mixed-layered chlorite-smec- tite and/or R1 ordered corrensite and corrensite-chlo- rite type phases together with illite-smectite. The chloritic phases are the most abundant clay minerals in the majority of samples, but also illite-smectite may dominate in the mixture with minor chlorite- smectite/corrensite. The occurrence of a R1 ordered corrensite (0.5/0.5 interlayered chlorite and smectite mineral) phase is confirmed by the expansion of the superstructure d(001) spacing from 29 A in air-dried state to 31 A in EG saturated state. The heating of the corrensite-rich sample at 500 °C for 1 h caused the collapse of the spacing to 24 A. The proportion of smectite layers in mixed layer chlorite-smectite is according to NEWMOD modelling 0.2-0.4 and probably 0.6-0.7 in R0 and R1 (corrensite-chlorite) ordered minerals, respectively. Chlorite-smectite and corrensite are trioctahedral clay minerals characterizing evaporitic- and vol- canoclastic sedimentary-diagenetic, and hydrother- mal alteration environments (e.g., Reynolds 1988;
Transportation planning requires substantial amounts of data and cooperation among transportation planning agencies. Advances in computer technology and the increasing availability of geographic information systems (GIS) are giving transportation planners the ability to develop and use data with a much higher degree of efficiency. However, as information systems advance, the need to provide effective data integration/exchange protocols and procedures to reduce redundancy and data collection costs is becoming more important. Many factors influence the effectiveness of data exchange and data integration efforts, such as data compatibility, data access, data quality, completeness, metadata, hardware, software, and staff expertise. This research resulted in a catalog of spatial data sources available to transportation planning agencies in Texas. The work included a synthesis of current transportation planning practices in Texas with a focus on spatial data integration and exchange issues, meetings with transportation planning and data stakeholders, the development of a map of data sources, the development of a preliminary logical data model of spatial data entities, and a compilation of metadata documents for a sample of data sources. Developing the catalog of categories and subcategories for transportation planning spatial data was an iterative process that involved several rounds of data entity categorization; analysis of the resulting structure for inconsistencies, gaps, and redundancies; and subsequent changes to the data entity categorization scheme. In the end, the three-level grouping structure resulted in 7 categories, 63 subcategories, and 589 spatial data entities. The research also resulted in a prototype web-based map and metadata viewer called Transportation Planning GIS (TPGIS) Data Viewer.
A method is presented from which the optimum economic design return period for any given waterway crossing can be found. A cost function is formulated from which the total expected bridge cost for a given design flood return period is calculated. This cost function combines the initial bridge cost, the cost of damage due to flooding and a user cost representing the cost to the user if the crossing becomes impassable due to flood damage. The optimum economic design return period is that with the lowest total expected cost. An analysis of seven structures indicates that there is no one optimum economic design return period for all bridge waterways. In each case the optimum return period is dependent upon the assumed cost structure for the crossing. Initial costs and possible future losses are both important. It is recommended that an economic analysis of the type described in this report should be undertaken for each bridge waterway design. (TRRL)
The factors relating the conception rate of frozen semen insemination, such as post-thawing preservation temperature,oestrous cycle of cows,insemination position,numbers of insemination in the oestrous etc.were analyzed in the study.The result showed that after thawing,the insemination of the semen preserved for 6h,4h,and 2h under low(4℃),room temperature(10~15℃) and high temperature(28℃) did not affect the conception rate;Qujing cows expressed the obvious oestrous symptoms,insemination during the time between follicle development and mature stage displayed the highest conception rate(84.4%);the percentage of inseminated cows in all cows in heat ranked in the order of fall,summer, spring and winter from high to low;the conception rate of cows at the period between second to forth calving was the highest(72.03%),and decreased thereafter;the best position of frozen sement insemination was in the uterus horn where the follicle developed better in the same side,which could obtained the high conception rate;in the same oestrous cycle,there was no significant difference between the once and twice insemination.
Lateritic soil was treated with 1-4% cement contents and was admixtured with 2-8% bagasse ash content. The paper evaluated the plasticity and particle size distribution characteristic of bagasse ash on cement treated laterite. It was observed that liquid limit and plasticity index reduced while plastic limit increased. As regards the particle size distribution, the was reduction in the percentage of fines as a result of formation of heavier pseudo- and particle with percentage passing BS Sieve No. 200 reduced from 63% to almost zero. However the recommended percentage of bagasse ash should be between 4%
We document that life expectancies at the age of retirement differ significantly by income levels and gender in Chile. Using a sample of over 500 thousand workers that retired under the annuity system, we find that, conditional on reaching retirement age, there is a three-year difference in life expectancy between the lower and higher income groups. Differences are similar for men and women. We also find that as income per capita in Chile expanded over the past three decades, poverty levels have decreased quite markedly among pensioners. The evidence on income distribution is less clear cut. While income inequality is lower for the new generations, it increases after retirement within each generation as the poor die younger than the rich workers. Gender differences are also noteworthy. First, income among women is less unequal than that of men at retirement age and afterwards. Second, income inequality among retired men progressively worsens over time, while among women it remains stagnant over time. Our results have important im- plications for welfare projections, the allocation of health subsidies among pensioners, and the structure and management of the reserves required to life-insurance companies.
The effects of different treatments and chemical agents on the textural properties of the gel formed with mixturesof konjac glucomannan and soybean isolate protein at high concentration were studied by using texture profile analyzer (TPA)and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The gel strength and elasticity of samples such as KGM/SIP=13:2, 10:5 and 5:10 werevery good at the processing conditions of total solid concentrations of 15%, pH value 9 and being heated at 90℃ for 40min. Nomatter whether in the water solution or in the alkali solution, the mixtures of KGM and SPI could form strong framework, andsequentially the microstructure of the gel was in variety with different treatments or composition of gel.
Design of the building structure was done in order to standing and strong receiving a load on it. Each one of the building structure with another building structure certainly have differences, the differences include the strength of materials, use of materials, dimensions of the cross section, the calculation of the structure, work stage and so on. This difference is causes the strength of each structure is different, and also differences in cost of structure. Therefore, we would like to know differences of strength and costs resulting from redesign of the Prasetiya Business School building by eliminating shearwall and open-frame method. Redesign on this structure using the method System Bearer Special Moment.
With the rapid growth of automobile volume,the shortage of oil and gas resources is becoming increasingly serious.It is worthy to search effective measures to reduce the energy consumption.A bi-level programming model is proposed to describe the optimization programming problem for the optimal velocity with advanced traveler information systems(ATIS) and fuel consumption.The upper level programming is to determine optimal vehicle velocity by minimizing the system travel cost and total gas consumption,while the lower one is an equilibrium problem by integrating the elastic demand and stochastic user equilibrium.An equilibrium iterative solution algorithm is also presented.Finally,a simple numerical example is given to illustrate the applications of the model.The results show that,with the decrease of awareness,the number of the drivers equipped with ATIS is increased,while the total cost of the system can be reduced.
Presented a new hybrid particle swarm algorithm based on P systems, through analyzing the working principle and improved strategy of the elementary particle swarm algorithm. Us ed the particles algorithm combined with the membrane to form a community, particles use wheel-type structure to communicate the current best particle within the community. The best particles, as Representative, compete for the optimal particle of the higher level. Utilized the Objective Functions to test the designed algorithm performance, compared with other particle swarm opti mization algorithms, the experiment results shown that the designe d algorithm has better performance in seeking Optimization
Using a kinetic simulation of magnetic reconnection it was recently shown that magnetic-field-aligned electric fields (E||) can be present over large spatial scales in reconnection exhausts. The largest values of E|| are observed within double layers. The existence of double layers in the Earth's magnetosphere is well documented. In our simulation their formation is triggered by large parallel streaming of electrons into the reconnection region. These parallel electron fluxes are required for maintaining quasi-neutrality of the reconnection region and increase with decreasing values of the normalized electron pressure upstream of the reconnection region. A threshold normalized pressure is derived for strong double layers to develop. We also document how the electron confinement, provided in part by the structure in E||, allows sustained energization by perpendicular electric fields. The energization is a consequence of the confined electrons' chaotic orbital motion that includes drifts aligned with the reconnection electric field. The level of energization is proportional to the initial particle energy and therefore is enhanced by the initial energy boost of the acceleration potential, acquired by electrons entering the region. The mechanism is effective in an extended region of the reconnection exhaust allowing for the generation of superthermal electrons in reconnection scenarios, including those with only a single x-line. An expression for the phase-space distribution of the superthermal electrons is derived, providing an accurate match to the kinetic simulation results. The numerical and analytical results agree with detailed spacecraft observations recorded during reconnection events in the Earth's magnetotail.
This paper elucidated the relationship between the regional exposure method unveiled by the famous black-and-white photographer Anthel Adam and the traditional characteristic curve of photographic materials and comprehensively introduced a practical method of controlling the shooting exposure to get an excellent image quality picture,e.g.rich image details,high sharpness,fine granularity,abundant gradation etc.
Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 46, 2005  1068   INTRODUCTION: RCAS/tv-a technology relies on somatic gene transfer through infection by RCAS viral vectors derived from the avian retrovirus A (ALV-A) in mice expressing the gene for the RCAS receptor ( tv-a ). The nestin tv-a (N tv-a ) mouse, which expresses tv-a under the control of the nestin promoter in glial-progenitors, when infected with ALV virus encoding PDGF, spontaneously develops glioma by 3 weeks of age in almost 100% of cases [1]. Using this model, we correlated T2-weighted (T2w) anatomical and contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI with histology and survival in untreated mice. METHODS: 40 N tv-a mice with PDGF-induced brain tumors at 3 weeks of age, underwent weekly T2w and CE MRI, using multi-slice fast spin-echo and spin-echo sequences, respectively. In both cases, contiguous, 0.5 mm thick, transaxial slices were used to cover the entire tumor. After 4 weeks, half of the mice were sacrificed for histology, with the remaining mice kept on study for survival. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Tumors were well delineated in T2w images, showing features (including pseudopalisades, necrosis and cyst) that were typical of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) in 32% of cases (mean doubling time of 11 ± 1 days), and oligodendroglioma (mean doubling time of 19 ± 2 days) in the remaining cases. The MRI data was well correlated with histology. In GBMs only, CE MRI showed ring enhancement, and T2w images showed necrotic regions, both typical of the human condition. By a combination of initial T2w and CE MRI at 3-4 weeks age, MRI was predictive of tumor grade, and ultimately correlated with survival. CONCLUSION: The N tv-a mouse constitutes a promising model of human glioma, in which MRI is able to delineate heterogeneities due to localized regions of highly cellular tumor, necrosis, edema, cyst and abnormal vasculature, as in the human disease. MRI correlated with histology and was predictive of survival in this model. MRI methodology in the N tv-a mouse may provide an efficient preclinical means for testing novel therapies, and optimizing new combination strategies for treatment of glioma. REFERENCE: [1] Shih, et al. (2004) Cancer Res, 64, 14:4783-9
Abstract : The area of research for this thesis is the acquisition of "over and above work" in ship repair contracts. The objective of this research is to explore the use of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) "over and above work" provisions in ship repair contracts. The thesis addresses how the DFARS "over and above work" provisions should be incorporated into ship repair contracts. Particular attention is given to the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair (SUPSHIP) San Diego, CA incorporation of the DFARS "over and above work" provisions as a local test in the solicitation and contract for the USS ELLIOT (DD-967) February 1994 to May 1994 Selected Restricted Availability (SRA). (MM)
Objective:To explore the addional efficacy of buspirone on antidepressant.Methods:96 patients who met CCMD-3 criteria for depression were treated with antidepressants for 8 weeks,the48 patients of lower efficacy were divided into two groups.One wa combined buspiron with antidepressants,the other was still treated with original antidepressant.Efficacy and side effects were assessed with HAMD and TESS respectively.Results: The HAMD sores decreased significantly more in the combined group than that in those teeated with antidepressants only.There was no significant difference in TESS between two groups.Conclusions: Antidepressant combined with buspione is more effective in zhe treatment of depression,but the side are increased.
The aim, in this paper, report some aspects that is underway in an inves tigation related to the formation of the Doctorate in Education from the University of Antioquia. The aim is to discuss how mathematical mode ling can be converted into a training tool for engineers, properly in Design Engineering. It describes how the work is performed in the course of the semester and is exemplified by publicizing progress results. Finally, there is the need to think the Mathematical Modeling as an alternative where the student builds a “reality” and meets the current requirements of having a specific knowledge applied to a context, creating a link between mathema tical knowledge and knowledge itself Design Engineering.
Without treatment, the life expectancy of patients with Marfan syndrome is reduced by the associated cardiovascular abnormalities. In this study, we reviewed our experience of the patients with Marfan syndrome who required multiple surgical interventions to identify the optimal treatment for these patients. Between January 1986 and December 2000, 44 patients with Marfan syndrome were operated on at Shizuoka City Hospital (SCH). Among them, 10 patients (22.7%) underwent multiple surgical interventions. There were 5 male and 5 female patients with a mean age of 40.6 +/- 16.1 years at the initial surgery. Only one patient was operated on at another hospital for his first, second, and third operations. His fourth operation was carried out at SCH. The remaining 9 patients underwent a total of 14 additional surgical procedures at SCH. Computed tomography (CT) scans were taken every 6 months postoperatively, and aortic diameter greater than 60 mm was considered as the indication for the additional surgery. There were no early death and one late death. The causes of additional surgery were enlargement of true aneurysm in 6, enlargement of residual dissection in 4, new dissection in 4, false aneurysm at the coronary anastomosis of Bentall procedure in 1. In 9 patients, both ascending and descending aorta were replaced. Among these 9 patients, only 3 patients underwent total arch replacement, and remaining 6 patients had their arch left in place with or without dissection. Our current strategy of the treatment of Marfan patients with acute type A dissection is total arch replacement with an elephant trunk at the initial emergent surgery.
This article's purpose is the study of future social representations built in graphic advertising. More specically, how the way participants and contexts are shown produces the erasure in the symbolic plane of the social relations that ground the lifestyle implied by those messages. We will use the multimodal analysis developed by Kress & Van Leeuwen (2001). The outcoming representations, in order to persuade us, heavily stress the individual aspects, erasing the social inscription of any individual action.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the legal implications of the continuing rise in the number of school children diagnosed with behaviour disorders. Not only are teachers now subject to a dense grid of legal regulation, they are also increasingly vulnerable to actions in tort. It will be argued here that as more and more children are labelled ‘disordered’, then the concomitant duty of care requirements for teachers becomes more onerous. As a consequence, teachers are less likely to be able to defend themselves against claims of  negligence. It is concluded that while the schooling system needs to retain a healthy scepticism about each new pathologising disorder that seeks special status for its sufferers, it also needs to provide greater training and resources for teachers regarding disorder management. It is also concluded that recent changes to negligence law regarding the issue of ‘reasonable foreseeability’ within breach of duty of care, may not be as significant as  might have been hoped by the teaching community. Indeed, the elevated standard of care, as required by increasing numbers of disordered pupils, place teachers in an ever more difficult legal position.
SUMMARY Many teachers and researchers use the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software for instructional and/ or research purposes. Because of the comprehensive nature and features of this program, there are various textbooks available that may offer teachers and practitioners a more concise way to analyze and discuss many of the topics that are typically taught in statistics courses. These textbooks differ on many different features, such as level of the audience, complexity of statistical procedures discussed, degree of interpretation of statistics/output, amount of detail discussed on the basic mechanics, accessibility of data files, and student exercises. This paper is written to offer teachers and researchers a review of some of the most popular SPSS textbooks that are available today by utilizing evaluation criteria previously discussed in the literature. This review can provide a starting point for teachers to explore features of the various SPSS textbooks as well as to consider what book is most appropriate based on their own teaching style. Comments from teachers who use the software, limitations of the review, and a table of other ancillary textbook data conclude the paper.
International tourism brings foreign exchange earning to a country and thus is highly promoted and air travel forms backbone for it. Even in large countries like India, china or USA domestic airlines are highly needed and are in demand for time saving travel. But air transport is one of the biggest source of carbon emission and is fueling the greenhouse effect. As compared to other transport options air transport industry has the largest carbon footprint is harming the environment to greater extent. Due to demand of international tourism and faster travel though we cannot stop air travel but steps can be taken to reduce the carbon footprint of air transport industry by adopting steps and methods that counterbalance the carbon emission by a flight. This paper is an attempt to find out the initiatives of various airlines to offset their carbon emission.
Introduction 1009 I. The Concept of Human Dignity 1010 II. Case Illustrations 1013 A. Meyer v. Nebraska and Pierce 1014 v. Society of Sisters. Families, Education, and Economic Diversity B. Wisconsin v. Yoder. Open Opportunity and Cultural Diversity 1016 C. DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services and Castle Rock v. Gonzales. The Tension Between Public Safety and Family Privacy 1018 Conclusion 1020 INTRODUCTION As a city, we are in some way responsible for each child in our midst. The obligation and opportunity to stand in loco parentis--in the place of a parent--is applicable to state and local governments to some highly contested and complicated extent. The contests and complexities are revealed in our family law jurisprudence, for although the field of family law is often belittled or trivialized, it is in family jurisprudence that a government's obligations to its people are perhaps most tellingly tested. In what follows, 1 will explore the reach and limits of those obligations. First, I will discuss the concept of human dignity and how it relates--or should relate--to making judgments about what a government owes to its child citizens. I will draw on constitutional theories that have come to prominence since the World Wars and caused governments around the world to address more directly the positive duties states may owe to their people and that their people may owe to one another. These theories are instructive, despite the ironic fact that they simultaneously enhance our sense of duty to children and our duty of restraint against invading their families' autonomy. Having laid a foundation of dignitary principles, I will discuss a set of family law cases that have tested the limits of governments' responsibilities to children and to their families. I will first discuss the old chestnuts, Meyer v. Nebraska (1) and Pierce v. Society of Sisters, (2) two Supreme Court cases from the 1920s that laid the groundwork for the still bitterly contested doctrine of substantive due process. Next, I will discuss Wisconsin v. Yoder, (3) the 1972 Supreme Court case in which Amish families challenged a requirement that they send their children to school until the age of sixteen. Finally, I will discuss DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Servicek (4) and Castle Rock v. Gonzales, (5) two cases in which the Supreme Court found that state and local governments could not be held accountable for lapses in their efforts to protect families and children. I will conclude with a comment on the usefulness of the concept of human dignity in calibrating governments' and families' competing authority over, and complementary duty towards, their children. I. THE CONCEPT OF HUMAN DIGNITY I set out my understanding of human dignity rather circuitously. I start with a definition of fundamental right, as that term is understood in United States constitutional law. I then link the notion of fundamental right and the notion of human right. Only then will I be in a position to describe how I understand human dignity in the context of American constitutional and political thought. The Supreme Court gives special protection to certain rights, regardless of whether they are mentioned in our Constitution's text, because these rights are deemed to be basic components of human freedom. (6) Histories and traditions of recognizing a right that is fundamental in this way appear to be safe indicators that a right is fundamental. (7) However, there are reasons to prefer a test that first asks whether the exercise of the right is socially benign, and if it is, then asks whether the suppression of that right is socially justifiable. (8) Careful balancing of calls for order and for liberty can seem more defensible than reference to what we have customarily done. …
Animal processing by-products are a source of significant amounts of highly nutritious, functional proteins. As world demand for protein increases there is a greater need to develop processes to recover and upgrade byproducts. Many by-product processing methods now available but under utilized, consume less energy. Modern processing methods which upgrade or reclaim by-products and/or conserve energy and end uses are discussed.
More efficient and flexible process design is needed to address future economic and resource management issues. This paper describes a design strategy that improves die teaching of design, allows for the systematic identification of waste minimisation opportunities and that provided a structure for a process synthesis software experiment. This initial attempt sparked further research efforts and the results were two semi-commercial examples that draw on expert systems and other artificial intelligence techniques to support the designer in inventing a flowsheet.
The present paper investigated disaster insurance supply and market compensation for disaster loss.This was compared with international insurance programs.The construction of disaster insurance system was discussed in regards to disaster risk science.It has been found that: 1/In China,earthquake risk is included in only a few insurance products such as additional insurance of company property insurance,while typhoon and flood risks were included in most property and life insurance policies.Special disaster insurance has not been established.Insurance compensation rate is much lower than the international average.2/After comparison with similar international insurance programs,the following suggestions are made.Special disaster insurance products based on the theory of disaster system should be designed;Effective system to compensate disaster loss based on different disaster grade should be designed;Precise disaster insurance liability including disaster chain and multi-disaster events can be established;Objective insurance rate using comprehensive approach for probabilistic risk assessment may be designed.
Parameterized complexity as a branch of the algorithm research gets more worldwide attention in recent years.The fixed-parameter tractable algorithm as an important field in the research of parameterized complexity is widely studied by computer scientists.This paper mainly studies two variants of the vertex covering problem.One is the connected vertex covering problem and the other is the weighted tree covering problem.The paper gives the fixed parameter tractable algorithm for these problems,respectively,and it is the best results for the time being.
The series Advances in Marine Biology has been providing in-depth and up-to-date reviews on all aspects of marine biology since 1963 - more than 50 years of outstanding coverage from a reference that is well known for its contents and editing. This latest addition to the series includes updates on many topics that will appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology, and biological oceanography. Specialty areas for the series include marine science, both applied and basic, a wide range of topical areas from all areas of marine ecology, oceanography, fisheries management, and molecular biology, and the full range of geographic areas from polar seas to tropical coral reefs. * Reviews articles on the latest advances in marine biology* Authored by leading figures in their respective fields of study* Presents materials that are widely used by managers, students, and academic professionals in the marine sciences* Provides value to anyone studying bottlenose dolphins, deep-sea macrofauna, marine invertebrates, pinna nobilis, and ecology, amongst other study areas
In this article I consider the ways in which activists in the British suffrage movement became the public historians of their own pasts. I analyse the different forms in which the history of suffrage feminism was created and the ways in which it both drew upon former traditions of the labour movement and conventions of public memorialisation. I consider the ways in which the Australian suffrage campaign has been memorialised and differences between this and the British position. I raise a number of questions about ways in which public historians might explore the creation of collective histories and the role of individuals within that process arising from this initial comparative analysis.
Objective To observe the effect of different Chinese medical therapies on the expression and proliferation of Galectin-3(GAL-3) in human hepatoma cells.Methods Seventy-two male Wistar rats were randomized into the normal group,model group,Tegafur group(8.33 mg/100 g Tegafur),Heat-Clearing Toxin-Resolving Formula group(1.5 g/100 g HCTRF),Blood-Quickening Stasis-Transforming Formula group(1.27 g/100 g BQSTF) and Spleen-Fortifying Qi-Regulating Formula group(1.75 g/100 g SFQRF),with 12 in each.Diethylnitrosamine(DEN) was used to induce the hepatic carcinoma rat models in each group except the normal group.The rats in the administration groups were gavaged 12 times daily for six weeks.The expression of GAL-3 in the rat hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) tissues(liver tissues in the normal group) was detected.Two siRNA targets were designed according to human GAL-3 gene coding region and the recombinant plasmid transfection human hepatoma cell line SMMC-7721 was constructed.The gene expression was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and the cell proliferation was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay 24 h,72 h,and 144 h after transfection.Results The expression of GAL-3 gene in the model group was significantly increased.SFQRF could down-regulate the expression of GAL-3 gene,the expression of GAL-3 mRNA was significantly decreased 72 h after transfection and the proliferation of hepatoma cells was significantly inhibited 144 h after transfection(P0.01).Conclusion The GAL-3 gene is highly expressed in HCC tissues and SFQRF can significantly down-regulate its expression.
Paragangliomas are benign tumors, highly vascularized. The location of the carotid Glomus tumor surrounds 0.01% in relation to all paragangliomas; its incidence seems to be increased proportionally with the altitude, the majority appears sporadically, its malignancy is rare and has slight superiority in the feminine sex. Clinically it appears like a tumor that grows progressively in the cervical region, generally non painful with thrill. Auxiliary diagnostic methods are ecodoppler, computed axial tomography, magnetic resonance and arteriography. It has surgical indication; the more used technique is the subadventicial dissection of the tumor. We presented the case of a 47 year old woman with a cervical tumor that was submitted to an ecodoppler and a multislide tomography and was put under a partial resection of the tumor, with a pathology report that informs paraganglioma.
The study of an autopsy material, obtained from females aged 15-74 years (145 organ complexes), using the classical anatomical research methods, resulted in the topographic-anatomical substantiation of transvaginal surgical accesses to subperitoneal and peritoneal pelvic floors taking into account the variants of the uterus position. The projection-syntopic correlations of subperitoneal and peritoneal structures with vaginal fornix were examined, the latter was divided for this purpose into the limited areas--vaginal segments. It was found that the transvaginal accesses in the uterus position of the anteversio-anteflexio and retroversio-retroflexio (with more common symmetrical rela tions between the pelvic structures and vaginal fornix), should be performed in the projection of vaginal segments 10.5-1.5 and 5.5-6.5. Due to asymmetric projection-syntopic relations of subperitoneal and peritoneal pelvic structures with vaginal fornix, the optimal accesses are recommended in the projection of vaginal segments 12-1.5, 11.5-2 and 6-6.5 in sinistroversio, sinistropositio with a clockwise uterine rotation, while in dextro-positio and counterclockwise uterine rotation, the accesses in the projection of vaginal segments 10.5-12, 10.5-1, 6-5.5 and 6-5 are preferable.
The results of a research program undertaken at Capital City Airport, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania to evaluate the feasibility of using seismic and acoustic emission/microseismic (AE/MS) techniques as a means of locating sinkhole-prone areas and monitoring current sinkhole stability are discussed. The report includes a review of the Capital City Airport sinkhole problem; a brief review of sinkhole phenomena and possible techniques for sinkhole detection and monitoring; a detailed description of the field studies carried out at the Capital City Airport site; a sinkhole monitoring philosophy based on the results of the airport studies; and an outline of additional studies required for the development of a prototype sinkhole-monitoring system. The results indicate that a combination of seismic and AE/MS techniques provide a feasible method for sinkhole detection and stability monitoring. Seismic techniques based on surface-wave attenuation provide a valid and convenient method for delineating sinkhole-prone areas. Conventional, low-frequency AE/MS techniques have been found satisfactory for locating simulated sinkhole activity. The location of AE/MS activity using zonal techniques was found to be very applicable to the problem of sinkhole location. However, high, rather than low, frequency AE/MS techniques may be more suitable for monitoring at such sites due to the inherent background "noise." Preliminary laboratory studies associated with the development of dual-transducer waveguide systems for detecting AE/MS activity under runway pavements and in infield areas were encouraging.
Description This work is part of the Sophie Digital Library, an open-access, full-text-searchable source of literature written by German-speaking women from medieval times through the early 20th century. The collection, covers a broad spectrum of genres and is designed to showcase literary works that have been neglected for too long. These works are made available both in facsimiles of their original format, wherever possible, as well as in a PDF transcription that promotes ease of reading and is amenable to keyword searching.
WT5”BZ]Nonlinear evolution equations especially generalized KDV equations have been studied intensively, because they contain abundant mathematic physics meaning. Study of their exact solutions is very important for both theory and applications. A series of traveling (or solitary) solutions of the KDV equations are studied in this paper and the conditions for the solutions aslo are investigated. Method used to solve the solutions can been used to analyse other nonlinear evolution equations. [WT5”HZ]
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an MBL instrument in laboratory execution by analyzing an experimental time and student to student interactions in the MBL and traditional method of the acid-base titration experiment. The MBL method used a conductivity sensor and the traditional method used a current meter on the HCl/NaOH titrations. In comparison of the two methods, the traditional method required more time than the MBL and most of the extra time were used in the execution. In the execution, the MBL method showed more numbers of student to student interaction and higher level of verbal interaction than the traditional method.
For company mobility management case study the Business Center International was selected, which is a business center in the vicinity of the Zagreb city centre, and which includes 400 employees in 14 different companies. The goal of the research conducted in this paper is to suggest company mobility management plan for Business Center International which would include implementable measures to achieve modal shift of passenger trips in favor of sustainable modes of transport.
The invention relates to the field of mobile communication, and provides a method for sending and receiving carrier aggregation signals of different frequency bands. Multi-channel carrier aggregation subcarrier signals are combined into one channel to transmit by utilizing a combiner; or, the carrier aggregation signals of different frequency bands are received through one antenna channel by utilizing a separator. The invention further provides a sending terminal and a receiving terminal for realizing the sending and receiving method. In the embodiment of the invention, multi-channel carrier aggregation signals are combined into one channel to transmit or receive at a radio-frequency front end; therefore, frequency bands capable of supporting carrier aggregation of different frequency bands can simultaneously work without influence with each other; and thus, the purposes of optimizing the number of antenna, simplifying the design of the radio-frequency front end and reducing the hardware cost can be achieved.
If a country or region is developed,its geological work extent is also higher.The reality in China is,however,that the geological work exten t in mountains areas in central and western China is higher while that in urba n or plain areas in eastern China is relatively low,which cannot meet the de-mands for the rapidly developing economy and society.In the planning of ur ban geological survey and stereographic geological mapping that are about to be carried out ,remote sensing as an advanced technique that has developed in com pany with urban geological survey is bound to give full play its to own advan-tages in urban geoscience sensu lato and land and resource survey.This paper ma inly introduces the advan-tages of remote sensing techniques in many areas of serving urban geological survey and economic and so-cial demands,such as the stratigraphic division of the Quaternary,division of geomorphological units, early warning and monitoring of geological disasters,tracing of the dynamic p rocess of urbanization and urban e-co-environment.
In recent years, many commentators have called for the "depoliticization" of the judicial appointments process, arguing that politics and ideology have wrongly displaced objective merit in the selection of federal judges. In their book, Advice and Consent: The Politics of Judicial Appointments, Lee Epstein and Jeffrey Segal demonstrate why such prescriptions are misguided. Epstein and Segal are political scientists, not law professors, and thus have no normative stake in protecting constitutional law from politics, the preoccupation of many constitutional theorists. Instead, their aim is purely positive: to explain how the appointments process has actually functioned over the course of the nation's history. And their conclusions are straightforward: presidents pursue political objectives in making judicial nominations, especially nominations to the Supreme Court; senators pursue political objectives in providing their advice and consent, especially for nominations to the Supreme Court; and judges pursue political objectives in deciding cases, especially at the Supreme Court, thus giving presidents and senators good reason to focus on a nominee's ideology during the appointments process. And it has always been this way. After describing Epstein and Segal's analysis, this book review briefly discusses some of its implications. Because the objective sources of constitutional law are too indeterminate to dictate objectively correct results, the personal values of judges will always influence their decisions, and elected officials will thus have a strong incentive to vindicate their policy goals through judicial selection. Calls to minimize the influence of politics are futile, and perhaps even incoherent. More fundamentally, it is unclear why reducing the political accountability of the process would be desirable. An important justification for the Court's exercise of political power is that the justices are appointed by officials who are themselves democratically accountable. But there is a significant problem with the present system: one presidential election (or set of senatorial elections) can count much more heavily than others. It might therefore be sensible to eliminate some of this serendipity, so that the Court's ideology better reflected the electorate's periodic judgments.
The diagnostic study carried out by the professors of the History of Cuba discipline in the Health Technology Faculty in Villa Clara detected the necessity of teaching literature, bibliography and material aids to facilitate the comprehension of contents present in the History of Cuba subject which affect the teaching-learning process. Theoretical and empirical methods were used, for instance, from the abstract level to the concrete one, historical logical, systemic–structural, inductive–deductive, analytical–synthetically and modeling; analysis of documents, observation, interview and surveys. According to their results it was elaborated a multi-media educative software ”Cubanahis” which serves as a class teaching aid, the independent study and bibliographic support of the subject, besides, it facilitates the assimilation and comprehension of difficult contents and the grasping of a meaningful learning.
This article reviews and assesses current state legislation regulating law enforcement use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The legislation runs the gamut of permissive to restrictive and even utilizes different terms for the same object of regulation, UAS. These laws are the confused and at times even contradictory extension of societal views about UAS. The article reviews the U.S. Supreme Court’s manned aircraft trilogy of cases, California v. Ciraolo, Florida v. Riley, and Dow Chemical v. U.S. and two significant technology based decisions, Kyllo v. U.S. and U.S. v. Jones, and applies them to current state efforts to regulate law enforcement UAS use. The current state legislation regulating law enforcement UAS use is but the first round of experiments. But it is important to take stock of what state legislation would currently allow law enforcement to do with UAS. This article examines these state labs of federalism to identify at what point, and which state UAS experiments, the Supreme Court may rule constitute a search in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
The Hong Kong cancer registry was established in 1963, and cancer registration is done by passive and active methods. The registry contributed data on 45 cancer sites or types registered during 1996-2001 for this survival study. Follow-up has been carried out by passive methods with median follow-up ranging from 4-60 months. The proportion of cases with histologically verified cancer diagnosis ranged from 38-100%; death certificates only (DCOs) ranged from 0-11%; 83-99% of total registered cases were included for survival analysis. The 5-year age-standardized relative survival exceeded 100% for lip and non-melanoma skin followed by thyroid (94%) and testicular (92%) cancers. The corresponding survival for common cancers were breast (90%), colon (61%), liver and Lung (22%), nasopharynx (70%), rectum (59%) and stomach (39%). The 5-year relative survival by age group showed a decreasing trend with increasing agegroups for most cancers. A decreasing survival with increasing clinical extent of disease was noted.
Family-based preventive intervention has emerged as a promising modality for preventing antisocial behavior problems in youth. This article introduces an intensive, family-based preventive intervention for high-risk adolescents: Multidimensional Family Prevention. Multidimensional Family Prevention combines the advantages of standard prevention models (curriculum based and protection focused) with those of psychosocial treatment models (assessment based and problem focused). The model’s main features are described: theoretical foundations (risk and protection theory, developmental psychopathology, ecological theory), guidelines for constructing a mdtidomain prevention program (family and peer relationships, school and prosocial activities, drug use and health issues, cultural themes), and strategies for tailoring and implementing five flexible intervention modules (adolescent, parent, interactional, extended family, extrafamilial). Implemented in the family s home, the intervention works to create a resilient family environment that supports the basic adolescent developmental goals of renegotiated attachment bonds within the family and durable connections with prosocial institutions.
OBJECTIVE To determine whether restrictive fluid resuscitation results in increased rates of acute kidney injury (AKI) or infectious complications.   BACKGROUND Studies demonstrate that patients often receive volumes in excess of those predicted by the Parkland equation, with potentially detrimental sequelae. However, the consequences of under-resuscitation are not well-studied.   METHODS Data were collected from a multicenter prospective cohort study. Adults with greater than 20% total burned surface area injury were divided into 3 groups on the basis of the pattern of resuscitation in the first 24 hours: volumes less than (restrictive), equal to, or greater than (excessive) standard resuscitation (4 to 6 cc/kg/% total burned surface area). Multivariable regression analysis was employed to determine the effect of fluid group on AKI, burn wound infections (BWIs), and pneumonia.   RESULTS Among 330 patients, 33% received restrictive volumes, 39% received standard resuscitation volumes, and 28% received excessive volumes. The standard and excessive groups had higher mean baseline APACHE scores (24.2 vs 16, P < 0.05 and 22.3 vs 16, P < 0.05) than the restrictive group, but were similar in other characteristics. After adjustment for confounders, restrictive resuscitation was associated with greater probability of AKI [odds ratio (OR) 3.25, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.18-8.94]. No difference in the probability of BWI or pneumonia among groups was found (BWI: restrictive vs standard OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.39-1.40, excessive vs standard OR 1.40, 95% CI 0.75-2.60, pneumonia: restrictive vs standard, OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.26-1.05; excessive vs standard, OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.58-2.14).   CONCLUSIONS Restrictive resuscitation is associated with increased AKI, without changes in infectious complications.
The article explores the interdependence of the verbal and the physically embodied – here gesture-related – subsystems in the creation of meaning in a sample of TED Talks (www.ted.com), an increasingly popular genre for scientific popularization largely exploited in education. My goal is to identify and illustrate possible indices of complexity in the mapping of words with gestures, thus paving the way for a better understanding of the role of different semiotic resources in the talks and, ultimately, contributing to the development of multimodal literacy. In fact, the hybrid nature of the genre legitimises a holistic approach to the analysis of its discourse as a complex multisemiotic system. Multimodal ensembles (Kress 2003; 2009; 2010) are viewed as a special case of complex systems, and modal density (Norris 2009) and modal coherence (cf. Valeiras Jurado 2017) as indices of complexity therein. Data description is based on multimodal transcription through an integrated method (Lazaraton 2004), which makes it possible to advance hypotheses about the interpretation of different gestures (NcNeill 1992). Indeed, several gestures in the talks under analysis complement verbal information in no redundant ways and appear to serve various functions on different discourse levels, both locally and more globally, and in more or less predictable (hence more complex, context-dependent) ways.
An experiment was conducted in 2013 and 2014 at the Xinxiang Comprehensive Experimental Station, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences. Water amount was estimated with the Ep-20 and pan coefficient. Responses of cucumber evapotranspiration (ET), yield, quality and water use efficiency (WUE) to different drip irrigation amounts (Kcp1: 0.25; Kcp2: 0.5; Kcp3: 0.75; Kcp4: 1.0; Kcp5: 1.25) were investigated. The possibility of developing drip irrigation scheduling using the 20 cm pan was also discussed. Results showed that the seasonal evapotranspiration of cucumber ranged between 129 and 314 mm, and the water consumption generally increased with the increase in drip irrigation water amount. There was no significance difference in cucumber yield between the treatments with Kcp > 0.75, and the responses of mean fruit mass, number and length to water amount had a threshold value (0.75Ep-20). Regarding the fruit quality, the contents of total soluble solids, vitamin C and soluble sugar slightly decreased with increasing the irrigation water amount, while the soluble protein content varied in order as: Kcp2 > Kcp3 > Kcp4 > Kcp1 > Kcp5. There was a significant positive correlation (P < 0.01) between the pan evaporation and the reference crop evapotranspiration estimated based on a modified Penman-Monteith equation. In a conclusion, the drip water amount calculated with Kcp of 0.75 and the 20 cm pan were easy and feasible for cucumber cultivation in solar greenhouse in the North China Plain.
By employing a die set extrusion method,prepared was a honeycomb type 0.98%V2O5-9.65%WO3/TiO2-contained SCR(selective catalytic reduction) catalyst.By using BET(brunauer-emmett-teller),XRD(X-ray diffractometer),SEM(scanning electron microscope) and XRF(X-ray fluorescence) method etc.,inspected and explored was the microstructure.On a SCR denitration test rig,tested was the performance of the catalyst under various conditions and conducted was a comparison with commercial catalysts having a similar structure.Through tests,it has been found that when the space velocity(SV) equals to 4 000 h-1 and NH3/NO ratio is 0.9 to 1.0 at a temperature within a range from 300 to 400 ℃,under such circumstances,NO removal rate,SO2 oxidation rate,N2O formation rate and ammonia escape quantity of the self-prepared catalyst are comparatively close in performance to those of commercial catalysts,basically meeting the requirements for commercial applications.When the steam content is in excess of 5%,it has little influence on the NO removal rate,thus applicable for practical flue gases.During the tests,it has not been observed that SO2 played a role of promoting the elimination of NO.The structural strength of the self-prepared catalyst is lower than that of the commercial catalysts,necessitating further improvement.
As state-owned assets,how to effectively run mineral resources according to market principles has become the core issue in establishing modern management system of mineral resources.Under the condition of imperfect first level mining market,non-active secondary market,and not yet fully opened physical market construction,from the aspect of problems occurred in mining right market construction,the necessity for establishing mineral resources reserve system is analyzed,and some reasonable suggestions for playing the promoting role of the mining right market.
In 1960 the government of Trinidad invited V. S. Naipaul to revisit his native country and record his impressions. In this classic of modern travel writing he has created a deft and remarkably prescient portrait of Trinidad and four adjacent Caribbean societies countries haunted by the legacies of slavery and colonialism and so thoroughly defined by the norms of Empire that they can scarcely believe that the Empire is ending.In The Middle Passage, Naipaul watches a Trinidadian movie audience greeting Humphrey Bogart s appearance with cries of That is man! He ventures into a Trinidad slum so insalubrious that the locals call it the Gaza Strip. He follows a racially charged election campaign in British Guiana (now Guyana) and marvels at the Gallic pretension of Martinique society, which maintains the fiction that its roads are extensions of France s routes nationales. And throughout he relates the ghastly episodes of the region s colonial past and shows how they continue to inform its language, politics, and values. The result is a work of novelistic vividness and dazzling perspicacity that displays Naipaul at the peak of his powers."
The biological characteristic of Xinchuanzhongdao peach variety and its cultivation technique for high yield were studied from 2002 to 2007. The results showed that Xinchuanzhongdao peach variety has strong ability of fruit-bearing and stable yield, which can be popularized in North Guizhou. The comprehensive cultivation technique includes building the high standard garden, formulation application, rational pruning, thinning flowers and fruits, bagging on time, controlling insect pest and rational harvest.
Hydroclimate variations associated with the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) precipitation exert significant impacts on lives of people inhabiting within the Yangtze River drainage and the coastal zone of South China. Seasonal shift of main precipitation area is attributable to the reposition of northern limit of summer monsoon, which would lead to provenance and composition changes of suspended materials transported by the Yangtze River. Consequently, the interannual- to millennial -scale variability in the position of rain belt mentioned above could be recorded in the long-term change in compositional variation of the sediment originated from the suspended materials from the Yangtze River. The inner shelf sediments of the East China Sea (ECS) is of primary importance to study provenance changes of terrestrial materials from the Yangtze River. Because of this expectation, we examined provenance changes in MD06-3040 core sediments recovered from the inner shelf of ECS in association with spatial variability of EASM precipitation. Provenance of sediment particles were evaluated on the basis of the electron spin resonance (ESR) signal intensity and crystallinity index (CI) of quartz. Comparison the core sediments taken from core MD06-3040 with Yangtze Delta core and modern Yangtze River sediments suggests that the Yangtze River would be a predominant source of the mud belt on the inner shelf of ECS. The ESR value in fine silt fraction of core MD06-3040 samples showed larger values compared to the ESR value in coarse silt fraction during 6.5 to 6 cal kyr BP, 6 to 4 cal kyr BP, and 1.8 to 1 cal kyr BP. The ESR values in both fine silt fraction and coarse silt fraction of core MD06-3040 samples have similar results during 4 to 1.8 cal kyr BP and 1 to 0 cal kyr BP. Moreover, detailed examination of quartz provenance within the
Chapter 8 looks at ‘linguistic philosophy’ in middle and late Wittgenstein and in J. L. Austin. In ordinary language philosophy, myth emerged not from charismatic demagogues but from the fervid minds of scientistic intellectuals. Wittgenstein and Austin share the conviction that ‘language as such’ is the antidote to the metaphysical entanglements that arise from this scientism. But this ordinary version of ‘language as such’ is not simply present to the naked eye and ear, but is only available as the end result of strategies of philosophical clarification, which make language a manifestation of life. The chapter therefore focuses on Wittgenstein’s idea of the perspicuous representation and Austin’s techniques of drawing out distinctions. It turns out that clarification is an ambiguous exercise: Wittgenstein’s belief that ‘language always works’ runs aground when he compares language to music, which, it turns out, doesn’t work, at least not in the twentieth century.
Rock physics is the basis to study the relationship between reservoir parameters and rock elastic parameters,which plays a role as a bridge between reservoir properties and seismic characteristics.Through rock physics modeling,the relationship between reservoir parameters and the elastic parameters of rock can be built,to study the reservoir characteristics reasonably and reduce exploration and development risk.For more precise identification of lithology,and the better identification and prediction of Sand mudstone reservoir,an effective method of identification based on rock physics is need to be found.Based on differential effective medium model,a rock physics model for sand shale reservoir is built.In order to consider the heterogeneity of fluid,the patchy saturation theory is used in this model.We analyze the relationship between reservoir parameters and rock elastic parameters in theory,and give the results of the changes of all kinds of elastic parameters caused by the difference of reservoir parameters.Then we build the rock elastic parameters cross plot template considering the influence of reservoir physical property.Porosity,water saturation,shale content and aspect ratio of pores are considered comprehensively in the cross plot template,which is different from other regular templates.The template can distinguish between sandstone and mudstone effectively,and easily define the scopes of sandstone and mudstone.If the different clay content is given in this cross plot template,the different recognition precision of the reservoir lithology can be shown.By applying the actual well data,the sandstone and the mudstone are distinguished effectively.In addition,according to the change of the clay content in the cross plot template,from 0.5 to 0.25,the boundary of the sandstone can be defined precisely in the seismic section.The cross plot template built provides a better method to identify lithology,and provides a reliable basis for looking for the reservoirs.Application examples prove the validity of this identification method.
Smartphones, tablets, netbooks and laptops are intensively used every day by a large part of the population. These devices--which are equipped with Wi-Fi interfaces--can form disconnected mobile ad hoc networks (DMANETs) dynamically. These networks may allow service providers, such as local authorities, to deliver new kinds of services in a wide area (e.g., a city) without resorting to the infrastructure-based networks of mobile phone operators. This paper presents OLFServ, a new location-aware forwarding protocol dedicated to service-oriented opportunistic computing in DMANETs. This protocol implements several self-pruning heuristics allowing mobile nodes to decide whether they efficiently contribute in the message delivery. The protocol has been implemented in a service-oriented middleware platform, and has been validated through simulations, which proved its efficiency.
New-type peasants Training is a fundamental content of constructing a new socialist countryside.Without the participation of those peasants suitable for new socialist villages,the goal of constructing a new socialist countryside cannot be realized.The construction of a new socialist countryside can be ensured on the condition that the main-body position of peasants in this project and the connotation of new-type peasants must be fully and correctly understood,and that the qualities of peasants must be consistently improved for the appearance of a great number of new-type peasants educated,skilled,and able to run their production well.
Under the heading of screening and crushing plants, we usually think of localized plants wherein materials are exca­ vated, crushed, screened, and washed for commercial purposes. I wish, however, to discuss screening and crushing plants of the portable type. In this type of plant, the operation of preparing the material, less the washing, is brought directly into the locality where the processed material is to be used. In some counties, road builders, through necessity, must depend entirely upon commercial gravel producers for their material. Mother Nature, during the glacial period, was kind to some of us and not so kind to others in the matter of gravel deposits. LaGrange County was favored by an ample deposit of gravel throughout the county. The presence of this gravel deposit, containing varying quantities of sand, covered with a thin layer of clay, enables us to carry on localized processing opera­ tions for the preparation of surfacing materials with minimum costs of transportation to the point of application. There are a number of crushing and screening plants on the market today. Most of these plants meet the requirements demanded by their users, if care and good judgment are used in their manipulation. You know that we select equipment largely on fancy. Almost any piece of equipment, built for a purpose, will fulfill that purpose under proper manipulation.
OBJECTIVE To approach clinical feature of thyroid malignant tumor with Flare up glottic paralysis for first symptom, and analysis that should be avoided missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis during diagnosis and treatment.   METHOD Retrospective research five cases of thyroid malignant tumor with flare up glottic paralysis papillary adenocarcinoma of thyroid by pathology. Four cases had one side glottic paralysis, the same side thyroid were moved after dissecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Three cases of them recovered normal vocal cord function, the function of one case was compensated by another side vocal cord. The last one had right gliotic paralysis first, then both cricoarytenoid joint had been fixed, hoarse voice was worse and developed to dyspnea since the tumor invaded in larynx one year later. We only did cut the right thyroid and right half larynx, but the tumor came back again in larynx in three months, then had to removal whole larynx without recurrence follow up two years.   CONCLUSION For the flare up glottic paralysis with same side tiny thyroid tumor, we suggest that the thyroid must be made operation research if no other reasons, dissecting and protecting the recurrent laryngeal nerve during operation, and cut reasonable thyroid and others according to fast pathologic diagnosis.
We systematically analyze the impact of dilatonic dynamics on Skyrme spheres, crystals and branes. The effects of the dilatonic model parameters, encompassing different underlying near-conformal dynamics, on the macroscopic properties of Skyrmions such as their mass and radius, are discussed. For spheres and crystals we identify special values of the ratio of the decay constants for which the second order differential equations reduce to a solvable first order system. Additionally, in the case of the crystals, the dilaton presence spatially separates the baryon and isospin charge distributions. For branes, we show how the dilaton smooths out their configurations. Our results are expected to have wide implications from the study of near-conformal dynamics stemming from QCD-like theories to phenomenological investigations of nuclear matter in extreme regimes.
Effect of continuous cropping on soil microorganism mechanis is one of hot research issues at present.The effect of continuous cropping on soil microorganism diversity was analysed at the metabolic level by using BIOLOG.The tobacco soil from Chongqing and Henan was analysed and the results indicated:(1) The average well color development(AWCD) of soil microorganism was significantly higher under short-term continuous cropping(continuous cropping years ≤3 years) than 4 and 5 years,this reflected that soil microorganism activities were still high under short-term continuous cropping.(2) The Shannon index and Simpson index of soil microorganism were significantly higher under short-term continuous cropping,the McIntosh index of Chongqing and Henan had the similar law as a whole,the difference of Shannon uniformity index was not significant.(3) The results of principal component analysis(PCA) indicated that carbohydrates,carbohydrates and carboxylic acids which were the main carbon resources were utilized by soil microorganism of continuous tobacco cropping,the soil microorganism had a higher utilization rate of carbon resource under short-termcontinuous cropping.The synthetical study indicated that the soil microorganism diversity was higher under short-term continuous cropping,and sharply declined after 4 and 5 years.The test was a part of the research of soil health mechanism,and can provide new ways for sustainable use of soil and control of soil-borne dieases.
The invention belongs to the technical field of environmental engineering and particularly relates to an absorbent lined barrier and a method for offsetting noise. The absorbent lined barrier comprises a sound absorbing cavity. An energy converter is arranged outside the sound absorbing cavity and comprises an eardrum sound wave receiver and an acoustic resonator capable of increasing sound energy accumulated energy, wherein the eardrum sound wave receiver is connected with the acoustic resonator. Compared with the prior art, the absorbent lined barrier and the method for offsetting the noise have the advantage that the sound barrier is developed by means of the design, noise energy can be absorbed, and a noise level near a road is reduced. Results of tests conducted according to a live room method acoustic absorptive measuring standard GBJ47-83 show that a sound absorbing effect is good, and a sound absorbing effect on middle-low frequency sound wave is prominent. An acoustic absorption coefficient alpha for sound wave of 160-4000Hz is larger than or equal to 0.5, an acoustic absorption coefficient alpha for sound wave of 160-5000Hz is larger than 0.8, and the maximum value of the acoustic absorption coefficient can be 0.92 (for the sound wave of 400 Hz).
In this paper,the principal component analysis,the submenu of the popular statistical software SPSS,was employed to analyze the college student' s academic performance based on their test scores in one academic year.And the students' sort was obtained by their resulting score(discriminant score),which was different from the ordering according to the obtained score.So,the result suggested that ordering on the base of discriminant score estimated with PCA might be more reasonable than that on the base of obtained score.
The physical performance of 23 persons was tested at different time of day (morning, noon, evening) under the influence of low doses of alcohol (0.8%). The results obtained indicate, that the capability of performing the tests was remarkable reduced. In the evening the effect of alcohol was significantly higher than at noon and morning; the time of recovery was also prolonged. Under these aspects the limit of 0.8% for car drivers in (West) Germany has to be reconsidered.
The quality surveillance of militay representatives to the large-scale complex weapon equipment is very important to our army construct and development. The paper analyzes the present situation and deficiencies of the quality surveillance of military representatives to the large-scale complex weapon equipment in developing, producing and using process. The advice of strengthening the quality surveillance is put forward.
The paper analyzes the current status and requirements of hospital information network system under the new situation of medical reform,taking Songzi People′s Hospital of Hubei Province as an example,it puts forward the scheme and carries out implementation.Through network re- construction,the hospital network is upgraded to dual core,all route three layer network architecture,so as to meet the demands of hospital application system for the network,improve stability,safety,reliability and manageability.
A kind of numerical simulation algorithms for instabilities of fluid interfaces,Ghost Fluid Method, is discussed.The setting of fluid variables in ghost regions is directly based on multiple dimensional cases.Moreover,nonsplitting high resolution schemes are used to solve the fluid dynamic equations. At last, the algorithm is applied to the simulation of interface instabilities of fluid dyanmics,and satisfied numerical results are obtained.
This paper discusses the methods and approach to the collection and utilization of audiovisual materials for broadcasting and television in the ethnic regions and analyzes the development and utilization of the resources in the network environment. It also points out that the materials collected have to be of national characteristics so as to meet the demands of the clients and promote the development and construction of the documents and information resources in the regions.
Maglev systems represent a promising evolution in the high-speed ground transportation, offering speeds in excess of 300 mph along with the potential for low operating costs and minimal environmental impact. The goal of this effort is to investigate the feasibility and viability of maglev systems in the United States. The emergence of a sophisticated technology such as maglev requires a need for a coordinated research test program and the determination of test requirements to identify and mitigate development risk and to maximize the use of domestic resources. The study is directed toward the identification and characterization of maglev systems development risks tied to a preliminary system architecture. Research objectives are accomplished by surveying experiences from previous maglev development programs, both foreign and domestic, and interviews with individuals involved with maglev research and testing. Findings include ninety-four distinct development risks and twenty risk types. Planning and implementation requirements are identified for a maglev test program, including the development of a facilities strategy developpment effort. Also specified is the logical development flow and associated long-lead support needs for sub-scale and full-scale testing.
Professional-creative direction as the main one in the work of Chelyabinsk Branch of All-Russian theatrical society helped the outstanding and the starting actors in their creative work in the aim of propaganda of the theatrical art of the South-Ural region and of the country as a whole. Laboratories, seminars, conferences on questions of theory and practice of the scenic art were organized to help the workers of the theater and theatrical collectives to improve their professional level. Much attention in this work was paid to the creative section such as art – staged section, criticism section etc. Newly formed Department of the creative youth helped to organize professional study in the theatres of the region. The research of the archival documents helps to come to the conclusion that the professional creative activity was carried out with the help of various forms and methods of cooperating with the actors of the theatre and it had the educational aspect.
The modal analyses on the phenocryst phases and the normative mineralogies from the bulk chemical analyses record that the volcanic rocks related to the Yangsan caldera might been derived from compositionally zoned magma. The volcanic rocks show linearly continuous mineralogical gradients, not only totally in the relations between and proportion of phenocryst content, but also within each rock unit in the relations between total phenocryst content and the proportion, Q-Ab-Or and Q-An(Ab-Or) diagrams. The roughly gradational modal variations of the phenocryst phases are shown upward within each rock unit. However, the contents and proportion of the phenocrysts in the Yangsan Tuff and the Hwajeri Formation represent the zigzaggedly undulatory variations. The continuous mineralogical gradients without large gaps define a large zoned magma system in the pre-eruptive, later precollapse and postcollapse magma chambers respectively. The zigzagged variations reflect the intermittent eruptive pulses representing any time gaps.
Understanding the spatial structure of fine spatial resolution images is instrumental for either pixel- or object-based image analysis. In this Letter, the characteristic scale of scene variation in images is evaluated using statistics of sub-images produced by a wavelet transform. Six statistics, namely mean, variance, standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation, skewness and kurtosis, were calculated for three directional sub-images and their derivative energy signature image at a sequence of wavelet decomposition levels. A simulated image, an aerial AUSIMAGE™ image (spatial resolution 0.2 m) and a recent Système Probatoire de l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT)-5 High Resolution Geometric (HRG) panchromatic image (spatial resolution 2.5 m) were analysed. It was found that with energy signature images, the change rate of SD over spatial resolution ranges between two successive decomposition levels ( ( SD/ ( R) suggested a synoptic and approximate description for the characteristic scale of scene variation. However, by comparing the result with the ranges of geostatistical variograms, it is suggested that the geostatistical method can correctly identify the characteristic scales of scene variation; semivariances can be calculated at any lag and orientation, while standard wavelet transforms are decomposed at only limited spatial resolution and orientation levels.
I. INTRODUCTIONMillions of Americans rely on individual brokers or brokerage firms to invest their money hoping to better support their families and eventually retire. For the many Americans unfamiliar with investment strategies, a broker may be the only means of accomplishing these goals. While most investors are willing to pay a reasonable brokerage fee to increase the likelihood of a return, investors entering into brokerage contracts must also sacrifice a substantial possession beyond the fee: their basic due process rights should the deal sour.The reason for this, at its simplest, is that investors entering into brokerage contracts are forced to sign pre-dispute arbitration clauses. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is responsible for all dispute resolutions involving brokers, and as a private entity, FINRA is not required to abide by governmental due process guarantees. Thus, the individual investor signing a brokerage contract is simultaneously signing away his due process protections.This Note examines the development and effectiveness of FINRA's regulatory regime, as well as the due process rights it curtails. In doing so, it not only outlines the potential due process deprivations of FINRA's dispute resolution mechanisms, but also explores how these deprivations have already occurred in practice. After concluding that these deprivations cannot be justified for a myriad of reasons, this Note offers two recommendations to protect investors' due process rights and create a more effective broker-investor dispute resolution process.II. BACKGROUNDBefore determining the extent to which pre-dispute arbitration clauses in brokerage contracts affect a claimant's due process rights, it is first necessary to outline the regulatory framework governing securities disputes.1 First, this Part describes the development,2 functional authority,3 and arbitration processes4 of FINRA. Then, this Part proceeds to explain the development and use of pre-dispute arbitration clauses in the brokerage industry.5A. The Development of FINRAToday, FINRA is the largest private securities regulator in the United States.6 FINRA writes and enforces regulations that every brokerage firm, and every broker, must abide by-4400 securities firms and 630,000 brokers in total. 7 Although FINRA is a non-profit, self-regulatory organization (SRO), its assets total over $2.2 billion,8 and in 2014 alone it levied $166.3 million in fines.9 Today, then, the nation's predominant securities regulator10 is a private SRO worth billions of dollars; 11 it took decades of legal developments, however, to arrive at this regulatory format.For over 200 years, securities exchanges in the United States have enjoyed selfgovernance over all members listing securities on their exchange. 12 While keeping the selfregulatory platform, however, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act), required every securities exchange in the United States to register with the newly created SEC.13 The Exchange Act gave the SEC oversight of the activities of stock exchanges, such as the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE);14 however, enforcement mechanisms for securities violations and violations of membership rules remained within the SRO itself.15 In 1938, the government expanded its regulatory reach to over-the-counter securities markets, thereby giving the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) oversight of both exchanges and nonexchanges.16 At this time, the NASD registered with the SEC regulatory authority and retained control over its members, and eventually the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ).17 Concurrently, the NYSE continued to monitor its members internally through an enforcement division.18 This changed in 2007 when "FINRA assumed the NASD's enforcement and regulatory functions and the NYSE and NASD dispute resolution programs were consolidated under FINRA 's authority. …
This discussion paper describes the review and development of a standardised moderation of assessment process in the School of Nursing and Midwifery. This initiative was the result of collaboration between two nursing course coordinators and a Centre for Learning and Development academic who provided the scholarship of moderation of assessments. A review of the current moderation processes revealed the potential for variation amongst markers especially due to the large number of new and sessional academic staff. A recommendation from the review was the need for a moderation process that provides evidence for reporting and is not difficult for academic staff to implement. The purpose of this initiative was to develop that moderation process based on literature of good practice. Once the process was determined, a second purpose was to raise awareness with staff and pilot the implementation of the process. This is the first of several papers expected to showcase the process and guidelines developed.
Abstract : A product line approach may appear very attractive, with obvious benefits in speedier time to market and higher quality, however many organizations demand financial justification before proceeding. Without knowing costs, the decision makers won't budget funds or personnel to carry out the up-front asset construction tasks. In addition, not all organizations are ready to commit up front to a full asset set, one that covers most if not all product line features. Many managers favor an incremental approach to product line adoption, one that first tackles areas of highest and most readily available commonality, earning payback early in the adoption cycle. This report defines key factors to consider in taking an incremental approach to fielding a product line. An organization building a business case can apply these factors to show that product line investment can result in product development savings. The example presented here shows a net savings of almost $180 million in projects that would have cost about $600 million under traditional development approaches. The $180 million in savings takes into account an investment of $54 million in product line start-up costs. The example also illustrates ways to present the data needed to make a compelling business case.
The invention relates to a pharmaceutical, therapeutic system in the form of a plaster, containing highly volatile active ingredients as active components in a membrane system. A covering layer is embodied as a reversible composite produced by sealing an approximately active ingredient impermeable polyester against an active ingredient polymer membrane. The approximately active ingredient impermeable polyester film can be removed before use.
To the westernmost part of the state of West Bengal in India, under the eastern fringe of Chhota Nagpur plateau, the district of Purulia and Bankura are marked with hills and hillocks, dense forested areas, high altitude, hot summer, metamorphic calcareous rocks and tropical dry deciduous monsoon vegetation. Schedule castes, tribes and other backwards are majority in population. A mass of them are dependent on forests resources partially or completely. Destruction of forest territories, unsustainable practice of forest resources, diversion of forest areas for industrialization like stone crusher, brick clin, quarries and coal mines, limestone, cement, alloy stil and sponge iron workshop in private sectors and thermal power plants in government sectors are causing destruction of the environmental balance through climate change. Excess exploitation of nature affects upon biological resources and life sustaining system. Human activities have changed ecosystem more rapidly and creating problem upon the flora and fauna, people's livelihood. It affects the biodiversity. It causes increasement of level of gases like CO, CO 2 , SO, SO 2 , NO, NO 2 , N 2 O and exude PAN through automobiles. The present paper discusses on various causes responsible for the loss in biodiversity due to change in environment and developing ways of mitigating such effects.
This paper presented a surface acoustic wave (SAW) based particulate matter (PM) 2.5 monitor, which consisted of a SAW dual-resonator oscillator, a thermophoresis unit and a virtual impactor. The structure optimization for improving the performance of the sensor by considering the particle distribution deposited by thermophoresis on the SAW detector was analyzed and verified in experiments. The size of thermophoresis micro-channel was obtained by Talbot formula and the movement of particles to the surface of the SAW detector was simulated by using the finite element method (FEM). Based on the theoretical results, the micro-channel was fabricated and the thermophoresis distribution was observed under an optical microscope. The optimal monsitoring structure of the SAW based PM2.5 monitor was established theoretically.
Current and projected demographics, as well as data reflecting high school completion rates across ethnic groups in the U.S. demand a reexamination of pedagogical approaches in public schools. Despite substantial research demonstrating the success that Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) has with students of color, it remains a widely underutilized approach. This paper investigates factors inhibiting the use of CRP with Latino students. The researcher interviewed two English teachers at an East Salinas high school with a 98% Latino student body. Teachers were asked how they feel about CRP, what are factors inhibiting its implementation and what could be done to increase its use. Findings indicate there are various factors associated with insufficient use of CRP, including misunderstandings of its theoretical and practical implications. This suggests that much work needs to be done with regard to preparing culturally competent and critical educators that will work in predominantly Latino schools. Based on these findings, the researcher created an online resource space dedicated to CRP. Despite various challenges, educators continue being responsible for manipulating pedagogical forms in ways that most adequately serve Latino youth. CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY 3 Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Pedagogy in Public Education For our culminating academic experience as undergraduate students, we are expected to engage in a capstone project that is reflective of our individual history, academic growth and acquired knowledge. We are asked that our motives for choosing an issue to focus on for a capstone project in some way be personal. The issue I would like to focus on relates to my experience in public K-12 education and why I decided to become a teacher.
The mass resettlement in Siberia in 1906 1914 was to unloaded the rural crisis in the center of the country. By 1900 superfluous peasants amounted 23 million of people. The quantity of the convenient lands suitable for agriculture in Siberia was not enough to provide all people with the lands they wished. This fact was not taken into account by Stolyipin's government. By 1914 the fund of settlement lands was exhausted.
Objective To investigate the effects and mechanisms of rheumatoid fibroblast-like synoviocytes(FLS) in promoting osteoclastogenesis.Methods FLS were separated and cultured from synovium tissue of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis(RA) or osteoarthritis(OA).FLS were then cocultured with normal monocytes from healthy volunteers' peripheral blood.Osteoclasts were determined and counted by trate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRAP) staining,and resorption lacunae on bone slices were identified by toluidine blue staining.The expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand(RANKL) on FLS was evaluated by immunofluorescence.Real-time PCR and Western blot were performed respectively to determine the mRNA and protein expression of RANKL and osteoprotegerin(OPG).Results At the 7th day of cocultured RA-FLS with normal monocytes,few TRAP-positive cells with three or more nuclei were seen and these osteoclasts increased significantly by the 14th day.Resorption lacunae were observed at the 21st day.However,no osteoclast or resorption lacuna was observed when OA-FLS was cocultured with normal monocytes.Immunofluorescence staining showed significantly higher expression of RANKL in RA-FLS than in OA-FLS(P0.05).Expression of RANKL mRNA and protein was significantly up-regulated in RA-FLS compared with that in OA-FLS,while expression of OPG mRNA and protein was significantly down-regulated.The ratio of RANKL/OPG mRNA and protein was also up-regulated in RA-FLS more obviously than in OA-FLS(all P0.05).Conclusion RA-FLS may promote osteoclastogenesis and bone erosion in RA by RANKL up-regulation.
Ukrainian Abstract:  У статті продемонстровано потенціал розвитку європейських суспільств на тлі зростання нових світових центрів впливу і надано прогноз для Європейського Союзу в умовах глобальної економічної кризи та після неї. Джерелами дослідження є соціально-економічні розвідки і прогнози, публікації у впливових західних ЗМІ, статистичні дані (індекс людського розвитку HDI, індекс конкурентоспроможності IMD, індекс продуктивності GGDC), результати опитувань громадської думки (ESS 2005, 2007; Eurobarometer 62, 67, 71). Також було використано матеріали експертних інтерв'ю, які були проведені з низкою провідних європейських соціологів у липні 2008 р Зроблено висновок, що, незважаючи на існуючі політичні та демографічні проблеми, Європа не втратить свою економічну позицію в світі найближчими 25-30 років, а трансформація Європейського союзу в федеративну наддержаву є умовою для геополітичного лідерства Європи. Ефективність такої трансформації може бути забезпечена шляхом демократизації (дебюрократизації) інститутів ЄС і європейського інтеграційного проекту.  Ключові слова: Європа, європейська інтеграція, Європейський союз, розвиток, експертні оцінки    English Abstract: The article suggests an analysis of the trends of global development and assessment of the potential of European societies in the context of the rising new global powers. The sources of the study comprise socioeconomic forecasts, publications in influential western media, statistical data (Index of Human Development (HDI), competitiveness index (IMD), productivity index GGDC), public opinion data (ESS 2005, 2007; Eurobarometer 62, 67, 71). Also the research is based on expert interviews which have been conducted with leading European sociologists in July 2008. It is argued that despite existing political and demographic problems, Europe will maintain the economic role in the subsequent 25-30 years.    Transformation of the European Union into supranational federative state is a precondition for geopolitical leadership of Europe. Effectiveness of the transformation may be achieved via democratization (debureaucratization) of the EU institutions and the European integration project.
Many pipes and piping systems are partly or totally inaccessible from the outside,e.g.by being isolated,lying underwater,or being buried in soil.Therefore,it is not possible to detect defects like cracks or corrosion without removing the isolation or uncovering the pipe itself which is very costly and in many cases utterly impossible.For these kinds of problems long-range inspection systems are needed.For corrosion testing of areas of light poles and pipes ultrasonic based testing systems are already available.However,the systems in their present form are not very well suited for SHM purposes due to size and costs.In order to cover a complete industrial plant with a large number of transducer units,new approaches for measurement hardware,sensor technology,and data evaluation are necessary.
Introduction. Approaching the De natura animalium 1. The independent intellectual 2. Animals and agroikoi in Aelian's Rustic Letters 3. The hazards of variety 4. The Hellenized Roman 5. Stoicism 6. Animals, divinity, and myth 7. Egypt and India 8. The sexual animal 9. Bees, lions, eagles: Aelian and kingship 10. After animals: the women of the Varia Historia Conclusion. 'Nature produces animals with many voices and many sounds, you might say ...' Appendix: reconstructing Aelian's Kategoria tou Gunnidos.
Language is the carrier of culture and vocabulary is the most important part of cultural inheritance. The difference of Chinese and English Culture gives different cultural connotations of plant vocabulary. To English learners, understanding and cap turing of plant vocabulary's cultural connotation make people have a better comprehension of these two cultures and their differ ences. Therefore, inter-cultural communication can be promoted and mutual understanding can be deepen.
The paper discusses the feasibility of component-based development of warehouse MIS,gives out the developing method of warehouse component libraries after compartmentalizing warehouse management functions and discusses the key intensions of the technology and good performance of the architectural system based on the technical layers of unrestricted-establishment for component-based business process mode.
Waqfs (pious endowments) long held a crucial place in the political, economic, and social life of the Islamic world. Waqfs were major sources of education, health care, and employment; they shaped the city and contributed to the upkeep of religious edifices. They constituted a major resource, and their status was at stake in repeated struggles to impose competing definitions of legitimacy and community. Closer examination of the diverse legal, institutional, and practical aspects of waqfs in different regions and communities is necessary to a deeper understanding of their dynamism and resilience. This volume, which evolved from papers delivered at the 2005 American University in Cairo Annual History Seminar, offers a meticulous set of studies that fills a gap in our knowledge of waqf and its uses.
A mutation leading to partial loss of NAD-linked ("catabolic') glutamate dehydrogenase does not affect the regulation of ammonium-repressible activities in Aspergillus nidulans. This mutation has been used to show that NAD-linked glutamate dehydrogenase does not normally participate in ammonium assimilation. A mutation leading to loss of NADP-linked ("anabolic') glutamate dehydrogenase has been used to show that NADP-linked glutamate dehydrogenase is not normally involved in glutamate catabolism. Strains defective in either enzyme are useful for determining which amino acids are metabolised via transamination to yield glutamate rather than via deamination to yield ammonium.
We investigate the statistics of the available Pantheon+ dataset. Noticing that the χ 2 value for the best-ﬁt ΛCDM model to the real data is small, we quantify how signiﬁcant its smallness is by calculating the distribution of χ 2 values for the best-ﬁt ΛCDM model ﬁt to mock Pantheon+-like datasets, using the provided covariance matrix. We further investigate the distribution of the residuals of the Pantheon+ dataset, with respect to the best-ﬁt ΛCDM model, and notice they scatter smaller than would be expected from the covariance matrix but ﬁnd no signiﬁcant amount of kurtosis. These results point to the conclusion that the Pantheon+ covariance matrix is over-estimated. One simple interpretation of these results is a ∼ 5% overestimation of errors on SN distances in Pantheon+ data. When the covariance matrix is reduced by subtracting an intrinsic scatter term from the diagonal terms of the covariance matrix, the best-ﬁt χ 2 for the ΛCDM model achieves a normal value of 1580 and no deviation from ΛCDM is detected. We further quantify how consistent the ΛCDM model is with respect to the modiﬁed data with the subtracted covariance matrix using model independent reconstruction techniques such as the iterative smoothing method and we ﬁnd that the standard model is consistent with the data.
The deoxidation water produced by Jianghe Clean Water Plant is 10 000 m3/d,and the effluent is used for oilfield injection.Because of in crease in DO due to low temperature of surface water in winter,the oxygen content in water after deoxidation is still high,affecting the effect of increasing oil production by polymer flooding in oil production plant.The improvement measures were proposed based on the practical production.After the implementation,the oxygen content in water is improved significantly to reach the water injection standard and meet the demand of oil field development at the later period.
The topic of this study deals with public service motivation and its (potential) relationship with different leadership roles. The impact of leadership on motivation was not that often examined but by looking at the performances of public organizations, it seems that there is a relationship between these two variables. According to the different leadership roles, it would be interesting to have a closer look at the behavior of public managers and their instruments that are used to enhance motivation of public sector employees.  It is problematic to transform the theoretical findings into practices which managers could use in order to improve their employee’s motivation. Furthermore, it is not clear how and to what extent leadership influences public service motivation. Therefore, it should be concentrated on how this problem could be solved and which measures have to be taken in order to make it easier for public managers to influence and enhance the motivation of their staff. First of all, the topic will be introduced with its relevance and theories and it will be also explained how the research of this study was conducted in order to get the findings that are needed to conclude and answer the research question.
In this work we study the scour produced by a jet downstream of a submerged sluice gate on a sediment bed of non-cohesive particles. The experiments were performed for various values of sill heights and { deg}uid depths. New regimes were observed in which two holes are simultaneously developed. We identify the origins of the two holes and show that they are produced by different scouring mechanisms. The dependence of the position of the holes with the approach { deg}uid depth and the gate opening were studied and expressed in terms of adequate non-dimensional numbers.
For many years, solar cells had been considered as an inferior energy technology due to high cost – even in the renewable energy paradigm; however, progress in materials processing and engineering have helped them emerge as a frontline renewable energy technology with energy payback time that has been lowered from over a decade to a couple of years (at least in some parts of the world) during the last ten years. Commercial solar panels are typically manufactured on rigid platforms; fabricating them on flexible substrates, such as transparent plastics and metallic foils, would enable effective harvesting of energy in a number of diverse areas from indoor electronics to automobiles and from windows to portable applications. Furthermore, it would open up web-based roll-to-roll fabrication conducive to massive throughputs. Solution processable solar cells offer promising opportunities towards this end.
This work presents an experimental approach to study the refrigerant flow through capillary tube-suction line heat exchangers. Lateral heat exchanger performance with refrigerant HFC-134a was experimentally evaluated for a range of heat exchanger assemblies and operating conditions typically found in household refrigerators and freezers. Based on the resulting performance data base, the influence of both the operating conditions and heat exchanger geometry on the refrigerant flow were examined. It was also shown that the experimental data base is in close agreement with the predictions of a numerical model available in the literature.
The aim of this research is to description of education management of Fold System (PSG) Astra class in inproving the skill of students of SMKN 1 Percut Sei Tuan. For reach the arm above this research used the collectivization and data Analysis methods. Which direction from qualitative research rules. The direction of the resource person based on consideration of involvement in the education management of fold system (PSG) Astra class to increase the abilyty of student SMKN 1 Percut Sei Than. Collecting Data is gained by observing technics, interview and document a.balysis  The results of this research are (1) The selection of Astra class students is done by doing some tests namely : otomotive basics, psychology, and interview. The students of otomotive mechanics technique at the second class can follow this selection, thirty two (32) students are accepted per class. (2) The learning management uses SMK Curicullum at 1999, 2004, and the collaboration of industry Curriculum. For the Astra class involves the Astra Curriculum. (3) The evaluation an report management fOr .Astra class is guidance to mastery the specification of Astra workshops. The Procedure and princips in using tools, discipline in working, the report about the students work result such as the study result card, skill document, ledger, transcript, certificate and diploma are made in a report book. (4) The graduate marketing management is done by making use of the industry practice result which is done at the beginning of the graduate marketing certificate which has owned by graduate become indicator the graduate competency. The graduates of Astra class have many chances to get work in Astra shops, this thing can be seen from the acceptance of employee in Astra Company. The Astra class graduate become the priority Based on this situatim .Astra Company has responsibility in marketing the graduate of Astra class.
The preparation of alloys containing one to two percent of the volatile lanthanide metals Sm, Eu, Tm and Yb in the high melting point (HMP) rare earth metals Sc, Y and Lu was accomplished by a vapor deposition, diffusion method without crucible contamination. The method avoids the melting of the HMP metals which would introduce impurities from the crucible generally Ta or W. Plates of the HMP metals were hung from the lid in the upper part of the Ta crucible. The volatile metals were placed on the bottom and the lid welded in place under an atmosphere of helium. By proper selection of the alloying temperature, the effusion of the metal vapors through the helium atmosphere was slow enough to permit diffusion to occur and prevent refluxing of the newly formed alloy. Very volatile metals such as Mg required a Knudsen cells with a suitably size hole to prevent too rapid transfer of the low melting metal. Electron microprobe analysis of a cross-section of the HMP metals showed a homogeneous distribution of the volatile metals. The time and temperature required to obtain a homogeneous rare earth alloy without contamination are given. The use of the Knudsen cell to formmore » magnesium-rare earth alloys is reviewed. 8 refs., 2 tabs.« less
There is an electric coil means provided with at least two partial coils from a parent doubly-connected stripline. Said coil means comprises at least two circuit branches, each of said sub-coils wound from each one of these conductor branches. The conductor branches of the superior strip conductor have a parent first surface and a surface facing away from said first surface of higher-level second surface. In this case, at a first coil portion, the first surface of the strip conductor facing a center of the first coil section, and a second coil section, the second surface of the strip conductor facing a center of the second coil section. Furthermore, a production method for such a coil assembly is provided.
It is widely recognised that the standard measure of human development, the Human Development Index [HDI] does not totally capture the rich content of the human development concept, and, therefore, a more adequate measure of human development is needed. This is what this study sets out to do – to introduce an ethics-augmented human development index [E-HDI] as a new concept representing a new means of conceptualising social change and development for all countries generally and the OIC member countries in particular. It is envisaged to be of practical use to policy-makers in the OIC member countries, as well as the bilateral and international development agencies. Just as the HDI has managed to shift discussions beyond GNP, the E-HDI is expected to inject ethical concerns more explicitly into policy-making in the contexts in which the Human Development Reports are widely used. The E-HDI is expected to serve as an alternative focal point to both the traditional concentration on GNP and other measures of economic development like the HDI.
The modern quest for artistic autonomy: An appreciation for a failed project This article argues that the modern quest for artistic autonomy contributed to emancipation in general, essentially by undermining the violence that results from correspondence thinking. 1 It starts out by noting that a significant percentage of the world's most totalising, violent moments were and often still are rationalised on correspondence thinking. Thereafter the article analyses how the intellectual tradition in question attempted to conceptualise and realise art as a truthful correspondence with a supposed aesthetic essence, and how these attempts eventually became so paradoxical that this correspondence project was abandoned by the tradition itself. However, as "other" intellectual traditions often still rationalise potentially violent self-interests on correspondence thinking, this tradition's early,voluntarily abandonment of such thinking and practices makes it an emancipatory force in history.
Childbirth is a critical period of life and behavior towards childbirth varies from culture to culture. In many Southeast Asian cultures, postpartum period is considered important from point of view of recovery by offering a period of confinement. This study aimed to describe the plants used in diet therapy after childbirth in postpartum period, their importance and tried to assess the potential effects of the practices on the health of new mother and baby. The study shows that medicinal plants play a significant role in the recovery of new mother as they possess many biological properties and their molecular targets cover vast area. Therefore, the above mentioned plant species should be further explored for their other pharmacological characteristics for human welfare. Formulations can be prepared using these plants for the better healthcare of women.
I develop an open economy portfolio model to study how leveraged investors' wholesale funding affects the international transmission of shocks. Under binding borrowing limits, there is a link between the international investment positions of integrated economies as investors diversify the asset side of their balance sheets. Building on this mechanism, I introduce the liability side, allowing investors sell domestic and foreign bonds and capturing changes in counterparty risk in a stylized way (i.e., debt-to-asset ratios are specific to each borrower and time-varying). I model and parameterize these ratios, conditional on portfolio choice. I can solve for portfolios taking advantage of the link between assets and liabilities which is implied by the borrowing constraints. Equilibrium portfolios feature home funding bias, which is justified by a crucial interaction between the terms of trade and the tightness of the borrowing constraints. Dynamically, this interaction implies that the source of debt which is most sensitive to shocks is foreign funding. In fact, any shock creates a wedge between the cost of funding in different countries; the value of collateral must adjust accordingly through asset prices. Yet, asset prices are mainly affected by financiers' concern for counterparty risk: impact effects are deep and in line with the terms of trade effect. Combined, these effects have somehow novel implications for the net foreign asset positions. The cumulative effects have instead more mixed results on fluctuations.
Guided wave structural health monitoring is generally accomplished using baseline subtraction. This typically takes the form of acquiring a large baseline set over a long period to capture all conditions the structure will experience. In the case of many structures this range is unknown or it is simply impractical to collect a baseline set before use. The requirement for many baselines is complicated by the time that may be required to capture an individual baseline. This paper addresses these problems from two directions. Firstly by altering the physical data capture method the time taken to acquire signals can be reduced by an order of magnitude. Using a coded excitation signal, specifically a chirp, does this. This signal puts in more energy to the structure in line with the length of the chirp. In doing this, the effect on signal to random noise is the same as performing a greater number of averages. Thus the same performance can be achieved with a single firing rather than the use of multiple averages. To address the problem of acquiring a relevant baseline set to correct for environmental changes a method is proposed to add baselines to a data set based on their difference to any previously acquired dataset. This has the effect of adding a recorded value to the dataset if the value has changed more than some specified minimum difference. In doing this the baseline set grows rapidly initially but as the set covers the conditions the structure is exposed to this rate slows. It is shown that this approach can be used to develop a baseline set online without defining it before operation. In addition it is shown that this does not affect the ability to detect a damage event.
Boiler flue gas temperature rises have some effect on the efficiency of electrostatic precipitator,through the analysis of the effect of flue gas temperature rises on resistivity of fly ash,flue gas flow,gas viscosity and migration velocity,to make sure of the effects on the efficiency of electrostatic precipitator when boiler flue gas temperature rises,it can serve as a reference for the retrofit of the power plants of the same type.
Over the next four years, the Progetto Energia project is building several cogeneration plants to satisfy the increasing demands of Italy`s industrial complex and the country`s demand for electrical power. Located at six different sites within Italy`s borders these Combined Cycle Cogeneration Plants will supply a total of 500 MW of electricity and 100 tons/hr of process steam to Italian industries and residences. To ensure project success, a dynamic model of the 50 MW base unit was developed. The goal established for the model was to predict the dynamic behavior of the complex thermodynamic system in order to assess equipment performance and control system effectiveness for normal operation and, more importantly, abrupt load changes. In addition to fulfilling its goals, the dynamic study guided modifications to controller logic that significantly improved steam drum pressure control and bypassed steam de-superheating performance. Simulations of normal and abrupt transient events allowed engineers to define optimum controller gain coefficients. The paper discusses the Combined Cycle plant configuration, its operating modes and control system, the dynamic model representation, the simulation results and project benefits.
This paper attempts to develop an interpretive account of the syntax and semantics of alternative and yes/no, direct and indirect, questions. The first part of the paper deals with the aspects of questions related to their propositional content. A rule which carries the presupposition (in the sense of Jackendoff (1972)) of the first conjunct of an alternative question across into the second conjunct, is developed and shown to be necessary for semantic interpretation. It is then argued that all yes/no questions have two clauses on the semantic level, and that therefore the presupposition carrying rule applies to yes/no questions as well. The remainder of the paper deals with the specifically question-related aspects of the syntax and semantics of questions. A syntactic analysis is developed which accounts uniformly for alternative and yes/no, direct and indirect, questions. The semantics incorporates into the interpretive framework the basic insights of the Montague treatment of questions in Karttunen and Peters (1976).
In this paper we discuss the problem of numerically computing Petersson inner products of modular forms, given their $q$-expansion at $ infty$. A formula of Nelson reduces this to obtaining $q$-expansions at all cusps, and we describe two algorithms based on linear interpolation for numerically obtaining such expansions. We apply our methods to numerically verify constants arising in an explicit version of Ichino's triple-product formula relating $ langle fg,h rangle$ to the central value of $L(f times g times  bar{h},s)$, for three modular forms $f,g,h$ of compatible weights and characters.
A major challenge of today's standards-based assessment movement targets the need to address and improve the achievement of struggling readers. As teacher education programs must prepare content teachers to address the challenges of teaching students who lack reading skills, we need to prepare out pre-service teachers to help students make meaning while reading any text. To accomplish such a goal, comprehension instruction must be explicit, direct, and effective. As VanDeWeghe (2004b) notes, even though students may still need development as readers at the secondary level, there may be confusion surrounding where reading instruction is addressed in the secondary curriculum. After talking with our cooperating teachers and tracking student teaching performances of our secondary English candidates, we believed that our pre-service teachers needed more effective preparation. To present important content conceptualizations, we realized our preservice teachers must explicitly teach and use comprehension strategies with multiple texts at varying levels of difficulty. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pilot of Gettysburg College's redesign and implementation of a reading apprenticeship model developed in collaboration with two practicing secondary English teachers. After field testing at the secondary level, the model was transported to the college level for preparing secondary English pre-service teachers. [excerpt] Required Publisher's Statement Original version is available from the publisher at: http://ksrapa.org/?page_id=853 This article is available at The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College: http://cupola.gettysburg.edu/edfac/16
Persistence of human trafficking in Tanzania is reported to be exacerbated by many factors including patriarchal systems, poverty, peer influences, job opportunities and availability of social services to mention a few. Deprivation of capabilities however, has been thought to catalyze the situation more as compared to others. In a research conducted in Arusha Municipality involving girls who are victims of human trafficking and other stakeholders;  it was found out that destitution of rural families, forced marriages, peer influences, broken families and gender based violence were among the root causes which rendered these young girls become preys to traffickers.  Further the study found out that these young girls faced a lot of challenges including being overworked and being unpaid, being tortured physically and sometimes emotionally. Complementing these challenges the girls lamented on sexual abuse and even disease which they encounter. In combating the situation the study recommends more drastic measures to the Government and other stakeholders including increasing awareness in Human Trafficking to the general public and encourages victims to report the cases. Additionally it recommends that children who are most vulnerable and at high risk of being trafficked be checked regularly and if possible be supplied with the basic needs. Key words: Gender based violence, Human trafficking, Poverty, Trafficking in children
Background Microparticles (MPs) are shedding membrane vesicles released from activated blood and endothelial cells under inflammatory conditions. The role of endothelial MPs (EMPs) in pathophysiology of COPD is relatively well known. However, the release and function of MPs of other cellular origins, eg, platelets, red blood cells and leukocytes, are not clearly evaluated in COPD. Purpose The aim of this study was to measure EMPs and other cell-derived circulating MPs in stable and exacerbated COPD patients. Patients and methods A total of 50 patients with COPD and 19 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. EMPs (CD31+, CD62E+) and platelet-derived (CD61+, CD41+, CD42a+, PAC1+), red blood cell-derived (GlyA+) and leukocyte-derived (CD45+, CD13+, CD14+, CD56+) MPs were measured. Flow cytometry (FC) was performed on Beckman Coulter FC500 analyzer. MP reference gate was set using 0.3–0.5–0.9 µm microbeads with MP size gates of 0.5–1.0 µm. Results All the measured MPs were significantly (P<0.001) higher in COPD patients than in the controls. Furthermore, CD62E+, CD41+, CD42a+ and CD14+ MP values were significantly (P<0.001) increased in exacerbated COPD compared to stable COPD. These MPs showed significant (P<0.001) inverse correlation with FEV1/FVC, as well. Conclusion In this study, we describe a reliable flow cytometric assay for MP analysis that was successfully applied in COPD. Besides EMPs, COPD is accompanied by an increased concentration of various MPs in the systemic circulation; particularly, platelet- and monocyte-derived MPs seem to be important in exacerbation.
Honesty, which is a traditional Chinese virtue, becomes an emphasis of morality construction in modern China. As a kdy arena for morality construction, colleges should prioritize education of honesty and morality in college morality education. It is a necessity to inherit Chinese excellent virtue, a threshold to promote college morality education, an objective requirement to implement The Compendium of Citizen Morality Construction, and a morality base to help students become useful persons.
The paper presents the thesis that in the process of analysis and decision-making on the scope, duration and depth of cooperation in the framework of outsourcing in the area of transport is necessary to follow a set of business rules-oriented, both the strategic and operational aspects of business operations. the paper also discusses the errors committed in the decision making process concerning the selection and cooperation with suppliers of transport services.
The angular and energy dependences of the cross sections for formation of metastable states of helium atoms by electron impact were studied in intersecting beams from the threshold to 200 eV. Expressions relating the apparent threshold of level excitation to the scattering angle of the target atom were derived on the basis of an analysis of collision kinematics. It is shown that the angular distributions of the metastable particles should have two maxima. This is in good agreement with experiment. Satisfactory agreement was also obtained for the energy dependences of the excitation cross sections near the threshold, which were calculated by the strong coupling method, with the experimentally measured dependences, including the characteristics caused by resonances.
Inflammation is a complex process that allows elimination of tissular damaging agents and thus facilitates wound repair. Persistance of a damaging agent or the incapacity to resolve the inflammatory state leads to chronic homeostatic deregulation with putative incidence on morbidity and mortality. Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory state of blood vessels which origins are multifactorial. Hypertension and the infectious state represent classical and emerging factors of atherosclerosis development, respectively. The innate immune response takes place in the initial steps of inflammation, and represents the first cellular line of defense against danger signals. The goal of this thesis is to examine the proinflammatory roles of the IkB kinases (IKK) and the IKK-related kinases, which are essential innate immune response protein kinases. IKK and IKK form, toghether with NEMO/IKK, the IKK complex. This complex is responsible of the phosphorylation of the inhibitor of NF-B, IB, a process that leads to its degradation and NF-B release. By immunoprecipitation of NEMO and assessment of the IKK complex activity in vitro, we show that the vasoactive peptide angiotensin II (AngII) induces IKK phosphotransferase activity in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). The use of RNA interference (RNAi) against IKK reveals that this kinase is responsible for p65/RelA phosphorylation. AngII modulation of NF-B is atypical since it does not modulate IB. Moreover, the use of pharmacological inhibitors shows that p65 induction is independent of both MEK-ERKRSK and PI3K pathways, and that it does not involve EGF receptor transactivation. IKKrelated kinases Tank-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and IKK-i are known to be induced by bacterial and viral infections. These kinases are able to phosphorylate directly interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-3 transcription factor. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) seropositivity was shown to be linked to atherosclerosis development. We show that TBK1 activity is induced in HCMV-infected VSMC. RNAi directed against TBK1 and IKK-i reveals that both kinases are required for IRF-3 activation. The use of a VSMC line that express a dominant negative version if IRF-3 shows that this transcription factor is involved
Software vulnerabilities are program flaws that can be exploited by attackers to compromise the security of a software system. Although many approaches have been proposed to detect or prevent software attacks, software security incidents continue to occur every year. Security testing aims at detecting program vulnerabilities through a set of test cases and has shown to be effective to detect program vulnerabilities. The primary challenge is how to efficiently produce test cases that are highly effective in detecting vulnerabilities. This dissertation proposes trace-based security testing approaches towards addressing some fundamental challenges in security testing.  The first study is to use trace-based symbolic execution and satisfiability analysis to detect C program vulnerabilities. A security testing model is proposed to unify program states and security requirements into logical expressions. Specifically, program constraints (PC), i.e., all possible values of program variables at a given point in an execution, are derived from symbolic execution on the trace. Security constraints (SC), i.e., secure values of program variables at security critical points of the program, are derived from security knowledge. Both PC and SC are represented in first order logic. Therefore, the satisfiability of PC and the negation of SC indicates a program vulnerability. A tool named SecTAC has been developed and applied to test several open source C programs. Many known and unknown vulnerabilities have been detected.  The second study is a novel fuzzing approach that aims to test deep program semantics through the analysis of program execution trace. Intuitively, program execution trace reflects the semantics of program input data from the program's point of view. This study proposes a test case similarity metric to model the semantic similarity between well-formed input data and its mutations. Such similarity is used to direct a two-stage fuzzing process to produce more test cases that are more likely to explore deep program semantics. A prototype tool named SimFuzz is developed to test real programs, and the experimental result shows that deep program semantics can be extensively tested compared to traditional fuzzing approaches.  The third study is to utilize end user data for security testing as well as provide timely protection to end users. The idea is to monitor how program paths are explored by benign user data or malicious exploits. Once a new path is being explored, it is sent to testing site for security testing using trace-based security testing. Several techniques are proposed to make the system feasible in practice. First, tree-based bit tracing is proposed to reduce user site overhead and preserve user privacy. Second, conditional runtime monitor is proposed to ensure user security while reduce latency. Third, test decomposition is proposed to reduce space overhead. A prototype system named SecTOD has been developed and applied to test the Apache server program. The result shows that it is effective in terms of vulnerability detection and efficient in terms of computation and space overhead.  Overall, this dissertation proposes trace-based security testing and studies techniques to (1) reuse existing test cases for security testing (2) extensively test deep program semantics (3) utilize end user data for security testing as well as protect end user security. These studies show that trace-based security testing approach is a promising technique for security testing in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency.
Sweetpotato fields in Korea are highly infected with virus and virus like diseases that greatly diminish both yield and quality as indicated by field observations and laboratory tests. In order to solve this problem, there is an urgent need to produce and mass propagate virus-free planting materials for distribution to the farmers. These experiments were conducted, firstly, to determine the most appropriate culture media, nutrient solution, and cutting intervals to maintain growth and vigor of tissue cultured plantlets as mother plants for propagation in insect-proof greenhouse. And as a labor saving method, the production efficiency of plug trays for rapid propagation of stem cuttings as a source of planting materials was likewise evaluated. Results showed that plants grown in medium B supplied with 0.5 and 1.0 strength of MS nutrients had high growth rate, and 20-day cutting interval was the best. 72-plug tray was better than 128-plug. Secondly, it was to develop a technique for the production of first-generation seed roots using hydroponics cultivation system. The yield of virus-free plants propagated in the non-insect proof and open-field cultivation was 2,402 ㎏/10a, 6% higher than those in the insect-proof cultivation, and the rate of virus re-infection was 18% higher compared to 3.3% with insect-proof cultivation. Lastly, it was to investigate the growth performance of virus free plants in farmers' field. Differences were existed in the yield depending on the variety used, but virus free plants showed an increase of 6~24% over virus infected plants.
There is little evidence about the administration of quarantine frozenthawed red blood cells (QTRBC) in everyday clinical practice, especially in pediatric patients. The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of QTRBC in treatment of the anemia syndrome in premature newborns. We analyzed data of 39 clinical cases of the anemia syndrome treated with QTRBC in premature newborns. The administration of QTRBC significantly increased the hemoglobin and hematocrit values and red blood cell count and improved clinical condition of patients. The study showed high efficacy of QTRBC administration in the correction of the anemia syndrome in premature newborns.
Increasing energy expenditure (EE) in cardiac patients remains a challenge. Exercise approaches in cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention programs (CR/SP) have consistently resulted in minimal weight loss, due in part to the low exercise-related EE. The purpose of this study was to measure the EE among patients participating in a routine exercise session of Phase III maintenance CR/SP, where a recreational activity was introduced. Twelve overweight/obese male patients with coronary artery disease (aged 62.6 ± 8.5 years) had their total EE measured during a combined aerobic (circuit workout (ACW) and recreational activity) and resistance training (RT) session using a portable gas analyzer. Subjects were instructed to exercise at 60%-70% of heart rate reserve. Activity EE was calculated from total EE and resting EE. The duration of the session was 75.3 ± 1.5 min, of which 59.7 ± 8.8 min were above moderate intensity (3-6 METs). Activity EE was 309 ± 76 kcal, concurring to a total EE of 457 ± 80 kcal (3.9 ± 0.8 METs-h). ACW, recreational activity, and RT fulfilled 34.4% ± 6.4%, 25.0% ± 5.3%, and 14.2% ± 2.7% of the activity EE, respectively. Absolute intensities (METs) were significantly different between the RT (3.9 ± 1.0) and the ACW (6.9 ± 1.8) and recreational activity (5.9 ± 0.8). In conclusion, a combined aerobic and resistance training following standard exercise prescription practices, coupled with a recreational activity, is an effective tool to promote exercise above moderate intensity in male coronary artery disease patients. Clinicians can adopt concepts from recreational activity to develop CR/SP sessions.
The present research deals with distinctive features of article headings in German economic press that indicate their duality. A heading can be a separate piece of literary work or an element of text. The process of heading’s interpretation is showed with the help of a feature heading. A heading contains both individual features of the journalist and some specific features of the style of a periodical and its conceptual ideas. The presence of headings in contemporary German-speaking economic discourse is optional. Some short newspaper articles with a common rubric are given as an example.
Abstract Introduction: Somatization is amongst the disorders which medical experts cannot justify. The current study was an attempt to clarify the role of personal traits in somatization disorder. Regarding the method, it is worth mentioning that the present study is a description of correlation. Methods: A total of 350 subjects were chosen through stratified random sampling and participated in the study. Hence, NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEOPI-R) and the somatization PHQ-15 questionnaire were implemented for gathering data. The gathered data were analyzed by regression analysis. Results: The results indicated that there is a negative relationship between somatization and the personality factors which included extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. It is safe to claim that there is a significant relationship between neuroticism and somatization, while there is no relationship between neuroticism and somatization, or between openness to experience and somatization.  Conclusion: Based on the findings of the current study, it can be concluded that people with certain personality characteristics are more likely to be affected by somatization disorders.
The arguments proving necessity of development of the logistic management concept by material, information, financial and returnable flows are provided. The problems of the Russian logistics connected with its efficiency, the quality level and questions of processing (utilization), correction of defective products (works, services) - returnable (reverse logistics), or logistics of returnable flows are considered. The most typical stages of management of reverse flows are allocated. Problems of reverse logistics of organizational and methodical character are systematized. Actions for the solution of the designated problems are offered.
Auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) have been investigated using rising frequency chirps to compensate for the dispersion along the cochlear partition in the auditory periphery. Responses elicited by the broadband chirp show larger wave-V amplitude than do click-evoked responses for most stimulation levels (Dau et al., 2000). It is desirable in some clinical (objective audibility assessment) and research (cochlear latency estimation, Neely et al., 1988) applications for more frequency specific responses. Traditionally, this has been accomplished using tone-burst stimuli, however these have the problem of spectral splatter associated with temporally short narrowband stimuli. Conceivably one could use narrowband chirps to synchronise a small number of auditory filters, and thereby gain frequency speci city. However, similar to the tone-burst ABRs, the stimulus duration would be very short, and therefore onset and offset effects will result in spectral splatter and thus degrade the frequency speci city. Junius and Dau (2005) showed that, by embedding a single broadband rising chirp, spectrally and temporally in two steady-state tones, the effects of spectral splatter along the cochlear partition can be minimised. Further, by ensuring that the excitation level is sufficiently low, one can keep any steady state responses in the evoked potential to a minimum. This paper presents a feasibility study in the use of embedded narrowband chirp stimuli to obtain frequency specific auditory brainstem responses, for use in clinical and research settings.
The present invention relates to adjustment of the power between the base station and the subscriber station method and a radio communication system. Transmission and reception in the second radio station a first radio station, and the transmission power of the second radio station measure a control command. In the course of the next transmission of the first radio station, the control command is transmitted to the second radio station, the second radio station to consider the control command which in the next transmission process for transmission power adjustment. When changing the transmission power is not a fixed amount of time same step, instead of using a control command, the control command relates to a change of the transmission power adjustment step size. The amount of stepping change of the radio is adjusted according to the user and time. According to the present invention, the transmission state for testing purposes, interrupting the continuous transmission. After the end of the interrupt, temporarily increase the amount of adjustment of the transmission power of the stepping.
The spontaneous fission of 252Cf has been studied via γ-γ-γ coincidence and γ-γ light charged particle coincidence with Gammasphere. The binary fission yields of correlated Mo−Ba pairs with 0–10 neutron emission have been remeasured. The existence of “hot” fission mode with 8–10 neutron emission seen previously in the Mo−Ba split is confirmed but with lower intensities. By gating on the light charged particles detected in ΔE-E detectors and a γ ray in one partner, the relative yields of correlated pairs in alpha ternary SF with zero to 6n emission are observed for the first time with the distribution peaked at 2.5n. New correlated pairs are identified in 10Be ternary SF. We observed essentially only cold, On 10Be and little, if any, hot, xn 10Be. New γ-γ-γ data with 2.3 times the total events show weak non-Doppler broadened high energy peaks in coincidence with transitions in correlated pairs in 10Be SF shifted by the same 6,1 to 26 keV from the 2-0 energy in 10Be as seen earlier.
An effective Explorative Teaching should find expression in the teacher's role of guiding and the students' subjectivity.Based on the current context of Teaching Practice and concepts from the new curriculum,the connotation of the "Guide/Subject-Four-Link" Explorative Teaching Practice Model is revealed.Its framework is built,and its strategy of implementation is expounded in combination with teaching cases "Elliptical and Standard equation" in the teaching practice of high school mathematics.
In this project we will be looking at the change in control required to transfer a satellite between two elliptic Keplerian orbits. We will first derive the equations of motion for our satellite and then study the controllability properties of our system. We will introduce a simple feedback controller and prove local asymptotic stability of the target orbit. The goal of this paper is to prove stability using both geometric control theory as well as stabilization methods and thus link prior work done on orbital control in both fields. Our primary tool to accomplish this will be LaSalle’s invariance principle.
In order to understand to speciality of traditional  Korean architecture, it is necessary to know the  history of architectural aspect of the origin of MALU.  Hence, this study has approached various ways to look  for its origin. As a result, a hypothesis has been  established as follows; It is believed that MALU was  originated between 300 B.C.- A.D.O (Primitive three  kingdoms period). Its name origin and function had  been adopted from the north of korean Peninsular,  and its Architectural structure was modified from the  South East Asia, where the floor of house was  elevated some height from the ground level.  Then these two factors were combined to adapt the  unique Koreans' natural and cultural environment.
FIELD: medical equipment. SUBSTANCE: group of inventions refers to medical equipment, namely to magnetic resonance imaging. Method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with motion compensation includes stages, at which signals of movement from plurality of markers are received, which include resonating material and, at least, one of inductance-capacitance (LC) circuit or RF micro coils, located near resonating material, wherein marker includes controller, which adjusts and disadjusts LC-circuit or RF micro coil, patient is scanned using MRI scanning parameters for generating data on MRI resonances; such signals are generated, which indicate movement, which, at least, one of frequency and phase of signals, indicating movement, indicates relative position of markers, when scanning patients, data on MRI resonances is reconstructed into image using MRI scanning parameters, relative position of, at least, patient's volume of interest is determined as per signals, indicating movement, and scanning parameters are modified for compensation of certain relative movement of patient, LC-circuit or RF micro coils are disadjusted during collection of image data and LC-circuit or RF micro coils are adjusted during collection of data on relative position. System for correction of expected movement comprises magnetic resonance imaging scanner, multiple markers and data processing device. EFFECT: using these inventions enables extending the range of products for determining patient's position and movement correction during MRI. 8 cl, 6 dwg
Via the solid-phase synthesizing method,a series of fluorine ion doped lithium vanadium oxides with the fluorine contents of 0.059%,0.19%,0.35% and 0.56%(mass fraction) was synthesized at 400 ℃,(respectively).The experimental results show that the oxidation state of the vanadium of the fluorine ion doped(lithium) vanadium oxides is decreased with the increase of fluorine content in the samples and the doped lithium vanadium oxide with a fluorine content of 0.19%(mass fraction) shows a monoclinic structure of(Li_(1.2)V_(3)O_8) and exhibits a max capacity of 272 mA·h/g and has a capacity fading rate of 16% in 40 cycles.Thermal analysis,XRD and Raman analysis showed that the fluorine dopant can stabilize the crystal structure of lithium vanadium oxides.
Management education follows a strictly structured pattern, while meeting career demands may often entail tolerating ambiguities, or even unlearning that which has already been taught. The elective course, Tracking Creative Boundaries, designed for students at IIM, Bangalore, seeks to inculcate this aspect by introducing students to artistes, all masters in their own chosen fields. Not only is society best represented by the arts, but also because artistes have always had the capacity to inspire. Their ability to transform themselves and thereby the wider environment as well is brought about by their constant endeavour to reinvent themselves, while respecting their own vocations - a lesson that could stand in equal good stead for the business leaders of tomorrow.
Abstract The tectonic and structural evolution of the Monterey Bay region of central California is complex and diverse. Onshore and offshore geologic investigations during the past two decades indicate that the region has been subjected to at least two different types of tectonic forces; to a pre-Neogene orthogonal converging plate (subduction) and a Neogene-Quaternary obliquely converging plate (transform) tectonic influence. Present-day structural fabric, however, appears to have formed during the transition from a subducting regime to transform regime and since has been modified by both strike-slip and thrust movement. Monterey Bay region is part of an exotic allocthonous structural feature known as the Salinian block or Salinia tectonostratigraphic terrane. This block is proposed to have originated as part of a volcanic arc a considerable distance south of its present location, somewhere between the Transverse Range (being the displaced segment of the southern Sierra-Nevada Mountain Range) and the latitude of Central America. It consist of Cretaceous granodiorite basement with an incomplete cover of Tertiary strata. Paleogene rocks are scarce, evidently stripped from the block during a time of emergence in the Oligocene time. The Salinian block is presently located on the Pacific plate at the Pacific and North American plates’ active tectonic boundary. This boundary shifted to a transform margin approximately 21 Ma when the Mendocino triple-junction passed through the Monterey Bay region. Since that time the Salinian block has been moving northward along the San Andreas fault zone and basin and ridge topography was generated within the strike-slip faults of the San Andreas fault system. Sometime between 5 and 3.5 Ma, due to the shift in the direction of Pacific plate motion and the development of a more orthogonal convergence between the Pacific and North American plates, compressional forces became more pronounced in the region. The 1979 Loma Prieta earthquake and recently reprocesses multichannel seismic-reflection data offshore indicate that the the Monterey Bay region is presently being subjected to both strike-slip (wrench) and thrust (compressional) type tectonic forces.
In the manganite La1‐xMxMnO3 (M = Ca, Ba, Sr) the doping concentration introduces a mixed valency (Mn3+, Mn4+) which governs the magnetic and electrical properties of the compound. The perovskite oxides La1‐3xCaxBaxSrxMnO3 (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10) were prepared by chemical method. Single‐phase formation is confirmed by XRD studies. The electrical behavior of compositions with x = 0.00, 0.05 and 0.10 in the system La1‐3xCaxBaxSrxMnO3 was studied in the temperature range 300‐420 K. It is observed that conductivity decreases with increasing temperature as well as dopants concentration. Metallic behavior of these compositions decreases with increasing dopants concentration (x). The microstructures of these samples have been characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). (© 2007 WILEY ‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
This thesis presents several novel improvements to video coding algorithms, including block-based motion estimation, quantization selection, and video filtering. Most of the presented improvements are fully compatible with the standards in general use, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.261, H.263, and H.264. For quantization selection, new methods are developed based on the rate-distortion theory. The first method obtains locally optimal frame-level quantization parameter considering frame-wise dependencies. The method is applicable to generic optimization problems, including also motion estimation. The second method, aimed at real-time performance, heuristically modulates the quantization parameter in sequential frames improving significantly the rate-distortion performance. It also utilizes multiple reference frames when available, as in H.264. Finally, coding efficiency is improved by introducing a new matching criterion for motion estimation which can estimate the bit rate after transform coding more accurately, leading to better motion vectors. For fast motion estimation, several improvements on prior methods are proposed. First, fast matching, based on filtering and subsampling, is combined with a state-of-the-art search strategy to create a very quick and high-quality motion estimation method. The successive elimination algorithm (SEA) is also applied to the method and its performance is improved by deriving a new tighter lower bound and increasing it with a small constant, which eliminates a larger part of the candidate motion vectors, degrading quality only insignificantly. As an alternative, the multilevel SEA (MSEA) is applied to the H.264-compatible motion estimation utilizing efficiently the various available block sizes in the standard. Then, a new method is developed for refining the motion vector obtained from any fast and suboptimal motion estimation method. The resulting algorithm can be easily adjusted to have the desired tradeoff between computational complexity and rate-distortion performance. For refining integer motion vectors into half-pixel resolution, a new very quick but accurate method is developed based on the mathematical properties of bilinear interpolation. Finally, novel number theoretic transforms are developed which are best suited for twodimensional image filtering, including image restoration and enhancement, but methods are developed with a view to the use of the transforms also for very reliable motion estimation.
The paper presents a new approach for Bandwidth control in Broadband Access Networks, especially Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and Cable Internet (DOCSIS) users. The basic idea is to have a broadband line to the server receiving all the incoming bandwidth. The approach is to have bandwidth division among various VLANs in a network connected via a switch to a centralized server. This approach can be implemented either in an institution where the amount of bandwidth to each department falling under one VLAN can be allocated proportional to the usage and requirements or in an industry where bandwidth needs to be allocated to various divisions. The concept of giving bandwidth according to the VLAN has been made to enhance security and ensuring that the traffic of one VLAN reaches that particular VLAN only. The basic idea is to have a broadband line to the server receiving all the incoming bandwidth. The server then queue the packets according to the VLAN id. The VLAN id of some department having paid for higher bandwidth or having more importance will be given higher priority at the server. All packets belonging to a particular VLAN will be queued in the same queue. The VLAN having higher precedence will have more of its packets sent than the other queues to ensure that the VLAN which was allocated higher bandwidth will receive that bandwidth. The idea is to have VLANs spread across multiple switch yet providing the proportionate bandwidth to each VLAN and also provide mobility to each member of VLAN. Some end users who are of interdisciplinary departments will be members of two or more VLANs.
Co nanoclusters were synthesized by an inverse-micelle chemical route. The magnetic and microstructural properties of the nanoparticles have been analyzed as a function of the surfactant (AOT and DEHP) and the drying method. Microstructural analysis has been performed by TEM and XANES; magnetic properties have been studied by hysteresis loops and zero-field cooling – field cooling (ZFC-FC) curves. TEM images show 2 to 4 nm sized particles spherical in shape. XANES measurements point out a significant presence of Co3O4with metallic Co and some Co2+ bound to the surfactant. The presence of antiferromagnetic Co3O4 explains the magnetic transition observed at low T in both ZFC-FC measurements and hysteresis loops. Finally, the presence of magnetic interactions explains the bigger effective cluster size obtained from hysteresis loops fits (6-10 nm) compared to the sizes observed by TEM (2-4 nm).
The clinical pattern of primary high altitude pulmonary arterial hypertension observed in permanent residents of mountain regions is described. The diagnostic value of some non-invasive instrumental methods in primary high altitude pulmonary artery hypertension is analysed: electro- and vectorcardiography, rheopulmonography, and indirect pulmonary artery pressure determination. It is suggested to distinguish the labile, stable and decompensated forms of the disease on the basis of its clinical and functional peculiarities. The criterion for the initial two forms consists in the persistence of the pulmonary artery pressure elevation, while the latter form is established when the high altitude cor pulmonale gets decompensated. Functional vasoconstriction of the pulmonary resistive vessels was shown to play an important role in the genesis of the disease: the administration of 0.5 mg of nitroglycerine and a 5-minute oxygen inhalation caused a positive dynamics in the indices of the pulmonary rheogramme and a reduction of the pulmonary artery pressure, which did not reach the level of the plane inhabitants, though.
Razmjoo, S. A., & Jozaghi, Z. (2010). The representation of multiple intelligences types in the top-notch series: A textbook evaluation. Journal of Pan-Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, 14(2), 5984. This study aims at evaluating Top-Notch series through a checklist devised by the researchers based on the elements of the Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory proposed by Gardner (1998). With the shift from teacher-centered classrooms to learner-centered one, more and more research is/is needed to be done in the realm of students’ need analysis. One of the undeniable needs of the students to be fulfilled is for them to learn through the intelligence they are most capable at while the educational system mainly addresses students’ verbal intelligence. This study has evaluated Top Notch series in terms of taking the nine intelligences into consideration through answering these two questions: 1. To what extent does Top-Notch series represent the MI features? 2. How frequently each of the eight intelligences is used in each book of the series? The results confirm that Top Notch is rich in addressing verbal intelligence followed by the visual, logical, musical, interpersonal, bodily, and intrapersonal one while to some extent poor in representing natural and existential intelligences. It also shows that there exists a pattern of some of the intelligences-addressing through different levels, for example unlike visual intelligence, verbal-intelligence-addressing enhances as the books grow in level. The comparison of the results with that of Interchange series evaluation illustrated that Top Notch is more representative of the intelligences and that it is a suitable alternative to the Interchange in terms of addressing the elements of MI principles or as Lezear (1991) puts it “Ways of Knowing”.
Ojective To investigate the ideal sources of DC. cultured in vitro. Methods The adherent precursors of dendritic cells (DC) isolated from cord blood, mobilized or non-mobilized peripheral blood were induced with cytokines to DC in vitro. The growth of DC from different sources, and their potentials to stimulate the proliferation of na?ve t cells from cord blood were observed. Results It was found that DC precursors from peripheral blood after mobilization produced DC showed a high quantity of production and higher purity, and to be fully functioned. Conclusions DC precursors from peripheral blood after mobilization were a good source of DC.
Objective:To use three dimensional model in vitro to mimic solid tumor growth in vivo and explore the relationship between the multicellular resistance of colon carcinoma cell and the over-expression of cell adhesion molecules (integrin αⅤ and integrin β3). Methods:The colon carcinoma HT-29 multicellular spheroids (MCS) model were constructed with three dimensional cell culture methods. The mRNA and protein expressions of integrin αⅤ and integrin β3 was detected by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence analysis and compared between monolayer cells (MC) and MCS. The viability and apoptotic rate of MC and MCS were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) after treatment with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Results:The expression levels of integrin αⅤ and integrin β3 in three dimensional cell culture model of HT29 MCS were much higher than those in MC (P0.01). Compared with MC, the sensitivity of MCS to the anticancer drug 5-FU significantly decreased (P0.05), and the rate of 5-FU-induced apoptosis significantly decreased (0.346±0.035 vs 0.235±0.024, P0.05). Conclusion:Over-expression of cell adhesion molecules integrin αⅤ and integrin β3 may increase the multi-cellular resistance of colon carcinoma cells.
The first enantioselective total synthesis of the rearranged Securinega alkaloid (-)-secu'amamine A is reported starting from D-proline as the source of absolute chirality. The synthesis requires 15 steps starting from D-proline-derived N-trityl aldehyde 11 and proceeds in approximately 9% overall yield. Key steps include a stereoselective conjugate addition of pyrrolidino enedione 19 to afford indolizidine 24 as the major product and cyclization/lactonization of diketoester 25 to produce tetracycle 26. In addition, 1H NMR NOE studies and X-ray analysis on the synthetic alkaloid have established that the indolizidine moiety is trans-fused.
Back-Medium primary-backup configuration is backed up in the routing path between the primary and the environment is generated by arranging the intermediate communicator. Back-middle forwarder according to the requested status information transmission to the environment by the primary intercepts the output messages. Back-middle bearer will deliver an output packet, and then backs up the primary to the environment by updating the corresponding status information.
This paper presents an array antenna with a low pass filter (LPF) in LTCC multilayered substrate with low loss, high attenuation and small size in 28 GHz band. A differential feeding method for each patch antenna is employed to improve symmetricity of directivity for beam forming. The insertion loss of the LPF is less than 0.5 dB and the spurious emission in 2nd harmonic band of Band-n257 was suppressed by over 20 dB thanks to putting the LPF in front of the antenna. The symmetricity of the directivity for beam forming was improved owing to the differential feeding.
One of the important fields for heuristics algorithm is how to balance between Intensificationand Diversification. Ant Colony System(ACS) is a new meta heuristics algorithm to solve hard combinatorial optimization problem. It is a population based approach that uses exploitation of positive feedback as well as greedy search. It was first proposed for tackling the well known Traveling Salesman Problem(TSP). In this paper, we propose Multi Colony Interaction Ant Model that achieves positive negative interaction through elite strategy divided by intensification strategy and diversification strategy to improve the performance of original ACS. And, we apply multi colony interaction ant model by this proposed elite strategy to TSP and compares with original ACS method for the performance.
Fin stabilizer as one of the most effective methods for ships safe navigation on the sea is discussed.The hardware and software design method of the fin stabilizer controller based on 80C196KC is described.In the aspect of software design,the variable parameter PID control is used to get the better system performance.The fin stabilizer can be better adapted to the random sea condition,and the effectiveness is more ideal.The design of controller for fin stabilizer mainly includes the PID controller,the ship speed regulator and the wave grade regulator.According to different ship speed and wave grade,the output of fin stabilizer controller is regulated such that fin stabilizer could work stably and dependably.The controller design for fin stabilizer has the practical application value.
Although nineteenth-century legislation had tried to ensure a precise separation between genre and institution for Parisian music in the theatre, it had inadvertently laid out a field on which the politics of genre could be played out as agents and actors of all types deployed various forms of artistic power. During the Second Empire, from 1854 until 1870, the state took over day-to-day control of the Opera in ways that were without precedent. Every element of the Opera's activity was subjugated to the exigency of Empire; the selection or artists, works and more general questions of artistic policy were handed over to politicians. The Opera effectively became a branch of government. The result was a stagnation of the Opera's repertory, and beneficiaries were the composers of larger-scale works for competing organisations: the Opera Comique and the Theâtre Lyrique.
A novel Cu(II) complex, CuLCl2 (L = 1,1,3,6,6,8-Hexamethyl-decahydro-3a,5a,8a,10a-tetra-azapyrene (tet-A tet)), has been formed by treatment of L with CuCl2 dihydrate in methanol. Previously synthesized complexes of Cu(II) with tetracyclic tetraamines, which had been less sterically hindered, generally produced copper complexes with copper bound to only two non-adjacent nitrogens. The current complex has been formed in the presence of significant steric hindrance (six methyl groups) which necessitates major conformational changes to the ligand upon metal binding (two of the six-membered rings have the ‘boat’ conformation, rather than the free ligand all chair conformation). Additionally, the copper is bound to adjacent nitrogens – something never before encountered in a symmetric tetraamine of this kind, and probably induced by the steric hindrance of the methyl groups.
OBJECTIVE To compare the responsiveness of the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), the Dougados Functional Index (DFI), and the ankylosing spondylitis-specific version of the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-S).   METHODS Using data from a placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial we designed a responsiveness model including both hypothesized improvement (n = 39; continuous diclofenac treatment) and hypothesized deterioration (n = 40; patients who withdrew from the clinical trial because of a flare) of functional performance. Instrument responsiveness was examined using 4 statistics including standardized response mean (SRM), effect size (ES), the Guyatt method, and the variance method. Ceiling and floor effects were visualized using histograms for cross sectional and time-path diagrams for longitudinal analysis.   RESULTS The BASFI ranked superior compared to the DFI and HAQ-S in detecting both improvement and deterioration of functional performance. All 4 responsiveness statistics consistently confirmed this superiority of the BASFI. However, the median baseline scores of all 3 questionnaires were close to the lower end of the instrument and the score distribution showed skewed patterns.   CONCLUSION The BASFI appears to be more responsive than the DFI and the HAQ-S in situations of both improvement and deterioration of functional performance. However, addition of particular difficult items may improve the performance of the BASFI as well as of the other 2 instruments.
Background: Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4) is highly expressed in adipocytes and macrophages. Animal studies and limited human evidence from general populations have suggested a positive association between circulating FABP4 levels and an array of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes, though little prospective evidence exists regarding FABP4 levels in relation to CVD mortality among patients with diabetes. FABP4 expression is regulated by free fatty acids and insulin, both of which are elevated in patients with diabetes or insulin resistance. Therefore, we want to examine whether FABP4 may explain the particularly high CVD mortality observed among diabetics. Methods: We measured plasma FABP4 levels among 950 men who participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and reported having diabetes through 2004. Linear regression models were applied to evaluate the association between FABP4 levels and CVD risk factors. Hazard ratios (HRs) of CVD mortality were computed using Cox proportional haza...
Hydraulic pulsating-cavitation jet compound drilling is a new drilling technology and makes full use of mechanic energy and hydraulic to improve penetration rate. The pulsating-cavitation jet generator is located between bit and screw drilling string. The mechanism of the new drilling technology relies on the combination of high rotating speed of the conventional compound drilling and effectively bottom clearing of the pulsating-cavitation jet to improve the penetration rate. Field experiments in 4 boreholes of Yingmai and Lunnan districts demonstrated that the hydraulic pulsating-cavitation jet compound drilling could improve the penetration rate by 12.67 percent more than the conventional compound drilling and by 26.2～55.36 percent more than the conventional string drilling. This technology is valuable for popularizing in drilling engineering.
EFFECTS OF COACHING BEHAVIORS ON TEAM DYNAMICS: HOW COACHING BEHAVIORS INFLUENCE TEAM COHESION AND COLLECTIVE EFFICACY OVER THE COURSE OF A SEASON By Lindsay S. Ronayne The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived coaching behaviors and the changes that occur in college athletes’ perceptions of team cohesion and collective efficacy during a season. Additionally, the strength and direction of the relationship between collective efficacy and team cohesion was tested. To test these relationships, a series of questionnaires were administered to 180 collegiate athletes in the early season and late season. Multivariate multiple regression analyses indicated that increases in athletes’ perceptions of team cohesion and collective efficacy over the season were positively correlated with perceptions of their coach exhibiting higher levels of democratic behavior, training and instruction, social support, positive feedback (LSS), and positive and informational feedback (CFQ) and lower levels of autocratic behaviors, punishment-oriented feedback, and non-reinforcement/ignoring mistakes. A significant relationship was also found between team cohesion and collective efficacy at the early season and especially at the late season measurement. EFFECTS OF COACHING BEHAVIORS ON TEAM DYNAMICS: HOW COACHING BEHAVIORS INFLUENCE TEAM COHESION AND COLLECTIVE EFFICACY OVER THE COURSE OF A SEASON
Author: Miguel Ángel Sánchez Moreno Title of the thesis: Capturing learnings from advanced demand planning tool implementation to utilize in planning development and in future ERP implementation Number of pages: 67 Date: 04.06.2018 Degree: Master’s Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management Supervisor: Jan Holmström, D.Sc. (Tech.) Thesis advisors: Nina Tuomikangas, M.Sc. (Tech.) and Eetu Korppi, M.Sc. (Tech.) The main purpose of this Master Thesis is practical: to help with the preparation of Vaasan’s BP2.0 implementation. To accomplish our goal, we will use the learnings from a previous demand planning tool (SO99) implementation to define future needs in the planning stream and identify possible gaps in the implementation plan provided by Lantmännen Unibake. This study follows a Design Science approach and is conducted using qualitative research methods in a single-case study. Four feasible and extrapolable solutions are proposed to fill the most relevant gaps discovered during the process; they are going to facilitate the change in the planning stream during the future implementation. Another key contribution of this thesis is that brings to the literature a case study analyzed in detail where diverse factors of the context make it unique. Learning from the past is a useful tool that everybody can use in a structured way and, supported by a design thinking approach, has proved to be a powerful combination.
The method of encoding data in order from the source 101 to transmit over a communication channel 145 to the destination 170 is provided. A plurality of redundant symbol from the set of ordered input symbols to be transmitted is generated. Is created, a plurality of output symbols from the composite symbol set comprising the input symbols and the redundant symbols, much more is greater than the number of symbols in the number of possible output symbols composite symbol sets, two in the at least one output symbol is a composite symbol set also it is produced from less than all of the symbols in the symbol set of symbols from the composite symbol or more, and thus the ordered set of input symbols may be played back to the desired accuracy from the output symbols of any of a predetermined number N.
Objective: To explore the effect of Chai Di Hefang on monoamine neurotransmitters for probing into its antidepressant mechanism. Method: The rat chronic stress depression model was set up and Chai Di Hefang was chronically administered. The levels of monoamine neurotransmitters and their metabolites detected by HLPC-ECD. Result: The levels of NE, 5-HT and DOPAC in the prefrontal cortex of chronic stress rats decreased , and Chai Di Hefang could reverse them.The levels of NE and 5-HT in the hippocampus of chronic stress rats decreased , and Chai Di Hefang could reverse them partly. Conclusion: Chai Di Hefang can increase the levels of NE and 5-HT in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of chronic stress rats. This may be its part antidepressant mechanism.
The study of the birational properties of algebraic $k$-tori began in the sixties and seventies with work of Voskresenkii, Endo, Miyata, Colliot-Th 'el `ene and Sansuc. There was particular interest in determining the rationality of a given algebraic $k$-tori. As rationality problems for algebraic varieties are in general difficult, it is natural to consider relaxed notions such as stable rationality, or even retract rationality. Work of the above authors and later Saltman in the eighties determined necessary and sufficient conditions to determine when an algebraic torus is stably rational, respectively retract rational in terms of the integral representations of its associated character lattice. An interesting question is to ask whether a stably rational algebraic $k$-torus is always rational. In the general case, there exist examples of non-rational stably rational $k$-varieties. Algebraic $k$-tori of dimension $r$ are classified up to isomorphism by conjugacy classes of finite subgroups of GL$_r( mathbb{Z})$. This makes it natural to examine the rationality problem for algebraic $k$-tori of small dimensions. In 1967, Voskresenskii proved that all algebraic tori of dimension 2 are rational. In 1990, Kunyavskii determined which algebraic tori of dimension 3 were rational. In 2012, Hoshi and Yamasaki determined which algebraic tori of dimensions 4 and 5 were stably (respectively retract) rational with the aid of GAP. They did not address the rationality question in dimensions 4 and 5. In this paper, we show that all stably rational algebraic $k$-tori of dimension 4 are rational, with the possible exception of 10 undetermined cases which fall into 2 families. We reprove the stable rationality of the exceptional families of algebraic tori non-computationally.
During the past few years herbal medicine has gained exponential growth in the field of medicine in all over the world In comparison to other countries India is the largest producer of herbal medicine The current review focuses on herbal preparation and plant recently evaluated having antiviral potency in the world This paper until focus on different beneficial aspects of herbal medicine as Antiviral activity and these herbal drugs can be used for the treatment of Corona virus disease
This study aimed to understand the daily life of users of a Psychosocial Care Center. It is a qualitative research, which follows the theoretical and methodological references from Alfred Schutz’s phenomenological sociology. Field study was a Psychosocial Care Center in Porto Alegre City, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Data collection had occurred between April and June 2008, with phenomenological interviews with 13 service users. From comprehensive data analysis, it emerged information about users’ social relationships. Thus, with this study it is possible to understand the diversity of social relationships users have in the world of daily life, which can be expanded if they are included in different spaces of society.
A rentier state is characterized by having a non-diversified economic structure that is biased towards petroleum, high representation of oil income in total public income, rent management ruled by political criteria and high economic vulnerability to changes in oil prices. This paper concludes that these characteristics in Ecuador were intensified as a consequence of the political change in 2007. Particularly features related to the public sector and the objectives of rent management where deepened, but the vulnerability of demand to fluctuations in oil prices did also increase. So, in spite of the government’s efforts to increase non-oil income and invest in capital, a higher level of rentierism has not been counteracted.
Dynamic evolution process of service industry of multinational company based on resources and transaction cost shows that with specialization service enterprises of service industry of multinational corporation,the expanding of the enterprises is restricted.When service industry multinational corporation conducts specialization expanding,the corporation should choose MA expanding mode,multiple expanding mode matching international cooperation.International network is the new trends for international cooperation evolution.
The arboreal montane pitviper Bothriechis nigroviridis is distributed in the Central and Southeastem highlands of Costa Rica and Panama. Eighty-six specimens were used mainly for morphometric analysis, reproductive cycle and distributional data Its activity pattem seems to be mainly nocturnal. Adult females are significantly longer than adult males. This species has a seasonal reproductive cycle, with timing of births closely related to the rainy season in Costa Rica (August-December). Neonates show identical color pattem to the adults. Courtship pattem is similar to that described for other pitvipers.
A method of consolidating particulate materials into articles having combinations of properties not available by conventional processes by liquid phase sintering. These particulate materials are comprised of core particles individually coated with layers of a metal compound having a relatively higher fracture toughness than the core, such as WC or TaC. These coated particles include an outer layer comprised a metal, such as Co or Ni. The particles with these coatings are pressed to form an article and the article densified at pressures and temperatures where full density is achieved without the degradation of the material forming the core particle.
A novel coumarin, 6,7-methylenedioxy-8-methoxycoumarin 111, and four known coumarins, umbelliferone, scopoletin, bergapten, and xanthotoxin, have been isolated from the aerial parts of A.rtmlasia trymaliorder. Asterofasia trymafioiries (Rutaceae) F. Muell., a prostrate to erect shrub in al- pine heaths, is a south-eastern Australian species (occurring in the Snowy Moun- tains of southern New South Wales and eastern Victoria) (1). Of 11 species of Asterofasia (2), three have recently been studied (3,4), as part of our ongoing chemotaxonomic survey of Australian Rutaceae. In this paper we wish to report on the major secondary metabolites found in a sample of the aerial parts of A. trymafioiries and to discuss their chemo- taxonomic significance. Five coumarins have been isolated, four from an n-hexane extract and one from an EtOAc extract, by a combination ofcc, circular tlc, and prep. tlc. They were characterized as umbelliferone (e), 6,7- methylenedioxy-8-methoxycoumarin
Greek variety Limniona concerns to the variety group of the Black Sea basin convar. pontica Negr. subconar balcanica Negr. It has a limited spreading, uses as an industrial variety. Duration of productive period is 156-165 days. Growth of shoots is strong. Degree of cane maturity is 81-95 %. Percentage of fruit-bearing shoots is more than 90. Productivity is 25-30 t/ha. It is highly drought resistant. Flower is bisexual. Cluster is large, cylindrical, of an average compactness with mass of 350g. Berry is middle-sized, round, dark blue-black. Flesh is juicy, with nice variety after -taste. Variety is used for preparing of high quality red wines of different categories
global, and primary goals without becoming lost or experiencing anxiety. In contrast, people who are low in NFC view the endeavor to reconcile different information to predict and plan as tedious and stressful, as this cognitive activity forces them to do what they are not intrinsically motivated to do. People low in NFC rely more on simple cues, intuition, heuristics, and stereotypes in interpreting situations (Petty, Brinol, Loersch, & McCaslin, 2009). Therefore, individuals with low NFC, who are less motivated to predict the future based on an in-depth analysis of a broad range of information, prefer to act in two ways. Some people imagine 67 freely, follow their stream of consciousness, and allow themselves to daydream. Even though they have pictured their so-called “dreams and goals,” these goals are usually unrealistic (Van Boven, Kane, & McGraw, 2009), unstructured, and goal-irrelevant, and are defined as low-level thinking characteristics in construal level theory (e.g., Liberman, 2003). With less cognitive effort, people in daydreaming mode project themselves into a vividly imagined picture involving concrete details (e.g., “I will raise a white cat in a big house with European style decorations), which creates a proximate psychological distance and thus represents concrete thinking (low construal level). For some other low-NFC thinkers, they may simply extend their present life goals into the future (e.g., I hope that I don’t need to worry about loans in the future) or use their observation of other people’s present lives as their future goals, reflecting a smaller psychological distance between the present and future. This proximate psychological distance, according to CLT, determines that their mindset is mentally represented at low construal levels. Therefore, I hypothesize that future focus decreases employee levels of thinking for individuals with low NFC. Taken together, I propose the following: Hypothesis 3: Future focus is positively related to construal level for individuals with high need for cognition (H3a) and negatively related to construal level for individuals with low need for cognition (H3b). 3.1.4 The Interactions among Past Focus, Present Focus and Future Focus The tripartite definition of temporal focus implies that people can have multiple temporal foci and devote their attention to past, present, and future to different degrees in a temporal focus profile (McGrath & Rotchford, 1983; Shipp et al., 2009; 68 Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999). However, research gives little attention to how people with different combinations of temporal foci think or act, or how those three types of temporal foci influence one another. For example, highly focusing on the present may constrain the individual’s horizon and capacity to achieve future goals. As I hypothesized previously on the processes by which people get stuck in the past, constrained in the present, and lost in the future, it is possible to provide many ways of helping individuals re-establish an integrated view of the past, present, and future periods in their lives. In the present study, I propose that for individuals with high need for cognition, low past focus, low present focus, and high future focus increase their level of thinking to the greatest extent. Specifically, exerting too much in-depth cognitive effort on past details and current contextual cues may cause them to be lost in the past and confused in the present, leading to a narrow mindset. Shifting attention away from the over-interpretations of trivial facts in the past and current details facilitates adaptive cognitive functioning (e.g., Holman & Silver, 1998, Silver et al., 1983) and strengthens the positive effect of future focus on construal level. To be specific, when thinking about the future, individuals with high need for cognition need to collect and reconcile useful experiences, knowledge, and current information to predict global trends, set primary goals, and make plans, while individuals with low past focus and low present focus eliminate the negative side of getting stuck in the past and present. For individuals with low need for cognition, low past focus, low present focus, and high future focus decrease their level of thinking to the greatest extent. Specifically, individuals low in NFC, who are not interested in in-depth cognitive analysis, tend to extract abstract information from the past and concentrate on the current task. If they 69 retain a low focus on the past and present, then they obtain no useful experiences from the past and have a low awareness of the present; in this case, they are more likely to engage in goal-irrelevant, unstructured, and unrealistic daydreaming about the future, exaggerating the negative side of future focus on the construal level. Therefore, I hypothesize the following: Hypothesis 4: There is a four-way interaction among past focus, present focus, future focus, and need for cognition on the construal level. For individuals with high need for cognition, low past focus, low present focus, and high future focus result in the highest construal level; for individuals with low need for cognition, low past focus, low present focus, and high future focus result in the lowest construal level. Table 4 provides a summary of the eight interactive conditions in which different levels of psychological distance are generated, leading to different construal levels. It also demonstrates that people with high need for cognition may pay more attention to the future, rather than to the past and present, whereas people with low need for cognition may devote more attention to the past and present but not to the
The purpose of this study is to know the influence of type and concentration of substance of chicken nugget to chemical content and nugget palatability. This research was done by using three types of substance. Those are maizena, tapioca and wheat; three concentrations, those are 0%, 1.5%, 2.5%. The result of this research was the chemical nugget product quality with different types and concentration has variation. The highest water content was found in nugget with 2.5 % tapioca, and the lowest was in nugget maizena 2.5%. Meanwhile, the highest ash content was in nugget maizena 1.5% and the lowest was in nugget without any substance (0%). The highest protein content was in nugget without any susbstance (0%) and the lowest was in wheat nugget 2.5%. For each highest and lowest fat contents was on maizena 1.5% and wheat nugget 2.5%, while the highest carbohydrate content was in maizena 1.5% and the lowest was in nugget without any substance (0%). Preference test showed that nuggets with maizena, tapioca and wheat as substances on different concentration relatively were liked and acceptable, all product color, texture, solidness, smell and taste. It was concluded that nugget with 1.5% maizena as substance has the best chemical quality among the treatments.
This paper introduced the form and distribution of sulphur in Lead sintering and roast furnace smelting process,maily analysised the relationship of the contened sulphur in mixed raw material and blocking rate,work out the critical value of sulphur in mixed raw material,discussed the effection of the residual sulphur ion and sulphuric ion in block to Lead smelting,the author put forward the countermeasures to differencial sulphur.
th most frequent noun in English according to frequency lists based on the British National Corpus (Leech, et.al. 2001). Since it is unlikely that speakers (or writers) would have occasion to talk about their hands so frequently, it can be hypothesized that hand is frequent because of its use in phrases, where it may have a non-literal use. Similarly, with heart. Although health is a common general topic, we would not expect people to talk frequently about specific organs and we can surmise that the frequency of heart results from metaphorical or metonymic uses of the term. Indeed, research on the metaphorical use of language has shown that body part names are very common in phrases, where they often have a metaphorical function. Recent research in the area of phraseology has usually been based on data drawn from large corpora, and in the present study I have made use of the British National Corpus (BNC) as a data source.
Objective To explore the effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist laparoscopic conservative surgery in treatment of moderate to severe endometriosis patients. Methods Sixty-five patients with moderate to severe endometriosis selected from May 2012 to August 2013 in our hospital for laparoscopic conservative surgery were studied, they were divided into two groups according to the treatment time,group A had 30 cases, there were 35 patients in the group B, all of them were used GnRHa; control group had 40 patients with conservative laparoscopic surgical treatment of endometriosis in our hospital on the same period as above two groups, they were not give any medication after surgery. Results The total efficiency of group A, group B and the control group were more similar,group B was relatively higher,but there were no significant differences compared with the other two groups(P 0.05); VAS mean scores of group A, group B and the control group after operation were significant lower than preoperative, the differences were significant(P0.05), VAS score of group A and group B postoperative were significant lower than that of the control group,the difference was significant(P0.05); There were significant differences in overall recurrence rate and CA125 level among group A,group B and the control group(P0.05). Conclusion GnRHa laparoscopic conservative surgery in treatment of moderate to severe endometriosis patients can make the patient's pain has been significantly improved, reducing the overall recurrence rate after surgery, can clinical application.
The advent of the twenty-first century marks a significant moment in the history of Latinos in the United States. The "fourth wave" of immigration to America is primarily Latino, and the last decades of the twentieth century saw a significant increase in the number of Latino migrants, a diversification of the nations contributing to this migration, and an increase in the size of the native-born Latino population. A backlash against unauthorised immigration, which may indict all Latinos, is also underway. Understanding the growing Latino population, especially its immigrant dimensions, is therefore a key task for researchers in the social sciences and humanities. The contributors to Immigration and the Border address immigration and border politics and policies, focusing on the U.S. side of the border. The volume editors have arranged the essays into five sections. The two chapters in the first section set the stage and discuss the binational lives of Mexican migrants; chapters in the subsequent sections highlight specific political and policy themes: civic engagement, public policies, political reactions against immigrants, and immigrant leadership. Because the immigration experience encompasses many facets of political life and public policy, the varied perspectives of the contributors offer a mosaic that contextualises the impact of and contributions by contemporary Latino immigrants. Their research will appeal not only to scholars but to policymakers and the public and will inform contentious debates about migration and migrants.
This communication investigates how the notion of vector space of functions gradually became vital in analysis, roughly between 1880 and 1930. We will show how, in spite of some early formal approaches, linear problems in infinite dimension remained long dependent on the analogy with finite dimensional theory, which was still dominated by the theory of determinants. Subsequently, we will see how, on one side, the study of the Fredohlm equation, especially Hilbert's work, and on the other side topological considerations, led, through successive processes of generalisation to the need for an axiomatical approach.
Objective To explore the effects of biofeedback combined with task oriented training(TOT) on motor function in children with cerebral palsy(CP).Methods Sixty-eight children with CP were prospectively selected for this study,each child was matched as closly as possible with another child for sex,age,type,and the disease. All were randomly assigned to either the observation or control group. The control group(n=34) received biofeedback therapy,and the observation group(n=34) received biofeedback combined with TOT,both for 3 months,and their motor functions were evaluated with the gross motor function measure(GMFM)-66 by blind method before and after treatment.Results The score of GMFM-66 in both groups had obviously improved after treatment than that before treatment(observation group:P0.01,control group:P0.05),and the effect of the observation group was significantly superior to the control group(P0.05).Conclusion Biofeedback combined with TOT can effectively improve the motor function in children with cerebral palsy.
The Environmentally Responsible Aviation project seeks to accomplish the simultaneous reduction of fuel burn, noise, and emissions. A project at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is contributing to ERAs goals by exploring the practical application of real-time trim configuration optimization for enhanced performance and reduced fuel consumption. This peak-seeking control approach is based on Newton-Raphson algorithm using a time-varying Kalman filter to estimate the gradient of the performance function. In real-time operation, deflection of symmetric ailerons, trailing-edge flaps, and leading-edge flaps of a modified F-18 are directly optimized, and the horizontal stabilators and angle of attack are indirectly optimized. Preliminary results from three research flights are presented herein. The optimization system found a trim configuration that required approximately 3.5% less fuel flow than the baseline trim at the given flight condition. The algorithm consistently rediscovered the solution from several initial conditions. These preliminary results show the algorithm has good performance and is expected to show similar results at other flight conditions and aircraft configurations.
Grain refinement of the superalloy IN 738LC was achieved by adding various inoculants in different contents and adopting different casting parameters. It was found that by pouring the melt at slightly above the liquidus temperature of the alloy, a fine equiaxial grain structure can be obtained in the investment casting. Further, inoculation of the melt with additions of NiAl, Ni 2 Al 3 , ZrC, NbC and B under controlled casting conditions produces a good grain refining effect. The mechanism of grain refinement can be attributed to the existence of a number of surviving active nucleants (undissolved carbide particles and/or inoculants added) which act as substrates for nucleation of the γ-crystallites
The effects of Pb,Cd single stress in soil on the growth and the physiological and biochemical characteristic of roses under different treatments were studied by the pot experiment.The Cd concentrations were designed as 5,20,50,100,and 200 mg/kg,and the Pb concentrations were designed as 100,300,500,700,and 1 000 mg/kg.The results showed that the growth and the physiological and biochemical characteristics of roses had changed greatly under both Cd and Pb stress condition.The height,stem diameter,main root length,and biomass of roses were decreased with the increases of concentration heavy metals.At the same time,with heavy metals concentration increase,the synthesis of cholorophyll in roses was decreased while the MDA and praline content in roses was increased.The activities of SOD and the root activity were increased first and then decreased.
The emerging 5G network is a new global wireless standard after 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. In comparison to 4G, it has lower latency, larger capacity, and more bandwidth. These network upgrades will have a profound impact on how people throughout the world live and work. The current research investigates mechanisms to protect the 5G networks to meet resilience requirements and to minimize the damage from attacks that do occur. The main contribution of this paper includes: (1) Improving the current 5G security testbed by orchestrating the security services using the OSM and Open stack, Integrating the FlexRan with the testbed components to control and manage the eNodeB, and implementing some real-time security experiments to test and validate the testbed. (2) Develop an intelligent fuzzy method to improve the accuracy of the current Vulnerability Assessment Approach (VAA) using a new approach that integrates the Triangular Fuzzy Numbers (TFNs) and a multicriteria decision making technique to find the attack graph paths where the attack most probably will propagate in the 5G network.
In the past two decades, the field of organic semiconductors has gathered immense attention and development due to their remarkable advantages in the applications in devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and organic solar cells (OSCs). The performance of these devices has significantly improved after the introduction of heterojunction structures which combine donor and acceptor type conjugated materials. Experimental studies suggest that, in addition to electronic and optical material properties, intermolecular interactions are critical for determining the efficiency of such devices. However, a detailed understanding of the impact of these intermolecular interactions is still lacking. In this thesis, I employ dispersion corrected density functional theory (D-DFT) methods to investigate the properties of these interfacial regions in the various promising (monomer/monomer and monomer/fullerene) combinations that are used in OLEDs and OSCs. I analyze binding energies and employ DFT (B3LYP) to obtain the electronic offsets of gas phase and interacting D-DFT monomers and fullerenes combinations. For the various pairings used in OSCs, I first assess the accuracy of D-DFT methods and then I investigate their properties and the effect of alkyl side chains on their interfacial interactions. My study shows that B97-D3 and B3LYP-D3 methods yield the most accurate electronic and absorption results. My results highlight useful (general) trends in electronic, structural, and intermolecular properties and side chains effect of these combinations that are well correlated with the experimentally determined efficiencies. In particular, I determine common factors that lead to achieving the best device performance for combinations of fluorene-based polymers in OLEDs and the highest experimental efficiency (over 10%) for combinations of quaterthiophene-based polymers and fullerenes in OSCs. For example, monomer/fullerene pairings that have some of the highest OSC efficiencies exhibit the lowest interfacial LUMO offset and largest ratio of open-circuit voltage (as determined by interfacial band gap) to monomer’s energy gap. For fluorene-based dimers used in OLEDs, I found monomers that have well-matched chain-lengths and HOMO-LUMO energy gaps exhibit the best device performance. I hope this thesis (which connects theory with the experimental data) will expedite the process of finding promising materials for organic heterojunction devices to improve their efficiencies.
Circadian variation in the effect of cephalothoracic nerve mass (CTNM) extract and blood of the oxygen consumption of the isolated hepatopancreas of the scorpion, Heterometrus fulvipes, was studied. Both CTNM extract and blood from 2000 animal cause maximum increase in oxygen consumption. Another maximum increase was also noted at 0800. It is inferred that a chemical factor from the CTNM is responsible for the observed changes in oxygen consumption of hepatopancreas.
Objective:To investigate the interaction of polymorphisms between angiotensin-convertion enzyme(ACE)2 gene and ACE gene as the risk factor of essential hypertension.Methods:Five tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms of ACE2 and the I/D polymorphism in intron 16 of ACE gene were selected according to HapMap data and previous studies.Standard PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism(RFLP)analysis was used to determine genotypes,and subsequently confirmed by randomly selected bidirectional sequencing.Two case control studies were conducted,first in 973 patients and 969 controls recruited in Xinyang,and then in 286 patients and 316 controls recruited in Rizhao.Results:The frequency of T allele of ACE2 rs2106809 locus was significantly higher in female hypertension patients than in female controls(crude OR:1.21,95%CI:1.09~1.34,P0.001),but this difference was not found in men.No differences were found in other polymorphisms of ACE2 and ACE I/D between patients and controls.After adjustment of age,body mass index and other conventional risk factors,the T allele conferred 1.6-fold risk of hypertension in women(OR:1.59,95%CI:1.13~2.06,P0.001).Female carriers with ACE2 T allele and ACE DD genotype were significantly more common in hypertension patients than in controls(11.7% vs 6.0%,P0.001).ACE2 rs2106809 interacted with ACE genotypes to increase the risk of hypertension in women(OR:1.25,95%CI:1.18~1.34,P=0.001).In female patients with ACE DD genotype,ACE2 T allele conferred 2.75-fold risk for hypertension(95%CI:1.58~4.77,P0.001).These results were reproduced and confirmed in the second case control study.Conclusion:ACE2 T allele confered high risk of hypertension in women,and ACE DD genotype increased this risk.
Thisstudysurveyedefectsofstressonlearningmotivationof82student-nursesat4gradebya questionnaireincludingalearningmotivationscale(KasoriT,2009). Theresultsuggestedfolowing5points; 1)Positiverespondents(whosaid・Yes・)on7outof10itemsconcerningconcentrationandits enduranceshowedhigherstresslevelthannegativerespondents(whosaid・No・)did. 2)Negativerespondentson2outof5itemsconcerningself-eficacyanditsimprovingmotivation showedhigherstresslevelthanpositiverespondentsdid. 3)Norelationshipbetweenlearningmotivationandstresslevelsappearedin4stressfactors. 4)Studentswhoansweredastheyhadtendedtobelateorabsentseemedtohavemuchstressand negativeresponsesat3itemsconcerningactivefactorsonlearningataclass. 5)Tendencyoflesslateorabsenceseemedtorelateeachitemoflearningdesirescales significant relationbetweensevenitems. Inconclusion,〔concentrationanditsendurance〕and〔self-eficacyanditsimprovingmotivation〕 mayconcernthestressofthestudentnurses.
Tolerance of the strains to herbicide and tillage treatments was determined. Picloram, 2,4-D and a combination of picloram and 2,4-D was applied in July, 1966. The ecotypes had been established in the field for two years. Cultivated plots were tilled with a duckfoot cultivator on July 22, August 15 and September 12, 1966. The number of shoots were counted in a 3-foot diameter circle placed in the center of each plot in June 1967.
Based on the construction of virtual tourism website by virtual reality technology,taking the tourism experiences as the ideal type,the paper proposes the concept of mirror image experience,and maintains that mirror image experiences is the imitation of the tourist experience,the two have strong coupling relationship in path and perceived performance.The potential tourists make the virtual experiences in the virtual tourism website,and get the mirror image experience,realize the tourism products' trial,which all provide the important reference for tourism strategic decision,and can settle the weak point "guest can't use the products" of the tourism products.Finally,it suggests that tourism corporations should make more marketing efforts of virtual tourism,expands popularizing rate among the people,and gives full play to trial of the mirror image experience.
Shredding drum is a major operating unit of cylinder-type forage harvester and it could influence the mincing performance, expulsion performance and power consumption of machine directly. In this article, the new plane table-knife drum cutter was designed based on experiments, followed the effects of structure parameters and mobile parameters of cutter on the working performance were analyzed and the best parameters of structure and working condition were ascertained. Experimental results showed that power consumption of machine was ascended by increased rotating speed and feed quantity. And when the rotating speed of cutter drum was quicker, the cutter quality was better and the expulsion performance was higher.
The present invention relates to a construct, the construct comprising a vector, comprising or transformed with the vector of the cyanobacteria, and a method of improving the yield of fatty alcohols of the construct in cyanobacteria, wherein said bacterium has been modified blue it is possible to produce fatty alcohols. The present invention further relates to a new process for the production of fatty alcohols in cyanobacteria. CGMCC NO. 3894 20100610
With the popularization of cosmetic and esthetic dental procedures, the importance of various photographic techniques has increased. The dentist's choice of a particular system depends on whether the intended use of the dental image is to assist in treatment acceptance, or to use the patient's "initial phase of excitement" to contribute to photomarketing. This paper uses before-and-after photos to demonstrate a dramatic alteration of the patient's smile. Photomarketing may be enhanced through the introduction of instant cameras, including the Polaroid Macro 5 SLR.
The most common presentation of bone tuberculosis (TB) is called spondylodiscitis, or "Pott's disease", which is a difficult diagnosis due to its low prevalence in Switzerland. It should be considered in patients with persistent back pain, who are at high risk, such as migrant population and immunocompromised patients. Diagnosis is based on imaging and the detection of M. tuberculosis in biopsy of affected vertebra orparaspinal abscess, or even if active tuberculosis is proven in any other site. It's essential to initiate appropriate treatment as quickly as possible in order to avoid neurological complications and spinal deformity and to identify cases that will require a surgical therapy.
The Supreme Court submitted a capital budget request for FY2009 to the Permanent Building Fund Advisory Council in early October. The request grew out of several joint planning sessions with Court staff, the director of the University of Idaho Law School Library, Commission for Libraries staff, and a Public Works architect, with planning assistance and preliminary funding estimates from a contract architect.
In nonnuclear business, administrative procedures bring to mind such mundane topics as filing correspondence and scheduling vacation time. In the nuclear industry, on the other hand, administrative procedures play a vital role in assuring the safe operation of a facility. For some time now, industry focus has been on improving technical procedures. Significant efforts are under way to produce technical procedure requires that a validated technical, regulatory, and administrative basis be developed and that the technical process be established for each procedure. Producing usable technical procedures requires that procedure presentation be engineered to the same human factors principles used in control room design. The vital safety role of administrative procedures requires that they be just as sound, just a rigorously formulated, and documented as technical procedures. Procedure programs at the Tennessee Valley Authority and at Boston Edison's Pilgrim Station demonstrate that human factors engineering techniques can be applied effectively to technical procedures. With a few modifications, those same techniques can be used to produce more effective administrative procedures. Efforts are under way at the US Department of Energy Nuclear Weapons Complex and at some utilities (Boston Edison, for instance) to apply human factors engineering to administrative procedures: The techniques being more » adapted include the following. « less
Biological rapid sand filters are used throughout the world to remove both particulates and dissolved compounds from drinking water and is a proven and effective treatment technique for providing safe and secure drinking water. However, experience has shown that some filters have problems consistently meeting regulatory guidelines for compounds like ammonium and reduced forms of iron and manganese. These compounds can cause biological instability in the distribution system and can lead to many problems including the growth of pathogens and aesthetic problems (taste, odor, and color).When problems occur in these filters, current solutions are often based on rules of thumb and guess work rather than on firm scientific principle. The goal of this research is to characterize the underlying processes that control the biological performance of biological rapid sand filters in order to link filter management to performance. This can be used to optimize operating conditions such as flow rate, loading conditions, and time between backwash cycles, to ensure that water quality guidelines are continuously met and so the filters are operated as efficiently as possible. Pilot scale biological rapid sand filter columns were set up at Islevbro water works, a drinking water plant in west Copenhagen, to determine how operating conditions and substrate loading affect the performance of the filters. Two columns were run in parallel and fed with influent water from the water works. The sand in the pilot columns was taken from one of the full scale filters and matches the depth profile of the full scale filter. The pilot columns were initially operated for 2 and a half months at similar operating conditions as the full scale filter to validate the performance of the pilot columns. After this, a series of short term ammonium load shift experiments were performed in one of the columns to determine the maximum nitrifying capacity of the filter. Ammonium was dosed until steady state was established (between 6 and 8 hours) and water samples were collected with to determine the ammonium and nitrite removal throughout the depth of the These experiments were also performed at two different flow rates and various after backwashing to determine the of the filter. Water samples were also collected with depth for and to determine the effects of flow and increased ammonium loads on the removal of these Media samples were also collected with depth and qPCR analysis was done to determine the density and distribution of oxidizing (AOBs) in the columns.
Nearly two decades ago, Dr. Strayhorn and I made a beginning in this field.1 It was observed that as the fetus grows, there is a steady increase in the oxygen absorbed by the maternal lungs and transported by the maternal circulation. An increase in cardiac output occurs during pregnancy and this increase in cardiac output is proportionately greater than that in oxygen consumption. An interesting phenomenon was then reported for the first time and has since been amply confirmed, namely, that there is a fall in the cardiac output and in the work of the heart during the last weeks of pregnancy.
The invention relates to a device and method for detecting defects on the surface of a solar cell. The device comprises a structural member and a detection circuit system. The structural member is composed of a display frame, an observation platform and an installation frame. The detection circuit system comprises an illumination unit, an image collection unit, an image processing unit and a display unit. In the detection process, an unfilled corner defect image is obtained by means of a low-angle annular white LED light source and by conducting image segmentation, wavelet transform and two-dimensional 7*7 pixel field median filtering on an image; for a crack, a defect image of the crack is obtained by conducting two-dimensional median filtering, wavelet transform, image binaryzation, edge detection and morphology operator processing on the image, the detection recognition result is obtained, and the image processing unit finally transmits the processing result to an upper computer of the display unit. The method and the device have the advantages that compared with a manual visual detection and infrared scanning detection method, detection efficiency and detection accuracy are greatly improved, the method is easy to operate and practicable, a large amount of labor force is saved, and the labor intensity is lowered.
The snakehead fish (Channa striata) is a freshwater fish species indigenous to Malaysia. Channa striata (C. striata), lo cally known as Haruan is valued as a natural remedy in traditional medicine as well as a reputable source of protein. The rapid progress of scientific validation research on the therapeutic properties of the species has spurred the equally rapid expansion of commercialised products that capitalises on these unique yet beneficial qualities of C. striata. Dependence on the wild in order to meet the increasing demand on the species is no longer a feasible option whereby, deteriorating natural abundance due to anthropogenic effects and over-exploitation has left an opening for the potential growth of the aquaculture industry of C. striata in Malaysia.  The present study employed seven polymorphic microsatellite loci to investigate levels of genetic variation and differentiation of C. striata at selected cultured and wild populations in peninsular Malaysia. The study included cultured populations from three separate commercial farms (Kajang, Malacca and Rawang) as well as wild populations from three different states; Johore, Kedah and Pahang located at southern-, northern- and eastern-region of the peninsular, respectively. The results showed that cultured populations (mean number of alleles per locus, A = 7.71–9.29; allelic richness, AR = 6.752–8.108; mean effective number of alleles per locus, ne = 3.31–4.38; observed heterozygosity, Ho = 0.24–0.98; expected heterozygosity, He = 0.33–0.88) had significantly higher genetic variation relative to the wild (A = 3.86–4.86; AR = 3.843–4.838; ne = 2.01–2.20; Ho = 0.07–0.90; He = 0.07–0.69) populations. However, AMOVA analysis revealed that the greater percentage of variation (79.2%) in the total genetic diversity of the surveyed populations is primarily due to differences at the individual level and neither between, nor within, pooled cultured and pooled wild group.  Departure from Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE) was observed in all cultured populations and the wild population of Kedah. Isolated cases of inbreeding and recent population bottleneck were detected among the cultured and wild populations. The results also displayed low to extensive genetic differentiation among the cultured and wild populations as revealed by pair-wise measures; FST, RST and
Intent discovery is to mine new intents from user utterances, which are not present in the set of manually predefined intents. Previous approaches to intent discovery usually automatically cluster novel intents with prior knowledge from intent-labeled data in a semi-supervised way. In this paper, we focus on the discriminative user utterance representation learning and the compactness of the learned intent clusters. We propose a novel semi-supervised intent discovery framework CoCoID with two essential components: contrastive user utter-ance representation learning and intra-cluster knowledge distillation. The former attempts to detect similar and dissimilar intents from a minibatch-wise perspective. The latter regu-larizes the predictive distribution of the model over samples in a cluster-wise way. We conduct experiments on both real-life challenging datasets (i.e., CLINC and BANKING) that are curated to emulate the true environment of commercial/production systems and traditional datasets (i.e., StackOverflow and DBPedia) to evaluate the proposed CoCoID. Experiment re-sults demonstrate that our model substantially outperforms state-of-the-art intent discovery models (12 baselines) by over 1.4 ACC and ARI points and 1.1 NMI points across the four datasets. Further analyses suggest that CoCoID is able to learn contrastive representations and compact clusters for intent discovery.
It theoretically analyzed and studied a simple DC voltage sensorless single APFC converter by detecting an AC line voltage in the paper. Both DC voltage and AC current sensors used in the conventional PFC converter are not required to construct the control system. The converter circuit with a boost chopper circuit in the DC side from a rectifier circuit is used as the main PFC. In the control system, the circuit parameters such as a series inductance L and equivalent load resistance value Rd are used to generate the sinusoidal current waveform. The DC voltage is directly controlled by the command input signal Kd(=Ed/Ea)for the boost chopper circuit. The sinusoidal current waveform in phase with the AC line voltage can be obtained. The feasibility of the proposed control system is verified by simulation.
Russian Abstract: В статье рассматриваются предметно-логический и коннотативный компоненты семантического значения процессуальных фразеологизмов со значением психического состояния человека в русском и английском языках. Семантические особенности исследованы в сопоставительном аспекте, описаны универсальные и специфические черты названных фразеологизмов. English Abstract: The author analyzes meaningful logical and connotative components of semantic meaning of processual phraseological units denoting mental state of a human being in the Russian and English languages. Semantic peculiarities are studied in a contrastive-comparative aspect. Universal and specific features of such phraseological units are described.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Intravesical instillation is an important adjuvant therapy on preventing postoperative recurrence of superficial bladder transitional cell carcinoma, but the recurrence rate is still high. This study was to evaluate the prophylactic effect of intravesical instillation of hydroxycamptothecin (HYD) plus bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) on postoperative recurrence of bladder transitional cell cancer.   METHODS A total of 45 bladder cancer patients who underwent TURBT or partial cystectomy were divided into two groups: 24 patients in combination group received single intravesical instillation of HYD in Week 1 after operation and regular intravesical instillation of BCG since Week 2; 21 patients in BCG group received regular intravesical instillation of BCG since Week 1 after operation. All the patients were followed up for 24 months.   RESULTS Three patients had recurrence at 2, 10, and 12 months after operation individually in BCG group; no recurrence developed in combination group. The recurrence rate was significantly higher in BCG group than in combination group (14.28% vs. 0, P<0.05). No serious adverse events and complication developed in both groups.   CONCLUSION Early use of single intravesical instillation of HYD plus subsequent regular intravesical instillation of BCG is markedly effective for preventing postoperative recurrence of bladder transitional cell cancer, with few adverse events.
The present invention by vulcanization a new tread rubber the vulcanizing machine to the cold hardening of the reproduction tire for a truck / bus (Cold Cure) cushion gum (Cushion Gum) as a rubber composition, the preparation reproduced tire tread wear Thai (Case) for in order to bond a nitrogen adsorption specific surface area of ​​70 ~ 100㎡ / g with respect to 100 parts by weight of the raw material rubber comprising a natural rubber, or synthetic rubber (SBR), a DBP oil absorption of 90 ~ 115cc / 100g, TINT value is 95 to 115 is a carbon black 30 to 50 parts by weight, and promoters dithiocarbamate-based, thiazole-based and guanidine-based accelerator and the so prepared by the combination tire from compositions used have a short cure time at a low temperature suitable for compounds for low temperature cure and modulus levels are also high and excellent adhesion and durability tests. Jeoonga flow accelerator * * retread
HE REVIEW presents herewith the second annual list of graduate theses which deal with Canadian history, political science, and economics, and which have been recently completed or are in the course of preparation. In preparing the list we were dependent for the most part on the replies received from a large number of letters sent to the' universities in Great Britain, the United States, and Canada. The response was very gratifying, and the R•.w•.w wishes to thank those who assisted by furnishing information. It is a matter of interest that the list is almost as large as that of last year, which included a number of theses completed during the previous three or four years. We would be glad to receive advice regarding any omissions which may have occurred due to a failure to receive the information requested. No reference has been made to the publication of Ph.D. theses, as these are almost invariably printed in whole or in part. Where advice was received that M.A. theses are to be published, that fact has been noted. GEORGE W. BROWN
Additions and corrections to the World Catalogue of Hydrophiloidea (HANSEN 1999) are presented. All new taxa and synonymies as well as all new combinations and taxa with new status are summarized. New distributional data for previously described species are not covered. Aschius MAKHAN, 2004, Rishihydroius MAKHAN, 2001, Satishius MAKHAN, 2004 and Soesilius MAKHAN, 2001 are synonymized with Hydrochus LEACH. There are now 3151 valid species of Hydrophiloidea distributed in 181 genera.
Aim: To investigate the effects of defibrase on caspase-3 mRNA expression and neuronal apoptosis in the focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rats and to discuss its possible protective mechanisms. Methods: 144 healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into defibrase group and saline group. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with intraluminal filament occlusion was performed. In situ hybridization and TUNEL were applied respectively to detect caspase-3 mRNA and TUNEL positive neurons. Data of Oh, lh,3h,6h and 24 h following MCAO, t 3 h, 6 h and 24 h reperfusion following 3 h and 6 h MCAO were observed. Results: The expression of caspase-3 mRNA and the TUNEL positive neurons of defibrase group were less than those of sahne group. Conclusion: Defibrase has protective effects on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rats. Inhibition of the expression of caspase-3 mRNA and neuronal apoptosis may be involved in the protective mechanism.
Objective To observe the curative effect of mamiai combined montmorillonite powder in treatment of infants with autumn pediatric diarrhea.Methods All together 86 infants with autumn pediatric diarrhea were randomly divided into observation group and control group with 43 in each.2 groups at random.Both groups received basic treatment,including smecta and symptomatic treatment.Additionally,the observation group were assistedly-treated with mamiai and montmorillonite powder.The clinical effects of the two groups were compared after treatment.Results The significant effect rate and total effect rate in the observation group were higher than those in the control group,and the differences were significant(P0.05).No adverse reactions occurred in both groups.Conclusion Mamiai combined with montmorillonite powder in treatment of autumn pediatric diarrhea in infants is effective and worthy of clinical application.
The use of the block-scale macrodispersivity concept to model the effects of the unresolved subgrid hydraulic property variations, which are progressively wiped out with the coarsening of the computational grid, is discussed by means of an example. In stochastic modelling, a computational grid with a block size of only a fraction of the log-conductivity integral scale should be used to reproduce accurately the hydraulic property variations. To reduce the ensuing computational effort of Monte Carlo simulations, we propose simulating solute spreading using larger grid blocks, while reproducing the effect of the subgrid spatial variability of the hydraulic conductivity, which is not captured directly on the grid, by Brownian motion with the time-dependent effective block-scale dispersion tensor. The resulting plume moments compare very well with those obtained using fine grid blocks, showing that the block-scale dispersivity concept provides a valid alternative to the traditional upscaling techniques for reducing the computational burden of numerical simulations without compromising accuracy.
Men high on Self-Oriented Perfectionism (SOP; Hewitt, Flett, Turnbull-Donovan. & Mikail, 1995) elected to use an acquired self-handicap (listening to inhibiting, rather than facilitating, music) more than women and low SOP men did while performing a visual puzzle task (two Holusions and two hidden object pictures). Post-task attribution questions supported this choice as an adequate self-handicap, suggesting self-handicapping met self-presentation needs. Low SOP women made significantly higher attributions to claimed self-handicaps (current state and distraction by external factors), allowing them to feel better about their intelligence and themselves in general than others did (ns). Findings for self-handicapping and covert self-esteem (Houston & Kelly, 1985), which did not differ in our college sample, suggest that while SOP and Type A behavior may be similar constructs, they are not synonymous. When a person is uncertain of successfully executing a task done well in the past or one that "should" be completed well (e.g., a student role appropriate task), there is a tendency to verbally or behaviorally self-handicap prior to the task so the person has an excuse for potentially poor performance (Arkin & Baumgardner, 1985). The goal of self-handicapping is the "control of ... self-attributions of competence and control" by one with "an abnormal investment in the question of self-worth" (Berglas & Jones, 1978, pp. 407 & 205) for ego-protection in the face of potential failure (Arkin & Baumgardner; Koiditz & Arkin, 1982; Tice & Baumeister, 1984). Both men and women self-handicap. Early studies suggested that men self-handicap more than women, perhaps because of the types of handicaps offered to study participants (Sheppard & Arkin, 1989a, 1989b). Indeed, studies found that men tend to use acquired self-handicaps (Arkin & Baumgardner, 1985; Sheppard & Arkin, 1989a), which involve performing a behavior that might actually damage one's performance--procrastination, underpreparing for or withholding effort on a task (Harris & Snyder, 1986), avoiding relevant feedback by choosing to engage in a nondiagnostic task (Rhodewalt & Davison, 1986), choosing very difficult goals or taking on too many tasks (Greenburg, 1983; Strube, 1986), or using debilitating drugs or alcohol (Berglas & Jones, 1978; Harris & Higgins, 1986; Tucker, Vuchinich, & Sobel, 1981; Weidner, 1980). On the other hand, women seem to prefer claimed self-handicaps (Higgins, Snyder, & Berglas, 1990)--saying they are experiencing test anxiety (Smith, Snyder, & Handelsman, 1982), side effects of medication (Gibbons & Gaeddert, 1984), emotional and physical symptoms (Smith, Snyder, & Perkins, 1983), or a bad mood (Baumgardner, Lake, & Arkin, 1985). Men tend to attribute success to skill (a stable internal attribution), while women tend to make effort (unstable internal) attributions for success (Deaux & Emsmiller, 1974). Therefore, women may be less threatened than men by uncertain success and consequently less motivated to actively pursue an excuse for potential failure, preferring instead a handy, but undetectable (and maybe nonexistent), claimed handicap (e.g., "I have a headache"). Research on Self-handicapping and Perfectionism Sheppard and Arkin (1989a) investigated the effects of self-handicapping on undergraduate men and women prior to their taking a test they were told would measure academic ability. After participants were led to believe they had done poorly on a pretest, they chose music that supposedly would either inhibit or facilitate their performance on a task described as either a valid or an invalid predictor of academic success. Men who were told the test would be a valid measure chose to listen to what they believed would be inhibiting music in case they performed poorly on the problem-solving task. All women and those men who were told the task was an invalid predictor chose supposedly facilitating music rather than self-handicapping. …
In this review, we introduce the electrified Dp-branes intersections in the low energy effective theory. We focus on D1-D3, D1-D5 and D0-D2 branes. We give the solutions configurations in the low energy effective theory in the absence and the presence of electric field by exciting one, two and three scalars in D3 system. The solutions from D3 point of view in the last two cases are given as a spike which is interpreted as an attached bundle of a superposition of coordinates of another brane given as a collective coordinate a long which the brane extends away from the D3-brane. The lowest energy in both cases is higher than the energy found in the case of D1$ bot$D3 branes. We also find space-time dependent solutions in D1-D3 system that are a natural generalization of those found without the electric field. Then, we show that, in the flat background, the D1-D3 and D1-D5 branes obey Neumann boundary conditions by discussing the fluctuations of fuzzy funnel solutions in both systems. Also, we give the broken duality in D1-D3 system and the unbroken duality in D1-D5 system. In D0-D2 system, we consider generalized Maxwell theory by introducing a generalized connection put at the origin of the spherical D2-brane to describe anyons instead of Chern-Simons term. The D2-brane got a higher energy and the static potential for two opposite charged exotic particles is found to have a screening nature on a fuzzy two-sphere instead of confinement which is a special property of the system on the plane.
REPLY TO EVANS I am grateful to Donald Evans for ra1smg what I agree to be the most helpful challenges, and I am correspondingly grateful to the Editors for inviting him to comment. I will try to respond in an equally constructive spirit. First, Evans is surely right to concentrate upon the distinction "between a procedural presumption, which is a rule governing a debate or a court or a philosophical dialogue, and a personal presumption, which is a man's own (substantive) convictional stance". I am not sure that my account of "just how completely noncommittal I intend my negative atheist to be" really does imply that anyone who accepts the procedural presumption of atheism is thereby required to adopt a personal presumption of negative atheism; any more than the lawyer who accepts the procedural presumption of innocence is thereby required to be personally convinced that the accused is in fact not guilty. But I gladly agree that, if it does indeed carry this implication, it is to that extent plain wrong. Second, Evans proceeds to ask himself: first, whether he, as a theist, should accept my procedural proposal; and, second, whether he, abandoning theism, should accept my "personal 'presumption of theism'" as his own "convictional stance". It is at the next stage that I first want him, in more than one sense, to count me out. "These two questions", he says, "come together in a third: (c) If I do accept Flew's procedural rule, and then fail to give him what he regards as good reasons for believing, should I then, as a matter of rational and moral integrity, abandon my theism?" Evans should not have brought Flew, or any other possible interlocutor, into consideration here. For the fundamental question for Evans, and for Flew, and for each and all of us, is not whether someone else thinks that there are good reasons, but whether there really are. And, furthermore, the question of rational and moral integrity for Evans is not whether Flew, or even Uncle Tom Cobleigh, believes that the Evans reasons for believing are sufficient; but whether, after the most searching examination of which he is capable, Evans does. There is a difference between these two sorts of questions which is deep enough to be labelled categorial. It is a difference which is very closely linked with that marked by the distinction from which Evans begins. For the procedural presumption of atheism is recommended as the right one for an inquiry directed to discovering whether there are in fact good reasons for believing; while the justification of the rationality and integrity of any convictional stance must in the
The aim of this research is to observe apprenticeship students’ life satisfaction levels related to several environments (friend, school, environment, family and self) according to some variables (parents’ educational situation, parents’ profession,pleasure from job and pleasure of working conditions. The scope of the study was 548 apprenticeship students. “Multidimensional life satisfaction questionnaire” was used as data collecting medium. There is a significant difference according to parents’ educational levels at students’ friend, school, family, environment and self dimensions. There are significant differences at all dimensions except self dimension according to income level. According to pleasure from job variable there are significant differences at the all dimensions of life satisfaction of the students who were pleased from their professions chosen compared to the students who were not pleased from their professions.  The results of this study were discussed according to related literature and recommendations were made for future researches.           Key words: Life satisfaction, well-being, apprenticeship, apprenticeship training.
Abstract : Some of the models of fluidic devices where specific treatment of fluid phenomena is presented are discussed in this paper. By modelling jets in terms of their momentum flux, one can obtain quite accurate results for pressure recovery of fluidic devices wherein the jet is stagnated and turned. Dynamic effects of pneumatic and hydraulic jet flow devices can be modelled by use of lumped parameters concepts such as slug flow and moving jet boundary volumes. These types of analyses are shown to have good agreement with measured characteristics.
The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the process of building a Socialist state and how the minority religious group, the Alawis, became the ruling class in Syria. This paper has found that the main reason for the building a Socialist state in Syria is Hafez al-Asad’s plan to weaken the Sunni urban capitalists and landlords, especially since the Hama Incident in 1982. Al-Asad tried his best to coopt Syrian Sunnis since he came to power in 1970, including liberal economic policies, loosening land reform, and opening social space for Sunni intellectuals. The Sunnis, however, did not follow his good will and mobilize anti-Asad militias, including the Syrian Muslim Brothers. The anti-Alawi government activities reached a climax in Hama in 1982, which was the turning point for the relationship between the Alawis and the Sunnis in Syria. This study also posits that the main reason for the Sunnis becoming the ruled class from the ruling class is self-inflicted. Since gaining full independence in 1946, Sunni high military officers executed numerous coups in an attempt to eliminate one other. As a result, the number of Sunni officers plummeted, and the minority officers, especially the Alawis, filled the vacancies. The influx of many different political actors into Syrian politics led to the Syrian political system’s de-fragmentation, as Samuel P. Huntington proposed in the past. Hafezal-Asad knew that his Alawi government would not last forever, so he prepared to be buried in his home town, Qardaha, in 1970. Since the Arab Spring in 2011, Syria has been engulfed by civil war. After the civil war ends, the Syrian Alawi government will have to undergo change.
Tropical soils contain large stocks of carbon and nitrogen that can be altered by clearing for agriculture. In the Brazilian Amazon, cattle pasture is the predominant use for cleared forest lands. We examined changes to soil bulk density and C and N stocks in seven chronosequences, each consisting of an intact forest and pastures of different ages created directly from cleared forest (7 forests, 18 pastures), along a 700-km transect in Rondonia in the southwestern Amazon Basin. The transect included sites with a similar climate but a range of soil types. We used soil 863C distributions to determine the origin of soil C and to infer changes to soil C cycling patterns after forest clearing. Soil bulk density increased under pasture; these increases were significant in 6 of 18 pastures ex- amined. Changes in C stocks to a depth of 30 cm under pasture ranged from a loss of 0.72 kg/M2 to an increase of 1.77 kg/M2. Soil C stocks increased in 14 of 18 pastures, but these increases were significant in only 4 pastures. Changes in soil N stocks to a depth of 30 cm ranged from a loss of 0.25 kg/M2 to a gain of 0.23 kg/M2 and showed a similar pattern to C, except in one site where we measured significant N loss. Five of 18 pastures accumulated significant amounts of N, and one pasture lost a significant amount of N. Soil 613C values were greater in pastures than in the original forests, and 863C values increased with a longer time under C4 pasture vegetation. Bulk density increases were greater on soils with higher clay contents. Carbon accumulation increased with pasture age but was independent of soil texture. Soil C increases to a depth of 30 cm of up to 1.77 kg/M2 amounted to an increase of >50% of the original soil C stock and represented up to 12% of the C in the biomass of forest vegetation. In contrast, changes to soil N stocks in the range of 0.25 kg/M2 approximately equaled the N stock in the original forest vegetation. Our results indicated that when site history was controlled by considering only pastures formed directly from cleared forest, C and N accumulation was the dominant trend in pasture soils. Absence of a correlation between C and N accumulation and soil texture suggested that site history and management may be more important than soil type as determinants of the direction and magnitude of changes in soil C and N stocks.
This paper mainly discusses the formation and release of NOx precursors——NH3 during coal fixed-bed pyrolysis.Three coals with different carbon content were selected in our experiments.The coal were YN、PS、DS.The reaction gases were Ar,CH4,15% H2O/Ar and 15% H2O/CH4.The results indicate that the NH3 yield is higher in the reaction gas of steam and CH4 than that of only Ar or CH4 and this increasing trend changes with coal types,final temperature,reaction time.CH4 and H2O may provid high reactivity of H which can promote the formation of NH3.The variety of char yield obtained after coal pyrolysis is not obvious in the optimal reaction conditions.
Objective To construct a prokaryotic expressing system that harbors human papillomavirus type-16( HPV16) E7 gene with codon optimization and to evaluate the immunogenicity of fusion protein E7 through preparation of specific antibodies. Methods HPV16 E7 gene with codon optimization was artificially synthesized and amplified by using specific primers. E7 gene was cloned into prokaryotic expressing vector to construct recombinant expressing plasmid pMAl-c2X-E7. After transfection of pMAl-c2X-E7 to DE3 competent cell with induction by IPTG,fusion protein E7 was analyzed by SDSPAGE. Animals were immunized with the fusion protein E7,and ELISA was employed to detect serum titer. Results The sequence of amplified E7 gene is identical to sequence with codon optimization. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that expressed fusion protein E7,with a relative molecular mass of about 50 000,could be found. The titer of specific polyclonal antibodies in immunized serum against fusion protein E7 reached to 1∶ 64 000. Conclusion Recombinant expressing plasmid pMAl-c2X-E7 could express fusion protein E7,effectively; and fusion protein E7 has a perfect immunogenicity.
The economic globalization, firm?s internationalization and the territorial decentralization of the productive process to increase competitivity via prices is producing not only a new process of international labor division between developed countries that overcome the previous divisions between North and South if not also a division of employment inside big metropolitan areas in developed countries. A divisor process of employment that we can call ?metropolitan division of labor?. This metropolitan regions, old nucleus of regional development it transforms in a complex model which interrelations are necessary analyze to develop, from the public territorial institutions, the adequate strategies. The aim of this paper is analyze the model of metropolitan division of labor in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona.
6 strains of cellulose-decomposing microorganisms were isolated from the soil which were brought from Haina province.Then they were screened by liquid culture of filtrates,solid culture of cellulose powder,congo redagar medium with cellulose powder or filter paper as the sole carbon source.At last Q-4 and Q-6 strains were found by degree of filter paper breakup and size of clarity circles.Afterward Q-4 and Q-6 strains were inoculated into liquid culture and the FPA(Filter Paper Activity) was studied with different conditions.
Vallone, R.; Camiletti, E.; Exner, M.; Mancuso, W.; Marini, P.: Analysis of production and reproduction of Holstein, Brown Swiss and their crossbreed dairy cows in a grazing system. Rev. vet. 25: 1, 40-44, 2014. This work aims to conduct a comparative analysis of productive and reproductive aspects of cows belonging to three dairy genotypes, in a grazing system with supplement in Entre Rios, Argentina. Retrospective data were analyzed for the 2007-2013 period considering lactations of primiparous and multiparous cows from two dairy breeds and their first crosses: Holstein (H), Brown Swiss (P) and F1 (Brown Swiss cows x Holstein bulls). Primiparous cows had different birth weights considering genotype, but multiparous did not. The age at first calving was lower for F1 cows compared to H, with out difference with P. F1 was the genotype with lowest birth-conception interval (ipc) while P showed the highest. The number of services per pregnancy and lactation days accompanied ipc trend, with high variability within each genotype. Milk production was above 6,000 liters in primiparous and over 7,000 liters in multiparous, achieving the genotype H 8,207 liters. Productions of butirose fat, total protein and total solids were very similar among genotypes. For this system and the considered lactations, the variations among each genotype do not allow to adequately explain the response to the environment and managing system, although at the first birth H cows were higher and heavier and produced more milk, while F1 in the first lactation showed better reproductive response, with similar fat, protein and total solids
Archaeological finds of personal ornaments reveal not only behavioural patterns of the society they belong to, but also their forms of manifestations indicate connections, contacts and communication paths, exchange networks and movements of prehistoric populations. This paper advances the current knowledge regarding ornamental traditions in Eastern Adriatic area during Late Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods. Thirteen prehistoric sites from this area have yielded more than thousand finds of ornamental assemblage, making Eastern Adriatic coast and hinterland fruitful area for the research of this type of archaeological assemblage. Results of the analysis have shown existence of diachronic changes in the selection of raw materials from Upper Palaeolithic to Mesolithic period. Personal ornaments are less abundant during Upper Palaeolithic, but are typologically diverse compared to Mesolithic period when the selectivity of the raw material with the large increase of the number of finds is present.
The treatment of severe spinal deformities in childhood is a great challenge. The nonoperative treatment is not always successful, and correction with spinal fusion is not usually the most desirable goal because it may result in a straighter but shorter trunk. Spinal instrumentation without arthrodesis is an alternative to these difficult decisions that allows child growth with control of the deformity. At the same time that there is considerable improvement in the natural history of these deformities, this treatment presents great morbidity. The combination of Harrington instrumentation and consecutive distractions is a difficult program but it has been the best answer for these complicated patients up to now.
A firm is an organization that the owners of resources build to get more returns. The transaction costs are not the main reason why the firm comes into being. Coase defines that a firm is a system of entrepreneur's plan adjustment, which is different from the system of price adjustment. He is wrong because he confused firm plan with planned economy. In fact, the firm is set up on the basis of market contract and operates in accordance with the principles of market operation. Its resources allocation doesn't stand alone out of the market price system. Price adjustment and entrepreneur adjustment are the two sides of one coin. Any firms entering into the market are interacted with the market.
Raymond Hutchings. Historical Dictionary of Albania. European Historical Dictionaries, No. 12. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press, 1996. xvi, 275 pp. Bibliography. $56.00, cloth. Miranda Vickers and James Pettifer. Albania: From Anarchy to a Balkan Identity. New York: New York University Press, 1997. x, 324 pp. Map. Select Bibliography on Contemporary Albania. Index. $55.00, cloth. $18.95, paper. Given the lack of decent English-language publications dealing with Albanian history and politics, even a poor book is better than nothing at all. Vickers and Pettifer have produced a poor monograph which tells us little that we did not already know. Hutchings' dictionary is not much better. The Vickers and Pettifer volume is a victim to the dreadful rumour mill that has been so much a part of Albania's catastrophic transition period. The result of several visits and countless interviews, it appears that its authors could not see the proverbial forest for the trees. The first four chapters, which chronicle the collapse of communism in Albania, provide a good synthesis but nothing new. Parts of the rest of the book are speculative and often rely on dubious sources with not so hidden agendas. The timing of the publication could not have been worse. When it came out, the impact of pyramid investment schemes brought Albania nearly to the point of civil war. That said, as became clear in the summer of 1997, Albania's national identity is anarchy. Had Vickers and Pettifer waited just a bit they would have seen that all of Albania's ills are not the sole fault of its first democratic government headed by Dr. Sali Berisha. Albania's new leaders have not behaved in a way that gives one cause for optimism. The authors' tremendous disdain for Berisha undermines the entire book. There is no doubt that the Berisha years (1992-1997) were marred by serious problems in the democratization process. However, if one takes a careful look at Albania now, Berisha's period almost seems like a golden era. He did concentrate too much power in his hands and pursued blatantly authoritarian policies. Proof of his disservice to the cause of democracy need only rely on the facts. It is not necessary to resort to innuendo. As well, the opposition Socialists-and now the governing party-get off way too easy here. A more serious study of the roots of Albania's savage political climate would place blame in virtually every quarter. Vickers (authorship of chapters is set out in the preface) correctly points to Berisha's relatively senior position within Albania's communist party. This is hardly revealing since she herself is at pains to note that Albania never really had a dissident culture and almost all contemporary Albanian politicians were communists. But Vickers is determined to make Berisha even more tainted. She compares him to Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and writes that Berisha has claimed "inaccurately, that he only met [communist leader Enver] Hoxha only twice and denies that he was ever the dictator's personal doctor" (p. 82). Please tell all here. What is the truth? I have heard hundreds of variants. Vickers also writes of the problems with independent media in the Berisha years. Media was one of the weakest links in the democratization process as was the continued dominance of the extremely pro-Berisha state media. His government did quarrel in a petty way with what they considered a pro-Socialist BBC. But Vickers undermines her own analysis with ridiculous assertions. She writes that the Berisha government "also sought to encourage listeners to tune in to the Voice of America" (p. 128). But she does not substantiate this assertion. Just what did the government do to get people to switch? By relying on rumour and sources with real axes to grind, the better aspects of this book disappear. …
The impact of the human activities and climate change on the risk of low runoff has an important significance for the regional economy and the environment to achieve sustainable development.By analyzing the variation of relative correlation distance entropy Hdwhich in chaos theory was presented for identifying hydrological system status,the hydrological aberrance point of runoff in East River Basin be recognized.The information diffusion model was used to assess the low risk of runoff before or after hydrological variation in the East River Basin.The results showed that: hydrologic variation of the East River Basin occurred in 1972-1973,and its variation time and the time of the construction and operation of the FengShu dam was basically the same.The low flow risk over 0.8 has related to the occurrence of Elni-no event,and the magnitude of monthly runoff decreased at this year.After hydrological variation,the low flow risk of runoff in the East River Basin was decreased,the magnitude of change was more intense and Correlation with rainfall decrease but still have a greater correlation,which also beyond 0.9.And the low flow risk of runoff in the East River Basin mainly affected by the rainfall,in addition,affected by the regulating role of water projects.The result should be helpful for integrated watershed management decision-making.
For the construction of a low priced, high performance communication system, a CMOS mixed analog digital circuit has been developed. The programmable chip contains most of the circuitry required for multichannel speech transmission: -50 dB microphone amplifier -eight channel transmitter -eight channel receiver -audio preamplifier A special combination of single side band modulation and frequency multiplexing is used for the transmission of the speech channels on a single audio line. The eight channels are almost equidistantly located in the low frequency region between 20 kHz and 130 kHz. Clocks for the internal modulators and switched capacitor filters in the transceiver blocks and for an external ¿Controller are derived from an integrated oscillator. To reduce power consumption, the chip can be set into standby mode. Only a few additional components are needed to build a multifunctional communication device. The IC has been integrated in a 3 ¿m single metal, double poly CMOS process.
This paper aims to discuss the new flux of interaction between the countryside and the city from the study of perceptions of urban households in relation to the rural restaurant named Vo Maria in the Cha do Jardim Community, based in Paraiba. The mentioned restaurant is a place in which expressions of new ruralities, cultural consumption and development policies highlight how the countryside and its representations become a product in the symbolic goods market. The qualitative survey included observation, questionnaires and content analysis of the restaurant’s guestbook. The results pointed out that the symboliccultural consumption of rurality implies in an aesthetic and sensory appreciation experience, produced between the real and the imaginary, common to certain lifestyles. Thus, the urban look represents the field as a cultural landscape and a scenary of leisure and entertainment practices
This paper presents a completed research-through-design on the adoption of a design methodology in practice and the development of support for the adoption process. A case study was conducted to explore how design practices apply Scenario-Based Product Design methodology and how it can be supported by a design tool. Prototypes of the tool, as an instrument of design knowledge enquiry, have informed the researcher of the practical concerns and possible implications of supporting the methodology using a design tool. The availability of support encourages a more explicit use of scenarios in design thinking and reflection and increases the clarity of rationales behind design decisions. By making explicit and supporting concrete steps in a design methodology, the cumulative practice-based experiences will deliver a more solid knowledge base required to improve the design methodology.
Although most studies argue that expansive secondary markets for loan sales tend to enhance opportunities to manage risk, lower loan rates, and improve access to credit, other studies point to situations in which locally based credit providers remain important (e.g. relationship lending in the small business loan market). We consider a related set of issues in the context of home mortgage markets. Using census tract data from HMDA for 1994-2008, we estimate (i) the extent to which locally as opposed to globally active secondary markets increase access to credit, (ii) how this relationship differs for low versus high-risk segments of the market, and (iii) how these relationships have changed over time as information technology has become more advanced. Throughout, we measure access to credit using origination rates, and also median loan size requested which is assumed to be inversely related to loan rates. Our primary models are estimated separately for each sample year both by OLS and two-stage least squares. For the later, lagged county population is used to instrument for the local scale of secondary market activity. Findings for the conforming sized sector indicate that locally active secondary markets increased access to credit in the 1990s, but evidence of such effects largely disappears in the 2000s. Moreover, these patterns were most pronounced in high-unemployment and low income communities, locations likely perceived as high risk and also targeted by the 1992 GSE Act as underserved. In the non-conforming jumbo loan sized sector, the influence of the local scale of secondary market activity appears mixed: in no sample year are origination rates affected, but median loan size requested is substantively higher in markets with locally active secondary markets, and especially in the latter part of the 2000s. Based on these results, we argue that secondary markets (i) do mitigate risk and expand access to credit for the bulk of the mortgage market, (ii) that this is especially true in the highest risk segments of the market, and (iii) for the most idiosyncratic portions of the market, locally based credit providers remain important, analogous to behavior in the market for small business financing.
This research is aimed by the farmer of coconut knowing the activity of extention worker Smallholder Enok District Inhil Regency. Indragir hilir regency is one of regency in Riau province which the capital is Tembilahan. It is devided into 20 sub districts, 198 villages and 38 district. The area is 329.193 Ha Geografis, Indragiri Hilir Province is located at 00 360 LU until 10 070 LS until 1040 100 BT. This research is conducted Enok sub district Indragiri Hilir from January until February 2016. This research is done with colection sample method, interview and giving quisioner, the total of quisioners is 87. The extention worker in Enok subdistrict must be added in order the area can be devided one extention worker one village, because the extention worker can focus arranging the farmer in the area. The implementation of extention worker is still enough because must be increased to do some activities, especially providing of material is suitable in part of the farmer. The extention worker is conducted in the demonstration and aplication of using course increasing group farmer, quality aspect and quantity aspect. The adviser must increase knowledge in cultivation of coconut, the quality of the farmer is categorized lower because the farmer graduated of SMP and SMA. The adviser conducted is not intensif and maximal especially in part of cultivation of coconut, qonsequently the extention worker must do some trainings who followed by the farmer of cultivation coconut for increasing the knowledge of the farmer and focus what extention worker is done for guiding the farmer of coconut.
The Frankish historians responsible for the Annales regni francorum charted Charlemagne's visits to particular saints’ burial places to honour their cults. The regular record of where the king spent Easter and Christmas, and thus the framing of the ruler's movements within Christian time, is also a striking feature of the contemporary annalists’ account of his reign. They underscored the place of religious devotion in Charlemagne's conception of his role as ruler within his realm. Major political occasions and royal demonstrations of power, from Charlemagne's royal coronation on the feast of St Denis in 768 onwards, were orchestrated within an essentially liturgical framework. That reality underpins the narrative itself, for the celebration of Christmas and Easter provides the impetus for each successive year, recorded furthermore according to the year of the Incarnation. The Frankish representation of Charlemagne and his deeds is thus unconditionally Christian and accords significant prominence to liturgical observance. So much is well known. Stating the obvious nevertheless prompts the questions of how and why both the Christian era and the liturgical celebration were established as possible and accepted features of an historical narrative, as instrumental in the representation of particular protagonists and their success, and as part of the literary structure of an historical text. Other eighthcentury narratives of the Franks, notably the Liber historiae francorum and the Continuations of the Chronicle of ‘Fredegar’, lack such liturgical emphasis. In the Liber historiae francorum at least, the liturgy played a decisive part in the narrative only twice. The account of the attack on Vienne when Bishop Mamertus was celebrating Mass and the royal palace was burnt relates that the bishop thereupon declared a three-day fast and the ‘three-day litany’ that the author claims is now ‘practised everywhere’. A reference to a three-day period of prayers and fasting is included in the Chronicle of Fredegar as part of the story about the remarkable (in every respect) discovery by the bishops of Antioch, Jerusalem and Constantinople of the Lord's garment from the Passion, inserted as an event in the thirtieth reign of the Frankish king Guntramn, in the same year that war broke out between Franks and Bretons. Certainly a three-day fast is also subsequently associated with the Avar campaigns in 791/3, and the process which produced the Ordinatio imperii in 817, even if the narrative sources do not tell us this.
Title of Document: “BUT I’M JUST A LITTLE VOICE:” EXPLORING FACTORS THAT AFFECT RURAL WOMEN’S MEANING MAKING OF EMPOWERMENT AND HEALTH Lucinda L. Austin, Doctor of Philosophy, 2011 Directed By: Associate Professor Linda Aldoory Department of Communication This research study explores how empowerment can be incorporated as an element of health communication campaigns to positively affect rural women’s everyday health activities. This study questions how rural women make meaning of empowerment and health, the factors that affect rural women’s empowerment, and how health communication campaigns may bolster individual and community empowerment. Building from multiple theoretical—including empowerment theory, the situational theory of publics, the theory of planned behavior, the social cognitive theory, and a socio-ecological perspective—this study explores empowerment as a critical link in health communication and public relations theory. Dimensions of individual empowerment such as self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control were explored in more depth, as were other factors that affected empowerment, including social support, religiosity, and involvement as a construct of the situational theory of publics. This study employed a qualitative research method to explore empowerment through these rural women’s lived experiences. Research was conducted through 41 qualitative, in-depth interviews with women residing in a small rural community; 15 of these women also participated in photovoice as a research method. Findings from this research demonstrate the importance of multi-level and multi-faceted socio-ecological approaches to health communication campaigns, involving communication at many levels such as the individual, organizational, and community levels. As findings from this research highlight, rural women’s notions of empowerment may be impacted by their community and social interactions, their religious involvement, and their experiences with personal and family health problems. Physical and structural factors in women’s lives also left them with feelings of powerlessness in certain health situations, suggesting the need for health communication campaigns to also address larger changes in structure and policy. Based upon the research findings and the prior literature, a model is proposed to aid in understanding of the factors that influence women’s feelings of empowerment. “BUT I’M JUST A LITTLE VOICE:” EXPLORING FACTORS THAT AFFECT RURAL WOMEN’S MEANING MAKING OF EMPOWERMENT AND HEALTH
In these days of leaner management stuff and tight budgets, the basic questions for both Finnish forest industry companies and in-house transportation contractors are: When do you outsource your transportation function, and when do your transportation entrepreneurs work internally? The more difficult part of the answer depends on how large your company is, the nature of your logistics/technologies, and how you operate internally. The transportation entrepreneurs felt that the most interesting form of outsourcing would be the formation of a joint venture responsible for sales and marketing of their services. Then each shareholder in the joint venture would sign their own contracts with the venture to share the work. However, entrepreneurs thought that extended-responsibility contracting (i.e., taking on internally responsibility for more duties related to transportation of wood) was only a way to transfer the customer's planning duties and wood-procurement responsibilities (as well as the associated costs) to the entrepreneurs without providing adequate compensation. If the aim is outsourcing the roundwood transportation function, decision-makers in the Finnish forest industry should modify the current working environment so that larger, more organized consortia of timber suppliers would become more profitable than they presently are.
The HUD-Independent Agencies Appropriations Act of 1988 called for a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) study on global climate change. This study should establish the scientific consensus on the rate and magnitude of climate change, estimate the projected impacts, and evaluate policy options for mitigating and responding to such changes. According to subsequent advice received from members of Congress, the NAS study was to focus on radiatively active trace gases from human sources, or 'greenhouse warming.' The work of the study was conducted by four panels. This is the report of the Adaptation Panel. The Adaptation Panel assessed the impacts of possible climate change on humanity and nature and the policies that could help people and nature adapt to those changes. The panel began its work by reviewing the literature in the field of impacts and adaptation, stressing studies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the work in progress of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
This paper is targeted at studying the patterns of deposition by electrochemical method of Ni-doped ZnO films, including registering and analyzing their photoluminescence and Raman scattering spectra. We have studied the electrochemical deposition of nickel-doped zinc oxide films on single-crystal silicon substrates from aqueous solutions of zinc and nickel nitrates. The deposition was conducted from aqua solutions of Zn and Ni nitrates in a standard double-electrode electrochemical cell in galvanostatic mode with the current density from 5 to 20 mA/cm 2 and deposition time from 5 to 30 min. The Raman scattering on nickel-doped zinc oxide films was examined via laser Raman spectrometer SOL Instruments Confotec NR500. The analysis of Raman spectra showed that an increase of cathodic current density deposition leads to an enhanced concentration of a doping agent in the films. Photoluminescence spectra of the samples were registered on a laser spectral measuring system based on monochromator-spectrograph SOLAR TII MS 7504i where a monochromatic line with the 345-nm wavelength, which was extracted from the spectrum of Xe-lamp by means of double monochromator Solar TII DM160, was used as the excitation source. The research demonstrates that the emmission intensity increases with the thickness of the deposited film, and the position of maximums of the radiation line remains unchanged in a visible wavelength range and on photoluminescence spectra with fixed current density. The change in the density of the cathode current leads to a shift in the position of the photoluminescence spectra maximum, which indicates restructuring of defects and dopant atoms in the doped semiconductor, which in turn changes the position of the corresponding levels in the band gap of the material.
Based on the plane-section assumption and the method of numerical integration,an analysis program is developed to reveal the mechanical behavior of RPC flexural beams section,which can be used to calculate the curves of momentcurvature relationships of RPC beams.In this program,the uniaxial tension-compression stress-strain relationships of RPC material and the mechanical characteristics of RPC beams are considered.The load-deflection relationships are gained with the method of conjugate beam.The displacements of all nodes are obtained under every steps loading so as to achieve the full-range flexural analysis of PRC beams.Seven beams are tested in three-point bending apparatus to testify the results of numerical calculation.It is shown that the plane-section assumption is applicable during the full-range deformation process.The load-deflection relationships,the failure mode and the ultimate load got from the program are in accordance with experimental results of RPC beams with steel bar,while the results of numerical calculation of RPC beams without steel bar are much less than the corresponding experimental results.It is observed that the failure modes of RPC beams without steel bar are brittle fracture with one crack,and suggested that the anti-crack distributing steel bars should be arranged in the tension side of RPC beams.
This thesis deals with consumer behaviour of teenage girls and the influence of the size of the place of the residence to the purchasing behaviour of high school students in the clothing commodity. Based on the survey and analysis results is recommended the project designed exclusively for teenage girls regardless of the sice of their place of residence and also the way of its marketing communications.
Objective To study and analyze the clinical effects of bacillus subtilis and enterococcus faecium enteric- coated capsule combining with montmorillonite powder in the treatment of diarrhea-predominant pattern irritable bow- el syndrome.Methods Clinical data from 56 patients admitted into our hospital from December 2011 to November 2012 were received and analyzed.They were equally divided into treatment group and control group by admission num- ber in odd or even.In the control group,patients were treated by bacillus subtilis and enterococcus faecium enteric- coated capsule,while in the treatment group,on the basis of treatment in the control group,montmorillonite powder was additional provided.The therapeutic effects in the two groups were compared. Results The total effective rate in the treatment group was 96.43%,which was superior to 71.43% in the control group.The incidence of recurrence after 4- week follow-up visit in the treatment group was 7.14%,which was greatly lower than 32.14% in the control group,with statistical difference (P0.05).Conclusion In the treatment of diarrhea-predominant pattern irritable bowel syndrome, combination of bacillus subtilis and enterococcus faecium enteric-coated capsule and montmorillonite powder can re- markably check diarrhea with a sustainable effect and few recurrences.
From the Publisher:  Glen Bachmann's Palm Programming is a straightforward tutorial which teaches developers to create applications using the CodeWarrior development environment. Topics covered include: - Palm Programming Fundamentals - User Interface Development - Working with Databases - Memory Management - Palm communications - Infrared exchange - Networking support - Conduits - Programming for the new Palm VII wireless device Written by developer, for developers, this book is a must have for anyone interested in creating customized applications and forms to be used on a PDA running the Palm OS. Professionals developing custom applications for corporations and business as well as hobbyists developing applications for their own use will find this book a valuable resource for Palm Programming. The first Palm programming book to cover development for the new Palm VII wireless device.  Reviewed by 3COM, developers of the PalmPilot and the Palm OS
The utility model discloses a pure electric movable mends trolley -bus, it includes an electric motor car and loads energy storage equipment, high -pressure control case and the charging system in the electric motor car, the direct current charging input interface that is connected to electric motor car motor power's load port and is used for being connected to charging system is drawn together the battery port that is used for being connected to energy storage equipment, is used for to the high -pressure control case and bag, charging system includes direct current output charge rifle and NULL charging seat. Compared with the prior art, the utility model discloses the benefit that pure electric movable mends trolley -bus has lies in: 1 )Traditional car or diesel vehicle, more environmental protection have been replaced to the electricelectric motor car, 2 )Can supply the heavy current, the large capacity quick charge, 3 )Energy storage equipment and power battery group can the independent utility, and uses of can connecting in parallel has again improved the trolley -bus capacity that mileage and energy storage charge of continuing a journey of mending.
http://www.cis.rit.edu/research/thesis/bs/2001/scigaj/abstract.htm 1 of 1 10/15/2007 1:02 PM Design and Implementation of a LIDAR Imaging System Evaluation of MISI for Addition of Lidar System and Proposed Design of Lidar System Cynthia Scigaj Abstract LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a valuable tool for collecting information along the coastline, which is also referred to as the littoral zone. Data collected in this area is useful for the study and analysis of algae growth, water depths, and identifying objects in shallow waters. A LIDAR system typically consists of a pulsed LASER, a light collection device, and a sensor. Currently at RIT we have an airborne imager called the Modular Imaging Spectrometer Instrument (MISI). MISI is a passive system and currently obtains data in the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. My objective was to analyze the MISI optical path to determine whether or not a LIDAR could be incorporated into it, and if not, then to design a separate system. This research was conducted by creating several analyses of possible systems using an optical software package called Optical Software for Layout and Optimization (OSLO).LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a valuable tool for collecting information along the coastline, which is also referred to as the littoral zone. Data collected in this area is useful for the study and analysis of algae growth, water depths, and identifying objects in shallow waters. A LIDAR system typically consists of a pulsed LASER, a light collection device, and a sensor. Currently at RIT we have an airborne imager called the Modular Imaging Spectrometer Instrument (MISI). MISI is a passive system and currently obtains data in the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. My objective was to analyze the MISI optical path to determine whether or not a LIDAR could be incorporated into it, and if not, then to design a separate system. This research was conducted by creating several analyses of possible systems using an optical software package called Optical Software for Layout and Optimization (OSLO).
While pulmonary thromboembolism has been reported in patients with acute leukemia complicated by severe thrombocytopenia, it has been studied infrequently and its pathogenesis remains imprecisely understood. Findings of 80 consecutive autopsies of patients with acute leukemia showed that three had pulmonary thromboembolism. All three patients had been severely thrombocytopenic and had received numerous platelet transfusions. Serial sections of thrombi were evaluated with electron microscopy. In no instance were platelet aggregates detected. However, Candida organisms were prominent in thrombotic specimens from each patient. These findings suggest that thromboembolism in such patients may involve occult fungal infection. Because pulmonary thromboembolism can complicate the course of acute leukemia and severe thrombocytopenia, it should be considered when clinical data suggest its occurrence.
Objective To study one kind of surgical procedures and the results of surgical hemostasis at enlargement annulus in small aortic root.Methods Eleven patients received small aortic annulus enlarging.After the roof of left atrium was divided,the incision was stitched with the aortic valve suture and a prosthetic patch through the lip of the left artrium.The neighborhood left artrium wall was folded upward,and stitched to aortic wall and the prosthetic patch over the prosthetic valve.The enlargement annulus was covered and pressed in small aortic root.Results There was no operative and postoperative bleeding,no operative death and postoperative pericardial effusion.Ultrasound cardiograhy(1 month later) showed no shunt from the left ventricle to the left artrium below the aortic valve.Conclusion In enlargement annulus in small aortic root,it is a safe and effective method for preventing aortic root bleeding to fold up left artrium wall,to cover and press on the enlargement annulus in small aortic root.
Changes in the skeletal muscle adenine nucleotide pool during prolonged periods of normothermic ischemia, followed by reperfusion are a result of an exaggerated breakdown to lipid soluble precursors, the degree of reactive hyperemia, and activities of the salvage and direct pathways for resynthesis. We show that the degree of breakdown of ATP, ADP and AMP, is time dependent, and with restoration of circulation there is washout of these lipid soluble precursors, and no resynthesis of ATP. We demonstrated a relationship between the loss of energy during ischemia, and the degree of resultant necrosis, suggesting that a limit on the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions during reperfusion in reducing the extent of necrosis may exist.
The invention relates to an auxiliary device (100) for repairing a pipeline and sealing small damages (5) in a wall (4) of a pipeline. A working room (8) can be created between the interior of the pipeline (3) and the outer circumference of the base element (22) when the auxiliary device (100) for repairing a pipeline is pushed into a pipeline. The working room (8) can be sealed in the axial direction of the pipeline (3) and in a jointing manner by means of the expanding sealing collars (24, 25). Said auxiliary device (100) is provided with a transport module (40) that is articulated to the sealing module (20). The device can be transported through the fluid flow by means of the transport module (40).
Si-Ti alloy was prepared by mechanical alloying.The specimen experienced a solid-solution→amorphous→crystallization process.XRD indicated that a new phase was formed for the first time after crystallization.The analysis shows the new phase is intermetallic compound SiTi 3 with cubic configuration.The configuration schematic was given in the paper.The phase transformation and action mechanism of SiTi 3 are discussed.
The problems of safety evaluation of medicinal plants formulations in the Russian Federation, Europe and USA are presented. Safety issues of medicinal plants, as well as the adverse reactions of some herbal medicines are discussed. The main groups of exogenous (toxic metals, pesticides) and endogenous toxic substances of medicinal plants are represented. The maximum allowable concentrations of endogenous toxic substances (pyrrolizidine alkaloids, glycolic acid, azaron and other) most often defined in medicinal plants are given. The authors substantiate the necessity of tightening of the requirements for normative documents, which ensure the safety of medicinal plants.
This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in 2-6 year-old children who were brought to Kars Maternal and Children's Hospital with complaints of gastrointestinal symptoms during March-June 2007. Fecal samples were taken from children and brought to the parasitology laboratory of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to be examined for intestinal parasites. Fecal samples were examined by centrifugal formalin ether, zinc-sulphate floatation, and modified acid fast techniques. Lugol solution was used during microscopic examination and suspected samples were also examined by the Giemsa dye technique. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in children was found to be 36.2% (50/138). Protozoan and helminth parasites were found to be 34.1% (47/138) and 2.9% (4/138) in the fecal samples examined, respectively. Giardia intestinalis (10.9%), Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (10.1%), Entamoeba coli (8%), Blastocystis hominis (6.5%), Endolimax nana (4.3%), Chilomastix mesnili (1.4%), Ascaris lumbricoides (1.4%), Entamoeba hartmanni (0.7%), Cyclospora cayetanensis (0.7%), Enterobius vermicularis (0.7%) and Hymenolepis nana (0.7%) were identified from the feces of children of Kars and vicinity. No Cryptosporidium spp. was detected.
This paper explores the significance of social management,the meanings of social management,and characteristics of social management and safeguards of social management.This paper emphasizes the direction of improvement of legislation and enforcement in Social Management as follows: expanding the scale of legal system,upgrading its quality,accelerating the pace of social legislation,and responding the requirements of enforcement to make it more adaptable to new situations in social management.
1X describing 2 cases of human infection, both mild and acquired in the labora¬ tory, reached our hands. It is our purpose in the present communication to describe 8 human cases of laboratory infection with the Venezuelan virus in which the clinical course of the disease varied from a com¬ paratively mild illness to a severe infection with mani¬ festations of central nervous system involvement. All 8 cases were proved immunologically to be due to the Venezuelan virus, and in 6 the virus was recovered. EPIDEMIOLOGY During the course of investigations on the causation of encephalitis following vaccination against yellow fever 12 it became desirable to make comparative studies on certain neurotropic viruses, and for this purpose an isolation section was temporarily established in the Yellow Fever Research Laboratory, it is located on the second floor of the building to segregate it from the laboratories (third floor) devoted entirely to yellow fever investigations. The section is quartered in a single large room, one portion of which contains the usual basic laboratory apparatus and supplies and the rest provides space for mice. It began to function in September 1941, the original personnel consisting of two physicians, E. H. L. and H. K., two technical assist¬ ants, G. D. and L. P. da S., and two animal caretakers and general utility men, C. P. O. and another person, A. F., who, at the time the laboratory infections reported here occurred was away on vacation, remained well and is therefore not considered further. J. D. B., technician, joined this group in September 1942, and J. S. R., animal caretaker, was added in January 1943. To keep the foreign viruses within the confines of the isolation section, a number of precautions were taken. No employee other than the section's personnel was permitted to enter, under threat of immediate dis¬ missal. All the viruses worked with were passaged, desiccated and stored in locked steel boxes in the sec¬ tion. No animal received in the section was permitted to leave alive, and all dead animals, cage refuse, floor sweepings and so on were collected in special recep¬ tacles. These containers with their contents were immersed in tanks of cresol solution for a minimum of one-half hour, but usually several hours, were with¬ drawn and allowed to drain, and the refuse was then incinerated. Mouse boxes were disinfected by similar From the Laboratory of the Yellow Fever Research Service, Rio de
Bei Dao' s poems are of solid and "black" texture in that his poems are exhibitive of an impetuous negative consciousness and a vehement skeptical and critical spirit. The skepticism and criticism, which accounts for Bei Dao's profundity, involve not only the relevant surrounding but also the division of men themselves. In his poems can be found a conscious use of images, which are intensive and symbolic.
On Gleeble 1500 thermal simulation test machine,adopting thermal simulation technique to study continuous cooling transformation curve of 508-Ⅲ steel HAZ.Combined with metallographic observation and hardness measurement,it plotted SH-CCT curve of 508-Ⅲ steel,and analyzed structure of weldment HAZ according to the results of cooling transformation curve.The results showed that,in order to obtain perfect HAZ structure,it should adjust welding process parameter,reduce cooling speed at the key temperature range of phase transition(800~500 ℃).In actual welding,it should keep cooling speed at 1~5 ℃/s(t8/5 is 60~300 s),13%~27% ferrite + 73%~81% granular bainite can be obtained.
Objective:To study the application of artificial dura in emergency craniocerebral surgery.Method:65 patients with artificial dura in emergency craniocerebral surgery were analysed retrospectively.Result:65 cases of operation with artificial dura in emergency craniocerebral surgery were successful.28 patients with stage Ⅱ cranioplasty showed that the artificial dura protected brain tissue well.Conclusion:The artificial dura in emergency craniocerebral surgery was safe and effective.
Origin regulation of KoreaㆍAESAN FTA prescribe by general standard fulfills alteration standards 40% standard or HS 4 units three times regional deputy inflicts, and define in item different place of origin(PSR) about 447 items as the exception. Also, KoreaㆍAESAN FTA except broad principles that decide place of origin in ASEAN FTA accumulation standard, smile standard, place of origin disapproval process standard and directly various repletion standard such as transport principle introduce. But, most export trader are circumstance judging can charge preferential tariff if export trader submits sending certificate of origin in the customs service without deep comprehension about place of origin regulation. Therefore, will have to be knowing well place of origin decision standard and creation trick of certificate of origin to receive exactly preferential tariff benefit. Also, because it can be difficult that all registered customs brokers who is acting for certificate of origin issuance booking get acquainted in place of origin problem, it is expected to can become confrontation plan train FTA and place of origin professional registered customs brokers.
An LED driving device is used to drive M LED units and comprises one rectifying circuit, (M-1) first switching circuit, wherein each switching circuit comprises an impedance unit, a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch; and a second switching circuit, wherein the second switching circuit comprises an impedance unit, a first switch, and a second switch. When the kth LED unit is started to illuminate (2<=k<=M-1) the first switch and the second switch of the kth first switching circuit are conductive, and the third switches of the first to (k-1)th switching circuits are conductive; when the first LED unit is started to illuminate, the first and second switches of the first switching circuit is conductive; and when the Mth LED unit is started to illuminate, the first and second switches of the second switching circuit are conductive, and the third switches of each first switching circuit are conductive.
Toinvestigate whether DNAviruses canaug- mentgeneexpression ofthehumanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV), cotransfection experiments werecarried outinwhich a recombinant plasmid containing theHIVlongterminal repeat (LTR)linked tothechloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) genewastransfected into cultured cells along withplasmids containing DNAfromvarious distinct classes ofDNAviruses. Molecular clones containing JCvirus, BKvirus, lymphotropic papovavirus, bovine papilloma virus, type1herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), andvaricella-zoster virus sequences increased CATexpression directed bytheHIVLTR.Trans-activation of theHIVLTRvaried indifferent cell lines, butineachcase the HIVtatgeneproduct elicited thegreatest stimulation. Primer- extension assays specific forHIVLTRmRNA revealed in- creased levels ofsteady-state RNAfollowing transfection with HIVtataswellaswithseveral oftheDNA viruses. Virus- specific RNA expression paralleled thestimulation ofCAT activity. More-than-additive effects wereobserved atboththe RNA andprotein levels whentatplustype1herpes simplex virus DNAsortatplusJCvirus DNAsweretransfected into cells withtheHIVLTR-CATplasmid. These data suggest that coinfection ofcells byHIVandsomeDNAviruses canstimulate theexpression ofHIV. Theacquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) isetiologi- cally linked toaretrovirus, thehumanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV)(1-3), whichinfects andoften ultimately kills cells bearing theCD4epitope. Intheinfected humanhost, HIVmay replicate atlowlevels forlong periods without evoking clinical disease although itelicits areadily detectable immune response (4). Oneenigma inthepathogenesis ofAIDSisthat only a fraction ofthose infected withHIVhavethus fardeveloped disease. Since manyindividuals infected with HIVsubsequent- lybecome coinfected with avariety ofother microorganisms as their immunefunction deteriorates, thepossibility exists that someofthese opportunistic pathogens actas"cofactors" that stimulate theexpression oftheAIDSvirus, thereby causing clinical disease. Wehaveexamined several DNAviruses, some frequently isolated frompatients with AIDSandAIDS-related complex, for their ability toaugment expression oftheHIVlong terminal repeat (LTR). These agents, which include members of thepapovavirus, adenovirus, andherpesvirus families, encode geneproducts that augment HIVgeneexpression invarious host cells.
The solar activity cycle is strongly related and rooted to photospheric magnetic fields. Up to the present, it was mostly or even solely studied by extended fields such as sunspots, sunspot groups or active regions. Interestingly, the domain of magnetic fields on the Sun is not only limited to extended and strong magnetic fields but reaches down to small elements like single flux tubes. These flux elements can be identified in G-band filtergrams as so called magnetic bright points (MBPs). In this study we want to investigate the centre limb variation of the mean MBP intensity for the period of the recent solar minimum up to present (10/2008 10/2011). We found that a 4th order polynomial describes the centre limb variation fairly well. Furthermore we established for the symmetrized and normalized centre limb variation (for which the 1st and 3rd order parameter of the polynomial is fixed to zero) a relationship between the 2nd and 4th order fit parameter. Hence it is possible to derive a description with only one free parameter. Finally, we studied the variation with time of this parameter for the period of October 2008 to present, showing a slight increase and a weak correlation to solar activity as given by the relative sunspot number.
A recurring question in my e-mail and also elsewhere is the following: ‘I do not grasp how to sample random values from a skew-normal distribution with a certain skewness parameter — can you help?’. A variant form of the question has ‘skew-t’ (ST) in place of ‘skew-normal’ (SN). These pages address the above question in practice, using the R package sn; however, the underlying scheme is of general validity and the notes can be useful also to people working with other environments. Background theoretical aspects are kept as limited as possible, but cannot be avoided altogether. It is assumed that the installed version of the package is not less than 1.0-0 and that the command
The quality control scheme in use at the Department of Anatomic Pathology of the University of Bologna-Bellaria Hospital Since 1993 a quality assurance (QA) scheme has been set up in our Department, modified from the protocol in use at the Department of Pathology of Yale University and published by J. Rosai in his textbook. A QA committee has been appointed and each member is responsible for a specific branch of the total workload; the areas involved are: 1. review of frozen section diagnoses with the final diagnoses 2. randomized review of biopsies (1:25) 3. quality control of cytological cases 4. quality control of specimen adequacy 5. quality control of immunohistochemistry and in situ Hybridization 6. quality control of the cytogenetics laboratory 7. quality control of autopsies All data collected from january 1996 to february 1999 have been reviewed and analyzed in order to provide references for other laboratories and for the purpose of monitoring our laboratory' performance.
With all that is currently known about symptoms that indicate mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), it is unfortunate that many individuals go undiagnosed for long periods of time after sustaining such an injury. As noted by Zasler (1993), MTBI is poorly understood and often under diagnosed or misdiagnosed by health care professionals. The stereotypical constellation of symptoms produced by MTBI includes memory difficulties, problems with attention and concentration, lethargy, sleep disturbance, irritability, depression, headaches (Alves, Macciocchi, & Barth, 1993; Bigler, 1990; Cullum, Kuck, & Ruff, 1990; Gennarelli, 1986; Kwentus, Hart, Peck, & Kornstein, 1985), speed of processing information (Kay, Newman, Cavallo, Ezrachi, & Resnick, 1992), and sometimes seizures (Brown, Fann, & Grant, 1994; Verduyn, 1992). Each of these could be attributed to other causes, and in the face of multiple traumatic injuries, may be overlooked as symptoms which, when combined, are indicative of MTBI. Memory, attention deficits, and speed of processing information have been identified as some of the longer lasting and more pervasive neuropsychological symptoms seen in head injured adults (Kay et al., 1994; Telzrow, 1990), though psychomotor slowing and seizures present further functional problems such as danger of additional injuries and the inability to drive (Brown et al., 1994; Cullum et al., 1990; Verduyn, 1992). The presence of emotional, behavioral, and personality change after head injury has been recognized since at least 1942. Although there is some question as to whether these symptoms are based in physiology or are a product of psychological reaction to the injury, they are often much more seriously handicapping than residual cognitive and physical disabilities (Cullum et al., 1990; Lezak & O'Brien, 1990). Yet even in individuals who show many or all of these symptoms, a diagnosis may not be made until several months, or even several years after the initial injury. When MTBI is suspected, "(a)ll too often, global indices such as intelligence test scores are used to presumably (yet inadequately) gauge the severity of [an individual's] deficits..." (Cullum et al., 1990, p. 134). Although seventeen studies of intellectual recovery consistently found a decrease in overall intellectual test performance in the early stages of recovery, most individuals showed improvement after two to three years, with many returning to near premorbid levels on global IQ. If intelligence is found to be at or near the premorbid level, uninformed professionals might rule out MTBI. Deficits can also be masked if the person was intellectually high functioning premorbidly (Cullum et al., 1990). Deficits in higher cognitive functions can occur in the face of relatively normal performance on other more basic tasks (Cullum et al., 1990), explaining the improvement in intelligence tests scores without a comparable improvement in function. Wood (1987) showed that attention, which is often impaired by MTBI, is more important than intelligence (measured by IQ) during the learning of a simple discrimination task, and suggests that attention permeates all aspects of behavior. This helps to clarify why functional deficits continue in the face of intellectual recovery. Deficits in attention are particularly serious because there is little evidence for success of attention training procedures (Bigler, 1990). The purpose in studying the following three cases was to describe the process of arriving at the diagnosis of MTBI in persons with multiple traumatic injuries, and the constellation of symptoms present in each case. The difficulty of and delay in establishing the presence of MTBI in persons with multiple traumatic injuries is apparent from these cases. Method Subjects All three individuals involved in this study were married white males. One was in his early thirties and the other two in their mid-forties. …
A study investigated instructional administrative practices in workplace English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs and lessons learned in their implementation, with special attention given to innovative practice and its context. Data were drawn from a survey of 22 workplace literacy programs with culturally diverse populations in a variety of industries in Illinois and Indiana, and from four in-depth program examinations. Program aspects studied include: goals; adjustments for multi-ethnic populations; philosophical or practical orientation; educational strategies; teaching methods; approach to cultural issues; teacher and volunteer staffing; teacher and volunteer training; needs analysis; program evaluation; student identification and recruitment; outreach efforts; and support services. Results are summarized in these areas: curriculum goals; program history; hours; instructional providers; union involvement; program origins; financial support; participant recruitment and selection; support services; need analysis, assessment, and evaluation; obstacles to program success; key features of effective programs; trainer recruitment and selection; teaching approaches and methods; program design and populations served; program orientations; potential contradictions or conflicts; model program design; and implications for practice. Appended materials include information related to site selection and survey. Contains 121 references. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************************
Human resources management is an inner key element which restricts the development of local-people-run colleges;as a result,there are a lot of problems in the introduction,use and stabilization of talents in these colleges.These problems can be sloved from such aspects as the cultural construction,the cultivation of teachers and payment management,and it is the most important to standardize the management system in law.The responsiblities of investors and supervisors should be clearly divided so that the colleges willbe run by the educational experts according to the teaching law,the strategy of human resource management in the colleges will be enhanced,and the colleges will enjoy sustainable development.
Purpose To research the correlation between the combination of smoking and the losing of gene GSTMI and esophageal carcinoma. Methods The case group with male esophageal carcinoma and the control group with healthy volunteer include 125 cases respectively, there state of smoking and the losing of gene GSTMI were investigated at the same principles. Results The smoking rate of the case group was significantly higher than which in the control group (P0.005), OR=2.791 (1.349～5.774). The gene losing rate in the case group was 61.6 %, obvious higher than those in the control group (44.0 %), P0.005, OR=2.042 (1.233～3.382). The combination of smoking and losing gene GSTMI increase the risk of esophageal carcinoma 5.7 times oppositely to those who have none of these factors, P=0.001, OR=5.700 (1.910-17.013). Conclusion Smoking is a risk and the losing of gene GSTMI is a impressionable genetic factors to esophageal carcinoma, and they could play a coordinated attack to esophageal carcinoma.
Air conditioning is mainly use as human comfort cooling medium. It use more in high temperatures are country such as Malaysia. Proper estimation of cooling load will archive ideal temperature. Without proper estimation can lead to over estimation or under estimation. The ideal temperature should be comfort enough. This study is to develop a program to calculate an ideal cooling load demand, which is match with heat gain. Through this study, it is easy to calculate cooling load estimation. Objective of this study are to develop user-friendly and easy excess cooling load program. This is to insure the cooling load can be estimate by any of the individual rather than them using rule-of-thumb. Developed software is carryout by using Matlab-GUI. These developments are only valid for common building in Malaysia only. An office building was select as case study to verify the applicable and accuracy of develop software. In conclusion, the main objective has successfully where developed software is user friendly and easily to estimate cooling load demand. Keywords—Cooling Load, Heat Gain, Building and GUI.
The Internet has impacted near-every aspect of our culture -- from the way we communicate with friends and family, to how we conduct business, to how we shop and everything else in between. The Internet has certainly touched our educational system, and as more and more schools become connected, that influence will become even clearer. Along with the connectivity comes a whole new set of challenges in the classroom. Who will provide Internet curricula? Who will train teachers to use it? And if teachers aren't trained to use the Internet, as many reports are now showing, how will students learn to use it for more than games, chat and buying music? Statistics indicate that only half of all educators have received some sort of formal technology training and only 20% of all teachers say they are well prepared to use technology in their classrooms. These issues are prominent in the mind of the public, and the U.S. Government is taking a continued aggressive role in addressing the opportunities that accompany connectivity in schools. Equity of access is also becoming a highly discussed topic, because the few schools that are not connected to the Internet face a distinct disadvantage. Further, the issue is not confined merely to connectivity. We must still address the issues surrounding schools that are connected to the Internet, but have too few computers per school. In addition, many teachers, parents and children do not have access to the Internet outside of the classroom. It is timely to note that President Clinton, in his final State of the Union Address (January 27, 2000), specifically addressed the topic of schools and connectivity and the fact that as a society, we must empower parents with more information and more choices. President Clinton has said that education and the Internet rank as a top priority in our country and therefore, more funding will become available for schools and classrooms to become connected across the nation. It is encouraging that the federal government continues to take a leadership role in the vision and support of the Internet in all aspects of society, including the continued national support and funding for education and the Internet. The support of the government helps assure that we will move forward in the quest to make education, the Internet, and learning resources available to all, both at school and at home. The following areas are key to ensuring that the Internet is a useful and friendly tool for all, especially in relationship to our educational system. The four areas outlined below are necessary in order to establish a solid foundation. You must start with the basic technology, train the users of that technology, make meaningful information available to the users and, finally, there must be ongoing support from the community. Access to Technology As a society, we are moving toward the goal of making technology available to all. This is being accomplished through the support of the educational system, private and public businesses, the government, and a variety of other supporters. In our schools, we must aim for higher connectivity and make computers and Internet access more widely available. We must make sure that parents have avenues through which they can connect with the schools and teachers. If a parent does not have a computer or Internet access at home, then perhaps they have the option to access these tools at their place of work. Most community libraries have computers and Internet access readily available, as do local community centers and places of worship. The same equity of access issues are equally important to our teachers so that they can connect from outside the walls of the classroom. The key is to make our society keenly aware of just how easy it is to become connected. As a society, we have a responsibility to make sure these resources are available in our schools, libraries and community centers. …
The haemorrhage tolerance in 31 with morphine-urethane solution narcotized rabbits were proved. By locale application of epinephrine at the carotid sinus in 19 rabbits the depressor afferent C-fibres were activated. The efferent sympathetic nerve activity of the kidney was clear decreased before and during the haemorrhage. The maximum of the cardiac frequency and the sympathetic activity in the epinephrine animals was measured when the volume depletion was about 10 percent higher. In comparison with the control rabbits the blood pressure at the end of haemorrhage was clear higher.
AbstractTeenagers who live the orphanage perceives himself less lucky, less can receive the advantages anddisadvantages of self and less resilient in the face of hardship, which causes it to hard to find themeaning of life. Whereas the meaningfulness of life is very important to be perceived by everyone.This research aims to know the relationship of self-acceptance and meaning of life with resilienceteenagers who live in orphanages. The population in this research is a teenager who lives in theorphanage Ministry Love Bhakti Independent Jakarta, as for sampelnya totalled 108 people takenwith purposive sampling technique. Methods of data retrieval using the Likert scale, consists of ascale adapted from the meaning of life theory of James Crumbaugh and Leonard Maholick, selfacceptancescale adapted from the Supratiknya theory, and scale adapted from resilience theory andShatte Reivich. The results of the analysis of the data obtained value R of 0695 which means there is asignificant positive relationship between self-acceptance and resiliensi with the meaning of life,meaning that the higher the self-acceptance and teen resiliensi orphanage, it will be increasingly highmeaning of his life. A test found the variable contribution of self-acceptance and resilience against themeaning of life of 48.2%, 45.5% self acceptance of contributions and resiliensi 2.7%.
Samoa isn't and never was an island paradise. Like the rest of us, Samoans compete for status and prestige. Men are jealous of their wives and are vigilant of their eligible daughters. Sibling rivalry and parent - offspring competition are ordinary occurrences of the household. They hold feats, observe an elaborate protocol of custom, and punish felons. Hatred is no stranger to them, and mortal combats are not uncommon.
Two approaches to prolong the duration of hydrogen production by immobilized, sulfur-limited Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells are examined. The results demonstrate that continuous H2 photoproduction can occur for at least 90 days under constant flow of TAP medium containing micromolar sulfate concentrations. Furthermore, it is also possible to prolong the duration of H2 production by cycling immobilized cells between minus and plus sulfate conditions. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
This paper investigates the lifetime and surface deterioration of additively-manufactured, injection-moulding inserts. The inserts were produced using digital light processing and were reinforced with oriented short carbon fibers. The inserts were used during injection molding of low-density polyethylene until their failure. The molded products were used to analyse the development of the surface roughness and wear. By enhancing the lifetime of injection-molding inserts, this work contributes to the establishment of additively manufactured inserts in pilot production. INTRODUCTION Prior experiments with digital light processing (DLP) or similar technologies and fiber-reinforced photopolymer have been performed showing the possibility of manufacturing parts using this process [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. The possibilities of additive manufacturing (AM) for injection molding (IM) were already pointed out earlier in [12, 13, 14, 15]. However, the effect of fibers for the lifetime and surface deterioration of the IM inserts was not yet extensively investigated, although significant advantages at the cost, environmental and efficiency levels can evolve. The fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) showed a directional placement of the fibers within the manufactured layers allowing the reinforcement of the insert in two directions [9]. The lifetime of additively manufactured inserts made from photopolymer using DLP is located below those of inserts made from brass or steel as supported by [16, 17] and, therefore, lifetime in terms of surface quality was the subject of this investigation. This research contributes to the development of new technologies for injection-molding inserts reducing production costs as well as the environmental impact of prototyping and proof-ofconcept manufacturing. It was pointed out by [18] that composite materials for IM inserts made from polymer and copper particles improved the heat conductivity of the inserts by increasing the lifetime of the inserts. This investigation was developed further using short carbon fibers. METHODS The IM inserts were produced using DLP from a photopolymer resin with 5%wt short carbon fiber content equipped with an average diameter of 7.2μm and an average length of 100μm extending the research performed by [19] without fiber reinforcement. The layers were placed perpendicular to the expected pressure tensor from the polymer melt from the injection molding process resulting in a fiber placement in the manufacturing layers. The back and sides of the inserts were milled to reduce warpage of the inserts and increase the accuracy of the mold assembly. The inserts were used during manufacturing with an IM machine injecting low-density polyethylene (LD-PE) at 210 bar maximum injection pressure during a 3 s filling time followed by a 10 s packing time and 10 s cooling phase for the insert in order for the insert to cool down to a temperature of 36 ◦C.The insert dimensions were 20 x 20 x 2.7 mm. The total cycle time of the molding was 23 s. The additively-manufactured insert was built into a multi-functional frame in the IM machine as shown in Figure 1. The LD-PE was injected from FIGURE 1. Single insert in the IM machine before the first shot. the reverse side of the insert and through channels guided to the mold. The final part before ejection can be seen in Figure 2. Tests of the surface structure in terms of roughness were performed using a focus variation 3D microscope system with a vertical resolution of 500 nm and a lateral resolution of 3μm. The data of the scanned surface was thereafter aligned using global levelling for the inspected areas. The mean roughness was thereafter determined. Moreover, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) JEOL JSM-5900 was used showing the deterioration of the surface during the molding process. A Dino-Lite Pro AM 4000 digital microscope was used to inspect the surface of the inserts and the parts after the molding process. RESULTS During this investigation, the observations in [9] concerning outstanding carbon-fibers at the border of the object were confirmed as the first manufactured parts showed residual carbon fiber material in the upper layer of the part. The outstanding fibers broke off after the first shot and stuck to the produced part. No residuals were found at the second shot and later. The outstanding fibers in the original IM insert are shown in Figure 3. It shall be noted that no fibers are standing perpendicular to the top surface layer. Surface investigations of produced parts showed cracks of the insert in the μm regime after about 300 shots leading to a change in roughness of the surface of the manufactured part. Compared to other tests on photopolymer inserts without fiberFIGURE 2. PE-LD parts arranged in the IM machine. FIGURE 3. Fibers standing out of the produced layers in a SEM investigation confirming the findings in [9]. The image was taken before the first shot. The raster pattern on the surface results from the DLP process and the projector resolution. 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 200 400 600 80
The design method of embedded motion controller based on dual-core OMAP-L138 processor is introduced.The human-machine interface and NC code compilation are achieved by OMAP-L138's ARM core.The interpolation algorithm is achieved by DSP core,which generate pulses to control the motor running.The dual CPU architecture and on-chip memory to share data are adopted in the embedded motion controller.This is better able to meet the requirements of the embedded motion controller for real-time,control precision and power.
Tai Chi teaching is teaching in higher vocational colleges an important part of martial arts, physical and mental health for students, as well as the building of a harmonious society has a positive role. This paper mainly describes the teaching in higher vocational colleges to carry out the role of Taijiquan, as well as the use of teaching methods and scientific teaching model to improve the quality of teaching tai chi, thereby contributing to the development of higher vocational colleges teaching Taijiquan provides a number of countermeasures, for reference.
The in vivo alkylation of DNA by N-nitrosomethyl-(2-hydroxyethyl)amine (NMHEA) was examined in male and female F-344/N rats. NMHEA is a strong hepatocarcinogen in female rats when administered by gavage but a weaker hepatocarcinogen in male rats. Groups of 5 rats of each sex were treated by gavage with various doses of NMHEA dissolved in corn oil. After 4 h the animals were sacrificed and the livers, lungs, and kidneys were removed. The DNA from each liver was isolated and the neutral thermal and mild acid hydrolysates were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography. The alkylated guanines were quantified by fluorescence spectroscopy. NMHEA gives rise to four fluorescent alkylated guanines, 7- and O6-methylguanines, and 7- and O6-hydroxyethylguanines. The dose-response data revealed that all four lesions increased with dose. There was approximately 10x more methylation than hydroxyethylation at the 7 position of guanine. There was less O6 alkylation, but both methylation and hydroxyethylation were observed at all of the doses studied. The overall alkylation was the same in males and females at the 10- and 20-mg/kg doses, but at higher doses the females exhibited significantly higher levels of alkylation than males. The level of alkylation of DNA isolated from non-target tissues, lung, and kidney was low. The persistence of these lesions in vivo was studied at a dose of 25 mg/kg. Groups of five animals each were sacrificed at various times from 0 to 96 h. There was no significant difference between the sexes in persistence of any of the lesions in the liver. The 7-alkylguanines disappeared slowly over the observation period. 7-Methylguanine was present at 30% of the maximum level after 96 h, while 7-hydroxyethylguanine appeared to be more stable. The O6-alkylguanines were removed rapidly from the liver, being at base level by 48 h. The rapid removal of O6-hydroxyethylguanine suggests a repair process independent of O6-alkylguanine-DNA guanine alkyl transferase: an excision repair is postulated. In vitro alkylation of calf thymus DNA by N-nitrosomethyl-(2-tosyloxyethyl)amine, a surrogate for the putative O-sulfate conjugate of NMHEA, resulted in exclusive methylation of DNA-guanine at both the 7 and O6 positions; no hydroxyethylation was detected. In vitro alkylation of calf thymus DNA with 2-hydroxyethyl-ethylnitrosourea resulted in exclusive hydroxyethylation of DNA-guanine at the 7 and O6 positions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Submitted for the MAR08 Meeting of The American Physical Society Periodic vs. Transient Estimation of Phase Response Curves1 JIANXIA CUI, Georgia Institute of Technology, SRISAIRAM ACHUTHAN, CARMEN CANAVIER, LSU Health Sciences Center, ROBERT BUTERA, Georgia Institute of Technology — Phase response curves (PRCs) for a single neuron are often used to predict the synchrony of mutually coupled neurons. Previous theoretical work on pulse coupled oscillators used single pulse perturbations. We propose an alternate method in which functional PRCs (FPRCs) are generated using a train of pulses applied at a fixed delay after a spike. Experimental FPRCs in Aplysia pacemaker neurons were different from single pulse PRCs because of adaptation. Adaptation was incorporated by plotting the effective period, observed just after the pulse train is terminated, as a function of the entrained period during the pulse train. The effective intrinsic period was used iteratively in the prediction method instead of the unperturbed intrinsic period. Incorporating adaptation improved the accuracy of prediction of phase-locked modes in a model network of adapting oscillators characterized by both single pulse and multiple pulse PRCs compared to those characterized by single pulse PRCs alone. 1Supported by NIH NS54281. Carmen Canavier LSU Health Sciences Center Date submitted: 30 Nov 2007 Electronic form version 1.4
The study was conducted to evaluate the biofumigation of crushed radish leaves and seed meals to manage the disease complex caused by Fusarium oxysporum and Meloidogyne spp in eggplants under greenhouse conditions. Pathogenic isolates of F. oxysporum were isolated from infected eggplants on PDA and the Meloidogyne was isolated from cucumber plants. Results showed that the concentration, 10, 5, 2.5 g/pot of crushed leaves and seed meals were effective and cause significant reduction in fungal growth on PDA. The addition of radish crushed leaves into the soil at 10,5,2.5g/pot reduced the disease incidence to 5,10,15 % compared with 77.5% in control , and the disease severities to 5,10,10% compared with 75%in control.The amendment of the soil with seed meals at 10,5,2.5 g/pot has reduced the disease incidences to 15,20,35% , and the disease severities to 12.5,18.8,28.8% compared with 77.5%and 75% in control respectively . Plant heights , leaf area , fresh and dry weights were found to be34.75,32.00,28.00cm,7.40,7.325,6.750 cm , 8.075,7.075,4.400 g/plant , and 1.420,0.900,0.675 g/plant respectively in plants grown in the soil containing 10,5,2.5 g/pot crushed leaves ,26.50,24.75,21.00 cm , 8.475,6.975,6.350 cm ,8.00,5.560,4.400 g/plant, 0.950,0.750,0.622 g/plant respectively ,in plants grown in soil containing 10,5,2.5 g/pot of seed meals compared with 13.75 cm , 3.088, 1.805 g/plant and 0.235 g/plant in control respectively . Keywords : Fusarium oxysporum , Meloidogyne spp , Biofumigation , eggplants .
Digital citizenship indicates one’s place in digitized society; however academics have not established a cohesive understanding about how digital citizenship is characterized. The Ontario Ministry of Education also does not provide a central conceptualization of digital citizenship and instead encourages Ontario school boards to construct and communicate ideas of digital citizenship. Accordingly, Ontario policymakers, educators, and students use differing understandings of digital citizenship, which ultimately impedes educational initiatives and hinders the overall development of the concept. For this paper, therefore, I inquired as to how Ontario public school boards portray digital citizenship. Using concept analysis, I examined digital citizenship documents from the 10 largest English Ontario public school boards. The results suggest that digital citizenship is predominately characterized by responsible and ethical technology use. I conclude with a discussion about how this representation relates to democratic citizenship more broadly and the implications this may have on youth civic engagement.  Keywords: digital citizenship; technologies and education; democracy and education; democratic citizenship; concept analysis
The 14.7 MeV neutron small-angle elastic scattering differential cross sections of C and  Be are measured by a position-sensitive spectrometer with associated particle time-of-flight  method. The corrections for neutron flux attenuation and multiple scattering are performed  by using Monte-Carlo calculations. The experimental results are compared with the optical-  mode calculation and other measurements.
Su Shi′s poems and essays describe diversified themes and bear various styles,which harmoniously integrate thoughts from Confucianism,Taoism and Buddhism,and form a unique style of broad vision,uninhibited mind,and optimism.By studying Su Shi′s poems and essays,the students will taste classical Chinese spirit,improve the ability to learn ancient Chinese literature,and inherit the essence of ancient Chinese classics.
Both γ2 and γ1 preparations exhibited similar end points (0.04 µg antibody N) when employed as anti-globulin reagents in the Coombs test. In comparison, the γ1-antibody fractions gave a prozone in the antibody excess region, whereas no prozone was noted with the γ2 fractions. The specificity of antisera and antibody fractions from successive bleedings for antigenic determinants on the human γ-globulin molecule was established by reacting these preparations with several antigens related to the heavy and light chains of human γ-globulin.
Objective To study the rhesus monkey model of the spontaneous diabetes for cloning the gene of diabetes (gene transfer,gene knock-out and gene therapy) and discussing the gene function and expression. Methods The GTT (glucose tolerance test) and glycosuria test in breeding rhesus monkeys were used to choose the rhesus monkey model of the spontaneous diabetes. Results and Conclusion 3 monkeys which were abnormal in glucose tolerance test and positive in glycosuria test were screened from 100 monkeys in middle and elderly age.
I examine the morphologies of the brightest planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Milky Way Galaxy and conclude that violent binary interaction processes eject the main nebulae of the brightest PNe. The typical morphologies of the brightest PNe are multipolar, namely have been shaped by two or more major jet-launching episodes at varying directions, and possess small to medium departures from pure point-symmetry. The departure from pure point-symmetry is generally not large. This suggests that triple-star interaction is not behind the mass ejection process, but rather a violent binary interaction. By violent interaction I refer to two or more energetic jet-launching episodes within a relatively short time (much shorter than the PN formation time). In particular, I suggest that the timescales of some interactions are shorter than the dynamical timescale of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) progenitor. I discuss some possibilities, including a rapid onset of the common envelope evolution (CEE) and the merger of the companion with the AGB core at the termination of the CEE. I suggest that the most likely companions to experience such interactions are white dwarfs (WDs). Some of these might actually be progenitors of type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia), as I suggest for SNR G1.9+0.3, the youngest SN Ia in the Galaxy. I speculate here on a positive correlation (but not one-to-one correspondence) between the brightest PNe and cases of CEE that end with WD-core merger, including progenitors of some SNe Ia.
Infrastructure as a Service model of cloud computing is a desirable platform for the execution of cost and deadline constrained workflow applications as the elasticity of cloud computing allows large-scale complex scientific workflow applications to scale dynamically according to their deadline requirements. However, scheduling of these multitask workflow jobs in a distributed computing environment is a computationally hard multi-objective combinatorial optimization problem. The critical challenge is to schedule the workflow tasks whilst meeting user quality of service (QoS) requirements and the application's deadline. The existing research work not only fails to address this challenge but also do not incorporate the basic principles of elasticity and heterogeneity of computing resources in cloud environment. In this paper, we propose a resource provisioning and scheduling algorithm to schedule the workflow applications on IaaS clouds to meet application deadline constraints while optimizing the execution cost. The proposed algorithm is based on the nature-inspired population based Intelligent Water Drop (IWD) optimization algorithm. The experimental results in the simulated environment of CloudSim with four real-world workflow applications demonstrates that IWD algorithm schedules workflow tasks with optimized cost within the specified deadlines. Moreover, the IWD algorithm converges fast to near optimal solution.
The article treats information about as green areas are never finished as, let’s say, buildings are, planning and creating of green areas as well as their maintenance is a continuous and complicated process. Maintaining a stable state of city green areas in conditions of a high anthropogenic load of a big city is possible only when the needs and the possibilities of its natural ecosystem are taken into account and only on the basis of studying and analyzing the previous theoretical and practical experience in the fields of ecology, green areas development and landscape design.
The question of how law should address 'culture' is pressing. But culture should not be seen as a unity. It consists of diverse components - relating to ultimate values and beliefs, traditions, emotional allegiances and instrumental social relations - and law relates to these components in different ways. Culture is a bounded unity only in the dangerous, pathological case of absolute cultural divisions - which state law should oppose. The concept of legal culture is equally problematic when it suggests bounded cultural unities. But when culture is conceptualised in terms of fluid networks of community it becomes possible to analyse not only issues of multiculturalism, but also the ways in which transnational regulation serves social networks that extend beyond the boundaries of nation states.
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal for improving hearing aid compatibility (HAC) and absorption rate (SAR). The present invention to achieve this in the first frequency band and the cost of the antenna that performs wireless communication at a lower second frequency band than the first frequency band built-in the mobile terminal, is formed in the substrate of the mobile terminal, the antenna ground terminal It spaced apart a predetermined distance and ground, and ground part is connected with, first is configured to include a stub is coupled with the ground from the first frequency band. Accordingly, the mobile communication terminal according to the present invention to improve hearing aid compatibility (HAC) and absorption rate (SAR) and induced to the bottom of the antenna, only the peak of the radiation beam while maintaining the antenna radiation output power. Specific absorption rate, hearing aid compatible, the coupling, the stub
This paper analyses the debate on the introduction of progressive rates in the inheritance tax, which took place in the Spanish Parliament in 1900. The article highlights the interest of this debate concerning two aspects: First, the parliamentary discussion itself, very controversial, showed an atypical alliance between conservatives and republicans supporting a very limited progressivity. In their view, this was just a tool to achieve real tax proportionality, and by no means should be a redistributive measure. Liberals' opposition feared the ultimate consequences of progressive taxes and refused its introduction in Spain, as it entailed serious hazard for property. Second, the wide use of economic ideas to support arguments in the debate make evident that the Members of Parliament taking part in the debate had a noteworthy degree of economic expertise. Therefore, parliamentary discussions were effectively contributing to the progress, expansion and institutionalization of political economy in contemporary Spain.
Abstract : Under the changing structure of Tri-polar Powers in Northeast Asia, Japan faces mounting pressure from outside and inside to step up its military strength. In this paper the author analyzes the strategy of the United States, Soviet Union, China, and Japan; examines Japan-US relations; and seeks several strategic options for Japan's security policy and defense strategy. The conclusion is to reshape and strengthen the Japan-US bilateral treaty, and put the emphasis on improving the Japanese ground force as well as the maritime force. (Author)
The Home-Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) has provided funding for this project but has not conducted the research or written this report. While the authors have worked on the best information available to them, neither HGCA nor the authors shall in any event be liable for any loss, damage or injury howsoever suffered directly or indirectly in relation to the report or the research on which it is based.
The effects of plasma lavage on pulmonary surfactant and edema were studied in anesthetized open-chest dogs. After instrumentation and baseline measurements, citrated autologous plasma (1.5 ml/kg) was lavaged into each lung (n = 6). A control group was administered the same dose of buffered saline solution (n = 4). Hemodynamic parameters, blood gases, and lung compliance were monitored for 2 hours after lavage. Surfactant function, assessed with a Wilhelmy balance, and extravascular lung water measured gravimetrically were determined at the end of the experiment. Immediately after plasma lavage, a nonsegmental atelectasis was observed on the lung surface. Little change was seen in vascular pressures or cardiac output in either group, whereas partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood and static compliance fell significantly after plasma lavage. Two hours after lavage, a large amount of white foam was observed in both large and small airways in the plasma group. Plasma but not saline lavage elevated surface tension minimum in pulmonary tissue. Airway foam contained functional surfactant; addition of plasma to normal surfactant on the Wilhelmy balance did not inhibit surfactant function. Extravascular lung water was increased in the plasma compared with the saline lavage group. These data suggest that plasma usurps surfactant from the alveolar hypophase rather than inhibiting its ability to lower surface tension. Because little change was measured in vascular pressures and it is unlikely that autologous plasma increases vascular permeability, we conclude that the edema was the result of high alveolar surface tension.
Objective: To identify factors related to quality of life in post myocardial infarction patients. Methods: The subjects were 150 post myocardial infarction patients who were receiving follow up care at Hajar Hospital. Self-administered questionnaires consisting of physical-and mental health-quality of life (QoL) during a 14-month follow-up were designed. Aχ^2 test was used to determine relationships between variables. Results: There was significant correlation between demographic variables such as insurance and retirees between the subjects tested. In addition, a significant relationship between the pain intensity, fatigue, reducing or losing job performance and QoL was found. Conclusion: The role of nurses to fulfill all social, psychotically and mental requirements of the patients with myocardial infarction is highly appreciated.
The aim of the study was: to determine the value of CEA, Ca 19-9, ferritin and sialic acid in diagnostics, to assess the prognostic role of serum CEA and Ca 19-9 levels before surgery and to evaluate their usefulness in diagnostics of recurrences. The study included 352 patients with colorectal carcinoma (adenocarcinoma). The preoperative level of CEA was elevated in 286 patients, Ca 19-9 in 108, ferritin in 60 and sialic acid in 58 patients. All of them are poor markers in diagnostics because of the low sensitivity, respectively 47.6%, 37.0%, 16.7% and 55.2%. Preoperative high, CEA and Ca 19-9 values are associated with a significantly poorer prognosis and with frequency of recurrences.
The public transport reform discussion initiated in 1992 in the Netherlands ended in 2000 with the enactment of a new passenger transport law. According to this new law, about a third of public transport services will have to be tendered by regional authorities in the coming years. In the meantime, a few regional railway lines have been contracted or tendered and preparations are made to tender for the operations of a number of regional and urban bus networks across the country. It is scheduled that after this first period, Parliament will review the effects and decide whether the new legislation will be extended to all public transport services.
The vast majority of Hungarian patients have self-diagnosed and treated themselves with over the counter medications (OTC) without any medical supervision. Patients typically consider these medications safe and easily accessible without any major potential of adverse reactions. Although, pharmaceuticals must fulfil strict criteria to gain OTC status, they still carry potential risks and safety concerns, such as misuse, abuse or interaction with other drugs or food. In the course of proper handling of these safety concerns, the role of the pharmacist, and the establishment of an adequate informing and monitoring system must be emphasized. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview about the safety concerns related to OTC medicines, with regard to their management possibilities.
Isobutyraldehyde 1,2-propanediol acetal(Ⅰ)was synthesized from isobutyraldehyde(Ⅱ) and 1,2-propanediol(Ⅲ) in the presence of aminosulfonic acid(Ⅳ) as catalyst.The effects of molar ratio of aldehyde to alcohol,amount of catalyst,reaction time and water carrying agent on product yield were studied.The result showed that(Ⅳ)was an excellent catalyst.The optimum reaction conditions were as follow:isobutyraldehyde was 0.2mol,the molar ratio of n(Ⅱ)∶n(Ⅲ)=1∶1.5,the amount of catalyst was as 6.8% as the reactants,the water carrying agent was 15ml,and the reaction time was 60 mins.Under these conditions,the yield of(I)could reach 71.15%.
The invention relates to a control method and a control system for a fossil fuel boiler. The boiler comprises a plurality of soot blowing devices. The method comprises a step of estimating a load rise period of the boiler based on historic data. The method further comprises a step of determining at least one soot blowing device according to the influence of the soot blowing devices on the temperature of a reheater, wherein if the determined soot blowing device is controlled to blow soot, the temperature of the reheater is led to drop. The method further comprises a step of controlling the determined soot blowing device to blow soot in the estimated load rise period. According to the control method, the temperature of the reheater can be effectively kept within an expected range under the circumstance of reducing the use of such temperature regulation modes as spraying water to the reheater.
In this work we study the structure and cardinality of maximal sets of commuting and anticommuting Paulis in the setting of the abelian Pauli group. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for anticommuting sets to be maximal, and present an efficient algorithm for generating anticommuting sets of maximum size. As a theoretical tool, we introduce commutativity maps, and study properties of maps associated with elements in the cosets with respect to anticommuting minimal generating sets. We also derive expressions for the number of distinct sets of commuting and anticommuting abelian Paulis of a given size.
Based on the QUEST algorithm,a new quaternion estimation algorithm using non-united vectors is presented,in which the length of baselines is considered.This algorithm is implemented in the multi-baseline attitude determination system which is developed based on the GPS.The field test is conducted and the result shows that the system has high precision compared to the system using the TRIAD algorithm.
In work reported at the 13th Rare Earth Conference, zone melting was shown to move impurities in commercial purity rare earth metals. The interstitial impurities O and N moved in the opposite direction from the zone while metallic impurities moved with the zone. The results of further experiments using Ames Laboratory high purity rare earth metals as starting material are reported. Analyses of a zone melted bar of gadolinium showed that the metallic impurities at the starting end of the bar were the lowest ever observed in gadolinium. Over half of the length of the bar had been purified with respect to O and N. The results obtained on cerium metal by this technique are also given.
RC coupled shear walls are known as one of the best and popular lateral load resisting structural systems. Most of the structural design codes have no seismic design considerations for base shear and fundamental vibration period. In current study finite element models were generated to provide a reliable data base to estimate the base shear and fundamental period. The differences between the behavior of in-plane and out-of-plane actions in these systems were investigated. In the final stage corrective coefficients will present according to analyses results. More accurate estimation of the demand makes more resistant structures against wind and earthquake loads.
Shippers of freight face many choices and trade-offs. Two choices of particular interest are those of mode of choice and shipment size. These two choices are interdependent, and they also depend on other commodity and modal attributes. Unlike previous studies on the subject, this paper considers the dependence between unit freight charge and shipment size in deriving a shipper's economic order quantity (EOQ). It also examines the nature of this dependence, and studies the effect of market and commodity attributes on optimal shipment size. A numerical example is provided in which optimal shipment size is calculated for full truckload (TL) and less-than-truckload (LTL), and the results are compared with those of previous studies.
Cloud computing is the technique which is mainly used to create a cloud space. These cloud spaces that are created by the user, can store files and also can upload and download information. So in this paper we will be mainly discussing about the security purpose that we are going to use in this project. Till now we have used the biometric security methods like face recognition, finger print and so on.. But in this project what we will be discussing about it is a combination of two or more biometrics. We fuse ECG and Palm print for achieving the multi modal system. Moreover we take the heartbeat of the human being as the main biometric. So here we will be also discussing about few algorithms and methods in this topic. The two signals that we consider are Electrocardiogram and Phonocardiogram. When these two signals combine together we will be able to run the multimodal system. The ECG purpose is to record the signal frequency of the heart and store them in the database. This is done because for the user authentication purpose. The usage of PCG is to record the sound made by the heart, that is nothing but the sound of the heartbeat. There are also few complications in this model, because it is not that easy to show as a real time model. All the templates has to be stored in the database, only then the user will be able to authenticate. Considering in all this the basic challenge is the time dependency, this is because the authentication has to be done in a timely manner.
BACKGROUND It has been reported that the structure of the fibrinogen gamma-chain C terminal (D) region (140-411 residues) has important functions in fibrinogen assembly and/or secretion. Variant fibrinogens, gamma313S>N, gamma336M>I, gamma341A>D, and gamma345N>D have been reported as hypofibrinogenemias or dysfibrinogenemias. To study the assembly and secretion of the variant fibrinogens containing aberrant D regions, we established CHO cells producing these four fibrinogens.   METHODS A fibrinogen gamma-chain expression vector was altered and transfected into CHO cells that expressed normal human fibrinogen Aalpha and Bbeta-chains. Cell lysates and culture media of the selected cell lines were subjected to ELISA and immunoblot analysis.   RESULTS The CHO cells synthesized mutant gamma-chains and assembled these into fibrinogen, although these variant fibrinogens were barely secreted into the culture media. In the cell lysates, however, concentrations of these variant fibrinogens were higher than the normal levels.   CONCLUSIONS The present study indicated that the tertiary structure of the fibrinogen gamma-chain C terminal region between 313 and 345 is necessary for fibrinogen secretion. These findings suggest that reduced levels of fibrinogen secretion lead to the hypofibrinogen in the patients and secreted fibrinogens might show dysfibrinogenemia.
The investigation of trace element biogeochemistry in the soil-plant system is a necessary step for many agricultural and environmental issues. For instance, an in-depth understanding of trace element biogeochemistry is helpful to support soil fertility by enhancing or alternatively alleviating the plant uptake of micronutrients and inorganic contaminants, respectively. The manipulation of trace element biogeochemistry is also a key component of phytoremediation strategies implemented on highly contaminated soils. The common driver of all these agronomic and environmental issues is intimately related to the interactions occurring at the soil-plant-microbial interfaces, i.e. in the so-called rhizosphere. The present lecture will focus on an updated overview of the many physical-chemical processes mediated by plant roots in the rhizosphere and how these processes drive trace element biogeochemistry in the soil-plant system. The first part of the lecture will be dedicated to a case study that demonstrates the importance of plant-mediated physical-chemical processes in determining copper toxicity to wheat in former vineyard soils in southern France. In this context, the occurrence of copper toxicity to wheat interestingly contradicted the prediction that has been made from bulk-soil chemistry, but was nicely supported by rhizosphere chemistry. The second part of the lecture will address an updated overview of the many physical-chemical processes (i.e. changes in pH, dissolved organic matters, and redox potential) that plant roots are able to implement in the rhizosphere with a brief illustration of analytical technics and experimental systems that enable to study them. The basic mechanisms involved will be first introduced at the soil-root scale, then scaled-up to the whole root system and finally to field-scale. The last part of the lecture will be dedicated to a second case study about arsenic phytostabilization that illustrates the importance of considering concomitantly a range of physical-chemical processes in determining arsenic dynamic in the rhizosphere. In this microcosm-scale study, we will see that arsenic dynamic in the rhizosphere is concomitantly related to the dynamics of iron, calcium, and protons. (Texte integral)
Contour detection is an important and fundamental problem in computer vision that finds numerous applications. In this paper, we propose a learning algorithm for contour detection via random forest. Visual cues that can be extracted easily and efficiently are integrated to learn a detector where the decision of an contour pixel is made independently via the random forest at each location in the image. We evaluate the proposed algorithm against leading methods in the literature on the Berkeley Segmentation Dataset. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed contour detection algorithm performs favorably against state-of-the-art methods in terms of speed and accuracy.
Educational performance gets affected by a number of factors such as intelligence, achievement, motivation, home environment, school environment, interest and resources. The most significant influence on child is his or her parents. Psychologists and educationists are of the opinion that child rearing practices have the direct bearing on the educational performance of children. In this competitive era, where every parent expects that his child should do well at school, it is necessary to understand how different parenting styles determine the child's educational performance at school.
Objective To study the effect of Tanreqing in the treatment of hand,foot and mouth disease in children.Methods 84 children with Hand,foot and mouth disease were randomly divided into treatment group(46 cases) and control group(38 cases).The treatment group was given Tanreqing injection,the control group was given ribavirin injection,and both groups were given vitamins injection for seven days.The time of fever and skin eruption left were observed.Results The time of fever and skin eruption left of the treatment group was obviously shorter than that of the control group.The total efficiency of treatment and control group was 97.83%and 86.84% respectively.The difference beteween the two groups was significant(P0.05).Conclusion Tanreqing injection is markedly effective in the treatment of Hand,foot and mouth disease in children.It is a safe treatment without toxic side effect.
Recent reports indicate that most subjects with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have a negative scotopic bright-flash electroretinogram (ERG). We performed dark adaptometry in seven patients with the DMD phenotype. Three patients had the negative bright-flash response combined with severely reduced rod-related activity; their mean psychophysical dark-adapted threshold was -5.5 +/- 0.3 (normally -5.4 +/- 0.3) cd.m-2. Two of the three patients were able to sit through the complete test: the profile of their dark adaptation curve was normal. The four other patients had a normal scotopic ERG, and their mean psychophysical dark-adapted threshold was -5.3 +/- 0.3 cd.m-2. One of the four was able to complete the entire procedure, and a normal profile was found. In patients with DMD the dark adaptation measurements are normal despite abnormalities in rod-related ERG activity.
To clarify the mechanism of the effect of lansoprazole in the healing of human gastric ulcer, the uptake sites of lansoprazole were studied using endoscopically biopsied specimens from the margin of the gastric ulcer. The specimens were incubated in a medium containing 3H-lansoprazole for 5 or 15 min., postfixed with 1% osmic acid and embedded in Epon. The semithin or ultrathin sections were made and radioautographic emulsion films were applied by the wire-loop method. 30 days after the incubation, the sections were developed, fixed and observed by light and electron microscopy. As a result, the uptake sites of lansoprazole were accumulated on the fibroblasts located near the tip portion of the gastric mucosa and on the unmyelinated nerve fibers as well as on the parietal cells. Some of the uptake sites were also observed near the plasma membrane of the bacteria in the gastric lumen. From these observations, lansoprazole uptake sites were not only on the parietal cells but on the fibroblasts and the bacteria, suggesting that the effect of lansoprazole was exerted partly through the influence on the mesenchymal cells and Helicobacter pylori-related organisms.
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Background: Fragmented QRS (fQRS) in 12-lead ECG, ascribed to myocardial scar, has been shown to predict future cardiac events in patients with both ischemic and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM). Various definitions and low specificity of fQRS, however, limited its use. We hypothesized that the advantage of 64-channel magnetocardiography (MCG), i.e., high spatio-temporal resolution, enables more accurate detection of fragmented LV conduction (fLV), that would lead to accurate prediction of future events. Methods: In 51 patients with NIDCM and narrow QRS (LVEF, 22±7%; QRS duration, 99±11 ms), we recorded MCG. We defined, in MCG superimposed vector magnitude waveforms, fLV as distinct abnormal components (>20% of maximal amplitude). In current arrow map, fLV corresponded to heterogeneous QRS currents (Figure). We predicted major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including sudden cardiac death (SCD), sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VF/VT), appropriate defibrillator discharge (Def) and left ve...
The innoculation of forages with lignocellulolytic fungi is an option for improving quality without adding chemical products. Substrate quality influences fungal activity and endproduct quality. The effects of four treatments (composting of whole hay, composting of chopped hay, soaking in cool water and soaking in hot water) on a Brachiaria decumbens hay were evaluated. The treatments were followed by innoculation with Pleurotus ostreatus fungus and incubation over 35 days, under controlled temperature. A completely randomized design with four replicates and repeated measures was used. Weekly samples were taken to follow substrate degradation through chemical analysis of the hay. A linear increase over time was observed for crude protein (CP) and proportion of lignin in cell walls (LIG-NDF), whereas a linear decrease was observed for neutral detergent fiber (NDF), cellulose and hemicellulose contents. No treatment effect on ADF content was observed. The treatments based on composting showed higher CP, lignin and LIG-NDF contents and lower NDF and hemicellulose contents. No difference was observed between the treatments that used soaking. The biological treatment of Brachiaria hay caused degradation of the fibrous fraction and increased CP content, with stronger effect on those treatments that used composting. The fungus was more effective to increase hemicellulose content than the other fiber components.
This article considers the events and ideas that served as a background to the creation of the essay Towards Perpetual Peace, as well as the earliest reviews of it. The author pays special attention to the objections voiced by Kant’s student Friedrich Gentz who turned from the advocate of his teacher’s ideas into his opponent. The conclusion offers an attempt to envisage the philosophers’ reactions to the current state of international politics.
The signing bonus is one of the most common elements of compensation packages for white-collar employees but has received little theoretical and empirical attention. This article investigates the use of a signing bonus as a tool for firms to signal to prospective employees: when they are uncertain regarding their fit with the firm, the signing bonus can serve as a credible signal of the firm's belief of said fit. The theory suggests that we should expect signing bonuses to be more common and larger when the economy is stronger, when employees are less certain of how well they will fit at the firm, when the quality of fit (known to the firm) is higher, and when performance pay is present. Employees receiving a signing bonus work harder, so the signing bonus also serves as an incentive device. This article also presents the first broad empirical look at the use of the signing bonus across industries and time. Evidence is consistent with the theory. The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for Financial Studies. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org., Oxford University Press.
Facilities maintenance managers are required to rise modern maintenance systems and methods to contra/their work  •  ~k{, -~~~~Yfl.!e,s. ~ccountjrJr resow:ces given and to monitor a~d ~eport maintenance work executio'! throug~l the full use of •  . ::r:3:),:1'1tftouslndu.rtry baseclmetncs and other management mcilcators. Due to the scope, complexlly and /ugh value of records  , . ,~j';:~.:ft'~n~Jatility iuaintena•IC(' centres, the past decades have seen the application of computer technologies to facilities  •  " ·~·:, ,;· mahtigement; and as:. vstems /oecvme more powe1jitl, less costly and easier to use it has become very necessary for  : '3:;~.·: iiiajiagt;tsJ~ implemet•t computerized.maintenance system. Thi~ paper attempt to bridge the functional orientation of. ·  · .. , · · · 'tac)/Jty Mamtenance · ~funagement wtth Management Jnformatwn System (MIS
Government program that sets seaweed and results olahanya as commodity resulted in an increase in the amount of waste from processing into carrageenan seaweed cause environmental pollution. By him that, has done research on the nutritional evaluation of the waste and the efforts to improve the nutritional value of the waste that can be used as feed. This study uses bioconversion technology and using Rhizopus oligosporus as an inoculant. The study was conducted in two phases, namely the early stages of an evaluation study of the nutritional value of waste carrageenan and test its ability to grow on medium Rhizopus oligosporus waste. Furthermore, the implementation of the waste carrageenan bioconversion using Rhizopus oligosporus on some level in the medium (w/w). Preliminary results demonstrate that the solid waste seaweed had higher levels of crude protein 2.43%, fat 0.52%, ash content 4.07%, carbohydrates 7.25%, crude fiber 2.48%, 85.73% water, cellulose 23.29% and hemicellulose 16.51%. Furthermore Showed that Rhizopus oligosporus can grow well on media without the addition of carrageenan waste Nutrients. Bioconversion can improve the nutrient content of solid waste seaweed. Bioconversion of waste produced has a moisture content between 73.91 to 75.97%, protein content between 13.27 to 16.78%, fat content between 0.20 to 0,25%, ash content between 18.15 to 20.60%, a pH value between 6.56 to 7.35 while the crude fiber content Obtained between 13.45 to 20.37%. Based on the series of this study, it can be concluded that the solid waste Eucheuma cottonii seaweed can be used as a growing medium of Rhizopus oligosporus and can improve the nutritional content of seaweed waste. Use of inoculum in the medium waste carrageenan is possible until the level of 15% (w/w). Key words : Bioconversion, byproducts, seaweed processing, solid waste.
Recurrent neural networks (RNNs), such as long short-term memory networks (LSTMs), serve as a fundamental building block for many sequence learning tasks, including machine translation, language modeling, and question answering. In this paper, we consider the specific problem of word-level language modeling and investigate strategies for regularizing and optimizing LSTM-based models. We propose the weight-dropped LSTM which uses DropConnect on hidden-to-hidden weights as a form of recurrent regularization. Further, we introduce NT-ASGD, a variant of the averaged stochastic gradient method, wherein the averaging trigger is determined using a non-monotonic condition as opposed to being tuned by the user. Using these and other regularization strategies, we achieve state-of-the-art word level perplexities on two data sets: 57.3 on Penn Treebank and 65.8 on WikiText-2. In exploring the effectiveness of a neural cache in conjunction with our proposed model, we achieve an even lower state-of-the-art perplexity of 52.8 on Penn Treebank and 52.0 on WikiText-2.
Trans people are those people who are not content to remain the gender they were assigned at birth. They may identify as men, or as women, or outside of the gender binary. As part of establishing oneself in a different gender from that assigned at birth, trans people may consider many aspects of their being-in-the-world including embodiment, attendant intersubjectivity and, as part of that, sexuality.    Trans people have been poorly served in the past regarding sexuality, with literatures suggesting that trans people necessarily sexualise transition; that trans people must be heterosexual in their identified gender; and that sexuality is a motivation for transition. These notions have mostly been driven by theoretical positions which have not fully encompassed trans people’s own conceptualisations of their sexuality.    Consequently this research has investigated trans people’s sexuality from a phenomenological perspective in which trans people’s own understandings are to the fore. A phenomenological investigation with a group of eleven self-identified trans people was undertaken. Using Lego, the participants modelled their sexuality in order to avoid established narratives of trans and sexuality. The participants then explained their models and a group discussion was then held concerning trans and sexuality. The information thus elicited was subject to two hermeneutics – one of description; and one of ‘suspicion’ in which the participants contributions were tentatively contextualised within an existential philosophical framework. The resulting themes were Barriers; Time; Reference to multiplicity or binary identities; and Gender Identity Clinics. These themes were considered with reference to the implications they may have for counselling psychological practice.
Aiming at further improving mine safety system to protect the safety of mine workers,this paper employed the DEMATEL method to analyze the mine safety management impact factors,from the risk pre-control,personnel quality,safety equipment,and safety mechanism respectively.By using the impact factor analysis model presented in this paper,some calculations including the effect grade of each factor have been processed,and the reason factors and outcome factors on mine safety were also obtained.And based on the results of the importance of different factors and their impacts,the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions of safety management for enhancing the level of mine safety management are put forward.
The results of our preliminary experience with the gastric balloon program for weight loss in morbidly obese patients are reported. In a pilot project, we measured gastric-acid secretion, gastrin and cholecystokinin (CCK) levels in ten patients before and during balloon therapy in a study of the impact of the balloon on gastric physiology. Gastric-acid secretion tended to decrease following balloon treatment, while gastrin and CCK levels were unchanged suggesting that weight loss is achieved by mechanisms, which are not mediated by gastrin or CCK. The balloon program was then expanded to a group of 29 patients who met the criteria. They were followed for a period of 4 months. Average weight loss for the group was 31 +/- 4 pounds for a monthly average of 8 pounds. The main complications were gastric ulcers in four patients and a small-bowel obstruction in one patient. Satisfactory weight loss was achieved in 80 per cent of patients, but this benefit must be balanced against a relatively high incidence (17%) of side effects, some of which were quite serious. Therefore, the gastric balloon program should still be considered experimental.
Ewe milk contains relatively much total solids, fats and proteins but milk composition changes depending on breed, stage of lactation, climatic conditions, feeding, health and herd. The aim of these investigations was to find out impact of lactation stage and feeding season on ewe milk composition during lamb sucking period. Biological investigations were carried out with 15 ewes of Wurtemberg breed till the 60th lactation day (all ewes were in the fourth and fifth lactation). The investigations comprised two feeding seasons (winter and summer). The winter feeding period started on 1 October whereas summer one started on 1 May i.e. in the third ewe pregnancy month. It finished by their dryness. The ewes were housing in the stable boxes and fed with grains mixture (300 gr. daily) containing 60% of oat, 30% of maize and 10% of soybean grits as well as with meadow hay (ad libitum). The ewes pastured in the summer feeding period. The stage of lactation and feeding season (winter and summer) considerably affected ewe milk composition in the lamb sucking period (2nd to 60th day). The highest concentrations of basic components of ewe milk (fats, proteins, total solids and solids non-fat) were in colostrum (2nd day), except lactose, followed by their decreasing on 10th and 30th lactation day and increasing on 60th lactation day. Content of macro (Ca, P, K, Na and Mg) and microelements (Fe, Zn and Cu) was also highest in the colostrum (2nd day) followed by their milk concentration decreasing and increasing on the 60th lactation day. Ca and Mg concentrations considerably differed depending on feeding season. In general, higher K and Fe concentrations were determined in the summer whereas P and Na in the winter feeding season. Significant variation was also determined for Zn and Cu concentrations.
1. Navigation device comprising a processor (11), wherein the navigation device (10) is arranged to: detection setting on vehicle parking and when the parking is detected! determine information regarding the position of the parked vehicle, and! save information about the position of the parked vehicle. ! 2. The navigation device according to claim 1, further comprising means (12, 13, 14, 15) and memory device (23), the positioning processor (11) arranged to communicate with devices (12, 13, 14, 15) memory and the device (23) and positioning! Information regarding the position of the parked vehicle is determined by a device (23), positioning, and! Information regarding the position of the parked vehicle is stored in the device (12, 13, 14, 15) of memory. ! 3. The navigation device according to claim 2, wherein the device (23) uses the ranking, at least one of global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as global positioning satellite system (GPS), to determine information regarding the position of the navigation device ( 10). ! 4. The navigation device according to claim 1, wherein the parking of the vehicle is detected by detecting that a connection or interaction between the navigation device and the vehicle and / or a docking station (30) is interrupted. ! 5. The navigation device according to claim 4, which is adapted to be connected to a docking station (30), and wherein the navigation device (10) detects the parking VEHICLE
Ever since his first experience with the remarkable “Upper Oligocene” molluscan fauna of the Isle of Buton, the present writer has endeavoured to find more convincing evidence for its age. One of the most tempting problems was why this fauna showed so few relationships to other fossil faunas or to the living mollusca (See Martin, 1933, 1935; Beets, 1942, a, d). Since the only firm point emerging from a number of more or less confusing data was that the closest relationships existed with the Neogene fauna of the East Indies, the writer started extensive comparisons with a number of undescribed fossil collections from that region kept in Netherlands museums (Leyden Geological Museum, Delft Mining Institute, Utrecht Geological Institute). Meanwhile, additional fossils from Buton at first still believed to be of an Oligocene age were received in 1943 from both the “Rijkswegenbouw-Laboratorium”, The Hague, and the “Naturhistorisches Museum”, Basle, the latter fauna accompanied by notes concerning the locality compiled by its collector, Dr. F. Weber, Lugano. The comparisons mentioned above bore their first fruits late in 1943 and earljr in 1944 when species described from Buton were discovered in an undescribed collection of mollusca from East-Borneo which apparently indicated unusually deep water deposition. It soon became apparent that the “oligocene” mollusca from Buton too should be considered as a “deep water” fauna. This seemed to explain a number of puzzling facts which up till that time did not fit the picture of Tertiary faunal development in the East Indies. Moreover, it appeared that the age of the fauna most probably was to be considered as Mio-Pliocene. Following researches with the aid of the collections in the Zoological Museum, Amsterdam, the Leyden Museum of Natural History and the British Museum (Natural History) confirmed the above revised views.
The effects of aluminum (Al) on the cytotoxicity of ferrous iron (Fe(Ⅱ)), copper(Cu) and cadmium(Cd) were studied. Log-phase cells were treated with either FeSO4,CuSO4, or CdCl2 in the presence or absence of AlCl3(120μM) for 18h at pH 4.0. After the treatment, the viability was determined as relative growth of the metal-treated cells to the untreated control cells during the post-treated culture. A single treated with either Al, Fe(Ⅱ) or Cd did not inhibit the growth at the metal concerntrations up to 300 μM, 200 μM and 500 μM, respectively, whereas the growth was markedly inhibited at 15 μM Cu. Thus,the cells were relatively insensitive to Al, Fe(Ⅱ) and Cd and sensitive to Cu. When cells were treated with both Fe(Ⅱ)(120 μM)and Al(120μM), the growth was significantly inhibited and the cellular contents of both Al and Fe increased synergistically. After the treatment with Cu(0 to 10 μM) with or without Al, the cells grew more vigorously when they were treated in the presence of Al, althrouh the Cu content of the cells were not alterd by Al. The presence of Al during the treatmemt with Cd(0 to 2 μM) had no effect on the degree of growth inhibition by Cd. Thus, Al interacts with the toxicity of Fe(Ⅱ), Cu and Cd in different manners; synergistic with Fe(Ⅱ), antagonistic with Cu and apparently no effeco on Cd.
The hypothesis was tested that greater growth of the dominant follicle of wave 1 (first follicular wave of an interovulatory interval), compared with that of subsequent anovulatory waves, is due to lower circulating concentrations of progesterone during the growing phase of the follicle. Control heifers (n = 6) were compared with heifers (n = 6) treated with a decreasing dose of progesterone from day 0 to day 5 (ovulation = day 0). Maximum diameter (12.7 +/- 0.9 versus 15.3 +/- 0.7 mm) and mean diameter of the dominant follicle of wave 1, averaged over days, were smaller (P < 0.05) in the progesterone-treated than in the control group. Progesterone treatment did not suppress circulating follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); but the second FSH surge was earlier, resulting in earlier emergence of wave 2 as indicated by a tendency (P < or = 0.1) for group x day interactions attributed to earlier detection of the dominant follicle and an earlier rise in the total number of follicles detected. The stated hypothesis was supported. We also tested the hypothesis that exposure to low circulating concentrations of progesterone at the end of the growing phase of the anovulatory dominant follicle of wave 1 results in continued growth and prolonged maintenance of the dominant follicle. Heifers (n = 6 per group) were given a luteolytic dose of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) on day 6 and treated with a low (30 mg day-1), physiological (150 mg day-1), or high (300 mg day-1) dose of progesterone on days 6 to 20. Continued periodic emergence of anovulatory follicular waves occurred (2.1 +/- 0.0 waves, 2.8 +/- 0.2 waves, 3.8 +/- 0.3 waves, respectively; P < 0.05) until treatment was stopped (interovulatory intervals: 26.2 +/- 1.0, 30.8 +/- 0.6 and 40.3 +/- 1.7 days, respectively; P < 0.05). Compared with the physiological dose group, the growth of the dominant follicle was inhibited to a lesser degree in the low-dose group since it grew for longer (P < 0.05) and to a larger diameter (P < 0.05), and persisted for longer (P < 0.05). Prolonged dominance of this oversized (> 20 mm) follicle was associated with delayed emergence of wave 2. The hypothesis was supported. Results also showed that the high dose of progesterone suppressed the dominant follicle more than the physiological dose when given during the growing phase, but not when given after the growing phase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Intellectual property consists of a firm of property values is included in intangible assets. These property values can be any of the items under the protection of industrial property in Romania (patents, trademarks, products or commercial, industrial designs, topographies of integrated circuits, know-how, etc..), Provided any copyright by Law 8/ 1996, including software, licensing or similar rights arising from commercial contracts.
The topic of this essay of literature review falls in the broad spectrum of morphological awareness. To be specific, it talks about processing morphologically complex words by applying morphological problem solving strategies (Anglin, 1993). This essay unfolds in the following manner: first, background information is reported to explain the interest on this topic; second, the general development of morphological awareness is carefully addressed following the definition of morphological awareness; third, the relationship morphological awareness and vocabulary acquisition is examined briefly; fourth, the essay talks about various forms of morphological awareness assessment tasks, giving readers a grasp of what aspects are normally investigated and how; fifth, the essay specifically choose upper elementary students as its targeted learners, and discusses the specialty of this student body in the perspective of morphological awareness development; after that, the framework of morphological problem solving (Anglin, 1993) is discussed in detail, providing the theoretical reference for the proposed intervention; and, in the last part, implications to classrooms are discussed by unfolding a proposed Chinese word formation instruction, examined the theoretical understanding of the effectiveness of such instruction and the meaningfulness in the reality. Finally, a conclusion briefly ends this essay, tapping on the cross-language morphological awareness and looking forward to the transferring between non-cognates such as Chinese and English. Running Head: Morphological Approach to Morphologically Complex Word Acquisition: Transferring Morpho-orthographic Segmentation and Morphological Problem Solving Strategies 3
Aim To study the effects of forced swimming on neurotransmitters in brain of mice with psychical dependence on Morphine(Mor).Methods The model of psychical dependence in mice was established with the method of conditioned place preference(CPP).Then,the contents of monoamine transmitters in three regions of brains of mice were determined with HPLC after forced swimming.Results Mor could significantly decrease the contents of NE,DA and 5 HT in the hippocampus and striatum,and that of NE in midbrain.But these changes disappeared when the biasing to white side of the box faded away.Forced swimming could lower the contents of NE in hippocampus and striatum,but promoted the levels of DA and 5 HT acutely in all three regions.Conclusion The contents of neurotransmitters in brain of mice were related with Mor.Forced swimming could reinstate the disappeared Mor CPP in mice,and influenced the contents of neurotransmitters in different trend,but this effect did not accord to that of Mor.
Effects of red and blue light at irradiances from 1.6 to 28.3 micromolar per square meter per second on chloroplast pigments, light-harvesting pigment-proteins associated with photosystem 11, and the corresponding mRNA were evaluated in maize (Zea mays L.) plants (OP Golden Bantum) grown for 14 days under 14 hours light/10 hours dark cycles. Accumulation of pigments, pigment-proteins, and mRNA was less in blue than in red light of equal irradiance. The difference between blue and red light, however, varied as a function of irradiance level, and the pattern of this variation suggests irradiance-controlled activation/deactivation (switching) of blue-light receptor. The maximum reduction in blue light of mRNA and proteins associated with light-harvesting complex occurs at lower irradiance levels than the maximum reduction of chlorophylls a and b.
In a document retrieval system where data is stored and compared with a specific query and then compared with other documents, we need to find the document that is most similar to the query. The most similar document will have the weight higher than other documents. When more than one document are proposed to the user, these documents have to be sorted according to their weights. Once the result is presented to the user by a recommender system, the user may check any document of interest. If there are two different documents' lists, as two proposed results presented by different recommender systems, then, there is a need to find which list is more efficient. To do so, the measuring tool "Search Engine Ranking Efficiency Evaluation Tool [SEREET]" came to existence. This tool assesses the efficiency of each documents list and assigns a numerical value to the list. The value will be closer to 100% if the ranking list efficiency is high which means more relevance documents exist in the list and documents are sorted according to their relevance to the user.
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex fibrosing autoimmune disease that has variable clinical manifestations and morbidity/mortality secondary to organ damage due to vasculopathy and/or fibrosis. Initial events in the pathogenesis are manifested by fibroproliferative vasculopathy that compromises delivery of blood to critical organs. There is evidence of autoimmunity early in the disease which persists and is accompanied by fibrotic processes that leave large accumulations of collagen and other matrix components in the intima of blood vessels and extracellularly in the connective tissue of organs affected by the disease. It has recently been realized that the lysophospholipids -- lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), which are elevated in sera of SSc patients, are capable of producing many of the abnormalities observed in the vasculature, immune system, and connective tissue of patients with this disease. This article reviews key abnormalities of the vasculature, immune system, and connective tissue in SSc that could be mediated by LPA/S1P.
There is often a disconnect between the utility of transport systems, measured in terms of transport economic efficiency, and the utility for people, public agencies and businesses measured in terms of attractive opportunities to access places and of services. The general principles of valuation in this paper follow the national United Kingdom (UK) standards set out in the Treasury ‘Green Book’. The practical framework put forward follows recent UK government commitments to develop a clearer separation of transport market, business, policy and social appraisals to complement traditional economic appraisal techniques. The approach has been demonstrated in the Highlands of Scotland where traditional economic appraisal techniques have been difficult to reconcile with wider policy. For example, supporting a local grocer in a remote village that might otherwise close, can save residents travel time and money, as can an improved transport service to an alternative grocer, but using standard UK values of time to represent the value of these choices has little relationship with local perceptions of the utility of each approach. This means that transport analysis is often ignored by local politicians. Market, business, policy and social appraisals can complement traditional approaches to align appraisal findings more clearly with the prioritisation of potential resources available in each sector to deliver improvements. These appraisals also deliver more transparent findings helping to manage uncertainty in the representation of travel behaviour, market responses, spatial organisation, and impacts of marketing and information. Better understanding of these issues also helps to calibrate plans against the understanding of local stakeholders. This allows solutions to be brought forward that can actively change peoples’ willingness to pay and willingness to accept transport proposals, rather than treating these as fixed variables in the analysis. Through the appraisal of five, community based, transport interventions the approach shows that core elements of value are derived from transport which facilitates better health, community cohesion, employability, education, training, participation in leisure and sport, and other factors. The research also shows that despite the apparent complexity of the new approach, the required data is readily available to measure value, and to allow comparisons with other competing public spending priorities in transport, health, education, social work, employability, community development and environmental enhancement. The very different results and priorities generated by this approach, when compared with traditional transport economic appraisal, demonstrate that society is complex and made up of many different sectors and communities, which each contribute value in different ways. The paper discusses the importance of these findings as society evolves and social values change. The potential for wider adoption of the pilot approach is being reviewed, raising challenging questions about the foundations of some aspects of current transport and land use planning practice.
Many problems exist among full-time teachers at secondary vocational schools in Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Southeast Guizhou.These problems result in low enrollment and high drop-out of secondary vocational schools,lack of human resources in economic development and difficulty in cultivating inheritors for excellent ethnic cultures.In order to solve the problems,a system of training teachers of vocational education at the national level should be set up,the current personnel system should be reformed,special policies for professional talents of secondary vocational schools should be adopted and promotion of skillful craftsmen and a qualification recognition system should be carried out.
For every 6 men, 1 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa). Moreover, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) also occurs in 50% of men over the age of 50. Although Androgens are known to play an important role in PCa and BPH, some evidence shows estrogens may be involved as well. Recently a cholesterol oxidized metabolite (oxysterol), 27- hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) was found to bind to estrogen receptor(ER) and act as a selective ER modulator (SERM). 27-OHC is the most prevalent cholesterol metabolite present in the blood with levels increasing with oxidative stress and age, especially in men. The role of 27-OHC in PCa and BPH remains to be investigated. We propose that 27-OHC has deleterious effect in PCa and BPH, whereas the effect on BPH may be androgen dependent. We recently found that incubation with 27-OHC of RWPE-1 (normal epithelial) and LNCaP (cancer cells) increased cell proliferation in both cell lines. Interestingly, upon incubation of RWPE-1 and LNCaP with 27-OHC, we observed an increase in androgen receptor (AR) activity in RWPE-1, not in LNCaP. Furthermore, we found an increase in AR binding to the Androgen Response Element upon exposure of RWPE-1 to 27-OHC. We also found that upon silencing AR gene expression, 27-OHC-induced proliferation in RWPE-1 was markedly attenuated. Additionally, 27-OHC also diminished Docetaxel-mediated apoptosis in RWPE-1. Altogether, our results propose dysregulated levels of 27-OHC as a new risk factor for BPH and PCa. This indicates a novel role for 27-OHC in the etiopathogenesis of BPH and PCa. Citation Format: Shaneabbas Raza, Megan Meyer, Bin Guo, Kimberly Hammer, Othman Ghribi. The cholesterol metabolite, 27-hydroxycholesterol induces hyperplasia in an androgen receptor-dependent manner in normal prostate RWPE-1 cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2014 Sep 27-Oct 1; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2015;8(10 Suppl): Abstract nr B20.
Objective To describe clinical, cell and sub-cell constraction presentation of progressive nodular histiocytoma. Methods Several excisional full-thickness biopsies of trunk were perfomed,examined under light microscopy and electroric microscopy. Results Histopathologic evaluation revealed a well-demarcated nodule arising from the trunk that contained a storiform array of spindle cells admixed with numerous multinucleated giant cells,foamy histiocytes and histiocytes. Sudan black stains done on frozen tissue confirmed the presence of fat in areas of foamy histiocytes. The spindle cells, foamy histiocytes and histiocytes were labeled with antibodies to CD68 and lysozyme. On ultrastructural examination,Birbeck's granules and Caputo bodies were not found. Conclusion Progressive nodular histiocytoma is distinguished with juvenile xanthogranuloma, reticulohistiocytoma, eruptive histiocytoma and xanthoma disseminatum.
A model updating approach is proposed in this paper to describe blade disc mistuning by adding point mass elements in each blade model. This approach uses concepts from test planning and model updating methods to select the locations and the values of mistuning elements to match experimental natural frequencies of several blade-alone modes. The case study presented in the paper demonstrates that the updated bladed disc model, assembled from the updated models of the individual blades, provides the capability to predict forced vibration response over a frequency range covering several families of modes of the bladed disc
AIM:The present study was designed to establish H2O2-induced NRK52E cell apoptotic model and to investigate the effects and the mechanism of nmhaFGF on the NRK52E cell apoptosis induced by H2O2. METHODS: In vitro experiment, a apoptotic model of normal rat kidney epithelium (NRK52E) was made by MTT method, Hoechst33342 dyeing and flow cytosorting (FCR). NRK52E cells were cultured with different concentrations of nmhaFGF and haFGF for 24 h before H2O2 was added. The apoptotic rate was detected with FCR method. RESULTS: H2O2 at concentration of 0.4 mmol/L, the optimal condition to establish the apoptotic model, was used to treat NRK52E cells for 18h. Different doses of nmhaFGF (0.01, 0.03, 0.10, 0.30, 1.00 mg/L) reduced the apoptotic rates with the dose rising. However, the decreasing tends of apoptotic rates with dose increasing for haFGF was not so obvious. CONCLUSION: nmhaFGF protects the NRK52E cells against apoptosis. The mechanism might be connected with its non-mitogenic property.
Abstract Through electronic mail, university students were engaged in a service-learning project in which they mentored middle school students in writing development, study habits, and career planning. Students exchanged weekly e-mail messages and shared writing samples. Both groups reflected on the effectiveness of their contributions to the project. As a celebratory activity, the middle school students visited the university campus and attended class with their buddies. Introduction Academic service-learning is a means for college-level students to learn through an experience in which they apply skills by addressing a community need or social problem. Such service-learning provides concrete experiences that when paired with the synthesis of how the service relates to the course content stimulates growth and strengthens student's positive attitudes toward learning. The Collaborative E-mail Project was developed to provide education majors with a technology activity through which they gain and apply knowledge about language arts activities in the classroom while participating in service-learning. The education majors served as writing mentors to eighth grade students via e-mail correspondence. The participants wrote weekly e-mail messages focusing on various topics relating to the language arts curriculum and school life. This project provided a unique and innovative opportunity for education students to apply knowledge and theory about teaching language arts in a real situation that went beyond the typical practicum assignment. The Collaborative E-mail Project is based on the belief that education majors would benefit from additional practicum experiences, technology activities, and service-learning opportunities. The middle school language arts teacher's instructional practices closely matched the theory and teaching strategies that are included in the university methods course. Therefore, connecting the university students with her classes provided an excellent opportunity to have all students observe the same effective teacher. At the same time, this project also opened the window to new ideas for using technology in ways that support our goals as teachers. Such experiences would hopefully encourage teachers (and future teachers) to try to integrate both technology and service-learning into their classrooms (Maring, Wiseman, & Myers, 1997). This collaborative writing project provided an excellent opportunity for the university students to participate in a direct service-learning project as defined by Carpenter, Pittman-Page, & Flicker (1997). This project provided a service-learning activity that provided the students an opportunity to learn through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that met a community need. The Collaborative E-mail Project was integrated into and enhanced the academic curriculum and provided structured time for students to think, talk, write, and reflect about their service activities. In this project, the university mentors provided service by acting as an audience for the eighth grade writers, and the eighth graders, in mm, provided insightful observations into their language arts classrooms. Both groups of students received positive feedback and reinforcement from the comments of their e-mail buddies to their written messages. This project was an in-life instructional technique through which the students at both the university and middle school level utilized a hands-on activity to perform a function that in turn continued to improve their respective school communities. The Service-Learning Cycle Students often find direct service to be most rewarding type of service-learning, in that they work personally with the people that they are helping (Carpenter, Pittman-Page, & Flicker, 1997). This project addressed the four basic components of a service-learning project: planning, service, reflection, and celebration. …
InGaP-GaAs Single Heterojunction Bipolar Tran-sistors (SHBTs) with a compositionally graded base have been successfully grown by Solid-Source Molecular Beam Epitaxy (SSMBE) using a GaP decomposition source. The device char-acteristics of InGaP-GaAs HBTs with InX Ga1 −X As graded base x :0卣慲潮 →0.1 (MBE 1462) and x :0卣慲潮 →0.05 (MBE 1463) have been compared with conventional HBTs (MBE 1461) to investigate the optimum-grading profile. Additionally the effects of Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP) on Beryllium (Be)-doped InX Ga1 −X As graded base layer lattice matched to GaAs have been investigated at different annealing temperatures. The average current gains of MBE 1461, MBE 1462, and MBE 1463 are 174, 342 and 321, respectively prior to annealing. It was founded that all the devices had no significant degrading Be out-diffusion in the base region up to annealing temperatures of 450 o C .To thebestofourknowledge, these average currents are the highest value ever reported in InGaP-GaAs HBTs with a compositionally grad ase and establish a new benchmark for high gain InGaP-GaAs HBTs.
This fully updated new edition of International Law Documents has been fully revised and updated to provide a comprehensive, portable, and affordable collection of all recent and relevant conventions, protocols and other instruments which are most commonly encountered by students of International Law. Blackstone's Statute Books cover all the core law subjects and many options, offering the widest available selection of statutes on the market. The books have been designed on the basis of extensive research into the content of courses, and contain all the necessary statutes and statutory instruments. All the volumes for the main law subjects and minor options are updated annually to ensure that they are completely up to date with all the important developments in the law.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the stability of sulfotanshinone sodium injection in fructose injection,fructose and sodium chloride injection,invertose injection.METHODS The observation was made to see the appearance and the pH value of each mixture solution at the temperature of 30℃ with 6 hours.Meanwhile,the content of tanshinone ⅡA in each solution was determined by HPLC method.RESULTS Under the temperature of 30℃,there were almost no changes in the appearance,the pH value and the content of tanshinone ⅡA in each compatible solution within 6 hours.CONCLUSION The quality of sulfotanshinone sodium injection in each compatible solution is stable within 6 hours.
Erythropoietin is the primary regulator of red blood cell formation in mammals. Because of its extreme scarcity, very little information is available regarding structural features of this important glycoprotein. We report here the primary structure of human urinary erythropoietin, determined by protein sequencing. In addition, the sites of glycosylation, assignment of disulfide bonds, and the circular dichroism of the hormone analyzed for secondary structure in comparison with the prediction from the sequence are presented.
The complete Sini Decoction can significantly reduce the content of MDA in ischemic myocardium. Single ingredients of the decoction, such as Radix Aconoti Praeparata or Radix Glycyrrhizae, except Rhizoma Zingiberis, also have similar effect but inferior to that of the complete decoction. Under the present conditions of experiment, anti-lipid peroxidation of Sini Decoction is significant at doses ranging from 0.05 to 0.2ml/20g administered for 2-7 days at 0.1ml/(20g.d).
In research, there has been a difficulty in distinguishing which components that makes a treatment successful. Many factors influence the treatment outcome and depending on the approach the results will be different. This study’s objective is to investigate specific and common factors as well as criminogenic needs, to achieve an understanding how the relational perspective affects youth in treatment. The purpose of the study is to research which value treatment relationships and therapeutic alliances are given in therapeutic research and the importance of relationships within the area of criminogenic needs. This study is a literature review combined with a concept analysis, with the objective to answer the stated purpose and research questions. The results of the study showed that common factors and criminogenic needs differ, where as common factors elevated the importance of relationships for a successful treatment, criminogenic needs focused on risk factors to achieve a successful outcome.
Due to the great differences in statistical features between control flows and data flows,the performance of DFI(deep flow inspection) in the identification of P2P streaming traffic is not so ideal.Enlightened by the idea of DFI,this paper proposed a P2P streaming identification method based on endpoint features.This method chose six features aimed at net-endpoint so as to identify P2P streaming traffic using machine learning.Experimental results show that this method performs better in overall accuracy over DFI,and it can also be used in real-time P2P streaming traffic identification.
A delay in the onset of lactation (OL), defined herein as the maternal perception of the initiation of copious amounts of breast milk production, may lead to an early introduction of infant formula and an early termination of breast-feeding .(BF) even after controlling for maternal original BF intentions1. Women perceive OL between 12 hours and 5 days after delivery1-4. The objective of this study is to examine the implications of OL for infant feeding decisions.
We present the deep UBVRI observations of the HDF-S NICMOS field obtained as part of the Science Verification of the VLT Unit 1 telescope. The images have been used to construct object catalogs and to obtain photometric redshifts. The effective field of view is $ simeq 70 times70$ arcsec$^2$, and the formal $5 sigma$ limiting magnitudes (in a 2 FWHM aperture) are 26.3, 27.8, 27.5, 26.9, 25.2 in the $U$, $B$, $V$, $R$ and $I$ bands, respectively. Thanks to the sub-arcsecond image quality, relatively long exposure time, and large collecting area of the VLT, this is the deepest set of multicolor images ever obtained from a ground-based telescope. Galaxy counts have been derived independently in each band, and show no significant departures from previous data from wider areas. A multicolor photometric catalog of all the galaxies selected in the $R$ band has also been obtained and used to derive photometric redshifts for all galaxies with $R  leq 26.5 $, using also the J,H and K magnitudes from the NICMOS deep observations. A significant fraction ( simeq 28%)of the galaxies is placed at $z geq 2$. Among them, six robust candidates are found at $z  geq 2.5$ .
Provided is a heat-insulating plate capable of being used for newly constructed buildings and existing buildings and of being used as an inexpensive and highly energy-saving metal external wall material, metal roofing material, metal shutter material, etc. This heat-insulating plate is characterized in that a heat-insulating layer (2), which comprises a layer of a material that has a high reflectance with respect to radiant heat, is provided on either the front or the back surface of a base material (metal substrate (1)) without interposing an air layer and the surface on which said heat-insulating layer has been provided is used as the surface on the opposite side from the surface that is directly or indirectly irradiated by sunlight.
Municipal water managers need to know if water will be reliably available from watersheds. Civil engineers need to calculate stream discharge to construct bridges to withstand 100-year floods. A hypothesis proposed in 1997 by Gordon Grant, a research hydrologist with the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, underlies a method for getting this information from rivers without gauge networks or long-term flow data. Since then, laboratory experiments and field measurements have validated the hypothesis to the degree that it may now be considered a theory.Critical flow is a unique state of flow for high-energy rivers. For rivers or streams at critical flow there is a direct relationship between a stream’s depth and velocity: if the channel’s depth is known, the stream’s velocity can be calculated and vice versa. With these two measurements, the discharge of a high-energy stream can be calculated at critical flow. By applying this method after floods, it is possible to calculate the discharge on ungauged rivers and determine if it was a 10- or 100-year flood event. This information is critical for flood risk-reduction efforts.Studies are underway to determine if the theory also applies to lava flows, while other researchers have used the theory to calculate ancient flood flows on Mars and Jupiter’s moon, Titan.
Serum concentrations of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin in first pregnancy, parturition, lactation, involution, and second parturition in 37 Holstein cattle were determined and used as an index of mammary status and in predicting milk yield. During first pregnancy, serum alpha-lactalbumin increased in the last 3 mo and reached a peak at parturition (approximately 1100 ng/ml). Changes in alpha-lactalbumin could not be described by a simple exponential equation, whereas changes in serum beta-lactoglobulin were described by a single exponential from second trimester until 4 wk prepartum and reached a peak at parturition (approximately 460 ng/ml). By 2 wk after parturition, alpha-lactalbumin had dropped to approximately 140 ng/ml, and beta-lactoglobulin dropped to approximately 25 ng/ml. In late lactation, alpha-lactalbumin was approximately 70 ng/ml and beta-lactoglobulin approximately 20 ng/ml. Short-term elevations were found after cessation of milking in both alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin in serum. The concentrations of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin at second parturition were similar to those at first parturition with no differences found between parity. Both alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin in serum were functionally associated with mammary growth and development. In heifers late in pregnancy, both serum concentrations of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin were positively correlated with mature equivalent milk and fat yields in the subsequent lactation. Serum beta-lactoglobulin concentrations at 16 wk prepartum in heifers were highly correlated with the sum of first and second lactation milk (r = .60) and fat (r = .60) yields. The potential value of using serum beta-lactoglobulin as an index for prescreening of heifers for lactation potential is discussed.
A target parking position serving as a parking target of a vehicle is set, and a parking start position from which the vehicle can start to reach the target parking position while maintaining a predetermined steering angle is set. Then, a vehicle mark V indicating a current position, a target parking frame F1 indicating the target parking position, and a parking start frame F2 indicating the parking start position are drawn on a bird's eye image of a periphery of the vehicle, and a display device 5 is allowed to display an image in which the vehicle mark V, the target parking frame F1 and theparking start frame F2 are drawn on the bird's eye image. At this time, the parking start frame F2 is drawn on the bird's eye image so that a drawing mode thereof can be changed in response to a current steering angle of the vehicle.
In order to simulate the artist fluid style paintings,a new algorithm for fluid style paintings is proposed.First,fluid information is extracted from the image.Then the texture image is rendered using perturbation techniques.Wavelet fusion method is used to create paintings with fluid effect.Finally,a color transfer techniques is adopted to make the color characteristic of the generated image consistent with that color of refernce images.Experimental results show that our algorithm has a high degree of automation,lower complexity,rendering effects are more closely to fluid style paintings.
Abstract — The present investigation was undertaken to explore the biogas potentiality of Jatropha ( Jatropha curcas , Euphorbiaceae) Fruit Coat (JFC) alone and in combination with cattle dung (CD) in various proportions at 15 per cent total solids by batch phase anaerobic digestion for a period of ten weeks HRT (Hydraulic Retention Time) under a temperature of 35 o C+1 o C. The maximum biogas production was noticed in Cattle dung and Jatropha Fruit Coat in 2:1 ratio with 403.84 L/kg dry matter followed by 3:1,1:2, 1:1 and 1:3 having 329.66, 219.77, 217.79, 203.64 L /kg dm respectively as compared to 178.49 L/kg dm in CD alone. The JFC alone found to produce 91 per cent of total biogas that obtained from Cattle dung. The per cent methane content of the biogas in all the treatments was found on par with Cattle dung. Keywords — Jatropha Fruit Coat, Cattle dung, Hydraulic Retention Time, Dry matter I. I NTRODUCTION ETHANE production from biomass is an interesting option for increasing the energy independence and efficient waste management. The animal wastes with their relatively low carbon to nitrogen ratios, improved for digestion purposes by adding cellulosic wastes such as crop residues, grasses, straw, etc beside feed density [1]. The knowledge on the conversion of substrates other than the traditionally used cattle dung for biogas production is insufficient [2].
in order to fully grasp the Sichuan earthquake-stricken area elementary and middle school students physique condition,further promotes post-earthquake elementary and middle school students' physical and mental health development to provide reference and basis to the Sichuan earthquake,20996 students analyzed data research.The results showed,quake-hit areas for students' physical constitution and health level are lower than the average level of the province,the nutritional status of students is not optimistic,and urban and rural difference is obvious,should grasp the post-disaster economic and social sustainable development of the historical opportunity,grasp the post-disaster health education at school quality construction,improve physical health level of students in disaster area.
A comparative perspective and an analytic approach grounded in mainstream economics distinguish this broad, accessible introduction to the Japanese economy. Throughout, Ito utilizes standard economic concepts in comparing Japan with the United States in terms of economic performances, underlying institutions, and government policies. Referring to cultural factors where appropriate, Ito subjects the basic facts about the Japanese economy to modern theoretical and empirical scrutiny, discussing macroeconomic growth, business cycles, monetary and fiscal policies, industrial structures and policies, the labor market, saving and investment, and international trade and finance. Ito reviews relevant aspects of Japan's history before launching into a broad analysis of the country's markets and its economic policies. He concludes with a look at such contemporary economic issues as the Japanese distribution system, Japanese asset prices, and US-Japan trade conflicts.
Introduction: In randomized trials of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been shown to confer a lower risk of major bleeding than warfarin. Outside of these select study settings, bleeding outcomes for these medications have not been examined sufficiently. We studied a national sample of patients with AF to explore bleeding risks associated with NOACs in routine clinical settings. Methods: Using a 40% Medicare random sample denominator file and associated inpatient, outpatient and prescription administrative data from 2009-2012, we identified patients age 65 and older with new onset, non-valvular AF. Cox regression models estimated risk of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) and nontraumatic intracranial (IC) bleeding associated with NOAC (dabigatran and rivaroxaban) compared to warfarin use, adjusting for individual characteristics, morbidities, and time-varying medication use. The analysis excluded person-months with concurrent prescriptions filled for an ...
In this study the potentialities of ERS/ENVISAT-SAR multitemporal data for the analysis of the reforestation process over burned areas are investigated. The summer 2000 fire devastating a large part of the Castel Fusano pinewood (near Rome) is the selected test case. A first objective is to evaluate the capability of detecting the boundaries of the burned area only using SAR imagery and considering optical data (Landsat) as ground truth. A second one is to retrieve information on the stage of the reforestation process from multitemporal backscattering signature. To this purpose both areas within and out of the fire scar have been considered and their SAR returns have been examined over several passes of the satellites before and after the event.
A method and an apparatus for guaranteeing QoS of data communication are provided to guarantee QoS(Quality of Service) of real-time data transmission such as audio or video streaming. A packet including network information of the second network is generated. The generated packet is transmitted to a transmission side. Handover is selectively performed according to whether a packet including response information to the packet is received or not. The network information is information of a data transmission rate of the second network. The packet including the network information of the second network is an RTCP(Real-time Transport Control Protocol) packet.
Overall seventy patients with chronic hypertensive encephalopathy and acute cerebral circulatory disorders were examined, their age ranging between 35 to 75 years, by ACT, MRT, USG. MRT was found out to be the most objective method for identifying structural changes in the brain in cerebrovascular disorders. The main signs of MR-tomography are vascular changes presenting as lacunar infarctions with or without perifocal area of edema, hydrocephalus, brain swelling, intracranial hypertension, poor differentiation of gray and white substances of the brain, with hygromas being readily identifiable. Lacunar infarctions, periventricular edema, dilatation of the ventricular system are regarded as equivalent of clinical signs of chronic hypertensive encephalopathy.
China’s economic transformation has led to firms taking a multitude of different forms, some of them quite bewildering to Western observers. • Listed companies need not indicate that they have private shareholders (Opper in chapter X); • incorporating a firm can be seen as a way of setting up a partnership (Greeven in chapter X); • a state-owned enterprise (SOE) can be a steel plant employing 10,000 and under the control of a ministry, or a municipal power station employing 35; • private firms are usually those whose assets are predominantly in private hands, but they can also be parts of collective firms contracted out to a private manager (Goodman in chapter X); • the term “cooperative” might suggest that a local community operates a firm, but it is sometimes used to describe a multi-market company or a holding company managing an asset portfolio (Hendrischke XXX) • a foreign/domestic joint venture need not always involve a partner from outside the PRC, sometimes the “foreign” partner is actually a domestic firm with a subsidiary registered in Hong Kong (Zhang in chapter X). In short, nothing is what it seems in Chinese business. Any attempt to analyse the existing and future business sector must first collect firm-level data, then understand the many new organizational forms for which the rest of the world has no facile descriptor. That China’s economic transformation led to a multitude of different business forms should not be surprising. They evolved as the Chinese government haltingly dismantled its socialist planned economy which had previously known only one type of a firm — the bureaucratic organisation operating as part of a larger and superior bureaucracy. Even today, such state firms (SOEs and collective enterprises) are still contributing 36.3 per cent of GDP, while the private sector (i.e. firms whose assets are held by domestic or foreign private owners or institutions) adds up to 61.5 per cent (2003 data from OECD 2005, Tab. 2.1:81). What is surprising, however, is the multitude of ill-
based on the analysis of the works of Russian and foreign economists, legal scholars, and representatives of various natural sciences, the article examines the environmental and legal aspects of resource conservation as the basis for rational environmental management in the Russian Federation. In the Russian environmental and legal reality, resource conservation is given an independent place in the regulation of environmental management. The field of legal support for resource conservation includes not only the economical use of natural resources, but also energy conservation. We analyzed the international documents, in which the Russian Federation is involved, within the area of our study. We showed the expansion of international cooperation in the application of the latest resource conservation and energy conservation technologies in the interests of the entire world community. Wr revealed that the legal regulation of resource conservation in the Russian environmental legislation is poorly developed. We made a conclusion about the feasibility of introducing the legal principles of resource conservation in the legislation on environmental management. The support of complex investment projects involving the mechanisms of public, municipal and private partnership in the resource conservation orbit is significant. Unlike resource conservation in general, energy conservation is characterized by an extensive regulatory framework. The set of legal norms on energy conservation is a comprehensive legal formation. Many bylaws and departmental documents have been adopted in the field of energy conservation. Positive experience on domestic legal regulation of energy conservation should be extended to similar public relations on resource conservation.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is planned to launch in early 2009 as a mission to study the solar variability and its impact on Earth. To best satisfy its science goal, SDO will fly in a geosynchronous orbit with an inclination of approximately 29 deg. The spacecraft attitude is designed so that the science instruments point directly at the Sun with high accuracy. One of SDO s principal requirements is to obtain long periods of uninterrupted observations. The observations have an extremely high data volume so SDO must be in continuous contact with the ground during the observation periods. To maintain this contact, SDO is equipped with a pair of high gain antennas (HGAs) transmitting to a pair of ground antennas at the SDO ground station (SDOGS) located in White Sands, New Mexico. Either HGA can transmit to either SDOGS antenna. Neither HGA can be powered down. During a portion of each year, each of the HGA beams will intersect with the SDO body for a portion of the orbit. The original SDO antenna contact plan used each HGA for the half of each year during which its beam would not intersect the spacecraft. No data would be lost except, possibly, when switching from one antenna to another. After this plan was adopted, further analysis showed that daily handovers would be necessary for significant periods of the year. This unexpected need for extensive handovers necessitated that a handover design be developed to minimize the impact on the mission. This antenna handover design was developed and successfully tested with simulated data using the slew rate limits from preliminary jitter analysis. Subsequent analysis provided significant revision of allowed rates requiring modification of the handover plans.
The cytotoxic activity of 4'-(9-acridinylamino)methanesulfon-m-anisidide (m-AMSA), a novel acridine derivative with clinical antitumor activity, has been examined in multicellular spheroids grown from Chinese hamster V79-171b cells. m-AMSA is much less effective against cells within these tumor-like structures than it is against exponential-phase V79-171b cells in monolayer cultures, the initial D0 of the survival curve for the latter being approximately 10-fold lower than for the former following a 60-min exposure to the drug. The resistance of spheroid cells to m-AMSA appears to be at least partially a result of the noncycling or slowly cycling state of the majority of these cells, although they are more sensitive than cells in plateau-phase monolayers. A further component of resistance in spheroids requires the presence of an intact spheroid structure and may be due to drug transport limitations. The use of sequential trypsinization techniques to recover cells at varying depths within spheroids demonstrates that a 60-min m-AMSA treatment preferentially kills cells nearest the spheroid surface, suggesting that tumor cells at a distance from the vasculature may limit the efficacy of m-AMSA in vivo.
Changing the mindset of a profession needs a strategy: deliberate choices to do things differently, building on our unique strengths for a specific outcome. The New York Library Association’s Sustainability Initiative has set out to do just that and has employed techniques to accelerate its success to help professionals, institutions and communities adopt the concept of “sustainable thinking.” This paper explores the beliefs, philosophies and guiding principles that accelerated the work of this initiative that are replicable for wider adoption of sustainability work in our profession.
Apart from being BRIC countries, what India and Brazil have in common is a large service sector that contributes significantly to the GDP. The service sector contributed 66% to the Brazilian GDP and 59% to the Indian GDP in 2010. Telecommunication services are a significant part of it in both the countries. This paper compares the regulatory processes of privatization of telecom services in these countries and the consequences of these on the telecom firms broadly and on the sector as a whole. Indian companies, facing harsh competition and having refined their business models to compete in this environment acquired the necessary expertise to foray abroad, opportunistically building their businesses. The highly competitive regulatory policies in India, led to the emergence of innovative business models and creation of large domestic companies both in services and infrastructure segment and consequently acquiring the necessary expertise to foray abroad. Brazilian regulatory policies focused on financially sound business and were open to investment by operators in other countries. Facing difficult domestic situation, the operators from Europe saw the Brazilian market as a growth opportunity. The paper concludes that although both in Brazil and India, the objective of the telecom regulatory policies was to bring in privatization and competition, the variations in models followed by the two countries had led to sectoral outcomes that are very different. Brazilian telecom sector had shown higher penetration, both for telecom services in general and broadband in particular but domestic companies, other than one, which too was recently partially acquired by Portugal Telecom, have not emerged. Phased and controlled FDI in India combined with the hyper competitive scenario has led to the emergence of Indian telecom firms that have become significant global players.
An optical transmission system is provided for using an optical fiber as an optical transmission line. The optical transmission line is comprised of a holy fiber provided with a core portion positioned at the center, and a clad portion that is positioned in an outer circumference of the core portion and that has a plurality of vacant holes periodically disposed around the core portion; and a dispersion-compensated optical fiber that is connected in adjacent to the holy fiber and collectively compensates wavelength dispersion of the holy fiber in each using wavelength in whichever not less than two wavelength bands are out of O, E, S, C and L bands in a predetermined scope in accordance with transmission speeds. This enables the optical transmission system to achieve wide band, large capacity, long distance transmission.
The Algerian population census of 1987 reveals that previous inter-censal trends between 1966 and 1977 have not always been continued. Coastal urban poles have decelerated in their growth and the primacy of Algiers has not been strengthened. A belt of interior High Plains regions has shown strong acceleration again a marked reversal of earlier trends. In part this may reflect success for a regional planning strategy but other such policies may need to be re-evaluated in the light of these 1977-87 population trends. Particular emphasis is given to the unexpectedly slow growth rate of the coastal metropolises and especially the appearance of inner city population decline in Central Algiers. (EXCERPT)
The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APA) is characterized by an increased incidence of venous and arterial thrombosis. APA syndrome has some gastroenterological manifestations such as Budd-Chiari syndrome, hepatic infarction, esophageal necrosis, intestinal ischemia, pancreatitis and colonic ulceration. We report a 34-year-old man with APA syndrome complicated by hepatic venous thrombosis (Budd-Chiari) and colonic ulcers. The clinical and laboratory findings were compatible with APA syndrome that developed secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus. In order to initiate anticoagulant therapy, he was heparinized. Since lower gastrointestinal bleeding developed, heparin was discontinued and the patient was followed up with baby aspirin and steroids. This case report extends the gastroenterological manifestations of the APA syndrome to include colonic ulceration, which may outweigh the efficacy of initial anticoagulant therapy.
On the model of isolated heart according to E. T. Fallen mechanisms of damage of heart after severe craniocerebral injury are studied. The usage of medicines, influencing on separate links of pathogenesis in posttraumatic cardiodepression, proves the importance in formation of infringements heart contractility of such pathogenetic factors as hypoxia, oxidative stress, hypoergosis, and overload of cardiomyocytes by Ca 2 +.
Increasingly, health care providers, educators, social service personnel, mental health and juvenile justice professionals, and others recognize that the discrete services they provide cannot meet the complex needs of today's youth and families. This paper presents findings of a descriptive case study that explored the interorganizational problems and solutions of three school-based health centers. Data were gathered through document review; observation; and interviews with a total of 24 school personnel, superintendents and other district administrators, health center staff, and sponsoring agency directors and program liaisons. The three school-based health centers encountered three major challenges: developing and maintaining relationships, maintaining confidentiality, and managing the referral process. The paper offers five recommendations for improving school-based health services: (1) include role counseling or clinical social workers in the services offered; (2) assign broad titles to group counseling sessions; (3) establish an advisory board or council with a broad representative base; (4) establish regular meetings among key members of the school-based program, the principal, and school administrative team; and (5) provide consistent funding. The paper advocates a model of "mandated collaboration," which contains a range of voluntary choices within the mandated structure, or bottom-up reform with top-down support. The program encourages local collaboration within a structure that maintains broad state-mandated requirements. One figure is included. (Contains 103 references.) (LMI) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * ***********************************************************************
The Gelatinases (typeIV collagenases) are metalloproteinases that may play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Progelatinase A was purified from a conditioned medium of T98G human glioblastoma cells. TIMP-2 complexed progelatinase A and free progelatinase A were separated by heparin affinity HPLC. The final product was homogeneous on SDS-PAGE, with a molecular weight of 64,000 daltons without reduction. TIMP-2 and free progelatinase A were separated from TIMP-2 complexed progelatinase A by reverse-phase HPLC in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid. TIMP-2 complexed progelatinase A was resistant to activation by p-aminophenyl mercuric acetate (APMA), and showed less than 20% of the activity of the TIMP-2 free active enzyme. TIMP-2 free progelatinase A was easily activated to the mature form with a molecular weight of 57,000 daltons by APMA and showed high activity compared to the TIMP-2 complexed enzyme.
Environment specific substitution tables have been used effectively for distinguishing structural and functional constraints on proteins and thereby identify their active sites (Chelliah et al. (2004)). This work explores whether a similar approach can be used to identify specificity determining residues (SDRs) responsible for cofactor dependence, substrate specificity or subtle catalytic variations. We combine structure-sequence information and functional annotation from various data sources to create structural alignments for homologous enzymes and functional partitions therein. We develop a scoring procedure to predict SDRs and assess their accuracy using information from bound specific ligands and published literature.
Kathleen A. Lewis A Comparative Study of Social Competence and Antisocial Behavior Between Regular Education and Learning Disabled Children 1996 Dr. Roberta Dihoff School Psychology This study tested the hypothesis that learning disabled children, when compared to regular education children at an equivalent age level, would scote sigificantly lowex on a test of social competence and significantly higher on a test of antisocial behavior according to a teacher rated behavior Scale, Sixty 5th and 6th grade students, 34 males and 26 females, were assigned to one of three conditions according to their eduaciioual cassification; regular education (N=26), learning disabled resource (N-16), or learning disabled self-contained (N-I 8) Four teachers served as judges and rated a selected number of subjects On the constructs social competence and antisocial behavior using the School Social Behavior Scale, a teacher rating scale. During an observation period, each subject received a rating on a five point scale describing behaviors that never, sometimes, or frequently oecur A one-way analysis of variaice was used to test the differences between the three groups of subjects. For all variables, Tukey post hoc tests showed that the two groips of learning disabled subjects did differ significantly from the regular education subjects on both the test for social competence and antisocial behavior. Significant differences were not fouud however between the two groups of learning disabled subjects on either scale. Results supported the hypothesis that learning disabled subjects exhibit significantly lower levels of social competence and sigificantly higher levels of antisocial behavior than the regular education subjects.
In systemic mastocytosis the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes may be infiltrated by mast cells, with patterns of infiltration specific for each tissue. This may result in hepatosplenomegaly and enlarged lymph nodes. Extensive involvement with mast cells may also be associated with organ dysfunction. Specifically, in the case of liver, mast cell infiltration may result in fibrosis, portal hypertension, and abdominal ascites. Clinically significant involvement of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes appears to be more common in patients with aggressive forms of mastocytosis, including those with a hematologic disorder.
The review covers prospects of pharmaceutic care implementation for coal industry workers and problems of interactions between pharmaceutical workers and medical establishment officers in optimization of medical and pharmaceutic care for miners. The authors present value of pharmaceutic care in treatment of specific diseases, where pharmaceutic care is defined as system providing pharmacotherapy for better results and improving life quality of patients.
PT. Indo Perkasa Pelangi Tour and Travel Semarang is a company engaged in the services turnover airplane ticket. The company is having problems on bad sales, allegedly because of the professionalism of employees includes communication style, personality and relationship less than optimal so the impact on customer satisfaction. Formulation of the problem in this research is how to optimize the professionalism of the employees so that customer satisfaction can be optimized and also increase sales. Data analysis techniques using multiple linear regression with Two Stage Least Square, Goodness of Fit test against 74 respondents using SPSS version 20 with the results of the personality variables with a regression coefficient of 0.385 gives the most influence on the professionalism of employees. Goodness of Fit Testing the hypothesis shows first, second and third are acceptable where communication style, personality and relationship has a test value t respectively 2.144, 5.101 and 2.281 > t table 1.66629. The fourth hypothesis communication style, personality and relationship simultaneously positive influence on the professionalism of employees which has 19.133 F count > F table of 2.74. The fifth hypothesis in which the professionalism of employees' positive effect on customer satisfaction has a 4,018 t count > t table 1.66629. Adjusted R2 value of phase 1 and 2 respectively 0.427 and 0.172. Keywords : communication style, personality, relationship, employee professionalismand customer satisfaction
The paper points out High Modulus Asphalt Concrete(HMAC) has better anti-rutting performance but its water stability in influenced by modifiers,tests the two different modifiers and the water stability of HMAC of mixed amounts by the experiments for the residual stability and freeze-thaw cleavage strength,researches the law of the HMAC water stability influenced by modifiers and the mixed amount,so as to provide certain theoretic reference for the design of HMAC.
ABSTRACT This study synthesizes timely information about the COVID-19 virus and examines how public libraries have responded to the pandemic in real-time through their online announcements to the public. A content analysis of library announcements relating to the COVID-19 pandemic posted during the period of March 14–April 12, 2020, was performed. Over 90 percent of libraries announced a closure due to the pandemic and 98 percent libraries indicated programs were suspended. Over half of libraries posted about COVID-19 and general hygiene practices. Many announcements changed in terms of content from March 14 to April 12, demonstrating the rapidly evolving nature of the pandemic. This study suggests that libraries can and do play an important role in providing reliable information about pandemics like COVID-19 for patrons.
AIM: To assess the quality of life of patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer, before and four weeks after surgery. METHODS: From September 2008 to March 2009 we performed a study of prospective cohorts by means of a consecutive sampling of patients undergoing liver resection for colorectal metastases (n=30)and a positive control group (n=30) formed by accompanying persons (relatives of the patients). Both groups filled in SF-36 questionnaires before the intervention and at 4 weeks after surgery.The groups were compared before and after treatment, using Student’s t test and a comparison of means in paired samples (paired t tests). We also calculated the effect of the intervention (effect size). ANOVA and Chi-squared tests were used to determine the modulating factors of the impact on quality of life. RESULTS: Before treatment the patients had a better quality of life in all dimensions than after treatment and never attained that of the accompanying persons, either before or after treatment. The perception of pain was greater in the men but these showed a better mental wellbeing with respect to the women. The main effect of the intervention on the quality of life was perceived in the pain, mental and social dimensions. CONCLUSION: Patients with liver metastases colorectal cancer the diagnosis and surgical treatment causes a decrease in their quality of life, above all in pain, mental and social SF-36 dimensions.
The expansion of urban construction land is a dynamic and complicated spatiotemporal process,involving many social factors.Through an introduction to some transformation forms of urban land use connected with urban expansion,this paper expands CA model and puts forward the evolution rules based on the specific geographic environment.Integrated with GIS,the improved model is used to simulate and forecast the scale and layout of a typical city in the Yangtze River Delta.Finally,the paper predicts the trend of CA model applied in the research of urban expansion.
Abstract Effects of various diol chain extenders on thermal, mechanical, and viscoelastic properties of polyurethanes are discussed. Elastomers were prepared by using polyester (polyethylene-co-propylene adipate), toluene-2,4-diisocyanate, and α,ω-aliphatic diols. The properties imparted by the extenders are explained on the basis of the number of methylene carbons in the extenders. Butanediol-extended polymer showed superior properties, which are ascribed to regularity in the backbone chain of the polymer and ease of formation of hydrogen bonds.
Objective It determined the psychology research was the foundation for the development of the safety design of furniture. Methods Based on the concept of the theory of product safety design,it made a research and analysis about concept of furniture safety design combined with relevant theory and examples. Conclusion From the perspective of psychology,furniture safety design come from the perspective of users of hazard prevention design,it required us flexible psychology knowledge application in material selection,structure design and form design.
Object To summarize and analyze the imaging of cavernous sinus cavernous hemangiomas.Methods Retrospectively analyzed the imaging findings of 6 cases of cavernous sinus cavernous hemangiomas proved by surgery and pathology.Results Among 6 cases,4 cases is high signal on T1 weighted,2 case is seem signal on T1W,and 4 cases the lesion show slightly hyper-intensive in plain CT scan of head,in post-contrast scan the lesion is enhanced markedly and asymmetry.Conclusion Imaging findings of cavernous sinus cavernous hemangiomas have some characteristic,and it is helpful to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of the mass lesions in cavernous sinus.
Crowdsourcing is the outsourcing of a unit of work to a crowd of people via an open call for contributions. While there are various forms of crowdsourcing, such as open innovation, civic engagement and crowdfunding in this work we specifically focus on microtasking. Microtasking is a branch of crowdsourcing, where a work is presented as a set of identical microtasks, each requiring contributors only several minutes to complete usually in exchange for a reward of less than 1 USD. Labeling images, transcribing documents, analyzing sentiments of short sentences and cleaning datasets are popular examples of work which could be solved as microtasks. Available up to date microtask crowdsourcing platforms, such as CrowdFlower and Amazon Mechanical Turk, allow thousands of microtasks to be solved in parallel by hundreds of contributors available online. To tackle the problem of quality in microtask crowdsourcing, it is necessary to study different quality attributes, to investigate what causes low quality of results and slow task execution in microtask crowdsourcing, to identify effective methods to both assess and assure that these quality attributes are of high level. We conducted the most extensive literature review analysis of quality attributes, assessment and assurance techniques ever done in the area of microtasking and crowdsourcing in general. We further advanced the state of the art in three research tracks: i) Improving accuracy and execution speed (the major track), where we monitor in-page user activity of each individual worker, automatically predict abandoned assignments causing delays and assignments with low quality of results, and relaunch them to other workers using our tool ReLauncher; ii) Crowdsourcing complex processes, where we introduce BPMN-extensions to design business processes of both crowd and machine tasks, and the crowdsourcing platform Crowd Computer to deploy these tasks; and iii) Improving workers user experience, where we identify problems workers face searching for tasks to work on, address these problems in our prototype of the task listing interface and introduce a new mobile crowdsourcing platform, CrowdCafe, designed in a way to optimize task searching time and to motivate workers with tangible rewards, such as a coffee.
The Bowers and Shirshov Ridges (hereafter BR and SR, respectively) are two prominent submarine structures of  unknown age and provenance in the Bering Sea. So far only a few geochemical data exist on the composition of  basement rocks from the SR (Silantyev et al., 1985) and none for the BR. Age and geochemical data are crucial  to evaluate if the ridges represent remnant island arcs (Cooper et al. 1981, Scholl 2007), former pieces of  Kamchatka rifted away through seafloor spreading (SR: Baranov et al. 1991) or parts of the Mesozoic Hawaiian  hot-spot (Steinberger & Gaina, 2007).  Here we report the first geochemical data on the composition of the basement rocks from the BR and SR,  recovered during KALMAR R/V SONNE cruise 201 (Legs 1b and 2) in 2009. Fresh to moderately altered  volcanic rocks were dredged from the northern slope of the BR, from seamounts on the western extension of the  BR and from the western slope of the central part of the SR. We studied the petrography of the samples and  carried out geochemical analyses of major and trace elements by XRF and ICPMS at ACME Lab (Vancouver,  Canada) and CAU (Kiel).  The rocks from the northwestern slope of the BR are clinopyroxene (cpx)-phyric basalts with minor amounts of  olivine (ol) and plagioclase (plag) microphenocrysts, as well as hbl-plag-cpx-bearing basaltic andesites and  trachyandesites. The rocks are strongly enriched in LREE (LaN/YbN = 3.2 – 8.5, N indicates normalization to  primitive mantle), fluid-mobile elements (Ba, U, K) relative to NMORB and exhibit clear negative anomalies of  HFSE (Nb, Ta and Ti) in primitive mantle-normalized incompatible element diagrams. The BR rocks also have a  moderate adakitic signature, as indicated by elevated SrN/YN ratios (6.9 – 12.9). Hbl-cpx-plag trachybasalts from  the SR have similar major and trace element compositions (LaN/YbN = 2.1 – 4.9) to the BR rocks. The other  magmatic series from the SR comprises massive trachyandesites, trachytes and dacites with rare phenocrysts of  plag and cpx. These rocks also have island-arc type incompatible element patterns and are distinct from other  rock types from the BR and SR with less LREE enriched patterns (LaN/YbN ~ 1.8) and a strong negative Eu  anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 0.74).  Rocks dredged from a seamount on the western extension of the BR have very distinctive petrographic and  geochemical characteristics. These are ol-phyric pillow basalts with minor (less than 5%) amounts of plag and  cpx. The freshest whole rocks and pillow-rim glasses have relatively smooth patterns of incompatible trace  elements, akin to intraplate oceanic basalts and in some characteristic incompatible element ratios (e.g. ThN/BaN  = 0.6, SrN/CeN = 1.2, LaN/YbN = 3.3) are similar to Hawaiian hotspot tholeiites.  In summary, petrography and preliminary geochemical results indicate an island-arc origin for major parts of the  BR and SR. The discovery of intraplate basalts suggests that fragments of the Emperor Seamount Chain could  also be preserved in the Bering Sea (Steinberger & Gaina 2007) as seamounts and in the BR and SR basement.  Our further studies will be focused on obtaining absolute age data for the studied rocks, which will allow  combining the petrologic data with tectonic and geodynamic models for the NW Pacific.
The main goal of this project was to determine the potential effects on biota from aluminum addition to Osthammarsfjarden (Osthammar county) for reduction of internal phosphorus loading. Potential risks to biota in the water and sediment were summarized from reports and scientific publications as well modeling based on data from an enclosure experiment where aluminum was added to the sedi- ment in Loparofjarden (Norrtalje county) during the summer 2011. Aluminium salts have been used to reduce phosphorus in water and limit internal phosphorus loading in lakes for over forty years. Aluminium toxicity in lakes is considered negligible under neutral pH conditions because reactivity and bioavailability are generally low when pH is between 6 and 9. The toxicology literature, however, largely supports the conclusion that there is some potential for alumi- nium toxicity from treatment using aluminium salts when pH is maintained in the neutral range in fresh waters. Continuous exposures to aluminium are more likely to have adverse effects on aquatic life than single dose applications of Al-salts. Hence, the potential for adverse effects with one-time aluminium treatments lie primarily with significant aluminium floc accumulation and subsequent dis- ruption of benthic invertebrate habitat. Other short-term effects are also possible, including reduced benthic invertebrate populations and stress to certain species of fish. Elevated concentrations of natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) capable of binding aluminium in the water of Osthammarsfjarden are likely to limit toxicity during and after application. Previous studies have shown that the effects are short (invertebrates) to medium term (fish), and aquatic communities affected by treatment with Al- salts generally rebound and improve from pre-treatment conditions due to increased water and habitat quality. A direct injection of aluminium to the sediment will likely limit much of the potential treat- ment impacts to plankton and fish in the water column. Given the lack of total and dissolved alumi- nium data in marine and brackish systems, it is difficult to compare the results from freshwater sys- tems directly. Although some authors recommend less restrictive limits for aluminium in marine wa- ters due to differing water chemistry, others propose more restrictive limits due to the potential for a greater diversity of aquatic species and potential toxicity to these species. Benthic species diversity appears to be somewhat poor in Osthammarsfjarden, potentially limiting any impact from treatment with Al. In addition, the experiment conducted in Loparofjarden (which has similar water chemistry to Osthammarsfjarden) showed no significant effects on plankton, epifauna or benthic invertebrates after addition of aluminium to the sediment. Enclosure experiments were conducted at Loparofjarden in 2011 where aluminium was added directly to the sediment and chemical data were collected. Modelling shows that elevated concentrations can be expected during the early phase after aluminium addition and that aluminium levels (mostly in the form of Al(OH)3 or soluble Al(OH)4- ) may be higher than what is expected from theoretical solubility calculations and in studied reference systems. Without additional data, it is difficult to explain why this occurred but aluminium solubility may be slightly enhanced under the pH and ionic strength (salt content) conditions found in the brackish water of Osthammarsfjarden. Organisms that are present in the water column may be exposed to elevated aluminium concentrations during a prolonged time pe- riod lasting from several days to weeks depending on the physical mixing of the water column after the addition. Based on the information in this report, use of aluminium salts is likely to be an effective method for reducing internal phosphorus loading in Osthammarsfjarden. Short term effects on aquatic biota should be expected, but long term improvements in the abundance and diversity of species should 27increase due to the improvement in water quality. Given the results from the Loparofjarden experi- ment, the risk for negative effects on plankton, epifauna and benthic fauna present in Ostham- marsfjarden should be low. Because there are very few data on full scale brackish water aluminium treatments, however, we recommend a complete chemical analysis including pH, alkalinity, total or- ganic carbon and major cations and anions during a full scale treatment for the sake of better under- standing of the on-going chemical processes during aluminium addition to brackish water. The data may also be useful for describing the process or process behind the slightly elevated aluminium con- centrations seen during the Loparofjarden experiment. We also advise examination of sediment alumi- nium and phosphorus content as well monitoring of aquatic biota following treatment to assess the potential for long term impacts of treatment on sediment chemistry and the aquatic community.
In current, interdisciplinary studies on hysteria much attention has been given to the interrelationship between literary and clinical uses of this malady. For the most part, literary critics have explored how the circulation of the hysteria concept in diverse discursive fields and in various historical contexts has affected the construction of the feminine.(1) However, only a few inquiries have recently grappled with the often ignored but puzzling concept of hysteria as a male malady. Mark S. Micale's medical historical inquiry, "Charcot and the Idea of Hysteria in the Male," traces the emerging acceptance of masculine hysteria in late nineteenth-century clinical studies of the disease and its intrinsic connection to a neurologically-based model of hysteria. In a different vein, Jan Goldstein traces the dichotomy between medical and literary uses of male hysteria in the nineteenth century, and explores the possibility of its functioning in literary discourse "as a metaphor for androgyny and hence as a challenge to prevailing gender norms" ("Uses of Male Hysteria" 138). The present article contributes to the exploration and understanding of this peculiar manifestation of the disease and its literary representation in nineteenth-century France, particularly in its functional relation to the figure of the androgyne in Flaubert's 1862 novel, Salammbo Flaubert's coupling of hysteria and androgyny, two widely used themes in French decadent and realist fiction, spawned one of the most alluring and often parodic literary figures of the nineteenth century, the hysterical poet. My goal is to illustrate that this literary figure operates as a trope of aesthetic modernity. Its principle function, I shall argue, is its symbolic portrayal of a modern type of artistic creation that emphasizes a dialectical process of empowerment and depletion, exaltation and fragmentation.(2) In examining hysteria as a male malady Goldstein claims that in both literary and clinical discourses of the nineteenth century some attempts were made to destabilize gender definitions associated with the disease (156-57). Indeed, proponents of the neurological theory of hysteria, the so-called, "nerveux" which included such influential clinicians as Briquet, Georget, and Charcot, dissociated the disease from purely anatomical origins and ascribed to it neurological and psychological causes.(3) Pierre Briquet's influential Traite clinique et therapeutique de l'hysterie of 1859, for example, begins by exploring the predisposition and causes of the illness in men in the first seven cases of his treatise. In one case study, Briquet describes the male patient as exhibiting the following qualities: "fort impressionnable, a l'esprit tres romanesque, pleure facilement et est toujours fort emu quand il va au spectacle"(16).(4) Echoing the taboos surrounding the corruptive effects of the imagination of reading women, Briquet describes the patient's propensity to nervous illness by making use of a nineteenth-century diagnostic commonplace that links reading, imagination, impressionability' and nervous disorder in women in a natural and causal relationship. Similarly, some years prior to Briquet's treatise on hysteria, one of his contemporaries Hector Landouzy (a supporter of the uterine theory of hysteria), characterized novels, and by extension other forms of cultural enhancement, as "toutes ces deviations litteraires [...] qui impriment presque necessairement une direction vicieuse a l'esprit, a la sensibilite et aux affections des jeunes rilles ..."(264).(5) Thus, while Briquet located the causes of hysterical illness in the male patient's personality, as with Landouzy, he described emotions that were typically regarded as feminine. As Goldstein rightly points out, "Briquet valorized male hysteria as part of his project of desexualizing the disease while at the same time leaving it resoundingly gendered" (152). While Goldstein acknowledges that clinical treatises on hysterical illness reaffirmed the most stereotypical notions of the difference between the sexes, her article contends that the literary discourse of hysteria served in part as a subversive tool (134). …
RESPECT THE INVENTION SEALED BEVERAGE PACKAGING. PACKAGING HAVE A DEVICE 8 POSITIONING DEVICE INTRODUCTION FLUID AQUEOUS, EG 30. HOLLOW NEEDLE PACKAGING ARE UNDER BAGS sHAPE WITH 2 wATERPROOF SHEET WITH A POSITIONING DEVICE IS A BUSE 8 SOUDEE EDGE. THE BAG CONTAINS 4 SHEET FILTER SURROUNDING THE GROUND COFFEE 14. WHEN USING THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG IS CUTTING AND NOZZLE 8 IS BREAKTHROUGH BY THE NEEDLE 30. WATER MADE WITHIN THE FACT BAG COFFEE BREWING GROUND AND DRINK OUT BY THE HOLE LOWER. APPLICATION TO THE PREPARATION brewed beverages.
According to the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system we analysed the post-surgical nosocomial infections in a surgery ward of Perugia University. Between May 2000 and April 2001, 677 patients were enrolled mean age 51.5 years: 355 (52%) male, 462 (68%) ASA score 1, "clean" surgery in 355 cases (52%), cephazolin prophylaxis in 256 (38%); 11 (2%) patients deceased perioperatively. A total of 37 nosocomial infections, in 33 patients, were detected: 18 pneumonia (48.6%), 10 surgical site infections (27%) with 18 isolated: 12 gram-negative (E. coli 3, Acinetobacter baumannii 2, Providencia stuartii 2, Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2, Achromobacter spp. 1, Citrobacter freundii 1, Morganella morgani 1) and 6 gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus meticillin resistant 3, Enterococcus faecalis 2, Streptococcus salivarius 1); 7 sepsis (19%) due to 7 gram-positive (S. aureus meticillin resistant 4, S. aureus meticillin susceptible 1, Staphylococcus coagulase negative 1, Clostridium spp 1), 2 urinary tract infections (5.4%). Patients without infections and with nosocomial infections spent in hospital 6.3 and 16.6 days respectively. We can image that in one year 53 surgical procedure were lost, with a lost gain of 79.500-291.500 euro/year.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries Clermont-de-LodA¨ve, a Languedocian cloth-making town, experienced two major cycles in its development. In the seventeenth century unprecedented prosperity was followed by deep and prolonged depression, and in the eighteenth a rapid, if irregular, industrial expansion was interrupted by a major crisis and followed by a painful and protracted decline. The purpose of this book is to describe the economic and social manifestations of these cycles as precisely as the sources permit, focussing in particular on the varying characteristics of Clermont's elite.
Intra-cranial abscesses are important causes of morbidity and mortality as they present as space occupying lesions in any of the epidural, subdural, intra-parenchymal or intraventricular spaces. It is hoped that this study will identify the clinico-demographic pattern and outcome of management of intracranial abscesses. A retrospective study of patients managed for intra-cranial abscesses in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria between January 2007 – October 2015 was conducted. Medical records of the patients were retrieved from the central library, operating theatres and microbiology laboratory, and relevant information including demographics, neurological status on admission, clinical presentation, predisposing factors, anatomical location, number of lesions, surgical techniques, organisms cultured, and the neurological outcome were extracted. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Thirty seven (37) patients’ clinical information were obtained and analyzed. 30 were males (81.1%) and 7 were females (18.9%). The ages ranged between 3 months and 60 years (mean of 21). Intra-cerebral abscess accounted for 67.6% of cases, sub-dural empyema (21.6%), epidural abscess (8.1%), and intra-ventricular abscess 2.1%. More than one lobe was involved in 11 cases (44%). Parietal lobe was the most involved lobe (68%), then frontal (28%) and occipital lobe (24%). Burr hole and free hand drainage was the commonest modality of treatment (63.9%). The mean volume of abscess drained was 65.8mls (8200mls). Culture yielded no growth in 57.9% (n=19). Isolated organisms include Escherichiacoli (21.1%), and Staphylococcusaureus (15.8%). 86.6% of operated patients had Glasgow outcome score of ≥ 4. From our findings, Intra-cerebral abscess is the commonest form of intra-cranial abscess in Zaria affecting males predominantly. Burr hole and drainage is effective, and outcome of surgical management is good.
The urban drainage is one of the powers of environmental sanitation and its scope is the quantitative and qualitative aspects. In decision making of managers and the engineering aspects of design are almost always taken into account only the quantitative aspects. However, the waters of the runoff have the highest concentrations of pollutants at the beginning of precipitation. Thus, if the plot pollution removed, the remaining portion can be used for other purposes. This work has aimed to present the variation of water quality of two drainage basins in the city of Natal / RN-Brazil to support the implementation of drainage to consider the qualitative aspect, and identify potential for the use of water. The basins (M and C) are analyzed closed-type, are in the urban area, are predominantly residential occupation and its waters are used for detention ponds and infiltration. The samples were divided into three phases, the first two direct to final points in a basin and the third in traps distributed over the surface drainage. The parameters had been analyzed were pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, Color, Turbidity, COD, Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, total phosphorus, orthophosphate, Sediments solids, total solids, chloride, sulfate, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, Heavy Metals (Chromium, Cadmium, Lead, Zinc and Copper), Eschichia coli and total coliforms. The parameters studied showed high initial pollution load, events and located in different proportions, except nitrite, heavy metals and biological indicators. The size of the surface drainage and topographic its features influence the quality of water. However, the form of sampling is crucial in the qualitative study in the basin. The samplers developed at work, were generated economic and representative results. The urban rainwater presents organic faecal indicators. The runoff of water from both basins shows no risk of salinity and sodicity for use in irrigation, should be noted the content of chloride in the choice of method of irrigation.
The current method used for national inventories of nitrous oxide emissions from soils (IPCC, 2006) provides results which, despite of large uncertainty, seem to reflect released quantities reasonably well (Corazza et al., 2010). However, changes in the emissions as a consequence of introducing emission abatement cannot be addressed properly. Since nitrous oxide soil emissions are described purely as a function of total nitrogen application, its decrease is the only possibility to formally achieve emission reduction. NitroEurope results are able to scientifically point towards further differentiation, with release rates depending on agricultural practice. Fertilizer type, fertilizer timing or soil type all may be seen as parameters contributing to the extent of emissions, and thus providing further options for abatement strategies. Regression models, literature studies on specific emission factors, and modelling approaches (in part based upon NitroEurope measurement campaigns) are applied to devise a methodology that could be used as a future “Tier 2” methodology according to IPCC nomenclature.
In a 3-year lysimeter experiment with open top chambers (OTC) we investigated how the growth, mineral nutrition and water consumption of young trees of the three oak species Quercus robur, Q. petraea and Q. pubescens may respond to predicted climate changes with higher summer temperatures and more extended drought periods on different types of soil. Four different climate treatments (control, air-warming (+2◦C), drought (-40% precipitation), combination of air-warming & drought) were applied during the vegetation periods to mixed stands of the three species on an acidic loamy sand and a calcareous sandy loam in four replicates each.
The invention relates to a motor with a gear reducer. The motor comprises a stator, a rotor and an output shaft, wherein the input gear of the gear reducer is mounted on the rotor by an input gear shaft in a mode of rotating relative to the rotor; the output gear of the gear reducer is fixedly connected with the output shaft; and the output shaft is coaxially mounted on the rotor in a mode of rotating relative to the rotor. The motor with the gear reducer provided by the invention can achieve speed reduction, is compact in structure and occupies small space.
The chemical and mineralogical properties of five benchmark soils from Bangladesh have been studied. Free Fep3 content in these soils is low due to loss of iron along with the drainage water during the reduction phase. An accumulation of free Pep3 has been found to occur in the middle zone of the soil profiles which is possibly due to their fixation in the form of mottles. Free Fe2O3issignificantlycorrelatedwiththefree Mn0contentofthesoils. The SiO/
This paper details on web traffic analysis of Lanka Educational And Research Network (LEARN). Since the characteristics of Web traffic are influenced by organizational internal as well as external vectors, understanding of these parameters and identification of their statistical behavior is the main objective of this study. Performing extensive exploration of the actual traffic content would enable LEARN to identify its web traffic content and access patterns, which would be useful when designing new caching and prioritizing policies. Also it is important to find out the impact of the internal factors like academic calendar on the web traffic pattern, which could be successfully incorporated in new designs of caching protocols because of their predictable behavior.
a) History    Semliki Forest virus (SFV) was originally isolated from a pool of 130 female Aedes abnormal is mosquitoes captured in Bundinyama, Uganda in 1942 (Smithburn and Haddow, 1944).    b) Classification    SFV is classified as a member of the genus alphavirus, of the family Togaviridae (Matthews, 1982). It was originally described as an arbovirus ("arthropod-borne" virus) (Casals and Brown, 1954) since it infects vertebrates and is transmitted by mosquito vector. However, later studies showed that the biochemical properties of the arboviruses were variable. For example, some members of the famiy Bunyaviridae were originally classified as arboviruses and these have a genome of three (negative sense) RNA segments whereas SFV has positive sense genomic RNA. A large number of the arboviruses were found to be morphologically similar, sharing certain structural and biochemical characteristics. These were grouped together and termed togaviruses (toga - shroud, cloak, envelope) (Andrewes, 1970). Two major serologically unrelated genera of the Togaviridae were recognised and were termed group A and group B. These were later designated the genera alphavirus (e.g. SFV) and flavivirus (e.g. yellow fever virus) (Wildy, 1971. Later, two other genera of the are the rubiviruses cholera virus) and, family Togaviridae were also recognised and these (e.g. rubella virus) and pestiviruses (e.g. hog to date, there are also five unclassified viruses.
The existence of a bolivian policy since the ending of the XIX century until the beginning of the XX century only recently has attracted the attention of the specialists and generates some questions that have not been solved in a good manner by international relations historiography. In this case which is the intelligibility within the “bolivian policy” in the design of Chilean exterior policy? The author sustains that only within a dynamic conception balance of power it can be understood, against of the analysis that privileges a static vision of the same. Based on that, the author suggests that it can be a wider perspective of the alliances based in the equilibrium theory, the most characteristic of International relations theory.
Dolichorhinotermes japuraensis, sp.n. (Rhinotermitidae, Rhinotermitinae), and Ibitermes tellustris, sp.n. (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae), collected in primary rain forest near the town of Maraa on the Japura River, Amazonas State, Brazil, are described. Drawings of the soldiers’ head and workers mandibles of both new species are presented. KEY-WORDS: Isoptera, Japura River, Dolichorhinotermes japuraensis, Ibitermes tellustris, Taxonomy. RESUMO – Dolichorhinotermes japuraensis, sp.n. (Rhinotermitidae, Rhinotermitinae), e Ibitermes tellustris, sp.n. (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae), coletadas em floresta primaria de terra firme proxima da vila de Maraa, Amazonas, Brasil, no rio Japura, sao descritas. Desenhos da cabeca dos soldados e das mandibulas do operario das duas especies novas sao apresentados. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Isoptera, Rio Japura, Dolichorhinotermes japuraensis, Ibitermes tellustris, Taxonomia. 1SCT/CNPq/Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi – Dept.o de Zoologia – Bolsista. C.P. 399. CEP 66040 Belem PA Bol. Mus. Para. Emilio Goeldi, ser. Zool. 6(1), 1990 INTRODUCTION The termites of the Amazon Basin are poorly known, and there are enormous areas without collections. The first intensive collection of termites in the basin was that of the Mulford Expedition to Bolivia and Brazil in 1921 (Snyder, 1926). Emerson’s (1925) classic work treats the termites from Kartabo, Guyana, outside the Amazon Basin. Mathews (1977) studied the termites of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in an area dominated by “cerrado” vegetation. I conducted an intensive collection of termites on the lower Japura River in the municipality of Maraa, Amazonas State, Brazil (01°51’S, 65°27’W) in October 1988. This paper presents the descriptions of two new species of termites, Dolichorhinotermes japuraensis (Rhinotermitidae, Rhinotermitinae) and Ibitermes tellustris (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae), the first result of the analysis of the material from Maraa. Dolichorhinotermes japuraensis, sp.n. (Figs. 1–8) Type-Material BRASIL. Amazonas State, Municipality Maraa, type colony MPEG 2853 deposited in the Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi’s entomological collections, holotype (major soldier), paratypes (four major soldiers and many minor soldiers and workers), 13.Oct.1988, R. Constantino col.
OBJECTIVE Prospective and randomised study to assess the effectiveness of doxazosin in sustained release formulation in Acute Urinary Retention (AUR) treatment due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).   MATERIAL AND METHODS The trial was carried out with a cohort of 40 males who had all suffered their first attack of AUR caused by BPH. Twenty were randomly selected and treated for 7 days with 4 mg of sustained release doxazosin before removing the catheter. The patients not treated that could not spontaneously urinate were also administered 4 mg of doxazosin. Finally, all the patients that still had a catheter due to unsuccessful removal were treated with 8 mg of doxazosin and the percentage of patients responding to treatment was assessed. The predictive value of the response to treatment for age, IPSS, QoL, retained urine volume, prostate volume and the evolution time of the prostratism was determined by means of logistic regression analysis.   RESULTS 82.5% of the patients (33/40) could urinate after removal of the catheter. 84.8% (28/33) were treated with doxazosin (21 with 4 mg and 7 with 8 mg). In the first attempt at removal, 60% of the patients (12/20) treated with 4 mg of doxazosin could spontaneously urinate, while only 25% (5/20) of those not treated, p=0.02. Similarly, 60% of the patients (9/15) treated with 4 mg of doxazosin in the second attempt could spontaneously urinate. Fifty per cent (7/14) of the patients still with a catheter, after the treatment with 4 mg of doxazosin, could urinate with 8 mg. In the logistic regression analysis, none of the variables analyzed allowed us to predict the response to the treatment.   CONCLUSION The treatment for 7 days with 4 mg of sustained release doxazosin shows greater success when removing the catheter after suffering AUR due to BPH. With this treatment, 60% of the patients could spontaneously urinate again. By increasing the dose to 8 mg, the catheter can be removed in half the patients that did not initially respond. Before removing the catheter it is not possible to predict which patients would be able to spontaneously urinate.
In the article, it expounded present soil fertility status of facility vegetable in Kuandian, summarized and analyzed problems and reasons existing in fertilizing in vegetable production, raised suggestions for fertilizing several main facility vegetable, and introduced common vegetable deficiency symptom and its preventive measures, in order to provide technical supports for improving scientific fertilizing level of facility vegetable.
Dry eye is characterized by a deficiency in the tear film, leading to damage to epithelium and loss of homeostasis in the ocular surface. They have been recognized several receptors and neuropeptides in nerve fibers of the lacrimal functional unit (UFL), which regulate the neurogenic inflammatory response, one of the causes or consequences of dry eye disease. Ocular surface can be altered by different mechanisms, causing symptoms and visual disturbances associated with the instability of the tear film with potential damage to the ocular surface, producing a neurogenic inflammation. Inflammation in general is facing the tissue response to aggression, physical, chemical, traumatic, infectious or immunological reaction. In inflammation, nociceptors act in the detection of painful stimulation in dry eye, in response, a neurogenic receptors were identified: vasoactive substance P (SP), gene related peptide calcitonin (CGRP), intestinal peptide (VIP) and neuropeptide NPY are neuropeptides are located in the UFL (cornea, conjunctiva, lacrimal gland and meibomian glands), its function is to modulate neurogenic inflammation, pain stimuli and mediate vasodilation in dry eye.
Through a comprehensive desktop research reviewing the relevant literature and analyzing secondary data, this paper reports the current status of logistics competency in China in comparison with that of developed countries and identifying the challenges and the obstacles the industry is facing. The findings show that although logistics expenditure in China increased significantly in the last decade as a result of rapid economic growth, this expenditure is unnecessarily high (up to 18% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is twice that of most developed countries) suggesting the presence of operational inefficiencies. Fragmented markets, transportation bottlenecks, regulatory constraints, and local barriers to entry are some of the major obstacles hindering the development of an efficient logistic industry leading to a continuous rise in logistics cost. Possible measures to enhance logistics competency include investment in logistics infrastructure and technologies, regulatory reform to open up market and to quicken logistics development at national level, promotion of third-party logistics (3PL), and cross organizational as well as industry-government collaboration to standardize industry practices and provide logistics information sharing platform.
The simultaneous field measurement of wind speed,wind direction and wind-induced acceleration response were conducted on the super tall building of Litong plaza in Guangzhou when typhoon Vicente affected the building.The wind filed characteristics at the top of the building were obtained through statistical analysis.The frequencyspectrum characteristics of wind-induced responses and the dynamic characteristics were identified from the measured wind-induced acceleration data.The nonlinear damping ratio was also obtained by using the random decrement technique.On the other hand the displacements at the top of the building were previously measured by GPS system under ambient condition.The multi-path effect of the measured displacement was investigated and the removing method was studied.The natural frequencies obtained by different methods were compared.The effectiveness of the identified natural frequencies was therefore verified by the compared results.
Objective Serum tumor marker carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) was investigated to evaluate the values for the diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer.Methods Preoperative serum CA19-9 was measured in 105 pancreatic cancer, 70 non-pancreatic malignance, and 30 benign pancreatic diseases.Results The level of CA19-9 in pancreatic cancer was markedly higher than that of islet cell carcinoma, ampulla of vater carcinoma, and benign pancreatic diseases (P0.05), but was no significant difference with that of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (P0.05). The sensitivity and specificity of CA19-9 for the pancreatic cancer were 80% and 43% respectively. The level of CA19-9 in pancreatic cancer of head was higher than that of pancreatic cancer of body and tail. There was no significant relationship with the tumor size and resectability (P0.05), but the level of CA19-9 was increased obviously (P0.05).Conclusion Serum CA19-9 has a significant role for pancreatic cancer diagnosis, but the specificity is low. High level of CA19-9 provides the clue for advanced stage and poor prognosis.
Device and manufacturing method for providing a low pressure in the temperature compensation of a single power HFET, the apparatus comprising a stack of a compound semiconductor epitaxially grown layer (14), wherein the HFET (10) formed in the stack. In the process of forming the HFET, a Schottky diode (11) is formed adjacent to the HFET (10) stack. The HFET (10) and a Schottky diode (11) are formed simultaneously, and forming a part of the HFET gate metal layer is provided as a laminate having a low band gap (e.g., less than 0.8 eV) of (14) a level (19) in contact, to provide an electrically conductive base diode of the Xiao Te voltage is less than 1.8 volts. The Schottky diode (11) connected to the gate via a contact point HFET gate circuit (48), a compensation current to the gate circuit changes with temperature.
This work, focused on an idea about solar  car technology which solves the major problem of fuel and pollution in  present days. Determine how feasible widespread change to solar car’s would be in future with all information taken  into account, concluded that solar  cars  have several advantages as  energy efficient, low pollution. In the present  work a complete drawing and drafting of solar car have been prepared using Solid works software. After complete  analysis of this drawing by using ANSYS 13.0 it is find out bear capability of load, stress, an  d strain of front & rear  collision of car frame. A completed data are analyzed to examine the technical aspects of the solar car technology.  Overall, solar technology has a lot of potential in the distant future, but as for right now they are not a signif  icant  applied over today’s internal combustion engine.
Cordyceps tablet preparation method of fine powder, powder Cordyceps sinensis relates to a cryogenic pulverization method after pulverization, obtained after freeze-drying as a raw material to prepare a complex low water pressure sheet Cordyceps powder tablet technology, comprising the steps of: first, take a water content of not less than 5% of Cordyceps chilled to below 0 ℃ and pulverized at ambient not higher than 0 ℃, the resulting pulverized powder without thawing Cordyceps directly lyophilized, the lyophilized powder after lyophilization Cordyceps containing not more than 3% water (by weight); then, the lyophilized powder reconstituted Cordyceps: the rehydrated with water as ultrasonic atomizing mist into the input lyophilized powder, lyophilized powder while stirring uniformly raised to a moisture content 4 to 20% (by weight) to give a water content of 4 to 20% (by weight) of the rehydration powder; then rehydrated resulting powder tabletting to give tablets Cordyceps pure powder, a water content of not more than 20 tablets %(weight). This approach may be fine powder containing less than 8% is directly compressed into tablets, troches uniform water content, the water content of lozenges of the control method is simple and accurate.
The thesis concerned the event that villagers repaired the road independently in D community located in a small basin in the middle of Hunan province. It was found that there was no significant change in the leading pattern of public affairs in this community for a long time. The level of villagers' participation in public affairs in different historical periods was different. The author considered that: under the background that a large number of villages worked outside,because of benefit game and villagers' simple provincialism,the resources of the government,market and villagers could be successfully integrated. Finally,this paper raised that the government should provide institutional guarantee in the construction of good rural human settlement.
SUMMARY This paper presents a memory-efficient motion estimation (ME) technique for high-resolution video compression. The main objective is to reduce the external memory access, especially for limited local memory resource. The reduction of memory access can successfully save the notorious power consumption. The key to reduce the memory accesses is based on center-biased algorithm in that the center-biased algorithm performs the motion vector (MV) searching with the minimum search data. While considering the data reusability, the proposed dualsearch-windowing (DSW) approaches use the secondary windowing as an option per searching necessity. By doing so, the loading of search windows can be alleviated and hence reduce the required external memory bandwidth. The proposed techniques can save up to 81% of external memory bandwidth and require only 135 MBytes/sec, while the quality degradation is less than 0.2 dB for 720 p HDTV clips coded at 8 Mbits/sec.
Objective To assess the clinical value of ultraselective hepatic artery embolization(UHAE) for hemangioma of liver. Methods Forty five patients with hepatic cavernous hemangioma were treated with UHAE using Pingyangmycin-lipiodol hydrochloride emulsion(PLE) and gelatine sponge. Results Success rate of embolization was 100%.Tumors disappeared or became smaller.No serious embolism syndrome and complications were observed. Conclusion UHAE is a safe and effective therapy with less complications for hemangioma of liver.
This interview with Leda Dau explores her career at the Museu Nacional from 1953 to 1994 and her dedication to research and teaching in the field of botany. She was a member of one of the first generations of women who felt the effects of the social transformations that began in the 1920s. This process brought changes to the gender system in Brazil and improved women's opportunities for schooling and professionalization, thereby allowing them access to the era's restricted world of science.
SUMMARY Thesecond case ofC3binhibitor deficiency isdescribed inan11-year-old girl whopresented withrecurrent attacks ofmeningitis, inbetween which shewaswell. Herserumshowed all of thecomplement component changes noted inthefirst described case, although showing only a relatively slight defect initsability toopsonize bacteria forphagocytosis andkilling bypolymorphonuclear leucocytes. Thiscorrelated withthepatient's freedom fromother infections.
This paper is devoted to propose a new information processing method to solve the main problems of university students' evaluation of teaching quality.By using the information entropy and normal distribution function,we first define a new function of students' reliability and give the students' weights of evaluation according to the data of reUability,and then calculate the score of the teaching quality by the weighted arithmetic averaging operator.Finally,an example,which shows our method is effective,reasonable and feasible,is given.
The kinetics of degradation of penicillin G K salt (PGP) in solid phase in the temperature range 70-140 degrees C were investigated. The obtained sigmoidal curves were interpreted in terms of the Prout-Tompkins kinetics. The appropriate mathematical equations were derived for the induction and acceleration periods which enable to calculate the degradation half-time, t0.1 value and the induction time (t'). The Arrhenius plot shows the isokinetic point where the rates of reaction for both periods are identical.
Canine peroneal-tibialis anterior nerve-muscle preparations have been used as a model system to investigate the neuromuscular blocking action of nereistoxin (NT). Intravenous administration of 1 mg/kg of NT results in 50% neuromuscular blockade within 2 to 5 min. In the absence of corrective intervention this quantity of NT will cause respiratory paralysis and death within a few minutes. Following the intravenous administration of NT there occurs an immediate and transient rise in heart and fall in systolic and diastolic blood pressure; however, respiratory paralysis rather than cardiovascular failure is the cause of death when no corrective measures are employed. Neostigmine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, acetylcholine and potassium ions antagonize NT paralysis. Neostigmine, however, appears to be the most effective in producing an antiblocking action of sufficient magnitude and duration of action to be of value as an antidote in NT poisoning. Potentiation of contractions was evident in the partially paralyzed preparation following a brief period of indirect tetanic stimulation.
Temperature rise predicted for the future will severely affect rice productivity because the crop is highly sensitive to heat stress at the reproductive stage. Breeding tolerant varieties is an economically viable option to combat heat stress, for which the knowledge of target genomic regions associated with the reproductive stage heat stress tolerance (RSHT) is essential. A set of 192 rice genotypes of diverse origins were evaluated under natural field conditions through staggered sowings for RSHT using two surrogate traits, spikelet fertility and grain yield, which showed significant reduction under heat stress. These genotypes were genotyped using a 50 k SNP array, and the association analysis identified 10 quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) for grain yield, of which one QTN (qHTGY8.1) was consistent across the different models used. Only two out of 10 MTAs coincided with the previously reported QTLs, making them novel. A total of 22 QTNs were observed for spikelet fertility, among which qHTSF5.1 was consistently found across three models. Of the QTNs identified, seven coincided with previous reports, while the remaining QTNs were new. The genes near the QTNs were found associated with the protein–protein interaction, protein ubiquitination, stress signal transduction, and so forth, qualifying them to be putative for RSHT. An in silico expression analysis revealed the predominant expression of genes identified for spikelet fertility in reproductive organs. Further validation of the biological relevance of QTNs in conferring heat stress tolerance will enable their utilization in improving the reproductive stage heat stress tolerance in rice.
4586 A specific peptide inhibitor CTTHWGFTLC (CTT1) of gelatinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) has been isolated from phage display peptide libraries (Koivunen et al . 1999, Nature Biotechnology 17, 768-774). This cyclic decapeptide was shown to prevent tumor growth and to improve survival of nude mice bearing human tumors. We have designed a more hydrophilic derivative of CTT1-peptide. Here, we have studied the pharmacokinetics of this novel CTT2-peptide and shown that CTT2 exhibits lower liver accumulation than the original phage display derived peptide. CTT2 accumulation was then screened in 12 different gelatinase expressing human xenograft tumors. High accumulation of CTT2 was seen in ovarian xenografts, and the highest accumulation was observed in serous type ovarian carcinoma where tumor/muscle ratio was 35 at 180 min after peptide injection. The peptide did not accumulate significantly in any other tissues studied. To generate tumor targeted liposomes (CTT2-SL), the CTT2-peptide was coupled covalently on the surface of doxorubicin loaded liposomes (SL). After single i.v. dose the CTT2-SL showed pharmacokinetics that were indistinguishable from that of SL in xenograft mice. Furthermore, CTT2-SL retains non-immunogenicity of SL. A biodistribution study showed that tumor AUC of doxorubicin encapsulated inside CTT2-SL is 40% greater than that of doxorubicin encapsulated inside SL. Finally, therapeutic efficacy of CTT2-SL was compared to that of SL. Mice were inoculated with ovarian carcinoma cells that were shown to be sensitive to doxorubicin in in vitro assay. Afterwards, the mice were treated systemically three times in three day intervals with CTT2-SL or SL (9mg/kg doxorubicin equivalents). The life span of mice treated with CTT2-SL increased 35% when compared to SL treated mice. We conclude that CTT-liposomes represent a promising technology to treat gelatinase expressing solid tumors. Based on these results, the development of CTT-SL peptidoliposomes toward clinical trials is underway.
UNLABELLED The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the anti-estrogenic tamoxifen (Tx) on the growth of human colorectal cancer cells.   METHODS Serial concentrations (0.005 microM, 0.05 microM, 0.5 microM, 5 microM, and 50 microM) of the anti-estrogenic tamoxifen (Tx) were added and analyzed for their effect on the growth of established human colorectal cancer cells. HT-29 and SW-620 colon cancer cells and SW-1463 rectal cancer cells were tested in both serum-free media and serum-containing media (10% fetal calf serum). COLO-205 colon cancer and SW-837 rectal cancer cells were only tested in 10% fetal calf serum-containing media. Cell growth was measured with the hexosaminidase assay and was compared among the different groups. Cells were analyzed for estrogen receptors using enzyme immunoassay.   RESULTS In serum-free media, Tx inhibited the growth of HT-29 (P = .05) and SW-620 (P = .01) colon cancer cells at all concentrations tested.   RESULTS In serum-containing media, Tx inhibited (P = .04) the growth of the SW-837 rectal cancer cells at all concentrations and SW-1463 (P = .05) rectal cancer cells at the concentrations of 0.05 microM and 0.5 microM Tx. The inhibition of cell growth in HT-29, SW-620 and SW-1463 line was greater (P < .001) under serum-free media conditions. Estrogen receptors were not detected in any of the cell lines tested.   CONCLUSIONS Hormonal manipulation with colo-rectal cancers is possible, but the effect of Tx on the growth of colon cancer cells differs from the effect on rectal cancer cells under various conditions. The mechanism of inhibition is not clear yet, and further studies are warranted before any clinical implications can be postulated.
OBJECTIVE To explore the association between placental premature aging observed ultrasonographically and the pregnancy outcome.   METHOD The perinatal outcome of 30 pregnant women with grade III placenta observed ultrasonographically before 37 weeks of gestation were analyzed retrospectively, with 154 pregnant women with grade III placenta at full term (>37 weeks) selected at random to serve as the control.   RESULT The gestational age at delivery (37.38+/-2.10 weeks) and newborn birth weight (2 802.00+/-502.99 g) in cases of placental premature aging were significantly lower than those in the control group (39.48+/-2.44 weeks and 3 324.35+/-411.34 g, P<0.001), and the incidence of oligohydramnios (26.67%) and rate of cesarean delivery (96.67%) were significantly higher than those in the control group (6.49% and 48.36%, P<0.05).   CONCLUSION The ultrasonographic signs grade III placenta maturation before 37 weeks of gestation is associated with oligohydramnios and low birth weight and might help predict placental dysfunction, which needs close monitoring for the benefits of the mother and fetus.
A combined optimal and parameter selection problem for predicting an optimal silvicultural regime and an initial planting density, is formulated for Eucalyptus nitens forest stands. The problem consists of a cost functional, state equations which describe the dynamics of forest growth, constraints, and a system parameter which is a decision parameter independent of time. The dynamics of forest growth are described by dynamical models, where the first-order average stand diameter equation is integrated with a Weibull distribution function, making it possible to account for the stand diameter distribution at each time instant. The formulation is based on the Pontryagin's maximum principle such that an exhaustive search is carried out at each decision stage. This same formulation is approximated by a constrained nonlinear programming problem and therefore solvable by a sequential quadratic programming algorithm.
Based on field investigation and laboratory analysis,this study investigated the contents of total organic carbon(TOC),dissolved organic carbon(DOC),easily oxidized organic carbon(EOC),light fraction organic carbon(LFOC),particulate organic carbon(POC)and mineral-associated organic carbon(MOC)in soil under 5land use types(abandoned land,grassland,vegetable field,citrus orchard and forest land)in Karst Valley of Zhongliang Mountain in Chongqing.Variance analysis was applied to compare the contents of soil organic carbon under different land use types and correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between soil organic carbon fractions.The results showed that TOC content in soil under different land use types decreased with the increasing soil depth,which ranged from 2.69g/kg to 13.88g/kg in topsoil and subsoil.The vegetation type,cultivation method and fertilization significantly affected the distribution characteristics of TOC.Under different land use types,the contents of different organic carbon fractions(DOC,EOC,LFOC,POC and MOC)showed similar vertical distribution,which reduced with the increasing soil depth.However,soil organic carbon contents significantly differed under different land use types,which were mainly related to vegetation type,management of fertilization,cultivation method and human disturbance.The contents of different soil organic carbon fractions were all very low in abandoned land,while quite high in forest land and grassland because of the absence of human disturbance.Due to the fertilization and ploughing in vegetable field,soil organic carbon contents did not obviously differ in topsoil and subsoil of vegetable field,while the contents of 5organic carbon fractions all significantly differ in topsoil and subsoil of citrus orchard.The abandoned land was affected by the previous cultivation and the time afterland abandoning was short.Therefore,the input of organic matter was very limited and the ratio of POC/MOC was relatively low in abandoned land.Since vegetable field was affected by fertilization and ploughing,the ratio of POC/MOC in the topsoil and subsoil of vegetable field was relatively stable.In grassland,citrus orchard and forest land,POC/MOC in 0—20cm of soil were higher than that in 20—40cm of soil,with the organic carbon contents in subsoil were more stable than those in topsoil.Significant correlations were observed between the contents of organic carbon fractions in 0—20cm and 20—40cm of soil.In 0—20cm of soil,positive relationships existed between TOC and LOFC,TOC and MOC,and between LFOC and POC.In 20—40cm of soil,significant positive correlations were found between TOC and EOC and between MOC and LFOC.EOC and LFOC,as well as TOC and MOC,were positively correlated.The positive relationship between LFOC and POC was more significant in 20—40cm of soil than in topsoil.The results indicated that the stability of organic carbon increased from subsoil to topsoil.In particular,TOC,LFOC and MOC could reflect changes in soil carbon pool,which can be used as the sensitive indicators to indicate soil organic carbon stability.
In the present paper, concentration as an auxiliary parameter was introduced to the synchronous fluorescence to form concentration synchronous fluorescence matrix of the oil spill samples within the concentration range of 10(-1)-10 g x L(-1). Principal component analysis was used to classify the oil spill samples of 0# diesel, 93# gasoline and 5 crude oil simples from the Shengli oilfield. Experiments show that the introducing of concentration can reflect more composition information of the PAHs. This newly method has a better discrimination than the routine method of the synchronous fluorescence spectra obtained from spill oil samples in linear concentration range. It indicates that the spill oil samples of different type and source can be discriminated precisely, even from the same oilfield. The influence of the errors caused in the samples extraction procedure can be eliminated. All the results suggest that the technique may become a more convenient, rapid and accurate means in spill oil identification.
N C Med J. July/August 2010, Volume 71, Number 4 The new forms of electronic media have become the air that adolescents breathe. For more than seven hours per day, which is almost the amount of time most adults spend at work, adolescents are using some form of media.1 Indeed, it is difficult to imagine an adolescent without the ubiquitous cell phone, MP3 player, gaming device, or computer. In fact, the average adolescent in the United States owns more than three such devices.2 Although television is still the medium used most frequently (approximately four hours per day), newer forms of media that are digital, more interactive, and more mobile are increasingly attractive to adolescents. These “new media” include Web sites, online social-networking platforms (eg, MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter), computer-based multimedia (eg, CD-ROMs and DVDs) and games, and smart phones that provide Internet access. Although in-home Internet access and quality varies slightly by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, the digital divide is narrowing quickly, and nearly all adolescents report going online at home or school.2
Significantly higher germination in Albizia species was achieved within first eight days, when seeds of middle (32-48cm dbh) and mature (48-64cm dbh) trees i.e., of age class B or C, stored for six months were treated with acid and kept at 30οC temperature conditions. In case of Acacia catechu , the seeds of mature tree (16-24cm dbh) i.e. age class C stored for a period of three or five months, treated with acid and germinated at 30οC brought about significantly maximum increase in germination within only first six days. Irrespective of age class and incubation temperature, the seeds of Alnus nitida stored for a period of four months and treated with cold water showed significantly maximum germination within first fourteen days. A gradual but significant increase in germination tiJ1 fourteen days was noticed in seeds of Dalbergia sissoo which were stored for a period of six months, treated with cold water and incubated at 30οC temperature condition. The various tree diameter age classes had no significant effect on germination in seeds of Alnus and Dalbergia sissoo species.
O modelo de Heisenberg, descrevendo a interacao de troca entre spins classicos, e investigado na superficie da fita de Mobius. Excitacoes do tipo-vortice, caracterizadas por cargas topologicas nao-triviais, sao estudadas como solucoes estaticas no regime de rotor planar. Alem da carga, discute- se tambem a energetica associada a tal solucao.%%%%We consider the classical version of the Heisenberg exchange model on the surface of a Mobius strip. Vortex- like excitations, carrying non-trivial charge (topological winding number), are shown to emerge as static solutions in the planar rotator regime. Besides such a charge, attention is also paid to discuss about its energetics.
The views of the Russian philosopher N. Berdyaev on the problem of personality as a subject of being are considered in the article. The philosopher aspires to profound consideration of the problem by means of creation of complete anthropology in the context of existential philosophy. In the author's opinion, the basic aspects of Berdyaev's idea about personality, which are presented in the article, have great importance for the practice of modern humanitarian knowledge.
On August 5 and 13,2005,two M5.3 earthquakes respectively occurred in Huize and Wenshan of Yunnan Province.We give the basic parameters of the Huize and Wenshan M5.3 earthquake sequences,calculate the source parameters of the two mainshocks,and discuss the difference between the two earthquake sequences. Furthermore,we introduce the fact that the occurrence times and locations of the two shocks had been predicted using the modified time-to-failure method before the events.On the basis of above data,we analyze the seismic activity tendency in the near future in Yunnan.There are obvious signs showing that new round of activity of strong earthquakes will shift to the east of Yunnan from the west of Yunnan.
Three cases with a family history of type II hereditary angioedema (HAE) are presented, together with their progress following treatment with stanozolol. The development of patients with this drug was satisfactory in clinical terms, as it gave rise to virtually no side effects or angioedema episodes. Only patient 3 showed an elevation of hepatic enzyme (SGOT, SGPT) levels in serum, 2 months after starting treatment. C4 values of patient 2 attained sporadic normalization in the first five months of treatment, while the values corresponding to the other two patients remained below normal at all times. The activity of C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) remained below normal in all three cases. In patient 3, it was observed that circulating immunocomplex (CIC) monitoring was, together with clinical progress, a useful method for controlling HAE activity.
It is prerequisite for scientific development of Chinese university informatization to have a correct understanding on higher education informatization.The author traces the development process of informatization,analyses the origins of informationization,education informationization,higher education informatization in China and the characteristics of different definitions on these three concepts.The author points out that information and information stream are the essential connotation of informatization and further analyses Chinese education informatization practical development from the perspective of information,then puts forward a new explanation of connotation of higher education informatization.
ABSTRACT Background : Feeding difficulties are identified as any problem that negatively affects the process of providing food or supplying nutrition that are concerned as a major health problem worldwide. However, there was a limited study of feeding difficulties in children aged 6-24 months towards proportion and nutritional status in In Indonesia. Therefore, through this identification, there is an intention that people could anticipate any nutritional problems in children with feeding difficulties. Objective : This studi was aimed to identify the proportion and nutritional status in children aged 6-24 months with feeding difficulties in Semarang. Methods : This was a cross-sectional study. Subjects for this study were 95 children aged 6-24 months who had problems during feeding practices according to their parents. The study was conducted in Tandang and Sendangguwo sub-district. The diagnosis of feeding difficulties was obtained from interviewing parents and filling in the questionnaire. The nutritional status of children was assessed through anthropometry assessment. Results : There were two types of feeding difficulties on subjects, inappropriate feeding practice (95.8%) and parental misperception (4.2%). The nutritional status of children with parental misperception was normal (4.2%), while the nutritional status of children with inappropriate feeding practice were obese (1.1%), overweight (1.1%), normal (86.3%), mild malnutrition (5.3%), and severe malnutrition (2.1%). Conclusions : The highest proportion of feeding difficulties was due to inappropriate feeding practice, while the majority of the nutritional status of the children was in terms of normal. Keywords : feeding difficulties, nutritional status, children, aged 6-24 months
Plication of the long saphenous vein at the saphenofemoral junction (SFJ) can be used as an alternative to flush ligation and stripping in patients with superficial venous incompetence. The aim of this technique is to reduce or abolish venous reflux at the SFJ without causing permanent alterations of the vein which might be used in future for peripheral arterial surgery or coronary artery bypass grafting. The selection of the ideal candidate for SFJ plication must be done on the basis of ambulatory venous pressure measurements, Doppler, and duplex scanning which indicate and quantify the superficial incompetence. To be effective plication of the SFJ has to reduce the calibre of the vein to 60-70% of the initial calibre for a length of 1-1.5 cm allowing the valve cusps to close when flow in the femoral vein is reversed (ie., by Valsalva manoeuvre). In a series of 8 patients evaluated 8 months after plication of the SFJ, venous reflux was significantly reduced (at Doppler and duplex examination and at ambulatory venous pressure measurements) and the improvement of haemodynamic data was associated with an improvement of symptoms. In conclusion, on the basis of these data the treatment of incompetence of the long saphenous vein by SFJ plication is an effective physiological alternative to flush ligation. However long term results must be evaluated before it can be definitively used.
The present invention relates to embodiments of the bandwidth allocation method of detecting, and / or relocated to an optional bandwidth interference with other systems. Further a high-bandwidth channel may be disposed on the channel boundaries 410 and may be limited to overlapping, the channel boundaries are further sub-set of channels for the low-bandwidth channel boundary 310. The first channel, second channel, or the first and the interference can be detected by the combination of the second channel 930, it may be detected in response to the energy measure of the channel number 910. If interference is detected, more basic service set of a high-bandwidth (BSS; 100) is or can be relocated to an optional channel can be reduced, the bandwidth to avoid interference. Interference can be detected based on the difference between the energy and / or the two-channel measurements in the first or second channel. FFT (1010) may be used when the energy measurement at one or both of the first channel and second channel. Stations also monitor the message from the selective system for performing the channel allocation decision. A number of other aspects are provided.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) has been used to study the keto-enol equilibrium in a number of trifluoromethyl S-diketones as well as the dihydropyrazoles obtained when these S-diketones are reacted with thiosemicarbazide. The technique of Aromatic Solvent-Induced Shifts (ASIS) has been used to study the geometry of the collision complex and the strength of the association between solute and solvent. From the data presented, the stereochemistry of these pyrazoles has been determined and a reaction mechanism for th~ir formation has been proposed.
Background: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) one of the most common severe autosomal recessive disorders is caused by mutations in CFTR gene. The mutation distributions vary widely between different geographical and ethnic groups. In view of ethnic nature of Kashmiri population (North India), we aim at looking for the 3 common mutations Δ508, 3849+10 kb, C>T and W1282X in CF suspected cases.  Method: The mutations were evaluated in 150 highly suspected children with CF, proven by clinical features. ARMS-PCR was used for mutation detection of Δ508 and W1282X while as 3849+10 kb, C>T was assessed by indigenously developed ARMS-PCR and results were confirmed by RFLP.  Results: Of the 150 suspected CF cases, one of the three mutations was found in 60 out of the 300 alleles genotyped. Δ508 mutation was found in 36 of 150 (24%) cases, 3849+10 kb, C>T in 24 of 150(16%) cases while as no mutation was observed in W1282X. Interestingly 08 of 09 samples with normal sweat chloride were detected positive for 3849+10 kb, C>T mutation.  Conclusion: In this report, frequency of the Δ508 mutation in Kashmiri children with CF is less as compared to the Western Countries. Interestingly, we identified 3849+10 kb, C>T mutation as unique in population under study with much higher frequency as compared to rest of the world. Further we found intron 19, 3849+10 kb, C>T mutation serves as marker in those CF cases having sweat chloride negative.
Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), an inhibitor of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), prevents the development of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT)-positive foci in the early stages of hepatocarcinogenesis in rats. Since high rates of DNA and cholesterol (CH) synthesis are observed during promotion of carcinogenesis, and mevalonate (MVA), or some other intermediates of CH synthesis, could be mediators of DNA synthesis, we investigated the effect of DHEA on CH synthesis in rat liver during the development of GGT-positive foci. Hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by diethylnitrosamine in female Wistar rats by the Solt-Farber protocol (initiation/selection) with and without phenobarbital treatment. A 15 day treatment with DHEA (0.6% in the diet), started after selection, caused a great fall in labeling and mitotic indices of GGT-positive foci, which was prevented by the simultaneous administration of a mixture of four deoxyribonucleosides (DRNs) of adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine or four ribonucleosides (RNs) of adenine, guanine, cytosine and uridine, but not by the corresponding bases. DHEA greatly inhibited G6PD activity and the production of ribulose-5-phosphate, without affecting NADPH levels, due to the compensatory increase in malic enzyme and isocitric dehydrogenase activities. Serum lecithin/cholesterol acyltransferase activity underwent a reduction in conditions allowing a rapid growth of GGT-positive tissue (absence of DHEA or presence of DHEA plus DRNs or RNs). Liver slices isolated from DHEA-treated rats showed a rise in CH content, coupled with a 80% fall in the incorporation of labeled acetate, but not of labeled MVA, into CH. A 25 day treatment of rats subjected to initiation/selection, started after the appearance of persistent nodules, caused a 36 and 78% fall in the incorporation, in vivo, of 3H2O into nodular and surrounding liver CH respectively. DRN did not counteract DHEA-induced inhibition on CH synthesis. Thus DHEA inhibits the CH biosynthetic pathway before MVA synthesis, in conditions (presence of DHEA plus DRN/RN) allowing rapid growth of preneoplastic lesions. Therefore, the development of these lesions does not need the synthesis of large amounts of CH and CH metabolites. Thus, the antipromotion effect of DHEA may depend on a decreased availability of pentose phosphates for DNA synthesis.
OleA catalyzes the condensation of fatty acyl groups in the first step of bacterial long-chain olefin biosynthesis, but the mechanism of the condensation reaction is controversial. In this study, OleA from Xanthomonas campestris was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The purified protein was shown to be active with fatty acyl-CoA substrates that ranged from C8 to C16 in length. With limiting myristoyl-CoA (C14), 1 mol of the free coenzyme A was released/mol of myristoyl-CoA consumed. Using [14C]myristoyl-CoA, the other products were identified as myristic acid, 2-myristoylmyristic acid, and 14-heptacosanone. 2-Myristoylmyristic acid was indicated to be the physiologically relevant product of OleA in several ways. First, 2-myristoylmyristic acid was the major condensed product in short incubations, but over time, it decreased with the concomitant increase of 14-heptacosanone. Second, synthetic 2-myristoylmyristic acid showed similar decarboxylation kinetics in the absence of OleA. Third, 2-myristoylmyristic acid was shown to be reactive with purified OleC and OleD to generate the olefin 14-heptacosene, a product seen in previous in vivo studies. The decarboxylation product, 14-heptacosanone, did not react with OleC and OleD to produce any demonstrable product. Substantial hydrolysis of fatty acyl-CoA substrates to the corresponding fatty acids was observed, but it is currently unclear if this occurs in vivo. In total, these data are consistent with OleA catalyzing a non-decarboxylative Claisen condensation reaction in the first step of the olefin biosynthetic pathway previously found to be present in at least 70 different bacterial strains.
Part 1 Settling the pop score...: grounding aesthetic and ideological values musical codes and compositional design modelling identity interpreting ironic intent further discursions into the pop text towards a critical musicology of the popular mobilizing the pop score. Part 2 "I'll never be an angel" - stories of deception in Madonna's music: reading musical codes in Madonna's performance hearing, seeing, feeling gender spectatorship and seduction production and (post)modernist "survival" final concluding thoughts. Part 3 Anti-rebel, lonesome boy - Morrissey in crisis?: with a thorn in his side constructs of male identity in Morrissey characterization and "star" depiction modelling empathy through vocal "sound" interpreting ironic markers in pop texts conclusion. Part 4 Annie Lennox's "Money Can't Buy It" - masquerading identity: opting for gender disguise questions of musical coding visualizing sound through videography being "totally" diva conclusion. Part 5 "Call it performance, honey" - the Pet Shop Boys: masculinity in the 1980s being boring and clever - style as rhetoric banality - political discourses of pleasure and power "disco-tex and the sexelettes" -satirical musical address towards a PSB discourse conclusion. Part 6 Subversive musical pleasures in "The Artist (Again) Known as Prince": dialectics of music and imagination identity as racial commodity stylistic and technical codes in "Diamonds and Pearls" sexing and "spinning" gender in musical expression carnivalesque musical display - signs of the times conclusion.
Demetrios Chomatenos, the archbishop of Ohrid, mentions several patriarchs of   Constantinople in his numerous acts, particularly those whose decisions were   used in the deliberations of his archbishopric's court. An analysis of the   fashion in which the patriarchs of Constantinople were referred to in the   official acts of the archbishop of Ohrid is conducted in order to offer a   more nuanced picture of Chomatenos' stance toward his spiritual adversary in   Nicaea and a comparison with the ways in which he addressed his   contemporary, the Nicene patriarch Germanos.
The propagation of an intense laser beam in a corrugated plasma channel is investigated. By using the source-dependent expansion technique, an evolution equation of the laser spot size is derived. The behaviors including aperiodic oscillation, resonance, beat-like wave, and periodic oscillation with multipeak are found and analyzed. The formula for the instantaneous wave numbers of these oscillations is obtained. These theoretical findings are confirmed by the final numerical simulation.
At present, we still can see many beautiful buildings combining Chinese and western architecture culture in the hometown of overseas Chinese. Through the overseas Chinese local-style dwelling houses buildings are researched and analyzed, we can realize the collision and blend between two kind of building culture, and to realize the value of these buildings. In this, we take Kaiping in Guangdong one of home town of overseas Chinese as an example to do some research on the overseas Chinese local-style dwelling houses building, and to expatiate how to deal with the challenge better in today's diversification architectural culture world.
THE Fourth Campaign of the Joint Expedition of the American School of Oriental Research, Baghdad, and the University Museum, Philadelphia, proved to be one of major importance. In this note we will give only the briefest possible resume of the season, reserving more complete information until a later date. Over an area of about one fourth of the mound, the 12th stratum from the top was uncovered, 10, 11 and sub-11 having been passed through, mapped and destroyed (Fig. 1). The latter three were, in general, the same as 8 and 9, although architecturally 11 and sub-11 are closer to I2 than to the later strata. Their temples and
The cytochemical localization of endogenous peroxidase activity in sinus lining cells of mouse liver has been investigated. Kupffer cells, as identified by their exclusive ability to phagocytize large (0.8 micron) latex particles, exhibited strong peroxidase activity in nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum. In addition, weak to moderate peroxidase activity was found in 57% of all endothelial cells. The enzyme in endothelial cells was also localized in nuclear envelope and endoplasmic reticulum, with a negative reaction in the Golgi apparatus. These observations indicate that peroxidase staining, as a marker for identification of Kupffer cells in mouse liver, is only of limited value and should be used in conjunction with other methods (e.g., latex phagocytosis).
HYPOTHESIS Survival of patients with adenocarcinoma of the duodenum depends on the ability to perform a complete resection and the tumor stage   DESIGN Retrospective case series.   SETTING Tertiary care referral center.   PATIENTS A cohort of 101 consecutive patients (mean age, 62 years), undergoing surgery for duodenal adenocarcinoma from January 1, 1976, through December 31, 1996. Patients with ampullary carcinoma were specifically excluded. Mean duration of follow-up was 4 years.   INTERVENTIONS Surgery was curative in 68 patients (67%) and palliative in 33 patients (33%). Of the curative group, 50 patients (74%) underwent radical surgery, ie, 30 (60%), pancreaticoduodenectomy; 15 (30%), pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy; and 5 (10%), total pancreatectomy. A more limited resection procedure was used in 18 patients (26%) involving a segmental duodenal resection in 15 (83%) and a transduodenal excision in 3 (17%). patient survival, and correlation with patient and tumor variables using univariate and multivariate analysis.   RESULTS Actuarial 5-year survival for the curative group was 54%. Only 1 patient in the unresected group survived beyond 3 years. Nodal metastasis (P = .002), advanced tumor stage (P<.001), positive resection margin (P = .02), and weight loss (P<.001) had a significant negative impact on survival in multivariate analysis. Tumor grade, size, and location within the duodenum had no impact on survival. Patient age and tumor depth of invasion influenced survival in univariate analysis, but lost their prognostic significance in multivariate analysis.   CONCLUSIONS Metastasis to lymph nodes, advanced tumor stage, and positive resection margins are associated with decreased survival in patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma. An aggressive surgical approach that achieves complete tumor resection with negative margins should be pursued. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is usually required for cancers of the first and second portion of the duodenum. Segmental resection may be appropriate for selected patients, especially for tumors of the distal duodenum.
Utilisation and production of amino acids by isolates of Branhamella catarrhalis was studied by ion exchange chromatography after cells had been grown in nutrient broth and Mueller-Hinton broth. The profiles of amino acids used and produced by each strain were compared by a single linkage cluster algorithm. The results of this study reflect the biochemical and physiological heterogeneity amongst strains of B. catarrhalis.
The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of a series of methyltin halides containing 13C, 117Sn, and 119Sn in natural abundance have been measured. In all cases the reduced coupling constant K(119Sn–13C) is positive, and K(119Sn–1H) is negative. There is an approximately linear correlation between J(119Sn–13C) and J(119Sn–1H) but the form of the relationship indicates that terms other than the Fermi contact interaction must make an appreciable contribution to at least one of the two coupling constants.
This chapter forms the land case study for Germany. As with all empirical chapters it explores several key themes in relation to food charity in Germany: • the history of food charity in the national context and the relationship between the welfare state and charities; • the nature of and drivers behind contemporary food charity provision; • key changes in social policy and their impact on rising charitable food provision; • and the social justice implications of increasing need for charitable assistance with food. The chapter concludes with critical reflections on the future direction of food charity provision in Germany and the implications of this.
Three experiments studied auditory streaming using sequences of alternating "ABA" triplets, where "A" and "B" were 50-ms tones differing in frequency by Δf semitones and separated by 75-ms gaps. Experiment 1 showed that detection of a short increase in the gap between a B tone and the preceding A tone, imposed on one ABA triplet, was better when the delay occurred early versus late in the sequence, and for Δf = 4 vs. Δf = 8. The results of this experiment were consistent with those of a subjective streaming judgment task. Experiment 2 showed that the detection of a delay 12.5 s into a 13.5-s sequence could be improved by requiring participants to perform a task on competing stimuli presented to the other ear for the first 10 s of that sequence. Hence, adding an additional task demand could improve performance via its effect on the perceptual organization of a sound sequence. The results demonstrate that attention affects streaming in an objective task and that the effects of build-up are not completely under voluntary control. In particular, even though build-up can impair performance in an objective task, participants are unable to prevent this from happening.
In the original history of the socialist calculation debate (e.g., Bergson, 1948), Oscar Lange proved that bureaucrats can find the equivalent of equilibrium prices through trial and error. In the revised history of this debate (e.g., Caldwell, 1997; Lavoie, 1985), Lange proposed an erroneous solution to the calculation problem. Dynamic entrepreneurial rivalry moves prices toward equilibrium. Lange and other “Market Socialists” allies thought only in terms of a static competitive market equilibrium that excludes the role entrepreneurs play in adjusting prices.
Summary A hitherto unknown description of Drosophila melanogaster is presented. It was written by Baron Wilhelm Friedrich von Gleichen genannt Rusworm (1717–83) and edited in 1764 by Johann Cristoph Keller (1737–95) who also engraved the accompanying copper-plate which has been colourfully illuminated. Text and illustration render a precise and detailed account of all three developmental stages—larva, pupa and imago of the ‘little vinegar fly’.
The parallel interference cancellation (PIC) principle is a conceptually simple and yet effective method of parameter estimation and data detection in the presence of multiple-access and multipath interference. It unifies some of the known methods of data detection, complex channel coefficient estimation, as well as delay tracking in DS-CDMA receivers. The PIC method will be derived and some numerical results for data detection, channel coefficient estimation and delay tracking will be presented.
Abstract To investigate the relationship amongst human growth hormone (HGH), sex, and age groups. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a health check-up population from Wannan area of China from 2014 to 2016. The study involved 6843 individuals aged 23 to 85 years. Logistic regression analysis and smooth curve were applied to determine the relationship amongst age, sex, and HGH. The average level of HGH in the population was 0.37 ± 0.59 ng/mL. There were significant differences in sex, age, body mass index (BMI), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and glucose (GLU) amongst different quartiles of HGH (P < .001). A U-shape relationship was established between HGH and age. After sex stratification, the results showed that the thresholds of age were 60 years in women, and 50 years in men, after adjusting for body mass index, triglycerides, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood glucose. Logistic regression showed that HGH level decreased in women aged <60 years (OR = 1.472, P < .001) and increased in men aged >50 years (OR = 0.711, P < .001). So the distributive characteristics of HGH concentration vary with sex and age group.
A retrieval methodology based on the Bayesian neural network (BNN) is presented that inverts the ice water path (IWP), mean mass-weighted diameter (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D_{ mathrm {me}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>), and cloud height of ice clouds from submillimeter radiometer observations. The training dataset was created using collecting cloud profiles from the DARDAR (raDAR/liDAR) database and running simulations by the atmospheric radiative transfer simulator (ARTS) model. Since the effective radius (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$r_{e}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) is the size descriptor of ice particles in the DARDAR database, a lookup table of ice water content (IWC), <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D_{ mathrm {me}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$r_{e}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> was constructed to convert <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$r_{e}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> profiles into <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D_{ mathrm {me}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> profiles. In addition, random noises corresponding to the measurement uncertainties of the compact scanning submillimeter-wave imaging radiometer (CoSSIR) during the TC4 experiment were added to the simulated brightness temperatures before training the BNN. The proposed retrieval method was first applied to the simulated testing database and then to the observations of CoSSIR. Moreover, the retrieved IWP and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D_{ mathrm {me}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> were compared to the retrievals of the Bayesian Monte Carlo integration (BMCI) method. The retrieved cloud height was assessed by cloud height extracted from the reflectivity data of the cloud radar system (CPS) flow on the same aircraft with CoSSIR. The comparison showed that the correlation coefficients of the retrieved IWP and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$D_{ mathrm {me}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> from the two methods are above 0.8, and the retrieved cloud height also showed good agreement with that extracted from the CPS.
The subject may be the meeting of Paris and Helen, but this is not certain, and what concerns us is the small bird on the ground near one of the Erotes, who is much interested in it. The bird alone is figured, from a more accurate drawing by Robert Zahn, by Studniczka in the 1897 Leipsig edition of the Characters (Theophrasts Charaktere, p. 166, with text pp. 168-9). A tiny shield, domZtOKIOV, is fastened to the left wing, and the head is adorned with a big helmet-crest. Studniczka thought that the crest was perhaps natural, but the new vase rather suggests that it is artificial. The bird is not of the same sort as in the new vase: with its plump shape and bugled eye it makes one think of a robin, but the species cannot really be determined. It would be a pity to pass over, even if one cannot explain, the enigmatic figure on an Italiote skyphos of Gnathian ware, still fourth-century, in Berlin (3517: Jh. xxxii, p. 30). The creature that stalks along, armed with spear and shield, has the body and legs of a bird, a wader, but human head and phallus. The long cadaverous face is like a caricature of Don Quixote; large ears, horns. The monogram on the shield, M and E in ligature, ought to give the clue. Gerhard though of Metapontum; Hafner {Jh. xxxii, pp. 29-31) recalled the companions of Memnon who were transformed into the birds called [iefivovl8es, which according to a legend preserved by late writers fought each other every year above the tomb of their master; I have sometimes thought of Menelaos.
Abstract Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs), widely used in consumer products, paints, pharmaceutical preparations and so on, have been shown to induce cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenic responses in vitro and in vivo. The present study revealed that TiO2 NPs induce significant (p < 0.05) oxidative DNA damage by the Fpg-Comet assay even at 1 µg/ml concentration. A corresponding increase in the micronucleus frequency was also observed. This could be attributed to the reduced glutathione levels with concomitant increase in lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species generation. Furthermore, immunoblot analysis revealed an increased expression of p53, BAX, Cyto-c, Apaf-1, caspase-9 and caspase-3 and decreased the level of Bcl-2 thereby indicating that apoptosis induced by TiO2 NPs occurs via the caspase-dependent pathway. This study systematically shows that TiO2 NPs induce DNA damage and cause apoptosis in HepG2 cells even at very low concentrations. Hence the use of such nanoparticles should be carefully monitored.
Novel nonthermal processing technologies such as high-intensity pulsed electric field (HIPEF) treatments may be applied to pasteurize plant-based liquid foods as an alternative to conventional heat treatments. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in HIPEF as a way of preserving and extending the shelf-life of liquid products without the quality damage caused by heat treatments. However, less attention has been paid to the effects of HIPEF on minor constituents of these products, namely bioactive compounds. This review is a state-of–the-art update on the effects of HIPEF treatments on health-related compounds in plants of the Mediterranean diet such as fruit juices, and Spanish gazpacho. The relevance of HIPEF-processing parameters on retaining plant-based bioactive compounds will be discussed.
What sets the curatorial practice in a biennial exhibition model today? A question, among many others, raised during the project structuring of the 9th Mercosul Biennial | Porto Alegre, from September 13th to November 10th 2013, under the title, in Portuguese, "Se o Clima for Favoravel" (in Spanish, "Si el tiempo lo permite"; in English, "Weather Permitting"), is contained in this interview with art director and general curator of this issue, Sofia Hernandez Chong Cuy. The meeting, which took place during the unfolding of the event, shares with the reader the questions generated during the process of construction of a large-scale exhibition event. On one side, curating, and on the other, museography, considered from the professional activities performed by the ones involved in this conversation during the biennial edition, meet to, through open dialogue, establish an attempt to think critically about the experience of exhibition practices nowadays – amid design and materialization, debate and provocation, curatorial and artistic intentionality, interpretation and public presentation of contemporary art.
The heat used in electrocautery causes cells to boil and explode, or simply dry up, producing a gaseous by-product known as diathermy smoke. This smoke may have mutagenic and carcinogenic potential, similar to that of cigarette smoke (Spearman et al, 2007). A search of electronic databases was performed and selected articles were reviewed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool to enable a review of relevant material to be undertaken. The findings of the review identified 45 compounds, 9 of these were found to be hazardous when cross referenced against the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) list of approved workplace exposure limits (Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 2011) and 4 were carcinogens. This research indicates that the use of an extraction device to remove smoke when using diathermy is best practice. However, until more conclusive evidence is available on the actual health risks of diathermy smoke, as opposed to the potential health risks, it will be difficult f...
Rural elders have a disproportionate prevalence of illness and limited access to health services. The purpose of this study is to determine whether degree of rurality and home health care use influences home health care patient outcomes. An adaptation of the Outcomes Model for Health Care Research provided the framework for the study. A stratified random sample was selected from a database of risk-adjusted publicly reported patient outcomes from Medicare-certified home health care agencies and merged with agency factors from Medicare cost reports and U.S. Census data. Path analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships in the model. Hospitalization is the only outcome variable associated with community and agency characteristics or home health care use. Rurality does not have a direct effect on hospitalization; however, increased visits per patient and low-income community status are associated with increased hospitalization. Rurality may not have a direct effect on outcomes but instead acts through health care services.
Hyperspectral images and polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) data are two important data sources, yet they barely appear under the same scope, even though multi-modal data fusion is attracting more and more attention. To our best knowledge, this paper investigates for the first time semi-supervised manifold alignment (SSMA) for the fusion of the hyperspectral image and PolSAR data. The SSMA searches a latent space where different data sources are aligned, which is accomplished by using the label information and the topological structure of the data. This paper is the first attempt to apply topological data analysis (TDA), a recent mathematic sub-field of data analysis, in remote sensing. It aims to reveal relevant information from the shape of a data in its feature space, and has been proven powerful in medicine. The paper also proposes a novel algorithm, MAPPER-regularized manifold alignment, which embeds the TDA into a semi-supervised manifold alignment for the fusion of the hyper-spectral image and PolSAR data. The proposed algorithm exhibits superior performance in fusing a simulated EnMAP data set and a Sentinel-1 data set for an image of Berlin.
In this paper, we prove that if a disjoint union of a countable number of complex a1⁄2ne subspaces is interpolating for the HoÈrmander algebra, then it can be written as the common zero set of a 1 functions in the HoÈrmander algebra, where a is the maximum number of codimensions of the complex a1⁄2ne subspaces. Finally, we prove with an example in one complex variable that the number a 1 is lowest.
3055Background: Avelumab* is a fully human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 antibody showing preliminary efficacy in multiple tumor types. We report updated safety data of single-agent avelumab in patients (pts) with locally advanced or metastatic (LA/M) solid tumors from a phase 1b trial (NCT01772004). Methods: Pts from 16 different expansion cohorts (including NSCLC, gastric, ovarian, urothelial, mesothelioma, and breast), all unselected for PD-L1 expression, received avelumab 10 mg/kg IV Q2W until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. Treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) were graded by NCI-CTCAE v4.0. Results: As of Nov 5, 2015, 1,300 pts received avelumab and were followed for ≥ 4 wks. Median age was 63 y (range 20-91), ECOG PS was 0 (37.7%), 1 (62.1%), or 2-3 (0.2%), and median number of prior lines of anticancer therapy was 2 (range 1-13). Median duration of treatment with avelumab and number of administrations were 11.5 wks (range 2-104) and 5 infusions (range 1-50), respectively. Treatment-related ...
In this work, we consider a scenario where a time sensitive source is broadcasted to multiple receivers by a base station (BS) over unilateral networks. A recently proposed metric-the Age of Information (AoI) is adopted to measure data freshness from the perspective of receiver. Unlike previous work, we consider that the BS receives no feedback from receivers and thus broadcasts every fixed interval. We derived the optimum fixed interval such that the average AoI can be minimized. Our work suggests that, when the transmission delay is highly random, the optimum fixed interval is larger than the expected transmission delay so that success delivery to more users can be guaranteed. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results show that without feedback, the average AoI performance following the proposed policy is near to transmission policy that utilizes receiver feedback.
The real and the virtual worlds are growing speedily and closely to form the Internet of Things (IoT). In fact, IoT has stimulated the factories and the governments to launch an evolutionary journey toward the fourth industrial revolution called Industry 4.0. Industrial production of the new era will be highly flexible in production volume and customization, extensive integration between customers, companies, and suppliers, and above all sustainable. Reviewing and analyzing the current initiatives and related studies of the smart factories/Industry 4.0, this paper presents a reference architecture for IoT-based smart factories, defines the main characteristics of such factories with a focus on the sustainability perspectives. And then it proposes an approach for energy management in smart factories based on the IoT paradigm: a guideline and expected benefits are discussed and presented.
OBJECTIVES: to examine the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (Sisvan) as a tool for monitoring the National Strategy for Healthy Complementary Nutrition (ENPACS) in the 40 municipalities overseen by the Belo Horizonte regional superintendent for health (SRS-BH). METHODS: a descriptive study was carried out involving all children aged under two being accompanied by the Sisvan Web between 2008 and 2011. The coverage of the Sisvan Web was calculated by dividing the number of children aged under two years accompanied by the Sisvan Web by the total population for the same age group. A questionnaire relating to the technical references of the Sisvan of the municipalities under investigation was sent to collect information on the functioning of the Sisvan. RESULTS: the coverage of the Sisvan Web, in all municipalities, varied from 4.3% (2008) to 10.7% (2011). The questionnaire was answered by 38 municipalities in the SRS-BH, 31.6% of whom reported using data from the Sisvan Web system as a basis for nutritional interventions. CONCLUSIONS: the study identified low coverage, poor utilization of data and the need to improve the Sisvan, in order to generate consistent information on nutrition and food among children aged under two years, thereby making it appropriate for monitoring of the ENPACS.
LETTERSTO THE EDITOR 2615 recorded, but J. T can remember several subjects who achieved lactate concentrations previously attained only by submerged turtles. We can recall one small vignette which serves as a vivid metaphor for the spectacular advance of science since 1942. In that year we had a progressive party at 70 Howe Street, an apartment house in which a number of us lived. We had drinks and hors d’oeuvres in one apartment and moved to another for the next course, dozens of roasted squab that had been laboriously plucked by none other than J. R. B. The pigeons were donated by Abe White, who happened to be purifying prolactin at the time. His central contribution to our dinner was due to the fact that the pigeon crop assay was the only available prolactin assay at the time. Certainly, that must sound impressively archaic to contemporary students who were brought up in the age of radioimmunoassays, ELISAs, and monoclonal antibodies! 50-year-old memories come in the form of montages of loosely connected images. We recall, with affection, the single Evelyn colorimeter in a corner of Edith Fry’s lab, which was used by no fewer than a dozen of us, all on a strictly maintained time schedule. We remember that steroidologists and enzymologists occupied the same ecological niche in biochemistry (our department was called physiological chemistry) as molecular biologists do now. The dominant laboratory decorative motif of the day was the bank of Warburg manometers; the Dubnoff shaker had not yet been invented. The most advanced apparatus we saw was a model T Beckmann UV spectrophotometer. There was a primitive ultracentrifuge but it was used most warily. It stood demurely behind a barrier in the center of a fair-sized room, and no one was permitted in the room while it was actually spinning. In the office next to the lab in which J. T spent a year, Lou Goodman and Al Gilman were engaged in a lively, interminable dialogue that eventually resulted in the publication of their monumental textbook of pharmacology, now edited, most appropriately, by Alfred Goodman Gilman, who was a very small boy at the time. Inspired by Dean Winternitz’s studies of mustard gas in World War I, L. G. and A. G. showed, first, in mouse models and then, with Lindskog, in humans with lymphomata, the cancer chemotherapeutic potential of that nasty substance and it congeners. Now, there are young (and no longer young) physicians who spend all of their time designing chemotherapy protocols for patients with all kinds of cancers. You may have noticed that our reverie has been in the ecumenical spirit of the Federation: it has touched on physiology, pharmacology, biochemistry, nutrition, pathology, and immunology. (One of us, J. T, was proud to be a member of four of the constituent societies at one time. J. R. B. is the no less proud member of two.) It has been an enormous privilege for us to participate, however modestly, in the past half century’s progress in biological research and teaching. J. R. B. has seen the development of ideas, and new technologies, in neurobiology that were unimaginable in 1941-1942. J. T has marveled at the sophistication first, of ingenious new approaches to the study of intermediary metabolism and hormone action, and later, the application of the insights of molecular biology to these problems. We remember with affection and gratitude, some of the people who helped us when we began: S. W. Ranson, C. N. H. Long, John Fulton, Jane Russell Wilhelmi, and our good friend, Alfred Wilhelmi, who not only served as Helen M. T’s thesis advisor but also helped Virgina Dickerson (Davenport) and J. T. in crucial parts of the early lipogenesis studies. We are pleased that The FASEB Journal stimulated a pair of old friends to remember a time when the scientific world was a lot more cozy than it seems to us to be now.
This paper argues that the comparatively low levels of business start-ups in Japan need not be a matter of concern in so far as the pattern of growth relying on existing companies persists. But the declining trend of start-up rates may be worrisome for it may indicate waning entrepreneurship and weakening mechanisms of resource reallocation and economic growth. Policy measures to promote business start-ups are not based on well-founded studies at an aggregate level, which are lacking in the absence of comparable data, but rather are inspired by the successful US experience. The paper looks into two specific areas of policy--private equity markets and bankruptcy--where important progress has been made, and points to further scope for improvement. Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press.
Including others in a playful activity fundamentally changes the concept of play into social play. This thesis focuses on social play in digital gaming. Previous studies have revealed the crucial part of social interaction in play, as the intrinsic need to belong seems to be the core motivation for engaging in such activities. Besides interacting with the game and focusing on the game content, gamers are confronted with emotions, behaviours, opinions and performances of others that can easily be perceived when playing side by side (co-located co-play). However, the widespread penetration of the Internet also allows for social play without the restriction of co-players having to be in the same room (mediated co-play). In online co-play settings a smaller amount of social information can be exchanged compared to co-located co-play. These settings therefore differ in the way gamers can interact with each other, which has an influence on how digital gaming is experienced. Focus groups, contextual inquiries, and four experimental studies were employed to uncover which aspects of social play in digital gaming make mediated and co-located co-play feel different. The first study was conducted to explore the motivations of gamers to physically meet others to play digital games, compared to meeting them online. Based on interpersonal communications, focus groups and contextual inquiries, findings revealed that the appeal of co-located above online co-play results from the sociable, warm, sensitive, personal and intimate interactions that are possible when playing side-byside. Furthermore, co-located co-play offers the possibility to experience social fun before and after game play, which often is not afforded in online co-play. The first lab experiment was conducted to empirically demonstrate to what extent player experience is influenced by the way co-players are present; e.g. as a virtual (human controlled), mediated or co-located co-player. Results on self-reports indicated that playing sidebyside significantly adds to the enjoyment and involvement in games compared to playing against a virtual (i.e. computer controlled) or distant co-player. These results could be explained by introducing the concept of social presence, which is defined as the feeling of being together with another individual. Results demonstrated that social presence mediated the enjoyment in social play. In the second and third lab experiment the possibilities for verbal and non-verbal interaction were manipulated between coplayers in co-located co-play. One experiment investigated this for competitive play; a the other for collaborative play. Self-reports showed that interactions through auditory cues positively influenced player experience. Interestingly, the presence of visual cues of one’s co-player had no significant influence on play. Observation data of players confirmed that audio cues (e.g., talking, laughing) were far more often used than visual cues (e.g., eye contact, making gestures); visual cues were only used before and after play. Furthermore, we demonstrated that social presence – due to interaction by audio cues – mediates the enjoyment in social play. A final lab experiment was conducted to investigate the importance of the connection between players through the game for our results in the previous chapters. In this experiment players were colocated, but not always played together and/or were not always able to see each other’s scores. Results showed that a subjective shared experience increases the strength of the social connection between players, and positively affects feelings of social presence, enjoyment and involvement. Similar to the previous findings, social presence mediated the increase in feelings of enjoyment and involvement. In sum, our set of studies offered empirical support for when, why and how social interaction influences players’ experience in co-play settings. Furthermore, the results indicate the importance of social presence as a mediating factor of enjoyment and involvement in social play. This provides new theoretical insights for communication experiences in other media, and social presence in general. Furthermore, findings may be useful to game designers who may want to enhance players’ experiences in during digital play.
Objective: To examine the effects of chronic health conditions and functional status limitations on depression scores in a large representative sample of Americans. Method: The data included 27,461 respondents ages 50 to 90 who completed up to eight test occasions from the Health and Retirement Study. Multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) modeling was applied. Possible covariates of depression included arthritis, lung disease, back pain, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, 28 pairwise combinations of the aforementioned conditions, ADL functional limitations, age, education and being female, being white, and being Hispanic. Results: The best fitting model had a GRSq of 0.18 (comparable to R2 ) and included 12 of 42 covariates. Depression score was predicted by: 1) ADL limitations, 2) education, 3) back pain, 4) lung disease, 5) being female, 6) being Hispanic, 7) heart disease, 8) being white, 9) high blood pressure plus stroke, 10) age, 11) back pain plus arthritis, and 12) back pain plus diabetes. Conclusions: Functional limitations was the strongest predictor of depression; reporting one limitation increased depression scores by nearly double the increase associated with two or more limitations. Back pain and lung disease were the strongest chronic disease predictors of depression; both are associated with considerable discomfort.
In this paper, we investigate the influence of surface effects on SH-wave propagation in a nano-piezoelectric layered structure. The dispersion relationships are figured and presented. Through changing the thickness of piezoelectric layer and elastic layer, we find that the SH-wave exhibit thickness-dependence obviously in open and short electric boundary conditions. In addition, we research the propagation characteristics of SH-wave in two electric boundary conditions through changing the surface elastic constants of the top and the bottom free surfaces and the interface. From the results, we can find that in nanoscale, the changes of the thickness of nano-piezoelectric structures and surface elastic constants have a great effect on the characteristics of SH-wave propagation.
Abstract A photocleavable o-nitrobenzyl CE phosphoramidite building-block was synthesised and incorporated within oligonucleotides. After allele-specific primer extension, desalting was performed using genostrep purification plates. Release of the SNP information containing part through photocleavage created shortened molecules that are easily accessible for MALDI-TOF analysis. Additionally, incorporation of mass modified nucleosides enables flexible design of multiplex genotyping.
With the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT), sensor technologies and advancement in the analytics systems mainly in the form of deep learning algorithms, the long quest for developing human-centric applications like automated disease diagnosis, privacy-enabled analytics is becoming a reality. Knowledge-Driven Analytics and Systems Impacting Human Quality of Life (KDAH) is indeed an attractive proposition. For example, Phonocardiogram or heart sound-based detection of heart abnormality or Myocardial Infarction (MI) prediction using single lead Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals are signifying the capability of analytics algorithm to directly solve human-centric problems. We have proposed privacy-preserved analytics with phonocardiogram-based heart condition detection, established benchmark performance of MI detection using single lead ECG signals as well as demonstrated deep residual learning based algorithm to help carbon footprint management.
In the aerospace industry, there are very few examples of the use of mathematical optimization at an early stage in the design process, such that a significant contribution is made by these techniques before the structure of the vehicle has been almost fully developed. General Motors Research Laboratories have been engaged over the past ten years in the development and application of optimization techniques, but with the major aim of improving the design process. This paper focuses specifically on structural optimization. A number of examples of which are proven. It is shown that significant gains can be made if analysis takes place before bad design decisions are made.
Background—Use of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) in children aged <8 years is not recommended. The purpose of this study was to develop an ECG database of shockable and nonshockable rhythms from a broad age range of pediatric patients and to test the accuracy of the Agilent Heartstream FR2 Patient Analysis System for sensitivity and specificity. Methods and Results—Children aged ≤12 years who either developed arrhythmias or were at risk for developing arrhythmias were studied. Two sources were used for the database: children whose rhythms were recorded prospectively via a modified AED and children who had arrhythmias captured on paper and digitized for subsequent analysis. The rhythms were divided into 5-second strips, classified by 3 reviewers, and then assessed by the AED analysis algorithm. A total of 696 five-second rhythm strips from 191 children (81 female and 110 male) aged 1 day to 12 years (median 3.0 years) were analyzed. There was 100% specificity for nonshockable rhythms. Sensitivity for ventricular fibrillation was 96%. Conclusions—There was excellent AED rhythm analysis sensitivity and specificity in all age groups for ventricular fibrillation and nonshockable rhythms. The high specificity and sensitivity indicate that there is a very low risk of an inappropriate shock and that the AED correctly identifies shockable rhythms, making the algorithm both safe and effective for children.
This paper describes the Laurin thesaurus, which is used for indexing and searching in the Laurin system, a software package for digital clipping archives. As a multilingual thesaurus it complies with the corresponding standards, though presenting some approaches going beyond some of the standards' recommendations. The Laurin thesaurus integrates all kind of indexing terms, not only keywords, but proper names as well. The system of categories and relationships is described in detail.
We appraise neoclassical theory of growth with natural capital for the estimation of indicators for sustainability. Relationships between four theoretically distinct measures are clarified: Hicksian "change in capital stock value"; the Hartwick "net savings" (which excludes capital gains); "sustainable national income" (SNI); and "environmentally-adjusted net national product" (gNNP). An overlapping generations (OLG) general equilibrium model with depletable natural capital demonstrates the significance of model parameters determining technical feasibility and intertemporal distribution of consumption. Irremediable uncertainties in model specification and empirical measurement mean that the neoclassical theory is not robust for defining or estimating indicators for sustainability.
Neuro-rehabilitation services are essential in reducing post-stroke impairments, enhancing independence, and improving recovery in hospital and post-discharge. However these services are therapist-dependent and resource intensive. Patients’ disengagement and boredom in stroke units are common which adversely affect functional and psychological outcomes. Novel techniques such as use of iPads™ are increasingly researched to overcome such challenges. The aim of this review is to determine the feasibility, effectiveness, acceptability, and barriers to the use of iPads™ in stroke neuro-rehabilitation. Four databases and manual literature search were used to identify published studies using the terms “iPad”, “Stroke”, and “neuro-rehabilitation”. Studies were included in accordance with the review selection criteria. A total of 16 articles were included in the review. The majority of the studies focused on iPads use in speech and language therapy. Although of small scale, the studies highlighted that iPads are feasible, have the potential to improve rehabilitation outcomes, and can improve patient’s social isolation. Patients’ stroke severity and financial limitations are some of the barriers highlighted in this review. This review presents preliminary data supportive for the use of iPad technology in stroke neuro-rehabilitation. However, further research is needed to determine impact on rehabilitation goals acquisition, clinical efficacy, and cost-efficiency.
Water-quality, hydrological, and ecological data collected from June 2005 through September 2013 from the Little Blue River and smaller streams within the City of Independence, Missouri, are presented in this report. These data were collected as a part of an ongoing cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey and the City of Independence Water Pollution Control Department to characterize the water quality and ecological condition of Independence streams. The quantities, sources of selected constituents, and processes affecting water quality and aquatic life were evaluated to determine the resulting ecological condition of streams within Independence. Data collected for this study fulfill the municipal separate sewer system permit requirements for the City of Independence and can be used to provide a baseline with which city managers can determine the effectiveness of current (2014) and future best management practices within Independence. Continuous streamflow and water-quality data, collected during base flow and stormflow, included physical and chemical properties, inorganic constituents, common organic microconstituents, pesticides in streambed sediment and surface water, fecal indicator bacteria and microbial source tracking data, and suspended sediment. Dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, water temperature, and turbidity data were measured continuously at seven sites within Independence. Base-flow and stormflow samples were collected at eight gaged and two ungaged sites. Fecal sources samples were collected for reference for microbial source tracking, and sewage influent samples were collected as additional source samples. Dry-weather screening was done on 11 basins within Independence to identify potential contaminant sources to the streams. Benthic macroinvertebrate community surveys and habitat assessments were done on 10 stream sites and 2 comparison sites outside the city. Sampling and laboratory procedures and quality-assurance and quality-control methods used in data collection for this study are described in this report. Introduction The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the City of Independence, Missouri, Water Pollution Control (WPC) Department began a cooperative study in June 2005 to characterize and evaluate the water quality and ecological condition of streams within Independence. The quantities and sources of pollutants were determined to better understand the processes that affect water quality and its effect on aquatic life in Independence streams. Hydrological, water-quality, and ecological data were collected between June 2005 and September 2013 and compiled and summarized for this report. The data collected will assist Independence in fulfilling its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements for the municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4). According to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (2013), an MS4 is a system of conveyances that include man-made channels, pipes, tunnels, and storm drains, as well as surface streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, and ditches that discharge into waters of the United States. In order for Independence to meet the conditions for its MS4 permit and to design effective strategies to reduce contaminant discharges to streams, information about the source and nature of contaminants detected in receiving streams is needed. The data presented in this report can be used by Independence to evaluate differences between base-flow and stormflow water quality in its urban streams, implement its stormwater management program (SWMP), evaluate best management practices (BMPs), and establish a baseline by which the effectiveness of current (2014) and future BMPs can be measured.
OBJECTIVE This study examined whether pregnancy is associated with discontinuation of care for depression among low-income women.   METHODS Medicaid claims data from all 50 states were used in a matched cohort study design. The study included 3,237 women who gave birth between 1999 and 2000 and received depression treatment (antidepressant medications or a depression care visit) before initiating prenatal care. A control cohort of nonpregnant women receiving gynecologic care in the same period was matched by demographic and depression treatment characteristics.   RESULTS Prepregnancy, the antidepressant use rate was 66%. During pregnancy, antidepressant use dropped to 27% in the pregnant cohort compared with 62% in the control group (rate ratio [RR] =.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]=.41-.46) and remained low postpartum compared with the control group (35% versus 48%, RR=.74, CI=.70-.78). Similarly, depression care visits during the pregnancy period were reduced to 31% among the pregnant cohort compared with 49% for the control group (RR=.65, CI=.61-.69) and remained lower postpartum relative to the control group (24% versus 31%, RR=.78, CI=.73-.85). Interactions with pregnancy status were found for race-ethnicity and receipt of cash assistance from Medicaid. White women in the pregnancy cohort had a greater reduction in depression care visits than nonwhite women during the pregnancy period but less reduction in antidepressant use postpartum relative to the control group. Cash assistance was associated with less discontinuation in depression care visits postpartum compared with the control group (p<.05).   CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy was associated with discontinuation of any depression care among women receiving Medicaid; care did not resume postpartum. Race-ethnicity and Medicaid cash benefit status moderated this finding. Efforts are needed to mitigate these reductions.
Recently, analog Joint Source-Channel Coding (JSCC) has been shown to approach the optimal distortion-cost trade-off when transmitting over AWGN channels. In this work we consider analog JSCC over frequency-selective channels using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) modulation. Due to its high complexity, optimal MMSE analog JSCC decoding is infeasible in OFDM, hence a practical two-stage decoding approach made up of a MMSE estimator followed by a Maximum Likelihood (ML) decoder is proposed. Three different alternatives for system optimization are considered: non-adaptive coding, adaptive coding, and adaptive coding with precoding. We show that the three analog JSCC transmission strategies approach the optimal distortion-cost trade-off although much better performance is obtained with the adaptive coding with precoding method, specially in Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) OFDM systems.
Neutrino telescopes have a wide scientific scope. One of their main goals is the detection of dark matter, for which they have specific advantages. Neutrino telescopes offer the possibility of looking at several kinds of sources, not all of them available to other indirect searches. In this work we provide an overview of the results obtained by the ANTARES neutrino telescope, which has been taking data for almost ten years. One of the most interesting ones is the Sun, since a detection of high energy neutrinos from it would be a very clean indication of dark matter, given that no significant astrophysical backgrounds are expected, contrary to other indirect searches. Moreover, the limits from neutrino telescopes for spin-dependent cross section are the most restrictive ones. Another interesting source is the Galactic Centre, for which ANTARES has a better visibility than IceCube, due to its geographical location. This search gives limits on the annihilation cross section. Other dark matter searches carried out in ANTARES include the Earth and dwarf galaxies.
Introduction Flexible intensive care unit (ICU) visiting hours have been proposed as a means to improve patient-centred and family-centred care. However, randomised trials evaluating the effects of flexible family visitation models (FFVMs) are scarce. This study aims to compare the effectiveness and safety of an FFVM versus a restrictive family visitation model (RFVM) on delirium prevention among ICU patients, as well as to analyse its potential effects on family members and ICU professionals. Methods and analysis A cluster-randomised crossover trial involving adult ICU patients, family members and ICU professionals will be conducted. Forty medical-surgical Brazilian ICUs with RFVMs (<4.5 hours/day) will be randomly assigned to either an RFVM (visits according to local policies) or an FFVM (visitation during 12 consecutive hours per day) group at a 1:1 ratio. After enrolment and follow-up of 25 patients, each ICU will be switched over to the other visitation model, until 25 more patients per site are enrolled and followed. The primary outcome will be the cumulative incidence of delirium among ICU patients, measured twice a day using the Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU. Secondary outcome measures will include daily hazard of delirium, ventilator-free days, any ICU-acquired infections, ICU length of stay and hospital mortality among the patients; symptoms of anxiety and depression and satisfaction among the family members; and prevalence of burnout symptoms among the ICU professionals. Tertiary outcomes will include need for antipsychotic agents and/or mechanical restraints, coma-free days, unplanned loss of invasive devices and ICU-acquired pneumonia, urinary tract infection or bloodstream infection among the patients; self-perception of involvement in patient care among the family members; and satisfaction among the ICU professionals. Ethics and dissemination The study protocol has been approved by the research ethics committee of all participant institutions. We aim to disseminate the findings through conferences and peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration NCT02932358.
The problem here is to find the frequency spectrum produced by the simultaneous application of a number of frequencies to various forms of amplitude limiters or switches. The method of solution presented here is to first resolve the output wave into a series of rectangular waves or pulses and then to combine the spectrum of the individual pulses by vectorial means to find the spectrum of the output. The rectangular wave shape was chosen here as the basic unit in order to make the method easy to apply to pulse modulators.
Every aspect of teachers’ practice is not only affected by the teaching strategies they use in the classroom, but also their beliefs and attitudes. This exploratory study was aimed at exploring the development of pre-service beliefs about effective science teaching, and how the learning environment influences their teaching and learning as they transition from pre-service teachers in preparation for becoming professional teachers. A convenience sample of pre-service teachers enrolled for a 4-year teacher education programme at a University of Technology participated in the study. Data gathering instruments including the Teacher Beliefs about Effective Science Teaching (TBEST) questionnaire and Constructivist Learning Environment (CLES) survey were administered to participants. TBEST is an instrument that aligns teachers’ views about science teaching and learning with their measure of self-efficacy, their attitudes towards science, their beliefs about science teaching environment and the nature of science. CLES was used to assess the degree to which the classroom climate is conducive to students connecting science subject matter to their prior knowledge. The findings revealed that an effort is required to support, enhance and improve the teaching and learning of science pre and post teacher training. This will help to establish the relationship between the participants’ beliefs about learning as pre-service teachers and actual teaching practice. It is important to note that teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about teaching and learning are critical, as these might inform and influence the type of teachers they will become. This has implications on teacher education efforts to improve science teaching and learning, involving professional development to deepen teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge, in the belief that enhancing teacher knowledge will lead to improved classroom practice.
A central issue in recent studies on Stalinism is the question of how Soviet citizens experienced the communist regime, and how one is to define their relationship toward the aims and practices of the Soviet state. The most striking feature of several of these studies, notwithstanding their varying approaches and conclusions, is the shared conviction that members of Soviet society for the most part remained aloof from the values of the communist regime. Purely negative categories such as non-conformity, dissent, and resistance have quickly asserted themselves as dominant keys of interpreting individual and collective attitudes toward the Soviet state. In light of archival revelations of recent years this assessment seems to be abundantly confirmed: the outpouring of previously classified sources from
References Bower, H. (1996) Internet sees growth of unverifi ed health claims. British Medical Journal 313: 381-385. Dudley, J. (1999, September 13) Internet giants back Web censorsh ip. The Courier Mail , p. 5. Ferguson, T. (1998) Digital doctoring opportunities and challenges in electronic patient-physician communication [editorial; comment] . Journal of the American Medical Association 280(15): 1361-1362. Gustafson, DH ; Hawkins, R; Boberg, E; Pingree, S; Serlin, RE; Graziano, F & Chan, CL (1999) Impact of a patient-centred, computer-based health infonnationlsupport system . American Journal of Preventive Medicine 16(1): 1-9.
OBJECTIVE--To study the epidemiology of Neisseria gonorrhoeae that exhibit both chromosomal and plasmid-mediated resistance to penicillin. MATERIALS AND METHODS--A total of 1589 strains of N gonorrhoeae isolated from patients attending St Mary's Hospital, London were tested for both their susceptibility to penicillin and for their auxotype and serotype. RESULTS--Of the 940 non-penicillinase producing N gonorrhoeae, 840 were considered penicillin sensitive (MIC less than or equal to 0.5 mg/l) and 100 were chromosomally-mediated resistant N gonorrhoeae (CMRNG), (MIC greater than or equal to 1.0 mg/l). Of the 649 penicillinase producing N gonorrhoeae (PPNG), 429 carried the 4.4 megadalton (MDa) penicillinase encoding plasmid and 220 carried the 3.2 MDa plasmid. CMRNG were predominantly serogroup IB (90%). PPNG with 3.2 MDa plasmid were the only group more often serogroup IA (58%) than IB (42%). Serovar IA-1/2 and requirement for arginine, hypoxanthine and uracil (AHU) were associated with increased susceptibility to penicillin whereas serovar IB-5/7 was associated with decreased susceptibility in nonPPNG. There was a significant difference in the distribution of the IA and IB serovars between PPNG carrying either the 4.4 MDa or 3.2 MDa plasmid. AHU and PAOU requiring strains were not found among PPNG and were uncommon among CMRNG. CONCLUSION--Some clear associations have been found but the pattern among PPNG appears more complex and in most instances could be related to clusters of a single strain over a short time span.
This study presents the problem of MHD stagnation point flow of Casson fluid over a convective stretching sheet considering thermal radiation, slip condition, and viscous dissipation. The partial differential equations with the corresponding boundary conditions that govern the fluid flow are reduced to a system of highly nonlinear ordinary differential equations using scaling group transformations. The fourth‐order method along shooting technique is applied to solve this system of boundary value problems numerically. The effects of flow parameters on the velocity, temperature, and concentration profiles are presented via graphs. The impact of the physical parameters on the skin friction coefficient reduced Nusselt numbers and reduced Sherwood numbers are investigated through tables. Comparison of the present findings with the previously published results in the literature shows an excellent agreement. It is also noted that a rise in the Eckert number results in a drop in the temperature of the fluid in the thermal boundary layer region of the fluid flow.
Does vitamin E supplementation increase all-cause mortality? Does a dose-response relation exist between vitamin E and all-cause mortality? M e t h o d s Data sources: MEDLINE (1966 to August 2004), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, bibliographies of relevant studies and reviews, and personal files of the investigators. Study selection and assessment: Rando-mized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared vitamin E supplementation (alone or combined with other vitamins or minerals) with a control or placebo group in men or non-pregnant women, study duration and follow-up was > 1 year, and ≥ 10 deaths occurred. Outcomes: All-cause mortality. 19 RCTs (n = 135 967, mean age range 47 to 84 y) met the selection criteria. 9 RCTs used vitamin E alone, and 10 combined vitamin E with other vitamins or minerals. 16 RCTs were placebo-controlled. Vitamin E dose varied between 16.5 and 2000 IU/d. Overall, vitamin E supplementation did not affect all-cause mortality (Table). Results differed between low-dose (< 400 IU/d) and high-dose (≥ 400 IU/d) trials: Mortality was not increased in 8 RCTs evaluating low-dose vitamin E, while high-dose vitamin E was associated with increased mortality (11 RCTs) (Table). A dose-response analysis showed all-cause mortality increased as vitamin E dose increased > 150 IU/d. The effect of vitamin E did not change after adjustment for differences in sex, mean age, or mean follow-up. The association of high-dose vitamin E and mortality was stronger after adjustment for concomitant use of other vitamins and minerals (pooled relative risk 1.06, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.11; risk difference 63 per 10 000 persons, CI 6 to 119). High-dose (≥ 400 IU/d) vitamin E supple-mentation is associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality. A dose-response relation exists between mortality and vitamin E doses > 150 IU/d.analysis: high-dosage vitamin E supplementation may increase all-cause mortality. a letter was published in Nature on the benefits of vitamin E for heart disease (1). In response to extensive press coverage, an editorial appeared in JAMA later that month cautioning, " The reported discovery of new and almost miraculous powers of vitamin E needs careful evaluation and confirmation… " (2). Initially it was theorized that the beneficial effects of vitamin E on the heart might derive from its anti-thrombin or vasodilatory properties. The modern observation that oxidatively modified, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol promotes atherosclerosis led to renewed interest in vitamin E as an antioxidant. The review by Miller and colleagues …
We investigated the estrogenic activity of a bisphenol A (BPA) metabolite (4-methyl-2,4-bis(phydroxyphenyl)-pent-1-ene; MBP) in male medaka (Oryzias latipes) using vitellogenin (Vg, Vg1 and Vg2) as a biomarker. Male d-rR medaka were exposed to various concentrations of estradiol-17 (E 2 ), MBP and BPA for 3 days, and then the serum Vg concentration was measured using specific chemiluminescent immunoassays. The estimated relative estrogenic activities of MBP and BPA compared with E2 (100%) were 1.3‐ 1.4% and 0.00010‐0.00023%, respectively. These findings indicated that MBP has about 10 4 -fold higher estrogenic potency than the parent BPA and about 1/50 that of E2 for Vg synthesis in medaka. This is the first study to show that MBP can act as a highly potent estrogen agonist in living organisms.
Molecular dynamics simulations of fluids of molecules with extended dipoles were performed, with increasing distance between point charges but with a constant dipole moment, to obtain thermodynamic properties. It was found that the effect of varying the dipole length on the dielectric constant in the liquid phase, the vapor-liquid equilibria, and the surface tension was negligible for dipolar lengths up to half the particle diameter. By comparing thermodynamic properties of the predictions of the extended dipole model with those for the Stockmayer fluid of point dipoles, it was found that extended dipoles are equivalent to point dipoles over a wide range of dipole lengths, and not only near the point dipole limit, when the separation length is very small compared with the mean distance between particles. Finally, phase equilibrium results of extended dipoles were compared to those obtained from the discrete perturbation theory for a Stockmayer potential.
Equipment which measure femorotibial motions indirectly by using a patellar pad are reported to have errors caused by deformation of soft tissues and slippage of the device. For the purpose of validation, the tibial translation in relation to the femur per degree of knee extension was estimated from the slope coefficients of the flexion‐displacement curve, obtained by both fluoroscopic and electrogoniometric tests, in the knee of the dominant limb in healthy subjects and in both knees of patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficiency. In addition, the anterior and posterior static knee laxity limits and the tibial resting position were evaluated. Within all knee groups, the tibia moved posteriorly in relation to the femur during extension. The measured movement was similar both with the electrogoniometer and with fluoroscopy thereby indicating that sagittal plane knee translation measurements with the CA‐4000 electrogoniometer are reliable and in good agreement with the X‐ray measurements, even though the measurements were made separately. The ACL injured knees showed approximately 20% smaller posterior movement of tibia in relation to femur per degree change of knee extension than the non‐injured or control knees (p < 0.05) and a more anterior resting position of the tibia relative to femur as compared to the contralateral healthy knee during knee laxity testing (p = 0.002).
The ability to work efficiently at altitude is impaired by the reduced arterial oxygen tension. Acetazolamide may improve systemic saturation (SaO2) by stimulating ventilation but increases the work of breathing. Efforts have focused on the potential role of sildenafil in improving exercise performance in high altitude environment. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of acetazolamide and sildenafil on oxygen uptake (VO2) and breathing efficiency during submaximal hypoxic exercise. Sixteen volunteers received sildenafil 40 mg (S), acetazolamide 125 mg (A) or matching placebo (P) tid × four doses in double‐blind fashion starting 8 hours prior to hypoxic exposure over 3 separate overnight stays in an altitude tent with an O2 concentration of 12.5%, and then performed hypoxic submaximal exercise on a stationary bicycle for 10 min at a workload of 40% of VO2peak. SaO2 decreased with exercise but there was no difference in exercising SaO2 or VO2 between conditions. As expected, acetazolamide increased ventilation compared to placebo and sildenafil. Breathing efficiency as measured by Ve/VCO2 decreased with acetazolamide in comparison to placebo and sildenafil (P: 42.6±1.2, S: 41.9±1.6, A: 46.7±1.1, p<0.01). Sildenafil did not change breathing efficiency while acetazolamide reduced breathing efficiency during hypoxic exercise. This study was funded by Mayo Foundation and NIH Grant No. HL71478.
An assembly process including: flip-chip bonding, microelectromechanical (MEMS) structure release, and atomic layer deposition (ALD) is proposed to integrate a surface micromachined optical switch for optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM) applications. In the current optical switch designs, pre-stressed beams were used to pop up the micromirror and an electrode (substrate) under the beams was designed to perform ON/OFF function of the optical switch. In order to achieve desired popped-up angle for precise optical switching, a flip-chip bonding technique is applied to a mechanical stopper with an accurate joint height that can be used to constrain the movement of the micromirror. A conformal thin layer of dielectric material (Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/) coated on the surfaces of device through an ALD coating process is used to improve vertical actuation force, as well as electrical isolation. Experiments indicate that the micromirrors fabricated by the present assembly process can achieve desired angle that meet the requirements of the proposed OADM configuration.
Anytime your provider is worried about how the baby is doing, they may order this test. If the baby is forming differently, is growing too slowly or is being watched for a problem, this test may be done. If the mother has a medical condition like diabetes or high blood pressure, this test may be done to make sure the baby is doing okay. This test may give the provider a warning sign that the baby is not being supported by the placenta (how the baby gets oxygen and food while inside of the mother).
The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) correlates with cell survival under hypoxia and regulates hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), a key protein in hypoxia-related events. However, the role of mTOR in radio-resistance has not been fully investigated. Therefore, the effect of mTOR on the radio-resistance of cancer cells under hypoxia was evaluated using the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus. Clonogenic survival was examined in the A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cell line under normoxia or hypoxia, with or without temsirolimus. An oxygen enhancement ratio (OER) was calculated using the D10 values, the doses giving 10% survival. Western blotting was performed to investigate the effect of temsirolimus on mTOR and the HIF-1α pathway under normoxia and hypoxia. A549 cells showed a radio-resistance of 5.1 and 14.2 Gy, as indicated by D10 values under normoxia and hypoxia, respectively; the OER was 2.8. The cell survival rates under hypoxia and with temsirolimus remarkably decreased compared with those under normoxia. The D10 values of the cells under normoxia and hypoxia were 4.8 and 5.4 Gy, respectively (OER = 1.1). mTOR expression was suppressed by temsirolimus under both normoxia and hypoxia. HIF-1α expression decreased under hypoxia in the presence of temsirolimus. These results suggest that temsirolimus can overcome the radio-resistance induced by hypoxia. When the fact that mTOR acts upstream of HIF-1α is considered, our data suggest that the restoration of radiation sensitivity by temsirolimus under hypoxia may be associated with the suppression of the HIF-1α pathway. Temsirolimus could therefore be used as a hypoxic cell radio-sensitizer.
Background India has successfully reduced Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) incidence, with a 66% decline since the year 2000 has been seen; however, control among Men having sex with Men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) remains a critical challenge. Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) may help close a critical HIV prevention gap for MSM and TGW in India; however, no studies to date have evaluated the feasibility of oral PrEP among MSM and TGW in India. Methods The proposed study aims at understanding the implementation of the provision of daily oral-Tenofovir (TDF) containing PrEP among MSM and TGW through the clinic and community-based delivery models in Pune, Maharashtra, and Jalandhar, Punjab respectively in India. The study aims at estimating PrEP adherence, facilitators, and barriers to PrEP use, retention, acceptability, and willingness to pay for PrEP. After the screening, eligible participants (n = 600) will receive PrEP medicines and will be monitored quarterly for HIV, STIs, and renal and liver toxicity for 12 months as per the schedule of events. The primary outcomes of interest are PrEP acceptability, PrEP adherence, retention rate, adverse medical events, and sexual behavioural changes with PrEP use and breakthrough infections while on PrEP. The study will assess the feasibility of two service delivery models; however, the data from the two service delivery models will be analyzed independently and will not be compared for feasibility and other outcome indicators. The study has been initiated after obtaining appropriate regulatory approvals. Discussion PrEP is efficacious in preventing HIV among high-risk population however there are scarce data on providing PrEP to MSM and TGW. The study will provide critical evidence to programs and policymakers on the implementation of PrEP in a “real world” setting, among MSM and TGW in India including identifying populations that can benefit most from this additional HIV prevention intervention along with acceptable delivery strategies and means of support for adherence. Trial registration Not applicable being a demonstration project. Efficacy is already proven.
ABSTRACT Over the last decades, different polymers have been used as continuous phase for preparing selective membranes for gas separation. Today, some of these materials have been consolidated commercially; however, the necessity to improve the performance (in terms of permeability/selectivity) of polymeric membranes above Robeson’s upper bound has been conducted by blending polymers, use of additives, implementation new methods, development of new materials, coating films, development of mixed matrix membranes, and so on. One of the most recent approaches is the use of polymers such as polyimides, i.e., Matrimid® 5218, which has demonstrated, to provide remarkable gas separation performance using the attempts aforementioned. The aim of this work is to present the current state-of-the-art of the use of Matrimid® 5218 in preparation of membrane for gas separation. The progress in this field is summarized and discussed chronologically in two periods, decade (from 1998 to 2008) and current (from 2009 up to now) frameworks. This contribution leads to take a complete and compelling overview of the state-of-the-art based on Matrimid. Furthermore, the main approaches, aim of study, gas separation evaluated, main techniques used for membrane characterization, main supplier of the polymer, main secondary materials for blending, fillers incorporated into the matrix, and remark of the study are summarized in detail. Finally, it denotes the prospects and future trends on use of Matrimid® 5218 for membrane applications.
The significance of Iš kelionės po Europą ir Aziją (1914), the guidebook by Julija Pranaitytė, a Lithuanian intellectual from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, depended not just on the fact that the author was the first Lithuanian female traveller to comprehensively document the experiences of a modern tourist in the early 20th century, but that the book itself was the first guidebook to the Russian Empire to be published in Lithuanian. The guidebook is an attempt by member of the intelligentsia with strong Catholic views to provide practical information about a modernizing and increasingly mobile world. Thus, the intended target of Pranaitytė book is twofold. Firstly, it is more mobile yet still poorly educated working-class reader who is being constantly warned about possible threads of being fooled or cheated. The reader could find advice in guidebook about things worth having while travelling, how to communicate, and what to expect. The guidebook also provides historical information about places visited, cultural insights, similarities and differences to Western society in such a way the book could be interesting and useful for middle-calls traveler as well. There is also a more general problem relating to the author’s approach to the guidebook: what representations of different cultures and nations did early 20th-century Lithuanians share, and what did these representations mean in the religious, imperial and international contexts of the time? As is often the case in travel literature, history is presented here selectively, taking into account the dominant cultural monologue. It has a clear purpose in Pranaitytė’s guidebook: to spread a vision of the moral and religious superiority of Western and Christian culture. However, having in mind that growing number of workers and middle class were engage in Lithuanian national movement at the beginning of 20th century, this prejudges becomes paradoxical because Empire’s religious and cultural values are shown as cultural foundation for discovering new parts of late Russian Empire.
Let f(n) denote the number of dissections of a regular n-gon into n-2 triangles by n-3 non-intersecting diagonals. It is known that and that 1 for n = 3, 4, . . . , where f(2) = 1 by definition. (For pertinent references on this and related problems see, e. g. , Motzkin [2].) The object of this note is to obtain a simple expression for g(n) , the number of such dissections remaining when those which differ only by a rotation, reflection, or both are not considered as being different. For convenience we shall let g(2) = 1 and f(k) = 0 when k is not an integer.
A typical case of multiple-use forest management (MFM) in Southwestern Amazon is the commercial harvesting of Amazon or Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa) seeds and of timber of other tree species. Although the Amazon nut is the most important non-timber forest product (NTFP) in the Amazon basin, the species is under serious threat due to deforestation and may also be affected by overharvesting. However, selective logging of other tree species coexisting with Bertholletia may positively affect Bertholletia populations, thus enabling a special case for MFM. For this research, we investigated the impact of the intensity of Amazon nut harvesting and timber logging on Bertholletia populations in the Bolivian Amazon. We used demographic data from 72 two-hectare transects located within 24 community-based household forests varying in the intensity of nut collection (0–100%) and timber logging (0–15% of logging-disturbed forest area). Simulated Bertholletia population size increased with logging intensity but decreased with Amazon nut harvesting intensity. Bertholletia populations were projected to grow at the average MFM harvesting scenario tested: 57.4% of nut harvesting, 5.3% of logging-disturbed area (λ100 = 1.011). Our simulations also revealed that up to 89% of Amazon nut seeds can be harvested while sustaining Bertholletia populations, under 15% of logging-disturbed area, and applying liana cutting. Modest levels of timber logging and application of liana cutting may compensate for the negative effect of Amazon nut collection on Bertholletia populations for the next century. Our study demonstrates that Amazon nut and timber production could be combined in a sustainable MFM scheme, thus increasing the economic value of managed tropical forests and its promotion to reduce the increasing pressure by deforestation.
We study the formation of topological textures in a nonequilibrium phase transition of an overdamped classical O(3) model in 2+1 dimensions. The phase transition is triggered through an external, time-dependent effective mass, parameterized by quench timescale  tau. When measured near the end of the transition the texture separation and the texture width scale respectively as  tau^(0.39  pm 0.02) and  tau^(0.46  pm 0.04), significantly larger than  tau^(0.25) predicted from the Kibble-Zurek mechanism. We show that Kibble-Zurek scaling is recovered at very early times but that by the end of the transition the power-laws result instead from a competition between the length scale determined at freeze-out and the ordering dynamics of a textured system. In the context of phase ordering these results suggest that the multiple length scales characteristic of the late-time ordering of a textured system derive from the critical dynamics of a single nonequilibrium correlation length. In the context of defect formation these results imply that significant evolution of the defect network can occur before the end of the phase transition. Therefore a quantitative understanding of the defect network at the end of the phase transition generally requires an understanding of both critical dynamics and the interactions among topological defects.
IKMs’ factory activity in Margoyoso produces liquid and solid wastes. The possible alternative was to use the liquid effluent as biogas raw material. This study focuses on the used of urea, ruminant, yeast, microalgae, the treatment of gelled and ungelled feed for biogas production, pH control during biogas production using buffer Na 2 CO 3 , and feeding management in the semi-continuous process of biogas production that perform at ambient temperature for 30 days. Ruminant bacteria, yeast, urea, and microalgae was added 10% (v/v), 0.08% (w/v), 0.04% (w/v), 50% (v/v) of mixing solution volume, respectively. The pH of slurry was adjusted with range 6.8-7.2 and was measured daily and corrected when necessary with Na 2 CO 3 . The total biogas production was measured daily by the water displacement technique. Biogas production from the ungelling and gelling mixture of cassava starch effluent, yeast, ruminant bacteria, and urea were 726.43 ml/g total solid and 198 ml/g total solid. Biogas production from ungelling mixture without yeast was 58.6 ml/g total solid. Biogas production from ungelling mixture added by microalgae without yeast was 58.72 ml/g total solid and that with yeast was 189 ml/g total solid. Biogas production from ungelling mixture of cassava starch effluent, yeast, ruminant bacteria, and urea in semi-continuous process was 581.15 ml/g total solid. Adding of microalgae as nitrogen source did not give significant effect to biogas production. But adding of yeast as substrate activator was very helpful to accelerate biogas production. The biogas production increased after cassava starch effluent and yeast was added. Requirement of sodium carbonate (Na 2 CO 3 ) to increase alkalinity or buffering capacity of fermenting solution depends on pH-value
We read with great interest the article by Presicce et al. [1] entitled “ Wunderlich syndrome, an unexpected urological complication in a patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A case report. ” The authors aimed to shed light on the pathophysiology, dif-ferential diagnosis, and management of a rare urological bleeding complication in the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Although the findings of the present case study were also discussed in a well-written article by Singh et al., [2] we believe that several issues need to be highlighted and further clarified in this underrecognized field. First, both Presicce et al.
BACKGROUND Recent systematic reviews of adjuvant acupuncture for IVF have pooled heterogeneous trials, without examining variables that might explain the heterogeneity. The aims of our meta-analysis were to quantify the overall pooled effects of adjuvant acupuncture on IVF clinical pregnancy success rates, and evaluate whether study design-, treatment- and population-related factors influence effect estimates. METHODS We included randomized controlled trials that compared needle acupuncture administered within 1 day of embryo transfer, versus sham acupuncture or no adjuvant treatment. Our primary outcome was clinical pregnancy rates. We obtained from all investigators additional methodological details and outcome data not included in their original publications. We analysed sham-controlled and no adjuvant treatment-controlled trials separately, but since there were no large or significant differences between these two subsets, we pooled all trials for subgroup analyses. We prespecified 11 subgroup variables (5 clinical and 6 methodological) to investigate sources of heterogeneity, using single covariate meta-regressions. RESULTS Sixteen trials (4021 participants) were included in the meta-analyses. There was no statistically significant difference between acupuncture and controls when combining all trials [risk ratio (RR) 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.96-1.31; I(2) = 68%; 16 trials; 4021 participants], or when restricting to sham-controlled (RR 1.02, 0.83-1.26; I(2) = 66%; 7 trials; 2044 participants) or no adjuvant treatment-controlled trials (RR 1.22, 0.97-1.52; I(2) = 67%; 9 trials; 1977 participants). The type of control used did not significantly explain the statistical heterogeneity (interaction P = 0.27). Baseline pregnancy rate, measured as the observed rate of clinical pregnancy in the control group of each trial, was a statistically significant effect modifier (interaction P < 0.001), and this covariate explained most of the heterogeneity of the effects of adjuvant acupuncture across all trials (adjusted R(2) = 93%; I(2) residual = 9%). Trials with lower control group rates of clinical pregnancy showed larger effects of adjuvant acupuncture (RR 1.53, 1.28-1.84; 7 trials; 1732 participants) than trials with higher control group rates of clinical pregnancy (RR 0.90, 0.80-1.01; 9 trials; 2289 participants). The asymmetric funnel plot showed a tendency for the intervention effects to be more beneficial in smaller trials. CONCLUSIONS We found no pooled benefit of adjuvant acupuncture for IVF. The subgroup finding of a benefit in trials with lower, but not higher, baseline pregnancy rates (the only statistically significant subgroup finding in our earlier review) has been confirmed in this update, and was not explained by any confounding variables evaluated. However, this baseline pregnancy rate subgroup finding among published trials requires further confirmation and exploration in additional studies because of the multiple subgroup tests conducted, the risk of unidentified confounders, the multiple different factors that determine baseline rates, and the possibility of publication bias.
To know the pore structure of cement-asphalt pastes, mercury intrusion porosimetry was applied to measure the total porosity, pore distribution and accumulative volume distribution of pore size and the pore structures were analyzed. The results show that the total porosities decline with increase in ages and reduction in A/C ratio. The total porosities declines from 28% at 1d, to 15.8%~17.2% at 28d; the most probable pore size declines from 20nm at 1d to 5nm at 28d.At 28d, there is an increase in the magnitude of pore size between100nm and 5μm; the volume faction of smaller than 5μm is 40~50%; and the amount of pore size smaller than 5nm account for 6%.There are two peaks (5μm & 50μm) in the curves of pore distribution.
Weak signal detection of radio communication signals in complex background noise is an essential part of modern signal processing science. Despite wide application of classical process in various signal detection tasks, the exclusive filter in terms of background noise of radio channel impedes the deployment on modern complex electromagnetism environment. This study introduces a new method of radio signal detection via convolutional neural network (CNN) and bounding box regression. This approach has improved the recent performance of computer vision for object detection. Numerous experiments have shown that Faster R-CNN can accurately detect signal portion in noise, while achieving high-level contextual understanding with millisecond latency compared to traditional schemes.
We read with interest the paper by Hundt et al. describing the behaviour of common liver tests in COVID-19 and their association with poor outcomes (1). Among presented data, we were surprised to see that serum albumin (ALB) concentrations during hospitalization did not significantly predict patient death at the multivariate analysis (MA), even if 86.6% of patients showed ALB values <35 g/L, i.e. the lower reference limit. In a similar COVID-19 population enrolled in our national reference center for infectious diseases, we recently analysed a group of common biochemistry tests, including ALB, as major predictor of COVID-19 severity (2). Although the patient rate showing an ALB <35 g/L was quite similar (89%) to that of Hundt's study, at MA low ALB concentrations remained significantly associated (P=0.003) with higher odds of death, ALB values ≤18 g/L giving a positive likelihood ratio of 12.2 for predicting in-hospital death. In terms of absolute ALB levels in the respective populations, it is however somewhat difficult to compare our results with those of Hundt et al. as the authors do not mention the methodology used to determine ALB in their hospital network. It is known that immunoturbidimetric assays for ALB determination, such as the one in use in our institution, are specific for the ALB measurement contrary to nonspecific colorimetric methods, which are in use in the majority of U.S. healthcare institutions, also reacting with proteins other than ALB (3). The well-known lack of specificity of the latter methods, especially at low ALB and high globulin (including "acute phase reactants") concentrations, i.e. the typical COVID-19 situation, may have influenced the Hundt's results. Figure 1 depicts ALB distribution in our COVID-19 patients showing that even survivors displayed a median (interquartile range) [28 g/L (25-32)] quite lower that patients with severe COVID-19 enrolled by Hundt et al. Therefore, we cannot exclude that the inability of ALB to predict death in the Hundt's study was due to spuriously higher ALB values measured with non-specific methods in the evaluated COVID-19 patients. The accuracy of ALB methods may become critical in COVID-19 cases, where ALB is decreased but acute-phase proteins are increased, and thus use of immunological assays should be preferred in this condition (4).
In this thesis a new approach to sensing soft tissue damage in the diabetic foot is presented and multiple sensor modalities including linear and rotational accelerometers, temperature, humidity and galvanic skin response (GSR), pressure/-force, blood oxygen heart rate and fore foot flexure will be investigated with the aim of using multi modal sensing to improve understanding the diabetic foot. Bioimpedance is proposed and investigated as a novel measurement modality that directly observes the response of the tissue under test as a means of estimating tissue condition. The new sensing system and data collection with critical assessment is presented complimenting the existing metric of assessment. Diabetes is currently one of the greatest health risks facing the developed world where typically 6% of the population is diabetic and an estimated 1 in 3 people are currently in a pre-diabetic state. The condition adversely affects the body’s glycaemic control mechanisms leading to macro vascular stiffening alongside the possible onset of peripheral neuropathy thus increasing the risk of secondary pathologies such as retinopathy, kidney failure and diabetic foot disorder. For those living with diabetes the loss of a foot due to diabetic foot disorder is one of the most debilitating and feared side effects of diabetes. The national health service (NHS) in the United Kingdom (UK) currently amputates circa 100 lower legs a week due to diabetic complications of which about 85% are avoidable. As amputation leads to increased morbidity and mortality (68% at five years post 1st amputation) as well as a marked reduction in quality of life, this concern is well founded. Many metrics have been investigated as indicators of diabetic foot disorder, though none have shown sensitivity and specificity that would enable their use as a reliable diagnostic or predictor of ulceration. The following contributions to the body of knowledge will be presented: 1. Novel associations of sensors for monitoring the diabetic foot see Table 6.6. 2. The development of a novel bioimpedance measuring device. 3. The development of a novel wearable extensible multimodal sensing system 4. Demonstrate direct current (DC) through textile GSR measurement. 5. Demonstrate the effect of caffeine on GSR coherence for the first time.
Research of vertebrate and invertebrate vision systems has revealed them to be remarkable assemblies of simple cells performing collectively various image processing and analysis tasks. Among these are counted edge enhancement, noise suppression, dynamic range compression, and motion and object orientation detection. These functions are achieved due to the massively parallel structure of these systems and appropriate non-linear inter-cell interactions, among them lateral inhibition. The high degree of connectivity existent in the vertebrate retina is currently beyond reach of integrated implementations; however, even its approximations applied to focal plane arrays can result in enhanced and more sophisticated performance. These approximations are discussed mathematically by means of methods developed for analysis of neural networks. A photoreceptor lateral interaction network, Grossberg's shunting neural network, and a novel modified version of the latter are compared in their effect on spatial nonuniformity noise and edge enhancement. These two qualities are of special interest in the case of infrared imaging. The modified shunting network combines an adaptive lateral signal spread amongst photodetectors with non-linear, multiplicative lateral inhibition. The first effect serves to reduce the effects of spatial noise, while the second, by its differentiating nature, removes low spatial frequencies and enhances high spatial frequency components inherent to the image.
We present a magnetic force-based direct drive modulation method to measure local nano-rheological properties of soft materials across a broad frequency range (10 Hz to 2 kHz) using colloid-attached atomic force microscope (AFM) probes in liquid. The direct drive method enables artefact-free measurements over several decades of excitation frequency, and avoids the need to evaluate medium-induced hydrodynamic drag effects. The method was applied to measure the local mechanical properties of polyacrylamide hydrogels. The frequency-dependent storage stiffness, loss stiffness, and loss tangent (tan δ) were quantified for hydrogels having high and low crosslinking densities by measuring the amplitude and the phase response of the cantilever while the colloid was in contact with the hydrogel. The frequency bandwidth was further expanded to lower effective frequencies (0.1 Hz to 10 Hz) by obtaining force-displacement (FD) curves. Slow FD measurements showed a recoverable but highly hysteretic response, with the contact mechanical behaviour dependent on the loading direction: approach curves showed Hertzian behaviour while retraction curves fit the JKR contact mechanics model well into the adhesive regime, after which multiple detachment instabilities occurred. Using small amplitude dynamic modulation to explore faster rates, the load dependence of the storage stiffness transitioned from Hertzian to a dynamic punch-type (constant contact area) model, indicating significant influence of material dissipation coupled with adhesion. Using the appropriate contact model across the full frequency range measured, the storage moduli were found to remain nearly constant until an increase began near ∼100 Hz. The softer gels' storage modulus increased from 7.9 ± 0.4 to 14.5 ± 2.1 kPa (∼85%), and the stiffer gels' storage modulus increased from 16.3 ± 1.1 to 31.7 ± 5.0 kPa (∼95%). This increase at high frequencies may be attributed to a contribution from solvent confinement in the hydrogel (poroelasticity). The storage moduli measured by both macro-rheometry and AFM FD curves were comparable to those measured using the modulation method at their overlapping frequencies (10-25 Hz). In all cases, care was taken to ensure the contact mechanics models were applied within the important limit of small relative deformations. This study thus highlights possible transitions in the probe-material contact mechanical behaviour for soft matter, especially when the applied strain rates and the material relaxation rates become comparable. In particular, at low frequencies, the modulus follows Hertzian contact mechanics, while at high frequencies adhesive contact is well represented by punch-like behaviour. More generally, use of the Hertz model on hydrogels at high loading rates, at high strains, or during the retraction portion of FD curves, leads to significant errors in the calculated moduli.
Highly fluorinated candidates containing anticancer pharmacophores like thiosemicarbazone (5a-e) and its cyclic analogues hydrazineylidenethiazolidine (6a-e), 2-aminothiadiazole (7a-e), and 2-hydrazineylidenethiazolidin-4-one (8a-e) were synthesized, and their cytotoxic activity was assayed against 60 tumor cell lines. Compounds 6c, 7b, and 8b displayed the most potent activity with lower toxic effects on MCF-10a. In vitro phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) enzyme inhibition was performed. Compound 6c displayed half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50, μM) values of 5.8, 2.3, and 7.9; compound 7b displayed IC50 values of 19.4, 30.7, and 73.7; and compound 8b displayed IC50 values of 77.5, 53.5, and 121.3 for PI3Kα, β, and δ, respectively. Moreover, cell cycle progression caused cell cycle arrest at the S phase for compounds 6c and 8b and at G1/S for compound 7b, while apoptosis was induced. In silico studies; molecular docking; physicochemical parameters; and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) analysis were performed. The results showed that compound 6c is the most potent one with a selectivity index (SI) of 39 and is considered as a latent lead for further optimization of anticancer agents.
High Entropy Alloys (HEAs) are a recent class of materials. In contrast to conventional alloys, HEAs consist of five alloying elements in equiatomic equilibrium. The high entropy effect is due, among other things, to the increased configuration entropy, which promotes solid solution formation. Many HEAs have enormous application potential due to excellent structural property combinations from very low to high temperatures. For the introduction of HEAs in real components, however, the question of the applicability of machining production technologies for component manufacture is of central importance. This has so far received little attention in global materials research. Reliable and safe processing is essential for the demand of economical component production for potential areas of application, e.g. in power plant technology. For metals, milling is the standard machining process. This article presents the results of machining analyses. It focuses on the surface integrity resulting from the milling process on a Co20Cr20Fe20Mn20Ni20-HEA. For this purpose, investigations were carried out using ball nose end milling tools for conventional milling process in comparison to an innovative hybrid process available at BAM Berlin, Ultrasonic-Assisted Milling (USAM). USAM promises a lower degradation of the surface properties due to lower loads on the workpiece surface during machining. For this purpose, basic milling parameters (cutting speed and tooth feed) were systematically varied and cutting forces were measured during the milling experiments. The subsequent analysis of these forces allows an understanding of the mechanical loads acting on the tool and component surface. These loads cause topographical, mechanical and microstructural influences on the surface and consequently on the surface integrity. For their characterization, light and scanning electron microscopy were used, and the roughness and residual stresses via X-ray diffraction were measured. The results indicate significant advantages using USAM, especially due to reduced cutting forces compared to the conventional milling process. This causes lower mechanical loads on the tool and surface, combined with lower tensile residual stresses on and below the surface, and ultimately results in a significantly enhanced surface integrity.
BACKGROUND Arterial stiffness is strongly predictive for cardiovascular events in hypertensive individuals and it may increase the risk of stroke. This study was designed to evaluate the possible relationship between arterial stiffness and atrial electromechanical delay and P wave dispersion (PWD), as determinants of AF risk.   MATERIALS AND METHODS The study included 75 hypertensive patients and 45 healthy control subjects. Atrial electromechanical coupling (time interval from the onset of P wave on ECG to the beginning of A wave with tissue Doppler echocardiography [PA]), intraatrial and interatrial electromechanical delay (EMD) and PWD were measured. Stiffness index β & PWV was measured to assess the arterial stiffness.   RESULTS The interatrial EMD and PWD were prolonged in hypertensive patients compared to controls (p<0.01 for both), There was increased arterial stiffness (PWV and stiffness index β) in hypertensive patients compared to controls (6.43 ± 1.73 vs. 4.8 ± 1.6 m/sec & 4.9 ± 2.8 vs. 2.63 ± 1.2, p<0.01 for both). By multivariate analysis; PWV and Stiffness index β were independently correlated with interatrial EMD (B ± SE=0.42 ± 1.87, B ± SE=0.39 ± 0.21 p<0.01 for both) and PWD (B ± SE=0.37 ± 1.93, p<0.01, B ± SE=0.25 ± 0.18, p<0.05 respectively).   CONCLUSION In hypertensive patients arterial stiffness indexes increased and showed a significant correlation with interatrial EMD and PWD independent of other variables. Further research is needed to determine whether interventions that reduce arterial stiffness will limit the growing incidence of AF.
Betaine, taurine, and inositol participate as osmolytes in liver cell volume homeostasis and interfere with cell function. In this study we investigated whether osmolytes are also released from the intact liver independent of osmolarity changes. In the perfused rat liver, phagocytosis of carbon particles led to a four- to fivefold stimulation of taurine efflux into the effluent perfusate above basal release rates. This taurine release was inhibited by 70-80% by the anion exchange inhibitor DIDS or by pretreatment of the rats with gadolinium chloride. Administration of vasopressin, cAMP, extracellular ATP, and glucagon also increased release of betaine and/or taurine, whereas insulin, extracellular UTP, and adenosine were without effect. In isolated liver cells, it was shown that parenchymal cells and sinusoidal endothelial cells, but not Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells, release osmolytes upon hormone stimulation. This may be caused by a lack of hormone receptor expression in these cells, because single-cell fluorescence measurements revealed an increase of intracellular calcium concentration in response to vasopressin and glucagon in parenchymal cells and sinusoidal endothelial cells but not in Kupffer cells and hepatic stellate cells. The data show that Kupffer cells release osmolytes during phagocytosis via DIDS-sensitive anion channels. This mechanism may be used to compensate for the increase in cell volume induced by the ingestion of phagocytosable material. The physiological significance of hormone-induced osmolyte release remains to be evaluated.
Background Hepatitis D Virus (HDV) causes the most threatening form of chronic viral hepatitis. To date, there is no overall estimation of HDV prevalence in the Eastern Mediterranean Region Office of WHO (EMRO) countries. Objectives To provide a clear estimation of HDV prevalence in the aforementioned region. Patients and Methods In the current systematic review, databases such as PubMed, Embase, Web of sciences and Google scholar were searched Until December 2010. The summary estimate of HDV prevalence in the EMRO region was calculated as an average of the pooled infection prevalence of each country weighted by the ratio of the country’s HBV population to the study’s sample size in the survey data analysis. Results We included 62 eligible studies. The weighted mean of HDV prevalence in the EMRO region was 14.74% (95% CI: 14.73 – 14.77), 27.8% (95% CI: 27.78 – 27.82), 36.57% (95% CI: 36.55 – 36.59) and 16.44%. (95% CI: 16.42 – 16.46) in asymptomatic HBsAg positive carriers, chronic hepatitis patients, cirrhosis/ hepatocellular carcinoma, and high risk group, respectively. Among the asymptomatic HBsAg positive group, HDV prevalence was increased by years in older patients in Saudi Arabia but its prevalence was decreased in Iran. No specific pattern was seen according to chronological analysis during years among the EMRO countries. Conclusions HDV infection is endemic in the EMRO countries and it is more common among patients with severe forms of hepatitis. Due to the high HDV infection rates in the EMRO countries, we recommend blood screening for HDV infection in this region.
Aspect-oriented programming methods today have gained a significant following in the area of object-oriented high-level programming languages since their invention more than ten years ago. More recent developments have also found use cases for AOP in procedural programming languages operating at the system programming level. However, if one digs further down towards the hardware layer, only few signs of AOP usage can be found so far.  This paper motivates the use of aspect-oriented approaches in hardware development, which today is mostly done in domain-specific hardware description languages (HDLs). These languages deviate from the programming language model by providing explicit notions for concurrency and time, resulting in synthesizable circuit descriptions that can be turned into a piece of hardware. A survey of crosscutting concerns in hardware descriptions and a first definition of join-points and pointcuts for HDLs is augmented by an aspect-related analysis of a production-quality hardware component and an overview of current developments regarding AOP and hardware development.
We thank Dr Peng for the insightful editorial1 on our recently published paper.2 In 2019, about 316 million people had chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection globally.3 However, HBV infection cannot be eradicated owing to the complexity of the HBV lifecycle.4 As one kind of medication recommended by guidelines, interferon works in under 20% of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and the mechanism of interferon has not been completely clarified.5 Therefore, it is meaningful to explore the specific mechanism of interferon in HBV treatment and find biomarkers to predict treatment response. In 2013, Zhang et al found that ectopic expression of tripartite motif 26 (TRIM26) in HBV1.3transfectedHepG2 cells reduced secreted hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) more than twofold.6 Besides, TRIM26 can be induced by interferonβ.7 Based on these findings, we elucidated the specific mechanism by how TRIM26 affects HBV replication and demonstrated in two cohorts (Cohort 1, n = 238, Cohort 2, n = 707) that TRIM26 rs116806878 is associated with pegylated interferonα treatment response in patients with HBeAgpositive CHB.2 We agree with Dr Peng, and mentioned in the discussion section of our original article, that there are still some questions to be explored. Firstly, TRIM26 rs116806878 is located in the noncoding region of the gene, which may regulate the target gene expression by affecting transcription factor binding, epigenetic modification and chromatin accessibility. The specific mechanism of this singlenucleotide polymorphism (SNP) needs further study. Secondly, we found that interferon promoted the expression of TRIM26, which has the effect of antiHBV, so it is necessary to monitor the level and change of TRIM26 in serum and liver before and after interferon treatment. Thirdly, to compare the effectiveness of baseline tool and polygenic score (PGS) in predicting interferon treatment response, we also evaluated the prediction performance of some baseline clinical variables, three SNPs (TRIM26 rs116806878, STAT4 rs7574865 and CFB rs12614), and PGS by generating receiver operator characteristic curve. Although the area under curve (AUC) of any single SNP was not superior to the AUCs of baseline clinical variables, the AUC of PGS was greater than the AUCs of baseline clinical variables in the two cohorts. This indicates that, as more host genetic variants associated with the treatment response are identified, a more powerful PGS by integrating all the treatment responseassociated SNPs is expected to be constructed with prediction performance superior to any baseline clinical variables. Several interferoninduced TRIMs have been reported to affect HBV replication, such as TRIM5, TRIM6, TRIM11, TRIM14, TRIM21, TRIM22, TRIM25 and TRIM31.6,8– 10 However, no study has compared the relative contribution of various TRIMs in HBV replication, and no study has evaluated the comprehensive effect of multiple TRIMs on the inhibition of HBV in response to interferon. Therefore, we aim to find a PGS model composed of multiple SNPs of TRIMs to evaluate the reliability of interferon treatment response prediction model in the future.
This article presents a theoretical study on an optical module (OM) that can be inserted between an object under investigation and a Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography system, transforming the latter into a polarisation-sensitive optical coherence tomography optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. The module consists of two electro-optic modulators, a Faraday rotator, a linear polariser and a quarter-wave plate. A detailed description on how the module can be used to extract both the net retardance and the fast axis orientation of a linear birefringent sample is presented. This is achieved by taking two sequential measurements for different values of retardance produced by the electro-optic modulator. The module keeps measurements free from undesired polarimetric effects due to birefringence in the single-mode optical fibre and diattenuation in fibre-based couplers within OCT systems. Simulations have been carried out in order to evaluate the effects of chromatic behaviour of the components within the OM.
Abstract Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic had profound effect on physical and mental health. Stress was due physical inactivity, increased screen time, social isolation, fear of illness/death, as well as relative lack of resources including healthy food and finances. These stressors may be associated with an increase in idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP). The aim of the study was to assess the incidence of ICPP in females during the COVID-19 pandemic and compare biochemical and radiological parameters of females diagnosed in the previous two years, looking at associations among BMI, screen time, isolation, and stress in relation to the development of early puberty. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of females diagnosed with ICPP. We divided subjects into a pandemic group and pre-pandemic group based on time of diagnosis. We compared anthropometric, serologic and radiologic data between the two groups. To assess psychosocial stress, we reviewed a COVID-19 impact survey which was administered to families at our endocrine clinic. Results There were a total of 56 subjects in the study; 23 subjects in the pre-pandemic group and 33 in the pandemic group. The pandemic cohort had significantly higher estradiol and LH levels and larger ovarian volumes. Survey results showed parental report of stress was moderate in 38 % of subjects and severe in 25 % of parents. In children, reported stress was moderate in 46 % of subjects. Conclusions As puberty is influenced by exogenous factors including weight gain and psychosocial stress, we suspect that the environmental stress surrounding the pandemic influenced the increase in ICPP.
In this paper, we propose an adaptive streaming system for MPEG-4 Scalable to Lossless (SLS) encoded audio. In the proposed system, the fine grain scalable (FGS) feature of SLS is utilized to achieve optimal audio streaming quality through network with limited and possibly time-varying network bandwidth. To this end, the streaming system selects an optimal target quality according to the available network resources and rate-quality relationship of SLS encoded frames, and the SLS frames are then truncated according to the target quality before they are transmitted to the client. The proposed system adapts to both the network conditions and the rate-distortion characters of the SLS bit-stream so that the quality of the streaming audio is optimized without over-utilizing the network resources.
IN England and Wales in 1954, there were 27,471 divorces, compared with 4735 in 1937. This high incidence of broken marriages is a matter of concern to all who are interested in the stability of modern society, and the Royal Commission on Marriage and Divorce, appointed in 1951, has just published its report. The Commission has pointed out that the social and economic emancipation of women has enhanced the quality expected of marriage and at the same time has created new strains and added to the risk of breakdown. Nevertheless, in countries where the focal point of society is still . . .
This paper gives elastic solutions for the following: (i) settlement of a shear socket; (ii) settlement reduction due to recessment of a shear socket in a shaft; (iii) settlement reduction of flexible or rigid footings due to recessment in a shaft; (iv) load distribution in a rock socket; and (v) settlement of a rock socket.This paper illustrates the use of these solutions in the design of socketed piles and in the back-analysis of field tests on rock sockets.
BACKGROUND: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is an &agr;-2 adrenergic agonist with sedative and analgesic properties. Although not approved for pediatric use by the Food and Drug Administration, DEX is increasingly used in pediatric anesthesia and critical care. However, very limited information is available regarding the pharmacokinetics of DEX in children. The aim of this study was to investigate DEX pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK–PD) in Mexican children 2–18 years of age who were undergoing outpatient surgical procedures. METHODS: Thirty children 2–18 years of age with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score of I/II were enrolled in this study. DEX (0.7 &mgr;g/kg) was administered as a single-dose intravenous infusion. Venous blood samples were collected, and plasma DEX concentrations were analyzed with a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Population PK–PD models were constructed using the Monolix program. RESULTS: A 2-compartment model adequately described the concentration–time relationship. The parameters were standardized for a body weight of 70 kg by using an allometric model. Population parameters estimates were as follows: mean (between-subject variability): clearance (Cl) (L/h × 70 kg) = 20.8 (27%); central volume of distribution (V1) (L × 70 kg) = 21.9 (20%); peripheral volume of distribution (V2) (L × 70 kg) = 81.2 (21%); and intercompartmental clearance (Q) (L/h × 70 kg) = 75.8 (25%). The PK–PD model predicted a maximum mean arterial blood pressure reduction of 45% with an IC50 of 0.501 ng/ml, and a maximum heart rate reduction of 28.9% with an IC50 of 0.552 ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that in Mexican children 2–18 years of age with American Society of Anesthesiologists score of I/II, the DEX dose should be adjusted in accordance with lower DEX clearance.
It is shown that a density of states (DOS) proportional to the excitation energy, a so-called polar-like DOS, can arise in odd-parity states, with the superconducting gap vanishing at points even though the spin–orbit interaction for Cooper pairing is strong. Such gap structures are realized in the non-unitary states, F1u (1, i, 0), F1u (1, ε, ε2), and F2u (1, i, 0), classified by Volovik and Gorkov (1985 Sov. Phys.–JETP 61 843). This is due to the gap vanishing in a quadratic manner around a point on the Fermi surface.
Abstract This article starts by briefly introducing the origin, importance, and complexity of legal translation as well as the relationship between legal translation and comparative law; that is, the activities of a legal translator and those of a comparatist. The article then continues with its main topic, which is to illustrate problems in domesticating and foreignising translation strategies. Before translating a text from one language into another, the translator needs to mediate between two cultures and make a choice: to adopt a strategy aimed at maintaining the morphosyntactic, lexical, and stylistic structures of the source language, or to choose a strategy intended to convey certain morphosyntactic, lexical, and stylistic aspects in order to bring the translation closer to the target language and culture (Venuti, Lawrence. 1995. The translator’s invisibility. A history of translation. London: Routledge). Like other translators, a legal translator has various choices to make, including whether to opt for mainly foreignising (source-oriented) translation strategies, whose purpose is to maintain, observe, and respect the literal meaning of the source language, legal system, and legal culture as much as possible. On the other hand, the translator may prefer mainly domesticating (target-oriented) translation strategies, whose aim is to reformulate the message and adapt the original content while observing rules and considering the linguistic, legal, and cultural features of the target language and culture (Paolucci, Sandro. 2013a. Strategia estraniante e strategia addomesticante nella traduzione dei testi giuridici. Linguistica 53(2). 73–89). Although the dichotomy between foreignising and domesticating translations has a long history (reflection on a mainly literal translation or a more liberal translation was discussed as early as ancient Rome, especially in literary translation; Ožbot, Martina. 2016. O drugačnosti prevodov in drugačnosti njihovega sodobnega raziskovanja. In Zupan Sosič (ed.), Drugačnost v slovenskem jeziku, literaturi in kulturi: 52. seminar slovenskega jezika, literature in kulture. 28–37. Ljubljana: Znanstvena založba Filozofske fakultete), this article first presents translation theories by scholars such as Schleiermacher, Venuti, and others. It continues with a more detailed focus on the use of foreignising and domesticating strategies in legal translation. After a short presentation of some basic elements and factors that contribute to determining the translator’s strategic choices, a methodology is proposed with specific cases, supported by concrete examples in which the translator should mainly use a foreignising translation and cases in which a domesticating translation is more suitable, efficient, or even necessary. The proposal has been confirmed by the results of a survey conducted in 2016 among forty Italian and Slovenian legal translators who were asked to translate from Slovene into Italian some legal terms contained in normative, expository and informative legal texts.
A three-dimensional finite element model of the mechanical and electrical behavior of the heart is being developed in a collaboration among Auckland University, New Zealand; the University of California at San Diego, U.S.; and McGill University, Canada. The equations of continuum mechanics from the theory of finite deformation elasticity are formulated in a prolate spheroidal coordinate system and solved using a combination of Galerkin and collocation techniques. The finite element basis functions used for the dependent and independent variables range from linear Lagrange to cubic Hermite, depending on the degree of spatial variation and continuity required for each variable. Orthotropic constitutive equations derived from biaxial testing of myocardial sheets are defined with respect to the microstructural axes of the tissue at the Gaussian quadrature points of the model. In particular, we define the muscle fiber orientation and the newly identified myocardial sheet axis orientation throughout the myocardium using finite element fields with nodal parameters fitted by least-squares to comprehensive measurements of these variables. Electrical activation of the model is achieved by solving the FitzHugh-Nagumo equations with collocation at fixed material points of the anatomical finite element model. Electrical propagation relies on an orthotropic conductivity tensor defined with respect to the local material axes. The mechanical constitutive laws for the Galerkin continuum mechanics model are (1) an orthotropic "pole-zero" law for the passive mechanical properties of myocardium and (2) a Wiener cascade model of the active mechanical properties of the muscle fibers. This chapter concentrates on two aspects of the model: first, grid generation, including both the generation of nodal coordinates for the finite element mesh and the generation of orthotropic material axes at each computational point, and, second, the formulation of constitutive laws suitable for numerically intensive finite element computations. Extensions to this model and applications to the mechanical and electrical function of the heart are described in Chapter 16 by McCulloch and co-workers.
UML may be used to describe both the structure and behavior of object- oriented systems using a combination of notations. For the modeling of the dynamic behavior, a number of different models are offered such as interaction, state and activ- ity diagrams. Although compositional techniques for modeling computational processes demand means of composing elements both in non-atomic or atomic ways, UML seems to lack compositional constructs for defining atomic composites. We discuss proper extensions for diagrams that are able to cope with the concept of atomic composition as the basic element for describing transactions (in our settings the term "transac- tion" denotes a certain operation of a system that might be atomically composed by many, possibly concurrent, operations). Atomic compositions are then formally de- fined through a special morphism between automata in a domain called Nonsequential Automata.
We read with interest Singh’s correspondence regarding the use of ultrasound to investigate the vascular supply to the hand, further illustrating the expanding role of bedside ultrasound in the ICU [1]. A recent long stay patient in our ICU had multiple insertions of intra-arterial cannulae. On day 36 she was noted to have a swelling on the ventral aspect of the left wrist. The vascular supply to the hand was not compromised. Bedside ultrasound with colour flow Doppler (Titan, SonoSite, Biggleswade, UK) clearly demonstrated a false aneurysm of the distal radial artery with flow into the sac across an intimal defect (Fig. 3). Following this prompt diagnosis, ligation of the aneurysm was carried out the same day by the vascular surgeons without complication. Clearly, the role of portable bedside ultrasound examination in the hands of anaesthetists and intensivists goes beyond the mandate provided by NICE guidelines for assisted central venous access [2]. Its expanding role in the ICU has been described [3]. Our case illustrates another situation where this device can facilitate rapid diagnosis and treatment. We have heard our machine described as ‘the intensivists’ stethoscope’; it is certainly becoming an increasingly routine and versatile tool.
AIMS To determine whether an ultrasensitive assay can permit quantification of changes in circulating cardiac troponin (Tn) in the setting of stress test-induced myocardial ischaemia.   METHODS AND RESULTS Blood samples were obtained before, immediately after, and 2 and 4 h after stress testing with nuclear perfusion imaging in 120 patients. Troponin was measured using commercial assays as well as with a novel, ultrasensitive cardiac TnI assay with a limit of detection of 0.2 pg/mL. Using the ultrasensitive assay, TnI was detectable in all patients before stress testing (median 4.4 pg/mL, interquartile range 3.1-8.6 pg/mL). By 4 h, troponin levels were unchanged in patients without ischaemia, whereas circulating levels had increased by a median of 1.4 pg/mL (24% increase) in patients with mild ischaemia (P = 0.002) and by 2.1 pg/mL (40% increase) in patients with moderate-to-severe ischaemia (P = 0.0006). In contrast, changes in troponin levels across patients in different ischaemic categories were indistinguishable using commercial troponin assays. When added to clinical factors, a >1.3 pg/mL increase in TnI using the ultrasensitive assay was an independent predictor of ischaemia (odds ratio 3.54, P = 0.007).   CONCLUSION Transient stress test-induced myocardial ischaemia is associated with a quantifiable increase in circulating troponin that is detectable with a novel, ultrasensitive TnI assay.
How one perceives the self is critical to long-term development. The purpose of this study was to explore the self-perceptions of adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participants included 51 adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their parents (n  =  50), and teachers (n  =  12). A mixed-methods design was used. Qualitative interviews revealed that although 55% of participants self-identified as having a disability, there was a lack of constructive or affirmative language used to describe disability. Overall, adolescents' understanding of disability appeared to be grounded in a deficit model. Quantitative analyses were used to explore demographic variables, adolescent' perception of parent support, and self-determination as possible predictors of global self-worth and social acceptance. Results indicate that family income and parent support are particularly salient for this population.
We thank Dr Ameisen for his interest on our manuscript (Addolorato et al ., 2011) and appreciate the opportunity to respond to his comments. As noted by Dr Ameisen (Ameisen, 2011), in our manuscript, we refer not only to his case report (Ameisen, 2005), but also to the case report by Bucknam (2007). We appreciate Dr Ameisen's clarification that in his own case report high-dose baclofen suppressed (as opposed to reduced) alcohol craving and consumption. Dr Ameisen correctly states that Bucknam's title and abstract report the word ‘suppression’; however, the full-length text of Bucknam (2007) leads to the surprising discovery that the patient described a dramatic reduction (but not suppression) in alcohol craving and consumption.  We did not mean to misinterpret Dr Ameisen's opinion. Rather, we provided an overall ‘take home’ message based on both case reports (Ameisen, 2005; Bucknam, 2007) given that high-dose baclofen did not have an identical effect in these two patients.  (We would point out too, that in Agabio's case report (Agabio et al ., 2007), mentioned by Dr Ameisen where the patient's alcohol …
This paper aims to determine the provision of geriatric health services to elderly prisoners. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach, the data collected by researchers by conducting field studies is conducting interviews with several correctional officers to obtain data through interviews, field studies and literature reviews in explaining the provision of geriatric health services to elderly prisoners. The results showed that service delivery was constrained by costs, facilities and infrastructure as well as a lack of human resources who were experts in the health sector. Elderly prisoners do not get the geriatric care that should be done so that elderly prisoners receive treatment and prevention of diseases and health problems due to ageing. This can be handled by carrying out routine checks on inmates. Not only examinations but also counselling activities about the health experienced by elderly prisoners. This examination is carried out by the prison in collaboration with the regional health office and is carried out regularly every week. With this routine check-up, elderly prisoners can overcome their health problems and prevent diseases that usually attack a person due to ageing.
To clarify the stimulating effects of low dose gamma-ray radiation(60Co), 4 cultivars of Chineses cabbage (Brassica campestris L. cv. Hanyoreum, cv. Tropic emperor, cv. Manjeom and cv. Sulim eockari) and 1-5 years old seeds were irradiated with dose of 0.5 Gy-20 Gy and cultivated in the green house and the experimental field. The germination rate of seeds, early growth and yield of Chinese cabbage increased positively in low dose irradiation group. The increase of the seedling height and fresh weight in 8 Gy and 12 Gy irradiated groups was 20% and 40%, respectively. Old seeds irradiated by low dose gamma-ray radiation in the range 1-2 Gy of Manjeom and Sulim eockari cultivars showed remarkable growth, significantly compared to the new, 1-2 year old seeds. The germination rates and seedling heights of 3-, 4-, and 5-year old seeds increased at the 4 Gy-, 1 Gy-, and 0.5 Gy-irradiation group respectively. There were significant stimulating effects of radiation on the plant height, fresh weight and diameter of all seeds grown in the experimental field of 4 Gy- and 8 Gy-irradiation group. The seedlings grown from seeds treated by low dose gamma-ray radiation showed higher peroxidase and catalase activities than non-treated seedlings.
The permanent cell line BHK-21/cl 13 can be transformed by mutagenic carcinogens as the result of the induction of a recessive somatic mutation. Yet when these cells were treated with 5-azacytidine under conditions in which no mutants resistant to either ouabain or 6-thioguanine could be detected, they were transformed efficiently. These transformants were induced, not selected. 6-Azacytidine was ineffective at transforming BHK cells; 2'-deoxy-5-azacytidine was exceptionally effective. When tested by cell fusion, transformants induced by 5-azacytidine fell into the same complementation group as those induced by highly mutagenic carcinogens, but they were phenotypically distinct in that they were unstable during prolonged passage and rarely displayed the temperature-limited phenotypes so common among BHK transformants induced by strongly mutagenic carcinogens. These results raise the possibility that a cell can be induced by either genetic or epigenetic means to traverse the same single step in carcinogenesis.
Background The hallux valgus interphalangeus (HVI) deformity has a common association with hallux valgus and hallux rigidus. The HVI is formed by the angle between the long axes of the proximal and distal phalanges. The normal value for this angular deformity in the coronal plane is less than 10°. The aim of this study was to analyze the intra- and inter-observer reliability of measuring the interphalangeal angle by orthopaedic surgeons. This study is the first study to evaluate specifically the reliability and reproducibility of measuring the HVI angle. Methods Twenty-one X-ray prints of weightbearing feet constituted a set. Sixteen qualified orthopaedic surgeons were asked to measure the HVI angle of all 21 X-ray images in the set. Three randomized sets were sent to each evaluator at 4-week intervals. After all 3 sets were measured, data were retrieved and statistically analyzed to determine the inter- and intraobserver variability and reliability in the measurement of the HVI angle. Reproducibility of the HVI measurement was assessed using 3 categories, which included the ability to measure the same angle 3 times and achieve: 3° or less, 5° or less, and more than 5° variation. Results The intraobserver reliability was found to be 5° or less in 85.2% of participants and the interobserver reliability was 81.2%. The researcher did not find significant correlation between the surgeons’ level of experience with regard to the reliability of measuring the HVI angle. Conclusion The inter- and intraobserver reliabilities of measuring the HVI angle is 81.2% and 85.2%, respectively. The level of experience of the surgeon does not improve this reliability. Levels of Evidence Level II
This paper introduces several novel load balancing algorithms for distributing Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) requests to a cluster of SIP servers. Our load balancer improves both throughput and response time versus a single node, while exposing a single interface to external clients. We present the design, implementation and evaluation of our system using a cluster of Intel x86 machines running Linux. We compare our algorithms with several well-known approaches and present scalability results for up to 10 nodes. Our best algorithm, Transaction Least-Work-Left (TLWL), achieves its performance by integrating several features: knowledge of the SIP proto- col; dynamic estimates of back-end server load; distinguishing transactions from calls; recognizing variability in call length; and exploiting differences in processing costs for different SIP transactions. By combining these features, our algorithm provides finer-grained load balancing than standard approaches, resulting in throughput improvements of up to 24 percent and response time improvements of up to two orders of magnitude. We present a detailed analysis of occupancy to show how our algorithms significantly reduce response time.
Modern agriculture has reached tremendous productivity and effectiveness; however, it very often happens that intensive production causes serious environmental concerns and compromises the quality of final product. Due to increasing consumer awareness, people more frequently choose organic products as a healthier and safer option. Nevertheless, organic farming is not only about the production of superior quality food, it is also a method of environmental protection and sustainable resource management. Water, soil, biological diversity and landscape are just some of the natural components that are being constantly transformed as a result of farming. Conventional farming often is the main cause of environment degradation that leads to serious consequences. Therefore, it is vital to underline the importance of organic farming in the protection of environment and natural resources that are essential for humans in the process of food production. The main aim of this article is to evaluate the effect of organic farming on water, soil, biological diversity as well as landscape. Moreover, this research is also an attempt at implanting organic agriculture within the concept of sustainable development.
A series of novel 4-amino-1,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-diones was synthesized via two pathways. The first method involved reductive alkylation of unsymmetrical hydrazines with glyoxylic acid, followed by Fisher esterification. The resulting N-aminoglycinate ethyl ester was subsequently o-nitrobenzoylated, reduced, and thermally cyclized to obtain 4-dialkylaminobenzodiazepinones. In the second method methylhydrazine was acetylated at Nα then benzoylated at Nβ to give 1,2-diacylhydrazines. Alkylation with ethyl bromoacetate and reduction of the nitro group, followed by thermal cyclization yielded 4-acetamidobenzodiazepinones. All title compounds were evaluated in mice in MES seizure and sc Met seizure threshold tests for anticonvulsant activity, and in the rotorod test for neurotoxicity. Activity and toxicity were both minimal.
Rigging for facial animation is an important but time‐consuming task, which generally requires experienced artists with knowledge of facial anatomy. In this paper, we investigate whether it is possible to produce a good animatable avatar automatically, given only a 3D static triangle mesh of the head. An automatic mechanism is devised for constructing multi‐layer animatable facial avatars for unseen faces. We evaluate our technique with a variety of models, and give a quantitative analysis of the constructed results. We also designed and conducted a user study for evaluating the perceived quality of the generated expressive animations. The results demonstrate that our method is an appropriate tool for naïve users to customize their personal 3D avatars. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Background: Amphetamine affects Caenorhabditis elegans behavior by acting on dopamine transporter (DAT) however residual effects are present in DAT knockouts. Results: DAT-independent behaviors are eliminated by knocking out the LGC-55 channels. Conclusion: Amphetamine mediates behavioral effects by acting on both DAT and LGC-55. Significance: The identification of a novel amphetamine target in C. elegans suggests alternative mechanisms underlying the effects of this psychostimulant. Amphetamine is a highly addictive psychostimulant, which is thought to generate its effects by promoting release of dopamine through reverse activation of dopamine transporters. However, some amphetamine-mediated behaviors persist in dopamine transporter knock-out animals, suggesting the existence of alternative amphetamine targets. Here we demonstrate the identification of a novel amphetamine target by showing that in Caenorhabditis elegans, a large fraction of the behavioral effects of amphetamine is mediated through activation of the amine-gated chloride channel, LGC-55. These findings bring to light alternative pathways engaged by amphetamine, and urge rethinking of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of this highly-addictive psychostimulant.
An eight-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with a history of left median paramedian frontal craniectomy due to car trauma at six months of age. Axial computed tomography of the skull with reconstruction in three dimensions revealed an arachnoid cyst with slight herniation of the brain in the frontal lobe, leading to protrusion against the skullcap, causing dilation of the ex-vacuum of the anterior extension of the homolateral lateral ventricle. He presented asymmetrical lateral ventricles, a reduced base cistern, and a slightly ectatic IV centred ventricle. After the physical examination, no neurological deficit was found, despite the changes identified in the images. It is believed that such conditions may progressively worsen with the development and maturation of nervous tissue over the age of the assessed child. To confirm this, specialized monitoring is of fundamental importance.
Whether defined by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, there are clear health disparities in colon cancer-disparities that exist whether you measure screening, incidence, or mortality. Rather than rehash disparity statistics, the purpose of this educational article is to highlight important resources and how they can be used to help narrow these disparities. Although the logistics can be complex, the general solutions to eliminating colon cancer health disparities are not complex. They are as follows: Asymptomatic persons need to be screened. After being screened, they need to be diagnosed. After being diagnosed, they need to receive appropriate treatment in a timely fashion. After receiving treatment, they have to receive appropriate follow-up and information and advice on lifestyle changes. If we can implement these measures, then cancer-specific mortality disparities will be dramatically reduced, if not eliminated.
Abstract On February 12th, 2020, and after a yearlong discussion, the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) announced that the reporting of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step one exam will transition to pass/fail reporting system and is expected to kick in as early as 2022. The decision was met with various responses, especially by the IMG community. In this paper, we discuss this change and its effect on IMG trainees and their selection process.
Higher penetration of variable renewable energy sources into the grid brings down the plant load factor of thermal power plants. However, during sudden changes in load, the thermal power plants support the grid, though at higher ramping rates and with inefficient operation. Hence, further renewable additions must be backed by battery energy storage systems to limit the ramping rate of a thermal power plant and to avoid deploying diesel generators. In this paper, battery-integrated renewable energy systems that include floating solar, bifacial rooftop, and wind energy systems are evaluated for a designated smart city in India to reduce ramping support by a thermal power plant. Two variants of adaptive-local-attractor-based quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (ALA-QPSO) are applied for optimal sizing of battery-integrated and hybrid renewable energy sources to minimize the levelized cost of energy (LCoE), battery life cycle loss (LCL), and loss of power supply probability (LPSP). The obtained results are then compared with four variants of differential evolution. The results show that out of 427 MW of the energy potential, an optimal set of hybrid renewable energy sources containing 274 MW of rooftop PV, 99 MW of floating PV, and 60 MW of wind energy systems supported by 131 MWh of batteries results in an LPSP of 0.005%, an LCoE of 0.077 USD/kW, and an LCL of 0.0087. A sensitivity analysis of the results obtained through ALA-QPSO is performed to assess the impact of damage to batteries and unplanned load appreciation, and it is found that the optimal set results in more energy sustainability.
With the maturing and wide application of cloud computing technology, there are more and more crimes in the environment of cloud computing, effective investigation of evidence against these crimes are extremely important and urgent. Because it features the characteristics of computing environment of virtual, mass storage, distribution of data, multi-tenant and so on, the cloud calculating sets an extremely hard condition for investigation of evidence. For this purpose, this paper presents a reference evidential model for cloud computing environments, and it also discusses the implement to the four aspects of computer evidence.
Gelonin purified from the seeds of Gelonium multiflorum using cation-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography was characterized for its purity, homogeneity and Mr by reverse-phase h.p.l.c. and SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis analysis and judged to be 98% pure. As the cross-linking agent N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate (SPDP) has been used for linking gelonin via its epsilon-NH2 group to its carrier antibodies or hormones for immunotoxin or hormonotoxin respectively, an attempt was made to study the effect of this modification of gelonin on its immunoreactivity. A radioimmunoassay was developed for this purpose. By sequential modification, four categories of amino group modifications on immunoreactivity were observed. Even one or two modifications, representing one-twentieth to one-tenth of available epsilon-NH2 groups in the protein caused about 75% loss in immunoreactivity, with additional reactions contributing to further deteriorations. By using a gelonin radioimmunoassay, the immunoreactivity of gelonin in three hormonotoxins was determined with gelonin and modified gelonin as standards. The gelonin equivalent in our hormonotoxins was in agreement with the values determined by spectrophotometric and gel-electrophoresis methods. As the immunoreactivity of gelonin-SPDP was not further altered after conjugation to its carrier protein ovine lutropin, a specific radioimmunoassay of gelonin could be used to evaluate the molar ratio of the conjugates prepared by using SPDP as cross-linker and gelonin-SPDP as a standard.
This project (10) evaluated audible pedestrian traffic signals (APTS) from three perspectives: 1) the patterns of use and the impact of these signals on pedestrian travel; 2) the physical characteristics of the sound emitted by the Nagoya/Traconex APTS; and, 3) the detectability of the sounds emitted by this brand of APTS. This paper, the last of three companion articles (13,14), describes the detectability of the sounds emitted by the Nagoya/Traconex audible traffic signal, the unit most commonly found in the western United States and almost exclusively in California. To determine detectability, three groups of subjects with normal hearing--young sighted adults (controls), elderly sighted adults, and elderly blind adults--participated in an audiological study. Auditory stimuli, which consisted of APTS sounds embedded in various levels of interfering traffic noise, were presented to subjects seated inside a double-walled sound-treated chamber. The subjects were instructed to press down on a response button as soon as they heard the audible pedestrian traffic signal. The percentage of correct detections determined the absolute detectability of APTS under various S/N ratios. The subjects' speed of response indicated how quickly a pedestrian might begin to cross the intersection upon hearing the APTS.
Background:Ankle fractures are common injuries, and many have clear indications for operative treatment. Newer plate designs have recently been introduced and have the potential to simplify and shorten the operative procedure. This study compares the costs of operative treatment of a lateral malleolar fracture using a novel plate design or a neutralization plate and lag screw approach. Methods:A retrospective chart review was performed. All patients operatively treated for a Weber B lateral malleolar fracture were divided into two cohorts: an experimental group treated with a novel plate design and a control group treated with a lag screw and neutralization plate. Costs of implants, operating room costs and time to healing were compared between the two cohorts. Results:The average implant cost for the novel plate design ($1141) was significantly higher than that of the plate and lag screw construct ($208; P<0.0001). The average operating room costs were significantly lower for the experimental group ($4410) compared with the control group ($6037; P<0.01). The average time to healing was significantly less in the experimental group (75 days) than in the control group (97 days; P<0.04). Conclusions:The decreased operating room costs likely resulted from attributes of the novel plate design that assist in fracture reduction and eliminate the need for a separate lag screw. The decreased dissection required to apply the novel plate could explain the quicker healing observed. The additional cost of new implant designs may be justified by quicker, simpler operative techniques and enhanced healing.
The primary kinetic isotope effect for the sigmatropic rearrangement reaction of cis-1,3-pentadiene is studied by the direct dynamics method. The calculations are carried out with the computer code MORATE, which combines the semiempirical molecular orbital package, MOPAC, and the polyatomic dynamics code, POLYRATE, developed previously by the authors' research group. Dynamics calculations are based on canonical variational transition-state theory including multidimensional tunneling corrections. The force field is obtained by molecular orbital theory with the AM1, PM3, and MINDO/3 parameterizations. The kinetic isotope effects calculated with the MINDO/3 and PM3 Hamiltonians agree with those calculated by AM1 within 13%, and the latter agree with experiment within 13%. The tunneling contributions to the kinetic isotope effects are analyzed, and the nature of the vibrationally assisted tunneling process is discussed. General features of the dynamics from all three parameterizations are similar, and the quantitative differences in the predictions of the three calculations can be understood in terms of global characteristics of the potential energy functions that they predict. 41 refs., 8 figs., 6 tabs.
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related compounds modulate various endocrine functions by enhancing ligand metabolism, altering hormone synthesis, down regulating receptor levels, and interfering with gene transcription. In the present study, we investigated the effects of TCDD on testosterone signal transduction pathways and vice versa in the androgen receptor (AR) positive LNCaP prostate cancer cell line. TCDD induced CYP1A1 mRNA and related enzyme activity in these cells, with dose and time-dependence. Both normal and testosterone-stimulated cell growth was inhibited by TCDD. The expression levels of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT), and AR were not affected by exposure to TCDD at a dose of 10 nM for a 24 hr time period. Testosterone treatment dose-dependently inhibited the TCDD-induced CYP1A1 mRNA accumulation and related enzyme activity. Reciprocally, TCDD also dose-dependently inhibited testosterone-dependent transcriptional activity and testosterone-regulated prostate specific antigen (PSA) expression. Taken together, these results demonstrate antiandrogenic functions of TCDD and a specific ligand-induced bilateral transcriptional interference between TCDD and testosterone mediated signal transduction pathways.
This paper proposes and evaluates high-performance VLSI architecture for real-time state-space digital filters used in digital signal processing and digital control. A VLSI-oriented highly parallel architecture for state-space digital filters with high sampling rate and small latency has already been proposed by the authors. To speed up and reduce hardware complexity, the distributed arithmetic (of which processing time depends on only, word length) is applied to this architecture, making good use of highly accurate state-space digital filters. The very high sampling rate can be implemented independently of filter order and the number of the input and output.
ABSTRACT AxyXY-OprZ is an RND-type efflux system that confers innate aminoglycoside resistance to Achromobacter spp. We investigated here a putative TetR family transcriptional regulator encoded by the axyZ gene located upstream of axyXY-oprZ. An in-frame axyZ gene deletion assay led to increased MICs of antibiotic substrates of the efflux system, including aminoglycosides, cefepime, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, and erythromycin, indicating that the product of axyZ negatively regulates expression of axyXY-oprZ. Moreover, we identified an amino acid substitution at position 29 of AxyZ (V29G) in a clinical Achromobacter strain that occurred during the course of chronic respiratory tract colonization in a cystic fibrosis (CF) patient. This substitution, also detected in three other strains exposed in vitro to tobramycin, led to an increase in the axyY transcription level (5- to 17-fold) together with an increase in antibiotic resistance level. This overproduction of AxyXY-OprZ is the first description of antibiotic resistance acquisition due to modification of a chromosomally encoded mechanism in Achromobacter and might have an impact on the management of infected CF patients. Indeed, tobramycin is widely used for aerosol therapy within this population, and we have demonstrated that it easily selects mutants with increased MICs of not only aminoglycosides but also fluoroquinolones, cefepime, and tetracyclines.
GPS height time series used in geophysical studies are often formed from discrete, continuous, nonoverlapping 24 hour processing sessions. With such a strategy, unmodeled periodic ground displacements with approximately semidiurnal and diurnal periods have often been assumed to average close to zero. By analyzing several years of continuous GPS data from globally distributed sites at which controlled errors were not modeled, this paper shows such an assumption to be erroneous. It is shown that each unmodeled (sub-) daily periodic displacement can propagate to several spurious long-wavelength features in a GPS height time series, ranging in period from about 2 weeks to 1 year. Admittances (ratio of amplitude of spurious long-wavelength output signal in the GPS height time series to amplitude of unmodeled periodic ground displacement) depend on the coordinate component and the tidal constituent considered. For example, it is shown that an unmodeled S2 north component periodic ground displacement can propagate to a semiannual height signal with admittance of greater than 100%, whereas the height admittance is around 5-10%. Since model errors in ocean tide loading, atmospheric pressure loading, and solid earth tide displacement amplitudes can be several millimeters, long-wavelength spurious signals of up to these amplitudes may be expected to appear in GPS height time series. This paper provides an indication of how such errors will propagate, where such errors are greatest and hence how spurious fortnightly, semiannual, and, in some cases, annual effects may be present at some sites. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
In ectotherms, it is well described that thermal acclimation induces compensatory adjustments maintaining mitochondrial functions across large shifts in temperature. However, until now, studies mostly focused on fluxes of oxygen without knowing whether mitochondrial efficiency to produce ATP (ATP/O ratio) is also dependent on temperature acclimation. We thus measured thermal reaction norms of oxidative phosphorylation activity and efficiency in isolated mitochondria from skeletal muscle of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles acclimated at optimal (22°C), low (18°C), and high (26°C) temperatures. The mitochondrial fluxes (oxygen consumption and ATP synthesis) increased with increasing assay temperatures and were on the whole higher in fishes acclimated at 18°C than in the other two groups. However, these mitochondrial rates were not significantly different between experimental groups when they were compared at the acclimation temperature. In contrast, we show that acclimation to high, and not low, temperature improved mitochondrial efficiency (on average >15%). This higher efficiency in high-temperature-acclimated fishes is also apparent when compared at respective acclimation temperatures. This mitochondrial phenotype would favor an economical management of oxygen in response to harsh energetic constraints associated with warming water.
Background: Liver metastases are a leading cause of cancer-associated deaths in patients affected by colorectal cancer (CRC). The multidisciplinary strategy to treat CRC is more effective when the radiological diagnosis is accurate and early. Despite the evolving technologies in radiological accuracy, the radiological diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases (CRCLM) is still a key point. The aim of our study was to define a new patient representation different by Artificial Intelligence models, using Formal Methods (FMs), to help clinicians to predict the presence of liver metastasis when still undetectable using the standard protocols. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed from 2013 to 2020 the CT scan of nine patients affected by CRC who would develop liver lesions within 4 months and 8 years. Seven patients developed liver metastases after primary staging before any liver surgery, and two patients were enrolled after R0 liver resection. Twenty-one patients were enrolled as the case control group (CCG). Regions of Interest (ROIs) were identified through manual segmentation on the medical images including only liver parenchyma and eventual benign lesions, avoiding major vessels and biliary ducts. Our predictive model was built based on formally verified radiomic features. Results: The precision of our methods is 100%, scheduling patients as positive only if they will be affected by CRCLM, showing a 93.3% overall accuracy. Recall was 77.8%. Conclusion: FMs can provide an effective early detection of CRCLM before clinical diagnosis only through non-invasive radiomic features even in very heterogeneous and small clinical samples.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fecal carriage of antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli of healthy household dogs with an emphasis on extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL), AmpC-type β-lactamases and resistance to quinolones. Materials and Methods: Rectal swabs were collected from 74 dogs without any clinical evidence of gastrointestinal disease. Samples were cultured on MacConkey agar plates and MacConkey supplemented with 2 μg/mL cefotaxime or 5 μg/mL ciprofloxacin. Isolates were identified with Vitek 2 Compact and susceptibility testing performed by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was done on isolates resistant to cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, and nalidixic acid. PCR amplification was performed to detect CTX-M and CMY-2. Isolates positive for CTX-M and/or CMY-2 were selected for whole-genome sequencing. Results: Multiresistance was detected in 56% of the isolates. A high percentage of resistance was detected for cefazolin (63%), ampicillin (54%), streptomycin (49%), nalidixic acid (42%) and tetracycline (38%). The MIC50 and MIC90 for isolates resistant to cefotaxime (24%) was determined as 16 and >250 μg/mL, respectively; for ciprofloxacin (18%), 125 and 250 μg/mL, respectively. ESBL (CTX-M type) and AmpC (CMY-2 type) were detected in 6 (7.1%) and 14 (19%) of the isolates, respectively. Whole-genome sequence analysis showed high genetic diversity in most of the isolates and a large variety of resistance mechanisms, including mobile genetic elements. Conclusion: The frequency of multidrug-resistant E. coli is worrying, mainly because of the presence of many isolates producing ESBL and AmpC β-lactamases. Based on the “One Health” concept, considering the relationships between animals, humans, and the environment, these data support the notion that companion animals are important reservoirs of multidrug-resistant bacteria.
ABSTRACT An azithromycin extended-release (ER) oral suspension was developed to improve the gastrointestinal tolerability profile without substantially compromising systemic exposure. A single dose of 30 mg/kg azithromycin immediate-release (IR) oral suspension has been used in children to treat acute otitis media (AOM). This study was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetics of a 60-mg/kg azithromycin ER single dose with a 30-mg/kg azithromycin IR single dose in children with AOM aged 6 months to 6 years (n = 19 per treatment). Serum samples were collected at 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 24, 48, and 72 h after dosing. The area under the curve from time zero to 72 h postdosing (AUC0-72) was calculated based on a noncompartmental method. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare exposure parameters (e.g., AUC0-72 and peak concentration) as well as concentrations at each time point. The adjusted geometric mean ratio of the ER/IR AUC0-72 was 157.98% (90% confidence interval [CI], 98.87%, 252.44%), which met the predefined criterion of the lower boundary of the 90% CI of ≥80%. As expected, due to the slower-release profile of the ER formulation, the concentrations of the ER formulation during the first 3 h were lower than those of the IR formulation. After 3 h postdosing, the lower boundaries of the 90% CI for the ER/IR concentration ratios were greater than 100%. These results indicated that a 60-mg/kg single dose of ER azithromycin provides similar or greater systemic exposure in children than the 30-mg/kg single dose of IR azithromycin.
Female consumer's clothing shopping experience is primarily influenced by the appearance and fit of a garment that may be influenced by their personal values and is a process that involves emotions (Otieno et al., 2005; Lopatovska and Arapakis, 2011). Very little research focussing on the emotional impact and the role that personal values play in the female consumers’ shopping experience of ready-to-wear garment fit has been conducted in South Africa to date. The primary objective of this study was to explore the areas of concern of garment sizing to establish the emotional impact garment sizing and the resulting fit have on the female consumer purchasing behaviour when evaluated against their personal value system. This study applied the means-end chain theory approach that allowed the researcher to explore female consumers’ personal values and the resulting emotions, through the application of the laddering interview techniques. Using open-ended questions, this study aimed to discover the role of female consumers’ perceptions of garment sizing and the resulting emotional effects of garment fit on their purchasing decisions. The findings from the data collected from a purposeful and convenient sample of 62 female consumers from Gauteng, Johannesburg showed that the majority of the participants in this study failed to attain their personal values through the fit of a garment due to inconsistent, unreliable and inaccurate sizing, garment sizing which is unsuitable for various body shapes and the unavailability of certain clothing sizes in ready-to-wear garments. The study established that it is extremely important that South African clothing manufacturers and designers should strategize to satisfy the clothing need of the consumers who are currently having problems with garment sizing, by understanding female consumers’ garment sizing and fit needs through extended research of their target markets.
Abstract The article is devoted to the construction of the motion model for agents with memory. Agents can be interpreted, for example, as mobile robots or soldiers. Agents move on the landscape consisting of squares with different passability. The model is based on the cellular automaton with one common to all agents layer corresponding to the landscape and many agent-specific layers corresponding to an agent’s memory. Methods for the random landscape generation are developed. The dependence between configuration entropy of the landscape, efficiency of the path-finding algorithm based on the cellular automaton was found. Also, the dependence of the average speed of the agents’ motion on the landscape configuration entropy was shown. Graphical Abstract The agent ag, moving on the landscape OWorld from the cell to the cell , and finding a locally optimal route in the neighborhood . For example, the radius o can coincide with a range of sensors of the robot, a layer of the objective reality OWorld can be the robot’s environment. In this case, a layer of subjective reality SWorld will correspond to the stored in the robot’s memory representation of the explored area. Increasing of the function of obstacles is indicated with a darker tone, crosses ‘’ in the layer SWorld mark already visited cells, marks ‘?’ correspond to cells whose status is unknown.
Neurophysins are linear cystine-rich proteins containing 93–95 amino acid residues which like the neurohypophysial hormones oxytocin and vasopressin are formed in the hypothalamus and travel from there to the hypophysial posterior lobe. A species usually contains two (or three) neurophysins which differ only slightly in chain length and/or sequence. Many observatios suggest that both oxytocin and one of the neurophysins as well as vasopressin and the other neurophysin have a common precursor whose long chain is split into neurophysin and hormone. It can be shown on rats having considerable diabetes insipidus that a single gene controls the biosynthesis of the vasopressin and one of the neurophysins.
During production of rolled steel strips the quality of the surface of finished strips influences steel consumption considerably. The most critical areas for crack formation during rolling are lateral sides of slabs. Deformation behaviors of the slab edge in roughing rolling process were analyzed by the finite element method with Deform-3D. In this study our focus is the analysis of the influence of edger’s form on the possibility to decrease surface cracking during roughing hot rolling.
An high-performance water-based drilling fluid is a hot subject of research both at home and abroad in recent years. In this paper, the inhibition property and the influence of amino polyols AP-1 and aluminum polymer DLP-1 on drilling fluid properties were evaluated, on this basis, through the formula optimization, the high-performance water based drilling fluid was developed and and field applied. Both laboratory study and field application showed that aluminum polymer can reduce viscosity and filtration rate, and can effectively inhibit the hydration expansion of clay. Amino polyols had a little effect on the viscosity, gel strength and filtration of drilling fluid, but it had a good shale inhibition. This drilling fluid has good properties in rheology, filtration, inhibition and anti-contamination, with a satisfactory overall performance, which is helpful in solving wellbore instability that are due to unenven hydration or well developed micro fractures.
This article considers youth arts residencies in the context of historical and contemporary arts policies. Arts residencies, delivered by professional artists and arts educators, have been a mainstay of the cultural sector since the artists-in-schools program was established by the National Endowment for the Arts to address issues of access to the arts for all Americans and are an essential component of federal arts education support. Changing patterns of participation in the arts are transforming the ways that young people gain entry and sustain lifelong learning in the arts; and the maturation of the teaching-artist field is resulting in changes in arts education delivery mechanisms—all of which have implications for arts education training and preparation through higher education and professional development. The purpose of the article is to call attention to policy issues and priorities that are shaping the arts residency field and that can inform programs, education, and research in theatre for youth, theatre education, and arts education.
To further facilitate users' quick browsing the behaviors and expressions of the characters in videos, in which they are interested, we need to classify the according person's frame images in accordance with the contents of the group scene. In this paper, we use the technology of face recognition to classify the frame images of different person which are coupling in the video, and then we form the video abstraction of different person.
Optimization techniques developed for object-oriented databases are defined and analyzed. The approach is based on incorporating redundancy into the object base. The redundancy is entirely controlled by the system. The access support relations technique is based on redundantly maintaining frequently traversed object paths. The function materialization technique is founded on precomputing performance critical functions. In both cases, the redundantly maintained information can be viewed as an index to accelerate object base queries. The use of these optimization approaches is discussed for two applications from the area of organizational data modeling.<<ETX>>
Eddy diffusivity models are a common method to parameterize turbulent fluxes in the atmospheric sciences community. However, their inability to handle convective boundary layers leads to the addition of a nondiffusive flux component (usually called nonlocal) alongside the original diffusive term (usually called local). Both components are often modeled for convective conditions based on the shape of the eddy diffusivity profile for neutral conditions. This assumption of shape is traditionally employed due to the difficulty of estimating both components based on numerically simulated turbulent fluxes without any a priori assumptions. In this manuscript we propose a novel method to avoid this issue and estimate both components from numerical simulations without having to assume any a priori shape or scaling for either. Our approach is based on optimizing results from a modeling perspective and taking as much advantage as possible from the diffusive term, thus maximizing the eddy diffusivity. We use our method to diagnostically investigate four different large-eddy simulations spanning different stability regimes, which reveal that nondiffusive fluxes are important even when trying to minimize them. Furthermore, the calculated profiles for both diffusive and nondiffusive fluxes suggest that their shapes change with stability, which is an effect that is not included in most models currently in use. Finally, we use our results to discuss modeling approaches and identify opportunities for improving current models.
Section 5(4) of the Mental Health Act (1983) allows nurses to detain a psychiatric inpatient for up to six hours before a doctor arrives. This article reviews the use of Section 5(4) in 100 cases in North Cheshire between 1985 and 1992. Doctors supported every nurse's decision to detain a patient. Patients detained under Section 5(4) were more likely to be converted to other sections. This suggests that the nurse's decision to detain the patient is a useful predictor of outcome.
Effect of Gray leaf spot on yield of Commercial Maize Hybrids With the objective of quantifying the effect of gray leaf spot (Cercospora zeae-maydis) on yield of 12 commercial maize hybrids and of correlating grain yield reduction with disease severity, two experiments were performed at two sowing dates (November 11 th and December 23 rd , 2005) in the experimental area of the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), Lavras, MG, Brazil. Disease control in healthy plots of all hybrids was obtained through two applications of epoxiconazol + pyraclostrobin – 37.5 + 99.75 g i.a.ha -1 ) at a 15-day interval. In uncontrolled plots, epidemic development started from natural inoculum present in the area. Eight evaluations of disease severity based on visual symptoms were performed at seven-day intervals from the 60 th day after maize emergence, ranging from 1 (resistant) to 9 (susceptible). The area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) was estimated and grain yield per plot was also obtained. Results of damage percentage and correlations between grain yield and damage percentage with the estimates of the AUDPC were supported by the data. Damage intensity varied according to sowing season and hybrid, with an average of 13.3%. Maize gray leaf spot reduces the corn grain yield, mainly in the late sowing season, and the use of resistant hybrids excludes the chemical control of the disease. Additional keywords: Zea mays, damage, disease evaluation, fungal disease.
Arginine phosphorylation (pArg) is recently discovered as a ubiquitous protein N- phosphorylation in bacteria. However, its prevalence and roles in mammalian cells remain largely unknown due to the lack of established workflow and the inherent lability of the phosphoramidate (P-N) bond. Emerging evidence suggests that N-phosphorylation may extensively exist in eukaryotes and play crucial roles. We report an experimental phosphoproteomic workflow, which for the first time allowed to reveal the widespread occurrence of pArg in human cells by mass spectrometry. By virtue of this approach, we identified 152 high-confidence pArg sit]es derived from 118 proteins. Remarkably, the discovered phosphorylation motif and gene ontology of pArg hint a possible cellular function of arginine phosphorylation by regulating the favorability of propeptide convertase substrate. The generated extensive data set should enable a better understanding of the biological functions of eukaryotic pArg in the future.
Eighty-eight nonionic surface active agents, all containing polyoxyethylene as the hydrophilic group, and some anionic and cationic agents have been tested in the labora tory to determine the extent to which they protect wool from loss of tensile strength during carbonizing. Nonionic agents in which the lipophilic portion consists of poly oxypropylene provided little protection even at the highest concentrations tested, whereas nonionic agents containing an alkyl or aryl hydrocarbon group were generally effective. With the latter compounds, the length of the polyoxyethylene group influenced the optimal concentration of the reagent. Anionic agents were ineffective at low concen trations; cationic agents were comparable in their effects with nonionic agents.
Flock house virus is an insect virus belonging to the family Nodaviridae; members of this family are characterized by a small bipartite positive-stranded RNA genome. The larger genomic segment, RNA1, encodes viral replication proteins, whereas the smaller one, RNA2, encodes coat protein. Both RNAs are packaged in a single particle. A defective-interfering RNA (DI-634), isolated from a line of Drosophila cells persistently infected with Flock house virus, was used to show that a 32-base region of RNA2 (bases 186-217) is required for packaging into virions. RNA folding analysis predicted that this region forms a stem-loop structure with a 5-base loop and a 13-base-pair bulged stem.
The purpose of the present study is to ascertain general tendencies according to which human rights co-vary with social, cultural, and political characteristics. Although rigorous causal inferences may be methodologically unwarranted at this point, some propositions as to which macro-social conditions serve as facilitators of (or impediments to) human rights in the global community may be derived. Furthermore, through such empirical analysis, we can perhaps shed some light on the controversy over the conceptual universality versus conceptual relativism of human rights and human rights practices. The study, then, is an effort to generate answers to some central questions in the area of human rights including: (1) what conditions promote human rights? (2) is the concept of"human rights" as currently understood a concept biased against non-Western and non-Christian civilizations? and (3) what policy measures might be recommended in order to improve human rights conditions?
The evolution of drama and theatre studies from the curriculum of English Literature departments in 1960s Britain made it inevitable that the independent study of the medium of theatre in this country originated in the analysis, reconstruction and performance of the canon of written texts that had been inherited from its literary progenitor. Inevitably theatre studies, and at a later date, performance studies, was always going to seek to bolster its independence as a discipline by re-directing its focus away from the dramatic text, as studied in English Literature departments, towards a rewritten history of theatre and performance, and a contemporary practice that rejected the forms and conventions of the authored written text, in favour of collaborative practice with an emphasis on the live, the physical and the visual aspects of theatre. The single-authored dramatic text, as I will evidence in the course of this article, was further isolated by the advent of post-structuralist theories, which sought to discredit, in the words of Roland Barthes, ‘a single “theological” meaning’ in favour of ‘a multi-dimensional space in which a variety of writings, none of them original, blend and clash.’ (1977:146). As a consequence the author’s coherent narrative or view of the world, common to the broadly realist parameters of most twentieth-century drama, was set in philosophical opposition to the multiple perspectives and fragmented narratives of ensembles such as the Wooster Group and Forced Entertainment. As this latter work began to be increasingly positioned by academics within a postmodern or poststructuralist framework, the critique of the dramatic textbased tradition implied by, or inherent within, such performance lent philosophical weight to the growing isolation of the dramatic text within contemporary theatre and performance departments in British universities. The binary division between text-based and non-text-based models of performance, which consequently emerged in the academy, can be seen to be somewhat replicated within the British theatre industry in its processes for developing new work. The predominance of the literary text in our particular dramatic heritage necessitated that traditional opportunities for the development of new work were centred around the writer and the playtext, and existed, for the main part, within theatres that were flagships of new dramatic writing such as the Bush Theatre and the Royal Court. As the work of companies such as Forced Entertainment began to influence a new generation of graduate theatre makers in the 1990s and into the new millennium, art centres such as Battersea Arts Centre began to establish development opportunities for ensemble devised practice and performance that worked against, or outside of, the conventional rules of dramatic playwriting. Responding to the dominance of the dramatic tradition and the hierarchical position of the written text sustained by the new writing industry, such art centres, for the main part, defined the practice they wished to develop, and ultimately programme, as ‘non-textbased’ practice. Such opportunities, despite their ‘And their stories fell apart even as I was telling them’ Poststructuralist performance and the no-longer-dramatic text
Coimmobilization of lipases may be interesting in many uses, but this means that the stability of the least stable enzyme determines the stability of the full combilipase. Here, we propose a strategy that permits the reuse the most stable enzyme. Lecitase Ultra (LU) (a phospholipase) and the lipases from Rhizomucor miehei (RML) and from Pseudomonas fluorescens (PFL) were immobilized on octyl agarose, and their stabilities were studied under a broad range of conditions. Immobilized PFL was found to be the most stable enzyme under all condition ranges studied. Furthermore, in many cases it maintained full activity, while the other enzymes lost more than 50% of their initial activity. To coimmobilize these enzymes without discarding fully active PFL when LU or RML had been inactivated, PFL was covalently immobilized on glyoxyl-agarose beads. After biocatalysts reduction, the other enzyme was coimmobilized just by interfacial activation. After checking that glyoxyl-octyl-PFL was stable in 4% Triton X-100, the biocatalysts of PFL coimmobilized with LU or RML were submitted to inactivation under different conditions. Then, the inactivated least stable coimmobilized enzyme was desorbed (using 4% detergent) and a new enzyme reloading (using in some instances RML and in some others employing LU) was performed. The initial activity of immobilized PFL was maintained intact for several of these cycles. This shows the great potential of this lipase coimmobilization strategy.
In this paper, we propose a new and low-power architecture for synchronous ring counters which can noticeably reduce the switching activity of the conventional ring counters. To achieve the goal we partition the ring counter into some blocks for each of which we use a special clock gator. The Hot block (the block in which the '1' exists) is the only block the flip-flops of which are clocked. The delay and area overhead of the proposed clock gator is independent of the block size; this enables designer to freely resize the blocks and compromise with area and power overheads. The latency increase in the proposed architecture is independent of the counter width and depends only on the technology. For 90 nm technology it increases the latency by 5%. The architecture noticeably (about 85%) reduces the total switching activity of the counter especially for wide counters.
Thermal injury was produced in rabbits to determine (1) whether hypertriglyceridemia was inducible by thermal injury and, if so, (2) what was its time course and (3) how were the levels of apolipoproteins B, E, and A-I affected. In this study, seven New Zealand-specific pathogen-free male rabbits were inflicted with a burn to 27% of the total body surface area; another seven rabbits underwent a sham procedure. Plasma triglyceride levels rose markedly in the thermally injured group, and the hypertriglyceridemia persisted for ten days. Total plasma apolipoprotein B levels increased markedly by three days postburn and remained elevated for a period longer than the hypertriglyceridemia. In contrast, apolipoprotein E levels slowly increased, reaching a peak by day 10, and declined thereafter. Plasma levels of apolipoprotein A-I increased rapidly and remained elevated for two months. Thus, hypertriglyceridemia and concomitant changes in levels of apolipoproteins B, E, and A-I could be induced in rabbits by thermal injury. Plasma triglyceride levels were elevated for some time and then returned to normal, whereas apolipoprotein levels remained elevated for a longer time. These abnormalities may impair normal lipid transport in the postburn phase.
This Special Paper is primarily intended for conodont specialists, but will also be of interest to Silurian biostratigraphers and anyone working on the Silurian rocks of China. New conodont collections are described from a number of sections in area of the Yangtze Platform, South China, and existing literature on Silurian conodonts from China is re-evaluated and integrated with the new information. Several new taxa are recognised and the taxonomy of several early Silurian conodont species is refined. The status of Silurian conodont biozonation in China is reviewed, and Chinese sections are correlated with sections elsewhere. The palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographical significance of the Chinese conodonts is also discussed.
The main objective of the study is to explore the patterns in the Russian exporters' prices behavior depending on the characteristics of the importing country. Theoretical models of the heterogeneous trade theory suggest two main mechanisms for the emergence of sustainable differences in prices between different export directions - quality differences and price discrimination. The presented estimates on the Russian detailed customs statistical data for 2004-2015 indicate that Russian export prices are on average higher when goods shipped to richer, more remote countries and countries with larger markets. These regularities are driven mostly by the quality selection, to a lesser extent - by the price discrimination. Moreover, the discovered mechanisms are most pronounced in the behavior of export prices of differentiated goods. The results of the study suggest that the competitiveness of Russian firms is mostly related to product quality and improving access of the Russian firms to high-quality components can be considered as one of the possible ways to expand the presence of Russian manufacturers in the world markets.
Regulation of protein function through tyrosine phosphorylation is critical in the control of many developmental processes, such as cellular proliferation and differentiation. Growing evidence suggests that tyrosine phosphorylation also regulates key events in neural development. Although a large body of data has demonstrated that protein tyrosine kinases play an important role in neural development, much less is known about their counterparts, protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases). Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with degenerate primers and a neonatal rat cortex cDNA library, we have identified seven PTPases expressed in the developing rat brain. Four of these are transmembrane PTPases: LAR, LRP, RPTPγ, and CPTP1. Three are nonreceptor PTPases: PTP‐1, P19‐PTP, and SHP. Northern hybridization analysis demonstrates that only CPTP1 is preferentially expressed in neural tissues, whereas the others are found abundantly in nonneural tissues as well as in the brain.
Carbon dots (CDs) show great potential in bioimaging and biosensing because of their good biocompatibility and excellent optical properties. However, CDs with intense red emissions for sensitive and selective detection are rarely reported. Herein, we prepared the red-emissive carbon dots (RCDs) through a facile hydrothermal method using tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) and thiourea as starting materials. The obtained RCDs were characterized by TEM, XRD, and XPS. RCDs exhibited high water solubility and strong red emission (λem = 650 nm), with the fluorescence quantum yield as high as 26.7%, which was greatly higher than that of TCPP. Moreover, the as-prepared RCDs could be acted as a highly selective and sensitive probe for the detection of Hg2+ and glutathione (GSH) through the fluorometric titration method. The detection limits of Hg2+ and GSH were calculated to be 1.73 and 1.6 nM, respectively. The cellular experiments demonstrated the good biocompatibility of RCDs and their feasibility in bioimaging. Thus, this work provided a simple strategy to design and synthesize the highly red-emissive carbon dots, which showed promising application in biological and environmental assays.
ABSTRACT The history of environmental decision-making in the United States is primarily one of antagonism, conflict, and litigation. Four sectors of American society are typically at odds over why and how to solve environmental problems—government regulators, businesses proponents, environmental advocates, and members of affected communities. Dissimilar worldviews are at the heart of most environmental disputes, and people in the four sectors tend to have diverse perspectives and philosophies that affect how they interpret and respond to environmental issues. To promote integrated, cost-effective decisions, the public health paradigm (prevention first, intervention second, treatment third), as embodied in the Precautionary Principle and the concept of Sustainable Development, should be mutually adopted as a joint framework for prioritizing solutions to pressing environmental problems. The core public health principle of prevention first is a simple yet powerful tenet that can help foster better environmental choices that are more effective, efficient, and equitable.
Redmond, Elsa M., ed. Chiefdoms and Chieftaincy in the Americas. Gainesville etc.: University Press of Florida, 1998. 416 pp. $55.00 cloth. Earle, Timothy K. How Chiefs Come to Power. The Political Economy in Prehistory. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1997. 234 pp. $51.00 cloth, $19.95 paper. Muller, Jon. Mississippian Political Economy. New York and London: Plenum Press, 1997. 455 pp. $110.00 cloth.
Intercalation of Zn/Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) with benzophenone 9 (B9), a strong ultraviolet (UV) absorber, had been carried out by two different routes; co-precipitation and ion exchange method. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns of co-precipitated (ZB9C) and ion exchanged product (ZB91) showed basal spacing of 15.9 angstrom and 16.6 angstrom, respectively, as a result of the intercalation of B9 anions into the lamellae spaces of LDH. Intercalation was further confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur (CHNS) and thermogravimetric and differential thermogravimetric (TGA/DTG) studies. UV-vis absorption properties of the nanocomposite was investigated with diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectrometer and showed broader UV absorption range. Furthermore, stability of sunscreen molecules in LDH interlayer space was tested in deionized water, artificial sea water and skin pH condition to show slow deintercalation and high retention in host. Cytotoxicity study of the synthesized nanocomposites on human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells shows no significant cytotoxicity after 24 h exposure for test concentrations up to 25 microg/mL.
Herein, we report the first room temperature switchable Fe(iii) molecular spin crossover (SCO) tunnel junction. The junction is constructed from [FeIII(qsal-I)2]NTf2 (qsal-I = 4-iodo-2-[(8-quinolylimino)methyl]phenolate) molecules self-assembled on graphene surfaces with conductance switching of one order of magnitude associated with the high and low spin states of the SCO complex. Normalized conductance analysis of the current–voltage characteristics as a function of temperature reveals that charge transport across the SCO molecule is dominated by coherent tunnelling. Temperature-dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory confirm the SCO complex retains its SCO functionality on the surface implying that van der Waals molecule—electrode interfaces provide a good trade-off between junction stability while retaining SCO switching capability. These results provide new insights and may aid in the design of other types of molecular devices based on SCO compounds.
Rats were subjected to chronic paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) by the disk-over-water method to determine if they would develop the sustained increase in core (hypothalamic) temperature (T(hy)); elevated temperature setpoint (Tset); and the attenuation of the normal decline in core temperature during the transition from wake to sleep observed in rats subjected to total sleep deprivation (TSD). PSD rats did not show a significant elevation in T(hy). PSD rats and their yoked controls (PSC) were provided with a continuously available operant by which they could increase ambient temperature (Tamb). Change in Tset was assessed by evaluating operant behavior as a function of hypothalamic and intraperitoneal temperature (T(ip)). Unlike TSD rats, PSD and PSC rats maintained near-baseline Tamb at all T(hy) and T(ip) values throughout the deprivation, indicating no change in Tset. As deprivation progressed, PSD rats displayed an attenuation of the normal fall of T(hy) and T(ip) during the transition from wake to sleep. PSC rats did not. During the final quarter of survival time, T(ip) in PSD rats actually rose above waking values during the transition to NREM. These results indicate that PS loss may alter thermoregulation during sleep. It would appear that selective PSD is sufficient to attenuate the normal decline in T(hy) and T(ip) during NREM sleep, whereas NREM loss is required for elevations in T(hy) and Tset.
A feasible method to fabricate glucose biosensor was developed by covalent attachment of glucose oxidase (GOx) to a silica nanoparticle monolayer modified gold electrode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of ferrocyanide followed the assembly process and verified the successful immobilization of GOx on silica nanoparticle modified on gold electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), performed in the presence of excess glucose and artificial redox mediator (ferrocenemethanol), allowed to quantify the surface concentration of electrically wired enzyme. The signal of proposed electrode was more than 2.5 times of that on electrode lacking silica nanoparticles. As a result, silica nanoparticles are a good biocompatible solid support for enzyme immobilization.
Reduction of nitrate is an essential, yet challenging chemical task required to manage this relatively inert oxoanion in the environment and biology. We show that thiols, ubiquitous reductants in biology, convert nitrate to nitric oxide at a Cu(II) center under mild conditions. The β-diketiminato complex [Cl2NNF6]Cu(κ2-O2NO) engages in O-atom transfer with various thiols (RSH) to form the corresponding copper(II) nitrite [CuII](κ2-O2N) and sulfenic acid (RSOH). The copper(II) nitrite further reacts with RSH to give S-nitrosothiols RSNO and [CuII]2(μ-OH)2 en route to NO formation via [CuII]-SR intermediates. The gasotransmitter H2S also reduces nitrate at copper(II) to generate NO, providing a lens into NO3-/H2S crosstalk. The interaction of thiols with nitrate at copper(II) releases a cascade of N- and S-based signaling molecules in biology.
The FAT1 gene functions as a tumor suppressor or promoter and remains incompletely understood. We examined the clinical significance of FAT1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using four publicly available HNSCC cohorts and one HNSCC cohort enrolled at a tertiary medical center. We developed FAT1 signatures reflecting FAT1 mutations and mRNA expression using one cohort. Patients with HNSCC were classified into FAT1‐associated low risk (FAT1‐LR; n = 195) and FAT1‐associated high risk (FAT1‐HR; n = 371) subgroups. The five‐year overall survival and recurrence‐free survival rates were significantly lower in the FAT1‐HR subgroup than in the FAT1‐LR subgroup (P = 0.01 and 0.003, respectively). The clinical significance of FAT1 was validated using four independent cohorts. Cox proportional hazards models showed that the FAT1 signature was an independent prognostic factor for HNSCC patients. In addition, FAT1 signature was associated with the response to radiotherapy, advanced stage, and human papilloma virus (HPV) status in HNSCC patients. In conclusion, the FAT1 gene signature was associated with prognosis of HNSCC and may help to provide personalized treatments for HNSCC patients.
Environmental stimuli are critical in preclinical research that utilizes laboratory animals to model human brain disorders. The main goal of environmental enrichment (EE) is to provide laboratory animals with better choice of activity and greater control over social and spatial stressors. Thus, in addition to being a useful experimental tool, EE becomes an important strategy for increasing the validity and reproducibility of preclinical data. Although zebrafish (Danio rerio) is rapidly becoming a promising new organism for neuroscience research, the role of EE in zebrafish central nervous system (CNS) models remains poorly understood. Here we discuss EE in preclinical studies using zebrafish and its influence on brain physiology and behavior. Improving our understanding of EE effects in this organism may enhance zebrafish data validity and reliability. Paralleling rodent EE data, mounting evidence suggests the growing importance of EE in zebrafish neurobehavioral models.
A mathematical model of high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) is presented, along with data on a characterized and sized feed material. The data are fitted to the model which uses elliptical co-ordinates to approximate the ribbon-like nature of the fibers. Magnetic force terms are developed for both paramagnetic and ferromagnetic particles in the vicinity of idealized matrix fibers which can either be magnetically saturated or unsaturated. The fluid flow is simulated by superimposing a boundary layer upon the solution for potential flow thus extending the range of validity to low Reynolds Numbers. Single particle trajectories are calculated in a piecewise linear manner by considering the force balance of magnetic, hydrodynamic, gravitational and inertial forces over each increment of the trajectory. By taking orientation of the fiber with respect to the field and flow direction into account, loading can be allowed for by assuming elliptical deposits. Experimental data were generated using high grade hematite prepared in ten separate size fractions. Correlation with the model is generally fairly good except for large particles where mechanical entrapment dominates the process. Considerable discussion of the results is included by analysing the physical concepts upon which the model is based. The validity of various assumptions pertinent to HGMS modeling is tested.
Background: To determine the diagnostic effectiveness of (123I) ioflupane injection (DaTscan™) in patients with early, clinically uncertain parkinsonian syndrome (CUPS), 122 clinical trial subjects with CUPS who had experienced motor and non-motor signs and symptoms up to 5 years prior to enrolment underwent DaTscan imaging. Design/methods: Of the 122 subjects recruited from 19 centers (US and EU), 92 evaluable subjects were selected for analysis requiring baseline clinical diagnosis, DaTscan imaging results, and the reference 1 year post-scan clinical diagnosis. One-year post-scan clinical diagnosis and DaTscan imaging results were reference standards used for calculating the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV and NPV) and diagnostic accuracy of the DaTscan imaging vs. clinical diagnosis. DaTscan imaging results were interpreted using blinded image evaluation (no access to clinical information) without consideration of the subject’s symptoms or clinical signs and categorized as Normal or Abnormal (grade 1, 2, or 3). Results: At baseline, 75% of the subjects were in the early stages of CUPS (Hoehn and Yahr stages 0 to 2). Using 1-year post-scan clinical diagnosis as reference standard, specificity, PPV and NPV were better for the DaTscan imaging vs baseline clinical diagnosis. Using DaTscan imaging results as the reference standard, specificity, PPV and NPV of the 4-week clinical diagnosis (imaging results known by clinician) were better than baseline clinical diagnosis, sustained for 12-week and 1-year clinical diagnoses. Conclusions: This study demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity, PPV, NPV and diagnostic accuracy of DaTscan imaging in diagnosis of early CUPS, comparing favorably to clinical diagnosis relative to final 1-year clinical diagnosis. One-year clinical diagnosis and DaTscan imaging results without clinical information were aligned either showing presence or absence of neurodegenerative disease. Study results suggest that DaTscan imaging is a useful adjunct in the diagnosis of early CUPS.
AbstractThe agricultural sector is the main victim of drought and efficient water planning, and management is the best strategy to reduce drought pressures on this sector. One operational approach is the application of real-time models to help water managers decide on mitigation measures, such as deficient irrigation or reducing cropped areas using the new incoming information (for example, recorded inflows and precipitation). The present paper introduces a real-time modeling approach for optimal water allocation during a drought. The model includes two main components: forecasting and optimization modules. The forecasting module uses a recurrent neural network technique to forecast annual inflows that is updated as monthly climate and hydrological data are introduced to the model. The optimization module allocates water among the irrigation units and their crops by considering growing stage, sensitivity to water stress at different stages, available/forecasted water, and previous decisions about water re...
We present an experimental comparative study of the two most commonly used fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation techniques: a charge-coupled device (CCD) spectrometer and a fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (F-MZI). Although the interferometric interrogation technique is historically known to offer the highest sensitivity measurements, very little information exists regarding how it compares with the current commercially available spectral-characteristics-based interrogation systems. It is experimentally established here that the performance of a modern-day CCD spectrometer interrogator is very close to a F-MZI interrogator with the capability of measuring Bragg wavelength shifts with sub-picometer-level accuracy. The results presented in this research study can further be used as a guideline for choosing between the two FBG sensor interrogator types for small-amplitude dynamic perturbation measurements down to nano-level strain.
The poultry industry plays a large role in the Brazilian economy. In fact, Brazil ranks as the world’s leading exporter and second largest producer of poultry meat as the result of genetic improvement, animal nutrition, management, and biosecurity. During the development of bird embryos, the nutrients are stored within the egg, but carbohydrate supplementation is unsatisfactory upon hatching. Poor carbohydrate supplementation can damage the embryo development and negatively affect poultry weight. Inovo feeding is a promising technique to improve the quality of newly hatched chicks as it uses systems for feeding the embryos by inoculating nutrients into the egg amniotic fluid. However, further studies are needed in order to improve this technique and create effective implementations and protocols that can be widely used in the industry. This study aims to both review the literature on the use of in-ovo feeding and understand the perspectives of its use in the broiler production chain.
In Short The world is experiencing a democratic recession, and in the United States, core democratic beliefs are under attack. As a key social organization, academic institutions have a central role in the protection of democracy. Boards, presidents, faculty, and students have the ability—and responsibility—to protect and advance democracy. A course in American government that interrogates the underpinnings of democracy and the support of voting rights for everyone in the academic and local community is essential.
In Addis Ababa, an increasing block tariff has been used to calculate households' monthly bills for electricity and water services. This study estimates the magnitudes of the combined water and electricity subsidies received by households with private connections to the electricity grid and piped water network in 2016, and it evaluates the distribution of these subsidies among wealth groups. Customer billing data supplied by utility companies are matched with socioeconomic information collected through a household survey. It is the first detailed analysis of the combined effects of increasing block tariffs for electricity and water in an urban area in a developing country. The results show that the combined subsidies are large. The average household receives a subsidy of US$26 per month, about 6 percent of household income. The findings also show that electricity and water subsidies under the increasing block tariff disproportionately accrue to richer households, with even less targeting when both sectors are considered jointly. The poorest quintile receives 12 percent of the total subsidies for electricity and water services, while the richest quintile receives 31 percent. The water increasing block tariff's targeting of subsidies was somewhat worse than that of the electricity increasing block tariff.
OBJECTIVE To describe the ophthalmic and genetic findings of a large kindred (UM:H389) with autosomal dominant hemorrhagic macular dystrophy.   METHODS The disease state of family members was documented by dilated fundus examination, electroretinography, color vision tests, fluorescein angiography, measurement of visual fields, biomicroscopy, gonioscopy, and intraocular pressure measurement. Linkage and haplo-type analyses were carried out with markers flanking the Sorsby fundus dystrophy TIMP3 (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3) gene locus, and mutation analysis was carried out by screening exon 5 of the TIMP3 gene.   RESULTS This 4-generation pedigree with autosomal dominant hemorrhagic macular degeneration has visual symptoms beginning in the sixth decade of life. Several family members developed choroidal neovascular membrane formation in the macula of both eyes. The phenotype overlaps that of Sorsby fundus dystrophy. Some of the affected members have unusual zonularlike radial striations on the anterior lens capsule surface, and glaucoma or ocular hypertension has developed in 2 of them. Involvement of the TIMP3 gene was excluded by linkage, haplotype, and mutation analyses.   CONCLUSIONS The phenotype of this family with autosomal dominant macular dystrophy overlaps that of Sorsby fundus dystrophy. Exclusion of the TIMP3 gene in this family indicates genetic heterogeneity for hemorrhagic macular dystrophy. Anterior segment anomalies may occur with this condition, but cosegregation has not yet been established.   CLINICAL RELEVANCE This study broadens the spectrum of hemorrhagic macular dystrophy by identifying a family in which the TIMP3 gene is not involved. Once the gene is cloned, we are eager to learn whether this gene may be involved in age-related macular degeneration.
Abstract Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) regulates the wound repair process and it is secreted by inflammatory and endothelial cells, and by myofibroblasts. This study aimed to establish the expression patterns of FGF2 and myofibroblastic differentiation during wound healing in rats treated with subcutaneous ozone injection. We created full-thickness excisional wounds in rats, and the healing process was analyzed through morphometric analyses and digital quantification of immunoreactivity of smooth muscle actin and FGF2. Ozone therapy-treated wounds presented granulation tissue with a reduced number of inflammatory cells and greater dermal cellularity, and intense collagen deposition. FGF2 immunoreactivity, microvessel density, and amount of myofibroblasts were significantly higher in treated wounds compared to controls. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that subcutaneous injections of ozone accelerate and ameliorate wound repairing process. Moreover, injectable ozone therapy’s action mechanism may be associated with FGF2 overexpression.
Abstract Background Syncope and related disorders is an important area for training of all health professionals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted the delivery of our annual face-to-face certified program to a 9-month hybrid program. Here, we describe the development, delivery, and evaluation of such new program. Methods A pre-existing curriculum was modified to incorporate online content, online lecture delivery and interactive group learning, in addition to individual practical placements in a syncope management unit, in line with government and hospital infection control guidance at the time. Monthly content included video consultant case presentations, ECG analysis and interpretation, and instructional videos of diagnostic testing and relevant technologies. A comprehensive online week-long lecture program was developed. Results The lecture week included 30 clinical lectures, 10 clinical case presentations and 10 ‘how to’ practical videos for testing/monitoring procedures. Further learning over zoom incorporated learner case presentations in a small group format. At the completion of the course the leaners attended a final online half day of lectures and completed the multi choice question examination. Conclusion “Thank you so much for putting together such a fantastic week of training.” “The quality and expertise of the speakers was outstanding.” “I have taken a huge amount away to incorporate into my practice and local unit.” The above learner feedback is consistent with our aim to deliver a high-quality specialist program for those interested in advancing the management of syncope and related disorders. Over time, this specialist training will aid the development of regional syncope management units across Ireland. The benefits of a hybrid learning model include multiple options to cater for all categories of learners, thus suggesting it is the cornerstone of future learning modalities.
In the blooming era of the Internet of Things (IoT), trust has been accepted as a vital factor for provisioning secure, reliable, seamless communications and services. However, a large number of challenges still remain unsolved due to the ambiguity of the concept of trust as well as the variety of divergent trust models in different contexts. In this research, we augment the trust concept, the trust definition and provide a general conceptual model in the context of the Social IoT (SIoT) environment by breaking down all attributes influencing trust. Then, we propose a trust evaluation model called REK, comprised of the triad of trust indicators (TIs) Reputation, Experience and Knowledge. The REK model covers multi-dimensional aspects of trust by incorporating heterogeneous information from direct observation (as Knowledge TI), personal experiences (as Experience TI) to global opinions (as Reputation TI). The associated evaluation models for the three TIs are also proposed and provisioned. We then come up with an aggregation mechanism for deriving trust values as the final outcome of the REK evaluation model. We believe this article offers better understandings on trust as well as provides several prospective approaches for the trust evaluation in the SIoT environment.
Recent studies have shown that serum microRNA (miR) abundance is informative for the diagnosis or prognosis of heart failure. However, the dynamics and kinetics of miRs in acute heart failure are largely unknown. Serial measurement and analysis of serum miRs changes in individuals along their therapeutic course could reduce inter‐individual variation and should detect potentially important serum miRs related to disease mechanisms. Based on this concept, we profiled serum miR signatures of blood samples that were obtained sequentially on the day of admission and on hospital Day 7.
Medicinal plants are a potential source of enzyme acetylcholinesrerase (AChE) inhibitors, a key target in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This paper studies the AChE inhibitory activity and the antioxidant effect of Persea Americana Mill extract. The sample leave, seed, exocarp and mesocarp of avocado were extracted with 50% ethanol and subsequently fractionated with n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOA) and n-butanol (n-BuOH) solvents. The AChE inhibitory activity was evaluated by Ellman’s colorimetric method and the antioxidant activity by screening DPPH free radicals.  The results show that the seed of Persea Americana extract had the strongest AChE inhibitory activity and antioxidant effect, followed by the leave extract, and the exocarp extract and mesocarp extract were the weakest. The Persea Americana seed extract inhibited AChE activity in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 47.43 ± 0.5 μg/mL and the antioxidant effect with an IC50 value of 68.7 ± 0.35 µg/mL. The results also show that n–BuOH fraction of Persea Americana seed extract had strong AChE inhibitory and antioxidant activities with an IC50 value of 15.24 ± 0.52 µg/ml and 15.73 ± 0.42 μg/mL, respectively. The study results suggest that the Persea Americana Mill is a promising ingredient in Alzheimer’s disease prevention and treatment.  Keywords  Persea Americana Mill, Acetylcholinesrerase inhibitors (AChE), Alzheimer, DPPH.  References  [1] M.M. Essa et al., Neuroprotective effect of natural products against Alzheimer's disease, Neurochem Res. 37(9) (2012) 1829.[2] B. McGleenon, K. Dynan, A. Passmore,. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease, British journal of clinical pharmacology. 48 (1999) 471.[3] P. B. Watkins et al, Hepatotoxic effects of tacrine administration in patients with Alzheimer's disease, In: Jama. pp. 992 (1994).[4] O. Adeyemi, S. Okpo, O. Ogunti,. 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Olufemi, Antioxidant properties of Persea americana M. seed as affected by different extraction solvent, Journal of Advances in Food Science & Technology. 3(2) (2016) 101.[18] C.A. Alagbaoso, I.I. Tokunbo, O.S. Osakwe, Comparative study of antioxidant activity and mineral composition of methanol extract of seeds of ripe and unripe avocado pear (Persea americana, Mill.). NISEB Journal. 15(4) (2017).[19] G. Oboh, V.O. Odubanjo, F. Bello, A.O. Ademosun, S.I. Oyeleye, E.E. Nwanna et al. Aqueous extracts of avocado pear (Persea americana Mill.) leaves and seeds exhibit anti-cholinesterases and antioxidant activities in vitro, Journal of basic and clinical physiology and pharmacology. 27(2) (2016) 131.[20] H. Cavdar, M. Senturk, M. Guney , S. Durdagi, G. Kayik, C.T. Supuran, et al. Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase with uracil derivatives: kinetic and computational studies, Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry. 34(1) (2019) 429.
Rapid attachment to actin of the detached motor domain of myosin dimers with one motor domain already attached has been hypothesized to explain the stretch‐induced changes in X‐ray interference and stiffness of active muscle. Here, using half‐sarcomere mechanics in single frog muscle fibres (2.15 μm sarcomere length and 4°C), we show that: (1) an increase in stiffness of the half‐sarcomere under stretch is specific to isometric contraction and does not occur in rigor, indicating that the mechanism of stiffness increase is an increase in the number of attached motors; (2) 2 ms after 100 μs stretches (amplitude 2–8 nm per half‐sarcomere) imposed during an isometric tetanus, the stiffness of the array of myosin motors in each half‐sarcomere (em) increases above the isometric value (em0); (3) em has a sigmoidal dependence on the distortion of the motor domains (Δz) attached in isometric contraction, with a maximum ∼2 em0 for a distortion of ∼6 nm; em is influenced by detachment of motors at Δz > 6 nm; (4) at the end of the 100 μs stretch the relation between em/em0 and Δz lies slightly but not significantly above that at 2 ms. These results support the idea that stretch‐induced sliding of the actin filament distorts the actin‐attached motor domain of the myosin dimers away from the centre of the sarcomere, providing the steric conditions for rapid attachment of the second motor domain. The rate of new motor attachment must be as high as 7.5 × 104 s−1 and explains the rapid and efficient increase of the resistance of active muscle to stretch.
Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation have important roles in the aging process, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and other brain disorders. Amyloid beta protein (Aβ) is the main component of amyloid plaques in the brains of people with AD. Several studies suggest that Aβ increases the generation of free radicals in neurons, which leads to oxidative damage and cell death. Aβ can also induce neuroinflammation by increasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and enzymes. Walnuts contain several components that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Animal and human studies from our and other groups suggest that supplementation with walnuts in the diet may improve cognition and reduce the risk and/or progression of MCI and AD. In the transgenic AD mouse model (AD-tg), we have reported the beneficial effects of a diet with walnuts on memory, learning, motor coordination, anxiety, and locomotor activity. Human clinical trials have also suggested an association of walnut consumption with better cognitive performance and improvement in memory when compared to baseline in adults. Our recent study in AD-tg mice has shown that a walnut-enriched diet significantly improves antioxidant defense and decreases free radicals’ levels, lipid peroxidation, and protein oxidation when compared to a control diet without walnuts. These findings suggest that a diet with walnuts can reduce oxidative stress by decreasing the generation of free radicals and by boosting antioxidant defense, thus resulting in decreased oxidative damage to lipids and proteins. An in vitro study with synthetic Aβ showed that walnut extract can inhibit Aβ fibrillization and solubilize the preformed Aβ fibrils, suggesting an anti-amyloidogenic property of walnuts. Because it takes many years for cognitive impairment and dementia to develop, we suggest that early and long-term dietary supplementation with walnuts may help to maintain cognitive functions and may reduce the risk of developing, or delay the onset and/or slow the progression of, MCI and dementia by decreasing Aβ fibrillization, reducing oxidative damage, increasing antioxidant defense, and decreasing neuroinflammation. Furthermore, several animal and human studies have suggested that walnuts may also decrease the risk or progression of other brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and depression, as well as of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Together, these reports suggest the benefits of a walnut-enriched diet in brain disorders and in other chronic diseases, due to the additive or synergistic effects of walnut components for protection against oxidative stress and inflammation in these diseases.
The Landscape of Reform: Civic Pragmatism and Environmental Thought in America. By Ben A. Minteer. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. 272p. $28.00. Accounts of the history of American environmental thought typically characterize it as riven by a divide between a utilitarian preoccupation with “use” and a more romantic focus on “preservation.” Many contemporary environmental philosophers have fixated upon a similar debate between “anthropocentrism” and “ecocentrism.”
AbstractA platinum-lined flowing autocláve facility was used to investigate the solubility behavior of magnetite (Fe3O4) in alkaline sodium phosphate and ammonium hydroxide solutions between 21 and 288°C. Measured iron solubilities were interpreted via a Fe(II)/Fe(III) ion hydroxo-, phosphato-, and ammino-complexing model and thermodynamic functions for these equilibria were obtained from a least-squares analysis of the data. A total of 14 iron ion species were fitted. Complexing equilibria are reported for 8 new species: Fe(OH)(HPO4)−, Fe(OH)2(HPO4)2−, Fe(OH)3(HPO4)2−, Fe(OH)(NH3)+, Fe(OH)2(PO4)3−, Fe(OH)4(HPO4)3−, Fe(OH)2(H2PO4)−, and Fe(OH)3(H2PO4)3−. At elevated temperatures, hydrolysis and phosphato complexing tended to stabilize Fe(III) relative to Fe(II), as evidenced by free energy changes fitted to the oxidation reactions. $$ begin{gathered} Fe(OH)_3^ - + H_2 O_  leftarrow ^  to Fe(OH)_4^ - + (1/2)H_2 (g)  hfill    Fe(OH)_2^{} (HPO_4 )^{2 - } + H_2 O_  leftarrow ^  to Fe(OH)_3 (HPO_4 )^{2 - } + (1/2)H_2 (g)  hfill     end{gathered}$$  For temperatures below 83°C and for a dissolved hydrogen concentration of 234 μmol-kg−1, the activity of ferrous iron in aqueous solution is controlled by a hydrous Fe(II) oxide solid phase rather than magnetite.
Background: Metoclopramide is used to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms, however, it could cause adverse reactions of motor disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate whether metoclopramide treatment has a duration–response or dose–response effect and to estimate the risk of developing Parkinsonism following different and specific durations of treatment. Methods: A cohort study of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus in 45- to 79-year-old patients, between 1999 and 2008, was selected using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2005. A nested case–control study was conducted in the diabetes cohort in which all incident cases of Parkinsonism were identified. We randomly matched each case with up to 10 controls from the risk set. Conditional logistic regression was utilized to estimate odds ratio of Parkinsonism associated with metoclopramide use. Results: A total of 34,685 patients with diabetes were assembled as the cohort, and 541 incident Parkinsonism cases were identified. There were duration–response and dose–response effects on the risk of developing Parkinsonism. Compared with never-use patients, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of continuing therapy for 0–1 month, 1–2 months, 2–3 months, 3–5 months, and more than 5 months were 1.17 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93–1.45], 1.44 (95% CI 1.04–2.00), 1.74 (95% CI 1.14–2.65), 1.90 (95% CI 1.23–2.93), and 2.17 (95% CI 1.50–3.12), respectively. Conclusions: With metoclopramide treatment, regardless of less or more than 3 months of use, the risk of developing Parkinsonism in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes escalated with the duration of therapy. Therefore, we recommend close monitoring for the development of Parkinsonism in patients treated with metoclopramide, particularly (but not limited to) those with prolonged exposure.
Abstract The purpose of this article is to analyse political and regulatory frameworks for connecting education and environment authorities in order to reveal opportunities for introducing new activities based on living organisms into the biology curriculum. The article is also proposing a conceptual framework for capacity building based on the analysis of relevant results at the international level, regarding the experiential learning process. Based on the results of this analysis Romania has the capacity to implement new activities under the public curricula for biology in order to support the development of new skills for ensuring biodiversity conservation as a whole. Moreover, at least three native species, domesticated or wild, may become subjects for next activities development under the existing curricula.
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus both maintain their specific morphology, composition, and function in spite of the exchange of proteins and lipids between the two organelles through membrane trafficking. The morphology of the Golgi apparatus is closely linked to the balance between anterograde (ER-to-Golgi) and retrograde (Golgi-to-ER) transport. It has been reported that the inhibition of anterograde transport leads to the redistribution of Golgi components to the cytoplasm or the ER (Storrie et al., 1998; Ward et al., 2001; Miles et al., 2001). Inhibition of anterograde transport at the onset of mitosis also results in the relocation of Golgi enzymes to the ER (Zaal et al., 1999; AltranBonnet et al., 2006), although it is controversial as to whether the Golgi becomes integrated with the ER or whether they remain separate throughout mitosis (Lowe and Barr, 2007). Thus, in living cells, the rates of anterograde and retrograde transport between the two organelles appear to have a substantial effect on the morphology of the Golgi. The effect of the balance between anterograde and retrograde transport on the morphology of the ER remains to be explored. Recently, increasing evidence has suggested that alteration in Golgi morphology during mitosis is not a passive process but rather an active one, which is highly coordinated with entry into mitosis and its progression. On the basis of the concept that cell cycle-dependent membrane trafficking between the ER and Golgi during mitosis should be tightly coupled with the changes in their morphology, it will be important to elucidate the cell cycle-dependent regulation of membrane trafficking to understand the morphological changes in more detail.
INTRODUCTION The prevalence of sexual health difficulties among women in Croatia is presently unknown. Although women under 40 years of age may be exposed to the most intense demands of the dual role (career and motherhood), they are often assumed to be at lower risk for sexual difficulties.   AIM To assess the prevalence of sexual difficulties in a population-based study of women aged 18-35 and to explore the possible impact of the dual role on female sexual health.   METHODS The study was carried out in April 2010 on a multistage probability sample of 1,000 women aged 18-35 years. The response rate was 37.3% (1,680 women refused to participate). Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the correlates of sexual difficulties, including the dual role.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The prevalence of the four most common female sexual health difficulties (lack of desire, lubrication difficulties, inability to reach orgasm, and pain during intercourse) were measured using the one-item indicators from the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors.   RESULTS Among coitally experienced women (N = 870), 27.6% reported having a lack of desire, 23.6% pain during sexual intercourse, 23.1% inability to reach orgasm, and 18.5% difficulties with genital lubrication. All four difficulties were negatively associated with sexual satisfaction, but only the lack of sexual interest and inability to reach orgasm seemed to substantially decrease sexual well-being. In multivariate analyses, age, education, being in a steady relationship or married, and partner communication about sexuality were significant correlates of reported sexual difficulties. The dual role was not a significant predictor of sexual health difficulties.   CONCLUSIONS A substantial proportion of participants reported one or more sexual health difficulties that lasted for at least 2 months. Women in the dual role were not at an increased risk of experiencing difficulties in sexual functioning.
Background Health-related social media data are increasingly being used in disease surveillance studies. In particular, surveillance of infectious diseases such as influenza has demonstrated high correlations between the number of social media posts mentioning the disease and the number of patients who went to the hospital and were diagnosed with the disease. However, the prevalence of some diseases, such as allergic rhinitis, cannot be estimated based on the number of patients alone. Specifically, individuals with allergic rhinitis typically self-medicate by taking over-the-counter (OTC) medications without going to the hospital. Although allergic rhinitis is not a life-threatening disease, it represents a major social problem because it reduces people’s quality of life, making it essential to understand its prevalence and people’s motives for self-medication behavior. Objective This study aims to explore the relationship between the number of social media posts mentioning the main symptoms of allergic rhinitis and the sales volume of OTC rhinitis medications in Japan. Methods We collected tweets over 4 years (from 2017 to 2020) that included keywords corresponding to the main nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis: “sneezing,” “runny nose,” and “stuffy nose.” We also obtained the sales volume of OTC drugs, including oral medications and nasal sprays, for the same period. We then calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient between time series data on the number of tweets per week and time series data on the sales volume of OTC drugs per week. Results The results showed a much higher correlation (r=0.8432) between the time series data on the number of tweets mentioning “stuffy nose” and the time series data on the sales volume of nasal sprays than for the other two symptoms. There was also a high correlation (r=0.9317) between the seasonal components of these time series data. Conclusions We investigated the relationships between social media data and behavioral patterns, such as OTC drug sales volume. Exploring these relationships can help us understand the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and the motives for self-care treatment using social media data, which would be useful as a marketing indicator to reduce the number of out-of-stocks in stores, provide (sell) rhinitis medicines to consumers in a stable manner, and reduce the loss of sales opportunities. In the future, in-depth investigations are required to estimate sales volume using social media data, and future research could investigate other diseases and countries.
With the recent standoff on the Doklam Plateau reviving memories of the 1962 war between China and India, The Sino-Indian War of 1962 could not have been better timed in its publication. Das Gupta and Luthi specifically identify that their book seeks to depart from the often partisan and event-focused discussions of the Sino-Indian war, and instead explore the domestic and international contexts within which it occurred and its aftermath (1–2). In order to do so, the editors have brought together an eclectic mix of eminent historians and researchers to add to their own contributions, providing a wide-ranging, if not completely comprehensive, survey of the issues surrounding the 1962 War…
The Kakuda Research Center of the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL/KRC) has historically contributed to the R&D of Japanese launch vehicles, especially with respect to propulsion. Technical research for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) has been started, specially focusing on the components of reusable rocket engines and light-weight tank at KRC. Two kinds of high performance nozzles, extendible nozzle and aerospike one, and high performance turbopumps have been studied. A long-life combustor and bearings were tested. Light-weight tank material and light-weight nozzle-material were fabricated and under testing in the subscaled model level. The results of these technical studies are expected to be utilized in the concept study of RLVs and the development of an operational RLV. * Head, Senior Member, AIAA, **Head, Non-member, AIAA ***Director, Member, AIAA, +Senior Engineer, Non-member, AIAA, * Senior Engineer, Member, AIAA, Copyright
Convolutional neural networks (CNN) have achieved great success in the optical image processing field. Hence, methods based on CNN are introduced into PolSAR image classification. Usually CNN needs a lot of training samples, but the cost of collecting ground truth data and making labels is very high. Our goal is to increase training samples by repeating learning processes with small sample learning technique. The proposed method used in this study is CNN and conditional random fields(CRF), which combines the structured modeling ability of CRF and the feature extraction advantage of CNN. On base of CNN and CRF, the framework of small sample learning is developed. The experimental data are two AIRSAR datasets. The paper will analyze the appropriate ratio of samples for small sample learning in the whole dataset. The results show that for these two data sets, when the ratio is 0.5%, small sample learning can achieve very high classification accuracy. It is similar to the accuracy of other methods which need at least 3% samples for training.
Aegle marmelos Correa commonly known as “Bael,” has been recognized as a component of traditional medication for the treatment of various human ailments. The present study was focused on phytochemical screening, nutritional constituent of A. marmelos at different development stages. Highest amount of alkaloid was in premature bael (8.09±0.09 mg/g), phenols in premature bael (9.65±0.06 mg/g) pulp and saponins in mature bael(5.57±0.08) pulp. Highest amount of thiamin (B1) (1.83±0.03 mg/100 g) and ascorbic acid (48.62±0.04 mg/100 g) in premature bael pulp. Sugar content significantly highest in matured bael(6.94±0.04 mg/100 g) pulp. Most abundant mineral potassium content was maximum in (139.61±0.04 mg/100 g) premature bael fruit pulp. The nutritional constituents and phytochemicals change depending on maturation stage. Nutritional Original Research Article Sarkar et al.; AFSJ, 20(1): 78-86, 2021; Article no.AFSJ.64088 79 constituent changes on the effects of development of bael (Aegle marmelos) fruit. It has been found in the present study that there were a numbers of phytochemical changes occurred during different fruit development stages.
Each year, the HIV Drug Resistance Workshop manages to highlight the scientific complexity of the field while also providing clinically compelling information. This year's workshop, held in Florida in June, was no exception. Here are the most clinically relevant findings discussed at the meeting. (The entire abstract book is available at http://www.informedhorizons.com/resistance2009.)  Persistent Viremia  Does persistent viremia result from long-lived, chronically infected cells or ongoing viral replication? Jason Dinoso and colleagues attempted to answer this question by assessing whether antiretroviral intensification can reduce persistent viremia [Abstract 10]. Thirteen patients with virologic control on standard antiretroviral regimens underwent intensified therapy for 4 weeks with efavirenz, lopinavir/ritonavir, or raltegravir; an additional 5 patients underwent 8-week intensification with atazanavir. Use of a highly sensitive single-copy virologic assay revealed no change in persistent viremia after intensification. The researchers concluded that ongoing viral replication might not be the source of persistent viremia.  Sarah Palmer and colleagues also evaluated the dynamics of persistent viremia, by comparing HIV RNA levels in 84 “elite controllers” (patients who have achieved long-term virologic suppression without using antiretrovirals) and 163 patients on suppressive antiretroviral therapy [Abstract 4]. The two groups had similar …
A SU(3) gauge theory with 12 flavors is a model of great interest for beyond the standard model physics. Running RHMC simulations for different masses and betas we study the Fisher zeroes in the vicinity of the endpoint of a line of first order phase transitions. The pinching of these zeros with respect to increasing volume provides information about a possible unconventional continuum limit. We also study the mass spectrum of a multiflavor linear sigma model with a splitting of fermion masses.
Reading is a hobby to open the knowledge windows. Besides, it can provide the inspiration and spirit to face this life. By this way, concomitant with the technology development, many companies serve the e-book or book in soft file. The system of this book of course will be much easier. No worry to forget bringing the path of the law and its influence the legacy of oliver wendell holmes jr book. You can open the device and get the book by on-line.
Precambrian crustal growth and tectonics: introduction Vinod K. Singh, Ram Chandra, Asish R. Basu, Surendra P. Verma & Tapas K. Biswal a Department of Geology, Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, India b Campus Bundelkhand University, Type III/1, Jhansi, India c Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas at Arlington, Texas, USA d Departamento de Sistemas Energeticos, Instituto de Energias Renovables, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Temixco, Mexico e Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India Published online: 20 May 2015.
Parts I and II of this series of papers have dealt with the development of ion thrusters for use in an orbit transfer manoeuvre, and of various types of micro thruster for position and attitude control. The present paper deals with the actual satellite electric propulsion system and configuration needed for expansion manoeuvres. The control problems both during the expansion phase and subsequently in the required orbit are discussed. Short analyses for two specific cases (ELDO launcher and Black Arrow) are presented in which payloads and missions are defined. Burt has shown that all the orbital elements of a spacecraft can be changed by means of a small continuous thrust. He gave particular attention to the problem of expanding from a low orbit to a synchronous one, and the change of orbit inclination and orbit eccentricity was also considered. Such a type of manoeuvre is eminently suitable to electric propulsion because the high exhaust velocities possible lead to a small propellant mass; this mass saving is achieved at the expense of the time taken for the manoeuvre.
During a series of studies on the involvement of house dust mite antigens in 183 cases of atopic dermatitis, we observed an improvement in two patients following the removal of mites from their environment by means of a thorough housecleaning and replacement of the mattress. Both patients manifested the typical clinical skin lesions of atopic dermatitis and had similar laboratory findings. Although the serum IgE concentrations and specific IgE to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae were each relatively low, the results of patch tests with these antigens were positive. Thus, a regimen aimed at reducing the presence of house dust mites can produce clinical improvement in a subset of patients with atopic dermatitis who show contact hypersensitivity to mite antigens on skin testing, but negative results on IgE (RAST; radioallergosorbent technique) testing.
Purpose: 4DCT has been widely used to generate internal tumor volume (ITV) for a lung tumor for treatment planning. However, lung tumors may show different respiratory motion on the treatment day. The purpose of this study is to evaluate 4D KV conebeam computed tomography (CBCT) for monitoring tumor interfractional motion variation between simulation and each fraction of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for lung cancer. Methods: 4D KV CBCT was acquired with the Elekta XVI system. The accuracy of 4D KV CBCT for image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) was tested with a dynamic thorax motion phantom (CIRS, Virginia) with a linear amplitude of 2 cm. In addition, an adult anthropomorphic phantom (Alderson, Rando) with optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeters embedded at the center and periphery of a slab of solid water was used to measure the dose of 4D KV CBCT and to compare it with the dose with 3D KV CBCT. The image registration was performed by aligning  each phase images of 4D KV CBCT to the planning images and the final couch shifts were calculated as a mean of all these individual shifts along each direction.A workflow was established based on these quality assurance tests for lung cancer patients.more » Results: 4D KV CBCT does not increase imaging dose in comparison to 3D KV CBCT. Acquisition of 4D KV CBCT is 4 minutes as compared to 2 minutes for 3D KV CBCT. Most of patients showed a small daily variation of tumor respiratory motion about 2 mm. However, some patients may have more than 5 mm variations of tumor respiratory motion. Conclusion: The radiation dose does not increase with 4D KV CBCT. 4D KV CBCT is a useful tool for monitoring interfractional variations of tumor respiratory motion before SBRT of lung cancer patients.« less
The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of firm size, financial leverage, profitability, diversification of market risk and stock returns. This research uses quantitative research methods. The population in this study is the consumption sector of manufacturing companies that are listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) during the observation period from 2007-2016. The sample technique using non probability sampling technique with purposive sampling method. The analysis technique used Partial Least Square (PLS). The results showed that the size of the firm had a negative and insignificant effect, while financial leverage, profitability, and diversification had a positive and not significant effect on stock returns and firm size had a negative and significant influence, financial leverage and profitability had a positive and significant relationship, diversification has a positive and not significant effect on market risk and market risk has a positive and significant effect on stock returns.
Phrases such as “incredibly powerful,” “fantastically wide range,” “political polarization had reached fever pitch,” and, more seriously, “the profound failure of each successive government of newly independent Poland” and “Poland’s postwar moral panic,” are particularly jarring. More disappointingly, there is no acknowledgement of Poland’s undoubted successes before 1926: her resounding defeat of the Bolsheviks in 1920, the currency reform of 1924, the rebuilding of her infrastructure, and the even-handed treatment of her ethnic minorities, all of which importantly shaped the country’s development. That is the context in which this otherwise useful study should have been more assertively situated.
much of their critical sense and came under the influence of the Chinese propaganda. The heterogeneity of acupuncture textbooks, the absence of scientific data and, a fortiori, the impossibility to integrate or at the least reconcile the theory of acupuncture with our knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology should have prevented this development. Unfortunately, this was not the case and research into the effectiveness of acupuncture started. An unanswered question is if such research is justified. It will not be simple to dispel the a priori scepticism, not even by properly randomised investigations. Who would, for instance, seriously consider an announcement by NASA that, from analysis of electromagnetic radiation from Saturn, it appears that this heavenly body is made of cheese? As Skrabanek convincingly argued, randomised trials of absurb statements are more likely to mislead than to illuminate, because extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. In this respect, the interpretation of unlikely results of scientific research does not differ from the Bayesian appraisal of findings that are certain, judged from strong empirical knowledge in clinical practice. In our view, Ewies and Olah present insufficient data to justify further research into acupuncture. The single acceptable trial with a positive result (correction of the breech position by moxa burnings adjacent to both little toes) has not been confirmed. The suggested physiological explanation for the effect seems is speculative. The WHO sees undeniable evidence ‘‘for the integration of acupuncture with conventional medicine’’, but this is not convincing. This bold statement is not based on a wellfounded scientific analysis. The fact that the WHO considers diseases such bacillary dysentery, paresis following stroke and sequelae of poliomyelitis as indications for acupuncture treatment is revealing. It is also of note that the anonymous author of the paper in the WHO chronicle of 1980 emphasised that the list of indications was not based on controlled clinical trials, but merely on ‘clinical experience’. We conclude that one certainly should keep an open mind in scientific research, but we should also keep in mind Kurtz’s statement that, if one fails to demarcate scientific questions from obvious absurdities, one’s open mind will change into an open sink. Research of the effectiveness of acupuncture is wasted energy.
This paper reviews a series of studies sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries to determine more rational and economical methods for serving the information needs of the public. Libraries in the United States are characterised as independent agencies supported from governmental and private sources and serving a local clientele. Steadily rising costs of operation associated with population growth, increased publishing rates, higher wages and other factors have led to reduced quality of services. Efforts to share costs through interlibrary loan and other co‐operative arrangements have only partially alleviated the financial problems and have done little to improve the quality of services. The ultimate solution is seen as a more systematic national approach designed to optimise available resources in order to achieve more rationally defined goals. There remain a number of unresolved questions concerning the configuration of national resource collections, bibliographic organisation and access, communication and delivery methods, and co‐ordinating mechanisms. A strong leadership role by the federal government seems mandatory for establishing and maintaining a comprehensive, higher quality information service.
Azithromycin is one of the antibiotics used to treat syphilis, especially in the context of penicillin allergy. Resistance to azithromycin is widely reported associated with one and/or two point mutations on the 23S rRNA gene but has yet to be described in Indonesia. Specimens were collected from 220 patients diagnosed with secondary syphilis. A multiplex nested PCR testing system using the 23S rRNA target gene of Treponema pallidum was designed using three pairs of primers. The first step used PCR pairs of primers to detect T. pallidum. In the second step of PCR using 2 pairs of primers were achieved to identify azithromycin resistant T. pallidum based on A2058G and A2059G point mutations. There was no T.pallidum identified resistant to azithromycin in Jakarta and Bandung. T. pallidum resistance to azithromycin were found in Makassar, Medan, and Bali. The majority of azithromycin resistance was found among heterosexual males and in patients living with HIV. This study has demonstrated T. pallidum resistance to azithromycin in Indonesia appears to be a novel variant of resistance, containing both the A2058G and A2059G mutations that was found in Medan and Makassar.
The research discusses the importance of immediate constructive feedback in increasing instrumental motivation towards English speaking. This is research is on the students’ perspectives as teachers advice on the students’ state of performance contributes to the students’ increased motivation in speaking the English language in a teaching and learning process. Therefore, this research provides the understanding that teachers’ behavior could compliment students’ increased instrumental motivation in learning English language during the teaching and learning process in their respective classroom would complement their proficiency in speaking in English language. 227 final year bachelor degree students of a private higher learning institutions from five schools; School of Business and Management, School of Engineering Technology, School of Built Environment and School of Computing and Creative Media are the samples of this research. The research instrument used in this research is a set of five Likert scale questionnaire and it brings a result of a relationship between immediate constructive feedback with students’ instrumental motivation and also that there is an influence of immediacy constructive feedback towards students’ instrumental motivation in speaking English language. Therefore, the research concluded that providing immediate constructive feedback is crucial in a teaching and learning process especially as it boosts students’ motivation in speaking in English language.
United States Epilepsy Center Characteristics: A Data Analysis From the National Association of Epilepsy Centers Ostendorf AP, Ahrens SM, Lado FA, et al. Neurology. 2022;98(5):e449-e458. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000013130. Background and objectives: Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) may benefit from specialized testing and treatments to better control seizures and improve quality of life. Most evaluations and procedures for DRE in the United States are performed at epilepsy centers accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC). On an annual basis, the NAEC collects data from accredited epilepsy centers on hospital-based epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) size and admissions, diagnostic testing, surgeries, and other services. This article highlights trends in epilepsy center services from 2012 through 2019. Methods: We analyzed data reported in 2012, 2016, and 2019 from all level 3 and level 4 NAEC accredited epilepsy centers. Data were described using frequency for categorical variables and median for continuous variables and were analyzed by center level and center population category. EMU beds, EMU admissions, epileptologists, and aggregate procedure volumes were also described using rates per population per year. Results: During the period studied, the number of NAEC accredited centers increased from 161 to 256, with the largest increases in adult- and pediatric-only centers. Growth in EMU admissions (41%), EMU beds (26%), and epileptologists (109%) per population occurred. Access to specialized testing and services broadly expanded. The largest growth in procedure volumes occurred in laser interstitial thermal therapy (LiTT) (61%), responsive neurostimulation (RNS) implantations (114%), and intracranial monitoring without resection (152%) over the study period. Corpus callosotomies and vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) implantations decreased (−12.8% and −2.4%, respectively), while growth in temporal lobectomies (5.9%), extratemporal resections (11.9%), and hemispherectomies/otomies (13.1%) lagged center growth (59%), leading to a decrease in median volumes of these procedures per center. Discussion: During the study period, the availability of specialty epilepsy care in the United States improved as the NAEC implemented its accreditation program. Surgical case complexity increased while aggregate surgical volume remained stable or declined across most procedure types, with a corresponding decline in cases per center. This article describes recent data trends and current state of resources and practice across NAEC member centers and identifies several future directions for driving systematic improvements in epilepsy care.
From what is now known of the fine structure of crystallized polymers and the general features of the crystallization processes in polyethylene terephthalate described in part I, mechanisms whereby randomly arranged long polymer molecules move into a semicrystalline order are surmised. These are shown to yield kinetical equations for the processes which fit the experimental observations of part I.
This paper presents a theoretical examination of the key findings from a longitudinal qualitative study of the experience of cancer clinical trial participation. The aim of the study was to identify the psychosocial impact of participating in early phase trials as experienced by the patients themselves; it sought to discover and interpret their ways of coping with what was happening to them and identify the meaning and consequences of trial involvement. The picture of trial involvement that emerged from the study was of a dynamic and changing experience that had a different impact and meaning for patients as they progressed through the trial process. When reflecting on the stories and experiences presented by those interviewed, the importance of two major themes in relation to how patients experienced trial involvement began to emerge: hope and dying. In order to explore and examine further the patients' trial experience revealed by this research, some of the theoretical perspectives on the emergent themes of hope and dying are examined and discussed. By engaging with some of the current theories on dying and hope and applying these to key points in the trial experience, an attempt is made in this paper to explain patients' behaviour in, and experience of, clinical trial participation.
Balance laws are derived for the swimming of a deformable body due to prescribed shape changes and the effect of the wake vorticity. The underlying balances of momenta, though classical in nature, provide a unifying framework for the swimming of three-dimensional and planar bodies and they hold even in the presence of viscosity. The derived equations are consistent with Lighthill's reactive force theory for the swimming of slender bodies and, when neglecting vorticity, reduce to the model developed in Kanso et al. (J. Nonlinear Sci., vol. 15, 2005, p. 255) for swimming in potential flow. The locomotion of a deformable body is examined through two sets of examples: the first set studies the effect of cyclic shape deformations, both flapping and undulatory, on the locomotion in potential flow while the second examines the effect of the wake vorticity on the net locomotion. In the latter, the vortex wake is modelled using pairs of point vortices shed periodically from the tail of the deformable body.
Pacemaker lead technology has changed considerably over the past decades. The widespread use of low polarization highly porous electrodes and steroid elution electrodes has resulted in low chronic pacing thresholds, as well as a decrease in the incidence of exit block. Efforts to develop pacing leads with high impedance might theoretically lead to lower lead current drain, which is a component of battery capacity. Pulse generator longevity can be increased without sacrificing pacemaker capabilities if pacing current drain can be decreased. Decreasing the size of the stimulation electrode results in increased pacing impedance, and if pacing thresholds are unchanged, a decreased current drain is predicted by Ohm's law (I = V/R). There is limited data available on the pacing characteristics of large numbers of patients with high impedance leads, despite their recent general availability and increasing widespread use. This multicenter, controlled trial examined the differences in performance between standard steroid‐eluting pacing leads in the atrium (Medtronic model 5524) and ventricle (Medtronic model 5024), and new high impedance steroid‐eluting pacing leads in the atrium (Medtronic model 5534) and ventricle (Medtronic model 5034). Measurements of bipolar pacing thresholds at 2.5 V, pacing impedance, and sensing thresholds were determined within 24 hours of pacemaker implantation, and at 0.5, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after pacemaker implantation in 609 patients. Pacing and sensing thresholds were similar for the control and high impedance leads at all times except for a slightly larger R wave with the high impedance leads at implantation and 12 months. The mean impedance of the high impedance pacing leads in the atrium and ventricle at 12 months was 992 ± 175 and 1,080 ± 220 Ω, compared to 522 ± 69 and 600 ± 89 Ω for the standard pacing leads in the atrium and ventricle (P ≤ 0.001 for the high impedance leads compared to standard leads in each chamber). The mean atrial lead current (measured at 2.5 V) at 12 months was 2.6 ± 0.5 mA with the high impedance lead, and 4.9 ± 0.7 mA with the standard lead in the atrium (P ≤ 0.001). In the ventricle, the mean lead current at 12 months was 2.4 ± 0.4 mA with the high impedance pacing lead and 4.3 ± 0.6 mA with the standard lead (P ≤ 0.001). High impedance leads are associated with lower lead current drain than standard pacing leads in the atrium and ventricle for up to 1 year. No clinically important differences in sensing characteristics was noted with the high impedance leads in the atrium or ventricle compared to standard pacing leads. High impedance leads may result in increased pulse generator longevity.
Applications of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) require close correlation between their structure and function. We describe the preparation and characterization of two zinc MOFs based on a flexible and emissive linker molecule, stilbene, which retains its luminescence within these solid materials. Reaction of trans-4,4'-stilbene dicarboxylic acid and zinc nitrate in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) yielded a dense 2-D network, 1, featuring zinc in both octahedral and tetrahedral coordination environments connected by trans-stilbene links. Similar reaction in N,N-diethylformamide (DEF) at higher temperatures resulted in a porous, 3-D framework structure, 2. This framework consists of two interpenetrating cubic lattices, each featuring basic zinc carboxylate vertices joined by trans-stilbene, analogous to the isoreticular MOF (IRMOF) series. We demonstrate that the optical properties of both 1 and 2 correlate with the local ligand environments observed in the crystal structures. Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements reveal that the stilbene linkers in the dense structure 1 exhibit a small degree of interchromophore coupling. In contrast, the stilbenoid units in 2 display very little interaction in this low-density 3-D framework, with excitation and emission spectra characteristic of monomeric stilbenes, similar to the dicarboxylic acid in dilute solution. In both cases, the rigidity of the stilbene linker increases upon coordination to the inorganic units through inhibition of torsion about the central ethylene bond, resulting in luminescent crystals with increased emission lifetimes compared to solutions of trans-stilbene. The emission spectrum of 2 is found to depend on the nature of the incorporated solvent molecules, suggesting use of this or related materials in sensor applications.
A six year old child presented to emergency in state of coma and shock following accidental ingestion of 1/4 th of unlabelled container of 35% hydrogen peroxide. Autopsy and CT scan suggested diffuse infarction possibly due to air embolism. 35% hydrogen peroxide is lethal when ingested. Emergency physician should have high index of suspicion of air embolism and brain infarction in these cases. Hydrgen peroxide should be stored appropriately and victim needs to be treated with caution.
We consider the problem of network unreachability in a global-scale cloud-hosted service that caters to hundreds of millions of users. Even when the service itself is up, the "last mile" between where users are, and the cloud is often the weak link that could render the service unreachable.We present NetDetector, a tool for detecting network-unreachability based on measurements from a client-based HTTP-ping service. NetDetector employs two models. The first, GA (Gaussian Alerts) models temporally averaged raw success rate of the HTTP-pings as a Gaussian distribution and flags significant dips below the mean as unreachability episodes. The second, more sophisticated approach (BB, or Beta-Binomial) models the health of network connectivity as the probability of an access request succeeding, estimates health from noisy samples, and alerts based on dips in health below a client-network-specific SLO (service-level objective) derived from data. These algorithms are enhanced by a drill-down technique that identifies a more precise scope of the unreachability event. We present promising results from GA, which has been in deployment, and the experimental BB detector over a 4-month period. For instance, GA flags 49 country-level unreachability incidents, of which 42 were labelled true positives based on investigation by on-call engineers (OCEs).
17Background: Recent foreign publications have demonstrated increasing frequencies of gastric cancer in younger patients with differing biology and outcomes. This study will be the largest of gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) in young adults and aims to examine disparities and the impact of age on overall survival (OS). Methods: All patients diagnosed with primary GA from 2004-2013 in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) were reviewed for patient demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment. Patients were grouped by age (AYA < 40, adult ≥ 40) and appropriate statistical analyses performed. Results: Of 49,278 patients, 1517 (3%) were < 40 years old. Compared to older adults, AYAs were more commonly female, represented an ethnic minority, and had more markers of socioeconomic disadvantage (SES) (all p < 0.001). They presented with higher grade tumors, higher tumor and nodal staging, and more metastatic disease at diagnosis (all p < 0.001). AYAs also more commonly received adjuvant radiation and/or chemother...
Although virtually all Inuit children in eastern Arctic Canada learn Inuktitut as their native language, there is a critical lack of tools to assess their level of language ability. This article investigates how mean length of utterance (MLU), a widely-used assessment measure in English and other languages, can be best applied in Inuktitut. The authors seek a measure that is suitable for the structural characteristics of Inuktitut as well as the practical realities of language assessment in the Inuit context. They compare five measures of mean length of utterance/word as well as five measures of longest utterance/word using three sets of data: spontaneous speech from eight children aged 1;8–3;6, frog story narratives from 12 older children and 6 adults, and spontaneous speech from one 5-year-old with specific language impairment and an age-matched peer. The authors conclude that mean length of word in syllables is the measure that provides the best balance of reliably assessing language level while also suiting Inuktitut structure and being relatively easy to calculate.
Intrigued by the outstanding performances of a rural health care facility in relation to data management and use, recognized by the KwaZulu‐Natal Ministerial Award in 2017 and 2018, respectively, we draw on an interpretive case study to further our understanding of the role of the healthcare managers in this and the context in which they operated. The performance of the healthcare facility in relation to data management and use could be traced to the cultivation of a “Community of Information Practice” around data management and the leadership style of the healthcare manager and the commitment of the staff. The study highlights the healthcare manager as pivotal in strengthening a data use culture in resource‐constrained healthcare settings. This paper presents a practical approach in operationalizing health indicators in resource‐constrained settings. This paper contributes to CoP by extending the role of the facilitator beyond the usual role as organizer of meetings to champions of the CoP. The paper concludes that healthcare managers are change agents, who make sense of changes with their colleagues, by sharing knowledge and experiences in a way that allows continuous learning to take place, creating a sustainable context for continuous use of health data.
Heart failure (HF) is a major global public health problem irrespective of its causes. It generates an enormous clinical, societal, and economic, health loss burden with an increase in its prevalence reaching an epidemic proportion. The morbidity and mortality associated with heart failure are increasing the health-related burdens worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This review highlights the trends in HF burden, the clinical spectrum of HF, and the importance of neurohormonal pathways and the evolution of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibition in HF with updated clinical practice guidelines.
Rapid thermal processing (RTP) has become a key technology in the fabrication of advanced semiconductor devices. As wafers get larger and chip dimensions become smaller, the understanding of the highly coupled physics, such as radiative heat transfer, transient fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical reactions through numerical modeling using high-performance computing, is the key to the design, optimization, and control of RTP reactors. In this study, an accurate and efficient simulation tool for RTP in a distributed computing environment is developed by implementing various new models and algorithms. Thegoverning equations for highly coupled and transient transport phenomena inRTP are solved by anunstructured finite volume method (FVM). Surface radiative heat transfer is the most dominant mode of heat transfer in RTP and it is modeled by the modified discrete transfer method (MDTM). The radiative properties on the patterned wafer are quite different from those on the bare silicon and they are predicted ...
Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology was used to develop a fine pixelated detector with high performance. The first beam test for a prototype pulse-counting-type SOI chip, CPIXTEG3b, was performed at beamline BL-14A of the Photon Factory, KEK. CPIXTEG3b was designed using double SOI technology for decreasing crosstalk and increasing radiation hardness. It has a 64 × 64 pixel array wherein each pixel size is 50 μm × 50 μm. The sensitivity to incident X-rays was measured for each pixel with an X-ray beam 10 μm in diameter. We used the X-ray energy of 16 keV. Because of its small size, the pixel response was sensitive to the charge-sharing effect. We also considered the point spread function of the sensor. The discriminator of each pixel circuit was calibrated using a pulse generator, and performance was checked using flat-field X-rays.
Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is prevalent, and intravenous iron, especially if given in a single dose, may result in better adherence compared with oral iron. The present trial (FERWON‐IDA) is part of the FERWON program with iron isomaltoside 1000/ferric derisomaltose (IIM), evaluating safety and efficacy of high dose IIM in IDA patients of mixed etiologies. This was a randomized, open‐label, comparative, multi‐center trial conducted in the USA. The IDA patients were randomized 2:1 to a single dose of 1000 mg IIM, or iron sucrose (IS) administered as 200 mg intravenous injections, up to five times. The co‐primary endpoints were adjudicated serious or severe hypersensitivity reactions, and change in hemoglobin from baseline to week eight. A total of 1512 patients were enrolled. The frequency of patients with serious or severe hypersensitivity reactions was 0.3% (95% confidence interval: 0.06;0.88) vs 0.4% (0.05;1.45) in the IIM and IS group, respectively. The co‐primary safety objective was met, and no risk difference was observed between groups. The co‐primary efficacy endpoint of non‐inferiority in hemoglobin change was met, and IIM led to a significantly more rapid hematological response in the first two weeks. The frequency of cardiovascular events was 0.8% and 1.2% in the IIM and IS group, respectively (P = .570). The frequency of hypophosphatemia was low in both groups. Iron isomaltoside administered as 1000 mg resulted in a more rapid and more pronounced hematological response, compared with IS, which required multiple visits. The safety profile was similar with a low frequency of hypersensitivity reactions and cardiovascular events.
Poor Sir Oliver Lodge! An eminent physicist, pioneer of radio, competitor with Marconi, he is remembered today, if at all, mainly for having been a propagandist for spiritualism. His best known book, Raymond or Life and Death , first published in 1916 and subsequently reprinted many times, recounts his efforts to get in posthumous touch with his son, Raymond, who was killed at Ypres in 1915.  Sir Oliver’s pain at losing his son clearly was assuaged by what he thought was evidence of Raymond’s continued existence on “the other side,” and his book, which came with all the authority of a celebrated fellow of the Royal Society, was just what tens of thousands of bereaved parents, for obvious reasons, wanted …
A simple immunomagnetic cell sorting method is described for the isolation and the purification of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells from a heterogeneous cell mixture containing both ES cells and mouse embryonic fibroblast cells (MEF). The cells (1.5 × 106 cells per experiment), which labelled with the monoclonal SSEA-1 (stage specific embryonic antigen 1) antibody followed by the microbead coated with anti mouse IgM antibody, were retained in the separation column held in a magnetic field. Over 95% of the cells collected were viable after immunomagnetic cell sorting. Recoveries of 68, 82 and 90% and purity 83, 82 and 73% of the ES cells were obtained using 10, 20 and 50 μg of SSEA-1 antibody per experiment, respectively. Procedure for isolation did not affect the proliferation of the isolated cells on MEF in culture. These results suggest that the immunomagnetic cell sorting using undifferentiated cell marker antibody could be highly effective for isolating the undifferentiated cells such as ES cells.
Here we present for the first time polymer solar cells that incorporate biological material that show state of the art efficiencies in excess of 8%. The performance of inverted polymer solar cells was improved significantly after deposition of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) together with a thin deoxyribonucleic acid nanolayer and used as an electron extraction layer (EEL). The ZnO-NPs/DNA double layer improved the rectifying ratio, shunt resistance of the cells as well as lowering the work function of the electron-collecting contact. Importantly, the ZnO-NPs/DNA bilayer enhanced the power conversion efficiency of cells considerably compared to cells with EELs made of only DNA (improvement of 56% in relative terms) or only ZnO-NPs (improvement of 19% in relative terms) reaching a best power conversion efficiency of 8.5%. The ZnO-NPs/DNA double layer cells also outperformed ones made with one of the most efficient previous synthetic composite EELs (i.e. ZnO/PEIE(poly(ethyleneimine)-ethoxylated)). Since all fabrication procedures were carried out at low (<150 °C) or room temperature, we have applied the findings to flexible substrates as well as on glass obtaining a high PCE of 7.2%. The solar cells with the biological/metal-oxide composite EELs also delivered an improvement in the stability (∼20% in relative term) compared to that with ZnO-NPs only. All these findings show that natural materials, in this case DNA, the premium biological material, can be incorporated in organic semiconductor devices in tandem with inorganic devices delivering uncompromising levels of performance as well as significant improvements.
The roots of malnutrition are found in economics, education, agriculture, and health. This multiple etiology requires that approaches to the problem engage many different institutions. These organizations can be viewed as constituting an International Nutrition Institutional Network. The functions of this system are collection and dissemination of information, provision of goods and services, financing, and coordination. Significant problems, however, have been identified in the performance of these functions. These are organizational: poor coordination, vague responsibility delineation, inadequate evaluation, people limitations, and internationalnational relationships. They are also political: policy vacuum, knowledge gaps, and priority conflicts. Unless these are rectified, the Network's effectiveness will remain severely limited.
Coil motion noise is one of the largest noises in airborne electromagnetic exploration, which results from the variations of magnetic flux in the Earth’s magnetic accompanied by the receiver coil’s movement during the flight. On the assumption of attitude measurements, coil motion noise is calculated according to roll, pitch and yaw of the receiver coils. Therefore, the characteristics of coil motion noise are analyzed in time domain, frequency domain and time-frequency domain. And the Gaussianity of coil motion noise is also discussed using the histogram of data and its estimated Gaussian function, and another method termed normal probability paper. All of these are to lay the foundation for removal of coil motion noise in airborne electromagnetic detection.
Sotos' syndrome (synonym: cerebral gigantism) is the association of mental retardation, macrocephaly and prenatal onset of accelerated growth. The rapid skeletal growth may account for a 4% incidence of scoliosis. General anaesthesia using halothane or enflurane in nitrous oxide and oxygen, with opioid supplementation and labetalol to induce moderate hypotension, appeared to be a satisfactory technique for corrective spinal surgery. The potential problems are discussed, with mental retardation and sometimes aggressive behaviour contraindicating a "wake-up" test. Extradural somatosensory evoked potential monitoring is a satisfactory alternative. Hook failures seem more likely than in patients undergoing surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
Most patients with lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) are asymptomatic. Although intermittent claudication is the classic presenting symptom in those who are symptomatic, PAD often presents atypically as a result of associated comorbidities. The differential diagnosis involves consideration of many nonvascular and nonatherosclerotic causes of exercise-associated leg pain. Weak or absent pulses are the hallmark physical finding of PAD, and the ankle-brachial index is the most efficient objective test for documenting it. PAD may progress to acute limb ischemia (acute deterioration of limb flow) or critical limb ischemia (chronic compromise in limb perfusion which resulting in rest pain and tissue loss), both of can lead to limb loss without timely treatment.
This study developed models to detect proper/ improper sitting postures using gyroscope readings from some human spinal points (thoracic, thoraco-lumbar and lumbar) through mobile devices attached at those points. It also established relationships of human body frames and proper sitting posture. The models were developed by training some well-known classifiers such as KNN, SVM, MLP, and Decision Tree using the data collected from 49 students of different body frames. Decision Tree classifier demonstrated the most promising model performance with an accuracy of 96.13% and a kappa of 0.921. Results also showed that there were relationships between body frame and posture.
In this work, high performance subwavelength grating metalens is demonstrated with high-refractive-index silicon-rich silicon nitride material compatible with CMOS fabrication processes. Conventional metalens materials namely TiO2 and GaN require expensive and time-consuming deposition processes such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). In order to improve the cost efficiency of metalens and its performance, the trade-offs between refractive index, fabrication difficulty and metalens performance is studied. We propose a feasible approach that is silicon-rich nitride (SiNx) as metalens material, which balance the trade-offs between refractive index and fabrication difficulty to large extent. With the advantage of ultra-high refractive index SiNx (n = 2.74) at 685 nm incidence, we are able to shrink the pitch size to unprecedented 220 nm. A propagation-phase-based grating metalens is fabricated and characterized for proof of concept. In addition, the optical parameters (n & k) can easily be adjusted through the deposition process. Our work has also promised a new degree of freedom for future optimization of metalens.
Mutations in the gene encoding the ion pore of the P/Q voltage-activated calcium channel (CACNA1A) are predicted to alter synaptic transmission and dendritic excitability within cerebellar granule and Purkinje cells. Determining the relationships between these alterations, neuronal activity, and behavior may yield insight into the relationship between neuronal intrinsic properties and signal processing within the ocular motor system. Toward this end, we compared ocular motor performance in the CACNA1A mutant rocker and C57BL/6 controls. Average vertical eye position was abnormally elevated in the mutants, a finding that may be analogous to downbeat nystagmus seen in human cerebellar disorders. Fast phases of vestibular nystagmus were slowed by approximately 18% of control values. The angular vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) in darkness and light (visual VOR, or VVOR), assessed at 0.1-1.6 Hz, exhibited subnormal gains at the highest stimulus frequencies and increased phase leads at the lowest stimulus frequencies. Horizontal optokinetic responses to constant velocity drum rotation of +/-2.5-40 degrees/s exhibited minimally reduced gains. Attempts to increase VOR gain by concomitant optokinetic and vestibular stimulation were confounded by the tendency of the mice to habituate to repetitive vestibular stimulation, but attempts to induce coupling of vertical eye movements to horizontal vestibular stimulation (cross-axis adaptation) generated rapid plastic changes in controls and little effect in mutants. With the notable exceptions of the vertical elevation and optokinetic gains, the ocular motor abnormalities were stable over a broad range of animal age, a result compatible with the abnormalities arising as direct consequences of the inborn alteration in calcium channel biophysics.
Crude protein and in vitro protein degradation were evaluated for forages planted without nitrogen fertilization and tillage. Forages in yr 1 included two vetches, two crimson clovers, two subterranean clovers, arrowleaf clover, Persian clover, winter pea, ryegrass, and wheat. Forages in yr 2 were three vetches, crimson clover, subterranean clover, Berseem clover, and arrowleaf clover. Continuous growth was cut five times in yr 1 and twice during yr 2 at approximately 4-wk intervals. Legumes had greater protein content than grasses. Within legumes, Vanguard vetch and Woogenellup subterranean clover had the highest CP and crimson clovers the lowest in yr 1. During yr 2, hairy vetch exhibited the highest CP content while Tibbee crimson clover had the lowest. Crude protein content decreased with increasing forage maturity in both years. In vitro protein degradation in yr 1 was highest for winter pea and lowest for both subterranean clovers. In yr 2, hairy and Woodford vetch had the highest degradation and Berseem clover had the lowest. Overall, protein degradation was not affected by forage maturity. Correlations between CP and protein degradation were negative or low.
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of binary decision making on interobserver reliability in the classification of fractures of the ankle.   DESIGN Radiographic review study.   PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS Observers: two PGY-2 orthopaedic residents, two PGY-5 residents, and two orthopaedic attending surgeons.   INTERVENTION Radiographs of fifty ankle fractures were classified. Each observer classified the radiographs by using the original AO/ASIF system and its recent binary modification.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Interobserver reliability was assessed by using a kappa coefficient and compared for the two classification methods.   RESULTS The mean kappa value for interobserver reliability for type only and for type and group classification when using the original AO/ASIF system was 0.77 and 0.61, respectively. Using binary decision making, the mean kappa values for type only and for type and group were 0.78 and 0.62, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in reliability between the original and binary classification systems.   CONCLUSION The interobserver reliability of both the original AO/ASIF classification system and its binary modification is substantial. The results of the present study, however, cast doubt on the effectiveness of binary decision making in improving interobserver reliability in the classification of fractures. To our knowledge, this study is the first to compare the original AO/ASIF classification system with its binary modification. Additional study of other fractures may help elucidate the effectiveness of binary decision making in improving interobserver reliability in the classification of all fractures.
In the presence of an amine-borane catalyst, methyl acetate, dimethyl malonate and dimethyl methylmalonate (HZ) each react with 1 -methylene-2,3-epoxycyclo-hexanes or -pentanes at a C–H group a to the ester function to give allylic alcohols. The reaction proceeds by a radical chain mechanism and is initiated by UV photolysis of added di-tert-butyl peroxide at 30 °C; isolated yields are generally 50–70%. The amine–borane, usually quinuclidine-borane (QNB), acts as a polarity reversal catalyst to facilitate regioselective overall transfer of hydrogen from an α-C–H group of the ester to an allyloxyl radical to give the allylic alcohol. The α-alkoxycarbonylalkyl radical (Z˙) also formed in this reaction adds to the vinyl epoxide to give an oxiranylcarbinyl radical, subsequent ring opening of which regenerates the allyloxyl radical. In the presence of QNB, methyl acetate, dimethyl malonate, triethyl methanetricarboxylate and ethyl cyanoacetate each react at an α–C–H group with an allylic tert-butyl peroxide H2CC(R)CMe2OOBut(R = H or Me) to give the 2,3-epoxypropanation products ZCH2[graphic ommitted] in 50–80% yield. Again, a radical chain mechanism is followed and the amine–borane catalyses α-hydrogen-atom transfer from the ester to ButO˙, which is generated by an SHi reaction of the β-tert-butylperoxyalkyl radical formed by addition of Z˙ to the allylic peroxide.
The central adenosine system and adenosine receptors play a fundamental role in the modulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission. This is mostly achieved by the strategic co-localization of different adenosine and dopamine receptor subtypes in the two populations of striatal efferent neurons, striatonigral and striatopallidal, that give rise to the direct and indirect striatal efferent pathways, respectively. With optogenetic techniques it has been possible to dissect a differential role of the direct and indirect pathways in mediating “Go” responses upon exposure to reward-related stimuli and “NoGo” responses upon exposure to non-rewarded or aversive-related stimuli, respectively, which depends on their different connecting output structures and their differential expression of dopamine and adenosine receptor subtypes. The striatopallidal neuron selectively expresses dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) and adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR), and numerous experiments using multiple genetic and pharmacological in vitro, in situ and in vivo approaches, demonstrate they can form A2AR-D2R heteromers. It was initially assumed that different pharmacological interactions between dopamine and adenosine receptor ligands indicated the existence of different subpopulations of A2AR and D2R in the striatopallidal neuron. However, as elaborated in the present essay, most evidence now indicates that all interactions can be explained with a predominant population of striatal A2AR-D2R heteromers forming complexes with adenylyl cyclase subtype 5 (AC5). The A2AR-D2R heteromer has a tetrameric structure, with two homodimers, which allows not only multiple allosteric interactions between different orthosteric ligands, agonists, and antagonists, but also the canonical Gs-Gi antagonistic interaction at the level of AC5. We present a model of the function of the A2AR-D2R heterotetramer-AC5 complex, which acts as an integrative device of adenosine and dopamine signals that determine the excitability and gene expression of the striatopallidal neurons. The model can explain most behavioral effects of A2AR and D2R ligands, including the psychostimulant effects of caffeine. The model is also discussed in the context of different functional striatal compartments, mainly the dorsal and the ventral striatum. The current accumulated knowledge of the biochemical properties of the A2AR-D2R heterotetramer-AC5 complex offers new therapeutic possibilities for Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, SUD and other neuropsychiatric disorders with dysfunction of dorsal or ventral striatopallidal neurons.
Urbanisation leads to house densification, a phenomenon experienced in both planned and unplanned settlements in cities in developing countries. Such densification limits fire brigade access into settlements, thereby aggravating fire disaster risks. In this article, we assess the fire exposure and risks in residences in informal areas of Mchikichini ward, in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania. We rely on interviews of residents and government officials to obtain background on the occurrence and causes of fire accidents, policy provisions and regulations, and experiences with fire outbreaks and coping strategies, as well as on observations and measurements of house transformations, spatial quality and indoor real life. Our findings suggest that fire risks arise from both inappropriate structural characteristics and unsound behavioural practices. This includes unsafe electric practices by residents, poor capacity of residents to fight fires once started, limited access to structures by firefighting equipment because of flouting of planning regulations and inadequate awareness of local government leaders of the magnitude of fire risks. Potential changes to reduce fire risks in the settlement include the installation of firefighting systems, restriction of cooking to designated spaces, use of safer cooking energy sources and lighting means, improvements of vehicle access routes to neighbourhoods, capacity building at the grass root level and the establishment of community-based fire risk management.
Objective: Most studies so far have focused on the performance of individual biomarkers to detect early acute kidney injury (AKI) in the adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients; however, they have not determined the predictive ability of their combinations. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive abilities of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (pNGAL), urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL), plasma cystatin C (pCysC), serum creatinine (sCr), and their combinations in detecting AKI in an adult general ICU population. Methods: A total of 100 consecutive ICU patients were included in the analysis. AKI was defined according to RIFLE criteria. Biomarker predictive abilities were evaluated by area under the curve (AUC), net reclassiﬁcation improvement (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Results: AKI occurred in 36% of patients 7 days post-admission. All three novel biomarkers as well as sCr had moderate predictive abilities for AKI occurrence. The most efficient combinations (pNGAL + sCr and pNGAL + uNGAL + sCr) were selected to participate in the subsequent analyses. Both combinations, when added to a reference clinical model, increased its AUC significantly (0.858, p = 0.04). Their NRI (0.78, p = 0.0002) was equal to that of pNGAL, but higher than that of the other three biomarkers, whereas their IDI was higher than that of any individual biomarker (0.23, p = 0.0001). Both combinations had better specificities, positive likelihood ratios, and positive predictive values than those of any individual biomarker. Conclusion: The biomarker combinations had better predictive characteristics compared with those of each biomarker alone.
The synthesis of the nanoscaled bismuth oxido clusters [Bi(38)O(45)(NO(3))(20)(DMSO)(28)](NO(3))(4)·4DMSO (1a) and [Bi(38)O(45)(OH)(2)(pTsO)(8)(NO(3))(12)(DMSO)(24)](NO(3))(2)·4DMSO·2H(2)O (2) starting from the basic bismuth nitrate [Bi(6)O(4)(OH)(4)](NO(3))(6)·H(2)O is reported herein. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, ESI mass spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, and molecular dynamics simulation were used to study the formation, structure, and stability of these large metal oxido clusters. Compounds 1a and 2 are based on a [Bi(38)O(45)](24+) core, which is structurally related to δ-Bi(2)O(3). Examination of the fragmentation pathways of 1a and 2 by infrared multi-photon dissociation (IRMPD) tandem MS experiments allows the identification of novel bismuth oxido cluster species in the gas phase.
Abstract Copulation duration differed between black and brown morphs of Drosophila elegans: longer in the former than in the latter. Experiments on copulation between these two morphs revealed that copulation duration was determined by both sexes. The genetic analyses using F1 hybrids and recombinant inbred lines suggest that two or more loci were responsible for the differences in both of male and female properties for the determination of copulation duration between the black and brown morphs and at least one of the loci governing the male property was probably located on the X chromosome. It also appeared that loci responsible for the difference in copulation duration of males between the brown morph and black morph strains differed from those responsible for the difference in copulation duration of females between them. Genes controlling male copulation duration are at least partly linked with a gene controlling body coloration.
We analyze the Illustris-1 hydrodynamical cosmological simulation to explore the stellar velocity dispersion of quiescent galaxies as an observational probe of dark matter halo velocity dispersion and mass. Stellar velocity dispersion is proportional to dark matter halo velocity dispersion for both central and satellite galaxies. The dark matter halos of central galaxies are in virial equilibrium and thus the stellar velocity dispersion is also proportional to dark matter halo mass. This proportionality holds even when a line-of-sight aperture dispersion is calculated in analogy to observations. In contrast, at a given stellar velocity dispersion, the dark matter halo mass of satellite galaxies is smaller than virial equilibrium expectations. This deviation from virial equilibrium probably results from tidal stripping of the outer dark matter halo. Stellar velocity dispersion appears insensitive to tidal effects and thus reflects the correlation between stellar velocity dispersion and dark matter halo mass prior to infall. There is a tight relation (≲0.2 dex scatter) between line-of-sight aperture stellar velocity dispersion and dark matter halo mass suggesting that the dark matter halo mass may be estimated from the measured stellar velocity dispersion for both central and satellite galaxies. We evaluate the impact of treating all objects as central galaxies if the relation we derive is applied to a statistical ensemble. A large fraction (≳2/3) of massive quiescent galaxies are central galaxies and systematic uncertainty in the inferred dark matter halo mass is ≲0.1 dex thus simplifying application of the simulation results to currently available observations.
Background: Selenium deficiency is a common problem in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This micronutrient has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. Selenium is also found in high concentrations in the thyroid gland. Objectives: To determine the effect of selenium supplementation on thyroid function tests and acute phase reactants in hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods: In this double-blinded randomized clinical in 3 months, 64 hemodialysis patients with selenium deficiency were divided into experimental (received selenium supplementation; 32 cases) or control group (received placebo; 32 cases). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), ferritin, quantitative C-reactive protein (CRP) and thyroid function tests (TFTs) including thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), T3 resin uptake (T3RU), and free T4 were measured before and after the intervention and compared between experimental and control groups. Results: At baseline, no significant difference was found between experimental and control groups regarding CRP, ESR and ferritin serum levels. Likewise, after intervention, no significant difference was found between experimental and control groups for CRP (14.77 ± 17.93 vs. 18.29 ± 21.56 mg/L), ESR (32.90 ± 32.62 vs. 33.91 ± 31.15 mm/h) and ferritin (528.6 ± 423.07 vs. 519.52 ± 345.59 ng/mL). At baseline, no significant difference was found between experimental and control groups regarding TFTs. Likewise, after intervention, no significant difference was found between experimental and control groups for TSH (3.7 ± 2.22 vs. 2.84 ± 1.88 µU/mL), free T4 (7.19 ± 1.98 vs. 7.02 ± 1.87 µg/dL) and T3RU (30.04 ± 2.28% vs. 29.2 ± 1.98%). Conclusions: Oral selenium supplementation for three months did not have any significant effect on thyroid function tests or acute phase reactants.
Illegal activities in cyberspace involving software vulnerabilities have resulted in tangible damage on computer-based environments. Lately, online black market sites for trading stolen goods, credentials, malware and exploit kits have been intensively examined. The market players are identifiably a group of loosely tied individuals but posses shared interests. However, their social behavior has only been discussed in a limited manner. This paper examines the arrangement of the market insiders’ social behavior that enables such forums to continue or discontinue their operation and become a meaningful threat to security. The results reveal that particular formal and informal regulations and procedures, forum lifecycle and common norms of black market participants contributing to keeping the markets running.
An annotated list of the single species of Cleridae and Anthribidae, and two of Curculionidae described by Ponza from the environs of Saluzzo in northwestern Italy, partly overlooked by subsequent authors, is provided. The following new synonymy in Curculionidae is established: Hylobius (Callirus) transversovittatus (Goeze, 1777) [= Curculio brunonianus Ponza, 1805 syn. n.]. The following synonymies are confirmed: Clerus mutillarius mutillarius Fabricius, 1775 [= Attelabus funereus Ponza, 1805] in Cleridae, Dissoleucas niveirostris (Fabricius, 1798) [= Curculio dubius Ponza, 1805] in Anthribidae, and Coniocleonus (Plagiographus) cicatricosus (Hoppe, 1795) [= Curculio spinosus Ponza, 1805] in Curculionidae. Neotypes are not designated, since no long-established name is threatened.
Many recognize that labor was a central feature of colonialism, especially in the Americas, but few have considered the anthropological implications of labor for interpreting colonialism. A new theoretical perspective involves conceptualizing labor as practice and as a social, rather than simply an economic, phenomenon. Building on theories of practice, labor can be defined as a colonial imposition and attempt at social control and as a medium of agency and resistance for those laboring. Although historical documents provide solid information on the structure and implementation of labor from the top down, archaeological research is often required to access the native experience of labor from the bottom up. To develop the labor-as-practice approach, I present a case study of the 18th- and 19th-century California missions that integrates historical data on regional mission labor organization with archaeological data from the specific site of Mission San Antonio de Padua in southcentral California. The results provide new insights into the interpretation of Mission San Antonio's archaeological record, fresh perspectives on the complexity of material culture in colonial and pluralistic settings, and increased appreciation for the role of colonial labor in structuring the spatial and material aspects of culture contact, colonialism, and daily life in the past.
Sir, Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can be seen in recipients of syngeneic or autologous bone marrow transplantation (BMT) (1, 2) and occurs in 8% of patients given this type of BMT (3, 4). Most cases are self-limiting, have a good prognosis and involve mainly the skin. Some authors consider that most cases of GVHD are related to cyclosporin A (CsA) therapy given for prophylaxis of GVHD (5). We report a patient who, without prior cyclosporine therapy and after receiving a syngeneic BMT, developed skin changes consistent with GVHD.
This paper presents the design of a mixed voltage 3.3V/5.5V CMOS output buffer. The proposed design technique eliminates gate-oxide overstress and output to supply current flow when common bus voltage is higher than the supply voltage. While this paper discusses the 3.3V/5.5V supply combination as an example, the same circuit topology can be used for other mixed supply combination like 2.5V/5V, 1.8V/3.3V.
Transformed (cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter [35S]) tobacco (Nicotiana plumbaginifolia L.) plants constitutively expressing nitrate reductase (NR) and untransformed controls were subjected to drought for 5 d. Drought-induced changes in biomass accumulation and photosynthesis were comparable in both lines of plants. After 4 d of water deprivation, a large increase in the ratio of shoot dry weight to fresh weight was observed, together with a decrease in the rate of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation. Foliar sucrose increased in both lines during water stress, but hexoses increased only in leaves from untransformed controls. Foliar NO3- decreased rapidly in both lines and was halved within 2 d of the onset of water deprivation. Total foliar amino acids decreased in leaves of both lines following water deprivation. After 4 d of water deprivation no NR activity could be detected in leaves of untransformed plants, whereas about 50% of the original activity remained in the leaves of the 35S-NR transformants. NR mRNA was much more stable than NR activity. NR mRNA abundance increased in the leaves of the 35S-NR plants and remained constant in controls for the first 3 d of drought. On the 4th d, however, NR mRNA suddenly decreased in both lines. Rehydration at d 3 caused rapid recovery (within 24 h) of 35S-NR transcripts, but no recovery was observed in the controls. The phosphorylation state of the protein was unchanged by long-term drought. There was a strong correlation between maximal extractable NR activity and ambient photosynthesis in both lines. We conclude that drought first causes increased NR protein turnover and then accelerates NR mRNA turnover. Constitutive NR expression temporarily delayed drought-induced losses in NR activity. 35S-NR expression may therefore allow more rapid recovery of N assimilation following short-term water deficit.
Systemically injected neural precursor cells (NPCs) were unexpectedly shown to reach the cerebral parenchyma and induce recovery in various diffuse brain pathologies, including animal models of multiple sclerosis. However, the molecular mechanisms supporting NPC migration across brain endothelium remain elusive. Brain endothelium constitutes the blood‐brain barrier, which uniquely controls the access of drugs and trafficking of cells, including leukocytes, from the blood to the brain. Taking advantage of the availability of in vitro models of human and rat blood‐brain barrier developed in our laboratory and validated by us and others, we show here that soluble hyaluronic acid, the major ligand of the adhesion molecule CD44, as well as anti‐CD44 blocking antibodies, largely prevents NPC adhesion to and migration across brain endothelium in inflammatory conditions. We present further evidence that NPCs, surprisingly, induce the formation of apical cups at the surface of brain endothelial cells, enriched in CD44 and other adhesion molecules, thus hijacking the endothelial signaling recently shown to be involved in leukocyte extravasation. These results demonstrate the pivotal role of CD44 in the trans‐endothelial migration of NPCs across brain endothelial cells: we propose that they may help design new strategies for the delivery of therapeutic NPCs to the brain by systemic administration.
2 Human Vaccines 2008; Vol. 4 Issue 5 9 5 1 but we were unable to obtain visas. We left everything behind in Egypt and moved to France, penniless. I had to put aside plans to continue my education in order to support my family. I worked in the stock room of a fabric store; the drudgery of stocking shelves wore on and only reinforced my desire to return to my studies. After a few years, my mother received a visa to join my sister in New York. Soon after, I received a fellowship that allowed me to resume my education in France. Rather impulsively, I decided to enroll in an agricultural engineering program which I started at the University of Nancy in Eastern France, and completed at the National Institute of Agronomy in Paris. During the course of my studies, I found myself particularly attracted to the emerging field of molecular biology and genetics. After switching my focus, I graduated in 1969 with a double degree in agricultural engineering and molecular biology. A year later, I was reunited with my family in New York. I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology. However, being new to the US and unfamiliar with the American university system, I was not sure how to proceed. Conditioned by experience to be pragmatic, I started by locating the nearest university to my apartment. Just a few blocks away, Brooklyn College generously opened its doors to me and eventually accepted me into their Ph.D. program with a teaching fellowship. By the mid-1970s, the field of genetics and molecular biology was taking off. Seeking to build on my previous studies in France, I opted to perform my Ph.D. work in Professor Norman Eaton’s lab, one of the few faculty members with expertise in the genetics of yeast cells. In 1977, I completed and defended my research work and dissertation on yeast genetics and microbiology and received a Ph.D. in molecular biology.
Abstract Freeze-dried concentrates of lactic streptococcal starter bacteria (single and mixed strains) were prepared in different lyophilization media and stored under vacuum and several gases. The concentrates were tested for survival and acid-producing activity after storage for up to a year by rehydration with water to the original prelyophilization volume. Acid production was measured during incubation at 30 C for up to 6 h and 22 C for up to 18 h. Lyophilization media included 11% nonfat milk, nonfat milk containing 15% sodium glycerophosphate, nonfat milk containing 10% maltose, and sucrose-peptone (10%-5%) solution. Storage conditions included vacuum-sealing and storage under atmospheres of air, argon, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen. Best results were with commercial mixed strain starter cultures of unknown strain composition which were purchased as direct vat set Cheddar cheese starters. Freeze dried concentrates of these cultures were active and stable at ambient temperatures (25 C) for several months when vacuum-sealed and stored in amber containers filled with argon and when lyophilized in 11% nonfat containing 15% sodium glycerophosphate. For example, freeze dried concentrates of 10 such cultures when stored for 5 to 8 months at 25 C produced an average percent titratable acidity of .97 (range .86 to 1.03) at 22 C in 18 h when inoculum was made into steamed (95 C for 40 min) nonfatmilk; when incubated at 30 C for 6 h, the average was .60% (range .35 to .80%) for freeze dried concentrates stored 3 to 4 mo. The apparent enhanced acid production by rehydrated concentrates incubated at 22 C as compared to 30 C suggests that such preparations may have greater application for direct inoculation of bulk starter milk than for cheese vat milk.
We present spectra of the alkali-silicate glasses with copper ions in near-surface area, introduced by ion exchange of different temperature and duration. It is shown that the reduction of Cu 2+ in the near-surface area causes existence of Cu + and neutral atoms in glass after the ion-exchange in divalent salt. The ion-exchange itself involves only Cu + and Na + ions. The formation of subnanometer clusters Cu n is due to neutral copper atoms staying in near-surface zone. We have shown that the waveguide layer in near-surface area, made by ion-exchange, has а visible luminescence with the excitation by UVradiation. At the same time, the contribution to luminescence is made by Cu + ions, molecular clusters Cu n and by dimers Cu +Cu +. During the high-temperature ion-exchange at 600 °С the formation and destruction equilibrium shift of molecular clusters Cu n can be seen. An hour ion-exchange leads to molecular clusters Cu n destruction, while at time periods less than 30 min and around 18 hours it leads to the formation of Cu n. The sample turns green after 18,5 hours ion-exchange showing formation of a considerable amount of divalent copper ions Cu 2+ therein.
Among the derivatives of cyclic tetraamines 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (cyclam) has been extensively studied, either as an unsubstituted ligand or as an substituted derivative.1–3 In aqueous solution, cyclam (1) and its derivatives can be protonated and coordinate easily with transition metal ions. The protonated cyclam has also been used to assemble two different metal complexes for energy transfer purposes.4 The metal complexes of these compounds have been used as MRI contrast agents, luminescent probes, DNA cleavers, and imaging applications.5–7 Cryptands are bicyclic ligand systems of three-dimentional8 structure able to encapsulate a metal ion. Owing to their architectural and functional plasticity, macrobicyclic compounds are especially attractive for design of biomimetic and abiotic receptors for inorganic and organic substrates.9,10 Phthalocyanines have also attracted great interest due to possible applications such as dyes, paints, color for metal surfaces, in laser printers, photocopiers and data storage systems.11,12 In addition to the well-known properties mentioned above, phthalocyanines and their complexes are use-ful in photovoltaic devices, as catalysts and in gas sensors and as photodynamic therapy agents.13,14 The present article reports the synthesis of a new metal-free phthalocyanine bearing four macrobicyclic units attached trans-N,N′-disubstituted cyclam. It was expected that the combination of the two donor groups would enhance the complexation capacity of peripherally substituted compound compared to the peri-pherally unsubstituted analogue15–17 because it can encapsulate the metal cation into the macrocyclic cavity.18,19 Condensation of 1,8-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (1) with 1,2-bis(2-tosyloxyethylmercapto)-4,5-dicyanobenzene (2) in the presence Na2CO3 in dry acetonitrile afforded 3 as the major product (36% yield, Scheme 1). It was characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, MS and IR spectroscopy. Its IR spectrum showed an intense stretching vibration at 2228 cm−1 which was attributed to the dicyano groups.20 The absence of N H bands indicates that macrobicyclization had occurred. The chemical shifts of the
We continue the IEEE Engineering Management Review Technology Manager's Notebook series of tech entrepreneur profiles, the movers and shakers in technology industries. Entrepreneurship requires change agents, leaders who are innovative, proactive, and risk-takers. Entrepreneurship often requires technology and engineering insights. In these articles, we provide a look at the innovative thought processes and practices of these entrepreneurs—what got them where they are today. We also tap into their experiences in order to share lessons learned with the broader community. Many of these entrepreneurs will be attending Technology and Engineering Management Society events over the next couple years. Take the opportunity to meet them as you can, especially if you are thinking about launching your own new venture. Our featured entrepreneur for this article is Ellen Christopherson.
Abstract Female patients in the peripartum and postpartum periods have an increased risk of stroke than nonpregnant women. Cerebrovascular complications of pregnancy represent a significant cause of maternal mortality and morbidity and are potentially disabling. Acute basilar artery occlusion secondary to spontaneous vertebral artery dissection in the postpartum period is an infrequent entity and a major diagnostic and treatment challenge. In the present case, a 37-year-old female patient, eight weeks after caesarean delivery, presented with a history of sudden cervical pain, followed by headache and dizziness. Some hours later, she was found unconscious by her family and was transferred to the emergency department, where a neurological status assessment suggested vertebrobasilar stroke. The imagistic workup revealed right vertebral artery dissection and basilar artery occlusion without constituted ischemic lesions. The patient underwent endovascular intervention with dilation of the narrowed vertebral artery and stent retriever basilar artery thrombectomy, with a favourable clinical outcome. This report first presents the details of this case and the relevant literature data on postpartum arterial dissections and the subsequent ischemic complications and available treatment options.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS) facilitates complex or advanced laparoscopic operations without appreciable loss of the advantages of the total laparoscopic approach. The internal hand enables atraumatic exposure and stretching of tissue planes, finger dissection, restores palpation of internal organs and structures, and provides a rapid and effective means of hemostasis. Particularly during complex surgery performed on the liver and pancreas, this ability to control bleeding by placing pressure between the index finger and thumb reduces the stress on the surgeon. HALS does, however, carry a number of ergonomic problems that are consequent on the encroachment of the hand and device on the workspace. It also imposes an awkward lordotic stance, hence back and shoulder strain on the surgeon. These problems can be resolved by further development of the hand-access devices and also with modifications of existing laparoscopic instruments, or the design and development of HALS-dedicated specific instrumentation. Further progress and increased scope of HALS will only be achieved with designs based on ergonomic research. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.
Aim To understand the experiences of young people admitted to our paediatric ward due to self-harm or suicidal ideation. Background The UK has one of the highest rates of self-harm in Europe (400 episodes per 1 00 000 people).1 Self-harm is a common presentation to acute paediatrics and is often managed in paediatric emergency departments and on general paediatric wards. Self-harm is often stigmatized, even by healthcare professionals. Unhelpful attitudes and poor understanding amongst professionals have been reported by patients.2 A negative experience may add to a young person’s feelings of guilt or shame and prevent them seeking help in the future. A positive one may be the start of helpful interventions. Methods Paper surveys were given to patients on the paediatric ward who had presented with self-harm or suicidal ideation. Results 35 young people completed the survey. Table 1. shows reasons for attending hospital (some reported multiple reasons)Abstract G619 Table 1 shows reasons for attending hospital (some reported multiple reasons) Why did you attend hospital? Number of responses Overdose 13 Cutting 9 Other self-harm 1 Suicide attempt 8 Suicidal thoughts 14 Other 4 Of the respondents; 26 were presenting to hospital, due to self-harm or suicidal ideation, for the first time. 8 had presented before and 1 did not answer the question. 25 felt they had been treated the same as people presenting to hospital with physical complaints, 2 felt they had been treated differently and 3 were unsure. 29 felt they had been listened to and none felt they hadn’t been. The majority reported that no one had said anything particularly hurtful and 22 respondents felt that someone had been of particular help. 29 out of 30 respondents felt that their confidentiality was respected.Abstract G619 Table 2 Shows how respondants felt about the help they received Overall did you get the help you feel you needed Number of responses Yes 18 No 1 Maybe 11 Didn’t answer 5 14 respondents said that they would feel comfortable coming back to the hospital in a similar situation, 7 would not and 10 said maybe they would. Conclusions Although 35 responses represents a small sample of patients admitted with self-harm, responses suggest that their experiences have been more positive than expected. The majority of respondents felt that they had been listened to and received the help they needed. References Hawton K, et al. Deliberate self-harm in adolescents (a study of characteristics and trends in Oxford, 1990–2000). J Child Psychol Psychiatry2003;44:1191–1198. Self-harm, suicide and risk: a summary. Position statement PS3/2010 July 2010 Royal College of Psychiatrists, London.
In this paper, we introduce a novel gaze-only interaction technique called EyeLinks, which was designed i) to support various types of discrete clickables (e.g. textual links, buttons, images, tabs, etc.); ii) to be easy to learn and use; iii) to mitigate the inaccuracy of affordable eye trackers. Our technique uses a two-step fixation approach: first, we assign numeric identifiers to clickables in the region where users gaze at and second, users select the desired clickable by performing a fixation on the corresponding confirm button, displayed in a sidebar. This two-step selection enables users to freely explore Web pages, avoids the Midas touch problem and improves accuracy. We evaluated our approach by comparing it against the mouse and another gaze-only technique (Actigaze). The results showed no statistically significant difference between EyeLinks and Actigaze, but users considered EyeLinks easier to learn and use than Actigaze and it was also the most preferred. Of the three, the mouse was the most accurate and efficient technique.
Speech enhancement approaches based on deep neural network have outperformed the traditional signal processing methods. This paper presents a low-delay speech enhancement method that employs a new perceptually motivated training target and loss function. The proposed approach can achieve similar speech enhancement performance compared to the state-of-the-art approaches, but with significantly less latency and computational complexities. Judged by the MOS tests conducted by the INTERSPEECH 2021 Deep Noise Suppression Challenge organizer, the proposed method is ranked the 2 nd place for Background Noise MOS, and the 6 th place for overall MOS.
The techniques of algebraic geometry have been widely and successfully applied to the study of linear codes over finite fields since the early 1980s. There has also been an increased interest in the study of linear codes over finite rings. In a previous paper, we combined these two approaches to coding theory by introducing and studying algebraic-geometric codes over rings. We show that the Nordstrom-Robinson code is the image under the Gray mapping of an algebraic-geometric code over Z/4Z.
Objective To investigate the effect of lens-induced defocus on emmetropization in guinea pigs that lack accommodation.Methods One hundred twenty pigmented guinea pigs with complete cycloplegia (7 days after birth,except for group Ⅰ) were randomly assigned to 6 groups.At the start of the study,20 guinea pigs for each group.In the final data analyses,15 for all groups except for group 1 with 20.The groups were divided as follows:Ⅰ:no lens,with physiological saline eye drops (qd,OU,control group); Ⅱ:no lens,with 1％ atropine eye drops (qd,OU,which caused cycloplegia).Ⅲ/ Ⅳ/ Ⅴ/ Ⅵ:-2/-4/-6/-8 D lenses with 1％ atropine eye drops,OU.Refraction (mean spherical equivalent [MSE]),axial length and corneal curvature of the right eyes were measured on day 1 and day 21.Another 5 pigmented guinea pigs were used to measure the effect of cycloplegia on pupil size (OS:1％ atropine eye drops,qd.OD:physiological saline eye drops,qd).Statistical analysis was performed with linear correlation,linear regression,an independent samples t test and ANOVA.Results There were no significant differences in all data between the two non-de focus groups.The development of corneal curvature was similar among imposed defocus groups.All defocus groups showed relative myopic refractive errors.There were significant differences between the imposed defocus groups and non-defocus group Ⅱ.With the increase in relative myopic refractive errors,there was a further elongation in axial length.Between the defocus groups,Ⅲ and Ⅳ were significantly different from Ⅵ for both refractive error and axial length.Conclusion Axial elongation and relative myopia are observed in lens-induced developing eyes that lack accommodation.Both axial elongation and myopia increase with an increase in imposed defocus.Thus,at least in guinea pigs,developing eyes are able to grow to compensate for various degrees of imposed defocus even when accommodation is lacking.    Key words:  Myopia;  Hyperopic defocus;  Compensation;  Emmetropization;  Accommodation ,ocular;  Models, animal
This paper outlines the design concept and development of the structural envelope of Calgary's Olympic Saddledome. The mere ability to make forces change direction is not the essence of structural engineering. The real crux of the matter is crystallised in the optimum resolution of conflicts originating from the combined effects of gravity, motion, fluctuating temperatures and the need for an unobstructed and yet economical, safe and protected space for human activity. Rather than accept the severe confines of technical advances on traditional structures, which at best would have produced only partial improvement, a conscious effort was made to find an organic solution, fulfilling the complex functions of the building. The design evolved harmoniously and succeeded in dispelling the mystique arising from an apparent dichotomy between bold and ingenious, yet largely intuitive design concepts, and complex mathematical theories, the latter being only capable of modelling the physical realities and practical limitations in an incomplete and approximate manner. Here the author invites attention to Albert Einstein's dictum ‘As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality’.
This paper examines the way the state welfare system deals with young women who are subject to statutory orders and their need for support as they move towards independence. Young women’s views of their needs are highlighted. Evidence is drawn from the author’s and other relevant Australian and overseas research. The issues are examined within the context of general community trends and policy and practice implications are studied using Community Services Victoria as a case example. A variety of social and economic factors are leading to young people in the general community living with their parents for longer periods of time. In contrast, young people subject to statutory orders, especially young women, are often being discharged from these orders - and thus isolated from adult guidance - shortly after they pass their mid-teens. Assumptions about these young women’s needs - that they no longer require nor wish for support and are ready for complete independence at this early age - are challenged. The legal, organisational and practice constraints which reinforce these assumptions are analysed. The apparent contradiction arising from young women refusing services which they also say they require, is also discussed. The author demonstrates that there is a need for a reconceptualisation of the issue. A new kind of partnership between workers and young women on statutory orders is needed and a policy and administrative framework which facilitates this. The implications of the findings for practice and policy - and especially the important contribution ttiat young women’s views can make to the development of social policy - are presented.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Meningiomas in children are uncommon, with distinct characteristics that set them apart from their adult counterparts. The existing evidence for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in this patient population is limited to only case series. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of SRS in managing pediatric meningiomas. METHODS: Children and adolescents who had been treated for meningioma with single-fraction SRS were included in this retrospective, multicenter study. The assessment included local tumor control, any complications related to the tumor or SRS, and the emergence of new neurological deficits after SRS. RESULTS: The cohort included 57 patients (male-to-female ratio 1.6:1) with a mean age of 14.4 years who were managed with single-fraction SRS for 78 meningiomas. The median radiological and clinical follow-up periods were 69 months (range, 6-268) and 71 months (range, 6-268), respectively. At the last follow-up, tumor control (tumor stability and regression) was achieved in 69 (85.9%) tumors. Post-SRS, new neurological deficits occurred in 2 (3.5%) patients. Adverse radiation effects occurred in 5 (8.8%) patients. A de novo aneurysm was observed in a patient 69 months after SRS. CONCLUSION: SRS seems to be a safe and effective up-front or adjuvant treatment option for surgically inaccessible, recurrent, or residual pediatric meningiomas.
The main feature of Estimation of Distribution Algorithms is the way they evolve by gathering the information about the best elements of each population into a probability distribution. This work studies the application of these algorithms to the learning of weighted linguistic fuzzy-rule-based systems with the wCOR method. For this purpose, we propose the use of two different probabilistic models: One which does not assume any dependence between the rule consequents and their weights, and other whose structure is fixed from these dependences.
Hyperparameters are numerical presets whose values are assigned prior to the commencement of the learning process. Selecting appropriate hyperparameters is critical for the accuracy of tracking algorithms, yet it is difficult to determine their optimal values, in particular, adaptive ones for each specific video sequence. Most hyperparameter optimization algorithms depend on searching a generic range and they are imposed blindly on all sequences. Here, we propose a novel hyperparameter optimization method that can find optimal hyperparameters for a given sequence using an action-prediction network leveraged on Continuous Deep Q-Learning. Since the common state-spaces for object tracking tasks are significantly more complex than the ones in traditional control problems, existing Continuous Deep Q-Learning algorithms cannot be directly applied. To overcome this challenge, we introduce an efficient heuristic to accelerate the convergence behavior. We evaluate our method on several tracking benchmarks and demonstrate its superior performance1.
Porous silicon (PSi) layers have been anodically etched under polarized illumination, and the degree of linear polarization of their photoluminescence (PL) was measured. The etching conditions were chosen such that the resulting PSi layers were thin enough for interference fringes to appear in their PL spectra. Experimental results show a sinusoidal variation in the degree of linear polarization as a function of the emission photon energy. The amplitude and phase of the sinusoidal variation depend largely on the polarization direction of the excitation light. These observations give strong evidence that there is a significant in-plane anisotropy of the refractive indices for these PSi samples. Values ranging from 0.1% to 0.67% have been obtained for the magnitude of the birefringence. The maximum refractive index is obtained when the excitation-light polarization direction is perpendicular to that of the polarized illumination used during etching. This can be explained by assuming that the polarized photo...
In Medical Science, Hoarseness is the term used to describe a change in normal quality of voice of a patient which is rough or harsh, lower in pitch and more or less discordant Depends on duration of illness, hoarseness can be divided into acute or chronic condition. The acute onset is more common and mainly caused by inflammation (acute laryngitis) chronic sinusitis acid reflux disease, excessive alcohol use, smoking and over use or misuse of voice whereas other cause may be, laryngeal trauma or thyroid surgery and systemic disease The aim of our study is to analyse clinical profile, assess different etiological factors and to find out common precipitating factors leading to hoarseness of voice.A total of 34500 patients visited OPD of Otolaryngology department from June 2017 to May2019. Out of these,253 cases presented with complaint of change in voice (Hoarseness). The incidence of hoarseness among total OPD patient was 0.73%. Among 253 cases ,165 (65.21%) were male and 88 (34.78%) were female. Male predominance was observed with Male: female ratio of 1.87:1 in this study. Majority of patients (22.13%) were reported in 51-60 years age group followed by 31-40 years age group (21.73%). Largest group of patients were housewives (19.76%), then farmer (19.36%%) and labour (18.57%). Rest was teacher (13.43%), singer (5.92%) politician (5.13%), policeman (1.97%) and sportsman (0.79%).Many predisposing factors were noted like tobacco chewing, smoking, alcohol drinking. Tobacco chewing (38.33%), smoking (33.99%) and alcohol consumption (15.81%) were most common predisposing factors in descending order. Functional disorder was reported in (5.13%) cases and vocal abuse in 2.37% cases. In present study most of the patients were referred for speech therapy and psychotherapy along with vocal conservation and maintenance of vocal hygiene.
The radiation properties of a spiral antenna above a double-dielectric loaded ground plane are investigated analytically. The electromagnetic field components in the far field region are derived by using the Green's function formulation, while an appropriate model for the surface current distribution on the spiral antenna is used. This type of antenna has been found to be convenient for mobile telecommunication applications, since it is a wideband, circular-polarized, and omnidirectional one, with no radiation at the vertical and the horizontal axes, no side lobes, and a main lobe at an elevation angle that corresponds to a large region of latitudes. For a central operating frequency at 1.6 GHz, the antenna has been found to be significantly compact and therefore easily mounted on a car ceiling, without causing noticeable modifications to its appearance.<<ETX>>
Understanding the biological connections to mental processes was one of the original goals of psychoanalysis, and the development of cognitive and affective neuroscience and its methods might contribute to actualizing this goal. Personality disorders provide an opportunity to examine the complex mental structures of individuals experiencing extreme difficulties in interacting with their social environment. We provide initial information on a collaboration exploring an approach to one of the most serious personality disorders, borderline personality disorder, based upon the study of normal attention, individual differences in temperament, self definition and attachment organization, with the potential to illuminate the psychology and psychobiology of the disorder and to contribute to psychotherapeutic intervention. This developing model of borderline personality disorder can relate the symptoms to more enduring temperamental aspects of the patients. The goal is to understand the development of neural networks that underlie the abnormalities of adults, and eventually work out the interaction between temperament, genes, and experience that produce the disorder, and potentially inform intervention.
Objective: The present investigation was undertaken to assess the protective effect of Laurus nobilis leaf extract (LNE) against aluminum phosphide (AIP)-induced genotoxic and oxidative damages stress in cultured human blood cells in the presence of a metabolic activator (S9 mix). Materials and Methods: Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and chromosome aberration (CA) assays were used to assess AlP-induced genotoxicity and to establish the protective effects of LNE. In addition, we determined total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidative status (TOS) levels in AlP and LNE treated cultures for biomonitoring the oxidative alterations. Results: There was significant increases (P < 0.05) in both SCE and CA frequencies of cultures treated with AlP as compared to controls. Our results also showed that AlP (58 mg/l) caused oxidative stress by altering TAC and TOS levels. However, co-application of LNE (25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/l) and AlP resulted in decreases of SCE, CA rates and TOS level and increases of TAC level as compared to the group treated with AlP alone. Conclusion: The preventive role of LNE in alleviating AlP-induced DNA and oxidative damages was indicated for the first time in the present study.
Random search algorithms are useful for many ill-structured global optimization problems with continuous and/or discrete variables. Typically random search algorithms sacrifice a guarantee of optimality for finding a good solution quickly with convergence results in probability. Random search algorithms include simulated annealing, tabu search, genetic algorithms, evolutionary programming, particle swarm optimization, ant colony optimization, cross-entropy, stochastic approximation, multistart and clustering algorithms, to name a few. They may be categorized as global (exploration) versus local (exploitation) search, or instance-based versus model-based. However, one feature these methods share is the use of a random element embedded in their iterative procedures. This article provides an overview of random search algorithms used to solve black-box global optimization problems.      Keywords:    random search algorithm;  single-point generators;  multiple-point generators;  multistart algorithm;  global optimization
What explains the re-emergence of social movements after abeyance? Based on interviews with activists who belonged to the Italian neo-fascist movement of the late 1960s to early 1980s, this article documents the preservation of a neo-fascist mobilization potential after 1945 through the parent-child transmission of frames. This process involved learning through talk, action and text. Both the nature of family frames and their congruence with movement frames depended on whether parents were right-wing or non-partisan. Research on abeyance should include the family among institutions that uphold continuity between waves of contention in pluralist regimes.
This paper investigates the feasibility of adaptive OFDM (AOFDM) transmissions in co-channel interference limited environments upon invoking the sample matrix inversion (SMI) algorithm. The subcarrier based signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which can be derived from the SMI algorithm's weights is shown to be in most cases an effective measure for controlling the modulation mode adaptation. A simple pilot based scheme is introduced, which allows channel parameter estimation on an OFDM symbol-by-symbol basis. The system BER performance is shown to be improved by an order of a magnitude due to combining AOFDM with interference suppression.
There are several risk factors that predispose a patient taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The most significant are a previous ulcer history and age, butother factors such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug dose, concomitant aspirin and Helicobacter pylori infection also play a role. When giving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment the physician must balance the known benefits in terms of a reduction in pain and inflammation, and in the case of aspirin the cardiovascular benefits, with the potential gastrointestinal risks, which can be fatal. Selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors have similar efficacy to non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs but a better gastrointestinal safety profile, and were an attractive alternative to traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs until recent data raised concerns about their cardiovascular safety. It has also been demonstrated that the gastrointestinal benefits of cyclo-oxygenase-2 agents are eliminated when they are taken concomitantly with aspirin. A Spanish epidemiological study investigated the relative risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding with cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and a range of other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The combination of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug plus a proton-pump inhibitor was found to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding; the combination of cyclooxygenase-2 agent plus a proton-pump inhibitor further reduced this risk, and was calculated to be a cost-effective option compared with hospitalization for a gastrointestinal bleeding event.
We propose a new method of modeling a room transfer function (RTF) that uses common acoustical poles and their residues. The common acoustical poles correspond to the resonance frequencies (eigenvalues) of the room, and their residues are composed of the eigenfunctions of the source and receiver positions in the room. Because the common acoustical poles do not depend on the source and receiver positions, this model expresses the RTF variations due to changes in the source and receiver positions by using residue variations. We also propose methods of interpolating and extrapolating RTFs based on the proposed common-acoustical-pole and residue model. Computer simulation demonstrated that unknown RTFs can be well estimated from known (measured) RTFs by using these methods.
The stromal ascorbate peroxidase of tobacco plants was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using polyethylene glycol 4000 as a precipitant. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 37.2, b = 76.8, c = 98.8 A. The calculated V(M) value based on a monomer in the asymmetric unit is 2.2 A(3)Da(-1). A data set was successfully collected to 1.6 A resolution from a frozen crystal using synchrotron radiation of wavelength 1.0 A at KEK-PF, Japan.
LGP2 is an important intracellular receptor that recognizes viral RNAs in innate immunity. To understand the mechanism of viral RNA recognition, we cloned an LGP2 cDNA and gene in Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus-induced expressions of LGP2 mRNA were evaluated in vivo and in vitro by quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) using primers based on the clone sequences. The expression of LGP2 mRNA in the kidney dramatically increased at 3 d postinfection. The expression of LGP2 mRNA also increased in the head kidney leukocytes stimulated with artificial dsRNA (polyinosin-polycytidylic acid) in vitro. To evaluate the antiviral activity of the flounder LGP2, three expression constructs containing pcDNA4-LGP2 (full-length), pcDNA4-LGP2ΔRD (regulatory domain deleted), and pcDNA4-Empty (as a negative control) were transfected into the hirame (flounder) natural embryo (hirame natural embryo) cell line. Forty-eight hours after transfection, the transfected cells were infected with ssRNA viruses, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, or hirame rhabdovirus. The cytopathic effects of the viruses were delayed by the overexpression of Japanese flounder LGP2. The Q-PCR demonstrated that mRNA expression levels of type I IFN and IFN-inducible genes (Mx and ISG15) in the hirame natural embryo cells overexpressing LGP2 were increased by polyinosin-polycytidylic acid and viral infections. These results suggest that Japanese flounder LGP2 plays an important role in the recognition of both viral ssRNA and dsRNA to induce the antiviral activity by the production of IFN-stimulated proteins.
SBA-15 thin films were synthesized by dip-coating in two different types of microtrenches: (a) silicon microtrenches and (b) silicon microtrenches with a deposited low-temperature oxide (LTO) layer. In the upper part of the synthesized films, the pores were aligned along the concave surface in both microtrenches. This alignment was attributed to the capillary force acting during solvent evaporation. In the lower part of the films, the pores were aligned tangentially with the wall in a silicon microtrench whereas they were aligned normal to the wall in a silicon microtrench with a deposited LTO layer. The LTO layer could suppress the growth of mesostructures from the substrate and promote growth from the vapor-liquid interface. The effects of the composition of the precursor solution and relative humidity on pore alignment were also clarified.
Abstract Verbena officinalis is one kind of traditional medical herb which has potential for multiple diseases’ treatment. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequence of V. officinalis was assembled. Its complete circular chloroplast DNA length was 153,491 bp. The genome was made up of a large single-copy region of 84,518 bp, a small single-copy region of 17,357 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions of 25,808 bp. The genome totally encoded 128 genes, containing 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that V. officinalis belongs to the verbenaceae family.
The purpose of this study was to examine the views of kindergarten teachers regarding those skills children need to be successful in their classes. One-hundred seventy-six kindergarten teachers ranked 149 skills within 5 domains: gross motor, fine motor, general knowledge and school readiness, language, and social. A factor analysis was employed on these ratings revealing the following 5 factors: Academic Readiness, Language Competence, Social Competence, Motor Competence, and Self-Help Skills. These data suggest that items related to academic readiness were not seen as critical as skills related to independence.
The purification of biodiesel is one of the crucial processes involved in biodiesel production. This study aims to examine the effect of the polymer composition, nano-ZnO loading, and UV irradiation on the performance of membranes for biodiesel purification. The membranes were fabricated with the polyethersulfone composition of 17, 18, and 20 wt%. The compositions of nano ZnO were varied at 1.5, 2, and 2.5 wt%, while the duration of UV irradiation was varied for 0.5, 1, and 1.5 minutes. The results indicate that the compositions of PES, nano ZnO, and UV irradiation affected the performance of the membrane. The best membrane performance was achieved when the membrane was produced using PES 17 wt%, nano ZnO 1.5 wt% involving irradiation UV light for 1 minute. The fabricated membrane exhibits 3 hours flux profile stability and 61.5% glycerol rejection.
Spectral harmonic/noise component analysis of spoken vowels shows evidence of noise modulations with peaks in the estimated noise source component synchronous with both the open phase of the periodic source and with time instants of glottal closure. Inspired by this observation of natural modulations and of fullband energy in the aspiration noise source, we develop an alternate approach to high-quality pitchscale modification of continuous speech. Our strategy takes a dual processing approach, in which the harmonic and noise components of the speech signal are separately analyzed, modified, and re-synthesized. The periodic component is modified using standard modification techniques, and the noise component is handled by modifying characteristics of its source waveform. Since we have modeled an inherent coupling between the periodic and aspiration noise sources, the modification algorithm is designed to preserve the synchrony between temporal modulations of the two sources. The reconstructed modified signal is perceived in informal listening to be natural-sounding and typically reduces artifacts that occur in standard modification techniques. Index Terms: pitch modification, aspiration noise, modulated noise, breathiness, voice quality
The influence of the tonal component in noise annoyance has been the focus of many previous researches. It has been found that the annoyance varies when the frequency of the tone changes. In this work a subjective tests on the noise annoyance were performed by using environmental, urban and industrial tonal noises. Stationary signals were used and modified by adding tones. The tonal noise was defined according to ISO 1996-2. An 11-point numerical scale test was conducted under the same sound pressure level (SPL) in dBA. The results of the tests showed that the perceived annoyance varied mainly due to the center frequency of the test stimuli rather than other psychoacoustic parameters of the signals. These results establish the critical frequencies of the spectrum at which the annoyance of the tonal noises varies considerably, toward the development of an equal-annoyance contour.
T lymphocytes (E rosetting cells) isolated from the joint fluid of four patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) were first analyzed for surface antigen expression. Approximately 15% of cells were CD25+ (interleukin, IL, 2 receptor positive), in addition, a remarkable proportion of cells expressed the CD2+3− phenotype. CD3+ cells outnumbered the sum of CD4+ and CD8+ cells as well as the cells reactive with the WT31 monoclonal antibody (which recognizes a framework determinant of the α/β T cell receptor). Purified T cells were cloned under culture conditions (1% phytohemagglutinin, PHA plus IL 2) which allow clonal expansion of most peripheral blood T lymphocytes. Under these conditions proliferating cells ranged from 25 to 65%; clones (derived from microcultures containing 0.5 or 0.25 cells/well) were tested for cytolytic activity against P815 cells (in the presence of PHA) or against the natural killer (NK)‐sensitive K562 target cells. Fifty‐four percent and 73% of clones obtained from the two patients with the polyarticular form of the disease displayed cytolytic activity in the lectin‐dependent assay. Cytolytic clones were 22 and 29% in the two patients with single joint involvement. About half of all cytolytic clones displayed NK‐like activity. Surface antigen analysis revealed that, in addition to conventional CD3+4+8− and CD3+4−8+, a noticeable fraction of clones (50/202) displayed unusual surface phenotypes. In particular, 33/50 coexpressed CD4 and CD8 antigens; 7/50 were CD2+3−4−8− and displayed NK‐like activity; 10/50 expressed CD3 but lacked both CD4 and CD8 antigen and did not react with the WT31 monoclonal antibody. In order to allow selective growth of IL 2‐responsive cells, T lymphocytes were also cloned directly in IL 2. As much as 57% of all clones thus obtained (48/84) displayed cytolytic activity. Moreover, about half expressed unusual surface phenotypes including CD2+3−4−8−, CD3+4+8+ and CD3+4−8−WT31−. Given the accumulation at the site of the joint involvement of unusual T cells, most of which displayed cytolytic activity and were likely to represent cells activated in vivo (IL 2 responsive), one may speculate that these cells may be involved in the injury process.
The paper characterizes state-of-the-art PEMS (Portable Emission Measurement System) equipment for exhaust emissions measurement under actual operating conditions. This equipment allows for measurement of the exhaust emissions from all modes of transport. In addition, the paper contains the results of exhaust emission research for engines of a variety of transport applications such as light duty vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles or non-road vehicles (farm tractors, groundwork and forest machinery). Own exhaust emission research results performed under different traffic conditions of new motor vehicles fuelled with different fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel and natural gas) have been compared with the type approval values that define the vehicle emission indexes. The analysis has been performed in relation to a vehicle but the proposed measurement methodology is also knitted to the engine operating conditions. The testing of heavy-duty vehicles described in the book was divided into several stages for which the results obtained for these vehicles were compared for loaded and unloaded vehicles. Ecological advantages of the city buses of different powertrain configurations have been determined (diesel, hybrid) on selected regular bus lines in the city center.
ABSTRACT In DSM-5 there has been a move to dimensional personality disorder (PD) diagnosis, incorporating personality theory in the form of the five-factor model (FFM). It proposes an alternative assessment system based on diagnostic indicators and the FFM, while retaining DSM-IV categorical criteria. Four individuals with intellectual disability are assessed for PD utilizing the Assessment of Global Personality Functioning Index (AGPF), the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE), and, in terms of the FFM, through an adapted version of the NEO-PI short form. PD ratings (self, staff, and observer) tended to converge for borderline, antisocial, and narcissistic PDs. NEO-PI ratings converged on Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness, with discrepancies on Agreeableness and Conscientiousness (staff rating lower). A structured DSM-5 system is easily usable but takes more time than a diagnostic interview.
No study so far has  specifically addressed the influence of individual differences in trait-anxiety  on aversive classical conditioning as indexed by the startle reflex response.  We compared the startle reflex responses between participants classified as  high (n = 25) and low (n = 26) in trait-anxiety while undergoing a single-cue  aversive classical conditioning procedure. High trait-anxiety group showed a  greater startle response to the CS relative to the ITI at the post-acquisition  compared with the pre-acquisition phase. Low trait-anxiety group did not show  such a clear pattern of conditioning, and results from this group seem to be  concealed by differences in the startle responses to the CS and the ITI during  the pre-acquisition phase. However, a post-hoc analysis in which such differences  at pre-conditioning were removed showed no conditioning effects in low trait-anxiety  participants. Taking together, these results suggest differences between high  and low trait-anxiety groups in the acquisition of the CS-US association.  However, further research should clarify the unexpected pattern of responses  shown by low trait-anxiety group.
Principal  component analysis/absolute principal component scores (PCA/APCS) and positive  matrix factorization (PMF2), an advanced factor analysis technique were  employed to apportion the sources influencing the PM2.5 levels  measured during 2003 through 2005 at a rural coastal site located within the  Corpus Christi urban airshed in South Texas. PCA/APCS identified five sources  while PMF2 apportioned an optimal solution of eight sources. Both PCA/APCS and  PMF2 quantified secondary sulfates to be the major contributor accounting for  47% and 45% of the apportioned PM2.5 levels. The other common  sources apportioned by the models included crustal dust, fresh sea salt and  traffic emissions. PMF2 successfully apportioned distinct sources of fresh and  aged sea salt along with biomass burns while PCA/APCS was unsuccessful in  identifying aged sea salt and biomass burns; however it successfully identified  secondary organic aerosols from photochemical oxidations and also emitted by  petrochemical refineries. The influence of long range transport was noted for  sources such as secondary sulfates, biomass burns and crustal dust affecting  the region. Continued collection of speciation data at the rural and urban  sites will enhance the understanding of local versus regional source  contributions for air quality policy makers and stakeholders.
There exist generally low fidelity, function insufficiency, deficient effect etc to the existing substation training simulator. We present a novel full-functional virtual simulation training system of substation by means of three-dimension virtual simulation technology, database technology. During the course of realizing numerous training cases, DOF, multi-channel technology are adopted to reappear truly the scene of an event and the progress of operation treatment; The texture switching technology is proposed to manifest the state transformation of power equipment, which lead to the improvement about the storage structures of three-dimension model library and scene database; the expert knowledge base and multimedia base are combined into this system, which give users the real-time effective guidance and supervision. The experimental results show that this system has flexible training method, high fidelity and very good training effects for electrical operation personnel by 3D virtual simulation technology.
The activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade is one of the major signalling pathways by which growth factors transmit their mitogenic messages from the cell membrane to the nucleus. Two major breakthroughs reported in the past months are the cross-communication between the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade and the cAMP-protein kinase A signal pathway, and the role of alpha- and beta gamma-complexes of heterotrimeric G proteins in activating the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These signalling strategies have now also been demonstrated in renal mesangial cells. Another important step has been the identification of a candidate gene for polycystic kidney disease. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of action of growth factors in the kidney will promote greatly our understanding of the aetiology of renal disease.
Background Influenza virus infection (IVI) was reported to be associated with minor cardiac changes, mostly those detected on electrocardiogram with and without elevated blood markers of myocardial injury; however, the characteristics of myocardial involvement in association with IVI are poorly understood. This study used echocardiographic tissue imaging (tissue Doppler, strain, and strain rate) to evaluate changes in left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) myocardial function after IVI. Methods and results We examined 20 adult individuals (mean age, 43 years) at 2 and 4 weeks after diagnosis of IVI. For myocardial functional variables, we obtained LV global longitudinal strain (GLS), LV early diastolic strain rate (e'sr), LA strain, and LA stiffness (E/e’/LA strain), in addition to data on tissue Doppler (s’, e’, and a’) and myocardial performance index. Blood markers of myocardial injury were also examined. During follow-up, there were no significant changes in global chamber function such as LV ejection fraction, E/e’, and LA volume. However, significant changes in myocardial function were observed, namely, in s’ (8.0 ± 1.6 cm/s to 9.3 ± 1.5 cm/s; p = 0.01), e’ (10.2 ± 2.8 cm/s to 11.4 ± 3.0 cm/s; p < 0.001), e’sr (1.43 ± 0.44 1/s to 1.59 ± 0.43 1/s; p = 0.005), and LA strain (35 ± 8% to 40 ± 12%; p = 0.025), and the myocardial performance index (0.52 ± 0.20 to 0.38 ± 0.09; p = 0.009), but not in a’, LA stiffness, or GLS. Cardiac troponin T and creatinine kinase isoenzyme MB were not elevated significantly at any examination. Conclusions Myocardial dysfunction during IVI recovery appeared to be transient particularly in the absence of myocardial injury. Echocardiographic tissue imaging may be useful to detect subclinical cardiac changes in association with IVI.
This paper presents a Markovian analytical model to estimate service response time for elastic cloud applications. Given the expected application workload, the number of virtual machine (VM) instances, and the capacity of each VM instance, the model can approximate the mean service time. The mean service time is a critical metric to estimate, and contributes to the SLA end-to-end response time experienced by application users. The end-to-end response time is an aggregated delay of the service time in addition to delays incurred at the network nodes and links. Our analytical model focuses on estimating the mean service time; however, the model is sufficiently general and can be extremely useful in studying cloud performance. Equations for key performance measures are derived. These measures include mean response time, throughput, request loss, queueing probability, and CPU utilization. The correctness of the model has been verified using discrete-event simulation.
CASE REPORT An Il-month-old girl was seen in the Dermatology Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children for evaluation of numerous cutaneous hemangiomas present since birth. After a spontaneous vaginal delivery, she was born at 32 weeks' gestation weighing 1510 g. Apgar scores were 8 at 1 minute and 9 at *> minutes. Tube feeds were initiated because of the presence of a paramedian cleft lip and cleft palate (Fig. 1). After five weeks she was discharged weighing 2300 g. The mother admitted to consuming large quantities of ethanol, especially during the first 20 weeks of gestation. In addition to the cleft lip and palate, the infant's head was microcephalic, with small eyes and short palpebral fissures. The midface and nasal length were short, and the nares were anteverted. The head structure was unusual, with a prominent ridged metopic suture, dolichocephalic head shape with significant asymmetry and plagiocephaly, and flattening of the left occiput and of the supraauricular area bilaterally. The upper lip was thin and had a
Individuals are generally reluctant to trade goods—a phenomenon identified as the endowment effect. This paper focuses on consumers’ puzzling reluctance to exchange gambles, and in particular lottery tickets with identical distribution (i.e., same odds of winning), and identifies the ticket’s vividness as an important moderator. Three studies demonstrate that individuals are more willing to exchange less vivid lottery tickets (e.g., tickets concealed in envelopes, or tickets with an unknown number) compared to more vivid tickets (e.g., tickets not concealed in envelopes, or tickets with a known number) when offered an incentive to exchange. Moreover, this effect is mediated by anticipated regret, such that less regret is anticipated when exchanging less vivid tickets, thus increasing individuals’ willingness to exchange tickets.
Greenhouse and field experiments were conducted in 1988 and 1989 to determine the effect of seed size and cultivar on seedling emergence through crusted soil for several hybrid broccoli cultivars (Brassica oleracea ssp. italica). Seed was separated into four sizes (2.0, 1.8, 1.6, and 1.4 mm in diameter) for the greenhouse investigations, and soil crusting was achieved using a crusting resin. In 1989, field experiments using three seed sizes (small = 1.4 to 1.6 mm, medium = 1.7 to 1.9 mm, and large = 2.0 to 2.2 mm in diameter) were planted at the Long Island Horticultural Research Laboratory in a Riverhead sandy loam that crusted readily following rainfall. Seedling emer- gence data from the greenhouse and field studies indicate that seed size and cultivar significantly affect emergence and stand establishment. Seedling stand, dry weight, and final yield significantly increased as seed size increased for both cultivars in the field experiments. The emergence of 'Mariner' generally was significantly better than that of 'Greenlady' for each seed size. Seed of 'Greenlady' also weighed significantly less than that of 'Mariner' within each seed size tested. Soil crusting can result in irregular emergence and poor plant stands of direct-seeded crops, which ultimately decrease harvest concentration and yield. This irreparable loss of early stand uniformity can be severe with small-seeded vegetable crops, resulting in economic losses to growers. When seedling stands are optimized, a greater concentration of harvest maybe achieved, which, in turn, results in increased harvest efficiency and de- creased harvesting costs. Hegarty and Royle (1978) found a close relationship between the percent emergence of broccoli and soil impedance. Weaver (1980) went further to show that dicots, such as broccoli emerge through a crusted soil with greater difficulty than do monocots due to the increased surface area that must penetrate the crusted soil surface. Taylor and Ten Broeck (1988) demonstrated that the amount of seedling emergence force expended increased linearly as seed size increased for an array of small- to large-seeded vegetable crops. However, Bremner et al. (1963) found that smaller seeds were more efficient in using reserve materials than larger ones. They concluded that the amount of reserve material available to the developing seedling is a dominant factor in the emergence force potential. They also showed that while embryo size had no significant effect on overall growth, endosperm size did. While this may be true for monocots, studies with carrot (Dau- cus carrota L.) seed indicated that mean emergence time de- creased and percent emergence increased with increased embryo length of heavier seeds (Gray and Steckel, 1983). Within the Cruciferae, numerous studies have linked varia-
OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of As₂O₃on Hedgehog pathway in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells.   METHODS The apoptosis of K562 cells was detected by MTT method and flow cytometry; the expressions of PTCH and SMO protein and mRNA in Hedgehog pathway were determined by Western blot and real-time PCR, respectively. Retults: The As₂O₃ could induce the apoptosis of K562 cells with optimal concentration 2 µmol/L and optimal time 24 hours. The expressions of PTCH and SMO protein and mRNA in Hedgehog pathway of K562 cells treated with As₂O₃at optimal concentration and optimal time were down-regulated.   CONCLUSION The As₂O₃can down-regulate the expression of PTCH and SMO in Hedgehog pathway.
Due to the increasing quantity and sophistication of cyber-attacks, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) are nowadays considered mandatory security mechanisms for protecting critical networks. Research on cyber-security is moving from such isolated IDSs towards Collaborative IDSs (CIDSs) in order to protect large-scale networks. In CIDSs, a number of IDS sensors work together for creating a holistic picture of the monitored network. Our contribution in this paper is a novel distributed and scalable CIDS, called SkipMon. Our system supports, both, the idea of locality and privacy preserving communication by means of exchanging compact alert data. Furthermore, we propose a mechanism for interconnecting sensors that experience similar traffic patterns. The experimental results suggest that our CIDS, with our technique of connecting monitoring nodes that experience similar traffic, is scalable and offers a good accuracy rate compared to a centralized system with full knowledge of the participating sensors' data.
Several enzymes  catalyze much of the processes that exist in the soil. Enzymes in polluted  soils are usually less active due to their exposure to heavy metals. The main  goal of this study was to see how bioavailable types of Cd affected the  behavior of catalase, urease, and dehydrogenases, as well as to compare the  findings from naturally and artificially polluted samples. An experiment was  conducted on two types of farmland (garden) soil: natural soil and soil that  had been chemically polluted with Cd. The total content of heavy metal graded  these soils as very highly polluted with Cd. The experiment was repeated four  times to test the effects of increasing concentration and days (time).  Extracellular enzymes from farmland performed enzymatic activity tests that  lasted 6 to 29 days after soil sampling. After 0, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 45 days of  incubation, soil samples were taken for testing respectively. However, even  though no nutrient was added, dehydrogenase and urease activity increased as Cd  concentration increased from 0 to 5 mg/L as the days passed. This is a result  of enzymes engaging in respiratory and other living activities because of the  low cadmium concentration and respiratory soil properties. However, there were  significant variations in enzyme activity between naturally polluted and  artificially contaminated soils. Dehydrogenases, Urease, and Catalase all  showed a common pattern of enzyme sensitivity, which could be ordered as  Dehydrogenase > Urease > Catalase. Dehydrogenase enzyme activity has been  discovered to be more Cd resistant.
Editor,—Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare complication of intraocular surgery. We report a patient in whom inadvertent scleral perforation at the time of buckle placement was complicated by sympathetic ophthalmia.  ### CASE REPORT  A 58-year-old myope with a 4 day history of floaters in the right eye was found on examination to have a temporal retinal detachment involving the macula. The visual acuity at presentation was 6/24 R and 6/6 L. There was no history of ocular trauma or inflammation. A superotemporal retinal tear was identified and, since this was very peripheral, non-drainage surgery was planned. Cryotherapy was applied and a 5 mm radial sponge, positioned under the tear, was secured with two 5/0 Ethibond sutures.  The globe was inadvertently perforated with the posterior suture, resulting in subretinal fluid drainage. At the end …
Light is an indispensable part in the production and living of human society, and the development of light-emitting materials is of great significance for high-tech innovations. Indeed, the exploitation of high-performance luminogenic materials has opened a new avenue to scientific advancement and societal development. For example, Chen et al. reported a fluorene-based dinuclear gold(I) complex. This complex demonstrated a remarkable aggregation-induced white-light emission feature, and it emitted high brightness solid-state and thin-film white luminescence. Furthermore, its thin-film white-light emission quantum yield was up to 65.42%, which enabled this gold(I) complex to serve as a potential candidate for white OLED (Chen et al., 2014). Benzobisthiadiazole (BBT) belongs to a typical near-infrared emissive unit, and the photoluminescence (PL) of numerous BBT derivatives lie in the second near-infrared wavelength ranges (NIR-II, 1,000–1,700 nm). The NIR-II-emissive nature of this type of compounds is beneficial to biomedical applications. Sun et al. elaborately designed a multipurpose nano-agent by incorporating a supramolecular Pt (II) metallacycle and a BBT-modified NIR-II-emissive organic dye into multifunctional melanin dots possessing photoacoustic and photothermal properties, and this prepared nano-agent displayed superior dual-modal imaging-guided chemo-photothermal synergistic therapy effect (Sun et al., 2019). Ding et al. prepared a high-efficiency nanotheranostic agent by introducing a hexagonal organoplatinum (II) metallacycle and a BBT-based NIR-II molecular dye into a FDAapproved commercial theranostic agent, and this obtained nano-cocktail could be applied for effective cancer imaging and therapy (Ding et al., 2019). Huang et al. summarized a variety of benzobisthiadiazole-functionalized semiconducting polymers, and their resulting nanoparticles could be used for NIR-II photoacoustic imaging. Luminescent chemosensors possess a number of advantages in practical applications, such as high sensitivity and selectivity, versatility, and superior real-time detection capacity. In order to prepare multifunctional luminescent chemosensors, plenty of specific functional recognition units have been introduced to luminogenic organic compounds and organometallic complexes, and the resultant functionalized molecules are capable of forming PL responses to metal ions, pH, anions and biomolecules. For example, Hu et al. synthesized a pyrimidinone-containing Schiff base FPS by a classical aza-Wittig reaction, which could be applied to selectively and sensitively detect Zn with the limit of detection of 1.19 × 10 mol/L. Furthermore, the resulting FPS-Zn could further serve as a high-efficiency chemosensor for Cu. Therefore, this interesting Schiff base Edited and reviewed by: Iwao Ojima, Stony Brook University, United States
Throughout numerous research works on biomacromolecules, several breakthrough innovations have occurred in the field of biomacromolecule processing. Remarkable improvements have been made so far to address the problems associated with biomacromolecule processing technologies in terms of enhancing the efficiency of the processes. Green technology broadly focuses on the search for new techno-economic systems to replace the conventional systems which exhibit pernicious consequences for the environment and the health of organisms. The strategy practiced popularly is the use of alternate solvent systems, replacing the conventional toxic, volatile, and harsh organic solvents to prevent denaturation, biotransformation, enzyme activity loss, and degradation of biomacromolecules. Ionic liquids (ILs) and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are emerging as greener alternatives over the past two decades and there has been an exponential increase in reports in the literature. The utility of neoteric solvents in biomacromolecule treatment may be envisaged for industrial processes in the near future. The current state of the art regarding the recent developments made over the past few years using neoteric solvents has been reviewed in this article. The recent scientific developments regarding the use of these neoteric solvents, especially ILs and DESs, for processes such as solubilization, extraction, and functionalization of biomacromolecules, especially proteins and DNA, have been addressed in this article. This review may be beneficial for designing novel and selective methodologies for the processing of biomacromolecules, opening doors for better material research in areas such as biotechnology and biological sciences.
Introduction- Tibial diaphysis fracture in paediatric age group accounts for 10 to 15% of all fractures. Fixation of tibial diaphysis fracture in paediatric age group by elastic nailing system provides relative stability. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the functional outcome of tibial diaphysis fracture in paediatric age group treated elastic nailing system. Methods- A prospective interventional study was conducted at Rapti Academy of Health Sciences, Ghorahi, Dang from November 2018 to November 2020. Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional review board. All the children who were operated for tibial diaphysis fracture were followed up for six months. Final outcome was analyzed at final follow up. Results- Out of thirty children, there were sixteen male and fourteen female. Mean time of fracture union was 10.03 weeks. Two children develop limb lengthening of 1.5 cm and 1.2 cm respectively. One child had 1 cm shortening and three children develop bursitis on entry site. At final follow up 83.33% of child had an excellent outcome according to Flynn grading. Conclusion- Tibial diaphysis fracture can be treated with elastic nailing system with excellent to good functional outcomes.
The U.S. strategic embargo against the Soviet bloc, adopted in 19471948, had been designed to restrict the supply of weapons technology to the Soviet Union and to retard Soviet economic growth. When these objectives failed to materialize by 1957, a lengthy reevaluation of the purpose, benefits, and costs of the embargo ensued. The Kennedy administration eventually concluded that the strategic embargo was an integral part of U.S. Cold War strategy and, as such, could not be abandoned without suffering important diplomatic costs. The embargo became a means of bargaining with the Soviet Union and a medium through which to convey messages. Like any other tool of statecraft, the embargo proved to be as flexible as officials wanted to make it. Even if it failed in its original purpose, it could be used in other ways.
ABSTRACT Objectives To determine the prevalence of self-reported pre-race chronic medical conditions and allergies in ultramarathon race entrants and to explore if these are associated with an increased risk of race-day medical encounters (MEs). Methods Data from two voluntary open-ended pre-race medical screening questions (Q1 – history of allergies; Q2 – history of chronic medical conditions/prescription medication use) were collected in 133641 Comrades Marathon race entrants (2014–2019). Race-day ME data collected prospectively over 6 years are reported as incidence (per 1000 starters) and incidence ratios (IR: 95%CI’s). Results Pre-race medical screening questions identified race entrants with a history of chronic medical conditions and/or prescription medication use (6.9%) and allergies (7.4%). The % entrants with risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) was 30% and being older (>45 years) or male (27.5%) were the most frequent CVD risk factors. 0.3% of entrants reported existing CVD. The overall incidence of MEs was 20/1000 race starters. MEs were significantly higher in race entrants reporting a ‘yes’ to Q1 (allergies) (IR = 1.3; 1.1–1.5) (p = 0.014) or Q2 (chronic medical conditions and/or prescription medication use) (IR = 1.3; 1.1–1.5) (p = 0.0006). Conclusions Voluntary completion of two open-ended questions identified chronic medical conditions and/or prescription medication use in 6.9% and allergies in 7.4% of ultramarathon race entrants. This is lower than that reported for other races that implemented compulsory completion of a more comprehensive pre-screening questionnaire. Despite potential under-reporting, a pre-race self-reported history of chronic medical conditions and allergies was associated with a higher risk of race-day MEs.
In recent years, the Bitcoin blockchain has gained wide attention due to its decentralization and transparency. With the extensive adoptions of the Bitcoin blockchain, its size has reached to 408 GB so far and is still growing, which significantly degrades its scalability. Besides, the bootstrap process for newly joining nodes is quite slow and costly due to the huge communication and computation overhead. In the paper, we devise a full-fledged solution that not only improves the scalability of the Bitcoin blockchain, but also accelerates the state synchronization of the Bitcoin blockchain. We adopt IPFS (Inter Planetary File System), a trusted off-chain storage platform, to amortize the storage pressure of the Bitcoin full nodes. Moreover, we present snapshot blocks to enable secure and fast synchronization of UTXO (Unspent Transaction Outputs) set instead of scanning again from the beginning of the Bitcoin blockchain. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments. The results show that, compared with the official Bitcoin core, the scheme reduces the storage space for Bitcoin full nodes by 97.8% and the synchronization time of new nodes by 81.5%, without breaking the protocols of existing system.
Aims and method Estimates of the impact of the London 2012 Olympic Games on general health service demand have been made. However, there are no formal estimates for mental health demand. Our aim was to conduct a review to identify data on mental health service demand during the previous ten Summer Olympics. Results Eight relevant papers were identified. Little has been published on mental health demand; however, available data suggest demand will not substantially increase. Clinical implications NHS London has no pan-London strategy for mental health services during the Olympics. This may not be unreasonable given the lack of evidence for increased demand during previous Olympics. However, high bed occupancy rates in mental health units in London and other strains on resources may amplify the impact of even small increases in demand on services.
tian prayer, thus meeting explicitly a major concern of contemporary trinitarian thinking to reflect the doxological character of this mystery. The last chapter offers a fascinating account of the trinitarian presuppositions of creation, the place of the world &dquo;within&dquo; the Trinity, and the sense in which God as Trinity may be said &dquo;to become&dquo;, and thus to be enriched by us. Jfngel and von Balthasar are the chief sources for this latter account.
l-Tetrahydroberberine-d-camphor sulfonate (THB-CS) possessed an inhibitory effect on apomorphine-induced chewing movement in a similar manner to that of tetrahydroberberine (THB). Both compounds enhanced barbiturate-induced hypnosis. They did not have an anticonvulsant effect on convulsive seizures induced by bicuculline, pentetrazole or strychnine. THB and THB-CS blocked dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. These compounds showed almost equipotent affinities to dopamine D1 (3H-SCH-23390) and D2 (3H-spiperone) receptors but did not have significant affinity to mu-opioid, muscarinic and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, and benzodiazepine binding sites. Furthermore, both compounds did not elicit cataleptogenic behavior, even at very high doses. These data suggest that THB and THB-CS have a central depressant effect through both D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptors and may have different modes of action from that of standard neuroleptics.
The use of convective instead of conductive heat transfer from the filament of a gas analyser of the "thermal conductivity" type enables the instrument, in some circumstances, to be made insensitive to a third gas component. The principle has been applied to the measurement of methane in nitrogen-carbon dioxide-oxygen mixtures. Examples of other possible applications are the measurement of carbon dioxide in the presence of air-methane, air-water vapour or air-hydrogen mixtures.
In order to reduce the effects of global warming, governments of leading economies started to provide various incentives for supporting the adoption of new energy vehicles (EVs). Albeit important, limited scholars tried to investigate the influential factors. Thus, this study aims to derive the factors influencing the adoption of (EVs). This research will use the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) as a research method to predict the factors being related to consumer intentions and behaviors. Taiwanese experts of EVs will be invited for providing opinions.  Based on the empirical results, the subsidies for new EVs and the number of charging piles play the most dominant roles. The results can serve as a basis for predicting consumer acceptance of new EVs in the future.
For closely spaced, nanolithographically defined lines, a thin wall of resist remains to act as the metal line spacer. When exposed to a developer, and then rinsing solution, closely spaced resist walls may become unstable as a result of two effects: (1) internal stresses due to swelling, and (2) lateral surface forces between adjacent walls. In this article we perform a linear stability analysis of a thin polymer wall under the simultaneous action of internal stresses and lateral surface forces. We calculate a stability boundary, and show that internal stresses are necessary for the formation of deformation patterns of finite wavelength. We find that, for slightly subcritical swelling stresses a small lateral force can induce buckling, while, for slightly subcritical surface tractions large internal stresses are necessary to induce instability. The theoretical predictions are in good agreement with experimental data on poly(methyl‐methacrylate) walls produced by electron beam lithography.
MOTIVATION Runs of homozygosity (ROH) are sizable chromosomal stretches of homozygous genotypes, ranging in length from tens of kilobases to megabases. ROHs can be relevant for population and medical genetics, playing a role in predisposition to both rare and common disorders. ROHs are commonly detected by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays, but attempts have been made to use whole-exome sequencing (WES) data. Currently available methods developed for the analysis of uniformly spaced SNP-array maps do not fit easily to the analysis of the sparse and non-uniform distribution of the WES target design.   RESULTS To meet the need of an approach specifically tailored to WES data, we developed [Formula: see text], an original algorithm based on heterogeneous hidden Markov model that incorporates inter-marker distances to detect ROH from WES data. We evaluated the performance of [Formula: see text] to correctly identify ROHs on synthetic chromosomes and examined its accuracy in detecting ROHs of different length (short, medium and long) from real 1000 genomes project data. [Formula: see text] turned out to be more accurate than GERMLINE and PLINK, two state-of-the-art algorithms, especially in the detection of short and medium ROHs.   AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION [Formula: see text] is a collection of bash, R and Fortran scripts and codes and is freely available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/h3m2/.   CONTACT albertomagi@gmail.com   SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Recently, collagen diseases propagated due to many factors such as pressure and pollution. Thrombosis is one of the most famous collagen diseases that obstruct the blood flow causing vital complications for crucial parts of the circulatory system. Such diseases cause a high risk for the doctors due to the huge number of the laboratory examinations and the efforts to diagnosis. Accordingly, this paper implements C4.5 algorithm, as one of the most famous data mining techniques, on real thrombosis dataset. The dataset was collected from Chiba University as a challenging dataset for thrombosis diagnosis. The results show that the C4.5 could diagnose the thrombosis degree with accuracy 98.4%.
In view of the current low level of automation Chinese chicken breeding, management, technological backwardness of the status quo, but also for the realization of the chicken coop wireless monitoring environment, we design a chicken coop wireless monitoring system based on wireless sensor networks. System consists of terminal equipment, routing equipment, coordination of equipment and PC four parts, using CC2530 chip as the processor, in order to achieve the planned ZigBee protocol wireless data transmission. The system not only realizes the chicken coop temperature, humidity, concentration of harmful gases (H2S, NH3) and other environmental parameters in real-time collection and monitoring, but also on the chicken coop on the environment by setting parameters to achieve the terminal device settings automatic transmission control parameters and control commands via manual control. The experiments show that the system is simple, reliable, real-time high scalability, can effectively monitor the coop environmental parameters.
Enhanced titanocene (Cp2TiCl2) based electrocatalytic system for nitrogen reduction was shown, comprising glassy carbon electrode, high level of the catechol redox mediator, optimized binary THF/MeOH solvent and unique design of the reactor having ammonia permeable membrane at the outlet, which allowed constant nitrogen flow through the working solution during entire electrolysis without risk of evaporation of the solvent. Catalytic activity was observed in the potential range of (−1.5)–(−2.3) V, reaching TON of 2.83%, corresponding to the production of 0.566 μmol NH3 (9.64 μg) in 24 h hydrolysis at −2.3 V using 0.02 mmol TiCp2Cl2 (5 mg).
Background: Some parameters have been extracted from photoplethysmography (PPG) with a good relativity with nociception, but without encouraging results in qualifying the balance of nociception-anti-nociception (NAN). The features of PPG have not been thoroughly depicted and more prospective univariate parameters deserve to be explored. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of parameters derived from catacrotic phase of PPG to grade the level of analgesia. Methods: 45 patients with ASA I or II were randomized to receive a remifentanil effect-compartment target controlled infusion (Ceremi) of 0, 1, or 3 ng/ml, and a propofol effect-compartment target controlled infusion to maintain an acceptable level of hypnosis with state entropy (SE) at 40~60. Laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion was applied as a noxious stimulus. Five diastole-related parameters, namely diastolic interval (DI), diastolic slope (DS), the minimum slope during catacrotic phase (DSmin), the interval between DSmin and its nearest trough (DTI), and area difference ratio (ADR), were extracted. Pulse beat interval (PBI) was calculated as a reference parameter. Results: LMA insertion elicited a significant variation in all parameters except ADR during Ceremi of 0 and 1 ng/ml. Compared to PBI (prediction probability ( $ text{P}_{ text {K}}$ ) = 0.796), the parameters of DI, DS, and DTI presented a better consistence with the level of anti-nociceptive medication, with $ text{P}_{ text {K}}$ of 0.825, 0.822, and 0.822 respectively. Conclusion: The features extracted from catacrotic phase of PPG, including DI, DS, and DTI, could provide a promising potential to qualify the balance of NAN.
This study provides information on the interrater reliability of the quantitative scoring system of the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery Form II (LNNB-II). The accuracy of each rater following a training procedure was also evaluated. Six college students served as raters, and participated in a 20-22-hour training procedure. This training procedure utilized a protocol similar to one used in previous interrater reliability studies performed with Form I. Following the training procedure, raters were asked to score two videotaped LNNB-II administrations in which a confederate portrayed test performance that was relatively straightforward to score, as well as more ambiguous test performance. Excellent interrater agreement and accuracy were found on the quantitative scoring on both tapes. Implications for training in administration and scoring are discussed.
Mutants with abnormal LCIB localization reveal the importance of starch sheath formation for the CO2-concentrating mechanism in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Aquatic photosynthetic organisms induce a CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM) to overcome the difficulty of acquiring inorganic carbon under CO2-limiting conditions. As part of the CCM, the CO2-fixing enzyme Rubisco is enriched in the pyrenoid located in the chloroplast, and, in many green algae, several thick starch plates surround the pyrenoid to form a starch sheath. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, low-CO2–inducible protein B (LCIB), which is an essential factor for the CCM, displays altered cellular localization in response to a decrease in environmental CO2 concentration, moving from dispersed throughout the chloroplast stroma to around the pyrenoid. However, the mechanism behind LCIB migration remains poorly understood. Here, we report the characteristics of an Isoamylase1-less mutant (4-D1), which shows aberrant LCIB localization and starch sheath formation. Under very-low-CO2 conditions, 4-D1 showed retarded growth, lower photosynthetic affinities against inorganic carbon, and a decreased accumulation level of the HCO3− transporter HLA3. The aberrant localization of LCIB was also observed in another starch-sheathless mutant sta11-1, but not in sta2-1, which possesses a thinned starch sheath. These results suggest that the starch sheath around the pyrenoid is required for the correct localization of LCIB and for the operation of CCM.
Maternal education is a strong correlate of children's language, cognitive, and academic development. In most prior research, mothers' education has been treated as a fixed characteristic, yet many mothers, particularly economically and educationally disadvantaged mothers, attend school after the birth of their children. In the present study, we use longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development to consider whether increases in maternal education are associated with concurrent improvements in children's school readiness, language skills, and the quality of home environments at age 3. Increases in mothers' education are linked to young children's expressive and receptive language skills but only among mothers with initially low levels of education. Increases in education are also associated with improvements in some aspects of children's home environments, particularly mothers' responsiveness and the provision of learning materials. Mediation analyses provide some evidence that improvements in children's language associated with increased maternal education are due in part to changes in the quality of home environments.
In this paper, a basis vector algorithm for location determination based on stationary signal-strength-difference (SSSD) measurements in wireless cellular communications is proposed. We make use of a set of independent base transceiver stations (BTSs) as the basis 1-vectors of a distance vector space. Multiplying basis 1-vectors together with the exterior product leads to a new basis 2-vector in distance difference vector space. Under this new vector space framework, the distance difference derived from SSSD measurements can be corrected in least- square (LS) sense. After that, the location determination is performed with exterior product operation based on a set of hyperbolic curves defined by the corrected distance difference. Gathering the measurements in a commercial wireless cellular 1.8 GHz network, the results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm offer the location determination with good accuracy in most cases.
Void in solder layer is one of the important factors resulting in semiconductor chip failure due to poor heat dissipation, so the quality of solder layer is essential for heat distribution and reliability in electronic devices. This article is aimed at analyzing the impact of solder layer voids area on junction to case thermal resistance of devices in applying electrical testing method. The thermal resistance was measured by T3Ster (the Thermal Transient Tester) which adopts thermal transient testing technique. To verify the results, this study employed infrared microscope test the samples under the same conditions, and then used FEM (the finite element method) to simulate the relationships between the thermal resistance and voids in solder joint. Results show that the junction to case thermal resistance of the device increases with the increase in solder layer void percentage but without obvious linear relationship. For the same type devices with fine uniformity, the difference of Rth(j-c) is mainly caused by diversity in solder layer void area. Conclusions mentioned above can be used to guide the design of derating for military devices.
In order to implement the guidelines of deep development of civilian-military integration, we need to carry out specific research on the characteristics, basic structure and operation mechanism of civilian-military integration for its industrial innovation platform. The industrial innovation platform of civilian-military integration consists of module suppliers, module integrators, infrastructure, external resources, scientific and research organizations and service organizations, etc. Its publicity and military nature determine that its construction and operation should be based on government regulation; modularization is the basic mode of the platform for R&D and production of its technology products, while market mechanism is the basic mechanism that the platform follows. In the start-up phase of the platform, tax preference or financial subsidies is offered with the support of credibility in order to encourage product suppliers to actively participate in the defense supply. As the innovation platform gradually develops and becomes mature, the demand scope of the demand side is expanding. In addition, reputation effect appears constantly. So the product markets of supply side are expanding increasingly and realizing the scale economies effect gradually. Then tax preference and financial subsidies can be gradually reduced until cancelled. This process reflects the network effect of the innovation platform.
Weight training is believed to result in little cardiovascular benefit compared to aerobic conditioning. In this study, heart rate and blood pressure changes in previously sedentary men were observed at rest and during simulated daily physical activities before and after a controlled 16-week conditioning program of either weight training or running. Body composition, peak oxygen uptake (&OV0312;O2peak), and strength were assessed before and after the study. At rest, during isometric exertion, and while performing two levels of treadmill walking, runners and weight trainers had lower estimates of myocardial oxygen consumption compared to controls. After training, both runners and weight trainers decreased their percent body fat. &OV0312;O2,peak was increased among runners, while only the weight trainers increased strength. These effects are comparable to aerobic exercise during isometric and mixed isometric and dynamic activities, and can occur without enhancement of peak oxygen uptake.
This study investigated the ability of the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory to screen for child abuse in a group of spouse abusers. Eighty-seven untreated male spouse abusers and 95 nonabusers were administered the CAP Inventory. All of the subjects were active duty, United States military personnel. The completed, valid protocols revealed that 36.5% of the spouse abusers had elevated child abuse scores, while only 9.1% of the nonabusers had elevated abuse scores. An analysis of variance indicated that the spouse abusers had significantly higher mean abuse scores. Four concurrent reports of child abuse were made in the spouse abuse group. Two of these spouse/child abusers had valid protocols, and both scored significantly higher than those spouse abusers with no reported child abuse. The finding that over 36% of the spouse abusers had elevated child abuse scores supports Walker's (1979) finding that one-third of spouse abusers are child abusers. A limitation in this study is that no longitudinal data were obtained to determine whether those with elevated child abuse scores who were not reported for child abuse subsequently would abuse their children.
This study addresses two key objectives using operational performance data from most of the Round 1 wind farms connected to the grid in South Africa: benchmarking of wind farm performance and validation of the pre-construction energy yield assessments. These wind farms were found to perform in line with internationally reported levels of wind farm availability, with a mean energy-based availability of 97.8% during the first two years of operation. The pre-construction yield assessments used for financing in 2012 were found to over-predict project yield (P50) by 4.9%. This was consistent with other validation studies for Europe and North America. It was also noted that all projects exceed the pre-construction P90 estimate. The reasons for this discrepancy were identified, with the largest cause of error being wind flow and wake-modelling errors. Following a reassessment using up to date methodologies from 2018, the mean bias in pre-construction predictions was 1.4%.
The precise classification of crop types using hyperspectral remote sensing imaging is an essential application in the field of agriculture, and is of significance for crop yield estimation and growth monitoring. Among the deep learning methods, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are the premier model for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification for their outstanding locally contextual modeling capability, which facilitates spatial and spectral feature extraction. Nevertheless, the existing CNNs have a fixed shape and are limited to observing restricted receptive fields, constituting a simulation difficulty for modeling long-range dependencies. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposed two novel classification frameworks which are both built from multilayer perceptrons (MLPs). Firstly, we put forward a dilation-based MLP (DMLP) model, in which the dilated convolutional layer replaced the ordinary convolution of MLP, enlarging the receptive field without losing resolution and keeping the relative spatial position of pixels unchanged. Secondly, the paper proposes multi-branch residual blocks and DMLP concerning performance feature fusion after principal component analysis (PCA), called DMLPFFN, which makes full use of the multi-level feature information of the HSI. The proposed approaches are carried out on two widely used hyperspectral datasets: Salinas and KSC; and two practical crop hyperspectral datasets: WHU-Hi-LongKou and WHU-Hi-HanChuan. Experimental results show that the proposed methods outshine several state-of-the-art methods, outperforming CNN by 6.81%, 12.45%, 4.38% and 8.84%, and outperforming ResNet by 4.48%, 7.74%, 3.53% and 6.39% on the Salinas, KSC, WHU-Hi-LongKou and WHU-Hi-HanChuan datasets, respectively. As a result of this study, it was confirmed that the proposed methods offer remarkable performances for hyperspectral precise crop classification.
While the rate of college students voting is on the rise in recent years, the turnout of college students at the polls remains significantly lower than college students who register to vote For the 2020 presidential election, occurring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, voting may be even more difficult The Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts University has put together a memorandum of best practices, designed to help higher education administrators encourage and help students to exercise their civic duty to vote ?Absent interventions, the removal of barriers to voting by mail, and education, voting rates for students will be low in 2020,? according to the writers of the memorandum
ABSTRACT Introduction: Vitamin B12 deficiency is more commonly found among patients who have undergone Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) as compared to those with post-sleeve gastrectomies (SG). The major difference between SG and RYGB is that the latter greatly bypasses the stomach whereas the former simply reduces the gastric volume. Purpose: The aim of this article was to study the stomach and the distal ileum histologically in a cadaver with SG to explain the higher rate of incidences of vitamin B12 deficiency seen in patients post-RYGB relative to patients post-SG. Since the stomach is the major variable in these two procedures, we hypothesize that it has the ability to regenerate and increase its surface area to compensate for the loss of its volume in SG patients. Material and Methods: Tissue biopsies and hematoxylin and eosin stains were performed from various anatomical locations of the GI tract, specifically the gastric fundus, body, and antrum, and from the distal ileum of the small intestine of a cadaver with SG and another without SG (control). Results: Compared with the control, the SG cadaver's gastric tissue biopsies were significant for chronic gastritis and hypertrophy of the muscularis externa layer. More importantly, parietal cell hyperplasia and deeper mucosal glands were also noted in the SG cadaver supporting the hypothesis. Conclusions: The compensatory role of an intact stomach, given its ability to regenerate parietal cells and increase its numbers in the gastric fundus and body, can be better appreciated in a gastric-sparing procedure such as SG versus RYGB in terms of limiting vitamin B12 deficiencies.
The effects of two classes of verbal reinforcers, one more abstract (performance reinforcers) and the other less abstract (person), were examined among lower- and middle-class children. Previous work that had shown lower-class children to be relatively unresponsive to abstract reinforcers was not substantiated. The experiment suggested serious deficiencies in the experimental methodology (and hence in conceptualization) for examining the psychological properties of lower-class children.        A second experiment examined the developmental implications of responsiveness to person and performance reinforcers. The results suggested that, in growing older, children become more sensitive to a broader band of reinforcers and particularly to abstract reinforcers, without declining in their responsiveness to concrete ones.
the aim of this paper was to illustrate the connection between ‘anatomy’, one of the oldest natural sciences, and ‘poetry’, the most ancient genre of literature. Anatomy and related concepts have been a subject of and used as imagery in poetry since ancient times, but they have never carried such vast and multiple shades of meaning as in the 19th and 20th centuries. there are not only more allusions made to anatomy in modern verse, but also more poets have chosen to dwell upon anatomy, anatomists, dissections and cadavers as a main subject or persona in their poetry. In this respect, the use of anatomy and related concepts as subject and as imagery is examined in selected examples of 19th and 20th centuries Western verse composed by William Wordsworth, thomas Hood, charles baudelaire, Emily Dickinson, Gottfried benn, Dylan thomas, sylvia Plath and Nadine sabra Meyer in order to show how anatomy has been perceived and represented by poets.
The NaCl-type La monopnictides are proper reference materials for the study of strongly correlated rare-earth pnictides. Yet, despite the simple crystal structure of this system, traditional density functional theory (DFT) calculations have dramatic failures in describing their electronic properties: DFT severely underestimates the band gaps and thus predicts incorrect transport characters of them. Here, we perform a corrected DFT calculation to rectify this failure. Our results show that LaN, LaP, and LaAs are semiconductor with band gaps of 0.82, 0.25, and 0.12 eV, respectively, and LaSb is semimetallic with an overlap of conduction and valence bands approximately 0.28 eV, in agreement with the available experiments. Additionally, under high-pressure, we find that LaN displays a new sequence of phase-transition, B1 → anti-B10 → B2, which is different from the previous theoretical predictions but consistent with the recent experiment.
A simple, sensitive, rapid and accurate spectrophotometric method was developed and validated for the estimation of betamethasone in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage forms. The method was based on the formation of bluish green chromophore with 0.0 4 % of sodium di c hromate and concentrated sulphuric acid showing the absorption at 6 15 nm. The proposed method has permitted the quantification of betamethasone over linearity in the range of 5 - 30 µg/ mL . The method was validated as per ICH guidelines.
Discovering new fluorochromes is significantly advanced by high-throughput screening (HTS) methods. In the present study a combination of small molecule microarray (SMM) prescreening and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was developed in order to discover novel cell staining fluorescent dyes. Compounds with high native fluorescence were selected from a 14,585-member library and further tested on living cells under the microscope. Eleven compartment-specific, cell-permeable (or plasma membrane-targeted) fluorochromes were identified. Their cytotoxicity was tested and found that between 1–10 micromolar range, they were non-toxic even during long-term incubations.
Friction and wear are extremely important issues in micromachined surfaces in design applications that allow rubbing. A polysilicon surface-micromachined inchworm device has been developed to obtain detailed in-situ information on these properties under well-controlled loading conditions. Here, we investigate the inchworm operational wear and the evolution of friction coefficient as a function of the number of imposed wear cycles. A test procedure was developed to monitor various functional parameters such as the travel distance of the inchworm under an imposed drag force for a fixed number of steps and the friction coefficient. While subject to this drag force, the travel distance decreased gradually until the foot of the device became permanently lodged in the grooves created by the wear-track. Meanwhile, it was found that the friction coefficient increased from 0.2 on a virgin surface to 3 when the accumulated number of wear cycles reached around 200,000. The friction test itself was found to interact with the wear processes. By minimizing the number of friction tests performed during the wear test, the operational life of the device was extended well beyond 700,000 cycles. Microscopic observation of the wear surfaces revealed that the early wear is characterized by the blunting of the sharp peaks on the poly silicon grains and then flattening of this fine wear debris on the surface. Evidence of plastic deformation was inferred by the spread of the wear debris over several grains. With increased number of wear cycles, material removal through scratches induced by the wear debris was observed. The device failure occurred due to a large volume of material removal (severe wear) in localized regions.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The formulation of a depressive syndrome in the context of schizophrenia represents a microcosm of frontier areas in psychiatry: the psychological rehabilitation of psychotic patients, the differentiation between schizophrenic and mood disorders, and the biological bases of mood and affect. Such a syndrome represents a potential cause of morbidity and mortality for patients with schizophrenia and requires clinicians to seek greater understanding of its etiology.
The current study analyzes the effect of granite cutting waste addition on the properties of cohesive soil. Representative samples of cohesive soils were collected from the Mansehra and Balakot areas of Hazara, Pakistan and their major geotechnical properties determined following the standard ASTM procedures. The determined properties include the Atterberg limits, i.e. Liquid Limit (LL), Plastic Limit (PL), Plasticity Index (PI), and Maximum dry density, Optimum moisture contents, Un-confined compressive strength, Activity and Expansion. Both the soils are classified as active soils possessing high expansion capacity and low strength due to the presence of Ca-montmorillonites. Following an increment of 5%, up to 25% streaks of cutting waste from Susalgali and Baffa granites were added to the Mansehra soil and Balakot soil respectively. A thorough analysis of the test results reveals a continuous decrease in the Atterberg limits, optimum moisture contents and expansion capacity, and increase in the maximum dry density and overall strength of both the soils with increasing amounts of the added granite cutting waste streaks. The reduction in Atterberg limits, optimum moisture contents and expansion capacity reflects the low activity and lower absorption capacity of the added granite. Besides, the concomitant increase in strength and maximum dry density of the treated soils suggests suitability of granite waste addition as a potential means for enhancing bearing capacity and reducing settlement issues in civil engineering.
It has been made clear that the reactivity worth of the central cell may be considered equal to the worth of the leakage neutrons from the cell. Thus, the value may be used to evaluate the results of neutron leakage calculations. A method is proposed for the experimental determination of km +, a characteristic value of the reactor cell composition, by making use of the reactivity worth of the cell measured at the core center. The quantity km + is a kind of infinite multiplication factor defined in the fundamental mode spectra. Since accurate methods based on the fine group treatment are available for calculating km +, its measurement is valuable for evaluating the cross section library used for reactor calculations. As an example, the value of km + has been obtained for the FCA Assembly V-2, and the resulting experimental and calculated values are examined.
The NEWS-G (New Experiment with Spheres - Gas) collaboration searches for dark matter in the form of low-mass Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) using Spherical Proportional Counters (SPCs) filled with gases with low atomic masses. The operation of SEDINE, a 60-cm diameter prototype SPC filled with a mixture of neon and methane and installed at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) in France, recently set new constraints on the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon scattering cross-section in the sub-GeV/c2 mass region. The collaboration is currently planning the installation a 140-cm ultra-low background SPC in a compact shielding at SNOLAB in Canada. Recent advances in radioactive background control, detector monitoring and sensor development, will provide for this next experimental phase of NEWS-G unprecedented sensitivity to low-mass WIMPs.
To investigate the effect of seed size and salinity stress on the germination and vegetative growth of wheat variety Imam, a laboratory and a pot experiment were conducted during the winter season of 2016. The experiments were conducted at the Seed Laboratory of Agronomy Department and at the Nursery, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Khartoum, (Shambat). Seed size treatments were selected on the basis of seed diameter, and were categorized into three classes of small; medium and large. Salinity concentrations were: EC0 (control); EC2 (0.24 mM NaCl L -l ); EC4 (0.28 mM NaCl L -l ); EC6 (0.39 mM NaCl L -l ); EC8 (0.41 mM NaCl L -l ) and EC10 (0.59 mM NaCl L -l ). The experiments were conducted using a completely randomized design with two replicates for the germination test and three replicates for the pot experiment. Data were collected on: germination percentage on the 4 th and 8 th day after planting; plant height; number of leaves per plant; leaf area; number of tillers per plant and dry matter yield. The data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and mean separation using LSD. The results revealed that seed size class did not show significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on germination percent of wheat. However, salinity significantly (p ≤0.05) affected germination at both readings. Small seed class registered higher germination at EC4 and EC10. For the pot experiment, the results revealed that seed size class did not have a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the studied parameters. However, better performance was observed for the large seed size class as compared to the other seed size classes. Salinity had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) adverse effect on all measured growth parameters and reduced dry matter yield by 10.4 %, 11.7 %, 47.7% ,
The present study aimed to explore the expression and significance of S100 protein β (S100β), cystatin C (CysC), and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI). ACI patients (n=120) were selected as the experimental group at Xuzhou Central Hospital from August 2016 to August 2018. Ninety healthy subjects who underwent a physical examination at Xuzhou Central Hospital during the same period were selected as the control group. The expression levels of S-100β, CysC and NF-κB were compared between the two groups. Serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB levels were compared between ACI patients with different degree of nervous functional defects, different infarct size and different prognosis. ROC curve analysis was used for the diagnosis of ACI by serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB levels. Serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB levels in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The levels of serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB in patients with different neurological deficits were significantly different. The levels of serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB in the severe and medium type infarction group were significantly higher than those in the mild type infarction group (both P<0.05). The levels of serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB in the severe type infarction group were higher than those in the medium type infarction group (P<0.05). There were significant differences in serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB levels in patients with different infarct sizes. The levels of serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB in patients with large and medium size infarction were higher than those in the small size infarction group (both P<0.05). The levels of serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB in patients with large size infarction were higher than those in patients with medium size infarction (P<0.05). Serum S-100β, CysC and NF-κB levels in patients of the worsening group were significantly higher than those in patients of the non-worsening group. The levels of S-100β, CysC, NF-κB in ACI patients were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects. Increased levels of S-100β, CysC and NF-κB can be used as ideal indexes for diagnosing cerebral infarction and studying the condition.
Many studies reveal that during destructive earthquakes, most of the structures enter the inelastic phase. The amount of hysteretic energy in a structure is considered as an important criterion in structure design and an important indicator for the degree of its damage or vulnerability. The hysteretic energy value wasted after the structure yields is the most important component of the energy equation that affects the structures system damage thereof. Controlling this value of energy leads to controlling the structure behavior. Here, for the first time, the hysteretic behavior and energy dissipation capacity are assessed at presence of elliptical braced resisting frames (ELBRFs), through an experimental study and numerical analysis of FEM. The ELBRFs are of lateral load systems, when located in the middle bay of the frame and connected properly to the beams and columns, in addition to improving the structural behavior, do not have the problem of architectural space in the bracing systems. The energy dissipation capacity is assessed in four frames of small single-story single-bay ELBRFs at 1/2 scale with different accessories, and compared with SMRF and X-bracing systems. The frames are analyzed through a nonlinear FEM and a quasi-static cyclic loading. The performance features here consist of hysteresis behavior, plasticity factor, energy dissipation, resistance and stiffness variation, shear strength and Von-Mises stress distribution. The test results indicate that the good behavior of the elliptical bracing resisting frame improves strength, stiffness, ductility and dissipated energy capacity in a significant manner.
According to the closed-orbit theory, we study the influence of elastic interface on the photodetachment of H− near a metallic sphere surface. First, we give a clear physical description of the detached electron movement between the elastic interface and the metallic sphere surface. Then we put forward an analytical formula for calculating the photodetachment cross section of this system. Our study suggests that the photodetachment cross section of H− is changed with the distance between the elastic interface and H−. Compared with the photodetachment cross section of H− near a metallic sphere surface without the elastic interface, the cross section of our system oscillates and its oscillation is strengthened with the decrease of the distance from the elastic interface to H−. In additon, our calcuation results suggest that the influence of the elastic interface becomes much more significant when it is located in the lower half space rather than in the upper half space. Therefore, we can control the photodetachment of H− near a metallic sphere surface by changing the position of the elastic interface. We hope that our work is conducive to the understanding of the photodetachment process of negative ions near interfaces, cavities and ion traps.
The liposome modified with simple ligand and metal ions shows the superoxide dismutase-like activity. The membrane fluidity of various liposomes modified with the functional ligand (Dodecanoyl-His; Dodec-His) and the clustering of the ligand on the liposome surface were first characterized, showing that the clustering of Dodec-His could be induced on the liposome surface at gel-phase. The capacity of adsorption of Cu and Zn was found to be increased dependently on the type of liposome, resulting in the maximal adsorption in liposome prepared by 1,2-dipalmitoyl-snglycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) at gel state and with higher ligand clustering state. As a result on the SOD-like activity of the metal/ligand-modified liposome, the SOD-like activity was found to be induced by using the above liposomes although its activity level is not so high.
Pancreatic islet failure is a key characteristic of type 2 diabetes besides insulin resistance. To get molecular insights into the pathology of islets in type 2 diabetes, we developed a computational approach to integrating expression profiles of Goto-Kakizaki and Wistar rat islets from a designed experiment with those of the human islets from an observational study. A principal gene-eigenvector in the expression profiles characterized by up-regulated angiogenesis and down-regulated oxidative phosphorylation was identified conserved across the two species. In the case of Goto-Kakizaki versus Wistar islets, such alteration in gene expression can be verified directly by the treatment-control tests over time, and corresponds to the alteration of α/β-cell distribution obtained by quantifying the islet micrographs. Furthermore, the correspondence between the dual sample- and gene-eigenvectors unveils more delicate structures. In the case of rats, the up- and down-trend of insulin mRNA levels before and after week 8 correspond respectively to the top two principal eigenvectors. In the case of human, the top two principal eigenvectors correspond respectively to the late and early stages of diabetes. According to the aggregated expression signature, a large portion of genes involved in the hypoxia-inducible factor signaling pathway, which activates transcription of angiogenesis, were significantly up-regulated. Furthermore, top-ranked anti-angiogenic genes THBS1 and PEDF indicate the existence of a counteractive mechanism that is in line with thickened and fragmented capillaries found in the deteriorated islets. Overall, the integrative analysis unravels the principal transcriptional alterations underlying the islet deterioration of morphology and insulin secretion along type 2 diabetes progression.
The pathogenesis of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was investigated by analysis of changes in viral and histologic parameters in 36 renal transplant recipients who were infected with HCV before transplantation. Each patient was classified according to development of liver fibrosis as assessed by 2 liver biopsies done 45 and 81 months after transplantation: 13 had progressing liver fibrosis (fibrosers) and 23 did not (nonfibrosers). All developed high-titer posttransplant viremia with a significant increase of 1.2 log RNA copies/mL. There were no significant differences in the increases in serum HCV RNA or genotype distributions in fibrosers and nonfibrosers. The hypervariable region (HVR)-1 of the HCV genome was analyzed by cloning and sequencing 20 clones per sample from 5 fibrosers and 5 nonfibrosers. Comparison of samples revealed that liver fibrosis progression was significantly associated with slower HVR-1 quasispecies diversification, suggesting the selection of more aggressive variants in fibrosers.
ABSTRACT Introduction: Infection with HBV and HCV represents a growing challenge in the management of patients with hematological malignancies. Recently, hepatitis E (HEV) was recognized as an endemic infection in developed countries and as an emerging health problem in immunocompromised patients. Areas covered: We reviewed the current knowledge on the impact of chronic viral hepatitis in the hematological setting. Epidemiological features, screening strategies and indications for treatment and monitoring have been explored and commented. Expert commentary: Knowing patient’s complete HBV serostatus is mandatory in order to choose between treatment, prophylaxis or a pre-emptive approach. Recent guidelines favor treatment with high barrier molecules in all patients with chronic HBV infection and long lasting prophylaxis with those with inactive or resolved one. With regard to HCV, the new direct-acting antiviral agents have been safely administered in the hematological setting. Their use as first-line single treatment in indolent lymphomas, and combined with chemotherapy in aggressive ones, should be considered. Due to the existing risk of chronic HEV infection in the immunocompromised, screening with serum HEV-RNA should be performed in case of signs and symptoms indicative of hepatitis. In the event of HEV infection, reduction of immunosuppression and, if not feasible or unsuccessful, ribavirin treatment should be prescribed.
flip through the contents of The Sage Handbook of Spatial Analysis), their point is that this is not a book about GIS and its use for more descriptive types of analysis. Again, the authors are beginning from a statistical not a geographical perspective and a consequence of this is that a method such as geographically weighted regression is overlooked, other than in passing in a chapter about spatial econometrics. It also means links to the geocomputation literature are not made. Are cellular automata or agent-based models statistical? Perhaps not. Nevertheless, if the goal is to explain how underlying processes form spatial patterns, then there is a shared purpose here that should be explored further. The role of geovisualization in exploring spatial data sets, making sense of them and contributing to a process of knowledge formation and hypothesis testing is also a potential area for fruitful dialogue. Nevertheless, it would be unfair to characterise this book by what is absent because there is clear clarity of purpose to what has been included, and why. There is much to find and to digest within this volume. Readers with interests in geostatistics, hierarchical modelling with spatial data, disease mapping, modelling strategies for spatial point patterns, time dynamic spatial models, nonparametric methods or data assimilation, to select just a few examples, will find much to learn and to reflect upon here. Ultimately the aim of this book is to collect the major work in the field of spatial statistics into a single volume with an extensive bibliography to assist future research efforts. This is a laudable aim and one that I believe they have succeeded in achieving. This book does, as it suggests, balance theory and application – it demonstrates the utility and potential of spatial statistics without being data led or driven but by a keen development of statistical thinking and theory. It is undoubtedly a useful and encyclopaedic handbook, one that is great to dip into and handy to have on the shelf. Getting the most out of this book may take some effort and perseverance from the reader but it is worth sticking with. The challenge for the GI Science community will be to run with the ideas and ‘translate’ them into a languagemore amenable to our own students and projects.
The outbreak of COVID-19 is first identified in China, which later spread to various parts of the globe and was pronounced pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The disease of transmissible person-to-person pneumonia caused by the extreme acute respiratory coronavirus 2 syndrome (SARS-COV-2, also known as COVID-19), has sparked a global warning. Thermal screening, quarantining, and later lockdown were methods employed by various nations to contain the spread of the virus. Though exercising various possible plans to contain the spread help in mitigating the effect of COVID-19, projecting the rise and preparing to face the crisis would help in minimizing the effect. In the scenario, this study attempts to use Machine Learning tools to forecast the possible rise in number of cases by considering the data of daily new cases. To capture the uncertainty, three different techniques: (i) Decision Tree algorithm, (ii) Support Vector Machine algorithm, and (iii) Gaussian process regression are used to project the data and capture the possible deviation. Based on the projection of new cases, recovered cases, deceased cases, medical facilities, population density, number of test conducted, and facilities of services, are considered to define the criticality index (CI). CI is used to classify all the districts of country in the regions of high risk, low risk and moderate risk. An online dashpot is created which updates the data on daily bases for next four weeks. The prospective suggestions of this study would aid in planning the strategies to apply the lockdown/ any other plan for any country, which can take other parameters to define the CI.
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), currently under construction, will be used to measure the expansion history of the Universe using the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation technique. The spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars over 14000 sq deg will be measured during the life of the experiment. A new prime focus corrector for the KPNO Mayall telescope will deliver light to 5000 fiber optic positioners. The fibers, in turn, feed ten broad-band spectrographs. We will describe the broadband AR coating (360 nm to 980nm) that was applied to the lenses of the camera system for DESI using ion assisted deposition techniques in a 3 m coating chamber. The camera has 6 lenses ranging in diameter from 0.8 m to 1.14 m, weighing from 84 kg to 237 kg and made from fused silica or BK7. The size and shape of the surfaces provided challenges in design, uniformity control, handling, tooling and process control. Single surface average transmission and minimum transmission met requirements. The varied optical surfaces and angle of incidence considerations meant the uniformity of the coating was of prime concern. The surface radius of curvature (ROC) for the 12 surfaces ranged from nearly flat to a ROC of 611 mm and a sag of 140 mm. One lens surface has an angle of incidence variation from normal incidence to 40°. Creating a design with a larger than required bandwidth to compensate for the non-uniformity and angle variation created the ability to reduce the required coating uniformity across the lens and a single design to be used for all common substrate surfaces. While a perfectly uniform coating is often the goal it is usually not practicable or cost effective for highly curved surfaces. The coating chamber geometry allowed multiple radial positions of the deposition sources as well as substrate height variability. Using these two variables we were able to avoid using any masking to achieve the uniformity required to meet radial and angle performance goals. Very broadband AR coatings usually have several very thin and optically important layers. The DESI coating design has layers approaching 3 nm in thickness. Having sensitive thin layers in the design meant controlling layer thickness and azimuthal variation were critical to manufacturing repeatability. Through use of strategically placed quartz crystal monitors combined with stable deposition plumes, the manufacturing variability was reduced to acceptable levels. Low deposition rates and higher rotation rates also provided some stability to azimuthal variation.
Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal rapid eye movement sleep. It affects about 0.05% of the Caucasian population. Human narcolepsy involves the interaction of environmental factors with a specific immunogenetic background. It is tightly associated with a major histocompatibility complex allele, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQB1*0602. Genetic factors other than HLA are also involved. In contrast, narcolepsy in Dobermans is transmitted as a single autosomal recessive trait. This canine narcolepsy gene is unlinked to the major histocompatibility complex class II but co-segregates with a DNA segment with high homology to the human immunoglobulin μ-switch sequence, further suggesting immunopathology in narcolepsy. However, attempts to demonstrate that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease have been unsuccessful. Narcolepsy is treated with antidepressants for rapid eye movement sleep-related symptoms and with amphetamine-like stimulants for sleepiness. Pharmacological studies using narcoleptic canines indicate that monoaminergic and cholinergic systems are involved in the pathophysiology of narcolepsy. Dopaminergic uptake mechanisms and D2(3) autoreceptors are involved in the control of alertness, whereas adrenergic uptake mechanisms, α-1 and α-2/dopaminergic D2(3) receptors, are involved in the control of cataplexy, suggesting that amphetamine-like stimulants act via the dopaminergic system and that antidepressants exhibit their anticataplectic effects via the adrenergic system. Local drug perfusion studies indicate that D2(3) agonists in the ventral tegmental area induce cataplexy and sleepiness in narcoleptic dogs but not in control dogs. Furthermore, perfusion of M2 agonists in the pontine reticular formation and the basal forebrain induces cataplexy in narcoleptic dogs. Extracellular single-unit and acetylcholine measurement studies suggest that basal forebrain cholinoceptive sites mediate the emotional trigger for cataplexy. Although narcolepsy does not seem to be a classical autoimmune disease, concomitant increases in microglial HLA class II expression with the development of the disease occur in canine narcolepsy. A neuroimmune-related process at an early age is thus likely to contribute to the neurochemical imbalance seen in narcolepsy. NEUROSCIENTIST 4:133–143, 1998
5-aminolevulinic acid mediated changes in tissue specific fluorescence were studied in bladder cancer. Bladders of normal patients and also patients diagnosed with cancer were instilled with 5-aminolevulinic acid and the resultant protoporphyrin IX mediated fluorescence intensity was imaged and quantified with confocal laser microscopy and fluorescence image analysis. Urothelial tumour cells were observed to fluoresce more intensely than normal urothelial cells. Submucosa and muscle tissues exhibited minimal fluorescence compared to urothelial cells of malignant origin and also normal urothelial cells. Degree of fluorescence intensity was in the order of malignant urothelium > normal urothelium > normal submucosa > normal muscles. Fluorescence intensity was also found to increase with duration of ALA instillation. Grade 3 malignant cells produced more fluorescence compared to grade 2 and grade 1. Similarly, T1 transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) showed increased fluorescence intensity than that of Ta TCC. Also, tumour blood vessels fluoresced more intensely compared to blood vessels found in normal bladder tissue. Tissue specific ALA mediated PpIX micro fluorescence can be used as a diagnostic technique for early detection of neoplasms and confocal laser microscopy and fluorescence image analysis are advantageous diagnostic tools for the photodynamic diagnosis of bladder neoplasms in vivo.
We study the unstable cohomology of the mapping class groups Ng of non-orientable surfaces of genus g. In particular, we determine for all genus g and all primes p when the group Ng is p-periodic. To this purpose we show that Ng is a subgroup of the mapping class group Γg−1 of an orientable surface of genus g − 1 and deduce that Ng has finite virtual cohomological dimension. Furthermore, we describe precisely which finite groups of odd order are subgroups of Ng .
Since the partitions 1 + 2 + 4 and 7 contain an odd number of summands, they are called odd partitions, whereas the other three partitions are called even. Add the smallest numbers of the odd partitions, 1 + 7= 8, and do the same for the smallest numbers of the even partitions, 1 + 2 + 3 = 6. The difference between these two sums, 8 6 = 2, is exactly the number of divisors of the prime 7. In the sequel, p(n) denotes the sum of the smallest numbers of odd partitions of n minus the smallest numbers of even partitions of n, and d(n) denotes the number of divisors of n. For small numbers n, it is easy to check that p(n) equals d(n). This is not a coincidence; we shall see that it is a general relation between the smallest numbers of partitions into unequal parts and the number of divisors.
The development of modern spintronics materials ushered the need for novel characterization tools capable of characterizing nanometer-sized spin textures. Neutrons are a convenient probe for this task due to their angstrom-sized wavelengths, electric neutrality and robustly controllable spin state. Recent research has focused on enabling access to new degrees of freedom in order to provide a neutron toolbox capable of characterizing emerging materials. This includes the development of tomography techniques for characterizing the 3D bulk spin textures and the techniques for creating neutron helical and skyrmion-like spin-orbit states. Here we provide a concise overview of this work and discuss future prospects and applications.
Thermal noise is one of the most important challenges in analogue intergrated circuits design. This problem is more critical in switched capacitor (Sc) filters due to the aliasing effect of wide band thermal noise. In these circuits, switching introduces a boost in the power spectral density of the thermal noise due to aliasing. Unfortunately, even though the theory of noise in Sc circuits is discussed in the literature, it is very tedious and requires highly sophisticated and not widely available software. The purpose of this paper is twofold. It provides a tutorial description of the physical phenomena taking place in anSc circuit while it processes noise. It also proposes some specialized but highly efficient algorithms for estimating the resulting sampled noise in Sc circuits, which need only simple calculations. A practical design procedure, which follows directly from the estimate, is also described. The accuracy of the proposed estimation algorithms is verified by simulation using spectre RF. As an example, it is applied to the estimation of the total thermal noise in a second order lowdistortion delta sigma converter.
Thirteen issues involved in King-Anderson-type legislation were discussed in a speech on April 20, 1963, before the National Legislative Conference1: Semantic double talk vs the truth Compulsion vs voluntarism Economic status of the aged Voluntary vs government enterprise Socialist health care vs the free-market approach Federal vs federal-state financing for the needy Federal vs voluntary financing for the nonneedy The moral issue—use of heavy regressive taxes on younger workers to pay for health-care costs of the elderly, rich and poor alike Payroll taxes vs personal and corporate income taxes in financing federal health care of the elderly The federal government and the states Quality care and political medicine The political issue—winning the votes of the elderly The cost issue These are all of continuing importance, but in the weeks that lie ahead, the following deserve special
In the process of 3D regeneration from stereo images, a disparity map can be determined by matching the same objects on the stereo image pair. However, different light conditions of an image pair, such as exposure, illumination, and illuminant color, usually compromise the accuracy of matching. This usually occurs when taking outdoor images. In this paper, we propose a preprocessing method to improve condition of image to build disparity map with less effect from varying light conditions. Stereo images from the Middlebury dataset is used to test our method. We used LogRGB algorithm as a baseline. Compared to the ground truth, experimental results show that our method performs the 3.02% RMS error and 4.0% percentage of bad matching while 3.47% RMS error and 6.9% bad matching for LogRGB.
Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic neoplasm. Tumor suppressors have a magnificent role in preventing the AML process. The absolute lymphocyte count is a simple yet statistically powerful estimate in patients with acute leukemia besides the lymphocyte’s percentage. Aim: Investigating the prognostic value of absolute lymphocyte count, lymphocyte percentage, serum albumin, the aberrant expression of CD7and CD19 and the tumor suppressor genes (PTEN and p53) in patients with AML. Methods: 35 de novo AML patients were included. They received the standard induction chemotherapy (3+7 protocol) and were followed up for one year after treatment. 15 normal healthy individuals, age and sex matched constituted the controls.Results: The mean overall survival of patients with lymphocyte percentage ≤25 was low compared to those with high lymphocyte percentage (>25%) (χ2 =5.808, P=0.016). AML patients with low levels of ALC showed significantly shorter overall survival than patients with high levels (χ2 =4.587, P= 0.032). AML patients with low serum albumin were of low overall survival compared to those with normal level (χ2 =8.698, P=0.003). Patients with aberrant CD7 expression showed short survival and unresponsiveness to treatment than CD7 negative patients. PTEN gene expression and p53 protein level were significantly lower in AML patients compared to the control group.Conclusion: The decrease in ALC, lymphocyte percentage, albumin concentration and the increase in monocyte percentage indicates bad prognosis in AML patients. The Aberrant CD7 expression, very low expression of PTEN and low level of p53 could estimate the unresponsiveness to standard chemotherapy.
A magnetometer using a symmetric rf-biased SQUID (Superconducting quantum interference device) is described. The instrument has been designed for magnetization measurements of small single crystals at low magnetic fields in the temperature range 4.2-400 K. At low temperatures the sensitivity in magnetic moments is 2 × 10-12 Am2 or 2 × 10-9 emu, which is equivalent to Δχ = 10-7 SI with sample volume 3 mm3 at 0.01 T (100 Oe).
Thermal management for instrumentation on shuttle pallets or proposed space platforms requires a system capable of accepting or rejecting heat to various instruments in different physical locations. This paper presents a review of the current, two-phase pumping mechanisms being considered. Techniques for the determination of the required pumping power needed for the removal of a predetermined quantity of heat using a two-phase system are presented and evaluated along with a discussion of the flow regimes occurring in pumped two-phase fluids in micro-£ environments. Six different concepts for achieving the required pumping power are presented and compared based upon factors such as power requirements, control, life expectancy, system complexity, and technology readiness.
Using V as the time-delay operator, a linear invariant time-delay system is expressed by a quadruple (A(δ)), B(δ) C(V) D(V)) with the matrices over a polynomial ring in V. This paper studies the decoupling and coefficient assignment of such a system. For a class of time-delay systems non-controllable over the polynomial ring in V but controllable over the field of rational functions in V, we present sufficient conditions under which the system characteristic polynomial may be determined arbitrarily by feasible control laws. Two examples are investigated to illustrate the theory.
Many retailers have started to integrate online and store channels (such as BOPS) in order to enhance the consumer experience. This paper studies a decision problem of when it is preferable for a dual-channel retailer to introduce BOPS strategy. Based on the utility functions, we develop a model to investigate the interplay between the monopolist retailer and consumers. Our results show that the introduction of BOPS has two aspects of influence: intensifying channel competition and eliminating the effects of cross-selling. Besides, we find that BOPS is not always beneficial to the retailer. Especially for the store, when the impact of cross-selling is too large or too small, introducing BOPS actually damages the store's profit. Keywords—omnichannel retailing; BOPS;channel competition; cross-selling; return
The eye is an immune privileged tissue that insulates the visual system from local and systemic immune provocation to preserve homeostatic functions of highly specialized retinal neural cells. If immune privilege is breached, immune stimuli will invade the eye and subsequently trigger acute inflammatory responses. Local resident microglia become active and release numerous immunological factors to protect the integrity of retinal neural cells. Although acute inflammatory responses are necessary to control and eradicate insults to the eye, chronic inflammation can cause retinal tissue damage and cell dysfunction, leading to ocular disease and vision loss. In this review, we summarized features of immune privilege in the retina and the key inflammatory responses, factors, and intracellular pathways activated when retinal immune privilege fails, as well as a highlight of the recent clinical and research advances in ocular immunity and ocular vascular diseases including retinopathy of prematurity, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.
Recently, during a visit to a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) in a Midwestern urban high school, Jack, a lively Grade 11 student, dominated what was meant to be a discussion among students, teachers, and researchers about a storytelling project on LGBTQ issues I had helped organize two years prior. Jack had participated as a first-year student and now, a year or so later, he declared confidently and with some bravado, “This school is literally the most homophobic space I’ve ever been in.” The advisory teachers in the room struggled to suppress guffaws and gasps: they had worked tirelessly to make the school more welcoming, and Jack’s rebuke stung. But Jack’s declaration was meant to provoke. Indeed, Jack is not wrong to name his school as homophobic—for many LGBTQ youth, school sucks. Study after study documents the profound harassment LGBTQ youth face at school (c.f., Kosciw, Greytak, Palmer, & Boesen, 2014; Taylor & Peter, 2011); it can sometimes seem as though an entire research industry has mobilized behind this very sentiment, exploring just how, when, and under what conditions schools suck for LGBTQ students. The research points to a litany of ills—diminished mental well-being, social isolation, academic underachievement, and suicide (c.f., Burton, Marshal, & Chisolm, 2014; Russell, 2003; Ryan, Russell, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2010). This research has inspired a broad range of programs, policies, and legislation meant to protect LGBTQ youth from bullying and harassment. Jack’s high school has benefitted from many of these important programs—there is a GSA, a strong board equity policy, and new state anti-bullying legislation. However, the focus on preventing bullying through programs and policies risks obscuring other experiences and narratives of being LGBTQ at school. Schools do not only suck, even when they undeniably suck. They are not only sites of injury and deficit; alongside experiences of harassment and inadequacy, LGBTQ youth find opportunity, make friends, fall in love, fight with their parents, play sports, join the art club, and hang out at the GSA. Indeed, when Jack names his school homophobic, he points to another parallel reality—the deep pleasures found in recognizing and declaring that school sucks. For Jack, the experiences of identifying as queer, participating in the activities of the
Patients treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) may suffer from recurrent peritonitis episodes caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis. Early recruitment of granulocytes from the peripheral blood is important for the peritoneal antibacterial defense of CAPD patients. In this study, human peritoneal mesothelial cells were shown to produce high levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) in response to IL-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) but not lipopolysaccharide or S. epidermidis. Coculture of peritoneal macrophages with S. epidermidis induced high levels of IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and TNF alpha in 24-h-conditioned medium. Preincubation of this medium with anti-TNF alpha, anti-IL-1 alpha, or anti-IL-1 beta partially blocked stimulation of IL-8 production by mesothelial cells. Added together, these antibodies abolished IL-8 production to a level just above background. Migration of granulocytes to the stimulated mesothelial cell-conditioned medium could be totally blocked with rabbit polyclonal anti-IL-8 antibody. Thus, mesothelial cells are important for the recruitment of granulocytes into the peritoneal cavity.
Microorganisms capable of degrading Di-n-Butyl Phthalate (DBP) were isolated by acclimation and enrichment techniques. The adaptation of microorganisms to DBP was investigated. The microbial cells were immobilised onto the ceramic honeycomb supports. The DBP degradation was performed in a novel kind of bioreactor using ceramic honeycomb support as carrier for microbial immobilisation. The experimental results showed that the biomass adsorbed onto the ceramic support could reach 95 mg dry weight/g carrier. The immobilised microbial cells were used for the treatment of wastewater containing DBP. The results demonstrated that the DBP concentration of the outlet reached the stationery-state level of less than 1.0 mg/L within three days at inlet DBP concentration of 100 mg/L and 12 h of hydraulic retention time.
Background: The objective of the study was to examine the effect of long-term glycemic control, as measured by glycated hemoglobin levels (HbA1C), on the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) over a period of 10 years.Methods: Patients who were diagnosed to have type 2 diabetes mellitus participated in this cross-sectional observational study. Duration of onset of diabetes and the glycemic control status were analyzed. Fasting and postprandial blood sugar levels and HbA1C levels were tested for every participant. Diabetic retinopathy was graded as per the ETDRS guidelines using stereoscopic fundus photographs. In addition to the clinical evaluation, optical coherence tomography was done to confirm the presence of DME.Results: A total of 212 diabetic patients were enrolled in this study. One sixty-four patients (78.1%) had DR, out of which 71 patients (43.3%) had mild non proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), 42 patients (25.6%) had moderate NPDR, 31 patients (18.9%) had severe NPDR, and 20 (12.2%) had proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Fifty-nine patients with DR (36%) had DME. Duration of diabetes (14.62±6.18 vs 9.72±3.68 years, p<0.001), higher fasting blood glucose (176.79±59.13 vs 138.46±49.44 mg/dl, p<0.001) and higher HbA1c levels (8.21±1.38 vs 7.48±1.25 %, p=0.002) were significantly associated with DR.Conclusions: The stage of diabetic retinopathy rather than metabolic status is a strong predictive factor for the development of diabetic macular edema.
Sand-wave structures of both progressive (downstream migrating) and regressive (upstream migrating) types occur within the same pyroclastic-surge deposit at both Roccamonfina volcano (southern Italy) and Sugarloaf Mountain (Arizona, United States). Both "wet" and "dry" surge deposits are described that contain examples of regressive and progressive sandwave structures. At Sugarloaf Mountain progressive and regressive sand waves occur within metres of each other within the same bedset, indicating that penecontemporaneous deposition of the two different sand-wave structures occurred in close proximity. On the basis of this evidence it is suggested that the migration direction of sand waves in these pyroclastic-surge deposits is controlled by the flow regime of the surge cloud rather than the temperature and/or moisture content.
depression under the fault-cap rock dual control, this paper is base on the material of Xujiaweizi which includes threedimensional seismic processing results interpretation of logging curves outcrop core observation and analytical test in laboratory, Analysis of the lithology, distribution and brittle ductile characteristics of ductile brittle of Xujiaweizi depression, evaluating sealing property of cap rock, studying deformation mechanism of the fracture in patch of cap rock, analyzing the top sealing ability and vertical adjustment of gas. Study on the internal structure of the fracture zone, analyzing sealing mechanism of different types of fault, establishing quantitative sealing evaluation method on corresponding fault, and quantitatively evaluating fault sealing in gas reservoir controlled by fault, research on the correlativity between fault sealing and gas distribution, systematically summarize the forming models of gas controlled by different fault-cap rock passage system. There are three main types of deep gas cap rock in Xujiaweizi fault depression, and they are mud stone, volcanic rock and clayey breccia. Mudstone is mainly distributed in the 1st and 2nd Member of Quantou Formation, the 4th,3rd and 2nd Member of Denglouku Formation, it is primarily regional cap rock of deep gas in Xujiaweizi fault depression. Volcanic rock is mainly distributed in the 1st and 3rd Member of Yingcheng Formation and clayey breccia is mainly distributed in the 4th Member of Yingcheng, both of them constitute Yingcheng group’s gas top locality cap rock in Xujiaweizi fault depression. Volcani crock and clayey breccia are intercalary strata at the 1st and 3rd Member of Yingcheng. Taking into account the formation and evolution of the sealing capacity of cap rock. During Quantou group’s late deposition and Qingshankouzu group’s early deposition, the 1st Member of Yingcheng top local cap rock , and the 2nd Member of Denglouku Formation and the 1st and 2nd Member of Quantou Formation cap rock had entered the late diagenesis A subage period, and keeped in plastic state with strong sealing ability. The cap rock did not produce a large number of cracks and lost the sealing ability with fracture activity. During the Mingshui group last phase, the deep cap rack had common entered the late diagenesis B subage period, the cap rock was dehydration and brittle, If there was a large scale fault activity, will produce a large number of cracks and cap rock sealing ability will be lost. While Qingshankou group’s cap rock was in strong closed stage at the late diagenesis A subage period, the deep gas at inversion structure belt was adjusted into Fuyang reservoirs to accumulate. According to the role of the vertical adjustment of natural gas, the intensely activity fault in late Quantou deposition early Qingshankou deposition prompted a large-scale natural gas vertical migration. Fault often dislocate mixed rock cap on the top of volcanic rock, gas source fault, as well as the unconformity between the 4th Member of Yingcheng Formation conglomerate and the lower volcanic rocks constitutes the deep gas conduit system. The migration pattern of natural gas is a short distance along the unconformity lateral migration following the vertical migration. lateral migration areas are mainly distributed in the ancient central uplift belt and Xujiaweizi rift convergence of the site. Natural gas in controlled by the 2nd Member of Denglouku Formation, appearing multi-layer aggregation. Although the mixed rock cap on top of volcanic rock was cutted by the faults in Key Time, resulting in poor vertical sealing capability in the fault zone, industrial air is still found in Yingcheng Formation, indicating that this volcanic cap plays a role of seal to prevent a large number of hydrocarbon diffusion HE Jia, FU Xiaofei, LIU Bo, MENG Lingdong, WANG Haixue and HE Bo, 2015. Fault-caprock dual control hydrocarbon accumulation regularity in Volcanic Rocks in Xujiaweizi Fault Depression. Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition), 89(supp.): 245-246.
Abstract A preliminary study on the feeding of Heteropneustes fossilis in Diyala river revealed that in Autumn, Pisces were the major food items in the large lenght ranges, whereas Chironomidae. and Oilgochaeta were the dominant groups in younger fish. However, during spring the major food items were chironomids. Occurance and frquency of occrance of the major food items are given. Lenght‐weight relationship during two seasons are also given.
Successful endurance performance requires the integration of multiple physiological and psychological systems, working together to regulate exercise intensity in a way that will reduce time taken or increase work done. The systems that ultimately limit performance of the task are hotly contested, and may depend on a variety of factors including the type of task, the environment, external influences, training status of the individual and a host of psychological constructs. These factors can be studied in isolation, or inclusively as a whole-body or integrative system. A reductionist approach has traditionally been favored, leading to a greater understanding and emphasis on muscle and cardiovascular physiology, but the role of the brain and how this integrates multiple systems is gaining momentum. However, these differing approaches may have led to false dichotomy, and now with better understanding of both fields, there is a need to bring these perspectives together.
Let X be a pure-jump subordinator (i.e. nondecreasing Lévy process with no drift) with infinite Lévy measure, let X ε be the sum of jumps not exceeding ε, and let µ(ε)=E[X ε(1)]. We study the question of weak convergence of X ε/µ(ε) as ε ↓0, in terms of the limit behavior of µ(ε)/ε. The most interesting case reduces to the weak convergence of X ε/ε to a subordinator whose marginals are generalized Dickman distributions; we give some necessary and sufficient conditions for this to hold. For a certain significant class of subordinators for which the latter convergence holds, and whose most prominent representative is the gamma process, we give some detailed analysis regarding the convergence quality (in particular, in the context of approximating X itself). This paper completes, in some respects, the study made by Asmussen and Rosiński (2001).
We have analysed the electro-optical behaviour at 1550 nm of a new polymer and liquid crystal composite, realized in form of a thick grating. This composite is known as Policryps, acronym that stands for "Polymer Liquid Crystals Polymer Slides", because it shows a sequence of polymeric sheets alternated by layers containing only liquid crystal. Thus, by its intrinsic nature a Policryps is realized in form of grating. It is known that Policryps gratings may have a good diffraction efficiency at 633 nm and they can be electrically switched between the diffracting and non-diffracting states, with time response in the millisecond range. Eventually, Policryps may form a key component in photonic devices for use in telecom applications. With this aim, we made an optical characterization in the telecom C-band of the very first samples produced by University of Calabria (Cosenza, Italy) with this material. We measured the diffraction efficiency versus temperature and applied voltage. We also made a dynamical characterization of the grating switching. By comparison among the results obtained in the red and in the Near Infra-Red (NIR) regions, respectively, we got important information for designing and realizing Policryps samples optimised for working in the C-band.
Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the partial substitution of urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive by fungal biomass (FB) and soy flour (SF) for plywood (PW) fabrication. For this purpose, three substitute rates of 5%, 10%, and 15% based on the dry weight of UF were examined. The physical properties, functional groups, and thermo-stability of the adhesives were characterized as well as three-ply PW panels bonded with the adhesives were evaluated in terms of water absorption (WA), thickness swelling (TS), dry and wet shear strength, and formaldehyde emission (FE). The results show that FB and SF lead in higher viscosity and longer gel time than UF adhesive. The UF and UF modified with FB and SF showed similar Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectral patterns. In addition, fully cured FB-containing UF adhesive possessed higher thermal stability compared to UF and UF + SF adhesives. The results revealed that the partial replacement of UF adhesive with FB and SF has no significant negative effect on the dimensional stability of PW panels. The partial replacement of UF adhesive with FB and SF, particularly in substitute rate of 10% and 15%, did significantly reduce the FE while not significantly influencing the shear strength under both dry and wet conditions. Eventually, the FB-containing UF adhesive presented similar good performance and lower FE compared with UF and UF + SF adhesives. Hence, FB can be a promising natural raw material to use in wood adhesives with acceptable performance.
Abstract Interfaith engagement provokes discomfort and concern for many student affairs professionals who feel unprepared to facilitate constructive, interactive initiatives regarding the challenging area of religious and worldview diversity. Goodman, Giess, and Patel respond to these challenges with Education About Religious Diversity and Interfaith Engagement: A Handbook for Student Affairs, which they intend as a practical guidebook for practitioners to develop professionally and create effective programs that contribute to their diverse campus communities. Their edited work highlights a model of religious pluralism, inclusive of all religious, spiritual, and secular worldviews, and recommends numerous efforts to strive toward that ideal. Their work represents a valuable resource for student affairs professionals in addressing the complex dynamics inherent in interfaith work, an arena that needs substantial attention within the context of a divided and polarized American and global society.
This dissertation examines human-environment interactions in the Florianopolis city-region, Santa Catarina State, Brazil from a just sustainability perspective. I construct an in-depth historical narrative of social and landscape transformations and offer an account of the diverse origins of this expanding metropolis. This historical narrative provides the context for understanding contemporary demographic change, metropolitan land-use, forest-transition dynamics, sociospatial inequalities, legal-institutional reforms, and democratic practice. Employing a multiscalar methodological approach, I integrate documentary research, aerial photos, interviews, participant observation, and site visits. I analyze social and ecological data at nested spatial and organizational scales ranging from neighborhoods to national and global arenas. Results suggest that the Florianopolis city-region has experienced a forest transition from a period of net deforestation caused by extractive and agricultural activities to a period of net forest recovery. Forest recovery has resulted from tree planting with exotic species and the 'spontaneous' regeneration of secondary forests. Exotic tree monocultures have been planted since the 1960s. Much of the forest regeneration has occurred since the 1980s during a period characterized by decline in agricultural land use, real estate speculation, and the establishment of conservation units and other types of land-use restrictions. The environmental services and amenities associated with the protected-area network have contributed to the ongoing viability of local tourism development and rising real estate prices in well-located neighborhoods. Middle- and upper-income housing construction has accelerated since the 1990s, converting parcels to residential or commercial subdivisions in suburban and peri-urban landscapes. Low-income, self-provisioned, informal settlements have emerged and expanded on 'marginal,' 'peripheral,' and 'precarious' lands, often in locations legally defined as environmentally protected areas and that lack sanitation services. This process of urban dualization has resulted in socioenvironmental injustices by reinforcing and exacerbating differential access to life opportunities and environmental services as well as differential exposure to environmental hazards. I conclude with a discussion of land quality, uneven development, uneven valuation of ecosystems, participatory democracy, possible future scenarios, policy implications, unresolved issues, and suggestions for future research.%%%%
It is important to establish water treatment technologies for drinking water because Korea belongs to water-stressed country. Leachate from recent incident of foot-and-mouth disease has become an opportunity to be aware of the need to manage water quality. Water purifiers are adopted to four or five steps of filtration process. Each steps are composed of a sediment filter, a pre-carbon filter, an UF or a RO membrane filter and a post-carbon filter. And additionally a ceramic filter can be used as a final stage. In this study, operational conditions in each steps are examined and characteristics of each filters are investigated. SEM analysis is used for filter surface and shape investigation using 6 commercial samples. Pore sizes of the sediment filter, the UF membrane filter, and the RO membrane filter are 30~47 , 0.005~0.5 , and 0.025~0.25 , respectively. Specific surface areas of activated carbons are ranged from 622 to 1,308 .
AVR on an electric generator is a device that serves to maintain the stability of the generator output voltage. KP Shark 06 suffered AVR damage twice in 2017 which affected the operations of the ship so it is necessary to analyze the cause of the damage. The steps to analyze the causes of AVR damage starts from the factor of overload on the electricity generator, the working condition of the electric generator and the motor driving factor of the electric generator. Based on observations and calculations of the ship's electricity load, it is known that there is no overload of electric generators, ie the average per day / hour of power used is 6,009.75 Watt, where the available power is 17,600 Watt (generator efficiency 34.14%). While the work of the generator is observed normally based on the results of the measurement of the electric current produced by the generator. It was concluded that the cause of AVR damage was due to the generator driving motor which experienced a decrease in performance so that when subjected to electric load the engine rotation experienced instability which caused voltage fluctuations where this caused the AVR to work abnormally resulting in AVR damage. After repairs to the generator drive engine during ship docking, the engine rotation of the electric generator drive motor becomes more stable and the working function of the AVR becomes more normal.
We report the development of a new strategy for the chemical analysis of live cells based on protein spherical nucleic acids (ProSNAs). The ProSNA architecture enables analyte detection via the highly programmable nucleic acid shell or a functional protein core. As a proof-of-concept, we use an i-motif as the nucleic acid recognition element to probe pH in living cells. By interfacing the i-motif with a forced-intercalation readout, we introduce a quencher-free approach that is resistant to false-positive signals, overcoming limitations associated with conventional fluorophore/quencher-based gold NanoFlares. Using glucose oxidase as a functional protein core, we show activity-based, amplified sensing of glucose. This enzymatic system affords greater than 100-fold fluorescence turn on in buffer, is selective for glucose in the presence of close analogs (i.e., glucose-6-phosphate), and can detect glucose above a threshold concentration of ∼5 μM, which enables the study of relative changes in intracellular glucose concentrations.
The designer of electrical power systems needs rules of thumb to maintain a full understanding of the circuits sizing and of the results obtained adopting available software programs. At this aim, it appears useful to consider characteristic current densities for the conductors in a tentative of a new approach. Steady current densities support the criteria of sizing the circuits for their continuous operation in the time and for their configuration in the load “space” of the system. Transient current densities characterize the cables withstand behavior. The paper identifies withstand electrical charge densities for overcurrents in relation to assigned intervals of overtemperature. For each assumed transient time, the current densities in the conductors are admissible until they accumulate a charge density not greater than the withstand value.
An extensive study was conducted of students’ explanations written in response to ‘what if...?’ questions in elementary mechanics. The study showed that the structure of students’ explanations yields roughly the same ranking of students as do problem‐solving tests, but in addition provides a wealth of insights into (1) context dependence and categorization in students’ use of concepts, (2) the effect of misconceptions on context dependence, and (3) the types of explanations that students tend to produce. A follow‐up study, in which students were presented with pairs of pre‐written explanations to ‘what if...?’ questions and asked to indicate a preference, showed that students do not necessarily prefer the types of explanations they write, and have greater difficulty assessing the correctness of explanations that are counter to preference type. Evidence is presented that, for many students, the links between physics thinking and real‐world thinking are all too tenuous.
It is well established that cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) changes the size of high density lipoproteins (HDL) during incubation in vitro It has been suggested that HDL·CETP·HDL ternary complex formation is involved in these changes. The present results, which are consistent with CETP changing the size of spherical reconstituted HDL (rHDL) by a mechanism involving fusion, support the ternary complex hypothesis. When rHDL containing a core of cholesteryl esters and either three molecules of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I/particle, (A-I)rHDL, or six molecules of apoA-II/particle, (A-II)rHDL, were incubated individually with CETP, their respective diameters decreased from 9.4 to 7.8 nm and from 9.8 to 8.8 nm. The small (A-I)rHDL and (A-II)rHDL contained, respectively, two molecules of apoA-I/particle and four molecules of apoA-II/particle. As all of the rHDL lipids and apolipoproteins were quantitatively recovered at the end of the incubations, it was apparent that there was a 50% increase in the number of particles. This increase in the number of particles can be explained as follows: (i) sequential binding of two rHDL to CETP to generate a ternary complex, (ii) fusion of the rHDL in the ternary complex, and (iii) rearrangement of the fusion product into three small particles. Various spectroscopic techniques were used to show that the small rHDL were structurally distinct from the original rHDL. These results provide the first evidence that CETP mediates the fusion of spherical rHDL.
Precessional switching can be used to selectively write a cell in a matrix of soft magnetic elements organized following a magnetic random access memory (MRAM) architecture. We model the required addressing strategy using a fully analytical formalism. We describe the magnetization trajectories for field combinations leading to nonswitching, switching, and switching with bounce occurrence, assuming a cell being a lossless macrospin with uniaxial in-plane anisotropy. We find quite simple and rather accurate (±0.7%) analytical equivalents of the so-called dynamical astroid. The latter had been so far determined solely by numerical integrations of the Landau–Lifchitz equation and subsequent dichotomy. Additional heuristic arguments are used to derive the characteristic time scales of the reversal process, which unravels the physics of the magnetization reversal rate along the magnetization vector trajectory. Our analytical study is a useful guideline to assess which field magnitudes and timings lead to reliab...
Summary Ss' responses to tachistoscopic exposures of self-photographs have been suggested as one approach to self-images without awareness. Sixty-three Ss completed a Q sort for themselves and after tachistoscopic exposure of their own and control photographs, for the persons in the photographs. Ss also completed the Structured-Objective Rorschach Test and Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank. The self was sorted most favorably, the control tachistoscopic exposure significantly less favorably, and the self tachistoscopic exposure significantly less favorably than the control. These differences were found to be related to sex and adjustment measured with the Rotter. The SORT correlated insignificantly with Q sort and Rotter.
Many applications of electrokinetic remediation have focused on the removal of heavy metals. However, the application of electrokinetic technology in salt removal from contaminated soils and groundwater has not been extensively explored. Given the current global challenge and the impact of soil and groundwater salinity, it is tempting to suggest that the research community should apply this technology to generate in-depth knowledge for determining the feasibility and efficiency of electrokinetic remediation in salt removal, particularly in addressing seawater intrusion in coastal aquifers, which is creating growing challenges in the freshwater supply, mainly in coastal and arid regions, in view of growing populations, economic and industrial growth, and climate change. This Review shows that there is a need to begin formulating a knowledge base about categories of materials, efficiencies, and limitations. Furthermore, the viability of this technology in the real field suggests a need to gain more insight into electrokinetic applications in this area. The versatility of electrokinetic remediation in different settings is demonstrated in this Review, as is its capability to address diverse remediation challenges. The available literature is critically assessed; novel and improved electrokinetic remediation and the important trends in this field are outlined. The Review aims to summarize the evolution and current status of electrokinetic remediation research with a view of starting a debate around the possibility of applying it as a pretreatment mechanism to control seawater intrusion.
Background: Zn deficiency was predominant in soils of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, which causes yield reduction in most of the crops especially in finger millet. Zinc has important role in enzyme activation viz., oxidoreductase, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases and ligases. The deficient soil gives us the zinc deficient food which is said to be the major root cause for malnutrition among the children. Hence present study was intended to find out most appropriate method and time of zinc fertilization for higher productivity, grain quality and zinc fortification with two major finger millet varieties viz., vakula and tirumala. Methods: The field experiment was laid out in split plot design with three replications and two varieties viz., vakula (V1) and tirumala (V2) with seven zinc application treatments which includes: control (T1); NPK (30-30-20) + FYM @ 10t ha-1 (T2); T2 + soil application (SA) of ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 as basal (T3); T2 + SA of chelated zinc sulphate @ 5 kg ha-1 as basal (T4); T2 + FA of 0.2% ZnSO4 at ear head emergence stage (T5); T2 + foliar application (FA) of 0.2% ZnSO4 at grain filling stage (T6); T2 + FA of 0.2% ZnSO4 at ear head emergence and grain filling stages (T7). Result: Foliar application of 0.2% ZnSO4 at ear head emergence and grain filling stages registered significantly highest grain and straw yield of 3150 kg ha-1 and 7364 kg ha-1, respectively compared to control and other zinc fertilization treatments. Between the two tested varieties tirumala variety recorded higher grain yield (2298 kg ha-1) compared to vakula variety (2230 kg ha-1).
According to the application research in the information system and the rules of construction on domain ontology, this paper proposed the conception of adding the financial domain ontology to the existing public sentiment monitoring system for financial securities and built the system architecture based on ontology to resolve the problems such as the integration of heterogeneous data, domain information sharing, the communication among netizens by using different terminology, the intelligence of providing public sentiment and the phenomenon of noise, which laid the foundation of realizing the artificial intelligence technology. With the help of the existing system, the paper focused on introducing the construction and formation of domain ontology and describing the integration between domain ontology and system, based on which a semantic system would be formed and the final result would be predicted.
To increase institutional effectiveness and enhance student success, the three community colleges of Baltimore County, Maryland (Catonsville, Dundalk, and Essex), consolidated to become a single multicampus, learning-centered institution, The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC). The new community college, now the state's largest, serves more than 27,000 credit and 33,000 noncredit students each year. LearningFIRST, the strategic plan for fiscal years 1999-2003, provides the vision and direction for creating a premier learning college for the 21st century. CCBC has developed numerous successful projects and programs as a result of this strategic plan. Among them are the Council on Innovation and Student Learning, the Learning Outcomes Assessment program, the Virtual Academy program and the Weekend College program. This article stresses the importance of developing a comprehensive institutional assessment system to evaluate the effectiveness of all college operations and of adapting indicators, eva...
Mirollia species from China are discussed with six new species described. The male stridulatory structures and abdominal terminalia are used as the main taxonomic characters. The species are: M. maculosus sp. nov., M. terminalis sp. nov., M. petiolulata sp. nov., M. acutilobata sp. nov., M. amplecta sp. nov. and M. unispina sp. nov. Two species are reported as new records for China, namely M. caligata Ingrisch, 1998 and M. hexapinna Ingrisch, 1998, the female of M. deficientis Gorochov, 2005 is described for the first time. A key to species and a distribution map for the genus Mirollia in China are provided. All specimens are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University.
Unstable fractures generally occur in brittle materials under low-temperature service conditions. Toughness and welding residual stress are the main factors that should be evaluated when defining a brittle crack propagation path. In this study, a rainbow welding technique was proposed and confirmed as being significantly useful in preventing unstable fractures in weld joints. The residual compressive stress in the crack front was particularly useful for decreasing the possibility of brittle fracture. The objective was to examine the effect of high welding consumable toughness welding residual stress, especially for avoiding brittle fracture through welding residual compressive stress.
This paper-condensed from a research thesis*-the first part of which appeared in May, is a first report on a current research project in the postgraduate Department of Engineering Production in the University of Birmingham. The work is being carried out on a Churchill 8 in.×16 in. plain surface grinding machine equipped with a specially designed dynamometer capable of operating at a maximum table traverse speed of 38 ft. per minute under wet grinding conditions. To indicate the need for this investigation and the significance of the preliminary findings, this paper begins with a survey of previous work.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive, chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease. Pro-inflammatory molecules, activated lymphocytes, and the migration of inflammatory cells are important in the development of RA. There are many unknown causes of RA. And there are many patients who are refractory to treatment with known disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. So, unknown cause of RA needs to be elucidated.CD70 is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily and a ligand for CD27. The interaction of CD70 with its receptor CD27 promotes expansion and differentiation of memory and effector T cells as well as B-cell expansion and plasma cell differentiation. Hypoxia is an important micro-environmental factor in RA synovium. Hypoxia induces activation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF). The expression of HIF-2α is up-regulated in human RA synovium. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of RA.In this study, we tried to examine the presence of CD70 in RA synovium and investigate the role of CD70 in the development of RA associated with HIF-2α and ROS.Fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS), peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) were used for experiments. FLS was stimulated with recombinant human (rh)-IL-17 and rh-TNF-α. N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) was used as a ROS scavenger. HIF-2α inhibitor (PT-2385) was used for examine the effect of HIF-2α in RA-FLS. RT-PCR, qPCR, western blotting, flow-cytometry, ELISA, cell migration assay, and scratch wound assay were performed.CD70 mRNA is present and elevated by stimulation with IL-17 and TNF-α in both RA-FLS and osteoarthritis (OA)-FLS (Fig 1). CD70 also expresses on the surface of RA-FLS and OA FLS (Fig 2). CD70 expression on the surface of FLS is elevated by stimulation with IL-17 and TNF-α in both RA and OA. Soluble CD27 is present higher in the supernatant of RA-SF than OA-SF (Fig 3). HIF-2α mRNA, HIF-2α protein, and the amount of ROS were all elevated after treatment with IL-17 and TNF-α in RA-FLS (Fig 4, Fig 5). CD70 expression and the amount of ROS were lowered by treatment with HIF-2α inhibitor in RA-FLS (Fig 6). Decreased amount of ROS results in decreased CD70 expression on the RA-FLS (Fig 7). CD70 influenced on cell migration directly or by HIF-2α (Fig 8).In this study, we found the function of CD70 in RA-FLS associated with HIF-2α and ROS. First, CD70 on RA-FLS interacts with CD27 in the RA-SF and this interaction produces sCD27 (Fig. 9) and CD70 has an influence on the migration of RA-FLS. Second, IL-17 and TNF-α are critical factors to trigger the expression of CD70, HIF-2α and ROS in RA synovium. Third, CD70 is regulated by HIF-2α associated with ROS. From these results, we suggest that CD70 may be a new therapeutic target of RA. And sCD27 also may be an important diagnostic maker of RA.[1]Lundy SK, Sarkar S, Tesmer LA, Fox DA. Cells of the synovium in rheumatoid arthritis. T lymphocytes. Arthritis Res Ther. 2007;9(1):202.[2]Nevius E, Gomes AC, Pereira JP. Inflammatory Cell Migration in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comprehensive Review. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2016;51(1):59-78.[3]Bowman MR, Crimmins MA, Yetz-Aldape J, Kriz R, Kelleher K, Herrmann S. The cloning of CD70 and its identification as the ligand for CD27. J Immunol. 1994;152(4):1756-61.[4]Kitajima S, Lee KL, Fujioka M, Sun W, You J, Chia GS, et al. Hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha up-regulates CD70 under hypoxia and enhances anchorage-independent growth and aggressiveness in cancer cells. Oncotarget. 2018;9(27):19123-35.[5]Gaber T, Dziurla R, Tripmacher R, Burmester GR, Buttgereit F. Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) in rheumatology: low O2! See what HIF can do! Ann Rheum Dis. 2005;64(7):971-80.None declared
Monoclonal antibodies recently developed against the 42,000-dalton protein of two rotavirus strains were used in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the subgroup specificity of 252 specimens collected during a 45-month period from Venezuelan children with rotavirus gastroenteritis. Subgroup 2 rotavirus was shed by 85% of the children, whereas only 14% shed subgroup 1 rotavirus (one-half of them in a 3-month period). No differences were found in the occurrence of fever and vomiting between children shedding either rotavirus subgroup, but it appeared that the syndrome tended to last longer in children shedding subgroup 2 rotavirus. The monoclonal subgrouping enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay seemed to be more sensitive than an immune adherence hemagglutination assay, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with polyclonal antibodies, or the electrophoretic analysis of RNA extracted from the virus. Overall, 99% of the specimens could be subgrouped by this assay.
An electronic device that entangles indistinguishable electrons from two independent sources has applications in quantum information processing. [Also see Report by Bocquillon et al.] In quantum mechanics, particles can be prepared in entangled states, so that measurement of a property on one particle determines the outcome for the other, no matter how far apart the particles may be. This "spooky action at distance" was demonstrated first with photons (1). One goal of condensed-matter physics has been to replicate quantum optics experiments with electrons (2). For example, the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) experiment (3) can determine if two photons are indistinguishable—meaning that they have the same wavelength and polarization, and that they can become entangled if they overlap during propagation, as can happen at a beam splitter (a semitransparent mirror; see the figure, panels A and B). An electronic device that could demonstrate indistinguishability of electrons would be useful for quantum computing applications. On page 1054 of this issue, Bocquillon et al. (4) demonstrate such an analog of the HOM experiment with two electrons, generated from two different single-electron sources, colliding in the equivalent of a beam splitter in a single device.
Smoking is one of the major environmental risk factors for lung cancer. In recent years, the role of long-chain noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in chemical carcinogenesis has attracted extensive research attention. In this study, we treated human bronchial epithelial cells with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) at a dose of 2 μg/ml to establish a malignantly transformed cellular model (16HBE-M). Screening of lncRNAs highly expressed in transformed cells via differential analysis revealed a crucial role of linc00152 in CSE-induced malignant transformation. The linc00152 serum level in CSE-exposed individuals was increased in a dose-dependent manner and its high expression associated with metastasis and proliferation of lung cancer tissue. In malignantly transformed 16HBE-M cells, linc00152 was involved in regulation of cell adhesion, epithelial transition and other malignant phenotypes, which in turn, affected in vivo metastasis. Interference with linc00152 expression led to G1/S arrest and inhibition of proliferation of 16HBE-M and H1299 cells. Furthermore, linc00152 promoted cyclin D1 expression and G1/S transition by functioning as an endogenous competitive RNA targeting miR-193b. Our collective findings supported a critical regulatory role of linc00152 in cell cycle alterations and abnormal proliferation in CSE-induced malignant transformation of human bronchial epithelial cells.
Tea (Camelia sinensis L.) is one of the main beverages known and consumed all around the world. Quality of tea is not only linked to the raw material but also to the processing steps that influence on the biochemical and sensory characteristics of each type of tea. This overview is focused on the differences in the production and composition of the main types of teas present in the market, highlighting not only their chemical and sensory characteristics, but also the importance of this plant from the food science viewpoint related to its several applications.
In this paper, we analyze the performance of TID2008 and LIVE databases for full-reference image quality assessment metrics. A comparative analysis is presented. The subjective testing method which is used to obtain the perceived quality scores affects the accuracy and reliability of the database. It is shown that there are the relationship between the reference images and the types of distortions with different distorted levels. Results are: 1) Both TID2008 and LIVE databases are not well for image subjective quality assessment. 2)The distributions of their parameters are not adequate andreasonable. 3)The subjective methodology should use both the reference image and the worst distortion image.
Best practice guidelines (BPGs) were developed by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) to support evidence-based nursing practice. One Ontario public health unit chose to implement the BPG on client-centered care (CCC). A critical review of this BPG revealed issues that would hinder successful implementation within a public health setting. These included a focus on the client as an individual, the predominance of acute care exemplars and training resources that were not representative of public health nursing practice, and the need to reconcile the enforcement roles of public health with the BPG principles. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of adapting the CCC BPG to more accurately reflect the broad scope of public health nursing practice. A model for CCC in public health nursing context is presented and processes for implementing, evaluating, and sustaining CCC are described.
PURPOSE To assess reliability and validity of the 7-d physical activity recall (PAR) in 60- to 80-yr-old men from urban and rural homes in the southeastern United States.   METHODS Two hundred twenty 60- to 80-yr-old men (29% minority ethnicity) from Veterans Affairs primary care clinics completed two PAR interviews at 2- to 4-wk intervals. The PAR included modifications to elicit and score light-moderate (2-3 METs) as well as moderate (3-6 METs) and hard (>/=7 METs) physical activity. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlations from the two interviews. Validity was assessed using Spearman correlations of PAR variables with 6-min walk performance, and with treadmill performance and accelerometer activity counts from subsamples, as well as measures of gait, balance, activities of daily living, and perceived quality of life. Results were examined separately for urban and rural participants.   RESULTS Reliability coefficients were acceptable and PAR measures of estimated energy expenditure, and time spent in hard, moderate, and light-moderate activity correlated as hypothesized with the fitness and health measures.   CONCLUSION Reliability and validity coefficients were generally similar to those found in studies of the PAR with younger samples and with instruments designed specifically for use with elders. The PAR is a useful and flexible instrument for assessing physical activity of varying intensity in older men living in both urban and rural home settings.
The union of language and life bought upon us by the modern age of the internet—that truism that the world has become one global village—does not apply to the unique army experience of young people in Israel. At the same time, it is surprising that this elemental experience of the Israelis enjoys only an indirect, not a central, reflection in Israeli literature.The article compares two stark war novels: Days of Ziklag (1958) by S. Yizhar, considered the epic of Israel's War of Independence, and If There Is a Heaven (2005) by Ron Leshem, deemed the most important novel of the first Lebanon war. Both novels use factual historical material in the literary design of the war experience, and the Aristotelian separation of literature from history is blurred in them. In fact, in the second novel this separation hardly exists. Yizhar's work still evinces clear marks of fiction, such as the name Ziklag, which is a fictive biblical place where the battle took place, and is written by the stream-of-consciousness technique; the "Yizharian" language too is highly literary. By contrast, all these "literary" components are missing from Ron Leshem's war novel of the 2000s. Place, language, events, and characters are drawn from a concrete and known reality. For all that, If There Is a Heaven is a work of fine literature.
preneurs as sources for market data collection to establish sustainablemarketing channels. The Handbook, which is set as a first step in what may ‘‘become a long and fruitful collaboration between the domains of agriculture and entrepreneurship’’ (p. 17), has potential to have a lasting effect on readers. It opens new pathways for researchers with entrepreneurial interests in rural development and agriculture. Considering the current global financial and poverty crises, practical improvements in this area may help with meeting the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs. The Handbook, a compendium from experienced theorists and practitioners, presents knowledge that will be useful to graduate students and practitioners in rural development and agricultural entrepreneurship. Upcoming researchers in multidisciplinary subjects would surely benefit from the wealth of research methods presented by contributors to the book. In more general terms, it will appeal to practitioners and academics in rural studies, agriculture and business studies, economics, and policy studies.
This article presents experimental results showing that 4- and 5-year-old children are capable of drawing free choice inferences from disjunctive statements and from statements containing free choice indefinites, despite not being able to compute inferences of exclusivity for disjunctive statements, or other scalar implicatures. The findings appear to challenge accounts that attempt to unify the two kinds of inferences (Kratzer & Shimoyama 2002; Alonso Ovalle 2005; Fox 2007; Klinedinst 2007; Chemla 2010; van Rooij 2010; Franke 2011; Chierchia 2013). We discuss, however, the compatibility of the child data with a recent approach in the experimental literature, which attributes children's failures to compute scalar implicatures to a difficulty with alternatives (Chierchia et al. 2001; Gualmini et al. 2001; Reinhart 2006; Barner et al. 2011; Singh et al. 2013). Based on the results of two experiments, we propose an explanation for children's selective success on scalar inferences, according to which scalar inferences are generally unproblematic for children, unless they necessitate lexical retrieval of the required alternatives.
This article, the first of a six-article set, introduces a complex study of a science teacher education program whose goal was to graduate teachers who held conceptual change conceptions of teaching science and were disposed to put them into practice. The set of articles includes: (1) an introduction to the theoretical foundations and research methods of the study; (2) the description and analysis of science methods courses at the elementary and secondary levels; (3) the description and analysis of an action research seminar held in conjunction with student teaching; (4) case studies of three prospective elementary teachers; (5) case studies of three prospective secondary teachers; and (6) a summary of the findings of the study and a discussion of its implications. This article presents a framework for considering science teacher education in the context of constructivism, teaching for conceptual change, and reflective practice and action research. It describes the context of the study, including its focus on biology, and outlines the research methods used to address the following research questions: What is the character of key components of the program, viz., methods courses and action research seminar?; How do prospective teachers develop with respect to their practice of teaching over the course of their teacher education program? The answers to these questions allow discussion of broader issues of science teacher education in terms of the following question: What influences do other program components have on the developing practice of prospective teachers? The article finally discusses the data gathering methods including: (1) interviews with prospective teachers on their conceptions of teaching science and conceptions of biological themes; (2) interviews with methods course instructors about the nature of their course (both its content and pedagogy) and their goals and expectations for students; (3) observations of both methods classes and the action research seminar; and (4) observations of prospective teachers’ teaching in practicum and student teaching settings. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed83:247–273, 1999.
ABSTRACT Against a backdrop of lively discussion about the best ways to do youth studies, or sociology of youth, this article asks: Can Pierre Bourdieu’s work be translated into youth studies in ways that benefit the field? We begin by considering Bourdieu’s thoughts on the category of ‘youth’ using a new translation of this text, and then turn to an important discussion by Furlong, Woodman, and Wyn about certain long standing tensions in youth studies. These tensions are between writers engaging in the ‘structure versus agency’ debate that is mapped onto the ‘culture versus transitions’ binary. We consider the case for adopting a ‘middle-ground’ represented by Bourdieu’s writings. We argue that many in youth studies work from an unacknowledged substantialist tradition, which is contra to Bourdieu's relational perspective. The result includes misunderstandings of Bourdieu's thinking and expectations of his work, for example, that it can pass certain empirical tests. We argue that if Bourdieu's relational perspective is to be translated into youth studies, we will need a more determined effort to understand that perspective first.
The Young's modulus and fracture strength of silicon nanowires with diameters between 15 and 60 nm and lengths between 1.5 and 4.3 mum were measured. The nanowires, grown by the vapor-liquid-solid process, were subjected to tensile tests in situ inside a scanning electron microscope. The Young's modulus decreased while the fracture strength increased up to 12.2 GPa, as the nanowire diameter decreased. The fracture strength also increased with the decrease of the side surface area; the increase rate for the chemically synthesized silicon nanowires was found to be much higher than that for the microfabricated silicon thin films. Repeated loading and unloading during tensile tests demonstrated that the nanowires are linear elastic until fracture without appreciable plasticity.
Standards play a key role in improving cyber defense and cyber security across different geographical regions and communities. Standardizing processes and procedures is also essential to achieve effective cooperation in cross-border and cross-community environments. The number of standards development organizations and the number of published information security standards have increased in recent years, creating significant challenges. Nations are using standards to meet a variety of objectives, in some cases imposing standards that are competing and contradictory, or excessively restrictive and not interoperable. Other standards favor companies that are already dominant in their field. The European Union, with the support of ENISA, has started to include standards in its strategies and policies, but much remains to be done. The development and use of standards is necessary, timely, and requires the involvement of public and private sector actors working in tandem.
Heredity is an important risk factor for alcoholism. Several studies have been conducted on small groups of alcohol naïve adolescents which show lowered fractional anisotropy of frontal white matter in FH+ groups. We sought to compare large FH+ and FH-groups using white matter connectometry, as opposed to the previously used global tractography method, as it is more sensitive to regional variability. Imaging and behavioral data from the Human Connectome Project (WU-MINN HCP 1200) was used. Groups of participants were positive (n=109) and negative (n=109) for self-reported drug and alcohol use disorders in at least one parent. Groups were matched on gender, age, education, current alcohol usage, and alcohol use disorders (AUD). Connectometry was performed on diffusion MRI in DSI-Studio using q-space diffeomorphic reconstruction, and multiple regression was completed with 5000 permutations. Analyses showed decreased major tract (>40 mm) connectivity in the FH+ group in left inferior longitudinal fasciculus, bilateral cortico-striatal pathway, left cortico-thalamic pathway, and corpus callosum, compared to the FH- group. For cognitive tasks related to reward processing, inhibition, and monitoring, there were a number of interactions, such that the relationship between identified networks and behavior differed significantly between groups. Positive self-report of family history of alcoholism was associated with decreased connectivity in reward signaling pathways, controlling for alcohol consumption and AUD. This is the first connectometry study of FH+, and extends the neural basis of the hereditary diathesis of alcoholism beyond that demonstrated with global tractography. Regions associated with FH+ are similar to those associated with AUD.
Summary: The erythrocyte nucleotides of 25 children, 1–5 years old, with normal and increased blood leads, were assayed by anion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography. Red blood cells of the 12 children with blood lead (PbB) below 30 μ/dl (20.3 ± 6 μ/dl, X ± S.D.) had normal levels of activity of pyrimidine 5‘-nucleotidase (P5N) and their erythrocytes were virtually free of pyrimidine nucleotides except for small amounts of UMP and UDP. The purine nucleotides, predominantly ATP and GTP, were present at values similar to adults. In the 13 children with PbB 30–72 μ/dl (45.3 ± 14.3 μ/dl), total cytidine phosphates (CMP, CDP, CTP) were significantly (P < 0.001) increased from trace values to 8.31 ± 6.21 nmoles/1010 erythrocytes. The purine nucleotides were unchanged. P5N activity was 143.3 ± 22.0 units/g hemoglobin in children with PbB < 30 μ/dl and 75.4 ± 24.2 units (P < 0.001) in the high lead subjects. There was a logarithmic correlation of erythrocyte cytidine phosphates with PbB (r = 0.89, P < 0.001) and an inverse correlation of cytidine phosphates with ln P5N activity (r = 0.59, P < 0.001), of ln P5N with PbB (r = 0.64, P < 0.001) and of ln P5N with ln erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin (Protoporphyrin IX) (r = 0.57, P < 0.001).Speculation: The accumulation of small amounts of erythrocyte CTP in children with increased lead exposure but with blood concentrations of leads as low as 30 μg/dl supports a lower threshold for the consequences of lead induced inhibition of pyrimidine 5′-nucleotidase (P5N) than indicated by earlier, less sensitive assays of nucleotides in adults with lead poisoning. The presence of CTP as the predominant pyrimidine nucleotide is similar to the profile in congenital deficiency of P5N but the nucleotides accumulate with less suppression of P5N than found in congenital deficiency. The significance of increased red cell cytidine phosphates at low levels of lead exposure is unknown but it appears to relate to suppression of P5N activity early in red cell maturation, and thus provides an index of antecedant lead exposure that correlates with erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin.
We report the results of three experiments examining the long-standing debate within tort theory over whether corrective justice is independent of, or parasitic on, distributive justice. Using a "hypothetical societies" paradigm that serves as an impartial reasoning device and permits experimental manipulation of societal conditions, we first tested support for corrective justice in a society where individual merit played no role in determining economic standing. Participants expressed strong support for a norm of corrective justice in response to intentional and unintentional torts in both just and unjust societies. The second experiment tested support for corrective justice in a society where race, rather than individual merit, determined economic standing. The distributive justice manipulation exerted greater effect here, particularly on liberal participants, but support for corrective justice remained strong among non-liberal participants, even against a background of racially unjust distributive conditions. The third experiment partially replicated the first experiment and found that the availability of government-funded insurance had little effect on demands for corrective justice. Overall, the results suggest that, while extreme distributive injustice can moderate support for corrective justice, the norm of corrective justice often dominates judgments about compensatory duties associated with tortious harms.
OBJECTIVES The impact of social participation, trust and the miniaturization of community, i.e. the combination of high social participation and low trust, on cannabis smoking was investigated.   METHODS The 2000 public health survey in Scania is a cross-sectional study. A total of 13,715 persons aged 18-80 years, of which 3,978 persons aged 18-34 years were included in this study, answered a postal questionnaire, which represents 59% of the random sample. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between the social capital variables and ever having experienced cannabis smoking. The multivariate analysis was performed to investigate the importance of possible confounders (age, country of origin and education) on the differences in having experienced cannabis smoking according to social participation, trust and their four combination categories.   RESULTS Cannabis smoking is not associated with social participation, but positively associated with low trust among both men and women, and the miniaturization of community, i.e. the combination of high social participation and low trust, among men.   CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the miniaturization of community, i.e. the combination of high social participation and low levels of generalized trust of other people, may enhance the experience of cannabis smoking.
The sense of agency refers to the feeling that we control our actions and, through them, effects in the outside world. Reinforcement learning provides an important theoretical framework for understanding why people choose to make particular actions. Few previous studies have considered how reinforcement and learning might influence the subjective experience of agency over actions and outcomes. In two experiments, participants chose between two action alternatives, which differed in reward probability. Occasional reversals of action–reward mapping required participants to monitor outcomes and adjust action selection processing accordingly. We measured shifts in the perceived times of actions and subsequent outcomes (‘intentional binding’) as an implicit proxy for sense of agency. In the first experiment, negative outcomes showed stronger binding towards the preceding action, compared to positive outcomes. Furthermore, negative outcomes were followed by increased binding of actions towards their outcome on the following trial. Experiment 2 replicated this post-error boost in action binding and showed that it only occurred when people could learn from their errors to improve action choices. We modelled the post-error boost using an established quantitative model of reinforcement learning. The post-error boost in action binding correlated positively with participants’ tendency to learn more from negative outcomes than from positive outcomes. Our results suggest a novel relation between sense of agency and reinforcement learning, in which sense of agency is increased when negative outcomes trigger adaptive changes in subsequent action selection processing.
The hyporheie zone, the dynamie interfaee between surfaee and subsurfaee waters, is of major signifieanee for stream funetioning (BouLTON et al. 1998), but many anthropogenie aetivities are likely to alter exehanges through this interfaee (BRUNKE & ÜONSER 1997, HANCOCK 2002). For instanee, dams and regulations have indueed ineision of bed-sediments in many European rivers (BRAVARD et al. 1997) that eauses ehanges in sediment grain size and distribution (e.g., surfaee pavement and reduetion offine sediment eontents) and the hydraulie eonneetion between surfaee and subsurfaee eompartments (e. g., inerease in surfaee water infiltration). These physieal ehanges may have eonsequenees on the eomposition (taxonomie and funetional) and vertieal distribution of invertebrate assemblages inhabiting this zone. Few attempts have been made to use funetional classifications to assess the integrity of the hyporheie faunal assemblages (CLARET et al. 1999, BouLTON 2000), although speeies traits have been widely used as monitoring and management tools in surfaee eeosystems ( e.g., DoLÉDEc et al. 1999, 2006, UssEGLIO-POLATERA et al. 2000, STATZNER et al. 2001). In this study, we foeused on the vertiea1 distributions of invertebrates in 2 riftles, a referenee and an eroded, eonsidering abundanee, riehness, and funetional traits (groundwater habitat affinity and trophie groups; CLARET et al. 1999) to assess potential impaet of ineision on surfaee-subsurfaee interaetions.
Target reconstruction algorithm from its monostatic radar cross section (RCS) has been proposed for polygonal cylinders with curved surfaces. This algorithm is based on our previous finding that the main contribution to the back scattering is due to edge diffracted fields excited at a facet of nearly specular reflection direction. Dimension of this constitutive facet of the target is estimated from the local maxima and its lobe width in the angular RCS variation. Half and quarter circular cylinders are used as canonical scattering objects, and their measured and numerically simulated monostatic RCS values have been studied extensively to find scattering pattern characteristic difference between flat and circularly curved surfaces. Thus estimated constitutive facets are connected in order, and this procedure will be continued until the distance between the first and the final edges would be minimized. Our algorithm has been tested for other targets, and it is found that it works well for predicting metal convex targets with flat and curved facets.
BACKGROUND: The current standard post-operative radiographs for patients who have had volar locking plate fixation for a distal radius fracture may give the impression of intra-articular screw placement due to the normal anatomic inclination of the radiocarpal joint. Our aim was to determine: 1) if anatomically tilted post-operative radiographs increased the observer's confidence with regard to assessment of screw position, and 2) the intra- and inter-observer reliability of these radiographs.   METHODS: Thirty patients' standard and tilted (11 ° postero-anterior and 22° lateral) post-operative radiographs were assessed by an orthopaedic intern, registrar, consultant, and a radiologist on two occasions. Single and combined views were analysed.   RESULTS: There was no difference in confidence of assessment, but there was a significant change of assessment of actual screw position with fewer intra-articular penetrations reported with the tilted PA view. There was low intra-observer reliability except for the consultant orthopaedic surgeon. Inter-observer reliability was substantial when the intern's observations were excluded.   CONCLUSIONS: The routine acquisition of the tilted PA radiograph can assist senior health professionals with important patient management decisions.   LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.
The role that alcohol plays in influencing health and social conditions including accidents, homicides and illnesses is examined. In general, the black community has denied the existence of alcoholism and alcohol abuse, which has created a lack of awareness and commitment in taking action to eliminate alcohol problems. If black Americans are to live healthy, responsible and quality lives, there must be prevention programs aimed at a revision of attitudes and values among Blacks which contribute to alcohol abuse. If these traditional attitudes and values are to be changed, institutions and organizations of the black community will have to take responsibility for educating black people about alcohol and drinking.
This paper presents an efficient parsing scheme for word graphs. It combines symbolic information from a linguistic grammar and stochastic information from a statistical language model to find the correct interpretation. A two pass search through the word graph is performed. First a Viterbi-like backward pass computes the exact scores of optimal continuations of partial sentence hypotheses. Then a forward A* tree search uses this information to find the best grammatically correct sentence hypothesis. The parsing algorithm of Tomita is used to ensure that partial sentence hypotheses are grammatically viable. The proposed parsing scheme was successfully tested on word graphs from the German ASL benchmark test. The results indicate that the combination of linguistic and statistical knowledge can considerably improve the recognition accuracy of a speech understanding system.<<ETX>>
Background: Although eye injuries constitute a small percentage of high school and college sports injuries, they have the potential to be permanently debilitating. Hypothesis: Eye injury rates will vary by sport, sex, and between the high school and college age groups. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Data from eye injury reports in high school and college athletes were obtained from the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance System, High School Reporting Information Online (HS RIO) database over a 10-year span (2005-2006 through 2014-2015 school years) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance Program (ISP) over an 11-year span (2004-2005 through 2014-2015 school years). Injury rates per 100,000 athlete-exposures (AEs), injury rate ratios (RRs), and 95% CIs were calculated. Distributions of eye injuries by diagnosis, mechanism, time loss, and surgery needs were also examined. Results: A total of 237 and 273 eye injuries were reported in the HS RIO and the NCAA ISP databases, respectively. The sports with the highest eye injury rates (per 100,000 AEs) for combined high school and college athletes were women’s basketball (2.36), women’s field hockey (2.35), men’s basketball (2.31), and men’s wrestling (2.07). Overall eye injury rates at the high school and college levels were 0.68 and 1.84 per 100,000 AEs, respectively. Eye injury rates were higher in competition than practice in high school (RR, 3.47; 95% CI, 2.69-4.48) and college (RR, 3.13; 95% CI, 2.45-3.99). Most injuries were contusions (high school, 35.9%; college, 33.3%) and due to contact (high school, 89.9%; college, 86.4%). Only a small percentage of injuries resulted in time loss over 21 days (high school, 4.2%; college, 3.0%). Conclusion: Eye injury rates and patterns vary by sport, sex, and between the high school and college age groups. Although severe injuries do occur, most eye injuries sustained by high school and college athletes are minor, with limited time loss and full recovery. Clinical Relevance: Additional focus needs to be placed on preventing eye injuries at the collegiate level in women’s and men’s basketball, women’s field hockey, and men’s wrestling.
We identified, that with a negative preoperative Gapositron emission tomography (PET) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) scan, the men with International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade <5 AND a PIRADS <5 mpMRI; OR any ISUP grade with PIRADS <4, had a <5% risk of a lymph node metastasis (LNM) at pelvic LN dissection (PLND). In international academic centres the majority of men will have a PLND performed at radical prostatectomy based on National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) or European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines and a LNM nomogram risk of >5%. However, in our institution during the study period, <30% of men had a PLND performed at the time of a radical prostatectomy. Despite this select cohort, applying our biopsy ISUP grade, mpMRI and Ga-PET PSMA criteria above to the men in our manuscript would have resulted in a further 22.3% reduction in the number of men with a negative PLND. I would therefore anticipate a larger decrease in negative PLND procedures if applied to centres that adhere to a LNM nomogram risk >5% as a trigger to perform a PLND. A Ga-PET PSMA scan will never be as accurate as histology in detecting microscopic LMN. We are just trying to better identify men who most likely require a PLND and those who most likely do not. We found the combination of radiology imaging and preoperative biopsy histology separates men into two groups; one group with a LNM risk <5% and the other group a risk of >30%. The addition of nomograms unfortunately did not improve the predictive value. I anticipate that with further evaluation of larger numbers of men in international multicentre studies, the addition of Ga-PSMA PET to current prostate cancer nomograms will further improve the predictive accuracy of LNM risk. This evaluation process has begun and is the current focus of some of our collaborative research.
Nuclear receptors are ligand-dependent transcription factors that act as signal transducers by binding to and regulating the transcription of target DNA (genomic action). In recent years, nuclear receptors have also been found to exhibit a direct action on target proteins without affecting their transcription (non-genomic action). Independent complexes are expected to distinguish these two nuclear receptor actions. In this paper, I report the non-genomic action of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) agonists and propose a strategy for treatment of renal fibrotic diseases by PPARγ agonists with an emphasis on non-genomic actions.
This study aimed to screen the target miRNAs and to investigate the differential miR-3557/324-targeted signal mechanisms in the rats' model of Parkinson's disease (PD) with regular aerobic exercise. Rats were divided into sedentary control PD group (SED-PD, n = 18) and aerobic exercise PD group (EX-PD, n = 22). After 8 weeks of regular aerobic exercise, a 6-hydroxydopamine- (6-OHDA-) induced PD lesion model was constructed. Preregular aerobic exercises enhanced the injury resistance of rats with 6-OHDA-induced PD. The rotational behavior after injection of apomorphine hydrochloride was alleviated. Under the scanning electron microscopy, we found the neurons, axons, and villi of the striatum were clearly and tightly arranged, and neurons and axons significantly becoming larger. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) was increased significantly and α-synuclein protein expression was reduced in the EX-PD group compared to the SED-PD group. Screening from miRNA microarray chip, we further found upregulation of miR-3557 and downregulation of miR-324 were closely related to the calcium-modulating signaling pathway, remitting the progress of Parkinson's disease on aerobic exercise. Compared to the SED-PD group, Ca2+/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMK2α) was upregulated, but CaMKV and voltage-dependent anion-selective channel protein 1 (Vdac1) were significantly downregulated in the EX-PD group. Additionally, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) expression were activated, and ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1) expression was upregulated in the EX-PD group. Conclusions: the adaptive mechanism of regular aerobic exercise delaying neurodegenerative diseases and lesions was that miR-3557/324 was activated to regulate one of its targets CaMKs signaling pathways. CaMKs, coordinated with mTOR pathway-related gene expression, improved UCH-L1 level to favor for delaying neurodegeneration or improving the pathogenesis of PD lesions.
The Raman spectrum of liquid trichloroacrylic acid at 80° C is communicated. From this spectrum and from a comparison with the infrared absorption of solid trichloroacrylic acid and a number of salts, it is concluded that an equilibrium between monomeric and (probably) dimeric molecules exists in the liquid. No signs of an appreciable ionization have been found. The Raman spectrum of acrylic acid is briefly discussed.
This work employs high-quality { em Hubble Space Telescope} ({ em HST}) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) F606W and F814W photometry to correct for the differential reddening affecting the colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) of the poorly-studied globular cluster (GC) Palomar ,2. Differential reddening is taken into account by assuming that morphological differences among CMDs extracted across the field of view of Palomar ,2 correspond essentially to shifts (quantified in terms of $ delta E(B-V)$) along the reddening vector due to a non-uniform dust distribution. The average reddening difference over all partial CMDs is $ overline{ delta E(B-V)}=0.24 pm0.08$, with the highest reaching $ delta E(B-V) =0.52$. The corrected CMD displays well-defined and relatively narrow evolutionary sequences, especially for the evolved stars, i.e. the red-giant, horizontal and asymptotic giant branches (RGB, HB and AGB, respectively). The average width of the upper main sequence and RGB profiles of the corrected CMD corresponds to 56 % of the original one. Parameters measured on this CMD show that Palomar ,2 is $ approx13.25$ ,Gyr old, has the mass $M sim1.4 times10^5 ,m_ odot$ stored in stars, is affected by the foreground $E(B-V) approx0.93$, is located at $d_ odot approx26$ ,Kpc from the Sun, and is characterized by the global metallicity $Z/Zo approx0.03$, which corresponds to the range $-1.9 leq [Fe/H]  leq-1.6$ (for $0.0 leq[ alpha/Fe] leq+0.4$), quite consistent with other outer halo GCs. Additional parameters are the absolute magnitude $M_V approx-7.8$, and the core and half-light radii $r_C approx2.6$ ,pc and $R_{HL} approx4.7$ ,pc, respectively.
OBJECTIVES To investigate the distribution of groundwater fluoride levels in Sri Lanka in relation to its population distribution to determine the population at risk for dental caries or dental fluorosis.   METHODS The study used the most upgraded spatial distribution map of groundwater fluoride levels in Sri Lanka, and it was overlaid with a census of population data of the country.   RESULTS The results indicated that 12% of children aged <12 years were at risk for dental fluorosis, while 81.4% of those who lived in low-fluoride zones were vulnerable for development of dental decay. Overall, 82.4% of the country's population lived in low-fluoride zones and 11.2% were at risk of potential health hazards posed by ingestion of excessive fluoride.   CONCLUSION The spatial approach provides a useful decision-support tool for developing an oral health strategy of safe fluoride use based on predicted oral health risks in communities.
The directly water-cooled silicon crystal used on the multipole wiggler beam line BL16 at the Photon Factory has extended cooling fins below the crystal block. Such extended fins are useful to reduce bowing of the crystal due to thermal distortion induced by synchrotron radiation. Experimental and calculated Si(111) and Si(333) double crystal rocking curves are compared in the present paper. Thermal deformation is calculated using a finite element analysis program ANSYS. Fairly good agreement was obtained between experiment and calculation.
The lead-free BaGex(Fe0.5Nb0.5)1−xO3: BGFN ceramics were synthesized by a solid state reaction technique. The BGFN powders were produced via mixed-oxide method with the desired compositions of BaGex(Fe0.5Nb0.5)1-xO3 where x = 0.01, 0.015, 0.02 and 0.025, respectively and subsequently calcined at different temperatures from 1100 to 1200°C for 4 h. The mixtures were pressed in to pellets and sintered at 1200 to 1350°C for 4 h to form dense ceramics. The characteristics, including phase formation, microstructures, dielectric properties and pyroelectric properties were also investigated. It was observed that the Ge4+ cations played an important role on the change of crystal structures and the phase formation of the BGFN phases. The XRD results indicated that the structure of BFN is cubic and transforms to monoclinic when the Ge concentration is over 0.015. Moreover, the higher level of Ge4+ addition caused a reduction of grain size and formation of secondary phases: Ba3Fe2Ge4O14 and BaGeO3. The amount of each phase was depended on the concentration of Ge where the Ba3Fe2Ge4O14 and BaGeO3 phases were found to increase with increasing of x content. This in turn affected their electrical properties where dielectric constant (ϵr) was dominately decreased while the dielectric loss and the pyroelectric properties were greatly improved. The optimum composition for this system was found to be x = 0.01, where the maximum values of dielectric constant (∼12000) with relatively lower dielectric loss (0.95) at 1 KHz and at room temperature were achieved. The change in the pyroelectric coefficient and spontaneous polarization of the BFN ceramic is possibly due to the segregation of Ge4+ at grain boundary, resulting in resistance to domain switching during heating or cooling the sample. This promises a good candidate for the new lead free ceramic for applications in capacitors.
Abstract We developed a novel asymmetric depth filtration (DF) approach to isolate extracellular vesicles (EVs) from biological fluids that outperforms ultracentrifugation and size‐exclusion chromatography in purity and yield of isolated EVs. By these metrics, a single‐step DF matches or exceeds the performance of multistep protocols with dedicated purification procedures in the isolation of plasma EVs. We demonstrate the selective transit and capture of biological nanoparticles in asymmetric pores by size and elasticity, low surface binding to the filtration medium, and the ability to cleanse EVs held by the filter before their recovery with the reversed flow all contribute to the achieved purity and yield of preparations. We further demonstrate the method's versatility by applying it to isolate EVs from different biofluids (plasma, urine, and cell culture growth medium). The DF workflow is simple, fast, and inexpensive. Only standard laboratory equipment is required for its implementation, making DF suitable for low‐resource and point‐of‐use locations. The method may be used for EV isolation from small biological samples in diagnostic and treatment guidance applications. It can also be scaled up to harvest therapeutic EVs from large volumes of cell culture medium.
Cu and rare earth composite catalysts (Cu–rare earth/Al2O3) were prepared on Al2O3 particles using an impregnation method for the electro-catalytic oxidation of p-nitrophenol in this study. The surface topography and crystal structure of the products were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Results show that the Cu–rare earth/Al2O3 particles have a beneficial effect on p-nitrophenol removal by improving the ˙OH radical generation rate, especially the Cu–Bi/Al2O3 catalyst. The effects of the heat treatment conditions for the Cu–Bi/Al2O3 catalyst on its electro-catalytic activity were investigated. For a temperature of 550 °C and a time of 5 h, the obtained Cu–Bi/Al2O3 catalyst exhibited the highest p-nitrophenol removal, nearly 100% after 60 min electrolysis, and this was decreased by only 4.5% after 10 cycles. In addition, the intermediates formed during degradation were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography, and the major intermediates formed during degradation were benzoquinone, hydroquinone, catechol, p-aminophenol, phenol, maleic acid, succinic acid, and oxalic acid. On the basis of the reaction products identified, a possible degradation pathway for p-nitrophenol was proposed.
Three generations of a nonconsanguineous family with premature onset of primary (idiopathic) osteoarthritis (OA) were studied for clues to the etiopathogenesis of their disorder. Articular symptoms began in their second and third decades of life and involved multiple joints, both typical and atypical for primary OA. Radiographs of the majority of involved peripheral joints showed abnormalities typical of primary OA. Evidence of chondrodysplasia was found in the spines. Pathologic examination of femoral heads obtained at total hip arthroplasty from 3 affected family members showed moderate to severe OA. Articular cartilage proteoglycans from these specimens were evaluated for aggregatability with hyaluronic acid, levels of chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate, and core protein structure. The results from each patient's specimen differed from the results of the other specimens. We conclude that this family's disorder, primary OA associated with a mild chondrodysplasia, was a late-onset overlap form of an epiphyseal dysplasia, that a defect common to hyaline articular and physeal cartilage was primary, and that a single structural proteoglycan abnormality was not likely to be the underlying cause.
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Currently, the only standard method to evaluate real-time bladder sensation during filling is an invasive urodynamic study. A sensation meter has been developed to track real-time changes in sensation and unique sensation event descriptors throughout filling. This meter has been used to characterize individuals with healthy bladders in earlier studies. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that real-time bladder sensation event descriptors are different in individuals with overactive bladder (OAB) compared to healthy individuals. METHODS: Participants completed an IRB-approved accelerated oral hydration protocol. Individuals with no urgency or high urgency were grouped based on ICIq-OAB surveys (question 5a=0 or ≥3). Participants consumed 2L Gatorade G2 and completed two consecutive fill-void cycles while using the tablet-based sensation meter to continuously record their bladder sensation on a 0-100% scale. A participant description for change in sensation, or ″sensation event,″ was recorded as ″tense,″ ″pressure,″ ″tingling,″ ″painful,″ and/or ″other.″ RESULTS: The study was completed by 12 non-OAB and 17 OAB participants. The rate of filling, based on durations and voided volumes, increased in Fill 2. In Fill 1, ″tingling″ occurred at a lower sensation levels in the OAB group (Fig 1, mean±standard error=64±3%) than the non-OAB group (77±3%, p=0.008). However, with faster filling in Fill 2, ″tingling″ in the non-OAB and OAB groups was not different (64±4% for both) and was not different from Fill 1 in the OAB group. In Fill 1, ″tense″ occurred at a lower sensation in the OAB group compared to the non-OAB group (78±3% vs 94±1%, p<0.001) and ″pressure″ exhibited a similar trend. CONCLUSIONS: OAB individuals experienced earlier ″tingling″ sensations regardless of fill rate. This indicates that fill rate may play a key role in the identification of sensation patterns. In addition, faster filling may cause healthy individuals to exhibit sensations such as ″tingling″ consistent with OAB behavior. The sensation meter enabled non-invasive characterization of sensation event descriptors, which may provide improved understanding of sensation in healthy individuals and those with OAB. Figure. No caption available. Source of Funding: This study was supported by NIH award R01DK101719 and VCU School of Medicine Dean′s Research Fellowship.
The CaSO4:Dy TL emission spectrum between 400 nm and 800 nm is studied using real-time spectroscopy. The emission spectrum is found to be independent of exposure between 460 R and 104 R, and in the temperature range between room temperature and 400 degrees C the TL emission spectrum is solely the result of characteristic trivalent Dy transitions. Optical absorption bands observed in CaSO4:Dy are correlated with optical transition of the Dy2+ and Dy3+ ions to determine that Dy3+ is photo-reduced during irradiation and oxidised during subsequent heating. The effect of thermal treatments on the behaviour of the SO3- and SO4- radicals produced by ionising radiation, as determined in independent ESR results, is discussed in terms of the concurrent changes in the Dy impurity that results in the thermally stimulated release of luminescence. It is concluded that the model of the TL process most consistent with the various experimental results is one in which the Dy impurity acts as an electron trap, with charge recombination at the radical sites resulting in energy transfer to Dy3+ ions which de-excite by luminescent emission.
Assessing water resources vulnerability is the foundation of local water resources management. However, as one of the major water systems in China, there is no existing evaluation index system that can effectively assess water resource vulnerability for the Huai River basin. To address this issue, we identified key vulnerability factors, constructed an evaluation index system, and applied such system to evaluate water resources vulnerability for the Huai River basin empirically in this paper. Specifically, our evaluation index system consists of 18 indexes selected from three different aspects: water shortage, water pollution, and water-related natural disaster. Then, the improved blind deletion rough set method was used to reduce the size of the evaluation index while keep the evaluation power. In addition, the improved conditional information entropy rough set method was employed to calculate the weights of evaluation indexes. Based on the reduced index system and calculated weights, a rough set cloud model was applied to carry out the vulnerability evaluation. The empirical results show that the Huai River basin water resources were under severe vulnerability conditions for most of the time between 2000 and 2016, and the Most Stringent Water Resources Management System (MS-WRMS) established in 2012 did not work effectively as expected.
Nano-Satellites perform many tasks that couldn't be achieved otherwise. They have many subsystems but the communication subsystem is the most important subsystems. This report shows the design and implementation of the communication subsystem of a nano-satellite following the University of Khartoum educational nano-satellite prototype standard. The design phases followed the standard development process. Off-the-shelf components were used and the On-board computer subsystem was used to control the various transmit channels within the subsystems through logic gates. Lab tests performed using the nano-satellite prototype has shown that the communication subsystem performs correctly and the mission data were successfully sent by the communication subsystem and received using the University of Khartoum ground station.
We investigate static, planar, solutions of Einstein-scalar gravity admitting an anti-de Sitter (AdS) vacuum. When the squared mass of the scalar field is positive and the scalar potential can be derived from a superpotential, minimum energy theorems indicate the existence of a scalar soliton. On the other hand, for these models, no-hair theorems forbid the existence of hairy black brane solutions with AdS asymptotics. By considering a specific example (an exact integrable model which has the form of a Toda molecule) and by deriving explicit exact solution, we show that these models allow for hairy black brane solutions with non-AdS domain wall asymptotics, whose extremal limit is a scalar soliton. The soliton smoothly interpolates between a non-AdS domain wall solution at $r= infty$ and an AdS solution near $r=0$.
The increasing frequency of the natural disasters during the last decade and their severe impacts on the electric power arose debate and led questioning the electric power reliability of the European countries. The Cyclone Dagmar of 2011, or locally known as Tapani storm, was a shocking event for all Scandinavia in terms of its impacts on the electricity supply and the related services. Although Finland had been thought to be enjoying highly reliable electric power, after 2011 the authorities started to go through radical changes to improve the supply security of the country and the Finnish Ministry of Employment and the Economy introduced a 15-year plan to avoid such undesirable outcomes of the possible natural disasters that might occur in the future. This paper summarizes and presents the events that were caused by the storm, and the storm recovery efforts spent after the incident.
A theory of cyclotron transitions in electron-phonon systems is presented with the help of the projection method and applied to obtaining the cyclotron resonance linewidth for the piezoelectric polaron system. The linewidth in the moderate-temperature quantum limit is proportional to the square root of temperature and independent of the magnetic field for 'adiabatic' processes, which is in qualitative agreement with the experiment of Baer et al. and with the theoretical values of Saitoh et al. and Arora. The width for 'non-adiabatic' processes is proportional to the temperature and the inverse square root of the field. The results in the low-temperature regions in the quantum limit agree well with those of Larsen and Choi et al.
This paper presents a study on the combination of mineral carbonation with biomass production. Laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the growth of freshwater green microalgae Scenedesmus obliquus in the presence of dissolving mineral carbonates, such as nahcolite (NaHCO3) and nesquehonite (MgCO3·3H2O) at atmospheric conditions and 25 °C. The cell density of the algae biomass was determined using fluorescence measurements. A biochemical model was implemented to describe the evolution of the biomass and the consumption of carbon substrate. The parameter estimates show that the algae growth kinetics in the presence of either NaHCO3 or MgCO3·3H2O is similar and is comparable to the literature. Moreover, when MgCO3·3H2O is supplied, the algae appear to form clusters, which favor their separation from the solution. Overall, this work analyzes the potential to combine two carbon dioxide (CO2) utilization options, i.e., mineral carbonation and microalgae cultivation, and it demonstrates the feasibi...
An algorithm for the implementation of short-term prediction of traffic with real-time updating based on spectral analysis is described. The prediction is based on the characterization of the flow based on modal functions associated with a covariance matrix constructed from historical flow data. The number of these modal functions used for prediction depends on the local traffic characteristics. Although the method works well for the examples in this paper using the lower frequency modes, it can be adapted to include modes of higher frequency, as traffic conditions dictate. This paper describes the intended online implementation of the method that predicts within-day traffic flow using a forecasting horizon of 1 h 15 min with a 15-min step. Thus, every 15 min, the traffic flow for a further 1 h 15 min is predicted. As well as forecasting to this horizon, a second algorithm incorporating a weighted averaging technique is developed, which allows the prediction of one 15-min step ahead by using current and previous predictions of traffic flows at the given time instant while placing more weight on the more recent predictions. This technique combines the features of a time-series-based prediction with spectral analysis. The development of an algorithm for the real-time implementation is described, and results are presented for a number of different schemes.
Summary The Chinese Crested Tern Thalasseus bernsteini (CCT) is likely the most critically endangered seabird species in Asia. The Matsu, Penghu, Jiushan, and Wuzhishan Archipelagos along the China coastline, plus Yeonggwang County in South Korea, are the five areas where this species is currently confirmed to breed. According to census and historical data collected in the Matsu Archipelago from 2004 to 2017, there was an average of 10 ± 4 adult CCT individuals at the Matsu Islands Tern Refuge (MITR) during the breeding season. CCT nested only in association with Greater Crested Terns T. bergii (GCT) among seven protected islands in the MITR, and the numbers of observed breeding individuals of the two species were positively correlated (r = 0.59, P < 0.001). We used generalized linear models to examine the effects of chlorophyll-a concentrations in surrounding marine habitats, typhoon frequency, and in-season shifts in colony location on inter-annual variation in numbers of breeding individuals and productivity (chick:adult ratios) of both CCT and GCT at the MITR from 2004 to 2017. Average chlorophyll-a concentrations during July-August obtained from the MODIS satellite were positively correlated with the annual maximum number of GCT at the MITR, but not that of CCT. In addition, we found that nest abandonment events during early incubation at the mixed-species colonies were associated with in-season shifts in colony location and delayed nesting chronology, thereby extending nesting into the peak typhoon season during July and August. The effects of in-season colony shifts on nesting chronology and the additive effects of typhoons caused a significant decline in CCT breeding success during the study period. We propose more rigorous monitoring to ascertain the root causes of in-season colony shifts of terns and then determine possible solutions. Additionally, creating educational programmes to increase public awareness towards seabird conservation could prove beneficial.
It has put forward higher requirements for the security management of the warehousing with the rapid development of global economy, sharp increase of warehouse and enlargement of storage scale. This paper designs a warehouse remote intelligent monitoring system. This system takes STC15F2K60S2 as the core of single chip computer, temperature and humidity sensor, smoke density sensor and human infrared pyroelectric sensor as acquisition elements of ambient parameter. The ambient parameter acquired can be displayed in OLED display module and single chip computer has data communication with the mobile phone through WIFI module. The single chip computer will control the action of execution mechanism for cooling and dehumidification when the warehouse ambient temperature is higher or lower than the preset value and give an alarm and send relevant information to the mobile phone in case of any illegal intrusion. User can know the real time ambient environment information, set the ambient parameter threshold and switch manned or unmanned mode through mobile phone. This paper gives the system design thinking, designs the system hardware and software, draw the system circuit diagram and compile the system source program and complete the physical system. It finally debugs the system hardware and software and the debugging result shows that the system can meet the control requirements and realize the remote intelligent monitoring.
Preoccupations with regulatory and legal liability issues in marine environmental monitoring have led to programmes based on reductionist models that use nonbiological parameters which are indirect measures of biotic condition. The ability to assess the effectiveness of current monitoring programmes to protect the marine environment at regional and national scales does not currently exist. Current monitoring programmes rarely serve the function for which they were intended: an accurate and sensitive source of information from which conditions and trends can be defined and recognized, and management decisions made. In addition, the natural variability of systems is problematic and must be documented in order to distinguish natural from anthropogenic changes in environmental conditions. Owing to their ecological importance, numerical abundance, and sensitivity to a variety of toxicants and pollutants, amphipod crustaceans have long been known as sensitive environmental indicators. However, application and u...
Mplus (Muthén & Muthén, 1998 2017) is one popular statistical software to estimate the latent interaction effects using the latent moderated structural equation approach (LMS). However, the variance explained by a latent interaction that supports the interpretation of estimation results is not currently available from the Mplus output. To relieve human computations and to facilitate interpretations of latent interaction effects in social science research, we developed two functions (LIR & LOIR) in the R package IRmplus to calculate the R-squared of a latent interaction above and beyond the first-order simple main effects in Structural Equation Modeling. This tutorial provides a step-by-step guide for applied researchers to estimating a latent interaction effect in Mplus, and to obtaining the R-squared of a latent interaction effect using the LIR & LOIR functions. Example data and syntax are available online.
BACKGROUND Metabolic syndrome is defined by insulin resistance and a clustering of other cardiovascular risk factors. Crocin is a carotenoid derived from the stigmas of the saffron flower and had previously been shown to affect lipid profile. However, the mechanism for this function is not well understood. The present trial aimed to investigate the possible effect of crocin on plasma levels of cholesteryl ester transfer protein and lipid profile in individuals with metabolic syndrome. METHODS This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial consisting of an 8-week treatment with crocin, or placebo tablets between April and June 2014, in the Nutrition Clinic of Ghaem Teaching Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to take a 30 mg/day crocin (n = 22) in the intervention group or placebo (n = 22) in the control group. Anthropometric, hematological and biochemical parameters were measured and recorded during pre and post-treatment periods. RESULTS Whilst plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein was increased in the group taking the crocin tablet by 27.81% during the trial period (P = 0.013), the difference between the crocin and placebo groups was not significant (P = 0.116). Moreover, the percent changes in cholesterol (P = 0.702), triglyceride (P = 0.080), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (P = 0.986), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (P = 0.687) and fasting blood glucose (P = 0.614) did not differ significantly between intervention and control groups. CONCLUSION Although crocin supplements increased the serum cholesteryl ester transfer protein in patients with metabolic syndrome, this change was not significant between treatment and placebo groups.
Polymer blends with synergetic performance play an integral part in modern society. The discovery of compatible polymer systems often relies on strong chemical interactions. By contrast, the role of entropy in polymers is often neglected. In this work, we show that entropy effect could control the phase structure and mechanical behaviors of polymer blends. For weakly interacting polymer pairs, the seemingly small mixing entropy favors the formation of nanoscale cocontinuous structures. The abundant nanointerfaces could initiate large plastic deformations by crazing or shear, thus, transforming brittle polymers (elongation < 9%) into superductile materials (elongation ∼ 146%). The resultant polymer blends display high transparency, strength (∼70 MPa), and toughness (∼60 MJ/m3) beyond most engineering plastics. The principle of entropy-driven blends may also be applied in other polymer systems, offering a strategy to develop mechanically robust bulk polymeric materials for emerging applications such as biomedicine and electronics.
We consider the problem of comparing CUAL graphs (Connected, Undirected, Acyclic graphs with nodes being Labeled). This problem is motivated by the study of information retrieval for bio-chemical and molecular databases. Suppose we define the distance between two CUAL graphs G1 and G2 to be the weighted number of edit operations (insert node, delete node and relabel node) to transform G1 to G2. By reduction from exact cover by 3-sets, one can show that finding the distance between two CUAL graphs is NP-complete. In view of the hardness of the problem, we propose a constrained distance metric, called the degree-2 distance, by requiring that any node to be inserted (deleted) have no more than 2 neighbors. With this metric, we present an efficient algorithm to solve the problem. The algorithm runs in time O(N1N2D2) for general weighting edit operations and in time for integral weighting edit operations, where Ni, i=1, 2, is the number of nodes in Gi, D=min{d1, d2} and di is the maximum degree of Gi.
Inhibitory gating of response to repeated stimuli is demonstrated by several event-related potentials, including the auditory P50 wave. The present study examined the effects of variation in sound intensity on this phenomenon in schizophrenics and normal subjects. Paired clicks, 500 ms apart, were presented 50 dB above threshold to 10 normal subjects and 10 schizophrenics. The normal subjects demonstrated significantly more decrement of response to the second stimulus than did the schizophrenics. When the sounds were noticeably louder(70 dB above threshold), no such difference was observed. Rather, both groups had similarly diminished gating of response. A significant difference between schizophrenics and normal subjects was also observed when the sounds were 30 dB above threshold, but the difference was smaller than that at 50 dB. At any stimulus intensity, concomitant eye movements led to loss of gating of P50 in the normal subjects.
A fundamental problem in computation is finding practical and efficient algorithms for determining if a query point is contained within a model of a three-dimensional solid. The solid is modeled using a general boundary representation that can contain polygonal elements and/or parametric patches. We have developed two such algorithms: the first is based on a global closest feature query, and the second is based on a local intersection query. Both algorithms work for two- and three-dimensional objects. This paper presents both algorithms, as well as the spatial data structures and queries required for efficient implementation of the algorithms. Applications for these algorithms include computational geometry, mesh generation, particle simulation, multiphysics coupling, and computer graphics. These methods are deterministic in that they do not involve random perturbations of diagnostic rays cast from the query point in order to avoid 'unclean' or 'singular' intersections of the rays with the geometry. Avoiding the necessity of such random perturbations will become increasingly important as geometries become more convoluted and complex.
Abstract In the External Zones of the eastern Betic Cordillera, two sets of Mesozoic highangle normal faults can be observed, one with ENE-WSW strikes and the other with N-S strikes. Both sets of faults generate half-grabens and grabens, infilled with wedge-shaped and lens-shaped formations deposited during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. The relationships of these formations indicate progressive tilting of the hanging walls during deposition of the rocks. The largest basins are related to the ENE-WSW faults. The rocks of Middle Jurassic age, which predate the faulting stage, are shallow-marine oolitic limestones. The Lower Cretaceous Fardes Formation shows evidence of deposits closer to the carbonate compensation depth (CCD). This evidence indicates that normal faulting was related to very significant thinning of the continental crust. Palaeomagnetic studies in the area demonstrate the existence during the Miocene of clockwise and counterclockwise rotations with vertical axes. Restoring the faults to their original orientation, the present-day ENE-WSW faults and their main basins had original N-S strikes, while the N-S faults originally had WNW-ESE strikes. This extensional stage occurred at the same time as the rifting of Iberia and North America, the opening of the Gulf of Biscay and the aborted rifting of the Iberian chain.
demonstrate that hotly disputed issues like immigration and access to the city's economy divided commercial people themselves, not just cosmopolitan merchants from narrow-minded artisans. This flaw seems even more troublesome than the historical errors, repetitious style, and problematic (often pedestrian but sometimes, as when Nahrungsschutz becomes simply food protection, misleading) translations that mar the volume, especially its earlier chapters. Most of these difficulties clear up, however, as the book moves into later periods, where Holtfrerich's scholarly interests and command of the research are much stronger. All readers of his book will find interesting and incisive analysis, but the professional historians among them would probably prefer an inquiry that is more critical and evenhanded than self-confirming.
The Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) of inferior limbs is a widespread disease, with an increasing incidence as a consequence of longer life expectance, life-style, obesity, smoking, use of drugs as oestrogens and progestins and working conditions. Medical therapy is still lacking for evidence of efficacy, and compression therapy is useful only in preventing a worsening of this condition. Surgical treatment is the only radical therapy effective for the advanced phases of the disease. In this context spa balneotherapy can be considered as a possible chance to improve some subjective and objective symptoms of CVI of inferior limbs, and to prevent worsening of this condition. The authors performed a review of the relevant scientific literature concerning the treatment of CVI of inferior limbs with mineral water balneotherapy, in order to evaluate its effects on objective and subjective symptoms and its effectiveness to prevent further worsening. We searched the PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science databases for articles published between 1990 and 2011 on this topic. To this end, the authors selected few clinical-controlled and case-controlled studies; patients affected from CVI of inferior limbs were treated with balneotherapy at health spas with sulphureous, sulphate, salsojodic or salsobromojodic mineral waters. Baths in mineral waters were often associated with idromassotherapy and vascular pathway. Effects of spa balneotherapy are related to some aspecific properties, like hydrostatic pressure, osmotic pressure and water temperature, partly related with specific chemico-physical properties of the adopted mineral water. The controlled clinical studies on spa therapy showed significant improvement of subjective (such as itch, paresthesias, pain, heaviness) and objective symptoms (namely edema and skin discromias). These studies suggest that spa balneotherapy may give a good chance of secondary prevention and effective therapy of CVI of inferior limbs, but also that it needs of other clinical controlled trials.
SIR,—I have received a letter from Dr. J. Verhoogen, of the Laboratory of Applied Geology in the University of Brussels, in which he gives a vivid description of the eruption now proceeding at Nyamlagira, one of the largest volcanoes of the Virunga (or Bufumbiro) group in the Kivu region of the Belgian Congo. It may be of interest to transcribe some of Dr. Verhoogen's observations. Dr. Verhoogen says :—". . . as one of these volcanoes, Nyamlagira, has been land enough to erupt, all my time is spent in watching this eruption of a rather peculiar type. The eruption has lasted now (April 17) about eighty days, and the daily output of lava amounts to no less than one million cubic meters. . . . The mechanics of the eruption seem to be quite complicated, as the lava does not merely flow out from a fissure. Besides the actual source of the lava stream, there is a lava pool in which the lava enters on one side and goes out on the opposite side, and a few small cones belching gigantic yellow flames and occasionally also incandescent material. I have not yet been able to figure out whether the lava actually flows out from the pool into the lava stream, or whether the circulation in the pool is caused mainly by convection. I have not figured out either what is the use of the cones, as they are born and die out without any apparent change in the lava pool, or in the temperature or output of the lava stream. The sight at night is magnificent, and the whole thing is stimulating material for geological thought, as nothing seems to work according to theory. . . . As this volcano has been permanently active for nine years (Hawaiian activity) it is hoped that when this eruption ends the lava will return to the main crater."
This research fills a gap in both quality management and marketing literatures by examining how customer co-production, experiential, and situational variables in a nonpersonal setting influence loyalty decisions toward products and services. Through an empirical study, an interpersonal relationship theory from social psychology, known as the investment model (IM), is used to develop a better understanding regarding the drivers of why customers stay loyal with product and service firms. Self-reported data from a sample of 221 college students who own an automobile or live in an apartment were collected to test the authors' hypotheses. The results indicate that customer satisfaction and the amount of investment made by a customer positively influence their loyalty toward a firm's offering, while the quality availability of attractive alternatives negatively impacts loyalty toward the firm's offering. Furthermore, the authors' interpretation of the IM suggests that customer satisfaction increases a customer's loyalty much more in a service offering compared with a product offering. The authors, however, did not find in their service/product offering comparison any difference between investment size, quality of attractive alternatives, and loyalty. These findings provide a much better insight in assessing the applicability of IM in nonpersonal settings, providing information that can help managers invest in resources that trigger customer engagement and enhance loyalty levels.
Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of rivastigmine for the treatment of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) in a cohort of long-lasting aviremic HIV+ patients. Methods: Seventeen aviremic HIV+ patients with HAND were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study to receive either oral rivastigmine (up to 12 mg/day for 20 weeks) followed by placebo (20 weeks) or placebo followed by rivastigmine. Efficacy endpoints were improvement on rivastigmine in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) and individual neuropsychological scores of information processing speed, attention/working memory, executive functioning, and motor skills. Measures of safety included frequency and nature of adverse events and abnormalities on laboratory tests and on plasma concentrations of antiretroviral drugs. Analyses of variance with repeated measures were computed to look for treatment effects. Results: There was no change on the primary outcome ADAS-Cog on drug. For secondary outcomes, processing speed improved on rivastigmine (Trail Making Test A: F1,13 = 5.57, p = 0.03). One measure of executive functioning just failed to reach significance (CANTAB Spatial Working Memory [strategy]: F1,13 = 3.94, p = 0.069). No other change was observed. Adverse events were frequent, but not different from those observed in other populations treated with rivastigmine. No safety issues were recorded. Conclusions: Rivastigmine in aviremic HIV+ patients with HAND seemed to improve psychomotor speed. A larger trial with the better tolerated transdermal form of rivastigmine is warranted. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that rivastigmine is ineffective for improving ADAS-Cog scores, but is effective in improving some secondary outcome measures in aviremic HIV+ patients with HAND.
Interactions between different kinds of herbivores sharing a common food resource may potentially be important in natural systems. We studied the effect of experimental pruning and natural ringbarking by rabbits on growth characters of the willow Salix lasiolepis and on the susceptibility of the willow to attack from an insect herbivore, the stem galler Euura lasiolepis. Pruning of potted willows and ringbarking by rabbits on clones in the field resulted in willows having longer but fewer shoots. The pruned willows also produced slightly, but not significantly, more total shoot mass than controls. However, the plants were unable to compensate for biomass loss due to pruning. Ringbarking resulted in increased densities of E. lasiolepis and on pruned willows both the densities and total number of E. lasiolepis increased. There was also an indication of higher levels of leaf damage on pruned willows. We also found a strong correlation between gall densities and shoot length but no indications that pruning induced other changes in shoot quality to E. lasiolepis than those associated with shoot length. Our results indicate that senescence (physiological ageing) plays an important role in increasing plant resistance to herbivores with age. Further, that interaction between browsers and insect herbivores, for example sawflies, might be important in natural systems. Insect herbivores might in some cases be dependent of browsers to reach and maintain high population densities.
Simple Summary Monotheca buxifolia is a wild fruit yielding tree species of the Sapotaceae family, frequently reported in northern and western parts of Pakistan. This species is highly involved in providing a number of services, including provisioning, regulation, maintenance and cultural indicating the close relations between society and the protection of mountain areas. Due to the poor socio-economic situation and natural hazards in this region, Monotheca phytocoenoses have been heavily exploited during the last few decades. Apart from the dominant species, we also report some other important tree species (Juglans regia, Pinus roxburghii, Ficus palmata, Punica granatum, Olea ferruginea, and Acacia modesta, etc.) that play a key role in improving the economic situation of the mountain inhabitants. These phytocoenoses should be properly managed on a priority basis to support long-term consumption. Abstract The local community of the Suleiman and Hindukush mountain systems in Pakistan has largely depended on the natural resources of the environment since ancient times. The ecosystem of these regions is under huge pressure due to a lack of awareness and the uncontrolled interference of communal, commercial, security, political, and ecological conditions. The present study was designed to illuminate the link between mountain society and the consumption of the benefits from Monotheca phytocoenoses using the ecosystem services concept from the sphere of the socio-ecological system to cultural relations. The use of this approach is very important due to the visible role and dominant status of Monotheca vegetation within the ecological system of the region. M. buxifolia is strongly connected with both local and cultural traditions and is counted as a key species, particularly for high-mountain inhabitants. We report that Monotheca phytocoenoses provide several services including shelter, food, fodder, medicines, and wood, etc., to the indigenous community and is highly valued in the local culture because of the poor economic condition of the society. The concept of this cultural keystone species is crucial for understanding ecosystem services and must be considered for the protection and conservation of these habitats. The results of field and social studies have shown that the stable maintenance of Monotheca phytocoenosis forests ensures the existence of key species as the most important providers of ecosystem services, e.g., provisioning, regulation, maintenance and cultural services, indicating the close relations between society and the protection of mountain areas. According to the results obtained, the mountains community of the studied area believes that tree species like M. buxifolia, F. palmata, O. ferruginea, P. granatum, A. modesta, J. regia, etc., are the key components contributing to the function of both the mountain ecosystem and communities’ well-being. This approach will be extremely useful for ensuring an inclusive management of the socio-ecological system of the Hindukush and Suleiman Mountain ranges of Pakistan.
In this manuscript, we propose a novel hybrid Landmark and Contour-Matching (LCM) image registration model to align image pairs. The proposed model uses image contour information to supplement missing edge information in between exact landmarks. We demonstrate that the model circumvent the drawbacks associated with an straightforward application of the Thin Plate Spline (TPS) registration technique.The proposed model provides higher post-registration Dice similarity between the reference and registered template images by improving the image overlap away from major landmarks and visually reduces the appearance of the ''unnatural bending'' typically present in TPS-registered images. We also show that naively increasing the number of landmarks in a TPS model does not always guarantee an accurate registration result. We indicate how the proposed model using even less number of exact landmarks along with additional approximate contour information provided suitable results, as opposed to the TPS model. Lastly, the proposed model produces physically relevant registration results with improved Dice similarity indices even when landmark localization errors are present in data.Overall, the proposed Landmark and Contour-Matching (LCM) model increases the flexibility of the TPS approach especially when only a few landmarks can be defined, when defining too many landmarks leads to high oscillations in the registration transformations, or when the identification of exact landmarks is susceptible to human error.
OBJECTIVE Only a handful of studies have attempted to explore very long-term outcomes from childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). These studies have generally failed to fully consider the impact of injury severity or employ measures sensitive to the survivor's day-to-day function. This study examined outcomes in adulthood, with a focus on functional abilities including education, employment, and quality of life (QOL), and employed predictors including injury severity, age at injury, socioeconomic factors, intelligence, and personality.   METHOD The study was retrospective and cross-sectional and included 50 adult survivors of child TBI (31 males), aged 19-30 years at evaluation (M = 24.2, SD = 3.6), with injury on average 13.3 years prior to evaluation. Participants were divided according to injury severity-mild (n = 20), moderate (n = 12), and severe (n = 18)-completed an intellectual evaluation and questionnaires regarding educational and employment status, personality, and quality of life.   RESULTS Intellectual and personality measures indicated good outcomes, with mean scores for all groups in the average range and few severity-based findings. In contrast, those with more severe TBI were more likely to have educational and employment problems. QOL was significantly reduced in the context of severe insult, with lower IQ and personality factors most predictive of outcome in this domain. Mild and moderate TBI were generally more benign.   CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that, while TBI is a lifelong problem, its impact is most dramatic in the domain of QOL, where a complex interaction occurs between injury factors, cognition, and personality.
Edible films are safe for consumption because they compose of organic compounds such as proteins. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of nano silica concentration on physical and mechanical properties of sweet sorghum protein-based edible film. Edible films were synthesized using solution casting method. The characteristics of the films were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Water Vapor Transmission Rate (WVTR) and mechanical testing. The edible film that has been synthesized has a tensile strength of 0.075 N / mm2-0.232 N / mm2. Modulus young 0.167 N/mm2-5.135 N/mm2. Elongation 5.969% -12.018%. WVTR 4.08 g / m2.h-4.23 g / m2.h. Their functional groups of C=O and N-H indicate the presence of protein while S=O and glycosidic functional groups at FTIR spectra showed carrageenan. Silanol found in region 848cm−1-849cm−1 showed silica. Morphology of surface edible films was rough because the edible film has granules. It was found out that an increase of nano silica concentration can improve the tensile strength of the edible film.
Linear index coding is generally more robust against channel variations as compared to the fixed-to-variable length coding. This paper proposes a novel multi-pass decoding approach to decode linear index coded images. In contrast to the typical one-pass decoding, the proposed scheme harnesses the information recovered in the first decoding pass with the source statistics and utilize it in the subsequent decoding passes. It is demonstrated that the linear index coded image transmitted from deep-space shows an improvement of up to 3.2 dB in terms of reconstructed peak signal to noise ratio by using multi-pass decoding.
The continuum-distorted-wave--eikonal-initial-state model is used to study single ionization of helium by proton, antiproton, and multiply-charged bare ions (He/sup 2+/, Li/sup 3+/) impact. Total cross sections are calculated and compared with experimental data. Comparison with calculations using the first Born approximation show that binding and polarization effects are intrinsically taken into account.
Pb addition has been found to improve the superconducting properties of a Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O superconductor. We report zero resistance at 104 K in a ${ mathrm{Bi}}_{1.4}{ mathrm{Pb}}_{0.6}{ mathrm{Ca}}_{2}{ mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{ mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{ mathrm{O}}_{y}$ alloy with no steps in the resistivity. Pb replaces Bi in the unit cell, as determined by x-ray microanalysis. The superconducting phase has the same structure as the alloy without lead, with the $c$ parameter uniformly 38.2  AA{}. The Cu+Ca content of these regions has also been found to be higher than in the undoped sample, indicating that the periodicity is determined by the composition leading to polytypoids. Such polytypoid structures appear to correlate well with the critical temperatures.
The yields of O−, NO−, and O2− ions produced by dissociative attachment of electrons to NO2 have been studied as a function of the electron energy from 0 to 6 eV. A modulated retarding‐potential‐difference technique permitted electron‐energy resolution of approximately 0.1 eV. The measured appearance potentials for NO− and O2− were found to be consistent with an electron affinity of ≥0.65 eV for NO and ≥1.1 eV for O2. These lower limit measurements to the electron affinities of O2 and NO are discussed in relation to previous studies of electron attachment to these molecules.
Objectives To evaluate the urodynamic features of the patients with primary bladder neck obstruction.Methods A comprehensive urodynamic evaluation was made on 23,including uroflowmetry,post-void volume and multichannel urodynamics.Examination results were analysied with cystoscopy and voiding cystourethrography.Results All patients have abnormal uroflow:Low maximum urine flow rate (Qmax),and shape of the curve have two types:bell-shaped prolonged peaktime,flattened.Pressure-flow analysis have three types:classic high pressure-low flow,normal pressure-low flow,low pressure-low flow,and part of the patients showed delayed opening of the bladder neck in three types.Combining with cystoscopy and voiding cystourethrography,we can make the right diagnosis.Conclusions The initial diagnosis can be made by urodynamics.The exact diagnosis will be determined with voiding cystourethrography.    Key words:  Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction; Urodynamics
Antibodies were eluted from the isolated glomeruli prepared from the kidneys of 10 patients with the nephritis of systemic lupus erythematosus. Antibodies reacting primarily with buffer extracts of nuclei were eluted by acid treatment, and antibodies reacting mainly with DNA and nucleoprotein were eluted with deoxyribonuclease. Quantitative immunochemical studies revealed a high concentration of antinuclear antibody per milligram of γ-globulin in glomerular eluates compared with that in the corresponding serums. The γ-globulin of two eluates was found to consist predominantly of antinucleoprotein antibody. The selective elution of antinuclear antibodies was also indicated by the absence of other serum antibodies in the eluates. DNA antigen was demonstrated in the glomeruli of two kidneys with nephritis by means of isolated anti-DNA antibody labeled with fluorescein. In one of these cases, anti-DNA antibodies were also found concentrated in the glomeruli and, in the second, circulating anti-DNA antibodies were demonstrated in the patient's serum. The immunochemical evidence for the high specific activity of antinuclear antibodies and the association of DNA antigen with DNA antibody in glomeruli add further support for the antigen-antibody complex hypothesis for renal injury in systemic lupus erythematosus.
Based on PNI11096 magnetic sensor data acquisition system can be used for path recognition of automatic guided vehicle (AGV). The use of the magnetic field on the path to produce paving soft magnetic strip, AGV at run time through the sensor detects the current relative to the magnetic field strength of soft magnetic data will be returned in the STM32 chip data processing after two values through the open collector output 16 bit IO, provide location information for AGV.
For many years , experimental determination of t h e dynamic c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of s t ruct u r e s has been based on s teady-state d i s c r e t e frequency methods, i n which t h e n a t u r a l f requencies and damping r a t i o s a r e derived from vector diagrams /I/. This method, l i k e a l l s teady-state methods, is tedious and time-consuming and cannot be r e a d i l y appl ied ou ts ide t h e labora tory ; a l s o , considerable expense may be incurred i f a lengthy t e s t programme is required i n order t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of a bui l t -up s t r u c t u r e . The quasi-s teady-state t e s t method may reduce some t e s t t ime; here , t h e e x c i t a t i o n frequency is continuously varied through t h e frequency range of i n t e r e s t . However, except with very slow sweep r a t e s , t h e measured values of n a t u r a l f requencies and damping r a t i o s derived from such a t e s t a r e inaccurate because t h e assumption t h a t t h e system response a t t a i n s t r u e s teady-s ta te l e v e l s is not usua l ly v a l i d .
Dielectrophoresis (DEP) has been widely used for the deposition of various types of nanomaterials including carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Here, we report the results of experiments that show that the interactions between deposited and suspended nanotubes during the deposition process can considerably affect the dynamics and the final results of the deposition. Semiperiodic stripes of nanotubes bridging two electrodes are formed from solutions containing no surfactant. The periodicity of the patterns depends on the geometry of the electrodes. Finite-element method simulations are used to explain the mechanisms underlying the observed experimental outcomes. The pattern formation is shown to be related to the mutual effects of CNTs on each other. The reason lies in the changes in the electric field as a result of deposition of CNTs. These changes directly alter the DEP force field and, therefore, the way the CNTs are guided. The extent of effectiveness of the electrothermal force, which turns out to be substantial for some solutions, is also investigated, and it is shown that although in some situations the heat generated by the current passing through the nanotubes considerably increases this force, the DEP force remains dominant when a surfactant-free solution is used.
This paper presents the MOBICUS project experiment protocols with some first results. Twelve partners from companies and research labs have joined forces to conduct a large study on lithium-ion batteries (LIB) aging under real automotive conditions. Experiments include not only calendar or cycling aging tests, which a part of them was built using a D-optimal design, but also mixed sequences with calendar and cycling experiments. The collected data will enable to build rigorous aging laws taking into account combined calendar and cycling phases. Two different technologies of LIB are tested.
sive, their evidence does provide a substantial counterweight to the looser rhetoric of those politicians and local taxpayer groups that have contended that a great burst of urban innovation would occur if only the strings of categorical grants were untied and federal funds were put at the disposal of local imaginations. Alas, no such burst has been evident. One has to admit, however, that the case is quite inconclusive, because the circumstances have changed so much between the time when Heller, Pechman, and others argued for revenue sharing as a way of applying a contemplated federal surplus (!) to local public sector needs, and the present, when most cities of any size have had to swallow up all of their revenue sharing grants in their regular operating budgets, often vainly attempting to maintain services despite galloping inflation.
Abstract Hendersonida parvirostrissp. nov. is described from Papua New Guinea. The new species can be distinguished from the only other species of the genus, H. granulata (Henderson, 1885), by the fewer spines on the dorsal carapace surface, the shape of the rostrum and supraocular spines, the antennal peduncles, and the length of the walking legs. Pairwise genetic distances estimated using the 16S rRNA and COI DNA gene fragments indicated high levels of sequence divergence between the new species and H. granulata. Phylogenetic analyses, however, recovered both species as sister species, supporting monophyly of the genus.
The seasonal circulation around the southwestern boundary of Australia is documented using sea level anomalies from satellite altimetry. Results extrapolated to the coast agree closely with tide gauge observations indicating that seasonal altimeter fields are realistic. Monthly sea level maps identify an annual propagating wave along a waveguide extending along the shelf edge, from the Gulf of Carpentaria to southern Tasmania. The annual sea level pulse does not originate from the Pacific Ocean, as annual Pacific sea level variations are completely out of phase with signals south of the Indonesian archipelago. The presence of a phase discontinuity is demonstrated in annual sea level, temperature, and salinity observations. The origin of the Leeuwin Current seasonality is in the Gulf of Carpentaria where monsoonal winds drive a massive buildup of sea level from November to December. During December–February, a sea level “pulse” emerges from the region, and rapidly propagates poleward along the western and southern Australian boundary. In the broad shelf region centered at 19°S, an independent process forms a high sea level feature when a positive heat flux anomaly induces an annual increase in sea surface temperature which is rapidly mixed through the water column by the strong regional tides. In March, the winds relax and switch to a downwelling favorable alongshore component. In this period, the sea level pulse is essentially in a quasi-static equilibrium with the annual propagating wind systems. The change in cross-shelf sea level gradient along the 8000 km path length at the western and southern boundaries, drives the seasonal changes in the Leeuwin Current flow.
Numerous bacterial proteins exert their function outside the prokaryotic cell. To this end, both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria have evolved specialized mechanisms to transport their proteins to the bacterial supernatant or host cell cytoplasm, so called secretion systems. These different strategies will be briefly discussed, followed by an in depth description of the Type III secretion system, an efficient molecular syringe assisting Gram-negative bacteria in entrance, growth and survival in eukaryotic host cells. Topics addressed include classification and role of multiple Type III secretion systems, the mechanism of protein translocation into the host cell as well as substrate recognition and chaperoning. Chlamydiales have also been found to encode a Type III secretion system and associated effector proteins. In contrast to the genetic organization in other bacteria, the encoding genes are scattered throughout the genome. To date, no structural information is available on the chlamydial Type III secretion system. We therefore propose a model of the chlamydial Type III secretion system and summarize current knowledge on the role of Type III secretion in the different stages of the chlamydial developmental cycle.
Abstract: Although it is natural to regard psychiatric delusions as beliefs, there seem to be significant differences between at least some such delusions and ordinary beliefs. These differences include the comparatively weak influence of psychiatric delusions on the subject’s behavior, emotional life (affect), and “web of beliefs.” They also include the notorious resistance of psychiatric delusions (versus ordinary beliefs) to counterevidence. Such differences have led some psychiatrists and philosophers to speculate that psychiatric delusions may not be genuine beliefs. I take issue with such speculation, noting that the particular features of psychiatric delusions that motivate it, characterize the endorsement of philosophical doctrines whose epistemic status as beliefs is rarely questioned. I then draw attention to a fallacy that has led some theorists to conclude, from the fact that psychiatric delusions are not paradigmatic beliefs, that they are (probably) not genuine beliefs. I call this fallacy the “fallacy of ignoring anomalies.” It occurs whenever one concludes that x is (probably) not a case of y because x is unlike paradigmatic cases of y.
Abstract: Theory predicts that not all plant species will be equally affected by disruption to their pollinator mutualisms because traits such as breeding system and mutualism strength can affect their response. We investigated these traits in three species of Afromontane mistletoe Globimetula braunii, Agelanthus brunneus and A. djurensis in Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve, Nigeria, to test whether the traits were reliable indicators of relative reproductive success and could be used to predict relative vulnerability to pollinator loss. For each mistletoe species, insect and bird visitors were identified during a 160–240-min observation period of 4–10 plants and their roles in flower opening and fruit set were investigated using exclusion experiments applied to 250–500 flowers. We found that all three mistletoes are self-compatible but not capable of autonomous self-fertilization. The pollinator assemblage comprised four species of sunbird (Cyanomitris spp., Cinnyris spp.) and a small social wasp (Vespinae). None of the mistletoes requires birds for flower opening: G. braunii flowers self-opened in the absence of pollinators, whereas insects opened both Agelanthus spp. Irrespective of flower opening, each mistletoe species requires sunbirds for effective pollination and fruit set. Only G. braunii demonstrated pollen limitation (pollen limitation index = 0.504) which may be an early indication of mutualism breakdown. We suggest that mistletoes be considered as indicators of habitat condition and functioning within Afromontane forest ecosystems.
Leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) is a kind of proteolytic enzymes and associated closely with pathogenesis of cancer and liver injury. Accurate detection of LAP activity with high sensitivity and selectivity is imperative to detect its distribution and dynamic changes for understanding LAP's function and early diagnosing the disease states. However, fluorescent detection of LAP in living systems is challenging. To date, rarely fluorescent probes have been reported for imaging LAP in vivo. In this study, a novel probe (TMN-Leu) was developed by conjugating a near-infrared dicyanoisophorone derivative fluorophore with LAP activatable l-leucine amide moiety for the first time. TMN-Leu featured large Stokes shift (198 nm), favorable water solubility, ultrasensitive sensitivity (detection limit of ∼0.38 ng/mL), good specificity, excellent cell membrane permeability, low toxicity, and a prominent near-infrared emission (658 nm) in response to LAP. TMN-Leu has been successfully applied to track LAP of cancer cells and normal cells, monitor LAP changes in different disease models, and rapidly evaluate LAP inhibitor in cell-based assay. Notably, this probe firstly revealed that HCT116 cells with higher LAP activity were more invasive than LAP siRNA transfected HCT116 cells, suggesting that LAP might serve as an indicator reflecting the intrinsic invasion ability of cancer cells. Finally, TMN-Leu was also employed for in vivo real-time imaging LAP in living tumor-bearing nude mice with low background interference. All together, our probe possesses potential value as a promising tool for diagnostic application, cell-based screening inhibitors and in vivo real-time tracking enzymatic activity in preclinical applications.
A high safety and security level of a complex system is very difficult to reach, guarantee and manage if the system is characterized by a peculiar complexity and physical extension, because of the elevated number of parameters to be checked and controlled. The use of human resources needs an elevated number of personnel members that could not only be unable to reach the desired goal but could also be exposed to severe risks in the presence of dangerous and emergency situations. For this reason, it is necessary to use integrated supervision and control systems that are capable of managing the elevated number of parameters involved, reducing the number of personnel members and increasing their functionalities and operability. This paper integrated supervision and control systems of the Gran Sasso Mountain (Italy), characterized by a high and unique complexity from the international point of view is also illustrated.
Background: Patients with sustained atrial high-rate episodes (AHRE) have a high risk of major adverse cardio/cerebrovascular events (MACCE). However, the prediction model and factors for the occurrence of AHRE are unknown. We aimed to identify independent factors and various risk models for predicting MACCE and AHRE. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 314 consecutive patients who had cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). The primary endpoint was MACCE after AHRE ≥3, 6 min, and 6 h. Atrial high-rate episodes was defined as >175 bpm (Medtronic®) lasting ≥30 s. Multivariate Cox and logistic regression analysis with time-dependent covariates were used to determine variables associated with independent risk of MACCE and occurrence of AHRE ≥3 min, respectively. Results: One hundred twenty-five patients (39.8%) developed AHRE ≥3 min, 103 (32.8%) ≥6 min, and 55 (17.5%) ≥6 h. During follow-up (median 32 months), 77 MACCE occurred (incidence 9.20/100 patient years, 95% CI 5.66–18.39). The optimal AHRE cutoff value was 3 min for MACCE, with highest Youden index 1.350 (AUC, 0.716; 95% CI, 0.638–0.793; p < 0.001). Atrial high-rate episodes ≥3 min−6 h were independently associated with MACCE. HATCH score and left atrial diameter were independently associated with AHRE ≥3 min. The optimal cutoff for HATCH score was 3 and for left atrial diameter was 4 cm for AHRE ≥3 min. Conclusion: Patients with CIEDs who develop AHRE ≥3 min have an independently increased risk of MACCE. Comprehensive assessment using HATCH score and echocardiography of patients with CIEDs is warranted.
All children in Olmsted County, Minnesota, who had a physeal fracture in the 10-year period 1979 through 1988 were identified in this population based study. Children with acute fractures from surrounding areas of Olmsted County and children with subacute, chronic fractures or complications of fractures among referral patients were not included. Eight-hundred fifty children sustained 951 physeal fractures; 561 boys (66%) sustained 637 fractures, and 289 girls (34%) experienced 314 fractures. The male:female ratio was 2:1 and incidence rates were greatest among 11-12 year-old girls and 14-year-old boys. The overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence of physeal fractures was 279.2 per 100,000 person-years (95% confidence interval, 261.4-296.9). The most common site was the phalanges of fingers, which accounted for 37% of all physeal fractures. Salter-Harris type II was the most common type of fracture (54%), but 149 fractures (16%) did not fit into this classification. Therefore, two new, previously unclassified fracture types were added and are reported in detail (see Physeal Fractures: Part 2. Two Previously Unclassified Types, pp. 431-38). This led to a review of existing classifications and creation of a new one (see Physeal Fractures: Part 3. Classification, pp. 439-48).
Polyclonal antibodies were raised in rabbits against polypeptides corresponding to the N‐terminal part (heptapeptides) of the two avian gonadotropin‐releasing hormones, chicken (c) LHRH‐I and ‐II. These peptides, which were synthesized by the continuous‐flow technique, were selected because they contained the smallest number of common amino acid residues. The pGlu‐His‐Trp‐Ser sequence at the C‐terminal was suppressed to avoid possible cross‐reactions between the antisera. The antisera generated in this way were tested for specificity by solid and liquid phase absorption as well as by antigen spot tests. The antiserum raised against cLHRH‐I recognized this peptide preferentially though not exclusively. Some cross‐reaction with cLHRH‐II was observed in the absorption test, although spotting tests suggested a total specificity. The anti cLHRH‐II appeared to be completely specific in all tests. These two antibodies were then used to study the distribution of cLHRH‐I and ‐II immunoreactive structures in the quail and chicken brain. cLHRH‐I immunoreactive perikarya were observed in a fairly wide area covering the preoptic‐anterior hypothalamic and septal region. By contrast, cLHRH‐II cells were confined to a single group located in the dorsal aspects of the occulomotor nuclei, at the junction of the di‐ and mesencephalon. A sex difference in the number of cLHRH‐I cells was detected in the anterior lateral preoptic region of the quail. Fibers immunoreactive for either cLHRH‐I or cLHRH‐II were widely distributed in the telencephalon, diencephalon, and mesencephalon but showed a specific pattern of anatomical localization. In particular, a high density of cLHRH‐I fibers were seen in the external layer of the median eminence, while cLHRH‐II fibers were less prominent at this level. Contrary to previous reports, a significant amount of cLHRH‐II fibers were however seen throughout the median einence (mostly external layer). The extensive distribution of both cLHRH‐I and ‐II fibers in the quail and chicken brain is consistent with the potential role played by these peptides in the gonadotropin secretion and in the control of reproductive behavior. The specific role of cLHRH‐II remains however elusive at present. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effects of different drying processes namely microwave (MD), freeze (FD), convective (CD), and vacuum drying (VD) and combined drying methods (FD+MD and CD+MD) on drying characteristics, effective moisture diffusivity, and activation energy of red pepper powder and total energy consumption of dryers were investigated. All drying processes took place in combined form of constant and falling rate periods for all drying experiments except for CD and CD+ MD. In order to determine drying kinetics of red pepper pulp (RPP) seven thin layer drying models were fitted to experimental data and Page (MD, FD, CD, VD, CD+MD) and Logarithmic (FD+MD) models which had the highest R2 and lowest χ2 and RMSE were found to satisfactorily describe the drying behavior of RPP. Findings indicated that compared to FD and CD alone, intermitted dried samples had significantly higher Deff (p<0.05). Specific energy consumption values ranged between 3.13 and 664.52 MJ/kg H2O
PURPOSE Some gastric cancers harbor MET gene amplifications that can be targeted by selective MET inhibitors to achieve tumor responses, but resistance eventually develops. Savolitinib, a selective MET inhibitor, is beneficial for treating patients with MET-driven gastric cancer. Understanding the resistance mechanisms is important for optimizing postfailure treatment options. PATIENTS AND METHODS Here, we identified the mechanisms of acquired resistance to savolitinib in 3 patients with gastric cancer and MET-amplified tumors who showed a clinical response and then cancer progression. Longitudinal circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is useful for monitoring resistance during treatment and progression when rebiopsy cannot be performed. RESULTS Using a next-generation sequencing 100-gene panel, we identified the target mechanisms of resistance MET D1228V/N/H and Y1230C mutations or high copy number MET gene amplifications that emerge when resistance to savolitinib develops in patients with MET-amplified gastric cancer. CONCLUSION We demonstrated the utility of ctDNA in gastric cancer and confirmed this approach using baseline tumor tissue or rebiopsy.
The Barr body has long been recognized as the cytological manifestation of the inactive X chromosome (Xi) in interphase nuclei. Despite being known for over 50 years, relatively few components of the Barr body have been identified. In this study, we have screened over 30 histone variants, modified histones and non-histone proteins for their association with or exclusion from the Barr body. We demonstrate that, similar to the histone variant macroH2A, heterochromatin protein-1 (HP1), histone H1 and the high mobility group protein HMG-I/Y are elevated at the territory of the Xi in interphase in human cell lines, but only when the Xi chromatin is heteropycnotic, implicating each as a component of the Barr body. Surprisingly, however, virtually all other candidate proteins involved in establishing heterochromatin and gene silencing are notably absent from the Barr body despite being localized generally elsewhere throughout the nucleus, indicating that the Barr body represents a discrete subnuclear compartment that is not freely accessible to most chromatin proteins. A similar dichotomous pattern of association or exclusion describes the spatial relationship of a number of specific histone methylation patterns in relation to the Barr body. Notably, though, several methylated forms of histone H3 that are deficient in Xi chromatin generally are present at a region near the macrosatellite repeat DXZ4, as are the chromatin proteins CTCF and SAP30, indicating a distinctive chromatin state in this region of the Xi. Taken together, our data imply that the Xi adopts a distinct chromatin configuration in interphase nuclei and are consistent with a mechanism by which HP1, through histone H3 lysine-9 methylation, recognizes and assists in maintaining heterochromatin and gene silencing at the human Xi.
Amisulpride is an antipsychotic drug which belongs to BCS type II classification. The present study aims to develop nanocrystals of amisulpride in order to enhance solubility and dissolution rate by decreasing particle size of drug. The amisulpride nanocrystals with small and uniform particle size were successfully prepared by emulsion solvent diffusion method is based on the high pressure homogenization technique using βcyclodextrin, sodium lauryl sulphate, hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose E15 and polyvinyl alcohol as stabilizers at different concentrations. The compatability studies was done by infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry showed that no interaction between the drug and stabilizers. The amisulpride nanocrystals were evaluated for drug content, invitro dissolution study, SEM, X-ray powder diffraction, particle size distribution, zeta potential and solubility studies. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) confirmed that there was no change in the crystalline state by this size reduction process. The presence of stabilizers made the nanocrystal formulations more stable. The solubility and in vitro dissolution studies suggested that the nanocrystal formulations can improve the bioavailability of the amisulpride by improving its solubility and dissolution rate when compared to pure drug. It was showed that BCD 1.8% concentration gives better drug release profile and enhances the solubility. The amisulpride nanocrystal tablets were successfully prepared from the best formulation by direct compression method. Precompression and post compression evaluation studies are also performed. Amisulpride nanocrystal tablet showed better drug release profile when compared to marketed and amisulpride tablet.
New biologic agents (vedolizumab, ustekinumab and tofacitinib) represent an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel diseases and have been recently approved. However, with a rapidly evolving complement of advanced targeted therapies, new concerns about their potentially undesirable effects on liver function emerge. In particular, little is known about safety data in patients with hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus chronic infections, cirrhosis and in transplanted patients who are accumulating. In addition, these new agents have also been associated with drug-induced liver injury. Limited data on the efficacy of vedolizumab in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis are also available. This article reviews available data about hepatic safety concerns in patients receiving vedolizumab, ustekinumab and tofacitinib with and without preexistent hepatic diseases.
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the diurnal variability of B‐Glucose is dependent on GH, IGF‐I and IGFBP‐I levels, apart from insulin, and if there is any difference between Tanner stages 3 and 5. Five boys in Tanner stage 3 and 6 boys in stage 5 with type 1 diabetes were included. Blood was continuously collected from a cubital vein for 24 h. S‐Insulin, S‐GH, S‐IGF‐I and S‐IGFBP‐1 were analysed. B‐Glucose was analysed hourly at bedside. One week before and 1 wk after the 24‐h study period the participants performed self‐monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) during normal physiologic conditions. In the 24‐h profile of B‐Glucose, insulin, IGFBP‐I and GH, we found a significant positive correlation between B‐Glucose and log IGFBP‐1 (r=0.5, p= 0.005) and an inverse correlation to insulin (r=‐0.5, p= 0.004) but no correlation to logGH (r=‐0.04, p= 0.831). In multiple regression analysis, B‐Glucose was still significantly correlated to log IGFBP‐1, when adjusting for insulin and GH, in Tanner stage 5. We found a difference between Tanner stages 3 and 5 in the variability of B‐Glucose over a longer period during normal daily activity (p= 0.02), but not over the 24‐h study period.
Partnership working occupies an increasing amount of social work managers' time and budget, requiring skills and abilities not always developed previously within social work programmes. Much discussion around partnership working centres on building collaborative inter-agency and inter-professional relationships with less emphasis on the need to ensure good working relationships with service users and carers, despite their being the ultimate recipients of the process. This article explores efforts to develop a focus on service users and carers within a module for social work managers as part of post-qualifying (PQ) social work education. It documents a process where, initially, service users and carers provided personal testimonies of being recipients of services and then subsequently occupied more authoritative roles within teaching, to the current position when they are again less actively involved. In describing these developments it explores possible reasons why involving service users and carers within this module has proved challenging. The article acknowledges that there is relatively limited literature about the involvement of service users and carers in PQ education. It suggests that lessons learned from involving service users and carers in qualifying social work training cannot directly be transposed to the post-qualifying context.
Mexico City is settled in an area of 1,600 km. It has a population of 7,818,383 inhabitants. Also, it is the headquarters of the governmental institutions for Mexico. On the other hand, it is the economical and financial heart of the nation. From a civilian protection point of view, major cities have been conceptualized as human settlements that in a susceptible progressive way, can be overtaken by its regulatory systems. Because of its population number, distribution area; vital and strategic systems demand centralization of the political, economical and administrative authorities, etc. Mexico City adjusted clearly to this point of view, since the federal government headquarters are located in it and it is considered the economical and financial heart of the nation. a) The age group 14-44 years old represents 53.2% of total population; followed by 5-14 years old (18.4%), and 45-64 years old group (13.8%). Most of the Social Security (Medic Aid) is provided by the state. This is related to the high costs of private insurance. 53.7% of the population receive some medical aid, and the rest do not have this benefit. In relation to the capacity to respond to massive numbers of ill and/or injured patients, Mexico City has different level hospitals that belong to a different medical aid or programs at the national level. The most important are those contained in IMSS and ISSSTE for workers only; and open population service of the local and federal Health Ministry.
that the India Office had substantial independence in most areas. With regard to the Government of India he observes that ' in the formulation and the execution of major longrange planning decisions, the Viceroys of late nineteenth-century India by and large had their minds made up for them by authorities in Whitehall' (p. 130). His evidence for this latter contention is unconvincing. Leaving aside statements of principle which mean little and Morley's constitutional experiments of the early twentieth century, the only two issues where Whitehall plainly predominated were cotton and venereal disease, both of them the pets of Parliamentary pressure groups which neither Godley nor the India Council could defuse. Both were issues likely to cause temporary embarrassment in Parliament; the long term issues to which Kaminsky refers are difficult to identify. The monetary crisis of the 1890s was clearly a major matter, but it is not easy to see what the India Office contributed to the decisions or what policy it had concerning the business, apart from trying, as ever, to minimize discussion about it. The presentation of policies rather than the policies themselves always seemed to be the prime concern of the India Office. Much hard work and some wide reading has gone into this valuable book and it deserves close study. One could wish that the author had not played so safe in his conclusions. Did someone mention the tyranny of the past?
Genotyping is not routinely performed at diagnosis of von Willebrand disease (VWD). Therefore, the association between genetic variants and pathogenic mechanism or the clinical and laboratory phenotype is unknown in most patients, especially in type 1 VWD. To investigate whether genotyping adds to a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms and variability in phenotype, we analyzed the VWF gene in 390 well-defined VWD patients, included in the WiN study. A VWF gene variant was found in 155 patients (61.5%) with type 1, 122 patients (98.4%) with type 2, and 14 patients (100%) with type 3 VWD. Forty-eight variants were novel. For each VWF gene variant, the pathogenic mechanisms associated with reduced VWF levels was investigated using the FVIII:C/VWF:Ag and VWFpp/VWF:Ag ratios. In type 1 VWD, reduced synthesis or secretion of VWF was most frequently found in patients with nonsense variants, frameshift variants, and deletions, whereas rapid clearance of VWF was mainly found in patients with missense variants. Furthermore, type 1 VWD patients with and without a VWF gene variant were clearly distinct in their clinical features such as age of diagnosis, laboratory phenotype, and bleeding phenotype. In type 2 VWD, 81% of variants were associated with an increased clearance of VWF. To conclude, we identified the pathogenic mechanisms associated with various VWF gene variants in type 1, 2, and 3 VWD patients. Additionally, major differences in the phenotype of type 1 VWD patients with and without a variant were observed, which may be of importance for clinical management.
This paper discusses some mat hematical issues related to empirical mode decomposition (EMD). A B-spline EMD algorithm is introduced and developed for the convenience of mathematical studies. The numerical analysis using both simulated and practical signals and application examples from vibration analysis indicate that the B-spline algorithm has a comparable performance to that of the original EMD algorithm. It is also demonstrated that for white noise, the B-spline algorithm acts as a dyadic filter bank. Our mathematical results on EMD include Euler splines as intrinsic mode functions, the Hilbert transform of B-splines, and the necessary and sufficient conditions which ensure the validity of the Bedrosian identity of the Hilbert transform of product functions.
Objective. To evaluate the admission chronic disease score (ACDS) and a variant of the ACDS as predictors of surgical site infection (SSI) for study participants who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Design. Retrospective case-control study. Setting. A 750-bed academic medical center. Participants. All participants with an SSI that was identified through hospital-based surveillance (defined as case patients) and a random sample of participants without SSI following CABG surgery (defined as control subjects) between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2001. Results. An ACDS based on medications ordered on the day of hospital admission was determined for 264 study participants admitted prior to the day of the surgical procedure. A preadmission chronic disease score (PACDS) based on outpatient medications was calculated for 281 participants, using the record of preadmission medications in the patient's discharge summary. The ACDS and PACDS were significantly higher for case patients, compared with control subjects (P = .03 and P = .05, respectively). American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score and the standard National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system (NNIS) risk index were not significant predictors of SSI. In logistic regression models, only the ACDS (odds ratio, 1.02 per 100 ACDS points), the PACDS (odds ratio, 1.02 per 100 PACDS points), the highest PACDS quintile (odds ratio, 2.89 [compared with lowest quintile]), and a modified NNIS-PACDS score of 2 (odds ratio, 3.5 [compared with a score of 0]) were significant predictors of SSI. Conclusions. Because preoperative medications are likely to reflect comorbidities that influence the risk of SSI, medication-based scoring systems such as the ACDS and PACDS may allow for better risk stratification than the standard NNIS risk index, particularly for patient populations with relatively homogenous wound classification and ASA score distributions.
Triangle and other kinematic singularities are very sensitive to the precise masses and widths of the intervening particles. Therefore, the effect that the heavy-ion collision medium can have on those masses and widths, as captured by finite-temperature field theory and reported in the literature, may erase the singularity from the spectrum if the effect is large enough and the loop completes before the hot gas freezes out. A very timely example is provided by the $Z_{cs}(3985)$ structure recently reported by BES-III in a $(D_s^-D^{*0}+D_s^{*-}D^0)$ spectrum recoiling against a $K^+$. If a new hadron, this would be a clear exotic $c bar{c}s bar{u}$ tetraquark candidate, the first of a charmonium-like family with strangeness: to accept this, alternative explanations first need to be tested and discarded. As shown in figure 1, the mass spectrum recoiling against the kaon is near the $m_{D_s^{*-}}+m_{D^0}$ threshold, whereas the production cross-section seems to peak around that for $ sqrt{s(e^-e^+)}=m_{D_{s2}^{*+}} +m_{D_s^{*-}} $. Therefore, this structure may well be caused by a triangle with the three charmed mesons $D_{s2}^{*+} / D_s^{*-} / D^0$ running in the loop, with the amplitude enhanced at the two thresholds. If so, the structure would be erased from the spectrum in Heavy Ion Collisions, whereas a hadron would continue to exist although with a mass decreased by a few percent as computed by other authors.
This article presents an introduction of recently developed techniques for the design and implementation of UWB bandpass filters, including single-layer and multilayer technologies. Several techniques using single-layer technology were reported on, including the MMR technique, the hybrid microstrip/CPW technique, the optimum short-circuited-stub technique, the cascaded highpass/lowpass filter technique and techniques that use EBG-loaded structures.
ISSN Online 0719-2479 www.joralres.com © 2018 84 Dental caries and developmental defects of enamel (DDE) are some of the major problems observed in primary dentition and young permanent teeth. Among them, Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) has been recorded as one of the most pressing issues affecting young patients. The term “Molar Incisor Hypomineralization” was adopted to describe a demarcated qualitative development defect of systemic origin that affects the permanent first molars that may be associated with permanent incisors, in order to unify the denomination of non-fluorotic or idiopathic hypomineralizations. Unlike dental caries, the etiology of MIH remains unclear. However, it is known that this condition occurs in the mineralization stage of amelogenesis and has been associated with several possible etiological factors during the first years of a child’s life. Prenatal factors (like maternal smoking or illness during pregnancy), perinatal factors (like premature birth or low birth weight) and health-related factors in early infancy (like early childhood illness, being underweight and antibiotic use) are presumed to be involved. Furthermore the MIH etiology is considered multifactorial with environmental and genetic factors playing a role in this condition. MIH has a high incidence worldwide, especially among children younger than 10 years old. However, studies around the world have shown that MIH rates have ranged widely even within the same country. Using the example of Brazilian capital cities, studies have shown MIH prevalence rates ranging from 2.5% to 9.12%.1-3 This wide range may be justified by environmental and genetic diversity, among other factors, between different populations. In addition, it has been difficult to compare the studies due to the non-standardization in the use of indexes, criteria and age grouping. In an attempt to minimize the use of different diagnostic criteria, members of the European Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (EAPD) decided that each tooth should be classified individually according to these criteria: absence or presence of demarcated opacities greater than 1mm, post-eruptive enamel breakdown, atypical restorations, molar extraction due to MIH or failure of eruption of molars or incisors.4 Besides, it was determined that the best age for diagnosis is from 8 years of age onward, when all molars have fully erupted. However, for preventive management purposes and in order to maintain tissue integrity, we recommend the an Molar incisor hypomineralization A challenge of Pediatric Dentistry?
A three-terminal network consisting of two matched tunnel diodes and a fixed resistor is introduced as a basic element for performing peak threshold summation logic. The characteristic between two terminals resembles a tunnel diode curve where application of a signal or bias current to the third terminal causes reduction of the observed peak current. Decrease of this peak current below a fixed load line allows switching from the low- to the high-voltage state for logic-function circuit operation. Such bias-controlled tunnel pairs are shown to be unilateral to a considerable extent (30 db). This is advantageous in logic networks since it allows directional flow of information without the provision of multiphase power supplies or backward diodes, as needed in conventional tunnel diode logic circuits to eliminate back-switching. Circuits are described based on this principle, consisting entirely of tunnel junctions and resistors, for performing OR, MAJORITY, AND and NOR logic. Generalized design equations for circuits with a fan-in of M and a fan-out of N are derived. Test circuits based upon the generalized equations with a fan-in of 9 and a fan-out of 5 were found to operate over a temperature range from ?70° to +60°C. A sample switching speed measurement for an OR gate using 1-ma tunnel diodes and a normal degree of drive showed a 7.5-nsec rise time which was triple that observed with a single tunnel diode under similar conditions.
Plasma core fuelling is a key issue for the development of steady-state scenarios in large magnetically-confined fusion devices, in particular for helical-type machines. At present, cryogenic pellet injection is the most promising technique for efficient fuelling. Here, pellet ablation and fuelling efficiency experiments, using a compact pellet injector, are carried out in electron cyclotron resonance and neutral beam injection heated plasmas of the stellarator TJ-II. Ablation profiles are reconstructed from light emissions collected by silicon photodiodes and a fast-frame camera system, under the assumptions that such emissions are loosely related to the ablation rate and that pellet radial acceleration is negligible. In addition, pellet particle deposition and fuelling efficiency are determined using density profiles provided by a Thomson scattering system. Furthermore, experimental results are compared with ablation and deposition profiles provided by the HPI2 pellet code, which is adapted here for the stellarators Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) and TJ-II. Finally, the HPI2 code is used to simulate ablation and deposition profiles for pellets of different sizes and velocities injected into relevant W7-X plasma scenarios, while estimating the plasmoid drift and the fuelling efficiency of injections made from two W7-X ports.
Two years of public activity on behalf of the Women's Caucus for Art have persuaded me that, to paraphrase Shirley Chisholm, I suffer discrimination as much or more through my identification with the arts than through my identity as a woman. Last October, I had an encounter with the U.S. government which confirmed a growing suspicion that the problem for women in art lies not only in being female, but in the condition of art itself. Let me begin by describing that experience.
Screen-printing is a versatile and cost effective fabrication method for depositing thick-film patterns on a wide range of substrates. It has been used in printing electronics on flexible substrates such as films, papers and textiles. This paper presents a low temperature screen-printable PZT/polymer paste consisting of PZT powder, high dielectric constant polymer binder and solvent. The optimization of the PZT/polymer weight ratio (12:1) and poling process (90°C, 6 minutes and applied electric field of 3.75 MV/m) achieved a d33 of 40 pC/N. Also, the material has a Young's modulus of 131 MPa and is very flexible enabling it to be exploited in e-textiles applications for energy harvesting and sensing.
Cultures and societies develop in a certain moment and within a certain context an awareness of how to live together, which not only has to be enriched continuously, but can also be lost or destroyed to a greater or smaller measure. Literature is, in its capacity as highly dynamic and interactive heritage and generator of life knowledge, that multilingual wisdom, which in dense form can find basic gnosemes of a good living, knowing how to survive and how to live together, which are crucial for the future of our planet and its very different manifestations of life.
Myocardin is a serum response factor (SRF) coactivator exclusively expressed in cardiomyocytes and smooth muscle cells (SMCs). However, there is highly controversial evidence as to whether myocardin is essential for normal differentiation of these cell types, and there are no data showing whether cardiac or SMC subtypes exhibit differential myocardin requirements during development. Results of the present studies showed the virtual absence of myocardin(-/-) visceral SMCs or ventricular myocytes in chimeric myocardin knockout (KO) mice generated by injection of myocardin(-/-) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into wild-type (WT; i.e., myocardin(+/+) ESC) blastocysts. In contrast, myocardin(-/-) ESCs readily formed vascular SMC, albeit at a reduced frequency compared with WT ESCs. In addition, myocardin(-/-) ESCs competed equally with WT ESCs in forming atrial myocytes. The ultrastructural features of myocardin(-/-) vascular SMCs and cardiomyocytes were unchanged from their WT counterparts as determined using a unique X-ray microprobe transmission electron microscopic method developed by our laboratory. Myocardin(-/-) ESC-derived SMCs also showed normal contractile properties in an in vitro embryoid body SMC differentiation model, other than impaired thromboxane A2 responsiveness. Together, these results provide novel evidence that myocardin is essential for development of visceral SMCs and ventricular myocytes but is dispensable for development of atrial myocytes and vascular SMCs in the setting of chimeric KO mice. In addition, results suggest that as yet undefined defects in development and/or maturation of ventricular cardiomyocytes may have contributed to early embryonic lethality observed in conventional myocardin KO mice and that observed deficiencies in development of vascular SMC may have been secondary to these defects.
Abstract  Currently, we are faced with an increasing number of patients with HCV‐induced end‐stage liver disease. Per year, up to 4% of the patients with compensated cirrhosis develop complications subsequently leading to a substantial decrease in survival. Decompensated liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis C is the leading indication for liver transplantation (OLT). However, reinfection of the graft is common with an accelerated course of the disease in many patients. Depending on the disease stage, the aims of antiviral therapy may differ between patients with HCV‐induced liver cirrhosis. Antiviral therapy can reverse the extent of fibrosis. Even without viral clearance, the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma is lowered by interferon. In naïve patients with compensated HCV‐induced cirrhosis, sustained virological responses can be achieved in up to 50% of the cases. Retreatment of non‐responders may clear the virus in about 10% of the patients. Though elimination of HCV prior to OLT is certainly desirable, treatment is often limited by severe cytopenia and decompensation of liver function. Of the eligible patients 20% sustain viral clearance after OLT.
This paper provides a critical exposition and analysis of the work of an acclaimed Italian educator, Lorenzo Milani, and ideas that emerged from his experiences in two Tuscan localities. His work is well known in Italy and many parts of southern Europe. Despite the translations of his works into English and Spanish, in the early 1970s, and their use in sociology of education classes in the United Kingdom, he seems to have had a very limited impact on the Anglo-North American-dominated critical education field. The paper revisits his ideas, in this 90th anniversary year, indicating their contemporary relevance and the signposts they provide for a critically and sociologically engaged pedagogy.
The preferred approach to repairing a divided flexor tendon remains a balancing act between discordant opinions and evidence. The literature is heavy with a bewildering array of different repair configurations, mobilization protocols and outcomes – usually in comparative empirical ex-vivo laboratory studies, or single centre/single surgeon series presenting the results of a favoured technique. What strategies are the junior surgeon, or even the experienced surgeon, attempting to improve outcomes, to embrace and more importantly, to adopt? In this article, I will give some of my opinions and comment on three interesting articles in this issue of the Journal.
No reports are available about the role of central adenosine in the respiratory and thermoregulatory responses to hypoxia in conscious rats. We therefore measured ventilation (VE) and body temperature (Tb) before and after intracerebroventricular injection of saline or aminophylline (adenosine antagonist), followed by a 30-min period of hypoxia exposure. Aminophylline did not change VE or Tb during normoxia; however, during hypoxia, it caused a significant increase in VE, and significantly attenuated hypoxic hypothermia. The present data indicate that central adenosine has an inhibitory effect on hypoxic hyperventilation and partially causes hypoxic hypothermia, suggesting that the ventilatory and metabolic interaction during hypoxia does not involve opposing mechanisms.
With the increasing concern of emerging contaminants (ECs), advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have been widely investigated to fulfill the drinking water quality because of the potential adverse health effects of ECs. Accordingly, N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) is selected as a model compound belonging ECs to monitor its ultrasonic oxidation which is one of the most popular AOPs in a dual frequency ultrasonic reactor (DFUR) using low-frequency probe (20 KHz) and high-frequency transducer (640 KHz) type sources. DFUR was calorimetrically optimized in terms of power densities of both ultrasonic sources in order to provide the highest sonochemical yield with efficient energy output. Pseudo-first order kinetic equation was applied to results by measuring the concentration decreasing during the oxidation reactions. The pseudo-first-order rate constants, k, increased from 7.8x10 -3 min -1 (640 kHz, R 2 =0.930) to 13.5x10 -3 min -1 (DFUR, R2=0.990), by contrast, the rate constant was only 0.7x10 -3 min -1 (R 2 =0.281) for 20 kHz low-frequency ultrasonic source. DEET oxidation was evaluated with the presence of different gas saturation (Ar, Air, O 2 , and N 2 ); addition of hydrogen peroxide (PO), persulfate (PS) and monoperoxysulfate (MPS) and PO concentration effect (molar ratio of DEET:PO; 1:1, 1:2, 1:5, 1:10 and 1:20). The DEET oxidation rate was calculated as 35.8 x10 -3 min -1 (R 2 =0.994) in the presence of Argon gas saturation, while it was 13.5 x10 -3 min -1 (R 2 =0.990) when no gas bubbling. Therefore, the main degradation pathway was predicted as pyrolysis taking place inside the cavitation bubble where DEET molecules can reach. On the other side, a lower degradation rate in the presence of PO, PS, and MPS than that of no additives has indicated that the bulk phase degradation pathway for some part of DEET molecules are still occurred.
After a period of slowing down, the development of nuclear technology seems to have become faster. This is due to an increasing demand in electric energy which cannot be met without intensifying the use of nuclear energy. New reactor types can be expected to appear. This will entail an intensification of R&D. These new trends require new channels for exchanging scientific and technical information in the field of nuclear science and technology.
Background Abnormal serum potassium is associated with an increased risk of mortality in dialysis patients. However, the impacts of serum potassium levels on short- and long-term mortality and association of potassium variability with death in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are uncertain. Methods We examined mortality-predictability of serum potassium at baseline and its variability in PD patients treated in our center January 2006 through December 2010 with follow-up through December 2012. The hazard ratios (HRs) were used to assess the relationship between baseline potassium levels and short-term (≤1 year) as well as long-term (>1 year) survival. Variability of serum potassium was defined as the coefficient of variation of serum potassium (CVSP) during the first year of PD. Results A total of 886 incident PD patients were enrolled, with 248 patients (27.9%) presented hypokalemia (serum potassium <3.5 mEq/L). During a median follow-up of 31 months (range: 0.5–81.0 months), adjusted all-cause mortality hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for baseline serum potassium of <3.0, 3.0 to <3.5, 3.5 to <4.0, 4.5 to <5.0, and ≥5.0 mEq/L, compared with 4.0 to <4.5 (reference), were 1.79 (1.02–3.14), 1.15 (0.72–1.86), 1.31 (0.82–2.08), 1.33 (0.71–2.48), 1.28 (0.53–3.10), respectively. The increased risk of lower potassium with mortality was evident during the first year of follow-up, but vanished thereafter. Adjusted all-cause mortality HR for CVSP increments of 7.5% to <12.0%; 12.0% to <16.7% and ≥16.7%, compared with <7.5% (reference), were 1.35 (0.67–2.71), 2.00 (1.05–3.83) and 2.18 (1.18–4.05), respectively. Similar association was found between serum potassium levels and its variability and cardiovascular mortality. Conclusions A lower serum potassium level was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality during the first year of follow-up in incident PD patients. In addition, higher variability of serum potassium levels conferred an increased risk of death in this population.
Goals: To determine the impact of geography and patient characteristics on hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype and subtype distribution in a large sample of patients under routine clinical care Background: HCV genotype impacts disease course and response to treatment. Although several studies have reported genotype distribution within specific US populations, there are no comprehensive descriptions in large, geographically diverse cohorts. Study: Using data from the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study, we present the distribution of HCV genotypes (GT) and subtypes (ST) among a racially diverse cohort of over 8000 HCV-infected patients from four large US health systems. Results: Genotype distribution varied significantly by geographic and demographic factors. In age-adjusted analyses, African American patients had significantly higher prevalence of GT1 (85%) than other racial categories, largely driven by a markedly higher proportion of GT1 subtype b (∼34%) than in Asian/other (24%) and white (21%) patients. GT3 represented an increasing proportion of infections as birth decade progressed, from 4% in patients born before 1946 to 18% of those born after 1976. Within the cohort of “living/uncured” patients, highly elevated alanine aminotransferase (>2 times the upper limit of normal) was significantly more common in GT3 patients, whereas Fibrosis-4 Index scores indicative of cirrhosis were most common in the combined group of GT4&6 patients. Conclusion: Distribution of HCV genotypes and subtypes in the United States is more variable than suggested by previous national-level estimates and single-center studies. “Real-world” prevalence data may improve targeting of prevention, screening, and treatment efforts for hepatitis C.
OBJECTIVE To determine if there is an association between the surgical outcome of trabeculectomy and uric acid and ascorbic acid concentrations in the aqueous humor at the time of the procedure.   PATIENTS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS Aqueous humor samples were collected from the eyes of 169 of 249 adult patients who underwent trabeculectomy alone for any type of glaucoma between April 1989 and July 1995. Postoperatively, all medical records were reviewed and outcomes were classified as successful, unsuccessful, or indeterminate. The ascorbic acid and uric acid concentrations were determined in masked fashion by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Factors associated with surgical outcome were determined.   RESULTS Uric acid concentration was higher in unsuccessful eyes (mean+/-SD, 0.21+/-0.08 mmol/L, n=26) than in successful eyes (0.15+/-0.09 mmol/L, n=91, 95% confidence interval for difference, 0.02-0.10 mmol/L). Ascorbic acid levels were not significantly different in the eyes with unsuccessful (1129.9+/-601.9 micromol/L) and successful (1334.3+/-511.0 micromol/L) surgery (95% confidence interval for difference, -475.2 to 66.4 micromol/L, P=.13) surgery. Other factors associated with failure were previous surgery and surgery performed at the inferior limbus. A multiple polytomous logistic regression analysis was performed, after excluding the small number of operations performed at the inferior limbus. The odds ratio for failure increased by a factor of 1.68 for every 1-mmol/L increase in uric acid (95% confidence interval, 1.16-2.43, P=.006).   CONCLUSIONS Uric acid levels were higher at the time of surgery in eyes that had unsuccessful outcomes than in those with successful outcomes. No significant difference in ascorbic acid levels was detectable. A higher uric acid level in the aqueous humor is a risk factor for trabeculectomy failure and might be tested as a prognostic indicator [corrected].
Background: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) is a potentially fatal complication following pancreaticoduodenectomy. Early prediction and exclusion of POPF may be highly advantageous to enhance patient outcomes, and accelerate recovery. In this meta-analysis, we sought to assess the prediction of drain pancreatic amylase concentration on postoperative day 1 (DPA1) for POPF. Methods: By searching online databases up to April 2018, all researches mentioned DPA1 for detecting POPF were analyzed. STATA 12.0 was used to analyze pooled predictive parameters. Results: Seventeen studies were finally analyzed including 4676 patients in total. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of DPA1 were respectively 0.85 (95% CI: 0.71, 0.93), 0.80 (95% CI: 0.74, 0.85) to predict overall POPF, and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.82), 0.88 (95% CI: 0.86, 0.90) to predict CR-POPF. If pretest probability was 50%, corresponding post-test (+) were respectively 81%, 86% for overall POPF and CR-POPF when DPA1 was above cutoffs, while the post-test (−) were respectively 16%, 26% when DPA1 was under cutoffs. In subgroup analysis, sensitivities of cutoff >5000 group, 1000< cutoff <5000 group, and cutoff <1000 group were respectively 0.65 (0.43–0.82), 0.82 (0.71–0.89), 0.87 (0.78–0.92); and specificities were respectively 0.88 (0.83–0.92), 0.83 (0.77–0.88), 0.71 (0.62–0.79). Positive LR was 5.5 (3.4–8.8), 4.8 (3.4–6.7), and 3.0 (2.3–4.0) respectively. Negative LR was 0.40 (0.22–0.72), 0.22 (0.13–0.37), and 0.19 (0.11–0.32) respectively. Conclusion: DPA1, which has good sensitivity and specificity, is useful for predicting overall POPF and CR-POPF, according to the present studies. Meanwhile, it should be cautious to apply because there is a wide range in cutoffs between different studies.
Supraspinatus tendinopathy is a common cause of shoulder pain and tendon degeneration in individuals who   participate in repetitive overhead activities, such as tennis players or tradespeople. Early diagnosis and treatment of   tendinopathies is necessary to prevent chronic sequelae and tendon rupture, which is especially important for groups   such as professional athletes and manual workers for avoidance of prolonged downtime.
Abstract In recent years, the amount of video content created and uploaded to the Internet has grown exponentially. Video content has unique accessibility challenges: indexing, transcribing, and searching video has always been very labor intensive, and there were no automated ways of searching videos for specific content. New software tools that use deep learning methods are automating some of these processes, making video content more discoverable and useful. There are also many new tools for processing and manipulating video in interesting ways. This column will briefly discuss the idea of deep learning and how deep learning tools can be used to transcribe, translate, search, and even manipulate videos. It will suggest ways that librarians can use these tools to help their institutions better manage video content. It also includes a list of video-related software tools.
In this paper, we propose a novel approach for modeling magnetized graphene in the Finite-Difference TimeDomain method by applying an anisotropic conducting boundary condition. Magnetize graphene sheet is modeled as a dispersive anisotropic conducting surface. Then applying the conducting surface boundary condition, the sheet is incorporated into the FDTD method. The proposed method is validated through a numerical example and comparing the results with analytic solution.
We have grown BiFeO3 (BFO) and 5% Ti doped BiFeO3 (BFTO) thin films on LaNiO3/Si structures by simple sol–gel deposition. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that BFO has an intense (1 1 0) peak and the BFTO film is randomly oriented and adopts a rhombohedrally distorted perovskite structure. No impure phase was identified in the two films. A cross section scanning image revealed that the BFMO film has homogeneous thickness. Surface scanning electron microscopy images indicated that the BFTO film has a more compact structure. The BFTO film showed larger remanent polarization (Pr) and a small coercive field. The Pr values are 16.0 µC cm−2 and 8.0 µC cm−2 and coercive fields are 189 kV cm−1 and 416 kV cm−1 for the BFTO and BFO films at the same applied electric field, respectively. Through the Ti substitution, the dielectric property is also enhanced and leakage conduction is reduced.
The classification of chronic hepatitis introduced in 1968 is still current, but has been modified. The concept of bridging hepatic necrosis has been incorporated, and is recognised as an important feature of both acute and chronic aggressive (active) hepatitis (CAH). In the pathogenesis of the latter, piecemeal necrosis is, however, thought to be the more important factor. The histological picture of CAH varies widely. Several causes of CAH have been identified, including hepatitis B virus. Recognition of surface and core components of the virus in tissue sections has facilitated study of the relationship between host response and pathological lesion in chronic hepatitis. CAH and primary biliary cirrhosis share histological features, and a mixed form has been postulated. Staining for copper sometimes helps to distinguish the two lesions. A third histological category, chronic lobular hepatitis, comprises patients with histological lesions like those of acute hepatitis, but with a chronic or recurrent course.
Low Rank Parity Check (LRPC) codes form a class of rank-metric error-correcting codes that was purposely introduced to design public-key encryption schemes. An LRPC code is defined from a parity check matrix whose entries belong to a relatively low dimensional vector subspace of a large finite field. This particular algebraic feature can then be exploited to correct with high probability rank errors when the parameters are appropriately chosen. In this paper, we present theoretical upper-bounds on the probability that the LRPC decoding algorithm fails.
Dynamic characteristics of a traffic signal structure were determined experimentally. Various strategies were investigated to provide additional damping. By decreasing the magnitude and the number of fatigue cycles caused by wind-induced oscillations, the service life is expected to be extended. Several damping devices were investigated and tested. The free-vibration response was used to determine the in- and out-of-plane damping of a full-scale pole with and without dampers. The dampers included elastomeric pads located within the joints, several impact dampers, tuning-mass systems, and a mechanical shock absorber (with a strut) positioned between the luminaire extension and the mast arm. An elastomeric pad located at the pole foundation connection and the shock absorber exhibited the most damping and were considered viable and practical options. The construction characteristics of each damper were noted.
Diseases of companion animals are shifting from infectious diseases to neoplasms (cancer), and since radiation therapy is one of the effective choices available for cancer treatment, the application of radiotherapy in veterinary medicine is likely to increase. However tumor tissues have different radiosensitivities, and therefore it is important to determine the intrinsic radiosensitivity of tumors in individual patients in advance of radiotherapy. We have studied the relationship between the surviving cell fraction measured by a clonogenic assay and DNA double strand breaks detected by a comet assay under neutral conditions in three canine tumor cell lines, after gamma-ray and carbon ion irradiation. In all the cell lines, cell death assessed by the clonogenic assay was much higher following irradiation with carbon ions than with gamma-rays. The initial and residual (4 hr) DNA damage due to gamma-ray and carbon ion irradiation were higher in a radiosensitive cell line than in a radioresistant cell line. The surviving cell fraction at 2 Gy (SF2) showed a tendency for correlation with both the initial and residual DNA damage. In particular, the residual damage per Gy was significantly correlated with SF2, regardless of the type of radiation. This indicates that cellular radiosensitivity can be predicted by detection of radiation-induced residual DNA damage.
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) has undergone multiple significant mutations since its detection in 2019 in Wuhan, China. The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants that can spread rapidly and undermine vaccine-induced immunity threatens the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The delta variant (B.1.617.2) that emerged in India challenges efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to Delta, so-called Delta Plus sub-variants (B.1.617.2.1 and B.1.617.2.2) have become a new cause of global concern. Here we compare the interaction profile of RBD of the spike protein of the Delta and Delta-Plus variant of SARS-CoV-2 with the ACE2 receptor. From the molecular dynamics simulation, we observed the spike protein of Delta and Delta-Plus variant of SARS-CoV-2 utilizes unique strategies to have stable binding with ACE2. Using MM-GBSA/MM-PBSA algorithms, we found the binding affinity of spike protein of the Delta- variant-ACE2 complex is indeed high (GBTOT = -39.36 kcal mol-1, PBTOT= -17.52 kcal mol-1) in comparison with spike protein of Delta-Plus variant-ACE2 Complex (GBTOT = -36.83 kcal mol-1, PBTOT = -16.03 kcal mol-1). Stable binding of spike protein to ACE2 is essential for virus entry, and the interactions between them should be understood well for the treatment modalities.
Objective:  To investigate the clinical effect of superselective renal artery embolization in treatment of hematuria with renal cancer.      Methods:  Retrospective analysis on 39 cases (22 males and 17 females) of hematuria with renal cancer treated in our hospital from January 2015 to January 2018 were selected. All patients were diagnosed as renal cell carcinoma hematuria by auxiliary examination and underwent superselective renal artery embolization. Blood and urine samples were collected on the 2nd, 7th, 14th and 21st postoperative day for routine blood and urine tests.      Results:  Thirty-nine patients were embolized with super liquid iodine oil + gelatin sponge particles. All of them were successfully embolized with a success rate of 100%. Among them, 21 patients had gross hematuria disappeared after 12 hours and 18 patients had gross hematuria eared after 24 hours after embolization. On the 2nd, 7th, 14th and 21st postoperative day, the levels of red blood cell count (RBC) , hemoglobin (Hb) and hematocrit (HCT) were higher than those before surgery, and the urine RBC was lower than that before surgery with statistically significant differences (P<0.01) . All the 39 patients had embolism syndrome after embolization. The clinical manifestations of nausea, vomiting, fever and low back pain were disappeared after symptomatic treatment for 2 to 5 days. 38 patients were followed up for 3 to 12 months. No complications such as ectopic embolization, acute renal failure, renal necrosis or renal abscess occurred.      Conclusions:  Superselective renal artery embolization can terminate hematuria in patients with renal cell carcinoma, and has the advantages of minimally invasive, safety and reliability, and fewer complications.      Key words:  Renal artery embolization; Renal cancer; Hematuria
There is growing evidence in Australia that cultural factors are the final impediment to women′s progress into senior management. Examines the “cultural dilemma” that women managers present from organizational, managerial and personal perspectives. It is felt that women can assist their situation by altering their mode of operation from a “victim” mentality to one of a “power” mentality: by making up their minds whether they want to “share” power or get the male managerial culture to “yield” power; by making a concerted effort to close the nexus on the economic front; by educating chief executive officers as to imperative for cultural change; and by both using and supporting various government agencies and Equal Employment Opportunity Officers.
Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is one of the congenital immunodeficiencies, which affects intracellular biocidal activity through the impairment of superoxides production. Aspergillus species are a major cause of death in CGD patients and the mortality rate of cerebral aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients is reported to be nearly 100%1). Very few reports to date have described surviving cases of cerebral aspergillosis in CGD, either with an X-linked2)3) or an autosomal recessive trait4). Moreover, no reports could be found on the recurrence of brain abscesses in CGD. Practical information in terms of the management of a given patient and of radiological characterization concerning this devastating condition is, therefore, still limited. A case of X-linked CGD is presented here which survived a recurrence of brain abscess due presumably to Aspergillus.
Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1 or delta-9 desaturase, D9D) is a key metabolic protein that modulates cellular inflammation and stress, but overactivity of SCD1 is associated with diseases including cancer and metabolic syndrome. This transmembrane endoplasmic reticulum protein converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily stearoyl-CoA into oleoyl-CoA, which are critical products for energy metabolism and membrane composition. The present computational molecular dynamics study characterizes the molecular dynamics of SCD1 with substrate, product, and as apoprotein. The modeling of SCD1:fatty acid interactions suggests that 1) SCD1:CoA moiety interactions open the substrate binding tunnel, 2) SCD1 stabilizes a substrate conformation favorable for desaturation, and 3) SCD1:product interactions result in an opening of the tunnel, possibly allowing product exit into the surrounding membrane. Together, these results describe a highly dynamic series of SCD1 conformations resulting from the enzyme:cofactor:substrate interplay that inform drug-discovery efforts.
Constructed in 1890, the Forth Bridge crosses the Forth estuary near Edinburgh and is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage site. At its time, it was the world’s longest single cantilever span bridge until it was beaten by the Quebec Bridge in Canada in 1919; yet, it still remains the second longest bridge of its type standing proud over 130 years. Coated in a protective red oxide paint, its burnt orange colouring was both a distinguishing feature and a thorn in the side of the bridge. It required painting continuously and took so long that when it had been completed, the process had to be started again, coining the term ‘it’s like painting the Forth Bridge’ synonymous with a never-ending task. At times it can appear that researching cancer cachexia is like painting the Forth Bridge – a neverending task in which the fruits of labour are little apparent. Indeed, it remains one of the most underresearched areas of cancer defying its huge role and contributing factor to cancer progression, mortality and lack of treatment efficacy. Treatments remain elusive and guidelines lack strong primary research with which to make recommendations. Yet it is with a degree of optimism that we present this third special edition which we have had the privilege of guest editing, highlighting learned work showing progress in cachexia research is being made. A key theme present in this present collection is assessment of body composition. Ana Fayh (pp. 316–323) discusses novel insights on measurement of muscle mass and this is complemented by work by Abbass and coworkers (pp. 309–315) who suggest that a reconsideration of the role of body composition analysis is needed. They highlight that there remains a gap that needs bridged between the use of CT based body composition in a research setting and transferring the use of this to the clinic.
The authors of the present study devise a teacher training programme in methods of cooperative learning, that on the base of a cooperative methodology maximise the quantity and quality of the communicative transactions that are produced along the teaching and learning process, built upon the foundation of interactivity. Using a system of interactive categories, they perform an internal analysis of the parameter of mutuality to come to the conclusion that the effects of this parameter on academic achievement are conditioned by their interaction with the structure of the goals of the students.
For decades, the United States’ competitive position in global manufacturing has steadily declined. Analysts point to increasingly automated manufacturing processes, changing domestic demand factors, outsourcing, and over confidence in service export surpluses. However, Asian and European competitors, undergoing the same pressures, have been able to maintain a healthy percentage of their GDP in manufacturing by growing high tech jobs while the United States continues to fall behind. Perhaps the most fundamental and overlooked contribution to this decline is the lackluster performance of the United States education system. After comparing the performance of US students to that of the other G-8 nations in the critical disciplines of math and science literacy, US students rank last. Furthermore, the most recent PISA test results show US students rank in the bottom half of 30 participating nations in the ability to apply math and science concepts to real world problems. This is particularly troubling when one considers that among the compared nations, the US spends the most on math and science teacher compensation. If the US intends to successfully compete in the global manufacturing arena, significant changes to the education system must be enacted. A new strategy aligning the system with real world demands should begin with a national initiative to increase Pre-K enrollments, a paradigm shift from liberal arts to math, science, problem solving and critical thinking, standardized policies aligning high school graduation requirements with college and work place expectations, and standardized college and career readiness assessment programs. These steps combined with more rigorous secondary education teacher certifications, continued education and involvement with universities and manufacturing firms within the community, should more adequately prepare high school students for further study or to enter the skilled workforce. At the post secondary level, federal and state funding should be targeted to R&D programs specificly to industrial design, engineering, and alternative energy. Industry investment in such programs should be federally incentivized to foster cooperative relationships between business and academia. Such relationships will ensure faculty spend time focusing on how their discipline relates to manufacturing and instilling the necessary skill sets, knowledge and abilities which graduates will need to compete in the global market. Such a revised system will position the US to create and keep high paying manufacturing positions on its way to sustainable economic growth.
In the present work, the frequency and temperature dependant dielectric properties of (x) Co1.2-yMnyFe1.8O4 + (1−x) BaZr0.08Ti0.92O3 magnetoelectric composites were studied. The magnetostrictive (ferrite) phase, Co1.2-yMnyFe1.8O4 with y = 0.0 to 0.4 (CMFO) was synthesized by combustion route and the piezoelectric phase, BaZr0.08Ti0.92O3 (BZT) was synthesized by conventional ceramic route. These individual prepared phases were combined by ceramic method to obtain the magnetoelectric (ME) composites. Room temperature dielectric constant measurements as a function of frequency, shows the usual dielectric dispersion behaviour, which may be attributed to the Maxwell- Wagner type of interfacial polarization. Dielectric constant measurements with temperature shows the two dielectric maxima, one at below 100°C and the second at above 500°C, the dielectric maxima below 100°C corresponds to the transition temperature of ferroelectric phase and that of above 500°C corresponds to the transition temperature of ferrite phase of the ME composites. From these dielectric constant measurements, it was observed that as the Mn content increases, the phase transition temperature goes on decreasing. The ac conductivity measurements in the frequency range from 20 Hz to 1MHz were also performed to study the conduction mechanism in the composites.
sera from patients with systemic sclerosis. J Rheumatol 2001; 28:1847–51. 7 Garcia-de la Torre I, Salazar-Paramo M, Salmon-de la Torre G. Mixed connective tissue disease. A clinico-serological study of 17 cases. Mol Biol Rep 1996; 23:153–7. 8 Ramos-Niembro F, Alarcon-Segovia D, Hernandez-Ortiz J. Articular manifestations of mixed connective tissue disease. Arthritis Rheum 1979; 22:43–51. 9 Tan EM. Antinuclear antibodies: diagnostic markers for autoimmune diseases and probes for cell biology. Adv Immunol 1989; 44:93–151. 10 Jinnin M, Ihn H, Asano Y et al. Autoimmune response to 52-kDa and 60-kDa Ro ⁄SS-A antigens in mixed connective tissue disease. Br J Dermatol 2002; 147:827–9.
Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) need to be secured as it is deployed on roads in Europe. While some aspects of the communication security are secured others could still need improvement. SerIoT as a security project for the internet of things and offers various security mechanisms from the IoT domain which could be beneficial for C-ITS. Such security mechanisms contain a software defined network, the usage of honeypots and several mechanisms to analyze, monitor and mitigate threats on the system. Therefore C-ITS will benefit tremendously of the functionalities from these security mechanisms designed to cope with large attack surfaces and high network traffic found in IoT environments. To enable these technologies, modules developed within SerIoT are planned to be integrated into the Road Side ITS station. The station will also be connected to SerIoT SDN routers providing security for the station from malicious vehicles and the network
This chapter describes a student team project that involves the creation and delivery of a fundraising event business plan for a nonprofit organization. The project challenges students to become active learners and apply managerial accounting concepts associated with cost behavior, planning, and control in a realistic environment that sensitizes them to the missions of nonprofit organizations. It requires students to research and use real-world operational and financial information in a setting to which they can relate, and develops their understanding of how various business disciplines are integrated. We have used the project in introductory managerial and intermediate cost accounting courses to target specific core competencies identified as critical to a successful accounting career by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
This study used a quantitative approach. Respondents were employees of PT Konimex Pharmaceutical Laboratories. Technique sampling were used at this study was accidental sampling. The number of samples obtained was 175 respondents. Data analysis techniques using the PAWS Statistics Program 18. Hypothesis testing used Multiple Linear Regression Test which includes t test, F test, and the coefficient of determination. The results showed that: (1) functional structure had a significant effect on employee work performance; (2) incentive policies significantly influence employee work performance; (3) work culture has a significant effect on employee work performance; (4) functional structure, incentive policy, and work culture simultaneously affect the work performance of employees of PT Konimex Pharmacutical Laboratories.    Keywords: Functional Structure, Incentive Policy, Work Culture, Work Performance
Measurement, modeling, and optimization are three important components that must be done to get a better system on the BLDC motor speed control system. The problem that arises in the BLDC motor speed control system is the instability indicated by a high overshoot value, a slow rise time value, and a high error steady-state. The purpose of this study is to increase the stability indicator by eliminating the high value of overshoot and error steady-state and increasing the value of the rise time. The method used in this research is to measure the input and output physical parameters, to model the BLDC motor plant mathematically and the last is to perform optimization using several control methods such as Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) control, fuzzy logic intelligent control, and Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. (PSO). Experimental and simulation results show that the PSO algorithm has a better value in increasing stability indicators when compared to the other two control methods with a rise time of 0.00121 seconds, settling time of 0.00241 seconds, and overshoot of 0%.
OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to find correlation between the clinical and ultrasound grading in anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament tear, and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the two stability tests among the athletes. Subsequently, we would like to propose a new grading criteria for an ultrasound examination.   METHODS Two blinded assessors examined thirty-five patients with a history of recent lateral ankle sprain. The first assessor performed physical examination on the injured ankle by using the anterior drawer test and talar tilt test, and the second assessor performed dynamic and static ultrasound assessment for anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament. The clinical laxity grading and sonographic extent of ligamentous injury was graded into a 3-point scale.   RESULTS There was a moderate positive correlation between clinical test and ultrasound grading of anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament with Spearman's correlation coefficient values of 0.58 and 0.66 respectively. Clinical grading of anterior drawer test had 59.1% sensitivity (95% CI 0.36-0.79) while ultrasound grading had 100.0% specificity (95% CI 0.75-1.00), with Likelihood Ratio + of 0.77 and Likelihood Ratio - of 0.44 in detecting a complete (grade 3) anterior talofibular ligament tear (p<0.05). Meanwhile, the clinical grading of talar tilt test had 54.5 % sensitivity (95% C.I 0.23-0.83) and ultrasound grading had 100.0 % specificity (95% CI 0.85-1.00), with Likelihood Ratio + of 1.0 and Likelihood Ratio - of 0.45 in detecting a complete grade 3 calcaneofibular ligament tear (p<0.05).   CONCLUSIONS The dynamic ultrasound is recommended to determine the actual degree of disruption of the ligament especially when clinical grading under-grades the degree of tear. Grade 2 tears can vary from 10% tear to 90% tear causing the clinical correlation to become less strong. We recommend a new classification for ultrasound grading of Grade 2 tears, which could result in a stronger correlation between clinical and ultrasound grading.
Rainfall in Iraq is characterized by unorganized distribution of both spatial and temporal. The annual, seasonal and monthly mean rainfall varies considerly with years. The recorded rainfall quantity in the different meteorological stations varies from location to another according to sea surface elevation and the geographical position of meteorological stations. Variation of rainfall with space and time were studied in Iraq for the period (1980-2010) using 22 meteorological stations. Mean monthly, seasonally and annually values of rainfall were found in different meteorological stations. Winter months represent about (42-56) % of total annual rainfall. The annual variability of rainfall in all these stations is high. Isohyetal method was used to estimate the mean monthly values of rainfall in Iraq. Simple and Multiple Regression Equations were found in Mosul, Baghdad and Basrah stations between rainfall and different meteorological elements.
Currently, more than two million Spanish people live officially abroad. Since the 1980s, both the Spanish and some of the autonomous community governments have begun to recognise and support their respective emigrant populations. The paper analyses comparatively the evolution of the legislation that has made possible the establishment of civil servant structures and the development of services and programmes that specifically focus on the emigrant population by the central government as well as by ten of the autonomous communities with the greatest number of people abroad. From a methodological point of view, the research is based on the analysis of the complex legislative frame and services and programmes developed and on qualitative interviews with politicians and high ranking public servants in charge of emigration matters. The paper points out the urgent need for collaboration among the different public administrations and the update of emigration policies in the context of economic crisis, the loss of population and the increase of emigration flows.
Nixtamalized maize flours elaborated by four factories in Mexico were used for tortilla preparation. Samples were stored at 4 degrees C for up to 72 h and their in vitro starch digestibility features were evaluated. Moisture content was different between flour and tortilla but no evident relation could be established. Protein and lipid levels were lower in tortillas than in flour but ash content was not different in both samples. A decrease in available starch content was observed upon 48 h cold storage (4 degrees C), changes that were concomitant with increased total resistant starch (RS) levels. These changes were due mainly to retrogradation, as suggested by the increased retrograded resistant starch (RRS) levels recorded in stored tortillas; in some samples, RRS represented up to 100% of total RS. The digestion (alpha-amylolysis) rate (DR) of freshly prepared tortillas differed for the various samples. Although the amylolysis patterns for fresh and 72 h-stored tortillas were similar, lower DR values were shown for the stored materials. The differences found among the various tortilla samples may be due to variations in processing conditions during commercial maize flour preparation, and to the use of different maize varieties.
This paper presents a technical and economic feasibility assessment of utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) plants in the West Kalimantan Province of Borneo, which is essential for boosting the development of solar PV plants in Indonesia. The assessment was performed based on a previously developed geographical information systems (GIS) package that integrates satellite-derived data of solar irradiation with locally obtained data such as land usage, topography, road lines, and an electrical network. For the evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility, annual energy production and electrical cost were calculated using an analysis tool that was integrated into a GIS package. The results show that more than 93% of the exploitable land that covers the area of 49,859 km2 is available for the development of solar PV plants, with an annual energy production higher than 180 GWh/km2 and an electricity cost lower than 0.05 USD/kWh, indicating the attractiveness of utility-scale solar PV plant development in West Kalimantan Province. A further detailed assessment of optimal sites shows that the selected sites are technically and economically feasible for the development of utility-scale solar PV plants. The approaches and results of this research should be valuable for energy planners, developers, and policy makers to set the strategies for promoting the development of utility-scale solar PV plants in pro of the sustainable development of Indonesia.
PURPOSE: to identify possible peripheral and central auditory disorders in workers of a recycling fluorescent light bulbs industry that were exposed to elemental mercury. METHODS: pure tone audiometric tests were done (air and bone conduction measures), speech audiometric tests and immittance measures (timpanometry and acoustic reflexes thresholds) in 13 workers, all of them male, 38.5 years old in average and mean exposure time of six years. After that, auditory processing tests were done in nine workers (verbal dichotic listening test and frequency pattern test - PPS). RESULTS: among the 13 workers who took the audiometric tests and immittance measure tests, six of them (46%) developed sensoriumneural hearing loss and seven of them (54%) developed altered acoustic reflex thresholds. Among nine workers who took the auditory processing test, three of them (33.5%) registered altered results in both verbal dichotic listening and PPS tests. CONCLUSIONS: peripheral and central auditory disorders were identified.
This paper summarizes the examinations on variousfactors governing the molecular mobility in the supercooled liquids and the glass transition temperature Tg. The examinations were performed on some thermodynamically characterized samples including a linear polymer (polyvinylchloride: PVC), a crosslinked polymer (chlorinated polyethylene: CPE), and a relatively simple molecular liquid (a mixture of triphenylchloromethane and ortho-terphenyl:TPCM/oTP). Various thermodynamic excess quantities such as the free volume and the configurational entropy and energy were evaluated as possible factors
Augmented reality (AR) digital environments have introduced a new complexity to digital investigation where augmented overlays of real objects may be momentary, changed, distorted and evade the usual methods for evidence collection. It is possible an investigator applying standard investigation methods factually reports a real situation and its digital context but has none of the relevant evidence. In this situation the potential for a fair hearing is low and the chance of retrial high. Such situations are unacceptably dangerous and require redress. In this paper the AR condition is considered in terms of its complexity and management during an investigation. The most important issue is awareness and the investigator factoring in the potential for augmentation in any investigation.
ABSTRACT The influence of insulin on hepatic metabolism in fish is not well understood. The present study was therefore conducted to investigate the effects of insulin on lipid metabolism, and the related signaling pathways, in the yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. Hepatic lipid and intracellular triglyceride (TG) content, the activity and expression levels of several enzymes and the mRNA expression of transcription factors (PPARα and PPARγ) involved in lipid metabolism were determined. Troglitazone, GW6471, fenofibrate and wortmannin were used to explore the signaling pathways by which insulin influences lipid metabolism. Insulin tended to increase hepatic lipid accumulation, the activity of lipogenic enzymes (6PGD, G6PD, ME, ICDH and FAS) and mRNA levels of FAS, G6PD, 6PGD, CPT IA and PPARγ, but down-regulated PPARα mRNA level. The insulin-induced effect could be stimulated by the specific PPARγ activator troglitazone or reversed by the PI3 kinase/Akt inhibitor wortmannin, demonstrating that signaling pathways of PPARγ and PI3 kinase/Akt were involved in the insulin-induced alteration of lipid metabolism. The specific PPARα pathway activator fenofibrate reduced insulin-induced TG accumulation, down-regulated the mRNA levels of FAS, G6PD and 6PGD, and up-regulated mRNA levels of CPT IA, PPARα and PPARγ. The specific PPARα pathway inhibitor GW6471 reduced insulin-induced changes in the expression of all the tested genes, indicating that PPARα mediated the insulin-induced changes of lipid metabolism. The present results contribute new knowledge on the regulatory role of insulin in hepatic metabolism in fish. Summary: Insulin plays a regulatory role in hepatic metabolism in yellow catfish, increasing lipid and triglyceride accumulation. These changes are mediated by the modulation of PPARα, PPARγ and PI3K signaling pathways.
In this paper, we propose the use of energy load profiles to learn human activities. An energy load profile determines the energy consumption of an appliance during a specific interval of time. We propose the use of clustering techniques to group the dierent profiles according to their temporal consumption. Both Hard and Soft clustering techniques are evaluated. We have tested the method with data from REMODECE (Residential Monitoring to Decrease Energy Use and Carbon Emissions in Europe) 1 database.
Utilizing new technologies is the key to improve user experience in museums. Natural and unobtrusive methods like those offered by machine learning approaches are more desired by users. So far, the research on machine learning applications in museums is mostly limited to art authentication, guiding and virtual reality. Yet, machine learning has powerful methods to extract information from any type of data and therefore there are other interesting applications which can have a significant effect on museum experience. The current work is an attempt to find an abstract and yet elaborate view into the existing machine learning applications in museums in general and automatic guide methods in particular. To do so, applications are grouped into different categories and for each category the usefulness of applying machine learning along with the existing methods, if any, are presented. Furthermore, a precise explanation on new directions accompanied by examples is provided. We expect this paper to be of interest to the machine learning researchers since it provides a guideline to proper directions of research in this realm.
For the simple two-dimensional random walk on the vertices of a rectangular lattice, the asymptotic forms of several properties are well known, but their forms can be insufficiently accurate to describe the transient process. Inequalities with the correct asymptotic form are derived for six such properties. The rates of approach to the asymptotic form are derived. The accuracy of the bounds and some practical implications of the results are discussed.
Jackendoff's major syntactic exemplar is deeply unrepresentative of most syntactic relations and operations. His treatment of language evolution is vulnerable to Occam's Razor, hypothesizing stages of dubious independence and unexplained adaptiveness, and effectively divorcing the evolution of language from other aspects of human evolution. In particular, it ignores connections between language and the massive discontinuities in human cognitive evolution.
The authors contend that despite the popularity of the term and of corporate surveys to measure it, employee engagement is often an ill-defined concept, and the relationship of it with reward management is often even more unclear. In a wide-ranging analysis, they consider the impact of the difficult global economic climate on engagement levels and what we have learned about the relationship with rewards. They argue that engagement and its links with pay and rewards need to be defined and understood in each organization setting, rather than assuming that simplistic universal models can be adopted. They highlight the importance of a total rewards approach in engaging the diversity of the workforce and meeting the wide variety of employee needs. Third, they call for action on survey results, with the recession having widened the “say–do” gap on employee engagement. Finally, they highlight some outstanding questions for future research and practice to investigate in this field.
Strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and propionic acid bacteria (PAB) were screened as biopreservatives against food spoilage yeasts, molds and Bacillus spp. singly and in combina- tion. A combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain LC705 and Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii strain JS was found to be the most active against yeasts, molds and Bacillus spp. The combination was tested for its activity against yeasts and molds in different food applications and the best results were obtained in fermented milks and in bakery products. An initiallevel of 107 cells.g " fermented milk product and a level of 1ascells.g " sour dough were found to be effective' against yeasts and Bacillus spp. Technology for the use of the combination in different applications was devel- oped. © Inra/Elsevier, Paris.
RÉSUMÉ. - Dans [BM], nous avons défini une relation d’équivalence sur l’ensemble des formes bilinéaires entières, appelée cobordisme algébrique, qui permet de classifier les entrelacs fibrés simples à cobordisme près. Ici, nous montrons que tout entrelacs K est cobordant à un entrelacs simple K’ et les entrelacs K et K’ ont des formes de Seifert algébriquement cobordantes. Nous déduisons de ce résultat une classification complète , à cobordisme près des entrelacs fibrés à l’aide de leurs formes de Seifert. . Ensuite nous construisons un représentant de chaque classe de cobordisme des entrelacs à homologie sans torsion qui se décompose en la somme connexe d’un entrelacs de forme de Seifert identiquement nulle avec un entrelacs de forme de Seifert non dégénérée. ABSTRACT. - In [BM~ we define an equivalence relation on the set of intégral bilinear forms called algebraic cobordism, which allow us to classify simple fibered links up to cobordism (where a link is a (2n - 1)- dimensional, (n - 2)-connected, oriented, smooth and closed submanifold of the (2n + 1)-dimensional sphère). Hère we prove that every link K is cobordant to a simple link K’ and the two links K and K’ have algebraically cobordant Seifert forms. According to this result we obtain a complète classification of fibered links up to cobordism using their Seifert forms. We also construct an élément for each cobordism class of torsion free links, this élément is given by the connected sum of a link with an identically zéro Seifert
The potential of visible-near-infrared spectroscopy to determine selected individual and total glucosinolates in broccoli has been evaluated. Modified partial least-squares regression was used to develop quantitative models to predict glucosinolate contents. Both the whole spectrum and different spectral regions were separately evaluated to develop the quantitative models; in all cases the best results were obtained using the near-infrared zone between 2000 and 2498 nm. These models have been externally validated for the screening of glucoraphanin, glucobrassicin, 4-methoxyglucobrassicin, neoglucobrassicin, and total glucosinolates contents. In addition, discriminant partial least-squares was used to distinguish between two possible broccoli cultivars and showed a high degree of accuracy. In the case of the qualitative analysis, best results were obtained using the whole spectrum (i.e., 400-2498 nm) with a correct classification rate of 100% in external validation being obtained.
Mature striatal medium size spiny neurons express the dopamine and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein, 32 kDa (DARPP-32), but little is known about the mechanisms regulating its levels or the specification of fully differentiated neuronal subtypes. Cell extrinsic molecules that increase DARPP-32 mRNA and/or protein levels include brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), retinoic acid, and estrogen. DARPP-32 induction by BDNF in vitro requires phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), but inhibition of phosphorylation of protein kinase B/Akt does not entirely abolish expression of DARPP-32. Moreover, the requirement for Akt has not been established. Using pharmacologic inhibitors of PI3K, Akt, and cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (cdk5) and constitutively active and dominant negative PI3K, Akt, cdk5, and p35 viruses in cultured striatal neurons, we measured BDNF-induced levels of DARPP-32 protein and/or mRNA. We demonstrated that both the PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin and the cdk5/p35 signal transduction pathways contribute to the induction of DARPP-32 protein levels by BDNF and that the effects are on both the transcriptional and translational levels. It also appears that PI3K is upstream of cdk5/p35, and its activation can lead to an increase in p35 protein levels. These data support the presence of multiple signal transduction pathways mediating expression of DARPP-32 in vitro, including a novel, important pathway via by which PI3K regulates the contribution of cdk5/p35.
The influence of dislocations on the performance of large-grain polysilicon solar cells is investigated. The theory predicts that, depending on the product of dislocation recombination velocity (sd) and dislocation core radius (r0), there is a range of low dislocation density, ( rho d) where the influence on the solar cell efficiency ( eta ) is not essential. For higher values of rho d, eta decreases slowly with rho d( eta approximately pd-0.5) and for even higher values of rho d, eta decreases more rapidly according to the law eta approximately pd-1. Finally, the value of the bulk diffusion length affects the solar cell efficiency only in the range of low dislocation density ( rho d<or=5*105 cm-2).
ABSTRACT This article describes a single-session trauma-debriefing group conducted at a nursing home following the death of a resident on an outing. The group had as its core an existing weekly therapy group in the facility, with the addition of affected staff, family, and other residents who were on the outing. The treatment illustrates four principles relevant to counseling and psychotherapy in nursing homes: 1) recognition of death; 2) treatment in and of the milieu; 3) flexibility and structure; and 4) dealing with countertransference. Along the way, we see how the residents are capable of giving, and not merely receiving.
Little is known about the mechanisms that allow the cortex to selectively improve the neural representations of behaviorally important stimuli while ignoring irrelevant stimuli. Diffuse neuromodulatory systems may facilitate cortical plasticity by acting as teachers to mark important stimuli. This study demonstrates that episodic electrical stimulation of the nucleus basalis, paired with an auditory stimulus, results in a massive progressive reorganization of the primary auditory cortex in the adult rat. Receptive field sizes can be narrowed, broadened, or left unaltered depending on specific parameters of the acoustic stimulus paired with nucleus basalis activation. This differential plasticity parallels the receptive field remodeling that results from different types of behavioral training. This result suggests that input characteristics may be able to drive appropriate alterations of receptive fields independently of explicit knowledge of the task. These findings also suggest that the basal forebrain plays an active instructional role in representational plasticity.
Portable, custom-made electronic dynamometry for the foot and ankle is a promising assessment method that enables foot and ankle muscle function to be established in healthy participants and those affected by chronic conditions. Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) can alter foot and ankle muscle function. This study assessed ankle toque in participants with diabetic peripheral neuropathy and healthy participants, with the aim of developing an algorithm for optimizing the precision of data processing and interpretation of the results and to define a reference frame for ankle torque measurement in both healthy participants and those affected by DPN. This paper discloses the software chain and the signal processing methods used for voltage—torque conversion, filtering, offset detection and the muscle effort type identification, which further allowed for a primary statistical report. The full description of the signal processing methods will make our research reproducible. The applied algorithm for signal processing is proposed as a reference frame for ankle torque assessment when using a custom-made electronic dynamometer. While evaluating multiple measurements, our algorithm permits for a more detailed parametrization of the ankle torque results in healthy participants and those affected by DPN.
The practices of multimedia lightshows adopted by the British counterculture in London during the 1960s are related to aesthetic practices involving the use and manipulation of light in kinetic and op art. Both reflect a new sense of matter and energy that emerged from the adoption of post-Newtonian understandings of nature and the cosmos in the mid-twentieth century. The stereotypical cosmic mysticism with which the counterculture is associated was more techno-scientific than it is painted. The London underground press is a good source with which to elaborate this more nuanced reading. The counterculture’s cosmic speculation was as much earnest reflection on new vistas of nature and the universe as glib reflections on a Technicolor acid trip.
In this paper, a time stepping finite volume method (FVM) associated with the modified inverse Jiles-Atherton model for the nonlinear electromagnetic field computation is presented. To describe the dynamic behavior in the conducting media, the effective field is modified by adding two counter-fields associated respectively to the eddy current and excess losses. The hysteresis loss can be estimated by the integration over the obtained hysteresis loop at each frequency. To examine the validity of the proposed dynamic model coupled with FVM, the computed total losses and hysteresis loops are compared to experiments.
Epimedium wushanense (Berberidaceae) is recorded as the source plant of Epimedii Wushanensis Folium in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. However, controversies exist on the classification of E. wushanense and its closely related species, namely, E. pseudowushanense, E. chlorandrum, E. mikinorii, E. ilicifolium, and E. borealiguizhouense. These species are often confused with one another because of their highly similar morphological characteristics. This confusion leads to misuse in the medicinal market threatening efficiency and safety. Here, we studied the plastid genomes of these Epimedium species. Results show that the plastid genomes of E. wushanense and its relative species are typical circular tetramerous structure, with lengths of 156,855–158,251 bp. A total of 112 genes were identified from the Epimedium plastid genomes, including 78 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and 4 rRNA genes. A loss of rpl32 gene in E. chlorandrum was found for the first time in this study. The phylogenetic trees constructed indicated that E. wushanense can be distinguished from its closely related species. E. wushanense shows a closer relationship to species in ser. Dolichocerae. In conclusion, the use of plastid genomes contributes useful genetic information for identifying medicinally important species E. wushanense and provides new evidence for understanding phylogenetic relationships within the Epimedium genus.
Abstract Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate Productivity Bias Hypothesis (PBH) in Nigeria using parallel (black) market exchange rate. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study focused on Naira-Dollar (N/$) parallel market exchange rate. Quarterly data from 1995 to 2018 were used. Data on domestic productivity and parallel market exchange rate were sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin, 2018 edition. US productivity data was sourced from Federal Reserve Economic Data. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) was used as the estimation technique. Findings: The result reveals that parallel (black) market exchange rate support the presence of productivity bias hypothesis in Nigeria. Furthermore, the purchasing power parity hypothesis was rejected using the conventional unit root test. This implies that using official exchange rate, the study rejects the productivity bias hypothesis. Research Implications/Limitations: The implication of the study is that exchange rate in Nigeria should be determined freely in the foreign exchange market. Originality/Value/Contribution: Previous studies have used official exchange rate to test the validity of the productivity bias hypothesis, and the results can be basically described as mixed. Hence, this study differs from extant studies as it examined productivity bias hypothesis using parallel market exchange rate.
Using graph transformation as a formalism to specify access control has several advantages, from the intuition provided by the visual aspect to the precise semantics and the systematic verification of constraints. Graph Transformations provide a uniform and precise framework for the specification of access control policies. After reviewing the basic notations of graph transformation, this article presents specification formalisms for workflow delegation policies using graph transformation. The authorization states are represented by graphs and state transition by graph transformation. The proposed formalization provides an intuitive description for the manipulation of graph structures as they occur in workflow delegation and a precise specification of consistency conditions on graphs and graph transformations. We specifies a type graph to represents the type information in the graph transformation for workflow delegation, a set of rules to build the system states and sets of positive and negative constraints to specify wanted and unwanted framework.
ABSTRACT Bayesian item response theory (IRT) modeling stages include (a) specifying the IRT likelihood model, (b) specifying the parameter prior distributions, (c) obtaining the posterior distribution, and (d) making appropriate inferences. The latter stage, and the focus of this research, includes model criticism. Choice of priors with the posterior predictive checks (PPC) model-checking method requires more attention. The objective of this research is to investigate the extent of the effect of prior specification on the conclusions drawn from the PPC method. Findings indicated that the choice of discrepancy measure is an important factor in the overall success of the method, and that different discrepancy measures are affected more than others by prior specification. The use of percent correct as a discrepancy statistic was ineffective regardless of prior specification or type of misfit. Recommendations and suggestions for future research are provided.
The concept of topographic mapping is central to the understanding of the visual system at many levels, from the developmental to the computational. It is important to be able to relate different coordinate systems, e.g. maps of the visual field and maps of the retina. Retinal maps are frequently based on flat-mount preparations. These use dissection and relaxing cuts to render the quasi-spherical retina into a 2D preparation. The variable nature of relaxing cuts and associated tears limits quantitative cross-animal comparisons. We present an algorithm, “Retistruct,” that reconstructs retinal flat-mounts by mapping them into a standard, spherical retinal space. This is achieved by: stitching the marked-up cuts of the flat-mount outline; dividing the stitched outline into a mesh whose vertices then are mapped onto a curtailed sphere; and finally moving the vertices so as to minimise a physically-inspired deformation energy function. Our validation studies indicate that the algorithm can estimate the position of a point on the intact adult retina to within 8° of arc (3.6% of nasotemporal axis). The coordinates in reconstructed retinae can be transformed to visuotopic coordinates. Retistruct is used to investigate the organisation of the adult mouse visual system. We orient the retina relative to the nictitating membrane and compare this to eye muscle insertions. To align the retinotopic and visuotopic coordinate systems in the mouse, we utilised the geometry of binocular vision. In standard retinal space, the composite decussation line for the uncrossed retinal projection is located 64° away from the retinal pole. Projecting anatomically defined uncrossed retinal projections into visual space gives binocular congruence if the optical axis of the mouse eye is oriented at 64° azimuth and 22° elevation, in concordance with previous results. Moreover, using these coordinates, the dorsoventral boundary for S-opsin expressing cones closely matches the horizontal meridian.
Atractylodin is one of the major constituents of the rhizome of Atractylodes lancea, which is widely used in Korean traditional medicine as a remedy for the treatment of gastritis and gastric ulcers. Despite of a major constituent of widely used botanical to treat inflammatory responses little is known about anti-inflammatory effect of atractylodin in the human mast cell (HMC-1). Hence, we evaluated the effect of atractylodin on the release of IL-6, the involvement of nucleophosmin-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (NPM-ALK) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and A23187-induced HMC-1. In addition, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), phospholipase C (PLC) gamma 1, and AKT phosphorylation relevant to NPM-ALK signal pathway were assessed. IL-6 levels in the HMC-1 stimulated by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and A23187 were apparently decreased by the treatment of atractylodin. Concurrently, atractylodin not only inhibited the phosphorylation of NPM-ALK, but also suppressed the phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT3, PLC gamma 1, and AKT. Furthermore, the activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) by phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate and A23187 were inhibited by atractylodin. These results suggested that atractylodin might have a potential regulatory effect on inflammatory mediator expression through blockade of both the phosphorylation of MAPKs and the NPM-ALK signaling pathway.
In teaching writing in English as a foreign language (EFL) context, a little information is known about teachers’ knowledge base of writing. The current study, therefore, used the case of Chinese context to explore how TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) teachers understand writing and what impacts their conceptions. A questionnaire containing the natures, functions, and development of writing, and text features of good writing were developed to collect data online; items had 5-point Likert scales. 490 (female 76.3%) participants were engaged in the sample. Respondents generally identify linguistic, cultural and cognitive natures of writing, but many question its social nature, and a few are in trouble with recognizing the multifaceted concepts of writing. Participants highlight writing functions related to the self and self-expression but fail to note those targeting the addressees. The majority accede to the facilitation of other language skills and writing instruction to the development of writing, but lay the greatest stress on the transfer effects of reading. When evaluating texts, they do not seem to focus on linguistic features more relevant to foreign language learning (e.g. vocabulary, grammar). Demographic components (gender, teaching experience, school level, class size, and frequency of writing instruction) do not influence their conceptions systematically. These findings may be of interest for in-service teacher trainers.
In this paper, we proposes the virtual sound source panning algorithm in the multichannel system. Recently, High-definition (HD) and Ultrahigh-definition (UHD) video formats are accepted for the multimedia applications and they provide the high-quality resolution pixels and the wider view angle. The audio format also needs to generate the wider sound field and more immersive sound effects. However, the conventional stereo system cannot satisfy the desired sound quality in the latest multimedia system. Therefore, the various multichannel systems that can make more improved sound field generation are proposed. In the mutichannel system, the conventional panning algorithms have acoustic problems about directivity and timbre of the virtual sound source. To solve these problems in the arbitrary positioned multichannel loudspeaker system, we proposed the virtual sound source panning algorithm using multiple vectors base nonnegative amplitude panning gains. The proposed algorithm can be easily controlled by the gain control function to generate an accurate localization of the virtual sound source and also it is available for the both symmetric and asymmetric loudspeakers format. Its performance of sound localization is evaluated by subjective tests comparing with conventional amplitude panning algorithms, e.g. VBAP and MDAP, in the symmetric and asymmetric formats.
The Vale of Pickering in Yorkshire, England has been identified as a potential area for shale gas extraction. Public Health England joined a collaboration led by the British Geological Survey for environmental baseline monitoring near the potential shale gas extraction site following a grant award from UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The analysis of results for the first 6 months of indoor monitoring indicated that the results followed a log-normal distribution. The numbers of homes found to be at or above the Action Level followed the numbers predicted by the radon potential maps. The results from the measurements of outdoor air in this study indicated that the radon concentrations are slightly higher than previously measured but close to the detection limit of the technique.
MULTIPLE cystic tuberculous cranial lesions are uncommon. Meng and Wu have reported 40 cases involving the skull, and Gibson has described 32 cases involving multiple lesions over the skeletal system. These two reports point out that in countries where tuberculosis is prevalent, multiple tuberculous lesions of other bones are common.  Jungling called attention to multiple cystic lesions in the bones in nine cases and chose to refer to the condition as osteitis tuberculosa multiplex cystica. The lesions he described were in the small bones of the hands and feet almost entirely, and occurred in adults. A large majority of the cases mentioned were not confirmed by recovery of the tubercle bacillus from the lesions.  In recent years Lyford, Hsieh, et al, Stalmann, Kelly and Sailer, Law and Perham, Martin, Fox, Frost, and Martin and Fogel, have all reported cases of multiple tuberculous bone lesions. Most of these cases have sufficient information to confirm the diagnosis. However, since proven cases of multiple cystic tuberculosis are uncommon in pediatric literature, this being the fourteenth case reported, it seem worth while to record it.  History: No. 222,524, T.B.E., a 13 months old white male child, was admitted with a complaint of subcutaneous swellings and fever for eight months' duration.  Except for several episodes of diarrhea the child was well until he was five months of age. At that time it was noticed that he had swellings on both sides of the neck. During the eight months prior to admission swellings appeared in the axilla, in the groin, on the anterior surface of the right upper leg, on the fourth finger of the right hand, and on the right side of the head. Some of the swellings attained the size of 1.5 cm. They did not increase or decrease in size. They never suppurated nor drained. The swellings were quite tender. At times the nodes softened, only to harden again. After the eighth month of life the child neither gained nor lost weight though he ate fairly well. He ran an intermittent fever, and, for one month prior to admission here, he ran a daily fever as high as 38.8°C.  The child had been treated elsewhere with penicillin and X-ray therapy. A biopsy specimen taken from a node on the right side of the neck was sent to this hospital, and was reported as tuberculous adenitis.  Past history revealed no exposure to tuberculosis. The mother and father had had negative chest X-rays elsewhere. The child had always received raw cow's milk.
Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) is a systemic, autoimmune disease characterised by conjunctival scarring that is often progressive. The pathophysiology of the fibrosis is unknown. This study aimed to determine which fibrogenic cytokines are present in the conjunctiva in patients with acute and chronic OCP as a first stage in determining the mechanisms of fibrosis. Conjunctival biopsies from patients with acute, subacute and chronic OCP (n=13) were compared to normal conjunctiva (n=10). Production of mRNA for, and expression of, transforming growth-beta1, 2 and 3 (TGF-beta), TGF-beta receptor, platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) were assessed using in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry. Acute disease showed increased levels of mRNA for TGF-beta1 and 3, mainly in stromal fibroblasts and macrophages. In the stroma, there were concordant increases in latent and activated TGF-beta1 and 3 and TGF-beta receptor expression by fibroblasts. There were no significant increases in the expression of TGF-beta2, PDGF or FGF in acute disease. No cytokines or receptors were significantly increased in chronic disease. Acutely inflamed conjunctiva in OCP is associated with significant stromal levels of TGF-beta1 and 3 but not PDGF or FGF and none were increased in chronic disease. This suggests that TGF-beta may have a key role in the pathogenesis of the fibrosis. The absence of fibrogenic cytokines in chronic progressive OCP provides support for the proposal that fibroblasts in OCP conjunctiva may remain functionally and morphologically abnormal after the withdrawal of cytokine influences.
Bacterial blight disease of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is one of the most serious constraints in rice production. The most sustainable strategy to combat the disease is the deployment of host plant resistance. Earlier, we identified an introgression line, IR 75084-15-3-B-B, derived from Oryza officinalis possessing broad-spectrum resistance against Xoo. In order to understand the inheritance of resistance in the O. officinalis accession and identify genomic region(s) associated with resistance, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population was developed from the cross Samba Mahsuri (susceptible to bacterial blight) × IR 75084-15-3-B-B (resistant to bacterial blight). The F2 population derived from the cross segregated in a phenotypic ratio of 3: 1 (resistant susceptible) implying that resistance in IR 75084-15-3-B-B is controlled by a single dominant gene/quantitative trait locus (QTL). In the F7 generation, a set of 47 homozygous resistant lines and 47 homozygous susceptible lines was used to study the association between phenotypic data obtained through screening with Xoo and genotypic data obtained through analysis of 7K rice single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip. Through composite interval mapping, a major locus was detected in the midst of two flanking SNP markers, viz., Chr11.27817978 and Chr11.27994133, on chromosome 11L with a logarithm of the odds (LOD) score of 10.21 and 35.93% of phenotypic variation, and the locus has been named Xa48t. In silico search in the genomic region between the two markers flanking Xa48t identified 10 putatively expressed genes located in the region of interest. The quantitative expression and DNA sequence analysis of these genes from contrasting parents identified the Os11g0687900 encoding an NB-ARC domain-containing protein as the most promising gene associated with resistance. Interestingly, a 16-bp insertion was noticed in the untranslated region (UTR) of the gene in the resistant parent, IR 75084-15-3-B-B, which was absent in Samba Mahsuri. The association of Os11g0687900 with resistance phenotype was further established by sequence-based DNA marker analysis in the RIL population. A co-segregating PCR-based INDEL marker, Marker_Xa48, has been developed for use in the marker-assisted breeding of Xa48t.
Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) is used in Intelligent Transportation systems wherein they are deployed for automatic ticketing of vehicles at car parking area, tracking vehicles during traffic signal violations and related applications. Out of the three major modules of ALPR systems, namely 1. localization of license plate from vehicle image, 2. segmentation of the characters images from the localized license plate and 3. Recognition of segmented characters images as license plate number, localization of potential license plate from the vehicle images is the most challenging task due to the huge variations in size, shape, color, texture and spatial orientations of license plate regions in such images. LP Localization fails often due to the presence of complex background and non-uniform illumination of license plate due to varying lighting conditions. In this paper, we propose a smart, simple and efficient algorithm for Indian license Plate Localization using Top Hat Transformation, which suppresses the background of image and remove the non uniform illumination. The algorithm is tested with live ALPR field images, confirming the robustness of the proposed method against adverse imaging condition.
In this paper, a new text and speech corpus in the Punjabi language has been developed. The Punjabi language is a modern Indo-Aryan language. The Punjabi language has been ranked amongst the top spoken languages of the world. Over the years, this ranking has varied between 10 and 18. Any research work on the Punjabi language, therefore, assumes an international significance. The Punjabi language is the native language of the Punjab state in two countries: East Punjab in India, and West Punjab in Pakistan. There are many dialects of the Punjabi language and two different scripts in both countries. It will be an enormous task to design a new text or speech corpus that can completely describe all dialects in both scripts. This work, therefore, concentrates only on one dialect of the Punjabi language: the Malwai dialect. This paper describes at least 20 unique features of the newly designed corpus.
This paper presents a carry chain design optimized for implementing multipliers along with the adder circuitry. This kind of architecture will be very useful for designs which have very large number of mathematical operations in it. The aim of the architecture is to accommodate as much logic as possible in one LUT without increasing the size of the LUT proportionately. The discussed carry chain design is compatible with both 3-input as well as 4-input LUTs. The paper ends with a comparative study of multiplier implementation on various popular FPGA architectures.
This paper presents a personal appreciation of the contribution that Richard Lee has made to my understanding of western Subarctic Dineh societies. It will range from understanding the introduction of locks to village communities and the real existence of a ‘real world’ regardless of the post-modern unreal sensibility of consumer capitalism, to the importance of community engagement and the moral positioning of the anthropologist. It will also consider the continuing existence of hunting-gathering lives in the western Subarctic, regardless of the ‘other's’ opinion of what they might think they are because young people dance to hip-hop music, on which it will also comment.
A thick salt bed, the Salado Formation, is present in the northwestern part of the Delaware basin. In an area about 30 mi east of Carlsbad, Eddy County, New Mexico, this salt bed is being investigated as a possible site for a pilot plant for radioactive-waste isolation. Geophysical investigations have been carried out at the proposed End_Page 465------------------------------ site since 1976. This work was performed under the direction of Sandia Laboratories, Albuquerque, under contract to the Department of Energy. The purpose of these geophysical investigations was to study the geologic conditions of the bedded salt deposit, including the evaporite section and overlying and underlying formations as part of site evaluation and characterization. Both nonseismic and seismic geophysical techniques were employed. Seismic investigations were used to map from the top of the Salado Formation downward to Precambrian basement in order to locate and delineate (1) salt breccia pipes or collapse features that penetrate into and possibly through the Salado Formation, (2) an igneous dike that cuts the Salado Formation, (3) salt-dissolution fronts within or above the evaporite section, and (4) slump, faulting, or other structural disturbances above, below, or within the evaporite section. The seismic site-evaluation studies included two Vibroseis programs plus a review of all the petroleum industry data available in the area of interest. The 1977 seismic program was for the semidetailed analysis of anomalies located during all earlier data studies. Any indications of slumping, faulting, and dissolution within the evaporite zones or any other structural departure from a "stable" condition in the post-Delaware deposits on the first review were subjected to additional seismic study. Forty-eight miles of extended frequency Vibroseis data were gathered over the anomalies in 1977. Sweeps to 110 Hz were utilized. The results of the 1977 program indicated that in some areas the Castile and lower Salado Formations are deformed, a fact supported by a follow-up series of drill holes. Examples of the early interpreted anomalies with the normal petroleum industry field-recording parameters clearly show the need to modify the parameters to obtain shallow information. The latest Vibroseis data indicate the enhancement obtained by shortening the geophone and source intervals and by raising the sweep range to 100 Hz. The earlier observed anomalies are compared with later examples and, in all cases, the detailed studies give excellent definition as to salt deformation, timing of movement, and extent of structural effect on the salt beds. End_of_Article - Last_Page 466------------
Esophageal cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Novel therapeutic intervention is urgently needed for this deadly disease. The functional role of PI3K/AKT pathway in esophageal cancer is little known. In this study, our results from 49 pairs of human esophageal tumor and normal specimens demonstrated that AKT was constitutively active in the majority (75.5%) of esophageal tumors compared with corresponding normal tissues. Inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway with specific inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, significantly reduced Bcl-xL expression, induced caspase-3-dependent apoptosis, and repressed cell proliferation and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo without obvious toxic effects. Moreover, significantly higher expression level of p-AKT was observed in fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant esophageal cancer cells. Inactivation of PI3K/AKT pathway markedly increased the sensitivity and even reversed acquired resistance of esophageal cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs in vitro. More importantly, the resistance of tumor xenografts derived from esophageal cancer cells with acquired 5-FU resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs was significantly abrogated by wortmannin treatment in animals. In summary, our data support PI3K/AKT as a valid therapeutic target and strongly suggest that PI3K/AKT inhibitors used in conjunction with conventional chemotherapy may be a potentially useful therapeutic strategy in treating esophageal cancer patients.
This paper examines the effect of capital structure on the firms’ performance. The study collected data from seventeen firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange from 2009 to 2018. A quantitative research technique is used to collect data to test two hypotheses. Panel data regression is employed to determine the effect of capital structure on firms’ performance. The study revealed that short-term debt and total debt accounted for 67% and 76.3% respectively of capital used to finance the operations for the period. Furthermore, the study revealed that there is significant and negative relationship between capital structures and firms’ performance. The study concludes that firms should minimise the use of debt capital and rather concentrate on equity capital to finance their operations. The study recommends that firms should increase sales and invest in tangible assets to maximise the firms’ performance.
Molecular Imaging Group, Nuclear Medicine Dept., Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain Molecular Imaging and Medical Physics Group, Radiology Dept., University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain Clinical Pharmacology Group, Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain Nuclear Medicine Unit, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, “Sapienza” University, Roma, Italy Biomedical Imaging Science Department, Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK Research & Development, Invicro, London, UK Translational Molecular Imaging Institute, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
Suggestions on international cooperation in climate policy beyond 2012 include substi- tuting or complementing international environmental agreements (IEA) with technology oriented agreements (TOA). We look at the impact of TOA on environmental cooperation in the framework of coalition stability. Using a numerical model, we analyze the differ- ences of several TOA and how they interact. We find that participation in and environmen- tal effectiveness of the IEA are raised less effectively when the TOA focuses on mitigation technology rather than augmenting productivity, which is due to the former having an effect on all actors via emissions, whereas effects of the latter are exclusive to research partners. For the same reason, we find that restricting the effects of R&D cooperation is credible only in case of productivity. Technology standards may fail to foster participation when they are restricting members and non-members alike, and may suffer from inefficiencies. However, when implemented as a complementary instrument, these disadvantages did not apply. Separately negotiated technology standards may hence facilitate participation in an IEA without adding to its complexity.
In aqueous sodium hydroxide and tertiary amine buffers at 25° 9-(dimethylaminomethyl)fluorene eliminates dimethylamine to form dibenzofulvene. Between 0.02 and 0.2M-OH– the reaction is first order in hydroxide with a rate constant expected of ionisation to a fluorenyl anion. Above 0.2M the order in hydroxide falls, consistent with a change in rate-determining step to loss of the leaving group. Below 0.02M the order also falls and in buffer solutions the reaction shows general acid catalysis, as expected of rate-determining attack of hydroxide and buffer base on protonated substrate. Buffer saturation is observed with a limiting rate constant close to that at high hydroxide concentrations, again indicating a change in rate-determining step. In weakly basic buffers the saturation rate becomes pH dependent and a pKa of 8.54 is calculated for the substrate. A stepwise mechanism is proposed with formation of a zwitterion intermediate preceded respectively at high pH by a fluoren-9-yl anion and at low pH by a dimethylammonium cation. The behaviour is compared with that of Mannich bases, β-arylsulphonylalkylamines and carbonyl forming eliminations of amines. Relative to carbonyl reactions the rate of expulsion of the amine leaving group appears slow, and there is no evidence of a ‘proton switch’ between β-carbon atom and leaving group.
Municipal solid waste incinerator by-products include fly ash and air pollution control residues. In order to transform these wastes into reusable species, soluble alkali chlorides must be separated and toxic trace elements must be stabilized. In this paper, alkali chlorides can be extracted efficiently in an aqueous extraction step combining a calcium phosphate gel precipitation. In such a process, sodium and potassium chlorides are obtained free from calcium salts, and the trace metal ions are immobilized in the calcium phosphate matrix. Fly ash spiked with copper ions and treated by this process shows improved stability of metal ions. Leaching tests with water or EDTA reveal a significant drop in metal ion dissolution.
Whether nicotine has therapeutic effects on Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms is controversial, but high doses and chronic treatment have never been tested. We report the results of a pilot, open‐label trial to assess the safety and possible efficacy of chronic high doses of nicotine. Six patients with advanced idiopathic PD received increasing daily doses of transdermal nicotine up to 105 mg/day over 17 weeks. All patients but one accepted the target dose. Nausea and vomiting were frequent but moderate, and occurred in most of the patients (four of six) who received over 90 mg/day and 14 weeks of nicotine treatment. During the plateau phase, patients improved their motor scores and dopaminergic treatment was reduced. These results confirm the feasibility of chronic high dose nicotinic treatment in PD but warrant validation of the beneficial effects by a randomized controlled trial.
A pine tree substrate (PTS), produced by grinding loblolly pine trees (Pinus taeda), offers potential as a viable container substrate for greenhouse crops, but a better understanding of the fertilizer requirements for plant growth in PTS is needed. The purpose of this research was to determine the comparative fertilizer requirements for chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum ·grandiflora ‘Baton Rouge’) grown in PTS or a commercial peat-lite (PL) substrate. The PTS was prepared by grinding coarse (1-inch · 1-inch · 0.5-inch) pine chips from debarked loblolly pine logs in a hammer mill fitted with 3/16-inch screen. The PL substrate composed of 45% peat, 15% perlite, 15% vermiculite, and 25% bark was used for comparative purposes. Rooted chrysanthemum cuttings were potted in each of the substrates on 15 Oct. 2005 and 12 Apr. 2006 and were glasshouse grown. Plants were fertilized with varying rates of a 20N–4.4P–16.6K-soluble fertilizer ranging from 50 to 400 mg L nitrogen (N) with each irrigation. Plant dry weights and extractable substrate nutrient levels were determined. In 2005 and 2006, it required about 100 mg L N more fertilizer for PTS compared to PL to obtain comparable growth. At any particular fertilizer level, substrate electrical conductivity and nutrient levels were higher for PL compared to PTS accounting for the higher fertilizer requirements for PTS. Possible reasons for the lower substrate nutrients levels with PTS are increased nutrient leaching in PTS due to PTS being more porous and having a lower cation exchange capacity than PL, and increased microbial immobilization of N in PTS compared to PL. This research demonstrates that PTS can be used to grow a traditional greenhouse crop if attention is given to fertilizer requirements.
To improve their energy-absorption capacity, the current study provides a global optimization design method for two-post rollover protective structures (ROPS) that utilizes the Latin hypercube method to determine sample point values, the Kriging model as an alternative to traditional second-order polynomial response surfaces for constructing global approximations, and the genetic algorithm to yield optimized results. Through optimization, a satisfactory variation tendency of object function in the lateral loading analysis is obtained, and the load-carrying capability, deformation, and energy absorption are found to match each other well. The matching rationality between energy absorption and lateral loadcarrying capability effectively improves the energy-absorption capacity of the ROPS.
Asthma is a major health problem all over the world [1]. Since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a respiratory pathogen, it is important to quantify the risk that the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may represent for patients with asthma. These results reaffirm the idea that asthma does not appear to be a risk factor for the development of #COVID19. However, most of the asthma patients in this study had a non-T2 phenotype. https://bit.ly/38hIp18
ABSTRACT Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an economically significant pathogen of cattle and a problematic contaminant in the laboratory. BVDV is often used as an in vitro model for hepatitis C virus during drug discovery efforts. Aromatic dicationic molecules have exhibited inhibitory activity against several RNA viruses. Thus, the purpose of this research was to develop and apply a method for screening the aromatic cationic compounds for in vitro cytotoxicity and activity against a noncytopathic strain of BVDV. The screening method evaluated the concentration of BVDV in medium and cell lysates after 72 h of cell culture in the presence of either a 25 or 5 μM concentration of the test compound. Five of 93 screened compounds were selected for further determination of inhibitory (90 and 50%) and cytotoxic (50 and 10%) concentration endpoints. The screening method identified compounds that exhibited inhibition of BVDV at nanomolar concentrations while exhibiting no cytotoxicity at 25 μM concentrations. The leading compounds require further investigation to determine their mechanism of action, in vivo activity, and specific activity against hepatitis C virus.
The biodegradability of phenol and six other phenolic compounds (o-, m-, and p-cresol, 2-, 3-, and 4-ethylphenol) was examined in batch methanogenic cultures. The effect of concentration of these alkyl phenols on the anaerobic biodegradation of phenol was also evaluated. The inoculum used in this study was cultivated in a continuous flow laboratory fermenter with phenol as the primary substrate. Phenol, at initial concentrations as high to 1400 mg/L was completely degraded to methane and carbondioxide after 350 hours incubation. Complete degradation of m- and p-cresol was also observed while the ethylphenols and o-cresol were not significantly degraded.At initial concentrations exceeding 600 mg/L, phenol inhibited the phenol-degrading microorganisms but not the methanogens. At about 600 mg/L, cresols reduced the rate of phenol degradation to 50% of that observed in a control culture containing only 200 mg/L phenol. Ethylphenols were more inhibitory than cresols. Phenol degrading microorganisms were more susceptible to inhibition by cresols and ethylphenols than were the methanogens. The inhibitory effects of the three isomers of cresol and ethylphenol did not vary with the isomer but rather with the substituted functional group.
What are the consequences of internationalization for the democratic legitimacy of governance? The argument developed in this article claims that de-democratization will take place as long as intergovernmental cooperation mechanisms offer national governments the opportunity to reassert state autonomy vis-a-vis increasingly assertive domestic and transnational societal pressures. Applied to the context of an emerging world society, the concept of raison d'état is employed in order to classify the concurrence of mutual self-commitment and dedemocratization as a predictable result of strategic interaction among national governments. The article argues that in order to overcome this serious, yet surmountable, obstacle to democratic governance beyond the state, the future architecture of global public policy will have to transcend the traditional frame of intergovernmentalism. Reflecting upon institutional designs to overcome the shortcomings of international governance, the author postulates that solutions cannot be based on the territorial-state majority-democracy model. Instead, a de-governmentalized polity for governance beyond the state is suggested which would be composed of functionally differentiated political arenas with different roles, participants and forms of representation.
This is the distribution of the ratio of a normally distributed variable with unit variance to the square root of a ratio of a chi-square variable to its degrees of freedom. When the noncentrality parameter (the mean of the normal distribution) is zero, the distribution is Student's t distribution. The noncentral distribution provides the power function for a t test, and other applications concern tolerance intervals and confidence intervals. Details are given here.      Keywords:    student;  power;  t test;  tolerance;  confidence;  quantile
The use of chemotherapy to treat lymphomas and, in particular, Hodgkin's disease has been through three phases in the last 30 years. The first demonstration that chemotherapy was effective in a disseminated malignancy such as advanced Hodgkin's disease caused excitement and the expectation that at last malignant disease was treatable by drugs. This was succeeded by a sense of frustration when the patients relapsed even after some time in good health. When additional effective drugs
ABSTRACT Flue gas recirculation (FGR) is a low nitrogen oxide (NOX) combustion technology. The present study used standard gas to simulate the cycle gas (the main ingredients of which are oxygen (O2), nitrogen (N2), and carbon dioxide (CO2)). The coal grate-fired process was divided into three zones, namely (1) volatilization zone, (2) main combustion zone, and (3) char combustion and burn-out zone. The effects of FGR on coal combustion and NO emissions were investigated in these zones of a unit-boiler experimental system. An industrial test was then conducted on a chain boiler that previously used FGR. Data showed that if the cycle gas was directed into the furnace from the volatilization zone, the curve of the coal surface temperature moved backwards, the temperature peak increased, and coal ignition was delayed. When the FGR rate was 20%, NO emissions/g coal was 41.8% less than in the absence of FGR, in the overall combustion process except for the volatilization zone. An industrial test demonstrated that FGR decreased the NO emissions and incomplete-combustion loss of gas. NO and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions were reduced by 26.9 and 38%, respectively. These observations may prove to be beneficial in reducing ambient air pollution and saving energy.
Background Wallemia ichthyophaga is a highly specialized basidiomycetous fungus. It is one of the most halophilic fungi ever described, only able to grow at low water activity. This specialization is thought to explain why it is only rarely isolated from nature. Results Genomes of 21 W. ichthyophaga strains were sequenced with PE150 reads on BGISEQ500 platform. The genomes shared high similarity with the reference genome of the species, they were all smaller than 10 Mbp and had a low number of predicted genes. Groups of strains isolated in the same location encompassed clones as well as very divergent strains. There was little concordance between phylogenies of predicted genes. Linkage disequilibrium of pairs of polymorphic loci decayed relatively quickly as a function of distance between the loci (LD decay distance 1270 bp). For the first time a putative mating-type locus was identified in the genomes of W. ichthyophaga. Conclusion Based on the comparison of W. ichthyophaga genomes it appears that some phylogenetic lineages of the species can persist in the same location over at least several years. Apart from this, the differences between the strains do not reflect the isolation habitat or geographic location. Together with results supporting the existence of (sexual) recombination in W. ichthyophaga, the presented results indicate that strains of W. ichthyophaga can form a single recombining population even between different habitats and over large geographical distances.
The main characteristics of prime transducer of harmful gases are investigated. In particular, principle of action of prime transducer is described for registration of gases, which appear as a result of reaction of curriculum of foodstuffs. The working of primary transformer is based on the using of properties of material sensible to influencing to sulphurized hydrogen. The main dependences, which describe functioning principles of prime transducer of harmful gases, are represented and analyzed.
Learning from demonstration is a powerful tool for teaching manipulation actions to a robot. It is, however, an unsolved problem how to consider knowledge about the world and action-induced reactions such as forces imposed onto the gripper or measured liquid levels during pouring without explicit and case dependent programming. In this paper, we present a novel approach to include such knowledge directly in form of measured features. To this end, we use action demonstrations together with external features to learn a motion encoded by a dynamic system in a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) representation. Accordingly, during action imitation, the system is able to couple the geometric trajectory of the motion to measured features in the scene. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with a broad range of external features in real-world robot experiments including a drinking, a handover and a pouring task.
We report on superconducting behavior of Sr3Ru2O7 macrodomain taken out from Sr2RuO4-Sr3Ru2O7 eutectic crystals. Transport measurements performed down to 300 mK provide evidence of a supercurrent flowing through the whole sample. Structural and compositional analyses are used to estimate the percentage of possible Sr2RuO4 inclusions. On the base of a model that describes the system as a proximity network made of superconducting Sr2RuO4 grains dispersed in the normal Sr3Ru2O7 matrix we determine the conditions for having a percolating superflow through the system.
Ten years ago, environmental problems were easy to define: The Hudson and Potomac were polluted; Los Angeles had lousy air; some waste dumps were highly toxic. Solutions were also relatively straightforward: the Clean Air Act for dirty airsheds; the Clean Water Act for dirty rivers; the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, better known as Superfund) for hazardous waste sites. Unfortunately, reality is not quite so neat. We now know that we were seeing—and treating—symptoms, not the disease itself.
Partial combinatory algebras are algebraic structures that serve as generalized models of computation. In this paper, we study embeddings of pcas. In particular, we systematize the embeddings between relativizations of Kleene's models, of van Oosten's sequential computation model, and of Scott's graph model, showing that an embedding between two relativized models exists if and only if there exists a particular reduction between the oracles. We obtain a similar result for the lambda calculus, showing in particular that it cannot be embedded in Kleene's first model.
Water, water everywhere, but did you ever stop to think; Water, water everywhere, so what did the albatross drink? These lines are adapted (rather ineptly) from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Coleridge did not answer my question, and in all probability never even thought about it. The answer is surprisingly simple; seabirds are able to survive quite happily on seawater because they have the ability to secrete large amounts of sodium chloride through their salt glands. This is not as esoteric for a lactation Journal as it might sound: the physiology underpinning ion and fluid secretion by the mammary gland was first described by Jim Linzell and Malcolm Peaker (Linzell & Peaker, 1971), who also worked on these related processes in avian salt glands. More recently the channels responsible for transporting water across the otherwise impermeable lipid bilayer membrane of the mammary secretory cell have been identified as aquaporins (Mobasheri & Barrett-Jolley, 2014). From a physiological point of view, water balance and lactation are intricately entwined. Prolactin, originally named for its lactation regulating properties in the rabbit, was subsequently shown to be an ancient hormone involved in water balance in many species, and one of the theories for the evolution of lactation (there are others) is as a water source to prevent the eggs of synapsids from drying out (Oftedal, 2002). The complexities of balancing water balance and lactation become obvious as soon as one realises that a concentrated milk favours the mother but compromises the neonate, and vice versa for dilute milks. Numerous adaptations have emerged. Some lactating desert rodents will drink the dilute urine of their offspring as they suckle, hence recycling water, whilst lactating ruminants have the advantage of a large reticulorumen that allows them to drink copiously and rapidly when water is available, without suffering water intoxication (Olsson, 2005). Simultaneously with hugely increasing demands for food, our planet also faces major challenges of water scarcity (Mekonnen & Hoeskstra, 2016). Listening to a politically-inspired debate on water scarcity at a recent EAAP Conference I was struck by the fact that production animals were being almost entirely ignored, since ‘they account for less than 2% of water usage’. Whilst this may be true (more or less: there is intense debate and little agreement on how to best measure global water supply and usage), it ignores the obvious fact that animals would not survive without that 2%. There are holes in our water knowledge, so a future issue of the Journal of Dairy Research will reexamine this crucial issue. More imminently we shall consider a second and equally important aspect of dairy-related water usage, that which occurs in our processing industries. DairyWater is a project funded by the Irish Government and industry that is seeking to optimise water handling in processing plants. The results will potentially have impact not just in Ireland but globally wherever milk is processed. A forthcoming issue of the Journal will feature this research in a totally new Cluster format, comprising a scoping review accompanied by a number of related short communications. Irish research also features in the current issue, a collaboration with Italian groups resulting in a novel non-thermal method for reducing microbial load in mozzarella cheese (Lacivita et al. 2018). Italy is well represented in this issue (five papers) and I draw particular attention to the observation that fatty acid profiles of various milks differ before and after in vitro digestion designed to mimic conditions in the gut (Santillo et al. 2108); not a surprise perhaps, but nevertheless a salutary lesson for dietary intervention strategies. The Italian contribution to this issue is surpassed by papers from China (seven papers) including three papers that focus on different aspects of metabolic and cellular regulation. Insulin’s role in regulating hepatocyte lipid metabolism via inhibition of AMP-activated protein kinase alpha is reported by Yu Li and colleagues (Li et al. 2018). The liver is also the focus of a study of the role of sirtuins and specifically SIRT3 in postpartum oxidative stress regulation in dairy goats (Liu et al. 2018) whilst the mammary epithelial cell is the target of RagD interacting with the mTOR signalling pathway in regulation of casein synthesis and cell proliferation (Mu et al. 2018). Our Journal strives to balance production-related and utilisation-related papers, so I shall end by highlighting two studies that deal with product quality issues, firstly of feta cheese and the importance of para kappa-casein in the ripening process (Alexandraki & Moatsou, 2018) and secondly of Greek yogurt and the use of a pectin/whey protein concentrate to reduce the generation of acid whey (Gyawali & Ibrahim, 2018). Both of these papers involved members of our Editorial Board. The Board is looking for additional expertise in classical genetics, genomics and statistics. If you have such expertise and would like to join the Board, please contact the Editor. *For correspondence; e-mail: chkn@sund.ku.dk Journal of Dairy Research (2018) 85 123–124. © Hannah Dairy Research Foundation 2018 doi:10.1017/S0022029918000328 123
This paper deals with a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm applied to electrical drives. The main contribution is a comprehensive and detailed description of the controller design process that points out the most critical aspects and also gives some practical hints for implementation. As an example, the MPC is developed for a permanent-magnet synchronous motor drive. Speed and current controllers are combined together, including all of the state variables of the system, instead of keeping the conventional cascade structure. In this way, the controller enforces both the current and the voltage limits. Both simulation and experimental results point out the validity of the design procedure and the potentials of the MPC in the electrical drive field.
valuable, the teachers insightful, and the experience well-organized and welcoming. Further, the course was run as part of the annual Tallinn Summer School. Thus, the learning experience was enriched with revelations “about Estonian history, culture, and traditions through interesting talks during social activities.” The course was credited with 4 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credit points by Tallinn University through their Open University department. It was made possible through the generous support of ACM SIGCHI, the Estonian Information Technology Foundation for Education, and Tallinn University. This year’s course takes place July 6–10, 2015 in Limassol, Cyprus, and will be hosted by the Cyprus University of Technology.
Background Seventy percent of child laborers—more than 150 million girls and boys under 18—are agricultural workers. They are harshly exploited, toiling in poor to appalling conditions, performing dangerous jobs with little or no pay, and are deprived of an education. Because children's bodies and minds are still growing and developing, exposure to workplace hazards and risks can be more devastating and long-lasting for them. The line between what is acceptable work and what is not is easily crossed. However, not all work that children undertake in agriculture is bad for them. Age-appropriate, lower-risk tasks that do not interfere with schooling and leisure time are not at issue here. Objectives The goal of this paper is to examine the links between health and child labor in agriculture. It aims to explain why the International Labour Organization's goal of eliminating all of the worst forms of child labor by 2016 will only be possible if more work is done in agriculture. Methods Review of the relevant literature and data on the hazards of child labor and the reasons why agricultural child labor is particularly difficult to tackle. Results Children who work in agriculture are exposed to a large number of health hazards, and yet the problem is particularly difficult to tackle because of the large numbers involved, the young age at which children start to work, the hazardous nature of the work, lack of regulation, invisibility of child laborers, denial of education, the effects of poverty, and ingrained attitudes and perceptions about the roles of children in rural areas. Conclusions Policies for preventing and reducing agricultural child labor should mainstream and integrate child labor issues at the national and international levels with increasing emphasis on poverty alleviation and expanding and improving institutional mechanisms for education, law enforcement, health, and so forth. Cooperation between the International Labour Organization and international agricultural organizations is needed to ensure that child labor in agriculture is a thing of the past.
In this paper, we have presented a succinct introduction to the mathematical building blocks of quantum computing as well as to the foundations of quantum image processing which include two models for image storage, processing and retrieval using quantum mechanics. Finally, we have presented one application of quantum image for phytoplankton analysis as well as one application of quantum computing for passive sonar tracking.
31 volatile components representing 98.2% of the volatile fraction of Mexican cold-pressed lime oil and 37 components representing 91.2% of the volatile constituents of distilled Mexican lime oils were identified. A total of 41 compounds were identified including 14 alcohols, 3 aldehydes, 2 esters, an aliphatic hydrocarbon, 11 monoterpenes, 8 sesquiterpenes, and 2 oxides. The unidentified components are present in trace quantities. Comparison of the GLC chromatograms of cold-pressed and distilled Mexican and West-Indian lime oils showed that α-pinene, β-pinene, myrcene and γ-terpinene were present in lesser amounts in the distilled oil than in the cold-pressed oil. The sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, β-caryophellene, α-bergamotene, α- and β-humulene, and β-bisabolene, were also found to be present in decreased quantities in the distilled oil as compared to the cold-pressed oil. While α-thujene, neral, geranial, decanal, geranyl acetate, neryl acetate, and α- and β-elemene were present in the cold-pressed oil, they were almost absent from the distilled oil. There was an increase in concentration of camphene, d-limonene, terpinolene and terpinene-4-ol in the distilled oil. Compounds which apparently were formed during distillation were identified as α-phellandrene, 1,4-cineole, p-cymene, α-fenchyl alcohol, and α- and β-terpineol. Six compounds which have not been previously reported in lime oil were identified as n-nonane, α-thujene, α-phellandrene, α-fenchyl alcohol, β-elemene and guaiene.
Abstract. Purpose: The goal of this study was to quantify the effects of iterative reconstruction on radiomics features of normal anatomic structures on head and neck computed tomography (CT) scans. Methods: Regions of interest (ROI) containing five different tissue types and an ROI containing only air were extracted from CT scans of the head and neck from 108 patients. Each scan was reconstructed using three different iDose4 reconstruction levels (2, 4, and 6) in addition to bone, thin slice (1-mm slice thickness), and thin-bone reconstructions. From each ROI in all reconstructions, 142 radiomic features were calculated. For each of the six ROIs, features were compared between combinations of iDose levels (2v4, 4v6, and 2v6) with a threshold of α  =  0.05 after correcting for multiple comparisons (p  <  0.00006). Features from iDose4-2 reconstructions were also compared to bone, thin slice, and thin-bone reconstructions. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, ρ, quantified the relative feature value agreement across iDose4 reconstructions. Results: When comparing radiomics features across the three iDose4 reconstruction levels, over half of all features reflected significant differences for all tissue types, while no features demonstrated significant differences when extracted from air ROIs. When assessing feature value agreement, at least 97% of features reflected excellent agreement (ρ  >  0.9) when comparing the three iDose levels for all ROIs. When comparing iDose4-2 to bone, thin slice, and thin-bone reconstructions, more than half of all features demonstrated significant differences for all ROIs and 89  %   of features reflected excellent agreement for all ROIs. Conclusion: Many radiomics features are dependent on the iterative reconstruction level, and the magnitude of this dependency is affected by the tissue from which features are extracted. For studies using images reconstructed using varying iDose4 reconstruction levels, features robust to these should be used.
The aim of the study was to determine the association between erythrocyte values, pulmonary arterial pressure and ventricular cardiac relationships in Cob-Vantress (CV) and Ross (R) lines under intensive breeding at sea level. It was used 61 birds of 35 days of age per line. Body weight (BW), hematocrit (Ht), hemoglobin (Hb), erythrocyte count (E), pulmonary arterial pressure (PaPm), and rates among weights of right ventricle/total ventricle (RV/TV), left ventricle/total ventricle (LV/TV), right ventricle/body weight (RV/ BW), left ventricle/body weight (LV/BW), and total ventricle/body weight (TV/BW). Birds of line CV showed that BW (2.201 kg) and LF/TV (0.822) were greater that in line R (2.060 kg and 0.793 respectively) (p<0.05), whereas line R showed greater values of Ht (29.39%), Hb (10.92 g/dl), RV/TV (0.207), RV/BW (0.753), and TV/BW (3.659) than CV (25.84%, 10.25 g/dl, 0.178, 0.615, and 3.462, respectively) (p<0.05). PaPm was statistically similar for both lines (CV: 15.96; R: 17.34 mmHg). The results showed that chickens of both lines had a good cardiopulmonary performance.
Since certain non-vascular angiotensin II (AII) receptors may be activated by angiotensin I (AI), and since sustained increase in AI levels accompanies chronic treatment with converting enzyme inhibitors (CEI) which block conversion of AI to AII, the question of whether AI has significant biological effects is of clinical relevance. We therefore sought to develop an in vitro culture system in which effects of angiotensin I, independently of its conversion to AII, could be studied in cloned aortic vascular endothelial cells (VEC). This was complicated by peptide degradation during the period of observation, both by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) on the surface of VEC and by angiotensinases in either the serum component of culture media or associated with the cell monolayer. Accordingly, we examined the half life of AI under relevant cell culture conditions, with and without confluent fetal bovine aortic endothelial cells (FBAEC). Factors assessed included (1) fetal calf serum: commercial source, concentration in culture media, effects of converting enzyme inhibitor (CEI: MK422) and/or heat inactivation (superimposed on the commercially performed process); and (2) effect of FBAEC in monolayer culture, with and without CEI. Results showed that (1) in the absence of cells, loss of AI in culture media, when present, was solely due to the presence of fetal calf serum (FCS) and showed a dose dependent response; (2) FCS from differing sources may vary dramatically in capacity for AI breakdown; and (3) serum related AI disappearance included a heat resistant ACE like component (inhibitable by CEI) and a heat sensitive/CEI resistant component dominant at concentrations of FCS exceeding 5%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The literature on orbital coinplicatioiis a t affections in the paranasal sinuses is rathcr comprehensive, and it treats in particular of the inflaniniatory affections, which are also the most frequcnt lo occur. Thus 3/5 of all orbital inflammations procced from the paranasal sinuses. Reversely about 2 or 3 per cent of the paranasal sinus inflammations are complicated hy orbital affection (Birch-Hirschfelt l) . This literature coinprises a number of valuable Danish Contributions partly by otologists ( Schiniegelow, S. H . Mygind , J . Moiler, Saloinonsen, R o u e t i ) , partly by ophthalmologists (Ronne, E h l e r s ) , but nonc of these publications, no more than the oto-neuro-ophthalinologic literature (Mounier-Kzrhiz) or the current text-book literature ( M a r x in Denleer & Kahler, resp. Birch-Hirschfeltl, or L i n c k in Kurzes Handbuch) contain any cssential data concerning the orbital Complications arising in connection with surgical operations on the paranasal sinuses. Indeed the question of complications in connection with cndonasal operations was discussed a t the meeting of the Laryngologic Section of the Royal Society of Medicine (1916), as well as a t that of the Danish Otologic Society (1919), where Thornual opened a discussion with contributions among others by Schmiegelow and S. H . M y g i i i d ; but a t both these meetings little attention was given specially to orbital complications.
The edible part of coconut fruit (coconut meat and water) is the endosperm tissue. Endosperm tissue undergoes one of three main modes of development namely nuclear, cellular, helobial (Lopes et al., 1993). Inside each coconut‟s outer shell is a white meaty layer, and inside that is the central cavity (Gabriel, 2009). This central cavity is coated with a jelly-like substance. This jelly is translucent and very soft when the coconut is young (Jackson et al., 2004). The cavity is filled up with a liquid endosperm, which is cytoplasmic in origin (Yong et al., 2009). This cavity can be filled with up to 600ml of liquid (Chowdhury et al., 2005). Yong et al., (2009) stated that the liquid part of the The effect of ultraviolet (UV-C) treatment on enzymes (viz. Polyphenol oxidase and Peroxidase) and nutritional properties (viz. Ascorbic acid, Antioxidant activity and Total phenolic content) of tender coconut water (Cocos nucifera) were studied during this research work. The process conditions for ultraviolet treatment were sample thickness (1, 2, 3 mm), treatment time (30, 60, 90 min) and distance of sample from lamp source (8.6, 13.7, 18.6 cm).The results obtained from this study showed that the UVC treatment conditions had significant effect (p< 0.0001) on ascorbic acid, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, PPO and POD of TCW. The maximum inactivation of PPO was achieved to be 51.5% in ultraviolet treatment, and the maximum inactivation of POD in ultraviolet treatment was65.7%. The obtained results evident, that the PPO was most resistant enzyme to UV light. Further, the results were compared with the thermal treatment of tender coconut water which is conducted as a part of this experiment and observed that, maximum inactivation of PPO and POD was achieved in thermal treatment than ultraviolet treatment. In contrast, the deterioration of nutritional properties in thermal treatment was high as compared to ultraviolet treatment. The obtained results suggested that, although the thermal treatment was better processing option pertaining to enzyme inactivation, but ultraviolet treatment was found superior based on retention of nutritional attributes. K e y w o r d s
Impulse radio is an ultrawideband system with attractive features for baseband asynchronous multiple-access, multimedia services, and tactical wireless communications. Implemented with analog components, the continuous-time impulse radio multiple-access model utilizes pulse-position modulation and random time-hopping codes to alleviate multipath effects and suppress multiuser interference. We introduce a novel continuous-time impulse radio transmitter model and deduce from it an approximate one with lower complexity. We also develop a time-division duplex access protocol along with orthogonal user codes to enable impulse radio as a radio link for wireless cellular systems. Relying on this protocol, we then derive a multiple-input/multiple-output equivalent model for full continuous-time model and a single-input/single-output model, for the approximate one. Based on these models, we finally develop design composite linear/nonlinear receivers for the downlink. The linear step eliminates multiuser interference deterministically and accounts for frequency-selective multipath while a maximum-likelihood receiver performs symbol detection. Simulations are provided to compare performance of the different receivers.
To the Editor: —Advertisements which appear in ophthalmic journals and literature regarding the newer local ophthalmic anesthetics contain statements seemingly finding fault with cocaine. Statements by manufacturers are so worded as to make it appear that cocaine has many disadvantages compared with the newer synthetic drugs. Having used cocaine as a local anesthetic in the eye for the past twenty-five years, I wish to make a statement for the benefit of those with lesser experience : I find cocaine the ideal anesthetic in ophthalmic surgery. In not a single instance did I ever find cocaine toxic to the patient when used as a local anesthetic in cataract operations. This experience is not only my own but that of my associates, with whom I have conferred about this matter. In a series of 200 consecutive cataract operations in which a 1 per cent solution of cocaine hydrochloride was used subconjunctivally and in
Inertial energy storage apparatus having two contrarotating rotors the fellies of which include a number of thin rings of glass or embedded fiber composite material supported by elastic support means so that the radial separations between adjacent rings produced by centrifugal force do not cause failure of the rotors by mechanical rupture of the ring support means. The materials of the rings are selected from those glasses or composite materials for which the modulus UO, that is the ratio of the maximum tensile strength of the material to twice its density, exceeds 300 Joules per gram. The rotors have alternator-motors in their hubs, by means of which they are brought to speed, and by means of which the inertial energy stored in them is extracted in the form of variable-frequency alternating output voltage. This output voltage is converted by a solid-state cycloconverter to alternating current of selectively variable frequency by means of which to power, for instance, the three-phase, squirrel-cage wheel motors of a non-pollution-producing automotive vehicle.
Antimicrobial peptides (AMPS) are ancestral components in the evolution of immunity from protozoans to metazoans. Their expression can be constitutive or inducible by infectious challenge. Although characterized in detail in their structure and activity, the temporal and spatial expression of AMPS during vertebrate embryogenesis is still poorly understood. In the present study, we identified selected AMPs in zebrafish, and characterized their expression during early development, and upon experimental immune challenge in adult animals, with the goal of establishing this genetically-tractable model system for further AMP studies. By mining available genomic databases, zebrafish AMP sequences homologous to AMPs from other vertebrates were selected for further study. These included parasin I and its enzyme cathepsin D, β-defensin (DB1), liver-expressed antimicrobial peptide 2 (LEAP2), bactericidal permeability-increasing protein (BPI), and chromogranin-A and -B (CgA and CgB). Specific primers were designed for RT-PCR amplification of each AMP gene of interest and amplicons between 242 bp and 504 bp were obtained from RNA extracted from adult zebrafish. Sequencing of the amplicons and alignment of their deduced amino acid sequences with those from AMPs from other vertebrate species confirmed their identity. The temporal expression of AMPs was investigated by RT-PCR analysis in fertilized oocytes, embryos, and adult individuals. Parasin I and chatepsin D transcripts were detectable immediately after fertilization, while the transcripts for CgA and CgB became evident starting at 48 h post fertilization. Mature transcripts of LEAP2 and DB1 were detectable only in the adult zebrafish, while BPI transcripts were detectable starting from the 12th day post fertilization. To explore the possible upregulation of AMP expression by infectious challenge, experiments were carried out in adult zebrafish by intraperitoneal injection of a cocktail of lipopolysaccharide and lipoteichoic acid. Except for CgA and CgB, amplicons corresponding to all tested AMPs showed stronger signals in the experimental animals as compared to the unchallenged controls. This study provided information on the early expression of AMPs in zebrafish from ontogeny to adulthood and their inducibility by microbials. This information could be useful to actuate new prophylactic strategies as an alternative to the use of antibiotics in culture.
Summary: The evaluation and monitoring of interventions that are designed to alleviate psychosocial stress rely largely on subjective assessments of coping as primary outcome measures. The pros and cons of different response formats used to measure coping variables are unexplored; yet arguably, response format is a very important methodological issue for the clinical application and evaluation of psychosocial interventions. This study compared the levels of functional coping and transactional coping patterns assessed with multi-item 7-point Likert Scales (LS) and 65mm Visual Analogue Scales (VAS), within the framework of the Functional Dimensions of Coping (FDC) Scale developed by Ferguson and Cox, 1997. LS yielded significantly higher levels of functional coping for all four subscales, and captured a wider range of transactional coping patterns for the approach, emotion, and avoidance coping functions, than VAS. The authors recommend the use of LS for baseline assessments of transactionally defined copin...
Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition defined by exceeding triglycerides accumulation in the liver. The condition can develop into fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Considering the ever-increasing prevalence of NAFLD, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of probiotic supplementation on glycemic and inflammatory indices in patients with NAFLD. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 42 patients with NAFLD who had been referred to a gastroenterology clinic. Subjects in the intervention and control groups consumed 2 capsules/day probiotic or placebo, respectively, for 8 weeks. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin, insulin resistance, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were measured at baseline and at the end of the study. Results: Means of FBS, insulin, insulin resistance, and IL-6 were significantly different between groups after intervention (p < 0.05), whereas TNF-α was not significantly modified (p > 0.05). In the probiotic group, insulin, insulin resistance, TNF-α, and IL-6 decreased significantly at the end of the study compared to the beginning of study. Conclusion: Considering the effects of probiotic supplementation on the reduction of glycemic and inflammatory indices in patients with NAFLD, consumption of probiotics is recommended as a complementary therapy in these patients.
A Field experiment was carried out at private field, Jazirah district, Al-Budhiyab, which is located at latitude 38.28° North and longitude 43.19° East, to study effect of different concentrations of water hyacinth and silverleaf extracts on three cultivars of corn. The experiment was applied using split-split plot arrangement within RCBD with three replicates. Main-plots were represented by the cultivars Sumer, Fajr and Maha, and sub-plots, were the spray concentrations included 0,5,15 and25 mg L−1. The results showed that the cultivar Fajr was superior in plant height, leaf area, number of rows per ear, and number of grains per row in the spring season, with averages of 253.63 cm, 4978 cm2, 18.58 rows ear−1, 45.54 grain per row−1. While the Maha cultivar outperformed all the traits except for the number of grains in a row in the fall season with averages of 269.00 cm, 4841 cm2, 16.12 row ear−1 diameter of stem 24.77 mm and 19.15 mm (in the two seasons) and the yield of 4.21 ton ha−1. In the spring season. And the weight of combined weeds decreased by 0.014 mg plant−1 in the fall season. While the Sumer cultivar reduced the weight of combined weeds by 0.050 mg plant−1 in the spring season and increased the number of grains in the row by 38.75 grain per row−1 in the fall season and the weight of 500 grains was 106.80 and 87.65 g in the two seasons respectively, and the result was 2.83 ton ha−1 (in the spring season). The concentration exceeded 25 mg L−1in plant height 267.70 cm and the concentration decreased by 15 mg L−1dry weeds weight in the two seasons 0.072 and 0.023 mg plant−1 respectively, and the same concentration increased the number of rows of ear in the spring season 18.11 row ear−1 and the number of grains 44.89 grain row−1. The concentration of 5 mg L−1increased the weight of 500 grains in the spring season by 109.41 g. it could be concluded that 15 mg L−1 was the best to improve growth and yield properties of Zea mays.
Oil market disruption and strategic stockpiling are consideredin this work. A variational inequality approach is developed.The model treated here is more general than previous work.It is established that the Nash equilibrium is characterized by a system of inequalities. A sufficient condition for the existence and uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium is derived and an efficient iterative algorithm is proposed and analyzed
There are many kinds of energy loss indicators in power plant, and there are some relevance among the various indicators. So extraction of the key indicators plays an important role between in energy loss analysis of power plants and optimal management of thermal power plants. Based on the characteristics of these indicators, the idea of rough sets was applied to the energy loss analysis of thermal power plants, then we proposed a new algorithm -- use fuzzy C means algorithm (FCM) to discrete cluster the energy loss indicators of thermal power plant, and then analysis simplified the results with algorithm Johnson. Real experiments (Chaozhou 1,2 and Ningde 3,4 assembling units which of the same type in the SIS system under the THA working condition)’ results had proved high accuracy and valuable of the algorithm.
ABSTRACT This study was designed to verify the in vivo efficacy of sulfoxide and sulfone fexinidazole metabolites following oral administration in a murine model of Chagas disease. Female Swiss mice infected with the Y strain of Trypanosoma cruzi were treated orally once per day with each metabolite at doses of 10 to 100 mg/kg of body weight for a period of 20 days. Parasitemia was monitored throughout, and cures were detected by parasitological and PCR assays. The results were compared with those achieved with benznidazole treatment at the same doses. Fexinidazole metabolites were effective in reducing the numbers of circulating parasites and protecting mice against death, compared with untreated mice, but without providing cures at daily doses of 10 and 25 mg/kg. Both metabolites were effective in curing mice at 50 mg/kg/day (30% to 40%) and 100 mg/kg/day (100%). In the benznidazole-treated group, parasitological cure was detected only in animals treated with the higher dose of 100 mg/kg/day (80%). Single-dose pharmacokinetic parameters for each metabolite were obtained from a parallel group of uninfected mice and were used to estimate the profiles following repeated doses. Pharmacokinetic data suggested that biological efficacy most likely resides with the sulfone metabolite (or subsequent reactive metabolites formed following reduction of the nitro group) following administration of either the sulfoxide or the sulfone and that prolonged plasma exposure over the 24-h dosing window is required to achieve high cure rates. Fexinidazole metabolites were effective in treating T. cruzi in a mouse model of acute infection, with cure rates superior to those achieved with either fexinidazole itself or benznidazole.
Over the past 6 years several sedimentary porphyrins (petroporphyrins, geoporphyrins) were correlated for the first time with biological precursors specific for classes of organisms (algae, photosynthetic bacteria (Chlorobiacea)). This article discusses the various examples of correlations and the methods that led to these conclusions (isolation of pure porphyrins, structure determination using spectroscopic techniques, total synthesis, isotope measurements)
Multifunctional organoboron compounds increasingly enable the simple generation of complex, Csp3-rich small molecules. The ability of boron-containing functional groups to modify the reactivity of  α-radicals has also enabled a myriad of chemical reactions. Boronic esters with vacant p-orbitals have a significant stabilizing effect on α-radicals due to delocalization of spin density into the empty orbital. The effect of coordinatively saturated derivatives, such as N-methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronates and counterparts, remains less clear. Herein, we demonstrate that coordinatively saturated MIDA and TIDA boronates stabilize secondary alkyl α-radicals via σB-N hyperconjugation in a manner that allows site-selective C-H bromination. DFT calculated radical stabilization energies and spin density maps as well as LED-NMR kinetic analysis of photochemical bromination rates of different boronic esters further these findings. This work clarifies that the α-radical stabilizing effect of boronic esters does not only proceed via delocalization of radical character into vacant boron p-orbitals, but that hyperconjugation of tetrahedral boron-containing functional groups and their ligand electron delocalizing ability also play a critical role. These findings establish boron ligands as a useful dial for tuning reactivity at the a-carbon.
List of Contributors Preface I. Social Institutions That Create an Indebted World Chapter One Debt, Credit and Poverty in Early Modern England Craig Muldrew, Senior Lecturer in History, Queens' College, University of Cambridge Chapter Two Debt and the Simulation of Social Class Teresa A. Sullivan, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Professor of Sociology, University of Michigan Chapter Three "Hyperconsumption" and "Hyperdebt": A "Hypercritical" Analysis George Ritzer, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland II. Decisions to Lend Chapter Four Lender Incentives, Credit Risk, and Securitization: Evidence from the Subprime Mortgage Crisis Amir Sufi, Associate Professor of Finance, University of Chicago Chapter Five How and Why Credit Assessors "Get it Wrong" When Judging the Risk of Borrowers: Past and Present Evidence at Home and Abroad Paul Vaaler, Associate Professor of Management, University of Minnesota Gerry McNamara, Professor of Management, Michigan State University III. Decisions to Borrow Chapter Six The Psychology of Debt in Poor Households in Britain Stephen E.G. Lea, Professor of Psychology and Head of School, University of Exeter Avril J. Mewse, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of Exeter Wendy Wrapson, Honorary Fellow in Psychology, University of Exeter Chapter Seven Brain, Decision, and Debt Brian Knutson, Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Stanford University Gregory R. Samanez-Larkin, Doctoral Candidate in Psychology, Stanford University Chapter Eight The Limits of Enhanced Disclosure in Bankruptcy Law: Anticipated and Experienced Emotion Richard L. Wiener, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Law and Psychology Program, University of Nebraska at Lincoln Jason A. Cantone, Doctoral Candidate in Psychology, University of Nebraska at Lincoln Michael Holtje, Doctoral Candidate in Psychology, University of Nebraska at Lincoln Susan Block-Lieb, Professor of Law, Fordham University IV. Political and Legal Responses to Over-Indebtedness Chapter Nine The Virtue of Consumer Bankruptcy Heidi M. Hurd, David C. Baum Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois Chapter Ten Missing Debtors: National Lawmaking and Global Norm-Making of Corporate Bankruptcy Regimes Terence C. Halliday, Co-Director, Center on Law and Globalization of the American Bar Foundation & the University of Illinois College of Law, and Research Professor, American Bar Foundation Susan Block-Lieb, Professor of Law, Fordham University Bruce G. Carruthers, Professor of Sociology, Northwestern University Chapter Eleven Balance of Knowledge Elizabeth Warren, Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law, Harvard University Index
Preview control and fixed-lag smoothing allow a noncausal component in the controller/estimator. Time domain variational analysis is used in a reduction to an open loop differential game, leading to a complete, necessary and sufficient characterization of suboptimal values and an explicit state space design, in terms of a parameterized (nonstandard) algebraic matrix Riccati equation in a general continuous time linear system setting. The solution offers insight into the appropriate structure of the associated Hamiltonian, where the state and co-state are not the usual state of the original dynamic system and that of its adjoint. Rather, the state and co-state are selected to capture the respective lumped effects of initial data and future input selection in the allied game.
Annona reticulate (AR) is indigenous to the tropical areas of India and worldwide. The use of plant as remedy for diarrhea and ulcer is well documented in Ayurvedic system of medicine. However, pharmacological evidence does not exist to substantiate its therapeutic efficacy for the same. The aim was to investigate the antiulcer and anti-diarrheal activity of methanolic (ME) and aqueous extracts (AE) of A. reticulate in animal model. The antiulcer activity of extracts was investigated using ethanol and pylorus ligation-induced ulcer. The anti-diarrheal activity of MEAR and AEAR extracts was evaluated by castor oil induced diarrhea and gastro intestinal motility using parameters such as onset of diarrhea, number of wet stools, total number of stool and weight of total number of stools. The antiulcer activity of the extracts was confirmed by a reduction in ulcer index along with the decrease in gastric volume, total acidity, and an increase in pH of gastric content in both the models. A. reticulate extracts were more efficacious in reducing number of total stools in both the models of diarrhea and showed a dose-dependent antidiarrheal effect. The obtained results have established a pharmacological evidence for the folkloric use of the A. reticulate as antiulcer and antidiarrhoeal agent.
Purpose We evaluated whether a functional visual acuity (FVA) system can detect subtle changes in central visual acuity that reflect pathological findings associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods Twenty-eight patients with unilateral AMD and logMAR monocular best corrected VA better than 0 in both eyes, as measured by conventional chart examination, were analyzed between November 2012 and April 2013. After measuring conventional VA, FVA, and contrast VA with best correction, routine eye examinations including spectral domain–optical coherence tomography were performed. Standard Schirmer test was performed, and corneal and lens densities were measured. Results The FVA score (p < 0.001) and visual maintenance ratio (p < 0.001) measured by the FVA system, contrast VA (p < 0. 01), and conventional VA (p < 0.01) were significantly worse in the AMD-affected eyes than in the fellow eyes. No significant differences were observed in the anterior segment conditions. Forward stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that the length of interdigitation zone disruption, as visualized by optical coherence tomography imaging, correlated with the FVA score (p < 0.01) but not with any other parameters investigated. Conclusions The FVA system detects subtle changes in best corrected VA in AMD-affected eyes and reflects interdigitation zone disruption, an anatomical change in the retina recorded by optical coherence tomography. Further studies are required to understand the value of the FVA system in detecting subtle changes in AMD.
In the age of Internet, online customers express their opinions on products by posting reviews. It is critical to do sentiment analysis on customers’ review data to help subsequent customers make their purchasing decisions and guide companies to improve their products. Aspect-Category Sentiment Analysis(ACSA) is a subtask of sentiment analysis, which aims to detect the aspect categories mentioned in the text and identify their corresponding sentiment polarities. Most of the previous methods regard Aspect Category Detection(ACD) and AspectCategory Sentiment Classification(ACSC) as two separate tasks, which could lead to error propagation so as to lack practicality. However, as far as we know, joint modeling of aspects and polarities has not yet received widespread attention. The only few existing joint models do not work well with representing the relation of aspect categories and its corresponding sentiment words. To address these problems, we propose a novel model (TG-GRU) based on the combination of GCN and Bi-GRU for detecting aspect categories and corresponding sentiment polarities simultaneously. Experiments are conducted on one Chinese dataset and two English datasets. Experimental results show that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art methods of joint models.
The theme described in the title is connected with public advertising texts from two informational sources: newspapers printed in Daugavpils („Daugavas Vēstnesis” ‘The Daugava Herald’, „Daugavas Vārds” ‘The Daugava’s Word’, „Latgales Ziņas” ‘Latgalian News’ and „ Latgales Vēstnesis” ‘The Latgale Herald”) and the linguistic landscape of the city, which characterizes the public information space. Commercial discourse is essential to this space, as a large part of public texts have the representation and promotion of establishments, companies and societies as a primary goal, in addition to the exhibition of offered goods and services. The aim of the article is to define and characterize from the perspective of linguistic landscape the tools and techniques used to represent businesses and establishments in Latvian print advertisements in the 1920s and 30s. In fulfillment of this goal, content analysis and the diachronic linguistic landscape approach has been used for data analysis and interpretation (Backhaus 2005, Pavlenko 2010, Pavlenko, Mullen 2015, Poseiko 2015). For summarization of obtained results, the descriptive method has been used. Latvia is characterized in the interwar period by a unified language policy – including policies with mechanisms for the management of specific languages – highlighting the role of the Latvian language as the state language in the organization of public life and in nationalist ideology, and facilitating its use in all sociolinguistic functions. However, the interwar period in Latvia also marks the beginning of a period of Westernization – especially in the economic and cultural spheres – detectible in cinema, theater and concert posters; print advertisements for shops and consumer services, and business names in the urban environment. During this period newspapers were printed in Latvian, but some papers, calendars and journals were printed in Latgalian, Russian and Polish. Company names, advertisements and partially-legible posters are visible in period photographs of the linguistic landscape. Advertising information at the beginning of the 1920s is only to be found in Russian, or with bilingual Russian-Latvian texts. Monolingual language signs in Latvian – noticeably missing diacritic marks and appropriate word endings – only begin to be seen from the 1930s.
The substrate profiles for three uncharacterized enzymes (YcjM, YcjT, and YcjU) that are expressed from a cluster of 12 genes ( ycjM-W and ompG) of unknown function in Escherichia coli K-12 were determined. Through a comprehensive bioinformatic and steady-state kinetic analysis, the catalytic function of YcjT was determined to be kojibiose phosphorylase. In the presence of saturating phosphate and kojibiose (α-(1,2)-d-glucose-d-glucose), this enzyme catalyzes the formation of d-glucose and β-d-glucose-1-phosphate ( kcat = 1.1 s-1, Km = 1.05 mM, and kcat/ Km = 1.12 × 103 M-1 s-1). Additionally, it was also shown that in the presence of β-d-glucose-1-phosphate, YcjT can catalyze the formation of other disaccharides using 1,5-anhydro-d-glucitol, l-sorbose, d-sorbitol, or l-iditol as a substitute for d-glucose. Kojibiose is a component of cell wall lipoteichoic acids in Gram-positive bacteria and is of interest as a potential low-calorie sweetener and prebiotic. YcjU was determined to be a β-phosphoglucomutase that catalyzes the isomerization of β-d-glucose-1-phosphate ( kcat = 21 s-1, Km = 18 μM, and kcat/ Km = 1.1 × 106 M-1 s-1) to d-glucose-6-phosphate. YcjU was also shown to exhibit catalytic activity with β-d-allose-1-phosphate, β-d-mannose-1-phosphate, and β-d-galactose-1-phosphate. YcjM catalyzes the phosphorolysis of α-(1,2)-d-glucose-d-glycerate with a kcat = 2.1 s-1, Km = 69 μM, and kcat/ Km = 3.1 × 104 M-1 s-1.
A poly(lactide-b-β-methyl-δ-valerolactone-b-lactide) (LVL) triblock copolymer was used to create fully sustainable pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) that have promising commercial viability due to the low cost of both monomers. A common rosin ester tackifier was found to preferentially solubilize the midblock and was miscible up to 50% by weight. It was used to lower the modulus of the LVL triblock to satisfy the Dahlquist criterion. Small amplitude oscillatory shear, nonlinear shear creep, and uniaxial extensional data were correlated to tack, 180° peel, and shear resistance adhesion results. “Viscoelastic windows” were constructed for PSAs with 30%, 40%, and 50% tackifier and were used to identify potential candidates for general-use PSAs like Post-it® Notes.A poly(lactide-b-β-methyl-δ-valerolactone-b-lactide) (LVL) triblock copolymer was used to create fully sustainable pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs) that have promising commercial viability due to the low cost of both monomers. A common rosin ester tackifier was found to preferentially solubilize the midblock and was miscible up to 50% by weight. It was used to lower the modulus of the LVL triblock to satisfy the Dahlquist criterion. Small amplitude oscillatory shear, nonlinear shear creep, and uniaxial extensional data were correlated to tack, 180° peel, and shear resistance adhesion results. “Viscoelastic windows” were constructed for PSAs with 30%, 40%, and 50% tackifier and were used to identify potential candidates for general-use PSAs like Post-it® Notes.
The emergence and transmission of resistance to antimalarial treatments continue to hamper malaria elimination efforts. A scoping review was undertaken regarding the impact of antimalarial treatment in the human population on the emergence and transmission of Plasmodium falciparum resistance, to (i) describe the use of mathematical models used to explore this relationship; (ii) discuss model findings; and (iii) identify factors influencing the emergence and transmission of resistance. Search strategies were developed and deployed in six major databases. Thirty-seven articles met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review: nine articles modeled the emergence of resistance, 19 modeled the transmission of resistance, and nine modeled both the emergence and transmission. The proportion of antimalarial use within the population and the presence of residual drug concentrations were identified to be the main predictors of the emergence and transmission of resistance. Influencing factors pertaining to the human, parasite and mosquito populations are discussed. To ensure the prolonged therapeutic usefulness of antimalarial treatments, the effect of antimalarial drug use on the emergence and transmission of resistance must be understood, and mathematical models are a useful tool for exploring these dynamics.
To elucidate the reaction mechanism of radiation-induced polymerization of methyl methacrylate adsorbed on silica gel, the temperature dependence and effects of acetone and pyridine were investigated. It was found that even at −78°C the polymerization rate was quite fast. The amounts of high molecular weight GPC peaks of both graft polymers and homopolymers increased with increasing irradiation temperature. The activation energy of the adsorbed state polymerization was low compared with that of bulk polymerization. The low molecular weight peaks of homopolymers decreased with acetone addition but were almost unaffected by pyridine. The low molecular weight peaks of homopolymers were thus polymerized by an anionic mechanism. In the methyl methacrylate–silica gel system both radical and anionic polymerization take place at the same time in formation of graft polymers and homopolymers. A reaction mechanism for the methyl methacrylate–silica gel system was proposed based on the results obtained to date.
ABSTRACT Three species (two new) of myodocopid Ostracoda are reported from Tutuila, American Samoa: Paravargula trifax Kornicker, 1991; Cypridina mellentini Kornicker & Harrison-Nelson, n. sp.; and Asteropterygion samoa Kornicker & Harrison-Nelson, n. sp. Only C. mellentini was abundant. The genus Asteropterygion is reported for the first time from a southwestern central Pacific island. Paravargula trifax had been reported previously from Enewetak.
In 1936 we reported 19 cases of spheno-ethmoiditis with meningitic symptoms. Of this series, six patients who had a serous meningitis as a complication recovered completely, after a prompt intranasal spheno-ethmoidectomy. The remaining 13, including all cases of bacterial meningitis, succumbed to their infection. At that time we urged immediate surgical intervention as soon as symptoms of meningeal irritation appeared because this offered the only hope of recovery. When demonstrable bacterial invasion of the meninges complicated infection of the sinuses, surgery had proved futile. This failure was due to inability to cope with the meningeal infection, although the primary sinal disease was eradicated. As a result, we advocated prompt removal of the primary focus before fatal bacterial meningitis ensued.
To the Editor .—  We were pleased to see the article by Eichenwald et al 1 on variation in discharge timing. We recently published variation on discharge by day of the week and agree that variation exists and matters. 2 Individual practitioner variation may be even a bigger influence than institution-specific variation. This article continues the clarion call for widely accepted discharge guidelines.  Although we commend Eichenwald et al for examining their discharge practices, several issues are worth commenting on. In particular, the use of the phrase “margin of safety,” defined as “the number of elapsed days until discharge after infants were first documented to have reached physiologic maturity,” causes some concern.  The concept of observation after reaching physiologic maturity is generally accepted in neonatology, although the ideal duration has not been established. Previously we demonstrated in a controlled, randomized trial 3 that “accelerated discharge” could successfully take place without reaching physiologic maturity, defined by Eichenwald as “maintaining temperature in open crib, being free of …
Purpose: This research paper is an attempt to examine the themes of colonialism, diaspora, and sufferance caused by the partition of India and Pakistan through the lens of language and conflict in identities. The paper also seeks to delve deeper upon the consequent breakdown of language as depicted in the short-story Toba Tek Singh.  Methodology/ Approach: Textual analysis of mixed modes of reading.   Findings: The short story effectively traced the turmoil and clamour enveloping the people afflicted by the events that followed the partition. Rich with the themes of colonialism, diaspora and the horrors of the partition, the text brought the issues being faced by the people in a way that they were subtly intermeshed within the discourses of the inmates of the mental asylum, which was where the story was situated. The text, characteristically a short story, reflects the feelings of the people that sprouted during and after the partition in a nonchalant way. This subtlety and novelty of expression questions the basis of a ‘nation’.  Conclusion: The short-story revolves around the accounts of a number of inmates who are seemingly devastated by the new changes and the new ways of labelling lands. Even if they are able to make sense of this imposed change, they refuse to reason with it completely as a few of them must be relocated, which would consequently distance them from their friends.
Background Systemic elevations in PAI-1 suppress the fibrinolytic pathway leading to poor collagen remodelling and delayed regeneration of tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in type-1 diabetic Akita mice. However, how impaired collagen remodelling was specifically attenuating regeneration in Akita mice remained unknown. Furthermore, given intrinsic differences between muscle groups, it was unclear if the reparative responses between muscle groups were different. Principal Findings Here we reveal that diabetic Akita muscles display differential regenerative responses with the TA and gastrocnemius muscles exhibiting reduced regenerating myofiber area compared to wild-type mice, while soleus muscles displayed no difference between animal groups following injury. Collagen levels in TA and gastrocnemius, but not soleus, were significantly increased post-injury versus controls. At 5 days post-injury, when degenerating/necrotic regions were present in both animal groups, Akita TA and gastrocnemius muscles displayed reduced macrophage and satellite cell infiltration and poor myofiber formation. By 10 days post-injury, necrotic regions were absent in wild-type TA but persisted in Akita TA. In contrast, Akita soleus exhibited no impairment in any of these measures compared to wild-type soleus. In an effort to define how impaired collagen turnover was attenuating regeneration in Akita TA, a PAI-1 inhibitor (PAI-039) was orally administered to Akita mice following cardiotoxin injury. PAI-039 administration promoted macrophage and satellite cell infiltration into necrotic areas of the TA and gastrocnemius. Importantly, soleus muscles exhibit the highest inducible expression of MMP-9 following injury, providing a mechanism for normative collagen degradation and injury recovery in this muscle despite systemically elevated PAI-1. Conclusions Our findings suggest the mechanism underlying how impaired collagen remodelling in type-1 diabetes results in delayed regeneration is an impairment in macrophage infiltration and satellite cell recruitment to degenerating areas; a phenomena that occurs differentially between muscle groups.
Information about the reliabiliry of GSR measures is of considerable importance because of the adaptation effect which occurs during recording sessions. Despite the widespread use of the GSR, data are sparse. Results reported by Greenwald (1936) and Lauer (1929) are favourable but unfortunately do not provide a sufficiently broad and conclusive foundation for the general use of the GSR. In a recent experiment, additional information about GSR reliability was obtained in a different context and using different recording and scoring techniques. Eighteen students (mean age, 20.59, S D 3.41) were stimulated by a harsh buzzer sound at 30-sec. intervals. 35 stimuli, each lasting for 2 sec., were presented to Ss lying prone on a couch in a darkened, sound-proof room. Each record was scored for mean latent period and adaptation point (where three successive stimuli failed to produce a GSR). All Ss were re-tested under identical conditions after G to 8 weeks, with these results.
Background: The common clustering of glucose intolerance, abdominal adiposity, high triglyceride level, low high­density lipoprotein cholesterol level and high blood pressure in a single individual is referred to as Metabolic Syndrome (MS) and it is associated with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Objectives: To find out the relationship between MS and lHD. Design: Cross sectional observational study. Materials: 100 subjects were selected following simple random sampling technique. 50 patients of MS and another 50 non MS were enrolled as case and controlled respectively in the department of medicine and cardiology at Sylhet M.A. G. Osmani medical college hospital. Results: Proportion of IHD was found to be high among the MS (40%) compared to non MS (16%) and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.008) indicating there is a relationship between MS and lliD. Among the components of MS proportion of hyperten­sion (39.2%), diabetes mellitus (41.9%), dyslipidernia (42.6%) and family history of cardiovascular disease (47.1 %) had significant higher association with patients with IHD (p<0.05). Conclusion: The MS has a significant association with IHD by electrocardiogram criteria.
Summary Cabanis established a connection between three philosophically crucial issues: the relationship between body and soul, body and mind; the status and place occupied by medicine in politics; the content of anthropological theory. To him, an understanding of the moral dimension of human existence can be gained only on the basis of the knowledge of the physical person. This contribution focuses on the meaning and scope of Cabanis’ materialistic anthropology. Based on a commentary of the Rapports and of Cabanis’ previous works, it highlights the attention paid by Cabanis to the complex processes and interactions that give birth to the moral manifestations of human life. It allows to depart from a linear interpretation of his main thesis. This contribution also aims at proposing an analysis of the place granted to physiological knowledge in regard of the specific goals pursued by political bodies, in a complementary approach to Staum’s interpretation of Cabanis’ thought.
The purpose of the article is the interregional analysis of human potential. In comparison with the quality of life of the population, the quality of population itself is studied far less. The article presents an expanded characteristic of human potential in seven directions: economic activity, demographic processes, physical health, cultural potential, social health, educational potential and the attitude of the population to the environment. On the basis of statistics for 2008â€“2012 years, 63 indicators of human potential for all directions are selected. In the final result, the correlation analysis has led to the substantiation of the system of indicators consisting of 10 indicators. Three economic and seven social indicators characterizing human potential are included into this system. On the basis of the indicators by means of hierarchical agglomerative methods of cluster analysis, a classification of the Russian regions is carried out in two versions: with economic indicators and without them. The result of the calculations is a stable temporal typology of regions by indicators of human potential covering 74.4 % of the population of Russia. The article provides a substantial interpretation of dividing regions into groups, identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each cluster, shows the specific features of the regions included into the clusters. The obtained results can be used in the development of measures for the reduction of the interregional inequality in terms of human potential. It is possible to define what measures can be effective by studying the strategic directions of the development of regions in the cluster which is the most successful regarding the characteristics of human potential.
Flame spraying of polymers allows obtaining functional coatings for protecting against wear and corrosion. Adding different fillers to the original powdered polymer material allows the properties of the coatings to be intentionally changed. The durability of coatings is mainly determined by their adhesive strength. The aim is to study the influence of some characteristics on the adhesive strength of coatings applied to the flame spraying of polymers. The characteristics include the type of original polymers, the particle size, the share of inorganic fillers, and the oxidizer-to-fuel ratio of the flame.
PURPOSE This study evaluated the social facilitation of elderly patients' food intake beyond the presence of mealtime companions by assessing various relationships. The study examined the relationships between patients' intake and (a) the number of interpersonal exchanges with mealtime fellows, (b) the nature of behaviors expressed by the patients themselves and their fellows, and (c) the degree of complementarity between these.   DESIGN AND METHODS Interpersonal exchanges and intake were observed on repeated mealtime occasions (n = 1,477) nested within 32 geriatric patients (21 women, 11 men; age, M = 78.8 years). Participants' intake was estimated from plate leftovers. Interpersonal behaviors were examined for both participants and patients with whom they interacted in terms of agency and communion dimensions, following the interpersonal circumplex model of human interaction. With the use of multilevel regression analyses, the number, nature, and complementarity of behaviors that participants engaged in and were exposed to on a given meal were computed to test their impact on intake.   RESULTS The total amount of interaction between patients was positively related to intake. The effect was significant for both participants' own behaviors and those to which they were exposed, and it varied with the nature of the interaction; effects were significant in terms of frequency and complementarity for communal behaviors, and complementarity only for agentic behaviors. Effects could only partly be explained by meal duration effects.   IMPLICATIONS The results provide support for the effect of the number, nature, and complementarity of mealtime interpersonal behaviors on the food intake of elderly patients, and they may inspire new approaches to ensure adequate intake in this malnutrition-prone population.
The general use of Pitot’s tubes for measuring the velocity of streams suggests hydrodynamical problems. It can hardly be said that these are of practical importance, since the action to be observed depends simply upon Bernoulli’s law. In the interior of a long tube of any section, closed at the further end and facing the stream, the pressure must be that due to the velocity ( v) of the stream, i.e. 1/2pv2, p being the density. At least, this must be the case if viscosity can be neglected. I am not aware that the influence of viscosity here has been detected, and it does not seem likely that it can be sensible under ordinary conditions. It would enter in the combination where v is the kinematic viscosity and l represents the linear dimension of the tube. Experiments directed to show it would therefore be made with small tubes and low velocities.
138 Background: Survivors of childhood cancer are at increased risk of early cardiovascular (CV) diseases related to previous cancer therapy, chronic stress and unhealthy behaviors, as well as traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in young adult survivors of childhood malignancies.   METHODS Medical records of 155 adult childhood cancer survivors were analyzed to extract data on cancer treatment, demographical characteristics, family history, smoking, blood pressure (BP), lipids, fasting glucose, creatinine measured during a routine visit in our follow-up clinic for adult childhood cancer survivors.   RESULTS The prevalence of traditional CV risk factors was high, with 55% of patients presenting with prehypertension (office systolic BP 120-139 mmHg or diastolic 80-89 mmHg) and 15,4% with hypertension (BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or ≥ 90 mmHg or being on antihypertensive drugs). The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 23,5% and 3,7%, respectively. A classic "atherogenic lipid profile" (28% patients with elevated total cholesterol and 27% with elevated LDL cholesterol) was more common than a dyslipidemic pattern (elevated triglycerides 11% and reduced HDL cholesterol 7,8%). Two or more CV risk factors were found in 50% of patients and only 16% did not have any of traditional risk factors.   CONCLUSIONS Major CV risk factors are common in very young adults with cancer history in the childhood and may substantially increase risk for future CV events in this population. These finding support the need for screening of adult survivors of childhood malignancy for early detection and treatment of modifiable risk factors. [Table: see text].
An airborne multi-mode microwave sensor has been developed in order to verify the design and performance of future Chinese spaceborne multi-mode microwave sensor. Like spaceborne system, the airborne system also includes altimetry, scatterometry and radiometry functions. There are five frequency channels in radiometry mode. Altimetry mode, scatterometry mode and one of radiometry channels operate at the same Ku band. Flight experiments have been conducted on southern sea of China. The results show that future Chinese spaceborne multi-mode microwave sensor is practicable. In this paper, the principle of spaceborne and airborne multi-mode microwave sensor is briefly introduced. Flight experimental details and results are described.
A method is proposed to calculate the area change and the volume displacement of a deformed membrane from the measurement of its displacement amplitude on a regular grid of observation points. The method is demonstrated on a circular latex membrane deformed by air pressure. The displacement data are obtained by phase shift moire interferometry. Area changes down to 0.5% and volume changes down to 16.1 mm(3) are measured, and error flags are determined.
The tank bottom floor is a crucial component of large oil storage tanks, and its status has a pivotal impact on the integrity of the entire tank. Acoustic Emission (AE) monitoring is an advanced, in-service, nondestructive testing method internationally recognized to be capable of assessing the tank bottom floor without the necessity of prior tank cleaning. In this paper, the principle of Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) is illustrated, and the efficiency of piezoelectric AE sensors is verified through a field experiment. The authors then investigate Mach-Zehnder interferometerbased AE sensors with a view to using optical fiber sensors as a substitute for acoustic emission detecting. The results of the experiment indicate that optical fiber AE sensors based on the Mach-Zehnder interferometer can be used as transducers sensitive to acoustic events, so they can serve as indicators of the imminent failure of a structure. In addition, some suggestions are put forward regarding forthcoming actual application.
Modal logic, which recognizes two kinds of truth, the analytic and the contingent, and the corresponding two kinds of falsity, is well suited to the logical needs of those philosophies which recognize precisely those four modal values; for example, the conceptual pragmatism of C. I. Lewis, logical empiricism, and, among earlier philosophies, that of Hume, who distinguished 'relations of ideas' and 'matters of fact', and that of Leibniz, who contrasted truths based respectively on the law of contradiction and the principle of sufficient reason. But there are philosophies which recognize also, and insist upon the importance of, the synthetically necessary and the corresponding kind of falsity; for example, various forms of realism, phenomenology, and neo-Kantianism, and of course the philosophy of Kant himself. The purpose of the present paper* is to propose a six-valued calculus of propositions suited to the logical needs of those latter philosophies. Our procedure will be to adopt a standard system of modal logic and to add to it appropriately. From among the several closely related systems of modal logic we choose C. I. Lewis' S2, which he, the modern founder of modal logic, regarded as the System of Strict Implication, and which is strong enough for our purposes. He set it forth in considerable detail in [1], Chapter VI and Appendixes II and III, a presentation which will frequently be referred to in what follows in this paper. We must, however, change the readings which Lewis ordinarily gave to his principal modal symbols. He usually read '~<>~p as p is necessary'; but, since we recognize two kinds of necessity, let us read it rather as p is analytically necessary'. He usually read ~<>p as 'p is impossible'; but since we recognize two kinds of impossibility, the one associated with analytic necessity, the other with synthetic necessity, let us read it as p is strictly impossible'—extending the use of his word 'strict'. Similarly,
Measurements at 8.6 GHz on TM mode superconducting niobium cavities have been carried out at SLAC in an attempt to establish definitive conditions for reproducibly attaining high peak electric and magnetic fields and high residual Q's. Four cavities, processed by techniques which insure the presence of an oxide layer on the niobium surface before final high temperature outgassing, have given peak magnetic fields exceeding 1000 G and corresponding peak electric fields in excess of 56 MV/m. From this and related experience it is speculated that, in order to achieve high peak fields, carbon present on the niobium surface must be removed through the formation of volatile compounds with oxygen or fluorine during high temperature processing. Data are also presented on the effect on rf properties of exposure at room temperature to various gases. Measurements on anodized cavities are briefly discussed.
Energy transfer through the magnetopause involves an interplay of two processes. On one hand, microphysics of reconnection determines how easily the magnetopause can be opened. On the other hand, the global state of the solar wind and magnetosphere determines how much energy is available for transfer and whether there exist "resonant" interactions whereby the transfer is particularly efficient. In the case of solar wind pressure pulses, empirical evidence has suggested that the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction can become unusually intense, leading to large-scale global auroral response and occasionally geomagnetic storms. In this study, for the first time, magnetic reconnection and global magnetospheric oscillation known as the cavity mode are integrated to give a comprehensive description of energy transfer through the dayside magnetopause. Using a heuristic model in which the inflow into the magnetopause is proportional to the magnitude of pressure pulse and an IMF proxy, we derive the fractions of energy converted to reconnection and field-line resonance per unit incident compressional energy in a pressure pulse. It is found that the magnitude of energy transfer is modulated by the IMF proxy, whereas the frequency spectrum of the transfer is modulated by the cavity mode. Under extreme conditions, reconnection can transfer almost 100% of incident compressional energy at the maximum absorption bands. Even under the typical value reconnection rate (similar to 0.1), approximately 30% of the incident energy can be absorbed in these bands. The frequency response of reconnection transfer has pulse-like peaks in the >3 mHz range and rather insensitive to the solar wind and wave parameters. In contrast, the frequency response of the shear-Alfvenic transfer centers in the 1-4 mHz range and has a more broadband shape that is significantly influenced by the solar wind density.
The study of the dynamics of the expansion of large bubbles of hot sodium vapor in a pool of liquid sodium plays an important role in understanding the effects of a hypothetical core disruptive accident. A model of the growth of the bubble in the pool is described. The equations of the motion of the liquid and of the nonsteady heat diffusion problem are solved together with the continuity and energy equations for the vapor phase. The first set of calculations has been performed with constant evaporation and condensation coefficients. In the second set, however, due account has been taken of the effect on condensation of noncondensable fission gases and vapor convection. Due to the very high calculated vapor velocities, noncondensable gases have little effect on the condensation rate, and the percentage amount of condensed sodium is considerably higher than previously calculated by other authors.
Francis or Jeffrey Archer. It is also vital to recognize that the process of book selection does not consist solely of sifting through the latest pop fiction and non-fiction. Far more important is the process of maintaining a balanced stock, filling gaps and replacing withdrawn and missing books with new editions or suitable alternatives. The need for such stock maintenance is fully recognized by this report, and in the costing model allowance is made for professional librarians to continue to do their own thing. In many libraries, however, financial pressures have resulted in less time being available for such an essential aspect of a professional librarian’s work, so that in itself might be a reason to go for supplier selection in the more predictable areas. This report contains a wealth of detail. Its principal author is Geoffrey Smith on behalf of CPI, and it is a very thorough piece of work. It ranges from theoretical principles, through a detailed examination of the Westminster and Hertfordshire projects (with an appended joint report of those projects), to the potential outcomes and implications of supplier selection, and its costing model is particularly useful. Perhaps a key question is whether CPI adds any value to the report on the Hertfordshire/Westminster projects, which actually takes up some one-third of this publication, and on balance it probably does. It usefully puts the experiment in context and broadens the view, and it clarifies what book suppliers and computer system suppliers need to develop if supplier selection is to be efficient and effective. For that to be so, the keynote must be a practical partnership between libraries and suppliers not just a shrugging off of responsibilities by library authorities under financial or ‘Best Value’ pressures, not just an abdication by librarians of their professional duties, not just an opportunistic assertion by suppliers that ‘we can do that’ when they compete in the book supply tendering process. It all has to be done properly and in the public interest, and this report goes some way toward making this achievable.
In micro-scale, mechanical fabrication manufacturing, the size of the deformation zone approaches the grain size of the workpiece materials and the mechanics cannot be adequately described by the macroscopic theory of plasticity. Mesoplasticity represents an important connection between the continuum based macroplasticity and the atomic physical theory of plasticity. In this paper, the methodology of mesoplasticity is highlighted and two examples of applications, with one in micro-sheet metal forming and one in micro-machining. The analysis demonstrates the strong grain orientation dependency of the workability of materials in micro-scale deformation processes. Introduction The demand for metallic parts and components of micro scale with dimensions in the order of millimeters or smaller is growing rapidly in electronics, telecommunications and the medical sector. Production of micro-mechanical parts is made either by lithography, micro injection molding or by micro–scale deformation processing. For products with large aspect ratio, mechanical processing techniques are more efficient in large scale manufacturing. The application of conventional manufacturing processes for the fabrication of microparts is feasible, but there are problems that result from the small dimensions [1]. The mechanical fabrication of metallic microparts has attracted a lot of research interest ranging from the design of micro dies, micro forming machines to micro factories [2]. On the other hand, fundamental studies of the mechanics of processing at the micro-size scale is gaining importance. In mechanical working process, the localization of strain sets the limit to which the components can be further deformed without necking or fracture. Traditionally, the prediction of limit strains is based on the data obtained from tensile tests. (For example, in the micro forming of very thin sheets, there is little correlation to the results obtained from the Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) [3] as predicted from the macroplasticity theories. In micro-scale working processes, the size of the deformation zone is comparable to the size of the constituent grains of the materials. There is a strong size effect which cannot be accounted for by the macroscopic theory of plasticity. During plastic deformation, the orientation of the grains in the sheet material changes as also does its hardening rate. It is becoming clear that limit strains are governed by local events and the dynamic microstructures such as dislocations and grain re-orientations. Mesoplasitcity as proposed by Lee and Yang [4, 5] aims at introducing the essential microplasticity concepts to various intermediate (or meso-scales) and represents an important connection between the continuum-based macroplasticity and the atomistic physical theory of plasticity. It helps to provide a scientific framework to understand the design and processing of materials on the micro-scale to achieve the macroscopic properties. In this papers, the method of mesoplasticity investigation is highlighted and its applications in micro-sheet metal forming and micromechanical machining process are illustrated. Key Engineering Materials Online: 2004-10-15 ISSN: 1662-9795, Vols. 274-276, pp 43-50 doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/KEM.274-276.43 © 2004 Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Switzerland All rights reserved. No part of contents of this paper may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Trans Tech Publications Ltd, www.scientific.net. (Semanticscholar.org-13/03/20,17:14:02) Prediction of Limit Strains in Sheet Metal Forming Due to the small deformation zone, material anisotropy as manifested by the effect of grain orientation affect the flow stress, ductility and the forming limit of the microparts. The effect of material anisotropy on the punch force and surface finish and spring back in precision forming and dam-bar cutting of high density lead frame used in IC packages (with thickness less and 150 μm and a cutting area less than 0.1 mm) have been reported [6]. Most of the work in the prediction of limit strains in stretch forming are associated with bulk forming process. So far there is no models reported for the prediction of limit strains of very thin sheets in micro-stretch-forming which take into account the effect of local variation on individual grain orientation. The Proposed Model. The length scale to be considered is taken to be at grain scale of the sheet, and the microstructures considered are both grain orientations and grain sizes in relation to the sheet thickness, and a dislocation hardening law is assumed that is based on the relationship used by Honeycomb [7]. A framework is proposed to derive analytically the values of localized limit strains from the microstructures of the sheet (i.e., grains with differences in orientation and dislocation density within the band and outside the band). As shown in Fig.1, the initial thickness B t0 of the narrow band (B) is the same as the initial thickness A t0 of the rest of the sheet outside the band (A). Before deformation, the inhomogeneity factor f , which is defined to be the ratio of the thickness in regions A and B, is unity, i.e.,
Using electron microscopy, diffraction, microprobe, scanning microscopy, and nuclear back‐scattering techniques to analyze rf and dc sputtered N3Ge thin films, it was found that the film structure was strongly dependent on film preparation methods. Amorphous Nb3Ge films were prepared by both sputtering techniques, on substrates held at liquid nitrogen temperature. Identical crystallization heat treatments were then carried out in a He furnace at 750°C for 65 h. Analyses by nuclear back‐scattering indicated that crystallized rf‐prepared films contained about three times as much oxygen as crystallized dc films. Structure studies showed that although both types of crystallized films exhibited the A‐15 structure, the data on the rf films indicate the presence of the crystalline oxide, Nb2O5. In addition, the lattice parameter for the rf film was slightly smaller * dc‐prepared films while the grain size of the former is about 10 times larger. These data appear to be correlated to differences in the superconduc...
We report a case of Mycobacterium abscessus infection in a 29-year-old woman after facial injection with autologous fat. Nineteen months previously, she received a facial surgery of autologous fat injection with the fat harvested from her inner thigh. On examination, she had multiple painful and fluctuant abscesses associated with local pyrexia in her bilateral temporal and lower orbital regions. A B ultrasound revealed multiple fat liquefaction in her bilateral temporal and lower orbital regions. The acid-fast bacilli culture and polymerase chain reaction sequencing confirmed M. abscessus infection. She was treated with moxifloxacin, clarithromycin, and ethambutol for 12 months, and finally the symptoms subsided. To avoid infection after fat graft, aseptic technique as well as standard operation of the fat harvest and process should be strictly enforced. In cases of persistent infection, or invalid cases treated with conventional antibiotic therapy, nontuberculous mycobacteria should be suspected, and a polymerase chain reaction sequencing as well as a drug sensitivity test should be carried out.
Superhydrophobic polysiloxane nanofilaments were successfully grown on polymer coatings prepared by conventional emulsion polymerization without the application of any activation step for the first time using methyltrichlorosilane as the silane precursor. Both gas phase reactions under a controlled humidity environment and liquid phase reactions in standard petroleum ether which is open to air were applied during filament growth. Wettability, morphology and transparency of the obtained polysiloxane nanofilaments were characterized by contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy and UV-vis transmittance tests respectively. Advancing contact angle values between 166–172° and 157–169° were obtained via the gas phase reactions and the liquid phase reactions, respectively. It was also shown that polysiloxane nanofilaments can be grown on polystyrene coatings prepared by solution polymerization without any pre-activation step via the liquid phase filament growth reaction. It was determined that the presence of hydroxyl groups on a polymer coating is not required for the growth of polysiloxane nanofilaments, and only the formation of a water film having an adequate thickness on the polymeric coating surface is sufficient.
The necessity for compact table-top x-ray sources with higher brightness, shorter wavelength and shorter pulse duration has led to the development of complementary sources based on laser-plasma accelerators, in contrast to conventional accelerators. Relativistic interaction of short-pulse lasers with underdense plasmas results in acceleration of electrons and in consequence in the emission of spatially coherent radiation, which is known in the literature as betatron radiation. In this article, we report on our recent results in the rapidly developing field of secondary x-ray radiation generated by high-energy electron pulses. The betatron radiation is characterized with a novel setup allowing to measure the energy, the spatial energy distribution in the far-field of the beam and the source size in a single laser shot. Furthermore, the polarization state is measured for each laser shot. In this way, the emitted betatron x-rays can be used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool to retrieve very subtle information of the electron dynamics within the plasma wave. Parallel to the experimental work, 3D particle-in-cell simulations were performed, proved to be in good agreement with the experimental results.
In 1934, Gordon Walls forwarded his radical theory of retinal photoreceptor ‘transmutation’. This proposed that rods and cones used for scotopic and photopic vision, respectively, were not fixed but could evolve into each other via a series of morphologically distinguishable intermediates. Walls' prime evidence came from series of diurnal and nocturnal geckos and snakes that appeared to have pure-cone or pure-rod retinas (in forms that Walls believed evolved from ancestors with the reverse complement) or which possessed intermediate photoreceptor cells. Walls was limited in testing his theory because the precise identity of visual pigments present in photoreceptors was then unknown. Subsequent molecular research has hitherto neglected this topic but presents new opportunities. We identify three visual opsin genes, rh1, sws1 and lws, in retinal mRNA of an ecologically and taxonomically diverse sample of snakes central to Walls' theory. We conclude that photoreceptors with superficially rod- or cone-like morphology are not limited to containing scotopic or photopic opsins, respectively. Walls' theory is essentially correct, and more research is needed to identify the patterns, processes and functional implications of transmutation. Future research will help to clarify the fundamental properties and physiology of photoreceptors adapted to function in different light levels.
W ASHINGTON, DC—Scientists developing novel breast cancer detection tests updated an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee on their progress at a workshop at the National Academy of Sciences here. These new early detection approaches—seen primarily as aids to mammography, not replacements—include infra-red imaging of breast angiogenesis, a smart surgical probe derived from space technology that differentiates malignant from benign tissue, and a version of electrical impedance scanning. But speakers said no detection test—whether currently used or in the future—is or can be perfect. Proof that mammography isn’t perfect is the finding that as many as 75% of all breast lesions that are biopsied as a result of suspicious findings on a mammogram turn out to be benign, according to the report from a previous IOM committee on early breast cancer detection. During the 1990s, the US death rate from breast cancer declined by about 2% a year, a result of early detection and improved therapy, according to that 1991 report. Recent research reports on molecular markers have led to news articles questioning whether the emphasis on early detection is as critical as commonly accepted. The research suggests that tumor markers of a breast cancer’s genetic pattern may be a more important indicator of how the cancer will progress than its size when discovered. The worse the genetic pattern, the worse the outcome. But using and developing technology to detect breast cancer as early as possible remains critically important, according to those participating in the IOM workshop. “Every scientific instinct tells us that the earlier we catch the cancer, the better the prognosis is going to be,” said Lance Liotta, MD, PhD, Chief of the Laboratory of Pathology at the National Cancer Institute. Larry Norton, MD, Head of the Solid Tumor Division at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and immediate past president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, added, “We’ve known since the dawn of time that some small cancers have a bad prognosis, but I’m still a believer in breast cancer screening. Tumor size is still an important variable. A lot of people have been working in the genomics area. I haven’t seen anything in those reports that tells me that early diagnosis is not important.”
Is the epidemiology of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) truly changing? Is the incidence indeed rising? If so, what are the possible reasons? Is it because psoriasis is becoming more prevalent? Clearly, genetic factors do not change over a few decades; therefore, how are environmental factors influencing the disease? These are the questions that spring to mind on reading the article by Wilson, et al in this issue of The Journal 1.  PsA is a form of seronegative spondyloarthritis associated with psoriasis2. Although the occurrence of arthritis associated with psoriasis was probably recognized as early as 1818, it was as recently as 1964 that PsA was recognized by the American Rheumatism Association (American College of Rheumatology) as a distinct clinical entity3. And it was as late as 1996 that studies on prevalence and incidence of PsA were published4. A recent review of studies undertaken to December 2006 has shown widely varying estimates of incidence and prevalence4. While estimates obtained from studies conducted within Europe and North America vary significantly, the most striking difference is between Europe and Japan. The incidence in Europe and North America ranged between 3 and 23.1 cases/105, whereas that in Japan was only 0.1 cases/105. Similarly, the prevalence in Europe and North America ranged between 20 and 420 cases/105, but in Japan it was only 1/105. This large difference is most likely due to differences in ethnicity, since low prevalence of other spondyloarthropathies in Japan has also been reported5.  The challenges in conducting epidemiological studies in PsA neatly elucidated in 1994 by O’Neill and Silman are still relevant3. The most important problem identified was lack of validated classification criteria. It should be noted, however, that although a …   Address reprint requests to Dr. Chandran, Centre for Prognosis Studies in the Rheumatic Diseases, Toronto Western Hospital, 1E 412, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada. E-mail: vinod.chandran{at}uhnres.utoronto.ca
OBJECTIVE To analyze organizational, political and economic changes resulting from the decentralization of the health system for those in Mexico without health insurance.   METHODS Three states, selected by considering the percentage of the population living in poverty, the political party in power and their stage of decentralization (the first was in 1984 and the second in 1997) were included. Interviews were conducted during 2007 with key informants from the state health care services, users of health care services, and community leaders. Data were analyzed from an anthropological and economic perspective.   RESULTS Decentralization occurred in a heterogeneous way in each state, with responsibilities being transferred from federal to state level but without breaking the dependence on the central-federal level. The reforms driven from the federal level to create a scheme based on a principle of financial subsidies and democratization of the health system face challenges for their political and organizational consolidation.   CONCLUSIONS The anthropological approach adopted in this analysis shows the relevance of considering organizational, economic and political factors as key components of the decentralization process.
We compared the diagnostic efficacy of gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MRI with that of Gd-enhanced MRI after administration of ferucarbotran for revealing small hypervascular hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). 24 patients with 34 HCCs (ranging in size from 0.6-2.0 cm) underwent Gd-enhanced three-dimensional dynamic MRI followed, after an interval of 5-11 days (mean, 7 days), by Gd-enhanced three-dimensional dynamic MRI after administration of ferucarbotran. The two Gd-enhanced arterial-phase MRI scans were compared quantitatively by measuring the tumour-liver contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and qualitatively by evaluating the tumour-liver contrast using matched-pairs analysis. The tumour-liver CNR with Gd-enhanced arterial-phase imaging after ferucarbotran (250.3 +/- 103.7) was higher than that with Gd-enhanced arterial-phase imaging (221.1 +/- 96.1) (p < 0.001). Matched-pairs analysis indicated that, for three lesions, the relative tumour-liver contrast was slightly better with Gd-enhanced arterial-phase imaging after ferucarbotran than with conventional Gd-enhanced arterial-phase imaging; however, in the case of the remaining 31 lesions, the two images were equivalent. We concluded that, although Gd-enhanced arterial-phase imaging after ferucarbotran results in better tumour-liver CNR than Gd-enhanced arterial-phase imaging, the ability of the two techniques to reveal small hypervascular HCCs is the same.
Popularly, metaphysics is considered to be the antonym for physics. Argues that this attitude is a hangover from outdated forms of empiricism and positivism. In the light of cybernetic epistemology, scientific theories are linguistic structures which help to produce predictions of events. These structures are not directly deduced from experience, but guessed and then justified a posteriori. Metaphysics provides a basis for such structures. Proposes the principle that the ultimate reality we find in the physical world is that of action. Modifies Schopenhauer's formula as the world is action and representation, with action taking ontological precedence, and not to the space‐time picture of the world. For a picture is only a picture, a representation which changes from one subject to another, from one theory to another; while action is an irrefutable reality. Thus the concept of action in abstracto is taken and on this basis an attempt is made to interpret the fundamental concepts of knowledge: what are objects, what is objective description of the world, what is space and time?
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are abundant and heterogenous groups of integrated retroviral sequences that impact genome regulation and cell physiology throughout their RNA-centered life cycle1. Failure to repress ERVs is associated with cancer, infertility, senescence and neurodegenerative diseases2–4. Here, using an unbiased genome-scale CRISPR knockout screen in mouse embryonic stem cells, we identify m6A RNA methylation as a novel means of ERV restriction. Methylation of ERV mRNAs is catalyzed by the complex of methyltransferase-like METTL3/METTL145 proteins whose depletion, along with their accessory subunits, WTAP and ZC3H13, led to increased mRNA abundance of Intracisternal A-particles (IAPs) and related ERVK elements specifically, by targeting their 5’UTR region. Using controlled auxin-dependent degradation of the METTL3/METTL14 enzymatic complex, we showed that IAP mRNA and protein abundance is dynamically and inversely correlated with m6A catalysis. By monitoring mRNA degradation rates upon METTL3/14 double degron, we further proved that m6A methylation destabilizes IAP transcripts. Finally, similarly to m6A writers, triple knockout of the m6A readers YTHDF1, DF2 and DF36 increased IAP mRNA abundance. This study sheds light onto a novel function of RNA methylation in protecting cellular integrity by clearing reactive ERV-derived RNA species, which may be especially important when transcriptional silencing is less stringent.
H T ISTORIANS of British North America have recently rediscovered an interest in immigration history and the social-cultural world created by the mingling of peoples in the eighteenthcentury colonies. The observant among them will have marked, amid fine studies of the English, Scots, and Dutch, along with renewed scrutiny of involuntary Afro-American immigration, the absence of equivalent work on the German-speaking colonists. This essay assesses the problems and potential for a history of the Germans in eighteenth-century British North America with special reference to related fields of German social history and immigration history. Particular regard is paid to recent and current explorations in these fields by German scholars.1
Recent experiments have revealed several morphologies of complexes formed by the self-assembly of bottle-brush polyelectrolytes (BPEs) and oppositely charged surfactants. We report herein a computational study of the formation and transition of self-assembled BPE/surfactant complexes with varying the backbone stiffness and amount of added surfactant. We characterize five complex shapes distinguished on the basis of BPE conformations and aggregate morphologies. Our simulations suggest that for cases of single adsorbed aggregate with an almost complete contact with the BPE, the backbone adopts a helical conformation regardless of the molecular details, while the helical fashion shows a dependence on the investigated parameters. Moreover, a spiral aggregate is observed at high backbone stiffness and BPE/surfactant charge ratio. The present results provide a valuable complement to experiment in exploring the possible structural phases of BPE/surfactant complexes at a molecular level.
We explore the mid-infrared (mid-IR) through ultraviolet (UV) spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 119,652 luminous broad-lined quasars with 0.064 < z < 5.46 using mid-IR data from Spitzer and WISE, near-infrared data from the Two Micron All Sky Survey and UKIDSS, optical data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and UV data from the Galaxy Evolution Explorer. The mean SED requires a bolometric correction (relative to 2500 Å) of BC2500 Å =2.75 ± 0.40 using the integrated light from 1 μm–2 keV, and we further explore the range of bolometric corrections exhibited by individual objects. In addition, we investigate the dependence of the mean SED on various parameters, particularly the UV luminosity for quasars with 0.5 ≲ z ≲ 3 and the properties of the UV emission lines for quasars with z ≳ 1.6; the latter is a possible indicator of the strength of the accretion disk wind, which is expected to be SED-dependent. Luminosity-dependent mean SEDs show that, relative to the high-luminosity SED, low-luminosity SEDs exhibit a harder (bluer) far-UV spectral slope (αUV), a redder optical continuum, and less hot dust. Mean SEDs constructed instead as a function of UV emission line properties reveal changes that are consistent with known Principal Component Analysis trends. A potentially important contribution to the bolometric correction is the unseen extreme UV (EUV) continuum. Our work suggests that lower-luminosity quasars and/or quasars with disk-dominated broad emission lines may require an extra continuum component in the EUV that is not present (or much weaker) in high-luminosity quasars with strong accretion disk winds. As such, we consider four possible models and explore the resulting bolometric corrections. Understanding these various SED-dependent effects will be important for accurate determination of quasar accretion rates.
Scabies, a contagious parasitic dermatosis caused by the mite Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis, has a worldwide distribution with an estimated 300 million people affected annually. Although this affection encompasses all age groups, races, and social classes, it is typically seen in poor communities. Poverty, poor hygiene, overcrowding, institutionalization, malnutrition, and sexual promiscuity are the main factors that increase the risk of scabies. Scabies is generally a nuisance on account of itching, rash, and its ability to spread among people through physical contact; superinfection especially with group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes) may also occur. Within this issue of Infectious Diseases in Clinical Practice, Neghina et al conducted a retrospective study on 33 patients diagnosed with scabies via clinical signs and microscopic examination of skin scrapings. Because scabies is not a reportable disease in Romania, exact incidence is unknown. Moreover, many patients do not seek medical care and treat themselves using preparations they have bought over the counter. This study is the first Romanian report on scabies in patients admitted to an infectious disease hospital. Scabies was the main reason for hospitalization in 33.3% of cases, whereas the remaining 66.7% were hospitalized for other infection-related pathological conditions. This particular distribution may be explained by the social stigma that discourages affected individuals to seek medical care for scabies lesions only, and the present study clearly demonstrates that they are more likely to address the physician in case of other comorbidities. Most of the cases (87.9%) were adults of whom 55.2% were unemployed and 51.7% lived in rural areas; thus, poverty and overcrowded living conditions seemed once again to be the primary contributing factors in contracting scabies. Poverty and overcrowding, however, are often concomitant, and 56.3% of the unemployed patients lived in rural areas. Poverty also leads to other associated problems such as poor nutritional status, which may in turn contribute to the immune status of the individual; thus, it is not surprising that 74.1% of the cases with low incomes (unemployed, laborers, retired) had associated infectious comorbidities as a result of decreased immunity. Scabies is seasonal in its nature, and infestation peaks have been often reported during the cold months of the year, especially in winter. Similarly, Neghina and colleagues show that most of the patients were diagnosed in spring and winter as a result of poor heating facilities and overcrowding. This distribution might be also due to the biological characteristics of mites, which are able to survive longer away from the body in cooler weather. Despite being banned in the European Union as a pesticide since 2001, lindane (gammabenzene hexachloride) was the topical scabicide of choice mainly because of its cost-effectiveness. Romanian health care services have limited financial resources, thus, 5% permethrin, considered the most efficient topical treatment, could not be prescribed because of its high cost. Finally, the authors emphasize the key role of general practitioners from the primary medical health care system in the limitation of the disease. They are the first who usually see the affected patients, and their timely intervention through sanitary education of high-risk populations has a major impact on disease occurrence and transmission. Overall, the study by Neghina and colleagues is meant to increase the physicians’ awareness in diagnosing scabies, particularly when it is not the sole diagnosis in a hospitalized patient. EDITORIAL COMMENT
A finite-element analysis model of the lunate was established using geometrical data obtained from cadaveric bones. The lunate cortex was modelled with triangular and quadrilateral elements and its intraosseous structure was represented either as a homogenous elastic structure or as an anisotropic network of cortical bone beams (trabeculae) with different orientations and thicknesses. Compressive loads applied to the metacarpus were distributed in the carpus against the fixed radius and ulna. The ulnar variance had a strong influence on the ratios radiolunate/ulnolunate total load and peak pressures. The distribution of internal stresses was markedly affected by the lunate uncovering index. The evolution of a simulated incomplete fracture was dramatically influenced by morphological parameters: with positive ulnar variance, the fracture did not progress, but in the presence of three associated conditions, negative ulnar variance, a high lunate uncovering index and angulated trabeculae, the fracture progressed and the proximal part of the lunate collapsed. This study supports the concept that some lunates are predisposed to Kienböck’s disease because their anatomy induces abnormal internal stresses, which allow an incomplete fracture to progress, under heavy loading conditions, and cause progressive collapse and localised trabecular osteonecrosis.
An extracellular β‐glucosidase enzyme was purified from the fungus Aspergillus niger strain 322. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimated to be 64 kDa by SDS gel electrophoresis. Optimal pH and temperature for β‐glucosidase were 5·5 and 50 °C, respectively. Purified enzyme was stable up to 50 °C and pH between 2·0 and 5·5. The Km was 0·1 mmol l−1 for cellobiose. Enzyme activity was inhibited by several divalent metal ions.
Abstract : This report describes fine- and microstructure profile data taken on R/V Oceanus cruise 250 leg 4, between March 25 and April 24, 1992. During this cruise, an area of the Canary Basin near the Subduction Experiment's central mooring was surveyed with the High Resolution Profiler (HRP). The goals of the survey were to describe the hydrographic properties of the water adequately to recommend a location for the North Atlantic Tracer Release Experiment (NATRE) tracer injection, and to characterize the microstructure for comparison with the NATRE results. The work performed at sea, instrumentation, data return and processing procedures will be summarized in this report. Turbulent mixing, Canary Basin, Internal tide.
IL-5 is an important role cytokine on the RA. IL-5 has an important role on eosinophils. ARIA-WHO made classification of RA based on how long the clinical symptoms and the impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to know the classification of RA with IL-5 on RA study. This study used a cross-sectional method with 39 samples. The examination of IL-5 used ELISA. The highest classification of RA was medium-severe persistent of 43.58% with the mean value IL-5 was 56.25 pg/ml. Based on the test of Kruskal Wallis, it was obtained p-value = 0.664. Conclusion: There was no significant relation between classification RA and IL-5.
Abstract Powder injection moulding (PIM) is an important and accepted industrial technique for net shaping of precision components which can have a rather complex geometry. In order to meet the imposed, often rather strict, requirements with regard to dimensional accuracy, it is important to have an adequate knowledge and control of the rheological behaviour and the related processing properties of the powder/polymer melt (feedstock). Such a knowledge is furthermore of crucial importance in numerical simulations of the PIM-process. In the present work, a model system, consisting of steel powder, poly(ethylene glycol) and wax, is used in order to illustrate how the viscometric properties as well as thermal properties, such as the conductivity and the specific heat, of the system can be related to the corresponding properties of the polymeric binder system. In a similar way, the pvT (pressure-volume-temperature)-behaviour of the model system is analysed and discussed. The pvT-behaviour, which has not been extensively reported on for PIM-feedstocks, is considered to be of significant relevance for controlling the outcome of the injection moulding process.
A 36-membered macrocyclic hexaoxime was quantitatively obtained by [3 + 3] condensation of dialdehyde 2 with diamine 3 using La3+ (core metal) and Zn2+ (shell metal) as a novel core/shell template, while the yield was very low in the absence of the metal ions. The high yield can be attributed to the efficient formation of a 3:3:1 complex of dialdehyde 2, Zn2+, and La3+, which readily gives the macrocycle keeping the Zn3La core/shell tetranuclear cluster structure.
Article Info Fouling-induced enzyme immobilization is a technique to immobilize enzyme by positively manipulating the knowledge of membrane fouling. In this study, Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) (EC 1.1.1.1) was immobilized in the support layer of ultrafiltration PES membrane at different solution pH (acid, neutral and alkaline). ADH catalyses formaldehyde (CHOH) to methanol (CH3OH) and simultaneously oxidised nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) to NAD+. The initial feed amount of enzyme is 3.0 mg. The objective of the study aims at the effect of different pH of feed solution during enzyme immobilization, in terms of permeate flux, observed rejection, enzyme loading and fouling mechanism. The results showed that, pH 5 holds the highest enzyme loading which is 65% while pH 7 holds the lowest at 52% out of 3.0 mg as the initial enzyme feed. The permeate flux for each pH decreased with increasing cumulative permeate volume. The observed rejection is inversely correlated with the pH where increase in pH will cause a lower observed rejection. The fouling model predicted that irreversible fouling occurs during enzyme immobilization at pH 7 with standard blocking mechanism while reversible fouling occurs at pH 5 and 9 with intermediate and complete blocking, respectively. https://doi.org/10.24191/mjcet. v3i2.11232
Glucuronides of piperazine hydroxylamines are rarely reported in the literature, and even more rarely are their structures unambiguously identified. One major metabolite was detected by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry-radioactivity in urine from monkeys treated with the aryl piperazine oral hypoglycemic agent 9-[(1S,2R)-2-fluoro-1-methylpropyl]-2-methoxy-6-(1-piperazinyl) purine hydrochloride (1). The mass spectrum of this metabolite indicated that it was both monooxygenated and glucuronidated on the piperazine ring. Possible structures included the N- or O-glucuronic acid conjugates of a carbinolamine, hydroxylamine, or N-oxide. Treatment with beta-glucuronidase gave a monooxygenated derivative of the parent compound. 1H NMR analysis of either the glucuronic acid conjugate or the monooxygenated product provided insufficient evidence to unambiguously determine their structures. Incubation of 1 with pig liver microsomes resulted in formation of the same monooxygenated derivative derived from beta-glucuronidase treatment of the glucuronide metabolite. This in vitro system was used to generate sufficient material for analysis by 13C NMR, and the metabolite was identified as a hydroxylamine derivative 2. Incubation of the hydroxylamine with monkey liver microsomes and uridine diphospho-5'-glucuronic acid gave the same glucuronic acid conjugate as that observed in monkey urine. 13C NMR analysis of this biosynthetic product led to its unequivocal structure assignment as the O-glucuronic acid conjugate of the hydroxylamine 3.
Purpose : The incidence of the primary intracranial leiomyosarcoma is extremely rare, and few cases have been previously reported worldwide to date. This report was to clarify the potential role of radiotherapy in the management of primary intracranial leiomyosarcoma. Methods and Materials : This report presented a 49-year old man with a 3-month history of a progressively headache and walk ing unsteadily. The diagnosis was confirmed with thalamic leiomyosarcoma of high-grade malignancy according to the pathologic examination after neurosurgical biopsy. The patient didnâ€™t undergo surgical resection because of a high risk death. After biopsy, radiotherapy using 3D-CRT technique to the mass site with 55.8Gy/31f/43d was given accordingly. Results : The mass didnâ€™t reduce much at the end of radiotherapy. The patient refused systemic chemotherapy, he was alive without signs of local relapse and brain side-effects with 6 monthâ€™s follow-up. After living eleven months and three weeks after radiotherapy, he died of local progression. Conclusions : Through literature review, the current therapeutic approaches including surgery, radiotherapy as well as chemotherapy appear to have limited effect, but could be beneficious of patients in tumor local control and improvement of the life quality.
Summary Studies on the tensile strength of healing wounds in guinea pigs under the influence of thyroxine and thyrotropic hormone are reported. With the Sandblom-Petersen tensiometer the tensile strength of the wounds could be measured in living animals. (1) The wounds of thyroidectomized guinea pigs possess the same tensile strength as those of intact controls. (2) Thyroxine inhibits wound healing in intact as well as in thyroidectomized guinea pigs. (3) Thyrotrophs hormone inhibits wound healing only in intact guinea pigs, whereas it does not appear to alter the normal course of healing in thyroidectomized guinea pigs.
As Laszlo Moholy-Nagy suggests in Vision in Motion (1947), [1] one of the most significant literary developments of the twentieth century is the emergence of 'a literature of phonograph records and of radio'. At this point in the late 1980s, it is now possible to look back at the evolution of radio art, and at the same time, to look forward toward those more recent multi-media artforms deriving from radio art, and extending the potential of radio art into new, 'post-radio' realms.
Objective To observe the prevalence and characteristics of premonitory symptoms in Chinese migraineurs and explore their associations with migraine-related factors. Method Migraineurs who visited a tertiary headache clinic and one of nine neurology clinics between May 2014 and November 2019 were studied. Result Among the 4821 patients meeting the migraine criteria (International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition), 1038 (21.5%) patients experienced at least one premonitory symptom. The most common premonitory symptoms were neck stiffness, dizziness, yawning and drowsiness. The logistic regression analysis demonstrated that aura, photophobia, aggravation by routine physical activity, triggers, family history, depression, coffee consumption and physical exercise were associated with an increased probability of experiencing premonitory symptoms (p ≤ 0.001). The premonitory symptoms of migraine with and without aura differ in prevalence and most common symptoms. The cluster analysis revealed pairwise clustering of the following premonitory symptoms: Photophobia/phonophobia, concentration change/dysesthesia, loquacity/overactivity, yawning/drowsiness, fatigue/dizziness, and mood change/irritability. The correlation analysis of triggers and premonitory symptoms revealed that temperature change, environment change, sleep disorder, activity and stress were related to multiple premonitory symptoms, and that food, light, menstruation, alcohol and odor were related to special premonitory symptoms (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion The prevalence of premonitory symptoms among migraineurs in China is 21.5%. Some factors influence the probability of experiencing premonitory symptoms. Paired premonitory symptoms in the clustering analysis may share similar origins. Certain triggers associated with multiple premonitory symptoms may induce brain dysfunction; however, other triggers that overlap with corresponding special premonitory symptoms may be premonitory symptoms or a form of premonitory symptom.
The classical renin-angiotensin system (RAS) consists of enzymes and peptides that regulate blood pressure and electrolyte and fluid homeostasis. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is one of the most important and extensively studied components of the RAS. The beneficial effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure, among other diseases, are well known. However, it has been reported that patients chronically treated with effective doses of these inhibitors do not show suppression of Ang II formation, suggesting the involvement of pathways alternative to ACE in the generation of Ang II. Moreover, the finding that the concentration of Ang II is preserved in the kidney, heart and lungs of mice with an ACE deletion indicates the important role of alternative pathways under basal conditions to maintain the levels of Ang II. Our group has characterized the serine protease elastase-2 as an alternative pathway for Ang II generation from Ang I in rats. A role for elastase-2 in the cardiovascular system was suggested by studies performed in heart and conductance and resistance vessels of normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats. This mini-review will highlight the pharmacological aspects of the RAS, emphasizing the role of elastase-2, an alternative pathway for Ang II generation.
Luquet Gilles, Los imperfectos de subjuntivo y la reestructuracion del sistema verbal espanol a finales del siglo de oro (The subjunctive imperfect tense and the restructuring of the Spanish verb system towards the end of the Spanish Golden Age). Studia Romanica Posnaniensia, Adam Mickiewicz University Press, Poznan, vol. XXXI: 2004, pp. 361-368. ISBN 83-232-1353-4, ISSN 0137-2475. A historical analysis of the Spanish verb shows that the transition between the classical system and the modern system is characterized by two disappearances: the future subjunctive and the contrast between cantara and cantase. The present paper aims to show that: 1) abandoning the use of the future subjunctive has led directiy to abandoning the contrast between cantara and cantase; 2) by the end of the classical period cantara was a form which was "programmed" to replace cantase; 3) in the modern and contemporary verbal system, cantara remains the same as in the classical system. Even if its referential capacities have somewhat altered, it remains the same single linguistic sign. This paper is based on a modal theory which differs the traditional contrast between indicative an subjunctive.
Electrodeposition is a widely used technique for electrode synthesis in various applications. Because of its low synthesis cost and easy scalability, electrodeposition is particularly attractive for the production of semiconductor and catalyst electrodes for use in solar fuel production. For researchers who are interested in learning about or utilizing electrodeposition, the current paper describes detailed methods for electrodeposition, which include procedures for preparing electrodes and plating solutions, determining deposition conditions, and performing electrodeposition. Postdeposition treatments that can be used to prepare electrodes of more diverse compositions and photodeposition procedures that can be used to place catalyst layers on semiconductor electrodes are also provided. The methods are described using the synthesis and modification of photoelectrodes as an example, but most principles and procedures explained in this paper are general and can be applied to electrodeposition of various ele...
This paper compare the basic theses of classical economic liberalism with the new pro-market arguments of the Austrian school of economics and identifies some of the main arguments offered in the new liberals in favor of free competition. In doing so I merely take the position criticism from John Stuart Mill in On Liberty (and then taken up by Karl Popper), whereby it is necessary to discuss the best available version of the critical stance. In particular, examine critically the theoretical impact introduced by the latter, and argue that, even taking into account that version of the economic liberalism more suitable for the doctrinaire liberal (and even accepting some of their arguments), subsist some serious internal problems not resolved by the doctrine. Here are the main problems: 1)  uncritical defense of system of values ​​that requires the operation of the market undervaluing the preference for the present and stability, 2) lack of short-term policies, 3) lack of welfare policies and 4) tendency to adopt an authoritarian bias.
Receptor-mediated airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction via G(alphaq), and relaxation via G(alphas), underlie the bronchospastic features of asthma and its treatment. Asthma models show increased ASM G(alphai) expression, considered the basis for the proasthmatic phenotypes of enhanced bronchial hyperreactivity to contraction mediated by M(3)-muscarinic receptors and diminished relaxation mediated by beta(2)-adrenergic receptors (beta(2)ARs). A causal effect between G(i) expression and phenotype has not been established, nor have mechanisms whereby G(i) modulates G(q)/G(s) signaling. To delineate isolated effects of altered G(i), transgenic mice were generated overexpressing G(alphai2) or a G(alphai2) peptide inhibitor in ASM. Unexpectedly, G(alphai2) overexpression decreased contractility to methacholine, while G(alphai2) inhibition enhanced contraction. These opposite phenotypes resulted from different crosstalk loci within the G(q) signaling network: decreased phospholipase C and increased PKCalpha, respectively. G(alphai2) overexpression decreased beta(2)AR-mediated airway relaxation, while G(alphai2) inhibition increased this response, consistent with physiologically relevant coupling of this receptor to both G(s) and G(i). IL-13 transgenic mice (a model of asthma), which developed increased ASM G(alphai), displayed marked increases in airway hyperresponsiveness when G(alphai) function was inhibited. Increased G(alphai) in asthma is therefore a double-edged sword: a compensatory event mitigating against bronchial hyperreactivity, but a mechanism that evokes beta-agonist resistance. By selective intervention within these multipronged signaling modules, advantageous G(s)/G(q) activities could provide new asthma therapies.
We have previously shown that dopamine (DA) denervation and repeated L‐DOPA treatment modulate the pattern of Nur77 mRNA expression in the striatum. However, the exact role of this nuclear receptor in L‐DOPA‐induced molecular and behavioural adaptations observed in animal models of Parkinson's disease is still unknown. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Nur77 gene deletion on the development of behavioural sensitization and on changes in the regulation of neuropeptides and DA D3 receptor expression following DA denervation and repeated L‐DOPA treatment in Nur77+/+ and Nur77–/– hemiparkinsonian mice. One week postsurgery, hemiparkinsonian mice were treated with L‐DOPA (10 mg/kg) plus benserazide (3 mg/kg) once a day for 7 days. Despite similar extents of nigrostriatal denervation, L‐DOPA‐induced rotational response was exacerbated in Nur77–/– mice compared to Nur77+/+ ones. However, the rate of increase of the rotational behaviour after repeated L‐DOPA injections was similar in the two mouse strains. Lesioning the nigrostriatal pathway increased enkephalin (ENK) and neurotensin (NT) mRNA levels in both mouse strains. However, the up‐regulation of these neuropeptides was significantly reduced in Nur77–/– mice. There was no difference in the modulation of D3 receptor density and dynorphin (DYN) mRNA expression between the two mouse strains. The present results suggest that Nur77 is involved in setting the threshold level for L‐DOPA‐induced rotational behaviour, rather than controlling the development of behavioural sensitization. This specific behavioural change is associated with a selective regulation of neuropeptide expression specifically in the indirect striatal output pathway.
The current state of air pollution is very difficult to ignore, and it reduces life expectancy due to increased morbidity and mortality rate, and not only that, it also affects climate change. Therefore, air pollution monitoring and control need to be considered as one of the biggest tasks for our future planet. Durgapur city, an industrial hub in West Bengal is considered in the present work to review air pollution during festivals. In our experimental study, significant changes are found in two events: Diwali days (typically October–November) and regular days (January considered here). We collected data from our pollution monitoring device on daily observations and 90 of the data collected was valid among all other pollutants like CO, NO2, SO2, we consider particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10) and lay much greater stress on PM2.5, which is more dangerous among the two. The pollution level during the festival is found to be 806.95 μg/m3, while on other regular days, it was 432.69 μg/m3. We observe that from fireworks during Diwali, PM10 is more emitted than PM2.5 while PM2.5 is more due to industrial and vehicular emissions.
The veiled chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) is an emerging model system for studying functional morphology and evolutionary developmental biology (evo‐devo). Chameleons possess body plans that are highly adapted to an arboreal life style, featuring laterally compressed bodies, split hands/ft for grasping, a projectile tongue, turreted independently moving eyes, and a prehensile tail. Despite being one of the most phenotypically divergent clades of tetrapods, genomic resources for chameleons are severely lacking.
The purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of novel hydrfo-pneumatic suspension system (HPSs) in comparison with traditional hydro-pneumatic fsuspension system (HPSs) of a heavy truck in the direction of improving vehicle ride comfort. Firstly, the nonlinear dynamic models of the traditional and novel HPS systems are set up to determine the vertical forces. And then, the vertical forces are connected with a 3-D nonlinear dynamic model of heavy truck with 10 degrees of freedom under random excitation of road surface. The root mean square (RMS) acceleration responses of the vertical cab, pitch and roll angles of the cab (awzcb, awfcb and awtcb) based on the International Standard ISO 2631-1: 1997 are chosen as objective functions. The study results show that the awzcb, awfcb and awtcb values with novel HPSs reduce by 28.27%, 28.32% and 6.89% in comparison with traditional HPSs when vehicle moves on ISO class D road surface at vehicle speed of 50 km/h and full load. Finally, the ride performance of novel HPSs is verified and compared and evaluated with traditional HPSs under different operating conditions and the evaluation results are also indicated that the ride performance of a novel HPSs is better than the traditional HPSs under survey conditions.
Abstract 5078 A recently developed free light chain (FLC) immunoassay has made possible the quantitative measurement of kappa and lambda FLCs by automated nephelometry. Significant clinical evidence indicates the benefit of serum FLCs in the diagnosis of monoclonal gammopathies, AL amyloidosis and nonsecretory MM patients missed by conventional electrophoretic methods. Reference and diagnostic intervals for FLCs have been developed for serum and urine analyses. FLCs in other bodily fluids may provide a valuable tool in other conditions. For example, kappa FLCs are frequently elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with clinically suggested multiple sclerosis, and therefore can assist in confirming the diagnosis. Analysis of other bodily fluids for FLCs posts theoretical concerns which relate to a lack of standard reference, as well as, the plausible interference of both cellular and protein content in the fluid with data interpretation. We report the use of FLC levels in discerning the etiology of recurrent ascite and pleural effusion in 2 patients with a known diagnosis of multiple myeloma. Samples were centrifuged prior to analysis. Other steps of sample processing were based on a standard serum protocol. FLC was analyzed using the FreeLite™ assay (Binding Site) on Beckman Coulter Image analyser. Patient #1: A 64 year old man was diagnosed with IgG kappa multiple myeloma which was in complete remission according to the International Myeloma Working Group criteria after an induction therapy with lenalisomide and dexamethasone followed by high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. He presented with abdominal distention and progressive weight loss. A CAT scan of the abdomen showed moderate amount of ascites with no other detectable pathology. Ascite fluid analysis showed 200 nucleated cells/mm3. Differential counts included 8% neutrophils, 30% monocytes, 61% lymphocytes and 1% eosinophils. Serum-ascitic albumin gradient was 0.9 gm/dl. No atypical cells were seen by histological or flow cytometric analyses. Cultures for bacteria and fungi were negative. Serum CA19-9, CEA, AFP and PSA were normal. Serum and protein electrophoresis did not show M spike. Serum kappa FLC and lambda FLC were 10.5 and 6.97 ug/ml, serum K/L FLC was 1.51. Kappa FLC and lambda FLC in ascetic fluid was 12.1 and 8.4ug/ml, respectively. Peritoneoscopy with a peritoneal biopsy showed nodular deposits on the peritoneal lining and pathology confirmed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Patient #2: A 62-year old lady was diagnosed with lambda light chain multiple myeloma when she presented with transfusion dependent anemia and renal failure. She was treated with la enalidomide and dexamethasone combination and had stable disease. Her treatment regimen was changed to a bortezomib, liposomal doxorubicin and dexamethasone combination, which she progressed on. The patient was treated with salvage combination of D-PACE as a bridge to high dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. One week after treatment, she developed progressive shortness of breath and confusion. She was noted to be hypoxic at room air and had decreased breath sound on the right side of her chest. Laboratory tests were significant for WBC of 0.3x 103/mm3. Chest X-ray and CAT scan of the chest showed large amount of pleural fluid with lower lobe atelectasis, and cardiomegaly. An echocardiogram showed a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% with no wall motion abnormality. The patient was treated empirically with broad spectrum antibiotics and dieresis. The amount of pleural fluid did not improve in 48 hours after treatment. Thoracentesis was performed and pleural fluid kappa and lambda FLCs were Conclusion: We report that FLC analysis of other bodily fluids, aside from serum and urine, is feasible and may provide complimentary value to other histologic and biochemical analyses especially in discerning whether the etiology for the fluid accumulation related to the underlying multiple myeloma. Disclosures: Abonour:Celgene: Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Solid–liquid interfacial energy of steel during solidification was measured predicted from the both experimental techniques of unidirectional solidification and thermal analysis applying the dendrite growth model and heterogeneous nucleation model. Solid–liquid interfacial energy changed depending on primary phase during solidification, i.e., that of primary δ phase was larger than that of γ phase. When the primary phase was the same, solid–liquid interfacial energy increased with increasing carbon content. Primary dendrite arm spacing changed depending on solid–liquid interfacial energy. A trace amount of bismuth which had the effect of a decrease in the solid–liquid interfacial energy of steel during solidification decreased primary and secondary dendrite arm spacing, significantly.
Organic multi-valued logic (MVL) circuits can substantially improve the data processing efficiency in highly advanced wearable electronics. Organic ternary logic circuits can be implemented by utilizing the negative transconductance (NTC) of heterojunction transistors (H-TRs). To achieve high-performance organic ternary logic circuits, the range of NTC in H-TRs must be optimized in advance to ensure the well-defined intermediate logic state in ternary logic inverters (T-inverters). Herein, a simple and efficient strategy, which enables the systematic control of the range and position of NTC in H-TRs is presented. Each thickness of p-/n-type semiconductor in H-TRs is adjusted to control the channel conductivity. Furthermore, asymmetric source/drain (S/D) electrode structure is newly developed for H-TRs, which can adjust the amount of hole and electron injection, independently. Based on the semiconductor thickness variation and asymmetric S/D electrodes, the T-inverter exhibits full-swing operation with three distinguishable logic states, resulting in unprecedentedly high static noise margin (≈48% of the ideal value). Moreover, a flexible T-inverter with an ultrathin polymer dielectric is demonstrated, whose operating voltage is less than 8 V. The proposed strategy is fully compatible with the conventional integrated circuit design, which is highly desirable for broad applicability and scalability for various types of T-inverter production.
Architectural Technical Debt (ATD) is one of the leading Technical Debt (TD) that causes more impact in maintaining and evolving complex software systems. We conduct a Systematic Mapping Study (SMS) to discover the main aspects of identifying and monitoring ATD items to help determine what the community has been studying about it in the last ten years. We evaluated 70 studies dating from 2012 to 2022. We find out the main types of ATD, how to measure and monitor ATD, which techniques and methods stand out in this area, the most used tools, and directions on how to calculate the cost of paying for ATD items. The results of this mapping study can help identify points that still require investigations on identifying, monitoring, and calculating the effort to fix ATD items. Furthermore, we have proposed a roadmap to aid managing Architectural Technical Debt, which provides guidance for identifying and monitoring ATD items in software systems.
Recent increased use of ultrafine mechanically ground alumina trehydrate (ATH) as a flame retardant and smoke suppressant has occurred. This growth has, to some extent, displaced the traditional fine precipitated forms of ATH in a variety of polymer applications. In general, the morphology of the more expensive precipitated ATH is different from ground ATH. In this study there appears to be little effect of ATH particle morphology on the PVC performance properties tested.
To compare the lighting environment of the living rooms in the apartments in Korea and China, this research conducted a study of the current status, targeting 79 households in Korea and 68 households in China. The results are the following. First, the two nations use mostly fluorescent light as the general lighting for the living room. China, in particular, share of not using the local lighting is very high. Secondly, levels of illumination was measured. The result demonstrates that the brightness of the lighting is higher in Korea compared to China while China demonstrates higher uniformity ratio for the levels of illumination compared to Korea. However, levels of illumination in general are very low in China. Thus, it cannot be concluded that China offers favorable lighting environment. Third, study on the degree of living room lighting's brightness and satisfaction level demonstrates that they are both average in Korea and China. As for the important points for the house lighting, most Koreans cited 'brightness of the lighting' while most Chinese said 'ease of maneuvering'.
Texture profile analysis and rupture tests were carried out on raw and cooked tissues of ‘Delica’, ‘CF 2’ and ‘CF 4’ buttercup squash cultivars and ‘Red Warren’ pumpkin during storage. The raw tissues of ‘CF 2’ were the firmest, exhibiting high tissue strength (high failure force) combined with less rigidity, ie lower modulus of deformability (MOD) and higher compressibility (high strain and deformation at failure). ‘Red Warren’ had the least firm tissues combined with high rigidity and low compressibility. The firmness of ‘Delica’ and ‘CF 4’ tissues was intermediate. The texture parameters such as MOD, failure force, hardness, gumminess and chewiness measured on raw and cooked tissues of the four cultivars showed no significant differences up to 2 months of storage but then decreased (P < 0.05) between 2 and 3 months of storage. The size of the cells and thickness of the parenchyma cell walls among ‘Delica’, ‘CF 2’ and ‘CF 4’ were similar. The greater size of ‘Red Warren’ parenchyma cells, larger intercellular spaces and thinner cell walls appear to account for its lower tissue strength compared with the other cultivars. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry
We present a new interpolatory subdivision scheme based on PB-splines (point-based B-splines), over triangular meshes. Using the stencil of the interpolatory /spl radic/3-subdivision scheme, we propose a different refinement strategy by introducing a variable a to each regular vertex (valence = 6). By applying different a (locally or globally), the scheme is suitable for adaptive refinement and can perfectly reach different smoothness conditions (C/sup 0/, C/sup 1/ or C/sup 2/).
Although the OAI-PMH specification is focused on making it straightforward for data providers to expose metadata, practice shows that in certain significant situations deployment of OAI-PMH conformant repository software remains problematic. We report on research aimed at devising solutions to further lower the barrier to make metadata collections harvestable. We provide an in depth description of an approach in which a data provider makes a metadata collection available as an XML file with a specific format - an OAI static repository - which is made OAI-PMH harvestable through the intermediation of software - an OAI static repository gateway - operated by a third party. We describe the properties of both components, and provide insights in our experience with an experimental implementation of a gateway.
In this paper, the improved planar resonant sensors based on the generalized split ring resonator (SRR) configuration are proposed for the permittivity and the permeability testing of magneto-dielectric samples. It is observed that the proposed inter-digital capacitor-based SRR and the meandered line-based SRR provide better sensitivity for dielectric and magnetic measurement, respectively, when compared with the standard SRR-based microwave sensors. Both the sensors are first modeled under unloaded condition, using the full wave electromagnetic solver, the CST Microwave Studio, in order to ensure their operating frequency range near 2.45 GHz of industrial, scientific and medical band. In the next step, the numerical simulation of these sensors is carried out by loading them with a number of reference materials in order to develop empirical model for the determination of permittivity and permeability of test samples. Additionally, the equivalent circuit models of these sensors are obtained using the Advanced Design System circuit simulator and results are compared with the numerical simulation. All the sensors are designed and fabricated on 1.27-mm-thick RT/Duroid 6006 substrate, and testing is carried out using the network analyzer. A number of standard dielectric and magneto-dielectric samples are tested using the proposed scheme in order to retrieve their permittivity and permeability values. The measured data of each sample are in good match with the corresponding reference values available in literature having a typical error of less than 6%.
INTRODUCTION Abdominal-pelvic hemorrhage (i.e., originates below the diaphragm and above the inguinal ligaments) is a major cause of death. It has diverse etiology but is typically associated with gunshot or stab wounds, high force or velocity blunt trauma, aortic rupture, and peripartum bleeds. Because there are few immediately deployable, temporizing measures, and the standard approaches such as direct pressure, hemostatics, and tourniquets are less reliable than they are with compressible extremity injuries, risk for death resulting from abdominal-pelvic hemorrhage is high. This review concerns the exciting potential of proximal external aortic compression (PEAC) as a temporizing technique for life-threatening lower abdominal-pelvic hemorrhage. PEAC can be accomplished by means of a device, two locked arms (manual), or a single knee (genicular) to press over the midline supra-umbilical abdomen. The goal is to compress the descending aorta and slow or halt downstream hemorrhage while not delaying more definitive measures such as hemostatic packing, tourniquets, endovascular balloons, and ultimately operative repair.   METHODS Clinical review of the Ovid MEDLINE, In-Process, & Other Non-Indexed, and Google Scholar databases was performed for the period ranging from 1946 to 3 May 2019 for studies that included the following search terms: [proximal] external aortic compression OR vena cava compression AND (abdomen or pelvis) OR (hemorrhage) OR (emergency or trauma). In addition, references from included studies were assessed.   CONCLUSION Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Evidence was grouped and summarized from the specialties of trauma, aortic surgery, and obstetrics to help prehospital responders and guide much-needed additional research, with the goal of decreasing the high risk for death after life-threatening abdominal-pelvic hemorrhage.
Context. Some of the most prominent sources for particle acceleration in our Solar System are large eruptions of magnetised plasma from the Sun called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). These accelerated particles can generate radio emission through various mechanisms. Aims. CMEs are often accompanied by a variety of solar radio bursts with different shapes and characteristics in dynamic spectra. Radio bursts directly associated with CMEs often show movement in the direction of CME expansion. Here, we aim to determine the emission mechanism of multiple moving radio bursts that accompanied a flare and CME that took place on 14 June 2012. Methods. We used radio imaging from the Nançay Radioheliograph, combined with observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory spacecraft, to analyse these moving radio bursts in order to determine their emission mechanism and three-dimensional (3D) location with respect to the expanding CME. Results. In using a 3D representation of the particle acceleration locations in relation to the overlying coronal magnetic field and the CME propagation, for the first time, we provide evidence that these moving radio bursts originate near the CME flanks and that some are possible signatures of shock-accelerated electrons following the fast CME expansion in the low corona. Conclusions. The moving radio bursts, as well as other stationary bursts observed during the eruption, occur simultaneously with a type IV continuum in dynamic spectra, which is not usually associated with emission at the CME flanks. Our results show that moving radio bursts that could traditionally be classified as moving type IVs can represent shock signatures associated with CME flanks or plasma emission inside the CME behind its flanks, which are closely related to the lateral expansion of the CME in the low corona. In addition, the acceleration of electrons generating this radio emission appears to be favoured at the CME flanks, where the CME encounters coronal streamers and open field regions.
For the use in mobile systems high efficiency V-band IMPATT diodes for CW operation are developed. The design is based on a numerical large signal drift diffusion model. Flat-profile and low-high-low structures are simulated and the layers are grown by silicon molecular beam epitaxy. Solid circular and ring structures are fabricated. During the RF tests frequency dependent differences in the measured power levels using thermistor mounts and diode power sensors are observed: The RF tests yield a maximum efficiency of 17.6 % at 67 GHz with a double low-higlh-low diode measured with a manufacturer calibrated diode sensor. The efficiency drops to 13.5 % measured with a thermistor. With ring diodes high output powers (800 mW/59 GHz, no differences between different power sensors) at a very low junction temperature rise (140 K) can be obtained. At higher junction temperatures up to 1.4 Watt are achieved.
This article addresses the discrepancy between Schenker’s lifelong devotion to performance and the limited treatment of performance issues in the secondary literature on Schenker — a discrepancy exacerbated by the delayed publication of his performance manual The Art of Performance (2000). This study helps to ameliorate the discrepancy by examining his analysis of the Chopin Berceuse op. 57 in D-flat major in Das Meisterwerk II (1926) in comparison to his own annotated score of the piece, with the ultimate goal of creating a clearer picture of how Schenker’s conception of performance intersects with his theories. Following Rings 2011, the article develops a Lewinian transformational model of conceptual tension based on Schenker’s understanding of retention and anticipation in passing motions, and applies it to the rather complex intentional structure of finger choice (the finger chosen at various critical junctures in piano performance). Given the epistemological separation between Schenker’s Berceuse analysis and his annotated score, the article refers to The Art of Performance to formulate a “neo-Schenkerian” legato fingering (“neo” in that it represents my own performance values and participates in the modernist project of American Schenker reception) for the Berceuse theme that serves as a backdrop for understanding not only the conceptual tension of that fingering (according to the transformational model) as it relates to his analysis, but also the conceptual tension of his own fingering, taken from his personal copy of the piece. However, Schenker’s fingering largely ignores his own recommendations for legato and, unlike the underlying voice leading and neo-Schenkerian fingering, does not sustain conceptual tension throughout the theme. Nevertheless, it engages the bodily core in a manner that—in light of the large-scale push to the subdominant (G major) later on in the piece, and the bodily actions associated with playing almost exclusively in the black-key plane—serves the organic coherence of the Berceuse as a whole. This coherence, which arises from the performer’s physical actions, also resonates with some of Schenker’s comments regarding the relationship of The Art of Performance with his mature theory, and his appreciation for what he called Chopin’s “particular
The temperature dependence of the out-of-plane and in-plane resistance of a c-axis-oriented (Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O x silver-sheathed tape with high critical current density (Jc>2×104 A/cm2, 77 K, 0 T) has been investigated under applied fields up to 0.9 T. It is found that the in-plane and the out-of-plane resistance transitions are quite different: (1) The out-of-plane zero resistance temperature is much higher than the in-plane one, i.e., Tcab(H)≪Tcc(H), and the difference increases with magnetic field; (2) the out-of-plane zero resistance temperature corresponds to the c-axis decoupling temperature. These phenomena are attributed to different dissipation mechanisms. The in-plane dissipation at low temperature results from the thermally activated flux–flow, while the out-of-plane dissipation originates from the Josephson junction dissipation of weakly coupled c-axis grain boundaries and/or intrinsic Josephson junctions.
The evidence of the existence of dark matter is provided by astrophysical observations at diﬀerent scales. Nevertheless, information about its nature or non gravitational interactions is not yet available. Assuming interactions between dark matter and standard model particles, dark matter particles can be produced in high energy proton collisions. In this thesis, a search for dark matter particle produced in association with a top quark pair is performed using the data recorded by the CMS detector at the LHC at two different centre-of-mass energies of 8 and 13 TeV. The datasets correspond to integrated luminosities of 19.7 fb−1 and 2.2 fb−1 , respectively. The analysis performed at 8 TeV considers only the single-lepton decay of top quark pairs. This is the ﬁrst search of its kind in CMS and the results provide important insight on possible scalar interactions between dark matter and standard model particles. The results are interpreted using a dedicated eﬀective ﬁeld theory. Similar search is performed using the data collected in 2015 at a centre of mass energy of 13 TeV. This second search contains important improvements, as for example the increase of signal acceptance by considering in addition the ﬁnal state where both top quarks decay hadronically. The higher energies reached by the LHC during 2015 reduced the region of validity of the eﬀective ﬁeld theory interpretation and simpliﬁed models are used instead to interpret the results. In both analyses, the observed data is compared with the predicted standard model background and good agreement with the expectation is found. Simpliﬁed models also predicts processes in which the dark matter particles are produced in association with single top quarks. The prospects of an increased sensitivity for dark matter scalar interactions rising from those processes is developed in this dissertation. The associated production of dark matter particles with top quarks has been investigated for the ﬁrst time with the data collected by the CMS detector in this work. While no evidence of the production of dark matter in proton-proton collisions is found, important constraints are set on the existence of dark matter particle. New prospects to improve the dark matter particles discovery potential in interactions with top quark couplings are also presented.
In a thought-provoking paper' Akerlof argued that in a situation where samples of a product might vary in quality and where the consumer at the time of purchase was unable to tell the quality of the particular sample he was buying, there might be a tendency for bad products to drive out good, possibly even to the point where there was no market at all in the good. The phenomena involved in such a process are clearly of intellectual interest and practical importance, and my aim in this paper is to examine certain of their aspects in more detail than has been done hitherto. One can show that Gresham's Law-that bad products drive out good-may not always be valid: to be precise, in a dynamic context it is valid only if traders are sufficiently shortsighted, in the sense of discounting future benefits at a sufficiently high rate.
Objective: This study examined the relationship between coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related psychiatric symptoms and prenatal attachment in pregnant women, a group particularly vulnerable to the psychological, social, and economic effects of the pandemic. Method: The study group consisted of 68 pregnant women with a healthy pregnancy with no reported psychiatric or other illness. The participants were grouped as those who were pregnant with low COVID-19 anxiety and obsession (Cluster 1) and those who were pregnant with high COVID-19 anxiety and obsession (Cluster 2) based on online scale scores. Results:The prenatal attachment scores of Cluster 1 were significantly higher than those of Cluster 2. The parameter of financial difficulties due to COVID-19 circumstances was significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that anxiety, obsessions, and financial difficulties due to the pandemic might have negatively affected mothers' attachment to the child. Due to the possible effects of weak maternal attachment on the child's mental health, prenatal attachment may be a point for exploration of the psychological effects of the pandemic on future generations.
Rapidly rising fuel costs for irrigation and tillage, combined with groundwater depletion confront producers in the Great Plains. Maintaining profits while production costs escalate and water levels decline emphasizes the need to increase water and energy use efficiency. A linear programming analysis for a ten-year period comparing conventional tillage practices with no-till practices based on an irrigated wheat/ no-till feedgrain /fallow crop rotation indicates no-till increases both water and energy use efficiency. Returns to land, management, and risk are substantially higher using no-till practices
We evaluate using a range of ab initio and density-functional approaches the vibrational frequencies, including correction for diagonal anharmonicity, of the lowest triplet state of pyrazine T1(3B3u); less extensive calculations are also performed for the ground state, three excited singlet states, and five other triplet states. The results indicate that CASSCF-based methods are cumbersome to apply to molecules of this size, with no practicable CASSCF methodology producing a continuous potential energy surface for T1. While CASPT2 (and also MRCI) methods can correct for erroneous CASSCF state energies, they are not capable of removing the effects of erroneous CASSCF conical intersections. Density-functional schemes, and in particular B3LYP, provide the best qualitative and quantitative results, with the time-dependent approximation to density-functional theory providing results comparable with those from direct evaluation. An overview of vibronic coupling theory is presented and used to demonstrate the re...
PURPOSE To evaluate the effects of two preoperative treatment courses with Finasteride on intraoperative and postoperative bleeding complications and prostate blood vessel characteristics in men who underwent transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) using monopolar energy.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Men scheduled for TURP were randomized into group 1 (control n = 25, no medication), group 2 and 3 (n = 20 in each, 5 mg Finasteride daily for 2 and 4 weeks before TURP; respectively). Hematocrit level in the irrigation fluid, weight of the resected prostate chips, decreases in blood hemoglobin (Hb) level 6 and 24 hours after the operation together with volume and length density of prostate vessels using stereological methods were compared.   RESULTS The three groups were matched regarding preoperative demographic data, resection time and weight of the resected tissue. Men who received preoperative Finasteride (groups 2 and 3) had significantly lower hematocrit levels in irrigation fluid than control group (control, 0.59 ± 0.85, group 2, 0.25 ± 0.4, group 3, 0.175 ± 0.16; P = .028; Power = .80). However, no statistically significant difference was found in hematocrit level in irrigation fluid between groups 2 and 3 (0.25 ± 0.4 vs. 0.175 ± 0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.28-0.42; P = .68). These values were independent of the weight of the resected tissue and resection time. There were no significant differences between the three groups in the decrease in Hb 6 hours (P = .58) and 24 hours after TURP (P = .65). The stereological and histological characteristics of blood vessels in suburethral prostate tissue were similar in all three groups.   CONCLUSION A 2-week preoperative course of daily Finasteride seems sufficient to significantly reduce intraoperative blood loss; this effect was independent of the weight of the resected tissue and resection time. Neither the 2-week nor the 4-week presurgical Finasteride regimen could significantly decrease postoperative blood loss, and neither regimen induced significant changes in characteristics of prostate tissue blood vessels.
We describe a method for recovering the three dimensional shape of a surface, using multiple images from a single camera, closely related to "light field reconstruction" described by Magda et al. A volume array of switchable illuminators is used to obtain a set of images that are used for the reconstruction. Unlike photometric stereo, where the illumination is assumed to be homogeneous, we exploit the inverse-square-law falloff of intensity with the distance between the illuminator and the surface. By placing illuminators at a variety of distances from the measurement volume, a direct estimate of surface range can be obtained, in addition to surface normal estimates obtained as in photometric stereo. We discuss solution methods and present simulation results for a few simple geometries. Aspects of illuminator design and calibration are also considered.
Most conventional IPv4-based route lookup algorithms are no more suitable for IPv6 packet forwarding due to the significantly increased 128-bit-long address. However, as a result of lacking of standard IPv6 route databases, it is hard to make benchmarks for the new generation IPv6-based algorithms developing/evaluation. In this paper, based on the studies of initial IPv6 prefix distributions and the associated RFC documents, we originally develop a scalable IPv6 prefix generator, called V6Gene, for IPv6-based route lookup algorithms benchmarking. According to the RFCs and other associated standards, V6Gene generates IPv6 route prefixes from the initially assigned LIR (local Internet registries) prefixes collected from the real world, simulating the process of future IPv6 address block allocation from the LIRs to their subscribers. V6Gene is totally flexible for generation of all kinds of route databases with different characteristics. It is simple for implementation and can be easily integrated within other IPv6 benchmark tools/systems.
Objective  To study the prostate volume of normal children and adolescents and to evaluate the development of prostate central zone and peripheral zone.To provide the preliminary MRI standards of prostate growth and development for nomal Chinese children and adolescents.      Methods  Five hundred and fifty eight healthy male volunteers,aged from 2 to 25 years were retrospectively analysed.They were divided into 5 groups by the ages (group A:2 to 5 years,group B:6 to 10 years,group C:11 to 15 years,group D: 16 to 20 years and group E: 21 to 25 years).All the volunteers underwent conventional MRI examinations at our institution (T2WI axial and coronal image acquisition).The prostate volume of different age groups were measured,the development of the central zone and peripheral zone were scored by two radiologists,and the datas were treated by Nonparametric test.      Results  Group A children's prostate nearly not development,only individual MRI measurable its size; Group B most not development,only 6 children visible prostate form,but can't distinguish the anatomical division; Group C prostate gland development better,MRI can measure the size,but distinguish its central and peripheral area is difficult; Group D prostate gland development rapidly,differences are obvious,but only a few central and peripheral area boundary clear; Group E the central and peripheral area boundary clear,form full,T 2WI signal contrast clear.The median prostate volumes of 5 groups were 0.000,0.000,2.450,7.990 and 10.600 cm3,respectively (χ2=215.452,P<0.01).The median prostate scores of 5 groups were 0.04,0.31,1.34,2.23 and 2.60,the prostate volumes were significant difference among these 5 groups except group A and group B (χ2=127.460,P<0.01),there were significant difference among the volumes and the scores of these five groups (P<0.01).      Conclusions  MRI provided the basis of objective and truth for the the measurements of volume and the observations of prostate development in this study,that offers preliminary reference range for normal Chinese children and adolescents prostate development status.      Key words:  Prostate; Growth; Magnetic resonance imaging
ABS>This paper contains the conclusion of the systematic study of K/sup - /p interactions in the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory's 15-in. hydrogen bubble chamber at 1.15 Bev/c. In particular, the elastic and charge-exchange scattering, K*N production, and SIGMA pi reactions are discussed. The procedure used in scanning, measuring, and computer analysis is described in detail. The similarity of total as well as differential cross sections for the three SIGMA pi charge states suggests predominant production from the T = 0 state for this channel. The angular distributions for the SIGMA pi reactions, as well as the elastic and charge-exchange scattering, indicate that partial waves as high as F5/2 must be involved. The analysis of the K/sup -/p pi 0 reactions substantiates the earlier preliminary result of isotopic spin 1/2 for the K* resonance. The angular distributions and correlations in the K/sup -/p pi 0 and K- pi /sup +/n reactions support the conclusion, derived from the previous study of K/sup 0/p pi /sup -/ events, that the K* spin is 0 or 1. A summary of cross sections for all the reactions studied in the experiment is given. (auth)
FAITH AND CONTEMPLATION. By Rene Voillaume. Darton, Longman & Todd, 1974. 120 pp. 80p. CHRIST IS PASSING By. By Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer. Veritas Publications: Dublin, 1974. 250 pp. £4 cloth, £1.95 paper. You HE MADE ALIVE. By Peter Hocken. Darton, Longman & Todd, 1974. 126 pp. £1. Of these three Roman Catholic works, only one was written to be read, the others were written as sermons and retreat addresses. The talks in Rene Voillaume's Faith and Contemplation were [JIst given at a retreat for lay people, trying to live in the world according to the ideals of Charles de Foucauld. Currently these ideals have a strong appeal, and Voillaume is their best known spokesman. He considers modern man at some length and remarks amongst his salient characteristics his concern for freedom, his orientation towards the future and his tendency towards universality. His relation of these fairly routine observations to Christian spirituality is convincing and his plea for simplicity of style in the apostolic mission carries weight. The sermon is a peculiar medium, which is why those who have to preach ought to read more sermons than they often do. These sermons Christ is Passing By by Escriva de Balaguer speak plainly of God and are informed by a deep devotion, but their style, while quite direct, will be neither a familiar nor an easy one for English readers without experience of the Roman Catholic homily. You He Made Alive is by a Roman Catholic priest influenced by the charismatic movement. It is at once a most refreshing and balanced book, quite short, but full of sane and stimulating perception. The relations between fixed and free, liturgical and private prayer are examined together with the fears and anxieties peculiar to each. Odd sentences convey the Scriptural tone of the whole book: "The Bible helps us to get our tenses right in prayer; we learn the balance between 'the Lord has done it', 'the Lord is doing it' and 'the Lord will do it' "; "Because praise is just rejoicing in God, it is of no earthly use. This is not a reason for criticizing it, but a reason for doing it!" and "The prayer of praise is inherently extravagant for that is what God is like!"
OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics of 3 patients hospitalized in the Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Center, Rijeka, as the result of acute hepatitis, a rare adverse drug reaction to flutamide.   PATIENTS AND RESULTS All 3 patients with advanced prostate carcinoma were treated with oral flutamide at a dose rate of 250 mg 3 times daily. The patients developed clinical signs (jaundice, anorexia, nausea, dark urine etc.) and laboratory liver function test changes (high aminotransferase and bilirubin level), indicative of acute hepatitis, 20-22 weeks after commencing flutamide treatment. The flutamide therapy was immediately discontinued and this resulted in spontaneous remission (clinical and liver function test results returned to normal) during the next 8 weeks.   CONCLUSION Our data clearly suggest that flutamide causes acute hepatitis and that the monitoring of the patients' liver function tests in order to detect these changes as early as possible, is important.
The aim of this work was to identify the fungi genera associated with three Pinus taeda L. seed lots and to assess the sanitary and physiological quality of these lots for use as selection criteria for tissue culture and evaluate the in vitro establishment of explants from seminal origin in different nutritive media. It was possible to discriminate the lots on the sanitary and physiological quality, as well as to establish in vitro plants of Pinus taeda from cotyledonary nodes obtained from aseptic seed germination of a selected lot by the sanitary and physiological quality higher. The nutritive media MS, ½ MS and WPM were equally suitable for this purpose. For the sanitary analysis the fungal genera Fusarium, Penicillium and Trichoderma were those of the highest sensitivity. For the physiological evaluation were important the variables: abnormal seedlings, strong normal seedlings; length, fresh and dry weight of strong normal seedlings. The analyzes were favorable to choose lots of seeds for in vitro culture and all culture media were adequate for the establishment of this species in tissue culture.
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Travertine is a white to brown natural building stone characterized by random holes and veins that give it a “swiss cheese” surface appearance. It has been used extensively as an exterior cladding material in the United States for the past 30 years. While travertine cladding has had a disproportionate number of failures, seldom has this been entirely the fault of the inherent defects in the travertine but rather misuse of the material. Even today the physical properties of travertine are not well understood by designers; failures are often due to errors in support/ anchorage design and architectural detailing. This paper is based on investigations of exterior travertine cladding failures on various buildings throughout the eastern United States. Problems common to travertine cladding are presented so as to provide a better understanding of travertine's properties and to critically examine past mistakes.
The Park of Friburgo and its garden is a very special experience in the american history, a translation of an European court (from Netherlands) to the tropics in the 17th century, standing there for many years, implanting an urbanistic plan, including two palaces –Friburgo and Boa Vista- among other urban elements. The well known garden, hasn't been studied in depth, and no graphic bibliography is available. This paper shows the conclusions from a specialization course in Restoration of Historical Gardens. This study brings study cases of european royal gardens of colonial time, which could had been inspiration to the project.
In this paper we present the class of numerical methods called “exponentially fitted explicit Runge‐Kutta” (EFRK) schemes with the property of minimum storage requirements for systems with large dimension and whose solution is oscillatory or periodic. A study of schemes of the minimum storage family of van der Houwen with orders p≤4 that require only two storage locations per variable is carried out. Two optimal EFRK formulae are deduced taking into account accuracy and stability. The first one is a RK with three‐stages and third order, and the second one with five‐stages and fourth‐order. Finally some numerical experiments are presented to show the behaviour of the new EFRK schemes for some periodic problems.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a clinically defined condition of uncertain aetiology. We compared 99Tcm-HMPAO single photon emission tomography (SPET) brain perfusion with dual-head 18F-FDG brain metabolism in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Eighteen patients (14 females, 4 males), who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of the Centers for Disease Control for chronic fatigue syndrome, were investigated. Thirteen patients had abnormal SPET brain perfusion scans and five had normal scans. Fifteen patients had normal glucose brain metabolism scans and three had abnormal scans. We conclude that, in chronic fatigue syndrome patients, there is discordance between SPET brain perfusion and 18F-FDG brain uptake. It is possible to have brain perfusion abnormalities without corresponding changes in glucose uptake.
The contribution of maritime academies is of first importance to the shipping industry. In order to respond to the growing demand for qualified seafarers in the European maritime community, the quality of recruitment campaigns should be enhanced, taking in consideration prospective students’ believes and fears about the profession. Based on career motivation theory and on the concept of “generation”, the aim of this study was to investigate youngsters’ reasons for choosing or rejecting seafarer profession, and to investigate regional and gender differences. In order to answer the research question, a sequential mixed-method study, using open-questions and a questionnaire, was conducted at the Novikontas Maritime College, in Riga, among participants of the concourse “Enkurs” from February to May 2014. 219 answers to the questionnaires and 144 to the open questions were recorded. After the analysis of scientific literature, the following research tasks were implemented: first, the questionnaire and open questions were elaborated and piloted; then data collection and preparatory data cleaning was done; after that, data were processed and analysed; the data analysis methods were Cronbach’s alpha, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Mean of ranks (MR) and Median, Chi2, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, Cross tabulation and t-test. Finally, the interpretation of the results and elaboration of conclusions and recommendation was done. The main “reasons for choosing seafarer profession” were “stable employment” (MR=4.42 in a 5 point Likert scale) and “travelling and seeing new places” (MR=4.42), followed by “good salary” (MR=4.38). The main “dissuading factors” were “difficulties for family life” (MR=3.94) and “studies are too expensive” (MR=3.17). Statistically significant differences between regions and between genders were found: respondents from Latgale and Vidzeme were more attracted by seafarers’ team spirit than respondents from other regions. For respondents from Riga, the lack of family life is not such a severe obstacle compared with other regions. Females seem to be more attracted by travelling and more concerned about bad influence of seafarer work on health than males, while males are more attracted by the salary and prestige of the profession than females. In the last section these findings were compared with recent research and contrasted with the opinion of professional seafarers and real data about these issues, especially about family life, cost of the studies and health problem, for correcting what was wrong and confirming what was right in respondents’ perceptions. Some recommendations for adapting career promotion campaigns to the needs of potential students are put forward. The results of this study will help Maritime Education and Training (MET) teachers to adapt their discourse to the needs of students. Also prospective maritime education students will find useful to reflect on the positive aspects and dissuading factors of this profession and to have a real picture of work at sea, in order to make a well informed choice of profession. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.8.7323
The aim of this work was to analyse the dynamics of the nutritional state and biomass production in tobacco plants resulting from the application of various calcium levels (Cal, 1.25 mol m 3 CaCl 2 ; Ca2, 2.50 mol m -3 CaCl 2 ; Ca3, Smolm 3 CaCl 2 ) in the culture medium. Tobacco plants were grown under controlled conditions and submitted to regular fertilisation with macro- and micronutrients. The concentrations of Ca, organic N, P, K, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Cl and B were determined in the roots and leaves. As expected, Ca accumulated progressively with increasing concentration of this element in the culture medium. There was a slight rise in the concentration of organic N but hardly any change in the concentrations of K and Na. In contrast, increasing Ca application caused a gradual decline in P and Mg concentrations. In terms of micronutrient concentrations, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cl and B were influenced positively by Ca treatment. A noteworthy synergetic relationship was found between Ca and B. In contrast, the Cu concentration in the roots declined significantly with increasing Ca application. The effect of Ca on biomass production depended on the organ analysed, since the dry matter content diminished in the roots but was augmented slightly in the leaves. Les effets de l'application de differentes doses de calcium sur la croissance et la biomasse du tabac sont observes. L'augmentation de la biomasse varie en fonction de l'organe: la teneur en matiere seche diminue dans les racines alors qu'elle augmente dans les feuilles.
Summary Craig, A.J.F.K. 1989. A review of the biology of the Blackbellied Starling and other African forest starlings. Ostrich suppl. 14: 17–26. The Blackbellied Starling Lamprotornis corruscus is the only true forest starling in southern Africa. At the southern end of its coastal range it is an irregular visitor, and it may move according to food availability. The limited data on breeding, moult and seasonal occurrence are discussed. Only two subspecies are recognised. A brief survey of the 12 African starlings of evergreen forests shows that little is known about their basic biology or their role as highly mobile frugivores.
Setting A survey of the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in new and previously treated patients (PTPs) was performed in Burkina Faso from 2016 to 2017. Design In this cross-sectional survey, a structured questionnaire was administered to eligible smear-positive patients in all 86 diagnostic and treatment centers of the country to collect their socio-demographic characteristics and medical histories. Their sputa were tested using the Mycobacterium tuberculosis/rifampicin (MTB/RIF) Xpert assay. Those which were found to be positive for TB and rifampicin-resistant were also tested with GenoType MTBDRplus2.0 and MTBDRsl2.0. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to determine risk factors associated with rifampicin resistance. Results Of the 1140 smear-positive patients enrolled, 995 new and 145 PTPs were positive for MTB complex by Xpert. Of these, 2.0% (20/995, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–2.9) of the new cases and 14.5% (95% CI: 14.2–20.2) of the PTPs were resistant to rifampicin; 83% of them has multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). None were pre-extensively drug-resistant TB (pre-XDR-TB) or XDR-TB. Only the previous treatment was significantly associated with rifampicin resistance, p < 0.0001. Conclusion Similar to global trends, rifampicin resistance was significantly higher in patients with prior TB treatment (14.5%) than in naïve patients (2.0%). These percentages are slightly below the global averages, but nonetheless suggest the need for continued vigilance. Extending the use of Xpert testing should strengthen the surveillance of DR-TB in Burkina Faso.
A model of the fluid flow in a thin walled continuous caster is proposed. The stability of the flow is considered when the viscosity is temperature dependent. Mathematically the model can be described as a Hele-Shaw cell with heat loss. A condition for the growth of an uneven flow distribution in the cell is derived. This condition is related to the change in viscosity with the temperature of the liquid metal being cast, and the rate at which it is being cooled. An unstable flow distribution in the mould makes the continuous casting process difficult to control and can cause ‘lock-ups’ and ‘breakouts’.
The tunnel, the construction safety of which is the most important part of highway to put into operation in time, is an important part of the mountain region road. Based on the characteristics of New Austrian Tunneling Method, the importance of safety monitoring system for grasping the rock deformation in the construction process goes without saying. This paper presents a safety monitoring program through the construction of the sage Mei Shan Highway, Lung Hang Tunnel, providing theoretical and operational support for the sage Mei Shan Highway through analyzing the construction process, the principle of safety monitoring, frequency of monitoring items, monitoring and early warning system, measures to ensure measurement accuracy, measurement data analysis, feedback of early warning system.
This paper contributes to the line of research devoted to the diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies. We analyse patterns of Internet diffusion across people with disabilities in ten European countries, a geographical area for which empirical evidence is scarce. Results show that disability status has a significant negative effect on the probability of being an Internet user, even for those with higher income and educational attainment. However, we find no significant relationship between disability and frequency of Internet use. Therefore, it seems that once online the digital divide between people with disabilities and the rest of the population attenuate, at least to some extent.
The monopole response of a gas-filled, spherical cavity in a sediment is investigated. The sediment is either a fluid, elastic solid, or saturated poroelastic medium. The present method entails the scattering of an incident displacement field that preferentially excites the monopole resonance of the cavity. The main result demonstrates that a gas-filled, spherical cavity in a saturated poroelastic medium can exhibit two distinct monopole resonances. These resonances arise from the two distinct longitudinal modes of propagation in saturated poroelastic medium as described by Biot’s theory.
Model calculations are presented to fit the evolution of the intensity and profile of the [O I] λλ6300, 6364 emission doublet observed in the spectrum of SN 1987A. The fact that the doublet ratio R = F(6300)/F(6364) < 3 is evidence that these lines are optically thick for t ≤ 1 yr after outburst. From this, we infer that the oxygen is distributed in a clumpy fashion throughout the supernova envelope. The data are fitted with a three-zone model having 1.3 M ⊙ of oxygen distributed within a freely expanding sphere with a volume filling factor f ∼ 0.1
The status of the Muon System of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is presented in this paper. First, the design parameters for the spectrometer are quoted. Then, a brief description of each detection technology (Drift Tubes in the barrel region, Cathode Strip Chambers in the endcaps and Resistive Plate Chambers both in barrel and endcaps) precedes an update of its current status. A short term forecast of the expected dates of completion is given.
Abstract We have applied the process of ion implantation to the fabrication of both windowless charged-particle detectors and position sensitive detectors; the ions used were lithium, boron and phosphorus. The beams of boron and phosphorus ions were produced by a classical isotope separator, the lithium ion beam by an apparatus built in our laboratory. The optimum operating conditions were chosen by measurements of the implantation profiles of several diodes produced under different conditions. We present here the results of tests for PN and PIN charged particle detectors.
Non-destructive plant growth measurement is essential for plant growth and health research. As a 3D sensor, Kinect v2 has huge potentials in agriculture applications, benefited from its low price and strong robustness. The paper proposes a Kinect-based automatic system for non-destructive growth measurement of leafy vegetables. The system used a turntable to acquire multi-view point clouds of the measured plant. Then a series of suitable algorithms were applied to obtain a fine 3D reconstruction for the plant, while measuring the key growth parameters including relative/absolute height, total/projected leaf area and volume. In experiment, 63 pots of lettuce in different growth stages were measured. The result shows that the Kinect-measured height and projected area have fine linear relationship with reference measurements. While the measured total area and volume both follow power law distributions with reference data. All these data have shown good fitting goodness (R2 = 0.9457–0.9914). In the study of biomass correlations, the Kinect-measured volume was found to have a good power law relationship (R2 = 0.9281) with fresh weight. In addition, the system practicality was validated by performance and robustness analysis.
ABSTRACT This article reviews and facilitates a better understanding of imposter syndrome, women in technical services, and minority librarians to fill gaps left by library programs. The Literature Review explores each topic discussing common ideas regarding imposter syndrome, women in technical services, and minority librarians. The Materials and Methods section depicts how we came to our Results in which we discuss the intersectionality of each issue. The Discussion presents two experiences of female librarians of color working in technical services.
This study assesses the quantitative impact of parasitic chytrids on the planktonic food web of two contrasting freshwater lakes during different algal bloom situations. Carbon-based food web models were used to investigate the effects of chytrids during the spring diatom bloom in Lake Pavin (oligo-mesotrophic) and the autumn cyanobacteria bloom in Lake Aydat (eutrophic). Linear inverse modeling was employed to estimate undetermined flows in both lakes. The Monte Carlo Markov chain linear inverse modeling procedure provided estimates of the ranges of model-derived fluxes. Model results confirm recent theories on the impact of parasites on food web function through grazers and recyclers. During blooms of “inedible” algae (unexploited by planktonic herbivores), the epidemic growth of chytrids channeled 19–20% of the primary production in both lakes through the production of grazer exploitable zoospores. The parasitic throughput represented 50% and 57% of the zooplankton diet, respectively, in the oligo-mesotrophic and in the eutrophic lakes. Parasites also affected ecological network properties such as longer carbon path lengths and loop strength, and contributed to increase the stability of the aquatic food web, notably in the oligo-mesotrophic Lake Pavin.
Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that vitamin D and its analogs reduce proteinuria and slow the decline in kidney function in chronic kidney disease. Given a rich literature identifying podocyte apoptosis as an early step in the pathophysiological progression to proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis, we hypothesized that vitamin D protects podocytes from undergoing apoptosis. Methods: A rat model of podocyte apoptosis was created by a single intravenous injection of 100 mg·kg–1 puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) and received either solvent or 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment. Proteinuria, podocyte apoptosis, the expression of nephrin protein and mRNA, TGF-β/Smad and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt-signaling pathway were evaluated, respectively. Results: PAN induced massive proteinuria, serum creatinine elevation and podocyte apoptosis in PAN nephropathy rats, which was associated with the loss of nephrin, an adhesion molecule specific for the glomerular slit and the reduced of p-Akt/Akt ratio. Moreover, PAN induced foot process retraction, redistribution of nephrin and the activation of TGF-β/Smad-signaling pathway. Compared with PAN nephropathy rats, 1,25(OH)2D3 significantly prevented loss of nephrin, foot process retraction and podocyte apoptosis by stimulating Akt phosphorylation and suppressing TGF-β/Smad-signaling pathway. Conclusion: 1,25(OH)2D3 reduced the PAN-induced podocyte apoptosis and loss of nephrin in PAN nephropathy rat. The anti-apoptotic effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 on podocytes may be partly attributable to activation of a PI3K/Akt survival pathway.
The computations of image processing, like those of many technical disciplines, require substantial programs to perform. These programs are often organized into "packages" with the intent of making them easy for the (computer) novice to use. Access to a package of programs is an important resource, since its creation is beyond the capabilities of all but a few research groups. Unfortunately, while packages are invaluable, they could often be improved in the following ways: 1. They could be easier to use. The intellectual task of communication with the package is too difficult, the commands too peculiar and errors too easy to make. When things go wrong, very little help is available. 2. They could make more efficient use of the underlying machine and its operating system. A package may use very sophisticated algorithms for its discipline-oriented operations, while at the same time using the most cumbersome mechanisms for controlling the resources of the machine. Its authors are seldom systems programming experts. 3. They could be easier to move from machine to machine. In the process of getting the package to work at all, many peculiarities of the programming language (in its local implementation) and the local system become entwined in the code and getting it to run elsewhere may be difficult or impossible. 4. They could be easier to understand, modify and extend. To add a new routine or alter the behavior of an existing one may not be too difficult for the program’s author, but for others it may be impossible. If many changes are made independently, combining them without conflict is difficult.
The politics of reproduction dominate the political landscape now more than ever. One area of controversy has been informed consent statutes for abortion, which have been praised by the pro-life movement but derided by the pro-choice movement. More recently, legislatures have begun to enact informed consent statutes with respect to end-of-life decision making, an area almost as politically controversial as abortion. Like many abortion disclosure laws, some of these have been entitled “Right to Know” statutes. Yet, the supporters and opponents of each set of statutes tend not to be the same, aligning to a large extent based on their place in the culture wars over life and death. In this Article, I strive not only to show the remarkably similar critiques each side marshals but also to use these concerns to think in more nuanced ways about the goals of informed consent and whether the disclosure mandates achieve those goals. I first argue in favor of the aspirational goals of informed consent as a process that allows patients to participate in their medical decision making. While conceding the inherently political nature of abortion and end-of-life care, I also contend that the significance of decisions regarding those matters warrants, at least in theory, legislative efforts to ensure that patients have the opportunity to engage in deliberative and informed decision making. In describing and responding to the similar critiques of both sets of laws—the political bias of the statutes; the efforts to persuade, especially with non-medical information; the potential vulnerability of the targeted audience; and the interference with physician discretion—I uncover and challenge some of the presumptions about informed consent inherent in those critiques. Although information that persuades or influences is not per se problematic, I argue that disclosure of information that is inaccurate, untrue, or emotionally inflammatory harms informed consent. Even well-crafted informed consent mandates, however, are insufficient to promote truly deliberative decision making because they oversimplify the complexity of these decisions and fail to respond to the fact that informed consent is a process that requires more than simply the delivery of information; it also requires dialogue and discussion. This Article ends with suggestions for ways to try to promote such a dialogue.
Expansions of mobile services and private data have required increased level of protection. Speaker recognition, one of the biometric technologies, arises lots of research interests for its simple, cheap and convenient characteristics. In this paper, a robust speaker recognition system which facilitates reliable authentication with multi-channel voices is presented. A large multi-channel corpus, including mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), telephone and microphone, is collected to evaluate the system performance.
We analyzed the experimental and theoretical behavior of a particular type of steel joint designed to connect beam to beam and able to transfer both shear forces and bending moments. This joint is characterized by the use of steel plates and bolts enclosed in the width of the beams. The experimental investigation was carried out characterizing the constituent materials and testing in flexure beams constituted by two portions of beams connected in the middle with the joint proposed. Connections having different characteristics in terms of thickness of plates, number and type of bolts were utilized. Flexure tests allow one to determine the loaddeflection curves of the beam tested and the moment-rotation diagrams of the connections, highlighting the strength and the strain capacity of the joints. The proposed analytical model allows one to determine the moment-rotation relationship of the connections, pointing out the influence of the principal geometrical and mechanic characteristics of single constituents on the full properties of the joint.
BACKGROUND Reduced ankle-arm index (AAI), inflammation and mineral bone disorder (MBD) are all associated with increased risk of death and cardiovascular complications in patients on hemodialysis (HD), but the association between them deserves clarification.   OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between abnormal AAI with MBD and inflammation in patients on HD.   METHODS This was a cross-sectional analysis of 478 patients on hemodialysis for at least one year. The AAI was evaluated using a portable Doppler and mercury column manometer. Patients were divided into 3 groups, according to AAI (low: <0.9, normal: 0.9 to 1.3, and high: >1.3). C-reactive protein measurement was used as an inflammatory marker, whereas MBD was evaluated by calcium, phosphorus and intact parathyroid hormone levels.   RESULTS Participants were 54 (18 to 75) years old, 56% males, 17% diabetics, and had been on hemodialysis for a mean of 5 (1 to 35) years. The prevalence of low, normal and high AAI was 26.8%, 64.6% and 8.6%, respectively. Using a backward conditional logistic regression model, age (p<0.001), diabetes (p= 0.001), and C-reactive protein levels >6 mg/L (p= 0.006) were associated with the presence of low AAI, whereas male gender (p<0.001), diabetes (p= 0.001) and elevated calcium x phosphorus product (p= 0.026) were associated with high AAI.   CONCLUSION In patients on hemodialysis, the presence of diabetes was associated with both low and high AAI. The risk of having low AAI seems to be increased by aging and inflammation, whereas BMD was associated with high AAI.
Since de Tocqueville’s visit to the United States, it has become common knowledge that people in civic associations are more civic minded: They display higher levels of political interest, tolerance, and social and political trust. The question remains, however, whether young people are socialized through associations or self-select into associations. This article aims to untangle this relationship, using a representative panel of 16- and 18-year-old Belgian students by focusing on deliberative associations. The results show that both self-selection and socialization effects play a role with respect to political interest but not for other political attitudes and that long-lasting engagement and membership in multiple associations have the strongest socializing effect.
BACKGROUND Despite the importance of immune checkpoints in immunotherapy, the prognostic value of these molecules remains controversial in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We performed a systematic review to investigate the prognostic significance of the immune checkpoints in OSCC.   MATERIALS A systematic search was conducted in Ovid Medline, Scopus and Cochrane libraries, and all studies that evaluated the prognostic significance of immune checkpoints in OSCC were systematically retrieved.   RESULTS Twelve immune checkpoints/modulators were studied for their prognostic values in OSCC patients between 1985 and 2017. Seven immune checkpoints (FKBP51, B7-H4, B7-H6, ALHD1, PD-L1, B7-H3 and IDO1) were reported to be associated with poor patients' survival in at least one study, and five (CTLA-4, TLT-2, VISTA, PD-L2 and PD-1) did not have a significant prognostic value. PD-L1 results were controversial as it was reported to be associated with both better and worse patients' survival.   CONCLUSIONS Even though immune checkpoint markers had high expectation for OSCC prognostication, our systematic review revealed that the majority of them had been studied only once. The other molecules, which had been studied more than once, had controversial findings, except B7-H3.
This study investigated the effects of students’ prior science knowledge and online learning approaches (social and individual) on their learning with regard to three topics: science concepts, inquiry, and argumentation. Two science teachers and 118 students from 4 eighth-grade science classes were invited to participate in this research. Students in each class were divided into three groups according to their level of prior science knowledge; they then took either our social- or individual-based online science learning program. The results show that students in the social online argumentation group performed better in argumentation and online argumentation learning. Qualitative analysis indicated that the students’ social interactions benefited the co-construction of sound arguments and the accurate understanding of science concepts. In constructing arguments, students in the individual online argumentation group were limited to knowledge recall and self-reflection. High prior-knowledge students significantly outperformed low prior-knowledge students in all three aspects of science learning. However, the difference in inquiry and argumentation performance between low and high prior-knowledge students decreased with the progression of online learning topics.
This paper addresses the pricing problem of a digital services marketplace under asymmetric information. An example is an online learning platform such as Coursera that provides courses from service providers (in this case, universities) to learners. We focus on the matching of digital services to the consumers of these services using partially-observable consumer and service attributes. We develop the optimal pricing policies of the marketplace and show that when the distributions of unobservable valuations are exponential, the marketplace sets a single matching fee (avoiding price-discrimination across providers) which is levied on the less price-sensitive side of the marketplace.
There is a great demand worldwide for bone-related implant materials. The drawbacks of chronic infections and poor bone healing of current implant materials have limited their clinical applications. Functionalizing the implant surfaces with antibacterial and osteogenic films on implant materials provides new opportunities for fabricating novel implant materials. In the present study, an ultrathin (GO/Lys)8 film of several tens of nanometers was fabricated using a layer-by-layer (LBL) technique with alternative deposition of graphene oxide (GO) and lysozyme (Lys). The deposition of the (GO/Lys) n film exhibited a successive growth as supported by ellipsometry, UV-vis, and Fourier transform infrared data, and the physical properties (morphology, roughness, and stiffness) of this film were characterized with an atomic force microscope. The ultrathin films exhibited a great effect on bacterium sterilization of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli and enhanced osteogenic differentiation efficiency, showing the potential application in bone implant coatings. We believe that this LBL assembling strategy will pave the way for fabricating dual-functional surfaces and guide the design of the implanted surfaces in the future.
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to explore factors related to parental depressive symptoms (PDS) and family quality of life (FQOL) in parents of adolescents and young adults (AYA) with and without a specific chronic health condition (CHC), spina bifida.   METHODS Two hundred and nine parents of AYA (112 with SB; and 97 without) and their AYA (46% males and 54% females) took part in a multi-site cross-sectional descriptive correlational study. In telephone interviews parents reported on measures of family satisfaction, resources, cohesion, stress, demographic and clinical data.   RESULTS In the multivariate analyses, 38% of the variance of PDS was explained by family income, family resources and parent stress. Having a child with SB was not predictive of PDS. However, having a child with SB, along with family satisfaction, parent stress and PDS explained 49% of the variance of FQOL. PDS partially mediate the relationship of family resources and FQOL.   CONCLUSION PDS, family stress, and resources should be evaluated routinely, especially for those with low income. Parents of AYA with SB who have elevated PDS are at increased risk of having lower reported FQOL.
Social scientists have a longstanding concern with the relationship between criminal sanctions and offenders’future behavior. This paper uses data from a sample of 528 adult felony offenders to compare the relative probability of rearrest, the severity of rearrest, and the likelihood of probation revocation for offenders with a sentence of incarceration, work release, house arrest, and traditional probation—or a combination of these sentences. Consistent with previous research, prior record, gender, offense type, and education were significantly related to the probability and severity of rearrest. Furthermore, no matter which other sanction it was paired with, house arrest was associated with reduced chances of rearrest and lower rearrest severity. The influence of one of these sanction combinations was gender-specific: incarceration followed by house arrest was associated with reduced odds of rearrest for women but not for men. However, house arrest was associated with the considerably increased likelihood of probation revocation. In addition, these effects remain after controlling for potential selection bias stemming from the sentencing decision. This paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and correctional implications of these findings and directions for future research.
In the Netherlands, television animation developed differently from film animation. Between 1970 and 1989 film animators barely had government support, which made them unite to promote and distribute their work internationally. Television did have governmental support, and all broadcasting companies were obligated to have their programmes designed by the NOS, a facility department with employed designers and animators. By examining the journey these two animation traditions undertook throug the distribution channels of film, television, the 16mm circuit, festival screening and the museum, we see both disciplines develop and flourish in their own way, while rarely having any overlap. It becomes clear that not only the lack of financial support in film, but also the differences in length and the notion among the Dutch public that animation is for children are reasons for the differences in distribution, until they are finally exhibited side by side at the museum.
The features of population settlement in the North of Russia have been highlighted in the article. The interest and necessity of such research can be explained by the determining role of the North for Russia’s national economy, escalation of various socioeconomic problems in the related region and progressing depopulation of these underpopulated areas. The article reveals the major contradictions in the development of Russia’s northern territories at the present stage. This problem has been studied from two viewpoints. First, on the basis of the authors’ own methodology, the demographic indicators of Russia’s northern territories were compared with the average ones within the Russian Federation. Second, we have made an attempt to assess how special the management of these northern territories is in comparison with other Russian regions. According to the results of our research, directions in migration and population resettlement management have been proposed. These directions will contribute to ensuring higher social and economic efficiency of Russia’s northern regions. The Influence of Population Migration and Settlement on Social and Economic Effectiveness of Russia’s Northern Regions
One of the main obstacles for quantum-enhanced metrology is that the estimation accuracy enhanced by non-classical states is likely to be obliterated by noises. Here, we consider a scenario of phase estimation suffering from pure dephasing noise which is taken into account after the phase parameter being imprinted, and propose a scheme to effectively protect the quantum enhancement from both correlated and uncorrelated dephasing sources by performing a rotation operation prior to the noise. By invoking the Fisher information approach, we strictly prove that a π / 2 rotation is the ideal one which can completely resist the influence of the phase noise for all real symmetric pure states and the optimal measurement approaching the ultimate sensitivity set by quantum Cramér–Rao bound is presented. Additionally, we numerically study the availability of the scheme with arbitrary angle rotation for different probe states and show that our scheme will still robust for general symmetric pure states even with non-ideal rotation operation.
We have developed a 0.25-µm 200-MHz embedded RISC processor for multimedia applications. This processor has a dual-issue superscaler datapath that consists of a 32-bit integer unit and a 64-bit SIMD function unit, and it achieves 2000-MOPS performance. An on-chip Concurrent Rambus DRAM (C-RDRAM) controller increases memory bandwidth to 533 Mbyte/s through the Rambus channel using interleaved transaction. The controller also reduces latency using the transaction interleaving and instruction prefetching. A 64-bit 200-MHz internal bus transmits the data between the CPU core, the C-RDRAM, and the peripherals. These high-data-rate channels increase the performance of the CPU because they eliminate a bottleneck in the data supply.
Bones’ shapes and structures adapt to the muscle and reaction forces they experience during everyday movements. Onset of independent walking, at approximately 12 months, represents the first postnatal exposure of the lower limbs to the large forces associated with bipedal movements; accordingly, earlier walking is associated with greater bone strength. However, associations between early life loading and joint shape have not been explored. We therefore examined associations between walking age and hip shape at age 60 to 64 years in 1423 individuals (740 women) from the MRC National Survey of Health and Development, a nationally representative British birth cohort. Walking age in months was obtained from maternal interview at age 2 years. Ten modes of variation in hip shape (HM1 to HM10), described by statistical shape models, were ascertained from DXA images. In sex‐adjusted analyses, earlier walking age was associated with higher HM1 and HM7 scores; these associations were maintained after further adjustment for height, body composition, and socioeconomic position. Earlier walking was also associated with lower HM2 scores in women only, and lower HM4 scores in men only. Taken together, this suggests that earlier walkers have proportionately larger (HM4) and flatter (HM1, HM4) femoral heads, wider (HM1, HM4, HM7) and flatter (HM1, HM7) femoral necks, a smaller neck‐shaft angle (HM1, HM4), anteversion (HM2, HM7), and early development of osteophytes (HM1). These results suggest that age at onset of walking in infancy is associated with variations in hip shape in older age. Early walkers have a larger femoral head and neck and smaller neck‐shaft angle; these features are associated with reduced hip fracture risk, but also represent an osteoarthritic‐like phenotype. Unlike results of previous studies of walking age and bone mass, associations in this study were not affected by adjustment for lean mass, suggesting that associations may relate directly to skeletal loading in early life when joint shape changes rapidly. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Multimedia and gaming devices currently being used as educational tools. In educational software design is sometimes just moving the learning material to the game but did not pay attention to aspects of psychological development of students. Experience and psychological development of the user must be considered in the design of educational games. Psychomotor domain of motion as well as cognitive experience can be a guide in designing the interaction of a game. In this thesis performed interaction design that allows users to use applications using the movement of limbs. Aquarium Interactive applications will encourage users to interact with objects and the user can still move freely in the area of the game. The interaction used is the gesture limb movements is the user's hands. Gesture is read using Kinect that has the ability to identify the skeleton of the user. So the users do not require additional devices to be used. The selection of colors and shapes of objects of interest in accordance with the development of children is also a separate option. In this application the user is using hand gestures and move to do the activity. And limits the user who made the game not calibrated disturbed by the activities of others in the area of the game.
Concern over the global environmental crisis may be aligned with contrasting discourses. On the one hand, it is invoked in the sentiment, “we are all in it together.” Whether the scale of reference is the entire planet, region, or nation, this discourse leads to calls for cooperation. Typically, environmental cooperation involves management plans, new policy initiatives and technological innovations. On the other hand, the global environmental crisis is also invoked in an environmental justice discourse, which is about privilege, asymmetric power relations, exploitation, and oppression. The logic of this discourse leads to a strategy of changing power relations so that the environment is managed equitably.
This study used aspects of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to predict instructor acceptance and adoption of a tablet computer for mobile learning in a Ghanaian University. Following the distribution of a customized tablet PC (known as Campus Companion) to all instructors of the institution, and an expectation that they will use these devices to support and facilitate mobile learning, data on instructor perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intention to use the technology were gathered and analyzed. Thirty-eight (38) instructors participated in the study. Findings show that instructors’ intentions to use the tablet PC for mobile learning are very low, and are significantly influenced by their perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude towards the device. Implications of these findings for practice and further research are discussed within the context of the adoption of m-learning within the Ghanaian higher education context in particular and the developing world in general.
Black holes surrounded by accretion disks are present in the Universe in different scales of masses, from microquasars up to the Active Galactic Nuclei. The current picture of the accretion disk theory remains still ad hoc, due the complexity of the magnetic field action. In addition, the accretion disks at high Eddington rates can be radiation-pressure dominated and, according to some of the heating prescriptions, thermally unstable. The observational verification of their resulting variability patterns may shed the light on both the role of radiation pressure and magnetic field in the accretion process. We compute the structure and time evolution of an accretion disk. We supplement this model with a modified viscosity prescription, which can to some extent describe the magnetization of the disk. We study the results for a large grid of models and derive conclusions separately for different scales of black hole masses. We show the dependences between the flare, or outburst, duration, its amplitude and period, on the accretion rate and viscosity scaling. We present the results for the three grids of models, designed for different black hole systems. We show that if the heating rate in the accretion disk grows more rapidly with the total pressure and temperature, the instability results in the longer, and sharper flares. In general, we find that the disks around the supermassive black holes are more radiation-pressure dominated and present relatively brighter bursts. Our method can also be used as an independent tool for the black hole mass determination, which we confront now for the intermediate black hole in the source HLX-1. For both the microquasars and Ultraluminous X-ray sources, we reproduce their observed lighcurves. We also compare the duration times of the model outbursts with the ages and bolometric luminosities of AGN.
Abstract This article aims to bring to light the links between technology and aesthetics in the first electroacoustic pieces written between 1953 and 1966 by Karlheinz Stockhausen. After reviewing the technological differences of the two aesthetics of musique concrète (France) and elektronische Musik (Germany), it is possible to see how Stockhausen transcended this distinction by gradually creating more diversified material, leading to a ‘world material’, independent from the tools used. This comes along with a more global approach to the sound. The composer, by an appropriate use of the equipment, does not seek an individual control of each element or each parameter, but has a larger-scale view, in which time units are longer and are considered as a whole. This conception, while remaining as precise as an analytical approach, involves a rethinking of the time development, proposed by Stockhausen as the Momentform, a new musical form in which each part is independent and does not constitute the continuation of the preceding one. This reflection on non-linearity in a work, and on relative perception of time, is a key to understanding Stockhausen's music.
Recently, correlation filter is widely used in visual tracking for its robust and accuracy. However, it is still a challenge in tracking with complex situations such as target blurring, occlusion, and scale variation. In this paper, a correlation filter-based tracker with resampling-detection and scale estimation is proposed. We use multiple features with adaptive fusion to describe the target appearance, and resampling-detection module will be performed on the frame which tracking confidence determined by PSR is lower than a threshold. Besides, scale pyramid is introduced to estimate the scale. The extensive experimental evaluates on the OTB benchmark and results show that our approach outperforms the baseline trackers and has excellent performance in accuracy and robust, especially on the challenge of fast motion and motion blur. Additionally, our approach is computationally efficient and suitable for real-time applications.
Interplanetary scintillation (IPS) observations have been improved by development of deconvolution methods for the line-of-sight integration effect. One deconvolution method is to use a computer-assisted tomographic analysis (CAT) technique. In this work, four different kinds of CAT method have been developed. Two of them can be applied to stable solar wind structure in the solar minimum phase, one to quasi-stable solar wind, and the other can derive the three-dimensional structure of transient solar wind events, such as a CME. IPS measurements have enough spatial resolution and accuracy to collaborate with spacecraft observations and theoretical studies of the solar wind. Here, these computer assisted tomographic deconvolution methods are introduced and their application to solar wind studies is described.
Fragments of the wing disc of Drosophila (fig. 2) were either injected into mature third instar larvae for immediate metamorphosis, or cultured in adult abdomens for seven days before being transferred to larvae for metamorphosis. The structures differentiated during metamorphosis were then analysed. The results of the first series of experiments were used to construct an accurate fate map of the disc, and those of the second series were used to determine the regenerative properties of the disc. The fate map (fig. 7) shows presumptive proximal parts (notum, pleura, and dorsal and ventral hinge) at the two ends of the disc, with presumptive distal wing parts in between. During metamorphosis the disc epithelium folds upon itself along the presumptive wing border, bringing dorsal and ventral wing and hinge surfaces into apposition. The wing surfaces occupy a much smaller relative area, and the hinge parts a much larger relative area, in the fate map than in the adult structure. The cultured fragments, in general, behaved in accordance with the rule that when two cut surfaces are created by cutting across the disc, regeneration occurs from one of the cut surfaces and duplication occurs from the other (fig. 14). It was possible to define a level in the longitudinal axis of the disc from which regeneration proceeds outwards. Cut surfaces facing away from this level show regeneration, while cut surfaces facing this level undergo duplication. Similar behavior was found for the transverse axis, and for two diagonal series of cuts. Some fragments with two cut edges could regenerate from one edge while duplicating from the other, whereas others could regenerate from two cut edges simultaneously. However, fragments with four cut edges showed incomplete regeneration, and a high tendency to duplicate even though regeneration in all directions might have been expected on the basis of the other experiments.
Lignin is a complex natural polysaccharide primarily present in secondary wood or secondary xylem and phloem elements of the plant body. It constitutes one-fourth to one-third of the dry mass of wood and also, provides rigidity and strength. Lignin lacks a defined primary structure and is a heterogeneous biopolymer. Lignin-degradation is a major challenge because it can be a potential source of edible polysaccharide including glucose. In this investigation, commercial coir was considered as the source of isolating lignin-degrading fungus. A simple bioassay was carried out in coconut fibre (coir) and wood. In case of the fungal sample, the coir was inoculated in dry and wet conditions which resulted in 5.63% and 48.35% degradation respectively. On the basis of this, different lignin-degrading enzymes were assayed and purified. The fungus was identified as Microascus sp. on the basis of colony morphology, spore structure and perithecium formation. Further studies were conducted on the degraded coir and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images were taken. In future, these organisms can be a potential source of ligninolytic enzymes useful in different activities.
The effect of fibrous root infection by Streptomyces ipomoea on disease on storage roots and production of marketable yield in the susceptible sweetpotato cultivar Jewel was evaluated in replicated field studies conducted over 3 yr. Levels of disease were manipulated by soil treatments with drip irrigation (main plots), reduction of soil pH with sulfur (subplots), and soil fumigation with Telone C-17 (sub-subplots). Sweetpotatoes were grown in a field with natural inoculum of S. ipomoea in 1 yr or were artificially infested in other years (...)
Here, we review the properties of a suggested mechanism for a neural ATPase complex based on our recent experimental findings. The mechanism represents a multifunctional ATPase: an enzyme that is a chloride pump and a GABA receptor. This enables new views on the ways Cl- channel transports anions and its regulation by the intra- and extracellular ions and molecules (in particular by glucose, ATP, ). The hydrolytic activity of this GABAA-coupled ATPase provides the transport process the energy and determines a certain direction of ions flux across neuronal membrane. This can help with the research regarding several diseases such as epilepsy. Special Issue Comment: This project is about a multifunctional ATPase complex. Experiments involving measuring & solving individual ATPases are related with the Special Issue about FRET experiments,1 about enzymes,2 and about treatments when solving single molecules.3,4 The model suggested here is simply tested with these experimental and mathematical methods.
While mRNA vaccines are proving highly efficacious against SARS-CoV-2, it is important to determine how booster doses and prior infection influence the immune defense they elicit, and whether they protect against variants. Focusing on the T cell response, we conducted a longitudinal study of infection-naïve and COVID-19 convalescent donors before vaccination and after their first and second vaccine doses, using a high-parameter CyTOF analysis to phenotype their SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells. Vaccine-elicited spike-specific T cells responded similarly to stimulation by spike epitopes from the ancestral, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variant strains, both in terms of cell numbers and phenotypes. In infection-naïve individuals, the second dose boosted the quantity and altered the phenotypic properties of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells, while in convalescents the second dose changed neither. Spike-specific T cells from convalescent vaccinees differed strikingly from those of infection-naïve vaccinees, with phenotypic features suggesting superior long-term persistence and ability to home to the respiratory tract including the nasopharynx. These results provide reassurance that vaccine-elicited T cells respond robustly to emerging viral variants, confirm that convalescents may not need a second vaccine dose, and suggest that vaccinated convalescents may have more persistent nasopharynx-homing SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells compared to their infection-naïve counterparts.
For 2 days in January, the National Institutes of Health was the epicenter of the debate that has swirled around laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) since last July, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it would begin regulating them. More than 80 people—representing pathologists, clinicians, patients, and laboratories—spoke during FDA’s unusually large and long public workshop. The meeting’s size and heated debate reflect the huge impact that the agency’s proposed draft guidance could have on the rapidly evolving field of diagnostic testing. The new approach to LDTs “represents a sea change for laboratories,” said Gail Vance, M.D., director of the Indiana University School of Medicine Cytogenetics Laboratory in Indianapolis, who was representing the College of American Pathologists. “I would suggest that FDA consider anew.” FDA defines LDTs as tests “intended for clinical use and are designed, manufactured, and used within a single laboratory.” Currently, laboratories that develop LDTs are inspected and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services through its Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) program. But the field is changing rapidly. With the rise of targeted drugs and genetic testing, LDTs are increasingly used to make crucial treatment decisions in cancer and other common diseases. At the same time, LDTs have migrated from their traditional territory, in labs affiliated with local medical facilities, to commercial firms, which manufacture and market their tests nationally. Nevertheless, LDTs are not manufactured products and cannot be regulated in the same way, FDA’s opponents say. “Laboratories develop LDTs as part and parcel of the practice of medicine. They operate in a fundamentally different manner than manufacturers,” said Alan Mertz, M.A., president of the American Clinical Laboratory Association in Washington, D.C., expressing a view articulated repeatedly throughout the workshop.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, the majority of U.S. states adopted a novel code of legal practice for their civil courts. Legal scholars have long recognized the influence of the New York lawyer David Dudley Field on American legal codification, but tracing the influence of Field’s code of civil procedure with precision across some 30,000 pages of statutes is a daunting task. By adapting methods of digital text analysis to observe text reuse in legal sources, this article provides a methodological guide to show how the evolution of law can be studied at a macro level — across many codes and jurisdictions — and at a micro level — regulation by regulation. Applying these techniques to the Field Code and its emulators, we show that by a combination of creditors’ remedies the code exchanged the rhythms of agriculture for those of merchant capitalism. Archival research confirmed that the spread of the Field Code united the American South and American West in one Greater Reconstruction. Instead of just a national political development centered in Washington, we show that Reconstruction was also a state-level legal development centered on a procedure code from the Empire State of finance capitalism.
Objectives Wood dust is known to be associated with a range of respiratory effects including reduced lung function, increased bronchial responsiveness and occupational asthma. Cross-sectional studies have suggested an excess of asthma symptoms and lung function decline in sawmill workers. The study aims were to measure the incidence of new-onset asthma, to examine longitudinal changes in lung function, and associations with dust exposures. Methods Associations between dust exposures, asthma symptoms and lung function were studied over three years in a prospective cohort of sawmill workers. Respiratory morbidity was assessed using spirometry and symptom questionnaires, and personal dust exposure was measured, initially on recruitment into the study and then annually for at least two years. Results We recruited 281 sawmill workers from seven sawmills. Wood dust sampling (n = 300) showed an overall average of GM = 0.6 mg/m3 (GSD 3.41), range <0.1 to 16.9 mg/m3. Asthma symptoms were more common in workers with high exposure compared to the reference group with low exposures (OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 0.45–3.83). The incidence of new-onset asthma was 4.6% overall, and 8% among those with high “dry”dust exposure. In the longitudinal follow-up of workers a clear decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and maximal mid expiratory flow (MMEF) was evident in the high exposure group, when compared with the non/low-exposed. Although the numbers were small, the decline over the 3 years in both FEV1 and MMEF was statistically significant in the high exposure group. Conclusions This study confirms that New Zealand sawmill workers generally experience levels of dust exposure below most exposure standards. Notwithstanding this, there is evidence of an increased risk of developing asthma symptoms and lung function decline (of an obstructive nature) over time even at low dust levels, with a suggestion of a dose-response relationship between dust levels and the development of symptoms.
In recent years all the most authoritative healthcare organizations have underlined the importance of improving clinical risk management strategies to ensure patients safety and cost savings. This article describes a one-year experience in the contest of ASL 3 Genovese, showing the developement of a risk management project, its aims and its limits. An adequate risk management approach should be based on a “system approach”, which assumes that errors of individuals can’t be avoided, but the system that surrounds them should provide a safety net for these mistakes. Therefore, efforts are to create a cooperation based on trust, where it’s possible to learn from errors and thinking together about new solutions.
This research aims to analyze the influence of the competence, motivation and talent management towards Employee Engagement in Small Medium Enterprise (SME) in the Tour & Travel sector in Malang by using a quantitative approach and adopting the survey method. The sample used for this research consisted of 101 people. Data were collected using a questionnaire with a five point Likert scale. The data analysis technique used is a Generalized Structured Component Analysis. The results of this research show that: 1) Competence directly and positively influences Employee Engagement, 2) Motivation directly and positively influences Employee Engagement, 3) Talent Management directly and positively influences Employee Engagement, 4) Competence directly and positively influences Talent management, 5) Motivation directly and positively influences Talent Management, 6) Competence directly influences Employee Engagement through the mediation of Talent Management and 7) Motivation directly influences Employee Engagement through the mediation of Talent Management.
Abstract In Germany the legal planning and approval processes for airport expansion projects are heavily politicized, and legal disputes take years to resolve. Thus, doubts arise about the rationality, not only of specific approval decisions but also of the institutional setting within which these decisions are made. We analyze the deficiencies of the current institutional framework for planning and approving airport infrastructure projects in Germany and develop guidelines for an institutional reform.
OBJECTIVE. More is known about the experience of occupational therapists than the experience of patients during the profession’s early years. We examined soldiers’ experiences of occupational therapy in American Base Hospital 9 in France during World War I through analysis of a 53-line poem by Corporal Frank Wren contained in the unpublished memoir of occupational therapy reconstruction aide Lena Hitchcock. METHOD. Historical documentary research methods and thematic analysis were used to analyze the poem, the memoir, and the hospital’s published history. RESULTS. The poem describes the activities engaged in during occupational therapy, equipment used, and the context of therapy. It articulates positive dimensions of the experience of engaging in activities, including emotional benefits, diversion, and orthopedic benefits. CONCLUSION. Previous historical research has identified core philosophical premises about the use of occupational therapy; in this article, the enactment of these principles is established through the analysis of a soldier’s account of receiving occupational therapy.
passages the cell, on the one hand, and Holism, on the other hand, seem to envisage the past and the future in a fashion strongly suggestive of those modes of activity which are distinctive of mind. I cite, without further comment, three of these passages. " In reproduction the cell or the organism clearly appears to look beyond itself ; its functions become trancendent, as far as it is itself concerned ; its efforts and energies are bent on objects and purposes beyond itself " (p. 81). " The whole, if one may say so, takes long views, both into the future and into the past; and mere considerations of present utility do not weigh very heavily with it " (p. 213). Of Holism it is said " that not only its aim but its output far exceed the immediate present utilities and needs of organic evolution, and that its bow is bent for the distant horizons, far beyond all human power of vision and understanding" (p. 223).
A 65-nm Silicon-on-Thin-Box (SOTB) embedded SRAM is demonstrated. By using back-bias (BB) control in the sleep mode, 13.72 nW/Mbit ultra-low standby power is observed, which is reduced to 1/1000 compared to the normal standby mode. The measured read access time with forward BB is 1.84 ns at 1.0 V overdrive and 25°C, which is improved by 60% and thus we achieved over 380 MHz operation. Up to 20% active read power reduction is also achieved by using proposed localized adoptive wordline width control.
Two kinds of photographic lenses have been developed for the purpose of taking photographic negatives with extremely fine images. The one, f=105 mm, F/2.8, makes sharp aerial images with resolving power not less than 400 lines/mm within the image field 24mm in diameter, at standard image magnification 1/30 with a monochromatic light 546m µ in wavelength; while the other, f=29.5 mm, F/1.2 at standard working condition of magnification 1/25, gives overall resolving power not less than 1,000 lines/mm within the image field 2 mm in diameter, in combination with the same monochromatic light and Kodak High Resolution plates. These lenses are suitable for making photographic negatives needed in the intermediate stage of the production process of tiny high-frequency transistors, diodes and semi-conductor integrated circuits. The construction, calculated residual aberrations, test procedures and test results are reported for both lenses.
Functional methods are developed which serve to simplify greatly the calculations in quantum non-local field theory (QNFT). The techniques also serve to give an insight into the underlying structure of QNFT. We show that a transformation can be defined which relates the QNFT Lagrangian to its local antecedent. We prove that the non-local extension of the local gauge symmetry can be obtained by applying this transformation to the local gauge transformation. The utility of this method is demonstrated by an explicit application to both scalar electrodynamics and Yang-Mills field theory.
In this paper, a new modified proximal point algorithm involving fixed point of nonspreading-type multivalued mappings in Hilbert spaces is proposed. Under suitable conditions, some weak convergence and strong convergence to a common element of the set of minimizers of a convex function and the set of fixed points of the nonspreading-type multivalued mappings in Hilbert space are proved. The presented results in the paper are new. ©2016 All rights reserved.
It is well known that granite has orthorhombic elasticity caused by the orientation distribution of the pre-existing microcracks. Measurements of P and S-wave velocities propagating in various directions are indispensable to determine these elastic constants, because the orthorhombic material has nine independent elastic constants.In this study, a new method to determine the elastic constants of granite is proposed. In this method, rock is assumed to be an elastic material which contains oriented cracks and random distributed cracks, and the effective elastic constants of rock are calculated by using New Self Consistent Scheme. From the calculated elastic constants, theoretical values of the elastic wave velocities are calculated and compared with measured values of them. The elastic constants can be back-analyzed by minimizing the difference between theoretical wave velocities and measured ones.The proposed method is applied to three kinds of granite. It is confirmed that the theoretical values of wave velocities agree well with the measured values, and that the elastic constants as well as the crack densities can be evaluated. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the elastic constants of granite can be evaluated by measuring P-wave velocities in three principal directions.
The difficulties of modeling the vertical flexure of mechanically fastened wooden ship hulls as that of box beams, a mainstay of naval architecture when applied to iron and steel ships, can largely be overcome by factoring the incomplete composite action of timber components in terms of a reduced shear modulus, an increased shear lag, and a reduced sectional area in tension (owing to butt joints). Sample computations on a large wooden hull indicate that its deflection can be limited to about twice that of a completely composite hull if stiff fasteners (drift pins) are used at a much greater density than is typical of traditional construction. The lengths of timber pieces become severely limiting only if they are below 1/5th of hull length. The methodology has broad application to the preliminary design of many-piece timber box beam structures in general.
Migrating wild birds are considered natural reservoirs of influenza viruses and serve as a potential source of novel influenza strains in humans and livestock. During routine avian influenza surveillance conducted in eastern China, a novel H5N8 (SH‐9) reassortant influenza virus was isolated from a mallard duck in China. blast analysis revealed that the HA, NA, PB1, PA, NP, and M segments of SH‐9 were most closely related to the corresponding segments of A/duck/Jiangsu/k1203/2010 (H5N8). The SH‐9 virus preferentially recognized avian‐like influenza virus receptors and was highly pathogenic in mice. Our results suggest that wild birds could acquire the H5N8 virus from breeding ducks and spread the virus via migratory bird flyways.
Rudas, Clogg and Lindsay proposed a new index of fit for contingency table analysis. Using the two-component mixture, where the first component with weight (1-w) represents the model to be tested and the second component with weight w is unstructured, the RCL index of lack of fit was defined to be the smallest mixing weight w(*) being compatible with the two-component mixture to be saturated. This index of fit, which is not sensitive to sample size, is applied to the problem of assessing agreement between two raters whereby three hypotheses (pure agreement, quasi-independence, independence) are considered. As quasi-independence comprises the two other hypotheses, a natural generalization of the RCL index of fit results from assuming the model itself to be composed of two submodels (pure agreement, independence) while the third component remains unstructured. Two examples demonstrate the application of this generalized RCL index of fit, with the first 3x3 contingency table having no empty cells, and the second 4x4 table having five of them. In both cases estimating the parameters and determining w(*) was possible without problems within the linear logistic framework for latent class analysis. A further analysis of the 4x4 table assumes the model to be the two-class latent class model that certainly does not belong to the family of standard models for contingency table analysis. Thus, in contrast to the recommendations given originally, the following conclusions seem to be justified: (i) the number of components representing the model may exceed one (generalized RCL index); (ii) the application of the original RCL index of fit may be extended to more complex models; and (iii) empty cells bear no problems so that this approach may be recommended in the case of both large and small sample sizes.
Abstract This essay brings together questions from aesthetic theory and museum management. In particular, I relate a contextualist account of the value of copies to a pluralistic understanding of the purpose of museums. I begin by offering a new defence of the no longer fashionable view that the aesthetic (as opposed to the ethical, personal, monetary, historical, or other) value of artworks may be detached from questions regarding their provenance. My argument is partly based on a distinction between the process of creating a work of art and the artwork in question. Next, I defend a pluralism about the purpose of museums and their exhibitions. I combine this with a pluralist account of the value of replicas which falls out of the above argument, exposing our preference for originality as being frequently fetishistic. I maintain that the importance of the provenance of artworks is relative to the specific purposes of any given exhibition or museum. Those that are primarily educational (such as encyclopaedic ones) are in many cases best served with high-quality replicas. This view may be extended to artefacts that are not artworks, such as fossils and dinosaur skeletons. Finally, I expound the variety of roles that replicas may play in museums and relate these to notions of authenticity.
With dramatically increasing of video resources, manually semantic video annotation requires extensive human power. Automatic annotation is an efficient and appropriate solution. In this paper, a tag propagation scheme using random forest is applied on video shot semantic annotation. For the content representation of each video shot, multiple keyframes are extracted using K-means clustering method. We train random forest with tag distribution information gain criterion, and estimate the probabilities of assigning tags to annotate each keyframe. The final predicted semantic tags of video shot comes from the weighted summation of probabilities of assigning tags of all keyframes. The experimental results on videos indicate that our video shot annotation based on random forest achieves good performance.
Mechanical behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining wall is investigated and the reinforcing mechanism by geosynthetics is discussed through two-dimensional laboratory model tests and their corresponding finite element analyses. A series of mode tests and simulations are carried out varying arrangement, length and number of the reinforcements. It is revealed that the effectiveness of the geosynthetics mainly depends on the increase of internal stability, which is local stability within the reinforced ground, and external stability, which is overall stability of the surrounding backfill and subsoil. It is also indicated that the results of the numerical analyses show good agreement with the results of the model tests.
Background: Registry-based randomized clinical trials have emerged as useful tools to provide evidence on the comparative efficacy and safety of different therapeutic strategies. However, it remains unknown whether the results of registry-based randomized clinical trials have a sizable impact on daily clinical practice. We sought, therefore, to describe the temporal trends in thrombus aspiration (TA) use in Sweden before, during, and after dissemination of the TASTE trial (Thrombus Aspiration in ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Scandinavia) results. Methods and Results: From January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2017, we included all consecutive patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous revascularization in Sweden. All patients were registered in the Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angioplasty Registry. A total of 55 809 ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients were included. TA use in Sweden substantially decreased after dissemination of TASTE results (from 39.8% to 11.8% during and after TASTE, respectively). Substantial variability in TA use across treating centers was observed before TASTE (TA use ranging from 0% to 70%), but after TASTE both the interhospital variability and the frequency of TA use were markedly reduced. A constant shift in medical practice was seen about 4 months after dissemination of the TASTE trial results. Time trends for all-cause mortality and definite stent thrombosis at 30 days were not associated with variations in TA use (P values >0.05 using the Granger test). Conclusions: In Sweden, the results of the TASTE trial were impactful in daily clinical practice and led to a relevant decrease in TA use in ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing percutaneous revascularization.
In this paper two common 3D flexible processing methods using high power laser are introduced. One is high power YAG laser robot which use fiber to propagate laser beam. The robot holds laser head to move along spatial route on the surface of 3D part. The movement of robot influences laser processing result. Another is CO2 laser multi-axis system which uses mirrors to transfer laser beam. The quality of laser beam has great effect on propagation of laser beam and therefore influences laser processing quality. In these systems the programming is key to process 3D part. Currently the low efficient on-line teach-in programming is mainly used in these systems. Authors introduce their own developed high efficient off-line auto programming software for 3D laser processing---LaserCAM. The LaserCAM software in auto manufacture in China has been successfully applied.
We study the effects of consumer information on equlibrium market prices and observable product quality in the market for child care. Child care markets offer a unique opportunity to study these effects because of the existence of resource and referral agencies (R&Rs) in some markets. R&Rs provide consumers with information on availability, price, and observable characteristics of care. To understand the effects of information provision in markets like child care, we examine the effects of information provision in a model of vertical differentiation. We show conditions in which increased consumer information reduces price dispersion, maximum price, and average price. With this model we examine empirically the effects of R&Rs on the distribution of child care prices and on the distribution of staff-child ratios. We estimate separate models for the distribution of prices and staff-child ratios for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age children because of regulatory and care differences across age groups. We find that R&Rs have economically large and statistically significant effects on the distribution of prices for the care infants and toddlers. Geographic markets with R&Rs have significantly less price dispersion and lower maximum prices. There is also some evidence that markets with R&Rs have lower average prices.Information provision via R&Rs has no significant effects on staff-child ratios. These findings are generally consistent with search theory and support the contention that information provision can intensify price competition.
A compiler for constructing optimized syntactic digraphs from easily written grammar specifications is described. These are written in a language called grammar specification language (GSL). The compiler has a preprocessing (macroexpansion) phase, a parse phase, graph code generation and compilation phases, and three optimization phases. Digraphs can also be linked together by a graph linker to form larger digraphs. Language complexity is analyzed in a statistics phase. It is demonstrated that the optimization phase yields graphs with even greater efficiency than previously achieved by hand. Some preliminary speech recognition results of applying these techniques to intermediate and large graphs are discussed. With the introduction of these tools it is now possible to provide a speech recognition user with the ability to define new task grammars in the field. GSL has been used by several untutored users with good results. Experience with GSL indicates that it is a viable medium for quickly and accurately defining grammars for use in connected speech recognition systems. >
Central Jilin is tectonically subordinate to the Lesser Xing'an Range–Zhangguangcai Range polymetallic metallogenic belt, an important region for Cu–Mo prospecting in NE China. Dozens of large‐scale molybdenum deposits, including Fu'anbu, Chang'anbu, Jide, and Dashihe, have been recently discovered in Central Jilin, whereas porphyry Cu or Cu–Mo deposits have not been found to date. One such example of an intracontinental porphyry Cu–Mo deposit is the Chang'anbu Cu–Mo deposit in Shulan, Jilin Province, hosted in early Yanshanian rocks. Here in this contribution, we described detailed geology based on our field observation and conducted a comparative study on the metallogenic epoch and the ore‐forming sources of the Chang'anbu Cu–Mo deposit by using zircon U–Pb dating and H–O–S–Pb stable isotopes. We propose that the Chang'anbu deposit is rare in the Lesser Xing'an Range–Zhangguangcail Range metallogenic belt and differs from other porphyry deposits that consist solely of Mo, indicating a unique mechanism of metallogenesis. Zircon U–Pb ages indicate emplacement of a granite pluton which is the main metallogenetic rock body during the Early Jurassic (182.10 ± 1.20 Ma). The pluton is spatially and temporally associated with Cu–Mo mineralization and led to large‐scale porphyry Cu–Mo mineralization during the early Yanshanian. Sulphur, Pb, H, and O isotope data suggest that magma generated by subduction of the Paleo‐Pacific oceanic crust was the main ore‐forming source of this deposit (206Pb/204Pb = 18.046–18.734; Pb207/Pb204 = 15.502–15.655; δ34S = 0.3–2‰; δDV–SMOW = −102.2–93.4‰; δ18OV–SMOW = 9.1–11.6‰). The Chang'anbu porphyry Cu–Mo deposit is representative of large‐scale polymetallic metallogenic events in Central Jilin that resulted from magmatism related to crust and mantle melting during the early Yanshanian.
Part I: Plant Disease: The Diseased Plant The Microbial Pathogens Pathogen Structure And Function Disease Assessment And Forecasting Plant Disease Epidemics Part II: Host-Pathogen Interactions: Entry And Colonization Of The Host The Physiology Of Plant Disease Microbial Pathogenicity Plant Defence Host-Pathogen Specificity Part III: Disease Management: Disease Management By Chemicals Disease Management By Host Resistance Biological Control Of Plant Disease An Integrated Approach To Disease Management
The diagnosis of morbid impulse, where the intellect of the patient is little affected, involves at once questions of serious moment and considerable perplexity. On the medical decision oftentimes hangs the life of a person irresponsible for the act he has committed, or the escape of a degraded criminal justlymeriting retributive justice. Again, we may shield from public contumely females?even ladies of station?who instead of committing a breach of the laws, are solely impelled by a morbid
Both leaf production and leaf expansion are tightly linked to cell expansion and cell division, but the functional relationships between all these variables are not clearly established. To get insight into these relationships, a quantitative genetic analysis was performed in 118 recombinant inbred lines derived from a cross between the Landsberg erecta and Antwerp accessions and was combined with a structural equation modeling approach. Main effects and epistatic interactions at the quantitative trait locus (QTL) level were detected for rosette area, rosette leaf number, leaf 6 area, epidermal cell area and number. A QTL at ERECTA marker (ER) controlled cell expansion and cell division, in interaction with two other QTLs at SNP295 and SNP21 markers. Moreover, both the screening for marker association involved in the variation of the relationships between leaf growth variables and the test of alternative functional models by structural equation modeling revealed that the allelic value at ER controlled epidermal cell area and epidermal cell number in a leaf. These effects are driven both by a whole plant mechanism associated with leaf production and by a single leaf mechanism associated with leaf expansion. The complex effects of the QTL at ER were validated in selected heterogeneous inbred families. The ERECTA gene, which is mutated in the Landsberg erecta parental line, was found to be a putative candidate responsible for these mapped effects by phenotyping mutants of this gene at the cellular level. Together, these results give insight into the complex determination of leaf epidermal cell number and area.
Since the beginning of 1970, there has been a great breakthrough in the popularization of soy-bean-based food in Nigeria and in many parts of the developing world, especially for use in the prevention of kwashiorkor. Since 1975, soy bean has become a main source of daily dietary protein in many parts of Nigeria as a result of the successful incorporation of soy-bean products into almost all traditional Nigerian foods. This is a review of previous work in Nigeria on eliminating the beany flavour, bitter taste, and flatus factors in soy-bean milk and cooked soy-bean paste preparations.
According to a previous investigation of children’s voices, hoarseness is a stable concept with three main predictors: hyperfunction, breathiness, and roughness [McAllister et al., J. Voice 8(3), 230–239 (1994)]. The present investigation analyzes the relation between various acoustic measures and these perceptual voice characteristics, complemented by instability and gratings. The analysis was carried out on a material of vowels sustained by 50 ten‐year‐old children representing different degrees of hoarseness. The acoustic measures were a frequency perturbation quotient, an amplitude perturbation quotient, and two versions of a harmonics‐to‐noise measure as proposed by Kasuya et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 80, 1329–1334 (1986)]. Highly significant correlations were found between hoarseness, breathiness, and roughness, on the one hand, and frequency perturbation quotient as well as one of the harmonics‐to‐noise measures, on the other.
This paper describes the discontinuous change in the helical pitch of a cholesteric liquid crystal (ChLC) by means of the photoisomerization of chiral azobenzene molecules under homogenous alignment conditions. A mixture of E44, R811 and Azo was prepared in the ratio 68/28/4, respectively. R811 and Azo have opposite twisting abilities such that they induce right- and left-handed helices, respectively when added to E44. The mixture was injected into a glass cell having a 2 or 5 µm cell gap, and treated for homogeneous molecular orientation. The wavelength of selective reflection from the ChLC was shifted to shorter wavelengths by the trans-cis photoisomerization of Azo. The change in the helical pitch was not only discontinuous, but also dependent on the cell thickness. The discontinuous change in the helical pitch was estimated to be almost the same as the half turn of the helical pitch in each cell gap, and was dependent on the number of helical half pitches in the glass cell. The homogeneous alignment condition affects the photochemical change in the helical structure of the ChLC system.
DOI: 10.4328/JCAM.5780 Received: 20.02.2018 Accepted: 12.03.2018 Published Online: 28.03.2018 Printed: 01.09.2018 J Clin Anal Med 2018;9(5): 411-5 Corresponding Author: Elif Karalı, Kulak Burun Boğaz Departmanı, Zonguldak Ereğli Devlet Hastanesi, Ereğli, Zonguldak, Turkey. GSM: +905055780193 E-Mail:elifkarali8181@gmail.com ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8164-4056 Abstract Aim: This study aimed to determine the effect of thyroid hormone changes on hearing pathways by assessing audiometry and auditory brainstem responses of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid patients and to determine whether hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism patients are at risk for hearing loss. Material and Method: Between June 2008-July 2009, 25 hyperthyroidism (Graves, Multinodular Goitre) and 25 hypothyroidism (Hashimato hypothyroidism) patients who were newly diagnosed in the endocrinology clinic of Düzce University Medical Faculty between the ages of 20-50 were taken into study. Audiometry and Auditory brainstem response (ABR) measurements were performed for each patient. Results: In audiometry findings of hyperthyroid patients, a sensorineural hearing loss was detected especially at high frequency when compared to normal control group. There was no significant difference in the ABR results when compared with the control group. When audiometric findings were interpreted in hypothyroid patients, a sensorineural hearing loss was detected especially at high frequencies when compared to the control group. When the ABR measurements of the control group were compared with the hypothyroid group, the wave latencies I., III., V. and I-III, I-V interpeak latencies were higher in the hypothyroid group, but the difference between the first wave latency and III-V and I-V interpeak latencies was not statistically significant (p> 0,05), but the difference between III., V. wave lattices and I-III interpeak latency was statistically significant (p <0.05). These changes in ABR waves suggest that there are retrocochlear problems in hypothyroid patients. Discussion: The results of our study suggest that both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism may have an impact on the hearing pathways.
The first five chapters of the Report are an admirable acknowledgment of the manifold responsbilities of cathedral chapters and the extent to which they are on the whole carried out. It is well known that the setting up of the Commission was caused by problems that had arisen in one or two places and it is good that both the great demands made on chapters and the large extent to which they meet them should be recognised.
As an important professional course for international trade major in university, international trade documentation is characterized by operation and strong practicability. However, traditional teaching of this course pays more attention to theory than practice, while ignoring developing application ability of students. Which cause the students’ actual operation ability cannot be improved, and appears to be at a loss of what to do when facing to the English documents and international customs. According to the practical teaching of this course, based on the students’ application ability, some useful teaching reform have been analyzed the in this paper, including teaching contents, teaching methods, teaching means and teaching practice.
The gate-sensing and channel-sensing transient analysis method is studied in detail. This method introduces an additional gate-sensing capacitor to be compared with the conventional channel-sensing one. Sensing in both modes provides two equations that are suitable to solve for two variables-the charge density (Q ) and the average charge vertical location (x ). In this paper, the principle of this method is discussed in detail. Several factors that affect the measurement accuracy are also analyzed. The power of this method is demonstrated by program/erase cycling and data retention tests. This method is indeed a powerful tool for detailed understanding of trapping dynamics.
From time to time various analytical methods have been applied to tooth substance to establish the content of so-called trace elements such as lead and tin." 2 Other experimental work has shown that these trace elements may play an important part in the formation and preservation of teeth.3-6 As trace elements are present in very low concentrations, it has been necessary in previous investigations to use pooled material from many different subjects to provide an adequate sample for analysis by chemical, spectrographic, or colorimetric methods. The conclusions which may be drawn from such experiments are necessarily limited by the non-specific nature of the material. Radioactivation analysis is a technic by which many elements may be detected and estimated with a greater sensitivity than that of conventional analytical procedures. The essential basis of the method is that the element to be determined is made radioactive by exposing the sample to bombardment by neutrons inside a neutron reactor. The radioactivity induced in this way has properties which are characteristic of the element concerned. After suitable chemical separation of the element, if necessary, the amount of the induced radioactivity, the rate of its decay, and the energy of the associated nuclear radiations can be measured without much difficulty by instruments such as Geiger and scintillation counters. When the only stable isotope of arsenic is irradiated with thermal neutrons, an unstable isotope is produced by neutron capture. This unstable isotope decays with a half-life of 26.8 hours, with the emission of a-particles and y-rays. The activation cross-section is 4.0 barns, and the saturation activity for a pile flux of 1012 neutrons per square centimeter per second is about 2 X 1012 disintegrations per minute per gram of elemental arsenic. The reaction is represented by
upbeat energy and solid good humor. Lynn’s sense of style is contagious and her methods inspiring; she finds possibility in the most mundane objects, collecting samples and pictures and collaging them into pieces that are clearly described and DIYable for interested readers. Her clumsiness is particularly endearing, both to readers and to the cute boy with a locker next to hers, which adds a tiny bit of romance to this designer rags-to-riches-and-back-again tale. Fans of Project Runway as well as kids who are just tired of off-the-rack sameness may well be emboldened by Lynn’s example to take the scissors, glue, and thread to their own wardrobes in the search for a sassy signature style. KC
AIMS Preserved mitochondrial function is essential for protection against ischaemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. The malate-aspartate (MA) shuttle constitutes the principal pathway for transport of reducing cytosolic equivalents for mitochondrial oxidation. We hypothesized that a transient shut-down of the MA-shuttle by aminooxyacetate (AOA) during ischaemia and early reperfusion modulates IR injury by mechanisms comparable to ischaemic preconditioning (IPC).   METHODS AND RESULTS Isolated perfused rat hearts exposed to 40 min global no-flow ischaemia were studied in: (i) control, (ii) pre-ischaemic AOA (0.1 mM), (iii) IPC, and (iv) AOA+IPC hearts. IR injury was evaluated by infarct size and haemodynamic recovery. Tracer-estimated glucose oxidation and metabolic changes in glycogen, lactate, pyruvate, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates, and ATP degradation products were measured. The effects of AOA on complex I respiration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were examined in isolated rabbit mitochondria. Treatment with AOA, IPC, or AOA+IPC induced significant infarct reduction; 28 ± 6, 30 ± 3, and 18 ± 1%, respectively, vs. 52 ± 5% of left ventricular (LV) mass for control (P < 0.01 for all). LV-developed pressure improved to 60 ± 3, 63 ± 5 and 53 ± 4 vs. 31 ± 5 mmHg (P < 0.01 for all) after 2 h reperfusion. Pre-ischaemic AOA administration inhibited glycolysis and increased glucose oxidation during post-ischaemic reperfusion similar to IPC, and suppressed complex I respiration and ROS production in the non-ischaemic heart. Changes in lactate, pyruvate, TCA intermediates, and ATP end products suggested an AOA inhibition of the MA-shuttle during late ischaemia and early reperfusion.   CONCLUSION Inhibition of the MA-shuttle during ischaemia and early reperfusion is proposed as a mechanism to reduce IR injury.
Grain legumes are an important source of nutrition and income for billions of consumers and farmers around the world. However, the low productivity of new legume varieties, due to the limited genetic diversity available for legume breeding programmes and poor policymaker support, combined with an increasingly unpredictable global climate is resulting in a large gap between current yields and the increasing demand for legumes as food. Hence, there is a need for novel approaches to develop new high-yielding legume cultivars that are able to cope with a range of environmental stressors. Next-generation technologies are providing the tools that could enable the more rapid and cost-effective genomic and transcriptomic studies for most major crops, allowing the identification of key functional and regulatory genes involved in abiotic stress resistance. In this review, we provide an overview of the recent achievements regarding abiotic stress resistance in a wide range of legume crops and highlight the transcriptomic and miRNA approaches that have been used. In addition, we critically evaluate the availability and importance of legume genetic resources with desirable abiotic stress resistance traits.
AN UNUSUAL opportunity for studying the intracranial and extracranial circulations simultaneously was afforded by a perfusion method of angiography in the cat, using the vertex-base x-ray projection. By this technique the entire circle of Willis, as well as its main afferent and efferent branches, could be visualized roentgenographically together with much of the extracranial carotid system. It was thus possible to make certain observations of general interest concerning the cerebral circulation and of particular interest in regard to some etiologic factors concerned with neurologic sequelae of carotid angiography. The technique of photomicrography was also utilized in order to include pial arteries in this study. METHODS Carotid Angiography. —A total of 220 angiographic studies were performed on 14 cats, with 10% colloidal suspension of thorium dioxide (Thorotrast) used as the contrast medium in all but 2 experiments, in which 35% iodopyracet (Diodrast) was employed. The common carotid artery was cannulated with
The software, Fluent, was used to analyze the cavitation behavior of the submerged water jets generated by contraction nozzle, angle nozzle and organ pipe nozzle. Angle nozzle was chosen for cavitation peening based on the results of numerical simulation. The cavitation peening experiments for aluminum alloy 2A12 were conducted with the different processing parameters. The surface roughness, residual stress distribution and morphology of the treated sample surface were investigated. Results show that the distribution of strengthening area is consistent with that of simulated cavitation bubbles cluster. Using the optimized parameters, the surface residual compressive stress and its depth reach the maximum values of 320MPa and 390μm, respectively, which were increased nearly 2.7 times and 5.5 times than those of the original sample, respectively, while the corresponding surface roughness was only 1.29μm, which was much smaller than that of conventional shot peening.
Hepatic insulin resistance and lipoprotein overproduction are common features of the metabolic syndrome and insulin-resistant states. A fructose-fed, insulin-resistant hamster model was recently developed to investigate mechanisms linking the development of hepatic insulin resistance and overproduction of atherogenic lipoproteins. Here we report a systematic analysis of protein expression profiles in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) fractions isolated from livers of fructose-fed hamsters with the intention of identifying new candidate proteins involved in hepatic complications of insulin resistance and lipoprotein dysregulation. We have profiled hepatic ER-associated proteins from chow-fed (control) and fructose-fed (insulin-resistant) hamsters using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. A total of 26 large scale two-dimensional gels of hepatic ER were used to identify 34 differentially expressed hepatic ER protein spots observed to be at least 2-fold differentially expressed with fructose feeding and the onset of insulin resistance. Differentially expressed proteins were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-quadrupole time of flight (MALDI-Q-TOF), MALDI-TOF-postsource decay, and database mining using ProteinProspector MS-fit and MS-tag or the PROWL ProFound search engine using a focused rodent or mammalian search. Hepatic ER proteins ER60, ERp46, ERp29, glutamate dehydrogenase, and TAP1 were shown to be more than 2-fold down-regulated, whereas α-glucosidase, P-glycoprotein, fibrinogen, protein disulfide isomerase, GRP94, and apolipoprotein E were all found to be up-regulated in the hepatic ER of the fructose-fed hamster. Seven isoforms of ER60 in the hepatic ER were all shown to be down-regulated at least 2-fold in hepatocytes from fructosefed/insulin-resistant hamsters. Implications of the differential expression of positively identified protein factors in the development of hepatic insulin resistance and lipoprotein abnormalities are discussed.
The study investigated the impact of Internet access and usage on students’ academic performance in Social Studies. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population consisted of 55,303 male and female JSS II students from which 576 students were selected. The instrument for the study was the questionnaire and students’ academic records. The data collected were analysed using correlational statistics. The result of the study revealed that there is significant relationship between internet usage for academic work and students’ academic performance; there is significant relationship between internet access and usage and students’ assignment submission; there was significant relationship between time spent on the internet and students’ academic performance. It was recommended that students should use the internet to enhance their academic performance of which they should restrict themselves from non-academic purposes; teachers should evolve regulations to guide the extent of Internet usage to avert over dependency among students. Article visualizations:
For a class of non-selfadjoint semiclassical pseudodifferential operators with double characteristics, with a leading symbol with a non-negative real part, we study bounds for resolvents and estimates for low lying eigenvalues. Specifically, assuming that the quadratic approximations of the principal symbol of the operator along the double characteristics enjoy a partial ellipticity property along a suitable subspace of the phase space, namely their singular spaces, we establish semiclassical hypoelliptic a priori estimates with a loss of the full power of the semiclassical parameter giving a localization for the low lying spectral values of the operator.
ABSTRACT Floods are natural and seasonal phenomena playing a crucial environmental role, but in constructed environments they bring many types of losses. This work analyses the stormwater management master plan (SWMP) in developed and developing cities. Using content analysis, three SWMPs were compared: Joinville – SC and Porto Alegre – RS, in Brazil, and the plan and Maia city, in Portugal. NVivo version 11 software was used. Nodes were categorized and results are presented. Content analysis allowed comparative socio-hydrology by studying different coupled human–water systems across different locations. SWMPs are situated at different levels of planning with respect to water resources management: strategic and operational levels converge on the main objective, tracing different strategies related to conceptual and regulatory points of view. The SWMP is a document whose scope extends beyond mapping technical needs; it involves an element of public planning and administration to avoid the loss of lives and economics, as well as to increase resilience, and it is an essential document for urban water governance.
Background:Computer games have often been considered to have a negative impact on the sleep of children. The aim study was to determine the effect of distance teaching to mothers on sleep habits related to computer games of primary school boys of Zahedan in 2020. Materials and Methods:The present quasi-experimental study was carried out on primary school boys students. 144 students were randomly selected in two groups of intervention and control.Data collection tools included the Child Sleep Habits and demographic information Questionnaire.If the student was in the intervention group,before the intervention,the researcher held a face-to-face meeting with his mother to complete the questionnaire.Then,created a group for mothers in Telegram and WhatsApp,The intervention was made for 4weeks,the researcher sent a text and avideo three times a week to students’mothers based on the content of education.8weeks after,the Sleep Habits Questionnaire was completed by the mothers.If the student was assigned to the control group,demographic information and Sleep Habits Questionnaire were completed by the mothers to begin the pre-test.No intervention was made for this group.The post-test was completed after 8 weeks by the mothers.Data analysis was performed through IBM SPSS. Results:The results showed that the mean and standard deviation of the sleep habits score and its dimensions in intervention and control groups had no significant difference(P>0.05)before intervention.However,after intervention,the sleep habits score and its dimensions had significant differences(P<0.05).  Conclusion:maintaining the physical and mental health of students is an important responsibility of pediatric nurses and parents.It is suggested that teaching sleep habits to mothers should be considered.
This paper presents an investigation into the process, outcome and satisfaction in three types of cancer support groups: patients with cancer, bereaved spouses and other relatives. The groups followed a model similar to that of Spiegel and Spira's supportive- expressive groupwork (1991). At post-test 392 clients completed a group process and consumer satisfaction questionnaire. In addition, 77 clients also completed the Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis & Melisaratos, 1983) as a pre- and post-test. The Brief Symptom Inventory data indicated clients were able to achieve more optimal emotional functioning following support group participation Patients were the least satisfied of the three conditions and bereaved spouses the most satisfied. Recommendations are offered for screening, group composition, and future research.
Two coryneform bacteria isolated from human clinical specimens were characterized by phenotypic and molecular taxonomic methods. Chemotaxonomic investigations revealed the presence of cell-wall chemotype IV and short-chain mycolic acids consistent with the genus Corynebacterium sensu stricto. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the two strains are genealogically highly related (99.8% sequence similarity) and constitute a new subline within the genus Corynebacterium, with Corynebacterium minutissimum as their nearest phylogenetic neighbours (98.8% sequence similarity). However, DNA-DNA hybridization experiments demonstrated unambiguously that the isolates are genealogically distinct from Corynebacterium minutissimum (42% homology). Biochemical testing indicated that the two isolates were hardly differentiated from Corynebacterium minutissimum. Based on both phenotypic and phylogenetic evidence it is proposed that these isolates be classified as a new species, Corynebacterium aurimucosum sp. nov. The type strain of Corynebacterium aurimucosum is represented by strain IMMIB D-1488T (= DSM 44532T = NRRL B-24143T).
Simple Summary Phosphorus is stored as phytate in plant seeds, which are the main components of poultry feed. Poultry can utilize phytate phosphorus after its cleavage catalyzed by enzymes. These enzymes are inhibited by high concentrations of calcium and phosphorus in diets. As laying hens require a high calcium concentration for eggshell production, the inhibition of enzymes might be high. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the degradation of phytate and the utilization of phosphorus and calcium by two laying hen strains supplied with standard or reduced levels of dietary calcium and phosphorus at the egg production peak. The calcium level had a clear effect on phytate degradation products and mineral utilization. The phosphorus level had no effect on these traits, suggesting that actual recommendations for phosphorus supply of laying hens are too high. Differences were noted between the two hen strains and among individual hens regarding calcium and phosphorus metabolism. This is a first step in identifying individual birds that are more capable than others in using phytate phosphorus under challenging conditions. In the long term, our results could help to further reduce the mineral content of laying hen diets. Abstract Laying hens require less phosphorus (P) but markedly more calcium (Ca) in their diet than broilers. These differences may cause more distinct interactions with phytate degradation and utilization of minerals in laying hens than those in broilers. The objective of the study was to characterize intestinal phytate degradation, ileal transcript copy numbers of transcellular Ca and P transporters, and mineral utilization by two laying hen strains fed with standard or reduced levels of dietary Ca and P at the laying peak. The strains showed differences regarding several traits driving Ca and P metabolism along the digestive tract. Thus, the two strains may use different mechanisms to meet their respective P demand, i.e., via effective phytate degradation and transcellular transport. Clear effects of the Ca level on myo-inositol concentrations and mineral utilization revealed the significance of this element for the measured traits. The absence of P-mediated effects confirmed the findings of several studies recommending that P concentrations used in laying hen feeds are too high. Differences were noted between individuals within one treatment. The next step would be to evaluate the data in individual birds to identify birds that better cope with a challenging diet.
Capsule networks were proposed as an alternative approach to Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for learning object-centric representations, which can be leveraged for improved generalization and sample complexity. Unlike CNNs, capsule networks are designed to explicitly model part-whole hierarchical relationships by using groups of neurons to encode visual entities, and learn the relationships between those entities. Promising early results achieved by capsule networks have motivated the deep learning community to continue trying to improve their performance and scalability across several application areas. However, a major hurdle for capsule network research has been the lack of a reliable point of reference for understanding their foundational ideas and motivations. The aim of this survey is to provide a comprehensive overview of the capsule network research landscape, which will serve as a valuable resource for the community going forward. To that end, we start with an introduction to the fundamental concepts and motivations behind capsule networks, such as equivariant inference in computer vision. We then cover the technical advances in the capsule routing mechanisms and the various formulations of capsule networks, e.g. generative and geometric. Additionally, we provide a detailed explanation of how capsule networks relate to the popular attention mechanism in Transformers, and highlight non-trivial conceptual similarities between them in the context of representation learning. Afterwards, we explore the extensive applications of capsule networks in computer vision, video and motion, graph representation learning, natural language processing, medical imaging and many others. To conclude, we provide an in-depth discussion regarding the main hurdles in capsule network research, and highlight promising research directions for future work.
India, with a population of 1.2 billion people, is the second largest emerging economy and second most populated country in the world. Life expectancy is 67 years and is expected to increase to 71 years by 2025 and to 77 years by 2050 [Figure 1].[1] Currently, approximately 10% of India’s population (more than 100 million) is aged over 50 years. Based on current patterns of growth, India’s population is expected to grow by 16% to reach 1.4 billion by 2025. From 2025 to 2050 the population will increase by a further 34%, reaching 1.88 billion [Figure 2].[1] Those above the age of 50 years will constitute 22% of the population in 2025 and 33% of the population in 2050. With estimates showing that approximately 80% of the urban Indian population is vitamin D deficient[2] and hip fractures occur about a decade earlier than in Western nations[3], osteoporosis is a major concern for this ageing population.
This article spotlights four transversal principles that animate Pierre Bourdieu’s research practice and can fruitfully guide inquiry on any empirical front: the Bachelardian imperative of epistemological rupture and vigilance; the Weberian command to effect the triple historicization of the agent (habitus), the world (social space, of which field is but a subtype), and the categories of the analyst (epistemic reflexivity); the Leibnizian-Durkheimian invitation to deploy the topological mode of reasoning to track the mutual correspondences between symbolic space, social space, and physical space; and the Cassirer moment urging us to recognize the constitutive efficacy of symbolic structures. I also flag three traps that Bourdieusian explorers of the social world should exercise special care to avoid: the fetishization of concepts, the seductions of “speaking Bourdieuse” while failing to carry out the research operations Bourdieu’s notions stipulate, and the forced imposition of his theoretical framework en bloc when it is more productively used in kit through transposition. These principles guiding the construction of the object are not theoretical slogans but practical blueprints for anthropological inquiry. This implies that mimesis and not exegesis should guide those social scientists who wish to build on, revise or challenge the scientific machinery and legacy of Pierre Bourdieu.
Multivariate electricity consumption series clustering can reflect trends of power consumption changes in the past time period, which can provide reliable guidance for electricity production. However, there are some abnormal series in the past multivariate electricity consumption series data, while outliers will affect the discovery of electricity consumption trends in different time periods. To address this problem, we propose a robust graph factorization model for multivariate electricity consumption clustering (RGF-MEC), which performs graph factorization and outlier discovery simultaneously. RGF-MEC first obtains a similarity graph by calculating distance among multivariate electricity consumption series data and then performs robust matrix factorization on the similarity graph. Meanwhile, the similarity graph is decomposed into a class-related embedding and a spectral embedding, where the class-related embedding directly reveals the final clustering results. Experimental results on realistic multivariate time-series datasets and multivariate electricity consumption series datasets demonstrate effectiveness of the proposed RGF-MEC model.
The use of bicycles facilitated by a college can be seen as one of the interesting phenomena because the campus is required to always ensure that the number of bicycles in each bicycle storage area (shelter) must return to normal when the beginning of the lecture starts every day. While the existence of the mobility process carried out by all stakeholders of the campus is very possible to occur the increation of bicycles in a shelter which also resulted in the reduction of bicycles in other shelters. Therefore, a method is needed to return the number of bicycles like the early morning according to the capacity of each shelter using the car that is transporting which is then called the rebalancing process of bicycle. In this study a model of the operational of the car carrier was designed during the rebalancing process. Therefore, information is needed on which shelter routes to visit and how many bicycles are moved from one shelter to another. This distribution problem is categorized as one form of vehicle routing problem (VRP) to minimize mileage of the car that is transporting of bikes.
Every comprehensive analysis of language acquisition should account for three different issues and specify their relationships: 1) the changing environment to which children are exposed during their development, 2) the characteristics of cognitive processes used by children to analyse the adults’ language and the inferences from which the y de­rive gramatical rules, and 3) children ‘s comprehension and production behavior at different moments of language development. These paper deals primarily with the first issue, and to a lesser extent with the second. The effects of vocabulary and morpitosyntactic simplification and adaptation of the  language used by parents when addressing children are discussed. It is suggested that language is taught under such conditions in an implicit ,manner. Finally, some cognitive processes necessary for language development in children are identfied, and some research strategies for the study of such processes are suggested.
Enterogenous cyst is a benign lesion derived from misplaced endodermal epithelium. We report the aspiration cytology findings of an orbital cyst from a 32‐year‐old woman. The smears contain benign‐appearing cuboidal glandular cells with focal mucinous features. Carcinoembryonic antigen level in the cyst fluid was markedly elevated. These findings are consistent with recurrence of the enterogenous cyst initially diagnosed 7 years earlier. Diagn. Cytopathol. 16:450–453, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Spreds form a new protein family with an N‐terminal Enabled/VASP homology 1 domain (EVH1), a central c‐Kit binding domain (KBD) and a C‐terminal Sprouty‐related domain (SPR). They are able to inhibit the Ras–ERK signalling pathway after various mitogenic stimulations. In mice, Spred proteins are identified as regulators of bone morphogenesis, hematopoietic processes, allergen‐induced airway eosinophilia and hyperresponsiveness. They inhibit cell motility and metastasis and have a high potential as tumor markers and suppressors of carcinogenesis. Moreover, in vertebrates, XtSpreds help together with XtSprouty proteins to coordinate gastrulation and mesoderm specification. Here, we give an overview of this new field and summarize the domain functions, binding partners, expression patterns and the cellular localizations, regulations and functions of Spred proteins and try to give perspectives for future scientific directions. BioEssays 29:897–907, 2007. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ABSTRACT This work presents an approximate solution method for the infinite-horizon nonlinear time-delay optimal control problem. A variational iteration method (VIM) is applied to design feedforward and feedback optimal controllers. By using the VIM, the original optimal control is transformed into a sequence of nonhomogeneous linear two-point boundary value problems (TPBVPs). The existence and uniqueness of the optimal control law are proved. The optimal control law obtained consists of an accurate linear feedback term and a nonlinear compensation term which is the limit of an adjoint vector sequence. The feedback term is determined by solving Riccati matrix differential equation. By using the finite-step iteration of a nonlinear compensation sequence, we can obtain a suboptimal control law. Simulation results demonstrate the validity and applicability of the VIM.
We examined the activity of individual cells in the primate anterior cingulate cortex during an economic choice task. In the experiments, monkeys chose between different juices offered in variables amounts and subjective values were inferred from the animals' choices. We analyzed neuronal firing rates in relation to a large number of behaviorally relevant variables. We report three main results. First, there were robust differences between the dorsal bank (ACCd) and the ventral bank (ACCv) of the cingulate sulcus. Specifically, neurons in ACCd but not in ACCv were modulated by the movement direction. Furthermore, neurons in ACCd were most active before movement initiation, whereas neurons in ACCv were most active after juice delivery. Second, neurons in both areas encoded the identity and the subjective value of the juice chosen by the animal. In contrast, neither region encoded the value of individual offers. Third, the population of value-encoding neurons in both ACCd and ACCv underwent range adaptation. With respect to economic choice, it is interesting to compare these areas with the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), previously examined. While neurons in OFC encoded both pre-decision and post-decision variables, neurons in ACCd and ACCv only encoded post-decision variables. Moreover, the encoding of the choice outcome (chosen value and chosen juice) in ACCd and ACCv trailed that found in OFC. These observations indicate that economic decisions (i.e., value comparisons) take place upstream of ACCd and ACCv. The coexistence of choice outcome and movement signals in ACCd suggests that this area constitutes a gateway through which the choice system informs motor systems.
Measure Accurately, Act Rapidly, and Partner With Patients (MAP) is an evidence‐based protocol implemented to improve hypertension control in a clinic for underserved patients (49.9% Medicaid and 50.2% black). Patients with hypertension seen during the year before intervention and with at least one visit during the 6‐month intervention (N = 714) were included. If initial attended blood pressure (BP; standard aneroid manometer) was ≥140/≥90 mm Hg, unattended automated office BP was measured in triplicate and averaged (Measure Accurately) using an Omron HEM‐907XL. When automated office BP was ≥140/≥90 mm Hg, Act Rapidly included intensification of antihypertensive medications, assessed by therapeutic inertia. Partner With Patients included BP self‐monitoring, reducing pill burden, and minimizing medication costs, which was assessed by systolic BP change per therapeutic intensification. Between baseline and the last study visit, BP control to <140/<90 mm Hg increased from 61.2% to 89.9% (P < .0001). MAP rapidly and significantly improved hypertension control in medically underserved patients, largely as a result of measuring BP accurately and partnering with patients.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of forage palm combined with different forages in the diet of F1 Holstein x Zebu cows, on the quality of Minas Frescal cheese. Two simultaneous 4 x 4 Latin squares were used in the experimental design. The treatments consisted of sorghum silage as the sole forage source; replacement of 50% sorghum silage by forage palm; elephant grass as the only forage source; 50% replacement of elephant grass by forage palm. Milk samples from each cow were analyzed for the chemical composition and the milk was pasteurized for cheese production. The gross and adjusted yields, texture, chemical and sensorial characteristics and fatty acid profile were evaluated. The chemical composition of the cheese was not influenced by the diets, as well as the sum of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, a lower stearic acid content was found in cheese from the milk of cows fed grass with forage palm and a lower value of conjugated linoleic acid for the diet with silage alone. In the consumer preference ranking test, the most preferred cheese was that of the sorghum silage diet and the least preferred was that of the sorghum silage/forage palm diet. In the overall impression, higher scores were assigned to cheeses of the treatments with exclusive silage or elephant grass. The replacement of 50% sorghum silage or elephant grass by the forage palm did not change the chemical composition of the Minas Frescal cheese, however, it modified the profile of fatty acids and decreased the acceptance and preference of cheese by the consumers.
The endo-polygalacturonase gene (endo-pgaA) was cloned from DNA of Aspergillus niger SC323 using the cDNA synthesized by overlapping PCR, and successfully expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae EBY100 through fusing the α-factor signal peptide of yeast. The full-length cDNA consists of 1,113 bp and encodes a protein of 370 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 38.8 kDa. After induction by galactose for 48 h, the activity of recombinant endo-PgaA in the culture supernatant can reach up to 1,448.48 U/mg. The recombinant protein was purified to homogeneity by ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel filtration column chromatography and subsequently characterized. The optimal pH and temperature of the purified recombinant enzyme were 5.0 and 50°C, respectively. The Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) and maximal velocity (Vmax) of the enzyme for pectin were 88.54 μmol/ml and 175.44 μmol/mg/min, respectively. The enzyme activity was enhanced by Ca(2+), Cu(2+), and Na(+), and strongly inhibited by Pb(2+) and Mn(2+). The pectin hydrolysates were mainly galacturonic acid and other oligo-galacturonates. Therefore, these characteristics suggest that the recombinant endo-PgaA may be of potential use in the food and feed industries.
Information on patients left by a nurse in a large British asylum in 1823 has suggested that the occurrence of schizophrenic symptoms in asylums was not uncommon at that time. This paper presents another nurse's report, this time an unpublished notebook from North America in the 1790s, indicating that schizophrenic symptomatology was rare during this period. The two nurses' accounts differ significantly, the one before 1800 reporting little schizophrenic symptomatology, and the one after reporting much. Nurses' accounts of phenomenology of this period adds evidence to the notion that schizophrenic symptoms were rare before 1800 and common afterwards.
The unsteady separated turbulent flow near the trailing edge of a loaded hydrofoil is often a source of hydroacoustic noise. Intense turbulence in this region may produce noise directly, but, at low Mach number, hydrodynamically forced structural motions may also radiate sound. In fact, interactions between the foil’s unsteady vortical wake flow and the hydrofoil structure may produce undesired self‐excited hydrodynamic‐vibratory resonances sometimes called ‘‘singing.’’ This presentation reports experimental results from a series of recent experiments focused on understanding and documenting these phenomena at chord‐based Reynolds numbers up to 60 million. The measurements include foil surface static and dynamic pressures, foil vibration, LDV‐determined average flow velocities and turbulence quantities, and PIV flow fields in the immediate vicinity of the foil’s trailing edge. The experiments are conducted at the US Navy’s Large Cavitation Channel with a two‐dimensional test‐section‐spanning hydrofoil (2....
The purpose of this study is to examine how the competitive advantage on international markets based on sustainable production is reflected in the pricing behavior of farmed fish, using Norwegian Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) as an example. The salmon is widely consumed and highly traded due to the rapid development of aquaculture. Norway, which has been successful in regulating and innovating for sustainable aquaculture, accounts for more than half of world production. A model dealing with pass-through of exchange rates and tariff rates based on the exporter’s profit maximization was applied to 28 major countries importing from Norway, using yearly panel data for 2000–2016. Significant evidence of price discrimination was observed in Asian countries where Norway has a high market share, such as China, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. This implies that the market structure of imperfect competition played a major role, suggesting the need to diversify imports to transform the market structure in favor of consumers in Asian countries. Research on the pricing behavior of fisheries products, including cultured fish, is limited in international trade. This paper addresses the gap by applying the pass-through model with changes in tariff rate as well as exchange rate.
Background: Price transparency allows patients to estimate surgical procedure costs, which can affect where they elect to receive care and should theoretically result in hospitals setting lower and more uniform prices. To elucidate the traditionally opaque nature of health care pricing, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has mandated that hospitals publicly release their pricing information. The authors sought to investigate the utility of price transparency for plastic surgery patients, who are uniquely situated to benefit because of the dominance of elective procedures. Methods: This study included 54 randomly chosen public and private hospitals. Pricing information for 15 common plastic surgery–related procedures was compiled from their websites. Results: One year after the ruling went into effect, only 13% of hospitals were fully compliant with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requirements for reporting standard charges. The most commonly reported plastic surgery procedures were adjacent tissue transfers (CPT codes 14000, 14001, 14301, and 14302), with an average of 32.4% of hospitals listing pricing data. The 25.9% of hospitals reporting the immediate insertion of breast implants (CPT code 19340) pricing presented a wide range of gross prices, from $2346.09 to $29,969.35. Free and pedicled flaps (CPT codes 19364, 19361, 19367, 19368, and 19369) were less commonly reported than autologous tissue transfer or nonflap breast procedures (P = 0.00). Conclusions: A comparative analysis of published prices provides a starting point for surgeons to recommend facilities to patients based on price. However, significant variability was observed in data presentation, reported procedures, and listed prices. These inconsistencies in reporting and unrealistic ranges in price render the comparison of plastic surgery prices among hospitals impractical.
HYDROCARBON AND CARBON MONOXIDE OXIDATION CATALYSTS HAVING GOOD CATALYTIC ACTIVITY, STABILITY, AND IMPROVED PHYSICAL DURABILITY WERE DEVELOPED. BASED ON LABORATORY TESTS, THESE CATALYSTS SHOULD MEET THE INTER-INDUSTRY EMISSION CONTROL PROGRAM HC AND CO EMISSION LEVELS AND THE DURABILITY GOALS IN VEHICLES IN WHICH HC, CO, AND NO(X) GOALS ARE ACHIEVED SIMULTANEOUSLY. DEVELOPMENT OF THESE CATALYSTS HAS BEEN AIDED BY A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND BY UNIQUE EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES. LABORATORY TESTS WERE COMPLEMENTED BY VEHICLE DURABILITY EVALUATIONS WHICH INDICATED THAT AFTER MILEAGE ACCUMULATION CATALYST LOSS TOOK PLACE. IMPROVED CONVERTER DESIGNS AND MORE ATTRITION RESISTANT CATALYSTS HAVE IMPROVED SYSTEM DURABILITY. LAB TESTS PREDICT THAT SOME CATALYSTS WILL MEET GOALS FOR MORE THAN 12,000 MILES WITH LEADED FUEL, AND A LARGER NUMBER WILL MEET GOALS FOR 50,000 MILES WITH LOW LEADED OR UNLEADED FUEL. /HSL/
Increasingly, top-tier journalism and media schools are entering into partnerships with mainstream media organizations to create and distribute student-produced content. While internships have long been a sanctioned way students learn professional practices, downturns in the economy have led to reductions in paid internship programs. On the rise are digital era practicums, which often challenge students to produce content that is on par with professional work. This investigates how students and educators at three universities experience and compare internships with practicums. It looks at benefits, costs, and concerns.
In this work, silicone softener (PTSO-PEG) was synthesized, with piperazine terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PTSO) and epoxy terminated polyethylene glycol (EPEG) as raw materials. Chemical structure of PTSO-PEG was characterized by (1)H NMR, FTIR, GPC, and TGA. Its application on cotton fabrics was studied. Morphologies of silicone modified surfaces on cotton fabrics and silicon wafers were investigated by SEM and AFM, respectively. The morphology images indicated that PTSO-PEG treated surface was macroscopically smooth and microscopically rough. Performance properties of silicone treated cotton fabrics, including hydrophilicity, whiteness, and softness, were tested. The results showed that PTSO-PEG treated cotton fabrics expressed better whiteness and hydrophilicity than traditional amino silicone treated sample. The piperazine and hydrophilic polyether groups on PTSO-PEG molecules disturbed the continuous and orderly arrangement of Si-CH3 groups, giving the cotton a hydrophilic and rough surface. This work provided a cost-effective and environmental method to synthesize and apply high performance silicone softener.
Significance Central topics in evolutionary biology include uncovering the processes and genetic bases of speciation and documenting environmental adaptations and processes responsible for them. The challenging environment of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) facilitates such investigations, and the Tibetan frog, Nanorana parkeri, offers a unique opportunity to investigate these processes. A cohort of whole-genome sequences of 63 individuals from across its entire range opens avenues for incorporating population genomics into studies of speciation. Natural selection plays an important role in maintaining and driving the continuing divergence and reproductive isolation of populations of the species. The QTP is a natural laboratory for studying how selection drives adaptation, how environments influence evolutionary history, and how these factors can interact to provide insight into speciation. Tibetan frogs, Nanorana parkeri, are differentiated genetically but not morphologically along geographical and elevational gradients in a challenging environment, presenting a unique opportunity to investigate processes leading to speciation. Analyses of whole genomes of 63 frogs reveal population structuring and historical demography, characterized by highly restricted gene flow in a narrow geographic zone lying between matrilines West (W) and East (E). A population found only along a single tributary of the Yalu Zangbu River has the mitogenome only of E, whereas nuclear genes of W comprise 89–95% of the nuclear genome. Selection accounts for 579 broadly scattered, highly divergent regions (HDRs) of the genome, which involve 365 genes. These genes fall into 51 gene ontology (GO) functional classes, 14 of which are likely to be important in driving reproductive isolation. GO enrichment analyses of E reveal many overrepresented functional categories associated with adaptation to high elevations, including blood circulation, response to hypoxia, and UV radiation. Four genes, including DNAJC8 in the brain, TNNC1 and ADORA1 in the heart, and LAMB3 in the lung, differ in levels of expression between low- and high-elevation populations. High-altitude adaptation plays an important role in maintaining and driving continuing divergence and reproductive isolation. Use of total genomes enabled recognition of selection and adaptation in and between populations, as well as documentation of evolution along a stepped cline toward speciation.
In this paper we introduce a corpus based variationist approach to the study of language change, which hinges on the definition and explicit coding of variables and variants, or competing ‘ways of saying the same thing’, within their usage in corpus data. We use multiple extensible annotation levels to examine variants in the development of relative clauses from Old High German to Modern German, using four comparable deeply annotated corpora of different German language stages. We compare the frequencies of different grammatical categories such as word forms, parts of speech and syntactic constructions to diagnose the most significant changes that are evident in our corpus, and show the advantages of dynamically reexamining quantitative results and categorization systems. Finally we discuss in how far our approach can support theories on language change and lead to insights which enrich previous theoretical accounts.
Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) offers a powerful means to enhance the Raman scattering signal of a molecule as the localized surface plasmonic resonance will induce a significant local electric field enhancement in the nanoscale hot spot located within the nanogap of the TERS system. In this work, we theoretically show that this nanoscale hot spot can also serve as powerful optical tweezers to tightly trap a molecule. We calculate and analyze the local electric field and field gradient distribution of this nanogap plasmon hot spot. Due to the highly localized electric field, a three-dimensional optical trap can form at the hot spot. Moreover, the optical energy density and optical force acting on a molecule can be greatly enhanced to a level far exceeding the conventional single laser beam optical tweezers. Calculations show that for a single H2TBPP organic molecule, which is modeled as a spherical molecule with a radius of rm=1  nm, a dielectric coefficient e=3, and a polarizability α=4.5×10−38  C·m2/V, the stiffness of the hot-spot trap can reach a high value of about 2  pN/[(W/cm2)·m] and 40  pN/[(W/cm2)·m] in the direction perpendicular and parallel to the TERS tip axis, which is far larger than the stiffness of single-beam tweezers, ∼0.4  pN/[(W/cm2)·m]. This hard-stiffness will enable the molecules to be stably captured in the plasmon hot spot. Our results indicate that TERS can become a promising tool of optical tweezers for trapping a microscopic object like molecules while implementing Raman spectroscopic imaging and analysis at the same time.
Abstract  There is evidence that a stationary short memory process that encounters occasional structural break can show the properties of long memory processes or persistence behaviour which may lead to extreme weather condition. In this chapter, we applied three techniques for testing the long memory for six daily rainfall datasets in Kelantan area. The results explained that all the datasets exhibit long memory. An empirical fluctuation process was employed to test for structural changes using the ordinary least square (OLS)-based cumulative sum (CUSUM) test. The result also shows that structural change was spotted in all datasets. A long memory testing was then engaged to the datasets that were subdivided into their respective break and the results displayed that the subseries follows the same pattern as the original series. Hence, this indicated that there exists a true long memory in the data generating process (DGP) although structural break occurs within the data series.
Recently the vacuum structure of a large class of four dimensional (supersymmetric) quantum field theories was determined exactly. These theories exhibit a wide range of interesting new physical phenomena. One of the main new insights is the role of ``electric-magnetic duality.'' In its simplest form it describes the long distance behavior of some strongly coupled, and hence complicated, ``electric theories'' in terms of weakly coupled ``magnetic theories.'' This understanding sheds new light on confinement and the Higgs mechanism and uncovers new phases of four dimensional gauge theories. We review these developments and speculate on the outlook.
Background: In this study, we mainly aimed to explore the correlation between galloflavin and NLRP3 and its effect on colorectal cancer. Methods: NLRP3 was overexpressed in SW480 cells; LPS + ATP was used to mimic the inflammatory microenvironment. Wound healing assay and Transwell assay were utilized to detect cell migration and invasion abilities; CCK-8 assay was performed to detect cell viability alterations; colony formation assay was conducted to detect colony formation ability; Western blot was used to detect the levels of NLRP3, ASC, C-Myc, and P21. SW480 cells were pretreated with high-dose and low-dose galloflavin, followed by observation of their effects on cell metastasis and invasion. NLRP3 was knocked out in SW480 to construct the SW480-NLRP3−/− cell line, followed by high-dose galloflavin treatment and subsequent observation of cell metastasis and invasion abilities. Small molecule–protein docking and pull-down assay were performed to confirm the targeting relationship between galloflavin and NLRP3. After constructing a tumor-bearing mice model, galloflavin was intragastrically administered, followed by detection of tumor growth, expression of NLRP3 and ASC by immunohistochemistry, and tumor histopathology by H&E staining. Results: After NLRP3 overexpression and LPS/ATP induction in SW480, the cell migration and invasion abilities were significantly enhanced, and cell viability was also enhanced. The activation of NLRP3 could promote the malignant behavior of colorectal cancer cells in the inflammatory microenvironment. Galloflavin treatment could significantly attenuate the malignant behavior of SW480 in the inflammatory microenvironment and inhibit the migration and invasion capabilities of SW480. The knockout of NLRP3 inhibited the effect of galloflavin, which did not significantly change the migration and invasion abilities. Molecular docking and pull-down assay revealed a targeted binding relationship between galloflavin and NLRP3 and that galloflavin is bound to NLRP3 not ASC protein. Moreover, galloflavin could inhibit tumor growth and decrease the expression of NLRP in tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion: In this study, we found that NLRP3 could promote the migration and invasion of colorectal cancer cells in the inflammatory microenvironment. Galloflavin could inhibit the malignant behavior of colorectal cancer cells by targeting NLRP3.
In Sasaki et al.’s article, Letter to the Editor: Temporary inhalation anaesthesia in experimental pigs (Lab Anim 2010;44:69–70), a device for short-term inhalation anaesthesia with sevoflurane in ketamine/metedomidine-sedated mini-pigs was presented. The device consists of a 500 mL beaker (standard laboratory glassware), three pieces of gauze (30 30 cm) and a cut-off surgical glove. The pieces of gauze were soaked with 5 mL of sevoflurane. The device covered the pig’s maxilla, nose and mandible. The device was fitted closely to the animal’s nose by means of the surgical glove to prevent leakage of sevoflurane. The animals were removed from the device when the respiratory rate decreased and palpebral reflex disappeared. The Committee for Anaesthesia, Analgesia and Pain Prophylaxis of the Society for Laboratory Animal Science comments on this publication as follows: The anaesthesia procedure using this device appears easy to perform, cheap and practical but in our opinion it is potentially harmful to both animals and man for the reasons detailed below.
The alimentary system may be thought of as an open-ended tube within a tube that begins at the oral cavity and ends at the anus. Gastrointestinal lumens are potential spaces that accommodate ingested substances and are lined by polarized epithelium that is smooth and shiny (with the exception of the rumen) when healthy and intact. Because xenobiotics most frequently enter the body via ingestion, the gastrointestinal system and its ancillary glands are the first line of defense against foreign materials and pathogens of all types. The anatomic, biochemical, physical, secretory, and endocrinologic properties of the epithelium, resident, and blood-borne effector cells, microbiota, genetic polymorphisms, and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (which comprises one-quarter of the body’s total) must be physically or functionally altered for diarrhea to occur. The average person ingests 700 tons of antigens in their lifetime. That enteritis does not occur more often than it does is testimony to the efficacy of gastrointestinal protective systems.
Erika Seres Huszárik, PhDr., PhD. candidate, assistant professor, Assistant professor of marketing and economics, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, J. Selye University (Komárno, Slovakia); László Józsa, Prof. Dr., CSc., professor, Professor of marketing, Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, J. Selye University (Komárno, Slovakia); Andrej Hevesi, Mgr., PhD. candidate, assistant, Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Economics, J. Selye University (Komárno, Slovakia)
V2X communication technology has been steadily developed and recently it has played an important role in autonomous cooperation driving technology combined with autonomous vehicle technology. Autonomous vehicles can utilize the external information received via V2X communication to extend the recognition range of existing sensors and to support more safe and natural autonomous driving. In order to operate these autonomous cooperative vehicles on public roads, the security and reliability of autonomous V2X communication should be verified in advance.
The need to find new nanoparticles for biomedical applications is pushing the limits of the fabrication methods. New techniques with versatilities beyond the extended chemical routes can provide new insight in the field. In particular, gas aggregation sources offer the possibility to fabricate nanoparticles with controlled size, composition, and structure out of thermodynamics. In this context, the milestone is the optimization of the dispersion and functionalization processes of nanoparticles once fabricated by these routes as they are generated in the gas phase and deposited on substrates in vacuum or ultra-high vacuum conditions. In the present work we propose a fabrication route in ultra-high vacuum that is compatible with the subsequent dispersion and functionalization of nanoparticles in aqueous media and, which is more remarkable, in one single step. In particular, we will present the fabrication of nanoparticles with a sputter gas aggregation source using a Fe50B50 target and their further dispersion and functionalization with polyethyleneglycol (PEG). Characterization of these nanoparticles is carried out before and after PEG functionalization. During functionalization, significant boron dissolution occurs, which facilitates nanoparticle dispersion in the aqueous solution. The use of different complementary techniques allows us to prove the PEG attachment onto the surface of the nanoparticles, creating a shell to make them biocompatible. The result is the formation of nanoparticles with a structure mainly composed by a metallic Fe core and an iron oxide shell, surrounded by a second PEG shell dispersed in aqueous solution. Relaxivity measurements of these PEG-functionalized nanoparticles assessed their effectiveness as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis. Therefore, this new fabrication route is a reliable alternative for the synthesis of nanoparticles for biomedicine.
Extreme Ultra Violet (EUV) lithography is one of the most promising candidate technologies for the high-volume manufacturing (HVM) of semiconductor devices at the sub-14 nm half pitch lines and spaces (LS) pattern for 7 nm node and beyond. EUV resists is strongly required high resolution (R) with high sensitivity (S) and low line edge/ width roughness (L) for HVM application. Experimental results on chemically amplified (CA) resist will be shown to study the influence of proton source, photo acid generator (PAG) cation and the other materials on lithographic performance, and then resist formulation designed for improving RLS trade-off will be discussed.
Case: We present a case of a (65°) bent intramedullary nail (IMN) in a humerus after a pseudoarthrosis in a 65-year-old man. Bent IMNs have been described in femurs and tibias, but are considered rare. Possibly even rarer is the bending of a humeral IMN. This report provides an overview of removal techniques and our approach to this uncommon complication: open sectioning of the bent IMN and 2-piece extraction through the fracture site. Conclusion: Removal of a bent or broken IMN is a rare and challenging surgical problem. A bent humeral IMN requires a different and more careful approach for extraction than bent nails in the lower extremity, given the greater potential for neurovascular disruption.
We are using the techniques of neutron and x-ray powder diffraction to learn more about the driving forces for structural transformations in Pu metal. This research is currently being conducted in three areas: (1) understanding the low melting point of Pu, (2) measuring the intergranular stresses that arise in solid-solid phase transitions of Pu, and (3) determining whether the idiosyncratic crystal structures of Pu are stabilized by Pu atoms in different valence states at different crystallographic sites.
Many species exhibit polyploidy. The presence of more than one diploid set of similar chromosomes in polyploids can affect the assortment of homologous chromosomes, resulting in unbalanced gametes. Therefore, a mechanism is required to ensure the correct assortment and segregation of chromosomes for gamete formation. Ploidy has been shown to affect gene expression. We present in this study an example of a major effect on a phenotype induced by ploidy within the Triticeae. We demonstrate that centromeres associate early during anther development in polyploid species. In contrast, centromeres in diploid species only associate at the onset of meiotic prophase. We propose that this mechanism provides a potential route by which chromosomes can start to be sorted before meiosis in polyploids. This explains previous reports indicating that meiotic prophase is shorter in polyploids than in their diploid progenitors. Even artificial polyploids exhibit this phenotype, suggesting that the mechanism must be present in diploids, but only expressed in the presence of more than one diploid set of chromosomes.
We propose a new area for wearable technology and interaction by acquiring gastrointestinal signals non-invasively from the abdomen. The mind-gut connection has flourished as a research area in the past two decades, elucidating the guts key role in stress, affect, and memory. Meanwhile, engineering advancements have shown potential in accuracy of non-invasive gastric recordings. Here, we investigate the design and specification of a wearable system for the recording of gut-brain activity non-invasively. We also present results from a preliminary pilot test of a wearable gut-brain computer interface (GBCI).
Abstract Background Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the pilosebaceous unit. Systemic isotretinoin (SI) is an effective, synthetic vitamin A derivative in the treatment of resistant acne or nodulocystic acne. This study aimed to investigate uric acid levels and laboratory parameters in patients receiving isotretinoin treatment. Materials and methods This study included 114 patients who were under SI treatment of 0.2–0.5 mg/kg/day aged between 17 and 44 years old. We retrospectively evaluated total cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, creatinine, creatinine kinase, uric acid, thrombocyte (Plt), and leucocyte (WBC) levels prior and on the fourth month of the treatment from the patients’ records and compared these data statistically. Results The AST, creatinine kinase, cholesterol, triglyceride, and thrombocyte levels were significantly different (p<.001, p<.001, p<.001, p<.001, and p=.02, respectively), and no statistically significant differences were noted among the uric acid, creatinine, ALT, and WBC levels in the comparison of the baseline values and values at the fourth month of treatment (p>.05). Conclusions SI treatment of 0.2–0.5 mg/kg/day did not make significant alterations on serum uric acid levels. Besides, all alterations occurred within normal ranges.
Objective Current polysomnography-validated measures of sleep status from wrist-worn accelerometers cannot be used in fully automated analysis as they rely on self-reported sleep-onset and -end (sleep-boundary) information. We set out to develop an automated, data-driven approach to sleep-boundary detection from wrist-worn accelerometer data. Methods On three separate occasions, participants were asked to wear a GENEActiv® wrist-worn accelerometer for nine days and concurrently complete sleep diaries with lights-off, asleep and wake-up information. We developed and evaluated three data-driven methods for sleep-boundary detection: a change-point detection based method, a thresholding method and a random forest classifier based method. Mean absolute errors between automatically-derived and self-reported sleep-onset and wake-up times were recorded in addition to kappa statistics for the minute-by-minute performance of each of the methods. Results 46 participants provided 972 days of accelerometer recordings with corresponding self-reported sleep information. The three sleep-boundary detection methods resulted in mean absolute errors in sleep-onset and wake-up times per individual of 36 min, 34 min and 33 min and kappa statistics of 0.87, 0.89 and 0.89, respectively. Conclusion Our methods provide a data-driven approach to detect sleep-onset and -end times without the need for self-reported sleep-boundary information. The methods are likely to be of particular use for large-scale studies where the collection of self-reported sleep diaries is impractical. Significance Objective measures of sleep are needed to reliably detect associations with health outcomes. This work lays the foundation for studies of objectively measured sleep duration and its health consequences in large studies.
In this letter we report the successful combination of a low‐loss buried waveguide providing two‐dimensional optical confinement with an active gain medium. We have thereby realized a planar and monolithic composite cavity laser where the laser cavity consists of distinct regions of optical gain combined with distinct regions of low‐loss optical waveguide. The low threshold currents of these strucures (<10 mA) confirm the low loss and waveguiding nature of the waveguide regions. The ability to make these types of structures has applications for window lasers, monolithic waveguides, and monolithic integration of electrical and optical components.
Material recognition from a single image is a challenging problem in the computer vision field due to the lack of reliable and discriminative features. Previous approaches employ off-the-shelf features such as SIFT descriptors or filter bank response to build material recognition systems. The recent success of deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) in object recognition motivated us to evaluate their performance in material recognition tasks. In this paper, we tested the generality of several CNN architectures, including VGGNet [31], GoogLeNet [32], Inception V3 [33] and ResNet [10], on two commonly used material datasets: Flickr Material Database (FMD) and Materials IN Context database (MINC). The results show that the best performing CNN architecture, i.e., Inception V3, achieves at least 5% boost on FMD compared with the other networks and almost reaches human's performance. The results on MINC-2500 also exhibit the state-of-the-art level.
How do humans attend to and pick out relevant auditory objects amongst all other sounds in the environment? Based on neurophysiological findings we propose two task oriented attentional mechanisms acting as Bayesian priors which act on two separate levels of processing: a sensory mapping stage and object representation stage. The former sensory stage is modeled as a high dimensional mapping which captures the spectrotemporal nuances and cues of auditory objects. The latter object representation stage then captures the statistical distribution of the different classes of acoustic scenes. This scheme shows a relative improvement in performance by 81% compared to a baseline system.
This paper introduces a call admission control (CAC) strategy for LTE femtocell networks supporting multimedia services with different classes of traffic and diverse bandwidth requirements. In this work, the multiservice CAC strategy composes of two parts: subscriber authentication and queuing admission control. Theoretical analysis and simulation are performed on three key principles. Comparing with the typical strategy, simulation results indicate that better probabilistic connection-level QoS parameters are achieved by using the proposed strategy. Keywordsfemtocell; HeNB; LTE; CAC; CSG
The purpose of this study was to examine if instructors’ self-disclosures in the college classroom (i.e., amount, relevance, negativity) influence students’ instructional dissent responses (i.e., expressive, rhetorical, vengeful) and learning outcomes (i.e., cognitive learning, affective learning, motivation). In line with research by Ellis (2004), this study attempted to explain these associations by incorporating students’ receiver apprehension as a mediating variable. Participants were 206 undergraduate students who completed surveys, and results were examined using two path analyses. Results indicated that students’ state receiver apprehension mediated the relationships between instructor self-disclosure with learning outcomes and instructional dissent responses. Specifically, frequent, relevant, but not negative (positive) instructor self-disclosure was related indirectly (mediated by student receiver apprehension) to both student dissent responses and learning outcomes.
Ask a typical high school student to draw a picture of how a bar magnet works and most of the drawings produced will show a “+” and “−” sign at the two ends. Some students will write “N” and “S.” If you then ask some follow-up questions, they will often resort to talking about “charges” being responsible for the magnetism. For several years, I have tried to tackle this prevalent misconception and guide students toward a more sophisticated model of domains, with at least one unexpected outcome along the way. This year, my AP Physics B class helped me develop a simple demonstration that may convince some students that charges are not in charge of magnetism.1
We examine the effects of negative economic news reporting on companies' self-assessment of their business situation. In order to measure this negativity effect, we introduce a new daily business indicator for the Swiss manufacturing sector and examine the influence of newspaper articles, which we scan for particular keywords, on a daily basis. We use OLS and VAR models to examine the mutual influence of negative news and the business situation of private companies. The results show a negative influence of news reporting on the self-assessment of the companies surveyed, also when controlling for the overall economic situation. However, the negative effect is not stable in all our set-ups.
Dpto. Fisica Basica, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, 38206-Tenerife, Spain(Dated: February 1, 2008)We have considered the ballistic propagation of the 2D electron Wigner distribution, which isexcited by an ultrashort optical pulse from a short-range impurity into the ﬁrst quantized subband ofa selectively-doped heterostructure with high mobility. Transient ionization of a deep local state intoa continuum conduction c-band state is described. Since the quantum nature of the photoexcitation,the Wigner distribution over 2D plane appears to be an alternating-sign function. Due to a negativecontribution to the Wigner function, the mean values (concentration, energy, and ﬂow) demonstratean oscillating transient evolution in contrast to the diﬀusive classical regime of propagation.
The mouth representation of the human, primary motor cortex (M1) is not reliably identified by surface anatomy but may be reliably localized by means of spatial coordinates. For this report, three quantitative metanalyses were performed which jointly described the mean location, location variability and location-probability profiles of the human M1-mouth representation. First, a literature metanalysis of intersubject functional-area variability was performed using eleven, per-subject studies, each of which reported a coordinate-referenced measure of intersubject variability for one or more brain areas. From these data, a weighted-mean value for intersubject variability was computed, which proved to be small (5.6 mm, standard deviation), consistent across coordinate axes (x, y, z), and consistent across brain areas. Second, a literature metanalysis of the location of M1-mouth was performed using seven, coordinate-referenced, group-mean studies (71 subjects in all), each of which reported a grand-average location for M1-mouth. From this, a weighted-mean location and weighted values for total variability (interlaboratory plus interindividual) were determined. Using these two literature metanalyses as input data, location-probability profiles were computed for the cardinal axes (x, y, and z) of the reference space, using the functional volumes modeling (FVM) statistical model. Third, an original-data metanalysis was performed on in-house PET data from 30 normal subjects performing overt-speech tasks. M1-mouth's mean location, location variability, and location-probability profiles were consistent with those conjointly modeled by FVM from the two literature metanalyses. Collectively, these observations provide a detailed, consensus probabilistic description of the location of the human M1-mouth representation in standardized coordinates.
The sharable content object reference model (SCORM) has become a popular standard for sharing and reusing teaching materials in the field of e-learning. However, efficient retrieval of SCORM-compliant learning objects stored on grid environments is a challenging problem. In this paper, a performance-based approach is proposed to retrieve teaching materials in grid environments. The proposed architecture uses the real-time information gathered by a resource-monitoring tool to estimate the dynamically changing performance of each node, for CPU loading and network bandwidth. In addition, a grid testbed is built to implement the model. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can choose the most appropriate site to reduce the retrieval time
The authors propose an architecture of global communication networks with dynamic functions based on the concept of Flexible Network. The dynamic function enhances the capability of communication networks to deal with various changes detected in both human users and networked environment. In our architecture, a new Flexible Network Layer is introduced between the application layer and the IP network layer of the global communication networks. To elaborate the functions of the Flexible Network Layer, we demonstrate an agent based model of the Flexible Network Layer for a multimedia communication application and discuss the properties of the proposed architecture.
This paper presents a procedure to synthesize planar linkages, composed of rigid links and revolute joints, capable of approximating a shape change defined by a set of curves. These “morphing curves” differ from each other by a combination of rigid-body displacement and shape change. Rigid link geometry is determined through analysis of piecewise linear curves to achieve shape-change approximation, and increasing the number of links improves the approximation. A mechanism is determined through connecting the rigid links into a single chain and adding dyads to eliminate degrees of freedom. The procedure is applied to two open-chain examples.
PURPOSE To evaluate the physical and chemical compatibilities of treprostinil sodium and dopamine hydrochloride.   METHODS Treprostinil sodium (4,000, 76,000, and 500,000 ng/mL) were mixed with dopamine hydrochloride (0.6, 3.2, 6, and 40 mg/mL). Samples were obtained at hours 0, 1, 2, and 4 for physical compatibility and chemical stability testing. Physical compatibility was assessed by visual examination and measurements of turbidity and pH. Drug concentrations were assessed using stability-indicating liquid chromatography mass spectrophotometry (LCMS) for treprostinil sodium and stability-indicating high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for dopamine hydrochloride.   RESULTS Treprostinil sodium 4,000 and 76,000 ng/mL, when mixed with dopamine hydrochloride 0.6, 3.2, 6, and 40 mg/mL, were stable for 4 hours. Treprostinil sodium 500,000 ng/mL was stable when mixed with dopamine hydrochloride 0.6 mg/mL for 4 hours, but when mixed with dopamine hydrochloride 3.2, 6, and 40 mg/mL, significant precipitation was seen.   CONCLUSION Treprostinil sodium 4,000 and 76,000 ng/mL were stable for 4 hours during simulated Y-site coadministration with dopamine hydrochloride 0.6, 3.2, 6, and 40 mg/mL. Treprostinil sodium 500,000 ng/mL is stable when mixed with dopamine hydrochloride 0.6 mg/mL.
There are hundreds of proteins in saliva. Although it has long been hypothesized that these proteins modulate taste by interacting with taste receptors or taste stimuli, the functional impact of these proteins on feeding remains relatively unexplored. We have developed a new technique for saliva collection that does not interfere with daily behavioral testing and allows us to explore the relationship between feeding behavior and salivary protein expression. First, we monitored the alterations in salivary protein expression while simultaneously monitoring the animals' feeding behavior and meal patterns on a custom control diet or on the same diet mixed with 3% tannic acid. We demonstrated that six protein bands increased in density with dietary tannic acid exposure. Several of these bands were significantly correlated with behaviors thought to represent both orosensory and postingestive signaling. In a follow-up experiment, unconditioned licking to 0.01–3% tannic acid solutions was measured during a brief-access taste test before and after exposure to the tannic acid diet. In this experiment, rats with salivary proteins upregulated found the tannin solution less aversive (i.e., licked more) than those in the control condition. These data suggest a role for salivary proteins in mediating changes in both orosensory and postingestive feedback.
In this work, a robust stabilizability condition for discrete-time interconnected systems is derived from the quadratically delay-robust dissipativity of the open-loop subsystems and the asymptotically positive realness constraint (APRC) presented previously. Linear interconnections with a single coupling delay element and persistent input disturbances are the essences of this development. A globally robust stabilizable invariant set for the coupling delayed system subject to state and input constraints is considered and incorporated into the quadratic dissipativity criteria. For application, the APRC is subsequently converted into a convex stability constraint for the local MPC optimization. Stability constraints are artificial constraints adding to the optimization problem of MPC solely for the stability assurance purpose.
It has been introduced a new generalization of superimposed codes that finds application to the design of efficient algorithms for a variant of group testing known as group testing with inhibitors (GTI). Families associated to these codes have the property that for every q + Sigma<sub>i=1</sub> <sup>s</sup> p<sub>i</sub> pairwise different members F<sub>1</sub> <sup>1</sup>,hellip,F<sub>p1</sub> <sup>1</sup>,hellip, F<sub>1</sub> <sup>s</sup>,hellip,F<sub>ps</sub> <sup>s</sup>,G<sub>1</sub>, hellip,G<sub>q</sub> of the family it holds cap<sub>i=1</sub> <sup>s</sup> cup<sub>j=1</sub> <sup>pi</sup> F<sub>j</sub> <sup>i</sup> nsube cup<sub>i=1</sub> <sup>q</sup> G<sub>j</sub>. In this paper we present a lower bound on the minimum length of the generalized superimposed codes of A. De Bonis.
Citizenship education invokes dilemmas even for the most committed teachers and students, researchers, and innovators. How can citizenship education advance equity and equal rights within highly unequal schools and societies? How can it support young people to feel they have the competence, confidence, and right to vote and to challenge injustice? How can we be sure international human rights are realities, not merely passing ideologies? This paper argues that rights really exist as expressions of visceral embodied human needs and moral desires that are integral to human relationships. Rights also serve as powerful legal structures that can help to prevent and remedy wrongs, and they work as enduring high standards and aspirations. The paper suggests how critical realism can help educators to resolve dilemmas in theoretical education about rights as knowledge, principles, and mechanisms, and in practical education that enables students to enjoy and exercise their rights and respect those of other people.
An accurate electron energy loss formula, modified from that of F. Rohrlich and B.C. Carls (1954), is presented which is useful in the energy range from a few tens of electron volts to 10 keV. Higher order z3 corrections, which are similar to those for heavy charged particles, and z2 corrections, defined as deviations from the equipartition rule, are taken into account. For energies below 200 eV, the semiempirical effective charge of electrons, adjusted to fit the semiempirical formula of L.R. Peterson and A.E.S. Green (1968) is introduced. The calculated stopping powers are in good agreement with semiempirical formulae for intermediate energies.
Received August 3, 2009; accepted October 20, 2009.   It has been proposed that modest levels of stored iron, far less than conventional iron overload, promote cardiovascular disease and that sustained iron depletion is protective against it.1–6 This so-called “iron hypothesis” was initially presented as an explanation for the sex difference in cardiovascular disease and the increase in disease after menopause. The idea, although continually debated for >25 years, has achieved some standing as a plausible and testable hypothesis.7–18  No definitive test of the hypothesis has yet been published. A first randomized clinical trial to partially address the hypothesis was recently reported.7 The first randomized clinical trial7 had 2 key limitations as a general test of the idea: (1) it was a trial of secondary prevention and (2) the iron reduction protocol fell far short of achieving full iron depletion. Zacharski et al7 reported that reducing iron stores significantly improves survival for patients with symptomatic but stable peripheral arterial disease, if iron reduction begins before the age of 60 years. The first randomized clinical trial provides compelling support for a new trial designed to fully test the original hypothesis.  Controversial results from multiple epidemiological studies investigating a variety of atherosclerotic events using all kinds of variable parameters of body iron load have presented a confusing picture regarding the iron hypothesis.19 Confusion became complete when it appeared that patients with homozygous hemochromatosis who were afflicted with serious life-long iron overload had no increase in atherosclerosis and might even be protected against atherosclerosis. In the debate on the hypothesis, the disease pattern in homozygous hemochromatosis has been perceived as perhaps the most persuasive evidence against the hypothesis.20 This “hemochromatosis paradox” is seen as an anomaly that makes the hypothesis untenable for some observers. How can normal …
Most cancer-related deaths are caused by the hematogenous spread of cancer cells to distant organs and their subsequent metastasis. During the early stages of the metastatic cascade, cancer cells disseminate from the primary site via the lymphatic vessels and/or by hematogenous routes. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cancer cells that have disseminated into the systemic circulation, may be a predictor of poor prognosis in several carcinomas. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the blood-borne dissemination of cancer cells may help to clarify the process of metastasis and provide a powerful and non-invasive approach for anticancer treatments that are tailored to individual patients.
Four new cephalosporins, cefotaxime, cefpimizole (U 63196E), BMY 28142, and HR 810 were evaluated in experimental pneumococcal meningitis. Cefotaxime penetrated only moderately into the cerebrospinal fluid of rabbits with meningitis, whereas cefpimizole, BMY 28142, and HR 810 all exhibited unusually good penetration. The bactericidal activity in infected cerebrospinal fluid was comparable for the four drugs.
Purpose A method of diagnosing the extent and severity of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) stenoses is multi-slice computed tomographic angiography (MS-CTA). The aim of this prospective study was to assess the accuracy of MS-CTA for the detection and grading of stenoses in AVF in comparison to digital subtraction angiography (DSA), which was used as the gold standard of reference. Methods Fifteen hemodialysis (HD) patients with dysfunctioning forearm AVF were included. These AVFs were evaluated by both DSA and MS-CTA and were read in a prospective, blinded manner by two radiologists experienced in vascular imaging. Results ROC analysis revealed areas under the curve of 0.90 ± 0.07 for observer I and 0.87 ± 0.08 for observer II at a stenosis cut-off level of ≥50% diameter reduction. The combined results for MS-CTA showed sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of 82%, 98%, 82% and 98% for stenoses ≥50% and 71%, 99%, 77% and 98% for stenoses ≥75%. Inter-observer agreement for the detection of stenoses ≥50% diameter reduction was 0.70 and 1.0, for MS-CTA and DSA, respectively. Conclusion MS-CTA can provide good visualization of forearm HD access AVF and has moderate sensitivity, but high specificity for the detection of flow-limiting stenoses.
Sr-HA/Glass composites were produced. Phase composition of composites was evaluated. Their physical and mechanical properties were determined. Sintered composites mainly consisted of Sr-HA/β-TCP, or β-TCP/Ca2ZnSi2O7. The composites had porosity up to 4 times those of undoped Sr-HA. Compared to undoped Sr-HA, the Sr-HA/Glass composites had lower biaxial flexural strength and hardness. The Weibull modulus for the composites ranged from 2.77 to 18.74.
Fold and thrust belts (FTBs), formed by the collision of two continental plates, accommodate tectonic convergence through folding and faulting of crustal rocks. The effects of distributed deformation although ubiquitous in all fold-and-thrust belts, regionally occurring ductile structures are often interpreted as an outcome of localized deformation. Our study presents 3D laboratoryscale models using a viscous thin sheet as crustal layer to investigate the evolution of distributed ductile strain in FTBs. Here, we tested the role of mechanical coupling at the basal decollement (i.e., weak versus strong) on the nature of ductile strain variations within a deforming tectonic wedge. Convergence velocity has been kept constant in all experiments to avoid the influence of rate-dependence on viscous rheology. Our results reveal that the mode of wedge growth with changing basal coupling is crucial for varying strain pattern towards the hinterland. Weak decollement models yield a zone of constriction towards the central part of the hinterland, explaining the occurrence of isolated patches of L-tectonites and cross-folds in FTBs; while strong decollement condition allows the gravity-driven flow to be dominant over horizontal shortening, leading to rotation of earlier structures and formation of orogen-parallel recumbent folds, particularly towards the hinterland. The deformation towards the frontal part of the tectonic wedge, irrespective of coupling strength in both models is similar, forming a characteristic pattern of pervasive, hinterland dipping ductile fabrics. We correlate our findings to infer that spatiotemporal variations in basal coupling are responsible for the development of variably occurring ductile structures in FTBs.
The occurrence frequency of preliminary impulse (PI) of geomagnetic sudden commencements was statistically studied using the geomagnetic records of H-component at Fredericksburg (FRD; 49.0° geomagnetic latitude) and San Juan (SJG; 29.2°). In the daytime, positive PI predominantly occurs before noon and negative PI in the afternoon. These features, which are the same as those of high-latitude PI, indicate that high-latitude ionospheric currents responsible for PI extends toward middle and low latitudes. Almost all PIs detected in the nighttime are negative at FRD though the occurrence rate is much smaller than in the daytime. The diurnal variation of the occurrence rates of PI shows a drastic seasonal change at SIG, which is probably caused by a seasonal variation of the ionosphere. No correlation between the occurrence rates and the solar activity was found at either observatories. Ionospheric currents which are driven by a pair of field-aligned currents were numerically calculated on the assumption of the stationary state, and the geomagnetic field variation caused by the three-dimensional currents is simulated. Although the symmetric distribution of the field-aligned currents with respect to the noon-midnight meridian has been assumed, the calculated diurnal variation of magnetic field exhibits a severe deflection from the symmetry in middle and low latitudes.
Summary The carbonate phase of impure sideritic concretions from a sequence of argillaceous sediments from the Westphalian of Yorkshire has been analysed using an acid-dissolution technique and corrections allowing for the decomposition of non-carbonate minerals applied to obtain accurate compositional formulae. The siderites show considerable compositional variation, some containing Ca in excess of anticipated substitutional limits. Whilst these may be metastable it is suggested that coupled Mg-Ca substitution could provide an explanation.
Reliability of power supply is one of the major indexes for a power supply enterprise to establish an international first-class company and it is discovered via statistics and analysis that defect handling of 10 KV fuse appliance is an important factor that affects the reliability of power supply from distribution network to users. In order to ensure the safe operation of distribution network and to improve power supply reliability, Jinshan Power Supply Branch has developed a technology for exchanging 10 KV closed circuit fuse appliance without power-off and has achieved good result after hard working and actual application for more than one month. This technology has successfully passed the appraisal conducted by the Live Line Work Development Co., Ltd. of Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company before March 29, 2007 and Jinshan Power Supply Branch becomes the first company possessing such an appraised technology within Shanghai Municipal Electric Power Company.
A disease burden (DB) evaluation for environmental pathogens is generally performed using disability‐adjusted life years with the aim of providing a quantitative assessment of the health hazard caused by pathogens. A critical step in the preparation for this evaluation is the estimation of morbidity between exposure and disease occurrence. In this study, the method of a traditional dose–response analysis was first reviewed, and then a combination of the theoretical basis of a “single‐hit” and an “infection‐illness” model was performed by incorporating two critical factors: the “infective coefficient” and “infection duration.” This allowed a dose–morbidity model to be built for direct use in DB calculations. In addition, human experimental data for typical intestinal pathogens were obtained for model validation, and the results indicated that the model was well fitted and could be further used for morbidity estimation. On this basis, a real case of a water reuse project was selected for model application, and the morbidity as well as the DB caused by intestinal pathogens during water reuse was evaluated. The results show that the DB attributed to Enteroviruses was significant, while that for enteric bacteria was negligible. Therefore, water treatment technology should be further improved to reduce the exposure risk of Enteroviruses. Since road flushing was identified as the major exposure route, human contact with reclaimed water through this pathway should be limited. The methodology proposed for model construction not only makes up for missing data of morbidity during risk evaluation, but is also necessary to quantify the maximum possible DB.
We have studied 6 multigeneration Stickler syndrome families. Manifestations of the syndrome in the families included myopia, deafness, arthritis, characteristic facial changes with "flat" midface and cleft palate, although not all these were present in all families. COL2A1 has been implicated as a gene which can give rise to Stickler syndrome based on evidence from 2 large families which each showed significant linkage between the disease locus and restriction fragment length polymorphisms for the gene (Francomano CA, Lieberfarb RM, Hirose T, Maumenee IH, Streeten EA, Meyers DA, Pyeritz RE (1987): Genomics 1:293-296; Knowlton RG, Weaver EJ, Struyk AF, Knobloch WH, King RA, Norris K, Shamban A, Uitoo J, Jimenez SA, Prockop DJ (1989): Am J Hum Genet 45:681-688). We have found crossovers between the disease locus and COL2A1 in 2 families with Stickler syndrome. This could be explained by either genetic heterogeneity or the actual mutation being in a closely linked, currently unrecognized gene. We found a weakly positive overall lod score (z = 0.96 at theta = 0.10) suggesting that genetic heterogeneity is a more likely explanation. In one family, with typical findings, a translocation t5;17 (q15:q23) was found to segregate with the disease in 4 affected relatives. In view of the possible heterogeneity, although no crossovers with COL2A1 were seen in this family, either of these breakpoints could be the position of a further disease causing gene.
The eye and the brain have limited capacities for regeneration and as such, immune-mediated inflammation can produce devastating consequences in the form of neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system or blindness as a result of ocular inflammatory diseases such as uveitis. Accordingly, both the eye and the brain are designed to limit immune responses and inflammation – a condition known as “immune privilege”. Immune privilege is sustained by physiological, anatomical, and regulatory processes that conspire to restrict both adaptive and innate immune responses.
Pipes aspirating fluid have applications in the filling and recovery processes for underground caverns — large subterranean cavities used to store hydrocarbons, such as natural gas and oil. This paper deals with the dynamics of a vertical cantilevered flexible pipe, immersed in fluid. Fluid is aspirated from its bottom free end up to the fixed upper end. In this study, the working fluid is assumed to be water.  An existing analytical model is used to predict the dynamical behaviour of the aspirating pipe. This model is then discretized with Galerkin’s method, using Euler-Bernoulli eigen-functions for cantilevered beam as comparison functions. Once solved, the model results show a unique kind of flutter comprising three regions, denoted regions 01–03. These regions are delineated by two critical flow velocities, Ucf1 and Ucf2. In addition, two frequencies of oscillation, f1 and f2, are found to characterize the aforementioned flutter. The dominant frequency of oscillation changes from f1 to f2 as the flow velocity is increased from approximately 3 to 6 m/s — a frequency exchange phenomenon observed and reported here for the first time for this system. The analytical/numerical study was followed by a corresponding experimental study. Experiments were performed on a flexible (Silastic) pipe that was completely submerged in water. The behaviour observed experimentally was similar to the numerical study, as the aspirating fluid velocity was increased from zero to 7 m/s.
1 ATP consumption and force development were determined in single skinned muscle fibres of the rat at 12 °C. Myofibrillar ATPase consumption was measured photometrically from NADH oxidation which was coupled to ATP hydrolysis. Myosin heavy chain (MHC) and light chain (MLC) isoforms were identified by gel electrophoresis. 2 Slow fibres (n= 14) containing MHCI and fast fibres (n= 18) containing MHCIIB were compared. Maximum shortening velocity was 1.02 ± 0.63 and 3.05 ± 0.23 lengths s−1, maximum power was 1.47 ± 0.22 and 9.59 ± 0.84 W l−1, and isometric ATPase activity was 0.034 ± 0.003 and 0.25 ± 0.01 mM s−1 in slow and in fast fibres, respectively. 3 In fast as well as in slow fibres ATP consumption during shortening increased above isometric ATP consumption. The increase was much greater in fast fibres than in slow fibres, but became similar when expressed relative to the isometric ATPase rate. 4 Efficiency was calculated from mechanical power and free energy change associated with ATP hydrolysis. Maximum efficiency was larger in slow than in fast fibres (0.38 ± 0.04 versus 0.28 ± 0.03) and was reached at a lower shortening velocity. 5 Within the group of fast fibres efficiency was lower in fibres which contained more MLC3f. We conclude that both MHC and essential MLC isoforms contribute to determine efficiency of chemo‐mechanical transduction.
ABSTRACT: Experimental work in animals and, to a more limited extent, in humans, has demonstrated that the cholinergic system is involved in mechanisms which control learning and memory. Since there is cholinergic loss in a variety of dementing illnesses, any treatment designed to alleviate the mental symptoms of these diseases must address the issue of cholinergic dysfunction even if other treatments are also required to overcome other neurotransmitter imbalances. Work in rodents has demonstrated that cholinergic‐rich fetal neural tissue transplants can, under certain circumstances, alleviate the behavioral effects of cholinergic lesions or of cholinergic decline associated with aging. More complex cognitive testing can be achieved using primates and, in this case, the common marmoset is a suitable species to use because its rapid and reliable reproductive rate aids the provision of appropriate transplant tissue. Marmosets with transection of the fornix are deprived of a cholinergic input into the dentate gyrus, posterior hippocampus and entorhinal cortex and are specifically impaired on learning tasks which require remembering a rule of responding (non‐evaluative memory). Transplantation of cholinergic‐rich fetal septal tissue into the hippocampus of such animals completely restores their ability to learn this type of task, whereas transplantation of cholinergic‐poor fetal hippocampal tissue into the same area produces no such improvements. These results demonstrate that where a learning impairment is produced by a relatively simple procedure which has a major effect on one neurotransmitter, that function can be restored by transplantation of tissue containing that neurotransmitter even where the impairment consists of a very “high level” cognitive dysfunction.
Ever since the FDA-approval of the combined immune checkpoint (ICP) inhibition with the programmed death 1 (PD-1) antibody Nivolumab and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) antibody Ipilimumab for the treatment of malignant melanoma, the range and our understanding of immune-related adverse events (irAE) keeps broadening. Algorithms for the management of common irAE events such as colitis or thyroiditis have been established. However, monitoring and treatment for less common adverse events (AE) can be challenging. We present the case of a 54-year-old male melanoma patient who developed severe thrombocytopenia (CTCAE grade 4) due to combined ICP inhibition and was successfully re-challenged with ICP monotherapy.
Epidemiologic associations suggest that vitamin D status may play a role in inflammation and progression of atherosclerosis. Using frozen serum, carotid intima medial thickness (CIMT) measurements, and other existing data from the Atherosclerosis Prevention in Pediatric Lupus Erythematosus (APPLE) trial, we assessed interactions between serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], atorvastatin randomization, and CIMT progression rate.
A field experiment was established to study sweet potato growth, starch dynamic accumulation, key enzymes and gene transcription in the sucrose-to-starch conversion and their relationships under six K2O rates using Ningzishu 1 (sensitive to low-K) and Xushu 32 (tolerant to low-K). The results indicated that K application significantly improved the biomass accumulation of plant and storage root, although treatments at high levels of K, i.e., 300–375 kg K2O ha−1, significantly decreased plant biomass and storage root yield. Compared with the no-K treatment, K application enhanced the biomass accumulation of plant and storage root by 3–47% and 13–45%, respectively, through promoting the biomass accumulation rate. Additionally, K application also enhanced the photosynthetic capacity of sweet potato. In this study, low stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) accompanied with decreased intercellular CO2 concentration were observed in the no-K treatment at 35 DAT, indicating that Pn was reduced mainly due to stomatal limitation; at 55 DAT, reduced Pn in the no-K treatment was caused by non-stomatal factors. Compared with the no-K treatment, the content of sucrose, amylose and amylopectin decreased by 9–34%, 9–23% and 6–19%, respectively, but starch accumulation increased by 11–21% under K supply. The activities of sucrose synthetase (SuSy), adenosine-diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), starch synthase (SSS) and the transcription of Susy, AGP, SSS34 and SSS67 were enhanced by K application and had positive relationships with starch accumulation. Therefore, K application promoted starch accumulation and storage root yield through regulating the activities and genes transcription of SuSy, AGPase and SSS in the sucrose-to-starch conversion.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The association of arterial tortuosity and connective tissue diseases is widely reported in the literature, but only a few studies were based on a quantitative evaluation of this arterial phenotype, and none of the latter examined the intracranial vasculature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of intracranial arterial tortuosity in patients with Marfan syndrome and those with Loeys-Dietz syndrome, and to assess its usefulness in the differential diagnosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 68 patients with genetically confirmed Marfan syndrome (n = 36) or Loeys-Dietz syndrome (n = 32), who underwent at least 1 MRA of the brain at our institution. Fifty-two controls were randomly selected among patients who presented with headache and without any known comorbidity. Tortuosity indexes of 4 intracranial arterial segments were measured on a 3D volume-rendered angiogram by using the following formula: (centerline lengthstraight‐line length−1)×100. RESULTS: Both Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome showed a significantly higher tortuosity index compared with controls in all examined vessels. The tortuosity index of the vertebrobasilar system showed an excellent interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.99) and was the strongest independent predictor of Loeys-Dietz syndrome in patients with connective tissue disease (P = .002), with a 97% specificity for this pathology when its value was > 60. CONCLUSIONS: The tortuosity index of intracranial arteries is an easily calculated and highly reproducible measure, which shows a high specificity for Marfan syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome and may be useful in differentiating these 2 entities.
BACKGROUND National Health Service (NHS) Health Checks, a population-wide prevention programme introduced during 2009, aims to measure and manage cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among all persons aged 40-74 years in England. The potential workload implications of the programme for general practice are considerable, particularly in deprived culturally diverse settings.   OBJECTIVE To examine the baseline levels of CVD risk factor recording in general practices located in Ealing, North West London.   METHODS Cross-sectional study using data extracted from electronic medical records in 14 general practices between December 2008 and January 2009. The completeness of blood pressure, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and cholesterol recording was examined by practice and patient characteristics.   RESULTS Recording of blood pressure [85.6% (practice interquartile range = 10.1)] and smoking status [95.8% (2.6)] was very high in practices. Recording of BMI [72.8% (23.4)] and cholesterol [55.6% (25.3)] was considerably lower. There were large differences in recording between practices (range for cholesterol: 33.6-78.0%), though these were largely explained by patient characteristics. In regression analysis, hypertensive patients [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 36.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 21.0-62.9], women [AOR = 2.88 (95% CI 2.64-3.15)] and older patients [AOR = 2.75 (95% CI 2.28-3.32) for 65-74 against 35-44 years of age] had better recording of blood pressure as well as BMI and cholesterol. Recording of blood pressure [AOR = 1.38 (95% CI 1.09-1.75)] and cholesterol [AOR = 1.47 (95% CI 1.30-1.66)] was significantly higher among South Asian patients.   CONCLUSIONS The workload implications of the NHS Health Checks programme for general practices in England are substantial. There are considerable variations in risk factor recording between practices and between age, gender and ethnic groups.
The goal of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of fundamental performance limits for feedback control systems. In the literature to date on this topic, all available results assume that the designer has an exact model of the plant. Heuristically, however, one would expect that plant uncertainty should play a significant role in determining the best achievable performance. The goal of this paper is to investigate performance limitations for linear feedback control systems in the presence of plant uncertainty. We formulate the problem by utilizing stochastic embedding of the uncertainty. The results allow one to evaluate the best average performance in the presence of uncertainty. They also allow one to judge whether uncertainty or other properties, e.g., nonminimum phase behavior, are dominant limiting factors.
Fluor edenfite was found in cavities of the Ishigamiyama lava dome building two pyroxene-hornblende-andesite in the Kimpo volcano, Kumamoto, southwest Japan. The fluor edenfite is associated with tridymites and magnetites in the cavities. This is the first description of volcanic fluor-amphibole, and its chemical analysis was made by combining microprobe, vacuum-heating method and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The Ishigamiyama fluor edenite has 1.47F, 0.13OH, 0.03Cl and 0.37O pfu in the O3 site, and thus, is characteristically poor in (OH). This edenite is the most F-rich one in edenites and edenitic hornblendes previously reported.
AbstractImage usually gets distorted during acquisition, processing and transition. Now a day, Wavelet transform method is getting popular for image denoising. As wavelet transform has many advantages over other method such as best localization and multiresolution properties. Wavelet transform used various techniques for image denoising such as Visu shrink but this technique have disadvantage that it produce over smoothening of image which causes blur in the edges. So to overcome such problem we have proposed new method by modifying the Visu shrink thresholding techniques. We have compared our proposed method with the Visu thresholding technique on the basis of PSNR value for different wavelet families such as Haar, Daubechies, Biorthogonal, Symlet and Coiflet.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Municipal Emergency Consultation project in eight Israeli local authorities. The initiative centres on the appointment of independent emergency preparedness consultants entrusted with tailoring an emergency preparedness package to suit the specific needs of each locality. Regarding emergency preparedness improvements, in all of the municipalities examined, a concept of municipal emergency operation was consolidated and the derived emergency plan tested. Emergency work processes were structured and service-level agreements reached between municipality departments. Where necessary, a-linear patterns of municipal functioning in an emergency were established. Concerning a 'spillover' of emergency preparedness improvements into routine operations, and a 'spillover' of routine management improvements into local emergency preparedness, two municipalities near Gaza, which typically function in an emergency routine, saw a significant 'spillover' of emergency preparedness into routine functioning. In other localities, local managers chose to improve a number of municipal structures and procedures in times of routine functioning, which are also related to the functioning of the municipality during an emergency.
Abstract The Pb(Ni1/3Nb2/3)O3-Pb(ZrxTi1−x)O3 (PNN-PZT) piezoelectric ceramics with CuO and LiBiO2 doping were successfully fabricated by the low-temperature solid-state reaction to effectively restrain the PbO volatilization. The microstructure and electrical properties of the PNN-PZT ceramics were characterized. The experimental results reveal that the PNN-PZT ceramics are composed of a pure perovskite structure in which the rhombohedral and tetragonal phases coexist. Meanwhile, the good electric properties, including low dielectric loss, outstanding diffusion phase transition and palpable dielectric relaxation, are exhibited in PNN-PZT ceramics with 0.2 wt.% CuO and 1 wt.% LiBiO2 addition. This piezoceramic composition possibly provides a reference for the application of multi-layer piezoelectric actuators.
Iron deficiency and anaemia are common in pregnancy. Audit data from our tertiary obstetrics unit demonstrated 22% of maternity patients experiencing a postpartum haemorrhage received a transfusion; a third of whom were anaemic on admission intrapartum. Australian Patient Blood Management (PBM) Module 5 Obstetrics guidelines focuses on maximising red cell mass at the time of delivery and reducing the reliance on transfusion as a salvage therapy to treat blood loss. A clinical practice improvement partnership began in February 2015 and completed in April 2016; which aimed to implement systems to improve antenatal identification and management of iron deficiency, and improve postpartum anaemia management. In order to develop change strategies, reasons for poor detection and correction of iron deficiency in the antenatal period were identified following a quality improvement methodology. Education was delivered to maternity healthcare providers. Standardised algorithms and an oral iron prescription handout were developed and piloted. Follow-up audit, staff and patient feedback, and other hospital data were collected to measure outcomes. The rate of anaemia on admission intrapartum fell from 12.2% in 2013 to 3.6% in 2016 following the introduction of unselective ferritin screening and other antenatal interventions. Sixty to 70% of maternity patients screened each month had iron deficiency. The algorithms aided staff to become confident in blood test interpretation and management of iron deficiency and anaemia. Patients found the oral iron prescription handout helpful. Additionally, single unit transfusions significantly increased from 35.4% to 50% (p=0.037) over the project timeframe. This project demonstrated the potential to improve patient blood management in obstetrics, reduce anaemia and transfusions by active antenatal interventions.
A systematic design method is proposed for the broadband lossy match amplifier. This method models a lossy matching network as the combination of a series impedance and a parallel admittance. Some new immittance circles have been derived on the Smith chart to obtain the optimum combination of the series and parallel immittances. Using the proposed method, design examples of ultra-broadband amplifiers operating from DC to 12 GHz frequency range are presented.<<ETX>>
Background: Narrative comments on in-training evaluation reports (ITERs) can be reliably used to rank-order residents but it is not clear how faculty attendings interpret comments and which language cues are important in this process.    Methods: 24 internal medicine (IM) faculty at 1 school each categorized a subgroup of PGY-1 and PGY-2 IM residents based solely on ITER comments, then were interviewed to determine how they made their judgments. Constructivist grounded theory was used to analyze the interviews and develop a framework to understand how ITER language was interpreted.    Results: The overarching theme “reading between the lines” explained how participants read and interpreted ITER comments. Scanning for “flags” was part of this strategy. Participants also described specific factors that shaped their judgments: consistency of comments, competency domain, specificity, quantity, and context (evaluator identity, rotation type, and timing). There were several perceived purposes of ITER comments, including feedback to the resident, summative assessment, and other more socially complex uses.    Conclusions: Participants made inferences based on what they thought evaluators intended by their comments, and seemed to share an understanding of a “hidden code.” Participants' ability to “read between the lines” explains how comments can be effectively used to categorize and rank-order residents. Our findings suggest that current assumptions about what makes for “good” ITER comments may be incomplete, and variable beliefs about the purpose of ITERs can create challenges for faculty development. Linguistic pragmatics and politeness theories may shed light on why such an implicit code might evolve and be maintained.
Abstract Growth Properties of Chub ( Squalius cephalus , L., 1758) Living in Keban Dam Lake In this study, the age, sex, length and weight distributions, growth, length-weight relationship and condition factor of chub from Keban Dam Lake have been determined. The total of 102 specimens were analyzed between April and November 2009. Sex composition of population was 59.80 % female and 40.20 % male. The von Bertalanffy growth equations were found as Lt= 45.96[1-e –0.2121(t+1.2636) ] for females and Lt= 44.33[1-e –0.2420(t+1.0128) ] for males. Length-weight relationships were estimated as W=0.0087 L 3.1419 for females, W=0.0091 L 3.1121 for males and W=0.0084 L 3.1484 for all individuals. Condition factors of the population were calculated between 0.9325 and 1.8484 Key words : Chub, Squalius cephalus , growth properties, Keban Dam Lake, Turkey Ozet Bu calismada Keban Baraj Golu tatlisu kefali populasyonunun yas, esey, boy-agirlik dagilimlari, boy ve agirlikca buyume ozellikleri ve kondisyon faktoru belirlenmistir. Nisan-Kasim 2009 tarihleri arasinda toplam 102 adet ornek incelenmistir. Populasyonun esey kompozisyonu % 59,80 disi ve % 40,20 erkektir. Von Bertalanffy buyume denklemi disilerde Lt= 45.96[1-e –0.2121(t+1.2636) ], erkeklerde Lt= 44.33[1-e –0.2420(t+1.0128) ]  olarak belirlenmistir. Boy-agirlik iliskisi disilerde W=0.0087 L 3.1419 ; erkeklerde W=0.0091 L 3.1121 ve tum bireylerde W=0.0084 L 3.1484 olarak tespit edilmistir Populasyonun kondisyon faktorleri 0.9325 ile 1,8484 arasinda hesaplanmistir. Anahtar Kelimeler : Tatlisu kefali, Squalius cephalus , buyume ozellikleri, Keban Baraj Golu, Turkiye
The Oxford English Dictionary defines nation as “a distinct race or people, characterized by common descent, language or history, usually organized as a separate political state and occupying a definite territory.” Nationalism in turn may be defined as a sense of identity as a people, and the efforts resulting to foster this and to obtain recognition as a distinct population, bound by common historical, cultural, linguistic, political, religious or other ties in the eyes of the larger society. While in the broadest sense the term “nation” may apply to a non-politically autonomous ethnic group consisting of only a few hundred individuals (cf. the West African or Native American use of the word as an equivalent to “tribe”), it is most often used synonymously with the notion of an actual country, the existence of an independent geographical homeland being an integral part of its interpretation. However, as the dictionary definition indicates, this is usually, and therefore by implication not invariably, a defining criterion. There have been nations of people lacking a homeland (or a homeland allowing them access or control) throughout history. The pre-1948 Jewish population, for example, or the Palestinians in the present day. Bloody wars have been fought because of the existence of nations of people lacking their own autonomous territory. It is into this latter category that the Romani nation fits and, though the efforts to secure a geographical homeland were central to the nationalist movement, especially during the 1930s and 1940s, the price paid for not having one has been heavy.
Cholesterol levels are an initiating risk factor for atherosclerosis. Many genes play a central role in cholesterol synthesis, including HMGCR, SQLE, HMGCS1, FDFT1, LSS, MVK, PMK, MVD, FDPS, CYP51, TM7SF2, LBR, MSMO1, NSDHL, HSD17B7, DHCR24, EBP, SC5D, DHCR7, IDI1/2. Especially, HMGCR, SQLE, FDFT1, LSS, FDPS, CYP51, and EBP are promising therapeutic targets for drug development due to many drugs have been approved and entered into clinical research by targeting these genes. However, new targets and drugs still need to be discovered. Interestingly, many small nucleic acid drugs and vaccines were approved for the market, including Inclisiran, Patisiran, Inotersen, Givosiran, Lumasiran, Nusinersen, Volanesorsen, Eteplirsen, Golodirsen, Viltolarsen, Casimersen, Elasomeran, Tozinameran. However, these agents are all linear RNA agents. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) may have longer half-lives, higher stability, lower immunogenicity, lower production costs, and higher delivery efficiency than these agents due to their covalently closed structures. CircRNA agents are developed by several companies, including Orna Therapeutics, Laronde, and CirCode, Therorna. Many studies have shown that circRNAs regulate cholesterol synthesis by regulating HMGCR, SQLE, HMGCS1, ACS, YWHAG, PTEN, DHCR24, SREBP-2, and PMK expression. MiRNAs are essential for circRNA-mediated cholesterol biosynthesis. Notable, the phase II trial for inhibiting miR-122 with nucleic acid drugs has been completed. Suppressing HMGCR, SQLE, and miR-122 with circRNA_ABCA1, circ-PRKCH, circEZH2, circRNA-SCAP, and circFOXO3 are the promising therapeutic target for drug development, specifically the circFOXO3. This review focuses on the role and mechanism of the circRNA/miRNA axis in cholesterol synthesis in the hope of providing knowledge to identify new targets.
The dissociative adsorption of methane on transition metals is an important reaction in catalysis; it is the rate limiting step in steam reforming to produce syngas, and it is prototypical for catalytic C-H activation. Although the reaction mechanism has been studied intensively, it is not been fully understood yet. A number of molecular beam experiments in which the dissociation energy was measured as a function of translational energy have observed that vibrationally hot CH 4 dissociates more readily than cold CH 4, with the energy in the internal vibrations being about as effective as the translational energy in inducing dissociation. 1‐7 Two inde
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In this paper, a reconfigurable metal rim antenna with a small clearance and compact structure for 4G/5G smartphones is proposed. It consists of the system ground plane and a metal rim with two slits, in which a U-shaped slot of 1 mm (the smallest) clearance is realized between the system ground and metal rim. The theory of characteristic modes is applied to analyze the eigenmodes of the antenna so as to aid the optimum design. The characteristic modes (CMs) in the band of interest are studied, and an inductive coupling exciter is identified as the best since three CMs can therefore be generated in the lower frequency band (0.69-0.96 GHz), and an SP4T switch can be utilized to increase the bandwidth of the whole lower band. A prototype antenna of the optimized design was fabricated. A good agreement was obtained between the measured and simulated results. The 6-dB frequency bands are the lower band (0.69-0.96 GHz), the middle band (1.7- 2.7 GHz), and the higher 5G band (3.4- 3.6 GHz), respectively, and the total efficiencies are over 50% in all these frequency bands. They indicate that the antenna is a very good candidate for smartphone applications.
Abstract In this study, non–specific immune parameters in fertilized eggs, eyed embryos, larvae 10, 25, 50, 60, and 70 days post hatch (DPH), and female broodstock of Caspian kutum, Rutilus frisii kutum (Kamensky), were evaluated. The lysozyme activity, complement C3, and total protein levels were measured with the turbidimetric, immunoturbidimetric, and Bradford methods, respectively. The results showed that lysozyme levels decreased from levels noted in the fertilized eggs until the larvae were 10 days old. Subsequently, significant increases in lysozyme levels were observed until 70 DPH. An increasing trend of complement component C3 was noted from the levels in fertilized eggs to 10 DPH, following which it decreased significantly. Total protein levels differed significantly in early developmental stages of Caspian kutum. The higher values of complement component C3 than of lysozyme in the early life stages could be indicative of the former’s more fundamental role.
The NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group's Calibration and Validation Team has analyzed the mission-long Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) on-orbit gain and detector calibration time series to verify that lunar calibrations, obtained at nonstandard gains and radiance ranges, are valid for Earth data collected at standard gains and typical ocean, cloud, and land radiances. For gain calibrations, a constant voltage injected into the postdetector electronics allows gain ratios to be computed for all four detectors in each band. The on-orbit lunar gain ratio time series show small drifts for the near infrared bands. These drifts are propagated into the ocean color data through the atmospheric correction parameter epsilon, which uses the 765/865 nm band ratio. An anomaly analysis of global mean normalized water-leaving radiances at 510 nm shows a small decrease over the mission, while an analysis of epsilon shows a corresponding increase. The drifts in the lunar time series for the 765 and 865 nm bands were corrected. An analysis of the revised water-leaving radiances at 510 nm shows the drift has been eliminated, while an analysis of epsilon shows a reduced drift. For detector calibrations, solar diffuser observations made by the individual detectors in each band allows the response of the detectors to be monitored separately. The mission-long time series of detector calibration data show that the variations in the response of the individual detectors are less than 0.5% over the mission for all bands except the 865 nm band, where the variations are less than 1%.
Dry-eye syndrome (DES) is a multifactorial disease affecting millions of individuals worldwide. Various factors, including age, hormonal status, genetics, sex, immune status, innervation status, nutrition, pathogens, and environmental stress, can alter the cellular and molecular structure or function of components of the ocular surface system. The resulting imbalance increases susceptibility to desiccation and epithelial damage, leading to a vicious circle in which inflammation amplifies and sustains further damage by chronic deregulation of the system. Lubricating agents and steroids have been used as treatment options. However, as the causes of the disease become better elucidated, the more chemically complex cyclosporine A has become an increasingly useful treatment option and in the United States is currently the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved prescription drug for the treatment of dry eye. The safety and efficacy of cyclosporine have been shown in numerous studies.
The kinetics of water adsorption and desorption on nine bituminous coals of various ranks have been studied, mainly at 26 °C. To quantify the sorption kinetics, isobaric water uptake vs time data have been fitted by an empirical stretched-exponential model. This model provides good fits to water uptake data throughout the entire equilibration process at relative water vapor pressures (relative to saturation pressure) in the range of 0-0.9 for all coals investigated. This represents a distinct advantage oversimplified Fickian models which are valid for only a portion of the data within the short and long time limits. A flow rate kinetic parameter has been introduced to quantify the rate of water transfer from outside the coal particle to the intraparticle pore structure. Most of the bituminous coals investigated in this study have similar flow rates at relative pressures in the range of 0.2-0.9. However, for two coals of rank approaching that of semianthracites, the flow rate is significantly less than for all other bituminous coals investigated. It is believed this difference is caused by differences in the coal structure. Variations between coals in the flow rate at low relative pressures (0-0.2) appear to be caused by variations in the primary adsorption site density which is largely determined by the coal oxygen content. The density of oxygen containing functional groups also influences the flow rate at low relative pressures during water desorption.
We investigated the relationship between the initial contact status and stress shielding in total hip arthroplasty (THA) using fit-and-fill type straight-stem implants. In addition we evaluated the clinical and radiographic outcomes. Subjects were 100 hips of 94 patients who underwent THA and were followed-up for ≥10 years. Contact areas with the femoral cortical bone were investigated according to the zonal distribution of Gruen using postoperative CT images. Depending on the number of contact areas, the patients were classified into high contact [HC], medium contact [MC], and low contact [LC] groups. Radiographic and clinical outcomes were evaluated. In the HC group (20 hips), severe stress shielding was observed in 12 hips, which was statistically significant (p=0.008). In the LC group (29 hips), mild stress shielding was observed in 27 hips which was statistically significant (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed among the 3 groups in clinical outcomes, Harris hip score (p=0.719) or Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score (p=0.301). In insertion of cementless collared fit-and-fill type straight-stem implants, severe late stress shielding of the femoral bone may occur if high contact of the femoral component is achieved. However, the degree of stress shielding does not result in adverse clinical outcomes.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, inadequate insulin secretion, and excessive glucagon secretion. Metformin is the first-line medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Prolonged use of metformin can cause mild and serious side effects. One of the alternative herbal remedies used to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus is Acalypha indica Linn (AI). The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of ethanol extract AI to insulin resistance. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats are divided into six group, four groups (negative control, metformin 100 mg/kgBW/day, AI extract 250 mg/kgBW/day, combination metformin and AI extract) are induced with high fructose and high cholesterol diet; while two other groups (normal and normal treated with AI extract) are given normal diet. After four weeks of treatment, rats were terminated and laboratory test was performed to see plasma insulin level using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that AI extract significantly reduced plasma insulin level (p=0,018), similar to metformin (p=0,009), compare with negative control. In addition, we also calculate insulin resistance index using the Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) based on plasma insulin level and blood glucose level. The combination of metformin and AI extract significantly decreased the insulin resistance index compared with the negative control (p=0,034). Therefore, AI extract can be used as a complementary to metformin therapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus and also as a prevention therapy of insulin resistance on normal individual.Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, inadequate insulin secretion, and excessive glucagon secretion. Metformin is the first-line medication prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus. Prolonged use of metformin can cause mild and serious side effects. One of the alternative herbal remedies used to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus is Acalypha indica Linn (AI). The objective of this research is to investigate the effect of ethanol extract AI to insulin resistance. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats are divided into six group, four groups (negative control, metformin 100 mg/kgBW/day, AI extract 250 mg/kgBW/day, combination metformin and AI extract) are induced with high fructose and high cholesterol diet; while two other groups (normal and normal treated with AI extract) are given normal diet. After four weeks of treatment, rats were terminated and laboratory test was performed to see plasma insulin level using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay....
In the environment, the formation of organic and inorganic silver complexes can decrease Ag bioavailability (toxicity) to aquatic organisms. However, current water quality regulations do not consider the protective effects of water quality parameters such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration. To determine the effect of DOC concentration and source on silver toxicity, nine different natural organic matter isolates were used in 96‐h static‐renewal toxicity tests with fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). The 96‐h dissolved silver median lethal concentrations (LC50) among different sources of dissolved organic matter varied by up to fivefold (4.5–23.3 μg/L). Further, toxicity tests with organic matter from the site with the lowest 96‐h LC50 value suggested only limited additional attenuation of silver toxicity when DOC concentration was increased from 5.1 to 14.0 mg/L. With this site excluded, we found little more than a twofold difference among 96‐h dissolved Ag LC50s for the remaining sources (10.1–23.3 μg/L). However, significant toxicological differences among sites remained. It was apparent that organic matter from different sources varied both chemically and toxicologically, but no conclusions could be drawn that related compositional variation to observed Ag toxicity for these isolates.
An increasing amount of digital music is being published daily. Music streaming services often ingest all available music, but this poses a challenge: how to recommend new artists for which prior knowledge is scarce? In this work we aim to address this so-called cold-start problem by combining text and audio information with user feedback data using deep network architectures. Our method is divided into three steps. First, artist embeddings are learned from biographies by combining semantics, text features, and aggregated usage data. Second, track embeddings are learned from the audio signal and available feedback data. Finally, artist and track embeddings are combined in a multimodal network. Results suggest that both splitting the recommendation problem between feature levels (i.e., artist metadata and audio track), and merging feature embeddings in a multimodal approach improve the accuracy of the recommendations.
The celebrated Cahn–Hilliard (CH) equation was proposed to model the process of phase separation in binary alloys by Cahn and Hilliard. Since then the equation has been extended to a variety of chemical, physical, biological, and other engineering fields such as spinodal decomposition, diblock copolymer, image inpainting, multiphase fluid flows, microstructures with elastic inhomogeneity, tumor growth simulation, and topology optimization. Therefore, it is important to understand the basic mechanism of the CH equation in each modeling type. In this paper, we review the applications of the CH equation and describe the basic mechanism of each modeling type with helpful references and computational simulation results.
The present paper conducts a comparative analysis of the operation of sugarcane harvesting machines in their original place of design (Australia) and in a recipient country of this technology (Brazil). The method comprised Ergonomic Work Analysis (EWA) and the assumptions of anthropotechnology proposed by Wisner. The results achieved depict the similarities and differences between the two countries regarding: (a) the work organization and harvesting practices, (b) the harvesting strategies of the teams, and (c) the design modifications performed in the harvesting machines. The differences of how the machines were operated in both countries were identified, such as sloping grounds and amount of working hours, which lead to structural modifications in Brazilian machines. Thus, the design-in-use to adapt a technology to local conditions is crucial when there is inadequate technology transfer. The anthropotechnological approach proved to be relevant to understand all the broader factors causing difficulties in a technology transfer process.     Key words: Sugar cane harvester, harvesting machine, design-in-use, work organization, ergonomics.
Abstract Let 𝖤 { mathsf{E}} be a flat Lorentzian space of signature ( 2 , 1 ) {(2,1)} . A Margulis space-time is a noncompact complete Lorentz flat 3-manifold 𝖤 / Γ { mathsf{E}/ Gamma} with a free holonomy group Γ of rank 𝗀 { mathsf{g}} , 𝗀 ≥ 2 { mathsf{g} geq 2} . We consider the case when Γ contains a parabolic element. We obtain a characterization of proper Γ-actions in terms of Margulis and Charette–Drumm invariants. We show that 𝖤 / Γ { mathsf{E}/ Gamma} is homeomorphic to the interior of a compact handlebody of genus 𝗀 { mathsf{g}} generalizing our earlier result. Also, we obtain a bordification of the Margulis space-time with parabolics by adding a real projective surface at infinity giving us a compactification as a manifold relative to parabolic end neighborhoods. Our method is to estimate the translational parts of the affine transformation group and use some 3-manifold topology.
The total quantity and concentration of six herbicides, isopropyl m-chlorocarbanilate (chlorpropham), 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino-s-triazine (atrazine), 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1-methoxy-1-methylurea (linuron), 2-chloro-2′,6′-diethyl-N-(methoxymethyl)acetanilide (alachlor), 3-amino-2,5-dichlorobenzoic acid (chloramben), and (2,4-dichlorophenoxy)acetic acid (2,4-D), in unaerated, aqueous solutions absorbed by seeds of 11 soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) strains were measured. Mechanism of movement of the herbicides from the aqueous solutions to the seeds in the experimental procedure employed was diffusion. Total quantity and concentration of herbicide found in the seeds differed significantly for both herbicides and soybean strains. Total quantity of herbicide absorbed was determined by total oil and percent oil of the seeds. The capacity of the seeds to absorb a given herbicide was more closely related to percent oil of the seeds than to total oil of the seeds. The emergence and seedling shoot weight of ‘Cutler’ soybeans were not affected appreciably by concentrations of linuron, atrazine, and chloramben (potassium salt) but were reduced by high concentrations of chlorpropham and alachlor and relatively low concentrations of 2,4-D (potassium salt) in the seeds.
The following article, published online on {First published: 18 February 2022} in Wiley Online Library {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hsr2.516} has been retracted by agreement between the journal's Editor‐in‐Chief, Esmaeil Mehraeen and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed given the journal has received evidence confirming that the peer review process of this paper was manipulated. As a result, the conclusions reported in the article are not considered reliable.
FROM the moment Odysseus awakens on the Ithakan shore until his final reunion with Laertes, the hero's return home is an exercise in disguise and revelation, in the course of which he equips himself with a number of fictional biographies and, twice, with false names. Eperitos, the name by which Odysseus introduces himself to Laertes, has been long recognized as "significant" and various interpretations of it have been proposed.1 The other false name, Aithon, has proved to be less fertile ground for interpretation, although it too has been seen as an intended nomen loquens.2 The general expectation that false names in the mouth of crafty Odysseus should be somehow meaningful is bolstered by the rarity of the name, and the importance of the narrative point at which it occurs. It is as Aithon that Odysseus faces Penelope for the first time after his long absence. The name comes only after a long build-up, and is twice requested by Penelope of her reluctant
ABSTRACT The improvement of safety programs is of significant importance to the economy of countries that move toward a global perspective. The objective of Experience Modification Ratings (EMR) is to encourage employers, through management incentives, to reduce the frequency and severity of work-related injuries. The insurance industry uses EMR to assess premiums. A U.S. national survey was conducted to investigate EMR determinants. EMR and its average (AEMR) are hypothesized to vary inversely with the number of training hours, number of safety audits, the company's annual revenue, and the annual cost of safety training per employee. The empirical findings indicated the number of training hours was significant while revenue was highly significant. This paper offers practical and policy implications with respect to these findings.
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recently reinforced the international system of radiological protection, initially focused on humans, by identifying principles of environmental protection and proposing a framework for assessing impacts of ionising radiation on non-human species, based on a reference flora and fauna approach. For this purpose, ICRP developed dosimetric models for a set of Reference Animals and Plants, which are representative of flora and fauna in different environments (terrestrial, freshwater, marine), and produced criteria based on information on radiation effects, with the aim of evaluating the level of potential or actual radiological impacts, and as an input for decision making. The approach developed by ICRP for flora and fauna is consistent with the approach used to protect humans. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) includes considerations on the protection of the environment in its safety standards, and is currently developing guidelines to assess radiological impacts based on the aforementioned ICRP approach. This paper presents the method developed by IAEA, in a series of meetings with international experts, to enable assessment of the radiological impact to the marine environment in connection with the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter 1972 (London Convention 1972). This method is based on IAEA’s safety standards and ICRP’s recommendations, and was presented in 2013 for consideration by representatives of the contracting parties of the London Convention 1972; it was approved for inclusion in its procedures, and is in the process of being incorporated into guidelines.
Biodiesel (a mixture of fatty acid methyl esters) was prepared by transesterification of yellow oleander (Thevetia peruviana) seed oil in methanol by batch reaction using a heterogeneous catalyst derived from Musa balbisiana to afford 95 wt% yield at 32°C in 3 h. The biodiesel so prepared has high Cetane Number, is free from sulfur, and it conforms to ASTM D-6751 and EN 14214 standards. Combustion properties of different mixes of this biodiesel with BS-III / EURO-III petrodiesel at 5 v/v% [B5], 10 v/v% [B10], 15 v/v% [B15] and 20 v/v% [B20] were evaluated and were found to be highly compatible with commercial diesel engines. Physicochemical properties like Inorganic Acidity and Total Acidity [P-20], Ash Content [ASTM D-482], Ramsbottom Carbon Residue [ASTM D-524], Cetane Number [ASTM D-613], Cetane Index [ASTM D-976], IBP, FBP and Recovery@360°C [ASTM D -86], Flash Point [IS-1448 P-20], Kinematic Viscosity@40°C [ASTM D-445], Density@15°C [ASTM D-1298], CFPP (Summer) [ASTM D-6371] and Water Content [ASTM D-1533] have been evaluated in the Quality Control Laboratory of Guwahati Refinery, IOCL. Total Contamination [DIN 51419], Oxidation Stability [ASTM D-2274], Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon [IP-391] and Lubricity: Corrected Scar Wear Diameter (W SD) @ 60°C [ASTM D-6079] are determined by ASTM, IP, BIS, DIN-methods.
Buildings are increasingly considered as a key to de-carbonize the economy, with improvements in their energy efficiency and in their heating systems as primary targets. The heating systems have a moderate lifespan, are renewed more frequently, and the integration of renewable energy sources is increasingly important. The energy selecting problem is a strategic issue. Several parameters should be included in the decision making such as technology, economy, environment, social benefits and others. An objective and quantitative decision is essential to select the optimal heating schemes. To develop such multi-criteria assessment, the present study combines the improved AHP and grey relational TOPSIS, together with the use of linear and non-linear combination weighing. It results in a quantitative comprehensive assessment, called “Screening index” model. Based on the evaluation elements, the optimal single or hybrid energy route option can be selected, as illustrated in a case study. The index can help users, system manufacturers, builders and even governments to select the most appropriate heating schemes.
Neural Network is a network that resembles a human brain tissue, which may infer a result based on the facts or experience that happened. Many applications have implemented neural network. In this thesis, we compared the stock forecasting result of ANTM (PT Aneka Tam bang) using Artificial Neural Network and ARIMA. ARIMA is a technique of time-series forecasting, which means forecast based on the existing pattern. The results of the study showed that forecasting using Artificial Neural Network method has higher accuracy value than the results with ARIMA method.
In this issue of Acta Physiologica, Lundell et al. report on changes in levels or phosphorylation of proteins indicative of the relative states of activation of protein synthesis, the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and autophagy in skeletal muscle biopsies taken from individuals 1, 3 and 12 months after spinal cord injury (SCI). Unique aspects of this study are the analysis of changes in these pathways over time in a cohort of 7 individuals with cervical SCI, and the examination of markers for each of these pathways in a single cohort of subjects with SCI as compared to controls. SCI results in severing of the axons of upper motor neurons and ascending sensory fibers, resulting in paralysis and loss of sensation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
In this paper, a rational function approach is used to approximate the transfer function of linear systems characterized by sampled data. The ill-conditioned Vandermonde-like matrix associated with the ordinary power series is avoided by using Chebyshev polynomials. Clenshaw's recurrence algorithm is applied in transforming the Chebyshev coefficients to the ordinary power series. The passivity of the system is enforced through certain constraints on the residues.
Ecosystem biomimicry is a promising pathway for sustainable development. However, while typical form- and process-level biomimicry is prevalent, system-level ecosystem biomimicry remains a nascent practice in numerous engineering fields. This critical review takes an interdisciplinary approach to synthesize trends across case studies, evaluate design methodologies, and identify future opportunities when applying ecosystem biomimicry to engineering practices, including cyber systems (CS), physical systems (PS), and cyber-physical systems (CPS). After systematically sourcing publications from major databases, the papers were first analyzed at a meta level for their bibliographic context and for statistical correlations among categorical variables. Then, we investigated deeper into the engineering applications and design methodologies. Results indicate that CPS most frequently mimic organisms and ecosystems, while CS and PS frequently mimic populations-communities and molecules-tissues-organ systems, respectively (statistically highly significant). An indirect approach is most often used for mimicry at organizational levels from populations to ecosystems, while a direct approach frequently suits levels from molecules to organisms (highly significant). Dominant themes across engineering applications include symbiotic organism search algorithms for CS and ecological network analysis for CPS, while PS are highly diverse. For design methodologies, this work summarizes and details ten well-documented biomimetic process models among literature, which addresses an outdated concern for a lack of systematic methods for ecosystem biomimicry. In addition to the Biomimetics Standard ISO 18458, these methods include the Natural Step and Techno-Ecological Synergy framework, among others. Further, the analyses revealed future opportunities from less utilized design methods (e.g. interdisciplinary teams tackling indirect, ecosystem-level projects) to well-established engineering concepts ready for technological advancement (e.g. implementing membrane computing for physical applications). For future studies, this review provides a comprehensive reference for ecosystem biomimetic design practices and application opportunities across multiple engineering domains.
Finding a solution to the scalable partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) has received considerable attention, since the POMDP framework represents an important tool to model a rich variety of real world sequential decision processes. Due to the intractability of computing exact solutions for POMDPs the researchers in the literature are seeking approximation solutions. The approximation by value iterating over a finite set of belief points is know as grid-based method. This paper proposes a special interpolation scheme collecting reachable belief points to form the finite belief set. The approach is based on the observation that reachable beliefs are what we are really interested in other than those arbitrary ones. The experiments on three benchmark problems show that our approach generates very good results.
The increasing mobile traffic is becoming a serious concern for mobile network providers. To address the traffic explosion problem, there have been a lot of efforts to offload the traffic from cellular networks to other networks, such as WiFi hotspots and femtocells. In this paper, we explore the potential benefits of vehicular networks for data offloading and propose a Data Offloading framework through Vehicular nEtworks (DOVE), which reduces the cellular traffic for in-vehicle data services in a cost effective way. DOVE exploits vehicle trajectories for offloading purposes so that content files requested by vehicles can be delivered via vehicular networks rather than via cellular networks for economical purposes. We formulate the problem of selecting offloading positions as a spatio-temporal set-covering problem, and propose a time-prediction based set-covering algorithm using vehicle trajectories. Simulation results show that our DOVE framework can significantly reduce 57% of cellular link usage by performing data offloading through vehicular networks.
By taking account of plasma oscillations and a spatial variation of electron density and solving the nonlinear Boltzmann and the Poisson equations by the perturbation method, the harmonic components of the distribution function of electrons, the intensity of inner electric field of plasma and the discharge current density are found in the case of plasma resonance. Then a harmonic power conversion ratio is derived and compared with experiments. Finally, the effect of the velocity dependence of collision frequency on the harmonic power is discussed.
Automatic arc‐welding machines have been used in manufacturing plant for a number of years now. They are special machines for a special purpose. But one of the main problems for automatic arc‐welding machines is presented by assembly element inaccuracies. These inaccuracies arise even when the parts are being stamped in the press. What is no problem for the manual welder, for he sees the discrepancies and is able to bridge the gap, may only be solved by automatic arc‐welding machines if powerful clamping tools are used. The same problem is also present in principle when programmable inddustrial robots are used for arc welding instead of conventional automatic machines. However, initial successes have been recorded in bridging assembly element inaccuracies with an automatic program shift and pendulum movements for the welding torch attached to the industrial robot. In recent times, these features have been supplemented by the welding power source being equipped with a parameter selection unit.
To acquire the eggplant transcriptome under high temperature stress, 18 cDNA libraries were constructed and sequenced. A total of 136.31 Gb of clean data was obtained, and 88.86%-92.35% of the clean reads were mapped to the eggplant reference genome. Under high temperature, the number of down-regulated genes was more than that of up-regulated genes and there were more differentially expressed genes on the 10th day after flowering than on the 15th and 20th days after flowering. On the 10th day after flowering, the key genes CHI, 3GT, F3'5'H, DFR2, ANS, and F3H in anthocyanin synthetic pathway and most ERF, WRKY, bHLH, and MYB transcription factors were all down-regulated. High temperature significantly decreased the total anthocyanin content in peels. The results showed that at the early stage of peel coloring, high temperature inhibited the expressions of key genes in anthocyanin biosynthetic pathways through the regulation of transcription factors, leading to a significant decrease in total anthocyanin content, which might reduce the peel color in eggplant.
In the present study, airborne concentrations of total bacteria, molds+yeasts as well as fecal coliforms and streptococci were measured at a composting plant as a function of key variables, including feedstock composition, operational procedures and season. The facility where the measurements were performed is a large (60 000 tonnes day-1), turned and aerated static pile composting installation for source-separated vegetable, fruit and garden waste (VFG) collected from households in a region of the northern part of Belgium.
The sintering temperatures of common microwave dielectric ceramics fall in the range between 1200° and 1500°C. In this study, prepared new microwave dielectric ceramics of Te2(Mo1−xWx)O7 showed a sintering temperature of 520°C. Only monoclinic (P21/c) Te2(Mo1−xWx)O7 phase was found in the X-ray diffraction patterns after sintering, an observation further confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy results. Microstructures were composed of angular grains in the sizes of 2–5 μm. The microwave dielectric properties of pure Te2MoO7 and Te2(Mo0.95W0.05)O7 ceramics sintered at 520°C can be summarized as ɛr≈13.6, Q×f≈46 900 GHz, and τf≈−36.0 ppm/°C and ɛr≈13.9, Q×f≈25 820 GHz, and τf≈−12.8 ppm/°C.
According to the purpose and aims of the study, 130 patients of reproductive age with EM were included in the study, who underwent organo-preservation surgery – a convex cystectomy. Among them 90 patients were with a violation of the function of the thyroid gland. In the course of the investigation, it has been updated, as much as the affected effect employs EM in any life of women. Thus, in the general group of 3 (36.66 %) patients in the main group and 11 (27.5 %) in the treatment comparison group, each life was considered as low, while only 5.0 % of the control subjects had a similar characteristics of life. The use of an optimized treatment complex using GHG and mastodinone agonists in postoperative correction of hormonal imbalances has a positive effect on psychoemotional and vegetative-vascular manifestations, contributed to the approximation of the level of all parameters of the quality of life to the control indicators, which allowed not only to improve the basic indicators of hormonal homeostasis, but also to achieve restoration of reproductive function. Our proposed treatment scheme for EM is not activated, and it opens new prospects in the prevention of the development of hyperplastic processes of endometrium, their growth and the growth of the percentage of probable relapses and non-surgical operative interventions, and as a consequence, preserving the reproductive potential of a woman.
This retrospective cohort study assessed treatment changes and prognoses after incident drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP). We used the National Health Insurance Service’s National Sample Cohort database in South Korea. We selected patients diagnosed with incident DIP and given prescriptions to take offending drugs (antipsychotics, gastrointestinal (GI) motility drugs, or flunarizine) for a period of time that overlapped with the time of DIP diagnosis during 2004–2013. The proportion of patients experiencing each type of treatment change and prognosis was assessed for 2 years after DIP diagnosis. We identified 272 patients with incident DIP (51.9% of patients were aged ≥ 60 years and 62.5% of them were women). Switching (38.4%) and reinitiation (28.8%) were the most common modifications in GI motility drug users, whereas dose adjustment (39.8%) and switching (23.0%) were common in antipsychotic users. The proportion of persistent users was higher among antipsychotic users (7.1%) than that among GI motility drug users (2.1%). Regarding prognosis, 26.9% of patients experienced DIP recurrence or persistence, the rate being the highest in persistent users and the lowest in patients who discontinued the drug. Among patients with incident DIP diagnoses, the patterns of treatment change and prognosis differed across the types of offending drugs. Over 25% of patients experienced DIP recurrence or persistence, highlighting the need for an effective strategy to prevent DIP.
Abstract In real decision-making problems, decision makers (DMs) usually select the most potential project from several ones. However, they unconsciously show different confidence levels in decision-making process because they come from various backgrounds and have different experiences, etc., which affects the decision results. Moreover, the probabilistic linguistic term set, which not only includes the linguistic expressions used by DMs in their daily life but also contains the probability for each linguistic term, can well portray the real perceptions of DMs for the projects. Furthermore, large-scale consensus has gradually been a popular way to effectively solve complex decision-making problems. To sum up, in this paper, we are dedicated to constructing a large-scale consensus model considering the confidence levels of DMs under probabilistic linguistic circumstance. Firstly, the endo-confidence is defined and measured by DM’s probabilistic linguistic information. Then, the DMs are clustered according to the similarities of both evaluation information and the endo-confidence levels. Both evaluation of the non-consensus cluster and evaluation integrated by the clusters with higher endo-confidence level than this non-consensus cluster are used as the reference to adjust its evaluation information. Then, a case study and the comparative analysis are carried out. Finally, some conclusions and future work are given.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is largely an experimental modality for the treatment of neoplastic and selected nonneoplastic diseases. This therapeutic procedure, through a cascade of events, leads to cell killing. In the past few years, dermatology has taken advantage of PDT for the treatment of skin cancer and other skin diseases. The skin has considerable attributes over many other organs for the application of PDT. These include the accessibility to all three PDT essential requirements; the drug (photosensitizing agent), visible light and oxygen. The major benefit of experimental PDT in dermatology is the ability to assess the clinical response visually and the relative ease in obtaining biopsies for precise biochemical and histological analysis. Currently, PDT has received approval worldwide for the ablation of various tumor types. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has approved PDT for the treatment of advanced esophageal cancer and selected patients with lung cancer. Clinical trials, employing several types of photosensitizers for PDT, are ongoing for a variety of dermatological lesions. This review summarizes current knowledge of PDT in dermatology and highlights future perspectives of this modality for effective management of skin diseases.
Abstract : Despite strong interest in short term process effects on dinoflagellates there have been few investigations on the seasonality of marine bioluminescence. Long term aspects of the development of bioluminescence are unknown for most oceans. The present study was designed to cast light on this question. A station for measuring bioluminescence was established in August 1993 at San Clemente Island (SCI), 100 km offshore of Southern California. Bioluminescence was measured with a moored bathyphotometer (MOORDEX) hourly through February 1996. Other environmental parameters such as nutrients, chlorophyll, and associated plankton species were measured and collected on a monthly and quarterly basis (Lapota et al. 1997). In the present study, plankton samples were collected and tested for bioluminescence on a quarterly basis to: 1) determine which dinoflagellate species were bioluminescent and 2) observe differences in light output on a seasonal basis. The latter is an important consideration because seasonal changes in bioluminescence from dinoflagellates might possibly indicate a response to regional seasonal environmental changes. These factors include the available nutrients and light for the photosynthetic species (Ceratium, Gonyaulax1, Pyrocystis) and the availability of diatoms and smaller algal cells consumed by the heterotrophic Protoperidinium dinoflagellates. Seasonal changes in light output will affect the bioluminescence light budget of all species. Published light budgets are limited and specific for limited oceanic areas, the number of species tested, or modeled to predict bioluminescence output based on the calculated cell surface area. This study will complement earlier laboratory work and enlarge these observations by identifying distinct seasonal differences in bioluminescence of open ocean dinoflagellates over a two year period.
In order to reduce interference to primary users and provide better performance of detection probability and channel capacity in multi-user cooperative spectrum sensing networks, a high capacity spectrum sensing framework is proposed based on the analysis of amplification factors on the performance of detection probability and channel capacity. Thanks to the energy concentration property of chirp signals in the Fractional Fourier Transform (FrFT) domain, sinusoidal signal and different chirp signals are utilized for primary user and cognitive users, respectively. Hence, spectrum sensing and signal transmission can be performed simultaneously in our proposed framework. Simulation results show that compared with the previous relay-based framework, the modified cooperative spectrum sensing framework can improve the detection probability significantly, and the channel capacity can also be improved. Moreover, the amplification factor can be used to realize the tradeoff between detection probability and channel capacity in our proposed framework.
In this paper, I explore the axiological status of work. I engage with a number of prominent natural law theorists who consider it a basic human good and explain why their arguments fail. In the process, I put forward a novel argument against the very possibility of work being considered a basic good. I conclude that whilst work may be very important to us psychologically and instrumentally it should not be considered a basic human good.
This chapter summarizes key discussions and presents some final thoughts. This book's goal has been to understand what happened during the six decades when the South originated, developed, and protected its new system of racial hierarchy, including: how the white South reentered the world of national lawmaking during this period, how this return affected lawmaking, and how the South's role in Congress reshaped the region and the nation on terms that violated Hayes's expectations. To that end, it has systematically assessed southern preferences and behavior in congressional debate, negotiation, and decision. In the five and a half decades following Reconstruction, the United States became a southern nation by reinforcing federalism and decentralization, especially in matters of education. The wide array of progressive, sometimes populist-inspired legislation enacted in the early twentieth century was also shaped and enacted by southern influence.
the nineteenth century and how it was by the time the Azerbaijani authorities received it in the twentieth. The local inhabitants often had no wish to colonize and develop these inhospitable territories, and these were the very regions to which the colonists were sent. Shafiyev reduces the whole complex and ambiguous Soviet period to a few brief episodes in time and to certain operations – deportations and relocations. He fails to look at Soviet national policies, the struggle of republican elites, the changes in external political circumstances, all of which also had their effect on the construction of relations between the centre and the Caucasus republics and their elites. Instead of a chronicle of events we have just a few fragmentary episodes, on the basis of which we are asked to judge the entire Soviet period and the situation in the sphere of international relations. Shafiyev continually nudges the reader towards what he considers to be the only correct explanation of the reasons, preconditions and motives of conflict, bypassing any tricky aspects. Above all, he completely ignores the precipitate upsurge in nationalism in the 1980s, especially in the Caucasus, and the headlong disintegration of the USSR with the equally rapid collapse of Soviet power in the region. This was what provided the main impetus for bloody conflicts leading to all-out war. Certainly, this was detonated by Soviet nationality policies: with the break-up of the USSR, hastily-conceived Soviet administrative borders became state borders almost overnight (first and foremost, Karabakh and Abkhazia). The author does not even mention the significant part played in the conflict by the Soviet Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities, the leaders of the Azerbaijani National Front, the butchery of the Armenian and Russian population in Baku, Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan, or the willingness of the new post-Soviet politicians of the Southern Caucasus to seize power by any available means. This last point could be illustrated by the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Karabakh, as well as the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts, which have served to break the region up into several isolated fragments. Overall, Farid Shafiyev’s book is less an academic work, and more an affirmation of the Azerbaijani authorities’ version of the conflict, which they have been peddling to their people for many years. The politics of stirring up hostility by pointing to the failings and non-indigenousness of neighbouring nations will not disappear from the Caucasus any time soon, but books like this can only add fuel to the fire.
Analyzing the nonlinear part of a signal generated by the response of a sample to an elastic excitation is a powerful tool to gain information on the material microstructure, including the presence of damage. Analysis using band-pass filtering or equivalent methods is often difficult due to the low amplitude of the harmonics contained in the signal. This is the case for the detection of early damage in granular samples with damage induced by a quasistatic loading, as analyzed in this paper. An experimental study, based on the scaling subtraction method, is presented here, showing the possibility of monitoring the variation in the sample nonlinearity during the evolution of damage and allowing linking it to different physical processes. The efficiency of the method in eliminating nonlinear contributions due to the experimental setup is proved through a numerical analysis
In a previous paper, B.-Y. Chen defined a Riemannian invariant δ by subtracting from the scalar curvature at every point of a Riemannian manifold the smallest sectional curvature at that point, and proved, for a submanifold of a real space form, a sharp inequality between δ and the mean curvature function. In this paper, we extend this inequality to totally real submanifolds of a complex space form. As a consequence, we obtain a metric obstruction for a Riemannian manifold Mn to admit a minimal totally real (i.e. Lagrangian) immersion into a complex space form of complex dimension n. Next we investigate three-dimensional submanifolds of the complex projective space ℂP3 which realise the equality in the inequality mentioned above. In particular, we construct and characterise a totally real minimal immersion of S3 in ℂP3.
Abstract 1.1. The antihistaminic effect of procaine and Stovaine in the Dale bath was 0.01 of that of Benadryl. 2.2. Procaine hydrochloride intravenously injected immediately before an intravenous lethal or sublethal dose of histamine had no protective effect in guinea pigs. 3.3. Stovaine, with the same technique, protected guinea pigs against histamine death and had a slightly protective effect against anaphylactic shock. 4.4. Antihistaminic compounds had from 2 to 2.5 times as much anesthetic effect as procaine in the guinea pig skin wheal and from 2.4 to 4 times as much anesthetic effect as procaine in human skin.
In view of the great economic and social importance of fruit tree and grapevine phytoplasma diseases and the difficulties to confine these diseases, the use of resistant plant material would be of great benefit. Natural genetic resistance could be identified in the germplasm of fruit trees and grapevine, but only recently molecular work started to elucidate the mechanism of this resistance. Knowledge about the mode of action of the resistance is, however, needed to evaluate the stability of an identified resistance and the possibility that the genetically highly variable phytoplasmas might break it. The practical application of genetic resistance is most advanced in apple where promising apple proliferation-resistant rootstock genotypes have been selected and can now pass to the final step of agronomic evaluation. In grapevine the research is actually focused on different topics such as definition of a standard protocol for assessing the level of susceptibility, the phytoplasma titer in the infected plants, and thus the identification of truly tolerant and resistant varieties, and identification of the molecular traits associated with susceptibility, resistance and tolerance to grapevine yellows.
Sandia National Laboratories has completed the second iteration of the periodic total-system performance assessments (TSPA-93) for the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (YMP). Scenarios describing expected conditions (aqueous and gaseous transport of contaminants) and low-probability events (human-intrusion drilling and volcanic intrusion) are modeled. The hydrologic processes modeled include estimates of the perturbations to ambient conditions caused by heating of the repository resulting from radioactive decay of the waste. TSPA-93 incorporates significant new detailed process modeling, including two- and three-dimensional modeling of thermal effects, groundwater flow in the saturated-zone aquifers, and gas flow in the unsaturated zone. Probabilistic analyses are performed for aqueous and gaseous flow and transport, human intrusion, and basaltic magmatic activity. Results of the calculations lead to a number of recommendations concerning studies related to site characterization. Primary among these are the recommendations to obtain better information on percolation flux at Yucca Mountain, on the presence or absence of flowing fractures, and on physical and chemical processes influencing gaseous flow. Near-field thermal and chemical processes, and waste-container degradation are also areas where additional investigations may reduce important uncertainties. Recommendations for repository and waste-package design studies are: (1) to evaluate the performance implications of large-size containers, and (2) to investigate in more detail the implications of high repository thermal power output on the adjacent host rock and on the spent fuel.
Since the concept that, inverters can controlled to behave like a synchronous generator "Virtual Synchronous Generator" has been proposed, the virtual synchronous generator started to become the mainstream control of distributed generators connected distributed system. This concept simulates the frequency and voltage regulation of synchronous generator to improve the overall stability in the medium and low voltage power system. Although significant research works have considered the application of VSGs in active and reactive power sharing, it seems to be that the issue of the proportional power sharing between VSGs of different capacities has not considered much in the previous works, especially when the lines have increased resistive components. Based on an improved droop control and virtual complex impedance, this paper successfully adjusts the PI controller parameters to implement the proportional power sharing and decoupling for VSGs of different capacities. MATLAB simulations show that stable output responses can be achieved by using the proposed scheme.
ABSTRACT A total of 7,566 unique patient isolates of Haemophilus influenzae and 2,314 unique patient isolates of Moraxella catarrhalis were collected between October 1997 and June 2002 from 25 medical centers in 9 of the 10 Canadian provinces. Among the 7,566 H. influenzae isolates, 22.5% produced β-lactamase, while 92.4% of the 2,314 M. catarrhalis isolates produced β-lactamase. The incidence of β-lactamase-producing H. influenzae isolates decreased significantly over the 5-year study period, from 24.2% in 1997-1998 to 18.6% in 2001-2002 (P < 0.01). The incidence of β-lactamase-producing M. catarrhalis isolates did not change over the study period. The overall rates of resistance to amoxicillin and amoxicillin-clavulanate for H. influenzae were 19.3 and 0.1%, respectively. The rank order of cephalosporin activity based on the MICs at which 90% of isolates were inhibited (MIC90s) was cefotaxime > cefixime > cefuroxime > cefprozil > cefaclor. On the basis of the MICs, azithromycin was more active than clarithromycin (14-OH clarithromycin was not tested); however, on the basis of the NCCLS breakpoints, resistance rates were 2.1 and 1.6%, respectively. Rates of resistance to other agents were as follows: doxycycline, 1.5%; trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 14.2%; and chloramphenicol, 0.2%. All fluoroquinolones tested, including the investigational fluoroquinolones BMS284756 (garenoxacin) and ABT-492, displayed potent activities against H. influenzae, with MIC90s of ≤0.03 μg/ml. The MIC90s of the investigational ketolides telithromycin and ABT-773 were 2 and 4 μg/ml, respectively, and the MIC90 of the investigational glycylcycline GAR-936 (tigecycline) was 4 μg/ml. Among the M. catarrhalis isolates tested, the resistance rates derived by using the NCCLS breakpoint criteria for H. influenzae were <1% for all antibiotics tested except trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (1.5%). In summary, the incidence of β-lactamase-positive H. influenzae strains in Canada is decreasing (18.6% in 2001-2002), while the incidence of β-lactamase-positive M. catarrhalis strains has remained constant (90.0% in 2001-2002).
This paper considers the representation of the prophet Huldah in 2 Kgs 22. Huldah has frequently been seen as a positive figure, one of the biblical women who might even be regarded as a model for women readers and women scholars. This paper seeks to query this by asking questions of the way in which the deuteronomistic writers may have been employing her as a woman to set the Josiah reforms in train. As a feature of the reform was the removal of the A/asherah, and if Asherah worship was associated with women as 23:7 would imply, was Huldah set up to justify a removal against her own particular cultural heritage as a woman? Even a woman recognised the need for such action. If so, such a strategy has sobering postcolonial implications as can be seen in the situation in which the Maori members of parliament, including the three Maori women members, have found themselves in the current seabed and foreshore debate in New Zealand.
BACKGROUND Dietary intakes of betaine and choline may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease; however, epidemiologic evidence is limited. Seafood is a rich source of betaine and is a popular traditional food in Japan.   OBJECTIVE We examined the associations of betaine and choline intakes with cardiovascular disease mortality in a population-based cohort study in Japan.   METHODS Study subjects were 13,355 male and 15,724 female residents of Takayama City, Japan, who were aged ≥35 y and enrolled in 1992. Their diets were assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke were identified from death certificates over 16 y. Multivariable-adjusted HRs were computed by using Cox regression models.   RESULTS During follow-up, we documented 308 deaths from coronary heart disease and 676 deaths from stroke (393 from ischemic and 153 from hemorrhagic strokes). Compared with the lowest quartile, the second, third, and highest quartiles of betaine intake were significantly associated with a decreased risk of mortality from coronary heart disease in men after controlling for covariates. The HRs were 0.58 (95% CI: 0.36, 0.93), 0.62 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.998), and 0.60 (95% CI: 0.37, 0.97), respectively. The trend was not statistically significant (P = 0.08). There was no significant association between betaine intake and the risk of mortality from ischemic stroke. In women, betaine intake was unrelated risk of mortality from coronary heart disease and stroke (P = 0.32 and 0.73, respectively, for interaction by sex). There was no significant association between choline intake and cardiovascular disease mortality risk in men or women.   CONCLUSION Overall, we found no clear evidence of significant associations between choline and betaine intakes and cardiovascular disease mortality risk in Japanese men and women.
The growth of Brevibacterium flavum No. 2247 was inhibited over 90% at a concentration above 1 mg/ml of α-amino-β-hydroxyvaleric acid, a threonine analogue, and the inhibition was reversed by the addition of l-threonine, and to lesser extent by l-leucine, l-isoleucine, l-valine and l-homoserine. l-Methionine stimulated the inhibition. Several mutants resistant to the analogue produced l-threonine in the growing cultures. The percentage of l-threonine producer in the resistant mutants depended on the concentration of the analogue, to which they were resistant. The best producer, strain B-183, was isolated from resistant strains selected on a medium containing 5 mg/ml of the analogue. Mutants resistant to 8 mg/ml of the analogue was derived from strain B-183 by the treatment with mutagen, N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Among the mutants obtained, strain BB-82 produced 13.5 g/liter of l-threonine, 30% more than did the parental strain. Among the resistant mutants obtained from Corynebacterium acetoaci...
Software-Defined Networking (SDN) introduces a new communication network management paradigm and has gained much attention recently. In SDN, a network controller overlooks and manages the entire network by configuring routing mechanisms for underlying switches. The switches report their status to the controller periodically, such as port statistics and flow statistics, according to their communication protocol. However, switches may contain vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers. A compromised switch may not only lose its normal functionality, but it may also maliciously paralyze the network by creating network congestions or packet loss. Therefore, it is important for the system to be able to detect and isolate malicious switches. In this work, we investigate a methodology for an SDN controller to detect compromised switches through real-time analysis of the periodically collected reports. Two types of malicious behavior of compromised switches are investigated: packet dropping and packet swapping. We proposed two anomaly detection algorithms to detect packet droppers and packet swappers. Our simulation results show that our proposed methods can effectively detect packet droppers and swappers. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first to address malicious switches detection using statistics reports in SDN.
As a way of restaging certain questions about postmodernity (is it marked by rupture or repetition, or is it all illusory?), this essay imagines Fredric Jameson's iconic disorientation at the Bonaventure Hotel as a reenactment of Dante's crisis in the selva oscura. That imaginative act allows one to see how a nonmodern measure makes postmodernism visible (the concept of “cognitive mapping,” for instance, derives from Kevin Lynch's appreciation of the urban fabric of Florence). And it allows one to perceive how Jameson's response to our contemporary condition assumes a Dantean cast, becoming an incorporative act of totalizing, manifest stylistically and conceptually, that deploys allegory to trans-code phenomena into the terms of the dominant system. To what degree does the internalization of such a hermeneutic enterprise (a medieval Christian legacy) render religion as such imperceptible, compelling us to perceive acts committed in the name of Islam as merely a displacement of (proper) politics?
Background: Although there are numerous success records of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) implementation in educational settings and its principles have been found effective, the impact of the whole educational methodology may be overrated. Method: A comprehensive search conducted to retrieve articles published between August 2005 and July 2016 using the scholarly databases. Results: We identified 102 potentially relevant articles of which only 6 met the inclusion criteria. Positive effect sizes in 5 studies indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control group. These effect sizes were analyzed separately to provide an interpretative context for the main results. High heterogeneity was observed (Q = 5,  P  < .001). The Chi-squared significance test shows that the distribution of effect sizes has heterogeneity. Likewise, I-squared statistic quantifies the heterogeneity on the data. Conclusion: Despite the positive feedbacks reported by researchers on the efficiency of such methodology applied in primary and secondary schools, it is occasionally admitted that the results of the study are in doubt as the participants of CLIL and non-CLIL groups do not have equal exposure to the foreign language. To compare both groups in the same conditions, it is necessary for both to receive the same number of instruction hours in L2. Article visualizations:
Hearing aids and cochlear implants can improve accessibility and quality of life for people with hearing impairments. However, use of these devices may cause concern amongst some users due to sociocultural issues such as unwanted attention and perceived stigma. While some individuals may respond to these concerns by attempting to conceal their devices, or even abandoning their devices, others have responded by making their devices more visible through aesthetic customization, and some have begun to share these customizations online. In this paper, we describe community interactions in an online forum dedicated to customized hearing aids and cochlear implants. We found that community members discussed customization tools and techniques, shared their customizations, and provided each other with encouragement and support. Community members customized their devices as a means of self-expression that demonstrated the wearer's fashion sense, revealed favorite sports teams and characters, and marked holidays and personal milestones. Our findings may inform the design of assistive technologies that better support personalization, customization, and self-expression.
Abstract This article introduces methods for constructing prediction bounds or intervals for the number of future failures from heterogeneous reliability field data. We focus on within-sample prediction where early data from a failure-time process is used to predict future failures from the same process. Early data from high-reliability products, however, often have limited information due to some combination of small sample sizes, censoring, and truncation. In such cases, we use a Bayesian hierarchical model to model jointly multiple lifetime distributions arising from different subpopulations of similar products. By borrowing information across subpopulations, our method enables stable estimation and the computation of corresponding prediction intervals, even in cases where there are few observed failures. Three applications are provided to illustrate this methodology, and a simulation study is used to validate the coverage performance of the prediction intervals.
A prior work showed how non‐standard analysis could be used to derive hyperreal transients in transfinite electrical networks containing lumped inductors, capacitors, resistors and sources. In this work, hyperreal transients are derived for transfinite electrical networks whose parameters are distributed. In particular, explicit expressions are derived for hyperreal transients on uniform transmission lines and cables that ‘extend beyond infinity’ transfinitely. This requires a substantially altered technique as compared to the prior work. The present one uses a different kind of truncation procedure that reduces the transfinite line or cable to a conventionally infinite one and then expands the latter in steps to ‘fill out’ the transfinite line or cable. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In order to improve the diagnostic accuracy and treatment strategy for small bowel obstruction, we developed a non-emergency small bowel obstruction scoring system (0-4). We performed a retrospective analysis on 94 patients diagnosed with mechanical small bowel obstruction at our hospital. Anterior adhesion, small bowel feces sign, scoring system, and the usefulness of small bowel feces subtypes were examined. When the non-emergency small bowel obstruction scores 3-4, 99% were non-emergency obstructions, with the exclusion of strangulated small bowel obstruction. On the contrary, when the non-emergency small bowel obstruction scores 0-1, 47.5% were strangulated small bowel obstruction. As the effectiveness of withholding food and fluids (NPO) or short tube is high (about 70%) when small bowel feces are dry, placing a long tube may not be needed.
Anxiety is known to impair attentional control particularly when Task demands are high. Neuroimaging studies generally support these behavioral findings, reporting that anxiety is associated with increased (inefficient) activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during attentional control Tasks. However, less is known about the relationship between worry (part of the cognitive dimension of trait anxiety) and DLPFC/ACC function and connectivity during attentional control. In the present study, we sought to clarify this relationship.
Organic-farming practitioners have long suggested that maximizing soil biotic activity results in crops of reduced susceptibility to pests. In the current study, we examined the ovipositional preference of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), the European corn borer, on sweet corn grown in the greenhouse using soils from neighboring organic and conventional farms and fertilized with NH 4 NO 3 , cow-manure compost, or left unamended. In addition to ovi-positional preference, we compared photosynthetic potential, leaf-mineral profiles, and biochemical profiles measured by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Significant variation in O. nubilalis oviposition among fertilizer treatments was measured for plants in conventional soil, but not for those in organic soil. Photosynthetic parameters, notably net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, correlated strongly with plant biomass accumulation, but no correlations with O. nubilalis preference were detected. In contrast, a quadratic model of 3 leaf-mineral levels (Zn, Al, and N) showed a strong relationship with O. nubilalis oviposition (adjusted 7.2 r 2 = 0.71); plant growth was best described by a quadratic model of N alone (adjusted r 2 = 0.69). The greatest differences in NIR spectra were caused by protein, and soil-fertilizer combinations producing the lowest protein levels were those whose plants received the greatest number of O. nubilalis eggs. We suggest that differences in corn acceptibility to O. nubilalis is at least in part mediated by plant mineral balance, which incorporates both absolute levels and ratios of minerals, and that an optimal balance of these minerals is more likely to occur in organically managed soil because of an inherent property of reducing variation in mineral availability in those soils.
The platforms and gateways that compose the Airborne Network (AN) exhibit a high degree of heterogeneity, with a variety of IP and non-IP data links hosted on various terminals produced by multiple manufacturers. The lack of an accepted, mature network management architecture for the AN contributes to the risk that there will be a proliferation of separate, stovepiped tools deployed to monitor and configure each component. This level of management complexity, when applied to a complex underlying network environment, will be unacceptable for the operators that must control the AN enterprise.
Article abstract The G209A mutation in the α-synuclein gene has been associated with autosomal dominant PD (ADPD) in a family from Contursi, Italy, and three apparently unrelated Greek families. Several groups around the world failed to identify the G209A mutation in a sizable series of familial and sporadic cases of PD. The authors present two additional Greek families with ADPD associated with the G209A mutation. In both families, asymptomatic carriers older than the expected age at onset were found.
Increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions in recent decades cause ocean acidification (OA), affecting carbon cycling in oceans by regulating eco-physiological processes of plankton. Heterotrophic bacteria play an important role in carbon cycling in oceans. However, the effect of OA on bacteria in oceans, especially in oligotrophic regions, was not well understood. In our study, the response of bacterial metabolic activity and community composition to OA was assessed by determining bacterial production, respiration, and community composition at the low-pCO2 (400 ppm) and high-pCO2 (800 ppm) treatments over the short term at two oligotrophic stations in the northern South China Sea. Bacterial production decreased significantly by 17.1–37.1 % in response to OA, since bacteria with high nucleic acid content preferentially were repressed by OA, which was less abundant under high-pCO2 treatment. Correspondingly, shifts in bacterial community composition occurred in response to OA, with a high fraction of the small-sized bacteria and high bacterial species diversity in a high-pCO2 scenario at K11. Bacterial respiration responded to OA differently at both stations, most likely attributed to different physiological responses of the bacterial community to OA. OA mitigated bacterial growth efficiency, and consequently, a larger fraction of DOC entering microbial loops was transferred to CO2.
Abstract : A network which sorts n numbers when used to sort numbers of only two sizes, 0 and 1, can be regarded as forming the n frontal (unate) symmetric boolean functions of n arguments. When sorting networks are constructed from comparator modules they appear to require: (1) delay time or number of levels of order (log of n to the base 2) squared, (2) size or number of elements of order (log of n to the base 2) squared, and (3) formula length or number of literals of order n (log of n to the base 2). If one permits the use of negations in constructing the corresponding boolean functions, these three measures of complexity can be reduced to the orders of log of n to the base 2, n, and n to the 5th power respectively. The latter network however is incapable of sorting numbers and may be thought of as merely counting the number of inputs which are 1. One may incorporate this network, however, in a larger network which does sort and in time proportional to only log of n to the base 2. (Author)
Earth system science has inherent interdisciplinary aspects. In the marine environment, biogeochemical, ecological, and physical climate science processes interact strongly. Examples of these interactions are feedbacks between variations in the marine carbon cycle and radiative forcing in the atmosphere, variations in the distribution of tuna related to El Nino Southern Oscillation, and the distribution of nutrients in ventilated water masses that are subject to climate variability.    International research programs recognize the importance of these interactions but are organized primarily along disciplinary sciences. The Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) project of the World Climate Research Program has a focus on the physical aspects of the climate system, and the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) and Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) projects of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme focus on both biogeochemistry and ecosystems research. In an attempt to link research on physical climate variability with marine environmental research, IMBER, GLOBEC, and CLIVAR organized training for young marine scientists in Brest, France.
Current ultrasound multifrequency probes allow both improved detail resolution and depth of penetration when examining the liver. Also, new developments in vascular diagnostics, elastography with fibrosis assessment, evaluation of possible steatosis, and parametric and time intensity curve (TIC) analysis of dynamic microvascularization of the liver with contrast-enhanced ultrasound sonography (CEUS) complement ultrasound-guided diagnostics. State-of-the-art high-resolution technology includes a high frame rate (HiFR) mode for CEUS, fast shear wave measurements with the sound touch quantify (STQ) mode, artifact-free flow detection using HR flow and glazing flow in combination with a special flow-adapted imaging (Ultra Micro Angiography, UMA) and additionally different assessments of possible fatty liver (UltraSound ATtenuation Imaging Technology, USAT). In 50 cases with focal liver lesions, a multimodal liver diagnosis was performed with a still new high-performance ultrasound system as part of the clarification of questions from the university liver consultation and tumor outpatient clinic.
The phenomenon of radio blackout due to a plasma sheath during reentry has attracted much attention over the last several decades. However, radio blackout has long puzzled aerospace researchers and has not yet been completely resolved. Owing to the effects of the time-varying plasma sheath channel environment, the constellation of received signals exhibits multiple manifolds, making the traditional algorithms based on Euclidean distance unable to perform demodulation. In the current study, we proposed a novel demodulation method based on spectral clustering for phase-modulated signals interrupted by the plasma sheath channel. Experimental results revealed that as long as the receiving radio waves were above the floor of receiver’s dynamic range, the proposed algorithm effectively classified received signals after time-varying plasma. The parasitic modulation interference caused by time-varying plasma was restrained effectively through the novel algorithm. In contrast to the traditional communication method, the proposed method can be applied to telemetry, track and command, as well as communication between reentry vehicles and near-space hypersonic vehicles in future.
The potential energy surface for the intramolecular reaction of singlet state RR'E=ERR' (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb) has been explored using density functional theory. All the stationary points, including the unsymmetrical reactant (R'R(2)E-ER'), the transition state, the symmetric product (R'RE=ERR'), and the monomer (R'RE) were completely optimized at the B3LYP/LANL2DZdp level of theory. Our theoretical findings suggest the following: (1) Both double-bonded RR'C=CRR' and RR'Si=SiRR' species are true minima on their potential energy surfaces and should be the only compounds existing at all temperatures. (2) The germanium system will occur either in the dimeric R(2)R'Ge-GeR' and RR'Ge=GeRR' structures or the monomeric RR'Ge structure, depending on the temperature. (3) If the size of the substituent (R) is small, then the unsymmetrical single-bonded R(2)R'Sn-SnR' molecule can exist at low temperatures. At room temperature, the unsymmetrical R(2)R'Sn-SnR' species can exist in equilibrium with its RR'Sn monomer. (4) The unsymmetrical R(3)Pb-PbR compound may be kinetically stable at low temperatures. On the other hand, it is predicted that both the unsymmetrical R(3)Pb-PbR and the symmetric R(2)Pb=PbR(2) species will spontaneously dissociate into R(2)Pb monomers at room temperature. Our theoretical results are in good agreement with available experimental observations (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125, 7520), and the results obtained allow a number of predictions to be made.
Perspektiven auf die Okonomie und Soziologie der Gesundheit. Beitrage des institutionalistischen Ansatzes der Okonomie der Konventionen – eine Einfuhrung«. This article introduces the approach of economics and sociology of conventions (in short EC) as a neopragmatist institutionalism in the field of economics and sociology of health. For EC, conventions are regarded as institutional logics of valuation, valorization, and coordination, and EC emphasizes the empirical plurality of orders of worth and values actors rely on and institutions are built on. In particular, health, health care, and its institutions are closely linked to value issues and norms. Because of the pluralism of possible value systems and orders of worth, tensions and critiques are an important empirical phenomenon to be addressed in the health care system. The contribution sketches main positions and perspectives of EC in the analysis of values, medical professions, and ethics of datafication, quantification, classification (related to health and health care in-stitutions), and of social inequalities as well as in the analysis of health policies and health capitalism. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences are discussed from the standpoint of EC and, finally, social trends and perspectives in times of the pandemic are outlined.1 © 2021, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences. All rights reserved.
Abstract Background Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) are capable of recovery of metals at a cathode through oxidation of organic substrate at an anode. Recently, also hydrogen gas was used as an electron donor for recovery of copper in BESs. Oxidation of hydrogen gas produced a current density of 0.8 A m‐2 and combined with Cu2+ reduction at the cathode, produced 0.25 W m‐2. The main factor limiting current production was the mass transfer of hydrogen to the biofilm due to the low solubility of hydrogen in the anolyte. Here, the mass transfer of hydrogen gas to the bioanode was improved by use of a gas diffusion electrode (GDE). Results With the GDE, hydrogen was oxidized to produce a current density of 2.9 A m‐2 at an anode potential of –0.2 V. Addition of bicarbonate to the influent led to production of acetate, in addition to current. At a bicarbonate concentration of 50 mmol L‐1, current density increased to 10.7 A m‐2 at an anode potential of –0.2 V. This increase in current density could be due to oxidation of formed acetate in addition to oxidation of hydrogen, or enhanced growth of hydrogen oxidizing bacteria due to the availability of acetate as carbon source. The effect of mass transfer was further assessed through enhanced mixing and in combination with the addition of bicarbonate (50 mmol L‐1) current density increased further to 17.1 A m‐2. Conclusion Hydrogen gas may offer opportunities as electron donor for bioanodes, with acetate as potential intermediate, at locations where excess hydrogen and no organics are available. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.
HIV acquisition is associated with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection and genital ulcer disease (GUD). Three randomized control trials demonstrated that male circumcision significantly decreases HIV, HSV-2, human papillomavirus and self-reported GUD among men. GUD is also decreased among female partners of circumcised men, but it is unknown whether male circumcision status affects GUD pathogens in female partners. For the evaluation of GUD aetiology, two separate multiplex assays were performed to detect Haemophilus ducreyi, Treponema pallidum, HSV-1 and HSV-2. Of all the female GUD swabs evaluated, 67.5% had an aetiology identified, and HSV-2 was the primary pathogen detected (96.3%). However, there was no difference in the proportion of ulcers due to HSV-2 or other pathogens between female partners of circumcised men (11/15, 73.3%) compared with uncircumcised men (15/25, 60.0%, P = 0.39). The seroprevalence of HSV-2 is high in this population and therefore most of the detected HSV-2 infections represent reactivation. Since GUD is associated with HIV acquisition and one-third of GUD in this study did not have an aetiological agent identified, further research is needed to better understand the aetiology of GUD in Africa, and its relationship to circumcision and HIV infection.
In this paper, we propose an iterative joint DA/DD channel estimation algorithm for known symbol padding (KSP) OFDM. The pilot symbols used to estimate the channel are not only located in the guard interval, but also on some of the OFDM carriers. Initially, the channel is estimated using the pilot symbols only. Next, a decision is made with respect to the transmitted data symbols. We consider both hard and soft decision of the data symbols. The decisions on the data symbols are then used to update the channel estimate in a joint DA/DD estimation algorithm. The algorithm iterates between data detection and channel estimation until convergence is reached. At high SNR, the MSE performance of the iterative estimator converges to the MSE performance of the case where all data symbols are prior known at the receiver, i.e. the all pilot DA estimator. It turns out that the MSE performance of hard decision of the data symbols reaches the MSE of the all pilot DA estimator at lower SNR than that of soft decision of the data symbols; this is caused by some approximations needed to simplify the estimation algorithm.
Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a clinico-radiological syndrome, characterized by headache, altered mental status, visual disturbances, seizures and radiological features of edema of the posterior cerebral hemisphere, especially of the parieto-occipital region. It is quite rare in children. Here we report a case of post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis in a 9 years old child, who presented with convulsion & visual disturbance and ultimately diagnosed to have PRES on neuro-imaging.
This article presents the findings from a 5‐week exploratory research project on microfinance in Ghana. The aim of this project was to develop initial hypotheses that can be tested in a follow‐up systematic research project. Our preliminary findings are that informality is a major roadblock to successful lending that lenders redirect loans to other, nonexplicit needs and wants thus indicating a different set of priorities than the lenders and that the most successful component of microfinance is not lending but saving. We also found that gender and religion constitute important factors interfering with and potentially distorting successful microfinance practices. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The effect of sterols on the kinetics of membrane-bound enzymes was examined. Two strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used for this purpose: the wild-type haploid strain, S288C, and the lipid auxotroph mutant Ole-3 (Resnick & Mortimer, 1966). The primary lesion in the Ole-3 mutant is the loss of 8-aminolaevulinate synthetase (EC 2.3.1.37) (Woods et al., 1975). Consequently, the mutant lacks all cytochromes and the products of enzymes containing cytochromes, including unsaturated fatty acids and ergosterol (Bard, 1972; Bard et al., 1974). Astin et al. (1977) have shown that this mutant may be used specifically to manipulate the total sterol content of mitochondria1 membranes by growing the organism in media containing different concentrations of 8-aminolaevulinate plus excess Tween 80 to supply unsaturated fatty acids. Cells were grown aerobically in Saccharomyces salts media (Wallace et al., 1968) containing Difco yeast extract (1 %, w/v), Oxoid bacteriological peptone (0.5 %, w/v) and ethanol (1 %, w/v) as carbon source. Varying the concentrations of 8-aminolaevulinate in the media from 10 to 200mg/litre increased the sterol and cytochrome content of the mitochondria, and the respiratory activity was enhanced (Astin et al., 1977). Mitochondria isolated from these cells were used for the measurement of respiratory activity, with pyruvate plus L-malate as substrate; the oxidation of these substrates involves the oxidation of NADH by the complete respiratory chain. The activity of oligomycin-sensitive ATPase* (EC 3.6.1.3) of the mitochondria was also measured. As the concentration of 8-aminolaevulinate was increased from 10 to 200mg/litre, the sterol content of Ole-3 cells increased from 9.5 to 18.4,ug/mg of mitochondrial protein. Arrhenius plots of oligomycin-sensitive ATPase activity and of pyruvate plus L-malate oxidation showed discontinuities; the temperature of the discontinuity decreased from 22 to 12°C for ATPase activity and from 19.8 to 113°C for respiratory activity as the sterol content doubled. Plots of the transition temperature against sterol content indicated an inverse relationship between the sterol content of the mitochondria1 membrane and the temperature of discontinuity in the Arrhenius plots of membrane-bound enzyme activities. A similar relationship was shown by Cobon & Haslam (1973) for the ATPase activity of mitochondria from anaerobically grown yeast cells.
A LaBa2Cu3Oy sample with an orthorhombic crystal structure was synthesized. It showed superconductivity with an onset temperature of 95 K and zero resistance at 80 K (midpoint 90 K). From the magnetic susceptibility measurement, about 30% of the whole volume of the sample was found to be the 90 K superconducting phase. The 90 K superconducting phase in LaBa2Cu3Oy is thus considered to have an oxygen defect perovskite structure which is most probably identical to that of the typical 90 K superconductor orthorhombic YBa2Cu3Oy.
Extremely sensitive stress-magnetic effects in iron-rich amorphous ribbons which are partially crystallized by the heat treatment at the temperature between Curie and crystallization temperatures are presented, and its application to senstitive shock-stress sensors is also described. Iron-rich amorphous magnetostrictive ribbons which have sensitive and linear stress-magnetic characteristics, high flux desnity, high permeability, low losses, and outstanding elasticity are suitable for applications to force and displacement transducers. This stress-magnetic effects are dramatically improved by using the micro-crystallization technique which is estimated by X-ray diffraction methods. That is, for example, when a Metglas 2605 ribbon is annealed at the temperature of about 350 •Ž, 60 min., the variation of the maximum permeability dizmittmo, for a 60Hz field with optimal amplitude reaches to about 15 (1500% ) in saturation value against the tensile stress applied to the ribbon axis. Micro-crystallization which induces the easy axis of magnetization in the ribbon-width direction is also realized by rapid heating followed by quenching, in which the maximum tensile strength of the ribbon is more than 110kg/mm2. A new very sensitive shock-stress sensor with no power is constructed by inserting the anomalously stress sensitive ribbon into a coil and by fixing to an alminium box. Transient oscillating voltage waves are observed at the coil terminals after a drop of a small needle of 20mg from 1-cm height.
this paper presented the concept of Systematic Test and Evaluation Process (STEP) for Shared Banking Services (SBS) System on one developed banking system at HeiTech, Malaysia. The approach using STEP provides a model process and a step-by-step sequence of activities and tasks for performing software testing at any level from unit testing through acceptance testing. STEP is a proprietary methodology developed by Software Quality Engineering for software development as guidance to measure the quality of a system. The process consists of a few activities, which includes developing test plan and strategy, test design, test execution and evaluation of test result. This project has identifying the Systematic Study was conducted in order to identify the specific modules in SBS and its characteristics which differentiate it from other software applications. STEP discipline were identify and tested based on existing banking system criteria such as main activities, roles and responsibilities, artifacts and level of testing. The result was chart, record and analyzed to produce better software testing for SBS. Results of the test is presented and compared.
A data-constrained non-linear optimization approach has been developed to characterize microscopic distributions of mineral phases and pores in a sandstone sample using X-ray CT data sets acquired at 35keV and 45keV beam energies as constraints. The approach minimizes discrepancy between the expected and measured linear absorption coefficients and maximizes Boltzmann distribution probability. It enables integration of both the 3D X-ray CT data-constraints and global level information, and leads to more accurate predictions of microscopic 3D compositional distributions in material samples. Permeability simulations and comparisons with experimentally measured porosity indicate that DCM characterisation agrees reasonably with experimental observations. However, segmentation of CT images leads to under-estimation of porosity and permeability.
truncus arteriosus is a solitary great artery arising from the base of the heart and supplying the systemic, pulmonary, and coronary circulation. A truncus arteriosus is a rare cardiac defect, accounting for less than 1% of structural heart defects.1 The single great artery usually arises above a malalignment ventricular septal defect (VSD) and straddles the ventricular septum. There is variability in the origins of the pulmonary branch and whether the aortic arch is interrupted. Van Praagh and Van Praagh1 suggested classifying trunci arteriosi with VSD into 4 types. In type I, a main pulmonary artery arises from the truncal root and bifurcates into the branch pulmonary arteries. In type II, the branch pulmonary arteries are separate from the truncal root. In type III, the left pulmonary artery is supplied by a collateral from the aortic arch and does not arise from the truncal root. In type IV, the aortic arch is interrupted. A truncus arteriosus may rarely occur without a VSD. Although prenatal diagnosis of a truncus arteriosus has been reported several times,2–4 to our knowledge, the rare variant with an atretic main pulmonary trunk and normal pulmonary circulation such as the case presented here has not been described prenatally. The objective of this report was to show abnormal fetal circulation associated with a truncus arteriosus with pulmonary atresia but with well-developed pulmonary circulation derived from retrograde flow through the ductus arteriosus.
Statistical thinking is thinking mode that people descriptive, analyze, judge and reason the quantity characteristic and law of objective things by data consciously, it has the characteristics of quantity, fault tolerance and variability. Cultivating statistical thinking needs to pay attention to develop and improve students' thinking of divergent, novelty and uniqueness, pay attention to the combination of theory with practice, emphasizes the combination of qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis, and combine with different disciplines background. According to these requirements, statistical teaching should focus on the exchange of teaching and learning to expand students' knowledge and thinking space, improve students' practical applicative ability through the theory with practice; improve the students' ability of data processing by multimedia and statistical software. KEYWORD: Statistical thinking; Training requirements; Teaching strategies
Longterm trends are examined for the population mass that occupied the central highlands of Palestine during the Iron Age. After 1200 B. C. the landscape of this sparsely populated "frontier" changed as newcomers established hilltop villages, cultivated intermontane valleys, and terraced the slopes. Spatial patterning within villages and certain toponyms were influenced by patrilineal kinship. Heads of household and their lineage mates exercised rights over inheritance and succession in landholding. Inequalities developed within "tribal" Israel long before the monarchy, probably through a process of "lineage capture;" and clientship, with its dyadic relationships between superiors and inferiors, became more common. Tensions developed within Israelite society from the interactions of kinship, clientship, and kingship. As the population grew under the monarchy, the highland frontier was effectively closed, and opportunities for acquiring new land diminished. Thus, many unmarried males had to look elsewhere for patrons and positions. From the ranks of these noble "youths" came recruits for the military, the government, and the priesthood.
In vertebrates, advanced cognitive abilities are associated with a highly developed telencephalic pallium. In mammals, the six-layered neocortex of the pallium is composed of excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons, organized across layers into microcircuits. These organizational principles are proposed to support efficient, high-level information processing. Comparative perspectives across vertebrates provide a lens to understand what common features of pallium are important for complex cognition. For non-mammalian vertebrates that exhibit complex cognitive abilities, such as birds, the physiology of identified pallial cell types and their circuit organization are largely unresolved. Using viral tools to target excitatory vs. inhibitory neurons in the zebra finch auditory association pallium, we systematically tested predictions derived from mammalian neocortex. We identify two segregated neuronal populations that exhibit profound physiological and computational similarities with mammalian excitatory and inhibitory neocortical cells. Specifically, despite dissimilarities in gross architecture, avian association pallium exhibits neocortex-typical coding principles, and inhibitory-dependent cortical synchrony, gamma oscillations, and local suppression. Our findings suggest parallel evolution of physiological and network roles for pallial cell types in amniotes with substantially divergent pallial organization.
Online Social Networks allow users to share experiences with friends and relatives, make announcements, find news and jobs, and more. Several have user bases that number in the hundred of millions and even billions. Very often many users belong to multiple social networks at the same time under possibly different user names. Identifying a user from one social network on another social network gives information about a user's behavior on each platform, which in turn can help companies perform graph mining tasks, such as community detection and link prediction. The process of identifying or aligning users in multiple networks is called network alignment. These similar (or same) users on different networks are called anchor nodes and the edges between them are called anchor links. The network alignment problem aims at finding these anchor links. In this work we propose two supervised algorithms and one unsupervised algorithm using thresholds. All these algorithms use local structural graph features of users and some of them use additional information about the users. We present the performance of our models in various settings using experiments based on Foursquare-Twitter and Facebook-Twitter data (User Identity Linkage Dataset). We show that our approaches perform well even when we use the neighborhood of the users only, and the accuracy improves even more given additional information about a user, such as the username and the profile image. We further show that our best approaches perform better at the HR@1 task than unsupervised and semi-supervised factoid embedding approaches considered earlier for these datasets.
A comparison is made of the properties of magnesium oxides prepared from basic magnesium carbonates and Indian and Greek rock magnesites. the density increased with burning temperature and the reactivity decreased. the effect of this on the properties of oxychloride cements is shown.        Iodine number is shown to be a good index of reactivity and specific surface (air permeability) to indicate the amount of chloride solution needed to make a workable mix with an oxide.
A Casebook of Ethical Challenges in Neuropsychology. Shane S. Bush (Ed.). 2005. New York: Psychology Press. 300 pp., $87.50 (HB). The publication of Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct by the American Psychological Association (2002) became an impetus for A Casebook of Ethical Challenges in Neuropsychology, edited by Shane Bush. Dr. Bush was also senior co-editor of Ethical Issues in Neuropsychology (Bush & Drexler, 2002), a volume that was specifically intended to aid neuropsychologists who were struggling with ambiguities related to the general guidelines in the APA 1992 Ethics Code. Both volumes are part of the Taylor and Francis series entitled Studies on Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. In the current volume's Foreward, Richard Naugle acknowledges how difficult it can be to obtain an overview of the ethics code and emphasizes how important it is that psychologists both understand the code and provide reasoned responses based on its standards in order to engage in ethical practice. His endorsement of this volume as a means to that end is not misguided.
Content based retrieval from distributed libraries raises new and challenging issues with respect to retrieval from a single repository. In particular, an effective management of distributed libraries develops upon three main processes: resource description (extraction of descriptors that qualify the content of a given archive), resource selection (given a user query, analyze resource descriptions and select the resources that contain relevant documents) and results merging (organize and present items returned by individual libraries). So far, these issues have been mainly addressed for text archives. We present a solution to resource descriptors extraction, developing on the use of techniques for multidimensional data indexing. In particular, we implement and compare the extraction of resource descriptors computed through two different indexing approaches; namely m-tree indexing and fuzzy clustering. Comparative results are presented for a test database of about 1000 images.
Externally-fired microturbines (EFMT) yield promising performance in small-scale utilization of biofuels. As in larger gas turbines, the part-load performance of the EFMT is very sensitive to the selected power control method, and in general subject to severe degradation at part load. The control parameters typically include the maximum combustion gas temperature or turbine inlet temperature and the speed of the shaft. At the design point, power generation efficiency can be increased by allowing a fraction of air to bypass the burner and the combustion gas – air heat exchanger. At the same time the heat exchanger size is increased. Therefore, the by-pass flow affects the optimal sizing of the EFMT as well. In this paper, the effect of by-pass flow on the part-load performance of a single-shaft EFMT in combined heat and power generation is analyzed. In the application, the microturbine is operated by the heat demand. The control methods incorporate the use of the maximum combustion gas temperature, the speed of the shaft, and the amount of by-pass air. The focus of the study is to determine the economically optimal control scheme for the engine. The economy model uses the profit flow from the EFMT as a criterion. The results show that the inclusion of the by-pass variation in the control methods can improve the economy of temperature-controlled EFMT at part load but has no benefits when using speed control.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
An aircraft mounted system is described which permits the measurement of concentrations of Aitken nuclei in the stratosphere at altitudes up to 20 km. An automatic cycling cloud chamber, with a dark field optical system and photomultiplier detector, is used to analyze 2.5 samples/sec. A pressurization system is incorporated which standardizes ambient air samples to approximately 1 atm absolute pressure and 298 K temperature before analysis. Seven successful data flights have been accomplished in the period March–May 1974.
Estimating animal home ranges is a primary purpose of collecting tracking data. All conventional home range estimators in widespread usage, including minimum convex polygons and kernel density estimators, assume independently sampled data. In stark contrast, modern GPS animal tracking datasets are almost always strongly autocorrelated. This incongruence between estimator assumptions and empirical reality leads to systematically underestimated home ranges. Autocorrelated kernel density estimation (AKDE) resolves this conflict by modeling the observed autocorrelation structure of tracking data during home range estimation, and has been shown to perform accurately across a broad range of tracking datasets. However, compared to conventional estimators, AKDE requires additional modeling steps and has heretofore only been accessible via the command-line ctmm R package. Here, we introduce ctmmweb, which provides a point-and-click graphical interface to ctmm, and streamlines AKDE, its prerequisite autocorrelation modeling steps, and a number of additional movement analyses. We demonstrate ctmmweb’s capabilities, including AKDE home range estimation and subsequent home range overlap analysis, on a dataset of four jaguars from the Brazilian Pantanal. We intend ctmmweb to open AKDE and related autocorrelation-explicit analyses to a wider audience of wildlife and conservation professionals.
Bacteria exposed to stress survive by regulating the expression of several genes at the transcriptional and translational levels. For instance, in Escherichia coli, when growth is arrested in response to stress, such as nutrient starvation, the anti-sigma factor Rsd is expressed to inactivate the global regulator RpoD and activate the sigma factor RpoS. However, ribosome modulation factor (RMF) expressed in response to growth arrest binds to 70S ribosomes to form inactive 100S ribosomes and inhibit translational activity. Moreover, stress due to fluctuations in the concentration of metal ions essential for various intracellular pathways is regulated by a homeostatic mechanism involving metal-responsive transcription factors (TFs). Therefore, in this study, we examined the binding of a few metal-responsive TFs to the promoter regions of rsd and rmf through promoter-specific TF screening and studied the effects of these TFs on the expression of rsd and rmf in each TF gene-deficient E. coli strain through quantitative PCR, Western blot imaging, and 100S ribosome formation analysis. Our results suggest that several metal-responsive TFs (CueR, Fur, KdpE, MntR, NhaR, PhoP, ZntR, and ZraR) and metal ions (Cu2+, Fe2+, K+, Mn2+, Na+, Mg2+, and Zn2+) influence rsd and rmf gene expression while regulating transcriptional and translational activities.
A range of separation-related behaviour problems may occur in the partial or complete absence of a pet’s owner. These problems can have different underlying motivations, relating to factors such as fear, anxiety, over-attachment and lack of appropriate stimulation, and require different treatment interventions. The chapter deals with evaluation of the patient, differential diagnosis, treatment of separation-related behaviour problems, prognosis, follow-up, prevention of the problem.
Regulation of extracellular excitotoxins by glial and neuronal glutamate transporters is critical to maintain synaptic terminal integrity. Factors interfering with the normal functioning of these transporters might be involved in neurodegeneration. Among them, recent studies have shown that hypoxia alters glutamate transporter function; however, it is unclear if hypoxia has an effect on the expression of glutamate transporters and which intracellular signaling pathways are involved. The C6 rat glial and GT1–7 mouse neuronal cell lines were exposed to hypoxic conditions (5% CO2, 95% N2) and levels of glutamate transporter mRNA were determined by ribonuclease protection assay. After 21 hr, there was a 100% increase in levels of rat excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3) mRNA in C6 cells and a 600% increase in levels of murine EAAT2 mRNA in GT1–7 cells. There was a similar increase in mRNA levels after hypoxia in C6 cells transfected with human EAAT2, whereas reoxygenation normalized the expression levels of glutamate transporters. Although the expression of EAATs was associated with increased immunoreactivity by Western blot, functioning of the transporters was decreased as evidenced by D‐aspartate uptake. Finally, although the protein kinase C stimulator phorbol‐12‐myristate‐13‐acetate enhanced EAAT2 mRNA levels after hypoxia, protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I had the opposite effect. Taken together, this study suggests that the hypoxia is capable of upregulating levels of EAATs via a protein kinase C‐dependent compensatory mechanism. This increased expression is not sufficient to overcome the decreased functioning of the EAATs associated with decreased ATP production and mitochondrial dysfunction. J. Neurosci. Res. 64:193–202, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In the present study, a successful attempt has been made on enhancing the properties of hybrid kenaf/coconut fibers reinforced vinyl ester composites by incorporating nanofillers obtained from coconut shell. Coconut shells were grinded followed by 30 h of high energy ball milling for the production of nanoparticles. Particle size analyzer demonstrated that the size of 90% of obtained nanoparticles ranged between 15–140 nm. Furthermore, it was observed that the incorporation of coconut shell nanofillers into hybrid composite increased water absorption capacity. Moreover, tensile, flexural, and impact strength increased with the filler loading up to 3 wt.% and thereafter decrease was observed at higher filler concentration. However, elongation at break decreased and thermal stability increased in nanoparticles concentration dependent manner. Morphological analysis of composite with 3% of filler loading showed minimum voids and fiber pull outs and this indicated that the stress was successfully absorbed by the fiber.
Two trials were carried out to investigate the effects of increasing calorie: protein (C:P) ratios of high iso-nitrogenous diets on the performance characteristics, nutrient digestibility, carcass quality and organ weights of 67 growing pigs of the Yorkshire and Landrace breeds, reared in a tropical environment on concrete-floored pens from 9 to 56-8 kg live weight before slaughtering and grading. The dietary protein content was approximately 24 % of dry matter in all cases, and the C:P ratios ranged from 153 to 184 kcal digestible energy/g in both trials. Results showed no consistently significant differences in gain and feed intake due to increasing C:P ratio, but feed conversion ratios consistently improved with increasing C:P ratio. Digestible energy consumed per kg of body weight gained also increased with increasing C:P ratio. The nutrient digestion coefficients did not appear to be significantly affected by the C:P ratio. With respect to carcass quality measurements, there were nonsignificant differences in dressing percentage and average backfat measurements, but significant differences in percentage trimmed fat with increase in C:P ratio. The carcass length, loin eye area, and percentage lean cuts decreased as the C:P ratios increased, the last two showing significant differences only in the second trial. The organ weights showed no significant differences due to increases in C:P ratio.
ABSTRACT Objectives: This clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the stability and failure rate of surface-treated orthodontic mini-implants and determine whether they differ from those of non-surface-treated orthodontic mini-implants. Trial Design: Randomized clinical trial with a split-mouth study design. Setting: Department of Orthodontics, SRM Dental College, Chennai. Participants: Patients who required orthodontic mini-implants for anterior retraction in both arches. Methods: Self-drilling, tapered, titanium orthodontic mini-implants with and without surface treatment were placed in each patient following a split-mouth design. The maximum insertion and removal torques were measured for each implant using a digital torque driver. The failure rates were calculated for each type of mini-implant. Results: The mean maximum insertion torque was 17.9 ± 5.6 Ncm for surface-treated mini-implants and 16.4 ± 9.0 Ncm for non-surface-treated mini-implants. The mean maximum removal torque was 8.1 ± 2.9 Ncm for surface-treated mini-implants and 3.3 ± 1.9 Ncm for non-surface-treated mini-implants. Among the failed implants, 71.4% were non-surface-treated mini-implants and 28.6% were surface-treated mini-implants. Conclusion: The insertion torque and failure rate did not differ significantly between the groups, whereas the removal torque was significantly higher in the surface-treated group. Thus, surface treatment using sandblasting and acid etching may improve the secondary stability of self-drilling orthodontic mini-implants. Trial registration: The trial was registered in the Clinical Trials Registry, India (ICMR NIMS). Registration number: CTRI/2019/10/021718
Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. One of the factors that promotes neurodegeneration is the accumulation of senile plaques formed by Aβ peptide. In this paper, it was analyzed that if oxidative stress is cause or consequence of amyloid cascade and the role of antioxidant defense system in this process, using S. cerevisiae (with a multicopy plasmid containing the Aβ1‐42 sequence) as experimental model. Cells grown on glycerol were more tolerant than when grown on glucose, strengthening the role of the antioxidant defense system against Aβ accumulation. Antioxidant defense deficiency did not change the pattern of amyloid aggregation. On the other hand, the presence of Aβ increased the level of intracellular oxidation and induced the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase, and aconitase. Peroxissomal catalase deficient cells (Δcta1), were more sensitive to Aβ toxicity than the wild type strain, while mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (Sod2) deficient cells displayed the highest frequency of petites. Besides, Aβ alters the oxygen consumption and the activity of complex III and IV. Taken together, our results point out that the Aβ toxicity mechanism involves an oxidative stress induction by increasing ROS production into the mitochondria, where Cta1 and Sod2 play a crucial role in the regulation of the redox balance. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1442–1452, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The behavior of network entities, such as flows, sessions, hosts, and users, can often be described by communication event sequences in the time domain. For the purpose of many network measurement and monitoring tasks, it is desirable to have an accurate yet information-compact profiling of the behavior of massive event sequences. This paper proposes a new method to achieve this goal. On a given set of event sequences, the proposed method automatically learns a mixture model which fully captures the sequence behavior including both event pattern and duration between events. The learned mixture model is information-compact as it classifies sequences into a set of behavior templates, each of which is described by a Markov Chain. The model parameters are estimated in an iterative procedure which is developed from the Expectation Maximization algorithm. Two network management applications are proposed based on the method: a visualization tool for network administrators to conduct exploratory traffic analysis, and an efficient anomaly detection mechanism. In the evaluation, we validate the method accuracy as well as the usefulness of the two applications by using three networking datasets with different types: TCP packet traces, VoIP calls, and syslog traces in wireless networks.
Abstract Conclusions: Passive smoking and COF exposure are independent risk factors for oral cancer in Chinese women, with the multiplicative interactions from combined exposures. Avoiding exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and COF may contribute to the prevention of oral cancer in Chinese women. Objective: To evaluate the independent and joint effects of passive smoking and cooking oil fumes (COF) on oral cancer in Chinese women. Methods: A case-control study was performed including 238 female patients with pathologically confirmed oral cancer and 470 controls as age-matched controls. Face-to-face interviews were conducted based on a structured questionnaire. The effects of passive smoking and COF exposure were analyzed using non-conditional logistic regression models. Results: Passive smoking significantly increased the risk of oral cancer in Chinese women: adjusted ORs were 2.12 (95% CI = 1.11–4.07) for those only exposed before age 18, 1.52 (95% CI = 1.01–2.31) for those only exposed after age 18, and 2.38 (95% CI = 1.47–3.85) for those both exposed before and after age 18. In addition, COF exposure was significantly associated with a risk of oral cancer (adjusted ORs were 1.69 (95% CI = 1.03–2.78) for light exposure and 2.06 (95% CI = 1.21–3.50) for heavy exposure). Furthermore, there was a significantly multiplicative interaction between passive smoking and COF for oral cancer.
Eutrophication of the River Stour in Kent and its potential remedy are related to the adsorption of phosphates by its bed deposits, which are derived largely from Gault and Weald clays. The main minerals in these clays are: kaolin, mica, vermiculite and smectite. Four reference samples of these clays and samples of Gault and Weald clays were characterised by X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DTA and TGA) as well as by infrared spectroscopy and BET surface area. For the reference clays, also characterised by chemical analysis, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and the point of zero charge (PZC) were determined. A kinetic study of phosphate adsorption showed an initial fast step followed by a slower process. The effects of pH, phosphate concentration, rate of shaking and temperature, on the rate of adsorption, are reported. Desorption of phosphate also revealed two consecutive kinetic stages. Adsorption isotherms of phosphate on the reference clays are presented over a range of pH values. In the case of kaolin, the heat of adsorption was found to be 17 kJ mol−1. Electrophoretic mobilities of the mica particles were measured in the presence and in the absence of phosphate, over a pH range. The mechanisms of adsorption are discussed.
Abstract:  Bovine tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, has become established in Kruger National Park, South Africa, in the cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) population and in other species. TB in prey species has resulted in infection and morbidity in the resident lion (Panthera leo) prides. The only validated live animal test currently available for lions is the intradermal tuberculin test. Because this test requires capture twice, 72 hr apart, of free-ranging lions to read results, it is logistically difficult to administer in a large ecosystem. Therefore, development of a rapid animal-side screening assay would be ideal in providing information for wildlife managers, veterinarians, and researchers working with free-living lion prides. This study reports preliminary descriptive results from an ongoing project evaluating two serologic tests for M. bovis (ElephantTB Stat-Pak and dual path platform VetTB). Disease status was determined by postmortem culture and presence of pathologic lesions in 14 free-ranging lions. Seropositivity was found to be associated with M. bovis infection. Extended field studies are underway to validate these rapid animal-side immunoassays for antemortem screening tests for TB in lions.
Abstract The formation of free radicals in pine and kwila woods and cellulose and kraft lignin was studied to understand better the impact of radiation on wood degradation. Wood specimens were irradiated with sources emitting in the UV, Vis, and IR regions and then analyzed by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and the increment of free radicals generated was measured. In addition, samples were irradiated by color filtered light. Lignin was found to be more susceptible to radiation than cellulose. Kwila wood is more photostable than pine, probably due to the photoprotective extractive contents in the former. As expected, lower energy wavelengths generated fewer free radicals. However, fluorescent lighting generated as many free radicals as UV irradiation indicating that high-energy visible radiation is equally harmful to wood surfaces. Light-colored filters absorbing the latter wavelength region reduced the photodegrading damage. Accordingly, transparent stains containing colored pigments which imitate the filter effect should provide better protection of wood surfaces against sunlight.
Parathyroid carcinoma is the cause of only of hyperparathyroidism cases The incidence of acute pancreatitis inpatients with hyperparathyroidism was reported to be only The occurrence of pancreatitis in patients with parathyroid carcinoma is unusual ranging from to Here we report a very rare case of parathyroid carcinoma presenting as an acute pancreatitis in a years old woman who was suspected for hypercalcemia and higher levels of intact parathyroid hormone The parathyroid carcinoma was verified with ultrasound CT Scan and single photon emission computed tomography The pathological anatomy report showed a minimally invasive parathyroid carcinoma Following surgery the patient was free after almost a years follow up
The aim of this study is to introduce and explain two dimensions of reality which, insofar as they structure thought, are typically excluded from our thought contents. The first is related to the order of spatial scales and the second is related to the order of temporal scales. We introduce two additional coordinate axes, one for the spatial scales and one for the temporal scales, to represent these orders. Various geometrical, physical, and systemic aspects of these new dimensions are treated, as well as the related concept of (a hierarchy of) functional or descriptional levels and the role of interaction between them. Using the scale perspective may contribute to developing a model of consciousness that is at once specific and allows for the infinite complexity and subjective contents which seem to undermine purely mechanistic models of consciousness.
The high frequency of passives in scientific writing is also substantiated by Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman’s (1983: 228) frequency continuum. It is their high frequency in scientific writing that renders  passive structures unignorable for scientific translators as well as indispensible enough for this paper to revisit these constructions. From the perspectives on translating the passive structure from English to Vietnamese, strategies for translating the passive structure in scientific writing were proposed to guide scientific translators on how to translate the passive structure without actor, translate the English nominalizations following the verbs of experience, and translate the English passive structure in the relative clause of place as well as when to retain the actor in the translated text.
Uranium compounds are used as fissile materials in nuclear reactors. In present day reactors the most used nuclear fuel is uranium dioxide, but in generation-IV reactors other compounds are also being considered, such as uranium carbide and uranium mononitride. Upon possible accidents where the coolant would not circulate or be lost the core of the reactor would reach very high temperatures, and therefore it is essential to understand the behaviour of the nuclear fuel under such conditions for proper risk assessment. We consider here molten metallic uranium at several temperatures ranging from 1455 to 2050 K. Even though metallic uranium is not a candidate for nuclear fuel it could nevertheless be produced due to the thermochemical instability of uranium nitride at high temperatures. We use first principles techniques to analyse the behaviour of this system and obtain basic structural and dynamic properties, as well as some thermodynamic and transport properties, including atomic diffusion and viscosity.
The outlines of the methods of Chapter 5 of Uspensky[ I ] are followed. Uspensky assumed the coefficients to be real, and that the coefficient of the hlgh-order tem is I. This paper shows that the methods presented by Uspensky hold for complex coefficients as well as for real coefficients. This paper further presents a discovery--that the irreducible ease in Cardan's method for the cubic with real coefficients, which can be solved only by special techniques, can be handled in the same general manner as for the reducible case when the coefficients are complex.
ABSTRACT Ventrofixation is an old gynecological surgical procedure which is very rarely employed nowadays as it has proved to be almost useless in the treatment of genital prolapse. On the other hand, the scope of procedures performed by laparoscopy is rapidly expanding and there is growing enthusiasm for this surgical route. Our report describes a case where treatment of genital prolapse by laparoscopic ventrofixation ended in total failure. We strongly support the view that although appealing and in spite of its numerous advantages, laparoscopic surgery should not be used to perform inadequate interventions. (J GYNECOL SURG 13:131, 1997)
Multiple description source coding concerns situations in which the transmission of the source information is distributed over two data streams at rates R/sub 1/ and R/sub 2/, respectively. When both data streams are received, the decoder uses the combined data at rate R/sub 1/+R/sub 2/ to reconstruct the source information with average distortion d/sub 0/. If a communication breakdown prevents one of the data streams from reaching the receiver, the decoder has to base its reconstruction solely on the available data at rate either R/sub 1/ or R/sub 2/. This results in a higher distortion of either d/sub 1/ or d/sub 2/, respectively. The region /spl Rscr/ of all achievable quintuples (R/sub 1/, R/sub 2/, d/sub 0/, d/sub 1/, d/sub 2/) has been determined in the so-called "no excess rate" sum case defined by imposing the requirement R/sub 1/+R/sub 2/=R(d/sub 0/), where R(/spl middot/) is the rate-distortion function of the source. The case with excess rate sum, characterized by R/sub 1/+R/sub 2/>R(d/sub 0/), is challenging. We study in this paper a special case of it in which the requirements R/sub t/=R(d/sub t/), t=1, 2, are imposed; we refer to this as the "no excess marginal rate" case. The lower and upper bounds on d/sub 0/ we obtain are separated by only a tiny gap when evaluated for a binary equiprobable source and the Hamming distortion measure. >
This paper is an essay on the rationalism and difficulties of the geological corollaries of plate tectonics, with illustrations particularly from the geological history of the British Isles. There is special emphasis on the mechanics of continental lithosphere in extension, when basins are formed and in convergence whereby continental lithosphere thinned in extension is shortened and restacked to form orogenic belts. An upper lithosphere stress-concentrating elastic lid suffers extremely complex inhomogeneous deformations above a simpler, viscoelastic lower lithosphere whose deformation drives strain and displacement in the elastic lid. The very nature of plate tectonics as relative motion among a multi-plate mosaic of plates provides a rational semi-quantitative framework for large-scale geological complexity in space and time. The Caledonian and Hercynian history of the British Isles may be explained semi-quantitatively in terms of plate boundary evolution but it is not possible to define unequivocal solutions. The rationalism of plate tectonics is exhibited on a smaller, more direct field-scale by many of the complexities of ophiolite complexes, such as Ballantrae (Scotland), that can be explained as the effects of the evolution of ridge/ridge transforms and by diachronous deformation and sedimentation in subduction accretion prisms such as the Southern Uplands. Deformational and sedimentary patterns in NW Europe from Triassic times to the present day resulted from a complex interaction of extensional events related to diachronous Atlantic opening and compressional events related to sequential Alpine shortening phases. Those widespread events are typical of intracontinental plate boundary systems and create great difficulties for the geologist wishing to decipher relative plate motion from geological sequences, because huge areas, much larger than the British Isles, must be analysed and synthesized before much sense can be extracted. Further difficulties arise from the palinspastic and preservation problems of convergent boundaries; orogenic shortening telescopes and partially subducts facies belts. Most orogenic belts were assembled as a collage of displaced and rotated terrain elements that were subsequently flattened, elongated and straightened to an apparent but deceiving simplicity. Therefore, while plate tectonics provides a rational geological framework against which, for example, British basin evolution can be tested and explained, we cannot yet use the geological effects of plate boundary evolution to reconstruct relative plate motion quantitatively.
The paper presents results of comparative investigation of carbon nanotubes growth processes in dense low-temperature plasma and on substrate surface. Hybrid/Monte-Carlo numerical simulations were used to demonstrate the differences in the ion fluxes, growth rates and kinetics of adsorbed atoms re-distribution on substrate and nanotubes surfaces. We show that the plasma parameters significantly affect the nanotubes growth kinetics. We demonstrate that the growth rates of the nanotubes in plasma and on surface can differ by three orders, and the specific fluxes to the nanotube in the plasma can exceed the flux to surface-grown nanotube by six orders. We also show that the metal catalyst used for the nanotubes production on surface and in arc is a subject to very different conditions and this may be a key factor for the nanotube growth mode. The obtained dependencies for the ion fluxes to the nanotubes and nanotubes growth rates on the plasma parameters may be useful for selection of the production methods.
The US Geological Survey’s ShakeMap is used domestically and globally for post-earthquake emergency management and response, engineering analyses, financial instruments, and other decision-making activities. Recent developments in the insurance, reinsurance, and catastrophe bond sectors link payouts of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to ShakeMap products. Similarly, building codes, post-earthquake building damage forensic evaluations, and geotechnical evaluations often rely on estimated peak response-spectral values for site-specific evaluations that may lead to costly analyses, retrofits, or other expenditures. Given such activities, financial, engineering, and other technical users demand processing specifications and a metadata trail for actuarial, escrow, and forensic purposes for each significant earthquake. Recent inquiries include how and why maps change with time, how to interpret metadata, and how to obtain the creation and update history of various map layers. Similarly, the collection of ShakeMap scenarios and historical ShakeMaps—either created in earlier versions or rerun as part of the latest version of the ShakeMap Atlas—warrant a full explanation of the inputs, processing, and archiving given their contribution to fragility curve development and loss model calibration. For these reasons, in addition to event-specific ShakeMap metadata and a comprehensive online ShakeMap Manual, we have crafted this practice paper to answer several of the most frequently asked technical questions. We also describe an application programming interface (API) for accessing site-specific shaking metrics and their uncertainties for earthquake forensic purposes in a consistent fashion. In all, we describe the advantages of employing ShakeMaps for these critical purposes as well as describe their limitations and uncertainties, offering an extensive set of instructions and disclaimers that can be referenced by ShakeMap users.
In this Letter, we report on a new nanofabrication technology to yield highly arrayed nanoelectrodes for organic–inorganic solar cells that promise new levels of performance and efficiency. This technology efficiently controls the effective area of highly arrayed nanoelectrodes and allows for the maximum incorporation of organic materials within the voids. Particularly the 3D parameters such as thickness, spacing, and height of the nanostructures are controlled non‐lithographically by atomic layer deposition technology.
Aptamer-based lateral flow assay (Apt-LFA) has shown promising applications for small-molecule detection. However, the design of the AuNP (gold nanoparticle)-cDNA (complementary DNA) nanoprobe is still a big challenge due to the moderate affinity of the aptamer to small molecules. Herein, we report a versatile strategy to design a AuNPs@polyA-cDNA (poly A, a repeat sequence with 15 A bases) nanoprobe for small-molecule Apt-LFA. The AuNPs@polyA-cDNA nanoprobe contains a polyA anchor blocker, complementary DNA segment to DNA on the control line (cDNAc), partial complementary DNA segment with aptamer (cDNAa), and auxiliary hybridization DNA segment (auxDNA). Using adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) as a model target, we optimized the length of auxDNA and cDNAa and achieved a sensitive detection of ATP. In addition, kanamycin was used as a model target to verify the universality of the concept. Therefore, this strategy can be easily extended to other small molecules; therefore, high application potential in Apt-LFAs can be envisaged.
Article history: Received June 2 2013 Received in revised format September 7 2013 Accepted September 7 2013 Available online September 9 2013 This paper deals with the problem of grouping a set of objects into clusters. The objective is to minimize the sum of squared distances between objects and centroids. This problem is important because of its applications in different areas. In prior literature on this problem, attributes of objects have often been assumed to be crisp numbers. However, since in many realistic situations object attributes may be vague and should better be represented by fuzzy numbers, we are interested in the generalization of the minimum sum-of-squares clustering problem with the attributes being fuzzy numbers. Specifically, we consider the case where an object attribute is a triangular fuzzy number. The problem is first formulated as a fuzzy nonlinear binary integer programming problem based on a newly proposed dissimilarity measure, and then solved by developing and demonstrating a problem-specific ant colony optimization algorithm. The proposed algorithm is evaluated by computational experiments. © 2013 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved
The basic structural chemistry of O3–LixCoO2 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 1) oxides is reviewed. Crystal chemical details of selected compositions and group–subgroup schemes are discussed with respect to phase transitions upon electrochemical or chemical deintercalation of the lithium atoms. Furthermore, the theoretical crystal structures of LixCoO2 supercells (x = 0.75, 0.5, 0.33, and 0.25) are reported for the first time based on the combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray (XRD) or neutron diffraction (ND) experiments. Li0.75CoO2 and Li0.25CoO2 supercells crystallize with the space group R3m, a4 = 5.6234 A and 5.624 A, and c4 = 14.2863 A and 14.26 A, respectively, whereas the Li0.5CoO2 supercell crystallizes with the space group P21/m, a7 = 4.865 A, b7 = 2.809 A, c7 = 9.728 A, and β7 = 99.59°. The Li0.33CoO2 supercell may crystallize in different unit cells (hexagonal or orthorhombic or monoclinic). For Li0.75CoO2, the TEM superstructure reflections are due to only one type of lithium and vacanc...
Purpose: To determine whether intravitreal injection of a commercially available ketorolac tromethamine preparation causes retinal toxicity in albino rabbits. Methods: Nine albino rabbits were injected intravitreally with ketorolac tromethamine (3 mg; 0.1 mL) in one eye and saline (0.1 mL) in the fellow eye. Six of the rabbits received a single injection of ketorolac, and the other three rabbits underwent biweekly injection for a total of four injections. Electroretinography testing was performed on both eyes at different time intervals during 4 weeks of follow-up in the single injection group, and during 12 weeks of follow-up in the multiple injection group. Visual evoked potentials were recorded from each rabbit using monocular and binocular stimulation at the end of the follow-up period. Animals were then killed, and the retinas were prepared for morphologic examination at the light microscope level and for immunostaining for glial fibrillary acidic protein, as a marker of retinal damage. Results: The electroretinography responses from the control and experimental eyes were similar throughout the follow-up period in all rabbits of both experimental groups. There were no differences in the flash visual evoked potential responses between experimental and control eyes in the single injection group, while in the repeated injection group, statistically significant differences were found. Light microscopy did not identify significant histologic differences between the retinas from control and experimental eyes after a single dose. However, after repeated dosing, two of three eyes showed histologic evidence of local toxicity. Immunocytochemical analysis showed no glial fibrillary acidic protein staining in Muller (glial) cells throughout the retina in the single injection group. Slight glial fibrillary acidic protein staining was detected in only one of the three retinas from rabbits in the repeated injection group. Conclusions: Commercially available ketorolac tromethamine was found to be toxic to the retinas of albino rabbits following multiple intravitreal injections at a dose of 3 mg while no electrophysiologic toxicity was found. Therefore, the use of commercially available ketorolac containing alcohol, for intravitreal injection is not recommended.
I n Legal and Ethical Implications of Health Care Reimbursement by Diag nosis Related Groups, published in this issue, Professor Marshall Kapp provides a helpful analysis of legal issues of concern to those who fear that health care financing reforms may ignore genuine health care needs. The author notes: “These issues arise chiefly because the DRG scheme focuses on control of resource consumption, rather than on assurance of quality or access, and thrusts responsibility for balancing those three ele. ments on the individuals and facilities that provide health care services.” I take this statement as an invitation to explore areas which lie outside the scope of his article, in particular, the role of physicians in weighing the social costs of care. The DRG system represents a social mechanism for rationing supposedly scarce resources. It does so by converting health care professionals and hospitals from providers of care into agents for rationing health services. Whether or not medical malpractice standards can curtail potential injury to patients, the fundamental question is whether the system itself is just. The assertion that today’s physician must weigh the social costs and benefits of medical interventions as well as the benefits and costs to the individual begs the question. Who is responsible for ensuring an efficient distribution of resources? If society faces a critical shortage of resources to care for its ill and injured, must not society
This paper presents a method for the automated insertion of virtual advertisements (logos, messages, etc.) into videos. The method consists of detecting regular polygons from the edge maps of frames in a video. This is followed by the selection of an optimal candidate slot into which the desired advertisement is inserted. Experimental results demonstrate that the contour-tracing based rectangle detection algorithm presented in this paper outperforms its precedents such as the Hough Transform and ant-based polygon detection for the purposes of identifying appropriate slots for introducing content in videos.
We consider asymptotic line fields on generic surfaces in 4-space and show that they are globally defined on locally convex surfaces, and their singularities are the inflection points of the surface. As a consequence of the generalized Poincare-Hopf formula, we obtain some relations between the number of inflection points in a generic surface and its Euler number. In particular, it follows that any 2-sphere, generically embedded as a locally convex surface in 4-space, has at least 4 inflection points.
The domestic consumer electronics and durables sector have witnessed a substantial growth over the last few years. This sector plays an important part in the economy of the country and provides employment to millions of people, more importantly to a large number of women in the country.  Giving consumers greater bargaining power which in turn has forced particular product to devise strategies that they consider suit the ever changing marketing environment in order to be competitive and it’s for reason that this study evaluated promotion, price variation, location and improved customer as strategies adopted for competitive edge and identify a strategy with greater returns. India can emerge as the future manufacturing hub for the region, provided there is adequate focus and support from the Government for this sector.
Background: Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB) is caused by either Organic lesions such as genital tract infections, tumors, adenomyosis, pregnancy and its complications, systemic disorders or Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB). In women ≥ 40 years, and certainly in menopausal patients, it mandates evaluation to confirm benign nature of the problem, by ruling out endometrial carcinoma, so that medical treatment or conservative surgery can be offered and unnecessary radical surgery can be avoided. Objectives: Categorizing of Perimenopausal women with AUB for further management according to histo-pathological report and to study the efficacy of medical management (Mainly Progestins). Material and Methods: A total of 60 patients were selected who presented with symptoms of abnormal uterine bleeding at perimenopausal age group (40-54 years). Histopathological results were evaluated after obtaining endometrial tissue and patients are treated accordingly. Treatment response was assessed and tabulated. Statistical Analysis has done by danielsoper.com using chi-square test. Results: Abnormal uterine bleeding was mostly seen in multiparous women with parity >2 about 63.3%. Among menstural irregularities, 45% of cases presented with menorrhagia. Most of the patients were diagnosed as Anovulatory DUB about 60%. Out of 11 hyperplasia patients, 2 (18.1%) patients diagnosed as complex hyperplasia without atypia. No progression of AUB has seen after MPA treatment among all patients with endometrial hyperplasia. Conclusion: Cyclical oral progestogens are effective in regulating and reducing irregular bleeding due to Oligo/Anovulation. Majority of the cases of endometrial hyperplasia without atypia can be successfully treated with progestogen therapy.
Adsorption of a water-soluble diblock copolymer, poly(t-butylstyrene)-sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) (PtBS-NaPSS), on silica surfaces in aqueous solutions was studied using ellipsometry and atomic-force microscopy (AFM). Molar masses of 87 000 and 160 000 g/mol were used. The block copolymers used were compositionally asymmetric, with large, hydrophilic, PSS blocks and small, hydrophobic, PtBS blocks. Adsorption could not be observed in pure water without added salt. When the NaCl concentration was increased to 1 mol/L, adsorption could be readily observed. The measured adsorbed amount at long times was significantly larger for the 87 000 diblock compared with that for a polyelectrolyte homopolymer of comparable molecular size, demonstrating the role played by the uncharged block in anchoring the diblock at the solid surface. The kinetics of adsorption showed a two-stage process, an initial diffusion-limited stage, followed by a slower buildup of surface coverage in a brush-limited stage. The number density of molecules at the surface was smaller for the higher molecular weight species, in agreement with simple scaling arguments.
Catatonia is defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-fifth Edition (DSM-5) as the presence of 3 or more of the following symptoms: catalepsy, waxy flexibility, stupor, agitation, mutism, negativism, posturing, mannerisms, stereotypies, grimacing, echolalia, and echopraxia. Screening instruments, such as the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) or the Northoff Catatonia Scale, are utilized to screen and track the severity and course of symptoms. The primary pharmacologic treatment for catatonia is the lorazepam challenge test. Second-line pharmacologic therapies are indicated when patients have an insufficient response to benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In this case report, we report a case of a geriatric patient given high-dose zolpidem as an alternative agent with cardiac contraindications to ECT.
INTRODUCTION This study presents a 10-years longitudinal assessment of bone status in adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).   MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty two patients (12 female, aged 20.5±3.93 years, T1D duration 13.9±1.97 years) were studied using Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) and Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). Standard deviation scores (SDS) for these results were calculated. Following clinical parameters were analyzed: sex, age, T1D duration, anthropometric parameters, daily insulin requirement (DIR), mean of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the year preceding the examination, medication other than insulin, history of bone fractures and comorbidities.   RESULTS The current and past (measured 10 years earlier) QUS results did not differ and showed a significant correlation (r=0.55, p=0.001). We found no relation of QUS results and anthropometric parameters or gender. DXA parameters did not correlate with the present QUS measurement. DXA and QUS results were independent from HbA1c, co-morbidities or additional medicaments intake.   CONCLUSIONS Bone status parameters of the examined patients with currently suboptimal glycemic control were found to be lowered in comparison to normative reference population, both at baseline and follow-up, although no further deterioration was observed during the 10-year follow-up period.
A carotenoid‐rich salad meal with varying amounts of either a structured lipid or dietary oil was digested using simulated gastric and small intestinal conditions. Lutein and carotenes (α‐carotene, β‐carotene and lycopene) in chyme and filtered micellar fraction were quantified to determine digestive stability and efficiency of micellarization (“bioaccessibility”). Relative micellarization was as follows: lutein > α‐ and β‐carotene > lycopene. Micellarization of carotenes, but not lutein, was enhanced (P<0.05) by addition of lipid (2.5% v/w) to meal, and dependent on fatty acid chain length in structured TG (c18:1 > c8:0 > c4:0). Micellarization efficiency for each carotenoid was similar when equivalent amounts of tri‐oleate (c18:1), tri‐linoleate (c18:2), and tri‐linolenate (c18:3) were added to meal. Relatively low amounts of tri‐oleate and canola oil (0.5–1.0%) were required for maximum micellarization of carotenes, but more oil (~2.5%) was required when TG with medium chain saturated fatty acids (e.g., tri‐octanoate and coconut oil) was added to salad. The results suggest transfer of carotenoids from chyme to mixed micelles during digestion is inversely correlated with hydrophobicity of the pigment, generally requires minimum (0.5–1%) lipid in the meal, and is influenced by chain length, but not degree of saturation, of dietary fatty acids in TG.
A new family of materials is available to address the issue of premature failure of reinforced concrete structures as a result of rusting of steel reinforcements. Composite reinforcing bars have been recognized by the American Concrete Institute as an acceptable alternative to steel and epoxy-coated steel rebars for use in reinforced concrete structures. An initial study was conducted to quantify stress limits for one class of composite rebars to assess their capability to provide 50 years of service. Stress-rupture testing was conducted to assess the combined effects of constant stress and a concrete environment on the life of pultruded composite rods. The results provide proof of concept that glass-fiber reinforced composite bars can provide long-term performance as a reinforcement system for concrete structures.
We propose a class of graphene nanoribbons showing strong intrinsic ferromagnetic behavior due to their asymmetry. Such ribbons are based on a zig-zag edged backbone surmounted by a periodic, triangular notched region of variable size. The electronic properties as a function of the topology are investigated. Interestingly, substitutional doping by boron or nitrogen induces half-metallicity. The most effective doping sites can be inferred from the band structure. Given the present rapid development of bottom-up strategies for the synthesis of atomically precise carbon nanostructures the proposed class of nanoribbons emerges as a real candidate for spintronic applications at ambient temperature.
Introduction Pregnancy and the first few years of a child’s life are important windows of opportunity in which to equalise life chances. A Better Start (ABS) is an area-based intervention being delivered in five areas of socioeconomic disadvantage across England. This protocol describes an evaluation of the impact and cost-effectiveness of ABS. Methods and analysis The evaluation of ABS comprises a mixed-methods design including impact, cost-effectiveness and process components. It involves a cohort study in the 5 ABS areas and 15 matched comparison sites (n=2885), beginning in pregnancy in 2017 and ending in 2024 when the child is age 7, with a separate cross-sectional baseline survey in 2016/2017. Process data will include a profiling of the structure and services being provided in the five ABS sites at baseline and yearly thereafter, and data regarding the participating families and the services that they receive. Eligible participants will include pregnant women living within the designated sites, with recruitment beginning at 16 weeks of pregnancy. Data collection will involve interviewer-administered and self-completion surveys at eight time points. Primary outcomes include nutrition, socioemotional development, speech, language and learning. Data analysis will include the use of propensity score techniques to construct matched programme and comparison groups, and a range of statistical techniques to calculate the difference in differences between the intervention and comparison groups. The economic evaluation will involve a within-cohort study economic evaluation to compare individual-level costs and outcomes, and a decision analytic cost-effectiveness model to estimate the expected incremental cost per unit change in primary outcomes for ABS in comparison to usual care. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval to conduct the study has been obtained. The learning and dissemination workstream involves working within and across the sites to generate learning via communities of practice and a range of learning and dissemination events.
ABSTRACT This study used parallel questionnaires to gauge the level of agreement between 31 pairs of clients and their counsellors. Topics investigated included clients’ help-seeking behaviour, the working relationship, events regarded as helpful and unhelpful, the importance of counselling versus outside factors in achieving positive outcomes, and terminating. Results indicated that there was group agreement between clients and their counsellors on many aspects of their counselling experience. However, pair-specific agreement was less common with levels varying from low to moderately high. The findings suggest that understandings of the client/counsellor relationship based on group analyses can mask the actual relationship revealed by pair-specific analyses. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing literature and implications for practice are suggested.
Introduction : The health sector is activity focused; it is counted, valued and bought. Is this sustainable and should alternative constructs be considered? This case study from Integrated Care on the Central Coast of NSW, Australia outlines the journey of building an Outcomes Based Commissioning Framework to support vulnerable older people. Practice Change Implemented : The approach applied new thinking around funding outcomes to develop an innovative funding to drive improved care. Aim and theory of change : The aim is to deliver care coordination for vulnerable population group, engage community based providers and pilot an alternative funding model. Targeted population and stakeholders : The project encompassed needs assessment and predictive risk stratification for a population at risk of hospitalisation in the next twelve-months and experiencing health and socioeconomic disadvantage. Timeline : Twelve-months. Highlights : The project brought together essential components of care – identifying a population at future risk, collaboratively designing new models of care through care design, assessing the local community’s capability to support the vulnerable and creating outcome based payment and contracting models. An outcome focus was developed through reducing hospitalisations and this provided the basis for an alternative funding model. The model focused on care and ensured funding was available where care was required (at the hospital to pay for bed days or to pay providers for supporting people in their community). This shifted the focus and reimbursement from service activity to delivering on patient outcomes. Sustainability and Transferability : This approach, drawing on existing funding, has potential to be sustainable into the future and challenges traditional funding of care. Transferability could be country wide, and the outcomes approach has implications in integrated care in all settings. It expands significantly on international outcome models by increasing payments to providers that successfully support patients to avoid unnecessary hospitalisations. Hybrid models of activity based and outcomes based funding have potential into the future of health funding. Conclusions : Potentially this care model is agreeable to providers, sits within existing health budgets, is transparent and allows care to follow the patient. Discussion : An alternative care model has been trialed within an Outcomes Based Commissioning Framework. It incorporates new approaches to considering funding, engaging the market and fundamentally challenging the traditional approach to core business. Lessons Learned : This new way of thinking challenges both the system and the people that work in it. It is a journey of change and needs support and guidance along the way. Political scrutiny adds an extra dimension to work of this type and the right stakeholders must be engaged. A number of secondary outcomes have emerged including: Development of new contracts and KPIs Improving links between clinical and financial performance staff Establishing frameworks for care coordinators and general practitioners to work closer together
This beautifully presented book is an essential read for staff of all grades to read and enjoy. The authors, Kuhn and Verity, are from different disciplines, the former from social work and the latter occupational therapy. Both have vast experience in the field of dementia care. The introduction to the book describes professional and paid carers as artists. It explains to the reader that what is deemed to be a lowly job, working and caring for people with dementia, is an art. The members of staff, who meet and interact with people with dementia on a daily basis, have a special artistic skill, and if exercised, will serve to maximise the strengths and minimise the fears of the people in their care. Kuhn and Verity emphasise that the book serves to introduce each worker as an artist; someone with creativity, patience and the skill to achieve positive results. They add that just like artists, the worker requires education, training and experience to produce rewarding results. The book is easy to read. It is not cluttered with references, but provides a selection of references and resources at the back. The introduction serves to elevate the esteem of people who work in the field of dementia care. It underlines the uniqueness of the individual with dementia, and the importance each person makes to the everyday lives of those in their care. In six short chapters, the book illustrates in a simple yet powerful manner the need to focus on the existing strengths of people with dementia. Using reflective questions and case studies, the reader is guided through their attitudes, methods of communication and strategies to use when dealing with challenging behaviours. An appendix entitled ‘A View from the Field’ gives practical advice to individual carers and teams of staff, using actual experiences, encountered as difficult, by staff members. Each de men tia
Remote measurement of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) has opened a new perspective to assess plant actual photosynthesis at larger, ecologically relevant scales. Several recent researches have demonstrated the strong link between satellite based SIF and gross primary production (GPP) at large scales. However, understanding the underling mechanisms between SIF and GPP remains challenging before SIF used as a robust constraint for estimating GPP. In this study, we used a combination of remotely sensed data together with model analysis to assess the impact factors that determining the SIF-GPP relationship. We found that the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment–2 (GOME-2) SIF is spatially corresponded to the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) product for GPP. We also noticed that the SIF-GPP relationship was ecosystem-specific and influenced by land surface temperature. The former is due to some structural and physiological characteristics related to each ecosystem and the latter can be attributed to the biochemical process influenced by temperature conditions. Our analysis using Soil-Canopy Observation of Photochemistry and Energy fluxes (SCOPE) model also indicated the SIF-GPP relationship was complex and affected by some factors like shortwave irradiance, chlorophyll content and LAI. As SIF and GPP are influenced by a combination of several factors under natural conditions, we concluded that the simply linear regression relationship between SIF and GPP may be applicable only for some certain conditions and the their relationship may not be linear over natural conditions. Based on our analysis, we then suggested that dedicated strategies were required to compensate for the factors affecting SIF-GPP relationship before using SIF to estimate global GPP. The findings of this study contributes to a better understanding of the information inherent in remotely sensed SIF and its functional relationship to GPP.
The accumulated numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths per capita are important characteristics of the pandemic dynamics that may also indicate the effectiveness of quarantine, testing, vaccination, and treatment. The statistical analysis based on the number of cases per capita accumulated to the end of June 2021 showed no correlations with the volume of population, its density, and the urbanization level both in European countries and regions of Ukraine. The same result was obtained with the use of fresher datasets (as of December 23, 2021). The number of deaths per capita and per case may depend on the urbanization level. For European countries these relative characteristics decrease with the increase of the urbanization level. Opposite trend was revealed for the number of deaths per capita in Ukrainian regions.
Aim. To identify trends of further development, priorities, challenges and vectors of further research in social pediatrics. Methods. Interpretive content analysis of dissertations in the field of public health and healthcare for the period from 1991 to 2012 was performed. 4194 items were analyzed. Results. At the first stage of the research, it was found that 14.8% of public health dissertations presented during the research period addressed pediatric problems. The next stage included qualitative and quantitative analysis of top-priority topics of social pediatrics in public health dissertations. The analysis of social pediatrics areas included the following categories: (1) studies of social (psychosocial) determinants of children’s health; (2) studies of health condition of children and adolescents in a stressful situation; (3) organization of medical and social aid to children. Studies of social (psychosocial) determinants of children’s health were the most common (35.9 %). Studies of health status of vulnerable children and adolescents had a share of 15% of all studies. 7.6% of studies were devoted to pediatric medical and social aid organization. Conclusion. It is important to facilitate the research in social pediatrics to optimize the scientific data and improve pediatric medical and social aid.
The authors tested a psycholegal model of how people evaluate social sexual conduct at work with videotaped reenactments of interviews with alleged complainants, perpetrators, and other workers. Participants (200 full-time male and female workers) were randomly assigned to evaluate the complaints with either the reasonable person or reasonable woman legal standard. Participants answered questions about sexual harassment law and completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory. Participants who took the reasonable woman perspective, as compared with those who took the reasonable person perspective, were more likely to find the conduct harassing; this was especially the case among participants high in hostile sexism. Medium-sized gender effects were found in the severe case but were absent in the weaker, more ambiguous case. The implications of these findings for hostile work environment law are discussed.
Urban air pollution is one of the most visible environmental problems in China. In this paper, we use emission inventory data to assess the air quality and health effects in the Chinese city of Shijiazhuang. A spatial model is developed to identify the sources of emissions and to estimate population exposure to high ambient concentrations. Dose-response functions are used to quantify the impact on human health. Our results show significant health costs associated with Shijiazhuang's high concentration of sulphate, a fine particulate matter originating mainly from coal consumption. Policy implications are explored by evaluating alternative pollution control options. The use of cleaner coal is found to be the most cost effective in improving urban air quality and reducing human exposure.
Opportunities for financial reporting fraud arise because of information asymmetries—often labeled “lack of transparency”—between top managers and their diverse shareholders. We evaluate the relative contributions of information asymmetries arising from industry-level and firm-level complexities to the likelihood of top managers committing financial reporting fraud. Using a sample of 453 matched pairs of firms that have and have not been identified as having committed financial reporting fraud, we found that information asymmetries arising from industry- and firm-level complexities increase the likelihood of financial fraud. Moreover, more CEO stock options increase the likelihood of fraud when industry complexity is high, while aggressive monitoring by the audit committee reduces the likelihood of reporting fraud when firm-level complexity is high.
Summary Experiments are reported of the self-preserving turbulent corner wall jet formed by directing a jet of air parallel to the line of intersection of two walls abutting at right angles. Self preserving profiles of the mean and turbulent flow are established by approximately 50 jet diameters downstream. Like the three-dimensional wall jet on a plane-wall surface there is evidence of a significant secondary flow induced by vortex line bending, though its magnitude is smaller than in the plane-wall case.
Raman microscopy has been attractive because of its ability to characterize materials on a spatial scale commensurate with optical microscopy. Typically the lateral spatial resolution is quoted as determined by the Airy disc[1] which is 1.22λ/NA where λ is the wavelength of the illuminating light, and NA is the numerical aperture which is equal to nsinθ, where n is the index of refraction of the medium (1.0 in the case of air) and is the angle subtended by the optics. However, the Airy disc description cannot be correct for a Raman microscope. The Airy disc assumes uniform illumination of the focusing optic, and the laser profile is anything but. In addition, in some instruments the Gaussian laser profile is not well matched to the aperture of the focusing objective. At any rate, this article is going to concentrate on the depth resolution of the Raman microscope. Optical calculations for depth resolution of an optical microscope state that the it is proportional to λ/(NA). The essential point to recognize is that the spatial resolution of any Raman microscope depends on the detection optics as well as the focusing optics. How effectively does the optical system collect the Raman signal excited in the laser focal spot, and reject the signal from the surrounding volume that is illuminated by the laser but not in focus?
Geophysical methods have been increasingly popular for shallow and environmental studies worldwide. In particular an electrical geophysical method is helpful in soil investigation which focuses on an interval from the ground surface down to a depth of 2 meters. The instrument of electrical geophysics were developed and successfully applied to assist in precision agricultural practices worldwide, i.e. Europe, Russia, and US. Our group from Indonesia has modified a resistivity instrument that integrates with other components and could increase mobility in soil mapping. The instrument measures electrical resistivity, conductivity, and potential that can be used for agricultural applications. In addition, we created forward modelsto help us understand and detect limits of our target.
The feeding behaviour of herbivorous insects has become the focus of renewed interest in recognition of its critical importance in screening cultivated plants for resistant germplasm. Determination of biotic potential was viewed as the ultimate test for resistance to grasshoppers in agro-ecosystems dominated by cereal monoculture, because of the direct relationship between it and population dynamics. Such studies, however, are labour-intensive and may extend over several months. As an alternative to more timeconsuming assay procedures, in this study we examined a behavioural assay and some of the factors that influence the results. In the majority of assays in the present study, the total number of grasshoppers visiting the plants were lower on the second day than the first day using second instar grasshoppers. In contrast, the total numbers of grasshoppers recorded on the plants was higher on the second day than the first day for the majority of assays using neonates. The extent of defoliation also was noticeably greater on the second day, except when both plants available to the grasshoppers were non-preferred. This difference which was reflected in greater sensitivity of the assays using neonates serves to highlight one of the problems when grasshoppers at later stages of development are used in binary preference assays. The observations of feeding patterns are discussed in terms of some recent concepts
A numerical simulation of the interaction of upstream propagating acoustic waves with a shock in a convergent-divergent two-dimensional nozzle is presented. Both Euler and Navier-Stokes simulations are carried out and compared with data and theories. The Navier-Stokes simulation uses a k-w model for turbulence and fully accounts for the effect of boundary-layer separation which originates at the shock foot location. It is shown that nonlinear effects are concentrated near the shock/boundary-layer interaction region where the unsteady pressure shows higher modes. The motion of the shock remains essentially harmonic driven mainly by the frequency of the outlet imposed acoustic wave. The intensity of the reflected wave is much stronger than that predicted by the inviscid analysis suggesting that the fluctuation of the separated region near the shock foot acts as the main source of sound propagating downstream.
Cloud computing is a new computing paradigm to deliver computing resources as services over the Internet. Under such a paradigm, cloud users can rent computing resources from cloud providers to provide their services. The goal of cloud users is to minimize the resource rental cost while meeting the service requirements. In reality, cloud providers often offer multiple pricing models for virtual machine (VM) instances, including on-demand and reserved pricing models. Moreover, the workload of cloud users varies with time and is not known a priori. Therefore, it is challenging for cloud users to determine the optimal cloud resource provisioning. In this paper, we propose a two-phase cloud resource provisioning algorithm. In the first phase, we formulate the resource reservation problem as a two-stage stochastic programming problem, and solve it by the sample average approximation method and the dual decomposition method. In the second phase, we propose a hybrid ARIMA-Kalman model to predict the workload, and determine the number of on-demand instances based on the predicted workload. The effectiveness of the proposed two-phase algorithm is evaluated using a real-world workload trace and Amazon EC2’s pricing models. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can significantly reduce the operational cost while guaranteeing the service level agreement (SLA).
Corbit is a general-purpose, command-line program to implement orbit correction for the Advanced Photon Source. Its main purpose is to correct the orbit using a file containing the inverse of a response matrix and the names of the monitors and correctors. It will also: Calculate the response matrix from lattice data; calculate the singular value decomposition of the response matrix; remove singular values from the singular value decomposition; calculate the inverse from the singular value decomposition; use only a subset of the monitors or the correctors; preview the corrected orbit; match a desired orbit; calibrate the response matrix from excitation curve data for the correctors; apply an overall calibration to the response matrix; and compensate for the value of B*Rho.
Dislocation generation mechanisms for GaP on Si substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition are described. Dislocations are not observed at the GaP/Si interface when the layer thickness is less than 90 nm. The presented high resolution transmission electron microscopy shows two kinds of dislocations with the extra‐half plane in the GaP layer and Si substrate. These observations predict that the misfit dislocations are formed at the growth temperature while the dislocations with the extra‐half plane in the GaP layer are formed during the cooling process, owing to the difference of the thermal expansion.
Filtration surgery is commonly performed for glaucoma treatment to reduce intraocular pressure (IOP); however, scarring of the filtering bleb is the main cause of failure. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the chloride channel blocker 5‐nitro‐2‐(3‐phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) on scar formation in filtering blebs. A glaucoma filtering surgery model was generated using Sprague–Dawley rats, divided into the control and NPPB groups receiving injections of different NPPB concentrations. The IOP of all rats decreased 1‐day post‐surgery and gradually increased afterward. However, IOP in rats from the NPPB groups recovered more slowly than that of the control group rats. In addition, the area and survival times of filtering blebs in rats from the NPPB groups were substantially larger and longer than those in the control group. Twenty‐eight days after surgery, the protein and mRNA expression of collagen I, fibronectin and α‐smooth muscle actin in the filtering area of rats from the NPPB groups were significantly lower than that in the control group rats. Collectively, our study demonstrates that NPPB inhibits filtering bleb scar formation, maintains filtering bleb morphology and prolongs filtering bleb survival time by inhibiting the differentiation of conjunctival fibroblasts and extracellular matrix synthesis.
The diffusion of sodium chloride in dilute solutions of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was studied using the porous frit technique. It was found that at relatively low CMC concentrations the diffusivity of sodium chloride (D) is higher than that in water (D0); with increasing CMC concentration, the diffusivity decreases gradually and reaches a value lower than that in water. The relation between the diffusivity (D) and CMC concentration (Cp) was represented by the equation D = a – bCp. The effect of temperature on the diffusivity of sodium chloride in CMC solutions was found to obey the Arrhenius equation with an activation energy of 2230 cal/mol.
The human-land system is a complex and open giant system composed of two subsystems of geographical environment and human activities. Though the optimization of the relationship between two subsystems, we could realize the regional sustainable development. The regional sustainable development is the embodiment of the most optimization of human-land system. This paper revealed human-land system, in terms of connotation, structure, relation, mechanism and function. Based on the theory of human-land system, the paper proposed the regional sustainable development assessment model and carried out the empirical analysis in the township scale. We chose Haiyong Town as the study area. The results show that the study area is in a good level of regional sustainable development, but in a primary stage. The economic sub-system and the society sub-system have reached the good level of sustainable development, but the environment subsystem is always at a low level. The study area should put forward optimization strategies within the economic, social and environmental subsystems, such as ecological agriculture strategy, circular economy strategy, modern service industry strategy, environmental protection system strategy and so on, in order to promoting regional sustainable development. The research results can provide scientific reference for the assessment of regional sustainable development and the formulation of regional sustainable development strategy.
Abstract In March 2020, the majority of schools in the United States transitioned to distance learning in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Little data is available on the impact of this abrupt transition on youth, but many experts have expressed concerns about the implications of this major change in schooling on mental health and academic outcomes. The current study sought to gain insight on parent and school personnel (n = 515, n = 193) concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic related schools and the return to school within two cohorts (summer 2020, fall 2020). Primary concerns were student health, student academic development, personal health, and student mental health. These findings may assist schools in their preparation for the transitions related to COVID-19 and changes in the school year to provide resources for their families to promote their students’ development and support their school personnel’s health. Impact Statement The current study can assist school policy makers in considering how to address concerns and fears related to the COVID-19 pandemic for parents and school personnel. The findings can assist school mental health professionals in preparing to address potential school personnel and parent concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. School psychologists are going to be challenged to adapt their services based on concerns related to the pandemic; these findings may assist them in adapting those services to address the common concerns and fears of school personnel and parents.
We review the current studies on the ground‐state properties of superheavy nuclei. It is shown that there is shape coexistence for the ground state of many superheavy nuclei from different models and many superheavy nuclei are deformed. This can lead to the existence of isomers in superheavy region and it plays an important role for the stability of superheavy nuclei. Some new results on Z=117 and Z=119 isotopes are presented. The agreement between theoretical results and experimental data clearly demonstrates the validity of theoretical models for the ground‐state properties of superheavy nuclei.
Japan today protects one-seventh of its land surface in parks, which are visited by well over a billion people each year. Parkscapes analyzes the origins, development, and distinctive features of these public spaces. Green zones were created by the government beginning in the late nineteenth century for state purposes but eventually evolved into sites of negotiation between bureaucrats and ordinary citizens who use them for demonstrations, riots, and shelters, as well as recreation. Thomas Havens shows how revolutionary officials in the 1870s seized private properties and converted them into public parks for educating and managing citizens in the new emperor-sanctioned state. Rebuilding Tokyo and Yokohama after the earthquake and fires of 1923 spurred the spread of urban parklands both in the capital and other cities. According to Havens, the growth of suburbs, the national mobilization of World War II, and the post-1945 American occupation helped speed the creation of more urban parks, setting the stage for vast increases in public green spaces during Japan's golden age of affluence from the 1960s through the 1980s. Since the 1990s the Japanese public has embraced a heightened ecological consciousness and become deeply involved in the design and management of both city and natural parks--realms once monopolized by government bureaucrats. As in other prosperous countries, public-private partnerships have increasingly become the norm in operating parks for public benefit, yet the heavy hand of officialdom is still felt throughout Japan's open lands. Based on extensive research in government documents, travel records, and accounts by frequent park visitors, Parkscapes is the first book in any language to examine the history of both Japan's urban and national parks. As an account of how Japan's experience of spatial modernity challenges current thinking about protection and use of the nonhuman environment globally, the book will appeal widely to readers of spatial and environmental history as well as those interested in modern Japan and its many inviting green spaces.
Puberty is a normal part of development, but it is also different for everyone. For some teenagers, puberty comes earlier than for others, and for some it goes faster than for others. Because of this, kids of the same age can look very different from each other—their bodies are growing at different rates. However, researchers have discovered that puberty not only changes your body, but also your brain. This is because puberty involves changes in hormones that also attach to your brain cells and change how the brain learns and grows. These changes are useful because they help shape the brain for new forms of learning. They might also lead to some “bumps in the road”—for example, you might take some risks that do not quite work out. In this article we explain what puberty does to the brain, and why these brain changes are important to prepare you for adulthood.
N 1899, twenty years after the first broad food and drug bill had been introduced into the national Congress, and nearly seven years before that august body would enact such a national law, the secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Health, Samuel W. Abbott, delivered a lecture. He told the American Public Health Association about his state's sixteen years of experience in food and drug inspection, in his address defining the difficult duties of the inspector, the "collector of samples." The demands placed upon this official, Abbott said,
OBJECTIVE To assess the disease burden of rotavirus diarrhea in Peru as well the need for and the potential cost savings with a rotavirus vaccine in that country.   METHODS To assess the burden of rotavirus diarrhea in Peru, we reviewed published and unpublished reports where rotavirus was sought as the etiologic agent of diarrhea in children. Rotavirus detection rates obtained from these studies were combined with diarrhea incidence rates from a number of national surveys in order to estimate both the burden of rotavirus diarrhea in the country and its associated medical costs.   RESULTS Rotavirus is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Peruvian children. In their first 5 years of life, an estimated 1 in 1.6 children will experience an episode of rotavirus diarrhea, 1 in 9.4 will seek medical care, 1 in 19.7 will require hospitalization, and 1 in 375 will die of the disease. Per year, this represents approximately 384,000 cases, 64,000 clinic visits, 30,000 hospitalizations, and 1,600 deaths. The annual cost of medical care alone for these children is approximately US$ 2.6 million--and that does not take into account the indirect or societal costs of the illness and the deaths.   CONCLUSIONS Rotavirus immunization provides the prospect of decreasing the morbidity and mortality from diarrhea in Peru, but a vaccine regimen would have to be relatively inexpensive, a few dollars or less per child. Future cost-effectiveness analyses should explore the total costs (medical as well as indirect or societal) associated with rotavirus diarrhea. Newly licensed vaccines should be tested according to both their ability to avert deaths and their efficacy with fewer than three doses. All three of these factors could increase the cost savings associated with a rotavirus vaccine.
ABSTRACT Toxoplasma infection in pregnant women may cause congenital toxoplasmosis. Diagnosis of infection is based on serological tests aimed at detecting IgM and IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii. However, IgM antibodies are not an accurate marker for discriminating between acute and latent infection. Detection of residual or persistent IgM may occur months or even years after primary infection, while the IgG avidity test is a rapid means of identifying latent infections in pregnant women who exhibit both IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies on initial testing during pregnancy. In this study, we assessed and compared the performances of four commercially available Toxoplasma IgG avidity tests in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients with acute and latent toxoplasmosis. The positive predictive value of high avidity to confirm latent toxoplasmosis was 100% for all the assays, indicating that high avidity is a hallmark of latent infection. However, the negative predictive value of high avidity ranged from 99.2% (bioMérieux) to 95.3% (Abbott), indicating that acute toxoplasmosis could not be reliably diagnosed based on low IgG avidity alone. Thus, the avidity test provides a rapid means for identifying latent Toxoplasma infection in immunocompetent pregnant women presenting both IgG and IgM anti-Toxoplasma antibodies on initial testing. In terms of cost-effectiveness, avidity testing is a powerful tool that optimizes screening and follow-up of pregnant women while minimizing the costs of screening by avoiding subsequent costly maternal and fetal investigation and unnecessary treatment. The cheapest assay, Vidas Toxo IgG Avidity, also had the best performance for the diagnosis of latent toxoplasmosis.
ABSTRACT We describe a case of “Flexispira rappini” bacteremia from a 9-year-old girl who presented with a 5-day history of fever, productive cough, and malaise. A chest X-ray result was compatible with right middle lobe pneumonia. Blood culture grew a gram-negative spiral fusiform bacterium 2 days after the inoculation. Biochemical tests showed the organism to be catalase negative, oxidase positive, sodium hippurate hydrolysis negative, and urea hydrolysis negative. 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified this organism as “F. rappini,” showing a six-base substitution from the type strain. This is the first report of “F. rappini” bacteremia in a human, suggesting that this organism has the potential of causing invasive infection, but its role in pneumonia is uncertain and could be unrelated to the bacteremia.
A novel modular ground robotic system is proposed for the purpose of cooperative manipulation and transportation of rigid payloads in two dimensions. The proposed design consists of a set of identical holonomic robots equipped with a lifting mechanism that can be rigidly attached to a desired payload. Once attached, the robot-payload system becomes holonomic and the payload can be transported by the robots along an arbitrary desired trajectory. The proposed system has unique advantages in terms of scalability, holonomic dynamics, and simplicity. Experimental results using a set of prototype robots and an example payload demonstrate feasibility of the proposed system, and trajectory tracking accuracy is quantified using multiple robot configurations. Overall, the proposed modular manipulation system is shown to be a promising technology that is scalable and deployable in a wide range of applications.
Student communities are among the most active agents in the transformation of European cities, due to the concurring circumstances of booming international student mobility, the restructuring of university residence patterns, and the acknowledgement of the importance of knowledge assets and creativity for sustainable urban development. This article presents a conceptualisation of emerging student landscapes, especially focusing on the spatial configuration of mobility and activity flows. It is argued that while student landscapes are determined in the first place by the structure of the city and university settlements, they undergo a peculiar dynamic which, in most cases, leads to a decoupling of education spaces and the habitats where students spend the rest of their time. This result may not be the optimal for a sustainable, competitive city. Using evidence from two cities, Barcelona and Lille, our article derives indications for the planning of new higher education facilities and student settlements that may produce more coherent student landscapes.
Objective To determine effects of induced anisometropia on stereopsis to assess the potentially detrimental effects of uncorrected anisometropia on stereoacuity in sailers.Methods Twenty-five healthy adult volunteers,who were 22-34 years old(mean:27 years old)and free of ocular diseases,participated in the study.The different lenses ranging from 1-3 D were planced in front of right eyes of subjects,which leaded to 4 different types of anisometropia(simple hypometropia,simple hypermetropia.Stereoacuity was measured by YAN Shao-ming Digital Stereoscopic Test Charts.Results The levels of stereoacuity decreased in all subjects as the degree of anisometropia increased.One diopter of spherical anisometropia had subjects'stereoaeuity reduced to 50″-54″ and that of cylindrical anisometropia had subjects'stereoacuity reduced to 50″-52″.Regardless of type,three diopters of anisometropia had all suhjeets'stereoacuity reduced significantly.Conclusions Low levels of anisometropia can have potentially significant adverse effect on highgrade binocular vision function in adults.Foveal suppression,which is directly related to the degree of anisometmpia,may be responsible for the reduction of stereopsis.    Key words:  Stereoaeuity;  Anisometropia;  Sailer
This study compares the emergence of four wireless clusters in the 1970s and 1980s. Two of them, Calgary in Canada and Finland, initially pursued rather similar service innovations for not very different markets but with very different outcomes, which raises the question why. One major reason that emerges from the reviewed extant research on cluster emergence and innovation diffusion concerns the differences in timing and quality of the initial innovations, affecting their respective perceived diffusion attributes, and market growth and extent. The initial innovation in Finland was well received, diffused rapidly and eventually globally, and led to a positive spiral spurring the industry on to take a global lead. In the case of Calgary, however, it was un-competitive in the broader international market, forcing the anchor firm to adapt and reorient. The study analyses and compares the characteristics of the respective initial innovations and their impact on the outcome, and concludes with a discussion and some propositions on cluster emergence. Enhanced understanding of nascent clusters, especially regarding the role of globally attractive initial innovations and their diffusion quality and timing, should provide value for both scholars and practitioners.
The differentiation of the protophloem in 9- to 14-day-old adventitious roots of Salix viminalis was studied. Ultrastructural observations were mainly made on longitudinal serial sections through an uninterrupted file of 32 differentiating sieve elements. The first cell in the file was located about 50 μm from the apical meristem. At an early stage the nucleus was lobed in outline, and in older cells the nucleoplasm became electron lucent. In the first or second cell from the first mature sieve element the nuclear envelope broke open. The nucleoli decreased gradually in size and disappeared finally. From the 9th cell the plastids contained starch and grew somewhat in size. ER increased in amount and began to form stacks in the 20th cell. These stacks moved to a peripheral position. Callose platelets were first observed on the transverse walls in cell 18. Flattened ER-cisternae covered the sieve pore sites. Gradually the middle lamella was dissolved and the callose aggregations formed cylinders around the pores of the sieve plate. Aggregations of tubular P-protein were present from cell 15. P-protein bodies were also present in parenchyma cells adjoining mature sieve elements. The only cell components remaining in mature sieve elements were plastids, mitochondria, stacked ER, the plasmalemma, remnants of other membranes and bodies consisting of P-protein and of an unidentified granular material. The sieve elements had no ontogenetically related companion cells. At a level where both metaphloem and metaxylem had matured the first formed protophloem sieve elements remained intact.
Abstract. The Yarlung Tsangpo-Brahmaputra River (YBR) originating from the Tibetan Plateau (TP), is an important water source for many domestic and agricultural practices in countries including China, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh. To date, only a few studies have investigated the impacts of climate change on water resources in this river basin with dispersed results. In this study, we provide a comprehensive and updated assessment of the impacts of climate change on YBR streamflow by integrating a physically based hydrological model, regional climate integrations from CORDEX (Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment), different bias correction methods, and Bayesian model averaging method. We find that (i) bias correction is able to reduce systematic biases in regional climate integrations and thus benefits hydrological simulations over YBR Basin; (ii) Bayesian model averaging, which optimally combines individual hydrological simulations obtained from different bias correction methods, tends to provide hydrological time series superior over individual ones. We show that by the year 2035, the annual mean streamflow is projected to change respectively by 6.8 %, −0.4 %, and −4.1 % under RCP4.5 relative to the historical period (1980–2001) at the Bahadurabad in Bangladesh, the upper Brahmaputra outlet, and Nuxia in China. Under RCP8.5, these percentage changes will substantially increase to 12.9 %, 13.1 %, and 19.9 %. Therefore, the change rate of streamflow shows strong spatial variability along the YBR from downstream to upstream. The increasing rate of streamflow shows an augmented trend from downstream to upstream under RCP8.5 compared to an attenuated pattern under RCP4.5.
idea or the publisher’s. While some readers may fi nd it as useful for framing their understanding as they read each chapter, the statements oft en are so abstract that it may have been best to leave these mini-theses for the end of the respective chapters as a summing up exercise. At over 300 pages, many readers will fi nd parts of the narrative redundant, overly detailed (concerning the minutiae of informants’ lives), and exploratory in terms of theory that do not necessarily enhance the fl ow of the story. On this latter point, where the author takes time to work out matters of personhood and the performative aspects of social being and social relations, the reader may feel helplessly adrift amid the musings of an advanced grad student in consultation with her advisors. Compelling prose it is not. On the other hand, it may appeal to readers interested in notions of the self, women, and Islam vis-à-vis social worlds as political states. No parts of the book are more fascinating and harrowing than Peshkova’s personal encounters with organs and agents of the dictatorial Uzbek state. Although verging on the obsessive and solipsistic, these encounters are woven rather brilliantly into the author’s larger research project and its perils—in the eyes of state security agents, the dreaded Uzbek SNB (contemporary KGB). Simply, Peshkova is able to show how her detentions and hair-raising interrogations put the lives and well-being of her informants at risk. She uses these encounters skillfully to question her sanity, her purpose, and the very enterprise of anthropology where it concerns learning about the reality of others that may be perceived only as a direct threat or confrontation with the authorities themselves. In the Uzbekistan fi eldwork context, this means popular Islamic practices and ideas not approved or regulated by authorities. Naturally, because so much of women’s Islamic practice in Uzbekistan takes place in private realms—people’s homes—the paranoid state’s actors become extremely agitated by an American academic whose birthplace is the Russian Caucasus and whose citizenship is Russian. How could Peshkova be anything other than a spy or rabble-rouser! In the end, Peshkova’s fi eldwork makes her existence in Uzbekistan so unpleasant that she is literally escorted on to a plane and out of the country by the SNB. In retrospect, she is forced to confront what reality, what religiosity, and what survival all mean to the women and men she has befriended and gotten to know. As much as any anthropologist working on Uzbekistan, it is not so much a matter of Peshkova fi guring out what makes Uzbekistan tick, but rather of her understanding how her informants attempt to grapple with, survive within, and, to a real degree, succeed in making meaningful and enjoyable lives for themselves in a system that even some of the SNB agents admit is dysfunctional, disgusting, and unhinged. Far from a perfect book, it is remarkable and a necessary read for advanced social scientifi c thinking on Uzbekistan and the nature of post-Soviet legacies in Central Eurasia.
The lifetimes in air as a function of applied flexure stress and temperature (300--1,150 C) are described for a Si-O-C based (Nicalon) fiber plain-weave cloth reinforced SiC-matrix composite ({approximately}7% closed porosity) with an {approximately}0.3 {micro}m thick carbon interfacial layer. The measured lifetimes of both samples with and without an external SiC seal coating were similar and decreased with applied flexural stress (for stresses greater than {approximately}90 MPa) and with temperature. At temperatures of {ge}600 C, the external CVD SiC coating had negligible effect on the lifetimes; however, at 425 C, a detectable improvement in the lifetime was observed with an external SiC coating. When the applied stress was decreased below an apparent threshold stress (e.g., {approximately}90 MPa) for tests conducted at temperatures {le}950 C, no failures were observed for times of {ge}1,000 H. Electron microscopy observations show that the interfacial carbon layer is progressively removed during tests at 425 and 600 C. In these cases, failure is associated with fiber failure and pull-out. At 950 and 1,150 C, the carbon interface layer is eliminated and replaced by a thick silica layer due to the oxidation of the Nicalon fiber and the SiC matrix. This results in embrittling the composite.
This paper proposes the independent drive system of two permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) fed by a four-leg inverter (4LI) with vector control method. The 4LI consists of four legs and two capacitors connected in a series. There are independent speed and position controls of two PMSMs fed by a 4LI with vector control, but there are known to have several disadvantages. First, the pulse width modulation (PWM) technique in three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) is not directly applicable for the 4LI because only two phases must be modulated. Second, the characteristics of speed and position drive are unstable when the voltage drift of neutral point of the two capacitors is happened. This paper shows the expanded two-arm modulation to obtain balanced three-phase AC voltage. Also, this paper proposes the compensation method for voltage of two-split capacitors. Next, the independent speed drive of two PMSMs fed by the 4LI with the vector control system is demonstrated by the experimental results. Besides, the independent position drive of two PMSMs fed by the 4LI with the vector control system is demonstrated by the simulation results.
The hypoproliferative anemia in chronic renal failure has been assumed to be the result of decreased erythropoietin (Ep) production by the damaged kidney and of the shortening of erythrocyte survival. However, many in vitro studies suggest that erythropoietic inhibitors in uremic plasma may contribute to the anemia. To determine the in vivo relevance of uremic inhibitors, increasing amounts of Ep as Ep-rich plasma were infused into six uremic sheep, and their erythropoietic responses were compared with those of nine normal sheep receiving similar amounts of Ep-rich plasma. Three sheep were studied in both normal and uremic states. Ep-rich plasma was obtained from phenylhydrazine- and phlebotomy-induced anemic sheep. Stable uremia was created by subtotal nephrectomy. Erythropoiesis was quantitated by reticulocyte response, ferrokinetics (plasma iron turnover and marrow transit time), and by hemoglobin C synthesis. Ep-rich plasma stimulated erythropoiesis similarly in uremic and normal sheep, regardless of the degree of uremia. Nondialyzed uremic sheep responded as well as dialyzed animals. The anemia was corrected in the uremic dialyzed animals. The anemia was corrected in the uremic sheep after 15-40 daily infusions of Ep-rich plasma, the total dosage depending on the severity of the anemia. Polycythemia was induced when the infusions were continued. Reticulocytes, plasma iron turnover, and erythrocyte mass changes increased as the amount of Ep-rich plasma was increased. These dose-response effects, coupled with the identical erythropoietic response in normal and uremic sheep given the same amount of Ep-rich plasma, imply that there are no physiologically significant erythropoietic inhibitors in uremia.
A high-speed railway virtual reality system can vividly show the train running process, traction and braking control performance using 3D computer graphics technology. As a major part of virtual reality system, the traction and braking performance have great significance to the effect of the rain running. This paper researches the basic theory of train traction and braking calculation, which can be used to simulate the train running in the virtual reality system. It also introduces the realization process of the virtual simulation based on Direct3D.
1)The high incidence of tuberculosis is the most outstanding disease problem among the Indians of the United States. There is no evidence that tuberculosis existed among them in pre-Columbian times. The prevalence of the disease, as indicated by mortality and morbidity rates, and by x-ray surveys, has shown a gradual decrease throughout the years; however, recent mortality figures are over five times that of the general population, and x-ray surveys have shown an incidence of over 3 per cent pulmonary lesions characteristic of tuberculosis. 2)The course and character of tuberculosis among the Indians does not differ significantly from that among the whites. Indians appear to exhibit no peculiar racial susceptibility to tuberculosis, and immunological factors have little influence in the high prevalence of the disease among them. 3)Environmental changes coincident with the advent of the whites, and subsequent socio-economic conditions on the reservations', have been largely responsible for the high rate of tuberculosis among the Indians. Inadequate medical care and facilities, dependent upon funds from the Federal Government, have also played an important part.
Up to now, the focus in the field of language documentation has been predominantly on North American and Australian languages. However, the greatest genetic diversity in languages is found in Latin America, home to over 100 distinct language families. This book gives the Latin American context the attention it requires by consolidating the work of field researchers experienced in the region into one volume for the first time.
The following paper traces the relevance of teaching and pedagogy in Levinas’s philosophy of transcendence and ethics. By turning to his philosophy of language—including his posthumously published lectures on the phenomenology of sound and the voice—this paper addresses some dif iculties with the attempt to develop a philosophy of education departing from his work. Education appears to be the uniquely well-suited site for an ethical philosophy, and yet any claims about education and attempts to teach ethics risk hypocrisy as a structural possibility of transcendence and teaching.
Vibration measurements are performed in parallel with the aerodynamic force & moment testing of a commercial aircraft model in the North American Trisonic Wind Tunnel. A tri-axial accelerometer is used to measure the normal, side, and axial acceleration of the model during a pitch polar at transonic speed. It is shown that the model dynamics are characterized by discrete vibration modes with frequencies up to several hundred Herz. These oscillations, which are picked up by the internal balance as inertial forces, are likely to be related to high-frequency unsteadiness in the flow. A qualitative analysis of the axial force inertial bias (sting whip effect) is performed by computing the magnitude-squared coherence function of the axial acceleration and the squared tangential velocity in pitch and yaw. Although strong rotational oscillations in pitch or yaw are unlikely, it is shown that a link between model dynamics and inertial bias cannot be excluded.
Barite is ubiquitous and known to incorporate 226Ra through the formation of a solid-solution. In U mining mill tailings, barite is one of the dominant sulfate-binding minerals. In such environments, sequential extractions are generally used to identify the U- and 226Ra-binding phases and their associated reactivity. To better decipher the main processes governing the behavior of 226Ra during such sequential extractions, a geochemical model was developed with PHREEQC mimicking the sequential extraction of U and 226Ra from Bois-Noirs Limouzat U mine tailings, France. The model results were compared with a dataset produced by an experimental sequential extraction from the same mine tailings and including data on the solids and selective extraction results with the major elements, U and 226Ra. The simulations reproduced the results of the experimental chemical extractions accurately, with iron oxyhydroxides being the major U binding phase. However, the modeling indicated rather that barite would be the main 226Ra binding phase, instead of the iron oxyhydroxides identified by the experimental extractions. This is consistent with the 226Ra concentration measured in pore water, but in disagreement with the direct interpretation of the sequential extractions. The direct interpretation disregarded the role of barite in the geochemical behavior of 226Ra because barite was not specifically targeted by any of the extraction steps. However, the modeling showed that the dissolution of 226Ra-binding barite by reactants would lead to a 226Ra redistribution among the clay minerals, resulting in a skew in the experimental results. Similar results were achieved by referring simply to the bulk mineralogy of the tailings. This study highlights the importance of considering the mineralogy, mineral reactivity and retention capacity for more realistic interpretation of sequential extractions. Moreover, this paper provides new perspectives on the long-term consequences of these mill tailings in which barite controls the geochemical behavior of the 226Ra.
Internal filtration in high-flux (HF) dialyzers significantly contributes to convective solute removal of molecules with poor diffusibility, but it is difficult to quantify. The aim of this study was to present the theory and to develop a method for measuring internal filtration and backfiltration in HF dialyzers, which also could be applied to patient studies. In a series of lab-bench experiments, the mean transit times (&tgr;d) of indocyanine green (ICG) passing the dialyzer were optically measured under different operating conditions and compared with mean transit times calculated from the known volume of the blood compartment (&tgr;V) using a mathematical model. &tgr;d was always larger than &tgr;V. The relative difference in mean transit times (1 − &tgr;V/&tgr;d) was related to the average cumulative filtration rate (Qfil). The internal filtration fraction Fb = Qfil/Qb was largely independent of blood flow (Qb) and not different from theoretical predictions obtained from a mathematical model. The dispersion of a nondiffusible indicator such as ICG can be used to quantify the magnitude of internal filtration and backfiltration in HF dialyzers using available technology. This information could be useful for testing the HF dialyzers in everyday situations.
The most readily accessed and abundant renewable energy sources—wind, hydro, and solar—are weather dependent and are therefore inherently intermittent. Energy demand is also dependent on the weather as well as many other difficult-to-model factors. In fact, there are many uncertainty factors that affect the modeling of both energy demand and renewable energy sources. In this paper, we begin with an overview of several of the underlying changes taking place in the energy industry and then specifically consider the uncertainty inherent in the forecasting of energy demand and wind power. We conclude with a discussion of techniques to integrate energy demand and the renewable energy supply, each with their associated uncertainty factors, in a stochastic environment to enable better informed business decisions.
The Frozen Niche‐Variation hypothesis (FNV) suggests that clones randomly sample and “freeze” the genotypes of their ancestral sexual populations. Hence, each clone expresses only a fraction of the total niche‐use variation observed in the sexual population, which may lead to selection for ecological specialization and coexistence of clones. A generalized form of the FNV model suggests that the same is true for life‐history (as well as other) traits that have important fitness consequences, but do not relate directly to niche use. We refer to the general form of the model as the Frozen Phenotypic Variation (FPV) model. A mixed population of sexual and parthenogenetic snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in a New Zealand lake allowed us to examine the phenotypic variation expressed by coexisting clones in two benthic habitats, and to compare that variation to the sexual population. Three clones were found primarily in an aquatic macrophyte zone composed of Isoetes kirkii (1.5–3.0 m deep), and three additional clones were found in a deeper macrophyte zone composed of Elodea canadensis (4.0–6.0 m deep). These clones showed significant variation between habitats, which mirrored that observed in the sexual population. Specifically, clones and sexuals from the deeper habitat matured at a larger size and had larger broods. There was also significant among‐clone variation within habitats; and as expected under the FPV model, the within‐clone coefficients of variation for size at maturity were low in both habitats when compared to the sexual population. In addition, we found four clones that were common in both macrophyte zones. The reaction norms of these clones were flat across habitats, suggesting little phenotypic plasticity for morphology or life‐history traits. Flat reaction norms, high among‐clone variation, and low coefficients of variation (relative to the sexual population) are in accordance with the FPV model for the origin of clonal lineages. We also measured the prevalence of infection by trematode larvae to determine whether clones are inherently more or less infectable, or whether they are freezing phenotypic variation for resistance from the sexual population. We did this in the deep habitats of the lake where recycling of the parasite by the vertebrate host is unlikely, thereby reducing the complications raised by frequency‐dependent responses of parasites to host genotypes. We found no indication that clones are either more or less infectable than the resident sexual population. Taken together, our results suggest that phenotypic variation for both life‐history traits and resistance to parasites is frozen by clones from the local sexual population.
By treating nonsensitized C57BL/6J spleen derived lymphocytes with EL-4 tumor cell directed xenogeneic extracted RNA we were able to monitor early changes in cellular DNA content by flow cytometric (FCM) analysis and 3H-thymidine uptake. These kinetic parameters were correlated with cell mediated cytotoxicity which appeared as early as 8 hr after activation as measured by release of chromium-51 from labeled EL-4 target cells. Flow cytometric analysis and 3H-thymidine uptake data shown peak S phase activity at 72 hr. Maximum cytotoxicity was observed at 48 hr. Cell cycle kinetic parameters were correlated with the appearance of cell mediated cytotoxicity.
The concept of civil society today is strongly influenced by the idea of liberalism which values individual freedom and autonomy. The main takeaway from this idea is that the role of the state, religion, and family must be minimized to ensure that the freedom and rights of individuals are achieved. Nevertheless, problems such as global warming and moral collapse indicate that without the role of nation, religion, and family, such problems would not be able to be curbed properly. The objective of this article is to highlight these three aspects from the perspectives of two traditions of thinking on the concept of civil society, namely the Western tradition and Islamic tradition. The method used is discourse analysis based on secondary data to understand the intellectualism and dynamism of these two traditional lines. This article emphasizes that the concept of Western civil society, which is deeply obsessed with anti-state approaches and intermediaries separating the role of religion, must be revisited. Accordingly, the role of the state, religion, and family in the concept of civil society needs to be reconstructed.
Aims The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of stereotactic-arm assisted acetabular component placement during total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods 120 patients underwent primary THA at 4 different medical centres. A preoperative pelvic CT protocol was used to plan socket placement followed by robotic-arm assisted acetabular preparation and cup insertion. Intraoperative cup position was recorded and postoperative placement measured using Martell suite analysis software. Results Using a 95% predictive intervals, robotic-arm cup placement was within +/-4 degrees of planned position in 95% of cases. Applying these data to the so-called safe zone, 96% of sockets were within the defined safe zone. Our data confirms that intraoperative robotic assistance improves the precision of preparation and position of the acetabular cup during total hip arthroplasty.
We propose a noisy-independent component analysis (ICA) based CDMA receiver for multiple access communication channels. ICA is a statistical method for transforming an observed multidimensional random vector into components that are statistically as independent from each other as possible. We apply noisy-ICA as a post processor attached to a subspace based CDMA receiver in the presence of Gaussian noise. The proposed algorithm reduces the bias caused by channel noise in ordinary ICA algorithms and further decreases the noise by dimension reduction. The downlink CDMA channel is investigated and we assume that only the code of the wanted mobile user is known (i.e., blind symbol separation). We compare the proposed receiver with noisy-ICA ability to the conventional matched filter, well-known linear MMSE multiuser detector and ordinary (noise free) ICA based receivers. Numerical simulations indicate that the performance of the noisy-ICA based receiver is superior to conventional detectors, and comparable to exact-MMSE (i.e., all user codes are known) detection performance in a synchronous multiple access CDMA channel. The performance of the ordinary ICA based CDMA receiver is improved with noise bias removal and principal component analysis (PCA) based dimension reduction.
This contribution tries to apply the Viable System Model (VSM) in a 'useful' way from the viewpoint of a practitioner. The system examined is the University of St. Gallen. This case study discusses the potential of a VSM-based view of an organisation, helping to analyse the way such an organisation actually works by pointing out actual problems with precision, while also acknowledging the limits of this model's application. This common understanding is an important groundwork for the successful implementation of a strategy. This paper demonstrates the considerable advantage of working with VSM. It is an effective and productive model.
An algorithm for the adaptive control of a manipulator arm consisting of either open or closed kinematic chains is presented. The algorithm for closed chains differs from procedures presented by other investigators in three ways. First, the recursive algorithm exactly produces the control law. Secondly, pains have been taken to make the procedures resemble the original Newton-Euler algorithm. Finally, for the case of closed kinematic chains the method of determining the closure reactions is unique compared to other recursive algorithms developed for such manipulators. Regardless of the number of closed mechanical loops, even zero, the inverse dynamic calculation requires a single forward pass and a single backward pass.
Objective: Machine learning (ML) has been applied to develop magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based diagnostic classifiers for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This systematic review examines this literature to clarify its clinical significance and to assess the implications of the various analytic methods applied. Methods: A comprehensive literature search on MRI-based diagnostic classifiers for ADHD was performed and data regarding the utilized models and samples were gathered. Results: We found that, although most studies reported the classification accuracies, they varied in choice of MRI modalities, ML models, cross-validation and testing methods, and sample sizes. We found that the accuracies of cross-validation methods inflated the performance estimation compared with those of a held-out test, compromising the model generalizability. Test accuracies have increased with publication year but were not associated with training sample sizes. Improved test accuracy over time was likely due to the use of better ML methods along with strategies to deal with data imbalances. Conclusion: Ultimately, large multi-modal imaging datasets, and potentially the combination with other types of data, like cognitive data and/or genetics, will be essential to achieve the goal of developing clinically useful imaging classification tools for ADHD in the future.
This paper studies efficient output feedback model predictive control (OFMPC) via adaptive event-triggered control (AETC) for the networked control system (NCS) with data dropout and bounded disturbance. First, we adopt AETC in NCS to save limited network resources and introduce a Bernoulli random variable to represent the occurrence of data dropout events. Subsequently, two sufficient conditions are presented to handle the gain matrix of the state observer and the estimation error bound. Then, by offline solving an elliptic invariant set satisfying the input constraint and online optimizing for additional perturbations, the initial feasible set is enlarged and the online computational burden is greatly reduced. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by two simulation examples.
It is difficult to recall a more challenging environment for physicians and industry representatives. Wavering public confidence has ignited a round of strict regulatory revisions, and the pressure on public spending on healthcare innovations is rising while the aging population grows. To address these long-term challenges, I believe we need a response based around value-based innovation for patients, strong partnership between surgeons and industry and transparency about the benefits our collaboration bring. There is no question in my mind that investment in R&D is a critical ingredient for innovation that benefits patients. This must be our focus now, next year and long into the future. At Edwards Lifesciences, we have acted upon this, increasing our investment in R&D by an average of 20% a year, and currently standing at 14% of our global turnover. We are not alone, of course. Those companies that invest lead the way in innovating for patients. It is worth remembering that few sectors have evolved faster than the treatment of cardiac diseases. Major strides have been made in valve repair, minimally invasive surgery and the treatment of atrial fibrillation. Novel procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) have not only improved outcomes, but also reduced costs on a long-term basis. Of course, all of this has been possible because of our partnership with you. In future, we will work together on evermore minimally invasive techniques. These techniques meet patient needs, can save healthcare costs and will certainly produce better outcomes. Those who do not understand our innovation process can be suspicious of the exchange of value between companies and physicians. We know that we are all doing the right thing for the benefit of patients, and we are proud of these valuable collaborations. One way to educate the public on this is to be transparent. We know that industry–clinician efforts will continue to pave the way for further innovation, because if healthcare providers, governments and patients understand the benefits we offer, they will support us. Investment in innovation, partnership and transparency are phrases which sum up both how we should act and how we can provide a much healthier future for patients.
In the US, defense R&D share of GDP has decreased significantly since 1960. To analyze the implications on growth and welfare, we develop an R&D-based growth model that features the crowding-out and spillover effects of defense R&D on civilian R&D. The model also captures the effects of defense technology on (i) national security resembling consumption-type public goods and (ii) aggregate productivity via the spin-off effect resembling productive public goods. In this framework, economic growth is driven by market-based civilian R&D as in standard R&D-based growth models and government-financed public goods (i.e., defense R&D) as in Barro (1990). We find that defense R&D has an inverted-U effect on growth, and the growth-maximizing level of defense R&D is increasing in the spillover and spin-off effects. As for the welfare-maximizing level of defense R&D, it is increasing in the security-enhancing effect of defense technology, and there exists a critical degree of this security-enhancing effect below (above) which the welfare-maximizing level is below (above) the growth-maximizing level.
INTRODUCTION There is limited information on prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) among diabetic subjects and its associated factors in a rural setting in developing countries including India. The information will be useful for initiating early screening strategies for this group in the community.   AIM To assess the prevalence and certain associated factors of DR among diabetic subjects in a rural area of Tamil Nadu, India.   MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted among 105 Type 2 diabetic subjects in Pakkam and Mandagapattu sub-center area of Kondur Primary Health Center in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu, India. Data on associated factors which include sociodemographic factors, duration of disease, family history, and frequency of blood test, treatment regularity, hypertension, visual acuity and cataract were collected. Detailed eye examination including visual acuity, direct ophthalmoscope and Non Mydriatic Fundus Camera was done. Data was analysed by univariate analysis and described in proportion or percentages.   RESULTS The mean age of the study population was 56.69 years. About 47 (44.8%) of the subjects were more than 60 years of age followed by 44 subjects (41.9%) in age group 45-59 years. Fundus examination in at least one eye was seen in 83 people (79.0%). Prevalence of DR in any eye and both the eye was 32.53% (27/83) and 31.58% (24/76) respectively. Severity of DR was moderate (51.9%) followed by mild (44.4%) and severe (3.7%). DR prevalence was more among >60 years age group (p=0.032) and lesser education level (p=0.057). There was no association of DR with duration of disease, family history of diabetes, treatment regularity, presence of hypertension, visual acuity and cataract (p>0.05).   CONCLUSION The prevalence of DR was inferred to be high and further larger follow up studies will explore the role of associated factors and its quantification in the causation of DR.
Recent rare decay results from Fermilab experiments E799-II and E832 (the KTeV experiments) are shown. Results of searches for the direct CP-violating decay KL→π0νν are given, as well as measurements of the decays KL→π0γγ and KL→π0e+e−γ, which provide information on CP-conserving contributions to KL→π0e+e−. A new measurement of the rare decay π0→e+e− is also presented; this result is the first significant measurement of the excess rate above the unitarity limit for this mode.
In this paper, we study a new flexible three-parameter exponential distribution called the extended odd Weibull exponential distribution, which can have constant, decreasing, increasing, bathtub, upside-down bathtub and reversed-J shaped hazard rates, and right-skewed, left-skewed, symmetrical, and reversed-J shaped densities. Some mathematical properties of the proposed distribution are derived. The model parameters are estimated via eight frequentist estimation methods called, the maximum likelihood estimators, least squares and weighted least-squares estimators, maximum product of spacing estimators, Cramer-von Mises estimators, percentiles estimators, and Anderson-Darling and right-tail Anderson-Darling estimators. Extensive simulations are conducted to compare the performance of these estimation methods for small and large samples. Four practical data sets from the fields of medicine, engineering, and reliability are analyzed, proving the usefulness and flexibility of the proposed distribution.
Context: Mechanism-based classification (MBC) was established with current evidence and physical therapy (PT) management methods for both cancer and for noncancer pain. Aims: This study aims to describe the efficacy of MBC-based PT in persons with primary complaints of cancer pain. Settings and Design: A prospective case series of patients who attended the physiotherapy department of a multispecialty university-affiliated teaching hospital. Material and Methods: A total of 24 adults (18 female, 6 male) aged 47.5 ± 10.6 years, with primary diagnosis of heterogeneous group of cancer, chief complaints of chronic disabling pain were included in the study on their consent for participation The patients were evaluated and classified on the basis of five predominant mechanisms for pain. Physical therapy interventions were recommended based on mechanisms identified and home program was prescribed with a patient log to ensure compliance. Treatments were given in five consecutive weekly sessions for five weeks each of 30 min duration. Statistical Analysis Used: Pre–post comparisons for pain severity (PS) and pain interference (PI) subscales of Brief pain inventory-Cancer pain (BPI-CP) and, European organization for research and treatment in cancer-quality of life questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30) were done using Wilcoxon signed-rank test at 95% confidence interval using SPSS for Windows version 16.0 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL). Results: There were statistically significant (P < 0.05) reduction in pain severity, pain interference and total BPI-CP scores, and the EORTC-QLQ-C30. Conclusion: MBC-PT was effective for improving BPI-CP and EORTC-QLQ-C30 scores in people with cancer pain.
e16548 Background: Authors have reported a discrepancy between patient (pt) and physician survival estimates in pts with advanced malignancies. Methods: Oncology pts receiving chemotherapy at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital were assessed for their prognosis estimates. Matched surveys were given to their oncologists. The primary outcome was the level of agreement between pt and physician survival estimates. Prognosis estimates were obtained by three categorical responses: 5 years. Pt prognosis estimates were categorized as pessimistic, concordant, or optimistic in relation to physician estimates, and differences between pt and physician estimates were evaluated using a two-sided Stuart-Maxwell test. Secondary outcomes assessed pt perceptions related to prognosis. Results: 51 pts completed surveys, and 29 of 51 matching physician responses were obtained for the primary analysis. 1 pt was deemed ineligible. 14 (48.2%) pts were optimistic, 14 (48.2%) were concordant, and only 1 ...
A compact and green laser is developed using a diode-pumped, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser. Single-mode operation is achieved with the combination of a Brewster plate and a type-II phase-matched KTiOPO4 (KTP) crystal. With the feedback control of green laser output, A stable operation longer than 10 hours with a relative intensity noise of -130 dB/Hz was obtained. This green laser source was successfully used in a digital video disk recording.
Level of knowledge of the nurses work in a public hospital about the prevention of catheter associated urinary tract infections Objective: To evaluate the level of knowledge of the nurses in Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, about the use of a urinary catheter to prevent urinary tract infections. Materials and Method: A descriptive research was held in 82% of a total of 469 nurses, 111 of whom work in intensive care unit, and 271 work in the clinics and a survey was performed. Data was collected by using a five-point Likert type survey which was prepared to show demographic features and level of knowledge. The numerical values, percentages and the arithmetic mean were evalueted with Oneway Anova and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The level of knowledge of nurses who have associate degree, older than 30 years, woman in gender, and have duration of professional experience of 11-15 years were found to be higher, compared to the others in prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections. ICU nurses have inadequate knowledge about necessary points to put urinary cathateter and what they should pay attention to care of patients who have a cathateter but; they have sufficient info about procedure to putting the catheteter. Conclusion: The study showed that the education level, age, gender and experience of nurses affect their status of knowledge of preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infections. It was detected that the nurses didnt receive adequate training on catheter-associated urinary tract infections. They were detected to have sufficient information on how to insert a urinary catheter, but not enough information on catheter care, use of urine bags and the intidactions of urinary catheterization.
Since its inception in the 1980s, liposuction has undergone a tremendous paradigm shift from the simple removal of excess subcutaneous fat, to a procedure of extreme sophistication and elegance where we as surgeons are able to mold and shape a patient's figure. Plastic surgeons have modified this procedure with the overall goal of improving the aesthetic results, while focusing on maximizing safety and minimizing complications. These modifications include advanced liposuction technology and techniques, the increasing use of subdermal superficial liposuction, differential liposuction, the advent and introduction of a wide-range of cannulas, and the use of fat grafting simultaneously with liposuction for targeted contour and fat repositioning. In this article, we discuss in detail the introduction and progression of abdominal etching, a procedure first introduced by the senior author (H.A.M.) in the early 1990s. We also present our experience over the past 4 years. In this procedure, the technique of differential liposuction is used to enhance the detail of abdominal musculature. The literature on abdominal etching is fairly scarce. Thus, it is our hope that this review will not only give the provider a thorough review and understanding of liposuction and its evolution over the years, but will also provide an overview of the indications, patient selection, technique, expectations and complications of abdominal etching as well.
The influence of mobility of the amorphous chains on crystallization of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) is detailed in this contribution. Thermal analysis of initially amorphous PHB reveals the occurrence of two distinct exotherms, indicating that cold crystallization proceeds via a two-stage process. The experimental data were rationalized taking into account the role of vitrification/devitrification of the rigid amorphous fraction (RAF) on crystallization kinetics of PHB. The rigid amorphous structure, which is established simultaneously with crystals growth during the first stage of cold crystallization, slows down crystallization before completion. The coupling between the crystalline and amorphous segments hinders further crystallization by the creation of an immobilized amorphous layer that surrounds the crystals. Further increase of the temperature results in mobilization of the RAF. Once the amorphous layer coupled with the crystals has gained sufficient mobility, chain rearrangements needed to acco...
Zinc-α2-glycoprotein (ZAG) plays an important role in the regulation of body weight, body fat, and glucose metabolism. In this study, we first measured ZAG levels in serum and ZAG mRNA levels in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) among overweight/obese patients and lean control subjects. Second, we investigated the effects of ZAG administration on the body weight, body fat and glucose metabolism of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese ICR mice and the possible mechanisms involved. The results showed that serum ZAG and mRNA levels in sWAT were significantly decreased in overweight/obese patients and that both showed a negative association with body mass index (BMI) and body weight after adjustment for age and sex. Further partial correlation analysis found that ZAG mRNA expression was positively related with several WAT browning-related genes, including uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) (r = 0.67) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1a) (r = 0.60), in the sWAT of all subjects. Additionally, intraperitoneal injection of a ZAG expression plasmid (5 μg/injection, four times a week) in HFD-induced obese mice for 8 weeks demonstrated that ZAG overexpression significantly decreased body weight and WAT mass, and greatly increased the glucose tolerance of obese mice, as shown by the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) and intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test (IPITT). The staining of UCP1-positive adipocytes was significantly stronger in the sWAT of ZAG-treated obese mice than in that of obese control mice. The mRNA and protein levels of PGC1α in sWAT were significantly increased to 2.2- and 5.3-fold, respectively, compared with HFD obese mice, and there was a strong positive correlation between the expression levels of Zag and Pgc1α in mouse sWAT (r = 0.74). A similar phenomenon was also observed in visceral white adipose tissue (vWAT): the mRNA and protein levels of PGC1α were increased to 1.9- and 3.6-fold, respectively, when obese mice were treated with ZAG. In conclusion, ZAG levels in both sWAT and serum are inversely related with BMI and body weight in Chinese subjects. The action of ZAG on body weight, fat mass and glucose metabolism may be realized through activating PGC1α expression in sWAT and vWAT, then promoting WAT browning in obese mice.
It is well known that fast affine projection algorithms can produce a good trade-off between convergence speed and computational complexity. In this paper, we propose a new pseudo fast affine projection algorithm based on the Gauss-Seidel scheme for multichannel active noise control (ANC) systems. It is shown that the proposed algorithm has a lower complexity than previously published fast affine projection algorithms, with similar convergence properties and better numerical stability.
Framework negotiation is a mixed-methods research approach to help a UXD researchers uncover the relationship between cross-cultural identity and location. In this study, surveys initially located connections between conceptions of the self and symbolic pathways. Then, community-based research and usability testing verified root metaphors for website navigation. This mixed-methods research uncovered how Kenyans ported navigational strategies from other institutional settings. The article outlines the creation of the research instrument, describes how early data collection guided later data collection, and finally details how the methods uncovered user significance through metaphor.
The purpose of this paper is to explore an apparent disjunction between espoused professional ethics and ethics in practice, and between law in statute and law in action. Social work in England is used as the main case study, however, research from other jurisdictions is drawn upon to demonstrate wider concern about departures from moral and legal rules. The evidence of the disjunction is presented, drawing principally from judicial review cases, investigations by the Commissioner for Local Administration (Ombudsman), inquiry evidence and government reports. The article critiques the current regulatory apparatus in England and the mechanisms by which staff and service users can hold public organisations, particularly councils with social services responsibilities, accountable. The interface between law and ethics is reviewed. The paper concludes with observations about strengthening legal and ethical literacy in practice.
In the pursuit of foreign policy objectives, states adopt different strategies, one of which is military strategy. This research has taken a critical appraisal of state actors in the international system, and the utility of military power as an instrument of foreign policy. The paper asserts as Osgood did, that one of the main prerequisite of a credible state actor is to develop the military compatibilities and political will, to back its diplomacy by force when necessary. For the use of force is considered as the ultimate tool of international relations following the Clausewitzian conception of war as the continuation of politics by other means. However, as Klaus Knorr rightly concluded in his typology, in either case, whether used defensively or offensively, military power lends a measure of international freedom of action to the state involved (Knorr in Bassey 2005:26). Thus, affirming the political theory of war which argues basically that, in a world system of competing states, the basis of diplomacy, and of all contractual obligations beyond the boundaries of the state rest on the capacity to use (the diplomacy of) violence, both to protect the state, and to protect one’s interest in the face of opposition from other states.
Acute asthma represents a significant burden on emergency departments, costing the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK an estimated £1 billion a year, but how these exacerbations are dealt with varies. Some guidelines recommend the use of intravenous magnesium sulfate when other treatments have not helped but its effectiveness remains unclear and, until now, it has been thought that people with the most severe exacerbations are likely to see more benefit. Our review should help to clarify this uncertainty, finding clear benefits for the treatment. Since an earlier version of this review (1), a large welldesigned multicentre trial has been conducted (2), which had the potential to alter the conclusions, prompting the need to update this review (3), which looks specifically at adults. The review for children is underway (4). We looked for trials that compared intravenous magnesium to placebo in adults attending the emergency department with an asthma exacerbation. We were mostly interested in whether intravenous magnesium reduced the number of people needing to be admitted to hospital, and found randomised evidence for more than 2300 people. These came from 14 studies, which varied in their of the inclusion criteria relating to severity of exacerbations, and they had also followed a variety of treatment guidelines before giving intravenous magnesium. All trials gave patients at least oxygen, nebulised short-acting medications, and steroid tablets or injection. There was high-quality evidence that intravenous magnesium reduced the need for hospital admission, with seven fewer admissions per 100 patients treated. This overall result combined evidence across moderate, severe, and life-threatening exacerbations, but because the studies categorised severity differently, we were unable to reliably assess whether patients having the most severe exacerbations were more likely to see a benefit. In order to investigate this, we would need a consistent way of attributing severity to exacerbations, based on objective measures and recognised guidelines. It was interesting, however, that studies applying their own stratification of severity were able to demonstrate a better response in the most severe exacerbations. We also found that there was some improvement in lung function, but it remains unclear whether these changes hold any clinical impact. Reporting of adverse events was inconsistent and this is one of the areas that would benefit in particular from future research. In summary, we would expect that for every 100 people being treated in the emergency department, the use of intravenous magnesium sulphate would result in seven fewer admissions. It is important, though, that clinicians understand that this is in the context of having first followed recognised guidelines for the management of acute asthma.
PURPOSE Substantial clinical evidence shows the efficacy of low dose radiotherapy (RT) in the treatment of painful osteoarthritis. Experimental investigations into these empirically clinical observations remain scarce. This study investigated in vivo the effects of daily 5 x 1.0 Gy versus 5 x 0.5 Gy on adjuvant induced arthritis in rats in order to explore whether there is a dose dependence of anti-inflammatory efficacy.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Adjuvant arthritis in female Lewis rats was induced by intradermal injection of heat inactivated Mycobacterium tuberculosis on day 0. Both hind paws were X-irradiated daily from days 15 to 19 after induction according to four protocols (15 animals/group): group 1, 5 x 1.0 Gy (non-arthritic animals); group 2, sham-irradiated control; group 3, 5 x 1.0 Gy; group 4, 5 x 0.5 Gy. The clinical parameters arthritis score (AS), hind paw volume (HPV), body weight, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were determined. On days 21 and 30 histological sections of at least 12 ankle joints per group were analysed semi-quantitatively.   RESULTS Local irradiation of non-arthritic rats (group 1) with 5 x 1 Gy did not induce any arthritic signs. Sham-irradiated arthritic rats (group 2) showed a full-blown arthritic syndrome. Treatment of arthritic rats with 5 x 1 Gy (group 3) or 5 x 0.5 Gy (group 4) led to a reduction of mean AS from day 21 to 29 compared with group 2 (days 27-29--group 3: p=0.037; group 4: p=0.034), with no differences in efficacy between groups 3 and 4. Concurrently, following radiation treatment there was no further increase in HPV. At the end of the observation period, this effect demonstrated a dose-dependent level of significance (days 27-29--group 3: p=0.0036; group 4: p=0.039). A significant decrease in the ESR was noted in both irradiated arthritic groups on day 21 (group 3: p=0.015; group 4: p=0.006). The histopathological analysis revealed a highly significant reduction of cartilage and bone destruction on day 30 in both irradiated groups.   CONCLUSIONS This study confirms by objective criteria the anti-inflammatory efficacy of low dose RT and gives some indication for a dose dependence of its efficacy.
BACKGROUND This study describes the efficacy of a new protamine zinc recombinant human insulin (PZIR) preparation for treating diabetic cats.   OBJECTIVE To evaluate effects of PZIR on control of glycemia in cats with newly diagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.   ANIMALS One hundred and thirty-three diabetic cats 120 newly diagnosed and 13 previously treated.   METHODS Prospective, uncontrolled clinical trial. Cats were treated with PZIR twice daily for 45 days. Control of glycemia was assessed on days 7, 14, 30, and 45 by evaluation of change in water consumption, frequency of urination, appetite, and body weight, serum fructosamine concentration, and blood glucose concentrations determined 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 hours after administration of PZIR. Adjustments in dosage of PZIR were made as needed to control glycemia.   RESULTS PZIR administration resulted in a significant decrease in 9-hour mean blood glucose (199+/-114 versus 417+/-83 mg/dL, X+/-SD, P<.001) and serum fructosamine (375+/-117 versus 505+/-96 micromol/L, P<.001) concentration and a significant increase in mean body weight (5.9+/-1.4 versus 5.4+/-1.5 kg, P=.017) in 133 diabetic cats at day 45 compared with day 0, respectively. By day 45, polyuria and polydipsia had improved in 79% (105 of 133), 89% (118 of 133) had a good body condition, and 9-hour mean blood glucose concentration, serum fructosamine concentration, or both had improved in 84% (112 of 133) of the cats compared with day 0. Hypoglycemia (<80 mg/dL) was identified in 151 of 678, 9-hour serial blood glucose determinations and in 85 of 133 diabetic cats. Hypoglycemia causing clinical signs was confirmed in 2 diabetic cats.   CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE PZIR is effective for controlling glycemia in diabetic cats and can be used as an initial treatment or as an alternative treatment in diabetic cats that do not respond to treatment with other insulin preparations.
In the reconciliation problem, we are given two phylogenetic trees. A species tree represents the evolutionary history of a group of species, and a gene tree represents the history of a family of related genes within these species. A reconciliation maps nodes of the gene tree to the corresponding points of the species tree, and thus helps to interpret the gene family history. In this paper, we study the case when both trees are unrooted and their edge lengths are known exactly. The goal is to root them and to find a reconciliation that agrees with the edge lengths. We show a linear-time algorithm for finding the set of all possible root locations, which is a significant improvement compared to the previous O(N3logN) algorithm.
High-temperature sorption of CO2via calcium looping is a promising technology for the implementation of carbon capture and storage (CCS). However, the rapid deactivation of CaO sorbents due to sintering is currently the major drawback of this technology. We, for the first time, report an economical and environmentally benign strategy to reduce sintering by adding fly ash, a waste stream of coal-fired plants, into Ca-based sorbents through a simple dry process. The as-synthesized sorbents were tested using a TGA and showed an extremely high stability under the most severe multi-cycle conditions (calcined at 920 °C in pure CO2). Upon 100 cycles, its CO2 capture capacity was 0.20 g(CO2) g(sorbent)−1, and the average deactivation rate was only 0.18% per cycle. The most possible stabilization mechanism was discussed on the basis of a range of characterizations including N2 physisorption, SEM, TEM (coupled with EDX mapping) and XRD; it was concluded that stable and refractory gehlenite (Ca2Al2SiO7) particles were formed and evenly dispersed around CaO crystal grains during calcination at 950 °C, leading to sintering resistance. This strategy achieved superior enhancement in the cyclic stability of Ca-based sorbents as well as the reuse of industrial solid waste, and is thus a green technology for scaled-up CO2 capture.
Ultrafast time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy following one- and two-photon excitations of ZnO powder is used to gain unprecedented insight into the surprisingly high external quantum efficiency of its “green” defect emission band. The role of exciton diffusion, the effects of reabsorption, and the spatial distributions of radiative and nonradiative traps are comparatively elucidated for the ultraviolet excitonic and “green” defect emission bands in both unannealed nanometer-sized ZnO powders and annealed micrometersized ZnO:Zn powders. We find that the primary mechanism limiting quantum efficiency is surface recombination because of the high density of nonradiative surface traps in these powders. It is found that unannealed ZnO has a high density of bulk nonradiative traps as well, but the annealing process reduces the density of these bulk traps while simultaneously creating a high density of green-emitting defects near the particle surface. The data are discussed in the context of a simple rate equation model that accounts for the quantum efficiencies of both emission bands. The results indicate how defect engineering could improve the efficiency of ultraviolet-excited ZnO:Zn-based white light phosphors.
SummaryToxocariasis is a common human zoonosis, which induces a clinically unapparent course of infection. Diagnosis is difficult and relies upon serological testing (searching of specific IgG antibodies by ELISA), laboratory abnormalities and clinical manifestations. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was adapted for the detection of Toxocara canis larvae in a host tissue. Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) were used as an animal model for human toxocariasis. 8 animals were inoculated with 1000 T. canis eggs, four uninfected were used as control. At 3, 5, 7, and 14 days post-infection, 2 infected and 1 control gerbil were killed and their livers were used for molecular analysis. Specific primer in the PCR reaction allowed identification of T. canis larvae, with the parasite gDNA found in the liver of all infected gerbils. The results indicate that the PCR method has a potential as a supporting technique for the diagnosis of human toxocariasis.
In this study we show that depletion of cells expressing mature cell markers, including HLA-DR, followed by positive cell sorting for cells expressing CD34 and CD38, can be used to define functionally distinct hematopoietic cells from human umbilical cord blood (HUCB). The CD34+HLA-DR-CD38+ population contained the majority of directly clonogenic cells, while the optimal ability to maintain long term co-culture with bone marrow stromal cells was present within the CD34+HLA-DR-CD38- population. 1.2 +/- 0.4% of the CD34+HLA-DR-CD38- cells plated at 1 cell/well and grown in the presence of hematopoietic growth factors (HGF) formed hemopoietic colonies. Mesenchymal elements were observed in 20% of these cultures. No cell growth, however, was observed when the CD34+HLA-DR-CD38- cells were cultured in the absence of HGF. This is in contrast with the findings in fetal bone marrow which demonstrated the presence of stem cells that were independent of HGF. Thus, while it is possible to isolate very immature hemopoietic progenitor cells from HUCB defined by the phenotype Lin-CD34+HLA-DR-CD38-, these cells do not appear to exhibit the pluripotentiality of the analogous population reported in fetal bone marrow. We conclude that these cells are absent or at a very small frequency in HUCB.
The structure of the production of electricity in the Czech Republic is based on the structure of its raw material basis that includes reserves of lignite, steam coal, coking coal and uranium. On the other hand, there are only small reserves of crude oil and natural gas in the Czech Republic, a limited potential of hydroelectric power plants, and a relatively small potential for the development of renewable energy. The current production of electricity is therefore based on two pillars: coal-burning and nuclear power plants. With respect to the lignite reserves that are time-limited, the Czech Republic will be obliged to modify its power production strategy in the future and change its energy best mix, i.e., the portfolio of the energy sources used so far. This article analyzes the possible role of uranium in creating the future energy portfolio of the Czech Republic.
The hydrophilic flocculation of pyrite fines in aqueous suspensions with corn starch was studied by measuring particle size distribution, microscopy observation and micro-flotation. Furthermore, the interaction of corn starch with pyrite was investigated by determining the adsorption density and based on zeta potential measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) analysis in this work. The results of the particle size distribution measurement show that corn starch can effectively aggregate pyrite fines, and the pyrite floccules (flocs) are sensitive to mechanical stirring. The micro-flotation results suggest that the mechanical entrainment of pyrite fines in flotation can be effectively eliminated through the formation of large-size flocs. The zeta potential of pyrite particles decreases with the addition of corn starch. The XPS results prove that carboxyl groups are generated on the digested corn starch, and both iron hydroxyl compounds and ferrous disulfide on the pyrite surface can chemically interact with the corn starch digested by sodium hydroxide.
Diffractive surface patterns with complex textures are generated on metal surfaces by picosecond UV laser ablation using an interference setup. Two diffraction gratings with variable distance and rotation angle provide a huge variety of interference patterns and thus resulting surface topographies. This variety can be further enhanced by selecting or blocking particular beams. A correlation analysis of the complex diffraction patterns generated by reflection of visible laser light at these surface topographies demonstrates that patterns with slightly differing fabrication parameters (variation of 0.5 mm in distance or 1° in rotation) can be clearly distinguished.
Numerous references to animals in the Bible show that biblical authors had a broad knowledge of nature. According to the current classification of living organisms and method of research used by modern zoology, it is stated that these observations do not have the characteristics of scientific research. In spite of this, they are the evidence of the clear-sighted observation of animals, which is reflected not only in the knowledge of the appearance of individual species, but also of specific behaviours related to their way of life. It concerns not only domestic animals, raised for the purpose of gaining meat, fur, hide and labour, but also wild representatives of the fauna. Bible references concerning the latter apply to the species perceived as highly dangerous to man and domestic animals, i.e.: lions, wolves, bears, leopards or snakes. Amongst the Bible animals one can distinguish these which aroused admiration because of their appearance, such as gazelle, deer, ibex or dove. At the same time, it is essential to emphasise the fact that this rich animal world is just a vivid background of the biblical story of Salvation and a tool used to translate God’s address into human language. For this reason, the knowledge of animal symbolism in the Sacred Scripture makes more accurate understanding of the pericopes possible.
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an equal amount of exotropia (XT) or esotropia (ET) produces a more noticeable eye turn, which gives the better impression of eye contact, and how a positive angle kappa (K) affects this judgment. Methods. Images from a white male model were manipulated to simulate 0, 5, 10, and 15° of ET and XT for both 0 and +5° K. A series of image pairs was then created that juxtaposed XT and ET of equal angles for both 0 and +5° K. Forty-five optometry students then judged which image in each pair appeared to have the greater tropia and which gave the greater impression of eye contact. Results. When angle kappa was 0, there was no significant difference in whether XT or ET appeared to be more noticeable. However, when angle kappa was +5°, an XT of 5° or greater became more apparent than an equal ET (p < 0.001). However, when the criterion was eye contact, ET gave the greater impression that eye contact was being made when the deviation was 10° or more, and this was true for both 0 and +5° K (p < 0.001). Conclusions. When a strabismus is to be evaluated or corrected purely for cosmetic reasons, the results may differ depending on the value of angle kappa and whether the criterion for good cosmesis is ocular deviation or eye contact.
Satisfaction is the first indicator of a hospital's standard for measuring service quality. The results of the observations found that there were patient or family dissatisfaction caused by the long awaiting the payment process (billing system) carried out by the officer manually with the RSUD dr. Rasidin Padang. Therefore the researcher was interested in conducting a research on Patient Satisfaction in Making Payment (Billing System) in RSUD Dr.Rasidin Padang in 2018. The type of research was descriptive. This research was conducted at the RSUD dr. Rasidin Padang. The population in this study were all inpatients who received payment services, with a total sample of 62 with accidental sampling technique. Data collection is done by interviewing inpatients who are in the process of paying health service fees. Based on the results of the study, more than half (54.8%) of respondents were not satisfied in making payments, more than half (67.7%) of respondents who said the waiting time in payment was longer, and more than half (56.5%) of respondents said that the lack of technical competence of the staff in processing the payment of patient care costs at the RSUD dr. Rasidin Padang. The patient's dissatisfaction in paying for inpatient health services is more due to the payment system that is still done manually, resulting in difficulties in collecting and calculating total payments for health services and making it difficult for patients / families to process payments. The researcher suggested that the hospital make an SOP about the payment system as a guideline or guideline in carrying out its work, implement a payment system that has been integrated with other systems and suggest that officers fill in the complete and exact data needed in the process of paying patient care costs.
It has been known for some time that penicillin exerts its antibiotic action by inhibiting the synthesis of the cell wall mucopeptide polymer in sensitive bacteria. Richmond and I, seeking an explanation for this specificity, suggested that there was a structural similarity between penicillin and N-acetylmuramic acid, one of the components in the polymer, and that penicillin might inhibit one of the enzymes involved in the synthesis of the polymer because of this similarity (Collins & Richmond 1962). It is therefore very interesting to hear that phenoxymethyl-penicillin has a single binding site in the lysozyme molecule, which is also the binding site for α-benzyl-N-acetylmuramic acid (the site number 5, in Dr Phillips’s notation). With the data from the 6 Å resolution picture of these enzyme complexes obtained by Dr Johnson, it is not possible to determine which groups are involved in interactions between lysozyme and the bound molecules of penicillin and benzy-N-acetylmuramic acid. Examination of the lysozyme model in the region where these molecules are bound shows some groups which may be involved in hydrophobic interactions, but few polar groups. This weakens the possibility that the similarity suggested by Richmond and me underlies the interaction between the molecules in these complexes, since we found the maximum similarity to lie in the disposition of polar groups in penicillin and in N-acetylmuramic acid. Briefly, we drew an analogy between the carboxyl groups, between the ring nitrogen atom in penicillin and the ether oxygen atom in the lactyl side-chain of N-acetylmuramic acid, and between the carbonyl groups in the amide links in the two molecules.
This paper describes the detection of diesel engine cylinder misfire utilizing the engine vibration measurements. The proposed technique depends on time-frequency analysis (TFA) of the measured engine surface vibration. The combustion Induced vibration and noise of engine is mathematically modeled and the vibration signals are simulated for fired and misfired engine. Both simulated and measured vibration signals for fire and misfire are analyzed by fast Fourier transform (FFT) in frequency domain to identify the signals’ frequencies. Then, they are analyzed in timefrequency plane. To investigate the engine fire and misfire according to firing order of the engine cylinders, the time-frequency plane is converted to the corresponding crank angle-frequency one. From crank angle-frequency analysis of the engine vibration the engine misfire is detected from the measured vibration signal as well as from the simulated one. The experimental results show that the engine misfire can be detected by time frequency analysis of measured engine surface vibration.
This paper is based on the assumption that an organization is made up of a hierarchy of means and ends, which can be represented by a means-end structure. Three concepts may be used in analysing this structure: incongruence, inconsistence and inconsonance. How these three characteristics are related to the effectiveness of an organization will be discussed in reference to examples from the study of a hospital.
Abstract Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease and is also known as high blood pressure. The large majority of hypertensive patients need long-term administration of antihypertensive agents. Indapamide is an orally administered diuretic antihypertensive drug. The present work aimed to assess the possible genotoxic effects of indapamide using four different assays: chromosomal aberration (CA), sister chromatid exchange (SCE), micronucleus (MN), and comet. Lymphocytes from three different donors were exposed to 18.75, 37.50, 75.00, and 100.00 μg/ml indapamide. Additionally, a negative, a positive (mitomycin C = MMC, 0.20 μg/ml), and a solvent control (5.4 μl/ml methanol) were also applied. As a result, it was seen that indapamide did not cause a significant change in CAs and MN frequencies compared to the control. It caused significant damage only at the highest concentration in the comet assay. Similarly, while it did not affect the number of SCEs in the 24-h treatment, it increased the SCE frequency at the two highest concentrations in the 48-h. Mitotic index (MI) decreased at almost all concentrations. Considering all these results, this study revealed that indapamide did not have a significant genotoxic effect in these conditions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation about the genotoxic effect of indapamide in human lymphocytes in vitro. Graphical abstract
ABSTRACT Aggravation of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often leads to a slew of complications, but the correlation between COPD aggravation and the complications on the basis of molecular level remains unclear. In this study, gene expression profiles of COPD in patients at early and aggravation stages were collected and differentially-expressed genes were selected. Meanwhile, gene expression data implicated in COPD complications were analyzed to establish a regulatory network of COPD aggravation and COPD related complications. In addition, the gene enrichment function of DAVID6.7 was utilized to evaluate the similarities between COPD aggravation and COPD complications in term of biological process. By analyzing the genes of COPD aggravation and the COPD complications, we found 18 genes highly related to COPD aggravation, among which haptoglobin (HP) was correlated with 14 complications, followed by ADRB2, LCK and CA1, which were related to 13, 11 and 11 complications, respectively. As far as the complications concerned, obesity was regulated by 17 of the 18 genes, which indicated that there was a close correlation between COPD aggravation and obesity. Meanwhile, lung cancer, diabetes and heart failure were regulated by 15, 15 and 14 genes, respectively, among the 18 selected genes. This study suggested the driver genes of COPD aggravation were capable of extensively regulating COPD complications, which would provide a theoretical basis for development of cures for COPD and its complications. Graphical Abstract
The future of drug treatment services in today’s digital society (web society) depends, among other things, on the interoperability between health care information systems and other information systems linked to social control agencies, police forces and the judiciary. Agreements and partnerships between such different institutional actors should be strengthened, with regard to both "old" addictions (to psychoactive substances), and "new" ones (regarding Internet, gambling, and so on). Possible areas of interoperability and related problems should be analyzed. We focus on four points: a) the impact models and tools of tele-e-Health in prison; b) the intertwining between e-government and new digital privacy rules with regard to addictions; c) the operational networks of inter-institutional cooperation (e.g. the recovery paths for addicted subjects "reported" to the judiciary); d) a "federal" model of tele-cooperation in prison as example of interoperability between institutions.
This paper reports the development of and the results of high frequency torsional oscillation (HFTO) tests performed on full-sized PDC drill bits and single cutters in a drilling laboratory. The research team used a pressurized laboratory drilling rig to test different drill bit designs in new and worn conditions. These tests were performed in different rock types, at different revolution per minute (RPM), weight on bit (WOB) and depth of cut (DOC) values. High frequency drill stem torque (5120 Hz) and in-bit tangential acceleration (1400 Hz) data were recorded, along with all other drilling parameters. Spectrograms of torque data were plotted to identify frequency changes in time. The torque data was filtered to remove the low frequency behavior and focus on the HFTO behavior. The high frequency torque signal correlates well with in-bit tangential accelerations. Root mean square (RMS) values of this filtered torque signal were calculated and plotted vs average WOB, depth of cut, and torque values. Sharp and worn bit geometry, were dull graded on a per cutter basis and were input to a 3D drilling modeling software and correlated with test data in order to determine the DOC at which wear flats or cutting faces engage the rock and cause changes in HFTO behavior. The main results from this research are 1) a lab test and data analysis were developed that can measure a drill bit's propensity to initiate HFTO vibrations in the BHA, 2) HFTO RMS high-pass filtered torque values generally increase with DOC, 3) bits in the new state show more HFTO behavior if cutter design is more aggressive, and 4) wear flat engagement causes high HFTO behavior.
This article aimed to describe the law of congregational prayer in mosque with tenuous line due to Corona outbreak that hits this country. This study used a descriptive qualitative approach that describes Islamic concepts that need to be understood and implemented in the matter of congregational prayer in unusual situation by analyzing the propositions and opinions of the scholars. The results of this study indicate that if there were instruction to temporarily discontinue Friday prayers and congregational prayers in the mosque that is merely an appeal and an institution or mosque takmir decided to continue conducting congregational prayers in the mosque by applying social distancing, then their congregational prayers would be considered legal. However, obeying the appeal of the authorities, both the government and Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI), is more recommended and preferred. It is because an appeal, although not compulsory, is intended to benefit the community in general, and the appeal is issued owing to the danger of Corona outbreak that is obvious and real. This appeal is enough to be considered excuse for discontinuing the congregational prayers in the mosque and substituting Friday prayer with four-rakat Zuhr prayer.
The contorted stratification of the drift appears to have been little noticed or understood, until prominently brought forward by Sir Charles Lyell, in a paper read before the Geological Society in 1840, and subsequently published in the Philosophical Magazine. He then suggested that those seen on the coast of Norfolk had been produced by the action of stranded icebergs; but the disturbed condition of the chalk has led many geologists to hesitate in adopting that theory. Since then the subject seems to have been much overlooked, so much so that, when the origin of the drift was under discussion at the meeting of the British Association last year at Edinburgh, no mention whatever was made of the contortions; and yet, as I hope to show, they are of such a character as to be of great value in arriving at a correct theory of its accumulation. Since then a paper has been read at the Geological Society, by Mr. Trimmer, in which he attempts to explain them by supposing that masses of ice had been fixed amongst the beds when they were deposited, and that, on these subsequently thawing, the strata above sunk down into the space they occupied. Both these suppositions are undoubtedly true causes, and in some parts of the globe contorted stratification must now be produced by the action of both. My own opinion is that some of the contortions in the drift are due to one, and some to the other, and that neither alone is ...
Strategic partnerships have a key role to play in delivering the government's ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda. There is a developing body of research and other evidence and practice-informed literature about what works in relation to partnership working. Drawing on a research review commissioned by Barnardos on strategic partnership working for children, this study summarises research findings from a number of sectors relating to the development, delivery and review of effective partnerships. Although there is widespread consensus within the research on the factors contributing to effective partnership processes, there is, currently, relatively little evidence that partnerships lead to positive outcomes for children and young people. © 2006 The Author(s). Journal compilation © National Children's Bureau.
The infrared absorption is one of the important characteristics of the nanometer powder. But its micro-mechanism has not been very cleared now. From the lattice vibration's phonon model of the solid physics, this paper tries to consider that the vibration of the nanometer powder is similar to that of the lattice, then the nanometer powder infrared absorption's phonon model can be established to explain its infrared absorption.
Functional coatings are applied to paper and paperboard substrates to provide resistance, or a barrier, against media such as oil and grease (OGR), water, water vapor as measured by moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR), and oxygen, for applications such as food packaging, food service, and other non-food packaging. Typical functional barrier coatings can be created by applying a solid coating or extruded film, a solvent based-coating, or a water-based coating to the paper substrate using various means of coating applicators. This paper focuses on water-based barrier coatings (WBBC) for OGR, water, MVTR, and oxygen barriers. The main goal was to create coated systems that can achieve more than one barrier property using multilayer curtain coating (MLCC). Curtain coating has emerged as the premier low-impact application method for coated paper and paperboard.  This paper provides examples using MLCC to create coating structures that provide multiple barrier properties in a single coating step. Barrier polymer systems studied include styrene butadiene, styrene acrylate, vinyl acrylic, and natural materials, as well as proprietary additives where required to give desired performance. The paper also shows how the specific coating layers can be optimized to produce the desired property profile, without concern for blocking, as the addition of a non-blocking top layer can be applied in the MLCC structure as well. Experiments on base sheet types also shows the importance of applying the multilayer structure on a pre-coated surface in order to improve coating thickness consistency and potentially allow for the reduction of more expensive layer components.
Viscum album L., (Santalaceae) is a semi-parasitic plant that grows on various trees. It is widely used in cancer treatment. The present study assesses the influence of oxidative stress in mistletoe induced tumor cytotoxicity in tumor cells. Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) was induced by injecting 106 cells/animal, ip, (in day 0), in Swiss female mice. Mistletoe ethanolic extract was injected in dose of 50 mg/kg b.w, i.p., three times before (days -6, -3, -1) and after (1, 3, 6) EAC inoculation. 14 days after EAC inoculation, the mice were euthanized for estimation of tumor proliferation, hematological parameters, the antioxidant status in plasma and tumor cells. In EAC bearing mice, Viscum album ethanolic extract exhibited a significant antiproliferative effect, as compared with untreated group, reflected in reduced EAC cell concentration, increased percentage of non-viable cells and low plasma antioxidant activity. These changes were found only in pre-treated groups, while post-treated groups showed no significant differences. The antiproliferative effect was significantly correlated with decreased activity of plasma antioxidant enzymes. In pre-treated groups, antioxidant enzymes activity of the EAC tumor cells experienced important changes, in correlation to cytotoxic effect, whereas less significant variations in post-treated group were found. Even if the underlying mechanisms are still to be ascertained, Viscum album alcoholic extract proved, a significant, selective antitumor effect, without obvious harmful effect on mice.
A periodic array of topological spin textures, such as skyrmions and hedgehogs, is called the multiple-$Q$ spin texture, as it is represented by a superposition of multiple spin density waves. Depending on the way of superposition, not only the magnetic but also the topological properties are modified, leading to a variety of quantum transport and optical phenomena caused by the emergent electromagnetic fields through the Berry phase. Among others, the phase degree of freedom of the superposed waves is potentially important for such modifications, but its effect has not been fully elucidated thus far. Here we perform systematic theoretical analyses of magnetic and topological properties of the multiple-$Q$ spin textures with the phase degree of freedom. By introducing a hyperspace with an additional dimension corresponding to the phase degree of freedom, we establish a generic framework to deal with the phase shift in the multiple-$Q$ spin textures. Applying the framework to the two-dimensional 3$Q$ spin textures, we clarify the complete topological phase diagram while changing the phase and magnetization, which depends on the types of the superposed waves. We also study the three-dimensional 4$Q$ spin textures and clarify even richer topological phase diagrams. In particular, we find novel topological phase transitions associated with the previously unidentified Dirac strings on which the hedgehogs and antihedgehogs cause pair creation and fusion. Moreover, we demonstrate that phase shifts are caused by an external magnetic field in both 3$Q$ and 4$Q$ cases by analyzing the numerical data in the previous studies. Our results illuminate the topological aspects of the skyrmion and hedgehog lattices with the phase degree of freedom, which would be extended to other multiple-$Q$ textures and useful for the exploration of topologically nontrivial magnetic phases and exotic quantum phenomena.
During the past years, statistical regularization methods have shown their advantages for portfolio selection in various aspects like stabilizing the portfolio weights, selecting sparse portfolios, and reducing the portfolio turnovers. In this paper, a regularized portfolio selection model is proposed based on the sorted (or ordered weighted) ℓ1 norm. The proposed model is general to incorporate both the Markowitz’s mean-variance portfolio problem and the index tracking portfolio problem. To be capable of handling large-scale portfolio selection (i.e., the asset universe is large), an efficient algorithm based on the alternating direction method of multipliers is developed. Numerical simulations validate the benefits of the proposed model and the high efficiency of the algorithm.
The interacting boson approximation Hamiltonian for $s$ and $d$ bosons is renormalized in lowest order for the effects of the $g$ boson using second-order perturbation theory in a single $j$ shell approximation. In this paper only the correction term which renormalizes the single-boson energy is investigated in detail, with a specific application to the Ba isotopes. In the evaluation of this correction, the general form of the matrix elements of two-body quadrupole operators, taken between paired-fermion states, is obtained. Our numerical results for Ba indicate that the effects of the $g$ boson on the single-boson energy are of the correct sign and magnitude and that a perturbative approach to including these effects appears to be appropriate.
Sugarcane leaves (SL) pretreated by alkali was used as substrate to enhance biogas production via mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) in this study. Effectiveness of different concentrations of NaOH pretreatment on AD performance was investigated. Results showed that compared to untreated sample of SL, the lignocellulose (LCH) content of NaOH pretreated group was decreased by 5.79%-16.85%. However, the cumulative biogas production of the pretreated samples increased in the range of 34.54%-82.67%; moreover, T90 was shorten by 5-7 d. The highest anaerobic digestibility of SL was achieved at 6% NaOH pretreatment, which produced 287.30 mL/g TS of biogas. A significant interactive effect of the three parameters (temperature, SL/manure mixing ratio and C/N ratio) was found on the biogasification of anaerobic co-digestion, and a maximum biogas production was achieved at 36.2oC, mixing ratio of 1.6 and C/N ratio of 29.2. These show that the verification experiment confirmed the optimization results. This study provides meaningful insight for exploring efficient pretreatment strategy and optimal condition to stabilize and enhance AD performance for practical application.  Keywords: NaOH pretreatment, co-digestion, sugarcane leaves, pig manure, dairy manure  DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20181104.4079    Citation: Luo J, Meng H B, Yao Z L, Wachemo A C, Yuan H R, Zhang L, et al. Anaerobic co-digestion of sodium hydroxide pretreated sugarcane leaves with pig manure and dairy manure. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(4): 224-229.
The relationship between heart rate (HR) and computed tomography dose index (CTDI) was evaluated using an electrocardiogram (ECG) gate scan for scan applications such as prospective triggering, Ca scoring, target computed tomography angiography (CTA), prospective CTA and retrospective gating, continuous CTA/CFA (cardiac functional analysis) and CTA/CFA modulation. Even in the case of a volume scan, doses for the multiple scan average dose were similar to those for CTDI. Moreover, it was found that the ECG gate scan yields significantly different doses. When selecting the optimum scan, the doses were dependent on many factors such as HR, scan rotation time, active time, prespecified cardiac phase and modulation rate. Therefore, it is necessary to take these results into consideration when selecting the scanning parameters.
We present the results of a study of optical scattering and backscattering of particulates for three coastal sites that represent a wide range of optical properties that are found in U.S. near-shore waters. The 6000 scattering and backscattering spectra collected for this study can be well approximated by a power-law function of wavelength. The power-law exponent for particulate scattering changes dramatically from site to site (and within each site) compared with particulate backscattering where all the spectra, except possibly the very clearest waters, cluster around a single wavelength power-law exponent of -0.94. The particulate backscattering-to-scattering ratio (the backscattering ratio) displays a wide range in wavelength dependence. This result is not consistent with scattering models that describe the bulk composition of water as a uniform mix of homogeneous spherical particles with a Junge-like power-law distribution over all particle sizes. Simultaneous particulate organic matter (POM) and particulate inorganic matter (PIM) measurements are available for some of our optical measurements, and site-averaged POM and PIM mass-specific cross sections for scattering and backscattering can be derived. Cross sections for organic and inorganic material differ at each site, and the relative contribution of organic and inorganic material to scattering and backscattering depends differently at each site on the relative amount of material that is present.
Within the last years in sheet metal forming a trend towards forming at elevated temperatures as well as temperature assisted forming technologies can be observed. This development is caused by the increasing need on light and high strength materials in order to fulfill the demands of light weight structures. The decision which kind of temperature assistance is the most useful in order to improve the formability of the material depends on a hugh number of process influencing parameters, like e.g. the material itself, the geometry of the component, the number of forming operations etc.. In this paper the general possibility to separate different temperature assisted forming processes with regard to the used materials will be introduced. The different forming procedures will be explained and discussed. Examples with an industrial relevance are shown.
The phenomena of NEET and Hikikomori (N/H) in Japan have attracted growing attention both by social scientists and the media. Uchida and Norasakkunkit (2015) present a novel individual difference measure meant to capture people's risk for these phenomena. Their newly developed NEET/Hikikomori Risk (NHR) scale provides a tool to assess the psychological tendencies associated with these forms of social and occupational withdrawal. Uchida and Norasakkunkit (2015) speculate about the potential causes of NHR and N/H including globalization, the importation of individualism in traditionally collectivist contexts, and changes in economic structure. Others have suggested that N/H is linked to the prolonged economic recession in Japan (Ishii and Uchida, 2016). However, the causes of N/H remain unknown. We propose that an evolutionary perspective may shed light on why in some societies a growing number of youth withdraw from social and/or occupational life in this fashion.    Throughout, most of our history as a species, withdrawing from social life and failing to actively pursue resources for extended periods of time likely dramatically reduced one's chances of survival. The fact that N/H exists at all is a testament to an incredible degree of resource abundance. Although, N/H has been most frequently observed in Japan, as Uchida and Norasakkunkit (2015) note, cases have been observed in a number of other wealthy societies (i.e., the US, UK, South Korea, Spain, Italy). We suspect that this syndrome may be more common in these societies than in societies characterized by high levels of resource scarcity. Although, systematic large scale studies comparing prevalence rates of N/H across societies have not been conducted, we would predict that such rates would be positively correlated with both GDP per capita and the degree to which social assistance policies are generous.    Uchida and Norasakkunkit (2015) also suggest that marginalized youth may be more likely to engage in deviant behaviors in societies other than Japan, whereas they may be more likely to become N/H in Japan. We would agree with this prediction but for different reasons than those outlined by the authors. In more resource scarce environments, we predict that young people who fail to gain status, resources, and friends/mates through socially approved means may be more likely to seek other paths to acquire them (such as theft, violence, prostitution, and other illegal activities) rather than withdrawing. In more desperate ecologies, ceasing to pursue such goals is more likely to jeopardize one's prospects of survival. The countries in which N/H has been documented with some frequency are all characterized by varying degrees of social safety nets and generally high levels of wealth, making withdrawing from economic and social life, and surviving for a prolonged period a feasible possibility. Thus, one might expect that higher scores on the NHR scale would be more closely linked to withdrawing from social and occupational life in richer societies, whereas higher scores on the NHR scale might be linked to engaging a range of illicit behaviors in poorer societies.    Beyond the fairly obvious observation that resources must be fairly abundant in a society for an individual to engage in these forms of withdrawal and survive, there is a deeper reason to believe resource abundance is related to N/H—namely Life History Theory (Del Giudice et al., 2015). In humans, a fast life history strategy involves a suit of tendencies including a preference for immediate rewards, impulsivity, overeating, more aggressive, and criminal behavior, and earlier and more frequent reproduction, whereas a slow life history strategy in characterized by greater investment in long term outcomes, investment in education and other types of skill acquisition, delayed reproduction, and greater parental investment (Figueredo et al., 2005, 2006; Brumbach et al., 2009; Griskevicius et al., 2011a,b; Simpson et al., 2012; Hill et al., 2016a,b). Different life history strategies are adaptive under different ecological conditions. Key ecological factors linked to life history strategies include resource scarcity (Griskevicius et al., 2011a,b), the prevalence of infectious disease (Hill et al., 2016a), and population density (Sng et al., submitted). Japan is characterized by abundant resources, relatively low prevalence of infectious disease, and high population density, all factors which push people toward slower strategies. But NEETs and Hikikomori do not appear to be pursuing slow strategies. Nor at first glance do they appear to pursue fast strategies (i.e., early reproduction or aggressive behavior). On the surface, this presents a puzzle. However, it may be the case that these individuals would pursue fast strategies if they were embedded in a context where such strategies would be adaptive or where other ecological pressures that reduce fast strategies were not present. Given a broader context (as is the case in Japan) in which these ecological pressures in addition to descriptive and injunctive norms strongly discourage fast strategies, youth who fail to achieve success in academics and/or work (i.e., those who fail at using slow strategies) may simply not have the option or the aptitude to adopt fast strategies. Thus, marginalization in a society with strong ecological pressures toward slow strategies may take the form of withdrawing from competition and interaction rather than adopting fast strategies. Withdrawal in such circumstances might be a way of conserving one's energy when one has failed at using slow strategies and fast strategies are not feasible. In other words, in circumstances when it is too costly to either continue to pursue slow strategies and when fast strategies are socially maladaptive, one might settle for securing minimal resources for somatic maintenance at minimal cost.    NEETs and Hikikomori pose a puzzle for psychologists. Why would millions of young people in a society choose to effectively withdraw from it? We believe that evolutionary psychology provides a framework to begin to understand the causes of these phenomena and why its prevalence may vary across societies.
The beverage known as tea is an infusion of variously processed leaves of one of the varieties of an evergreen shrub, Camellia sinensis L. Tea is the most widely drunk beverage in the world (39). Green tea, popular in the Far East, differs from the black tea familiar in the West in that an oxidation step (called ‘‘fermentation’’) occurs in the processing of the latter compound but not the former compound. Although it has little nutritional value per se, tea is refreshing, mildly stimulating, and produces a feeling of well-being. The latter two properties have been assumed to be due to caffeine, about 50 mg of which is present in a cup of tea; caffeine is known to have ‘‘stimulant and anti-soporific actions, that elevate mood, decrease fatigue and increase capacity for work’’ (32). However, other components of a cup of tea, notably, the polyphenols, may also contribute to the effects of tea, in view of their known pharmacological properties (40) (see below). The complex of oxidized polyphenols in tea is often called ‘‘tannin’’ (20). It should be stressed, however, that unlike some compounds from other plants also given this generic name, tea tannins are not harmful. Contrary to widespread belief, tea does not contain tannic acid (39, 47).
A 55-year-old man is convalescing from mitral valve replacement five days earlier. He had severe calcific mitral stenosis and moderately severe hypertension, with repeated attacks of acute pulmonary edema. He had always been in normal sinus rhythm, except for a single episode of atrial fibrillation associated with one of his episodes of acute pulmonary edema. He had been taking digoxin (0.25 mg daily) but this was stopped the day before the operation. The cardiac rhythm has been mostly regular since the operation, but occasional irregularities have been noted. An ECG on the fifth postoperative day is shown.
We demonstrate, through experiment and theory, enhanced high-frequency current oscillations due to magnetically-induced conduction resonances in superlattices. Strong increase in the ac power originates from complex single-electron dynamics, characterized by abrupt resonant transitions between unbound and localized trajectories, which trigger and shape propagating charge domains. Our data demonstrate that external fields can tune the collective behavior of quantum particles by imprinting configurable patterns in the single-particle classical phase space.
Professional engineering firms are exposed to unpredictable business cycles owing to fluctuations in the macroeconomic environment. The National Bureau of Economic Research NBER has monitored U.S. business cycles since 1929 by mapping changes in national economic activity using a complex set of macroeconomic variables. It has been observed that after every long expansion, there is an economic recession, usually lasting 11 to 12 months on average. Thus, every professional engineering practice firm operating in our market economy can expect recessionary conditions sometime during its existence. The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the NBER confirmed that the United States has indeed been in a recession since December 2007. There are clear indications that it will last much longer than the typical recessions of the past half century owing to structural shifts in the economy resulting from the increasing globalization of economic activities. As a consequence, professional engineering firms are likely to see adverse movement in output, employment, and company profits and, eventually, depressed stock prices for the listed companies. As most engineering firms are small businesses, even minor changes in their market niche and economic environment tend to have farreaching impact. A firm cannot meet the challenges of recession using yesterday’s strategy if it expects to be in business tomorrow, and its very survival may depend on the ability to adapt to changes in the external environment. Therefore, engineering practitioners and firm managers need to develop specific tailored strategies to succeed in the marketplace during the recessionary phase of the economic cycle. An economic recession is broadly defined as an overall slowing down of economic activity measured by peak-to-trough declines. One common and often-cited definition characterizes recession as “two consecutive quarters of declining gross national output.” An economic recession affects various stakeholders of a firm, including employees, managers, partners, customers, suppliers, company shareholders, and the community at large. However, a recessionary economy is similar in one way to a booming one: business still needs to create value for its customers and shareholders. The businesses that use economic recession as an opportunity to focus on strategic leadership and to establish competitive advantage usually create higher shareholder value. Building lasting value is both the greatest challenge and opportunity, requiring the leadership to focus on long-term plans, stick to core competency, become cost competitive and more rel-
The article presents the results of studies of the chemical composition, commercial qualities and taste of berries of promising strawberry varieties breeding of the All-Russian Horticultural Institute for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery (Moscow) in the conditions of the Orenburg Urals. The studies were carried out in 2016-2018 on the basis of the Orenburg Experimental Station of Horticulture and Viticulture of the All-Russian Horticultural Institute for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery in specific conditions, where almost annually dry and moderately dry climatic periods were observed during the formation of the yield (May-June). A comparative evaluation of varieties on the content of sugars, acids, vitamin C in berries, taste and attractiveness of appearance is given. The dependence of the studied parameters on the genotype of the variety and vegetation conditions was established. Depending on the variety and year, the content of soluble solids varied from 7.2 to 10.2 %, with an average content of 8.9 %; total acidity varied from 0.8 to 1.2 %, with an average content of 1.0 %; the content of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was from 45.1 to 78.5 mg/100 g, with an average content of 56.4 mg/100 g. Varieties with high parameters of tasting evaluation (Darenka, Kokinskaya Zarya, Studencheskaya), soluble solids (Rosinka, Studencheskaya) and ascorbic acid (Kokinskaya Zarya, Bereginya) were revealed. They are recommended to be grown to obtain fresh consumption products and as processing products of various directions. Bereginya, Darenka and Rosinka varieties surpass control varieties in certain biochemical parameters and can be used in breeding in the Urals region to obtain new genotypes with an increased content of a specific biologically active substance. The variety Tsaritsa is selected for high commodity qualities of berries (weight, dessert taste, attractiveness of appearance) and is recommended for commercial production of berries and involvement in breeding process. It has been established that the taste of berries is determined by a complex of acids, sugars and aromatic substances. This parameter was greatly influenced by weather conditions, from which air temperature and precipitations were determining.
The surface recombination of nitrogen atoms in afterglow is studied by the time delay method, accompanied by the macrokinetic diffusive model. The method consists of the measurement of the dependence of the mean value of the breakdown time delay on afterglow period td=f(τ) and fitting of the data by the model that was developed. Excited N2(A 3∑+u) nitrogen molecules formed in the surface‐catalyzed recombination on cathode produce secondary electrons. The electrons entering the interelectrode space determine the time delay in electrical breakdown. The time delay method is very efficient in nitrogen atom detection down to a natural radioactivity level. By fitting the calculated curve to the experimental data, we have: (1) shown that the nitrogen atom recombination on the glass container walls is second‐order in N while the recombination on the copper electrode is the first order; (2) determined the value of the surface recombination coefficient for molybdenum glass; (3) determined the combined probability o...
Abstract Objectives: Dysbiosis can have a profound effect on the health of the individual and is considered to be a contributing factor to many health problems such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Clostridium difficile infection. Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) is potentially a safe method of renewing the ecology and correcting the dysbiosis, so alleviating the associated conditions. This study aims to identify any barriers to the acceptability of FMT in colitis patients and whether these barriers can be overcome through education. Methods: An unsolicited online survey distributed via Crohn’s and Colitis (CCUK) to approximately 900 members suffering from colitis. Results: 224 responses were received, a response rate of 25%. 36.2% (n = 81) of respondents were male. The age range of participants was 19–81 years (mean 45.1). After the demographic and medical status questions, participants were asked “Does FMT sound acceptable to you?” Out of the respondents that answered this question only 37.1% (n = 78, 43.2% of these being male) agreed with this statement, with the remainder answering no (n = 40) or unsure (n = 92). After various questions and explanations examining the process of FMT, individuals were asked this question again with 53.6% (n = 105, 59.7% of these being male) stating that this procedure was now acceptable (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The acceptability of FMT was found to be low but can be improved with the provision of information.
1. The widespread increase in allergy: a challenge for environmental medicine 2. Allergy from difference to disease 3. Immune mechanisms of allergic reactions 4. Selected environmental factors involved in allergy increase 4a. Infection and allergy 4b. The moving society 4c. The changing fats 4d. The case of aspirin 4e. Allergy and stress 5. Selected organ specificities of the allergic reactions 5a. The bronchi 5b. The nose 6. Conclusions and perspectives Abbreviations References
Forecasts of the magnitude of solar activity in the 1990s (solar cycle 22) imply that the expected levels of activity might be some of the most extreme ever recorded, and almost certainly the levels of activity will be the highest experienced during the space age. Even as early as 1 year before the expected maximum of solar cycle 22 in 1990, unprecedented levels of solar activity (for example, the solar flares and solar particle events of August–October 1989) and geomagnetic activity (for example, the auroral events and geomagnetic storms of March 1989) have been observed. These solar and geophysical events have stirred scientific interest both in the long-term behavior of solar activity and in the physics which couples the energy of solar events to the near-Earth environment. Furthermore, the operational community (including those involved in satellite operations, telephone and radio communication, electric power distribution, aviation, and others) have experienced many adverse effects of these solar and geophysical events. Many more episodes of activity are expected throughout the upcoming 4–5 years. The purpose of this paper is to review the direct and indirect influences of solar activity on the near-Earth environment and to describe some of the implications of the high levels of solar activity which are expected to occur in the 1990–1994 time period.
The RUN CJK system has been in use for more than six years and the OCLC CJK350 system for more than three years. Have they brought the holdings of East Asian collections into the bibliographic mainstream, as they were expected to do? This paper briefly examines the history and special features of these two CJK systems. A national survey also was conducted among academic and research member libraries in the United States to learn how these systems have been incorporated into their local automated library systems. Findings of the survey indicate that the advantages of the two systems are not fully delivered to the general user because local automated library systems still are incapable of processing and displaying non-Roman languages. More efforts are needed to develop this capability in order to integrate fully non-Roman collections into the general collection.
Dysregulation of iron transport, storage and utilization is at the basis of a variety of human diseases, since free iron can participate in redox reactions that are deleterious to lipid membranes and signaling pathways. As intracellular iron transport occurs in a pH‐dependent manner, changes in endosomal pH, often associated with cancer, could lead to alterations in iron homeostasis. Essential to iron transport is transferrin (Tf), which binds iron at a neutral pH for safe transport throughout the body and releases it upon uptake and delivery to a mildly acidified endosome. Excess iron can be stored in cytoplasmic protein ferritin (Ft) or delivered into mitochondria to be incorporated into proteins with heme or iron‐sulfur structures. Recently, we have developed a novel label‐free Raman hyperspectral microscopy methodology to identify the subcellular distributions and relative quantities of iron‐bound Tf, Ft and heme proteins within heterogenous cell populations. Previously, we have shown that Raman hyperspectral imaging could identify endocytic distributions of iron‐bound Tf using a specific Raman peak at 1300 cm‐1 in intact breast cancer cells. Moreover, we have shown that alterations in the subcellular localization of iron‐bound Tf populations correlated with altered endocytic regulation of iron‐bound Tf in two distinct breast cancer cell lines. Based on these results, we propose that breast cancer cells display a disrupted iron homeostasis due to iron release delays caused by alterations in the pH or ionic milieu of the early endosomes. Currently, we are testing a putative correlation between pH gradient alterations and iron release delays in different breast cancer cells.
In this essay I explore key tropes in the study of the Caribbean and New World African diasporas, focusing on the work of Richard Price, and, in particular, Travels With Tooy. I engage some problematic issues in the definition and apprehension of memory, history, and cultural transformation (creolization). These issues include the constitution of “knowledge” and “evidence,” the value and meaning of empirical research, the relationship between the construction of experience and the construction of a discipline, and the ways that authority and legitimacy are established and maintained. The essay ends by briefly considering what the stakes are in the contemporary debate about memory, history, and cultural transformation in diaspora, and thus, consequently, what political projects are embedded in them.
Squared elementary cells with correlated radiant point sources are presented as basic structures for characterizing the propagation of the field emitted by two-dimensional planar sources of any shape and in arbitrary state of spatial coherence. The field is transported on a finite expansion of nonparaxial modes, whose propagation in the micro-diffraction domain is discussed under both the diffraction and the interference conditions.
In order to improve the construction effect of intelligent buildings, this paper combines the BIM digital twin technology to construct the overall structure of the building construction operation and maintenance system driven by the BIM digital twin. Moreover, this paper conducts intelligent simulation of the construction process of the building and combines the construction process of the intelligent building to apply the BIM digital twin technology to the construction management of the intelligent building. In addition, this paper uses BIM to simulate the construction process. After the construction management plan is developed, BIM can be used to simulate the construction, find the problems in the construction, and formulate a reliable construction management plan in time. Through simulation experiment research, it can be known that the intelligent building construction management model based on BIM digital twin proposed in this paper can help the deployment of intelligent building construction process in many aspects and help improve the efficiency of building construction management.
Sequential administration of LPS to SCID mice results in the generalized Shwartzman reaction, manifesting as rapid mortality via cytokine-induced shock. Here we demonstrate that in vivo neutralization of IL-15 before LPS priming significantly reduced lethality in this reaction (p = 0.0172). We hypothesize that LPS priming induces IL-12 and IL-15 that costimulate NK cell-derived IFN-γ. Such IFN-γ may then in turn sensitize macrophages to elicit the Shwartzman reaction following a subsequent LPS challenge. Supporting this, IL-12 and IL-15 synergized to induce murine NK cell IFN-γ production in vitro. LPS stimulation of SCID mouse splenocytes resulted in measurable IFN-γ production, which was reduced when IL-15 was neutralized or IL-2/15Rβ was blocked. Pretreatment with either anti-IL-2/15Rβ or anti-IL-15 Abs reduced serum IFN-γ protein following LPS administration to SCID mice. Collectively, these data provide the first in vivo evidence that IL-15 participates in LPS-induced innate immune IFN-γ production and significantly contributes to the lethal Shwartzman reaction.
During a ten-year period 193 patients with an appendiceal mass—and subsequently proved postinflammatory changes of the appendix—were treated conservatively. The course was uneventful in 88%. Twelve per cent underwent delayed surgical intervention caused by complications with one death. Elective appendectomy was performed after three months with a complication rate of 3.4%. In comparison with series with early operation the conservative management seems to carry a lower morbidity. The value of elective appendectomy is discussed.
The principal physico-chemical characteristics of sorne thermomineral waters of Alhama de Murcia detrital aquifer are studied. The waters show a temperature between 26-41 °C and they are calcium-magnesium chloride-sulphate type. The origin of ions has a direct relationship with the dissolution of evaporitic sulphate-chloride salts, carbonatic and silica rocks, agricultural contamination processes and possibly ore-deposits. Mixing processes with cold waters possibly also occur. By SOLMINEQ.88 program the thermodinamic equilibrium conditions in surface are studied; the samples are saturated in quartz, chalcedony and albite. A great part of the waters are also saturated in calcite, aragonite, dolomite, gypsum, barite and magnesite. Finally, the waters are undersaturated in cristobalite, anhydrite and fluorite. Conventional chemical geothermometers yield a broad range of temperatures. Both, calcite-dolomite and anhydrite-fluorite geothermometers was applied to two samples with anomalous results. The saturation index modeling, at a series of growing temperatures, shows an approach equilibrium with quartz, chalcedony, albite, sanidine, gipsum, anhydrite, gibbsite and halloisite between 80-110 °C. A spread in the apparent equilibration temperatures deduced from two metodology, should be a consequence of dilution by surface waters, effects of re-equilibration of minerals with waters and CO 2 loss. Temperature and chemical composition of the waters shows a thermal anomaly directly related with the tectonic activity in the area.
Abstract This paper presents a robust controller for the exhaust durability test that enables precise tracking of the vibration profiles against parameter variations. First, the dynamics between the hydraulic actuator input and the acceleration on the exhaust pipe are unravelled via a nonparametric system identification method to establish the baseline system behaviour. Next, the physics-based modelling leads to a parametric model whose dynamics match those of the nonparametric one under various conditions and, as a result, provide a clue for the root causes of the parameter variations. The structured uncertainties arising from the parameter variations naturally call for a robust control design methodology based on the μ-synthesis. The extensive validation tests show that the proposed robust control system clearly delivers the desired performance of tracking vibration profiles during the exhaust durability test while overcoming parameter variations.
New institutional economies and the work of Coase, Williamson, North and others today occupies a central place in thinking about the nature of economic hierarchies institutions. This paper argues that it cannot offer a guide to history of the real development of markets, hierarchies and institutions. Those writers like MacIntyre and Sennett who focus on focus on social embedding and the potential conflict between pure markets and social cohesion offer a better basis for understanding of the real history of capitalism. But this approach too needs extending if it is to be a guide to the real history of markets, hierarchies and institutions.
Coenzyme Q10 acts as an essential component of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation in the oxidative phosphorylation chain and as an antioxidant preventing lipid peroxidation and scavenging superoxide.  The purpose of this study will focus on separation from the fermentation broth and purification of CoQ10 that produced by Rhodobacter sphaeroides BCRC 13100. Three topics were discussed as follows：(1) Disruption methods：the cells were disrupted by using enzyme, freezing and heating, chemicals or high press homogenizer. The results showed that the product yield could achieve 2.85 mg/g-DCW for enzyme method but its cost was higher. Secondly, the method of high press homogenizer was better that the product yield can achieve 2.11 mg/g-DCW. On the other hand, the ethanol could be used to disrupt and extract directly. The product yield could also achieve 2.01 mg/g-DCW. (2) Separation methods：CoQ10 was quantitatively extracted with various organic solvents. Using ethanol twice extraction could separate the products to release into the surrounding solution.CoQ10 was extracted by ethanol at 40℃ for 30min. The product yield could also achieve 2.46 mg/g-DCW. The product yield of ethanol disrupted method is 0.86 fold of the product yield using enzyme method. (3) Purification method：The crude extract was purified by silica gel column chromatography. Another method was liquid-liquid extraction with hexane. After crystallization, the purity determined by means HPLC could achieve 96.9%.
A reliable and accurate analysis of food samples can only be guaranteed by reproducible sample preparation. This chapter describes the process of turning a laboratory sample into a representative part sample with homogeneous analytical fineness by choosing the most suitable mill. Important aspects of size reduction and homogenization are explained, a variety of application examples is given, and specific applications such as cryogenic grinding are discussed in detail.
The results of research on the use of granulated fly ashes with phosphogypsum in the production of cement and their impact on the hardening of cement mortar are presented in this paper. The materials used for the production of granules were fly ash from power plants and a twenty-percent proportion of phosphogypsum waste from the production of phosphoric acid. The granules were tested in terms of their use for the production of cement. It has been shown that, in accordance with the Polish Standard PN-EN 197-1: 2012, cement with 20% of shredded granules meets the requirements of strength for class 32.5. Cement mortar was made and the properties were compared with typical mortar prepared from ash with gypsum. It was found that the tested cement mortar have a longer setting time. However, both types of mortar had similar compressive strengths and flexural strengths after hardening for twenty-eight days.
Few of those who have undertaken fieldwork among members of Sufi Orders have openly discussed the challenges involved. The present article examines a number of issues which were encountered whilst carrying out ethnographic research among devotees of the transnational Qādiriyya. It argues that knowledge derived from ethnographical investigation is subjective and partial by nature, and that engaging with its resulting ambiguities and contradictions leads to a more nuanced, real, and less representational, perspective. This article explores certain themes: first, it examines how gender determined the scope of the research and circumscribed the possibilities of data collection. Second, it analyses some of the peculiarities involved in conducting multi-sited fieldwork in a transnational religious organization. Third, it raises specific methodological concerns with regard to the often transitory nature of membership of this ṭarīqa. Finally, it discusses how the present author coped with religious proselytization and its potential effects on the relationship between devotees and researcher.
The activities of heterologous enzymes often limit the production titers, rates and yields of cell factories. With the help of biosensors, large random mutagenesis libraries can be screened for improved enzyme variants in a high-throughput manner, even if the enzyme-of-interest is poorly characterised. We previously constructed a Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell factory for the heterologous production of abscisic acid (ABA), a high-value product with a broad range of applications in medicine, agriculture and nutrition. In the current study, we developed high-throughput screening platform strains for two rate-limiting cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, BcABA1 and BcABA2, in the ABA biosynthetic pathway. The screening platforms are designed to minimize the occurrence of false positives during screening experiments. We thoroughly characterised two plant protein-based ABA biosensor candidates. Furthermore, we designed a simple genetic switch, based on the thiamine-repressible promoter pTHI4, to regulate the expression level of enzyme variants. We demonstrated that ABA production can be fine-tuned by varying thiamine concentration in the media. In-depth analysis of the platform strains revealed that screening conditions can be optimized by varying thiamine concentration and cultivation time, making it possible to utilize the full dynamic and operational range of the biosensor. In the future, the constructed strains can be used to screen for improved BcABA1 and BcABA2 variants.
To determine the neuropathological substrate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐associated neurocognitive disorders, we examined persons with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome before their death and related their antemortem neuropsychological performance to postmortem indicators of HIV encephalitis, viral burden, and presynaptic and postsynaptic neuronal injury. Of 20 prospectively examined cases, 9 were neurocognitively normal, 5 showed neuropsychological impairment, 5 had minor cognitive/motor disorder, and 1 was demented. Degree of neurocognitive impairment was strongly related to the amount of dendritic simplification based on microtubule‐associated protein 2 immunohistochemical staining, somewhat less so to a semiquantitative viral burden score based on numbers of HIV gp41‐immunoreactive cells, and much less so to the presence of multinucleated giant cells or microglial nodules. It appears that even milder neurocognitive impairment reflects microneuroanatomical injury to synaptic structures.
Purpose To retrospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of the endovascular treatment of wide-necked intracranial aneurysms assisted by a novel intra-/extra-aneurysm stent-like implant (pCONus). Methods Initial and follow-up angiographic and clinical results are presented of 25 patients with 25 unruptured and ruptured wide-necked intracranial aneurysms treated by reconstruction of the aneurysm neck using the pCONus implant followed by coil occlusion of the fundus. Results Successful intra-/extra-aneurysm deployment of the pCONus with coil occlusion of the fundus was achieved in all but one case. Procedure-related ischemic complications were observed in three cases with permanent deterioration in one. Acceptable aneurysm occlusion was achieved in all cases. Follow-up angiography revealed sufficient occlusion in 81.0% of the aneurysms. Intimal hyperplasia in the stented segment of the parent artery or device migration has not been observed to date. Conclusions The pCONus device offers a promising treatment option for complex wide-necked bifurcation intracranial aneurysms. Acute or delayed dislocations of coils into the parent artery are successfully avoided.
Hospital information systems planning (HISP) involves large expenditures. Often the evaluation of its performance is unstructured, giving no direction for future strategic choices for information systems (IS) development. This article formulates the challenge facing senior management when it must define priorities for the next IS planning cycle. New IS applications are selected to enhance the IS portfolio profile and the users' functionality, taking account of the past and anticipated response to resources invested. A methodology, new tools, and analyses for conducting the diagnosis of the last planning cycle are described.
Bile acid sequestrants have been shown to lower glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes. To investigate how colesevelam (CL) HCl improves hyperglycemia, studies were conducted in diet-induced obesity (F-DIO) rats, which develop insulin resistance when fed a high-energy (high fat/high sucrose) diet (HE). The rats were fed HE; HE + 2% CL; HE + 0.02% SC-435 (SC), an apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter inhibitor; and regular chow (controls). After 4 wk of treatment, both in the HE group and the SC + HE group, plasma glucose and insulin levels remained elevated compared with baseline values throughout an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). In contrast, in the CL + HE group, plasma glucose levels returned to baseline by the end of the test, and insulin peaked in 15-30 min and then returned to baseline. CL induced release of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) because the area under the curve of plasma total GLP-1 in the CL + HE group was significantly greater than in the HE group during the OGTT. Bile acid concentrations in the portal blood did not decrease in the HE group but declined significantly both in the CL + HE and SC + HE groups with reduced farnesoid X receptor activation compared with controls. We concluded that CL reduces plasma glucose levels by improving insulin resistance in this rat model. It is unlikely that the improvement is attributable to decreased bile acid flux to the liver but is likely secondary to induced GLP-1 secretion, which improves insulin release.
A 69-year-old man with sensorineural hearing loss and iritis was diagnosed with atypical Cogan’s syndrome. He had several systematic manifestations: aortitis, meningitis, panniculitis and seronegative arthritis. Remission induced by treatment with high doses of prednisolone was followed by relapse within 1 year. Although his condition was resistant to various immunosuppressive drugs, including methotrexate, cyclosporine, azathioprine and adalimumab, his symptoms, inflammatory response and quality of life measures were successfully improved by tocilizumab, a humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody.
anesthetic with BIS monitoring of anesthetic depth with spontaneous breathing. This was achieved by not administering vecuronium after the initial bolus used during intubation. This technique facilitated neurological assessment during MER and assessment of clinical signs of hemolysis like dyspnea. Our management goal was to eliminate risk factors and provide supportive treatment as required, specifically; we avoided the drugs mentioned above and avoided hypothermia, metabolic stress, and infection. We monitored the patient for any evidence of hemolysis, like decreased hemoglobin and elevated reticulocytes, lactate dehydrogenase, and unconjugated bilirubin. Multichannel MER facilitates precise electrode placement by identifying the target and its borders during DBS. Anesthesia reduces spontaneous neuronal activity, including MER and hence is avoided or used in low concentrations. However, in this pediatric dystonic patient, adequate titration of propofol using BIS facilitated MER recordings and also avoided discomfort and movement. Although dexmedetomidine would have been an effective alternative, its safety in G6PD-deficient patient is unknown. Although in 1 study, propofol decreased subthalamic neuronal activity and interfered with MER at high dose (50mg/kg/min),4 another study did not observe negative effect of propofol on MER when BIS was maintained at 60.5 To conclude, this report demonstrates that BIS-guided propofol infusion is suitable and safe for both MER during DBS and in children with G6PD deficiency.
FPGA is becoming the most popular technology for developing new wireless systems. It makes design flow easier to realize even in a small company or academic institution with limited resources (human and/or budget). But when system is ready to enter production stage some drawbacks may stop its further progress. A short description of the wireless transceiver project for mobile vehicles is presented. Drawbacks are highlighted. The most critical of them, that reduces market attractiveness, is cost. To reduce cost a decision has been made to replace expensive Virtex4 by cheaper Spartan3 FPGA. This required making some changes in architecture. But the most part of previously created software and firmware were reused in new design.
Supplier relationship management is one of the key functions of supply chain management and strategically important for many competitive organizations. The critical function of the supplier relationship is to identify the organizational strategic need and to develop the suppliers in line with that. However, most supplier development programs fail in discrete manufacturing industries due to associated problems in both the buying and selling organizations. This research explores the importance of supplier development along with attributes responsible for failure of supplier development programs in discrete manufacturing industries. This study also provides theoretical frameworks for supplier development and barriers to supplier development in the discrete manufacturing segment.
Abstract:When Edmund Spenser used the name 'Rosalind' in The Shepheardes Calender (1579), he deliberately established a literary puzzle, one that was solved the following year with the publication of his correspondence with Gabriel Harvey. The name 'Rosalind', deliberately reused in Colin Clouts Come Home Againe (1595), is one with which he played games with his readers, teasing them about details of his life and its relationship to his work. Subsequent writers, notably Thomas Lodge, looked back to Spenser when they used the name. Spenser also influenced Romeo and Juliet, where Shakespeare's use of 'Rosaline' indicates rivalry with poets as well as dramatists.
Background: Meta-worry is considered a central component of the Metacognitive Model of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Although initial research provides support for the applicability of this model to adolescent samples, the construct of meta-worry has yet to be examined in adolescents. Aims: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Meta-Worry Questionnaire (MWQ), a measure designed to assess negative beliefs about worry, in an adolescent sample, and to examine the degree to which meta-worry is associated with pathological worry in adolescents. Method: A non-referred sample of 175 adolescents completed a modified version of the MWQ along with the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire-Children (MCQ-C) and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children (PSWQ-C). Results: The MWQ was found to exhibit strong psychometric properties. Most noteworthy, the MWQ was found to be a particularly robust predictor of scores on the PSWQ-C, and incremental validity was also demonstrated. Conclusions: Overall, the current findings provide support for the reliability and validity of the MWQ in adolescents and support for meta-worry as a predictor of worry symptoms in adolescents.
A research project undertaken during the period of 1960–1969 by the ‘‘Bussei Group’’ of Japan Synthetic Rubber Co. was reviewed, and the prologue and the epilogue for this long term project was presented. The overall framework was first shown as the target system of the project which aimed in correlating the quality of rubber products with the molecular characteristics of raw rubbers. Eight principal research areas were then identified to develop the subsystems which constitute the total system. For each of the research areas, a general way of approach to the rheological problems was shown and then some typical examples of the results thus obtained were illustrated. Finally, in the prologue, a review of the historical background of this research project was given, and in the epilogue, the reason by which this project had to come to an end was examined from a managerial point of view.
Abstract In our detailed study of chemical abundances in the Galactic bulge (see Zoccali et al. 2008 for a description of the entire project) we have measured Li abundances by fitting synthetic spectra to the 7Li (6707.18Å) line for ~400 giants in Baade's Window and a field at b=−6 (Gonzalez et al. 2009). We have found 13 stars showing strong 7Li lines in complete contrast to the rest of the sample for which only upper limits could be obtained. Our sample is at least 1.2 mag brighter than the expected RGB bump, therefore we interpreted our results as evidence for stars that might have avoided the observed extra-mixing process or undergoing a Li enrichment process not necessarily linked to the RGB bump.
Diaporthe species produce versatile secondary metabolites (SMs), including terpenoids, fatty acids, polyketides, steroids, and alkaloids. These structurally diverse SMs exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including cytotoxic, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and phytotoxic activities, which could be exploited in the medical, agricultural, and other modern industries. This review comprehensively covers the production and biological potencies of isolated natural products from the genus Diaporthe associated with terrestrial and marine origins. A total of 275 SMs have been summarized from terrestrial (153; 55%) and marine (110; 41%) origins during the last twelve years, and 12 (4%) compounds are common to both environments. All secondary metabolites are categorized predominantly on the basis of their bioactivities (cytotoxic, antibacterial, antifungal, and miscellaneous activity). Overall, 134 bioactive compounds were isolated from terrestrial (92; 55%) and marine (42; 34%) origins, but about half the compounds did not report any kind of activity. The antiSMASH results suggested that Diaporthe strains are capable of encoding a wide range of SMs and have tremendous biosynthetic potential for new SMs. This study will be useful for future research on drug discovery from terrestrial and marine natural products.
Although age-related impairment of diastolic function is well documented, patterns of regional tissue relaxation impairment with age have not been characterized. MRI tissue tagging with a regional three-dimensional (3-D) analysis was performed in 15 younger (age 19-26 yr) and 16 older (age 60-74 yr) normal, healthy volunteers. The peak rate of relaxation of circumferential strain (RC) was decreased in the older group (on average, 105 +/- 28 vs. 163 +/- 18 %/s for older vs. younger, mean +/- SD, P < 0.001) to a greater extent in the lateral wall than in the septum (P = 0.016) and to a greater extent in the apex than in the base (P < 0.001). Peak rate of relaxation of longitudinal strain (RL) was also reduced with age (94 +/- 27 vs. 155 +/- 18 %/s, P < 0.001) to a greater extent in the apex than in the base (P < 0.001). Both RC and RL were greater in the apex than in the base only in the younger subjects (P < 0.001 for each). Peak rate of torsion reversal (RT) was reduced with age (74 +/- 16 vs. 91 +/- 15 degrees/s, P = 0.006) to a greater extent in the base than in the apex (P = 0.035). An increase in regional asynchrony in time to RC and time to RL (P < 0.001 for each), but not time to RT, occurred with age. Thus patterns of regional nonuniformity of myocardial relaxation are altered in a consistent fashion with aging.
This paper present a segmentation of vertebral bodies from spinal MR images based on neighborhood informa- tion Gauss weighted and local contraction. First use a cut-off window (5�5) around each pixel and stack the gray values inside the window into a vector, adopt the Gaussian kernel function to incorporate local spatial information, an adaptive local scaling parameter is used to refine the segmentation rather than a fixed scaling parameter to avoid the manually tuned parameter. Finally, the built affinity is introduced into the segmentation process by using a graph-based method to achieve the complete target. Extensively experiments show that the present method can segment the vertebral bodies smoothly and clearly, and it has stronger anti-noise property and higher segmentation precision than the conventional methods. The robust and accurate result of segmentation should serve image registration and the analysis of spinal de- formities. It is a general method for segmenting object that can develop to segment other tissues and organs.
Degenerative and dystrophic diseases of the spine, pelvis and hip joints are considered as a single pathogenetically conditioned process with an interdependent condition. The significance of the problem is determined by the high incidence of spinal and hip dysplasia, the syndrome of mutual burdening, the diversity and polymorphism of clinical manifestations, the growth of disability, the difficulties of diagnosis and treatment. Questions remain about the root cause of the occurrence of combined lesions, their mutual influence. The aim of the work was to identify the most common, diagnostic, pathognomonic signs of dysplastic syndrome. The patients were examined according to a single diagnostic algorithm, including clinical and neurological examination, plain radiograph of the pelvis; spondylography, MSCT, MRI of the lumbar and lumbosacral spine; study of the locomotion act of walking, anthropometric measurements; statistical methods. We analyzed the results of treatment of 39 patients (26 women and 13 men; mean age – 53 years) with dysplastic syndrome including degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine, pelvis and hip joints. The most common diagnostic signs of combined degenerative-dystrophic diseases of the spine and pelvis have been established, among which pain syndrome, noted in varying degrees in all patients. The established diagnostic indices, supplementing existing knowledge of the problem studied, will allow to specify diagnostics and optimize the treatment of combined degenerative-dystrophic diseases of dysplastic genesis.
Neural networks have been frequently used in various areas. In the implementation of the networks, time delays and uncertainty are present and known to lead to complex behaviors, which are hard to predict using classical analysis methods. In this study, stability and robust stability of neural networks considering time delays and parametric uncertainty is studied. For stability analysis, the rightmost eigenvalues (or dominant characteristic roots) are obtained by using an approach based on the Lambert W function. The Lambert W function has already been embedded in various commercial software packages (e.g., MATLAB, Maple and Mathematica). In a way similar to non-delayed systems, stability is determined from the positions of the characteristic roots in the complex plane. Conditions for oscillation and robust stability are also given. Numerical examples are provided and the results are compared to existing approaches (e.g., bifurcation method) and discussed.
patients, and long-range societal expectations for science and technology. His discussion of these specific areas is far too technical to summarize. However, his analysis is consistently thorough, his research impressive, and he sends the reader away with an almost mindboggling array of questions to ponder. Particularly helpful is his chapter on human-rights concerns in the care of the mentally ill; with skill and sensitivity, he bends the usual boundaries of medical ethics to embrace a class of patients whose unique needs and vulnerabilities are seldom addressed. The international perspective of this work alone makes it necessary reading for specialists and advanced students of bioethics and healthcare policy. Moreover, B.'s fusion of medical ethics and human-rights methodologies is a welcome enrichment of both. But those who work their way through his difficult book will be frustrated at many points. To begin with, B.'s "culturally sensitive" and relational concept of human rights allows for the inclusion of so many variables that it finally becomes difficult to see what would be the enforcement value of acknowledging such rights. In his chapter on reproductive technologies, e.g., he admits that "the impact of these proclaimed rights [to space births, limit family size, and enhance fertility] has been limited by gross national disparities in educational level and resources, as well as in prevailing values and beliefs" (63). But because he does not offer comment on these realities nor attempt to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable cultural and economic differences, B. ends up with a somewhat vacuous notion of rights, one which may not be any more satisfying or useful than the objective or abstract accounts he rejects. Further, he tends to collapse ethical and human-rights concerns. Many readers, even those sympathetic to human-rights language, may nonetheless think it necessary to bring other moral languages to bear in the health-care context (e.g. that of professional virtue). Finally, it is not always obvious when B. is reporting the state of a conversation and when he is offering his own analysis. A concluding chapter would have been very helpful. Such weaknesses aside, this is a formidable contribution, worthy of careful attention.
A protein factor which stimulated [3H]thymidine uptake into free hepatocytes prepared from normal mouse liver was detected in the ascitic fluid of gynecological cancer patients. The factor was subsequently further purified from the ascitic fluid of an endometrial cancer patient by DEAE‐Sephacel, Sephadex G‐150 and Phenyl‐Sepharose CL‐4B column chromatographies, and sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE) showed a single protein band of 54,000 Da, designated tentatively as 54K ascitic protein (54K‐AP). 54K‐AP was similar to human Qt‐antitrypsin (α1‐AT) in terms of SDS‐PAGE and immunological behavior, but was slightly different in terms of amino acid sequence and isoelectric point. Although 54K‐AP inhibited the activities of bovine trypsin and a‐chymotrypsin as did human α1‐AT, 54K‐AP inhibited the plasminogen activator released from human endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells more efficiently than α1‐AT. Because, in contrast to normal serum, the serum from the endometrial cancer patients stimulated [3H]thymidine uptake into hepatocytes, the possibility arises that 54K‐AP could he produced hy the cancer host as a defence mechanism against the cancer.
The literature on family SMEs usually shows a negative influence of succession on performance. Based on a behavioural approach, we identify several advantages of intrafamily succession that enhance value creation. In order to confirm the positive impact of intrafamily succession on performance, a matched pair research design is used to compare the effect of succession between 102 family and nonfamily SMEs. Our results indicate that intrafamily succession contributes to value creation in family SMEs. Moreover, intrafamily succession leads to higher levels of performance in comparison with nonfamily SMEs experiencing succession and ownership transfer. Copyright © 2014 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.    Resume    Les travaux sur les PME familiales montrent generalement que la succession exerce une influence negative sur la performance de celles-ci. Dans cette etude, les effets benefiques de la succession intrafamiliale sur le processus de creation de valeur sont examines a partir d'une approche comportementaliste. Pour mettre en evidence l'impact positif de la succession intrafamiliale, l'appairage statistique est utilise pour comparer l'effet de la succession entre 102 PME familiales et non familiales. Les resultats montrent que la succession intrafamiliale contribue a la creation de la valeur dans les PME familiales. Par ailleurs, comparees aux PME non familiales confrontees a la succession et au transfert de propriete, les PME marquees par la succession intrafamiliale connaissent des niveaux de performance plus eleves. Copyright © 2014 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The light emission properties of the complex formed from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTMA) surfactant doped with different concentrations of Rhodamine 610 (Rh610) dye and dissolved in butanol are investigated and discussed. The results are compared to those obtained when only the Rh610 dye is dissolved in butanol, at the same concentrations. The light emission is excited in the investigated samples by the nanosecond pulses of a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, at a wavelength of 532 nm. We have demonstrated the lasing effect in the investigated complex and we have studied its efficiency and coherence properties. The lasing properties of the Rh610 dye are favourably influenced by the presence of the DNA-CTMA complex in the investigated compound. It leads to an increase in the lasing efficiency and in the slope efficiency. Also the temporal coherence of the emitted light is larger and the emission can be tuned to shorter wavelengths.
Two root water uptake terms, representative of the two major types commonly employed in soil-based models of water and solute movement, were evaluated. Simulations were run to test the sensitivity of the two terms to salinity and water content and to investigate the details of their respective form and function. The two root water uptake terms tested were: (i) a mechanistic equation based on Darcy's law (Type I), and (ii) an empirical equation relating soil water potential to relative water uptake (Type II). The Type I term was insensitive to salinity where no reduction in transpiration was shown for increasing irrigation water salinity from 0.0 to 6.0 dS/m and applying water equal to potential transpiration. The Type II term was sensitive to salinity and showed a 35% reduction in water uptake by increasing water salinity from 0.0 to 6.0 dS m⁻¹ and applying water equal to potential transpiration. Predicted reduction in water uptake due to matric potential was of the same magnitude as that due to salinity. The Type I term resulted in abrupt shifts in water uptake between full and zero transpiration, occasionally resulting in long periods of computed zero transpiration, uncharacteristic of conditions in the field. It was concluded that the Type I water uptake term may not be appropriate for models incorporating root water uptake, particularly under saline conditions. Contribution of the Univ. of California, Riverside. Sponsored by the Univ. of California's Salinity/Drainage Task Force.
Effects of postharvest hot water treatment (HWT) on the 'Eksotika' papaya fruit quality during ripening were investigated. HWT is a method for fruit fly disinfestation which is a quarantine requirement for the papaya exportation industries. Fruit were harvested at maturity stage Index 2 (green with a tinge of yellow). One group was treated with hot water at 47±1°C for 10 min and another group was untreated. Fruit were left to ripen at ambient temperature (25°C) and were taken into experiment at Index 2 (Harvest Index), Index 4 and Index 5. Physiological changes including peel colour, weight loss, fruit firmness, total soluble solids (TSS) and pH were determined at the three different ripening indices. Biochemical changes including total sugars and total reducing sugars were also investigated. From the results, both treated and untreated fruit showed normal ripening. There were also no significant differences in weight loss, TSS and pH value between the untreated and treated fruit at the three ripening indices. However, the peel colour changes in untreated fruit were delayed by approximately 1-2 days. At Index 5, the treated fruit was firmer than the untreated fruit. The total sugars and total reducing sugars contents showed no significant difference between the two groups at the three different ripening indices. The reducing sugar content was increased and attained highest value at Index 4. Conversely, the non reducing sugar content was decreased during ripening. Although HWT hastened degreening (of peel), cause slightly firmer fruit when ripe, fruit sweetness was remained unchanged and maintained at a good quality. This suggests that postharvest hot water treatment at the selected temperature can maintain postharvest quality of 'Eksotika' papaya fruit and at the same time prevent it from insect infestation.
In this talk we discuss the next-to-leading-order electroweak (EW) corrections to W-boson + jet hadroproduction [1] and compare the full result to a simple approximation assuming factorization of EW and QCD corrections for the charged-current Drell-Yan process. The W-boson resonance is treated consistently using the complex-mass scheme, and all off-shell effects are taken into account. The corresponding next-to-leading-order QCD corrections have also been recalculated. All the results are implemented in a flexible Monte Carlo code. Selected numerical results for this Standard Model benchmark process are presented for the LHC. The comparison of our result to an approximation based on the EW corrections to W-boson production without additional jets is a step towards a better understanding of the interplay between QCD and EW effects for W-boson production in general.
This paper describes the introduction of three-dimension (3-D) blade designs into a 5-stage axial compressor with multi-stage computational fluid dynamic (CFD) methods. Prior to a redesign, a validation study is conducted for the overall performance and flow details based on full-scale test data, proving that the multi-stage CFD applied is a relatively reliable tool for the analysis of the follow-up redesign. Furthermore, at the near stall point, the aerodynamic analysis demonstrates that significant separation exists in the last stator, leading to the aerodynamic redesign, which is the focus of the last stator. Multi-stage CFD methods are applied throughout the three-dimensional redesign process for the last stator to explore their aerodynamic improvement potential. An unconventional asymmetric bow configuration incorporated with leading edge re-camber and re-solidity is employed to reduce the high loss region dominated by the mainstream. The final redesigned version produces a 13% increase in the stall margin while maintaining the efficiency at the design point.
1Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazil 2International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics Network (ICRANet), Pescara, Italy 3Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico (UNAM), México City, México 4Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), J.W. von Goethe University (JWGU), Hessen, Germany 5Unversidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Brazil 6Laboratório de Geociências Espaciais e Astrofísica (LaGEA), Universidade Federal do PAMPA (UNIPAMPA), Caçapava do Sul, Brazil
Introduction: Central venous occlusion (CVO), which is caused by central venous catheters in haemodialysis patients , remains a challenge in vascular surgery. Case presentation: The authors report data evaluating bypass graft patency and complications of two patients with CVO who have benefited from a subclavian artery to right atrium bypass using polytetrafuloroetylene. The first patient , underwent three times an angioplasty of the atrio prothetic anastomosis , finally the graft failed at 12 month. The second one, presented a steal syndrome with ischaemia of the right upper limb immediately postoperatively. Three months after the procedure , she underwent an angiographic control that showed a stenosis of the protheto atrial junction. Clinical discussion: Central venous occlusion in patients with end-stage kidney disease is most often due to central venous catheters. Although the endovascular therapy is the first-line approach to the treatment of CVO, the surgical bypass to the right atrium is often the last resort to preserve adequate vascular access in haemodialysis patients, with CVO. The autologous vein and bovine arterial bypass remains better than polytetrafuloroetylene grafts in terms of long-term patency. Only few cases have been reported un the literature , besides no long-term outcome data has been previously reported. Conclusion: Long-term secondary patency of bypass to the right atrium can be achieved, but requires strict follow-up, and multiple endovascular procedures to maintain the bypass access.
Bronchogenic cysts(BC)is a congenital malformation of the lung which is common in children and adolescents.Because the disease is rare and not characteristic in symptom, sign and imaging, it can be easily misdiagnosed.It is still difficult to improve the rate of correct and early diagnosis.This article reviewes the research progress of the occurrence, symptom and management of BC.      Key words:  Bronchogenic cysts; Symptom; Imaging; Treatment
The aim of the present work is to validate a full vectorial electromagnetic inverse scattering algorithm against experimental data. Data were provided courtesy of Institut Fresnel, Marseille, France. These data were carried out in an anechoic chamber and correspond to different canonical targets as well as one mysterious object which is known only by experimentalists who measured the associated scattered field. The inverse algorithm was first developed in the optical domain and is adapted herein to the microwave domain. It is an iterative approach where the parameter of interest, namely the relative permittivity distribution, is updated gradually by minimizing a cost function describing the discrepancy between data and those that would be obtained via a forward solver for the best available estimate of the relative permittivity. The forward solver is based on the coupled dipole method which was introduced in the seventies to study the scattering of light by non-spherical dielectric grains. The forward and inverse schemes are briefly described and various examples are presented that demonstrate the efficiency of the inverse algorithm.
In many strongly correlated electron metals the thermoelectric power has a nonmonotonic temperature dependence and values that are orders of magnitude larger than for elemental metals. Inspired by Kelvin, Peterson and Shastry derived a particularly simple expression for the thermopower in terms of the temperature dependence of the chemical potential, now known as the Kelvin formula. We consider a Hubbard model on an anisotropic triangular lattice at half filling, a minimal effective Hamiltonian for several classes of organic charge transfer salts. The finite temperature Lanczos method is used to calculate the temperature dependence of the thermopower using the Kelvin formula. We find that electronic correlations significantly enhance the magnitude of the thermopower and lead to a nonmonotonic temperature dependence. The latter reflects a crossover with increasing temperature from a Fermi liquid to a bad metal. Although, the Kelvin formula gives a semiquantitative description of some experimental results it cannot describe the directional dependence of the sign of the thermopower in some materials.
Despite the enormous efforts made to develop other fusion inhibitors for HIV, the enfuvirtide (known as T20) peptide is the only approved HIV-1 inhibitory drug so far. Investigating the role of potential residues of the T20 peptide’s conformational dynamics could help us to understand the role of potential residues of the T20 peptide. We investigated T20 peptide conformation and binding interactions with the HIV-1 receptor (i.e., gp41) using MD simulations and docking techniques, respectively. Although the mutation of E143 into alanine decreased the flexibility of the E143A mutant, the conformational compactness of the mutant was increased. This suggests a potential role of E143 in the T20 peptide’s conformation. Interestingly, the free energy landscape showed a significant change in the wild-type T20 minimum, as the E143A mutant produced two observed minima. Finally, the docking results of T20 to the gp41 receptor showed a different binding interaction in comparison to the E143A mutant. This suggests that E143 residue can influence the binding interaction with the gp41 receptor. Overall, the E143 residue showed a significant role in conformation and binding to the HIV-1 receptor. These findings can be helpful in optimizing and developing HIV-1 inhibitor peptides.
We present activities of the group, Spanish Women in Physics, during the past three years. We describe measures adopted by the Spanish government to attain gender equality and discuss the status of women in the scientific field. Finally, we present statistical data updated from the last IUPAP Women in Physics Conference in 2005. The percentage of women at various staff levels at universities and at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) remains constant (approximately 32%). At CSIC, however, an increase in the number of available posts has led to an increase in the number of women in top positions. The most remarkable finding from Spanish universities is that 50% of women were hired at the new professorial category of “PhD contract.”
The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and the discrete empirical interpolation method (DEIM) are applied to coupled Burgers equations to develop its reduced-order model (ROM) by the Galerkin projection. A calibrated POD ROM is developed in the current study through adding and multiplying a set of time-dependent random parameters to recover the loss of accuracy due to the truncation of the POD modes. Calibrating the ROM becomes essentially a high-dimensional statistical inverse inference problem. To reduce the computational effort, the polynomial chaos based ensemble Kalman filter (PC-EnKF) is adopted in this work. By using a sparse optimization algorithm, a sparse PC expansion is obtained to facilitate further calculation of statistical moments used in ensemble Kalman filter. We apply the well-defined calibrated POD ROM for the coupled Burgers equations with the Reynolds number Re = 10 000. The numerical results show that the PC-EnKF method is efficient in reducing the uncertainty included in the initial guess of input parameters and feasible in correcting the behavior of the POD ROM. The study suggests that the PC-EnKF is quite general as a calibration tool for calibrating the POD ROM.
The analysis of evaluation items is performed to determine the quality of the final evaluation instrument for pre-service training participants. This research is conducted using the Anates version 4.00 application with quantitative approaches and descriptive methods. The subjects of the study are CPNS K1/K2 Group III pre-service training participants of DKI Province, class 131-132 in 2018 as many as 60 people with 50 items of multiple choice evaluation items. The results of the analysis show that out of 50 items, there are 26 valid questions based on the correlation coefficient of 0.354 at the 1% significance level, and the correlation coefficient of 0.273 at the 5% significance level. Based on the results of the overall recap, 26 questions (52%) can be used. Those consist of questions 18 items (36%) that can be directly used and 8 items (16%) questions that can be used but must be corrected, while those that cannot be used or dropped are 24 items (48%).
Ferric vanadate (FeVO4) nanoparticles as visible-light photocatalysts were successfully prepared by microwave irradiation method. The structure and morphology of FeVO4 nanoparticles were charactered by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Absorption ranges, which are responsible for the observed photocatalyst behavior, were investigated. Photocatalytic activities of the synthesized samples were examined by studying the degradation of the model dyes Methylene Blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation (400 nm). Various influence factors such as heat treatment temperature of FeVO4, and solution pH values as well as the amount of hydrogen peroxide and FeVO4 catalyst on the photocatalytic degradation of MB were discussed. Results clearly show the degradation ratio can reach 99% under the optimal reaction conditions in dye wastewater treatment in a short photocatalytic reaction time.
Abstract An expression for calculating the change in the rejection of a given ion under nanofiltration conditions when adding other salts to the bulk solution has been derived using the extended Nernst-Planck equations. This expression gives a simple means for calculating in which direction the change of the rejection will go from knowledge of the equivalent conductance and the concentration changes of the ions added to the bulk solution. Using the multisalt system NaNO3-Na2SO4-HCl as an example, the nitrate rejection plane was calculated from the derived model. The experimental nitrate rejection data fit very nicely into this plane, showing increasing negative rejections by increasing the Na2SO4 concentration which can be reversed by the addition of HCl to the bulk solution. ∗Present address: BIOSOFT, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Simple Summary The nuclear receptor Liver Receptor Homolog-1 (LRH-1) is widely involved in the complex and balanced biology of the intestine, thus guaranteeing the several functions played by this organ. Alterations of LRH-1 pathways are involved in tumor formation. This review covers the main aspects related to LRH-1 contribution in both physiological and pathological aspects of the intestine. Abstract The process of self-renewal in normal intestinal epithelium is characterized by a fine balance between proliferation, differentiation, migration, and cell death. When even one of these aspects escapes the normal control, cellular proliferation and differentiation are impaired, with consequent onset of tumorigenesis. In humans, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the main pathological manifestation of this derangement. Nowadays, CRC is the world’s fourth most deadly cancer with a limited survival after treatment. Several conditions can predispose to CRC development, including dietary habits and pre-existing inflammatory bowel diseases. Given their extraordinary ability to interact with DNA, it is widely known that nuclear receptors play a key role in the regulation of intestinal epithelium, orchestrating the expression of a series of genes involved in developmental and homeostatic pathways. In particular, the nuclear receptor Liver Receptor Homolog-1 (LRH-1), highly expressed in the stem cells localized in the crypts, promotes intestine cell proliferation and renewal in both direct and indirect DNA-binding manner. Furthermore, LRH-1 is extensively correlated with diverse intestinal inflammatory pathways. These evidence shed a light in the dynamic intestinal microenvironment in which increased regenerative epithelial cell turnover, mutagenic insults, and chronic DNA damages triggered by factors within an inflammatory cell-rich microenvironment act synergistically to favor cancer onset and progression.
With noted protagonists on either side, the debate about anti-American bias within the Australian national broadcaster was one of the more obvious examples in the so-called ‘culture wars’ of the Howard era. This article aims to transcend the claims and counter claims of this ongoing debate by analysing a case study that not only documents both sides of the argument but also provides evidence to judge the veracity of claims of anti-Americanism. The case study used is Minister Richard Alston's claims of anti-American bias by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in their coverage of the 2003 Iraq War. Examining Alston's allegations and the three subsequent inquiries they initiated offers an opportunity to distinguish between anti-Americanism and criticism.
Endothelin-1 (ET-1) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Raynaud's disease (RD). This study examined the effect of cooling on the response to ET-1 in human microvessels. Subcutaneous small arteries were dissected from gluteal fat biopsies taken from patients with RD (n = 20) and from age- and sex-matched control subjects (n = 17) and were cannulated in a small vessel arteriograph. Cumulative concentration-response curves to ET-1 (10(-12) to 3 x 10(-7) M) were obtained in vessels at 37 degrees C and 24 degrees C, with the endothelium either intact or removed (n = 6 per group). There were no significant differences in responses to ET-1 between RD patients and controls in either intact or denuded vessels, at either 37 degrees C or at 24 degrees C. There was, however, a significant endothelium-dependent interaction between the groups when the effect of temperature on the response to ET-1 was examined (p = 0.01; two-way ANOVA). Whereas cooling tended to reduce the sensitivity in RD, the opposite effect was observed in controls. Measurements of plasma ET-1 did not reveal any significant difference between patients with RD and healthy controls. These results suggest that ET-1 does not play a primary pathophysiologic role in RD. ET-1 might be responsible for mediating the prolonged vasospasm in RD, but secondary to another factor(s), such as impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation.
Revenge was an all important part of the ancient Athenian mentality, intruding on all forms of life - even where we might not expect to find it today. Revenge was of prime importance as a means of survival for the people of early Greece and remained in force during the rise of the 'poleis'. The revenge of epic heroes such as Odysseus and Menalaus influences later thinking about revenge and suggests that avengers prosper. Nevertheless, this does not mean that all forms of revenge were seen as equally acceptable in Athens. Differences in response are expected depending on the crime and the criminal. Through a close examination of the texts, Fiona McHardy here reveals a more complex picture of how the Athenian people viewed revenge.
Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have gained widespread attention in recent years because of their low production cost, ease fabrication and tunable optical properties, such as colour and transparency. Now-a-days natural dye was used to sensitize the electrode and the counter electrode was prepared by the help of carbon black. In this study we report molecularly engineered different dyes (henna, pomegranate and beet root) and nanoTiO2 in the DSSCs, which features the prototypical structure of a donor–π-bridge–acceptor and maximizes electrolyte compatibility with improved light-harvesting properties. BulkTiO2 of sizes 150 micron were converted to nanoTiO2 particles having sizes less than 20 nm using planetary ball mill. Our design consists of a lattice of modulated-diameter nanoTiO2 particles and interstitial regions filled with electrolyte. This provides not only light trapping and absorption enhancement, but offers improved electrical transport through the nanoTiO2 particles. It is observed that when frequency increases both capacitance and resistance decreases. At certain point capacitance it maintains a steady state and resistance is nearly equal to zero. This is due to the internal resistance and the steady state capacitance of the cell. It conforms that the fabricated dye sensitized solar cell works like a conventional cell. It is found that henna and pomegranate dyes shows better energy conversion efficiency than beet root dye.
We propose a Bayesian evidence framework to facilitate transfer learning from pre-trained deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Our framework is formulated on top of a least squares SVM (LS-SVM) classifier, which is simple and fast in both training and testing, and achieves competitive performance in practice. The regularization parameters in LS-SVM is estimated automatically without grid search and cross-validation by maximizing evidence, which is a useful measure to select the best performing CNN out of multiple candidates for transfer learning, the evidence is optimized efficiently by employing Aitken's delta-squared process, which accelerates convergence of fixed point update. The proposed Bayesian evidence framework also provides a good solution to identify the best ensemble of heterogeneous CNNs through a greedy algorithm. Our Bayesian evidence framework for transfer learning is tested on 12 visual recognition datasets and illustrates the state-of-the-art performance consistently in terms of prediction accuracy and modeling efficiency.
Finger braille is one of the communication methods for the deaf blind. The fingers of the deaf blind are regarded as keys of a brailler. Finger braille seems to be the medium most suited to real-time communication and for expressing the feelings of the speaker. We are trying to develop a finger braille receiver for teletext broadcasting system which will help the deaf blind to use current mass media. We assume that prosodic information is strongly needed to transform letters to finger braille. In this study, we analyzed the time structure of finger braille and found that it can be changed according to the structure and meaning of the sentences. Based on the results, we construct a prosody rule for time structure. The validity of the rule was confirmed in an output experiment.
Background: The prostate may become larger and begin to cause problems as male ages. Ultrasound is a commonly used imaging modality for the assessment of the prostate. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the normal measurements (volume and diameters) of the prostate gland in Khartoum state Sudan in normal Sudanese. Method: This descriptive study of the study was done in Sudan teaching hospital, from March – to October 2019. 60 patients were randomly selected, their age ranged from 20 to 60 years; patients with symptoms related to prostate pathologies were excluded. Transabdominal ultrasound scanning by3.5 MHz probes was performed. And the Maximum length, width, and depth of the prostate diameters were obtained as well as the prostate volumes. Results: The results of the study revealed that the prostate length, width and thickness Diameters mean values were (4.88) cm, (3.37) cm, and (4.55) cm respectively, the Mean prostate volume obtained from the above parameters was18.65 ml. The study also showed that there was an increase in the prostate volume in relation to an increase in the patient's age and weight. Transabdominal ultrasound is a respectful approach and should be used confident pathologies among Sudanese and for normal measurements.
Telecommunication Laboratories (TL, Taiwan) developed a new controlling algorithm to improve the short-term and mid-term stability of TL's time scaling system. The controlling algorithm is used for controlling a micro-phase stepper to constrict its output followed a reference paper clock, Taiwan's local atomic time scale - TA(TL). The original system used frequently p-control adjustment to keep the system almost synchronized with the reference paper clock. The new algorithm used a derivate control mode to set the long term frequency offset of the micro-phase-stepper, and used a proportional control mode to adjust the daily phase deflection. The new algorithm improve the short-term stability of the system from 1e-13 into 4.6e-14 when the average time = 600 seconds; and the long-term Allan deviation still constrained with paper clock, up to 2e-15 when the average time is more than 7 days
Poll respondents often attempt to present a positive image by overstating virtuous behaviors. We examine whether people account for this "socially desirable responding" (SDR) when drawing inferences from poll data. In an experiment, we incentivize "predictors" to guess others' choice behaviors for actions with varying social desirability. To aid their guesses, predictors observe random subsamples of either (i) actual choice behavior or (ii) hypothetical claims from unincentivized polls. Predictors show reasonable skepticism towards hypothetical claims, which exhibit predictable SDR. However, their skepticism is not appropriately tailored to the direction or magnitude of SDR. This under-correction for SDR occurs even though subjects can accurately predict which behaviors are most prone to SDR when explicitly asked.
We present a numerical study of nano-cavities used in solar cells for energy harvesting, by employing surface integral equations based on Maxwell's equations in the frequency domain and an efficient solver based on the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA). With the three-dimensional modeling of surfaces, we obtain accurate results to evaluate the performances of different structures for improved power absorption in solar cells. This paper includes a brief description of the developed solver and initial numerical examples on various solar cells involving inverted pyramids and spherical cavities.
In this paper, we propose a novel deep neural network based on learning subspaces and convolutional neural network with applications in image classification. Recently, multistage PCA based filter banks have been successfully adopted in convolutional neural networks architectures in many applications including texture classification, face recognition and scene understanding. These approaches have shown to be powerful, with a straightforward implementation that enables a fast prototyping of efficient image classification systems. However, these architectures employ filters based on PCA, which may not achieve high discriminative features in more complicated computer vision datasets. In order to cope with the aforementioned drawback, we propose a Hybrid Subspace Neural Network (HS-Net). The proposed architecture employs filters from both PCA and discriminative filters banks from more sophisticated subspace methods, therefore achieving more representative and discriminative information. In addition, the use of hybrid architecture enables the use of supervised and unsupervised samples, depending on the application, making the introduced architecture quite attractive in practical terms. Exsperimental results on three publicly available datasets demonstrate the effectiveness and the practicability of the proposed architecture.
The simulation method of the article is based on the analysis of injection molding software MPI and grey system simulation method. The basic model of injection molding parameters are mold temperature, melt temperature and dwell time. So it gets technological parameter of volumetric shrinkage ratio with having been selected point. It comes to the value of simulation with using grey system GM (1, 1) and comparing the value with the measure value. It shows that the volume shrinkage rate which is obtained by using MPI simulation and by using GM (1, 1) grey prediction is consistent and the errors are within 2.2% after comparison. The conclusion is that using grey system GM (1, 1) can effectively predict the volume of injection plastic shrinkage rate and its change trend.
BACKGROUND Few veterans with opioid use disorder receive effective treatment despite the Veterans Health Administration's efforts to expand treatment by offering buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD). An insufficient prescribing workforce contributes to the underutilization of buprenorphine; however, nurse practitioners (NPs) can now obtain a waiver to prescribe this medication. This quality improvement project aimed to expand the prescribing workforce by educating psychiatric mental health NPs (PMHNPs) working in an emergency setting at a Veterans Affairs Health Care System about free MOUD training and empowering them to utilize buprenorphine treatment.   METHODS Eleven PMHNPs were asked for their perception of prescribing buprenorphine. They were asked if they had an MOUD waiver and/or were aware of the free waiver training. The PMHNPs were educated on the importance and process of obtaining the DEA-X waiver, and then a post-intervention discussion was completed to determine if they completed the waiver training.   RESULTS At baseline, all 11 PMHNPs believed offering MOUD was important, but only three had the waiver to prescribe buprenorphine. After the education, three additional PMHNPs obtained the waiver and 10 planned to have the waiver in the next year. The department is planning to trial offering buprenorphine treatment, and PMHNPs at this facility are privileged to prescribe buprenorphine. In addition, five new PMHNP residents started or completed the training.   CONCLUSIONS This project shows the potential to increase veteran access to MOUD by emphasizing education and empowering PMHNPs to initiate treatment. Providing education regarding the importance of buprenorphine treatment in the emergency setting and delivering information about the free waiver training facilitated workforce preparedness.
Abstract In the years 2005-2013 in Wroclaw, there was commissioned to use hundreds of public buildings, including fifty revalued monuments These were: offices, museums, theatres, science and education facilities, as well as commercial buildings: banks, department stores, office buildings and hotels. The success of these projects was the merit of Wroclaw scientists who nurtured these outstanding works of architecture and convince the public to the fact that they stand for works which cannot be missed. The merit of architects and conservators was professionally prepared projects and effective supervision of investment, making the implementation of technical and program objectives not colliding with protection of historic material of the objects.
Ethylene dibromide was a practical fumigant against Nemocestes (Geoderces) incomptus (Horn), Sciopithes obscurus (Horn), Brachyrhinus sulcatus (F.) and B. ovatus (L.) in strawberries at Dosages as low as 1.6 gallons per acre applied to only the rows. A dosage of 8.6 gallons did not injure the plants. A mechanical applicator which applied any desired amount of insecticide uniformly without applied injury to the plants was devised. Nemagon, applied with a hand injector, was not successful in these tests, nor was Dipterex when used as a drench. Straw berry plants were killed by Vapam when applied as a drench.
Abstract An improved method for the purification of hepatic proliferation inhibitor from rat liver by means of anion-exchange HPLC has been developed. The inhibitor can be purified on an anion exchange HPLC column by using a linear sodium phosphate gradient. The HPLC method allows repeated use of one column and is both rapid and reproducible. The hepatic proliferation inhibitor isolated by this method retains all of its biological activity and is homogeneous as revealed by reverse-phase HPLC.
Abstract Chral-Nematic Dispersions and Encapsulations were investigated for different mixture concentrations of the nematic liquid crystal E7 and E48 and the cholesteric liquid crystals TM74A and TM75A in the Infrared and Visible regime. Liquid crystal (E7:TM74A) dispersions as stand alone systems and as polymer dispersed materials were found to be bistable in the near IR region.‡ Chiral-nematic dispersion of E48:TM74A displayed different bright colors in the 400-760 visible range and exhibited thermochromic properties at room temperature. The PVA encapsulated E48:TM74A mixture (60:40) also showed thermochromicity between 30°C to 43°C. A ternary system was formulated from TM74A:TM75A:E48. Mixtures with high cholesteric concentration exhibited thermochromicity whereas systems with low cholesteric concentration showed electro-optic properties. Gel dispersion was done on mixtures with low cholesteric concentration using a liquid crystal polymer cinnamate. The polymer network effected stabilization on the liq...
A cross-section study was carried out from November, 2015 to march, 2016 with the aim determining the prevalence of on ovine fasciolosis in and around choleworeda. Fecal sample were collected from a total of 384 sheep of all age and sex. Sedimentation technique was used for the recovery of fasciola egg from fresh fecal. Sample from these animal examination 195 were positive with an overall infection rate of 50.8% significant different (P<0.05), the highest infection rate was found in shaboshuli (63.1%) and the lowest (40.5%) in Ya’Igugu, through statically a significant different (P<0.05). There was no statically significant different (P>0.05) in infection rates between male and female animal. Infection rate in age group were significant difference (P<0.05). In general, the study indicates that ovine fasciolosis is widely distributed disease with high prevalence rate in the study area and trategic use of helminthic should be to reduce pasture contamination with fluke’s eggs. Keyword: Coproscopy, chole werada, fasciolosis, prevalence, sheep
The phenomenon of epidemic spreading in a population with a hierarchical structure of interpersonal interactions is described and investigated numerically. The SIR model with incubation time is used. In our model the localization of individuals in different social groups, the effectiveness of different interpersonal interactions and the mobility of a contemporary community are taken into account. The influence of different control methods on the spreading process is investigated as a function of different initial conditions. The cost-effectiveness of mass preventive random vaccinations, target vaccinations and sick leaves are compared. A critical range of vaccinations, sufficient for suppressing of an epidemic is calculated. The results of numerical calculations are similar to the solutions of the master equation for the spreading process.
Most previous research on physical activity using Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) has assessed the generic term exercise rather than the specific behaviors involved in physical activity. TPB variables for six common types of physical activity were obtained from 233 participants. Both affective and instrumental components of attitude were assessed. Except in the case of walking, multiple regression analyses revealed that intentions for each physical activity type were influenced by affective attitude and perceived behavioral control. Behavior, however, was predicted by intentions alone. In comparison with other types of activity, the TPB accounted for modest amounts of variance in both walking intentions and behavior, with attitudes making no contribution to walking intentions. Discussion focuses on the measurement of physical activity and the implications for health promotion of the poor modeling of walking.
There is increasing evidence that metabolic enzymes act as RNA binding proteins and regulate gene expression post‐transcriptionally. We have identified mevalonate kinase (MVK), an enzyme involved in cholesterol biosynthesis, as a trans‐factor for luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) mRNA. LHR is one of the crucial G protein‐coupled receptors that plays a key role in mammalian reproduction. MVK binds to the coding region of LHR mRNA and accelerates its degradation in vitro. Translation studies have shown that MVK inhibits translation of LHR mRNA. Endogenous association of LHR mRNA with MVK has also been detected by immunoprecipitation of the ribonucleoprotein complex with MVK antibody. Studies were then performed to examine the structural aspects of MVK required for LHR mRNA recognition. A concentration dependent decrease in LHR mRNA binding activity of MVK by its substrates, ATP and mevalonate, indirectly indicated the involvement of the active site for RNA binding. The role of the active site of MVK for LHR mRNA binding was tested using mutations of the amino acids required for catalysis. The results showed that mutations of Ser146, Glu193, Asp204 and Lys13 reduce LHR mRNA binding activity of MVK. To examine the biological effects of these mutants on LHR mRNA expression, rat LHR mRNA was translated in the presence of the MVK mutant proteins. The results showed that mutations of the active site residues abrogated the inhibitory effect on LHR mRNA translation. From these results we conclude that the intact active site of MVK is required for its binding to LHR mRNA and for its translational suppressor function. (Supported by NIH Grant R37 HD 06656)
The employment of Social Assistive Robots (SARs) for monitoring elderly users represents a valuable gateway for at-home assistance. Their deployment in the house of the users can provide effective opportunities for early detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a condition of increasing impact in our aging society, by means of digitalized cognitive tests. In this work, we present a system where a specific set of cognitive tests is selected, digitalized, and integrated with a robotic assistant, whose task is the guidance and supervision of the users during the completion of such tests. The system is then evaluated by means of an experimental study involving potential future users, in order to assess its acceptability and identify key directions for technical improvements.
Since the first regional lakewide fisheries frame survey on Lake Tanganyika in 1995, no fisheries census was conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo and therefore the results of the second lakewide frame survey in 2011 should be studied intensively as numerous changes took place in the region in general and along the Congolese coastline in particular. In the capital city, Kinshasa, at a distance of approximately 2000 km from the lake, Lake Tanganyika is known as the water body where the fish die of old age according to Gayo Lemba, Chairman of the Lake Tanganyika Authority Management Committee for Democratic Republic of Congo from a personal communication. The results of the 2011 frame survey indicate that fish were not allowed to reach an old age as the fishing capacity over time had more than doubled as compared to the situation in 1995. The fisheries resources were considered under high pressure by the end of the previous millennium and therefore a Framework Fisheries Management Plan was developed by Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to start managing the fisheries (both fish and fishermen) with a view to a regional lakewide approach involving the neighboring riparian countries. The present article describes the major findings of the frame survey along the littoral zone of Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011 in comparison with the results from the first lakewide regional frame survey in 1995. Not only fishermen increased in number, but also fishing canoes and women processors as well as traders. The approach taken by Democratic Republic of Congo, involving a new sort of co-management, contributes to peace, development and relative stability in this fragile region.
The raison d’etre of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of families, religious leaders, teachers, political leaders, mass media and peer groups in the shaping boys and girls into political beings using the case of the Wa Municipality of Ghana.  This was undertaken because the task of political socialization is very crucial for Ghana to consolidate its nascent democracy in the fast globalizing world.  To determine the effectiveness of these agents of socialization, the degree of “social trust” of boys and girls have for these agents were examined on the assumption that the higher the trust for an agent, the more effective that agent would be, and vice versa.  Self-administered questionnaires were utilized to generate the empirical data, which was analyzed using the chi-square and standardized residuals non-parametric statistical techniques.  Findings reveal generally high distrust for agents and statistically significant gender asymmetries in “social trust” for the agents of socialization.  There were also significant gender differences in levels of trust for the adolescent girls and boys who participated in the study. The boys showed more distrust (31%) than girls (29.3) while the girls showed more social trust (21%) than boys 18.7%). The differences were traced to differentiated socialization into gendered roles and their attendant responsibilities and expectations. The implication is that, due to distrust among the populace, the agents are ineffective in molding democratic personalities out of Ghanaian boys and girls.  This is more true for political leaders and the media of all the agents!  The Government is advised to primarily take political socialization seriously, encourage the agents to attract the necessary trust and be guided to understand, discharge their roles appropriately.  Finally, the content and method of civic and political education in Ghana must be periodically revisited to reflect core Ghanaian values even in this era of globalization.
Multi-stage induction coilguns is one of the electromagnetic launchers. There are many theoretical and experimental studies that focus on low-velocity, large mass, but fewer studies about high- velocity launch. It is necessary to study the problem of high- velocity launch. As high- velocity, large-mass will inevitably lead to launch systems of the multi-stage induction coilguns scale larger. Accurate analysis of multi-stage induction coilgun is usually necessary to establish full-size finite element model. Full-size finite element model is accurate and comprehensive, but the model is complex, poor general, computing time increases with the coil from the geometric progression in multiples of increase cannot solve the problem quickly. It is necessary to find a way to ensure both accuracy as well as rapid calculation. In this paper, presents a calculation method about multi-stage coilgun with a muzzle velocity, full-size model is decomposed into a number of smaller multi-stage coil gun model, by the calculation of small-scale coilguns fitted full-size multi-stage coilgun performance. The scale is larger and the value of the method is greater. Finally, as an example a 160-stage coilgun, stored energy of 31MJ, which can accelerate 5kg projectiles to 2040m/s muzzle velocity, Muzzle kinetic energy of 10MJ, efficiency of more than 30%, It shows that multi-stage induction coilgun can launch high-velocity. A more detailed study will be presented in this paper.
Optical freeform surfaces are complex surfaces with non-rotational symmetry that break through the limitations of conventional optical element, and are widely used in advanced optics application for system configuration simplifying and performance enhancing. Due to the geometrical complexity and optical particularity of optical freeform surfaces, there is, as yet, a lack of precision freeform surfaces testing. Computer generated hologram (CGH) null testing method are discussed in this paper to test the optical freeform surfaces such as off-axis aspheric surfaces. CGH design based on ray tracing and NURBS interpolation are included. Simuation in Zemax is given to verify the result of calculation. The alignment and fiducial sections are added to the CGH to lead the alignment of the freeform surface and CGH with sixdimensional adjustment. The CGH was designed and fabricated to test an off-axis aspheric with Fizeau configuration.
Global food security and economic growth now depends on a declining number of plant species. In human history, 40100,000 plant species have been regularly used for food, fibers, shelter, industrial, cultural and medicinal purposes (Magbagbeola et al., 2010). However, only a small number of plants are widely used. The remaining plant diversity is underutilized (Jaenicke et al., 2006). Agriculture in today‘s context is one of the most important sources of renewable wealth in the world. There are many plants species still lying unexplored and underexploited. Therefore, there has been focused attention by the researchers on exploiting alternative or underutilized plant species for multifarious use. Underutilized plants, in general, constitute those plant International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 03 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
ABSTRACT: The sediment in a commercial reconstituted ‘Evergreen’ blackberry (Rubus laciniatus L.) juice concentrate was found to be composed of ellagic acid, protein, and other unidentified compounds. The qualitative tannin and protein-tannin haze test indicated that the sediment was predominantly tannin or protein-tannin complexes. Nitrogen determination showed the sediment to be 6.69%± 2.21% protein on a dry-weight basis. Almost all of the extractable material was identified as ellagic acid by high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The ellagic acid content of the wet sediment was 0.05 g/100 g, whereas it was 7.41 g/100 g in freeze-dried sediment. Tannase enzyme did not significantly decrease the concentration of ellagitannins in Marion blackberry (Rubus spp. Hyb.) juice in this study.
This research aimed at determining the impact of entrepreneurial motivation on entrepreneurship intention. Method used in this research was quantitative analysis using path analysis with validity and reliability test. Sampling method used in this research is random sampling through the distribution of a series of questionnaires to 172 students at a private university as a case study. This research investigated perceived behavioral control and subjective norm as dimensions in an entrepreneurial motivation variable that affected immediate term entrepreneurship intention. The result showed that both factors have significant effect on immediate term entrepreneurship intention either partially or simultaneously. Entrepreneurial motivation of students could be a main factor that increased entrepreneurship intention. The finding of the research contributes to encourage students to start and own a business.
A new induction-heated fixed-point device was developed for calibration of temperature measure- ment devices typically used in laser heat treatment for the temperature range 1000-1500 C. To define the requirements for the calibration method, selected measurement setups were compared as well as process data and results of industrial processes were analyzed. Computer simulation with finite element method (FEM) and finite di erence method (FDM) was used to optimize the system components and processing parameters of the induction heating of fixed-point cells. The prototype of the fixed-point device was tested successfully, and the first measuring results are presented here. The new calibration method is expected to improve the quality and reproducibility of industrial heat treatment processes with temperature control.
During the first seven years of the research effort on high-temperature superconductors, the average publication rate has been approximately 5000 papers per year. As may be expected, this published literature has an abundance of seemingly conflicting results, and there are major concerns about the consistency and the comparability of the reported property values. This paper discusses an evaluation methodology that addresses those issues using a structured evaluation procedure. The procedure applies to each set of data and leads to the assignment of one of seven well-defined data evaluation levels. The general procedure and criteria are discussed first, and then special relations that may result in data of higher quality are discussed. The latter relations consider the roles of material structure, composition, energy levels, and materials property relations. The methodology is illustrated by an evaluation of data for YBa 2 Cu 3 O x for which there is an especially important dependence on composition and crystallographic structure.
In head-and-neck radiotherapy, an early detection of patients who will undergo parotid glands shrinkage during the treatment is of primary importance, since this condition has been found to be associated with acute toxicity. In this work, a recently proposed approach, here named Likelihood-Fuzzy Analysis, based on both statistical learning and Fuzzy Logic, is proposed to support the identification of early predictors of parotid shrinkage from Computed Tomography images acquired during radiotherapy. For this purpose, a set of textural image parameters was extracted and considered as candidate of parotid shrinkage prediction; for all these parameters and combinations of maximum three of them, a fuzzy rule base was extracted, gaining very good results in terms of accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. The performance of classification was also compared to a classical Fisher's Linear Discriminant Analysis and found to provide better results. Moreover, the use of Fuzzy Logic allowed obtaining an interpretable description of the relations between textural features and the shrinkage process.
Problem in research, namely the level of physical condition of the soccer players at the Porma Muaro Takung club. The purpose of this study is to determine and describe the physical condition of the Porma Muaro Takung club.The results obtained were (1) The dominant flexibility of the Porma Muaro Takung club players in Sijunjung Regency was in the medium category with an average of 14. (2) Coordination The dominant ankles owned by the Porma Muaro Takung club players, Sijunjung Regency belong to the medium category with an average 12. (3) The dominant leg muscle explosive power of the Porma Muaro Takung club player in Sijunjung Regency belongs to the medium category with an average of 152.33 cm. (4) The dominant agility of the Porma Muaro Takung club players, Sijunjung Regency, belongs to the one-time lag category with an average of 14.35 seconds. (5) The dominant speed possessed by the Porma Muaro Takung club player, Sijunjung Regency, is in the low category with an average of 4.68 seconds. (6) Dayatahn aerobics, which is dominant in the club Porma Muaro Takung, Sijunjung Regency, is in the moderate category with an average of 37.01 ml / kg.bb / min.
Background Propofol when administered by brief infusion in a lipid-free formulation has a slower onset, prolonged offset and greater potency compared with an emulsion formulation. To understand these findings the authors examined propofol brain and lung distribution kinetics in rats. Methods Rats were infused with equieffective doses of propofol in emulsion (n = 21) or lipid-free formulation (n = 21). Animals were sacrificed at various times to harvest brain and lung. Arterial blood was sampled repeatedly from each animal until sacrifice. Deconvolution and moment analysis were used to calculate the half-life for propofol brain turnover (BT) and brain:plasma partition coefficient (Kp). Lung concentration-time profiles were compared for the two formulations. Results Peak propofol plasma concentrations for the lipid-free formulation were 50% of that observed for emulsion formulation, whereas peak lung concentrations for lipid-free formulation were 300-fold higher than emulsion formulation. Brain Kp calculated from tissue disposition curve and ratio of brain:plasma area under the curves were 8.8 and 13, and 7.2 and 9.1 for emulsion and lipid-free formulations, respectively. BT were 2.4 and 2.5 min for emulsion and lipid-free formulations, respectively. Conclusions Significant pulmonary sequestration and slow release of propofol into arterial circulation when administered in lipid-free vehicle accounts for the lower peak arterial concentration and sluggish arterial kinetics relative to that observed with the emulsion formulation. Higher Kp for the lipid-free formulation could explain the higher potency associated with this formulation. BT were independent of formulation and correlated with values reported for effect-site equilibration half-time consistent with a distribution mechanism for pharmacologic hysteresis.
Despite the available literature on disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA), little is known about how gender affects disclosure. This article aims to quantitatively examine whether gender differences exist in formal (to legal or child protection authorities) and informal (to a family member or friend) disclosure of CSA and, if so, to assess whether this relation is associated with abuse characteristics and attitudes toward gender roles. The study also aimed to examine whether gender differences exist in reasons not to disclose CSA. Data of a sample of 586 participants, who reported to have experienced CSA committed by a single person, have been used for the analyses. There were no gender differences for formal disclosure, but the informal disclosure rate of CSA was 2.4 times higher for women than men, and this effect remained significant after controlling for abuse characteristics and attitudes, even though the gender difference decreased slightly. Furthermore, women and men reported different reasons for not disclosing CSA in their personal network. Women were more worried than men that family and friends would discover the abuse and reported more insecurity of what to do in this situation. Professionals in the field of CSA should consider a gender perspective when developing guidelines. Men have rarely been the subject of studies of disclosure after CSA. Professionals should focus more on general mental health outcomes of men that are not related with CSA directly, but where the effects of CSA may exert more indirectly through associations with other problems in life.
Abstract Lanthanide, Carbacylamidophosphate The coordination compounds of the general formula Ln(NO3)3(HL)2(H2O)2 H2O , where Ln = La, Ce -Nd, Sm -Dy, HL = CCl3C(O)NHP(O)[N(CH2CH2)2O]2, dimorpholido-N-tri-chloroacetylphosphorylamide, have been synthesized. The complexes were studied by IR, 1H and 31P NMR and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopies. X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that all synthesized compounds are isostructural. The crystal structure of Nd(NO3)3(HL)2(H2O)2 H2O was solved (monoclinic, a = 11.0467(3), b = 15.9080(5), c = 24.1921(7) Å, β = 96.4080(10)°, space group P21/n, V = 4224.7(2) Å3, Z = 4, R = 0.049, wR = 0.0915). The complex has a molecular structure. The monodentate neutral phosphorictriamide ligands are coordinated to the metal atom via the phosphoryl oxygen atom. The coordination polyhedron of Nd is a sphenocorona; C.N. = 10(60[NO3-], 20[HL], 20[H2O]). It was shown that these compounds in methanol solution are 1:1 electrolytes, and in acetone solution weak electrolytes. According to NMR data in acetone solution the complexes of the lanthanides with the ligand {HL} have axial symmetry.
We consider mechanism design in which message sets are restricted owing to communication costs, preventing full revelation of information. A principal contracts with multiple agents each supplying a one-dimensional good at a privately known cost. We characterize optimal mechanisms subject to incentive and communication constraints, without imposing arbitrary restrictions on the number of communication rounds. We show that mechanisms that centralize production decisions are strictly dominated by those that decentralize decision-making authority to agents, and optimal communication mechanisms maximize information exchanged directly among agents. Conditions are provided for these to involve gradual release of information over multiple rounds either simultaneously or sequentially.
We reported a detailed investigation of a low-power diode-pumped Nd:BaY/sub 2/F/sub 8/. Here we summarize the results of a nearly 10-fold power-scaled Nd:BaY/sub 2/F/sub 8/ pumped by a 12-W fiber-coupled diode array. In conclusions, Nd:BaY/sub 2/F/sub 8/ seems a promising material for high-power diode-pumped lasers, specially for applications requiring thermally-insensitive resonator performances, such as cw intracavity doubling, where thermal diffractive losses must be also carefully controlled.
BACKGROUND Tracheostomy management is considered an area of advanced practice for speech-language therapists (SLTs) internationally. Infrequent exposure and limited access to specialist SLTs are barriers to competency development.   AIMS To evaluate the benefits of postgraduate tracheostomy education programme for SLTs working with children and adults.   METHODS & PROCEDURES A total of 35 SLTs participated in the programme, which included a 1-day tracheostomy simulation-based workshop. Before the workshop, SLTs took an online knowledge quiz and then completed a theory package. The workshop consisted of part-task skill learning and simulated scenarios. Scenarios were video recorded for delayed independent appraisal of participant performance. Manual skills were judged as (1) completed successfully, (2) completed inadequately/needed assistance or (3) lost opportunity. Core non-medical skills required when managing a crisis situation and overall performance were scored using an adapted Ottawa Global Rating Scale (GRS). Feedback from participants was collected and self-perceived confidence rated prior, immediately post and 4 months post-workshop.   OUTCOMES & RESULTS SLTs successfully performed 94% of manual tasks. Most SLTs (29 of 35) scored > 5 of 7 on all elements of the adapted Ottawa GRS. Workshop feedback was positive with significant increases in confidence ratings post-workshop and maintained at 4 months.   CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS Postgraduate tracheostomy education, using a flipped-classroom approach and low- and high-fidelity simulation, is an effective way to increase knowledge, confidence and manual skill performance in SLTs across patient populations. Simulation is a well-received method of learning.
The paper presents method for planning robotic dexterous hand grasping task using example of the Beihang University’s BH-4 dexterous hand. The grasping planning method is devised through modeling and simulation and experimentally verified using physical prototype. The paper presents the method for forward and inverse kinematic solutions of the BH-4 robot 4-DOF finger, including transformation matrix between the palm coordinate system and the finger base coordinate system. In addition, the method of the idiographic manipulation is presented using example of ball grasping. The simulation results and physical experiment verify that the inverse kinematic solution is correct, and kinematic grasping and operating planning is valid and feasible. Finally, the experiment with the complex system integrated robot arm with dexterous hand is carried out. Experimental result shows that the more complicated grasping task can be done by a dexterous hand integrated in the robot arm system.© 2007 ASME
Low cost embedded cyber-physical systems and ubiquitous networking has opened up a new world of connected devices in our homes, workplaces, automobiles, and medical clinics. Unfortunately, security has not progressed at the same pace, exposing unwitting users to loss of privacy, personal identifying information, and even safety. This is especially true for connected medical devices which interact directly with patients. Many of these medical devices lack even basic security, and instead rely on rigidly controlled environments of use, which are difficult to achieve and maintain. The Intrinsically Secure, Open and Safe Cyber-Physically Enabled, Life-Critical Essential Services (ISOSCELES) architecture is a reference implementation for future mixed-criticality medical and Internet of Things (IoT) system designs. This reference implementation will allow manufacturers to focus on the clinical side of their product, reducing the time and effort spent ensuring that security vulnerabilities in the resulting platform minimize adverse impacts on patient safety. ISOSCELES' separation architecture, backed by model-based analysis and configuration tools, simplifies product-line design and maintenance, since changes made to only one partition will have limited to no effect on other partitions.
This essay examines how in Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790), Edmund Burke formulates a physiological model based on both ocular and immunological reflex in order to articulate the most “natural” means by which Britons could protect themselves against the dangers of the French uprising. On the one hand, Burke draws from his account of visual trauma first developed in his theory of the sublime in the Philosophical Enquiry (1757; 2nd ed. 1759), whose description of the eye’s function stressed the body’s therapeutic recovery, along with tangible social and political benefits. On the other, he deploys an extensive vocabulary of contagion and vulnerable self-immunization, whose precarious logic often undermines the prospect of securing Britain’s safety. In the historical context of Britain’s emerging endorsement of inoculation’s medical utility, the result is an intricate, often volatile physio-politics that, in Burke’s subsequent arguments in Letters on a Regicide Peace (1795–97), produces an ever more urgent political aggression, including his repeated calls for “a long war” on France.
Variable Hilbert scales are constructed using the spectral theory of self-adjoint operators in Hilbert spaces. An embedding and an interpolation theorem (based on Jenssen's inequality) are proved. They generalize known results about “ordinary” Hilbert scales derived by Natterer [Applic. Anal., 18 (1984), pp.29-37]. Bounds on best possible and actual errors for regularization methods are obtained by applying the interpolation inequality. These bounds extend the standard ones, and, in particular, include exponential and logarithmic error laws. Similar results were established earlier by Hegland [SIAM J. Numer. Anal., 29 (1992), pp. 1446-14611 for compact operators only. Here, they are generalized to include unbounded operators. A detailed discussion of Tikhonov regularization by Nair et al. [Tech. Rep. MR8-94, CMA, Aust. Nat. Uni., 19941 indicates that parameter choice strategies, which were thought to be suboptimal, can give substantially higher convergence rates than the so-called optimal choices! This im...
This is a review of evidence for a circadian-mediated pharmacology of a single dose of hydrochlorothiazide in normal man. The normal circadian rhythms of urine volume and electrolytes are discussed in detail. Information is documented that hydrochlorothiazide diuresis, in normal subjects on a normal schedule of diurnal activity/nocturnal rest, progressively increases for 4 h after a.m. administration and for 8 h after p.m. administration. This suggests that the therapeutic efficiency of a single dose may be enhanced (nearly 50%) by the simple expedient of prescribing in the afternoon. No information is provided as to whether the circadian-mediated response appertains in disease or with continued drug administration. The word 'circadian' is not found in classical pharmacological texts although many examples of circadian-mediated drug action have now been described. A circadian reappraisal of drug effects in general is overdue.
Two hundred and eighty purebred boar and gilt carcasses, representing two genetic lines and 143 crossbred boars, barrows, and gilts were measured for hide thickness at three anatomical locations. A breed difference in hide thickness was apparent. Boars had thicker hides than gilts in the purebred carcasses and gilts and barrows in the crossbred carcasses. Gilt carcasses generally had thicker hides than barrow carcasses. Consistent location differences were evident in the purebred carcasses. Key words: Swine, carcasses, hides, skins, thickness, grading
The books telling the story of Montserrat used to contain illustrative engravings. Montserrat presents us with a special case, because this monastery holds an uninterrupted record of illustrated texts or of texts with engraved images from the miniatures of the Llibre Vermell and the first fruits of the printing press to the 19 th century. Admittedly, in the 16 th , 17 th and 18 th centuries the books exhibit the engravings on the cover or within the first sheets; it is only in the 19 th century that illustrations appear inserted in the text so as to make the story more agreeable. The images intensify the value of texts, since illustrations can help us understand the written word and may suggest other readings of the corresponding passages, clearer and more precise. Illustrations in the books on the history of a monastery are but a part of a larger set of ideas, projects and self-service which the Church aims at the reader. Furthermore, the iconographic models of the Virgin Mary and the Mountain are of great interest for the history of engraving and of the Catalan and Spanish devotions.
Sea urchin spines combine extreme lightweight construction with impact resistance and improved mechanical strength although being made of presumably brittle calcium carbonate (calcite). Lance and pencil sea urchins (Phyllacanthus imperialis and Heterocentrotus mammillatus) are of particular interest as they exhibit large and mechanical very stable spines and the constructional concepts of these spines was translated into graded porous alumina ceramics derived from starch‐blended slip casting. A high level of porosity (>30 vol%) is identified as the important element for graceful failure in polycrystalline alumina and graded porosity, i.e., layers of higher and lower density, can significantly improve the impact resistance of the material giving raise to what we refer to as cascading graceful failure: a mechanical response of porous materials with curved layers of graded porosity that maintains a high level of compressive strength even after the linear elastic threshold is surpassed and local structural collapse occurs.
This work is concerned with an inverse electromagnetic scattering problem in two dimensions. We prove that in the TE polarization case, the knowledge of the electric far-field pattern incited by a single incoming wave is sufficient to uniquely determine the shape of a penetrable scatterer of rectangular type. As a by-product, the uniqueness is also confirmed to inverse transmission problems modelled by scalar Helmholtz equations with discontinuous normal derivatives at the scattering interface.
The article presents a new family of disparity measures based on the trigonometric tan−1 function. A subset of members from the proposed disparity family are shown to have excellent robustness properties against both inliers and outliers and are competitive with other popular disparities such as the Hellinger distance and the symmetric chi‐square. The most notable thing about the presented disparity is that the strong robustness properties of the corresponding minimum distance estimators are attained in spite of predictions to the contrary by not just the first order influence function but also the second order influence function. This demonstrates the limitation of even the second order influence analysis in predicting the robustness properties of a disparity. Several examples and numerical studies illustrate the aforementioned property. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The spinor structure associated with the local gauge group GL(4,R) of the nonsymmetric gravitation theory (NGT) is based on a spinor wave equation constructed from a vierbein, a GL(4,R) spin connection, and the infinite‐dimensional irreducible representations of the universal covering group SL (4,R) of the noncompact group SL(4,R). The multiplicity‐free irreducible representations of SL (4,R) correspond to bivalued spinorial representations of SL(4,R) that contain an infinite number of half‐odd integer spin particles. By adjoining the translations T4, the extended group A=T4×GL(4,R) replaces the Poincare group P. The properties of the mass spectrum are obtained from an infinite‐component wave equation and the physical spinor field consists of an infinite sum of finite, nonunitary representations of the Lorentz group.
A computationally efficient algorithm for direction finding is described. The sample covariance matrix is averaged into d column vectors, where d is the known number of sources. These column vectors are used as a basis for the signal subspace. They can be used directly for the two subspace estimates in the ESPRIT algorithm or they can be used to construct a projection matrix for use with the MUSIC algorithm. For low signal-noise-ratio conditions, a subtraction process is used to remove the diagonal noise terms from the covariance matrix and as a result a shorter search vector is used in the MUSIC algorithm.<<ETX>>
The authors explore determinants of academic recognition, reasoning that social scientists' advancement and career success may rest on the recognition received for scholarly work. Articles in the Journal of Applied Psychology are classified by the number and type of their research plots. Research plots, like plots in English literature, represent the basic skeleton of an article, the barebones scientific contribution an article claims to make (e.g., new independent variable explaining variance in an existing dependent variable). The type of research plot an article explores is related in this study to the subsequent recognition an article receives. In contrast, neither number of research plots nor popularity of the subject matter covered in an article independently affected the level of subsequent recognition
Abstract   The authors report three Entoloma with a hymeniform suprapellis from the Special Reserve of Ambohitantely, Madagascar. Entoloma coeruleomagnum subsp. cyanater subsp. nov. is described as a new subspecies for a taxon that was originally described from Tasmania. E. henricii is here for the first time reported from outside Europe, whereas E. velutipileum was originally described from the rain forest in Gabon.
Engineering cost is an important part of the construction project management process, which runs through the entire construction project management. However, in the past, some construction engineering project companies only paid attention to the cost management in the final completion settlement stage, ignoring the cost control in the early stage of construction and the mid-term construction, which brought certain difficulties to the construction project management. This paper starts from the five stages of the construction project project decision-making stage, design stage, bidding stage, construction stage, and final accounting audit stage, and explores the content of the whole process engineering cost control in the construction project management, so as to improve the construction project managements efficiency.
An analysis of high-resolution near-infrared spectra of a sample of 45 asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars towards the Galactic bulge is presented. The sample consists of two subsamples, a larger one in the inner and intermediate bulge, and a smaller one in the outer bulge. The data are analysed with the help of hydrostatic model atmospheres and spectral synthesis. We derive the radial velocity of all stars, and the atmospheric chemical mix ([Fe/H], C/O, C-12/C-13, Al, Si, Ti, and Y) where possible. Our ability to model the spectra is mainly limited by the (in) completeness of atomic and molecular line lists, at least for temperatures down to T-eff approximate to 3100 K. We find that the subsample in the inner and intermediate bulge is quite homogeneous, with a slightly subsolar mean metallicity and only few stars with supersolar metallicity, in agreement with previous studies of non-variable M-type giants in the bulge. All sample stars are oxygen-rich, C/O < 1.0. The C/O and carbon isotopic ratios suggest that third dredge-up (3DUP) is absent among the sample stars, except for two stars in the outer bulge that are known to contain technetium. These stars are also more metal-poor than the stars in the intermediate or inner bulge. Current stellar masses are determined from linear pulsation models. The masses, metallicities and 3DUP behaviour are compared to AGB evolutionary models. We conclude that these models are partly in conflict with our observations. Furthermore, we conclude that the stars in the inner and intermediate bulge belong to a more metal-rich population that follows bar-like kinematics, whereas the stars in the outer bulge belong to the metal-poor, spheroidal bulge population. (Less)
Washing of Rice with Surfactants and Determination of Residual Surfactants By Masahide IIMORI Research Department, Lion Fat & Oil Co., Ltd., Tokyo It was already reported that the quality of rice was improved by washing polished rice with some surfactants, and then rice which was not suitable for sake brewing was turned to a suitable one. It was also reported that there were some troubles for the determination of the residual surfactants in rice. In this report, a satisfactory method for the determination of this residue was descri bed. The procedure is as follows: after the HCl hydrolysis of the alcoholic extract, the hydrolysate was treated with petrolium ether for the separation of oily material floated on this, and the content of surfactant in this aqueous layer was determined by the Abbott's methylene blue colorimetric method. Also the proper conditions for the washing of rice with alkylbenzene sulfonate (linear type) were investigated. (Received June 16, 1970)
With the increasing usage of smartphones in banks, medical services and m-commerce, and the uploading of applications from unofficial sources, security has become a major concern for smartphone users. Malicious apps can steal passwords, leak details, and generally cause havoc with users’ accounts. Current anti-virus programs rely on static signatures that need to be changed periodically and cannot identify zero-day malware. The Android permission system is the central security mechanism that regulates the execution of application tasks. Although recent advances in research have provided various approaches and detection methods for finding malware apps, the available literature lacks a full analysis of this subject. We fill this gap by: 1) Systematically and automatically building a large dataset of malware and benign apps, which we have made available to the community. Our dataset has around 16K apps and 118 features. 2) We offer a novel approach for automatically identifying permission usage patterns, which are groupings of permissions that developers frequently utilise together. The approach combines SOM and K-means clustering algorithms to classify permissions according to app usage categories. The results demonstrate that the proposed methodology is able to detect most of the consistent and coherent permission usage patterns across a wide variety of application categories. To assess our strategy, we add the identified patterns as features to our dataset and then apply an SVM classifier for malware detection. Our results indicate that the identified patterns improve the performance of the classifier.
One of the clearest competencies and responsibilities of projecting territory is that of becoming a useful tool for the recognition and planning of the way of creating it. This goal has been tackled on the Insular Ordination Plan of the Island of Tenerife (PIOT), based on the study of its territory and the processes that have affected its transformation, searching for planning models and proposing their renewal. We defend with that the firm conviction that, on the identity of territory, their own alternative to ordination is and must be argued there.
To the Editor:   Scleredema, originally described by Buschke in 19021, is a rare sclerodermatosis of unknown etiology, characterized by nonpitting induration of the skin. In general, scleredema first affects the face and neck, and then may spread symmetrically to the shoulders, trunk, arms, and legs. Cardiac and other organ involvement is rare but restrictive lung disease can be a manifestation.  Three clinical groups of scleredema have been described by Graff2. In the first group, the disease starts abruptly after an acute upper respiratory tract infection, often with streptococcal pyogenes and having a tendency to resolve after a period of months to years. The second group begins insidiously without a preceding respiratory tract infection, is of longer duration, and persisting over a period of several years. The third group, known as scleredema diabeticorum (SD), is a chronic form of scleredema associated with severe, often complicated, diabetes mellitus (DM).  SD is characterized by an insidious onset of skin thickening, occurring diffusely over the posterior neck and upper back and occasionally extending to the deltoid and lumbar regions (Figure 1)3. It has been reported to occur in 2.5% to 14% of all patients with diabetes. Although numerous treatments have been tried, none have been reported to be effective. We describe 2 cases of SD that showed marked clinical regression following treatment with tamoxifen (tamoxifen citrate).    Figure 1.  Skin thickening and hyperpigmentation on the back and extending forward to involve the shoulders and chest in a patient with scleredema diabeticorum not treated with tamoxifen.    A 61-year-old Chinese woman presented to our Scleroderma Clinic in April 2002 with a 2-year history of progressive skin thickening involving her back, chest, and shoulders but sparing her extremities. There was tightness of her chest with restricted movement of her shoulders, especially with reaching …   Address correspondence to Dr. S. AlSaeedi, Mount Sinai Hospital, The Rebecca MacDonald Centre for Arthritis and Autoimmune Disease, 60 Murray Street, Box 9, Rm 2-004, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3L9, Canada. E-mail: sa2005saa{at}hotmail.com
Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis complicated by the development of coronary artery abnormalities. The etiology of KD is unknown. Based on the observation that KD is associated with marked activation of T cells and monocyte/macrophages, we hypothesized that KD may be caused by a superantigen [e.g., a bacterial toxin that stimulates T cells expressing particular T-cell receptor beta chain variable (V beta) gene segments]. Peripheral blood T cells from patients in the acute and convalescent phases of KD and from various control groups were analyzed for T-cell receptor V beta gene expression by using a quantitative PCR technique and cytofluorographic analysis with available anti-V beta monoclonal antibodies. Patients with acute KD demonstrated significantly elevated levels of circulating V beta 2+ and V beta 8.1+ T cells compared to the other control groups. none of the other 20 V beta populations analyzed by quantitative PCR were found to be significantly elevated. Using flow cytometry, we confirmed a significant elevation of T cells reactive with anti-V beta 8.1 and the lack of change in several other V beta subsets--i.e. V beta 5.1, -5.2, -6.7, and -12. During the convalescence phase of KD, there was a reduction in the abnormal levels of V beta 2+ and V beta 8.1+ T cells. These observations suggest that KD may be caused by a superantigen and may provide insight into the nature of the etiologic agent.
Problem Definition : Omnichannel retailers face hard choices when they decide how to improve the way they serve their customers. They use such levers as improving delivery and return policies, providing access to detailed product information and reviews, and offering lower prices. Because it is difficult for firms to excel on all dimensions simultaneously, it is crucial for them to have a profound understanding of the trade-offs consumers make when evaluating their offering.    Academic/Practical Relevance : If managers have biased perceptions of consumer trade-offs, these biases can represent serious obstacles to designing a winning operational strategy. We investigate the degree and nature of such managerial biases and propose a remedy for them.    Methodology : We use a state-of-the-art empirical approach to measure consumer prefer- ences for five dimensions of online channels, part of a larger omnichannel ecosystem (delivery policy, return policy, product information, branding, and pricing), and four product categories.    Results: We reveal that managers with experience in these categories have biased perceptions of what consumers prefer. Our analyses also show that it is very hard to identify experts with more accurate knowledge based on characteristics observable to the firm (e.g., experience, tenure, gender). Averaging predictions across individual managers show benefits from the so-called “wisdom of the crowd” and help to overcome individual biases.    Managerial Implications: Across the four categories, the crowd’s predictions outperform more than 96 percent of the individual managers’ predictions, resulting in more than 17 percent increased accuracy over the average manager. Our results also show that groups of as few as 5 to 10 managers already make a smart crowd, enhancing the feasibility of this strategy to overcome individual managerial biases in omnichannel retailing.
This 6th volume was scheduled to mark about the half way point in the ‘‘HBW’’ series, but the increasing quantity of material available for each volume has presented the publishers with some problems (explained in an insert that accompanies this book). The dilemma faced is whether to include similar amounts of photographic and textual material in future volumes, which would mean more volumes in all, or to restrict the quantity of material, which would allow them to stick to the original schedule. To their credit, Lynx Edicions are asking readers for their views, and a decision is awaited, but the one favoured by the publishers appears to be to include all suitable material. As a consequence, this volume probably represents only a little over one third of the way through the series, and covers Mousebirds (Coliidae) to Hornbills (Bucerotidae), rather than to Woodpeckers (Picidae), which was the original plan: Jacamars (Galbulidae) to Woodpeckers will now constitute Volume 7. Volume 6 includes some of the most brilliantly coloured species, additionally covering Trogons (Trogonidae), Kingfishers (Alcedinidae), Todies (Todidae), Motmots (Momotidae), Bee-eaters (Meropidae), Rollers (Coraciidae), Ground-Rollers (Brachypteraciidae), CuckooRollers (Leptosomidae), Hoopoe (Upupidae) and Woodhoopoes (Phoeniculidae). As in previous volumes, there is a lengthy (30 page) introductory section (this time on bioacoustics), followed by an introduction to this volume (with a detailed explanation of the reasoning behind the split described above). Family accounts cover a great deal of background, before plates and species accounts complete each family section. Enough has been written of previous volumes to leave most people in little doubt that this series represents a major contribution to the literature. This volume maintains the same detail of text, supported by excellent referencing (c. 6,000 in this volume), high quality plates (44) and photographs (385), making it a highly desirable addition to the libraries of all but the most parochially-minded bird enthusiast. Although the price of each volume is high, it represents good value for money, and Lynx are to be congratulated on consistently offering great pre-publication deals. Furthermore, if you have yet to subscribe to the series, there is an excellent offer for purchase of the full set to date.
Purpose – This study aims to examine the direct and moderating effects of generative learning on customer performance. Design/methodology/approach – The authors test the relationships between customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities, generative learning, customer performance, and financial performance with a cross industry survey of CEOs and senior marketing executives from 199 firms. Partial least squares are used to estimate the parameters of the resulting model. Findings – The results reveal that generative learning affects customer performance directly. Moreover, the interaction of CRM capabilities and generative learning contributes to customer performance. This finding suggests that firms need a well-developed generative learning orientation to fully benefit from translating new insights resulting from CRM capabilities into establishing, maintaining, and enhancing long-term associations with customers, and vice versa. Research limitations/implications – The main limitations are those that...
Summary    The main objective of this study was to analyse differences and similarities in morphometric characteristics among specimens of the same year class of Acipenser naccarii (Bonaparte, 1836), comparing fish raised either in Italy or Spain. All specimens were Fl of captive broodstock in Italy.        Fifteen biometric variables were measured, and three derived indices were calculated, on 30 individuals of 3+ year class from Lombardy (Italy) and 90 individuals of 1+, 2+ and 3+ year class from Riofrio (Granada, Spain). A stepwise discriminate analysis (SDA) was carried out, and the results were contrasted using a non-hierarchical cluster analysis. The two groups proved to be similar, so a principal component analysis and a simple regression analysis were performed on all individuals, taking total length (Tl) as the independent variable and all the biometric variables as dependent.        The study revealed that although the Soljan index (i.e. ratio of mouth width to snout length) is related to Tl, and is a valid taxonomic characteristic, the CA index (i.e. relative position of the barbels) and FB index (i.e. ratio of snout length to width) are also valid characteristics for individuals longer than 57 cm, being independent of Tl.
Multistage treadmill exercise testing was performed in 61 patients with myocardial infarction proved significant coronary artery stenosis within six months after the acute episode.Significant ST depression developed in 35 cases (57%) and the ST depression was more frequent in inferior infarction (75%) and in those with multivessel disease (40.5%).The maximum heart rate, the maximum blood pressure and the maximum pressure-rate product were significantly low in the patients with a positive exercise test as compared to those with a negative test. The incidence of multivessel disease was 68% when the maximum pressure-rate product was less than 20, 000, while 93% when the value was less than 17, 000. On the other hand, one vessel disease could be expected when the maximum pressure-rate product exceeded 25, 000. The ventricular premature beats were frequently observed in anterior infarction and/or multivessel disease.The above findings indicate the usefulness of multistage treadmill exercise testing after myocardial infarction for the assessment of the severity of coronary artery disease.
Heavy metal contamination creates numerous problems in environment and considered as big challenge for the society. Mercury (Hg) may exert several harmful effects on human heath including nervous system, digestive system, and immune system, along with damage in lungs and kidneys, which might be fatal. In this study, the removal of Hg from the wastewater by using a whiter rot fungus Phlebia floridensis was evaluated in a batch culture system for 7 days. The fungus was also evaluated for the tolerance level of Hg and the morphological changes were studied by SEM–EDX. The fungus could tolerate up to 100 μM of Hg concentration. Scanning electron microscopic images showed changes in the morphology and fine structures of the fungal hyphae. Atomic absorption spectroscopic analyses of the treated water sample revealed that the fungus could remove 70%–84% of Hg depending upon the initial concentration. The pH fluctuation was recorded from 5.8 to 6.8 during the experimental conditions at temperature 28°C ± 2°C. Thus, the study explores the use of this fungus for the application in metal containing wastewater treatment.
The Kur . River Basin (KRB) in Fars was the heartland of Elamite civilisation during the late third/early second millennia B.C. Earlier still, there was a significant Proto-Elamite presence in the late fourth/early third millennia. Malyan (ancient Anshan), which was the urban centre of Elamite Fars, had been the most important settlement in Proto-Elamite times as well (Sumner 1974, 1976, 1988). The ceramic assemblages associated with these two periods Kaftari for the Elamite and Banesh for the ProtoElamite periods are distinctive. Archaeological survey and excavation suggest that during much of the third millennium, permanent settlements virtually disappeared in Fars. The origin and nature of the Banesh!Kaftari hiatus in the KRB is not clear. Given its great agricultural productivity in earlier times, abandonment may have been due to climatic factors and resulting crisis in the subsistence system. Alternatively, it may have been a consequence of political processes; for example, the region might have served as a no man's land between competing states or tribal groups. At least three scenarios can be proposed: • The KRB was indeed abandoned by all but the most occasional passerby. • Settled occupation in the KRB ceased, but nomadic pastoralists passed through in spring and fall, or used the area for summer pasture. To this day, Qashqa'i pastoral nomads have a significant effect on the politics, land use and environment in the region (see Beck 2003). • The KRB was largely, but not completely, abandoned by settled people and passing nomads. Archaeologically, it would be difficult to distinguish the three scenarios, since the discovery of any mid-third millennium remains would support all of them. If, however, we can identify and trace the cultural origin of the Kaftari style, it would be helpful. Two propositions related to this issue concern the apparent discontinuity in settlement and ceramics at Malyan and its reestablishment as the primary settlement of the KRB in Kaftari times: Kaftari occupation represents a replacement population, with little continuity with the past, represented locally by the Banesh tradition. • Kaftari occupation is just a continuation, perhaps with some new influences, of the earlier Banesh tradition. Malyan, one of the few sites with both Banesh and Kaftari period deposits, is a good place to look for transitional ceramic forms or a transitional artifact assemblage that would support the idea that the Kaftari tradition was an outgrowth rather than a replacement of the Banesh. The area of habitation at Malyan was no more than 130 ha. The remains of a 20 m wide mud-brick city wall, still extant in several places, date to the Banesh period and may have enclosed an area as large as 200 ha. (Sumner 1985, 1988). There is a clear stratigraphic discontinuity between the Banesh and Kaftari-period deposits in some excavation areas. Banesh levels in Operation ABC were separated from the later Kaftari strata by an erosional episode of unknown, but apparently centuries-long, duration. Similar erosion surfaces may also be present between Late Banesh and Kaftari strata in the trench across the city wall (Operation BY8). The TUV mound was not occupied after the Banesh period, which leaves the deep sounding in the north-east comer of Operation GHI, presented in this report, as the only source of information that 'tan address the question of continuity between the Banesh and Kaftari periods (Figs. 1, 2).
Abstract Objective As part of a larger study investigating biological risk factors for bipolar disorder (BD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD), we investigated the prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses presented by young BD or BPD offspring. With respect to the scarcity of studies interested in psychiatric disorders among BPD offspring, we have chosen to report these results despite the small sample size for a prevalence study. Method We recruited 21 BD and 22 BPD offspring and 23 control subjects. All subjects were assessed with a structured interview. Results Our main finding suggests that BPD offspring present a higher rate of psychiatric disorders compared to BD offspring. Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder was the most prevalent disorder. Conclusion Our results contribute to the evidence that offspring of patients with BPD, are at high risk with regard to their mental health and deserve both more research and special attention at the clinical level.
presents a comprehensive overview of their beliefs and rituals for family, animal, and crop fertility. The introduction the history of how and when the Semeiskie came to the Baikal region, their interaction with the treat ments of East Slavic agricultural rituals (by and Propp). Chapter offers a detailed survey of historical and ethnographic research on the and, it be noted, the large number of this chapter a of for interested scholars. fixed holidays, their special rituals as village bonfires, sacrificial straw dolls, parades), and their and superstitions, from the Christmas-New Year period through the major and minor saints' days.
LIN28 is a RNA binding protein and a pluripotency factor. It represses tumor suppressing microRNA let-7 and activates let-7 oncogene targets such as HMGA2 and c-Myc. Recent reports show that LIN28 overexpression promotes tumor cell migration and cellular transformation through repression of let-7, and that overexpression is associated with advanced stages of disease, including breast cancer. The molecular function and mode of action of LIN28 in breast cancer is not yet elucidated. To further understand the function of LIN28, we explored LIN28 mRNA targets in breast cancer cells using RNA-protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) followed by RNA sequencing (RIP-Seq). Only 418 genes (1.7% of the human total genes) are enriched more than 1.0 RPKM (reads per kilobase of exon model per million mapped reads) in the LIN28 RIP relative to control RIP. LIN28 mRNA targets in breast cancer cells function in processes that drive tumorigenesis, including cell proliferation, inflammation and metastasis. Therapeutic drugs inhibiting LIN28 could be promising in treatment of cancer. Our experiments also demonstrate that MG132, a proteasome inhibitor, inhibits LIN28 expression and modulates expression of LIN28 mRNA targets in breast cancer cells. Studies are ongoing to reveal the mechanisms by which LIN28 regulates bound targets and how proteasome inhibitors impact this regulation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4192. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4192
HE YEAR 1999 marks not only the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the History of Science Society but also the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of John Farquhar Fulton (1 November 1899-29 May 1960), physician, neurophysiologist, bibliophile, and historian of science and medicine. (See Figure 1.) This article describes Fulton's myriad activities-especially his presidency of the Society for two two-year terms from 1947 through 1950-and assesses their impact on the profession and on the Society.1 Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Fulton was the sixth and youngest child of John Farquhar Fulton, an ophthalmologist, and Edith Stanley Wheaton.2 After spending 1917-18 at the University of Minnesota, he transferred to Harvard, from which he received a Bachelor of
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) group includes three isoforms encoded by PPARG, PPARA, and PPARD genes. High concentrations of PPARs are found in parts of the brain linked to anxiety development, including hippocampus and amygdala. Among three PPAR isoforms, PPARG demonstrates the highest expression in CNS, where it can be found in neurons, astrocytes, and glial cells. Herein, the highest PPARG expression occurs in amygdala. However, little is known considering possible connections between PPARs and anxiety behavior. We reviewed possible connections between PPARs and anxiety. We used the Pathway Studio software (Elsevier). Signal pathways were created according to previously developed algorithms. SNEA was performed in Pathway Studio. Current study revealed 14 PPAR-regulated proteins linked to anxiety. Possible mechanism of PPAR involvement in neuroinflammation protection is proposed. Signal pathway reconstruction and reviewing aimed to reveal possible connection between PPARG and CCK-ergic system was conducted. Said analysis revealed that PPARG-dependent regulation of MME and ACE peptidase expression may affect levels of nonhydrolysed, i.e., active CCK-4. Impairments in PPARG regulation and following MME and ACE peptidase expression impairments in amygdala may be the possible mechanism leading to pathological anxiety development, with brain CCK-4 accumulation being a key link. Literature data analysis and signal pathway reconstruction and reviewing revealed two possible mechanisms of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors involvement in pathological anxiety: (1) cytokine expression and neuroinflammation mechanism and (2) regulation of peptidases targeted to anxiety-associated neuropeptides, primarily CCK-4, mechanism.
work out in collaboration between all authors. Authors KM and AN designed the study, collected data, performed statistical analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Authors AN and FH reviewed and prepared the final draft. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. ABSTRACT Aims: We intended to report H. pylori seroprevalence and identify socio-demographic risk factors in dyspeptic patients and non-dyspeptic control subjects of Islamabad, Pakistan. Methodology: Subjects were analyzed in two study groups; Dyspeptic patients on the basis of Rome III criteria (n=196) and non-dyspeptic control subjects (n=118). H. pylori status was determined using a commercial ELISA kit and its association was determined with risk factors such as age, sex, body mass index, marital status, educational level, residence, income group, use of NSAIDs and tobacco. Results: Our results showed similar seroprevalence of about 53% in both the groups. Low education ( p =.03) and lower socioeconomic status ( identify the risk factors in dyspeptic patients and non-dyspeptic control subjects of Islamabad, Pakistan.
Implantable biomedical equipment like pacemaker consumes low power and provides greater consistency. In order to provide continuous supply for pacemaker a new approach of extracting power form the heat of human body is implemented, thus avoiding unnecessary surgeries for implanting batteries. The tactile sensor which is made adaptable to thermal changes in skin extracts electrical power from the human skin, which cause a potential change thereby changing displacement which in turn results in change its piezo-resistance which produces a potential which is alternating in nature. This potential can be used to power the biomedical equipment and the excess power is stored in a battery for emergency conditions. Another objective of the presented paper is to monitor the health conditions of elderly and heart patients, using spiral flow sensor where the system detects and informs the abnormal health conditions by using the smart sensor network like MEMS module and GSM technology. It will send information to the nearest hospital and registered contacts if they have fallen or suffered an acute heart attack so that appropriate actions can be taken immediately.
The majority of readers of James Joyce’s Ulysses tend to associate its most famous line, “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake,” with Stephen Dedalus’s intention in The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man to overcome his past of rigid national and religious tradition. While this meaning is immediately present in the quote, a closer reading of the text suggests a far more ambitious–and perhaps even vain–impetus behind the identification of history as a nightmare. Additionally, just as the most popular reading has an autobiographical dimension–in which Joyce himself seeks to transcend his own tutelage–so does the alternate reading I present in this essay have implications for both Dedalus and Joyce.
Acid catalyzed In situ transestrification under microwave irradiation is one of method for producing biodiesel from microalgae which is an alternative to replace fossil fuel energy. The present study investigated the the effect of microwave irradiation on the acid catalyzed in situ transesterification of Chlorella vulgaris into fatty acid methyl ester. In situ transesterification carried out using sulfuric acid catalyst with different variables such as catalyst concentration, reaction time, biomass to methanol (wt/vol) ratio and microwave power. Based on the experiment results, the optimal yield was 31,56% with reaction time was 70 minutes. From GC-MS analysis obtained that Chlorella vulgaris methyl ester profile is a medium chain fatty acid, MCFA which consist of Saturated Fatty Acid (SAFAs), Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acid (MUFAs) and Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFAs).
Through the local scour test at bridge pier under tidal action in a long time series, this paper ob- serves the growing trend of the deepest point of local scour at bridge pier under tidal conditions with different characteristic parameters, analyzes the impact of repeat sediment erosion and deposition in the scouring pit caused by reversing current on the development process of the scouring pit, and clarifies the relation between the tide and local scouring depth at bridge pier under steady flow conditions, so as to provide a scientific basis for bridge design and safe operation of estuary and harbor areas.
Carbon fibers (CNFs) were surfacial metallized by electroless deposited with nickel, and their field emission properties were investigated by diode test. The results indicated that the CNFs owned better field emission properties after electroless depositing nickel for 30 min, with nickel metal thickness as 3.25 µm and the volume resistivity down to 1.3510-4 Ω•cm. The morphology and composite of Ni-coated CNFs were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractions (XRD), respectively. The results indicated Ni-coated CNFs were amorphous and had better surface. The field emission tests showed when applied voltage was 832V, Ni-coated CNFs appeared bright dots, and the high luminance achieved 988cd/m2 under applied voltage 1456V.
Discussions on Appalachian music in the United States most often evoke images of instruments such as the fiddle and banjo, and a musical heritage identified primarily with Europe and European Americans, as originators or creators, when in reality, many Europeans were influenced or taught by African-American fiddlers. Not only is Appalachian fiddling a confluence of features that are both African- and European-derived, but black fiddlers have created a distinct performance style using musical aesthetics identified with African and African-American culture. In addition to a history of black fiddling and African Americans in Appalachia, this article includes a discussion of the musicking of select Appalachian black fiddlers.
NEPTUNE, R.R., and S.A. KAUTZ. Muscle activation and deactivation dynamics: the governing properties in fast cyclical human movement performance? Exerc. Sports Sci. Rev., Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 76-81, 2001. Repetitive cyclical motion and intrinsic muscle properties each impose constraints on the nervous system to produce well-coordinated movements. We suggest that as cycle frequency increases, activation and deactivation dynamics strongly influence the neural control strategy used and may be the governing muscle property that limits performance. Pedaling and animal studies provide supporting data.
A quasi-steady one-dimensional arbitrary moving boundary code is progressively developed for the objective of solving; full transient, moving boundary, rocket motor internal flow field problem. In this analysis, the propellant surface is modeled as moving, contrary to the common approach that assumes a stationary propellantburning surface. A one-dimensional Godunov type exact Riemann Solver is developed that can handle the boundary conditions for advancing and retarding walls. Moving propellant boundaries are handled with fixed grid approach by clipping the boundary inside grid points. The classical time-dependent inflow/outflow characteristic boundary conditions are implemented for exhaust. The mass injected from the propellant surface is modeled as the mass generated inside the control volume, represented in the source terms of the Euler equations. The resulting code is verified for moving boundary test cases, nozzle type geometries, and small test motors. Finally solid propellant combustion instability prediction capability is searched for an end-burning test motor configuration by comparing different burn rate models. Both steady state burning rate and a transient burning rate law is applied as a boundary condition. Acoustic oscillations at different frequencies are observed during the operation time. The pulsed oscillations occurred in higher modes. Results are discussed for fast and slow regression rates, long motors and steady state pressure levels. Frequency analysis of the flow variables and burning rate variations are done real time during the computations using non-stationary data analysis techniques. Pressure response function of the model propellant is assumed known from experiments available from the literature.
In this study, we investigated TOF-PET systems with reduced density of detector modules possibly to lower detector cost for given volume coverage. The TOF-PET image is designed as a solution specified by an optimization program. As the optimization program depends critically on the TOF-PET configuration of a specific detector-module distribution, TOF-PET configurations with different detector-module distributions lead to different optimization programs. We develop a Chambolle and Pock (CP) algorithm to reconstruct images through solving these optimization programs, thus enabling effectively the investigation and prototyping of TOF-PET configurations of reduced densities of detector modules. The results of our study suggest that TOF-PET configurations with certain sparsely distributed detector modules can yield image quality comparable to that obtained with the current TOF-PET scanner with densely distributed detector modules.
With the accelerated interest in commercial lobster production, knowledge of the early developmental stages is important. There are limited observations and data pertaining to the first 4 life stages of the American lobster Homarus americanus. The existing data can be strengthened through use of the scanning electron microscope. Current sketches are based on light microscopy and observations without magnification. A series of micrographs of the first 4 life stages with reference to existing drawings are presented. The first 3 larval stages float in the pelagic environment while the fourth stage sinks to the bottom and assumes the characteristic bottom-dwelling behavior of adult lobsters. Characteristics pertaining to number and loss of appendages, size and division of the body, spines, division of the uropod, development of the walking legs and antennae are stressed. A two-dimensional drawing will be presented utilizing the existing published data for the life stages and the scanning electron micrographs.
This article analyzes cases of urban transformation carried out in the waterfront areas of Valencia and Bilbao, in Spain. Through the implementation of urban regeneration and transformation strategies, these two cities have transformed most of their waterfront areas during the last decade of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. Old industrial sites have been transformed into residential and service spaces, following the lead of other European cities like Liverpool and Hamburg, which also had former port sites. Comparing both of these initiatives of waterfront transformation reveals two very different processes. Two dimensions has been compared: the governance of the intervention plans drawn up and the social dimension of the interventions. The article set out the following questions. What are the perspectives of the urban planning professionals that participated in the transformation of the coasts of Valencia and Bilbao? And, what is the fulfillment of the project objectives and the changes produced in the urban environment of the two areas?
We have investigated the value of a 3-in-1 nerve block, followed by a continuous low-dose infusion of bupivacaine into the femoral nerve sheath for postoperative analgesia after total knee replacement. Thirty-seven patients were randomly allocated to either a control group or a study group. The study group had a catheter placed in the ipsilateral femoral nerve sheath. A 3-in-1 nerve block was then performed in the study group with injection of 30 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine through the catheter. This was followed by a continuous infusion of 0.125% bupivacaine at 6 mL/h. The study group had significantly lower pain scores 4 and 24 h postoperatively (P less than 0.01) and required less postoperative opioid analgesic medication (P less than 0.01) than the control group. The authors conclude that a continuous low-dose infusion into the femoral nerve sheath results in better pain relief than conventional intramuscularly administered narcotics after total knee arthroplasty.
System identification refers to any systematic way of deriving or improving models of systems through the use of experimental and field testing input-output data. In the field of civil engineering, identification of the state of the structure during the dynamic loads, such as earthquake, to predict the current state of the structure and detect any damage or hazard, when it occurs, has posed a great challenge to the research community. Therefore, online and real-time structural parameters identification has recently drawn more attractions, although few research works have been reported especially for cases where measurement data are contaminated by high-level noise and some of the excitations are unknown. The Recursive Least Square with single forgetting factor has been widely used in estimation and tracking of time-varying parameters in the fields of electrical and mechanical engineering. However, when there are multiple parameters that each (or some) varies with a different rate, this method cannot perform well. On the other hand, a priori information on the changing rate of the parameters might not be available, and the forgetting factors must be updated adaptively. This paper presents a new adaptive tracking technique, based on the Recursive Least Square (RLS) approach with Adaptive Multiple Forgetting Factors (AMFF). The proposed method considers an adaptive rule for each of the forgetting factors assigned to each of the parameters and thus, enables simultaneous estimation of the time-varying stiffness and damping of the storeys of the structure. Numerical examples show that results of this RLS-based approach are accurate and robust, in identification of the unknown parameters such as damping, stiffness and unknown excitations, even when the observed data are contaminated with different types and significant levels of noise.
This article examines how to evaluate claims about the extent and impact of globalisation. A focus on the significance of earlier phases of globalisation is essential, but underestimating the importance and scope of recent developments is the wrong lesson to learn from a more historically informed analysis. While it is necessary to maintain a healthy scepticism towards endings, inevitability and irreversibility, it is important to remain open to the possibility that the world political economy has indeed undergone substantial transformation. This article argues that quantitative measures of globalisation need to be supplemented with an analysis of the pivotal role of the state in spurring and sponsoring the process of global economic interaction. State constructions of the imperatives of globalisation have aimed to bolster the acceptance of policy changes that support globalisation and transform domestic political economies. There is continuing potential for state activity to have effects--both positive and negative--on the progress of economic globalisation.
ABSTRACT The presence of smooth endoplasmic reticulum aggregates (SERa) in the ooplasm is considered as the most severe oocyte dysmorphism due to its serious and potentially lethal outcomes in offspring. In the present case report, a couple underwent their first intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycle using a gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol, followed by fetal ultrasound scanning and amniocentesis. SERa were observed in all oocytes retrieved. A singleton pregnancy was established. The second trimester fetal ultrasound scan revealed a female fetus with overlapping fingers in both hands, and amniocentesis was performed for the detection of chromosomal abnormalities. Comprehensive genetic analysis with the combined use of array-comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), fluoresence in situ hybridization (FISH) and conventional cytogenetics revealed a complex chromosome rearrangement (CCR) involving three break points on two chromosomes, resulting in a reciprocal translocation with a cryptic 2q31 deletion. A week following amniocentesis, there was rupture of amniotic membranes and a stillborn was delivered. This is the first case in the literature to report a CCR with concomitant 2q31 deletion resulting in a well-defined and clinically recognizable contiguous gene syndrome with an abnormal phenotype in a fetus arising from a cohort of oocytes affected by SERa. It is suggested that fertilization and transfer of oocytes with SERa should be avoided, until further research establishes whether there is a causal relationship between the presence of SERa and chromosomal abnormalities in the resulting fetus. Abbreviations: SER: smooth endoplasmic reticulum; ICSI: intracytoplasmic sperm injection; GnRH: gonadotrophin releasing hormone; CGH: comparative genomic hybridization; FISH: fluoresence in situ hybridization; FSH: follicle stimulating hormone; hCG: human chorionic gonadotrophin; OHSS: ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome; IVF: in vitro fertilization; MII: metaphase II; GV: germinal vesicle; CCR: complex chromosome rearrangement
Eukaryotic cell division is controlled by the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Cdk1 and Cdk2, which function at different stages of the mammalian cell cycle, both require cyclin-binding and phosphorylation of the activation (T-) loop for full activity, but differ with respect to the order in which the two steps occur in vivo. To form stable complexes with either of its partners-cyclins A and B-Cdk1 must be phosphorylated on its T-loop, but that phosphorylation in turn depends on the presence of cyclin. Cdk2 can follow a kinetically distinct path to activation in which T-loop phosphorylation precedes cyclin-binding, and thereby out-compete the more abundant Cdk1 for limiting amounts of cyclin A. Mathematical modeling suggests this could be a principal basis for the temporal ordering of CDK activation during S phase, which may dictate the sequence in which replication origins fire. Still to be determined are how: (1) the activation machinery discriminates between closely related CDKs, and (2) coordination of the cell cycle is affected when this mechanism of pathway insulation breaks down.
The method of spatial communication locality is adopted in many real parallel programs. But as we know, the definition of spatial communication locality is not consistent among existing analytical models and its impacts to latency and throughput have not been reported systematically. K-ary n-cube has been widely used in practical parallel computers, which supports communication locality well. In this paper, we use binary parameters— local message fraction and local domain's radius to describe spatial locality. Then we give an analytical model of k-ary n-cube under spatial communication locality by M/G/1 queuing model, and the situation that a message's length is less than the network radius in wormhole switching is considered. The results from simulation show close agreement with our analytical model.
ABSTRACT This paper investigates the role of human capital in explaining divergent employment growth within advanced economies. It adds a spatial dimension to William J. Baumol’s theory of ‘unbalanced growth’ by linking it with the concept of ‘job polarization’. We develop a theory of ‘geographical unbalanced growth’ that explains divergent employment trajectories in terms of skill restructuring. The theory is operationalized via a novel shift–share extension, which is applied to Australian data. We find evidence of ongoing regional divergence and for our proposed mechanism. The findings reinforce the importance of active policies to attract high-skilled jobs to non-metropolitan regions.
Wellman Inc., headquartered in Clark, N.J., employs 2168 people and had 1986 sales of $239 million and operating income of $41.5 million. It claims that its principal competitors include multibilliondollar corporations such as Du Pont, Hoechst Celanese, Eastman Chemical, and Allied-Signal. And despite this formidable competition, it has grown, prospered, and is now going public. According to a preliminary prospectus issued by Wellman and its underwriters Shearson Lehman Bros, and Bear Stearns, 4.9 million common shares of the company's stock are to be offered to the public at a price between $18 and $21 per share. Wellman recycles plastic bottles as its primary source of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins, and, along with reclaimed fiber producer wastes and film wastes, turned out 11.3 million lb of polyester fiber in 1986, according to the preliminary prospectus. It claims that of the 120 million to 140 million lb of total PET bottles returned and recycled in the U.S. ...
The author reviews the results of twin studies of schizophrenia from the perspective of recent advances in our understanding of the twin method and of the transmission of schizophrenia. The evidence suggests that twin studies of schizophrenia are not likely to be substantially biased by the greater similarity in social environment of identical versus fraternal twins. Raw concordance figures from twin studies of schizophrenia are quite variable. When models to estimate the etiologic importance of genetic factors are applied to these figures, the results from all studies are similar. According to these models, genetic factors are as etiologically important in schizophrenia as in such medical conditions as diabetes and hypertension. Twin studies of schizophrenia probably provide a valid measure of the major etiologic role genetic factors play in schizophrenia.
Mobile social networks (MSNs) are a kind of delay tolerant network that consists of lots of mobile nodes with social characteristics. Recently, many social-aware algorithms have been proposed to address routing problems in MSNs. Because of the social properties introduced to routing, this results in node privacy disclosure. In this paper, analyzing social-based routing strategies, we propose a privacy attack tree model taking all the possible attack on social-based routing into account. This model describes all of the possibilities and approaches of privacy disclosure, and quantifies their the occurrence probability.
Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in immune surveillance against viral diseases and cancer. Probiotics, live bacteria beneficial to human health, and some bacterial metabolic products are reported to augment NK cell activity and possibly result in the prevention of tumor development. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an extract of metabolic products of Bacillus subtilis AK (EMBSAK), a selected clone of Bacillus subtilis natto, on NK cell activity in human volunteers and mice.
A postal survey was conducted amongst members of the Western Australian Branch of the Australian Dental Association, their dental therapists and chairside assistants. Information was sought on the utilization of auxiliaries, career fulfilment by auxiliaries, and the preferred types of auxiliary for private practice. Results showed a substantial under-utilization of the operative capabilities of dental therapists and a high degree of lack of career fulfilment for therapists was evident.
Nucleus pulposus (NP) cell (NPC) senescence is one of the main causes of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). However, the underlying mechanism of NPC senescence is still unclear. The cannabinoid type 2 receptor (CB2R) is a member of the cannabinoid system and plays an important role in antioxidative stress, anti-inflammatory and antisenescence activities. In this study, we used a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced NPC senescence model and a rat acupuncture IVDD model to explore the role of CB2R in IVDD in vitro and in vivo. First, we confirmed that the expression of p16INK4a in the NP tissues of IVDD patients and rat acupuncture IVDD models obviously increased accompanied by a decrease in CB2R expression. Subsequently, we found that activation of CB2R significantly reduced the number of SA-β-gal positive cells and suppressed the expression of p16INK4a and senescence-related secretory phenotypes [SASP, including matrix metalloproteinase 9 and 13 (MMP9, MMP13) and high mobility group protein b1 (HMGB1)]. In addition, activation of CB2R promoted the expression of collagen type II (Col-2) and SRY-Box transcription factor 9 (SOX9), inhibit the expression of collagen type X (Col-X), and restore the balance of extracellular matrix (ECM) metabolism. In addition, the AMPK/GSK3β pathway was shown to play an important role in CB2R regulation of NPC senescence. Inhibition of AMPK expression reversed the effect of JWH015 (a CB2R agonist). Finally, we further demonstrated that in the rat IVDD model, the AMPK/GSK3β pathway was involved in the regulation of CB2R on NPC senescence. In conclusion, our experimental results prove that CB2R plays an important role in NPC senescence. Activation of CB2R can delay NPC senescence, restore the balance of ECM metabolism, and attenuate IVDD.
Previous research indicates the correlation structure of gait parameters (i.e., fractal dynamics) decreases with age. This decrease is suggested to reflect a reduced capacity for locomotor adaptation in older adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate potential differences between physical activity-matched young and older adults’ fractal dynamics and gait adaptability during unperturbed and asymmetric walking, and to determine if fractal dynamics predict adaptive capacity. Fifteen young (28.9 ± 5.6 years, nine women) and 15 older (64.7 ± 2.7, nine women) adults with similar habitual physical activity levels walked at preferred speed, half of preferred speed, and asymmetrically whereby their dominant and non-dominant legs moved at preferred and half-preferred speed, respectively. Fractal correlations (scaling exponent α) of stride times were assessed through detrended fluctuation analysis, and gait adaptation to asymmetric walking on the basis of lower limb relative phase. Both cohorts displayed similar fractal dynamics at preferred speed and asymmetric walking, while older adults exhibited greater α during slow walking. Both groups exhibited comparable gait adaptation to split-belt walking based on analysis of lower limb relative phase. Fractal dynamics during preferred speed and asymmetric walking was moderately associated with gait adaptation in the young and older adult cohorts, respectively. In these activity-matched groups, there were no age-based reductions in fractal dynamics or gait adaptation, and fractal scaling α was moderately associated with gait adaptation. These findings suggest that stride time fractal dynamics and gait adaptation may be preserved in older adults who habitually perform moderate intensity physical activity.
Climate Change A major cause of uncertainties in climate projections is our imprecise knowledge of how much warming should occur as a result of a given increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Paleoclimate records have the potential to help us sharpen that understanding because they record such a wide variety of environmental conditions. Tierney et al. review the recent advances in data collection, statistics, and modeling that might help us better understand how rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide will affect future climate.  Science , this issue p. [eaay3701][1]   [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aay3701
The coupling of the Higgs ( H ) boson to 3 rd generation fermions serves as a powerful tool for precision measurements of the Standard Model, but also as a probe for Beyond the Standard Model physics. The following article will review the latest Higgs to 3 rd generation fermion decay measurements from the ATLAS and CMS experiments, excluding direct ttH measurements, using LHC proton-proton collision data at √ s = 13 TeV. Particular emphasis is placed on the latest measurements of H → b ¯ b via associated vector boson production ( VH ) from ATLAS, an inclusive search for H → b ¯ b via gluon fusion ( gg F ) plus jet production from CMS, and a CP-invariance test using H → ττ via vector-boson fusion production (VBF).
Liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) data for the ternary system 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5-octafluoro-1-pentanol + ethanol + water have been reported at (298.15, 308.15, and 318.15) K and 0.1 MPa. The Bachman equation and the Hand equation were used to confirm the reliability of the experimental tie-line data. The experimental data were correlated by the nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL) model, for which the calculated results show good agreement with the ternary LLE data, and the binary interaction parameters of NRTL model were also regressed. Moreover, the distribution coefficients and separation factors in the ternary system were determined by the experimental data.
The first scientific publication on 'general adaption syndrome', or as we know today 'biologic stress' has been published in Nature in 1936 by the 29-year old Hans Selye. His results in that short publication that contained no references or illustrations, were based on experiments in rats that were exposed to severe insults/ stressors, but his idea about a 'nonspecific bodily response' originated from his observations of sick patients whom he had seen as a medical student and young clinician. Autopsy of stressed rats revealed three major, grossly visible changes: hyperemia and enlargement of the adrenals, atrophy of the thymus and lymph nodes as well as hemorrhagic gastric erosions/ulcers (the "stress triad"). Based on this and additional observations, he concluded that the key master organ in stress reactions is the adrenal cortex (although he also accepted the limited and short lasting effect of catecholamines released from the adrenal medulla) which stimulated by an increased secretion of ACTH, secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. He thus identified the first molecular mediators of the stress reaction, i.e., steroids released from the adrenal cortex that we call today glucocorticoids, based on his classification and naming of steroids. At the end of a very productive life in experimental medicine, Selye recognized that under both unpleasant and demanding stressors as well as positive, rewarding stimuli adrenal cortex releases the same glucocorticoids and only certain brain structures may distinguish the stimuli under distress and eustress - terms he introduced in 1974, that also contained his last definition of stress: the nonspecific response of the body on any demand on it. After brief description of the history of stress research, the rest of this review is focused on one element of stress triad, i.e., gastroduodenal ulceration, especially its pathogenesis, prevention and treatment. Following a short description of acute gastroprotection, discovered by one of Selye's students, we discuss new molecular mediators of gastroduodenal ulceration like dopamine and new drugs that either only heal (very potently, on molar basis) or prevent and heal ulcers like sucralfate derivatives and the relatively new peptide BPC-157. We conclude that despite the extensive and multidisciplinary research on stress during the last 80 years, a lot of basic and clinical research is needed to better understand the manifestations, central and peripheral molecular regulators of stress response, especially the modes of prevention/management of distress or its transformation into eustress and the treatment of stress-related diseases.
This work proposes a continuous user verification system based on unique human respiratory-biometric characteristics extracted from the off-the-shelf WiFi signals. Our system innovatively re-uses widely available WiFi signals to capture the unique physiological characteristics rooted in respiratory motions for continuous authentication. Different from existing continuous authentication approaches having limited applicable scenarios due to their dependence on restricted user behaviors (e.g., keystrokes and gaits) or dedicated sensing infrastructures, our approach can be easily integrated into any existing WiFi infrastructure to provide non-invasive continuous authentication independent of user behaviors. Specifically, we extract representative features leveraging waveform morphology analysis and fuzzy wavelet transformation of respiration signals derived from the readily available channel state information (CSI) of WiFi. A respiration-based user authentication scheme is developed to accurately identify users and reject spoofers. Extensive experiments involving 20 subjects demonstrate that the proposed system can achieve a high authentication success rate of over 93% and robustly defend against various types of attacks.
The technique to integrate the characteristic modes (CM) with the general asymptotic waveform evaluation (GAWE) is proposed for computing the radar cross section (RCS) of an arbitrarily shaped perfect electric conductor (PEC). In the analysis, a few CMs with smaller eigenvalue are chosen to construct the subspace of the solution of a matrix equation. Hence, the solution of the equation can be obtained by combining the based-vectors of the subspace with a set of coefficients, which is determined by GAWE at a given frequency. In addition, the criterion of the spectral radius is found in order that the subspace can be adaptively constructed. The comparison of the two kinds of methods of asymptotic waveform evaluation (AWE) is also given. Finally, the RCS for different PEC objects are computed. The numerical results prove that the novel technique with CM and GAWE (CMGAWE) is effective in widening the extrapolation range.
Many novice managers feel unprepared to handle some of the situations that occur as a daily part of their job. It is important to provide an environment through which novice managers can receive training and develop skills in effective communication in complex nursing environments. Simulation-based training can provide a safe, interactive way for new managers to develop their communication and leadership skills. This type of training allows novice managers to increase their confidence and improve their job satisfaction and their management skills.
The transcriptional co‐activator YAP controls cell proliferation, survival, and tissue regeneration in response to changes in the mechanical environment. It is not known how mechanical stimuli such as tension are sensed and how the signal is transduced to control YAP activity. Here, we show that the LIM domain protein TRIP6 acts as part of a mechanotransduction pathway at adherens junctions to promote YAP activity by inhibiting the LATS1/2 kinases. Previous studies showed that vinculin at adherens junctions becomes activated by mechanical tension. We show that vinculin inhibits Hippo signaling by recruiting TRIP6 to adherens junctions and stimulating its binding to and inhibition of LATS1/2 in response to tension. TRIP6 competes with MOB1 for binding to LATS1/2 thereby blocking MOB1 from recruiting the LATS1/2 activating kinases MST1/2. Together, these findings reveal a novel pathway that responds to tension at adherens junctions to control Hippo pathway signaling.
It is an old conjecture by P. Bankston that the category CompHaus of compact Hausdorff spaces and their continuous maps is not dually equivalent to any elementary P-class of finitary algebras (taken as a category with all homomorphisms between its members as maps), where elementary means defined by first order axioms, and a P-class is one closed under arbitrary (cartesian) products. One motivation for this conjecture is the fact that such a dual equivalence would make ultracopowers of compact Hausdorff spaces correspond to ultrapowers of finitary algebras, and one might expect this to have contradictory consequences. As a possible step towards proving his conjecture, Bankston [2] showed that no elementary SP-class of finitary algebras can be dually equivalent to CompHaus. However, it was subsequently proved in [1] that the same holds for any SP-class of finitary algebras, using an argument independent of ultrapowers.
Infertility in dairy cattle is a multifactorial problem that may be linked to follicle development and the quality of the ovulated oocyte, to sperm transport and fertilization, to the reproductive tract environment, or to a combination of these factors. Using a state-of-the-art endoscopic embryo transfer technique, the aim of this study was to compare the ability of the reproductive tract of postpartum dairy cows and nulliparous heifers to support the development of early embryos to the blastocyst stage. Bovine embryos of 2 to 4 cells (n=1,800) were produced by in vitro maturation and fertilization of oocytes derived from the ovaries of slaughtered cattle. The estrus cycles of nulliparous Holstein heifers (n=10) and postpartum Holstein cows (n=8, approximately 60 d postpartum) were synchronized using an 8-d controlled internal drug release device coupled with prostaglandin injection. On d 2, one hundred 2- to 4-cell embryos were endoscopically transferred to the oviduct ipsilateral to the corpus luteum. Five days later, on d 7, the oviduct and uterus were flushed nonsurgically to recover the embryos. The number of embryos developing to the blastocyst stage was recorded immediately at recovery and following overnight culture in vitro. A representative number of blastocysts from heifers and cows were stained to assess cell number. Progesterone concentrations were lower in cows than in heifers on d 5, 6, and 7 (d 7=2.39+/-0.33 vs. 5.34+/-0.77ng/mL, respectively). More embryos were recovered from heifers than cows (79.0+/-7.0 vs. 57.2+/-11.4%). Of the embryos recovered, 33.9+/-3.6% had developed to the blastocyst stage in the heifer oviduct compared with 18.3+/-7.9% in the postpartum cow oviduct. There was no evidence of a difference in blastocyst quality as evidenced by total cell number in the blastocysts (71.2+/-5.7 vs. 67.0+/-5.3, respectively). In conclusion, the reproductive tract of the postpartum lactating dairy cow may be less capable of supporting early embryo development than that of the nonlactating heifer, and this may contribute to the lower conception rates observed in such animals.
Ca²⁺ and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI(4,5)P₂] are key agents in membrane-associated signalling events. Their temporal and spatial regulation is crucial for activation or recruitment of proteins in the plasma membrane. In fact, the interaction of several signalling proteins with PI(4,5)P₂ has been shown to be tightly regulated and dependent on the presence of Ca²⁺, with co-operative binding in some cases. In these proteins, PI(4,5)P₂ and Ca²⁺ binding typically occurs at different binding sites. In addition, several PI(4,5)P₂-binding proteins are known targets of calmodulin (CaM), which, depending on the presence of calcium, can compete with PI(4,5)P₂ for protein interaction, translating Ca²⁺ transient microdomains into variations of PI(4,5)P₂ lateral organization in time and space. The present review highlights different examples of calcium-dependent PI(4,5)P₂-binding proteins and discusses the possible impact of this dual regulation on fine-tuning of protein activity by triggering target membrane binding in the presence of subtle changes in the levels of calcium or PI(4,5)P₂.
Cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 are a striking class of transmembrane proteins involved in a high number of important biological processes. In spite of the inherent similarity (40% in aminoacid sequence) these receptors are found in different cell environments. In addition to this, CB1 activity has been intimately associated with lipid rafts whereas CB2 has not. In this work we have performed a 50 nanosecond molecular dynamics simulation of the inactive conformations of both receptors inserted in a POPC lipid bilayer. Although in both cases the overall protein structure is maintained along the entire simulation we have found important differences in the protein-lipid interaction. While CB1 tends to distort the lipid bilayer regularity, especially in the extracellular moiety, CB2 has a minor influence on the lipid distribution along the plane of the bilayer. This observation is consistent with some experimental facts observed in these cannabinoid receptors with regard to lipid/protein interaction.
Abstract Ischemic stroke results from blocked arteries in the brain, with earlier thrombolysis with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and/or mechanical thrombectomy resulting in improved clinical outcomes. Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) can speed up the treatment with tPA and facilitate faster triage for patients to hospitals for mechanical thrombectomy. The first registry-based MSU study in Germany demonstrated faster treatment times with tPA using a MSU, a higher proportion of patients being treated within the first “golden hour,” and a suggestion of improved 3-month clinical outcomes. The first multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing MSU versus standard care was started in 2014 after the launch of the MSU in Houston, TX, demonstrating the feasibility and safety of MSU operation in the United States, and reliability of telemedicine to evaluate stroke patients for tPA eligibility. Although conclusive evidence from clinical trials to support MSUs as being cost effective and improving clinical outcomes is still needed, there are a myriad of other clinical and research applications of MSUs that could have profound implications for managing patients with neurological emergencies.
The collection of telephone databases, for training speech recognisers, is a time consuming and costly work. In the paper we propose a method for producing simulated telephone data starting from clean wide band databases. The result of the simulation is the generation of a noisy database that can be used, in addition to other techniques, for compensating or adapting speech recogniser parameters with respect to different test environments. For the first of the two adopted test sets, performance improvements ranging from about 30% to about 9% have been measured, as a function of the quantity of real telephone data used, in addition to the simulated ones, for system training. For the second test set no significant improvements were obtained.
This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 30747, “Tripping the Light Fantastic: When Three Become One,” by Euan Murdoch, SPE, Paul Day, and Steven Walduck, Weatherford, prepared for the 2020 Offshore Technology Conference, originally scheduled to be held in Houston, 4-7 May. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 Offshore Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission.  Typically, the completion of certain deepwater wells will necessitate the separate deployment of sandface, intermediate, and upper completions. What if this could be achieved in a single trip? In the simplest terms, completing in a single trip reduces the overall completion time by half and more. The complete paper describes the hurdles that have prevented single-trip installation of upper and lower completions in the complex world of subsea and deepwater applications and examines the processes, technologies, and risk-mitigation steps that took a concept from pilot to successful deployment.  Introduction  Almost universally in offshore operations, operators have elected to deploy completions in multiple trips. Simple completions on land are often deployed in a single-trip fashion, and the deployment of cemented single-trip gas-lift systems on platform locations in the Gulf of Thailand is commonplace. Subsea single-trip systems have been deployed in the Campos Basin; however, these tend to be relatively simple and in wells not requiring sand-control solutions. They typically consist of a safety valve, gas-lift mandrels, polished bore receptacle (PBR), production packer, and re-entry guide. At the time of writing, no one has run standalone screens as a single-trip system in deepwater applications.
17-OH and 17,20 lyase activities are mediated by cytochrome P450cl7. 17-OH deficiency is rare and only a few cases have been investigated at a molecular genetic level. A 14 y. o. female from rural Thailand was seen by one of us (PM) for fever and muscle weakness for 2 days. Birth and development were unremarkable. Findings included BP 170/120, pre-pubertal breasts, genitalia and axillae and symmetric muscle weakness. Laboratory findings included: Na 149, K 2.1, Cl 100, CO2 30, BUN 6, cortisol 1.0 μg/dl, LH 94 mIU/ml, FSH 99 mIU/L, undetectable aldosterone, testosterone and estraidiol and 46XX karyotype. Ultrasonography showed a prepubertal uterus with normal adrenals and kidneys. A 4-day IM ACTH test showed undetectable 24 h pregnenetriol, 0.9→0.4 mg/24 h pregnenediol, 1.4→3.0 mg/24 h 17KS and 7.6→8.0 mg/24 h 17OHCS. To prove the diagnosis of 17-OH deficiency, the patient's P450cl7 gene was amplified and sequenced by our PCR tactic (Lin et al J Biol Chem 266:15992, 1991). All sequencing was normal except for a 9 bp deletion in exon 8 that deletes the codons for residues 487-489 of P450c17. This deletion creates a BclI site (underlined) in the mutant allele that is absent in the normal, permitting the distinction between homo- and heterozygosity. PCR followed by BelI digestion showed the patient's lesion was homozygous, while the mother and two of three siblings were heterozygous, showing proper Mendelian segregation. This is the first report of this genetic lesion in 17-OH deficiency and the first report of any lesion in a Southeast Asian population.
Tendon tissue connects muscle to bone and plays crucial roles in stress transfer. Tendon injury remains a significant clinical challenge due to its complicated biological structure and poor self-healing capacity. The treatments for tendon injury have advanced significantly with the development of technology, including the use of sophisticated biomaterials, bioactive growth factors, and numerous stem cells. Among these, biomaterials that the mimic extracellular matrix (ECM) of tendon tissue would provide a resembling microenvironment to improve efficacy in tendon repair and regeneration. In this review, we will begin with a description of the constituents and structural features of tendon tissue, followed by a focus on the available biomimetic scaffolds of natural or synthetic origin for tendon tissue engineering. Finally, we will discuss novel strategies and present challenges in tendon regeneration and repair.
Conference actively to engage with the conflict in Northern Ireland, finally resulting in northern Catholic bishops convening their own talks in , while the southern civil service and prison service are contrasted unfavourably with the efficiency and courtesy of their northern counterparts. The latter chapters of the book are a cri de coeur for change in the Church: against episcopal elitism, for a policy of younger episcopal appointments, ending with a plea for rethinking clerical celibacy. Daly’s return to the parish work he so desperately missed, in the hospice in Derry, is presented as the pinnacle of his vocation, the calling for which his previous forty years in the priesthood had prepared him. Ministry, not administration, remained his touchstone. His observations in this volume, as in his previous memoir, will remain an essential source for historians seeking to understand the history of the Church in twentieth-century Ireland.
Growing evidence implicates that miRNAs can interact with long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) to regulate target mRNAs through competitive interactions. However, this mechanism that regulate tumorigenesis and cancer progression remains largely unexplored. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), which play a significant role in regulating gene expression. The purpose of our study was to determine potential lncRNA biomarkers to predict the prognosis of HCC by comprehensive analysis of a ceRNA network. The edgeR package was used to obtain the differentially expressed RNA datasets by analyzing 370 HCC tissues and 50 adjacent non-HCC tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Through investigating the differentially expressed between HCC tissues and adjacent non-HCC tissues, a total of 947 lncRNAs, 52 miRNAs, and 1,650 mRNAs were obtained. The novel constructed ceRNA network incorporated 99 HCC-specific lncRNAs, four miRNAs, and 55 mRNAs. Survival analysis identified 22 differentially expressed mRNAs, four miRNAs, and nine lncRNAs which were associated with overall survival (OS) time in HCC (p < 0.05), and further exploration was performed to assess the correlation of these differentially expressed genes with tumor stage. The Interpretation of the potential functions of these differentially expressed genes in HCC was realized by Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Seven lncRNAs were confirmed based on univariate Cox regression analysis, lasso COX regression analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis to construct a predictive model in HCC patients which were related to the prognosis of OS. In summary, ceRNAs contributed to explore the mechanism of tumorigenesis and development, and a model with seven lncRNAs might be potential biomarker to predict the prognosis of HCC. These findings supported the need to studies on the mechanisms involved in the regulation of HCC by ceRNAs.
The aim of this research was to characterize nata de taro from Talas Beneng (Xanthosoma undipes K. Koch) with different concentrations of Acetobacter xylinum and carbon source.Grated talas beneng was added 1 liters of water and settled for 24 hours until separated water and starch. The water was boiled, added 5% sucrose, 2% acetat acid, 1% urea, cooled to 25 o C than added concentration of Acetobacter xylinum with different level 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%. Nata formed on day 13 then analyzed yield, weight, hardness, organoleptic, crude fiber. The study of carbon source used A. xylinum concentration of 15% with each 5% of sucrose, glucose, and fructose than analyzed yield, thickness, dan crude fiber. The results showed that addition A. xylinum had effect characteristic of nata de taro. The higher concentration of A. xylinum tends to produce higher yield, thickness and organoleptic especially and texture and flavour. The addition of 25% concentration of A. xylinum was the highest yield and thickness as 30.98%, and 9.55 mm, then it has crude fiber 4.89% and hardness 0.1 mm/g.s, and organoleptic between 3.05-3,27 (enough preferred). The addition of source of carbon from sucrose was the higheryield and thickness than glucose and fructose as 41,6%, 0.90 cm. Keywords:Acetobacter xylinum, Nata, Talas Beneng
Deep compression refers to removing the redundancy of parameters and feature maps for deep learning models. Low-rank approximation and pruning for sparse structures play a vital role in many compression works. However, weight filters tend to be both low-rank and sparse. Neglecting either part of these structure information in previous methods results in iteratively retraining, compromising accuracy, and low compression rates. Here we propose a unified framework integrating the low-rank and sparse decomposition of weight matrices with the feature map reconstructions. Our model includes methods like pruning connections as special cases, and is optimized by a fast SVD-free algorithm. It has been theoretically proven that, with a small sample, due to its generalizability, our model can well reconstruct the feature maps on both training and test data, which results in less compromising accuracy prior to the subsequent retraining. With such a warm start to retrain, the compression method always possesses several merits: (a) higher compression rates, (b) little loss of accuracy, and (c) fewer rounds to compress deep models. The experimental results on several popular models such as AlexNet, VGG-16, and GoogLeNet show that our model can significantly reduce the parameters for both convolutional and fully-connected layers. As a result, our model reduces the size of VGG-16 by 15&#xd7;, better than other recent compression methods that use a single strategy.
Closed-loop control of diesel combustion is of great interest for improving conventional Diesel engine combustion as well as facilitating new combustion modes such as Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition and other low NOx regimes. Most generalized feedback control systems that can be applied to this problem require a reference or set-point which the control attempts to achieve. Diesel engines are well known for having many degrees of freedom which poses a problem in generating valid set-points for all possible conditions encountered in practice. This problem is compounded by the fact that these set-points are usually determined in steady state operation further limiting the space where set-points can be defined. Kernel-based methods are applied to this problem as a method of generating valid setpoints when operating in regions outside of the space where set-points are defined. This is most useful during transient conditions where conditions such as exhaust gas recycle level, manifold air flow, and fuel mass are far from the steady state values.© 2009 ASME
Echocardiography is a very powerful diagnostic tool. However, the acquired images are often noisy and difficult to interpret. One well-known technique for image-enhancement is to apply predefined gray-level intensity transformations, or brightness transfer functions (BTFs). This paper presents an innovative algorithm, called ABTF (adaptive brightness transfer function), designed to optimally determine the gray-levels used for each specific echocardiographic cine-loop. The algorithm applies automatic segmentation to the initial gray-level histogram, based on curve fitting to the sum of three Gaussian functions, each of which is correlated to a different tissue type. A different procedure is applied to each segment. The ABTF algorithm has been tested on 23 cine-loops from 10 different patients, with varying degrees of echogenicity. The results are clearly superior to the original images, with a much better contrast and richer gray-levels within the cardiac muscle.
This study investigated the role of an early educational intervention and child-, family-, peer-, and school-level predictors on court-reported juvenile delinquency. Data were provided from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, an ongoing investigation of the scholastic and social development of more than 1,500 low-income youths (93% of whom were African American). Preschool intervention was associated with reductions in the incidence, frequency, and severity of juvenile delinquency by age 18. Childhood classroom adjustment, special education placement for an emotional or behavioral disorder, and school mobility were also predictive of delinquency outcomes, as were gender and family and environmental risk status. Findings demonstrate the importance of early intervention and schooling factors in reducing delinquency and highlight the benefits of early intervention as one mechanism for delinquency prevention. KEY WORDS: childhood risk factors; early intervention; juvenile delinquency ********** Juvenile delinquency is often treated through a myriad child-oriented programs and services that attempt to decrease the likelihood of recidivism. This treatment paradigm has been a consistent fixture of the juvenile justice system for more than 100 years, since the birth of the juvenile court in Cook County, Illinois, in 1899. Although the intent of the juvenile court has shifted over the years from policies focused on the best interests of the child to the best interests of the public, its goals have remained the same: to intervene in the trajectories of youths after they have already engaged in delinquent acts (Feld, 1999; Tonry, 1998). This strategy has been associated with high costs and relatively low effectiveness (Feld; Tonry). In response to the treatment-oriented policies of juvenile crime control, primary prevention programs have been offered as an alternative approach to reducing negative developmental outcomes. Primary preventions have been defined as interventions that promote well-being and prevent future problems. Primary programs contrast with secondary and tertiary programs that are timed during or after a problem has manifested (Durlak, 1997). Early educational interventions, such as Head Start, have been devised as primary prevention programs to increase cognitive and academic functioning, and they have the potential to influence outcomes in other domains as well, including delinquency and crime (Barnett, 1995). PREDICTING JUVENILE DELINQUENCY Through extant research, a framework for predicting juvenile delinquency has been developed and includes four categories of predictor variables: early antisocial behavior, individual-level attributes of the child, family attributes, and social characteristics of both the child and the family (Lipsey & Derzon, 1998). Focus on these predictor domains has greatly added to the literature, especially as they help to identify the developmental trajectories of youths. However, these four domains are limited in identifying the contribution of intervention to delinquency prediction. Findings from the current study attempt to apply the structure of the existing prediction model and expand its scope to include both early intervention experiences and the early and later educational experiences that influence the social and behavioral development of youths. The inclusion of an intervention component in a large-scale longitudinal study is a unique contribution to the literature on the causes and correlates of juvenile delinquency. Evidence presented in this article uses an evaluation of a large-scale early educational intervention to examine the relation between program participation and lower rates of juvenile delinquency through age 18 in a high-risk low-income urban sample. This study also examined the contribution of child-developed abilities and social competence; family factors, including child maltreatment and parental involvement; and school-level risk and protective factors above and beyond preschool participation. …
This study introduces a comparative analysis of two deep learning (multilayer perceptron neural networks (MLP-NN) and the long short term memory networks (LSTMN)) models for transit travel time prediction. The two models were trained and tested using one-year worth of data for a bus route in Blacksburg, Virginia. In this study, the travel time was predicted between each two successive stations to all the model to be extended to include bus dwell times. Additionally, two additional models were developed for each category (MLP of LSTM): one for only segments including controlled intersections (controlled segments) and another for segments with no control devices along them (uncontrolled segments). The results show that the LSTM models outperform the MLP models with a RMSE of 17.69 sec compared to 18.81 sec. When splitting the data into controlled and uncontrolled segments, the RMSE values reduced to 17.33 sec for the controlled segments and 4.28 sec for the uncontrolled segments when applying the LSTM model. Whereas, the RMSE values were 19.39 sec for the controlled segments and 4.67 sec for the uncontrolled segments when applying the MLP model. These results demonstrate that the uncertainty in traffic Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 9 April 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202104.0269.v1 © 2021 by the author(s). Distributed under a Creative Commons CC BY license. Osman, O. A.; H. Rakha, and A. Mittal 2 conditions introduced by traffic control devices has a significant impact on travel time predictions. Nonetheless, the results demonstrate that the LSTMN is a promising tool that can has the ability to account for the temporal correlation within the data. The developed models are also promising tools for reasonable travel time predictions in transit applications.
Background We physically interact with external stimuli when they occur within a limited space immediately surrounding the body, i.e., Peripersonal Space (PPS). In the primate brain, specific fronto-parietal areas are responsible for the multisensory representation of PPS, by integrating tactile, visual and auditory information occurring on and near the body. Dynamic stimuli are particularly relevant for PPS representation, as they might refer to potential harms approaching the body. However, behavioural tasks for studying PPS representation with moving stimuli are lacking. Here we propose a new dynamic audio-tactile interaction task in order to assess the extension of PPS in a more functionally and ecologically valid condition. Methodology/Principal Findings Participants vocally responded to a tactile stimulus administered at the hand at different delays from the onset of task-irrelevant dynamic sounds which gave the impression of a sound source either approaching or receding from the subject’s hand. Results showed that a moving auditory stimulus speeded up the processing of a tactile stimulus at the hand as long as it was perceived at a limited distance from the hand, that is within the boundaries of PPS representation. The audio-tactile interaction effect was stronger when sounds were approaching compared to when sounds were receding. Conclusion/Significance This study provides a new method to dynamically assess PPS representation: The function describing the relationship between tactile processing and the position of sounds in space can be used to estimate the location of PPS boundaries, along a spatial continuum between far and near space, in a valuable and ecologically significant way.
The facial laceration test has been proposed as an addition to the dummy injury criteria of Federal motor vehicle safety standard 208. To better understand laceration conditions as they actually occur, three road crashes of increasing severity, all involving facial laceration by the broken (cracked) windshield and one involving partial ejection, have been simulated physically and analytically. The physical simulations used vehicle test bucks, the hybrid III head with the chamois facial coverings of the facial laceration test, and a piston-constrained head impactor. Computer simulations of the three crashes were also carried out using the calspan 3d "cvs" and the 2d "drisim" computer programs. The computer simulations provide insight into the effective mass of the head and body on windshield contact, and the forces, velocities, and accelerations involved. The computer simulations show how the impact velocity and effective mass of the head can be much higher than expected, due to body kinematics and loading of the head by the body during windshield contact. These simulations help explain accidents in which the windshield was broken by head contact in a 7.5 km/hr (5 mph) crash, and in which the head was partially ejected in a 21 km/hr (13 mph) crash.(Author/TRRL)
Recently, generalised pressure transfer functions (TFF) have been proposed to estimate central aorta pressure and pulse pressure (PP/sub ao/) from non-invasive carotid (TFF/sub c-a/) and radial (TFF/sub r-a/) pressure recordings. In this study, the authors investigate whether (i) both TFF yield the same PP/sub ao/; (ii) PP/sub ao/ is significantly different from PP/sub car/; (iii) differences are significant for the estimation of total arterial compliance using the Pulse Pressure Method (PPM). Therefore, ECG, radial and carotid artery pressure (Millar tonometer) and aortic flow (Doppler) were measured in 9 controls (34+/-5 yr) and 14 patients (62+/-12 yr.). In both patients and controls, TFF/sub c-a/ gave significantly lower estimates (10%) for PP/sub ao/ than TFF/sub r-a/. In controls, the authors found no difference between PP/sub CAR/ and PP/sub ao/ computed using TFF/sub r-a/; in patients, there was no difference between PP/sub car/ and PP/sub ao/ computed with TFF/sub c-a/. The observed differences in computed PP were reflected in the compliance estimates using PPM. Although small, the discrepancy between PP/sub ao/ predicted by TFF/sub r-a/ and TFF/sub c-a/ illustrates the need for more individualised transfer functions. Meanwhile, the carotid pulse pressure is probably the overall best estimate for PP/sub ao/.
Oxidants are one class of inflammatory molecules that may contribute to an increase in epithelial permeability to water and solutes that commonly occurs during acute inflammation. We and others have observed that oxidants reversibly alter the paracellular conductance of Madin Darby canine kidney epithelial (MDCK) cell monolayers. The mechanism by which oxidants reversibly alter MDCK monolayer conductance is not yet fully understood. Some investigators have suggested that oxidants might alter MDCK monolayer paracellular conductance by depleting adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the cells. When we exposed MDCK cells to doses of oxidants that increased monolayer paracellular conductance in earlier studies, ATP was depleted within 10 min. However, when ATP was depleted to similar levels with an inhibitor of glycolytic ATP production, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (DOG), monolayer paracellular conductance was not increased. Severe ATP depletion with DOG and the mitochondrial metabolic inhibitor, antimycin A (AA), had very limited, ATP-independent effects on paracellular conductance. As an alternative explanation for the effects of oxidants on MDCK monolayer paracellular conductance, we had reported that oxidants increased production of inositol phosphates and diglycerides in MDCK cells. Synthetic diglyceride and phorbol dibutyrate (PDBU) increased MDCK monolayer conductance to ions and mannitol in earlier studies. When MDCK cell ATP was depleted with DOG (to the level caused by oxidants), the increase in conductance following PDBU was not different from that observed in control cells. More severe ATP depletion, with DOG and AA, prevented the increase in conductance following PDBU.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Abstract Irisin is produced by a proteolytic cleavage of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5) and has emerged as a potential mediator of exercise-induced energy metabolism. The purpose of this study was to review the results of studies that investigated irisin responses to acute and chronic exercise and provide an update. A comprehensive search in the databases of MEDLINE was performed (74 exercise studies). The focus of the analysis was on data concerning FNDC5 mRNA expression in skeletal muscle and circulating irisin concentration relatively to exercise mode, intensity, frequency and duration and the characteristics of the sample used. Circulating irisin levels may either not relate to FNDC5 transcription or expression of the later precedes irisin rise in the blood. Acute speed/strength and endurance exercise protocols represent potent stimuli for irisin release if they are characterized by adequate intensity and/or duration. There are no reports regarding irisin responses to field sport activities. Although animal studies suggest that irisin may also respond to systematic exercise training, the majority of human studies has produced contradictory results. Certain methodological issues need to be considered here such as the analytical assays used to measure irisin concentration in the circulation. Results may also be affected by subjects’ age, conditioning status and exercise intensity. The role of irisin as a moderator of energy metabolism during exercise remains to be seen.
ABSTRACT The optimal fluence for treating hirsutism with the diode laser has not been elucidated. The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the satisfaction and side effects of patients who have been treated with two diode laser therapy techniques: high-fluence and low-fluence. In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of 182 patients referred to Yazd Laser center were collected. Various side effects of laser therapy were assessed, and the satisfaction rate of the patients was evaluated at three points: after the first session, at the end of the treatment course, and six months after the end of the treatment. The satisfaction level after the first session of the laser treatment was higher with the low-fluence technique (P-value<0.001). The satisfaction level at the end of treatment was the same in the two groups (P-value = 0.394). However, six months after the treatment, satisfaction level was significantly higher with the low-fluence technique (P-value = 0.005). The rate of complications, such as burn and pain, was higher in the high-fluence group, while the number of treatment sessions was lower with the high-fluence technique. The low-fluence method of laser therapy has fewer complications associated with greater patient satisfaction.
In this paper, we introduce a novel predict-and-optimize method for profit-driven churn prevention. We frame the task of targeting customers for a retention campaign as a regret minimization problem. The main objective is to leverage individual customer lifetime values (CLVs) to ensure that only the most valuable customers are targeted. In contrast, many profit-driven strategies focus on churn probabilities while considering average CLVs. This often results in significant information loss due to data aggregation. Our proposed model aligns with the guidelines of Predict-and-Optimize (PnO) frameworks and can be efficiently solved using stochastic gradient descent methods. Results from 12 churn prediction datasets underscore the effectiveness of our approach, which achieves the best average performance compared to other well-established strategies in terms of average profit.
Aiming at the low accuracy of vehicle image retrieval algorithm based on deep learning, an improved vehicle image classification retrieval model based on convolutional neural network is proposed. According to the complexity of the car image, using convolution neural network to extract the image features from Stanford Cars Dataset database, and use a local feature aggregation descriptor (vector of locally aggregated descriptors, VLAD) to represent a picture. Finally, SVM is used to classify the image of the car. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional visual feature classification algorithm, the accuracy of the model is higher and the retrieval effect is better.
The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida Murray) is a serious threat to beekeeping and crops that rely on honeybees for pollination. The small hive beetle not only causes significant damage to honeybees by feeding on pollen and honey, attacking bee brood and causing stored honey to ferment, but also might serve as a vector of diseases. In addition, the small hive beetle has developed resistance to the pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides registered for control of honeybee pests in the United States. The development of resistance in small hive beetle populations is a great concern to the beekeeping industry; thus, there is an urgent need for strategies to manage that resistance. Therefore, we used synergist probes to determine the mechanisms of resistance in a small hive beetle population to these insecticides. Our studies on the toxicity of insecticides alone or with the synergists piperonyl butoxide (PBO) and S,S,S,-tributyl phosphorotrithionate (DEF) suggested that mixed-function oxidases and esterases were the major resistance factors to these insecticides in a studied population of the small hive beetle. In contrast, there was no synergism with diethyl maleate (DEM), triphenyl phosphate (TPP) and formamidine. Therefore, glutathione-S-transferase, carboxylesterase and target site were not involved in insecticide resistance in the small hive beetle. Rotation of classes of insecticides (with different modes of action) and metabolic synergists were suggested for the development of successful resistance management programs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the mechanisms of resistance in small hive beetle populations in Florida and suggests an urgent need for alternative control strategies for these serious pests of honeybee colonies.
The passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) was a momentous occasion for minority voters in the United States, and its positive effects could be measured immediately. However, when Section 4 of the VRA was declared unconstitutional in Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the ability of the VRA to continue its protection of minority voters was called into question. We argue that the VRA is still necessary and propose an administrative notification system that could fix the issues with Sections 4 and 5.
This paper presents an approach that can be used to measure height of driver’s eyes and rear position lamps from a video, i.e., two important metrics used to set sight distance standards. This data plays an important role in the definition of geometric design of highways and streets. Our method automatically estimates the camera pose with respect to the road. It then requires selecting two points to obtain the height. New vehicles tend to be higher and larger. Consequently, this information shoud be updated. This approach has been applied on a large panel of vehicles. Our method was evaluated on vehicle height measurements. Our results suggest that our method achieves less than 1.8 cm (0.7 in) mean absolute error. Our experiments show an increase in the height of driver’s eyes and taillights.
Injection sclerotherapy is now the accepted first line treatment for bleeding oesophageal varices, although it is associated with an impressive list of rare complications. The main problem concerns the strategy for uncontrollable or recurrent bleeding. Patients with uncontrolled bleeding may be referred for surgery after considerable blood loss and are then extremely difficult to assess. The effects of blood loss on liver function can lead to an unduly pessimistic assessment of liver status. An effective choice of emergency surgical procedure may require considerable surgical expertise. Oesophageal transection and devascularisation are satisfactory for many patients with oesophageal varices secondary to cirrhosis and should nearly always control bleeding. Difficulties arise in patients who are grossly obese and in those who have undergone extensive surgery in the upper abdomen. Problems may also be encountered in those treated by repeated sclerotherapy, which may have caused severe inflammatory change and thickening around the lower oesophagus and upper stomach. We believe that an emergency mesocaval shunt using either a vein graft or a synthetic material such as polytetrafluoroethylene is the procedure of choice for this difficult group of very sick patients. The surgical exposure is satisfactory and not unduly prolonged in even the largest patients and the technique does not interfere with any subsequent transplant operation. There is a greater choice in the management of the patient with less urgent bleeding from recurrent varices after sclerotherapy. Repeat sclerotherapy may be effective for small oesophageal varices while liver transplantation may be indicated in the patient with deteriorating liver function. A selective distal splenorenal shunt should be considered for patients with intact splenic and left renal veins and a mesocaval vein graft for the remainder. We would therefore suggest that surgery should still be considered for the management of portal hypertension, particularly in the following circumstances: (1) Uncontrollable bleeding during the initial course of sclerotherapy; (2) Life threatening haemorrhage from recurrent varices; (3) Bleeding from ectopic varices not accessible to sclerotherapy; (4) Uncontrollable bleeding from oesophageal ulceration secondary to injection sclerotherapy; (5) Severe, symptomatic hypersplenism; (6) For patients who live in communities remote from blood transfusion facilities and adequate medical care. The management of the complications of portal hypertension continues to pose problems. We believe that the best results should come from a combined management approach using injection sclerotherapy as primary treatment and surgery for complications and for haemorrhage from unusual anatomical sites.
This article reports on two related studies carried out to link the State examination of Dutch as a second language to the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR). In the first study, key persons from institutions for higher education were asked to determine the minimally required language level of beginning students. In the second study, a standard setting method is used to determine whether examinees who pass the state examination are at the required level. This amounts to an evaluation of the current cutscores in relation to the CEFR. The results of the examinations for speaking and writing are reported.
MiRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules that are often aberrantly over- or underexpressed in tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Due to their capacity to regulate and thus fine-tune the expression of multiple target genes relevant in tumorigenesis,tumor progression, angiogenesis, metastasis and sensitivity towards chemotherapy, they influence various pivotal cellular processes with prognostic and therapeutic relevance in CRC.This review provides a comprehensive overview of miRNAs with established functional relevance in colorectal cancer, their established target genes and the resulting cellular and pathological phenotype(s). Furthermore, approaches towards therapeutic miRNA-based intervention are discussed. Those include viral or non-viral approaches of miRNA replacement therapy in the case of tumor-suppressing miRNAs, and multiple strategies for the inhibition of oncogenic miRNAs. Beyond the analysis of the functional relevance of a given miRNA as target molecule or a miRNA-based drug, several studies in preclinical in vivo models are described that provide the basis for possible future therapeutic intervention in man.
STUDY OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to analyze season of birth effects on preferred sleep-wake cycle timing as assessed by Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ).   PARTICIPANTS AND MEASUREMENTS The MEQ was administered to a sample of 5,720 university students (3,851 Italians and 1,869 Spaniards; 3,877 female and 1,843 male; mean age 22.23 +/- 2.98 years).   RESULTS Females preferred to go to bed significantly earlier and sleep longer than males, regardless of season of birth and nationality. Subjects born in spring and summer went to bed and reached midpoint of sleep later than subjects born in fall and winter. Nationality significantly affected all the sleep parameters considered except duration.   CONCLUSION Overall, the effect of the season of birth on sleep preference timing was significant but quantitatively small. We suggest an evolutionary context for the different contributions of genetic and environmental factors in modulating sleep-wake cycles in humans.
Many physiological activities such as cell survival, proliferation, defense, adaptation, and metabolism need to consume energy. Hepatoma cells can quickly start stress responses like multidrug resistance (MDR) requiring adenosine triphosphate (ATP) consumption after administration of chemotherapeutics. We employed CCK-8 assay to evaluate cell viability and the flow cytometry to confirm apoptosis and necrosis. ELISA kit was used to determine intracellular levels of ATP in lysates. Western blot was employed to analyze the expressions of key enzymes involved in energy metabolism. We found that doxorubicin (DOX) potently stimulated apoptosis at a low dose and even induced necrosis at a high dose in SMMC-7721. DHZCP combined with DOX at low or middle dose enhanced the synergistic antihepatoma effect. Results indicated that Dahuang Zhechong Pill (DHZCP) inhibited the expressions of several key enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation and reduced intracellular ATP levels. The combination of DHZCP with DOX reversed the elevation of intracellular ATP levels, and a significantly synergistic antitumor effect was observed. DHZCP could not only strengthen the therapeutic effects of chemotherapeutic drugs but also decrease the doses of chemotherapeutic drugs and the incidences of adverse reactions, providing novel strategies for clinical treatment of liver cancer.
A boy with trigonocephaly, cleft palate, multiple minor anomalies, flexion deformities of elbows, cryptorchidism, and severe muscular hypotonia had an unbalanced karyotype with duplication of the distal 17q and deletion of the tip of 2p. This was derived from a reciprocal translocation in the father, 46,XY,t(2;17)(p25;q24). The propositus had some findings observed in patients with distal dup(17q), while trigonocephaly not found in these patients may be associated with the terminal deletion of 2p including the locus of SOX11 gene. It is proposed that the major clinical findings of this patient are consistent with the phenotype characteristic of the Opitz “C” trigonocephaly syndrome. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Three methods for estimating maintenance dosage requirements of imipramine were compared retrospectively in 146 enuretic patients. The dosing methods evaluated included individual (serum levels data) and/or population (average pharmacokinetic parameter) information. The use of imipramine and desipramine serum concentrations, as opposed to average population parameters only, improved forecast precision and accuracy for dosage individualization. The clinical acceptability of this was achieved through knowledge of a single serum concentration. No significant differences were seen between non‐linear regression and the Bayesian method, this is in agreement with the high contribution of the patient's data to the Bayesian fitting (FF = 0.8). When one or two serum level data were available, a better performance was obtained by estimating pharmacokinetic parameters than level:dose ratios.
tization in adolescents and association with ear piercing, use of dental braces and hand eczema. Acta Derm Venereol. 2002;82(5):359-364. 4. Thyssen JP, Skare L, Lundgren L, et al. Sensitivity and specificity of the nickel spot (dimethylglyoxime) test. Contact Dermatitis. 2010;62 (5):279-288. 5. Ahlström MG, Thyssen JP, Wennervaldt M, Menné T, Johansen JD. Nickel allergy and allergic contact dermatitis: A clinical review of immunology, epidemiology, exposure, and treatment. Contact Dermatitis. 2019;81(4):227-241. 6. Khan MR, Khan MM. Effect of varying concentration of nickel and cobalt on the plant growth and yield of chickpea. Austral J Basic Appl Sci. 2010;4(6):1036-1046. 7. Guarneri F, Costa C, Cannavò SP, et al. Release of nickel and chromium in common foods during cooking in 18/10 (grade 316) stainless steel pots. Contact Dermatitis. 2017;76(1):40-48. 8. Torres F, das Graças M, Melo M, Tosti A. Management of contact dermatitis due to nickel allergy: an update. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2009;2(2):39-48. 9. Gokalp H, Kaya K. Angioedema-like allergic contact dermatitis related to black henna. Dermatology. 2014;20(2):16. 10. Sánchez-Guerrero IM, Huertas AJ, López MP, Carreño A, Ramírez M, Pajarón M. Angioedema-like allergic contact dermatitis to castor oil. Contact Dermatitis. 2010;62 (5):318–319. 11. Tukenmez Demirci G, Kivanc Altunay I, Atis G, Kucukunal A. Allergic contact dermatitis mimicking angioedema due to paraphenylendiamine hypersensitivity: a case report. Cutan Ocular Toxicol. 2012;31(3):250-252.
Abstract In many engineering applications, a material behaviour, e.g. hyperelasticity, is described by appropriate constitutive models. These often lead to uncertainty due to heterogeneity of materials. As a key idea, materials are described by uncertain parameters, which may be modelled by different uncertainty approaches. In an experimental investigation, 40 specimens are used for parameter identification of an Ogden model for rubber like materials in order to quantify the uncertainty of the material parameters. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of the material parameters including their correlations is studied. The first part of this work is directed to epistemic uncertainty in the framework of constitutive models, which is taken into account by a fuzzy approach. An underlying min-max optimisation problem is approximated by α-level discretisation, where solutions are obtained with simple constraints. The second part of this work is directed to aleatoric uncertainty in the framework of constitutive models, which is taken into account by a stochastic approach, where hyperelastic stochastic material parameters are expanded with a multivariate polynomial chaos expansion. As a numerical example, a static problem for uniaxial tension of a rectangular plate is considered to demonstrate the versatility of the proposed fuzzy and stochastic approach.
ABSTRACT The perforated number is an important anti-counterfeiting technique widely used in recent years in security document for protecting document number from being forged. However, forgery detection of perforated number is still made by means of manual inspection, which is not only time-consuming but also error-prone. In this paper, we propose an automatic method for verifying the authenticity of perforated number by analysing the shape of the perforated holes and their alignments in horizontal and vertical direction. First, the image with perforated number is captured by the 10–20× optical zoom, and then the perforated holes are segmented by the maximum between-cluster variance. Second, each perforated hole is labelled by the connected component analysis and then fitted as a circle using the least-squares method for determining the parameters of each hole. Lastly, we propose two criteria to verify the authenticity of the perforated number. One is the new defined roundness measurement called local feature, which is denoted by computing the distance between the contour of the perforated hole and its fitted circle. The other is the measurement of the alignments of all perforated holes in horizontal and vertical direction, which is called global feature. The alignments are determined by means of K-means clustering method. The experimental results show that the proposed method has the correct detection rate over 92%, which means the proposed method is an effective method for recognising the authenticity of the perforated number for security document.
In 2009 a greenhouse experiment was conducted to determine the effects of boron (B) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) on wheat (Triticum aestivum spp. vulgare cv ‘Bezostiya’) and barley (Hordeum vulgare cv ‘Tokak’) on plant growth, freezing injury, and antioxidant enzyme capacity. Results showed that boron (0, 1, 3, 6, 9 kg B ha−1) and PGPR application (Bacillus megaterium M3, Bacillus subtilis OSU142, Azospirillum brasilense Sp245 and Raoultella terrigena) at which 50% of leaves were injured (LT50) values and ice nucleation activities in both plants were found statistically significant. Boron application with all PGPR strains decreased LT50 values in wheat and barley plants under noncold stress (NCS) and cold stress conditions (CS). There were statistically significant differences between bacterial inoculation and B fertilizer in terms of root and shoot dry weight under NCS and CS conditions. Reactive oxidative oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT) were negatively affected CS conditions and decreased with reduced temperatures of media, but B and PGPR applications alleviated the low-temperature deleterious effects in both plants species tested. The lowest ROS and antioxidant enzyme (SOD, POD, CAT) of wheat and barley were observed with 6 kg B ha−1 with R. terrigena.
To provide the stable and continuous network services in cases of large-scale natural disasters, computers must use extremely limited network and computational resources effectively without imposing additional administrative burdens. The authors propose a P2P Information Sharing System for affected areas based on our proposed structured P2P network called the Well-distribution Algorithm for an Overlay Network WAON. By applying the WAON framework, the system configures the P2P network autonomously using the remaining nodes, and achieves load balancing dynamically without additional network maintenance costs. Therefore, the system can perform well in an unstable network environment such as that during a disaster. The authors designed and implemented the system and evaluated its overall system behavior and performance in simulations assuming the real scenario of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Results show that the authors' system can distribute safety confirmation information of victims efficiently among the remaining nodes.
A near-surface velocity map is derived, using data from active shots, acquired in the frame of a surface microseismic survey, targeting the Fayetteville shale formation. This near-surface velocity map shows strong velocity variations with velocities ranging from a few hundreds of metres per second to approximately 1500 m/s. The visibility of the S-wave expression on the vertical component of surface geophones was investigated. It was found that only one-third of the events showed a visible S-wave arrival, and this arrival was below the level of noise for the other two-thirds of the events. When the S-wave is observed, it is seen preferentially in areas where near-surface velocities are larger and attenuation is lower. The use of only P-waves appears to be widespread in surface microseismic processing. This study suggests, through the derivation of a near-surface velocity map, that near-surface attenuation could be one factor justifying this approach.
Nine zone diagram is commonly used to keep voltage stability and reactive voltage balance by changing reactive power compensation equipment or the transformer tap in the substation. In this paper, the principles of voltage and reactive power control based on nine zone diagram are reviewed, and then the control effect of reactive power compensation and transformer tap with different types of load model is analyzed. In the end, the effect of six different types of load on voltage control is simulated, and the results show that: the change trend of voltage or reactive power is roughly the same when changing reactive power compensation; the change trend of the voltage is roughly the same, but the change trend of reactive power has great difference when changing transformer tap.
The exposure to hazards associated with electrical arcing phenomena when working on energized equipment is a topic of significant interest to industrial plant personnel. This article provides an overview of the current arc-flash standards, focusing on the methods used to calculate incident energy levels in a system. A thorough sensitivity analysis of the arc-flash hazard incident energy calculations currently adopted by the IEEE 1584 standard leads to some possible conservative simplification of the equations. These simple equations could be used for a quick first-cut assessment of the incident energy levels present in a system. A case study using data from a typical petrochemical application provides a comparison of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E and IEEE 1584 arc-flash incident energy equations and the results obtained using the proposed simplified calculations.
We have employed high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) (in ultrahigh vacuum) to investigate the band gap of the novel semiconductor BC2N by measuring electronic excitations from the valence band to the conduction band. Angle-resolved HREELS allows the observation of transitions which are not vertical in k space, and the measurements indicate an indirect band structure, even though this material emits visible photoluminescence. The results also reconcile scanning tunneling microscopy and photoluminescence measurements for the system.
Litho rule checking (LRC) is now an established component in the mask synthesis flow. Yet the requirements placed on LRC have grown as process complexity has increased. At 45nm and beyond, new techniques are required to thoroughly and efficiently evaluate a layout for potential lithographic problems. This paper examines new modeling and checking techniques which improve the detection of lithographic errors. For more thorough error detection across a wider range of process points, a process window technique provides checking of potential lithographic errors at nine different process points. To better detect potential pinches or bridges induced by deep sub-wavelength lithography, a technique which identifies problems regardless of orientation is used. These techniques provide more thorough checking, both better accuracy and improved runtime performance across the complete process window.
We present a deep [O III] λλ4959,5007 image of the northern filamentary jet in the Crab Nebula taken with the 8.2-m Subaru telescope. Using this image and an image taken with the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) 4-m in 1988, we have computed proper motions for 35 locations in the jet. The results suggest that when compared to the main body of the remnant, the jet experienced less outward acceleration from the central pulsar’s rapidly expanding synchrotron nebula. The jet’s apparent expansion rate yields an undecelerated explosion date for the Crab Nebula of 1055 ± 24 CE, a date much closer to the appearance of the historic 1054 CE guest star than the 1120–1140 CE dates estimated in previous studies using filaments located within the remnant’s main nebula. Our proper motion measurements suggest the jet likely formed during the 1054 supernova explosion and represents the remnant’s highest velocity knots possibly associated with a suspected N–S bipolar outflow from the supernova explosion.
To investigate the trend of HIV/AIDS and care of people affected by AIDS in Sub-Haran Africa. The method adopted in this paper was a descriptive analysis of the HIV epidemiology in Sub-Saharan Africa based on the valid research from different perspective about HIV and AIDS in the study region. The data used were through the report of Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), Society for Family Health (SFH) and National Youth Service Corps HIV Community Service Group, Benue, Nigeria. The vast majority of people living with HIV are located in low- and middle income countries, with an estimated 68% living in sub-Saharan Africa. The success story of dropping in the prevalent is a reality of the national bodies assisting the country to see how zero prevalent HIV and AIDS is real. This target is to achieve 90-90-90 vision in which 79-78-86 had been achieved on the global trend. The effort of peer educator trainers, awareness HIV/AIDS on radio and television programme and through other stake holders who are working towards ending the AIDS epidemic has been the secret behind the compliance of Benue people towards spreading of AIDS’ news and not the virus which has result into the dropping of the AIDS prevalent in Benue State from the number one to two.
Here we report the preparation and characterization of a green composite based on high-density polyethylene and Kaans grass (Saccharum spontaneum). The composites were prepared by conventional melt-mixing method, using maximum loading of Kaans grass in powder form (KG-filler) to achieve acceptable range of required properties. Maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene was used as compatibilizer to achieve effective interaction for improved surface adhesion which was confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Morphological studies revealed good interaction between the base polymer matrices and the KG-fillers that improved the mechanical and thermal properties of the composites up to certain (10 phr) KG-filler loading. Study on water absorption property revealed moderate increase in weight at higher KG-filler loadings. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and melt flow index (MFI) studies indicated retention of thermal stability and flow property of the HDPE/KG-filler composite at lower filler loadings. POLYM. COMPOS., 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
Radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF) develops months to years after initial radiation exposure. RIF occurs when normal fibroblasts differentiate into myofibroblasts and lay down aberrant amounts of extracellular matrix proteins. One of the main drivers for developing RIF is reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated immediately after radiation exposure. Generation of ROS is known to induce epigenetic changes and cause differentiation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts. Several antioxidant compounds have been shown to prevent radiation-induced epigenetic changes and the development of RIF. Therefore, reviewing the ROS-linked epigenetic changes in irradiated fibroblast cells is essential to understand the development and prevention of RIF.
The existing so-called semantic XML document clustering algorithms usually use a synonymous word library to calculate semantic similarities among XML documents. However, when people create their own XML documents, they name the element randomly and often use lots of abbreviations. Many tags are not real words at all. The XML documents created by different people may appear very different from each other even if they describe the same object. The traditional methods do not work well in such case. To address the problem, we proposed a novel similarity measure standard based on data-type tree, a model integrating data types and tags of XML documents. A clustering algorithm DT2K-means is also proposed to cluster XML documents. Empirical experiment results on real world data sets show DT2K-means can group the semantic similar XML documents together correctly, which contain different tags but describe the same object.
Shadowy Banking is financial activity that is engineered to extract implicit subsidies from government safety nets. It substitutes innovative corporate entities and products for activities that could be performed more straightforwardly within a traditional banking firm. The shadows obscure organizational forms and transactions strategies that circumvent regulatory restraints and extract subsidies by regulation-induced innovation. Because government support kicks in when private equity is exhausted, safety nets are implicit contracts that offer loss-absorbing equity capital from taxpayers. Unlike lenders and insurers who assess and absorb risk, taxpayers accept unquantifiable Knightian uncertainty. As coerced equity investors whose liability is unlimited, taxpayers would be better served if information systems and corporate law were revised to give them at least the same safeguards and rights of disclosure that minority shareholders enjoy.
The galaxy NGC 1313 has attracted the attention of various studies due to the peculiar morphology observed in optical bands, although it is classified as a barred, late-type galaxy with no apparent close-by companions. However, the velocity field suggests an interaction with a satellite companion. Using resolved stellar populations, we study different parts of the galaxy to understand further its morphology. Based on Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS) images, we estimated star formation histories by means of the synthetic colour–magnitude diagram method in different areas in the galaxy. Incompleteness limits our analysis to ages younger than ∼100 Myr. Stars in the red and blue He-burning phases are used to trace the distribution of recent star formation. Star formation histories suggest a burst in the south-western region. We support the idea that NGC 1313 is experiencing an interaction with a satellite companion, observed as a tidally disrupted satellite galaxy in the south-west of NGC 1313. However, we do not observe any indication of a perturbation due to the interaction with the satellite galaxy at other locations across the galaxy, suggesting that only a modest-sized companion that did not trigger a global starburst was involved.
In the background of booming development of low earth orbit (LEO) communication systems, a global navigation augmentation system based on LEO communication constellation is proposed in this paper. The LEO satellites can serve both as space-based monitoring stations and as navigation information broadcasting sources. The system can be developed together with the LEO communication system, and do not need to build a new system. The Hongyan LEO communication system under construction by China Aerospace and Technology Corporation (CASC) is adopted for the analysis in the paper. When served as space-based monitoring stations, the LEO satellites can jointly determine the precise orbits and clock errors of GNSS satellites and LEO satellites with the data from the mounted high precision GNSS monitoring receiver and the ground based monitoring stations. When served as navigation information broadcasting sources, the Assistant GNSS (AGNSS) architecture is used to broadcast assistant navigation information, and the general-purpose GNSS receiver can realize fast signal acquisition in the extremely complicate environment and achieve better antijamming capability for the navigation availability augmentation. For the navigation precision augmentation, besides the precise orbit, precise clock error, and integrity augmentation information, an additional navigation augmentation signal is broadcasted to realize global precise point positioning (GPPP) with sub-meter positioning precision level in dynamic mode and sub-decimeter precision level in static mode. The convergence time of precise point positioning is shorten from 30 minutes using a GNSS system alone to less than 5 minutes using a GNSS system together with the LEO global navigation augmentation system.
There have been numerous recent advances in wound care management. Nevertheless, the assessment of hemostatic dressing is essential to enable surgeons and other physicians and healthcare professionals to make the correct decisions regarding the disposition of severe hemorrhage. Here, we investigated the relative efficacies of chitosan-based and conventional gauze dressings in a rat model of femoral artery hemorrhage and in patients with surgical wounds. Dressing effectiveness was evaluated based on hemostatic profiles, biocompatibility, antimicrobial activity, and blood factor responses in coagulation. Relative to standard gauze dressing, the chitosan fiber (CF) dressing treatment significantly shortened the time to hemostasis in injured rats. Moreover, the CF dressing significantly prolonged partial thromboplastin time, enhanced blood absorption, and reduced antithrombin production without altering the prothrombin ratio. Unlike regular gauze bandages, the CF dressing demonstrated remarkable antibacterial activity. The results of this study indicate the effectiveness of chitosan as a hemostatic dressing and elucidate its underlying mechanism. It is possible that chitosan surgical dressings could serve as first-line intervention in hospital emergency care for uncontrolled hemorrhage.
Turbulent ion motion caused by sawtooth crash is analyzed in the framework of the magnetic stochasticity model of the sawtooth crash. The average current profile changes much more slowly than the pressure profile after the onset of the crash, so that inhomogeneity of the parallel current along the field line is generated. This causes a perpendicular current with a short scale length, leading to the ion cross field motion.
At this session we are dealing with the requirements of industry against the background of sessions which have dealt with various aspects of university and diploma in technology education as well as postgraduate work. The accent, then, is on the requirements of industry with respect to people having a university degree or its equivalent, but we must certainly not ignore those who are following different routes such as National Certificate courses. We should perhaps consider briefly what should be included in the term " industry."
To understand the natural environments of drylands, deserts, arid and semi-arid regions of the earth is to understand the processes and forms of their rivers. One of the river studies and fluvial processes are morphometry analyses. The channel forms in an alluvial plain reflecting the movement of water and the particle size of the load flowing down the channel. The dynamics of channel change has led to conflict with human resource development. Three basic channel patterns are detected in the region. They are braided, meandering and straight. In this research for assessment of meandering Maroon River, we used DEM (Digital Elevation System), Topography maps, Arc GIS software, Google earth, field work and library studies and mathematic formula. The two general indices for analyzing meandering patterns are 1) sinuosity coefficient 2) central angle. In this paper, the authors were used these factors and improved them. One of the results is creation of direction index and the second result is the Maroon River which has a type of sinuosity in any reach.
The contribution of the Surabaya construction sector to the growth of the Surabaya economy over the past few decades is highly phenomenal, but many of construction projects in Surabaya are experiencing delays. While much research has been done about the cause of the delay, but the chronic problem of delay time is still very difficult to clearly discovered. The primary objectives of this research are to identify the main factors of non-excusable delay in construction projects and analyze the interdependence relationships of one factor with another. Based on literature, structural model has been developed and then use Partial Least Square to analyze the relationships with quantitative impact value among identified factors. In order to collect the data on the measured attributes, a questionnaire survey was designed in the form of an affirmative question. Respondents for this study are selected from a project manager, head project and director in the Surabaya construction firms were worked on building projects and experienced of dealling delays problem. The results of the research suggest that poor field management is one of the most significant factors significant affecting construction project delay. While path coefficient of poor capability of contractors and improper planning indicated possitive, neither of these two factors has any impact on time delay. On the other hand, poor capability of contractor to be one of the key contributing factors resulting in improper planning and improper planning affecting in poor field management.
During germinal center reactions, a minority of B lymphocytes are selected after successful binding to follicular dendritic cells (FDCs). The majority of the B cells, however, die by apoptosis. One of the characteristics of apoptosis is rapid fragmentation of DNA by an endogenous endonuclease. The regulation of apoptosis and endonuclease activity in germinal center (GC) B cells is largely unknown. In this study we have investigated the induction and inhibition of endonuclease activity in GC B cells. We also investigated the role of FDCs, surface Ig (sIg), sIgM, CD21, CD22 CD40, and intracellular Zn2+ in the regulation of endonuclease activity. We have found that DNA fragmentation in GC B cells is caused by a preexisting endonuclease very similar to NUC-18 (an 18-kD endonuclease identified in rat thymocytes). Endonuclease activity in GC B cells appears to be rapidly and irreversibly blocked after interaction with FDCs, but not after cross-linkage of sIg, sIgM, CD21, CD22, or CD40. Addition of soluble CD40-human IgM fusion protein (sCD40) to FDC-B cell cultures also did not interfere with FDC-mediated B cell rescue. Chelation of intracellular Zn2+ during FDC-B cell cultures resulted in abrogated B cell rescue. These data suggest that FDCs inhibit apoptosis in GC B cells by a rapid inactivation of preexisting endonuclease using a mechanism distinct from CD40 ligation.
This paper explores the merits of hedging stochastic input costs i.e., reducing the risk of adverse changes in costs in a decentralized, risk-neutral supply chain. Specifically, we consider a generalized version of the well-known "selling-to-the-newsvendor" model in which both the upstream and the downstream firms face stochastic input costs. The firms' operations are intertwined-i.e., the downstream buyer depends on the upstream supplier for delivery and the supplier depends on the buyer for purchase. We show that if left unmanaged, the stochastic costs that reverberate through the supply chain can lead to significant financial losses. The situation could deteriorate to the point of a supply disruption if at least one of the supply chain members cannot profitably make its product. To the extent that hedging can ensure continuation in supply, hedging can have value to at least some of the members of the supply chain. We identify conditions under which the risk of the supply chain breakdown will cause the supply chain members to hedge their input costs: i the downstream buyer's market power exceeds a critical threshold; or ii the upstream firm operates on a large margin, there is a high baseline demand for downstream firm's final product, and the downstream firm's market power is below a critical threshold. In absence of these conditions there are equilibria in which neither firm hedges. To sustain hedging in equilibrium, both firms must hedge and supply chain breakdown must be costly. The equilibrium hedging policy will in general be a partial hedging policy. There are also situations when firms hedge in equilibrium although hedging reduces their expected payoff.
Ready to wear garment collection preparation consists of several processes from design idea to selling to last consumer. There are various factors that effect the product design and product cost. If the designed products are for babies and kids groups, suppliers need to care about health and safety conditions besides the design, aesthetics , quality, cost and marketability. At this research, principles and steps of 0-12 age garment collection processes were examined; factors that effect the product cost and product design processes were elaborated. Because of its big marketspace at Turkish textile export, Europe was determined as target market at this study. "Traditional costing" and "target costing" methods from contemporary costing systems were used at costing. 2016 Autumn/Winter Zara baby boys and boys garment collection of a ready to wear and apparel company which locates in Izmir was examined and the results were discussed in the scope of this study.
The appropriate use of hypnotics requires an understanding of the nature of the patient's insomnia and lifestyle. In the context of occupational medicine, the potential effects of these drugs on job skills and the persistence of such effects are also important considerations. This report reviews the factors that must be considered in the investigation of impaired performance due to hypnotics and the pharmacokinetic properties that determine the persistence of action of these drugs. Sleep disturbance associated with transmeridian flights (jet lag) is used to illustrate the place of hypnotics in the management of a transient form of insomnia.
Dual apodization with cross-correlation (DAX) is a novel adaptive beamforming technique which utilizes two distinct apodization functions in suppressing side lobes and clutter. Previous studies have shown that the performance of DAX in minimizing the effects of phase aberration diminishes with increasing aberrator strength. To achieve greater improvement in image contrast, we propose, in this paper, to combine DAX with a phase aberration correction algorithm based on nearest-neighbor cross-correlation (NNCC). Our simulation and experimental results presented in this work showed that the proposed method allows for synergistic enhancements of image contrast and achieves greater improvement in image quality than using DAX alone or phase aberration correction alone in the presence of weak and strong aberrators. Compared with standard delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming, using the proposed method on simulated data with weak and strong aberrations increased the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) values from 4.10 to 10.96 and from 1.69 to 9.80, respectively. Experimental results were obtained using pork tissues of 4 and 10 mm thickness and a tissue-mimicking phantom. The CNR values increased from 3.74 to 9.72 for the 4-mm pork aberrator and from 1.27 to 8.17 for the 10-mm pork aberrator.
Abstract Milrinone is a drug frequently used for hemodynamic support in children during critical illness. Although the hemodynamic changes induced by milrinone in children may appear similar to those of adults, the physiologic contributors of these changes remain vastly unknown. A systematic review was conducted to identify studies characterising the hemodynamic effects of milrinone in children during critical illness for hemodynamic support for various medical conditions. Studies were assessed for quality and those of satisfactory quality with pre- and post-operative hemodynamics for each patient were included in the final analyses. Those not limited to children and those not limited to patients with critical illness were excluded from the final analyses. A total of six studies with 791 patients were included in the final analyses. Milrinone infusion doses ranged from 0.3 to 0.75 mcg/kg/minute with the mean infusion dose being 0.5 mcg/kg/minute. Patients whom received milrinone infusion had greater cardiac output, greater left ventricle shortening fraction, lower right ventricular systolic pressure, and lower serum lactate levels. Systolic blood pressure mean arterial blood pressure and arterial oxygen concentration did not significantly change with administration of milrinone. These results were irrespective of milrinone infusion dose, infusion duration, and study size. Milrinone was found to have several beneficial hemodynamic effects in children during critical illness when used at usual clinical doses.
Radiation extremophiles exhibits extraordinary resistance to ionizing radiation (electromagnetic or corpuscular). Chroococcidiopsis sp., Deinococcus radiodurans, Rubrobacter radiotolerans , and Thermococcus gammatolerans are examples of radioresistant microorganisms with the ability to survive and grow under high doses of radiation. Most radioresistant organisms use a combination of repair and protection based mechanisms to achieve high radioresistance. This article emphasizes the molecular mechanism underlying the tolerance of these organisms to ionizing radiation. The procedure applied in molecular cancer therapy such as anticancer drug, antioxidation, and sunscreen ability was discussed. These processes may provide some insight into response of the microorganism’s internal processes under different conditions. The developmental process counts on the economic base of the biotechnological industries and their curiosity for molecular level innovative concept from extremophiles. The stimulating test of abilities and future visions of this concept are also mentioned. Keywords : ionizing radiation; extremophiles; radioresistant; extremozymes; extremolytes.
Calcific aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common form of valvular heart disease in the Western world, and its healthcare burden is expected to double over the next 50 years. Currently, no medical therapy has demonstrated an ability to slow or halt progression of this common condition. While surgical or percutaneous aortic valve replacement is the only available treatment, important questions still remain with respect to the optimal timing of intervention, associated procedural risks and longterm durability. The quest to develop novel treatments to prevent or slow down AS, potentially removing the need for surgical intervention altogether, has not been successful up to now. Atherogenic apolipoprotein Bcontaining lipoproteins, like lowdensity lipoprotein (LDL) and lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)), have been clearly implicated in the pathophysiology of AS, in particular in the initiation phase of the disease and with incident AS. However, multiple randomised clinical trials Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS), Scottish Aortic Stenosis and Lipid Lowering Trial, Impact in Regression (SALTIRE) and Aortic Stenosis Progression Observation: Measuring Effects of Rosuvastatin (ASTRONOMER)} focusing on lowering LDL cholesterol with statins or ezetimibe failed to modify progression of aortic valve stenosis. Interest has therefore switched more closely to Lp(a), which is largely left unaffected by statin therapy. Encouraging data have demonstrated the association of high Lp(a) levels not only with incident AS but also with increased disease activity and faster disease progression: that is, the propagation phase of the disease which any effective treatment will have to successfully modify. In this issue of Heart, Kaiser et al further explore the association between high Lp(a) levels and aortic valve calcium (AVC). The authors included 2412 participants from the populationbased Rotterdam Study, and 859 apparently healthy individuals from the Amsterdam University Medical Centers outpatient clinic. All participants underwent blood sampling to determine Lp(a) concentration and noncontrast cardiac CT to assess AVC. First, the investigators showed that almost onethird of the patients with aortic valve calcification on the nonenhanced CT scan had high Lp(a) concentrations above the 80th percentile. They then demonstrated that higher Lp(a) concentrations (>80th percentile) were independently associated with AVC presence in both cohorts. Moreover, Lp(a) above the 80th percentile was associated with a marked increase in aortic valve Agatston score compared with participants with Lp(a) values below the 50th percentile. These findings were independent of age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors as well as coronary calcium score. Once again, Lp(a) appears associated with incident AS and the initiation phase of the disease. Interestingly, there appears to be a threshold effect underlying this association around the 80th percentile (47.7 mg/ dL). Patients between the 50th and 79th Lp(a) percentiles showed no difference in the presence or absence of AVC. Lp(a) lowering is therefore unlikely to be effective in everyone with AS and should probably only be targeted to those with high levels. Finally, this study importantly demonstrates that the association between AVC prevalence and Lp(a)>80th percentile is observed from a very young age. Indeed, approximately one in six patients aged 45–54 years with Lp(a)>80th percentile had aortic valve calcification, suggesting that high Lp(a) is implicated in the earliest phases of the disease process. The threshold effect observed in this study is consistent with previous data, and also appears related to rates of AS progression. Capoulade et al demonstrated that elevated Lp(a) (>58.5 mg/dL) is associated with 1.5 times faster progression of AS and a twofold increased risk of aortic valve replacement and death, in a secondary analysis of 220 patients from the ASTRONOMER trial followed for an average of 3.5 years. Similarly, Zheng et al, in a subsequent study involving 145 patients, showed that patients in the top Lp(a) tertile (>35 mg/dL) showed increased disease activity, faster disease progression and increased risk of aortic valve replacement or death. Where does the study leave us? In our attempts to develop a diseasemodifying medical therapy with the ability to slow AS progression, effect sizes may be small and regulated by complex mechanisms. In order to adequately power future randomised controlled trials, we need to target the patients who might benefit most from an intervention. This study suggests that Lp(a) lowering should target patients above the 80th Lp(a) percentile (≥50 mg/dL) independent of their age. While it may be more effective to target younger patients with the earlier stages of disease, it should be remembered that most patients with aortic sclerosis do not ultimately require aortic valve replacement and therefore cannot benefit from therapy. Ultimately, doubleblinded randomised controlled trials are required to assess whether Lp(a) lowering in patients with aortic valve calcification can slow disease progression and improve clinical outcomes.
1. Hypericum perforatum , St John's wort, is an invasive weed of natural and agro-ecosystems in south-eastern Australia. In previous work we used a long-term data set to determine which plant traits and environmental factors influence population growth and persistence in this species. These results were then used to parameterize an individual-based model of the population dynamics of H. perforatum , and this model was used to make predictions about what control strategies will be most effective for populations in open and shaded sites. 2. The model was constructed using multi-level, mixed-effects statistical models of growth, survival, fecundity and damage, incorporating intrinsic plant variables, environmental variables, herbivory and spatial and temporal stochasticity. 3. We found that populations in shaded and open sites had different dynamics and responses to control strategies. Shaded populations took longer to reach infestation densities and were less affected by herbivory and reductions in survival than open populations. Open populations increased faster in response to increases in rainfall, but this was not so for shaded populations. 4. We used sensitivity testing and management simulations to predict that the most successful control strategies will involve a reduction in vegetative size in both open and shaded sites. Reductions in flowering stem size and survival in shaded and open sites, respectively, are predicted to be the next most successful strategies. Dry conditions in the austral autumn/winter adversely affect populations in both open and shaded sites. 5. Synthesis and applications . These models have enabled us to rank management strategies based on quantitative analysis of their potential effects on population size. This is an important tool not only for ecologists concerned with control of invasive species but for conservation biologists trying to understand the factors limiting a rare or endangered species.
Objective:  to understand the knowledge, emotions and social support network of pregnant women with clinical suspicion or positive diagnosis of Zika virus.  Method:  a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, performed with ten pregnant women. Data were collected in the second semester of 2017, through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by thematic analysis technique.  Results:  the women demonstrated a lack of knowledge about the pathology and signs and symptoms during pregnancy. Feelings of fear, despair and tearfulness are associated with the possibility of fetal repercussions when faced with a diagnostic suspicion of microcephaly. Multiprofessional care, along with family and religious beliefs were seen to offer a support network for coping with the disease.  Final considerations:  knowledge, feelings and support networks are essential when considering the policies and organization of health services, from the perspective of coping and health care.
Primary cultures of bone cells and skin fibroblasts were examined for their Ca++ content, intracellular distribution and Ca++ fluxes. Kinetic analysis of 45Ca++ efflux curves indicated the presence of three exchangeable Ca++ compartments which turned over at different rates: a “very fast turnover” (S1), a “fast turnover” (S2), and a “slow turnover” Ca++ pool (S3). S1 was taken to represent extracellular membrane‐bound Ca++, S2 represented cytosolic Ca++, and S3 was taken to represent Ca++ sequestered in some intracellular organelles, probably the mitochondria. Bone cells contained about twice the amount of Ca++ as compared with cultured fibroblasts. Most of this extra Ca++ was localized in the “slow turnover” intracellular Ca++ pool (S3). Serum activation caused the following changes in the amount, distribution, and fluxes of Ca++: (1) In both types of cells serum caused an increase in the amount of Ca++ in the “very fast turnover” Ca++ pool, and an increase in the rate constant of 45Ca++ efflux from this pool, indicating a decrease in the strength of Ca++ binding to ligands on cell membranes. (2) In fibroblasts, serum activation also caused a marked decrease in the content of Ca++ in the “slow turnover” Ca++ pool (S3), an increase in the rates of Ca++ efflux from the cells to the medium, and from S3 to S2, as well as a decrease in the rate of influx into S3. (3) In bone cells the amount of Ca++ in S3 remained high in “serum activated” cells, the rate of efflux from S3 to S2 increased, and the rate of influx into S3 also increased. The rate of efflux from the cells to the medium did not change. The results suggest specific properties of bone cells with regard to cell Ca++ presumably connected with their differentiation. Following serum activation we investigated the time course of changes in the amount of exchangeable Ca++ in bone cells and fibroblasts, in parallel with measurements of 3H‐thymidine incorporation and cell numbers. Serum activation caused a rapid decrease in the content of cell Ca++ which was followed by a biphasic increase lasting until cell division.
Objectives—Whereas postprandial hyperlipidemia is a well-described feature of insulin-resistant states and type 2 diabetes, no previous studies have examined intestinal lipoprotein production rates (PRs) in relation to hyperinsulinemia or insulin resistance in humans. Methods and Results—Apolipoprotein B-48 (apoB-48)–containing lipoprotein metabolism was examined in the steady-state fed condition with a 15-hour primed constant infusion of [D3]-l-leucine in 14 nondiabetic men with a broad range of body mass index (BMI) and insulin sensitivity. To examine the relationship between indices of insulin resistance and intestinal lipoprotein PR data were analyzed in 2 ways: by correlation and by comparing apoB-48 PRs in those whose fasting plasma insulin concentrations were above or below the median for the 14 subjects studied (60 pmol/L). ApoB-48 PR was significantly higher in hyperinsulinemic, insulin-resistant subjects (1.73±0.39 versus 0.88±0.13 mg/kg per day; P<0.05) and correlated with fasting plasma insulin concentrations (r=0.558; P=0.038), despite great heterogeneity in apoB-48 kinetic parameters, particularly among the obese subjects. There was no significant difference in clearance of apoB-48 between the 2 groups, nor was there a significant correlation between apoB-48 fractional clearance rate and fasting insulin or homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance. Conclusions—These are the first human data to conclusively demonstrate that intestinal apoB-48–containing triglyceride-rich lipoprotein PR is increased in hyperinsulinemic, insulin-resistant humans. Intestinal lipoprotein particle overproduction is a newly described feature of insulin resistance in humans.
The modeling and design of high perveance TWTs present significant challenges when one considers the role that space charge plays in all aspects of gun design, beam propagation and focus, RF interaction, and beam recollection. Some applications require the use of low voltage, high current electron beams which in turn require special analysis and design techniques not always required by lower perveance devices. This work shows that accurate RF simulation of high perveance TWTs, even in a highly scalloping configuration, can be accomplished through the combined use of several modem TWT design tools. Studies of efficient recollection of the high-space-charge spent beam and evaluation of backward wave and diocotron instabilities is ongoing and will be important in the overall evaluation of this TWT design. RF modeling results and a full set of experimental data are presented.
In this work we study a reaction–diffusion problem with delay and we make an analysis of the stability of solutions by means of bifurcation theory. We take the delay constant as a parameter. Special conditions on the vector field assure existence of a spatially nonconstant positive equilibrium Uk , which is stable for small values of the delay. An increase of the delay destabilizes the equilibrium of Uk and leads to super or subcritical Hopf bifurcation. Dedicated to Professor José Geraldo Dos Reis. E-mail: mabena@ffclrp.usp.br
We investigated the adsorption geometries and desorption temperatures of styrene on a Ge surface using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our STM results show that styrene molecules attach via the vinyl group in two adsorption configurations: (i) on the top of single Ge dimers by forming di-σ bonds (OT) and (ii) in a paired end-bridge between two adjacent Ge dimers within the same dimer row (PEB). Moreover, the PEB configurations are divided into two types of adsorption configurations depending on the arrangement of the phenyl rings of the two styrene molecules: either the axis running through the two phenyl rings is diagonal to the dimer row direction (trans-PEB) or perpendicular to the dimer row direction (cis-PEB). STM images can discriminate the OT configurations with (S) and (R) chiralities, as well as the PEB configurations with diastereomeric (R,S) and enantiomeric (R,R) and (S,S) chiralities at t...
This paper presents a detailed description of the implementation of parallel hybrid simulation on a multiprocessor computer. Hybrid simulation incorporates both the detailed device level simulation and system wide functional modelling within an integrated analysis tool. It can simulate very large networks with transient stability (TS) simulator like speed while delivering electromagnetic transients (EMT) simulator like accuracy on key components. Under the parallel mode of operation, the TS and EMT simulators run in parallel on different processors. A parallel interaction protocol, which makes the parallel hybrid simulation possible, has been proposed. If the parallel hybrid simulation runs in real-time speed, it can be interfaced with real control system hardware for detailed study, including the effects of waveform distortion, and maloperation of switching devices. In the accelerated time mode, it can be used as a system operation tool, offering extended contingency lists (such as maloperation of power electronic devices) for security assessment.
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CR-AB) causes serious nosocomial infections, especially in ICU wards of hospitals, worldwide. Expression of blaOXA genes is the chief mechanism of conferring carbapenem resistance among CR-AB. Although some blaOXA genes have been studied among CR-AB isolates from Iran, their blaOXA-23-like genes have not been investigated. We used a multiplex-PCR to detect Ambler class A, B, and D carbapenemases of 85 isolates, and determined that 34 harbored blaOXA-23-like genes. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) genotyping, followed by DNA sequencing of blaOXA-23-like amplicons of CR-AB from each AFLP group was used to characterize their blaOXA-23-like genes. We also assessed the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of CR-AB isolates, and tested whether they harbored insertion sequences ISAba1 and ISAba4. Sequence comparison with reference strain A. baumannii (NCTC12156) revealed five types of mutations in blaOXA-23-like genes; including one novel variant and four mutants that were already reported from China and the USA. All of the blaOXA-23-like genes mutations were associated with increased minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against imipenem. ISAba1 and ISAba4 sequences were detected upstream of blaOXA-23 genes in 19 and 7% of isolates, respectively. The isolation of CR-AB with new blaOXA-23 mutations including some that have been reported from the USA and China highlights CR-AB pervasive distribution, which underscores the importance of concerted national and global efforts to control the spread of CR-AB isolates worldwide.
Endometrial carcinoma is a common malignancy of the female genital tract. Alterations in the expression levels of various oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes serve important roles in the carcinogenesis and biological behavior of endometrial carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the combination and individual expression of p53 and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) protein in human endometrial carcinoma. In addition, the correlation of these proteins with clinicopathological parameters was also assessed. Retrospective immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of p53 and PTEN tumor suppressor proteins was conducted in 99 women with endometrial carcinoma. The overall rate of p53 and PTEN positivity was 89 and 77%, respectively, according to the sum of stain intensity and scores of immunopositive cells. The sum of p53 positivity correlated strongly with PTEN expression (ρ=0.256; P=0.044). The concomitant sum of p53 and PTEN expression was identified in 45% of patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma. Notably, the sum of the immunohistochemical expression of p53 was significantly correlated with patient age (P=0.037), histologic type (P=0.008), histologic grade (P=0.002) and fallopian and/or ovarian invasion (P=0.014). Furthermore, PTEN expression was associated with myometrial invasion (ρ=−0.377; P=0.002) and clinical stage (P=0.019). In addition, concomitant p53 and PTEN expression was correlated with patient age (P=0.008) and histologic differentiation (P=0.028). The findings indicated a correlation between the expression of p53 and PTEN in endometrial adenocarcinoma, which suggested an intrinsic association between expression levels of these tumor suppressor genes. The study also suggested that concomitant p53 and PTEN expression contributed in characterizing the tumor behavior of endometrial carcinoma. Taken together, the present study suggested the combined expression of p53 and PTEN in the development of high-grade endometrial carcinoma in older patients. In addition, the findings indicated activation of different molecular pathways in the tumor progression between low-grade and high-grade endometrial carcinomas.
This paper will review the process of developing two units of a coursebook that aimed to promote socialization and social change. Teaching perspectives on the Communicative Approach and Critical Literacy are reviewed, advocating the possibility of linking both perspectives. The methods of dealing with the receptive and productive skills and three language systems – grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation – are synthesized and reasons for supporting the choice of the activities in the units are given throughout the article. The results of this study suggest that the coursebook syllabus can bring together both the possibility of socialization, fostered by the Communicative Approach, and social change, encouraged by the Critical Literacy. Thus, coursebooks are important factors to promote students’ active citizenship.
Summary Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) production leading to ectopic ACTH syndrome accounts for a small proportion of all Cushing’s syndrome (CS) cases. Thymic neuroendocrine tumors are rare neoplasms that may secrete ACTH leading to rapid development of hypercortisolism causing electrolyte and metabolic abnormalities, uncontrolled hypertension and an increased risk for opportunistic infections. We present a unique case of a patient who presented with a mediastinal mass, revealed to be an ACTH-secreting thymic neuroendocrine tumor (NET) causing ectopic CS. As the diagnosis of CS from ectopic ACTH syndrome (EAS) remains challenging, we emphasize the necessity for high clinical suspicion in the appropriate setting, concordance between biochemical, imaging and pathology findings, along with continued vigilant monitoring for recurrence after definitive treatment. Learning points: Functional thymic neuroendocrine tumors are exceedingly rare. Ectopic Cushing’s syndrome secondary to thymic neuroendocrine tumors secreting ACTH present with features of hypercortisolism including electrolyte and metabolic abnormalities, uncontrolled hypertension and hyperglycemia, and opportunistic infections. The ability to undergo surgery and completeness of resection are the strongest prognostic factors for improved overall survival; however, the recurrence rate remains high. A high degree of initial clinical suspicion followed by vigilant monitoring is required for patients with this challenging disease.
In this paper, a new approximate method of point-to-group blocking probability calculation in switching networks carrying a mixture of different multi-rate unicast and multicast traffic streams is presented. Special attention is paid to the methods for determining the effective availability parameter in the case of multicast connections. The results of analytical calculations are compared with the data of digital simulations of switching networks with unicast and multicast connections.
The Ty transposable elements of Saccharomyces cerevisiae form a heterogeneous family within which two broad structural classes (I and II) exist. The two classes differ by two large substitutions and many restriction sites. We show that, like class I elements a class II element, Tyl-17, also appears to contain at least two major protein coding regions, designated TYA and TYB, and the organisational relationship of these regions has been conserved. The TYA genes of both classes encode proteins, designated p1 proteins, with an approximate molecular weight of 50 Kd and, despite considerable variation between the TYA regions at the DNA level, the structures of these proteins are remarkably similar. These observations strongly suggest that the p1 proteins of Ty elements are functionally significant and that they have been subject to selection.
The two-dimensional wave pattern produced in a homogeneous rotating fluid by a forcing effect oscillating with a frequency σ′0 and travelling with a uniform speed U along a line inclined to the axis of rotation at an arbitrary angle α is studied following Lighthill's technique. It is shown how the far field changes with α and σ′0. For all σ′0 < 2Ω, except for σ′0 = 2Ω sin α (Ω being the angular velocity of the fluid), the forcing effect excites two systems of waves. When σ′0 → 2Ω sin α one of these systems spreads out, influencing the upstream side while the other shrinks in the downstream direction. This upstream influence is to the left or to the right of the line of motion of the forcing effect (the forcing line) according as σ′0 − 2Ω sin α[lg ] 0 and increases as σ′0 − 2Ω sin α decreases. For σ′0 > 2Ω there is only a single system propagating downstream. As α varies these systems undergo a kind of rotation retaining the main features. α ≠ 0 or ½π makes the pattern asymmetric about the forcing line while a non-zero σ′0 splits the steady-case identical wave systems into two, which are otherwise coincident. When σ′0 = 2Ω sin α the forcing effect excites straight unattenuated waves of fixed frequency travelling both ahead and behind in a ‘column’ parallel to the forcing line and enclosing it. Also there are two other systems, which propagate without penetrating into an upstream wedge. It is shown that this ‘column’ is the counterpart of the ‘Taylor column’.
The films based on the low-molecular amorphous azochromophore 2-(3-(4-((4- (Ethyl(2-(trityloxy)ethyl)amino)phenyl)diazenyl)styryl)-5,5-dimethylcyclohex-2-enylidene) malononitrile (IWK-2M) were prepared. The optical properties of the material, such as transmittance and reflection spectra of the film, sensitivity to polarization holographic recording by two wavelengths (405 and 532 nm) were studied. The direct relief formation during the polarization holographic recording was explored, relief depth dependence on exposure and record beam intensity was investigated. The holographic matrix on this material base was produced without chemical etching process; the replication of holographic image was performed.
ABSTRACT Poor water management and high nitrogen (N) losses are the key problems faced by rice farmers under rainfed inland valley systems. There is a need to evaluate different N fertilizers so as to identify one that could withstand these problems. The performance of polyolefin-coated urea (POCU) was therefore compared with conventional urea in a pot experiment with indica rice (Oryza sativa L. cv. IR36), using two water management systems: 1) Submerged condition referred to as good water management (GWM), and 2) excessive irrigation (over 4000 mm in 120 days) referred to as poor water management (PWM). The study was carried out during 1997 and 1998 cropping seasons under glasshouse conditions. For PWM in 1997, the pots were subjected to leaching only whereas in 1998, they were subjected to both surface runoff and leaching. For both cropping seasons, POCU-treated plants under PWM had a significantly higher grain yield (377.5 and 343.0 g m−2) than urea-treated plants (316.5 and 260.5 g m−2). In addition, POCU-treated plants had a significantly higher number of grains per panicle than urea-treated plants. In 1998, both the partial factor productivity of applied N and the agronomic nitrogen-use efficiency of POCU-treated plants under GWM and PWM were significantly higher than those of urea-treated plants. It can be inferred that (using sandy soils and under PWM), POCU could perform significantly better than conventional urea. This finding is important, considering the usually high nitrogen losses in rice-growing inland valley swamps.
The suppressive effect of normal rat peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) on concanavalin A (Con‐A)‐induced lymphocyte proliferation was studied. Partial suppression of proliferation was obtained by adding 3% PEC and complete suppression wits observed with 6% PEC. The suppressive effect was mediated by W3/25 plastic‐adherent macrophages, which constitute about 60 % of normal PEC. Addition of PEC prior to. simultaneously with, or 24 h after, but not 48 h after, the stimulation of lymphocytes with Con A resulted in suppression. Suppressed cultures produced normal or slightly increased amounts of interleukin 2 (IL‐2). but the expression of the IL‐2 receptor on lymphocytes was decreased. Pre‐exposure of PEC to gamma interferon (IFN‐γ) resulted in decreased suppression, whereas IFN‐γ added simultaneously with the lymphocytes had no effect. Catalase reversed PEC‐induecd suppression and significant synergistic effects were recorded when combined with IFN‐γ. Even completely suppressed cultures were effectively protected from suppression. Indomethacin and combinations of indomethacin with catalase or IFN‐γ did not result in additional protection Irons PEC‐mediated suppression.
A three-dimensional smooth continuous-time system with a parameter and two quadratic terms is constructed and a spherical attractor is generated. There exist multiple coexisting spherical attractors based on offset boosting. Two classes of switching signals that depend on the time and the state are designed respectively. By employing a parameter switching control technique, multiple spherical attractors can be generated. Simultaneously, complex chaotic attractors can also be generated by designing a state-dependent switching signal. Numerical examples and corresponding simulations show the effectiveness of the switching control technique.
ABSTRACT For a conversational robot, conveying its intention explicitly to the communicating human is one of the most important but challenging tasks in the field of human–robot interaction (HRI). Expressing the robot’s current mental state or feeling while conversing may help achieve a more effective communication. In this study, a robot equipped with a projecting system is implemented, in which the mental state of the robot is projected onto the backside wall to better convey its intention. To verify the effectiveness of the implemented system, as a first step, the effect of projecting only the text of the robot’s speech on the subjective evaluation of the communicating human was examined from different aspects of the robot. To this end, two experiments were conducted: a video watching experiment, in which several human subjects watched a video of a speaking robot equipped with the projecting system, and a participating experiment, in which a limited number of human subjects participated in listening to the speech of such a robot in a real-world environment. The experimental results revealed that the projection of the speech information can improve some elements of the human perception of the robot’s speech and mind. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Traditional hydrograph separation techniques split an observed storm hydrograph into two main components representing ‘storm runoff’ and ‘baseflow’. In this paper a new separation technique is described which makes an initial split into two main components, quickflow and slowflow, which are each then subsequently split into two further subcomponents. The resulting procedure is termed the ‘four component hydrograph separation technique’. Various ways of recombining these four subcomponents to build up a curve that represents the observed storm hydrograph are possible, of which two ways are examined in further detail. If it is assumed that the four component separation technique provides a promising representation of an observed storm hydrograph, these two ways allow theoretical and practical insights to be gained into four existing hydrograph separation techniques. A conclusion, common to all four, is that much more care is required in naming the flow lines separating out each of the suggested subcomponents making up the observed storm hydrograph. This paper also emphasises the key role played by the slowflow storm runoff subcomponent, which has not been given sufficient prominence in existing event-based models in the past. A procedure for estimating each of the four subcomponents is illustrated for an observed event.
Sleep symptoms, cognitive, psychic, and physical health variables were assessed in a sample of 449 community-dwelling elders aged 75 and over. The subjects were in a good cognitive and functional condition. Three night sleep symptoms were evaluated: difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently in the night, and early morning awakenings. For each symptom, respondents were asked to estimate the frequency of the symptom during the past month on a five-point scale. White-collar workers reported the best, and blue-collar workers the poorest quality of sleep: the difference in the difficulty of falling asleep between the two groups was 0.86, of waking up frequently in the night 0.93, of early morning awakenings 1.01 (corresponding to 3 days/month, 5 days/month, and 3.5 days/month, respectively), and of total sleep symptoms 2.81. These unadjusted differences were reduced, respectively, to 0.57, 0.42, 0.54, and 1.53 after adjustment for other factors. Of these, only waking up frequently in the night was not statistically significant. These data show more frequent sleep symptoms in socially disadvantaged occupational groups, suggesting that social factors can significantly affect the quality of sleep in the elderly.
Introduction: Fractures in the proximal femoral region have a multicausal etiology and can be attributed to extrinsic factors and intrinsic factors. Objective: To characterize sociodemographics and the diseases of the elderly who sustained a proximal femoral fracture, as a result of falls from a standing height, and to study the relationship between balance and functional independence of these elderly. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over a period of 12 months in a teaching hospital, with a sample of 89 elderly (≥ 60 years). Results: The characteristics of the elderly patients which demonstrated significance with functional independence were: the presence of nervous system disease, and/or mental and behavioral disorders (p = 0.001), and balance (p <0.001). Surgeries in the proximal femoral region occurred in females (67.3%), elderly patients ≥ 80 years of age (46.1%), and 60.7% underwent osteosynthesis. Conclusions: In relationship to functional independence, 23.6% of the elderly were classified as maximum dependence, 38.2% as minimum, and 38.2% as modified independence. The elderly gained balance significantly as they regained their functional independence, regardless of age, gender, and whether or not they presented with nervous system disease and/or mental and behavioral disorders.
Health is one of the most important considerations for everyone. However, environmental pollution damages people's health seriously, especially those who live in industrial cities. Gas waste, water waste, and waste residue seriously endanger the health of people. Therefore, pollution regulation is one of the keys to improving people's health. In this article, we propose an intelligent pollution monitoring system (PMS) based on the Industrial Internet of Things to prevent direct emission of harmful substances and to build healthier cities. The PMS has three main parts: 1. Real-time pollutant monitoring equipment, which can monitor harmful substances in the gas and water in real time, and further cannot be damaged easily 2. A real-time alarm system, which can send alerts immediately after detecting harmful substances 3. An intelligent and fast response system, which can act to respond to an alarm The experimental results show that the proposed PMS can improve the efficiency of responses to pollution and increase people's health.
We investigate the determinants and consequences of compliance with the Dey Committee recommendations encouraging greater board independence in Canada. Companies that acted on this recommendation appear to have done so to improve their performance and not for cosmetic purposes. Poorly performing firms that modified their boards experienced a greater increase in performance compared to those that did not. Overall, it appears that the primary function of the Dey Report was to refocus firms' attention on the quality of board monitoring, particularly those with poor relative performance.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic debilitating autoimmune disease affecting people worldwide. Increasing numbers of RA patients in the west are resorting to various complementary and alternative medicine modalities for relief of symptoms and well-being. Herbal products and acupuncture representing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are two of the most commonly used forms of complementary and alternative medicine. Frequently, their efficacy against RA and safety have been inferred from anecdotal experience or pilot testing on a relatively small number of patients following inadequate study designs. Accordingly, significant efforts need to be invested in objectively testing TCM in clinical trials that are sufficiently powered, randomized, blinded, possess appropriate controls and follow standard criteria for assessment of the outcomes. In addition, the mechanisms underlying the immunomodulatory and other antiarthritic activities of TCM modalities need to be better defined. These efforts would help validate the scientific rationale for the use of TCM for the management of RA.
Purpose          The purpose of this paper is to outline current police risk assessment and management practice when working with those convicted of sexual offences. The paper introduces the newly implemented Active Risk Management System (ARMS), a risk- and strengths-based tool used by the police across England and Wales.          Design/methodology/approach          A brief review of the literature and current practice is discussed.          Findings          The paper notes that in order for practitioners to work in a context of rehabilitation and reintegration, particularly one that supports clients convicted of sexual offending, there is a real need for practitioners to have the skills and experiences to work with this group. They also need to hold core values that support the notion of change and they ought to be fully supported through formal supervision and training.          Practical implications          Following are the practical implications of this paper: ∙training ought to be regular and ongoing; formal supervision sessions should be made available for all ARMS assessors; assessors ought to be assessed and observed in practice; and performance measures must be related to the quality and effectiveness of the design and implementation of risk management plans rather than the quantity of plans or home visits.          Originality/value          Very little has been written about this unique group of police practitioners who work to assess and manage people with sexual convictions. Even less is known of the effectiveness and applicability of the ARMS tool. Thus, this review is of value to academic and practitioner audiences.
Background In Japan, the definition of the elderly was suggested as being over 75 years old by the Japan Geriatric Society. The effectiveness of biologics in elderly rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients has been demonstrated in several clinical trials and cohort studies1. On the other hand, regarding safety, there are reports that the use of biologics in elderly RA patients is a significant risk for severe infections and that they do not increase the risk of serious infection 2,3. There is little evidence to support the association between age of RA patients and adverse events caused by biologics. Objectives We aimed to examine whether the age of RA patients was associated with adverse events caused by biologics. Methods RA patients using biologics were eligible. The participants were collected at Showa University Hospital, Showa University Northern Yokohama Hospital and Showa University Koto Toyosu Hospital from 2005 to 2016 in a retrospective cohort study. RA patients of 75 years and above compared with RA patients under 75 years. The primary outcome was the rate of discontinuation due to adverse events caused by biologics. Statistical analysis was Pearson's chi-square test. Multivariable analysis was performed by multi linear analysis. Covariates were sex, glucocorticoids dose, csDMARDs, interstitial pneumonia, diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. Results In total, 309 patients were enrolled. The mean age standard deviation was 57.1±15.6years, and 83.4% were women. 174 (56.3%) took glucocorticoid, and the mean glucocorticoid dose was 3.13±3.9mg.The patients over 75 years were 42 patients (13.6%), and those under 75 years were 267 patients (86.4%). The rate of discontinuation due to adverse events caused by biologics was 11/42 (26.2%) in the patients over 75 years and over, and 21/267 (7.9%) in the patients under the age of 75 (Relative Risk 1.24; 95% Confidential Interval (CI) 1.04 to 1.50; P 0.0003). Adverse events were bacterial pneumonia, pneumocystis pneumonia, exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia, urinary tract infection, herpes zoster, cytopenia, eruption, congestive heart failure. In the multivariable analysis adjusting for confounders, the rate of discontinuation in the group aged 75 years and older was significantly higher than that in the group under the age of 75 (regression coefficient 1.35; 95% CI 0.39–2.31; p=0.006). Conclusions Our results demonstrated that the rate of discontinuation due to adverse events by biologics was high significantly in RA patients over 75 years and above. References Genevay S, Finckh A, Ciurea A et al. Tolerance and effectiveness of anti-tumor cecrosis factor alpha therapies in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis:a population-based cohort study.Arthritis Rheum 2007;57(4):679–85. Galloway JB, Hyrich KL, Mercer LK et al. Anti-TNF therapy is associated with an increased risk of serious infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis especially in the first 6 month of treatment:updated resurts from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register with special emphasis on risks in the elderly. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2011;50(1):124–31. Widdifield J, et al. Serious infections in a population-based cohort of 86,039 serious with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2013;65(3):353–61. Disclosure of Interest None declared
ABSTRACT Local records are the foundation on which social history is constructed. However, in an era when most historians categorize themselves as social historians, it is amazing to note how much these primary resources appear to be underutilized in scholarly works. This article attempts to understand why this is so by investigating how it is that historians seek resources and how archivists make them available. It then proposes possible solutions beneficial to both the institutions and the researchers alike on how to make the most of these often difficult to access records.
T HERE are two limitations which may prevent a collusive oligopoly from charging a monopoly price in the long run: (1) the oligopolists may be unwilling or unable to organize an effective collusion to this end, or (2) actual or potential new entry may force the oligopolists to accept a price which is below the monopoly level. In this paper we shall be concerned with the second of these limitations, and to this end we shall assume that conditions are such that an effective collusion is possible. We make this assumption of an effective collusion in order to focus our analysis on the discipline of entry on monopoly pricing. Of course, we recognize that the difficulty of organizing such an effective collusion may provide a discipline which supersedes the discipline of entry, but we choose to ignore such possibilities in the present paper. On the other hand, we do not regard our assumption of an effective collusion as being so unrealistic as to render our analysis trivial. An effective collusion may require some kind of a system of pooling and interfirm payments-and we agree that such a system is extremely unlikely-but this need not always be the case. An effective collusion may exist without a system of pooling and interfirm payments if the following assumptions hold: (1) The firms in the industry are able to agree on both a uniform price and some division of the market. Thus, the elasticity of demand, at any price, is the same for each firm's demand curve as for the market demand curve. (2) All of the firms have identical and horizontal average and marginal cost curves over the range of output considered. This means that, in con-
Comparing fluctuating asymmetry (FA) between different traits can be difficult because traits vary at different scales. FA is generally quantified either as the variance of the difference between left and right (σ2L−R) or the mean of the absolute value of this difference (μ|R−L|). Corrections for scale differences are obtained by dividing by trait size mean. We show that a third index, one minus the correlation coefficient between left and right (1 − rL,R), is equivalent to σ2L−R standardized by trait size variance. The indices are compared with Monte‐Carlo simulations. All achieve the expected correction for scale differences. High type I error rates (false indication of differences) occur only for σ2L−R and μ|R−L| if trait sizes close to or below 0 occur. 1 − rL,R with a bootstrap test has always low error rates. Recommendation of the index to be used should be based on whether standardization of FA by trait size mean or trait size variance is preferred. A survey of 36 traits in the Speckled Wood Butterfly (Pararge aegeria) indicated that σ2L−R is slightly higher correlated to trait size variance than to trait size mean. Thus 1 − rL,R seems to be the superior index and should be reported when FA of different traits is compared.
We consider disruption tolerant networks (DTNs) wherein a direct communication path from a source to a destination via multiple hops does not exist due to both mobility and sparseness of the nodes. Hence, mobile nodes will deliver messages from source to destination using a “store, carry, and forward” strategy. In this paper, our goal is to analytically study the packet latency in such networks for a two-hop unicast scenario with Bernoulli packet arrivals at the source. We exploit an embedded Markov chain approach combined with our novel iterative estimation technique to study both network delay and queuing delay. Constraints posed by both the limited node buffer size and contention between nodes for wireless channel are also considered to obtain a more realistic model. Finally, our results are validated using simulations for a random-walk on a two-dimensional grid mobility model.
It has been proposed that age‐dependent accumulation of somatic mutations in mtDNA is responsible for some aspects of the aging process. However, most cells contain hundreds to thousands of mtDNA molecules. Any nascent somatic mutant therefore appears as a single copy among a majority of wild‐type species. A single mutant molecule is unlikely to influence the physiology of the cell and thus cannot play a role in the aging process. To affect cellular physiology, the nascent somatic mutants must somehow accumulate clonally in the cell to significant levels. The evidence supporting the view that, indeed, clonal expansion of mtDNA mutations is a widespread process in various human tissues, and the mechanisms by which clonal expansions may affect the aging process, are reviewed. Originally, clonal expansion was demonstrated for mtDNA with large deletions in muscle. Cell‐by‐cell analysis of human cardiomyocytes and buccal epithelial cells revealed that clonal expansion affects point mtDNA mutations as well as deletions. Expansions are not limited to muscle, but likely are present in most tissues, and almost every cell of an aged tissue is likely to be affected by an expansion. While the very existence of clonal expansion is beyond doubt, the mechanisms driving this process are largely controversial. The hypotheses explaining expansion includes random or various selective mechanisms, or both. We show that the spectra of expanded point mutations are drastically different in cardiomyocytes and epithelial cells. This suggests that the mechanisms of expansion in these tissues are different. In particular, we propose random segregation and positive selection models for epithelial and muscle cells, respectively.
Digital technologies are being incorporated in exciting and promising ways at all levels of education. To consolidate progress and to ensure scale and sustainability education institutions need to review their organisational strategies in order to enhance their capacity for innovation and to exploit the full potential of digital technologies and content. This report presents the European Framework for Digitally-Competent Educational Organisations (DigCompOrg). This framework can facilitate transparency and comparability between related initiatives throughout Europe and play a role in addressing fragmentation and uneven development across the Member States. The primary purposes of DigCompOrg framework are (i) to encourage self-reflection and self-assessment within educational organisations as they progressively deepen their engagement with digital learning and pedagogies (ii) to enable policy makers to design, implement and evaluate policy interventions for the integration and effective use of digital learning technologies.
s technology and access to information evolve, so must our techniques in surgical education. The traditional surgical learning paradigm—consisting of textbook reading, didactics, simulation, and in-person operative instruction—is due for a modern supplement in line with advancing technology. Current surgical medical students and residents readily use digital platforms, with 2 institutional studies demonstrating that 90% of trainees use videos to prepare for cases. 1,2 Despite the widespread utilization of surgical videos for education, trainees often report that educational videos are poor quality or too long, suggesting that the current available learning content is discordant with the preferences of surgical trainees. Current videos also lack the ability for dynamic interaction and co-learning that can be integral to a meaningful learning experience. Contemporary social media, meanwhile, within which broadly utilizes social is time 3 considerable of surgical is tradi-tionally
A novel porous coordination polymer [Mn(pc3)(H2O)2]·xH2O (3 < x < 4) is synthesized in water at pH = 7 using the anionic viologen-carboxylate ligand 4,4'-bipyridinium,1,1'-bis-(2,4-dicarboxyphenyl) (pc32-). Dehydration of the material results in the formation of open pores containing two types of accessible Lewis acid sites: exposed Mn2+ cations and N+ atoms of viologen units. Due to this property the PCP shows high affinity and capacity in the adsorption of H2O, CO2 and NH3. Despite the presence of strong adsorption sites this material is stable in liquid water and in gaseous NH3.
The effects of three different kinds of surfactant on the flocculation with alum of dispersed resin in several newsprint pulps have been investigated. The experiments consisted of flocculation tests in which the dispersed resin particle concentration in paper machine headbox furnishes was determined at 50°C with a hemacytometer before and after introduction of additives: nine different combinations of pH and alum concentration relevant to newsprint manufacture were used for each surfactant. With the naphthalene sulfonate, there was an improvement in resin flocculation. The nonylphenol ethoxylate did not appear to affect flocculation, but the lignin sulfonate reduced the extent of resin flocculation under some combinations of pH and alum concentration. The results also suggest that the use of TMP in modern newsprint mills produces a paper machine furnish in which alum addition for pitch control is much less effective than in sulfite/stone groundwood furnishes.
Pyroporcessing of spent nuclear fuel generates a considerable amount of LiCl-KCl eutectic waste salt containing radioactive rare earth (RE) chlorides. In this study, a series of processes, which consist of a phosphorylation/distillation process and a solidification process, were performed to minimize volume of the LiCl-KCl eutectic waste salt and solidify a residual waste into a stable form at a relatively low temperature. Over 99wt% of RE chlorides in LiCl-KCl eutectic salt was converted and separated into in the phosphorylation/distillation process using a mixture of . The separated was solidified into a homogeneous and fine-grained form at using LIP(Lead Iron Phosphate) as a solidification agent. The final waste volume was reduced below about 10% through the series of the processes.
The process of solute transfer between the vascular elements and the mesophyll cells has been recognized for many years, however attention has recently been paid to the cells which facilitate this transfer. These cells have rightly been termed ' Transfer Cells' based upon their function (Gunning et al. 1968, Gunning and Pate 1969 a). Transfer cells produce wall ingrowths and, thus, have increased surface area, the magnitude of which varies with the shape and size of these ingrowths. In the last few years several reports have come out dealing with the classification, structure, and function of transfer cells (Gunning et al. 1968, Gunning and Pate 1969, Pate and Gunning 1969, Pate et al. 1969, Pate and Green 1970, O'Brien and Zee 1971, Zee and O'Brien 1971, Yeung and Peterson 1972). Pate and Gunning (1972) have recently given an excellent review on the subject. In the present paper I have attempted to highlight the major cytological features of the xylem and phloem transfer cells in minor veins of pea leaf in relation to their function.
We study the impact of different central bank communication practices on the trading behavior and profitability of fast and slow traders in the foreign exchange market. We focus, in particular, on how the Bank of Japan's practice of introducing some randomness to the time at which it releases its monetary policy statement affects the behavior and profitability of high-frequency traders, and how that differs from the impact of the fixed release time used by the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. We also analyze the relative impact on fast and slow trader behavior of central bank press conferences and statement releases. We relate our findings to the broader discussion of how information asymmetry affects fast and slow traders in a market in which they coexist, and how market quality is affected by their interaction.
Complex percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are increasing day by day. However, there are still some anatomical features (such as marked calcification, tortuosity, and chronic total occlusions) that remain a challenge for the delivery of angioplasty balloons and stents, leading to a considerable percentage of stent deployment failure (around 3–5%) (1). In this context, there are several techniques aimed at improving PCI success, which can be grouped into three categories: i) increase in backup support, mainly driven by guide catheter, ii) increase in guidewire support (stiffer wires, “buddy wire,” anchoring, etc.), and iii) plaque modification (aggressive predilatation, cutting balloon, rotational atherectomy, etc.) (2–4). All of them are useful in daily clinical practice as complementary strategies; nevertheless, there is no evidence of direct comparison among them. Back-up support depends on two components: passive support given by the guide back-up against the opposite aortic wall and the stiffness of the guide, and active support achieved by coaxiality and deep engagement of the guide. Among these techniques, there are guide catheter extension devices, such as the GuideLiner® catheter (Vascular Solutions Inc.), that allow a deep intubation and provide greater support and coaxiality while the guiding catheter remains steady in the aorta (5). The GuideLiner® catheter extension device consists of a monorail system, which extends the distal end of the guide catheter (“mother–child” fashion), with a length of 25 cm and thickness of 1 French less than the guide. GuideLiner® is inserted into the guide catheter through the hemostatic valve and advanced until it reaches the coronary artery. It allows deep intubation into the artery, which provides great coaxiality and enhanced support. Therefore, the use of GuideLiner® is suitable when facing unexpected delivery challenges during PCI without the need for guide catheter exchange. There are also other commercially available monorail guide extender catheters, such as GuidezillaTM (Boston Scientific), Kiwami (Terumo, Tokyo, Japan), and Cokatte (Asahi Intecc). In this issue of the Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, Author et al. (6) reported one of the largest published series using the GuideLiner® catheter. This series includes 64 consecutive patients from 2 centers in a period of 2 years. GuideLiner® was used mainly to increase back-up support while treating complex coronary stenosis (90.6% B2 or C AHA/ACC lesions) in arteries with heavy calcification, marked tortuosity or other challenging situations such as chronic total occlusion or saphenous vein graft. The device was successfully used (i.e., adequately placed in the selected coronary artery with the desired deep intubation) in 96.9% of the cases, with a mean depth of intubation of 30.3±21.6 mm. In this study, this device showed an excellent safety profile since no coronary dissection was induced. The presence of significant proximal lesion was the reason for device failure. In all those cases when GuideLiner® was properly used except for one, a coronary stent could be deployed, providing a high procedural success (95.3%). It is to note that only a minor complication was reported: a case of stent dislodgement inside the guide catheter, which was easily managed. Author’s results are in concordance with and support the findings of other published series (6–13). With this available evidence, we can draw the following conclusions: A) GuideLiner® use is feasible in selected cases of challenging PCI. Reported success is consistently high (ranging from 90% to 100%) when the proximal artery segment is large (vessel diameter of at least 2.5 mm), no excessive tortuosity, and relatively free from disease (7,14). Therefore, careful case selection is mandatory. B) GuideLiner® shows a good safety profile. Its specific design is less traumatic to the arterial wall than deep intubation with conventional guide catheters, minimizing the risk of coronary dissection. When GuideLiner® has been associated to coronary dissections, these have occurred mainly in proximal segments of smaller arteries (11). Deformation or even dislodgement of the stent may occur at the transition between the hypotube and the monorail; to avoid this complication, it is advisable to advance the stent within the extensor area while it is in the straight part of the guide catheter (7, 13, 15). Other complications have been anecdotally described, such as air embolism and deformation of the extensor or displacement of the GuideLiner® catheter distal marker (7, 15). Other concerns for its use, such as ischemia induced by deep intubation, have not reported to be a major clinical issue. C) The high procedural success—optimal angiographic result with successful stent deployment in over 90% of cases (7)— should be interpreted with caution. PCI success in these complex scenarios cannot be attributed to a single device or strategy; it is rather the result of a sum of detailed and individualized steps applied. Moreover, all the evidence supAre catheter extension devices one step forward for complex coronary interventions?
SARS-coV-2 variants, along with vaccination, mark the second year of the pandemic. The spike region is a focal point in COVID-19 pathogenesis, with different amino acid changes potentially modulating vaccine response and some being part of variant signatures. NGS is the standard tool to sequence the virus but limitations of different sources hinders expansion of genomic surveillance in many places. To improve surveillance capability we developed a Sanger based sequencing protocol to obtain coverage of most (>95%) spike gene. Eleven nasopharyngeal swabs collections had RNA extracted for real time PCR diagnosis and leftover RNA had up to 3785 bp sequenced at an ABI3500 using dye termination chemistry of nested PCR products of two reactions of one Step RT-PCR. P1 amino acid mutations signatures were present in 18% (2/11), with 82% (9/11) with three or more additional amino acid changes (GISAID CoVsurver list). Most sequences (86%, 7/8) from 2021 have the E484K, whereas the mutation was not present in samples collected in 2020 (0/4, p=0.015). The swiftness that favorable mutations to the virus may prevail and their potential impact in vaccines and other current interventions need broader surveillance and more public health attention.
ABSTRACT Aim We present a novel surgical technique for repair of persistent and symptomatic cyclodialysis clefts refractory to conservative or minimally invasive treatment. Background Numerous surgical techniques have been described to close cyclodialysis clefts. The current standard approach involves intraocular repair of cyclodialysis clefts underneath a full-thickness scleral flap. Technique Our technique employs intraoperative use of a direct gonioscope to guide a nonpenetrating surgical repair. Subsequently, a significantly less invasive, nonpenetrating technique utilizing a partial-thickness scleral flap can be performed that reduces potential risks associated with intraocular surgery. The direct gonioscope is also used for confirmation of adequate surgical closure of the cyclodialysis cleft prior to completion of surgery. This technique has been successfully carried out to repair traumatic chronic cyclodialysis clefts associated with hypotony in two patients. There were no significant adverse events as a result of using this technique. Conclusion The novel technique described increases the likelihood of successful and permanent repair of cyclodialysis clefts with resolution of symptoms associated with hypotony, through direct intraoperative visualization of the cleft. Clinical significance Gonioscopically guided nonpenetrating cyclodialysis cleft repair offers significant benefits over previously described techniques. Advantages of our technique include gonioscopic cleft visualization, enabling accurate localization of the area requiring repair, and subsequent confirmation of adequate closure of the cleft. Using a partial-thickness scleral flap is also less invasive and reduces risks associated with treatment of this potentially challenging complication of ocular trauma. How to cite this article Rodrigues IAS, Shah B, Goyal S, Lim S. Gonioscopically Guided Nonpenetrating Cyclodialysis Cleft Repair: A Novel Surgical Technique. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2017;11(1):31-34.
Objectives To determine the effectiveness of early assisted discharge for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations, with home care provided by generic community nurses, compared with usual hospital care. Design Prospective, randomised controlled and multicentre trial with 3-month follow-up. Setting Five hospitals and three home care organisations in the Netherlands. Participants Patients admitted to the hospital with an exacerbation of COPD. Patients with no or limited improvement of respiratory symptoms and patients with severe unstable comorbidities, social problems or those unable to visit the toilet independently were excluded. Intervention Early discharge from hospital after 3 days inpatient treatment. Home visits by generic community nurses. Primary outcome measure was change in health status measured by the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ). Treatment failures, readmissions, mortality and change in generic health-related quality of life (HRQL) were secondary outcome measures. Results 139 patients were randomised. No difference between groups was found in change in CCQ score at day 7 (difference in mean change 0.29 (95% CI −0.03 to 0.61)) or at 3 months (difference in mean change 0.04 (95% CI –0.40 to 0.49)). No difference was found in secondary outcomes. At day 7 there was a significant difference in change in generic HRQL, favouring usual hospital care. Conclusions While patients’ disease-specific health status after 7-day treatment tended to be somewhat better in the usual hospital care group, the difference was small and not clinically relevant or statistically significant. After 3 months, the difference had disappeared. A significant difference in generic HRQL at the end of the treatment had disappeared after 3 months and there was no difference in treatment failures, readmissions or mortality. Early assisted discharge with community nursing is feasible and an alternative to usual hospital care for selected patients with an acute COPD exacerbation. Trial registration: NetherlandsTrialRegister NTR 1129.
Objective:The aim of this study is to observe the clinical efficacy of pollen specific immunotherapy with Artemisia in allergic rhinitis. Method:A total of 139 patients with allergic rhinitis who were positive for Artemisia pollen were selected for allergen skin pricking. All of them were treated with Artemisia pollen-specific immunotherapy. The patients were followed-up for 3 months, respectively before treatment (N), after treatment start interval. 3 months (D1, D2, D3) followup fill in the total score of nasal symptoms (TNSS), visual analogue scale (VAS) score, olfactory function grading, ocular symptom score (TOSS) and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) )score. Result:TNSS：N>D1，N>D2，N>D3，D1,D2,D3 two of the three compared to no difference.VAS：N>D1，N>D2，N>D3，among D1,D2,D3, two of the three compared to no difference. Olfactory function classification:N>D1，N>D2，N>D3，among D1,D2,D3, two of the three compared to no difference.TOSS：N>D1，N>D2，N>D3，among D1,D2,D3,D1>D2,the rest had no difference. RQLQ: N>D1, N>D2, N>D3, D1>D2, D3>D1, D3>D2. Conclusion:The specific pollen immunotherapy of artemisia is effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, and the symptoms are obviously improved.
By using single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy, we have investigated the electronic interaction of ethyne-bridged porphyrin arrays (ZNE) depending on their structure. The fluorescence dynamics of ZNE show a large amount of one-step photobleaching behaviors, indicating the high degree of π-conjugation. The ratio of one-step photobleaching behavior decreased as the number of porphyrin units increased. This behavior indicates that the linear and shortest Z2E shows a strong electronic coupling between constituent porphyrin moieties. Structural properties and orientation of ZNE were also measured by wide-field excitation fluorescence spectroscopy (ExPFS) and defocused wide-field imaging (DWFI). The ExPFS and DWFI show that the structure of absorbing and emitting units of Z2E and Z3E are linear. On the other hand, star-shaped pentamer with five porphyrins acts as an absorbing unit, but unidirectional trimer moiety acts as an emitting unit in the Z5E molecule. Collectively, these studies provide further information on the electronic interaction depending on their structure and length.
The water retention curve and relative permeability are critical to predict gas and water production from hydrate‐bearing sediments. However, values for key parameters that characterize gas and water flows during hydrate dissociation have not been identified due to experimental challenges. This study utilizes the combined techniques of micro‐focus X‐ray computed tomography (CT) and pore‐network model simulation to identify proper values for those key parameters, such as gas entry pressure, residual water saturation, and curve fitting values. Hydrates with various saturation and morphology are realized in the pore‐network that was extracted from micron‐resolution CT images of sediments recovered from the hydrate deposit at the Mallik site, and then the processes of gas invasion, hydrate dissociation, gas expansion, and gas and water permeability are simulated. Results show that greater hydrate saturation in sediments lead to higher gas entry pressure, higher residual water saturation, and steeper water retention curve. An increase in hydrate saturation decreases gas permeability but has marginal effects on water permeability in sediments with uniformly distributed hydrate. Hydrate morphology has more significant impacts than hydrate saturation on relative permeability. Sediments with heterogeneously distributed hydrate tend to result in lower residual water saturation and higher gas and water permeability. In this sense, the Brooks‐Corey model that uses two fitting parameters individually for gas and water permeability properly capture the effect of hydrate saturation and morphology on gas and water flows in hydrate‐bearing sediments.
Previous research on eye-hand coordination training systems has investigated user performance on a wall, 2D touchscreens, and in Virtual Reality (VR). In this paper, we designed an eye-hand coordination reaction test to investigate and compare user performance in three different virtual environments (VEs) – VR, Augmented Reality (AR), and a 2D touchscreen. VR and AR conditions also included two feedback conditions – mid-air and passive haptics. Results showed that compared to AR, participants were significantly faster and made fewer errors both in 2D and VR. However, compared to VR and AR, throughput performance of the participants was significantly higher in the 2D touchscreen condition. No significant differences were found between the two feedback conditions. The results show the importance of assessing precision and accuracy in eye-hand coordination training and suggest that it is currently not advisable to use AR headsets in such systems.
Solutions of macromolecules can undergo liquid–liquid phase separation to form droplets with ultralow surface tension. Droplets with such low surface tension wet and spread over common surfaces such as test tubes and microscope slides, complicating in vitro experiments. The development of a universal super-repellent surface for macromolecular droplets has remained elusive because their ultralow surface tension requires low surface energies. Furthermore, the nonwetting of droplets containing proteins poses additional challenges because the surface must remain inert to a wide range of chemistries presented by the various amino acid side chains at the droplet surface. Here, we present a method to coat microscope slides with a thin transparent hydrogel that exhibits complete dewetting (contact angles θ ≈ 180°) and minimal pinning of phase-separated droplets in aqueous solution. The hydrogel is based on a swollen matrix of chemically cross-linked polyethylene glycol diacrylate of molecular weight 12 kDa (PEGDA), and can be prepared with basic chemistry laboratory equipment. The PEGDA hydrogel is a powerful tool for in vitro studies of weak interactions, dynamics, and the internal organization of phase-separated droplets in aqueous solutions.
OBJECTIVE To assess sexual function before and after definitive irradiation for the treatment of cancer of the prostate.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The study comprised 67 patients (mean age 68 years) treated in five radiotherapy departments and assessed with repeated questionnaires about their libido, arousal, frequency and quality of intercourse, and sexual satisfaction. Interviews were obtained before radiotherapy and at the end of the first year after treatment. Sixty-three patients were married and 50 had a sexually effective partner. Forty-six patients presented with another pathology or medical treatment capable of inducing sexual dysfunction. Before radiotherapy, 40 patients were sexually active, with good to acceptable intercourse.   RESULTS Between 10 and 24 months after the end of radiotherapy, no disease progression was observed and prostate-specific antigen levels remained high in only two patients. Sexual function was preserved in 67% of patients but only 50% observed no change. The functional prognosis seemed to be related to the initial frequency and quality of intercourse; more than three times per month, the prognosis remained good, under three per month, it was poor. The patient's age was a predictive factor for the frequency of intercourse.   CONCLUSION Several causes of impairment of sexual function may be associated and can change over a long time. A longer survey should be conducted to analyse the organic response to radiation.
The article shows that innovations are induced, since they become more profitable with the expansion of output. The amount of resources devoted to innovating activity, however, is in general not the optimal one because of the pressure of two opposing forces. On the one hand, competition between potential innovators tends to make this amount too large, on the other, the inability of innovators to capture all the benefits tends to make the amount too small. When all benefits are captured by the innovator either there is no economic growth due to innovations or else innovators are the sole beneficiaries from that growth. When benefits are diffused the innovation will always lead to economic growth, but only by sheer coincidence will it lead to maximum growth, which may be missed because the innovation is introduced either too early or too late. The rate of growth is always positive if the innovation is introduced too late. It may fall to zero with too-early introduction or even become negative if innovational activity is subsidized.
The article models the policy challenges facing globalising developing countries. Models from the pure theory of international trade, the small open economy model, growth accounting, the Solow-Swan model, the gravity model, models of portfolio diversification and currency crises models are reviewed to distil policy guidelines to promote the globalisation of developing countries. The overriding objective of promoting the globalisation of developing countries is to reduce poverty and income inequality between and within countries. Pro- and anti-globalisers are currently locked in a heated controversy as to whether the latest wave of globalisation has bucked the past trend of increasing poverty and income inequality in developing countries. Anti-globalisers lament that protracted waves of globalisation have failed to extricate developing countries from the structural malaise that traps them in a vicious circle of poverty. They advocate the radical reshaping of the international financial architecture to make globalisation work for the developing countries by reducing their vulnerability to recurrent financial crises and crisis contagion. The article concludes by reviewing the geography and institution school research that offers new policy vistas for promoting globalisation in developing countries.
In human red cells, Li is extruded against its own concentration gradient if the external medium contains Na as a dominant cation. This uphill net Li extrusion occurs in the presence of external Na but not K, Rb, Cs, choline, Mg, or Ca, is ouabain-insensitive, inhibited by phloretin, and does not require the presence of cellular ATP. Li influx into human red cells has a ouabain-sensitive and a ouabain-insensitive but phloretin-sensitive component. Ouabain-sensitive Li influx is competitively inhibited by external K and Na and probably involves the site on which the Na-K pump normally transports K into red cells. Ouabain does not inhibit Li efflux from red cells containing Li concentrations below 10 mM in the presence of high internal Na or K, whereas a ouabain-sensitive Li efflux can be measured in cells loaded to contain 140 mM Li in the presence of little or no internal Na or K. Ouabain-insensitive Li efflux is stimulated by external Na and not by K, Rb, Cs, choline, Mg, or Ca ions. Na-dependent Li efflux does not require the presence of cellular ATP and is inhibited by phloretin, furosemide, quinine, and quinidine. Experiments carried out in cells loaded in the presence of nystatin to contain either only K or only Na show that the ouabain-insensitive, phloretin-inhibited Li movements into or out of human red cells are stimulated by Na on the trans side and inhibited by Na on the cis side of the red cell membrane. The characteristics of the Na-dependent unidirectional Li fluxes and uphill Li extrusion are similar, suggesting that they are mediated by the same Na-Li countertransport system.
Background Heart failure (HF) accounts for about 5% of all causes of urgent hospital admissions, and the overall mortality of HF patients within 1 year after hospitalization is 17–45%. Transthoracic impedance cardiography (ICG) is a safe, non-invasive diagnostic technique that helps to detect various parameters that define different cardiac functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the value of ICG parameters in patients hospitalized due to HF flare-ups. Material/Methods The study included 60 patients (24 women and 36 men) who were admitted to intensive care units because of an acute episode of HF without signs of myocardial infarction. The diagnosis of HF as the main reason for hospitalization was verified according to the universally accepted techniques. ICG data were compared to those obtained via other HF diagnostic techniques. Results A moderately strong relationship was found between the ejection fraction (EF) and the systolic time ratio (STR) r=−0.4 (p=0.002). Findings for STR and thoracic fluid content index (TFCI) differed after dividing the subjects into groups according to the EF (p<0.05). A moderately strong relationship was found between brain natriuretic peptide and TFCI r=0.425 (p=0.001), left cardiac work index (LCWI) r=−0.414 (p=0.001). Findings for TFCI, LCWI, and cardiac output differed after dividing the subjects into groups according to HF NYHA classes (p<0.05). Conclusions Transthoracic impedance cardiography parameters could be applied for the diagnostics and monitoring of HF, but further studies are required to evaluate the associations between ICG findings and HF.
Atmospheric-pressure diffuse dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) were obtained in Ar/O2 gas mixture using dual-frequency (DF) excitation at 200 kHz low frequency (LF) and 13.56 MHz radio frequency (RF). The excitation dynamics and the plasma generation mechanism were studied by means of electrical characterization and phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy (PROES). The DF excitation results in a time-varying electric field which is determined by the total LF and RF gas voltage and the spatial ion distribution which only responds to the LF component. By tuning the amplitude ratio of the superimposed LF and RF signals, the effect of each frequency component on the DF discharge mechanism was analysed. The LF excitation results in a transient plasma with the formation of an electrode sheath and therefore a pronounced excitation near the substrate. The RF oscillation allows the electron trapping in the gas gap and helps to improve the plasma uniformity by contributing to the pre-ionization and by controlling the discharge development. The possibility of temporally modifying the electric field and thus the plasma generation mechanism in the DF discharge exhibits potential applications in plasma-assisted surface processing and plasma-assisted gas phase chemical conversion.
Recent studies suggest that the ras-map kinase and PI3-kinase cascades converge. We sought to determine whether PI3-kinase is downstream of ras in insulin signaling in a classic insulin target cell. We generated a recombinant adenovirus encoding dominant negative ras by cloning the human H-ras cDNA with a ser to asn substitution at amino acid 17 (ras(asn17)) into the pACCMVpLpA vector and cotransfecting 293 cells with the pJM17 plasmid containing the adenoviral genome. Efficiency of gene transfer was assessed by infecting fully differentiated 3T3L1 adipocytes with a recombinant adenovirus expressing beta-galactosidase (beta-gal); greater than 70% of cells were infected. Infection of adipocytes with ras(asn17) resulted in 10-fold greater expression than endogenous ras. This high efficiency gene transfer allowed biochemical assays. Insulin stimulation of ras-GTP formation was inhibited in ras(asn17)-expressing cells. Map kinase gel mobility shift revealed that insulin (1 UM) or epidermal growth factor (100 ng/ml) resulted in the appearance of a hyperphosphorylated species of p42 map kinase in uninfected cells and those expressing beta-gal but not in cells expressing ras(asn17). In contrast, insulin increased IRS-1-associated PI3-kinase activity approximately 10-fold in control cells and high level overexpression of ras(asn17) did not impair this effect. Similarly, insulin and epidermal growth factor activation of total (no immunoprecipitation) PI3-kinase activity in both cytosol and total cellular membranes and insulin stimulation of glucose transport were not affected by expression of dominant negative ras. Thus, adenovirus-mediated gene transfer is effective for studying insulin signaling in fully differentiated insulin target cells. Inhibition of ras activation abolishes insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of map kinase but does not affect insulin stimulation of PI3-kinase activity. In normal cell physiology, PI3-kinase does not appear to be downstream of ras in mediating the actions of insulin.
The reader should be aware that rigid-bodies are assumed throughout and that it is not the aim of the author to deal with more specific software or robot control issues (e.g. implementation languagets), data structures, parallelism, adaptive control strategy, etc.). Overall, all the topics are clearly presented and the reader is very well guided from introductory to more detailed material. It is expected that the book will be most useful for postgraduate work in robot dynamics modelling and a welcome addition to any specialised library on the subject. SERGIO VELASTIN, Department ofElectrical Engineering and Electronics, UMIST
Layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) with hexagonal lattice structure has six valleys at corners of the Brillouin zone. The nontrivial Berry curvature distribution renders the adjacent valleys with distinguishable valley angular momentum, which enables itself as an ideal 2D valleytronic platform. Recent studies reported strong excitonic effect in monolayer WS2 and each excitonic state is identified with a well-defined orbital angular momentum, however the anticipated selection rules involve nonlinear optical processes are not clear. Here we show valley angular momentum (VAM) together with exciton angular momentum (EAM) impose different valley-exciton locked selection rules for second harmonic generation (SHG) and two photon luminescence (TPL) in monolayer WS2. Moreover, the two-photon induced valley populations yield net circular polarized photoluminescence after a sub-ps interexciton relaxation. The work demonstrates a new approach to control valley population at different excitonic states for next generation of optical circuits and quantum information computing.
This column explores from a philosophical perspective how sound recording and media create a context different in consequential ways for music education. The author relates the story of his connection to his son through the ukulele in two ways: first, through playing and singing together; and second, through a recording of their music. These differences are explored through a pragmatic approach to technology, with a focus on three issues: commoditization, efficiency, and sound fidelity. The author then explores two different kinds of responses that educators might explore in thinking about music education contexts and media awareness: an approach to focal practices following Borgmann, and the technological transparency approach recommended by Dewey.
A methodology is proposed to reduce power/ground and substrate coupling noise by randomizing the clock signal. A pseudo-random number generation algorithm is used to produce a pseudo-random clock. A probability adjustment technique is introduced to compensate for the speed loss, permitting the average frequency of the pseudo-random clock to be determined. The proposed method achieves more than 24 dB attenuation in noise at the center frequency at a cost ooff less than 4% reduction in speed.
The boron acceptor in 6H-SiC was investigated using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR). The hyperfine interactions with 11B could be determined precisely for the two quasi-cubic and the hexagonal sites. The microscopic model suggested from the EPR and ENDOR results is as follows: boron occupies a silicon site and is a negatively charged ligand to an adjacent carbon atom on which most of the unpaired spin density is located. At low temperatures the symmetry of the two quasi-cubic site defects is monoclinic, while the hexagonal site defect has C3V symmetry about the hexagonal axis. At about 50 K the two quasi-cubic site defects experience a thermally activated motion of the hole at the adjacent carbon about the hexagonal crystal axis and the apparent defect symmetry also becomes C3V. The boron acceptor should be regarded as a boron-induced carbon acceptor.
Abstract Paranasal sinus mucoceles are benign cystic masses filled with mucous content. Mucoceles are locally destructive, causing pressure on sinus walls with their resorption, allowing them to spread on adjacent structures causing local, orbital or intracranial complications. They are most commonly found in frontal sinuses. The aim of this report is to present case of oculo-orbital complications of frontal sinus mucocele, with focus on treatment using combined surgical approach. A 75-year old female patient with frontal sinus mucocele which led to destruction of orbital roof and occurrence of complications in form of orbital cellulitis and palpebral abscess was successfully treated with a combination of external frontoethmoidectomy and endoscopic sinus surgery. After initial incision of the upper eyelid abscess with drainage of purulent content, modified external frontoethmoidectomy was performed using preformed defect of orbital roof. Finally, using endoscopic sinus surgery, natural drainage of anterior group of paranasal sinuses was achieved. Various endoscopic and open approaches have been described in mucocele treatment. In this case we showed that the combined surgical approach in the treatment of frontal sinus mucoceles with destruction of sinus floor and appearance of oculo-orbital complications, provides an effective treatment and allows natural drainage of anterior group of sinuses.
ABSTRACT Introduction There is a growing research interest in how healthcare professionals learn online. This paper reports an analysis of reflections that relate to patients from users of an e-learning resource, BMJ Learning. Methods Healthcare professionals who use BMJ Learning are encouraged to reflect on their learning. Over one year, all of the learners’ reflections that related to patients were captured by the programme’s software and were analysed using thematic analysis. Results A number of key themes emerged from this analysis: many learners reflected on patients in the context of their disease; many learners reflected on how they had put their learning into action or planned to put their learning into action for the benefit of patients; many learners reflected on how they would pass on what they had learned to patients; learners greatly appreciated patients contributing to the learning. Discussion Learners predominantly reflect about patients in the context of their disease. The reflections demonstrate that learners are keen to put their learning into action for the benefit of their patients. Learners’ reflections show a keen interest in the patient-centredness of the learning resources.
ABSTRACT Objective: Following acquired brain injury (ABI), young people may experience increased anxiety as well as difficulties with their psychosocial functioning. This study examined trait mindfulness as a mediator of the relationship between anxiety and psychosocial domains of School and Leisure Activities (SLA), Interpersonal Relationships (IR) and Daily Living Skills (DLS). Method: Participants were adolescents with ABI (aged 12–19 years, N = 38). Standardised measures were used to assess anxiety, trait mindfulness, and psychosocial functioning. Results: Higher levels of anxiety were found to be associated with reduced IR (p < .05) and DLS (p < .05). Increased trait mindfulness was found to be associated with lowered anxiety (p < .01), as well as with better IR (p < .05) and DLS (p <.01). Mediation analyses found a significant indirect effect for the relationship between anxiety and DLS through trait mindfulness. Conclusion: Findings highlight the contribution of trait mindfulness as a mediator between anxiety and psychosocial functioning, such that increased mindfulness and lower levels of anxiety are related to better DLS.
This paper presents a novel method to estimate travel time on a road segment using information from other road segments. This method is useful especially in the case that real-time traffic on such road segment is not available. The proposed method is based on the correlation between the road segment itself and the most related road segment. We measure the relation between road segments by dynamic time warping algorithm and apply the K-Nearest-Neighbor algorithm to select the best neighbor segment to estimate the travel time on the target road segment. We found that the best attributes set that can measure the correlation between road sections consists of location of the road segments, day of the week, and current time. The link correlation results can be used as reference data to determine the travel time on the roads that are related.
In the paper, takes the improvement of the performance for an OWC converter from the mechanical side. An OWC conversion structure was proposed, studied, modeled and simulated using a FEM simulator. A wave generation method was applied instead of using an ordinary sin wave generator on the tank to make the waves the closest possible to the real sea waves. A mechanical prototype was built for this purpose to get an oscillated wave model. On the electrical side a pitch angle control system based on fuzzy set was applied on the turbine to be auto-adapted for the fast variation of the airflow speed to establish and maximize the extracted power from the OWC the model have been studied and implemented and tested to validate the results obtained by simulation.
We present physics based models for the occupation of interface traps and the mobility of the transition layer found in 4H-SiC MOSFETs and extract values for the same using combined numerical simulation and experimental characterization. The Si-C-O transition layer found in 4H-SiC MOS devices is electrically modeled as having a doping dependent mobility that is different from the regular bulk 4H-SiC bulk mobility. Compared to the high intrinsic bulk mobility of 4H-SiC, the transition layer intrinsic mobility was extracted to be approximately 165cm2/Vs. The occurrence of the excessive high density of interface traps near the conduction band edge led us to develop a new model for the occupation of traps lying inside the conduction band itself. Due to the conduction band trap densities being comparable to the conduction band electron states, a non-zero probability exists for their occupation, which causes the occupied trap densities to be very high in strong inversion. Detailed numerical simulations and corroboration with experiment have been performed to calibrate the models and extract physical parameter values.
LTHOUGH the sonnets in The Passionate Pilgrim (IV, VI, IX, XI) represent, as T. W. Baldwin observed, "a kind of first handling of the Venus and Adonis story, out of which the poem of Venus and Adonis grew,"' Don Cameron Allen has pointed out that the narrative poem takes an entirely different position. The substitution of the courser and jennet episode for the legend of Atalanta and Hippomenes indicates that Shakespeare's plan is as different from Ovid's "as his Venus-a forty-year-old countess with a taste for Chapel Royal altos-is. . . ." Professor Allen notes that the imagery associated with Venus, the "emptie eagle" given to "vulture" thoughts, points to her as the hunter, and that the imagery associated with Adonis, the bird "tangled" in Venus' "net," the deer in Venus' "parke," points to him as her prey. He goes on to connect the hare imagery with Venus, noting that she was often represented accompanied by a hare as the symbol of generative love, and traces the notion of love as a hunt from its classical origins to Shakespeare's Orsino who could "hunt the hart." Equating Venus' attempt to persuade Adonis to hunt the hare with her attempt to seduce him, Professor Allen establishes that Adonis, in refusing to be won by her arguments, rejects the love hunt and embraces the fierce animal hunt. Thus, the poem can be partially explained in terms of a timeless hunt: "Venus, the amorous Amazon . . . hunts with her strong passions; the hunted Adonis lives to hunt the boar; and the boar is death, the eternal hunter."2 While helping to resolve many of the troubling aspects of the poem, the interpretation has specific limitations. First, Venus attempts to persuade Adonis to hunt, not only the hare, but also the fox and the deer, and Professor Allen attaches no more than a general significance to the hunting of these animals. Further, no explanation of Venus' extreme reaction to Adonis' death is provided. Finally, the significance of Adonis' youth and the fact that he is too young for love is not explained. Obviously, if Adonis is too young to be tempted by love, identifying the encouragement to hunt easy animals solely with the love hunt does not entirely clarify the situation. There is a great deal more to the poem than Adonis' rejection of Venus-too much, as Allen admits, to be reconciled under the theme of the timeless hunt alone. Shakespeare has synthesized his material from at least three sources, and the poem contains several seemingly disparate episodes. Unless we are willing to give the poem up as defective,
Equine-derived antitoxin (BAT®) is the only treatment for botulism from botulinum neurotoxin serotype G (BoNT/G). BAT® is a foreign protein with potentially severe adverse effects and is not renewable. To develop a safe, more potent, and renewable antitoxin, humanized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were generated. Yeast displayed single chain Fv (scFv) libraries were prepared from mice immunized with BoNT/G and BoNT/G domains and screened with BoNT/G using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Fourteen scFv-binding BoNT/G were isolated with KD values ranging from 3.86 nM to 103 nM (median KD 20.9 nM). Five mAb-binding non-overlapping epitopes were humanized and affinity matured to create antibodies hu6G6.2, hu6G7.2, hu6G9.1, hu6G10, and hu6G11.2, with IgG KD values ranging from 51 pM to 8 pM. Three IgG combinations completely protected mice challenged with 10,000 LD50s of BoNT/G at a total mAb dose of 6.25 μg per mouse. The mAb combinations have the potential for use in the diagnosis and treatment of botulism due to serotype G and, along with antibody combinations to BoNT/A, B, C, D, E, and F, provide the basis for a fully recombinant heptavalent botulinum antitoxin to replace the legacy equine product.
Even before the Italians knew what to call their Renaissance, they knew the names of its heroes, one of whom was Lorenzo Valla. Accordingly, by the time Count Terenzio Mamiani della Rovere published one of the first modern histories of Italian philosophy in 1834, Valla's place in the story of that subject had long been established-for Italians, at least. "He began by ridiculing blind trust in Aristotle's words," wrote Mamiani,and then went on to show how the highest categories and first predicables had been based on false assumptions, proving this by the correct meaning of terms, by the usage of speakers and by arguments from common sense. Valla overthrew the classifications of Porphyry in the same way. He shows how the basic rules of logic are simple and completely self-evident.1In tribute to Salvatore Camporeale of the Order of Preachers, I shall preach a sermon about this celebrated Italian philosopher. My text is an article on Valla that Campo published in 1986, and my contention is that Valla was a remarkably original thinker who has been much underrated in the Anglophone world, in part because he has not been read often enough or carefully enough in a contemporary philosophical framework.2The Philosopher's Index is the most important general bibliography for philosophers now writing in English. The on-line version that gives nearly four thousand references in five languages for Descartes, over nine thousand for Aristotle, and nearly ten thousand for Kant turns up only forty-two for Valla; twenty-five of these are in English, but only two are in major Anglophone journals of philosophy.31 call that underrated and understudied.The first English-language entry for Valla in the Philosopher's Index dates from 1948, The Renaissance Philosophy of Man, a very influential book of readings (still in print) that presents Valla as a moral philosopher and Renaissance philosophy as not terribly important. The next entry, from 1964, refers to an equally influential book, Paul Kristeller's Eight Philosophers of the Italian Renaissance, one of whom is Valla, described by Kristeller not only as a moral philosopher but also, and more importantly, as a philosophical critic of logic and language.4 Around the same time, Hanna Gray, Jerrold Seigel, Charles Trinkaus, and others in this country had begun to study Valla's theory of language in more depth, and a few years later Camporeale's masterful book on Valla appeared in 1972.5Since Camporeale's book was then and is now the best account in any language of a brilliant philosopher, its absence from the Philosopher's Index indicates a kind of oblivion in Anglophone philosophy. In Europe and especially in Italy, by contrast, interest in Valla has been more or less continuous since his death in 1457. Mario Nizolio continued Valla's work in the sixteenth century, and both Valla and Nizolio were well known to Leibniz, who in turn was the subject of an important book by Bertrand Russell in 1900.6 Russell's most popular work, however, was the History of Western Philosophy that he wrote much later, during the Second World War.7Many people have taken their bearings on the history of philosophy from Russell's exuberant History. Amazon.com still offers five editions by four publishers. And Amazon's rankings of sales of more recent accounts of the Renaissance period, the Cambridge History of Renaissance Philosophy and the Renaissance Philosophy volume of Oxford's History of Western Philosophy, lag far behind the figures for a single edition of Russell's broader treatment (8,970 Russell; 481,085 Cambridge; 507,316 Oxford).8Despite its great success, Russell's book does not do well by our topic. His treatment of the Renaissance is like Burckhardt directed by Victor Hugo and produced by Macaulay. Cardinals poison each other while free-thinking scholars entertain princes to procure patronage. Humanism meanwhile dozes under the rubble of antiquity, too dazed by the ruins to produce original philosophy. …
The glutamate mutase dependent on adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B12) catalyzes the carbon skeleton rearrangement of (S)-glutamate to (2S,3S)-3-methylaspartate, the first step of the glutamate fermentation pathway of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium cochlearium. The enzyme consists of two protein components, E, a dimer epsilon 2 (epsilon, 53.5 kDa) and S, a monomer (sigma, 14.8 kDa). The corresponding genes (glmE and glmS) were cloned, sequenced and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The genes glmS and glmE are separated by glmL encoding a protein of unknown function. The deduced amino acid sequence of GlmL contains an ATP-binding motif which is common to chaperones of the HSP70-type, actin and procaryotic cell-cycle proteins. Both components of glutamate mutase were purified with excellent yields from cell-free extracts of E. coli carrying the corresponding genes. In contrast to component E, component S was shown to bind coenzyme B12. This observation strongly supports the idea that significant similarities of the amino acid sequences of component S and several other cobamide-dependent enzymes represent a common binding motif. Incubation of pure components E and S with coenzyme B12 resulted in the formation of a fully active glutamate mutase heterotetramer (epsilon 2 sigma 2) containing one molecule of coenzyme B12. EPR spectra of recombinant glutamate mutase, now available in sufficiency large amounts, were recorded after incubation of the enzyme with coenzyme B12 and (S)-glutamate. The EPR signals (gx,y approximately 2.1, gz = 1.985) were of much better resolution than observed earlier with the clostridial enzyme. Their typical hyperfine splitting is clearly derived from Co(II), which is involved in the formation of the paramagnetic species but is different from cob(II)alamin (gx,y = 2.25). The spin concentration was 34-50% of the concentration of the enzyme (epsilon 2 sigma 2) coenzyme complex. The competitive inhibitors (2S, 4S)-4-fluoroglutamate and 2-methyleneglutarate induced similar but not identical signals with spin concentrations of 134-148% of the enzyme concentration. Even (S)-[2,3,3,4,4-2H5]glutamate induced a signal significantly different to that of (S)-glutamate with an intensity of only 7%. These data suggest an involvement of the Co(II)-containing paramagnetic species in catalysis, the concentration of which reflects a steady state between its formation and decomposition. The large difference in the spin concentrations observed with (S)-glutamate as compared to the predeuterated glutamate is probably due to a kinetic isotope effect and indicates a cleavage of a C-H bond during formation of the paramagnetic species.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Coronaviruses (Cov) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to move severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCOV) is a new strain that that not been previously identified in humans.Coronaviruses are zoonatic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. According to many investigations it has been found that SARS-CoV from dromedary camels to humans. Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.
Most of literatures on Korean child aggression are based on using the cross-sectional data sets. Although there is a related study with a longitudinal data set, it is assumed that the data sets measured repeatedly in the longitudinal data are mutually inde-pendent. A longitudinal data analysis for Korean child aggression is then necessary. This study is to analyze the effect of child development outcomes including academic achievement, self-esteem, depression · anxiety, delinquency, victimization by peers, abuse by parents and internet using time on child aggression with Korea Welfare Panel Study data observed three times between 2006 and 2012. Since Korea Welfare Panel Study data have missing values, the missing at random is assumed. The linear mixed effect model and the restricted maximum likelihood estimation are considered.
India, being second largely populated country in the world and 70% of its population depends on agriculture as their main job. Stationary CI engines find wide applications in agricultural area for pumping water, power generation and other crop processing works. Even though emission regulations for such engine applications do not come under stringent norms, their contribution cannot be overlooked. NOx(Oxides of Nitrogen) is considered as one of the most objectionable pollutant from diesel engine. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), has long been of interest to engine designers, researchers, and regulating authorities in abating NOx. Implementation of EGR for naturally aspirated stationary diesel engines are relatively simple and a study of the application of high level EGR on such an engine is carried to study its impact on the other performance parameters. The results of this investigation give insight into the effect of EGR level on the development of gaseous emissions as well as mechanisms of its formation. Reductions in NOx amount are found to be remarkable with EGR but combustion quality deteriorates at higher loads and higher percentages of EGR due to a significant decrease of A/F ratio. EGR up to 60% is found optimum with 190 bar injection pressure without sacrificing thermal efficiency and increase in unburned HC significantly.
Free amino acids and volatile compounds of fresh garlic and its liqueur were investigated to search elution profile of those components as basic data for development of garlic liqueur. The garlic was soaked in 20% alcohol solution and then sampled every week for 5 weeks. The major free amino acids were L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-arginine, L-alanine, L-proline, L-asparagine and L-serine. Neutral amino acids such as L-threonine, L-proline, L-valine and L-leucine, and aromatic amino acids such as tyrosine and phenylalanine were eluted over 80% of those content in fresh garlic after 3 weeks of soaking, but acidic, basic and sulfur containing amino acids were below 80% even after 5 weeks. Sulfide compounds such as diallyl trisulfide, diallyl disulfide, methyl allyl disulfide, 2-vinyl-4H-1,3-dithi in, 3-vinyl-3,4-dihydro-1,2-dithiin, 3,5-diethyl-1,24-trithiolane, isobutyl isothiocyanate and diallyl sulfide were identified as major volatile compounds of fresh garlic by using GC/MS. Among volatile compounds of fresh garlic, allyl alcohol, diallyl disulfide, 3,5-diethyl-1,2,4-trithiolane, diallyl trisulfide and 3,4-dimethoxy furan were eluted to liqueur, but those compounds except 3,5-diethyl-1,2,4-trithiolane were lowered in liqueur during soaking. Furfural, 5-methylfurfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, dimethyl pyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 3-hydroxy-2-bytanone and 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyr-an-4-one were generated newly and their content increased in liqueur during soaking.
The System for the Vigilance of the Amazon (SIVAM) is a $1.4 billion dollar project of Brazil aimed at the development and deployment of a high-technology system-of-systems to perform monitoring, protection and control of the land, air and water resources of the Brazilian Amazon region. The primary challenge of the SIVAM project is to perform remote sensing and communications over a vast and undeveloped land area. The SIVAM network meets this challenge through an extensive network of air traffic control/surveillance radars, environmental sensors, communications systems, airborne sensor systems and coordination centers. Now fully operational, the SIVAM system is the world's largest fully integrated remote monitoring system of the environment and provides critical information on a timely basis to the Brazilian government, law enforcement agencies, and to commercial, educational and research groups.
In previous papers, we asserted that software system safety is primarily concerned with epistemic questions, that is, questions concerning knowledge and the degree of confidence that can be placed in that knowledge. We also enumerated a set of 21 foundational epistemic questions, discussed some of the difficulties that exist in answering these questions adequately today, and speculated briefly on possible research that may provide improved confidence in the sufficiency of answers in the future. This paper focuses on three of the foundational questions. For each of these questions, current answers are discussed and potential research is proposed to help increase the justifiable level of confidence. (6 pages)
W hen Black Panther Party (BPP) documents enter the public space of the classroom, the possibility for students developing their own empowering rhetorics is heightened. In this article, I explore the political and pedagogical relevance of BPP documents in a critical reading and writing intensive classroom. I am concerned specifically with classroom publics and the use of BPP autobiographies and the BPP's Platform and Program "What We Want, What We Believe" with Black students who represent the minority at Miami University. I
There is no definitive evidence as to whether oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) should be continued or withdrawn prior to the introduction of insulin therapy on an outpatient basis. Insulin Lispro Mixture-50 (LM-50), which supplements basal insulin secretion because of the presence of the intermediate-acting component contained in it, may enable more stable glucose control and allow discontinuation of prolonged OHA therapy, such as with sulfonylureas (SU). To determine whether the introduction of three times daily (t.i.d.) injections of LM-50 on an outpatient basis was effective in yielding adequate glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) who had poor glucose control despite treatment with OHA, patients were divided into two groups: those in whom the use of all OHA except SU was suspended [the SU(+) group; n = 10] and those in whom all OHA, including SU, were discontinued [the SU(−) group; n = 12].    Twenty-two patients with T2D undergoing treatment at Saiseikai Niigata Second Hospital were included in the study. Patients had been treated with maximum doses of OHA, but had failed to show adequate glucose control (HbA1c ≥7%). All patients refused inpatient therapy, but agreed to receive LM-50 injections t.i.d. on an outpatient basis. All patients provided informed consent for inclusion in the present study, which was an open-label, randomized, active-controlled, parallel-group, comparative study. For patients in the SU(+) group, SU was continued at the same dose and LM-50 injections were started at a dose of 0.1 units/kg, t.i.d. Patients in the SU(−) group were started on the same dose of LM-50, but all OHAs were discontinued. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in HbA1c level.    After 1–2 months of LM-50 injections, patients began to get used to the self-monitoring of blood glucose levels and the dose of LM-50 injected was adjusted with the aim of reducing preprandial blood glucose levels to ≤130 mg/dL.    Changes in HbA1c levels for patients in both the SU(+) and SU(−) groups are shown in Fig. 1. For the 10 patients in the SU(+) group, significant decreases in HbAlc started to be seen after 1 months treatment with LM-50. Similarly, patients in the SU(−) group exhibited significant decreases after 1 months treatment with LM-50. At the end of 12 months, significant improvements were observed in both the SU(+) and SU(−) groups, with the effects of LM-50 t.i.d. almost the same, regardless of whether SU was continued or discontinued. In the SU(+) group, the percentage of patients in whom HbA1c fell to <7.0% or <6.5% was 50% and 20%, respectively, compared with 66.7% and 41.7%, respectively, in the SU(−) group. There was no significant difference in the percentage change in HbA1c or the percentage of patients in whom HbA1c fell to <7.0% and <6.5% between the two groups.        Figure 1    Mean HbA1c levels in patients in whom the use of all oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA), except sulfonylureas (SU), was suspended [SU(+) group; n = 10; ◆] and those in whom all OHA, including SU, were discontinued [SU(−) group; n = 12; ]. ...        The body mass index (BMI) and insulin dose administered increased significantly in both the SU(+) and SU(−) groups over the 12-month treatment period (Table 1). There were no significant differences in terms of the percentage change in BMI or the insulin dose between the two groups (Table 1).        Table 1    Baseline characteristics and the outcomes and changes from baseline after 12 months treatment of patients in whom the use of all oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA), except sulfonylureas (SU), was suspended [SU(+) group] and those in whom all OHA, ...        Furthermore, although the incidence of slight hypoglycemia was the same in the SU(+) and SU(−) groups, serious hypoglycemia did not occur in any of the patients in either group during the 12-month observation period.    In general, it is believed that when insulin therapy is introduced on an outpatient basis, complete discontinuation of SU treatment often results in a decrease in the amount of insulin that enters the portal vein, thereby exacerbating hyperglycemia. However, this scenario was not observed in the present study, probably because the LM-50 used in the present study contained both an ultraquick-acting component and an intermediate-acting component (in a ratio of 1:1) and the intermediate-acting component acted in lieu of the basal secretory component induced by SU treatment. Because the LM-50 used in the present study contains bolus insulin and basal insulin at a ratio of 1:1, it is believed that this provides insulin in a pattern that approximates physiological secretion in humans.1,2    In conclusion, LM-50 injections administered three times daily produced almost the same effects in patients with initially poor glycemic control on OAH, regardless of whether SU was continued.
Background Vector competence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is a quantitative genetic trait that varies among geographic locations and among different flavivirus species and genotypes within species. The subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus, found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, is considered to be refractory to both dengue (DENV) and yellow fever viruses (YFV) compared to the more globally distributed Ae. aegypti aegypti. Within Senegal, vector competence varies with collection site and DENV-2 viral isolate, but knowledge about the interaction of West African Ae. aegypti with different flaviviruses is lacking. The current study utilizes low passage isolates of dengue-2 (DENV-2-75505 sylvatic genotype) and yellow fever (YFV BA-55 -West African Genotype I, or YFV DAK 1279-West African Genotype II) from West Africa and field derived Ae. aegypti collected throughout Senegal to determine whether vector competence is flavivirus or virus genotype dependent. Methodology/Principal Findings Eight collections of 20–30 mosquitoes from different sites were fed a bloodmeal containing either DENV-2 or either isolate of YFV. Midgut and disseminated infection phenotypes were determined 14 days post infection. Collections varied significantly in the rate and intensity of midgut and disseminated infection among the three viruses. Conclusions/Significance Overall, vector competence was dependent upon both viral and vector strains. Importantly, contrary to previous studies, sylvatic collections of Ae. aegypti showed high levels of disseminated infection for local isolates of both DENV-2 and YFV.
Pumpkin (Cucuribita Spp.) fruit slices were subjected to pre-drying treatments and drying using methods of uncontrolled sun and oven drying. The two-way interaction between drying methods and pre-drying treatments had significant effect on chemical qualities. Pumpkin subjected to salt solution dipping treatment and oven dried had higher chemical concentrations. Among the pumpkin fruit accessions, pumpkin accession 8007 had the superior TSS after drying. Among the three pre-drying treatments, salt solution dipping treatment had significant effect and the most efficient pre-drying treatment to retain the quality of dried pumpkin fruits without significant chemical quality deterioration. Salt dipping treatment combined with low temperature (60°C) oven air circulation drying is recommended to maintain quality of dried pumpkin slices. Integrated pre-and postharvest treatment including the genetic factor was shown to have significant effect on the drying kinetics as well as quality after drying of pumpkin.
We developed fibroblast activation protein α (FAPα)-sensitive magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) by conjugating a substrate-reporter tandem peptide as a synthetic biomarker to the surface of MNPs (marker-MNPs). In vitro, the marker-MNPs showed stability when treated with serum or urine and exhibited high susceptibility and specificity for FAPα enzyme and 3T3/FAPα cell line. Furthermore, the marker-MNPs were administered to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma xenograft tumor mice; they reached the tumor tissues in the mice, where they were cleaved effectively by the local overexpressed FAPα to release the reporter peptide and filter it into the urine. The tumor targeting and biodistribution of marker-MNPs were verified by in vivo imaging. The cleaved reporter peptides in urine detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay have high diagnostic accuracy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve =1.0). Our study implies a promising strategy of utilizing the low-cost and noninvasive synthetic urinary probe–coated nanoparticles for the diagnosis of FAPα-positive solid tumors, except for in renal cancer.
On September 20, 1894, a pamphlet entitled 39 Monate bei gesundem Geiste als irrsinnig eingekerkert hit the book stands in Germany.1 Its author, Heinrich Mellage, a tavern keeper from the industrial town of Iserlohn (Westphalia), detailed his recent exploits in “liberating” a Scottish priest (Alexander Forbes) from the clutches of a Catholic insane asylum in the Rhineland. In telling this story, Mellage’s expose brought to light an array of shocking abuses in the asylum. For his literary effort, he was slapped with a libel lawsuit, the charges brought jointly by the state and the Mariaberg asylum under paragraph twenty of the Reich press law (and sections of the criminal code).2 Mellage was eventually acquitted, but not before a nine-day trial, splashed across the front pages of newspapers across Germany, exposed to a rapt country the gory details of abuses in the asylum and the complicity of Church, state, and medicine in the scandal. The Mellage trial became a national sensation, inspiring an avalanche of press coverage, spin-off pamphlets, parliamentary debates, and psychiatric proclamations. Administrative reforms were enacted that strengthened state oversight and extended medical jurisdiction in asylums. At the same time, and despite (or because of) these reforms, the case contributed to a mounting backlash against psychiatry and asylums, intensifying public fears and helping to spur the formation of an extraparliamentary reform movement dubbed “antipsychiatry.”3
This paper deals with an analysis of debris produced during the polishing of diamond. The debris is carefully collected 'as ejected' to shorten the history of the freshly removed material. Using high-resolution electron microscopy as well as electron-energy-loss spectroscopy, the structure of the material is revealed and analysed in terms of density, percentage of sp 2 hybridized carbon, and oxygen content. Debris from polishing in the so-called hard and soft directions were involved in this investigation. Overall the structure of all debris is amorphous carbon. The material appears to be composed of small clusters, some nanometres in diameter, in which the graphite basal planes can be recognized. Very few and very small nanometre-sized diamond particles were found in the debris from polishing in the hard direction. The results support a polishing mechanism based on a mechanically induced transformation of diamond to graphite, after which material removal easily occurs. The well-known anisotropy observed in polishing can be explained satisfactorily on the basis of this model. Finally, in appendices, the art of polishing and the role of the black powder during preparation of the scaife are discussed.
the face to global integration, highly integrated, highly competitive era, talent and technology has become the focus of competition, IT enterprises are so in particular. Establishing and improving an incentive mechanism is to stimulate enterprise IT staff enthusiasm for work, give full play to the creativity of employees, retaining a healthy sustainable development, making it an important way and there must be the road. This paper presents some effective approachs to solve these issues.
http://www.frontiersin.org/Community/AbstractDetails.aspx?ABS_DOI=10.3389/conf.FBIOE.2016.01.01963&eid=2893&sname=10th_World_Biomaterials_Con... 1/2 Fabrication of anisotropically aligned nanofibrous scaffolds based on natural/synthetic polymer blends reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals for tendon tissue engineering Rui M. Domingues1, 2*, Silvia Chiera3, 4*, Pavel Gershovich1, 2, Antonella Motta3, 4*, Rui L. Reis1, 2* and Manuela E. Gomes1, 2*
Abstract Introduction: Education and training programs are critical to achieve personnel capacity building and professionalization in the rapidly growing humanitarian health sector. Thus, this study aimed to describe the status of humanitarian health education and training programs world-wide. Methods: A web-based analysis was conducted to identify the available humanitarian health programs. The following characteristics of the training programs were described: geographical location, target audience, prerequisite, qualification, curriculum, content, length, modality of delivery, teaching and assessment methods, and tuition fee. Results: The search identified a total number of 142 training programs, most of them available in few countries of the global North. Only seven percent of the identified programs qualified for a master’s degree in humanitarian health. Public health was the most identified content (47.2%). Approximately one-half of the training programs (50.7%) were delivered face-to-face. Theoretical knowledge was the most common method used for teaching and assessment. The duration of the training and tuition fees were different for different programs and qualifications, while target audience, prerequisite, and curriculum design were often vaguely described or missing. Conclusions: The study shows a global inequality in access to humanitarian health training programs due to financial and geographical constraints. The study also reveals gaps in program contents, as well as teaching and assessment methods, all issues that could be addressed by developing cost-effective e-learning and online simulation programs. Lastly, the data from this study provide a learning tool that can be used by humanitarian health educators and training centers to further define and standardize the requirements and competencies of humanitarian health professionals.
Objectives Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease, subtyped according to clinical manifestations and autoantibodies. Evidence concerning cigarette smoking and SLE risk has been conflicting. We investigated smoking and SLE risk, overall and by anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) presence, in two prospective cohort studies. Methods The Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) enrolled 121 701 US female nurses in 1976; Nurses’ Health Study II (NHSII) enrolled 116 430 in 1989. Lifestyle, environmental and medical data were collected through biennial questionnaires. Incident SLE was confirmed by medical record review. Cox regression models estimated HRs of SLE, overall and by dsDNA subtype, in association with time-varying smoking status and cumulative smoking pack-years through the 2-year cycle prior to diagnosis, controlling for potential confounders. Results Among 286 SLE cases identified (159 in NHS (1978–2012) and 127 in NHSII (1991–2013)), mean age was 49.2 (10.3) years and 42% were dsDNA+ at SLE diagnosis. At baseline, 45% of women had ever smoked, 51% of whom currently smoked. Compared with never smokers, current smokers had increased dsDNA+ SLE risk (HR 1.86 (1.14–3.04)), whereas past smokers did not (HR 1.31 (0.85–2.00)). Women who smoked >10 pack-years (vs never) had an elevated dsDNA+ SLE risk (HR 1.60(95% CI 1.04 to 2.45)) compared with never smokers. No associations were observed between smoking status or pack-years and overall SLE or dsDNA− SLE. Conclusion Strong and specific associations of current smoking and >10 pack-years of smoking with dsDNA+ SLE were observed. This novel finding suggests smoking is involved in dsDNA+ SLE pathogenesis.
We all enjoy top 10 lists or other numerical variants, be they selections of riverside pubs, classic rock guitarists or neurosurgeons, the world's best beaches, or the Mann-Booker shortlist. Such lists allow us to focus our own views and congratulate ourselves for our good taste or astute judgment: “The list seems valid, as they chose Mark Knopfler, Jeff Beck, and Eddie Van Halen.” They also permit us to scoff at the ignorance or lack of taste of the compilers: “Where are Joe Perry, Dickie Betts, and Stephen Stills?” But I digress.   Rarely do these lists have the explicit quantitative criteria that would satisfy a Cochrane collaborator. But the fun—and frustration—is in the subjectivity of the choices. If readers find themselves in agreement with over half the list then some modicum of satisfaction is achieved. Thus all BMJ readers will have turned, with a sense of anticipation mixed with scepticism, to the list in this supplement of the top 15 (egregious inflation of the more decimally traditional 10 or the more familiar dozen) medical milestones of the past 166 years. The list was developed by …
Herein, we report a potential solid-state magnetic cooling candidate gadolinium borotungstate Gd3BWO9 that shows an exceptionally large magnetocaloric effect. Experimental investigations on the crystal structure, bulk magnetic and heat capacity properties down to 300 mK were performed, along with the theoretical analysis of the electronic and magnetic features through density functional theory (DFT) and mean-field approach. The isothermal magnetic entropy change was identified to be 454 mJ K−1 cc−1 for a field variation of 9 T at 2.4 K, which are among the highest records ever reported. The substantial magnetocaloric effect makes Gd3BWO9 a strong alternative for cryogenic refrigeration at ultra-low temperatures and in the magnetic gas liquefaction.
Data integration methods are used to obtain a unified summary of multiple datasets. For multi-modal data, we propose a computational workflow to jointly analyze datasets from cell lines. The workflow comprises a novel probabilistic data integration method, named POPLS-DA, for omics data. The workflow is motivated by a study on synucleinopathies where transcriptomics, proteomics, and drug screening data are measured in affected LUHMES cell lines and controls. The aim is to highlight potentially druggable pathways and genes involved in synucleinopathies. First, POPLS-DA is used to prioritize genes and proteins that best distinguish cases and controls. For these genes an integrated interaction network is constructed, where the drug screen data is incorporated to highlight druggable genes and pathways in the network. Finally functional enrichment analyses are performed to identify clusters of synaptic and lysosome-related genes and proteins targeted by the protective drugs. We found that HSPA5, a member of the heat shock protein 70 family, was one of the most targeted genes by the validated drugs, in particular by AT1-blockers. HSPA5 and AT1-blockers have been previously linked to α-synuclein pathology and Parkinson’s disease, showing the relevance of our findings. Our computational workflow identified new directions for therapeutic targets for synucleinopathies. An implementation based on R and markdown is freely available online. Author summary We present a computational workflow that combines the analysis of different types of data measured in cell line studies with non-overlapping samples. We apply the workflow to measurements of gene expression, protein abundances, and a screening of a wide range of FDA-approved drugs. These different types of data are obtained from LUHMES brain cells and jointly analyzed to discover new treatment options in synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson’s disease. Our workflow includes a new probabilistic method, named POPLS-DA. POPLS-DA combines the analysis of the genes and proteins to pinpoint a set of relevant genes and proteins that can distinguish affected and non-affected cells. Furthermore, we constructed a network that connects together the relevant genes and proteins that interact with each other. We incorporate the drug screening data to highlights which part of the network is relevant to the disease and druggable. Through additional analysis of the functionality, we discovered that the genes and proteins that are targeted by protective drugs share relevant properties, namely they are synaptic and lysosome related genes. Notably, we found that a specific type of drugs, namely AT1-blockers such as Telmisartan, are protective and target the network of relevant genes and proteins. These drugs are approved by the FDA and readily available to further investigate its potential in treating synucleinopathies. We further found that a gene named HSPA5, a member of the heat shock protein 70 family, is highly targeted by the protective drugs. This gene has been linked to Parkinson’s disease in previous scientific literature. Our computational workflow and the implementation in R and markdown are freely available online.
In this paper, we develop a real time lip-synch system that activates a 2D avatar's lip motion in synch with incoming speech utterance. To realize "real time" operation of the system, we contain the processing time by invoking a merge and split procedure performing coarse-to-fine phoneme classification. At each stage of phoneme classification, we apply a support vector machine (SVM) to constrain the computational load while attaining desirable accuracy. Coarse-to-fine phoneme classification is accomplished via 2 stages of feature extraction, where each speech frame is acoustically analyzed first for 3 classes of lip opening using MFCC as the feature and then a further refined classification for detailed lip shape using formant information. We implemented the system with 2D lip animation that shows the effectiveness of the proposed 2-stage procedure accomplishing the real-time lip-synch task.
INTRODUCTION Positron emission tomography (PET) using 18F-2-fluoro-2 deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) has been widely investigated and used in the non-invasive imaging of malignancy. Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is one of the most common and best validated indications for an FDG-PET scan. This review examines the roles of FDG-PET in the management of NSCLC and attempts to identify emerging uses and possible future developments.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Literature review of English language literature indexed on Medline.   RESULTS There is strong evidence to support the clinical efficacy and cost effectiveness of FDG-PET in the characterisation of solitary pulmonary nodules and in the staging of NSCLC. In addition, there are emerging uses in radiotherapy planning, monitoring of treatment response and prognostication.   CONCLUSIONS FDG-PET plays an integral role in the management of NSCLC and it is likely to expand as evidence supporting additional roles in the management of NSCLC becomes available.
In this paper we investigate whether a layered architecture that has already proven its value for small tasks, works for a system with large lexica (400k words) and language models (5-grams) as well. The architecture was designed to decouple phone and word recognition which allows for the integration of more complex linguistic components, especially at the sub-word level. It was tested on the Dutch language which - with its large variety of accents and rich morphology - is ideally suited to benefit from this integration. The results reveal that the architecture is already competitive to an all-in-one approach in which acoustic models, language models and lexicon are all applied simultaneously. Candidates for further improvement to the system based on a conditional phone confusion model are suggested.
This article presents an operator's view of the evolution towards a transport network ready to support cloud services, which are hosted in data centers and reachable through the network. This work shows the reasons why current transport networks are not efficiently designed for a cloud environment, and it describes the architecture for a cloud-ready network. To show the feasibility of such a cloud-ready network, we present three experimental validations of the concepts to support our network evolution.
Background:  Much of the preventable child mortality and morbidity in the world occurs in Sub-Saharan  Africa. Preventive interventions exist but coverage is low. This thesis examines sociocultural  perspectives for delivery and uptake of preventive child health interventions,  focussing on constraints and facilitating factors, the role of village health workers and the  flow of informatioo relating to child health interventions in rural Southern Tanzania.  Methods:  Between 2004 and 2007, three linked qualitative studies were conducted in two districts of  rural southern Tanzania. These included a rapid qualitative study, a longitudinal  acceptability study of intermittert treatment for the prevention of malaria in infants, and an  in-depth ethnographic study. The respondents include parents of young children, pregnant  women, community leaders, service providers, programme implementers and decision  makers at district, regional and national levels. The qualitative findings in this thesis are  discussed in connection with quantitative data from household and health facility surveys  that took place simultaneously in the study area.  Results:  Health system, socio-cultural, political and managerial factors all played a role in both  facilitating and constraining service delivery and uptake. Constraints included mistrust  among council health management teams, service providers, village leaders and community  members, logistic and technical failures, absenteeism, delays in service provision, shortage  of qualified service providers, provider attitudes, and user charges on supposedly free  services. Village health workers had no clear management guidelines, leading to  questionable roles, unrealistic expectations, and poor retention, despite being locally  accepted. Flow of information about health interventions was inefficient, and client-friendly  health education sessions were rare.  Conclusions:  Most constraints could be addressed through improved communication within and between  health managemert teams and the community through district and health facility boards and  service providers. Village health workers have the potential to deliver services to the  unreached. The Ministry of Health guidelines on the recruitment arxI management ofVHWs  would be a valuable first step towards this goal.
FOREWORD. Gilbert Gottlieb and the Developmental Point of View (EvelynFox Keller, Massachusetts Institute of Technology). I. INTRODUCTION. 1. Developmental Systems, Nature-Nurture, and the Role of Genesin Behavior and Development: On the Legacy of GilbertGottlieb (Kathryn E. Hood, The Pennsylvania State University,Carolyn Tucker Halpern, University of North Carolina at ChapelHill, Gary Greenberg, Wichita State University, Richard M. Lerner,Tufts University). 2. Normally Occurring Environmental and Behavioral Influences onGene Activity: From Central Dogma to Probabilistic Epigenesis(Gilbert Gottlieb). II. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR THE DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY OFBEHAVIOR AND GENETICS. 3. Historical and Philosophical Perspectives on BehavioralGenetics and Developmental Science (James Tabery, University ofUtah, Paul E. Griffiths, University of Sydney). 4. Development and Evolution Revisited (Mae Wan Ho, Instituteof Science in Society). 5. Probabilistic Epigenesis and Modern Behavioral and NeuralGenetics (Douglas Wahlsten, University of North Carolina atGreensboro). 6. The Roles of Environment, Experience, and Learning inBehavioral Development (George F. Michel, University of NorthCarolina at Greensboro). 7. Contemporary Ideas in Physics and Biology in Gottlieb sPsychology (Ty Partridge, Wayne State University, GaryGreenberg, Wichita State University). III. EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT ANDGENETICS. 8. Behavioral Development during the Mother-Young Interaction inPlacental Mammals: The Development of Behavior in the Relationshipwith the Mother (Jay S. Rosenblatt, Institute of AnimalBehavior, Rutgers). 9. Amniotic Fluid as an Extended Milieu Interieur (Scott R.Robinson, University of Iowa, Valerie Mendez-Gallardo,University of Iowa). 10. Developmental Effects of Selective Breeding for an InfantTrait (Susan A. Brunelli, Columbia University Medical Center,Betty Zimmerberg, Williams College, Myron A. Hofer, ColumbiaUniversity Medical Center). 11. Emergence and Constraint in Novel Behavioral Adaptations(Kathryn E. Hood, The Pennsylvania State University). 12. Nonhuman Primate Research Contributions to UnderstandingGenetic and Environmental Influences on Phenotypic Outcomes acrossDevelopment (Allyson Bennett and Peter J. Pierre, Wake ForestUniversity). 13. Interactive Contributions of Genes and Early Experience toBehavioural Development: Sensitive Periods and Lateralized Brainand Behaviour (Lesley J. Rogers, University of New England,Armidale). 14. Trans-Generational Epigenetic Inheritance (Lawrence V.Harper, University of California, Davis). 15. The Significance of Non-Replication of Gene-PhenotypeAssociations (Carolyn Tucker Halpern, University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill). 16. Canalization and Malleability Reconsidered: TheDevelopmental Basis of Phenotypic Stability and Variability(Robert Lickliter and Christopher Harshaw, Florida InternationalUniversity). IV. APPLICATIONS TO DEVELOPMENT. 17. Gene-Parenting Interplay in the Development of InfantEmotionality (Cathi B. Propper, The University of North Carolinaat Chapel Hill, Ginger A. Moore, The Pennsylvania State University,W. Roger Mills-Koonce, The University of North Carolina at ChapelHill). 18. Genetic Research in Psychiatry and Psychology: A CriticalOverview (Jay Joseph, Licensed Psychologist). 19. On the Limits of Standard Quantitative Genetic Modeling ofInter-Individual Variation: Extensions, Ergodic Conditions and aNew Genetic Factor Model of Intra-Individual Variation (Peter C.M. Molenaar, The Pennsylvania State University). 20. Songs My Mother Taught Me: Gene-Environment Interactions,Brain Development and the Auditory System: Thoughts on Non-KinRejection, Part II (Elaine L. Bearer, University of NewMexico). 21. Applications of Developmental Systems Theory to BenefitHuman Development: On the Contributions of Gilbert Gottlieb toIndividuals, Families, and Communities (Richard M. Lerner,Michelle J. Boyd, Megan K. Kiely, Christopher M. Napolitano, andKristina L. Schmid, Tufts University). Name Index. Subject Index.
The integration of disabled individuals at their work place requires not only good educational, psychological and medical preparation but also good cooperation of the employer as contract partner. To simplify the task of the employer, a method created to serve the goals of the organization and how it structures its jobs was slightly expanded to that it can also meet the requirements of vocational rehabilitation. With the help of a computer suitable work stations are preselected from an existing inventory of available jobs. A physician examines and identifies the suitability of these jobs with the help of special descriptions which spell out demands and requirements the worker has to be able to meet. 150,000 work stations in the chemical industry were analyzed and used to prove the applicability of the procedure.
PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate genetic and environmental influences on different aspects of physical activity in young adult twins.   METHODS We studied 1274 Finnish twins with a mean age of 22.4 yr, from the population-based FinnTwin12 study. Physical activity was assessed with the Baecke Questionnaire, yielding four indexes: the sport index, leisure time activity index, work index, and total score. Quantitative genetic analyses based on linear structural equations were used to estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors on these physical activity traits.   RESULTS The overall heritability estimates were 64% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.56%-0.70%) for sports activity, 41% (95% CI = 0.31%-0.51%) for leisure time activity excluding sports, 56% (95% CI = 0.48%-0.63%) for physical activity at work, and 54% (95% CI = 0.45%-0.62%) for total physical activity. Unique environmental factors accounted for the rest of the trait variances. We did not find evidence for common environmental or dominant genetic influences. The heritability estimates did not differ between men and women, and no sex-specific genetic factors were found. Sports activity and leisure time activity excluding sports were associated (r = 0.27), and additive genetic factors explained 57% of their association.   CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that genetic factors contribute significantly to physical activity levels in young adults and that sports activity is under stronger genetic influence than leisure time physical activity excluding sports. We also concluded that physical activity at work does not seem to be associated with sports activities or other leisure time physical activity at this age.
Viscoelastic models can be used to better understand arterial wall mechanics in physiological and pathological conditions. The arterial wall reveals very slow time-dependent decays in uniaxial stress-relaxation experiments, coherent with weak power-law functions. Quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) theory was successfully applied to modeling such responses, but an accurate estimation of the reduced relaxation function parameters can be very difficult. In this work, an alternative relaxation function based on fractional calculus theory is proposed to describe stress relaxation experiments in strips cut from healthy human aortas. Stress relaxation (1 h) was registered at three incremental stress levels. The novel relaxation function with three parameters was integrated into the QLV theory to fit experimental data. It was based in a modified Voigt model, including a fractional element of order α, called spring–pot. The stress-relaxation prediction was accurate and fast. Sensitivity plots for each parameter presented a minimum near their optimal values. Least-squares errors remained below 2%. Values of order α = 0.1–0.3 confirmed a predominant elastic behavior. The other two parameters of the model can be associated to elastic and viscous constants that explain the time course of the observed relaxation function. The fractional-order model integrated into the QLV theory proved to capture the essential features of the arterial wall mechanical response.
arguments have been based on unscientific observation and personal opinion. A number of more-or-less scientific studies have been made of the topic, but these have been insufficient to settle the problem. One of the principal weaknesses of these studies has been that achievement has been measured solely by teachers' marks. Although the conclusions of such studies have statistical support, the validity of the original data is questionable. Some teachers may have given certain athletes unearned marks in order that the boys might be eligible to play on the teams, and other teachers may have been unfair in the opposite direction because of prejudices against athletics. The present article reports a study which escapes this particular criticism by using an entirely different approach. In this investigation the subsequent college careers of high-school athletes and nonathletes are compared. The data collected in this study are divided into two parts: (i) data comparing the high-school letter men and non-letter men with respect to intelligence percentiles, calculated from scores made on psychological examinations required of all students entering Indiana State Teachers College, and with respect to scholastic achievement, as measured by scholarship index; (2) the comparative numbers of
PURPOSE To determine the computed tomographic (CT) appearance of the normal modiolus and the pathologic alteration in patients with a large vestibular aqueduct and an otherwise normal-appearing cochlea.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Temporal bone CT studies obtained before and after a major upgrade of CT capability in 1992 were reviewed in four groups: Group A (1.5-mm section thickness) comprised 50 normal ears in 43 patients, group B (1-mm section thickness) comprised 75 normal ears in 50 patients, group C (1.5-mm section thickness) comprised 16 ears with a large vestibular aqueduct in 10 patients, and group D (1-mm section thickness) comprised 23 ears with a large vestibular aqueduct in 12 patients. All groups comprised adult and pediatric patients.   RESULTS In groups A and B, the normal modiolus was visualized in 90% and 100% of ears, respectively. In groups C and D, with a total of 39 ears with a large vestibular aqueduct and an otherwise normal cochlea, modiolar deficiency was demonstrated in 100% of ears.   CONCLUSION CT is an excellent technique for depicting the cochlear modiolus. Results suggest that all ears with a large vestibular aqueduct have associated cochlear modiolar deficiencies. Thus, a large vestibular aqueduct may be only occasionally, if ever, an isolated developmental anomaly of the inner ear.
Background: The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of stromal myofibroblast appearance, and to further clarify whether myofibroblasts influence tumor suppression or progression within stromal desmoplastic reaction. To our knowledge this is the largest study in the English literature examining the role of stromal myofibroblast proliferation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the first addressing its prognostic significance in early-stage oral cancer with a clinically negative neck. Materials and methods: Biopsy materials from 89 patients with early stage (T1/T2) OSCC were retrospectively analysed. Frequency of myofibroblasts within desmoplastic stroma was assessed immunohistochemically and compared with other clinically and pathological factors. Results: Immunohistochemical reaction for α-smooth muscle actin showed positive cells in stroma of 76.4 % (n = 68) of OSCC. Abundant presence of myofibroblasts in the tumor stroma was significantly correlated with presence of lymph node metastases (P < .001), distant metastases (P = .03), perineural invasion (P= .01) and stromal desmoplastic reaction (P < .001). Patients whose specimens demonstrated abundant myofibroblasts had a disease specific survival rate at 5-years of 73.3% compared with 92.4% for patients with scanty myofibroblasts which is statistically significant (P= .05). Presence of myofibroblasts was not associated with T stage, local and regional recurrence, tumor cellular differentiation and mode of invasion. At the end of the study, 16 of the patients (18%) had died of disease recurrence. Follow-up information was available for all patients and ranged from 9 to 159 months (mean 60). Conclusion: Together, our data demonstrate that abundance of myofibroblasts leads to a more aggressive phenotype of the OSCCs resulting in significantly increased presence of lymph node and distant metastases as well as lower survival rates. Further investigations of stromal interactions and phenotypic characteristics of myofibroblasts at the invasive front are needed in order to provide new diagnostic markers or anti-cancer therapeutic modalities. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
The twofold internal barriers to rotation about the C—S bond in 3,5-diX-thiophenols were determined in solution from long-range spin–spin coupling constants. They are 3.4, 4.85, 5.3, 6.45, and 7.25 ± 10% kJ/mol for X = H, CH3, OCH3, F, and Cl, respectively. In 3,5-dichloro-4-hydroxythiophenol, V2 is −0.8 kJ/mol as compared to −1.9 kJ/mol in 4-methoxythiophenol. The para substituent here dominates. The observed barriers are in rough agreement with arguments based on perturbation molecular orbital theory and with MO calculations of changes in the barrier caused by substituents. The computed values appear as nearly pure twofold barriers with very small fourfold components.
Observations of potato plant growth were made in plots containing a wide range of potato cyst-nematode populations following the use of resistant or susceptible varieties combined with fumigation treatments. Potato plants infested with many potato cyst-nematodes grew more slowly, were dwarfed, had smaller leaves and senesced earlier than plants with few nematodes but growth of Maris Piper, a variety resistant to Heterodera rostochiensis Woll. (pathotype A), was less affected than that of a susceptible variety, Pentland Dell. Throughout their growth nematode-infested plants contained less potassium in their foliage than uninfested plants and they were probably less efficient at taking up potassium. Although feeding nematodes probably abstracted a significant amount of nitrogen from heavily-attacked plants, the percentage of nitrogen in the haulm dry matter was little affected and did not seem to be a major factor limiting growth. There was no indication that photosynthetic capacity per unit area was lessened in the leaves of plants with root systems infested by many nematodes. Final yields were decreased by nematodes because infested plants were smaller and because they senesced earlier than plants infested with few nematodes.
OBJECTIVES:Several previous studies have shown that malignant progression in Barrett's metaplasia (BM) occurs even in patients treated with fundoplication or acid suppression therapy (AST). The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that AST may not alter malignant progression in BM if key genes involved in DNA repair and cell cycle control, particularly p53, are defective.METHODS:Initial and follow-up biopsies from 21 patients with BM treated with AST and observed for 1–13 yr were entered in the study. All biopsies were graded for dysplasia and evaluated for p53 protein accumulation and oxidative DNA damage by immunohiostochemistry, using antibodies to p53 and to 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, respectively. DNA ploidy was determined using image analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves, log rank test, and multivariate regression.RESULTS:Patients with p53 positive initial biopsies were more likely to have progression in dysplasia grade (p = 0.022) and DNA ploidy status (p = 0.023) than those with p53 negative biopsies. In eight patients AST resulted in significant reduction in oxidative DNA damage in the five patients with p53-negative initial biopsies, but not the three with p53 positive ones (p = 0.0007).CONCLUSIONS:We conclude that failure of AST to alter malignant progression in BM may be due, at least in part, to defects in DNA repair and cell cycle control resulting from p53 gene mutation, present before AST treatment. Although AST may be effective in preventing further DNA damage, it is unlikely to alter progression in genetically unstable cells.
We previously reported the structure-activity relationships (SAR), molecular structure, pharmacology, and molecular pharmacology of indolidan (LY195115), a potent and long-acting dihydropyridazinone cardiotonic. Our 6-phenyldihydropyridazinone SAR studies revealed the critical nature of the substituent at the para position of the phenyl ring. An acetamido substituent provided potent cardiotonic activity and we hypothesized that this may relate to the ability of the acetamide carbonyl to function as a hydrogen-bond acceptor. To further address this question, we prepared 15 (4,5-dihydro-6-[4-(3-pyridinyl)phenyl]-3(2H)-pyridazinone), the 3-pyridyl analogue of imazodan. As is the case with imazodan, this (pyridylphenyl)dihydropyridazinone possesses a nitrogen three atoms removed from the phenyl ring, but the molecular framework through which it is attached to the phenyldihydropyridazinone moiety is altered. After iv administration to pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs, inotropic ED50 values of 15, imazodan, and the parent compound, 4,5-dihydro-6-phenyl-3(2H)-pyridazinone, were 19.4, 50.1, and 6330 micrograms/kg, respectively. Thus, 15 is over 2-fold more potent than imazodan and 326-fold more potent than the parent, unsubstituted compound. These data, as well as data obtained with other congeners, are consistent with the hypothesis that a suitably oriented hydrogen-bond-acceptor site contributes to the high degree of inotropic potency observed with these dihydropyridazinone cardiotonics.
Introduction • Food-borne disease is a major public health issue in Vietnam and the contamination of popular foods can occur along the entire food value chain. • Risk-based approach contains tools for managing food safety (e.g. risk assessment) , however in Vietnam it is rarely used and the capacity for application is still limited. • We assessed the health risks related to pork consumption in the context of small scale pig value chains and pork traded in informal markets.
Sizewell A and B Nuclear Power Stations are located on the Suffolk coast of East Anglia. The A station is a 650 MWe Magnox plant, completed in 1966 and operated by British Nuclear Fuels; the B station is a 1258 MWe pressurised water reactor (PWR), commissioned in 1995 and operated by British Energy Generation Ltd. Both power stations are direct cooled and rely on abstractions of cooling water (CW) from the North Sea: together they can abstract some 80 m3  s-1 . The water is passed around the plant condenser circuits and returned to the sea, along with reject heat and any chlorine residues from antifouling treatment. The abstraction of this water is accompanied, to some extent unavoidably, by entrained fish present either as ichthyoplankton (eggs, larvae and postlarvae of fish), or as fully-formed juvenile or adult fish which have to be removed by mechanical screening systems ('drum' screens) to avoid CW condenser blockage. The entrained ichthyoplankton passes through the entire cooling system and is discharged back to sea along with the heated water. The later life stages of fish and other material that become impinged upon the drum screens are removed from the water. At Sizewell B provision is made to return the more robust species of fish back to the sea alive. In the late 1970S the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB), then owner of the whole Sizewell site, announced plans to build the PWR power station which was to become known as Sizewell B. Local fishermen lodged an objection to the scheme on the grounds that the mortality of juvenile fish on the drum screens might be increased to an unacceptable level. Between 1981 and 1982 a joint study of the fish catch was carried out by the CEGB and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF). This study showed that the losses on the A station of commercially important species, including plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), sole (Solea solea), dab (Limanda limanda), cod (Gadus morhua), whiting (Merlangius merlangus) and herring (Clupea harengus), amounted to 66 tonnes per year (t y 1 , then valued at £28 000 per annum. This estimate included an allowance for the potential yield of fish which were below the statutory minimum landing sizes when captured, assuming that the rates of growth, mortality and exploitation would have been similar to those experienced by other fish within the North Sea fisheries. The catch rate was summarised by observing that it was 'less than that of a single small, inefficient trawler' and therefore of minor significance. It was also concluded that no impact on local fisheries could be defined, as stocks within the North Sea tend to migrate over large distances. Nonetheless, it was agreed between CEGB and MAFF that a number of reasonably practicable opportunities existed for reducing the catch of the B station, such as appropriate location and design of the cooling water intake and the incorporation of the 'trash' return system. It was also agreed that, following commissioning, the predictions on fish catch would be validated and the relative success of the various mitigative measures assessed. This report is the result of that agreement, but also provides the opportunity of summarising and incorporating other Sizewell-related impingement and entrainment studies to give an updated assessment. With the construction of the B station, and plans (now dropped) to build a C station, the CEGB's successor and British Energy Generation Ltd.'s predecessor, Nuclear Electric Ltd., commissioned studies both to satisfy the prior agreement with MAFF and further evaluate the actual or potential impact of the Sizewell power stations on North Sea fish- eries. So, from 1991 onwards: the original survey data were re-analysed to assess any likely changes resulting from trends in North Sea stocks; assessments were made of losses due to ichthyoplankton entrainment at the A station; experimental studies were undertaken to determine mortality rates of ichthyoplankton passing through the CW system; on the commissioning of the B station, catch rates were compared with the A station to determine whether design and positioning improvements in the B station intake were beneficial; survival rates on passage through the fish return system on the B station were measured; comparisons of losses of juvenile fish due to the power stations with those due to other sources, such as the East Coast shrimp fisheries, were undertaken, to provide an alternative context within which to view the findings; an expert system known as PISCES was used to make estimates of impingement rates for other English East Coast power stations, so that the combined effects of these stations acting in concert could be determined; other fish-related studies were undertaken to determine, for example, any possible impact of fish losses on the availability of food for fish-eating birds at the neighbouring Minsmere nature reserve. The results of these studies are frequently presented in this report in terms of Equivalent Adult values (EAV's). The EAV method is a procedure where the nurnbers of fish of any age are standardised to the number that would be expected to be alive at the age when 5O% of the stock would mature. Thus, if a fish matures at 3 years old, many millions of eggs or larvae may represent a single 'equivalent adult', and the EAV will be a tiny fraction of unity, whereas a fish older than 3 years will have an EAV of greater than one. The purpose of the EAV method is to allow fish captured at any stage of their life cycle to be compared on an equal footing with fish of commercial size. It is important to note that the EAV method does not take account of density-dependent factors (such as rates of predation, parasitism, feeding success) that might tend to increase the survival, growth and reproductive rates of individuals left in the population when some of their competitors are removed. The values given should therefore be regarded as overestimates.
Abstract Background Existing evidence for the prospective association of vitamin D status with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is focused almost exclusively on circulating total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] without distinction between its subtypes: nonepimeric and epimeric 25(OH)D3 stereoisomers, and 25(OH)D2, the minor component of 25(OH)D. We aimed to investigate the prospective associations of circulating levels of the sum and each of these three metabolites with incident T2D. Methods This analysis in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)–InterAct case-cohort study for T2D included 9671 incident T2D cases and 13,562 subcohort members. Plasma vitamin D metabolites were quantified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. We used a multivariable Prentice-weighted Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of T2D for each metabolite. Analyses were performed separately within country, and estimates were combined across countries using random-effects meta-analysis. Results The mean concentrations (SD) of total 25(OH)D, nonepimeric 25(OH)D3, epimeric 25(OH)D3, and 25(OH)D2 were 41.1 (17.2), 40.7 (17.3), 2.13 (1.31), and 8.16 (6.52) nmol/L, respectively. Plasma total 25(OH)D and nonepimeric 25(OH)D3 were inversely associated with incident T2D [multivariable-adjusted HR per 1 SD = 0.81 (95% CI, 0.77, 0.86) for both variables], whereas epimeric 25(OH)D3 was positively associated [per 1 SD HR = 1.16 (1.09, 1.25)]. There was no statistically significant association with T2D for 25(OH)D2 [per 1 SD HR = 0.94 (0.76, 1.18)]. Conclusions Plasma nonepimeric 25(OH)D3 was inversely associated with incident T2D, consistent with it being the major metabolite contributing to total 25(OH)D. The positive association of the epimeric form of 25(OH)D3 with incident T2D provides novel information to assess the biological relevance of vitamin D epimerization and vitamin D subtypes in diabetes etiology.
Purpose: To study the microbiological and clinical profile of cases of microbial keratitis in patients with Down syndrome. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients with Down syndrome and microbial keratitis admitted to the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, between January 1997 and January 2007 was undertaken. Main parameters evaluated were clinical and microbiological profile and final outcome. Results: Of 18 patients included in this study, 11 were men and 7 were women, with mean age of 50 ± 29 years (range 20-61 years). The most common associated ocular abnormality was eyelid diseases (94%) followed by atopic keratoconjunctivitis (44%). Positive microbiological cultures were obtained in 5 (28%) cases with Streptococcus pneumoniae being the most prevalent isolate. Ocular herpes was detected in 2 patients with polymerase chain reaction. Surgical intervention was required in 13 (72%) patients in the form of keratoplasty (n = 3) corneal gluing (n = 2), tarsorrhaphy (n = 5), botox injection (n = 1), and enucleation (n = 2). Conclusions: Microbial keratitis in Down syndrome is associated with eyelid problems and ocular atopy, and due to failure of medical therapy alone, surgical intervention is required in majority of cases.
Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, are currently being investigated for treatment of age-related macular degeneration, a retinal disease. Herein, retinal and serum concentrations of four statins (atorvastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, and rosuvastatin) were evaluated after mice were given a single drug dose of 60 mg/kg body weight. All statins, except rosuvastatin, were detected in the retina: atorvastatin and pravastatin at 1.6 pmol and simvastatin at 4.1 pmol. Serum statin concentrations (pmol/ml) were 223 (simvastatin), 1401 (atorvastatin), 2792 (pravastatin), and 9050 (rosuvastatin). Simvastatin was then administered to mice daily for 6 weeks at 60 mg/kg body weight. Simvastatin treatment reduced serum cholesterol levels by 18% and retinal content of cholesterol and lathosterol (but not desmosterol) by 24% and 21%, respectively. The relative contributions of retinal cholesterol biosynthesis and retinal uptake of serum cholesterol to total retinal cholesterol input were changed as well. These contributions were 79% and 21%, respectively, in vehicle-treated mice and 69% and 31%, respectively, in simvastatin-treated mice. Thus, simvastatin treatment lowered retinal cholesterol because a compensatory upregulation of retinal uptake of serum cholesterol was not sufficient to overcome the effect of inhibited retinal biosynthesis. Simultaneously, simvastatin-treated mice had a 2.9-fold increase in retinal expression of Cd36, the major receptor clearing oxidized low-density lipoproteins from Bruch’s membrane. Notably, simvastatin treatment essentially did not affect brain cholesterol homeostasis. Our results reveal the statin effect on the retinal and brain cholesterol input and are of value for future clinical investigations of statins as potential therapeutics for age-related macular degeneration.
An accurate scoring function that can select near‐native structure models from a pool of alternative models is key for successful protein structure prediction. For the critical assessment of techniques for protein structure prediction (CASP) 11, we have built a protocol of protein structure prediction that has novel coarse‐grained scoring functions for selecting decoys as the heart of its pipeline. The score named PRESCO (Protein Residue Environment SCOre) developed recently by our group evaluates the native‐likeness of local structural environment of residues in a structure decoy considering positions and the depth of side‐chains of spatially neighboring residues. We also introduced a helix interaction potential as an additional scoring function for selecting decoys. The best models selected by PRESCO and the helix interaction potential underwent structure refinement, which includes side‐chain modeling and relaxation with a short molecular dynamics simulation. Our protocol was successful, achieving the top rank in the free modeling category with a significant margin of the accumulated Z‐score to the subsequent groups when the top 1 models were considered. Proteins 2016; 84(Suppl 1):105–117. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Scheduling algorithms are designed to optimize many optimality criteria in a wide variety of scheduling models. To do so is well-motivated and justified, as an algorithm that works well for one scheduling problem/objective may perform poorly on a different scheduling problem/objective. In this abstract, we give very general results about the existence of schedules which simultaneously minimize two criteria. Our results are general in that they apply to almost any scheduling environment, and that they apply to all pairs of metrics in which the first metric is one of maximum flow time, makespan, or maximum lateness and the second metric is one of average flow time, average completion time, average lateness, number of on-time jobs. We will show that for almost all such pairs of metrics there exist schedules which are simultaneously close to optimal for both metrics.
ABSTRACT In order to understand the role of fluorination on the interactions and partitioning of alcohols in aqueous and organic environments, isobaric-isothermal ensemble Monte Carlo simulations are used to determine environmental predictors, such as free energies of hydration and solvation in 1-octanol and n-hexadecane. Calculations are performed with the united-atom Transferable Potentials for Phase Equilibria (TraPPE) force field and compared against available experimental data. TraPPE was found to provide reliable qualitative predictions of trends with respect to the effect of fluorination on partitioning. Investigation of the local solvation environment around the hydroxyl group reveals that fluorination of carbons closest to the hydroxyl group has the greatest effect on solvation free energies for alcohols in water, 1-octanol and n-hexadecane. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
The effects of a time-dependent wetted perimeter on infiltration from ephemeral stream channel cross sections are explored using a conceptually simple mathematical model. The model is based on the assumptions of vertical soil moisture flow and the validity of the Green-Ampt model for vertical infiltration. By using a simple channel geometry, an analytic solution is found for the case in which the gravitational component of soil moisture flow may be neglected. An efficient, accurate numerical technique provides approximate solutions in the general case. Application of the model demonstrates that cross-sectional infiltration, that is, infiltration per unit length of channel, is a complex function of soil properties, channel geometry, and hydrograph shape. For the channel geometry considered, the direct effects of variable water pressure at the ground surface are overshadowed by the effects of variation in the wetted perimeter, with the result that the temporal variation in infiltration rate is quite unlike that which would be predicted assuming ponded infiltration alone.
Abstract The infection process of Discula destructiva Redlin on Cornus florida L. leaves was studied using histological and microscopic techniques. Penetration of fungal hyphae through natural openings and wounds was not observed, while direct penetration without appressorium formation was demonstrated 3 days after inoculation (DAI). Leaves inoculated with D. destructiva developed symptoms of dogwood anthracnose after 7 to 8 days. At 8 DAI, hyphae were observed in aggregations located between the cuticle and epidermis and also growing intracellularly towards epidermal, palisade, parenchymal and spongy mesophyll cells. At 16 DAI, typical chlorotic and necrotic halos, with a red to purple external border, were formed on the inoculated leaves. Within leaf tissues, at 16 DAI, chloroplasts were intact but decompartmentalized and infection sites were clearly defined. Sporulation and ruptured acervuli (cuticle ruptured and spores released) were first detected at 20 DAI, and had fully developed to rupture the plant cuticle on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces by 24 DAI.
Galangin a type of flavonoid found in high concentrations in Alpinia officinarum and Helichrysum aureonitens. Galangin has been shown to have in vitro antibacterial and antiviral activity also an antioxidant. Plasma oxidation of SH group known as thiol stress. One of the markers of protein oxidation, SH-group is sensitive to oxidative stress and increasing oxidative stress is symbolic. In the current study, we investigated the effect of some flavonoid Galangin on serum SH-group in rats by gavage feeding of flavonoids in dose 7.5 and 15 mg/kg w.b. Group A received only water and ethanol and group B received Galangin and ethanol. The flavonoid Galangin reduced serum in SH-group. The SH-group was measured using the Kitajima's method. We observed a significant (P=0.01) increased level SH-group of dosages of 7.5 mg/kg w.b in compared with the control (Ethanol) group. Dosages 15 mg/kg w.b was a significant (P=0.00) compared with the control (Ethanol) group. The Galangin can effect on oxidation of SHgroup. Galangin can take to prevent damage SHgroup.
An examination of the deep-sea barnacles (Cirripedia, Thoracica) collected by the Karubar expedition to Indonesia (1991) and deposited in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, identified 40 species contained in three families of stalked and five families of acorn barnacles. Information on these species is presented, including descriptions, updated distributions and images to aid species identification. Thirty of the species, treated herein, are new records for the Indonesian Kei Islands and Tanimbar Island, which increases the total number of species recorded from Kei Islands, Aru Island and Tanimbar Island to 40. This study demonstrates the value of museum collections as a resource in biodiversity science.
Unmanned combat aerial vehicles are playing an increasingly important role in the future military field, while the optimal control strategy remains a great challenge due to the high dynamics of the aerial vehicles themselves as well as the environmental uncertainties in air-combat. Based on a deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm framework, an air combat decision-making strategy is designed and implemented, and further a prioritized experience replay method is proposed for the proposed algorithm to further improve the efficiency in the training process. Simulation experiments show that, at much reduced training cost, the proposed approach achieves superior air combat performance with fast convergence.
Rotors and discs used in low-pressure turbines must be made of a material possessing high strength and toughness and be capable of manufacturing extremely large components. For these reasons, 3.5% NiCrMoV steel is widely used. It has been previously reported that intergranular stress corrosion cracking in this material is initiated in wet deaerated steam when the temperature reaches approximately 400K. As no rotor and disc material with high strength and toughness that can serve as a substitute for 3.5 NiCrMoV steel has been found, efforts to resolve this problem have been conducted to reduce material strength and lower the susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking.The purpose of this study was to elucidate a relationship between material strength and intergranular stress corrosion cracking susceptibility. Slow strain rate tests (SSRT) were performed in a neutral atmospheric environment at a test temperature of 403K. The results were as follows:(1) The SSRT found that, as the 0.2% offset strength decreased, the area of the intergranular fracture was reduced. For the test specimen with an 0.2% offset strength of 777 MPa, only a tiny intergranular fracture was observed; at 0.2% offset strengths of 697 MPa and below, cracking disappeared completely. (2) From the precipitation status of the two carbides M3C and M7C3 precipitated at the grain boundaries, it was found that the disappearance of the M3C carbide coincided with the disappearance of the intergranular fracture. From this observation, it is thought that differences in composition of these carbides have an effect on the susceptibility of 3.5% NiCrMoV steel to stress corrosion cracking. (3) It was confirmed that the M3C carbide disappears when the 0.2% offset strength is approximately 700 MPa or below, and that these materials achieve the target value for increased resistance to intergranular stress corrosion cracking in neutral environments.
Autoimmune diseases such as the diabetes that develops in NOD mice depend on immunologic recognition of specific autoantigens, but recognition can result in a pathogenic or protective T cell response. A study by Du et al. in this issue of the JCI demonstrates that TGF-beta signaling by T cells recognizing the insulin peptide B:9-23 is essential for such protection and that this inhibitory cytokine functions in both a paracrine and an autocrine manner (see the related article beginning on page 1360). We propose that the insulin peptide B:9-23 and a conserved TCR motif form an "immunologic homunculus" underlying the relatively common targeting of insulin by T cells that, as demonstrated by the study of Du and coworkers, results in a protective T cell response, or diabetes, as shown by other investigators, for related T cell receptors.
The variety of the democratic realities creates of the suspicions for universal model of democracy that lies in the implementation of a republican constitution favorable to the promotion of perpetual peace. It is necessary to create the conditions for company management rationalization on constitutional grounds, those extensions of freedom, citizenship. Any democracy can’t be achieved without it. The republican constitution democracy becomes the embodiment of the compass promoted by Kant and Habermas. When, in their quest for perpetual peace, Kant advocates the republican constitution in a clean cosmopolitan space in the Republic, Habermas opts for a Democratic rule of law.
The masses of some orbitally and radially excited heavy-light mesons are calculated in Regge phenomenology. The results are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data and those given in many other theoretical approaches. Based on the calculation, we suggest that the recently observed D(2550), D(2600) and D(2760) can be assigned as the charmed members of the 21S0, 23S1 and 13D1 multiplets, respectively. D*s1(2700)± may be assigned as the charm-strange member of the 23S1 state. The results may be helpful in understanding the nature of current and future experimentally observed heavy-light mesons.
Abstract Diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine relies heavily on radiometal nuclides. The most widely used and well-known radionuclide is technetium-99m (99mTc), which has dominated diagnostic nuclear medicine since the advent of the 99Mo/99mTc generator in the 1960s. Since that time, many more radiometals have been developed and incorporated into potential radiopharmaceuticals. One critical aspect of radiometal-containing radiopharmaceuticals is their stability under in vivo conditions. The chelator that is coordinated to the radiometal is a key factor in determining radiometal complex stability. The chelators that have shown the most promise and are under investigation in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals over the last 5 years are discussed in this review.
Abstract Community-acquired pneumonia remains a significant health problem with very little progress having been made over the past 2 to 3 decades. Recent technological advances have opened up whole new avenues of exploration in the fields of genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Although data in pneumonia are relatively scant with the exception of genomics due to the early stages of the science, some intriguing insights and clear avenues of application are already emerging. This review discusses recent studies in pneumonia using these new approaches as well as relevant research in sepsis and other diseases. Current and potential future uses of these platforms are discussed, and both key findings and key barriers to further progress are highlighted.
I review the results of hadron spectroscopy calculations from lattice QCD for an intended audience of low energy hadronic physicists. I briefly introduce the ideas of numerical lattice QCD. The various systematic errors, such as the lattice spacing and volume dependence, in lattice QCD calculations are discussed. In addition to the discussion of the properties of ground state hadrons, I also review the small amount of work done on the spectroscopy of excited hadrons and the effect of electromagnetic fields on hadron masses. I also discuss the attempts to understand the physical mechanisms behind hadron mass splittings.
Coronary heart diseases, particularly acute coronary syndrome, have increased in morbidity and mortality in recent decades. Percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting and thrombolytic agents are effective strategies to rescue the infarcted myocardium. In addition to acute myocardial infarction, the resulting myocardial ischemia‑reperfusion injury (MIRI) leads to serious secondary injury of the heart. Studies have demonstrated that activating transcription factor (ATF)/cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding family member ATF3 had a negative regulatory role in IRI, particularly in the kidney, cerebrum and liver. The present review expounded the expression characteristics of ATF3 and its protective effects against MIRI, providing a theoretical basis for the overexpression of ATF3 in the myocardium as a promising gene-therapeutic strategy for MIRI.
BACKGROUND Situation awareness (SA) is considered to be an important non-technical skill for delivering safe anaesthesia. The spatial distribution of visual attention (VA) is an underlying process for attaining adequate SA. In the present study, a novel technology was used to assess the distribution of VA in anaesthetists delivering anaesthesia. The impact of a critical incident on VA in relation to individual experience is analysed in a descriptive and exploratory manner.   METHODS Fifteen anaesthetists induced general anaesthesia in a full-scale simulator while wearing a head-mounted eye-tracking camera system. After an uneventful session, workload was increased in a randomized order by simulation of a critical incident in the second or third session. Eye tracking was used for the assessment of individual's distribution of VA to monitors, patient, and environment. A post hoc video analysis revealed information about the spatial distribution of VA. Descriptive statistics and exploratory analysis were used.   RESULTS Twenty per cent of VA was directed to the patient monitor (30% during critical incident scenarios, P=0.003). The more experienced anaesthetists (more than 2 yr of work experience) increased the amount of time dedicated to manual tasks from 21% to 25% during critical incidents, whereas the less experienced decreased from 20% to 14% (P=0.061).   CONCLUSIONS Distribution of attention is different during anaesthesia induction with critical incidents compared with uneventful anaesthesia induction. Less experienced anaesthesia providers spend more time on monitoring tasks. Further investigation in confirmatory designs is needed.
A description of Balansia hypoxylon , based primarily upon relatively recent Canadian collections from 1981 and 1983, is presented. Because B. hypoxylon is known in Canada from only 11 collections it is perceived as being rare. The range of the fungus in Canada is extended from Nova Scotia into southeastern Ontario. This note, hopefully, will encourage surveys to define the northern limit of the fungus and determine whether it is rare in Canada or simply overlooked.
The Family Eucnemidae in the Maritime Provinces of Canada is surveyed. Eleven species are now known from the region. Ten species are recorded in Nova Scotia, six in New Brunswick, and four on Prince Edward Island. Nine new provincial records (four from Nova Scotia, four from Prince Edward Island, and one from New Brunswick) are reported, and two species, Microrhagus triangularis (Say) and Nematodes penetrans (LeConte), are newly recorded in the Maritime Provinces as a whole. The four species reported from Prince Edward Island are the first records of the family Eucnemidae from the province. The composition of the fauna is in broad agreement with that of northeastern North America. The faunas on Prince Edward and Cape Breton Islands are diminished with respect to the mainland, but are more robust than that of other saproxylic groups. Many species of eucnemids have been very infrequently collected and may actually be rare. In this regard eucnemids are similar to many other groups of saproxylic beetles, although they are proportionately even less abundant than many other groups. A variety of studies that have reported on this phenomenon have pointed to the history of forest management in the region as potential being responsible for this scarcity. The eucnemids in this region are almost entirely associated with deciduous trees. The history of forest management in the Maritime Provinces, as well as that of introduced forest diseases, is such as to have had a major impact on the composition and structure hardwood forests, and hence potentially on insects such as eucnemids which are reliant on these hosts. Consequently further research is urged in order to better ascertain their status, and to develop appropriate conservation measures for these important indicator species of diverse forest structure.
IT HAS ALREADY been reported that in the rat the adrenal cholesterol, a possible precursor of the adrenal cortical steroids, is lowered following administration of pituitary adrenotrophic hormone (Sayers, Sayers, Fry, White and Long, 1944). Preliminary studies (Sayers, Sayers, Lewis and Long, 1944) have indicated that the ascorbic acid content of this gland is also depleted by adrenotrophic hormone. This paper is a more complete report of these effects in the rat and extends the observations to the guinea pig, an animal which cannot synthesize ascorbic acid.
Historically catalogs of library resources have taken different forms, the bibliographic data included in a library catalog entry has increasingly been enhanced, and the way a user is interacting with the catalog and its bibliographic data has also changed, especially since the end of the last century. Bibliographic data include information that describes and represents a resource. Throughout their history, library catalogs have served a variety of purposes. The majority of the literature on the purposes of the catalog focuses on the finding and selecting functions. Cutter, in his Rules for a Dictionary Catalog , identifies three catalog objectives: to find a resource, to show (collocate) what resources a library has, and to assist in the choice of a resource (Cutter, 1876). Theories of bibliographic control identify five main catalog functions, find, collocate, identify, select, and obtain, with the additional function of navigation included in fewer works (Svenonius, 2000).  More recently, the IFLA Library Reference Model (IFLA LRM), a consolidation of the three models, defined the find, identify, select, obtain, and explore user tasks when interacting with the information accessible through a library catalog (IFLA, 2017). Although these have been widely-discussed functions, they seem to only address the uses of the catalog by library patrons and intermediaries who assist them with these user tasks. Often, users of the bibliographic data included in a catalog or other bibliographic data sets are the institutional users, such as staff and administration of a library who use bibliographic data for purposes related to their areas of responsibilities. These responsibilities may include cataloging and metadata creation, acquisitions and collection development and management, resource sharing, reference, and various assessment efforts, including institutional accreditation. Most often, these functions of a catalog are referred to as the inventory and management functions of bibliographic data. Others have tried to identify purposes and functions of a catalog taking a different or broader approach.  Tennis (2006), uses a framework analysis to examine the purposes and function of information organization, many of which relate to functions of the bibliographic data included in an information system such as a library catalog. Clarke (2014) presented her study of the functions, goals, and objectives, which she uses interchangeably to mean the ends that library catalogs are or are expected to be designed to meet. Similarly, the functions of knowledge organization systems (KOS) can be examined beyond the general bibliographic data.  Soergel (2009) identifies twelve functions of KOS: (1) support sense-making, integration of knowledge, and the discovery of new knowledge and gaps by people and computers, (2) provide a semantic roadmap for users, promote a shared understanding of a domain, support collaboration, (3) support learning and assimilating,  (4) support research practices, (5) provide classification for action and for social and political purposes, (6) support discovery, retrieval, filtering, and routing of items, (7) support meaningful display, (8) support processes of information after retrieval, (9) support for data modeling, artificial intelligence (10) support interoperability and preservation of meaning across time, (11) provide information on concepts and terms, (12) support natural language processing. And again, we can ask how KOS can be used by institutions in service of the management and assessment of collections - that is, functions that go beyond user-focused functions? This paper examines the uses of bibliographic metadata by a variety of user types. More specifically, this paper presents findings on 1) purpose, functions, and use of bibliographic data; and 2) functions and use supported by data deriving from knowledge organization systems (KOS), such as controlled vocabularies and classification systems. To undertake this task we analyze the literature, focusing on the functions of the catalog, types of metadata to fulfill these functions, and user tasks related to both catalog function and bibliographic metadata.  The focus is on identifying bibliographic metadata that supports institutional purposes like collection building, collection quality assessment, marketing, outreach, and educational purposes. We take a comparative approach to this examination, asking what is particular to user-focused tasks versus institutional uses or requirements.  Further, the universe of metadata is larger than traditional bibliographic data, and influences how we conceptualize the universe possible of functions.  To that end, we examine metadata standards that support similar information systems, but have a different remit than library catalogs. Though purpose and function are often used synonymously in the literature, we treat them differently.  Purpose, by our lights, is the reason or motivation for why some information system is created.  Functions are the actions taken to fulfill the purpose (cf., Tennis 2006).  Using this lens, we inventory both the stated purposes and functions in the literature, build out a comparative typology, and link this to bibliographic metadata and KOS used in institutional work like inventories, collection management and assessment. Our inventory of the complementary uses of metadata have shown that this it is valued by practitioners, but is not considered central, or foundational, to the design of systems.  By working toward a typology of these purposes and functions, we can better inform design considerations for the unsung user managing and assessing collections. References Clarke, R. I. (2014). Find, identify, select…socialize?: Alternative objectives of library catalogs . Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology , 51 (1), 1-5. doi: 10.1002/meet.2014.14505101076 Cutter, C. A. (1876). Rules for a Dictionary Catalogue . Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). (2017). IFLA Library Reference Model: A conceptual model of bibliographic information . Retrieved from https://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11412 Soergel, D. (2009). Knowledge organization systems: an overview. Retrieved from http://www.dsoergel.com/SoergelKOSOverview.pdf Svenonius, E. (2000). The Intellectual Foundation of Information Organization . Cambridge, MA: MIT Press Tennis, J. T.  (2006). Function, purpose, predication, and context of information organization frameworks. In Budin, G., Swertz, C., & Mitgutsch, K. (Eds.),  Knowledge Organization for a Global Learning Society: Proceedings of the Ninth International ISKO Conference , Vienna, Austria, July 4-7, 2006. In Advances in Knowledge Organization, vol. 10. Wurzburg: Ergon.
ABSTRACT Bamboo has a huge potential for several uses; however, there are many species with numerous climatic growth requirements. This makes it difficult to characterize the agro-climatic bamboo demands, in order to define areas suitable for its cultivation. This study aimed to quantify the bamboo agro-climatic requirements, as well as to define areas suitable for growth in the central-north region of the Brazilian Savannah. The agro-climatic requirements were defined from averages of the center of origin of the Bambusa vulgaris species, in southwest Asia. The climatic characterization was based on the daily mean, minimum and maximum air temperature, annual rainfall and water deficit, and consecutive months with a rainfall rate lower than 40 mm. These limits were used to define suitable, marginal and unsuitable regions. The optimal range was between 15.14 ºC and 35.33 ºC for mean air temperature, with a lower limit of 12.07 ºC and a higher limit of 38.83 ºC, respectively, for minimum and maximum air temperature. The annual minimum rainfall required was 775 mm, with a maximum annual water deficit of 1,320 mm, and a maximum of eight consecutive months with rainfall of less than 40 mm. Most of the studied region was classified as suitable (74 % of the total area), followed by marginal due to water deficit (12.9 %), unsuitable (8.9 %) and marginal due to air temperature (4.2 %).
Thrombotic microangiopathies (TMA) are a heterogeneous group of red cell fragmentation syndromes characterized by a tendency for thrombosis and pathognomonic red cell fragments in peripheral blood, which results in thrombosis in the microvasculature due to endothelial damage. Genomic investigations into inherited TMAs are of diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic value. Here, we present two cases that capture the importance of performing genomic testing in rare disorders. Treatment options for these conditions, such as plasma exchange and monoclonal antibodies against complement factors, are intensive and expensive health care interventions. The results of genomic investigation into rare TMAs can better inform the clinicians and their patients of prognosis and suitable personalized treatment options.
Phytochemicals are primary and secondary compounds naturally occurring in the plants and trees that have defensive   and protection mechanism from various diseases. Plant chemistry has been an integral component for man service as   evident from history, providing substantial, entho-botanical and chemical remedies for locals in any subject area. The   phyto-chemical profile of five desert dwelling tree species i.e. Salvadora oleides, Acacia nilotica, Prosopis cineraria, Tamarix aphylla and Ziziphus mauritiana was analyzed in Cholistan desert, Punjab, Pakistan. Photochemical analysis   of air dried leaves/twigs powder confirmed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids and saponins but no steroids during   extraction. Moreover Chemical analyses revealed that crude fiber (CF) content was 16.67% and 6.67% in Prosopis   cineraria and Acacia nilotica respectively, crude protein was found highest (2.62%) in Zizyphus mauritiana, slightly lower   in Salvadora oleoides (2.36%) and minimum in Acacia nilotica (1.43%). Salvadora oleioides had highest (41.67%) ash   content, while minimum in Prosopis cineraria (8%). Fat content (EE) was limiting as 5.33% in Acacia nilotica and lowest   value in Salvadova oleoides (2.33%). Whereas, nitrogen free extract (NFE) was found maximum in Zizyphus mauritiana (72.22%). Results revealed species have high nutritional and medicinal values for livestock and local people.
Modern compilers restructure programs to improve their efficiency. Dependence analysis is the most widely used technique for proving the correctness of such transformations, but it suffers from the limitation that it considers only the memory locations read and written by a statement without considering what is being computed by that statement. Exploiting the semantics of program statements permits more transformations to be proved correct, and is critical for automatic restructuring of codes such as LU with partial pivoting.One approach to exploiting the semantics of program statements is symbolic analysis and comparison of programs.In principle, this technique is very powerful, but in practice, it is intractable for all but the simplest programs.In this paper, we propose a new form of symbolic analysis and comparison of programs which is appropriate for use in restructuring compilers. Fractal symbolic analysis is an approximate symbolic analysis that compares a program and its transformed version by repeatedly simplifying these programs until symbolic analysis becomes tractable while ensuring that equality of the simplified programs is sufficient to guarantee equality of the original programs.Fractal symbolic analysis combines some of the power of symbolic analysis with the tractability of dependence analysis. We discuss a prototype implementation of fractal symbolic analysis, and show how it can be used to solve the long-open problem of verifying the correctness of transformations required to improve the cache performance of LU factorization with partial pivoting.
PageRank is defined as the stationary state of a Markov chain. The chain is obtained by perturbing the transition matrix induced by a web graph with a damping factor α that spreads uniformly part of the rank. The choice of α is eminently empirical, and in most cases the original suggestion α = 0.85 by Brin and Page is still used. Recently, however, the behaviour of PageRank with respect to changes in α was discovered to be useful in link-spam detection[21]. Moreover, an analytical justification of the value chosen for α is still missing. In this paper, we give the first mathematical analysis of PageRank when α changes. In particular, we show that, contrarily to popular belief, for real-world graphs values of α close to 1 do not give a more meaningful ranking. Then, we give closed-form formulae for PageRank derivatives of any order, and an extension of the Power Method that approximates them with convergence O (tk αt) for the k-th derivative. Finally, we show a tight connection between iterated computation and analytical behaviour by proving that the k-th iteration of the Power Method gives exactly the PageRank value obtained using a Maclaurin polynomial of degree k. The latter result paves the way towards the application of analytical methods to the study of PageRank.
Starting from the observation that the informational aggression syndrome (IAS) in animals resembles the opioid abstinence syndrome, the authors studied the implications of endogenous opioids in experimentally induced IAS. They induced an IAS in rats, by means of specific sound signals and examined the animals' behaviour by a test used in the study of the opioid abstinence syndrome, as well as their reaction to noxious stimuli by means of thermal stimulation. The results show the implications of endogenous opioids in the IAS. During the first stage, a larger amount of endogenous opioids is secreted; specific symptoms of the opioid abstinence syndrome develop during the second stage. These symptoms can be prevented with clonidine, that has been used in the treatment of the exogenous opioid abstinence syndrome.
Threshold energy and electron impact ionization coefficients (α) are calculated for unstrained and strained Si1−xGex on {100} silicon substrate using nonparabolic and ellipsoidal band structure for conduction band and k⋅p method for valence band. The threshold energy in the unstrained Si1−xGex is smaller than that in pure silicon due to the reduced band‐gap energy. The strain causes band degeneracy lifting for both the conduction band and valence band. It gives an additional band‐gap narrowing which leads to a much smaller threshold energy. On the basis of these results, the electron impact ionization coefficient is estimated up to 30% germanium using a Monte Carlo simulation. The reduced threshold energy is found to be the most dominant factor in determining α in the strained Si1−xGex. As a result, the strained Si1−xGex has much larger α than pure silicon while the unstrained Si1−xGex does not due to the effect of alloy scattering and the relatively small change of the threshold energy.
Orion is the next vehicle for human space travel. Humans will be sustained in space by the Orion subystem, environmental control and life support (ECLS). The ECLS concept at the subsystem level is outlined by function and technology. In the past two years, the interface definition with other subsystems has increased through different integrated studies. The paper presents the key requirements and discusses three recent studies (e.g., unpressurized cargo) along with the respective impacts on the ECLS design moving forward.
Summary 1. The hormone content of the frog neurohypophysis is depleted by dehydration of the animal. 2. Normal and hypophy-sectomized frogs become dehydrated at the same rate. Normal frogs, however, regain the body water lost by dehydration more rapidly than do hypophysectomized frogs. 3. These observations suggest that the neurohypophysis plays a physiologically significant role in the regulation of the water balance of the frog.
AIM To assess the prognostic values of Ki-67 in neoadjuvant setting for breast cancer patients.   METHODS PubMed and EMBASE were searched. Revman software was used to conduct random-effect model meta-analysis.   RESULTS 49 studies (14,076 patients) were included. High Ki-67 before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were associated with worse overall survival (OS; before: hazard ratio [HR]: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.42-3.69; after: HR: 2.24; 95% CI: 1.82-2.75) and disease-free survival (DFS; before: HR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.23-1.95; after: HR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.83-2.37). Low/no reduction or increase might be associated with worse DFS (HR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.51-3.02) and OS.   CONCLUSION Ki-67 before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as well as the change could predict the prognosis for breast cancer patients.
In controlling nationalized industries parliament plays the role of the traditional lion under the throne. It lies quietly most of the time but can rise suddenly and wrathfully to smite offenders. It has little day-to-day influence, the major decisions being made by the managers of the industries, or by the government; but occasionally its importance is capital. This conclusion emerges from a study of the methods used by parliament to control the nationalized industries. Since these industries are fundamental to the French economy, in reality this is a study of the ways and means by which parliament controls major segments of the national economy—in every industrial state a controversial and highly significant issue.
Purpose: To evaluate the agreement of selected higher order aberration measurements between aberrometers based on three different wavefront technologies. Methods: Twenty-three eyes of 23 participants were compared between Zywave, OPD-Scan III, and iDesign aberrometers, for total ocular aberrations. Participants were between 19 and 69 years of age, and exclusion criteria were previous ocular surgery or trauma, contact lens wear within the preceding 2 weeks, and ocular or systemic disease. Corneal aberrations were compared between the OPD-Scan III and GALILEI™ G2 aberrometers. Zernike coefficients of vertical and oblique trefoil, vertical and horizontal coma, and spherical aberration were analyzed in R software. Results: In all, 276 scans were captured in total, with a male-to-female ratio of 11:12. Total ocular vertical coma [mean difference (MD) = 0.026 μm, P < 0.005], vertical trefoil (MD = 0.033 μm, P < 0.05), and spherical aberration (MD = 0.022 μm, P < 0.05) differed significantly between the iDesign and OPD-Scan III. Differences in total vertical (MD = 0.072 μm, P < 0.05) and oblique trefoil (MD = 0.058 μm, P < 0.05) were demonstrated between the Zywave and OPD-Scan III, and spherical aberration (MD = 0.030 μm, P < 0.005) between iDesign and Zywave. iDesign corneal horizontal coma (MD = 0.025 μm, P < 0.05) and spherical aberration (MD = 0.043 μm, P < 0.005) measurements were significantly different between the GALILEI™ G2 and the OPD-Scan III. Conclusion: Zywave, iDesign, and OPD-Scan III, and GALILEITM G2 and OPD-Scan III may be used interchangeably for their total ocular and corneal wavefront functions, respectively; however, care must be taken if using these devices for guiding ablation or monitoring corneal disease.
Deforestation and degraded forest land will continue to affect climate patterns in various places and trigger an increase in the frequency and intensity of weather events and extreme climate. The impacts felt by the community are quite a lot both in the social, economic, infrastructure, fishery, agriculture, health, tourism sectors, even in the areas of defence and security. Various anticipatory steps need to do by raising awareness of the community and relevant stakeholders to this issue of climate change. One of the actions of climate change adaptation in the capacity building is to encourage the emergence of national and local policies that address the concerns and readiness mitigation to cope with the impacts of climate change on various fronts, particularly in agriculture and food security. This study aims to encourage the preparation of the policy masterplan of agroforestry development as an effort to mitigate climate change in Madiun, East Java, Indonesia. With a Diagnostic and Design approach (D&D), a policy recommendation for agroforestry development in the medium and long-term developed. The result of a D&D approach by the available resource potential, the agroforestry model that is feasible to be developed is agro-silviculture and agro-silvopastoral.
Peroxiredoxins (Prxs) are a ubiquitous family of antioxidant enzymes that participate in a variety of biological processes, including H₂O₂-mediated signal transduction, molecular chaperoning, and mitochondrial function. In this study, we isolated and characterized a Prx 2 cDNA from abalone (Haliotis discus hannai). The abalone Prx 2 cDNA encoded a 199-amino acid polypeptide that belongs to a class of typical 2-Cys Prxs that contain peroxidatic and resolving cysteines. The deduced abalone Prx 2 protein showed strong homology (64-99%) with Prx 2 proteins from other species, including mollusk, fish, amphibians, and mammals, and it was most closely related to disk abalone (H. discus discus) Prx 2. Abalone Prx 2 mRNA was ubiquitously detected in tested tissues, and its expression was comparatively high in the mantle, gills, liver, foot, and digestive duct. The expression level of abalone Prx 2 mRNA was 106.7-fold, 51.9-fold, and 437.8-fold higher, respectively, in the gills, digestive duct, and liver than in the muscles. The expression level of abalone Prx 2 mRNA in the liver peaked at 6 hr postinfection with Vibrio parahemolyticus and decreased at 12 hr postinfection. The expression level of abalone Prx 2 mRNA in hemocytes was drastically increased at 1 hr postinfection with V. parahemolyticus. These results suggest that abalone Prx 2 is conserved through evolution and that it may play a role similar to that of its mammalian counterpart.
In generative modeling of neuroimaging data, such as dynamic causal modeling (DCM), one typically considers several alternative models, either to determine the most plausible explanation for observed data (Bayesian model selection) or to account for model uncertainty (Bayesian model averaging). Both procedures rest on estimates of the model evidence, a principled trade-off between model accuracy and complexity. In DCM, the log evidence is usually approximated using variational Bayes (VB) under the Laplace approximation (VBL). Although this approach is highly efficient, it makes distributional assumptions and can be vulnerable to local extrema. An alternative to VBL is Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling, which is asymptotically exact but orders of magnitude slower than VB. This has so far prevented its routine use for DCM. This paper makes four contributions. First, we introduce a powerful MCMC scheme – thermodynamic integration (TI) – to neuroimaging and present a derivation that establishes a theoretical link to VB. Second, this derivation is based on a tutorial-like introduction to concepts of free energy in physics and statistics. Third, we present an implementation of TI for DCM that rests on population MCMC. Fourth, using simulations and empirical functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we compare log evidence estimates obtained by TI, VBL, and other MCMC-based estimators (prior arithmetic mean and posterior harmonic mean). We find that model comparison based on VBL gives reliable results in most cases, justifying its use in standard DCM for fMRI. Furthermore, we demonstrate that for complex and/or nonlinear models, TI may provide more robust estimates of the log evidence. Importantly, accurate estimates of the model evidence can be obtained with TI in acceptable computation time. This paves the way for using DCM in scenarios where the robustness of single-subject inference and model selection becomes paramount, such as differential diagnosis in clinical applications.
Within the United States, infertility diagnoses are becoming increasingly commonplace, yet treatment often remains shrouded in stigma and silence. Consequently, for the women going through it, infertility is an isolating experience. Infertility is frequently conceived through notions of medicalization, which prompts a disembodied, scientific, ‘never give up’ discourse that often leaves women feeling disempowered and further alone. This study considers how individual narratives of infertility contributes to the organizing of a social identity of infertility, one which abuts and diverges from medicalized notions. In adopting theories related to narrative organizing, tenuous identity/identification, resilience, and social support this project engages a feminist-interpretivist framework. In doing so, this study draws upon a three-phase methodological engagement of (1) online ethnographic observations and auto-ethnographic reflections, (2) in-depth interviewing of participants narratives and networks related to (in)fertility, and (3) text mining and semantic network analysis of public discourses related to (in)fertility.Findings from this project reveal how infertility is discursively-materiality organized to both embrace and disengage from medicalized logics. First, analysis of personal and organizational narratives illustrate how infertility is construed through competing tensions of loss, empowerment, and support. Second, identities were shown to be communicated as potentially tenuous, liminal, and/or challenged during the process of infertility as women cope with an ambiguous future; however, so too can identities be considered a source of strength and hope. Third, through conceptualizing resilience as a communicatively constructed process, this study showcases the embodied nature of resilience as it ebbs and flows throughout treatment. And fourth, in analyzing social and semantic networks this project interrogates individual and organizational discourses, building a more holistic, yet still thoroughly partial, understanding of effective supportive communication during treatment. Through this process, this study reveals how online support groups re-center the women’s body and emotions as central to the (in)fertility experience, while noting the disembodiment that occurs within health clinics. This study advances knowledge on emergent, embodied organizing and the communicative construction of resilience through considering the intrapersonal and embodied aspects of resilience. Through conceptualizing embodied organizing and embodied resilience, this project advances theories of antenarrative, emergent organizing, and self-persuasive rhetoric. Methodologically, this study contributes to qualitative inquiry by linking crystallization methodologies with network science. Additionally, this project offers recommendations for family members, friends, and medical professionals on how to promote resilience within women receiving infertility treatment.
In Reply.— Hypercarbia decreases 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake in brain. 1 This reflects a true decrease in glucose utilization during hypercarbia, as there is both a decreased need for glucose since metabolic rate is depressed, 2 and there is an inhibition of glycolyses mediated by the effect of pH on phosphofructokinase. 3 Uptake of 2-DG is mediated by the glucose carrier and is dependent on concentration but independent of blood flow. As used in our study, it would be independent of a breakdown in the blood brain barrier. The autoradiographic density reflects 2-DG that has been metabolized by hexokinase and trapped as 2-DG-6-phosphate. Forty-five minutes after an intravenous bolus injection, less than 10% would still remain in the precursor pool. The arterial plasma concentration of 2-DG decreases exponentially after a single injection, and even if this were freely diffusable with extracellular spaces it would not add detectably to the autoradiographic picture. Breakdown of
It is renowned that cervical spinal manipulation therapy (CSMT) is widely used among the people. It is frequently involved in the multidisciplinary treatment approach for neck pain and stiffness. These kind of treatments are often offered by many medical institutions such as non-medical institutions. Although spinal manipulation is a simple and safe therapy compared to surgical or pharmacological treatments, the serious complications caused by neck manipulation cannot be ignored. These complications include vertebral artery dissection, spinal cord or root injury, phrenic nerve injury, cervical subluxation, and cerebrovascular accidents.1,2 Cervical epidural hematoma (CEH) is an uncommon entity that can arise spontaneously or due to CSMT, cervical dislocation fractures, coagulopathies, thrombocytopenia, hemophilia, and immune diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis and Paget disease.3,4 Few cases of severe quadriplegia caused by neck manipulation have been reported.5-15 Most of these cases suffered from various under-lying diseases, such as coagulation dysfunction
The effect of including the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) population in a spectral synthesis model of galaxy evolution is examined. Stars on the AGB are luminous enough and also evolve rapidly enough to affect the evolution of red and infrared colors in galaxies. The validity of using infrared colors as distance indicators to galaxies is then investigated in detail. It is found that for z of 1 or less infrared colors of model galaxies behave linearly with redshift. 16 references.
This study was carried out to examine the influences of planting distance on growth and yield of organically grown turmeric. Turmeric planted in late April 27 th at Goksong started emerging in early June, 52 days after being planted. 60 days after planting, the emergence rate reached 98 to 100%. Their average plant height was 148 ～ 159cm, leaf numbers were 7.0 ～ 7.7 per plant, stem number per hill was 3.1 ～ 5.1, stem diameter was 31.2 ～ 31.5 mm. They showed peak growth rate in early to mid August. Plant height increased at planting distance 75 × 40 cm (planting density of 33,300 ea. per ha) compared to 75 × 60 cm, The yield increased at 75 × 40 cm and 90 × 30cm (planting density of 37,000 ea. per ha), compared to 75 × 50 cm (planting density of 26,600 ea. per ha) or 75 × 30 cm (planting density of 44,400 ea. per ha). Curcumin content increased in tumeric harvested at ovember 3 rd compared to those harvested at October 28
We have examined a replication terminus (ψL1) located on the left arm of the chromosome of Bacillus subtilis and within the yxcC gene and at or near the left replication checkpoint that is activated under stringent conditions. The ψL1 sequence appears to bind to two dimers of the replication terminator protein (RTP) rather weakly and seems to possess overlapping core and auxiliary sites that have some sequence similarities with normal Ter sites. Surprisingly, the asymmetrical, isolated ψL1 site arrested replication forks in vivo in both orientations and independent of stringent control.In vitro, the sequence arrested DnaB helicase in both orientations, albeit more weakly than the normal Ter1 terminus. The key points of mechanistic interest that emerge from the present work are: (i) strong binding of a Ter (ψL1) sequence to RTP did not appear to be essential for fork arrest and (ii) polarity of fork arrest could not be correlated in this case with just symmetrical protein-DNA interaction at the core and auxiliary sites of ψL1. On the basis of the result it would appear that the weak RTP-L1Ter interaction cannot by itself account for fork arrest, thus suggesting a role for DnaB-RTP interaction.
Fast electron transport, large specific surface area, and slow interfacial electron recombination are indispensable features for efficient photoelectrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Highly ordered TiO2 nanotubes (TNT) with advanced architecture of high surface-to-volume ratio and open-up geometry for providing direct electron/ion transport channels is applied on a flexible photoanode in this study. Because several micrometers of semiconductor are required for the diffusion of electrons, which are surrounded by electron acceptors at a distance of only several nanometers, a wide band gap barrier layer of Y2O3 is coated on TNT to retard back-transfer of electrons to the electrolyte or to the oxidized dye molecules by electrodepositing Y(OH)3 on the TNT surfaces and subsequently annealing the samples. By adjusting the charge capacity for Y(OH)3 electrodeposition, the charge recombination dynamics in the pertinent DSSC can be easily controlled. This barrier layer also enhances dye adsorption and therefore increases the volume of the optically active component due to the more basic surface of Y2O3 for more carboxyl groups in a dye molecule adsorbing onto the surface. A higher light-to-power conversion efficiency (η) of 6.52% is obtained for the pertinent DSSC compared with a reference cell with non-coated TNT (η = 5.35%), exhibiting an enhancement of 22% in η.
This article is a discussion in two parts. The first part addresses the Southern African indigenous philosophy of Ubuntu, providing it with a working definition and situating it within African epistemology and the socio-political contexts of its invocation. It raises critical concerns about Ubuntu’s embrace in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its promulgation as an ideology within the nation-building project of post-apartheid South Africa. Such concerns are referenced with respect to Ubuntu’s formulation within the advocacies of cultural nationalism. Nevertheless, the discussion commits to perspectives of possibility towards disrupting neoliberalism and decolonizing hegemonic meanings, and advances a debate towards transformation and transcendence within a post-apartheid context.    The second part follows on from the arguments in the first part, which set the stage for a narrative journeying of a more personal nature. It offers a reflexive account of how Ubuntu was used as a guiding principle for engagement in fieldwork and the structuring of a qualitative research methodology. The narrative tone is somewhat different to that of the first part, which offers critical perspectives within a broad socio-political discussion. The second part moves from a national level to a local level. It locates more personal interactions and a search for a ‘humble togetherness’ within the context of a township school in South Africa. The article closes with a somewhat cautionary note on how a philosophy such as Ubuntu might be taken up in a political institutional forum that has unwanted implications, but it also advocates for Ubuntu in providing legitimizing spaces for transcendence of injustice and a more democratic, egalitarian and ethical engagement of human beings in relationship with each other. In this sense, Ubuntu offers hope and possibility in its contribution to human rights.
Melanie E Royce speaks to Roshaine Wijayatunga, Managing Commissioning Editor: Melanie E Royce is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNM CCC) in Albuquerque, NM, USA. She received her PhD and MD degrees at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio; then completed her Internal Medicine Residency at Yale University-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut and Medical Oncology Fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas where she subsequently joined the faculty until she moved to Albuquerque, to be one among the first batch of oncology faculty recruits to help establish an National Cancer Insititute (NCI)-designated CCC in the state of NM. At UNM CCC, she serves as the Director of the Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Clinic and Programs and Co-Leader of the Women's Cancer Program. She is engaged in the care of breast cancer patients and is the Principal Investigator for several...
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in composition analysis of materials has many advantages over other analytical methods. Its simple-or-no sampling procedure is a key advantage. The LIBS has been applied to liquid samples, although direct analysis of liquids is difficult because of weak plasma generation. An ion exchange membrane is used in this work to develop a real time monitoring method of metal ions in water. The chelating-resin based filter membrane was used to capture and concentrate copper ions from water. The samples were filtered under reduced pressure for faster filtration. The captured copper ions on the membrane were analyzed by LIBS. A series of copper solutions and mixtures were examined to establish the proper analytical conditions. The plasma emission intensity of copper generated from the thin layer of the membrane was investigated to determine the spectroscopic parameters for a practical real-time water monitoring. The copper ion collected on the membrane can be free of matrix effect from other ions in the original samples, and has provided the consistent analytical results in the mg/L concentration range. The laser power of each ablating pulse is very critical to obtain a proper analytical dynamic range, especially when the copper captured layer is thicker than the depth of one pulse laser can ablate. Tap water was used to analyze and evaluate the feasibility of this method. The amount of copper in the tap water was shown to depend on the retention time of water in copper pipes of the building pluming system.
Telomerase is silent in most normal somatic cells while active in 90% of tumor cells. Various telomerase activity inhibitors have been developed to treat cancer but all failed due to side effects. Here we acted oppositely to develop a cancer therapy named telomerase-activating gene expression (Tage) by utilizing the telomerase activity in tumor cells. By using CRISPR/Cas9 functions, the Tage system can effectively kill various cancer cells, including HepG2, HeLa, PANC-1, MDA-MB-453, A549, HT-29, SKOV-3, Hepa1-6, and RAW264.7, without effecting normal cells. By using homothallic switching endonuclease and adeno-associated virus, the Tage system realizes its in vivo application. The virus-loaded Tage system can significantly and specifically kill the cancer cells in mice by intravenous drug administration without side effects or toxicity. One Sentence Summary: Killing cancer cells in body with a gene therapy missile detonated by telomerase.
Introduction and Purpose Vertebroplasty (VP) and Kyphoplasty (KP) are minimally invasive surgical procedures which can relieve the pain of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) and increase the functionality of patients, as supported by a number of recent randomized controlled trials. VCFs can present with debilitating back pain, uncontrolled by pain medications, that can seriously impede activities of daily living and lead to additional morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study is to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing VP, KP, and non-surgical management (NSM or conservative medical therapy) for US patients with painful VCFs. Materials and Methods A Markov transition state model was created with three treatment strategies: VP, KP, and NSM. A hypothetical cohort of 70-year-old men and women was followed for 30 years or until death. Inputs for the model originated from the published medical literature. Health outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted life years. The economic outcome measure of the model was the difference in healthcare costs among the three treatment strategies. Deterministic 1-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to test the robustness of the model. Results VP and KP both dominated NSM. When VP and KP were compared, VP was preferred with an incremental cost savings of US$75 000 per quality-adjusted life years gained. Overall, VP was the preferred treatment strategy for symptomatic VCFs. 1-way sensitivity analyses comparing NSM to VP and NSM to KP showed that the cost of physical therapy after NSM was the variable most sensitive to the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. At willingness to pay of US$50 000, VP was the preferred strategy with probability of 100%. This preference extended to willingness to pay US$25K and US$100K, respectively. Conclusion The balance of costs and effectiveness favors Vertebroplasty. This favors, from a societal perspective, VP as the preferred treatment strategy for painful osteoporotic VCFs.
In a [ill] report Beecher and Todd 1 stressed the fact that the mortality rate was higher in patients who receive curare than in those who did not receive curare. They further stated that "the best answers to certain kinds of questions can be obtained by limiting the inquiry in future studies to certain kinds of severe test situations as anesthesia for common bile duct surgery." Orr 2 in a study of the mortality rate in a series of 558 cholecystectomies reported a mortality rate of 2.8%. He further stated that "skilled anesthetists have contributed their part in reducing the death rate." This review of 563 cholecystectomies is a continuation of Orr's original report and covers a period from Jan. 1, 1946, to Dec. 31, 1954. In this series of cases a curarizing agent was used in 440 cases. The diagnosis of gall-bladder disease is usually not difficult; but failure
Nanomaterials decorated with polypyrrole were synthesized using two types of oxidants by chemical oxidative polymerization method. The interaction and influence of the addition of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in polypyrrole (PPy) were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Thermal stability has been observed by using thermogravimetric analysis. Electrochemical properties were calculated by using Cyclic Voltammetry to study comparative analysis between samples. Particle size measurements and morphology were determined by Field emission transmission electron microscopy. All the nanocomposites exhibit better thermal and electrochemical properties than native polymer. The size of the polypyrrole particles were in the range of 50 nm to 60 nm.
DURING pregnancy increased blood levels of fibrinogen,1 , 2 factor VII (SPCA, proconvertin) and factor X (Stuart–Prower factor),3 4 5 6 as well as increased platelet adhesiveness,7 have been observed. This has been linked with a hypercoagulable state existing during pregnancy. It has been stated that factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) levels were not altered during this period.6 , 8 Recent experience in our laboratory, however, has demonstrated significant elevations of factor VIII levels gradually taking place during the course of pregnancy in all subjects thus far studied. Of interest in this connection is a recent report describing elevations of factor VII and VIII in women under hormonal . . .
This study aimed to describe patient‐reported symptoms and burden of treatment (BoT) experienced by patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). BoT describes the illness workload, individual capacity to perform that work, and resultant impact on the individual. Overwhelming BoT is related to poor quality of life and worse clinical outcomes. This research is the first to explore symptoms and BoT in people with CHF, in the UK.
For cartilage regeneration applications, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is conventionally administered at highly supraphysiologic doses (10-10,000 ng/mL) in an attempt to cue cells to fabricate neocartilage that matches the composition, structure, and functional properties of native hyaline cartilage. While supraphysiologic doses enhance ECM biosynthesis, they are also associated with inducing detrimental tissue features, such as fibrocartilage matrix deposition, pathologic-like chondrocyte clustering, and tissue swelling. Here we investigate the hypothesis that moderated TGF-β doses (0.1-1 ng/mL), akin to those present during physiological cartilage development, can improve neocartilage composition. Variable doses of media-supplemented TGF-β were administered to a model system of reduced-size cylindrical constructs (Ø2-Ø3 mm), which mitigate the TGF-β spatial gradients observed in conventional-size constructs (Ø4-Ø6 mm), allowing for a novel assessment of the intrinsic effect of TGF-β doses on macroscale neocartilage properties and composition. The administration of physiologic TGF-β to reduced-size constructs yields neocartilage with native-matched sGAG content and mechanical properties while providing a more hyaline cartilage-like composition, marked by: 1) reduced fibrocartilage-associated type I collagen, 2) 77% reduction in the fraction of cells present in a clustered morphology, and 3) 45% reduction in the degree of tissue swelling. Physiologic TGF-β appears to achieve an important balance of promoting requisite ECM biosynthesis, while mitigating hyaline cartilage compositional deficits. These results can guide the development of novel physiologic TGF-β-delivering scaffolds to improve the regeneration clinical-sized neocartilage tissues.
The present study was undertaken to assess the role of cytokines in the activation of peritoneal macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected mice. Peritoneal macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected mice (10 cysts of Beverley strain/mouse) were harvested 8 weeks after infection, and incubated with the mitogen-induced lymphokine, recombinant mouse interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), recombinant mouse tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) alone or in combination with IFN-gamma (IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha) for 24 hr at 37 degrees C, 5% CO2. Macrophage activation was measured by the amount of H2O2 and NO2- production, and anti-Toxoplasma activities of macrophages. IFN-gamma or IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha-treated macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected mice revealed significantly higher H2O2 production than resident macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected mice. The production of NO2- by TNF-alpha-, IFN-gamma- or IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha-treated macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected mice were significantly higher than that by resident macrophages, whereas lymphokine-treated group produced similar amount as that produced by resident macrophages. Anti-Toxoplasma activities of cytokine-treated macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected mice were significantly higher than those of resident macrophages. IFN-gamma-treated macrophages were significantly increased production of H2O2 and NO2-, and anti-Toxoplasma activities of macrophages between normal and Toxoplasma-infected mice, whereas the other cytokine-treated groups were not significant differences between them. These data suggested that IFN-gamma was the only one of cytokines capable of significantly activating the peritoneal macrophages from Toxoplasma-infected mice.
Personal protection tools are of paramount importance in vector borne disease control. The use of repellents is an additional tool for use when out of bed. Four repellents N, N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET), Maskitta, lemon grass and Menthol propylene glycol carbonate (MR08) were examined in this experiment for their protective efficiency against malaria vectors Anopheles gambiae senso stricta. The four repellents DEET, Maskitta, Citronella and MR08 were formulated on volume based ratio against glycerin oil. The repellent dosages were evaluated against Anopheles gambiae in a 30×30×30 cm cage. Treated arm of a volunteer was exposed in the cage for a period of one hour for each dosage. Likewise for negative control. Experiments were conducted in a room with temperature and humidity of 27±2 degree Celsius and 75±2% respectively. Each repellent experiment had six replicates. In this study the results showed that, the protective efficiency was highest in Maskitta, followed by DEET, MR08 and lemon grass was least protective in all dosages. DEET was the golden standard positive control and glycerin was negative control in these experiments. Maskitta reached a protection efficiency of 100% similar to DEET while MRO8 were above 80% in all concentrations. From the results of these experiments, the use of repellents for personal protective gear has a significant role in reducing human-vector contact. Maskitta which is a newly formulated repellent showed a protection efficiency of 100%, this is evidence that more scientific research should be carried out in order to have more quality effective products for personal protection against mosquitoes.
Neurodegenerative proteinopathies are characterized by the intracellular formation of insoluble and toxic protein aggregates in the brain that are closely linked to disease progression. In Alzheimer’s disease and in rare tauopathies, aggregation of the microtubule-associated tau protein leads to the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). In Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other α-synucleinopathies, intracellular Lewy bodies containing aggregates of α-synuclein constitute the pathological hallmark. Inhibition of the glycoside hydrolase O-GlcNAcase (OGA) prevents the removal of O-linked N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (O-GlcNAc) moieties from intracellular proteins and has emerged as an attractive therapeutic approach to prevent the formation of tau pathology. Like tau, α-synuclein is known to be modified with O-GlcNAc moieties and in vitro these have been shown to prevent its aggregation and toxicity. Here, we report the preclinical discovery and development of a novel small molecule OGA inhibitor, ASN90. Consistent with the substantial exposure of the drug and demonstrating target engagement in the brain, the clinical OGA inhibitor ASN90 promoted the O-GlcNAcylation of tau and α-synuclein in brains of transgenic mice after daily oral dosing. Across human tauopathy mouse models, oral administration of ASN90 prevented the development of tau pathology (NFT formation), functional deficits in motor behavior and breathing, and increased survival. In addition, ASN90 slowed the progression of motor impairment and reduced astrogliosis in a frequently utilized α-synuclein-dependent preclinical rodent model of PD. These findings provide a strong rationale for the development of OGA inhibitors as disease-modifying agents in both tauopathies and α-synucleinopathies. Since tau and α-synuclein pathologies frequently co-exist in neurodegenerative diseases, OGA inhibitors represent unique, multimodal drug candidates for further clinical development.
Pharmacv students maduatine from one of the four Historically Black colkges and &versiti$ (HBCUs) that offers a demee in oharmacv receive an invaluable education not onlv in pharmacy, bit a heightened cultural awareness necessary for a profession within an ethnocentric society. The clinical rotation plays a pivotal role in the pharmacy cumculum. Unlike any other rotation, it actively integrates the didactic skills in an applied clinical setting, as evaluated by the preceptor who also serves as teacher. The role model concept is exlremely vilal at an HBCU as well as the clinical setting because it is appreciated by all students. Other imporlanl concerns addressed include the issues of recruitment and retention of minority faculty, the misconceptions of HBCUs and the strenglhs of the clinical rotation as they relate to the needs of the students from the perspective of a new minority faculty member.
Fetal rat liver in organ culture formed glycogen and tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) in response to 2 X 10–6M cortisol. Introduction of decaborane suppressed the increase in TAT, but did not prevent glycogen formation from glucose. When glucose was omitted, explants made TAT but not glycogen in response to cortisol. Fetal liver explants incorporated label from L—alanine—U–14C into glucose and glycogen to a small extent and thus showed gluconeogenic capability. This process was not affected by decaborane or cortisol. Cortisol diverted the products of gluconeogenesis to glycogen and away from glucose. The steroid caused a rise in aspartate aminotransferase that was prevented by decaborane. Alanine aminotransferase levels were unaffected by either steroid or decaborane. It is concluded that cortisol stimulated glycogen synthesis by a mechanism which did not involve gluconeogenesis or an effect on aminotransferases. (Endocrinology 91: 257, 1972)
lot of people over a long time period and not get caught, I'd search for a place where I could do this without much difficulty. It would have to be somewhere that death is a common occurrence with a wide choice of prey who wouldn’t give me much resistance; a place I could work alone and where privacy with a victim is actually encouraged; a place I wouldn’t have a supervisor looking over my shoulder, especially if I wanted to Although certainly not the norm, serial killings in healthcare do happen. Are you aware of the clinical and forensic implications? By Mary K. Sullivan, RN-BC, CARN, MSN, FAAFS
Flecainide acetate is a Vaughn-Williams class IC antiarrhythmic and a sodium channel blocking agent used mainly for the treatment of supraventricular dysrhythmias.1 Adverse cardiac effects include moderate negative inotropic action and depression of all major conduction pathways.2 With increasing concentration, flecainide's action on conduction pathways is manifested on electrocardiogram as an increased PR interval and QRS duration. Toxicity is suggested when a 50% increase in QRS duration (0.18 sec) or 30% prolongation in PR interval (0.26 sec) occurs. The QTc interval can also be prolonged in cases of flecainide overdose.3 Treatment of acute flecainide overdose includes administration of activated charcoal (for patient presenting early in course of ingestion), administration of sodium bicarbonate (reverses action of sodium channel blockade), pressors (eg, dobutamine) for profound hypotension, and transthoracic or transvenous pacing.1,4        Figure 1    12-lead Electrocardiogram from a 46-year-old woman with flecainide toxicity.            Figure 2    12-lead Electrocardiogram from same patient obtained 24 hours later.
A series of Cr-based complexes 6–10 bearing aminophosphine (P,N) ligands Ph2P–L–NH2 [L = CH2CH2 (1), L = CH2CH2CH2 (2), and L = C6H4CH2 (3)] and phosphine–imine–pyrryl (P,N,N) ligands 2-(Ph2P–L–N=CH)C4H3NH [L = CH2CH2CH2 (4) and L = C6H4CH2 (5)] were prepared, and their catalytic properties were examined for ethylene tri/tetramerization. X-ray crystallographic analysis of complex 8 indicated the κ2-P,N bidentate coordination mode at the Cr(III) center and the distorted octahedral geometry of monomeric P,N–CrCl3. Upon activation by methylaluminoxane (MAO), complexes 7–8 bearing P,N (PC3N backbone) ligands 2–3 showed good catalytic reactivity for ethylene tri/tetramerization. On the other hand, complex 6 bearing the P,N (PC2N backbone) ligand 1 was found active for non-selective ethylene oligomerization, while complexes 9–10 bearing P,N,N ligands 4–5 only produced polymerization products. In particular, the high catalytic activity of 458.2 kg/(g·Cr·h), excellent selectivity of 90.9% (1-hexene and 1-octene combined), and extremely low PE content of 0.1% were obtained with complex 7 in toluene at 45 °C and 45 bar. These results suggest that rational control of P,N and P,N,N ligand backbones, including a carbon spacer and rigidity of a carbon bridge, can lead to the high-performance catalyst for the ethylene tri/tetramerization process.
This article aims to identify and theoretically justify the basic principles for forming teaching staffs’ competitiveness in vocational training institutions. The key categories in the identification of these principles were such concepts as: the competitiveness of a teacher, the competitiveness of teaching staff, thecorporate competition. The authors of the article have proposed the following principles for forming the competitiveness of teaching staffs in vocational education institutions: dialogic, transparency, corporativity and dynamism. The contents of this article can be useful for administrators and teachers of secondary and higher professional education, for researchers concerned with the formation of teachers’ competitiveness, students, and for enhancing the competitiveness of colleges and universities.
Abstract Purpose: Reduced proprioception affects fall risks in elderly people with lumbar spondylosis. The decrease in proprioception in the trunk or lower legs may contribute to a decline in postural stability. We aimed to investigate the association between proprioceptive postural stability and fall risks in elderly individuals with lumbar spondylosis. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, the centre-of-pressure displacement was determined in elderly individuals with lumbar spondylosis during upright stance while standing on a Wii Balance Board with their eyes closed (fall-risk group, n = 55; non-fall-risk group, n = 60). Vibratory stimulations at 30 Hz were applied to the lumbar multifidus and gastrocnemius to evaluate the relative contributions of proprioceptive signals used in postural control (relative proprioceptive weighting ratio). Results: Compared with the non-fall-risk group, the fall-risk group displayed a high relative proprioceptive weighting ratio (p = 0.024). Relative proprioceptive weighting ratio (odds ratio, 1.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.004–1.109) was independently associated with fall risks after adjusting for confounding factors. Among variables related to fall risk, the relative proprioceptive weighting ratio was a significant factor (p < 0.035). Conclusion: The fall-risk group of elderly individuals with lumbar spondylosis was dependent on the ankle strategy. The fall risk in elderly people with lumbar spondylosis could be due to over-dependence on the input from muscle spindles in the gastrocnemius.
By MARTIN V. MELOSI. xii and 578 pp.; maps, diagrs., ills., bibliog., index. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. $59.95 (cloth), ISBN 0801861527. The title Sanitary City summons images of Gotham's street sweepers dressed in spotless white coats. In his massive history of urban sanitation services, Martin Melosi certainly introduces us to New York City's turn-of-the-century uniformed street-cleaning corps, but he focuses on the unsanitary rather than the sanitary. Such is the enigma of the title. The impurity of drinking water prompted massive efforts to find and deliver a potable product; the threat of disease from sewage forced cities to export this foul by-product; and the offensive qualities of refuse led to searches for healthy solutions. Melosi's task is to present the continual struggle to make the unsanitary city sanitary. In his own words, he seeks to provide "a comprehensive history of water supply, wastewater, and solid-waste disposal systems in American cities from colonial times to the year 2000, with an analysis of their development, an assessment of their influence on urban growth, and an evaluation of their impact on the environment" (p. 2). In this respect, his title is highly appropriate. Melosi, who has a pedigree in political history and an extensive record as an urban and environmental historian, divides the book into three sections, based principally on the paradigms that guided sanitation practice: "Age of Miasmas" (1700s-1880), "Bacteriological Revolution" (1880-1945), and "New Ecology" (1945-2000). This apt organizational scheme is further refined in chapters that explore key developments in sanitation technology coupled with urbanization. Melosi's objective was sweeping, and his accomplishment encompasses the complete vista. Melosi emphasizes the successive waves of "crises" that coursed through the municipal-sanitation profession. Environmental historians often argue that massive tragedies are necessary to initiate major policy changes. But in the public works arena, Melosi suggests, it was not death or destruction that prompted actions but a perceived crisis in water quantity or quality. Drinking water attracted attention most immediately and typically received substantial public support. Sewerage, a less obvious need, lagged behind clean water as a municipal concern, while garbage constantly lurked in the background. Whether in the age of miasmas or the time of the new ecology, crises were essential to spur efforts to meet public expectations of the day. I often wonder why more geographers have not investigated sanitation infrastructure; perhaps it is because such hidden service delivery is not a part of the visible landscape. The Sanitary City points out the significance of these buried systems for urban growth. Increasing population density and sewage production degraded private wells and stimulated municipal searches for new water supplies. Extension of water supplies, and to a lesser extent, sewerage lines, has helped shape urban expansion. Garbage collection, Melosi informs us, functions best through "economies of density," becoming less efficient with urban sprawl. Such insights into the buried landscape exhibit the author's ability to examine the multiple and evolving relationships of public works with local politics, public finance, national environmental policies, and sanitary technologies. …
Juice was made from carrot and pineapple and was blended with soymilk in the ratio 35%:35%:30% respectively and treated with powdered extract of A. danielli in varying proportions (1g, 2g and 3g). The treated samples were stored for twelve weeks with the control (sample without A. danielli extract) and analyses carried out. Ascorbic acid, total soluble solids and total sugar of the samples were analysed. The results showed that 5.0-7.50% of ascorbic acid, 0.95-1.86% of total soluble solids and 0.05-0.04% of total sugars, were lost in the treated samples, while the amount of ascorbic acid, total soluble solids and total sugars lost in the control samples was 17.50%, 7.12% and 0.90% respectively over the same period. Thus, the inclusion of powdered extract of A. danielli was able to reduce the loss of nutrients thereby preserving the chemical properties investigated in this research. Keywords : A. danielli extract, Stability, Juice extraction, Preservation, Blending
BACKGROUND Although there is widespread concern that general practice consultations are too short for doctors to provide a high quality of care for patients, the relationship between the length and outcome of these consultations remains unclear. Research to date has neglected the subjective experience of consultation time of both patients and GPs.   OBJECTIVES Our aim was to investigate GP perspectives on consultation time and the management of depression in general practice.   METHOD A qualitative interview-based study was carried out of 19 GPs from eight West Midlands general practices.   RESULTS The GPs in this study acknowledged the pressure of work and resource constraints in general practice. However, they did not feel these prevented them from providing good support and treatment for depression. They were confident in the effectiveness of antidepressants and their own skills in providing counselling support, and were able to utilize time flexibly in responding to patients' variable needs. Depression was viewed as a relatively straightforward problem that usually could be managed within the resources available to general practice.   CONCLUSION The doctors generally did not experience time to be a limiting factor in providing care for patients with depression. This is in contrast to the more acute sense of time pressure commonly reported by patients which they felt undermined their capacity to benefit from the consultation. GPs need to be more aware of patient anxieties about time, and to devise effective means of raising patients' sense of time entitlement in general practice consultations.
Adsorption equilibria of a CO2/H2O binary mixture on activated alumina F-200 were measured at several temperatures and over a wide range of concentrations from 4% to around 90% of the saturated water vapor pressure. In comparison with the single-component data, the loading of CO2 was not reduced in the presence of H2O, whereas at low relative humidity the adsorption of H2O was depressed. The binary system was described by a competitive/cooperative adsorption model where the readily adsorbed water layers acted as secondary sites for further CO2 adsorption via hydrogen bonding or hydration reaction. The combination of kinetic models, namely, a Langmuir isotherm for characterizing pure CO2 adsorption and a BET isotherm for H2O, was extended to derive a binary adsorption equilibrium model for the CO2/H2O mixture. Models based on the ideal adsorbed solution theory of Myers and Prausnitz failed to characterize the data over the whole composition range, and a large deviation of binary CO2/H2O equilibrium from ideal solution behavior was observed. The extended Langmuir-BET (LBET) isotherm, analogous to the extended Langmuir equation, drastically underestimated the CO2 loading. By incorporating the interactions between CO2 and H2O molecules on the adsorbent surface and taking into account the effect of nonideality, the realistic interactive LBET (R-LBET) model was found to be in very good agreement with the experimental data. The derived binary isosteric heat of adsorption showed that the heat was reduced by competitive adsorption but promoted by cooperative adsorption.
This paper argues that crosstown traffic in the East and West German punk subculture was an essential aspect of how popular music helped to challenge the political legitimacy of the East German government. West German punks frequently crossed the border to attend Eastern punk concerts, meet with friends and trade stories and experiences, connections that helped to foster a transnational community of alternative youths. These interactions denied official claims that punk was the result of capitalist decadence while undermining the East German government's efforts at cultivating a distinctive socialist identity. Nor were border crossings unidirectional, as Eastern punks made daring attempts to connect with their Western cousins. Writing for West German fanzines, appearing in the Western press and even managing to release Eastern recordings smuggled westwards, Eastern punks crossed the Iron Curtain and in so doing, worked to present an alternative vision of Eastern youth to the world and join the global punk scene.
To address the emerging issues of aging society, new technology creates many opportunities to solve the problem of care service and increases added-value in the digital family. Therefore, this paper analyzes the characteristics of WiMAX wireless technology and its applications in healthcare service. To investigate the local users’ demand of wireless service, this research conducted a questionnaire survey in Hualien County, Taiwan. The findings from the analysis of the 230 returned sample data demonstrate that the new applications and service provided through WiMAX wireless technology is highly appreciated by the people. Based on these findings from surveys and indepth interviews conducted in the local area, this paper proposes a strategy map for the development of the M-care (Mobile care) service through a five-force analysis of the industrial value chain and a SWOT analysis of wireless healthcare delivery in order to provide advice to WiMAX venders on how to create new business for M-service provision.
Background Myeloid sarcomas are rare extramedullary manifestations of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) representing less then 1% of all cases. Since they invariably progress into systemic disease, early AML-like chemotherapy is mandated. Myeloproliferations with eosinophilia and involvement of the PDGFRA, PDGFRB or FGFR1 genes are distinct entities in the 2008 WHO classification with peculiar sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Extramedullary myeloid sarcomas with eosinophilia and FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion gene expression are extremely rare with only two cases described. Here we report a case of extramedullary leukemia, eosinophilia and FIP1L1-PDGFRA rearrangement responding favourably to imatinib.  Case history A 32-year old man presented with a 3-month history of subcutaneous nodules growing gradually in the occipital, chest, abdominal and perianal regions, the largest being 50 x 60 x 18 mm in size and exulcerated. There was no weight loss or fever. Complete blood count showed WBC of 6,8 x 109/L, Hb level of 104 g/dl and platelet count of 377 x 109/L. The differential revealed 42% neutrophils, 25% lymphocytes, 5% monocytes and 28% eosinophils with an absolute eosinophil count of 1,92 x 109/L. Apart from mildly elevated LDH (539 U/L, normal range: 153 - 463 U/L), other laboratory results were unremarkable. CT scan found no lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly. Histology of the nodules showed infiltration with immature monoblasts, negative for CD34, CD117 and weakly positive for MPO and CD68. Mutations of the FLT3 and nucleophosmin genes were not present and TCR gene rearrangement analysis did not reveal clonality. Bone marrow biopsy showed an increase of eosinophilic precursors without apparent blast excess. FISH analysis of the nodules performed with the LSI FIP1L1/PDGFR alpha probe detected deletion of the CHIC2 gene in most interphase nuclei. Bone marrow karyotype was normal, and FISH probes proved negative for AML/ETO and inv(16). In 15% of interphases, the FIP1L1/PDGFR alpha fusion signal could be detected. RT PCR showed FIP1L1-PDGFR alpha gene fusion in the marrow.  A diagnosis of extramedullary myeloid sarcoma with concomittant eosinophilia and FIP1L1/PDGFRA fusion gene expression was established. To our knowledge, this is the third such case reported so far. Induction regimen consisted of 7 days of Ara-C (200 mg/m2) and 3 days of daunorubicin (60 mg/m2). This resulted in regression but not complete disappearance of the subcutaneous nodules. After the therapy-induced aplasia, restitution of platelets preceded neutrophils and mild thrombocytosis developed. The bone marrow showed increased eosinophils without blast excess. FISH analysis detected the presence of the FIP1L1-PDGFRA fusion signal in 11% of nuclei. Imatinib mesylate, 100 mg/day was started. In 14 days, the platelet count returned to normal and the residual nodules disappeared completely. After 5 weeks of imatinib therapy, the patient is doing well without any complaints and the bone marrow shows complete cytogenetic response.  Conclusion this case of extramedullary AML, eosinophilia and FIP1L1/PDGFRA rearrangement persisting after intensive chemotherapy but responding well to low-dose imatinib emphasizes the importance to screen for mutations of the PDGFR gene in AML with major eosinophilic component due to the major therapeutic implications.  Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
State-of-the-art NLP models can adopt shallow heuristics that limit their generalization capability (McCoy et al., 2019). Such heuristics include lexical overlap with the training set in Named-Entity Recognition (Taille et al., 2020) and Event or Type heuristics in Relation Extraction (Rosenman et al., 2020). In the more realistic end-to-end RE setting, we can expect yet another heuristic: the mere retention of training relation triples. In this paper we propose two experiments confirming that retention of known facts is a key factor of performance on standard benchmarks. Furthermore, one experiment suggests that a pipeline model able to use intermediate type representations is less prone to over-rely on retention.
Semantic segmentation with deep learning has achieved remarkable progress in classifying the pixels in the image. Acquiring sufficient ground-truth supervision to train deep visual models has been a bottleneck over the years due to the data-hungry nature of deep learning. Image-level label-based weakly supervised semantic segmentation (WSSS) aims to adopt image-level labels to train semantic segmentation models, saving vast human labors for costly pixel-level annotations. A typical pipeline for this problem is to adopt Class Activation Maps (CAMs) with image-level labels to generate pseudo-masks (a.k.a. seeds) and then use them for training segmentation models. The main difficulty is that seeds are usually sparse and incomplete. In recent years, GCNs have made great strides in various fields. GCN can perform global modeling and reasoning on the relationship between regions, which is beneficial for many computer vision tasks. This is our motivation to combine these two aspects. Therefore we propose the module of class-related graph convolution. Because there are differences between classes, our GCN is parallel. Each GCN can learn the classrelated region extension strategy. To enable GCN to learn more authentic relationships, we also introduce the attention mechanisms. We conduct lots of experiments on the public PASCAL VOC dataset, and our model yields state-of-the-art performance.
It is of significant importance to provide incentives to smartphone users in mobile crowd sensing systems. And a number of auction-based incentive mechanisms have been proposed. However, an auction-based incentive mechanism may unexpectedly release the location privacy of smartphone users, which may seriously reduce users' willingness of participating in mobile crowd sensing. In an auction-based mechanism, even if the location of the user is not enclosed in its bid submitted to the platform, the location information may still be inferred by an adversary by using the prices of the tasks required by the user. We show such an attack on a typical auction-based incentive mechanism and reveal that the attack can recover the location information of a smartphone user by merely knowing the bid from the user. To defend against such an attack, we propose P&#x000B2;, a location privacy-preserving auction mechanism for mobile crowd sensing systems. This mechanism encrypts prices in a bid so that the adversary cannot access and hence the location privacy of the user can be protected. In the meanwhile, however, the auction can proceed properly, i.e., the platform can select the user offering the lowest price for each sensing task. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our the proposed mechanism with simulation experiments.
This paper focuses on the role of knowledge in policing and questions the application of the notion of network to describe police organizations in themselves or in relationship with each other. First, the concepts of knowledge and of network are critically assessed for their own. Second, their applicability to policing is examined in respect to criminal investigation, the handling of police informants, high (or political) policing, and counterterrorism. This examination is conducted with a particular emphasis on information reliability and overload. It is concluded that while it is premature to argue that focusing on knowledge and networks has generated a paradigm shift in respect to policing, both concepts may have the potential to generate a new paradigm.
A lipoprivic control of feeding has been proposed based on the finding that appetite is stimulated by drugs such as beta-mercaptoacetate (MA) that reduce fatty acid oxidation. The adipose-derived hormone, leptin, has effects on feeding and fat oxidation that are opposite those produced by MA. However, effects of this hormone on MA-induced feeding are not known. Here we examined the effects of endogenous leptin levels and of acute central and peripheral leptin administration on MA-induced feeding. We also examined leptin-induced changes in feeding, body weight, and plasma fuels after capsaicin-induced deletion of the lipoprivic control. MA-induced feeding was not altered under any of these conditions, and leptin's effects were not altered by capsaicin. We then examined MA-induced feeding during chronic leptin treatment. Because chronic leptin produces several distinct metabolic states as body adiposity is reduced, we tested MA before, during, and after leptin treatment at times that coincided with these states. MA-induced feeding was unchanged on d 3 of leptin treatment when rats were in a lipolytic state and rapidly metabolizing body fat stores but reduced on d 10 when they were adipose deplete and their level of fat oxidation was reduced. Together results suggest that the lipoprivic control is normally less active in the fat deplete state than during states associated with fat availability. If so, its insensitivity to leptin would enable the lipoprivic control to operate when dietary fat, adiposity, and leptin levels are elevated. The role played by the lipoprivic control under such conditions remains uncertain.
The long-stroke shaker is essentially required for the calibration of low-frequency vibration transducers, whose performance parameters have significant impact on the calibration accuracy. The accurate measurement of these parameters is the prerequisite to establish a reliable vibration metrology and traceability system. Currently, an optical collimator or a reference accelerometer is applied to get the static parameter, the laser interferometry or triaxial sensor-based method is used to obtain the dynamic parameters. However, the former relies on an extra device which increases the complexity and cost of calibration system, and the latter is always difficult to accomplish the accurate and efficient measurement of these parameters. In this study, a binocular vision-based long-stroke shaker performance measurement method is investigated, which has ability to determine the static and dynamic parameters simultaneously during the calibration. This vision method obtains the shaker's bending by measuring the inclinations at the different positions of its guideway, and achieves the amplitude characteristic, distortion, repeatability as well as transverse ratio measurements by accurately acquiring the spatial displacements at different frequencies. Comparison experiments with the two commonly used inclination estimation methods, and the laser interferometry and sensor-based method demonstrate that the investigated method is able to get the satisfactory accuracies both for the static and dynamic parameters of long-stroke shaker in vibration calibration.
As one of the commonly-used solid dosage forms, pharmaceutical tablets have been widely used to deliver active drugs into the human body, satisfying patient’s therapeutic requirements. To manufacture tablets of good quality, diluent powders are generally used in formulation development to increase the bulk of formulations and to bind other inactive ingredients with the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). For formulations of a low API dose, the drug products generally consist of a large fraction of diluent powders. Hence, the attributes of diluents become extremely important and can significantly influence the final product property. Therefore, it is essential to accurately characterise the mechanical properties of the diluents and to thoroughly understand how their mechanical properties affect the manufacturing performance and properties of the final products, which will build a sound scientific basis for formulation design and product development. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical properties of the widely-used pharmaceutical diluent powders, including microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powders with different grades (i.e., Avicel PH 101, Avicel PH 102, and DG), mannitol SD 100, lactose monohydrate, and dibasic calcium phosphate, were performed. The powder compressibility was assessed with Heckel and Kawakita analyses. The material elastic recovery during decompression and in storage was investigated through monitoring the change in the dimensions of the compressed tablets over time. The powder hygroscopicity was also evaluated to examine the water absorption ability of powders from the surroundings. It was shown that the MCC tablets exhibited continuous volume expansion after ejection, which is believed to be induced by (1) water absorption from the surrounding, and (2) elastic recovery. However, mannitol tablets showed volume expansion immediately after ejection, followed by the material shrinkage in storage. It is anticipated that the expansion was induced by elastic recovery to a limited extent, while the shrinkage was primarily due to the solidification during storage. It was also found that, for all powders considered, the powder compressibility and the elastic recovery depended significantly on the particle breakage tendency: a decrease in the particle breakage tendency led to a slight decrease in the powder compressibility and a significant drop in immediate elastic recovery. This implies that the particle breakage tendency is a critical material attribute in controlling the compression behaviour of pharmaceutical powders.
Field tests with control (C), root-dipped (D), jellyrolled (J), and jellyrolled and acclimatized (J + A) bare-root seedlings were conducted at 14 sites in Oregon and Washington in 1984. Nine tests were conducted with ponderosa pine, four with Douglas-fir, and one with lodgepole pine. A separate test with ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir was conducted in Washington in 1983. In the 1984 test, average values of survival for ponderosa pine for the C, D, J, and J + A treatments were 82,86,85, and 87 percent, respectively. The increases in height were 16,18,17, and 15 percent, respectively..Survival of the J + A seedlings was significantly higher than that of C seedlings, but other differences among treatments for survival or growth were not significant. For Douglas-fir, average values of survival for the C, D, J and J + A treatments were 77, 72, 74, and 70 percent, respectively; height growth was 18, 19, 17, and 18 percent, respectively, with no significant differences. Survival of lodgepole pine was 99 percent for all treatments, and height growth ranged from 28 to 34 percent. In the 1983 test in Washington, survival of ponderosa pine ranged from 70 percent for C seedlings to 80 percent for J + A seedlings, but results were not consistent among the three sites and therefore not conclusive. Height growth in pine ranged from 34 (J) to 41 (D) percent. Survival of fir seedlings ranged from 97 to 100 percent, and growth from 21 to 23 percent. no advantage in survival, height growth, or moisture stress from jellyrolling or acclimatizing seedlings as compared to root dipping the seedlings.
Background: Chronic migraine headaches affect nearly 30 million Americans every year and are responsible for roughly 1.2 million emergency department visits annually. Many of the standard therapies commonly used to treat migraines are often unsuccessful and may furthermore introduce unwanted side effects. The purpose of this study was to identify independent predictors of clinical improvement in patients undergoing surgical nerve decompression for migraine. Methods: A retrospective chart review between 2010 and 2020 was conducted. The primary endpoint was clinical improvement at 1-year follow-up, defined as an independence from prescription medications. Patients were stratified into two groups: clinical improvement and treatment failure. Backward multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the associations between migraine improvement and different patient characteristics. Results: A total of 153 patients were included. In total, 129 (84.3%) patients improved and 24 (15.7%) did not. Significant associations with clinical improvement at multivariable logistic regression were found with acellular dermal matrix nerve wrap (OR = 10.80, 95%CI: 6.18–16.27), and operation of trigger sites four (OR = 37.96, 95%CI: 2.16–73.10) and five (OR = 159, 95%CI: 10–299). Conclusion: The use of acellular dermal matrix nerve wraps in surgery was significantly associated with clinical migraine improvement, as was operation at trigger sites four and five.
Devices that can convert sunlight energy to electrical energy with photovoltaic effect process made of semiconductors are better known as solar cells. Photovoltaic (PV) or better known as solar power plant (PLTS) is also concerned with several factors to maximize solar energy into electrical energy such as the influence of weather, humidity, temperature of solar cell position and wind direction contained on the surface of solar cells. In this study, this solar cell (photovoltaic) was diagnosed as poly-crystalline during sunny and cloudy weather conditions. The results obtained by the test showed the influence of temperature from the surface of solar cells on the value of output power. Maximum power (Pout) at 11.40 WIB with a slope angle of 35° and a temperature of 47.6°C with an output power value of 100.562 Watt. So it can be said that the temperature is influenced by the intensity of solar radiation that will make the power (Pout) increase, the condition of the poly-crystalline solar module will work optimally at a temperature of about 35 °C - 50 ° C measured on the surface of solar cells.
As a key part of promoting the physical health of the people and promoting social progress, sports has ushered in comprehensive vitality. More and more people's attention has been paid to the physical health status, especially the physical status of young people. In the field of physical fitness monitoring, although the state has continuously increased investment in human and financial resources, it still cannot meet the needs of the market. This study mainly discusses the monitoring of youth sports physique by intelligent medical robots based on cognitive computing. This study introduces the development and implementation process of the management system and the test planning of the system. It focuses on the realization of the scalable architecture of the system server application and the communication mechanism of the intelligent terminal application. With the development of collaborative computing, social computing, and the ever-changing demands of human-computer interaction, it is difficult for a single user to take into account the interactive tasks in complex scenarios. The collaborative interaction of multiusers has gradually been paid more and more attention. Teenagers can log in to the intelligent medical robot system or mobile phone terminal to make health test appointments, score inquiries, and prescription inquiries. Its display module displays different contents according to different login identities. For teenagers, it is necessary to check personal physical test results and have a position on their physical health. Through the intelligent medical robot system, the administrator records and analyzes the results of the youth health test and gives appropriate exercise prescriptions for the youth. This not only analyzes the functional requirements that meet the basic user needs, but also analyzes the nonfunctional requirements that meet the most basic security, stability, and robustness of the software. Intelligent medical systems can effectively help people learn medical knowledge better in today's postepidemic era. It also helps people to conduct self-diagnosis and self-examination of minor diseases to a certain extent, so as to improve their own health. From the functional requirements, each module of the intelligent medical robot system is functionally described. From a nonfunctional point of view, the design and implementation meet the performance requirements of client-side robustness, maintainability, and stability. Finally, the system architecture of the intelligent medical robot is designed, and the specific database table is given. During the research, 20% of the students believed that their physical condition had been improved through physical health monitoring. The state of national physique can reflect a part of the country's comprehensive national strength to a certain extent. Throughout history, the overall development trend of a society and a country is constrained by the two factors of the group's constitution and economic development. This research will contribute to the physical and mental development of adolescents. The robot designed in this paper meets the requirements of a large number of students' centralized testing and is more accurate, faster, and more convenient.
L-Theanine is commonly used to improve sleep quality through inhibitory neurotransmitters. On the other hand, Mg2+, a natural NMDA antagonist and GABA agonist, has a critical role in sleep regulation. Using the caffeine-induced brain electrical activity model, here we investigated the potency of L-theanine and two novel Mg-L-theanine compounds with different magnesium concentrations on electrocorticography (ECoG) patterns, GABAergic and serotonergic receptor expressions, dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin levels. Furthermore, we evaluated the sleep latency and duration in the pentobarbital induced sleep model. We herein showed that L-theanine, particularly its various complexes with magnesium increases the expression of GABAergic, serotonergic, and glutamatergic receptors, which were associated with decreased ECoG frequency, increased amplitude, and enhanced delta wave powers. Besides increased dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin; decreased MDA and increased antioxidant enzyme levels were also observed particularly with Mg-complexes. Protein expression analyses also showed that Mg-L-theanine complexes decrease inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) levels significantly. In accordance with these results, Mg complexes improved the sleep latency and duration even after caffeine administration. As a result, our data indicate that Mg-L-theanine compounds potentiate the effect of L-theanine on sleep by boosting slow-brain waves, regulating brain electrical activity, and increasing neurotransmitter and GABA receptor levels. Graphical Abstract The effects of Mg-L-Theanine on brain electrochemical activity, antioxidant enzymes and sleep. Mg-L-Theanine increases sleep duration, slow waves powers, GABAergic and serotonergic receptor expressions, dopamine, melatonin, and serotonin levels, and antioxidant enzyme activity.
ABSTRACT The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of hypertension on the gap junctions between vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the cerebral arteries (CAs) of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). The functions of gap junctions in the CAs of VSMCs in SHRs and control normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were studied using whole-cell patch clamp recordings and pressure myography, and the expression levels of connexins were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses. Whole-cell patch clamp measurements revealed that the membrane capacitance and conductance of in situ VSMCs in the CAs were significantly greater in SHRs than in WKY rats, suggesting that gap junction coupling is enhanced between VSMCs in the CAs of SHRs. Application of the endothelium-independent vasoconstrictors KCl or phenylephrine (PE) stimulated a greater vasoconstriction in the CAs of SHRs than in those of WKY rats. The EC50 value of KCl was 24.9 mM (n = 14) and 36.9 mM (n=12) for SHRs and WKY rats, respectively. The EC50 value of PE was 0.9 µM (n = 7) and 2.2 µM (n = 7) for SHRs and WKY rats, respectively. Gap junction inhibitors 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (18β-GA), niflumic acid (NFA), and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) attenuated KCl-induced vasoconstriction in SHRs and WKY rats. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the gap junction protein connexin 45 (Cx45) were significantly higher in the CAs of SHRs than in those of WKY rats. Phosphorylated Cx43 protein expression was significantly higher in the CAs of SHRs than in those of WKY rats, despite the total Cx43 mRNA and protein expression levels in the cerebral artery (CA) exhibiting no significant difference between SHRs and WKY rats. Increases in the expression of Cx45 and phosphorylation of Cx43 may promote gap junction communication among VSMCs in the CAs of SHRs, which may enhance the contractile response of the CA to vasoconstrictors.
MOTIVATION Tests of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from microarray experiments are based on the null hypothesis that genes that are irrelevant to the phenotype/stimulus are expressed equally in the target and control samples. However, this strict hypothesis is not always true, as there can be several transcriptomic background differences between target and control samples, including different cell/tissue types, different cell cycle stages and different biological donors. These differences lead to increased false positives, which have little biological/medical significance.   RESULT In this article, we propose a statistical framework to identify DEGs between target and control samples from expression microarray data allowing transcriptomic background differences between these samples by introducing a modified null hypothesis that the gene expression background difference is normally distributed. We use an iterative procedure to perform robust estimation of the null hypothesis and identify DEGs as outliers. We evaluated our method using our own triplicate microarray experiment, followed by validations with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and on the MicroArray Quality Control dataset. The evaluations suggest that our technique (i) results in less false positive and false negative results, as measured by the degree of agreement with RT-PCR of the same samples, (ii) can be applied to different microarray platforms and results in better reproducibility as measured by the degree of DEG identification concordance both intra- and inter-platforms and (iii) can be applied efficiently with only a few microarray replicates. Based on these evaluations, we propose that this method not only identifies more reliable and biologically/medically significant DEG, but also reduces the power-cost tradeoff problem in the microarray field.   AVAILABILITY Source code and binaries freely available for download at http://comonca.org.cn/fdca/resources/softwares/deg.zip.
This paper discusses the educational evaluation field in Brazil based on the conceptions held by Brazilian academic intellectuals who helped in the creation of this knowledge field during the 1980s. To this end, a documental and bibliographical research was performed in combination with bibliometric study strategies and content analysis. The data were organized into two main educational evaluation approaches, one that emphasizes evaluation as a result and the other whose focus is on the process. The conceptions held by the intellectuals in these approaches indicate that evaluation is an inherently human activity and, thus, cannot be reduced to a mechanical action, since it implies a power and negotiation relationship between evaluator and evaluatee.
This paper proposes a 1.5 MVA H-bridge building block (HBBB) using the newly developed emitter turn-off (ETO) thyristor to demonstrate the superior performance of the ETO. The modular HBBB is intended to be used in high-power cascaded multilevel voltage source converters for reactive power compensation applications. Because of theirs identical layouts, the HBBB are easily manufactured for both the building block itself and for the whole system. Whenever the power requirement of the system needs to be changed, the HBBBs are simply added into or taken away from the system without redesigning the HBBB component ratings. The hardware configuration as well as component selection and design of the HBBB are presented. This paper also proposes the new air-core snubber inductor design, which lowers losses and is lighter in weight than the conventional iron-core inductor. An ETO-based 1.5 MVA HBBB prototype has been implemented and tested in inverter mode. Experimental results indicate that the proposed ETO-based HBBB with the snubber components operates effectively at high frequency and high power.
The accumulation and behavior of impurities is one of the most important subjects in the development of magnetically confined fusion reactors because impurities can potentially cause cooling and worsen the confinement of the hot core plasma. Tracer-encapsulated solid pellets (TESPELs) have demonstrated some results for impurity injection for fusion-reactor plasma studies [N. Tamura et al., J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 823, 012003 (2017)]. However, the TESPEL technique has several shortcomings, for example, the penetration depth and the amounts of tracer impurities. In the present study, we have developed a tracer-containing, compact-toroid (TCCT) injection system that utilizes a magnetized coaxial plasma gun (MCPG). The discharge current through the MCPG sputters and ionizes the electrode material, and the Lorenz self-force accelerates it as a plasmoid. The MCPG easily accelerates a magnetized plasmoid to speeds greater than the ion thermal velocity of several tens of kilometers per second. The accelerated and ejected plasmoid that contains the tracer ions is itself a warm, ionized plasma. Therefore, a TCCT can potentially be injected into the core region of a target plasma with less adverse effect.
The energy dependence of the continuum-continuum couplings is studied for the 6Li + 144Sm breakup reaction. We show that for energies well below the Coulomb barrier (γ = Ecm/VB ≤ 0.7), continuum-continuum couplings enhance the breakup cross sections. However, for γ ≥ 0.8, the breakup cross sections are suppressed, owing to these couplings. It is shown that the suppression factor increases with the incident energy.
Objective  To investigate the nutritional status of children with mechanical ventilation, explore the influencing factors of nutritional status, and provide a basis for clinical nutrition support for children with mechanical ventilation.      Methods  The children with mechanical ventilation who had ventilated for more than 5 days during the period from February 1, 2017 to October 31, 2017 were selected as subjects.According to the mechanical ventilation time, they were divided into group A (5-16 d) and group B(17-29 d). We assessed malnutrition, screened nutritional risk, and measured albumin both on the admission and withdrawal of the ventilator, respectively.We also calculated the average caloric intake value (EI) and fluid volume during mechanical ventilation.Measured resting energy expenditure (MREE)was calculated by using the Schofield-HTWT formula.Feeding status during mechanical ventilation was assessed by average EI/MREE.      Results  The incidence of malnutrition at admission was 36.1%(13/36), and the incidence of malnutrition was 55.6%(20/36) when evacuated from the ventilator.There was a significant difference(P<0.05). The incidence of malnutrition was similar in group A and group B on admission, but the incidence of malnutrition in group B(62.5%) was significantly higher than that in group A (53.6%) when weaning.The average calorie in group B[(32.25±7.36)kcal/(kg·d)]was significantly lower than that in group A[(40.11±6.00)kcal/(kg·d)]. The mechanical ventilation time of group B[(540.63±89.66)h]was significantly longer than that of group A[(224.46±64.06)h](P<0.05).      Conclusion  Children with mechanical ventilation in the PICU have a higher incidence of malnutrition and the nutritional status deteriorates further during hospitalization, which may be related to calorie supply, duration of mechanical ventilation, fluid volume, and primary disease.      Key words:  Mechanical ventilation; Nutritional status; Malnutrition assessment; Nutritional risk screening
Background Informed consent is among the biggest challenges in recruiting participants for clinical research studies. Researchers face many challenges in conducting clinical trials, some of which include budgetary restrictions, lack of trained personnel, and difficulty recruiting study participants—particularly minorities and participants from rural communities. Objective The objective of this study is to utilize telemedicine to improve the informed consent process for clinical trials and studies. We aim to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the teleconsent intervention among residents in urban and rural settings. Methods This study will be conducted separately yet concurrently at two institutions, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, to compare results within and across institutions. Results Enrollment for Phase 1 began in March of 2018 and concluded in May 2018. Data transcription and analysis will be conducted through June and September of 2018. Conclusions In this paper, we present a novel approach for conducting informed consent using a new telemedicine modality, namely, teleconsent. Teleconsent presents the ability to conduct a live interaction among clinical research coordinators and potential participants while synchronously presenting the consent form on the screen and obtaining participant’s signature through doxy.me, the teleconsent system. Teleconsent provides potential to improve obtaining informed consent from potential clinical trial participants. Registered Report Identifier RR1-10.2196/11239
The approach to the synthesis of fractional controllers for automatic control systems circuits by a particle swarm optimization method has been proposed. Novelty of this approach lies in the idea that one is supposed to choose the desired quality of the transition process by the parameters of one of the standard fractional Butterworth forms. The paper considers two variants of the controller parameters synthesis by a particle swarm optimization: using the transition function of desired standard fractional form; using the characteristic points of transition function of desired standard fractional form.
Background and study aims  Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) are an effective palliative endoscopic therapy to reduce dysphagia in esophageal cancer. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a relatively common complaint after non-valved conventional SEMS placement. Therefore, valved self-expanding metal stents (SEMS-V) were designed to reduce the rate of GERD symptoms. We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing the two stents. Material and methods  This was a systematic review and meta-analysis including only randomized clinical trials (RCT) comparing the outcomes between SEMS-V and non-valved self-expanding metal stents (SEMS-NV) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. Data were analyzed with Review Manager Software. Quality of evidence was evaluated using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation guidelines. Results  Ten randomized clinical trials including a total of 467 patients, 234 in the SEMS-V group and 233 in the SEMS-NV group, were included. There were no statistically significant differences regarding GERD qualitative analysis (RD –0.17; 95 % CI –0.67, 0.33; P  = 0.5) and quantitative analysis (SMD –0.22; 95 % CI –0.53, 0.08; P  = 0.15) technical success (RD –0.03; 95 % CI –0.07, 0.01; P  = 0.16), dysphagia improvement (RD –0.07; 95 % CI –0.19, 0.06; P  = 0.30), and adverse events (RD 0.07; 95 % CI –0.07, 0.20; P  = 0.32). Conclusions  Both SEMS-V and SEMS-NV are safe and effective in the palliation of esophageal cancer with similar rates of GERD, dysphagia relief, technical success, adverse events, stent migration, stent obstruction, bleeding, and improvement of the quality of life.
Aim. Airbreathing catfish (CLARIIDAE) - is one of the most promising specie of artificial breeding. However, for the reproduction of this specie it is required to conduct appropriate studies. In particular, it is necessary to review the features of morphogenesis during early ontogeny of this type of fish. We investigated prelarvae of airbreathing catfish (CLARIIBAE) in 2,3 and 4 days of life. In the embryos, the spinal cord was formed on the 2nd day of life. At this stage, organs of vision were sufficiently developed. On the 4th day, we found hyaline cartilage at the base of the gill arch, arcs were covered with gill filaments; we also discovered fully formed mesonephros, renal corpuscles, renal tubules and intratubular liquid in the kidneys. The heart of the embryo consisted of atrium and voluminous ventricle. Methods. The research of development of airbreathing catfish in early ontogenesis has been carried out on the basis of "RENTOP Agro-5" Ltd. under the conditions of RAS in the Krasnodar region in the spring – summer period of years 2013-14. For morphological analysis we used serial histological sections on prelarvae of 40 airbreathing catfish at age 2, 3 and 4 days developing normally and atypically. The research combines some complex biological methods: ichthyologic, histological, physiological. Materials for the research were handled with the methods of classical histology. Viewing and imaging of the sections were made using Mikmed 6 microscope with a digital camera for imaging and computer analysis. Results. The finding of the study has been the analysis of the morphological structure of airbreathing catfish during early ontogeny, which can contribute to improving the biotechnology of breeding of airbreathing catfish under RAS. Main conclusions. First, in the early ontogenesis of airbreathing catfish we have discovered heterochrony in the development of basic systems: rapidly developing central nervous system and the digestive system, cardiovascular system, respiratory and urogenital systems are formed more slowly. Second, we have revealed pathological abnormalities in the structure of the developing mesonephros which is the evidence of the need to adjust the breeding conditions.
Chinese traditional auspicious pattern is a rich cultural heritage, which provided a wealth of visual elements for modern design. This article conveys to the readers the idea of the author on how to apply Chinese auspicious pattern in modern design and proposes the “auspiciousness” design concept from three aspects: "form", "meaning", "verve". Also, the author makes an analysis on the value of this application.
Objective To explore association between Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in oral cavity and gastric Hp infection through oral cavity and gastric Hp infection testing results analysis, and also to study the effect of Hp infection in oral cavity on Hp eradication treatment. Methods Through Hp saliva test (HPS) and 13C/14C urea breath test (UBT) method, the Hp in oral cavity and stomach were tested in 114 first-visit patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms (group 1), 129 re-visiting patients who were diagnosed gastric Hp infection with eradication treatment for four weeks (group 2) and 33 volunteers without gastrointestinal symptoms. Results The positive rates of Hp infection by HPS method were 77.19%, 75.97% and 81.82% in group 1, group 2 and group 3 respectively. There was no significant difference between these three groups (χ2=0.47, P>0.05). The positive rate of Hp infection by UBT method in group 1 (52.63%) was higher than those of group 2 (34.11%) and group 3 (21.21%). Compared group 1 with group 2 or group 3, there was significant difference (χ2=8.848, 10.19, P 0.05). In positive individuals of these three groups tested by UBT method, there was no significant difference of positive rate tested by HPS method (81.67%, 88.64% and 100% of three groups respectively, χ2=2.25, P>0.05). Conclusions The High detection of Hp antigen in saliva indicates that the oral cavity may be the "second settlement" of Hp beside stomach. The oral medicine haslittle effect on oral cavity Hp infection. The existence of oral Hp may be an important and direct factor of incidence and recurrent of gastric diseases.    Key words:  Helicobacter pylori;  Mouth;  Stomach;  Autigens, bacterial;  Saliva;  Urea;  Carbon radioisotopes
Objective Many survivors are disengaged from follow-up, mandating alternative models of survivorship-focused care for late effects surveillance. We explored survivors’ barriers to accessing, and preferences for survivorship care. Methods We invited Australian and New Zealand survivors of childhood cancer from three age groups: <16 years (represented by parents), 16–25 years (adolescent and young adults (AYAs)) and >25 years (‘older survivors’). Participants completed questionnaires and optional interviews. Results 633 survivors/parents completed questionnaires: 187 parents of young survivors (mean age: 12.4 years), 251 AYAs (mean age: 20.6 years) and 195 older survivors (mean age: 32.5 years). Quantitative data were complemented by 151 in-depth interviews. Most participants, across all age groups, preferred specialised follow-up (ie, involving oncologists, nurses or a multidisciplinary team; 86%–97%). Many (36%–58%) were unwilling to receive community-based follow-up. More parents (75%) than AYAs (58%) and older survivors (30%) were engaged in specialised follow-up. While follow-up engagement was significantly lower in older survivors, survivors’ prevalence of late effects increased. Of those attending a follow-up clinic, 34%–56% were satisfied with their care, compared with 14%–15% of those not receiving cancer-focused care (p<0.001). Commonly reported barriers included lack of awareness about follow-up availability (67%), followed by logistical (65%), care-related beliefs (59%) and financial reasons (57%). Older survivors (p<0.001), living outside major cities (p=0.008), and who were further from diagnosis (p=0.014) reported a higher number of barriers. Conclusions Understanding patient-reported barriers, and tailoring care to survivors’ follow-up preferences, may improve engagement with care and ensure that the survivorship needs of this population are met.
Background: In general there is susceptibility for the disease in pediatric age group (12). It has been shown that 2 % of affected individuals are children in certain parts of the world (13). Development of severe disease in children has been linked to comorbidities such as malnutrition, asthma, neuropsychiatric disorders, epilepsy, congenital abnormalities and type 1 diabetes mellitus) (14, 15). In Iraq, reports about clinical presentation and severity of disease in pediatric age group are scanty; therefore. Aim of the study: The aim of the current study was to highlight the main clinical features and clinical severity of COVID-19 in children. Patients and methods: The current cross-sectional research was conducted in Iraq's Al-Diwaniyah Province's Children and Maternity Teaching Hospital. The study included 400 children who tested positive for COVDI-19 using RT-PCR after nasopharyngeal swabs. The study included 220 males and 180 females ranging in age from 1 month to 15 years. The severity of disease was considered according to medication required so that children required no oxygen therapy were regarded as mild cases, children required oxygen therapy were regarded as moderate cases while those requiring mechanical ventilation or Continuous positive airway pressure were considered severe cases.
This comment relates to a recently published article, which presents a low input impedance trans-impedance type multifunction filter using only active elements. The proposed circuit uses two operational amplifiers (OAs) and four single-output operational transconductance amplifiers (OTAs). It is shown here that one of the OTAs is redundant and the lowpass, highpass and bandpass trans-impedance type realisations can be achieved using only three OTAs rather than four. The proposed circuit of Minaei, Topcu and Cicekoglu (2005), is shown in Figure 1(a), for convenience. As mentioned by Minaei et al. (2005) OTA4 provides a zero input impedance if it is assumed ideal, as its inverting input voltage will be forced to be zero since its output current is forced to be zero. Ideally this is true. But practical OTAs have
Formulae to estimate premorbid memory functioning in a sample of cognitively intact older adults have been developed. These formulae were validated in a small sample of patients with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. However, further validation is clearly needed. The current study applied these formulae to a sample of 1,059 patients referred to a dementia clinic and compared the premorbid estimates of memory functioning with current memory abilities. Large and statistically significant differences were observed in the current sample, with premorbid memory scores exceeding current memory scores. Although some cautions should be observed when using these estimates clinically, growing support for these estimates of premorbid memory abilities may aid clinicians in determining change across time in older patients.
Abstract Identification of species involved in cadaveric decomposition, such as scavenger Diptera, is a fundamental step for the use of entomological evidence in court. Identification based on morphology is widely used in forensic cases; however, taxonomic knowledge of scavenger fauna is poor for many groups and for many countries, particularly Neotropical ones. A number of studies have documented the utility of a DNA barcoding strategy to assist in the identification of poorly known and diverse groups, particularly in cases involving immature states or fragmented organisms. To provide baseline knowledge of the diversity of scavenger Diptera in the Valley of Mexico, we generated a DNA barcode collection comprised of sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene for all families sampled at a nature reserve located in this region. We collected and identified specimens on the basis of morphology and a species delimitation analysis. Our analyses of 339 individuals delineated 42 species distributed across nine families of Diptera. The richest families were Calliphoridae (9 species), Sarcophagidae (7 species), and Phoridae (6 species). We found many of the species previously recorded for the Valley of Mexico, plus 18 new records for the region. Our study highlights the utility of DNA barcoding as a first-step strategy to assess species richness of poorly studied scavenger fly taxa.
A balanced filtering rat-race coupler is proposed based on a quad-mode dielectric resonator (DR) in this brief. Due to the electromagnetic-field distributions of the DR, the desired balanced performance with high common-mode suppression is realized without additional circuits. Moreover, by setting the feeding probes at the proper locations, the quad-mode DR is also used to obtain the desired coupler topology with filtering responses. Accordingly, a balanced filtering rat-race coupler, integrating three circuit functions of the balanced circuit, rat-race coupler, and bandpass filter, can be designed into a single-cavity configuration, resulting in a very compact size. For verification, the proposed circuit is implemented, which shows good filtering responses, low amplitude imbalance, high common-mode suppression, and excellent phase characteristics.
The use of drug delivery systems (DDSs) is an attractive approach to facilitate uptake of therapeutic agents at the desired site of action, particularly when free drug has poor pharmacokinetics/biodistribution (PK/BD) or significant off-site toxicities. Successful translation of DDSs into the clinic is dependent on a thorough understanding of the in vivo behavior of the carrier, which has for the most part been an elusive goal. This is, at least in part, due to significant differences in the mechanisms controlling pharmacokinetics for classical drugs and DDSs. In this review, we summarize the key physiological mechanisms controlling the in vivo behavior of DDSs, comparing and contrasting this with classical drugs, and describing engineering strategies designed to improve DDS PK/BD. In addition, we describe quantitative approaches that could be useful for describing PK/BD of DDSs, as well as critical steps between tissue uptake and pharmacologic effect.
Background: Blood pressure (BP) changes in response to the Valsalva maneuver (VM) reflect the integrity of the baroreflex that regulates BP, and the phases of VM are widely used indices of adrenergic evaluation. Objective: To study the BP recovery time (PRT) following termination of VM back to baseline to determine if it could be an additional and better indicator of adrenergic function. Methods: The authors evaluated three groups of patients with increasing degrees of adrenergic failure and an age-matched control group. Adrenergic failure was graded on the basis of systolic blood pressure (SBP) reduction to tilt: Group 1, orthostatic hypotension (OH; SBP ≥ 30 mm Hg); Group 2, borderline OH (BOH; 30 > SBP > 10 mm Hg); and Group 3, sympathetic sudomotor failure. Results: PRT was found to vary directly with severity of adrenergic impairment. PRT significantly correlated with previously utilized phases of the VM and baroreflex gain, with highest correlations with phases II_L (reflex vasoconstriction following initial fall in BP) and IV (BP overshoot following the VM). PRT extends the indices for the quantitation of adrenergic failure, since it will continue to parallel increasing adrenergic failure after phase II_L is lost and is a reliable index when II_L cannot be recorded. Conclusions: Pressure recovery time is a valuable index of adrenergic failure. It extends the value of the Valsalva maneuver by providing a quantitative index that is measurable in patients with severe adrenergic failure.
Administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) to rats increased mdr1b expression in Fischer, Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rat livers ; however, the response was much smaller in Sprague-Dawley livers. To investigate the basis of this difference we further examined the regulation of the mdr1b gene in hepatocytes isolated from Fischer, Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats. A time-dependent increase in basal expression of mdr1b but not mdr2 was observed in hepatocytes isolated from all three strains of rats. After 4 days in culture, a larger increase in mdr1b mRNA levels was observed in Fischer and Wistar rat hepatocytes (3.5- and 4.6-fold respectively) than Sprague-Dawley hepatocytes (2-fold). Treatment of primary hepatocytes with 2-AAF caused an induction of mdr1b expression that varied among the three strains. Notably, Sprague-Dawley hepatocytes were not responsive to 2-AAF. In contrast to the parent compound, the electrophilic metabolites N-hydroxy-2-acetylaminofluorene and N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene caused a dose-dependent induction of mdr1b expression in both Fischer and Sprague-Dawley hepatocytes, indicating that differences in the metabolic activation of 2-AAF between the strains may account for the differences in mdr1b induction by 2-AAF. Hepatocytes isolated from all three strains of rats showed an equivalent induction of mdr1b after treatment with cycloheximide. Nuclear run-on assays demonstrated that the increases in mdr1b expression with time in culture and after xenobiotic treatment were due to increased transcription.
S-1 is a newly developed antineoplastic agent consisting of the mixture of tegafur (FT), 5-chloro-2, 4-dihydroxypyridine (CDHP), and potassium oxonate (Oxo) in a molar ratio of 1:0.4:1. As part of a reproductive and developmental toxicity study of S-1, a fertility study was carried out in Sprague-Dawley rats. Twenty-four male rats were administered S-1 orally starting at 64 days before mating and 24 female rats were administered S-1 orally from 15 days before mating to day 7 of pregnancy at doses of 0, 1, 4, or 7 mg/kg/day (as a dose of FT) in order to investigate the effect of S-1 on the reproductive ability and development of embryos and fetuses. There were no dose-related changes in clinical signs. Body weight gains and food consumption were decreased and were associated with the decreased weights of thymus, testis and epididymis in male rats receiving S-1 at the 7 mg/kg/day group. In females, the only organ affected was the kidney at 7 mg/kg/day. There were no dose-related changes in copulation, fertility, pre-implantation loss and implantation. Decreases in live fetal body weight and retardation of fetal ossification were observed in the 7 mg/kg/day group. There were no dose-related changes in post-implantation loss, and no fetal malformations were observed. The results suggest that the non-observed effects dose level of S-1 for general toxicity in male and female rats in 4 mg/kg/day, for reproductive toxicity in adults is more than 7 mg/kg/day, and for developmental toxicity in utero is 4 mg/kg/day.
LiDAR-produced point clouds are the major source for most state-of-the-art 3D object detectors. Yet, small, distant, and incomplete objects with sparse or few points are often hard to detect. We present Sparse2Dense, a new framework to efficiently boost 3D detection performance by learning to densify point clouds in latent space. Specifically, we first train a dense point 3D detector (DDet) with a dense point cloud as input and design a sparse point 3D detector (SDet) with a regular point cloud as input. Importantly, we formulate the lightweight plug-in S2D module and the point cloud reconstruction module in SDet to densify 3D features and train SDet to produce 3D features, following the dense 3D features in DDet. So, in inference, SDet can simulate dense 3D features from regular (sparse) point cloud inputs without requiring dense inputs. We evaluate our method on the large-scale Waymo Open Dataset and the Waymo Domain Adaptation Dataset, showing its high performance and efficiency over the state of the arts.
Dan Heller and William Dunbar call their molecular detection start-up Two Pore Guys because the firm’s technology relies on silicon nitride nanopores and because they thought the name was funny. Heller, a computer scientist with an entrepreneurial streak, and Dunbar, a former computer engineering professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz, can afford to joke around. In April, their six-year-old company raised $24.5 million from the savvy Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla. Heller and angel investors previously kicked in about $7 million. With the newly raised funds, Two Pore Guys hopes to get its handheld detector and disposable nanopore-enabled test strips into the hands of assay developers next year. Those developers will use Two Pore Guys’ hardware to design rapid, low-cost tests for viruses such as HIV and Zika, food-borne pathogens, and environmental contaminants. A vote of confidence came last month from Monsanto, which agreed to evaluate the firm’s
The occurrence of cognitive and behavioral symptoms in patients with primary dystonia remains a matter of debate. We compared 45 patients with primary dystonia with 27 control subjects for performance on neuropsychological tasks with a load on executive‐Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and Stroop test, and visuospatial‐Benton's visual retention test (BVRT) and Block assembly test from Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale BAT‐functions, as well as for intensity of obsessive‐compulsive symptoms (Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Y‐BOCS). Correlation analysis was performed between neuropsychological performance, dystonia characteristics (duration, age of onset) and severity (Unified Dystonia Rating Scale, UDRS), and Y‐BOCS. Patients made more perseverative errors on the WCST (P = 0.042) and had a higher mean Y‐BOCS (P = 0.003) score than controls. Timed tests (BVRT, BAT, Stroop test) correlated with UDRS. Y‐BOCS, WCST, and UDRS scores were not significantly correlated with one another.These results suggest that patients with primary dystonia may have set‐shifting deficits and a higher intensity of obsessive compulsive symptoms when compared to healthy subjects. This may reflect a pattern of complex neurophysiological dysfunction involving dorsolateral, orbitofrontal, and motor frontostriatal circuits. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Approximately 15 percent of women experience depression while pregnant or in the year following pregnancy. While antidepressants are usually effective and considered standard treatment for depression, concerns arise that what might be good for mom could be harmful for the baby. Medical evidence demonstrates that, on balance, treating mental illness with psychotropic medication along with talk therapy is in the best interest of both mother and baby; however, women may resist treatment because they overestimate the risks of medication and underestimate the risks of untreated mental illness. Clinicians can help address this perceived ethical dilemma and provide optimum care to their pregnant patients by collaborating with their patients on a treatment plan, informing them about the risks of untreated mental illness, and providing reassurance that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and many other psychotropic medications are appropriate care even if a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding.
Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a zoonotic infection caused by larval form of the parasite Echinococcus granulosus. The adult tapeworm inhabit the small intestine of some carnivores (called definitive or final hosts), and the larval phase, or “metacestode” develops in the herbivores (intermediate hosts). The presentation form of the larval phase is the development of cysts, called hydatid cysts. Although all of us know the vital cycle of the parasite and the different aspects of the disease, the designations around the parasite, its evolution and some therapeutic procedures is not uniform. In fact we frequently see the use of inappropriate terms, based on incorrect concepts.
ABSTRACT: Neonatal red blood cells (RBC) show large variations in size, density, and deformability, with a relatively high percentage of neonatal RBC being extremely dense, almost spherical, and poorly deformable. Previous reports suggest that loss of membrane and oxidation of fetal Hb might account for the generation of the dense, rigid RBC in neonates and the shortened life-span of neonatal RBC. To test whether the dense RBC population is particularly fragile and which mechanical properties are responsible for the rigidity of these cells, the following measurements were made for the top (least dense) and bottom (most dense) 3% fractions of density-separated neonatal and adult RBC: cellular deformability (rheoscope); RBC geometry (micropipette system); elasticity, fragility, and viscosity of RBC membrane (micropipette system); Hb solution viscosity (cone-plate viscometer); and selected biochemical parameters. Fetal Hb of neonatal RBC decreased with increasing cell density. When the bottom fractions were compared with the top fractions, neonatal RBC showed a greater reduction in glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activity (72% versus 53%), potassium (39% versus 19%), volume (32% versus 19%), and surface area (42% versus 21%), and a greater rise in density (3.5% versus 1.9%) and mean corpuscular Hb concentration (42% versus 23%) than adult RBC. Cellular deformability in the rheoscope (shear stress 5 Pa) decreased by 24% in adults and by 41% in neonates. Membrane extensional and bending elastic moduli (i.e. membrane deformability) and membrane fragility of neonatal and adult RBC did not significantly change with increasing cell density. However, the membrane surface viscosity increased by 175% in the neonatal RBC and by 76% in the adult RBC when the bottom fractions were compared with the top fractions. Hb solution viscosity increased by 256% in neonatal and by 110% in adult RBC. But at a given Hb concentration, Hb solution viscosity was similar in neonates and adults. The results indicate that the densest neonatal RBC arc not particularly fragile and that the poor deformability of these cells results from loss of membrane surface area and rise of membrane and lib viscosity.
The present paper aims at assessing the linguistic and cultural adaptation and equivalency of the French, Farsi, Arabic and English versions of the NADINE1 Soft Skill Tests, which include four scales: interpersonal skills, organizational skills, personal skills, and entrepreneurial skills. The translation process included forward and backward translations. Three studies took place. In Study 1, both the source (English) and target versions of the tests were administered to 117 bilingual subjects. There were very few differences observed between the two versions of the tests, in all language versions, resulting in only a few items being revised. Study 2 aimed at determining the degree to which the items, the response scale and the instructions are comprehensible and culturally relevant to the target population. Three focus groups were formed, with 9, 9 and 7 participants respectively, who rated all items in terms of clarity and cultural relevance. The review resulted in minor changes in the instructions. In study 3, the Farsi, Arabic and French versions of the tests were administered to 120 migrants/refugees/asylum seekers. We calculated the discriminative power of each item and its contribution to the scale’s and subscale’s internal reliability coefficient. Moreover, we calculated Tucker’s congruence coefficient for each subscale to ensure cross-cultural equivalency. Items with poor discriminative power and items which reduced the reliability coefficients were eliminated. The remaining items had discriminative power between 0.20 and 0.80, while all reliability coefficients were above 0.70 (the vast majority being above 0.80). All Tucker’s phi coefficients were above the 0.90 cut-off point, with the exception of the Farsi-French and the Arabic-French comparison of one component. However, Tucker’s phi was above 0.80 which shows similarity. Results of all 3 studies support the case of linguistic and cultural equivalence between the different language versions of the tests. Therefore, all test versions are valid and reliable instruments that can be used by career practitioners to assess the level of soft skills of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
The rate of synaptic transmission between photoreceptors and bipolar cells has been long known to depend on conditions of ambient illumination. However, the molecular mechanisms that mediate and regulate transmission at this ribbon synapse are poorly understood. We conducted electroretinographic recordings from dark- and light-adapted mice lacking the abundant photoreceptor-specific protein phosducin and found that the ON-bipolar cell responses in these animals have a reduced light sensitivity in the dark-adapted state. Additional desensitization of their responses, normally caused by steady background illumination, was also diminished compared with wild-type animals. This effect was observed in both rod- and cone-driven pathways, with the latter affected to a larger degree. The underlying mechanism is likely to be photoreceptor specific because phosducin is not expressed in other retina neurons and transgenic expression of phosducin in rods of phosducin knock-out mice rescued the rod-specific phenotype. The underlying mechanism functions downstream from the phototransduction cascade, as evident from the sensitivity of phototransduction in phosducin knock-out rods being affected to a much lesser degree than b-wave responses. These data indicate that a major regulatory component responsible for setting the sensitivity of signal transmission between photoreceptors and ON-bipolar cells is confined to photoreceptors and that phosducin participates in the underlying molecular mechanism.
The spin-restricted and spin-polarized fully self-consistent linear muffin tin orbital band calculations for cuprate CuGeO3 are presented with Cu atoms in normal and displaced positions within the orthorhombic cells. This, computationally much cheaper, approach gives practically the same one-electron bands as recent linear augmented plane wave calculations, and the same qualitative explanation for the spin-Peierls transition observed at low temperatures in this compound. New self-consistent spin-polarized calculations of CuGeO3, for some supposed antiferromagnetic order in copper chains along the orthorhombic c axis, have given very small values for magnetic moments on Cu atoms. Again the dimerization of CuO2 chains can open a band gap at EF, if the Cu displacements in neighbouring chains are out of phase.
The authors are studying Hardware Neural Networks (HNN) for generating a driving waveform of a millimeter size insect-type microrobot. HNN can generate the pulse waveform such as the neural networks of living organisms. In the previous research, the HNN constructed by an Integrated Circuit (IC) could generate only a tripod gait pattern which is necessary to perform the locomotion of the microrobot. The microrobot can move six legs independently; thus, the mechanical structure of the microrobot allows the several gaits by changing the driving waveform. The HNN with switchable gait pattern could perform the different locomotion of the microrobot. In this paper, the authors discuss HNN which can switch the gait pattern of the microrobot. HNN can generate two gait pattern such as the tripod gait pattern and the ripple gait pattern which is typical gaits of insects. The tripod is for fast walking and the ripple is for slow walking, respectively. Usually, six cell body models mutually connected by 18 inhibitory synaptic models were required to generate the tripod gait pattern. Also, six cell body models mutually connected by 30 inhibitory synaptic models were required to generate the ripple gait pattern. The authors simplified the network with proposal excitatory-inhibitory switchable synaptic model. The HNN can simplify as six cell body models connected by two excitatory-inhibitory switchable synaptic model and ten inhibitory synaptic models. In addition, two types of gait patterns can be switched using a single external voltage source. As a result, The HNN generates tripod gait pattern with an external voltage of 3.0 V and ripple gait pattern with an external voltage of -3.0 V.
In several void fraction measurement methods, a constant electric current method which is one of conductance methods is focused in the present study. By using this method, void fraction can be measured with higher temporal resolution. However, it has been mainly applied to annular flow in previous studies. In the present study, Maxwell's estimation, Bruggemann's estimation, low void fraction approximation and new estimations which consider the bubble shape are applied in order to measure more accurately void fraction of dispersed bubbly flow and slug flow. To understand the effect of bubble shapes and flow patterns, void fraction was measured by the constant electric current method for a rising single spherical bubble and a rising single slug bubble without a forced convection. In addition, void fraction was also measured in bubbly flow and bubbly-slug flow with a forced convection. Then, effects of flow patterns on the proposed estimations of void fraction and the accuracy of their estimations were discussed with the measurement results. From the result, the new estimations which consider a bubble shape are more accurate than the previous estimation in a slug bubble and bubbly-slug flow.
Abstract Reductive deiodination of 2-deoxy-2-iodo-glycoside is an efficient and practical approach for the synthesis of 2-deoxyglycosides, which are moieties of bioactive compounds. However, inseparable diastereoisomers are usually formed in the preparation of 2-deoxy-2-iodo-glycosides via glycosylation of glycals with alcohols using current methods. To overcome this problem, a rapid and diastereoselective transformation of glycals and alcohols into 2-deoxy-2-iodo-α-glycosides enabled by I2/PhI(OAc)2 has been developed. 14 glycals, derived from 13 monosaccharides and one disaccharide, diastereoselectively yielded α-glycosides. Only in two cases the diastereoselectivity of the glycosylation was poor. The yields of glycosylation range from 73% to 95%, and the reactions are finished in only five minutes. Investigations for better diastereoselectivity by comparing I2/Ph(OAc)2- with I2/Cu(OAc)2-mediated glycosylations using UV analysis have been conducted.
In contemporary Russia, the existing electricity supply model is gradually changing, the focus shifting to the priority development of small-scale distributed power generation. It is, however, impossible to significantly reduce grid electricity consumption in the near future. Conditions for grid companies are getting increasingly competitive, which may result in higher tariffs for consumers. At the same time, the development of small-scale power generation in this country is chaotic and its efficiency has never been adequately compared to that of grid electricity consumption. The article looks at factors and conditions that may help boost grid companies’ competitiveness. It also provides a new developed methodology for comparative analysis of the efficiency of the construction of a company’s own generating unit as opposed to consuming grid electricity. The article contains estimates of the cost of connection technologies to the grid and electricity tariffs for different scenarios of development. The article looks at the potential for tariff reduction and reveals peculiarities and the cost of construction and operation of generating units for industrial companies. The methodology was tested in Chelyabinsk Region which is served by JSC “Interregional Distribution Grid Company of Ural”.
ABSTRACT Immunity to adenoviruses is an important hurdle to be overcome for successful gene therapy. The presence of antibodies to the capsid proteins prevents efficacious adenovirus vector administration in vivo. We tested whether immunity to a particular serotype of adenovirus (Ad5) may be overcome with a vector that encodes the hexon sequences from a different adenovirus serotype (Ad12). We successfully constructed an adenovirus vector with a chimeric Ad5-Ad12 hexon which was not neutralized by plasma from C57BL/6 mice immunized with Ad5. The vector was also capable of transducing the livers of C57BL/6 mice previously immunized with Ad5.
The toxin/antitoxin (TA) field, born of controversy, is plagued by several prevailing misperceptions. For example, some TA systems stabilize plasmids and other genomic regions; however, the evidence of post-segregational killing by toxins of TA systems is weak. In addition, there are few credible reports of cell death via TA systems like MazF/MazE and via phage exclusion systems. Although many aspects of the biological roles of TA systems remain enigmatic, there are now some clear, confirmed TA functions: (i) phage inhibition, (ii) plasmid maintenance, (iii) stress response (including regulation of loci distinct from the TA pair itself), (iv) biofilm formation, and (v) persistence. Therefore, this opinion piece aims to challenge the oft-repeated claims of cell killing related to TA systems with the goal of emphasizing their primary biological role: constraining metabolism in a reversible manner. Hence, their roles in their five confirmed functions all stem from their ability to rapidly and reversibly reduce metabolic activity.
The cytotoxicity of a series of 29 experimental alloys and six pure metals was determined with cell culture techniques and succinic dehydrogenase histochemistry. The width of any ring of inhibition, optical density of the histochemically stained cells, and a visual ranking of the intensity of the blue color of the stained cells were compared for determination of cytotoxicity. Twenty-four of the 35 metals and alloys (-70%) had the same rankings by the three methods. Of the pure metals, Au, Pd, and Ti were the least cytotoxic, followed by Ag, then Ni, and finally, Cu. Single-phase alloys with moderately high Cu and without high Pd and Au concentrations had high cytotoxicity, as did multiphase alloys, even when they were high in Au and Ag. High Pd was more effective in maintaining the biocompatibility of alloys containing Cu than was Au. Single-phase alloys with compositions typical of those to be used for porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations showed good biocompatibility, as did those base metal alloys that formed adherent oxide surface layers.
Detailled Lausanne students’ perception of the extent to which five key aspects of primary care were covered in the curriculum on a 4-point Likert scale from 1: “strongly disagree” to 4 “strongly agree”. Detailed Lausanne students’ likelihood of becoming a primary care physician on a 4-point Likert scale from 1:”very unlikely” to 4: “very likely”, with an additional option 5: “no option”. CHAR1: Providing comprehensive care to patients of all ages, CHAR2: Psychosocial aspects, CHAR3: Clinical reasoning and decision analysis in an outpatient context, CHAR4: Managing uncertainty with ambulatory diagnostic resources, CHAR5: Coordinating different healthcare professionals, PCP: likelihood of becoming a primary care physician. (XLSX 9 kb)
An iron-covered nanoparticle could soon be used to treat a recalcitrant form of leukemia. Ferumoxytol, a drug already approved for treating anemia, seems to kill not only acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells, but also the stem cells that give rise to them, according to a research team led by Jan Grimm of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Monica Guzman of Weill Cornell Medical College (Nat. Nanotechnol. 2019, DOI: 10.1038/s41565-019-0406-1). The team discovered the anticancer properties of the iron-coated nanoparticles while studying their possible use for drug delivery. They saw that in both a mouse model of leukemia and mice given transplants of human leukemic cells, treatment with ferumoxytol reduced the number of circulating leukemic cells. The team proposes that some leukemic cells express low levels of an iron transporter called ferroportin, so they cannot regulate iron metabolism as well as healthy cells. Treatment with ferumoxytol floods the cancer cells
Septic thrombosis of the transverse-sigmoid sinuses and the jugular bulb is a highly lethal condition. The presenting signs and symptoms of this disease entity are subtle and not in proportion to the magnitude of the problem. Later in the disease course, sudden fulminant findings appear. A high index of suspicion, combined with scanning techniques of either enhanced MRI or CT, allows prompt diagnosis and treatment. MRI enhanced with gadolinium-DTPA (Gd) is a valuable adjunct that confirms the diagnosis and delineates the extent of suspected pathology.
Recent investigations point to the presence of paracrystalline lattice disorder in the nerve myelin in the swollen, fixed and to some extent also in the native state. This leads to the distortion of the Q-function of the membrane stack and the Q0-function of the unit cell, which can be experimentally isolated through swelling. Representing the distance statistics between neighbouring membranes and the electron density distribution of the single membrane with Gaussian functions, the Q-function can be expressed analytically as a convolution polynomial of the electron density, its mirror image and the distance statistics functions. Fitting this model (^-function to the experimental Q-function obtained by the inverse Fourier transformation of the scattered intensity, one can determine the optimal parameters of the electron density distribution and the distance statistics functions. The elimination of the distance fluctuations between neighbouring membranes permits the calculation of the undistorted Q-function or the Q0-function. The Fourier Analytical Deconvolution of the undistorted Q0-function enables a unique determination of the double membrane profile, thus a unique phase determination.
This paper proposes a strategic framework for policies to assist smallholders in developing countries. It describes the inevitable features of structural change in the agricultural and rural economy, the associated pressures that these changes place on smallholders, and the consequent need for policies to facilitate rather than impede adjustment. A key premise of the framework is that, for the majority of smallholders, the long term (i.e. inter-generational)future lies outside the sector. Hence, long-term policies need to make a distinction between those who potentially have a competitive future in the sector and those who do not. In either case, many of the necessary policies will not be agriculture-specific, so it is important that agricultural policies are framed in a broader economy-wide framework. In addition, a clear distinction needs to be made between short-term policies to reduce poverty and food insecurity and long-term policies to stimulate development. This is because there are intertemporal trade-offs (as well as complementarities) between policies that are likely to be effective in the short-run, and those promising most impact over the long-term. The paper discusses the role of different agricultural and non-agricultural policies in providing the appropriate policy mix in countries at different stages of development.
The study was conducted on the wings of six adult kites (Milvus migrans govinda) irrespective of sex. Males and females have the same plumage but females are longer than males six kites were collected from the cadavers presented to the Bodakdev (Wildlife Care Center) and Namo Namah Parivar, Ahmedabad. In the present study the primary feathers were 10 in number, which attached to the manus (carpometacarpus and digits) and appeared as finger due to their structure. The secondary feathers were variable in number according to length of the wing, in Milvus migrans govinda the numbers of secondary feathers were 12 to15, which attached to the ulna. The numbers of alula were 2 to 3, which attach with first digit. The observations of present study conclude the type of flight (soaring and gliding) and type of bird (bird of prey).
Automated formal analysis methods such as program verification and synthesis algorithms often suffer from time complexity of their decision procedures and also high space complexity known as the state explosion problem. Symbolic techniques, in which elements of a problem are represented by Boolean formulae, are desirable in the sense that they often remedy the state explosion problem and time complexity of decision procedures. Although symbolic techniques have successfully been used in program verification, their benefits have not yet been exploited in the context of program synthesis and transformation extensively. In this paper, we present a symbolic method for automatic synthesis of fault-tolerant distributed programs. Our experimental results on synthesis of classical fault-tolerant distributed problems such as Byzantine agreement and token ring show a significant performance improvement by several orders of magnitude in both time and space complexity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first illustration where programs with large state space (beyond 2100) is handled during synthesis.
Infection with Cryptosporidium spp. causes diarrhoeal disease and has become an important medical and veterinary problem especially in the immunocompromised host. The importance of the adaptive immune response, with CD4+ T‐lymphocytes being the major players, has been clearly demonstrated. The requirement of IL‐12 and IFN‐γ identifies this response as a Th1‐dominated reaction. IFN‐γ is also important in the early phase of the host–parasite interaction. We analysed the outcome of infection in IL‐12p40 (IL‐12KO) and IFN‐γ (GKO) deficient C57BL/6 mice after primary and secondary challenge with the parasite and, for the first time, we demonstrate the resulting Ig response in sera and vaginal lavages. Although showing differences in the extent and the time course both strains of mice were able to clear infection and developed an almost complete resistance to re‐infection. While GKO mice mounted prolonged parasite‐specific IgG and IgA responses after primary infection, in IL‐12KO mice IgG and IgA titres dropped over time. Re‐challenge of mice 5 weeks after primary infection led to a booster effect in Ig response despite the absence of oocyst shedding. The data from infection and re‐challenge experiments suggest that in IL‐12‐ or IFN‐γ‐deficient mice the development of resistance involves other protective immune responses.
Research on and practical attention for the coproduction of public services is increasing. Coproduction is seen as a way to strengthen the quality and legitimacy of public service and reduce costs. Scholarship on coproduction of public services repeatedly ignores the role of the new media. This is surprising since many proponents highlight its potential for changing traditional, government-centric approaches to delivering public services. This article shows that digital communities form an important addition to the government-centric form of public service provision since they foster both an exchange of experiential information and social-emotional support.
1. Simultaneous recordings were made from pairs of rabbit retinal ganglion cells. Physiological tests were used to classify the receptive field properties of each cell and the receptive field locations were mapped. 2. The statistical dependence between simultaneously recorded retinal ganglion cells was assessed by cross‐correlating the maintained discharge of the simultaneously recorded cells. Cross‐correlations from cell pairs in which the constituent cells had non‐overlapping receptive field centres were statistically flat, reflecting no statistical dependence. 3. Most cell pairs consisting of transient and sustained concentric cells and having overlapping receptive field centres exhibited a correlated maintained discharge indicative of statistical dependence. The strength of the statistical dependence varied approximately inversely with the degree of overlap between the two cells comprising the cell pair. 4. Cell pairs consisting of two ON‐centre cells or two OFF‐centre cells and having overlapping receptive field centres possessed incremental cross‐correlations which were characterized by a peak centred near zero. Cell pairs consisting of an ON‐centre cell with an OFF‐centre and having overlapping receptive field centres possessed decremental cross‐correlations which were characterized by a valley centred near zero. 5. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that a noise source provides shared input to two or more retinal ganglion cells. Bipolar and photoreceptors are the most likely sources of noise responsible for the statistical dependency between retinal ganglion cells.
The objective of this study is to understand the social discourses which operate upon the processes of building body selfimage. The emphasis is on the emotional and sexual lives of women who have survived breast cancer. The purpose is to contribute to psychosocial knowledge which promotes the creation of support programs oriented towards counseling for women who have undergone surgical mastectomy. The study is based on the theoretical and methodological approach of social constructivism and gender perspective. Seven women aged 33 to 53 years shared their mastectomy experiences, with or without breast reconstruction. We used the biographical method and interpreted findings from a narrative focus. The principal conclusions centered upon the tension of having to face a new body which, after mastectomy, does not correspond with socio-cultural discourses and expectations regarding beauty and womanhood. This situation gradually reduces the levels of self-esteem to the detriment of biopsychosocial well-being after the surgery
One hundred and fourteen mountain chicken frogs were anesthetized, to place intracoelomic radiotracers. The animals were placed in a clear plastic bag that was filled with isoflurane 5% and oxygen. Loss of righting reflex occurred at 3.4 ± 2.3 min; loss of gular movements was observed at 7.6 ± 2.7 min. Intubation was carried out using a modified cuffed tube between 2.5 and 3.5 mm, at 7.6 ± 2.2 min from the beginning of the anesthesia. Manual intermittent positive pressure ventilation every 5 to 10 sec was initiated and maintained through the anesthesia. Isoflurane concentration was maintained at 2%. Loss of withdrawal reflex occurred at 10.6 ± 4.8 min, while loss of response to painful stimuli was noted at 11.1 ± 2.9 min. Surgery started at 16.9 ± 9.9 min; the procedure from incision to last suture took 8.2 ± 2.3 min. Total anesthesia time was 21 ± 6.4 min. Intermittent positive pressure ventilation was continued with room air until the animals recovered the righting reflex, which occurred at 40.4 ± 10.1 min.
Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Dallas, Margaret M. Turek was the last doctoral student of Christoph Sch6nbom at the University of Fribourg. Her dissertation, submitted in 1999, not only gathers and organises Balthasar’s insights mainly in Theodramatik into what is proper to the first person in God, but carefully considers other issues at the heart of Balthasar’s theology, such as the relationship between divine and human freedom. Before tackling the paternity of God directly (in Part Two), Turek, like Balthasar himself, begins with dramatic theory and Christology and what they imply for a theology of God the Father. A close reading of the first volume of Theodramatik, surveys those elements of dramatic creativity, which point to the Economic Trinity Author, Actor, and Director and concentrates on the Father-author of the divine play of salvation. While there is mention here of the audience, the other elements of dramatic representation, such as presentation and, especially, horizon, might have deserved more attention, since Turek’s aim is to show that the theatre can be understood as an imago trinitatis and, for Balthasar, the ultimate horizon of the world’s play turns out to be trinitarian. The sketch of Balthasar’s theodramatic Christology focuses on the Sonship of the incarnate Word reflected in his being his mission and his freedom being lived as obedience since that divine relation is implicitly a revelation of the Father. All this lays the foundations for a systematic presentation of Balthasar’s theology of God the Father. Consistent with the International Theological Commission’s recommendation in its 1981 document (Balthasar was a member at the time), ’Theology, Christology, Anthropology’ of a ’metaphysic of charity’, in which person has a certain primacy over substance, Turek demonstrates the implications of Balthasar’s reunification of the treatises De Deo Uno and De Deo Trino for an understanding of God’s ’fatherly’ involvement with the world. This is the core of Turek’s text. It begins with a study of the Father as the unoriginated Begetter and Source of all that is other, infinite and finite, and goes on to cover the related issues of the Father’s mode of freedom as self-gift, paternal kenosis and eternal ’leaving free’ of the Son as ground of the cross event, the receptivity proper to the Father, and the immutability of God which does not exclude God’s being affected by the world. While Turek acknowledges the need to attend to the parameters of theological speculation, she might have said more about the metaphorical nature of Balthasar’s claims about the inner life of God. If the text concludes with an
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Human dignity is a significant concept of the UNESCO Declarations on bioethics as well as medical ethics (including all medical professions). In Slovakia, the first more significant attempts in development of professional ethics occur in the second half of the 1990s. Traditionally, the sphere of biomedicine (professional ethics of doctors, nurses, etc.) is the most intensive development of professional ethics in Slovakia. However, the issues of medical ethics are very often reduced only to the ethical code. I would like to research idea of human dignity in relations among doctors, nurses and patients in Slovakia. Human dignity is a concept that we use to describe an aggregate of values and qualities of someone or something that deserve esteem and respect. However, what is human dignity of doctors, nurses and patients? Is it a primary value of all human beings without differences in their social status or it depends on abilities of moral agents (including doctors, nurses and patients)? How is kept human dignity of doctors, nurses, health care workers and patients by ethical codes of medical professions in Slovakia at all?
Radiation characteristics of personal-portable communications devices tend to vary more widely than perhaps any other operating parameter, and yet in many cases, this characteristic is the determining factor in the range and effectiveness of these devices. Recognizing this basic specification requirement, the electronic Industries Association's new proposed standard for personal-portable communications equipment includes an open-field measurements section. This section is devoted exclusively to radiation measurements for both receivers and transmitters.
The Arabidopsis AtMCP and rice OsMCP genes which encode proteins highly homologous to molybdoenzymes of the sulphite oxidase family were isolated and characterized. Both proteins seemed to possess only a molybdenum cofactor as the redox centre, unlike all the other eukaryotic molybdoenzymes. Putative MCP orthologues were identified in 17 plant species, indicating that MCPs are widely distributed over the plant kingdom [corrected]. An analysis using a green fluorescent protein fusion showed that AtMCP possesses a peroxisomal targeting signal at its C-terminus. Putative peroxisomal targeting signals were also found in all plant MCPs, suggesting the existence of a new redox pathway in this organelle.
Plasma experiments on KSTAR are scheduled to start up this year (2008). We have developed an electron cyclotron emission (ECE) radiometer to measure the radial electron temperature profiles in KSTAR experiments. The radiometer system consists, briefly, of two downconversion stages, amplifiers, bandpass filter banks, and video detectors. These components are made commercially or developed in house. The system detects ECE power in the frequency range from 110 to 196 GHz, the detected signal being resolved by means of 48 frequency windows. Before installation of this system on KSTAR, we installed a part of this system on large helical device (LHD) to study the system under similar plasma conditions. In this experiment, the signal amplitude, considered to be proportional to the electron temperature, is measured. The time-dependent traces of the electron temperature measured by this radiometer are in good agreement with those provided by the LHD Michelson spectrometer. The system noise level which limits the minimum measurable temperature (converted to the electron temperature) is about 30 eV.
Possibilistic logic is essentially a formalism for handling qualitative uncertainty with an inference machinery that remains close to the one of classical logic. It is capable of handling graded modal information under the form of certainty levels attached to classical logic formulas. Such lower bounds of necessity measures are associated to the corresponding pieces of belief. This paper proposes extensions of the possibilistic logic calculus where such weighted formulas can be attached to a set of agents or which can be embedded inside another weighted formula, for the expression of mutual beliefs. It is possible to express that all the agents in a subset have some beliefs, or that there is at least one agent in a subset that has a particular belief. The case of all-or-nothing beliefs is first dealt with before presenting the inference rules for handling graded beliefs held by multiple agents. Illustrative examples are provided. The proposed framework offers a reasonable compromise between expressive power and a computational cost close to the one of classical logic.
This paper explores the conceptualization of children and how this limits and enables opportunities for children to be active participants in society. These conceptualizations are put into applied settings by showcasing a practice example of a non-government organization, Windermere, facilitating an evaluative feedback session with children. This provides a new angle from the bulk of peer-reviewed literature which focuses on academic research with children. The practice example extends the conversation about the importance of listening and hearing the voice of children and contributes practical information to add to the development of child aware competencies. By linking theory and practice, this paper investigates ways of practicing, thinking and acting differently for and with children.
The effect of 2,5,2′,5′‐tetrachlorobiphenyl (TcBP) on cell death was investigated in the cyanobacterium Anabaena flosaquae (Lyngb.) Bréb grown in a P‐limited, semicontinuous culture under N2‐fixing conditions during a 17‐d period. The TcBP was supplied daily to yield final concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 ppb (or ng/ml). At 1 and 10 ppb, the population size of live cells (sum of live vegetative cells and live heterocysts) was not different from that of the TcBP‐free controls (p > 0.1, t test) and remained constant both in its absolute value (9.6 × 105 cells/ml) and as a percentage of the total population (98.6%). However, at 100 ppb, the population size of live cells declined significantly after the 11th day (8.2 × 105 cells/ml, or 96.6% of total population; p < 0.01, t test). The decrease in viable cells was mostly found in vegetative cells. Bioconcentration factor in the cell ([pg TcBP/g dry wt cells]/[pg TcBP/ml]) was 1.23 × 105.
In recent years, some studies reported that probiotic use decreases the duration of symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, antibiotic prescription and school absenteeism in viral upper respiratory infections. Also these studies showed that probiotics might be used to prevent children from upper respiratory infections. Promoting a healthy diet comprising fermented dairy products including yogurt and kephir, which are already commonly consumed by Turkish individuals, and vegetables and fruits, might be useful in prevention and treatment of upper respiratory infections in children, although further evidence based studies are needed.
Purpose of the study: This research explores the role of taxpayer awareness as an intervening variable in analyzing the effect of tax penalties and tax audits on taxpayer compliance.  Methodology: The Research to use a purposive sampling method with the type of sample selection based on consideration the judgment sampling.  Main Findings: The results of the SmartPLS Version 3.0 test provide evidence that tax penalties and tax audits carried out by professional auditors proved to be able to increase taxpayer compliance in paying their taxes in a timely manner.  Applications of this study: The population of this study is individual taxpayers who carry out free work recorded at Tax Offices (KPP) Pratama Makassar (KPP Pratama Makassar Utara, KPP Pratama Selatan, and KPP Pratama Makassar Barat). whose status is still active, until January 2017 there were 234,104 effective taxpayers.  Novelty/Originality of this study: The nationalism of the people as citizens and as high taxpayers creates a high sense of tax awareness that has an impact on their high compliance in paying taxes.
A model potential function recently developed for van der Waals molecules has been extended to bound-state diatomics. It is written as the sum of the (extended) Hartree–Fock energy and the (remaining) correlation energy, each of these being elaborated separately from available data pertaining to the regions of the potential where they stand as the dominant energy contributions. The correlation energy is approximated semiempirically from the asymptotic expansion for the dispersion energy, the terms of which are individually damped to account for charge overlap and exchange effects. To determine the values of the C8 and C10 dispersion coefficients, which are missing in the literature, it is proposed the semiempirical rule Cn/C6=knR[a(n–6)/2]0, which is believed to be accurate within 15% for C8 and 30% for C10. Results are presented for thirteen chemically stable bound-state diatomics, in addition to three van der Waals molecules which are typical members of as many families of non-bonding interactions: the ground state of the rare-gas dimers and the alkali earth dimers, and the lowest triplet state of the alkali-metal dimers. The results are all good.
A clubfoot is a common congenital deformity of the foot. Worldwide the Ponseti method is the accepted treatment method for clubfoot. In this method, the treating physician manipulates the foot into a slightly better position and fixates this position with a plaster cast that stays on for a week. After five or six weekly cast changes the position of the foot is corrected. An abduction brace is worn for several years to prevent relapse. The research in this thesis describes how aspects of the Ponseti method are quantified and gives pointers for improvements. Both a literature study and a study with force sensors on the foot suggest that the weekly cast change interval is unnecessary long. A surprising observation was a temperature drop due to water evaporating from the cast, creating an uncomfortably long cold period for the children. Concepts for a dynamic clubfoot brace were developed as an alternative treatment method. Such a brace would apply a constant force on the foot rather than a constant position, making the correction process more efficient and possibly more comfortable. Patents would be able to temporarily remove the brace to allow bathing of their child and the soft materials of the brace makes cuddling a pleasant experience again.
The ultrasound assessment of fetal health using the biophysical profile score (BPS) and Doppler velocimetry, either alone or in combination, are standard methods of surveillance in the high-risk antenatal patient. There has been limited utilization of these tests during labor, and there are theoretical reasons why the intrapartum milieu may alter test outcome. We believed that it was important to evaluate both tests in normal intrapartum patients before considering applications in complicated pregnancies.In a prospective cross-sectional study in 76 low-risk patients we documented a normal BPS in 93.3% of patients in latent labor, 82.3% in early active labor, and 70% in late active labor. There were no significant changes in 3 of the 4 BPS parameters as labor progressed. However, a decrease in fetal breathing movements was noted as labor progressed, from 37% in the latent phase of labor to 10% in the active phase of labor. The status of the amniotic membranes did not influence the finding of normal amnioti...
To us, vision is an immediate experience, not subject to careful introspection. We cannot write down protocols of processing steps that lie between the raw image intensities and our vivid impression of the surrounding scenery. Furthermore, we find ourselves in possession of this faculty long before we learn to master the more sequential processing tasks involved in the use of language, for example. Consequently, the difficulties of the vision process are often not appreciated. This is as true today, when many inroads have been made on the problem of understanding this process, as it was earlier when it was thought that vision could be understood simply in terms of some general ideas of artificial intelligence.
We introduce the concept of generalized weakly compatibility for the pair {F,G} of mappings F,G:X×X→X and also introduce the concept of common fixed point of the mappings F,G:X×X→X. We establish a common fixed point theorem for generalized weakly compatible pair of mappings F,G:X×X→X without mixed monotone property of any mapping under generalized symmetric Meir-Keeler contraction on a non complete metric space, which is not partially ordered. An example supporting to our result has also been cited. We improve, extend and generalize several known results.
Sb-heterostructure diodes have become the detector of choice for W-band millimeter wave imaging cameras. Here we demonstrate lower impedance versions that optimize noise equivalent power (NEP). The goal is to decrease the gain required of the RF pre-amplifier, ideally to zero. Measured W-band sensitivities for three diodes are 3500, 5500, and 6000 V/W. Their zero bias differential resistance values imply Johnson noise limited NEP's of 0.98, 0.83, and 0.79 pW/Hzfrac12, respectively, much less than obtained from conventional Schottky diodes. A wideband transition from a horn antenna to the 6000 V/W detector has produced an integrated bandwidth of 30 GHz with implied temperature sensitivity (NEDeltaT) close to 10degK
1 Zenger M, Hinz A, Stolzenburg JU, Rabenalt R, Schwalenberg T, Schwartz R. Health-related quality of life of prostate cancer patients compared to general German population: age-specific results. Urol. Int. 2009; 83: 166–70. 2 Diefenbach MA, Mohamed NE. Regret of treatment decision and its association with disease-specific quality of life following prostate cancer treatment. Cancer Invest. 2007; 25: 449–57. 3 Egawa S, Shimura S, Irie A et al. Toxicity and health-related quality of life during and after high dose rate brachytherapy followed by external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Jpn. J. Clin. Oncol. 2001; 31: 541–7. 4 Lev EL, Eller LS, Gejerman G et al. Quality of life of men treated with brachytherapies for prostate cancer. Health Qual. Life Outcomes 2004; 2: 28. 5 Joseph KJ, Alvi R, Skarsgard D et al. Analysis of health related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with clinically localized prostate cancer, one year after treatment with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone versus EBRT and high dose rate brachytherapy (HDRBT). Radiat. Oncol. 2008; 3: 20. 6 Resnick MJ, Barocas DA, Morgans AK et al. Contemporary prevalence of pretreatment urinary, sexual, hormonal, and bowel dysfunction: defining the population at risk for harms of prostate cancer treatment. Cancer 2014; 120: 1263–71. 7 Bechis SK, Carroll PR, Cooperberg MR. Impact of age at diagnosis on prostate cancer treatment and survival. J. Clin. Oncol. 2011; 29: 235–41. 8 Carroll PR, Parsons JK, Andriole G et al. NCCN guidelines insights: prostate cancer early detection, version 2.2016. J. Natl. Compr. Canc. Netw. 2016; 14: 509–19. 9 Sugimoto M, Takegami M, Suzukamo Y, Fukuhara S, Kakehi Y. Healthrelated quality of life in Japanese men with localized prostate cancer: assessment with the SF-8. Int. J. Urol. 2008; 15: 524–8. 10 Kakehi Y, Takegami M, Suzukamo Y, Vargas Souto CA. Health related quality of life in Japanese men with localized prostate cancer treated with current multiple modalities assessed by a newly developed Japanese version of the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite. J. Urol. 2007; 177: 1856–61. 11 Rhoden EL, Teloken C, Sogari PR, Vargas Souto CA. The use of the simplified International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool to study the prevalence of erectile dysfunction. Int. J. Impot. Res. 2002; 14: 245–50. 12 Sanda MG, Dunn RL, Michalski J et al. Quality of life and satisfaction with outcome among prostate-cancer survivors. N. Engl. J. Med. 2008; 358: 1250– 61. 13 Huang GJ, Sadetsky N, Penson DF. Health related quality of life for men treated for localized prostate cancer with long-term follow up. J. Urol. 2010; 183: 2206–12. 14 Pinkawa M, Fischedick K, Gagel B et al. Impact of age and comorbidities on health-related quality of life for patients with prostate cancer: evaluation before a curative treatment. BMC Cancer 2009; 9: 296. 15 Hampson LA, Cowan JE, Zhao S, Carroll PR, Cooperberg MR. Impact of age on quality-of-life outcomes after treatment for localized prostate cancer. Eur. Urol. 2015; 68: 480–6. 16 Incrocci L. Radiotherapy for prostate cancer and sexual health. Transl. Androl. Urol. 2015; 4: 124–30. 17 Pugh TJ, Mahmood U, Swanson DA et al. Sexual potency preservation and quality of life after prostate brachytherapy and low-dose tadalafil. Brachytherapy 2015; 14: 160–5. 18 Okihara K, Yorozu A, Saito S et al. Assessment of sexual function in Japanese men with prostate cancer undergoing permanent brachytherapy without androgen deprivation therapy: analysis from the Japanese Prostate Cancer Outcome Study of Permanent Iodine-125 Seed Implantation database. Int. J. Urol. 2017; 24: 518–24.
This study examines the journal‐keeping methods of four higher education professionals. Framed in the literature of adult learning theory, the study’s purposes were twofold: to describe the work‐related journal‐keeping practices of these educators and to examine the professional and personal benefits of journal‐keeping. Findings indicate that these professionals use their journals in four ways: to create conversations with themselves about their work and their lives; to organize their work experience and demands; to adapt unique and individual journal‐keeping practices to match their current needs; and to review and reflect on overall, long term career goals and organizational directions. Through the journal, these adults cope with the complex external demands of work life, enabling them to inhabit multiple roles, maintain balance and to see the larger picture in their lives and organizations. These adults believe that taking the time to journal leads to a more organized and meaningful professional life.
Methamphetamine (METH) acts strongly on the nervous system and damages neurons and is known to cause neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Flavonoids, polyphenolic compounds present in green tea, red wine and several fruits exhibit antioxidant properties that protect neurons from oxidative damage and promote neuronal survival. Especially, epicatechin (EC) is a powerful flavonoid with antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor and antimutagenic effects as well as antioxidant effects. We therefore investigated whether EC could prevent METH-induced neurotoxicity using HT22 hippocampal neuronal cells. EC reduced METH-induced cell death of HT22 cells. In addition, we observed that EC abrogated the activation of ERK, p38 and inhibited the expression of CHOP and DR4. EC also reduced METH-induced ROS accumulation and MMP. These results suggest that EC may protect HT22 hippocampal neurons against METH-induced cell death by reducing ER stress and mitochondrial damage.
This paper presents a simple formulation in the form of a pipe network for modelling the global container-shipping network. The cost-efficiency and movement-patterns of the current container-shipping network have been investigated using heuristic methods. The model is able to reproduce the overall incomes, costs, and container movement patterns for the industry as well as for the individual shipping lines and ports. It was found that the cost of repositioning empties is 27% of the total world fleet running cost and that overcapacity continues to be a problem. The model is computationally efficient. Implemented in the Java language, it takes one minute to run a full-scale network on a Pentium IV computer.
Minor stroke is a common type of acute ischemic stroke. Early large-scale thrombolytic studies regarded minor stroke as a contraindication of intravenous thrombolysis. In recent years, more and more retrospective studies have shown that some minor stroke patients can still benefit from intravenous thrombolysis. Some studies are starting to identify patients who are more likely to be treated with thrombolysis, but there is still a lack of evidence-based evidence. This article summarizes the thrombolytic study of minor stroke, hoping to provide some references for nerve physicians.      Key words:  Minor ischemic stroke; Thrombolysis; Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator
We study experimentally the miscible radial displacement of a more viscous fluid by a less viscous one in a horizontal Hele-Shaw cell. For the range of tested injection rates and viscosity ratios we observe two regimes for the evolution of the fluid-fluid interface. At early times the interface length increases linearly with time, which is typical of the Saffman-Taylor instability for this radial configuration. However, as time increases, the interface growth slows down and scales as ∼t(1/2), as one expects in a stable displacement, indicating that the overall flow instability has shut down. Surprisingly, the crossover time between these two regimes decreases with increasing injection rate. We propose a theoretical model that is consistent with our experimental results, explains the origin of this second regime, and predicts the scaling of the crossover time with injection rate and the mobility ratio. The key determinant of the observed scalings is the competition between advection and diffusion time scales at the displacement front, suggesting that our analysis can be applied to other interfacial-evolution problems such as the Rayleigh-Bénard-Darcy instability.
This paper discusses an uncertain loaning decision problem for electric vehicles in the blockchain Internet of energy. Blockchain guarantees the security and privacy of transactions. In view of the uncertainty of electricity price, the scenario method is introduced. A new Stackelberg game model between multi plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and a loan bank is established. For each player, through the optimal solution of the loaning decision problem, the decision of each electric vehicle and the bank is obtained. Differing from the deterministic decision problem, a robust decision problem is proposed for the uncertainty of electricity price. In particular, in the loaning decision for each plug-in hybrid vehicle, a two scenario subset robust optimization method is used. A relaxation algorithm is proposed to solve the robust decision problem. The equilibrium of robust Stackelberg game model is achieved at the optimal loaning amount of all electric vehicles and the optimal loaning rate of the bank. Finally, an experiment was conducted to test the established game model in three different instances. The effectiveness and advantages of the established game model were verified by the computational results.
1 Nurse, Master’s Student in Nursing. University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Redenção (Brazil). Email: enfjcncruz@gmail.com. Corresponding author. 2 Nurse, PhD. Assistant Professor, University for International Integration of the Afro-Brazilian Lusophony, Redenção (Brazil). Email: tahissa@unilab.edu.br 3 Nurse, PhD. Assistant Professor, Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia, Santo Antônio de Jesus (Brazil). Email: nunofelix@ufrb.edu.br
A semiactive isolator filled with liquid-crystal type electro-rheological (ER) fluid was developed to attenuate the disturbances generated by a momentum-wheel and to improve pointing performance. The principal characteristics of an ER isolator were measured in dynamic tests, and a mathematical model of the isolator was proposed. Two control laws for a semiactive approach were proposed. Numerical simulation results indicated that the proposed semiactive control system produced much better isolation performance than a passive system.
In a ruling widely seen as a victory for industry, the Supreme Court last week made it considerably more difficult for the Environmental Protection Agency to force companies to reimburse the government for money the government spent to clean up Superfund sites once owned by company subsidiaries. In U.S. v. Bestfoods , the Court ruled unanimously that, absent evidence of wrongdoing, a parent company cannot be required to pay for cleaning up hazardous waste disposed of by a subsidiary's facility. The exception: Proof that the parent company controlled that facility's operations in a manner that goes way beyond typical parent involvement. The ruling is in line with a bedrock principle of corporate law—a parent corporation is not liable for the acts of its subsidiaries, explains Steve Jawetz, director of the Superfund practice at the Washington, D.C.-based law firm Beveridge & Diamond. The Comprehensive Environmental Response & Liability Act (CERCLA), more familiarly known as Superfund, "does not ...
6. Kapoor S, Patel SA, Kartan S, Axelrod D, Capitle E, Rameshwar P. Tolerance‐like mediated suppression by mesenchymal stem cells in patients with dust mite allergy‐induced asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012;129(4):1094‐1101. 7. Li W, Ren G, Huang Y, et al. Mesenchymal stem cells: a double‐edged sword in regulating immune responses. Cell Death Differ. 2012;19(9): 1505‐1513. 8. Chan JL, Tang KC, Patel AP, et al. Antigen‐presenting property of mesenchymal stem cells occurs during a narrow window at low levels of interferon‐gamma. Blood 2006;107(12):4817‐4824. 9. Duijvestein M, Wildenberg ME, Welling MM, et al. Pretreatment with in‐ terferon‐gamma enhances the therapeutic activity of mesenchymal stro‐ mal cells in animal models of colitis. Stem Cells 2011;29(10):1549‐1558.
During the decommissioning phase of a nuclear reactor, most of the steel-reinforced concrete shielding around the pressure vessel is considered as low-level radioactive waste. It is very desirable to reduce the radioactivity of the low-level radioactive waste to below the clearance level. Normally, the radioactivity of steel after irradiation is found to be proportional to the cobalt content. In this study, for the production of low-activation steel, the mixing source and the partition behavior of cobalt in the iron- and steel-making processes are investigated. The results are summarized as follows: (1) the cobalt content in hot metal was found to be approximately 20 ppm, and the main source was serpentine. The ratio of the cobalt content to the iron content in the ore varied from 1.5 to 6.5 ppm, depending on the brand. In the charge materials for the BOF process and typical refractories, the cobalt content was negligible except for some ferroalloys. (2) By thermodynamic calculations, it can be deduced that the activity coefficient of CoO is very small in the slag.
The analysis of the quality of particulate materials is of great importance for a variety of research and industrial applications. Most image-based methods rely on the segmentation of the image to measure the particles and aggregate their characteristics. However, the segmentation of particulate materials can be severely affected when the setup is not controlled. For instance, when there are device errors, changes in the light conditions, or when the camera gets dirty because of the dust or a similar substance. All of these circumstances are common in industrial setups, like the one studied in this paper. This work presents a framework for quality estimation based on image processing algorithms that avoids segmentation. The considered application scenario is the online quality control of the production of Oriented Strand Boards (OSB), a type of wood panel frequently used in construction and manufacturing industries. The proposed method quantizes frequency domain into a histogram using a non-parametric method, which is later exploited using computational intelligence to classify the quality of superimposed wood particles deposed on a conveyor belt. The method has been tested using synthetic and real images with different noise conditions. The results illustrate the robustness of the approach and its capability to detect significant quality changes in the wood particles.
Mining assets are unrepeatable and an important source for the development of a country. Their industrial exploitation is based on mining, metallurgical, economic, environmental, and state social factors. Mining factors such as production capacities, mining costs and the realization of indicators of loss and dilution are the determinants of the success of a mining activity. The value of a mining project, which is based on limited reserves, is very sensitive to loss indicators and dilution, as each lost tonnage of minerals affects the value of the resources. In this article, we will discuss the degree of impact of the above factors, while paying attention to achieving the most optimal indicators of loss and dilution. In mining activities with limited reserves and where the value of a mineral tone extracted from the ground is high, is required to increase the extract / loss ratio and maintaining a fair ratio between the indicators of loss and dilution
sist almost entirely of stone enclosures identified from aerial photographs a procedure that must cast doubt on the assertion that there are no Early Iron Age sites in the uplands. In the uplands, each enclosure is considered a separate site, so one settlement may include numerous 'sites'. Hall's is an acceptable demonstration of some of the ecological correlates of various stages of settlement in Natal. It provides a satisfactory procedure for isolating such correlates. It nevertheless lacks the rigour of Foley's more limited and 'experimental' work. It does not give more than the most general and speculative indications of the processes involved in change. In particular, Hall accepts that 'It has been established that the Early Iron Age communities moved into southern Africa in the third century AD . . . The overall pattern of rapid dispersal of pioneering farming communities from north to south must now be taken as firmly established.' The Later Stone Age is dismissed as represented by no more than 'sporadic visits'. These assumptions preclude any consideration of the interaction between Stone Age and Iron Age societies and indeed of the possible transition from one to the other or of the processes involved in such a transition. They are also assumptions that many archaeologists would now query. As one has come to expect, these BAR reports are exemplary in their production, layout and speed of publication. In both these reports, highly technical procedures are described and explained with clarity. These reports are becoming a most important, even essential, series of publications for African prehistory. PETER GARLAKE University of Zimbabwe
Chronic ingestion of high concentrations of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in drinking water induces intestinal tumors in mice; however, information on its toxicity on intestinal smooth muscle cells is limited. The present study aimed to assess the in vitro and in vivo toxicological effects of Cr(VI) on intestinal smooth muscle cells. Human intestinal smooth muscle cells (HISM cells) were cultured with different concentrations of Cr(VI) to evaluate effects on cell proliferation ability, oxidative stress levels, and antioxidant system. Furthermore, tissue sections in Cr(VI) exposed rabbits were analyzed to evaluate toxicity on intestinal muscle cells in vivo. Gene chips were utilized to assess differential gene expression profiles at the genome-wide level in 1 μmol/L Cr(VI) treated cells. Intestinal tissue biopsy results showed that Cr(VI) increased the incidences of diffuse epithelial hyperplasia in intestinal jejunum but caused no obvious damage to the structure of the muscularis. Cell proliferation analysis revealed that high concentrations (≥64 μmol/L) but not low concentrations of Cr(VI) (≤16 μmol/L) significantly inhibited the growth of HISM cells. For oxidative stress levels, the expression of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) was elevated at high concentrations (≥64 μmol/L) but not at low concentrations of Cr(VI) (≤16 μmol/L). In addition, dose-dependent increases in the activity of oxidized glutathione (GSSH)/total-glutathione (T-GSH) were also observed. Gene chip screened 491 differentially expressed genes including genes associated with cell apoptosis, oxidations, and cytoskeletons. Some of these differentially expressed genes may be unique to smooth muscle cells in response to Cr(VI) induction.
We present high-resolution spectroscopy and precision photometry of five new γ Doradus and five new δ Scuti variables. The five new γ Doradus variables substantially increase the number of confirmed stars of this class. All 10 stars fall in the spectral class range F0–F2, but they are cleanly separated into two groups by their luminosity and photometric periods. However, the period gap between the γ Doradus and δ Scuti stars is becoming very narrow since we confirm that HD 155154 is a γ Doradus star with the shortest periods reported to date (the shortest of its four periods is ∼0.312 days). We do not find any evidence in our sample for stars exhibiting both δ Scuti– and γ Doradus–type pulsations.
The article is devoted to the ethical identity of the hoteliers in Russia and Turkey. Diagnosis of professional identity was carried out by questioning staff of different 4-5 star hotels. Participants were randomly selected from various departments of these hotels. Particular attention in the survey is paid to the mental and behavioral components of the professional ethics of hotel employees. The results of the survey were analyzed, revealed general patterns.
Deep optical images are often crowded with overlapping objects. This is especially true in the cores of galaxy clusters, where images of dozens of galaxies may lie atop one another. Accurate measurements of cluster properties require deblending algorithms designed to automatically extract a list of individual objects and decide what fraction of the light in each pixel comes from each object. In this article, we introduce a new software tool called the Gradient And Interpolation based (GAIN) deblender. GAIN is used as a secondary deblender to improve the separation of overlapping objects in galaxy cluster cores in Dark Energy Survey images. It uses image intensity gradients and an interpolation technique originally developed to correct flawed digital images. This paper is dedicated to describing the algorithm of the GAIN deblender and its applications, but we additionally include modest tests of the software based on real Dark Energy Survey co-add images. GAIN helps to extract an unbiased photometry measurement for blended sources and improve detection completeness, while introducing few spurious detections. When applied to processed Dark Energy Survey data, GAIN serves as a useful quick fix when a high level of deblending is desired.
Macaque monkey is a rare substitute which plays an important role for human beings in relation to psychological and spiritual science research. It is essential for these studies to accurately estimate the pose information of macaque monkeys. Many large-scale models have achieved state-of-the-art results in pose macaque estimation. However, it is difficult to deploy when computing resources are limited. Combining the structure of high-resolution network and the design principle of light-weight network, we propose the attention-refined light-weight high-resolution network for macaque monkey pose estimation (HR-MPE). The multi-branch parallel structure is adopted to maintain high-resolution representation throughout the process. Moreover, a novel basic block is designed by a powerful transformer structure and polarized self-attention, where there is a simple structure and fewer parameters. Two attention refined blocks are added at the end of the parallel structure, which are composed of light-weight asymmetric convolutions and a triplet attention with almost no parameter, obtaining richer representation information. An unbiased data processing method is also utilized to obtain an accurate flipping result. The experiment is conducted on a macaque dataset containing more than 13,000 pictures. Our network has reached a 77.0 AP score, surpassing HRFormer with fewer parameters by 1.8 AP.
Microstructure and optical properties of nitrogen doped hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H:N) film deposited by rf plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition method were studied by AFM, Raman, FTIR and IRE spectrometer. Absorption intensities of the peaks CNH (1600 cm-1), CN (2200 cm-1) and NH (3250 cm-1) in the IR spectra increase with the ratio of flux N2/CH4. Raman spectra show the shape of D and G band of a-C:H:N film varies slightly with the increase of N content, which means the main structures of N doped films are still diamondlike carbon films. However Gaussian fit results show that G band widens and the peak shifts to the low wavenumber in Raman spectra is that amorphous C3N4 structure formed in the film. AFM topographies and LFM images of a-C:H:N film confirm the amorphous C3N4 exists as several ten nanometers particles in the film. IRE spectra analysis results show that refractive index of the film in infrared band (2 - 14 um) slightly decreases from 1.8 to 1.6 with increased nitrogen content in the films.
This article analyses the peculiarities of the military service of Don Cossacks in the Caucasus during the Caucasian War (1801–1864). The key problem is to determine the reasons for the decline in the combat effectiveness of Cossack regiments and the spread of negative assessments of their service. The author refers both to published historical evidence such as memoirs of participants in the Caucasian War and to archival documents not previously introduced into scholarly circulation. The temporary service of the Don Cossack regiments on the empire’s southern outskirts prevented their adaptation to “Caucasian methods of war”, as well as local climatic conditions. Another factor that did not allow the Don Cossacks to show their best qualities was the fragmentation of regiments into small groups for convoy duty. The annexation of the Caucasus was a great test for the Don Cossacks. Government resettlement by decree caused the uprising of 1792–1794, which managed to defend the traditional principles of resettlement (voluntarily and by lot) but did not stop Don Cossack colonisation of the Terek and Kuban. The Don Cossack regiments, which went to the Caucasus every three years, experienced serious difficulties in adapting to regional conditions of war and peace. The failures of the Don Cossacks in the Caucasian War accelerated the discussion about reforming the organisation of the Cossack army, from creating a permanent headquarters for the Don Cossack regiments in the Caucasus to holding military exercises for Cossacks.
Functional imaging research has yielded evidence of changes in poor readers after instructional intervention. Although it is well established that within the group of children with poor reading there are differences in behavioral response to intervention, little is know about the functional correlates of responsiveness. Therefore, we acquired functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from children identified as “at risk for reading disability” who responded differently to a reading intervention (5 responders; 5 nonresponders; 4 controls). Groups differed in activation level of the left hemisphere posterior superior temporal and the middle temporal gyri, suggesting that future imaging studies should consider responders and nonresponders separately.
We present Keck Cosmic Web Imager spectroscopy of the four putative images of the lensed quasar candidate J014710+463040 recently discovered by Berghea et al. The data verify the source as a quadruply lensed, broad absorption-line quasar having . We detect intervening absorption in the Fe ii λλ2586, 2600, Mg ii λλ2796, 2803, and/or C iv λλ1548, 1550 transitions in eight foreground systems, three of which have redshifts consistent with the photometric-redshift estimate reported for the lensing galaxy (zL ≈ 0.57). The source images probe these absorbers over transverse physical scales of ≈0.3–22 kpc, permitting assessment of the variation in metal-line equivalent width as a function of sight-line separation. We measure differences in of <40% across most of the sight-line pairs subtending 8–22 kpc, suggestive of a high degree of spatial coherence for the Mg ii-absorbing material. varies by >50% over the same scales across the majority of sight-line pairs, while C iv absorption exhibits a wide range in differences of ≈5%–80% within transverse distances of ≲3 kpc. These spatial variations are consistent with those measured in intervening absorbers detected toward lensed quasars drawn from the literature, in which and vary by ≤20% in 35 ± 7% and 47 ± 6% of sight lines separated by <10 kpc, respectively. J014710+463040 is one of only a handful of z > 2 quadruply lensed systems for which all four source images are very bright (r = 15.4–17.7 mag) and are easily separated in ground-based seeing conditions. As such, it is an ideal candidate for higher-resolution spectroscopy probing the spatial variation in the kinematic structure and physical state of intervening absorbers.
Background/Aims The proper treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism and the normal range of serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration are intensely debated. However, few reports have investigated TSH concentrations in Asian ethnic groups. Therefore, the present study was designed to define the TSH reference range in a Korean population and to investigate the metabolic significance of TSH concentration. Methods We enrolled patients who underwent medical examination at the CHA Bundang Medical Center. Anthropometric data were evaluated, and serum TSH, free T4, and lipid profiles were assayed. Results A total of 7,270 subjects were included. Mean TSH concentration of the study population was 1.82 ± 0.95 mU/L, and we observed a sex-related difference in TSH concentration (male, 1.67 ± 0.87 mU/L; female, 2.02 ± 1.01 mU/L; p < 0.01). When the 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles were calculated, 95% TSH reference limits were 0.52-4.29 mU/L. TSH concentration was higher in elderly subjects, during winter, in postmenopausal women, and in obese males. Moreover, TSH showed significantly positive correlations with serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol regardless of sex, age, season, obesity, or menopausal status (all p < 0.01). Finally, TSH concentration was positively related to the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Conclusions We demonstrated the association between TSH concentration within the normal reference range and serum lipid levels. TSH concentration varies according to sex, age, season, and body mass index (only in males). Moreover, high normal TSH levels were significantly associated with an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome, which may be of importance when evaluating subjects with high normal TSH concentration.
Gabapentinoids, including pregabalin and gabapentin, are increasingly being used off label to treat chronic low back pain, but a systematic review and meta-analysis in PLoS Medicine has concluded that the existing evidence does not support such use.1  In the United States pregabalin is a controlled substance, and calls have been growing for it to be reclassified in the United Kingdom to help tackle widespread misuse and addiction.  Pregabalin and gabapentin are anticonvulsant drugs with a well defined role in managing long term conditions such as epilepsy, post-herpetic neuralgia, and neuropathic pain. Pregabalin is also licensed for treating generalised anxiety disorder. Both drugs, however, are also increasingly being used off label for almost any type of pain.  The Canadian researchers found that, despite widespread use of gabapentinoids, very …
Program Goals: Prior to COVID-19, infants at increased risk of poor growth, feeding difficulties, andneurodevelopmental disabilities due to prematurity or other congenital diagnoses were evaluated in-personduring the course of one patient encounter by our multidisciplinary team, consisting of two general pediatricproviders (MD and PNP), one PGY-3 resident physician, and an MA, RN, RD, LCSW, and SLP The pandemicresponse created the need for our team to rapidly convert evaluations to a telemedicine platform whilemaintaining a robust resident educational experience Program goals for transitioning to a telemedicineplatform were 1) to maintain access to a multidisciplinary evaluation for patients and families and 2)continued involvement of residents in patient encounters Three telemedicine platforms supported by ourinstitution were trialed to assess which one best-supported multi-participant use The clinical flow model usedby the program during in-person visits was also adapted for the telemedicine platform This included a virtual pre-clinic huddle with the multidisciplinary team, followed by the RN Program Coordinator introducing teammembers and outlining the sequence of the virtual visit for each patient and family in real-time Evaluation:The multidisciplinary team was offered a voluntary anonymous online survey about their experience withtelemedicine 88 % of respondents (n=9) had no previous telemedicine experience Respondents had higherrates of satisfaction for return visits compared to new visits (Figure 1) Disadvantages of virtual visits includedlimited physical assessment of patients (including accurate measurements) and decreased communicationbetween residents and staff outside of the pre-clinic huddle Advantages of virtual visits included improvedaccess for families and added insight about social determinants of health observed in the home setting 100%of resident respondents to date (n=3) rated their overall telemedicine educational experience as average toabove average and rated the quality of feedback as unchanged between virtual and in-person visits Comparison of encounter data between April 2019 and April 2020 showed similar fill rates and no-show rates(Table 1) At the time of presentation, we anticipate comparing encounter data from April through August in2019 and 2020 and having data from an additional 20-24 residents Discussion: Since transitioning to atelemedicine platform in response to COVID-19, our high-risk infant follow-up program has maintained patientaccess to a multidisciplinary evaluation and continued to involve residents in virtual patient encounters Planned adaptations include streamlining the use of technology to preserve resident autonomy in decision-making The program will continue to advocate with state Medicaid to expand provision of home infant scalesto improve patient assessment Ongoing analysis of patient/family satisfaction along with studying theadvantages and disadvantages of the telemedicine platform between multidisciplinary members andresidents will allow for development of best practices for the use of telemedicine in an educational setting
Abstract The Labour Government came into office committed to raising educational standards for ‘all’. With such a commitment it was hoped that their White Paper ‘Excellence in Schools’ and the new criteria for teacher training ‘Teaching: High Status, High Standards, Requirements for Courses of Initial Teacher Training’ (Circular 10/97), would amongst other things address the deracialisation of education brought about by 18 years of Conservative Government. This paper is concerned specifically with the deracialisation of initial teacher training and an analysis in this respect, of Circular 10/97 together with the implications for social justice. It will be argued that in spite of the Goverment's concern for achieving ‘education for all’ and the Teacher Training Agency's concern with the low level of recruitment of black and ethnic minority student teachers, Circular 10/97 is not only a lost opportunity in terms of re‐addressing ‘race’ and racism in teacher education, but its failure to do so is in itself c...
Monoclonal antibody–based immunoassays for measurement of cardiac troponins T and I, (cTnT and cTnI, respectively)2 were first described approximately 25 years ago (1, 2). Their promise was a more accurate diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) due to improved tissue specificity. The advantages of cardiac specificity were realized soon after the clinical trials started, but an unexpected finding, increases of cTnT and cTnI that occurred “too early” in patients without traditional diagnostic criteria of AMI, was initially believed to compromise the biomarkers' diagnostic specificity. Further clinical studies established the real cause of these findings: minor myocardial damage. These new discoveries, made possible by cTn measurement, led to the redefinition of myocardial infarction (3), and the eventual new clinical diagnostic category of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). In the new diagnostic paradigm, AMI is a subset of ACS, and both conditions can be diagnosed by cTnT and cTnI increases above predetermined cutpoint values. Further evolution of the diagnosis of ischemic myocardial injury has identified 7 types of AMI (4), an unexpected development in the early years of troponin use.  Despite the proven cardiac tissue specificity of cTnI and improved specificity of the second generation cTnT assay, increases in the biomarkers' concentrations had been documented in nonischemic cardiac diseases such as renal or heart failure, after the administration of cardiotoxic agents, and in sepsis and stroke. Investigations into the causes of these increases revealed nonischemic myocyte necrosis as the cause of cTn release from the injured myocardium. It has also been established via the process called risk stratification that these increases, whether of ischemic …
This chapter provides an overview of the basic research strategies and analytic techniques deployed in computational cognitive neuroscience. On the one hand, “top-down” (or reverse-engineering) strategies are used to infer, from formal characterizations of behavior and cognition, the computational properties of underlying neural mechanisms. On the other hand, “bottom-up” research strategies are used to identify neural mechanisms and to reconstruct their computational capacities. Both of these strategies rely on experimental techniques familiar from other branches of neuroscience, including functional magnetic resonance imaging, single-cell recording, and electroencephalography. What sets computational cognitive neuroscience apart, however, is the explanatory role of analytic techniques from disciplines as varied as computer science, statistics, machine learning, and mathematical physics. These techniques serve to describe neural mechanisms computationally, but also to drive the process of scientific discovery by influencing which kinds of mechanisms are most likely to be identified. For this reason, understanding the nature and unique appeal of computational cognitive neuroscience requires not just an understanding of the basic research strategies that are involved, but also of the formal methods and tools that are being deployed, including those of probability theory, dynamical systems theory, and graph theory.
The work describes the methods and procedures used to determine the wavelengths of minimum transmittance of holmium oxide in perchloric acid solution. Measurements of spectral transmittance of the solutions were made by means of a high precision spectrophotometer over the wavelength range 200 nm to 680 nm. The wavelength scale accuracy of this instrument was verified by extensive measurements of mercury and deuterium emission lines. The measurements of spectral transmittance of the holmium oxide solutions were made as a function of temperature, purity, concentration, and spectral bandwidth. Analysis of the uncertainties associated with these parameters and the uncertainties associated with the calibration of the instrument wavelength scale and the data analysis have resulted in an estimated uncertainty of ±0.1 nm for the determination of the wavelengths of minimum transmittance of the holmium oxide solution.
BACKGROUND Complete hydatidiform mole (CHM) is a high-risk pregnancy for gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). Patients with CHM have a 10-30% chance of trophoblastic sequelae. CHM includes androgenic homozygous (monospermic) and androgenic heterozygous (dispermic) moles. It is controversial whether the risk of GTN is higher with heterozygous than with homozygous CHM. A prospective cohort study was conducted to assess risk of GTN in homozygous and heterozygous CHM using short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphisms, and a meta-analysis of previous reports.   METHODS Twenty-eight consecutive molar pregnancies were evacuated and followed by regular hCG measurements to detect GTN. Persistent GTN was diagnosed according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2000 system. Cytogenesis of the mole was determined by STR polymorphisms of molar tissue and parental blood. A meta-analysis of the GTN rate from previous reports was conducted using Mantel-Haenszel methods.   RESULTS Of 28 molar pregnancies, 24 were homozygous and three were heterozygous CHM. The remaining mole was diandric triploidy (a partial hydatidiform mole). Of the 24 homozygous CHMs, six (25%) cases developed GTN and received chemotherapy. Meanwhile, all three cases (100%) of heterozygous mole developed GTN and needed chemotherapy. The GTN risk was higher in heterozygous (P = 0.029, Fisher's exact test) than homozygous moles. A systematic review revealed only five previous reports (with more than 15 cytogenetically diagnosed cases), and the pooled relative risk of persistent GTN for heterozygous mole was not significant (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-4.07).   CONCLUSIONS Heterozygous CHM had a higher risk for GTN than homozygous CHM.
A key exchange protocol is any algorithm through which two parties A and B agree on a common key KAB. Once the key is established, any further information shared between the parties is encoded, transmitted and decoded using the key KAB. The protocol is secure if any third party C finds it extremely hard (impossible in practice) to identify the key. In a public key exchange protocol the two parties agree on a common key pooled from AbsTRACT
In order to better understand the critical influence of the synthesis parameters during preparation of Cu/ZnO catalysts at the early stages of preparation, the aging process of mixed Cu,Zn hydroxide carbonate precursors was decoupled from the precipitation and studied independently under different conditions, i.e. variations in pH, temperature and additives, using in situ energy-dispersive XRD and in situ UV-Vis spectroscopy. Crystalline zincian malachite, the relevant precursor phase for industrial catalysts, was formed from the amorphous starting material in all experiments under controlled conditions by aging in solutions of similar composition to the mother liquor. The efficient incorporation of Zn into zincian malachite can be seen as the key to Cu/ZnO catalyst synthesis. Two pathways were observed: direct co-condensation of Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) into Zn-rich malachite at 5 ≥ pH ≥ 6.5, or simultaneous initial crystallization of Cu-rich malachite and a transient Zn-storage phase. This intermediate re-dissolved and allowed for enrichment of Zn into malachite at pH ≥ 7 at later stages of solid formation. The former mechanism generally yielded a higher Zn-incorporation. On the basis of these results, the effects of synthesis parameters like temperature and acidity are discussed and their effects on the final Cu/ZnO catalyst can be rationalized.
This study was designed to examine the in vitro antibacterial acti- vities of the essential oils extracted from 53 aromatic plants of the Gorakhpur Division (UP, INDIA) for the control of two phytopathogenic bacteria, namely Erwinia herbicola and Pseudomonas putida, which cause several post-harvest diseases in fruits and vegetables. Out of the 53 oils screened, 8 oils, i.e., Che- nopodium ambrosioides, Citrus aurantium, Clausena pentaphylla, Hyptis sua- veolens, Lippia alba, Mentha arvensis, Ocimum sanctum and Vitex negundo, completely inhibited the growth of the test bacteria. Furthermore, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of C. ambrosioides oil were lower for E. herbicola (0.25 and 2.0 µl ml -1 ) and P. putida (0.12 and 1.0 µl ml -1 ), respectively, than those of the other 7 oils, as well as than those of agromycin and streptomycin, the drugs used in the current study. Gas chromatography (GC) and GC-mass spectros- copy (GC-MS) analysis of the Chenopodium oil revealed the presence of 125 major and minor compounds, of which 14 compounds were recognized. The findings led to the conclusion that Chenopodium oil may be regarded as a safe antibacterial agent for the management of post-harvest diseases of fruits and vegetables.
The New Zealand species of Aleochara are revised. Six species are recognised: Aleochara puberula (Klug), A. subaenea Fauvel, and 4 new species — A. aucklandica (North Island: AK), A. complexa (Kermadec Islands), A. hammondi (South Island: MIC, WD, OL, CO), and A. watti (Three Kings Islands). All species are described, and diagnostic features are illustrated. Adults are mainly predacious on immature stages of cyclorrhaphous Diptera, and the larvae are parasitoids of dipteran puparia. "A. “ puber (Broun) and "A. “ semifusca Broun are excluded from Aleochara and tentatively assigned to Silusa Erichson. A phylogenetic analysis of the six species was carried out using the program PAUP 3.1.1.
Cosmic-ray exposure records of 13 lunar meteorites, Dhofar 081, Dhofar 910, Dhofar 911, Northwest Africa (NWA) 482, NWA 2995, NWA 2996, NWA 3136, NWA 3163, NWA 4472, NWA 4734, NWA 4884, NWA 4932, and NWA 4936, were characterized from the abundances of spallogenic (10Be and 26Al) and neutron-captured (36Cl, 41Ca,150Sm, and 168Er) nuclides produced by cosmic-ray irradiation. Assuming a single-stage irradiation model for individual meteorites, 11 of the 13 meteorites had resided at shallow depths in the range of 55 to 330 g cm−2 from the lunar surface and experienced cosmic-ray irradiations for 140–870 Ma on the Moon. In contrast, 2 of the 13 meteorites, Dhofar 911 and NWA 4932, cannot be simply explained by a single-stage irradiation, but need at least two-stage irradiation on the Moon. Furthermore, the neutron fluences of thermal and epithermal energy regions for individual meteorites were quantified from a combination of the isotopic shifts of 149Sm–150Sm and 167Er–168Er, respectively. Our estimates gave 8–11 times higher epithermal neutron fluences (1.7–13.7 × 101 7 neutrons cm−2) than the thermal neutron fluences (0.65–13.8 × 1016 neutrons cm−2) for 9 of the 13 meteorites, which are consistent with those from the lunar regolith materials in our previous study. This result also supports the long cosmic-ray irradiation of most lunar meteorites on the surface of the Moon.
A thermophilic UASB reactor was operated for a period of more than six month by feeding a synthetic wastewater composed of sucrose. Well-settleable granulated sludge with a diameter of 2-3 mm developed successfully after 100 days operation from a start-up. Characterization of thermophilic granules was made with respect to morphological structure and methanogenic activity. The granule showed a double-layered structure. The exterior layer was composed of a sponge-like material, while crystalline precipitates existed in abundance inside the granule (referred to as the core). A major component of the precipitates formed in the core was confirmed to be calcium carbonate, in the form of not only aragonite but also calcite. The presence of calcium-bound phosphorus in the core was three times as large as that in the exterior layer. Methanogenic activities from acetate and hydrogen increased with increasing vial-test temperature from 55•Žto 65•Ž: 1.43 to 2.36 and 0.85 to 1.11kgCH4-COD • kgVSS-1•Ed-1, respectively, for acetate and hydrogen. On the other hand, methanogenic activity from propionate remained unchanged in that temperature range (0.1-0.12kgCH4-COD• kgVSS-1• d-1). The methanogenic activity from propionate was considerably lower than that from acetate or hydrogen, indicating that the propionate degradation is a ratelimiting step in the thermophilic condition. The acetate utilization rate of the granules was significantly inhibited by the presence of hydrogen. This indicates that a large extent of acetate conversion to methane was performed by a syntrophic association between acetate-oxidizers and hydrogenotrophic methanogens. KEY WORDS; Thermophilic anaerobic digestion, granular sludge, calcium precipitation, propionate degradation, acetate oxidation. 1.は じめ に UASB(上 昇流 嫌気 性ス ラ ッジブ ランケ ッ ト)法 は、付着坦体 を用いず、嫌気性細 菌の自 己造粒化(グ ラニ ュ レー シ ョン)機 能 を利 用する ことに より、反応器内 に高濃度 の微 生 物量を保持 する ことを可能 とした高速 メタ ン発酵処 理技術 であ る。近年本 法 は、主に食 品加 工工場 等か ら排出 される、比 較 的分解 しやす い中高濃度 有機性 廃水処 理方法 と して広 く普及 を 重ねて きた。 現在の ところ適応 され る廃水 の種類 はある程度限 られているが、 そ の非常 に優れ た処理性能のゆ えに高 い評価 を受け、技術 的 に成 熟 した段 階に達 している といえる1)。今後、UAS B法 の 普及を さらに広 めてい くためには、本 法の根本的 な成立条件 で ある嫌気性 細菌 の自己造 粒化現象 を よ り明 確 に把 握 しつつ、適応廃水種 の拡大 をはか ることが必 要である。 一方 ある種 の工場 では 、有機 原料 の蒸留、 湯煮 など、 熱を加 えて加 工す る工程 を含 んでお り、 それらの 工程 か ら排出 される廃水 は、一般 に80-90°C と高温 で、かつBODで 数千か ら数 十万ppmと 、非常 に高濃度 である ことが 知 られている。通常 この ような高温廃水 の汚濁負荷 量は、全汚濁負荷 量に対 して40%-90%と 非常 に大 きい2-3)。 *コ マ ツ 研 究本 部 (Research Division, KOMATSU) **長 岡技術 科学大学 建設系 (Department of Civil Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology)
term clinical follow-up information has not been included. This book has other weaknesses. Of the ninety-nine illustrations, only ten are in colour, so the reader must wade through lengthy interpretations of the colours used in the eightynine black and white reproductions. The author presents much of the artwork in categories. Categorization inevitably leads to some overlapping and repetition as the significant symbols in groups of pictures are discussed. Detailed explanations accompany most of the illustrations, making it possible for the casual reader to grasp the essential features of the therapeutic art experience, particularly in the second study, Art Expression of a Behavior Problem Boy of Nine Years. Similar descriptions, with slight variations, are also contained in the main body of the text. I found the duplication of material interfered with the evenness and clarity of the book. In spite of these criticisms, this volume is interesting if one is seriously engaged in studying the development of modern art therapy in a psychiatric setting.
The purpose of the research is to substantiate the directions for improving program and target planning in the implementation of state programs based on the principles of project management. The article considers methodological aspects of development and implementation of program planning based on the principles of project management in agriculture in Russia. The article describes the domestic practice of program and target planning in the market conditions of management. The main drawbacks of the software planning tools used in the system of state regulation of agricultural production and development of rural territories are investigated. Special attention is paid to the target orientation of budget allocation. A model of program-target planning based on the principles of project management in agriculture has been developed, which includes a system of elements of strategic state planning. It is proved that the new management tools of state regulation of the agricultural sector, based on the project approach, will allow not only to focus the efforts of authorities at all levels on achieving specific results in the implementation of state programs, but also to transfer agricultural producers of various forms of management to the same level of development.
With the introduction of new technologies, such as waste heat recovery units (WHRU), associated gas utilization, the energy flow coupling relationship is further deepened within the energy system of the offshore oil and gas production platform. Besides, the energy system is closely linked with the oil and gas production system, and a closed-loop relationship between energy flow and material flow can be revealed. Uncertainties of energy supply and production process may lead to system-wide fluctuations, which threaten the stable operation of the platform. Therefore, an optimal planning model of integrated energy system for offshore oil and gas production platform is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a generalized energy and material flow model is proposed, three matrixes are defined based on laws of thermodynamics, including energy matrix, process matrix and feedback matrix. Secondly, the energy-material conversion relationship between the energy system and production system of a typical offshore oil and gas platform is quantitatively described, together with the coupling between the input and output of the two systems. Thirdly, considering the energy-material balance constraints and the uncertainties of production system, a multi-objective stochastic planning model for the offshore integrated energy system is established, which takes economics and environmental protection into consideration. A Monte Carlo simulation-based NSGA-II algorithm is proposed to solve the model. Finally, the validity and feasibility of the proposed methodology are demonstrated through an offshore oil and gas platform in Bohai, China. Compared with the traditional planning method, the total cost and CO2 emissions of the proposed method are reduced by 18.9% and 17.3%, respectively.
The right and left sides of three market-weight pigs were assigned to two treatments, designated prerigor and postrigor, for pork sausage manufacture. Muscle and fat were obtained from the right side within 1 hr after slaughter and were immediately processed into sausage referred to as prerigor sausage. The left side of the carcass was chilled for 6 days at 2°C. The sausage made from this tissue is referred to as postrigor sausage. The sausage samples were stuffed into 0.45-kg packages and stored at 2–5°C or °22°C for 8 wk. The pH values, bacterial counts, cooking loss and taste palatability traits were investigated on fresh and frozen samples representing the prerigor and postrigor groups. The prerigor sausage samples stored at 2–5°C had significantly higher pH values, higher total aerobic mesophiles and lipolytic bacterial counts, higher juiciness and overall acceptance scores and a lower cooking loss than did the samples prepared from the postrigor muscle. No significant difference was found in total aerobic psychrotrophs and flavor score, but the sausage made from prerigor muscle had slightly higher values. The period of storage at 2–5°C influenced the bacterial counts and 911 taste panel scores. The sausage stored at °22°C was similar to the nonfrozen samples for taste panel comparisons.
Plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1) is known as an inhibitor of fibrinolytic system. Previous studies suggest that PAI‐1 is involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy, diabetes, and glucocorticoid excess in mice. However, the roles of PAI‐1 in early‐stage osteogenic differentiation have remained unknown. In the current study, we investigated the roles of PAI‐1 in osteoblastic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using wild‐type (WT) and PAI‐1‐deficient (PAI‐1 KO) mice. PAI‐1 mRNA levels were increased with time during osteoblastic differentiation of MSCs or mesenchymal ST‐2 cells. However, the increased PAI‐1 levels declined at the mineralization phase in the experiment using MC3T3‐E1 cells. PAI‐1 deficiency significantly blunted the expression of osteogenic gene, such as osterix and alkaline phosphatase enhanced by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)‐2 in bone marrow‐derived MSCs (BM‐MSCs), adipose‐tissue‐derived MSCs (AD‐MSCs), and bone marrow stromal cells of mice. Moreover, a reduction in endogenous PAI‐1 levels by small interfering RNA significantly suppressed the expression of osteogenic gene in ST‐2 cells. Plasmin did not affect osteoblastic differentiation of AD‐MSCs induced by BMP‐2 with or without PAI‐1 deficiency. PAI‐1 deficiency and a reduction in endogenous PAI‐1 levels did not affect the phosphorylations of receptor‐specific Smads by BMP‐2 and transforming growth factor‐β in AD‐MSCs and ST‐2 cells, respectively. In conclusion, we first showed that PAI‐1 is crucial for the differentiation of MSCs into osteoblasts in mice.
Under the aegis of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the senior author (SDW), a member of the Board of Regents of the ACS, interviewed 3 of his international colleagues in colon and rectal surgery who found themselves dealing with a flood of patients from the COVID-19 pandemic. Each was in a “hot spot” where the outbreak overwhelmed the capacities of the hospitals. Professor Antonino Spinelli of Milan dealt with the sudden increase in COVID-19 patients that threatened to push all other emergencies and urgent cancer cases aside. Providers lacked the personal protective equipment to be adequately safe in the environment. In Madrid, Dr Julio Mayol recounted how 10%-15% of the workers in his hospital were incapacitated by the virus, many of them doctors providing direct care to patients. The disease is so prevalent that all emergency patients are treated as though they have the infection. Having practices in Saudi Arabia and Spain, Dr Delia Cortés-Guiral saw how the former country controlled the epidemic through a strict lockdown of travel and closure of holy pilgrimage sites and social gatherings. In contrast, upon her return to her native country, she experienced the near-breakdown of the health care system by the suddenness of the outbreak. “There are now no specialists now, she says.” All of the specialties are treating COVID-19 patients and all of us are learning at the same time how to deal with this disease. “It is a nightmare now here in Spain”.
This paper investigates and compares distributed control approaches for transient stability in power systems. We consider a simple feedback linearization-based local control technique and the use of spectral clustering to identify control areas. The following distributed control scenarios are considered: 1) distributed control of all area generators, 2) distributed control only at the largest inertia generator of an area, and 3) hierarchical control that entails a combination of centralized (tier-2) and distributed (tier-1) control. We compare the performance of the three control approaches against various faults in the system and we investigate the effect of area clustering outcomes. Numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed controller schemes against disturbances in the New England power system.
Unit Commitment (UC) is a computationally intensive problem, which has been solved sufficiently well for day ahead scheduling and single scenario simulations. However, the introduction of renewable energy sources and storage exposes new challenges in computation time due to the need for large-scale multi-scenario modeling while preserving inter-temporal constraints. To address this, we introduce a novel approach with adaptive time resolution that increases simulation speed and preserves accuracy. We reduce the size of the problem by grouping successive time intervals with similar net demand levels, forming a new longer interval. In comparison with the conventional UC solutions, the proposed approach is computationally more efficient, as it avoids repeated optimization for similar intervals. We analyze the quality of the solutions using the 6-bus, and IEEE 118-bus test systems as the two case-studies. The numerical results demonstrate that high quality solutions can be obtained with significant gains in computational speed, especially for the more difficult IEEE 118-bus case which is 115 times faster with a maximum error of less than ±1%.
BACKGROUND Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is expressed in skeletal muscle beneath the sarcolemma associated with dystrophin complex. In brain, nNOS is anchored to synaptic membranes by specific postsynaptic density proteins (PSD)-95 and PSD-93. We have investigated the cellular and subcellular localization of these PSD proteins in the kidney and their relationship to nNOS and the cell membrane.   METHODS Kidneys from male Sprague-Dawley rats were processed for light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry with polyclonal antibodies against PSD and nNOS proteins.   RESULTS Western blot analysis of rat kidney revealed a specific band for PSD-93 at the molecular weight of 103 kDa. Immunostaining for PSD-93 was located in the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle, macula densa cells, distal convoluted tubules, cortical collecting ducts, outer and inner medullary collecting duct, glomerular epithelium, and Bowman's capsule. A pre-embedding electron microscopic immunoperoxidase procedure localized PSD-93 to the basolateral membrane of these tubular cells. Using different sized immunogold particles, a portion of nNOS in the macula densa colocalized with PSD-93 adjacent to cytoplasmic vesicles and the basolateral membrane. In contrast, PSD-95 protein was detected only weakly in the cortex by Western blot. Immunostaining for PSD-95 was located only faintly in the apical membrane of the thick ascending limb, macula densa, distal convoluted tubule and cortical collecting duct cells.   CONCLUSION PSD-93 is the predominant PSD expressed in the rat kidney. It is located primarily in the basolateral membranes of distal nephron and colocalizes with a pool of nNOS in cytoplasmic vesicles and basolateral membranes of macula densa cells.
Various parametric models have been developed to predict large volatility matrices, based on the approximate factor model structure. They mainly focus on the dynamics of the factor volatility with some finite high-order moment assumptions. However, the empirical studies have shown that the idiosyncratic volatility also has a dynamic structure and it comprises a large proportion of the total volatility. Furthermore, we often observe that the financial market exhibits heavy tails. To account for these stylized features in financial returns, we introduce a novel Ito diffusion process for both factor and idiosyncratic volatilities whose eigenvalues follow the vector auto-regressive (VAR) model. We call it the factor and idiosyncratic VAR-Ito (FIVAR-Ito) model. To handle the heavy-tailedness and curse of dimensionality, we propose a robust parameter estimation method for a high-dimensional VAR model. We apply the robust estimator to predicting large volatility matrices and investigate its asymptotic properties. Simulation studies are conducted to validate the finite sample performance of the proposed estimation and prediction methods. Using high-frequency trading data, we apply the proposed method to large volatility matrix prediction and minimum variance portfolio allocation and showcase the new model and the proposed method.
Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses are defined and described, particularly as they apply to evaluating costs in pharmacologic therapy. The cost-benefit analysis (CBA) approach is used to compare dissimilar alternatives, whereas the cost-effectiveness (CEA) approach compares similar alternatives with similar objectives. A CBA, for instance, will demonstrate the economic effects of a program and can thus be used as a tool to compare the outcomes of several programs. A CEA, on the other hand, can help determine which of several alternatives is the least costly in achieving a stated objective. A CEA approach was used to examine results of clinical trials with cefoxitin or piperacillin in 86 patients undergoing intraabdominal surgery at two institutions. Results of multivariate analysis showed that patients who had received piperacillin had significantly shorter hospital stays (1.59 days) than those who had received cefoxitin. Based on national average hospital per diem rates, piperacillin patients were said to have saved $680 compared with patients treated with cefoxitin. Moreover, piperacillin was less expensive than cefoxitin.
Numerical analysis of the hydrostatic equilibrium of a compressed gas bubble was carried out by the DFT method. Based on this analysis, we modified the hydrodynamic equations of a quantum fluid taking into account quantum shell effects. An external force acting on the electronic subsystem is added to the modified hydrodynamic equations. A numerical algorithm for solving of the system of modified hydrodynamic equations is discussed.
The strict QoS traffic safety requirements and the potential widespread adoption of wireless vehicular communication systems require the design and optimization of radio resource management policies that efficiently use the communications channel. To this end, this work proposes an adaptive radio resource management mechanism designed considering the operating conditions and the traffic safety requirements. The proposed scheme is analysed under various traffic densities, and compensation mechanisms to overcome the channel congestion effects are proposed and evaluated.
In the early 1990s, an unexpected phenotype—namely, premature ovarian failure (POF)—was noted among heterozygous carriers of the fragile X mutation (Cronister et al. 1991; Schwartz et al. 1994). Interestingly, only premutation carriers have been found to have an increased risk for POF (Allingham-Hawkins et al. 1999), whereas full-mutation carriers and their noncarrier sisters appear to have the same risk seen in the general population (∼1%). In the scientific community, acceptance or recognition of this phenotype, with its unusual pattern among carriers, was slow to come—as it should have been—although carriers of the fragile X mutation did not need to be convinced of the phenotype's existence. The primary reason for the slow acceptance was the lack of understanding of the molecular mechanism. The FMR1 premutation allele is unmethlyated and therefore is thought to be transcribed and translated in a manner similar to that of those alleles with a normal number of CGG repeats in the 5′ untranslated region of the gene. However, recent data have suggested that these processes may be altered—at least in male premutation carriers (Tassone et al. 2000).    Only ∼16% of premutation heterozygotes have POF. An exciting observation that potentially explains the reduced penetrance was recently reported by Hundscheid et al. (2000a). They found that paternally inherited premutations (PIP) were more likely to give rise to POF than were maternally inherited premutations (MIP). This observation motivated other investigators studying the fragile X mutation to examine their extended pedigrees for this same imprinting effect. Murray et al. (2000) and Vianna-Morgante and Costa (2000) report their findings in this issue of the Journal. Although both groups note the rigorous design and implementation of the study of Hundscheid et al., neither group was able to confirm the parent-of-origin effect or to account for the differing results. All three groups used the same definition of POF, and all personally interviewed the subjects. Both Hundscheid et al. (2000a) and Murray et al. (2000 [in this issue]) examined the hormonal profiles of those women who still had menstrual cycles, for a more precise definition of ovarian function, and the same two groups used survival analysis to extract full information from subjects of age <40 years and from those who had had nonspontaneous cessation of menses.    All three groups are well known for their study of the fragile X syndrome and have used their extensive sets of pedigrees, ascertained through individuals with the fragile X syndrome, for studies of POF among female premutation carriers. In the reply by Hundscheid et al. (2000b [in this issue]) to the letters by Murray et al. and Vianna-Morgante and Costa, several differences in the demographics of the female premutation carriers in the three study populations were identified. These demographic differences and others are presented in table 1. Most evident are the differences in the average age of the female subjects and the structure of the pedigrees from which they were drawn. The females studied by Hundscheid et al. (2000a) are older (compare age at examination and the ratio of the number of females of age ⩾40 years to the number of those of age <40 years) and most likely are ascertained from larger pedigrees with more generations (compare the average number of female premutation carriers who were ascertained per pedigree and, as an indicator of the number of generations studied, the PIP:MIP ratio). The younger age of the female premutation carriers limits the power to accurately estimate the age at menopause in general. The difference in age at examination among females with MIP and those with PIP may also be important. In the study of Hundscheid et al. (2000a), females with PIP were older than those with MIP, as indicated by the ratio of the number of subjects of age ⩾40 years compared with the number of those of age <40 years (3.41 vs. 1.80). This is not true to the same extent for the other data sets. Such differences in the amount of available information for each type of premutation carrier should be overcome by the use of survival analysis as performed by Hundscheid et al. (2000a); however, unanticipated biases may still exist.        Table 1    Comparison of Study Populations        One potential bias that cannot be overcome by survival analysis is the effect of reduced fitness among female premutation carriers with POF. Presenting an extreme scenario for illustration purposes (see fig. 1), if female carriers with POF have reduced fertility at later reproductive ages (late 20s to 30s) and if there is a positive association of the risk of POF among mothers and daughters, then there will be selection against mother-daughter pairs with POF but not among father-daughter pairs. If this is true, then the ages of the study cohorts become important, since the age at reproduction has increased over the past several decades. The results of pedigree analyses show that premutation carriers with POF are not completely infertile; however, no studies have been done to assess the reduction in fitness among female premutation carriers with and without POF. To date, no familial effect of POF has been identified among families with fragile X syndrome, although the data to observe such an effect are limited. Thus, although this example of a potential bias may be exaggerated, it illustrates two important points: (1) the study of POF among premutation carriers is in its infancy, and (2) possible biases resulting from retrospective ascertainment of subjects and potential effects of reduced fitness need to be assessed.        Figure 1    Example of a potential bias of ascertainment resulting from reduced fertility of female premutation carriers with POF. Symbols containing dots indicate premutation status; diagonally striped symbols indicate presence of POF.        As emphasized by all groups of investigators, there is a clear need to collect additional data using a rigorous definition of the phenotype, personal interviews backed by medical records, an accurate description of the study population (for comparison purposes), and appropriate statistical analyses. These data are needed not only to confirm or refute the potential imprinting effect but also to identify the factors involved in the reduced penetrance of POF among female premutation carriers.
A pair of air-coupled ultrasonic capacitance transducers with polished metal backplates have been used to image temperature and flow fields in gases using ultrasonic tomography. Using a filtered back-projection algorithm and a difference technique, cross-sectional images of spatially variant changes in ultrasonic attenuation and slowness caused by the presence of temperature and flow fields were reconstructed. Temperature fields were produced in air by a commercial soldering iron, and the subsequent images of slowness variations used to reconstruct the air temperature at various heights above the iron. When compared to measurements made with a thermocouple, the tomographically reconstructed temperatures were found to be accurate to within 5%. The technique was also able to resolve multiple heat sources within the scan area. Attenuation and velocity images were likewise produced for flow fields created by an air-jet from a 1-mm-diam nozzle, at both 90 and 45 degrees to the scanning plane. The fact that tem...
For single frequency navigation receiver, there are various techniques to estimate the ionospheric delay. Klobuchar model is a standard technique for single frequency signal that is used to estimate the ionospheric delay globally. It uses two sets of ionospheric coefficients, namely, alpha and beta, to compute the ionospheric delay. There are two different ionospheric model coefficients for IRNSS and GPS. This paper compares the estimation of ionospheric delay using single frequency (two sets of ionospheric model coefficients) and dual frequency signals. The dual frequency estimation is used to validate the results due to Klobuchar model. The ionospheric delays due to GPS ionospheric coefficients are found more suitable than the delays due to IRNSS ionospheric coefficients.
Abstract Background The use of receiver operating characteristic curves, or “ROC analysis,” has become quite common in biomedical research to support decisions. However, sensitivity, specificity, and misclassification rates are still often estimated using the training sample, overlooking the risk of overrating the test performance. Methods A simulation study was performed to highlight the inferential implications of splitting (or not) the dataset into training and test set. The normality assumption was made for the classifier given the disease status, and the Youden's criterion considered for the detection of the optimal cutoff. Then, an ROC analysis with sample split was applied to assess the discriminant validity of the Italian version of the Control of Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Test (CARATkids) questionnaire for children with asthma and rhinitis, for which recent studies may have reported liberal performance estimates. Results The simulation study showed that both single split and cross-validation (CV) provided unbiased estimators of sensitivity, specificity, and misclassification rate, therefore allowing computation of confidence intervals. For the Italian CARATkids questionnaire, the misclassification rate estimated by fivefold CV was 0.22, with 95% confidence interval 0.14 to 0.30, indicating an acceptable discriminant validity. Conclusions Splitting into training and test set avoids overrating the test performance in ROC analysis. Validated through this method, the Italian CARATkids is valid for assessing disease control in children with asthma and rhinitis.
TiO2/cellulose composite films have been prepared via a sol−gel method from the hydrolysis of a precursor TiO2 sol solution in the regenerated cellulose films prepared on the basis of cellulose dissolution at low temperature. The structure and properties of the composite films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, FT-IR, UV−visible spectroscopy, and photocatalytic degradation tests. The micronanoporous structure and hydroxyl groups in the regenerated cellulose films at the wet state provided cavities and affinity for the creation and the immobilization of TiO2 nanoparticles in the cellulose matrix through electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions. The TiO2/cellulose composite films exhibited a good photocatalytic activity for photodegradation of phenol under weak UV light irradiation, leading to an important application in photodegradation of organic pollutant. This was a portable photocatalyst, wh...
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopment disorder occurring during childhood. However, ADHD persists into adulthood in 45.7% of cases. The global prevalence of adult ADHD is estimated to 5.3%, with no difference between Europe and North America. ADHD is often comorbid with substance use disorder (SUD), with Odds Ratio ranges from 1.5 to 7.9, depending on the substance and the dependence level. Conversely, the prevalence of ADHD among patients with SUD is 10.8%, versus 3.8% for patients without SUD. Methylphenidate (MPH) alleviates ADHD symptoms and, as such, is currently considered as a first choice medication. MPH blocks the dopamine and norepinephrine transporters leading to an increase in extracellular dopamine. It should be noted that its subjective effects are highly dependent on the pharmacokinetic and especially on the rate of input, which highlights the importance of choosing a sustained-release formulation. Meanwhile, prescribing MPH to patients with comorbid SUD has always been challenging for clinicians. The aim of this review is to address the benefits and pitfalls of using MPH in adults with ADHD comorbid SUD, depending on each of the following types of SUD: amphetamine, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, cannabis and opiates. Overall, due to the prevalence of ADHD in SUD and to the benefits of MPH observed in this population, and considering the mild or low side effects observed, the response to MPH treatment should be evaluated individually in adults with comorbid ADHD and SUD. The choice of the formulation should favor sustained- release MPH over immediate release MPH. Cardiovascular parameters also have to be monitored during long-term use.
In order to study the effects of hybridisation on bush snap bean genotypes, a test was conducted at PESAGRO-RIO. Four bush snap bean cultivars, Alessa, Andra, Cota and Cascade were used as parents and crossed in a diallel mating design without reciprocals. Parental cultivars and F1 hybrids were planted under field conditions and eight agronomic characters were evaluated. Significant effects for general combining ability (GCA) were identified for pod number, pod weight, pod length, pod diameter, days from planting date to flowering, and plant height. For specific combining ability (SCA), there was significance for all characters, showing that dominance/epistatic effects were involved in control of characteristics. For all traits evaluated, 'Cota' was considered the best parental. For yield characters, two hybrids, 'Alessa' x 'Cascade' and 'Cota' x 'Cascade' showed the best results.
Halogen bonds play an important role in many fields, such as biological systems, drug design and crystal engineering. In this work, the structural characteristics of the halogen bond between heteronuclear halogen XD (ClF, BrCl, IBr, ICl, BrF and IF) and benzene were studied using density functional theory. The structures of the complexes between heteronuclear halogen and benzene have Cs symmetry. The interaction energies of the complexes between heteronuclear halogen XD (ClF, BrCl, IBr, ICl, BrF and IF) and benzene range from −27.80 to −37.18 kJ/mol, increasing with the increases in the polarity between the atoms of X and D, and are proportional to the angles of a between the Z axis and the covalent bond of heteronuclear halogen. The electron density (ρ) and corresponding Laplacian (∇2ρ) values indicate that the interaction of the heteronuclear halogen and benzene is a typical long-range weak interaction similar to a hydrogen bond. Independent gradient model analysis suggests that the van der Waals is the main interaction between the complexes of heteronuclear halogen and benzene. Symmetry-adapted perturbation theory analysis suggests that the electrostatic interaction is the dominant part in the complexes of C6H6⋯ClF, C6H6⋯ICl, C6H6⋯BrF and C6H6⋯IF, and the dispersion interaction is the main part in the complexes of C6H6⋯BrCl, C6H6⋯IBr.
A short review of the photochemical theory in a ‘dry’ atmosphere is given. It is shown that the difference between theory and observations concerning the vertical gradient of n3 (molecules of ozone/cm3) in the upper stratosphere, where photochemical equilibrium may be assumed, can hardly be accounted for by observational uncertainties. It seems, however, not impossible to reconcile theory and observations by parametric adjustment.    A semi-quantitative theory of ozone in a ‘wet’ stratosphere is developed and the relative importance of different types of reactions is discussed. No reliable quantitative conclusion can be drawn at present due to large uncertainties in a number of parameters. In comparing vertical ozone distribution from this theory with observational data and considering the resulting change in relaxation times compared to the ‘classical’ theory, it is concluded that the influence of reactions of O and O3 with active hydrogen compounds cannot be as strong as that derived from the use of Hunt's reaction rates.
A total of 39 dinucleotide microsatellite-containing clones were sequenced from a principal African malaria vector, Anopheles funestus . Primers designed to amplify 20 loci were used to genotype A. funestus mosquitoes from Burkina Faso and Kenya. Of nine polymorphic loci that amplified reliably and could be scored unambiguously, the overall within-sample gene diversity was similar between locales, 0.77 and 0.78, with an allelic richness per locus of five to 11. Both the high level of polymorphism and absence of significant heterozygote deficiency at any locus favour these markers for studies of population structure that are vital to controlling this medically important species.
Tropical birds live longer, have smaller clutches and invest more resources into self-maintenance than temperate species. These "slow" life-histories in tropical birds are accompanied by low basal metabolic rate (BMR). It has recently been suggested that the low BMR of tropical species may be related not to their slow "pace of life" or high ambient temperatures (Ta ) in tropical latitudes, but to the stability of environmental conditions in tropics. Since the repeatability of metabolic traits is higher in stable environments, such as laboratory conditions, we predicted that long-term repeatability of BMR in a tropical climate should be higher than in a temperate one. Contrary to our predictions, the repeatability of mass-independent BMR in 64 individuals of free-living tropical birds from Vietnam was low and insignificant after the species affiliation was taken into account. It indicates that BMR cannot be used as an individual long-term characteristic of tropical birds. On the other hand, tropical birds showed consistent differences in their mass-independent BMR at the interspecific level. Using BMR measurements from 1543 individuals of 134 species, we also found that different characteristics of Ta within the week preceding BMR measurements had a significant impact on the mass-independent BMR of tropical birds. The most significant effect was the difference between the absolute maximum and minimum Ta within a single week. Our results indicate that the physiology of tropical birds is more subject to changes than would be expected based on the notion of the stability of climatic conditions in the tropics.
Engineers, by definition, need to be good problem solvers. This paper discusses a model for building on a traditional engineering curriculum to systematically develop students' problem solving skills. The curriculum structure consists of required courses that emphasize problem solving at distinct levels. The courses are broken down into introductory, intermediate and advanced problem solving courses. The type of problems utilized in each course differentiates the courses. The problems posed are qualitatively different, not simply harder, thus requiring the students to engage different skill sets for resolution. As a result, the courses develop different problem solving abilities. The model for teaching problem solving has been developed through Project Catalyst, which is an NSF funded initiative to improve undergraduate engineering education. This paper presents the details of the proposed model, discusses educational modules that have been developed to aid instructors introducing problem solving in their courses and provides some initial assessment of the results to date.
Indian Historical Review, 40, 2 (2013): 363–390 way to recovery loves to have a book to pass her time. Even the lower middle class women often acting as domestic help enjoy reading the newspaper. While visiting the Clifton Observatory he remarks that the maulvis, priests and scholars in India will feel ashamed to notice that the entire management of the observatory is in the hands of a woman. He juxtaposes rich the Indian women’s craze for ornaments and incapacity to write letters to their husbands with the Western women’s desire for learning. The undignified Indian rich, Sir Syed continues, will be humbled by their European counterparts’ taste for music, painting and other creative activities. The last sentence is a clear indication how he was overwhelmed by the west. His unalloyed admiration for the west continues as he elaborately describes the Clifton Suspension Bridge which ‘forces one to marvel at God’s creation, the power of human knowledge and skills. It also adds to the respect and admiration for the country which has accomplished such wonderful achievements’. This bridge is not the castle of any emperor or the palace of any noble lord but has been built only for public welfare. But in India, he reminds the readers, people have slid into the abyss of selfishness, jealousy and prejudice, and none bothers about public welfare. His fascination for the west reaches an extreme point when he praises British etiquette and culture and describes them as nice and able men and compares the Indians irrespective of their class or educational backgrounds, with the filthiest of beasts. Back in India, many reacted sharply to this attitude of Sir Syed. It will be appropriate to mention here that the maverick PanIslamist leader Jamaluddin Afghani and Indian Pan-Islamic-Nationalist leader Abul Kalam Azad despised Sir Syed’s servile attitude towards the British. A long and illuminating introduction, useful footnotes describing the institutions and personalities and a glossary have enhanced the value of the book with an excellent get-up. Indeed! It deserves wide publicity.
Copyright © 2020 The Korean Society of Phycology 277 http://e-algae.org pISSN: 1226-2617 eISSN: 2093-0860 Semi-continuous cultivation of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium smaydae, a new promising microalga for omega-3 production An Suk Lim, Hae Jin Jeong*, Ji Hyun You and Sang Ah Park Division of Life Science & Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Research Center, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Korea School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
Colorless quartz can develop a green color when submitted to gamma irradiation and its development is related to the presence of molecular water and hydroxyl groups in the quartz crystalline structure. In the present study, colorless quartz crystals hosted in geodes within rhyodacites of Serra Geral Group, Southern Brazil, were selected to test the potential development of green color. The samples were analyzed by infrared (IR) and thermogravimetric (TGA) techniques, in addition to the Amethyst Factor (fa) method. All samples showed an absorption bands in the IR, indicating possible development of a green or purple color, and fa analysis indicated the samples would develop a green color. All samples became colored after irradiation, presenting color zoning: from colorless to grayish-green, and from grayish-green to slightly purplish. Some samples showed a greenish colored zone and developed an amethyst phantom crystal in its apical portion. In addition, a high content of water in samples that remained colorless after irradiation was detected. It is here interpreted that water concentration varied during quartz crystallization, enabling the development of the green color, and that the excess of water can inhibit the development of radiation-induced color in colorless natural quartz crystals.
In this paper we investigate external phone duration models (PDMs) for improving the quality of synthetic speech in hidden Markov model (HMM)-based speech synthesis. Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) were used for this task. SVR and MLP PDMs were compared with the explicit duration modelling of hidden semi-Markov models (HSMMs). Experiments done on an American English database showed the SVR outperforming the MLP and HSMM duration modelling on objective and subjective evaluation. In the objective test, SVR managed to outperform MLP and HSMM models achieving 15.3% and 25.09% relative improvement in terms of root mean square error (RMSE) respectively. Moreover, in the subjective evaluation test, on synthesized speech, the SVR model was preferred over the MLP and HSMM models, achieving a preference score of 35.93% and 56.30%, respectively.
Abstract There is increased interest in new classes of mini- and micro-UAVs with sizes ranging from one metre to ten centimetres. Many envisioned applications of such UAVs require them to be able to fly close to the ground in complex environments. The difficulties associated with flying in such environments coupled with the reduced payload capacity of such airframes means that new methods of sensing and control need to be considered. Good models for such methods are found in the world of flying insects. One particular visual cue used by insects is optic flow, which is the apparent visual motion seen by the insect as a result of its motion through the environment. This paper discusses several research efforts aimed at developing new sensing and control algorithms inspired by insect vision and flight behaviors. These efforts are part of DARPA's controlled biological and biomimetic systems (CBBS) programme. In these (and related) efforts, many elegant control stratagems have been discovered which suggest that simple reflexive schemes combined with the measurement of optic flow may be sufficient to provide many aspects of autonomous navigation in complex environments. Furthermore, these efforts are implementing these behaviors in real flying UAV platforms by using novel hardware and software to measure optic flow, and inserting optic flow measurements into a control loop using a combination of ‘best engineering approaches’ with inspiration taken from biology. This has resulted in fixed and rotary-wing mini-UAVs that are able to hold an altitude and perform terrain following.
Abstract Objective: The ability to determine the location of the sound source is often important for effective communication. However, it is not clear how the localisation is affected by background noise. In the current study, localisation in quiet versus noise was evaluated in adults both behaviourally, and using MMN and P3b. Design: The speech token/da/was presented in a multi-deviant oddball paradigm in quiet and in presence of speech babble at +5 dB SNR. The deviants were presented at locations that differed from the standard by 30°, 60° and 90°. Study sample: Sixteen normal hearing adults between the age range of 18–35 years participated in the study. Results: The results showed that participants were significantly faster and more accurate at identifying deviants presented at 60° and 90° as compared to 30°. Neither reaction times nor electrophysiological measures (MMN/P3b) were affected by the background noise. The deviance magnitude (30°, 60° and 90°) did not affect the MMN amplitude, but the smaller deviant (30°) generated P3b with smaller amplitude. Conclusions: Under the stimulus paradigm and measures employed in this study, localisation ability as effectively sampled appeared resistant to speech babble interference.
Even though knowledge has been recognized as a crucial strategic resource in most organizations, Malaysian companies are still at infancy stage of knowledge management. Research and academic writing dealing with knowledge management implementation among Malaysian companies are still scarce. Previous research on the knowledge management efforts among Malaysian companies indicated that these local companies are rather slow in its implementation and still largely rely on the physical aspects of production. This study investigates the level of knowledge management implementation among Malaysian manufacturing and service companies and further explores the effects of such implementation on their overall business performance. The findings suggest that these companies emphasize the dissemination and utilization of knowledge over the creation of new knowledge, thus subjecting them to continuously becoming copiers and adaptors of knowledge. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-721-3.ch019
The aim of this study was to assess any potential additive effects of a treatment combining aliskiren with paricalcitol on reducing renal fibrosis. C57BL/6J mice were treated individually with aliskiren and/or paricalcitol until 7 days after initiation of unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO).In obstructed kidneys of UUO mice, monotherapy with aliskiren or paricalcitol significantly attenuated interstitial fibrosis, collagen IV accumulation, and α-smooth muscle actin- and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotin nick end-labeling-positive cells. The combination treatment showed additive efficacy in inhibition of these parameters. Renal NADPH oxidase (Nox)1 and Nox2 were significantly decreased by aliskiren or paricalcitol alone or in combination, while renal Nox4 expression was significantly reduced by paricalcitol mono- or combination treatment. Increased levels of p-Erk and p-p38 MAPK, and NF-κB in UUO kidneys were also significantly reduced by either aliskiren or paricalcitol treatment alone or in combination. Aliskiren or paricalcitol monotherapy significantly reduced the expression of (pro)renin receptor in UUO kidneys. In addition, aliskiren tended to augment renin expression in UUO kidneys, but paricalcitol reduced its expression level. The combination treatment effectively blocked both (pro)renin receptor and renin expression induced by aliskiren, and resulted in a further reduction of the renal expression of angiotensin II AT1 receptor. Aliskiren failed to increase the expression of vitamin D receptor in UUO kidneys, but the combination treatment restored its expression level. Taken together, a treatment combining aliskiren with paricalcitol better inhibits UUO-induced renal injury. The mechanism of this synergy may involve more profound inhibition of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system.
Describes the implementation of the Quality Management in Information Services in Brazil through national literature revision aiming at the revision complementation of the literature published in 1998. This work also presents a new panorama introducing works published since 1997 in an effort to contribute to the progress of discussions related to the application of the Quality Management in Information Services in Brazil, and add a new theoretical approach to the subject.
By analyzing the inter-temporal structure of quarterly dividends, we show that as more firms announce dividend increases exactly every four quarters, dividend policy has become more persistent and more predictable. Recently, nearly 60% of all dividend increases have been announced in four-quarter cycles. Valuation, earnings stability, and size are positively related to the propensity to adopt four-quarter cycles. More importantly, we provide evidence that this structure is incorporated into market participants' expectations about future dividend announcements. These findings may provide an explanation for two phenomena described in the literature: the declining information content of dividends and the higher degree of dividend smoothing.
The effects of pulsed current on surface morphology, electrode potential, current efficiency, macrothrowing power and electrical power usage were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy, polarization measurement and Hull cell testing in ZnCl2-KCl and zincate baths, with and without additives. The grain size deposited from baths without additives decreased with increasing pulse current density and shorter duty-cycles under constant average current density, but bright deposits could not be obtained. In a chloride bath containing only a non-ionic surfactant (nonyl phenyl eicosa-ethylene glycol ether: NPEGE), however, a mirror bright surface was obtained under a wide range of current densities under appropriate pulse conditions. Pulsed plating had little effect on improving either current efficiency or macro-throwing power. At constant average current density, it was found that pulsed plating used more electrical power than direct current plating and this trend was more pronounced the shorter the duty-cycle. This is explained in terms of increased ohmic drop due to the electrical resistance of the solution.
The current digest focuses on the psychological aspects of therapy in anorexia nervosa. It reviews publications considering both recognized and novel methods of psychotherapy for anorexia, the role of psychological variables in treatment outcome assessment, the issue of exhausting physical exercising in eating disorders, and the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable individuals. (Translated by Elena Mozhaeva)
At the present time the testing of spectrophotometrical measuring means (spectrophotometers) in the ultraviolet and visible spectrum in accordance with the existing USSR verification scheme carried out by means of glass light filters, types KS-100, KS-102 certified with standard instruments. The main shortage of these light filters when using them as the standard measures is the necessity to certify them for transmission coefficient. To solve the problem, it seems reasonable to develop and use the liquid standard samples of optical density (LS) as highly efficient and economical means ensuring the unity of measurements in the spectrophotometry. In this report the possibility of utilization of the set of LS of optical density is considered. The set of LS represents acid and water solutions of organic compounds of five types (LS 04-1, LS 04-2, LS 04-3, LS 04-4, LS 04-5) having two levels of optical density in the wave band of 220 - 720 nm.
This article aims to analyze Cloches de Noel for piano (1915) by Alberto Nepomuceno (1864-1920) in an attempt to identify intertextual relationships. The analysis demonstrates a stylistic affinity between Cloches de Noel and Franz Liszt’s religious pieces, mainly in what concerns four aspects: (1) explicit use of Gregorian melodies; (2) harmonization of melodies with the sole use of consonances; (3) extramusical and idiomatic reference to the sound of church bells and (4) a formal structure based on the insertion of musical episodes between sections of Gregorian transcription.
This chapter focuses on issues related to collection and isolation of deep-sea fungi, direct detection in deep-sea sediments, diversity and biomass, growth and physiology, adaptations, and their biotechnological applications. The presence of fungi in oceanic waters and the deep sea has been sporadically reported in the past. Their presence in shells collected from deep-sea waters at a depth of 4,610 m was the first report on deep-sea fungi. Immunofluorescence has been widely used to detect specific fungi in terrestrial and in a few marine substrates. The authors used this for detecting one of the commonly isolated fungi, Aspergillus terreus (isolate A 4634), from deep-sea sediments of the Central Indian Basin. The deep-sea fungi when grown under elevated pressure synthesized extracellular protease, albeit in very low quantities in comparison with that produced under 0.1 MPa. Aspergillus ustus (NIOCC20) isolated by the authors from deep-sea sediments produced cold-active alkaline serine protease, whereas A. ustus obtained from a terrestrial habitat did not. This might be due to differences in strains but may also indicate the adaptation that deep-sea fungi have undergone for their survival. Study of the cold shock or stress proteins or genes produced in response to hydrostatic pressure shock in fungi using proteomics and microarray technology will help to understand the response in eukaryotic organisms to pressure. New techniques for retrieval of sediment samples with in situ pressure, isolation, and culture of the vast diversity of organisms from the deep sea will open new vistas in deep-sea biology.
In the present work we investigate the structure sensitivity of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) combining electrochemistry, in situ spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The intrinsic difficulty of such studies is the fact that at electrode potentials where the OER is observed, the electrode material is highly oxidized. As a consequence, the surface structure during the reaction is in general ill-defined and only scarce knowledge exists concerning the structure-activity relationship of this important reaction. To alleviate these challenging conditions, we chose as starting point well-defined Pt single-crystal electrodes, which we exposed to well-defined conditioning before studying their OER rate. Using this approach, a potential region is identified where the OER on Pt is indeed structure-sensitive with Pt(100) being significantly more active than Pt(111). This experimental finding is in contrast to a DFT analysis of the adsorption strength of the reaction intermediates O*, OH*, and OOH* often used to plot the activity in a volcano curve. It is proposed that as a consequence of the highly oxidizing conditions, the structure-sensitive charge-transfer resistance through the interface determines the observed reaction rate.
As evidenced by our exchange with Bader and Moshagen (2022), the degree to which model fit indices can and should be used for the purpose of model selection remains a contentious topic. Here, we make three core points. First, we discuss the common misconception about fit statistics' abilities to identify the "best model," arguing that mechanical application of model fit indices contributes to faulty inferences in the field of quantitative psychopathology. We illustrate the consequences of this practice through examples in the literature. Second, we highlight the parsimony-adjacent concept of fitting propensity, which is not accounted for by commonly used fit statistics. Finally, we present specific strategies to overcome interpretative bias and increase generalizability of study results and stress the importance of carefully balancing substantive and statistical criteria in model selection scenarios. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
A nuclear explosion far from the earth is a strong source of thermal X-rays that deposit their energy in the upper atmosphere and cause air fluorescence, which provides a method of detecting such explosions by ground instrumentation. Energy deposition occurs in the ionosphere over a region several tens of kilometers thick, but because the X-ray flux and the light emitted travel downward with the same velocity, the time smear along the direct line of sight to the explosion depends only on the X-ray source lifetime and on the stopping time of photoelectrons produced by the X-rays. These times are short, and the effective deposition rate is high; along this line of sight, therefore, is observed a bright flash of light whose direction can serve to locate the explosion in space. If the sky is viewed by a wide-angle detector covering π steradians, a pulse rising in x kilometers in daylight where Y x is the thermal X-ray yield of the explosion in kilotons. At night the range is more than one order of magnitude larger.
Circumcision is one of the common operations performed worldwide, for various reasons. Controversy exists as to whether circumcision is an operation. This literature review discusses the indications of circumcision, benefits and complications of circumcision, and alternatives to circumcision. Relevant articles on the benefits, complications, indications and alternative to circumcision from 1964 to 2005 were reviewed, from National Library of Medicine's Pubmed database. Additional articles were obtained from the reference lists of key articles and recent reviews.
Although it is generally thought that spermatogenic failure has a genetic background, to date only a limited percentage of men with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) are diagnosed with a genetic defect. The only common and well-established genetic causes of NOA in humans are numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities and Y-chromosome deletions. In addition, some infrequent mutations have been identified in the ubiquitin-specific protease 9, Y-linked (USP9Y) and the synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SYCP3) gene that cause azoospermia. FK506-binding protein 6 (Fkbp6) is a newly discovered component of the synaptonemal complex (SC), which is essential for proper chromosome pairing and meiotic division. A null mutation of the Fkbp6 gene causes azoospermia in mice as well as in rats. We tested the hypothesis whether mutations in this gene can also cause azoospermia in humans. We performed a mutation screen in 51 men with NOA through direct sequencing methods. No homozygous mutations were identified. Two heterozygous mutations (T173T and R183C) were identified, which are likely to disrupt FKBP6 protein function. However, both mutations were also found in a group of 218 normospermic controls indicating that one FKBP6 allele appears to be sufficient for normal spermatogenesis. In conclusion, our results suggest that genetic defects in FKBP6 can be excluded as a common cause of azoospermia in humans.
FOR MORE THAN three decades, the U.S. law governing commercial chemicals has remained essentially unchanged. Despite criticism—especially after a federal court in 1991 struck down under that law the Environmental Protection Agency’s ban of the known human carcinogen asbestos—Congress has not seen fit to revise the statute. The chemical industry for years maintained that the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) worked well to protect health and the environment. Environmental activists and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, meanwhile, have complained that the law leaves EPA without the information it needs to assess chemicals’ risk. In addition, they say EPA is virtually powerless to regulate substances that are problematic. Elected leaders have left TSCA untouched. Now, the situation is changing. Congressional scrutiny of this law is ramping up. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, is putting TSCA under a magnifying...
In this paper, a unique all-fiber tunable filter based on the combination of single resonant band long period grating (LPG) and harsh environment electro-optic polymer second cladding layer is presented. The single resonant band LPG is used to select the resonant wavelength and the tuning of resonant wavelength is realized by changing the refractive index of electro-optic polymer cladding layer via external electric field. Although the basic operational principle and implementation of this unique tunable filter have been previously reported by authors, this paper is focused on athermal operation design and synthesis of harsh environment electro-optic polymer, which enhances the practicability of proposed tunable filter.
This paper aims to investigate the seismic performance of RC short columns and long columns with welding stirrups. Through the low-cyclic horizontal loading test of specimens, the seismic performance indexes such as failure modes, hysteretic curve, skeleton curve, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, stiffness degradation and strength degradation were emphatically analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of shear span ratio, stirrups ratio and axial compression ratio on the performance of specimens were studied. The results showed that the seismic performance of the RC short columns with welding stirrups were basically the same as that of the RC short columns with traditional stirrups, but the seismic performance of RC long columns with welding stirrups was better than that of RC long columns with traditional stirrups. The seismic performance of RC short columns and long columns with welding stirrups could be improved by increasing stirrup ratio and shear span ratio and reducing axial pressure ratio. Moreover, the welding stirrup have the advantages of steel saving, industrialization and standardization production, convenient construction, and reducing time, which indicated that the welding stirrups could be applied in practical engineering.
The dynamic systems perspective has been touted as an integrative metatheoretical framework for the study of stability and change in development. However, two dynamic systems camps exist with respect to the role higher-order form, once emergent, plays in the process of development. This paper evaluates these two camps in terms of the overarching world views they embody. Some dynamic systems proponents ground their conceptualization of development in pure contextualist terms by privileging the here-and-now in the explanation of development, whereas other proponents adopt an integration of organismic and contextualist world views by considering both local context and higher-order form in their explanatory accounts. These different ontological premises affect how each camp views the process of self-organization, the principle of circular causality and the very nature of explanation in developmental science.
This study is related on one of the commercial building in Bursa which belongs to Ottoman period called by Bali Beg Khan. Ottoman City Inns generally construct with square or rectangular plan shapes with two or three floors arrangement. Inns have rooms which are located around one or more court. Usually, these localities from lower floor can be used as shop, depot or stable and the others are allocated for travellers like a hotel room. Although the building is almost ruined, It’s clear from the ruins that Khan was builted as a monumental style in the second half of the 15th century with three floors arrangement. This floor implementetion was the first in Ottoman commercial architecture. This article aiming that not only showing up the original construction and planning properties of Bali Beg Khan but also to determine its place in the Turkish Art and Architecture.
With a high engineering and configuration effort involved, implementing connections from the shop floor to Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) can be considered a time consuming and, therefore, costly task. In order to reduce the effort involved, previous works developed an offline model-based generation of shop floor gateway connections. In this industrial paper, a brief overview of the continuation of these works, which transfer the model data into a MES's database and the configuration generation directly into the runtime of an industrial implementation of a shop floor gateway, is given.
This study focuses on the detection performance analysis of a notional hybrid MIMO radar, which can be seen as a combination of the phased-array and distributed MIMO radars. The signal model of the proposed hybrid MIMO radar is re-derived using the Rayleigh target model. In the sense of Neyman–Person principle, the optimal detector is developed. Then, the detection performance bound is derived based on the relative entropy. Theoretical derivation and numerical examples show that, for most common signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) cases, the detection performance of the hybrid MIMO is better than the conventional phased-array and MIMO radars. Furthermore, for the high SNR case, the proposed system configuration with larger number of sub-arrays performs better detections, while in the low SNR case, that with smaller number of sub-arrays performs better detections.
Data are given on the abundance of post-larval stages of teleostean fish in half-hour oblique hauls with the 2-metre stramin ring-trawl taken at weekly intervals at a position two miles east of the Eddystone lighthouse during the years 1930 to 1934 inclusive. The seasonal composition of the catches is considered and it is shown that there is a gradual change over from the young of northern species of fish to those of more southern species as the summer advances. The relation between the spawning times of closely related species appears usually to be a function of their geographic distribution. The period of maximum abundance of post-larvæ of spring-spawning fish occurs at different times in different years and this difference may be as much as a month. An apparent correlation between the times of abundance of young whiting and the previous temperature of the water has been shown.
Cancers have been a worldwide health problem with a high mortality rate, but ideal biomarkers are not available to effectively screen and diagnose patients. Currently, an increasing number of long noncoding RNAs have been reported to be abnormally expressed in human carcinomas and play a vital role in tumourigenesis. Plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) is upregulated in various carcinomas, and its overexpression is associated with poor survival in cancer patients. We conduct an updated meta‐analysis to determine its potential in prognosis for tumours. In total, 14 studies comprising 2435 patients were enrolled according to Reporting Recommendations for Tumour Marker Prognostic Studies guidelines. High PVT1 expression indicated poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.62‐2.42, P < 0.00001) and disease‐free survival (HR = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.45‐1.84, P < 0.00001). Additionally, increased PVT1 expression was positively associated with lymphatic node metastasis (odd ratio [OR] = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.66‐4.96, P = 0.0002), distant metastasis (OR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.74‐3.50, P < 0.00001), advanced tumour‐node‐metastasis stages (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.38‐4.88, P = 0.003). New findings highlight that PVT1 acts as competing RNA to microRNAs to protect mRNAs from miRNAs repression. Therefore, we also discuss PVT1‐related microRNAs and their interaction in tumourigenesis. In conclusion, PVT1 may be a potential biomarker of poor prognosis for patients with different cancer types.
Measurements have been made of the coefficient of linear thermal expansion of NaCl, Nal, KCl, and KBr over the temperature range from 7 °K to 300 °K. The measurements were made by monitoring the changes in length of a Fabry–Perot etalon, whose spacer was of the material being studied, as it slowly warmed from liquid-helium temperatures. The detectable change in length of the 2-in. specimen was about 2 A. The results are analyzed by reducing them to values of the Grueneisen γ. The temperature variation of γ at high temperatures is used to obtain values of γ (2s), which are compared with new calculations on a rigid-ion model to give the best fit to the Born exponent for the non-Coulomb interionic potential. The data for low temperatures are not sufficiently accurate to justify detailed analysis; there is some indication that the apparent low-temperature limit of γ is, in fact, the value at a minimum.
Efficacious sampling methods are needed to recruit representative samples of under-represented research populations. The purpose of this article is to describe and evaluate a step-by-step methodological approach for sampling rare populations (e.g., Black female caregivers and noncaregivers). Using the Medicare Enrollment Database, the researchers conducted a reverse screening strategy and a case-control design to obtain a systematic random sample of the caregivers. After revision of the recruitment strategy and referral goals, the researchers recruited 202 caregivers and 206 noncaregivers. The proportion of elders with caregivers was 11.8 percent compared with a projected yield of 8 percent. Lessons were learned regarding efficiency in sampling methodology, including the importance of having the potential participants respond to an open-ended question regarding their understanding of the study participation, providing agencies with detailed specifications of requested lists, and not allowing the obtained list to age. This article provides a road map for sampling rare populations.
The sera of cohorts of newborn infants and their mothers, characterized as cyst passers of Entamoeba with nonpathogenic zymodemes (E. dispar) and seropositive for amoebic antigens, were analyzed. Both cohorts were followed for a period of 12 months by microscopic examination of feces and determination of serum anti-amoebic antibody titers using the indirect hemagglutination assay. Control groups (noncyst passer mothers and their infants) were included and followed. To characterize antigens involved in the induction of IgG and IgA antibody responses, Western blots of serum from all participants were tested and immunoplots of the frequency of antigenic recognition were constructed. Results of clinical follow-up and microscopic examination of feces showed that during the 12-month period none of the cyst passer mothers had episodes of diarrhea attributable to E. histolytica invasion; five of 21 children of cyst passer mothers became infected during the study, five of five infected children developed serum antiamebic antibodies (titers 1:64-1:128); none of the cohort of children from cyst passer mothers had diarrhea due to E. histolytica. Western blot analysis showed that there are antigenic fractions that induce serum antibodies of the IgG and IgA classes against E. dispar very early in the host-parasite relationship. Our results suggest that mechanisms of antibody induction different from intestinal invasion may be operating in amebic infection. Intestinal absorption of antigen, systemic reflection of secretory antibody response, and priming of newborns by maternal anti-idiotypic antibody transfer are discussed.
OBJECTIVE We have previously described anti-EJ antibodies, and provided evidence that these antibodies react with glycyl-transfer RNA (gly-tRNA) synthetase. The aim of the present study was to identify patients with anti-EJ antibodies and describe the clinical associations of the antibody, in particular, whether it is associated with the syndrome of myositis and interstitial lung disease (ILD) that has been previously associated with autoantibodies to the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases for histidine, threonine, and alanine.   METHODS Sera from patients with suspected or proven polymyositis or dermatomyositis (DM), sera with anticytoplasmic patterns, and control sera were tested for anti-EJ antibodies by immunoprecipitation (IPP). Positive sera and controls were tested for the ability to inhibit gly-tRNA synthetase by preincubation of the enzyme source with the serum.   RESULTS Anti-EJ antibodies were demonstrated in the sera of 5 patients, by IPP of characteristic tRNAs and protein. Original serum EJ and each of the new sera significantly inhibited the enzymatic activity of gly-tRNA synthetase but not histidyl-tRNA synthetase. All 5 of the new patients had inflammatory myopathy, a typical DM rash, and ILD. One, who had an overlap syndrome with systemic lupus erythematosus, had anti-EJ at least 4 months before the development of clinical myositis. Arthritis and Raynaud's phenomenon, other features associated with antisynthetases, were also seen.   CONCLUSION Anti-EJ is associated with the syndrome of myositis and lung disease that is seen in association with other antisynthetases. The finding of specific inhibition of gly-tRNA synthetase by all anti-EJ-positive sera strongly supports the identification of EJ antigen as gly-tRNA synthetase.
In this article an extended periodic Anderson model, including correlations between conduction and localized electrons, is studied with dynamical mean field theory and continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo method. In particular, we clarify how the antiferromagnetic phase, observed in the ordinary periodic Anderson model, changes into the charge-density-wave phase which emerges in a strong coupling region.
Task scheduling and load balancing problem of heterogeneous computing environment (HCE) is getting more and more attention these days and has become a research hotspot in this field. The task scheduling and load balancing problem of heterogeneous environment, which refers to assigning a set of tasks to a specific set of machines with different hardware and different computing performance with the goal of minimizing task processing time and keeping load balance among machines, has been proved to be an NP‐complete problem. The development of artificial intelligence provides new ideas to solve this problem. In this paper, we propose a novel task scheduling and load balancing method based on optimized deep reinforcement learning in HCE. First, we formulate task scheduling problem as a Markov decision process and then adopt a dueling double deep Q‐learning network to search the optimal task allocation solution. Then we use two well‐known large‐scale cluster data sets Google Cloud Jobs data set and Alibaba Cluster Trace data set to validate our approach. The experimental results show that compared with other existing solutions, our proposed method can achieve much shorter task response time and better load balancing effect.
Background: To support the clinical studies of cabiralizumab, an immunogenicity assay for detecting anti-cabiralizumab antibodies is required. Results: Strategies were developed to overcome two major bioanalytical challenges: poor drug tolerance of the anti-drug antibodies assay and very low cut point observed in the screening and confirmatory assays. By using acid dissociation (400 mM glycine solution at pH 2.0), drug tolerance of 200 μg/ml drug was achieved for both the screening and confirmatory assays. Effects of biological matrix (disease state vs normal serum) and assay conditions (capture/detector reagent concentration, minimum required dilution, acid pretreatment) on assay cut points were systematically evaluated. Conclusion: A bridging immunogenicity assay for detecting anti-cabiralizumab antibodies in human serum has been successfully developed, validated and applied to clinical studies.
The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) is one of the most widely used self-report measures of depression in both research and clinical practice. The Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II) is the most recent version of the BDI. The objective of the present study was to assess the psychometric foundations of the Icelandic translation of the BDI-II, adding to its international knowledge base. Participants were in total 1454, 1206 students and 248 outpatient-clinic patients. All students completed the BDI-II and a subgroup (n=142) completed additional measures of anxiety and depression. The Mini-International Psychiatric Interview (MINI) and the BDI-II were administrated to the patients. Convergent and divergent validity of the BDI-II were supported. It discriminated satisfactorily between patients diagnosed and those not diagnosed with major depression. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed small differences between various factor models of the BDI-II, derived from previous studies. However, a model of three first-order factors (cognitive–affective–somatic) and one second-order factor (general depression) offered an acceptable description of the item covariance structure for the BDI-II in both samples. It is concluded that the psychometric properties of the Icelandic version of the BDI-II are supported in patient and student populations.
Abstract Background: We studied Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis in young children with acute viral type respiratory infection and analyzed the findings in a multivariate model including age, nasopharyngeal carriage of the tested bacteria and pneumococcal vaccination. Methods: We included 227 children aged 6–23 months with acute respiratory infection. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were tested for bacterial carriage through detection of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript with nCounter analysis. Acute and convalescent serum samples were tested for IgG antibody response against eight pneumococcal proteins, three proteins from H. influenzae and five proteins from M. catarrhalis in a fluorescent multiplex immunoassay. Results: A two-fold or greater increase in antibodies to S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis was detected in 27.8, 9.7 and 14.1%, respectively. Nasopharyngeal carriage of each of the studied bacteria was not associated with antibody response detection against each respective bacterium. Furthermore, neither age nor pneumococcal vaccination were independently associated to detection of antibody response against the studied bacteria. Children who carried H. influenzae had higher frequency of colonization by M. catarrhalis (175 [80.3%] vs. 2 [22.2%]; p < .001) than those without H. influenzae. Also, children with acute otitis media tended to have higher frequency of antibody response to S. pneumoniae. Conclusion: Nasopharyngeal colonization by S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis did not induce significant increases in antibody levels to these bacteria. Carriage of pathogenic bacteria in the nasopharynx is not able to elicit antibody responses to protein antigens similar to those caused by symptomatic infections.
The scalar spectral index n is an important parameter describing the nature of primordial density perturbations. Recent data, including those from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe satellite, show some evidence that the index runs (changes as a function of the scale k at which it is measured) from $ng1$ (blue) on long scales to $nl1$ (red) on short scales. We investigate the extent to which inflationary models can accommodate such significant running of n. We present several methods for constructing large classes of potentials which yield a running spectral index. We show that within the slow-roll approximation, the fact that $n ensuremath{-}1$ changes sign from blue to red forces the slope of the potential to reach a minimum at a similar field location. We also briefly survey the running of the index in a wider class of inflationary models, including a subset of those with nonminimal kinetic terms.
Magnesium die casting alloys for elevated temperature applications are coming of age. Several research centers and companies have been working on alloy systems based on alkaline earth and rare earth alloying additions to push the limits for the creep performance of Mg-based die casting alloys. Noranda's Mg-Al-Sr based alloys have shown superior creep performance and high-temperature performance at temperatures as high as 150-175C and stress levels of 50MPa - 70MPa. The most recent alloy formulation AJ62x (Mg-6Al-2Sr) has in addition shown excellent castability, and superior hot-tear resistance. Based on these attributes AJ62x is positioned well for applications such as transmission cases and oil pans. In this paper, the mechanical properties (creep and tensile) of AJ62x are presented. The high ductility of the AJ62Lx version is an added advantage for this alloy. Lab-scale evaluation of AJ62x shows that the alloy is more resistant to hot-tearing and cracking than all other magnesium alloys and the A380 aluminum alloy and industrial trials indicate that the alloy is highly castable.
Objective:Because effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces immune activation, we hypothesize that early changes in immune activation are associated with subsequent virologic response to therapy. Design:Observational cohort study. Setting:Institutional HIV clinic. Subjects:Thirty-four adult HIV patients with virologic failure on their current antiretroviral regimen. Intervention:Change to salvage regimen selected by patient's physician. Main Outcome Measures:Measures of immune activation at baseline and at 2, 4, 8, and 24 weeks after enrollment. Data were analyzed by proportional hazards (PH) models. Results:PH models showed that reductions between baseline and week 2 in expression of CD38 (P = 0.02) or CD95 (P = 0.02) on CD4+ T cells were associated with increased likelihood of achieving virologic suppression. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that patients who had reductions within the first 2 weeks of therapy in CD4+ T-cell expression of CD38 (P = 0.003) or CD95 (P = 0.08) were more likely to achieve viral suppression than those who did not. Conclusions:Reduced CD4+ T-cell expression of CD38 and CD95 occurring within 2 weeks of salvage therapy is associated with subsequent viral suppression. Monitoring CD38 and CD95 may allow earlier assessment of the response to ART.
Professionals seldom discuss those things that go well-rather the focus is often on problems, poor outcomes, and what does not go well. Exnovation is about illuminating the invisible or hidden strengths of existing practices in order to improve practice and is central to the contemporary, qualitative elicitation method: video-reflexive ethnography (VRE). VRE is a method to explore and articulate the taken for granted by means of short video clips of one’s own work practice that provides a basis for sharing experiences, assumptions, questions, and concerns about the way things are done in order to effect practice improvement. Reflexivity is key to the method. The creation of a safe space for this shared reflexivity is essential. Improvement activities frequently draw upon problem-focused approaches that imply blame and fault. Such approaches can serve to close down discussion, give rise to anxiety, and inhibit the very improvements sought. In contrast, a strengths-based, solution-focused approach serves to create the safe place where shared practices, rather than individuals, are the center of attention. By focusing on what works well practitioners are encouraged to identify and build on existing strengths. A solution-focused approach used alongside VRE provides a scaffold for building improvement that is relevant to context. In this article, we discuss exnovation, the elicitation method of video-reflexivity, and the incorporation of a strengths-based solution-focused approach with VRE. We highlight the transformative and complementary qualities of these methods and draw upon practical examples from health care to demonstrate how they serve to strengthen and enhance each other.
We provide a psychological explanation for the delayed price response to news about economically linked firms. We show that the return predictability of economically linked firms depends on the nearness to the 52-week high stock price. The interaction between news about economically linked firms and the nearness to the 52-week high can partially explain the underreaction to news about customers, geographic neighbors, industry peers, or foreign industries. We also find that analysts react to news about economically linked firms but the 52-week high effect reduces such reactions, providing direct evidence that the 52-week high affects the belief-updating process.
Abstract : Our Final Report has two parts. The first part is a draft of a paper, submitted for publication, entitled "A study of small magnitude seismic events during 1961-1989 on and near the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan." In this paper, we have estimated origin time and assigned magnitude for 31 previously undocumented underground nuclear tests and for 19 of these 31 have obtained locations based on seismic signals. The second part is a draft of a paper, submitted for publication, entitled "Infrasound Detection of Large Mining Blasts in Kazaktstan." In this paper, we describe infrasonic observations recorded since October, 1997, at the Kurchatov Observatory in Kazakstan from large mining blasts in Kazakstan and Siberia.
In recent years, computer-aided diagnosis technology has made breakthroughs in clinical medicine. However, due to the different models and configurations of ultrasound instruments, the thyroid ultrasound images collected by different medical centers have different visual characteristics. It leads to domain shift in multi-center data and the lower generalization of computer-aided diagnosis models. We consider this limitation may attribute to the minor inter-class differences in thyroid ultrasound images, resulting in confusion space before and after domain feature alignment. Therefore, we propose an adversarial domain adaptation network with enhanced feature discriminability method. Among them, the discriminative feature learning module strengthens the discriminability of the learned features, so that the class distribution in each domain presents a high cohesion and low coupling effect; the class alignment module reduces the distance between the same class samples across domains to achieve class alignment and further strengthen the discriminability of each class. Experiments show that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms on the internal thyroid ultrasound image dataset. The method can effectively improve the model's generalization ability on multi-center thyroid ultrasound images.
As the general features of fretting fatigue, initiation of fretting fatigue crack is in the very early stage of the fretting fatigue life and there are small non-propagating cracks in the test specimen that doesn't fracture at the fretting fatigue limit. In accordance with these experimental facts, fretting fatigue problem can be considered as a propagation problem of small crack. Thus, a pre-cracked specimen was used in the fretting fatigue test in this study. The objective was to consider the determinant factors of fretting fatigue strength. In the fretting fatigue test, the fretting fatigue limit of the pre-cracked specimen was once reduced and after increased with increase of the contact pressure. The reason was understood by the stress intensity factor of the pre-crack obtained by a finite element analysis. In this study, the fretting fatigue limit can be predicted by the comparison of ΔK of the pre-crack and the propagation threshold of the pre-crack ΔKth. The effect of the relative location of the pre-crack to the contact edge on the fretting fatigue strength was also discussed by both fretting fatigue test and FEM analysis.
The paper defines a formal semantics for MSC scenarios that is a weakening of the state semantics from [6], whilst permitting some additional semantics in the spirit of Live Sequence Charts (LSCs) [4]. The semantics here differs from that of LSCs in that mandatory behaviour is defined dynamically within the domain of possible scenarios. This permits a semantics which uses domain knowledge to define when compositions of imprecise requirements are valid. This has been implemented by Motorola UK Research Labs, and is being used in a pilot study for a new telecommunications mobile 3G handset.
This paper investigates the frame resolution scalability of wavelet based passive matrix display addressing for mobile terminals. The wavelet‐transform and the considered video codec architecture are both inherently resolution‐scalable; hence providing resolution‐scalable display driving is another mean to control the power‐complexity on a portable device. When the mobile terminal is running on low battery, the handheld device is able to display the received compressed data at the target resolution.
Background: Rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS) predisposes to left atrial (LA) thrombus formation. The reported incidence of LA clot formation in sinus rhythm (SR) is 2.4–13.5% in small studies. Aim: To determine the incidence of LA thrombus in MS in SR in a large cohort of patients and to determine the factors that predict its development. Methods: Total of 848 consecutive patients with MS in SR who were being evaluated for percutaneous transvenous mitral commisurotomy were included in the study. Both transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiograms (TEE) were performed to identify clot and other hemodynamic parameters. Results: The mean age of the study population was 34 ± 9 years and the mean mitral orifice area was 0.78 ± 0.18 cm2. Out of 848 patients 56 (6.6%) had LA thrombus on TEE. On univariate analysis there was a trend toward thrombus formation in individuals with age >44 years, LA inferosuperior dimension >6.9 cm, mean mitral gradient >18 mmHg and dense spontaneous echo contrast (SEC). On multivariate analysis none of the factors predicted clot formation. Conclusion: The incidence of LA thrombus in MS in SR is 6.6%. TEE is warranted in MS patients in SR when they are >44 years, LA inferosuperior dimension >6.9 cm and mean mitral gradient >18 mmHg. When SEC is absent on TEE, thrombus formation is unlikely. (Echocardiography 2011;28:457‐460)
Accumulated evidence indicates that hypoxia activates collagen synthesis in tissues. To explore the molecular mechanism of activation, we screened genes that are up-regulated or down-regulated by hypoxia. Fibroblasts isolated from fetal rat lung were cultured under hypoxia. Differential display technique showed that the mRNA level of prolyl 4-hydroxylase (PH) α(I), an active subunit that catalyzes the oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of proline residue in procollagen, increased 2–3-fold after an 8-h exposure to hypoxia. This elevated level was maintained over 40 h and returned to the basal level after reoxygenation. The transcription rate, protein level, and hydroxyproline content (an indicator of the prolyl hydroxylation) were all elevated by hypoxic culture. Analysis of the promotor region of PHα(I) gene indicated that a motif similar to hypoxia-responsive element (HRE) of hypoxia-inducible genes such as erythropoietin, was identified within a 120-base pair sequence upstream of the transcription start site. Luciferase reporter assay and mutational analysis showed that a site similar to the HRE in this motif is functionally essential to hypoxic response. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that hypoxia-inducible factor-1 was stimulated and bound to the PHα(I) HRE upon hypoxic challenge. Our results indicate that PHα(I), an essential enzyme for collagen synthesis, is a target gene for hypoxia-inducible factor-1.
This paper describes a butt-welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy plate to commercially pure titanium (CPTi) plate by the solid state welding using a rotating probe with a thread. The effect of the right-hand and left-hand thread on the tensile strength and microstructure was investigated. The following results were obtained in this study.The probe with a thread increased the tensile strength of a joint by about 79% or less compared with without a thread. There were little differences in the maximum tensile strength of the joints made by the right-hand thread and the left-hand thread. Using the probe without a thread, the fragments of CPTi were produced in a continuous form, but using the probe with a thread, the fine fragments of CPTi tended to scatter in Mg alloy matrix. The increase in the tensile strength of the joints using the probe with a thread was considered to be due to the sufficient plastic flow of Mg alloy caused by the fine fragments of CPTi scattered in Mg alloy matrix. However, the tensile strength of the joint was lower than that of the parent material and the fracture path occurred around the interface. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a deformation texture with the (002) basal plane near the interface of the magnesium side. It seems that both of the decrease in Al concentration in the Mg alloy and the formation of the deformation texture with the (002) basal plane caused the tensile strength lower, compared with parent material.
Abstract Objective: Osteoporosis is a common complex and polygenic disease in postmenopausal women, which is characterized by a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD). The osteoprotegerin (OPG) is an important candidate gene in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the OPG gene and BMD. Methods: OPG gene polymorphisms and BMD were analyzed in 352 Chinese postmenopausal women. BMD was quantified at the lumbar spine (L2–4), femoral neck, and total hip. Results: Through polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing methods, an allelic variant corresponding to the G→A mutations at position 23276 in exon 3 of the OPG gene could be detected. The association between g.23276 G>A polymorphisms and BMD was analyzed, and a significant association was found between g.23276 G>A and spine BMD. The mean of genotype GG was significantly higher than those of genotype GA and AA. There was no significant difference in neck hip BMD and total hip BMD among different genotypes. Conclusions: These findings suggested that g.23276 G>A genotypes in the OPG gene were associated with spine BMD in Chinese postmenopausal women. The A-allele was associated with lower BMD and an increased risk for osteoporosis.
Besides of its high efficiency, in particular its scalability, geographic greedy routing is of a memoryless nature (i.e., nodes do not maintain any routing tables) which makes it well suitable for large-scale sensor networks with limited resources. Nevertheless, the occurrence of local minimum phenomenon, especially in networks with many holes, limits considerably the applicability of such routing protocol. The local minimum situations occur when the packet could not be delivered by the current node based only on distance to the destination. This problem has been tackled in previous research works to guarantee packets delivery by routing around the boundaries of the hole but at an excessive consumption of control overheads. In this paper, we propose and study a novel approach that is of memoryless nature and performs better that the state-of-art approaches in terms of guarantying packet delivery and deriving efficient routing paths. We provide in this paper proofs of its correctness (guarantying packet delivery) whereas showing, through simulations, its performance effectiveness in terms of reducing routing paths.
The rapid spread of new outbreaks of human infection caused by Zika virus (ZIKV) has raised many global concerns since 2016. Despite the increasing knowledge of this virus, data on the pathogenesis of ZIKV are still missing. In particular, it is still unknown how the virus crosses the endothelial monolayer and gets access to the bloodstream. In the present work, we used human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) as a model to study ZIKV infection in vitro. We demonstrated that HUVECs are an optimal reservoir for viral replication, as they were able to sustain ZIKV infection up to two weeks, without showing a cytopathic effect. In order to evaluate the integrity of endothelial monolayer, immunofluorescence was performed on mock-infected or ZIKV-infected cells ± peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or polymorphonuclear cells (PMN), 48 h p.i., by using an anti-VE-Cadherin antibody, a major adherence protein that maintains the integrity of intercellular junctions. In addition to infection, we noted that the presence of some components of the immune system, such as PMNs, played an important role in altering the endothelial monolayer in cell junctions, suggesting that presence at the site of infection probably promotes the spread of ZIKV in vivo in the bloodstream.
Coinage at colonial mints was the final step in the mining process after extraction of gold and silver from placers and mines, their refinement by amalgamation or smelting, assay at royal treasuries, and finally refashioning the ore into ingots of silver. On 11 May 1535 Charles V ordered establishment of the first Spanish colonial mints in Mexico City and Santo Domingo on Espanola. Until the eighteenth century in Spanish America, private empresarios and their workers minted coins as concessionaires, albeit supervised by royal officials and regulated by royal laws. The casa de moneda in Mexico City succeeded in attracting a great number of miners, traders, and refiners to the mint to sell their gold and silver bars in exchange for coin. When comparing Upper Peruvian silver output with Potosi mintage the pattern is quite different from that in Lima or Mexico where mintage was usually greater than silver output. Keywords: casa de moneda; colonial mints; Lima mintage; Mexico City; Potosi mintage; private empresarios; Santo Domingo
The aim of this work was to explore the vertical and seasonal variations of CO2 within the soil profile based on Fick’s law of diffusion in an oriental arborvitae plantation. We continuously measured the soil CO2 concentration profile using CO2 sensors buried at different depths in a coniferous forest in northern China and calculated the CO2 flux based on the profile measurements using a dynamic model. The diurnal pattern of CO2 concentration and flux fluctuated during the day and varied less at night. The CO2 profile had a vertical gradient, with the highest concentrations in the deepest soil layers. The CO2 flux had a clear seasonal pattern with a maximum in summer and a minimum in winter. The contributions of the H, A, B, and C horizons to the total CO2 flux were 75.38, 13.52, 7.61, and 3.49%, respectively. Q10 was 2.668, 4.469, 1.175, and 3.333 in the H, A, B, and C horizons, respectively. The CO2 flux determined from the concentration profiles agreed well with the CO2 flux measured by open dynamic ch...
A numerical model is used to investigate the dependence at 351 nm of desert-aerosol extinction and backscatter coefficients on particle imaginary refractive index (mi). Three ranges (-0.005 < or = mi < or = -0.001, -0.01 < or = mi < or = -0.001, and -0.02 < or = mi < or = -0.001) are considered, showing that backscatter coefficients are reduced as /mi/ increases, whereas extinction coefficients are weakly dependent on mi. Numerical results are compared with extinction and backscatter coefficients retrieved by elastic Raman lidar measurements performed during Saharan dust storms over the Mediterranean Sea. The comparison indicates that a range of -0.01 to -0.001 can be representative of Saharan dust aerosols and that the nonsphericity of mineral particles must be considered.
Glaucoma is a disease that affects the eye and can lead to potential blindness. The need to develop an effective detection system is very necessary as the symptoms of Glaucoma may not be apparent in the early stages. Glaucoma is a disease that can affect all age groups and starts with a decreasing field of vision. Diabetic Retinopathy is a disease that causes damage to the retina due to diabetes, which can lead to eventual blindness. This affects almost all diabetic patients suffering for 20 years or more. This paper proposes a method to distinguish fundus images in which the Optic disc are present from those in which they are absent. When a fundus image is captured, the Optic Disc appears as a bright region in the image. The possible reason for the absence of the OD is that the field of view of a portable fundus camera is very small and this might exclude the OD from the image. Another reason, though fairly uncommon, is the improper capture of the image. A system to differentiate between these images is of paramount importance as it helps in the segmentation of the Optic Disc and Optic cup improves the overall performance of the algorithm for detection of Glaucoma and DR. The proposed method makes use of the concepts of multiple instance learning to effectively detect the OD. Twenty iterations of the algorithm are performed. The average accuracy, sensitivity and specificity values are 96.85, 95.19 and 98.52 respectively. These values show that the method is effective in differentiation of images with and without OD, thus improving the efficiency.
Over the past few years, the intensive care field in our country has increased in terms of both volume and quality. There is now a huge community of healthcare professionals in more than 2,500 intensive care units throughout the country.(1) This dissemination of our specialty has also been associated with an increased interest in research participation and the generation of knowledge that could be applicable to our clinical setting. As the only critical care society in Brazil, the mission of AMIB is to stimulate initiatives to improve clinical research in critically ill patients and to help disseminate knowledge in critical care. One of our roles as a professional association is to establish standards of care among Brazilian intensive care units, which not only accomplishes our goal of effectively caring for severely ill patients but also provides an adequate environment for clinical research. In the absence of high-quality care provided by an adequate multidisciplinary team, no single intervention can ensure a positive patient outcome. AMIB also serves to support local initiatives in studies and surveys focused on assessing the current status of specific diseases. In this context, AMIBnet, the research network run by our society, has an important mission. AMIBnet must provide the tools and infrastructure necessary to complete this task. However, we believe that the research community of Brazil is ready for new challenges. Most of the current evidence in the critical care field comes from high-income countries. Few interventions have been tested in countries with more limited resources, and we have to consider that the impact of interventions in these nations could be different. As a leading emerging country with one of the largest ICU networks in the world, it is our responsibility to contribute to the appropriate assessment of interventions in limited-resource scenarios and to generate our own highquality scientific data. We are also under pressure to test interventions for improving the translation of scientific knowledge in bedside practice. In this new context, AMIB welcomes the new BRICnet initiative. BRICnet has the potential to be one of the most important research networks in the world, as we have now a huge number of qualified ICUs throughout the country. BRICnet comprises a group of well-known, high-quality scientists with the international contacts and recognition needed to establish international cooperation. The access to research funding will facilitate the Fernando Suparregui Dias1
ABSTRACT Introduction: The new category of chimeric antigen receptor T – cell raised hopes for a more effective treatment of large B cell lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nevertheless, their soaring acquisition costs will stretch the fiscal capacity of the health systems worldwide. To this direction, the scope of this study is to provide a systematic review of their economic evaluations. Areas covered: A systematic review of the economic evaluations of tisagenlecleucel and axicabtagene was performed. Expert opinion: The available data indicate that these products demonstrate a potentially favorable cost-effectiveness ratio. Nevertheless, their budget impact is of overriding importance and it should be incorporated in any economic evaluation. Moreover, more affirmative clinical data are imperative in order to mitigate uncertainty.
New hydrostations plus a comprehensive compilation of existing data have allowed us to characterize the dissolved silica plume located at midwater depths in the North Pacific. The North Pacific silica plume is a global‐scale anomaly, extending from the North American continental margin in the east to beyond the Hawaii‐Emperor seamount chain in the west. Inventory of the plume between 2000 and 3000 m depth indicates that it contains 164 Tmols (164 × 1012 mols) of anomalous dissolved silica and is maintained by a horizontal flux of approximately 1.5 Tmols/yr from the east. The source region of this plume has been previously suggested to be Cascadia Basin in the NE Pacific. Biochemical and geothermal processes within this small region can produce approximately one third of the required flux, but the majority of silica contained within the North Pacific plume may originate in crustal fluid venting from the warm upper basement aquifer that underlies the easternmost Pacific plate.
This paper examines the effect of legislation on the corporate social responsibility in the minerals and mines sector of the Nigerian economy. Observing that the extractive industry sector in the country is populated by enclave industries that give little priority to CSR, the paper analyses the Nigerian Minerals and Mines Act, 2007. The Act obligates contracting a Community Development Agreement (CDA) between the mineral title holder and the community where the mining company is to operate. Linking CSR and the CDA through the stakeholder theory, the paper observes that corporate actors in the solid minerals sector of the country can no longer deprioritise CSR in their corporate planning as hitherto. It concludes that the effect of this law is to empower the community as an important stakeholder thereby validating the stakeholder thesis herein espoused. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility (CSR), minerals, mines, agreement, human rights
up in van Tuinen’s essay, so attuned to the prospects of currents, resume in Justin Clemens’ contribution, ‘Man is a Swarm Animal’, examining a pun by Jacques Lacan, ‘Sı, essaim; S-one, the swarm’ (p.83). Clemens traces the concept’s appearances, which are rare, fleeting occurrences because overlooked or overheard (p.85) by critics, and consequently failing to make it into any of the ‘dictionaries, handbooks, companions or readers currently available on Lacan, and often not even into the indices’ (p.86). What Clemens does is to develop it, via the word Schwärmerei, into an investigation of mobs, metaphors of insect colonies applied to the human race. From there, the essay moves into transfer technology, to processes of thought shared through telepathy or telephone – because telepathy has, over the years, been lost as a method of communication – and formulates an argument on the basis of the links between biology, technology and politics, while pointing to the ‘psychopathology of technological life’ (p.94). The case is compelling, a study on automation, on the ‘hypnotic order’ (p.95) of swarms, their movements, behaviour, grounds for forming, as well as their inevitable endpoints and destruction. The webs of affinity between Sı, technology and apocalypse terminate the piece, yet echoes of the study linger. They are taken up by Tom Cohen, who focuses on Hitchcock’s The Birds, ‘black slashes or wingbeats that peck out eyes’ and ‘are linked to sheer technicity’ (p.117). In many ways, Cohen’s article resumes, and redirects, the previous examination’s centre of attention and constitutes a critical project that explores cinema – screen and venue – empires of images and technology assaulting the eye, the ultimate target of study, of relentless swarms of birds/machines. The birds, ‘black slashes’, also perch on the bare, charred trees of the collection’s cover image, silhouettes likeblack holes that stand out against a sulphurous background; this ‘catastrophic horizon’ is, asmentioned earlier, misleading, because it is a representation that is, in fact, not wholly entered or engaged with. Rather, it is often only obliquely addressed, in pieces that, while of high standard, escape or uneasily fit the frame of reference. As such, the assemblage, except those few contributions that possess continuity, is expansive to the point of losing sight of the objective, which is the production of a critically sustained discourse on catastrophe that aims to formulate and invigorate avenues of resistance against the ‘eschatological’ (p.3) but instead explodes in all directions. As a result, its critical force is weakened, averted by and diverted into essays, which, like planets, drift far apart so that the questions and concerns stated as the collection’s premise are not usually fully explored and frequently exist but as feeble echoes. Amidst these long-distance communications, whose main subject is heard only intermittently, Cohen’s essay stands as the most forceful example of what might have been.
The present work examines the potential consequences of the use of mobile telephones on people’s behaviour and identity. In doing so, we start from the premise that, even though this technology may have different effects in different cultural contexts, it promotes and foments certain patterns of behaviour and of understanding one’s own identity. It is suggested that this new identity goes hand in hand with a spatial-temporal recomposition of the context in which actions take place. On the opening up of an almost continuous virtual space, conflicts may arise between the different roles played by an individual which were previously differentiated as a function of space. Similarly, increased flexibility in arrangements leads to the appearance of a new concept of time, which we might call the ‘present extensive’. We also discuss the possible superstitions the use of this new technology may bring with it. As a result of these analyses, it is considered that the mobile phone not only emerges within a postmodern society, but also, along with other technological developments, feeds a postmodern mentality.
PKC signaling has been implicated in the regulation of many cell functions, including metabolism, cell death, proliferation, and secretion. Activation of conventional and novel PKC isoforms is associated with their Ca2+- and/or diacylglycerol (DAG)-dependent translocation to the plasma membrane. In β cells, exocytosis of insulin granules evokes brief (<10 s) local DAG elevations (“spiking”) at the plasma membrane because of autocrine activation of P2Y1 purinoceptors by ATP co-released with insulin. Using total internal reflection microscopy, fluorescent protein-tagged PKCs, and signaling biosensors, we investigated whether DAG spiking causes membrane recruitment of PKCs and whether different classes of PKCs show characteristic responses. Glucose stimulation of MIN6 cells triggered DAG spiking with concomitant repetitive translocation of the novel isoforms PKCδ, PKCϵ, and PKCη. The conventional PKCα, PKCβI, and PKCβII isoforms showed a more complex pattern with both rapid and slow translocation. K+ depolarization-induced PKCϵ translocation entirely mirrored DAG spiking, whereas PKCβI translocation showed a sustained component, reflecting the subplasma membrane Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]pm), with additional effect during DAG spikes. Interference with DAG spiking by purinoceptor inhibition prevented intermittent translocation of PKCs and reduced insulin secretion but did not affect [Ca2+]pm elevation or sustained PKCβI translocation. The muscarinic agonist carbachol induced pronounced transient PKCβI translocation and sustained recruitment of PKCϵ. When rise of [Ca2+]pm was prevented, the carbachol-induced DAG and PKCϵ responses were somewhat reduced, but PKCβI translocation was completely abolished. We conclude that exocytosis-induced DAG spikes efficiently recruit both conventional and novel PKCs to the β cell plasma membrane. PKC signaling is thus implicated in autocrine regulation of β cell function.
Neural information theory represents a fundamental method to model dynamic relations in biological systems. However, the notion of information, its representation, its content and how it is processed are the subject of fierce debates. Since the limiting capacity of neuronal links strongly depends on how neurons are hypothesized to work, their operating modes are revisited by analyzing the differences between the results of the communication models published during the past seven decades and those of the recently developed generalization of the classical information theory. It is pointed out that the operating mode of neurons is in resemblance with an appropriate combination of the formerly hypothesized analog and digital working modes; furthermore that not only the notion of neural information and its processing must be reinterpreted. Given that the transmission channel is passive in Shannon's model, the active role of the transfer channels (the axons) may introduce further transmission limits in addition to the limits concluded from the information theory. The time-aware operating model enables us to explain why (depending on the researcher's point of view) the operation can be considered either purely analog or purely digital.
An attempt was made to apply single-mode optical fibers to distortion sensors.When the single-mode optical fiber was subjected to the distortion difference, the fiber length, the index of refraction and the core diameter changed as a function of distortion, and accordingly optical phase shifts were observed.Optical phase shift was evaluated using the automatic phase shift detector of the Mach-Zehnder fiber interferometer type fabricated at our laboratory to detect fringe shifts.The sensitivity of distortion obtained by using this device was in good agreement with the calculated values. Therefore, the single-mode optical fiber can be utilized as a distortion sensor.
Clostridium botulinum type A toxin is the most prevalent cause of naturally occurring outbreaks of human botulism in the world. The active dichain neurotoxin molecule is composed of a heavy chain (H-chain) of ~100 kDa with the carboxy-terminal end consisting of a receptor-binding (HC) domain, while the amino-terminal (HN) domain is linked by a critical disulfide bond to a light chain (L-chain) of ~50 kDa. Although the mouse bioassay (MBA) is traditionally used to confirm the presence of toxin in serum or food, its sensitivity is insufficient to detect low toxin levels in approximately 30 to 60 % of botulism patients. A novel FDC (functional dual coating) microtitre plate immuno-biochemical assay, which quantifies botulinum toxicity by measuring the HC domain linked with L-chain endopeptidase activity, was modified to allow human serum (lysed or unlysed) to be tested without interference from the matrix, with toxin detection down to 0.03 mouse LD50 per ml serum or 0.13 pg ml(-1) using just 100 µl of clinical samples. The assay was specific for type A toxin and could additionally be applied to whole blood and food samples. Low levels of 1 to 2 mouse LD50 per ml serum of type A toxin were quantified for the first time using the modified FDC assay in two severely intoxicated UK patients who required mechanical ventilation and antitoxin. Toxin levels in recovered food sample extracts were also detected and one MBA-negative sample was found to contain 0.32 LD50 per ml extract. The FDC assay provides a real alternative for public health laboratories to unambiguously confirm all cases of type A botulism and, due to its sensitivity, a promising new tool in toxin pharmacokinetic studies.
We present a theoretical method for the calculation of the transient nonlinearity in dielec- tric composites doped with metal nanoparticles and demonstrate some applications of this approach. First, we describe the theoretical basis of the linear and nonlinear properties of metal nanoparticles by using the time-domain discrete-dipole approximation. By using the two-temperature model for the description of the electron-electron and electron-lattice interaction, we derive an equation for the transient third-order nonlinear susceptibility. Based on this method and the effective medium approximation, we present numerical results for the nonlinear optical susceptibility for different nanocomposites media consisting of noble metal nanoparticles surrounded by a dielectric host. With increasing pump intensities, the plasmon resonance is shifted which leads to a saturation of the absorption. We present a theory of mode-locking of solid-state and semiconductor disk lasers using metal nanocomposites as saturable absorbers. Finally, we consider a novel slow-light device based on metal nanocomposites.
Embarking on the project of musing about the often-uneasy relations between analytic and "Continental" philosophy, my thoughts took a direction unexpected even for me, as my title is meant to signal. They begin on an autobiographical note. In January 2003, following my keynote address to the Philosophical Association of Southern Africa, in Grahamstown, I was nonplussed when a member of the audience commented that, both from the paper I had just presented and from my earlier work, he had come to think of me as a skeptical philosopher. My initial impulse was to insist he was wrong, he could not have read me correctly: I was and am no skeptic. But the impulse was short lived. As happens at rare philosophical moments, that brief exchange prompted a twist of the kaleidoscope through which I view my work, leading me to reexamine some implications of the position(s) I have articulated over the past two decades and more, cautiously to agree with him and, perhaps more curiously, to find satisfaction in so doing. Agreeing, however, is just the beginning, not the end of the story. For, within Anglo-American epistemology, it is an uneasy admission to accede to such a description of one's work. Reasons for that unease are instructive across a spectrum of ideas and conceptual moves that shape "the epistemological project" in its inclusions and, more particularly, its exclusions. Intriguing among the liberating effects of this reexamination, then, is how it affirms the value of admitting ambiguity into epistemology and moral-political philosophy: an affirmation that flies in the face of the very quest for certainty that has mobilized so many post-positivist epistemologists and ethical-political philosophers, at least since the early twentieth century. In a tangentially related incident earlier in my philosophical biography, an unsympathetic and indeed self-confessedly angry
Two-dimensional (2D) planning on standard radiographs for total hip arthroplasty may not be sufficiently accurate to predict implant sizing or restore leg length and femoral offset, whereas 3D planning avoids magnification and projection errors. Furthermore, weightbearing measures are not available with computed tomography (CT) and leg length and offset are rarely checked postoperatively using any imaging modality. Navigation can usually achieve a surgical plan precisely, but the choice of that plan remains key, which is best guided by preoperative planning. The study objectives were therefore to (1) evaluate the accuracy of stem/cup size prediction using dedicated 3D planning software based on biplanar radiographic imaging under weightbearing and (2) compare the preplanned leg length and femoral offset with the postoperative result. This single-centre, single-surgeon prospective study consisted of a cohort of 33 patients operated on over 24 months. The routine clinical workflow consisted of preoperative biplanar weightbearing imaging, 3D surgical planning, navigated surgery to execute the plan, and postoperative biplanar imaging to verify the radiological outcomes in 3D weightbearing. 3D planning was performed with the dedicated hipEOS® planning software to determine stem and cup size and position, plus 3D anatomical and functional parameters, in particular variations in leg length and femoral offset. Component size planning accuracy was 94% (31/33) within one size for the femoral stem and 100% (33/33) within one size for the acetabular cup. There were no significant differences between planned versus implanted femoral stem size or planned versus measured changes in leg length or offset. Cup size did differ significantly, tending towards implanting one size larger when there was a difference. Biplanar radiographs plus hipEOS planning software showed good reliability for predicting implant size, leg length, and femoral offset and postoperatively provided a check on the navigated surgery. Compared to previous studies, the predictive results were better than 2D planning on conventional radiography and equal to 3D planning on CT images, with lower radiation dose, and in the weightbearing position.
One of the strengths of the Every Child Ready to Read five practices—read, write, sing, talk, and play—is that they are foundational components of early childhood library programs and services, and provide ready-made opportunities for engaging parents and caregivers in conversation about their children’s learning. The five practices also served as inspiration for the Bell Picture Book Awards for Early Literacy, a project of Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy, an advisory group to the Colorado State Library.
This article looks into both the Arabic self-translation and English translation of Saudi writer Ahmed Abodehman’s first novel La ceinture ( The Belt ). The dialectic between the group and the individual at the heart of the novel will be our guiding thread. Whereas Abodehman’s decision to write in French stands as a way out of the straightjacket imposed by both classical and dialectal Arabic, self-translating the novel back into Arabic can potentially dissolve the hard-won individuality in the collective order of Arabic. As for the English translation, it gives a new meaning to the dialectic between the individual and the collective.
The Bouncy Particle sampler (BPS) and the Zig-Zag sampler (ZZS) are continuous time, non-reversible Monte Carlo methods based on piecewise deterministic Markov processes. Experiments show that the speed of convergence of these samplers can be affected by the shape of the target distribution, as for instance in the case of anisotropic targets. We propose an adaptive scheme that iteratively learns all or part of the covariance matrix of the target and takes advantage of the obtained information to modify the underlying process with the aim of increasing the speed of convergence. Moreover, we define an adaptive scheme that automatically tunes the refreshment rate of the BPS or ZZS. We prove ergodicity and a law of large numbers for all the proposed adaptive algorithms. Finally, we show the benefits of the adaptive samplers with several numerical simulations.
Since 1972, the Ohio Cooperative Extension Service has been producing and distributing spots to all commercial and educational television stations throughout the state. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License. This article is available in Journal of Applied Communications: http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol60/iss3/5 Ohio TV Spots Get High Media Ratings
Context: In the generally accepted, but poorly documented model, silicate J-type C-stars are binary objects for which the silicate emission originates from a circumbinary or a circumcompanion disc. Aims: We aim at testing this hypothesis by a thorough spectral and spatial observational study of one object: IRAS 18006-3213 . Methods: We obtained, analysed and modeled high spatial resolution interferometric VLTI/MIDI observations on multiple baselines ranging from 45 m to 100 m. Results: All observations resolved the object and show the very compact nature of the N-band emission (~30 mas). In addition, the highest spatial resolution data show a significant differential phase jump around 8.3 mum. This demonstrates the asymmetric nature of the N-band emission. Moreover, the single telescope N-band spectrum shows the signature of highly processed silicate grains. These data are used to confirm the model on silicate J-type C-stars for IRAS 18006-3213 . We show that the most favourable model of the dust geometry is a stable circumbinary disc around the system, seen under an intermediate inclination. Conclusions: The data presented on the silicate J-type C-star IRAS 18006-3213 provide evidence that the oxygen rich dust is trapped in a circumbinary disc. The formation of this disc is probably linked to the binary nature of the central star. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Chile. Program ID: 073.D-610(A).
The relations between the firing treatment and physical properties of some commercial, antimony-bearing dry-process enamels for cast iron were studied. These properties include opacity and resistance to surface abrasion for both acid-resistant and regular enamels and acid resistance of the acid-resistant types. In contrast to wetprocess enamels for sheet steel, these dry-process enamels were found to be little affected by the extreme variations in firing which might be encountered in ordinary practice.
The relevance of the discussed issue is caused by the fact that the majority of carbonate deposits of the Upper Kama region oil deposits confined to reef structures belong to the fissure-pore type reservoirs. When exploring such complex objects, the productivity of the wells depends on the openness and permeability of fractures, their relative capacitance and mutual interrelation between fractures and matrix, on azimuthal spread of natural fractures in the area of the deposits. These parameters and factors are differently manifested in separate sections of the deposits in the course of their development and, in this relation, the issue of estimating and predicting the productivity coefficients of production wells in development of oil fields of the Upper Kama region is one of the topical and priority. The main aim of the study is to obtain empirical dependencies for operational prediction of natural fracturing parameters and productivity of producing wells on commercial data. Objects: Tourney–Famennian carbonate deposits of the Solikamsk depression fields of the Perm region. Methods. The work is based on literature materials and research of scientists in this field. Studies are based on actual field materials of geophysical, hydrodynamic studies conducted in the oil fields of the Upper Kama region; the data of laboratory studies of core material and rock sections. Results. The authors have determined the relative capacitive characteristics of the fractures, the coefficients of the flow between the fractures and the matrix, and the average fractures openness, as well as their dynamics with decreasing bottomhole and reservoir pressures during deposits exploration. A system of empirical relationships was developed and justified for estimating and predicting the average openness and relative fractures capacity, the coefficients of flow between the matrix and fractures, as well as the productivity of producing wells in developing oil deposits with carbonate reservoirs.
Isometric twitch tension of ventricular preparations stimulated at 0.2 Hz fell over 30 min of anoxia by a fraction decreasing in the order rainbow trout, cod, eel, and freshwater turtle. Drops in the estimated cytoplasmic energy state were related to larger tension losses for trout than for the other species, possibly due to larger changes in free phosphate. Anoxic energy degradation was slower for turtle than for the other species. Anoxia combined with glycolytic inhibition (1 mmol/l iodoacetate) enhanced the decrease in twitch tension for a drop in energy state and enlarged the increase in ADP/ATP relative to that in creatine/phosphocreatine to an extent inversely related to the creatine kinase activity. Furthermore, it increased resting tension to an extent possibly related to myosin-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity and lowered the content of phosphorylated adenylates in trout and turtle myocardium. The results indicate that species differences in performance of the metabolically challenged myocardium depend on energy-degrading processes, e.g., myosin-ATPase activity, phosphate release, creatine kinase activity, and efflux/degradation of ADP and AMP, and that glycolysis offers protection due to its cytoplasmic localization.
ON THE UNIVERSAL CHARACTER OF COORDINATION Summary The two syntactic connections – coordination and subordination – differ not only in their form, but also in their meaning. Their meanings can be regarded from at least three aspects: logical, cognitive and communicative. Thus coordination and subordination are firstly correlated with the division of concepts and the definition of concepts, correspondingly. This difference is true for both word combinations and composite sentences. Secondly, the reversible coordination is correlated with the process of compari­son, the irreversible coordination with the process of observation, and the subordination with the process of making conclusions. Thirdly, the two kinds of composite sentences can be presented as the result of monologization of two different kinds of dialogues.
In the previous paper Professor Basam has outlined the antiquity, size, and almost unique charaaeristics of the Yoruba towns. Historically these towns fall into two groups; the capitals of the major tribal kingdoms—Ijebu Ode, Ode Ondo, He Ife, Ilesha and, before its destruction in t837, Oyo He—were probably settlements of 15,000-50,000 inhabitants even before the nineteenth century. The civil wars within the Oyo kingdom in the early nineteenth century, together with the. Fulani conquests, forced thousands of Yoruba to flee southwards to the towns along the forest margin, swelling to something like their present size both the ancient capitals like lie Ife and towns of small importance hitherto such as Iwo Ogbomosho and Oshogbo. Ibadan, the largest of these towns, was foimded in the 1830s on the site of an Egba town when the homeless Yoruba armies camped there. The hundred and forty small Egba towns were mostly destroyed in civil war and raids from without and their people flocked south-westwards to Abeokuta. The towns of the forest margin seem to have absorbed their immigrants with but slight modification in their own social and political structure. The government of Ibadan reflects the origin of the town and its subsequent rise as the most powerful Yoruba state, raiding far eastwards for slaves and against its southern neighbours, the Ijebu and Egba, who controlled the routes to the coastal port of Lagos. The Yoruba states are tribal kingdom each ruled by a divine king (oba) who governs not autocratically but on the advice of his people through the chiefs selected by them.'
Over the years, the wide-spread usage of smartphones leads to large amounts of personal data being stored by them. These data, in turn, can be accessed by the apps installed on the smartphones, and potentially misused, jeopardizing the privacy of smartphone users. While the app stores provide indicators that allow an estimation of the privacy risks of individual apps, these indicators have repeatedly been shown as too confusing for the lay users without technical expertise. We have developed an information flyer with the goal of providing decision support for these users and enabling them make more informed decisions regarding their privacy upon choosing and installing smartphone apps. Our flyer is based on previous research in mental models of smartphone privacy and security and includes heuristics for choosing privacy-friendlier apps used by IT-security experts. It also addresses common misconceptions of users regarding smartphones. The flyer was evaluated in a user study. The results of the study show, that the users who read the flyer tend to take privacy-relevant factors into account by relying on the heuristics in the flyer more often. Hence, the flyer succeeds in supporting users in making more informed privacy-related decisions.
Changes in electrostriction caused by the reduction of metal centers in monomeric Ru and bridged Ru/Fe complexes reported in this work are highly localized in a polar solvent such as water. In mononuclear complexes, such as [(edta-H)Ru(III)(H2O)], where the pendant carboxylate is protonated or not depending on pH, the charge that determines electrostricted solvent behavior is defined within distances encompassed by the first coordination sphere of the redox center (DeltaV(complex) = 1.4 +/- 0.6 cm3 mol(-1) (pH 4) or 0.9 +/- 0.6 cm3 mol(-1) (pH 1.1)). Furthermore, in dinuclear complexes, even differences in the ligand charge around the second metal center have insignificant effects on electrostrictive interaction with the solvent. Reduction of the Fe center in the systems [(NH3)5Ru(III)(mu-NC)Fe(III)(CN)5] and [(edta)Ru(III)(mu-NC)Fe(III)(CN)5]4- is virtually unaffected (-21.8 +/- 1.8 cm3 mol(-1) and -21.7 +/- 2.8 cm3 mol(-1), respectively) when the Ru center is changed from formally cationic (3+) to anionic (1-).
Restriction enzyme analysis of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) is used to assess the relative contribution of hybridization and mutation as sources of genotypic variation in weedy asexual dandelions, with focus on the dandelion flora of North America. Of 318 North American dandelions surveyed, 145 rDNA‐cpDNA clones are detected. The combined rDNA‐cpDNA genotypes show that most of the polymorphic rDNA and cpDNA restriction sites or lengths in these plants are also present in weedy asexual dandelions collected from natural populations in Europe and in asexual and diploid taxa (microspecies) chosen to represent diverse Eurasian members of the genus. However, of 222 combined rDNA‐cpDNA genotypes found in 427 asexual plants surveyed, only 9 genotypes are found in both North American and Eurasian dandelions. Two rDNA and three cpDNA characters are unique to individual plants in North America and are consistent with mutational origins of genotypic variation in asexual lineages. But the array of genotypic diversity, characterized by different combinations of the rDNA and cpDNA characters, show that multiple hybridization events are a more important source of genotypic variation than mutation in the asexual polyploids. The rDNA and cpDNA data also indicate polyphyletic origin of several asexual Taraxacum taxa.
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the hyper-CVAD/MA regimen as an intensified treatment option for 28 T cell and aggressive/highly aggressive B cell NHL in Chinese patients. Methods Clinical data of 28 NHL patients treated with hyper-CVAD/MA regimen from Jan 2005 to Sep 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. Results 27 NHL patients were available for the efficacy analysis, with a response rate of 70.4 %. For the 13 B cell lymphoma cases, the response rate was 84.6 %. The main toxicity was Grade Ⅲ or Grade Ⅳ myelosuppression in all cases and 2 treatment related deaths. Conclusion Hyper-CVAD/MA regimen had a high response rate in T cell and aggressive /highly aggressive B cell NHL lymphoma, companied by significant toxicity when treating Chinese patients. Further clinical practices are needed to pick up a suitable dose which can balance efficacy and safety.    Key words:  Lymphoma;  non-Hodgkin;  Antineoplastic combined chemotherapy protocols;  Reproducibility of results
The problems involved in the study and applications of Raman spectroscopy are considered, attention being mainly concentrated on resonance Raman spectroscopy. Theoretical studies are briefly surveyed and the applications of the method in the investigation of molecular structures and the mechanisms and kinetics of chemical reactions are discussed. Examples of the study of various organic, organometallic, and other compounds, polymers, haemoproteins, nucleotides, etc. are presented. The possible applications of the excitation spectra of resonance Raman lines are noted. The bibliography includes 428 references.
key words:質 的研究,探 索的グループ ・イ ンタビュー,生 命倫理,透 析,事 前指示  アメリカでは,患 者 自己決定法が1991年 に制定 され,公 的資金の援助 を受 けている病院においては,患 者に, advance directive (AD) .について説明を行 うこ とが義務づけられてお り,こ の制度によ り,患 者の希望に沿 った終 末期医療がある程度可能 となっているが,日 本においては,よ うや く尊厳死,安 楽死に関する討論が本格化 しはじ めたところで, ADに 関する社会的認識や法的整備は,ほ とんどなされていないのが現状である.ま た,海 外 特に アメリカにおいては,透 析治療が一つの延命治療であるという概念が成立 しているため,透 析治療の生命倫理学的 研究報告もい くつか存在するが,わ が国においては,ほ とんど存在 しないのが現状である.そ こで,日 本における ADを 含む終末期医療の現状 と将来性 を考えるため,探 索的グループ ・インタビューを企画 し,透 析専門医の尊厳 死, ADに 関する意識を調査 した.そ の結果,透 析医療 において,数 多 くの倫理的問題があ り,そ れに対 して,何 の 解決策 も打 ち出されていないことが明らかにされた.ま た,透 析非導入 ・中止に関 しては,医 師の使命感 ・倫理観 から,現 状では容易 に行えない と言 う意見が多 く,患 者の尊厳死に対する要望を安易 には取 り入れ られない土壌が あることも明らか となった.一 方, ADの 概念そのものに関 しては,有 用性を認める意見が圧倒的であった.以 上よ り今後のわが国の終末期医療のあ り方について,考 察 した.
Industrial static VAr compensators (SVCs) are typically applied at or near the load center to mitigate voltage fluctuations, flicker, phase unbalance, or other load-related disturbances. In this paper, a phase-to-phase "open + close" control scheme for industrial SVC is proposed. The forward loop is to guarantee short response time, while the feedback loop is to ensure good dynamics and steady characteristics of SVC. The fast compensation algorithm for asymmetric industrial loads based on instantaneous reactive power theory is used in the forward loop, while a fuzzy proportional-integral-differential control strategy is applied to the close loop. The hardware and software of this SVC control system is developed based on SIMATIC-TDC and WinCC; the former is the most modern but well-proven industrial controller, while the latter is the globally used human machine interface system. Many industrial applications show that this kind of control system can meet the strict performance and reliability requirements of industrial SVCs.
The corrosion resistance of implant alloys was investigated by anodic polarization measurements in a pseudo physiological solution. Role of alloying elements in passive film formed on implant alloys by the anodic polarization was also examined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Passivity zones of SUS316L stainless steel and Co-Cr alloys are narrow, and a rapid increase in the current density is observed from a low potential as compared to Ti alloys. The passive current density of Ti-15%Zr-4%Nb-2%Ta-0.2%Pd alloy (mass%) is very low. Effects of protein and dissolved oxygen with 90%N 2 + 5%CO 2 + 5% O 2 gas bubbling on anodic polarization curves are not detected. The passive film formed on the Ti-6%Al-4% V extra low interstitial alloy consists mainly of TiO2, A1 2 O 3 and small amounts of V oxide. Passive films on the Ti-15%Zr-4%Nb-2%Ta-0.2%Pd and Ti-15% Sn-4%Nb-2%Ta-0.2%Pd alloys consist of TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , SnO 2 , Nb 2 O 5 , Ta 2 O 5 and PdO or Pd. XPS spectra from the Co-Cr alloy and SUS316L stainless steel show peaks of Cr2O3, CoO, Fe oxide, Mo oxide, Ni, Co, Fe, Mo and Cr. As Ni, V and Co are strong cytotoxic elements, it was found that biocompatibility of SUS 316L, Co-Cr, Ti-6%Al-4% V ELI alloys become lesser after a long time use in the living body. The thickness of the passive film on Ti alloys is thinner than that of Co-Cr alloy. Passive film formed on the Ti-15%Zr-4%Nb-2%Ta-0.2%Pd alloy is strong and stable.
Sebaceous carcinoma of the ocular adnexa is a rare malignant neoplasm. These lesions have high morbidity and mortality owing to clinical resemblance with benign and non-neoplastic lesions. A female presenting with a painless lower lid mass masquerading a chalazion, showed loose cohesive clusters of tumour cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, conspicuous nucleoli and foamy finely vacuolated cytoplasm on Fine needle aspiration cytology smears and cell block, corroborating to the diagnosis of Sebaceous carcinoma. The awareness of cytomorphological features of this lesion can facilitate early diagnosis and subsequent appropriate surgical management to prevent recurrence and metastasis.
Left ventricular noncompaction/hypertrabeculation is a condition which is characterized by a highly trabeculated, “spongy” myocardium. It can present at any age with heart failure, arrhythmia and/or thromboembolic events. A wide variety of mutations have been found to be a cause of hypertrabeculation and it is possible that there is a continuum of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy and hypertrabeculation/noncompaction. We present a case of left ventricular hypertrabeculation which presented as sudden infant death syndrome and we propose that this entity may be a hidden cause of arrhythmic death in some infants presenting as sudden infant death syndrome.
Diagnostic ultrasound, a non-invasive mode for imaging soft tissues, requires for its use an understanding of sound and sound-tissue interaction physics. Ultrasound frequencies from 1.0 to 10.0 MHz are created by electrical stimulation of piezoelectric crystals. These crystals are housed within transducers, which, when applied to the body surface with a coupling agent will produce sound waves, referred to as the sound beam, which are propagated through the soft tissues of the body. When the sound beam encounters tissue interfaces of differing acoustic impedance, a portion of the sound beam is reflected back to the transducer which also acts as a receiver. Echoes returning from soft tissue acoustic interfaces are converted to electrical impulses and displayed on an oscilloscope screen as a cross section of the tissue. Lower frequency sound beams penetrate further into soft tissue, but have poorer resolving capabilities, than higher frequency sound beams.    A, B, and M-modes are the three basic forms of ultrasound used in soft tissue imaging. A-mode ultrasonic imaging is a one-dimensional display of echo amplitudes versus distance. B-mode ultrasonic imaging produces an accurate two-dimensional cross sectional image of soft tissues. M-mode ultrasonic imaging is an adaptation of B-mode to evaluate moving structures of the heart.    Fluid-filled cystic structures have characteristic clear (anechoic) central areas with acoustic enhancement of the back wall of the cyst and deeper structures. Solid masses have echoes in their central portion with resultant poor accentuation of deeper structures.    Application of ultrasound to animals requires hair removal since trapped air is a barrier to transmission of the sound beam. Gas-filled bowel and bone are effective barriers to ultrasonic imaging because of their large acoustic impedance differences compared to soft tissues.    The position of the focal point of a focused transducer relative to tissue interfaces is important to accurately depict tissue character. For example, the focal point of the transducer should be superficial to the back wall when scanning cystic structures. When solid lesions, such as liver metastases, are scanned a focal point that lies deep to the lesion should be selected in order to accentuate sound beam attenuation.    Time-gain compensation (TGC) settings are important to produce a balanced scan with equal echo production within like tissues throughout the depth of ultrasound tissue penetration. Initial TGC settings can be made from knowledge of the focal point of the particular transducer, but may have to be adjusted during scanning to produce a balanced image.    Ultrasound is an attractive imaging modality in animals since it is noninvasive and presents no known hazard to the operator or patient.
Sir, Dacryoadenitis is an acute condition that commonly occurs in isolation and resolves spontaneously. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that affects the eye and visual system in 50% of individuals. Dacryoadenitis as the primary presentation of SLE is quite unusual. An 18-year-old adolescent girl of Asian origin presented with two weeks’ history of painless right upper lid swelling localized to the lacrimal gland fossa (Figure 1(a)). The swelling varied in size over two weeks. It was associated with lateral conjunctival and episcleral redness but no visual disturbance. She denied any other systemic manifestation. Her visual acuity was 6/6 in both eyes. Extraocular movements were normal. The swelling was soft, not tender and partially mobile. Clinical examination of the head and neck was unremarkable. Gross examination revealed a salmon patch appearance of the conjunctiva (Figure 1(b)). Examination of the anterior and posterior segments was normal in both eyes. Laboratory investigations revealed normal blood counts. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was elevated (77mm/hour). Liver function tests, bone profile, electrolytes profile, C-reactive protein, and initial urine protein/ creatinine ratio were all normal. Complements C3 and C4 were low. Further immune work-up revealed positive results for antinuclear antibodies (ANA), high anti-double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) antibody, positive extractable nuclear antigens (antiribonuclear proteins (RNP)) and anti-Smith antigen, and strongly positive antiribosomal P antibody. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was consistent with characteristics of a soft-tissue mass arising from the right lacrimal gland, extending posteriorly to the extraconal space, molding around the lateral rectus muscle (arrow, Figure 1(c)). Histopathology (hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain) (Figure 1(d)) showed conjunctival mucosa with a dense band-like subepithelial inflammatory cell infiltrate (long arrow) and dense inflammatory aggregates in the stroma (short arrows). Higher magnification showed nonnecrotizing granulomas formed of lymphocytes and histiocytes. The granulomas surrounded blood vessels and nerves (asterisks). Such histopathological findings were consistent with the diagnosis of SLE. Computed tomography (CT) of the neck/chest/abdomen revealed generalized lymphadenopathy. She was treated with methylprednisolone and azathioprine with complete resolution of the lacrimal gland swelling. Ocular manifestations of SLE include keratoconjunctivitis sicca, scleral inflammatory disease, cranial nerve palsies, optic neuropathy, uveitis, orbital inflammation, retinal hemorrhages and vasculitis. Dacryoadenitis has been reported in Wegener’s granulomatosis, infectious mononucleosis, mumps, mononucleosis but not in SLE. Lupus erythematosus may masquerade as an idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome. Lacrimal gland involvement occurs in about 25% of patients with idiopathic orbital inflammatory disease. The other differential diagnosis of acute dacryoadenitis includes ruptured dermoid cyst and malignant lacrimal gland tumors; both were ruled out by clinical and histopathology findings. Sarcoidosis was excluded by blood tests and CT scans. SLE is characterized by B-lymphocyte hyperactivity, hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibody formation and immune complex deposition, leading to end organ damage. Our patient had strongly positive laboratory evidence of an autoimmune disorder (positive ANA, high anti-nuclear-DNA antibody and positive extractable nuclear antigens). The diagnosis of SLE was confirmed by histopathology. To our knowledge this is the first case in which acute dacryoadenitis presented as an initial manifestation in a case of SLE and responded to immunosuppressive therapy. Approval was sought from the university and departmental ethical board. Informed and written consent was obtained from the patient for use of her electronic patient record and images for research purposes.
This study aims to determine the relevance of Islamic and customary law in Bali with acts of domestic violence, which are related to Law No. 23/2004. This research is a qualitative study with a normative juridical approach, through literature studies and exploration methods from secondary data. The objects examined in this study are Balinese Customary Law, Islamic Law, and Law No. 23/2004 concerning the Elimination of Domestic Violence. The case object in this study originated from several cases of domestic violence in Bali. The results of the study showed that domestic violence increased every year, where the majority of victims were women. Several factors cause cases to occur, where the Balinese tradition with the patrilineal system is an important factor that creates a gap between men and women. Referring to Islamic and customary law in Bali does not explicitly explain the rules and sanctions related to internal violence. However, this local regulation still does not justify the existence of acts of violence in the household by applicable law.
Information avoidance is a little studied phenomenon of interest to researchers and practitioners in both the health and information science fields. Early research considered information avoidance to be a personality trait: people were either monitors or blunters. However, questions remain as to why, how and under what conditions people avoid information. This poster describes an experimental user study currently in progress that aims to identify ways in which people in situations of stress and anxiety interact with online health information material. The study examines the effects of coping style and need for cognition, individual differences that may be linked to information seeking and avoidance. This study focuses on the responses of participants exposed to hypothetical scenarios regarding stressful health difficulties, when they are faced with different types of information related to the condition.
Abstract: The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) has well-developed keratinized dental pads at the most rostral aspect of their mouth to assist with mastication. This unique development is thought to be an adaptive response to their highly abrasive diets that contain phytoliths and sediments that may accelerate dental wear. In May 2013, two Florida manatees presented with multiple fractures in their inferior dental pads. The fractures were successfully managed with nutritional modifications, dental pad trimming, and vigilant monitoring through behavioral husbandry training. Signs of spontaneous healing were observed as early as 60 days after initial presentation with subsequent full resolution. Although surgical intervention was planned, the spontaneous healing mitigated significant health risks associated with the procedure. To the authors' knowledge, these are the first reported cases of dental pad fractures and their spontaneous healing and resolution in manatees.
Abstract Carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZymes) are not only the most important enzymes for bioenergy and agricultural industries, but also very important for human health, in that human gut microbiota encode hundreds of CAZyme genes in their genomes for degrading various dietary and host carbohydrates. We have built an online database dbCAN-seq (http://cys.bios.niu.edu/dbCAN_seq) to provide pre-computed CAZyme sequence and annotation data for 5,349 bacterial genomes. Compared to the other CAZyme resources, dbCAN-seq has the following new features: (i) a convenient download page to allow batch download of all the sequence and annotation data; (ii) an annotation page for every CAZyme to provide the most comprehensive annotation data; (iii) a metadata page to organize the bacterial genomes according to species metadata such as disease, habitat, oxygen requirement, temperature, metabolism; (iv) a very fast tool to identify physically linked CAZyme gene clusters (CGCs) and (v) a powerful search function to allow fast and efficient data query. With these unique utilities, dbCAN-seq will become a valuable web resource for CAZyme research, with a focus complementary to dbCAN (automated CAZyme annotation server) and CAZy (CAZyme family classification and reference database).
Web service has developed the managed IoT application to let connected devices easily and securely interact with cloud applications and other devices. As an important factor for web service, the reliability of web services refers to the probability of web service running success. For modeling web service composition, we should abstract the process of web service composition. Due to the diversity and complexity of web service composition, it is unlikely to do exhaustive testing. In order to improve the quality of web service composition test cases and find out which path leads to the greatest probability of service combination failure, heuristic test case generation method is adopted to obtain the optimal test path. First, the web service composition test is abstracted into the MDP model. The QoS of the web service composition is taken as the software test optimization goal, and the cross‐entropy strategy is used to optimize the test case. The experimental results show that the test profile given by the cross‐strategy is better than the random test strategy. Detect and exclude the same number of software defects. Cross‐entropy strategy can significantly reduce the number of test cases, reduce test costs, and improve defect detection efficiency.
ABSTRACT Greenways are multi-objective planning tools for sustainable development that take several criteria into account. In order to resolve the conflicts among objectives, greenway planning requires advanced strategies for decision-making processes and techniques. To aid in this, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) systems have significant capacity to analytically prioritize and select alternatives. This research develops a strategy for defining, prioritizing and selecting greenway alternatives with the support of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) based on an empirical study in the urban region of Trabzon (Turkey). The study finds that AHP has promising capacity to analytically prioritize alternatives and rationally select the best alternative.
Objective To search the main points of clinical therapy and nursing for infective raw surface by suction wound closure therapy. Methods 1To treat infective raw surface by vacuum sealing drainage dressing. Observe the clinical therapy and nursing efficacy. Results From November 2008 to October 2010,thirty patients of infective raw surface were treated by this method. The good function and certain result were achieved. The clinical therapy and nursing results were satisfactory with no complications. Conclusion Treatment of infective raw surface by suction wound closure therapy is an ideal and effective method for the management of infective raw surface. Intimate nursing observation and drainage tube administration are the key points of nursing.    Key words:  Suction wound closure therapy; Raw surface; Nursing
This research demonstrates in a documented manner the continuity in the direct male line, from father to son, of the Da Vinci family starting with Michele (XIV century) to fourteen living descendants through twenty-one generations and four different branches, which from the XV generation (Tommaso), in turn generate other line branches. Such results are eagerly awaited from an historical viewpoint, with the correction of the previous Da Vinci trees (especially Uzielli, 1872, and Smiraglia Scognamiglio, 1900) which reached down to and hinted at the XVI generation (with several errors and omissions), and an update on the living.Like the surname, male heredity connects the history of registry records with biological history along separate lineages. Because of this, the present genealogy, which spans almost seven hundred years, can be used to verify, by means of the most innovative technologies of molecular biology, the unbroken transmission of the Y chromosome (through the living descendants and ancient tombs, even if with some small variations due to time) with a view to confirming the recovery of Leonardo’s Y marker. This will make available useful elements to scientifically explore the roots of his genius, to find information on his physical prowess and on his possibly precocious ageing, on his being left-handed and his health and possible hereditary sicknesses, and to explain certain peculiar sensory perceptions, like his extraordinary visual quality and synesthesia.  Open Access to this article is  sponsored by the Leonardo Da Vinci DNA Project, Inc.
One of the substantial sources of systematic errors in neutrino oscillation experiments that utilize neutrinos from accelerator sources stems from a lack of precision in modeling single-pion production (SPP). Oscillation analyses rely on Monte Carlo event generators (MC), providing theoretical predictions of neutrino interactions on nuclear targets. Pions produced in these processes provide a significant fraction of oscillation signal and background on both elementary scattering and detector simulation levels. Thus, it is of critical importance to develop techniques that will allow us to accommodate state-of-the-art theoretical models describing SPP into MCs.  In this work, we investigate various algorithms to implement single-pion production models in Monte Carlo event generators. Based on comparison studies, we propose a novel implementation strategy that combines satisfactory efficiency with high precision in reproducing details of theoretical models predictions, including pion angular distributions. The proposed implementation is model-independent, thereby providing a framework that can include any model for SPP. We have tested the new algorithm with the Ghent Low Energy Model for single-pion production implemented in the NuWro Monte Carlo event generator.
BACKGROUND: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) offers a minimally invasive treatment modality for appropriately selected intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Recent reports have described the development of rare, delayed chronic encapsulated expanding hematomas (CEEHs) at the site of an angiographically confirmed obliterated AVM. OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the incidence, characteristics, and management of CEEH in patients with AVM after SRS. METHODS: The records of all patients who underwent SRS for an intracranial AVM at 4 institutions participating in the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation between 1987 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Data regarding characteristics of the AVM, SRS treatment parameters, CEEH presentation, management, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Among 5430 patients, 15 developed a CEEH at a crude incidence of 0.28%. Nine patients were female, and the mean age was 43 ± 14.6 years. Nine patients underwent surgical evacuation, while 6 were managed conservatively. The median CEEH development latency was 106 months after SRS. The patients were followed for a median of 32 months, and 9 patients improved clinically, while 6 patients remained stable. No intraoperative complications were reported after CEEH resection, although 1 patient recovered from postoperative meningitis requiring intravenous antibiotics. CONCLUSION: CEEH is a rare, late complication of AVM SRS with an incidence of 0.28% and a median latency of 106 months. In the presence of a delayed and symptomatic expanding hematoma in the bed of an angiographically obliterated AVM, surgical resection resulted in clinical improvement in most patients. Conservative management is possible in asymptomatic patients with stable, small-sized hematomas in deeply seated locations.
In his article on pre-mortal provision in the BMJ of 2 June, Douglas Black shows his customary wisdom when he points out that, in making a living will, it is not possible to be sure that convictions will remain unchanged.1 How right he is, as I now know to my own satisfaction and happiness.  At noon on January 12 this year I began to experience pain in the right iliac fossa, which quickly crescendoed. I lay on the sofa and applied the 13 questions required for the elucidation of any pain of unclear origin.2 On examination there was tenderness on release. Appendicitis and Meckel's diverticulitis could be excluded because both had been operated on in 1970. The pain …
IT has been reported that there are changes in tolerance to an oral glucose load at different times in the menstrual cycle (Jarrett and Graver, 1968). Tolerance is greatest in the early part of the cycle when oestrogen production is at its lowest level. Because of the findings of impaired carbohydrate tolerance in women who were taking preparations containing oestrogen or oestrogen combined with progestogens (Gershberg et al., 1964; Buchler and Warren, 1966; Spellacy and Carlson, 1966; Wynn and Doar, 1966; Posner et al., 1967a and b; Javier et al., 1968) it was suggested that variations in endogenous oestrogen production in the normal menstrual cycle might be associated with changes in carbohydrate tolerance (Jarrett and Graver, 1968). Recently it has been reported that there are cyclical variations in the fasting level of plasma amino acids in normal women (Craft and Wise, 1969). The levels are lowest in the secretory phase of the cycle when progesterone levels are at their highest. It therefore seemed of interest to see whether there are variations in amino acid tolerance at different phases of the menstrual cycle in normal women. We reported here variations in tolerance to an oral and intravenous load of the amino acid glycine in a small group of healthy women.
When people are in dispute with their neighbours, there are multiple routes to resolution and different services have a range of remits to support it. This article explores how noise complaints are reported to dispute resolution mediation and local council environmental services in the UK. A collection of 315 recorded telephone calls were transcribed and analysed using discursive psychology, underpinned by conversation analytic methods. Analysis focused on how the same kinds of noise complaint were formulated for the remit and provision of the service called. In mediation calls, callers directly attributed the source of the noise to the agent of its production (e.g., “it’s about the neighbour”). However, reference to ‘the neighbour’ was typically omitted (at least initially) in calls to environmental health services (e.g., “I need to speak to someone about disturbance”). This comparative analysis of different settings reveals the significance of service remit for the design of complaints and the relevance of attributing cause in making a case for aid. Comparing two settings provides a propitious opportunity to demonstrate that noise is not a physically objective phenomena or neutral category, but institutionally formulated social conduct.
The association of Wilms tumor (WT) and vertebral disorders, such as hemivertebrae or fusion anomalies, have been described in literature. Here, we report a rare association of butterfly T3, T8 vertebrae and a T2, T7 hemivertebrae in a patient with WT, determined during initial examinations of tumoral extension. In patients with WT, investigation of vertebral malformations should be a part of diagnostic work-up.
Plants that hyperaccumulate Ni exhibit an exceptional degree of Ni tolerance and the ability to translocate Ni in large amounts from root to shoot. In hyperaccumulator plants in the genus Alyssum, free His is an important Ni binding ligand that increases in the xylem proportionately to root Ni uptake. To determine the molecular basis of the His response and its contribution to Ni tolerance, transcripts representing seven of the eight enzymes involved in His biosynthesis were investigated in the hyperaccumulator species Alyssum lesbiacum by RNA gel blot analysis. None of the transcripts changed in abundance in either root or shoot tissue when plants were exposed to Ni, but transcript levels were constitutively higher in A. lesbiacum than in the congeneric nonaccumulator A. montanum, especially for the first enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway, ATP-phosphoribosyltransferase (ATP-PRT). Comparison with the weak hyperaccumulator A. serpyllifolium revealed a close correlation between Ni tolerance, root His concentration, and ATP-PRT transcript abundance. Overexpression of an A. lesbiacum ATP-PRT cDNA in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana increased the pool of free His up to 15-fold in shoot tissue, without affecting the concentration of any other amino acid. His-overproducing lines also displayed elevated tolerance to Ni but did not exhibit increased Ni concentrations in either xylem sap or shoot tissue, suggesting that additional factors are necessary to recapitulate the complete hyperaccumulator phenotype. These results suggest that ATP-PRT expression plays a major role in regulating the pool of free His and contributes to the exceptional Ni tolerance of hyperaccumulator Alyssum species.
The prevalence at birth of congenital malformations in Athens was studied in a sample of 74,390 live and stillborn infants, born to women attending a large University Maternity Hospital during 1955--1965. A total of 1534 malformed infants was identified (20.62 per 1000 newborn). The prevalence of anencephalus and spina bifida is lower in Athens than in the United Kingdom, whereas the frequency of other malformations in rather similar in the two countries.
Abstract Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is an incretin hormone secreted by endocrine K-cells in response to nutrient absorption. This study has utilised numerous well-characterised dipeptidyl peptidase IV-resistant GIP analogues to evaluate the glucagonotropic actions of GIP in Wistar rats and isolated rat islets. Intraperitoneal administration of GIP analogues (25 nmol/kg body weight) in combination with glucose had no effect on circulating glucagon concentrations compared to controls in Wistar rats. However, plasma glucose concentrations were significantly (p<0.05 to p<0.001) lowered by the GIP-receptor agonists, N-AcGIP, GIP(Lys37)PAL and N-AcGIP(Lys37)PAL. The GIP antagonist, (Pro3)GIP, caused a significant (p<0.05) reduction in glucagon levels following concurrent administration with saline in Wistar rats. In isolated rat islets native GIP induced a significant (p<0.01) enhancement of glucagon release at basal glucose concentrations, which was completely annulled by (Pro3)GIP. Furthermore, glucagon release in the presence of GLP-1, GIP(Lys37)PAL, N-AcGIP(Lys37)PAL and (Pro3)GIP was significantly (p<0.05 to p<0.001) decreased compared to native GIP in isolated rat islets. These data indicate a modest effect of GIP on glucagon secretion from isolated rat islets, which was not observed in vivo. However, the GIP agonists N-AcGIP, GIP(Lys37)PAL and N-AcGIP(Lys37)PAL had no effect on glucagon release demonstrating an improved therapeutic potential for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Should the temperature be continuously high and the vital powers undergoing rapid exhaustion, antistreptococcic serum, or even normal blood serum, may be injected. The patient's strength must be kept up by means of quinine and alcoholic stimulants. When complicated with cerebral or cerebellar abscess, the abscess should be opened through an aperture in the bone as far as possible from the sigmoid sinus. When complicated with meningitis, lumbar puncture may be performed. If there are pus cells or cocci in the fluid, no further operation should be attempted. In the absence of these the meningitis is probably of the serous form, and likely to subside after operation on the sinus. Metastatic abscesses must be opened as they arise.
In this paper, a new kind of symmetry and its conserved quantities of a mechanical system in the phase space are studied. The definition of this new symmetry, i.e., the Lie-Mei symmetry is presented, and the criterion of this new symmetry is also given. The generalized Hojman and the Mei conserved quantities of the Lie-Mei symmetry of the system are obtained. An example is given to illustrative the application of the result.
Immunization is toddler disease prevention program. Immunization in toddler expects each toddler to receive five types of basic immunization. Toddler health must be well-guided so that they can know the process of growth and inhibition of toddler growth from an early age. Maos Health Center is one of the health centers located in Cilacap. At present the administration system for child health services for toddler immunization programs is still done conventionally (paper based) which can lead to several problems, including: if the check up card is damaged / lost the toddler medical history cannot be known and is difficult to trace, the immunization schedule at each stage is not can be ascertained by the mother (lost control), the toddler track record of growth cannot be known at any time, if growth is not good in accordance with the normal limits of growth of children in general, then consultation with a doctor must be done directly and of course it takes time and cost.As an alternative to overcome existing problems, it is necessary to develop an information system care service on Mobile Based. Based on the results of research that has been carried out by the system testing, 64% of respondents stated strongly agree that with the existence of information systems, the management of the administration of toddler immunization can be more organized, the toddler immunization schedule is more controlled, the normal growth limit of toddlers can be known through E-KMS, consultation between mothers and doctors can be done online so that it can save time and money, mothers can monitor the track record of the growth of her toddler at any time by using a computer (web based) or using a smartphone (mobile based).
In this paper, we obtain the long-time asymptotics of complex mKdV equation via Defit-Zhou method (Nonlinear steepest descent method). The Cauchy problem of complex mKdV equation is transformed into the corresponding Riemann-Hilbert problem on the basis of the Lax pair and the scattering matrix. After that Riemann-Hilbert problems are converted through a decomposition of the matrix-valued spectral function and factorizations of the jump matrix for Riemann-Hilbert problem. Finally, by solving the last model problem, the long-time asymptotics of complex mKdV equation are derived.
In contrast to other vertebrates, some anchovies have cone photoreceptors with longitudinally oriented outer segment lamellae. These photoreceptors are axially dichroic (i.e., they are sensitive to the polarization of axially incident light) and form the basis of a polarization detection system in the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax. Whether other cone types exist in the retina of this animal, and whether multiple cone opsins are expressed in the retinas of anchovies, is unknown. Likewise, a detailed examination of photoreceptor ultrastructure in nondichroic photoreceptors has not been carried out despite its importance to understand visual specializations within the retina and its use in the formulation of models to explain cellular structure. Here, I combined light and electron microscopy with immunohistochemical studies of opsin expression to infer mechanisms of lamellar formation and to evaluate the potential for color vision in the northern anchovy retina. Morphological observations revealed three cone formations: 1) continuous rows made up of alternating long and short (bilobed) cones with longitudinally oriented lamellae that are orthogonal between cone types; 2) continuous rows of alternating long and short cones in which only the short cones have longitudinally oriented lamellae; and 3) rows of triple cones with transversely oriented lamellae, each triple cone consisting of two lateral cones flanking a small central cone. Ultrastructure investigations supported two models of outer segment formation resulting in the longitudinally oriented lamellae of long and short cones. In the case of the long cone, lateral compression of the outer segment, potentially via the formation of guanine platelet stacks in neighboring pigment epithelium cells, results in a shape transformation from conical to cunate and a tilt from transverse to longitudinal lamellae. In the case of the short (bilobed) cone, membrane invaginations from the connecting ciliary structure grow longitudinally to form a dichroic stack. Opsin expression studies indicated that all cones express middle‐to‐long wavelength opsins, with long and lateral cones possessing a different opsin from that in short and central cones, confirming the potential for color vision. Together with the ultrastructural observations, these results suggest that the unique cone topography in the northern anchovy retina may underlie a visual system with segregated color and polarization detection channels. J. Comp. Neurol. 519:714–737, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The kinetics of the formation of 1:1 complex of chromium(III) with ethylenediaminetetra-3-propinate (EDTP) was followed spectrophotometrically at lmax = 557 nm. The reaction was found to be first order in chromium(III) and was accelerated by EDTP. Increasing the pH from 3.3 to 4.7 accelerated the reaction rate, the reaction rate was retarded by increasing ionic strength and dielectric constant of the reaction medium. A mechanism was suggested to account for the results obtained which involves ion pair formation between the various species of the reactants. Values of the activation parameters obtained indicate an associative mechanism.
Evolutionary Computer Vision (ECV) is a recent research area devoted to the study of artificial vision through evolutionary and genetic computing approaches. 1. Computer vision as a scientific discipline is concerned with the theory and technology for building artificial systems that obtain information from images or multi-dimensional data. 2. Evolutionary computation is a research field of computational intelligence devoted to the study and application of artificial evolution to develop problem solving systems. slide #2
Seven cases of rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm into the inferior vena cava are reported. In the management of this rare condition it is important to make the diagnosis preoperatively. Most cases show evidence of a large arteriovenous fistula which can, on occasions, dominate the clinical picture, e.g. cyanosed lower extremities or cardiac failure, but abdominal pain is the major feature. Careful examination of all patients with a ruptured aneurysm, particularly listening for an abdominal bruit, will usually allow the diagnosis of aortocaval rupture to be made.
While thousands of international treaties have been concluded, it remains unclear whether they have been implemented. This article investigates the relationship between the conclusion of environment-related international treaties and the adoption of domestic environmental legislation. Thanks to data sets that are considerably more comprehensive and fine-grained than those previously used, we can analyze the direct link to environmental legislation rather than the less direct link to environmental outcomes. Moreover, we can disaggregate for specific environmental issue areas. Our results suggest a positive relationship between domestic environmental legislation with both international environmental agreements and preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with environmental provisions. This link is more robust for PTAs, mostly present in developing countries, more pronounced before rather than after the treaties’ entry into force, and shows significant variation depending on the issue area. These findings contribute to the literature on environmental regime effectiveness and the domestic impact of treaties.
Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs) present a promising tool for regenerative medicine. However, ex vivo expansion is necessary to obtain sufficient cells for clinical therapy. Conventional growth media usually contain the critical component fetal bovine serum. For clinical use, chemically defined media will be required. In this study, the capability of two commercial, chemically defined, serum-free hMSC growth media (MSCGM-CD and PowerStem) for hMSC proliferation was examined and compared to serum-containing medium (MSCGM). Immunophenotyping of hMSCs was performed using flow cytometry, and they were tested for their ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types. Although the morphology of hMSCs cultured in the different media differed, immunophenotyping displayed similar marker patterns (high expression of CD29, CD44, CD73, and CD90 cell surface markers and absence of CD45). Interestingly, the expression of CD105 was significantly lower for hMSCs cultured in MSCGM-CD compared to MSCGM. Both groups maintained mesenchymal multilineage differentiation potential. In conclusion, the serum-free growth medium is suitable for hMSC culture and comparable to its serum-containing counterpart. As the expression of CD105 has been shown to positively influence hMSC cardiac regenerative potential, the impact of CD105 expression onto clinical use after expansion in MSCGM-CD will have to be tested.
Magnetic resonance imaging with tissue tagging is a noninvasive technique for measuring three-dimensional motion and deformation in the human heart. Tags are regions of tissue whose longitudinal magnetization has been altered before imaging so that they appear dark in subsequent magnetic resonance images. They then move with the underlying tissue and serve as easily identifiable landmarks within the heart for the detailed detection of motion. Many different motion and strain parameters can be determined from tagged magnetic resonance imaging. Strain components that are based on a high density of tag data, such as circumferential and longitudinal shortening, or parameters that are combinations of multiple strain components, have highest measurement precision and tightest normal ranges. The pattern of three-dimensional motion and strain in the heart is important clinically, because it reflects the basic mechanical function of the myocardium at both local and global levels. Localized abnormalities can be detected and quantified if the pattern of deformation in a given heart is compared to the normal range for that region, because normal motion and strain in the left ventricle is spatially heterogeneous. Contraction strains typically are greatest in the anterior and lateral walls and increase toward the apex. The direction of greatest contraction lies along a counter clockwise helix from base to apex (viewed from the base) and approximates the epicardial muscle fiber direction. This fiber geometry also results in long-axis torsion during systole. Ejection is accomplished primarily by radially inward motion of the endocardium and by descent of the base toward the apex during systole.
The present work is devoted to analyze high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure capabilities for aircraft engine aeroacoustics problems solving at Perm State University. We explore here the ability to develop new computational aeroacoustics methods/solvers for computer-aided engineering (CAE) systems to handle complicated industrial problems of engine noise prediction. Leading aircraft engine engineering company, including “UEC-Aviadvigatel” JSC (our industrial partners in Perm, Russia), require that methods/solvers to optimize geometry of aircraft engine for fan noise reduction. We analysed Perm State University HPC-hardware resources and software services to use efficiently. The performed results demonstrate that Perm State University HPC-infrastructure are mature enough to face out industrial-like problems of development CAE-system with HPC-method and CFD-solvers.
This article considers the implication of digital trends in Deaf historical scholarship. I argue that these methodological approaches hold great promise for fostering new interpretations of the historical record and for broadening access to resources. My digital history project, the Church Mission to Deaf-Mutes, 1873–1879, serves as a springboard for a discussion on the use of digital methods to explore geospatial deaf histories.
For better understanding of the partial melting and melt segregation processes in the upper mantle, we have studied the layered structure of a peridotite mass in Hokkaido, Japan. The layering is characterized by wavy and oscillatory patterns both in terms of bulk rock and mineral chemistry. From the observed linear trends in bulk rock chemistry, we have concluded that such layering was caused by segregation of partial melt in the mantle. Considering the geological and geochemical data, a physical model of melt segregation in the gravity field is put forward. Because permeable flow is strongly coupled with solid creep and compaction, magma waves may be generated by a fluid dynamic oscillation in a partially molten, ascending mantle. A vertical chemical stratification may thus be obtained, starting from a homogeneous mantle. According to the hypothesis, the most depleted part, dunite, is a residue of partial melting, and the least depleted part, plagioclase Iherzolite, represents a melt accumulation region. The partial melt involved was probably picritic in composition.
119 Swedish children were followed from their first year of life up to the age of 8. Most could be classified according to (a) type of day-care they had experienced during their first 7 years of life and (b) time of first entrance into day-care. At 8 years, the children were tested with aptitude tests and rated by their teachers on school performance and social and personal development. Hierarchical regression analyses and MANCOVAs were used in the statistical treatment. Time of entrance into day-care predicted children's cognitive and socioemotional development, controlling for sex and home background. Children with early day-care (entrance before the age of 1) were generally rated more favorably and performed better than children with late entrance or home care. There was a tendency for early center care to predict a more favorable outcome than other care.
BACKGROUND Thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonist, Lusutrombopag, is recently released to treat thrombocytopenia in chronic liver disease (CLD). However, its effectiveness remains to be unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the efficacy of Lusutrombopag and identify the predictors associated with platelet count increase.   METHODS Eighty CLD patients with thrombocytopenia were enrolled. The primary endpoint was the Lusutrombopag effect, which is the proportion of cases satisfying following; the platelet increase was enough (with an increase of greater than 1.0 × 104/μL from at baseline) and platelet transfusion was not required. The secondary endpoints were the response rate (which showed an increase of greater than 1.0 × 104/μL from at baseline), independent predictors of increased platelets, and the superiority of Lusutrombopag over platelet transfusion.   RESULTS The primary endpoint was 93.8% (75 of 80 patients). The response rate was 96.2% (77 of 80). Factors indicative of renal function (BUN, creatinine, eGFR) significantly and negatively correlated with increase in platelets (p = 0.033, 0.049, 0.0014, respectively), and were also identified as independent predictors by multiple regression analysis (p = 0.049, 0.0023, 0.0016, respectively). The median increase in platelet count after Lusutrombopag was significantly higher than that after platelet transfusion (41000 vs. 12000 /μL, p = 0.015).   CONCLUSION This study revealed that Lusutrombopag was more sufficiently effective in CLD patients compared with platelet transfusion and that renal function is independent predictor of increase. Factors indicative of renal function significantly and negatively correlated with increase in platelets.
This article reexamines the historical implications of Philippine independence politics in the first half of the 1930s. It looks into the reactions of Filipino elites toward the grave plight of Filipino migrants in the United States and the anti-Filipino riots there. Exclusion measures intended to bar the entry of Filipino migrants to the United States made it virtually impossible for Filipino elites to discuss these issues and confront American racism in their formal negotiations with the Americans. The absence of such confrontation left the benevolence of US colonialism unchallenged, even as the Philippines took a step closer to political independence.
Hydronephrosis has been reported in several exotic mammalian species (Fisher 2006). In the Chinese hamster (Cricetulus griseus), hydronephrosis has been reported in association with diabetes mellitus (Benjamin & Brooks 1977, Dail et al. 1977). A 1·5-year-old, entire male Campbell’s hamster (Phodopus campbelli) was presented with a 4-day history of diarrhoea and weakness. On physical examination, the hamster was depressed and in poor body condition. A fluid-filled mass was palpated in the caudal abdomen. Abdominal ultrasound revealed hydronephrosis in both kidneys and a dilated urinary bladder (Fig 1). Urinary obstruction with secondary bilateral hydronephrosis was suspected. The urinary bladder was successfully expressed under general anaesthesia. However, euthanasia was elected and a post-mortem examination did not reveal any causes for urinary obstruction. Aerobic and anaerobic cultures of fluid from the urinary bladder and right renal pelvis were positive for Klebsiella oxytoca. Although diarrhoea is a common complaint in pet rodents, an assumption that it is of gastrointestinal origin should not be made until a physical examination and additional diagnostics are performed as warranted. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case of bilateral hydronephrosis with concurrent urinary tract infection in a Campbell’s hamster (P. campbelli).
Aldosterone is a homeostatic hormone, rising in volume depletion, sodium deficiency, and potassium loading, in response to angiotensin11 and elevation of plasma potassium. Pathophysiologically, in primary aldosteronism (PA) aldosterone levels are inappropriate for the patient’s sodium and potassium status, and thus outside the normal feedback loop. ACTH is equivalent with A11 and [K+] in elevating aldosterone: its effects differ from those of the other secretagogues in four ways. First, it is not sustained; second, it raises aldosterone and cortisol secretion with equal potency; third, it is outside the normal feedback loops, reflecting the epithelial action of aldosterone; and finally its possible role in driving inappropriate aldosterone secretion (aka PA) is not widely recognized. Thirty years ago, it was shown that on a fixed sodium intake of 175 meq/day 36 of 100 unselected hypertensives, in whom PA has been excluded on contemporary criteria, had 24 h urinary aldosterone levels above the upper limit of normotensive controls. More recently, the dexamethasone enhanced fludrocortisone suppression test (FDST) showed 29% of unselected hypertensives to have plasma aldosterone concentrations above the upper limit of normotensive controls. In subjects negative for PA on the FDST, 27% were extremely hyper-responsive to ultra-low dose ACTH infusion; the remaining 73% showed minimal aldosterone elevation, as did normotensive controls: all three groups had negligible cortisol responses. On treadmill testing, no differences were found between groups in (minimally altered) ACTH and cortisol levels: hyper-responders to ultra-low ACTH, however, showed a major elevation in PAC. The implications of these studies, when validated, are substantial for PA, in that approximately half of hypertensive patients appear to show inappropriate aldosterone levels for their sodium status. The physiological role(s) of ACTH as an acute aldosterone secretagogue, and the mechanisms whereby its continuous secretion is curtailed, remain to be established.
The anti‐tumor immune response is considered to be due to the T‐cell receptor (TCR) binding to tumor antigens, which can be either wild‐type, early stem cell proteins, presumably foreign to a developed immune system; or mutant peptides, foreign to the immune system because of a mutant amino acid (aa) or otherwise somatically altered aa sequence. Recently, very large numbers of TCR complementarity‐determining region‐3 (CDR3) aa sequences obtained from tumor specimens have become available. We developed a novel algorithm for assessing the complementarity of tumor mutant peptides and TCR CDR3s, based on the retrieval of TCR CDR3 aa sequences from both tumor specimen and patient blood exomes and by using an automated process of assessing CDR3 and mutant aa electrical charges. Results indicated many instances where high electrostatic complementarity was associated with a higher survival rate. In particular, our approach led to the identification of specific genes contributing significantly to the complementary, TCR CDR3‐mutant aa. These results suggest a novel approach to tumor immunoscoring and may lead to the identification of high‐priority neo‐antigen, peptide vaccines; or to the identification of ex vivo stimulants of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes.
OBJECTIVE The spinal accessory nerve (SAN) is commonly used as a donor nerve for reinnervation of elbow flexors in brachial plexus injury (BPI) reconstruction. However, no study has compared the postoperative outcomes between SAN-to-musculocutaneous nerve (MCN) transfer and SAN-to-nerve to biceps (NTB) transfer. Thus, this study aimed to compare the postoperative time to recovery of elbow flexors between the two groups.   METHODS A total of 748 patients who underwent surgical treatment for BPI between 1999 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, 233 patients were treated with nerve transfer for elbow flexion. Two techniques were used to harvest the recipient nerve: the standard dissection technique and the proximal dissection technique. The postoperative motor power of elbow flexion was assessed every month for 24 months using the Medical Research Council (MRC) grading system. Survival and Cox regression analyses were used to compare the time to recovery (MRC grade ≥ 3) between the two groups.   RESULTS Of the 233 patients who underwent nerve transfer surgery, there were 162 patients in the MCN group and 71 patients in the NTB group. At 24 months after surgery, the MCN group had a success rate of 74.1%, and the NTB group had a success rate of 81.7% (p = 0.208). When compared with the MCN group, the NTB group had a significantly shorter median time to recovery (19 months vs 21 months, p = 0.013). Only 11.1% of patients in the MCN group regained MRC grade 4 or 5 motor power 24 months after nerve transfer surgery compared with 39.4% patients in the NTB group (p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that the SAN-to-NTB transfer in combination with the proximal dissection technique was the only significant factor affecting time to recovery (HR 2.33, 95% CI 1.46-3.72; p < 0.001).   CONCLUSIONS SAN-to-NTB transfer in combination with the proximal dissection technique is the preferred nerve transfer option for restoration of elbow flexion in traumatic pan-plexus palsy.
Less than 1% of the US population lives in long-term care facilities, yet this subset of the population accounts for 22% of total COVID-19 related deaths.1Because of a lack of experimental evidence to treat COVID-19, analysis of real-world data to identify causal relationships between treatments/policies to mortality and morbidity among high-risk individuals is critical. We applied causal inference (CI) analysis to longitudinal patient-level health data of 4,091 long-term care high-risk patients with COVID-19 to determine if any actions or therapies delivered from January to August of 2020 reduced COVID-19 patient mortality rates during this period.Causal inference findings determined that certain supportive care interventions caused reduced mortality rates for nursing home residents regardless of severity of disease (as measured by oxygen saturation level, presence of pneumonia and organ failure), comorbidities or social determinants of health such as race, age,and weight.2While we do not address the biological mechanisms associated with specific medical interventions and their impact on mortality, this analysis suggests methods to validate and optimize treatment protocols using domain knowledge and causal inference analysis of real-world data across patient populations and care settings.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Amyloid-β (Aβ42) is implicated in AD pathogenesis. We have designed a non-immune based proprietary therapeutic, called Amytrap, a conjugate containing a retro-inverso peptide, polyethylene glycol, and human serum albumin. Amytrap not only binds Aβ42 but also prevents and dissociates aggregated Aβ42. Amytrap binds to the region in Aβ42 known to trigger its self-aggregation, thus disrupting aggregation. We have obtained proof of concept on AmyTrap in a clinically relevant mouse model, namely, AD-APPSWE/Tg2576. We synthesized and characterized Amytrap and confirmed its authenticity. Efficacy evaluations were performed on young (5 months) and old (9 months) model mice. Amytrap was injected biweekly for a period of five months. Pharmacokinetics and safety toxicology were assessed in normal mice and rats, respectively. Post treatment, younger mice showed significant improvements in cognition and Aβ42 levels in plasma, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid, while older mice showed less significant benefits. Immunohistochemistry of brain sections showed similar differences between young and old mice. They all had diminished size and number of plaques in the brain of Amytrap-treated mice. Further, treated mice did not develop antibodies to Amytrap, suggesting Amytrap is non-immunogenic. Safety toxicological studies in rats showed that Amytrap was well tolerated and therefore safe (even at 50 X the efficacy dose). Stability tests showed Amytrap is stable at 4°C for up to one year. Efficacy and safety features make Amytrap a promising candidate for treating or modulating AD.
SPECIALISTS on all aspects of child development are well aware of the significance of the nursing infant’s first smile. The mother has been watching for it and trying to elicit it, and when it appears it is a prelude to a new life; the infant seems suddenly to have begun its social existence. Thus the first smile reassures: it bears witness to a normal psychic development. However, in reading what has been written about ‘the first smile’ one is struck by the qualifications attached to this acquisition by some authors. Thus, Spitz (1954) and Spitz and Wolf (1946), among others, performed experiments in which they made a baby smile by showing it an animated mask resembling or caricaturing the human face. The baby’s immitation, provoked by the imitation face, seemed automatic and mechanical. On this basis, the two-month-old infant’s smile has sometimes been regarded as a simple reflex. According to these authors the smile only assumes its true value at eight months when the baby directs his smile at faces which he recognises and loves. The eightmonth-old infant’s smile does indeed involve an element of choice; it does show control. It indicates that the cortex is becoming functional and is one more sign of the ‘corticalisation’ which is taking place. But does this mean that the first smile, which normally appears at six weeks, is only a reflex, a constant stereotyped The First Smile
The heat contents of cominercially available "crystulline" and "amorphous" borons were measured from 500 to 1200 tained K. in a copper block-type drop calorimeter. Equations were derived for bcth forms, and heat capacities, free-energy functions and entropies were calculated. A Debye - Einstein heat capacity equation was derived for both amorphous and crystalline boron and used for calculation of thermodynamic functions over the range 0 to 2400 tained K. (auth)
A lmost fifteen years ago Lipset (1963) anticipated the bicentennial analysis of American society in his book The First New Nation. Largely a cultural analysis, the work is concerned with explaining continuities in American cultural patterns and their initial and continuing contribution to the maintenance of this nation's dynamic equilibrium in the polity, religion, character structure, and other latency institutions. The comparative focus-and the source of the title-was primarily with African nations newly freed from colonial domination, and was largely confined to the issues of stabilization of a democratic polity. Since then, the experience of new nations of the Third World has begun to impinge seriously on our rather ethnocentric social science. To relate conventional sociology of American minorities to that experience, we must start (turning Lipset on his head) by acknowledging that first, the United States has acted as a colonial power within its current continental imits as well as its overseas territories. Second, we must realize that the dominance structures developed during that period of expansion have their own continuities and greatly affect the racial
It has become possible in Japan to use high-dose metformin for patients with type 2 diabetes. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine the effects and safety of metformin in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes. The study subjects (98 patients who were treated with metformin) were assigned into two groups: (Ⅰ) 59 patients who were younger, aged less than 65 years, and (Ⅱ) 39 patients who were elderly, aged more than 65 years. The primary endpoint was the change in glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at 12 weeks. The secondary endpoints were the safety variables, including hypoglycemic events and adverse events. Although HbA1c decreased significantly in both group Ⅰ (-0.5%) and group Ⅱ (-0.9%), the difference between the two groups in the change in HbA1c was not significant. There were no incidences of hypoglycemia or adverse events in either group. Metformin improved glycemic control in the elderly patients as well as in the non-elderly patients. It is necessary to examine what dose of metformin and serum creatinin level (Cre), eGFR is appropriate for elderly patients.
The Hungarian National Cancer Registry (HNCR) was launched in August, 1999 by the National Cancer Institute. The main goal of HNCR is to determine the prevalence of different types of malignant cancers. A new method, period analysis was invented to determine survival chances of patients with malignant tumor. Based on period analysis we developed a new method by approximating survivals of Hungarian cancer patients with the help of Gompertz distribution. Our survival analysis was based on HNCR data of patients with cancer recognized between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2005. These data are far enough from the time when HNCR started, thus they do not contain the initial errors, but also far enough from the present so their correction could be considered completed. In case of 21 malignant tumor locations for males and 23 ones for females we determined the parameters of the Gompertz distribution and based on the estimated parameters we estimated the expected survival probabilities for each specific tumor type and gender. In this study we have not used the TNM-based clinical stage or any other data of the patients contained by HNCR. Using the Gompertz model, the complete recovery of a cancer patient is always possible and the probability of recovery has a reliable estimate based on a short follow-up period only. We compared our results with five-year survival data of Canada, Italy, Norway and Finland and we did not find substantial differences. For both men and women, considering any specific location, the differences in survival among countries are much smaller than the difference between locations.
Background: Placebo response has been identified as an important factor influencing the success of adult antidepressant trials, yet little research of placebo response has been conducted in pediatric populations. Understanding disorder-specific and transdiagnostic predictors of pediatric placebo response is important in designing successful child psychopharmacological trials. Methods: A PubMed search was conducted for all pediatric antidepressant randomized controlled trials treating depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A random-effects model was utilized to examine the magnitude of placebo symptom improvement using standardized mean difference (SMD) and placebo response rates. Stratified subgroup analysis was performed by diagnostic indication. Meta-regression was utilized to search possible correlates of placebo symptom improvement and placebo response rate. Results: Thirty antidepressant trials involving 2911 participants receiving placebo were included in this meta-analysis. Magnitude of placebo improvement and placebo response rates varied significantly across disorders; being greater in depression (SMD = 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18 to 1.71) than anxiety disorders (SMD = 1.09, 95% CI: 0.77 to 1.41) and the lowest in OCD (SMD = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.32 to 1.12). Different predictors were associated with placebo response in different indications. Conclusions: Both the magnitude and predictors of placebo response in pediatric depression trials do not replicate across anxiety and OCD. Based on our results, across disorders, minimizing the number of sites might significantly reduce placebo improvement. In addition to these, we could potentially decrease the placebo response in depression trials by increasing the number of subjects enrolled per study site, minimizing the number of study visits and conducting the studies in the United States. Further research is needed into the predictors of placebo response in pediatric anxiety and OCD.
Exposure to infected poultry is a suspected cause of avian influenza (H5N1) virus infections in humans. We detected infectious droplets and aerosols during laboratory-simulated processing of asymptomatic chickens infected with human- (clades 1 and 2.2.1) and avian- (clades 1.1, 2.2, and 2.1) origin H5N1 viruses. We detected fewer airborne infectious particles in simulated processing of infected ducks. Influenza virus–naive chickens and ferrets exposed to the air space in which virus-infected chickens were processed became infected and died, suggesting that the slaughter of infected chickens is an efficient source of airborne virus that can infect birds and mammals. We did not detect consistent infections in ducks and ferrets exposed to the air space in which virus-infected ducks were processed. Our results support the hypothesis that airborne transmission of HPAI viruses can occur among poultry and from poultry to humans during home or live-poultry market slaughter of infected poultry.
In-memory computing (IMC) substantially improves the energy efficiency of deep neural network (DNNs) hardware by activating many rows together and performing analog computing. The noisy analog IMC induces some amount of accuracy drop in hardware acceleration, which is generally considered as a negative effect. However, in this work, we discover that such hardware intrinsic noise can, on the contrary, play a positive role in enhancing adversarial robustness. To achieve that, we propose a new DNN training scheme that integrates measured IMC hardware noise and aggressive partial sum quantization at the IMC crossbar. We show that this effectively improves the robustness of IMC DNN hardware against both adversarial input and weight attacks. Against black-box adversarial input attacks and bit-flip weight attacks, DNN robustness has improved by up to 10.5% (CFAR-10 accuracy) and 33.6% (number of bit-flips), respectively, compared to conventional DNNs.
We investigate waveform agile selection for dynamic target tracking under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) conditions. Our approach combines two techniques aimed at increasing tracking performance. It uses track-before-detect (TBD) that employs unthresholded delay-Doppler measurements and is implemented using particle filtering. Integrated into the TBD is an adaptive waveform configuration algorithm that selects the transmit waveform parameters at each time step by minimizing the predicted mean-squared estimation error of the target's state. Using simulations to track a low SNR target, we demonstrate the increased performance of waveform-agile sensing (WAS)-TBD over TBD with fixed transmit waveforms.
The minimization of risk in the workplace through a focus on occupational health and safety (OHS) is one of the primary objectives for every construction project. The most serious accidents in the construction industry occur during work on earthworks and linear structures. The character of such structures places them among those posing the greatest threat to the public (referred to as “third parties”). They can be characterized as large structures whose construction may involve the building site extending in a narrow lane alongside previously constructed objects currently in use by the public. Linear structures are often directly connected to existing objects or buildings, making it impossible to guard the whole construction site. However, many OHS problems related to linear structures can be prevented during the design stage. The aim of this article is to introduce a new methodology which has been implemented into a computer program that deals with safety measures at construction sites where work is performed on linear structures. Based on existing experience with the design of such structures and their execution and supervision by safety coordinators, the basic types of linear structures, their location in the terrain, the conditions present during their execution and other marginal conditions and influences were modelled. Basic safety information has been assigned to this elementary information, which is strictly necessary for the construction process. The safety provisions can be grouped according to type, e.g. technical, organizational and other necessary documentation, or into sets of provisions concerning areas such as construction site safety, transport safety, earthworks safety, etc. The selection of the given provisions takes place using multiple criteria. The aim of creating this program is to provide a practical tool for designers, contractors and construction companies. The model can contribute to the sufficient awareness of these participants about technical and organizational provisions that can help them to meet workplace safety requirements. The software for the selection of safety provisions also contains module that can calculate necessary cost estimates using a calculation formula chosen by the user. All software data conform to European standards harmonized for the Czech Republic.
Bacterial infections play a significant role in causing or intensifying the attacks in MS and there are reports based on the interference of Mycoplasma with a global distribution. Mycoplasma causes autoimmune attacks by imitating the host cell membrane, which is a way of resistance to antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the molecular identification of mutations causing resistance to tetracycline in Mycoplasma isolated from MS patients. A total number of 32 cerebrospinal fluid samples and 48 urinal fluid samples were collected from MS patients. The samples were enriched in 7 PPLO broth for one night and continuous cultivation in agar PPLO and PPLO broth for one week. DNA was extracted, and then nested PCR and Doublex PCR were used for bacteria genus identification and the presence of potential tetracycline-resistant alleles (rrs4 and rrs3), respectively.  A total number of 12 samples created colonies. However, only 5 samples (1 cerebrospinal fluid and 4 urinal samples) were detected to be Mycoplasma. The urinal samples showed the desired alleles and were tetracycline-resistant. By sequencing the PCR products, it was shown that these alleles have mutated in various points. Based on the results it seems that the resistant mutated Mycoplasma can be detected in MS patients in our population and may be considered as a risk factor for the disease.
Analysis of recurrence of endometriomas following surgical intervention Eiji Kobayashil), Tadashi Iwamiya1), Hidetake Masaki2), Ai Yamagata3), Tsuyoshi Hisa4), Ayako Kim3), Masanori Isobe1), Takahito Miyake1), Yasuhiko Shiki1), Masato Yamasaki1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka Rosai Hospita1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saiseikai Nakatsu Hospital2) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine3 ) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nissei Hospital4)
Below will be found descriptions of a few new Carabidae, chiefly froin Java, which form part of a larger collection sent to me for study by the authorities of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense (Java), to whom I offer my sincere thanks. The types of the new species will be deposited ultimately in the Rijksmuseum voor Natuurlijke Historie at Leiden; paratypes have been placed in the collection of the Museum Zoologicum at Bogor whilst the author has been permitted to retain a number of duplicate specimens. Once again I have to thank Messrs E. B. BRITTON(British Museum, London), P. J. DARLING-TON Jr (Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.), S. L. STRANEO(Gallarate, Italia) and F. I. VANEMDEN(London), who at my request examined several species and kindly gave me their opinion on them. In this respect I wish to extend my special thanks to Mr BRITTON. I am also much indebted to Dr LIEFTINCK,under whose direction were made the beautiful illustrations accompanying this paper. I have taken this opportunity to describe a new Coleolissus and a new Copiodera from my own collection, taken by the late Mr P. J. A. KALIS during one of his collecting trips to the islands of Celebes and Salajar some 12 years ago.
Blind programmers use a screen reader to read code aloud. Screen readers force blind programmers to read code sequentially one line at a time. In contrast, sighted programmers are able to skim visually to the most important code areas, assisted by syntax highlighting. However, there is a place where there is a widely adopted approach to skimming a structured document: the web. Modern screen readers employ what is known as a virtual cursor to navigate structural information on webpages such as HTML heading tags. These tags can indicate different sections and subsections in the structure of a page. We harness the existing familiarity of blind computer users with this interface in our approach which we call AudioHighlight. AudioHighlight renders the code inside a web view, either as part of the Eclipse IDE or as a web service. It places HTML heading tags on the structural elements of a source file such as classes, functions and control flow statements. We compare AudioHighlight to the state of the art in code skimming represented by a previous code skimming approach called StructJumper. We also compare to the state of practice in reading code on the web as represented by GitHub. We found that AudioHighlight increased the quality and speed of code comprehension as compared to both approaches.
A Review of:  Cook, J.M. (2014). A Library credit course and student success rates: A longitudinal study. College & Research Libraries 75(3), 272-283. doi:10.5860/crl12-424    Abstract    Objective – To determine the impact of a credit-bearing information literacy skills course on student success rates.    Design – Observational Study.    Setting – An academic library at a mid-sized university in Georgia, United States of America.    Subjects – Nine cohorts of students (n=15,012) who entered the institution for the first time, on a full-time basis, each year between 1999 and 2007.    Methods – Aggregate data on each student cohort was gathered from the Department of Institutional Research and Planning. Data included high school ACT and SAT scores, high school graduating GPAs, college graduating GPAs, and college graduation dates. The nine cohorts were each divided into two groups: students who took a credit library course (LIBR 1101) at some point during their student career, and students who did not. For each cohort, a Pearson Chi-Square test was used to determine statistical correlation between library course enrollment and four-, five-, and six-year graduation rates. Z-tests were used to determine a difference in the average graduation GPA of students who did and did not take the course, as well as a difference in the average high school graduation GPA, ACT, and SAT scores of the two groups in each cohort.    Main Results – Graduation rates were positively associated with students who took the library course at some point during their studies. Students who took the library course graduated at higher rates than students who did not: 56% of those students who took the library course graduated within the study’s time frame, compared to 30% of those who did not take the course. On average, there was no significant difference in college graduation GPAs between students who did and did not take LIBR 1101. During the time period of the study, more students who took the course graduated than those who did not, but those students who took the course did not have higher graduating GPAs.    Conclusion – Students who enrolled in LIBR 1101 at some point in their studies graduated at a significantly higher rate than students who did not.
Background: Vitamin D supplementation may be associated with lower cardiovascular (CV) events, but the data are controversial. It remains speculative whether vitamin D supplementation has a direct effect on coronary atherosclerosis. We therefore set out to assess the influence of vitamin D supplementation on the coronary atherosclerosis profile quantified by coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in a retrospective case–control cohort study. Methods: 176 patients (age: 62.4 ± 10.4) referred to coronary CTA for clinical indications were included. A total of 88 patients receiving vitamin D supplementation (mean duration 65.3 ± 81 months) were 1:1 propensity score matched with 88 controls for age, gender, smoking, arterial hypertension, positive family history, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Coronary stenosis severity (CAD-RADSTM), mixed plaque burden (weighted for non-calcified), high-risk-plaque (HRP) features, and plaque density (HU) were quantified by CTA. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (OH)-levels were measured in 138 patients and categorized into four groups (0: <20 ng/mL; 1: 20–40 ng/mL; 2: 40–60 ng/mL; and 3: >60 ng/mL) and compared with CTA. Results: The prevalence of atherosclerosis by CTA was similar in both groups (75.6% versus 74.3%, p = 0.999), >50% coronary stenosis was slightly higher in controls (p = 0.046), but stenosis severity score (CAD-RADS) was not different (p = 0.106). Mixed plaque burden (weighted for non-calcified) was lower in patients receiving vitamin D supplementation (p = 0.002) and high-risk-plaque prevalence was markedly lower (3.8% versus 32%, p < 0.001). CT plaque density (HU) was higher (p < 0.001) in the vitamin D group. Patients with serum vitamin D (OH) levels >60 ng/mL had higher plaque density (p = 0.04), indicating more calcified and less vulnerable plaque. Conclusions: In this retrospective case–control cohort study, vitamin D supplementation was associated with less high-risk plaque, less non-calcified plaque burden, and a higher calcified plaque independent of CV risk factors.
Geophagus sveni n. sp. and G. neambi n. sp. are described from the Rio Tocantins drainage of Brazil. Geophagus sveni and G. neambi differ from some of its congeners by the lack of head markings. G. sveni is distinguished from the species lacking head markings by the presence of five faint undivided vertical bars, proeminent mid-lateral blotch, and by the caudal fin vertically clear and black barred; G. neambi differs from the species lacking head markings by the possession of eight or nine vertical, parallel bars along the flank, the bar containing mid-lateral spot bifurcate above and below midlateral blotch and by the caudal fin bearing rounded white spots. Geophagus sveni differs from the sympatric and syntopic Geophagus neambi by the presence of five faint vertically bars (vs. eight or nine conspicuous dorso-ventral bifurcated vertically bars).
Abstract Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has evolved to be a naturally selected, robust biomacromolecule for gene information storage, and biological evolution and various diseases can find their origin in uncertainties in DNA-related processes (e.g. replication and expression). Recently, synthetic DNA has emerged as a compelling molecular media for digital data storage, and it is superior to the conventional electronic memory devices in theoretical retention time, power consumption, storage density, and so forth. However, uncertainties in the in vitro DNA synthesis and sequencing, along with its conjugation chemistry and preservation conditions can lead to severe errors and data loss, which limit its practical application. To maintain data integrity, complicated error correction algorithms and substantial data redundancy are usually required, which can significantly limit the efficiency and scale-up of the technology. Herein, we summarize the general procedures of the state-of-the-art DNA-based digital data storage methods (e.g. write, read, and preservation), highlighting the uncertainties involved in each step as well as potential approaches to correct them. We also discuss challenges yet to overcome and research trends in the promising field of DNA-based data storage.
Worldwide, traffic congestion is increasingly recognized as a serious public health and environmental concern. Besides, traffic jams cause large economic damages for companies and cities. Many efforts have been made to mitigate these issues. Attempts to reduce the amount of traffic congestion strongly depend on the availability of traffic information in real time. Multiple providers of such data exist. However, there is no generally accepted source that provides accurate and publicly available live traffic information. The goal of this study is to evaluate real time traffic data offered by web map service providers. Therefore, we first identify the most prominent providers and evaluate their range of services. Further, we collect actual data traces and perform a thorough comparison of their scope and granularity. Finally, in a real world case study, we analyze the predicted travel duration for the selected providers. The results indicate not only that the range of services varies widely among traffic information providers but also the travel time predictions diverge.
Most would agree that leadership is an important component in improving our schools, yet few are satisfied with leadership practices now in place. In this book, Thomas J. Sergiovanni shows how creating a new leadership practice--one with a moral dimension centered around purpose, values, and beliefs--can transform a school from an organization to a community and inspire the kinds of commitment, devotion, and service that can make our schools great. New leadership, not more leadership is the key to improving schools. Current management theory and leadership practice often underestimate the complexity of human nature and people's capacity to be motivated by factors other than self-interest. Teachers are encouraged to respond as subordinates, do only what is expected, and work for rewards. Sergiovanni shows how the emphasis in schools on doing things right is often at the expense of doing the right things. He explains the importance of legitimizing emotion and getting in touch with basic values and connections with others. He reveals how true collegiality, based on shared work and common goals, leads to a natural interdependence among teachers. And he shows how a public declaration of values and purpose can help turn schools into virtuous communities where teachers are self-managers and professionalism is held up as an ideal. When teachers and administrators are motivated by emotion and social bonds, guided by a professional ideal, and feel they are truly part of a community, the guiding principle is no longer "what is rewarded gets done, " but "what is good gets done."
ABSTRACT Methanotrophic and nitrifying bacteria are both able to oxidize CH4 as well as NH4+. To date it is not possible to estimate the relative contribution of methanotrophs to nitrification and that of nitrifiers to CH4 oxidation and thus to assess their roles in N and C cycling in soils and sediments. This study presents new options for discrimination between the activities of methanotrophs and nitrifiers, based on the competitive inhibitor CH3F and on recovery after inhibition with C2H2. By using rice plant soil as a model system, it was possible to selectively inactivate methanotrophs in soil slurries at a CH4/CH3F/NH4+ molar ratio of 0.1:1:18. This ratio of CH3F to NH4+ did not affect ammonia oxidation, but methane oxidation was inhibited completely. By using the same model system, it could be shown that after 24 h of exposure to C2H2 (1,000 parts per million volume), methanotrophs recovered within 24 h while nitrifiers stayed inactive for at least 3 days. This gave an “assay window” of 48 h when only methanotrophs were active. Applying both assays to model microcosms planted with rice plants demonstrated a major contribution of methanotrophs to nitrification in the rhizosphere, while the contribution of nitrifiers to CH4 oxidation was insignificant.
Orally administered riluzole extends survival in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, although it has significant shortcomings (eg, adverse events, dysphagic patients) that limit its utility. BHV‐0223 is a Zydis‐based orally disintegrating formulation of riluzole designed for sublingual administration that addresses the limitations of conventional tablets. This study assessed the bioequivalence between 40‐mg BHV‐0223 and standard 50‐mg oral riluzole tablets, and the food effect on BHV‐0223 pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers. Overall, 133 healthy subjects received BHV‐0223 and riluzole tablets under fasted conditions. Geometric mean ratios for the area under the plasma concentration–time curve (AUC) from time zero to time of last nonzero concentration (AUC0‐t) (89.9%; confidence interval [CI], 87.3%–92.5%), AUC from time zero to infinity (AUC0‐∞) (89.8%; CI, 87.3%–92.4%), and maximum observed concentration (112.7%; CI, 105.5%–120.4%) all met bioequivalence criteria (80%–125%). Subsequently, 67 subjects received BHV‐0223 under fed conditions. The geometric mean ratios of AUC0‐t (91.2%; CI, 88.1–94.3%), and AUC0‐∞ (92.0%; CI, 89.0–95.1%) were similar, but maximum observed concentration ratios were not within bioequivalence criteria. BHV‐0223 was well tolerated. This study demonstrated that 40‐mg sublingual BHV‐0223 is bioequivalent to 50‐mg oral riluzole tablets.
To start with, we will focus on a problem that is being brought up frequently these days—universal human values. Generally, the problem is discussed in passing, when somebody wants to emphasize that formerly it was class values that were inculcated, whereas now the emphasis is placed on universal human values. But while books, articles, decrees, and so forth were devoted to the former in the superideologized world of our past, the question is not clear when it comes to the latter. The problem is a vast one, with many facets worthy of detailed discussion.
The initial step of vessel segmentation in 3D is the detection of vessel centerlines. The proposed methods in literature are either dependent on vessel radius and/or have low response at vessel bifurcations. In this paper we propose a 3D tubular structure detection method that removes these two drawbacks. The proposed method exploits the observations on the eigenvalues of the Hessian matrix as is done in literature, yet it employs a direct 3D vector field singularity characterization. The Gradient Vector Flow vector field is used and the eigenvalues of its Jacobian are exploited in computing a parameter free vesselness map. Results on phantom and real patient data exhibit robustness to scale, high response at vessel bifurcations, and good noise/non-vessel structure suppression.
We extend our optimization-based framework for anisotropic simplex mesh adap- tation to three dimensions and apply it to high-order discontinuous Galerkin discretizations of steady-state aerodynamic flows. The framework iterates toward a mesh that minimizes the output error for a given number of degrees of freedom by considering a continuous optimiza- tion problem of the Riemannian metric field. The adaptation procedure consists of three key steps: sampling of the anisotropic error behavior using element-wise local solves; synthesis of the local errors to construct a surrogate error model in the metric space; and optimization of the surrogate model to drive the mesh toward optimality. The anisotropic adaptation decisions are entirely driven by the behavior of the a posteriori error estimate. As a result, the method handles any discretization order, naturally incorporates both the primal and adjoint solution behaviors, and robustly treats irregular features. Numerical results demonstrate the effec- tiveness of the adaptive high-order discretization applied to the compressible Navier-Stokes equations in three dimensions.
One of the most challenging teaching tasks in the univer sity is providing effective instruction in introductory-level courses. Members of the Study Group sponsored by the Nation al Institute of Education recognized this challenge when they recommended that "deans and department chairs . . . assign as many of their finest instructors as possible to classes attract ing large numbers of first-year students" (1984). If teaching the introductory course is a special case, what makes it so and how can college teachers vary their teaching methods to meet this challenge? This article describes some of the special qualities associated with teaching introductory-level courses and suggests some instructional strategies which can be used in addressing the special needs of beginning students in a discipline. ·
been on milk diet without result for some time, he was put on it at once, the milk always having been boiled, and io grs. of sodium bicarbonate being added to each pint. If this failed, or had been previously given without success, arrowroot, beef essences, teas, and juices, egg albumen, jellies, small amounts of chicken, and lightly-cooked beef were given, with the following combination of drugs: IB Sodii bicarb., bismuthi carb., pulv. ipecac. co. -a grs. x. Fiat pulv. 4tis horis. For the acute pain morphine was a necessity, and never failed. For the distressing mucorrheea, which was often difficult to get rid of, injections of solutions of silver nitrate or quinine were most useful. The injections must be large, and, of course, very slowly and carefully given. Treatment on these lines seldom failed to produce a rapid and apparently complete recovery. Treatment by large doses of ipecacuanha was a complete failure. " Natal sores " deserve mention, since we had a fair number of cases; they appear to be the " veld sores'" of other parts of Africa, and are not by any means easy to cure. I personally suffered, having two ulcers, which, though quite small, were so painful that it was with difficulty that I could walk about. They are in many cases caused, I have no doubt, by the tick which abounds in the lonlg grass of the veld. The small sore they produce, if not removed soon after they have managed to cling on, tends to get gradually larger, showing a great reluctance to heal even under treatment. When the sore has attained a certain dimension, it is given the title of " veld " or " Natal sore," as the ease may be. We found that the best treatment was to apply fomentations of perchloride of mercury, i in J,OOO; the milder antiseptics, such as boracic acid, as a fomentation or in ointment form, failed altogether. When the ulcer had become clean, and looked as though about to heal, a mercurial ointment took the place of the fomentation. In conclusion, I cannot speak too highly of the railway arrangements, and the way in which Mr. David Hunter, the General Manager, did everything in his power to help us. The residents in the neighbourhood were very good in sending gifts of fruit, and Mr. Stevens, the owner of the Pinetown Bridge Estate, did all he could to further the success of the hospital.
Abstract During infection, the enteric pathogen Vibrio cholerae encounters a bile-containing environment. Previous studies have shown that bile and/or bile acids exert several effects on the virulence and physiology of the bacterial cells. These observations have led to the suggestion that bile acids may play a signaling role in infection. We have previously reported that the bile component deoxycholic acid blocks the general diffusion porin OmpT in a dose-dependent manner, presumably as it transits through the pore. V. cholerae colonizes the distal jejunum and ileum, where a mixture of various conjugated and unconjugated bile acids are found. In this work, we have used patch clamp electrophysiology to investigate the effects of six bile acids on OmpT. Two bile acids (deoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic acids) were found to block OmpT at physiological concentrations below 1 mM, while glycodeoxycholic acid was mildly effective and cholic, lithocholic and taurodeoxycholic acids were ineffective in this range. The block was also voltage-dependent. These observations suggest the presence of a specific binding site inside the OmpT pore. Since deconjugation is due to the activity of the endogenous flora, the preferential uptake of some unconjugated bile acids by OmpT may signal the presence of a hospitable environment. The results are also discussed in terms of the possible molecular interactions between the penetrating bile acid molecule and the channel wall.
Composed in 1991, Piece for piano and string quartet is one of the last works Olivier Messiaen wrote before his death on 27 April 1992. In this brief and dynamic composition, commemorating the ninetieth anniversary of Alfred Schlee and Universal Edition, one finds a pared-down version of Messiaen's musical style that is effective and enchanting. The aptly chosen title, "Piece," has relevance not only to the length and nature of the composition but also to its content, which largely comprises a string of short musical ideas, separated by moments of notated silence. Within this almost fragmentary realm, Messiaen exposes different timbres in each musical section by swiftly changing the instrumentation, thematic material, and articulation. The brevity of the musical ideas and the sparse textures are more reminiscent of passages found in Messiaen's orchestral pieces Couleurs de la cite celeste (1963) and Des canyons aux etoiles (1974) than those in his celebrated chamber work Quatuor pour la fin du temps (1941). While short thematic ideas are indeed characteristic of Messiaen's music, they are customarily incorporated into longer musical passages and formal structures, as is evident in Quatuor and Messiaen's colossal orchestral pieces Chronochromie (1960), Turangalila-Symphonie (1948), and the recent Eclairs sur l'au-dela (1991). Piece contains eleven musical units divided into an archlike structure of 5 + 1 + 5. Like so many of Messiaen's works, the form is seemingly simple, yet, at the same time complex and unique owing to its subtle modifications and variants. As each of the five units returns to create the arch, Messiaen continues to alter the music. The method of development varies with the reprise of each musical unit, and only in the first of the five sections (which is heard last when the arch descends) does he retain the original material untouched. Except in units five and nine, the piano and strings do not play simultaneously; instead, they are fashioned in the form of a dialogue. Their interchange is free flowing and energetic owing to uneven phrase lengths and dynamic levels, which rarely dip below a mezzo forte. A climax is reached in the middle section, the main body of the work, and bears the label "Fauvette des jardins" after a bird whose song appears in numerous Messiaen pieces and whose name is the title of his substantial 1970 piano composition. As the dialogue between the piano and strings builds in this section, the absence of breath becomes apparent and the music conveys an exited state. The harmonies within Piece are typical of Messiaen, and the rhythms, while less complex than many in his previous works, are at times asymmetric owing to the occasionally added eighth note (a trademark of Messiaen's style). Numerous passages of running thirty-second notes at quick tempos and rapid alternations between players could prove challenging for the performers. Clearly laid out, the performance score makes for easy reading. While meter changes are not marked in the score, the musical phrasings are precise and sufficient. Performance time is under five minutes. Piece is a spirited work that encapsulates Messiaen's musical voice. The composition begins and ends with the same four-note figure in the strings; however, the music in between transforms their second realization into a fresh experience, a symbolic gesture perhaps for Messiaen, who enabled us through his music to appreciate a new world of sound. …
Atopy, specific IgE sensitization, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) were examined in a cohort of 769 apprentices starting career programs in animal health or veterinary medicine (Group 1), pastry making (Group 2), and dental hygiene (Group 3). The hypothesis were that: (1) a proportion of subjects can be "sensitized" although no significant specific occupational exposure has occurred; and (2) there is a relationship between baseline specific sensitization to work-related antigens and host characteristics. Skin tests were administered using 11 common inhalants and specific allergens, including six laboratory animal extracts, three cereal antigens, alpha-amylase, and latex. Methacholine challenge tests were performed. The prevalence of atopy was 54.4% in Group 1, 58.1% in Group 2, and 52.5% in Group 3. Skin reactivity to work-specific proteins was as follows: laboratory animal proteins, 13.8% in Group 1, 14.0% in Group 2, and 15.6% in Group 3. No subject was sensitized to alpha-amylase, whereas 1.2% in Group 1, 5% in Group 2, and 4.1% in Group 3 were sensitized to flour. Five subjects reacted to latex. BHR (PC20 < or = 8 mg/ml) was present in 17.6%, 21.2%, and 14.8% of subjects in Groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Specific sensitization was associated with positive skin reactions to common allergens, work-related symptoms, and BHR. These results suggest that students starting career programs with exposure to high-molecular-weight allergens have a low but substantial frequency of specific sensitization to work-related allergens that is related to atopy and BHR.
gation of citizen co-creation of the political ‘product’ (party, leader character or behaviour, or policy) and that this perspective, when put into practice, leads to minimalist democracy with declining party membership, voter turnout and, therefore, legitimacy. Johansen expresses that her clear aim is to develop theory offering normative direction to reverse these trends, theory bridging marketing and political science and reflecting the differing contextual environments of presidential and party systems. The context Johansen introduces is one of a commercial market place, as she characterizes the US political system, and the party system which is akin to high-touch service industries (p. 41), one that is built on high-quality, and highly personalised, customer service experiences. Through her expansive, engaging and thoughtful critiques of managerial models of marketing which largely inform political marketing, she builds the compelling case that ‘long-standing democratic systems which are clearly founded on significantly different ideas of democracy (to the US)’ but because of the US being preponderant in founding the theoretical framework for both marketing and political marketing ‘we lack good theory with which to account for such systemic differences’ (pp. 135 f.). The solution is to propose a relationship marketing framework for understanding party systems drawing on European scholarship. The relational paradigm is rarely employed within political contexts; this, Johansen argues, is the weakness in political marketing literature as it captures more effectively the decentralized nodes of the organization, the network features (which map the stakeholders with whom parties interact) and parties’ task-oriented behaviour (built around assemblages which form to work on specific projects). However, the key aspect of the relational paradigm that Johansen believes needs to be introduced, or re-introduced, into political behaviour is the ‘simultaneous production and consumption (processes) . . . and how these processes are facilitated’ (p.145). She argues that the full version of a relational political marketing paradigm would include an availability of opportunities to participate in a meaningful way in the development of the political product. The mechanism would be party membership and that understanding the vital role that this part of the broader electorate play – as co-creators of the product, the organizational identity and its campaign – enriches our understanding of the party as an organization. More importantly, the augmented experience offered within a party-centred democracy, by some if not all organizations, becomes part of the product itself providing both political and social legitimacy. Johansen thus argues that her model better explains the complex political participation processes of representation, policy development, voter turnout and legitimacy than existing political marketing literature and contributes broadly to political science-based understandings of the relationship between citizens and political parties. Johansen accepts that not all citizens will participate and there is flexibility built into the model to accommodate traditional campaigning, or what she refers to as ‘the production and distribution of prefabricated ideas of values’ (p. 158). The opportunities to engage in wider participation are the key for her and her conclusion captures neatly the idea to offer a normative guide for implementation. The guide is sold on the win-win zone characteristic of many works from a relationship marketing perspective, that high internal democracy leads to cohesion, greater loyalty, strength of purpose and so a tighter more focused active support. This, of course, is not a new direction for political parties. Johansen explicitly invites parties to ‘take a step back’ (p. 187) into a halcyon age of internal democracy. The argument is highly compelling, the critique is rich and well constructed, and the overall logic will find many adherents in both academia and the world of practical politics. Johansen’s argument needs to be given voice, encouraging political strategists to think more about inclusion than persuasion as often currently seems to be the case. The problem is whether the centralizing and managerialist tendencies have become too engrained in political strategic thinking. In defence of political marketing scholarship one can argue that the adoption of managerialism is a reflection of practice and that academic research is simply describing the process of political marketing as a practice using appropriate models. Relationship marketing is an underemployed lens because it is an under-employed paradigm informing practice, thus relational political marketing is locked into offering idealistic normative guidelines that do not filter into the real-world of politics. Johansen’s work may follow similar studies, but it does not deserve to. To follow her idealistic line, let us propose this as the manual that guides political strategy; politics needs stronger democracy at multiple levels, Johansen’s model offers a route to strengthening the muscles of democracy.
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the early diagnostic value of lymphocyte count in the early diagnosis of surgical site infection (SSI) following posterior lumbar fusion.   PATIENTS AND METHODS In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the data from a total of 37 patients with lumbar SSI from Guizhou  Province Orthopaedic Hospital and Nanyang Central Hospital, 2008.1-2018.11, and 104 patients without SSI. We analyzed the C-reactive protein (CRP) level, white blood cell count (WBC) and differential count before instrumented lumbar fusion at 3 and 7 days postoperatively. The significance of the differences was evaluated by one-way ANOVA, followed by Fisher's test. The parameters mentioned above were analyzed on postoperative days 3 and 7 using the receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve (AUC). Furthermore, the analyses were conducted by SPSS 22.0 software.   RESULTS The lymphocyte count in the SSI group on postoperative day 3 was significantly lower than that in the no-SSI group after surgery (p=0.000). According to the ROC curve analysis of related parameters on postoperative day 3, the AUC value of lymphocytes (0.840) was significantly larger than the AUC value of C-reactive protein (0.749).   CONCLUSIONS The lymphocyte count and C-reactive protein level on postoperative day 3 are reliable predictors of infection.
Variants of SIV containing a deletion in the nef gene are attenuated in adult macaques, where they provide protection from challenge with pathogenic SIV, but the mechanism of protection remains unknown. One of these attenuated variants carrying deletions in nef, vpr, and NRE (SIVmac239delta3) was recently found to be pathogenic in infant macaques exposed to the virus at birth. We investigated whether inadequate or inappropriate antiviral humoral immune responses could explain why this virus causes disease in infant macaques. Plasma samples from four infants infected with SIVmac251 and five infants and two adults infected with SIVmac239delta3 were evaluated for neutralizing Abs to a laboratory-passaged stock of SIVmac251, an animal challenge stock of SIVmac239/nef-open, and a stock of SIVmac239delta3 to which animals were exposed. Plasma samples were evaluated further for complement-mediated Ab-dependent enhancement (C'-ADE) of SIVmac239/nef-open in vitro. High-titer neutralizing Abs to SIVmac251 were detected in plasma samples from adults and most infants within 3 to 5 wk of infection with either virus. Neutralizing Abs to SIVmac239/nef-open and SIVmac239delta3 developed more slowly, being undetectable before 23 to 63 wk of infection. Timing, magnitude, and breadth of neutralizing Ab responses did not correlate with progression to disease or lack thereof and gave no indication of an impaired humoral immune response in infants. Furthermore, C'-ADE was detected equally in plasma samples from adults and infants. The results indicate that infection with SIVmac239delta3 causes disease in infant macaques despite their mounting of antiviral humoral immune responses comparable to those of adults.
Research for application of radon emanation measurementsat geodynamic diagnostics of the rock massif arepresented. The geodynamic activity participates in formation of radon emanations. For elimination of not tectonic factors on formation of radon emanation the rationing of radon volume activity in soil air is used. The received changes of radon volume activity are confirmed by geodetic survey. The rationing of radon volume activity in soil air allows to use radon measurements for ranging of the revealed abnormal deformation sites - tectonic spheres- onge-odynamic activity degree.
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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is second most common neurodegenerative disorder. Mutations in ATP13A2 gene have been implicated in familial forms of PD but the precise molecular mechanisms associated with the development of disease condition remain unknown. To address this question, ATP13A2-deficient in vitro PD model was developed to identify the dysregulated proteins that impaired autophagy and stress response pathways, which resulted in the imbalance of cellular redox and protein homeostasis. This study further explores the use of melatonin to rescue these changes in ATP13A2-deficient PD model. Indeed, melatonin was able to exert neuroprotective roles by regulating the pathogenic signalling pathways.
This paper presents a solution of remote sensing data verification problem. This data includes optical digital image data and metadata containing shooting parameters. The current solution is based on the analysis of special numerical characteristics, which directly depend on the shooting parameters: sun position, satellite position and registration camera orientation. We propose two fully automatic computational procedures for remote sensing data analysis and decision-making based on data compatibility.
In this qualitative study, interviews about children's secret hiding places were conducted with 3–5-year-olds (n = 17) in a university sponsored preschool programme using art narratives. Since prior studies indicate that children understand the concept of a secret as early as five and that they associate secrets with hiding places, the purpose of this study was to look specifically at preschool children's experiences within their secret spaces. Analyses using interpretive phenomenology indicated that preschool children view secret hiding places with a sense of complexity, and they reserve certain areas as off limits to everyone, even in terms of the knowledge that these places exist. Consistent with a sociocultural framework, hiding places appear to serve individual, relational, and collaborative purposes, and children show heightened agency when deciding the function of a particular place. Children also relate secrets with secret hiding places and describe both with excitement, imagination, and intimacy. Finally, children's conceptualisations of secret hiding places are discussed in relation to the sociocultural perspective and the implications for children's social and emotional development.
A rigorous evaluation of the complete gauge-invariant set of the screened one-loop QED corrections to the hyperfine structure and g factor in lithiumlike heavy ions is presented. The calculations are performed in both Feynman and Coulomb gauges for the virtual photon mediating the interelectronic interaction. As a result, the most accurate theoretical predictions for the specific difference between the hyperfine splitting values of H- and Li-like Bi ions as well as for the g factor of the Li-like Pb ion are obtained.
Before a conventional application is converted into a distributed one (typically a costly process), it is prudent to estimate the improvement in run time that will be achieved. Previous research has tended to ignore communications delays in order to facilitate analysis. However, such models lead to optimistic predictions and may be grossly inaccurate for problems involving fine-grained parallelism. In this paper, we consider distributed computation on a token ring local area network. We obtain exact analytical results for the mean speedup, both for smallnand for asymptotically largen. For largen, we show that under very general conditions speedup tends to a limiting value with increasing numbers of processors; i.e., there is a “communications speedup limit” that cannot be exceeded regardless of the number of processors. Because the token ring represents a limiting case for the effects of communications delays, results obtained thus provide an upper bound for speedup on Ethernets and other bus-type networks. Analytical results were verified by simulation.
Research on practitioner theories of advertising uncovered that agency practitioners not only have definite theoretical beliefs about how advertising works, they also have meta-theoretical beliefs, fundamental presuppositions about the nature and possibility of knowledge in advertising. The meta-theoretical belief in creativity and its dictum of ‘no rules’ was found to be more important than any other guiding principle in advertising work. The primacy of creativity denies the possibility of any other moderator-focused theories that would prescribe ‘rules’ for creative content. Practitioners believe that the ontological status of advertising (as a territory defined by creativity, art and tacit skill) places it mostly outside the reach of scientific modelling. While practitioners acknowledge that knowledge about advertising is ‘layered’ (i.e. certain aspects of it are more explainable by the legitimation system of science), they also insist that the creative ‘layer’ is much thicker than other layers. A further qualifying factor is practitioners’ epistemological scepticism, which questions the validity of both academic and commercial social research as applied to advertising, and suggests instead that knowledge about advertising is better understood as ‘common sense’. The study’s findings have fundamental consequences for the professional aspirations of the advertising industry as well as the academician–practitioner gap in advertising.
Modern e-learning systems include a set of complex processes, different elements, services and users’ roles. The users of these systems belong to heterogenic groups considering their characteristics. At the same time, e-learning systems provide various types of learning resources: tutorials, e-books, scientific articles, etc. Each learning resource is specific and has a different way of presentation, content structure, area of study, etc. The number and quantity of education content increases rapidly. In the development of an effective e-learning platform one of the most important requirements is to identify users’ characteristics and then use the obtained information for the creation and realization of educational processes (Aixia & Wang, 2011). Currently, research shows that a majority of educational institutions use the so-called learning management systems (LMS) (Graf, Liu & Kinshuk, 2010; Graf, 2007). These solutions provide a variety of features that enable management of: courses, e-learning activities, e-learning resources, collaboration, etc. LMSs appear to be the best possible solutions for the realization of teaching and learning resources (Barać, 2011; Despotovic, Markovic, Bogdanovic, Barac & Krco, 2012; Graf, Liu & Kinshuk, 2010). LMSs are focused on the support for all processes in e-education (Brusilovsky, 2004; Graf, 2007). The main goal is to enable users to use appropriate services that facilitate the organization of teaching and learning processes. At the same time, communication tools such as forums, chats, wikis, etc. improve interaction during courses realization. However, LMSs deliver the same course content to each student, including the same course organization, resources and services (Brusilovsky & illan, 2007; Graf, Kinshuk & Ives, 2010 ). They do not consider any students’ characteristics, such as: knowledge level, motivation, learning styles, expectations, etc.(Essalmia, Ayeda, Jemnia, Kinshuk & Graf, 2010). Managing courses without taking into account these issues very often results in failure (Dekson & Suresh, 2010).
Abstract Aquatic resource exploitations in human evolution have raised many questions related to cognitive abilities and subsistence developments. It has been pointed out that the evaluation of freshwater resource consumption based on conventional stable CN isotopic composition of bulk bone collagen faces some difficulties, primarily because isotopic distinction between terrestrial and freshwater animals can be ambiguous and, even worse, can show similar values. In this study we tested the potential of nitrogen isotope analysis of individual amino acids in this evaluation. Our preliminary results for archaeological human and faunal remains from Mesolithic and Epipalaeolithic sites in France (Noyen-sur-Seine and Pont d'Ambon) show that estimated trophic positions for terrestrial animals based on δ15N of glutamic acid and phenylalanine are more precise than the bulk collagen isotopic method, allowing human aquatic resource consumptions to be identified. However, since the ability to quantify is still limited, a combination of several approaches is recommended.
To have control over the properties of electronic devices with the help of the spin of electrons is considered an amalgamation field of innovative technology. The thermoelectric and ferro-magnetic characteristics of bulk ZnCr2X4 (X = S, Se) spinels have been investigated by the BoltzTraP and WIEN2k codes. The optimization of the fully relaxed structures has been performed by PBE generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for the exposure of ground state parameters and our calculated results of lattice constant represent a reasonable agreement with experimental values. The comparative analysis of the energies that emerged fromnonmagnetic and ferromagnetic states using PBE-GGA shows that the state is the ferromagnetic. The modified Becke-Johnson local density approximation (mBJLDA) has been brought into use for the computation of the density of states (DOS) and precise band structures (BS), which authenticates the ferromagnetic semiconducting behavior. Further, the calculation of exchange splitting energies, John-Teller energy, and crystal field energy explored the origin of ferromagnetism. The strong hybridization resulting in decomposition in Cr, the magnetic moment and creates the magnetic moments at the nonmagnetic sites. Consequently, the thermoelectric characteristichas been explored by the BoltzTraP code that reveals that the increasing temperature increases the power factor, the thermal conductivity, and the electrical conductivity whereas the Seebeck coefficient reduces with it. However, the compounds in our study prove to be suitable for being used in thermoelectric devices for alternative energy resources.
Effects of interlayer and the combination of different coating methods on the mechanical and corrosion behaviors of TiN and CrN coated on 420 stainless steel have been studied. STS 420 specimen were tempered at for 1 hr in vacuum furnace. The TiN and CrN thin film with 2 thickness were coated by arc ion plating and DC magnetron sputtering following the formation of interlayer for pure titanium and chromium with 0.2 thickness. The microstructure and surface analysis of the specimen were conducted by using SEM, XRD and roughness tester. Mechanical properties such as hardness and adhesion also were examined. XRD patterns of TiN thin films showed that preferred TiN (111) orientation was observed. The peaks of CrN (111) and (300) were only observed in CrN thin films deposited by arc ion plating. Both TiN and CrN deposited by arc ion plating had the higher adhesion and hardness compared to those formed by magnetron sputtering. The specimen of TiN and CrN on which interlayer deposited by magnetron sputtering and thin film deposited by arc ion plating had the highest adhesion with 22.2 N and 19.2 N. respectively. TiN and CrN samples shown the most noble corrosion potentials when the interlayers were deposited by using magnetron sputtering and the metal nitrides were deposited by using arc ion plating. The most noble corrosion potentials of TiN and CrN were found to be approximately -170 and -70 mV， respectively.
The Humacao-Naguabo area, located on the east coast of Puerto Rico, has undergone a rapid development of light industries within the last five years. This has placed large demands on local water supplies. Surface water is the principal water-supply source in the HumacaoNaguabo area, supplying 13.7 million gallons per day. The two major drainage networks are the Rio Humacao and Rio Blanco. Peak discharge in the streams occurs during the May through December rainy season. Minimum base flow occurs in March or April. Average daily flow for water-year 1983 was 58.8 cubic feet per second for Rio Humacao at Highway 3 near Humacao and 67.9 cubic feet per second for Rio Blanco near Florida. For 1984 average daily flow was 38.6 cubic feet per second for Rio Humacao at Highway 3 near Humacao and 55.8 cubic feet per second for Rio Blanco near Florida. Aquifers are presently of minor importance for water supply in the Humacao-Naguabo area. Daily ground-water use is estimated to be 0.93 million gallons. The principal aquifer in thp Humacao-Naguabo area occurs within alluvial sediments, under watt; .--table conditions. The alluvial aquifer is wedge-shaped and ranges in thickness from zero aft the bedrock-alluvium contact, to more than 160 feet near the coast. Values of aquifer transmissivity range from about 600 to 2,000 feet squared per day; storage coefficient of the aquifer is approximately 0.02. The depth to the water table within the alluvial aquifer varies from about 40 feet below land surface near the bedrock-alluvium contact to very near land surface in the coastal areas. The elevation of the water table varies seasonally within an 8-foot range. 1 2 Water-quality analyses of ground water revealed that, at several sites, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards for iron, manganese, and total dissolved solids were exceeded. Manganese concentrations in samples collected from three surface-water sites also exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standards. Considerable biological contamination exists in the surface-water resources of the area. Bacteria counts as high as 10,300,000 colonies per 100 milliliter for coliform and 1,900,000 colonies per 100 milliliter for streptococci were found in samples from Rio Humacao. A two-dimensional, mathematical ground water flow model of the Rio Humacao basin was developed to simulate the ground-water flow system and to determine the effects of additional ground-water withdrawals on the water-table. The model was calibrated with ground-water levels measured in March 1984. Model computed heads were within 3 feet of observed heads. Model results show that, in the lower Humacao basin, if pumpage is increased to more than 0.72 million gallons per day, saltwater intrusion into the aquifer could occur.
With the development of computer technology and the rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning has achieved major breakthroughs in many fields. However, the accuracy of machine learning is usually proportional to the amount of training data, so a large amount of data needs to be collected. In the context of big data, both users and service providers have to bear the threaten of privacy disclosure since the attackers may abuse their data for illegal profits. On the other hand, it is necessary to prevent the leakage of model parameters in consideration of intellectual property protection. Therefore, it is imperative to solve privacy preservation for both data providers and trainers in machine learning. Without crippling the accuracy of machine learning, this paper proposed a neural network privacy training scheme in virtue of an efficient homomorphic encryption scheme to protect the privacy of data. The proposed scheme also realizes one-way security based on the Conjugate Search Problem (CSP). Specifically, our scheme uses ciphertext to participate in the operations for both machine training and data classification, which is capable of realizing homomorphic comparison without decryption, thus ensuring data privacy. The analysis illustrated that our method is provided with good portability in machine learning systems thanks to its efficiency and complete homomorphic operations.
This paper, using the Panel data model, analyzes the relationship between the capital investment and economic growth of China's eastern, middle and western, in all 30 provinces and autonomous regions, and establishes long-term econometric model and sets up the Panel error correction model (PECM) according to the co-integration theory. Then we analyze the contribution of all kinds of factors to the economic growth of eastern, middle and western in detail. The result shows that human capital plays very significant role on the eastern, middle and western. Thereby, it illuminates that labor quality is not high enough and improving employees’ cultural level and work skills are imperative. At the same time, we explain the other influencing factors to economic growth, and we find they have obviously different contribution to every areas’ economic growth.
OBJECTIVE To characterize the expression of interleukin-7 (IL-7) and IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial tissue and to examine their regulation and pathogenic role in macrophages, endothelial cells, and synovial tissue fibroblasts in RA.   METHODS Expression of IL-7 and IL-7R in RA and normal synovial tissue was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. Expression and regulation of IL-7 and IL-7R in RA peripheral blood in vitro-differentiated macrophages, RA synovial tissue fibroblasts, and human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs) were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and/or flow cytometry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to examine production of proangiogenic factors by IL-7-activated macrophages, RA fibroblasts, and endothelial cells.   RESULTS IL-7 and IL-7R were coexpressed on RA synovial tissue lining and sublining macrophages and endothelial cells. Expression of IL-7 and its receptor was significantly elevated in RA synovial fluid and peripheral blood macrophages as well as RA fibroblasts, compared to normal cells. Toll-like receptor 4 ligation (with lipopolysaccharide) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) stimulation modulated expression of IL-7 and IL-7R on RA macrophages and HMVECs. However, in RA fibroblasts, lipopolysaccharide and TNFα activation increased expression of IL-7R only. IL-7 also mediated RA pathogenesis by inducing production of potent proangiogenic factors from macrophages and endothelial cells.   CONCLUSION We have identified, for the first time, regulators of IL-7 and IL-7R expression in RA fibroblasts, RA peripheral blood in vitro-differentiated macrophages, and endothelial cells. Our results document a novel role of IL-7 in RA angiogenesis.
When identities are understood as relationships between individuals, histories. and systems of power, tile dichotomies traditionally used to understand Latin American identities (i.e. indio vs. ladino) do not hold up under scrutiny. This article explores identity formation among Q'eqchi' Mayan migrants in Livingston, Guate-mala by examining the festival of the Virgen de Guadalupe and by analyzing a sociocultural model of meaning created and reproduced through everyday practice and processes of identification. By revealing how Q'eqchi' identities, and the cultural framework which shapes them, emerge from historic and contemporary relations, the author demonstrates not only the constructed nature of identities and cultural models, but also their means of reproduction as multifaceted reflections of interpersonal and translocal systems of power.
Technology is evolving at a rate faster than human evolution, especially human moral evolution. There are those who claim that we must morally bioenhance the human due to existential threats (such as climate change and the looming possibility of cognitive enhancement) and due to the fact that the human animal has a weak moral will. To address these existential threats, we must design human morality into human beings technologically. By moral bioenhancement, these authors mean that we must intervene technologically in the biology of the human animal in order to get it to behave morally to address these existential threats. I will bring the idea of moral bioenhancement into conversation with two philosophers of technology. Bernard Stiegler has argued that technology and culture, and thus technology and human beings, have always evolved hand in hand. Peter-Paul Verbeek notes that we have always designed morality into technology, and thus he sees technology as mediating human morality. When we offload human intentionality onto technology, Verbeek argues, technological objects and systems participate in shaping the moral subjectivity of the human actor. I will show that modern technological bioenhancement obliterates human being. Whereas in the past, human culture was handed from generation to generation through the mediation of technology, in the modern era, the human becomes the raw material upon which a technological will (imperative) rides.
In this work, we propose different empirical models for the estimation of daily global solar radiation on a horizontal plane in the region of Kara in Togo. The performance of the models is evaluated on the basis of statistical indicators such as: the correlation coefficient (R) and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). It appears that the Angstrom-Prescott linear model is the most efficient for the site. For this model, the values of R and RMSE are 0.9256 and 0.046, respectively. It can therefore be used to estimate the solar potential of the region of Kara.
The spread of photosynthesis is one of the most important but controversial topics in eukaryotic evolution. Because of massive gene transfer from plastids to the nucleus and because of the possibility that plastids have been lost in evolution, algal genes in aplastidic organisms often are interpreted as footprints of photosynthetic ancestors. These putative plastid losses, in turn, have been cited as support for scenarios involving the spread of plastids in broadscale eukaryotic evolution. Phylogenomic analyses identified more than 100 genes of possible algal origin in Monosiga, a unicellular species from choanoflagellates, a group considered to be the closest protozoan relatives of animals and to be primitively heterotrophic. The vast majority of these algal genes appear to be derived from haptophytes, diatoms, or green plants. Furthermore, more than 25% of these algal genes are ultimately of prokaryotic origin and were spread secondarily to Monosiga. Our results show that the presence of algal genes may be expected in many phagotrophs or taxa of phagotrophic ancestry and therefore does not necessarily represent evidence of plastid losses. The ultimate prokaryotic origin of some algal genes and their simultaneous presence in both primary and secondary photosynthetic eukaryotes either suggest recurrent gene transfer events under specific environments or support a more ancient origin of primary plastids.
In this paper, we propose the Proactive-optimal-path Selection with Coordinator Agents Assisted Routing (PSCAR) protocol for Vehicular Ad hoc NETworks (VANETs) in an urban environment. The main idea of PSCAR is to contribute static nodes as coordinator agents placed at each intersection, in order to improve the routing performance and to deal with radio obstacles (buildings, trees...) and voids as encountered in urban environments. Since the coordinator agents are static nodes, each one knows all the paths to any other coordinator agent in the network. Thus, instead of searching an optimal path toward the destination node, PSCAR will determine an optimal path to the nearest coordinator agent to the destination node so as to better anticipate any change of the destinations position. The optimal path is selected according to two criteria: the total physical distance and the vehicle density on the path. The vehicle density is estimated based on a fundamental diagram of the traffic that allows estimating the vehicular traffic density on each road segment. To evaluate the performance of PSCAR we used the Network Simulator 2 (ns-2) and the mobility simulator SUMO. We compare our scheme with some existing solutions with the aim of showing its effectiveness, in terms of packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, and network overhead.
Understanding the structural dimensions of inequality, and reflecting on our own assumptions and the presuppositions and knowledge basis of the institutions we work in is key to a critical approach to management and to learning. That is the central argument of this article which demonstrates the application of Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ framework in the learning, teaching and assessment in a post graduate programme on Citizenship and Human Rights. Based on critical theories in feminism, disability, racism, globalisation and human rights, the programme aimed to support «practitioner students» in acquiring new theoretical knowledge and applying that to their organisational practice. Reflecting on current practice and procedures and thinking backwards from current ways of thinking and doing, students were encouraged to «critically engage in thinking otherwise», as exhorted by Bacchi. Through this critical engagement with theory and practice, student practitioners could then «surface» the equalities and human rights dimensions and tensions in their work.
In the design of the Next Linear Collider (NLC), multibunch operation is employed to improve efficiency at the cost of substantial beam loading. The RF pulse that powers the accelerator structures will be shaped to compensate for the effect of the transient loading along the bunch train. This scheme has been implemented in the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator (NLCTA), a facility built to test the key accelerator technology of the NLC. In this paper we describe the compensation method, the techniques used to measure the energy variation along the bunch train, and results from tests with NLC-like beam currents.
There is a great number of packaging materials, such as bottles and boxes, are made of plastics (polymers). Additives such as plasticizers, antioxidants, antistatic agents, and lubricants may be used for the production of packaging materials. The worst effect of plastic production is deterioration of the environment. Recycling solves this problem and the initial step is identification and classification of the polymers and determination of different elements present in it. In this research, spectroscopic analyzes were performed using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for plastic materials samples of drug containers that collected from manufacturing factories located at Khartoum city, Sudan. The samples were collected before and after used, were irradiated by Nd: YAG laser at 266 nm, repetition rate 2Hz, with pulse energy of 80mJ. The recorded spectra of the samples were analyzed using National Institute Standard and Technology (NIST). and Origin Lab Pro 9 data analysis software. All elements present in plastic drug bottles were detected using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. The elements that detected are (Ca, Cd , Ra, Ac, W, V, Na, Pm, Cl, K, , Ce, Ar, Nd, Ac, Tc, Sc, Li, Pa, and Pb).
Zn-air devices can be used as either batteries or fuel cells. In both implementations, they hold great promises for future energy applications thanks to their relatively inexpensive and environmentally friendly raw materials, compared with the precious metal catalyst such as platinum, ruthenium or palladium used in other technologies. This work describes the results of the experimental characterization of a Zn-air fuel cell and its comparison, in terms of performance and efficiency with a “standard” fuel cell system represented by a PEM cell fed by hydrogen. The novelty of the investigation with respect to the state of the art is the characterization of Zn as a fuel and the analysis of the overall efficiency of the cell including thermodynamics, polarization and fuel usage losses. Moreover, the effect of electrolyte flow rate and electrolyte aging on the polarization curve of a Zn-air is analyzed.
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a relatively novel magnetic resonance-based imaging methodology that can provide valuable insight into the microstructure of white matter tracts of the brain. In this paper, we evaluated the reliability and reproducibility of deriving a semi-automated pseudo-atlas DTI tractography method vs. standard atlas-based analysis alternatives, for use in clinical cohorts with neurodegeneration and ventriculomegaly. We showed that the semi-automated pseudo-atlas DTI tractography method was reliable and reproducible across different cohorts, generating 97.7% of all tracts. However, DTI metrics obtained from both methods were significantly different across the majority of cohorts and white matter tracts (p < 0.001). Despite this, we showed that both methods produced patterns of white matter injury that are consistent with findings reported in the literature and with DTI profiles generated from these methodologies. Scatter plots comparing DTI metrics obtained from each methodology showed that the pseudo-atlas method produced metrics that implied a more preserved neural structure compared to its counterpart. When comparing DTI metrics against a measure of ventriculomegaly (i.e., Evans’ Index), we showed that the standard atlas-based method was able to detect decreasing white matter integrity with increasing ventriculomegaly, while in contrast, metrics obtained using the pseudo-atlas method were sensitive for stretch or compression in the posterior limb of the internal capsule. Additionally, both methods were able to show an increase in white matter disruption with increasing ventriculomegaly, with the pseudo-atlas method showing less variability and more specificity to changes in white matter tracts near to the ventricles. In this study, we found that there was no true gold-standard for DTI methodologies or atlases. Whilst there was no congruence between absolute values from DTI metrics, differing DTI methodologies were still valid but must be appreciated to be variably sensitive to different changes within white matter injury occurring concurrently. By combining both atlas and pseudo-atlas based methodologies with DTI profiles, it was possible to navigate past such challenges to describe white matter injury changes in the context of confounders, such as neurodegenerative disease and ventricular enlargement, with transparency and consistency.
OBJECTIVE Recently, the prognostic value of the Simpson resection grading scale has been called into question for modern meningioma surgery. In this study, the authors analyzed the relationship between Simpson resection grade and meningioma recurrence in their institutional experience.   METHODS This study is a retrospective review of all patients who underwent resection of a WHO grade I intracranial meningioma at the authors' institution from 2007 to 2017. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess for predictors of Simpson grade IV resection and postoperative neurological morbidity. Cox multivariate analysis was used to assess for predictors of tumor recurrence. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank tests were used to assess and compare recurrence-free survival (RFS) of Simpson resection grades, respectively.   RESULTS A total of 492 patients with evaluable data were included for analysis, including 394 women (80.1%) and 98 men (19.9%) with a mean (SD) age of 58.7 (12.8) years. The tumors were most commonly located at the skull base (n = 302; 61.4%) or the convexity/parasagittal region (n = 139; 28.3%). The median (IQR) tumor volume was 6.8 (14.3) cm3. Simpson grade I, II, III, or IV resection was achieved in 105 (21.3%), 155 (31.5%), 52 (10.6%), and 180 (36.6%) patients, respectively. Sixty-three of 180 patients (35.0%) with Simpson grade IV resection were treated with adjuvant radiosurgery. In the multivariate analysis, increasing largest tumor dimension (p < 0.01) and sinus invasion (p < 0.01) predicted Simpson grade IV resection, whereas skull base location predicted neurological morbidity (p = 0.02). Tumor recurrence occurred in 63 patients (12.8%) at a median (IQR) of 36 (40.3) months from surgery. Simpson grade I resection resulted in superior RFS compared with Simpson grade II resection (p = 0.02), Simpson grade III resection (p = 0.01), and Simpson grade IV resection with adjuvant radiosurgery (p = 0.01) or without adjuvant radiosurgery (p < 0.01). In the multivariate analysis, Simpson grade I resection was independently associated with no tumor recurrence (p = 0.04). Simpson grade II and III resections resulted in superior RFS compared with Simpson grade IV resection without adjuvant radiosurgery (p < 0.01) but similar RFS compared with Simpson grade IV resection with adjuvant radiosurgery (p = 0.82). Simpson grade IV resection with adjuvant radiosurgery resulted in superior RFS compared with Simpson grade IV resection without adjuvant radiosurgery (p < 0.01).   CONCLUSIONS The Simpson resection grading scale continues to hold substantial prognostic value in the modern neurosurgical era. When feasible, Simpson grade I resection should remain the goal of intracranial meningioma surgery. Simpson grade IV resection with adjuvant radiosurgery resulted in similar RFS compared with Simpson grade II and III resections.
The purpose of the work is to develop technological measures that make it possible to increase the availability of wood resources in a certain area of the forest reserves with the minimum expenditure of resources (fi nancial, labor, material). The results of research of theoretical and methodical bases of availability of wood resources have been provided; the following fi ve key types have been identifi ed: ecological, transport, technical, technological and economic availability. On the basis of factor analysis of wood availability, the following technological measures aimed at the most effective wood availability management have been developed: the involvement of wood waste in the production process of an enterprise with the purpose of additional products manufacture; selection of the optimal system of logging machines; selection of the optimal route for wood raw materials transportation using the minimum cost method. For approbation of the developed measures, the Gremuchinskoe logging site of the Novoyeniseiskiy Wood-Chemical Complex CJSC, located in Krasnoyarsk Territory, was selected. The average annual volume of raw materials harvested for sawing in this area is 240,000 m3. The primary assessment of the availability of wood raw materials showed that more than 66% of the total stock of raw materials (by volume) in the specifi ed area is unavailable for effi cient industrial development. The introduction of the developed measures allowed reducing this indicator to the level of 23.84%.
The authors present RAPID a highly parallel processor which includes an extended relational algebra and text retrieval capacities in its instruction set. RAPID operates in parallel with the transfer of relevant data on the host machine bus, in a null apparent time. It is implemented with several copies of a specialized component using RISC (reduced-instruction-set-computer)-like technology, though its instructions are very high-level ones. It fully uses the resources of HCMOS3 technology and of full-custom design. A first version of the processor is presently being implemented.<<ETX>>
Introduction: Colobine monkeys are specialized folivores that use foregut fermentation to digest leaves. The slow process of fermentation forces them to spend a lot of time resting and to minimize their energy expenditure to subsist on a lower-quality diet. Methods: We recorded the diet and activity budget of Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii, which form a three-tiered multi-level society, at Lake Nabugabo, Uganda, over 12 months using scan sampling on adults and subadults, to determine whether they utilize the energy minimization strategy typical of colobines. Results: We found that the annual diet was primarily comprised of high-quality food resources (young leaves 65% and fruit 31%), and fruits were the only plant part the monkeysselected when available. Both the fruits and young leaves of some species were preferred food items in some months, and mature leaf consumption correlated negatively with preferred food availability. Mature leaves appear to be a fallback food for this population but are rarely relied upon (3%). The C. a. ruwenzoriiat Nabugabo spent less time resting (40%) and more time moving (25%) than is typical for other species of black-and-white colobus. Discussion/Conclusion: The high-quality diet of this population appears to allow them to utilize an energy maximization strategy. Their reliance on food items that tend to be clumped in space and time likely explains the frequent fission-fusion behaviour that we observe between core units. Our findings demonstrate that the foraging strategies of colobines may be more flexible than was previously thought and illustrate how food availability and distribution can impact primate social organization.
A key feature of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes is how they control the ability of the complex to translocate along DNA within the context of a nucleosome. Although these complexes generally initiate DNA translocation near the dyad axis of the nucleosome, the progression and eventual termination is regulated in quite distinct ways. The best studies examples of these are the ISWI type which has strong extranucleosomal DNA dependent activity or the SWI/SNF type which has no linker DNA requirement. Recent data provide more insights into the mechanism of regulation of DNA translocation by the ISWI type complexes and how the structure of the ISWI-nucleosome complex changes during chromatin remodeling.
Study Design. An anatomic and biomechanical bench-top basic scientific comparative analysis to determine the appropriateness of total disc replacement (TDR) in a lumbar spine with scoliotic tendencies. Objectives. Only limited data are currently available studying the application of disc replacement adjacent to scoliosis fusions. Theoretically, motion preservation should help delay the continuum of lumbar degeneration adjacent to scoliosis fusions and rotationally unstable lumbar segments. Summary of Background Data. As a tertiary referral center for failed TDR, we noticed an alarming number of lumbar spinal rotational iatrogenic instability patterns but none occurring in the cervical spine. It is appropriate to analyze the bench-top rotational stability of disc replacement to predict whether this new technology is feasible for a larger prospective clinical study in the treatment of degenerative scoliosis. Methods. Measurements were taken from 60 human specimens from the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection: 1) to determine the rotational arc of influence (AOI) = the angle formed from the center of axial rotation to the outermost extent of the facet joints; and 2) to determine the relative anatomic size discrepancy between the left and right facets proportionately with the cross-sectional area of the intervertebral disc = facet/endplate ratio (FER). Biomechanical testing was performed using fresh frozen human cadaveric spines with the following conditions to determine the rotational stability: 1) intact; 2) resection of ALL, anulus, disc, and PLL simulating the preparation for a TDR; 3) a more radical anular resection; 4) entire 360° anular resection; and 4) insertion of the respective unconstrained-type disc replacement. Using a 6 degrees of freedom spine simulator, unconstrained pure moments of ±8.0 Nm (lumbar) and ±3.0 Nm (cervical) were used for axial rotation with quantification of the operative level range of motion and neutral zone, with data normalized to the intact spine condition. Results. There were anatomic limitations in the lumbar spine that make it less desirable to apply uncon-strained disc replacements; indeed, the spine was at risk for iatrogenic lumbar scoliosis. The anulus fibrosis, anterior longitudinal ligament, and the posterior longitudinal ligament are critical structures in preventing iatrogenic scoliosis. The lumbar facet joints are more posteriorly located and are smaller relative to the intervertebral disc, compared with this association in the cervical spine. Because the facet capsular ligaments are mechanically less effective with lower tensile strength in the lumbar spine, multiple-level arthroplasty tends to accentuate scoliotic tendencies; this is independent of prosthetic design and surgical technique. Discussion. Implantation of the lumbar TDR never restored the motion segment back to the rotational stability of the intact segment achieving a range of 120% to 140% rotational range of motion compared with the intact condition. This rotational instability proved to be additive as a two-level lumbar TDR resulted in between 240% and 260% increase in rotational instability compared with the intact condition. Conclusion. The neutral zone of the intact cervical spine was restored even using an unconstrained cervical TDR. The greater inherent rotational constraints of the cervical spine make it more amenable to stable multilevel arthroplasty compared with the lumbar spine.
Thermal conductivity measurements were performed on several amorphous rare earth transition metal thin films of varying microstructure. The thermal conductivity perpendicular to the plane of the film, measured by the thermal comparator method, was compared with the thermal conductivity value measured parallel to the plane of the film. The latter value was obtained by converting electrical conductivity values to thermal conductivity via the Wiedemann–Franz relationship. As expected, the columnar microstructure induced during the sputter deposition of the thin films causes an anisotropy in the thermal conductivity values, with the in-plane values consistently lower than the out-of-plane values. The effect is most pronounced for the more columnar films deposited at higher pressure, for which the in-plane thermal conductivity, 0.3 W/mK, is an order of magnitude lower than the out-of-plane thermal conductivity, 4.3 W/mK. The thermal conductivity out of the plane of the film decreased with increasing deposition pressure, due to the decreasing film density.
ABSTRACT Papillomavirus E2 protein is required for the replication and maintenance of viral genomes and transcriptional regulation of viral genes. E2 functions through sequence-specific binding to 12-bp DNA motifs—E2 binding sites (E2BS)—in the virus genome. Papillomaviruses are able to establish persistent infection in their host and have developed a long-term relationship with the host cell in order to guarantee the propagation of the virus. In this study, we have analyzed the occurrence and functionality of E2BSs in the human genome. Our computational analysis indicates that most E2BSs in the human genome are found in repetitive DNA regions and have G/C-rich spacer sequences. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation approach, we show that human papillomavirus type 11 (HPV11) E2 interacts with a subset of cellular E2BSs located in active chromatin regions. Two E2 activities, sequence-specific DNA binding and interaction with cellular Brd4 protein, are important for E2 binding to consensus sites. E2 binding to cellular E2BSs has a moderate or no effect on cellular transcription. We suggest that the preference of HPV E2 proteins for E2BSs with A/T-rich spacers, which are present in the viral genomes and underrepresented in the human genome, ensures E2 binding to specific binding sites in the virus genome and may help to prevent extensive and possibly detrimental changes in cellular transcription in response to the viral protein.
Abstract EFSA assessed the relevance of seaweed and halophyte consumption to the dietary exposure to heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) and the iodine intake in the European population. Based on sampling years 2011–2021, there were 2,093 analytical data available on cadmium, 1,988 on lead, 1,934 on total arsenic, 920 on inorganic arsenic (iAs), 1,499 on total mercury and 1,002 on iodine. A total of 697 eating occasions on halophytes, seaweeds and seaweed‐related products were identified in the EFSA Comprehensive European Food Consumption Database (468 subjects, 19 European countries). From seaweed consumption, exposure estimates for cadmium in adult ‘consumers only’ are within the range of previous exposure estimates considering the whole diet, while for iAs and lead the exposure estimates represent between 10% and 30% of previous exposures from the whole diet for the adult population. Seaweeds were also identified as important sources of total arsenic that mainly refers, with some exceptions, to organic arsenic. As regards iodine, from seaweed consumption, mean intakes above 20 μg/kg body weight per day were identified among ‘consumers only’ of Kombu and Laver algae. The impact of a future increase in seaweed consumption (‘per capita’) on the dietary exposure to heavy metals and on iodine intake will strongly depend on the seaweeds consumed. The exposure estimates of heavy metals and iodine intakes in ‘consumers only’ of seaweeds were similar to those estimated in a replacement scenario with selected seaweed‐based foods in the whole population. These results underline the relevance of the current consumption of seaweeds in the overall exposure to different heavy metals and in the intake of iodine. Recommendations are provided for further work needed on different areas to better understand the relationship between seaweed consumption and exposure to heavy metals and iodine intake.
We have characterized an apparently full‐length cDNA corresponding to a rat mRNA, SE6C, previously identified by subtractive hybridization as being expressed predominantly in the striatal region of the brain. The SE6C mRNA encodes a 266 amino acid protein with significant similarity to members of the Ras‐like GTP‐binding protein family; thus, we have chosen the name Rhes, for Ras homolog enriched in striatum. The human homolog was found in a genomic sequence from human chromosome 22q13.1 and shares 95% identity with rat Rhes. Among the family of small G‐proteins, Rhes shares 62% identity with Dexras1, a mouse dexamethasone‐inducible Ras‐like protein. Both Rhes and Dexras1 have substantially longer C‐termini than other members of the Ras‐like small G‐protein family. Divergence between the C‐terminal sequences of Rhes and Dexras1 suggests that, although their functions are probably similar, they have unique properties. Bacterially expressed Rhes binds GTP, suggesting that the protein indeed has GTPase functionality. Although Rhes was not induced by dexamethasone, its full expression is dependent upon thyroid hormone availability. Its accumulation is postnatal, consistent with the dependence upon thyroid hormone. It is noteworthy that most striatum‐“specific” mRNAs characterized to date encode components of signal transduction cascades. J. Neurosci. Res. 57:782–788, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Altered Synaptic Drive Onto Birthdated Dentate Granule Cells in Experimental Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Althaus AL, Moore SJ, Zhang H, Du Plummer X, Murphy GG, Parent JM. J Neurosci. 2019;39(38):7604-7614. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0654-18.2019. Dysregulated adult hippocampal neurogenesis occurs in many temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) models. Most dentate granule cells (DGCs) generated in response to an epileptic insult develop features that promote increased excitability, including ectopic location, persistent hilar basal dendrites (HBDs), and mossy fiber sprouting. However, some appear to integrate normally and even exhibit reduced excitability compared to other DGCs. To examine the relationship between DGC birthdate, morphology, and network integration in a model of TLE, we retrovirally birth-dated either early-born (postnatal day 7) or adult-born (postnatal day 60) DGCs. Male rats underwent pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) or sham treatment at postnatal day 56. Three to six months after SE or sham treatment, we used whole-cell patch clamp and fluorescence microscopy to record spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory currents from birth-dated DGCs. We found that both adult-born and early-born populations of DGCs recorded from epileptic rats received increased excitatory input compared with age-matched controls. Interestingly, when adult-born populations were separated into normally integrated (normotopic) and aberrant (ectopic or HBD containing) subpopulations, only the aberrant populations exhibited a relative increase in excitatory input (amplitude, frequency, and charge transfer). The ratio of excitatory to inhibitory input was most dramatically upregulated for ectopically localized DGCs. These data provide definitive physiological evidence that aberrant integration of post-SE, adult-born DGCs contributes to increased synaptic drive and supports the idea that ectopic DGCs serve as putative hub cells to promote seizures. Significance Statement: Adult DGC neurogenesis is altered in rodent models of TLE. Some of the new neurons show abnormal morphology and integration, but whether adult-generated DGCs contribute to the development of epilepsy is controversial. We examined the synaptic inputs of age-defined populations of DGCs using electrophysiological recordings and fluorescent retroviral reporter birth-dating. Dentate granule cells generated neonatally were compared with those generated in adulthood, and adult-born neurons with normal versus aberrant morphology or integration were examined. We found that adult-born, ectopically located DGCs exhibit the most pro-excitatory physiological changes, implicating this population in seizure generation or progression. Targeting Seizure-Induced Neurogenesis in a Clinically Relevant Time Period Leads to Transient But Not Persistent Seizure Reduction Varma P, Brulet R, Zhang L, Hsieh J. J Neurosci. 2019;39(35):7019-7028. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0920-19.2019. Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE), the most common form of medically refractory epilepsy in adults, is usually associated with hippocampal pathophysiology. Using rodent models of mTLE, many studies including work from our laboratory have shown that new neurons born around the onset of severe acute seizures known as status epilepticus (SE) are crucial for the process of epileptogenesis and targeting seizure-induced neurogenesis either genetically or pharmacologically can impact the frequency of chronic seizures. However, these studies are limited in their clinical relevance as none of them determines the potential of blocking new neurons generated after the epileptogenic insult to alleviate the development of chronic seizures. Therefore, using a pilocarpine-induced SE model of mTLE in mice of either sex, we show that >4 weeks of continuous and concurrent ablation of seizure-induced neurogenesis after SE can reduce the formation of spontaneous recurrent seizures by 65%. We also found that blocking post-SE neurogenesis does not lead to long-term seizure reduction as the effect was observed only transiently for 10 days with >4 weeks of continuous and concurrent ablation of seizure-induced neurogenesis. Thus, these findings provide evidence that seizure-induced neurogenesis when adequately reduced in a clinically relevant time period has the potential to transiently suppress recurrent seizures, but additional mechanisms need to be targeted to permanently prevent epilepsy development. Significance Statement: Consistent with morphological and electrophysiological studies suggesting aberrant adult-generated neurons contribute to epilepsy development, ablation of seizure-induced new neurons at the time of the initial insult reduces the frequency of recurrent seizures. In this study, we show that continuous targeting of post-insult new neurons in a therapeutically relevant time period reduces chronic seizures; however, this effect does not persist suggesting possible additional mechanisms.
OBJECTIVE There is a clear need to develop psychosocial rehabilitation methods that compensate for neurocognitive deficits common to persons with severe and persistent mental illness. Errorless learning, a compensatory training intervention, has been successful in teaching entry-level job tasks. However, errorless learning's applicability to broader, more complex functions is unknown. The present study tested the extension of errorless learning for deficits in social problem-solving skills in patients with schizophrenia.   METHOD Sixty clinically stable outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were stratified by gender and level of memory impairment before being randomly assigned to one of two training programs: errorless learning or symptom management. Groups were matched for training time, format and structure of training, and types of teaching aids used. Social problem-solving ability, measured by the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills, was assessed at baseline, within 2 days of training completion, and after 3 months. Dependent measures were the scores for the receiving, processing, and sending skills areas from the Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills.   RESULTS A repeated-measures analysis of covariance was conducted for each dependent measure with baseline Assessment of Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills score entered as a covariate. For all three skills, there was a significant training group effect favoring errorless learning. Durability of errorless learning training effects extended to the 3-month follow-up assessment for processing and sending skills but not receiving skills.   CONCLUSIONS Results support the extension of errorless learning to complex functions such as social problem-solving skills in the rehabilitation of persons with schizophrenia.
The 205 Ma Rochechouart impact structure (France) is characterized by various impactite formations overlying the Hercynian crystalline basement. New constraints from downhole logging and surface electrical resistivity measurements along >100 m long profiles reveal that the top melt‐bearing breccia layer is more conductive and porous than the underlying melt‐poor breccia layer. The stratigraphy within the impactite and the transition with the basement are irregular at small (∼1–10 m) and medium (>100 m) scales, with vertical amplitude up to 40–50 m. At larger scale (>1 km), audio‐magnetotelluric observations are able to map the lateral and vertical extent of fracturing/brecciation in the basement, reaching 200 m below the surface nearby Chassenon, in the northern part of the structure. Our results also unveil that the impactite deposits and the brecciated basement of the Rochechouart impact structure may have been shifted laterally and vertically during the modification stage of the impact event through displacements of megablocks, which may be associated with the collapse of a central uplift.
The phytochemical composition and the effect of the green and ripe Opuntia ficus-indica juice on some gastrointestinal (GI) physiological parameters such as stomach emptying and small-intestinal motility and permeability were determined in rats administered multiple concentrations of the prickly pear juice (5, 10, and 20 mL kg-1, b.w., p.o.). Other separate groups of rats were received, respectively; sodium chloride (0.9%, b.w., p.o.), clonidine (α-2-adrenergic agonist, 1 mg kg-1, b.w., i.p.), yohimbine (α-2-adrenergic antagonist, 2 mg kg-1, b.w., i.p.), and loperamide (5 mg kg-1, b.w., p.o.). In vivo reverse effect of juice on GI physiological parameters was investigated using a charcoal meal test, phenol-red colorimetric method, loperamide-induced acute constipation, and castor oil-caused small-bowel hypersecretion. However, the opposite in vitro influence of juice on intestinal permeability homeostasis was assessed by the Ussing chamber system. Mature prickly pear juice administration stimulated significantly and dose dependently the GI transit (GIT; 8-26%) and gastric emptying (0.9-11%) in a rat model. Conversely, the immature prickly pear juice reduced gastric emptying (7-23%), GIT (10-28%), and diarrhea (59-88%). Moreover, the standard drugs have produced their antagonistic effects on GI physiological functions. The permeability of the isolated perfused rat small-intestine has a paradoxical response flowing prickly pear juices administration at diverse doses and maturity grade. Most importantly, the quantitative phytochemical analyses of both juices showed a different composition depending on the degree of maturity. In conclusion, the prickly pear juice at two distinct phases of maturity has different phytochemical characteristics and opposite effects on GI physiological actions in rat.
Piezoelectric transformers (PTs) have lately been looked upon as an attractive solution to reduce size and weight in AC/DC converters. This paper presents a topology that includes such a device while minimizing the number of additional components required for an adequate performance. An 8 Watt AC/DC adapter (110 V/sub AC/, 12 V/sub DC/) operating at frequencies around 500 kHz is obtained using this topology.
Successive devolved governments have been attempting to address inequalities which are deeply rooted in Scotland, by adapting UK policies or by devising their own solutions. In addition, from 2007, Scottish National Party (SNP) governments have criticised the policies conducted at UK level – especially the austerity policies in response to the Recession from 2010. They have demanded further powers to be able to mitigate or reform them, thus adding a constitutional dimension which has been reignited after the referendum on Brexit. This chapter deals with some of the policies aiming at tackling inequalities related to incomes and capabilities in the fields of education and health. It sheds light on the ongoing debates in Scotland and on some of the results which have been achieved under SNP governments.
This work aims at extending the concept of the Numerical Green’s Function (NGF), well known from boundary element applications to fracture mechanics, to the Local Boundary Integral Equation (LBIE) context. As a ”companion” solution, the NGF is used to remove the integrals over the crack boundary and is introduced only for source points whose support touches or contains the crack. The results obtained with the coupling of NGF-LBIE in previous potential discontinuity Laplace’s equation problems and the authors’ experience in NGF-BEM fracture mechanics were the motivation for this development. keyword: LBIE, Meshless methods, Numerical Green’s function, Fracture mechanics.
Training in engineering drawing has traditionally been focused on learning technical drawing or drafting skills in isolation from analytical and design skills. Engineering 251/253, as taught at the University of Calgary, has developed a visual literacy component that combines drawing methods from Engineering and Fine Art. Teaching drawing and sketching to first-year engineers, develops both drawing skill and perceptual ability which can be directly applied to current 3-D modeling programs. Engineering drawing or engineering sketching, as it is known in our course, functions as a tool for creativity, design and analysis, rather than strictly for technical representation.
In this paper, an accurate model of resistive drift region in laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) is presented. We have improved the dynamically varying depletion width model at the drift/substrate junction, by considering both the drain and substrate bias effects. The both bias condition causes the resistance modification of the high resistive drift region for the reduced-surface-field structure (RESURF). In addition, new expansion-effect model is developed by considering the substrate bias effect. The developed models have been implemented into Hiroshima University starc insulated gate field effect transistor model for high voltage (HiSIM-HV) and it is proved that the models reproduce measured direct current (DC) characteristics for the wide variety of the substrate bias variation.
An effective therapeutic strategy to treat tendon or ligament injury continues to be a clinical challenge due to the limited natural healing capacity of these tissues. Furthermore, the repaired tendons or ligaments usually possess inferior mechanical properties and impaired functions. Tissue engineering can restore the physiological functions of tissues using biomaterials, cells, and suitable biochemical signals. It has produced encouraging clinical outcomes, forming tendon or ligament-like tissues with similar compositional, structural, and functional attributes to the native tissues. This paper starts by reviewing tendon/ligament structure and healing mechanisms, followed by describing the bioactive nanostructured scaffolds used in tendon and ligament tissue engineering, with emphasis on electrospun fibrous scaffolds. The natural and synthetic polymers for scaffold preparation, as well as the biological and physical cues offered by incorporating growth factors in the scaffolds or by dynamic cyclic stretching of the scaffolds, are also covered. It is expected to present a comprehensive clinical, biological, and biomaterial insight into advanced tissue engineering-based therapeutics for tendon and ligament repair.
To curtail greenhouse gas emissions local and distributed energy systems should be fed by renewable and high efficiency fuels. Anaerobic digestate of organic waste from biogas production can be adopted as a substrate, coupled to Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) exhausts, for biomass culture. This biorefinery concept can be exploited towards the complete integration of a waste treatment plant. The work concern the preliminary tests assessed to identify the condition to obtain microalgal growth on dry digestate from anaerobic digestion of organic waste and CO2 remaining after power and heat production by fuel cells biofixation. The results of digestate pretreatment and dilution, inoculum: digestate ratio and CO2 supply system were reported. Each test was controlling operating temperature and light intensity using a common green alga, Chlorella vulgaris. Different tests were performed for testing digestate dilution (from 1:20 to 1:70) and for defining microalgal inoculum concentration (9%, 20% and 32%). All trials were performed at laboratory scale. The optimal digestate pretreatment and microalgal inoculum concentration was used for achieving CO2 biofixation in an experimental reactor (15 L). The best dilution for the digestate was found to be approximately 1:70 and inoculum percentage equal to 20%.
We report the effect of COOH-functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-SWCNT) on the electrical and photovoltaic characteristics of Malachite Green (MG) dye based photovoltaic cells. Two different types of photovoltaic cells were prepared, one with MG dye and another by incorporating COOH-SWCNT with this dye. Cells were characterized through different electrical and photovoltaic measurements including photocurrent measurements with pulsed radiation. From the dark current—voltage (I–V) characteristic results, we observed a certain transition voltage (Vth) for both the cells beyond which the conduction mechanism of the cells change sharply. For the MG dye, Vth is 3.9 V whereas for COOH-SWCNT mixed with this dye, Vth drops to 2.7 V. The device performance improves due to the incorporation of COOH-SWCNT. The open circuit voltage and short circuit current density change from 4.2 to 97 mV and from 108 to 965 μA/cm2 respectively. Observations from photocurrent measurements show that the rate of growth and decay of the photocurrent are quite faster in the presence of COOH-SWCNT. This observation indicates a faster charge separation processes due to the incorporation of COOH-SWCNT in the MG dye cells. The high aspect ratio of COOH-SWCNT allows efficient conduction pathways for the generated charge carriers.
During Cassini's approach to Saturn, the Cosmic Dust Analyser (CDA) discovered streams of tiny (less than 20 nanometers) high-velocity (∼100 kilometers per second) dust particles escaping from the saturnian system. A fraction of these impactors originated from the outskirts of Saturn's dense A ring. The CDA time-of-flight mass spectrometer recorded 584 mass spectra from the stream particles. The particles consist predominantly of oxygen, silicon, and iron, with some evidence of water ice, ammonium, and perhaps carbon. The stream particles primarily consist of silicate materials, and this implies that the particles are impurities from the icy ring material rather than the ice particles themselves.
We show how to compute O(/spl radic/log n)-approximations to SPARSEST CUT and BALANCED SEPARATOR problems in O/spl tilde/(n/sup 2/) time, thus improving upon the recent algorithm of Arora, Rao and Vazirani (2004). Their algorithm uses semidefinite programming and required O/spl tilde/(n/sup 4.5/) time. Our algorithm relies on efficiently finding expander flows in the graph and does not solve semidefinite programs. The existence of expander flows was also established by Arora, Rao, and Vazirani.
Reducing energy use is crucial to commercialize electrochemical oxidation technologies. We developed a three-dimensional (3-D) electrochemical system that can significantly reduce the applied voltage and effectively degrade organic contaminants in low ionic strength wastewaters. The 3-D system consisted of a composite wire mesh anode (comprised of blue TiO2 nanotubes covered by SnO2-Sb2O3), a proton exchange membrane (PEM), and a stainless-steel wire mesh cathode, which were compressed firmly together. For the 3-D system, we placed the anode of a 3-D electrode toward the wastewater that flowed past the anode. Both the 2-D and the 3-D systems had the same anode and cathode. We found that the 3-D system could reduce the applied voltage 75.7% and EE/O 73% for 0.001 M Na2SO4. For Na2SO4 concentrations greater than 0.05 M, the 2-D system had a slightly lower EE/O. We also compared the EE/O of EAOPs to other AOPs (UV/H2O2, UV/Persulfate, O3/H2O2, UV/ TiO2 and UV/ Chlorine). We found that EAOPs have a much higher EE/O for low BA concentrations (20 mg/L) and a much lower EE/O for high BA concentrations (2000 mg/L).
This research highlights correlation modeling between residential buildings orientation toward the runway as noise source and noise level. Many studies used noise mapping to identify noise performance in cities, but none of them discussed building orientation as an effort to reduce noise. This research aims to resolve the noise exceeding threshold of 55 dB for landed residential area. The method used was empirical experiments based on ISO 1996-1 using a 1:1-scaled building block model that was rotatable on its axis on various orientation angles. To examine the difference in sound reduction patterns, measurements were carried out during aircraft take-off and landing in three measurement conditions: outside the building model (OS), inside the model with both closed (CW) and open window (OW). The relative values of sound reduction in every angle were mapped and a Correlation Modeling was then empirically developed and theoretically validated by origin-8 software. As a result, the empirical validation formula deviation averaged only 1.20% and 1.13% during take-off and landing respectively from the actual noise and the theoretical validation. Furthermore, the new modeling was verified as a derivation from the grand theory of inverse square law and could be applied for master plan design.
Background Peptide-based vaccination is a rational option for immunotherapy of prostate cancer. In this first-in-man phase I/II study, we assessed the safety, tolerability and immunological impact of a synthetic long peptide vaccine targeting Ras homolog gene family member C (RhoC) in patients with prostate cancer. RhoC is a small GTPase overexpressed in advanced solid cancers, metastases and cancer stem cells. Methods Twenty-two patients who had previously undergone radical prostatectomy received subcutaneous injections of 0.1 mg of a single RhoC-derived 20mer peptide emulsified in Montanide ISA-51 every 2 weeks for the first six times, then five times every 4 weeks for a total treatment time of 30 weeks. The drug safety and vaccine-specific immune responses were assessed during treatment and thereafter within a 13-month follow-up period. Serum level of prostate-specific antigen was measured up to 26 months postvaccination. Results Most patients (18 of 21 evaluable) developed a strong CD4 T cell response against the vaccine, which lasted at least 10 months following the last vaccination. Three promiscuouslypresented HLA-class II epitopes were identified. Vaccine-specific CD4 T cells were polyfunctional and effector memory T cells that stably expressed PD-1 (CD279) and OX-40 (CD134), but not LAG-3 (CD223). One CD8 T cell response was detected in addition. The vaccine was well tolerated and no treatment-related adverse events of grade ≥3 were observed. Conclusion Targeting of RhoC induced a potent and long-lasting T cell immunity in the majority of the patients. The study demonstrates an excellent safety and tolerability profile. Vaccination against RhoC could potentially delay or prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis formation. Trial registration number NCT03199872.
Introduction: Anesthesia for cesarean section in a patient with preeclampsia is far more complicated than an otherwise normal pregnancy for several reasons. Apart from the risks of high incidence of intrauterine growth restriction, fetal distress and prematurity, there are risk of increased perioperative morbidity due to altered hemodynamics  Material and methods: This study was conducted on 100 booked pregnant woman of ASA physical status I and II (Normotensive) or III (Preeclamptic), between 19 to 30 years of age, carrying a live, mature, healthy, single fetus posted for elective cesarean section. Patients were counseled during preoperative examination and 50 normotensive and 50 preeclamptic patients were recruited for this study after obtaining informed consent from each of the patient in their own language.  Result and Analyses: In this study, the authors found significant differences in SBP, DBP and MAP at different point of times in both the groups. One probable explanation of this may be the use of invasive arterial blood pressure monitoring in place of non-invasive monitoring unlike other studies. Also the preoperative blood pressure values were significantly different in both the groups. More phenylephrine consumption was noted in the normotensive group.  Conclusion: subarachnoid block in preeclampsia patients associated with better perioperative hemodynamic stability, less hypotension, less vasopressor consumption and more gradual blood pressure changes.
A catheter type ultrasound probe having an elongated flexible catheter and a controller for a rotational driver for the ultrasound transducer on the catheter member. The device includes a flexible sheathing tube closed at the fore end, a rotatable support member located in a tip end portion of the sheathing tube, an ultrasound transducer mounted on the rotatable support member and a flexible transmission shaft including at least a transmission coil having a series of intimately contacting helices. The flexible transmission shaft extends through the sheathing tube and is connected at the fore end to the rotatable support member. A rotational shaft is coupled to the other end of the flexible transmission shaft and is rotationally driven from the rotational driver on the controller. A pair of fore and rear stoppers located in the fore and rear end portions of the catheter retain the flexible transmission shaft in a tensioned state between predetermined head and tail end positions.
The city of Memphis has a commission form of government established January 1, 1910. The present members are: Rowlett Paine, Mayor and Commissioner of Public Affairs and Health; Thos. H. Allen, Vice-Mayor and Commissioner of Fire and Police; Charles R. Shannon, Commissioner of Accounts, Finances and Revenues; Harry N. Howe, Commissioner of Streets, Bridges and Sewers, and Horace Johnson, Commissioner of Public Utilities, Buildings and Improvements. The population is estimated at 200,000. The United States Census in 1920 showed 162,351. The leading industries are the manufacture of hardwoods and its products, cotton and its products and assembling of automobiles. It is also an important distributing center for merchandise. There are approximately 400 miles of dedicated streets, 125 miles of which are hard surfaced, 200 miles graveled and the rest unimproved. The water supply was purchased by the city in 1903. The operation of the water department is under the supervision of a board of three commissioners appointed by the Mayor, one every two years for six-year terms. The board appoints a general superintendent, secretary and resident engineer. The general superintendent is in responsible charge of operation. The present commissioners are F. G. Proutt, Chairman, Jno. M. Dean, Vice-Chairman and W. W. Mallory. The officers are James Sheahan, general superintendent; Sanford Morison, secretary, and Carl E. Davis, resident engineer. The parkway pumping station is divided into a main pump room, a boiler room and a machine shop. The walls are brick; the roof is concrete supported by steel girders. The main floor is concrete covered with tile. The basement floor is also concrete.
Spray cooling for electronics cooling applications offers superior performance due to the atomization and two-phase flow abilities. Need for spray cooling in thermal applications is on the rise due to increasing heat fluxes and demanding reliability specifications. Unfortunately, it is a very laborious task to predict Critical Heat Fluxes (CHF) for spray cooling by means of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Therefore, thermal engineers generally prefer using empirical correlations to determine capabilities of spray cooling for electronics. In this study, one of the empirical correlations was tested by performing several experiments by varying the fluid type, the angle of spray nozzle and the flow rate.
The perturbative series used to extract αs(Mτ) from the τ hadronic width exhibits slow convergence. Asymptotic Pade-approximant and Pade summation techniques provide an estimate of these unknown higher-order effects, leading to values for αs(Mτ) that are about 10% smaller than current estimates. Such a reduction improves the agreement of αs(Mτ) with the QCD evolution of the strong coupling constant from αs(Mz).
To accurately diagnose stenotic lesions on coronary cineangiograms, an automatic detection method using computer image processing was developed. We evaluated its accuracy by comparing the results of computer-aided interpretation (CAI) with those obtained independently by 3 observers. Evaluation was performed on 129 segments from 27 arteries visualized on angiograms obtained in 18 patients. The detection rates of stenosis of the 3 observers by pure visual interpretation were 7.0%, 27.9%, and 17.1%, and using CAI 40.0%, 42.6%, and 47.3%. By computer recognition alone, a detection rate of 51.9% was achieved. The agreement by at least 2 observers (consensus) on the sites with lesions was 41.1% while the consensus of computer recognition regarding the sites with lesion was 40.3%. Therefore, our findings indicated that computer recognition of cineangiograms is likely to result in overdetection of lesions. However, all 3 observers detected stenotic lesions better with CAI than with pure visual interpretation. Accordingly, CAI may improve the reliability of cineangiographic diagnosis.
Short circuit protection of high-voltage power lines in coal mine cannot realize selectivity with existing protection systems. To solve this problem, a scheme of protection and monitor underground based on PROFINET was proposed. The system is mainly composed of PROFINET network, monitor, controller, and integrated protector with PROFINET IO interface circuit. The system achieves protection and power monitoring network integration, completes the selectivity of short circuit protection, and can determine fault position quickly. Thus the troubleshooting time is cut and reliability of power supply network is improved. The simulation results show that the POROFINET real-time meets the requirement of protection and the system can realize short-circuit protection and power monitor function.
Available data constrain possible models of the gamma-ray point (or pointlike) sources found by COS B. Apart from the pulsars (Crab, Vela) and possibly the quasar 3C 273, which are ''compact'' objects, and which have been identified at other photon energies, there are some 20-odd other sources with no accepted or acceptable counterpart, as yet. This class of ''gamma-ray objects'' may be due to cosmic ray interaction with aggregates of diffuse interstellar matter--i.e., clouds. The constraints on this hypothesis, both observationally and theoretically, are discussed for various scenarios.
A search was undertaken for bacteria which degrade chondroitin sulfate in nature and to find bacteria with a usefully high rate of chondroitinase (ChSase) productivity. First, 253 ChSase-producing bacteria were obtained from aquatic and land environments in Japan by aerobic and anaerobic screening methods. Identification according to Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology or Bain and Shewan (1968) permitted assignment of the majority of the isolates to seven genera, Aeromonas, Vibrio, Flavobacterium, Beneckea, Proteus, Micrococcus, and Arthrobacter. Next, ChSase productivities of all the isolates were compared with those of two established ChSase-producing stock strains, Proteus vulgaris NCTC 4636 and Flavobacterium heparinum ATCC 13125. As a result, special attention was given to production by a strain of Aeromonas sp. of large quantities of extracellular ChSase-AC. None of the isolates from the current study displayed significant ChSase-ABC productivity. Finally, ChSase-AC was prepared from the culture fluid of the Aeromonas strain by fractional precipitation with ammonium sulfate, chromatography on phospho-cellulose and diethylaminoethyl-cellulose, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. It was concluded that the Aeromonas strain may represent a profitable source of the enzyme ChSase-AC.
ABSTRACT Improving the access of previously marginalised groups to skilled occupations is vital to growing the South African economy and making strides to a labour market characterised by less inequality. However, under-representation of Africans and deepening gender inequality persist as challenges in artisanal employment. This quantitative picture however does little to reveal the full story of why particular inequalities in artisanal employment continue. The research employed the concept of occupational boundaries to understand how artisanal occupations were understood and how the related domain of work is described and delineated from other forms of work. The findings illustrate how the notion of artisanal work and occupations continue to be strongly constructed by race, gender, age and language in the South African context. As societies across the globe are facing either strengthening and/or new forms of inequalities, it will be critical for scholars concerned with the social and economic relations of work to (1) continue to advocate for understanding how social closure mechanisms play out in the workplace and (2) assist in broadening the gaze of research into inequality to other less understood occupational groups that play a role in perpetuating and strengthening inequalities in labour markets.
The only clinically approved alternative to autografts for treating large peripheral nerve injuries is the use of synthetic nerve guidance conduits (NGCs), which provide physical guidance to the regenerating stump and limit scar tissue infiltration at the injury site. Several lines of evidence suggest that a potential future strategy is to combine NGCs with cellular or molecular therapies to deliver growth factors that sustain the regeneration process. However, growth factors are expensive and have a very short half‐life; thus, the combination approach has not been successful. In the present paper, we proposed the immobilization of growth factors (GFs) on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for the time‐ and space‐controlled release of GFs inside the NGC. We tested the particles in a rat model of a peripheral nerve lesion. Our results revealed that the injection of a cocktail of MNPs functionalized with nerve growth factor (NGF) and with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) strongly accelerate the regeneration process and the recovery of motor function compared to that obtained using the free factors. Additionally, we found that injecting MNPs in the NGC is safe and does not impair the regeneration process, and the MNPs remain in the conduit for weeks.
The problem of molecular thermal (P q ) polarization estimation in the substances with different forms of aggregation and using different experimental techniques is discussed. It is shown on the base of numerous experimental data analysis that P q includes both rotational (P rot ) and orientational (P or ) components, which may be commensurable in magnitude in gases and gasiform condensed media. The principle of equal distribution of molecules' thermal polarization over their kinetic degrees of freedom is being satisfied, so P rot term should not be neglected. The neglect of this fact on estimation of the molecular dipole moments using the first method of Debye results in √(5/3) or √(4/3) times overestimated dipole moment values.
based on thorough documentation and of continuing use in medical libraries is a list of early American journals conveniently grouped under state-names; amongst them is a title curiously unnoticed in Austin'sEarly American Medical Imprints, that of the first medical journal published in the United States about 1790, a translation from the French (Journal of the practice of medicine .. . in the military hospitals ofFrance) of which only one part appeared. E. GASKELL
Thls paper descnbes a passive Rocky Intert~dal Plankton Trap (RIPT) that can be used in exposed rocky shores. The RlPT is light, simple to build, easy to install and inexpensive. It endures water velocities up to 7.7 m S-' dnd provides an integration over time of the nleroand holoplankton arriving at the rocky shore. Two sets of 4 traps were tested, over a period of 3 d, in 2 exposed rocky shores in central Chile. The RIPTs collected a total of 21 major plankton taxa ranging in size from 100 pm (bivalve larvae) to 2700 pm (Isopoda). The cumulative number of planktonic organisms collected per trap ranged between 123 and 215 Cylinders of dentist chalk attached inside and outside the RIPTs and specially designed RIPT-flowmeters permitted an evaluation of water flux and an approximation of the rate of water filtering through the RIPTs. Maximum water velocities on the intertidal platforms were determined  nth the use of an intertidal dynamometer.
A system of two coupled semiconductor-based resonators is studied when lasing around an exceptional point. We show that the presence of nonlinear saturation effects can have important ramifications on the transition behavior of this system. In sharp contrast with linear PT-symmetric configurations, nonlinear processes are capable of reversing the order in which the symmetry breaking occurs. Yet, even in the nonlinear regime, the resulting non-Hermitian states still retain the structural form of the corresponding linear eigenvectors expected above and below the phase transition point. The conclusions of our analysis are in agreement with experimental data.
Ergebnisse: Overall, in CMR 5 patients showed major ARVC criteria as a combination of moderate to severe RV dysfunction and dilation as well as regional akinesia. Applying the revised Task force Criteria (TFC). 6 patients showed minor abnormalities such as mild RV dilatation, dyssynchrony of RV contraction or regional akinesia. Overall 11 out of 12 (92%) patients with positive genetic characteristics were found to have major or minor abnormalities applying the revised TFC. Here, positive predictive value (PPV) was 100%, negative predictive value (NPV) was 93%, sensitivity was 93% and specificity was 100%. Mean RV enddiastolic volume index (EDVi)was 80 ± 16 ml/m2 and mean ejection fraction (EF) was 51 ± 8 % in the whole study population. A subgroup analysis revealed a significantly (p = 0.01) decreased mean EF of 36 ± 9 % and an increased RV EDVi of 101 ± 10 ml/m2 in 11 patients with major or minor abnormalities according to the revised TFC.
We investigated the evolution of the temperature-composition phase diagram of Fe1+yTe upon Se substitution. In particular, the effect of Se substitution on the two-step, coupled magneto-structural transition in Fe1+yTe single crystals is investigated. To this end, the nominal Fe excess was kept at y = 0.12. For low Se concentrations, the two magneto-structural transitions displayed a tendency to merge. In spite of the high Fe-content, superconductivity emerges for Se concentrations x ⩾ 0.1. We present a temperature-composition phase diagram to demonstrate the interplay of structure, magnetism and superconductivity in these ternary Fe-chalcogenides.
AIM To investigate the interaction between heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and ?-fetoprotein (AFP) in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line BEL-7402.   METHODS The expression and localization of HSP70 and AFP in human HCC cell line BEL-7402 were determined by immunocytochemistry and indirect immunofluorescence cytochemical staining. The interaction between HSP70 and AFP in HCC cells was analyzed by immunoprecipitation and Western blot.   RESULTS Immunocytochemical staining detection showed that HCC cell BEL-7402 expressed a high level of HSP70 and AFP synchronously. Both were stained in cell plasma. AFP existed in the immunoprecipitate of anti-HSP70 mAb, while there was HSP70 in the immunoprecipitate of anti-AFP mAb.   CONCLUSION HSP70 chaperones AFP in human HCC cell BEL-7402. The interaction between HSP70 and AFP in human HCC cell can be a new route to study the pathogenesis and immunotherapy of HCC.
A new and innovative method to measure the eye movement in a wireless manner was proposed. We verified the feasibility of our idea by fabrication and performance test of a prototype system. The prototype system consisted of a contact lens with a ring-shaped thin magnet, and eyeglasses frame-shaped PCB with analog/digital signal processing circuitry as well as four magnetoresistive sensors. This new method based on the magnetic contact lens sensing technique (MCLST) is expected to overcome all the disadvantages of the existing techniques.
Purpose This study aimed to develop a new field test protocol with a standardized measurement of strength and power in plantar flexor muscles targeted to functionally independent older adults, the calf-raise senior (CRS) test, and also evaluate its reliability and validity. Patients and methods Forty-one subjects aged 65 years and older of both sexes participated in five different cross-sectional studies: 1) pilot (n=12); 2) inter- and intrarater agreement (n=12); 3) construct (n=41); 4) criterion validity (n=33); and 5) test–retest reliability (n=41). Different motion parameters were compared in order to define a specifically designed protocol for seniors. Two raters evaluated each participant twice, and the results of the same individual were compared between raters and participants to assess the interrater and intrarater agreement. The validity and reliability studies involved three testing sessions that lasted 2 weeks, including a battery of functional fitness tests, CRS test in two occasions, accelerometry, and strength assessments in an isokinetic dynamometer. Results The CRS test presented an excellent test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] =0.90, standard error of measurement =2.0) and interrater reliability (ICC =0.93–0.96), as well as a good intrarater agreement (ICC =0.79–0.84). Participants with better results in the CRS test were younger and presented higher levels of physical activity and functional fitness. A significant association between test results and all strength parameters (isometric, r=0.87, r2=0.75; isokinetic, r=0.86, r2=0.74; and rate of force development, r=0.77, r2=0.59) was shown. Conclusion This study was successful in demonstrating that the CRS test can meet the scientific criteria of validity and reliability. The test can be a good indicator of ankle strength in older adults and proved to discriminate significantly between individuals with improved functionality and levels of physical activity.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides in length that, in general, do not appear to have protein-coding potential. lncRNAs act in gene regulation involved with several biological processes. Furthermore, lncRNAs have been associated with a significant number of cancers, suggesting a potential role in tumorigenesis and progression. For example, HOTAIR regulates proliferation processes and other lncRNAs like highly upregulated in liver cancer (HULC), H19, PTENP1, HEIH, and antisense noncoding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL). Other lncRNAs as AFAP1-AS1 and lincRNA-p21 can interact with BCL-2 and TP53 , acting in apoptosis. Moreover, NORAD plays a vital role in genomic stability. Additionally, due to deregulated expression and high tissue specificity level, lncRNAs exhibit great potential as prognostic markers. In this chapter, we review the most highlighted lncRNAs acting in hallmarks of cancer and clinical application.
A model that describes the construction and execution of decimal computation procedures is presented. Our hypothesis is that students compute by relying solely on syntax-based rules; semantic knowledge has no effect on performance. To test the claim, a model is developed in which computation procedures are viewed as chains of component symbol manipulation rules. The model assumes that students acquire through instruction the individual rules that achieve subgoals in the computation process. The task for the procedural system is to select rules that satisfy each subgoal in sequence. The model specifies the rules of the system and identifies the syntactic features of the task that affect the selection of individual rules at each decision point. It then predicts the relative difficulty of decimal computation items and predicts the procedural flaw that will occur most frequently on each item. Written test and interview data are presented to test the predictions. Concluding comments discuss the nature of students' computation procedures, compare the model with other models of computation performance, and outline how the model might inform instruction. In this article, we present a model of how students compute with decimal numbers. The model consists of symbol manipulation rules that we believe are precisely the rules students acquire, store, and execute to compute with decimals. The purpose of the model is to describe the nature of students' computational skills and to demonstrate the extent to which students' computation performance is procedurally based. Our hypothesis is that by the time students reach upper elementary school their behavior on many mathematical tasks can be described in syntactic rather than semantic terms. Sufficient evidence has accumulated over the past 10 years to suggest that students' behavior on mathematical tasks changes in important ways as they
only have to have occurred-they would have to have done so pari passu with the intensity of treatment. The likelihood of a systematic imbalance of this kind is somewhat remote. In addition, there is no evidence that it happened. Apart from the characteristics described in table I of our paper, the mean scores at entry for depression in the Middlesex Hospital questionnaire were 4-0, 3-3, and 4 5 for groups 1, 2, and 3 respectively. Corresponding figures for mental test scores (Modified Tooting Bec questionnaire) were 12 9, 13-7, and 12-5.
Licornus tama sp. nov. is described from Tachira State in Venezuelan Andes. This is the first record of real Gonyleptidae from this country, although in the past some Venezuelan species, currently placed in other families, have been assigned to Gonyleptidae. The genus Licornus Roewer, 1932 had hitherto two species, both endemic to Ecuador. Male genital morphology of a species of Licornus is for the first time illustrated and described. Original placement of Licornus in the Cranaidae: Cranainae is not supported by morphology of the included species and Licornus is here formally placed in Gonyleptidae: Ampycinae. An emended diagnosis is given to Ampycinae.
Today, the problem of creating and implementing methodological foundations for managing portfolios of energy saving projects at metallurgical enterprises is urgent, taking into account strategic goals, limited resources and risks. The solution to this problem is complicated by the fact that it is necessary to take into account the many interrelated flows of energy resources, requirements, goals and strategies of behavior of individual subdivisions of metallurgical enterprises, as well as the dynamics of production processes, etc. The subject of the article is adaptive methods of portfolio management of energy saving projects at metallurgical enterprises. The purpose of this work is to create methods for the formation and adaptive management of the project portfolio, taking into account the strategic goals of the metallurgical enterprise for energy saving and energy efficiency. The following tasks are solved: analysis and comparison of traditional and adaptive project management processes; description of the main provisions of the methodology of predictive adaptation in the management of the portfolio of energy-saving projects of the metallurgical enterprise; detailed consideration of the stages of formation and implementation of the portfolio of energy saving projects of the metallurgical enterprise; consideration of the results of the assessment of the importance of the criteria in substantiating the priorities of the energy strategy of the enterprise; discussion of the results of the formation of the energy saving program at PJSC "Dneprospetsstal". Research methods: portfolio management methods, forecasting methods, expert-analytical methods, risk management methods. The following results were obtained: The substantiation of expediency of use of adaptive management of energy saving projects at the metallurgical enterprise is carried out. The stages of strategic planning for energy saving and energy efficiency, the stages of formation and implementation of the portfolio of energy saving projects of the metallurgical enterprise are described. The results of the formation of the energy saving program at PJSC "Dneprospetsstal" were considered. Conclusions: Building a management system for energy saving projects and programs at metallurgical enterprises requires solving the problem of predictive analysis of energy consumption and fuel and energy balance with subsequent implementation of adaptive mechanisms for planning, monitoring and change management, which allows more efficient formation and implementation of energy saving projects and projects. to promote the increase of energy efficiency and competitiveness of the enterprises of the metallurgical industry of Ukraine.
Although a number of excellent studies of Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptaméron have been published over the last few decades, this work has seen relatively critical neglect compared with that of other French Renaissance authors of her stature. So, a study of the scope of Catharine Randall’s Earthly Treasures is quite a welcome contribution to the corpus of Marguerite criticism. The research Randall has put into this book is impressive, as she has combined significant archival work with extensive readings both on Reformation theology and on early modern material culture. The project itself, a tracing of the place the Heptaméron takes in discussions of material culture in the sixteenth century, is an ambitious and worthy one. The range of objects analysed, from works of art to decorative objects to household items, is breathtaking, and the range of issues addressed, from the Eucharistic controversy to early modern commodification of culture, is also considerable. However, the analysis itself contains some serious flaws, which make the study run the risk of being received with less seriousness that it should. Sometimes the readings are superb, as in page 48 seq., on emblematic texts, but the project as a whole could have benefitted greatly from another round of serious revision. For example, on page 18, the author suggests about the mule-driver’s wife in the second story of the Heptaméron: ‘The woman’s body is yet inviolate, not penetrated sexually. . .’. This suggests that the servant did not succeed in raping her, which is completely contrary to what happens in the story. On pages 50–51 of the study, the correct version of the story is given; some judicious editing would have cleared up this contradiction. More important than these details is the strength of the theological argument being made; for example, a longer and more detailed discussion of the various doctrines concerning divine immanence, particularly transubstantiation versus consubstantiation, at the beginning of the book would have made the argument more accessible to non-Renaissance scholars. The author is so intent on reading the Heptaméron as an evangelical and particularly Lutheran text that she produces overdetermined readings, where the meaning assigned to an object is already Lutheran, and thus justifies reading the text as Lutheran, even though many of these objects could be read from multiple perspectives. When the analysis of an object enters into greater detail, it tends to be more convincing, as is the case with the discussion of a ring on page 51. Nonetheless, a nod to these other perspectives would make the analysis seem more balanced and the argument more convincing. The richness of the research for this study makes it well worth reading, but the devil is in the details, which often undermine the credibility of the analysis, and which often take the place of a larger argument concerning the complex status of material objects in the Renaissance.
Lay summarisation aims to jointly summarise and simplify a given text, thus making its content more comprehensible to non-experts.Automatic approaches for lay summarisation can provide significant value in broadening access to scientific literature, enabling a greater degree of both interdisciplinary knowledge sharing and public understanding when it comes to research findings. However, current corpora for this task are limited in their size and scope, hindering the development of broadly applicable data-driven approaches. Aiming to rectify these issues, we present two novel lay summarisation datasets, PLOS (large-scale) and eLife (medium-scale), each of which contains biomedical journal articles alongside expert-written lay summaries.We provide a thorough characterisation of our lay summaries, highlighting differing levels of readability and abstractivenessbetween datasets that can be leveraged to support the needs of different applications.Finally, we benchmark our datasets using mainstream summarisation approaches and perform a manual evaluation with domain experts, demonstrating their utility and casting light on the key challenges of this task.
The results of an undrained pressuremeter expansion may be interpreted to provide the stress-strain curve and the total stress path followed by the elements of soil around the instrument. If pore-pressures are measured during the expansion the effective stress path followed by the soil can also be deduced. Stress-strain curves and total and effective stress paths are presented for pressuremeter tests on three different clays at different overconsolidation ratios. It is possible to use a true triaxial apparatus to apply the same strain path to a single element of soil as is followed by the elements of soil around the pressuremeter. The results of three such true triaxial tests on samples of clay with different overconsolidation ratios are presented and discussed in some detail. This presentation is made first in terms of pressuremeter stress and strain parameters, but because more complete information about the state of stress in the element is obtained in the laboratory tests, a second presentation in ter...
The short exposure time and high framing rate of the TV-holography system allow for global interferometric measurements even in industrial environments. In this paper we report some experiences from failure tests on concrete and weak sedimentary rocks. In a set of rock cavity failure tests, TV-holography has been used to monitor the cavity deformations. The technique allows for a complete description of the continuous displacement and deformation of a surface, and has a potential to reveal important information about, e.g., symmetry-breaking processes. Combined with image processing, the technique has been used to study micro-cracks on the surface of concrete blocks during pressure testing. The purpose of these tests was to study the fracture mechanics of concrete, including crack initiation and propagation.
We conducted a series of field experiments to study the effects of rice straw compost (RSC) and chemical fertilizer application on soil carbon and silicon under a double rice cropping system for 25 crops successive in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. The results showed that the continuous application of RSC (6 Mg ha-1 as fresh weight for each crop) caused a higher yield and more available silicon than treatment without RSC. Available silicon in the surface (0 10 cm from the ground surface) soil was 36.3 to 38.7 mg Si kg-1 in treatment with RSC, while it was 24.2 to 30.0 mg Si kg-1 for treatment without RSC. Regardless the amount of chemical fertilizer applied, the rice yields for treatment without RSC were lower than those for treatment with RSC and entailed less chemical fertilizer. Moreover, RSC application used in combination with moderate doses of chemical fertilizer increased total carbon in the soil at a rate of 356 to 401 kg C ha-1 year-1. Our results suggested that Si availability in paddy soil must be maintained or increased in order to maintain rice yield, for which the application of rice straw compost offers an option. Our results also showed that the application of RSC increased total-C in the soil, suggesting that paddy fields can be used effectively for carbon sequestration. Discipline: Soils, fertilizers and plant nutrition Additional key words: carbon sequestration, soil fertility, sustainable land use *Corresponding author: e-mail watatake@affrc.go.jp Received 21 January 2016; accepted 20 October 2016. Introduction The Mekong Delta is the largest rice-producing region in Vietnam, contributing more than 20 million tonnes of rice annually (General Statistical Office, Vietnam 2010). The soil of the Mekong Delta contains a relatively high amount of organic matter in tropical Asia (Kyuma 1985, National Institute for Soils and Fertilizers & Department of Science, Technology and Product Quality 2002). Rice straw can be used for many purposes such as roughage and litter for animal husbandry and horticulture. However, only part of the rice straw is now being used for such purposes in the Mekong Delta. At present, many farmers in the Mekong Delta simply burn rice straw in the field or incorporate it into the field after harvest, while some rice straw is shipped for mushroom cultivation (Tran et al. 2014). Annual rice straw production
In the period of high economic growth in Japan, the word ‘seikstu life no shistu quality’ was accepted as associated with ‘seikastu-ken the right of (social) life, ’ which has been one of the keywords of many new social movements. In this paper, through specifying the usage of ‘quality of life’ in the govenment papers concerning welfare policies in the 1970s, I show that the keyword has lost its accent connoting the right (of life) and has been redifined in favour of the private sector. Then, I discuss that the very term ‘life’ itself has been contested between the neo-conservative side and the new social movements side because of its importance for constructing social identities.
A recombinant fowlpox virus (rFPV-ORF2ORF1-P12A) containing the open reading frame ORF2)/ORF1 DNAs of the porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) (strain, Inner Mongolia) and foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) capsid polypeptide of O/NY00 was evaluated for its abilities to induce humoral and cellular responses in piglets. In addition, we examined its abilities to protect cell cultures against a homologous virus challenge. To approach the feasibility of different united ways of immunization, the recombinant fowlpox virus rFPV-ORF2ORF1-P12A and the recombinant DNA plasmid pVAX1-IL18-ORF2ORF1 were used to immunize the pigs in “prime-boost”programme. We observed that priming the pigs with DNA plasmid pVAX1-IL18-ORF2-ORF1, followed by boosting with the recombinant virus rFPV-ORF2ORF1- P12A produced partially cellular immunity and humoral immunity. Control groups were inoculated with wild-type fowlpox virus (wtFPV) and phosphate buffer saline (PBS). All animals vaccinated with rFPVORF2ORF1- P12A developed specific anti-PCV2/anti-FMDV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and neutralizing antibodies and also showed T lymphocyte proliferation response. The antibody level produced by PCV2 was lower than that of O type FMDV to 1:20 and 1:200 respectively. We examined specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) production in pigs serum and T lymphocytes (CD4, CD8, and CD4/CD8 double positive T cells) in the peripheral blood. First inoculating pVAX1-IL18- ORF2ORF1 and then rFPV-ORF2ORF1-P12A, had considerably higher CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+CD8+ T lymphocytes subgroups compared with the control groups. Whether the ratio between effective cells and target cells was 50:1 or 25:1, the specific CTL of experimental groups had much more significant differences with the control (FPV), even still the group of priming nucleic acid vaccine boosting recombinant virus had the bravest cytotoxicity of specific CTL. Moreover, the E/T ratio of 50:1 was more excellent. Following infection respectively with a mixture of a pathogenic strain of PCV2 (strain, Inner Mongolia)/FMDV (O/NY00) and neutralizing antibody, PK15 cells (BHK21) inoculated with recombinant fowlpox virus (rFPV) showed less (P < 0.05) yellow-green fluorescence and cytopathogenesis, suggesting the establishment of partial protection against PCV2/FMDV infection. The results show that the immunization programme here, in which pVAX1-IL18-ORF2ORF1 DNA vaccine was inoculated firstly and rFPV-ORF2ORF1-P12A was followed, is viable and indicates the potential use of a fowlpox virusbased recombinant vaccine for the control and prevention of PCV2/FMDV infections. Key words: PCV2, rFPV, FMDV, immune response, prime-boost.
The Bemisia tabaci complex in Ecuador was studied with respect to phylogenetic relationships and eco-geographical distribution. Whitefly samples were collected from natural and agricultural environments in nine provinces of Ecuador (latitude, 2° N–5° S; longitude, 78°–81° W). Mitotypes were identified based on phylogenetic analysis of the 30-mtCOI-tRNAleu region (832 bp) and corrected pairwise distance analysis. The distribution of mitotypes was modeled using MaxEnt, and their predicted niches were characterized according to environmental gradients. Four B. tabaci mitotypes were identified, of which three are endemic, herein ECU1–3, and the other is the introduced B mitotype. Mitotypes ECU1 (44%), ECU2 (0.74%), and ECU3 (1.47%) grouped in the American Tropics (AMTROP) species and diverged by as much as 10%, which was higher than previous estimates for the AMTROP clade of 7–8.6%. Although haplotypes of ECU1 and ECU2 are known from the American Tropics, this is the first report of the ECU3 mitotype, which may possibly be restricted to southern Ecuador. The distribution of the three ECU-endemic mitotypes spanned the high-altitude niches of the western slope of the Andes, rich in microclimates with variable temperature and humidity conditions. The non-endemic B mitotype (47%) occurred only in the irrigated cropping systems located in hot and/or dry-tropical ecological niches. Of the endemic mitotypes, ECU1 occupied the most ecological niches. Among variables contributing to ECU1 and B mitotype niche range assignments, the most significant to influence ecological range was rainfall. The B. tabaci endemic to Ecuador were more diverse with respect to mtCOI-tRNAleu sequence than previously known, and occupied distinct microclimate niches suggestive of ecological resilience.
A novel coronavirus first discovered in late December 2019 has spread to many countries around the world. An increasing number of asymptomatic patients have been reported and their ability to spread the virus has been proven. This brings major challenges to the control of the transmission. The discovery and control of asymptomatic patients with COVID-19 are the key issues in future epidemic prevention and recovery. In this narrative review, we summarise the existing knowledge about asymptomatic patients and put forward detection methods that are suitable for finding such patients. Besides, we compared the characteristics and transmissibility of asymptomatic patients in different populations in order to find the best screening, diagnosis and control measures for different populations. Comprehensive preventive advice is also provided to prevent the spread of infection from asymptomatic patients.
A numerical simulation was developed for a PV-Hydrogen Electrolyzes system. The system is simply consisted of a PV that feeds Hydrogen electrolyzes cell by electric power. The system was successfully installed and experimentally tested. Each system component was numerically modeled and the governing equations were solved as a steady solution for each time step. The simulation was running along the simulation period of time. TRNSYS 15 program was used to establish the simulation. The simulation results are verified with the corresponding measured data for the same system geometry and under the weather conditions of Egypt. It is found that the simulated Hydrogen flow rate approximately agrees with that produced experimentally where the maximum Hydrogen generation is about 43 ml/min. The difference between the measured and predicted H2 flow rate during the day hours is about 4 %. The daily overall efficiency of the system is ranged from 2.8 to 4.2 % in both simulated and experimental data. The overall efficiency of the system along the year is approximately between 2.45 to 2.75 % and that is according to the total solar radiation incident and the amount of electric power delivered to the Hydrogen cell with the amount of hydrogen produced as well as the total hydrogen produced annually was 41407931.97 liters. The simulation program is approximately validated and can be used for the predication of the considered system performance.
ABSTRACT Many microorganisms produce surface-active substances that enhance the availability of water-insoluble substrates. Although many of these biosurfactants have interesting potential applications, very little is known about their biosynthesis. The basidiomycetous fungus Ustilago maydis secretes large amounts of mannosylerythritol lipids (MELs) under conditions of nitrogen starvation. We recently described a putative glycosyltransferase, Emt1, which is essential for MEL biosynthesis and whose expression is strongly induced by nitrogen limitation. We used DNA microarray analysis to identify additional genes involved in MEL biosynthesis. Here we show that emt1 is part of a gene cluster which comprises five open reading frames. Three of the newly identified proteins, Mac1, Mac2, and Mat1, contain short sequence motifs characteristic for acyl- and acetyltransferases. Mutational analysis revealed that Mac1 and Mac2 are essential for MEL production, which suggests that they are involved in the acylation of mannosylerythritol. Deletion of mat1 resulted in the secretion of completely deacetylated MELs, as determined by mass spectrometry. We overexpressed Mat1 in Escherichia coli and demonstrated that this enzyme acts as an acetyl coenzyme A-dependent acetyltransferase. Remarkably, Mat1 displays relaxed regioselectivity and is able to acetylate mannosylerythritol at both the C-4 and C-6 hydroxyl groups. Based on these results, we propose a biosynthesis pathway for the generation of mannosylerythritol lipids in U. maydis.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) has been associated with brain structure alterations, but systematic studies are lacking. We explore brain morphology in 37 (21 female) CAH patients and 43 (26 female) healthy controls, aged 16-33 years, using structural magnetic resonance imaging to estimate cortical thickness, surface area, volume, subcortical volumes, and white matter (WM) microstructure. We also report data on a small cohort of patients (n = 8) with CAH, who received prenatal dexamethasone (DEX). Patients with CAH had reduced whole brain volume (4.23%) and altered structure of the prefrontal, parietal, and superior occipital cortex. Patients had reduced mean FA, and reduced RD and MD, but not after correcting for brain volume. The observed regions are hubs of the visuospatial working memory and default mode (DMN) networks. Thickness of the left superior parietal and middle frontal gyri was associated with visuospatial working memory performance, and patients with CAH performed worse on this task. Prenatal treatment with DEX affected brain structures in the parietal and occipital cortex, but studies in larger cohorts are needed. In conclusion, our study suggests that CAH is associated with brain structure alterations, especially in the working memory network, which might underlie the cognitive outcome observed in patients.
Development of a rapid, point-of-care assay for diagnosing bacterial infections is crucial for subsequent treatment of the patient and preventing the overuse of antibiotics. Herein, we describe a rapid, one-step colorimetric assay based on the formation of nano-aggregates using nanobeads targeting Gram-positive bacteria. Vancomycin was immobilized onto blue-colored polymeric nanobeads to induce specific and multivalent binding with the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall and subsequent agglomeration. Without any pre-processing steps, the addition of various types of Gram-positive pathogens to the nanobeads resulted in the formation of blue precipitates, which could be observed with the naked eye in ∼30 min. We also utilized a porous filter system for the assay, which allowed discrimination of Gram-positive targets with higher selectivity, and demonstrated feasibility as a simple diagnostic assay with minimal technical components. We anticipate that the nanobead aggregation assay can be potentially applied as a rapid and simple sensing platform, which can be easily miniaturized and enable point-of-care diagnosis of Gram-positive infections.
Six rotational bands have been established in 136Sm following heavy-ion induced reactions carried out at the Nuclear Structure Facility, Daresbury. The yrast band has been observed up to Ipi =(24+) and undergoes three band-crossings. A band was observed built on the low-lying 2+ gamma-vibrational state, in addition to two negative parity sidebands built on two-quasiproton excitations. A dipole band showing the characteristics of collective oblate rotation was also established. The results are discussed in terms of total Routhian surface and cranked Woods-Saxon model calculations.
A double-blind controlled trial in 24 lepromatous leprosy patients in reaction showed that clofazimine (Lamprene) controlled symptoms of erythema nodosum leprosum reaction in lepromatous leprosy better than prednisolone. Clofazimine also appeared to be significantly superior in preventing recurrence once the reaction had been controlled. There was a statistically significant rise in serum albumin among inpatients on clofazimine as compared with patients on prednisolone, but no difference in terms of neurological status, bacterial index, morphological index, and renal functions. Red/black hyperpigmentation was seen among practically all patients on clofazimine. No other side-effects or deleterious systemic effects were observed.
Objectives We aimed to investigate the prevalence of dyslipidemia in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and whether OA and dyslipidemia are associated. Methods We performed a systematic literature review and a meta-analysis, including cross-sectional, cohort and case–control studies, to assess the number of patients with OA and/or dyslipidemia. We calculated the mean (±SD) prevalence of dyslipidemia in patients with and without OA and the risk of dyslipidemia (OR, 95% CI) among patients with OA. Results From 605 articles screened, 48 were included in the analysis (describing 29 cross-sectional, 10 cohort and 9 case–control studies). The mean prevalence of dyslipidemia was 30.2%±0.6% among 14 843 patients with OA and 8.0%±0.1% among 196 168 without OA. The risk of dyslipidemia was greater with than without OA overall (OR 1.98,95% CI 1.43 to 2.75, p<0.0001) and with knee OA (OR 2.27, 1.33 to 3.89, p=0.003) and hand OA (OR 2.12, 1.46 to 3.07), p<0.0001). Conclusion The risk of dyslipidemia was twofold greater with than without OA, so lipid disturbances could be a risk factor for OA. Such a result supports the individualisation of the metabolic syndrome-associated OA phenotype.
The analysis of the formation process of the cast structure of carbon steel grade EA1N (EN 13261: 2009 + A1: 2010 (Е)) after the completion of its crystallization with a change in a wide range of metal cooling rate during solidification of a continuously cast billet (ССB) with a diameter of 470 mm has been carried out. The effect of the cooling rate during the solidification of ССB Ø 470 mm on the parameters of the chemical heterogeneity of the distribution of silicon and manganese in the microstructure of carbon steel has been shown. It has been determined that the effect of the metal cooling rate during the solidification of the investigated CCB on the size of dendritic crystals is described by the inversely proportional relationship: у = 510,85 х-0,156. With a change in the cooling rate of the metal during solidification from 106 до 1 ℃ / min, the size of the dendrites in the direction from the surface to the central layers of the CCB Ø 470 mm increased by ~ 8 times, and the density of the dendritic structure of carbon steel EA1N decreases by 64 times. In this case, the nature of its dependence on the intensity of heat removal is the opposite nature of the change in the size of dendrites. It has been established that by varying the cooling rate in the range 1 – 106 ℃ / min, one can achieve a significant change in the average size and density of dendritic crystals while maintaining the constancy of the volume fraction of segregation areas of silicon and manganese ~ 23% in carbon steel (~ 0.4 % wt. C). The results of X-ray spectral analysis of samples of ССB Ø 470 mm made of carbon steel grade EA1N showed that the maximum content of silicon and manganese is characteristic of the former spaces between the first-order dendritic branches, their minimum content is for the former dendritic branches. At the same time, the amount of these elements in steel microvolumes, which are the former spaces between the second-order dendritic branches, is on average 50 % more than in the former dendritic branches. It has been determined that in the entire investigated range of cooling rates 1 – 106 ℃ / min, the coefficients of dendritic segregation КдI and КдII of silicon and manganese change insignificantly and amount to 1.8-1.9 and 1.5 for КдI and КдII, respectively. In this case, the values of the coefficients КдI and КдII for both elements are practically constant in both pearlite and ferrite. It has been proven that both silicon and manganese have high diffusion mobility only at sufficiently high temperatures, when steel is in a solid-liquid state. Based on the results of X-ray microanalysis, it has been established that the heterogeneity of the distribution of chemical elements, which is formed as a result of dendritic segregation of silicon and manganese, is the primary and constant component of the microstructure of carbon steel.
Abstract Teacher-rated trajectories of physical aggression in boys and girls from first through sixth grade were examined using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. In separate analyses, four trajectories were identified in boys and three in girls. Higher levels of aggression in both boys and girls were related to greater sociodemographic risk and higher maternal harshness in the preschool years; lower levels of observed maternal sensitivity during early childhood also predicted higher trajectories of aggression among girls. Trajectory groups also differed on a range of social and academic adjustment outcomes in sixth grade, with the most aggressive children and even moderately aggressive children evidencing some difficulties in adjustment. Patterns and levels of aggression in boys and girls are discussed as are their predictors and consequences.
The true prevalence and risk factors for endometriosis among women in UAE are unknown. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of endometriosis among women in UAE aged 18 to 55 years, risk factors and related health problems. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study exploring information about reproductive events and gynecological problems including endometriosis. Among participants (n= 3572) confirmed endometriosis diagnosis was reported by 55 women. Hence, the estimated prevalence of endometriosis was 1.5 % (55/3572). Endometriosis was more prevalent among age 20-29 years. Endometriosis was more prevalent among those with cycle irregularity and long menses (≥7 days) (41.8% & 27.3 % vs 30.7% & 18.8%) respectively. Moreover, endometriosis was more prevalent among divorced women (26 (0.7%) vs 3 (5.5%), p-0,003) in control. Women with endometriosis were found to have more severe dysmenorrhea (49.1% (27) vs 17.6% (618)), infertility (12.7% (7) vs 0.9% (32), chronic pelvic pain (18.2% (10)) and dysuria (18.2% (10)) vs (2.5% (88) and 3.1% (108) respectively), p <0.001. Women with endometriosis more frequently experience abnormal uterine bleeding (20% (11) vs 4.3% (153), p<0.0001), uterine fibroids (10.9% (6) vs 0.7% (24), p<0.0001), and ovarian cysts (38.2% (21) vs 7.2% (252), p<0.0001). Ovarian cysts surgery was also strongly associated with endometriosis diagnosis (21.8% (12) vs 0.7% (23), p<0.0001. In our study, the estimate prevalence of endometriosis is 1.5 %. Irregular and prolonged periods, dysmenorrhea, chronic pelvic pain, dysuria, being divorced and infertility are associated with endometriosis.No funding was received and there are no competing interests.
In Australia, almost 40% of nurses are aged 50 years and older. These nurses may be vulnerable to leaving the workforce due to challenges experienced during electronic medical record (EMR) implementations. This research explored older nurses' perceptions of factors expected to influence their adoption of an EMR, to inform recommendations to support implementation. The objectives were to: 1) measure psychological factors expected to influence older nurses' adoption of the EMR; and 2) explore older nurses' perceptions of facilitators and barriers to EMR adoption. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used to collect survey and focus group data from older nurses, prior to introducing an EMR system. These nurses were highly engaged with their work; 79.3% reported high wellbeing scores. However, their motivation appeared to be predominantly governed by external rather than internal influences. Themes reflecting barriers to EMR and resistance to adoption emerged in the qualitative data.
The cell wall mannans of two Candida albicans serotype A strains, NIH A-207 and J-1012 (abbreviated as A and J strains, respectively), cultured in yeast extract-Sabouraud liquid medium at pH 2.0, contained neither a phosphate group nor a beta-1,2-linked mannopyranose unit (H. Kobayashi, P. Giummelly, S. Takahashi, M. Ishida, J. Sato, M. Takaku, Y. Nishidate, N. Shibata, Y. Okawa, and S. Suzuki, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 175:1003-1009, 1991). In this study, the mannans obtained from A and J strains grown in pH 2.0 medium (abbreviated as mannans A2 and J2, respectively) exhibited quite different reactivities against rabbit anti-C. albicans and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae sera compared with those of mannans from the corresponding strains cultured in conventional medium at pH 5.9 (abbreviated as mannans A and J, respectively). Namely, mannans A2 and J2 lost reactivity against the former serum but reacted with the latter serum to a higher extent than mannans A and J. In order to account for these difference in more detail, mannans A2 and J2 were subjected to acetolysis. Elution profiles of the acetolysates were completely different from those of acetolysates obtained from mannans A and J reported in our previous papers. The 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the oligosaccharides from mannans A2 and J2 obtained by this procedure indicate that the side chains are composed of alpha-linked mannopyranose units densely linked to the alpha-1,6-linked backbone. The long side chains containing one alpha-1,3-linked mannopyranose unit are markedly increased.
Plant breeding is concerned with the production of improved varieties of plants by the development of superior genotypes. The nature of the improvements that are sought will not in general depend on genetical considerations, though in some circumstances it may be influenced by them. Rather it will depend on such things as the requirements, preferences or even idiosyncrasies of the consumer, on economic considerations and on the agronomic needs and practices of the grower. Alternative ways of meeting these requirements must be considered alongside the approach through plant breeding. All these must be taken into account by the plant breeder in setting his targets, which must pay due regard to feasibility and also have a sufficient element of prediction, or prophecy, in them to allow for the necessary lapse of time between setting up the breeding programme and having the finished variety ready for the market. Having set his targets, the breeder must ask how he can best proceed towards achieving them ; which features of the plant’s physiology offer him the best prospect of raising its production under the various circumstances in which it is likely to be grown; how he can secure the best distribution of assimilates to the economically important part of the plant as opposed to parts not so economically utilizable; how losses arising from the depredation of pests and diseases can be minimized, and so on. The targets must, in fact, be expressed in terms of more detailed definable characters that the breeder will seek to adjust, and which can be followed relatively easily in single individuals, or small families, as a basis for effective comparison and hence meaningful selection. In this the breeder must seek the cooperation of physiologist and pathologist, and also, because of changing practices of agriculture, of agronomist and agricultural engineer
Purpose – The purpose of this study is to enhance the output of a manufacturing set-up in phases, by identifying the wastages in the existing line and, thereby, reducing them. Design/methodology/approach – Feasibility checking and optimization of capacity enhancement of a processing line have been discussed. Value stream mapping (VSM) methodology has been used as a data-driven decision-making tool to identify the constraints in the current state and subsequent states. The future state has been achieved in stages using VSM tool of lean manufacturing, coupled with the management philosophy of Theory of Constraints. An example of an Indian company has been added to demonstrate the suitability of the approach. Findings – The proposed approach addresses an important issue of phased increase in customer demand and the process of accommodating it through multi-phased maneuvering of productive capacity at constraint points instead of enhancing the capacity at one go. The underlying problem of capacity enhancement...
Career opportunities in the field of law enforcement are a broad and ever-expanding topic. Individuals interested in a career in law enforcement are faced with a variety of career paths at local, state, federal, and international levels of law enforcement. While some traditional law enforcement careers have been in existence at the local and federal levels in the United States for over a century, their purpose and scope has greatly changed, as well as the composition of personnel and the technologies used. Additionally, positions in law enforcement have become increasingly specialized to combat contemporary concerns, such as terrorism, organized crime, and international drug trafficking.      Keywords:    careers;  law enforcement;  policing
Our Universe contains a large variety of chemical elements, for which only the lightest ones were produced during the Big Bang. To make elements heavier than iron, neutron-capture processes are called for, in particular the slow and the rapid neutron-capture processes. Recently, a so-called intermediate neutron-capture process has received a lot of attention as more and more evidence points towards its existence. Both the intermediate and rapid neutron-capture processes involve very neutron-rich nuclei, for which there exist little or no data on their neutron-capture cross sections. Here we present an experimental method to indirectly constrain neutron-capture reaction rates needed for calculating nucleosynthesis yields for the intermediate and rapid neutron-capture processes.
of India. It reads oral narratives against the grain of the Constituent assembly debates and other historical documents centring on the recovery of abducted women and their children, widows, and the role of social workers who were involved in the recovery programmes. That thousands of women, both Hindu and Muslim, were abducted by men of the other community during the communal riots is common knowledge. That the states of India and Pakistan intervened to recover a total of over 30,000 abducted women from each other’s territories until 1957 by virtue of the Inter-Dominion Agreement of 1947, and later the Abducted Persons Recovery and Restoration Act 1949, is less well-known. Why these states did so, and what this experience meant for the recovered women, has not been subject to historical analysis until recently. This collective amnesia is no coincidence. It has its roots in the very nature of the violence done to women during the Partition. Menon and Bhasin draw attention to the social consensus that ’sanctions the violent
Hypoglycemia when associated with hyperinsulinemia is usually a consequence of an insulinoma or the administration of either insulin or an insulin secretagogue. This report describes 14 patients with hypoglycemia whose diagnosis was clarified by the use of a species-specific insulin radioimmunoassay. Eleven of the 14 patients had elevated levels of animal insulin due to surreptitious accidental or malicious administration of insulin. Three of the 14 patients had hyperinsulinemia as the result of excessive human insulin release and were found to have either intrinsic pancreatic disease or secretagogue-mediated insulin release.
Heavy metal contamination of soil poses a serious concern for human and environmental health in industrial countries. Remediation of contaminated soil by chelating extraction is seen as a practical technique. This paper highlighted several factors relevant in selecting suitable chelating agents, which from the viewpoint of published thermodynamic constants include the chelating agent's strength and selectiveness toward the target metal as well as its viability of recovery and reuse. In these regards, six chelating agents including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), trimethylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid (TMDTA), nitrilotris(methylene)triphosphonic acid (NTMP), L-5-glutamyl-L-cysteinylglycine (GCG), S-carboxymethylcysteine (SCMC), and N-(2-acetamido)iminodiacetic acid (ADA) were examined for their extraction of Pb from soil and for their subsequent recovery. All tested chelating agents proved to be amenable to recovery under appropriate conditions with added precipitants, such as FeCl 3 , Ca(OH) 2 , or sulfide. Demonstrated in this work was viable recovery with these precipitants for even some of the strong chelating agents available (e.g., EDTA and DTPA). In light of these methods, strong chelating agents such as EDTA and DTPA are seen as good choices for effective remediation.
to an active determination expressed in the oath: &dquo;If I forget thee, 0 Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.&dquo; When the moment of return from Babylon arrives, the experience transcends the confines of reality: &dquo;When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.&dquo; (Psalm 126). The Jewish legend expresses the adulation for the Land of Israel in its own way, usually by using the supernatural and miraculous. This Land is believed to have been created before the other part of the world and remains located in the centre
The development of open-domain conversational systems remains difficult since user utterances are widely varied for such systems to respond appropriately. To address this is- sue, previous research has retrieved sentences from the web as system utterances by shallow sentence matching with user utterances. However, since the retrieved sentences include the inherent contexts of the document in which the sentences originally appeared, the retrieved sentences have the possibility of containing information that is irrelevant to user utter-ances. We propose combining two strongly related semantic units (phrase pairs with dependency relations) to create a system utterance. Here, the first semantic unit is the one found in the user utterance and the second semantic unit is the one that has a dependency relation with the first one in a large text cor- pus. This way, we can guarantee that the generated utterance is related to the input user utterance. Our experiments, which examine the appropriateness of response sentences, show that our proposed method significantly outperforms other retrieval and rule-based approaches.
In this paper, we interpret the meaning of contemporary quiltmaking by characterizing how the collective activities of quilt guild members have structured women's understanding of quilt tradition. Ethnography offers a methodological orientation by which meaning can be interpreted by analyzing the sociocultural context of the guild and considering the quilters' perspective. We analyze a particular example of "feminine culture," Minnesota Quilters, Inc. The guild community is important to individual expression, and members' activities provide evidence about a socialization process by which individuals draw upon a collective knowledge of quilt tradition to express themselves. Women's statements about their quilts refer to the significance of quiltmaking in the expression of personal experience. Three components of the discourse suggest that quiltmaking facilitates a woman's increasing integration within the quilting community and appropriation of traditional values: identification as guild member, characterization as quilter, and affirmation of female identity.
OBJECTIVE To assess the response to the rotigotine transdermal system (Neupro; Schwarz Pharma Ltd, Monheim, Germany), a nonergolinic dopamine agonist, in patients with early Parkinson disease.   DESIGN Randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study.   SETTING Fifty sites in the United States and Canada.   PATIENTS Two hundred seventy-seven patients with early Parkinson disease. Eligibility was assessed by means of routine clinical and neurological examinations. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either rotigotine therapy or placebo.   INTERVENTION Treatment with the rotigotine transdermal system, 2, 4, or 6 mg during 24 hours, for 24 weeks.   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Percentage of subjects achieving a 20% response or greater (reduction) as assessed with the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale subtotal (parts II [activities of daily living] and III [motor function]) from baseline to the end of the maintenance phase.   RESULTS Significant differences were observed between the rotigotine-treated and placebo groups for the 20% responder rate (48% for the rotigotine group and 19% for the placebo group; P<.001), least squares mean change in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale subtotal (parts II and III) score (-941 for rotigotine vs -157 for placebo; P<.001), and percentage changes in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale subtotal (parts II and III) score (-15.1% for rotigotine vs 7.3% for placebo; P<.001). Rotigotine treatment significantly increased the patients' Clinical Global Impression Scale scores (57% for rotigotine vs 30% for placebo; P<.001) and had a positive effect on their quality of life. The most common adverse events were application site reactions, nausea, and somnolence. Twenty-five (14%) of 181 patients in the rotigotine group withdrew from the study because of adverse effects.   CONCLUSION The rotigotine transdermal system consistently demonstrated statistically significant and clinically relevant efficacy over placebo in patients with early Parkinson disease and was well tolerated.
In this study, we characterized 30 date palm trees of Khalas cultivar from the GCC countries, along with seven male trees from Qatar, using 14 microsatellite loci. The results showed that the microsatellites [(GA)n] in the date palm cultivar Khalas varied considerably in allele size (range = 120–322 bp, mean = 189.78), which revealed a high degree of gene diversity (range = 0.66–0.85, mean = 0.75) and distinguished all the individual Khalas trees within and among the GCC countries. The extent of polymorphism microsatellite loci was dependent on individual loci itself, which was positively correlated with the number of repeats at the corresponding microsatellite loci. The estimates of the skewness and kurtosis of the allelic distributions showed that none of the distribution of 14 microsatellite loci was considered normal (skewness = 0, kurtosis = 3), which suggested that the shape of the allelic distribution of these loci varied by chance. In the majority of the cases, the microsatellite allele size of the most frequent allele (mode) was very close to the median ( ± 2 bp or ± (GA)1), which indicated that the most frequent allele was the ancestral allele. Nearly half of the allelic distributions of the 14 microsatellite loci were positively skewed and the other half was negatively skewed, which indicated that the alleles evolved respectively by gaining and losing of (GA)n repeats from the ancestral allele, resulting in intra-cultivar variability in Khalas cultivar over the generations. Based on this analysis, we conclude that the Khalas variety did not evolve independently at multiple origins, but rather it evolved from a single origin and, subsequently, the clones were distributed across the GCC countries. The accumulated mutations of these clones over time resulted in drastic changes among them at the microsatellite loci.
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether eight weeks of aerobic high-intensity interval training with roller ski is effective in cross-country skiers. 10 male (age, 18.28 ± 2.1 years; height, 171.26 ± 4.12 cm; weight 61.39 ± 6.28 kg) and 8 female (age, 16.05 ± 0.3 years; height, 158.3 ± 6.47 cm; weight, 49.34 ± 0.7 kg) junior cross country skiers completed the study. All skiers performed a 2 × 2-km all-out uphill intervals with roller-skis, 3 times a week, in addition to their traditional training program. Measurements included VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake), anaerobic power, and also for 2-km roller ski. All values were listed as pre-to post-test mean (± SD), significant level, and percentage changes (%). Pre-to post-testing changes in VO2max, anaerobic power, and also 2-km roller ski performance were significantly higher during all post-test trials in all groups (P < 0.005). With reference to the training effects found in our study, we suggest that the skiers should integrate the roller ski aerobic high-intensity interval uphill models in their training programs for improving performance.
Homeless and beggars are one of the problems in urban areas because they can interfere public order, security, stability and urban development. The efforts conducted are still focused on how to manage homeless and beggars, but not for the prevention. One method that can be done to solve this problem is by determining the age pattern of homeless and beggars by implementing Algoritma Apriori. Apriori Algorithm is an Association Rule method in data mining to determine frequent item set that serves to help in finding patterns in a data (frequent pattern mining). The manual calculation through Apriori Algorithm obtaines combination pattern of 11 rules with a minimum support value of 25% and the highest confidence value of 100%. The evaluation of the Apriori Algorithm implementation is using the RapidMiner. RapidMiner application is one of the data mining processing software, including text analysis, extracting patterns from data sets and combining them with statistical methods, artificial intelligence, and databases to obtain high quality information from processed data. The test results showed a comparison of the age patterns of homeless and beggars who had the potential to become homeless and beggars from of testing with the RapidMiner application and manual calculations using the Apriori Algorithm.
We describe the characterization of an enterovirus isolate recovered from untreated raw sewage in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria in 2010. The isolate was neutralized by specific antisera and consequently identified as Echovirus 7 (E7). Subsequent molecular characterization showed the isolate to be a mixture of E7 and Coxsackievirus A24 (CV-A24) thereby suggesting the CV-A24 strain to be non-cytopathology producing. Further molecular analysis suggested that the CV-A24 might have recombined with a Sabin poliovirus 2 (PV2) in its non-structural region. This is the first description of a Nigerian CV-A24 strain.
Aim: The contribution of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been highlighted in a variety of human disorders including cancer and placenta-associated conditions. Methods: We evaluated expression of CCAT2, UCA1, FAS-AS1 and OIP5-AS1 lncRNAs in placenta samples obtained from normal and intrauterine growth restriction pregnancies. Results: There was no significant difference in expression of these lncRNAs between cases and controls. A significant association was found between CCAT2 expression and gravidity/parity. CCAT2 expression was higher in cases with abortion history. Cases who received folic acid had lower expression of this lncRNA. Conclusion: The current study provides evidences for association between expression of CCAT2 and clinical determinants of placenta function. Future studies are needed to elaborate the underlying mechanism.
Human fibroblasts growing in tissue culture were challenged by allogeneic and autogeneic extracts prepared from circulating lymphocytes. Three to five days after the addition of extract, significant increases in hyperploidy including endoreduplication were noted in allogeneic as opposed to autogeneic experiments. On the first or second day, significant increases in the frequency of dividing cells with broken or abnormally rearranged chromosomes were observed. These changes were not seen when autogeneic extracts were tested, indicating that the mechanisms involved can discriminate between self and not-self.
A columnist at theNew York Times asked readers, “Have you experiencedtoomuchmedicine?”Shereceivedmorethan1000 responses detailing examples ranging fromunnecessary testing and hospitalizations to useless office visits and specialist referrals.1 Patients are not the only ones worried about too muchmedicine: 42%of anational sampleofprimary carephysicians believe that patients in their own practice are receiving too muchmedical care.2 Too much medicine, or overuse, occurs in at least 3 contexts: when benefits from medical care are negligible, when thepotential for harmexceeds thepotential benefit,3 orwhen a fully informed patient would decide to forego the service. Examples of overuse include overtesting (eg, routinely ordering preoperative chest x-rays; see the Perspective in this issue4) and overtreatment (eg, coronary revascularization inpatientswith stable anginanot receivingoptimalmedical therapy). Spending on overuse is thought to substantially contribute to theunsustainablegrowth inUShealthcarecosts.5 Wastefulhealthcare is estimated tocost $750billionannually,6 limiting equitable access tonecessaryhealth care6 andcrowdingout spendingonotherpriorities suchaspublichealth, education, and valuable social programs.When passed on to our patients, health care costs can be financially catastrophic.7 The costs of overuse are not measured in dollars alone. Overtesting and overtreatment expose patients to potential harmsanddownstreamcomplications8—andoften lead tonet harm.Farbeyondcostconsciousness, theethicalcase foravoiding overuse, “first, do no harm,” is a powerful appeal to our professionalism.8 All thoughtful physicians want to minimize harms fromoveruse. The challenge is recognizingwhen an intervention is likely to represent overuse.
Social learning, matched behaviour and imitation are important classes of mechanisms whereby knowledge may be transferred between agents (biological, computational or robotic autonomous systems). They comprise key mechanisms necessary for the evolution and development of social intelligence and culture. Researchers from across disciplines have begun coming together to understand these mechanisms with ever more sophisticated models. While the importance of Social Learning has grown increasingly apparent to psychologists, ethologists, philosophers, linguists, cognitive scientists and computer scientists, biologists, anthropologists and roboticists, the workers in the field are often unaware of relevant research by others in other disciplines. Social learning has lacked a rigorous foundation and only very few major interdisciplinary publications have been available on the subject for researchers in artificial intelligence or psychology interested in realizations of the mechanisms they study. By bringing social learning techniques into computer and robotic systems, the door is being opened for numerous applications that will allow the acquisition of skills, programs and behaviours automatically by observation in human–computer interfaces (e.g. Lieberman, 2001), human–robot interaction important in service robotics and other applications where robot assistants or companions need to learn from humans, and industrial applications such as automated factory floors in which new robots can acquire skills by observing the behaviour of other robots or humans. Models from psychology and biology are being validated and extended
Previous research has reported both agreements and serious anomalies in relationships between production attributes of sugarcane varieties in variety trials (VTs) and commercial production (CP). This paper examines VT and CP data for tonnes of cane per hectare (TCH) and sugar content (CCS). Data, analysed by REML, included 107 VTs and 54 CP mill years for 9 varieties from the mill districts of Mulgrave, Babinda, and Tully for harvest years 1982-99. Important consistencies included high TCH of Q152, high CCS of Q117 and Q120, and low CCS of H56-752. Significant anomalies existed with respect to TCH for Q113, Q117, Q120, Q122, Q138, and H56-752 and to CCS for Q113 and Q124. Investigation of these anomalies was assisted by access to independent REML analyses of CP data for 65692 individual Tully cane blocks from 1988 to 1999 and by the knowledge of persons familiar with the preferential uses of varieties by farmers. Minor anomalies were due to limited year or mill area data. Q124 TCH was deemed to be decreased and its CCS increased by severe disease in Babinda CP in the extremely wet 1998 and 1999 seasons. Other serious anomalies have credible but unsubstantiated explanations. The most convincing, for Q113, Q117, Q138, and H56-752, are that these varieties were deployed unevenly with regard to late season harvesting, predominant use or avoidance on high fertility soils, or use confined to low fertility sandy soils, respectively. Uneven deployment results in confounding of these effects in the varietal CP statistics at mill area level. It is concluded that VTs cannot be enhanced to anticipate or evaluate most effects of uneven deployment. They give adequate predictions of relative CP performance for varieties deployed evenly across confounding influences. Routine analyses of individual block CP data would be useful and enhanced by addition of relevant information to the block records.
Much attention has been paid to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education since it was adopted two years ago, though the frame “Information Creation as a Process” has not received as much consideration in the literature as other frames. “Scholarship as a Conversation” and “Authority is Constructed and Contextual” are more prevalent topics, and I suspect that is because “Information Creation as a Process” seems straightforward by comparison.
Laser polishing of glass optical elements is considered to be a promising processing technology. However, mid-frequency waviness (MFW) is an important defect affecting the practical application of laser polishing. The formation mechanism of MFW has been studied in different aspects. Here, the correlation between fictive temperature and MFW caused by laser polishing is studied on fused silica for the first time. We heat the fused silica samples by a CO2 laser and quench them in air to simulate different fictive temperatures. Then the changes of the Si-O-Si bond angle are measured by a Fourier infrared spectrometer, which is associated with the density of glass. Combining experimental data and laser polishing temperature field simulation, we could find that, although it is not the main factor of MFW formation, the effect of fictive temperature on MFW cannot be ignored. The result provides a meaningful reference for the process of laser polishing glass optical elements.
Objective The objective of our study was to determine the incidence of postoperative complications associated with different kinds of genioplasties done with or without concomitant orthognathic surgeries. Materials and Methods Patients in whom facial asymmetry was corrected by genioplasty with age ranging from 16 to 55 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery were included in the study. Patients with facial asymmetry due to congenital problems were excluded. Results 59 patients were included, of which 38 were males and 21 were females with the age range of 16–55 (mean: 27.3729, Std. deviation: 4.70472). Advancement genioplasty was performed in 15.3%, reduction genioplasty was done in 16.9%, and advancement genioplasty with rotation was performed in 67.8% cases. In 28.8% cases, genioplasty was performed as an adjunct procedure with orthognathic surgery, and in 71.2% cases, genioplasty was performed alone. 3.4% patients developed infection, 8.5% had hematoma, and 6.8% had temporary numbness. Postoperative complications were seen more in men than in women. Correction of chin asymmetry by rotation/advancement showed the highest number of complications (84%). Conclusion Temporary neurosensory disturbance of the inferior alveolar nerve is the most common complication that occurs after genioplasty. Patients shall be counselled preoperatively, and informed consent shall be obtained prior to surgery.
Abstract Objective: To investigate the association between subclinical hypothyroidism and preterm contractions. Methods: Prospective observational study among women at 23 + 0/7 and 34 + 6/7 weeks of gestation, with no known thyroid function abnormality, and preterm uterine contractions (PTC). All patients underwent laboratory evaluation of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and Free Thyroxin (FT4). Patients with and without PTC were compared. Results: No association was found between PTC and subclinical hypothyroidism. Rate of spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD) was comparable between women with abnormal and normal thyroid function tests. Excluding indicated PTD, patients in the study group had a higher rate of spontaneous PTD (24.7% versus 9.6%, p = 0.03). Patients with past PTD and preterm contractions had higher rates of hypothyroxinemia compared with patients without past PTD (54.6% versus 19.0% and 31.2%, p = 0.001), and patients with past PTD (regardless of the presence or absence of PTC) had higher rate of subclinical hypothyroidism compared with patients with PTC and without PTD (59.1% and 66.7% versus 31.6%, p = 0.017). Conclusions: No association was found between PTC and subclinical hypothyroidism in the entire cohort, except for patients with preterm contractions and a history of past PTD. This specific group of patients might benefit from thyroid function evaluation.
Brucella virulence is linked to components of the cell envelope and tightly connected to the function of the BvrR/BvrS sensory-regulatory system. To quantify the impact of BvrR/BvrS on cell envelope proteins, we performed a label-free mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of spontaneously released outer membrane fragments from four strains of Brucella abortus (wild type virulent, avirulent bvrR- and bvrS- mutants as well as reconstituted virulent bvrR+ (bvrR-/pbvrR+)). We identified 167 differentially expressed proteins, of which 25 were assigned to the outer membrane. Approximately half of the outer membrane proteins decreased in abundance, whereas half increased. Notably, expression of five Omp3 family proteins decreased whereas five lipoproteins increased in the mutant strains. In the periplasmic space, by contrast, approximately 80% of the 60 differentially expressed proteins were increased in at least one avirulent mutant. Periplasmic proteins are primarily involved in substrate uptake and transport, and a uniform increase in this class may indicate a nutritional stress response, possibly a consequence of defective outer membrane function. Virtually all proteins reverted to wild type levels in the reconstituted virulent bvrR+ strain. We propose that the wide changes in cell envelope protein expression relate to the markedly avirulent phenotype of bvrR- and bvrS- mutants and that Brucella virulence depends on regulatory networks involving cell envelope and metabolism rather than on discrete virulence factors. This model may be relevant to other alpha-Proteobacteria harboring BvrR/BvrS orthologous systems known to be essential for parasitism or endosymbiosis.
This article seeks to describe the dynamics of Covid-19 in the Baltic States and to analyse the ways of communicating the threat and its consequences. Particular attention is paid to the media strategies pursued in the study area. The research is based on Russian and English texts from the Baltic media, WHO official documents and datasets, as well as initiatives of the Baltic Sea region organisations (2020) counteracting Covid-19. A combination of these sources builds up an objective view of the situation and demonstrates how the pandemic and its consequences are represented in public consciousness given a certain pragmatic goal. The pandemic is a new type of threat; its consequences demonstrate a tendency towards negative synergy and a category shift from soft threats to hard ones. The research shows that several key strategies — counter-active, projective, conservative, mobilising, resilient, and reflective — are used to communicate the threat and its consequences in the media.
Objectives: Ipomoea batatas L. is a tuberous root plant of great nutritional and economic importance in Benin. This study aims to analyze the effects of two cytokinins (Benzylaminopurine and kinetin) and a one auxin (Naphthalene Acetic Acid) on direct organogenesis in vitro of six sweet potato landraces in Benin. Methodology and Results: Ten uninodal stems disinfected of each variety are cultivated on a Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium then transplanted onto other MS media with different combinations of Benzylaminopurine, Kinetin and Naphthalene Acetic Acid. Their vitroplants are also acclimatized. Analysis of variance was used for data analysis. The results showed that '' Amitchewin, Vobodouaho and Koidokpon '' have recorded the highest average bud burst (12.67, 12.33 and 11.67 respectively). The media MS + 1 mg.l -1 BAP + 0.1 mg.l -1 NAA and MS + 1 mg.l -1 Kin + 0.1 mg.l -1 NAA were found more effective for the organogenesis of the varieties. Vitroplants of each variety acclimatized well with survival rates ranging from 56.66% to 83.33%. Conclusion: and application of results: The results showed that the combination of 1 mg.l -1 of Benzylaminopurine or kinetin with 0.1 mg.l -1 of Naphthalene Acetic Acid was effective for in vitro organogenesis of sweet potato landraces used with well-acclimated vitroplants. This study paves the way for the establishment of in vitro collection of sweet potato landraces in Benin with a view to their ex situ preservation. Keywords: Ipomoea batatas ; growth regulators; organogenesis in vitro ; Acclimation; Benin
This paper analyses the impact of extreme climate events' annual variation in temperature and precipitation on agricultural land values with a panel data of 49 municipalities for 1992-2010 based upon a Ricardian approach in order to consider the short and long-term impacts of climate change. The estimates indicate that heavy rainfall-related extreme climate events negatively affect agricultural land values. However, summer-related extreme events in temperature are negatively related to agricultural land values, while winter-related ones in temperature have a positive impact on them except for extreme cold wave in the daytime. This result confirms that temperature-related variables are more significant than precipitation-related ones in explaining and measuring the economic effect of global warming and extreme climate events on agriculture in Korea.
In this paper, an implicit numerical scheme, based on an approximate factorization technique, is applied to a cavitation algorithm. The algorithm is a modified version of the Elrod cavitation algorithm, which automatically predicts film rupture and reformation in bearings. At each time step, Newton iterations are performed to achieve time accurate solutions for unsteady problems. This numerical scheme is applied in both orthogonal and nonorthogonal grid arrangements. An aligned finite grooved bearing and a flared, misaligned line grooved bearing are analyzed using this new approach. The predictions are compared with the results obtained with procedures currently being used. The new scheme is robust, quickly convergent, and provides time accurate solutions with a minimum expenditure of CPU time.
which she herself was developed; in other words, whether the tumours are abnormally developed ova or are due to inclusion. That they have any origin in impregnation, we may at once dismiss as excluded from serious consideration, since they have been frequently found in newly-born children, and their most common seat is in the ovaries of young women, chiefly, according to Mr. Spencer Wells, of fair complexion. The question of their origin, then, lies between the hypothesis of an effort on the part of some overactive ovum in the direction of parthenogenesis which has been based by Dr. Ritchie on Blumenbach's less scientific and more scholastic expression of " excess of formative nisus", and the equally hypothetical process of inclusion. As far as we know anything about inclusion, it follows the usual law of teratology, that any attached individual, whether developed or blighted, is symmetrically connected. Thus the Siamese Twins and the M illie-Christine monstrosity have the attachment in similar and identical structures, the one to the other (see Vrolik, Von Baer, etc.). I have found nowhere on record that any fcetal remains have been found attached to an ovary, or situated in an ovary in any way which could find it a classification under
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared in a one-step microwave-assisted synthesis guided by the principles of green chemistry. Microwave parameters were optimized using the Box–Benhken design for three factors (time, temperature, and pressure). Aqueous extracts from the peels of citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit, tangelo, lemon, and lime) were used for the synthesis of AgNPs using microwave technology, though the synthesis of AgNPs was only successful using the orange peel extract. Nanospheres of TEM mean diameter (with standard deviation) of 7.36 ± 8.06 nm were successfully synthesized in 15 min by reducing Ag+ ions (from AgNO3) with orange peel extract, which also served as a capping agent. Creation of AgNPs was confirmed using UV–visible spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy, while size analysis was gathered from both transmission electron microscopy as well as dynamic light scattering. Analysis of all citrus peel extracts b...
As part of a broader program focusing on the detection of colorless biomolecules in the visible region, a simple and mild procedure for the visual detection of the most abundant sialic acid at room temperature and neutral pH is reported. The role of the interaction of the sialic acid amide with boron in a readily synthesized boronic acid-based receptor is an important feature of the signaling mechanism. Selectivity of reaction can be tuned by the judicious choice of solvents. This study embodies a departure from many of the author's earlier efforts in sugar solutions that are not heated, affording relatively more selective and milder detection.
X-ray diffraction patterns of Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 and Pb(Zr0.7Ti0.3) O3 have been measured at pressures up to 36 GPa with good signal-to-noise ratio using synchrotron radiation. In order to refine the crystal structure, Rietveld analysis has been performed. The structure of Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 is tetragonal in space group P4mm with lattice parameters a=b=3.9843±0.0003 A and c= 4.1545±0.0003 A at ambient pressure. A pressure-induced phase transition was found in the pressure range higher than ∼7.4 GPa at room temperature. The high-pressure phase is cubic in space groupwith lattice parameter a=3.9600±0.0003 A at 7.4 GPa. The Birch–Murnaghan equation of state fit to the experimental data yields B0=83.9±1.7 GPa (B′0=4.0 is fixed) for tetragonal phase and B0=102.5±4.4 GPa (B′0=4.0 is fixed) for cubic phase with V0=65.95±0.01 A3. The structure of Pb(Zr0.7Ti0.3)O3 is monoclinic in space group Cc with lattice parameters a=10.0627±0.0164 A, b=5.8511±0.0024 A, c= 5.7949±0.0020 A, and β=125.185±0.119 ° at ambient pressure. No pressure-induced phase transition for Pb(Zr0.7Ti0.3)O3 was observed over the pressure range of this study. The Birch–Murnaghan equation of state fit to the experimental data yields B0=73.6±18.9 GPa (B′0=4.0 is fixed) with V0= 278.81±0.63 A3.
Three major duties of the team physician, according to a consensus statement published in 2001, are ‘to plan and train for emergencies during competition and practice, address equipment and supply issues and provide for proper event coverage’. Various medical supplies have been consistently recommended in articles preceding and following the consensus statement while others have not. Nonetheless, there has never been an online survey of team physicians involved with the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine or the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine covering community, high school, collegiate and professional sporting events that documented the usage of supplies typically found in a team physician's main ‘medical bag’ by consensus standards. The purpose of this study was to document the usage frequencies of supplies listed as ‘highly desirable for the “medical bag” to include’ as well as stocking, storage and inventory maintenance protocols for these events and to compare them with recommendations from the consensus statement as well as some protocols involving prehospital care from a ‘wilderness’ perspective.
Abstract The current, unstable market environment promotes flexibility as a valuable attribute of manufacturing systems. This paper discusses the concept of production system flexibility and its evolution over the years in the academic literature as well as in the industrial practice. The main flexibility types and the respective quantification approaches are introduced. The development of flexibility metrics allows the consideration of flexibility in the stakeholders' day-to-day decisions for the efficient design and operation of manufacturing systems. Selected paradigms, regarding the introduction of the flexibility concept to industrial practice, are also provided and their results are discussed. An outlook of the future requirements in terms of flexibility, based on the current market environment and the latest trends in manufacturing, has been also provided.
The molecular meso-metallaporphyrin has been obtained from the reaction of AlMe3 with the bulky 4,5-(Ph2(HO)C)2-1,2,3-triazole (1). The presence of Al-Me groups coordinated to the triazole rings creates three different stereoisomers that were identified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Further studies revealed that, for steric reasons, only one of the two main stereoisomers is active in the polymerization of ε-caprolactone. When GaMe3 is used instead of AlMe3, a trimetallic species is formed instead of the meso-metallaporphyrin pointing to a metal-directed self-assembly. On the other hand, the reaction of the monolithium salt [{Li(THF)2}{κ2- N, N'-4,5-(Ph2(HO)C)-1,2,3-triazole}]2 (2; THF = tetrahydrofuran) with MCl3 (M = Al, Ga) yields meso-metallaporphyrin species with a lithium atom in the center of the metallacycle. While the gallium derivative is rather stable in solution, the aluminum analogue decomposes rapidly. In the solid state, continuous cationic columns running throughout the whole crystal are formed from alternating Li⊂[M]4 (M = Al, Ga) meso-metallaporphyrin and [Li(THF)4]+ cations. Density functional theory calculations determined that the weak Cl···H, H···H, N···H, and Cl···O interactions with a total interaction energy of -38.6 kcal·mol-1 are responsible for this unusual packing.
Abstract. To investigate the annual cycle of sound-scattering layers in the Black Sea, a moored profiler equipped with an acoustic Doppler current meter, a conductivity-temperature-depth probe, and fast sensors for dissolved oxygen [O2] was employed. Approximately 13,350 multiparameter profiles from the near-surface layer down to the near-bottom layer were obtained at intervals of 1–2 h from 2013–2020. The acoustic system allowed for observations of ultrasound backscattering at 3 angles at 2 MHz frequency. Combinations of the volume strength data of the 3 acoustic beams (directional acoustic backscatter ratios, R) were found to be a useful tool for visualizing acoustic backscatter patterns associated with mesoplankton in the oxycline and hypoxic zone. The time series of R as a function of [O2] at depths where [O2]
Background We have previously found that IL-18 and OPG serum concentrations are correlated with cardiovascular (CV) risk in psoriatic arthritis but not in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.1 Objectives To investigate whether in PsA patients the association of OPG and IL-18 with CV risk is mediated by an impact of these cytokines on lipid profile changes. Methods 49 patients with PsA (25 M/24 F) with (n=10) and without (n=39) coronary heart disease (CHD), and 25 sex and age matched (mean age 44,4 vs 43,4 years) patients with AS were enrolled. Disease activity was measured by DAPSA (25,17±19,9) in PsA group and by BASDAI (5,37±2) and ASDAS- CRP (3,18±1) in AS group. The lipid profile (triglycerides – TG, total cholesterol – tChol, low- and high-density lipoprotein – LDL and HDL, respectively), systemic inflammation markers and cytokines (OPG, IL-18) were measured in patients serum samples. Atherogenic index (AI=tChol/HDL) was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U-test and Spearman’s Rank test. Data are expressed as mean values. Results Patients with PsA presented more atherogenic lipid profile than AS patients because of their higher TG levels (153 vs 126,6 mg/dl; p=0,05) and AI values (3,83 vs 3,24; p=0,05) while lower HDL concentrations (51,6 vs 61,4 mg/dl; p=0,04). Compared to AS group, PsA patients were characterised by higher IL-18 (235 vs 208 pg/ml; p<0,05) but lower OPG (815 vs 1660 pg/ml; p<0,05) serum levels. In PsA patients without CHD, serum OPG positively but moderately correlated with LDL (r=0,3; p=0,05), TG (r=0,43; p=0,007) and AI (r=0,45 p=0,004). Moreover, in this PsA patients subgroup we confirmed previously observed1 inverse correlation of IL-18 with HDL levels (r=-0,34; p=0,05) and positive correlation of this cytokine with both TG levels (r=0,37; p=0,04) and AI values (r=0,53; p=0,002). Interestingly, similar but stronger associations of IL-18 with HDL levels (r=-0,88; p=0,004) and AI values (r=0,88; p=0,004) were presently found in PsA patients with accompanied CHD. Consistently with our previous report,1 we failed to find any correlations between CV risk, lipid profile, and tested cytokines serum concentrations in patients with AS. Conclusions We report that in PsA, but not AS, patients serum IL-18 and OPG concentrations are correlated with an altered and pro-atherogenic lipid profile. These associations are stronger in patients with concomitant CHD. Thus, present results explain partially the way by which these cytokine contribute to CV complications in PsA. Reference [1] Kontny E, et al. Association of serum osteoprotegerin and IL-18 concentrations with cardiovascular risk in ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis2017;76(suppl 2):1310–1311AB0733. Disclosure of Interest None declared
ABSTRACT In 1986, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to execute individuals who are “insane.” However, the Court did not specify the criteria that must be met for an individual to be insane or incompetent for execution. This article describes the practices of 16 mental health professionals in one state who have conducted at least one competence-for-execution evaluation. Key issues addressed in this article include what procedures are necessary for these evaluations, what criteria must be met for incompetence, and what evaluators think about assessing factual versus rational understanding in these cases.
Background/Aims: Stromal interacting molecule-1 (STIM1) aggregation and redistribution to plasma membrane to interact with Orai1 constitute the core mechanism of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Previous study has revealed that calsequestrin-1 (CSQ1) regulates SOCE in HEK293 cells through interacting with STIM1 and inhibiting STIM1/Orai1 interaction. Here, we further investigate how CSQ1/STIM1 interaction affects SOCE. Methods: Using confocal microscopy, STIM1 aggregation and co-localizations with CSQ1 or Orai1 upon Ca2+ store depletion by thapsigargin were measured and quantified by Imaris software in HeLa cells transfected with different CSQ1 mutants. The interactions of CSQ1/STIM1 and STIM1/Orai1, and internal Ca2+ changes were detected by co-immunoprecipitation and Fura2, respectively. Results: Wt-CSQ1 overexpression significantly reduced STIM1 clustering in the perimembrane and cytosolic regions, whereas over-expression of a C-terminal amino acid 362-396 deletion mutant (C35) did not. Consistently, a significant depression of SOCE, increased CSQ1 monomerization and CSQ1/STIM1 interaction, and a reduced STIM1/Orai1 association were observed in wt-CSQ1 but not in C35-transfected cells. Additionally, mutant lacking C-terminal AA 388-396 deletion exerted weaker potency in inhibiting STIM1 aggregation and association with Orai1 than wt-CSQ1. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that CSQ1 monomers suppress SOCE by interacting with STIM1 and attenuating STIM1 aggregation via its C-terminal amino acid 362-396.
Using color and pulsed Doppler ultrasonography, the interobserver reliability of measurements in the fetal circulation was evaluated in 41 pregnancies of 25 to 39 weeks' gestation. Two observers recorded flow velocity waveforms from the middle cerebral and renal arteries for measurement of peak systolic, minimum diastolic, and mean velocities, pulsatility index, and resistive index. Intraclass correlation coefficient of reliability was calculated by analysis of variance. Substantial interobserver agreement was found for pulsatility index and minimum diastolic velocity in both arteries. Therefore, these measurements have the greatest clinical applicability.
The rapid development of HSR has brought great convenience to people, especially those on long-distance journeys. Existing communication technologies are quite limited in satisfying the challenging demands of HSR networks, providing poor quality of experience for HSR passengers (e.g., frequent link failures and long network delays). 5G mobile communications are expected to overcome these challenging issues in current HSR networks. In this article, we focus on the great innovations of a novel smart network architecture for 5G communications, and propose a specific SCN-R to promote efficient and reliable communications in HSR scenarios. Experiment results have verified that SCN-R provides an efficient solution to improve the usage of network resources and the quality of service with respect to the existing state-of-the-art solutions.
The incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage over 13 years is compared between two Hisayama cohorts. Among men aged 40 years or older, the annual incidence declined significantly from 3.1/1,000 in the early cohort (1961-1970) to 1.2/1,000 in the recent cohort (1974-1983). Massive ganglionic hemorrhage decreased, while small or medium-sized intracerebral hemorrhage increased in the recent cohort on pathologic or computed tomographic examination. These trends could be due to the reduced prevalence of hypertension in the Hisayama population. The association of serum total cholesterol with intracerebral hemorrhage is discussed based on the results during a 22-year follow-up period.
Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC), a popular tool for automated text analysis, relies on an expert-crafted internal dictionary of psychologically relevant words and their corresponding categories. While LIWC’s dictionary covers a significant portion of commonly used words, the continuous evolution of language and the usage of slang in settings such as social media requires fixed resources to be frequently updated in order to stay relevant. In this work we present LIWC-UD, an automatically generated extension to LIWC’s dictionary which includes terms defined in Urban Dictionary. While original LIWC contains 6,547 unique entries, LIWC-UD consists of 141K unique terms automatically categorized into LIWC categories with high confidence using BERT classifier. LIWC-UD covers many additional terms that are commonly used on social media platforms like Twitter. We release LIWC-UD publicly to the community as a supplement to the original LIWC lexicon.
As a result of the rapid development of hardware whose operation has low power requirements, a great deal of interest has been shown in wireless multimedia sensor networks for various applications. In sensor networks in which the sensor nodes are distributed randomly and have low-power cameras, the fields of view of some adjacent sensor nodes may overlap. The authors introduce a scheme for constructing a non-overlapping panoramic mosaic by transmitting partial images. In particular, a solution of the joint cost function for network lifetime and video quality is used to select the boundary lines between adjacent images. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme increases the network lifetime while providing better video quality.
ABSTRACT Spt6 (suppressor of Ty6) has many roles in transcription initiation and elongation by RNA polymerase (Pol) II. These effects are mediated through interactions with histones, transcription factors, and the RNA polymerase. Two lines of evidence suggest that Spt6 also plays a role in rRNA synthesis. First, Spt6 physically associates with a Pol I subunit (Rpa43). Second, Spt6 interacts physically and genetically with Spt4/5, which directly affects Pol I transcription. Utilizing a temperature-sensitive allele, spt6-1004, we show that Spt6 is essential for Pol I occupancy of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and rRNA synthesis. Our data demonstrate that protein levels of an essential Pol I initiation factor, Rrn3, are reduced when Spt6 is inactivated, leading to low levels of Pol I-Rrn3 complex. Overexpression of RRN3 rescues Pol I-Rrn3 complex formation; however, rRNA synthesis is not restored. These data suggest that Spt6 is involved in either recruiting the Pol I-Rrn3 complex to the rDNA or stabilizing the preinitiation complex. The findings presented here identify an unexpected, essential role for Spt6 in synthesis of rRNA.
Realistic visual and audio rendering still remains a technical challenge. Indeed, typical computers do not cope with the increasing complexity of today's virtual environments, both for audio and visuals, and the graphic design of such scenes require talented artists. In the first part of this thesis, we focus on audiovisual rendering algorithms for complex virtual environments which we improve using human perception of combined audio and visual cues. In particular, we developed a full perceptual audiovisual rendering engine integrating an efficient impact sounds rendering improved by using our perception of audiovisual simultaneity, a way to cluster sound sources using human's spatial tolerance between a sound and its visual representation, and a combined level of detail mechanism for both audio and visuals varying the impact sounds quality and the visually rendered material quality of the objects. All our crossmodal effects were supported by the prior work in neuroscience and demonstrated using our own experiments in virtual environments. In a second part, we use information present in photographs in order to guide a visual rendering. We thus provide two different tools to assist “casual artists” such as gamers, or engineers. The first extracts the visual hair appearance from a photograph thus allowing the rapid customization of avatars in virtual environments. The second allows for a fast previewing of 3D scenes reproducing the appearance of an input photograph following a user's 3D sketch. We thus propose a first step toward crossmodal audiovisual rendering algorithms and develop practical tools for non expert users to create virtual worlds using photograph's appearance.
In high-frequency electric bus services, bus operators strive to increase the service regularity by minimizing the deviation between the planned and actual headways. In this pursue, bus operators apply corrective control strategies, such as bus holding(s) at control point stops. This study expands the traditional headway-based, bus holding models to cater for the planned arrival times of electric buses at the respective charging points. To this end, this study models - for the first time - the bus holding problem for electric buses considering the scheduled charging times in the objective function. Additionally, it introduces an analytic solution that can return an optimal holding decision in real-time. Our approach is tested using realistic data from bus line 15 in Amsterdam demonstrating a significant reduction of charging delays with only a marginal increase of the average passenger waiting times when compared to existing holding strategies. Its closed-form expression is suitable for real-time holding control and can be applied to obtain a reliable solution or perform stochastic optimization in the case of travel time uncertainty.
Due to the increasing amount of music available electronically the need of automatic search, retrieval and classification systems for music becomes more and more important. In this paper an algorithm for automatic transcription of polyphonic piano music into MIDI data is presented, which is a very interesting basis for database applications, music analysis and music classification. The first part of the algorithm performs a note accurate temporal audio segmentation. In the second part, the resulting segments are examined using Independent Subspace Analysis to extract sounding notes. Finally, the results are used to build a MIDI file as a new representation of the piece of music which is examined.
This study was carried out to examine reduction mechanism of CaO and to investigate behaviors of CaO in pure Mg in terms of microstructure, oxidation resistance and phase formation. Pure Mg was used instead of Mg alloys to minimize the effects of other elements. With respect to CaO content, microstructures of the alloys showed prominent grain refinement. Mg2Ca phase was formed even in 0.07CaO added pure Mg by reduction, while Mg2Ca phase was formed over 1.35Ca added pure Mg. With respect to CaO content, the hardness of CaO added pure Mg was increased by grain refinement. From oxidation test by TGA, the oxidation behavior of CaO added Mg was similar to that of Ca added Mg. From AES result, there was the thin oxide layer mixed with MgO and CaO in CaO added Mg. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MC200786]
Without combustion, molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) convert chemical energy contained in fuel and oxidizer to electric energy via electro‐chemical reaction. Performance and service life of MCFCs depends on its operating temperature. So control of the operation temperature within a specified range and reducing temperature fluctuations is highly desirable. In a very first step towards this goal prior to numerical simulations an index analysis of the partial differential‐algebraic equation system (PDAE) is given. Some numerical solutions can be found in [4].
I was fortunate to start my career in physical chemistry at a time when the development of the ultrahigh vacuum technique and of novel physical methods enabled the study of processes on well-defined surfaces at an atomic scale. These investigations included the mechanisms of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions, such as CO oxidation and ammonia synthesis, and phenomena of spatio-temporal self-organization, as described by the concepts of nonlinear dynamics.
Background and Objectives This prospective randomized study was designed to determine the hemodynamic effects and quality of combined lumbar and sacral plexus block compared with plain bupivacaine spinal anesthesia in the elderly for repair of proximal femoral fractures. Methods Twenty-nine elderly patients ranging in age from 68 to 97 years were randomly assigned to 2 groups: a spinal anesthesia group with single-shot 3 mL 0.5% plain bupivacaine, and a combined block group with 30 mL lidocaine 1.33% with epinephrine for the posterior lumbar plexus block and 10 mL same mixture for the parasacral block and an iliac crest block with 5 mL lidocaine 1%. Results No need for general anesthesia was encountered in either group. Anesthesia was judged unsatisfactory in 1 of 15 patients in the combined block group. The initial decrease of mean arterial pressure was 38% in the spinal group and 27% in the block group and was not significantly different. A more prolonged hemodynamic effect was found in the spinal group, indicated by the more frequent use of ephedrine to stabilize blood pressure (P < .05). Patients over 85 years had a significantly larger decrease in blood pressure than younger patients (P < .01). Conclusions Plain bupivacaine spinal anesthesia and combined lumbar/sacral plexus block provided adequate anesthesia for repair of hip fracture in the elderly. Hypotension was induced by both the combined peripheral nerve block and plain bupivacaine spinal anesthesia in aged patients; hypotension was found to be longer lasting after spinal anesthesia and of a larger magnitude in patients over 85 years of age.
Virtual inertia has been extensively implemented in power systems with distributed energy resources, especially wind energy conversion systems. This paper proposes an optimal virtual inertia planning strategy for stability enhancement of power system, which is penetrated with large volume of renewable resources provided by doubly fed induction generators (DFIGs). The stability of DFIG is first analyzed and the concept of critical frequency drop is proposed. Moreover, the intersection area between the two predefined operation curves of DFIG is defined as the stability margin and it is calculated in the form of a function of local virtual inertia. Subsequently, a virtual inertia planning strategy is proposed, wherein a coherency index that considers the homogeneity of the stability margin at each node is presented, followed by a nonconvex optimization problem. The problem is simplified with the Lyapunov function method and resolved. Two case studies are conducted to verify the effectiveness and performance of the proposed approach: a 12-bus system and the IEEE-118 bus system. Both cases show that with the proposed approach, the system stability margin coherency level is enhanced and the general stability is promoted.
Background: The wakeful brain can easily access and coordinate a large repertoire of different states—dynamics suggestive of “criticality.” Anesthesia causes loss of criticality at the level of electroencephalogram waveforms, but the criticality of brain network connectivity is less well studied. The authors hypothesized that propofol anesthesia is associated with abrupt and divergent changes in brain network connectivity for different frequencies and time scales—characteristic of a phase transition, a signature of loss of criticality. Methods: As part of a previously reported study, 16 volunteers were given propofol in slowly increasing brain concentrations, and their behavioral responsiveness was assessed. The network dynamics from 31-channel electroencephalogram data were calculated from 1 to 20 Hz using four phase and envelope amplitude–based functional connectivity metrics that covered a wide range of time scales from milliseconds to minutes. The authors calculated network global efficiency, clustering coefficient, and statistical complexity (using the Jensen–Shannon divergence) for each functional connectivity metric and compared their findings with those from an in silico Kuramoto network model. Results: The transition to anesthesia was associated with critical slowing and then abrupt profound decreases in global network efficiency of 2 Hz power envelope metrics (from mean ± SD of 0.64 ± 0.15 to 0.29 ± 0.28 absolute value, P < 0.001, for medium; and from 0.47 ± 0.13 to 0.24 ± 0.21, P < 0.001, for long time scales) but with an increase in global network efficiency for 10 Hz weighted phase lag index (from 0.30 ± 0.20 to 0.72 ± 0.06, P < 0.001). Network complexity decreased for both the 10 Hz hypersynchronous (0.44 ± 0.13 to 0.23 ± 0.08, P < 0.001), and the 2 Hz asynchronous (0.73 ± 0.08 to 0.40 ± 0.13, P < 0.001) network states. These patterns of network coupling were consistent with those of the Kuramoto model of an order–disorder phase transition. Conclusions: Around loss of behavioral responsiveness, a small increase in propofol concentrations caused a collapse of long time scale power envelope connectivity and an increase in 10 Hz phase-based connectivity—suggestive of a brain network phase transition. Temporospatial electroencephalographic analysis of brain network dynamics over a wide range of frequencies and time scales in 16 volunteers receiving slowly increasing concentrations of propofol revealed that transition to unresponsiveness was associated with a sudden rise in alpha frequency network phase synchrony anteriorly, but also a transient surge and then loss of network coupling over long (tens of seconds) time scales. Deep anesthesia was characterized by alpha waveform hypersynchrony and slow-wave power envelope dissynchrony across the whole cortex. These observations suggest that propofol anesthesia is associated with a constellation of changes in network connectivity across frequencies and time scales that are signatures of sharp and sudden transitions in the behavior of networks.
In the middle of the 1980s the pastoralists of Essakane, Burkina Faso, were dying. Drought gripped the drylands of West Africa, crippling peoples' semi-nomadic livelihoods of millet farming and goat herding. When rain finally returned after three years, the earth had hardened like concrete and water skimmed across the floodplain, barely penetrating the surface. Without arable land the people faced famine—until they discovered gold. Instead of a disaster area, Essakane transformed into a commercial oasis: a mining town of 10,000 miners and traders where gold is processed and exchanged for food, cloth, spices, and animals.
The Temana field is located 30 km offshore Bintulu in Sarawak basin at water depth of 96 ft. The field was discovered in December 1962 and so far 22 exploratory and appraisal wells have been drilled. The field is in its production since November 1979 and till January,2009 it has produced 128.32 MMstb of oil from H,I ,J &K reservoirs of Early to Middle Miocene age of which major production ( almost 90%) comes from H & I reservoirs. The Temana structure comprises of an elongate, east-west trending, west plunging, heavily cross – faulted upthrusted anticline. The structure is situated at the fringe of the Balingian basin, a major tectonic depression offshore Bintulu and is bounded to the north and south by major reverse fault zones. The anticline is dissected by NNE-SSW trending faults. The Temana structure is traditionally subdivided into three areas: Temana West, Temana Central and Temana east (as shown in the Figure 1). The entire I sequence consists of a number of fining as well as coarsening megasequences reflecting different pulses of coastline progradation and / or lateral shift interrupted by phases of minor marine transgressions. The inferred depositional model in I sequence consists of progradation of the shoreline with deposition of coastal and nearshore sands followed by a minor sea level rise causing shoreline to retreat or stabilization. Thereafter the shore line progrades again because of excess sediment supply and the coastal plain aggrades. At the end of progradational episode formation of peat and coal swamps take place on the coastal plain. Thereafter a renewed rapid shoreline progradation caused by excess sediment supply. I-65 reservoir is one of the main producers among other reservoirs in Temana, especially in the saddle. The paleodepositional environment for I-65 is interpreted as low energy regime distributary channel within lower coastal plain with the paleo current direction towards NE – NNE from SW (as shown in the Figure 2). A study has been carried out integrating the conceptual geological model with the seismic attributes and the production data from the nearby wells to identify unexplored channel arm within the developed area on I-65 and I-60 reservoirs. The workflow involves well to seismic correlation, extraction of seismic amplitude within the reservoir window, validation of the seismic amplitude with the drilled wells, integration of the seismic attribute findings with the geological model leading to the delineation of untapped prospects. I- 60 and I-65 have been re-interpreted (Figure 3) and flattened on I-60 level to show the channel like geometry (Figure 4). Attribute like RMS amplitude have been extracted within the reservoir window. The amplitude extraction have been carried out for I-60 reservoir window at 14 ms, 16 ms and 20 ms of which 16 ms represents the most likely scenario (Figure 5 ). Similarly, the RMS amplitude have also been extracted for I- 65 reservoir at 12 ms, 16 ms and 24 ms of witch 16 ms represent the most likely case (Figure 6 ). The attribute maps show about 80% correlation with the well findings (as shown in the Figure 7). The identified prospects are dominantly of stratigraphic play. The log correlation (as shown in the Figure 8) depicts the discontinuous nature of the sands which is also evident from the attribute study. The stratigraphic trap controlled geological model successfully explained the sand body and fluid distribution at nearby wells which was difficult to explain with structural play concept. The delineated sand body gives an indication of channel configuration both at I-60 and I-65 level which correspond to the conceptual geological model. Figure 9 represent super imposition of I-60 and I-65 channel configurations indicating similar orientation. This paper describes the work flow and the findings of the study which resulted in identification of new resources within the Temana Field in I-65 and in I-60 reservoirs. The integrated study has resulted in improved geological model and understanding of prospects within Temana field. Once successfully appraised, this would open up avenues for delineation of similar prospects and reserves accretion within the Temana field.
Loose bodies in joints in 119 patients were analyzed histopathologically. A gradual growth in size and configuration of different specimens was due to surface proliferative changes of chondroblasts and osteoblasts. Cartilaginous layering was present in 86.6 per cent of the cases. Osseous layering was present in 79.8 per cent of the cases. Resorption within the new layers of cartilage and bone was manifested both by viable osteoclasts on the surfaces of many specimens and previously formed resorption cavities which had been refilled by the layering phenomenon. Refilled resorption cavities were present in 68.1 per cent of the cases while osteoclasts were observed in 49.6 per cent. It is proposed that osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation and function is not dependent upon a blood supply since the specimens from the 119 cases were free of any synovial attachments. Revascularization which occurred when free osteochondral bodies became reattached to the synovium was a distinct process that was differentiated from the accretion and resorption that was observed in the free specimens. Calcification occurred within the necrotic portions of both the nidus and deeper new layers of any particular specimen. Dystrophic calcification was observed histologically in 91.6 per cent of the cases.
A series of eight liquid crystalline compounds, N,N′‐bis[(2‐hydroxy‐4‐alkoxyphenyl)methylene]benzene‐1,4‐diamines, has been synthesized and characterized. These homologous compounds differ in the length of terminal alkyl group C n H2n+1 wherein n is an even number ranging from 4 to 18. The spectroscopic techniques, FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR, were employed to characterize the molecular structure. The transition temperatures of all the title compounds and their mesophases were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and polarizing microscopy. All the compounds were smectogenic, exhibiting both tilted and non‐tilted molecular orientation in their smectic phases. Further investigation to ascertain the anisotropic nature of subphases within the smectogenic region was carried out using X‐ray diffraction.
Bile reflux is a pathological retrograde flow of bile into the stomach that may lead to gastric overdistension and gastritis. It generally manifests as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or heartburn. Hiccups have thus far not been described as part of its presentation. Here, we describe a case of excessive post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography bile accumulation in the stomach that caused persistent hiccups requiring endoscopic suctioning.
The chromatic quasisymmetric function of a graph was introduced by Shareshian and Wachs as a refinement of Stanley's chromatic symmetric function. An explicit combinatorial formula, conjectured by Shareshian and Wachs, expressing the chromatic quasisymmetric function of the incomparability graph of a natural unit interval order in terms of power sum symmetric functions, is proven. The proof uses a formula of Roichman for the irreducible characters of the symmetric group.
The paper cited above omitted the explanation of our energy calibration of the 16 N ␤-delayed ␣ spectrum sent to us by Professor H. Wä ffler ͓1͔. Although this spectrum was not used in any way in our experiment or in its analysis, we showed a comparison of this spectrum ͑referred to below for brevity as the Mainz spectrum͒ with our 12 C-␣-coincidence ␣ spectrum in Fig. 15 of our paper. We present here a clarification of the calibration procedure. The Mainz spectrum consists of a quarter of the data on the basis of which the Mainz group first reported ͓2͔ the detection of the parity-violating group of ␣ particles from the 2 Ϫ excited state of 16 O, now known to be at E x ϭ8.8719Ϯ0.0005 MeV ͓3͔. The apparatus for this experiment was described in a paper published a year earlier, which also reported the observation of a narrow ␣ group resulting from the first-forbidden 16 N ␤ decay to the 2 ϩ 16 O state ͓4͔, now known to be at E x ϭ9.8445Ϯ0.0005 MeV ͓3͔. A third paper describes further work by the Mainz group, with improved apparatus, and ϳ4 times the number of ␣ particles detected for the 1970 letter, establishing the parity-violating ␣ width of the 2 Ϫ state more precisely ͓5͔. The location of the ␣ groups from the 2 Ϫ and 2 ϩ 16 O states, with energies of 1282.3Ϯ0.5 and 2011.5Ϯ0.6 keV, respectively , and the identification by Dr. Wä ffler of the position in the spectrum corresponding to the ␣ group from the 2 Ϫ 16 O state, made it possible for us to calibrate the true E ␣ energy scale for the Mainz spectrum. As noted in our paper, our coincidence ␣ spectrum was calibrated independently by the ␤-delayed ␣ particles from 18 N and 20 Na, in exactly the same experimental geometry as our measurement of the 16 N ␣ spectrum employed. It is clear from Fig. 15 of our paper that the two spectra agree on the high-energy side of the main peak well within the stated accuracy of either calibration, but the Mainz spectrum shows evidence of an enhancement on the low-energy side of the peak that is likely to be the result of the low-energy tail of the system response function. In the case of our experiment, it was possible to remove this tail of …
Background: Osimertinib efficacy in pre-treated patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) T790M-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been demonstrated in clinical trials, but real-world data, particularly regarding resistance profile, remains limited. This study aims to analyze the resistance mechanisms acquired after treatment with Osimertinib. Methods: Clinical outcomes and molecular results from re-biopsies at the time of osimertinib progression of EGFR T790M-mutated NSCLC patient were analyzed. Results: Twenty-one patients with stage IV adenocarcinoma were included [median 69 years; 57.1% female; 85.7% never-smokers; 23.8% ECOG performance status (PS) ≥2]. Median PFS and OS were 13.4 (95% CI: 8.0–18.9) and 26.4 (95% IC: 8.9–43.8) months, respectively. At the time of analysis, 10 patients had tumor progression (47.6%). T790M loss occurred in 50%, being associated with earlier progression (median PFS 8.1 vs. 21.4 months, p = 0.011). Diverse molecular alterations were identified, including C797S mutation (n = 1), PIK3CA mutation (n = 2), MET amplification (n = 1), CTNNB1 mutation (n = 1), and DCTN1-ALK fusion (n = 1). Histological transformation into small cell carcinoma occurred in one patient. Conclusions: This real-world life study highlights the relevance of re-biopsy at the time of disease progression, contributing to understand resistance mechanisms and to guide treatment strategies.
OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to perform first-trimester maternal serum metabolomic analysis and compare the results in aneuploid vs Down syndrome (DS) pregnancies.   STUDY DESIGN This was a case-control study of pregnancies between 11+0 and 13+6 weeks. There were 30 DS cases and 60 controls in which first-trimester maternal serum was analyzed. Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic analysis was performed for DS prediction.   RESULTS Concentrations of 11 metabolites were significantly different in the serum of DS pregnancies. The combination of 3-hydroxyisovalerate, 3-hydroxybuterate, and maternal age had a 51.9% sensitivity at 1.9% false-positive rate for DS detection. One multimarker algorithm had 70% sensitivity at 1.7% false-positive rate. Novel markers such as 3-hydroxybutyrate, involved in brain growth and myelination, and 2-hydroxybutyrate, involved in the defense against oxidative stress, were found to be abnormal.   CONCLUSION The study reports novel metabolomic markers for the first-trimester prediction of fetal DS. Metabolomics provided insights into the cellular dysfunction in DS.
o-C-H silylation of arylboronic acids has been achieved using 2-pyrazol-5-ylaniline as an ortho-directing agent, which was temporarily attached to the boronyl group via Ru-catalyzed silylation with hydrosilanes. Condensation products of arylboronic acids with 2-pyrazol-5-ylaniline were prepared in situ and subjected to reaction with triorganosilanes in the presence of RuH(2)(CO)(PPh(3))(3) at 135 degrees C. Regioselective silylation at their ortho-positions proceeded in good yields for phenylboronic acids bearing para-substituents such as chloro, fluoro, methyl, methoxy, and trifluoromethyl groups. p-Methoxycarbonyl-substituted phenylboronic acid provided the corresponding silylated product in moderate yield. m-Tolyl- and 2-naphthylboronic acids underwent silylation selectively at the less sterically hindered ortho-positions. The silylated products were utilized in Suzuki-Miyaura coupling, followed either by iodination with ICl or by Tamao oxidation to furnish iodine- or hydroxy-substituted biaryls.
English. Investigating lexical access, representation and processing involves dealing with conceptual abstractness: abstract concepts are known to be more quickly and easily delivered in human communications than abstract meanings (Binder et al., 2005). Although these aspects have long been left unexplored, they are relevant: abstract terms are widespread in ordinary language, as they contribute to the realisation of various sorts of figurative language (metaphors, metonymies, hyperboles, etc.). Abstractness is therefore an issue for computational linguistics, as well. In this paper we illustrate how to characterise verbs with abstractness information. We provide an experimental evaluation of the presented approach on the largest existing corpus annotated with abstraction scores: our results exhibit good correlation with human ratings, and point out some open issues that will be addressed in future work. Italiano. In questo lavoro presentiamo il tema dell’astrattezza come una caratteristica diffusa del linguaggio, e un nodo cruciale nell’elaborazione automatica del linguaggio. In particolare illustriamo un metodo per la stima dell’astrattezza che caratterizza i verbi a partire dalla composizione dei punteggi di astrattezza degli argomenti dei verbi utilizzando la risorsa
Cocoa is an important commodity crop not only to produce one of the most complex products such as chocolate from the sensory perspective, but one that commonly grows in developing countries close to the tropics. This paper presents novel techniques applied using cover photography and a novel computer application (VitiCanopy) to assess the canopy architecture of cocoa trees in a commercial plantation in Queensland, Australia. From the cocoa trees monitored, pod samples were collected, fermented, dried and grinded to obtain the aroma profile per tree using gas chromatography. The canopy architecture data were used as inputs in an artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm and the aroma profile considering six main aromas as targets. The ANN model rendered high accuracy (R = 0.82; MSE = 0.09) with no overfitting. The model was then applied to a satellite image from the whole cocoa field studied to produce canopy vigor and aroma profile maps up to the tree-by-tree scale. The tool developed could aid significantly the canopy management practices in cocoa trees that have a direct effect on cocoa quality.
The traditional expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is a general purpose algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation in problems with incomplete data. Several variants of the algorithm exist to estimate the parameters of phase-type distributions (PHDs), a widely used class of distributions in performance and dependability modeling. EM algorithms are typical offline algorithms because they improve the likelihood function by iteratively running through a fixed sample. Nowadays data can be generated online in most systems such that offline algorithms seem to be outdated in this environment. This paper proposes an online EM algorithm for parameter estimation of PHDs. In contrast to the offline version, the online variant adds data immediately when it becomes available and includes no iteration. Different variants of the algorithms are proposed that exploit the specific structure of subclasses of PHDs like hyperexponential, hyper-Erlang or acyclic PHDs. The algorithm furthermore incorporates current methods to detect drifts or change points in a data stream and estimates a new PHD whenever such a behavior has been identified. Thus, the resulting distributions can be applied for online model prediction and for the generation of inhomogeneous PHDs as an extension of inhomogeneous Poisson processes. Numerical experiments with artificial and measured data streams show the applicability of the approach.
In this paper, the current analysis focuses on the influence of demodulation performance in multipath fading propagation environments, which results from the pilot power variation of pilot symbol assisted modulation (PSAM) M-QAM in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. The pilot-to-data power ratio (PDR) is optimized analytically, and the loss due to imperfect channel estimation is calculated. Theoretical and simulation results show that the optimum PDR is affected by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), Doppler frequency and interpolation size etc. When the optimization parameter of PDR is used, the power of the system transmission is minimum while still meeting a fixed bit error rate (BER) target.
Inquiry of several well known orthopedic surgeons indicates that the literature has little to say regarding the relationship between sacro-iliac or lumbosacral strain and such trunk-twisting exercises as golf and polo, and that in their experience lame backs developing from such exercises seem to involve one side as often as the other. Within the last few months three cases have come to my attention which showed uniform symptoms: The age ranged from 35 to 45 years. The side involved was the left, all the patients being right-handed. The cause was golf practice ( a ) with clubs involving a brisk snappy twist of the trunk (mashie and especially niblick), not with clubs for distance (driver, brassie, number 1, or midiron), when ( b ) the same stroke was repeated steadily. Single strokes with these clubs made in the course of play had not caused backache in any of the three subjects. Two of them
Abstract 195 GEP analysis is a robust method to distinguish low- and high-risk multiple myeloma (MM), pertaining to 85% and 15% of newly diagnosed patients, respectively (Shaughnessy et al., Blood, 2007; 109:2276–84). As developed in TT2 and validated in TT3A and TT3B, we are now examining, similar to previous work in high-risk MM, whether we can define outliers among low-risk MM, i.e., patients not living up to the low-risk prediction model. Toward this end, we scrutinized early relapses in TT3A and TT3B within three years of protocol entry. Using logistic regression analysis, we identified baseline parameters including GEP, en route for distinguishing this high-risk subset among low-risk MM. Also examined was whether a new model could be built within low-risk disease that allowed for the identification of a high-risk subset. Our database was interrogated for patients known to have GEP-defined low-risk in the GEP-70 model. Table 1 summarizes the 3-year events among GEP-70 low-risk subjects per protocol. An optimal cut-point at +0.146 distinguished, among the combined TT2 and TT3 patients, inferior progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (Figure 1a). Next, we examined outcomes among all TT2 and TT3 patients with GEP data, including those with traditionally-defined high-risk (>=0.66). Here, we were able to distinguish three subgroups with distinctly different PFS and OS (Figure 1b). Utilizing logistic regression analysis, limited to traditionally-defined GEP-70 low-risk MM (= 0.146 (HR=2.61, p=0.0005), the presence of cytogenetic abnormalities (CA) (HR=1.93, p=0.018), B2M >5.5mg/L (HR=1.95, p=0.04) and LDH >190U/L (HR=1.93, 0.02). These are all reported in Table 2. In conclusion, we have identified, within GEP-70 low-risk patients, a new cut-point. This allows a better categorization of patients having truly low risk disease. Also, above which a prognosis intermediate to the traditional high-risk prognostic group (>=0.66) could be identified. GEP >0.146 dominated a multivariate logistic regression model. Further efforts will be presented on unique genes characterizing this intermediate risk group in relationship to low and high-risk subsets. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Absolute soil concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs samples were   measured using high-resolution gamma spectrometry. The area of interest   encompasses an embankment in a mangrove swamp in Guaratiba, Rio de Janeiro,   called Capao Island, where nuclear, chemical and biological defense   laboratories of the Brazilian Army Technology Center are in operation for   more than 30 years. In order to ensure that no significant environmental   impact has resulted from neutron physics experiments performed in a graphite   exponential pile in addition to the operation of two cesium-driven   irradiating facilities, radiation monitoring of the isotopes was carried out.   A total of eight 250 ml soil samples were extracted within an area of 300 m x   300 m. No trace of 137Cs was detected and the measured levels of 238U were   found to be close to the global mean. However, some data that slightly   exceeded the expected normal range for 232Th (60 % of samples) and 40K (20 %   of samples) should be attributed to the construction debris (cement, rocks,   and sand) used in the embankment at the site. Since there is no handling of   those isotopes at that site or adjacent facilities that could affect their   presence, it was concluded that no detectable contamination has occurred.
This article gives an overview of very high-speed digital subscriber lines, including the main issues of VDSL system design, such as its basic architecture, applications, and data rates, as well as the technological challenges of practical implementation due to different loop plant realities and spectral compatibility considerations. Some specific characteristics of the VDSL transceiver startup procedure and high-level architecture, as well as a summary of first laboratory tests and field trials, are also presented. The article concentrates on VDSL implementations using single-carrier modulation, which integrates the well-known carrierless amplitude/phase modulation and quadrature amplitude modulation technologies. Currently, SCM technology is considered one of the main candidates for the VDSL standard in the United States and Europe, and internationally.
This article summarizes the results of research aimed at studying the impact of the transition to online learning using information and communication technologies (ICT) in the educational process on the psychological comfort of students at the Adyghe State University in the direction of “Psychological and pedagogical education”. During the study, a set of complementary research methods was used: theoretical, empirical, statistical, as well as private methods aimed at assessing the level of anxiety, sociability, motivation for learning, and the questionnaire aimed at identifying the level of psychological comfort of students in online learning. We suspected that the transition to online learning can affect the psycho-emotional state and psychological comfort of students: trait and state anxiety will increase; the level of motivation for learning, and the level of students’ communicative activity will decrease. Analysis and interpretation of the data showed that in the process of online learning, the majority of the tested respondents were dominated by average and high values of situational and personal anxiety (43.9% and 47.9%, respectively). 59% of respondents faced psychological discomfort because of the necessary to sharply adapt to the new format of education. There were also difficulties with self-organization of learning process outside the university - 21.7%, as well as difficulties associated with the material and technical base, created an uncomfortable psycho-emotional state in the subjects of the educational process - 3.5%. Therefore, in introducing online learning, it is necessary to take into account several possible risks that affect both the quality of the learning process and the psycho-emotional state of students. Moreover, a necessary condition, in our opinion, is considering the individual and personal characteristics of students in the process of integrating ICT into the educational system to improve health and create conditions for the psychological comfort of students.
We show how a charge current through a single antiferromagnetic layer can excite and control self-oscillations. Sustained oscillations with tunable amplitudes and frequencies are possible in a variety of geometries using certain classes of non-centrosymmetric materials that exhibit finite dissipative spin-orbit torque. We compute the steady-state phase diagram as a function of the current and spin-orbit torque magnitude. The anisotropic magnetoresistance causes the conversion of the resulting AF oscillations to a terahertz AC output voltage. These findings provide an attractive and novel route to design terahertz antiferromagnetic spin-orbit torque oscillators in simple single-layer structures.
This paper discusses the added-value of combining users' preferences and Web services' capacities during the process of discovering the Web services that permit satisfying users' needs. The needs, preferences, and capacities vary over time, which requires tracking them using contextual details. Examples of needs include hotel booking and loan application. Examples of preferences include time of result delivery and interaction means. Examples of capacities include operations to perform at a certain time/place and non-functional characteristics of operations. In this paper, bringing Web services and users together is supported by an approach that develops respective ontologies for preferences and capacities, represents these latter with SAWSDL, and finally, matches them using a dedicated algorithm.
A 20-year-old man with known bicuspid aortic valve, and aortic coarctation repair in childhood presented with 4 weeks of vomit-ing, diarrhoea, low grade fever, productive cough, and progressive breathlessness. Auscultation revealed fine crackles bilaterally and a loud systolic murmur at the base of the heart. Inflammatory markers and troponin were elevated (troponin T 388 ng/L; cut-off for normal < 14 ng/L). Initial ECG showed only sinus tachycardia. Chest X-ray ( Panel A ) showed bilateral airspace infiltrates suspicious of COVID pneumonitis. Shortly after admission, he deteriorated, with rising oxygen requirements and haemoptysis. A repeat ECG showed first-degree atrioven-tricular (AV) block with widespread ischae-mia ( Panel B ). Bedside
Motivated by the needs of musical performance research and a vision of editorial development of musical performances, this paper illustrates the concepts available in the formal description framework of Music Performance Markup (MPM) and illustrates its implementation as XML format. The description mechanisms of MPM cover various aspects such as timing, dynamics and articulation. The description of individual phenomena can be intuitively formalized by referencing user-specified definitions, e. g. of a tempo designation like Allegro. Moreover, by allowing for both global declarations affecting the whole score and local overrides for individual parts, MPM is the first true polyphonic description format for music performances and musical interpretations. 29 Sonic Visualizer. Hrsg. vom Centre for Digital Music, https://www.sonicvisualiser.org/ (gesehen 19.4.2018). 30 Edirom-Online. Hrsg. vom Virtuellen Forschungsverbund Edirom Detmold 2018, https://github. com/Edirom/Edirom-Online (gesehen 19.6.2018) bzw. http://www.edirom.de/ (gesehen 19.4.2018).
Globalization leveraged pressure on contemporary society. One of today's most pressing societal dilemmas between generations arise from overindebtedness. In the aftermath of the 2008/09 crisis, governmental budget crises around the world led to austerity plans triggering an economic climate of stagnation, federal spending constraints and prospected social welfare decline for decades to come. Outlining the causes of the current overindebtedness crisis in the Western world prepares for an analysis of the implicit social correlates of governmental budgetary constraints. The impact of governmental austerity plans on societal well-being is discussed. Analyzing data from 20 countries of the world, World Bank Social Capital estimates are negatively related to economic public deficit spending based on Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) data. A cross-section regression holds a one unit change of social capital per capita index being related to a -.048 unit change in economic governmental deficit spending. Therefore, the higher the level of social capital in a country, the lower the likelihood of is of the government to engage in deficit spending and austerity policymaking. Innovatively outlining the relation of social capital and governmental debt is targeted at alleviating frictions arising from the up-to-date unknown negative socio-economic correlates of running governmental deficits heralding an unprecedented intergenerational equity kink. Potential overindebtedness remedies are reflected upon with a focus on the US and Europe in order to help sustain a harmonious societal climate between generations.
OBJECTIVE To determine whether childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and persistence of the disorder are associated with later difficulty in adolescent peer relations.   METHOD One hundred eleven children with ADHD were interviewed as adolescents and compared with 100 adolescents without an ADHD history (aged 13-18 years). The multi-informant assessment strategy included parents, teachers, and adolescents.   RESULTS Parents of probands reported fewer close friendships and greater peer rejection compared with the non-ADHD group. Probands reported that their friends were less involved in conventional activities compared with the non-ADHD group. Childhood aggression predicted less self-perceived social competence for probands. The long-term effects of ADHD on social functioning were more pronounced for probands with persistent ADHD or conduct disorder in adolescence.   CONCLUSIONS Impairments in peer relations for ADHD youths, known to be common in childhood, also exist in adolescence. Given the developmental significance of peer relations, further research into the causes and treatment of poor social functioning in youths with ADHD is recommended.
This paper reports that fluidelastic instability is the most important vibration excitation mechanism for heat exchanger tube bundles subjected to cross-flow. Most of the available data on this topic have been reviewed from the perspective of the designer. Uniform definitions of critical flow velocity for instability, damping, natural frequency and hydrodynamic mass were used. Nearly 300 data points were assembled. The authors found that only data from experiments where all tubes are free to vibrate are valid form a design point of view. In liquids, fluid damping is important and should be considered in the formulation of fluidelastic instability. From a practical design point of view, we conclude that fluidelastic instability may be expressed simply in term of dimensionless flow velocity and dimensionless mass-damping. There is no advantage in considering more sophisticated models at this time. Practical design guidelines are discussed.
In a typical six month job, appraisal of senior house officers (SHOs) should be undertaken every two months. If there are clear appraisal objectives it is a rewarding exercise, maximising job satisfaction for SHOs and enabling the department to get the best out of them. The goals of an appraisal are: (1) Review of performance to date. (2) Objective setting. The SHO should be encouraged to identify specific training goals which should be agreed by both parties, with plans as to how to achieve them. Ideally it should be possible to measure these goals objectively to confirm progress. (3) Career development. Often at this stage SHOs will not have fixed career plans but it is usually possible to identify overall career intentions, plus examinations and courses that will help their continuing professional development. The appraisal is also an opportunity to look at the SHOs potential and how this can be best fulfilled. For the appraisal to work the following four stages should be undertaken:
This life cycle analysis was performed on the UBC G eography Building, a 51883sf wood-frame academic building built in 1924, for the purpose of establishing a materials inventory and environmental impact reference to be applied in the assessment of potential upgrades. It was also completed simultaneously wit h 12 other academic and residential buildings at UBC for environmental performance comp arisons across UBC buildings over time and between different materials, structural types a nd building functions. The building was modeled with On Center’s On-Screen Takeoff and Athena Sustainable Materials Institute’s Impact Estimator using archit ectural drawings provided. From this model, a Bill of Materials was determined, showing that the largest quantities of material were gypsum board, softwood plywood, 6mil polyethylene, cedar w ood shiplap, and stucco. The determined summary measures were then compared to the average UBC academic building. It was found that the primary energy con sumption, weighted resource use, global warming potential, acidification potential, human h ealth respiratory effects potential, eutrophication potential, and smog potential ranged from 6.4%-30.0% of the average building, and the ozone depletion potential around 2 times th average building. It was determined through sensitivity analysis that the ozone depleti on potential was high in comparison due to the amount of plywood. Finally, the building performance was modeled using R-values for the windows, exterior walls and roof. It was determined that adding 4.5” and 3.5” of polyisocyanurate insulation to the roof and exterior walls, respectively, and replacin g the windows with low E tin argon filled glazing would have a 1.55 year energy payback perio d.
In recent years, mass spectrometry (MS) has been recognized as a 'Gold Standard' tool for the identification and analysis of individual proteins in expression proteomics studies. Moreover, MS has proven useful for the analysis of nucleic acids for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping purposes. With the increased usage of MS as a standard tool for life science applications and the advancement of MS instrumentation, sample preparation and bioinformatics, MS technology has entered novel screening and discovery application areas that are beyond the traditional protein identification and characterization applications. The areas of clinical diagnostics and predictive medicine are just two prime examples of these fields. Predictive markers or biomarkers for early diagnosis of diseases are of growing importance for the human healthcare community. The goal of using MS in clinical proteomics is to generate protein profiles (mass to charge [m/z] ratio versus signal intensity) from readily available body fluids like serum, saliva and urine to detect changes in protein levels that reflect changes in the disease states. Whereas the results originating from individual protein markers may be intriguing, data resulting from the analysis of complex, multiple biomarker patterns may be unequivocal. These biomarker patterns are hidden in complex mass spectra and are not always obvious to the human eye. Sophisticated bioinformatics algorithms have to be applied to determine these unique biomarker patterns. Here, we review the latest developments concerning the use of MS for the discovery of biomarker patterns and for the identification of individual biomarkers in the field of clinical proteomics applications.
Abstract A previously ignored method of assessing relative levels of alienation is the content analysis of work jokes exchanged in different venues. This study uses quantitative content analysis to code 1,085 joke-texts collected from ten job-sites and from the Internet. Using past measurements of powerlessness, meaninglessness, social isolation, and self-estrangement, the author develops a content protocol that is consistent with popular alienation indexes. Past methods for assessing both the functions of humor and the concept of alienation are criticized as tautologies, and null-categories for the social-psychological aspects of alienation (empowerment, understanding, social integration, and self-actualization) are introduced and critically examined. Research expectations are developed, and evaluations of predictions are made by comparing the proportion of jokes between the data sets within each of the conceptual categories. Jokes posted to the Internet are found to have more expressions of alienation in each of the social-psychological aspects except meaninglessness, which was slightly higher for entry-level service workers. The study concludes that the content analysis of jokes may prove to be a more direct way of accessing group sentiment than the study of either individual sentiment or the social structure of work.
Objective To evaluate the short term clinical results of single-stage revision for infected total knee arthroplasty （TKA）. Methods Twenty-two unilateral infected TKA were revised through onestage implant exchange using antibiotics loaded cement from April 2005 to December 2009. Sixteen patients who were followed up at least 6 months were included in this study. There were 5 male and 11 female with the mean age of 65 years old （range 49 to 75） in this group. Fourteen patients were diagnosed as late chronic infection （〉 4 weeks） and 2 cases as hematogenous spread delayed infection. The average Knee Society Score （KSS） functional score was 37.25±16.23. The average time from primary arthroplasty to revision was 23.9 months （range 2 to 73）. During the operation, the inflammatory, necrotic and scar tissue must be removed radically. Constrained condyle knee （CCK） prosthesis with stem were used in 14 cases with severe bone loss and primary prosthesis were used in 2 cases. All cases were fixed with antibiotics-loaded cement. Results All cases were followed up for the average 25 months （range 6 to 59 months）. Infection recurred in one case who had to undergo another two-stage revision, One case who complained of local knee pain with elevated ESR and CRP 9 months postoperatively responded to appropriate one-month course of antibiotic therapy. The average KSS functional score was 85.88±12.85 and the satisfactory rate was 87.5% at last follow-up. Conclusion Good outcomes can be reached by radical debridement, correct choice of implant, careful perioperative management, and effective antibiotics in single-stage revision for infected TKA.    Key words:  Arthroplasty, replacement, knee;  Infection;  Reoperation
Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of the disease and research risk factors through sociodemographic data of children aged 0 to 15 years, with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 in 3 Brazilian municipalities in an international border region. Methods: Epidemiological and RT-PCR test results were collected from the COVID-19 notification records in suspected children and adolescents from March 1 to August 31, 2020, in municipalities (Assis Chateaubriand, Tupãssi, and Formosa do Oeste) located in an international border region. The results obtained and the variables associated were subjected to statistical analysis using the Chi-Square Test (x2) or Fisher’s Exact Test, using the statistical program SPSS v. 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA) at the 5% significance level. Results: Among the 147 children from the 3 municipalities, 20 (13.60%) were diagnosed as positive. The predominance of cases was in male children (60.00%) and in children living in urban areas (80%). The most frequent symptoms observed in children were fever (65.00% of the cases), followed by headache (60.00%), cough (55.00%), and nasal congestion, as well as sore throat, both found in 35.00% of the cases. Conclusion: All these data highlight the importance and the need for more epidemiological studies, especially in children and adolescents, as COVID-19 becomes part of the child health panorama worldwide, with serious direct and indirect impacts for humans, animals, and the environment.
Some years ago I was in the city of Berlin with a group of American business men and city officials, and after a luncheon given by the Burgomaster and his associates, there were a number of addresses, in which the burden of the American discussion was regret that our cities are not run in the business-like way of the German cities. The American speakers were followed by a German Burgomaster, who said:
A 51-year-old man with a recurrent metastatic esthesioneuroblastoma (olfactory neuroblastoma) was referred for peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). He received 4 treatments of 111In-octreotide over 8 months and 3 treatments of 177Lu-DOTATATE over 4 months, which helped alleviate his symptoms and improved his quality of life; however, the tumor ultimately progressed and he passed away shortly thereafter. PRRT with 111In-octreotide or 177Lu-DOTATATE could play a role in the management of esthesioneuroblastoma.
240 Background: Abiraterone is a 17a hydroxylase and C17,20-lyase inhibitor that blocks androgen biosynthesis and is approved for treatment in patients with mCRPC. Enzalutamide, a second-generation androgen receptor signaling inhibitor was recently approved for use in patients with mCRPC post-docetaxel. There is paucity of information regarding sequential use of enzalutamide after abiraterone. Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective analysis of 23 patients with mCRPC who received enzalutamide after progression on abiraterone. Post-treatment prostate specific antigen(PSA) response and time to PSA progression were used to determine enzalutamide efficacy. Patients were followed for 6 months post initiation of enzalutamide. Results: At the time of enzalutamide initiation, median age was 70 years, with average Gleason score of 7 at the time of diagnosis. All patients were on ongoing androgen deprivation therapy, and 15 patients had received prior docetaxel chemotherapy. Median duration of abiraterone a...
For many of us, virtual reality is most likely to bring to mind commercial applications in industry or entertainment. However, it's encouraging to be reminded that it is also being used towards other some might say "nobler" ends. One such application is the preservation and recreation of cultural and natural sites around the world. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)World Heritage program is charged with protecting such sites. There are many ongoing efforts to use interactive visual and sometimes immersive computer technologies to help in this effort. In this issue, we are pleased to have Scot Refsland, Executive Officer of the International Society on Virtual Systems and MultiMedia (VSMM) present an overview of nine projects in this area. The projects he describes like the people involved in them are widely spread across the globe. They represent a good cross-section of the diverse work that's being done to help catalogue and preserve these heritage sites, and to educate people about them. In some cases, the work is primarily intended to document the sites and thereby to help protect and maintain them for the future. Other projects use amusement park ride-style experiences to entertain and educate people at the same time. And, while virtual reality technology is certainly not intended to replace these sites (nor could it be expected to), it can allow people to gain a better appreciation and understanding of those locations that they cannot visit directly.
Let (Yb Xi), i = 1, ..., n, be a random sample from some bivariate distribution, and let rho be the (Pearson) population correlation between X and Y. The usual Student's t test of H0: rho = 0 is valid when X and Y are independent, so in particular the conditional variance of Y, given X, does not vary with X. But when the conditional variance does vary with X, Student's t uses an incorrect estimate of the standard error. In effect, when rejecting H0, this might be due to rho not equal to 0, but perhaps the main reason for rejecting is that there is heteroscedasticity. This note compares two heteroscedastic methods for testing H0 and finds that in terms of Type I errors, the nested bootstrap performed best in simulations when using rho. When using one of two robust analogues of rho (Spearman's rho and the percentage bend correlation), little or no advantage was found, in terms of Type I error probabilities, when using a nested bootstrap versus the basic percentile method. As for power, generally an adjusted percentile bootstrap, used in conjunction with r, performed better than the nested bootstrap, even in situations where, for the null case, the estimated probability of a Type I error was lower when using the adjusted percentile method. As for computing a confidence interval when correlations are positive, situations are found where all methods perform in an unsatisfactory manner.
Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century did much to bring discussions of economic inequality into the intellectual and popular mainstream. This article indicates how business, management and organization studies can productively engage with Piketty’s book. It does this by deriving practical consequences from Piketty’s proposed division of intellectual labour in general and his account of ‘super-managers’ in particular. There are organizational specificities to inequality which Piketty’s framework does not address, however. His account of corporate governance, of tax avoidance policy and of financialization, in particular, requires significant conceptual and empirical supplementation. We argue that business, management and organizational scholars should contribute to the cross-disciplinary inequality research project which Capital in the 21st Century proposes not despite these limitations but because of them.
In the article entitled "Neurologic History and Examination Results and Their Relationship to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Serostatus in Hemophilic Subjects: Results from the Hemophilia Growth and Development Study" by James F. Bale, Jr, MD et al that appeared in the April 1993 issue of Pediatrics (1993;91:736-741) an error was made in the entry of the baseline data. This data entry error relates to the number of HIV-1 positive subjects who had non-hemophilia-related decreases in muscle bulk. This change and its effect on the statistical analysis are summarized below:  See Table in the PDF File
Dynamics of droplets in an electrified medium is largely dictated by an intricate interplay between interfacial charge convection and Ohmic conduction within the bulk. The extent of this interaction is quantified by the electric Reynolds number, ReE, delineating their relative strengths. The reported asymptotic theories consider vanishingly low values of ReE, i.e., negligible surface charge convection as compared to the bulk Ohmic conduction, which, in turn, enables decoupling of the contributions of drop deformation and charge convection. This, however, is grossly inaccurate toward establishing an appropriate inter-connection between surface charge convection and morpho-dynamic evolution of the drop beyond such limiting conditions. Circumventing these limits, here we present a theoretical approach that is capable of bringing out the underlying physics beyond low ReE limits. We realize this by incorporating nonlinear charge-convection effects in the leading-order and first-order problem. The present analytical model not only predicts the drop speed accurately but also shows noticeable improvement over the predictive capabilities of the existing asymptotic models. Our results demonstrate that convection of charges can lead to a substantial increase or decrease in gravitational settling speed, depending on the relative electrical properties of the droplet and the carrier. In sharp contrast to previously reported findings, we show that sufficiently strong charge convection can overwhelm the effect of deformation and hence can reverse the trends in the settling speed reported earlier. Comparison with results from full-scale numerical simulations justifies the accuracy of our analytical approach up to a fair level of high asymmetric deformation.
We find the spatial variation of material parameters for pressurized cylinders and spheres composed of either an incompressible Hookean, neo-Hookean, or Mooney—Rivlin material so that during their axisymmetric deformations either the in-plane shear stress or the hoop stress has a desired spatial variation. It is shown that for a cylinder and a sphere made of an incompressible Hookean material, the shear modulus must be a linear function of the radius r for the hoop stress to be uniform through the thickness. For the in-plane shear stress to be constant through the cylinder (sphere) thickness, the shear modulus must be proportional to r 2 (r 3). For finite deformations of cylinders and spheres composed of either neo-Hookean or Mooney—Rivlin materials, the through-the-thickness variation of the material parameters is also determined, for either the in-plane shear stress or the hoop stress, to have a prespecified variation. We note that a constant hoop stress eliminates stress concentration near the innermost surface of a thick cylinder and a thick sphere. A universal relation holds for a general class of materials irrespective of values of material parameters. Here, for axisymmetric deformations, we have derived expressions for the average hoop stress and the average in-plane shear stress, in terms of external tractions and the inner and the outer radii of a cylinder and a sphere, that hold for their elastic and inelastic deformations and for all (compressible and incompressible) materials.
Summary. The clinical and laboratory phenotype of compensated haemolysis in a patient with hereditary ovalocytosis is reported. Clinical presentation was intermittent jaundice and abdominal pain due to pigment gall stones. Haematological analysis revealed an absolute reticulocytosis with an otherwise normal full blood count and biochemical evidence of haemolysis. Variable results were observed with blood grouping reagents. The patient's red cells were stomatocytic ovalocytic, rigid, resistant to malarial parasite invasion, defective in anion transport, and had the characteristic two linked mutations in the red cell band 3 gene.
Twenty-three patients with previously treated medulloblastoma had brain scintigrams revealed posterior fossa recurrence in 15 patients and supratentorial metastases in 9; only 1 of the latter was clinically suspected. Two subdural hematomas and one calvarial metastasis were also detected. Comparison with other diagnostic evidence shows agreement in 13 out of 14 cases (93%) for posterior fossa recurrence and 8/10 (80%) for supratentiorial masses. Brain scintigraphy appears to be a sensitive and specific test for the detection of recurrence and metastasis in patients with treated medulloblastoma.
Sustainable tourism development is now a necessity of time. Through its multiplier effect, tourism can accelerate economic growth by encouraging various other economic sectors. This article analyzes group communication theory from the perspective of developing tourism in the puppet village of Kepuhsari Wonogiri as a sustainable cultural tourism commodity. Culture has an important role in the tourism sector as a unique and authentic attraction. This paper is qualitative and analyzes models from the literature review, to provide their strengths and limitations in the study of the factors of group communication theory. The results of this study show that local culture is a highly valuable asset, cultural commodities as tourism do not reduce the values contained in the culture. Group communication is a form of information needs of each member as a collective decision-making effort.
BACKGROUND Transient synovitis of the hip affects mostly preschool children, and its etiology is unknown. Kingella kingae has been identified recently as a common etiologic agent of osteoarticular infections (OAI) in young children and could potentially be associated to transient synovitis of the hip. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the association between transient synovitis of the hip and oropharyngeal carriage of K. kingae among preschool children.   METHODS This was a prospective case-control study conducted at a tertiary care pediatric emergency department. Cases were children between 6 and 71 months of ages with a diagnosis of transient synovitis of the hip. For each transient synovitis case, an age-matched control was recruited among children presenting for a trauma. A second control group included children with any OAI. The independent variable was the presence of oropharyngeal K. kingae identified by a specific polymerase chain reaction assay. The primary analysis was the association between oropharyngeal K. kingae carriage and final diagnosis.   RESULTS A total of 73 children were included in the study. Among them, 25 had a transient synovitis, 16 an OAI, and 22 controls. Baseline demographics were similar between the groups. There was no difference in oropharyngeal carriage of K. kingae for children with transient synovitis (5/25; 0.20) in comparison to controls (3/22; 0.14), while it was higher for children with OAI (10/16; 0.63).   CONCLUSIONS There is no association between oropharyngeal K. kingae and transient synovitis of the hip among preschool children.
We previously reported that ACE2 knockout (KO) mice, like humans, develop age‐dependent hypertension. In addition, a disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17) was recently shown to contribute to neurogenic hypertension. Accordingly, we hypothesized that ADAM17 in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of hypothalamus contributes to enhanced sympathetic tone in mice lacking ACE2. Adult 10‐12 week‐old wildtype (WT) and ACE2 KO male mice (n=2‐4/group) were injected in the kidney with a pseudorabies virus encoding a green fluorescent protein, for retrograde labeling of sympathetic neurons. After 4 days, whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings were conducted from labeled pre‐sympathetic PVN neurons. The resting membrane potential of these PVN neurons in WT mice was ‐59.7 ±1.06 mV, while ‐52.7 ±1.6 mV in ACE2 KO mice, which may suggest an increase threshold for excitability in pre‐sympathetic PVN neurons. In another set of mice, the hypothalamus was dissected from WT and KO animals (n=4/group) for western blot analysis. ADAM17 expression showed a 2‐fold increase in KO compared to WT (P<0.05). Finally, using immunohistochemistry, ADAM17 expression was confirmed in parvocellular neurons. Taken together, our data suggest that enhanced expression of ADAM17 in the parvocellular PVN could be associated with increased excitability of pre‐sympathetic neurons in ACE2 KO mice. This dysregulation in neuronal activity might alter the intricate pressor homeostasis leading to increased blood pressure. These results suggest that ADAM17 could be a potential new target for the reduction of enhanced sympathetic activity in neurogenic hypertension.
Background: Socioeconomic indicators are the main factors that affect health outcome. Health price index (HPI) and households living costs (HLC) are affected by economic reform. This study aimed at examining the effect of subsidy targeting plan (STP) on HPI and HLC. Methods: The social accounting matrix was used to study the direct and indirect effects of STP. We chose 11 health related goods and services including insurance, compulsory social security services, hospital services, medical and dental services, other human health services, veterinary services, social services, environmental health services, laundry& cleaning and dyeing services, cosmetic and physical health services, and pharmaceutical products in the social accounting matrix to examine the health price index. Data were analyzed by the I-O&SAM software. Results: Due to the subsidy release on energy, water, and bread prices, we found that (i) health related goods and services groups’ price index rose between 33.43% and 77.3%, (ii) the living cost index of urban households increased between 48.75% and 58.21%, and (iii) the living cost index of rural households grew between 53.51% and 68.23%. The results demonstrated that the elimination of subsidy would have negative effects on health subdivision and households’ costs such that subsidy elimination increased the health prices index and the household living costs, especially among low-income families. The STP had considerable effects on health subdivision price index. Conclusion: The elimination or reduction of energy carriers and basic commodities subsidies have changed health price and households living cost index. Therefore, the policymakers should consider controlling the price of health sectors, price fluctuations and shocks.
We entered 26 patients with newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in a pilot study of all-transretinoic acid (ATRA) followed by intensive chemotherapy. Median age was 46 (range 25 to 63). No patient presented with leukocytes > 10 x 10(9)/L or had the microgranular APL variant. Cytogenetic analysis (25 patients) found a t(15;17) in 24 cases. Patients were scheduled to receive ATRA (45 mg/m2/d) until complete remission, followed by an intensive daunorubicin (DNR) + Ara C course ("4 + 7" course), then three "2 + 5" DNR + Ara C courses and maintenance chemotheapy. However, the "4 + 7" course was administered in emergency if hyperleukocytosis rapidly developed to prevent leukostasis. Twenty-five patients (96%) achieved CR, 14 with ATRA alone and 11 after the addition of the "4 + 7" course on day 2 to 30 of treatment, because leukocytes rapidly increased (9 cases), because of resistance to ATRA (1 case), and development of organomegaly (1 case). The remaining patient died on day 6, from CNS bleeding. Apart from hyperleukocytosis, side effects were usually moderate. In the 11 patients who could be studied in vitro, a very good correlation was found between in vivo and vitro differentiation and proliferation of APL blasts with ATRA. Three patients were allografted after the "4 + 7" course. Four patients did not receive this course but received the subsequent "2 + 5" courses and maintenance. The remaining patients followed the scheduled protocol. Three patients relapsed after 8, 11, and 15 months (including one allografted patient). Two patients died in CR, after 6 and 17 months. The other 20 patients remained in CR after 18+ to 34+ months (median 21). Actuarial disease free interval (DFI) and event free survival (EFS) were 87% and 77%, respectively, after 18 months. These results were compared to those obtained in our previous APL 84 trial with chemotherapy alone in newly diagnosed APL (after excluding patients included in this trial who presented with hyperleukocytosis). In APL 84 trial, the CR rate was 76%, the actuarial DFI and EFS were 59% and 48% after 18 months, respectively. Differences with the pilot study of ATRA followed by chemotherapy were significant for DFI (P = .02), EFS (P = .006), but not for CR rate (P = .08). Although this is a historical comparison, these results suggest that ATRA followed by chemotherapy may prove superior to chemotherapy alone in newly diagnosed APL, by slightly increasing the CR rate, but perhaps more importantly by reducing the relapse rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Cryptorchid boys show evident alterations in the fine structure of the testes, although they respond in a normal manner to various tests of endocrine function. On the other hand, there is evidence that glucocorticoids suppress plasma testosterone levels, although the mechanism is unknown. Eight control subjects and 8 bilaterally cryptorchid boys, at P1 stage of sexual maturation, were therefore studied by determining the degree of testosterone suppression induced by glucocorticoids. The subjects were submitted to a short dexamethasone (DXM) suppression (1.5 + 0.5 mg at 20.00 and 24.00 h, respectively) and to a short iv ACTH stimulation (1 U/m2 body surface). Basal concentrations of cortisol, androstenedione and testosterone were similar in both groups. Cortisol and androstenedione responded to both DXM suppression and ACTH stimulation in an identical manner in the two groups. DXM lowered the basal levels of testosterone by 46.4 +/- 5.8% (mean +/- SE) in the controls, but only by 6.9 +/- 6.6% in the cryptorchid boys (P less than 0.001). ACTH only induced a significant decrease in the controls (from 110.9 +/- 18.5 to 61.4 +/- 10.9 and 72.3 +/- 11.8 pg/ml (P less than 0.025), after respectively 20 and 30 min), while no significant differences were found in the cryptorchid subjects. These data indicate that in bilateral cryptorchidism, plasma T is not affected by exogenous (DXM) or endogenous (cortisol) glucocorticoids.
Multiple myeloma (MM), the second most common hematologic malignancy worldwide, is a B cell malignancy characterized by high frequency of intra-clonal diversity within malignant plasma cells (PC) in the bone marrow (BM). To better understand the myeloma heterogeneity within its complex pathophysiology, we performed large-scale data-driven mass cytometry (CyTOF) analysis in cohort of 188 bone marrow (BM) samples from multiple myeloma (MM) patients compared to 10 age-matched healthy donors (HD). Our design focused on profiling of PC intra and inter-neoplastic heterogeneity based on molecular perturbations of transcriptional factors and signaling regulators and stemness-controlling markers ensuring development of B cell lymphopoiesis within myelomagenesis encompassing the different clinical spectra of pre-malignant/asymptomatic (16 MGUS and 25 SMM) and active symptomatic stages (43 NDMM and 104 relapsed or relapsed/refractory MM patients) of MM pathogenesis. Moreover, interaction of PC disease status with the immune ecosystem of myeloma microenvironment was evaluated as well. To distinguish tumor-driven specific immune changes from myeloma immune ecosystem, we observed that cell frequency of cytotoxic naïve and effector cells, g/dT, and early monocytes, myelocytes and erythroblasts immune subsets was significantly reduced in both premalignant and active MM stages. In contrast, mostly innate immune clusters including non-canonical monocytes, myeloblasts, and mature neutrophils, erythroblasts and platelets were present at a higher frequency across all MM stages versus HD. To evaluate cell distribution of B lymphopoiesis in MM disease stages, switched memory B cells and plasmablasts clusters were upregulated in premalignant stage MGUS compared to HD. Similar observations were detected in SMM and NDMM versus HD, with the highest abundance of PC clusters in NDMM. The downregulation of cell distribution in B cell progenies, immature and transitional B cells, and un-switched memory B cell clusters was observed in NDMM and relapsed/refractory MM patients. Furthermore, MM patients treated with Revlimid-Velcade-Dexamethasone therapy had decrease frequency of specific PC clusters and un-switched and transitional B cell clusters. In addition, our data revealed immunophenotyping aberrancies present not only in PC clusters but also across all myeloma B lymphomagenesis in BM samples from MM patients. In-depth characterization of malignant plasma cells, significant variations were detected in PC clusters of MM cohort based on different expression of IRF4, c-Myc, CD28, CD117, and FGFR-3, however with homogenous expression of sXBP1, and MMSET which differ in all 4 MM stages compared to HD. Significant upregulation of CD47 was showed in all PC clusters of MM cohort. Moreover, PC clusters differ in intra-clonal expression of self-renewing/stemness markers CD184, Notch-1, Oct3/4, KLF-4, Sox-2, and Nanog, supporting the idea of sub-clonal variations insight of MM tumor. This study might provide the rational for prediction of MM patient status and design of targeted therapy in MM on personalized bases.  This work was supported by REA grant agreement No. 609427-SASPRO 0064/01/02, TRS-2015-00000170, APVV-16-0484 and VEGA 2/0076/17.      Hunter: Janssen: Consultancy. Jamroziak:Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Richardson:Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Karyopharm: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Oncopeptides: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding. Kastritis:Prothena: Honoraria; Genesis: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria. Anderson:Sanofi-Aventis: Other: Advisory Board; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Other: Scientific Founder; Oncopep: Other: Scientific Founder; Amgen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.
Science and technology seems to be having a bad time convincing the paying public that it is working for the bene® t of society. This forces scientists to publicise their work in ways that hope to capture the imagination of their colleagues who are a little outside of their ® eld and to try and put across to lay persons something that captures the imagination. Nanotechnology is such a case. This is the area of technology in which things are made that have dimensions measured in nanometres (or roughly one hundred thousand times less than the diameter of a human hair) and it probably needs some good descriptive publicity. On the one hand we have proponents such as Eric Drexler who has written several articles and books (Engines of Creation (1986), Nanosystems (1992)) that make a genuine attempt to capture the attention of the lay scientist and general intelligent reader. His books are certainly inspirational and some may feel that they contain too much hype. On the other hand there are collections of review articles written by experts in the ® eld that address one narrow aspect of the subject. The book in question is in the latter category and it is four years late! It is a collection of articles, each dealing with one very specialized aspect of nanotechnology, some of them very well produced and likely to instil enthusiasm and interest in the reader to ® nd out more. However it contains others that are so specialized that few will gain much at the ® rst reading. The four-year time lag between the time the authors completed their articles and the publication date is puzzling and really inexcusable in such an exciting and fast growing subject. What are the issues in ǹanotechnology’ and how are they best addressed? The problem can be approached from two very di erent angles. One could take the view of expediency as in the case of electronic circuits, in which size reduction enables more transistors to be put onto a wafer of silicon that operate faster and consume lower power by virtue of their reduced size. Or, one could examine some of the new physical e ects that are size dependent and ask how these might be exploited for useful purposes. An example of the latter is the use of the q̀uantum well’ lasers that are already in most CD players. These lasers use the physics of electrons con® ned in a simple square potential well that most undergraduates are taught, but which enables lasers to be made that have lower threshold currents, better temperature stability and a wider choice of wavelengths of operation. The opening article in the book is written by Timp and his colleagues from Lucent Technologies (Bell Laboratories) and it describes the expediency approach very well. They describe the so-called r̀oadmap’ for the semiconductor industry that was published some time ago and has been attributed to many authors, but in particular Gordon Moore of Intel. This shows the numbers of transistors on a memory chip increasing by a factor of four every three years, and consequently the size of the transistors is getting smaller. The sizes are already in the tenth of micron (and hence hundreds of nanometre) dimension, and are predicted to shrink to molecular dimensions (a few nm) in the next decade. Timp gives a clear and authoritative account of the problems that lie ahead and suggests the ways in which these will be overcome. There are clearly challenges ahead, ® rstly to engineer transistors with smaller dimensions than at present, but then to ® nd completely new ways of operating a transistor-like device that has molecular dimensions. The reader will be rather disappointed here, partly because of the delay between the completion of the manuscripts and publication of these reviews. Tennant (also from Bell Laboratories) does give a very good account Professor P. J. Dobson is at the Engineering Science Department, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK. Contemporary Physics, 2000, volume 41, number 3, pages 159±161
This paper addresses decentralized exponential stability problem for a class of nonlinear large-scale systems with time-varying delay in interconnection is considered. The time delay is any continuous function belonging to a given interval, but not necessary to be differentiable. By constructing a suitable augmented Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional combined with LeibnizNewton’s formula, new delay-dependent sufficient conditions for the existence of decentralized exponential stability is established in terms of LMIs. AMS Subject Classification: 93C30, 93D20, 37C75, 34G20, 93A15
OBJECTIVE To examine differences between England and the USA in the rate of surgical intervention and in-hospital mortality for 7 index surgical emergencies.   BACKGROUND Considerable international variation exists in the configuration, provision, and outcomes of emergency healthcare.   METHODS Patients aged <80 years hospitalized with 1 of 7 surgical emergencies (ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, appendicitis, perforated esophagus, peptic ulcer, small bowel or large bowel, and incarcerated or strangulated hernias) were identified from English Hospital Episode Statistics and the USA Nationwide Inpatient Sample (2006-2012) and classified by whether they received a corrective surgical intervention. The rates of surgical intervention and population mortality were compared between England and the USA after adjustment for patient demographic factors.   RESULTS From 2006 to 2012, there were 136,047 admissions in English hospitals and 1,863,626 admissions in US hospitals due to the index surgical emergencies.Proportion of patients receiving no surgical intervention, for all 7 conditions was greater in the England (OR 4.25, 1.55, 8.53, 1.92, 2.06, 2.42, 1.75) and population in-hospital mortality was greater in England (OR 1.34, 1.67, 2.22, 1.65, 2.7, 4.46, 3.22) for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, appendicitis, perforated esophagus, peptic ulcer, small bowel or large bowel, and incarcerated or strangulated hernias respectively.In England (where follow-up was available), lack of utilization of surgery was also associated with increased in-hospital and long-term mortality for all conditions.   CONCLUSION England and US hospitals differ in the threshold for surgical intervention, which may be associated with increases in mortality in England for these 7 general surgical emergencies.
This paper presents the design of Schmitt trigger-based 8T SRAM Architecture for low power sub-threshold (or) near-threshold CMOS SRAM for power constrained Applications. Power Consumption, Power Dissipation and Leakage Power are the main factors in the IC Design. Memory unit is the primary block in design of any chip like Micro Processor and Micro Controller. As SRAMs comprise a significant percentage of the area and power for many digital chips and leakage can dominate total chip leakage. The proposed paper used to reduce the leakage power by using High-Vth nMOS as pull-down transistors for standard 6T SRAM. This paper demonstrates the Architecture Design and Analysis of 256bitcell 8T SRAM in 45nm technology. The design implementation and analysis is performed using 45nm CMOS technology in SYNOPSYS IDE Tools.
Reduction of {(Me3Si)2CH}PCl(C6H4-2-CH2OMe) withLiAlH4, followed by reaction with BH3·SMe2, gives the phosphane–borane {(Me3Si)2CH}PH(BH3)(C6H4-2-CH2OMe) (2) in good yield. Compound 2 undergoes rapid deprotonation on treatment with nBuLi, PhCH2Na or PhCH2K to give the corresponding alkali metal phosphido–borane complexes [[{(Me3Si)2CH}P(BH3)(C6H4-2-CH2OMe)]ML]2 [ML = Li(THF) (3), Na(tmeda) (4), K(pmdeta) (5)] after crystallization in the presence of the respective co-ligand L. The exact binding mode of the phosphido–borane ligand depends on the nature of the metal center in each case. However, all three alkali metal complexes crystallize as discrete dimers exhibiting M–P, M–O and M···BH3 contacts.
This article proposes a re-theorisation of the main social relations of platform work, based on two concepts drawn from Marx: subsumption of labour and the cash nexus. Platform work research to date is heavily empirical in character, with little theoretical development. As a result, the social relations of platform work are treated descriptively, using ad hoc or common-sense categories, or platforms’ own terminology. This under-theorisation leads to over-estimation of platform work’s novelty, decentring of capital in accounts of its development, incipient technological determinism and problematic generalisation from emergent trends. In place of the commonly assumed ‘triangle’ of platform work relations, this article argues that platform work is best understood in terms of an emerging labour–capital relation, which establishes a cash nexus between platform and worker as a result of a process of subsumption. This re-theorisation, in turn, helps to understand the rapid emergence of platform worker organisation and resistance, and the similarity of its demands with worker resistance in other, more established areas of paid work under capitalist relations of production.
The quantitative estimation of precipitation from orbiting passive microwave imagers has been performed for more than 30 years. The development of retrieval methods consists of establishing physical or statistical relationships between the brightness temperatures (TBs) measured at frequencies between 5 and 200 GHz and precipitation. Until now, these relationships have essentially been established at the "pixel" level, associating the average precipitation rate inside a predefined area (the pixel) to the collocated multispectral radiometric measurement. This approach considers each pixel as an independent realization of a process and ignores the fact that precipitation is a dynamic variable with rich multiscale spatial and temporal organization. Here we propose to look beyond the pixel values of the TBs and show that useful information for precipitation retrieval can be derived from the variations of the observed TBs in a spatial neighborhood around the pixel of interest. We also show that considering neighboring information allows us to better handle the complex observation geometry of conical-scanning microwave imagers, involving frequency-dependent beamwidths, overlapping fields of view, and large Earth incidence angles. Using spatial convolution filters, we compute "nonlocal" radiometric parameters sensitive to spatial patterns and scale-dependent structures of the TB fields, which are the "geometric signatures" of specific precipitation structures such as convective cells. We demonstrate that using nonlocal radiometric parameters to enrich the spectral information associated to each pixel allows for reduced retrieval uncertainty (reduction of 6%-11% of the mean absolute retrieval error) in a simple k-nearest neighbors retrieval scheme.
Lubricant field problems due to diesel engine soot have been reported in stop-go vehicles in Europe and the U.S. Soot generated in these vehicles can cause heavy sludge, high lubricant viscosity increase, or oil gelling. In field and dynamometer testing, the authors demonstrate that certain oil formulations minimize these problems. Oils labeled CD/SF/EO-K produce significantly different soot dispersancy and viscosity control. In addition, formulations which provide adequate soot dispersancy also reduce engine wear.
Abstract : Air Force (AF) decision-makers are called upon daily to make decisions across the AF, which is growing in complexity, yet often have to do so without being provided with objective analysis of the second and third order impacts of their decisions. By helping unravel the complexity of AF systems, processes and programs, and presenting decision-makers with clearly articulated analysis, architecting can help eliminate the "fog" associated with decision-making in a complex environment. This Concept of Operations (CONOPS) highlights how the use of architecture can enable the AF to maximize its contribution to full spectrum dominance for the joint warfighter, and describes how the architecting community can use architecture to support AF decision-making at all levels. Although intended for the architecting community, the secondary goal of this CONOPS is to give those outside the architecting community, including decision-makers, an appreciation for the role architecture can play in the decision-making process.
Our review of CEA of surgical procedures suggests that much of the existing cost analysis literature does not adhere to basic recommended analytic guidelines. However, those authors who specifically planned to perform a CEA analysis met all or nearly all of the methodologic principles (Table 1). Investigators who conduct CEA are strongly encouraged to use the many outstanding methodologic reviews for CEA. An example of threshold analysis was presented by Gray et al in their CEA of laparoscopy versus laparotomy for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy. They calculated that cost per successful treatment would be equal between the two strategies at an initial failure rate of 32% for laparoscopy (compared with their baseline value of 19%). This type of analysis is helpful, in addition to sensitivity analyses, to identify the value of a variable that results in an equal outcome. In the only cost-utility analysis performed on gynecologic surgery, Sculpher studied the trade-offs between a less invasive, less costly procedure (transcervical resection of the endometrium) with a more invasive, more costly, and more effective procedure (abdominal hysterectomy) to treat menorrhagia. Hysterectomy resulted in an incremental cost of 1,500 British pounds per QALY during 2 years of follow-up. This is much less than the range of $30,000 to $100,000 that represents a currently acceptable C/E ratio. Grover et al evaluated the cost-effectiveness of performing a concurrent hysterectomy in women undergoing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. They observed that in 45-year-old women, the additional concurrent procedure dominated the alternative strategy of bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, being both less expensive and increasing average life expectancy. The concurrent hysterectomy strategy also dominated for women aged 55, but both with less cost-savings and gains in life expectancy compared with 45-year-old women. Selecting an appropriate time frame for the analysis is difficult and may dramatically affect the results of the analysis. The time frame should be long enough to measure all clinically relevant costs and benefits. For example, Kung et al compared the cost per cure of stress urinary incontinence of laparoscopic and open Burch procedures. The probability of cure after each procedure was estimated from a retrospective cohort of 62 women with a mean follow-up of 1.2 years for the laparoscopic Burch strategy and 2.7 years in the open Burch strategy. The authors found that the laparoscopic Burch dominated, with lower costs and a higher cure rate. However, the analysis would be more informative with much longer follow-up, because most women who undergo an incontinence procedure have a life expectancy far greater than 1 to 2 years. Ramsey et al performed an economic analysis to assess the long-term costs of behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy, and surgical therapy used for stress urinary incontinence. They found that in the short-term, behavioral and pharmacotherapy were less costly. However, if life expectancy was equal to or greater than 3.5 years, surgical therapy was least costly. In many articles that evaluate the cost of managing ectopic pregnancy, only short-term costs of the procedures and follow-up visits are considered. Mol et al considered a longer time frame and also included the costs of infertility management based on the future probability of conception correlated with the different management strategies. Selection of an effectiveness measure after surgical intervention is often difficult and controversial. For benign disease, life years or QALYs will be minimally affected by a reasonably safe intervention. In the short-term, utility may be negatively affected by surgery and recovery. In longer-term analyses, these effects will be diluted by time and be negligible. Intermediate measures such as days of hospitalization averted or lives saved are often more appropriate for gynecologic interventions than are longer-term outcomes such as lif
SUMMARY Teleseismic phase readings from the Eastern Turkey Seismic Experiment (ETSE) have been inverted using teleseismic tomography in order to create a 3-D image of the underlying mantle beneath Eastern Turkey. The aim was to investigate the existence of an upper mantle negative velocity anomaly that is used to explain the uplift of Eastern Anatolian plateau and the potential pieces of detached oceanic slabs related to Neo-Tethyan subduction suggested by previous studies. Using teleseismic waveforms from the 29 stations of the Eastern Turkey Seismic Experiment, 2926 direct P phases from 146 events were picked by using adaptive stacking techniques. In order to increase the station coverage and resolve the surrounding area, the phase readings from the International Seismological Center (ISC) Bulletin have also been added. The data set consists of 9571 P and PKP phase readings of 79 stations from 503 teleseismic events. This study develops the first highresolution 3-D upper mantle P-wave tomographic model for this region. The tomographic results show the existence of an upper mantle negative velocity anomaly to a depth of ∼200 km beneath the eastern Anatolian accreationary complex (EAAC) as commonly observed in the previous studies that suggest a shallow partially molten asthenosphere. The slab-like high velocity anomalies beneath the EAAC, Pontides and Caucasus are interpreted as the detached southern and northern Neo-Tethys slabs.
BACKGROUND Targeting GBM energy metabolism through multiple metabolic pathways has emerged as an effective therapeutic approach. Dual inhibition of phospholipid and mitochondrial metabolism with cytoplasmic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) knockdown and metformin treatment could be a potential strategy. However, the strategic prerequisite is to explore a carrier capable of co-delivering the therapeutic combination to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and preferentially accumulate at the GBM site.   METHODS Blood exosomes (Exos) were selected as the combination delivery carriers. The cellular uptake of Exos and the therapeutic effects of the combination strategy were evaluated in primary GBM cells. In vivo GBM-targeted delivery efficiency and anti-GBM efficacy were tested in a patient-derived xenograft model.   RESULTS Here, we showed that the Exos-mediated cPLA2 siRNA/metformin combined strategy could regulate GBM energy metabolism for personalized treatment. Genomic analysis and experiments showed that polymerase 1 and transcript release factor (PTRF, a biomarker of GBM) positively regulated the uptake of Exos by GBM cells, confirming the feasibility of the delivery strategy. Further, Exos could co-load cPLA2 siRNA (sicPLA2) and metformin and co-deliver them across the BBB and into GBM tissue. The mitochondrial energy metabolism of GBM was impaired with this combination treatment (Exos-Met/sicPLA2). In the patient-derived xenograft GBM model, systemic administration of Exos-Met/sicPLA2 reduced tumor growth and prolonged survival.   CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrated that Exos-based combined delivery of sicPLA2 and metformin selectively targeted the GBM energy metabolism to achieve antitumor effects, showing its potential as a personalized therapy for GBM patients.
In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of traffic accidents and deaths due to the improved vehicle safety and legislation related to traffic violations. However, the number of injuries is still large, with injuries incurred by bicyclists and pedestrians accounting for approximately 25% of the total number of injuries. Measures must be taken to ensure the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, which is an important issue. This study, which proposes a system for automatically detecting the direction in which a bicycle is moving, is a contribution to the development of an overall support system for safe automobile driving.
Ghost imaging (GI) has characteristics that make it promising for applications in life sciences and other fields, such as its high sensitivity and strong anti-interference compared with traditional imaging. This paper presents a new approach for online angiography using GI. Two signals are correlation-calculated to detect the object image: one of them is the random light field generated by a computer, and the other enters the optical fiber path after being transmitted to the detected object via a modulator. A new approach for the real-time imaging of intravascular flow, vascular wall structures, and components of atherosclerotic plaque is proposed, which has the advantages of a high sensitivity and anti-interference.
Accurate photographic positions obtained during the 1978-1979, 1980 and 1981 oppositions are presented for the positions of the Galilean and the Saturn satellites. Spherical-equatorial coordinates are presented for a total of 1032 pairs, for the equator and equinox of 1950.0 and 1316 intersatellite positions. The data were obtained by the Leander McCormick Observatory's 67-cm refractor telescope, and answers the need for more refined orbital element data on these satellites required by the Galileo Jupiter orbiter vehicle.
Objective To explore initiation, persistence, and adherence to second-line prescribed treatments for SLE, specifically regarding the immunosuppressants azathioprine, methotrexate, and mycophenolate (conventional DMARDs), and belimumab (a biologic). Methods Clinical and insurance records were obtained for 801 patients with SLE who initiated treatment with azathioprine, belimumab, methotrexate, or mycophenolate between July 2015 and June 2019. The date of initiation defined the index date, with a 6-month pre-index and 12-month post-index period. Patient characteristics (age, gender, race, sex, ethnicity, geographic region of the US, diagnosing specialty, and type of insurance) and treatment patterns were tabulated overall and by each index medication. Logistic regression was used to model predictors of persistence for the entire sample and for each treatment cohort. Findings Approximately one-third of patients initiated methotrexate (n = 282, 35.2%) or mycophenolate (n = 258, 32.2%), with the remaining receiving azathioprine (n = 173, 21.6%) or belimumab (n = 88, 11.0%). 30% of patients were persistent with their index immunosuppressant therapy over the 12-month follow-up. The most common non-persistent treatment pattern was discontinuation which occurred in 55% of patients and was highest in the mycophenolate (58%) and lowest in the azathioprine (47%) groups. In total, 17% of patients switched to a different immunosuppressant, which was highest for the belimumab (25%) group. The average time to discontinuation was over 3 months and average time to switch was about 5 months, with patients receiving azathioprine tending to have shorter and belimumab having longer times to discontinuation or switch. Predictors of persistence were limited. Patients under the care of rheumatologists versus primary care and having higher co-morbidity assessed by CCI were associated with non-persistence for the overall sample. Race, number of SLE-related medications, census region, sex, and age were not found to be significantly related to non-persistence of immunosuppressants in this study.
Cells are organized into distinct compartments to perform specific tasks with spatial precision. In neurons, presynaptic specializations are biochemically complex subcellular structures dedicated to neurotransmitter secretion. Activity-dependent changes in the abundance of presynaptic proteins are thought to endow synapses with different functional states; however, relatively little is known about the rules that govern changes in the composition of presynaptic terminals. We describe a genetic strategy to systematically analyze protein localization at Caenorhabditis elegans presynaptic specializations. Nine presynaptic proteins were GFP-tagged, allowing visualization of multiple presynaptic structures. Changes in the distribution and abundance of these proteins were quantified in 25 mutants that alter different aspects of neurotransmission. Global analysis of these data identified novel relationships between particular presynaptic components and provides a new method to compare gene functions by identifying shared protein localization phenotypes. Using this strategy, we identified several genes that regulate secretion of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and influence lifespan in a manner dependent on insulin/IGF signaling.
In vivo–mimicking mechanical deformations quickly depolarize neutrophils—a mechanism potentially failing in acute lung injury. The transition of neutrophils from a resting state to a primed state is an essential requirement for their function as competent immune cells. This transition can be caused not only by chemical signals but also by mechanical perturbation. After cessation of either, these cells gradually revert to a quiescent state over 40 to 120 min. We use two biophysical tools, an optical stretcher and a novel microcirculation mimetic, to effect physiologically relevant mechanical deformations of single nonadherent human neutrophils. We establish quantitative morphological analysis and mechanical phenotyping as label-free markers of neutrophil priming. We show that continued mechanical deformation of primed cells can cause active depolarization, which occurs two orders of magnitude faster than by spontaneous depriming. This work provides a cellular-level mechanism that potentially explains recent clinical studies demonstrating the potential importance, and physiological role, of neutrophil depriming in vivo and the pathophysiological implications when this deactivation is impaired, especially in disorders such as acute lung injury.
How and with what effects have three South-East European countries (Greece, Slovenia and Croatia) responded to the EU’s migration and border security acquis?The paper shows that European integration can strengthen central state actors, but can also change the constellation of actors and resources in trans-boundary policy sectors such as international migration and border security. To demonstrate these effects the paper specifies functional, political and administrative dimensions of the EU’s migration and border security ‘capacity bargain’. It also specifies the limits of an EU approach to migration and border security – and associated capacity-building – that has a strong regulatory focus on the EU’s external frontier swith less attention paid to more complex regulatory and distributive dynamics that arise once migrants are ‘in’.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Prolidase enzyme activity is important for collagen resynthesis. In late stages of osteoarthritis (OA) its activity is decreased. To evaluate prolidase expression in knees of patients undergoing total arthroplasty for OA, and compare with young people undergoing knee arthroscopy due to traumatic injuries. In this cross-sectional study we included 20 patients with OA grade IV who underwent total knee arthroplasty and 20 controls of young patients who underwent arthroscopy for another reason besides OA. All participants were evaluated by knee ultrasound before the procedure. During the procedure, synovial tissue biopsies were taken and analyzed by immunofluorescence to search inflammation. Measures of central tendency, dispersion measures and position measures were used for the case of quantitative variables. Student t test or Mann–Whitney U test, and the logistic regression of Cox, was used. Prolidase expression in the synovial biopsy was significantly lower in the OA group than in the controls (0.017 ± 0.009 vs 0.062 ± 0.094, P < .05). Power Doppler (PD) signal was present in the synovitis of all knee recesses of the OA group in grayscale and in 17 (85%) of knees. The mean of the micro-vessel count in patients with OA was significantly higher vs controls (11 + 5.3 vs 4 + 2.1, P = .001). The neovascularization correlated significantly with the presence of PD signal in patients with OA (1.16, 95% CI, 1.02–1.34, P = .02). The prolidase expression in the synovial membrane evaluated by immunofluorescence, in patients with late stages of knee OA, is low, which may be interpreted as an evidence of decreased collagen resynthesis.
The angular positions of hippocampal place cell firing fields are accurately controlled by the position of a single salient cue card attached to the wall of a recording cylinder; when the card is rotated, fields rotate equally. In contrast, the control exerted by 3‐dimensional objects placed directly in the recording arena depends on their arrangement. When three objects lie on the vertices of an isosceles triangle near the center of the cylinder they rarely exert any control over the angular positions of firing fields. However, if the isosceles triangle is dilated so that its vertices are against the apparatus wall, the objects exert virtually ideal control over angular field position. Why do the objects gain control when they are against the cylinder wall? One possibility is that the asymmetry in the object set is more easily detected when the objects are far apart so that they provide a better polarizing cue. This hypothesis assumes that the identity of individual landmarks is not recognized by the place cell system whereas their geometric arrangement provides crucial information for controlling place field positions. If this is true, putting the 3 objects against the cylinder wall on the vertices of an equilateral triangle should cause a loss of stimulus control over the angular positions of firing fields. To the contrary, we found that the firing fields of most place cells (23/29) were accurately controlled by the equilateral object arrangement. Moreover, 5/6 of the uncontrolled cells were in a single animal. These results bolster our previous suggestion that the centrally placed objects fail to control place field positions because the computations necessary to form a stable reference frame are very difficult when the animal can go between stimuli. Hippocampus 1999;9:432–443. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
By selecting the core materials and grafted-hair polymers, hairy particles with polymer brushes can create various types of functional materials. In recent years, polydopamine (PDA) particles that are obtained by polymerizing dopamine, which is an amino acid derivative, have attracted attention for various applications. Herein, we present a novel approach for creating photonic and magnetic materials from hairy PDA particles. By grafting a hydrophilic hair polymer, we have succeeded in producing photonic materials capable of structural color changes. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the preparation of magnetic materials by immobilizing holmium, which is one of the lanthanide elements, by electrostatic interactions onto a cationic hair polymer. These results demonstrate the possibility of hairy PDA particles for a wide range of applications, such as for photonic and magnetic materials.
Bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) can produce emotional disorders that have been linked to disturbance of the STN's limbic territory. The aim of this study was to confirm the impairment of the recognition of facial emotions (RFE) induced by STN DBS, not only ruling out the effect of the disease's natural progression in relation to the effect of DBS, but also assessing the influence of modifications in dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) following STN DBS. RFE was investigated in 24 PD patients who underwent STN DBS and 20 PD patients treated with apomorphine. They were assessed 3 months before and after treatment. The 2 patient groups were compared with a group of 30 healthy matched controls. The results showed that RFE for negative emotions (fear and sadness) was impaired in only the STN DBS group in the posttreatment condition and was unrelated to DRT. Results confirm the selective reduction of RFE induced by STN DBS, due neither to the disease's natural progression nor to modifications in DRT.
The surface proteins of lymphocytes from spleen and thymus and several cultured lymphoid tumor lines were radioiodinated in situ, solubilized with Triton X-100, and examined for the presence of disulfide-bonded subunits by two-dimensional (intact, reduced) NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. [Hynes, R. O. & Destree, A. (1977) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 74, 2855-2859]. Few lymphocyte surface proteins were found to consist of disulfide-bonded subunits, and the most prominent of these could be identified. In normal B lymphocytes and B-lymphoma cells, IgD or IgM (or both) were the major disulfide-bonded proteins, and these were easily detectable, even without immunoprecipitation. In contrast, analysis of thymocytes and T-lymphoma cells did not reveal any protein resembling immunoglobulin in its chain structure. The major labeled thymocyte membrane protein consisting of disulfide-bonded subunits was identified as the Ly-2/3 antigen. It appeared to contain disulfide-bonded homodimers of Mr 35,000 (alpha 2) noncovalently associated with a second pair of homodimers of Mr 30,000 (beta 2). Peptide mapping showed these polypeptides to be homologous. A third disulfide-bonded homodimer, which was heterogeneous in apparent Mr, appeared to be part of the Ly-2/3 complex. All cultured T- and B-lymphoma lines examined were found to possess a major surface protein that appeared to be a disulfide-bonded homodimer of a polypeptide of Mr 95,000. This protein was identified as the receptor for transferrin. It is suggested that the presence of two or more subunits in cell surface receptors renders their ligand functionally bivalent, making ligand-induced receptor aggregation possible.
iven recent claims that Elizabethan drama was singlehandedly responsible for everything fi-om the construction of early modern subjectivity to the causes of the English Revolution, some remarks on the specific limits under which it operated are not inappropriate. Perhaps the most radical statement that could be made in the current climate is the simple cautionary claim of A. L. Beier and Roger Finlay: “The theatres have attracted most attention because of the fortuitous survival of many plays, but it is by no means clear that they were the most popular places for entertainment.”l That certain constraints were imposed upon the power of a play-text by conditions of playing and reception is a fact that scholars of dramatic literature will begrudgingly grant to their colleagues in theater departments. For example, most Shakespeareans, when pressed, will admit that vying for the audience’s attention was the power of such enticing distractions as the audience’s exhibitionism and voyeurism, the star power of a Kemp
Due to the scarcity of the proper access point to the deep waters by divers and snorkelers, bays and lagoons are used as sheltered marine areas in the southern Egyptian Red Sea and are represented very valuable recreational areas. With the recent booming in tourism along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, the sheltered bays and lagoon reefs are tremendously impacted by recreational SCUBA diving activities. Three bays with similar environmental and topographic characteristics, but with different levels of diving and snorkeling activities were selected to study the impacts of recreational SCUBA diving on sedimentation rate, substrate analysis, coral cover, diversity, coral recruitment and coral reef fish assemblages. In addition to the expected physical damage causes by incidental contacts to corals by divers, the results showed that increasing sedimentation rate as a result of intensive SCUBA diving also caused a serious impact on coral reef communities of the surveyed bays. Highest sedimentation rate was estimated at the over-dived site of the Marsa Um El-Gurifat (approximately 51,000 divers per year). Walking and standing of divers on the sea floor was disturbing the fine sediments of the bay floor, increasing turbidity and sedimentation rate on the nearby coral reefs of the bay. High sedimentation rate on the reefs of Marsa Um El-Gurifat caused the following: reduced the coral cover; overgrown soft coral that dominated coral cover, reduced the recruitment of new coral colonies, increased dead coral cover, increased the macroalgal cover especially on the reef flat areas, decreased the diversity of hard coral and coral reef fishes, shifted the fish assemblage toward higher occurrence of herbivore fishes comparing with corallivore and carnivore ones.
The global burden of valvular heart disease, which currently affects more than 100 million people, is growing with the aging population.1 Severe valvular heart disease is associated with major morbidity and mortality and often necessitates surgical valve replacement with a mechanical or a tissue valve. If the risk of surgery is prohibitive, transcathether valve replacement is another option.2  See accompanying article on page 942   Although mechanical heart valves (MHV) are more durable than tissue valves, they are more thrombogenic. Consequently, patients with MHV require long-term anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin.2,3 Although effective, warfarin has well-known limitations, including multiple drug and food interactions, and the challenges of coagulation monitoring and maintaining the international normalized ratio within the therapeutic range. Indeed, variability in the international normalized ratio is a major independent predictor of reduced survival in patients with MHV.4 Consequently, there is a need for effective anticoagulants for MHV patients with better pharmacological profiles than warfarin.  Direct oral anticoagulants have replaced warfarin for many indications.5 These agents include dabigatran, which inhibits thrombin, and rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban, which inhibit factor Xa. Despite the proven efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants in the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, and in the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism, the unfavorable results of the RE-ALIGN (Randomized, Phase II Study to Evaluate the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Oral Dabigatran Etexilate in Patients after Heart Valve Replacement) trial prompted the FDA to issue black-box warnings against the use …
TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) shows promise as a cancer treatment, but acquired tumor resistance to TRAIL is a roadblock. Here we investigated whether nimbolide, a limonoid, could sensitize human colon cancer cells to TRAIL. As indicated by assays that measure esterase activity, sub-G1 fractions, mitochondrial activity, and activation of caspases, nimbolide potentiated the effect of TRAIL. This limonoid also enhanced expression of death receptors (DRs) DR5 and DR4 in cancer cells. Gene silencing of the receptors reduced the effect of limonoid on TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Using pharmacological inhibitors, we found that activation of ERK and p38 MAPK was required for DR up-regulation by nimbolide. Gene silencing of ERK abolished the enhancement of TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Moreover, our studies indicate that the limonoid induced reactive oxygen species production, which was required for ERK activation, up-regulation of DRs, and sensitization to TRAIL; these effects were mimicked by H2O2. In addition, nimbolide down-regulated cell survival proteins, including I-FLICE, cIAP-1, cIAP-2, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, survivin, and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein, and up-regulated the pro-apoptotic proteins p53 and Bax. Interestingly, p53 and Bax up-regulation by nimbolide was required for sensitization to TRAIL but not for DR up-regulation. Overall, our results indicate that nimbolide can sensitize colon cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis through three distinct mechanisms: reactive oxygen species- and ERK-mediated up-regulation of DR5 and DR4, down-regulation of cell survival proteins, and up-regulation of p53 and Bax.
While various studies have examined the impact of quality circles on employees' attitudes and satisfaction, relatively lit­ tle has been done with regard to quantifying the costs and benefits of such circles, and even less in terms of comparing improvement suggestions in such circles with those of an in­ dividual program. This study presents a cost-benefit analysis approach to the assessment of quality circles performance, and applies it to a large manufacturing organization. Results show that the program increased the effectiveness of im­ provement suggestions by 35% as compared to the individual suggestion structure. The program paid for itself within three years. Peak effectiveness was reached after two years of operations, followed by a significant drop, although still with benefits exceeding the cost accrued by the program main­ tenance.
Background: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was proposed as potential treatment for COVID-19, but its association with mortality is not well characterized. We conducted two meta-analyses to evaluate the association between HCQ (with or without azithromycin (AZM)) and total mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Articles were retrieved until October 20th, 2020 by searching in seven databases. Data were combined using the general variance-based method on relative risk estimates. Results: A total of 26 articles were found (N=44,521 COVID-19 patients, including N=7,324 from 4 randomized clinical trials (RCTs)); 10 studies were valuable for analysing the association of HCQ+AZM. Overall, the use of HCQ was associated with 21% lower mortality risk (pooled risk ratio: 0.79, 95%CI: 0.67 to 0.93; high level of heterogeneity: I2=82%, random effects). This association vanished (1.10, 95%CI: 0.99 to 1.23 and 1.10, 95%CI: 0.99 to 1.23) when daily dose >400 mg or total dose >4,400 mg were used, respectively). HCQ+AZM was also associated with 25% lower mortality risk, but uncertainty was large (95%CI: 0.50 to 1.13; P=0.17). No association was apparent when only pooling the 4 RCTs (13.8% of the overall weight; pooled risk ratio: 1.11, 95%CI: 0.99 to 1.24). Conclusions: HCQ use was not associated with either increased or decreased mortality in COVID-19 patients when 4 RCTs only were evaluated, while a 7% to 33% reduced mortality was observed when observational studies were also included. The association was mainly apparent when pooling studies using lower doses of HCQ. These findings can help disentangling the debate on HCQ use in COVID-19.
Up to date, the origin of ferromagnetism in e-Fe2O3 and e-GaxFe2−xO3 has been ambiguous. In this work, the origin can be well explained by using a molecular-field (MF) model with four nonequivalent Fe sites (A−D sites). The MF calculation demonstrates that e-Fe2O3 is a Neel P-type ferrimagnet, which consists of positive sublattice magnetizations of MB and MC and negative ones of MA and MD. This magnetic ordering mechanism can be understood by the product of the number of exchange pathways (Zij) and the superexchange interaction constants (Jij). The calculated saturation magnetization vs. x plots in e-GaxFe2−xO3 at 300 K have a maximum around x = 0.47, and the TC value monotonously decreases with increasing x. These magnetic properties are explained by the position of Ga replacement and weakness of the ZijJij values.
An important means to achieve the goal of “carbon peak” and “ carbon neutral ” is energy conservation and emission reduction. It is an indispensable part of the vision of “carbon peak” and “ carbon neutral ” to study the willingness of college students to save energy and reduce emissions, understand the current situation of their awareness of conservation and advocate a green low-carbon lifestyle. On the basis of literature review, 642 samples of university students in Wuhan were investigated by using probability sampling, an evaluation system of college students’ willingness to save energy and reduce emission was established, SPSS was used for statistical analysis, and the reliability and validity were feasible. Based on K-means clustering analysis to analyze the cognitive characteristics of energy conservation and emission reduction of Wuhan college students, and based on the principal component analysis to comprehensively evaluate their willingness to save energy and reduce emissions, the conclusion is drawn that “it is feasible for college students to develop the willingness of energy conservation and emission reduction on the whole”.
Facing with the lack of security in current running client/server systems, this paper designs and implements a kind of secure tunnel gateway system based on SSL/TLS protocol in order to provide seamless security integration to them. Client side tunnel gateway and server side tunnel gateway authenticate each other based on X.509 certificate, and create SSL/TLS connections to transmit the clients' requests and servers' responses. The gateway system uses normal TCP/IP connections to transmit data with the clients and servers, it provides confidentiality, integrity and authentication for clients/servers data transmission, which needs no modification to them.
We report on the measurements of electron pair production in /ital p/-Becollisions at 1.0, 2.1, and 4.9 GeV beam kinetic energies. The invariant-massand transverse-momentum spectra are presented, along with the total crosssections. A rapid decrease in the integrated cross section is observed as thebeam energy is reduced. Comparison of the excitation function for dielectron(/ital e//sup +/e/sup /minus//) and dipion (..pi../sup +/..pi../sup /minus//)production suggests that the dominant production mechanism at beam kineticenergies 2.1 and 4.9 GeV may be ..pi../sup +/..pi../sup /minus// annihilation.
Chronic glomerulonephritis is a dangerous disease that leads to chronic kidney disease. In the terminal stage patients need dialysis, which is difficult to access for a large part of the Russian population. It is the very high-quality conservative treatment that allows to delay the onset of the terminal stage of this disease. The main role in pathogenesis is played by the immune complexes that appear and are deposited in the renal glomeruli, which causes immune damage. According to the clinical course and taking into account the prevailing symptoms chronic glomerulonephritis is divided into latent, nephrotic, hematuric, hypertonic and mixed types, prescribed therapy depends on the morphology and clinical course. Clinically and morphologically chronic glomerulonephritis lasts over 1 year. Drug treatment for chronic glomerulonephritis supposes therapy that involves suppression of immune inflammation and intravascular changes. Rituximab is a chimeric glycosylated human or murine immunoglobulin that has specific affinity for the B-lymphocyte transmembrane protein CD20 causing the lysis of circulating CD20 cells.
Ninety-nine patients with advanced epidemic Kaposi's sarcoma were treated with bleomycin-containing regimens: 30 received bleomycin and vincristine (BV) and 69 received doxorubicin, bleomycin, and vincristine. Treatment regimens were well tolerated, with response rates ranging from 76% to 81%. However, neutropenia developed even with the relatively nonmyelotoxic BV regimen. Twenty-eight of the 99 patients (28%) were evaluated for pulmonary function prior to, during, and after completion of combination chemotherapy to assess pulmonary toxicity commonly associated with bleomycin. The carbon monoxide diffusion capacity (DLCO) was the only measurement that showed significant changes prior to and after completion of therapy (P = .0003). Moreover, patients receiving more than 100 cumulative units of bleomycin experienced significantly greater declines in DLCO measurements than those receiving lower cumulative doses (P = .0067). No patient, however, developed clinically significant pulmonary toxicity attributable to bleomycin, with individual cumulative bleomycin doses ranging from 10 to 313 U (median, 112 U). We conclude that bleomycin is active and safe in the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma, and close monitoring of pulmonary function is warranted with cumulative doses exceeding 100 U.
This study was carried out to assess the capacity of Pleurotus ostreatus to bio-accumulate trace elements from petroleum product-amended growth substrates. The test mushroom was grown on two (2) substrates namely, banana leaves (BL) and sawdust (SD) substrates which were amended with (5 ml, 10 ml and 15 ml) of crude oil, diesel and spent engine oil separately. The fruit-bodies harvested from the substrates were subjected to analysis for trace elements. The ten elements of interest were cadmium, copper, chromium, cobalt, manganese, zinc, iron, lead, mercury and nickel. All the elements analyzed for were found in reasonable levels in the mushroom except for mercury (Hg) which was below detectable levels (BDL). The highest amounts of elements were detected in mushrooms from crude oil–based substrates with zinc at the top of the list with 51.19 mg/100g, Iron (32.40 mg/100g) and manganese (28. 36 mg/100g) were next. Less than one milligram (1mg) of copper was bio-accumulated per 100g of the edible portion. In spent oiland diesel-amended substrates, zinc was still the highest bio-accumulated with values of 33.00mg/100g and 27.22mg/100g respectively. About 18.9mg/100g and 13.92mg/100g of manganese were extracted and retained the mushroom fruit-body harvested from diesel and spent oil-rich substrates respectively. The amount of iron found in the test mushroom was, however, lower (14.93mg/100g) in fruit–bodies harvested from spent oil when compared with those (21.20mg/100g) from diesel – amended substrates while copper bio-accumulated more in fruit-bodies obtained from spent oil than those from diesel-rich substrates. The levels of these important trace elements reported in some commonly consumed plants and animal products are low. The use of mushrooms to extract useful trace elements from amended growth substrates is here presented as an alternative to inorganic food supplements for the treatment of nutrition-related illnesses.
In the quest for exotic superconducting pairing states, the Rashba effect, which lifts the electron-spin degeneracy as a consequence of strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) under broken inversion symmetry, has attracted considerable interest. Here, to introduce the Rashba effect into two-dimensional (2D) strongly correlated electron systems, we fabricate non-centrosymmetric (tricolor) superlattices composed of three kinds of $f$-electron compounds with atomic thickness; $d$-wave heavy fermion superconductor CeCoIn$_5$ sandwiched by two different nonmagnetic metals, YbCoIn$_5$ and YbRhIn$_5$. We find that the Rashba SOI induced global inversion symmetry breaking in these tricolor Kondo superlattices leads to profound changes in the superconducting properties of CeCoIn$_5$, which are revealed by unusual temperature and angular dependences of upper critical fields that are in marked contrast with the bulk CeCoIn$_5$ single crystals. We demonstrate that the Rashba effect incorporated into 2D CeCoIn$_5$ block layers is largely tunable by changing the layer thickness. Moreover, the temperature dependence of in-plane upper critical field exhibits an anomalous upturn at low temperatures, which is attributed to a possible emergence of a helical or stripe superconducting phase. Our results demonstrate that the tricolor Kondo superlattices provide a new playground for exploring exotic superconducting states in the strongly correlated 2D electron systems with the Rashba effect.
Using first-principles electronic structure calculations we investigate the existence of stable ferromagnets among the $A$${}^{ mathrm{IV}}$/Fe digital alloys ($A$${}^{ mathrm{IV}}= mathrm{Si}, mathrm{Ge}$), modeled as periodic sequence of Fe monolayers in the $A$${}^{ mathrm{IV}}$ host. Total-energy calculations and the magnetic force theorem are exploited for accurate determination of the magnetic ordering. To estimate the critical temperatures, Monte Carlo simulations are employed, while the renormalization-group analytical expressions are applied to assess the impact of the interlayer exchange on the critical temperature values. According to our results, among the systems under consideration only the Ge-based alloys feature a stable ferromagnetic ordering at nonzero temperature. The critical temperatures of these systems were found to be strongly dependent on the underlying crystal structure.
When an employee fails in the workplace, judgments of responsibility based on perceived locus and controllability guide how managers motivate the employee. However, this model of attributions has not been tested in highly collectivistic cultures. In the present study, 296 Chinese managers and employees made attributional judgments for a workplace failure, and then made suggestions for how to respond to the failing employee. Results revealed that judgments of responsibility were based on causal locus, as well as perceptions of controllability. Responsibility elicited anger, less sympathy, and predicted behavioral response toward the failing employee. Findings are discussed in terms of the similarities and differences in attributional processes across cultures, especially as they apply to work-oriented contexts.
Spike detectors are important data-compression components for state-of-the-art implantable neural recording microsystems. This paper proposes two improved spike detection algorithms, frequency-enhanced nonlinear energy operator (fNEO) and energy-of-derivative (ED), to solve the sensitivity reduction of a conventional nonlinear energy operator (NEO) in the presence of baseline interference. The proposed methods are implemented in two analog spike detectors with a standard 0.13-μm CMOS process. To achieve an ultra-low-power design, weak-inversion MOSFET based multipliers, adders and derivative circuits are developed to work with a 0.5 V power supply. The power dissipations of the proposed fNEO spike detector and the ED spike detector are 258.7 nW and 129.4 nW, respectively. Quantitative investigations based on the standard deviation and peak-to-clutter ratio of the detected spikes indicate that the proposed spike detector schemes hold higher sensitivity than the conventional NEO based spike detector.
The crystalline hydroper chloratel of III was used. The crystalline hydroiodide (called the methiodide by Hilbert because of its method of preparation) of IV and a sulfuric acid solution of IV (pH 2) were both measured and gave the same spectrum. reported that the product of the reaction of diazomethane with triacetylinosine was 1-methylinosine but made little serious attempt to purify or characterize the product. It has now been found that the reaction product, after ether precipitation as described, contains the 6-methoxy and 1-methyl derivatives as well as other substances. Pure 1-methylinosine has been obtained by column chromatography of the reaction mixture and found to be a crystalline substance of mp 209-210o, X max = 251 in H20. Details of the purification and characterization will be published at a later date.
For many years, the African states have consistently and vigorously been united in their opposition to the discriminatory policies of apartheid.' All conferences, held by the independent African states at Accra, Monrovia, Conakry, Cairo, Tunis, Addis Ababa, and Casablanca, have addressed themselves to this issue and have repeatedly condemned the racial practices of the South African government. The African countries have considered the struggle against racial discrimination to be a fundamental question in their foreign policy because, as ] ,11'. N. Barnes of Liberia put it, " ... it was particularly difficult for the African states to see such unparalleled discrimination practiced against their brothers and on their continent." 2 They believed that South Africa had not fulfilled its obligations under the U.N. Charter, particularly Article 55, with regard to " ... universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race." 3 Moreover, they argued that, under Article 56, South Africa had pledged to take joint and separate action in cooperation with the Organization for the promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in its own country. They argued that the Assembly, under Article 13, was empowered to make recommendations for the purpose of " ... assisting in the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race." 4 In doing so, it did not intervene in the domestic affairs of South Africa because the suppression of fundamental rights, which involved a violation of the provisions of the U.N. Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, were matters clearly within the U.N. competence," They insisted that"... Article 2, paragraph 7 could not be interpreted in isolation from the other provisions of the Charter;" 6 and that this article could neither override nor cancel the human rights provisions of the Charter; and consequently that the Assembly had the competence to call upon a member state that practiced racial discrimination to reconsider its policy in the light of the principles set forth in the U.N. Charter." Further, they warned that their people and governments were becoming increasingly interested in the conditions of the African population in South Africa and that the continuation of such policy was a source of irritation and repugnance to the neighboring countries. It had already impaired friendly relations between South Africa and the African states and it was a potential cause of international conflict" ultimately involving " ... relations between black and white people throughout the African continent.
Deoxycholic acid (DCA) (trade names Kybella in the United States and Belkyra in Canada) is an adipolytic injectable medication that is the only FDAapproved, nonsurgical treatment for submental fat (SMF) deposition, colloquially referred to as the “double chin.” Themost commonly reported adverse effects (AEs) associated with injection of DCA include pain, swelling, bruising, numbness, erythema, and induration. These events are generally mild to moderate in severity and transient. No permanent AEs have been noted in the literature. This article presents 2 cases where permanent AEs occurred after DCA injection including an eschar and hypertrophic scar in Patient 1 and permanent depressed scars in Patient 2.
The clinical significance of serum ferritin in monitoring the iron status of patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) has become suspected. In this review, we reassess the interpretation of high serum ferritin values in such patients, with the goal of treating their anemia in a safe way. From the observations that (1) H-ferritin gene transcription is predominantly active in inflammatory conditions, whereas L-ferritin is induced only after exposure to very high iron concentrations and is preferentially secreted to plasma from hepatocytes; (2) the expression of both types of ferritin proteins are exclusively dependent on intracellular free iron, which is often sequestered by LPS or cytokines in several cell types, and (3) splenic iron is depleted and serum ferritin does not increase in the combined conditions of both inflammation and iron deficiency, it is deduced that elevated serum ferritin levels are caused by the accumulation of intracellular iron, especially reticuloendothelial cells or macrophages, hepatocytes, and other cells, while cytokines or inflammation might modulate the relative ratio of ferritin to body iron storage. Therefore, high levels of serum ferritin in patients on MHD can be used to indicate iron deposition in most cells, including vascular and immunocompetent cells, and is still a reliable indicator of the need to withhold iron administration.
A state estimation method for distribution network with bad data is proposed. The horizontal and vertical similarity of the load are used to identify the bad data based on the affinity propagation (AP) clustering algorithm. Then, the bad data is changed reasonably so that it can be used as normal data. Based on the weighted least-square method, a mathematical model for solving the state estimation of the distribution network is established, which is insensitive to the initial value selection and can better meet the state estimation requirements of the distribution network. Finally, the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper is verified by using actual grid load data and IEEE14-bus examples.
We read with great interest the paper entitled 'Perilymphatic fistula the value of diagnostic tests' by Podoshin et al. (July 1994). We fully agree with the authors that perilymphatic fistula is, indeed, one of the most challenging problems in otological practice. We also agree, in general terms, with their conclusion that no preoperative laboratory diagnostic test is truly diagnostic for perilymphatic fistula. However, the entire article and the following conclusions were based on the intra-operative diagnosis of perilymphatic fistula by visualization of clear fluid from the round or oval window after a Valsava manoeuvre. This method of diagnosis is subjective or even frustrating (Bassiouny et al., 1992; Harvey and Millen, 1994). There is a statistically significant difference in surgeons' rates of positive identification of perilymphatic fistula during surgery (Shepard et al., 1992). Consequently, the reliability of the surgical observation as the single method for confirmation of the diagnosis of perilymphatic fistula is too low to draw clear conclusions relative to any pre-operative test performance. We believe that besides the free amino acid test (Schweitzer et al., 1990) which the authors mentioned but did not use, there are several intraoperative tests to help us confirm a perilymphatic fistula, or at least to provide us with a greater possibility of correctly diagnosing it other than by microscopic visualization. We describe two of the intra-operative diagnostic methods which we consider extremely interesting. Beta 2-transferrin is a protein that is unique to the cerebrospinal fluid, agueous humor and living human perilymph, while is absent in the normal or inflamed middle ear (Bassiouny et al., 1992; Weber et al., 1994). Therefore, detection of beta 2-transferrin in the middle ear, during surgery, strongly suggests, if not proves, the existence of a perilymphatic fistula. Electrocochleography is another promising intraoperative method of diagnosis. It is performed by LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The main focus of this paper is the relationship between export diversification and export performance. The key difference with respect to the previous literature is that export diversification is measured and related to export volume by destination country. The approach is empirical and an aggregate export demand setting is adopted to test the significance and influence of export diversification, measured via the Herfindahl index, on export performance by destination country. The econometric estimation is performed using export data for Spain to its partner countries for the period 1999–2011. The main finding is the positive relationship between Spanish export concentration and export performance by destination market. This finding is shown to be robust to several econometric specifications.
Ethnographic fieldwork is subject to a number of tensions regarding the position of the researcher. Traditionally, these are discussed from a methodological perspective, and draw attention to issues such as ‘objectivity’ of the research and the supposed need for ‘distance’ in the process of knowledge-building. Approaching the issue from a different angle, this article provides a reflection on the positionality of the researcher through an autoethnographical account based on fieldwork with socially excluded groups. Rather than reflecting on the (dis)advantages of proximity for the research process, it explores from a personal stance how this role interacts with other roles in the researcher's life (e.g. being a volunteer, a citizen, an advocate, a moral being). Increased awareness about this intrinsic positionality of the researcher calls for a situated conceptualisation of professionalism and science. The author furthermore explores how an autoethnographical approach relates to educational research and substantiates the educational meaning of autoethnography for science in general.
Recombinant plasmids containing mutant or wild-type adenovirus serotype 2 EIa genes that produce the 12S mRNA alone, the 13S mRNA alone, or both mRNAs were cotransfected into HeLa cells with plasmids containing the viral EIIa or EIII transcription units. The amount of RNA produced from the EIIa and EIII promoters was increased by the products of both the 13S and the 12S RNAs. By measuring the level of specific transcription in nuclei isolated from transfected cells we directly demonstrate that the increased amount of EIIa RNA is due to stimulation of the rate of transcription.
The authors present a problem of queuing theoretic performance modeling and analysis of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access OFDMA under broadband wireless networks. They consider a single-cell WiMAX environment in which the base station allocates sub channels to the subscriber stations in its coverage area. The sub channels allocated to a subscriber station are shared by multiple connections at that subscriber station. To ensure the Quality of Service QoS performances, a Connection Admission Control CAC mechanism is considered at a subscriber station. A queuing analytical framework for these admission control mechanisms is presented considering OFDMA-based transmission at the physical layer and based on the queuing model; both the connection-level and packet-level performances are studied and compared with their analogues in the case without CAC. The connection arrival is modeled by a Poisson process and the packet arrival for a connection by a Markov Modulated Poisson Process MMPP. Several performance measures, namely connection blocking probability, average number of ongoing connections, average queue length, packet dropping probability, queue throughput and average packet delay, are then derived and quantified.
The energy distribution of electrons transported through an intrinsic AlN film was directly measured as a function of the applied electric field. Following the transport, electrons were extracted into vacuum through a semitransparent Au electrode and their energy distribution was measured using an electron spectrometer. The electron energy distribution featured kinetic energies higher than that of completely thermalized electrons. Transport through 80 nm thick layers indicated the onset of quasi-ballistic transport. This was evidenced by symmetric energy distributions centered at energies above the conduction band minimum for fields greater than 530 kV/cm. Drifted Fermi-Dirac energy distributions were fitted to the measured energy distributions, with the energy scale referenced to the bottom of the AlN conduction band. The drift energy and the carrier temperature were obtained as fitting parameters. Overshoots as high as five times the saturation velocity were observed and a transient length of less than 80 nm was deduced. In addition, the velocity-field characteristic was derived from these observations. This is the first experimental demonstration of this kind of transport in AlN.
While a number of common wheat diseases are well controlled in Turkey, Septoria leaf blotch (due to Septoria tritici) has been gaining in importance in Turkey since 1967, when the Mexican wheat varieties were first imported. Surveys in six locations in the Aegean Region in April-May 1975–1977 showed that S. tritici was common throughout the region. In 1978, trials with four fungicides (mancozeb, benomyl, carbendazim in two formulations) in eight combinations showed that threefold treatment with benomyl was most effective. However, a better economic return was obtained with two applications of Derosan. The first application can usefully be combined with normal weed control.
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of occupational socialization on the perspectives and practices of sport pedagogy doctoral students in terms of physical education (PE) teaching and physical education teacher education (PETE). Participants were 12 students. Data were collected through formal and informal interviews, observations, and self-reflective posters. They were analyzed using analytic induction and constant comparison. Key findings were that doctoral students espoused both conservative and liberal forms of PE and PETE. These views were shaped by the various phases of their socialization. Doctoral students recalled being oriented to teaching and coaching. The longer coaching orientations remained intact, the more likely they were to espouse conservative versions of PE and PETE. The students’ graduate education was shown to be particularly potent and powerful. This appeared to be due to influential faculty, a practitioner focus in master’s degree programs, and engagement in undergr...
The vast potential sequence diversity of TCRs and their ligands has presented an historic barrier to computational prediction of TCR epitope specificity, a holy grail of quantitative immunology. One common approach is to cluster sequences together, on the assumption that similar receptors bind similar epitopes. Here, we provide an independent evaluation of widely used clustering algorithms for TCR specificity inference, observing some variability in predictive performance between models, and marked differences in scalability. Despite these differences, we find that different algorithms produce clusters with high degrees of similarity for receptors recognising the same epitope. Our analysis highlights an unmet need for improvement of complex models over a simple Hamming distance comparator, and strengthens the case for use of clustering models in TCR specificity inference.
Nowadays, Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (IPMSM) are widely adopted in various sectors such as automotive, railway or public transportation (e- buses, trams, etc.). Among the benefits that these machines present, they offer a number of design degrees of freedom. Furthermore, they can operate over a wide speed range, with a good flux weakening capability. One of the main challenges is to define a complete geometrical parametrization, in order to identify an optimal structure that satisfies the design requirements. In this paper, a detailed analysis of the rotor structure is carried out looking at understanding the effects of the geometrical parameters on key performance indexes (e.g. flux density harmonic content, torque capability, torque ripple, etc.). Based on the preliminary analysis, an optimization procedure is implemented for the design of a Nabla-shaped rotor to satisfy the electromechanical performance of a case study traction motor. The results are showing how an optimal machine can be designed with a reduced amount of permanent magnet, by optimizing the rotor structure.
Since 2000 researchers in the field of communications have been studying the role of mobile lifestyles at the interpersonal, organizational, and urban levels. Specifically, researchers have focused on the social, spatial, and technological aspects of this topic as well as on the ways in which these three dimensions are interrelated. Mobile devices have allowed for a rethinking of traditional dichotomies such as private–public, global–local, digital–material, and individual–community. Mobile lifestyles have been enabled by the adoption of mobile and wireless communications technologies that include a wide variety of devices, applications, and features. This entry gives an overview of research on mobile lifestyles that has been conducted in the field of communications.      Keywords:    communication networks;  digital culture;  mobile communication;  sociology of culture and media;  urban
For heavy-ion synchrotrons an efficient multi-turn injection (MTI) from the injector linac is crucial in order to reach the specified currents using the available machine acceptance. The beam loss during the MTI must not exceed the limits determined by machine protection and vacuum requirements. Especially for low energy and intermediate charge state ions, the beam loss can cause a degradation of the vacuum and a corresponding reduction of the beam lifetime. In order to optimize the MTI a genetic algorithm based optimization is used to simultaneously minimize the loss and maximize the multiplication factor (e.g. stored currents in the synchrotron). The effect of transverse space charge force on the MTI has also been taken into account. The optimization resulted in injection parameters, which promise a significant improvement of the MTI performance for intense beams in the SIS18 synchrotron at GSI.
When silvery films of the semiconducting polymer, trans‘polyacetylene’, (CH)x, are exposed to chlorine, bromine, or iodine vapour, uptake of halogen occurs, and the conductivity increases markedly (over seven orders of magnitude in the case of iodine) to give, depending on the extent of halogenation, silvery or silvery-black films, some of which have a remarkably high conductivity at room temperature.
Study of the kinetics of the heat-induced Maillard reaction in milk is difficult due to competing reactions of lactose: it is also involved in isomerization and degradation reactions yielding lactulose, galactose and formic acid as the main products. To unravel the reaction network in which lactose is involved in heated milk, the protein-bound Amadori product was isolated and heated: the main reaction products were lactose, galactose and formic acid. A kinetic model was established that takes into account both isomerization/degradation and the Maillard reaction. This model consisted of coupled ordinary differential equations which were solved by numerical integration and fitted to experimental data to obtain reaction rate constants. The model was able to describe the course of the reaction in heated milk for 0-15 min at 110-150 °C, but not at longer heating times, especially not at 150 °C, probably due to interference of advanced Maillard reactions. Overall, the degradation of lactose via isomerization/degradation was quantitatively of more importance than via the Maillard reaction.
In the past few years, the research on Miniature Aerial Vehicle (MAV) has gain speed. Initial research conducted to attain precise hovering, but the focus now was shifted to formation flight. Formation flight is done by numerous means and techniques. Numerous literatures have cited that the main problem in formation flight is tracking itself. Tracking system used in the literature includes but not limited to GPS/INS, on-land stereo vision, on-land camera tracking and also on-board camera tracking via ground help processing. Tracking system using GPS/INS has high potential in a fixed wing MAV such as an airplane but it is not suitable for formation flight of small MAV in a small space due to its lack of accuracy. High specification GPS with high accuracy is currently very expensive. On-land vision has also produces great result but the area of operation is limited to the area in which the vision system can see. On-board camera with ground help processing has also produce great result and are widely used in formation flight control. In this paper we propose a tracking system for formation flight using an on-board camera with embedded control system. In this system image processing for tracking is done on-board. The system itself was built using of-the-shelf parts and low cost but gives good result in tracking. The result of the tests done to evaluate the effectiveness of the system is very promising.
The networks of cell phone base stations not only provide continuous service for mobile communications users but also offer abundant illuminator resources for passive surveillance radar systems. This extensively explores the potential applications of passive surveillance radar using cell phone base station signals for various scenarios such as ground traffic monitoring, coastal and air surveillance, and through-the-wall motion detections. These promising experimental results demonstrated that such systems can be an attractive, low-cost alternative solution for various applications and prospectively as a complement to traditional active radar systems.
A new approach to short-term psychotherapy, based on psychoanalytic theory is presented as 'Therapy of limited time and objectives'. Personal experience, psychoanalytic knowledge and flexibility for accepting technical modifications allows for familiarity with concepts such as 'available setting', 'operational time' and 'adequate therapeutic time', which together with supervision and deep psychoanalytic learning, emphasizing counter-transferential knowledge, shall help to achieve a true epistemophilic sentiment, essential for empathic observation and listening, basic for training in short-term psychotherapy.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To conduct an integrative review of the literature to understand how the incorporation of traditional therapies affect First Nations people's utilisation of palliative care services.   BACKGROUND First Nations peoples face many barriers related to accessing and utilising specialised health services such as palliative care. Whilst culturally appropriate care has been shown to improve these outcomes, there is little evidence regarding how this may be achieved.   DESIGN Integrative review.   METHODS A systematic search was conducted using electronic databases CINAHL, Joanna Briggs, Medline, Scopus, ScienceDirect InformitHealth and ProQuest between the years of 2005 - 2021 databases were searched for papers with full text available and published in English. Papers were included if they were primary-based research and focused on the topics of the use of traditional therapies in a palliative care context by First Nations persons. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme principles were used to assess the methodological quality of the selected articles.   RESULTS Seven studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The review included six qualitative studies and one quantitative study. From these studies, five themes were identified in the literature: supporting a holistic approach, developing culturally appropriate care, conflict within a Western medical model, regulatory issues, and geographical barriers.   CONCLUSION There is a dearth of current literature available discussing the utilization of traditional therapies in palliative care. From the literature analysed, the benefits of including traditional therapies are overall positive, however, there are barriers including conflict with the Western model of medicine and regulation. More research is required in the provision of traditional therapies in palliative care.   RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The incorporation of traditional medicines within a palliative care setting could help nurses provide holistic and culturally appropriate care, especially in rural and remote areas where they make up the majority of the healthcare force.
Serum albumin and prealbumin, well-known visceral proteins, have traditionally been considered useful biochemical laboratory values in a nutrition assessment. However, recent literature disputes this contention. The aim of this document is to clarify that these proteins characterize inflammation rather than describe nutrition status or protein-energy malnutrition. Both critical illness and chronic illness are characterized by inflammation and, as such, hepatic reprioritization of protein synthesis occurs, resulting in lower serum concentrations of albumin and prealbumin. In addition, the redistribution of serum proteins occurs because of an increase in capillary permeability. There is an association between inflammation and malnutrition, however, not between malnutrition and visceral-protein levels. These proteins correlate well with patients' risk for adverse outcomes rather than with protein-energy malnutrition. Therefore, serum albumin and prealbumin should not serve as proxy measures of total body protein or total muscle mass and should not be used as nutrition markers. This paper has been approved by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Board of Directors.
Covid-19 pandemic has become one of the reasons for online education became an important area to explore worldwide nowadays. Google Classroom has popularly chosen by online educators to empower the teaching and learning process. However, limited research discussed the student’s acceptance and students' use behaviour using Google Classroom among Community College students in Malaysia. Since the worldwide have been affected by pandemic covid-19, the educators need to run the classes online, including subjects that related to the technical and vocational. Thus, this study adapted the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to understand the relationship between the five predictors in the framework in creating the student behaviour to use Google Classroom application in the learning process. Data were derived from an online survey involving 293 students from seven Malaysian Community colleges and been analysed using Statistical Package Social Science (SPSS) version 26.0. Findings from this study indicate that effort expectancy is the most significant dimension that influences behaviour intention, followed by social expectancy and performance expectancy. In addition, student’s use behaviour has been significantly influenced by the behaviour intention and facilitating conditions support by the college lecturers. Although there is a moderating effect shown in the relationships between performance expectancy and effort expectancy, yet it not supported in the link of social influence with behaviour intention and facilitating conditions with students' user behaviour. The results provide useful insight on the acceptance and use of Google Classroom among Malaysian Community College students. It is hoped that results from this study can be used as a guideline for educators to focus on and strategize their teaching methods and adapt to a new norm teaching environment.
Over the last decade, Kunming has been subject to a strong urbanisation driven by rapid economic growth and socio-economic, topographical and proximity factors. As this urbanisation is expected to continue in the future, it is important to understand its environmental impacts and the role that spatial planning strategies and urbanisation regulations can play herein. This is addressed by (1) quantifying the cities’ expansion and intra-urban restructuring using Local Climate Zones (LCZs) for three periods in time (2005, 2011 and 2017) based on the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tool (WUDAPT) protocol, and (2) cross-referencing observed land-use and land-cover changes with existing planning regulations. The results of the surveys on urban development show that, between 2005 and 2011, the city showed spatial expansion, whereas between 2011 and 2017, densification mainly occurred within the existing urban extent. Between 2005 and 2017, the fraction of open LCZs increased, with the largest increase taking place between 2011 and 2017. The largest decrease was seen for low the plants (LCZ D) and agricultural greenhouse (LCZ H) categories. As the potential of LCZs as, for example, a heat stress assessment tool has been shown elsewhere, understanding the relation between policy strategies and LCZ changes is important to take rational urban planning strategies toward sustainable city development.
The most recently recognized and least understood forms of inflammatory bowel disease are two types of idiopathic microscopic colitis-collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. These disorders share many clinical and histologic features, but they have a few notable differences. Whether these are two distinct entities or different presentations of the same disease remains controversial. Bismuth subsalicylate is effective in some patients and treatment is symptomatic and empirical in others. Unlike ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, these forms of inflammatory bowel disease rarely require surgery. Ileostomy with or without colectomy is curative for the rare patient with severe symptoms that are refractory to medical measures. Collagenous and lymphocytic colitis are not associated with an increased risk of malignancy.
A platelike conducting body in free space is used as a model to invert transient electromagnetic data using the very fast simulated annealing procedure as a global optimization tool. When the host rock conductivity is non-zero, acceptable fits between the observed and computed responses are difficult to obtain. In general, the conducting body is assigned a lower conductance, larger dimensions (strike length and depth extent) and a smaller depth than the true values. We approximate the response of a conducting host to yield reliable estimates of model parameters as well as a good fit between the observed and computed responses. Our procedure is based on the assumption that the observed electromagnetic response is the sum of the response due to the conductive target and the response due to conducting surroundings (host and overburden). It is also assumed that the host response is laterally invariant, implying a layered earth and fixed source-receiver geometry. The validity of the superposition assumption is tested against the full solution for a conductive plate in a finite conducting host. The efficacy of our approach is demonstrated using noise-free and noisy synthetic data and two field examples measured in different geological conditions.
Only 11% of the global health budget is spent in the lowand middle-income countries, where 84% of the global population lives. About 1.1 billion people do not have access to clean water and 2.4 billion people lack access to sanitation. One-third of deaths in developing countries are because of preventable and/or treatable conditions. Health is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for development. Health targets are central to the international development targets, meant to be the overriding goals for the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) approach. Although health is often claimed to be a priority area in poverty reduction strategies, a review of two full PRSPs and eight I-PRSPs (Verheul & Cooper 2001) shows that key concerns in relation to poverty and health are ignored or insufficiently addressed. Here we focus on what we feel is missing in the PRSPs and identify areas where donors fail to support the PRSP countries.
PURPOSE The proposal of this study was to determine the prevalence and the associated factors of erectile dysfunction (ED) among hemodialysis (HD) patients.   MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional study based on data collected from HD male patients. Clinical, demographic and laboratory data of all patients were collected in three HD clinics from December 2010 to June 2011. Patients answered questions of erectile function domain from International Index of Erectile Function. Data were evaluated by descriptive analysis and by univariate (ULRA) and multivariate logistic regression analysis (MLRA).   RESULTS Three hundred and five patients participated of the study. The prevalence of ED was 68.19%. ED was associated with diabetes (DM), benign prostatic hyperplasia, glomerulonephritis as cause of chronic renal failure (CRF), smoking habits, lower creatinine levels (ULRA), use of calcium channel blocker (MLRA), aging, lower education level, alcohol consumption, DM (as cause of CRF) and coronary insufficiency (ULRA and MLRA).   CONCLUSIONS ED was highly prevalent in the HD men. It was independently associated with aging, current use of alcohol, long alcohol use (even for those who do not drink more), lower education level, diabetes as cause of CRF, coronary insufficiency and use of channel blockers calcium.
The transient response of a functionally graded strip with an embedded or edge crack perpendicular to the boundary is studied under an in‐plane impact load. By means of integral transform methods, the present problem is changed into a singular integral equation which can be solved numerically in the Laplace domain. It is found that the singular terms for the edge crack are different from those for the embedded crack. The influences of parameters such as the nonhomogeneity constant and the geometry parameters on the dynamic stress intensity factors (DSIFs) are studied.
Free flaps are generally the preferred method for reconstructing large defects of the midface, orbit, and maxilla that include the lip and oral commissure; commissuroplasty is traditionally performed at a second stage. Functional results of the oral sphincter using this reconstructive approach are, however, limited. This article presents a new approach to the reconstruction of massive defects of the lip and midface using a free flap in combination with a lip-switch flap. This was used in 10 patients. One-third to one-half of the upper lip was excised in seven patients, one-third of the lower lip was excised in one patient, and both the upper and lower lips were excised (one-third each) in two patients. All patients had maxillectomies, with or without mandibulectomies, in addition to full-thickness resections of the cheek. A switch flap from the opposite lip was used for reconstruction of the oral commissure and oral sphincter, and a rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap with two or three skin islands was used for reconstruction of the through-and-through defect in the midface. Free flap survival was 100 percent. All patients had good-to-excellent oral competence, and they were discharged without feeding tubes. A majority (80 percent) of the patients had an adequate oral stoma and could eat a soft diet. All patients have a satisfactory postoperative result. Immediate reconstruction of defects using a lip-switch procedure creates an oral sphincter that has excellent function, with good mobility and competence. This is a simple procedure that adds minimal operative time to the free-flap reconstruction and provides the patient with a functional stoma and acceptable appearance. The free flap can be used to reconstruct the soft tissue of the intraoral lining and external skin deficits, but it should not be used to reconstruct the lip.
Traditionally, Klett and Fernald inversion estimates an initial value using the slope method for horizontal visibility, which causes inversion uncertainty. We proposed an algorithm to retrieve the extinction coefficient and visibility distribution information from scanning Lidar to overcome instability due to initial atmospheric extinction coefficient choice and assuming the Lidar ratio. Numerical simulations showed that extinction coefficient maximum relative was much larger for inhomogeneous atmosphere using the Klett method, reaching 0.31. In contrast, it is only 0.049 using the proposed algorithm. Experimental showed that the proposed algorithm and scanning Lidar system provide very high stability and accuracy, can work in different weather conditions and monitor sea fog evolution over real time, and is suitable for various situations with different visibility.
Drug abuse from year to year has always been increasing, not only in adults but also among adolescents and children. The cause of this abuse consists of two factors, namely internal and external factors. With these problems, this study aims to determine the regulation of criminal sanctions against narcotics abuse and to find out the application of criminal sanctions against narcotics abuse. This research uses the normative method. Sources of data used are sources of secondary legal materials obtained through document, and analysis of legal materials using legal arguments. The results of the study show that the sanctions against narcotics abuse are regulated in Law Number 35 of 2009 concerning Narcotics Articles 111 to 148. Then, criminal sanctions against narcotics abuse are in the form of imprisonment and fines. The criminal system against narcotics abusers uses a double track system, namely implementing criminal sanctions and sanctions for action at once
We show that the classical Hormander condition, or analogously the L r -Hormander condition, for singular integral operators T is not sufficient to derive Coifman's inequality ∫ Rn |Tf(x)| p w(x)dx ≤ C ∫ Rn Mf(x) p w(x)dx, where 0 < p < ∞, M is the Hardy-Littlewood maximal operator, w is any A∞ weight and C is a constant depending upon p and the A∞ constant of w. This estimate is well known to hold when T is a Calderon-Zygmlmd operator. As a consequence we deduce that the following estimate does not hold: ∫ Rn |T f (x)| p w(x) dx ≤ C ∫ Rn Mf(x) p Mw(x)dx, where 0 < p ≤ 1 and where w is an arbitrary weight. However, by a recent result due to A. Lerner, this inequality is satisfied whenever T is a Calderon-Zygmund operator. One of the main ingredients of the proof is a very general extrapolation theorem for A∞ weights.
A substantial portion of private sector investments in emerging market economies internationally is routed through the use of Financial Intermediaries (FIs). FIs act as important gateways for channeling the resources from large Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), to micro, small and medium-sized (SME) projects and enterprises whose comparatively limited business portfolios would otherwise make them ineligible for funding. During a MDB's scoping, FI clients are classified into a unique Category FI, whereby the onus for Environmental Assessment (EA) is transferred from the MDB to the FI. Although EA guidelines exist, FI institutions often fail to adequately incorporate them in their sub-project review. This increases the potential for environmentally and socially harmful development decisions being made by the FI with financial resources originating from MDBs. This paper identifies the factors limiting the successful incorporation of EA in FI subproject financing, in an attempt to develop tools to assist MDB's and their FIs to attain compliance with local, national and international EA laws and regulations.
A laser wave-mixing CE detection method is reported for separation and detection of malachite green (MG), crystal violet (CV), brilliant green (BG), methylene blue (MB), and the leuco-metabolites of MG and CV residues in aquacultures. This method applies a non-ionic surfactant for micro-cloud-point extraction (MCPE) followed by non-aqueous micellar capillary electrophoresis (MCE) for separation and nonlinear laser wave-mixing detection. The log–log plot of the MCE wave-mixing intensity vs. analyte concentration showed a good quadratic dependence with correlation coefficients greater than 0.989. The mass detection limits at an S/N of 2 were determined to be 2.27, 1.50, 23.8, 190, 27.61 and 22.2 attograms for MG, CV, BG, MB, leuco-MG, and leuco-CV, respectively. The concentration limits of detection (LODs) at an S/N of 2 were determined to be 4.13, 2.72, 10.2, 81.6, 50.2 and 40.3 pg mL−1 for MG, CV, BG, MB, leuco-MG and leuco-CV, respectively. The intra-day variability (RSD) for the retention times ranges from 0.6 to 1.0% and the average inter-day variability (RSD) ranges from 0.7 to 4.7%. This method is simple, rapid and reliable, and it allows separation and simultaneous detection of MG, CV, MB, BG, and the leuco-metabolites of MG and CV in aquatic environments.
Research on science attitudes has focused mostly on teacher variables and learning environment variables. Furthermore, in the parent involvement literature, the outcome variable of interest has been mostly science achievement rather than science attitudes. Limited research is available on the joint influence of teacher and parent variables on science attitudes. This article proposes a model of parent and teacher influences on the science attitudes of eighth graders using data from the base year survey of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling methodology for categorical data. The results show that the availability of science facilities has a significant direct effect on science experiments. Parental involvement has significant direct as well as indirect effects on science attitudes mediated through science activities and library/museum visits. Science activities have a significant direct effect on science attitudes. This study suggests that improving the quality of science instruction and science activities in schools will have implications for science education in schools and this will, in turn, indirectly affect the science attitudes of students. More importantly, the findings of this study provide concrete empirical evidence that parents play a very important role in the development of science attitudes of students. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed82:93–109, 1998.
Moloney-murine sarcoma virus (Moloney-MSV) and simian virus 40 (SV40) were found to infect successfully pure cultures of epithelial cells established from mouse liver and mammary tissue. MSV infection resulted in transient morphological foci with persistent production of infectious virus. SV40 infection produced detectable levels of virus-specific T antigen in the cells but morphological transformants were not observed.
Cirebon has already been known as one of the mango-producing areas. However, until now, mango agribusiness in the area has not been able to maintain the quality and guarantee the availability of mangoes throughout the year. The problem was caused by the dynamic behavior of the farmers. This indicated that the development of mango agribusiness in the era of globalization should be based on the improvement of agribusiness behavior of mango farmers. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the factors that determine the improvement of agribusiness behavior of mango farmers. The research method employed in this research was survey technique in Greged district of Cirebon regency using simple random sampling technique involving 130 mango farmers. Data were analyzed using path analysis. The results of the study showed that the most powerful factors in improving agribusiness behavior of mango farmers were resource factor (9.2%), institutional factor (8.2%), cultural factor (7%) and technological factor (4.8%). This indicated that the development of sustainable mango agribusiness model in Greged district of Cirebon Regency should be focused on optimizing its resources, increasing its institutional role, preserving the mango cultivation of its farmers and increasing the role of the use of mango farming technology.
HIP, a set of computer packages for symbolic calculation of Feynman diagrams, is presented. The packages were designed as an aid in calculating tree‐level multiparticle electroweak production processes, though they can be used for a much wider class of calculations. The packages have been used to calculate such processes as eγ→Wν and γγ→W + W − at tree level with arbitrary Wγ couplings. The packages are written in the computer algebra language M a t h e m a t i c a, which provides a powerful working environment.
The edge corrosion simulation of Kapfer et al. is used to extract time‐dependent delamination widths of metal sheet edges with different spatial orientations, encoded by edge classes and angular displacements with respect to the ground. The corrosion behavior of the edges of a body‐in‐white part is examined with respect to the spatial orientation and compared to the simulated delamination widths, demonstrating that the edge corrosion simulation is also able to model more complex structures. Since scaling the finite element method‐based corrosion simulation to the whole part requires a lot of memory and computational time, different neural network types are evaluated to predict the delamination widths. Together with the geometric properties of the part edges, a fast and accurate prediction of edge delamination of body‐in‐white parts is possible, requiring few time‐consuming corrosion simulations only in the training phase of the networks.
For odd anharmonic oscillators, it is well known that complex scaling can be used to determine resonance energy eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenvectors in complex rotated space. We briefly review and discuss various methods for the numerical determination of such eigenvalues, and also discuss the connection to the case of purely imaginary coupling, which is -symmetric. Moreover, we show that a suitable generalization of the complex scaling method leads to an algorithm for the time propagation of wave packets in potentials which give rise to unstable resonances. This leads to a certain unification of the structure and the dynamics. Our time propagation results agree with known quantum dynamics solvers and allow for a natural incorporation of structural perturbations (e.g., due to dissipative processes) into the quantum dynamics.
Introduction Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) isoenzymes and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) exist in the brain. Alcohol dehydrogenase and ALDH are also present in brain tumor cells. Moreover, the activity of class I isoenzymes was significantly higher in cancer than healthy brain cells. The activity of these enzymes in tumor tissue is reflected in the serum and could thus be helpful for diagnostics of brain neoplasms. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of ADH and ALDH as markers for brain tumors. Material and methods Serum samples were taken for routine biochemical investigation from 115 patients suffering from brain tumors (65 glioblastomas, 50 meningiomas). For the measurement of the activity of class I and II ADH isoenzymes and ALDH activity, fluorometric methods were used. The total ADH activity and activity of class III and IV isoenzymes were measured by the photometric method. Results There was a significant increase in the activity of ADH I isoenzyme and ADH total in the sera of brain tumor patients compared to the controls. The diagnostic sensitivity for ADH I was 78%, specificity 85%, and positive and negative predictive values were 86% and 76% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of ADH I increased with the stage of the carcinoma. Area under receiver-operating characteristic curve for ADH I was 0.71. Conclusions The results suggest a potential role for ADH I as a marker for brain tumor.
1. Neiman RS, Barcos M, Berard C et al. Granulocytic sarcoma: a clinicopathologic study of 61 biopsied cases. Cancer 1981; 48; 1426–1437. 2. Byrd JEWJ, Shields DJ, Dawson NA. Extramedullary myeloid cell tumors in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia: a clinical review. J. Clin. Oncol. 1995; 13; 1800–1816. 3. Jaffe ESHN, Stein H, Vardimann J. Pathology and genetics of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. In Kleihues P, Sobin L eds. World Health Organization classification of tumours. Lyon: IARC Press 2001; 61–73. 4. Menasce LP, Banerjee SS, Beckett E, Harris M. Extra-medullary myeloid tumour (granulocytic sarcoma) is often misdiagnosed: a study of 26 cases. Histopathology 1999; 34; 391–398. 5. Suh YK, Shin HJ. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of granulocytic sarcoma: a clinicopathologic study of 27 cases. Cancer 2000; 90; 364–372. 6. Ascani S, Piccaluga PP, Pileri SA. Granulocytic sarcoma of main biliary ducts. Br. J. Haematol. 2003; 121; 534. 7. Pileri SA, Ascani S, Cox MC et al. Myeloid sarcoma: clinicopathologic, phenotypic and cytogenetic analysis of 92 adult patients. Leukemia 2007; 21; 340–350.
Oral antigen exposure is a powerful, non‐invasive route to induce immune tolerance to dietary antigens, and has been modestly successful at prolonging graft survival in rodent models of transplantation. To harness the mechanisms of oral tolerance for promoting long‐term graft acceptance, we developed a mouse model where the antigen ovalbumin (OVA) was introduced orally prior to transplantation with skin grafts expressing OVA. Oral OVA treatment pre‐transplantation promoted permanent graft acceptance and linked tolerance to skin grafts expressing OVA fused to the additional antigen 2W. Tolerance was donor‐specific, as secondary donor‐matched, but not third‐party allografts were spontaneously accepted. Oral OVA treatment promoted an anergic phenotype in OVA‐reactive CD4+ and CD8+ conventional T cells (Tconvs) and expanded OVA‐reactive Tregs pre‐transplantation. However, skin graft acceptance following oral OVA resisted partial depletion of Tregs and blockade of PD‐L1. Mechanistically, we revealed a role for the proximal gut draining lymph nodes (gdLNs) in mediating this effect, as an intestinal infection that drains to the proximal gdLNs prevented tolerance induction. Our study extends previous work applying oral antigen exposure to transplantation and serves as proof of concept that the systemic immune mechanisms supporting oral tolerance are sufficient to promote long‐term graft acceptance.
We have previously shown that the rat Na+-K+-ATPase α1-isoform is phosphorylated at Ser-943 by protein kinase A (PKA) and at Ser-23 by protein kinase C (PKC), which in both cases results in inhibition of enzyme activity. We now present evidence that suggests that the phosphorylation of Ser-943 by PKA modulates the response of Na+-K+-ATPase to PKC. Rat Na+-K+-ATPase α1 or a mutant in which Ser-943 was changed to Ala-943 was stably expressed in COS cells. The inhibition of enzyme activity measured in response to treatment with the phorbol ester, phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu; 10-6 M), was significantly reduced in the cells expressing the Ala-943 mutant compared with that observed in cells expressing wild-type enzyme. In contrast, for cells expressing Na+-K+-ATPase α1 in which Ser-943 was mutated to Asp-943, the effect of PDBu was slightly enhanced. The PDBu-induced inhibition was not mediated by activation of the adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate/PKA system and was not achieved via direct phosphorylation of Ser-943. Sp-5,6-DCl-cBIMPS, a specific PKA activator, increased the phosphorylation of Ser-943, and this was associated with an enhanced response to PDBu. Thus the effect of PKC on rat Na+-K+-ATPase α1 is determined not only by the activity of PKC but also by the state of phosphorylation of Ser-943.
We survey some basic geometric properties of the Funk metric of a convex set in R n . In particular, we study its geodesics, its topology, its metric balls, its convexity properties, its perpendicularity theory and its isometries. The Hilbert metric is a symmetrization of the Funk metric, and we show some properties of the Hilbert metric that follow directly from the properties we prove for the Funk metric.
Background Breast preservation can considerably improve the postoperative living quality of breast cancer patients. Through this study, we proposed a novel, safe, and effective surgical modality for breast preservation in patients with early breast cancer. Case Description Herein, we present a case report of a patient with early-stage breast cancer (T1cN0M0), who underwent skin-sparing nipple areola hypodermic gland resection combined with primary breast reconstruction using silicone implants. The patient was administered with general anesthesia, and the implants were inserted using a insufflation-free suspension and hook suspension under the pectoralis major muscle. The patient was followed up on postoperative days 1, 2, 7, 14, 30, 60, and 100 to check for any complications, such as upper limb edema, paresthesia, or flap necrosis. The patient experienced no complications. No obvious surgical scars or axillary surface infections were observed. The patient was satisfied with the surgical outcome, and this treatment approach reduced her treatment costs by approximately USD 2,600. Conclusions The new surgical procedure for breast reconstruction considerably improved the quality of life of the patient; no postoperative complications such as skin flap necrosis, paresthesia, or upper limb edema were experienced by the patient; and the treatment costs were reduced. In addition, this method effectively overcomes the concerns related to axillary space instability and limited operative space, rendering it worthy of promotion in clinical practice.
According to David Miller, we have stronger obligations towards our co-nationals than we have towards non-nationals. While a principle of equality governs our obligations of justice within the nation-state, our obligations towards non-nationals are governed by a weaker principle of sufficiency. In this paper, I critically assess Miller's objection to a traditional argument for global egalitarianism, according to which nationalist and other deviations from equality rely on factors that are arbitrary from a moral point of view. Then I critically discuss Miller's claim that there is no culturally neutral currency with respect to which we may reasonably claim that people should be equally well off on a global scale. Furthermore, I critically discuss Miller's claim that cosmopolitanism undermines national responsibility. And finally, I turn to Miller's own sufficientarian account of global justice and argue that it exhibits too little concern for the plight of the globally worse off.
Background: Pediatric patients with atrioventricular valve disease have limited options for prosthetic valve replacement in sizes <15 mm. Based on successful experience with the stented bovine jugular vein graft (Melody valve) in the right ventricular outflow tract, the prosthesis has been modified for surgical valve replacement in pediatric patients with atrioventricular dysfunction with the intention of subsequent valve expansion in the catheterization laboratory as the child grows. Methods and Results: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was performed among patients who underwent atrioventricular valve replacement with Melody valve at 17 participating sites from North America and Europe, including 68 patients with either mitral (n=59) or tricuspid (n=9) replacement at a median age of 8 months (range, 3 days to 13 years). The median size at implantation was 14 mm (range, 9–24 mm). Immediately postoperatively, the valve was competent with low gradients in all patients. Fifteen patients died; 3 patients underwent transplantation. Nineteen patients required reoperation for adverse outcomes, including valve explantation (n=16), left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (n=1), permanent pacemaker implantation (n=1), and paravalvular leak repair (n=1). Twenty-five patients underwent 41 episodes of catheter-based balloon expansion, exhibiting a significant decrease in median gradient (P<0.001) with no significant increase in grade of regurgitation. Twelve months after implantation, cumulative incidence analysis indicated that 55% of the patients would be expected to be free from death, heart transplantation, structural valve deterioration, or valve replacement. Conclusions: The Melody valve is a feasible option for surgical atrioventricular valve replacement in patients with hypoplastic annuli. The prosthesis shows acceptable short-term function and is amenable to catheter-based enlargement as the child grows. However, patients remain at risk for mortality and structural valve deterioration, despite adequate early valvular function. Device design and implantation techniques must be refined to reduce complications and extend durability. Clinical Trial Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02505074.
Abstract Flavonoids, such as Quercetin, are the main polyphenol compounds found in extractives. When complexing with transition metal ions, these extractives may induce a significant discoloration to mechanical pulps. In this study, the effect of metallic extractive complexes was investigated using a model compound, Quercetin. It was confirmed that the complexes formed between some metal ions and Quercetin are strongly colored. However, most of the strong absorbance in visible light due to metallic Quercetin complexes, can be eliminated by the addition of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA). The metal ions studied were Fe(III), Cu(II), Mn(II) and AI(III).
Resistive-RAM (RRAM)-based deep neural network (DNN) accelerator has shown a great potential as it is good at the matrix–vector multiplication (MVM) operator. However, it does not benefit non-MVM operators, such as transcendental activation or elementwise operations, which often require customized CMOS circuits in conventional DNN accelerator designs. In this article, we propose a new RRAM-based DNN inference accelerator, which leverages the proposed RRAM-CORDIC and RRAM-MLP algorithms to make the transcendental and elementwise operators calculable in the RRAM crossbar just like MVM. Both algorithms can exploit the higher multiply-and-accumulation (MAC) parallelism that is traditionally expensive in CMOS but now efficient in the RRAM crossbar. Then, we further propose an intercrossbar pipelining scheme, which can balance the number of crossbars for MVM and non-MVM operations and orchestrate them in pursuing higher DNN computing throughput. The experimental results show that both algorithms can sustain a high arithmetic accuracy and deliver less than 1% DNN accuracy loss on typical inference workloads. The elimination of expensive CMOS circuits, in turn, can trade more crossbar resources in the same area to speed up the performance by $1.16 times $ to $2.33 times $ . With the extended operators, the RRAM-based DNN accelerator can switch crossbar functions at will, and apply for a diverse of DNN models in a unified in-memory accelerator architecture.
Background and Aims: The cost effectiveness of ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia is an issue which requires discussion. Based on our experience, we hypothesized that this is an economically viable option. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, we included 90 patients who underwent upper extremity surgeries in our institute solely under ultrasound (USG)-guided brachial plexus blocks in a year. The cost of the block was derived by adding the cost of the material and drugs used for the block. This cost was subtracted from the cost that otherwise would have been incurred for general anesthesia (GA) of similar duration. This cost difference or benefit per case was then used to calculate the duration in years required to recover the cost of the ultrasound machine. Statistics: Data were analyzed using SPSS 15.0. Analysis of variance was applied to compare mean benefits as per surgery, block, and duration. Ninety-five percent confidence interval for mean were calculated. Level of significance was taken as P = 0.05. Results: There were significant economic benefits using ultrasound guidance as compared to GA. Benefits differed significantly as per the type of surgery, type of block, and duration of the surgery. With the cost benefit that we have obtained, the cost of USG machine can be recovered in about 3 years. Conclusion: USG regional anesthesia is an economically viable concept. The cost benefit increases with the duration of a given surgery and increases with the number of blocks.
Background Allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) is the only curative method for a number of monogenic blood disorders, including various forms of hemoglobinopathies and severe combined immunodeficiencies. Aside from the significant hurdle of finding an identical HLA-matched related donor, allogeneic BMT recipients require chronic immunosuppression to mitigate the significant risk of GVHD and are at greater risk for graft failure. Autologous gene modified HSPC potentially provide a much safer alternative to allogeneic BMT and abrogate the need for finding HLA-matched donors. Here, we report the development of a highly efficient process for generating gene modified human HSPC at clinical-scale (>150 x 10^6 cells for 2x10^6/kg) using clinical-grade equipment.  Methods Healthy donors were administered Neupogen® (10mg/kg/day) for 4-5 consecutive days and then apheresed. Enrichment of CD34+ cells was performed with the Miltenyi CliniMACS® system. Genome editing was achieved via the introduction of mRNA encoding two engineered zinc finger nucleases (ZFN) using a scalable electroporation device. Cells were harvested and cryo-preserved with a controlled-rate freezer. Cell recovery and viability, gene modification efficiency, stem cell pluripotency and engraftment potential were evaluated by in vitro assays and in a humanized NSG mouse model.  Results Enrichment of CD34+ cells from mobilized leukopak products was highly efficient with the Miltenyi CliniMACS® system (median recovery = 327 million CD34+ cells per 10L mobilized leukopak). The positively selected fractions were >98% CD34+ by FACS analysis. Two large scale electroporation devices (BTX AgilePulse Max® and MaxCyte GT®) were evaluated. Each device is capable of electroporating up to 300 million cells. The optimal transfection conditions for both devices were first identified by using a GFP mRNA to evaluate transfection efficiency by flow cytometry, which resulted in the identification of conditions (voltage and duration) that yielded gene transfer efficiencies of >90%. Compatibility of this protocol with driving endogenous gene modification was evaluated using mRNA encoding ZFNs that target various endogenous gene loci. Highly efficient levels of genome editing were observed in CD34+ HSPC each transfected with a different pair of ZFNs (median = 53%, 43%, 45% and 42% modified alleles at four distinct disease-relevant loci). At the optimal mRNA dose for each ZFN pair, cell viability post electroporation was >80%, comparable to untransfected controls. Process suitability was evaluated by in vitro colony forming cell assay. No significant differences in colony formation were observed between gene modified and untransfected control samples. The capacity of electroporated HSPC to engraft and support multi-lineage development of human hematopoietic cells was evaluated in NSG mice, and no differences were observed between the ZFN-treated and untransfected control cells. In addition, high levels of gene modification (19-28%) were detected in bulk human cells from the blood and tissues of engrafted mice, and in various sorted cell types (bone marrow CD34 and differentiated B and T cells).  Conclusion We have developed a scalable process capable of deriving >300 million gene-modified CD34+ HSPC. This process supports high levels of ZFN-driven genome editing, is well tolerated, and causes no discernable defect in the hematopoietic potential of these cells to develop into multiple cell lineages, with high gene editing levels maintained in the differentiated progeny of the HSPC. These results support the use of gene modified autologus HSPC for the treatment of monogenic blood disorders.  Disclosures: Lee: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Truong: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Wood: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Ya-Li: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Kim: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Zhou: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Wang: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Reik: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Urnov: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Holmes: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Ando: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment. Giedlin: Sangamo BioSciences: Employment.
Several macrocycles of the Hunter-Vögtle type have been identified as superior host compounds for the detection of small amounts of acrylamide. When coated onto the surface of a quartz microbalance, these compounds serve as highly sensitive and selective sensor-active layers for their use in electronic noses. In this study, differently substituted macrocycles were investigated including an open-chain analogue and a catenane. Their structure and functional groups are correlated with their observed affinities to acrylamide and related acids and amides. The much smaller response of the open-chain compound and the almost absent sensor response of the catenane suggest that binding occurs within the cavity of the macrocycle. Theoretical calculations agree well with the experimental data even though they do not yet take into account the arrangement of the macrocycles in the sensor-active layer. The lower detection limit of acrylamide is 10 parts per billion (ppb), which is impressively low for this type of sensor. Other related compounds such as acrylic acid, propionamide, or propionic acid show no or significantly lower affinities to the macrocycles in these concentration ranges.
https://e-kcj.org Atherosclerosis is one of mainstay of pathophysiological process of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) encompassing acute coronary syndrome, peripheral artery disease, and events such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Carotid ultrasound is widely used worldwide due to its relative low cost, non-invasiveness, reproducibility and safety from radiation. It primarily detects atherosclerotic changes of artery and allows variety of parameters including intima-media thickness (IMT), arterial diameter, the presence of plaque, blood flow and velocity measurements.1)
The purpose of this investigation was to determine if an instrument, originally designed to classify levels of teachers' questions on the basis of logical operations, could be utilized to measure the level of inquiry present in a classroom discussion and to determine if the inquiry questioning behavior of the teacher influenced student achievement. The results of the study show that the modified classification scheme could accurately and reliably measure the inquiry level of teachers' classroom questions. The data also indicated that teachers who ask a greater proportion of high inquiry questions cause a greater change in students as measured by an achievement examination.
Agency theory suggests that, in imperfect labor and capital markets, managers will seek to maximize their own utility at the expense of corporate shareholders. Indicators of such managerial behavior may include expense preferencing in which some factor costs are elevated above optimal levels needed for efficient production or avoidance of optimal risk positions that maximize wealth opportunities for stockholders. This study of more than 6400 banks finds that recent reductions in legal entry barriers have generated results generally consistent with agency theory with a lowering of noninterest operating expenses, increased employee productivity, increased acceptance of portfolio risk, and greater dividend rates to shareholders. Copyright 1992 by MIT Press.
In order to assess the accuracy of the experimental and numerical methods used for the prediction of the dynamic derivatives, systematic investigations have been performed with the lightweight model DLR F12 using the new developed model support for dynamic tests MPM in the DNW-NWB. Static and dynamic force measurements and steady and unsteady pressure distribution measurements have been performed. Furthermore steady and unsteady pressure distribution measurements on the wind tunnel walls have been done during the latest test campaign.  Using the DLR-TAU code steady, quasi-steady and unsteady calculations are performed. The comparisons of the experimental and numerical investigations yield to a very good agreements. Not only for the forces and moments but also the pressure distributions are necessary to predict the steady and unsteady aerodynamic characteristics accurately.
In this paper, we analyze the association between a social media user's photo content and their interests. Visual content of photos is analyzed using state-of-the-art deep learning based automatic concept recognition. We compute an aggregate visual concept signature for each user. User tags that have been manually applied to their photos are also used to construct a tf-idf based signature per user. We also obtain social groups that users join to represent their social interests. In an effort to compare the visual-based versus tag-based user profiles with social interests, we compare corresponding similarity matrices with a reference similarity matrix based on users' group memberships. A random baseline is also included that groups users by random sampling while preserving the actual group sizes. A difference metric is proposed and it is shown that the combination of visual and text features better approximates the group-based similarity matrix than either modality individually. We also validate the visual analysis against the reference inter-user similarity using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Finally we cluster users by their visual signatures and rank clusters using a cluster uniqueness criteria.
The star HR7308 (HD180583) is the shortest-period classical Cepheid known. It is also unique (so far as it is currently known) in having a variable amplitude. A description is presented of UBVRI photometry (all on the Johnson system) of HR7308 obtained during the second half of 1981. The data are used to derive interstellar reddening and, by application of the surface brightness technique of Barnes et al. (1977), to derive a distance, radius, and absolute magnitude for the star. All observations reported were obtained with a 0.5-m reflector equipped with a standard photon-counting photometer.
We present a systematical investigation of gelled lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC). This new class of soft materials combines the anisotropy of lyotropic liquid crystals with the mechanical stability of a physical gel. The studied LLC system consists of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) as surfactant, n-decanol as cosurfactant and water. At room temperature four liquid crystalline phases (lamellar Lα, nematic Nd and Nc, hexagonal H1) are formed depending on the composition. We were successful in gelling the lyotropic lamellar phase with the low molecular weight organogelator 12-hydroxyoctadecanoic acid (12-HOA). The obtained gelled lamellar phase shows optical birefringence, elastic response and no macroscopic flow. However, we were not able to obtain gels with hexagonal or nematic structure. These findings can be explained twofold. When gelling the hexagonal phase the long-range hexagonal order was destroyed and an isotropic gel was formed. The reason might be the incompatibility between the gel fiber network and the 2D long-range translational order of the cylindrical micelles in the hexagonal phase. Otherwise, the lyotropic nematic was transformed into an anisotropic gel with lamellar structure during gelation. Evidently, the addition of the gelator 12-HOA to the lyotropic system considerably widens the lamellar regime since the integration of the surface active 12-HOA gelator molecules into the nematic micelles flattens out the micelle curvature. We further investigated the successfully gelated Lα phase to examine the impacts of the gel network and the remaining monomeric gelator on both, the structure and the properties of the gelled lamellar phase. Small angle X-ray scattering results showed an arrested lamellar layer spacing in the gelled state and indicate a higher translational order for the gelled lamellar phases in comparison with their gelator-free counterparts.
Oregano: The Genera Origanum and Lippia is an updated analysis of the technical knowledge and market information on the world's most commercially valuable spice. The book treats various aspects of practical significance for the crop's industrialization, such as optimizing germplasm selection and utilization, novel cultivation methods and product processing, blending and uses in different countries, along with other issues not included in previous reviews. Written by leading experts, every aspect of this plant genera is examined in detail. Information is provided on the structural dynamics of Origanum as well as analytical information on extraction, isolation and characterization. This helps the reader form a clear picture of the construction and operation of this specific genus. Extensively referenced, with a special guide to electronic data retrieval strategies, this volume is the definitive source of information for anyone interested in the research and application of Oregano across both academia and industry.
The solubilized coupling factor from spinach chloroplasts (CF1) contains one nondissociable ADP/CF1 which exchanges slowly with medium ADP in the presence of Ca2+, Mg2+, or EDTA; medium ATP also exchanges in the presence of Ca2+ or EDTA, but it is hydrolyzed, and only ADP is found bound to CF1. The rate of ATP exchange with heat-activated CF1 is approximately 1000 times slower than the rate of ATP hydrolysis. In the presence of Mg2+, both latent CF1 and heat-activated CF1 bind one ATP/CF1, in addition to the ADP. This MgATP is not removed by dialysis, by gel filtration, or by the substrate CaATP during catalytic turnover; however, it is released when the enzyme is stored several days as an ammonium sulfate precipitate. The photoaffinity label 3'-O-[3-[N-(4-azido-2-nitrophenyl)amino]-propionyl]-ATP binds to the MgATP site, and photolysis results in labeling of the beta subunit of CF1. Equilibrium binding measurements indicate that CF1 has two identical binding sites for ADP with a dissociation constant of 3.9 microM (in addition to the nondissociable ADP site). When MgATP is bound to CF1, one ADP binding site with a dissociation constant of 2.9 microM is found. One ATP binding site is found in addition to the MgATP site with a dissociation constant of 2.9 microM. Reaction of CF1 with the photoaffinity label 3'-O-[3-[N-(4-azido-2-nitrophenyl)amino]propionyl]-ADP indicates that the ADP binding site which is not blocked by MgATP is located near the interface of alpha and beta subunits. No additional binding sites with dissociation constants less than 200 micro M are observed for MgATP with latent CF1 and for CaADP with heat-activated CF1. Thus, three distinct nucleotide binding sites can be identified on CF1, and the tightly bound ADP and MgATP are not at the catalytic site. The active site is either the third ADP and ATP binding site or a site not yet detected.
How to efficiently and fairly allocate data rate among different users is a key problem in the field of multiuser multimedia communication. However, most of the existing optimization-based methods, such as minimizing the weighted sum of the distortions or maximizing the weighted sum of the PSNRs, have their weights heuristically determined. Moreover, those approaches mainly focus on the efficiency issue while ignoring the fairness issue. In this paper, we address this problem by proposing a game-theoretic framework, in which the utility/payoff function of each user/player is jointly determined by the characteristic of the transmitted video sequence and the allocated bitrate. We show that with the proportional fairness criterion, the game has a unique Nash equilibrium, according to which the controller can efficiently and fairly allocate the available network bandwidth to the users. Finally, we show several experimental results on real video data to verify the proposed method.
In this study, we have performed phase-field simulations of grain growth in two-dimensional systems containing finely dispersed coarsening particles. In particular, the effects of the Ostwald ripening of particles on the grain growth kinetics and the morphology of the matrix grains have been investigated. After reaching a steady state, not only does the growth of the particles obey power-law kinetics, but also the growth of the matrix grains, with an exponent of 3. In the case of systems having a small fraction of immobile particles, the grain size distributions (GSDs) of the matrix grains become broader with a small fraction of particles. For systems containing particles that coarsen with simulation time, the GSDs become narrower with an increase in the area fraction of the particles, fp(0). We have applied both active parameter tracking (APT) algorithms and parallel coding techniques to the multi-phase-field (MPF) model to accelerate the computations and to embody large-scale calculations.
A possible interaction of central histaminergic receptors with adrenergic and cholinergic muscarinic neurons in increasing the pituitary-adrenocortical response under stress, assessed indirectly from the corticosterone concentration in blood serum, was investigated in conscious rats. All the drugs were administered intracerebroventriculary, the antagonists 15 to 30 min prior to the agonists. The histamine-induced increase in serum corticosterone levels of stressed rats was considerably antagonized by prazosin, phenoxybenzamine, phentolamine and yohimbine, alpha 1 and alpha 2-adrenergic antagonists. These antagonists abolished or significantly attenuated the corticosterone response to 2-pyridylethylamine (PEA), an H1-receptor agonist, and to dimaprit and 4-methylhistamine(4-MeHA), H2-receptor agonists. Propranolol, a beta-adrenergic blocker, did not substantially change the corticosterone response induced by histamine or histamine H1- and H2-receptor agonists. Similarly, atropine was ineffective in blocking the increase in serum corticosterone responses induced by either histamine or PEA and dimaprit in stressed rats. These results suggest that both alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors, but not beta-adrenergic and cholinergic muscarinic receptors interact with central H1 and H2 histaminergic stimulation of the increased pituitary-adrenocortical response in stressed rats.
Silicon-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) has been the mainstream logic style for modern digital integrated circuits (ICs) for decades but will meet its performance limits soon. Extensive investigations have thus been carried out using other semiconductors, especially those with extremely high carrier mobility. However, these materials usually have small or even zero band gap, which leads inevitably to large leakage current or voltage loss in ICs based on these semiconductors. In this work, we propose and demonstrate a strengthened CMOS (SCMOS) logic style using modified field-effect transistors (FETs) to solve this problem, that is, to achieve high performance, utilizing the high carrier mobility in these materials, and to reduce the current leakage resulting from their small band gap. Conventional CMOS FETs are modified to have an asymmetric structure where an additional assistant gate is introduced near the drain to further lower the potential barrier in on-state and to increase the barrier in off-state. SCMOS ICs are constructed using these modified asymmetric CMOS FETs, which demonstrate perfect rail-to-rail output with negligible voltage loss and 3 orders of magnitude suppression of the static power consumption and an operating speed similar to or even higher than that of CMOS ICs. Here, SCMOS is demonstrated using carbon nanotubes, but, in principle, this logic style can be used in ICs based on any small-band-gap semiconductors to provide simultaneously high performance and low power consumption.
Two new photonuclear reactions are reported, Br79(γ,2n)Br77 and Br79(γ,3n)Br76.The organic retention following the Br81(γ,n)Br80m reaction in liquid n‐ and isopropyl bromides was found to be 47 and 36%, respectively, appreciably higher than reported values following the Br79(n,γ)Br80m reaction. Higher retentions were also noted for irradiations of the solid bromides. The relative yields of individual organic products were determined for irradiations of both liquid and solid and were in many respects in striking agreement with data from activation by (n,γ) reaction and isomeric transition. In solid n‐propyl bromide the (γ,n) and (γ,3n) reactions gave the same ratio of parent compound to total organic yield.Data on the scavenger effect show that thermal recombination reactions occur in both liquid and solid. Marked increases are shown in the thermal organic yield with only slight increases in the nonthermal retention for both bromides for (γ,n) compared to (n,γ) activation. The reasons for these increases a...
BACKGROUND Although atrial fibrillation is common in critically ill patients, no large studies on its impact on patient mortality in general intensive care units have been done.   OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between atrial fibrillation and hospital mortality in critically ill patients.   METHODS In a retrospective cohort study, critically ill patients who had atrial fibrillation during a 2-year period were compared with patients who did not. The primary outcome was death during the hospital stay. Secondary outcomes were duration of mechanical ventilation and lengths of stay in the intensive care unit and hospital.   RESULTS Among a total of 2018 first-time admissions to the intensive care unit during the study period, 421 patients (20.9%) had atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation had higher mortality, significantly longer duration of mechanical ventilation, and longer stays in the intensive care unit and in the hospital than did patients without this cardiac arrhythmia. However, multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that atrial fibrillation was not independently associated with a higher risk for death.   CONCLUSION Atrial fibrillation may not be independently associated with hospital mortality.
The pulsar/massive star binary system PSR B1259-63 / LS 2883 is one of the best-studied gamma-ray binaries, a class of systems whose bright gamma-ray flaring can provide important insights into high-energy physics. Using the Australian Long Baseline Array we have conducted very long baseline interferometric observations of PSR B1259-63 over 4.4 years, fully sampling the 3.4-year orbital period. From our measured parallax of $0.38 pm0.05$ mas we use a Bayesian approach to infer a distance of $2.6^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$ kpc. We find that the binary orbit is viewed at an angle of $154 pm3$ degrees to the line of sight, implying that the pulsar moves clockwise around its orbit as viewed on the sky. Taking our findings together with previous results from pulsar timing observations, all seven orbital elements for the system are now fully determined. We use our measurement of the inclination angle to constrain the mass of the stellar companion to lie in the range 15-31$M_{ odot}$. Our measured distance and proper motion are consistent with the system having originated in the Cen OB1 association and receiving a modest natal kick, causing it to have moved $ sim$8 pc from its birthplace over the past $ sim3 times10^5$ years. The orientation of the orbit on the plane of the sky matches the direction of motion of the X-ray synchrotron-emitting knot observed by the Chandra X-ray Observatory to be moving away from the system.
The developments of multi-core technology have induced big challenges to software structures. To take full advantages of the performance enhancements offered by new multi-core hardware, software programming models have made a great shift from sequential programming to parallel programming. OpenMP (Open Multi-Processing) and MPI (Message Passing Interface), as the most common parallel programming models, can provide different performance characteristics of parallelism in different cases. This paper intends to compare and analyze the parallel computing ability between OpenMP and MPI, and then some proposals are provided in parallel programming. The processing tools used include Intel VTune Performance Analyzer and Intel Thread Checker. The find- ings indicate that OpenMP is in favor of implementation and provides good performance in shared memory systems , and that MPI is propitious to programming models which require nodes performing a large number of tasks and little commu- nications in processes.
In their seminal work, Nayyar et al. (2013) showed that imperfect information can be abstracted away from common-payoff games by having players publicly announce their policies as they play. This insight underpins sound solvers and decision-time planning algorithms for common-payoff games. Unfortunately, a naive application of the same insight to two-player zero-sum games fails because Nash equilibria of the game with public policy announcements may not correspond to Nash equilibria of the original game. As a consequence, existing sound decision-time planning algorithms require complicated additional mechanisms that have unappealing properties. The main contribution of this work is showing that certain regularized equilibria do not possess the aforementioned non-correspondence problem -- thus, computing them can be treated as perfect-information problems. Because these regularized equilibria can be made arbitrarily close to Nash equilibria, our result opens the door to a new perspective to solving two-player zero-sum games and yields a simplified framework for decision-time planning in two-player zero-sum games, void of the unappealing properties that plague existing decision-time planning approaches.
An analysis of the scattering effect of a thin dielectric ring on an electromagnetic field is developed under two assumptions: the incident field is the free space field of the source, and the scattered field tends asymptotically to zero as the radial thickness of the ring approaches zero. When an integral equation of Barrar and Dolph, derived directly from Maxwell's equations, is employed, a formal expansion of the field in powers of the thickness is obtained, and then it is proved that the linear approximation obtained from it is indeed asymptotically equal to the total field. The sufficiency of this approximation is justified by experimental evidence. The far-zone pattern function of the ring is next obtained, and the resulting formulas are applied to the situation where the incident field is generated by a dipole antenna coaxial with the ring for which experimental comparisons are possible.
There is a dearth of research on the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in schools in the Republic of Ireland. The current study assessed the school-based experiences of twenty five (N = 25) participants in the BeLonG To LGBT youth group in Dublin city using a mixed design survey instrument. The majority (n = 19) of respondents reported experiencing problems in school related to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity; eleven (n = 11) respondents reported that homophobia impacted negatively on their studies while at school; and one fifth of respondents (n = 5) left school early, citing negative reactions to their sexual orientation or gender identity as one of the main reasons they left. The majority (n = 18) of respondents did not consider their school a safe space to be LGBT.
We investigated the acute effect on the serum levels of ovarian and adrenal sex steroid hormones of the suppression of growth hormone during oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A standard 75 g OGTT was performed in 11 healthy women and eight women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Another five controls were given a sham loading of oral distilled water. Blood samples were obtained immediately before and at 30-minute intervals after glucose or sham loading. Significant progressive declines in testosterone, estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and growth hormone levels were observed during OGTT in both groups. In the PCOS and normal groups, respectively, at 120 min, testosterone levels were 75.8% and 64.4% of the baseline (0-time) value, estradiol levels were 83.4% and 83.1%, DHEAS levels were 79.3% and 79.1%, and growth hormone levels were 33.9% and 21.2%. Significant positive correlations were observed between the level of growth hormone and each of the testosterone, estradiol and DHEAS levels in both the groups. The area under the curve for growth hormone was significantly smaller in the PCOS group than in the normal group. Gonadotropins were not changed at any time during OGTT. It appears that growth hormone may modify ovarian and adrenal sex steroidogenic responses to tropic hormones directly or via local insulin-like growth factor-I. Women with PCOS may be relatively deficient in growth hormone, a deficiency which may play a role in the pathophysiology of ovulatory disturbance.
Pulmonary sequestration is an uncommon congenital malformation that is classified as intralobar and extralobar. 1 , 2 Atypical locations such as the retroperitoneum are even reported in adults. 3 However, an intrapericardial location is extremely rare. There are only 5 well-documented cases in English literature. 4 - 7 They were diagnosed by sonography or echocardiography in utero or in the early postnatal period with cardiorespiratory distress symptoms. A mild to moderate pericardial effusion or hydrops fetalis was found in some cases, and cardiac tamponade developed because of pericardial effusion or hydrops fetalis. We report a rare case of pure intrapericardial extralobar pulmonary sequestration with sonographic and autopsy findings.
3D cell culture platforms have emerged as a setting that resembles in vivo environments replacing the traditional 2D platforms. Over the recent years, an extensive effort has been made on the development of more physiologically relevant 3D cell culture platforms. Extracellular matrix–based materials have been reported as a bioactive and biocompatible support for cell culture. For example, human plasma derivatives have been extensively used in cell culture. Despite all the promising results, in most cases these types of materials have poor mechanical properties and poor stability in vitro. Here plasma‐based hydrogels with increased stability are proposed. Platelet lysates are modified by addition of methacryloyl groups (PLMA) that polymerize in controlled geometries upon UV light exposure. The hydrogels could also generate porous scaffolds after lyophilization. The results show that PLMA materials have increased mechanical properties that can be easily adjusted by changing PLMA concentration or modification degree. Cells readily adhere, proliferate, and migrate, exhibiting high viability when encapsulated in PLMA hydrogels. The innovation potential of PLMA materials is based on the fact that it is a complete xeno‐free solution for human cell culture, thus an effective alternative to the current gold standards for 3D cell culture based on animal products.
Abstract The formation of aqueous Cm(III) nitrate complexes is studied in the temperature range from 5 to 200 °C by time resolved laser fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS). The experiments are performed in a custom build high pressure and high temperature fluorescence cell. The complex formation is measured at nitrate concentrations ranging from 0.10 to 4.61 mol/kg H2O. The mono- and dinitrate complexes are quantified by peak deconvolution of the fluorescence spectra and the complexation constants are determined as a function of the temperature. The conditional equilibrium constants are extrapolated to zero ionic strength using the specific ion interaction theory (SIT) and the thermodynamic standard state data (ΔrH°m, ΔrS°m, ΔrG°m, ΔrC°p,m) are determined from the temperature dependence of the equilibrium constants at I=0. The equilibrium constants up to 75 °C are well described by the Van´t Hoff equation (ΔrH°m independent of T and ΔrC°p,m=0). Modelling of the data at higher temperatures requires an extended equation including a term for the heat capacity changes (ΔrC°p,m).
Security problems are incentives problems: we build defenses because people want to do things that (intentionally or inadvertently) cause harm. Yet, much research disregards systematic study of the motivations of smart, responsive, autonomous humans in the loop. Meanwhile, the maturing sciences of motivated behavior offer a growing body of theoretical, statistical, and laboratory evidence on systematic responses to motivations that can be incorporated in the system design toolkit. By adjusting incentives, it's sometimes possible to induce bad guys to stay out, encourage good guys to improve secure practices, and discourage otherwise good guys with system access from becoming delinquent.
The article reveals the importance of entrepreneurship, which is undergoing a revival stage, for the successful development of Russian society. In this regard, the author analyzes the question of what positive qualities of their predecessors could be borrowed by modern entrepreneurs. Without hushing up the negative characteristics of the manufacturers and breeders of the 19th - early 20th centuries, the authors focused on their business abilities, on their activity, primarily in production activities, on the ability to combine personal interests with national interests, on charity and patronage. The article emphasizes that it is important for a successful entrepreneur not only to continue the best traditions of Russian business, but also to notice new, advanced phenomena in the economy and society, be able to master them, achieve more in life, strive not only for personal wealth, but also take care of prosperity of the homeland.
Dialysis membranes made from regenerated cellulose are under dispute because of their alleged lack of hemocompatibility. The introduction of membranes from synthetically modified cellulose, like cellulose acetate or Hemophan, has proven, however, that hemocompatible membranes can be fabricated from cellulose by means of chemical surface modifications. In addition to membranes made from modified cellulose like ethers or esters, which were investigated in earlier experiments, we looked for further cellulose modifications to be assessed for their hemocompatibility. For this purpose, we synthesized a series of cellulose carbamate derivatives to profit from the excellent hemocompatibility pattern of the urethane family. In vitro investigations on membranes made from these cellulose modifications proved a direct relationship between the degree of modification and hemocompatibility. This was proven for the following 3 representative hemocompatibility parameters: complement C5a generation, thrombin-antithrombin (TAT) III formation, and platelet count (PC). As already shown for modifications made from cellulose esters, a direct dependency between improved hemocompatibility and the degree of substitution (DS) in the cellulose molecule could be found. In our experiments, a degree of substitution below a value of 0.1 led to a nearly complete suppression of complement activation for all cellulose carbamates under investigation. In contrast to data on cellulose esters, we observed that molecular weight or molecular conformation of chemical substituents exerted only a minor effect on the hemocompatibility pattern. In addition, data on cellulose carbamate esters (e.g., cellulose succinate-phenyl-carbamate) show that a simultaneous but balanced substitution with hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups at the surface of the cellulose polymer is a further prerequisite for optimal hemocompatibility. It seems that the carbamate configuration per se has a positive effect on the hemocompatibility pattern of synthetically modified cellulose membranes.
Background Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are notably involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis, progression, and treatment failure. In this article, we report the in silico development of a CAF-related prognostic signature for CRC. Methods We separately downloaded CRC transcription data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Deconvolution algorithms, including Estimating the Proportions of Immune and Cancer Cells and the Microenvironment Cell Population-counter, were used to calculate CAF abundance, while the Estimation of Stromal and Immune cells in Malignant Tumor tissues using Expression algorithm was used to calculate the stromal score. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm were used to identify CAF-related genes and prognostic signatures. Results We identified a three-gene, prognostic, CAF-related signature and defined risk groups based on the Riskscores. Multidimensional validations were applied to evaluate the robustness of the signature and its correlation with clinical parameters. We utilized Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) and oncoPredict algorithms to predict therapy responses and found that patients in low-risk groups are more sensitive to immunotherapy and chemotherapy drugs such as 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin. Finally, we used the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and Human Protein Atlas databases to evaluate the mRNA and protein levels encoded by the signature genes. Conclusions This novel CAF-related three-gene signature is expected to become a potential prognostic biomarker in CRC and predict chemotherapy and immunotherapy responses. It may be of considerable value for studying the tumor microenvironment in CRC.
The generation of laser-driven dense relativistic electron layers from ultra-thin foils and their use for coherent Thomson backscattering is discussed, applying analytic theory and one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation [1]. The blow-out regime is explored in which all foil electrons are separated from ions by direct laser action. The electrons follow the light wave close to its leading front. Single electron solutions are applied to initial acceleration, phase switching, and second-stage boosting. Coherently reflected light shows Doppler-shifted spectra, chirped over several octaves. The Doppler shift is found ∝γ<inf>x</inf><sup>2</sup> = 1/(1−β<inf>x</inf><sup>2</sup>), where β<inf>x</inf> is the electron velocity component in normal direction of the electron layer which is also the direction of the driving laser pulse. Due to transverse electron momentum p<inf>y</inf> , the Doppler shift by 4γ<inf>x</inf><sup>2</sup> = 4γ<sup>2</sup>/[1+(p<inf>y</inf><sup>2</sup>/mc)<sup>2</sup>] ≈ 2γ is significantly smaller than full shift of 4γ<sup>2</sup>. Methods to turn p<inf>y</inf>→0 and to recover the full Doppler shift are proposed and verified by 1D-PIC simulation. These methods open new ways to design intense single attosecond pulses. We also present an analytical formula for the reflectivity [2] and improved results for foil acceleration [3], based on the analytical theory of Kulagin et al. [4].
The popularity of 'Emotional Branding' and of ESP (Emotional Selling Proposition) was often based on the erroneous assumption that emotions can be simply 'glued' to brands by means of advertising. This assumption originated in the Classical Conditioning theory (you will recall Ivan Pavlov and his experiments with the salivating dogs). Today, this theory is largely obsolete, and thus abandoned as a means for modeling the human attribution of emotional significance. The unfortunate result of branding efforts based on these assumptions was the ineffectiveness of many branding campaigns. In other words, this kind of Emotional Branding is faking rather than making emotionally significant brands. It creates look-alikes. The symbolizations, the advertising, the packaging may evoke emotions and impress the untrained eye, but the brand will lack genuine feel appeal to its target consumers. In the e-booklet downloadable from this site, I set out to present a comprehensive account of why and how brands become (and can be designed to be) desirable even irresistible and achieve emotional significance. This summary outlines the approach in brief but please be aware that most of the theoretical buildup is beyond its scope and that it excludes the many practical guidelines and tips you can find in the e-booklet.
This is the first of two significant assessments of the geological energy potential of the U.S. The second one is U.S.G.S. Circular 790. Systems analyzed include: Hydrothermal convection systems (with estimates of potential for many specific sites in the West), Igneous related systems (related to current or recent volcanism), Estimates of the conductive transport of heat in most areas of CONUS, Recovery of heat from molten igneous systems (magma), and Geopressured geothermal energy in the Gulf Coast area. The significance of this report is that it began to give policy makers a first handle on the quantities and qualities of geothermal energy in the ground in much of the U.S. Economics (costs and revenues) are not considered. (DJE - 2005)
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of using direct electric current (DC) of 0, 200, and 400 mA for five minutes on the physiochemical properties, cytotoxicity, antibacterial, and antioxidant activity of sodium alginate hydrosols with different sodium chloride concentrations. The pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), electrical conductivity (EC), and available chlorine concentration (ACC) were measured. The effect of sodium alginate hydrosols treated with DC on Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Micrococcus luteus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Pseudomonas fluorescence, and RAW 264.7 and L929 cells was investigated. Subsequently, the antioxidant properties of hydrosols were evaluated by determining the scavenging ability of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). The results have shown that after applying 400 mA in hydrosol samples with 0.1% and 0.2% NaCl all tested bacteria were inactivated. The ACC concentration of C400 samples with NaCl was equal to 13.95 and 19.71 mg/L, respectively. The cytotoxicity analysis revealed that optimized electric field conditions and the addition of sodium chloride allow for the avoidance of toxicity effects on normal cells without disturbing the antibacterial effects. Due to the presence of oxidizing substances, the DPPH of variants treated with DC was lower than the DPPH of control samples.
The global pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to adapt to a new, fully online concept of education and a rapid digitalization to keep providing their services to learners. This paper reports on the digitalization process of the Independent Learning Center (ILC) and the Learning Advisory Program (LAP) unit at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University (AYBU), Turkey. The interrelated digitalization stories of the two units include the provision of learning resources and activities to learners with digital tools and their responses to the new format. Despite the challenges involved, the ILC has offered a considerably higher number of extracurricular activities than in face-to-face education days and reached a higher number of learners in the 2020-2021 academic year. As for the LAP, the participants’ reflections showed how opportunities for offering engaging activities in the LAP created a cascading impact of affordances for both the individual learners and the members of the larger community.
Most heterogeneous hydrogenation catalysts may be classified as metals, oxides or sulfides. It is mainly the transition metals or their oxides or sulfides, that are hydrogenation catalysts. Their activity probably is associated with having incompletely filled d orbitals; or, as with palladium and copper, the d orbitals are completely filled, but little energy is required to promote an electron from the d to the next higher s orbital. The platinum metals are by far the most active of these catalysts. Those of greatest use to the organic chemist have been platinum and palladium among the platinum metal group,’ the active component of copper chromite, from the metal oxide group. The sulfides of the base metals have long been used as hydrogenation catalysts, though usually at relatively high temperatures and pressures. Several of these sulfides, particularly those of rhenium, cobalt and molybdenum, have sufficient activity to be useful to the organic ~ h e m i s t . ~ More recently, the sulfides of the platinum metals have been found to be an important class of heterogeneous hydrogenation catalysts? In general, they behave like the base metal sulfides, but usually are considerably more active and more stable under hydrogenation conditions. They have been used effectively as bulk or supported catalysts, either preformed or prepared in situ, and in both liquid phase and vapor phase hydrogenations. Unsupported, bulk sulfides of each of the platinum metals were prepared by methods, or modifications of methods, described in the literature. In some cases, the catalyst was prepared and isolated; in other cases, the catalyst was prepared in situ in an autoclave in the presence of a hydrogenation reaction mixture. In addition, supported sulfides of ruthenium, rhodium, and platinum were also used. No attempt was made to ascertain their chemical compositions. The relevant literature”’ suggests the following compositions: palladium sulfide, PdS; platinum disulfide, PtS2; iridium sesquisulfide, Ir2S3. The sulfides of rhodium, ruthenium and osmium have stoichiometries that have not been fully elucidated. The sulfides of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium and platinum were investigated in some detail. It is well known that relative catalyst activities depend both on the particular hydrogenation being tested, and on methods of catalyst preparation. In general, however, it appears that rhodium sulfide is the most active catalyst, palladium sulfide the least active, and the sulfides of ruthenium and platinum in between and of comparable activity. Platinum sulfide usually is the catalyst of choice, based on overall considerations of activity, selectivity, cost and commercial availability. The platinum metal sulfides are not sufficiently active to be useful in low pressure equipment like the Parr shaker, but are quite practical in conventional laboratory autoclaves at moderate temperatures and pressures. It is convenient, but not absolutely necessary, to reserve one or more autoclaves for sulfided catalysts to avoid contamination in subsequent experiments with nonsulfided catalysts. Typical platinum metal sulfides, because of their insensitivity to poisons, have
Governments around the world rely on environmental impact assessment (EIA) to provide rigorous analyses and an accurate appraisal of the risks and benefits of development. But how rigorous are the analyses conducted in EIAs, and how do they compare across nations? We evaluate the output from EIAs for jurisdictions in seven countries, focusing on scope (temporal and spatial), mitigation actions, and impact significance determination, which is integral for decision-making. We find that in all jurisdictions, the number of identified significant adverse impacts was consistently small (or nonexistent), regardless of context. Likely contributing to this uniformity, we find that the scopes of analyses are consistently narrower than warranted ecologically and toxicologically, many proposed mitigation measures are assumed to be effective with little to no justification,and that the professional judgement of developer-paid consultants is overwhelmingly the determinant of impact significance, with no transparent account of the reasoning processes involved. EIA can be salvaged as a rigorous, credible decision-aiding tool if rigor is enforced in assessment methodologies, regulators are empowered to enforce rigor, and pro-development conflict of interest is avoided.
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Auditory Behavior in Everyday Life (ABEL) questionnaire.   METHOD The ABEL questionnaire was translated into Turkish using the "back-translation" method. The study included 130 parents of children with cochlear implantation, and 126 parents of children with typical hearing were included as a control group. In the study group, there were 62 unilateral and 68 bilateral cochlear implant (CI) users. The age at implantation ranged from 1 to 10 years, as they have substantial auditory skills. The participants' parents completed the ABEL individually, and 73 parents (28, study group; 45, control group) completed the ABEL again for test-retest reliability. Construct validity was tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistency was tested using Cronbach's alpha. Spearman's correlation test was used to assess the external validity of the total and all subscales of the ABEL and the Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale (MAIS). Test-retest reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient.   RESULTS The Cronbach's α values for subscales ranged from .67 to .89, and the value was .93 (excellent) for the overall scale. External validity analyses showed moderate to strong correlations between the total and subscale scores of the ABEL and the MAIS, indicating high external validity. According to the CFA findings, the construct validity of the Turkish version of the ABEL was satisfactory. For the three-factor structure, the goodness-of-fit indices revealed a good fit, and only the normed fit index revealed an acceptable fit.   CONCLUSION The Turkish version of the ABEL is a reliable and valid assessment tool for children with CIs.
In 1991, Chang and Wu proposed a broadcasting cryptosystem using interpolating polynomials and geometric properties of circles. The Chang-Wu scheme can be further enforced by using a time-variant parameter and a one-way function to protect legal receivers' secrets from being disclosed. The authors present an improvement of the Chang-Wu scheme using geometric properties of lines. This improvement repairs the security flaws inherent in the original Chang-Wu scheme, while requiring fewer public parameters and less computing time.
A wireless device's energy can be saved by putting it into the sleeping mode (power saving mode, PSM) or decreasing its transmission power (transmission power control, TPC) which prolongs the packet transmission time. However, decreasing one's transmission power would prevent others from transmitting their packets. Clearly, there are complex interactions when each tries to optimize its own energy efficiency. Therefore, in this paper we are considering the problem of optimizing the energy efficiency for all wireless devices in the network with the constraint that they are all stable. In particular, we consider the polling-based MAC protocols with phase grouping and mobile grouping schedules, and we employ both the PSM and TPC to save the energy. We have formulated stability-constrained optimization problems for them, and have proposed an iterative algorithm to compute the optimal power allocations for the wireless devices. We have conducted a lot of experiments to validate the accuracy of the algorithm and to evaluate the gains in the energy efficiency for the two schedules. The mobile grouping schedule is found to be much more energy efficient than the PG schedule, especially when the downlink traffic is higher than the uplink traffic. We have also studied the impact of the optimized schedules on the delay performance.
PURPOSE We conducted a multicenter study to investigate the current status of difference between the actual values at the patient entrance reference point (PERP) and display air kerma.   METHODS We exposure dose and fluoroscopy dose were measured by 32 apparatuses at 32 member institutions of the Japanese Society of Circulation Imaging Technology (CITEC) under unified conditions, and the actual measured values and display air kerma were compared. We entrance doses during fluoroscopy and imaging were measured at the PERP, with focus detector distance (FDD) 110 cm, a copper plate of 3.5 mm in thickness adhered to the front face of flat panel detector (FPD) as absorber, field-of-view (FOV) 18 cm, and the frame rate of 15 f/s, excluding the bed. Display air kerma were recorded at the same time. JIS (Z 4751-2-43: 2012) specify "The reference air kerma rate and the cumulative reference air kerma shall not deviate from their respective display air kerma by more than ±35% over the range of 6 mGy/min and 100 mGy to the maximum value." The number of apparatuses display air kerma deviated from this condition and its percentage were obtained.   RESULTS The mean difference percentage between actual measured values and display air kerma in 32 apparatuses was approximately 15.6%, with some apparatuses showing substantially different display air kerma.   CONCLUSION In order to estimate patients' skin exposure dose from display air kerma more accurately, it is necessary to perform calibration of the apparatus by regular dose measurement or convert values.
The effect of skill level, age and sex on worker satisfaction and job attitudes of blue-collar employees was determined in unionized and non-unionized Mexican industrial companies. The higher skilled workers showed significantly greater worker satisfaction and job attitudes than lesser skilled employees. The older employees demonstrated significantly better worker satisfaction and job attitudes than their younger counterparts. The female employees were significantly higher in worker satisfaction and job attitudes than male workers. The non-unionized employees exhibited significantly greater worker satisfaction and job attitudes than unionized workers.
Geogames are location-based games played in outdoor environments. Many use a time out mechanism to balance game play. Little is known on how this affects player motivation in learning experiences. We report evidence from an explorative empirical study which indicates that the perceived choice of a player has impact on the enjoyment of the learning experience. We identify the spatial choices of the players from their GPS tracks and describe game design decisions that affect the number of spatial choices available to a player.
OBJECTIVES To investigate the characteristics of auditory processing (AP) in preschool children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using Preschool Auditory Processing Assessment Scale (hereafter referred to as "auditory processing scale").   METHODS A total of 41 children with ADHD and 41 typically developing (TD) children were assessed using the auditory processing scale, SNAP-IV rating scale, and Conners' Kiddie Continuous Performance Test (K-CPT). The auditory processing scale score was compared between the TD and ADHD groups. The correlations of the score with SNAP-IV and K-CPT scores were assessed.   RESULTS Compared with the TD group, the ADHD group had significantly higher total score of the auditory processing scale and scores of all dimensions except visual attention (P<0.05). In the children with ADHD, the attention deficit dimension score of the SNAP-IV rating scale was positively correlated with the total score of the auditory processing scale (rs30=0.531, P<0.05; rs27=0.627, P<0.05) as well as the scores of its subdimensions, including auditory decoding (rs=0.628, P<0.05), auditory attention (rs=0.492, P<0.05), and communication (rs=0.399, P<0.05). The hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score of the SNAP-IV rating scale was positively correlated with the hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score of the auditory processing scale (rs=0.429, P<0.05). In the children with ADHD, the attention deficit dimension score of the K-CPT was positively correlated with the total score (rs30=0.574, P<0.05; rs27=0.485, P<0.05) and the hyperactivity-impulsivity dimension score (rs=0.602, P<0.05) of the auditory processing scale.   CONCLUSIONS Preschool children with ADHD have the risk of AP abnormalities, and the auditory processing scale should be used early for the screening and evaluation of AP abnormalities in children.
This study highlights erosion of sandy coasts and river mouths in Miyagi Prefecture due to The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami, based on a field investigation and aerial photograph analysis. Mechanism of beach erosion due to the tsunami is classified into three types considering geological formation and coastal structures. Furthermore, complete flushing of sand spit and severe breaching of coastal barrier are observed at several river entrances, which is one of the distinct differences as compared with tsunami disasters caused by The 2010 Great Chilean Earthquake Tsunami. The findings of this study may be useful for preparing for tsunami disaster prevention and preparedness in Japan.
Depression frequently accompanies Parkinson’s disease and often precedes the onset of motor symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of depression on motor compensation in patients with de novo Parkinson’s disease. This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 474 non-demented patients with de novo Parkinson’s disease (mean age, 64.6±9.8 years; 242 men) who underwent both dopamine transporter PET scan and depression assessment using the Beck Depression Inventory at baseline. Patients were classified into tertiles by Beck Depression Inventory score. At baseline, high-tertile group (Beck Depression Inventory score ≥15, n = 157) showed more severe motor deficits and lower cognitive function than low-tertile group (Beck Depression Inventory score ≤7, n = 158, P = 0.034 and P = 0.008, respectively). Greater motor deficits in high-tertile group than low-tertile group remained significant after controlling for dopamine transporter binding in the posterior putamen, as well as other confounding variables. During follow-up of a median duration of 47 months, high-tertile group received higher levodopa-equivalent doses for symptom control than did low-tertile group after controlling for age, gender, and initial motor deficit severity. These results demonstrate that depression in de novo Parkinson’s disease is associated with motor deficit severity at baseline and dose of PD medications during follow-up, suggesting that the presence of depression in de novo Parkinson’s disease represents poor motor compensation.
The cytomorphologic effects of cobaltous chloride on alpha cells and pancreatic acini of the guinea pig, as revealed by light microscopy, have been described.''' Distinct vacuolization and degranulation of the alpha cells occurs only after two to three daily injections of cobalt. Van Campenhout reported that partial degranulation and clear spaces near the nuclei occurred in some alpha cells during the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours of treatment but the majority of them appeared normal. Fodden did not find any cytologic changes in the alpha cells during this time. The purpose of this project was to utilize the higher powers of magnification and resolution obtained by electron microscopy for the detection of possible changes in the ultrastructure of the alpha cells during this initial period. It was hoped that these findings would indicate the origin and mode of formation of the vacuoles as well as provide evidence for either a direct or indirect action of cobalt on the alpha cells. This study was feasible since the electron microscopic differentiation and characterization of normal islet cells of the guinea pig had been accomplished previously. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventeen guinea pigs of both sexes weighing 300425 gm. were used. Three served as controls. The remainder were injected subcutaneously daily with 25 mg. per kg. of body weight of cobaltous chloride as a 0.5 per cent solution in saline. On each of five consecutive days, two of the animals were killed starting twenty-four hours after the first injection, and at six and thirteen days one each was killed. In two animals, the daily injections were stopped after five days and they were killed eight days after the last injection. The method of preparing the tissue for electron microscopy was essentially the same as described previously.' A portion of the tail of the pancreas was removed immediately after the death of the animal and placed in a few drops of 1 per cent osmic acid-dichromate solution. The tissue was cut into small (1 mm.) pieces with a sharp razor blade while immersed in the fixative. They were then transferred to a 1 per cent osmic acid-dichromate solution buffered to a pH of j.6~ and were fixed for one hour at room temperature. They were dehydrated with a graded series of ethanol solutions and embedded in a mixture of eight parts butyl and one part methyl methacrylate. The methacrylate was polymerized at 60 ° C. for twenty-four hours and benzoyl peroxide was used as a catalyst. A uniform schedule was used for fixation, dehydration and embedding all of the pancreatic tissue in order to decrease the possibility of artifacts occurring from variations in these procedures. Sections of the pancreas were cut on a Servall microtome using glass knives. The islets were localized within the blocks of pancreas by examining relatively thick sections (2-3 /*) with a phase microscope. Thin sections of the islets and pancreatic acini were examined in an RCA electron microscope (EMU 3B) without removing the plastic. The electron micrographs were taken at original magnification of 2,000 to 6,000 diameters and enlarged photographically. A portion of pancreas from each animal was also fixed in Bouin's fluid for eighteen to twenty-four hours, dehydrated and embedded in paraffin for light microscopic examination. The paraffin sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, chrome alum hematoxylin, aldehyde fuchsin and the periodic acid Schiff reaction for glycogen. A portion of pancreas was also fixed in cobalt-formol and frozen sections of this were stained with Oil Red O and Sudan Black B for lipid. OBSERVATIONS
This chapter will provide a brief theoretical overview of the STF and outline its capacity as a theoretical and practical map or frame of reference for career counselling. For a more comprehensive description of the STF readers are referred to Patton and McMahon (2014). The application of the STF to career counselling – in particular, the story-telling approach – is overviewed and a practical application provided.
In this paper, the method of wavelet domain adaptive filtering was used to de-noise NMR echo data. Numerical simulation was used to compare the relationship between the SNR of NMR echo data and the results of T2 spectrum inversion before and after the de-noising procedure. The effectiveness of the wavelet domain adaptive filtering in the de-noising of NMR data was demonstrated. Compared with the traditional wavelet threshold de-noising, this adaptive de-noising method can obtain higher SNR results without the loss of useful signal.
The purpose of the present paper is to provide an advanced overview of the practical applications of Banking 4.0 in Industry 4.0. This paper examines the technology trends in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and identifies the key indicators behind the creation of a strategic map for the fourth-generation banks and their readiness to enter Industry 4.0. This paper examines a systematic review of fully integrated Banking 4.0 and the application of the technologies of Industry 4.0 and illustrates a distinct pattern of integration of Banking 4.0 and Industry 4.0. One of the prominent features of this article is the performance of successful global banks in applying these technologies. The results showed that Banking 4.0 in Industry 4.0 is an integrative value creation system consisting of six design principles and 14 technology trends. The roadmap designed for banks to enter Industry 4.0 and how they work with industrial companies will be a key and important guide.
In this large, retrospective cohort of more than 6,500 older adults, it was found that Friday was the most common day for hospital discharge. Discharge on Friday was not associated with greater risk of readmission than discharge on other days of the week after adjusting for individual and hospital stay factors. The results indicate that the volume of discharges varies according to day of the week, possibly reflecting patients’ characteristics and hospital practice patterns, but there were insufficient data to determine that the greater volume of discharges resulted in greater readmission rates for hospitalized older adults. Although it is reassuring that this study did not find that greater volume of discharges compromised the quality of care, it may be hard to assess a small difference in risk with this study. To further investigate the relationship between Friday discharge and readmission, future studies using large, comprehensive databases are needed.
Collision risk and close interactions of cetacean with marine renewable energy (MRE) devices are among the main concerns and the least documented of the list of potential impacts of MRE. In this study, we developed a method to track in three dimensions click trains emitted by cetaceans in a close vicinity to MRE devices. We deployed two synchronized directional recording arrays 150 m apart from each other near Cherbourg (France). With an acoustic tag VEMCO© placed at several depths we performed transects with several trajectories simulating the potential behaviors (diving, surfacing, avoidance, and attraction) and click production of delphinidae. Thanks to the directional recording arrays and by crossing the direction of arrival of the same sounds calculated on each array, we build 3D maps of the synthetic clicks. We manage to reconstruct the trajectories (absolute positions x, y, and z in meters) of the emitter. In the areas located 100 m upstream and downstream of the two recording arrays, the location accuracy is maximum. This method could also be used to prove the departure and the non-return of cetacean from an exclusion zone. Moreover, this approach has been designed to be operational for the monitoring of cetaceans in environmental impact assessment studies. Collision risk and close interactions of cetacean with marine renewable energy (MRE) devices are among the main concerns and the least documented of the list of potential impacts of MRE. In this study, we developed a method to track in three dimensions click trains emitted by cetaceans in a close vicinity to MRE devices. We deployed two synchronized directional recording arrays 150 m apart from each other near Cherbourg (France). With an acoustic tag VEMCO© placed at several depths we performed transects with several trajectories simulating the potential behaviors (diving, surfacing, avoidance, and attraction) and click production of delphinidae. Thanks to the directional recording arrays and by crossing the direction of arrival of the same sounds calculated on each array, we build 3D maps of the synthetic clicks. We manage to reconstruct the trajectories (absolute positions x, y, and z in meters) of the emitter. In the areas located 100 m upstream and downstream of the two recording arrays, the location ...
Pigmentary tumors have been known since the antiquity, being called by CELSIUS “melas”, due to their black color. In 1806, LAENNEC introduced the term “melanosis” for the pigmentary skin disorder, also making a first classification: encapsulated melanosis, infiltrative melanosis and diffuse melanosis.  In 1837, CARSWELL proposed the term melanoma for malignant pigmentary tumors, and in 1864 VIRCHOW classified melanomas into three types, depending on their macroscopic structure: simple melanoma, characterized by tumor cell agglomerations situated in the connective tissue; melanocarcinoma, characterized by alveolar or cord-like proliferations; melanosarcoma, characterized by a fusocellular structure. VIRCHOW described the structure of mixed melanic and amelanotic tumors.  In 1969, CLARK et al. published a classification of pigmentary tumors, estimating the invasion level of melanoma depending on the degree of involvement of anatomo-physiological structures of the skin. One year later, in 1970, BRESLOW proposed the assessment of the malignancy grade by measuring the maximal tumor invasion thickness.  The melanocytic system is formed by melanotic cells of epithelioid and dendritic types, disseminated among the cells of the epidermal basal layer. These are precursors of melanoblasts that migrate from embryonic neural crests up to the skin; the nervous (neuroectodermal) origin of the melanocytic system is unanimously accepted  For the purpose of uniform terminology in human and veterinary oncology, we present the corresponding terms used for the various forms of melanogenic tumors, according to GOURREAU et al. (1995
A three‐week double‐blind randomized study was carried out to compare the effect of Diprosone cream 0.05% with Synalar cream 0.01%. Forty patients suffering from psoriasis and other steroid responsive dermatoses were included in the study. The disease status was carefully monitored throughout the period of the study and parameters were measured to determine the efficacy, onset of action, tolerance and cosmetic acceptability of the two preparations under study. It was concluded that both preparations were efficacious in the treatment of psoriasis and other steroid responsive dermatoses, and that there was no statistically significant difference between the two preparations in the parameters evaluated, other than in the treatment of psoriasis when the parameter of scaling was measured.
Abstract As previously reported, activation of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-adrenal cortical axis in rats with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) reduces their growth and circulating insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels and induces a resistance to growth hormone (GH) and IGF-I. The studies reported herein were conducted to determine whether the pituitary and/or adrenal gland influence the changes in basal and GH-stimulated serum concentrations of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) in rats with IDDM. Male rats were made diabetic by injections of streptozotocin. Intact nondiabetic (NonDb), diabetic (Db), hypophysectomized diabetic (HxDb), and adrenalectomized diabetic (AxDb) rats were injected twice daily with 50 μg porcine (p) GH or with 0.9% saline for 2 weeks following the surgeries. Changes in serum IGFBP concentrations were determined by Western ligand- or immuno-blot analysis. Neither IGFBP-5 nor −6 was detected in any of the treatment groups. Induction of IDDM increased serum concentrations of IGFBP-1 and −2 and reduced those of IGFBP-3 and −4. Although serum IGFBP-1 and −2 concentrations remained elevated in the HxDb rats compared with the NonDb controls, IGFBP-1 levels were reduced compared with those in the Db controls. Serum IGFBP-3 and −4 were reduced to levels below those in Db controls. Although IGFBP-3 and −4 concentrations were elevated to normal in AxDb rats, the IGFBP-2 concentration was increased above those in both NonDb and Db rats and the IGFBP-1 concentration was reduced. Administration of pGH increased serum IGFBP-4 concentrations in all groups and IGFBP-3 concentrations in all groups except the Db. In addition, pGH reduced the concentration of IGFBP-1 in HxDb rats and nearly abolished it in AxDb rats, but had no effect on IGFBP-1 concentration in NonDb or Db rats. Administration of corticosterone (B; 25 μg/ml of 0.9% saline drinking water) to AxDb rats restored Db-like profiles of all IGFBPs.
Linkage regulations tie generic drug approval and, thus, access to essential medications to existing drug patents through potentially long and costly litigation. The linkage regime is in the process of rapidly spreading worldwide through international free trade agreements. Even so, very little is known about how the regulations work in developed nations let alone how they impact public health systems across international borders. The authors constitute a network of eleven health policy experts and practicing lawyers in nine countries including those with mature linkage regulations, those with new regulations, those without regulations but with practices that parallel linkage, and those where regulations are currently subject to intense public debate and litigation.
In this paper, the issue of dynamical output <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H} _{ infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> controller designing is addressed for the fuzzy input-output (FIO) model. The FIO model is significantly distinctive from the conventional Mamdani and T-S or T-S-K fuzzy models and can be conveniently used to describe more complicated dynamical systems that cannot be easily handled by the conventional fuzzy models. By using the robust control theory available for both the linear and fuzzy systems, sufficient conditions in terms of the linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) are derived to synthesize a dynamical output feedback <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${H} _{ infty }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> controller for the FIO plant. These LMI conditions can be numerically and efficiently solved by the existing convex optimization software, e.g., the MATALB LMI toolbox. Moreover, a motor-spring-mass system abstracted from the real applications is provided to validate the applicability and efficiency of our method.
Cyber security executes a useful function in the information technology sector. Recently, keeping the data in the secured area has grown one of the most rebuts recently. In the cyber security field the first thought that would be concerned is a cybercrime that is regular intensifying extremely. Several states and organizations are getting lots of techniques of avoiding these cybercrimes. Besides several techniques cyber security is still larger impact to the entire community. This research basically persist on rebuts endured by cyber security on current technologies. Also, the orientations modify the image of cyber security and it pursues on current ethics and cyber security techniques.
Background: Streptococcus agalactiae is a normal commensal of the human gastro-intestinal and female genital tracts. It causes serious disease in neonates and pregnant women, as well as non-pregnant adults. Food-borne outbreaks have also been described. A link between invasive Group B streptococcus (GBS) infection in humans caused by S. agalactiae serotype III-4, sequence type 283 (ST283) and the consumption of raw fresh-water fish was first described in Singapore in 2015. Case presentation: We report the simultaneous occurrence of acute fever and myalgia in two sisters who were visiting Laos. Both were found to have invasive GBS ST283 infection, confirmed by blood culture. Infection was temporally linked to fish consumption. They responded well to intravenous antibiotics within 48 hours. Conclusions: Food-borne transmission of Streptococcus agalactiae is an important and under-recognised source of serious human disease throughout Southeast Asia and possibly beyond.
We have designed and fabricated an active pixel sensor(APS) using an optimized n-well/gate-tied p-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor(PMOSFET)-type photodetector with a built-in transfer gate. This photodetector has a floating gate connected to n-well and a built-in transfer gate. The photodetector has been optimized by changing the length of the transfer gate. The APS has been fabricated using a 0.35 standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor(CMOS) process. It was confirmed that the proposed APS has a wider dynamic range than the APS using the previously proposed photodetector and a higher sensitivity than the conventional APS using a p-n junction photodiode.
Animal presence unsettles practices of spectatorship and reframes assumptions about embodiment and affect in four differently exemplary animal performances, including one dating back to the 18th century. In all of them, the ethics of watching other animals, human or nonhuman, and the call for evaluation and judgment is complicated by recognition of the multiplicitous and mysterious nature of pain and pleasure.
In this work, a novel symmetric cryptosystem for image encryption is presented. The Symmetric Cryptosystem of the Elliptic Curve (SCEC) can resist damage to encrypted figures, up to 40% of the original figure. SCEC uses chaos to generate an $8 times {8}$ S-box with high nonlinearity to avoid the linear attack. A random permutation is used before starting encryption, making the cryptosystem more robust. For testing, damage according to four types of noise was applied to the encrypted images: additive, multiplicative, Gaussian, or occlusion. The median filter was applied to correct the damage in encrypted images, improving its sharpness, and a new measure, the Similarity Parameter (SP), is proposed to evaluate the difference between the original image and the decrypted image with damage. Several parameters and tests were applied to evaluate the performance of SCEC, from the encryption quality to the resistance to the differential attack. Experimental results indicate that SCEC has high-quality cryptographic properties, very much similar to the corresponding values of AES but with the addition of a high protection to noise damage on the encrypted images.
Recursive-least-square (RLS) algorithm is widely used in many areas with real-time implementation using digital signal processors. In this paper, the authors present a pure hardware implementation of a self-tuning regulator (STR) that uses a real-time RLS algorithm as the parameter estimator. The STR contains a controller design circuit and a controller circuit. Due to RLS computation-precision and dynamic-range requirements, the hardware implementation uses a floating-point format. The floating-point processing elements presented in this paper use parameterized design, where the number of exponents and mantissa bits can be changed as the data range and the accuracy of a specific application require. The strategies for overcoming the covariance matrix asymmetrical problem during the hardware computation and the covariance matrix resetting is introduced when the system is poorly exciting are presented. The design was verified with real-time experiments using a new testbed. The experiment results are presented.
We propose a novel neutrino mixing pattern in terms of only two small integers 1 and 2 together with their square roots and the imaginary number i. This ansatz is referred to as the "tetra-maximal" mixing because it can be expressed as a product of four rotation matrices, whose mixing angles are all pi/4 in the complex plane. It predicts theta(12) = arctan(2 - root 2) approximate to 30.4 degrees, theta(13) = arcsin[(root 2 - 1)/(2 root 2)] approximate to 8.4 degrees, theta(23) = 45 degrees and delta = 90 degrees in the standard parametrization, and the Jarlskog invariant of leptonic CP violation is found to be J = 1/32. These results are compatible with current data and can soon be tested in a variety of neutrino oscillation experiments. Implications of the tetra-maximal neutrino mixing on the decays of doubly-charged Higgs bosons H(+/-+/-) -> l(alpha)(+/-)l(beta)(+/-) (for alpha, beta = e, mu, tau) are also discussed in the triplet seesaw mechanism at the TeV scale, which will be explored at the upcoming LHC.
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been shown to induce proliferation of human T‐lymphocytes only in the presence of monocytes and CD34+ hematopoietic cells (HCs) from peripheral blood. This finding provided evidence of an active role of CD34+ HCs during inflammation and immunological events. To investigate mechanisms by which CD34+ HCs become activated and exert their immune‐modulatory function, we used the human CD34+ acute myeloid leukemia cell line KG‐1a and CD34+ bone marrow cells (BMCs). We showed that culture supernatants of LPS‐stimulated mononuclear cells (SUPLPS) as well as tumor necrosis factor α (ΤNF‐α), but not LPS alone, can activate nuclear factor‐κB in KG‐1a cells. By cDNA subtraction and multiplex polymerase chain reaction, we revealed differential expression of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein‐1, inhibitor of κB (IκB)/IκBα (MAD‐3), and intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) in SUPLPS‐stimulated KG‐1a cells and up‐regulation of interferon (IFN)‐inducible T cell‐chemoattractant, interleukin (IL)‐8, macrophage‐inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α), MIP‐1β, RANTES, CD70, granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor, and IL‐1β in stimulated KG‐1a cells and CD34+ BMCs. Although monokine induced by IFN‐γ, IFN‐inducible protein 10, and IFN‐γ were exclusively up‐regulated in KG‐1a cells, differential expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1), macrophage‐derived chemokine, myeloid progenitor inhibitory factor‐2, and IL‐18 receptor was only detectable in CD34+ BMCs. More importantly, CD34+ BMCs stimulated by TNF‐α also showed enhanced secretion of MCP‐1, MIP‐1α, MIP‐1β, and IL‐8, and increased ICAM‐1 protein expression could be detected in stimulated KG‐1a cells and CD34+ BMCs. Furthermore, we revealed that T cell proliferation can be induced by TNF‐α‐stimulated KG‐1a cells, which is preventable by blocking anti‐ICAM‐1 monoclonal antibodies. Our results demonstrate that CD34+ HCs have the potential to express a variety of immune‐regulatory mediators upon stimulation by inflammatory cytokines including TNF‐α, which may contribute to innate‐ and adaptive‐immune processes.
The electrocaloric (EC) effect in a BaTiO3 single crystal oriented along the [001] direction has been studied by direct high-resolution EC measurements in the vicinity of the field-induced critical point. It is shown that the observed behavior of the EC temperature change , as well as the heat capacity anomalies are in good agreement with the predictions of the Landau theory. We also present the electric field-temperature phase diagram for the field-induced paraelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition line, derived from the calculated latent heat.
Permeability is an important property of drug candidates. The Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line (MDCK) permeability assay is widely used and the primary concern of using MDCK cells is the presence of endogenous transporters of nonhuman origin. The canine P-glycoprotein (Pgp) can interfere with permeability and transporter studies, leading to less reliable data. A new cell line, MDCKII-LE (low efflux), has been developed by selecting a subpopulation of low-efflux cells from MDCKII-WT using an iterative fluorescence-activated cell sorting technique with calcein-AM as a Pgp and efflux substrate. MDCKII-LE cells are a subpopulation of MDCKII cells with over 200-fold lower canine Pgp mRNA level and fivefold lower protein level than MDCKII-WT. MDCKII-LE cells showed less functional efflux activity than MDCKII-WT based on efflux ratios. Notably, MDCKII-MDR1 showed about 1.5-fold decreased expression of endogenous canine Pgp, suggesting that using the net flux ratio might not completely cancel out the background endogenous transporter activities. MDCKII-LE cells offer clear advantages over the MDCKII-WT by providing less efflux transporter background signals and minimizing interference from canine Pgp. The MDCKII-LE apparent permeability values well differentiates compounds from high to medium/low human intestinal absorption and can be used for Biopharmaceutical Classification System. The MDCKII-LE permeability assay (4-in-1 cassette dosing) is high throughput with good precision, reproducibility, robustness, and cost-effective.
The low-energy spectra of gamma-ray bursts’ (GRBs) prompt emission are closely related to the energy distribution of electrons, which is further regulated by their cooling processes. We develop a numerical code to calculate the evolution of the electron distribution with given initial parameters, in which three cooling processes (i.e., adiabatic, synchrotron, and inverse Compton cooling) and the effect of a decaying magnetic field are coherently considered. A sequence of results is presented by exploring the plausible parameter space for both the fireball and the Poynting flux–dominated regime. Different cooling patterns for the electrons can be identified, and they are featured by a specific dominant cooling mechanism. Our results show that the hardening of the low-energy spectra can be attributed to the dominance of synchrotron self-Compton cooling within the internal shock model or to decaying synchrotron cooling within the Poynting flux–dominated jet scenario. These two mechanisms can be distinguished by observing the hard low-energy spectra of isolated short pulses in some GRBs. The dominance of adiabatic cooling can also lead to hard low-energy spectra when the ejecta is moving at an extreme relativistic speed. The information from the time-resolved low-energy spectra can help to probe the physical characteristics of the GRB ejecta via our numerical results.
Ionized cluster beams are used for surface microstructuring via mask projective surface bombardment. Beams of CO2 clusters with about 1000 molecules per unit charge are accelerated to 100 keV kinetic energy for eroding bulk diamond, CVD diamond films, single-crystalline silicon, or glass, among others. Patterning is achieved via physical as well as chemical surface erosion. Very smooth eroded surfaces result for bulk diamond, silicon and glass. Polycrystalline quartz and strongly faceted CVD diamond films are effectively planarized. Atomic force microscopy of isolated impact structures reveals hillocks instead of craters, while less frequent but more energetic projectiles generate higher peaks. The relaxation of transitory craters is ascribed to the elastic rebound of fluidized impacted surface material.
The working women isn’t a new phenomenon in the modern society. Through their carrier, they try to find meaning, identity and achievement that bring confidence to their life. However, there is still a problem regarding the bias gender related to the quality and capabilities of women in the work field. Femina as one of women magazine realize that women also need information that can help them to attributes and give the self identity in the role of society. This research aim at how Femina talks about girl power in several articles by Gamson and Modigliane framwork in two core structures and condensing symbol frames.
The history of the Jurchen studies in Russia is more than a century and a half old. In the course of their development of it as a subdiscipline, Russian scholars of Jurchen studies have produced a number of interesting and valuable publications that have combined the use of written sources with the study of the archeological sites. However, for a long time, these scholars paid little atten­ tion to bone remains. Only in the 1970s did Russian specialists begin to study osteological materials intensively and this research has yielded a great deal of information about agriculture and other cultural practices of the Jurchen as well as Bohai peoples. Despite this fact, the findings of osteological studies in the Russian Far East remain practically unknown in the Western academic world, largely because Russian scholars have not commonly published in English. The Jurchen (Chinese reading: 女真 / 女真, Russian: чжурчжэни, Korean: 여진) tribes inhabited areas of the modern Russian Far East (southern part), North Korea and North and Central China from the eleventh to the sixteenth century. The Jurchen established several states, the most powerful of which were the Jin Empire (The Golden Empire) (金) (1115–1234) and Qing Empire (清) (1644–1912). The influence that the Jurchen tribal confederations of both periods—but especially the latter—came to exert on the course of the history of China has been well documented. The study in Russia of the Jurchen and Bohai peoples began in the period 1820–1850 when Nikita Bichurin (Archimandrite Iakinf) (Никита Бичурин (архимандрит Иакинф), Viacheslav Gorskij (Вячеслав Горский) and Vasilii Vasil’ev (Василий Васильев) translated several Manchurian, Chinese and Korean texts about the Jin Empire. Yet, despite finding many Jurchen sites
This paper presents a model of short-run profit maximization by an industrial firm utilizing a disaster-prone technology. The firm's decisions about output rate and accident prevention activities are shown to be jointly determined by market demand, production cost, and prospective accident loss data. Various institutional reasons are given for believing that, in the absence of government safety regulations, even a risk-neutral management is likely to choose an excessively high probability of a Bhopal-style disaster. Copyright 1988 by WWZ and Helbing & Lichtenhahn Verlag AG
Heterostructuring electrodes with multiple electroactive and inactive supporting components to simultaneously satisfy electrochemical and structural requirements has recently been identified as a viable pathway to achieve high‐capacity and durable sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). Here, a new design of heterostructured SIB anode is reported consisting of double metal‐sulfide (SnCo)S2 nanocubes interlaced with 2D sulfur‐doped graphene (SG) nanosheets. The heterostructured (SnCo)S2/SG nanocubes exhibit an excellent rate capability (469 mAh g−1 at 10.0 A g−1) and durability (5000 cycles, 487 mAh g−1 at 5.0 A g−1, 92.6% capacity retention). In situ X‐ray diffraction reveals that the (SnCo)S2/SG anode undergoes a six‐stage Na+ storage mechanism of combined intercalation, conversion, and alloying reactions. The first‐principle density functional theory calculations suggest high concentration of p–n heterojunctions at SnS2/CoS2 interfaces responsible for the high rate performance, while in situ transmission electron microscopy unveils that the interlacing and elastic SG nanosheets play a key role in extending the cycle life.
The paper is devoted to the analysis of the history of the creation of the laser as one of the greatest technical inventions of the 20th century. This paper focuses on establishing a relation between the periodization of the stages of creation and implementation of certain types of lasers, with their influence on the invention of certain types of equipment and industrial technologies for processing the materials, the development of certain branches of the economy, and scientific-technological progress as a whole. In preparing the paper, the generally accepted methods, which are widely used in the preparation of historical research works, have been applied: the historical method – for the study and interpretation of the texts of primary sources and the search for other evidence used for research, as well as for the presentation of historical events associated with the development of laser technology; the historical-genetic method – for studying the genesis of specific historical phenomena and analyzing the causality of changes in the development of laser technology; the historical-critical method – for displaying cause-and-effect relationships, reconstructing events that influenced the development of laser technology; the method of historical periodization. The variety of different possible options for the use of lasers did not allow placing all the collected materials within the framework of one paper, and therefore, the authors have decided to dwell on the facts, which, in the opinion of the paper’s authors, are the most interesting, significant, poorly studied, and little known. The paper discusses the stages of: invention of the first laser; creation of the first commercial lasers; development of the first applications of lasers in industrial technologies for processing the materials. Special attention is paid to the “patent wars” that accompanied different stages of the creation of lasers. A comparative analysis of the market development for laser technology from the stage of creation to the present has been carried out. It has been shown that the modern market for laser technology continues to develop actively, as evidenced by the continued stable growth of laser sales over the past 10 years. This indicates that the demand for laser technology is inextricably linked with the development of high technology production and scientific-technological progress. The analysis has shown that recently, the trends in the use of laser technology have changed; in particular, their industrial and medical applications are decreasing, while there is an increase in their use in the fields of sensor production and communication.
Molecular structures of novel trans-[NiR2L2] complexes, trans-[Ni{C6H3(OMe)2-2,6}2(PR3)2] [PR3=PMe3 (1a), PMe2Ph (1b)], and their m-brominated derivatives, trans-[Ni{C6H(OMe)2-2,6-Br2-3,5}2(PR3)2] [PR3=PMe3 (2a), PMe2Ph (2b)], were determined by X-ray crystal structure analysis. A remarkable effect of m-substitution on the conformation of the o-methoxyl groups was found. This correlated well with the reactivity difference toward carbon monoxide. Crystal data: 1a: monoclinic, space group P21/c, a=8.737(2), b=18.282(3), c=16.319(4) A, β=105.06(2)°, Z=4, R=0.062; 1b: triclinic, space group P bar1, a=16.993(5), b=10.180(3), c=17.177(5) A, α=112.44(2), β=117.59(2), γ=66.25(2)°, Z=3, R=0.060; 2a: monoclinic, space group P21/c, a=9.294(2), b=14.091(3), c=10.770(2) A, β=92.06(3)°, Z=2, R=0.067; 2b: triclinic, space group P bar1, a=9.370(1), b=11.387(2), c=9.013(1) A, α=94.52(2), β=107.24(2), γ=77.35(2)°, Z=1, R=0.058.
Qualitative and quantitative approaches to multicriteria evaluation and managerial decision-making often ignore the specifics of the role of the human factor. This article summarizes management methods that reflect not only numerical inputs but also data of a qualitative nature while considering their applicability in the tourism sector. Some of them can be assorted within the classes of Artificial intelligence. The focus is on the fuzzy approach at the theoretical and application level. The fuzzy approach is used to evaluate the degree of country travel and tourism competitiveness of selected European and Asian countries based on subjective rankings from the viewpoint of travelling persons. The results indicate that among countries under review, China is ranked as a highly competitive country in travel & tourism. Conditional competitive countries in terms of travel & tourism are the Czech Republic, Pakistan, Russia, and Turkey.
Objective: Various benzilic acids and its analogs have been synthesized using the protocol, obtain good to exceptional yield and their biological activity, and its docking studies have been discussed.Methods: Molecular docking studies were performed by discovery studio - LibDock docking program. To determine the cytotoxic effects, we used an MTT viability assay.Results: The results showed that cell growth is significantly lower in extract treated cells compared to untreated control. The effect of inhibition of cell growth was shown in different concentration dosages for cytotoxic, antibacterial, and antioxidant activity in vitro.Conclusion: From the antibacterial results prove that the synthesized compounds showed the potential activity. These remarks may give the encouragement of further development of our research in this field. The antioxidant activity was also performed for the compound benzilic acid and its substituted analogs.
A 64-year-old man with far-advanced IgA multiple myeloma presented with fulminant and rapidly fatal bronchopneumonia. Gram stains of expectorated sputum and of transtracheal aspirate revealed gram-negative intracellular and extracellular diplococci. Cultures of these specimens yielded Neisseria catarrhalis. Subsequent histologic examination of the lung confirmed the presence of numerous gram-negative diplococci in the alveolar spaces. The pathogenic potential of this nasopharyngeal commensal is discussed in both the normal and the immunosuppressed host.
Five hundred fifty respiratory and nonrespiratory specimens from 340 patients were analyzed by comparing the Gen-Probe Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (MTD) with conventional culture, which was the method of reference, for the detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. After resolution of discrepant results by retesting the samples and reviewing the patients' clinical histories, a total of 60 respiratory specimens were MTD and culture positive, 347 were MTD and culture negative, 4 were MTD positive and culture negative, and 1 was MTD negative and culture positive. This results in a sensitivity of 98.4%, a specificity of 98.9%, and positive and negative predictive values of 93.8 and 99.7%, respectively. Repeatedly, clinicians asked to test specimens of nonpulmonary origin by MTD. Although, MTD is not approved for use with nonrespiratory specimens, the following results were shown. Sixty-one pleural exudate specimens showed disappointing results (sensitivity, 20%). However, MTD performed well with another 77 nonrespiratory specimens; 17 samples were positive and 57 samples were negative by both MTD and culture. No false-negative results were found by MTD. Three MTD-positive, culture-negative specimens had high sample relative light unit/cutoff relative light unit ratios, strongly suggesting true tuberculosis. Positive microscopy and positive culture with MTD-negative results occurred 12 times. Those cultures showed atypical mycobacteria 11 times and Actinomyces species once. The stability of the reagents in the MTD kit was also assessed by testing reagents, including the enzyme mixture, kept at -70 degrees C for at least 6 months. No loss of activity was seen.
Objective  To evaluate the effect of exosomes from different sources on the growth, metastasis and immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) in a mouse model of orthotopic transplanted hepatoma so as to provide new insight into the clinical immunotherapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.      Methods  The serum-derived exosomes were obtained by ultracentrifugation from Hepa1-6 cells and 3-week orthotopically tumor-bearing HCC mice. The morphology and size of exosomes were identified by transmission electron microscopy. One-week tumor-bearing HCC C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups(3 mice for each group), and respectively treated with tail vein injection of 120 μl PBS(control group), 120 μl Hepa1-6 cell-derived exosomes (1 μg/μl, TEXcell group), and serum-derived exosomes (1 μg/μl) (TEXserum group). The treatments were conduced once a week for 3 consecutive weeks. The mice were sacrificed on the 4th day after the treatments, and the liver tissue and lung tissues were dissected. The volumes of the liver cancer tissues were measured. The expression of PD-L1 protein and CD3+ and FoxP3+ T lymphocytes infiltration in the liver cancer tissues were respectively detected by Western Blot and immunohistochemical staining. The lung metastasis of the liver cancer was detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining.      Results  The diameters of the Hepa1-6 cell-and serum-derived exosomes both were about 100 nm, and were uniform vesicles with complete membrane structure. Compared with the control group, Hepa1-6 cell-derived exosomes had a certain inhibitory effect on the growth and lung metastasis of HCC, while there was no significant difference for the TEXserum group. Western Blot results showed that compared with the control group, PD-L1 protein expression was significantly up-regulated in both TEXcell group and TEXserum group. Immunohistochemical staining showed that compared with the control group, the infiltration number of Foxp3+-labeled regulatory T cells (Treg) had no significant changes in TEXcell group and the TEXserum group, and the differences were no statistically significant (all P>0.05). However, the infiltration number of CD3+-labeled T lymphocytes was significantly reduced in the two groups, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05).      Conclusion  The Hepa1-6 cell-derived exosomes have a certain inhibitory effect on the growth and lung metastasis of HCC, and have no obvious regulation effects on the immune microenvironment of HCC. The serum-derived exosomes from orthotopically tumor-bearing HCC mice can promote the growth and lung metastasis of HCC and immunosuppress the microenvironment. The Hepa1-6 cell-derived exosomes are expected to be used for immunotherapy studies of liver cancer.      Key words:  Exosome; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Growth; Metastasis; Immune microenvironment
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a gradual decline in memory. The occurrence of Alzheimer's disease is commonplace among the Asian population, particularly among senior citizens. The present study was undertaken to assess the potential of ascorbic acid as a memory-enhancer. Swiss mice of either sex were employed in the present investigation. Elevated plus-maze and passive-avoidance apparatus served as the exteroceptive behavioral models, and diazepam-, scopolamine-, and aging-induced amnesia served as the interoceptive behavioral models. Ascorbic acid (60, 120 mg/kg) injected for 3 and 8 consecutive days improved learning and memory of aged mice as indicated by decreased transfer-latency and increased step-down latency. Furthermore, ascorbic acid provided protection to the young animals from scopolamine- and diazepam-induced impairment of memory. Ascorbic acid was found to be more potent than piracetam as reflected by the smaller dose, more pronounced effect, and quicker onset of action. Ascorbic acid has shown promise as a powerful memory-improving agent particularly effective in aged animals. Hence, ascorbic acid might prove to be a useful memory-restorative agent in the treatment of dementia seen in elderly individuals. The underlying mechanism of action of ascorbic acid may be attributed to its antioxidant property.
Based on the well‐known cytotoxicity of indole compounds, we used the ‘Fisher indole synthesis’ method to introduce appropriately substituted indole rings into panaxadiol (PD), generating eighteen novel Panaxadiol indole derivatives. Six human cancer cell lines (A549, HepG‐2, HCT‐116, SGC‐7901, MDA‐MB‐231, PC‐3 cells) and one normal ovarian cell lines (IOSE144) were designed to evaluate the anti‐proliferative activity of the PD derivatives. The results showed that the majority of PD derivatives showed enhanced anti‐proliferative activity, when compared with PD, with P‐Methylindolo‐PD exhibiting the highest cytotoxicity. In A549 cells, IC50 value was 5.01±0.87 μM, which is roughly 12 times higher than the activity of PD and 5 times that of 5‐FU. Moreover, cell morphology analysis and Annexin V‐FITC/PI assays exhibited that P‐Methylindolo‐PD could induce A549 cell apoptosis (55.7 % of apoptotic cells at 20 μM). Moreover, molecular docking experiments were performed to explore the molecular mechanism underlining the binding of P‐Methylindolo‐PD to the active site of EGFR. The results support that P‐Methylindolo‐PD might be a promising lead compound for further studies.
Aiming at the request that the design of the block plate of steam turbine cylinder satisfy security and the economical material principle at maximum at the same time, this paper applies large-scale finite element analysis software ANSYS to conduct the finite element analysis at different bearing pressure situations on the block plate casted by commonly used carbon structural steel Q235-A, to obtain the best thickness data of the plate under different pressure, then, uses the data fitting toolbox in the software MATLAB to conduct the data fitting for experimental data from analysis, and obtains finally the best functional relationship model of the thickness and the pressure bearing condition.
Six patients had isolated hemiataxia and ipsilateral sensory loss, as a manifestation of thalamic infarction in the thalamogeniculate territory. Acute hemiataxia-hypesthesia was not found in 1075 other patients from the Lausanne Stroke Registry who were admitted during the same period. Stroke onset was progressive in five patients and immediately complete in one. Five patients had an objective sensory loss. In two patients this affected light touch, pain and temperature sense, and in another three light touch, pain temperature, position and vibration sense. One patient had a purely subjective sensory disturbance. The sensory deficit cleared or was clearing although the ataxia persisted in all patients. On lesion mapping on CT or MRI, all patients had involvement of the lateral part of the thalamus (ventral posterior nucleus and ventral lateral nucleus). The presumed causes of stroke were cardioembolism in one patient, posterior cerebral artery occlusion in one patient and meningovascular syphilis in one patient, hypertensive small vessel disease in two patients, and undetermined in one patient. Hemiataxia-hypesthesia is a new stroke syndrome involving the perforating branches to the lateral thalamus, but in which small vessel disease may not be the leading cause.
We propose to make a two-photon laser based on intersubband (sublevel) transitions in semiconductor nanostructures. The advantages and feasibility of such a two-photon laser are analyzed in detail using the density matrix approach. Both one-photon and two-photon gains in a three subband quantum well structure are studied on the same footing to show how the two-photon gain can be maximized, while the competing one-photon gain is minimized. The results show that a sufficient two-photon gain can be achieved to overcome one-photon competition and the loss of a conventional semiconductor cavity, making intersubband transitions one of the very few feasible approaches to two-photon lasing.
Objective  To investigate the features of normal and psoriasis skin on ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) and explore the method of thickness measurement.      Methods  Using 50 MHz ultrasound probe of biological microscope, ultrasonographic observation and ultrasonic thickness measurement were conducted in 90 normal adults and 40 psoriasis patients. Innormal patients, ultrasound evaluations were performed at 10 different parts of the body skin.      Results  On sonogram, the normal skin showed a "sandwich" structure with two parallel hyperechoic bands and the middle isoechoic dots and short liens. The sonograms of the psoriasis skin showed obviously thickened epidermis and dermis, disordered internal structure and clear boundary from adjacent normal skin. The range of the epidermis’ thickness measurement was between the medial forearm (0.12±0.03) mm and the palm (0.29±0.15) mm. The range of dermal thickness measurement was between the back hand (1.18±0.32) mm and parasternal (1.55±0.21) mm. Psoriasis skin was thicker than the uninvolved skin (P<0.001). And the dermis’ thickness of uninvolved skin in psoriasis patients was thicker than that of the normal adults (P<0.001).      Conclusion  Normal adult’s epidermis, dermis and skin appendages can be shown clearly using 50 MHz ultrasound biomicroscopy. And ultrasound biomicroscopy canaccurately measure the thickness of dermis and epidermis, which provides the basis for the diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis.      Key words:  Microscopy, acoustic; Ultrasonography; Skin; Psoriasis
Variable speed wind turbines are widely used wind energy conversion system (WECS). Among them doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) and permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) are mostly used. PMSG based wind turbines are getting more popular in recent times because of their several advantages over other types. Direct drive capability and low speed operation are some of it’s significant advantage over other type. This paper describes two rotor types of grid connected PMSG, non-salient pole or round pole rotor and salient pole rotor and shows a comparative study between them. The mathematical model was designed and simulated using Matlab/Simulink. Simulation results have been shown to analyze their performances.
The assumption that negotiators can and should eradicate emotions from negotiating is unrealistic. Instead, effective negotiators know how to handle emotional outbursts including how to respond when the other negotiator evokes their “nemesis.” A “nemesis” is the hidden part of ourselves that we project onto others who push our hot buttons. When emotions are intense, understanding the possibility that you may be giving or receiving a projection can help you sidestep escalatory behavior. This article explores the concept of the nemesis and offers practical steps for confronting it as well as responding to others' emotions at the negotiating table.
Background: Indonesia is included in the list of countries most at risk of disaster. So that disaster preparedness is needed which is an effort to prevent the onset of crisis due to disaster which is focused on developing plans to deal with disasters. The problem that arises is that there are still many Indonesian citizens who do not know and understand what a disaster is, how to anticipate and overcome a disaster. The purpose of this community service is to increase community preparedness in the face of the impact phase of disaster in the village of Karanganyar Wonorejo. Methods: The design of this study was a quasi-experiment with a pre-post without control group design involving 29 respondents. Result: The results of education on the readiness of residents in facing the impact phase of the disaster proved to significantly increase knowledge with a p-value of 0.006. Conclusion: Increasing the readiness of citizens in facing disasters in the impact phase can be done by providing massive education and information to the community
Onconase (ONC) is an amphibian secretory ribonuclease displaying cytostatic and cytotoxic activities against many mammalian tumors, including melanoma. ONC principally damages tRNA species, but also other non-coding RNAs, although its precise targets are not known. We investigated the ONC ability to modulate the expression of 16 onco-suppressor microRNAs (miRNAs) in the A375 BRAF-mutated melanoma cell line. RT-PCR and immunoblots were used to measure the expression levels of miRNAs and their regulated proteins, respectively. In silico study was carried out to verify the relations between miRNAs and their mRNA targets. A375 cell transfection with miR-20a-3p and miR-34a-5p mimics or inhibitors was performed. The onco-suppressors miR-20a-3p, miR-29a-3p and miR-34a-5p were highly expressed in 48-h ONC-treated A375 cells. The cytostatic effect of ONC in A375 cells was mechanistically explained by the sharp inhibition of cyclins D1 and A2 expression level, as well as by downregulation of retinoblastoma protein and cyclin-dependent-kinase-2 activities. Remarkably, the expression of kinases ERK1/2 and Akt, as well as of the hypoxia inducible factor-1α, was inhibited by ONC. All these proteins control pro-survival pathways. Finally, many crucial proteins involved in migration, invasion and metastatic potential were downregulated by ONC. Results obtained from transfection of miR-20a-3p and miR-34a-5p inhibitors in the presence of ONC show that these miRNAs may participate in the antitumor effects of ONC in the A375 cell line. In conclusion, we identified many intracellular downregulated proteins involved in melanoma cell proliferation, metabolism and progression. All mRNAs coding these proteins may be targets of miR-20a-3p, miR-29a-3p and/or miR-34a-5p, which are in turn upregulated by ONC. Data suggest that several known ONC anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic activities in A375 melanoma cells might depend on the upregulation of onco-suppressor miRNAs. Notably, miRNAs stability depends on the upstream regulation by long-non-coding-RNAs or circular-RNAs that can, in turn, be damaged by ONC ribonucleolytic activity.
Rots might be responsible for substantial post-harvest losses on apples (Malus domestica). The blue mold caused by Penicillium expansum, the bitter rot caused by Glomerella cingulata and the 'bull's-eye rot' induced by Pezicula malicorticis are among the most common rots. Great attention has been given to less environmental damaging alternatives for the control of post-harvest diseases. The post-harvest application of yeasts, such as Cryptococcus laurentii, is one of the options to control fruit rots. This study was carried out to test the efficiency of C. laurentii on fruit rots control in 'Fuji' and 'Gala' apples. After application of treatments by immersion, the fruits were stored in laboratory (15-20°C and 60-70% RH) or in cold storage (1°C and 90-95% RH). The pathogens were applied at the concentration of 10 2 conidia mL -1 , the yeast at 10 7 cells mL -1 and the fungicides at 150 mg l -1 . An isolate (36) of C. laurentii was as efficient as the fungicides (thiabendazole and iprodione) to reduce apple fruit rots (G. cingulata, P. expansum, and P. malicorticis). In cold storage trials, C. laurentii was as efficient as the fungicides (thiabendazole, iprodione, chlorhexidine digluconate, sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione, sodium dicloroisocyanurate and sodium hypochlorite) to reduce P. expansum fruit rot. The application of C. laurentii did not affect flesh firmness and total soluble solids content of the fruits.
Under consideration is the theoretical model of social evolution proposed in 1851 by Herbert Spencer with a slightly modified interpretation of basic evolutionary concepts: adaptation, heredity, variation and selection. Some of the new concepts belong to informatics: the model (as the most important factor in adaptation and as the core of clans and elites gathering), marshaling and unmarshaling (heredity). Others were taken from sociology: ideologies, the revolutionary process (variation and selection). The paper presents an approach to computer simulation of these processes. It may seem that in the article too much sociology, but it is necessary in order to make the model most adequate. In addition, it is easier to explain the sociological aspects to computer scientists than aspects of informatics to sociologists.
In recent years, the theory of growth of backward economies has rapidly shifted from the single commodity and sector assumption to more sophisticated models of a dual economy. The notion of an economy consisting of two sectors-the one agrarian and backward, or traditional, and the other industrial and advanced, or modern-which is by no means recent in origin, has now been firmly incorporated into the theory of growth.1 One of the crucial features of these recent growth models is the way in which real wages are determined in the advanced, industrial sector. More specifically, different assumptions are made as to whether the industrial wage rate is determined exogenously (i.e., institutionally) on a level regarded as socially appropriate, without regard to the opportunity cost of the partly employed agricultural labor force, or whether the invisible hand of the market relates wages in the industrial to those in the agrarian sector.2 The purpose of this paper is to present, within this theoretical framework, an analysis of some aspects of the interdependence of wages structures in the dual economy of Mandatory Palestine between the two world wars. During the Mandatory period, a Jewish and an Arab sector existed side by side, under the same British administration. The two sectors were regarded as separate economic units, the Jewish sector being much more developed than the Arab with regard to income, economic structure, and level of education. The Arab economy was characterized by a backward agricultural structure; the majority of the Arab labor force lived in rural settlements and engaged in agriculture mostly at the subsistence level. A
Abstract Please click here to download the map associated with this article. Multibeam echosounder data collected by the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) between 2000 and 2001 in the Rockall Trough have been used by many projects to analyze the geomorphology and the sedimentary processes of the margins of the Trough. However, due to the low spatial resolution of 150–250 m and the amount of artefacts still embedded in the publicly available data, many geomorphological features have been overlooked. This paper shows that the same multibeam dataset can provide more detailed information on seabed processes when the latest hydrographic and backscatter post-processing techniques are used to reduce data artefacts and improve data quality and spatial resolution. The resulting map, presented here at a scale of 1:450,000, is based on a semi-automatic and manual interpretation of geomorphological features highlighted using a new and improved 30 m bathymetric grid and a multibeam backscatter mosaic obtained using the GEOCODER post-processing algorithm. Overall, the map shows a complex sedimentological scenario where the Rockall Bank Mass Flow failure, the Donegal-Barra trough-mouth fan, along slope structures such as the Feni Contourite Drift and the Porcupine moat dominate the Rockall Trough flanks and basin floor. Smaller features such as canyon and gully systems, escarpments, coral mounds, volcanic mounds and iceberg scours have also been mapped in detail. In addition, the interpretation of the backscatter mosaic allows for the first time the identification of depositional lobes generated by downslope mass transport and canyon drainage systems, particularly where these features completely lose their bathymetric expression.
Platelet activation is central to the formation of thrombus, which precipitates most unstable coronary syndromes. The angiographic severity of coronary stenoses may not predict the occurrence of acute cardiac events, since rupture of atheromatous plaque and subsequent thrombosis in slightly stenosed vessels may underlie many myocardial infarctions. Normally, the intact endothelium prevents platelet activation, but intimal injury associated with endothelial denudation and plaque rupture exposes subendothelial collagen and von Willebrand factor, supporting prompt platelet adhesion and activation. Local platelet activation then promotes the recruitment of platelets and the formation of thrombus. The importance of platelet-dependent thrombosis has made activated platelets . . .
Exact match queries, wildcard match queries, and k mismatch queries are widely used in various molecular biology applications including the searching of ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) and DNA transcription factors. In this paper, we suggest an efficient indexing and processing mechanism for such queries. Our indexing method places a sliding window at every possible location of a DNA sequence and extracts its signature by considering the occurrence frequency of each nucleotide. It then stores a set of signatures using a multi-dimensional index such as the R*-tree. Also, by assigning a weight to each position of a window, it prevents signatures from being concentrated around a few spots in indexing space. Our query processing method converts a query sequence into a multi-dimensional rectangle and searches the index for the signatures overlapping with the rectangle. Experiments with real biological data sets have revealed that the proposed approach is at least 4.4 times, 2.1 times, and several orders of magnitude faster than the previous one in performing exact match, wildcard match, and k-mismatch queries, respectively.
This paper summarises the results of CSELT/CNET co-operation devoted to evaluate and compare two access techniques which are candidates for the future Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), as defined in the RACE II projects ATDMA (advanced time division mobile access) and CODIT (code division testbed). Simulation results at transmission and system levels are obtained for both systems and a comparison, based on these results, is achieved to help in the selection of an access technique for third generation mobile systems.
To evaluate the bone SPECT findings of vertebral hemangioma and their relationship to symptoms and MRI findings, the authors reviewed planar and SPECT bone scans and MR images of 15 vertebral hemangioma in 10 patients. All planar bone scan images demonstrated normal findings, except one. SPECT images demonstrated normal findings in 11 vertebral hemangioma less than 3 cm in diameter. Three of four vertebral hemangioma that were 3 cm or larger showed abnormally increased or decreased uptake on SPECT images. There was a disparity between SPECT imaging and MRI.
What is the role of electrochemistry in supramolecular chemistry? On one hand, it provides information on energy and kinetics that is not available with spectroscopic and mass spectrometric techniques; on the other, it can be used to alter the electronic states and thus the interactions between molecules, resulting in new compounds and materials. A typical cyclic voltammogram of the complex shown is depicted on the right; only the first three reductions are presented, although a total of six electrons can be transferred to the bipyridine units sequentially (E in V vs. ferrocene/ferrocenium).
The purpose of the study was to examine the interaction of countries, genders, and types of clothing on consumers' clothing values when they make clothing purchase decisions. Seven-point scales were used to measure respondents' personal views on the six clothing values for both casual and formal clothing. The questionnaire also measured the respondent’s demographic characteristics. The data collection method was a direct handout questionnaire in classes at a university in western United States and at a university in southern Taiwan. Overall, 487 of the questionnaires from the United States and 903 from Taiwan were eligible for analysis in this study. Data from the questionnaires were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of variance. The results revealed that the interaction effects between country and gender only occurred on aesthetic, religious, and theoretic clothing values for respondents when they purchased casual clothing as well as on the economic, religious, and theoretic clothing values for respondents when they purchased formal clothing.
AIMS The aim of the study was to investigate the role of cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenase-derived epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) in sustained hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV).   METHODS Vasomotor responses of isolated mouse intrapulmonary arteries (IPAs) were assessed using wire myography. Key findings were verified by hemodynamic measurements in isolated perfused and ventilated mouse lungs.   RESULTS Pharmacological inhibition of EET synthesis with MS-PPOH, application of the EET antagonist 14,15-EEZE or deficiency of CYP2J isoforms suppressed sustained HPV. In contrast, knockdown of EET-degrading soluble epoxide hydrolase or its inhibition with TPPU augmented sustained HPV almost twofold. All EET regioisomers elicited relaxation in IPAs precontracted with thromboxane mimetic U46619. However, in the presence of KCl-induced depolarization, 5,6-EET caused biphasic contraction in IPAs and elevation of pulmonary vascular tone in isolated lungs, whereas other regioisomers had no effect. In patch-clamp experiments, hypoxia elicited depolarization in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), and 5,6-EET evoked inward whole-cell currents in PASMCs depolarized to the hypoxic level, but not at their resting membrane potential.   CONCLUSIONS The EET pathway substantially contributes to sustained HPV in mouse pulmonary arteries. 5,6-EET specifically appears to be involved in HPV, as it is the only EET regioisomer able to elicit not only relaxation, but also sustained contraction in these vessels. 5,6-EET-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction is enabled by PASMC depolarization, which occurs in hypoxia. The discovery of the dual role of 5,6-EET in the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone may provide a basis for the development of novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of HPV-related diseases.
Ad-hoc network features high mobility of network nodes, a large number of nodes and a large network span. In some applications of large scale ad hoc network, the grouping of different sets of nodes is extremely helpful in achieving efficient and scalable routing. The study focuses on how the size of each zone (cluster) can be determined such that it promotes efficient and optimum routing protocol for any function index. The added value of current research makes the cluster-based approach more universal and applicable both, at the physical layer and network layer. The study's implementation is based on minimum cost flow and uses the available optimized package developed in Fortran by Bertsekas (Dimitri, P et al., 1988) and later implemented in C by Frangioni and Gentile from the University of Pisa, Italy.
The attention paid by Western governments to drug addiction is generally predicated on considerations of public health and social order. Yet, by focusing on consequences rather than causes, public authorities seem to neglect the source of the problem. In fact, the latter may have to do with, e.g., the withering away or even the extinction of the process of socialization through work in the more developed nations — something which can be correlated with the social impact of the deregulation of job markets, the ultraliberal bent of techno-economic development, and the domination of industrial by financial capital. When presented first and foremost as a social concern, does not drug abuse become an excuse to ignore reality?
This qualitative study explores barriers to delivering sustainable rural community programmes to increase social participation among Australian ethnic seniors. In 2013, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 stakeholders across eight rural/regional organisations that had received state government funding to provide social participation initiatives for ethnic seniors. Within interviews, participants were asked to outline factors that had enhanced or hindered their capacity to deliver the funded projects, and their plans for sustainability. Data were analysed thematically in accordance with Shediac-Rizkallah and Bone's (1998) tripartite programme sustainability framework (project design and implementation, organisational setting and broader community environment). Findings indicate that in the context of resource and staffing constraints and a lack of ethnic critical mass, programme sustainability reflected the increased capacity of rural ethnic seniors to integrate into existing community groups and maintain their own groups and activities. However, this is dependent on the ability of mainstream government, health and social care services to cater for diverse cultural needs and preferences, the ability of rural organisations to support ethnic seniors to manage their own cultural groups and activities, and the capacity of funding bodies, rural community and policy structures to maintain cultural sensitivity while compensating for the rural premium. In addition to identifying some key learnings for rural governments, health and community organisations, this research highlights the precarious nature of rural programme sustainability for ethnic seniors in the context of wider community, organisational and policy constraints.
Induction motor loss segregation and efficiency measurement requires loading dynamometers and other equipment, such as a variable voltage sinusoidal power supply. These are expensive and not often available even when a loading device is accessible. Variable frequency drives are now widely used for operating induction machines and are more widely available and less expensive. However, their use in place of a fixed frequency sinusoidal power supply to directly measure machine efficiency is intriguing, but inherently challenging due to the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) output voltage. This paper presents some investigations for using variable frequency drives to perform IEEE 112B and IEC 60034-2-1 tests. The use of the drive, the measurement criteria, and procedures are reported and discussed. The results presented demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed concept for measuring machine efficiency with a PWM power source.
In the power-from-space application for microwaves, gigawatts of solar-derived energy are to be relayed efficiently and continuously from equatorial geosynchronous orbit to earth by means of a microwave beam and then converted into base-load electrical power. The complete system has been studied in considerable detail, and the following set of requirements has been established for the microwave generator: high efficiency, a capability to radiate directly into space waste heat resulting from any inefficiency, an operating frequency of 2450 MHz, extremely long life and reliability measured in terms of scores of years, a very high signal-to-noise ratio, a high ratio of power output to mass, and a low cost of manufacture. Broad bandwidth, high gain, and a vacuum-tight enclosure are not required. Using this set of requirements, the design of a CFA of the continuous-cathode, reentrant-beam type has been studied in detail. The resulting device has the following characteristics: 85-90% overall efficiency, 6.5 kW of continuous output power, 2450 MHz frequency, 7 dB gain, 3.6 1b weight including samarium-cobalt magnet, pyrolytic graphite cooling radiator, and constant power output regulation system. Long life and high reliability are obtained with the use of a pure-metal secondary emitting cathode.
General elections are a means of implementation of the sovereignty of the people in the UnitaryState of Indonesia based on Pancasila and 1945 Constitution. Elections held in Indonesia is tochoose the leadership of both the president and vice president, member of parliament, parliament,and the DPD. The releated research of general election usually using decision tree algorithm orneural network algorithm. Each of methode has strong and weakness, but neural neutwokalgorithm can solve problem in decision tree algorithm. The accuracy using neural networkalgorithm in predicting the election has less accurate. In this study created a model neuralnetwork algorithm and neural network algorithm model based genetic algorithm to get the rule inpredicting the outcome of legislative elections and provide a more accurate value of accuracy.After testing the two models namely neural network algorithm and neural network algorithmbased on particle swarm optimization, the results obtained are the neural network algorithmproduces an accuracy value by 98,50% and the AUC value of 0.982, but after the addition ofneural network algorithm based on particle swarm optimization value of 98,85 % accuracy andAUC value of 0.996. So both methods have accuracy rate of 0.35 % difference and the differencein the AUC of 0.14.
Goal is to consolidate the information from high resolution spectroscopy of weakly bound cluster molecules through a theoretical model of intermolecular potential energy surfaces. The ability to construct analytic intermolecular potential functions that accurately predict the interaction energy between small molecules will have a major impact in chemistry, biochemistry, and biology. This document presents the evolution and capabilities of a potential function model developed here, and then describes plans for future developments and applications. This potential energy surface (PES) model was first used on (HCCH){sub 2}, (CO{sub 2}){sub 2}, HCCH - CO{sub 2}; it had to be modified to work with HX dimers and CO{sub 2}-HX complexes. Potential functions have been calculated for 15 different molecular complexes containing 7 different monomer molecules. Current questions, logical extensions and new applications of the model are discussed. The questions are those raised by changing the repulsion and dispersion terms. A major extension of the PES model will be the inclusion of induction effects. Projects in progress include PES calculations on (HCCH){sub 3}, CO{sub 2} containing complexes, (HX){sub 2}, HX - CO{sub 2}, CO{sub 2} - CO, (CO{sub 2}){sub 3}, and (OCS){sub 2}. The first PES calculation for a nonlinear molecule will be formore » water and ammonia complexes. Possible long-term applications for biological molecules are discussed. Differences between computer programs used for molecular mechanics and dynamics in biological systems are discussed, as is the problem of errors. 12 figs, 74 refs. (DLC)« less
Background To compare pain perception during palatal injection administration in children aged 7–9 years while using pre-cooling of the injection site versus application of topical anesthesia as a pre-injection anesthetic during the six months. Methods A prospective randomized split-mouth crossover trial was conducted among 30 children aged 7–9 years, who received topical application of either a pencil of ice (test group) or 5% lignocaine gel (control group) for 2 min before injection. The primary and secondary outcome measures were pain perception and child satisfaction, measured by the composite pain score and the faces rating scale, respectively. Unpaired t-test was performed to determine significant differences between groups. Results The test group had significantly lower pain scores for self-report and behavioral measures (P < 0.0001). The changes in physiological parameters at the baseline (P = 0.74) during (P = 0.37) and after (P = 0.88) the injection prick were not statistically significant. Children felt better by the pre-cooling method (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Ice application using a pencil of ice for 2 min reduced pain perception significantly compared to the use of a topical anesthetic. Moreover, ice application was preferred by children.
As part of sterile insect technique (SIT) programs, irradiation can effectively induce sterility in insects by damaging germline genomic DNA. However, irradiation also induces other off‐target side effects that reduce the quality and performance of sterilized males, including the formation of damaging free radicals that can reduce sterile male performance. Thus, treatments that reduce off‐target effects of irradiation on male performance while maintaining sterility can improve the feasibility and economy of SIT programs. We previously found that inducing a form of rapid, beneficial plasticity with a 1‐hr anoxic‐conditioning period (physiological conditioning hormesis) prior to and during irradiation improves male field performance in the laboratory while maintaining sterility in males of the cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum. Here, we extend this work by testing the extent to which this beneficial plasticity may improve male field performance and longevity in the field. Based on capture rates after a series of mark release–recapture experiments, we found that anoxia‐conditioned irradiated moths were active in the field longer than their irradiated counterparts. In addition, anoxia‐conditioned moths were captured in traps that were farther away from the release site than unconditioned moths, suggesting greater dispersal. These data confirmed that beneficial plasticity induced by anoxia hormesis prior to irradiation led to lower postirradiation damage and increased flight performance and recapture duration under field conditions. We recommend greater consideration of beneficial plasticity responses in biological control programs and specifically the implementation of anoxia‐conditioning treatments applied prior to irradiation in area‐wide integrated pest management programs that use SIT.
Introduction Palliative chemotherapy is routinely offered to patients diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic oesophago-gastric cancer. Based on data from the National Oesophago-Gastric Cancer Audit (NOGCA), we describe the characteristics of patients being offered palliative chemotherapy, determine the proportion of patients completing treatment, and identify factors associated with treatment completion. Methods The NOGCA prospectively collected data on patients diagnosed with invasive epithelial cancer of the oesophagus or stomach between 1 October 2007 and 30 June 2009. For patients receiving palliative oncology, we compared characteristics of completers and non-completers of chemotherapy using χ2 tests and multiple logistic regression models with correction for cluster sampling. For variables with missing data we imputed values using multiple imputation by chained equations. Results Of 16 264 patients participating in the NOGCA in England, 2313 received palliative chemotherapy treatment. Female patients or patients of older age were less likely to receive treatment. Overall, only 39.7% completed their treatment. Factors associated with treatment completion were low performance status, high age and high level of deprivation. In our study, treatment completion was not related with site of cancer, pre-treatment stage, sex, co-morbidities or histology. Conclusion Completion rates of palliative chemotherapy in patients with oesophago-gastric cancer are low. The low completion rates may reflect the complex medical decision making for this group of patients and the need to balance survival benefits, toxicity of treatment, patients' preferences and patients' quality of life. Patients unlikely to complete chemotherapy may be more appropriately managed on a palliative supportive care pathway with symptom control. Competing interests None declared. References 1. Cromwell DA, Palser T, Van der Meulen J, et al. The National Oesophageal-Gastric Cancer Audit: Third Annual Report. London: The Information Centre, 2010. 2. Lord SR, Hall PS, McShane P, et al. Factors predicting outcome for advanced gastroesophageal cancer in elderly patients receiving palliative chemotherapy. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2010;22:107–13. 3. Koedoot CG, de Haan RJ, Stiggelbout AM, et al. Palliative chemotherapy or best supportive care? A prospective study explaining patients' treatment preference and choice. Br J Cancer 2003;89:2219–26. 4. Braga S. Why do our patients get chemotherapy until the end of life? Ann Oncol 2011;22:2345–8.
This paper studies the chaotic behavior of a series ferroresonant circuit. At first, we derive a state variable equation containing a nonlinear hysteretic circuit element represented by a Chua-type magnetization model. Second, the backward Euler method with automatic modification gives transient response of the state variable equation. The characteristic values of the state transition matrix are calculated in each calculation step of Euler method. Finally, it is clarified that the characteristic values trace on the same loci although the chaotic phenomenon is exhibiting.
Background: An instrument of assessing the cognitive status of the severely demented is needed. Aim: To validate the Danish version of the cognitive part of the Baylor Profound Mental State Examination (BPMSE-cog). Design: Participants were residents in dementia care units. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Severe Impairment Battery (SIB), the Geriatric Deterioration Scale (GDS) and the Disability Assessment of Dementia (DAD) were co-administered. Three assessments were performed: at baseline, 1 week and 6 months later. At visits 1 and 3, participants were assessed blinded by a geriatric psychiatrist (GDS, MMSE and diagnosis) and by a registered nurse (BPMSE-cog, SIB, DAD). At visit 2, assessments were made by the RN only. Test–retest and inter-rater reliabilities were calculated. External validity was assessed in terms of correlation to MMSE, SIB, GDS and DAD; internal validity was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, Mokken/Loevinger coefficients and the item response analysis. Results: Inter-rater reliability and test–retest reliability were very high for total scale as well as for the subscales. The external validity was satisfactory with correlation coefficients: MMSE: 0.74; SIB: 0.89; the GDS 0.83; DAD: 0.67 (P < 0.001). Results further indicate that there is a ceiling but no floor effect of the BPMSE-cog. The internal validity was highly satisfactory demonstrating sufficient internal consistency and homogeneity of the scale. The item response analysis showed an even distribution of the 25 items. Conclusion: The BPMSE-cog is a very stable and strong scale and is recommended as a severity measurement for the cognitive performance of patients suffering from severe dementia.
Interference with either keratinocyte-keratinocyte adhesion or epidermal basement membrane zone develops skin lesions in autoimmune bullous skin diseases by autoimmune mechanisms. The most important machinery for the cell-cell adhesion and dermo-epidermal adhesion is the desmosome and hemidesmosome, respectively.Recent studies using cDNAs for the constituent proteins of the desmosome and hemidesmosome have revealed that these proteins are actually the autoantigens in various autoimmune skin diseases. In addition, several new disease entities with distinct clinical and immunological features have recently been proposed. Characterization of the autoantigens is also important for the diagnosis of these diseases. Further studies using the biochemical and molecular biological techniques should provide us with more information about the pathogesis and develop various novel methods in both diagnostic and therapeutic standpoints in this group of disease.
The central role of tumor-specific TH1 cells in anticancer immune responses is becoming increasingly appreciated. However, little is known about how these cells are generated in vivo. Here, we used flow cytometry and gene expression microarrays to characterize the primary activation and TH1 differentiation of naïve tumor-specific CD4+ T cells in a mouse model of cancer immunosurveillance. We took advantage of T-cell receptor-transgenic mice in which CD4+ T cells recognize a tumor-specific antigen secreted by MHC class II-negative MOPC315 myeloma cells. Cancer cells were injected subcutaneously and T-cell activation was analyzed in draining lymph nodes and at the incipient tumor site 8 d later. Upon activation and migration to incipient tumor sites, tumor-specific CD4+ T cells exhibited the upregulation of 29 cell-surface molecules (CD2, CD5, CD11a, CD18, CD25, CD28, CD44, CD45, CD49d, CD51, CD54, CD69, CD71, CD83, CD86, CD90, CD95, CD102, CD122, CD153, CD166, CD200, CD249, CD254, CD274, CD279, Ly6C, MHC class I and CCR7) and the downregulation of five (CD27, CD31, CD45RB, CD62L and CD126). Activated CD4+ T cells produced interferon γ, a cytokine consistent with a TH1-polarized response, tumor necrosis factor α as well as interleukin (IL)-2, IL-3 and IL-10. The activation of naïve tumor-specific CD4+ T cells in draining lymph nodes resulted in the upregulation of 609 genes and the downregulation of 284 genes. The bioinformatic analysis of differentially expressed genes identified functional pathways related to tumor-specific TH1 cell activation. This study may represent a useful resource to guide the development of TH1-based immunotherapies against cancer.
Convective activity, low-level winds and sea surface temperature associated with a twin cyclone developed in tropical western Pacific during May 1986 were analyzed in connection with the initiation of the 1986-87 El Nino. The westerly bursts over the equator were greatly intensified, corresponding to the development of the twin cyclone resulting in an eastward expansion of the warm surface water toward the dateline. This event, together with other intraseasonal variations of convection, seems to provide favorable conditions for the 1986-87 El Nino onset.
Elevated aerosols assume importance as the diabatic heating due to aerosol absorption is more intense at higher altitudes where the atmosphere becomes thinner. Indian region, especially its central and northern latitudes, experiences significant loading of elevated aerosols during pre-monsoon and summer months. Genesis of elevated aerosol loading over Indian region is investigated in the present study, using multi-year satellite observations from Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) along with reanalysis winds from MERRA. Central India is observed to have prominent aerosols loading at higher altitudes during pre-monsoon season, whereas it is during summer months over north-west India. Further analysis reveals that the elevated aerosols over Indian region in pre-monsoon and summer months are significantly contributed by transported mineral dust from the arid continental regions at west. In addition to the mineral dust advection, aerosols at higher altitudes over Indian region are enriched by strong convection and associated vertical transport of surface level aerosols. Vertical transport of aerosols observed over Indian region during pre-monsoon and summer months is aided by intense convergence at the surface level and divergence at the upper level. Moreover, aerosol source/sink strength estimated using aerosol flux continuity equation show significant aerosol production over central India during pre-monsoon. Strong vertical transport prevails during pre-monsoon uplifts the locally produced aerosols, with considerable anthropogenic fraction, to higher altitudes where their impacts would be more intense.
ABSTRACT P4, a 28-amino-acid peptide, is a eukaryotic cellular activator that enhances specific in vitro opsonophagocytic killing of multiple bacterial pathogens. In a previous study, we successfully recreated this phenomenon in mice in vivo by using a two-dose regimen of P4 and pathogen-specific antibodies, which significantly reduced moribundity in mice. For the present study, we hypothesized that the inclusion of a low-dose antibiotic would make it possible to treat the infected mice with a single dose containing a mixture of P4 and a pathogen-specific antibody. A single dose consisting of P4, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and ceftriaxone effectively reduced moribundity compared to that of untreated controls (n = 10) by 75% (P < 0.05) and rescued all (10 of 10) infected animals (P < 0.05). If rescued animals were reinfected with Streptococcus pneumoniae and treated with a single dose containing P4, IVIG, and ceftriaxone, they could be rerescued. This observation of the repeated successful use of P4 combination therapy demonstrates a low risk of tolerance development. Additionally, we examined the polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) derived from infected mice and observed that P4 enhanced in vitro opsonophagocytic killing (by >80% over the control level; P < 0.05). This finding supports our hypothesis that PMN are activated by P4 during opsonophagocytosis and the recovery of mice from pneumococcal infection. P4 peptide-based combination therapy may offer an alternative and rapid immunotherapy to treat fulminant pneumococcal infection.
Radio-continuum observations (mostly at 6 cm) of 15 stars with spectral types between O6 and A5 are presented. These data were obtained as part of several Very Large Array programs. Ten of the observed stars were not detected as sources and have typical 3-sigma upper limits about 0.2 mJy. The stars that were detected as radio sources include three O stars (sigma Ori AB, S Mon, and HR 8281), a Be star (gamma Cas), and (possibly) a B dwarf star (HD 26676). Evidence that the radio emission from sigma Ori AB and S Mon is probably nonthermal in nature, and weaker evidence that the HR 8281 radio source is also possibly nonthermal, is presented. The radio observations of all the detected stars, and also of several of the undetected stars for which previous detections have been claimed, are discussed in detail. 37 refs.
Clinical requirements for calcium phosphate bone cements were formulated in terms of the initial setting time, the final setting time, the cohesion time, and the ultimate compressive strength. Two cement formulations were tested. Biocement F was made of a powder containing alpha-tertiary calcium phosphate, precipitated hydroxyapatite, and monetite. Biocement D powder also contained CaCO3. The liquid/powder (L/P) ratio of the cement paste and the accelerator concentrations (% Na2HPO4) in the cement liquid were varied. For Biocement F there was a small area of combinations of L/P ratio and percent Na2HPO4 for which all clinical requirements were satisfied. This area covered only pastes that could be applied as doughs. However, Biocement D showed a much larger area of full compliance and it covered both doughlike and injectable pastes.
The symmetric Poisson–Boltzmann, modified Poisson–Boltzmann and the mean spherical approximation theories are used to investigate the coexistence region of the primitive model electrolyte for variations in ion size and valence. Calculations are made for 2:1, 3:1 valences with equal sizes and for 2:1, 1:2 valences with ion size ratio of 0.5. The theories indicate meanfield behaviour near the critical points but predict changes from the 1:1 primitive model in the coexistence region and at the critical points.
Altitude is one of the factors that affect the growth of bamboo. Bamboo species used in this study was Bambusa vulgaris and Arundinaria gigantea. The objectives of this study are to investigate the effect of altitude to the characteristics of bamboo charcoal harvested from three different altitudes (Lumpangi, Banjarbaru/Martapura, Marabahan). Parameters tested in this study were moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, fixed carbon and calorific value. The result showed that altitute significantly affected the characteristics of bamboo charcoal. Bamboo charcoal from Banjarbaru/Martapura had the best characteristics than the charcoal produced from other locations. The moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, fixed carbon and calorific value of B. vulgaris were 0.77 %; 3.49 %; 8.63 %; 87.11 % and 7,331.05 kal/g. The moisture content, ash content, volatile matter, fixed carbon and calorific value of A. gigantea were 0.19 %; 12.46 %; 4.48 %; 87.11 % and 6,640.69 kal/g, respectively.
The purpose of this paper is to present a surgical method which is applicable for the treatment of atrophic rhinitis. The method consists of taking out the mucous membrane from the maxillary sinus and transplanting the mucous membrane freely to the inferior turbinate, the floor of the nasal cavity and the septum. The mucous membrane is separated carefully from the maxillary sinus by the Caldwell-Luc's method. The epithelial surface of the inferior turbinate and, if necessary, of the floor of the nasal cavity and of the septum are freshened by curettage. The mucous membranes in moderate size and shape are then put on the fresh wounds in the nasal cavity and fixed by suture and tam-ponade.After an interval of about 7 days the tampon is removed. The free mucous membrane graft readily adheres and the inferior turbinate becomes swollen and the nasal cavity becomes narrow. Edema and superficial crust which are found on the free graft after the operation in some cases disappear spontaneously in the period of 3 to 5 weeks. This operation brings about total absence or diminution of stinking smell, crusting, nasal discharge, nasal obstruction and headache in many cases. This surgical method is applicable alone or also in combination with some other technique such as submucosal bone graft or insertion of acrylic implant.
How to handle divorce-related stock redemptions. When a closely held business is a major marital asset, it can be a roadblock to an easy division of property when the spouses divorce. In such circumstances, a CPA can recommend a stock redemption as a way to equalize the property settlement between spouses. However, conflicting court cases have created uncertainty as to which spouse will be taxed when a redemption is divorce-related. At issue is whether the redemption is considered a third-party transfer subject to IRC section 1041. CPAs who advise divorcing clients must understand when a divorce-related redemption is considered a section 1041 third-party (not desirable) transfer so they can help the client avoid this treatment as well as the potential problems conflicting legal decisions have created. STOCK REDEMPTIONS AND SECTION 1041 Under section 1041, a transfer of property by one spouse to a former spouse is not a taxable event if it is incident to (as a result of) a divorce. Under temporary regulations section 1.1041-1T(c), a transfer of property to a third party on behalf of a former spouse also is not taxable if it is required by the divorce or separation instrument. However, the transfer is taxable to the nontransferring spouse. Example. To satisfy the terms of his divorce decree, Howard transfers corporate stock to an attorney in payment of the legal fees of his former spouse, Wanda. The stock has a fair market value of $10,000 and a basis to Howard of $1,000. Under temporary regulations section 1.1041-1T(c), Wanda is taxed on a $9,000 capital gain because the transfer was (1) on her behalf and (2) required by the couple's divorce decree. The IRS considers two transfers to have taken place: The first deemed transfer is from Howard to Wanda; the second is from Wanda to the third party, her attorney. Section 1041 tax-free treatment applies only to the first transfer; the second is taxable to Wanda. (Note: A deemed transfer is one that does not actually occur but is assumed by the code or regulations to have taken place.) When a closely held corporation is a significant part of a couple's assets, typically the divorcing spouses agree the business should be 100% owned by the spouse who is active in running the business. The inactive spouse's stock is redeemed to equalize the settlement. The question is whether the transfer of stock to the corporation is on behalf of the active spouse. If it is, then the redemption is considered to be a third-party transfer subject to temporary regulations section 1.1041-1T(c). Example. Sylvia and Bert each own 50% of Xanadu Corp. Because Sylvia runs the company, the divorce decree requires Xanadu to redeem Bert's stock. If the redemption is considered a third-party transfer, Bert is deemed to transfer the stock to Sylvia; then Sylvia is deemed to transfer it to Xanadu in a redemption. The first transfer is tax-free under section 1041. The redemption from Sylvia is taxable. Since Sylvia owned 100% of the stock immediately before and after the redemption, the redemption is taxed to her as a dividend under IRC section 302(d). The exhibit on page 118 illustrates how the deemed transfers under the temporary regulations compare with the actual redemption. THE NINTH CIRCUIT VIEW Arnes v. United States (981 F2d 456 [9th Cir. 1992]) was the first case involving divorce-related stock redemptions and section 1041. The case followed the divorce of John and Joann Arnes. Before the divorce, the couple jointly owned 100% of the stock of Moriah Valley Enterprises, Inc., which in turn owned a McDonald's franchise in Ellensburg, Washington. Because McDonald's has a policy that requires a franchise to be 100% owned by its owner-operator, John and Joann agreed John would own 100% of Moriah after the divorce. The property settlement agreement required Moriah to redeem Joann's stock and required John to guarantee the redemption. …
Fluency is known as the bridge between phonics and comprehension. Teachers of reading provide high-quality instruction in phonics and decoding strategies, usually in a small-group format, but may be unsure how to insert fluency instruction into the small-group lesson. This article presents key concepts in fluency instruction and a description of steps teachers can follow to add brisk, brief, and effective fluency instruction to their small-group sessions.
The paper considers issues related to such a multiple measurements approach where the measurement results affect the number of measurements taken. This may result in a significant increase in the measurement time. The work takes into account the change in the probability that the product will be suitable after a specific measurement. These probabilities depend on the number of measurements. The given algorithm for controlling the measurement process shows the random nature of the duration of its execution, which in turn leads to the need to study the duration of multiple measurements. In this paper, a semi-Markov model is constructed that allows us to determine the functions of time distribution between events in the output flow formed after measurements. The resulting model makes it possible to connect it with models of elements of the highest levels of the hierarchy of the production structure. After a specified maximum number of measurements, the model assumes that a part of the measured product is defective and thus shall be rejected. The constructed semi-Markov model may be used to predict the performance of a technical system that uses multiple measurements to improve accuracy.
METHODS. Personal information and clinical and pathological records were collected for 178 of 310 new cases of breast cancer in 1991 Cancer Registry of Taiwan. RESULTS. Among the subjects studied, 89.3% of the breast cancers were found incidentally. Delayed treatment, doctor shopping, and taking traditional medicine were common. Only 19.7% of the tumors were not more than 2 cm in diameter when the patients received treatment. The most important factors related to tumor size at treatment were occupation, family economic status, and action after detection. Those who were employed, had higher family economic status, and saw a doctor immediately after the tumor was detected were likely to have smaller (< or = 2 cm) tumors at treatment. The application of screening methods, however, did not show any significant relationship. The authors suggested implementing a breast self-examination health education program, evaluating cost-benefits of different screening methods, and setting up a breast cancer screening model that can meet the needs of Taiwanese women.
ABSTRACT The immunoproteasome is a specific proteasome isoform composed of three subunits, termed β1i, β2i, and β5i. Its proteolytic activity enhances the quantity and quality of peptides to be presented by major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules to CD8+ T cells. However, the role of the combined deficiency of the three immunoproteasome subunits in protective immunity against bacterial pathogens has not been investigated. In this study, we addressed the role of the immunoproteasome during infection by Brucella abortus, an intracellular bacterium that requires CD8+ T cell responses for the control of infection. Here, we demonstrate that immunoproteasome triple-knockout (TKO) mice were more susceptible to Brucella infection. This observed susceptibility was accompanied by reduced interferon gamma (IFN-γ) production by mouse CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. Moreover, the absence of the immunoproteasome had an impact on MHC-I surface expression and antigen presentation by dendritic cells. CD8+ T cell function, which plays a pivotal role in B. abortus immunity, also presented a partial impairment of granzyme B expression and, consequently, reduced cytotoxic activity. In conclusion, these results strongly suggest that immunoproteasome subunits are important components in host resistance to B. abortus infection by impacting both the magnitude and quality of CD8+ T cell responses.
This paper discusses an alternative computation approach for the fuzzy linguistics evaluation process that utilises the concept of ‘computing with words’. Three steps were established under the linguistic information; i) identification of the linguistic term set with its semantic, ii) choosing the appropriate aggregation operator of linguistic information, and iii) derivation and selection of the best alternative through aggregation and exploitation phases. A numerical example was employed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach. The result shows that the approach is highly beneficial in terms of applicability and user friendly in a decision framework.
A quantum dynamic calculation on a five-dimensional O2/LiF (001) model system is performed using the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. The obtained results show that the mechanism of rotational and diffractive excitation in details: Comparison with the rotational excited state, the initially non-rotational state is seen to favor the inelastic scattering in the rotational excitation process. The surface corrugation can damp the quantum interferences and produce a greater amount of rotational inelastic scattering at the expense of the elastic process in the rotational excitation process. The diffraction process and the average energy transferred into the rotational and diffractive mode are also discussed.
A dozen countries had weak institutions in 1960 and yet sustained high rates of growth subsequently. We use data on their characteristics early in the growth process to create benchmarks with which to evaluate potential constraints on sustained growth for sub-Saharan Africa. This analysis suggests that what are usually regarded as first-order problems-broad institutions, macroeconomic stability, trade openness, education, and inequality-may not now be binding constraints in Africa, although the extent of ill-health, internal conflict, and societal fractionalization do stand out as problems in contemporary Africa. A key question is to what extent Africa can rely on manufactured exports as a mode of "escape from underdevelopment," a strategy successfully deployed by almost all the benchmark countries. The benchmarking comparison specifically raises two key concerns as far as a development strategy based on expanding exports of manufactures is concerned: micro-level institutions that affect the costs of exporting, and the level of the real exchange rate-especially the need to avoid overvaluation.
The paper introduces a description of a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) / Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller design along with related basic theory. The LQR/LQG controller of a digital autopilot is subjected to performance evaluation tests, which consider various performance and stability requirements issued by the regulatory agencies. The design's robustness is tested on a General Aviation aircraft simulation model.
these resources and indicating how they can be deployed would be a useful and not a particularly costly way of promoting the causes in which we all believe. Moreover, in so doing, we may well be able to work out cooperative ventures with other societies, including ones very different from ours, like Russia, China, or the Islamic world. Whatever the risks of international cooperation in other areas-and they are obviously far less than the risks of noncooperation-collaboration in arts education seems an unqualifiedly positive venture and could serve as a model for cooperation in other, more charged spheres. If there is much ground for pessimism and disappointment in the cause of arts education, then, there are also considerable grounds for optimism. Due to the efforts of committed and prescient agents like the Journal of Aesthetic Education, the cup is at least half full. Perhaps the most important challenge for the coming decades is to combine our voices and resources, so that they embody common powerful themes rather than seemingly random cacophony. Here, too, there may be a lesson to be drawn from those who carry out more militant forms of struggle. But if warriors have something to teach us, we may have something important to teach a warring society. Even as the arts have always benefitted from the sublimation of some of humanity's baser drives, so, too, the arts may serve as a kind of binding agent in our troubled and fragmented world. Would it not be appropriate if, as arts educators, we could make our contribution to lessening this strife, by offering positive models of cooperation in an enterprise which costs little, is available to everyone, and enriches the mind as well as the spirit?
Apoptosis, a programmed cell death, plays a key role in the regulation of tissue homeostasis. However, impairment of its regulation may promote formation and progression of malignancy. An important part of the apoptotic machinery are the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, regulating caspase activity, cell division or cell survival pathways through binding to their baculovirus AIP repeat (BIR) domains and/or by their ubiquitin-ligase RING zinc finger (RZF) activity. The following IAPs have been described so far: NAIP (neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein; BIRC1), cIAP1 and cIAP2 (cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1 and 2; BIRC2 and BIRC3, respectively), XIAP (X-chromosome binding IAP; BIRC4), survivin (BIRC5), BRUCE (Apollon; BIRC6), livin (BIRC7) and Ts-IAP (testis-specific IAP; BIRC8). Several studies suggested a potential contribution of IAPs to oncogenesis and resistance to anti-tumor treatment. Increased IAP expression was found in variety of human cancers, including hematological malignancies, such as leukemias and B-cell lymphomas. A correlation between the progression of those diseases and high levels of survivin or XIAP has been reported. Overexpression of XIAP in acute myeloid leukemia or survivin in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma have been indicated as an unfavorable prognostic factors. Elevated cellular levels of cIAP1, cIAP2, XIAP and survivin correlated with a progressive course of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Thus, targeting IAPs with small-molecule inhibitors by their antisense approaches or natural IAP antagonist mimetics, may be an attractive strategy of anti-cancer treatment. Such agents can either directly induce apoptosis of tumor cells or sensitize them to other cytotoxic agents, hence overcoming drug-resistance. This review demonstrates the current knowledge on IAP molecular biology, as well as the mechanisms of action and the development of IAP-targeting agents for treatment of hematological malignancies.
The binding of insulin to its receptor triggers a signaling cascade regulated by protein complexes via tyrosine phosphorylation events on a multitude of associated proteins. To search novel phosphotyrosine proteins or associated proteins involved in insulin signaling pathway, we employed a method in which Rat1 cells stably expressing the human insulin receptor were stimulated with or without insulin and sub-fractionated prior to enrichment of phosphotyrosine proteins by immunoprecipitation and analysis by LC-MS/MS. Bioinformatic analysis and manual confirmation of peptide phosphorylation site assignments led to identification of 35 phosphotyrosine sites derived from 31 protein groups. Over 50% of these proteins were reported for the first time as tyrosine phosphorylated, including gigaxonin, XIAP and CDK10. In addition, we also found that calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein serine kinase (CASK), a key protein in protein-targeting and vesicle transport in neurons, forms a complex with two unidentified phosphotyrosine proteins pp100 and pp95 in response to insulin-stimulation, though CASK is not itself tyrosine phosphorylated. Furthermore, insulin was able to decrease CASK nuclear location, as well as down-regulate the expression of CASK targeted genes. Our results imply CASK as a novel joint knot connecting CASK-mediated pathways with the insulin signaling. Our data provide a wealth of information potentially paving the way to identify new components in the insulin signaling network.
A band pattern representing what we believe to be a developed, localized plastic deformation has been discovered in a fringe system formed by electronic speckle-pattern interferometry. Time historical tracing of this pattern enables us to predict the location and timing of material fracture before any other visible indication appears. Application of this observation to nondestructive testing is discussed.
Drought forecasting is important in preparing for drought and its mitigation plan. This study focuses on the investigating the performance of Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and Empirical Wavelet Transform (EWT)-ARIMA based on clustering analysis in forecasting drought using Standard Precipitation Index (SPI). Daily rainfall data from Arau, Perlis from 1956 to 2008 was used in this study. SPI data of 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months were then calculated using the rainfall data. EWT is employed to decompose the time series into several finite modes. The EWT is used to create Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMF) which are used to create ARIMA models. Fuzzy c-means clustering is used on the instantaneous frequency given by Hilbert Transform of the IMF to create several clusters. The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of the methods in accurately forecasting drought in Arau, Malaysia. It was found that the proposed model performed better compared to ARIMA and EWT-ARIMA.
Postpartum diastasis of the pubic symphysis has the incidence from 1 in 300 to 1 in 30,000 deliveries. Under the action of progesterone and relaxin, a 1 cm widening of pubic symphysis is considered to be physiological and necessary for normal delivery. However, any higher widening is always pathological, involving the damage of pubic and sacroiliac ligaments. Multiparity has been identified as the only independent risk factor. Because this pathology often manifests as chronic pain in the pubic symphysis region, it is often mistakenly stated as a normal postpartum occurrence. It is only later when the symptoms of pelvic instability and pubic osteitis appear. Postpartum symphysiolysis is a clinical challenge to a physician due to low awareness and the postpartum period important to both the patient and the newborn.
Healthcare and information technology have dramatically changed in recent years, and one of the medical areas most affected is the field of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) (and its preceding organisations) have had a major role in the provision of education to those delivering STI and HIV care. Several years ago the Sexually Transmitted Infection Foundation (STIF) course was developed to provide education for general practitioners and family planning doctors. Although very successful, changes in healthcare delivery, providers and information technology have prompted the BASHH Education Committee (EC) to review the course, to ensure it is fit for 2010 and beyond. The result is an exciting and evolving programme.  STIF has been re-branded as ‘The STI Foundation’ (http://www.bashh.org/stif_ic; accessed 20 Sep 2010), a comprehensive education package for level 1 and 2 providers of sexual health and genitourinary medicine (GUM) nurses working in level 3 services. It …
We apply a well-calibrated three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulator using finite-element meshing to study the intrinsic high-frequency (HF) behaviour of three-terminal nanojunctions based on InGaAs/InAlAs heterostructures. To obtain a reliable prediction of device performance, we use a realistic model for surface charge effects at high-frequency conditions. In this work, we perform an analysis of the dynamics of electron transport in the devices and present a prediction of their intrinsic HF performance. The results demonstrate the suitability of these nanostructures for application in the terahertz regime, and illustrate the influence of surface charge effects in this frequency range.
Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal with no uniform mechanism of toxicity. In this the present study, the toxic effect of 5, 10 and 50 microM of Cd chloride was compared in three human cell lines; a human hepatoma cell line HepG2, a human astrocytoma cell line 1321N1, and a human embryonic kidney cell HEK 293. The results indicate a decrease in the viability of all three cell lines following exposure to Cd with HepG2 cells (IC50=13.96 microM) showing the most sensitivity when measured using the MTT assay. There was significant increase in lactate dehydrogenase leakage, DNA damage, malondialdeyde and antioxidant enzymes activities in all three cell lines especially at 50 microM Cd. Significant decreases in ATP production were also observed at all Cd concentrations in HepG2 and HEK 293 cell lines. ROS levels significantly increase and GSH/GSSG ratio significantly decrease in all the three cell lines after Cd exposure, but these effects were attenuated by the presence of N-acetylcysteine (NAC). The present study therefore shows that ROS production and glutathione (GSH) depletion may play a role in Cd-induced toxicity in all the three cell lines. The endogenous levels of protective enzymes as well as their responsiveness are likely to determine a cell's susceptibility to Cd.
S13 is an avian retrovirus that transforms both fibroblasts and erythroblasts. The gene product responsible for the oncogenic effects of S13 is the env-related glycoprotein gp155. In this report we show that gp155 is a transmembrane protein with a 55-kDa cytoplasmic domain. Pulse-chase analysis shows that gp155 was cleaved posttranslationally into two glycosylated proteins, gp85 and gp70. In addition, we show that a tyrosine protein kinase activity is associated only with the gp70 protein in microsomes and in immune complexes.
The paper deals with a statistical approach to stability analysis in nonlinear stochastic programming. Firstly the distribution function of the underlying random variable is estimated by the empirical distribution function, and secondly the problem of estimated parameters is considered. In both the cases the probability that the solution set of the approximate problem, is not contained in an l-neighbourhood of the solution set to the original problem is estimated, and under differentiability properties an asymptotic expansion for the density of the (unique) solution to the approximate problem is derived.
BACKGROUND Pseudotyped-retrovirus-mediated gene transfer to the regenerating rat liver was investigated in vivo and the findings were compared with those for retrovirus-mediated gene transfer.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Four weeks prior to gene transfer, the spleen was transpositioned to the left subcutaneous position to develop a port-splenic shunt. Twenty-four hours after a partial hepatectomy (68%) was performed, the liver was perfused in situ and kept in contact with either a pseudotyped-retrovirus vector encoding LacZ (7 x 10(7) cfu/ml, Group 1) or a retrovirus vector encoding LacZ (1 x 10(4) cfu/ml, Group 2) for 30 min. The animals were sacrificed at various points after gene transfer, and X-gal staining, reversed polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and ONPG assay were performed to detect the transferred LacZ cDNA.   RESULTS In X-gal staining, the transferred LacZ cDNA started to show a strong beta-galactosidase activity in 30 to 50% of the hepatocytes at 3 days after gene transfer. Positive staining continued to be recognized until 28 days with a slight decrease in its intensity thereafter. On the other hand, Group 2 animals showed weak staining, which was observed in about 10 to 15% of the hepatocytes from 3 days after gene transfer and then decreased thereafter. In RT-PCR, positive mRNA of LacZ was detected constitutively until 28 days after gene transfer in Group 1, whereas two-thirds of the samples showed a negative band in Groups 2 at 3 days after gene transfer.   CONCLUSION In conclusion, the pseudotyped-retrovirus vector was useful in establishing a stable and strong expression of the in vivo gene transfer, while targeting the regenerating liver.
This systematic review aims to highlight the differences between different clear aligner therapies that differ in the presence of attachments or in attachment configuration. Eight electronic databases were searched up to March 2020. Two authors independently proceeded to study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. The analysis of the results was carried out examining six groups of movements (mesio-distal tipping/bodily movement; anterior bucco-lingual tipping/root torque; posterior bucco-lingual tipping/expansion; intrusion; extrusion; rotation). Five clinical trials were selected and all of them showed a medium risk of bias. Literature showed that attachments mostly increase the effectiveness of orthodontic treatment with clear aligners, improving anterior root torque, rotation, and mesio-distal (M-D) movement; they are also important to increase posterior anchorage. However, some articles showed contradictory or not statistically significant results. Attachments also seem to improve intrusion, but the evidence about this movement, as well as extrusion, is lacking. No studies evaluated posterior bucco-lingual tipping/expansion. Further clinical trials are strongly suggested to clarify the influence of attachments and their number, size, shape, and position on each orthodontic movement.
This study was designed to investigate the regulatory role of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) in the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells under the hypothesis that the levels of the phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) mRNA and the phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) protein would be affected by the presence of different receptor ligand concentrations. SMMC-7721 hepatocellular carcinoma cells were cultured in the presence of different concentrations of either 15-deoxyprostaglandin J2 (15-d-PGJ2) or pioglitazone and experiments were conducted in order to determine cell growth changes and measure levels of PTEN mRNA and pAkt protein. Our results after treatment with MTT showed the addition of ligands to the cultured cells inhibited their proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Also, flow cytometry after PI treatment showed the presence of ligands in the growth media could increase the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells, and decrease the proportion of S phase cells. Finally, the same cells exhibited increased levels of the PTEN mRNA by RT-PCR and pAkt protein by western blot analysis. Taken together, our results support the notion that PPARγ ligands can inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, and that this is at least in part due to the resulting upregulation of PTEN expression.
In this paper, we study a dissipativity property which was recently used in several results on economic model predictive control to ensure optimal operation of a system at steady-state as well as stability. In particular, we first investigate whether this dissipativity property is not only sufficient, but also necessary for optimal steady-state operation. In the most general case, this is not true; nevertheless, under an additional controllability assumption, we show that dissipativity is in fact necessary. Second, we provide a robustness analysis of the dissipativity property with respect to changes in the constraint set, which can result in a change in the considered supply rate.
The 10 V Josephson voltage standard of BelGIM was compared with the similar standard of VNIIM in August-November 2014 in accordance with the option B of the BIPM.EM-K10.b comparison protocol. The standard of VNIIM based upon the Josephson effect was used as a transfer standard to measure the output voltage by BelGIM. The final results are in very good agreement with the reference value supplied by the BIPM voltage standard: the relative voltage difference was 6·10-12 at the combined relative standard uncertainty of 2.8·10-10 for the nominal voltage of 10 V. Main text To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCEM, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).
In order to search for armour reductions in the anti-predator armour apparatus of the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus, we studied populations from 200 coastal lakes and 32 marine and estuarine sites in Norway. We scored the presence of reductions in the pelvic apparatus in these populations, measured the length of the second dorsal fin and pelvic spine and counted lateral plates in a subset of 96 populations. Then we looked for the relation between pelvic reduction and number of lateral plates and lengths of the second dorsal spine and pelvic spine. We also observed whether pelvic reduced fish had asymmetric development on the right or the left side of the pelvis. Pelvic reduction was not found in marine and estuarine sticklebacks (with one single exception), but in freshwater it occurred in four out of 200 lakes. The amount of pelvic reduction differed from 5% to 68% in the four populations. There appears to be a correlation between pelvic reduction and spine lengths at the population level, but not plate number. Further, it appears to be difficult to explain the occurrence of pelvic reduction in Norway with the factors proposed to be responsible for pelvic reduction in other regions.
PURPOSE The aim of the present study was to improve the solubility and dissolution rate of a poorly water-soluble drug ketoconazole using solid dispersion technique.   METHODS Solid dispersions of ketoconazole were prepared in ratios of 90 : 10, 70 : 30, 50 : 50, 30 : 70 and 10 : 90 by the melting method using nicotinamide as carrier. These solid dispersions were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to ascertain if there were any physicochemical interactions between drug and carrier that could affect dissolution. Solubility and dissolution studies were conducted with pure ketoconazole, physical mixtures and solid dispersions.   RESULTS Solubility studies indicated that nicotinamide increased significantly the solubility of ketoconazole in water. The Gibbs free energy (ΔG°(tr)) values were negative indicating the spontaneous nature of ketoconazole solubilization, and it decreased with increase in concentration of the carrier, demonstrating that the reaction became more favorable as the concentration of the carrier increased. The cumulative release of ketoconazole within 120 min from solid dispersion at a drug-to-nicotinamide ratio of 10 : 90 (w/w) was 6 times higher than the pure drug in phosphate buffer of pH 6.8.   CONCLUSION Solid state characterization indicated that there is no interaction between ketoconazole and nicotinamide in the solid state. In contrast to the very slow dissolution rate of pure ketoconazole, the dispersion of the drug in nicotinamide considerably enhanced the dissolution rate. The drug dissolution rate was highest at a drug-to-nicotinamide ratio of 10 : 90 (w/w).
Richly interlinked, machine-understandable data constitutes the basis for the Semantic Web. Annotating web documents is one of the major techniques for creating metadata on the Web. However, annotation tools so far are restricted in their capabilities of providing richly interlinked and truely machine-understandable data. They basically allow the user to annotate with plain text according to a template structure, such as Dublin Core. We here present CREAM (Creating RElational, Annotation-based Metadata), a framework for an annotation environment that allows to construct relational metadata, i.e. metadata that comprises class instances and relationship instances. These instances are not based on a fix structure, but on a domain ontology. We discuss some of the requirements one has to meet when developing such a framework, e.g. the integration of a metadata crawler, inference services, document management and information extraction, and describe its implementation, viz. Ont-O-Mat a component-based, ontology-driven annotation tool.
Epitaxial graphene grows on different SiC polytypes possessing distinct bulk band gaps. In this work we systematically investigate the influence of polytypes on the graphene electronic spectrum employing localdensity approximation (LDA)/Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof (HSE) ab initio calculations including different buffer layer–graphene layer stackings. We find a variation of the Dirac point position with respect to the valence-band edge as a function of the polytype hexagonality. HSE values are in good agreement with recent experimental results, while LDA corroborates the trends. Since the Dirac point, interface-related states, and the Fermi level follow similar polytype-induced shifts, the doping of the epilayer stays practically the same. For the AB stacked buffer and epilayer on a Si-terminated SiC substrate the graphene spectrum exhibits a polytype-dependent energy gap g which ranges 25–40 meV for different polytypes. On the contrary, for the AA stacking the Dirac cone remains intact. We suggest a symmetry-based analytical model which explains the origin of the gap and its absence for the AA geometry and provides a direct connection between g and the buffer-epilayer interaction potential.
To determine which cytochrome P450 form is involved in the promethazine [10-(2-dimethylaminopropyl) phenothiazine] metabolism, in vitro analysis using human liver microsomes were performed. Promethazine was mainly biotransformed to ring-hydroxylated, S-oxidized and N-demethylated metabolites. The promethazine hydroxylase in human liver microsomes was inhibited by SKF-525A, propranolol, sparteine, quinidine and anti-CYP2D6 serum suggesting involvement of a P450 related to CYP2D6. Lineweaver-Burk plots for the hydroxylation, S-oxidation and N-demethylation indicated that the hydroxylation occurred with a low K(m) value in human liver microsomes. Microsomes from genetically-engineered human B-lymphoblastoid cells expressing CYP2D6 hydroxylated promethazine most efficiently as compared to other P450 forms, indicating that it was the principal P450 responsible for the metabolism of promethazine in human liver microsomes. The inhibition of CYP2D6-catalysed bufuralol 1'-hydroxylase by various histamine H3 antagonists including promethazine suggested that promethazine and some other histamine H1 antagonists could be inhibitors of this P450 in human liver microsomes.
This paper presents a simple CMOS impulse radio (IR) ultra-wide-band (UWB) transmitter designed in IBM 130nm technology for inter-chip wireless communication. The proposed architecture is composed of two Gaussian mono-cycle pulse generators which are capable of producing ultra short BPSK modulated pulses. The average pulse width is about 152ps and the peak-to-peak amplitude is 404 mV with -10 dB bandwidth of 5 GHz from 5 to 10 GHz. Post-layout simulations using 130nm IBM CMOS RF technology shows that the transmitter operates at 5 Gbps data rate and consumes 5mW under a 1.2V power supply.
The J-matrix inverse scattering nucleon-nucleon potentials (JISP), describing both two-nucleon data and bound and resonant states of light nuclei to high accuracy, are tested on the total photoabsorption cross sections of {sup 2}H, {sup 3}H, and {sup 3,4}He. The calculations in the three- and four-body systems are carried out via the Lorentz integral transform method and the hyperspherical harmonics (HH) technique. To this end the HH formalism has been adapted to accommodate nonlocal potentials. The cross sections calculated with the JISP are compared to those obtained with more traditional realistic interactions, which include two- and three-nucleon forces. Although the results of the two kinds of potential models do not differ significantly at lower energies, beyond the resonance peak they show fairly large discrepancies, which increase with the nuclear mass. We argue that these discrepancies may be due to a probably incorrect long-range behavior of the JISP, because the one pion exchange is not manifestly implemented there.
Bendamustine, a bifunctional alkylating agent, is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of hematological and other malignancies. Although it has been used in the former East Germany for more than 30 years, very limited information is available on its biotransformation. The objective of this investigation was to obtain information on the structures of metabolites excreted into rat urine and bile to understand the metabolic fate of bendamustine in vivo. Metabolites of [14C]bendamustine hydrochloride in rat urine and bile were determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS) in parallel with on-line radioactivity detection in samples obtained after i.v. dosing of 3 mg/kg. A total of 17 radioactive peaks were identified in rat urine and 10 in rat bile (2 were unique to bile). Four of these metabolites had been previously reported, whereas 15 are novel. Proposed structures of all metabolites detected are based on MSn spectra generated from a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. These results suggest that the major metabolic pathways in rat are oxidative and/or hydrolytic dehalogenation, oxidation, carboxylic acid formation, N-dealkylation, sulfation, and glutathione and cysteine (probably via glutathione) conjugation. The cysteine-conjugated compounds are observed in their N-acetylated cysteine (mercapturic acid) forms.
Basal growth hormone (GH) levels are higher in female than male primates, and estradiol (E) treatment of gonadectomized primates increases serum GH. To determine if the effect of E is mediated at the level of the somatotroph, we verified the effect of E-treatment on serum GH in spayed macaques, and then examined the effect of E on GH secretion in serum-free monkey pituitary cultures. Daily blood samples were obtained from cynomolgus macaques which were spayed upon detection of menstruation and immediately implanted with either empty (n = 5) or E-filled (n = 5) 2-cm silastic capsules. The average level of GH was significantly higher (P less than 0.003) in the E-treated group than in the control group (6.4 +/- 0.7 vs. 3.7 +/- 0.6 ng/ml). Pituitaries from rhesus monkeys were dispersed and cultured in 48-well plates on extracellular matrix in DME/F12 with insulin, transferrin, selenium. Using pituitary cells from a long-term spayed female, two plates were established with and without phenol red. Each plate was treated with E in a dose-related manner (0.001-10 nM) from days 0-18 (4 wells per dose). There was a significant dose-related increase in medium prolactin (PRL) in both plates, but E had no effect on GH. Therefore, the effect of E on GH in spayed monkeys cannot be accounted for by a direct action on somatotrophs. Additional phenol red-free pituitary cultures were established from four juvenile males, one adult male, two juvenile females, and two adult females and treated with E in a dose-related fashion for 28 days. Neither the adult male, the adult female, nor the juvenile female cultures exhibited an increase in GH with E treatment. Only the four juvenile male pituitary cultures showed a variable increase in GH with maximal responses ranging from 5 to 40% over control. This data suggested that the juvenile male pituitary contained an E-sensitive GH-secreting cell population which is not present in the other pituitary cultures. PRL and GH double-immunocytochemical staining of pituitary cultures from an adult female and a juvenile male revealed a significant population of rounded and possibly double-labeled cells in the juvenile male culture which were infrequently seen in the adult female culture. Speculatively, this population could represent mammosomatotroph stem cells that corelease GH and PRL upon stimulation.
The paper presents a summary of experimental studies of the corpuscular and X‐ray emission, which were carried out with two medium‐size Plasma‐Focus (PF) facilities at IPJ in Swierk, Poland, during recent years. Those experiments were performed with the MAJA‐PF and PF‐360 devices operated within the energy range from 37 kJ to 121 kJ. The two‐peak neutron emission was observed within PF‐360 facility discharges. Energy of neutrons in the first pulse, as measured along the z‐axis, was En = (2.65 ± 0.13) MeV, while that measured side‐on was En = (2.47 ± 0.15) MeV. Electron beams were mostly generated after the maximum compression phase, while high‐energy deuterons were generated earlier.
The development of fiberoptic endoscopes between 1960 and 1970 was an important event in the evolution of the specialty of gastroenterology. Several of these endoscopes had sideviewing or oblique-viewing lenses that provided reasonable views of the ampulla of Vater. Cannulation of the ampulla and retrograde pancreatography was first reported in 1968 (McCune et al., 1968). Subsequent developments largely occurred in Japan and led to a more detailed description of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in 1970 (Takagi et al., 1970). This was soon followed by a description of endoscopic sphincterotomy by independent groups in Germany and Japan in 1974 (Classen & Demling, 1974; Kawai et al., 1974). By the mid-1970’s, ERCP had been adopted by several major centers but was not widely accepted because it was perceived as either “too difficult” or “too prone to complications”. The major complication was that of pancreatitis. This occurred in up to 10% of patients and was associated with significant morbidity and at least some mortality. Even today, risks for pancreatitis remain significant despite a large number of studies that have attempted to reduce the risk using procedural modifications or various drugs. The next milestone in therapeutic ERCP was a description of endoscopic stents for malignant biliary obstruction (Soehendra and Reynders-Frederix, 1979). This was followed by a description of therapeutic procedures in the pancreas including stents for strictures in the main pancreatic duct, endoscopic extraction of pancreatic stones, endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts and endoscopic stents for pancreatic fistulae and pancreatic ascites. By the mid-1980’s, ERCP had been widely adopted and was recognized as the therapeutic procedure of choice for bile duct stones, particularly after cholecystectomy. Developments since 1990 include the use of self-expanding metal (metallic) stents for malignant biliary obstruction and the development of ultrathin endoscopes for direct cholangioscopy and pancreatoscopy. Although endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) was first described in 1976 (Lutz and Rosch, 1976), it has only recently been widely applied to pancreatic and biliary disorders, largely because of technical developments including the opportunity for tissue sampling using fine-needle aspiration. The purpose of this report is to provide an outline of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in the biliary tract and pancreas. We will also include endoscopic procedures currently under evaluation that might have a role in future therapy.
Abstract Objective: Meningococcal disease continues to be a serious public health concern, being associated with high morbidity and mortality rates in many countries from Latin America. In addition to discussing recent changes in the epidemiology of meningococcal disease in the region, we also analyse the development and potential impact of new vaccines on the prevention of meningococcal disease. Methods: MEDLINE, SciELO, LILACS and websites of the national Ministries of Health databases were searched using the terms meningococcal disease, meningococcal epidemiology, Neisseria meningitidis, meningococcal vaccines and the name of Latin America countries, from 1998 to 2008, with emphasis on review articles, clinical trials and epidemiological studies. Results: Epidemiology of meningococcal disease in Latin America is characterized by marked differences from country to country. The overall incidence of meningococcal disease per year varied from less than 0·1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in countries like Mexico to two cases per 100,000 inhabitants in Brazil. The highest age-specific incidence of meningococcal disease occurred in infants less than 1 year of age. Serogroups B and C were responsible for the majority of cases reported, but the emergence of serogroups W135 and Y was reported in some countries. Serogroup A disease is now rare in Latin America. Discussion: Although a few countries have established meningitis surveillance programs, the information is not uniform, and the quality of the reported data is poor in the majority of the region. The availability of new effective meningococcal conjugate vaccines and promising protein-based vaccine candidates against meningococcus B highlights the importance of a better understanding of the true burden of meningococcal disease in Latin America and also the need for cost-effectiveness studies before incorporating the new meningococcal vaccines to national immunization programs.
Nowadays, there is a significant increase in the number of services firms exist bringing on tighter competitive situation. For that reason, service firms are required to improve themselves continuously. One of the ways to do that is by measuring performance accurately. In order to gain success in the future and survive, the firms need to identify stakeholders’ needs and wants and to provide added value for them. At this moment performance indicators used by car audio company are financial performance and customer satisfaction. They’re result are not represent all stakeholder’s satisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary for the firms to design performance measurement system that enable them to measure their performance comprehensively by taking five dimensions into account, namely stakeholders’ satisfaction, stakeholders’ contribution, strategy, process, and firms’ capability by using Performance Prism method. Keyword : Performance measurement, Performance Prism, Stakeholder, car audio company
Background: Adherence to inhaled medication constitutes a major problem in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) globally. However, large studies evaluating adherence in its entirety and capturing a large variety of potentially associated factors are still lacking. Objective: To study both elementary types of adherence to chronic inhaled COPD medication in “real-life” COPD patients and to assess relationships with a wide-ranging spectrum of clinical parameters. Methods: Data from the Czech Multicentre Research Database (CMRD) of COPD, an observational prospective study, were used. Overall adherence (OA) was evaluated with Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (©MMAS-4) and adherence to an application technique (A-ApplT) with the Five Steps Assessment. Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation, and logistic regression were used to explore relationships between variables. Results: Data of 546 participants (69.6% of all patients from the CMRD) were analyzed. Two-thirds self-reported optimal OA, but only less than one-third demonstrated A-ApplT without any error. OA did not correlate with A-ApplT. Next, better OA was associated with higher education, a higher number of inhalers, a lower rate of exacerbations, poorer lung function, higher degree of upper respiratory tract symptoms (SNOT-22), absence of depressive symptoms, ex-smoking status, regular mouthwash after inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), and flu vaccination. By contrast, better A-ApplT was associated with a lower number of inhalers, better lung function, and regular mouthwash after ICS. Independent predictors of nonoptimal OA included lower degree of education, absence of flu vaccination, anemia, depression, and peptic ulcer history, whereas independent predictors of lower A-ApplT were lower education, absence of regular mouthwash after ICS, and higher COPD Assessment Test score. Conclusions: Parameters associated with OA and A-ApplT differ, and those associated with both adherence domains are sometimes associated inversely. Based on this finding, we understand these as two separate constructs with an overlap.
The γ-, δ-, λ-, κ-, η-, θ- and α-aluminas were prepared by heating the crystalline aluminium hydroxides at selected temperatures. The vibrational spectra of those aluminas were determined in the far-infrared (FIR) region. In order to assign the low-frequency vibrations of aluminas, the characteristic frequencies of octahedral AlO6 and tetrahedral AlO4 groups were determined by using both the crystal structures of θ- and α- aluminas.
Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) manifests as patchy hair loss and intralesional corticosteroid (ILCS) is usual therapeutic choice in limited disease. Microneedling is used for uniform delivery of topical agent to relatively larger areas may prove to be more efficacious than traditional ILCS. The present study prospectively compared microneedling to traditional intralesional delivery of triamcinolone acetonide (TA). Materials and Methods: Prospective randomized comparative study in 60 patients of AA restricted to scalp not requiring systemic treatment randomly divided into two equal groups. Group 1 patients underwent microneedling with local application of injectable TA and Group 2 patients were given injectable TA intradermally for a total of three sessions at 3 weeks interval. Results: A mean regrowth of 66.36% in Group 1 and 69.75% in Group 2 at week 9 was seen which was comparative with no significant statistical difference between the two groups (P = 0.664). Thirteen patients achieved 100% regrowth at week 9 in Group 1 and 16 patients achieved 50%–99% regrowth in Group 2. Discussion and Conclusions: ILCSs have been cornerstone in the treatment of limited AA, but depth of injecting drug cannot be controlled, microneedling whereas is an effective drug delivery system and also causes release of growth factors. In this study, injectable TA used intralesionally and topically with microneedling had nearly similar efficacy in causing regrowth of hair with microneedling resulting in a more uniform but less dense regrowth of hair with lesser adverse effects.
In the early stage of development, developers copied internal code snippets to enhance developing efficiency. With the rapid growth of Bytedance, similar or equivalent code snip-pets across different repositories or different product lines' codebases would potentially increase the cost of maintenance and distribute vulnerable code snippets. With the application of Clone-Detection, there are multiple well-established tools or techniques used for detecting similar code snippets in Java, JavaScript, Objective C and etc [1], [3]. We could hardly find similar tools available for Go, a widely-used programming language in the field of server development, especially at Bytedance. For the lack of public and labeled datasets, we utilized a great number of code snippets in Bytedance's codebase and trained an unsupervised model to propose Go-CopyCatch (GoCC), a tool and technique for Clone-Detection in Go.
Abstract Social media could be considered as an interesting complementary tool to the public health domain. Although the literature has studied in detail the efficacy of some of these platforms, it is unclear whether Instagram® can play a role in the adoption of long-term healthy habits. A healthy food Instagram account called the "ChefTaste" was created to assess both the impact of this platform and the time needed for it to exert influence on its followers. After six months, a cross-sectional study was conducted. Out of 493 candidates, 171 did not follow any healthy food account, 204 followed "ChefTaste" account and 118 fol-lowed other healthy food accounts. Users who followed any healthy food account had a higher probability of not just eating better [OR=1.50 (1.03,2.18) p=0.036] but also indulging in more exercise [OR=1.46 (1.00,2.13) p=0.048] and were more cautious about what they were eating [OR=1.67 (1.13, 2.46) p=0.01]. Furthermore, on comparing the results of "ChefTaste" followers with those of other healthy accounts, we found there were no statistically significant differences with respect to healthy eating and weekly exercise. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of Instagram® which could be explained by its social support and simplicity. Authors, therefore, believe that Instagram® could play a potential tool in improving the lifestyle of individuals.
Magnesium oxide (MgO) thin films with a high crystallinity and a preferred (1 1 1) orientation were prepared by an ion plating technique and the effects of hydrogen flow rates on their structural, surface, optical and discharge properties were investigated. Dependence on hydrogen flow rates has a quadratic curve type characteristic with an inflection point at a hydrogen flow rate of 60 sccm. The results indicated that the controlled grain shape and the size of MgO film grown under an optimal hydrogen doping condition affect the surface, microstructure and defect states in the MgO films, resulting in a reduction in the discharge delay time of ac plasma display panels significantly.
Chemical interactions and protein conformations changes during the formation of silver carp surimi gel were studied by textural analysis, chemical methods, laser Raman spectroscopy, and circular dichrosim. The optimum setting time at 40°C was 60 min. During surimi gel formation, ionic bonds and hydrogen bonds decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05), while hydrophobic interactions, disulfide bonds, and non-disulfide covalent bonds increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Hydrophobic interactions, disulfide bonds, and non-disulfide covalent bonds were the main chemical interactions maintaining the stable structure of surimi gel. Secondary structural analysis of surimi protein showed that 94.11% α-helix existed in native myosin and it partly changed into β-turn and random coil during heating. Myosin gel was made up of 33.70% α-helix, 12.40% β-turn and 53.90% random coil. These three kinds of secondary structures were the main protein conformations in surimi gel.
Multibody dynamics is based on analytical mechanics and is applied to engineering systems such as a wide variety of machines and all kind of vehicles. Multibody dynamics depends on computational dynamics and is closely related to control design and vibration theory. Recent developments in multibody dynamics focus on elastic or flexible systems, respectively, contact and impact problems, and actively controlled systems. Some fundamentals in multibody dynamics, recursive algorithms and methods for dynamical analysis are presented. In particular, methods from linear system analysis and nonlinear dynamics approaches are discussed. Also, applications from vehicles, manufacturing science and molecular dynamics are shown.
A rectangular patch loaded with shorting posts as well as varactor diodes was investigated theoretically using a Modal Expansion Cavity Model, with a view to predicting the obtainable tuning range and its effect on the radiation characteristics of the antenna. The tuning range in the shorting-posts loaded patch was found to be 450 MHz, which is almost double the earlier reported data, whereas in the varactor-loaded patch it was almost the same as reported range. The results obtained from the proposed method are in good agreement with the previously reported one.
Abstract Objectives To determine the optimal number of examined lymph nodes (ELN) and that of examined node stations (ENS) in patients with radiologically pure-solid non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLCs), and to investigate the impact of ELN and ENS on accurate staging and long-term survival. Methods Data from six institutions in China on resected c-stageⅠ-Ⅱ NSCLCs presenting as pure-solid tumors were analyzed for the impact of ELN and ENS on nodal upstaging, stage migration, recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) by using multivariate models. The correlations between different endpoints and ELN or ENS were fitted with a LOWESS smoother, and the structural break points were determined by Chow test. Results Both ELN and ENS were identified as prognostic factors for OS (ENS: HR, 0.697; 95%CI: 0.590 to 0.824; P Conclusion Both ELN and ENS are associated with more-accurate node staging and better long-term survival. We recommend 16 LNs and 5 stations as the cut point for evaluating the quality of LN examination for c-stageⅠ-Ⅱ patients with radiologically pure-solid NSCLCs.
Abstract Awareness of (un)sustainable operations is increasingly researched in the for-profit and government sectors, but little is known about the third sector. Still, these not-for-profit organizations are challenged by progressive accountability requirements and increasingly they seem to be responding to these demands through sustainability reporting. In this paper, we explore sustainability reporting by third sector organizations (TSOs) in the context of signalling theory; a useful theoretical lens to explore organizational reports as a signal to stakeholders. Using a document analysis, we explore twenty-three TSOs to discover what they are signalling, to whom, and whether different organizations send different messages.
Negative pressure induced pulmonary edema due to upper airway obstruction is a well-recognized problem. However, negative pressure pulmonary hemorrhage is extremely uncommon. We report a child who developed negative pressure pulmonary hemorrhage following acute airway obstruction caused by clench of endotracheal tube during emergence of anesthesia. The patient was treated with positive pressure ventilation and frequent tracheal suction. Hemorrhage from endotracheal tube was gradually decreased after 4 hours. The patient was extubated after 7 hours.
Dear Editor, Pyomyositis is an infection of the skeletal muscles without involvement of adjoining structures like skin, soft tissue or bone. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common etiological agent reported in all the case series and case reports. Infection with other microorganisms is uncommon, and with Nocardia is very rare, with no reports in the English literature. We are reporting one such case of Nocardia pyomyositis in a patient on immunosuppression for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). A 63-year-old man with GPA, presented with fever and left thigh pain for 3 days. He was diagnosed as having GPA 3.5 years previously, when he presented with sinusitis, nasal crusting, nasal bleeding, pulmonary nodules, microscopic hematuria, renal dysfunction (serum creatinine 1.5 mg/dL), ventricular failure, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and anti-PR3 positivity. Cyclophosphamide pulses according to the European Vasculitis Study Group regime were given initially, and he was presently on prednisolone (5 mg/day) and azathioprine (100 mg/day). He had moderate grade (up to 38.3°C) fever for 3 days, associated with severe pain in the left thigh resulting in inability to walk. There was marked local tenderness of the hamstring muscles. Further clinical examination was normal. There was mild anemia (hemoglobin 91 g/L [reference value 120–180 gm/L), total leucocyte count 6000/lL (4–11 9 10/lL), platelet count 344 9 10/lL (150– 400 9 10/lL). Serum electrolytes, renal functions and liver functions were normal. Urine routine examination was also normal. Initial ultrasound of the thigh done 2 days prior to admission was normal. MRI of the thigh region demonstrated abnormal T2 hyperintensity in muscles of the posterior and adductor compartment of the left thigh, extending to the obturator muscles, associated with collections, the largest measuring 6.5 9 4.5 cm in the muscular and intermuscular compartments of the upper thigh (Fig. 1). There were no hip joint effusions. One hundred and sixty-five microliters of frank pus was aspirated under ultrasound guidance. Pus culture grew Gram-positive branching filamentous bacilli of Nocardia species. Intravenous trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was given at a dose of 10 mg/kg of trimethoprim, along with amikacin 15 mg/kg, for 21 days. Repeated aspirations of the collections were required during admission, eventually resulting in clinical improvement and radiological resolution over 3 weeks. Oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was started with a plan to continue it for at least 1 year. Pyomyositis is a purulent disease condition involving skeletal muscles. Various risk factors include human immunodeficiency infection, patients on
ABSTRACT Although oral hygiene is known to impact self-confidence and self-esteem, little is known about how it influences our interpersonal behavior. Using a wearable, multi-sensor device, we examined differences in consumers’ individual and interpersonal confidence after they had or had not brushed their teeth. Students (N = 140) completed nine one-to-one, 3-minute “speed dating” interactions while wearing a device that records verbal, nonverbal, and mimicry behavior. Half of the participants brushed their teeth using Close-Up toothpaste (Unilever) prior to the interactions, whilst the other half abstained from brushing that morning. Compared to those who had not brushed their teeth, participants who had brushed were more verbally confident (i.e., spoke louder, over-talked more), showed less nonverbal nervousness (i.e., fidgeted less), and were more often perceived as being “someone similar to me.” These effects were moderated by attractiveness but not by self-esteem or self-monitoring.
Summary Comparison of the parameters using for determination of metabolizable energy value of the roughages The objective of the present study was to define the correlation coeffecient (r) between dry matter digestibility (DMD), organic matter digestibility (OMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) values of roughages determined by in vivo classic digestion trials and various parameters determined by some in vitro techniques. With the finding obtained, it can be concluded that in the regression equations which is developed for estimating the ME values of roughages grown in Turkey, crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) in Weende analysis; neutral detergent fiber (NDF) or especially acid detergent fiber (ADF) in Van Soest analysis; enzyme soluble organic matter (ELOS) in Enzymatic method and 24 h gas production in Gas Production technique (HFT) should have a priority in use as reliable parameters.
Multi-label learning belongs to the class of supervised learning wherein each sample is represented by a single instance and is associated with a set of relevant labels. Many realworld applications like medical diagnosis and image classification involve multi-label classification wherein label correlations are essential to the performance of the classifier. To utilize this correlation among labels, in this paper, we propose a novel model termed as Unified Multi-label Relationship Learning (UMRL) which considers the explicit and implicit correlation inherent in data to build an effective learning model. We adopt the Accelerated Gradient Method (AGM) to train the underlying optimization model efficiently. Extensive experimental comparisons to state-of-the-art multi-label algorithms demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of our proposed approach.
Based on the technology of Linux Virtual Server, the load balancing system could solve server bottleneck problems which were brought by the development and application of Internet, network of geometric growth of subscribers and network flow. WLC scheduling algorithm is often adopted, and is a good effect. This paper puts forward a kind of optimization methods based on server performance calculating value problems on WLC scheduling algorithm. It could make the load balancing system realizing task equilibrium better.
The study analyzes whether the strategic orientation of the firm, measured in six dimensions, influences the level of outsourcing. It also analyzes whether outsourcing has an impact on organizational performance from financial and non-financial perspectives. To do so, an important European tourist destination is analyzed. The findings suggest that the majority of the strategic dimensions influence the hotel’s level of outsourcing. The defensiveness and proactive dimensions are positively related to the level of outsourcing, whereas the competitive analysis and competitive aggressiveness dimensions influence it negatively. In addition, the riskiness dimension has a positive influence, whereas the dimension related to futurity does not influence the level of outsourcing. A positive and significant relationship is found between outsourcing and financial performance, whereas for non-financial performance, the relationship is not significant.
300Background: Docetaxel (Doc) and Cabazitaxel (Cab) every 3 weeks with daily prednisone are standard first and second line chemotherapies in mCRPC. In daily practice, many mCRPC pts are aged > 65 years and around 20% are aged > 75years. MATuRITY registry shows that taxanes therapy provides EP with increased chances of surviving even in case of frailty. EP unfit due to their comorbidities are at risk of AE related to the chemo-treatment, so an appropriate adjustment of the dosage and schedule should be take into account. According to SIOG guidelines, G-8 Screening Tool represents a key tool to identify a suitable subset of EP able to receive cab. Methods: WeCabE enrolled mCRPC EP ≥ 70 and < 85 years, G8 Score 8-14, PS 0-2. Cab was administered at a dose of 8mg /m2 (10mg/m2 if well tolerated) for 4 out 5 weeks Use of G-CSF was allowed. Median PFS, primary endpoint, was evaluated according to PCWG-2. Secondary endpoints were: PSA Response, ORR, OS, Safety, Geriatric assessment (Minimal Data Set according wi...
Understanding the neuronal basis of epileptiform activity is a major challenge in neurology. Interictal epileptiform discharges are associated with fast ripples (FRs, >200 Hz) in the local field potential (LFP) and are a promising marker of the epileptogenic zone. Here, by using a novel hybrid macro-micro depth electrode, combining classic depth recording of LFP and two or three tetrodes enabling up to 15 neurons in local circuits to be recorded simultaneously, we have characterized neuronal responses to FRs on the same hybrid and other electrodes targeting other brain regions. While FRs were associated with increased neuronal activity in local circuits only, they were followed by inhibition in large-scale networks. Neuronal responses to FRs were homogeneous in local networks but differed across brain areas. Similarly, post-FR inhibition varied across recording locations and subjects and was shorter than typical inter-FR intervals, suggesting that this inhibition is a fundamental refractory process for the networks. These findings demonstrate that FRs engage local and global networks and point to network features that pave the way for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
bids used for liver-spleen-bone marrow scanning reduces radiation exposure to these organs and per mits one to study the proteolytic digestive capacity of the reticuloendothial system (RES) . The phago cytic function of the RES has been investigated ex tensively with 1311-albumin aggregates as well as other radiocolloids. Despite its much greater poten tial clinical value, no practical test procedure has been developed to estimate digestive functions of the RES or more specifically of the liver's Kupifer cells in man. Previously, small, colloidal-sized ( 10â€”20nm) al bumin aggregates were used (1 ,2 ) . These prepara tions in tracer doses ( >0.05 mg/kg) do not tax the enzymatic capacity of the RE cells. Albumin microaggregates, as developed in this laboratory (3,4), have a much larger size ( 1â€”5jim) and do have the capability to load the proteolytic enzymatic function of the RE cells. At an early stage of our search for a way to meas ure proteolytic RES function with microaggregates, 99@'Tcwas found inadvertently to be excreted by the biliary system into the gallbladder and small bowel. This observation was surprising in view of the dif ferent metabolic pathways of its 1311 counterpart (â€ ̃31I-albuminmicroaggregates) and of 99mTc..pertech.. netate. The present study was then designed to learn more about the biliary excretion of 99mTc following albumin microaggregate injection and to determine whether its rate and amount of excretion could be used to estimate a proteolytic digestive function of the liver's Kupifer cells.
In laboratory bioassays, host-seeking adult blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis Say, lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.), and American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis (Say), were exposed to substances from the pelage of dogs and white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann). Male A. americanum exhibited an arrestant response to all samples of deer tarsal gland substances tested, whereas female A. americanum, female I. scapularis, and male and female D. variabilis responded to samples from certain deer and not others. Female I. scapularis, D. variabilis, and A. americanum of both sexes also showed an arrestant response to substances rubbed from the dorsal surface of dogs' ears. These findings suggest that, although these 3 species of ticks are associated with certain host species as adults (A. americanum and I. scapularis with white-tailed deer, D. variabilis with dogs), their repertoires of host-finding behaviors are broad, and use of minor host species may not be purely accidental.
Abstract 1. Schizandrol A is an active component in schisandra, also the representative component for the identification of schisandra. 2. A rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with quadruple–time–of–flight mass spectrometry (RRLC–QTOF/MS) was developed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of schizandrol A after its intragastric administration (50 mg/kg) in rats. 3. Schizandrol A was rapidly absorbed (T max = 2.07 h), with a longer duration (t 1/2 = 9.48 h) and larger apparent volume of distribution (Vz/F = 111.81 l/kg) in rats. Schizandrol A can be detected in main organs and the order of its distribution was in the liver > kidney > heart > spleen > brain, particularly higher in the liver. 4. Five schizandrol A metabolites were identified, including 2–demethyl–8(R)–hydroxyl–schizandrin, 3–demethyl–8(R)–hydroxyl–schizandrin, hydroxyl–schizandrin, demethoxy–schizandrin, 2, 3–demethyl–8(R)–hydroxyl–schizandrin, indicating that the hydroxylation and demethylation may be the major metabolic way of schizandrol A. 5. This study defined the pharmacokinetic characteristics of schizandrol A in vivo, and the RRLC–QTOF/MS is more sensitive and less limited by conditions, and needs less samples, which may be a useful resource for the further research and development of schisandrol A.
We have superpolished a diamond-turned aluminum mandrel to an axial roughness of 0.34 nm rms. The mandrel is made to the Astro-E secondary mirror design for the 81st shell. Precision metrology at 100 mm to submicron scales has established the power spectral density of the mandrel and ultralightweight gold coated replicated segments. Predicted image quality of a set of optimally aligned replicated segments of this and a matching primary is substantially improved as compared to the flight mirrors for Astro-E. This approach using metal mandrels, superpolishing, and replicated ultralightweight foil mirrors, may represent a cost-effective approach to meeting the 15 arcsec half-energy width and weight requirements for the Constellation-X mission. Descriptions of the polishing apparatus, the precision metrology instruments, and the surface data analysis are presented. The general methods describe dare applicable to precision optics for both normal incidence and grazing incidence optics.
The Bail Reform Act of 19841 ("Bail Reform Act" or "Act") has substantially revised the standards and procedures governing bail in the federal criminal justice system. The Act fundamentally changes the administration of bail in the federal criminal justice system by authorizing "preventive detention" upon a determination by a judge or magistrate that a defendant presents too great a danger to the community to be released prior to or during the trial.2
The goal of the article is to compare contemporary websites used by investigative reporters for organising their inquiries and propagating their outcomes. To achieve that goal, I compare the experiences of American and European muckrakers in conducting investigative activities through websites. I analysed 10 such projects in total, 3 from the USA and 7 from Europe. The discussed criteria include the modes of financing, the size of annual budgets, the modes of operation, and HR policies.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the sagittal knee kinematics of rectus femoris transfer without hamstring lengthening. A retrospective review of seventeen children (29 knees) was performed. Gait analysis was performed prior to surgery and repeated at a minimum of one year after surgery. Sagittal knee kinematics were analyzed. Stance minimum knee flexion increased 7 degrees; swing maximum knee flexion increased 5 degrees; and swing minimum knee flexion increased 5 degrees. The present study confirmed previously reported increases in swing maximum knee flexion. Increases in stance minimum knee flexion and swing minimum knee flexion were also found. These findings have not been previously reported.
Super capacitor has the advantage of quick charge, large power density, and long cycle life. The shortage is the lower energy density compared with electrochemistry batteries. These features make it suitable for a short-distance electric bus used in the city. Because of the capacitance difference between the capacitor cells, after a number of deep discharging/charging cycles, the voltage difference between cells will be enlarged. This will accelerate the aging of the weak super capacitors and affect the output power. So, a management system with an equalization function is essential. In this paper, a practical super-capacitor stacks management system with dynamic equalization techniques is proposed. The function of the management system includes: monitoring the current, voltage, and temperature of the stacks, control of charge, and discharge with equalization online. A switched-capacitor equalization approach is adopted showing a low-cost way to meet the accuracy requirements. The dynamic equalized charging and discharging circuit is described. The algorithm to increase the operation speed and the precision is analyzed. By dynamically redistributing the current, the equalization procedure can be quicker and more efficient. This approach has been verified by experiments
Background and Aim This study is an evaluation of liver fibrosis measurements determined using transient elastography and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) scores of patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) who were treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Materials and Methods The liver fibrosis measurements recorded using transient elastography, APRI scores, and the biochemical data from before and after treatment of 40 patients with CHC who were treated with DAA were reviewed. Patients who received paritaprevir+ritonavir/ombitasvir+dasabuvir were included in Group 1 (n=20), and patients who received sofosbuvir+ledipasvir±ribavirin in Group 2 (n=20). Results The mean liver fibrosis measurement of the patients was 15.73±10.63 kPa (min–max: 5.20–45.00 kPa) before treatment and 2.56±8.84 kPa (min–max: 4.30–42.00 kPa) after treatment. There was a significant improvement in liver fibrosis with a regression of 20.16% at the end of treatment compared with the start (p=0.001) with no significant difference between treatment groups (p=0.542). The highest regression rate of 75% was seen in patients with F2 fibrosis at the end of treatment. Significant regression was also found in patients with F3 fibrosis, with a rate of 57.2%, and in those with F4 fibrosis, with a rate of 17.6% (p=0.035). Significant reduction was also observed in the APRI scores of patients at the end of treatment compared with the start of treatment (p<0.001), with no significant difference between treatment groups (p=0.328). Conclusion Noninvasive assessments of CHC patients treated with DAA revealed regression in liver fibrosis measurements and APRI scores and significant improvements were seen in the stage of fibrosis in the early phases following treatment.
We have assessed, for the first time, genotoxicity (i.e. sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei) in anaesthetists exposed to a single volatile anaesthetic (sevoflurane) without nitrous oxide. The anaesthetists were exposed to an 8‐h time‐weighted average of 0.2 parts per million sevoflurane. Internists served as non‐exposed controls. Mean (SD) sister chromatid exchanges per cell were significantly higher in anaesthetists compared to internists (6.6 (0.9) vs 5.1 (0.8); p < 0.001) whereas median (IQR [range]) micronuclei per 1000 binucleated cells did not differ (9.5 (6.3–10.8 [2.0–15.5]) vs 8.5 (6.0–10.5 [3.0–25.5]), respectively). Although the anaesthetists were exposed to rather low concentrations of sevoflurane, this 30% increase of sister chromatid exchanges is in agreement with a recently reported 300% increase with a high level exposure to sevoflurane and nitrous oxide. Omitting nitrous oxide does not normalise increased rates of sister chromatid exchanges.
Rose bengal and erythrosin B were shown to cause toxicity in the face fly, Musca autumnalis . When larvae were exposed to dye-treated manure, toxicity was observed in the larval, pupal, and adult life stages, depending on the concentration and the dye. Face flies, emerging as adults after treatment with low concentrations of erythrosin B, exhibited signs of decreased ability to complete eclosion from the puparium. Similar results were obtained when erythrosin B was incorporated into the manure by introducing dye-filled gelatin capsules into cattle. Toxicity was dose-related to dye levels in the feed of the cattle.
We discovered an organic weak acid, 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA), confined on the electrode surface, revealing a reversible and ultrafast protonation/deprotonation non-Faradaic process but exhibiting analogous voltammetric peaks (capacitive peaks). A further synthesized PTCA-graphene supramolecular nanocomplex discloses a wide voltage window (1.2 V) and ultrahigh specific capacitance up to 143 F g(-1) at an ultrafast charge-discharge density of 1000 A g(-1) (at least 1 order of magnitude faster than present speeds). The capacitance retention maintained at 73% after 5000 cycles. This unique capacitive voltammetric behavior suggests a new type of charge-storage modes, which may offer a way for overcoming the present difficulties of supercapacitors.
Abstract Enantiopure Boc-protected piperidine derivative (+)-5c, with a quaternary stereocenter, was obtained by copper-catalyzed, L-valine diethylamide-mediated Michael reaction. For determination of the absolute configuration, 5c was derivatized by cyclization with pyrrolidine/AcOH to give compound 6 with bicyclo[4.4.0]-constitution, deprotection of the amino function with TFA and subsequent reaction with 2-iodobenzoic acid to yield the crystalline bicyclic amide 7. X-ray crystallographic analysis confirmed the constitution of compounds 5c and 6 and established the (R) configuration of 7. Thus, starting Michael addition product (+)-5c has to be (S) configured, because an epimerization at the quaternary stereocenter is excluded. This result is in accordance with our working model of the Cu-catalyzed, auxiliary-assisted Michael reaction.
The reported study was an attempt to validate the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development (WU-SCT), using a broad, sociometric index of maturity as the criterion variable. Sixty college women living in a sorority house completed the WU-SCT and evaluated one another's readiness for mature functioning in each of four adult social roles: career, marriage, parenthood, and community involvement. The reliabilities and the intercorrelations of the ratings suggested that peers distinguished two facets of maturity. While results support the hypothesized relationship between WU-SCT scores and a global sociometric index of maturity, the test's substantial correlations with indices relating to relatively impersonal roles (career and community) and apparent lack of correlation with indices relating to intimate interpersonal roles (marital and parental) suggests that the validity of the WU-SCT may be less broad than Loevinger's theory would imply. Several alternative interpretations of the data are suggested.
Background Acupuncture has been widely used to relieve myofascial pain syndromes (MPS) in many countries. However, the bibliometric analysis of the global application of acupuncture for MPS remains unknown. Purpose The present study aims to evaluate the research trends and hot spots of acupuncture for MPS. Methods Literatures about acupuncture for MPS from 2000 to 2022 were obtained from the Web of Science. CiteSpace (6.1.R3) was used to analyze the number of publications, countries, institutions, authors, cited journals, cited authors, cited references and keywords. Results A total of 403 records were included in the final analysis. The total number of publications increased but with some fluctuations. The Pain was the most cited journals. The most productive country and institution were USA, and China Medicine University, respectively. Liwei Chou was the most prolific author, and Simons DG ranked first in the cited author. In the ranking of frequency and centrality in cited references, the first article was published by Tough EA and Simons DG, respectively. The keyword of “acupuncture” ranked first in frequency, “double blind” ranked first in centrality. “Meta-analysis” was the keyword with the strongest citation burst. There were three hot topics in this field, including “the clinical feature of MPS”, “measure of intervention” and “research method”. The mechanism of acupuncture on MPS was one of the main research directions. Conclusion This study reveals that acupuncture was more and more acceptable, while the cooperation between different countries, institutions and authors should be strengthened. The researches of therapeutic effect and mechanism were the main research directions. More high-quality clinical trials are needed to confirm the therapeutic effect of acupuncture for MPS, and more studies to unify the acupuncture parameters such as frequency, duration, and intensity. More basic studies are needed to elucidate the precise mechanism of acupuncture for MPS.
The wound healing assay in vitro is widely used for research and discovery in biology and medicine. This assay allows for observing the healing process in vitro in which the cells on the edges of the artificial wound migrate toward the wound area. The influence of different culture conditions can be measured by observing the change in the size of the wound area. For further investigation, more detailed measurements of the cell behaviors are required. In this paper, we present an application of automatic cell tracking in phase-contrast microscopy images to wound healing assay. The cell behaviors under three different culture conditions have been analyzed. Our cell tracking system can track individual cells during the healing process and provide detailed spatio-temporal measurements of cell behaviors. The application demonstrates the effectiveness of automatic cell tracking for quantitative and detailed analysis of the cell behaviors in wound healing assay in vitro.
Cancer patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) could develop severe late side effects that affect their quality of life. Long-term bowel complications after RT are mainly characterized by a transmural fibrosis that could lead to intestinal obstruction. Today, surgical resection is the only effective treatment. However, preoperative RT increases the risk of anastomotic leakage. In this study, we attempted to use mesenchymal stromal cells from adipose tissue (Ad-MSCs) to improve colonic anastomosis after high-dose irradiation. MSCs were isolated from the subcutaneous fat of rats, amplified in vitro, and characterized by flow cytometry. An animal model of late radiation side effects was induced by local irradiation of the colon. Colonic anastomosis was performed 4 wk after irradiation. It was analyzed another 4 wk later (i.e., 8 wk after irradiation). The Ad-MSC-treated group received injections several times before and after the surgical procedure. The therapeutic benefit of the Ad-MSC treatment was determined by colonoscopy and histology. The inflammatory process was investigated using Fluorine-182-Fluoro-2-Deoxy-d-Glucose Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) imaging and macrophage infiltrate analyses. Vascular density was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Results show that Ad-MSC treatment reduces ulcer size, increases mucosal vascular density, and limits hemorrhage. We also determined that 1 Ad-MSC injection limits the inflammatory process, as evaluated through 18F-FDG-PET-CT (at 4 wk), with a greater proportion of type 2 macrophages after iterative cell injections (8 wk). In conclusion, Ad-MSC injections promote anastomotic healing in an irradiated colon through enhanced vessel formation and reduced inflammation. This study also determined parameters that could be improved in further investigations.
Detection of female premutation (PM) carriers of fragile X syndrome may be important in that a PM allele from the mother can expand to a full mutation (FM) when transmitted to the fetus. Although the PM carrier frequency might be different in varying populations, there is a little data on the Korean population. Furthermore, the risks of expansion to FM have not been studied in Korean PM carriers. In this retrospective study, we estimated the female PM carrier frequency and the risks of expansion to FM in Korean diagnostic samples collected for FMR1 gene testing. Of 10,241 pre‐conceptional or pregnant women, 13 PM [1 in 788; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1/1 250–1/455] and 75 intermediate allele carriers (1 in 137; 95% CI, 1/172–1/110) were identified. In 26 prenatal diagnoses cases, the PM allele was transmitted to the fetus in 13 pregnancies (50%), and five of these expanded to FM. All of the maternal alleles exceeding 70 repeats expanded to FM. In conclusion, the PM frequency in Korean diagnostic samples was lower than that reported in Western populations, while the risk for FM expansion in alleles exceeding 70 repeats might be higher than expected based upon previous reports.
Future developments in library networks will include growth of computer-based networks in number and variety of libraries, in use of v'arious subsystems, and in size of databases used. Services provided by on-line systems will expand to include improved subject access, on-line catalogs, serials lists and inventory control, acquisitions functions, interlibrary lending, circulation, and reference services. Additional services will include home delivery of information, text transmission, home-computing support, library management systems, and interface between bibliographicutilities. Increasing interaction is breaking open the artifical compartments in which libraries and librarians have seen themselves. The demands placed on library personnel in network development will need continued exercise of skill, knowledge, and integrity as the collective common sense works for the common good.
In this study, parameter faults in a class of non-identifiable closed-loop multiple-input multiple-output systems are considered. A new parameter estimation-based fault diagnosis method is proposed. It is known that in open-loop systems, the system parameters can be identified directly and the on-line identification results can be used for fault detection and isolation. However, as the closed-loop system is non-identifiable because of the correlation introduced by the controller, unique optimal parameter estimation solution cannot be obtained. To address such an issue, a new method to detect and isolate parameter faults of closed-loop systems without persistent excitation condition is proposed. A reduced-order model is firstly constructed, which is the projection of the original model onto the orthogonal direction of the controller. By doing this, the aforementioned correlation can be successfully removed. The parameters of the newly constructed model, called as feature parameters, are then identified. The physical faults are finally detected and isolated based on the on-line identification results of the feature parameters, the projection direction and the known influence matrix. Simulation results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
We have investigated the properties of the quasi-periodic oscillation (QPO) features in the accretion-powered X-ray pulsar Cen X-3 over a period of about 4 years using observations carried out with the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) of the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). The observations cover a wide range of X-ray intensity of the source in excess of the binary intensity modulation. In 11 of 81 pointings with the PCA, we have detected QPOs with rms intensity fluctuation up to 10%. The QPO peak frequency shows clustering around 40 and 90 mHz, with the QPO frequency having no dependence on X-ray intensity. This indicates that either (1) the observed X-ray luminosity of the source is not related to the mass accretion rate or inner radius of the accretion disk, or (2) the QPO generation mechanism in Cen X-3 is different from the beat frequency model or Keplerian frequency model that is believed to operate in most other transient and persistent X-ray pulsars. We have also found that the rms variation in the 40 mHz QPO feature is not dependent on the X-ray energy, indicating that the origin of the QPO is unlikely to be related to disk absorption.
Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in combination with the bisbenzimide stain Hoechst 33342 has been used to visualize the chromosomes before removal of oocytes to be used as cytoplasmic hosts for embryo nuclear transplantation. Short term effects of UV irradiation on the cytoplasmic viability of bovine oocytes matured in vitro were assessed by performing membrane and intracellular studies at 2 and 20 h after exposure to UV irradiation for 0, 30 or 60 s. At the membrane level, loss of integrity was shown by increased lysis and increased retention of the fluorescein diacetate dye in oocytes exposed to 60 s of UV irradiation and uptake of methionine was higher in both irradiated groups. At the intracellular level, methionine incorporation into protein was 5.8 times higher in controls than in oocytes exposed to UV irradiation for 60 s and there was a marked difference in the pattern of protein synthesis. Some changes in protein synthesis were also found in oocytes after 30 s exposure. Moreover, high levels of fluorescence with the dye rhodamine 123 at 20 h after exposure indicated large increases in mitochondrial membrane potential in both groups of UV-irradiated oocytes. Together, these findings indicate that exposure to UV irradiation for periods as short as 60 s causes alterations to both membrane and intracellular components of bovine oocytes matured in vitro. It is concluded that care must be taken when using this methodology to visualize or destroy metaphase chromosomes during enucleation in the embryo cloning protocol.
The basal plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy of terbium has been measured in the temperature range 17.4 to 201K in magnetic fields in the range 2 to 4 using a rotating sample magnetometer. The data has been analysed by three different methods, with special attention being given to the necessary corrections due to the non-collinearity of M and B, and the three methods are shown to produce equivalent results. The values of K66 obtained are in good agreement with existing data above 50K but are much bigger below this temperature. The data is also in good agreement with the single-ion crystal field theory of Callen and Callen (1966), despite tha fact that the anisotropy is thought to be principally of magnetoelastic origin. K1212 has been shown to be negligible in comparison with K66.
Background and Objective: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the effective and less complicated methods for treatment of depression in cases of resistance to common treatments. Given the fundamental role of pre-frontal cortex on changing the mood of depression-related behaviors in depressed patients, the effects of electroconvulsive therapy on enzymatic activity of this cortex were taken into account in this study. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 42 male Wistar rats were divided into three control, depressed and ECT groups. To create depression, Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress (CUMS) method was used. Finally, NO, MDA, GSH and SOD in prefrontal portion of the brain in three mentioned groups were measured Results: Our findings showed a non-significant increase of MDA (p>0.05) in both groups of depress and ECT in comparison with control. ECT caused a significant increase in contents of GSH and SOD in prefrontal cortex versus the group of control. Also, ECT significantly increased the level of nitrite as compared with control. Conclusion: Treatment of depression by ECT could increase the level of antioxidants in the depressed rats' brain and it may be considered as a treatment for moderate depression disorders.
AIMS Primary cutaneous leiomyosarcomas (LMS) are rare soft tissue tumours with two subtypes: dermal and subcutaneous. As deeper tumours confer a worse prognosis, they require a more aggressive approach. Conversely, a more conservative surgical approach for dermal LMS has been suggested. Few studies have comprehensively reported both clinical surgical and histological excision margins. We therefore sought to provide margin recommendations based on our experience and review of existing literature.   METHODS Retrospective case-note review (1998-2019) of cutaneous LMS management was undertaken to establish histological/surgical margins using pathology/electronic patient records. The diagnosis was made and classified according to the WHO classification by an experienced Dermatopathologist.   RESULTS Dermal LMS cohort (n = 35): mean peripheral and deep histological margins were 5.4 mm (range 0.5-20 mm) and 5.6 mm (range 0.1-14.5 mm), respectively. Incomplete excision rate: 31% (11/35). There were no recurrences. Subcutaneous LMS cohort (n = 10): mean peripheral and deep histological margins were 5.7 mm (range 0.2-14 mm) and 1.1 mm (range 0.2-1.7 mm), respectively. Incomplete excision rate: 40% (4/10). Recurrence rate: 20% (2/10) despite achieving histological clearance after 1 year. One lung metastasis occurred 1 year following an adequately excised primary scalp LMS.   CONCLUSIONS We propose that for dermal LMS, a clinical margin of 5-10 mm (depending on size of lesion) at the initial excision or at scar re-excision following involved/close histological peripheral and/or deep margins (i.e. < 1 mm) is undertaken. For subcutaneous LMS, a clinical margin of 15-20 mm (depending on size of lesion) to achieve a peripheral histological clearance of 10 mm and negative deep margin (i.e. > 1 mm) down to periosteum/fascia/muscle according to anatomical site is suggested. If this is not achieved, a re-excision would be recommended. However, prospective studies are needed for optimal guidance.
Following the observation that reducing substances were present in the urine of 5 out of 24 tuberculous patients receiving /sonicotinic acid hydrazide (isoniazid) it was decided to investigate the nature of this reducing sub stance and whether isoniazid had any influence on carbohydrate metabolism. The literature contains few references to isoniazid as a reducing substance. In a report on the current status of isoniazid in the treatment of tuberculosis by the Executive Committee of the American Trudeau Society (1952) mention is made of the presence of traces of reducing substances in the urine. Their presence was not found by Benson, Stefko, and Roe (1952) or by Rubin, Lee Hassert, Thomas, and Burke (1952) in animals, nor by Robitzek and Selikoff (1952) or Elmendorf, Cawthon, Muschenheim, and McDermott (1952) in man. Selikoff and Robitzek (1952), however, mention the presence of reducing substance in the urine on one or two occasions in their series of 92
In recent years, new higher education regulatory regimes have emerged in both New Zealand and Australia. In Australia, the new Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) employs a risk management approach while New Zealand Quality Agency (NZQA) has adopted an evaluative approach. In practice, these varying approaches create real differences in the ways in which the regulatory regimes are applied. This paper considers one discreet but critical element of these new regulatory regimes, academic staff qualifications, as an example of the difference between the risk management and evaluative regulatory approaches. Unsurprisingly, the application of academic staff qualifications requirements is particularly an issue whenever a higher education provider seeks to deliver a new course of study. In order to do so, a higher education provider must seek regulatory approval, in both countries this is known as accreditation. DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v2i3.76
Objective—Proatherosclerotic adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium is attenuated by NO. As AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates endothelial NO synthesis, we investigated the modulation of adhesion to cultured human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) by AMPK. Methods and Results—HAECs incubated with the AMPK activator, AICAR, or expressing constitutively active AMPK demonstrated reduced TNF&agr;-stimulated adhesion of promonocytic U-937 cells. Rapid inhibition of TNF&agr;-stimulated U-937 cell adhesion by AICAR was NO-dependent, associated with unaltered cell surface adhesion molecule expression, and reduced MCP-1 secretion by HAECs. In contrast, inhibition of TNF&agr;-stimulated U-937 cell adhesion by prolonged AMPK activation was NO-independent and associated with reduced cell surface adhesion molecule expression. Conclusions—AMPK activation in HAECs inhibits TNF&agr;-stimulated leukocyte adhesion by a rapid NO-dependent mechanism associated with reduced MCP-1 secretion and a late NO-independent mechanism whereby adhesion molecule expression, in particular E-selectin, is suppressed.
This is a short rewiew of some taxonomic, morphologic and ecophysiological aspects of lichens in arid regions, incorporating some of our own data. Percentages of dominant  genera and life forms are, in Spanish arid regions (Ebro Valley, Almeria and Murcia), close to the figures given for classical extraeuropean deserts and semideserts. Relationship  with Californian arid regions is commented.  Ecophysiological adaptations include improved absorption of atmospheric water. Dew and high relative air moisture conditions in Los Monegros (Ebro Valley) are summarized.  The main morphological adaptations are: thick and/or pigmented cortical layer, pruina, exposure to early morning light of algal layer after night water intake, grouping of algae in  vertical glomerulli, etc.
This paper provides an introduction to Monte Carlo simulation and its applicability to reliability engineering. It provides an example of how Monte Carlo simulation can be used to help answer questions regarding the length of time complex systems can operate in a degraded state before falling below performance thresholds, and how it can be used to assist in program development by comparing alternative designs. By developing a custom Monte Carlo model, various outputs can be provided to provide insights into how changes to the design affect the reliability of the system.
We assessed the relationship between depression and smoking initiation among people of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban ancestry residing in specific geographic areas of the United States. Survey data were examined to calculate incidence of smoking initiation and prevalences and odds ratios for ever smoking by presence of depressed mood, a history of major depression or both conditions. Depressed mood, a history of major depression or both conditions were associated with smoking initiation risks during childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. These findings suggest that the relationship between depressive states and smoking initiation is established early in life. More definitive studies are needed to confirm these findings.
A method was developed for the determination of nine antioxidants in vegetable oils by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The samples were extracted with methanol, and the fat in the samples was degreased by freezing. Separation of the targeted compounds was performed on an XBridge C18 column in gradient elution mode using methanol-0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phase. The analytes were detected using a diode-array detector by the external standard method. The stability and storage conditions for the nine antioxidants were systematically investigated. Ascorbyl palmitate (AP) was introduced into the preparation and pre-treatment of the targets. The concentration of AP was optimized to improve the stability and recovery of the targets. The effects of different extraction solvents and purification methods on the extraction efficiencies were discussed. The results showed that the nine antioxidants could be separated well under the optimized conditions. Good linear relationships in the linear range were obtained, and the correlation coefficients (R2) were greater than 0.999. The average recoveries of the nine antioxidants ranged from 85.3% to 104.1%, with RSDs of the method ≤5.0%. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) for the nine synthetic antioxidants were in the range of 0.6-3.0 mg/kg. The method is simple, rapid, sensitive, and it shows good recovery and reproducibility.
OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the educational value and acceptability of a short CD-ROM course on cancer pain management given to third-year medical students at the University of Kentucky.   METHODS Thirty-six medical students were given a short-course CD-ROM on cancer pain assessment and management. The Cancer Pain CD-ROM included textual instruction as well as video clips and a 15-item interactive self-assessment examination on cancer pain management. Students were asked to evaluate the computerized course with an 18-item survey using a Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree).   RESULTS Twenty-seven medical students completed the course, however, only 11 returned evaluations. In general, the medical students appreciated the CD-ROM material, with the exception of the video clips. Students agreed most strongly (mean +/- standard deviation [SD]) that the educational material on the CD-ROM was presented clearly (3.9 +/- 1.1), the CD-ROM format was easy to use (4.0 +/- 0.8), the CD-ROM course improved knowledge of opioid use for cancer pain (4.0 +/- 0.7), and the course improved understanding of opioid-related side effects (4.0 +/- 0.7). The self-assessment examination on cancer pain was rated easy to use and felt to be helpful (4.0 +/- 0.9) for students to identify cancer pain knowledge deficits. The authors estimate that 150 man-hours were needed to complete production of the CD-ROM without any specialized training in computer skills.   CONCLUSIONS A short-course computer format program was developed by the authors to teach the basics of cancer pain management to medical students. A minority of students evaluated the program and agreed the material was clearly presented, improved knowledge of opioid analgesia, and was easy to use.
A model is proposed to describe cyclic deformation of Si single crystals during the stage of linear hardening observed before stress saturation. The model starts from a wall and channel microstructure of given period, assuming that plastic strain is carried by screw dislocations moving in channels. Internal stresses and dislocation mobility are taken into account. Annihilation of screw segments by cross-slip is compensated by production of new ones from edges bulging out of the walls. Assuming a reasonable distribution of edge dislocation segments, the model satisfactorily describes the shape of stress-strain cycles when walls thicken. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The use of regional models in the downscaling of general circulation models provides a strategy to generate more detailed climate information. In that case, boundary‐forcing techniques can be useful to maintain the large‐scale features from the coarse‐resolution global models in agreement with the inner modes of the higher‐resolution regional models. Although those procedures might improve dynamics, downscaling via regional modeling still aims for better representation of physical processes. With the purpose of improving dynamics and physical processes in regional downscaling of global reanalysis, the Regional Spectral Model—originally developed at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction—employs a newly reformulated scale‐selective bias correction, together with the 3‐hourly assimilation of the satellite‐based precipitation estimates constructed from the Climate Prediction Center morphing technique. The two‐scheme technique for the dynamical downscaling of global reanalysis can be applied in analyses of environmental disasters and risk assessment, with hourly outputs, and resolution of about 25 km. Here the satellite‐enhanced dynamical downscaling added value is demonstrated in simulations of the first reported hurricane in the western South Atlantic Ocean basin through comparisons with global reanalyses and satellite products available in ocean areas.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic, granulomatous and necrotizing disease caused by microorganisms belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex group. In 2017, 6.4 million new TB cases have been reported according to the World Health Organization 2018 Global Tuberculosis Report. TB remains among the major health problems of our time due to the increasing drug resistance problem and the difficulties in definitive diagnosis in recent years. It is stated by clinicians that intensive use of quinolone group drugs with oral form in simple indications such as respiratory or urinary tract infections may lead to resistance and this may result in treatment failures. The aim of this study was to determine the moxifloxacin susceptibility of M.tuberculosis isolates obtained from clinical specimens by phenotypical methods, to determine the resistance rates of moxifloxacin and to investigate the relationship between phenotypical resistance and mutations in the gyrA gene. A hundred (n= 100) consecutive non-multidrug resistant and 37 non-consecutive multidrug resistant M.tuberculosis strains isolated from the clinical specimens of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were included in the study. The moxifloxacin susceptibility of the isolates was determined by using Löwenstein-Jensen medium and their epidemiological properties were investigated and also mutations detected by gyrA region were compared with drug susceptibility rates. Of the 137 isolates tested for phenotypical susceptibility, 25 (18.2%) were found to be resistant to moxifloxacin. Resistance rate among non-multidrug resistant and multidrug resistant isolates were determined as 17% and 21.6%, respectively. According to the results of the sequencing analysis, of the gyrA regions of all the isolates included in the study, a single base mutation was found in a total of six samples. The location positions of the mutations were determined as D94Y, D94G, A90V, G88A and among two strains as D89N. Two of the isolates with mutations were found to be phenotypically susceptible to moxifloxacin. In our study, it was found that moxifloxacin resistance in M.tuberculosis isolates was higher than similar studies and it was found that different mechanisms may be responsible for the existing resistance other than the mutations in the gyrA gene. It was concluded that the data obtained from the study should be shared with all clinicians in the country due to the possibility of resistance development to this group of drugs in a short time and considering this drug will have an important role in the treatment of TB, it should be used more limited in non-specific indications. Further studies using larger case groups and isolates are needed for the continuation of the research.
Abstract The development of an expert system for the study of musical segmentation aims to create an analysis environment as well as to test and improve the content of existing theory, including the verification of the possibility of an integration of different theoretical assertions. From a general theoretical point of view, a rule system has been formulated starting from Lerdahl and Jackendoff's theory (for the metric and rhythmic aspects), and this rule system has been integrated with other assertions in the field, for instance, derived from studies of semiotics and music perception. From the analytical point of view, the program output presents the hierarchical structure of the group subdivision into different levels together with the elements (sequences of notes and sequences of groups) contained in each of them. The expert system was implemented using the IBM shell ESE. It is structured in groups of functions corresponding to the several stages of the analytical process related to the ESE own hierar...
This paper considers the contemporary prominence of the concept of social justice and identifies two influential strands of thought that currently affect thinking about education: John Rawls’ notion of justice as fairness and a more emancipatory conception typified by critical pedagogy. With this prominence the term has gathered a rhetorical force and been subject to ideological degeneration. The paper goes on to consider ways in which the notion of social justice has been “borrowed”, especially in the light of the hegemony of English in the international research field. Further colonising consequences are examined, with reference to the work of Naoki Sakai, in relation to the development of notions of subjectivity and identity, in what might be described as a new “Occidentalism”. In conclusion, the emphasis on cooperation in Rawls is contrasted with a notion of conversation found in Stanley Cavell and Ralph Waldo Emerson. This is epitomised by values of receptivity, openness, and resourcefulness, and is suggestive of a more Eastern sensibility.
We investigate the Dyakonov-like surface wave (DLSW) at the interface of a dielectric and a metal-dielectric multilayered (MDM) structure when this MDM structure serves as an elliptic medium according to the effective medium approximation (EMA). Different from the conventional Dyakonov surface waves, we find that this kind of DLSW possesses an unexpected leaky property due to an additional hyperbolic-like wave in the MDM structure, resulting in a significant increase of propagation loss compared to the results estimated by a simple effective model based on the EMA. Moreover, such leaky property is found to be sensitive to the period of the MDM structure. Thus, to diminish this non-negligible leaky loss, one can suppress the amplitude of the leaky component by designing the MDM structure with a smaller period. On the other hand, as the MDM structure sometimes can also support an additional elliptic-like dispersion when it is regarded as a hyperbolic medium, we discuss this condition for completeness. Based on this elliptic-like dispersion, an apparent leaky property is observed in the resultant DLSW. This DLSW propagates with a wider range of propagation direction but suffers from a poor field confinement to the interface it is propagating along.
This paper presents the fusion features resulting from contourlet transform on the geometry structure in the time-frequency representation for the one-dimensional speech. In the experiments, after extracting the separate features including main diagonal of the inner lowpass subband (MDL), main anti-diagonal of the inner lowpass subband (MADL), main diagonal of bandpass subband (MDB) and ordinal binary tree difference of main diagonal of bandpass subband(BTDB), the combination features such as MDL-MDB, MDL-MADL-MDB and MDL-MADL-BTDB achieve the remarkable performance with the recognition veracity up to 86.88% enough to match the classical MFCC parameters though the high dimension of the fusion features is still a disadvantage
Background Exercise helps improve glucose handling in diabetes and has been shown to improve mood and cognition in other conditions. Osteocalcin, a protein produced by bone osteoblasts, was reported to have endocrine actions to improve both metabolism and also improve age-related cognitive deficits in mice. Methods This study was designed to compare the effects of daily treadmill running exercise with injection of osteocalcin in high fat diet (HFD) induced diabetes in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Following established glucose intolerance and treatment for 8 weeks, mice were assessed for anxiety on an elevated plus maze, motivation by tail suspension test and cognition and memory in a puzzle box. Endogenous osteocalcin was measured by ELISA. Results Mice on HFD had high weight gain, glucose intolerance and increased white fat. Exercise increased circulating osteocalcin levels in female mice but decreased them in male mice. Exercise also decreased weight gain and improved glucose tolerance in female but not male mice; however, treatment with osteocalcin made no metabolic improvements in either males or females. HFD induced anxiety only in female mice and this was not improved by osteocalcin. Exercise induced anxiety only in male mice. HFD also increased depressive-like behavior in both sexes, and this was improved by either exercise or osteocalcin treatment. Cognitive deficits were seen in both male and female mice on HFD. Exercise improved cognitive performance in female but not male mice, while osteocalcin treatment improved cognitive performance in both sexes. Conclusion There were sex differences in the effects of exercise on endogenous osteocalcin regulation that correlated with improvements in cognitive but not metabolic outcomes. Exogenous osteocalcin did not improve metabolism but was effective in improving HFD-induced cognitive deficits. Sex is an important variable in hormonal and cognitive responses to exercise in diabetes.
The article begins in a reflexive mode, situating its author in relation to language and to the work of Pierre Bourdieu. This position is then used to raise pertinent issues concerning the reception of Bourdieu’s writings in the field of Anglo-Saxon academia. The author’s interpretation of the main precepts of Bourdieu’s approach to language is set out, leading towards a critical consideration of Simon Susen's “Bourdieusian reflections on language: Unavoidable conditions of the real speech situation”. The focus of coverage is on Susen’s language in examining philosophical issues underlying Bourdieu’s own conception of language. Acknowledgement is made of the merits of Susen’s theoretical framework, whilst insisting on “practical necessity” as an integral part of any consideration of Bourdieu’s method. The term “shadow boxing” is used to suggest that, whilst many scholars in the humanities and social sciences find it easy to attack Bourdieu, few criticisms seem to stick. Finally, the paper argues that the fact that Bourdieu remains elusive can be regarded as both a strength and a weakness of his theory of practice, considered here with respect to language.
Mesoporous molecular sieves SBA-15, and MAS-7 and MTS-9 synthesized from zeolite primary structure units, are characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Direct observation of the micropores within these mesoporous materials via HRTEM is presented. And nanorange ordered microporosity is found for the first time within the pore walls of MAS-7 and MTS-9, which might be the key to the high hydrothermal stability of the mesoporous materials.
The power sources used in cutting arc torches are usually po orly stabilized and have a large ripple factor. The strong oscillatory components in the voltage and arc current produce in turn, large fluctuations in the plasma quantities. Experimental observations on the dynamics of the nonequilibrium plasma inside the nozzle of a 30 A oxygen cutting torch with a 7 % ripple level of its power source are reported in this work. The observed electron temperature (mean value o 5400 K) shows a rms deviation o 5 % (≤ 300 K), which is of the order of the arc voltage ripple level. A considerable different situation occurs with the plasma density (mean value o 3 × 10 19 m -3 ). In this case the rms de viation was o 75 %, much greater than that of the electron temperature.
Objectives Mental stress is common in the general population. Mounting evidence suggests that mental stress is associated with multimorbidity, suboptimal care and increased mortality. Delivering healthcare in a biopsychosocial context is key for general practitioners (GPs), but it remains unclear how persons with high levels of perceived stress are managed in primary care. We aimed to describe the association between perceived stress and primary care services by focusing on mental health-related activities and markers of elective/acute care while accounting for mental–physical multimorbidity. Design Population-based cohort study. Setting Primary healthcare in Denmark. Participants 118 410 participants from the Danish National Health Survey 2010 followed for 1 year. Information on perceived stress and lifestyle was obtained from a survey questionnaire. Information on multimorbidity was obtained from health registers. Outcome measures General daytime consultations, out-of-hours services, mental health-related services and chronic care services in primary care obtained from health registers. Results Perceived stress levels were associated with primary care activity in a dose–response relation when adjusted for underlying conditions, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors. In the highest stress quintile, 6.8% attended GP talk therapy (highest vs lowest quintile, adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRR): 4.96, 95% CI 4.20 to 5.86), 3.3% consulted a psychologist (IRR: 6.49, 95% CI 4.90 to 8.58), 21.5% redeemed an antidepressant prescription (IRR: 4.62, 95% CI 4.03 to 5.31), 23.8% attended annual chronic care consultations (IRR: 1.22, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.29) and 26.1% used out-of-hours services (IRR: 1.47, 95% CI 1.51 to 1.68). For those with multimorbidity, stress was associated with more out-of-hours services, but not with more chronic care services. Conclusion Persons with high stress levels generally had higher use of primary healthcare, 4–6 times higher use of mental health-related services (most often in the form of psychotropic drug prescriptions), but less timely use of chronic care services.
The main objective of the paper is to investigate and compare the downlink performance of different LTE heterogeneous network (HetNet) deployment solutions. By adding small cells to the existing macro overlay, network coverage and capacity can be significantly enhanced to accommodate the fast growth of mobile broadband traffic. Emphasis is put on how to optimally assign the spectrum for the different networks layers in an evolved HetNet including outdoor and indoor small cells. The study is conducted for a "Hot-Zone" scenario, i.e. a high-traffic area within a realistic dense urban deployment. A broadband traffic volume growth by a factor of 50 compared to today's levels is assumed. The investigated deployment schemes are outdoor pico-only, indoor femto-only and joint pico-femto deployments, all combined with an overlay macro layer. The results indicate that the best network coverage performance with a minimum user data rate of 1 Mbps is achieved when deploying small cells on dedicated channels rather than co-channel deployment. Furthermore, the joint pico and femto deployment turns out to be the right trade-off between increased base station density and enhanced network capacity.
Phase-variable antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) can mitigate the fitness cost of maintaining ARGs in the absence of antibiotics and could potentially prolong the persistence of ARGs in bacterial populations. However, the origin, prevalence, and distribution of phase-variable ARGs remains poorly understood. Here, we sought to assess the threat posed by phase-variable ARGs by systematically searching for phase-variable ARGs in the human gut microbiome and examining their origin, prevalence, and distribution. Through metagenomic assembly of 2227 human gut metagenomes and genomic analysis of the Unified Human Gastrointestinal Genome (UHGG) collection, we identified phase-variable ARGs and categorized them into three classes based on the invertase regulating phase variation. In the human gut microbiome, phase-variable ARGs are commonly and exclusively distributed in Bacteroidales species. Through genomic analysis, we observed that phase-variable ARGs have convergently originated from ARG insertions into phase-variable capsule polysaccharide biosynthesis (CPS) loci at least three times. Moreover, all identified phase-variable ARGs are located within integrative conjugative elements (ICEs). Therefore, horizontal transfer via ICEs could explain the wide taxonomic distribution of phase-variable ARGs. Overall, these findings reveal that phase-variable CPS loci in Bacteroidales species are an important hotspot for the emergence of clinically-relevant phase-variable ARGs.
The aim of this study is about tracing filamentary structures in both neuronal and retinal images. It is often crucial to identify single neurons in neuronal networks, or separate vessel tree structures in retinal blood vessel networks, in applications such as drug screening for neurological disorders or computer-aided diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. Both tasks are challenging as the same bottleneck issue of filament crossovers is commonly encountered, which essentially hinders the ability of existing systems to conduct large-scale drug screening or practical clinical usage. To address the filament crossovers' problem, a two-step graph-theoretical approach is proposed in this paper. The first step focuses on segmenting filamentary pixels out of the background. This produces a filament segmentation map used as input for the second step, where they are further separated into disjointed filaments. Key to our approach is the idea that the problem can be reformulated as label propagation over directed graphs, such that the graph is to be partitioned into disjoint sub-graphs, or equivalently, each of the neurons (vessel trees) is separated from the rest of the neuronal (vessel) network. This enables us to make the interesting connection between the tracing problem and the digraph matrix-forest theorem in algebraic graph theory for the first time. Empirical experiments on neuronal and retinal image datasets demonstrate the superior performance of our approach over existing methods.
One of the fascinations of being associated with the travel research field is this exciting diversity. What I propose to suggest today is that because of this diversity, with the seemingly divergent goals of the many elements that make up the travel industrytourism, hotels, airlines, ships, resorts, scenic and historical attractions, rental services, media-all seem to be promoting their own narrow self interest. Let me categorically state that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with the already existing mutual interest groups to discuss common problems. But in almost every major travel interest group there is a national organization (NATO, PATA, AH&MA, HSMA, etc.) operating on a chapter basis. There is a critical need for a National Travel Research Organization and I would like to share some of my thoughts with you. As I perceive this National Travel Research Organization, there are four major objectives that it would fulfill.
PURPOSE Healthful lifestyle habits established in childhood may continue through adulthood. Such habits may also be effective in preventing or reversing overweight and obesity. However, little is known about children's perceptions of healthful eating and physical activity. Thus, we sought a better understanding of how children perceive healthful eating and physical activity.   METHODS A purposeful selection was made of Winnipeg, Manitoba, boys (n=23) and girls (n=22) aged 11 to 12 years. The children were interviewed using a semi-structured, in-depth interview guide. Data were analyzed using thematic coding.   RESULTS Although healthful eating was seen as necessary for health, high-fat, high-sugar foods were a source of pleasure and enjoyed during social times. Physical activity was a way of spending time with friends, either through active play or watching sports. Boys viewed screen time and homework as barriers to physical activity, while girls identified no common barriers. Children viewed physical activity as easier than healthful eating, describing the former as "play" and "fun."   CONCLUSIONS Knowing how children think about food choices will further our understanding of the disconnect between nutrition knowledge and dietary behaviours. Understanding conflicting pressures that influence children's healthful lifestyles may enhance communication about these topics among parents, educators, and children.
This philosophical dissertation, written under the supervision of Professors F. Dornseiff (Leipzig) and K. Kumaniecki (Warsaw) and accepted in 1959 by the University of Leipzig, is a careful historical investigation of the character of argumentation in the writings of Seneca. Moreover, it is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Hellenistic Diatribe literature. The dissertation has already been published in part in the "Wissenschaftliehe Zeitschrift der Karl-Marx-Universitgt Leipzig" 9, 1959/60, pp. 821--872, under the title "Interpretationen zu Senecas Beweisfiihrung." In his first section, the author presents the means of argumentation as they were at the disposal of a man like Seneca at that time. In the second part, entitled "Interpretationen," Seneca's methods of argumentation are shown in detail by analyzing illustrative texts. From case to case, the problem of sources is treated, but this is not the major intention of the book. The stoic dialectic is of no great importance for Seneca, because it is too abstract for his more practical attitude. Furthermore, when he uses dialectical arguments, he corrects them ("Ostende rebus, non verbisI"). For the same reasons, Seneca avoids formally constructed rhetorical arguments and prefers simpler rational arguments, l i e is in agreement with the rhetoric of his t ime when he favours evident "rationes," pointed "scntentiae," the "consensus omnium gentium," or proofs from experience, analogy, sayings, and descriptions. This, then, is not far away from the diatribe style of the cynic-stoic popular philosophy, with which Seneca does have much in common. Here the method of logical demonstration has been largely replaced by skills of persuasion. Inasmuch as Seneca is influenced by the diatribe style, he is also influenced by the consolation literature related to it. As a means of demonstration he extensively uses the "auctoritas maiorum." Strangely enough, of all the philosophers Seneca prefers to quote Epicurus, but, of course, he as well as the poets is subiected to his own interpretation. Ultimately, these "dicta probantia" are considered to be of the same deep wisdom as are the common sayings. Similarly, the historical "exempla" are very highly regarded by Seneca. They serve as "imagines virtutis." As incarnations of stoic wisdom they represent examples for the stoic "sapiens." These "exempla" may also appear in the form of an anecdote or apophthegm. In his paraenesis, Seneca regards comparisons, images, and descriptions (emphasizing especially the horrible and dreadful things in life) as an effective preparation for the exhortations he wants to convey. However, he rejects fables and allegorical interpretation or mythology as a means of argurnentation. The book has a bibliography as well as indices of subjects, persons, and textual references. HA~S DIETER BETZ Claremont, Cali/o~'nia
Abstract The ultimate capacity of short L-shaped reinforced concrete (RC) members subjected to biaxial eccentric compression is investigated to provide a new tool for structure engineers. On the basis of nonlinear analysis of RC arbitrary cross-section, a new simplified cross-section numerical integration method is suggested. The cross-section is divided into several triangles, and each one is integrated with Gauss integration method. And L-shaped cross-sections subjected to biaxial eccentric compression are analyzed. The interaction curves of (N-M) and (My-Mz ) for L-shaped sections are derived. The analytical results are well consistent with the experimental data and other analytical results.
Choline-binding modules (CBMs) have a ββ-solenoid structure composed of choline-binding repeats (CBR), which consist of a β-hairpin followed by a short linker. To find minimal peptides that are able to maintain the CBR native structure and to evaluate their remaining choline-binding ability, we have analysed the third β-hairpin of the CBM from the pneumococcal LytA autolysin. Circular dichroism and NMR data reveal that this peptide forms a highly stable native-like β-hairpin both in aqueous solution and in the presence of trifluoroethanol, but, strikingly, the peptide structure is a stable amphipathic α-helix in both zwitterionic (dodecylphosphocholine) and anionic (sodium dodecylsulfate) detergent micelles, as well as in small unilamellar vesicles. This β-hairpin to α-helix conversion is reversible. Given that the β-hairpin and α-helix differ greatly in the distribution of hydrophobic and hydrophilic side chains, we propose that the amphipathicity is a requirement for a peptide structure to interact and to be stable in micelles or lipid vesicles. To our knowledge, this “chameleonic” behaviour is the only described case of a micelle-induced structural transition between two ordered peptide structures.
Two low-order, parametric models are developed for the forces and moments that a rotating propeller undergoes in forward flight. The models are derived using a first-principles-based approach, and are computationally efficient in the sense of being represented by explicit expressions. The parameters for the models can be identified either using supervised learning/grey-box fitting from labelled data, or can be predicted using only the static load coefficients (i.e., the hover thrust and torque coefficients). The second model is a multinomial model that is derived by means of a Taylor series expansion of the first model, and can be viewed as a lower-order lumped parameter model. The models and parameter generation methods are experimentally tested against 19 propellers tested in a wind tunnel under oblique flow conditions, for which the data is made available. The models are tested against 181 additional propellers from existing datasets.
The ecological aspects pertaining to floral diversity, cropping systems and crop diversification of an organic farm CSKHPKV, Palampur were studied. The data for two years, that is, 2006-07 and 2007-08 was analyzed. The initial recorded data pertaining to various activities in the organic farm before 2006-07 showed low fertility soil status, very low productivity and least biodiversity in a so called barren land before the initiation of organic farming. The results over the period of two years showed how a barren land was converted to a lush green, fertile and productive land with increased biodiversity of flora through organic management practices. There was rich plant diversity on cultivated as well as uncultivated land. As many as 45 species of native plants and 50 species of introduced plants were found. However, 358 trees were found on the organic farm, out of which most were fodder trees and for green manuring. Ample crop diversification of introduced plants, cropland weeds and non-cropland weeds as well as trees was found on the organic farm. Crop diversification increased as soil status improved through organic management practices.           Key words: Organic farming, ecological, green manuring, diversification index.
Museums hold the physical and intellectual resources, abilities, creativity, freedom, and authority to foster the changes the world needs most. The authors offer a mantra for the field's role in creating a world where people and cultures flourish as the environment thrives. The text includes a variety of international calls-to-action, and provides example institutional responses. The authors are all members of PIC Green, the American Alliance of Museums’ professional network on environmental sustainability.
Abstract The article discusses a Cold War spy case involving a Bulgarian national according to the documents preserved at the Polish Institute of National Remembrance. It details the modus operandi of both the US and Eastern Block secret services and the mistakes committed by both parties, which led to an agent's disclosure. The article also details measures and conclusions drawn by the Eastern Block services in the aftermath of the case.
Despite the proven remarkable decline of HIV prevalence in the sub-Saharan Africa region, both sub-regional and within-country disparities in HIV prevalence persist. This paper is a survey of literature on HIV prevalence and spread in Zimbabwe, focusing on provincial differences within the national picture of a decline in new infections. In particular, it raises the question of why prevalence and infection rates seem to be disproportionately higher in Matabeleland relative to other provinces of the country. This disparity cannot be adequately explained on the basis of national behavioural analyses as has been the case. The paper suggests possible additional nuances in the forms of analysis and proposes a change of focus in HIV-prevention strategies from national level to provincial considerations of the multiple factors influencing variations in HIV infection rates at provincial level. Using the different contextual conditions between provinces as a way to examine what might be the additional significant variables, the paper brings variations that go beyond sexual behaviour.
that Mediterranean archaeologists can, and do, synthesize the past in detailed and challenging ways (e.g. Gonzslez March et al. 1992). This is not to question the competence of the individual authors, rather the conception of the book as a whole. Thirdly, there is the issue of topicality. Developm e n t and decline has clearly been a long time in gestation, although most authors’ bibliographies contain references to sources published in 1990 or 1991. But in some regions, our knowledge of the Bronze Age archaeological record is in a very dynamic state, given the intensity of current fieldwork. To take the region which I know best, southeast Spain, Mathers’ failure (judging by his acknowledgments) to talk to those who are actually carrying out this fieldwork robs his chapter of topicality. For example, his whole discussion of Bronze Age chronologies in this region, and his opinion that ‘a major revision of bronze age chronologies in this region is .... overdue’ (p. 30), is out of date on publication given doctoral research in Barcelona arising out of the Gatas project. Fourthly, the editors would have done well to address in more detail the issue of the scale at which change occurs in human societies. This, in turn, raises the issue of the way in which the archaeological record is structured in time and space. Do we go from ‘bottom up’ ( e.g. day-to-day interaction, division of labour, gender relations) or ‘top down’ (making the political/cultural/social unit the unit of analysis)? By and large the Mediterranean Bronze Age as studied in this volume takes existing ‘top down’ units (archaeological ‘cultures’), and then goes even higher in Andrew Sherratt’s Great Synthesiser introduction of Bronze Age world systems. How do the differing temporal units of analysis enable us to analyse change at different scales? There are clearly contrasts in chronological refinement between the regions which in turn affect our ability to compare sequences (e.g. the number of 14C dates for the whole of southern France is comparable to those from one site, again Gatas, in southeast Spain). How are we going to deal with comparisons between areas having access to dendrochronology, and those which do not? Fifthly, there is a consistent and often ambiguous use of social terminology among the papers. While evolutionary models are criticized, reading through the chapters, one keeps finding ternis such as ‘ranked society’ , ‘central places’, ‘elites’, ‘chiefdoms’, as well as traditionally vague terms like ‘urban’, ‘proto-urban’ and ‘semi-urban’. And what is ‘a modest degree of complexity’ (p. 188)? If comparative analysis is the name of the game, then surely one has got to use concepts which are clearly defined and consistently applied? This, in turn, leads to the final criticism, that there should be a clearer definition of the relationship between material culture and society. This is where the omission of the West Mediterranean island societies is critical, removing the opportunity to compare situations in which labour is invested in public monument construction as opposed to status competition using wealth items. How do we compare these situations using archaeological data? How do we cope with the presence, and then absence, of such wealth items in graves? Is it as simple as ‘development and decline’? Well, my time is up for this question, so what about a conclusion? Development and decline is to be welcomed as a much-needed source for any English-speaking scholar interested in the Mediterranean Bronze Age. But consideration of the editors’ theme requires a more thorough coverage of regions and regional interaction, and clearer thought given to social change and to units of analysis in the archaeological record. Such consideration would make the difference between a collection of papers and a coherent and challenging volume. BOB CHAPMAN Department of Archaeology, University of Reading
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Bamboo culms have excellent physical and mechanical properties, which mainly depend on their fibre content and anatomical structure. One of the features which is known to contribute to the high tensile strength in bamboo is the multilayered structure of the fibre cell wall. The aim of this study was to characterize the development of the layered structure in fibre cell walls of developing and maturing culms of Dendrocalamus asper.   METHODS Cell wall development patterns were investigated in phloem fibre caps of vascular bundles in the inner culm wall areas of Dendrocalamus asper of three different age classes (<6 months old, 1 year old, 3 years old). A combination of light microscopy and image analysis techniques were employed to measure cell wall thickness and to determine number of cell wall layers, as well as to describe the layering structure of fibre walls. Two-dimensional maps showing the distribution pattern of fibres according to the number of cell wall layers were produced.   KEY RESULTS The cell walls of fibres in phloem fibre caps located in the inner part of the culm wall of D. asper developed rapidly during the first year of growth. Six different fibre types could be distinguished based upon their cell wall layering and all were already present in the young, 1-year-old culm. In the mature stage (3 years of age) the multilayering was independent of the cell wall thickness and even the thinner-walled fibres could have a large number of wall layers. The multilayered nature of cell wall structure varied considerably between individual cells and was not exclusively related to the cell wall thickness. Nevertheless, fibres at the periphery of the fibre bundles and immediately adjacent to the phloem elements exhibited a consistent and high degree of layering in their cell walls.   CONCLUSIONS The multilayered structure of fibre cell walls was formed mainly during the first year of growth by the deposition of new wall layers of variable thickness, resulting in a high degree of heterogeneity in the layering patterns amongst individual fibres. A degree of 'order' in the distribution of multilayered fibres within the caps does exist, however, with multilayered cell walls common in fibres adjacent to phloem elements and around the edge of the fibre cap. These findings confirm the observations, primarily in Phyllostachys viridi-glaucescens. The layering structure was not found to be specifically related to the thickness of the cell wall.
The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe in Graz (ECML) has recently concluded its third medium-term programme of activities Empowering language professionals (2008 2011) and is putting several innovative tools and approaches developed under that programme at the disposal of language educators in Europe and beyond. The Centre has also launched its fourth mediumterm programme (2012 2015) entitled Learning through languages: Promoting inclusive, plurilingual and intercultural education. This new programme reflects both the mission of the Centre and the current concerns of its member states and partners in the area of language education. It is based on a long-term vision aiming to develop inclusive, plurilingual and intercultural pedagogic approaches reaching beyond the foreign language classroom and encompassing all linguistic abilities and the needs of all groups of learners in a lifelong-learning process (in-school and out-of-school). This vision is based upon concepts developed by the Language Policy Unit of the Council of Europe and recommendations adopted by the Committee of Ministers representing the Council’s 47 member states.
Nephroptosis is one of the commonest diseases of mankind or, perhaps it would be better to say, womankind. Keyes,1in his table of frequency, quoting various authors, gives it as between 4 and 56 per cent for all women, and as between 0.5 and 4 per cent for men. A fair average would be about 10 per cent for women and 1 per cent for men. The condition is much commoner in women who weigh under 120 pounds (55 Kg.) than in women who are in excess of that weight. Of the women who have nephroptosis, only one in ten has symptoms referable to it. As has been pointed out many times, nephroptosis is not part of a general visceroptosis. Deming2and Kelly3discuss and emphasize this point. Symptoms are classified under, first, nonsymptomatic nephroptosis; second, symptoms referable to the kidney region, such as discomfort, pressure or
The unimolecular metastable decomposition mechanism of several organic compounds, which have small molecular weights, was investigated in this study by means of mass-analyzed ion kinetic energy (MIKE) spectrometry, D-labeling technique and molecular orbital (MO) calculations. Accurate mass determination is also described by using a multiple sprayers Nano-ESI arrangement on a double-focusing magnetic sector instrument in this thesis. For example, ‘Unimolecuar HCl Loss from the Molecular Ions of Chlorophenols, a “Ring-walk” Mechanism for a Chlorine Atom’ is described in this abstract. The loss of hydrogen chloride (HCl) is one of the main fragmentation processes in the molecular of o, m-, and p-chlorophenols in the metastable time window. By investigation of D-labeled compounds, it could be established that the eliminated HCl molecule contains only the hydroxyl hydrogen atom, not other benzene ring hydrogen atoms. This process is rationalized by the so-called “ring-walk” mechanism for a chlorine atom.
Sometimes an opportunity comes along in the political life of a government that looks so simple and obvious that its real potential can be missed. Unfinished Business: Proposals for Reform of the Senior House Officer Grade (Department of Health, 2002) is such an opportunity. Arising out of recommendations of A Health Service of all the Talents (Department of Health, 2000), the document provides a strategic vision that is potentially far greater than the reform of the senior house officer (SHO) grade. It has implications that will impact widely on the delivery of patient care and how health services will be delivered over decades to come. It invites a 'whole systems' approach to thinking about the shape and delivery of clinical services from medical practitioners.
Accept Date 2019-04-13 ABSTRACT Background: Electrolyte disturbances establish a broad problem among old individuals. A medication adverse effect that in youngsters would deliver just a trifling change in the plasma sodium and potassium may cause a major serious effect in the older, mostly because of aging. This study was directed to assess the commonness of sodium and potassium disturbances in the old. Methods: A Cross-sectional study was completed among old patients who were regular visitors to Internal Medicine Department outpatient clinics of the Zagazig University from February 2018 to February 2019. This examination included 100 older patients. Results: Our examination revealed the predominance of hypokalemia was 17% and hyperkalemia was 25%. While hyponatremia was 32% and hypernatremia was 4%. Diuretics were the most affecting medication on potassium and sodium levels. No significant difference was found in age among potassium and sodium gatherings. Conclusion: In this study, we found that disturbances in the sodium and potassium are commonly found in the old and a few sorts of medications are assosciated with these disturbances however diuretics were the most commonly to be found. Different components, including polypharmacy , disabled organ work and numerous ailments, put them at a more serious danger of medication induced changes in electrolyte homeostasis. Specialists should know about this hazard and screen both medication records and sodium and potassium levels ,so as to counteract and deal with these disturbances that may some way or another further affect the health of these old and frail patients.
The paper is concerned with an application of the simplified impact model of critical infrastructure safety related to climate-weather change process to safety and risk prediction for Baltic Oil Terminal Critical Infrastructure operating at the variable climate-weather conditions. There are presented the identified oil terminal safety parameters and the climate-weather change process parameters and characteristics. Moreover, there are presented evaluated by experts the coefficients of the climate-weather impact on the oil terminal assets intensities of ageing. Further, there are determined the three-state critical infrastructure safety function, the expected values and standard deviations of the lifetimes in the safety state subsets and in the particular safety states, the risk function, the fragility curve and other safety and resilience indicators for the Baltic Oil Terminal Critical Infrastructure.
In the previous report, authors defined the oxidize ability [O]/[S] of oxy-acetylene flame.In this report, continuously, the enprical formula between the oxidize degree of molten steel that is stated at the foot notes in Table 1 and oxidize power of oxy-acetylene flame was introduced as follow.oxidize degree {O}=A([O]/[S]·t1/4-B)where [O]/[S]·t1/4; oxidize power of oxy-acetylene flamet ; required time to melt per one gram of specimen, secA and B ; the constants depending on the compositions of specimen
Cell surface alteration was studied in a subline of murine lymphocytic leukaemia resistant to the broad-spectrum anticancer agent adriamycin (P388/ADR) employing concanavalin A(Con A)-induced agglutination and rearrangement of lectin receptors. Con A induced more agglutination of P388/ADR when compared to the drug-sensitive parental cell line (P388/S). Studies on the redistribution of Con A and Ricinus communis agglutinin-I revealed a high percentage of P388/ADR showing internalized fluorescence, while a majority of P388/S displayed a uniform distribution of fluorescence on the cell surface.
Early molecular markers for flatfish metamorphosis and eye migration must be linked to the ethmoid region, the earliest part of the flatfish cranium to change, as well as chondral and dermal ossification processes. Serial sections, morphological landmarks, and stereology were used to determine where and when the remodeling of tissues and asymmetry occurs in the head region of metamorphosing Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus. Not all parts of the head remodel or migrate, and those that do may be asynchronous. Normal metamorphosis limits the torsion of the Atlantic halibut head to the anterior part of the neurocranium and excludes the tip of the snout and the general jaw area. The first cranial structure displaying eye migration‐related asymmetric development is the paraethmoid part of the ethmoid cartilage. In early eye migration the medial frontal process moves apace with the eyes, whereas near completion the migrating eye moves significantly closer to the frontal process. Structures of the jaw remain mostly symmetrical, with the exception of the adductor mandibulae muscle and the bone maxillare, which are larger on the abocular than on the ocular side, the muscle occupying the space vacated by the migration of the eye. Thus, normal eye migration involves a series of temperospatially linked events. In juveniles lacking eye migration (arrested metamorphosis), the dermal bone, the prefrontal, does not develop. The two abnormal paraethmoids develop symmetrically as two plate‐like structures curving anteriorly, whereas normal elongate fused paraethmoids curve at their posterior. The abocular side retrorbital vesicles are largest in volume only after the completion of normal eye migration. Factors involved in completion of normal metamorphosis and eye migration in flatfish affect chondral and dermal ossification signals in the ethmoid group, as well as remodeling of the mineralized frontal, a series of linked events not involving the entire neurocranium. J. Morphol. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Summary The influence of irrigation with different sources of reclaimed water on physiological and morphological changes in Myrtus communis plants was investigated to evaluate their adaptability to such conditions. M. communis plants, growing in a growth chamber, were subjected to four irrigation treatments over 4 months (120 d): a control [tap water (0.8 dS m–1), leaching 10% (v/v) of the applied water] and three reclaimed water irrigation treatments, namely 1.5 dS m–1 leaching 25% (v/v) of the applied water (RW1), 4.0 dS m–1 leaching 40% (v/v) of the applied water (RW2), and 8.0 dS m–1 leaching 55% (v/v) of the applied water (RW3). After treatment, all plants were irrigated with tap water, as for the control plants, for a further 2 months (60 d). At the end of the first period (4 months), none of the myrtle plants showed any adverse change in biomass and the average total dry weight (DW) increased by 53% in treatment RW2. However, at the end of the treatment and recovery period (180 d), accumulations of Cl– ions, and especially Na+ ions, negatively affected the growth of all RW3 plants. Plants irrigated with all three reclaimed water samples had increased difficulty in taking-up water from the substrate (i.e., they had lower leaf water potential and relative water content values). RW2 plants showed a better response in their gas exchange parameters. The use of reclaimed water decreased leaf K+/Na+ and Ca2+/Na+ ratios, but no chlorosis or necrosis were observed. The three reclaimed water samples had different effects on the myrtle plants depending on the specific chemical properties of the water. Leaching was found to be important to minimise the negative effects of salinity in the irrigation water.
We perform quantum master equation calculations and machine learning to investigate the thermoelectric properties of multiple interacting quantum dots (MQD), including electrical conductance, Seebeck coefficient, thermal conductance and the figure of merit (ZT). We show that by learning from the data obtained from the QME, the thermoelectric states of the MQD can be represented well by a two-layer neural network. We also show that after training, the neural network was able to predict the thermoelectric properties of the MQD with much less computational cost compared to the QME approach. Based on the neural network, we further optimize the MQD to achieve a high ZT and power factor. This work presents a powerful route to study, represent, and optimize interacting quantum many-body systems.
Aim: Chronic periodontal disease (CPD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) share common pathogenic pathways involving the cytokine network resulting in increased susceptibility to both diseases, leading to increased inflammatory destruction, insulin resistance, and poor glycemic control. Periodontal treatment may improve glycemic control. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of scaling and root planing (SRP) of T2DM patients with CPD on hyperglycemia and the levels of serum interleukin-10 (IL-10). Materials and Methods: Forty-five subjects were divided into three groups comprising 15 subjects each as Group 1 (healthy controls), Group 2 (CPD patients), and Group 3 (T2DM patients with CPD). Plaque index, gingival index (GI), probing pocket depths (PPD), clinical attachment loss (AL), bleeding on probing (BoP), random blood sugar, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), and serum IL-10 were measured at baseline; SRP was performed on Groups 2 and 3 and the selected parameters recorded again at 6 months. Results: Statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences were observed in the variables at baseline and 6 months after SRP between the three groups using one-way ANOVA. The paired samples t-test for PPD and AL in Group 3 was statistically significant. Group 3 revealed positive correlations between PPD and HbA1C, BoP and IL-10, respectively, at 6 months and a predictable association of HbA1C with PPD and GI, and IL-10 levels with BoP, respectively, at 6 months. Conclusion: Scaling and root planing is effective in reducing blood glucose levels in T2DM patient with pocket depths and effective in elevating systemic IL-10 levels in CPD patients and CPD patients with T2DM.
The Spatial Infrared Imaging Telescope (SPIRIT III) is the primary sensor aboard the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), which was launched 24 April 1996. SPIRIT III included a Fourier transform spectrometer that collected terrestrial and celestial background phenomenology data for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO). This spectrometer used a helium-neon reference laser to measure the optical path difference (OPD) in the spectrometer and to command the analog-to-digital conversion of the infrared detector signals, thereby ensuring the data were sampled at precise increments of OPD. Spectrometer data must be sampled at accurate increments of OPD to optimize the spectral resolution and spectral position of the transformed spectra. Unfortunately, a failure in the power supply preregulator at the MSX spacecraft/SPIRIT III interface early in the mission forced the spectrometer to be operated without the reference laser until a failure investigation was completed. During this time data were collected in a backup mode that used an electronic clock to sample the data. These data were sampled evenly in time, and because the scan velocity varied, at nonuniform increments of OPD. The scan velocity profile depended on scan direction and scan length, and varied over time, greatly degrading the spectral resolution and spectral and radiometric accuracy of the measurements. The Convert software used to process the SPIRIT III data was modified to resample the clock-sampled data at even increments of OPD, using scan velocity profiles determined from ground and on-orbit data, greatly improving the quality of the clock-sampled data. This paper presents the resampling algorithm, the characterization of the scan velocity profiles, and the results of applying the resampling algorithm to on-orbit data.
In this contribution, some legal issues are described that have played a role in the in the first ten years of the European System of Central Banks’ existence. While the institutional framework established in Maastricht for the introduction of the euro and the functioning of the European System of Central Banks has proven to be legally sound and forms an appropriate basis for a successful monetary policy in the euro area, several legal issues have arisen that have been controversially discussed. The following issues are explored: (1) the legal status of the European System of Central Banks/ European Central Bank in the Community/ potential future Union framework, (2) the competences of the decision-making bodies of the European Central Bank, (3) the allocation of tasks and competences to national central banks and the European Central Bank in the context of the so-called principle of decentralization, (4) the new voting regime of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank entailing a rotation of voting rights of the national central banks’ Governors and (5) the allocation of monetary income. The article concludes with the expectation that issues sur-rounding the allocation of tasks and competences within the System and forms of cooperation between central banks will become more and more important, further, that legal issues will need to be resolved concerning the involvement of the European System of Central Banks in the future framework for financial supervision in the European Union.
Aims and Objectives: This study was designed to compare streptokinase (STK) versus recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for thrombolysis in patients with prosthetic heart valve thrombosis (PHVT). Background: Optimal management of PHVT remains controversial. Thrombolytic therapy is a reasonable alternative to surgery. Numerous thrombolytic protocols with STK, urokinase, and rt-PA have been used over the past 40 years. So far there is a lack of consensus on the ideal thrombolytic agent for PHVT. There are no major studies comparing efficacy of STK versus rt-PA. Methods and Results: Sixty patients who underwent thrombolysis for PHVT over 1 year were studied. Forty-eight patients were thrombolysed with STK, whereas 12 patients received rt-PA. Overall 68.33% (41/60) patients showed complete response (CR), whereas 85% (51/60) showed some improvement in hemodynamics, with no significant difference in efficacy according to age, sex, duration from surgery, New York Heart Association Class III–IV, presence of atrial fibrillation, type of valve, or history of stroke. Overall 10% patients developed major complications with mortality of 5%. CR to thrombolytic therapy was numerically better with STK (72.9% vs. 50%; P = 0.12) and mortality was significantly higher in rt-PA (16.6% vs. 2%, P = 0.038). Mean duration of successful thrombolysis was significantly longer with STK as compared to rt-PA (22.96 ± 19.2 vs. 3 h). Conclusion: STK use as compared to rt-PA was associated with numerically more successful thrombolysis and significant lower mortality, hence may be optimal for elective thrombolysis.
Pelagic carbonate sediments from the world ocean basins commonly show cyclic variations in amount and/or degree of preservation of biogenic calcite, with periodicities of several tens to several hundreds of thousands of years. The direct causes of these cycles are fluctuations in noncarbonate dilution, carbonate production, carbonate dissolution, and/or current winnowing. The overall driving force, however, is variation in the earth's orbital characteristics (Milankovitch cycles) through their influence on global climate and depositional processes. The main inferred climatic effects of orbital perturbations are on global ice volume, global temperature, ocean circulation, and distribution of climatic patterns. Eustatic sea level is directly related to ice volume, as is the rate of erosion of clastic material from continental margins. Changes in volume of sea ice affect the volume and intensity of bottom water flow, which in turn may cause changes in the intensity of sediment winnowing by bottom currents, in the intensity of upwelling of nutrient-rich bottom waters, and in the depth of carbonate dissolution. Change in productivity of calcareous plankton are difficult to prove as a cause of carbonate cycles but may have contributed to the formation of carbonate cycles off northwest and southwest Africa. Fluctuations in winnowing of fine-grained components have been demonstrated as a cause of cyclic variations in the coarse-fraction component of carbonate sediments in the southwest Pacific. Dilution of carbonate by clastic material probably was a major cause of fluctuations in carbonate content of deep-sea sediments off northwest and southwest Africa. Carbonate dissolution cycles probably are the most common manifestation of fluctuations in bottom water flow. Dissolution cycles are common in Quaternary and Neogene sediments of the North Atlantic, Caribbean, and eastern equatorial Pacific. The main cause of the carbonate dissolution was shoaling of the carbonate compensation depth during the early Neogene in response to climatically induced fluctuations in the thickness of Antarctic Bottom Water.
This article considers consistent testing the null hypothesis that the conditional mean of an economic time series is linear in past values. Two specific tests are discussed, the Cramér–von Mises and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests. The particular feature of the proposed tests is that the bootstrap is used to estimate the nonstandard asymptotic distributions of the test statistics considered. The tests are justified theoretically by asymptotics, and their finite-sample behaviors are studied by means of Monte Carlo experiments. The tests are applied to five U.S. monthly series, and evidence of nonlinearity is found for the first difference of the logarithm of the personal income and for the first difference of the unemployment rate. No evidence of nonlinearity is found for the first difference of the logarithm of the U.S. dollar/Japanese Yen exchange rate, for the first difference of the 3-month T-bill interest rate and for the first difference of the logarithm of the M2 money stock. Contrary to typically used tests, the proposed testing procedures are robust to the presence of conditional heteroscedasticity. This may explain the results for the exchange rate and the interest rate.
Sources of systematic, modeling, and calibration errors that affect the interpretation and calibration of lidar aerosol backscatter data are discussed. The treatment pertains primarily to ground-based pulsed CO2 lidars that probe the troposphere and are calibrated using hard calibration targets. However, a large part of the analysis is relevant to other types of lidar system such as lidars operating at other wavelengths; cw focused lidars; airborne or earth-orbiting lidars; lidars measuring other regions of the atmosphere; lidars measuring nonaerosol elastic or inelastic backscatter; and lidars employing other calibration techniques.
Historical causes have resulted in the majority of milk produced on farms in Britain being sold by wholesale. The self-sufficiency fashion and other factors have increased interest in making products on the farm. Costs of making are considerable so that the retail prices for products are not necessarily sufficient to ensure high profits. Sustained repeatability in quality of the product is essential. Manufacture requires expertise; some instruction is required if continuing successes are to be assured. Packaging is important for both eye appeal and suitability, for each product. The interest in making is not only by cow herd owners. Goat and sheep milk is being made into cheese and yogurt; these, too, must be of high quality or the reputation of all farmhouse dairy products could be endangered.
Abstract In the Hebrew Bible, Jephthah’s daughter has neither name nor heir. The biblical account (Judg. 11:30–40) is somber—a daughter due to be sacrificed because of her father’s rash vow. The theme has inspired numerous midrashim and over five hundred artistic works since the Renaissance. Traditionally barred from studying the Jewish canon as women, many Jewish feminists are now adopting the midrashicpoetry tradition as a way of vivifying the female characters in the Hebrew Bible. The five on which this article centers focus on Jephthah’s daughter, letting her tell her (side of the) story and imputing feelings and emotions to her. Although not giving her a name, they hereby commemorate her existence—and stake a claim for their own presence, autonomy, and active participation in tradition and society as Jewish women.
This paper analyzes the evolution of the case law in Turkey concerning compensation of unlawful practices of administrative detention. Such cases happen when implementation of administrative detention is unlawful in terms of right to personal liberty and security, or when the administrative detention conditions are against human dignity. The paper follows an empirical and analytical method as the analysis is built on the decisions of the Turkish Constitutional Court (“CC”) in individual applications and on the judgments by local courts. Accordingly, as explained in the first section, in the first phase of CC’s decisions, the lack of a special compensation mechanism for unlawful practices of administrative detention was recognized and compensation was granted in favor of the applicants. Second section of the paper analyzes the landmark decision of CC where it changed its case law and required exhaustion of administrative full remedy action for compensation claims related to administrative detention. Building on this background, in the last two sections of the paper first, it is assessed whether administrative full remedy action is an effective legal remedy with respect to compensating unlawful administrative detention practices and second, a critical analysis is offered on CC’s approach to the claims of compensation in the light of its landmark decision.
Circuit breakers, disconnectors, fuse disconnectors and fuse holders installed in LV electric panels sometimes suffer overheating, mainly due to inadequate dissipation of the heat generated. A theoretical and experimental investigation is attempted of the mechanisms that can affect heat transfer to a component–conductor system, as well the mass and the external surface area of the component. The resulting system of differential equations is solved using the Laplace transform in the s-plane. The time-dependent temperature distribution in the component–conductor system is provided by an analytical expression, and a simple formula is given for the component's stabilised temperature. Results from the models are compared with experimental measurements performed on a fuse holder and are shown to be consistent. The model accuracy is also investigated. It is convincingly shown that excessive (or additional) external surface area of the component's metallic parts reduces the component temperature. Above a certain level, this can make the component act as a cooler of the conductor. In addition, an increase of the component's mass slows temperature stabilisation. The proposed model could effectively support component design as it involves all the technical characteristics of the system, so that the requirements of international standards are fulfilled in relation to the prevention of overheating.
Relaxin and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) were simultaneously determined in the same serum samples obtained from pregnant women. Although the secretory pattern of relaxin, in general, appeared to parallel that of hCG during human pregnancy, several discrepancies were discerned in the secretory patterns of the two hormones. The mean hCG concentration significantly differed between weeks 4-7 and 8-11 of pregnancy, but the mean relaxin concentration did not. The mean relaxin concentration began to decrease at weeks 16-19 whereas that of hCG did so at weeks 12-15. The mean relaxin concentration at weeks 4-7 was significantly higher than that at weeks 24-27, though there was no significant difference between the mean hCG concentrations in the two periods. These differences in the secretory pattern of relaxin from that of hCG indicate that relaxin secretion in pregnancy is not determined only by the circulating level of hCG. The responsiveness of the corpus luteum of pregnancy to hCG stimulation of relaxin secretion may vary as a function of the age of the corpus luteum, and this may partially account for the differences between the secretory pattern of relaxin and that of hCG observed in the present study.
Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors (CNFETs), consisting of semi conducting Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs), show great promise as extensions to silicon CMOS. However, imperfections related to CNT growth process result in metallic and non-uniform CNTs leading to CNFET failures. This paper investigates a defect tolerant technique for CNFETs which adds redundancy at the transistor level to provide a built-in immunity to metallic and non-uniform CNTs. The proposed technique is based on replacing each transistor by independent N2 series-parallel/parallel-series transistor structures. The technique is adopted to use single directional independence inherent in CNTs to guarantee immunity to both open and short defects as validated by theoretical analysis and experimental results. As demonstrated by extensive simulation results, the proposed technique achieves 1-part-per-bilion failure rate in a typical CNFET fabrication process.
AIM Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a major public health problem. Although they are well studied, information on some aspects, such as the place of occurrence, is limited. The aim of this study was to describe the patterns of severity, causes and outcomes of TBI occurring at different locations and to identify the primary populations at risk of suffering TBI at each of the analysed locations.   METHODS 1,818 patients with TBI admitted to hospitals in Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Macedonia were analysed. Primary populations at risk, injury severity and extent along with short/long-term outcomes were analysed for TBI at each location.   RESULTS The highest mean age (57.9 years, p<0.001) was observed in injuries at home. The distribution of injury causes across the group was significantly different (p<0.001), with falls (39%) and traffic accidents (30%) being predominant. TBI occurring on roads or highways were the most severe (mean ISS=32.5, p<0.001; mean GCS=7.8, p<0.001). Injuries at home had the worst outcome (50% mortality, p<0.001 and 70% unfavourable outcome, p<0.001) whereas TBI at sport facilities or outdoors had the best outcome (24% mortality, 44% unfavourable outcome). When adjusted for age and severity, TBI occurring at home had the highest odds of mortality (OR=3.12, 95% CI=1.86-5.25) and unfavourable outcome (OR=2.51, 95% CI=1.54-4.08), compared to sports facility and outdoors as a reference.   CONCLUSIONS TBI at different locations display distinctive patterns as to causes, severity, outcome and populations at risk. Location is therefore a relevant epidemiological aspect of TBI and we advocate its inclusion in future studies. Definitions of primary populations at risk at different locations could help in targeted public health actions.
A single-turn loop of liquid, contained in four rigid straight tubes forming the sides of a square, was tested as a Faraday-effect sensor of enclosed electric current. To preserve linear polarization, at each of three corners of the square, light was totally internally reflected twice, with the second plane of incidence perpendicular to the first. Two liquids were tested, industrial-grade toluene and a mineral oil. Using simple optics the order of current sensed was tens of amperes. Noise intensity fluctuations were greater in toluene than in the oil, an effect attributed to stronger natural convection in toluene.
The scaling effect can affect drastically all equipment where water is used. In general, the phenomenon is amplified with hot fluids or hot pipes as, for example, conditions found in the heat exchangers. Thus, dramatic damages can occur that lead to dangerous economic consequences. The basic idea in this article is to promote the development of tools that can characterize the scaling power under certain conditions. A sophisticated heated quartz crystal microbalance was built and its performance was evaluated. It was shown that the scale must be deposited onto the sensor surface in an identic way compared with current scaling deposition conditions and the kinetics of deposition evaluated thanks to the microbalance response.
This article reports research that was undertaken to uncover generalisations pertaining to the migration of South African social workers to the United Kingdom (UK). The intention was to identify challenges for the future contribution of social service providers in South African if local social workers are to be retained in the country. In the South African social work milieu it is recognised formally and informally that a significant number of social workers migrated to the UK during the first decade after democracy. This can be classified as a distinct brain drain of social workers, which has a vital impact on social service delivery and social development (Business Day, 2005; Cape Times, 2004; Louw, 2003:xv-xvi; Herald, 2005). However, verifiable data on the brain drain phenomenon in social work are not available (Business Day, 2005). With reference to Saravia and Miranda’s (2004) use of the metaphor, a plumbing of the South African social workers’ brain drain to the UK is thus needed. This plumbing is effected by describing the research design and methodology, sketching the background for the survey, reporting the survey results, and identifying challenges for social service providers
A central research topic in tourism management concerns tourists’ choice of specific destinations. The present article reviews and advances the extant literature on destination image. From this review, we suggest that individuals have a multitude of destination associations, the total imagery that relates to the destination, and label this concept destination imagery. Individuals also hold an overall image used as a heuristic or a mental shortcut, which is labeled destination image. The concepts of destination imagery and destination image are distinct, yet they have often been conflated within the literature. The article further provides an extensive review of the literature with regard to the definitions, dimensionality, antecedents, and outcomes of the focal concepts as well as geographical scope of destination imagery and image studies and methodologies. This review has led to a novel understanding and delimitation of the focal concepts within the imagery–image duality model.
The aim of the present study was to investigate how the video speed of observed action affects the excitability of the primary motor cortex (M1), as assessed by the size of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Twelve healthy subjects observed a video clip of a person catching a ball (Experiment 1: rapid movement) and another 12 healthy subjects observed a video clip of a person reaching to lift a ball (Experiment 2: slow movement task). We played each video at three different speeds (slow, normal and fast). The stimulus was given at two points of timing in each experiment. These stimulus points were locked to specific frames of the video rather than occurring at specific absolute times, for ease of comparison across different speeds. We recorded MEPs from the first dorsal interosseous muscle (FDI) and abductor digiti minimi muscle (ADM) of the right hand. MEPs were significantly different for different video speeds only in the rapid movement task. MEPs for the rapid movement task were higher when subjects observed an action played at slow speed than normal or fast speed condition. There was no significant change for the slow movement task. Video speed was effective only in the ADM. Moreover, MEPs in the ADM were significantly higher than in the FDI in a rapid movement task under the slow speed condition. Our findings suggest that the M1 becomes more excitable when subjects observe the video clip at the slow speed in a rapid movement, because they could recognize the elements of movement in others. Our results suggest the effects of manipulating the speed of the viewed task on the excitability of the M1 during passive observation differ depending on the type of movement task observed. It is likely that rehabilitation in the clinical setting will be more efficient if the video speed is changed to match the task’s characteristics.
Recombinant protein expression systems that produce high yields of pure proteins and multi‐protein complexes are essential to meet the needs of biologists, biochemists, and structural biologists using X‐ray crystallography and cryo‐electron microscopy. An ideal expression system for recombinant human proteins is cultured human cells where the correct translation and chaperone machinery are present. However, compared to bacterial expression systems, human cell cultures present several technical challenges to their use as an expression system. We developed a method that utilizes a YFP fusion‐tag to generate recombinant proteins using suspension‐cultured HEK293F cells. YFP is a dual‐function tag that enables direct visualization and fluorescence‐based selection of high expressing clones for and rapid purification using a high‐stringency, high‐affinity anti‐GFP/YFP nanobody support. We demonstrate the utility of this system by expressing two large human proteins, TOP2α (340 KDa dimer) and a TOP2β catalytic core (260 KDa dimer). This robustly and reproducibly yields >10 mg/L liter of cell culture using transient expression or 2.5 mg/L using stable expression.
This paper aims at adopting process mining to evaluate the effectiveness of internal control using a real-life event log. Specifically, the evaluation is based on the full population of an event log and it contains four analyses: (1) variant analysis that identifies standard and non-standard variants, (2) segregation of duties analysis that examines whether employees violate segregation of duties controls, (3) personnel analysis that investigates whether employees are involved in multiple potential control violations, and (4) timestamp analysis that detects time-related issues including weekend activities and lengthy process duration. Results from the case study indicate that process mining could assist auditors in identifying audit-relevant issues such as non-standard variants, weekend activities, and personnel who are involved in multiple violations. Process mining enables auditors to detect potential risks, ineffective internal controls, and inefficient processes. Therefore, process mining generates a new type of audit evidence and could revolutionize the current audit procedure.
The aims of this study was to determine the effect of teaching methods and locus of control on students' ability to speak in English. This study used an experimental method with 2 x 2 factorial design involving 44 students of class IX SMA 01 Cibinong Bogor, West Java. In determining the sample, the researchers used a technique multi-stage cluster random sampling, ie 22 students as the experimental group were treated by using the Direct Method and 22 students as a control group treated with the use of Grammar Translation Method (GTM). For collecting data, researchers used to test the ability to speak and questionnaire variables for variable locus of control were further analyzed using ANOVA Two Paths and followed by Tuckey test. The findings show that: (1) The ability to speak the students taught by using the Direct Method is higher than those taught using grammar translation method (GTM); (2) Students with internal locus of control has the ability to speak better than those who an external locus of control; (3) Students with internal locus of control are taught using the Direct Method has a significant difference in the ability to speak with those who taught Grammar translation is by using Method (GTM); (4) Students are taught with external locus of control by using the direct method is no different with them yag taught using translation Grammar Method (GTM); (5) There is an interaction between teaching methods and locus of control on their speaking ability.
Benign intracranial hypertension is found typically in obese young women, often associated with parity, the contraceptive pill, and other changes in hormonal state.' More rarely the syndrome is seen as a complication of Addison's disease, during withdrawal of corticosteroids, and in treatment with drugs such as nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, tetracycline, and indomethacin. An association with metabolic disorders such as carbon dioxide retention, hyponatraemic states and lead poisoning is also well known. A case is presented where benign intracranial hypertension was confirmed in a man with an adrenocorticotrophin-secreting pituitary microadenoma.
OBJECTIVE Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) has been recently introduced as a stage of abnormal carbohydrate metabolism, but the evidence on which its glucose limits (fasting plasma glucose [FPG] 6.1-6.9 mmol/l) are based is not strong. The aim of this study was to determine if 6.1 mmol/l represents a clear cutoff in terms of the risk of future diabetes and in terms of elevated cardiovascular risk factor levels, and to examine the use of other lower limits of IFG.   RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A population-based survey of the island of Mauritius was undertaken in 1987, with a follow-up survey 5 years later. On both occasions, an oral glucose tolerance test was performed and cardiovascular risk factors were measured.   RESULTS Data were available from 4,721 nondiabetic people at baseline, and from 3,542 at follow-up. At baseline, blood pressure, lipids, and obesity increased in a linear fashion with increasing FPG, with no evidence of a threshold effect. The risk of developing hypertension at follow-up was greater for those people with baseline FPG > or =6.1 mmol/l (P<0.001). The risk of developing diabetes at follow-up increased with increasing baseline FPG, but there was little evidence of a threshold near 6.1 mmol/l.   CONCLUSIONS Cardiovascular risk and risk of future diabetes increase continually with increasing FPG, and there is no threshold value on which to base a definition of IFG. If a lower limit of approximately 5.8 mmol/l is used, the category defines a group more similar to the group with impaired glucose tolerance, with regard to total prevalence and the risk of subsequent diabetes.
ABSTRACT Circ_0005320 was found to be elevated in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and accelerated OSCC progression. Here, the potential mechanism of circ_0005320 in OSCC tumorigenesis was explored. The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was used to detect the expression of circ_0005320, miR-486-3p, and miR-637. In vitro assays were conducted using cell counting kit-8, colony formation, transwell, angiogenesis, and flow cytometry assays. The targeting relationship between microRNA (miR)-486-3p and miR-637 or circ_0005320 was confirmed using the dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. The Janus Kinase 2/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (JAK2/STAT3) pathway-related proteins were analyzed using Western blot. The murine xenograft model was established to perform in vivo assay. Circ_0005320 expression was higher in OSCC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circ_0005320 suppressed OSCC cell growth, migration, invasion, and induced cell apoptosis in vitro, as well as impeded tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, miR-486-3p or miR-637 were confirmed to be a target of circ_0005320. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of circ_0005320 silencing on OSCC growth were reversed by the inhibition of miR-486-3p or miR-637. We also found that circ_0005320-miR-486-3p/miR-637 axis mediated the activation of JAK2/STAT3 pathway. This study revealed a novel regulatory network of circ_0005320-miR-486-3p/miR-637 axis in OSCC progression, suggesting that circ_0005320 might be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for OSCC.
Many observational studies have found that higher consumption of vegetables, and to a lesser extent of fruits, was associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer. In particular, fiber or foods high in fiber have received attention in the potential prevention of colorectal cancer. We performed an ecological analysis with data of the Seven Countries Study, to investigate whether intake of fiber and plant foods contributes to cross-cultural differences in 25-year colorectal-cancer mortality in men. In the Seven Countries Study, around 1960 12,763 men aged 40 to 59 were enrolled in 16 cohorts in 7 countries. Baseline dietary information was gathered in small random samples per cohort, and nutrient intakes were based on chemical analyses of the average diets per cohort. Crude and energy-adjusted mortality-rate ratios were calculated for a change of 10% of the mean intake of fiber and plant foods, i.e., total plant foods, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, grains, and related sub-groups. Fiber intake was inversely associated with colorectal-cancer mortality with an energy-adjusted rate ratio of 0.89 (95% confidence interval 0.80-0.97). An increase of 10 gram of daily intake of fiber was associated with a 33% lower 25-year colorectal-cancer mortality risk. Intakes of vitamin B6 [0.84 (0.71-0.99)] and alpha-tocopherol [0.94 (0.89-0.99)] were also inversely associated with risk. Consumption of plant foods and related sub-groups was not related to colorectal cancer. It appears that fiber intake best indicates the part of plant food consumption, including whole grains, that is relevant for lowering colorectal cancer risk.
In order to offer even more sophisticated functionality, future driver assistance systems need the ability to robustly recognize and understand driving situations. Especially in inner-city scenarios the high complexity and variability of situations encountered make their assessment a challenging task. We propose to tackle these challenges by decomposing situations into smaller, more manageable parts. We define such a part as a set consisting of a road user and all entities (e.g. cars, traffic lights) currently affecting its behavior. Though the decomposition alleviates the assessment already, for higher numbers of present entities the recognition of interrelated entities is still computationally expensive if performed in a brute-force fashion. Therefore we employ sensitivity analysis on Bayesian Networks for sensibly controlling the recognition process on the basis of information gain. This leads to an active measurement process in which a situation is perceived incrementally, concentrating first on the most meaningful sensor measurements. The proposed method is evaluated on a simulated inner-city scenario where it reliably recognizes the affecting entities of each road user. We show that a recognition process based on information gain can save more than 50% of measurements without significantly impairing the recognition rate.
We have localized a human homolog, REV3L, of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae REV3 gene on chromosome region 6q21. The full-length cDNA consists of 10,919 nucleotides, with a putative open reading frame of 9,159 bp for a predicted protein of 3,053 amino acids. The gene contains 33 exons in about 200 kb of genomic DNA. In contrast to the previously reported sequence, an additional exon and an alternative splicing site are demonstrated.
We present a case of brilliant green staining of the fingernails caused by the patient's use of an antiseptic dye to self-treat onychodystrophy. Brilliant green is an antiseptic dye used since at least the early 20th century for the treatment of bacterial infections. It was originally used for wound care and as an anti-inflammatory medication; however, its use for both of these indications is limited. Because of its ease of use, low cost, and accessibility, brilliant green has been promoted for use in resource-poor settings and as an anticancer therapy. Dermatologists should be aware of brilliant green, as well as its indications, common uses, and adverse effects, and should be able to differentiate it from other causes of green nails.
Objective Endoscopic enucleation of the prostate has evolved and became popular for the surgical treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) during the last decade. Different surgical techniques have been described so far. We hereby described a new modified two-lobe technique for urologists who are inexperienced in endoscopic enucleation. We aimed here to present the data on a learning curve of this stepwise technique named Demirtaş-Erciyes Enucleation Prostatectomy (DEEP): reverse S-J incision technique and its postoperative outcomes. Material and methods The study included 102 patients who underwent holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) with the DEEP technique between October 2020 and December 2021. Demographic, preoperative, and postoperative variables were recorded. The operation was performed with a 150 W holmium laser system (Quanta System, Varese, Italy) with cutting and coagulation settings of 2J × 50 Hz with virtual basket mode and 2J × 12 Hz in bubble blast mode, respectively. Bladder irrigation was done for one day, and then, on the next day, the urethral catheter was removed. Postoperatively, uroflowmetry studies, continence status, and ejaculation status were recorded during follow-up. The data of all patients were divided into two groups (first 51 and final 51 patients). All variables were analyzed between two groups. Results The mean age of the patients was 68.48±8.74 years. The median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score was 3. The median International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) values were 26 (10-35) and 10 (0-25), respectively. Of the patients, 60.8% had Foley catheters due to urinary retention. The median anesthesia time, laser time, enucleation time, morcellation time, and enucleated tissue amount were 102.5 minutes, 17 minutes, 25 minutes, 20 minutes, and 50 g, respectively. Enucleation was performed in two stages in five patients due to bigger prostate volume or incomplete morcellation. The median catheter removal time was 48 hours. In six patients, the postoperative catheterization time was prolonged due to hematuria. The median increase in Qmax was 19.35 mL/second. The overall complication rate was 5.9%, which were all Clavien grade II. Enucleation time, laser time, and anesthesia time were significantly lower in the last 51 patients. Conclusion DEEP enucleation technique seems to provide effective and safe postoperative results for beginners in prostate enucleation.
Most cells contain various transport vesicles that target to different destinations. The underlying molecular mechanisms are highly conserved in evolution. Sec1/Munc-18 (SM) proteins play an important role on regulating vesicle transport by interacting with soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) at each vesicle fusion sites. SM proteins interact with syntaxin, an important component in SNARE complex, to regulate the assembly of SNARE complex, and promote overall membrane fusion process together with SNARE complex. This review summaries new research progresses of structure and function of SM protein.
Much attention when breeding dairy cattle is paid to the genetic potential of the livestock and the improvement of methods of its use. This is due to the fact that at present the number of crossbred animals with different parts of blood of Holstein breed has significantly increased, but there are no proven methods for determining the optimal part of Holstein blood, as a result of which the question of the association between the productivity of animals and their genotype remains very relevant. The research has been carried out under the conditions of JSC “ART” in the Right-bank district in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. For the purpose of conducting a scientific experiment, 3 groups of heifers of the line Reflection Sovereign 198998 have been formed with 10 heads in each. At the same time, the proportion of blood of the black-and-white Holstein breed in the experimental heifers was in the range from 50 to 75 %: 1st group – 1/2-blooded, 2nd group – 5/8-blooded and group 3rd – 3/4-blooded. The groups have been formed at the birth of young animals according to the method of analogues, taking into account the live weight and productivity of their ancestors. Accounting for the growth and development of heifers has been carried out by weighing at birth, at 3 and 6 months of age. The calculations made it possible to trace the dynamics of the variability of the live weight of experimental animals. The results obtained indicate the association between the indicators of live weight of heifers and their genotype. Against the background of the same conditions of maintenance and feeding in all age periods, the heifers of the 2nd group were superior in terms of live weight to the herdmates of the 1st and 3rd groups. So, with approximately the same live weight at birth with the herdmates of other groups, the heifers of the 2nd group at 3 months of age exceeded the half-blooded heifers from the 1st group by 3,2 kg or by 3,67 %, the 3rd group by 2,0 kg or by 2,26 %, at 6 months of age by 4,9 kg or by 3,27 % and by 3,3 kg or by 2,18, respectively. Heifers of the 3rd group slightly outstripped in the live weight of their herdmates from the 1st group. The fact that the heifers of the 2nd group (5/8-blooded according to Holstein) had better indicators of live weight compared to their herdmates of the 1st and 3rd groups (1/2-and 3/4-blooded), is proof of the influence of their genotype on the intensity of live weight gain.
For good or for ill, heritage is no antiquarian concern. Preserving one's heritage is not about collecting facts for their own sake, or curating curios for their aesthetic value. Heritage is a tangible connection to ancestors, to patrimony, and thus to identity. It is an inheritance that connotes entitlement and thus a sense of desert. While Cicero may have thought that if someone loses their patrimony, only an individual would suffer ( Pro Caecina 26), that is not true if the patrimony of some groups or individuals has been systematically diminished by the heritage claims of others. In such cases, “heritage” has a darker cast, encoding and perpetuating the values of the dominant culture. Indeed, across the long twentieth century, as some groups have stepped forward to claim their patrimony, others have sometimes tried to deny them: by parrying their own heritage claims, they attempt to reassure themselves not only of who they are, but of the status and privilege that had …
Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. ...
Herein, a unique reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT)-synthesized antibacterial copolymer was designed to target key requirements such as stringent and quick response toward bacteria and quick reversible response toward fouling using a multilayered assembly. In order to render the membrane assembly selective toward ions, a unique phosphonium-conjugated graphene oxide (P+GO)-anchored copper- and trimesic-acid-based metal organic framework (CuMOF) was sandwiched between the RAFT-synthesized polymer and a commercial reverse osmosis (RO) support. The sandwich architecture exhibited excellent antibacterial properties for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cells. The membranes also retained an unimpeded flow of water even after longer continuous runs. The engineered active layer was excellent in rendering reversible antifouling against bovine serum albumin with 98.8% flux retention. The nanoexclusions/channels offered by the P+GO-anchored CuMOF, sandwiched as an interlayer, though...
Background/Aims: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key molecule in the regulation of both angiogenesis and vascular permeability. However, it is known that overproduction of VEGF induces abnormal blood vessel formation and these vessels cause several disease pathologies, such as diabetic retinopathy. The purpose of this study was to find novel vasoactive compounds which have different properties from VEGF. Methods/Results: We screened a natural product library using a co-culture angiogenic assay of endothelial cells and fibroblasts. By focusing on morphological changes of endothelial cells, we isolated the novel compounds vestaine A1 and vestaine B1 from the cultured broth of an actinomycete strain, Streptomyces sp. SANK 63697. Vestaine A1 enhanced tube formation of endothelial cells in Matrigel and suppressed cell death induced by serum deprivation. Vestaine A1 activated both MEK1/2 and PI-3 kinase pathways independently of the VEGF pathway in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Finally, vestaine A1 potently suppressed VEGF-induced vascular permeability both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion: Vestaine A1 has the potential to exhibit both pro-angiogenic and anti-permeability properties, and would therefore be useful for therapeutic treatment for abnormal vascular permeability-related diseases.
This being so, many must, like myself, be both surprised and concerned that not only is the profession virtually silent on this subject but no voice of protest is raised when brewers repeatedly quote medical opinion to advertise the value of their products (and presumably because a minority of us continues to mislead the public in face of generally accepted medical knowledge). Is there not at least an equal case for prohibiting all advertisements for beer and spirits, as has been done in the case of cigarette advertisements in at least one progressive country ? Perhaps worst of all, in Britain at least, it is common practice for doctors to "prescribe " beer for patients in hospital-and "on the National Health Service "-and this in face of a steadily mounting national drug bill and clear evidence (as stated in most textbooks) that there is no medicinal and negligible food value in alcohol, but a significant danger of addiction. We do not pander to our patients by " prescribing " sweets or cigarettes, and the practice described is, I submit, a disgrace to the profession, if not actually a scandal-in the light of all knowledge-and it should be stopped forthwith. I would therefore make a strong plea for a similar campaign by the profession against the consumption of alcohol as is being carried out against smoking, by correctly informing the public and concentrating upon youth in emphasizing that no one is immune from the possibility of addiction. We know the effects upon the human body of alcohol, and the weight of our influence should be brought to bear in making these facts known to the public, as is being done with the effects of tobacco smoking. Alcoholism is a preventable disease-then why not prevented ? May it be that we as individuals are not prepared to take the lead, despite what we know ? Those of us who have sought to treat true alcoholics, who include men and women of high intelligence and in the professions, are often inclined to say, " There, but for the grace of God, stand I," and I know that such temperance organizations as Alcoholics Anonymous and the Salvation Army who seek to fully rehabilitate these people would welcome the fullest co-operation from the medical profession in what is, after* all, a medical, moral, and social problem.-I am, etc.,
The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of yellow light (Y), green light (G), and two blue lights (B) at different wavelengths in conjunction with red light (R) on the growth andmorphogenesis of potato plantlets in vitro. Randomized nodal explants were cut into 1.0–1.5 cm pieces and were grown under five different light conditions: fluorescent white light (FL); the combined spectra of R, Y, and B at 445 nm (R630B445Y); the combined spectra of R, G, and B at 445 nm (R630B445G); the combined spectra of R, Y, and B at 465 nm (R630B465Y); and the combined spectra of R, G, and B at 465 nm (R630B465G). Morphogenesis and physiological parameters were investigated. The results showed that R630B445Y and R630B465Y increased the fresh weight (FW), dry weight (DW), stem diameter, blade number, leaf area, specific leaf weight (SLW), and the health index of potato plantlets in vitro; root activity increased significantly; and soluble sugar, soluble protein, and starch also increased. The addition of Y to the combined spectra of R and B contributed to the growth, development, and morphogenesis more than the combined spectra of R and B with G, and B at 445 nm was more effective at promoting plant growth than was B at 465 nm. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an annual dicotyledonous herbaceous tuber crop that grows best in cool temperate climates under full sunlight, moderate daytime temperatures, and cool nights (Hawkes and Harris, 1992). However, potato plants are likely to be attacked by viruses, resulting in germplasm degradation and yield and quality decline, severely affecting the production of potato. The technology of virus-free microtubers and minitubers can remove the restriction of virus infection effectively. Therefore, vigorous potato plantlets grown in vitro are needed to produce microtubers and minitubers for cultivation. As a physical environmental factor, light (intensity, photoperiod, and spectrum) plays a vital role in regulating photosynthesis,metabolism, andmorphogenesis of potato plantlets in vitro. As a component of light, light spectrum is one of the most important environmental factors for the growth and development of potato plantlets in vitro. It provides not only energy for photosynthesis but also signal stimuli for physiological activities (Gao and Zhang, 2002). The light spectrum activates a series of physiological and biochemical metabolic processes through photoreceptors in photomorphogenesis, which then control the growth and morphogenesis of potato tissues and organs in vitro (Eskins, 1992; Eskins et al., 1996; Mortensen and Stromme, 1987; Seabrook, 2005; Seabrook andDouglass, 1998). Charles et al. (1992) reported an increase in leaf surfaces of potato plantlets in vitro because of enrichment in red wavelengths, and Chang et al. (2009) reported that blue light-emitting diode (LED) was beneficial to increase dry matter content of potato plantlets in vitro. Seabrook and Douglass (1998) reported that plantlet height increased when blue spectrum was removed, and the addition of B restrained stem elongation (Aksenova et al., 1994). Wu et al. (2007) reported that R spectrum emission is near the point of maximum absorption by chlorophylls (Chls) and phytochromes and it is important for photosynthetic apparatus development and for starch accumulation, and that B is relevant for chloroplast development, Chls formation, and stomata opening. Jao and Fang (2001) reported that the combined spectra of R and B LEDs promoted the growth and development of potato plantlets in vitro, and in their subsequent experiment, these authors found that the combined spectrum of 45% R + 55% B was optimum for the accumulation of fresh and dry mass of potato plantlets in vitro (Jao and Fang, 2004). However, these authors did not investigate the effects of different wavelength blue LEDs on potato plantlets in vitro. The wavelengths of B range from 440 to 480 nm. LEDs with peak at 445 and 465 nm are now commercially available, and the effect of these two wavelengths of blue LEDs on plants has not been explicitly investigated. We were interested in which wavelength of blue LED is more favorable for potato plantlets in vitro. In tissue culture, the plant height, FW and DW of marigolds in vitro increased by 30% to 50% when the green (G) spectrum was removed (Klein, 1992). Kim et al. (2004) reported that the growth of lettuce was restrained when G ratio exceeded 50% but that the lettuce growth was promoted when G ratio was less than 24%. Ma et al. (2015) reported that the addition of G to the combined spectra of R and B contributed to stem length, stem diameter, leaf area, and the contents of Chl, soluble sugar, soluble protein, and starch of potato plantlets in vitro more than the combined spectra of R and B without G did. Because the wavelength range of the spectra was not uniform in some studies (spectra of 500–600 nmwere classified asG), few studies on effects of Y (580–600 nm) (Y) on plant growth and development have been reported (Dougher and Bugbee, 2001). Al-Wakeel and Hamed (1996) reported that Y (with a peak wavelength at 595 nm) had a stronger inhibition on the growth of cucumber than G did (with a peak wavelength at 520 nm). Wang et al. (2009) reported that the DW, net photosynthetic rate, quantum yield of PSII electron transport, andChl content of cucumber clearly decreased and that the parameters of stomatal conductance, total soluble sugars, sucrose, starch content, and Chl a/Chl b decreased under Y compared with those under white light at the same light intensity. Godo et al. (2011) reported the greatest rate of emergence of Bletilla ochracea under Y. Therefore, Y may play an important role in the process of growth and development of plants; however, the physiological significance of Y was not very clear in previous studies (Dougher and Bugbee, 2001). The combination of R and B is important for the growth of potato plantlets in vitro (Jao and Fang, 2004). However, the effects of the combination of R, B, and Y LEDs on potato plantlets in vitro have not been reported. As such, we are interested in whether the addition of Y to the combined spectra of red and blue is more conducive to the growth and development of potato plantlets in vitro than green. LEDs are widely used in plant growth chambers and are useful in plant tissue culture because of their lower heat radiation, higher energy efficiency, and longer lifespan compared with fluorescent lamps (Ma et al., 2015; Nhut et al., 2003; Poudel et al., 2008). In our experiment, we used various LEDs to obtain B at two wavelengths and used Y, G, and R to design four combined spectra with uniform light intensity by modulating the electrical parameters of the LEDs. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of Y LED, G LED, and two B LEDs with R on the growth of potato plantlets in vitro and to identify the most effective light quality for the growth of potato plantlets in vitro. Received for publication 3 Jan. 2018. Accepted for publication 5 Feb. 2018. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (11674174), and the National R&D Program in Science and Technology of China (2017YFB0403903). First author. E-mail: 2016201022@njau.edu.cn. Corresponding author. E-mail: xuzhigang@njau. edu.cn. HORTSCIENCE VOL. 53(4) APRIL 2018 541 Materials and Methods Plant materials. Potato cultivar ‘Shepody’ plantlets were grown in vitro using MS medium (Murashige and Skoog, 1962); they were provided by Jiangsu Polytechnic College of Agriculture and Forestry. The experiment was conducted at Nanjing Agricultural University. A tissue culture room with a relative humidity of 65% ± 2% and a 16-h photoperiod was offered for culture of mother plants. In the tissue culture room, the daytime temperature was set to 25 ± 2 C and the night was 18 ± 2 C. The photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was 72 ± 2 mmol·m·s. Stem segments ( 1.0–1.5 cm in length with one leaf) were dissected aseptically from potato plantlets in vitro, and they were inoculated vertically in MS medium with 30 g·L sucrose and 8 g·L agar. After being pre-cultured for 3 d under fluorescent white lamps, potato plantlets in vitro were grown under different light conditions for 30 d. For each treatment, 10 bottles were used and each bottle contained 10 randomized explants. Each experiment was repeated three times. Light treatments. Light quality experiments were performed in a culture room. All LEDs are developed and offered by Opt-run Biotechnology Co., Nanjing, China. The peak wavelengths of LEDs used in the experiment were shown in Table 1 as follows: 1. FL (control): fluorescent lamp at broad wavelengths of 400–700 nm. 2. R630:B445:Y = 6:2:1 = 48 mmol·m·s R with a peak wavelength at 630 nm, 16 mmol·m·s B with a peak wavelength at 445 nm, and 8 mmol·m·s Y with a peak wavelength at 590 nm. 3. R630:B445:G = 6:2:1 = 48 mmol·m·s R with a peak wavelength at 630 nm, 16 mmol·m·s B with a peak wavelength at 445 nm, and 8 mmol·m·s G with a peak wavelength at 520 nm. 4. R630:B465:Y = 6:2:1 = 48 mmol·m·s R with a peak wavelength at 630 nm, 16 mmol·m·s B with a peak wavelength at 465 nm, and 8 mmol·m·s Y with a peak wavelength at 590 nm. 5. R630:B465:G = 6:2:1 = 48 mmol·m·s R with a peak wavelength at 630 nm, 16 mmol·m·s B with a peak wavelength at 465 nm, and 8 mmol·m·s G with a peak wavelength at 520 nm. Total PPFD was recorded with a quantum sensor (LI-250A; LI-COR, Lincoln, NE) at 72 ± 2 mmol·m·s. All treatments were setup in a tissue culture room. Growth parameters. After growing for 30 d, 15 potato plantlets in vitro from each treatment were randomly taken for growth analysis. The stem height was measured from the main stem base to the top of the plantlets using a ruler, whereas the stem diameter was obtained at the internodes above the penultimate leaf using vernier calipers (601-01; Links Inc., Harbin, China). The growth and morphology assessment of stem length, ro
There is nothing new about a radical idea in the treatment of hydrocele of the tunica vaginalis testis; that condition which Virchow mentions as the most pei feet example of exudation cyst. Almost fifty years ago Gross wrote on excision : "It is of the greatest antiquity, and was revived by Mr. Douglass, of England, in 1755." Since Gross' time various authors have written more or less concerning so-called radical treatment, but surgeons do not seem to have been actively interested in the matter until 1885, when von Bramann published the suggestion of Professor von Bergmann that the sac be excised. It was first to be opened and then its wall isolated as far as the testicle, or, in Bramann's own word's, "bis an den Hoden," showing that a complete extirpation of the sac was not even attempted by the originator of the procedure. Various authors state that there have
The objective of this retrospective study was to compare skeletal and dental arch morphology of children with posterior crossbites with a control group of children without posterior crossbites. The study included 93 patients with a posterior crossbite (33 boys and 60 girls) and 97 patients without a posterior crossbite (50 boys and 47 girls). Skeletal and dental characteristics between the two groups were compared using measurements of dental casts, and lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms. Univariate analyses revealed that seven characteristics were significantly different between the crossbite and non-crossbite groups: mandibular plane angle, lower face height, skeletal maxillary to mandibular width ratio, maxillary intermolar width, mandibular intermolar width, maxillary to mandibular intermolar width ratio, and mandibular unit length. Using maxillary to madibular intermolar width ratio as the outcome measure, a stepwise variable selection technique, analyzed all 190 patients and found only two variables significantly associated with this measure: skeletal maxillary to mandibular width ratio and lower face height. The coefficient of multiple determination for this model was only 13%, indicating that these two variables accounted for only a small portion in the variation of the ratio between the maxillary and mandibular intermolar widths.
The hypoglycemic effect of Phellinus linteus polysaccharide extract (PLPE) has been documented in several previous studies, but the functional interactions among PLPE, gut microbiota, and the hypoglycemic effect remain unclear. We examined the regulatory effect of PLPE on gut microbiota, and the molecular mechanism underlying improvement of insulin resistance, using a type 2 diabetic rat model. Here, 24 male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups that were subjected to intervention of saline (normal and model control group), metformin (120 mg/kg.bw), and PLPE (600 mg/kg.bw) by oral administration. After 8 weeks of treatment, PLPE increased levels of short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs) by enhancing abundance of SCFA‐producing bacteria. SCFAs maintained intestinal barrier function and reduced lipopolysaccharides content in blood, thereby helping to reduce systemic inflammation and reverse insulin resistance. Our findings suggest that PLPE (in which polysaccharides are the major component) has potential application as a prebiotic for regulating gut microbiota composition in diabetic patients.
The results of observations, using a variety of telescopes and techniques, of the bright IRAS source 17138 - 1017 are reported. Infrared photometry places the source of the far-infrared emission near the nucleus of an optically faint spiral galaxy identified on CCD images. Radio maps also show structure similar to that observed in the CCD images. The galaxy is at a red shift of about 0.018 and has a bolometric luminosity of about 2.5 x 10 to the 11th solar luminosities, about 30 times larger than that of a normal spiral galaxy. Spectroscopy of the galactic nucleus shows strong Br-alpha, Br-gamma, and H-alpha hydrogen recombination lines, with a derived Lyman-continuum photon rate of about 3 x 10 to the 54th/s. Molecular-hydrogen emission lines are absent. The high luminosity of the galaxy is considered to arise from large numbers of recently formed high-mass stars. 76 references.
A 54-year-old man with a 7-year history of early-onset, slowly progressive dementia and motor impairment characterised by diffuse, non-enhancing white matter signal change. Neuropathologic examination demonstrated subcortical pigmentation with neuroaxonal spheroid formation, profound axonal loss with secondary myelin degeneration and widespread βA4 immunopositivity involving meningeal and subcortical vessels. There was relative sparing of brain stem and cerebellar white matter. The neocortex was normal. The appearances expand the spectrum of adult-onset neuroaxonal leucoencephalopathy with spheroids (NALS) and demonstrate that vascular βA4 amyloid plays a key role in the white matter pathology of NALS.
This study sought to determine influence of workers’-environment being a dimension of perceived organizational politics (POP) on equity in human resources practices in Kenya’s Public Sector and, the moderating role Organization Climate (OC) on the relationship between workers’-environment and equity in human resource practices in Kenyan public sector. The study involved 384 respondents drawn from Kenya’s public sector and, developed a model which was empirically tested. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire which was analyzed using multiple approaches involving; Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The findings were as follows; workers’-environment had negative influence on equity in human equity in human resource practices and all its dimensions namely, procedural justice, distributive justice and interactional justice; Organization Climate did not moderate the relationship between Perceived organization politics and equity in human resource practices. Based on these findings, the study recommended among others; team work, re-engineering of HR systems and procedures, adoption of high performance work practices and recruitment of ‘politically’ low employees. Key Words: Workers’-environment; Equity in Human Resource Practices; Organization Climate CITATION: Morara, G., Gachunga, H., Odhiambo, R., & Muchiri, R. (2019). Influence of workers’-environment on equity in human resource practices in Kenya’s public sector. The moderating role of organization climate. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 6 (1), 257 – 269.
Abstract An isotope dilution mass spectrometric method has been developed for kinetic studies of D-glucose in humans, using 6,6-dideuteroglucose as the internal standard. Glucose in plasma samples was purified by anion and cation exchange column chromatography after deproteinization and derivatized to α-D-glucofuranose cyclic 1,2:3, 5-bis (butylboronate)-6-acetate. The analysis was done by isothermic injection into a gas chromatograph electron impact quadrupole mass spectrometer monitoring selected ions. The dideuteroglucose enrichment that was used for this study was in the range of 0.4-2%. Coefficients of variation of isotope enrichment measured i n this range were less than 3% within-day and less than 5% between-day.
Specimens of rat cerebral cortex were fixed in solutions containing ruthenium red and prepared for electron microscopy by a method described by Luft ('65a). In specimens taken from a narrow zone 5–10 m̈ thick and about 5 m̈ beneath the pial surface the ruthenium red reaction was found to be uniform and reproducible. In this zone a particulate reaction product was distributed extracellularly. The reaction product accumulated in intercellular gaps, filling them with closely‐packed, dense particulates which adhered closely to the outer leaflets of apposed plasma membranes and filled also the intercellular spaces with additional particulates.
Eight species of ectoparasites were recovered from 35 Sylvilagus audubonii and 35 Lepus californicus occurring sympatrically near the Clovis-Portales area of eastern New Mexico. Recovered were Anoplura (Haemodipsus setoni), Diptera (Cuterebra lepusculi and Cuterebra ruficrus), Siphonaptera (Echidnophaga gallinacea and Euhoplopsyllus glacialis), and Acari (Ornithodoros parkeri, Dermacentor parumapertus, and Haemaphysalis leporispalustris). Jaccard's index showed a 50% ectoparasitic overlap with H. setoni, E. glacialis, D. parumapertus, and H. leporispalustris present on both host species. Cuterebra lepusculi, E. gallinacea, and Ornithodoros parkeri were taken only from S. audubonii, whereas C. ruficrus occurred only on jack rabbits. Euhoplopsyllus glacialis was the only species to demonstrate a preference for sex of host, occurring more abundantly on females.
We study the probabilistic cloning of equidistant states. These states are such that the inner product between them is a complex constant or its conjugate. Thereby, it is possible to study their cloning in a simple way. In particular, we are interested in the behavior of the cloning probability as a function of the phase of the overlap among the involved states. We show that for certain families of equidistant states Duan and Guo's cloning machine leads to cloning probabilities lower than the optimal unambiguous discrimination probability of equidistant states. We propose an alternative cloning machine whose cloning probability is higher than or equal to the optimal unambiguous discrimination probability for any family of equidistant states. Both machines achieve the same probability for equidistant states whose inner product is a positive real number.
Human motivation has been treated as a significant determinant of initiating work related behavior and subsequently getting optimal performance. The relationship of motivation, behavior and performance is commonly tested in several domains of human life (e.g. education, health, sports, exercise, work etc.). However, application of motivation approach in the domain of entrepreneurship is only in its infancy. Hence, this paper aims to review literature intensively that makes a clear direction for the study related to entrepreneurial motivation and suggests new research line for the future. The results found two major directions in the study of entrepreneurial motivation. The first includes the studies treating motivation as a unitary variable with partial and linking role in comprehensive framework. The second includes the studies treating motivation as multifacted construct with central role. The study helps to broaden the knowledge in the field of entrepreneurial motivation and its role to be entrepreneur.
Background Different sequence types of Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) have their own epidemiological characteristics, drug resistance, and toxicity. Methods AB bloodstream infection (BSI) in the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Zhejiang University from January 2012 to December 2017 were classified by multilocus sequence typing. Clinical data of patients were retrospectively analyzed, drug resistance and toxicity were respectively studied by drug sensitivity and complement killing tests. Results 247 unduplicated AB strains were collected, and ST191/195/208, the main epidemic dominant strain, accounted for 70.9%. Patients with ST191/195/208 on infection had higher white blood cell (10.8 vs 8.9, p = 0.004), neutrophil% (89.5 vs 86.9, p = 0.005), neutrophil count (9.5 vs 7.1, p = 0.021), D-dimer (6.7 vs 3.8, p = 0.000), total bilirubin (27.0 vs 21.5, p = 0.038), pronatriuretic peptide (324 vs 164, p = 0.042), C-reactive protein (82.5 vs 56.3, p = 0.048), clinical pulmonary infection score (CPIS; 7.33 ± 2.30 vs 6.50 ± 2.72, p = 0.045), and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation-II (APACHE-II; 19.620 ± 5.1850 vs 17.648 ± 6.1251, p = 0.011). Patients with ST191/195/208 had more complications, including pulmonary infection (p = 0.041), septic shock (p = 0.009), and multiple organ failure (p = 0.019). Patients with ST191/195/208 had higher 3 day mortality (24.6% vs 13.9%, p = 0.043), 14 day mortality (46.8% vs 26.8%, p = 0.003), and 28 day mortality (55.0% vs 32.4%, p = 0.001). ST191/195/208 strains had higher drug resistance to most antibiotics, and higher survival rate at 90% normal serum concentration (p < 0.001). Conclusion ST191/195/208 strains predominate in the hospital and prevails in patients with severe infections with increased multidrug antimicrobial resistance and excessive mortality compared to any other AB stains.
Cupreine (M.W. 310) and quinine, its methyl ether 1 (M.W. 324), were injected subcutaneously in the flank in guinea pigs, chiefly males, in M/4 solutions in HCl to form very nearly the dihydrochlorides. Table I, Series 1, shows the results, deaths with-in 48 hours first, those within 7 days next and in brackets. The 48-hour toxicity curves intersect, although an earlier report 1 assigned to cupreine a toxicity to the guinea pig half that of quinine. With cupreine great irregularity is here seen and late deaths are frequent. Necropsies showed evidence of passage of both bases from the flank site toward or into the abdominal cavity, internal hemorrhage, mesenteric vascular engorgement, intestinal adhesions and necrosis all being noted. It was thought that cupreine might penetrate tissue and reach the peritoneal cavity more readily than quinine, and undergo in this experiment more frequently an accelerated absorption. Later therefore (Series 1 and 2) the site of injection was shifted for half the animals to the dorsum so as to hinder penetration into the abdominal cavity. The toxicity of the cupreine plainly fell (March 16), that of quinine remained of the same order as before. Late deaths became negligible. Further observations (Series 2) indicate that this shift of injection site makes little difference in the 50% lethal dose of quinine but probably doubles that of cupreine. It is clear that in comparative toxicity determinations the use of relatively large numbers of animals on each close may by itself be inadequate to give reliable results; the method must be given close scrutiny.
High capacity Sn4P3 is considered as a promising anode candidate for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but the fast capacity decay caused by the enormous volume changes and tin agglomeration during cycling largely limits its practical applications. Herein, MWCNTs/Sn4P3@C with a coaxial cable-like structure is designed, where a carbon protective layer is wrapped on the surfaces of Sn4P3 nanoparticles to minimize their exposure to the electrolyte and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) serve as a conductive backbone to disperse Sn4P3 nanoparticles. When applied as the lithium container, the MWCNTs/Sn4P3@C composites demonstrate excellent cycling stability (delivering a high reversible capacity of 768.8 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g−1 and 569.5 mA h g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1000 mA g−1) and rate capability (a de-lithiation capacity of 520.1 mA h g−1 maintained at a high current density of 2000 mA g−1). Furthermore, full cells composed of the MWCNTs/Sn4P3@C anode and the commercially available LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 cathode were also assembled. The result of cycling performance showed a reversible capacity of 507 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles, which is far superior to that of bare Sn4P3 and MWCNTs/Sn4P3 anodes with the reversible capacity lower than 100 mA h g−1. These excellent electrochemical performances originate from a synergistic effect between the MWCNT conductive backbone and carbon shell protective layer. The MWCNT backbone can enhance the conductivity and serve as a framework to disperse Sn4P3 nanoparticles, thus helping to accommodate the large volume changes during cycling, while the carbon shell not only can further enhance the conductivity but also minimize the side reaction between Sn4P3 nanoparticles and electrolytes.
We thank Rodekamp et al. (1) for their interest in our article (2) on predictors of overweight during childhood in offspring of parents with type 1 diabetes. In our study, we analyzed overweight risk in children participating in the German BABYDIAB study, including both the offspring of mothers with and without type 1 diabetes. Plagemann et al. (3) have previously suggested that the beneficial effects of breast-feeding on childhood obesity are lost when mothers are affected by diabetes. The authors have advised caution with respect to encouraging breast-feeding in mothers with diabetes. Rodekamp et al. have raised some questions on this issue, which we will attempt to answer by reporting data on …
Developments in the information and communication technologies have begun to offer new possibilities for public relations activities of hotel businesses. With the help of Twitter, which is included in the social media tools, the hotel businesses have got the opportunity to inform the target audience. In addition, consumers have had the opportunity to transmit requests, expectations and suggestions to the business. This study, which is aimed at evaluating the use of social media by hotel companies, examined the shares between 01 December 2016 and 01 March 2017 via Twitter through the institutional accounts of three of the ten largest capacity hotels, according to HotelNewsNow (2015) data, by content analysis. It is often the case that hotel businesses choose the tweet from the sharing types, that they communicate one-way, and that the content of the tweets is heavily promotional. As a result of categorizing the tweets that hotel groups sent from their corporate twitter accounts, eleven themes were determined. The result that the most used themes consisted of presentation, corporate news, thanks, information were reached.
Five immature copepodid stages of Pseudocyclops schminkei are described. The adult prosome is completed during the molt to copepodid III; the adult urosome during the molt of the last immature stage to CVI. Thoracic somites 5 and 6, bearing swimming legs 4 and 5, are transformed from narrow somites of the urosome of copepodids I and II into broad somites of the prosome during the molts to copepodid II and III, respectively. The exopod of antenna 2 is patterned during the copepodid phase of development. The basis of the maxilliped of copepodids includes two well-developed endites. Buds of swimming legs 3 and 4 do not have apical setae but rather attenuations [cf. spiniform outgrowths] of the bud, in number corresponding to the setae of many calanoids. Transformed limbs of swimming legs 1-4 bear the maximum number of setae reported for these limbs among copepods. Sexual dimorphism is evident at copepodid IV in the morphology and armature of leg 5. The endopod of the male swimming leg 5 does not articulate with the basis at copepodids IV and V. Von Vaupel Klein’s Organ, an apomorphy for calanoids, is assumed to have been present on the ancestral pseudocyclopid and is secondarily lost on its extant species. An analysis of several of these characters suggests that Pseudocyclopidae is the oldest extant calanoid family.
Bell Labs has launched an investigation into claims that members of its staff possibly manipulated data in a series of high-profile papers on semiconducting organic crystals. The misconduct probe was launched by the labs – the research arm of Lucent Technologies – after physicists spotted similarities in graphs in the journals Science, Nature and Applied Physics Letters. The papers were all written by Jan Hendrik Schon and a variety of co-workers.
Opportunity for natural selection among five population groups of Manipur in comparison with other North East Indian population has been studied. Crow's index as well as Johnston and Kensinger's index for natural selection were calculated based on differential fertility and mortality. The mortality component was found to be lower compared to fertility component in all the populations which may attribute to comparatively improved and easily accessible health care facilities. However, different selection pressures, artificial and natural, seem to be influencing the selection intensity through induced abortion and spontaneous abortion among the two non-tribal migrant groups: Bamon and Muslims, respectively. This study highlights the probable interaction of artificial and natural selection in determining the evolutionary fate of any population group.
Walker Connor was born in 1926, and was contemporaneous with my own father, so not surprisingly he was a father figure to me. Unlike my own father Walker made it past 90. Those of us privileged to have been Walker's friend will miss his mischievous humor and twinkling eyes, and his fondness for combining rich conversation with craft beers. Indeed his son Dan told me Walker deliberately had a beer a couple of days before he died. All will be pleased to know that he remained possessed of his faculties and character to the end. He is survived by his two sons Peter and Dan Connor, and their partners; by his daughter, Professor Joan Connor of Athens, Ohio, who has inherited her parents’ writings skills; and by Joan's son, Nils Walker (Kerry) Wessell, who is with us today.
The aim of the study was to determine the levels of educational goals used by teachers in their daily preparation notes in Amman directorate of education, and whether their use varied according to the educational stage they are involving in, or years of experience or gender. The sample of the study consisted of (126) teachers teaching different educational stages, 62 Males and 64 females. The results of the x2 test showed that teachers’ use of emotional goals was very little compared to their use of cognitive goals, and their use of psychological goals was little compared to their use of the most commonly used cognitive goals.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consists of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Natural killer cell responses play a crucial role in autoimmune disease through innate immunity, in which killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) are closely involved. Although the genetic combination of KIRs with their specific HLA class I ligands has been associated with IBD in Caucasians, such KIR-HLA receptor-ligand combinations are not fully understood in the Japanese. We investigated 14 KIR genes along with HLA-Bw and -C ligands in 90 patients with UC and 50 patients with CD and compared them with the characteristics of 325 healthy control subjects. The frequency of HLA-Bw4 was significantly increased in patients with UC (P = 1.3 × 10−6; odds ratio [OR] = 3.39) and CD (P = 0.0065; OR = 2.32) versus controls. The UC group had a significantly higher frequency of KIR2DS3 (P = 0.024; OR = 1.94) and lower frequency of KIR2DS4 (P = 0.019; OR = 0.40) and KIR2DL1-HLA-C2 (P = 0.035; OR = 0.47). The Tel-A/B haplotype was significantly decreased in UC patients (P = 0.0056; OR = 0.49). The frequency of KIR3DL1-HLA-Bw4 was significantly higher in patients with UC (P = 4.3 × 10−6; OR = 3.12) and CD (P = 0.0067; OR = 2.30). In conclusion, HLA-Bw4 and KIR-HLA pairs may play an important role in the genetic susceptibility to IBD in the Japanese.
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on both mental health and working conditions. Workplaces are conducive spaces for implementing strategies and interventions to promote mental health. In addition to this, they are preventing, identifying, and managing mental disorders effectively. Although international agencies have identified some guidelines for the management of mental health in the workplace in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a more precise characterization of both the components of the policies, their implementation, and evidence of the outcome is required to provide useful information for decision-makers. Objectives This study aims to synthesize scientific information regarding national and local policies focusing on preventing or improving, directly or indirectly, mental health problems in the workplace during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Our study is a scoping review. The Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases and PubMed search engine were used. Original and reviewed articles published from January 1, 2020 to October 14, 2021 were included in the research. Articles with abstract or full text in English, Spanish, German and Portuguese were also included. Our strategy is based on identifying policies (intervention) which focuses on directly or indirectly preventing or ameliorating mental health problems in the workplace during COVID-19 pandemic (participants). Results A total of 6,522 records were identified, and only four studies were included in the scoping review, which were of low quality. That is, we found limited evidence evaluating mental health policies using primary or secondary data (empirical evaluation). Among the policies that have been identified are the increase of mental health resources, the promotion of mental health and self-care support programs, and the reduction of barriers to access to mental health treatment. Conclusion Our research finds that there is limited evidence available to evaluate national and local policies aimed at directly or indirectly preventing or ameliorating mental health problems at work during COVID-19 pandemic. This forces decision-makers to use different criteria to guide the allocation of resources and budgets. Therefore, there is a need for health intelligence teams in health systems to be able to assess the impact of policies as an important input for decision-makers.
The inhibitory action of sesmum indicum oil on the surface of copper metal in 0.5 N HCl using gravimetric and galvanostatic polarization methods has been investigated. The rates of corrosion of copper metal with hydrochloric acid containing sesmum indicum oil were obtained as a function of the oil amount. The inhibitor efficiency was found to depend on the concentration of the sesmum indicum oil. Adsorption of sesmum indicum oil on copper metal was followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The phenomenon of physical adsorption has been proposed on the basis of evaluated thermodynamic parameters.
We report on bidirectional frequency conversion between the microwave and optical domains using electro-optics. Advances in communications, time keeping, and quantum sensing have all come to depend upon the coherent interoperation of light wave and microwave signals. To connect these domains, which are separated by a factor of 10,000 in frequency, requires specialized technology that has until now only been achieved by ultrafast mode-locked lasers. In contrast, electro-optic modulation (EOM) combs arise deterministically by imposing microwave-rate oscillations on a continuous-wave laser. Here we demonstrate electro-optic generation of a 160 THz bandwidth supercontinuum and realize f-2f self-referencing. Coherence of the supercontinuum is achieved through optical filtering of electronic noise on the seed EOM comb. The mode frequencies of the supercontinuum are derived from the electronic oscillator and they achieve <5×10−14 fractional accuracy and stability, which opens a novel regime for tunable combs with wide mode spacing apart from the requirements of mode locking.
The European Union (EU) Framework Program 7 (FP7) funded project, iTETRIS (An Integrated Wireless and Traffic Platform for Real-Time Road Traffic Management Solutions) targets to extend state of art in simulation of wireless vehicular cooperative systems for evaluation of road traffic management services and applications. In particular, iTETRIS addresses four important and distinct challenges: (a) road traffic and wireless integrated open-source simulation platform, (b) large scale trials, (c) realistic Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle to Infrastructure (V2I) communication simulation and (d) dynamic, distributed and self-autonomous Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications based on cooperative systems. iTETRIS will provide a standard compliant, open-source integrated communication and traffic platform suited for large scale scenario simulation. This Paper addresses extension of traffic simulator being used in iTETRIS, scalability studies of networking simulator, which have been achieved as project results. Further the paper presents the adaptation of the Intelligent Communications for Transport Systems (ICTS) reference architecture functionalities being developed by the European Telecommunication Standard Institute (ETSI) at its Technical Committee (TC) on ITS.
Background Proposed revisions to the Victorian Mental Health Act intend to consider Advance Care Planning (ACP) in mental health treatment. No research has explored the feasibility and benefits of Psychiatric Advanced Directives (PADs) in Australia. International studies suggest that implementation of PADs can be limited by mental health clinicians' attitudes and knowledge. Aim To establish Australian psychiatrists' knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding PADs. Methods A national online survey of Australian psychiatrists. Results Of 165 respondents, 56% reported low to very low knowledge of PADs and only 27% reported experience with PADs or a similar instrument. 76% of psychiatrists expressed support for the introduction of PAD legislation and 83% would be more inclined to use PADs if the law acknowledged their role as important. 79% expected that PADs will have a positive impact on mental health care, with the benefits considered to outweigh specific clinical issues such as medication refusal (54%) and limitations on patient care (64%). Discussion Australian psychiatrists have low levels of knowledge and experience regarding PADs. A high level of general support for PAD use and legislation was expressed. Conclusion Australian psychiatrist expressed encouraging attitudes towards the implementation and use of PADs, and further research is required to develop an effective and sustainable model of ACP for mental health care in Australia.
Bacteria-mediated cancer imaging and immunotherapy is emerging fields. However, most of the study related to targeting and monitoring of therapeutic response after bacterial therapy was done with tissue analysis after sacrificed the animal. To evaluate the theranostic efficacy of fluorescence encoded bacteria in vivo, the tumor should be made on the subcutaneous area due to the limitation of light penetration of the tissue material. However, the subcutaneous xenograft model doesn’t reflect the actual tumor microenvironment. In this study, we monitored theranostic bacteria in orthotopic tumor model with lab-built wide-field fluorescence endoscopy (WFE) and commercialized confocal endomicroscopy (CFEM) in vivo. First, orthotopic mouse colon cancer models were made by using endoscopic cancer cell implantation methods. Seconds, fluorescence emitting theranostic bacteria was constructed by using Salmonella strain. The bacteria were injected into the orthotopic colon tumor-bearing mice via tail vein injection. Finally, we serially monitored fluorescence signal emitted from theranostic bacteria with WFE and CFEM. Multiscale fluorescence image showed the accumulation of bacteria within the tumor area compared to normal tissue contrast. We expected that this endoscopic fluorescence imaging approaches can be used in the direct monitoring of bacterial immunotherapy in vivo.
Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in human health, and its composition is determined by several factors, such as diet and host genotype. However, thus far it has remained unknown which host genes are determinants for the microbiota composition. We studied the diversity and abundance of dominant bacteria and bifidobacteria from the faecal samples of 71 healthy individuals. In this cohort, 14 were non-secretor individuals and the remainders were secretors. The secretor status is defined by the expression of the ABH and Lewis histo-blood group antigens in the intestinal mucus and other secretions. It is determined by fucosyltransferase 2 enzyme, encoded by the FUT2 gene. Non-functional enzyme resulting from a nonsense mutation in the FUT2 gene leads to the non-secretor phenotype. PCR-DGGE and qPCR methods were applied for the intestinal microbiota analysis. Principal component analysis of bifidobacterial DGGE profiles showed that the samples of non-secretor individuals formed a separate cluster within the secretor samples. Moreover, bifidobacterial diversity (p<0.0001), richness (p<0.0003), and abundance (p<0.05) were significantly reduced in the samples from the non-secretor individuals as compared with those from the secretor individuals. The non-secretor individuals lacked, or were rarely colonized by, several genotypes related to B. bifidum, B. adolescentis and B. catenulatum/pseudocatenulatum. In contrast to bifidobacteria, several bacterial genotypes were more common and the richness (p<0.04) of dominant bacteria as detected by PCR-DGGE was higher in the non-secretor individuals than in the secretor individuals. We showed that the diversity and composition of the human bifidobacterial population is strongly associated with the histo-blood group ABH secretor/non-secretor status, which consequently appears to be one of the host genetic determinants for the composition of the intestinal microbiota. This association can be explained by the difference between the secretor and non-secretor individuals in their expression of ABH and Lewis glycan epitopes in the mucosa.
Recent studies in anthropology have increasingly come to understand Islam as a “set of interpretative resources and practices” accumulated over centuries through engaging with the key sources of Islam—the Quran, hadith, and prophetic custom (sunna). In this view, being a Muslim is a result of individual and collective efforts “to grapple with those resources and shape those practices inmeaningful ways,” giving their practitioners a sense of being embedded in long chains of authenticated interpretation and transmission of a tradition.1 Tradition is here not understood as a simple replication of the past; it is not passively received but rather actively constructed in a particular social and historical setting, simultaneously affirming a “synchronic bond between actors” in a given community and extending it into the past, into a “diachronic community” of Muslims.2 The implication of this approach, which also informs the present volume, is that such efforts to engage with authenticating texts and acts as well as methods of interpretation of Islam transpired throughout history, resulting in numerous historically and contextually contingent understandings of what it means to be a Muslim. However, that is hardly reflected in mainstream historiography, which has long associated dynamism and evolution in Islamic traditions and their interpretation only with the so-called classical or formative period, from the first/seventh to the seventh/thirteenth century, while envisioning stagnation, decline, and derivativeness as the defining features of the centuries that followed. This has been particularly true for the geographies consideredmarginal towhat is often viewed as the “core lands” of Islam (which for the late “formative” period typicallymeans Syria, Egypt, and the Hijaz).3
Since the start of the 21st century, the investigation of various psychological aspects of humor and laughter has become an increasingly prominent topic of research. This growth can be attributed, in no small part, to the pioneering and creative work on humor and laughter conducted by Professor Rod Martin. Dr. Martin’s research interests in humor and laughter began in the early 1980s and continued throughout his 32 year long career as a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Western Ontario. During this time, Dr. Martin published numerous scholarly articles, chapters, and books on psychological aspects of humor and laughter. Professor Martin has just retired in July 2016, and in the present interview he recounts a number of research highlights of his illustrious career. Dr. Martin’s earliest influential work, conducted while he was still in graduate school, stemmed from an individual difference perspective that focused on the beneficial effects of sense of humor on psychological well-being. This research focus remained evident in many of Professor Martin’s subsequent investigations, but became increasingly refined as he developed several measures of different components of sense of humor, including both adaptive and maladaptive humor styles. In this interview, Dr. Martin describes the conceptualization, development and use of the Humor Styles Questionnaire, along with suggestions for future research and development. In doing so, he also discusses the three main components of humor (i.e., cognitive, emotional and interpersonal), as well as the distinctions and similarities between humor and laughter. Further highlights of this interview include Professor Martin’s comments on such diverse issues as the genetic versus environmental loadings for sense of humor, the multifaceted nature of the construct of humor, and the possible limitations of teaching individuals to use humor in a beneficial manner to cope with stress and enhance their social and interpersonal relationships.
Developing noble metal-free water oxidation catalysts is essential for many energy conversion/storage processes (e.g., water splitting). Herein, we report a facile synthesis of CuO microspheres composed of ultrathin, single-crystal-like nanosheets via a simple solution method. The as-obtained CuO microspheres can serve as an active and stable water oxidation catalyst under electrochemical reaction conditions, owing to their unique structural features. In electrochemical water oxidation, this catalyst affords a current density of 10 mA cm-2 (a value related to practical relevance) at an overpotential of ∼0.48 V. Pure CuO was reported as a water oxidation catalyst (WOC) from near-neutral conditions to alkalescent conditions. Electrochemistry values agree with the Nernstian behavior, suggesting ne-/nH+ transfer prior to a chemical rate-determining step. Our results suggest that the delicate nanostructure can offer unique advantages for developing efficient water oxidation catalysts.
For fresh-cut and ready-to-eat packaging films, antifog additives (AFs) are commonly used to suppress the formation of water droplets on film surface. To date, the type and dosage of antifogging for PLA based film are less studied. Therefore, in this research, films incorporated with antifog additive were fabricated by cast extrusion technique. The migration behavior of commercial polyglycerol ester as selected AF was investigated. The cold fog test results showed that 3.5 and 5 wt% of AF in 20PBAT/80PLA single layer film can provide clear films without droplet of water within 7 days and 3 hours, respectively. For 2-layer films, the presented of AF in seal layer as 95(20PBAT/80PLA)/5 (polyglycerol ester) and core layer of PLA were prepared having different thicknesses of seal layer/core layer of 20/15 and 10/15 μm. The migration rate of AF in thin 2-layer film (10/15 μm) appeared to be higher than that in 20/15 μm film. Films’ surface could become clear without water droplet (rating scale > 8) within 4 days for 10/15 μm and 7 days for 20/15 μm films. Haze of films was analyzed by haze meter. Haze of 10/15 μm film was decreased from 7 to 4.4, while that of 20/15 μm film was also decreased from 10 to 7.9 when AF appeared on its surface. Both films can be a peelable PLA based lidding film product with low haze (< 10 %) and antifog performance (within 1 month). In addition, 10/15 μm film can be an easy peel lidding film since its peel strength was in an easy peel range (6-10 N/15 mm).
Middle managers have been under attack as organizational downsizing and reengineering have reduced their number. They are also frequently portrayed as obstructive and resistant to change. However, recent research suggests that managers at middle levels in organizations may be able to make a strategic contribution. Data from research on how managers in an organization undergoing transformation experience change are used to build on this existing research to demonstrate that middle managers fulfil a complex 'change intermediary' position during implementation. The findings reveal that a key aspect of this position is the need for middle managers to engage in a range of activities to aid their interpretation of the change intent. This interpretation activity then informs the personal changes they attempt to undertake, how they help others through change, how they keep the business going during the transition and what changes they implement in their departments. The interpretation aspect of their role is often overlooked, leading to workload issues and role conflict. These findings offer an alternative perspective on perceived middle manager resistance and lead into suggestions for future research and organizational implications.
Phased array transmit systems use several antennas to combine RF power-amplifiers in free space. If all the RF channels are identical, then the transmit spectrum in the far-field, including both linear and nonlinear components, would be a scaled version of the output spectrum of each channel. However, random variations in the nonlinear components (AM-AM and AM-PM conversion) between the channels improves the nonlinearity of the overall array as the number of elements increases. In this paper, measured results are used to show that the adjacent channel power ratio, which is one metric of linearity, improves with the number of elements at a fixed backoff from the 1 dB compression point. Also, for a 100 Mbaud 64QAM signal and a fixed ACPR of −32 dBc, a 256-element phased-array can be operated at $P_{1dB}-2 mathbf{dB}$, while an 8-element phased-array would need to be operated at $P_{1dB}-4 mathbf{dB}$ for the same ACPR level. This work has great implications on the overall efficiency of 5G phased arrays since it implies that large phased-arrays can be operated at less back-off than small phased-arrays (or single antennas with high power amplifiers). Thus, in reality and taking the ACPR as the figure of merit, phased-arrays are 2 dB more efficient than what is predicted by standard system simulations which assume the same non-linear response for all the phased-array channels.
By measuring the temperature dependence of the resistance, we investigated the effect of Cu doping on superconductivity (SC) in Cu-doped TaSe3 in which the charge density wave (CDW) transition is induced by Cu doping. We observed an emergence of a region where the SC transition temperature (TC) decreased in samples with higher Cu concentrations and found that the region tended to expand with increasing Cu concentration. In addition, the temperature dependence of the upper critical field (HC2) of Cu-doped TaSe3 was found to differ from that of pure TaSe3. Based on these experimental results and the fact that the SC of TaSe3 is filamentary, we conclude that SC is suppressed locally by Cu doping and competes with the CDW in Cu-doped TaSe3. The resistance anomaly due to the CDW transition was extremely small and the size of the anomaly was enhanced with increasing Cu concentration but the temperature at which the anomaly appeared hardly changed. These results of the anomaly and the local suppression of SC suggest that the induced CDWs have short-range order in the vicinity of Cu atoms. We also discuss the effect of the pinning of CDWs on the relationship between SC and short-range order CDWs.
A potential for detecting high gamma band (HGB) activity from scalp EEG is explored by employing a high input-impedance electroencephalograph for the measurement. An anti-saccade task was designed to elicit motor-related HGB activity. As a result, we confirmed increased power of HGB (100-105 Hz) preceding the anti-saccade initiation in all three subjects. A common timing of the power increase was observed at 50% point of mean reaction time of anti-saccade for each subject.
BACKGROUND Acute epiglottitis in adults is a rare, potentially life-threatening condition caused by a bacterial infection in the epiglottis. Typical symptoms are fever, sore throat, and respiratory distress caused by upper airway obstruction. Proper treatment is needed for a good outcome.   CASE PRESENTATION We here present a 54-year-old female patient with acute epiglottitis. Her airway was secured by endotracheal intubation and she received antimicrobial therapy. She developed an abscess around the epiglottis that needed surgical drainage and tracheotomy. However, she fully recovered after nine days in hospital.   INTERPRETATION Acute epiglottitis in adults is a potentially life-threatening condition. The prognosis is good with proper treatment including selective airway intervention, antimicrobial therapy, and close monitoring.
ABSTRACT Effects of nonwaxy (21% amylose, 79% amylopectin) and waxy (100% amylopectin) rice starch-lipid complexes on the rate of in vitro digestibility were determined. Long-chain (≥C:18) saturated emulsifiers reduced digestibility more than short-chain (<C:18) saturated and unsaturated emulsifiers when complexed with nonwaxy and waxy rice starch. The largest decrease in digestibility (33%) was achieved with Polyaldo 10-1-2 (100% C18:0 with decaglyceryl monostearate modification) for nonwaxy rice. Waxy rice starch did not complex with most of the emulsifiers, in contrast to nonwaxy rice starch. Most of the emulsifiers that reduced digestibility by 10% or less were composed of unsaturated monoglycerides, including some acetylated and succinylated monoglycerides. The fluid behavior of nonwaxy rice starch-emulsifier solutions was more pseudoplastic than waxy rice starch-emulsifier solutions. The consistency index varied with emulsifiers. The nonwaxy rice starchemulsifier solutions and some of those prepared...
Introduction The number of elderly patients undergoing major surgery is rapidly increasing. They are particularly at risk of developing postoperative neurocognitive disorders (NCD). Earlier studies suggested that processed electroencephalographic (EEG) monitors may reduce the incidence of postoperative NCD. However, none of these studies controlled for intraoperative nociception levels or personalized blood pressure targets. Their results remain unclear if the reduction in the incidence of postoperative NCD relates to avoidance of any electroencephalographic pattern suggesting excessive anesthesia depth. Objective The objective of this trial is to investigate–in patients ≥ 70 years old undergoing major non-cardiac surgery–the effect of EEG-guided anesthesia on postoperative NCD while controlling for intraoperative nociception, personalized blood pressure targets, and using detailed information provided by the EEG monitor (including burst suppression ratio, density spectral array, and raw EEG waveform). Material and methods This prospective, randomized, controlled trial will be conducted in a single Canadian university hospital. Patients ≥ 70 years old undergoing elective major non-cardiac surgery will be included in the trial. The administration of sevoflurane will be adjusted to maintain a BIS index value between 40 and 60, to keep a Suppression Ratio (SR) at 0%, to keep a direct EEG display without any suppression time and a spectrogram with most of the EEG wave frequency within the alpha, theta, and delta frequencies in the EEG-guided group. In the control group, sevoflurane will be administered to achieve an age-adjusted minimum alveolar concentration of [0.8–1.2]. In both groups, a nociception monitor will guide intraoperative opioid administration, individual blood pressure targets will be used, and cerebral oximetry used to tailor intraoperative hemodynamic management. The primary endpoint will be the incidence of NCD at postoperative day 1, as evaluated by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Secondary endpoints will include the incidence of postoperative NCD at different time points and the evaluation of cognitive trajectories up to 90 days after surgery among EEG-guided and control groups. Study registration NCT04825847 on ClinicalTrials.gov.
In this paper the potential of amorphous silicon carbide used as an emitter for silicon heterojunction solar cells is presented. Especially the annealing behaviour of the open-circuit voltage Voc of n-doped amorphous silicon carbide heterojunction emitter solar cells is investigated in detail. We present our results of a significant open-circuit voltage improvement of more than 100 mV on both a flat and a textured front surface triggered by thermal annealing on a hot plate. The observed open-circuit voltage behaviour can be described best by a stretched exponential function, which in general describes relaxation rates in complex systems. Further we investigated the optimum conditions of a post deposition annealing step in order to reach the highest efficiency. During this analysis we also observed deterioration in solar cell performance when the structure is annealed for a very long time. In conclusion, we suppose that a diffusion of weakly bonded or free hydrogen, activated by the annealing which saturates dangling bonds in the amorphous layer itself and most likely more important at the heterojunction interface, is responsible for the strong improvement in Voc and efficiency.
In this paper, a 3.3 GHz - 3.8 GHz Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) power amplifier (PA) using a 0.25μm GaN on SiC high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) technology for 5G communication system is proposed. The stabilization of the circuit structure is composed of parallel connection of a resistance and a capacitance which called RC stabilization circuits. Determination the optimal impedance matching using Load-Pull. This project measured results demonstrated that the average Pout of 18.12 dBm, an average large signal gain of 8.72 dB over frequency band with a great harmonic isolation that the second harmonic is -25.67 dBc@3.55 GHz and the third harmonic is -46.61 dBc@3.55 GHz. The power amplifier chip is integrated into a 1.0mm×2.6mm QFN package including RF pad.
Dr. P. Laukkanen, J. Lång, Dr. M. Punkkinen, Dr. M. Kuzmin, M. Tuominen, M. Yasir, J. Dahl, V. Tuominen, Prof. K. Kokko Department of Physics and Astronomy University of Turku FI-20014 , Turku , Finland E-mail: pekka.laukkanen@utu.fi V. Polojärvi, J. Salmi, V.-M. Korpijärvi, A. Aho, Dr. A. Tukiainen, Prof. M. Guina Optoelectronics Research Centre Tampere University of Technology FI-33101 , Tampere , Finland H.-P. Hedman, Dr. R. Punkkinen Department of Information Technology University of Turku FI-20014 , Turku , Finland
PURPOSE To investigate the feasibility of combining concomitant boost accelerated radiation regimen (AFX-C) with cisplatin and to assess its toxicity and the relapse pattern and survival in patients with advanced head and neck carcinoma (HNC).   PATIENTS AND METHODS Between April and November of 2000, 84 patients with stage III to IV HNC who met the eligibility criteria were enrolled; 76 of these patients were analyzable. Radiation consisted of 72 Gy in 42 fractions over 6 weeks (daily for 3.5 weeks, then twice a day for 2.5 weeks). Cisplatin dose was 100 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 22. Tumor and clinical status were assessed, and acute late toxicities were graded.   RESULTS Sixty-five patients (86%) received both radiation and chemotherapy per protocol or with minor variations. The estimated 2-year locoregional relapse and distant metastasis rates were 34.7% and 16.1%, respectively. The estimated 2-year overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 71.6% and 53.5%, respectively. Three patients (4%) died of complications, 19 patients (25%) had acute grade 4 toxicity, and 49 patients (64%) had acute grade 3 toxicity. The 2-year cumulative incidence of late grade 3 to 5 toxicities was 51.3%.   CONCLUSION These data showed that it was feasible to combine AFX-C with cisplatin. The compliance to therapy was high, and the locoregional control and survival rates achieved compared favorably with AFX-C alone or other concurrent chemoradiation regimens tested by the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group. A phase III trial comparing AFX-C plus cisplatin against standard radiation plus cisplatin is ongoing to determine whether the use of AFX-C in the concurrent chemoradiation setting further improves outcome.
It is well known that hermetic metallic packets in heating are characterised by the process of auto-vacuum formation leading to a change in the composition and a decrease of the pressure of residual gases. According to Ref. 5, auto-vacuum may also develop in a non-hermetic packet if absorbents are placed in it. The formation of autovacuum in studies in Ref.1–5 was evaluated, for example, on the basis of the variation of the pressure of the gas measured with an electronic pressure gauge with a limit of sensitivity of approximately 400 Pa. The results are obviously used for experimental data on the interaction of titanium with residual gases of the welding chamber, evacuated to 2.6 Pa, make it possible, although indirectly, to assume that the rare function in the contact gap reaches higher values as a result of auto-vacuum formation. Since in heating the physical–chemical state of the contact surfaces depends on the concentration (pressure) of the oxidising gas in the contact gap, to determine the conditions of clearing the surfaces to remove oxides it is essential to know the pressure of this gas. However, in the direct experiments, the introduction into the contact zone of any device, measuring the concentration or pressure of the gas, distorts the situation in the contact gap as a result of a large increase of its volume. In this work, this problem is solved on the basis of analysis and modelling of the processes taking place on the contact gap in heating two titanium sheets placed on top of each other. In air (including in rarefied air) titanium interacts mainly with oxygen. Therefore, initially, it is necessary to analyse the distribution of oxygen in the contact gap. At the initial moment, the pressure of oxygen in the contact gap at any point is equal to its pressure in the vacuum chamber and is determined by the pumping capacity of the vacuum system. During heating titanium oxidises and absorbs oxygen from the surrounding volume. Their sensitive volume of the gas between the surfaces of the sheets is many times smaller than the volume of the gas, surrounding the components (gas present in the vacuum chamber), oxidation of titanium may be accompanied by a large increase of the oxygen pressure in the contact zone and, consequently, displacement of the gas flow from the volume of the vacuum chamber to the nearcontact gap. Since the intensity of interaction of the metal with oxygen increases with increasing temperature, this may result in an increase of the intensity of the gas flow into the contact zone. The depth of penetration of oxygen into the gap between the welded surfaces is determined by the ratio of the amount of oxygen, moving into the contact zone, to the amount of the oxygen which has reacted with titanium during oxidation. The problem is based on deriving an expression for the quantitative evaluation and the distribution of oxygen pressure in the contact gap in relation to the technological parameters: temperature, the gap between the surfaces, oxygen pressure in the vacuum chamber, etc. The diffusion problem will be examined for two sheets whose length is considerably greater than their width r, and are placed in a gas medium (Fig. 1). The rate of variation of the oxygen concentration in the elementary volume dx × h × 1.
reports by Black of his analysis of medicinal substances, there are also his comments on cases such as that of ‘an irregular tumor under the left false ribs’ (p. 1235). Black was something of a hypochondriac in the modern sense of the word and his worries about his health and diet are a rich resource for the historian of eighteenth-century bodily selfperceptions. This is a magnificent edition, crammed with erudite footnotes and background essays. It is strange and irritating that, with fourteen appendices, there is no alphabetical list of correspondents and, more annoying, there is only one index combining persons and subjects. These volumes have been a very long time in the making (their conception long antedating digital publishing of scholarly editions) and are perhaps now dinosaurs in an electronic era. It is to be hoped that the data in them is stored in a form which will one day enable it to be easily translated to online format where material can be corrected and updated. Until then Stone Age readers will enjoy having this work on their bookshelves.
Background Throughout the pandemic, governments worldwide have issued guidelines to manage the spread and impact of COVID-19 in schools, including measures around social distancing and contact tracing. Whether schools required support to implement these guidelines has not yet been explored in depth. Despite the development of a range of technologies to tackle COVID-19, such as contact-tracing apps and electronic vaccine certificates, research on their usefulness in school settings has been limited. Objective The aim of the study was to explore the needs of school staff in managing COVID-19 and their experiences and perspectives on technological support in relation to contact tracing. School staff are the ones likely to make key implementation decisions regarding new technologies, and they are also the ones responsible for using the new tools daily. Including both management staff and class teachers in the development of school-based technologies can lead to their successful adoption by schools. Methods Semistructured interviews were conducted with UK school staff, including primary and secondary school teachers and school managers. Thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo, was used to analyze the data. Two of the authors independently coded 5 (28%) of the interviews and reached a consensus on a coding framework. Results Via purposive sampling, we recruited 18 participants from 5 schools. Findings showed that primary schools did not perform contact tracing, while in secondary schools, digital seating plans were used to identify close contacts in the classroom and manual investigations were also conducted identify social contacts. Participants reported that despite their efforts, high-risk interactions between students were not adequately monitored. There was a need to improve accuracy when identifying close contacts in common areas where students congregate. Proximity tracking, use of access cards, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) emerged as potential solutions, but there were concerns surrounding false alerts, burden, and security. Conclusions School staff have found it difficult to monitor and implement social distancing and contact-tracing provisions. There are opportunities for mobile digital technologies and CCTV to support school staff in keeping their students and colleagues safe; however, these must place minimal demands on staff and prioritize security measures. Study findings can help researchers and practitioners who work in different contexts and settings understand what particular challenges are faced by school staff, and inform further research on the design and application of digital solutions for contact tracing.
The purpose of this study was to determine the patterns and best predictors of experimentation and use of drugs by a suburban upper middle class adolescent (5th grade through high school) population. The data show increasing percentages of students involved with drugs across the grades, differences in involvement for females compared to males, distinctions between the most popular drugs (alcohol, marijuana and cigarettes) and other less popular drugs and factors associated with trial and use of the various drugs. Some statements are made in conclusion about the meaning and use of this data for drug education and prevention.
The wide-ranging varieties of capitalism literature rests on a particular conception of banks and banking that, the authors argue, no longer reflects the reality of modern financial systems. They take advantage of the greater information regarding bank activities revealed by the financial crisis to consider the reality, across eight of the world’s largest developed economies, of the financial power of banks to act as bulwarks against market forces. This article offers a marketbased banking framework that transcends the bank-based/capital market–based dichotomy that dominates comparative political economy’s consideration of financial systems and argues that future cpe  research should focus on the activities of banks. By demonstrating how market-based banking increases market influences on the supply of credit, the authors highlight an underappreciated source of financial market pressure on nonfinancial companies (nfc s) that can have a potential impact across the range of issues that the varieties of capitalism (VoC) literature has seen as differentiating national systems. This approach has implications in areas such as labor, welfare, innovation, and flexibility.
Adulteration of olive oil using unhealthy substitutes is considered a threat for public health. Low-field (LF) proton (1H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry and ultra-violet (UV) visible spectroscopy are used to detect adulteration of olive oil. Three different olive oil with different oleoyl acyl contents were mixed with almond, castor, corn, and sesame oils with three volumetric ratios, respectively. In addition, Arbequina olive oil was mixed with canola, flax, grape seed, peanut, soybean, and sunflower seed oils with three volumetric ratios. Transverse magnetization relaxation time (T2) curves were fitted with bi-exponential decaying functions. T2 times of each mixture of olive oils and castor oils, and olive oils and corn oils changed systematically as a function of volumetric ratio. To detect the adulteration in the mixtures with almond and sesame oils, both LF 1H NMR relaxometry and UV-Vis spectroscopy were needed, where UV-Vis-spectroscopy detected the adulteration qualitatively. In the mixtures of Arbequina olive oil and flax, peanut, soybean, and sunflower seed oils, both T21 and T22 values became longer systematically as the content of the olive oil was decreased. The unique UV-Vis maximum absorbance of flax oil at 320.0 nm shows the adulteration of olive oil qualitatively.
The main purpose of this article is to identify access to: social assistance inclusion programs; assistance from health agents; public water supply services; and water saving practices, in areas of irregular occupation in Brazil. A stratified random sampling technique by clusters was adopted with a simple sampling strategy. In the universe of 14,079 households, 68 community leaders were identified, representing 6,800 households on average, in a normalized distribution (mean zero, standard deviation 1), deemed to include situations covering 96% of the cases with a margin of error of + or - 1% of the average. The theoretical approach proposes a reflection and verification through questionnaires on the mechanisms of exclusion. Poverty perpetuates the vicious circle of inequality, risks to health and the environment, and it is necessary that these should be considered in the policies and procedures for urban expansion. As a conclusion, various challenges were identified for serving areas of social-environmental vulnerability - the needs to: improve the low quality of health and water services in subnormal agglomerations; modify the behavior of the population accessing the networks in a clandestine manner; and to put inclusive governance mechanisms in place.
Meckel's diverticulum is a very common congenital anomaly of the gastrointestinal tract but many cases remain asymptomatic and are diagnosed incidentally during laparoscopic or other surgical procedures. Cases of femoral hernia involving Meckel's diverticulum are rare, with less than 50 cases reported in the literature since Littre published the first description of this coincident condition over 300 years ago. While all true "Littre's hernias" contain a Meckel's diverticulum, the involved anatomical sites are various, the most common being the inner groin (inguinal), the outer groin (femoral), and the belly button (umbilical). Complications of Littre's hernias include incarceration, strangulation, necrosis, and perforation. Herein, we describe a case of Littre's hernia that involved an incarcerated Meckel's diverticulum in a femoral hernia that was diagnosed upon investigation of symptomology manifesting from perforation and was successfully managed by surgical resection with stapler devices.
This research examined how Dutch Moroccan teenagers in the Netherlands deal with the negative stereotype that they believe the Dutch have about their group. We hyothesize that Moroccans act in line with this negative image when they are prejudiced against the Dutch and feel personally meta-stereotyped. A survey study aniong 88 Dutch Moroccan teenagers revealed that Moroccan teenagers who felt negative about the Dutch and thought that they were personally negatively stereotyped, expressed attitudes in line with this negative "meta-stereotype." That is, they act in line with the outgroup's negative image by legitimizing criminality, aggression, loitering teenagers, and Muslim extremism. These findings suggest that being confronted with a negative stereotype about one's group might sometimes lead to a reaction that is both harmful for the stereotyped group as well as society in general. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Advancing microbial pretreatment of lignocellulose has the potential not only to reduce the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of the pretreatment processes from cradle-to-grave, but also increase biomass valorization, support agricultural growers, and boost the bioeconomy. Mathematical modeling of microbial pretreatment of lignocellulose provides insights into the metabolic activities of the microorganisms as responses to substrate and environment and provides baseline targets for the design, development, and optimization of solid-state-fermentation (SSF) bioreactors, including substrate concentrations, heat and mass transfer. In this study, the growth of Trametes versicolor 52J (TV52J), Trametes versicolor m4D (TVm4D), and Phanerochaete chrysosporium (PC) on camelina straw (CS) and switchgrass (SG) during an SSF process was examined. While TV52J illustrated the highest specific growth rate and maximum cell concentration, a mutant strain deficient in cellulose catabolism, TVm4D, performed best in terms of holocellulose preservation and delignification. The hybrid logistic-Monod equation along with holocellulose consumption and delignification models described well the growth kinetics. The oxygen uptake rate and carbon dioxide production rate were directly correlated to the fungal biomass concentration; however, a more sophisticated non-linear relationship might explain those correlations better than a linear model. This study provides an informative baseline for developing SSF systems to integrate fungal pretreatment into a large-scale, on-farm, wet-storage process for the utilization of agricultural residues as feedstocks for biofuel production.
We compare linear zonal predictors of atmospheric turbulence for adaptive optics. Zonal prediction has the possible advantage of being able to interpret and utilize wind-velocity information from the wavefront sensor better than modal prediction. For simulated open-loop atmospheric data for a 2- meter 16-subaperture AO telescope with 5 millisecond prediction and a lookback of 4 slope-vectors, we find that Widrow-Hoff Delta-Rule training of linear nets and Back- Propagation training of non-linear multilayer neural networks is quite slow, getting stuck on plateaus or in local minima. Recursive Least Squares training of linear predictors is two orders of magnitude faster and it also converges to the solution with global minimum error. We have successfully implemented Amari's Adaptive Natural Gradient Learning (ANGL) technique for a linear zonal predictor, which premultiplies the Delta-Rule gradients with a matrix that orthogonalizes the parameter space and speeds up the training by two orders of magnitude, like the Recursive Least Squares predictor. This shows that the simple Widrow-Hoff Delta-Rule's slow convergence is not a fluke. In the case of bright guidestars, the ANGL, RLS, and standard matrix-inversion least-squares (MILS) algorithms all converge to the same global minimum linear total phase error (approximately 0.18 rad2), which is only approximately 5% higher than the spatial phase error (approximately 0.17 rad2), and is approximately 33% lower than the total 'naive' phase error without prediction (approximately 0.27 rad2). ANGL can, in principle, also be extended to make non-linear neural network training feasible for these large networks, with the potential to lower the predictor error below the linear predictor error. We will soon scale our linear work to the approximately 108-subaperture MMT AO system, both with simulations and real wavefront sensor data from prime focus.
Here, we propose a new method to enhance the sensitivity of the reflectance spectrum to the scattering feature of the superficial tissue layer. This method is based on multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) in the eigen subspace of the spectrum. Considering the application of scattering imaging, we evaluated this method by performing multispectral imaging of two-layered tissue phantoms. A color map converted from the spectral reflectance well corresponds to variations in the size of the scatter in the first layer. In order to confirm our proposed method works well under more realistic conditions, we performed the computational simulations of the light propagation in the tissue. We used the simulation model combined with the Monte Carlo and the Mie scattering. Its conditions like the slab geometry and the particle distribution of the cell nucleus were estimated by the image measuring of pathological slices. Results on simulations show the possibility of enhancing the sensitivity of the reflectance spectrum to the scattering feature of the superficial tissue layer.
The most common musculoskeletal disorder affecting the movement of legs is low back pain. Among the affected patients, 40% have ridiculer pain, and these cases can be classi ied under the umbrella of the sciatic syndrome. Low back pain is extraordinarily common, frequently resulting from degenerative arthritis of the lumbosacral spine. The annual prevalence of disc-related sciatica in the general population is estimated at 2.2%. Sciatica is characterised by constant aching pain which felt in the lumbar region may radiate to the buttock, thigh, calf and foot. Acharaya Charaka explained Gridhrasi in eighty types of nanatmaja Vata vikara. The present study is aimed at evaluating the effect of Gunja (Abrus precatorius Linn.) Beeja lepa in the management of Gridhrasi (Sciatica) and thereby assessing the changes in quality life. The present study is designed as a Non-randomized controlled clinical study, in which a minimum of 30 patients will be enrolled. Gunja beej lepa will be administered external application two times in a day with lukewarm water. Assessment will be recorded on the 3, 5, 7, 14 and 28 day. Changes will be observed in subjective parameters such as Ruk (pain) Toda (pin pricking sensation) Stambha (Stiffness), Spandana (Fasciculation) and objective parameters such as measuring the changes in the angle of elevation of the leg by SLR Test, Sciatica Bothersomeness Index and Sciatica Frequency Index before and after the treatment. Suitable conclusion will be drawn post completion of the trial.
Many of us have assumed that the link between cognition and cardiovascular fitness is a simple causal connection: Of course, better cognition is the result of exercise. Findings from a longitudinal, prospective study make us examine that simplistic interpretation.  Using data from New Zealand's Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, which involved assessments at birth and every 2 to 6 years, researchers examined cardiorespiratory fitness data (estimated maximum …
While the effects of information quality and the importance of information have been studied in Information Systems (IS) literature, little evidence and understanding of the impact of data quality on decision performance has been documented in the IS literature. Therefore, the research aim of this paper is to examine the underlying theoretical and empirical support for the relationship between data quality (DQ), as defined by the framework of data quality [29], and decision performance. Explicit literature review of the impact of data quality on decision performance may lead to the specification of influences on decision performance. That is, this study proposes to provide a basis for predicting whether data quality, especially contextual, representational, and accessibility data quality, influences decision performance.
Process engineers are often eager to find the optimal levels of process variables that make the key quality variable as close to its target as possible. The quality of products is affected by a few hundreds to thousands of variables. So, it is difficult to construct a reliable prediction model from the data of many variables and small observations. The selection of important variables becomes a crucial issue naturally as well. In this paper, we introduce the partial least squares (PLS) regression for quality prediction and its use for the variable selection based on the variable importance. Some simulation results for the proposed variable selection method are presented. Further, we introduce the interval selection method based on the PLS. The variable selection procedure under PLS are then applied to several real cases.
According to the preliminary estimate of the State Committee on Statistics [Goskomstat], Russia's GDP last year was 1,659 trillion rubles as compared with 611 trillion rubles in 1994. The growth in nominal volume due to inflation, while diminishing substantially during the year, nevertheless remained considerable. The deflator index characterizing the average change in prices by elements of the GDP was 2.8 times in 1995 as against 4.1 times in the preceding year. At the same time, the real volume of the GDP (i.e., calculated in comparable prices) declined last year by 4 percent.
INTRODUCTION Communication is an essential part of today's society that takes place at many levels and in various spheres of human life. Therefore, discourse with all its elements is an important component of the communicative paradigm. The study of channels of communication as well as speech acts being the smallest component of discourse draws great attention from numerous scientists. Besides, due to the peculiarities of communication in this field the study of the theological discourse and its main constituent parts still holds the scholars' interest.
To the Editor.— A 56-year-old black man with stage D carcinoma of the prostate was treated with weekly fluorouracil doses of 750 mg/sq m for 24 consecutive weeks. The total dose of fluorouracil received was 27 gm. A good partial remission was attained. Little hematologic and no gastrointestinal or central nervous system toxicity were experienced. The patient did experience nasal mucosal friability and diffuse hyperpigmentation of face and hands. Markedly increased pigmentation of skin immediately overlying veins used for multiple fluorouracil infusions was noted. Many irregular dark streaks were found on the patient's left upper extremity, extending from the hand or distal forearm to the shoulder. These dark streaks were 1.0 to 1.5 cm wide and were serpiginous in their course (Figure). When a tourniquet was placed around the arm, it became obvious that each of these hyperpigmented bands overlay a vein into which one or more doses of fluorouracil
Mg has been widely used as p-doping species despite its intrinsic difficulties. It is nowadays well established that during the growth process of Mg doped GaN, atomic H is generated from the decomposition of NH3 and Mg-H complexes are formed in the layer. This has been for instance shown by the occurrence of LO mode in IR absorption, and by the observation of the Mg-H local vibration modes. This H passivation limits the electrical activity of Mg, therefore an activation process is required to get full activation of the Mg atoms. In the present study, bismethylcyclopentadienyl magnesium [(MeCp)2Mg] was used as precursor. However, this precursor reacts in the gas phase with NH3 to produce tiny solid particles as evidenced by a very bright diffuse emission visible along the laser beam used for reflectometry measurements. This simplest obvious product would be [(MeCp)Mg(NH2)]m (m≥ 2). To limit this drawback, Ga and Mg precursor lines have been separated. With proper in situ heat treatment, doping densities up to 1.5×1018 cm−3 have been obtained. PL spectra of lightly Mg doped samples (1016 cm−3) are dominated by shallow donor-acceptor pairs whereas for higher doping densities ( 1018 cm−3), the luminescence is dominated by a broad band in the 2.7-2.9 eV range. GaN LEDs were fabricated from Si doped (n-type) and Mg-doped (p-type) GaN, these LEDs emit in the blue-UV range.
In this paper, a reliable online destination prediction methodology is presented. The destination prediction methodology consists of a novel sequential complete diameter distance limited clustering method and an ensemble of random forest classifiers employing a one-vs-rest binarization strategy. Through the use of a novel OvR Uncertainty metric, predictions with high uncertainty could be withheld, thus increasing the overall reliability of the predictions made. The methodology was validated on 778 journeys from two real non-commuter vehicles based in the UK. These datasets allowed the methodology to be tested on real, yet challenging-to-predict journeys and irregular driver behavior. The sequential complete diameter distance limited clustering method was found to be a fast and effective method for sequentially clustering GPS coordinates into clusters that correspond to geographical locations. Prediction results showed that while only an overall mean prediction accuracy of 52% and 34% could be achieved on the two datasets, mean prediction accuracy could be significantly increased to over 90% and 73% respectively by only providing predictions with low uncertainty.
James O'Connor's theory of the ‘second contradiction of capitalism’ is a pioneering attempt to reconcile Marxism with environmentalism, and other social movements. This article analyses O'Connor's theory, and finds both serious flaws and startling innovations. While rejecting the overall frame work of a ‘second contradiction’ as proposed by O'Connor, it seeks to combine his most valuable insiqhts with a renewed emphasis on class, in order to develop an alternative approach to a Marxist understanding of environmental crisis.
As recently pointed out by Lawlor (2000), macroeconomics seems to be degenerating. Nowadays, mainstream macroeconomic wisdom has come a long way from the messages in the economics of John Maynard Keynes. Contradictory to historical evidence agents are assumed to have become perfect rationale, and in general economic policy is without any real economic consequences, at least in the longer run, unless some unexpected policy action is intros:luced to the public. As it is well known to any Post Keynesian, the economics of Keynes has quite a different story to tell than mainstream macroeconomics about the functioning of a modem capitalist economy. Following the tradition of Keynes, economists should focus upon economics of the real world where economic events takes place in historical time. And they have to accept that the future is uncertain. Expectations made by the individual agent are essential and matters if you want to understand the true nature of the economic processes. In many respects, Keynes was quite revolutionary in his economic thinking. He was not, however, the only one who thought along these lines in the 1930s. A number of people made contributions to the development of the Post Keynesian paradigm. In Denmark, at least three economists offer many points of resemblance to the writings of Keynes-J0rgen Pedersen (1890-1973), Jens Warming (1873-1939), and J0rgen Henrik Gelting (1912-1994). In this article, the attention is drawn to two contributions from 1933 and 1937 made by J0rgen Pedersen, who was to become the founding father of the Keynesian tradition in Denmark. 1 As was the case with
Subglottic stenosis, grouped under laryngotracheal stenosis is a life-threatening condition that restricts pulmonary ventilation. [1] Idiopathic subglottic stenosis (ISS) is a condition that is not associated with history of laryngotracheal injury, intubation, tracheostomy, autoimmune disorders, or iatrogenic incidents. ISS is arare, slowly progressive disorder that is limited to the cricoid and the first two tracheal rings, and mostly seen in Caucasian women between ages 30 and 50 years [2]. Surgery is the highly sought after intervention due to the threat to breathing. Innovations in surgical techniques have improved the prognosis of patients with ISS.
One of the first symptoms of a heart attack can be pain in the teeth and/or jaws. In the case of a heart attack, the presence of pain in the teeth or jaws doesn't mean that there is any dental condition that needs to be treated, in the absence of any pre-existing dental condition. The experience of dentally related pain during a heart attack is a classical example of referred pain which is pain felt at a site distant from the site of origin. But referred pain can also occur under less dramatic circumstances unrelated to any cardiac pathology. Thus pain referral is frequently found in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (for example, temporomandibular disorder (TMD), fibromyalgia, and chronic low back pain). In patients with TMD, for example, muscle and/or jaw joint pain could refer to the teeth and other parts of the orofacial area. Patients and clinicians alike can become convinced that the pain is actually due to some form of dental pathology and there are clinical cases where tooth extractions have been carried out in the mistaken belief that there is a dental cause to the pain. In these circumstances, tooth extractions have no effect whatsoever on the cardiac pain. How does pain referral arise? Is the patient imagining the pain? Or is there a neural basis for pain referral? Are there any diagnostic tests that can be done to help distinguish pain referral to a tooth as distinct from pain arising in that tooth? Pain referral is, indeed thought to have a neural basis. Specific pathways and neural connections in the brain are thought to lead to the possibility of pain referral. Convergence is one of the important neural phenomena that plays a critical role in pain referral. To understand convergence it is necessary to revise our understanding of how sensory information enters into and is processed in the brain. Information about touch and tissue damage is conveyed as action potentials along specific sensory nerve fibres that have their sensory receptors in the periphery (e.g. muscle, skin, joint, tooth pulp). One group of nerve fibres conveys information about touch and another group conveys information about tissue damage or noxious stimulation. The sensory nerve fibres conveying information about noxious stimuli are called nociceptive nerve fibres. Both the nociceptive and the touch nerve fibres convey action potentials into the brainstem to terminate on second order neurones in the trigeminal …
this paper sets out to explore the impact of multi-level decision-making on accountability machinery through a case study of asset-freezing decisions taken in response to UN resolutions ordering 'smart sanctions' against persons and bodies suspected of involvement in terrorism. A wide literature already sorrounds UN counter-terrorism measures and their implementations. this attacks the issue from two main standpoints: first, the concern of lawyers with the hierarchy of legal norms and the questions of the 'primacy' of international law as posed in the Kadi decisions of the Luxembourg Courts; secondly, the due process rights of individuals, with the consequential intervention of coirts, again notably the Luxembourg Courts, to redress this omission. This article adopts a different standpoint. Using asset-freezing as a paradigme of multi-level or composite decision-making, it explores the effectiveness of traditional accountability machineryin dealing with this phenomenon, concluding that cooperative 'accountability networks' or networks of entities specializing in accountability such as courts, parliaments, and ombudsmen, should be developed to fill the serious accountability gaps that have emerged. The article has three parts. Part I deals at a theoretical level with the evolution of composite decision-making and with theories of accountability aimed at the consequential problems. Part II deals with the structure of asset-freezing decision-making at UN, EU, and UK levels and the operation of accountability machinery at these levels. Part III evaluates existing accountability machinery, suggesting that change is necessary to redress shortcomings.
Soft tissue and visceral sarcomas are rare tumors which often develop in muscles, joints, nerves, fat, skin, or vessels. In a significant proportion, they appear in the abdomen and in the female reproductive system. Considering that early-stage sarcomas do not give symptoms, there are often late diagnosed in a quite advanced and/or metastatic stage. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are an uncommon type of malignant soft tissue sarcomas. In this report, we refer to a rare case of histologically confirmed MPNST arisen from corpus uterus in a 74 years old woman. The above-mentioned patient was admitted with abdominal pain and severe vaginal bleeding. Firstly, she underwent emergency endometrial ablation and removal of the tumor that was protruding from the endometrial cavity. Immediately after receiving histological diagnosis, abdominal hysterectomy was performed with bilateral oophorectomy. Considering that the available published literature has only a few reports of MPNST mainly arising from the uterine cervix, with no established treatment, our contribution could help the scientific community in adding data to MPNSTs arising from the uterine body.
ABSTRACT Three-dimensional (3D) computational modeling of the auditory periphery forms an integral part of modern-day research in cochlear implants (CIs). These models consist of a volume conduction description of implanted stimulation electrodes and the current distribution around these, coupled with auditory nerve fiber models. Cochlear neural activation patterns can then be predicted for a given input stimulus. The objective of this article is to present the context of 3D modeling within the field of CIs, the different models, and approaches to models that have been developed over the years, as well as the applications and potential applications of these models. The process of development of 3D models is discussed, and the article places specific emphasis on the complementary roles of generic models and user-specific models, as the latter is important for translation of these models into clinical application.
Introduction: North America, Nancy H. Hornberger Teaching and preserving Yup'ik traditional literacy, Nastasia Wahlberg Ciulistet and the curriculum of the possible, Jerry Lipka, Esther Ilutsik Reclaiming Navajo - language renewal in American Indian community school, Galena Sells Dick, Teresa L. McCarty Literacy for what? Lucille J. Watahomigie, Teresa L. MacCarty Language revitalization efforts in the Pueblo de Cochiti - becoming 'literate' in an oral society, Rebecca Benjamin et al MesoAmerica: Language preservation and publishing, H. Russel Bernard Experiences in the development of a writing system for Nuu Savi, Josefa Leonarda Gonzalez Ventura Saving and strengthening indigenous Mexican languages - the CELIAC experience, Jesus Salinas Pedraza Mayan language literacy in Guatemala - a socio-historical overview, Michael Richards South America: Quechua literacy and empowerment in Peru, Nancy H. Hornberger Literacy and modernization among the Quechua speaking population of Peru, Juan Carlos Godenzzi An experience of indigenous literacy in Peru, Andres Chirinos Indigenous politics and native language literacies - recent shifts in bilingual education policy and practice in Ecuador, Kendall A. King Attitudes of teachers, children and parents towards bilingual intercultural education, Mercedes Cotacachi Bringing the language forward - school-based initiatives for Quechua language re-vitalization in Ecuador and Bolivia, Nancy H. Hornberger, Kendall A. King To Guaranize - a verb actively conjugated by the Bolivian Guaranis, Luis Enrique Lopez. Conclusion: Language planning from the bottom up, Nancy H. Hornberger. Afterword: Local literacies and vernacular literacies - implications for national literacy politics, Brian V. Street.
Objectives: To describe prospects of successful fortification of unbranded cooking oil with vitamin A in Indonesia through public-private cooperation, based on a pilot program in 2 districts on West Java. Methods: Collaborating with Ministries of Health, Industry and Trade, Indonesia's Food Fortification Foundation and Food & Drug Agency, and GAIN, two producers covering a large market share on West Java piloted fortification of cooking oil with 45 IU/g retinyl palmitate, the National Standard (SNI) for oil at factory-level. For quality control, vitamin A in cooking oil was measured at a factory, distributors and retailers, and from households. Household surveys measured oil consumption. Abstract Results: Oil consumption among children 12-23 and 24-59 months averaged 12.5 and 22.3 g/day, and 29 g/day in women 15-29 years, similar before and after start of fortification. Oil samples contained retinyl palmitate at averages of 43.6 IU/g at the factory (68 samples), 33.8 IU/g among distributors (2 stores, 28 samples), 33.3 IU/g at retail shops (24 shops, 64 samples) and 19.2 IU/g among households (339 households, 6376 samples). Vitamin A content in oil varied over the 12 months of the pilot. Further work should determine if variations reflect degradation of vitamin A during storage (including varying storage times of samples before measurement), or mixing of fortified oil with non-fortified oil by retailers. Conclusions: Quality control and enforcement of compliance throughout the distribution chain of cooking oil by the and a mandatory fortification standard supported by all sustained and expanded.
In many problems, it is desirable to optimize an objective function while imposing constraints on some other aspect of the problem. A Constrained Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (C-POMDP) allows modelling of such problems while subject to transition uncertainty and partial observability. Typically, the constraints in C-POMDPs enforce a threshold on expected cumulative costs starting from an initial state distribution. In this work, we first show that optimal C-POMDP policies may violate Bellman's principle of optimality and thus may exhibit pathological behaviors, which can be undesirable for many applications. To address this drawback, we introduce a new formulation, the Recursively-Constrained POMDP (RC-POMDP), that imposes additional history dependent cost constraints on the C-POMDP. We show that, unlike C-POMDPs, RC-POMDPs always have deterministic optimal policies, and that optimal policies obey Bellman's principle of optimality. We also present a point-based dynamic programming algorithm that synthesizes optimal policies for RC-POMDPs. In our evaluations, we show that policies for RC-POMDPs produce more desirable behavior than policies for C-POMDPs and demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm across a set of benchmark problems.
Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an animal model of   multiple sclerosis, a prototype of Th1/Th17-mediated organ-specific   autoimmune disease. In the rat, susceptibility to development of these   diseases is shown to be strain-and age-dependent. In adult rats of distinct   strains, it correlates with splenic dendritic cell (DC) subset composition,   which also exhibit age-related changes. The aim of this study was to examine   influence of aging on: i) Albino Oxford (relatively resistant to EAE) and   Dark Agouti (susceptible to EAE) rat development of EAE and ii) their splenic   conventional (OX62+) DC population in respect to its subset composition and   expression of mRNAs for proinflammatory and immunosuppressive cytokines. We   used 3month-old (young) and 26-month-old (aged) rats of AO and DA strain. The   rats were immunized for EAE with rat spinal cord homogenate in complete   Freund’s adjuvant and clinical course of the disease was followed. Fresh   OX62+DCs were examined for the expression of CD4 (using flow cytometry) and   genes encoding cytokines influencing DC activation/maturation (TNF-α and   IL-6) using RT-PCR. Additionally, in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)   activated/matured DCs were examined for the expression of genes encoding   cytokines controlling Th1/Th17 cell polarization using RT-PCR. With aging, AO   rats became more susceptible, whereas DA rats largely lose their   susceptibility to the induction of EAE. In AO rats aging shifted CD4+:CD4DC   ratio towards CD4-cells, producing large amount of proinflammatory cytokines,   whereas in DA rats CD4+:CD4-DC ratio remained stable with aging. In fresh DCs   from rats of both the strains the expression of TNF-α mRNA increased with   aging, whereas that of IL-6 mRNA decreased and increased in DCs from AO and   DA rats, respectively. Following in vitro LPS stimulation OX62+ DCs from aged   AO rats up-regulated the expression of mRNA for IL-23p19 (specific subunit of   IL-23; crucial for sustained IL-17 production) and IL-1β (positive IL-17   regulator), whereas down-regulated the expression of IL-10 (negative IL-17   regulator) when compared with young strain-matched rats. In DA rats aging   incresed IL-23p19 mRNA expression in LPS-stimulated DCs, whereas exerted the   opposing effects on the expression of mRNAs for IL-10 and IL-1β compared to   AO rats. Irrespective of the rat strain, aging did not influence mRNA   expression for IL-12p35 (driving Th1 polarization) in DCs. Overall, results   suggest role of changes in the expression of genes encoding proinflammatory   and immunosuppressive cytokines in development of age-related alterations in   rat susceptibility to EAE induction. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike   Srbije, br. 175050]
Management of chronic osteomyelitis and prosthetic joint infections represents an emergent problem, despite the advances in antibiotics and new operative techniques. In order to evaluate the efficacy of a multidisciplinary approach we conducted a study on twelve patients with orthopedic devices related infections attending the Institute of Infectious Diseases of the University of Ferrara from 2001 to 2006, by analyzing clinical, laboratoristic and strumental outcomes.The best results were obtained for those patients who underwent surgical treatment, including bone debridement or removal of infected devices, associated with an adequate antibiotic treatment. Moreover, encouraging results were found by analyzing the outcomes from 2 patients who underwent hyperbaric (HBO) and antibiotic therapy, as well as in patients with prosthetic-joint infections treated with antibiotics only. Our experience allows us to confirm the importance of a close interaction between infectious disease specialists, orthopaedic surgeons, radiologists, plastic surgeons, microbiologists and specialists in hyperbaric medicine in the management of bone and prosthetic joint infections.
Abstract.   Additional collections and observations of living material shed new light on Salvia subg. Calosphace sect. Wrightiana, which comprises three species endemic to Cuba and Hispaniola. A new key and expanded descriptions are presented, a lectotype is designated for Salvia wunschmannii, which is a synonym of S. densiflora. One species, S. strobilanthoides, is known only from the type and has not been collected since 1860.
A long intellectual tradition links the different historical experiences in Canada and the United States (U.S.) to continuing contrasts in their political cultures. New evidence from contemporary public opinion polls highlights more cultural similarities between nations than differences. In broad value priorities, Canadians and Americans are more similar to each other than to the citizens in most other advanced industrial democracies. Feelings of national identity and trust in government are also strikingly similar across these two nations. The norms of good citizenship are very comparable. And perhaps most surprising of all, images of the appropriate role of government overlap substantially. In short, the rhetoric of cultural differences is less apparent in the reality of public opinion surveys.
The distribution and effects on soil chemistry of shrub alders (Alnus spp.) occurring in the understory of the boreal forest of Alaska were examined. Understory alder ramet distribution was mapped on three sites; ramet density ranged from 150 to 5280 ramets/ha. Allometric biomass models were developed for alder ramets; maps of the spatial distribution of ramets and of estimated aboveground alder biomass are presented. Biomass of alders in the understory ranged from 20 to 690 g•m−2. The total nitrogen of soils collected beneath alder and from areas without alder differed among the three sites and between two sampling episodes. In undisturbed forest, alder soils tended to have more nitrogen than nonalder soils. On the two sites where background soil fertility was low, a greenhouse bioassay matched these results: alder soils had greater nutrient-supplying capacity than nonalder soils. In soil collected after the sites were harvested, however, results varied. Areas that had supported dense alder before harves...
Abstract Aims: Nuclear size increases in malignant tumors and reflects DNA content, ploidy and proliferation index. Present study investigated if the nuclear morphometry could differentiate histomorphologically similar paediatric malignant small round cell tumors on hematoxylin and eosin stained sections for diagnostics in a resource poor setting. Settings and Design: All the consecutive malignant pediatric tumors received in Pathology Department from other faculties of King George′s Medical University and also those referred directly to Pathology Department from other hospitals of city/other cities during 3 years period were recorded. Materials and Methods: Morphometric analysis was done in 22 confirmed (by higher ancillary techniques) but histomorphologically difficult to differentiate round cell tumors. All sections were analyzed by cell images from six different areas, using Leica Q win 500 images software. Results: Nuclear measurements were obtained for retinoblastoma (RB) (nine cases), neuroblastoma (five cases), Wilms tumor (WT) (three cases), rhabdomyosarcoma (three cases), malignant hemangiopericytoma (one case) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (one case). Among the RBs, maximum mean nuclear area percent (24.93) was seen in a case with nerve involvement and metastasis, followed by cases with only nerve involvement (21.60) and smallest area (16.57) was in non-nerve involving, nonmetastatic cases. All five cases of neuroblastoma had almost similar mean nuclear area percent (18.05-18.29). WT case with metastasis had higher nuclear area (21.25) than nonmetastatic (19.47). Amongst all the tumors, minimum value (14.93) was seen in malignant hemangiopericytoma. Conclusion: Morphometric evaluation in paediatric malignant round cell tumors have generated useful data, and needs further multicentric confirmation for implementation.
Proper risk stratification of BC patients is an important strategy in monitoring tumour progression and improving tumour treatment outcome and survival. It helps in prioritising stratification strategies based on awareness of staging markers that promotes a proper choice of an adequate treatment protocol. Treatment of choice for BC that is positive for progesterone and oestrogen receptors (PR+ and ER+) is hormonal therapy. However, de novo failure to respond to this treatment strategy or acquired resistance following primary response to treatment remains a clinical challenge. Failure of treatment may be the consequence of an improper risk stratification of cancer patients or lack of understanding of the cross-talk between key players of tumour pathogenesis including sex hormones and growth factors [3]. Hence, elucidation of these factors can ensure improvement of treatment strategies. Currently, the key prognostic biomarkers in early-stage BC are tumour size, grade, Lymph Node (LN) status, ER, PR and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor(HER2) status [4-6]. These markers are used mainly to identify patients who are eligible for hormonal therapy or/and adjuvant chemotherapy. Nevertheless, further studies are required to identify diagnostic, prognostic or predictive biomarkers to improve the therapeutic outcome. Scientific evidence reports an angiogenic-dependent nature of BC, where angiogenesis plays an important role in cancer growth and metastasis [7,8]. Expression of angiogenic factors by BC cells has been vastly studied at the molecular (mRNA) or functional (protein) level in both node-negative and positive breast cancers [9-11]. These findings rationalise the need for advanced studies on angiogenic growth factors to identify possible targets for antiangiogenic therapy, for eliminating resistant tumour cells that cannot be defeated by anti-hormone treatment [12,13]. In recent times the key regulators of angiogenesis are VEGF and basic Fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), which have received much attention [14-16]. VEGF and its isoforms are potent regulators of the angiogenesis signalling pathway that provide nutrients and oxygen required for tumour growth [12,17,18]. Clinical studies have shown that BC patients expressing increased VEGF levels failed to respond to hormone therapy or suffered early recurrence, indicating that VEGF may be responsible for anti-hormone resistance [19,20]. Majority of the published research work reports the tissue expression MohaMed GaBer1, hythaM Fayed2, Maher Badr3, aMira iBrahiM Fayad4
Based on a modified-Darcy—Maxwell model, two-dimensional, incompressible and heat transfer flow of two bounded layers, through electrified Maxwell fluids in porous media is performed. The driving force for the instability under an electric field, is an electrostatic force exerted on the free charges accumulated at the dividing interface. Normal mode analysis is considered to study the linear stability of the disturbances layers. The solutions of the linearized equations of motion with the boundary conditions lead to an implicit dispersion relation between the growth rate and wave number. These equations are parameterized by Weber number, Reynolds number, Marangoni number, dimensionless conductivities, and dimensionless electric potentials. The case of long waves interfacial stability has been studied. The stability criteria are performed theoretically in which stability diagrams are obtained. In the limiting cases, some previously published results can be considered as particular cases of our results. It is found that the Reynolds number plays a destabilizing role in the stability criteria, while the damping influence is observed for the increasing of Marangoni number and Maxwell relaxation time.
Abstract Introduction: The management of incidentally discovered renal stones in living donor candidates is evolving. Recently, the safety and efficacy of ex vivo ureteroscopy for stone removal in donor kidneys have been described.1–3 Here, we present our experience with ex vivo ureteroscopy and laser infundibulotomy for the treatment of a stone contained within a calyceal diverticulum. Calyceal diverticulae are known to harbor bacteria and pose an infection risk for the immunosuppressed recipient,4 leading us to decide that treatment was prudent before transplantation. Materials and Methods: A 38-year-old woman with a previous stone episode presented for the evaluation as a living kidney donor. Preoperative computed tomography angiogram revealed two incidental stones in the left kidney, measuring 6 and 2 mm, with a density of 530 Hounsfield units. Litholink 24-hour urine collection was significant for hypernatremia and hypercalciuria. Following left hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, the kidne...
OBJECTIVE To focus on the rationale and methods of the Maycoba Project.   METHODS Study population included Mexican Pima Indians (MPI) and Blancos aged ≥20-years, living in the village of Maycoba and surrounding area. Surveys in 1995 and 2010 included a medical history, biochemical and anthropomet- ric measurements. Additionally, socio- economic, physical activity, and dietary interviews were conducted. The 2010 study incorporated investigations on type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity-associated genetic alleles and human-envi- ronment changes.   RESULTS The study results are limited to demographic data and description of the eligible and ex- amined sample.   CONCLUSIONS This study may yield important information on T2D and obesity etiology in a traditional population exposed to environmental changes.
In this paper, the numerical stability of the SPH method under both tension and compression conditions are discussed by using one dimensional impact models. The artificial viscosity and the conservation smoothed approach are tried to suppress both tension and compression instability. The result clearly shows that the occurrence possibility of tension instability is much larger than the compression case. The comparison of the controlling techniques of the artificial viscous and conservation smoothed approach shows that the artificial coefficients are independent on the numerical instability but can reduce some perturbation, while the conservation smoothed approach does well for both tension and compression cases. Considering the tension instability directly , a simple method of inserting particles to avoid the numerical instability is introduced.
A series of 123 patients with valvular heart disease underwent treadmill stress testing (Bruce's protocol). Neither mortality nor serious complications were observed. The incidence of exercise-induced ventricular ectopy was 35% and that of complex ventricular ectopy 19%. Patients with pure left ventricular volume overload had a significantly higher incidence of exercise-induced ventricular ectopy than did patients with other valvular diseases. A significant relation was found between functional class (NYHA) and either duration of exertion or functional aerobic impairment. The NYHA classification was found to coincide in 62% of the instances with another based on the results obtained from stress testing. In patients with mitral stenosis a significant although slight correlation was found to exist between mitral valve area and duration of exercise. The inability to reach stage III of Bruce's protocol was associated with a critical mitral stenosis. A hypotensive response to exercise was frequent both in mitral stenosis and aortic stenosis. But whereas in aortic stenosis it was characteristic of the most severe lesions, in mitral stenosis it bore no relation whatsoever to severity. Thus, treadmill stress testing in valvular heart disease is safe, can be helpful in quantifying functional disability and may provide a clue as to the severity of the lesion in specific subsets.
A small percentage of astrocytes are consistently infected in vivo by HIV-1 and may contribute to neuropathogenesis despite a non-productive infection. Overexpression of the nef gene product has been associated with their infection both in vivo and in vitro. We examined the role of the nef gene during HIV replication in astrocytes (U251MG cells) following transfection with pNL4-3 proviral plasmid or isogenic strains containing a deletion or point mutation in the nef gene (pNL4-3deltaNef; pNL4-3-nef-stop). We were able to initiate virus replication which peaked at 5 days post-transfection and became non-productive after 21 days. Nef protein expression by wild type pNL4-3 was observed at low levels compared to control HeLa cells at peak virus replication. At later time points after development of a non-productive infection, viral antigen and Nef protein was not detectable however virus was readily recovered by co-culture with CD4+T-cells. Interestingly, virus production was significantly enhanced by a 222 base pair deletion in the nef reading frame. This was not observed with a frame shifting point mutation in nef, indicating a suppressive effect of nef on virus production in astrocytes. The enhanced virus production from nef-deleted pNL4-3 in U251MG cells was not reversed by co-expression of Nef from a second Nef-expressing plasmid, and in fact Nef expression in trans had a further positive effect on virus production. This suggested opposing effects of the Nef protein and elements contained within the nef sequence on virus production in astrocytes. Despite the low expression of Nef by U251MG astrocytes, relatively high amounts of multiply spliced 2 kb mRNA were present compared to HeLa cells. These data demonstrate that an acute low-level infection of astrocytes rapidly becomes a non-productive infection and this process is assisted by sequences in nef. The low level Nef protein expression, despite high levels of mRNA, suggests a block in translation of multiply spliced HIV mRNA in astrocytes, or a translational control mechanism not yet characterised.
The scaled swine farms have been developed rapidly in China since 21st century, which bring serious problem in environmental pollution, especially in winter. In order to s reduce the pollution from intensive scaled swine farms, as well as produce biogas in winter, a technological route was put forward to control the sewage pollution in swine farm by using bio-tank of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP). The experiments in swine farm of FuJian Hua Feng Co. Ltd in Nanping city showed that the developed technology had achieved zero-draining, which was able to solve the pollution problem and produce biogas in winter. The sewage temperature of bio-tank of GFRP increased average 1.18°C more than that of bio-tank of reinforced concrete. And the average biogas-generating rate of bio-tank of GFRP of year 2009 was 0.45 m3·m-3·d-1, which increased 28% more than that of reinforced concrete. The indexes of COD, BOD, SS, NH3-N, and TP for the out-let wastewater of the treatment were 579.1 mg·L-1, 237.7 mg·L-1, 289.8 mg·L-1, 319.4 mg·L-1and 31.7 mg·L-1, respectively.
We construct a chaotic inflation model in which the Higgs fields play the role of the inflaton in the standard model as well as in the singlet extension of the supersymmetric standard model. The key idea is to allow a non-canonical kinetic term for the Higgs field. The model is a realization of the recently proposed running kinetic inflation, in which the coefficient of the kinetic term grows as the inflaton field. The inflaton potential depends on the structure of the Higgs kinetic term. In the simplest cases, the inflaton potential is proportional to 2 and 2/3 in the standard model and NMSSM, respectively.
In the framework of meson–meson mixing, in the presence of the a4(2040), and f4(2050) being the 1 3F4 states, we suggest that the f′4, the ninth member of the 1 3F4 meson nonet, has a mass of about 2084 MeV, and some predictions on the f4 and f′4 decaying into two photons and pseudoscalar mesons are presented. Also, the mass of the lowest lying 4++ glueball is predicted to be about 3.15 GeV by using the meson-glueball mass relation derived from the glueball dominance picture, which is in agreement with 3.42 GeV, the average value of the recent predicted results was given by lattice QCD, potential model, semi-relativistic potential model and quasi-particle model.
Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) are organism specific knowledge bases which can be used to unravel pathogenicity or improve production of specific metabolites in biotechnology applications. The present work combines in silico and in vitro approaches to create and curate strain-specific genome-scale metabolic models of Corynebacterium striatum. Approaches towards modeling rarely studied organisms are scarce. We introduce a cost-effective and easy experimental protocol which can be adapted to other organisms as well. Furthermore, the comparability of growth kinetics and in silico growth rates is discussed. This work introduces five newly created strain-specific genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) of high quality, satisfying all contemporary standards and requirements. All these models have been benchmarked using the community standard test suite Metabolic Model Testing (MEMOTE) and experimentally validated by laboratory experiments conducted specifically for this purpose. For the curation of those models, the software infrastructure refineGEMs was developed to work on these models in parallel and to comply with the quality standards for GEMs. The model predictions were confirmed by experimental data and a new comparison metric based on the doubling time was developed to quantify bacterial growth. Future modeling projects can rely on the proposed software, which is independent of specific environmental conditions. The validation approach based on the growth rate calculation is now accessible and closely aligned with biological questions. The curated models are freely available via BioModels and a GitHub repository and can be used. The open-source software refineGEMs is available from https://github.com/draeger-lab/refinegems.
The article considers the transport and logistics system (TLS) with routes passing through sea and river basins, which is designed to enhance the possibilities of transportation. With the help of such multimodal routes, the country will receive a transport network with much greater throughput, which will ensure sustainable growth rates of the regional economy. The authors solve the problem of developing methodological approaches to justifying the need for the fleet, adapted to the conditions of transportation of road trains on ferries of ro-ro type following the emergence of new sea transport routes. A model calculation of the need for a fleet for a cargo line of TLS using sea and river vessels is provided.
This article examines very low bit rate video coding in real-time and software-only implementation on personal computers. The method discussed is based on frame replenishment with block coding using mean-removed vector quantization. No motion compensation is employed and the VQ codebook is small. Algorithms are developed to minimize the bit rate and to reduce the search complexity for the vector quantizer. The codebook is adaptive ensuring good overall quality encoding for head-and-shoulder image sequences. Results are provided for some test sequences and compared to some other state-of-the-art techniques.
This article deals with urban soundscapes. A soundscape is a sonic environment and a multitude of sound sources that reach the human ear. By comparing the different ways in which the soundscape of Klaipėda is constructed, we seek to analyse the aural background of Klaipėda. This research is based on the methodological distinction between hearing and listening. The first is a passive reception of sound, while the latter is interpreted as an activity consisting of both the searching for sounds as well as their interpretation and analysis. The current article concentrates on the hearing mode, which is to be found on the websites that officially represent the city of Klaipėda (Klaipėda Municipality and Klaipėda Tourist and Culture Informa­tion Centre websites), the noise regulation rules and the noise maps of Klaipėda, newsletters of the newly built real estate in Klaipėda and its suburbs. The second article will analyse the notion of urban soundscape via the listening mode, concentrating on the practices of sound theorists and sound artists.
This study examined the association of dispositional self-focused attention to mood rated at the time of a negative social interaction in 100 employed, middle-age adults using experience sampling methodology. Results revealed that a self-focusing style was associated with higher negative mood and lower positive mood at the time of a negative social interaction during 3 days of everyday activities. Women who were chronically self-focused were particularly vulnerable to these negative social interactions in the daily environment; they were more likely than men to report lower positive mood during the interaction. In addition, 30 minutes after the negative social interaction, self-focused individuals with higher preexisting levels of depressive symptoms continued to report higher levels of negative mood and lower levels of positive mood relative to individuals who were not self-focused and did not report higher depressive symptoms. These results provide support for the role of self-focused attention in the etiology and maintenance of negative moods.
The article reveals the features of state protection and security of persons participating in criminal proceedings, according to the legislation of Ukraine. It was found that the legal foundations of state protection and security of persons involved in criminal proceedings, in Ukraine are governed by the provisions of regulatory documents, in particular, such as: a) the Law of Ukraine «On ensuring the safety of persons participating in criminal proceedings»; b) the Law of Ukraine «On State Protection of Employees of the Court and Law Enforcement Agencies»; c) Resolution of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of Ukraine «On the application of legislation, which provides for state protection of judges, employees of the court and law enforcement agencies and persons involved in legal proceedings»; d) Decision of the Council of Judges of Ukraine «On measures to ensure the safety of courts and judges, the protection of judges and persons who participate in the implementation of legal proceedings»; e) Recommendation No. R(97) 13 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to Member States Concerning Intimidation of Witnesses and the Rights of the Defence, adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 10 September 1997 at the 600th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies; f) Recommendation Rec (2005) 9 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to member states on the protection of witnesses and collaborators of justice, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 20 April 2005 at the 924th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies. It has been established that the right to protection and security through the use of special measures has the persons who made a statement to the relevant law enforcement agency about a criminal offense, persons who otherwise participated in criminal proceedings, the victim (victims) or his representative (representatives) in criminal proceedings, an accused, a suspect, legal representatives and defenders, a civil plaintiff and a civil defendant, as well as their representatives in a case for compensation for damage caused as a result of a criminal offense, a representative of a legal entity in respect of which the proceedings are being carried out, employees of the probation body, witness, accuser, specialist, expert, attesting witness and translator, family members and close relatives of the above persons, in order to prevent influence on the actions and testimonies of participants in criminal proceedings. It has been determined that the authorities responsible for ensuring the safety of persons involved in legal proceedings, in particular in criminal proceedings, are the state bodies of Ukraine, which make appropriate decisions on the application of security measures, as well as directly implement security measures. It is noted that the prospects for further research in this direction are the study of the features of the witness protection program in Ukraine and its improvement, taking into account foreign experience, in particular the USA experience in this direction.
In this paper we study the existence and compactness of positive solutions to a family of conformally invariant equations on closed locally conformally flat manifolds. The family of conformally covariant operators $P_ alpha$ were introduced via the scattering theory for Poincar '{e} metrics associated with a conformal manifold $(M^n, [g])$. We prove that, on a closed and locally conformally flat manifold with Poincar '{e} exponent less than $ frac {n- alpha}2$ for some $ alpha  in [2, n)$, the set of positive smooth solutions to the equation $$ P_ alpha u = u^ frac {n+ alpha}{n- alpha} $$ is compact in the $C^ infty$ topology. Therefore the existence of positive solutions follows from the existence of Yamabe metrics and a degree theory.
The objective of the present study is to investigate the suitability of a series of gas-nitrided steels with varying C content as candidates for wettable selective soldering tool materials with enhanced lifetime. ɛ and γ’ iron-nitrides were formed by gas nitriding on quenched and tempered DC04, C45, CK60 and S103 type steels. Contact angle measurements revealed that all four nitrided steels exhibit good wetting with SAC305 solder melt. In order to investigate the dissolution reactions between the nitrided steels and the solder alloy, an equipment was assembled in which the samples were submerged into stationary SAC305 solder melt for different time durations. Evidences of dissolution reactions and other degradation processes were searched for using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It was observed that no Fe dissolution occurred between the samples and stationary SAC305 solder melt during continuous tests with durations up to 20 days. Furthermore, no other visible degradation reactions occurred between the samples and melt during the experiments. It was concluded that gas-nitrided steels show good wetting with Sn-based solder melts which is combined with excellent resistance against Fe dissolution in a high Sn-containing molten solder. Thus, gas-nitrided steels/iron can be potential materials for wettable selective soldering tools with improved lifetime.
Two hundred and fifty-one 12C2D2 transitions have been measured in the 0.2–1.6 THz region of its ν5−ν4 difference band and 202 of them were observed for the first time. The accuracy of these measurements is estimated to be ranging from 50 kHz to 100 kHz. The 12C2D2 molecules were generated under room temperature by passing 120–150 mTorr D2O vapor through calcium carbide (CaC2) powder. A multistate analysis was carried out for the bending vibrational modes ν4 and ν5 of 12C2D2, which includes the lines observed in this work and prior microwave, far-infrared and infrared data on the pure bending levels. Significantly improved molecular parameters were obtained for 12C2D2 by adding the new measurements to the old data set, which had only 10 lines with microwave measurement precision. New frequency and intensity predictions have been made based on the obtained molecular parameters. The more precise measurements and new predictions reported here will support the analyses of astronomical observations by the future high-resolution spectroscopy telescopes such as Herschel, SOFIA, and ALMA, which will work in the terahertz spectral region.
Norwegian allows filler-gap dependencies into embedded questions, which are islands for filler-gap dependency formation in English. We ask whether there is evidence that Norwegian learners of English transfer the functional structure that permits island violations from their first language (L1) to their second language (L2). In two acceptability judgment studies, we find that Norwegians are more likely to accept ‘island-violating’ filler-gap dependencies in L2 English if the corresponding filler-gap dependency is acceptable in Norwegian: Norwegian learners variably accept English sentences with dependencies into embedded questions, but not into subject phrases. These results are consistent with models that permit transfer of abstract functional structure. Norwegians are still less likely to accept filler-gap dependencies into English embedded questions than Norwegian embedded questions. We interpret the latter finding as evidence that, despite transfer, Norwegian speakers may partially restructure their L2 English analysis. We discuss how indirect positive evidence may play a role in helping learners restructure.
A shift is occurring in school finance from equity to adequacy, and from emphasis on inputs to emphasis on high minimum outcomes as the goal of both educational policy and finance. A true adequacy model is emerging, a system of school finance that links resources to outcomes to ensure all students receive an adequate level of education. Implementing true adequacy would require each district to adopt a set of high minimum goals, identify resources necessary for attaining those goals, and have a long-range investment plan for deploying the resources and developing the corresponding instructional program. The money needed to implement true adequacy would be roughly $5,000 per pupil. Given the number of students in high-poverty districts across the country, the total package would come to $25 billion nationwide.
The aim of this work was to estimate the biodegradation of a co-extruded starch/poly(lactic acid) polymeric material using a vermiculite based inert solid medium which could simulate compost medium and enable us to achieve complete carbon balances. At the end of the test the mineralisation rate was compared to those obtained for co-extruded starch/poly(lactic acid) polymeric material degradation in compost. It was shown that the mineralisation rate after 45 days of degradation was similar in activated vermiculite medium to the one in compost. A protocol for both extraction and quantification of the carbon included in the different degradation by-products was proposed and the carbon balance of the polymer degradation was followed during the test with a satisfactory accuracy. As the non-degraded PLA and starch material had been retrieved during the test, the evolution of the glass transition temperature and the molecular weight of PLA could be followed. A two-step degradation mechanism was highlighted in inert solid medium, showing the fundamental role of abiotic reactions for PLA degradation in compost.
Unlike artificial intelligent systems based on computers, which need to be preprogrammed for specific tasks, restricting their functions to their preprogrammed ranges, the human brain does not need to be preprogrammed, and has general intelligence to create new tactics in complex and erratic environments. The basic element in the brain, a synapse, has the function to process and learn from signals in real time by following Hebb's rule, which is a critical function missing from the transistor, the basic device in computers. In this work, a computing circuit based on synaptic resistors (synstors) with signal processing and Hebbian learning functions is modeled and analyzed. A synstor circuit emulates a neurobiological network to concurrently execute signal processing and learning algorithms in parallel mode, does not need to be preprogrammed, and has the capability to optimize and create new algorithms in complex and erratic environments with speed and energy efficiency significantly superior to those of existing computing circuits. The synstor circuit can potentially circumvent the fundamental limitations of existing computing circuits, leading to a new computing platform with real‐time self‐programming functionality and general intelligence in complex and erratic environments.
Purpose of review Connectivity is a technique that uses functional MRI (fMRI) to explore global brain function in healthy and diseased states. Connectivity is now being studied as a part of global brain function in major national and international studies. It is, therefore, timely to review its relevance to anaesthesia. Recent findings Dynamic connectivity in the brain, which transcends anatomical boundaries, links functionally related regions. Clinical manifestations in neuropsychiatric diseases such has Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia can be explained on the basis of altered connectivity patterns in the brain. Anaesthetic agents primarily disrupt long-range networks and affect the higher order networks linked to cognition causing cognitive unbinding in the brain. Lower-order, basic sensorimotor networks are less sensitive. Normal ageing causes alterations in connectivity that affects the default mode network (DMN) and certain other networks, which in turn impair fluidic measures of brain function such as reaction time, dual task performance and executive function in elderly. Summary Higher mental function related networks such as the DMN, the executive control network and salience are more sensitive to anaesthesia. In geriatric patients, the DMN is impaired, which affects cognition. Hence, the combined effect of age and anaesthesia in elderly on mental function can cause significant postoperative cognitive impairment.
Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana expressing an anti-rabies monoclonal antibody (mAb), SO57, was obtained using Agrobacterium-mediated floral dip transformation. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal Lys-Asp-Glu-Leu (KDEL) was tagged to the C-terminus of the anti-rabies mAb heavy chain to localize the mAb to the ER and enhance its accumulation. When the inaccurately folded proteins accumulated in the ER exceed its storage capacity, it results in stress that can affect plant development and growth. We generated T1 transformants and obtained homozygous T3 seeds from transgenic Arabidopsis to investigate the effect of KDEL on plant growth. The germination rate did not significantly differ between plants expressing mAb SO57 without KDEL (SO plant) and mAb SO57 with KDEL (SOK plant). The primary roots of SOK agar media grown plants were slightly shorter than those of SO plants. Transcriptomic analysis showed that expression of all 11 ER stress-related genes were not significantly changed in SOK plants relative to SO plants. SOK plants showed approximately three-fold higher mAb expression levels than those of SO plants. Consequently, the purified mAb amount per unit of SOK plant biomass was approximately three times higher than that of SO plants. A neutralization assay revealed that both plants exhibited efficient rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test values against the rabies virus relative to commercially available human rabies immunoglobulins. KDEL did not upregulate ER stress-related genes; therefore, the enhanced production of the mAb did not affect plant growth. Thus, KDEL fusion is recommended for enhancing mAb production in plant systems.
This is a book I’d like to recommend to anyone wishing to commemorate the fi ftieth anniversary of the tumultuous revolts taking place globally around the year 1968. Although presenting itself as a history of Japanese radicalism and counterculture from 1945 to Fukushima, its prime focus is on the 1960s and 1970s, the heyday of the New Left radicalism and counterculture. As many as 10 out of the book’s 14 chapters (not counting the introduction and conclusion) are devoted to these decades. Furthermore, it’s with an obvious sense of fascination that it describes the actions and the counterculture of this time. Williams’s aim is to debunk the common Nihonjinron stereotype of Japan as characterized by harmony and deference to order. He reaches this aim admirably. The stereotype in question was hardly true even in the 1980s, a decade of self-congratulatory conservative triumphalism, but it was blatantly untrue during preceding decades, when the country was rocked by protests. Today, as we are getting used to mass protests gathering in Kasumigaseki and Nagata-chō, it may well be time to dust off our knowledge of the little-known history of Japanese radicalism and counterculture, and here Williams’s book will come in handy. The reader should be warned that this is not a theoretical book. It doesn’t contain much explicit engagement with previous research, except discreetly in the footnotes. Furthermore, the book is not a history of social movements per se, but only about “ideas and movements that challenged the social fabric in radical and extreme ways” (p. 4). Such radicalism existed on both the left and the right. Large parts of the book in fact deal with far-right extremism, and the resulting juxtaposition of left and right radical activism works well to bring out the interaction between them. Tracing this interaction between adversaries is not all that common in social movement studies and the fact that Williams has chosen to do so should be lauded. Another laudable effect of this juxtaposition is that it puts the ghastly image of leftist “terrorism” in perspective. As Williams shows, rightist acts of extremism were in fact as deadly and numerous as those of the Left. The book proceeds narratively and chronologically to tell us the story of radicalism beginning with iconic events during the early postwar period such as the 1946 Shibuya incident or the 1952 Bloody May Day and early anti-U.S. military base protests. We get an extensive treatment of the Anpo
OBJECTIVE To monitor the epidemic status of human soil-borne nematodiasis in Danyang City, so as to provide scientific evidence for formulating control measures.   METHODS The soil-borne nematode infections were tested using a modified Kato-Katz technique among residents aged more than 3 years living in Danyang City from 2012 to 2018, and the Enterobius vermicularis eggs were detected using the transparent adhesive tape anal swab method among children at ages of 3 to 12 years.   RESULTS A total of 13 540 residents were monitored for soil-borne nematode infections from 2012 to 2018, and the prevalence of human soil-borne nematode infections was 0.45%. The prevalence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichura and Enterobius vermicularis infections was 0.32%, 0.12% and 0.01%, respectively, and a single parasite infection was predominant. There were significant differences in the prevalence of soil-borne nematode (χ2 = 42.610, P < 0.05), A. lumbricoides (χ2 = 26.276, P < 0.05) and T. trichura (χ2 = 20.692, P < 0.05). The prevalence of human soil-borne nematode infections was 0.45% in males and 0.47% in females, and lower prevalence was found in local residents than in floating population (0.28% vs. 0.66%; χ2 = 10.561, P < 0.05). The highest infection was found in subjects at ages of 31 to 40 years (0.59%), followed by in subjects at ages of 41 to 50 years (0.56%), and the lowest infection was seen in children at ages of 3 to 5 years (0.27%). In addition, the prevalence of human soilborne nematode infections varied significantly in occupation (χ2 = 75.692, P < 0.05), with the highest infection seen in boatmen. Among the 5 078 children monitored, the prevalence of E. vermicularis infection was 0.37%, and the prevalence of E. vermicularis infection varied significantly in year (χ2= 15.466, P < 0.05).   CONCLUSIONS The human soil-borne nematode infection is at a low level in Danyang City; however, the surveillance of soil-borne nematodiasis remains to be intensified in children living in rural areas and immigrant populations.
Climate and land-use change affect the hydrologic cycle by altering streamflow (SF), surface runoff (SR), base-flow (BF), and evapotranspiration (ET). The Lake Tana basin has experienced both land-use and climate change over the past 40 years, and this change can continue in the future. Several studies have addressed the separate impacts of either land-use or climate change on the watershed’s hydrology, but few have explored the combined impacts. In this study, the SWAT model was applied to evaluate the combined impacts of land-use and climate change on hydrological responses in Gumara watershed. This study examined four land-use scenarios that include the present (2015) and projected (2050) land-use based on the business-as-usual trend (BAU), expansion of irrigation crop (EIC), and expansion of forestland (EFL). The climate variables were simulated using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the baseline (2005-2015) and projected period (2045-2055) under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. The result showed that SR increase by 5.1% under BAU scenario while BF decrease by 6.5% without altering SF and ET noticeably. On the contrary, SF decrease by 12.5% and 5.2% respectively under EIC and EFL scenarios, while ET increase by 4.8% and 8.9% respectively under EIC and EFL scenarios. The simulated SF, SR, and ET under RCP8.5 may increase significantly by 34.3%, 51.8%, and 12.2%, respectively. Similarly, the simulated SF, SR and ET may increase significantly under the combination of all three land-use and RCP8.5 scenarios. The findings suggested that climate change will have a greater effect on hydrologic responses than land-use change. The expansion of agriculture and the wetter climate would exacerbate flooding, while the expansion of irrigation and forest offset SF increases. The results of this study can be useful to decision-makers and planners in the design of adaptive measures to climate and land-use change.
Bacterial functional amyloids are evolutionarily optimized to aggregate, so much so that the extreme robustness of functional amyloid makes it very difficult to examine their structure-function relationships in a detailed manner. Previous work has shown that functional amyloids are resistant to conventional chemical denaturants, but they dissolve in formic acid (FA) at high concentrations. However, systematic investigation requires a quantitative analysis of FA's ability to denature proteins. Amyloid formed by Pseudomonas sp. protein FapC provides an excellent model to investigate FA denaturation. It contains three imperfect repeats, and stepwise removal of these repeats slows fibrillation and increases fragmentation during aggregation. However, the link to stability is unclear. We first calibrated FA denaturation using three small, globular, and acid-resistant proteins. This revealed a linear relationship between the concentration of FA and the free energy of unfolding with a slope of mFA+pH (the combined contribution of FA and FA-induced lowering of pH), as well as a robust correlation between protein size and mFA+pH. We then measured the solubilization of fibrils formed from different FapC variants with varying numbers of repeats as a function of the concentration of FA. This revealed a decline in the number of residues driving amyloid formation upon deleting at least two repeats. The midpoint of denaturation declined with the removal of repeats. Complete removal of all repeats led to fibrils that were solubilized at FA concentrations 2–3 orders of magnitude lower than the repeat-containing variants, showing that at least one repeat is required for the stability of functional amyloid.
The extraction of phytochemical compounds from intact red sorghum grains was developed as an alternative process for producing bioactive material in the pharmaceutical industry. A mechanistic model is needed to better understand the process and enable predictive simulations for designing commercial-scale extraction systems. This paper presents a mathematical model for predicting phytochemical concentrations in the solvent and inside the pericarp of the grain at different positions during the extraction. The model is based on the mass transfer mechanism from inside the pericarp to its solid surface by diffusion, and then from the surface to a solvent during the extraction of bioactive compounds. It was numerically solved while using finite-difference approximation. The parameters considered were effective diffusivity inside the pericarp (Dep), mass transfer coefficient from the pericarp surface to the solvent (kc), and distribution coefficient (H). The model simulates the extraction performance, including the yield and bioactive compounds’ concentrations in the extract and inside the pericarp at various positions and times. A sensitivity analysis of the changes in each involved parameter provided sufficient information for increasing the performance of the model. A validation test that compared the results of the simulation with those of established analytical solutions showed that the model has high accuracy. Hence, the model can be applied in quantitative evaluations to improve productivity in the pharmaceutical industry.
Purpose: The utility of postoperative mandibulomaxillary fixation (MMF) after open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of mandible fractures is debated. The purpose of this study is to analyze if patients undergoing ORIF with postoperative MMF have improved outcome compared with those treated with ORIF alone. Methods: A retrospective study was performed on patients who underwent ORIF of isolated mandibular fractures. Patients were divided into those placed in MMF postoperatively (ORIF with MMF) and those who were not (ORIF only). Postoperative complications and follow-up compliance were compared. Results: A total of 238 patients were identified. Of these, 204 had sufficient follow-up with 94 patients in the ORIF with MMF group and 107 patients in the ORIF only group. Both groups had similar minor complication rates (13% vs 12%, P = 0.83) and major complication rates (16% vs 13%, P = 0.69). After adjusting for potential confounders, the use of postoperative MMF did not reduce the risk of minor (P = 0.34) or major complications (P = 0.57). Patients with postoperative MMF had a 5% lost to follow-up rate compared to 20% in the ORIF only group. Conclusion: Postoperative MMF does not improve clinical outcome after ORIF in patients with isolated mandible fractures but has the potential benefit of improving follow-up compliance.
When watching a 360° movie with Head Mounted Displays (HMD) the viewer feels to be inside the movie and can experience it in an immersive way. The head of the viewer is exactly in the same place as the camera was when the scene was recorded. In traditional movies, the viewer is watching the movie from outside and a distance between eye height and camera height does not create a problem. However, viewing a movie from the perspective of the camera by HMDs can raise some challenges, e.g. heights of well-known objects can irritate the viewer in the case the camera height does not correspond to the physical eye height. The aim of this work is to study how the position of the camera influences presence, sickness and the user experience of the viewer. We have considered several watching postures as well as various eye heights. The results of our experiments suggest that differences between camera and eye heights are more accepted if the camera position is lower than the own body height. Additionally, sitting postures are preferred and can be adapted easier than standing postures. These results can be applied to improve guidelines for 360° filmmakers.
Abstract This study aims to estimate the emissions and evaluate the environmental impacts from the production of rare earth elements (REEs). The life cycle assessment method was used to evaluate the environmental load from the production of each metal. To understand the environmental impacts of REEs production, they were compared with the impacts from the production of base metals and precious metals. The findings of this study should present a scientific baseline for the environmental profile for producing these REEs, which might help lessen their impacts and improve production processes and technologies.
The district to be noticed in this communication enables us to trace the disturbance of the Exeter red conglomerate, carboniferous limestone, and old red sandstone of the coasts of Tor and Babbacombe Bays, to the intrusion of trap rocks, subsequent to the formation of the Exeter red conglomerate.  The following is a general sketch of the coast. There is no beach to the cliffs from near the Ness-point, at the mouth of the Teign, to Hope’s Nose, the northern point of Tor Bay, with the exception of the bottom of a few coves, and the Babbacombe-sands, and their continuation the Oddicombe-sands, both misnomers, for they are shingle beaches. The cliffs plunge directly into the sea, and are well seen only from a boat. The coast is equally bold from Hope’s Nose to Torquay, with the exception of Meadfoot-sands, which are, however, backed by a high broken hill. After passing the hill between Torquay and Tor Abbey, the coast assumes a milder character: the cliffs, where they occur, are of no great elevation; and there are extensive sands both at Paington and Goodrington, separated by Roundham Head. Further south, low cliffs intervene between Goodrington-sands and the Broad-sands. Beyond the low rocky land of Galmpton Point, the cliffs are bolder, and continue so to the Berry Head, being, in a few places, broken into coves, the most considerable of which is occupied by the harbour of Brixham.  This range of coast is backed by hills, varying in height from 200 to 500
Abstract There is growing interest in the use of systems-based risk assessment methods in Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE). The purpose of this study was to test the intra-rater reliability and criterion-referenced concurrent validity of three systems-based risk assessment approaches: (i) the Systems-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) method; (ii) the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork Broken Links (EAST-BL) method; and, (iii) the Network Hazard Analysis and Risk Management System (Net-HARMS) method. Reliability and validity measures were obtained using the Signal Detection Theory (SDT) paradigm. Whilst STPA identified the highest number of risks, the findings indicate a weak to moderate level of reliability and validity for STPA, EAST-BL and Net-HARMS. There were no statistically significant differences between the methods across analyses. The results suggest that there is merit to the continued use of systems-based risk assessment methods following a series of methodological extensions that aim to enhance the reliability and validity of future applications. Practitioner summary The three risk assessment methods produced weak to moderate levels of stability and accuracy regarding their capability to predict risks. There is a pressing need to further test the reliability and validity of safety methods in Human Factors and Ergonomics.
Online extraction of individual harmonics from repetitive signals using a composite asymptotic observer is presented in this paper. The settling period and the bandwidth of the observer depend on how far the observer poles have been placed from the origin of the s-plane or the z-plane. The errors in the magnitude and phase of the extracted components, due to the deviation of the signal from the central frequency of the observer, are made very small by providing an integrated phase-locking arrangement. Further improvement in the accuracy, particularly in the extracted higher harmonics, is due to the introduction of multirate sampling.
This study analyzes, starting from the concept of sensorial dome (Almeida, 2008), aspects that permeate the practice of the paraglide sport. It was possible to verify through a descriptive and exploratory search, that the mastery of technique and the use of appropriate equipment, though essential, does not guarantee the success of these actors. Many times, the risky situations experienced in the adventure sport, join at a first moment a true outline of extraordinary sensorial elements, but the daily living observed in a given modality can lead to the banalization of those elements by the practitioner, becoming ordinary sensory elements. This transformation can present implications when practicing adventure sports, for instance, in maintaining the physical and emotional integrity of the practitioner.
Summary We describe a young male patient with longstanding hypertension, who was diagnosed with primary hyperaldosteronism and treated by an attempted retroperitoneoscopic total unilateral adrenalectomy for a left-sided presumed aldosterone-secreting adenoma. Imaging had shown an unremarkable focal adrenal lesion with normal contralateral adrenal morphology, and histology of the resected specimen showed no adverse features. Post-operatively, his blood pressure and serum aldosterone levels fell to the normal range, but 9 months later, his hypertension recurred, primary aldosteronism was again confirmed and he was referred to our centre. Repeat imaging demonstrated an irregular left-sided adrenal lesion with normal contralateral gland appearances. Adrenal venous sampling was performed, which supported unilateral (left-sided) aldosterone hypersecretion. Redo surgery via a laparoscopically assisted transperitoneal approach was performed and multiple nodules were noted extending into the retroperitoneum. It was thought unlikely that complete resection had been achieved. His blood pressure returned to normal post-operatively, although hypokalaemia persisted. Histological examination, from this second operation, showed features of an adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC; including increased mitoses and invasion of fat) that was assessed as malignant using the scoring systems of Weiss and Aubert. Biochemical hyperaldosteronism persisted post-operatively, and detailed urine steroid profiling showed no evidence of adrenal steroid precursors or other mineralocorticoid production. He received flank radiotherapy to the left adrenal bed and continues to receive adjunctive mitotane therapy for a diagnosis of a pure aldosterone-secreting ACC. Learning points Pure aldosterone-secreting ACCs are exceptionally uncommon, but should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with primary aldosteronism. Aldosterone-producing ACCs may not necessarily show typical radiological features consistent with malignancy. Patients who undergo surgical treatment for primary aldosteronism should have follow-up measurements of blood pressure to monitor for disease recurrence, even if post-operative normotension is thought to indicate a surgical ‘cure’. Owing to the rarity of such conditions, a greater understanding of their natural history is likely to come from wider cooperation with, and contribution to, large multi-centre outcomes databases.
Purpose          This study examines the potential of foreign business-to-business (B2B) firms to select high-status local partners in emerging markets to achieve positive relationship outcomes. Because a domestic firm’s high status may also promote opportunism, the study also examines if the foreign B2B firms may mitigate such behavior through either or both transaction-specific investments (TSIs) and socialization.          Design/methodology/approach          The research is conducted via a model that suggests a positive correlation between high local partner status and the focal relationship outcomes and the moderating effects of structural TSIs and social governance systems. The model was developed and empirically tested using data collected from 96 foreign firms operating in China.          Findings          Using multiple regressions, the findings suggest that foreign B2B firms are likely to achieve more beneficial relationship outcomes with high-status local partners. Standing alone, foreign B2B firms’ TSIs mitigate the positive relationship outcomes, whereas their socialization with the high-status partners enhances the beneficial outcomes. Most importantly, combining socialization with TSIs increases beneficial outcomes.          Research limitations/implications          This study adds to B2B marketing, status theory and the application of transaction cost economics (TCE) and social exchange theory to foreign-local B2B exchange relationships in emerging markets. The findings confirm the attractiveness of high status in emerging markets by exploring how the selection, formation and chosen B2B governance processes may lead to competing outcomes of opportunism or success. Future research will benefit from simultaneously securing data from both sides of the dyad.          Practical implications          The paper suggests that foreign B2B firms consider high status as a key criterion in selecting local partners in emerging markets and the importance of managing high-status partners’ potential opportunism by effective governance mechanisms.          Originality/value          This study is one of the first to apply and explore the workings of status theory in the foreign-local B2B partner selection process and relationship outcomes in emerging markets and thereby contributes to B2B marketing, status theory and both TCE and social exchange theories in the focal foreign-local B2B context.
In planning the upgrade of one cell of the Diamond Storage Ring, the DDBA upgrade, it was evident that the electrical installation and commissioning would contribute a significant component of the overall installation time. Given the pressures to minimise the shutdown length, the electrical and instrumentation design was optimised for time effective installation and commissioning. This paper outlines the electrical and instrumentation design for DDBA; explores the installation time determining issues and how these were addressed; and reports on the lessons learnt from the actual installation and commissioning process.
A cholecystoportostomy was carried out unsuccessfully on a 6-week-old male infant. Re-exploration was performed because no bile flow was observed, and the reconstruction was taken down. The patient was transferred for pretransplant assessment a t the age of 4 months. The clinical history and hepatobiliary scintigraphy (Disida; SOLCO, Basel, Switzerland) suggested an internal biliary fistula, and such a fistula between the liver hilus and the duodenum was confirmed at relaparotomy. The patient became anicteric after KPE, and at 3-year follow-up was in good health and hepatobiliary scintigraphy (Disida) was normal.
The vibration occurring in cutting process is a very harmful phenomenon, which destroys the surface finish and dimensional integrity of workpieces and quickens the wear of cutting tool. Cutting chatter can be suppressed or reduced by applying the method of suppressing chatter by variable speed cutting. In order to investigate the effect of variable speed parameters and cutting conditions on suppressing the chatter in face milling, the tests have been conducted.The results have shown that cutting with variable spindle speed cutting in face milling will suppress the development of chatter. If chatter occurs in cutting process, the vibration amplitude of variable speed cutting can reduce by 3-6 times lower than that of constant speed cutting, as long as the variable speed parameter are selected suitably.The values of speed variation amplitude Δn/no and speed variation frequency fn of spindle speed trajectory parameter have great effect on suppressing chatter, Δn/no = 15- 20% and fn = 0.4 - 0.5Hz are suitable.
Differentiating septic from non-septic bursitis of the olecranon and prepatellar bursae is a common and important problem. Though septic cases may be identified clinically, laboratory tests have also been used. 1 2 However these tests are either not widely available or inadequately sensitive. We assessed two new tests that can be performed by most clinical laboratories: estimation of cell counts in a sample of EDTA anticoagulated bursal fluid and inoculation of the fluid into liquid media.  A total of 36 patients (32 men), 28 with olecranon and eight with prepatellar bursitis, were recruited from 54 consecutive patients with these conditions attending an accident and emergency department between May 1996 and March 1997 (age range 21-88 (median 36.5) years). Delay to presentation, severity of pain (visual analogue scale), fever, and degree of bursal erythema, warmth, and tenderness were recorded. …
In the evaluation of the analogue correlation from the digital correlation of coarsely quantised Gaussian signals, it is necessary to know the threshold levels used in the quantisation. The formulas used in the evaluation normally assume that the levels are accurate and stable. In this paper, errors in digital correlation arising from threshold variations of ±2%, ±5% and ±10% are evaluated for four-level correlators with lower-order correlation products deleted. The classification of the threshold errors into patterns shows that at low correlation coefficients, the largest contribution to the correlation error originates from the threshold of the comparator which detects the sign of the signal. An error analysis for the case of unequal delays in the signal paths is also presented. In the analysis, the comparator outputs of the quantiser are treated as data streams to which individual path delays can be inserted and the effect of any delay differences on the correlation coefficient readily obtained.
The transport phenomenon of mass transfers between a moving fluid and a reacting sphere buried in a packed bed, with “uniform velocity”, was analysed numerically, for solute transport by both advection and diffusion to obtain the concentration field and, from it, the dimensionless concentration boundary layer thickness, , for , and . The bed of inert particles is taken to have uniform voidage. For this purpose, numerical solutions of the partial differential equations describing mass concentration of the solute were undertaken to obtain the concentration boundary layer thickness as a function of the relevant parameters. Finally, mathematical expressions that relate the dependence with the Peclet number and inert particle diameter are proposed to describe the approximate size of the concentration boundary layer thickness.
Scene text detection is a crucial step in end-to-end scene text recognition, a greatly challenging problem in computer vision. This paper proposes a novel scene text detection method that involves superpixel-based stroke feature transform (SSFT) and deep learning based region classification (DLRC). The SSFT is developed for candidate character region (CCR) extraction, which consists in partitioning an input image into several regions via superpixel-based clustering, removing most regions based on predefined criteria satisfied by the characters, and refining the remaining regions to obtain CCRs by computing a stroke width map. The character regions are identified from the CCRs using DLRC, in which several hand-crafted low-level features, i.e., color, texture, and geometric features, and some deep convolution neural network (CNN) based high-level features are first extracted from the regions, and then these features are fused by using two fully connected networks (FCNs) for region classification. In the DLRC step, the deep feature extraction CNN and the feature fusion FCNs are jointly trained. Next, the extracted character regions are merged to form candidate text regions, from which the final scene texts are detected. The proposed method is evaluated on three publicly available datasets: ICDAR2011, ICDAR2013, and street view text. It achieves F -measures of 0.876, 0.885, and 0.631, respectively, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scene text detection method.
This research paper deals with the following constellation of issues: tuberculosis and poverty; tuberculosis and human rights violations apropos the following rights: Right to Non-Discrimination and Equality, Right to Life, Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health, Right to Bodily Integrity, Right to Freedom of Movement, Right to Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest and Detention, Right to Fair Trial, Right of All Persons Deprived of their Liberty to be treated with Humanity, Right to Freedom from Torture or Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Right to Privacy, Right to Freedom of Expression and Right to Information, Right to Freedom of Assembly and Association, Right to Enjoy the Benefits of Scientific Progress and its Application; Tuberculosis and Key Vulnerable Groups (Women, Children, Migrants, Refugees and Prisoners). This paper argues that, fighting against tuberculosis via the social mobilization approach is the best way forward. Lastly, author concludes with the following finding of fact: ‘Recognizing TB as a social, economic and political disease, and not just a medical problem, will prompt the need to explore new avenues through which efforts to ensure TB prevention and access to TB cure will be strengthened.’
Novel metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) based on thiabendazole (TBZ) were developed. The two structurally distinct TBZ-MOFs synthesized in this study exhibited enhanced durability and a broader biocidal spectrum than either individual bioactive species (i.e., Zn2+ and TBZ). The characteristics of each TBZ-MOF are related to the coordination modes among the Zn2+ ions and ligand donors. The difference in water solubility between the two TBZ-MOFs due to the structural design allows for the controlled release of the desired bioactive component.
ABSTRACT Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of certain Ixodes ticks, which can also transmit Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the cause of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). Although culture can be used to identify patients infected with A. phagocytophilum and is the microbiologic gold standard, few studies have evaluated culture-confirmed patients with HGA. We conducted a prospective study in which blood culture was used to detect HGA infection in patients with a compatible clinical illness. Early Lyme disease was defined by the presence of erythema migrans. The epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory features of 44 patients with culture-confirmed HGA were compared with those of a convenience sample of 62 patients with early Lyme disease. Coinfected patients were excluded. Patients with HGA had more symptoms (P = 0.003) and had a higher body temperature on presentation (P < 0.001) than patients with early Lyme disease. HGA patients were also more likely to have a headache, dizziness, myalgias, abdominal pain, anorexia, leukopenia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, or elevated liver enzymes. A direct correlation between the number of symptoms and the duration of illness at time of presentation (rho = 0.389, P = 0.009) was observed for HGA patients but not for patients with Lyme disease. In conclusion, although there are overlapping features, culture-confirmed HGA is a more severe illness than early Lyme disease.
Optimum soft decoding of sources compressed with variable length codes and quasi-arithmetic codes, transmitted over noisy channels, can be performed on a bit/symbol trellis. However, the number of states of the trellis is a quadratic function of the sequence length leading to a decoding complexity which is not tractable for practical applications. The decoding complexity can be significantly reduced by using an aggregated state model, while still achieving close to optimum performance in terms of bit error rate and frame error rate. However, symbol a posteriori probabilities can not be directly derived on these models and the symbol error rate (SER) may not be minimized. This paper describes a two-step decoding algorithm that achieves close to optimal decoding performance in terms of SER on aggregated state models. A performance and complexity analysis of the proposed algorithm is given.
Abstract Nonwovens represent a part of technical textiles that are used for clothing (“cloth tech”). Nonwovens are also used in the footwear industry mainly for functional purposes, where the aesthetic properties are not of great importance. They are mainly used for support and reinforcement of footwear. All three groups of textiles are used for footwear, i.e. woven fabrics, knitted fabrics and nonwovens that are produced directly from fibres, yarns or threads mainly from chemical fibres and in a small proportion from natural fibres. Footwear textiles need to have good mechanical properties (at compressive loading), abrasion resistance, permeability properties and heat resistance. These properties are in close connection with the nonwoven structure or composite materials. The basic intention of the presented research was to analyse the influence of the technology process on nonwovens for footwear responsiveness. Analysed footwear nonwovens in the presented research were on one side coated but on the other side consisted of a two-layer laminate. For this purpose, two different technological processes were used (coating and lamination). The results of the presented research showed that laminated samples express higher elastic recovery at compressive loading than coated samples. The treatment does not have an important influence on elastic recovery at compressive loading. Laminated samples express higher water permeability and lower absorption of water than coated samples, even after 24 hours of treatment in distilled water and compressive loading. The treatment of specimens in distilled water for 24 hours and compressive load of 789.6 N does not have an important influence on elastic recovery at compressive loading, water vapour permeability, air permeability and absorption of analysed samples. Air permeability could not be measured on coated samples.
Hydraulic model tests of flow properties of diversion structure gates are presented for the proposed diversion structure on the Rio Grande at Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Rio Grande diversion structure is composed of independently controlled adjustable height gates across the channel, a fish passage through the diversion structure, and an intake channel for 3.7 m 3 /s of maximum river diversion. A 1:24 scale distorted movable bed hydraulic physical model was constructed at the Water Resources Research Laboratory of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, Colorado. The hydraulic performances of the diversion structure that were tested include the gates operation over various flow rates, flow transitions and sediment exclusions at the intake channel. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model was built to simulate the flow properties around the diversion structure. Velocity vector computations around the intake structure and the diversion gate openings are compared with the physical test measurements. The numerical model shows very good agreements with the physical model measurements.
The effectiveness of low extracellular pH in sensitizing cells to heat was studied using SCK mammary carcinoma cells of A/J mice. Solid tumours of 400-600 mg or cells grown in vitro for less than 13 weeks were dispersed to single cells and the in vivo- or in vitro-derived cells were suspended in a medium of pH 7.2 or 5.5-6.6 and then heated at 41-44 degrees C in vitro using a water bath. The dispersion procedure did not alter the heat sensitivity of these cells, but acidic medium of pH below 6.6 caused an increase in heat sensitivity. This effect of low pH decreased with increasing temperature of heating for both cell types. However, the effect was much smaller on in vivo-derived cells than that on in vitro-derived cells for any heating temperature tested. This reduction of the pH effect was also observed for cells derived from larger tumours as well as tumours at an early stage of growth in which the internal milieu was not acidic. This indicates that cellular adaptation to low intratumour pH was not the cause of the reduced pH effect; instead, factors other than low pH must cause the reduced pH effect seen in tumour-derived cells.
Abstract Two complementary methodologies involving olefin ring-closing metathesis and Knoevenagel-electrocyclization were utilized for the synthesis of α-xyloidones and fused chromene-1,4-naphthoquinones 5f – n and 6 . The latter methodology was performed under acid catalysis or microwave irradiation allowing the synthesis of α-xyloidones 5f – j in moderate to good yield, which could not be obtained via the Knoevenagel-electrocyclization method. On the other hand, the lawsone bis-alkylation ( C and O ) then RCM olefin enabled the preparation of simple xyloidone 5m – n and the oxepin-1,4-naphthoquinones 6 .
Abstract Objective Clinical studies in endodontics are primarily performed in highly controlled environments using strict treatment protocols, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and high success rates have been reported. Most endodontic treatments are, however, performed in private practice, where is has been difficult to obtain similar high success rates. The aim of this pilot project was to evaluate the feasibility of performing practice-based research and to describe baseline information on endodontic procedures used in general practice in Denmark. Materials and methods The baseline data included information from dental practitioners, collected during 2017–2018. The dentists used the procedures and materials they normally would use. Data were systematized and analysed at Aarhus University. Results Seventeen dentists provided information on 581 endodontic treatments. Half of the teeth had initially a necrotic pulp, 20% had a vital pulp and 28% were previously root-filled. Adaptation of contemporary technology such as mechanized instrumentation, use of magnification, seems to be well integrated among the participating dentists. Conclusions Overall, the endodontic treatments performed by the participating dentists follow international guidelines for good quality endodontic treatments. It is anticipated, that among Danish dentist there is basis for further practice-based research, but logistic issues need to be addressed.
Background: Medication therapy management (MTM) service is an effective method to reduce medication-related problems and improve patients’ multiple kinds of outcomes. However, the lack of comprehensive review for MTM services has hindered its development. As a result, we are aiming to evaluate the current benefits of MTM services with multiple outcomes. Method: An electronic search will be performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or non-randomized control trials (NRCTs) that reported MTM services or pharmaceutical services as interventions from PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, and ClinicalTrial. gov. The odds ratios, mean differences, and standard mean differences and their 95% confidence intervals (95% confidence intervals) will be calculated with fixed or random effect models. Results: This study will evaluate the multiple benefits of MTM services in clinical endpoints, quality of life, economy, and drug-related problems. Conclusion: The results will review eligible studies released in the past twenty years and provide more comprehensive evidence of the efficacy of MTM services. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not applicable for this study.
The notion of responsibility is central in healthcare encounters, especially when it involves decisions about others, e.g., parents making decisions for children’s wellbeing. In the context of genetic counselling, given the familial basis of genetic disorders, decisions surrounding offer/uptake of genetic testing to determine the risk status of children become salient. Previous studies have shown that both genetic counsellors and parents routinely orient to others’ perspectives. Extending Pilnick’s (2001) finding that genetic counsellors allude to ‘what other people do’, Sarangi’s (2010) proposal which distinguishes between ‘family-others’ and ‘general-others’ vis-a-vis role-responsibility offers a useful framework to examine how parental/familial responsibility is contingently negotiated between genetic counsellors and parents.  Our data consist of 20 genetic counselling sessions within a hospital department of medical genetics in Norway. The parents are either affected by cancer or at a high risk of inheriting cancer because of family history. Using discourse analysis we demonstrate how parental responsibility is framed and responded to differentially to cover genetic risk assessment, the testing process and the dissemination of test results. Our findings indicate that counsellors tend to be more directive about the process of decision making, which may amount to shifting attention from at-risk children to the parents themselves. We link our findings to the professional ethos of (non)directives in genetic counselling.
The formulation of canopy evaporation is investigated on the basis of the combination equation derived from the Penman equation. All the elementary resistances (surface and boundary layer) within the canopy are taken into account, and the exchange surfaces are assumed to be subject to the same vapour pressure deficit at canopy source height. This development leads to generalized combination equations: one for completely dry canopies and the other for partially wet canopies. These equations are rather complex because they involve the partitioning of available energy within the canopy and between the wet and dry surfaces. By making some assumptions and approximations, they can provide simpler equations similar to the common Penman–Monteith model. One of the basic assumptions of this down-grading process is to consider that the available energy intercepted by the different elements making up the canopy is uniformly distributed and proportional to their respective area. Despite the somewhat unrealistic character of this hypothesis, it allows one to retrieve the simple formulations commonly and successfully used up to now. Numerical simulations are carried out by means of a simple one-dimensional model of the vegetation–atmosphere interaction with two different leaf area profiles. In dry conditions and when the soil surface is moist (low surface resistance), there is a large discrepancy between the generalized formulation and its simpler Penman–Monteith form, but much less when the soil surface is dry. In partially wet conditions, the Penman–Monteith-type equation substantially underestimates the generalized formulation when leaves are evenly distributed, but provides better estimates when leaves are concentrated in the upper half of the canopy.
This study subject to investigate the floristic composition and richness, the reproductive phenological patterns, the dispersal syndromes and life forms of species of a disjunt cerrado in semiarid climate at Araripe plateau during a one year period. We found 107 species and 41 families. Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Poaceae, Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Malpighiaceae showed the largest number of species. For 47 of the woody species found, we studied the geographical distribution based on 27 papers of the Brazilian cerrados. Twelve species are of widespread occurence in the cerrado, and 13 are restricted to the Araripe plateau. Zoocory, autocory, and anemocory are the predominant syndromes of dispersal. The predominant life forms were phanerophytes (50.7%), hemicriptophytes (14.9%) and camephytes (13.1%). The cerrado of Araripe have lower species richness than continous cerrados, but a similar pattern of reproductive phenology, dispersal syndromes and life forms in more humid zones.
We test the origin of the 3.5 keV line photons by analyzing the morphology of the emission at that energy from the Galactic Center and from the Perseus cluster of galaxies. We employ a variety of different templates to model the continuum emission and analyze the resulting radial and azimuthal distribution of the residual emission. We then perform a pixel-by-pixel binned likelihood analysis including line emission templates and dark matter templates and assess the correlation of the 3.5 keV emission with these templates. We conclude that the radial and azimuthal distribution of the residual emission is incompatible with a dark matter origin for both the Galactic center and Perseus; the Galactic center 3.5 keV line photons trace the morphology of lines at comparable energy, while the Perseus 3.5 keV photons are highly correlated with the cluster's cool core, and exhibit a morphology incompatible with dark matter decay. The template analysis additionally allows us to set the most stringent constraints to date on lines in the 3.5 keV range from dark matter decay.
Citation is specifically a problem in the world of publication after being used as a benchmark for ranking the writing quality, or indirectly ranking the author. This paper aims to reveal some of the assumptions interpreted from several data sets about citations, especially self-citations. Self-citation becomes a special problem when it becomes a measure for the performance of countries, journals, institutions, and authors. So far, there are links between assumptions about self-citation for the country, journal, and author.
We estimate vehicular traffic states from multimodal data collected by single-loop detectors while preserving the privacy of the individual vehicles contributing to the data. To this end, we propose a novel hybrid differential privacy (DP) approach that utilizes minimal randomization to preserve privacy by taking advantage of the relevant traffic state dynamics and the concept of DP sensitivity. Through theoretical analysis and experiments with real-world data, we show that the proposed approach significantly outperforms the related baseline non-private and private approaches in terms of accuracy and privacy preservation.
The thesis is focused on the analysis of advanced communications options, technologies that communicate selected commercial banks operating in the Slovak financial market. Part of the main objective is the analysis and use of these options, depending on their use for their employees, clients and the public. Diploma thesis contains five chapters. The first chapter focuses on describing basic theoretical issues solved. It contains the advanced technology and knowledge-based society, definitions and forms of communication and communication process. The second chapter is devoted to the development of communication and its impact on the formation of the company describes the basic types of communication, marketing communication and its trends. The third chapter is a practical analysis of the use of modern technology in selected commercial bank in relation to clients and the public. The last chapter contains results of use of communication facilities, technologies, selected bank and offers proposals for measures to streamline internal and external communication.
Chromosome numbers based on indigenous material are reported for 79 of the 97 species native in the British Isles. Counts for Cirsium dissectum (L.) Hill (2n = 34) and C. tuberosum (L.) All. (2n = 34) appear not to have been reported before. Also, chromosome numbers in 53 of the taxa are reported for the first time in material from the British Isles. A spectrum of polyploidy is given. The incidence of polyploidy in the Compositae of the British Isles is calculated to be 44'6%. The occurrence of dwarf, genetically main­ tained ecotypes in Aster tripolium L., Leucanthemum vulgare Lam., Serratula tinctoria L. and Solidago virgaurea L. is noted. The results of transplant experiments with Solidago virgaurea are discussed.
Il-jae Lee·Dami Lee, 2012. On the Acquisition of Wh-Scope Marking in Korean-English Interlanguage. Language and Linguistics 57, 159-196. This paper presents the data of wh-scope marking in Korean-English interlanguage. A cross-sectional elicited oral-translation task was carried out with sixty-seven Korean-speaking university students learning L2 English, to examine long-distance ??-dependencies in complex wh-questions such as Who do you think bought the clothes?. The findings show: (1) Nearly half of the learner population who produced a biclausal structure exclusively depended on wh-scope marking such as *What do you think who bought the clothes? as an alternative to the intended complex wh-question. (2) The stage of a dual wh-chain of intra-clausal local ??-dependencies for wh-scope marking predates the stage of a single chain of inter-clausal long-distance ??-dependencies for complex wh-questions. (3) The learner population opting for complex wh-questions seems to have acquired a superior proficiency in target language to the learner population opting for wh-scope marking. Our data analyzed under the copy theory of movement (Chomsky 1995) fares better with the Indirect Dependency approach (IDA) proposed by Dayal (1994, 2000) than the Direct Dependency approach (DDA).
The PEC half-plane in Figure 1 is coated with a surface wave absorbing material and is illuminated by a TEM wave at near grazing incidence. The diffracted power at the principal discontinuity is reduced through absorption of the propagating surface wave mode; usually the fundamental electric mode. From a scattering viewpoint, the magnetic mode is often less important to grazing incidence TEM incident waves. The material properties of the surface wave absorber are chosen to optimise power absorption in one or more of the electric modes. However, for absorption to take place it is necessary for energy in the incident wave (normally a TEM wave) to be converted into the propagating surface wave mode. For the treated planar edge in Figure 1, mode conversion takes place at the discontinuity between the absorber and the half-plane closest to the source. The mode conversion site is a second discontinuity which can contribute to the power scattered by the treated halfplane. Surface wave absorption, mode conversion and diffraction at the two discontinuities all impinge on the design of surface wave absorbers. There are also secondary effects associated with half-plane scattering which affect further the performance of the absorber. Planewave absorbers are guaranteed to reduced scattering from planewave sources: no similar guarantee applies to the use of surface wave absorbing materials. In [2], the authors introduced a new technique for characterizing the propagation properties of planar surface waves. This technique is extended to characterize multi-layer surface wave absorbers. Theoretical analysis of the design constraints described above is combined with the experimental technique described in [2] to investigate scattering reduction through the use of surface wave methods. Other techniques for reducing halfplane diffraction are also considered in the light of the surface wave results.
Introduction Americans always have been hopeful about education. But they also have been deeply divided about how best to promote it. Horace Mann, Catherine Beecher, and legions of other nineteenth century school boosters were convinced that education would flourish in state-maintained schools. They believed that such schools could turn a rough and divided collection of peoples into a self-governing political community. They worried about urban crime, Irish immigrants, delinquent children, uneducated teachers, and how to teach the political virtues required in a popular democracy--among other things. Some of these school boosters wrote in a sunny, hopeful voice, while others were mean and fretful. Few paid much attention to teaching and learning: They assumed a simple pedagogy, trusting that children would learn what they were taught. Partly because of this last assumption, they saw schools as a powerful creative force. They believed that compulsory public schools could make over an ignorant and unruly people, and thereby redeem a threatened democracy. But many other Americans had a radically different vision of education. James Fenimore Cooper, Mark Twain, and other Romantics saw education as a do-it-yourself proposition, carried out alone or with a few friends. They depicted education as an adventure, a collision between untamed impulses and real experience. More often than not, these adventures were played out in tough and lonely struggles to learn the wild country. But if the Romantics attended closely to learning, their conception of teaching was modest. In fact, the only real teachers in this tradition were the learners themselves, as they struggled with an unforgiving nature or unyielding masters. In Twain's lovely story of learning to become a Mississippi riverboat pilot, he notes that while he learned from master pilots, he had no teachers. ____________
Abstract : For the investigation of intermolecular interactions and dynamics of motion of polymer segments and whole polymer molecules in solution and in bulk, we originally proposed detailed experimental and theoretical studies of: Brillouin scattering spectra of bulk polymers and Structural relaxation in bulk polymers; Depolarized Rayleigh scattering spectra of polymer solution as a function of temperature and composition; Raman scattering spectra of chain orientation in solid polymers; and structural relaxation in polymer liquids and solution using photon correlation and light beating spectroscopy.
OBJECTIVE To analyze and compare the performances of two telomere measurement methods (digoxigenin-labeled Southern blot and Real-time PCR) in cellular senescence research.   METHODS Genomic DNA extracted from normal human fibroblasts (2BS) of different population doublings (PDs) was used as test samples. The Southern blot and Real-time PCR methods for telomere measurements were optimized. The specificity and sensitivity of digoxigenin detection system were analyzed by dot blot. The two methods were respectively used to measure parallel samples to analyze and compare their resolution and accuracy.   RESULTS Digoxigenin-labeled Southern blot system could detect less than 1 μg of human genomic DNA, but the optimal sample size was around 4-5 μg when measuring telomeres. The resolution of the Southern blot method was around 150 bp while the Real-time PCR method 300-400 bp. The former could distinguish the difference of 2 PDs for 2BS cells while the latter could not distinguish the difference of less than 5 PDs. The measurement error of the repeated measurements for the Real-time PCR method was more than 10% which was bigger than that of the Southern blot method (2.5%, P<0.001).   CONCLUSION Digoxigenin-labeled Southern blot system is fully applicable to telomere measurement. The performance of the Southern blot method is better than that of the Real-time PCR method while the latter is convenient and high-throughput. In the study of cellular senescence, the appropriate method should be selected according to specific experiment.
A national perspective on financial health of the electric utility, electricity consumption and capacity, energy sources, rates, and the various issues involving government was gained in this interview with W. Donham Crawford, President of Edison Electric Institute. He outlines the advantages of nuclear power and the impact the antinuclear forces have made on the industry. In regard to nuclear development worldwide, other industrialized nations are moving ahead with nuclear energy, some of them more rapidly than the U.S.; Japan, Spain, France, and Germany are relying almost exclusively on nuclear power for future electricity requirements. The U.S. public questions the safety of nuclear energy, not realizing that a more serious danger stems from inadequate safeguards by other nations, Mr. Crawford states. He feels it would be ironic to deny our nation the benefits of nuclear power, only to suffer the consequences from uncontrolled actions elsewhere. The development of the breeder and the timetable for implementing solar and geothermal energy are discussed. Some comments are made on the functioning of the Edison Electric Institute and some recent changes at the Institute. (MCW)
According to the existing data, cytokines actively participate in the pathogenesis of Chlamydia infection. However, the role of IL-12 in Chlamydiosis development has not been studied yet. The aim of our research is to define the role of IL-12 in the pathogenesis of the disease. The levels of IL-12, IL-4 and IFN-gamma were determined in 27 healthy and 56 Chlamydia infected individuals by using sandwich ELISA in vitro. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, direct and indirect immunoflourescence were used for laboratory testing of Chlamydia. Statistical analysis of the results showed that the level of IL-12 was raised in the serum of some patients compared to the control group. Patients demonstrating high levels of IL-12 also had high levels of IFN-gamma and low to normal levels of IL-4. The high of IL-12 were mainly in patients with primary Chlamydia infection. Thus, IL-12 may participate in the development of the primary immune response to Chlamydia, in particular Th1 direction.
Through the examination of some state policies and regulations concerned,interview with experts and quantitative analysis,an analysis is made of the current situation and development of teaching objectives of physical education in our country against the background of a wealthy society.A comparison is also made between the teaching objectives of physical education in our country against the background of a wealthy society.A comparison is also made between the teaching objectives of physical education at home and abroad.A frame work is put forward of the system of such objectives in the new century.
Eight different spray schedules were tested against bollworms in cotton system during 1993 and 1994 and their impact was studied on the build up of whitefly population. Neem alone or when used alternately with Bt or with conventional synthetic insecticides failed to check bollworms, however, no build-up in whitefly population was noted. Alternate use of conventional insecticides with synthetic pyrethroids proved effective against bollworms but whitefly resurgence was evident. However, spray schedule in which neem was used alternately with Bt and atleast one spray of synthetic pyrethroid proved as effective as previous treatment in managing bollworm complex without resurgence of whitefly. Further studies showed satisfactory control of bollworms and cotton yield response by alternate use of Neem, Bt and a 84% reduced rate of synthetic pyrethroid. This spray schedule has no adverse effect on environment.
In MGM v. Grokster, over 25 of the world's largest entertainment conglomerates joined together in petitioning the Supreme Court in an effort to shut down (yet another) p2p file sharing site. This case highlights the fault line of copyright in the digital-broadband era: where public use clashes with private control, and the contours of innovation are less clear due to evolving technologies that make us developers, not merely consumers. This case asks to what extent are distributors of a multi-purpose p2p utility liable for the infringing acts of its users - a Sony v. Universal case for the digital age. The entertainment industry characterizes this case as one of the most important copyright cases ever to reach this Court. The makers of this software contend that the software withstands legal challenge, and to hold otherwise plays into the content industry's overstated claim of impending calamity, while it punishes technology, impedes true innovation, and creates a lock-down on culture. This case presents stark choices for the Supreme Court on to how best to promote progress.
Objective: To investigate the role of microglobulin (MG) and albumin (ALB) in serum and urine in diagnosis of early renal involvement in primary Sjgren’s syndrome (PSS). Methods: Radioimmunoassa y was used to measure serum and urine levels of MG and urine ALB in PSS. Results: The levels of serum β 2-MG, urine α 1-MG, urine β 2 -MG, and urine ALB in PSS were higher than the levels in controls (P0.05 ,P0.05,P0.01,P0.01). The levels of urine α 1-MG and urine ALB in PSS patients with renal involvement were the highest. Conclusion : Urine α 1-MG and ALB were the effective iveparameters in diagnosi s of latent renal involvement in primary Sjgren’s syndrome.
Goetter, Mary Catherine. An Educational Intervention to Develop Characteristics of Transformational Leadership in Novice Nurse Managers. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2009. Objective: To support the development of characteristics of transformational leadership (TFL) in novice nurse managers/administrators (NNM) through use of a Journal Club as an educational intervention based on theories of educational psychology and nursing’s unique patterns of knowing. Research Questions: Does an educational intervention of a Journal Club increase NNM perceived knowledge of characteristics of transformational leadership? Does an educational intervention of a Journal Club increase NNM perceived ability of self to lead? How do NNM describe the effect of the intervention on their leadership knowledge and ability? Design: Mixed method research approach using experimental, repeated measures design with participants randomly assigned to either a control group or an experimental group. Qualitative assessment was done at the end of the study. Characteristics of TFL were measured using The Leadership Characteristics and Skills Assessment Tool (LCSAT) in NNM before and after multiple sessions of a Journal Club. Basic qualitative inquiry was employed to gain more information after intervention sessions were completed Setting: A Magnet-aspiring medical center in a rural mountain west state.
Abstract Biodiesel from waste oil fried food out of fuel can be used as an alternative to replaced diesel fuel or diesel. Biodiesel blended with diesel (B0) at the level of a certain ratio so obtained B5, B10, B15 and B20 (B5 is a mixture of 5% biodiesel and 95% diesel, etc.) is used as fuel in diesel engines. Then tested for their physical properties such as heating value, cetane number, and flash point. Performance compared to diesel engines that use diesel engines (B0). Engine operated on constant engine revolution in 1500, 1750, 2000, 2250 and 2500 rpm. From the test results in fact indicate that the B5 fuel to obtain the best performance of the engine at 2000 rpm (engine revolution).. At this engine revolution produced the lowest specific fuel consumption of 0.34 kg / kWh, thermal efficiency of 24.02%Â  while the effective power on all fuels are the same ie 1:26 kw . Â  Keywords: Biodiesel, cooking oil, diesel fuel, diesel engine
To study the effect of water and nitrogen application on the quality of waxy wheat(Noumai 12),pot experiment was carried out under three water treatments(waterlogging,moderate water supply and drought) and two nitrogen levels(no nitrogen and top-dress nitrogen).The results showed that the significant interactions between water and nitrogen on starch,pentosan,SDS-sedimentation and PPO value of waxy wheat were observed.Under moderate water supply(CK) treatment,additional nitrogen reduced the grain soluble sugar content(by 10.7%) of the waxy wheat Noumai 12,suggesting that the content of grain soluble sugar could be reduced by top-dress nitrogen in field experiment,and compared with waterlogging and CK,drought increased fructan content in the Noumai12.Under waterlogging condition,additional nitrogen increased the contents of pentosan and fructan by 66.8% and 69.2%,respectively.The grain starch content of Noumai 12 was increased by 7.84% under nitrogen and waterlogging treatments.Compared with waterlogging and drought,both CK and additional nitrogen increased the content of protein.Under waterlogging and CK,additional nitrogen increased SDS-sedimentation and reduced PPO activity value of the waxy wheat.Drought increased peak viscosity(PV),final viscosity(FV),and breakdown(BD) value of the wheat.These results indicated that the quality of the waxy wheat could be improved by moderate water and nitrogen application.
The influential factors of electric power consumption in Shaanxi Province are decomposed.The unit root test,co-integration analysis and error correcting mode(ECM) are applied to test influences of different factors on electric power consumption in Shaanxi Province,the prediction for time trend of electric power consumption within a short term is given.Based on which,it is pointed out that the economy development,transformation of economic structure and promoting of consumption efficiency are the potential factors on electric power consumption;from the long views,the building of energy economy society depends on further upgrading of economic structure.
The New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) pays compensation to everyone who is disabled temporarily or permanently by accidents. Accidents include intentional violence received from another person and the costs of such “accidents” run into billions of dollars. ACC is seeking to reduce its liability in this area by funding programmes that that prevent violence. One such programme is Jade Speaks Up a violence prevention programme targeted at 8 to 11 year olds and which over a 6-week period teaches children how to keep themselves safe. This paper describes the programme and the outcomes from the first school in which the programme has been delivered, and shows excerpts from the animated video that is centre-piece of the programme ACC is funding a trial of this programme which will be delivered to nine intermediate level schools involving 1250 children and over 40 teachers. The evaluation involves both experimental and control groups, preand post-tests, a six-month follow-up and a switch of the control group to the experimental condition at the beginning of the subsequent term. The evaluation includes two standardised tests of child well being (the Center for Epidemiologic Studies’ Depression Scale for Children, Weissman, Orvaschel, & Padian, 1980; and the Child Outcomes Rating Scale, Duncan, Miller & Sparks, 2003). and measures of learning, practice and programme engagement. Teachers as well as students are participants. Preliminary results show that children on the Jade Speaks Up programme make significant gains at post-test in the well being tests compared to pre-test and compared to the control group The children overwhelmingly felt the programme was interesting, useful and fun. Teachers were also positive about the programme. Still to come is the 6-month follow-up where we will be able to see whether the skills and knowledge taught have been used and the well-being gains sustained.
Manganese nitrides should be with amazing properties and promised application, because manganese atom is particular for its magnetism, valence states, high electron density, etc., and N atoms in compounds form different substructures. It is hard to good synthesize manganese nitride crystals with all established means, therefore, theoretical studies are highly welcome. In this study, we systematically examined the stoichiometric phases spaces of Mn-N compounds from 0 to 100 GPa based on ab initio calculations, and constructed the highpressure magnetic phase diagram. Remarkably, N-rich MnN4 with a planar N4 ring was discovered for the first time in the pressure range from 40 to 100 GPa. The electronic structures reveal that the N4 ring is driven by the sp hybridization of nitrogen atoms. This phase with Tc  1.6 K and high bulk modulus B = 381 GPa, which make it potentially interesting as a hard superconductive material. Moreover, the phase transition sequence for the MnN compound is summarized renewedly, the semi-conducting NM-zb phase (5 GPa) first transforms to metallic AFM-NiAs (40 GPa), which further transforms to the more stable metallic FM-rs phase. The mechanical properties show that covalent interaction has a great effect on N−rich structures’ hardness and hardly effect on Mn-rich structures in Mn−N compounds.
A light source device including a first light source unit, a second light source unit, a beam splitting unit and a detecting module is provided. The beam splitting unit is adapted to move to a first position and a second position. When the beam splitting unit is moved to the first position, the first light source unit emits a first beam, and the beam splitter unit makes at least a part of the first beam travel to a detecting sample. The detecting sample reflects the at least part of the first beam into a first sample beam traveling to the detection module. When the beam splitting unit is moved to the second position, the second light source unit emits a second beam, the second beam is emitted to the detecting sample, and the detecting sample reflects the second beam into a second sample beam, and the second sample beam travels to the detecting module.
Rhino-orbital mucormycosis is an aggressive fungal opportunistic infection of the immune-compromised, debilitated patients. The presence of neutrophilia and lymphocytopenia in patients affected with mucormycosis have been reported. Not much study has been done to establish the ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte as a possible indicator for the severity of Rhino-orbital mucormycosis which is clinical staged. As such, this study aims to find out the relationship of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio with the clinical staging of Rhino-orbital mucormycosis in COVID19 recovered patient and if such a ratio can help to identify the severity of the opportunistic fungal infection.   MATERIAL This is a Cross-sectional study done on 100 patients who were diagnosed with Mucormycosis based on radiological findings, post-COVID19 recovery. The neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio was estimated after obtaining the complete blood count of the patient and calculating the ratio by the division of differential Neutrophil by the differential Lymphocyte count. The clinical staging of Mucormycosis was done based on radiological findings.   OBSERVATION The median value of Neutrophil Lymphocyte ratio was found to be elevated in all the clinical stages of Mucormycosis (from stage 2 to 4) at the time of admission as well as discharge considering the normal value of N/L ratio in a healthy individual to be 3. The median N/L ratio was also found to be in decreasing trend as compared from the time of admission to discharge in all the stages 2 to 4 of mucormycosis and was statistically significant (p=0.00) in stage 3 of mucormycosis.   CONCLUSION The Neutrophil-Lymphocyte ratio can be used as a viable marker of severity of mucormycosis and is a good prognostic indicator for resolution of disease especially in stage 3 of mucormycosis. This study helps to reiterate the importance of N/L ratio in the treatment protocol of mucormycosis.
The major legal treatises of the Kingdom of Jerusalem all date from the thirteenth century, after the kingdom had largely been reconquered by its Muslim neighbours. There are no comparable sources for the first period of the kingdom in the twelfth century. The kingdom, evidently, did have a legal system in the twelfth century, but was it anything like the system described by the thirteenth-century texts? Is it possible to know what laws were being used, and the origins of these laws? Twelfth-century chronicles, charters, and other sources occasionally mention the courts and particular cases, but they are usually vague and lacking in detail. Of these, the most useful source is Usāma ibn Munqidh, whose observations of Frankish customs are often dismissed as unreliable jokes. However, his descriptions of crusader justice in the twelfth century are in fact surprisingly accurate when compared to the thirteenth-century legal texts. This shows that at least some of the laws and administrative offices described in the thirteenth century were already in place by the middle of the twelfth, and allows us to identify more precisely the possible influences and origins of the laws.
Synthetic seeds are defined as artificially encapsulated somatic embryos, shoot buds, cell aggregates, or any other tissue that can be used for sowing as a seed and that possess the ability to convert into a plant under in vitro or ex vitro conditions and that retain this potential also after storage. The technology designed to combine the advantages of clonal propagation with those of seed propagation and storage. Also be as channel for new plant lines produced through biotechnology advances. The importance of synthetic seed is realized nowadays and this paper discuss about the synthetic seed production technology.
The incretin mimetics have recently been added to our available choice of anti-hyperglycaemic agents in South Africa. As our targets for diabetes control tighten, our available choices of treatment, by necessity, will need to be expanded. The benefits that the incretin mimetics afford include weight loss that is sustained, possible beta-cell sparing and of course significant lowering of the blood glucose level.
The third main methodological stream of the systems movement is applied sys- tems thinking, beside the study of systems in their own right and systems thinking in the dis- ciplines. Applied systems thinking, represented by different systems methodologies for structur- ing problem situations, is based on appropriate frameworks of ideas, on the one hand, and is addressed to creative intervening in the real world to solve practical management problems, on the other. According to its transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transparadigmatic nature, systems thinking, through its theories, methodologies, models can add significant value in a variety of fields. In comparison with the management "fads", high status ought to be granted to applied systems thinking due to the theoretical and methodological founded- ness and practical capabilities verified of vari- ous systems approaches to solving the complex, interactive and multi-meaning management problems.
Capsaicin is a commonly used phytochemical, well-known by its pharmacological properties as analgesic, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic and antitumor agent. Development of a simple method for extraction and quantification of capsaicin from hot pepper fruits (Capsicum annuum L.) gives a chances for effective exploitation of this highly represented agro culture in Republic of Macedonia, and brings an opportunity for further investigations on its pharmacological activity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine capsaicinoids (capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin and nordihydrocapsaicin) in ethanolic extracts of 11 different genotypes of hot pepper fruits from Republic of Macedonia with a validated simple and sensitive HPLC method.  Materials and methods: Fruits, dried and grounded, were used as a plant material for Soxlet extraction by using a 96 % (V/V) ethanol as a solvent (70˚C, for 5 hours). Quantification of a capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin was performed on a RP-HPLC (reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography) system by using a Zorbax SB-C18 column, (5 μm, 250 × 4.6 mm), mobile phase: H2O/CH3CN, 50:50 (V/V), flow rate: 1.5 mL/min and UV detection at 220 nm.  Results: The analytical method was validated by using the protocols set out in the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines. The required validation parameters, specificity, linearity, accuracy, precision, limit of detection, and limit of quantification, were studied for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin. The linearity range was found to be 1.52 – 380.00 µg/mL for capsaicin, and 1.12 – 279.00 µg/mL for dihydrocapsaicin, respectively. Limit of detection for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin was 0.075 and 0.109 µg/mL, and limit of quantification was 0.230 and 0.331 µg/mL for capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, consequently. The highest concentration of capsaicin, 2835 µg/g and for dihydrocapsaicin 2443 µg/g was found in the extract obtained from genotype Feferona.  Conclusions: The results showed that this method can be employed as quantification method for determination of capsaicinoids in the Capsicum oleoresins.
Disclosed is a reconfiguration optimization method of a photovoltaic cell array completely reconfigurable electrical system. Photovoltaic assemblies in a photovoltaic array are grouped and parallelly connected at two ends of corresponding electrical modules in series connection with the photovoltaic array. When the difference between the electrical module ends exceeds a set threshold, a photovoltaic array reconfiguration program is started, based on the basic principle that the sum of short-circuit currents of photovoltaic assemblies is approximately equal after reconfiguration, electrical connecting structures of photovoltaic cells or assemblies in the photovoltaic cell array are adjusted rapidly through a reconfiguration optimization algorithm. According to the reconfiguration optimization method, output power-voltage (P-U) characteristics of the photovoltaic array are improved to be in an approximately unimodal state, and therefore, on one hand, requirements for the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) method is reduced; and on the other hand, power loss due to mismatch of photovoltaic assembly output P-U characteristics in the photovoltaic is reduced, and the maximum output power of a photovoltaic power generation system is improved.
Objective: To study the effect of Qingkailing(QKL) injection on plasma SOD following middle cerebral artery occlusion.Methods: Sixty Kunming mice were randomly and evenly divided into a sham operation group,model group,0h administration groups,1h administration groups,3h administration groups and 4h administration groups.Cerebral ischemia model of middle cerebral artery occlusion was established in rats using the suture method.Neurological deficit evaluation,such as Clark scoring method,was then carried out at 24 hours after MCAO and cerebral infarction volume was examined after TTC staining.Results: The results showed that cerebral infarction volume reduced significantly after QKL injection administration at time 0h,1h,3h,4h.Local cerebral injury recovered significantly.The content of plasma SOD both increased significantly after QKL administration in different time,and the effect of 1h administration group was the best.Conclusion:The protection of QKL injection was demonstrated on MACO model and antioxidation was one of the mechanisms.
This paper analyzes on the present situation of the development of the network information resources, expounds the strategies of developing and utilizing the network information resources, and puts forward some methods for developing the network information resources such as building the navigational banks of network information and subjects, and constructing the database with characteristics and the digital library, etc.
Evidence that the D13S25 locus lies close to a potential tumour suppressor gene implicated in the pathogenesis of B-CLL has been based on detection of LOH and bi-allelic loss using the pH2-42 probe. The SspI polymorphism detected by this probe has been identified by sequencing adjacent clones and a polymorphic (TA)n repeat has been found. Amplification of the region encompassing both polymorphic markers by PCR increases the informativity to 80%.
UNLABELLED The Quality Management System ISO 9001:2008 introduced by the Management Board of the hospital in the year 2007 resulted in change of the methods used by the Hospital Infection Control Team (HICT) to assess the sanitary-and-hygienic condition. The inspection protocol used by HICT was modified as part of the Quality Management System. It was supplemented by the score sheet which made the inspection results more objective. The purpose of the study was to assess the results of the supervision over the sanitary and epidemiologic condition of the hospital as well as personnel training carried out in the years 2007-2010 by the Hospital Infection Control Team (HICT) of Szpital Uniwersytecki nr 2 im. dr. J.Biziela (J.Biziel University Hospital no. 2). 407 inspection protocols issued in the years 2007-2010 were analysed. The sanitary/hygienic condition indicators and personnel education indicators were calculated based on the analysed data. The sanitary/hygienic condition indicator for the entire hospital in the years 2008-2010 amounted to over 91.50% and only in the year 2007 it was 89.33%. While the personnel education indicator for the entire hospital increased from 90.35% in 2007 to 93.75% in 2010.   CONCLUSIONS the assessment of hospital units performed on the basis of the new protocol of the sanitary/hygienic condition has been proven in practice, i.e. insufficient personnel education as regards hospital hygiene is efficiently detected by HICT at individual workstations and the Management Board of the hospital is notified on the ongoing basis on the results of supervision provided by HICT.
This study was conducted to investigate the factors affecting satisfaction and dissatisfaction of e-learning learner students using Kano model and Timko's customer satisfaction coefficient. The results of the analysis showed that firstly, the students are highly satisfied when it is convenient to learn visually and audibly, when the students can ask questions at any time, and when the professor was interested in the students. Second, the rational criteria and accurate evaluation of grades and assignments were confirmed as factors that should be satisfied. Third, unlike the results of the basic study that the students use e-learning due to the convenience of learning time and learning space and the ease of learning process, it is no longer an attractive factor to use e-learning. The results of this study suggest that it is possible to present effective directions for the development of e-learning education and strategic application of each factor classified by the two-dimensional recognition method.
The respect-work spirit is the spiritual power of promoting historical development,it is not only the important content of China's spiritual civilization construction,but also is the important power of promoting China's economic and cultural development.This study aims at learning the present situation of China's respect-work spirit,analyzing the social psychological factors of affecting respect-work spirit and providing theoretical basis and guidance for improving the present situation of respect-work spirit.This study mainly analyzes the social psychological factors from motivation,need,cognition,outlook on life and values,and puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions.
An in vitro study was conducted to determine the Enzyme to substrate (E:S) ratio to maximize the fermentation of dried Cenchrus ciliaris grass. Commercially produced fibrolytic enzymes cellulase, xylanase and pectinase and a proteolytic enzyme protease were used in different ratios. In vitro gas production was significantly higher on enzyme fortified inoculum in the initial 12–24 h of fermentation. Gas production data were fitted to kinetic model with lag for rate determination. Lag time was significantly reduced on cellulase and protease while with xylanase and pectinase improvement was not statistically insignificant. Rate constant of gas production increased significantly with fibrolytic enzymes but not on protease. Average and marginal gas production was significantly higher at lower dose of enzyme. In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) was increased by 15% on either cellulase or xylanase but only 3% improvement was observed on pectinase and protease over enzyme blank. In vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (IVNDFD) was more by 18, 15, 12 and 6%, respectively on cellulase, xylanase, pectinase and protease, compared to enzyme blank. It is concluded that enzyme fortification of inoculum reduced lag time, increased rate of fermentation, IVDMD and IVNDF. It was higher at E:S ratio of 1:100 for cellulase, xylanase and protease while it was 1:50 for pectinase.
Gender inequality is a preventable inequality which exists between two genders in economic, social, political and cultural areas. In the meantime, healthy life expectancy is the most beneficial index that presents the average level of population health. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the indexes of gender inequality and healthy life expectancy to compare these indicators with global data. In this ecological study, the index of healthy life expectancy was applied based on the World Health Organization report in 2008 as a criterion. Then the gender inequality indexes of Iranian women, as the research population, were determined. Next, it descriptively was compared with some countries across the world to assess its relationship with gender inequality indexes of women using correlation analysis. The results showed that Iranian women do not have the opportunity to participate in economic, social and political areas widely compared to women in other countries under study. In this regard, the worst situation belongs to political participation of women. Also a significant correlation was observed between the index of healthy life expectancy and female literacy rate, as well as the combined enrollment ratio of women in all three levels of education (grades), and the income earned by women. According to the observed gender inequality of the women in this study, the opportunity for further and more tangible contributions for women in economic, social and especially political affairs must be provided via developmental programs. Besides, the causes and factors affecting this participation should periodically be investigated.
Any disturbance in the activity of heart can cause irregular heart rhythm known as cardiac arrhythmia. Electrocardiogram (ECG) is one of the most promising tools for classification of different types of arrhythmia, which is necessary until it goes fatal and causes loss of life. For ECG arrhythmia classification, a wide range of signal processing techniques extracting features from time, frequency and time frequency domains have been reported in the literature. Since, ECG is a nonstationary signal, time frequency analysis can perform better than the conventional time or frequency analysis methods. But, development of a multi-class arrhythmia classification method, which is simple yet effective in handling practical conditions such as lack of enough training dataset and random selection of training and testing dataset, is still a challenging task. ECG signals can be well modeled as self-affined fractal sets which vary under different arrhythmia. Thus local fractal dimension (LFD) can be employed as a feature in classifying different ECG arrhythmia. In the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) domain, the basic functions are directly derived from the original signal without the knowledge of any previous value of the signal. Therefore, the Hurst exponent (HE) required for deriving a set of LFD features is calculated from the intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) obtained via EMD of ECG signals. Since, for better approximation of LFD, at least three IMFs are to be determined which is dependent on the length of the ECG signal, time-frequency analysis in the wavelet packet decomposition (WPD) domain is performed for calculating the HE as well as deriving a set of more effective LFD features. Considering the complexity and ease of implementation as an important criterion, a feature set based on energy and entropy of only the 4th level detail WPD coefficients is found to be simple yet the highest capable of solving a multi-class ECG arrhythmia problem. Each of the proposed sets of feature when fed to Euclidean distance based classifier can classify different arrhythmia even with reduced training dataset as well as randomly selected training and testing dataset. Simulations are carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method in terms of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. It is shown that the proposed method outperforms some of the state-of-the-art methods with superior efficacy.
The present invention provides steps and methods for network booting such as a personal computer (PC) utilizing hibernation image, one or more client operating system of the device (2) (O / S). By one or remotely booting a plurality of client devices utilizes virtual disk emulation, and in particular the embodiments of choice, necessary for one or more client devices to boot up properly initializes hibernation (20) present such a network server (4), O / S (28), and it is achieved by broadcasting or multicasting the data including application fill.
Cytoplasm of Paramecium caudatum syngen 3 in the period of sexual immaturity was effective in inducing immaturity when injected into mating-reactive cells of other syngens of P. caudatum. When immature cytoplasm of P. caudatum was injected into mature cells of P. multimicronucleatum, immaturity was also induced in the latter cells. When cytoplasm of P. bursaria in the immaturity period was injected into mature cells of the same species, the latter became immature. But immature cytoplasm of P. caudatum was ineffective when injected into mature cells of P. bursaria. When immature cytoplasm of P. busaria was injected into mature cells of P. caudatum, no difference from the control was observed. These results suggest that a difference in specificity of the immaturity substances exists bewteen paramecia of the 'aurelia' group and those of the 'bursaria' group.
To our knowledge, there has been only one report pertaining to the efficacy of HCFU for treatment of metastatic lung lesion of HCC, so we reported a case of HCC with lung metastasis which responded to chemotherapy with a single use of HCFU. A 64-year-old male was diagnosed as having HCC with lung metastasis by biochemical examination, abdominal CT, hepatic arteriogram and chest X-P. He had been treated previously with gamma-interferon and mitoxantrone, which were assessed as NC and PD, respectively. Two months after last chemotherapy, HCFU was administrated at a dose of 400 mg/body everyday for 8 months. After 4 weeks metastatic lung lesions showed remarkable regression (47% decrease) and disappeared completely 9 weeks later. The size of primary liver tumor gradually decreased during therapy and revealed marked improvement (85.7% decrease) after about 2 months of this therapy. During these periods serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein dropped from 430 ng/ml to less than 10 ng/ml. He is presently still alive and the duration of the PR attained to 35 weeks. As side effects, hypoproteinemia, anorexia and hot sensation were observed.
Objective: To observe the effecacy of artificial liver support system (ALSS) on hemagglutina-tion in patients with severe hepatopathy. Methods: Thirty patients with severe hepatopathy were treated by artificial liver support system on the basis of the general treatment. The effectiveness of coagulation in patients with severe hepatopathy was evaluated according to the changes of blood cells coagulation indexes. Results: Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial prothrombin time (aPPT) and thrombin time (TT) had been shortened in various degrees (P 0.01). Fibrinogen was also improved in various degrees (P0.05). Conclusion: The measurement of coagulation indexes in patients with severe hepatopathy is useful for clinicians to follow up the effectiveness.
Open, tube-like channels are one of the most noticeable internal features visible in some gem-quality synthetic moissanite. These channel inclusions can reach exterior surfaces, or they may terminate against other internal defects or fractures. They usually display a hexagonal cross section, and are elongated in a direction parallel to the optic axis of the host crystal. Their appearance differs from that of natural etch channels seen on rare occasions in some gem diamonds. The origin of the channels in synthetic moissanite is discussed. They are thought to result from the relaxation of strain around a kind of enlarged screw dislocation in the crystal during the crystallization.
The Chinese traditional culture with the core spirit of Confucius thought is the important theoretical source of China's peaceful development diplomatic thought.There is an intrinsic unity between China's peaceful development diplomatic thought and the core spirit of Chinese traditional culture,which is adequately reflected in the idea of Harmonious World in the new period.The idea of Harmonious World greatly deepens the meaning of China's peaceful development road and enormously contributes towards the development of China's diplomatic thought.
An experimental investigation was made to determine the effect of THE novel mixing device on the rate of heat transfer from the heating wall to the liquid flowing through the inner pipe of the static mixer. The heat transfer coefficient was calculated from the one-dimensional model describing the temperature distribution inside the bulk of the mixer. This modeling equation has been used to determine the relationship between the mass flow rate and the heat transfer coefficient. The measured experimental database for the tested novel mixing device is generalized in the typical relationship describing the influence of the mass flow rate A static mixer is a specially designed geometrical structure of the different shapes and forms of the elements inserted in a long pipe. There are the many varieties of mixing elements available from the manufactures. The energy for mixing is derived from the pressure loss incurred as the process liquids flow through the elements of the mixing device. The flow of the liquids is generated by a pump. The static mixer presents an attractive alternative to the more traditionally rotating as well as the rarely applied reciprocating agitator. The number of elements and type of the mixing device depend on the required mixing in any applications and a wide range of tasks. Benefits of a static mixer include low investment and operating and maintenance costs, need small place, no mechanical seals, self cleaning, low shear forces prevent excessive stressing product especially in the bio-processes and easily controlling of product quality. The flow patterns of the mixed liquids in the different types of static mixers are difficult to analytically described and then we have difficulty with assessment of the influence on the augmentation of heat transfer. In the practical applications is used the more popular dimensionless equation connecting the Nusselt and Peclet numbers. These typical equations for the so-called traditional mixing devices and their ranges of validity are collected in Table 1. As follows from this Table the dimensionless equations for the standard mixing devices have an almost similar form as well as a similar range of the Peclet number variability. It may be supposed that the difference between the constants and exponents in these equations is due to individual somewhat different geometrical configurations of the mixer as well as the different methods and quality of the approximation of the experimental data. From the comparison of the tested novel mixing device and the other traditional static mixer may be stated that the heat transfer coefficient is somewhat smaller but the promoted mixing intensity has the greater influence on the augmentation of the heat transfer.
The invention relates to a sensor device for monitoring the transient voltage of a broadband integral type power grid, which is characterized in that the sensor device is connected with a sensor (1), a grounded resistor (2), a voltage follower (3), an integral circuit (4), an opposite-phase amplifying circuit (5), a filter circuit (6), an over-voltage protecting circuit (7) and an impedance matching circuit (8) connected in sequence to form a signal circuit (9); the signal circuit (9) is connected with a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) capture card through a transmission cable (11); the filter circuit (6) is connected with the PCI capture card through a transmission cable (11); the filter circuit (6) is connected with the PCI capture card through a transmission cable (12) after through a triggering circuit (10); the sensor (1) is a high-frequency current magnet balance Hall sensor, wherein the frequency band trait thereof is selected between DC and 500 kHz(-3dB), the load impedance thereof is selected between 50 and 160 omega, and the operating voltage thereof is DC12V. The design only comprises some electronic elements; the sensor device has the advantages of lower cost, smaller volume, and more convenience for spot installation without considering floor space.
This paper,from the perspective of Adaptation Theory,analyzes the relationship among the three conformabilities of contextual correlations,language structural objects and dynamics in the process of translation in the sitcom Growing Pains.It holds that adaptation theory plays a quite important role in dubbing translation.The application of Adaptation Theory in dubbing translation provides a new thinking and broader space for dubbing translation study.
DNA is a complex molecule that consists of biological information that is passed down from generation to generation. With the evolution over time, there are different kinds of species that evolved from a common ancestor because of the occurrence of DNA sequence rearrangements. DNA sequence similarity analysis is a major challenge since the number of sequences is rapidly increasing in the DNA database. In this research, we based a mathematical method to analyze the similarity of two DNA sequences using Graph Theory. This mathematical method started by modeling a weighted directed graph for each DNA sequence, constructing its adjacency matrix, and converting it to the representative vector for each graph. From these vectors, the similarity was determined by distance measurements such as Euclidean, Cosine, and Correlation. By keeping this method as the based method, we will check whether it is applicable for any DNA fragments in considered genomes and molecular similarity coefficients can be used as distance measurements. We will obtain similarities using the graph spectrum instead of the representative vector. Then we will compare the results from the representative vector and that of the graph spectrum. The modified method is tested by using the mitochondrial DNA of Human, Gorilla, and Orangutan. It gives the same result when the number of nucleotides in DNA fragments is increased.
The invention discloses a double-layer composite environmental-friendly fiber fabric for men's clothing. The double-layer composite environmental-friendly fiber fabric for the men's clothing comprises a first fabric layer and a second fabric layer, the first fabric layer is formed by weaving 15%-22% of seashell pearl fibers, 33%-38% of mulberry silk fibers and 40%-52% of milk protein fibers according to weight percentage, and the second fabric layer is formed by weaving 20%-24% of wood fibers, 61%-69% of soybean fibers and 11%-15% of chitosan fibers according to weight percentage. According to the double-layer composite environmental-friendly fiber fabric for the men's clothing, the double fabric layers are woven by environmental-friendly fibers, biodegradation is easy, and the fabric is environmentally friendly and free from pollution, breathable and moisture absorbent, cool and comfortable, and physically beneficial.
Chen Chen is one of the most important abherent poets of Ming Dynasty and popular literature writers at the turn of Ming and Qing Dynasty.He left not only "Stories after All Men are Brothers" which shows his loyalism and patriotism to the country,but also over 100 patriotic poems.His poems have the same creativity as "Stories after All Men are Brothers".These poems reflect the social reality of the disastrous age from many aspects and angles,and show his deep condolence over the ruin of Ming Dynasty and his strong hatred against the control of the different race.They are valuable materials for us to know about the social reality of that age and the sprit of adherent people of an overthrown dynasty.
The piston of a marine diesel engine works under severe conditions, including a combustion pressure of over 180 bar, high thermal load, and high speed. Therefore, the analyses of the fatigue strength, thermal load, clamping (bolting) system and lubrication performance are important in achieving a robust piston design. Designing the surface profile and the skirt ovality carefully is important to prevent severe wear and reduce frictional loss for engine efficiency. This study performs flexible multi-body dynamic and elasto-hydrodynamic (EHD) analyses using AVL/EXCITE/PU are performed to evaluate tribological characteristics. The numerical techniques employed to perform the EHD analysis are as follows: (1) averaged Reynolds equation considering the surface roughness; (2) Greenwood_Tripp model considering the solid_to_solid contact using the statistical values of the summit roughness; and (3) flow factor considering the surface topology. This study also compares two cases of skirt shapes with minimum oil film thickness, peak oil film pressure, asperity contact pressure, wear rate using the Archard model and friction power loss (i.e., frictional loss mean effective pressure (FMEP)). Accordingly, the study compares the calculated wear pattern with the field test result of the piston operating for 12,000h to verify the quantitative integrity of the numerical analysis. The results show that the selected profile and the piston skirt ovality reduce friction power loss and peak oil film pressure by 7% and 57%, respectively. They also increase the minimum oil film thickness by 34%.
The space strutting structures made of cement-earth arches compounded with rigid frame bored piles has been adopted for construction of a large area deep foundation pit located at the soft-soil region alongside a river-bank.These measures have been proved practica1 and with the following merits namely:1,as a leak proof strutting system 2,bored pile's space effectiveness could be fully carried out and 3,cement-earth arche's strong compressive strength could be greatly implemented.In the final analysis,these types of structures are unique,strong and reliable both in leak proof and bearing capacity.Because that anchor bars and internal struts are impossible to be used and that the construction site is narrow and difficult,therefore,the space strutting structures made of cement-earth arches compounded with rigid frame bored piles has been proved of unique properties and meritorious advantages.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) form an integral part of economic activity in Singapore. This book helps satiate the demand for legal resources and to support the M&A community in Singapore, more particularly the legal professionals. The goal in this book has been to address the needs of the professional and academic communities alike, which is manifested in its title that encompasses both "law and practice". The book is intended to operate as an aid to M&A practitioners who are involved in the structuring and implementation of transactions. In addition, it is also aimed at litigation professionals whose services are drawn upon when an M&A deal is one that requires a ex ante sanction of the court of law or one that presents itself before a court due to disputes that require resolution. Apart from discussing the law and its implications on transactions, we make a conscious effort to distill the background and rationale to specific rules and principles and their evolution, which we believe will be of benefit to students and professionals seeking an initiation into the field of M&A. In certain areas, we also make normative observations about reforms that need to be introduced to the current legal regime, in the modest hope that the legislative reformers, the regulators and the courts may draw strands from these, as they may deem appropriate.
Are studied hematological (morphological biochemical) parameters at the large horned cattle processed with 0,01% chiperilla emulsion. As a result of the analysis o received data it has not been noted effects of toxic influence of the preparation on an organism of large horned cattle. Changes in gematological and biochemical parameters at the processed animals varied within the limits of physiological fluctuations borders.
Three new topology-varied rod-coil block copolymers, comprising the same oligo(p-phenyleneethynylene) (OPE) rod components and the same coil components, were synthesized by atom-transfer radical polymerization. Their photophysical properties were systematically studied and compared in consideration of their solid-state structures and self-assembly abilities. These copolymers have similar intrinsic photophysical properties to the OPE rods, as reflected in dilute solution. However, their photophysical properties in the solid state are manipulated to be dissimilar by supramolecular organization. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) data demonstrate that these copolymers possess different self-assembly abilities due to the molecular-architecture-dependent pi-pi interactions of the rods. Hence, the aggregates in the solid state are formed with a different mechanism for these copolymers, bringing about the discrepancy in the solid-state luminescent properties.
The radio-protective properties of microalgae Spirulina platensis in treating white rats exposed to radioactive irradiation have been studied. The clinical manifestation of radiation sickness in irradiated rats treated with spirulina, added to the basic ration, was observed in the moderate and mild degree of acuity. The results of studies conducted show that the highest radioprotective effect was observed in animals given the suspension of microalgae Spirulina platensis in the doses of 4.5 and 6.0 ml per animal per day.
Many metropolitan areas offer park-and-ride facilities to help increase transit ridership and reduce congestion. However, studies of vehicle movements within such facilities are few. A thorough understanding of the vehicle dynamics will benefit both transportation planners in forecasting demand for park-and-ride and facility designers in making objective evaluation of alternative layouts. This paper presents a microscopic park-and-ride simulation model using the Cellular Automata approach. Review of parking lot simulation models in the past are performed, and their limitations are identified and addressed in the paper. Different techniques of CA applications in traffic and pedestrian modeling are analyzed and applied in the model. The park-and-ride model is a discrete time and space model composed of five fundamental components that operate in each time step. These components together simulate a variety of driver actions such as surveying of environment, making parking choice decisions, steering and controlling of vehicles. With Kipling Station South lot in Toronto as the testing site, the AM Peak period traffic is simulated. Using vehicle arrival rate and gate processing time as model input, the model is able to generate a realistic simulation of vehicle dynamics within the facility. The parking occupation trend is comparable with the observed trend. The use of simulation in comparing two different parking lot designs is also performed to illustrate one of the many uses of the model.
Beyond the study of the contemporary moment, rhythmanalysis has great potential for the historical geographer. By drawing our attention to tempo and rhythm, it can reanimate the lifeless remains entombed within the archive (maps, diagrams, photographs, etc) and reveal the deeper, more complex textures of past quotidian experience. Here I explore this idea in relation to urban maps. Rhythmanalysis allows us to rethink the map not as a static spatial representation that reifies lived space, but as an embedded, active technology with its own prescriptive rhythms of usage and temporal performance. In short, a map is analogous to a musical score, inhabiting a double temporality that is at once a static timelessness and a direction for a certain rhythmic order through the grounded practice of its use. My case study here is interwar London, a privileged time and space in the reorganisation of urban rhythms. As London’s economy shifted towards monopoly capitalism – the age of the Hoover Building, the suburban semi and the expanding Civil Service – urban movement likewise emerged as the legitimate object of bureaucratic management. The introduction of Belisha beacons, one-way streets and the London Transport Passenger Board marked one side of this dynamic, but in turn provoked new imaginings of resistance and opposition. This paper, therefore, reconstructs both these fantasies of temporal management and their oppositional negotiation by listening to the rhythms inscribed within two seminal mappings of interwar London – the Tube map (1933) and the A to Z street atlas (1936).
Because of the long lead time needed to design and build an evolutionary type nuclear reactor and also due to the expected needs for additional light water nuclear power plants in the next century in Japan, GE, Hitachi, and Toshiba jointly participated in a study to develop the next generation advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR). The study has been conducted in two phases over the last four years, under the guidance of Tokyo Electric Power Co. and other Japanese utilities. The design has progressed from early innovative concepts, through a phase of feasibility studies, to the selection of reference design concepts. In order to maintain the reactor vessel the same size as the current ABWR yet increase the amount of fuel and therefore the power level of the core, a shroudless design has been adopted. This design in combination with larger fuel bundle has allowed the accommodation of a 1,500 MWe or 1,700 MWe core, while reducing the number of components such as control rod drives and control rods plus the elimination of the standard shroud. This paper summarizes the conclusions of the Phase 2 study and the current reference design. This paper will highlight those components and areas wheremore » major design changes have been selected to represent the reference design, the reason for their selection and their overall impact upon design and performance.« less
if J = {11, F1n(s) F(s) and (P1n(m) m a.s., then IZnJ is a classical GaltonWatson process. If J = 11, 2} and a.s. (P1n(m) M, (P2n(m) 1, then IZnJ is a branching process with immigration. If J = 11, 2}, Fin(s) f(s), F2n(s) g(s) and a.s. (P1n(M) Mg, m 2 0, (P2n(M) 0, m 2 1, (P2n(O) 1, then we obtain the model of Foster [3] and Pakes [9]. The Foster-Pakes processes with F2n(s) gn(s) are investigated by Mitov and Yanev [6], [7]. Sevastyanov and Zubkov [11] studied the probabilities of extinction or nonextinction in the case J = I1 and (Pin(M) (P(m) a.s., where the control function (P(m) is nonrandom and integervalued. Zubkov [22] considered processes with (P1n(M) (Pj(m) a.s., where (Pj(m) are nonrandom and integer-valued functions. Yanev [13] obtained conditions for
This paper investigates the figure of the ‘phantasm’ in Jacques Derrida’s last seminars, explicating this notion in terms of his argument for life’s constitution as originally other-oriented and inflected by a non-present, finite temporality. Since this constitutive differential and finite condition demands the living organism affirm its survival as itself, I contend that the phantasm is generated as the anticipatory projection of life’s re-identification with itself, thus turning away from finitude and relational interdependence. Yet, I argue that it couldn’t be otherwise – that there couldn’t be a life without such a phantasm – since the disappropriative effects of its constitutive conditions only allow for lived identity as re-identification across an innately finite temporality and aleatory relationality. Moreover, the projected, phantasmatic ‘return’ of self-identification is required to establish any relation to the other from the outset: without the living being’s anticipated survival, no difference of self from other, and hence no relationality, would be established. Therefore, the phantasm is engendered by life’s differential constitution despite being unrealizable due to these very conditions. If my contention holds, then two major implications follow: first, the phantasm is irreducible in Derrida’s account; second, his ‘deconstruction’ of the phantasm cannot amount to its renunciation for the supposed unconditionality of such anterior differential-relational conditions. Rather, deconstruction entails an affirmative engagement with the phantasm as inseparable from an anterior acquiescence or ‘promise’ to the other, from which derives a constitutive normative exigency in life.
This article introduces the Bulletin's special issue devoted to international health sciences librarianship with a discussion of the formal structures of international cooperation. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions' (IFLA) Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries Section conducts activities along four strands: world and regional health sciences library directories, mutually supportive regional groupings, a quarterly newsletter, and the quinquennial International Congress on Medical Librarianship. These activities, as well as those of other organizations, make up the formal international structure of health sciences librarianship.
These 16 letters chronicle Mailer's extraordinary effort to complete and publish his third novel, The Deer Park. The novel was published by Putnam's and appeared on October 14,1955. It became a bestseller and has sold over 50,000 copies. ********** 115. To William Styron Mexico August 18, 1954 Dear Bill, I wanted to answer your letter immediately when I got it because I truly appreciated the "critique" : But I was mixed up in reading one David Riesman for an article I wrote for Dissent, and somehow the weeks went by. (As if I had to explain a phenomenon like that to you!) Anyway, the amazing thing to me was how similar your reaction to The Deer Park is to mine, or at least would be if hypothetically someone else had written it, and I had read it. For in a way I admire it too, and I also don't like it--don't like it in the sense that I don't want to write more books like it, and hope this is the last of its sort, for the thing is really too painful. There's a kind of destruction of the value of life almost implicit in it. By now I feel quite cool toward it (maybe I'll warm up when I read the galleys) and really feel glad it's done, and at the moment at least I can face the critics with some equanimity--the sons of bitches. But in reading your letter I understood why I was so eager for your reaction-because it is truly amazing how similar are our standards and tastes about books considering how different we are. So I suppose what I wanted in essence was my own reaction, only via you. The only thing which depressed me about The Deer Park is that somewhere along the way I missed the boat. I still think it could have been a great novel, with a great dryness similar say to The Red and the Black, but my imagination and my daring and my day to day improvisation dried up a little too much, and the result is the result. What makes me feel cheerful is that I think I'm coming out of a five-year depression where writing, just the act, became progressively more depressing. Of course I'm not writing now. But I do feel as if some kind of pressure is off. I suppose what it is that whether I end up mediocre, good, or great, at least I know I'm a writer, and I haven't known it all these years. When you wrote of your own depression I was going first to embark on a long lecture in which I furnished you with all kinds of valuable precepts drawn from my own depression and mastery of it, Hark! Hark! But a day or two's reflection showed me how pompous it was. And also I remember how utterly disheartening was the comfort of my friends with all their remarks about what do you want to become a psychoanalyst for or a businessman, etc., why, boy, you don't realize how much talent you have. And of course what put the knife in my heart was that finally I had to do the writing, not them, and they just didn't know. So I don't want to go on about how much talent you have, etc. cause that won't cheer you. But I do want to remind you that the writing depression may not last forever, and that what you learn now and what you accomplish now (even if it be half as much at twice the effort) is going to represent later the years when we got iron in our spines and lead in our pencils. After all, we're both like bullfighters who arrived too early.--The thing I love more and more about bullfighting is its panoramic violent extrapolation of the agony of the artist, the half-artist, and the never-will-be artist. Whereas all our dramas go on in wormy corners of the brain. Mexico has been mildly pleasant, mildly boring. Maybe our house is just a little too nice. I put in a couple of hours a day studying Spanish which unfortunately with my dogged unpoetic mind (I'm serious) I approach like geometry rather than music so the progress tends to be muscular. Then I read novels or poot around. It's pleasant if a little wasteful, but what keeps me in good spirits is that for the first time in years I have ideas for two novels instead of wondering what the next one would be. …
Traditional economic theories of social enterprises rely on new institutional economics. Although these theories have an undeniable explanatory power, they display a series of non-negligible flaws. Evolutionary and complexity approaches in economics may help overcome these limits. The object of this article is, in a first time, to review the different new institutional theories applied to non-profits and cooperatives and, in a second time, to present some criticisms addressed to new institutional economics. We concentrate on two controversial aspects of the latter: on the one hand, its underlying hypotheses about individuals and, in particular, bounded rationality and opportunism; on the other hand, its neglect of the emergent and evolving nature of economic phenomena and of the importance of history and the environment in agents’ institutional choices. For each criticism, we make proposals, mainly inspired by evolutionary and complexity approaches in economics, in order to overcome these
BACKGROUND/AIM Botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) is known to block the release of acetylcholine from motor and autonomic nerve terminals and may significantly decrease saliva production when injected intraglandulary. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of BTX-A injections in the treatment of disabling sialorrhea in various neurological disorders.   METHODS This study included 19 consecutive patients with significant sialorrhea associated with various neurological disorders. Out of them 13 patients were with Parkinson's disease, two with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration, two with multiple system atrophy, one with Wilson's disease, and one patient with postoperative sialorrhea. Botulinum toxin-A (Dysport, Ipsen Pharma) was injected into the parotid glands with (n=7 patients) or without (n=12 patients) ultrasound guidance. All the patients were scored before and after the treatment and in weekly intervals thereafter using the salivation item of the part II (Activities of Daily Living) of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS).   RESULTS Thirteen patients (68%) reported beneficial effect of BTX-A injection, while 6 of them (32%) had no response at all The sialorrhea scores before and after the treatment were 3.1 +/- 0.1 (range 2-4) and 1.8 +/- 0.1 (range 0-3), respectively (t=5.636; p<0.001). There was no difference in the magnitude of response between the groups with (t=4.500; p=0.004) and without (t=3.674; p=0.005) ultrasound control of injection sites. Adverse effects were registered in 5 patients (26%).   CONCLUSIONS Botulinum toxin-A injections to easily accessible parotid glands, without necessity for ultrasound guidance, are safe and efficaceous treatment for sialorrhea in different neurological disorders.
J BabolUniv Med Sci; 21; 2019; PP: 93-8 Received: July 6 2018, Revised: Nov 18 2018, Accepted: Jan 9 2019. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Candidiasis is the second common vaginal infection, and commonly used drugs are azoles. Over-consumption of Azol is associated with resistance to drug and treatment failure. Studies conducted in vitro confirm the antifungal effects of coconut oil. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of vaginal cream of coconut oil and clotrimazole on vaginal candidiasis infection. METHODS: This clinical trial study was performed on 71 women with Candida infection in two groups receiving vaginal cream of coconut oil: 35(78%) and clotrimazole (36%) (1%) who were treated for 7 nights (one applicator per night). One week after the completion of the treatment, patients were re-examined. Itching, burning, pain and secretion were compared in two groups. FINDINGS: After the mean intervention (itching in the coconut group was 0±0 and in the clotrimazole group was 19±0.46 (p=0.017), (burning in the coconut group was 0.08±0.20 and in the clotrimazole group was 57% (p=0.046), (secretion in the coconut group was 0.05±0.23 and in the clotrimazole group was 66.6±0.98 (p=0.001) (pain during sex in the coconut group 23 0.05 and 0.30±0.62 in the clotrimazole group (p=0.031). However, the success of the treatment (negative culture) was not significant between the two groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that vaginal cream of coconut oil and clotriamzole both improve vaginal candidiasis infection. Therefore, vaginal cream of coconut oil can be used as an alternative treatment for vaginal candidiasis.
To study the effects of basic fibroblast growth factor(bFGF)-coated magnetic nanoparticles on the recovery and regeneration in rat skeletal muscles after acute contusion.bFGF could significantly increased the muscle contractive strength at day 17 and day 24 in gastrocnemius after contusion.From day 2 after contusion,bFGF could restore the muscle relaxation back close to the normal level.The bFGF-coated group was significantly different from other four groups in the expression of at day 2-10 after contusion(P0.05).The bFGF-coated group could significantly enhance the contractive strength,promote the expression of MHC-Ⅱb mRNA,and improve the regeneration and structure healing of injured muscles in rat acute skeletal muscle contusion.
In this work, preparation of zinc thin films using pulsed laser deposition technique has been described. Optical absorption spectra of the films have been obtained by Spectrophotometry. The method of measuring the optical limiting of samples and its results in different aperture size are also represented. According to the obtained results, by increasing the aperture size the critical power for observation of nonlinear effects in thin films increases. This is due to elimination of nonlinear refraction effects. In this case, increment of critical power is due to nonlinear absorption which determines the behavior of optical limiting of the films.
Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that inflammation is involved in the pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the mechanism of I/R-initiated inflammation remains to be determined. The inflammasome is a multiprotein complex consisting of nod-like receptor (NLR), apoptosis-associated speck-like adaptor protein (ASC), and caspase-1, and regulates caspase-1-dependent maturation of IL-1beta and IL-18. In the present study, we investigated the role of inflammasome in myocardial I/R injury. Methods and Results: Wild-type (WT), ASC−/−, and caspase-1−/− mice were subjected to 30 min LAD ligation, followed by reperfusion. ASC and caspase-1 were expressed at the site of myocardial I/R injury. Deficiency of ASC and caspase-1 reduced inflammatory responses, such as inflammatory cell infiltration and cytokine expression, and subsequent injuries such as infarct development, myocardial fibrosis, and dysfunction in myocardial I/R injury. To determine the contribution of inflammasome in bone marrow cells, we produced bone marrow transplant mice and found that inflammasome activation was critical not only in bone marrow cells but also in myocardial resident cells. Since myocardial damage was observed before the inflammatory cell infiltration after I/R, we hypothesized that myocardial resident cells are responsible for an initial activation of inflammasome. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) stimuli could induce inflammasome activation in cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes in vitro. Interestingly, inflammasome activation was detected only in cardiac fibroblasts, but not in cardiomyocytes, and mediated through reactive oxygen species (ROS) and potassium efflux. Conclusion: These findings indicate that inflammasome activation in cardiac fibroblasts is essential for inflammation and injury after myocardial I/R, and suggest that the inflammasome is a potential novel therapeutic target for myocardial I/R injury.
This paper analyzed the production process of traditional Chinese fermented soybean products,e.g.soybean paste,sufu and lobster sauce,as well as the quality and safety factors of the product.The current situation and the development of the processing technology were described in detail.The problems in Chinese existed in fermented soybean food industry and the improving measures were also introduced.
Contaminated soil containing 5290.53926 mg/kg total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was  bioremediated by composting. The soil was inoculated with cow dung and incubated for  8 weeks. The soil was mixed in a ratio of 1:1 (v/v) with saw dust and then mixed in a  ratio 2:1 with cow dung. Compost heap was set up in a compost bin and covered with  double layers of nylon straw sheets. Control experiment which contained the  contaminated soil and saw dust without cow dung was also set up in a compost bin.  Temperature readings were taken every other day. Moisture, pH, C:N:P:K ratios of the  compost mixture and TPH of the soil was monitored during the incubation period.  Temperature rose to 39.4Â°C in the cow dung amended waste while temperature of the  control experiment rose to 37.7Â°C. Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) was reduced by  74.4% in the cow dung amended waste at the end of 8 weeks of composting. Microbial  populationswere shown to increase with reduction in hydrocarbon contents of the soil
Bicycle suspension is increasingly used to improve performance and facilitate the use of smaller wheels for folding bicycles, unwanted activation due to pedalling and braking forces can however result in energy losses. This paper presents a kinematic analysis leading to a Suspension Activation Ratio (SAR) which is the ratio of the suspension activation force to the pedalling force and its experimental verification. The SAR may be used as a performance metric to compare suspension designs and an objective function for suspension design optimization where the SAR is minimized for all possible gear ratios. Suspension geometry thus optimized shows agreement with optimal pivot positions found by empirical studies. Previous work has involved dynamic simulation and experimentation to estimate energy losses; however it is difficult to apply this analysis to rapidly evaluate different suspension designs for performance evaluation or design optimization. The kinematic design approach presented here provides the first step in suspension design which should precede dynamic design to optimize spring and damping rates.
The objective of this study was to evaluate heart rate, ST segment in ventricular, and ventricular premature beat for cardiac function and exposure of magnetic field between high-exposure group and low-exposure group. An experimental study was performed for four month of study period of December 1998-March 1999 to assess 24 hr personal exposure level using EMDEXII and heart rate beat using Holter for subject. Subjects were 45 physically and mentally healthy male volunteers, and assigned to two groups. High-exposure group was 23 male volunteers; 9 subway drivers, 7 electric workers, and 7 transformer substation workers (mean age : 29.9±4.0, mean BMI : 22.66±2.2). The low-exposure group was 22 male volunteers; 10 students and 12 official workers (mean age : 30.4±4.6, mean BMI : 23.10±2.4). Informed consent was obtained from each subject. There was not a significant difference for the average heart rates beats between high-exposure and low-exposure groups. The mean 24hr personal exposure levels of high-exposure group were 0.73 μT, whereas low-exposure group were 0.08 μT. High-exposure group were exposed more highly while at work. But 5 subject who working period more than five years in high-exposure group were significant difference between heart rate beats and exposure to magnetic field levels(p=0.037). Finally, this study would provide significant data for furture study of risk assessment of magnetic fields. A large scale study concerning more detailed exposure assessment should provide important information on health risk assessment of MFs. Further study should provide information on the contribution of various sources and the relationship between cardiac autonomic function and exposure of magnetic fields.
This research compares a future society described in Ray Bradbury`s Fahrenheit 451 (1953) to modern technopoly. The main protagonist of the novel, Guy Montag, is a fireman who burns books in a future society which does not allow people to read or own books. The future society which controls the expansion of knowledge is similar to technopoly which Neil Postman defines as a culture where people passively react to overflow of information. Bradbury compares Montag to several characters, such as his wife Mildred and Captain Beatty. With this comparison, Bradbury lets his readers look back themselves who live in a sea of information without being aware of the domination of technopoly. This research suggests that the reason people do not know that knowledge is controlled and limited is because they do not distinguish between knowledge and information. They misunderstand widely available information is knowledge as characters in Fahrenheit 451 feel stuffed with information. Since the 1990s, scholars and writers such as Neil Postman and Nicholas Carr have expressed problems with the excess of information, however Bradbury already predicted through Fahrenheit 451 in 1953 that the development of technology does not mean a higher level of knowledge. This research suggests what modern human beings have lost in vast amount of information rather than what they have gained.
The interview with professor Matilde Scaramucci from UNICAMP/Brazil presents the EPLIS, an exam created to test the English proficiency of brazilian air traffic controllers. Professor Scaramucci talks about the structure of this exam, comparing it with others that have the same purpose. She also mentions the difficulties involved in creating such a tool and the advantages of having it. She ends the interview by mentioning the washback effects that are expected from the exam.
That the investment behavior of the small and medium-sized enterprise is correct or not directly influences its survival and development,but there is a marked effect of financing constraints on corporate investment behavior.Based on the change of the number and performance of the SME of the five main industries over the financial crisis,external financing and other relevant circumstances in Changzhou,an empirical study is made to explore the external financing environment's impact on the field of business investment in different industries.The results show: to a certain extent,external financing constraints produced the inhibition on the number of SMEs of the textile and garment,chemical,electronic and mechanical industry.So the paper proposed to build the scientific financing mechanism to guide the rational adjustment of the industrial structure of SMEs.External financing capacity promoted and guided the increase of research and development investment in woven clothing,electronics and machinery industry to a certain extent,but the internal accumulation did not play this role.So this paper proposes to build a scientific and rational R D support mechanisms to guide innovation of SMEs and investment of research and development.
This article describes the theoretical basis for testing the effectiveness of training of cadets. The work is based on the requirements of educational standards for information and computer competence cadets selected system of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the educational process. The authors have formulated problems that are to be solved to improve the efficiency of the educational process. The article also proposes a methodology for the application of comprehensive quality indicator, proposed by Harrington, to account for the influence of heterogeneous quality criteria in multi-criteria systems quality. The authors study the ways to form a system of criteria to identify the level of effectiveness of education. The method of working out the criteria is based on the questionnaire with questions for experts and ready sets of features of checking the level of results in education by students. The whole work is based on principles of the competence approach.
FIELD: chemistry, processing technology. SUBSTANCE: solidification mixture is described, consisting of: (a) fluoroplastic, solidificated mixture being optionally contain 1-70 wt % of fluoroplastic, and (b) fluoroelastomer resin; and fluoroplastic include nitrogen-containing vulcanisation center, where optionally monomer with nitrogen-containing vulcanisation center represents nitrile-containing vulcanisation centre monomer; where optionally nitrogen-containing vulcanisation centre is produced from either: (i) monomer with nitrogen-containing vulcanisation centre optionally chosen from group, which includes nitrile-containing vulcanisation centre monomers, amidine-containing vulcanisation center monomers and their salts, imidate-containing vulcanisation center monomers, and their combination; or (ii) nitrogen-containing agent of kinetic chain transfer; and elements obtained from fluorinated monomer, where fluorinated monomer is optionally chosen from group, which includes perfluorinated olefines, perfluorinated vinyl esters, and their combinations. Furthermore, hardened and molded piece is described obtained by such mixture solidification, and also the mixture is described, representing (a) latex, consisting of fluoroplastic particles, and (b) latex, consisting of fluoroelastomer resin particles. EFFECT: described inventions have improved properties. 3 cl, 4 ex, 1 tbl
Public hospital reform is the difficulty of the health system reform and is also the key content which decides the success or failure of health system reform. The new mode which results from public hospital reform is described in view of visiting a doctor, establishing a hospital and regulation. How the mode can be shaped is also discussed. It gives some reference for further public hospital reform and hospital management innovation.
Summary. This paper aims to disseminate the country-specific results and experience of professionals working within a multin ational research study on women victims of gender violence. A description of the two partner organizations ‐ Romanian Association of Classical Psychodrama and H ome of Hope - which worked with the abused women and the domestic viole nce context in Romania are briefly provided. The main objective presented in t his paper is the evaluation of the effectiveness of the ecological approach combined w ith psychodrama intervention in a group of 36 women victims of intimate partner violence: there were 16 women in the psychodrama group(PG) and 20 women in the Ec ological Model group (EM). The results of psychodrama and the ecological intervention are discussed. To conclude, some lessons were learned for future a pplication in the field of gender-based and family violence.
A 349 bp fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of two Sympatric cavefishes i.e Sinocyclocheilus rhinocerous and S.malacopterus that lived in the same cave, were sequenced and compared. 45 nucleotide variations were found, and 11of them occurred at the first nucleotide positions of codons related, 2 at the second position. This difference of these two species was very notable. It indicaled that these two sympatrie cavefishes were unlike to derive directly from the recent same ancestry species. They were not most closely related to each other.
The space in which teachers operate has a significant influence on the approach that teachers can and do take to classroom teaching. It also has a significant impact on student engagement and how teachers manage the complexity of classroom interactions. At the TLN we have identified six different classroom layouts and considered the impact on teacher pedagogy, classroom movement and student interactions. We encourage you to extend this discussion among colleagues to include the impact of the layout of the learning space on curriculum, student wellbeing, community expectations and engagement, and student achievement.
The study of color terms is a classical linguistic research area. Through the literature study of English,Chinese and Chinese minority languages,we discover that there are seven approaches to color terms study which include Chinese traditional linguistic approach,general linguistic approach,cognitive linguistic approach,cultural linguistic approach,comparative linguistic approach,experimental psychology approach and pragmatic approach. Scholars use these seven approaches to study two main domains which are the vocabulary system and semantic system of color terms,especially basic colors terms. Nowadays these seven approaches have the trend to work together.The achievement of basic color terms and their occurrence order is highest of all. Meanwhile we must focus on the meaning if we want to open a new situation. As to the study of color terms in Chinese,we must distinguish classical Chinese and vernacular during the study material selection,we also should pay particular attention to Chinese verse such as the classical Chinese poetry.
An internal fixation system for the anterior cervical vertebrae and a preparation method therefor. The system comprises a pair of fixing legs (1) arranged oppositely; the ends of the pair of fixing legs (1) are connected by a legs connection rod (2); the other ends of the fixing legs (1) are conical; saw-tooth barbs (5) are arranged on the inside surface of each fixing foot (1); saw-tooth ridges (6) are arranged on two sides of each saw-tooth barb; the middle of the legs connection rod (2) is pierced to form an observation window (3). While the system exerts a distraction force to the two sides of the middle of the observation window (3) of the legs connection rod (2), the two fixing legs (1) continuously press inwards, thus achieving the effect of pressing and fixing a single segment of cervical spine; the system accords with the physiological structural features of the cervical spine, has good conformability, fastens effectively, is simple in structure and easy to put in place and adjust. The preparation method uses single-piece shaping and a degradable magnesium and magnesium alloy matched bioactivity coating, so that the degrading speed of the magnesium and magnesium alloy can be effectively controlled, and injury caused by separation of a screw from a steel plate or removal in a second operation is fully avoided.
We present a computing framework for Monte Carlo simulation of radiation transport. In conformity with our belief that Monte Carlo studies should be anchored to physics but not to any particular code, we have enabled different Monte Carlo codes in this environment. The framework embraces the EGSnrc family, FLUKA, MCNP/MCNPX, GEANT4 and PENELOPE; dedicated and non-dedicated resources; shared and non-shared filesystems; local clusters and nationsl grids; Unix/Linux family as well as Windows operating systems. The framework works whether or not the executing node has been pre-installed with the Monte Carlo code. It works with resource brokers such as Condor, Nimrod, PBS, SGE, OMII GridSAM and gLite. Validation and quality assurance become very important when using heterogeneous computers beyond local administration-particularly if simulation results are used for making decisions which potentially save or harm human life e.g. patients seeking medical treatment or staff exposed to radiation hazards. We describe the steps we take before and/or after simulation execution to gain confidence in simulation results. Before execution of the full simulation, smaller test jobs may be run so that results may be validated against known values. This exercise is similar to the test suites available in MCNP/MCNPX, sometimes replaced by or coupled with problem-specific tests designed by the user. After execution of the simulation, results from different batches of radiation histories are compared for statistical agreement. A series of illustrative examples of the use of this computational framework will be presented, involving inter-code comparisons for medical physics applications.
OBJECTIVE To investigate antitumor effects of curcumin(Cur) combined with Vincristine(VCR) or Adriamycin(ADR) on KB and KB v200 cell lines in vitro. METHODS The antitumor effects of the drugs on tumor cell lines in vitro were determined by MTT method.Cellular ADR accumulation was measured by fluorescence spectrophotometry.RESULTS Cur combining with VCR or ADR produced sensitive effect on KB and KB V200 cells. The cellular ADR accumulation was markedly increased at the presence of Cur in MDR KB v200 cells,but the sensitized effect was none concering with cellular ADR accumulation in sensitive KB cells.CONCLUSION Cur can sensitize effect of antitumor drug by different mechanisms in sensitive KB cell line and MDR KB v200 cell line.
The Catholic Carthusian Order was founded in 1084 by saint Bruno from Cologne. The Carthusians occupy an important role in the Roman Catholic Church, and their order serves as an example of the Orthodox monastic tradition, loyal to patristic admonitions, due to that fact it is the nearest to the Orthodox monasticism. From the outset of its existence the Carthusians sought to persue the traditions of the early Christian monasticism, that allows to compare the spirituality of that Order with the Hesychastic spirituality of the Western monks.
Laser cutting is the most common manufacturing process widely used nowadays and this is due to its flexibility, reliability, maximize material utilization by part nesting, time saving and low cost tooling. But, inappropriate control and setting may lead to material defects, machine malfunction or even catastrophe. Hence, the purpose of this study is to implement the ideas from lean six sigma for optimizing laser cutting conditions to prolong the service life of the laser cutting machine. The entire dissertation will be surrounded in optimize machining parameters for EPILOG Legend 36Ext – Model 9000 laser cutting machine in the FKM lab by using DMAIC approach. And, the whole idea of optimal control was encapsulated in Lean Six Sigma methodology which summarized in the abbreviation (DMAIC): Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control. First of all, a list of problem statement has constructed to clarify the objectives of the project to be studied. Second, a value stream mapping diagram has constructed to serve as an overview of the entire maintenance management system in order to measure the bottlenecks between personnel and information flow from relevant management level. Third, a mathematical modelling software such as MATLAB was used to formulate the relationship between the cutting parameters towards the cutting quality of acrylic specimens. Forth, solutions to machining dysfunctions has proposed and optimum cutting conditions were developed by using Design Expert software. Fifth, a standard practice such as SOP (standard of procedure) was developed to replace current machining procedures. Finally, improved plans were further monitored in order to ensure the improvements were sustainable. After implementing DMAIC, it was found that the information given by supplier’s manual should be continually revised since machining parameters due to deteriorate of machine parts. The values of revising SOP may help FKM lab to save cost in machine repair.
Buckling of long slender structures is still the subject of many studies. Here we deal with the long thin steel tubes used in the oilfield drilling. For the first time to our knowledge a single computer code which allows to tackle the problem of drillpipe buckling in three-dimensional wells, by taking into account the friction and the rotation of the drillpipe has been developped. A comparison of the model is proposed with an experimental set up that enables to reproduce the wellbore tortuosity. This computer code is then validated on real data of drilling, as well as on lab tests with a reduced scale experimental facility which reproduces the buckling phenomena of drillpipe in actual well conditions. This model should contribute to better predict the occurrence of buckling on drilling operations, phenomena that can be in the beginning of many dysfunction, like the fatigue failure of drillstring. Mots-clefs : Flambage ; tige de forage ; frottement ; rotation ; fatigue ;
PT. Trimegah Bangun Persada is located in the village Kawasi  District of Obi South Halmahera Regency is a nickel mining company is also in addition to seeking profits are also trying to implement corporate social responsibiliti so that in addition to increasing the sompany’s image better in view Stakehoulders also increase the company’s role in improving the welfare and social responsibility enviromental the people around and the people in North Maluku,as it has been in good mandated in Law No.4 of 2009 on mining minerals,article 1 paragraph 3 of Law No.40 of 2007 a limited liability company. The purpose of this study was to analyze the policy implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility PT. Trimegah Bangun Persada in the Village Kawasi Obi District of South Halmahera Regency. The research found that the application of CSR implementation is based on the Memorandum of Agreement between the management of PT. Trimegah Bangun Persada South Halmahera District Government and Rural Society Kawasi which resulted in a 9-point agreement has been implemented as a CSR program. Models or patterns of CSR adopted by the company in the form of direct involvement. The motive for companies to implement CSR is a profit motive, the community, and the environment. CSR implementation benefits include: improving public welfare, environmental protection, community development, rural development as well as the nation. Keywords: Implementation, Policy, Village
My music is generally composed against a background structure of defined time. At the same time as holding what might be described as this purely formal concern, I am also increasingly drawn to narrativity, i.e. ways of thinking about music which may be susceptible to ideas from film and literature. My research has therefore centred on this question: how can seemingly formal musical processes relate to and illuminate issues of narrativity? In the course of this research I have considered the importance of cyclic models of composition, both to myself and to previous composers, and how such models might relate to theories of myth, plot structure and the recurrence of formal archetypes in the output of a single artist. As examples in my own work, I cite first in my portfolio a single movement work which is the final work in a cycle of six related compositions for piano solo, and then a song cycle based on multiple voicings of the experience of a classical, semi-mythical figure. To conclude I show how concerns with formal rhythm and narrativity have led naturally into work with archive silent film, resulting in two very different scores for the abstract short film Rain (1929), and a longer narrative film, I Was Born, But... (1932). In the course of the commentary, I relate compositional methodology to notions of musical rhythm and visual rhythm, and the structuring of images and sound in time.
ABSTRACT. This study was conducted on 100 respondents who live around Saluran Udara Tegangan Tinggi (SUTT) area which is located in all regions of South Sumatra. Determining the location chosen purposively to take some respondents whose home is around SUTT networks. Simple random sampling method was used as a sampling technique. The purposes of this study were to: (1) determine the behavior of the people who live around SUTT network, (2) describe the socio-economic conditions of the people around SUTT network, and identifies whether public attitudes affect the socio-economic conditions of people living in the surrounding tissue SUTT. The results showed that in socio-economic conditions site, generally, people were working as farmers, traders, workers, private employees, self-employed, and civil servants. The average income per month were starting from 1 million IDR to 2 million IDR. It means that their icome is still low. Social side can be seen from their living condition for example their house is still using wood in low quality as main material. Land ownership status including their own, and rent. The perception of the community living under SUTT network claimed that the They had never felt a significant health problem, but there are little unrest caused by the presence of loud whirring sound coming from the cable every rainy season. Technically, though not necessarily identical as the cause of health problems but has been disturbing the peace of residents who live around that area. This problem cause anxiety, which is in turn disrupt the activities of people in socio-economic. Thus, it can cause a health problem. Key words: Network SUTT , public attitudes and Socio-Economic Conditions
The real-time evaluating result of hit probability for rocket assisted torpedo(RAT)is an important basis to command and decision-making. Firstly, the RAT's static hit probability sheet was obtained according to the distance and relative bearing off the target. Secondly, the fire error distribution area was partitioned into some sub-zones, and the dropping probability into each sub-zone the RAT's water-entry point may drop was calculated. Thirdly, the average hit probability for each sub-zone was accounted, which was based on its nodes' distance and relative bearing off the target, as well as the static hit probability sheet. Finally, the RAT's real-time hit probability was the sum of the multiplication of each subzone's dropping probability and its average hit probability.
Eco driving is often cited as a good practice to reduce fuel consumption by 10% to 20% and thus contributes to reduce CO2 emissions. As among other sectors, freight transportation by truck is one of the major contributors to CO2 emissions with 14% of the grand total in France. However, assessing its potential in actual operations is not easy and to our best knowledge has never been done before. In this research, done in collaboration with a logistics services provider operating its own fleet, we defined a measurement protocol and tested several incentives to motivate truck drivers in order to reduce fuel consumption. By reporting the eco driving strategy implemented in 3 different operational areas, this research has enabled us to understand the benefits of the actions to reach emissions reduction up to 4,2%. To complement other researches that aim to bring a theoretical analysis of the relation ship between the consump tion and its impacting factors, this research is anchored in practice. This has enabled us to understand the need to evaluate the driving behaviour depending on the characteristics of the tour and the area. And help us to conceive a sustainable system of i ncentives for drivers.
The recent demonstration that a single mammalian receptor protein binds both mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) and insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) with high affinity has suggested a multifunctional physiological role for this receptor, possibly including signal transduction. In order to better understand the functions of this receptor, we have investigated the properties of Man-6-P receptors from non-mammalian species. Receptors were affinity-purified from Triton X-100 extracts of total membranes from Xenopus and chicken liver as well as rat placenta using pentamannosyl 6-phosphate-Sepharose. The Man-6-P receptor was adsorbed to the pentamannosyl 6-phosphate-Sepharose and specifically eluted by Man-6-P in all three species, as evaluated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver staining. When the purified receptors from these three species were cross-linked to 125I-IGF-II with disuccinimidyl suberate, only receptors isolated from rat membranes were affinity-labeled. To further evaluate the properties of these Man-6-P receptors, binding of 125I-rat-IGF-II and 125I-chicken Tyr-Gly-Thr-Ala-IGF-II to purified receptors from Xenopus, chicken, and rat was evaluated by polyethylene glycol precipitation. Only the rat Man-6-P receptor exhibited detectable binding of 125I-IGF-II. These data suggest that the emergence of a high affinity IGF-II binding site on the Man-6-P receptor occurred in evolution after the divergence of mammals from other vertebrates. Thus, the biological actions of IGF-II in chickens and frogs appear to be initiated by the type I IGF receptor.
World crisis energy make intermediate technology or alternative technology becomes main option of countries in the world in effort to manipulate energy usage where now energy supply starting being rare, including government of Republic Indonesia. There is many category of intermediate technology which very essential to using in effort to reduce energy from fossil resources, like hydraulic ram pump technology which just only using application of potential energy of water and water hammer phenomenon as main energy and mechanism of pump. Prospect application of hydraulic ram pump is very fit to using in many locations in Indonesia. Indonesia as agrarian country having rural areas where water consumption is very important cause water as main need for agriculture. In this design, researcher is using method of characteristics for designing hydraulic ram pump, which on this subject using waste valve with diameter of valve 80 millimeters, as main component of pump. Result of calculation that pressure of water hammer approximately 4,2 bars and pump capacity or flow rate approximately 0,0008 m3/s for elevation or head 10 meters.
Since P+-MIC Poly-Si thin film has good electricity characteristics and the optic characteristic of semi-transparent and semi-reflective,it is used as the LCD electrode which is both transparent and reflective to form a transflection LCD panel.However,the MIC poly-Si thin film′s transmission and reflection varies in the spectrum of visible light,which results in the "aberrance" of the white light.Therefore,we put high reflective Al of different area on the electrode to compensate and keep a balance among the three essential colors light transmitting and reflecting from the MIC p-Si electrode.The result indicates that in the spectrum of visible light,the reflection and transmission of red,green and blue light are basically accordant.With the MIC Poly-Si LCD anode technique,the LCD anode is the prolongation of its driving TFT drain,and the Al reflective mirror is prepared with the same Al electrode wire of TFT.Therefore,the high performance transflection LCD would be achieved and the preparation process flow of AMLCD panel would be simplified.Based on the MIC poly-Si transflection electrode technique and the full PMOS poly-Si peripheral driving circuit technology,a 4-MASK process flow is proposed and it is carried on the system-on-panel active matrix substrate for LCD(SOP-AMLCD).The simplification of the process flow would result in the significant reduction of manufacturing costs.
At present,mature commercial intrusion detection systems usually adopt precise matching based on features or rules.If an attack mode is too special or an attacker adopts some evading detection techniques,it will lead to high false positive or false negative,thereby reducing the accuracy of whole system.To solve those problems,this paper proposes an intrusion detection system model based on case-based reasoning,then puts forward the pretreatment model based on snort to avoid the problem of excessive consumption of system resources caused by reasoning,and uses layered structure case base maintenance model to solve the problems of case quality and access speed,designs an improved matching algorithm based on variable weights for CBR engine to improve searching accuracy.Simulation results show that the above system can solve the problem of evading detection successfully and has been improved in detection rate compared with traditional systems.
The report identifies driver preferences for secondary controls (headlights on/off, horn, etc.). A total of 103 drivers sat in a mockup of a sports car with a "pod like" instrument panel covered with velcro (registered trademark). Drivers designed instrument panels by placing the switches they preferred for 24 functions where they wanted them. There were 255 switch designs (stalk controls, pushbuttons, etc.) to choose among. Drivers also identified the motion that should be used to operate each control and provided comments. When the design was complete, drivers reached for each control while operating a driving simulator. Drivers preferred the stalk position for headlight controls, front wiper and wash, and turn signals. The steering wheel was preferred for cruise controls and the horn, while the lower right dash was selected for hazard. For new controls (suspension adjust, steering adjust) driver preferences for location were not consistent.
Right-wing populism has experienced a surge in popularity among advanced democracies around the world. The success of right-wing populism has changed the course of history for the United Kingdom, which, due to the success of Brexit, will become the first state to ever leave the European Union. Recent research has identified several potential grievances that have motivated support for right-wing populism. The first theory points to the economic grievances that result from the economic displacement that accompanies modernization. The second theory emphasizes cultural grievances, with those that feel their traditional values have been challenged and displaced taking part in a “cultural backlash.” The declinism theory states that populism is a result of people viewing society as declining, whether that be socially, culturally, or economically. The fourth and final theory states that those who lack social recognition and respect are the most likely to feel “left behind” and support right-wing populism. This analysis will focus on the “left behind” theory which accounts for educational and class differences that past theories have not been able to explain. We hypothesize that those who feel they are no longer respected or recognized in society are the most likely to support Brexit. Using an OLS regression, we find that those who perceive themselves to be part of a lower social class, feel they are not treated with respect, and maintain anti-immigration attitudes are more likely to support Brexit. This article is available in Res Publica Journal of Undergraduate Research: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol23/iss1/ 17 RES PUBLICA XXIII │109 The Role of Social Integration and Anti-Immigration Attitudes in Motivating Support for Brexit Olivia Heffernan Abstract: Right-wing populism has experienced a surge in popularity among advanced democracies around the world. The success of right-wing populism has changed the course of history for the United Kingdom, which, due to the success of Brexit, will become the first state to ever leave the European Union. Recent research has identified several potential grievances that have motivated support for right-wing populism. The first theory points to the economic grievances that result from the economic displacement that accompanies modernization. The second theory emphasizes cultural grievances, with those that feel their traditional values have been challenged and displaced taking part in a “cultural backlash.” The declinism theory states that populism is a result of people viewing society as declining, whether that be socially, culturally, or economically. The fourth and final theory states that those who lack social recognition and respect are the most likely to feel “left behind” and support right-wing populism. This analysis will focus on the “left behind” theory which accounts for educational and class differences that past theories have not been able to explain. We hypothesize that those who feel they are no longer respected or recognized in society are the most likely to support Brexit. Using an OLS regression, we find that those who perceive themselves to be part of a lower social class, feel they are not treated with respect, and maintain anti-immigration attitudes are more likely to support Brexit.
1. Thefactors leading tothealternation inmyocardial contractility believed primarily responsible forpulsus alternans arenotknown.We examineregional andglobal contraction patterns intheinsitu heart atstimulation rates just belowthethreshold for pulsus alternans todetermine ifevents occurring inthetransition toalternans cangive clues tocellular mechanisms. 2. Twelvepigswereanaesthetized, thechestwallremovedandregional contraction measured inthree areasoftheleft ventricle using tripodal strain gauges. We analysed regional andglobal dynamics during right atrial pacing atcycle lengths 50-150 ms greater thanthethreshold forpulsus alternans. 3. Atpacing cycle lengths 50msgreater thanthatrequired toproduce pulsus alternans sevenoftwelve pigsshowedalternans inthemaximumrateofventricular pressure decay butnoneshowedalternans inthemaximumrateofpressure rise. Pigsshowing alternans inglobal relaxation weremorelikely toshowalternans inregional contractility (P<005). 4. Twenty-six ofthethirty-six areas sampled showedalternans inend-diastolic length at pacing ratesbelowthethreshold forpulsus alternans. Infifteen ofthese areas alternation inend-diastolic length occurred intheabsence ofalternans inmeasures of contractility.
A continuous time common mode feedback (CMFB) technique for sub 1-V analog circuits using the bulk PMOS dynamic threshold @P-DTMOS) technique is presented. The proposed method is used in a 0.8V folded cascode amplitier. The amplifier with embedded CMFB is implemented in 0.18 pm CMOS technology. The measurement data as well as simulation results are presented in this paper. The measurement results show that this technique improves the CMRR by 12 dB and helps reduce the common mode errors caused by process or environmental variations.
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During teaching practice of Engineering Thermodynamic,the potential and necessity of energy conservation are revealed from the viewpoints of energy conservation in air-conditioning and low-carbon notion by combining it with life and production practice.The energy conservation and environment protection education are launched through the introduction of energy saving method and energy saving trend.All these can not only make the class teaching more interesting but also intensify the notion of energy conservation and environment protection.
Abstract : A programme of research to evaluate the corrosion and stress corrosion resistance of experimental, pre-production and production quality aluminium - lithium sheet and plate alloys is described. Accelerated laboratory tests and outdoor trials have been used to compare the corrosion behaviour of aluminium - lithium alloys with conventional aerospace alloys. The work was carried out at National Lucht-en Ruimtevaartlaboratorium, Deutsche Forschungs- und Versuchsanstalt fur Luft- und Raumfahrt, Fokker and Royal Aerospace Establishment as part of the collaborative Group for Aeronautical Research and Technology in Europe Group of Responsables for Structures and Materials AG07 activity on aluminium - lithium alloys. Keywords: Alloys, Corrosion, Metallurgy, Great Britain, Netherlands, West Germany, Symposia. (JG)
Speakers communicate to influence their partner's beliefs and shape their actions. Belief- and action-based objectives have been explored independently in recent computational models, but it has been challenging to explicitly compare or integrate them. Indeed, we find that they are conflated in standard referential communication tasks. To distinguish these accounts, we introduce a new paradigm called signaling bandits, generalizing classic Lewis signaling games to a multi-armed bandit setting where all targets in the context have some relative value. We develop three speaker models: a belief-oriented speaker with a purely informative objective; an action-oriented speaker with an instrumental objective; and a combined speaker which integrates the two by inducing listener beliefs that generally lead to desirable actions. We then present a series of simulations demonstrating that grounding production choices in future listener actions results in relevance effects and flexible uses of nonliteral language. More broadly, our findings suggest that language games based on richer decision problems are a promising avenue for insight into rational communication.
This paper deals with design and manufacturing of a mechanical variable valve actuation (VVA) system, developed as part of a MUR financed research project concerning the realization of a high performance motorcycle engine, through a partnership of Moto Morini (Bologna), Dell’Orto (Milano), Istituto Motori - CNR (Napoli) and DiME (Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energetics) – University of Napoli Federico II.After a synthetic description of the main variable valve actuation methods currently employed, the paper presents the results of our mechanical VVA system, consisting of three main elements: cam, main rocker arm with fixed fulcrum and secondary rocker arm with mobile fulcrum. This VVA system (system 1) enables valve lift variation by a simple translation of one of the three elements (the intermediate one). The study has been conducted implementing a numerical procedure specifically designed to determine cam profile and kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the whole system, starting from the following input data: rocker arm geometry, relative positions and inertial data of elements, spring stiffness and preloading, camshaft speed and valve lift law. The model has been validated against the conventional timing system using kinematic simulations. Results of the numerical procedure verify the validity of the VVA system, capable of a valve lift variation, with a limited acceleration. Starting from the numerical results, we have developed a new mechanical variable valve actuation system (system 2): it consists of the same three elements used previously, but they are connected in a different way. The newer system enables more general lift profile distributions with a similar geometric complexity. The activity has been extended to research for a new solution (always a mechanical system), capable to allow inlet valves complete closing and timing and duration variation (system 3).This paper reports results reachable with the simplest system 1, that gives better perspectives of use for a new two-wheel vehicle engine.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
In an information system,the transmission components are foundations of data flow software. A transmitting component based on TCP protocol is designed. It can satisfy the requirements of timeliness and reliability of multi-user concurrent operation. The operating principle of the components is described,including interaction process between client and service. In addition,the techniques used by components are analyzed,including IO multiplex implementation of thread pool and method of sticky-package. Besides,the interfaces of the component are listed. Finally,the test result shows that the component has high reliability.
Physico-chemical characterisation: DSC, FTIR, Mechanical testing, SEM - PDO filaments loaded with amounts of curcumin ranging from 0.001% to 10% were successfully prepared by electrospinning. Results indicated that at low doses (≤ 0.1%), the addition of curcumin had no influence on the spinning process or on the mechanics properties of the filaments, while higher doses (≥ 1%) led to smaller fibre diameters and improved strengths and stains. In terms of chemistry (FTIR), the effect of adding curcumin in the PDO matrix was mostly seen in the region 1500-1600 cm-1 but this was difficult to detect below 10%. The thermal properties of the samples (DSC analysis) indicated that the polymer matrix in samples containing 10% of curcumin (C10) was more amorphous than in the others, as reflected by the crystallinity value of around 26% for C10 compared to 40% for the others.  Physico-chemical characterisation: Release study - The amounts of curcumin released in culture medium from the different filaments were measured by LC-MS after a period of incubation of 24h. Results indicated that while C0.001 led to concentrations below the limit of detection (0.005μM), C0.01 and C0.1 released curcumin at concentrations around 0.01 μM and 0.1 μM, respectively. Interestingly, C1 released curcumin at around 9 μM and C10 led to concentrations of around 32 μM.  Biological characterisation: BrdU, MTT - NHDFs were incubated with the filaments and the effect of released curcumin on their metabolic activity (MTT) and proliferation (BrdU) were studied.  The results indicated that NHDFs cells do not survive in presence of C10, as values were close to zero at both days 1 and 7. Moreover, C1 seemed to inhibit proliferation although it did not induce cell death. This was shown by a metabolic activity similar to C0 at both day 1 and 7 (no significant difference), despite the low BrdU values.  Interestingly, C0.001 and C0.01 filaments stimulated proliferation of NHDFs compared to the no-filament control. However, this effect was not significant when compared to the filament control C0, meaning that the polymer itself might contribute to improve the cell metabolic activity and proliferation, such as by reacting with the H2O2 present in the medium (added to simulate oxidative stress conditions).  Biological characterisation: catalase, GSH, ROS - To assess the antioxidant effect of the curcumin released from the filaments on NHDFs, the activity of catalase and GSH were assessed and the amount of internal ROS was measured. Results indicated that there was no significant change in catalase activity and GSH content between the no-filament control and the filaments C0 to C1. However, both tests showed significantly higher values for C10 compared to the control and compared to the other filaments. Furthermore, a significant reduction in ROS production was observed for C1 and C10 compared to the other samples.  Biological characterisation: Scratch test - Scratches were created in cell monolayers and filaments were placed in the ‘wound area’. The wound closure area was assessed over a period of 3 days. Results showed that with filaments C0 to C0.1, cells had filled the wound area by day 3. With C1, although the scratch test results indicated that the average gap area was still of about 50% at day 3, this was not significantly different from the other filaments. The C10 filaments clearly prevented cell proliferation and migration in the vicinity of the filament (placed in the wound area) compared to the controls and to other filaments, as shown by a gap area remaining near 100%.
Managerial self-awareness is thought to impact leadership. A multi-rater feedback instrument was used to gather performance data on 70 managers in a large multi-national airline in regards to five leadership dimensions: making sound decisions, driving for results, effective communication, self-management, and innovation. Difference scores between self and direct reports were calculated and used as the operational definition of managerial self-awareness. T-tests were run to examine the difference between high performers and average performers. No significant differences were found. Additionally, correlational measures between the five leadership competencies and the managerial self-awareness measure indicated statistically weak relationships.
Abstract : A system of combined (active and passive) adaptation is examined. Active adaptation is based on the principle of an auxiliary operator, the passive system of conditional feed-back. The possibility of an active adjustment of a system's individual elements which are characterized by passive adaptation is investigated and relationships governing the structure of auxiliary operators are derived. An experimental study is made, using an analog computer, of the combined adaptation and active adjustment of object parameters. The effect of the input signal and the number of parameters adjusted on the precision of the adjustment is noted. (Author)
The group decision-making problems with the preference information about the alternatives provided by the decision makers in the different forms are studied.Firstly,we turn three forms of preference information (preference orderings,utility values,and multiplicative judgement matrix) uniform into fuzzy reciprocal judgement matrix by using the transformation formulas of each other.Secondly,we aggregate decision-making information uniformed by using ordered weighted geometric averaging(OWGA) operator.Moreover,the alternatives are ranked by using the weighted geometric averaging dominance degree which is aggregated by OWGA operator.A method based on OWGA operators for group decision-making problems is proposed,and it is characterized by simple operation and small computation.Finally,an example is given to show the feasibility and availability of the developed method.
We studied 57 patients with a recent infarction and an occluded infarct-related artery to test the hypothesis that the amount of 201Tl on delayed planar images correlates with the extent of viable myocardium after acute myocardial infarction. There was a significant (p < 0.001) correlation between mean 201Tl activity in the infarct zone and regional wall motion score in that zone both at baseline (r = -0.60, n = 57) and 1 mo after attempted angioplasty (r = -0.67, n = 48), with better function being associated with greater 201Tl uptake in the delayed images. There was no correlation between the number of segments showing redistribution and the wall motion score. We conclude that in patients with recent myocardial infarction and an occluded infarct-related artery, the average 201Tl activity within the infarct zone on delayed planar imaging correlates well with the extent of viable myocardium in that zone. The presence or absence of redistribution does not influence these results.
The main purpose of this study is to discuss the origin and the importance of the  concept of territory for the current mental health public policies in Brazil. In order to  do that, a thorough analysis of the use of that concept will highlight its importance  for the effective implementation of the Brazilian process of Psychiatric Reform. The  mental healthcare services brought about by that Reform since the early 1980s aim at  replacing the institutionalization model, transferring the site of treatment from  hospital to territory. This study intends to show the importance of the concept as a  tool, a resource that allows the instrumentalization of the relation between those  services and the community, changing social relations with madness. The territory  takes up a central role in transforming the “phenomenon of madness”, since work in  the field enables the social inclusion of the insane and the rescue of their citizenship.  Therefore, it is through the territory (understood as a combination of social forces  that generate mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion, with the possibility and even  the urge of operating or reformulating them) that this cultural transformation takes  place.
The invention discloses an early warning method and device for traveling and belongs to the technical field of vehicle safety. The early warning method for traveling comprises the steps that a first position judgment parameter between a first vehicle and a pedestrian is obtained; a second position judgment parameter between the first vehicle and a second vehicle within a predetermined range is calculated; the speed of the second vehicle is obtained, and the final braking distance of the second vehicle is obtained through calculation according to the speed of the second vehicle, the response time of a driver and the braking distance of the second vehicle; the difference value between the sum of the first position judgment parameter and the second position judgment parameter and the final braking distance of the second vehicle is judged; when the difference value is larger than zero, an early warning message is sent to the second vehicle according to the difference value. According to the early warning method and device for traveling, due to the fact that the first vehicle can send the early warning message to the second vehicle, the problem that the driver of the second vehicle can not take braking measures easily in time during driving due to the fact that a visual blind area exists or the sight of the driver of the second vehicle is blocked by the first vehicle is solved, and the traffic accidents that vehicles collide with pedestrians are reduced.
This study reports the results of the survey study on acrylamide levels in selected foods products collected randomly from supermarkets in Egypt. Acrylamide (AA) can be industrially produced or formed in processed food by a Millard type of reaction between sugar molecules and the amino acid asparagine.In order to estimate the quality of these foods and their effects on public health, the content of acrylamide in commercial potato chips, breakfast cereals, snacks, biscuit, bread, coffee and baby food has been determined. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to photodiode array detector technique was employed for the analysis.Extraction method was followed in order to allow low concentrations of acrylamideto be detected. Limit of detection was 30 μg/kg. In general, the highest value of acrylamide (1226 μg/kg) was detected in potato crisps whereas the lowest value was detected in powdered baby food (20 μg/ kg). The outcome of current study has strongly recommended the necessity to conduct a large-scale survey to evaluate the levels of acrylamide in commercial food products.
The calcaneus bone mineral density of 473 women was measured by single photon absorptiometry (SPA) and the vertebrae bone mineral density of 198 women was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The calcaneus bone mineral density of women starts decreasing at age 30, and the rate of decrease accelerates after the age of 50. The vertebrae bone mineral density starts decreasing at the age of 35, and a conspicuous decrease can be seen after the age of 50 as well. Because bone deterioration of Japanese women is thought to start earlier than in Europeans and Americans, the necessity of osteoporosis screening before menopause was suggested. A high positive correlation (r = 0.804) between calcaneus bone mineral density and vertebrae bone mineral density was found, and a high degree of precision of SXA was shown.
The invention discloses a voice coil motor, comprising a fixed assembly and a movable assembly. The fixed assembly comprises a fixed body and a coil group. The fixed body comprises a first holding cavity. The movable assembly comprises a movable barrel which is movably held in the first holding cavity and a magnet group. The movable barrel is a tri-prism barrel body. The magnet group is arranged on three outer walls of the movable barrel. The fixed body comprises a tri-prism fixed frame; and the fixed frame comprises three side walls which are connected end to end. The coil group is arranged in the three side walls of the fixed frame and aligned to the magnet group. The voice coil motor disclosed by the invention has the characteristics of simple structure and low production cost.
Study on the assistance by ultrasonic ethanol extraction technology,the raw materials of durian shell was studied to extraction of the total flavonoids by response surface designs.Through single-factor and response surface experiments,established two regression equations that durian shell total flavonoids content and five varietals factors.At the same time we carried out the computer simulation results and drawing surface base on the regression model,ensured the direction of changes and optimizations of two main factors for the durian shell flavonoids content,and verified the extracted flavonoids.Results indicated that:the alcohol concentration for 50%,liquid-to-solid ratio of 30:1,ultrasonic temperature 47℃,ultrasound time 40min,ultrasonic power was 200W.Under these conditions the total flavonoids obtained from durian shell was 30.0046mg/g and the rate of recovery could reach 100.09%.
The carrier (1) is of hollow triangular cross-section of pre-stressed concrete. To each upper sidewall units are bolted. These units (5) comprise linear stators (6), side travel rails (10) and sliding surfaces (9) for the vehicle to drop down on when stopping. The stators arre bolted to the underside of a steel I-beam and webs projecting outwards from each side of the beam's central member support the travel rail and the attachment surface to the concrete carrier. The sliding surface is attached to the top of the I-beam. The units are modular in form and can be adjusted before the bolts are tightened to give the required alignment of components in a long run of carriageway. ADVANTAGE - Easy alignment of rails by adjustment of each module.
We investigate a new, convex relaxation of an expectation-maximization (EM) variant that approximates a standard objective while eliminating local minima. First, a cautionary result is presented, showing that any convex relaxation of EM over hidden variables must give trivial results if any dependence on the missing values is retained. Although this appears to be a strong negative outcome, we then demonstrate how the problem can be bypassed by using equivalence relations instead of value assignments over hidden variables. In particular, we develop new algorithms for estimating exponential conditional models that only require equivalence relation information over the variable values. This reformulation leads to an exact expression for EM variants in a wide range of problems. We then develop a semidefinite relaxation that yields global training by eliminating local minima.
Slessor, Douglas, Spaight et al justified the Munich Agreement as providing a 'breathing space' to accelerate British rearmament. Whilst Chamberlain realised Britain's military weakness, feared a German 'knock-out blow', and underestimated the Czech Army, his prime motive was to prevent, not postpone, a war which he abhorred. Nevertheless he realised the need to accelerate defensive measures such as fighter aircraft, anti-aircraft guns and civil defence. Anxieties that Germany would invade Holland, seizing strategic airfields and the Channel Ports, over ruled the policy of 'limited Liability'. French pressure, and Lord Halifax's support enabled Hore-Belisha to raise equipment for an enlarged field force. Chamberlain opposed conscription for fear of alienating the trade unions; whilst he believed a Ministry of Supply would lose industrialists' co-operation with rearmament and undermine economic recovery. Hitler's Czechoslovakian coup, French requests for an appropriately enlarged British field force and the Premier's desire for a permanent couverture of anti-aircraft guns, combined to beget conscription. Disclosure of 50-60 week delays for deliveries of machine tools finally ended opposition to a Ministry of Supply. Extensions of subcontracting and the shadow factory system enabled British aircraft production to match Germany's by September 1939. By then both Fighter and Bomber Command enjoyed improvements in number and quality. Radar now covered most of Britain. However Germany gained considerably by annexing Czechoslovakia. She seized equipment for 15 infantry divisions. Czech tanks provided three additional armoured divisions in 1940. Greater Germany was the second largest Industrial power and less vunerable to blockade. Mismanagement denied her the heavy bombers and submarines necessary to defeat Britain. Had Britain acted with greater urgency to establish a Ministry of Supply and provide a substantial field force, the Battle of France might have been extended or even won, thus postponing or avoiding the Battle of Britain.
Summal3'. There are three elements in chemical analysis: sample preparation, analytical measurement, and data reduction. During the past decades dramatic improvements were made in analytical measurement and data reduction, however, sample preparation is behind these developments and still remains the "weak link" in analytical methods. In this area, there is a need for a flexible and universal automation system. Such a system must be able to perform the various laboratory operations and must be programmabte by the user. These design goals are met by robotic systems, like the recently developed Zymate Laboratory Robotic System. Applications for such a system are in chemical and biochemical analysis, in research and quality control, in working with hazardous compounds etc.
Distributed secure multicasting is becoming very popular on the Internet. However, it presents several challenges, mainly in key bandwidth and overheads of key generation and rekeying. We propose a shared key mechanism based on ECC, and apply it to multicast to bring forward two distributed multicast schemes, which are high secure for secret keys of all members are embedded in. To compare with several previous works, the costs are smaller but rekeying efficiency higher at same secure strength.
Relevance of the research. Important international organizations and educational authorities recognize the power of sport in contributing to healthy child development. Healthy lifestyles start from childhood, but the Italian school system gives insufficient support to motor development at the primary school age. We would like all pupils in primary school to receive quality physical education instruction through a well-designed curriculum taught by dedicated professional physical educators. We believe that helping in-service teachers to develop new understandings, beliefs, and perceptions (i.e. â in changeâ processes) can influence the operationalization of physical education curriculum in primary schools. Research problem. The first aim of this study was (1) to explore the subjective theories and behaviours of specialist and non-specialist physical education teachers teaching in Italian primary schools. The questions were: What are the subjective theories of Italian primary school teachers? What are the differences/similarities between specialists and non-specialists in their respective beliefs about primary physical education? (First study). The second aim was (2) to assess the effects of a PD programme in physical education. The question was: Does the research process and teacher training cause any modification to the teacherâ s initial personal practice theories (subjective theory)? (Second study). Methods. Forty-three (43) in-service primary school teachers, thirty-six (36) without a specific qualification in physical education (non-specialist) and seven (7) with a specific qualification (specialist) were interviewed and videotaped during their regular physical education class. Data were collected using observations and interviews and based on the Research Programme Subjective Theories. Behaviour analysis was facilitated by the use of the SIMI â scout software package. Using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, a variety of aspects dealing with teaching and learning were examined. Main findings. In the first study, focusing on the comparison of subjective theories and behaviours of specialist and non-specialist primary school teachers, a description of how they implement physical education teaching was obtained. Few differences emerged between specialist and non-specialist teachers. They show that a specific qualification in teaching physical education helps teachers to use motor and methodological competencies better, such as giving feedback on skills verbally both to the class and individuals. In addition, experience has more relevance for teachers without a specific qualification in physical education, but it also has a moderate relevance for teachers with a qualification in physical education. The second study, aimed at verifying the effects of a PD programme, focused on the question concerning what aspects of the subjective theories can be modified through in-service training. Results show improvements in teaching effectiveness both in the increase of time dedicated to student organization and observation and in the decrease of time dedicated to environmental organization. Implications for future research. Understanding the subjective theories and behaviours of in-service primary physical education teachers may help university teachers who are responsible for teacher education to develop training programmes that are better targeted to the change process.
PURPOSE: A glasses for stereoscopic images is provided to be easily worn for everybody by controlling the size of the glasses. CONSTITUTION: A holding frame(10) is electrically connected to a lens of a glasses frame(20) and a control box(30). The holding frame includes a first frame(11) and a second frame(12). The glasses frame is combined with a first coupling section(11a). The first coupling section is formed on both ends of the first frame. The glasses frame has a second coupling section(20a) corresponding to the first coupling section. The glasses frame controls a watching angle using a third hinge section(H3). The control box receives a PCB. The PCB includes a power button(31), a exchangeable battery(32a), a chargeable battery(32b) and a controller.
In recent years nematodosis in cattle are widely spread over the central part of Russia that seems to be caused by several anthropogenic factors. Based on results of study of 686 heads at stall-pasture housing, 289 heads at all year round stall housing, 334 heads at all year round stall housing with herding to paddocks and 127 heads at stall-pasture housing on deep litter it was found that the cattle at stallpasture housing was the most infected with nematodes. Extensity of invasion (EI) of animals with nematodes at pasture and stall housing makes 28,53 %, at all year round stall housing 5,46, at all year round stall housing with herding to paddocks 10,19, stall-pasture housing on deep litter 40,94 %. No significant difference in invasion of tethered and not tethered animals is found. Significant difference in invasion of cattle at various types of housing technology is determined. It was pointed out that cattle at stall-pasture housing was most infected with nematodes. The stall housing significantly prevents infection of cattle with biohelminths including nematodes spreading on pastures. Taking into account that cattle at stallpasture housing is most infected with nematodes we suggest to conduct treatment and preventive measures in order to decrease the invasion level and prevent cattle invasion. Besides common veterinary sanitary measures the measure schedule of stall-pasture housing includes dehelmitization of grazing calves (weeks 6 and 19) and young cattle in spring and autumn treatment with aversekt 2 and other nematodocides; change of grazing areas every 5-7 days in summer period; cleaning of farm and stalls from dung; sanitation of premises; improvement of watering places; using of cultivated pastures; carrying out a random examination of calves and young cattle for eggs and larvae of nematodes every 45-50 days after beginning of grazing season; cleaning of premises, biometric treatment of dung; check study of faeces of youngstock in autumn. In case of detection of infected cattle the dehelmitization should be conducted any season. It is recommended to take the same measures at stall-pasture housing on deep litter. Special attention should be paid here to cleaning of deep litter at the end of stall period and sanitation of premises. Effectiveness of health measures in case of gastrointestinal strongyloidiasis and dictyocaulosis in young cattle of the first grazing year depends not only on activity of anthelmintics but also on terms of their application. Good results are obtained when medicines are applied twice on 6 and 13th grazing week; this allowed to prevent invasion of animals and clinical presence of strongyloidiasis.
This account of the highlights of the eighth St Gallen (Switzerland) meeting in 2003 emphasizes new in- formation that has emerged during the 2 years since the seventh meeting in 2001. This article should be read in conjunction with the report of that earlier meeting. Recom- mendations for patient care are so critically dependent on assessment of endocrine responsiveness that the impor- tance of high-quality steroid hormone receptor determina- tion and standardized quantitative reporting cannot be overemphasized. The International Consensus Panel modi- fied the risk categories so that only endocrine receptor- absent status was sufficient to reclassify an otherwise low- risk, node-negative disease into the category of average risk. Absence of steroid hormone receptors also was recog- nized as indicating endocrine nonresponsiveness. Some im- portant areas highlighted at the recent meeting include: (1) recognition of the separate nature of endocrine-nonre- sponsive breast cancer—both invasive cancers and ductal carcinoma-in-situ; (2) improved understanding of the mech- anisms of acquired endocrine resistance, which offer excit- ing prospects for extending the impact of successful sequen- tial endocrine therapies; (3) presentation of high-quality evidence indicating that chemotherapy and tamoxifen should be used sequentially rather than concurrently; (4) availability of a potential alternative to tamoxifen for treatment of postmenopausal women with endocrine-re- sponsive disease; and (5) the promise of newly defined prognostic and predictive markers. J Clin Oncol 21:3357-3365. © 2003 by American Society of Clinical Oncology. D EVELOPMENT OF expert consensus treatment guidelines for early breast cancer requires comprehensive analysis of the results of randomized clinical trials and the interpretation of their biologic, clinical, social, and personal relevance for indi- vidual patients. The series of conferences held in St Gallen (Switzerland) since 1978 has specifically focused on reaching expert consensus on the implications of evidence for patient treatment selection. 1 The eighth such meeting, with 3,200
PURPOSE Retinal diseases are often accompanied by changes in the structure of the multilayered extracellular matrix underlying the retina, Bruch's membrane (BrM). These structural revisions potentially lead to alterations in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) adhesion, likely via modification of interactions with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including laminins in BrM. The purpose of this study was to identify specific laminins in BrM and their receptors in RPE cells.   METHODS The laminin composition of BrM was determined using biochemical, molecular biological, and immunohistochemical techniques of rat, bovine, and human tissue and cell lines. An adhesion assay was used to test RPE attachment to laminins and the receptors used for this attachment.   RESULTS BrM contained laminin chains that could form laminin heterotrimers including laminins 1, 5, 10, and 11. RPE cells synthesized these laminin chains in vitro. Therefore, RPE cells may synthesize BrM laminins. The RPE cells preferentially adhered to potential BrM laminins. Although the cells adhered to the BrM component collagen IV, these cells preferentially adhered to laminins. Of the laminins tested, the RPE cells adhered preferentially to laminin 5. The cells interacted with these laminins via specific integrins and attained a different morphology on each laminin. In particular, the RPE cells rapidly attached and flattened on laminin 5.   CONCLUSIONS BrM contains specific laminins, and RPE cells express integrin receptors for those laminins. The interaction of these specific laminins and integrins most likely leads to differential behavior of RPE cells.
Climate changes are determined by anthropogenic activities and have a harmful effect on the environment. Through building design we can obtain mitigation and adaptation strategies in order to face climate changes and bring into being comfort management policies. The solution presented here consists of green roof implementation during the renovation or rehabilitation stage of buildings. This can solve problems regarding indoor air quality, thermal comfort and environmental issues. The analysis presented hereby supports the validity of green surfaces integration and their effectiveness in changing the indoor climate in comparison to conventional roof systems. The analysis is based on computer simulated models of the heat transfer phenomena under viable conditions, with respect to real external climatic conditions registered in the city of Iași during the summer of 2013. Studying the performance of green roof can guide authorities, urban and building design specialists to comfort management policies in order to lessen the effects of climate changes and achieve optimal indoor comfort conditions without excessively using energy consuming systems.
Introduction Typical vegetable cultivar yield trials are very labor intensive and require extensive contiguous areas for replicated plots. Often the results from even these well-designed experiments are of limited interest to refereed journals, thus there is little incentive for university faculty to conduct these types of trials. Every year new vegetable cultivars are introduced, and there is intense interest from commercial growers and home gardeners to learn if the new cultivars will perform better than the current standards in their particular region. In response to these conflicting demands, a new type of multilocational trial was initiated with assistance from Master Gardener groups, based on Citizen Science principles. Citizen Science is a participatory system of conducting research involving nonscientists in the collection of research data. It has been used in other vegetable production studies (Gittleman et al. 2012).
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * The Pension Protection Act of 2006 changed tax valuation matters that affect how appraisals of non-cash contributions are considered by the IRS. * The IRS now has greater authority to impose penalties on appraisers who value property at an amount that the IRS later disputes. * The penalties create new risks for CPAs placing values on properties that appear on tax returns by shifting some of the responsibility from the taxpayer to the appraiser. * If the IRS and Treasury decide to specify the professional responsibilities of appraisers, additional sanctions are possible for appraisers with a history of problems or misconduct in this area. ********** The Pension Protection Act of 2006, which was signed into law in August 2006, changed valuations for tax matters in two areas. It changed the statutory definitions of qualified appraisal and qualified appraiser for charitable contributions. These changes affect how the IRS considers appraisals of non-cash contributions. The PPA also granted the IRS new powers to sanction individuals who perform valuations for any tax purpose. In expanding the penalties the IRS may impose on appraisers, the law shifts some responsibility for accurate valuations from the taxpayer to the appraiser. The IRS Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) will probably issue new guidance on the responsibilities of appraisers. NEW DEFINITIONS APPLIED TO CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS Qualified appraisal. Taxpayers must obtain a qualified appraisal to substantiate deductions for some charitable contributions under IRC [section] 170(1)(11). In general, a taxpayer needs a qualified appraisal for many types of non-cash donations with a value of more than $5,000. The PPA says a qualified appraisal is an appraisal of any property that (1) is treated as a qualified appraisal under regulations or other guidance prescribed by the Treasury secretary and (2) is conducted by a qualified appraiser in accordance with generally accepted appraisal standards and any regulations or other guidance prescribed by the secretary. Prior to the PPA, the law did not explicitly require that an appraisal follow appraisal standards. These two new definitions currently affect only charitable contributions. The present law does not use the two terms in gift and estate tax matters. In October 2006, the IRS issued transitional guidance in Notice 2006-96 on the two new definitions. The guidance says an appraisal that meets the requirements of the notice will be considered a qualified appraisal for purposes of [section] 170(t)(11). The guidance cites the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) as an example of generally accepted appraisal standards. USPAP is promulgated by The Appraisal Foundation and provides broad valuation guidance for various types of property such as real estate, personal property and businesses. CPAs who follow the new AICPA valuation standard, Statement on Standards for Valuation Services no. 1, Valuation of a Business, Business Ownership Interest, Security, or Intangible Asset, should also comply with the PPA requirement for using generally accepted appraisal standards. Qualified appraiser. …
The task of Prior Case Retrieval (PCR) in the legal domain is about automatically citing relevant (based on facts and precedence) prior legal cases in a given query case. To further promote research in PCR, in this paper, we propose a new large benchmark (in English) for the PCR task: IL-PCR (Indian Legal Prior Case Retrieval) corpus. Given the complex nature of case relevance and the long size of legal documents, BM25 remains a strong baseline for ranking the cited prior documents. In this work, we explore the role of events in legal case retrieval and propose an unsupervised retrieval method-based pipeline U-CREAT (Unsupervised Case Retrieval using Events Extraction). We find that the proposed unsupervised retrieval method significantly increases performance compared to BM25 and makes retrieval faster by a considerable margin, making it applicable to real-time case retrieval systems. Our proposed system is generic, we show that it generalizes across two different legal systems (Indian and Canadian), and it shows state-of-the-art performance on the benchmarks for both the legal systems (IL-PCR and COLIEE corpora).
In order to recycle both water sludge and waste fishing net(WFN), it was investigated in this paper the engineering characteristics of mixtures that consisted of different content of water sludge(0%, 10%, 30%, 50%) and reinforced with waste fishing net(unreinforced, untreated WFN, glue treated WFN). WFN or glue treated WFN(1&2 layers) was also added to the mixture to improve the interlocking between the soil particle and WFN. Several series of laboratory tests such as compaction test, triaxial test, oedometer test, permeability test and leaching test were carried out. The experimental test results indicated that, as water sludge content increases, maximum dry unit weight, cohesion, friction angle, and permeability of the mixture decrease, while optimum moisture content, compression index, expansion index and compressibility increase. For the case of reinforced mixture, its cohesion and friction angle are increased due to the inclusion of WFN and glue treated WFN. Leaching result of mixture was satisfied with standard of ministry of environment.
An example of a method that allows medical fluid transfer between the source container and the destination container, a medical connector that can reseal the first sealable second sealable and re-sealable medical connector If, sealed fluid transfer module comprising a multi-way flow control valve, and the intermediate container or intermediate pump region, the with configured drive interface to electromechanical driver and interface electronic medical fluid transfer device providing at, may comprise the steps of: instructing the user to couple said closed fluid transfer module to an electronic medical fluid transfer device.
The properties of chloroprene rubber can be improved by adding nanomaterials for the special effects expressed on the nanoparticles.The mechanical,sulfuration and dielectric properties of the rubbers are studied in this paper by adding three kinds of nanoparticles(nano-Al 2 O 3 ,nano-SiO 2 and nano-ZnO).It is shown that the properties of the base rubber are changed dissimilarly according to adding different kind or content of the nanoparticles.In conclusion,the tear strength and plasticity of the rubber are increased by adding the three kinds of nanoparticles.The sulfuration property of the rubber with nano-ZnO is not the same to that of the rubbers with other two nanoparticles.The dielectric deterioration has not been found.In some content of nanoparticles,volume resistivity of the composite is improved clearly and di-electric loss reduced.
This paper deals with the enzymatic hydrolysis of different kinds of celluloses and plant biomasses. The enzymatic hydrolysis of these materials by a complete cellulase from Trichoderma viride were carried out in the 0.15M acetate buffer solution at pH 5.0, . The optimum hydrolysis conditions of cellulose were found 25 mg cellulase, from Trichoderma viride for 100mg cellulose and 72 hours. The maximum yield of glucose for cellulose native from these experiments was 82.7% in per cent saccharification for 72 hours.
The increased demand for online prediction and the growing availability of large data sets drives the need for computationally efficient models. While exact Gaussian process regression shows various favorable theoretical properties (uncertainty estimate, unlimited expressive power), the poor scaling with respect to the training set size prohibits its application in big data regimes in real-time. Therefore, this paper proposes dividing local Gaussian processes, which are a novel, computationally efficient modeling approach based on Gaussian process regression. Due to an iterative, data-driven division of the input space, they achieve a sublinear computational complexity in the total number of training points in practice, while providing excellent predictive distributions. A numerical evaluation on real-world data sets shows their advantages over other state-of-the-art methods in terms of accuracy as well as prediction and update speed.
The field experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Farm, S.K.N. College of Agriculture, Jobner, Jaipur, Rajasthan during Rabi season 2016-17. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three replication and experiment comprised of 16 treatment combinations with four levels of each mulching (Control, Mustard straw, Saw dust and Black polythene sheet) and bio-fertilizers (Control, PSB, Azotobacter and PSB + Azotobacter). The maximum values for all this quality attributes viz. TSS (9.10 %), Vitamin C (81.00 mg/100 g), Nitrogen (0.35 %) and Crude protein (2.21 %) found significantly superior in black polythene mulch treatment. These quality attributes were found at par in mustard straw and minimum in control. The application of PSB + Azotobacter resulted in the maximum and significantly more values of quality attributes viz., TSS (9.35 %), Vitamin C (79.55 mg/100 g), Nitrogen (0.37 %) and Crude protein (2.33 %). These quality attributes were found at par in Azotobacter, and minimum in control. It is recommended for quality attributes of sprouting broccoli under Semi-arid zone
The policy of official multilingualism in the EU represents a crucial link between the EU institutions and its citizens. The Treaty of Rome and Regulation 1/58 stipulate that all EU languages are to be treated on an equal basis with respect to publication of official EU documents and that EU citizens have the right to communicate with EU institutions in a EU language of their choice. However, with the growing number of member countries and official languages, multilingualism increasingly enters the political debate in the EU. A notable example of this is the opening speech to the European Parliament by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands who said: “I am addressing you today in Dutch. At the same time, I am convinced that cooperation in Europe will increasingly demand concessions of us in this field. Unless we want to turn the European Union into a Tower of Babel, we shall have to make every effort to understand each other as clearly as possible.” Although, as pointed out by Laponce “like religion, language does not lend itself easily to compromise,” a functional multilingual society requires willingness of the participating linguistic groups to make compromises and to accept some linguistic standardization. The need for linguistic standardization is also recognized by a majority of the citizens of the Union. In a recent EU-wide survey carried out in all its 27 member countries, and the main results of which are summarized in Table 1, 54% of the population “tend to agree” that the European institutions should adopt one single language to communicate with European citizens and 69% “tend to agree” that everyone in the EU should be able to speak a common language; 83 and 49% believe that everyone should be able to speak one or two languages, respectively, in addition to his or her mother tongue. On the other hand, 72% think that all languages should be treated equally. Hence, and though attitudes vary, sometimes substantially, across countries, a clear majority of Europeans holds a generally pragmatic attitude towards linguistic policies, recognizing that ensuring effective communication may require that the EU would use a single language and/or that EU citizens must learn and use foreign languages. While a majority also supports equal treatment of all languages, this need not necessarily contradict the aforementioned pragmatic stance. On the contrary, taken together with the prevailing support for using a single EU language, this attitude seems to suggest that Europeans would prefer a regime based on a single official language rather than a larger yet restricted set of privileged core languages. Furthermore, Europeans also display a great deal of agreement on which languages are important. The language that most Europeans consider useful is English, cited by 67% of EU citizens (not counting native speakers as respondents were not allowed to propose their own language). French (25%), German (22%) and Spanish (15%) follow with a substantial gap. Russian (3.4%, cited almost exclusively in post-communist countries), Italian (3.2%) and Chinese
Garlic generally becomes coinfected with several types of viruses belonging to the Potyvirus, Carlavirus, and Allexivirus genera. These viruses produce characteristically similar symptoms, they cannot be easily identified by electron microscopy (EM) or immunological detection methods, and they are currently widespread around the world, thereby affecting crop yields and crop quality adversely. For the early and reliable detection of garlic viruses, virus-specific sets of primers, including species-specific and genus-specific primers were designed. To effectively detect the twelve different types of garlic viruses, primer mixtures were tested and divided into two independent sets for multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The multiplex PCR assays were able to detect specific targets up to the similar dilution series with monoplex reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Seventy-two field samples collected by the Gyeongbuk Agricultural Technology Administration were analyzed by multiplex RT-PCR. All seventy two samples were infected with at least one virus, and the coinfection rate was 78%. We conclude that the simultaneous detection system developed in this study can effectively detect and differentiate mixed viral infections in garlic.
Aim: This research investigates the characteristics of management guideline for pollution crisis from industrial plants in industrial estate in Thailand.  Methodology: The model has been simulated from the findings of both qualitative and quantitative of 500 questionnaires distributed to managers/administrators of the industrial business enterprises in Thailand that won the global ISO 14001 or green industry rewards. The data were analyzed by descriptive categorized into light and heavy industries, and by SEM to conduct the model in compatible with the empirical data.  Finding: The result reveals that: 1) the pollution crisis management guideline for industrial plants in industrial estate in Thailand consists of 4 factors i.e. policy, knowledge management, innovation & technology and resource management. The managers/administrators gave very high importance at 4.18 on light industry and 3.80 on heavy industry respectively. The analysis of the importance on each aspect shows high importance in most factors, 2) the development of SEM shows that the model fits with the empirical data at the 0.051 Chi-square probability levels, relative Chi-square at 1.243, goodness of fit index at 0.970 and root mean square error of approximation at 0.022. 3) The hypothesis result shows the following influencing factors: knowledge management has direct influence on policy at the statistically significant level of 0.05), knowledge management has direct influence on innovation and technology at the statistically significant level of 0.001, knowledge management has direct influence on resource management at the statistically significant level of 0.01, innovation & technology has direct influence on policy at the statistically significant level of 0.05 and innovation and technology has direct influence on resource management at the statistically significant level of 0.05.  Conclusion: The pollution crisis management guideline for industrial plants in industrial estate in Thailand four main factors which are very high important on resources in industrial business of both light and heavy industries. The factors are ranked according to their important levels referred Likert’s scale as follows: policy, knowledge management, innovation & technology and resource management. Both light and heavy industries give the most important factor on resources to be guideline for industrial plants in industrial estate for Thailand. The evaluation of structural equation modeling of the simulation model in pollution crisis management showed passing the criteria of the model fitting with the empirical data. It was found that Chi-square probability levels equaled 0.051, relative Chi-square was 1.243, goodness of fit index was 0.970 and root mean square error of approximation was 0.022.
Power management holds the key to over $400 billion annual savings in electrical energy and is relieving critical bottlenecks in the Internet backbone, Internet appliances and portable electronics. The latest analog integrated circuits and power semiconductors are enabling these improvements. This paper focuses on these leading-edge devices, used in conjunction with innovative architectures. The authors examine future trends in silicon-based power transistors and diodes and discuss how the changing requirements of end users are driving new analog ICs, as well as different power management architectures. Trends in architecture for DC-DC power conversion and motion control set the stage for improvements needed and planned in the power management products over the next several years. They examine various technologies for analog ICs and their interface with the digital world. They also compare the pros and cons of different techniques and levels of "power-plus-control integration". The discussion on power MOSFETs (including IGBTs) focuses on performance and technology trends in DC-DC power conversion and motion control. State-of-the-art and future device topologies are presented. The future of diodes is also discussed. DC-DC conversion and motion control is the context. State of the art and future device topologies are presented. Less than 25% of all the world's electricity is efficiently managed. Roadmaps must focus not only on making existing applications more efficient and cost-effective, but also on enabling the new applications that can address the remaining 75%.
A CAD/CAE system for TR forging die for crankshaft was developed,which included the functions of forging design,billet design,die design,output of the drawings and the interface between CAD and CAE software.The development process and method of the system were introduced.The key development techniques include establishment of the parameterized part library,automatic generation of the drawings and simulation of the forming process.As an example,the whole design process of a crankshaft was carried out by the system and the billet dimensions were optimized by finite element simulation of the forging process,then the feasibility of the system was verified.
While many data miners want to find “interesting” patterns, the definition of an interesting pattern is often unclear. This is a case study of data mining applied to the problem of improving aviation safety. To address the problem, we applied several methods to pertinent data; these methods achieved varying degrees of success. During the project, our notion of an interesting pattern evolved and our appreciation for a good working definition for interestingness grew.
Display of unpublished news kept in the Spanish General Archives of Simancas about the contacts held by eighteen Greek Basilian monasteries with the Spanish authorities in the first decades of the XVII century. They went to the Councils of the Monarchy in search of some economic aid in return for their military and humanitarian support and to lighten the poverty in which they lived because of the Turkish punishments. Some of them played an active part in the anti-ottoman revolt movements.
In recent years the profession of teaching has reached a maturity to the point of being considered a pro- ducer of own knowledge necessary to the practice. The teacher is no longer seen as a technician, but as an intellectual actor and the specialized literature advocates teaching as a profession, and it recognizes that the teacher has "knowledge base", a set of skills that are developed during his teaching activity. The Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is a concept that seeks to represent the teachers' professional knowledge and it has been widely used in the literature about teachers' knowledge. It has proved a fruit- ful model for investigations aimed to document the knowledge that makes one a good teacher. Despite the relevance that the PCK is, the consensus on what is the PCK is still far from being achieved and many researches propose different models and concepts for the PCK, sometimes conflicting. Many works brings the PCK and speak of it as if it were a clear concept and do not clarify which model / conception are using, which makes investigations on the PCK difficult and ends up attracting a lot of criticism. Thus, this study aims to look critically at the various models proposed in the literature most used and point differences and similarities so that an overview can be built with more insight and analyze their use and validity. The study will also present some ways to have access to PCK and the relation between PCK and teacher education is also discussed.
The classical transport coefficients provide an accurate description of transport processes in collision-dominated plasmas. These transport coefficients are used in a cylindrically symmetric, electrically driven, steady-state magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model with flow and an energy equation to study the effects of transport processes on MHD equilibria. The transport coefficients, which are functions of number density, temperature and magnetic field strength, are computed self-consistently as functions of radius R. The model has plasma-confining solutions characterized by the existence of an inner region of plasma with values of temperature, pressure and current density that are orders of magnitude larger than in the surrounding, outer region of plasma that extends outward to the boundary of the cylinder at R=a. The inner and outer regions are separated by a boundary layer that is an electric-dipole layer in which the relative charge separation is localized, and in which the radial electric field, temperature, pressure and axial current density vary rapidly. By analogy with laboratory fusion plasmas in confinement devices, the plasma in the inner region is confined plasma, and the plasma in the outer region is unconfined plasma. The solutions studied demonstrate that the thermoelectric current density, driven by the temperature gradient, can make the main contribution to the current density, and that the thermoelectric component of the electron heat flux, driven by an effective electric field, can make a large contribution to the total heat flux. These solutions also demonstrate that the electron pressure gradient and Hall terms in Ohm's law can make dominant contributions to the radial electric field. These results indicate that the common practice of neglecting thermoelectric effects and the Hall and electron pressure-gradient terms in Ohm's law is not always justified, and can lead to large errors. The model has three, intrinsic, universal values of β at which qualitative changes in the solutions occur. These values are universal in that they only depend on the ion charge number and the electron-to-ion mass ratio. The first such value of β (about 3.2% for a hydrogen plasma), when crossed, signals a change in sign of the radial gradient of the number density, and must be exceeded in order that a plasma-confining solution exist for a plasma with no flow. The second such value of β (about 10.4% for a hydrogen plasma), when crossed, signals a change in sign of the poloidal current density. Some of the solutions presented exhibit this current reversal. The third such value of β is about 2.67 for a hydrogen plasma. When β is greater than or equal to this value, the thermoelectric, effective electric-field-driven component of the electron heat flux cancels 50% or more of the temperature-gradient-driven ion heat flux. If appropriate boundary conditions are given on the axis R=0 of the cylinder, the equilibrium is uniquely determined. Analytical evidence is presented that, together with earlier work, strongly suggests that if appropriate boundary conditions are enforced at the outer boundary R=a then the equilibrium exhibits a bifurcation into two states, one of which exhibits plasma confinement and carries a larger axial current than the other state, which is close to global thermodynamic equilibrium, and so is not plasma-confining. Exact expressions for the two values of the axial current in the bifurcation are presented. Whether or not a bifurcation can occur is determined by the values of a critical electric field determined by the boundary conditions at R=a, and the constant driving electric field, which is specified. An exact expression for the critical electric field is presented. Although the ranges of the physical quantities computed by the model are a subset of those describing fusion plasmas in tokamaks, the model may be applied to any two-component, electron–ion, collision-dominated plasma for which the ion cyclotron frequency is much larger than the ion–ion Coulomb collision frequency, such as the plasma in magnetic flux tubes in the solar interior, photosphere, lower transition region, and possibly the upper transition region and lower corona.
In a static symmetric duopoly the set of behavioral rules is extended to dierent types of markup pricing. Using an equilibrium concept suggested in Pasche (2001), it is shown that dependend on the markup neither pure Cournot nor pure Bertrand behavior is a behavioral equilibrium prole. Instead, there is a rationale for the usage of simple heuristics. The presence of markup rules leads to Stackelberg outcomes. Furthermore, pure markup behavior is more competitive than in Cournot case but less competitive than in Bertrand case. It is shown, that multiple behavioral equilibria and heterogeneous behavior may arise, where at least one player uses price setting strategies.
The Broad-Complex (BR-C) is a complex regulatory locus at 2B-5 on the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster. The wild-type BR-C products are apparent transcription factors necessary for imaginal disc morphogenesis. Alleles of the Stubble-stubbloid (Sb-sbd) locus at 89B9-10 act as dominant enhancers of broad alleles of the BR-C. Sb-sbd wild-type products are necessary for appendage elongation. We report, here, on three new loci implicated in imaginal disc morphogenesis based on their genetic interactions with both BR-C and/or Sb-sbd mutants. Enhancer of broad (E(br)) was identified as a dominant enhancer of the br1 allele of the BR-C and is a recessive lethal. Mapping of E(br) has led to the identification of two loci, blistered and l(2)B485, mutants of which interact with E(br) and the Sb-sbd locus. Blistered, but not l(2)B485, interacts strongly with the BR-C. Alleles of the blistered locus are viable and disrupt proper wing disc morphogenesis independent of genetic interactions. All three loci map within the 0.6-map unit interval between the genetic markers speck and Irregular facets and to the cytological region 60C5-6; 60E9-10 at the tip of chromosome 2R. Genetic evidence is consistent with the view that the BR-C regulates blistered.
Chlamydia trachomatis(CT) is currently the most common sex transmitted disease pathogen world-widely,which is an important reason of lower genital tract infection as well.However,the Chlamydia trachomatis infection is always asymptomatic and the clinicians did not pay adequate attention on it.Also it needs advanced lab equipments and techniques in detecting and screening the population with high risks and the follow-up and treatment is also lack of attention.Women infected with Chlamydia trachomatis suffer from the damages of the pathogen itself and the immune reactions it caused,such as miscarriage,fetal growth restriction,fetal distress,pre-rupture of membrane,preterm labour,low body weight neonate,still birth,intra-uterine infection,infection of neonate and the puerperal infection and post partum haemorrage.So purposeful screening and treatment towards Chlamydia trachomatis infection are important to reduce the complications of both maternal and fetal.
Higher vocational educa tion has many problems,such as study weariness of students,the students in poor quality of knowledge,lack of characteristics,the jobs the graduates get don't fit in their speciality,which need urgently reform on the traditional higher vicational education curriculum,However,it is hard to carry on curriculun erform and finally it can't cause substantive changes.It has greatpractical significance to analyze the difficulty of the curriculum erform of higher vocational education from the aspects of the system and the environment,the input and the teachers etc.
Abstract : Within gas turbine aeroengines, fracture critical pans are defined as those whose failure would hazard the entire aircraft. Consequently, it is of central importance to the airworthiness of these engines that the probability of such a component suffering an in-service failure is kept below acceptable levels. In order to achieve this, lifing methodologies have been devised which provide a means for calculating the required limits. These methodologies consist of a material test requirement, together with a calculation process based on a statistical characterization of the material/component behavior. The outstanding safety record achieved by commercial and military aeroengines is in large part due to the success of these lifting methods.
The aim of work to describe and evaluate possible e-environment tools what influences e-marketing activities which stimulate sustainable business development. Authors classified elements business models and its tools in electronic environment. Authors employed and implemented different research methods – quantitative and qualitative: surveys, grouping analysis, statistical etc. In the basis of theoretical and practical base are researches, scietific publications and materials, media publications, including internet. Main conclusions as a result of this research are as follows: today's technology, e-market, e-commerce, e-business and e-marketing development requires entrepreneurs to rebuild business models cardinally. The main driver of change in business is a consumer, whose power and importance with each passing day becomes more influential. On e-market consumers play very important role because due to modern technologies they have complete accss to the product’s information, price and so on in a matter of just few mouse clicks. E-environment and internet provides significant benefits for sustainable business development. The most popular e-tool between Latvian enterprises is corporate homepage, but unfortunately the companies do not use all possibilities of it and their insights of a modern website are out-dated. During researchers authors analyzes customers (potential buyers) and entrepreneurs (sellers) activities in internet and electronic environment. Analyzing business activities and e-environment utilization for business needs authors came to conclusion that most of Latvian businessmen are at the initial stage of the e-tools mastering. Those, who use electronic environment, employ only a small number of available tools; hence businessmen need to be not just computer wise educated, but also be perfectly oriented in cyberspace and know how to work with different tools of electronic environment – portals, including social search engines, data bases etc. On the other hand customers – buyers (or potential buyers) are very active in internet ande-environment. The topic raised in this paper is very wide, so authors considered only the main aspects. This topic demands more profound and detailed study, which authors carry out in their further researches and work. JEL codes: M310, M210.
Sediment accumulated on a lakebed archives information about past climate and changes in the regional environment. Previous studies (Burgess, 2007; Koff, 2011; Palmer, 2012) in the Northeast Arm of Lake Champlain, specifically Missisquoi Bay and Saint Albans Bay, showed a period (~9,400 – 8,600 yBP) of elevated organic matter deposition in both bays, indicating a productive event that pre-dated any possible anthropogenic influence. However, the record was abruptly cut off and any documentation representing the span of time leading up to this event was not found. The elevated organic matter levels were explained as being the result of a warm, dry environment that reduced lake level and promoted productivity within the bay. A new goal was formulated to lengthen the Holocene record for Missisquoi Bay (MSB) and Saint Albans Bay (SAB) in order to compare paleorecords and capture the span of time leading up to this highly productive event, possibly related to the Champlain Sea/Lake Champlain Transition (~10,000 yBP). One sediment core was taken from each bay as close to the original coordinates as the sediment cores obtained in previous studies (Koff, 2011; Palmer, 2012). The sediment cores were processed in the lab and sediment samples were tested for water content (WC), %C, %N, C:N, and diatom content. Each bay’s sediment record consisted of a distinct marker representing lowest water level, separating a Champlain Sea unit at the bottom and an overlying Lake Champlain unit. A warming climate coupled with low lake level during this time may be the cause of the increase of productivity (%C) associated with the markers in both bays. Between ~8,600 – 9,400 yBP, a distinct marker represented evidence of a wetland in Saint Albans Bay before the onset of Lake Champlain. Diatom content in the wetland sediments indicated a generally shallow oligotrophic and alkaline body of water that shifted back and forth from brackish to freshwater. The record shows the wetland was eventually drowned as water level continued to rise, slowly transitioning into the Lake Champlain unit. Proxy results showed that internal processes within the lake continued to change in response to climatic and environmental drivers until present day conditions were reached. At ~9,400 yBP in Missisquoi Bay, there is an erosional unconformity between the Champlain Sea and Lake Champlain units, which corresponds to the low water levels also inferred from the SAB record during that time. After this unconformity, %C results show production within MSB fluctuated, similar to SAB, in response to changing climate and water levels until the present-day conditions of Lake Champlain were established. In sum, MSB and SAB each contain evidence of an ancient shoreline marker in different forms. Both markers indicate that lowest water levels occurred ~9,400 yBP and that lake level has risen ~7 – 8.5 meters since that time. The rise in lake level is associated with the transition into Lake Champlain. This Champlain Sea/Lake Champlain Transition lasted from ~9,400 yBP until ~8,600 yBP. Therefore, the oldest Lake sediment in the Northeast Arm of Lake Champlain is only 8,600 yBP.
Presented are the data obtained for nitric acid and uranium in minimixer- settler runs for the different cycles of Eurochemic flowsheet no. 3. Included in all cases are: 1) An initial study of the established cycle with a theoretical McCabe-Thiele diagram for uranium, leading to the suitable placing of the inlet position of the streams entering the battery, 2) the composition of uranium and nitric in both phases for each settler after steady state conditions were reached (from these data the uranium losses in the effluents and solvent saturation can be obtained), 3) a compilation of the experimental data on McCabe-Thiele diagrams, and 4) the efficiency of the real extraction stages, enabling subsequent comparisons to be made with the data obtained from pulsed columns. (auth)
Container with sequential assembly and completion system, for building a dwelling, developed for providing a dwelling, with all its construction elements, built into a container (1), which is deposited, by means of the grab hooks thereof, on a mortar bed (C). Starting from the container (1), in a central room (42), the suspended ceiling (11) is raised, the floor sections (19) and the side walls (20), (27) being folded laterally and receiving liners (37) and tiling (62), and there are also doors (58) with tiling (59), forming lateral rooms (43) and also a service area (44), also with a door, floor (21) and ceiling (22). The structure of the dwelling (CA) formed initially is finished with guttering (56), electrical wiring (60), light fittings (61), thermal cladding (63), water-supply system installations (H), a water tank (67) and heated reservoir (68), tank (71), drainage pipes (20a), rainwater collection reservoirs (77), solar panels (73), skirting boards with angle plates (74), steps (81) and ornamental panels (83), an entire (CA) thereby being obtained, which is ready for use.
FIELD: process engineering. SUBSTANCE: cutting plate assembly has cutting plate seat with channel, cutting plate and its clamp. Note here that said cutting plate, first surface, second surface and peripheral surface located there between. First and second surfaces cross said peripheral surface along first and second peripheral edges, respectively. Note here that at least one section one of said first and second peripheral edges makes the cutting edge. Cutting plate channel has at least two sections, smaller of which having an oval cross-section allows fast and easy replacement or indexing of cutting plate without complete clamp removal from the seat channel. EFFECT: higher reliability of attachment, accelerated replacement or cutting plate indexing. 9 cl, 19 dwg
Introduction Slow vasomotor fluctuation has been localized in the visual cortex of a resting state fMRI dataset of children under thiopental anesthesia (1). The anesthesia was hypothetized to enhance vasomotor fluctuation in the primary sensory areas due to a reduction in the regional cerebral blood flow (1,2). Previously the spatial localization of the vasomotor fluctuation was determined by color encoding the power of the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) spectral peaks and by cross correlating a voxel signal time course from the visual cortex (CC) (1). However, the FFT or CC do not clearly separate parenchymal, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or vessel sources of fluctuation. A recently developed statistical signal processing technique for separating source signals, namely independent component analysis (ICA), has been succesfully implemented for fMRI studies (3-5). For this study the ICA was used to localize voxels that contain statistically independent spatiotemporal features. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to find brain volumes that explains a maximum amount of variance in the data (6). In this study both the ICA and PCA were applied in the volume domain (4). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of the mentioned four methods in separating the vasomotor fluctuation from other signal sources in the parenchymal regions in the resting state fMRI brain data set. Methods 15 child subjects aged between 2 to 9.5 years (aver 5.2) were imaged under thiopental anesthesia with fMRI BOLD while spontaneous breathing was ensured. The fMRI scans were performed approx. 30 min from the onset of the anesthesia. The study was approved by the ethical committee and informed consent had been obtained from the parents. The imaging was performed using a 1.5 T GE Signa EchoSpeed MRI scanner with a birdcage head coil. Oblique axial slices covering the primary sensorimotor areas, based on a midline sagittal localizer, were used for each subject. The BOLD sequence of 90 repetitions in 5 slices was imaged with parameters TR= 2000 ms, TE= 40 ms, flip angle= 90°, matrix = 962, FOV = 24x24, slice thickness = 7 mm and 5 mm slice interval. The hearing was protected with ear pads. Center of mass (COM)-analysis showed that none of the subjects exhibited motion greater than 0.9 mm (1). The FFT spatial localization map of the slow fluctuation was generated by transforming the spectral power map of the chosen frequency into z-scores. Voxels of z-score > 6 were selected to present the chosen frequency. A voxel presenting low frequency signal fluctuation was selected from the visual cortex as a reference time course vector in order to obtain spatial map by cross correlation with a threshold of p 6. The data were evaluated by i) by the number of detected areas of fluctuation in the visual cortex, and ii) by the separation of blood vessel or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fluctuation from cortical vasomotor fluctuation in regions near sensorimotor cortices. The connectivity of the detected voxels was evaluated by mean correlation coefficient (MCC). MCC was obtained by calculating the mean of the correlation coefficients of each localized voxel on voxel by voxel basis. Results The FFT, cross correlation and PCA were able to localize the fluctuation in the visual cortex in each subject. However these methods were unable to differentiate fluctuations originating from the neurovascular activity, CSF or blood vessel pulsations in each subject (Fig. 1a-c). ICA was more robust in separating different fluctuation patterns of the distinct sensory cortices from blood vessel and CSF pulsation and various other source signals than other methods.
The peridynamic method (Silling [1]) used in this paper reformulates the classical continuum mechanics equations by replacing spatial derivatives with an integral of force densities over a region around the material point of interest. This leads to a non-local method that may be thought of as a continuum version of molecular dynamics simulation. Any two material points are connected by a, possibly nonlinear, elastic spring (bond) with a critical stretch parameter. We present examples of dynamic fracture and damage for high-aspect ratio structures such as membranes and nanofiber networks. The membrane example captures dynamic transition from a mode III fracture to mode I. In the deformation of nanofiber networks we obtain cellular patterns of deformation when, in addition to the elastic forces along fibers or at bonded contacts between fibers, van der Waals forces are acting between the fibers. In this way we eliminate the need of modeling individual atom as required by a MD simulation. The force response across the network is similar to the response observed in rupturing of the protein adhesive in biological structure (abalone shells).
Objective: To conduct a formative evaluation of progress to date with safety improvement initiatives in New South Wales. Design: Description of safety improvement initiatives. Secondary analysis of extant databases of reportable incidents, root cause analyses and categories of improvement actions to date. Setting: The state of New South Wales, Australia. Main outcome measures: Education initiatives, policy reforms, reportable incident data, root cause analyses categories, safety improvement activities. Results: Over 2,500 people have been trained in the safety improvement program. Over 1,000 others have been exposed to safety improvement educational sessions. This represents over 3.9% of the 90,000 full time equivalent staff in the New South Wales health system. Evidence shows incident reporting is increasing. Causal and contributing factors are more explicit via root cause analyses. Conclusions: There is early evidence of systems improvements in New South Wales.
The present study investigated the effectof latent iron defi ciencyon the clinical pregnancy rate in patients undergoing IVF. This prospective studyevaluated 72 women, commencing IVF for the fi rst time. All women were screened for latent iron defi ciency by determining the standard hematological parameters and iron exchange parameters such as serum iron, serum ferritin and transferrin saturation. The control group included 40 women and latent iron defi ciency group included 32 women. The clinical pregnancy rate (15 % versus 36 %) was signifi cantly lower in women with latent iron defi ciency.This paper suggests that a common condition known as latent iron defi ciency is associated with a reduced success following fertility treatment such as IVF.We conclude that latent iron defi ciency is found in a signifi cant number of women presenting with infertility and has a negative impact on the outcome of IVF.
O verall, immigrants say they're quite satisfied with life in the United States, for themselves and their children. Discrimination against immigrants doesn't seem to be part of their daily lives, because while majorities say it exists, majorities also say they haven't experienced much discrimination personally. Right now, the biggest concern for immigrants is much the same as for native-born Americans: the economy and their own financial well-being. The economic tumult in our society is shaping some of their perceptions—and motivations. More than 7 in 10 (71 percent) report that if they could + do it all over again, they'd still come to the United States; indeed, equally large numbers (70 percent) say that they intend to make the United States their permanent home. That goes for their children as well. About three-quarters of immigrant parents (74 percent) say it's unlikely their children will want to live in their birth country, with a strong 58 percent saying it's " very unlikely. " Strong majorities say that the United States does a better + job than their birth country when it comes to offering the opportunity to earn a good living (88 percent), having a trustworthy legal system (70 percent), making good health care available (67 percent) and maintaining a good education system (62 percent). A s the United States begins another effort to overhaul immigration policy, it only makes sense to listen to the people who will be most affected by it: immigrants. To craft a just and practical policy, we need to see America through the immigrant's eyes. That's true whether you favor an open door or a higher fence. You can't hope to implement sound strategies unless you understand what brings people to the United States and what they think about the nation once they get here. Call Home, we've extended our sampling to gain a more detailed view of Hispanics and Muslims. Just as important, we can now see trend data on how immigrants view a tumultuous period in history. Our survey focused on key questions, such as: Do immigrants still see America + as the land of opportunity? How has the sagging economy and heated + immigration debate affected their outlook? What reform proposals do they favor? + What barriers do they face? + How much discrimination do they encounter? + Given the chance, would they do it all again? + This report was based on a …
Simulation and analysis are performed on the Doppler spectrum according to the variant amount of distributed scatters in the mobile communications. Still the signal envelopes and some statistical properties such as level crossing rate (LCR) and average fade duration (AFD) are obtained based upon the derived Doppler spectrum. It is concluded that the number of scatters places some impact on the Doppler spectrum of the mobile communication signal, and furthermore affects the signal performance of the mobile communications.
This research was conducted to investigate the phenomenon of inattentional blindness, which, examines the possibility of perception without visual attention. This study also attempted to determine whether certain features of stimuli can have an effect on the degree of that phenomenon. The study comprises three experiments, in which the procedure was exactly the same, but the type of presented stimuli differed. Thirty subjects participated in each experiment. They were randomly divided into three groups, which corresponded to three experimental conditions. The total sample consisted of 90 subjects. The results of Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 show that there is no adequate perception without active engagement of attention, while the results of Experiment 3 indicate that certain type of stimuli can be perceived automatically, without visual attention. Analysis of all results suggests that there is the effect of type of stimuli on seeing a stimulus in inattentional conditions, but not on accuracy of identification.
In this work we have made an inventory of the acts of oral surgery performed in children and adolescents from January 2008 to December 2012. To achieve our objectives, a descriptive retrospective survey of paperwork CCMAT Casablanca was performed. Our main results are as follows: * For patients - 5-year, 337 procedures were performed. Fact that anaverage of about one per week pediatric surgery. - The indication of surgery began frequently from 9 years. An almost-equal distribution between the sexes. About 4 100 children were patients at risk. - -Four out of 100 patients were anxious and difficult to handle - Almost all children have been explored by a dental panoramic X-ray. - The majority of actions for each dental inclusions, germectomies, mucogingival surgery and tumor surgery. - No cases of implant in children in our study were identified. - Surgery complicated extractions practice once three in the age group between 14 and 17 years. * For operators: - Two 3-surgeries were performed by junior practitioners:. Residents, specialists and assistant professors This finding was identical for all three services involved: pediatric dentistry, surgical dentistry and periodontics. - The operating aid was rarely specified, although this position is important in the training of general practitioners,specialists and assistants. * For the patient circuit: - Collaboration between services CDPF was effective while working with the private sector and public care services was rare. A patient-2 followed the normal circuit inter-connection. - In children, surgery on 2 was supported in surgical dentistry service. - The flaps are retracted for orthodontic traction, the most common in the surgical dentistry services closely followed by the service is the same parodontologie. The surgical dentistry service that supports cyst enucleation, marsupialization odontomes and extraction. - 4/100 patients were taken under sedation with nitrous oxide. Activity that is specific to the service pedodontics * Regarding profitability - The activity per year has increased in 2012, it increased from 2.75 acts per month in 2011 to 6.66 acts per month in 2012. The year 2012 sign the inauguration of new services CDPF. An act-3 has been listed on D40, act 3 was listed on D20. A patient-2 is normally paid the bill. Furthermore The second objective of our study was to compare our results to results for 1997: This comparison shows that the pediatric surgery has increased significantly This is justified by the following parameters : - The overall sample in the five years between the first assessment (1991 to 1996) in the second record (2008 to 2012) ranged from 135 A337. The number has almost doubled. - 4 100 children are anxious in our study, while the balance of 1997 there were 18 of 100.C is four times less. - 130 Surgical extractions in our study, while the balance of 1997 there were 33, so four times. - 5 Times more germectomies, 4times more surgical extractions of impacted teeth, three times more surgery muco-gingivale. Les freinectomies and enucleation of cysts have tripled. After references to the literature data we can conclude that in view of these results, the CDPF has all the skills for the management of oral surgery childhood.
A longitudinal survey of heart disease in adults in a representative rural population in Jamaica provided an opportunity to study factors influencing the progression and incidence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in serial tracings taken at a 5-year interval. An analysis of changes occurring in those with ECG abnormalities compatible with ischaemia at the first survey showed that progression from a less severe to a more severe category was greater in men than in women, in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects, and, among men, in those with the amplitude criteria of left ventricular hypertrophy. The incidence of abnormal Q/QS patterns was greater in men than in women, and that of all abnormalities suggesting ischaemia was greater in hypertensive than in normotensive persons; in men, it was greater in those with high amplitude R waves. The incidence cases showed S-T and T wave abnormalities, the great majority of which were classified as showing features compatible with ischaemia rather than with strain secondary to hypertrophy. These findings, which are discussed in terms of their possible causes, seem to confirm that much of the heart disease in this Jamaican community has features of myocardial ischaemia despite other evidence that extramural coronary vessels tend to be spared from such severe occlusive atheromatous disease as is found in many other populations.
Objective To explore the clinical significances of detecting the levels of plasma urotensin Ⅱ(UⅡ) and serum C-reactive protein(CRP) in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension(PIH) disorder.Methods The levels of plasma UⅡ and CRP of 30 cases with PIH disorder,30 cases normal pregnant women and 30 cases non-pregnant health women were detected by ELISA.Results The levels of plasma UⅡ and serum CRP in patients with PIH were significantly higher than those of other two groups(P0.01).There was a correlation between UⅡ and CRP in patients with PIH(r=0.893,P0.01).Conclusion Detection of plasma UⅡ and serum CRP in patients with PIH can confirm the damage of vascular endothelial cell and the degree of inflammation reaction,and play an important role in the prophylaxis and early treatment of this disease.
Although advances have improved our ability to describe the measurement precision of a test, it often remains challenging to summarize how well a test is performing overall. Reliability, for example, provides an overall summary of measurement precision, but it is sample-specific and might not reflect the potential usefulness of a test if the sample is poorly suited for the test's purposes. The test information function, conversely, provides detailed sample-independent information about measurement precision, but it does not provide an overall summary of test performance. Here, the concept of information utility is introduced. Information utility provides an index of how much psychometric information a measure (e.g., item, test) provides about a trait overall. Information utility has a number of important applied implications, including test selection, trait estimation, computerized adaptive testing, and hypothesis testing. Information utility may have particular utility in situations where the accuracy of prior information about trait level is vague or unclear.
If A is a completely distributive subspace lattice algebra on a Hilbert space, then the rank one subalgebra of A is weak dense in A if and only if, the weak closures of the first and the second preannihilators of A in the space of all trace class operators are reflexive. If A is a nest algebra, then Lat, A , the nest of all invariant subspaces of A, is maximal if and only if, all of the weak closed subspaces of A containing A-are reflexive.
The invention discloses a system, a device and a method for multi-network integration. The system comprises an application gateway server and a unified account management server, wherein the application gateway server is used for resolving a domain name in an access request sent from a client to an application system, acquiring an authentication notification based on the acquired resolved address, and establishing a communication connection between the client and the application system based on the notification; the unified account management server is used for performing authentication on anaccount corresponding to the resolved address, and notifying the application gateway server if the authentication is passed. The method comprises the following steps of: resolving the domain name in the access request sent from the client to the application system, acquiring the authentication notification based on the acquired resolved address, and establishing the communication connection between the client and the application system. The system, the device and the method for the multi-network integration can overcome the defects of incapability of uniformly accessing and managing multiple networks, complex account application procedure, poor safety, low efficiency and the like to realize uniform access and management of the multiple networks, simplify the account application procedure,and improve the safety and the efficiency.
In this paper we suggest two challenges for the study of fragmented data sets generated from long-term studies. The first of these is the wide range of temporal perspectives from which a single data set may be inspected (from seconds to weeks). The second challenge involves the importance of considering user experience of time as a useful resource in analysis. Finally we briefly conclude with a call to consider new analytic tools that move beyond solely timeline-bound representations.
Under the biometric simulated environment, amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) appears as initiation phase by reaction of calcium and carbonate ions. There is a strong relationship between the ACC phase and the forming crystalline polymorphs. We have shown a significant inhibit effect on the vaterite formation and calcite crystallized instead, and also stabilize ACC under higher PO4 concentration conditions. We hypothesized that PO4 ions incorporated in the ACC in that suspect that the adjusting the transfer mechanism of the amorphous phase. The structure and stability of ACC under various PO4 concentrations were examined using in situ ultra violet/visible spectroscopy (UV/Vis). Further, in order to observe in detail the coupling state, the ex situ measurement of ACC by Raman spectroscopy and by using a Ca ion electrode were performed to evaluation of the presence time of the ACC phase. The bicarbonate buffer was mixed with supersaturated solution of calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate solution to precipitate the ACC, under conditions of pH ̃8.6. By mixing the potassium hydrogen phosphate at a concentration of any carbonate solution side during mixing, PO4 ions was adjusted between 0-50 μM concentrations. The ACC contains no PO4 ions shows a spectrum similar to calcite. However the concentration of PO4 ions increase, UV / Vis absorption spectrum was carried out changed to spectrum like vaterite gradually. The similar behavior showed in the spectrum observed by Raman spectroscopy. By results of measurements of the molecular weight and particle size of the ACC by scattered light spectroscopy, the increasing both density and particle size of ACC was obsereved. Ion electrode measurements showed that the residence time of the ACC increased exponentially as increasing PO4 concentration. In the presence of PO4 ion, ACC showed a structure similar to vaterite and its stability was increased. Moreover, the type of forming polymorphs greatly changes in variation of PO4 ions in μM scale, and stability amorphous structure is also highly variable. The results suggest a need to consider the effects of coexisting PO4 ions on ACC, when calcium carbonate tissue is formed in the organism.
The purpose of this paper is to map the existing policy space in three key services sectors — air transport, maritime services (both shipping and port services), and telecommunications services — as well as to provide evidence on whether the implementation of the ASEAN Single Window is helping to achieve the broader objectives of the revised Kyoto Convention on customs procedures. By mapping actual policies, the paper gives an indication of the extent of real policy reform that will be needed in each ASEAN member country in order to achieve the liberalization targets laid out in the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint. Some of the key findings and recommendations of the paper are as follows. According to survey responses, only one ASEAN country meets the Blueprint target of allowing at least 70 per cent foreign ownership in domestically established air services companies by 2010. However, effective liberalization of trade in air services not only requires the reform of investment laws, it also requires the reform of withholding clauses in air services agreements so that at minimum, they allow substantial ownership by an ASEAN community of interests. ASEAN members should be working towards further reform of their air services agreements, and should be demanding much greater transparency of their provisions. Most countries of the region have taken a relatively liberal approach to many aspects of maritime regulation. But few have stated that they grant exemptions from cabotage restrictions. ASEAN members should be looking to expand the scope of these exemptions, given how costly cabotage restrictions have been shown to be for developing countries. No ASEAN country meets the Blueprint target of allowing at least 51 per cent foreign ownership by 2010 in all maritime services. However, some countries meet it for some services. Only two ASEAN countries currently meet the Blueprint’s foreign equity targets in all telecommunications services. The remaining restrictions on foreign equity
Maori family, Te Kaha, 1944, temporarily moving from their home to live closer to new meeting house Tu Kaki. Photograph taken by John Pascoe.  Other - Pascoe's heading from the Photographic Archive Pascoe backfile for the set of photographs at 1/4-001063 to 001102 reads: "Story of a Maori meeting house"   Caption - Pascoe's caption at backfile reads: "The local people left their homes to live in tents close by the meeting house; the men were responsible for odd jobs round the marae (grounds) and the women for feeding all the visitors. Here Dad wheels a pram and carries a mattress with the children and a dog ahead in the migration."  Source of descriptive information - File print.  Quantity: 1 b&w original negative(s).  Physical Description: Celulosic negative, 5.5 x 5.5 cm
Objectives:To determine the influence of antioxidation on plasma vitamin A,E,C following intraabdominal sepsis in rats. Methods:The model of cecal ligation and puncture(CLP) was used. Plasma vitamin A,E,C,malondialdehyde(MDA) and glutathione(GSH) were measured at 0,1,3,5 day after CLP,and the relation of their linear regression were analysed. Results:Plasma vitamin A,E,C and GSH were decreased and MDA was increased significantly after CLP.Plasma vitamin A was correlated with GSH and vitamin C,E were correlated with MDA significantly. Conclusions:The decreased antioxidation may be the main reason of vitamin A,E,C deficiency after sepsis.
Tarragon ( Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a favorite herbal and medicinal plant. Drying is necessary to achieve longer shelf life with high quality, preserving the original flavor. Essential oil content and color are the most important parameters that define the quality of herbal and medicinal plants. Hot air batch drying is the most common drying method for these plants but affects the essential oil content and color. The drying conditions affect essential oil content and color as well as the energy consumption and costs. Process engineers and farmers need to know how they have to dry to obtain the best quality. The objective of this work is to investigate the conditions for optimal drying in terms of quality, energy consumption and costs. Adsorption and desorption experiments were done to find the equilibrium moisture content and water exchange between the material and surrounding air during drying and storage at temperatures of 25oC to 70oC and relative humidities of 5% to 90%. Drying of tarragon leaves and chopped plants was investigated separately and the best model was selected from the drying equations in literature. The effect of drying temperature and relative humidity on the essential oil content and color change was studied. Experiments were done at temperatures of 40oC to 90oC and the optimal conditions were. Long‑term effects of the drying conditions were also investigated during the storage time. Material dried at 45, 60 and 90oC was stored and the essential oil content and color of the material was measured after 15, 30, 60 and 120 days of storage. Drying at 45oC was found as the best condition based on the changes of essential oil and color during drying and storage. Optimization of drying of tarragon was studied based on the results of the sorption isotherms, drying equations and the changes of essential oil content and color during drying and storage. Models were made for the drying process, energy consumption and cost calculation. The current conditions in The Netherlands and Iran were applied for various drying scenarios. The simulation model was run at selected ranges of temperature, humidity ratio, air speed and bed heights, with and without recirculation of the drying air. Considering the quality of dried material and costs, a temperature of 50oC was found as the optimal temperature for drying tarragon. The costs per kg dried product was about three times higher for The Netherlands compared to Iran . The recirculation is less important in Iran because the ambient air has a higher drying potential and energy prices are lower.
This report presents and analyses the results of a survey conducted in Khayelitsha [South Africa] an African (officially Black) township on the Cape Flats during June 1988. The survey covered 755 residents in four shack areas of Khayelitsha....The aim of the survey was to examine migration into Khayelitsha. What were the residential and movement histories of Khayelitsha shack residents: Where had they come from why and when? How many were born outside of the Western Cape and when had they originally migrated into the area? How many times had they moved in the Western Cape and when? What ties did they have with their places of origin?...The survey also provided basic household data such as household size composition and education. In addition the survey asked a few questions concerning AIDS. (EXCERPT)
The invention discloses a control system for reactor control rods. The control system is used for controlling the operation of electromagnetic coils of a control rod driving mechanism in a reactor, and comprises a control module, several current conversion modules corresponding to the electromagnetic coils and a power supply module, wherein each current conversion module is correspondingly connected with one electromagnetic coil; the control module is respectively connected with several current conversion modules and respectively outputs corresponding coil control signals to several current conversion modules; the current conversion modules convert the coil control signals into corresponding driving current and control the operation of corresponding electromagnetic coils based on the driving current. According to the control system for reactor control rods, compared with the prior art, each current conversion module correspondingly controls one electromagnetic coil, and the control system is stable to control, excellent in performance and simple in structure; on the other hand, three electromagnetic coils can use the same current conversion module, so as to have high versatility and high maintainability.
Lipid metabolism affects cell and physiological functions that mediate animal healthspan and lifespan. Lipidomics approaches in model organisms have allowed us to better understand changes in lipid composition related to age and lifespan. Here, using the model C. elegans, we examine the lipidomes of mutants lacking enzymes critical for sphingolipid metabolism; specifically, we examine acid sphingomyelinase (asm-3), which breaks down sphingomyelin to ceramide, and ceramide synthase (hyl-2), which synthesizes ceramide from sphingosine. Worm asm-3 and hyl-2 mutants have been previously found to be long- and short-lived, respectively. We analyzed longitudinal lipid changes in wild type animals compared to mutants at 1-, 5-, and 10-days of age. We detected over 700 different lipids in several lipid classes. Results indicate that wildtype animals exhibit increased triacylglycerols (TAG) at 10-days compared to 1-day, and decreased lysophoshatidylcholines (LPC). We find that 10-day hyl-2 mutants have elevated total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and increased LPCs compared to 10-day wildtype animals. These changes mirror another short-lived model, the daf-16/FOXO transcription factor that is downstream of the insulin-like signaling pathway. In addition, we find that hyl-2 mutants have poor oxidative stress response, supporting a model where mutants with elevated PUFAs may accumulate more oxidative damage. On the other hand, 10-day asm-3 mutants have fewer TAGs. Intriguingly, asm-3 mutants have a similar lipid composition as the long-lived, caloric restriction model eat-2/mAChR mutant. Together, these analyses highlight the utility of lipidomic analyses to characterize metabolic changes during aging in C. elegans.
The invention discloses a coating formula applicable to an extremely humid environment. The coating formula is prepared from the following materials in percentage by weight: 21 percent of cement, 36 percent of quartz sand, 37 percent of heavy calcium powder, 2 percent of light calcium carbonate, 1 percent of polymer powder, 1 percent of NSJF-6A rubber powder, 1 percent of anti-cracking fiber, 0.5percent of a preservative and 0.5 percent of nano-modified montmorillonite. The coating disclosed by the invention is high in applicability in the extremely humid environment, and has the advantages of being dampproof, waterproof, water resistant, mildew-proof, highly adhesive and the like; the quality can be guaranteed for 10 years or longer; meanwhile, the coating is nontoxic and odorless, is harmless to health, and cannot pollute the environment. The invention further provides a preparation method of the coating.
Objective: To assess improvements in fixation stability when a hinged unilateral external fixator is used to supplement compromised internal fixation for distal humerus fractures. Methods: Removing a 1-cm section of the distal humerus in cadaveric whole-arm specimens created a comminuted distal humerus fracture model (AO type 13-A3). Fixation was then performed using different constructs representing optimal, compromised, or supplemented internal fixation. Internal fixation consisted of either 2 reconstruction plates with 1, 2, or 3 (optimal) distal attachment screws, or crossing medial and lateral cortical screws. A hinged external fixator was applied in combination with compromised internal fixation. The stability of the different constructs was then evaluated using 3-point bending stiffness and distal fragment displacement measurements during flexion and extension testing. Results: Addition of the external fixator increased the stiffness of all constructs. Stiffness of the compromised reconstruction plate constructs with supplemented fixation was similar to or significantly greater than that of optimal internal fixation. Addition of the fixator to the reconstruction plates with 1 screw or the crossing screws produced displacements of the distal fragment that were similar to those of the compromised constructs alone. However, medial/lateral and anterior/posterior displacements of the distal fragment during flexion and extension of the elbow for supplemented fixation were found to be greater than those for optimal internal fixation. Conclusions: The use of a hinged external fixator for supplemental fixation of distal humerus fractures may be effective in cases where internal fixation is severely compromised, although displacements may increase above optimal fixation.
Monarch's awarding vehicles and clothes to his subjects was an importan trite of Zhou-Dynasty. Pre - Qin writers drew materials from this rite. Literature that reflected this rite had abundant cultrual connotations,it reflected that the feudal society was rigidly stratified,it was the tool for monarch exchanging emotion with his subjects. Pre-Qin literature that reflected this theme had different models. It was one of the narrative links of Pre - Qint literature, it embodied the beauty of dignified manners, it evolved some vivid stories.
The philosophies and practices of teaching Theatre Directing as a discrete subject at university are discussed. In the directing courses, the teaching philosophy at Victoria University reflects the traditional on-the-job training by putting students under pressure to deliver a public performance within a short timeframe; while the in-house production assessment at Otago University allows more time for reflection and deeper consideration of essential directing skills.
Recently, roll-to-roll printers are being developed actively by various research teams such as research institutes, universities and companies for the application of printed electronics. The printing methods that are widely used in the roll-to-roll printing equipments are gravure, gravure and flexo, which depend on the inks used and electronic devices produced. In general, a single printing unit of roll-to-roll printing equipment adopts only one printing method and this method is not changeable, which limits the application fields of the developed printing equipments. In this paper, the roll-to-roll printer, in which the printing unit has the novel design concept, is described.
Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants are regarded as the largest pollution source of man-made mercury emissions in nature. Hence,to perform an on-the-spot testing of the mercury emission concentration in various forms from a coal-fired power plant is of vital significance for understanding and controlling the law and regularity of mercury emissions. With the internationally accepted Ontario Hydro method being adopted to sample the flue gas before and after an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) in a 600 MW coal-fired power plant,the American EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standard method was used to determine Hg0,Hg2+and HgP concentration in the flue gas,and DMA 80 was employed to ascertain the mercury concentration in solid samples (coal,bottom ash,ESP fly ash). The testing results show that when the flue gas passes through the ESP,the morphology of the mercury contained in the flue gas will undergo a remarkable change. The percentage of Hg2+ will increase from 14.71% to 39.54%,that of Hg0 will decrease from 85.19% to 60.38% and that of HgP will drop from 0.10% to 0.08%. The chlorine in coal and NOx,SO2,HCl,Cl2 in the flue gas assume a positive correlation to the formation of oxidized mercury in the flue gas.
We report an advanced Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) on silicon with significant improvement compared with our previous demonstration in [Nat. Commun.9, 665 (2018)2041-1723]. We retrieve a broadband spectrum (7 THz around 193 THz) with 0.11 THz or sub nm resolution, more than 3 times higher than previously demonstrated [Nat. Commun.9, 665 (2018)2041-1723]. Moreover, it effectively solves the issue of fabrication variation in waveguide width, which is a common issue in silicon photonics. The structure is a balanced Mach–Zehnder interferometer with 10 cm long serpentine waveguides. Quasi-continuous optical path difference between the two arms is induced by changing the effective index of one arm using an integrated heater. The serpentine arms utilize wide multi-mode waveguides at the straight sections to reduce propagation loss and narrow single-mode waveguides at the bending sections to keep the footprint compact and avoid modal crosstalk. The reduction of propagation loss leads to higher spectral efficiency, larger dynamic range, and better signal-to-noise ratio. Also, for the first time to our knowledge, we perform a thorough systematic analysis on how the fabrication variation on the waveguide widths can affect its performance. Additionally, we demonstrate that using wide waveguides efficiently leads to a fabrication-tolerant device. This work could further pave the way towards a mature silicon-based FTS operating with both broad bandwidth (over 60 nm) and high resolution suitable for integration with various mobile platforms.
Two dimensional materials created ab-initio by the process of condensation of atoms, molecules or ions, called thin films, have unique properties significantly different from the corresponding bulk materials as a result of their physical dimensions, geometry, non-equilibrium microstructure and metallurgy. These characteristic features of thin films can be drastically modified and tailored to obtain the desired properties. This forms the basis of development of a host of active and passive thin films devices [1], in such areas as very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits, quantum engineering, integrated optics, photovoltaic conversion and special coatings for surface engineering.
Objective:To summarize the experience of applying video thoracoscopic exploration in thoracic trauma.Methods:Clinical data of 78 patients were analyzed retrospectively.Results:Lung laceration,intelcostal bascular vascular hemorrhage,pericardial filling were discovered in 59,8 and 1 case respectively;3 cases with diaphratic muscles rupture and thorax-abdomen perforating wound were found.No abnormality was found in 7 case Excepts four cases were converted to open operation,seventy four cases were performed successfully.The operation time was 33-106 minutes,hospitalization time was 5-12 days.All patients were cured,and no complications and death occurred.Conclusions:Video thoracoscopic exploration in thoracic trauma can obtain hign rate of definite diagnosis and successful treatment.
OF DISSERTATION UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF MEMBRANE LOCALIZED UGT80B1 ENCODING FOR UDP-GLUCOSE: STEROL GLUCOSYLTRANSFERASE IN PLANT DEVELOPMENT Sterols have been identified as major components of membrane lipids that are part of specialized membrane domains necessary for organizing events such as polar protein targeting and signal transduction in plants, fungi and animals. However a common modification of sterols is the addition of sugar moieties via glycosylation abundantly found in plants. An exact physiological role for such diversification of sterols in plants is still unknown. Using reverse genetics and transcriptomics we show that UDP-glucose: sterol glucosyltransferase encoded by UGT80B1 is necessary for correct epidermal patterning in Arabidopsis root. Patterning of hair cells (trichoblasts) and non-hair cells (atrichoblasts) in the epidermis of the Arabidopsis root involves signaling through SCRAMBLED (SCM), a plasma membrane localized LRR-RL kinase. Feedback regulation via the transcriptional regulatory complex containing R2R3-MYB transcription factor WEREWOLF (WER) represses SCM and activates the homeodomain-leucinezipper protein GLABRA2 (GL2) in atrichoblasts. Evidence suggests symplastic connections between cells, known as plasmodesmata, establish passage ways for single-repeat R3-MYB transcription factors to activate SCM expression in trichoblasts. Mutations in UGT80B1 cause atypical localization patterns of GL2, WER, and SCM in the root epidermis. The ugt80B1 formed fewer trichoblasts in comparison to wild-type. A translational fusion of UGT80B1 to GFP localizes to the ER, plasma membrane and to sites that appear to be plasmodesmataassociated desmotubules. Ultrastructural analysis revealed abnormalities in plasmodesmata formation and morphology in ugt80B1 mutants. Steryl glucoside profiling indicated deficiencies in specific glycosylated sterol compounds in roots. This study identifies UGT80B1 as a novel membrane component that is critical for plasmodesmata morphogenesis and cell-fate determination in the root epidermis. A model is proposed in which UGT80B1 activity provides spatially discreet sterol and steryl glucoside architecture within the plasma membrane to anchor the SCM receptor and within plasmosdesmata to facilitate intercellular movement of R3-MYB regulatory proteins underlying proper differentiation of trichoblasts versus atrichoblasts. Moreover, evidence from reverse genetics, proteomics and live cell imaging point to an actin dependent localization of UGT80B1 at the vesicle rich zone of root hair tip. This localization actively supports root hair elongation via tip growth, possibly by membrane modifications required for vesicle trafficking.
Molecular orientation in films of yeast cytochrome c immobilized via disulfide bonding between cysteine 102 and the thiol tail groups of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) coated on planar glass substrates was investigated. The orientation distribution of the heme groups in the protein film was determined using a combination of absorption linear dichroism, measured in a planar integrated optical waveguide-attenuated total reflection geometry, and emission anisotropy, measured in a total internal reflection fluorescence geometry. The mean heme tilt angle and angular distribution about the mean were recovered using a Gaussian model for the orientation distribution. These data are the first orientation distribution measurements reported for a protein film immobilized using a site-directed bonding strategy. The results show that the molecular architecture examined in this study does not produce a highly oriented protein film. A significant fraction of the immobilized cytochrome c is nonspecifically adsorbed to ...
The literariness study in western literary theory oriented in two directions: literariness is regarded as objective essential attribute or as product of the historical conventions.In 1980s,literariness was raised and discussed again in China,and a debate arose over whether the literariness had been generalized.Literariness was endowed with various modern connotations,which revealed different trains of thoughts to construct the literariness,provided a new way to reinterpret the literariness,and expanded the research space of the literature and literary theory.
SAM - Related Applications for Transition Economics: Comparative social accounting matrices for Western and Eastern European countries - construction and structural differences SAM multipliers for West and East European countries - an evaluation of transitional patterns Growth and distribution in Russia and China - the difference Policy modelling under fixed and flexible price regimes - SAM and CGE transition models applied to Hungary and Poland. SAM - Related Frameworks for Industrial Economics: Social accounting matrix analysis for The Netherlands Inter-temporal analysis of regional multipliers Urban dynamics and the circular flow in industrial economies Growth and equity effects of demographic change in industrial economies.
The embodiment of the invention discloses a color translation processing method. The method comprises the following steps of: obtaining color information of a preset reference region in an image or picture to be processed and the color information of each pixel of the image or picture to be processed; comparing the color information of each pixel of the image or picture to be processed with the color information of the preset reference region; and performing color translation process on each pixel according to the comparison result. The embodiment of the invention further discloses a color translation processing device. With the method and the device, the pixels in the whole image or picture can be processed with the color translation process according to the reference region.
The relationship between subjective state of health and 5-year survival in an elderly cohort was examined. During the 1978 study of the elderly population of Kiryat Ono, a suburban community in the central coastal area of Israel, respondents were asked to evaluate their general health status on a four-level scale, and their vital status was updated until 1983. A multivariate analysis of survival was conducted using the Cox Proportional Hazards Model. Self-rating of health was an independent predictor of survival after controlling for age, sex, continent of origin, number of conditions and medications reported, heart disease and activities of daily living (ADL). The self-rating of health was found to be an important psychosocial parameter in the evaluation of health status, in determining the prognosis of an elderly person, and in analyzing survival.
TEOTOGENESIS OF THE FRENCH ALPS IN THE LIGHT 0F THE THEORY OF GRAVITY FLOW AGE, AND ATTEMPT AT APPLYING THIS THEORY IN THE TECTOGENESIS OF THE CENTRAL CARPATHIANS Her studies at the Geological Section of the Department of Sciences at the University of Grenoble enabled the author to familiarize herself with the theory of gravity flowage to which French scientists ascribe thectogenesis of the Alps. The author presents this problem with particular attention paid to the conceptions voiced by M. Gignoux. As an example she subsequently discusses, on the basis of the theory of gravity flowage, the tectonics of some parts of the French Alps she visited (the region of Grenoble, the Aravis mountain chain, the flysch nappe of l'Embrunais-Ubaye). On this basis the author attempts to show an analogy between the tectogenesis of the Alps and that of the Central Carpathians. Thus she assumes the migration of a geotumour from S to N which caused a successive shifting - also from S to N - of the overthrusted subtatric series, then the hightatric series and, ultimately, the Carpathian flysch. The theory of gravity flowage, applied to the tectogenesis of the Carpathians, plausibly explains such features as tectonic compensations, loosenings between complexes differing mechanically, an active part played by rigid series, such as limestones, with regard to softer series like shales.
The study of past climates informs us on the causes, amplitude and mechanisms of climate change, which is necessary to our ability to predict future changes, and build the necessary infrastructure to ensure the resilience of our society to these changes. Local climate records contain both large scale and local signals, from both external forcing, such as radiative forcing, and internal climate variability. In order to understand the response of the climate system to global drivers, we must average out the local signals into hemispheric or global variables. This process has been difficult because we lack the spatial coverage in large areas of the Earth, including the oceans, and much of the Southern Hemisphere. The work presented here aims at improving our knowledge of the climate by producing a new temperature time series from the center of West Antarctica for the last 1000 years, a region previously unexplored. This temperature reconstruction is based on a new method, combining borehole temperature measurements with inert gas isotopes from the WAIS-Divide ice cores into a single inverse problem. Borehole temperature measurements constrain the long term changes in the climate, while inert gas isotopes record decadal to centennial scale changes. Together, they produce a temperature estimate that is independent of the traditional water isotope proxy [Delta]¹⁸O of ice, and provide a way to calibrate it. WAIS-Divide experienced a long term cooling trend from 950 to 1850 A.D., which ended abruptly by warming by 2.3°C in 30 years. More recently, WAIS-Divide has been warming by more than 1.5°C since 1957, which refutes the idea that Antarctica would not experience the current warming seen elsewhere. The long term cooling trend was superimposed on centennial scale variations in the climate, including two warming events, notably between 1315 and 1395 A.D., 1596 and 1626 A.D., with a warming rate of 0.24 and 0.32°C/decade. This evidence shows that the current rate of warming at WAIS- Divide, of 0.23°C/decade for the last 50 years is rare but not unprecedented. This record is consistent with the idea that the decrease in solar radiation from 1400 to 1800 A.D. induced widespread cooling in mid and high latitudes of both hemispheres
A method for measuring axial deviation in a taut-wire alignment system (1) that includes a dynamically earthed resistive wire (2) extending along a longitudinal reference axis and adjacent to elements to be aligned (3). The method comprises applying an AC voltage signal to a measurement electrode provided with a reference electrode, said measurement electrode being arranged in a measurement plane in a holder attached to an element to be aligned (3); carrying out a measurement using a capacitive bridge that includes a first capacitor consisting of the measurement electrode and the wire, as well as a second capacitor, in order to provide a measurement signal representing an axial position of the measurement electrode relative to the taut wire (2); and processing the measurement signal to provide data indicating the axial deviation between the element to be aligned (3, 7) and a predetermined alignement position. The method is particularly suitable for aligning elements in linear colliders.
Short-latent cortical potentials and induced potentials (IP) recorded from the cervical spine in response to electrical stimulation of the median nerve on the wrist were studied in patients with injury to the cervical parts of the spine and spinal cord. The changes in the pronounced character of the somatosensory induced potentials (SSIP) proved to be more marked than those in the controls. A group of patients with considerable increase of peak N1 and corresponding increase of the time of conduction along the central nervous system (up to 20 msec) was distinguished. The latent period (LP) of IP recorded in the region of the cervical parts of the spinal cord was also prolonged in these patients. The pronounced character of the SSIP changes corresponded to that of the neurological disorders in these patients and the course of the subsequent restorative period.
INTRODUCTION 1. The Roman background: politics and culture 1.1 Orators in politics 1.2 Greeks and Romans 2. De oratore in Cicero's life 3. The subject: the ideal orator 4. Form I: Dialogue technique 5. Form II: "Rhetorical" techniques and the way to read De oratore 6. Background I: The quarrel between rhetoricians and philosophers, and Cicero's position in it 6.1 Brief history of the quarrel 6.2 The issues in the quarrel: Cicero's position 7. Background II: Traditional rhetoric and Cicero's alternative 7.1 Preliminary questions 7.2 The basic systems and Cicero's choice 7.3 The individual activities 8. Background III: Cicero's "sources" 9. This translation 10. The text 11. Synopsis of the work FURTHER READINGS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ABBREVIATIONS TRANSLATION: ON THE IDEAL ORATOR Book 1 Book 2 Book 3 Appendix A Cicero's Works Appendix B Figures of Thought and Speech Appendix C List of Readings GLOSSARY INDEX OF PLACES AND NAMES GENERAL INDEX
The analysis of electrocardiogram of Tibet hog is used to observe the developing process and compare with the electrocardiogram of human being and Guizhou miniature pig to provide basic data for Tibet hog's experimental animalization.Methods:45 Tibet hogs in conscious were traced fromⅠ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ standard leads and aVR、aVL and aVFunipolar extremity leads with electrocardiogram ECG-9020K.Result:①There was a sinus rhythm in all examined Tibet hogs.②All P waves were erect in Ⅰ,Ⅱ and aVF leads,but inverted in aVR lead,most of it were erect in Ⅲ and aVL leads.③The QRS complex form was qR in Ⅰ lead,qRs and Rs in Ⅱ lead,Rs and qRs in Ⅲ lead,qR、 rsr'and qr in aVL lead,rsr'、Qr and Q in aVR lead,Rs and qRs in aVF lead primarily.④Most of T wave were erect in Ⅰ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ and aVF leads,and inverted in aVL and aVR leads.⑤The duration of various waves and interval:P duration is 68.18 ms±(23.54 ms;)P-R interval is 92.69 ms±20.64 ms;QRS interval is 47.76 ms±13.50 ms;Q-T interval is(225.93) ms±45.03 ms;Q-Tc interval is 225.47 ms±31.23 ms.The character of Tibet hog's electrocardiogram is similar to human being's on the whole,except that its heart rate is faster,and P-R interval,QRS interval,S-T interval and Q-T interval are shorter,and it is similar to GuiZhou miniature pig extremely except that its Q-T interval is shorter.
The regulations of public procurement in the European Union (EU) consist primarily of two directives, 2004/18/EG and 2004/17/EG. These directives are principally based on the internal market provisions of the EC Treaty (now the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) and are aiming to guarantee competition within the EU. The directives prescribe in detail how a procurement process should be performed and how the procuring public authority or entity is allowed to act. According to the aim of guaranteeing competition the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination should be taken into consideration within all procurements. This implies that all potential suppliers within the member states in the EU should be treated equally and should be given the same conditions within each procurement process. All procurements should also be characterized by transparency. This implies for example that all procurements in general should be made public through a contract notice, in order to enable for all potential suppliers to show their interests of participating in the procurement process.    In certain cases the directives provide exceptions from the procurement regulations. The requirement of publishing a contract notice can for example be ignored due to artistic reasons. This exception can only be used when the authority can show that only one supplier can meet the demands. The authority is under such circumstances allowed to contact the current supplier without performing a regular procurement process. During the last few years this exception has been object for trial both within the Administrative Court of Appeal and the Supreme Administrative Court. Common for the cases where the exception was accepted were that the authority had shown adequate reasons for using the exception.    The exception has also been object for trial within the EU court. Though not in consideration of artistic reasons but in consideration of other reasons admitting the same exception. In these cases the EU court stated that the exception should be applied restrictively and only in exceptional cases. The fact that the Swedish courts require reasonable grounds for using the exception is probably an expression for the restrictiveness stated by the EU-court. Due to that matter the interpretation of the Swedish courts seems to be compatible with the EU regulations. Despite of this theoretical compatibility it can be discussed whether these situations where the exception was accepted really are meant to be covered by the exception or if the Swedish courts in this aspect have made an interpretation that can be criticized.
The determination of totally phenolic compounds in methanol extracted of cortex fruit of Garcinia manggostana Linn has been done by Folin-Ciocalteau method. The antioxidant activity has been performed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrihydrazil (DPPH) as reagent, that measured spectrometrically compared with gallic acid as antioxidant standard compound. The total phenolate compounds found in fresh peel of mangosteen was 1,64±0.18% w/w which calculated as gallic acid equivalence and the antioxidant activity with a value of IC50 was 251,12 µg. Keyword : Garcinia manggostana Linn, antioxidant, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrihydrazil.
Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited over hand muscles by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) were studied in healthy individuals and, bilaterally, in patients with cerebral infarction. Conduction time of the central motor pathways (CMCT), threshold intensity, and amplitude of the MEPs were correlated with recovery motor hand function after stroke. Following MEPs by TMS during tonic muscle contraction, there is a transient suppression of muscle action. This inhibitory period (IP) was significantly shorter in the upper paretic limb of stroke patients with spasticity than in normal limb of the patients and healthy individuals. Shortening of the IP duration was correlated to degree of upper limb spasticity (Ashworth scale) and may be due to supraspinal level reduction of the inhibitory function. The IP study contributes to a better quantification of the hand function in stroke patients.
double thepeakvoltage ofapulse powersystem without electrical breakdown. By increasing knowledge of Inaneffort todevelop transmission lines withhigherinsulation through research, itwouldbepossible tocreate energystorage capabilities forcompact pulsed power apulse powermachine halfthesizeofapresent day applications, ceramic dielectrics andtheirelectrical machine that hasthesameinput andoutput specifications. breakdown strength (BDS)arebeingdeveloped and A goodexample wouldbebending Blumlein lines (MURI studied. Results ofresearch to-date showthat thedenseCompact Pulser research program) [2]. titania ceramics withnanocrystalline grain size (-200 nm) Whenhighvoltage inpulsed powerisinvolved, the exhibit significantly higher BDSascompared toceramicsthought ofelectrical breakdown isalways certainly madeusing coarse grain materials whentested under DC considered. Therearemanycausesforelectrical conditions. Pulsed testing undersimilar electric fieldbreakdown fromdegradation oftheinsulation material stresses havebeenperformed andfoundcomparable duetoaging fromtheenvironment, thenumber ofshots of behavior [1]. highvoltage pulses, orevenjust thedistance ofaphysical Furthering theresearch hasledtoconsider theelectrical gapinrelation totheinsulation material [3]. breakdown strength (BDS)of materials suchas Thecharacteristics ofsolids, particularly ceramics such ceramic/epoxy composites. asdensetitania andceramic/epoxy composite material, Theseceramic/epoxy materials areofinterest. This andtheir crucial relationship tohighvoltage willbe material seemstobemoreflexible, robust, andmightdiscussed. Thehighdielectric constant andhigh voltage haveincreased breakdown strength ascompared todenseelectrical breakdown strength areofparticular interest. titania ceramics. Thepowders areavailable withnominalWiththesespecial characteristics thattheceramics particle sizes of50nm to400nm. Thecrystalline provide, there isaneedforsuchmaterials intherealm of ceramic powders haveuniform spherical morphology, highvoltage pulsed power.Withthis inmind, this will precise stoichiometry andhighceramic purity. The establish thebasis fortheMURICompact Pulser research effects ofrise timeofhighvoltage pulsed poweronthe andexplain whyhighvoltage electrical breakdown breakdown oftheceramic/epoxy composite material willparticularly indense titania andceramic/epoxy composite also bethefocus ofinterest. material isachallenging endeavor. Thispaperdescribes ourtestresults, reviews the statistics that areusedtoanalyze thedata, andrelates our understanding towhathasbeenaccumulated inthe
Intermittent administration of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) to individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been shown to raise and maintain the absolute number of circulating CD4(+) T cells to normal or near normal levels. One of the signaling pathways triggered by IL-2 is the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT). In particular, IL-2 activates the tyrosine kinases JAK1 and JAK3 and the transcription factors STAT3 and STAT5. We have previously observed that most HIV(+) individuals, unlike healthy seronegative controls, show a constitutive activation of STAT1 and a C-terminal truncated isoform of STAT5 (STAT5 Delta). In the present study, we have analyzed the protein level and activation state of STAT5 isoforms expressed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two HIV-infected individuals who showed a good or a poor response to intermittent IL-2 administration, respectively, and of a single individual before and after initiation of Zidovudine monotherapy. We provide evidence that both therapeutic interventions enhanced the expression and activation of the C-terminal truncated isoform of STAT5 (STAT5 Delta) in vivo.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons reveals that Australia's Future Fund's investments in nuclear weapons companies up to April 2011 totalled $135.4 million. Nuclear weapons are banned under Australian law. The author argues that Future Fund should exclude nuclear arms manufacturers from its investment portfolio in order to comply with its own affirmed policy of not financing companies involved in activities that are unlawful in Australia.
Objective To construct an endothelial bioreactor. Methods Endothelial cells were planted in the outer space of non-woven fabric polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) bioreactor with its intra-capillary space connecting to a medium perfusion system.The medium from the intra space was obtained every day and collected for lactic acid,glucose,nitrogen oxide (NO),protein C and von Willebrand Factor (vWF) analysis.Non-woven fabric PTFE was collected for fluorescent microscope and scanning electric microscope examination. Results Lactic acid levels in culture media sampling from the lumen space rose continuously and the rising rate was also increased.A contrary result was observed in glucose level.vWF can be detected in the extra space.The cells on the non-woven fabric PTFE had the character of endothelial cells under fluorescent microscope and scanning electric microscope examination. Conclusions Endothelial cells can be planted in the outer space of non-woven fabric PTFE hollow fiber bioreactor and have good shape and functions,suggesting its value in the therapy of sepsis.
The acoustoultrasonic NDT method proposed by Vary (1976, 1978) for composite laminate damage growth quantitative assessment can both respond to the development of damage states and furnish quantitative parameters that monitor this damage development. Attention is presently given to data obtained for the case of quasi-static loading and fatigue testing of graphite-epoxy laminates. The shape parameters of the power spectral density for the ultrasonic signals correlate well with such other indications of damage development as stiffness degradation.
INTRODUCTION Defective monocyte function has been associated with a variety of human malignancies. However, the diagnostic and/or prognostic significance of this disturbance remains unclear.   MATERIAL AND METHODS The number of leukocytes, proportion and absolute number of granulocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes, and monocyte phagocytic function were determined in a group of 30 patients with invasive ductal breast cancers. Cancer patients were divided into 3 groups on the basis of clinical stage of the disease: group A--patients with localized disease; group B--patients with regional lymph node metastases; group C--patients with distant metastases. The control group consisted of 10 age-matched healthy women.   RESULTS This study demonstrates that patients with breast cancer have a significant decrease in the absolute number of monocytes and phagocytic activity. Moreover, compared to healthy individuals, the absolute number of monocytes decreases in cancer patients, reaching the lowest value in patients with distant metastases (group C). Similarly, phagocytic activity of peripheral blood monocytes was significantly lower in patients with tumors. Index of phagocytosis showed a two-fold, and capacity of phagocytosis a seven-fold decrease in advanced-stage patients (C).   DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The phagocytic activity reveals the dynamics of the host tumor interface. This method is used alone or combined with other methods as an indicator of the extent or activity of the disease. We conclude that monocyte phagocytic function can be used as an additional prognostic factor in breast cancer monitoring.
Since New China's establishment,its industry has great achievement after 60 years of development. However,there are many problems that can not be ignored in the process of development. This article discusses the severity of China's development and changes in industrial structure,a new way to industrialization,high-tech industry development,the development of equipment manufacturing industry,and constantly improve the quality of China's industrial workers and skills,etc. It also provides reference for the further study of China's industrial development for the theoretical research and practice departments.
Applicators for BETA radiation of P/sup 32/, Sr/sup 89/, Sr/sup 90/, and Y/sup were made and experiments were carried out. From 15-20 mu c of P/sup 32//sq cm and 16.5 mu c of Sr/sup 90//sq cm were absorbed on filter paper; dry vinyl wax was applied and the paper was backed by Pb plate 0.3 mm thick. This was kept in a polyethylene bag and then used clinically as a safe radiation source. Handling of Sr/sup 90/ had to be especially careful. The dose was measured by an extrapolation chamber; 16.5 mu c/sq cm of Sr/sup 90/ was 6 rad/ mu ch, 15 mu c/sq cm of P/sup 32/ was 3.6 rad/ mu ch. The dose of 16.5 mu c/sq cm of Sr/sup 90/ through a paraffin plate (specific gravity = 0.92) was measured by a film density method using Kodak x-ray film. The transit dose was 75% for paper 1 mm thick, 47% for 2 mm, 33% at 3mm, zero at 8 mm. 16.5 mu c/sq cm of Sr/ sup 90/ was applied to the skin surface of the back of guinea pig and the reaction studied inacroscopically and histologically. Macroscopically slight dry dermatitis was seen at 800 mumore » ch and wet dermatitis at 1200 mu ch. Re- epithelization was seen at about 1 week, when the low dose was applied and at about 3 weeks in high-dose radiation. Histologically, immediately after radiation degeneration of the basal cells and condensation and swelling were seen. In the corium there was edema, swelling of the connective tissues, and leucocyte and lymphocyte infiltration. These changes were slight at 800 mu ch, which reached a maximum at about 1 week, but at associated with erosion or ulceration); after 3 weeks regeneration of epithelial cells was seen. During recovery there was a marked increase in basal cells, connective tissues, and fiber formation. In the guinea pig the dose causing dry and wet dermatitis was 1000-1200 mu ch which was higher than that in humans and recovery was relatively faster than that of human skin. (Abstr. Japan Med., 1: No.« less
An in-hospital diagnosis of heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction carries a very poor prognosis, which has been reported to be as high as 50% per annum. In many cases death has been sudden and unexpected and not strictly related to a refractory heart failure. In association with this, it has become more widely appreciated that ventricular tachyarrhythmias, often asymptomatic, are frequent in patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and in some studies, the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias has been the most powerful predictor of mortality. Several other variables have been reported as being predictors of a poor prognosis, including electrolyte abnormalities, poor left ventricular function, high plasma norepinephrine, and low blood pressure. In a prospective follow-up series of 152 patients with heart failure secondary to left ventricular dysfunction, we found that ventricular arrhythmias were the strongest predictor of subsequent mortality, while treatment with amiodarone was associated with longer survival. High plasma renin and norepinephrine concentrations were also associated with a poor prognosis and both were directly correlated with the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias. In previous double-blind studies we have demonstrated a reduction in ventricular arrhythmias with both captopril and enalapril, and this has been associated with a reduction in plasma norepinephrine and an increase in serum and total body potassium. Nonetheless, arrhythmias in these patients were by no means abolished despite correction of these neuroendocrine and electrolyte abnormalities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A numerical algorithm for the solution of the velocity-vorticity formulation of Navier-Stokes equations is presented. This formulation results in splitting of fluid flow into its kinematic and kinetic aspect. The Boundary Element Method (BEM) used for the solution of flow kinematics results in an implicit calculation of vorticity values at the boundary, whereas all transport equations are solved using Finite Element Method (FEM). The combination of both numerical techniques is proposed in order to increase the accuracy of computation of boundary vorticities, a weak point for a majority of numerical methods when dealing with velocity-vorticity formulation. Since the application of BEM results in fully populated system matrices, also the flow kinematics computation is done by combining BEM and FEM, the latter for computation of internal velocities, keeping the CPU time and computer storage requirements at the level close to Finite Element Method. To speed up the computation process and to distribute storage of integrals over several processors the algebraic parallelization of kinematics was performed. Lid driven flow in a cubic cavity was computed to show the robustness and versatility of the proposed numerical formulation. Results for Reynolds number value Re=100 and Re=1000 show good agreement with benchmark results.
Techniques that can introduce low-dimensional feature representation with enhanced discriminatory power is of paramount importance in face recognition applications. It is well known that the distribution of face images,under a perceivable variation in viewpoint,illumination or facial expression,is highly nonlinear and complex. It is therefore, not surprising that linear techniques,such as those based on Principle Component Analysis (PCA) or Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) cannot provide reliable and robust solutions to those complex face recognition problems. In this paper,we propose a kernel machine based discriminant analysis method,which deals with the nonlinearity of the face patterns’ distribution. The proposed method also effectively solves the “small sample size” (SSS) problem which exists in most face recognition tasks. The new algorithm has been tested,in terms of error rate performance, on the multi-view UMIST Face Database. Results indicate that the proposed methodology outperform other commonly used approaches,such as the Kernel-PCA (KPCA) and the Generalized Discriminant Analysis (GDA).
This bachelor thesis deals with the aging in society. The theoretical part of the thesis sums up findings about changes, which accompany the process of aging. It also deals with the issue of age discrimination, or ageism, educational opportunities or seniors´ relationship to modern technologies. Finally, the thesis describes the forms of care of old people realized in families and in social service facilities. The practical part of the thesis investigates the forms of relationships between seniors and younger generations. The issue is explored from the perspective of seniors.
In 2008, Han rediscovered an expansion of powers of Dedekind $ eta$ function due to Nekrasov and Okounkov by using Macdonald's identity in type $ widetilde{A}$. In this paper, we obtain new combinatorial expansions of powers of $ eta$, in terms of partition hook lengths, by using Macdonald's identity in type $ widetilde{C}$ and a new bijection. As applications, we derive a symplectic hook formula and a relation between Macdonald's identities in types $ widetilde{C}$, $ widetilde{B}$, and $ widetilde{BC}$.
A large collection of anatomically preserved marattialean stem and trunk segments from the Upper Pennsylvanian of Ohio provides the basis for detailed structural and taxonomic studies of several Psaronius species. Nineteen of the specimens form an intergrading series from low levels of the stem to near the apex of a single species. Material previously described as Caulopteris magnifica, Psaronius lacunosis, and P. pertusus and several newly discovered specimens are described as Psaronius magnificus (Herzer) n. comb. The plant has helically-arranged leaves at all levels and exhibits large, vertically-elongated leaf scars near the apex. Trunk segments from proximal levels have up to a 10 cm thick zone of radially arranged bound roots with more peripheral free roots. Stems are 3.6-14.2 cm in diameter. Internally, the stems have 3-6 stelar cycles that are separated by aerenchymatous ground tissue, and bounded by a prominent peripheral sheath. The specimens of P. magnificus provide a basis for separating taxonomically significant features from differences that result from other factors, and demonstrate that some Psaronius species retained a loose helical leaf arrangement to the apex of the largest trees.
Objective: To investigate the effect of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), the key factor of dental pulp inflammation, on the synthesis and secretion of matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) of human pulp cells in vitro. Methods: Human pulp cells were separated and cultured in vitro. The 4th-8th passage cells were incubated in 6-well plates and divided into two groups. Cells in experimental group were treated with IL-1β, while cells in control group were treated without IL-1β. The streptavidin peroxdase conjugated method was applied to detect immunohistochemical positive stained rate of cells and the distribution of positive stained particles. The gelatin zymography method was applied to examine the production of MMPs in course of culture by the number of integrated optical density. Results: Compared with control, the immunohistochemical re sult revealed that the expression of MMP-9 was higher in human pulp cells treated with IL-1β (P 0.01). The immunohisto chemical positive stained particles were found mainly in the cytoplasm, while a few of them were found in the extracellular ma trix. Results of gelatin zymography showed that the level of MMP-9 was increased in experimental group than that of control group. Values of integrated optical density were higher in five time points of experimental group than those of control group (P 0.01). Conclusion: IL-1β has the potential to stimulate the synthesis and secretion of MMP-9 in human pulp cells and thus results in the extracellular matrix degradation of dental pulp.
Sally Potter's Orlando is a film which deals with a mysterious man/woman Orlando, an androgyny. He(she) lived for 400 years, which once he(she) was a man, and then became a woman. This film is different from Woolf's novel in the manner of adaptation that the film emphasizes a contemporary woman on the contrary the novel does not. The film interprets a novel in terms of gender and modem feminism. Gender theme is central in this film, because it is strongly connected to the theme of androgyny(hermaphrodite). Also, this film is interpreted with the mythological criticism. Orlando him(her)self in the fiction is a mythic figure per se. His(her) longevity for 400 years and sexual transformation are ambiguous, mysterious, and mythic. According to Gilbert Durand, mythological criticism has a scientific method searching for the mythic pattern or kernel in the written narrative text. Also, he states two kinds of approach. One is a textual analysis dated from literary tradition, the other is a mythic interpretation with mythic event or sequence dissected from the myth in the light of contemporary view. Androgyny metaphor in the myth is smeared as Orlando figure in the Woolf's work with her own imagination as woman's life itself. Also, this film relates many mythic imaginations: hermaphroditus in Greek mythology, androgynic God in archaic India, alchemy in Taoist and Arabia, and collective unconsciousness with anima/animus in Carl Jung.
Mexico is well known for being one of the 12 megadiverse countries. Part of this megadiversity the result of the marked climatic and geographic variations within the country, as well as the intersection of the Nearctic and the Neotropical realms. Within the diverse fauna present in this province, the Curculionoidea superfamily of the order Coleoptera (Beetles) is considered one of the most important in terms of diversity and economic importance. The objective of the present study was to determine the richness and diversity of the Curculionoidea within and altitudinal gradient in northeastern portion of the state of Hidalgo at the intersection of the municipalities Huasalingo, Huejutla de Reyes and Tlanchinol. A total of 12 sampling points were selected along a transect from 100 m to 1,400 m with each point separated by100 m of altitude. The sample unit consisted of 20 sweeps with a beating net with 10 such samples taken monthly at each of the 12 sample points for a total of 1,440 samples. Analyses of species richness, alpha diversity (indexes of Shannon and Simpson), and beta diversity were conducted. Mean abundance was compared between sites and altitude using non-parametric procedures and correlations were calculated between abundance and environmental variables. A total of 2,625 individuals were collected during the study representing 151 species of Curculionoidea representing the greatest number of weevils reported from a single site in Mexico. For the sampled area, significant differences were found among altitude with the greatest number of individuals found in cloud forest habitats at 1,000 to 1,400 meters over sea level, in part due to the dominance of the species, Coelocephalapion praeditum at these sites. The greatest richness and diversity was observed in at the lowest altitudes in the disturbed subdeciduous tropical forest, probably a result a greater mixture and diversity of host plants. The abundance of Curculionoidea was greatest during the dry season than in the rainy; whereas the greatest diversity was observed during the rainy season, apparently due to annual life cycle patterns. In the partitioning of beta diversity among samples, sites and vegetation types, the greatest percentage difference between these three categories was found between sites (52.6%). A significant correlation was found between the richness and abundance of weevils with temperature, although clearly there are other environmental factors and the diversity of host plants that are important in determining richness and diversity of Curculionoidea. The distribution of close to half of the species collected (45.5%) corresponded to the biogeographic region Mega-Mexico 3, whereas species with tropical distributions represented 44.2% with only 7.9% of the species had temperate distributions. These percentages are similar to those reported for communities of Curculionoidea reported elsewhere in Mexico.
In this report, I study familial longitudinal count data with a Poisson regression model. The data is collected from individuals who are nested in families. I focus on two main issues to fit a model. The first one is the large number of excess zeros and the second one is multi-level random effects. My approach for solving these problems are to use either Zero Inflated Poisson (ZIP) or Negative Binomial (NB) models to control for the excess zeros which allow for estimation of another parameter for over dispersion while developing the model with individual and familial random effects. First, I use a Poisson regression model with only main effects. After that, I fit a ZIP model to control for the extra zeros. I provide information about general form of the exponential families and a discussion about the dispersion parameter. I also fit a Negative Binomial model instead of the ZIP model. I also build these models with only individual random effects and with both individual and familial random effects as well. I discuss the generalized estimating equation (GEE) approach to estimate the parameters of a generalized linear model with auto regressive correlation between outcomes.
The Office on Women's Health of the Department of Health and Human Services led an effort to seek feedback on women's health issues. The response showed that women in communities nationwide focused less on individual organ-specific health issues than on broader strategies they thought were critical to improving and sustaining women's health programs. This article summarizes the result of those discussions as expressed in the "Women Living Long, Living Well" framework.
Taking a diesel engine as a prototype, the intake port gasoline injection system was added to realize the combustion mode that the fuel ignited by premixed injection of gasoline in intake port and direct injection of diesel oil in cylinder, and the performance of gasoline/diesel dual-fuel engine was deeply studied. The results shows: 1. The peak in-cylinder combustion pressure and heat release rate of gasoline/diesel dual-fuel engines gradually decrease with the increase of gasoline/diesel ratio; 2. The fuel consumption acquires optimal value at 65% of gasoline/diesel rate; 3. Both NOx emission and Soot emission decrease and got significantly low value with the increase of gasoline/diesel ratio. So it can be concluded: the increase of EGR rate make combustion pressure peak in-cylinder and heat release rate peak firstly rise and then decrease. Meanwhile, CA50 shows the trends of advancing first and retarding then. Low EGR rate promotes NOx emission and high EGR rate restrains NOx emission. And EGR rate has little impact on Soot.
Depression is one of the most widespread diseases of our time, but only fifty percent of the diseased seeks out for help. One way to reach out to more people is by offering internet based treatment methods. The purpose of this study is to investigate four therapist supported internet administrated treatments for mild to moderate depression. Two of the treatments are based on physical activity and two on behavioural activation. The treatment rationale in each condition has been manipulated. A control group has been used. 312 participants were randomized to the five groups. The results show that all the treatments leads to decreased symptoms of depression, but no in between group differences were found. All groups showed an increase of physical activity and there was a between group difference between the groups without rationale and the control group. The groups without rationale had increased their physical activity more than the control group. One possible explanation to the lack of between group differences on symptoms of depression is the fact that the control group also decreased their symptoms substantially.
Originally published by Oxford University Press in the 1890s, the famed Payne edition of SELECT WORKS OF BURKE is universally revered by students of English history and political thought. Volume 1 contains Burke's brilliant defense of the American colonists' complaints of British policy, including 'Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents' (1770); 'Speech on American Taxation' (1774); and 'Speech on Conciliation' (1775). Volume 2 consists of Burke's renowned 'Reflections on the Revolution in France'. Volume 3 presents Burke's Four Letters on the Proposals for Peace with the Regicide Directory of France -- generally styled 'Letters on a Regicide Peace' (1795-1796). The 'Letters', Payne believed, deserve to "rank even before (Burke's) 'Reflections', and to be called the writer's masterpiece." Faithfully reproduced in each volume are E J Payne's notes and introductory essays. Francis Canavan, one of the great Burke scholars of the twentieth century, has added forewords and a biographical note on Payne. In the companion volume, 'Miscellaneous Writings', Canavan has collected seven of Burke's major contributions to English political thinking on representation in Parliament, on economics, on the political oppression of the peoples of India and Ireland, and on the enslavement of African blacks. The volume concludes with a select bibliography on Edmund Burke. The volumes complement the Liberty Fund editions of Burke's 'A Vindication of Natural Society', edited by Frank N Pagano, and 'Further Reflections on the Revolution in France', edited by Daniel E Ritchie.
The invention discloses a method and device for reversing a vehicle. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a bluetooth connection request of an image obtaining device, and establishing bluetooth connection with the image obtaining device; receiving images of the vehicle at different positions, which are transmitted by the image obtaining device, and displaying the images on a display module of a vehicle-mounted system, so that the vehicle is reversed according to the images of the vehicle at different positions. The device comprises a vehicle-mounted system and the image obtaining device, wherein the vehicle-mounted system also comprises a bluetooth connecting module, an image receiving module and the display module; the bluetooth connecting module is used for receiving the bluetooth connection request of the image obtaining device and establishing the bluetooth connection with the image obtaining device; the image receiving module is used for receiving the images of the vehicle at the different positions, which are transmitted by the image obtaining device; the display module is used for displaying the images of the vehicle at different positions, so that the vehicle is reversed according to the images of the vehicle at different positions, and an accident in a backing up process is avoided.
The effective components from Camellia seed shell was extracted by ethanol solvents with different concentrations.The antioxidant activities of the crude extracts were determined using free radical system,hydrogen dioxide system and nitrite system.The results showed that the antioxidant activities of Camellia seed shell were related to the concentration of ethanol solvents,and the 60 % ethanol extracts had the best free radical-scavenging activity,when the concentrations were 15,2,4,10 g/L,the scavenging rate of 60 % ethanol extracts to·OH、DPPH·、H2O2 and the nitrite were 47.7 %,76 %,97.1 %,99.0 %,and showed the obvious dose-effect relation after a certain concentration.
In this paper I present a combined Verilog and Bluespec implementation of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) for FPGAs. This solution relies on the fastest AES implementation for FPGAs, presented by Drimer et al. Bluespec is a versatile HDL, allowing an easy parametrization of a large design. Based on this property I show the simple use of two different AES implementations (AES32 and AES128) in a large Bluespec design. Using the Altera DE2 board and Quartus software I synthesize the design and test it on a Cyclone II FPGA. I present the performance results obtained from several tests and I compare them against the results presented by Drimer et al. The source code for the complete design is made publicly available.
The present invention discloses a method of manufacturing the array of storage devices, which comply with the configuration specification discloses a storage device array Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL), comprising a first and a second integrated SCSI serving as leader processors having enclosure services first and second controllers (SES) processing apparatus. The third and fourth controller coupled to the first and second controllers, and acts as the slave processor. Third and fourth controllers combine the third and fourth SCSI enclosure services (SES) processing apparatus. Each of the SES processing device are synchronized and combined control data to create a single image of the entire configuration, a single SES instance to a storage device host controller and interconnection network software.
The adhesion of cells and extra cellular matrix(ECM) played an important role in invasion and metastasis of tumor.Using quartz crystal resonator,the adhesion behaviors of hepatoma cell HepG2 and ECM were mointored in real-time.The response curves of frequency shift(Δf) and dissipation factor shift(ΔD) were gained.After adhering steadily HepG2 cell monolayer was detached from substrate by EGTA treatment,then the remained ECM was destroyed by EDTA solution.This process was monitored by QCR continuously,Δf= 740±10 Hz,ΔD≤ 5×10-5.The results showed extracellular matrix did not result dissipation factor shift,which proved that ECM was rigid on QCR.
OF THESIS BUILDING LOCAL CONFIDENCE: THE SOCIOECONOMIC TASKS OF PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS In the post-Cold War period, intrastate peacekeeping missions evolved from an explicit focus on force to the adoption of multidimensional strategies. These newer techniques include tasks such as infrastructure reconstruction, rebuilding institutions of law and order, and economic development. However, no consensus exists on the extent to which these complex strategies contribute to post-conflict peace and a successful peacekeeping operation. This study evaluates the effects of socioeconomic tasks on the local population during peacekeeping operations. More specifically, this paper argues that in order to achieve lasting peace in the immediate post-civil war period, peacekeeping missions must include substantial socioeconomic elements within their mandate. This study evaluates the relationship between socioeconomic components of peacekeeping operations and the mission’s successful outcome in a comparative case study of the peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone and Liberia, UNAMSIL and ECOMOG-
Flooring is an important part of the building to ensure foot comfort and it is influenced by the choice made by the users. This study was taken up on 100 residential dwellings in Hyderabad city to investigate the material preferred by the consumers for use in the residential building in different income groups covering 50 of each independent houses and apartments built and occupied in the last ten years. Flooring materials in vogue in urban homes were Vitrified tiles, Marble, Mosaic tiles, Granite, Stone, Ceramic Tiles and Terrazzo. The most preferred flooring material irrespective of the income group for most of the rooms was Vitrified Tiles. It was found that majority of the upper income group choose marble, mosaic and granite flooring. Consumers preference to flooring materials were focused on durability (93%), availability of material in different colors and designs (91%) visual appeal to eye (84%) and ease of maintenance(73%), while the crucial factors like slip and stain resistance and abrasion resistant were paid less attention in the material selection. Majority of the consumers preferred light colors, smooth textures and even patterns for the flooring. The results revealed that aesthetic and functional quality of the material played an important role in the selection process of the flooring material.
In order to determine the mathematical form of the distribution of gene frequencies in a population, R. A. Fisher (1, 2) applied two different but complementary methods. First, differential equations were set up for certain cases and solved. An extension of these results arose from the expression by Wright (10,11,12) of the conditions as an integral equation. But strictly, neither integral nor differential equations can represent the conditions exactly, since integration is substituted for summation, and differentials for minimum steps (1/2n) in gene frequency. The second method employed by Fisher was exact, even though the solutions involved new functions. The properties of generating functions were utilized to yield functional equations, and the special case of rare mutations was dealt with in detail. In the present paper this powerful method is extended to the general case where mutation rates are not necessarily small.
Abstract Classroom teachers often seek instructional methods that will engage young people in collaborative learning experiences. Literature circles (lit circles) have been identified as one means of providing a collaborative educational experience. But what does this process look like in a classroom and how do students respond to this method? This article explores the implementation of literature circles in a middle level classroom and the impact on student interest in reading and student interaction. ********** Teachers often find student interest in reading wanes during the middle school years. Even students who seem to enjoy reading find that other interests interfere with their desire to pick up a book. Yet the ability to comprehend what one is reading and to go beyond the surface text to make inferences are skills that are crucial for continued success in school and ongoing learning. Helping middle level students learn to analyze and think critically about what they read is essential to their success. Students who do not read for pleasure but only do so when they are completing school assignments is a problem that can affect students' future learning and academic success (Sullivan, 2002). It is important prevent this growing tide of aliteracy, the condition where one has the ability to read but chooses not to (Sullivan, 2002). Because of this concern, the goals of secondary language arts education are to get students interested in reading and to help them find enjoyment in reading and talking about books. Working collaboratively is another skill that young people need to develop. Most individuals like to get together and talk about what they are interested in and what they find enjoyable. This is also true with books. Book clubs are surfacing everywhere because people who enjoy reading are finding ways to talk about what they read. Lit circles have been identified as a means of developing this collaborative process in the classroom. This focus on student engagement in discussions of readings as well as higher-level thinking should be strong components in language arts classes. Indeed, the "literature centered reading-as-thinking mentality is ... reflected in some state standards and assessments. Some progressive states like Michigan have mandated that (students) be able to 'connect what they read to their own lives' and other goals harmonious not just with skill development but true lifelong reading" (Daniels (2002, p. 5). Students who develop these skills also do better on standardized reading tests. While much of the research has been in elementary classrooms or focused on other outcomes, Daniels' research did have positive results. In his study, eighth grade students in Chicago who were in classrooms where literature circles strategies were used scored 10 percent higher than students in other city schools on the city-wide reading test (Daniels, 2002, p. 8). However, none of these positive results can be accomplished if students are unwilling to read. During a literature circles exploration in a college methods course, pre-service teachers raised questions about the benefits of literature circles for early adolescents. These future teachers wondered if providing choice and peer-lead discussions via literature circle methodology would 'hook' middle level students--getting them to read more and enabling them to discuss what they read at a higher level. They wondered if pre-adolescents could truly collaborate and critically discuss literature without the daily guidance and direction of the teacher. In response to these questions, an investigation was begun. Two teachers from a small, suburban middle school agreed to collaborate in this process. The students in their three sections of eighth grade were predominantly from middle class families. Many of the students were struggling to find success in the language arts class--with grades consistently falling in the low C and D range. …
Accounting is a scientific discipline. Since the second half of the twentieth century it has been studied from the perspective of different methodological proposals, each one of which has been aimed at developing a rigorous structure based on the identification of its object and study methododology. This article reviews and examines accounting from the perspective of professor Mario Bunge’s epistemological construction, based fundamentally on his most recent proposal for the study of sciences with an emphasis on human and social disciplines.
Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) are effective therapeutic agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, longterm use of NAs is often hampered by the emergence of drug resistance mutations, causing potentially serious consequences such as liver decompensation and mortality. A more sensitive method for early detection of drug resistance mutations is needed. Conventional PCR amplification of HBV DNA followed by direct sequencing of the purified amplicons for detection of drug resistance mutations has two advantages. First, it can detect any novel mutation within the amplicons. Second, it is relatively inexpensive. However, it cannot detect a low level of mutations that comprise <20% of the total viral population. Co-amplification at lower denaturation temperature PCR (COLD-PCR) has been used for enrichment of a low level of variants within a mixed pool of sequences.1 COLD-PCR relies on slight changes to the melting temperature (Tm) in the DNA sequence caused by mutations within the sequence. For each DNA sequence, there is a critical denaturation temperature (Tc) below which PCR efficiency decreases abruptly.1 Tc is lower than Tm and is dependent on the DNA sequence itself. When the denaturation temperature of PCR is set to Tc (instead of the usual 94oC), DNA amplicons with different mutations will have different amplification efficiencies. This property enables selectively enrich low-level mutations in a mixed pool. Hong Kong Med J 2015;21(Suppl 7):S8-10 RFCID project number: 09080682
Five squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were trained to discriminate between pairs of odors, and their ability to recognize these as positive or negative was tested at intervals of up to 7 months. Retention was excellent up to 15 weeks and remained significantly above chance even after 30 weeks. Good performance at the shorter intervals was not due to rapid relearning, although at the longer intervals considerable savings were demonstrated by the animals' ability to reach criterion more rapidly than with novel odors. Thus, squirrel monkeys possess a robust memory for odors and show flat forgetting curves consistent with reports for
The paper introduced the freezing shafting sinking method,full face shaft drilling method,grouting method and other special shaft sinking methods generally for the mine shaft construction in water bearing and unstable alluvium and water bearing bedrock.The paper introduced the development history,the key technology status and the typical project construction cases of the above three special shaft sinking methods and had an outlook of the future development for those methods.
The Cyber threats exposure has created worldwide pressure on organizations to comply with cyber security standards and policies for protecting their digital assets. Vulnerability assessment (VA) and Penetration Testing (PT) are widely adopted Security Compliance (SC) methods to identify security gaps and anticipate security breaches. In the computer networks context and despite the use of autonomous tools and systems, security compliance remains highly repetitive and resources consuming. In this paper, we proposed a novel method to tackle the ever-growing problem of efficiency and effectiveness in network infrastructures security auditing by formally introducing, designing, and developing an Expert-System Automated Security Compliance Framework (ESASCF) that enables industrial and open-source VA and PT tools and systems to extract, process, store and re-use the expertise in a human-expert way to allow direct application in similar scenarios or during the periodic re-testing. The implemented model was then integrated within the ESASCF and tested on different size networks and proved efficient in terms of time-efficiency and testing effectiveness allowing ESASCF to take over autonomously the SC in Re-testing and offloading Expert by automating repeated segments SC and thus enabling Experts to prioritize important tasks in Ad-Hoc compliance tests. The obtained results validate the performance enhancement notably by cutting the time required for an expert to 50% in the context of typical corporate networks first SC and 20% in re-testing, representing a significant cost-cutting. In addition, the framework allows a long-term impact illustrated in the knowledge extraction, generalization, and re-utilization, which enables better SC confidence independent of the human expert skills, coverage, and wrong decisions resulting in impactful false negatives.
This study deals with the collection of solar energy and its storage in evacuated tubular collector systems for different types of header design, flow passage and heat transfer devices. In order to elicit the most efficient combination of header design, flow passage, heat transfer hardware and operating conditions, a series of tests were done for the four different types of solar collectors utilizing vacuum tubes. The systems studied here either has the evacuated collector tubes with a metal cap on one end or the all-glass evacuated solar collector tubes These evacuated tubular collectors are known to be more efficient than the flat-plate ones in both direct and diffuse solar radiation. Test results show that the system comprised of the all-glass evacuated tubes with U-shaped copper pipes inside outperforms the other configurations. Especially, a rolled copper sheet tightly placed along the inner surface of each inner tube enhances heat transfer between the heated collector surface and the water contained in the U-shaped copper pipe.
The purpose of this research is normalizing the gymnasctics education of youth in situation of educational situation and urgent gymnastics field for developing youth gymnastics in 2lc Korea. With analyzing misconduct, speciality, educational process, the problems of physical director and the way for development of school gymnastcis by research of books, the results follow ; 1. The physical exercise and sports are very important for youth period in light of the growth and development. Especially, it satisfies the maintenance and advance of health and interest of students. Thus, the gymnastics education shows that the positive function for educational effect is superior and it is expected of the study which is well-accustomed to change of future circumstances. 2. The normalization of gymnastics education in youth period is the reasonable goal for preventing misconduct by recovering sense of morality and humanity. And excellent athletes who are through the course of school gymnastics have great effect on international gymnastics and sports for national improvement. This situation is influenced for individual development and moreover, improvement of life quality by educational process which is very satisfied and ready for future. So, the role of very able and well-developed teachers can accelerate the normalization of gymnastics education.
Background Depression in the peripartum period is prevalent in low-income-countries. The identification of women needing referral is often lacking and on the other hand, women in need of support and treatment do not make use of existing support.   Objectives To identify risk factors for fetal and postnatal consequences of depression in pregnancy and to investigate further management once women at risk have been identified.   Methods The Safe Passage Study was a large prospective multicenter international study. Extensive information, including the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS), was collected during the study. At risk women were referred to the study's social worker (SW). Women were categorized according to risk on their EPDS results. Risk categories were characterized and investigated for infant outcomes.   Results Data from 5,489 women were available for analysis and revealed a 51% prevalence of prenatal depression. Fourteen percent of at-risk women attended SW appointments, while 36% accepted the SW referral but persistently failed to attend. At risk women were significantly younger, had less formal education, had lower monthly income, and lived in more crowded conditions. They used significantly more alcohol and cigarettes. Their infants had shorter gestational ages, lower birth weights and were more growth restricted. Infants of depressed women who missed appointments weighed less and were more growth restricted.   Conclusion Women with high EPDSs had less favorable socioeconomic conditions, used more alcohol or tobacco during pregnancy, and their infants weighed less with more growth restriction. Women who repeatedly missed their appointments came from the poorest socioeconomic conditions and their infants had worse birth outcomes.
Objective: Combined use of vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) and caloric response testing has enabled us to examine the function of the inferior and superior vestibular nerves separately. Although results of VEMP testing and caloric response testing have been reported for many diseases, a clinical entity showing abnormal VEMP responses but normal caloric test responses has rarely been reported. The aim of the study was to investigate clinical features of diseases showing abnormal VEMP responses with normal caloric test responses. Study Design: Retrospective. Setting: University hospital. Patients: Eight hundred eleven patients with balance problems who had undergone both caloric response and VEMP testing were included in the study. Main Outcome Measures: The amplitudes and latencies of the first positive-negative peak of the VEMP (p13-n23) were measured. Results: Forty of the 811 patients (5%) were found to have abnormal VEMP responses with normal caloric test responses. Clinical diagnoses of these patients were Ménière's disease (n = 12), acoustic neuroma (n = 8), sudden deafness with vertigo (n = 6), and other diseases (n = 6). Eight patients could not be diagnosed as having a disease already recognized. Clinical manifestations of these eight patients were rotatory vertigo in six patients and non-rotatory dizziness in two. None of these patients showed abnormalities other than VEMP responses on neurologic or neurotologic examinations. Conclusion: Apart from Ménière's disease, acoustic neuroma, and sudden deafness with vertigo, which are already known as diseases with abnormal VEMP responses but normal caloric test responses, some patients might be diagnosed as having a disease that involves only the inferior vestibular nerve region.
The occurrence of tomato pith necrosis in the greenhouses of the Strumica region was investigated in the last four years, starting from 2005. Several varieties of the bacteria were isolated from symptomatic plants: Pseudomonas mediterranea (Mitrev S. et al in press), Panthoea agglomerans (Mitrev S., et al. 2007) Clavibacter michiganensie subsp. michiganense (Mitrev S., et al. 2005). In 2008, the plant pathogenic cbacteria Pseudomonas viridiflava (Burkholder) Dowson was isolated from tomato plants showing symptoms of pith necrosis and grown in plastic greenhouses in the region of Strumica.
Gas hydrate is a new type of marine energy resource,which is of great potential exploitation value in the 21st century.Gas hydrate has recently become a major focus of international research because it represents a valuable global reservoir of hydrocarbons,a potential source of important greenhouse gases,and a possible cause of continental marine sediment instability.By the end of 2002,gas hydrate samples had been acquired in 23 hydrate places.Here we introduce the development of investigation and research on gas hydrate in foreign countries to gas hydrate researchers in China,based on the information collected by the authors.
An in vitro shoot regeneration technique combined with colchicine application has been employed to produce hexaploid plants from leaf segments of the triploid cherry rootstock'Gisela 6'(Prunus ceransus ×P.canescens).Leaf segments were treated firstly with colchicine(0-200 mg·L-1) in the liquid modified WPM medium supplemented with auxin(IBA 0.5 mg·L-1) and cytokinin(BA 5.0 mg·L-1) for five days and then transferred on the same regeneration solid medium with no colchicine for 56 days.In this case,putative hexaploid shoots were only regenerated from the leaf explants in the treatment of 50 mg·L-1 colchicine after 8 weeks on the regeneration medium.Flow cytometry was used for ploidy determination.The hexaploid plants were distinguishable from the triploid on morphological characters.All plants were successfully transplanted into field and topworked on the sweet cherry trees to evaluate its agronomic traits.
Since the impasse of Cartesian psychophysical dualism, attempted solutions related to the Mind-Body Problem have been having the tendency to close up into the materialistic physicalist approach that structures the method of natural science. If this scientific method seems to be rightful concerning the fact of the victory of the materialistic monism over its idealistic counterpart, similarly, the living, by its biological nature and its inwardness, does not correspond any more to the reductionism vision of the physical laws that determine the principle of sciences in the same way. Against this implicit metaphysics in the philosophy of mind, which tends to proceed to a spatial and material relief of mind, as it is emerging in the science, Hans Jonas in philosophy and Gerald M. Edelman in neurosciences direct against the stream and propose a naturalistic non-physicalist reading of living. Their approach defends not only a part of indeterminateness in the physical-chemical mental processes but also the free will which crystallizes the freedom in the heart of a living. Thus the mind appears as both a descriptive category of living and as a result of the self-organization of the matter. Admittedly, this connection between the neurosciences and the philosophy is singular and unique. Nevertheless, it allows to clarify the richness of the neurosciences contribution in the contemporary ethical debate and at the same occasion it inquires anew into the ethics of a living according to Jonas whose relevance is renewed immune to problems arising from its metaphysical foundation.
CAPN1 was investigated as a potential candidategene for a quantitative trait locus(QTL) affecting meat tenderness.According to the CAPN1 gene sequence of Cattle in GenBank,the specific primers were designed.Using the Tianzhu White yak cDNA as template,PCR amplifying,cloning and sequencing for every fragment.Using the BioEdit to splice sequences and a 2267bp yak cDNA of CAPN1 gene was obtained.Including a complete open reading frame and partical sequence of 3' end and 5' end UTR.Analysis of the gene revealed that the yak CAPN1 gene is encoded by 2151bp and the 716 AA potein predicted from this sequence.The nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence of yak calpain were compared with those of cattle,pig,human,and mouse calpain.Identities for nucleotide and amino acid sequences were 99.3% and 99.4% for cattle,93.9% and 96.1% for pig,90.0% and 94.6% for human,and 85.5% and 89.0% for mouse calpain.Search using NCBI BLAST of yak 4 domains respectively found the 4 domains in the above 4 species have shown good conservative,the most conservative in domain IV( 96%).There are 14 nucleotide mutations between yak and cattle and 3 of that were predicted to alter the protein sequence,both of which occurred in the domain III.Construction of molecular phylogenetic tree shows:The cluster results coincided with the traditional taxonomy.
The silica-containing polyferric chloride(PFSC),a kind of new coagulant,was prepared by using ferric chloride and sodium silicate.Test about its coagulation and affecting factors was made.The experimental results showed that the coagulation of PFSC may be affected by the content of silica,the value of pH and the basicity.PFSC has a good coagulation effect at the n(Fe)/n(Si) molar ratio of 10～15,the value of pH 4～9 and the basicity of 25%～35%.The ability of turbidity removal and to dispose industrial wastewater of PFSC is better than PFC.
The invention relates to a superconducting transmitting type wireless power transmission system, which comprises a superconducting transmitting device, a superconducting receiving device and an intelligent regulation and control center, wherein the intelligent regulation and control center is connected with the superconducting transmitting device and the superconducting receiving device; the superconducting transmitting device comprises a superconducting wireless power transmitting platform, a quenching protection unit, a transmitting terminal identification and communication unit, a transmitting terminal frequency tracking and control circuit unit and a power supply which are connected with one another; and the receiving device comprises a wireless power receiver, a receiving terminal identification and communication unit, a receiving terminal frequency tracking and control circuit unit, a rectifier and filter unit, a battery, an energy management unit and electrical and electronic equipment which are connected with one another. The superconducting transmitting type wireless power transmission system is suitable for wireless charging of an aerospace aircraft, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a robot, a notebook computer, a mobile phone, a wearable device, shipboard equipment, operation equipment, a hearing aid, an electric tool, a mobile communication terminal, industrial and transporting rechargeable batteries, a household appliance, an implantable device and the like.
Author(s): Patel, Jigar | Advisor(s): Toste, Dean F | Abstract: The ability to control absolute stereochemistry is a powerful tool in organic synthesis. Given the utility of enantiopure molecules in a number of industries, the pharmaceutical perhaps most prominent, many research efforts have focused on asymmetric catalysis. Recently, the Toste Group has developed and implemented a chiral anion phase-transfer strategy to achieve high enantioselectivity in a number of transformations. This thesis describes new reactivity discovered within this manifold and also discusses the design and synthesis of new phase-transfer catalysts to improve enantioinduction.Chapter 1 details an asymmetric aminocyclization reaction of tryptamine derivatives enabled by chiral anion phase-transfer of aryldiazonium salts. The immediate products, C3-diazenated pyrroloindolines, can be converted directly to cyclotryptamine natural product derivatives, providing an efficient entryway into a complex scaffold that has been previously accessed by much longer synthetic sequences.Chapter 2 is a natural extension of the work presented in Chapter 1 and describes an enantioselective α-amination of activated ketone derivatives, again employing aryldiazonium salts as aminating reagents. Obtaining high enantioselectivity initially proves to be very difficult, as use of our traditional library of BINOL-derived chiral phosphoric acids leads to poor enantioinduction. Eventually, we overcome this challenge through the design and synthesis of a new library of chiral phosphoric acids, specifically those derived from a 1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-diamine (BINAM) backbone. Chapter 2 also presents potential advantages of our methodology over more commonly used α-amination reactions that utilize dialkyl azodicarboxylates.Chapter 3 discusses the use of aryldiazonium salts in a more traditional role as cross coupling electrophiles. By merging chiral anion phase-transfer and palladium catalysis, we report an enantioselective Heck-Matsuda arylation of cyclic olefins. Through the process of reaction optimization, we observe counterion dependent reactivity and are ultimately able to avoid the formation of undesired olefin isomers by judicious choice of phosphate. While chiral anions have almost exclusively been used to optimize enantioselectivity, this result indicates that counterions can also be used to modulate chemical reactivity in transitional metal catalyzed processes.
In 30 subjects aged 20 to 44 years the functional changes were studied in the gingival capillary bed, pulse rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and during emotional excitation. These values compared, considerable effects were detected suggesting the general circulatory changes and substantial reduction of gingival microcirculation. This indicated that emotional stress-inducing factors may lead to periodontal diseases.
Trafficking in Persons, which is commonly known as human trafficking, is a human rights issue that is grossly misunderstood and mostly undetected. It is a criminal enterprise that is estimated to impact millions of individuals and families around the world. The lack of identification of victims by victims, law enforcement, the general public and service providers plays a major role in the clandestine nature of human trafficking. Social workers, however, must take on a more proactive role in addressing human trafficking. Learning Objectives By the end of this chapter, the student will be able to: • Understand social work as a profession • Define trafficking in persons as stipulated by the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, Supplementing the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime • Define human rights in accordance with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human
The present invention is arranged to in using U-shaped lamps for division driving remove amseon The present invention relates to a direct backlight to be secured, additional curve of the U-shaped lamps in a central portion of the display region toward each other for optical uniformity, and a U-shaped It characterized by further comprising a luminance control panel on the bottom surface curved part of the lamp. Specifically, with parts of at least one curve, and the curve portion of the plurality of lamps arranged to face, placed in the luminance control panel and a top of the plurality of light formed on the curved portion bottom face of at least one lamp of the plurality of lamps that is the optical sheets, and characterized in that the reflector disposed in the plurality of lamps and a bottom, which comprises a case for storing and fixing the above elements. Direct type backlight, U-ramp, amseon, bright line
Objective To investigate the effects of heptanol pretreatment on apoptosis and structural and functional changes of mitochondria induced by myocardial isehemia-reperfusion(IR) injury in rabbits and potential mechanism.Methods Eighty rabbits were divided randomly into five groups:sham operation group,ischemia-reperfusion group (group IR),ischemic preconditioning group(group IP) ,heptanol pretreatment group(group HT) and 5-hydroxydecanoate(5-HD) plus heptanol pretreatment group(group 5-HD),with sixteen rabbits in each group.All rabbits in the five groups were sacrificed 4 h after reperfusion.The heart was quickly removed for observing the structure of mitoehondria and measurement of the apoptosis rate by TUNEL method.Ultrastructural changes of myocardium were observed under electron microscope.Mitochondrial membrane potential,Ca~(2+) concentration,MDA content and SOD activity of myocardial mitochondria were examined. Results The structure of myocardial mitochondria in sham operated group was normal. Compared with group IR and group 5-HD,in group IP and group HT,the damage of mitochondrial ultrastructure was milder and the apoptosis rate was decreased,mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly higher and Ca~(2+) concentration was much lower (P 0.05,P 0.01).Compared with group IR,in group IP,MDA content was much lower and SOD activity was significantly higher (P 0.05).Conclusion Heptanol pretreatment can protect the heart from IR injury, the mechanism may be related to mitochondrial ATP sensitive potassium channel.
The present invention provides a steel anchor buried tank belonging design bridge structure technical field. The embedded steel anchor box comprises a horizontal steel tie plate, the anchor plate, base plate, force plate upload, the lower force transmission plate, rubber plate and asphalt felt. Deformable rubber sheet forming a buffer zone between the steel beam and the concrete anchors in steel-concrete joints, deformation by deformation of the buffer zone such that the maximum horizontal component of the cable is received by the steel anchor box, greatly reduces the tower wall to withstand the level of force to ensure the security force pylons. Embedded steel anchor box can be widely used engineering design of the present invention, which may be provided within the embedded steel anchor box in less space on a tower sized bridge, while greatly reducing the force of the concrete column wall . It makes the design more flexible, more reasonable force, and to facilitate the construction of the project.
P15. Depression is an undertreated problem in nursing home (NH) residents with dementia (RwD), associated with increased mortality and low quality of life. Our previous research on a multidisciplinary depression care program suggested that NH staff might change their behaviour towards a RwD alongside or in place of an official treatment after a depression has been diagnosed. A carer can act deliberately (intentionally) or intuitively (spontaneously, e.g. a spontaneous hug to comfort a sad RwD). Research on such informal Deliberate and Intuitive Antidepressant Strategies (DIAS) is lacking. We conducted a Group Concept Mapping to reveal potential DIAS that professional carers might use alongside or in place of an official treatment. We used an online package to combine qualitative and quantitative approaches for generating and structuring content. Individual coding schemes were aggregated across professional carers (N=15) to objectively reveal thematic clusters. First, participants provided their ideas on DIAS. Second, they sorted the strategies and rated them on feasibility and importance to reduce depression in RwD. The hierarchical cluster analysis revealed seven categories: Planned Activities (e.g. painting, petting animals); Physical Contact (e.g. holding hands); Physical Involvement (e.g. involvement in housekeeping activities); Family Input and Reminiscence (e.g. using familiar items in the residents’ room); Acknowledging Emotions (e.g. listening to the RwD); Empathetic and Structuring Actions of Carers (e.g. providing structure); and Pleasant and Stable Environment (e.g. pleasant odours in the living area). Surprisingly, carers rated Planned Activities as the least important and least feasible, while the category Pleasant and Stable Environment was rated as most important and Acknowledging Emotions as most feasible to reduce depression in RwD. It is necessary to repeat this study with a larger group of participants to seek confirmation of the DIAS categories. Further research is needed to explore which strategies are the most effective for reducing depression in RwD. Furthermore, more insight is needed to understand whether our results reflect the attitudes of NH staff that may affect their deliberate or intuitive actions.
1. Principles of Nondestructive Tip Rhinoplasty 2. The Sequence of Rhinoplasty: Integrating Techniques for Efficacy 3. Operative Planning 4. Incisions in Rhinoplasty 5. Skeletonization 6. Primary Tip Assessment and Modification 7. Primary Modification of the Dorsum 8. Septum, Ethmoid, and Vomer 9. Osteotomies 10. Secondary Tip Modification: Shaping and Positioning the Nasal Tip Using Nondestructive Techniques 11. Secondary Dorsum Modifications 12. The Lip-Nose Complex 13. Alar Base Modifications, the Vistibular Lining, and Incisional Closures 14. Splinting, Dressings, and Postoperative Care
This study aims to describe the value of character education in the news “Rancak di La b uah ” the work of Dt. Panduko Alam. The theory used in this research was literary theory by Endut (2007), the theory of news by Junus (1984), and theories about the value of character education expressed by Hasan, et al (2010) which includes 18 aspect value of character education. This type of qualitative research by using descriptive method. A technique used in data collection (1) read and understand the news Rancak di Labuah the work of Dt. Panduko Alam overall (2) records the data relating to the object of research and clarify data based on research issues, while the techniques used in the analysis of data (1) analyzing data that has grouped according the aspects that have been examined, (2) to interpret the results of data analysis, classify (3) formulate conclusions the results of the research. Based on the results of data analysis on the news “ Rancak di Labuah ” the work of Dt. Panduko Alam There are 11 aspects of value character education that is, religious tolerance, discipline, hard work, democratic, curiosity, friendly/communicative, peace-loving, caring, and responsibility. While the value of character education that is not found in the creative aspect of IE 6, independent, caring environment, valuing feat, an avid reader, love the motherland, and the spirit of nationhood. Thus it can be concluded that in the news Rancak di Labuah the work of Dt. Panduko Alam There is a lot of value to character education. Keyword: Value Education Of Character, Lively Kaba in Labuah
A covered cod-end experiment was conducted employing 70  hauls of fish and shrimp trawls in the South China Sea and the  Malacca Straits to determine the selectivity pattern of  Malaysian trawls . This study was conducted in order to  alleviate the intensive fishing effort on the fishery stocks  especially towards the juveniles of commercially important  species .  A mathematical model was developed to predict the  selection curve based on the standard length and maximum body  depth of fish and shrimp species retained by the net .collection in a selectivity experiment is now simplified to  obtaining the two parameters from fish or shrimp sampled from  any catch .  Results of the study revealed that the 25 mm cod-end fish  trawl retained 98 . 2 percent as compared to the 51 mm cod-end  which retained 56 . 1 percent of the catch . With the shrimp  trawl , the 25 mm cod-end retained 9 2 . 6 percent while the 38 mm  cod-end retained 5 1 . 35 percent of the catch .
The aim of Digital Right Management System(DRMS) is to solve the increasingly obvious digital right problems,but the authentication link of the system brings security risks to users.For studying the security issues of users,the article proposes a DRMS based on trusted computing.To optimize authentication link of the system,the paper makes use of trusted computing platform module in hardware level of trusted computing theories and direct anonymous attestation theory.Then the modeling for system authentication is carried out.Construction of simulation platform is based on equipments like ClearSight and SmartBits6000.The simulation experiments show that the theory is correct.The results show that the user security issues are effectively solved,the DRMS becomes more comprehensive and safe.
Whether or not it takes a village to raise a child, it is certain that communities shape a child's development. Lorraine Maxwell, associate professor of design and environmental analysis, studies the relationship between the physical environment and a child's self-identity, self-esteem, and academic performance. She believes that children are socialized as much by their physical environments as they are by the people in their lives. ********** "We know something about the type of places children prefer, but we don't know a great deal about specific physical characteristics of these places and what they mean to children," Maxwell explains. "We also don't know much--from a child's perspective--about the physical characteristics of children's everyday environments." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although she also studies adolescents, Maxwell's primary interests are young children because, she says, they are potentially so much more at risk and they have less of a voice in the adult world. She believes that if children are given the right start, fewer developmental problems will develop later on. Her particular foci are primary environments, which she defines as settings where a person spends a great deal of time and establishes important relationships. For children, the home and school or day care are primary environments. "These settings are especially critical," says Maxwell. "When there is a source of stress--such as chronic noise or crowding--in a primary environment, it is more likely to have negative effects on the individual than if it happened in a transitory, or secondary, environment, such as a bus or stadium." Maxwell agrees with Urie Bronfenbrenner, professor emeritus of human development, who postulated the theory that primary environments do not function independently of each other; rather, they form a collaborative network of experiences. This collaborative network of primary environment experiences, Maxwell believes, supports or inhibits a child's social development and sense of self. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Child development doesn't happen in one place," she explains. "It happens in every place children are. Everything contributes to children's development. I want to know how children understand their day-to-day physical world and how this understanding influences the development of self-concept." To learn about children's physical environments from the perspective of children, in 2002 and 2003 Maxwell and a research assistant interviewed 45 elementary and middle school children between the ages of 8 and 13. They asked what the children liked and disliked about their homes, neighbor-hoods, and schools. Most of the interviews were conducted one-on-one at the child's school, home, or church. Interviews were tape-recorded and detailed in field notes. To establish a rapport, the interviewers first asked the children general questions about their birth dates, ages, and grades in school. They were questioned about their home life and asked to provide physical descriptions of their homes, followed by similar requests regarding their neighborhoods and schools. Open-ended questions were used to encourage individualized responses and to learn what each child considered important about these environments. "We acquired a better understanding of the things that contribute to children's sense of who they are, and some of them are not surprising--for example, they value a place of their own," notes Maxwell. "Children would say, 'My desk is my favorite place in my house because it's the only place where I can do anything I want.' Or they might describe going into a closet because they can be by themselves and play with their dolls there. Privacy and a sense that they can control what happens are important to children. Children's ability to negotiate their own neighborhoods is critical." Living in a safe neighborhood, being able to cross the street without adult assistance, and having facilities such as stores, movie theaters, and playgrounds to visit--these opportunities help a child of nine or ten develop a sense of self and a sense of confidence about the environment. …
Using malania oleifera chum oil as raw material,macrocyctic lactones was synthesized by ozonization of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids and cyclization for ω-hydroxycarboxylic acids.Ozonization selectivity of double bonds and cyclization selectivity were investigated.The results showed that it was benefitial for ozonation reaction and formation of macrocyctic lactones with the longer cyclotridecanolide carbon and 11-undecalactone chain in unsaturated fatty acids.The yield of cyclopentadecanolide was 36.9%,22.4%,and 1.0%,respectively.The reaction characteristic of oleic acid in malania oleifera chum oil was discussed.
The present invention provides contains a large amount of glutamate infectious first taste natural yeast extract. In addition, also provided contains a large amount of 5'-guanylic acid or 5'-inosinic acid in a yeast extract having strong umami. Further object of the present invention is to obtain the above-described yeast yeast extract, and substantial accumulation of glutamic acid, glutamine, RNA mutants. NATURAL induced mutation gives an organic acid and / or its analog resistant mutant strain of yeast cells in the massive accumulation of total amount of 10% or more by weight of free glutamic acid and glutamine, and 5% by weight or more accumulated ribose nucleic acid. This strain was prepared using yeast extract containing 20% ​​by weight or more of L- glutamic acid, further containing at least 3% by weight of the 5'-IG. FERM BP-11103 20080318
VV","V一下"、"V一会儿" are morphological variations. This article deals with the selective relationships between verbs and those variations: 1) Only the verbs regarding movements as well as a few psychological verbs can occur in the three patterns above; 2) Of verbs of movement, Only the verbs indicating duration can occur in the above variations; 3) Of duration verbs, general and short-term duration verbs can be fitted into these patterns, and if there are long -term duration verbs, they should have positive meaning before they can be put into the patterns.
The effects of quenching temperature and tempering temperature on the microstructure and hardness of high vanadium high speed steel(HVHSS) were investigated.The results show that with the increase of quenching temperature,the hardness of the steel first increased when the quenching temperatuive lower than 1 040 ℃ and then decreased when the quenching temperature higher than 1 040 ℃.With the increase of quenching temperature,carbide in the microstructure decreased,martensite became coarsing and residual austenite increased.With the increase of tempering temperature,the hardness of the steel had no obvious change when the tempering temperature lower than 500 ℃,but when the tempering temperature higher than 500 ℃,the hardness first increased and then decreased and reached a peak value at 520 ℃.With the increase of tempering temperature,disperse carbides precipitated from the martensite gradurally and grew up together,and at the same time martensite and partial residual austenite transformed into tempered martensite.
After a long spell of support for the Keynesian approach of demand management by the public sector, official development assistance (ODA) has recently been used to promote greater participation in development through increased access of long-term funds by the private sector on projects highly supportive of building up local initiative. In this paper, the experiences of Thailand and the Philippines in the use of Japanese ODA are reviewed. In particular, the implementation of the two-step loan program (or formally called Financial Intermediary Loan Program) of the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) of Japan in the two countries is compared. The two-step loan program is intended to funnel long-term credits to small entrepreneurs, such as small- and medium-scale export-oriented businesses, including small farmers and agricultural cooperatives. The primary purpose of this study is to present the role of ODA in the development of the private sector and hence, partially explain the distinct difference in the two countries' economic performance. The paper also uses unpublished official data which were obtained from the interviews conducted.
The invention discloses a leakage current testing system based on a TMS320F2812. The leakage current testing system is mainly composed of a data display system, a serial port chip, a DSP control system and a leakage current collecting signal processing circuit. Collection is performed through the leakage current collecting signal processing circuit, signals are processed and transmitted to the DSP control system, and an integrated A/D and sampling hold circuit in the DSP control system is used for collecting data. The data are transmitted to the data display system for displaying through the serial port chip. The leakage current signal processing circuit of a single human body impedance network is adopted, the TMS320F2812 is adopted for data collection and performing data communication with a computer, and designing and achieving of the whole testing system are finished.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) disrupts normal ventilation during sleep and can lead to serious health problems in children if left untreated. Polysomnography, the gold standard for OSA diagnosis, is resource intensive and requires a specialized laboratory. Thus, we proposed to use the Phone Oximeter™, a portable device integrating pulse oximetry with a smartphone, to detect OSA events. As a proportion of OSA events occur without oxygen desaturation (defined as SpO2 decreases ≥ 3%), we suggest combining SpO2 and pulse rate variability (PRV) analysis to identify all OSA events and provide a more detailed sleep analysis. We recruited 160 children and recorded pulse oximetry consisting of SpO2 and plethysmography (PPG) using the Phone Oximeter™, alongside standard polysomnography. A sleep technician visually scored all OSA events with and without oxygen desaturation from polysomnography. We divided pulse oximetry signals into 1-min signal segments and extracted several features from SpO2 and PPG analysis in the time and frequency domain. Segments with OSA, especially the ones with oxygen desaturation, presented greater SpO2 variability and modulation reflected in the spectral domain than segments without OSA. Segments with OSA also showed higher heart rate and sympathetic activity through the PRV analysis relative to segments without OSA. PRV analysis was more sensitive than SpO2 analysis for identification of OSA events without oxygen desaturation. Combining SpO2 and PRV analysis enhanced OSA event detection through a multiple logistic regression model. The area under the ROC curve increased from 81% to 87%. Thus, the Phone Oximeter™ might be useful to monitor sleep and identify OSA events with and without oxygen desaturation at home.
The present invention relates to a stereoscopic content service systems and methods, and more particularly define the scene descriptor structure containing the additional information required for the stereoscopic contents, according to the information of the defined scene descriptor displaying a stereoscopic content by has the effect that can play the 2D / 3D display converted text information and the left and right and the stereoscopic text through the disparity information through user interaction. Stereoscopic scene technician, engineer objects, and text. MPEG -4
BACKGROUND The first steps in the diagnosis of an ectopic pregnancy are to use a sensitive qualitative urine test to detect the beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG) and to perform a transvaginal ultrasonograph. y negative urine pregnancy test result is generally used to exclude an ectopic pregnancy; however, a few studies have reported the presence of a ruptured ectopic pregnancy in a patient with a negative urine pregnancy test result. Furthermore, because secondary omental implantation (SOI) is rare and probably underestimated or misdiagnosed, a case of an SOI with a negative urine hCG test has never been reported.   CASE This was a very rare case of an SOI from a ruptured tubal pregnancy in a patient with an initial series of negative urine pregnancy tests and decreased levels of serum beta-hCG. The SOI was managed with laparoscopy.   CONCLUSION For patients diagnosed with tubal or ovarian pregnancy who have negative urine pregnancy test results and decreased levels of serum beta-hCG, late-onset omental implantation should be considered as a possibility.
Several prominent news outlets have reported increased interest in home births during the COVID-19 pandemic because many pregnant patients are afraid of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital 11,12 In response to these concerns, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine released a joint statement asserting that hospitals and community birth centers, with the appropriate accreditation, are the safest places to give birth in the United States 13 Home births are associated with lower rates of obstetric interventions, including cesarean delivery, oxytocin augmentation, and episiotomy, and with lower rates of obstetric complications such as anal sphincter lacerations and maternal infections 14 Psychological trauma from previous birth experiences and/or a history of other traumatic life experiences may cause a pregnant person to fear maltreatment or loss of autonomy if they give birth in a hospital Mistreatment in labor occurs more often in the hospital setting compared with home births (28 1% vs 5 1%) 15 Systemic racism and the stress it creates account for some of this difference 16,17 Birth centers supported by public funding such as Medicaid, which pays for more than 40% of all births, and a higher proportion of births for persons of color18 may achieve improved satisfaction with the birthing experience, lower rates of preterm births and cesarean deliveries, and lower costs for delivery 19 The safety of home or birth center birth can be improved by adequate birth attendant training, access to emergency obstetric care, and careful risk assessment throughout the prenatal and intrapartum periods Substituting the term “community birth” for “out-of-hospital birth” removes the assumption that hospital birthing is normative and is preferred 24 Pregnant patients with a fetus in breech presentation near term, a multiple gestation, or a previous cesarean delivery should be counseled that home birth is not recommended because of the increased risk of adverse neonatal outcomes 2,10,25 Many patients in rural areas lack access to trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC), despite AAFP and ACOG efforts to support maternal choice 26,27 Persons deemed ineligible for maternity care in their local hospital because of a history of cesarean delivery may choose the increased risk of a local home birth rather than transfer care outside of their community 26–28 Supporting the options of TOLAC in rural hospitals and planned vaginal breech delivery for those who meet criteria may decrease the likelihood of pregnant persons with these risk factors choosing home birth
The article discusses the evolution of news media's impact on the news media,especially interactive online media news in the citizen journalism of public opinion expression.The article points out: in addition to time-sensitive,pictures,video and audio support,you can simultaneously live broadcast,the nature of network news is to increase the depth and interactive news,which makes the citizen journalism a new meaning.The depth and interactive news network perform in the new media——a variety of backgrounds,official or personal website of an interview,the collection of information and feedback,in which feedback and interaction have a new form of journalism;and new media,especially private media such as podcasts,blog,chat room,microblogging and other uses of the social expression of public opinion also have special value.
Snapshot matrices of hyperbolic equations have a slow singular value decay, resulting in inefficient reduced-order models. We develop on the idea of inducing a faster singular value decay by computing snapshots on a transformed spatial domain, or the so-called snapshot calibration/transformation. We are particularly interested in problems involving shock collision, shock rarefaction-fan collision, shock formation, etc. For such problems, we propose a realizable algorithm to compute the spatial transform using monotonic feature matching. We consider discontinuities and kinks as features, and by carefully partitioning the parameter domain, we ensure that the spatial transform has properties that are desirable both from a theoretical and an implementation standpoint. We use these properties to prove that our method results in a fast m-width decay of a so-called calibrated manifold. A crucial observation we make is that due to calibration, the m-width does not only depend on m but also on the accuracy of the full order model, which is in contrast to elliptic and parabolic problems that do not need calibration. The method we propose only requires the solution snapshots and not the underlying partial differential equation (PDE) and is therefore, data-driven. We perform several numerical experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
This article discusses methanol and diesel oil's influence on effect of the dissolvent from three aspects such as dissolvability,temperature and different ways of mix.And it also discusses the influence of water on system of methanol-diesel oil-dissolvent.It is showed that dissolvability of methanol with diesel oil is difficult,but it is easy with the help of the dissolvent.The influence of temperature on effect of the dissolvent is obvious.Higher temperature has better efficiency of solution,vice versa.However,the different ways of mix have no effect on efficiency of the dissolvent.The system of methanol-diesel oil-dissolvent can be destroyed just by a little water.
This paper analyzes the implications transfer pricing mechanisms have on benefit measurement and management evaluation performance when agency problems (asymmetry information, moral hazard and adverse selection) and its consequences are incorporated. The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between transfer price policy and the agency problems and if it influenced those benefit compensations that graded managerial performance. This study relate correlation between motivation, independence, incentive and punishment schemes and agency costs with managerial performance and transfer prices, in particular. But provide that agency problem isn’t formalized in the academic literature, the study proposes a reference framework, characteristic of the agency relationship adding two components: performance measure and benefit levels.
This work examines the impact of extrinsic reward, as a motivation strategy, on students’ L2 reading motivation and performance. A total sample of 91 second year LMD students of English as a foreign language, at the Department of Arts and English Language University of Constantine 1, was involved in reading and performing intensive reading activities for a whole semester. Short stories, as a tangible reward, were offered at the end of each successful reading comprehension performance, to function as reinforcement for enhancing both reading performance and motivation. The results of students’ pre and post-reward reading comprehension performances show that students’ performance in reading was enhanced; whereas, those of the pre and post-reward reading motivation was not.
THIS PAPER INVESTIGATED QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE RELATION BETWEEN DRIVING EXPERIENCE, AGE AND DRIVING APTITUDE BY MEANS OF A COMPREHENSIVE LITERARY STUDY. IT ESTABLISHES THE EXISTENCE OF SUCH A RELATION AND INDICATES THE FUNDAMENTAL RISKS INVOLVED FOR BEGINNER DRIVERS OF ALL AGE GROUPS WHEN COMPARED WITH EXPERIENCED DRIVERS. YOUNG AND AGING BEGINNER DRIVERS, THAT IS, DRIVERS IN THE 18-25 AGE GROUP AND DRIVERS OVER 60 YEARS OF AGE, ARE PARTICULARLY AT RISK. HERE IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT NOT ALL DRIVERS IN THE 18-25 AGE GROUP ARE EXPOSED TO THE SAME RISKS. CERTAIN DRIVERS ARE PARTICULARLY ACCIDENT PRONE AND IN THEIR CASE, UNFAVOURABLE DEVELOPMENTAL COMPONENTS ARE ESPECIALLY PRONOUNCED. THE SAME APPLIES TO DRIVERS OVER 60 YEARS OF AGE. IN THE CASE OF YOUNG DRIVERS THESE COMPONENTS INCLUDE IMPULSIVENESS AND EGOCENTRICITY WHEREAS THE MAIN COMPONENTS RELEVANT TO DRIVERS OVER 60 ARE LACK OF RESILIENCE AND POOR REFLEX ACTION. THE PAPER DOES NOT CONCLUSIVELY ANSWER THE QUESTION AS TO WHICH OF THE TWO COMPONENTS AGE AND DRIVING EXPERIENCE HAS THE GREATER INFLUENCE ON DRIVING BEHAVIOUR. THESE ARE HOWEVER INDICATIONS TO THE EFFECT THAT AGE PREDOMINATES IN THIS RESPECT.
Community correction has stepped into a brand new development stage with the implement of Criminal Law Amendment Ⅷ.In the meantime,it has become an important burning task of community correction to analyze and hunt after the perfect way of the rewards and punishment system,so as to resolve the substantial lag of implementing the rewards and punishment system on persons under community correction.Based on the actual studying and analysis on the value of the rewards and punishment system on persons under community correction,the thesis states a primary thought on the perfect way at the prospect of more valuable opinions.
Despite being the most common reason for admission to psychiatric inpatient services in the UK (Bowers, 2005), no evidence-based treatment currently exists for self-harm in this setting (Turner, Austin & Chapman, 2014; Winter et al., 2007). Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) has found promising results in treating self-harm in outpatient settings (Linehan, 1993a). More recently, there have been favourable results from a DBT-informed group in an inpatient setting (Gibson, Booth, Davenport, Keogh & Owens, 2014), however the intervention was longer than the average stay on an inpatient ward (23 days; Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2014). The aim of the current study was to assess the feasibility of a novel DBT-informed group for people who self-harm within the average length of an inpatient stay. The ‘Coping with Crisis’ (CwC) group protocol was compiled using DBT skills (Linehan, 1993a), with particular focus on crisis management strategies. In line with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines for feasibility studies (Eldridge et al., 2016), the aim was to collect data on the rates of recruitment, retention, outcome measure completion and participant feedback, in order to inform the design of a main study. Twenty-four participants were recruited from an inpatient ward in a National Health Service (NHS) Trust. Results suggest that the clinicians and participants found the CwC group acceptable and it was found to be feasible to run the group and research study on an inpatient ward. However, the study experienced several challenges in terms of recruiting to target (80% achieved), retaining participants in the treatment groups and completed post-intervention outcome measures (n = 9; 38%). This information, in addition to feedback from the participants can be used to inform adaptions to the study design and make recommendations to improve outcomes for future research.
This book provides a survey of the different techniques employed to study time-dependent processes of ion-selective electrodes. The fundamentals, the impedance field, the polarization field, and the activity step methods are treated in depth with emphasis on the information content of the results provided by the different techniques relevant to the dynamic characteristics of ion-selective electrodes. Within the activity step methods the different theoretical models derived to describe the potential-time function of ion-selective electrodes are critically discussed.
Besides the 3 aspects of drug safety, ie stability, efficacy and harmlessness, a fourth hurdle for veterinary drug licensing is discussed: socio-economic criteria. These criteria have not yet been established and the scientific aspects are difficult to define. After discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the fourth hurdle, the conclusion is that there is no need to introduce a fourth criterion into the admission procedure for veterinary drugs, feed additives or any other chemicals which increase animal health or promote their growth.
As demonstrate the surgical anatomy investigations of the m. rectus femoris performed in 100 preparations, obtained from corpses of persons belonging to various age periods, in connection with sphincteroplasty the vascular-nervous hilus of the muscle is projected at the level of the upper third of its medial part. The ascending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery with the vein of the same name and the muscular branch of the femoral nerve get into their composition. The intramuscular course of the vessels and nerves of the I-III orders of branching and that of the muscular fasciculi coincide. For the sphincteroplasty it is expedient to use muscular-tendinous flaps, cut out from the medial part of the musculus.
Regional economic development and environment pollution have certain connection.Their internal relation has great significance for the implementation of the regional sustainable development strategy.This study first put forward GDP pollutant emission index GPI,and based on the Environment Statistical Bulletin 2010,State of the Environment and the National Economic and Social Development Report,twenty-seven provinces or regions were selected from China.The chemical oxygen demand(COD) emission per unit of GDP in waste water and the sulfur dioxide(SO2) emission per unit of GDP in the waste gas were calculated by mathematical statistics method and the results were analyzed.According to the GDP,GPICOD,GPISO2 curve,the fluctuant negative correlation between the regional GDP and GPI was analyzed.The results show that the GDP only reflects the wealth of a region from an economic point of view,but the GPI can comprehensively measure regional economic development and the environment conditions.The GPI analysis and evaluation promote the coordinated development of regional economy and environment and achieve the scientific objectives of sustainable economic and environmental development.1 tab,3 figs,8 refs.
This paper presents a production approach for modern manufacturing on Trumph Trumatic presses in computer environment. For model creation using advanced forming functions SolidWorks software was used. finite element method (FEM) analysis by means of Abaqus 6.4-1. software in order to evaluate strain energy of forming processes was used. ToPs 300 software is used for creating of CNC programs for Trumph Trumatic presses in order to produce sheet metal products.
This paper focuses on the effective data length control of network-based short message service.Two algorithms of "Always Correct" and "Over-threshold Rollback" are proposed.The advantages and disadvantages of these two algorithms are compared in combination with their individual arithmetic and features in use.An optimized algorithm is considered according to the possible errors in applications.The experiments for quantitative analysis are designed and the results verify the effectiveness of proposed algorithm.
This research is structured around five key words: national identity, crisis, football, Argentina and Ecuador. Five words that in the order exposed constitute the backbone of this work: the study of national identity through football in times of crisis in Argentina and Ecuador. The period analyzed includes the first years of the twenty-first century. In that moment takes place one of the effects of the globalized capitalism developed during the last decades of the twentieth century in Latin America: the decline of national identity channeled through traditional representation institutions of the nation-state. This phenomenon, here called crisis of representation, derives from the social and economic crisis resulting from the so-called “lost decade”: the eighties; as well as from the answer given to them during the nineties through the policies of the Washington Consensus. But, above all, it is closely related to who is blamed for the crisis: the political class chosen through the mechanisms of representative democracy. In this sense, the crisis of representation occurred in Argentina and Ecuador at the beginning of the new century produced not only devastating social and economic consequences, but also a demand of “feeling proud to be national again”. This crisis affected not only GDP and child poverty rates, but also a more abstract but fundamental item for the construction of a harmonious social link: identification. This research analyses a context in which the representation of individuals conforming the national community through the institutions of representative democracy is broken or seriously damaged. The breakdown of this bond, in terms of its significant function, would indicate that the hyphen linking nation and state and transforming it into a signifier would not exist or would be harmed. In visual terms, there would be a collapse or structural damage in the bridge linking the nation with its representation instances. This way, it would stop acting as a signifier and, therefore, it would not have the capacity of articulating any chain, that is to say, generating a meaning...
By the mid-19th century, in order to combat the threat of colonisation by western  powers, the Thai king and the country’s social elite decided to adopt and implement  western notions and technology as a superior ways to develop Thailand into a  civilised nation, since it was believed that a new modern image of Thai cultural  identity would help the country to be regarded as equal to Europe. At the same  time, traditional Thai beliefs – especially the values of ‘pure’ Buddhism – were left  behind as they were seen to be entirely different from the new western notions.  Ever since then westernised modes of thinking have been supported by several  generations of Thai rulers through a series of examples of imposed ‘top-down’  planning. This inappropriate and failed harmonisation of modern culture with  Thai tradition, a process which is increasingly influenced by globalisation, has  resulted in a contemporary cultural crisis that creates many problems in different  aspects of the Thai built environment.  The objective of this doctoral study is therefore to observe the results of these  cross-cultural conflicts, and to find new ways to use architectural design to focus  on a different approach from the westernised notions embodied in globalisation.  The ideals of eco-Buddhism and of localised, ‘bottom-up’ planning – together  with architectural participation by local people – thus become the inspirational  ideas behind this study. The framework of the thesis chooses to investigate two  different dimensions of the cultural conflicts caused by unsuccessful hybridisation  in Thailand: firstly, the extreme physical changes to the built environment caused  by the western influences; and secondly, the specific Thai pheonmena that  illustrate the negative impact of cultural hybridisation on the mentality of local  people. The cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai have thus been chosen as the two  main case studies because each exemplifies particular problems.  This thesis, as a PhD by Design will propose various small-scale architectural  projects which are expressed differently according to their background problems.  These often simple projects – seen as ‘small changes’ introduced by architects  – are presented in the hope that their impacts would then be scaled up through  local participation and the latent creativities of the residents of these urban areas  in Thailand’s two main cities.
DECAY IN NATURE fascinated Gide. In his efforts to establish a viable esthetic, he frequently invoked the swamp, discovering in its stagnant waters the reflection of his dilemma. Particularly in his early works, marsh imagery illuminates the complexities of a recurrent moral-esthetic problem: the conflict between the classical and romantic imperatives, between the principles of objective and subjective art.1 This conflict is, of course, fundamental to Gide's work, and its expression is hardly limited to a single image. Yet the swamp is the one metaphor which consistently appears in the early works whenever the issues are esthetic, and its importance seems to be related to Gide's search for self-confidence as an artist.
Hexacarbon compounds are neurotoxic to man and animals. These substances also inhibit various enzymes in vitro, including acetylcholinesterase. Since some cholinesterase inhibitors alter nociception we determined the effect of acute ip administration of 2,5-hexanedione on nociception in female Wistar rats (75-90 days old, 170-200 g; 15-17 rats in each group) using a tail-flick apparatus. The rats were injected ip with vehicle solution (120 mM NaCl containing 10 mM potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.2) and 200, 400 or 800 mg/kg of 2,5-hexanedione in a volume of 1 ml/kg body weight. Tail-flick latencies were obtained 10, 30, 60 and 90 min after drug administration. All doses of 2,5-hexanedione caused antinociception (P less than 0.001) but the appearance and duration of the analgesia varied according to the dose of the drug. The highest dose tested (800 mg/kg) caused analgesia from 10 to 60 min, 400 mg/kg caused analgesia at 30 and 60 min, and 200 mg/kg produced antinociception only at 60 min after drug injection (P less than 0.05 for all the above comparisons). These results suggest that 2,5-hexanedione induces antinociception in rats. Whether this effect is mediated by a cholinergic mechanism is under investigation.
0.1 Purpose of this Handbook. The Handbook should help the managers of a humanitarian demining project understand the cultural, ethical and legal framework of the host country. The Guidelines developed and presented in the Handbook should promote the goodwill between the local community and the contractors that is vital for successful and efficient demining. This will assist in delivering the Project to time, cost and quality. Throughout the Handbook, where a Guideline emerges from the narrative, its reference number is shown in the right hand margin. 1 Scope. Our intention in this Handbook is to promote an awareness of the cultural issues that might be of significance to all humanitarian demining projects. However, we appreciate the difficulties of attempting to embrace in a single Handbook the religious and cultural requirements of all the communities of the world. The state of government in countries where demining is carried out can range from completely broken down at all levels to fully functioning, with effective policing of law and order. The Handbook is intended for use whatever the extent and effectiveness of national governance. The Handbook also incorporates the human development goals of the UN.
The purpose of the project was to determine the feasibility of setting driver education program instructional objectives from existing accident data, and to make recommendations for appropriate action to actually define such instructional objectives. The authors recommend a special study under the National Accident Sampling System as the appropriate means of collecting the desired data. Volume II is a guide for accident investigators attempting to identify accident avoidance behaviors.
This volume of essays focuses on the configuration and the crisis of national and cultural identities in modern and contemporary Europe. Renowned contributors address the question of identity from various theoretical frames (Eagleton, Honneth, Bourdieu). The essays collected in the first and second part of the book study the relation between literature and culture as well as the decisive, yet ambiguous role that literature has played in the identitary processes of nations. The last part of the volume examines the history and the present relevance of specific identitary processes.
The 2 π 1/2 , J = 3/2 and J = 5/2 main lines of OH and the continuum, at 8 MHz, have been mapped toward W3(OH) with an angular resolution of 0.3″ and a resolution of 0.45-0.47 km s −1 . The continuum maps produced in conjunction with each spectral line map were combined. In addition to the four previously found continuum features, we have tentatively detected a new weak, unresolved source. This coincides with a weak 1.7 MHz OH maser, about 7″ NE of W3(OH). The 2 π 1/2 , J = 3/2, F = 2-2 and F = 1-1 main lines at 7820 and 7762 MHz, respectively, are found in absorption toward the western part of W3(OH), and both show a clumpy structure. There is a weak emission feature at 7820 MHz, about 0.5″ NE of the northern absorption clump
This thesis examines the validity of school value-added measures and the validity of arguments for their interpretation and use. The opening chapters review the development of school value added measures, existing evidence on their properties and validity and their current use in research, policy and practice.    The empirical results are based on four studies using English National Pupil Database data and a large, nationally-representative dataset of teacher-assessed attainment data for English pupils aged from 7 to 13. The findings all relate to the properties of school value-added measures and the seriousness of a number of threats to their validity. The four empirical studies examine the following issues: observable bias and error, inter-method reliability when compared to estimates from a quasi-experimental regression discontinuity design, stability of school value added scores and of specific cohorts over time, and consistency of school value-added scores within cohorts and between different school cohorts at a single point in time.    The closing chapters discuss the validity of value-added measures in general and in relation to the areas of use identified. Individually and collectively, the results advance understanding of numerous threats to validity and have substantial implications for the use of value-added  measures in research, policy and practice.
An experiment to determine the effect of Trichoderma fungus application in tomato grown in andisol soil, was conducted at IVEGRI's (Indonesian Vegetable Research Institute) Experimental Garden in Lembang, Bandung, West Java (1250 m asl) from April 2011 until July 10 2011. Two treatments factos i.e. factor (1) Trichoderma application (without and using Trichoderma 10 fungi per plot and factor (2) NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer rate (0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 kg NPK (15-15-15)/ha) were arranged in randomized block design with 4 replications. The results showed that although P uptake in tomato increased with Trichoderma sp. application, in general Trichoderma sp. application did not significantly affected several growth parameters and yield component of tomato. Significant effect of Trichoderma sp. application was only increased in total plant dry weight at 63 days after planting. The use of NPK (15-15-15) fertilizer 250 kg NPK/ha increased significantly on total plant dry weight and yield component such as total fruit weight per plot and fruit number per plot (15 m ).
Based on the characteristics of structure and loading of the cylinder compress coil spring, the 3D finite element analyzing model of the cylinder compress coil spring in utility is established, and the finite analysis under the static and dynamic loading and life prediction are completed. The stiffness of spring is obtained, the static strength of spring is checked, the life of spring is predicted, and the modal analysis is completed. The results show that the spring can be suitable for the design requirement.
A 28 year-old man presented with poor vision since childhood and gradual further decline of several years duration. His visual acuity measures 20/200 OD with -11.50 + 0.50 x 150 and 20/100 OS with -12.25 + 0.25 x 35. He had a fine nystagmus. His visual fields were full. There was a circumferential pannus with areas of corneal stromal opacification. The iris was hypoplastic with atypical colobomatous defects. The lenses had scattered cortical opacities. The intraocular pressures were normal. The optic nerves had cup disk ratios of 0.6 OU. The family history was negative for similar defects. A diagnosis of aniridia was made and blood was drawn for analysis of the PAX6 gene. PCR amplification of exon 5 showed heterozygous fragments with one allele being larger than normal. Direct DNA sequencing of the individual heterozygous allele showed a 41 base pair insertion at nucleotide 483 in exon 5 of the paired domain. This frameshift mutation changed codon 71 to a stop codon. The diagnosis of aniridia was confirmed in this atypical patient, who will need to be monitored for his high risk of glaucoma. The risk of developing Wilms` tumor in patients with mutations within the aniridia gene is presumablymore » negligible since the neighboring Wilms` tumor gene is unaffected. The identification of intragenic mutations of the PAX6 gene in patients with sporadic aniridia modifies the management of such patients because of recognition of the increased risk of glaucoma and by reducing the necessity for frequent monitoring for the presence of Wilms` tumor.« less
Segmental nevus depigmentosus and segmental vitiligo can be difficult to differentiate from each other. Differential diagnosis of these two diseases is important because they have significantly different prognoses and psychological effects. The purpose of this study is to identify clinical clues that may be helpful in differentiating these two diseases. We enrolled 63 patients with segmental nevus depigmentosus and 149 patients with segmental vitiligo. Sex, age of onset, sites involved, dermatomal distribution, margin of lesion and presence of poliosis were evaluated in both groups. The age of onset was less than 10 years in 96.8% of segmental nevus depigmentosus and 28.9% of segmental vitiligo cases. Trunk (36.5%) and cervical (38.1%) dermatomes were the most commonly involved in segmental nevus depigmentosus and face (67.1%) and trigeminal (64.4%) dermatomes in segmental vitiligo. The average number of dermatomes involved in truncal lesions was different in segmental nevus depigmentosus and segmental vitiligo (2.71 vs 1.62, P = 0.001). Segmental vitiligo on the face, neck and trunk appeared closer to the axis than segmental nevus depigmentosus (P < 0.001). Segmental nevus depigmentosus and segmental vitiligo showed significantly different margins (90.5% and 41.6% serrated, respectively; P < 0.001). We observed clinical differences between patients with segmental nevus depigmentosus and those with segmental vitiligo. Distribution (site, distance to axis, dermatome), vertical width, margin of lesion and presence of poliosis can be helpful in differentiating segmental nevus depigmentosus and segmental vitiligo.
The book is one of the first of its kind discussing transboundary water resources management from the perspective of international relations and regional cooperation. Managing transboundary waters is not just the domain of water managers but involves other considerations of foreign policy, diplomacy, trade and related issues. The monograph brings together diverse perspectives from politicians, diplomats, academics, practitioners, bureaucrats, scientists and civil society on the concept of Hydro-diplomacy. As very aptly put by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, "A new hydro-cartography and a new hydro-wisdom must back hydro-diplomacy to address river water issues and to face the larger water crisis that looms overhead and under our feet". IUCN is hopeful that this publication would pave the way for further understanding and deliberations on the subject of Hydro-diplomacy.
An apparatus for compensating for distortion of a signal in an FBWA(Fixed Broadband Wireless Access) system and a method thereof are provided to reduce complexity of a terminal and to prevent SNR(Signal to Noise Ratio) from being increased by making a base station execute previous equalization. An apparatus for compensating for distortion of a signal in an FBWA(Fixed Broadband Wireless Access) system comprises a coefficient extractor(325), an equalizer(330), and a channel state analyzer(320). The coefficient extractor(325) checks state information of a data input channel according as a terminal, capable of performing wireless access communication, accesses, extracts a signal compensation coefficient value in accordance with the state information of the data input channel, and outputs the extracted compensation coefficient value. The equalizer(330) compensates for distorted signals according to the channel state by using the compensation coefficient value outputted from the coefficient extractor(325). The channel state analyzer(320) analyzes the state information on the data inputting channel.
The villains in recent films are given interesting roles not only through the actual contents of the story but also by attractive personal characteristics including internal and psychological aspects. The purpose of this paper is to take a deeper look into the image styling process of villain characters. The cases will focus on seven representative Korean films that have attracted over one million audiences as of the year 2000, and the leading and supporting actors within those films. Analysis will be made mainly on the visual image creations of those villains. The visual images are categorized by the make-up, hair-do, clothing and accessories relevant to the psychological personality type of each actor's role and their background based on the given scenarios. The results are as follows: First, villain characters are portrayed as an individual with multiple personalities with regards to psychological, economical, and vocational aspects. Second, fashion trends of the character is an important element to keep pace with the times or to visualize the sense of the times in which the villain exists. Third, a specific point that characterizes the villain's character are expressed through various touches using noticeable accessories, specific colors in make up, hair style, and a certain fashion.
Methods of estimating potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) crop nitrogen (N) requirement were compared by measuring petiole nitrate, total plant N content, or leaf area using data from an experiment with cv. Russet Burbank at Lincoln in the 1999-2000 season. The petiole test and the total plant N uptake test were difficult to translate into the amount of N required by the crop or to use in order to predict final yield. The relationship between petiole nitrate and yield varied considerably among this and other experiments. There was a close linear relationship between N content of the whole plant and plant fresh weight, but the relationship depended on the rate and timing of fertiliser application. There was a linear relationship between leaf area and plant N uptake, and maximum leaf area index was also closely related to final yield, suggesting that measuring leaf area could be a way of predicting plant N requirements and final yield. Additional key words: petiole test, leaf area index, yield, nitrogen uptake
The Telecommunications Industry -- What's Ahead. What Makes the Telecommunications Environment Unique. A Framework for Product Development. The Six Phases of Product Development. Setting a Strategic Product Direction and Strategy. Evaluating Opportunities and Grouping Projects (Phase 1). Defining the Product and Determining Feasibility (Phase 2). Designing the Product (Phase 3). The Process and Processes of Service Delivery. Putting it Together -- Identifying the Processes and Laying out the Pieces. Issues and Approaches to Process Design. Automating the Service Delivery Process. Telecommunications Managed Network. Phase 3 Wrap Up. Getting the Service Developed (Phase 4). Implementation and Trials (Phase 5). Commercial Launch (Phase 6). Organizing for Product Development. Project Teams? Roles and Responsibilities Defined Tools for Success. Beyond Product Launch -- In-Life Management & Improving the Process of Product Development Within the Organization.
Annotation: The article highlights the characteristic features of globalization process of modern world economy, including the influence of transnationalization of production, the speeding-up of informational and communication systems effi- ciency, the growth of international flows of goods and services, the restructuring of world economy constituent parts. Key words: globalization, integration, transnationalization, informational and communication systems efficiency,customization.
Objective To understand the epidemic features of influenza in Huizhou City in 2009,and explore the epidemic law,in order to provide scientific basis for prevention and treatment of influenza.Methods Specimens of throat swab were collected from influenza-like cases of sentinel hospitals and outbreaks of flu,using MDCK cells for influenza virus isolation,and Real-Time fluorescent quantitative PCR for influenza viruses typing.Results 271 strains of influenza viruses were isolated in 1482 specimens of the sentinel hospital,of which 265 were influenza A virus,6 were influenza B virus;Among the 22 outbreaks of influenza-like cases,16 were caused by novel human influenza(H1N1),86.4%of which were concentrated in the primary and secondary schools.Conclusion According to the data from the influenza surveillance,Influenza-like illness occurred throughout the year in Huizhou City,especially in autumn and winter.The major epidemic strain in 2009 was a novel human influenza(H1N1).
The thesis is an in-depth research into the management and control of subcultures in a multicultural and geographically dispersed organisation. Primarily the thesis focuses on the Distribution function in Bass Brewers North where there is much cultural diversity and a high resistance to change in areas where regional subcultures have developed over long periods.Based on methods used in ethnographic studies and within an inductivist framework, 15 Distribution depots were researched in order to understand cultural and managerial differences in the regions. With the use of theoretical data analysis, three different subculture groupings were identified from the early stages of the research, these were categorised as being either positive, negative or changing cultures in relation to the Bass 'corporate' culture. Further detailed research was carried out in three representative Distribution depots in order to ascertain the degree to which the beliefs and values of the dominant culture were dispersed throughout the three subculture groupings.In order to assess cultural dispersion the research was extended to include other regions of Bass Brewers, and the Bass Headquarters at Burton. At this stage of the research the thesis explored culture management and leadership, cultural change and cultural impact on outcomes. From this, an understanding of the relationship between corporate cultures, subcultures and managerial control was developed.The research into the management and control of cultures and subcultures was analysed, from a middle management view and 'bottom up', rather than the traditional approach to corporate culture research and to culture change programmes, which is generally 'top down' with a senior management bias. The thesis argues that large complex organisations are composed of multiple possibly conflicting cultures, and that corporate cultures and subcultures cannot be readily changed. It is also argued that strategies designed to 'quickly' change an organisation's culture(s) are not likely to succeed. The contribution the thesis makes to existing knowledge is in three areas. Firstly the thesis provides a contribution in the area of research methodology both from a manager carrying out research within his own organisation, and the methodological approach used to study cultures and subcultures in organisations. Secondly the thesis provides a contribution in the area of culture and performance in that it explores the relationship between subcultures and an organisation's corporate culture and provides an explanation for different culture types and their impact on business performance. Finally the thesis provides a contribution in the area of culture and managerial control in that the research identifies the links between leadership and control at both senior and middle management levels.
Jianghan Basin developed a wide and shallow salt lake basin of north one-way sources with little difference of palaeogeomorphology during the deposition of lower Xingouzui Formation in Paleogene.Five source systems such as Zhijiang,Yuan'an,Jingmen,Hanshui and Hanchuan systems were controlled by the NW trending fault of north basin margin,the deposition systems were formed,of which the river delta and shallow lake were dominated,clipping playa lake was included.And delta plain,delta front,the former delta,and shallow lake-half deep lake of salt mud were the main sedimentary facies developed in the area.The delta was different from other marine delta in vertical sequence,types of framework sand-body and scale etc.Instead,it was presented more characteristics of shallow water delta.The sand-body in front facies had a typical characteristics of ribbon-like directionality,and the framework sand-body was the underwater channel deposition,lacking of typical thick anti-rhythm of the channel mouth bar.Vertically,its sequence was discontinuous without three structures of typical delta.In general,the inner front including the micro-facies of subaqueous and sheet sand,and the outer front facies including only the sheet sand can be subdivided in front facies.The above characteristics bring in corresponding sand-body types in various stratigraphic section and sub-facies area.Because of control of the flat topography and the single ancient source,not only the delta front facies are developed,but also the front underwater distributary channel extends farther,it has the characteristics of constructive river dominated delta.
Cybersecurity information sharing (CIS) is envisioned to protect organizations more effectively from advanced cyber attacks. However, a completely automated CIS platform is not widely adopted. The major challenges are: (1) the absence of a robust cyber threat language (CTL) and (2) the concerns over data privacy. This work introduces Cybersecurity Information Exchangewith Privacy (CYBEX-P), as a CIS framework, to tackle these challenges. CYBEX-P allows organizations to share heterogeneous data with granular, attribute based privacy control. It correlates the data to automatically generate intuitive reports and defensive rules. To achieve such versatility, we have developed TAHOE - a graph based CTL. TAHOE is a structure for storing,sharing and analyzing threat data. It also intrinsically correlates the data. We have further developed a universal Threat Data Query Language (TDQL). In this paper, we propose the system architecture for CYBEX-P. We then discuss its scalability and privacy features along with a use case of CYBEX-P providing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). We further introduce TAHOE&TDQL as better alternatives to existing CTLs and formulate ThreatRank - an algorithm to detect new malicious even
Recent advancements in technology have led to a boost in social media usage which has ultimately led to large amounts of user-generated data which also includes hateful and offensive speech. The language used in social media is often a combination of English and the native language in the region. In India, Hindi is used predominantly and is often code-switched with English, giving rise to the Hinglish (Hindi+English) language. Various approaches have been made in the past to classify the code-mixed Hinglish hate speech using different machine learning and deep learning-based techniques. However, these techniques make use of recurrence on convolution mechanisms which are computationally expensive and have high memory requirements. Past techniques also make use of complex data processing making the existing techniques very complex and non-sustainable to change in data. Proposed work gives a much simpler approach which is not only at par with these complex networks but also exceeds performance with the use of subword tokenization algorithms like BPE and Unigram, along with multi-head attention-based techniques, giving an accuracy of 87.41% and an F1 score of 0.851 on standard datasets. Efficient use of BPE and Unigram algorithms help handle the nonconventional Hinglish vocabulary making the proposed technique simple, efficient and sustainable to use in the real world.
Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of postpartum hemorrhage and to discuss the pathogenesis of postpartum hemorrhage.Methods:109 cases of postpartum hemorrhage were analyzed retrospectively.The clinical effects were observed.The fac-tors that lead to postpartum hemorrhage were analyzed according to the clinical observation.Results:All 109 cases of postpartum hem-orrhage were cured.In all these cases,56 cases were caused by uterine inertia,3 cases were caused by retained placenta,47 cases were caused by soft birth canal laceration,and 3 cases were caused by blood coagulation dysfunction.Conclusions:By observing the clinical efficacy of postpartum hemorrhage,it has been found that postpartum hemorrhage can be divided into three periods.Postpartum hemor-rhage generally occurs within one hour.The factors leading to postpartum hemorrhage which may endanger the parturients' health differ from time to time.Among all the factors,uterine inertia is the main reason for postpartum hemorrhage.
The invention provides a two-step copper smelting process and equipment. The process consists of the steps of bottom blowing smelting and converting. The process equipment consists of a bottom blowing smelting furnace and two converting furnaces that are laid in the shape of a Chinese character ''pin''. The three devices are all rotatable horizontal cylindrical furnaces with shells made of a steel plate and linings made of a refractory material. Each furnace body is supported by two carrying rollers on a base, wherein one end of one carrying roller is provided with a motor, gear transmission is adopted, and the furnace body can be arranged to rotate along the axis. The three devices are connected by chutes. The process provided in the invention saves a lot of manpower and material resources, lowers the investment, and ahs high economic efficiency. The equipment has the advantages of simple structure, reasonable design, energy saving and environmental protection, thus having very good popularization and use value.
The occurrence of loanwords is a common phenomenon of language contact. Chinese in its development has undergone three waves of word borrowing, which has greatly enriched the vocabulary of Chinese language. It the past twenty years, the loanwords in Chinese language have taken on some new characteristics. At the same time, however, some unfavorable tendencies have also occurred, which requires that the introduction and the use of loanwords be regularized.
Mechanism of slope erosion and surface failure occurrences has been clarified and classified through a series of indoor experiments and influence of grass on the slope has been studied chiefly from a viewpoint of variation in water balance of rainfall. On the assumption that seeding is employed as the method of prevention of slope erosion, the effects and limits of various types of chemicals adapted to prevent erosion seemed to have been made clear immediately after seeding procedure was determined through a series of indoor experiments and field tests, and thereby some typical practical standards have been obtained. The procedures of these tests themselves have been also examined. Typical practical standards have been obtained also in connection with seeding from consideration and investigation of various problems remaining to be solved.
Sandia conducts impact testing for a variety of structures. In this slapdown test, one end of the cask impacts the hard concrete target, then the structure rotates so that the other end of the cask impacts the target. During an impact test, metal to metal contact may occur within the structure and produce high frequency, high amplitude shock inputs. The high frequency portion of this transient vibration has been observed to excite the accelerometer resonance even though this resonance exceeds 350 kHz. The amplitude of the resonating accelerometer response can be so large that the data are clipped and are rendered useless. If the data are not clipped, a digital filter must be applied to eliminate the undesired accelerometer resonant response. If possible, it is more desirable to prevent excitation of the accelerometer resonance, This may be accomplished by mechanically isolating the accelerometer from the high frequency excitation without degrading the transducer response in the bandwidth of interest which is usually 10 kHz or less. To achieve this desirable isolation, two mounting configurations were designed and characterized. The objective of this paper is to describe the evaluation technique and to discuss the shock isolation properties of each mounting configuration. Onemore » configuration was actually used in a field test of bomb impacting a target. 4 figs.« less
Polymerization using glutaraldehyde markedly improved the apparently low efficacy of an asthma-inducing sea squirt antigen, DIIa (MW 9,980), in hyposensitization therapy on patients with sea squirt allergy. A product (poly-DIIa-G) comparable to Gi-rep (MW 106,000) in MW-distribution showed high therapeutic efficacy comparable to the most effective therapeutic antigen, Ei-M, which was paralleled by a significant increase in the allergen-specific IgG titer in most of the successfully hyposensitized patients as assayed using Ei-M as the target antigen. Another product (poly-DIIa-E) comparable to Ei-M (MW 22,800) in MW also showed a high but slightly lower therapeutic efficacy relative to poly-DIIIa-G with an apparent increase in the specific IgG titer in some patients. However, no significant change in the IgG titer was detected in most patients unsuccessfully treated with intact DIIIa. On the other hand, no significant change was detected in the IgE titer specific to the target antigen in the patients, except in a few cases where the change was independent of the therapeutic effect. The apparent correlation between the increase in the specific IgG titer and the enhancement of the therapeutic effect suggested that polymerization enhanced the immunogenicity of DIIIa and resulted in a significant improvement in the therapeutic efficacy through an additional induction of the specific IgG capable of competing, as a blocking antibody, with the specific IgE for an asthma-inducing antigen, like DIIIa, in patients treated with the polymerized antigens.
Biomedical entity normalization, which links entity mentions in biomedical texts to their corresponding standard concepts in a knowledge base(KB) or an ontology is an important task in biomedical text mining. A prevalent solution is to generate the most similar concepts, and then rank those concepts with semantic models. Herein, to improve the performance of candidate concepts ranking for entity normalization, we rank the candidates by fine-tuning the domain-specific pre-trained BioBERT model and enhancing the representation information with entity mentions and candidates. We have achieved significant improvement over the state-of-the-art method on the Bacteria Biotope data of BioNLP-OST19 .
People with Holt-Oram syndrome have abnormally developed bones in their upper limbs. At least one abnormality in the bones of the wrist (carpal bones) is present in affected individuals. Often, these wrist bone abnormalities can be detected only by x-ray. Individuals with Holt-Oram syndrome may have additional bone abnormalities including a missing thumb, a long thumb that looks like a finger, partial or complete absence of bones in the forearm, an underdeveloped bone of the upper arm, and abnormalities of the collar bone or shoulder blades. These skeletal abnormalities may affect one or both of the upper limbs. If both upper limbs are affected, the bone abnormalities can be the same or different on each side. In cases where the skeletal abnormalities are not the same on both sides of the body, the left side is usually more severely affected than the right side.
Body weight; Exenatide; Glucagon-like peptide-1 analogues; Glucose; Glycated hemoglobin; Liraglutide. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogues-based therapies are a new option for type 2 diabetes treatment that hold the promise of overcoming the major limitations of traditional treatments, including the increased risk for hypoglycemia and weight gain. Herein, we review the data from clinical trials that have assessed the mechanism of action, the efficacy, and safety of exenatide and liraglutide, two analogues already available for therapy. The data of these trials showed that exenatide and liraglutide induced an improvement in glycemic control comparable with type 2 diabetes traditional treatments, as insulin, thiazolidinediones and sulfonylurea. GLP-1 analogues-based therapy was also associated with progressive weight reduction and a very low risk for hypoglycemia.
The response of four levels of nitrogen and three levels of potash were assessed on the morphological traits and yield of cabbage head cv. Pride of India. Average weight of head with and without non-wrapper leaves, number of marketable heads per plot and yield increased linearly upto 150 kg K/ha. The application of 50 kg K/ha also played significant role than control. Thus, 150 kg N and 50 kg K is the optimum does for higher yield under Sub-montane and low hills of H.P.
The embedding materials used in the fields of medicine,environment and biology are reviewed.And the characters,application conditions and scope are described.The embedding materials commonly used in the field of medicine are lactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer,κ-carrageenan and biodegradable polymer materials;those used in environmental field are sodium alginate and polyvinyl alcohol;those used in biological fields are biodegradable polymer materials,sodium alginate and hydrogels.The materials used in various fields vary,if developing embedding materials that are targeted and easy to use and the corresponding ways,the developing prospects of embedding technology could be more broad.
Radix paeoniae alba is the dry root of peony which belongs to ranunculaceae perennial herbaceous plant,it shows the slight cool character,bitter and sour in taste,into the collateral channels of liver and spleen,and has the efficiency of nourishing the blood,convergence Yin,acesodyne and stabilizing liver Yang. It is mainly used to treat headache,vertigo,rib pain and celiodynia,limbs spasm pain,irregular menses and sweating,and is an important part of the prescription in the treatment of autoimmune disease,hepatitis and cirrhosis. The main chemical constituents of radix paeoniae alba include monoterpenes and its glycosides,triterpene,flavonoids,tannins,polysaccharides and volatile oil. In recent years,the pharmacological research on radix paeoniae alba and its chemical constituents has gained significant progress,and the author reviews their pharmacological action on anti-inflammatory,immune system,central nervous system,cardiovascular system and digestive system,in order to provide the reference for expanding clinical application and implementing further development of radix paeoniae alba.
The new conditions of globalization underlie life conditions and the importance of a generational future as a component of competitiveness. What constitutes globalization is the interaction that changes the scenarios for the individuals, organizations and society, who are constantly hounded by contradictory forces and uncertainties. The ecological model of organizations widens to include interactions which can integrate the environmental paradigm with the organizational system. An organizations approach to sustainability is affected by the combination of ambiguous environmental economic policies, the abrupt adoption of production technologies and market practices. Sustainability in business organizations is an implementation strategy of process reengineering and the adoption of production technologies oriented toward avoiding waste materials, recycling trash and eliminating toxics. The lack of acceptance of the role that business organizations play in sustainability influences the global debate that questions real causes of pollution which poses safeguards to organizations and justifies poverty as the main cause generating environmental degradation. It also suggests as a consequence of deterioration the inadequate economic policies that allow for business actions less friendly with the environment.
The invention relates to a selenium-rich scented tea and a production method thereof. The selenium-rich scented tea is characterized by comprising the following materials in percentage by weight: 10 to 15 percent of selenium-rich tea flower, 10 to 20 percent of carthamus tinctorius, 10 to 25 percent of rose, 35 to 60 percent of black tea, 4 to 10 percent of peach blossom, and 1 to 4 percent of angelica sinensis leaves. The production method comprises the steps of uniformly mixing the raw materials according to a certain proportion, so as to obtain the selenium-rich scented tea. Due to the synergistic effect of the active ingredients in the product, the selenium-rich scented tea can nourish and enrich blood, improve human internal environment, enhance blood circulation, discharge vivotoxin, eliminate human free radical timely, delay senescence and improve physical fitness.
The first part of this talk will be devoted to a review of classical models of fluid mechanics in 2D or 3D, such as Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. We aim at showing that port-Hamiltonian systems can encompass many physically meaningful models: compressible / incompressible, potential / rotational, linear / nonlinear, inviscid / viscous. The thermodynamical hypotheses will be recalled. The specific variables classically used in fluid mechanics, such as velocity potential, stream function or vorticity, will appear in a very natural and physically meaningful way in this formalism. We will also address simpler 1D models, such as Webster horn equation, and shallow water (also known as Saint-Venant) equation; in both cases, care will be taken to identify the appropriate boundary variables as port variables. In the second part of the talk, we will apply the interconnection facility provided by port-Hamiltonian systems to sloshing, a typical Fluid-Structure Interaction problem. In airplanes, the coupled vibrations between fluid and structural dynamics can lead to structural fatigue, noise and even instability. At ISAE, we have an experimental device that consists of a cantilevered plate with a fluid tank near the free tip. This device is being used for model validation and active control studies. Port-Hamiltonian systems formulation is being used for the structured modeling of this experimental device: structural dynamics and fluid dynamics are modeled independently as infinite-dimensional systems; the plate is approximated as a Euler-Bernoulli beam, and shallow water equations are used for representing the fluid in the moving tank. The global system is finally easily coupled thanks to the interaction ports of the pHs elementary models. Finally for a numerical simulation objective, the spatial discretization of the infinitedimensional systems using mixed finite-element method is performed, and gives rise to a finite-dimensional system that is still Hamiltonian; comparisons between experimental results and numerical simulations will be presented, and can already be found on the WEB site [2]. Collaborators: The second part of the talk is joint work with Flavio Luiz CardosoRibeiro (on leave from Instituto Tecnologico of Aeronautica, Brazil, now at ISAE, France), Ph.D. student co-advised with Valerie Pommier-Budinger (ISAE, France), see [2].
In this paper, the suspensions containing polyaniline particles and silicone oil were propared.The electrorheological effects of these suspensions were studied through steady-state shear, and the currentdensity of the suspension was experimentally investigated as well. The experimental results show that with increasing field strength, the suspension's electrorheological effect and current density increase;while with increasing shear rate, the suspension's electrorheological effect and current density decrease.
The theory field more and more proved that the foreign-investment enterprises'foreign trade promote the economic growth, but the difference function of foreign-investment enterprises'foreign trade to different district do not arose enough importance. Based on the difference of eastern and western regions in China, this paper tries to analyze the economic effect of foreign-investment enterprises'foreign trade in different areas from the theoretic and empirical aspects. Using the unit root test, cointegration test and error correction model in panel data and based on the eastern and western provinces regional data, this paper aims to identify the long term and short term relations between the foreign-investment enterprises'foreign trade and economic growth in eastern and western regions of China. Because of many factors, such as technique and industrial structure, the eastern region has already had a good promote mechanism between the foreign-investment enterprises'foreign trade and the economic growth, but the western region haven't yet. On this foundation, the paper puts forward the suggestion that to promote the development of foreign-investment enterprises'foreign trade and economic growth through the promotion of industrial structure based on the technique exaltation.
This paper aims to present the evaluation of wet weather contribution to the total annual pollutant load in a residential watershed of 125 ha in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The monitoring was done over a full hydrologic year, covering diurnal variations during dry periods and frequent samplings during rain events. The paper discusses the changes in fluxes of major pollutants and the contribution of selected micro pollutants. The results show that the concentrations of the major constituents are impacted by the discharge of untreated waste water, and that the values do not comply with the Brazilian legislation for water bodies. For most of the water quality parameters, the concentrations decreased during rain events due to dilution, with the exceptions of suspended solids and some heavy metals, which increased. This increased load is due to erosion and sediment resuspension.
Faraday rotation measures (RMs) of extragalactic radio sources provide information on line-of-sight magnetic fields, including contributions from our Galaxy, source environments, and the intergalactic medium (IGM). Looking at differences in RMs, ΔRM, between adjacent sources on the sky can help isolate these different components. In this work, we classify adjacent polarized sources in the NRAO VLA Sky Survey (NVSS) as random or physical pairs. We recompute and correct the uncertainties in the NVSS RM catalog, since these were significantly overestimated. Our sample contains 317 physical and 5111 random pairs, all with Galactic latitudes , polarization fractions ≥2%, and angular separations between 1.′5 and 20′. We find an rms ΔRM of 14.9 ± 0.4 and 4.6 ± 1.1 rad m−2 for the random and physical pairs, respectively. This means that polarized extragalactic sources that are close on the sky but at different redshifts have larger differences in RM than two components of one source. This difference of ∼10 rad m−2 is significant at 5σ and persists in different data subsamples. While there have been other statistical studies of ΔRM between adjacent polarized sources, this is the first unambiguous demonstration that some of this RM difference must be extragalactic, thereby providing a firm upper limit on the RM contribution of the IGM. If the ΔRMs originate local to the sources, then the local magnetic field difference between random sources is a factor of 2 larger than that between components of one source. Alternatively, attributing the difference in ΔRMs to the intervening IGM yields an upper limit on the IGM magnetic field strength of 40 nG.
In June 2014, the MICEX Index fully recovered the loss sustained in May, the monthly average index reached 1486.0 points. VTB Bank’s shares stopped growing in value in June, losing more than 10.6% in the period between May 30, 2014 and June 26, 2014. The Moscow Exchange trading volume reached Rb 620.5bn in the period between June 2 and 26, 2014. The stock exchange capitaliza?? on amounted to Rb 23.63 trillion (36.4% of GDP) as of June 26, 2014.
The main objective of this study is to establish the effects of risk management strategies on the project performance of small and medium information communication technology (ICT) enterprises in Nairobi, Kenya. The study was governed by four theories including Logical Framework Approach, Project Risk Analysis and Management model, Network Theory and Portfolio theory. The independent variables were the risk management strategies while dependent variable was the project performance of the SME ICT project. A descriptive research design was adopted. Target population was 48 ICT SMEs in Nairobi, Kenya. The study adopted random sampling technique to select sample size of the project staff in the target population. Primary data was collected using a questionnaire which was self-administered through drop and pick questionnaires to sampled members of the employees working in the ICT SMEs. The data was then summarized, coded and tabulated. A multiple regression model was applied to determine effects of risk management strategies on project performance of ICT SMEs in
Military intervention by external forces in both the DRC and Lesotho has aroused curiosity' among the reg ion 's political observers regarding the preparedness and capability o f regional states to evolve constructive conflict resolution mechanisms. This article compares the DRC and Lesotho and notes that although the roots and nature o f the conflict in both countries are different, external military intervention formed part o f its resolution. The paper concludes that there is need to prom ote and strengthen internal mechanisms o f conflict management.
Objective To evaluate the veracity of nucleated red blood cell(NRBC) count by Sysmex XE-2100 automatic blood cell analyzer.Methods The peripheral blood NRBC counts of 139 patients were examined by both Sysmex XE-2100 automatic blood cell analyzer and microscopy.Results The counted results of high value and medium value had no significant difference between manual and automatic methods(P0.05),the counted results of low value had significant difference between manual and automatic methods(P0.05).The method by automatic analyzer had fine reproducibility.Conclusion The application of XE-2100 automatic blood cell analyzer for NRBC count is quick and accurate,and it can provide accurate blood cell monitoring data for clinicians.
This article explores how attitudes to black people were translated into practice by examining how the latter fared as victims, witnesses and especially as the accused when they came to the Old Bailey in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It concludes that there was no significant discrimination against black people as prosecutors and witnesses. Moreover, between 1791 and 1805, when a source containing systematic evidence on the ethnicity of the accused is briefly available, black people probably formed a smaller proportion of the accused than they did of the London population as a whole; and those who were prosecuted were less likely than average to be convicted and more likely to have their charges reduced. Although punishment patterns for black convicts included rather greater emphasis on transportation, an investigation of criminal justice practice in London reveals little or no systematic prejudice towards black people, thus indicating important contrasts with the experience of black people in colonial contexts and with the ways in which other ethnic groups such as the Irish were dealt with at the Old Bailey.
Recent research in social and political theory has turned its attention towards the development of a so-called ‘ontology of lack’ in the social sciences, with a greater importance ascribed to the affective component of agency over structure (e. g. Glynos and Stavrakakis, 2010; Fotaki and Kenny, 2014; Simon and Bendelow, 1998). This thesis explores this affective turn, and it responds to the deficit of subjective and biographical explanations in the study of organizations and information systems (Thompson, 2012).    In particular, the gamification phenomenon is investigated because its implications beyond the marketing hype remain vague and problematic: how can scientific, business or medical activity be designed for fun? Are we not crossing a line? Is this innocent? Many studies show that the design of technologies presides over the control of organizational practices (Braverman, 1974; Edwards, 1979; Markus, 1983; Markus and Pfeffer, 1983 etc.) but the importance of lack and affect in this process is underestimated. Through three ethnographic studies of computer game developers, I argue that we need to look at IS phenomena (adoption, diffusion, acceptance etc.) not only with economic, institutional or technical lenses, but also through the ideological and affective dimension carried by discourse.    This study’s three key contributions are first (1) to borrow from the poststructuralist corpus the ‘materiality of the signifier’, a notion which highlights the inseparability of the affective and the political in how users and designers engage with technology and systems. Second, I draw (2) on the theory of hegemony to show that, in current times, the production of consent at work is no longer secured by disciplinary or coercive processes, but by the affective and ideological apparatus of gamification. Thirdly, this study exemplifies (3) the need to define the outline of a subject theory and to open a future avenue towards subject based studies as an alternative to existing practice-based studies (e. g. Nicolini, 2010) for the study of technology in organizations.
This study explored the treatment regimens available for childhood fall-related injuries and the factors contributing to the choice of the regimen. The study is carried out against the background that traditional bone setters (TBS) have wider clientele base and patients with fractures seek health care first from TBS but when there are complications, seek emergency care from allopathic health practitioners.  A cross-sectional descriptive design which used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was adopted for the study. A total of 600 respondents and 24 key informants were drawn from 12 out of the 52 communities in the municipality using simple random sampling techniques. It was found that most children (58.3%) suffering from minor fall-related injuries (cuts and scrapes) are treated with menthol-like ointment usually purchased from pharmacy shops. However, many of those with dislocation and fractures are treated by traditional bone setters, with a small number seeking medical care from the hospitals. The socio-demographic variables such as educational background, income, marital status and parity were found to influence the choice of treatment for childhood fall-related injuries. Moreover, there was no clear trend emerging when the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were analysed.
The adsorption capacity of natural pine cone and pine leaves for removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution was investigated in a batch system. The effects of the process variables, such as contact time, initial dye concentration, pH, salt concentration and system temperature on the adsorption process were studied. The extent of methylene blue dye adsorption increased with increases in initial dye concentration, contact time, and solution pH but decreased with salt concentration and temperature of the system for pine cone-MB system. However, for pine leaves-MB system adsorption increased with increases in initial dye concentration, contact time, solution pH and temperature of the system but decreased with salt concentration. Equilibrium data were best represented by the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of pine cone and pine leaves biomass was 129.87 mg/g and 126.58 mg/g respectively at 30 degreesC. The pseudo- first- order model and pseudo- second- order models were used to describe the Kinetic and Mechanism of adsorption process. The value of thermodynamic parameter of pine cone and pine leaves were DeltaG0 (-13 and -10), DeltaH0 (-14, 15) and DeltaS0 (-0.002, 0.085) at 303K respectively
Independent learning and critical thought are developed when students are encouraged to express and review their own understandings and the ideas of others as part of their learning journey. This paper focuses on an innovation to engage and support pre-service teachers (students) in a collaborative approach to learning following a teaching practicum. Through the creation of a learning community, information and practice is shared and further challenged in a supportive environment. The opportunity for students to review their own work in relation to responses of peers enables them to become involved in the process of critiquing their own beliefs and practices as well as their peers, within a set framework. Favourable outcomes for both students and university staff augur well for the future development of the process.
The standard Gibbs energy of formation of tin tellurate, SnTe3O8(s) was determined from its vapour pressure measurements over the temperature range 973-1,158 K by employing thermogravimetry-based transpiration method. The temperature dependence of vapour pressure of TeO2 over the mixture SnTe3O8(s) ? SnO2(s) generated by the incon- gruent vapourisation reaction, SnTe3O8(s) ? SnO2(s) ? 3 TeO2(g) could be represented as: log (p (TeO2, g)/Pa ± 0.03) = 13.943-14,181 (K/T) (973-1,158 K). The standard Gibbs energy of formation of SnTe3O8(s) was also determined by measuring the oxygen potential of SnO2(s)-Te(s)- SnTe3O8(s) phase mixture by the electromotive force method. Enthalpy increments of SnTe3O8(s) were determined by inverse drop calorimetric method in the temperature range 523-973 K. The thermodynamic functions, viz., heat capac- ity, entropy and free energy functions were derived from the measured values of enthalpy increments. A mean value of -1,642 ± 2.0 kJ mol -1 was obtained for DfH � (SnTe3O8 ,s ) by combining the value of DfG � (SnTe3O8, s) derived from vapour pressure data and the free energy functions derived from the drop calorimetric data.
Remanufacturing is to generate reusable resources from the waste machines by modern technologies and process methods,which can create new wealth by exploring new materials,new resources and accessional economy values. It can realize the purpose of saving energy,saving materials and protecting the environment,so it will impel the sustainable development of our society. The paper analyzes the feasibility of executing the green remanufacturing currently to provide the ground of the popularization of the green remanufacturing engineer in the whole construction machinery,according to the development of remanufacturing at home and abroad.
The basic framework of ant colony algorithm has been improved,which uses roulette wheel selection instead of the way of choosing the path through heuristic function and pheromone in the basic framework. At the same time,the way of updating the pheromone is redesigned. A new ant colony algorithm is proposed to make it more suitable to solve the problem of continuous function. This improved algorithm is applied to some typical continuous function problems with constraints,and the simulation test results show that the improved ant colony algorithm quickly find the optimal solution.
Direct tension and torqued tension tests of 170 A325 bolts were carried out to determine the behavior and performance of individual A325 bolts. The major variables studied in the program included the effect of thread length between the thread run-out and the face of the nut, the effect of grip, continuous and incremental torquing, and reserve strength in tension after torquing. The behavior and performance of the bolts is examined, and typical data are presented. The results are related to the current Specification for Structural Joints Using ASTM A325 Bolts and have influenced the amount of nut rotation required when the turn-of-nut method of tightening is used. For usual grips, the grip length was found to have no appreciable effect on the load-elongation characteristics when the length of thread under the nut was approximately the same. Nut rotations greater than one-half turn from snug yielded little additional clasping force. Decreasing the amount of exposed thread under the nut results in a decrease in the deformation capacity of the bolt.
This research is designed to find out teachers’ problems in preparing lesson plan and to discover how the teachers solve the problems at SMP Aisyiyah Muhammadiyah 3 Malang.    The research design of this study was descriptive qualitative because the researcher intended to explore the difficulties faced by teacher in preparing English lesson plan at SMP Aisyiyah Muhammadiyah 3 Malang. Also, the data were analyzed and described in the form of words rather than number. Interview and document was the data collection technique that the researcher used.    The finding showed that there were three problems faced by the teacher in preparing English lesson plan, they were as follows: (1) the teacher faced problems in formulating the indicator of achievement. To solve the problem, the teacher read references like lesson plan guide from Minister of Education and browsing on the internet. (2) Second, the teacher faced problem in formulating learning source. To solve the problem, the teacher take resources from the internet. (3) Third, the teacher faced problem in formulating steps in teaching learning process. The teacher has the ways to solve the problem. First, the teacher read the instruction from Ministry of Education. Second, the teacher ask to the other English teachers in subject teacher discussion (MGMP).
In this study, Source processes of two Kushiro-oki earthquakes, which occurred in November and December, 2004 (Mw7.1 and Mw6.9), are analyzed. These earthquakes occurred with short time interval and with short distance separation at the same plate boundary. In 1961, two earthquakes of M7 also occurred with a time difference of 3 months at the same plate boundary. In addition, this plate boundary is surrounded by the source area of the large earthquakes of M8, such as the 1973 Nemuro-oki earthquake and the 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake. Therefore, it is important to study source characteristics of two 2004 Kushiro-oki earthquakes in order to understand the complexity of the plate interface. We estimate the source time function at each strong motion station (K-net) using empirical green’s function method. Then, the directivity effect is analyzed from those estimated source time functions. In consequence, the result suggests that the rupture propagated concentrically for the earthquake occurred in November and propagated about 8 km to the north for the earthquake occurred in December. Moreover, for the earthquake occurred in December, the stress drop was found to be uniform, because few aftershocks occurred within the source area of the earthquake. The earthquake occurred in November affected by the postseismic slip of the Tokachi-oki earthquake. Because the earthquake occurred in December did not increase enough stress at the edge of the source area of the 1973 Nemuro-oki earthquake, the rupture propagated to the north in stead of to the south.
The oxidative metabolism of bunitrolol, an adrenergic beta-receptor antagonist was examined in human liver microsomes fortified with an NADPH-generating system. The microsomal fractions (n = 11) showed bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activities, which correlated well with CYP2D6 contents (correlation coefficient, r = 0.854), debrisoquine 4-hydroxylase (r = 0.953) and imipramine 2-hydroxylase (r = 0.976) activities. On the other hand, the bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activity showed relatively poor correlations with CYP3A4 content (r = 0.552) and testosterone 6 beta-hydroxylase activity (r = 0.668). The bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activity was significantly inhibited by quinidine, a selective inhibitor for CYP2D6. Polyclonal antibodies raised against rat liver microsomal cytochrome P450BTL, which is thought to belong to the CYP2D subfamily, effectively inhibited bunitrolol 4-hydroxylation. In contrast, polyclonal antibodies raised against human liver microsomal CYP3A4 did not show any inhibitory effect on the activity. These results suggest that CYP2D6 is involved in the bunitrolol 4-hydroxylase activity in human liver microsomes.
It evaluates the forest ecosystem services in Simian mountain National Forest Park of Chongqing city by using the method of opportunitycost and market price.The results indicate that the annual general forest ecosystem service value in this area amount to 474 million yuan(Chinese RMB),of which,103.5 million yuan for water conervation,27.97 million yuan for soil conservation,83.79 million yuan for carbon dioxide fixation,68.70 million yuan for air purification and 190.04 million yuan for tourism.
The Middle Atmosphere is coupled to the troposphere during winter because planetary scale waves can propagate upwards if the prevailing winds are from the west. It is during this time of the year that the well-known midwinter disturbances are observed which ultimately affect the whole of the Middle Atmosphere. The mechanism of these disturbances is not completely understood. The large-scale circulation features up to the upper mesosphere are investigated to demonstrate the synoptic-scale behavior of the midwinter disturbances. Ground-based and satellite observations are combined. The interannual variability of the disturbances is discussed briefly. It is shown that the QBO (Quasi Biennial Oscillation) of the equatorial stratosphere appears to modulate the planetary waves during the northern winters, in the troposphere as well as in the Middle Atmosphere.
In a randomized experiment with noncompliance, scientific interest is often in testing whether the treatment exposure X has an effect on the final outcome Y [2, 1]. We have proposed a finite-population significance test of the sharp null hypothesis that X has no effect on Y, within the principal stratum of compliers, using a generalized likelihood ratio test [4].    As both the null and alternative hypotheses are composite hypotheses (each comprising a different set of distributions), computing the value of the generalized likelihood ratio test statistic [6] requires two maximizations: one where we assume that the sharp null hypothesis holds, and another without making such an assumption.    In our work [4], we have assumed that there are no Always Takers, such that the nuisance parameter is a bivariate parameter describing the total number of Never Takers with observed outcomes y = 0 and y = 1. Extending the approach to the more general case in which there are also Always Takers would require a nuisance parameter of higher dimension that describes the total number of Always Takers with observed outcomes y = 0 and y = 1 as well. This increases the size of the nuisance parameter space and the computational effort needed to find the likelihood ratio test statistic.    We present a new algorithm that extends [5] to solve the corresponding integer programs in the general case where there are Always Takers. The procedure for the finite-population significance test may be illustrated using a toy example from [3].
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle lock reinforcement plate mold parts, comprising a lower mold and an upper mold provided with punching punch edging (2) on said lower mold, a first flange shaping punch (4), a second flange shaping punch (6) and the side punches punch (8), provided on the upper and lower molds corresponding to the edging of the punching die (3), shaping the first flanging die (5), two flanging shaping die (7) and the side punch die (9), the trimming punching, shaping a first flange, a second flange shaping operation and side punches 4 are combined to form a continuous molding composition. Compared with the prior art, the present invention has a low production cost, safe and reliable.
In this thesis, we investigate numerous algorithms that make use of boolean decompositions. We provide a new algorithm for computing the representatives of linear decompositions. These representatives are the indices for a table storing partial solutions, which is used by dynamic programming algorithms. These algorithms are parameterized by the width of the boolean decomposition that is used as an input. We present a new heuristic to compute linear boolean decompositions and experimentally evaluate it by comparing it to existing heuristics. The experimental evaluation shows that significant improvements can be made with respect to running time without increasing the width of the generated decompositions. Moreover, we consider reduction rules in order to reduce the running time needed to generate linear boolean decompositions. However, these reduction rules seem to describe degenerate graph classes that will not occur often in practical settings, meaning that the benefit of reducing vertices will be very marginal. Boolean decompositions can be used to solve the class of locally checkable vertex subset problems. We evaluate an algorithm for solving these problems, showing that the algorithm is often up to several orders of magnitude faster compared to theoretical worst case bounds.
We are surrounded by an ever increasing amount of data that is stored in a variety of databases. In this article we will use a very liberal definition of  EM{database}. Basically any collection of data can be regarded as a database, ranging from the files in a directory on a disk, to ftp and web servers, through to relational or object-oriented databases. The sole reason for storing data in databases is that there is an anticipated need for the stored data at some time in the future. This means that providing smooth access paths by which stored information can be retrieved is at least as important as ensuring integrity of the stored information. In practice, however, providing users with adequate avenues by which to access stored information has received far less attention.
With the frequency of public security problems,the requirements of emergency communications systems have become more and more high.Because of its faster networking,high speed,large capacity and other advantages,mobile WiMAX technology can provide fast and reliable broadband for visual emergency communications systems.In this paper,several kinds of mobile WiMAX-based visual application solutions are discussed,then it elaborates that the mobile WiMAX-based broadband visual communication system for emergency is feasible.
The mollusc, arthropod and chordate visible to naked eye in Boduo cave and Jialiang cave, Libo county, Guizhou, PR China were observed and collected several times on February and July of 2002-2005. 1045 samples collected in Boduo cave belong to 3 phyla, 6 classes, 13 orders, 27 families, 45 species or groups, including a new species (Chamalycaeus libonensis sp.nov.). 469 samples collected in Jialiang cave are subordinated to 3 phyla, 6 classes, 9 orders, 24 families, 52 species or groups. According to the animal species and their numbers in the light area of the two caves, 6 animal communities were classified. According to the analysis of community diversity, community D(8.3223), D(3.4677), D(3.8286), D(0.9057), C(0.0404), and D-E(0.6611) have the highest species richness index, diversity, maximum diversity, evenness, dominance and similarity index, respectively. The results of correlation analysis between environmental factors and community diversity showed that the content of organic matter in soil has the much significant correlation (r=0.908, 0.913, 0.826, and 0.818 respectively) with species, species richness index, community diversity and maximum diversity index of community and has the significant correlation (r=0.674) with the evenness index of community. The content of CO2 in air has the negative correlation with species, the species richness index, and the diversity, maximum diversity and evenness index of community and their correlation coefficients are-0.324,-0.552,-0.573,-0.345, and-0.742, respectively. The above results indicated that the content of organic matter in soil and the content of CO2 in air are the important factors that influence the community change of cave animals.
The present application discloses a method for mass analysis of an image, comprising: determining a target region and the background region from the image; calculating a characteristic parameter of the image based on the area and / or a background area; the calculated characteristic parameters as a preset mass calculation model input values, calculate the characteristic parameters corresponding to the image quality analysis results. The present application also discloses an image quality analysis system, the method and system for analyzing an image quality can be performed.
In this paper, we present a vision-based relative sensing system for UAVs to realize leader-follower formation flight without inter-vehicle communication. A monocular camera is mounted on the follower to detected the leader and measure the relative distance by using the geometry information of the leader without artificial markers. The measured relative distance is utilized to estimate the velocity and acceleration of the leader under the quasi-steady states assumption. Experimental results show that the proposed sensing system is capable of achieving the vision-based leader-follower formation flight.
The utility model discloses a local discharge detection sensor for broad band for detecting the high-voltage equipment of the gas insulated substation(GIS). The local discharge detection sensor for broad band is positioned on the outer margin of the disk insulator, and realizes the outlay electrode method measure of the GIS local discharge. The body of the detection sensor is a broad band checking aerial, and the band range is 10MHz-3000MHz. One end of the aerial is provided with matched impedance of 50 ohms, and the other side of the aerial is provided with an SMA high frequency coaxial connector used for feeding. The aerial is arranged in a packaging case made up of epoxy plates, and a gap with the length of 400mm and width of 10mm is arranged on one surface of the packaging case. When used, the surface with gap is positioned towards the gap of the disk insulator and the metal shell. Using the local discharge detection sensor for broad band to do local discharge on-line inspection of the working GIS high-voltage equipment or of the release testing GIS high-voltage equipment, the discharging characteristic peak can not be missed, the reflection of the electromagnetic wave cannot generate, the self-excitation cannot happen, and the local discharge caused by various deficiency types can be reflected more generally and veritably. The local discharge detection sensor for broad band has the advantages of low cost, and convenient installation, and the advantages that the structure of the monitoring equipment is not changed, and the normal operation of the monitoring equipment is not influenced.
The Schwinger--Dyson equation for the total gluon propagator is considered in pure Yang--Mills theory. The axial gauge is used, the vertex function is determined by means of the Ward--Slavnov identity, and dimensional regularization is employed. It is shown under certain assumptions that the behavior D(q)approx.1/q/sup 4/, q/sup 2/..-->..0 of the total gluon propagator satisfies the Schwinger--Dyson equation.
C-axis oriented La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3{minus}{delta}} (LSMO) films were fabricated on the top of SrTiO{sub 3}/YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} grown on MgO(001) substrates. From x-ray {phi}-scan and planar transmission electron microscopy measurements, the LSMO layer in the LSMO/SrTiO{sub 3}/YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7}/MgO heterostructure is found to have coherent in -plane grain boundaries with a predominance of 45{degree} rotations (between [100] and [110] grains) in addition to the cube-on-cube epitaxial relationship. Also, epitaxial LSMO/Bi{sub 4}Ti{sub 3}O{sub 12}/LaAlO{sub 3} (001) and c-axis textured LSMO/Bi{sub 4}Ti{sub 3}O{sub 12}/SiO{sub 2}/Si(001) with random in-plane grain boundaries are introduced as the counterparts for comparison. The resistivity and magnetoresistance (MR) of LSMO layer were measured and compared in these three different heterostructures. The low field MR at low temperature shows a dramatic dependence on the nature of the grain boundary. An attempt is made to interpret these results on the basis of correlation between the magnetic properties and grain structures.
There is a functional difference between using figures and using words to express numbers in English. In writing, there are two sets of basic rules in wide use: the figure style and the word style. We can see, however, that little about the rules for expressing numbers is presented by writing manuals and that few teachers in China tell students how to use the rules appropriately. This article sums up the two styles and the conventional expressions of numbers to make up for an omission. [
This paper formulates a principal-agent model of skilled workers' technological innovation based on slack resources.Through the analysis of the model,this paper obtains the optimal incentive contracts while skilled workers are engaged in "production tasks"and "slack innovating"at the same time.On the one hand,the firm can directly award skilled workers' "slack innovating" achievements according to the optimal incentive contracts,on the other hand,the firm may promote indirectly the performance of "slack innovating" by optimizing the incentive for "production tasks" according to the interdependence of cost function between "production tasks" and "slack innovating".
Ibopamine is a novel oral dopamine analogue with positive inotropy and diuretic effects. In a double-blind, randomized study, the drug was investigated in 10 patients (mean age 49 +/- 10 years, six male, four female) with mild heart failure (NYHA classes II: six patients, III: four patients). Effects of single oral doses of 200 mg ibopamine, of 40 mg furosemide, and of 200 mg ibopamine plus 40 mg furosemide were compared in each patient at 3-day-intervals. One h after application, systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased from 119 +/- 11 to 124 +/- 8, and from 75 +/- 4 to 80 +/- 6 mm Hg (p less than 0.01) in the ibopamine group, while changes in both other groups and changes of the heart rate were insignificant. During 2 h after drug ingestion urinary flow was raised from 124 +/- 81 to 227 +/- 166 ml/2 h in the ibopamine group (p less than 0.05), while the application of furosemide (with or without ibopamine) resulted in several fold increases of urinary flow. After ibopamine, the 2-h-creatinine-clearance rose from 123 +/- 73 to 130 +/- 85 ml/min (not significant). Sodium excretion remained unchanged by ibopamine, potassium excretion was increased from 2.9 +/- 1.7 to 4.0 +/- 3.3 mmol/h (p less than 0.05), while effects of furosemide were several fold of those of ibopamine. Atrial natriuretic factor concentrations in plasma increased significantly after ibopamine and after ibopamine plus furosemide (p less than 0.01), but remained constant after furosemide alone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The aim of the present study was to construct standard symphysis fundal height percentile curves to be used as a reference chart in monitoring fetal growth. The construction was based on 1185 observations (symphysis fundal height measured to the nearest 0.5 cm by a malleable elastic tape) obtained from follow up of 105 cases of healthy pregnant women who were: sure of date of their last menstrual period, confirmed by early dating scan "before 20th gestational week", experienced a very strict normal course of pregnancy, giving birth to normal term newborn with appropriate weight for gestational age and sex. The selection of the study sample went through several screening levels starting by 4088 cases and ending by 105 cases. The measurements were taken biweekly from the 18th week of gestation to delivery "37-42 weeks of gestation." Tenth, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles were calculated and represented graphically. Mean, mean-1 SD, mean-2 SD, mean +1 SD, mean + 2 SD were also calculated and represented graphically. The curve of best fit was determined by polynominal regression. The resulted percentile curves and mean values were found to be comparable to those in both developed and developing countries. It was recommended to incorporate the reference charts of symphysis fundal height into the maternity services after using it in routine antenatal examination for large number of cases and establishing its sensitivity and specificity.
Disclosed herein are germicidal compositions and methods for disinfecting and sterilizing with the composition. In one aspect, the composition may comprise a germicidal dialdehyde sterilization, and halide salts enhance the germicidal efficacy of the dialdehyde. One such composition may comprise water, phthalaldehyde and terephthalaldehyde to enhance the effect of an alkali metal halide salt on the other hand, germicidal composition may comprise dissolved carbon dioxide containing the phthalaldehyde germicidal solution. A method of forming a carbonated solution, the solution comprising carbon dioxide is introduced.
The book entitled “Micro Enterprises in India: An Empirical Study of West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya” discusses issues on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India. Subsequently, it has focused on various aspects of micro enterprises in West Garo Hills Districts of Meghalaya. It is an outcome of a research study conducted in the district with a sample of 60 (sixty) micro enterprises. Hope that, the book will add little input to the existing literature of MSMEs in India.
Objective To investigate the expression of aquaporin-3(AQP-3) in nasal polyps. Methods With immunohistochemical technique,the expression of(AQP-3) was detected in the inferior turbinates of 50 cases and in the nasal polyps of 137 cases,of whom 78 cases were edematous type,32 cases glandular type and 27 cases cystic fibrous type.Results In both vessel endothelium and glandular epithelium,the positive rate of AQP-3 in nasal polyps of edematous type was higher than that in nasal polyps of glandular or cystic fibrous type(P0.01).Conclusion There is a close relationship between AQP-3 and the formation of nasal polyps.
me epistemology of the 'West' (roughly, Europe and its sphere of influence) has been heavily content-oriented. Each knowledge domain, ranging from a subject matter taught in school up to 'classical science', is held to consist chiefly of a compartment of Ifacts'. Tenninology is naturally held to be a clear and straightfonvard refraction of these facts and of the 'objects' they involve. me role of terminology has accordingly been conceived too simply and narrowly. Significant progress demandi a new 'post-classical' model of discourse as a mode for accessing and constructing knowledge and hence as antecedent rather than consequent to facts. mis insight suggest a comprehensive research and development plan for the coming years. If successful, such a plan could have paradigm significance for discourse throughout the sciences.
The present invention relates to a method for preparing metal ammonium complex and thiosulfuric acid, its preparation in two sequential steps, the first step with ammonium bicarbonate powder, sulfur dioxide, and ammonium hydroxide solution of ammonium gold sulfite generating first two step gold thiosulfate regenerated sulfuric acid is reacted with an ammonium compound with the solution, the physicochemical properties of the compound and a preparation method detailed in the specification. Advantage of the present invention is a process is simple, reasonable process, high yield, low cost, easy to use user, industrially advantageous production characteristics. Because the present invention is prepared as gold crystals of ammonium thiosulfate sulfur, to obtain a gold sulfite, ammonium gold-plated material for industrial use, for the realization of the non-cyanide gold plating, electroplating industry to enhance environmental protection provides a new, reliable source of material . Products of the invention for gold plating, Immersion gold, electroforming process.
The recycling and later use of construction and demolition waste (C&D waste) as construction materials present a strategic inconvenience for many stakeholders involved in the sustainable construction. In some countries, the recycling percentage of C&D waste is around 80% of the C&D generated. However, in other countries this percentage is much lower. This complexity requires a better understanding of the recycling dynamic. In the specific case of Spain, the National Integrated Waste Management Plan (PNIR 2008-2015) suggests a number of goals for recycling and recovery of building materials that are difficult to meet without laying down policies intended to stimulate the companies ́ behaviour of consumption of recycled C&D waste. This paper presents a conceptual framework within which the issue of recycling can be raised from a multidisciplinary approach, taking into account the technical conditioning factors as well as the socioeconomic aspects that might influence the behaviour of companies and the government. On the basis of a systemic problem approach, a dynamic simulation model was designed to evaluate the consequences of incentives policies by promoting the use of recycled aggregates. Actions aimed at increasing the use of C&D waste materials in construction, by providing economic incentives to the industry, are proposed as a short-term policy to balance the achievement of goals for sustainable construction in the future. This conceptual framework possesses a transferable potential that might be applied to other countries involved in the same dynamic.
We derive several lubrication approximation models, using Shikhmurzaev’s approach to the contact line problem, obtained in [7]. The first two lubrication models describe thin film flow of incompressible fluids on solid substrates, based on different orders of magnitude of the slip length parameter. The third lubrication model describes a meniscus formation where a wedge-shaped solid immerses in a thin film of fluid.
Electron microscopy was used to study structural changes of synapses in sensorimotor, parietal, limbic cortical areas, hippocamp, blue spot and hypothalamus of old Wistar rats, aged 28-30 months. Polymorphism of ultrastructural changes in neuronal and synapse processes and individual variability of these shifts in the brain of old rats have been revealed. The predominant damage of post-synaptic synapse components with ageing is demonstrated. Along with dystrophic and destructive changes in pre- and post-synaptic parts of the contact, signs of compensatory adaptive resettings in inter-neuronal links have been detected.
The novel krill meal production method was developed using a two-step cooking process. In the first stage, the protein and phospholipid removed from krill, precipitated as coagulum. In the second stage, to cook with no phospholipid krill. Thereafter, the residual fat and astaxanthin, using mechanical separation methods, removed from the krill. Preparing the novel krill meal product having excellent nutritional and technical properties.
1. A device for dispensing staples with shape memory, the apparatus comprising: a grip portion comprising a first control member; outstanding portion connected to the grip portion, the issuing portion comprises a retaining wall for retaining the staples internally issuing portion in elastically deformed configuration and outlets for discharging staples to adopt the deployed configuration, according to their shape memory, and issuing portion is configured so as to force one end of each clamp extend from the protruding parts to about vet to actuation of the first control; iudarny mechanism connected to the grip portion and adapted so as to transmit the impact impulse to an outstanding chast.2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shock pulse causes one end of each bracket further perform, while remaining at least partially held in the retaining stenkah.3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein in response to actuation of the hammer action impact impulse is issued to cause the implementation of additional one ends projecting piercing obrazom.4 staples. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the impactor is configured to be positioned in a working position, wherein the impact mechanism may be actuated to issue a shock pulse with the biasing mehanizma.5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein when the impact mechanism is operated from the working position, the biasing mechanism biases the hammer mechanism in the inoperative position, in which a portion of the hammer impact mechanism part contacts the anvil striking mechanism, wherein
The Implosion of Capitalism is political economist Samir Amin’s take on the connections between key events of our times – financial crisis, Eurozone implosion, the emerging BRIC nations and the rise of political Islam – identifying them as symptoms of a profound systemic crisis. Despite some theoretical flaws, this is a stimulating book offering a wide-ranging and timely analysis and critique of the current form of capitalism, as well as posing challenges for the radical Left about steps towards a socialist future, writes Christel Lane.
The invention relates to a voltage generation circuit. The voltage generation circuit supplies an internal power supply voltage to an internal circuit via an output terminal and includes a regulator, a second drive element, and a control circuit. The regulator includes a first drive element disposed between an external power supply VDD (first power supply) and an output terminal, and supplies a voltage based on a reference voltage to the output voltage by controlling the first drive element. The second drive element is disposed between the external power supply VDD and the output terminal, and supplies a voltage of the external power supply VDD to the output terminal when activated. When a voltage of the external power supply is a previously set detection voltage value or less, the control circuit activates the first and the second drive element, and when the voltage of the external power supply exceeds the detection voltage value, deactivates the second drive element.
In this work, a complete study is carried out for the optimised, direct and catalyst-free growth of vertically-stacked graphene-based structures targeting at improved performance drug monitoring. The nanostructures, ultimately forming a honeycomb network on the substrate, are fabricated by the implementation and comparison of seven combinations of growth conditions on both Si and SiO2 substrates. Pivotal features characterising the nanostructures i.e. layer thickness, sheet resistance, surface morphology and sensing performance are considered for verifying the quality and properties of the resulted graphene-based electrodes. The graphene-based sensing platform demonstrating optimum structural and electrochemical performance is finally implemented for drug screening showing high efficiency for the detection of a chemotherapeutic compound at low concentrations.
Public diplomacy is an inherently social endeavour, engaging public audiences at home and abroad to shape perceptions and influence foreign policy outcomes. Social media has a part to play in this, with sites such as Facebook and Twitter gaining visibility and traction as ‘must-have’ tools for public diplomacy 2.0. This article casts light on the less visible but pervasive social media platform of Wikipedia. Taking a case-study approach, the article posits that Wikipedia holds a dual relevance for public diplomacy 2.0: first as a medium; and second, as a model for public diplomacy’s evolving process. Exploring Wikipedia’s folksonomy, crowd-sourced through intense and organic collaboration, provides insights into the potential of collective agency and symbolic advocacy. The article’s findings highlight the limitations within current approaches towards public diplomacy 2.0, and offer new approaches for public diplomacy’s more progressive agenda.
Other than distance learning courses and computer technology requirements, perhaps the most sweeping innovation to take place in the higher education curriculum since the 1980s has been courses in diversity and multiculturalism. Simultaneously, the body of research literature on diversity initiatives in higher education has been growing and presently is sufficient to provide several findings and conclusions in at least two areas: (a) the growing trend and nature of diversity requirements in higher education institutions across the country and (b) public attitudes toward diversity requirements.
The propagation of polarised low-coherent radiation is studied in an anisotropic single-mode glass fibre with imperfections of anisotropy. These imperfections are typical for interferometers used in devices for optical coherence tomography and can be caused by an inaccurate splicing of fibres or by their compression. The appearance of parasitic interference peaks due to anisotropic inhomogeneities is considered theoretically. The subtraction of parasitic peaks with orthogonal polarisations is studied theoretically and experimentally. The obtained experimental data well agree with theoretical estimates. The results of the paper are important for improving the methods for calculating interference schemes and for diagnostics of their defects.
Observations with an electron microscope and with a modified field-emission microscope verify the formation of submicroscopic, whiskerlike projections on the cathode surface, thus lending additional supporting evidence for the association of electrical breakdown with field emission from such sites. Several mechanisms for the formation of whiskers are identified. The predischarge current, with which the initiation of breakdown is associated, is observed to exhibit large fluctuations in the presence of contamination on either or both electrodes, and a tentative explanation is set forth in terms of a special proliferation of small protuberances.
The efficacy of cefamandole in treatment of bacterial meningitis was evaluated. The penetration of the drug into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was determined in 20 patients with meningitis due to Neisseria meningitidis or Streptococcus pneumoniae treated concurrently with penicillin. Concentrations of cefamandole in CSF reflected serum concentrations of the drug. The concentration in CSF (mean -+ standard error) was 3.35 + 1.47 pg/ml when the simultaneous serum concentration was >20 p,g/m1; 1.01 at- 0.46 pg/ml when the serum level was 10-20 pig/m1; 0.94 -+: 0.47 jug/m1 when the serum level was 5-10 p.g/ml; and 0.34 + 0.12 eugiml when the serum level was <5 ag/ml. Concentrations of cefamandole in CSF varied directly with concentration of protein in CSF. In the second part of the study, 26 additional patients with purulent meningitis were treated with cefamandole alone in a dose of 175-200 mg/kg per day. One of 16 patients with meningococcal meningitis died within 6 hr of hospitalization, and one of six patients with no organism isolated died within 36 hr of admission to the hospital. All other patients including one with pneumococcal meningitis and three with meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae responded rapidly to treatment with cefamandole. Adverse effects were limited to phlebitis, one episode of urticaria, and transient elevations in levels of liver enzymes.
Abstract Hotels and destination managers are increasingly expressing concern about the impacts of climate change and sustainable water use, especially in crowded and water-scarce destinations. The aim of this study is to examine gender differences in hotel guests’ reported water conservation behavior (WCB) when on vacation. The study examines several factors that can potentially affect these gender differences, namely attitudes toward water conservation, normative and hedonic motives, destination problem awareness, and destination attachment. Data from a sample of 680 hotel guests reveal significant gender differences, with specific factors affecting the WCB of guests of each gender. Attitudes exert a positive influence on guests’ WCB. This influence is greater for women than for men. Normative motives also positively influence attitudes, although this effect is greater for men than for women. Conversely, hedonic motives negatively influence water conservation attitudes, and this effect is greater for women than for men. Lastly, destination problem awareness positively influences normative motives, while destination attachment negatively influences hedonic motives. No gender effect is found for these relationships. The implications for research and practice in sustainable tourism and pro-environmental behavior are presented.
Background: Unilateral craniofacial microsomia is characterized by soft-tissue and bony deficiencies. Mandibular distraction osteogenesis can be used to augment the hypoplastic skeleton and improve facial symmetry. The aim of this study was to determine how the vector of unilateral mandibular distraction affects treatment outcomes. Methods: A retrospective chart and radiographic review was conducted of all patients treated with external mandibular distraction osteogenesis between October of 1990 and February of 2004 (n = 185). A subset of 42 patients underwent primary unilateral, uniplanar, external distraction, and 13 patients were found to have satisfied inclusion criteria and had adequate predistraction and postdistraction lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms. Cephalometric tracings were made and multiple points and planes were assessed before and after distraction. Results: A strong correlation was noted between the vector of distraction and the movement of the mandible. A horizontal vector of distraction resulted in minimal increase in ramal length but a marked shift in the mandibular midline (r = 0.68, p < 0.05). In contrast, a vertical vector of distraction resulted in marked mandibular ramus lengthening but minimal mandibular midline shift (r = 0.73, p < 0.05). Mathematical formulas were derived to correlate the distraction vector and mandibular movements to improve preoperative planning. Conclusions: Successful distraction is dependent on accurate preoperative planning and prediction of outcomes. This study demonstrates a predictable relationship between the vector of unilateral distraction and the mandibular response.
Nail psoriasis (NP) is often considered disfiguring for patients with a relevant impact on quality of life (QoL). It is also difficult to treat for dermatologists who are often frustrated by the scarcity of effective therapeutic alternatives in this particular location. Topical therapies are often used as the first‐line treatment for mild NP, but efficacy is the modest. Conventional disease‐modifying antirheumatic drugs (cDMARDs) (e.g., cyclosporine, methotrexate, acitretin, and dimethyl fumarate) are generally avoided in NP without general cutaneous involvement. Biologics represent, to date, a concrete possibility for the management of these patients. The data from the clinical trials are encouraging, although there are still few data in real‐life. Here, we report a study conducted at Siena University Hospital on 20 patients with NP on both hands and feet treated with anti‐IL23 for 52 weeks. No differences were evaluated from baseline to week 4 of anti‐IL‐23 treatment. NAPSI greatly improved at week 24 with almost 60% of patients reaching NAPSI75 and 40% NAPSI50. At week 52, almost 75% of patients reached NAPSI90. No adverse effects were reported in the patients in the study. The clinical response observed in these patients suggests that treatments that target interleukin‐23 may be an effective option for NP, especially when refractory to conventional therapies.
Text detection and tracking in video sequence is gaining interest due to the challenges posed by low resolution and complex background. This paper proposes a new method for text detection by estimating trajectories between the corners of texts in video sequence over time. Each trajectory is considered as one node to form a graph for all trajectories and Delaunay triangulation is used to obtain edges to connect nodes of the graph. In order to identify the edges that represent text regions, we propose four pruning criteria based on spatial proximity, motion coherence, local appearance and canny rate. This results in several sub-graphs. Then we use depth first search to collect corner points, which essentially represent text candidates. False positives are eliminated using heuristics and missing trajectories will be obtained by tracking the corners in temporal frames. We test the method on different videos and evaluate the method in terms of recall, precision, f-measure with existing results. Experimental result shows that the proposed method is superior to existing method.
ABSTRACT Island wakes in shallow water are investigated using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). In contrast to deep water where bottom stress can be neglected in island wakes, shallow water implies that inhomogeneity in the bottom stress plays an important role in the wake vorticity generation. A series of numerical experiments are conducted to investigate wake formation and evolution in shallow water. It is found that the vertical structures of shallow-water and deep-water wakes are significantly different because of the presence of a density frontal jet, which results from the interaction between stratification and bottom topography. The frontal jet reaches its maximum within the bottom boundary layer over the shelf, giving rise to vorticity. The potential vorticity (PV) balance analysis reveals that frictional and diapycnal processes play different roles in the PV anomalies. With the absence of lateral stress (i.e., a sea mountain case), the surface vorticity becomes much weaker than that in the presence of an island.
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) figure as one of the leading solutions adopted in the network security area to prevent intrusions and ensure data and services security. However, this issue requires IDS to be assertive and efficient processing time. Undersampling techniques allow classifiers to be evaluated from smaller subsets in a representative manner, aiming high assertive metrics in less processing time. There are several solutions in literature for IDS projects, but some criteria are not respected, such as the adoption of a replicable methodology. In this work, we selected three undersampling methodologies: random, Cluster centroids, and NearMiss in two novel unbalanced datasets (CIC2017 and CIC2018) for comparison between five classifiers using cross-validation and Wilcoxon statistical test. Our main contribution is a systematic and replicable methodology for using subsampling techniques to balance the data sets adopted in the IDS project. We choose three metrics for classifier's choice in an IDS design: accuracy, f1-measure, and processing time. The results indicate that the under-sampling by Cluster centroids presents the best performance when applied to distance-based classifiers. Moreover, under-sampling techniques influence the process of choosing the best classifier in the design of an IDS.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the ability of elevated serum neopterin levels to predict independently mortality, progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and development of neurological disease.   DESIGN Cross-sectional and longitudinal study of gay and/or bisexual men and parenteral drug users.   SETTING AND PATIENTS Patients included human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative and -positive gay and/or bisexual men and parenteral drug-using men and women who volunteered for an outpatient study of the natural history of HIV infection.   RESULTS Serum neopterin levels were significantly elevated in HIV-positive patients (mean, 18.0 nmol/L; SD, 19.2 nmol/L), compared with those in HIV-negative patients (mean, 7.5 nmol/L; SD, 5.5 nmol/L) (P < .001). No differences in the serum neopterin levels could be detected between gay men and parenteral drug users. In HIV-positive patients, women had a higher serum neopterin level than did men (P = .03). The elevated serum neopterin levels were associated with an advanced clinical stage of HIV infection. After adjusting for the CD4 lymphocyte count and other potential confounders, the serum neopterin level was a significant independent predictor of mortality. The elevated serum neopterin levels did not predict progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or development of clinically significant neurological disease.   CONCLUSION An elevated serum neopterin level predicts mortality, but it does not predict progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or development of neurological disease among HIV-infected individuals.
In this paper, we propose a novel fuzzy expectation maximization (FEM) based Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy particle filtering (FEMTS-PF) algorithm for a passive sensor system. In order to incorporate target spatial-temporal information into particle filtering, we introduce a T-S fuzzy modeling algorithm, in which an improved FEM approach is proposed to adaptively identify the premise parameters, and the model probability is adjusted by the premise membership functions. In the proposed FEM, the fuzzy parameter is derived by the fuzzy C-regressive model clustering method based on entropy and spatial-temporal characteristics, which can avoid the subjective influence caused by the artificial setting of the initial value when compared to the traditional FEM. Furthermore, using the proposed T-S fuzzy model, the algorithm samples particles, which can effectively reduce the particle degradation phenomenon and the parallel filtering, can realize the real-time performance of the algorithm. Finally, the results of the proposed algorithm are evaluated and compared to several existing filtering algorithms through a series of Monte Carlo simulations. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is more precise, robust and that it even has a faster convergence rate than the interacting multiple model unscented Kalman filter (IMMUKF), interacting multiple model extended Kalman filter (IMMEKF) and interacting multiple model Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (IMMRBPF).
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) established its Alaska Field Station in Anchorage in 1991 after identifying Alaska as the highest-risk state for traumatic worker fatalities. Since then, the Field Station, working in collaboration with other agencies, organizations, and individuals, has established a program for occupational injury surveillance in Alaska and formed interagency working groups to address the risk factors leading to occupational death and injury in the state. Collaborative efforts have contributed to reducing crash rates and mortality in Alaska's rapidly expanding helicopter logging industry and have played an important supportive role in the substantial progress made in reducing the mortality rate in Alaska's commercial fishing industry (historically Alaska's and America's most dangerous industry). Alaska experienced a 46% overall decline in work-related acute traumatic injury deaths from 1991 to 1998, a 64% decline in commercial fishing deaths, and a very sharp decline in helicopter logging-related deaths. Extending this regional approach to other parts of the country and applying these strategies to the entire spectrum of occupational injury and disease hazards could have a broad effect on reducing occupational injuries.
Many common bacteria cause disease because their polysaccharide capsules prevent phagocytosis. Antibody directed against these capsules is the basis for some of the most effective bacterial vaccines. Nevertheless, many diseases caused by such bacteria continue to cause serious morbidity. Recent findings indicate that several previously unrecognized factors (most notably, genetics) determine responsiveness to capsular polysaccharides.
Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL  Background: Ablation of solid tumor with a laser probe (CITT therapy) causes coagulative necrosis in central zone of tumor. The exposure to temperature gradient and immune responses to this treatment may affect homeostasis of surviving cells in surrounding area as well as induce systemic changes. The purpose of this study was 1/ to perform quantitative analyses of 29 transcripts of selected genes in tumor remaining after ablation and in bone marrow 2/ to evaluate changes in 16 cytokines in serum 3/ to compare levels of heat shock proteins in surviving tumors and in control tumors. Methods: Real-time RT-PCR and “delta delta” method was used to determine changes in transcripts in remaining tumors after treatment relative to control tumors. Cytokines in serum were tested using multiplex assay consisting of 16 murine cytokines. Expression of Hsp27 and Hsp70 proteins were determined with Western Blot. Results: 72 hours after thermal ablation of 4T1 tumors the following changes were found in tumor, in bone marrow and in serum of treated mice: 1/Out of 29 quantified transcripts, the level of four transcripts (Csf3 Lifr, Serpin1 and Vcam1) decreased significantly in remaining tumor. Majority of quantified transcripts had lower level in ablated than in control tumors. In bone marrow (BM) an opposite trend was observed. Levels of majority of quantified transcripts in BM increased after ablation as compared to control mice. The transcripts of genes: Cxcl12, Sele, Fgf2, Lifr, Mmp9, Timp3 were significantly higher in BM of mice after tumor ablation. 2/ Out of 16 chemokines tested, 4 chemokines (Il-5, Il-6, Ccl2 (MCP-1) and Ccl5 (RANTES) were detected in serum. There was a consistent increase of Il-5 in serum from ablated animals. 3/ Levels of Hsp27 and Hsp70 proteins were higher in remaining tumor as compared with control tumors. Conclusion The decrease of transcripts in remaining tumor of genes involved in adhesion, extracellular matrix degradation and tumor viability may inhibit re-growth of thermally ablated tumors. The increase of transcripts in bone marrow of treated mice indicates alteration of homeostasis of vascular niche and changes in function of mesenchymal stem cells. The increase of Hsp27 may inhibit apoptosis in remaining tumor. Up-regulation of Interleukin 5 suggests that this cytokine may play role in stimulation of anti-tumor immunity, as observed by other researchers. Further study is needed to determine whether the transcript reported here may be used as markers predicting long term effects of thermal ablation of solid tumors.  Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 702. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-702
Radar imaging technology is a vigorous research field at present. The method of SAR imaging is often used in radar imaging. But it is a quite complex process. In this paper, visualization of 3D spatial data sets technology is applied in radar imaging. The principle of creating iso-surfaces in 3D regular data sets and the optimization to MC algorithm are introduced. The way of building programming circumstance for OpenGL to render iso-surfaces is presented in detail. Real data get from radar scanning is used to implement 3D re-building. The result is quite satisfactory because the configuration of spatial object and the reflective intensity to electromagnetic wave are reflected well.
ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to determine what tasks women perform, behaviors that could result in exposure to zoonotic disease, and preventative measures practiced by women on dairy farms. A written survey was sent to a stratified, random sample of dairy farms in Pennsylvania (n = 3709) using a modified version of the Dillman method. The tasks most commonly performed by the respondents (n = 624) included milking (70.8%), feeding (60.6%), and cleaning stalls (42.6%). The use of personal protective equipment was infrequent. Gloves were always worn when milking by 32.7%. More respondents, 96.5%, changed their clothes at least sometimes before working in the barn as compared to when leaving the barn. Handwashing was always performed by 86.7% after assisting with delivering calves, whereas 71.1% always washed their hands after milking. Eating and drinking in the barn were practiced by 45.0% and 72.0%, respectively. Veterinary obstetric drugs were administered by 28.2% of the respondents. Most of the respondents, 89.7%, indicated that they felt they had minimal to no risk of contracting a disease from the animals with which they worked.
Nucleoprotein complexes extracted from the nuclei of mouse cells lytically infected with polyoma virus contain an ATPase activity which appears to correspond to that of the viral large T protein, as it exhibits the same characteristic properties; in particular, the activity is extensively inhibited by polyclonal antibodies from animals bearing polyoma tumors (anti‐T antigen antibodies) and by monoclonal antibodies against large T. Significant amounts of DNA were immunoprecipitated by adding these antibodies to the nucleoprotein complex, suggesting that the protein is tightly bound to DNA in the viral chromatin. Since one of the monoclonal antibodies quantitatively immunoprecipitated the pulse‐labeled replicative intermediates, we conclude that some large T protein remains physically associated with the DNA throughout its replication cycle. After exposure to salt concentrations higher than 1 M KCl, about half of the large T‐specific ATPase activity was still observed to co‐sediment with 21S form I viral DNA. The observations that the sedimentation coefficient of the salt‐stable complexes was shifted to 16S after a limited endonucleolytic digestion, and that both the viral DNA and the ATPase activity were co‐precipitated in the presence of polyethylene glycol at high ionic strength, further demonstrated that the protein is engaged in an unusually stable complex with DNA in the viral chromatin.
Abstract Of all mammals, bat possess the most unique and peculiar adaptations that render them as excellent models to investigate the mechanisms of extended longevity and potentially halted senescence. Indeed, they are the longest-lived mammals relative to their body size, with the oldest bat caught being >41 years old, living approx. 8 times longer than expected. Bats defy the ‘rate-of-living’ theories that propose a positive correlation between body size and longevity as they use twice the energy as other species of considerable size, but live far longer. The mechanisms that bats use to avoid the negative physiological effects of their heightened metabolism and deal with an increased production of deleterious Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) is not known, however it is suggested that they either prevent or repair ROS damage. Bats also appear to have resistance to many viral diseases such as rabies, SARS and Ebola and are the suspected reservoir species for a huge diversity of newly discovered viruses, including Sars-CoV-2 This suggests that their innate immunity is different to other mammals, perhaps playing a role in their unexpected longevity. Here the potential genomic basis for their rare immunity and exceptional longevity is explored across multiple bat genomes and divergent ageing and immune related markers (e.g. microbiome, telomeres, mitochondria, cellular dynamics, cytokine response) studied in wild bat populations. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the causal mechanisms of ageing and tolerant immunity, potentially uncovering the key molecular pathways that could be utilised to benefit society.
The present work was carried out to investigate the impact of micro and toxic elements in soil and water quality and growth of natural and some cultivated plants. Soil, water and plant samples were collected from three sites, Kiliya village, Rabigh city and Masturah village in Rabigh Governorate. All analysis were carried out in the lab of soil science, Department of Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University. The results revealed significant differences between the three sites concerning accumulation of micro and toxic elements in soil, water and plants. Significant differences were observed between analyzed soil, water and plant samples in Fe, Zn, Mn, Cd, Ni, Ph, Cr contents. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Mn, Cd, Ni, Ph, Cr in plants, and soil samples were below the standards WHO/ FAO 2007 for plant and EU.(2002) for soil. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Mn, Cd, Ni, Ph, Cr in well water below the standards of (MEWA 2005) and FAO (1985), except water electrical conductivity (EC) and chromium (Cr) contents. The results illustrated that natural plants were characterized by higher concentrations of micro and toxic elements in Rabigh city experimental site than Musturah site and Keliya site. The experimental site of Kiliya showed the highest content of micro elements (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb and Cr) with averages (271,2, 1.47) , 10,67, 1,17, 0.023, 1,55, 4,92, 2.09 mg / L) as compared to experimental sites of Rabigh city and Msturah. Regarding water and soil Ph the results showed no significant differences between the three experimental sites. The electric conductivity (EC) of water and soil was higher in Masturah village site as compared to experimental sites of Rabigh city and Kiliya village. The highest concentrations of micro and toxic elements were observed for water, soil and plant samples of Rabigh city as compared to Mastura village and the village of Kiliya. The pollution levels at Rabigh city were lower than local and international standards.
At the present time the etiology of tropical sprue is undetermined. Manson-Bahr (1948) has indicated that tropical sprue must be infective since malnutrition is not observed in many patients. Frazer (1949) has suggested that an alteration in the small bowel bacterial flora could be a mechanism for impaired absorption by competitive demands for nutrition. Thus, bacterial growth in the small bowel, which is normally bacteria-free (Cregan and Hayward 1953) could possibly lead to impaired absorption by utilization of metabolites, production of antimetabolites and/or production of toxic effects on the mucosa. Since the area of active absorption of foodstuffs is greatest in the jejunum, the present study was undertaken to sample small bowel juice in that segment for bacterial growth. It was hoped that information could be obtained to allow a more definitive conclusion regarding the role of bacteria in the etiology of malabsorption in tropical sprue.
In this article, we investigated the brain networks during the steady‐state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) task. Two questions: (1) SSVEP‐driven network structures; and (2) the relationship between SSVEP‐driven networks and stimulus frequencies were studied from a network point of view. Method of directed transfer function was applied to brain active signals recorded from electroencephalography (EEG). The resulting connectivity matrices then were converted to graphs by applying a threshold, so that graph theoretical could be used to analyze the characteristics of SSVEP‐driven networks. The results showed that network connections exist in many scalp locations beyond occipital regions. Different from the outflow areas located mainly around the parietal areas, the inflow areas had a widely distribution pattern including the frontal, temporal, and occipital areas. Furthermore, for a wide range of thresholds, with increasing frequency (7–30 Hz), the distribution of clustering coefficient and characteristic path length presented positive and negative correlation with the three parallel flicker SSVEP subsystems, respectively. The results suggested that a specific frequency may evoke certain SSVEP components more than others, and, therefore, one may generate different evoked potentials which results in different network pattern.
This work presents four classes of lowpass prototype networks comprising non-resonating-nodes (NRNs) realising generalised elliptic function transfer characteristics. Each class of networks can realise a maximum of (  N  - 2) finite-frequency transmission zeros where N  is the total number of the resonators in the network. The distinct feature pertinent to the proposed classes of networks is that they can be sub-classed into two types: type I networks have positive frequency-invariant elements (FIEs) located at the NRNs, and type II networks have negative FIEs located at the NRNs. type I networks are particularly suitable for the realisation as evanescent-mode waveguide (EMW) bandpass filters which is the main subject of this work, whereas type II networks could be realised as waveguide bandpass filters operating above the cut-off of the guide. Numerical examples of the four classes of the proposed networks are presented. The proposed circuit concepts are validated through the realisation of two classes of filters in EMW technology created utilising computer simulation technology (CST) microwave studio. The electrical performance of the CST filter structures and their circuit counterparts are in close agreement.
The purpose of this article is to discuss the main concepts developed by Antonio Gramsci and his influence on Brazilian social service in the twenty-first century. It calls attention to the construction and affirmation of a professional political culture in social service that is focused on rights. It concludes, based on a bibliographic review, that Gramscian thinking is important to social service in Brazil by bringing to light the idea that there are disputes between “professional cultures”, a conservative political culture and another constructed under the influence of the Marxist tradition.
BACKGROUND Hospitalized patient and nursing outcomes improve when nurses are involved in decision-making practices through shared governance structures. Yet there has been little research investigating how staff nurses are involved in hospital staffing policymaking and how they perceive this process.   PURPOSE The study's primary aims were to increase understanding of staff nurses' perceptions of factors that hinder or support nurse involvement in hospital nurse staffing policymaking and to learn more about how nurses are, or would like to be, so involved. We also collected nurses' work environment and demographic information to further inform our understanding.   METHODS This study used a qualitative descriptive approach. Using QuestionPro software, we solicited open-ended responses to semistructured questions to explore the topics of interest. The online form was distributed via social media. Results were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Multiple-choice questions related to demographics and nurse work environments were also included, and these results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.   RESULTS Thirty-two staff nurses completed the online form between April 5 and May 24, 2021. Identified themes include "We aren't asked": structural barriers to staff nurse involvement; "No one cares": workplace culture barriers to staff nurse involvement; and "'They' versus 'we'": lack of power sharing for staffing decision-making. Participants described feeling powerless with regard to, and having little to no involvement in, hospital staffing policymaking. Yet they also expressed their desire to be engaged in this process and offered suggestions for how nurse involvement in such policymaking could be improved.   CONCLUSION Our findings provide crucial insight into how organizations can address existing structural barriers to nurse involvement, offer more equitable opportunities for nurse involvement, foster more inclusive workplace cultures, and recognize the value of nurse input and autonomy regarding staffing decisions.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain the antecedents of environmental uncertainty in management using a historical framework. The goal of developing passion and compassion in management practice and research cannot be achieved unless a better understanding is developed of the main challenge facing researchers and practitioners – uncertainty.Design/methodology/approach – The antecedents of uncertainty in management are explored using a historical framework. This enables the generation of insights into the nature and use of uncertainty over the decades.Findings – The importance of environmental uncertainty is escalating. The paper's historical, philosophical and critical view helps scholars explain and interpret uncertainty within their own research and formulate new research questions.Originality/value – Understanding the epistemological assumptions underlying paradigms will better enable researchers and practitioners to face a future filled with uncertainty and equivocality.
Abstract Male reproduction encompasses many essential cellular processes and interactions. As a focal point for these events, sperm offer opportunities for advancing our understanding of sexual reproduction at multiple levels during development. Using male sterility genes identified in human, mouse, and fruit fly databases as a starting point, 103 Drosophila melanogaster genes were screened for their association with male sterility by tissue-specific RNAi knockdown and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis. This list included 56 genes associated with male infertility in the human databases, but not found in the Drosophila database, resulting in the discovery of 63 new genes associated with male fertility in Drosophila. The phenotypes identified were categorized into six distinct classes affecting sperm development. Interestingly, the second largest class (Class VI) caused sterility despite apparently normal testis and sperm morphology suggesting that these proteins may have functions in the mature sperm following spermatogenesis. We focused on one such gene, Rack 1, and found that it plays an important role in two developmental periods, in early germline cells or germline stem cells and in spermatogenic cells or sperm. Taken together, many genes are yet to be identified and their role in male reproduction, especially after ejaculation, remains to be elucidated in Drosophila, where a wealth of data from human and other model organisms would be useful.
This article summarizes the application of fluorescent sensors to in vitro diagnostic systems measuring critical care analytes in whole blood. We discuss recent advances in fluorescent chemosensor technologies employing fluorescence indicators used for this application. This paper touches on key materials, structure–property relations, and design considerations for maximum utility in low-cost portable systems. In this application the optical sensor technology demonstrates precision and stability comparable or better than that of the best-available conventional technologies employing electrochemical sensors.
We have employed the differential staining technique of F. Arrighi and T. C. Hsu (1971) to identify individual human chromosomes. After pretreatment with RNAase, the DNA is denatured with NAOH, renatured with saline citrate buffer and then stained with Giemsa. Our studies have shown that in addition to the most distinct densely staining area of the distal 273 of the long arm of the Y chromosome, the Nos. 1, 3, 9, 11, 16 and 17 chromosomes carry a densely staining area on the long arm adjacent to the centromere, most noticeable in No. 1; No. 18 has a densely staining area on the short arm, close to the centromere. Studies of patients with trisomy 21 and trisomy 13 demonstrated that chromosomes No. 21 and 13 are identifiable. The three No. 21 chromosomes showed densely stained centromeres and two Nos. 22 showed lightly stained centromeres. The three No. 13 chromosomes in trisomy 13 had dense staining at the centromeres and on the long arms in comparison to those of Nos. 14 or 15. The basis of this differential staining technique is that renatured DNA appears better able to combine with stain than partially denatured DNA. It is apparently the repetitive DNA associated with constitutive heterochromatin which renatures most rapidly and is stained most densely. This method may be very useful in identification of structural as well as numerical chromosomal aberrations.
Silicon is the primary semiconductor material used to fabricate microchips. The quality of microchips depends directly on the quality of the starting silicon wafers. One of the manufacturing problems in the manufacturing of silicon wafers is the presence of waviness on the surface as a result of wire-sawn slicing. To reduce this waviness, soft-pad grinding, a patented method, is used. Many factors influence the waviness reduction capacity during soft-pad grinding. The method of finite element analysis has been used to analyze the various factors. However, the grinding process is very complicated, the various factors are very vague and difficult to define. In this research, the recently developed fuzzy-neural adaptive network, which is ideally suited for the modeling of vague phenomenon, is used to model and to improve this waviness problem. To illustrate the usefulness of the approach, the process is modeled based on simulation data. The results, even though based on some very limited data, illustrate the influences of the various factors clearly.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
An integrated optical set-up for fluid-physics diagnostics is proposed. The combined diagnostic tools are direct visualization, the schlieren technique, electronic speckle-pattern interferometry, differential interferometry, digital holography and holographic interferometry with a photorefractive crystal. The sharing of most of the optical lenses allows a compactness of hardware compatible with space-application requirements (the Fluid Science Laboratory for the International Space Station). Performances and complementarity of techniques are discussed. Interferometric methods for refractive-index measurement are compared and preliminary experimental results are given.
Abstract There has been renewed interest in the link between financial development and trade amongst researchers. Financial development is a multifaceted concept that encompasses several dimensions; however, there is very limited empirical work on how these dimensions interact with international trade. This study offers insights into the link between financial depth (a dimension of financial development) and international trade utilising data from China’s trade flows with 145 trading partners between the years 2000 and 2016. Employing the FGLS estimation approach, this study concludes the following: (1) Financial depth significantly influences China’s international trade flows, with the direction of impact depending on the indicator of financial depth employed. (2) Remittances augment financial development in China and significantly influence international trade flows. (3) Banking crises in China’s trading partner economies have a significant negative impact on trade flows. (4) Strategic economic partnerships particularly trade agreements play a positive role in enhancing China’s trade flows.
Today ship designers are facing ever more stringent safety and environmental requirements as well as economic ones. With the advancement of rules and procedures in the classification societies and the tailwind of modern computing technology, spectral fatigue based on first principles has become commonplace in ship design. So far the centrepiece of such a process is by and large a deterministic acceptance criterion despite the highly uncertain nature of the problem. As a result, the observed damage in a fatigue prone area is often significantly inconsistent with the predicted one, making client-facing a daunting task. As a small step towards a reliability-based solution, this paper attempts to introduce structural uncertainties into established fatigue design assessment process such as the ShipRight FDA3 procedure and the supporting software by Lloyd's Register. Key design parameters are randomised in a spectral fatigue model, where a pseudo-excitation method is used to reflect the non-linear effect of inertial loads and external wave pressure in the splash zone. A stepwise response surface method is used in tandem with t by t fine mesh finite element analysis to obtain the probability of failure. The calculation is demonstrated for an oil tanker example.
The Samin sub-watershed (SSW) is one of the critical watersheds in Indonesia which need conservation. The identification of land-use/land-cover changes (LUCC) can help in deciding the priority of conservation areas as well as limiting the widespread of critical lands in the watershed, which can contribute to climate change. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of land use change on climate parameters, i.e. precipitation, air temperature and relative air humidity. The method is by using the descriptive explorative. The study employed Indonesian topographic map and Landsat's imageries of 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016. The climate data from 1996 to 2016 were obtained from surroundings weather station. Data were analyzed using Geographic Information System (GIS) and SPSS. The results showed that land use was dominated by rice fields 22,552.83 ha (69.20%), and converted to non-agricultural lands 165.05 hectares/year for the last 20 years. Forest area decreased 65.8 ha/year, and settlement (housing and industrial estates) increased 253.87 ha/year (11.07%). The statistical analysis resulted in a negative relationship between forest area and air temperature and, but no significant correlation with rainfall.
This paper presents an alternative approach to conservative hybrid technology which is currently used in automobiles. Hybrid technology uses traditional engine in company with generator set to increase the efficiency from internal combustion(IC) vehicles, but alternatively the flywheels can be slightly modified to extract the energy and storing it in the battery (acting as a generator) while driving the automobile and later using this energy to drive the flywheel, thus powering the vehicle. This way of powering the vehicle by two different sources can increase the efficiency and making the automobile more environmentally friendly. In this substitute approach the flywheel of the engine can itself be used as a secondary power source, with necessary modifications, as a brushless DC motor/generator thus increasing the efficiency while decreasing the overall weight of the engine.
AIMS Elevated body mass index (BMI) is an important cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The population-level impact of pharmacologic strategies to mitigate the risk of CVD conferred by the metabolic consequences of an elevated BMI is not well described.   METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted an analysis of 145 986 participants (mean age 50 years, 58% women) from 21 high-, middle-, and low-income countries in the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology study who had no history of cancer, ischaemic heart disease, heart failure, or stroke. We evaluated whether the hazards of CVD (myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, or cardiovascular death) differed among those taking a cardiovascular medication (n = 29 174; including blood pressure-lowering, blood glucose-lowering, cholesterol-lowering, or anti-thrombotic medications) vs. those not taking a cardiovascular medication (n = 116 812) during 10.2 years of follow-up. Cox proportional hazard models with the community as a shared frailty were constructed by adjusting age, sex, education, geographic region, physical activity, tobacco, and alcohol use. We observed 7928 (5.4%) CVD events and 9863 (6.8%) deaths. Cardiovascular medication use was associated with different hazards of CVD (interaction P < 0.0001) and death (interaction P = 0.0020) as compared with no cardiovascular medication use. Among those not taking a cardiovascular medication, as compared with those with BMI 20 to <25 kg/m2, the hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (95% CI)] for CVD were, respectively, 1.14 (1.06-1.23); 1.45 (1.30-1.61); and 1.53 (1.28-1.82) among those with BMI 25 to <30 kg/m2; 30 to <35 kg/m2; and ≥35 kg/m2. However, among those taking a cardiovascular medication, the HR (95% CI) for CVD were, respectively, 0.79 (0.72-0.87); 0.90 (0.79-1.01); and 1.14 (0.98-1.33). Among those not taking a cardiovascular medication, the respective HR (95% CI) for death were 0.93 (0.87-1.00); 1.03 (0.93-1.15); and 1.44 (1.24-1.67) among those with BMI 25 to <30 kg/m2; 30 to <35 kg/m2; and ≥35 kg/m2. However, among those taking a cardiovascular medication, the respective HR (95% CI) for death were 0.77 (0.69-0.84); 0.88 (0.78-0.99); and 1.12 (0.96-1.30). Blood pressure-lowering medications accounted for the largest population attributable benefit of cardiovascular medications.   CONCLUSION To the extent that CVD risk among those with an elevated BMI is related to hypertension, diabetes, and an elevated thrombotic milieu, targeting these pathways pharmacologically may represent an important complementary means of reducing the CVD burden caused by an elevated BMI.
Chiang Mai air pollution has persisted in crisis for more than a decade. This issue continues to exist owing to the government has failed in addressing related policies and/or explicit solutions to cope with adopting carrier of farmers. This research found that farmers are familiar with cattle raising because this has been an important part of the country since ancient times. Therefore, cattle production is not only safe economically but also sound indigenously and ecologically. This research was conducted in Mae Chaem District’s Ban Thab Sub-districts of Chiang Mai, where slash and burn corn has been dominant for maize plantation. Participatory Action Research (PAR) was implemented throughout interviewing and observing to collect data from 14 farmers in the selected area. Then the data was analyzed by the inductive approach and descriptive statistics to identify essential components for the sustainability of cattle production. Results yield by the participants indicate that cattle production is the potential to replace slash and burn for monoculture due to its advantages.
STUDY OBJECTIVES In patients treated with noninvasive ventilation, sleep-related breathing changes can modify patient-ventilator interactions which could reduce its effectiveness. The aim of this prospective observational study was to determine the impact of sleep/wake state on leaks, upper airway obstructive events, and asynchronies, in patients treated by long-term noninvasive ventilation.   METHODS Stable patients adapted to noninvasive ventilation were considered for nocturnal polysomnography. Unintentional leaks, upper airway obstructive events, and asynchronies were compared between sleep and awake periods.   RESULTS Twenty-eight patients were enrolled. Underlying diagnoses were neuromuscular disease (n=11), chest wall disease (n=8) and obesity-hypoventilation (n=9). Leaks were more frequent in sleep than in awake periods, with a median of 10% (IQR 0-75%) versus 1% (IQR 0-9%) of time (p<0.001), respectively. During sleep, asynchronies with and without associated leak affected 27% of breaths (IQR 16-39%), compared to non-leak-related asynchronies that were recorded in 8% (IQR 3-25%) of breaths (p<0.001). Asynchronies affecting more than 10% of total breaths were more frequent in sleep (25 patients, 89%) than in awake time (8 patients, 29%; p=0.25). Eleven patients (39%) presented 5 or more upper airway obstructive events without reduction of ventilatory drive per hour of sleep.   CONCLUSIONS In patients adapted to home noninvasive ventilation, leaks, asynchronies and upper airway obstructive events are frequent during the night and are concentrated in sleep periods. Asynchronies are often associated with leaks. These findings may have clinical implications considering that in patients with low sleep efficiency respiratory events could be underestimated if sleep is not evaluated.
One of the major problems in objective quality assessment of coding systems is the speaker dependence of the measurement results, if natural speech is used as the test signal. This problem can be avoided by using suitable speech-model processes. In this paper, we present a wide-band speech-model process, which includes the same long- and short-time characteristics as natural speech. The controlling part of the generator of this process involves several trained Markov chains to adapt the time-varying properties of the process to those of natural speech. Furthermore, we show that this process can be used for telephone speech applications, too. In this case we only have to limit it to the telephone frequency-band.
Cardiac myocytes mature and adapt to a changing mechanical environment in the first postnatal week. To test the hypothesis that the mechanical stiffness of the extracellular matrix affects this maturation, we plated neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) on polyacrylamide gels with elastic moduli varying from 1 to 50 kPa and cultured them for 7 days. We found that NRVMs generated greater mechanical force, had larger calcium transients, higher sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) calcium loads and greater expression of SERCA2a in cells grown on gels with an elastic modulus of 10 kPa (which is closest to the native resting myocardium) than on stiffer or softer substrates. Inhibition of the RhoA/ROCK pathway with hydroxyfasudil resulted in significantly greater force generation and calcium transients in NRVMs on the stiffest gels, but did not significantly affect NRVMs on soft gels. We conclude that extracellular elastic modulus affects the functional maturation of NRVMs, as measured by contractile force and calcium handling, and that activation of the RhoA/ROCK pathway is necessary for stiffness dependence on substrates stiffer than the native myocardium.
As the editor of an international scholarly journal I am forever telling authors to address our interdisciplinary international audience of scholars and practitioners. To be published in our journal, authors must consider what distinguishes research and practice in their parts of the world from others, especially when making recommendations for how to improve health care practices for women. Reviewing the collection of articles published in issue 35(2) of Health Care for Women International, I encourage readers to reflect on access to contextual resources for both research and practice. Doing so may bring global issues that transcend what is presented in any particular manuscript on antenatal care to the forefront. Perhaps the most unique study published herein exists only because the researchers reside in a resource rich location. Gwendolyn E. Cremers and Kathryn Graff Low report on a convenience-based, Internet study of attitudes regarding eating human placenta. Their informants were predominantly from the United States and Europe. While this study may appear luxurious in the context of limited research resources elsewhere, the problem should be of great interest to interdisciplinary scholars, especially if one considers prior research on the benefits of eating placental tissue among other animal species. Consider as well: a researcher studying antenatal care for immigrants in Canada suggests that beginning to treat chronic illnesses discovered during pregnancy will save money for the government health care system in the long run. Working in a “developed” country, Karline Wilson-Mitchell was surprised to find many instances of untreated chronic problems. Perhaps this is so because chronic illness is usually discovered prior to pregnancy in countries where access to diagnosis and treatment is normative across the life span. In another Canadian study, conducted in a tertiary, university-affiliated hospital in Montreal, Roxana Behruzi and colleagues studied the extent to which practitioners are concerned with the humanization of birth when pregnancy complications arise. This is an important question, stemming quite
Thirty-one yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) from the human pseudoautosomal region were identified by a combination of sequence-tagged site (STS) screenings and colony hybridizations, using a subtelomeric interspersed repetitive element mapping predominantly to the pseudoautosomal region. Twenty-five new pseudoautosomal STSs were generated, of which 4 detected restriction fragment length polymorphisms. A total of 33 STSs were used to assemble the 31 YACs into a single contiguous set of overlapping DNA fragments spanning at least 2.3 megabases of the pseudoautosomal region. In addition, four pseudoautosomal genes including hydroxyindole O-methyltransferase have been positioned on this set of fragments.
There is great need for a therapeutic that would limit tuberculosis related pathology and thus curtail spread of disease between individuals by establishing a “firebreak” to slow transmission. A promising avenue to increase current therapeutic efficacy may be through incorporation of adjunct components that slow or stop development of aggressive destructive pulmonary pathology. Lactoferrin, an iron-binding glycoprotein found in mucosal secretions and granules of neutrophils, is just such a potential adjunct therapeutic agent. The focus of this review is to explore the utility of lactoferrin to serve as a therapeutic tool to investigate “disruption” of the mycobacterial granuloma. Proposed concepts for mechanisms underlying lactoferrin efficacy to control immunopathology are supported by data generated based on in vivo models using nonpathogenic trehalose 6,6′-dimycolate (TDM, cord factor).
Coherent ultraviolet radiation has many applications in science and industry, including photochemistry, photobiology, high resolution spectroscopy, and as a pump source for optical parametric oscillators operating in the visible. The excimer and ion lasers generate UV, usually in continuous wave (cw) or pulsed operation. For nonlinear optical applications in which high peak powers are advantageous, cw mode-locked sources are increasingly being employed, and at UV wavelengths such devices are being developed through the exploitation of nonlinear frequency conversion techniques in a variety of optical materials such as beta-barium borate (BBO) and lithium triborate (LBO). Furthermore, novel resonator designs have been used to increase the efficiency and reduce the complexity of these UV sources.1 We report on an all solid-state source of CW mode-locked UV radiation at the third-harmonic of a Nd:YLF laser pumped by laser diodes.
Different extracts from red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) were tested for their ability to stimulate the activity of osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells (HOS58). As a key marker of osteoblasticity we chose the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Whereas butanol and methanol extracts had no influence on either ALP or cellular protein production, enzyme activity was increased significantly on incubation with chloroform extracts. All extracts were analysed for isoflavone content. The data clearly suggest a role for red clover isoflavonoids in the stimulation of osteoblastic cell activity.
Streptococcus pyogenes is the causative agent of numerous diseases ranging from benign infections (pharyngitis and impetigo) to severe infections associated with high mortality (necrotizing fasciitis and bacterial sepsis). As with other bacterial infections, there is considerable interest in characterizing the contribution of interleukin‐17A (IL‐17A) responses to protective immunity. We here show significant il17a up‐regulation by quantitative real‐time PCR in secondary lymphoid organs, correlating with increased protein levels in the serum within a short time of S. pyogenes infection. However, our data offer an important caveat to studies of IL‐17A responsiveness following antigen inoculation, because enhanced levels of IL‐17A were also detected in the serum of sham‐infected mice, indicating that inoculation trauma alone can stimulate the production of this cytokine. This highlights the potency and speed of innate IL‐17A immune responses after inoculation and the importance of proper and appropriate controls in comparative analysis of immune responses observed during microbial infection.
The primary concern with the use of any clustering is how well it has identified the structure that is present in the data. This is the "cluster validity problem". In this paper, we define G as a measure of the quality of clustering which is based on the mini-max filter concept and fuzzy theory. It measures the overall average compactness and separation of a fuzzy c-partition and explore the properties of G, and we define I/sub G/ as a more suitable measure to compare the clustering result of one fuzzy c/sub 1/-partition with another c/sub 2/-partition of a data set. We show the measure I/sub G/ can be used to select an optimal number of clusters.
Slap skates became popular after the Nagano Winter Olympics and came to be one of the main factors in shortening time records. There have not been enough studies on slap skates but recently they are becoming more popular. The purposes of this study were to measure the strain applied to the skate blade, and to investigate characteristics of the blade reaction force to ice surface and their relationships to the skating place. The experiments were carried out at the M-wave skating arena, where speed skate competitions were held in the Nagano Winter Olympics. In the experiment, first a strain gage was attached to the blade, then data was collected with a compact recorder. The position of the strain gage was the outside of the blade. The gages were attached at four places (Front, Hinge, Middle, and Rear) of both sides of each blade. Two of these places were selected arbitrarily from the eight places when measuring. The results are summarized as follows.•At each of eight places of measurement positions, dynamic strain showed plus or minus values with the progress of time. It was found that the strain of the Hinge (under the axis) became greatest.•The strain at the Hinge of the left blade showed minus value while skating the straight section. The strain during the curve section showed plus value.•The strain at the Hinge of the right blade always showed minus value.•Differences in skater's strokes in the straight and curve sections clearly appeared in the interval of wave patterns. This was confirmed by the relation between strain and time.
Objective: To identify the status and risky factors of anal sexual intention in casual sex behavior in Zhejiang province. Methods: Stratified cluster sampling was conducted among college students in 13 colleges in 11 cities between October to November, 2018. 482 students were enrolled who self-reported "heterosexuality "and" ever had casual sex behavior". A self-designed network questionnaire was complimented containing basic information, knowledge of HIV, sexual behavior. Chi-square test was used to compared the difference of anal sex intention between different characteristic. The multivariate logistic regression methods was used to analyze the influence factors. Results: Among 482 students, the age was (20±1.442) years old. And 87.3% (421) were male and 29.0% (140) were from other province. The rate of anal sex intention were 19.4% (94/482) in total, with the rates of 38.1% (24/63) and 14.4% (53/367) in students with sexual number more than 5 and less than 5 (P<0.001), separately. Compared with students searching casual sexual partner with non-internet access (17.0%, 16/201), students searching sexual partner with internet access had higher risk of anal sex practice (27.8%, 78/281) (P<0.001). The rate of anal sex practice among students reporting "ever had casual sex after drinking "and" never had casual sex after drinking" were 30.5% (64/210) and 9.4% (25/266) (P<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression results revealed that compared with students searching casual sexual partner with non-internet access and reporting "never had casual sex after drinking", subjects searching sexual partner with internet access(OR (95%CI)=2.65 (1.34-5.23)) and "ever had casual sex after drinking" OR (95%CI)=3.02 (1.65-5.33) were more likely had higher risk of anal sex practice. Conclusion: Heterosexual college students in Zhejiang Province tend to have anal intercourse with causal sexual partners. Searching for causal sexual partners on internet or mobile phone dating software and having temporary sexual behavior after drinking were correlated factors.
We thank Del Brutto for his interest in our article and for his comments. We share his enthusiasm that we finally have validated diagnostic criteria for neurocysticercosis (NCC). Del Brutto refers to two clinical scenarios in which he feels that the new set of criteria would fail, yet the sensitivity and specificity of our proposal confirms its diagnostic accuracy. Conversely, there are individuals in whom a diagnosis of NCC based on the nonvalidated 2001 proposal is doubtful; for example, a person presenting with an enhancing lesion with headache and positive immunoblot test or presenting with brain calcifications plus clinical cognitive decline and positive immunoblot test. According to the 2001 proposal, these individuals would have been categorized as having a definitive diagnosis of NCC, but, in fact, could be false positives. We disagree with his views on the irrelevance of making specific criteria that consider parasite location. Different locations of the parasite (ie, parenchymal vs extraparenchymal) generate two different conditions in regard to prognosis (as Del Brutto states), but also regarding symptomatology, diagnosis, and treatment. Contrary to his view, we strongly maintain that robust diagnostic criteria for NCC must consider parasite location. Recent progress in tools available for diagnosis of extraparenchymal NCC allows for this, and the results obtained in the validation of our criteria corroborate this. Ependymitis, chronic arachnoiditis, cranial nerve entrapment, and cerebral infarcts are nonspecific complications of extraparenchymal NCC and are not considered in these criteria, which are intended to diagnose NCC when specific treatment is still possible. It is indeed conceivable that our criteria are not inclusive of some very rare forms of parenchymal and extraparenchymal NCC attributed to the great heterogeneity of the condition, which precludes achieving sensitivity and specificity of 100%. As with the 2001 proposed diagnostic criteria, ours were first put together by consensus of an expert group. This is, however, not sufficient; any diagnostic tool must be validated to ascertain its accuracy. We are pleased to hear that Del Brutto et al are now working on a new set of diagnostic criteria, which, we expect, will be properly validated. Expert opinion is considered the lowest level of evidence on a par with “troublingly inconsistent or inconclusive studies.” It is unacceptable for diagnostic criteria to rely solely on expert consensus, particularly when they could be validated. We are fully aware that our criteria could be improved in the future, but the heterogeneity of NCC will likely preclude ever attaining perfect diagnostic criteria.
Advances in high throughput screening technologies have led to the identification of many small molecules, "hits", with activities toward the target of interest. And, as the screening technologies become faster and more robust, the rate at which the molecules are identified continues to increase. This evolution of high throughput screening technologies has generated a significant strain on the laboratories involved with the downstream profiling of these hits using cell-based assays. The CellCard System, by enabling multiple targets and/or cell lines to be assayed simultaneously within a single well, provides a platform on which selectivity screening can be quickly and robustly performed. Here we describe two case studies using the beta-lactamase and beta-galactosidase reporter gene systems to characterize G protein-coupled receptor agonist activity. Using these examples we demonstrate how the implementation of this technology enables assay miniaturization without micro-fluidic devices as well as how the inclusion of intra-well controls can provide a means of data quality assessment within each well.
The microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of (1-x)Ca0.8Sr0.2TiO3–xLi0.5Nd0.5TiO3 (x=0–1.0) were investigated. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy results show that all samples exhibit a single perovskite structure and a dense microstructure. The order of A-site cations was observed in the structure of samples with x≥0.80 in the X-ray diffraction pattern. The dielectric constant decreased with an increase in x. The quality factor first decreased with an increase in x and then increased slightly with a further increase in x. The temperature coefficient of resonant frequency decreased from high positive values to negative values as x increased. A near-zero temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (-2.75 ppm/°C) was obtained at x=0.87. Optimized microwave dielectric properties were estimated to be (εr=111.6; Q×f=2013 GHz; τf=-2.75 ppm/°C) at x=0.87.
Kidney stones are a common urological disorder with increasing prevalence worldwide. The treatment of kidney stones mainly relies on surgical procedures or extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, which can effectively remove the stones but also result in some complications and recurrence. Therefore, finding a drug or natural compound that can prevent and treat kidney stones is an important research topic. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of yellow tea on kidney stone formation and its mechanisms of action. We induced kidney stones in rats by feeding them an ethylene glycol diet and found that yellow tea infusion reduced crystal deposits, inflammation, oxidative stress, and fibrosis in a dose-dependent manner. Through network pharmacology and quantitative structure–activity relationship modeling, we analyzed the interaction network between the compounds in yellow tea and kidney stone-related targets and verified it through in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our results showed that flavonoids in yellow tea could bind directly or indirectly to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) protein and affect kidney stone formation by regulating PPARG transcription factor activity. In conclusion, yellow tea may act as a potential PPARG agonist for the prevention and treatment of renal oxidative damage and fibrosis caused by kidney stones.
The article presents the discussion on exhortation from governments in the attempt for reducing the contagion of Covid-19. Topics include raising questions about the ways where people experiencing homelessness dwelling in places having no shelter, no house, and no home to stay in;and experiencing homelessness and rooflessness, as well as vulnerable migrants and refugees, lone adults, couples and families.
Circular muscle strips from the human ileocaecal junction developed myogenic tone (sustained resting tension) in vitro and showed an obvious component of relaxation in response to electrical field stimulation. These features are considered typical of sphincteric muscle because circular muscle strips from terminal ileum 1-2 cm proximal to the junction and from the caecum or ascending colon 1-2 cm distal to the junction developed little or no tone and showed predominantly contractile responses to electrical-field stimulation. In 18 out of 29 specimens, junctional strips showed excitatory responses to adrenaline or noradrenaline. The relaxation of junctional strips was non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) in nature. Nitric oxide appears to be involved in the NANC relaxation.
Objectives This study evaluated the combined effects of protocatechuic acid (PCA) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells.   Materials and Methods The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry technique, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting were used to investigate cytotoxic effects, colony formation, apoptosis, p53 gene expression, and Bcl-2 protein level in AGS cells treated with 5-FU and PCA.   Results Our results demonstrated that PCA (500 μM) alone or in combination with 5-FU (10 μM) inhibited AGS cell proliferation, inhibited a colony formation, and increased apoptosis compared with untreated control cells. Moreover, the combined 5-FU/PCA exposure led to upregulation of p53 and downregulation of Bcl-2 protein when compared to the untreated control cells.   Conclusion The results demonstrate that the combined 5-FU/PCA may promote antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects with the inhibition of colony formation in AGS cells. The mechanisms by which the combined 5-FU/PCA exposure exerts its effects are associated with upregulation of p53 gene expression and downregulation of Bcl-2 level. Therefore, the combination of 5-FU with PCA not only could be a promising approach to potentially reduce the dose requirements of 5-FU but also could promote apoptosis via p53 and Bcl-2 signaling pathways.
This paper provides a formal test of the null hypothesis of a unit root in the log-level of labor productivity against the alternative of linear trend stationarity with a one-time structural break in the level and slope of the trend at an a priori unknown date. Using some newly developed time series tests, the authors show that the log-level of productivity is more accurately modeled as following a deterministic trend with a regime shift rather than as a unit root process. Some implications of the results for detrending and for testing cointegration relationships between productivity and other variables are discussed. Copyright 1999 by Oxford University Press.
We report thermal transport measurement of KxFe2-ySe2 superconducting single crystal. Significant peak anomaly in thermal conductivity is observed at nearly TC/2 indicating a large phonon mean-free-path in the superconducting state. The zero-temperature extrapolated thermoelectric power is smaller than the value in typical strongly correlated superconductors, implying large normalized Fermi temperature. In contrast to other iron superconductors, thermoelectric power in our sample does not exhibit significant anomalies. These findings indicate that KxFe2-ySe2 is a weakly or intermediately correlated superconductor without significant Fermi surface nesting.
BACKGROUND Patients with atherosclerotic renovascular disease (ARVD) are at increased risk of heart disease because of the association with hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiac failure and chronic kidney disease (CKD). A previous echocardiographic cross-sectional study showed that only 5% of patients with ARVD had normal cardiac structure and function at baseline. In this longitudinal study of the same patient cohort the progression of cardiac dysfunction and factors which predict declining cardiac function in patients with ARVD were delineated.   METHODS Seventy-nine patients were available for baseline analysis, but 16 withdrew from follow-up during the study. Forty-three patients (27M and 16F, age at study entry [mean +/- SD] 69.7 +/- 8.0 years) who were managed conservatively and 8 (age 69.8 +/- 5.7) who were managed with renal revascularization underwent echocardiography and 24 h ambulatory blood pressure investigations at baseline and 12 months thereafter. The two data sets were interrogated to determine changes in blood pressure and cardiac status (morphological and functional); baseline factors which predicted such changes were ascertained. Twelve patients underwent baseline investigation but did not complete follow-up because of death (nine patients) or requirement of dialysis (three patients).   RESULTS Conservatively managed patients: At 12 months eGFR, (38.6 +/- 18.3 vs 35.0 +/- 18.5 ml/min; P = 0.001) had fallen whilst proteinuria had increased (0.3 +/- 0.4 vs 0.6 +/- 0.8 g/24 h; P = 0.001). Despite no increase in the number of blood pressure medications there was a fall in blood pressure between baseline and follow-up investigations (140.0 +/- 16.5/75.3 +/- 11.8, MAP 98.6 +/- 12.3 mmHg vs 135.7 +/- 16.1/69.6 +/- 9.1, MAP 92.5 +/- 10.2 mmHg; P < 0.001 for diastolic blood pressure and MAP). At 12 months, there was an increase in the number of patients with LVH (72.9% vs 81.4%). There were increases in left ventricular dimensions [left ventricular end diastolic diameter (5.1 +/- 0.8 vs 5.5 +/- 0.8 cm; P = 0.009), and left ventricular end diastolic volume (140.9 +/- 39.5 vs 163.3 +/- 61.0 ml; P = 0.01)]. There was no significant relationship of these changes in cardiac parameters to anatomical severity of renal artery disease but patients with severe renal dysfunction at baseline had an increase in left ventricular dilatation at follow-up. Linear regression analysis revealed an association between elevated time-averaged PTH and LV dilatation [beta-coefficient and 95% confidence intervals, 0.18 (0.04, 0.32); P = 0.01]. Revascularization: No significant changes in any biochemical or echocardiographic parameters were seen between baseline and 1 year investigations in this small sub-group.   CONCLUSION Patients with ARVD exhibit a high prevalence of LVH at diagnosis and progressive left ventricular dilatation over the first year after diagnosis. This dilatation is associated with severe renal impairment at baseline and not associated with anatomical severity of renal artery disease.
Here we describe the identification of novel cell migration‐promoting genes based on an unbiased functional genetic screen in cultured cells. After the introduction of the retroviral mouse brain cDNA library into NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cells, migration‐promoted cells were selected by a 3‐dimensional migration assay using cell culture inserts. After 5 rounds of enrichment, cDNAs were retrieved from the cells with a selected phenotype. Cell migration‐promoting activity was confirmed by independent migration assays for the retrieved cDNAs, among which further investigation was focused on coiled‐coil‐helix‐coiled‐coil‐helix domain‐containing protein 2 (chchd2). Whereas overexpression of chchd2 promoted cell migration, knockdown of endogenous chchd2 expression reduced cell migration. Chchd2‐induced cell migration was associated with augmented formation of actin stress fibers and focal adhesion, which was mediated through Akt, RhoA/ROCK, and Jnk pathways. CHCHD2 protein directly interacted with hyaluronic acid‐binding protein 1 (HABP1) that possessed migration‐suppressing activity. Intracellular localization and further functional studies suggested that CHCHD2 and HABP1 may mutually regulate each other to balance cell migration. Thus, chchd2 is a novel cell migration determinant identified by an in vitro functional genetic selection strategy. The selection method can also be useful for the isolation of genes that give other phenotypes of interest.—Seo, M., Lee, W.‐H., Suk, K. Identification of novel cell migration‐promoting genes by a functional genetic screen. FASEB J. 24, 464–478 (2010). www.fasebj.org
Selected triacylglycerols (TAGs) were directly analyzed on a standard stainless steel target plate by laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOFMS). Sodium and potassium ion adducts of TAGs were produced, and the thermal desorption/ionization mechanism was invoked to rationalize the experimental observations. The method permits a simple and fast qualitative analysis of TAGs. Advantages of this approach relative to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) are simpler sample preparation, lack of need to use a matrix with consequent absence of matrix interference peaks in the spectra, and potential improvements in shot-to-shot reproducibility due to the absence of the crystallization step resulting in a more homogenously deposited sample. The procedure was successfully applied to the determination of TAGs in whole oils, yielding very fast TAG fingerprints.
The cyclic tetrapeptides cyclo(-Leu-Sar-Gly-), cyclo(-Val-Sar-Sar-Gly-), and cylco(-Meleu-Gly-D-Alasar-) have been synthesized from the component amino acids (BOP-Cl coupling), using the pentafluorophenyl esters for the cyclization step (42, 13, and 30% yield, respectively). Multiple deprotonation (LDA in THF/LiBr/DMPU) and addition of highly reactive electrophiles (CF3CO2D, MeI, CH2O, CH2CHCH2Br, PhCH2Br) produce cyclic tetrapeptides with additional substituents introduced diastereoselectively (70 to > 98% ds) in yields ranging from 20 to 90%. The C-alkylatd products are all derived from a sarcosine-enolate moiety adjacent to another N-methylamino acid. The structures of the resulting products are determined by NMR spectroscopy (DNOE and ROESY techniques) and by hydrolysis to the parent amino acids, suitable derivatization, and analysis by chromatography on a chiral GC column. It was shown in two cases that the overall yield of cyclization/alkylation to give a disubstitued cyclic tetrapeptide is higher than that of a synthesis of the same product from the corresponding amino-acid building blocks. Surprising temperature and salt effects on the yields and selectivities of the reactions of the cyclic tetrapeptide enolates are presented, and possible mechanistic interpretations are discussed.
Background: Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are increasingly recognized as core values for nursing education and practice. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to offer teaching tools and strategies to integrate cultural humility within the nursing curriculum and create a more inclusive learning environment. Approach: Various teaching tools, methods, and strategies are presented. Outcomes: Use of ground rules, an environmental assessment, examination of the curriculum landscape and teaching materials, bias awareness activity, modified privilege walk, Modified Monopoly, simulation, low-income community experiences, study abroad, debriefing, and evaluation with valid and reliable tools are suggested. Conclusions: By threading cultural humility concepts throughout the curriculum, nurse educators have the potential to shape learner perspectives to better appreciate and value diversity.
The quantum phase transition (QPT) and quantum criticality of an anisotropic spin-1/2 XY chain under the interplay of magnetic field and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interaction, which is interpreted as an electric field, are investigated, wherein the anisotropic parameter plays a similar role as the superconducting pairing gap in the interacting Kitaev topological superconductor model that protects the topological order. It is shown that the thermal Drude weight is a good quantity to characterize the gapped (D th = 0) and gapless (D th > 0) ground states. The continuous QPT is marked by a quantum critical point (QCP) associated with entropy accumulation, which is manifested by a characteristic Güneisen ratio (GR) with or without self-duality symmetry. It is shown that at a self-dual QCP, the GR keeps a finite value as T → 0, while at a general QCP without self-duality symmetry, it displays a power-law temperature dependent divergence: Γ(T,r c ) ∼±T −1, which provides a novel thermodynamic means for probing QPT.
PURPOSE Medication safety is a critical concern for older adults. Regional variation in potentially inappropriate prescribing practices may reflect important differences in health care quality. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to characterize prescribing quality variation among older adults across geographic region, and to compare prescribing quality across rural versus urban residence.   METHODS Cross-sectional study of 1,549,824 older adult veterans with regular Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care and medication use during fiscal year 2007. Prescribing quality was measured by 4 indicators of potentially inappropriate prescribing: Zhan criteria drugs to avoid, Fick criteria drugs to avoid, therapeutic duplication, and drug-drug interactions. Frequency differences across region and rural-urban residence were compared using adjusted odds-ratios.   FINDINGS Significant regional variation was observed for all indicators. Zhan criteria frequencies ranged from 13.2% in the Northeast to 21.2% in the South. Nationally, rural veterans had a significantly increased risk for inappropriate prescribing according to all quality indicators. However, regional analyses revealed this effect was limited to the South and Northeast, whereas rural residence was neutral in the Midwest and protective in the West.   CONCLUSIONS Significant regional variation in prescribing quality was observed among older adult veterans, mirroring recent findings among Medicare beneficiaries. The association between rurality and prescribing quality is heterogeneous, and relying solely on national estimates may yield misleading conclusions. Although we documented important variations in prescribing quality, the underlying factors driving these trends remain unknown, and they are a vital area for future research affecting older adults in both VA and non-VA health systems.
The relay network has many advantages, such as reliability against failures, and offers redundancy, selfconfiguring, and self-healing. The purpose of his paper is to simulate an Asymmetric Modulation (AM) for wireless Two Way Relay Channel (TWRC) system in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) to compute Bit Error Rate (BER) performance of transmitted data. Finally, by utilizing a novel algorithm, which named Optimal Decision Decoding Algorithm (ODDA) the BER has decreased, and performance of the system improved.
In the four major North American professional sports (baseball, basketball, football, and hockey), the primary purpose of the regular season is to determine which teams most deserve to advance to the playoffs. Interestingly, while the ultimate goal of identifying the best teams is the same, the number of regular season games played differs dramatically between the sports, ranging from 16 (football) to 82 (basketball and hockey) to 162 (baseball). Though length of season is partially determined by many factors including travel logistics, rest requirements, playoff structure and television contracts, it is hard to reconcile the 10-fold difference in the number of games between, for example, the NFL and MLB unless football games are somehow more "informative" than baseball games. In this paper, we aim to quantify the amount of information games yield about the relative strength of the teams involved. Our strategy is to assess how well simple paired comparison models fitted from $X%$ of the games within a season predict the outcomes of the remaining $(100-X)%$ of games, for multiple values of $X$. We compare the resulting predictive accuracy curves between seasons within the same sport and across all four sports, and find dramatic differences in the amount of information yielded by individual game results in the four major U.S. sports.
Backgrounds: Variety of cosmetic products was used in our daily life, yet the amount and types of the cosmetic products used by the consumers were varied, which may be due to the different perspectives held by each of the consumers. Objectives: To explore consumers' perspectives toward cosmetic products. Methods: An interview guide was developed with a set of 12 semistructured questions. Participants in Kuantan, Pahang were recruited via the purposive sampling, and they undergo in-depth face-to-face interviews. All of the interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and were analyzed via thematic content analysis. Results: For the awareness of cosmetic products, less aware about the cosmetic products in Malaysia were noted among the participants. In terms of perceptions about the cosmetic products, participants expressed positive perceptions toward natural cosmetic products, quality were seen as synonymous with branded products and halal certification. Next, for the attitude toward the use of cosmetic products, participants were influenced by ingredients, product brand, and halal certification. Based on personal experiences, they provide complaints and suggestions for the enhancement of cosmetic products' quality. Conclusions: Participants were found to have less awareness about the cosmetic products in Malaysia. Besides, they realized about the chemical ingredients and halal certification for the cosmetic products. Therefore, they held positive perceptions and practiced positive attitudes toward natural and halal cosmetic products. Finally, adverse reactions from the use of cosmetic products were commonly experienced by the participants, which contributed mainly by the ingredients. Thus, they hoped for serious approached to be enacted to solve this problem.
Libya is back on the international scene. Even the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) have shown their interest in the country after a long period of isolation. Qadhafi’s policies have proved to be pragmatic and opportunistic, with the aim of achieving maximum credit and cleaning up its image abroad. Qadhafi’s foreign (and even domestic) policy has always been under continuous adjustment to the changing international scenario. Despite strong criticisms from abroad and serious setbacks, the Libyan regime has succeeded in its search for survival, Qadhafi being the last Arab leader alive of a generation who took power several decades ago. After years of international sanctions, Libya is now slowly re-emerging from the cold. This development is the result of some adjustments in Qadhafi’s policies, but, above all, it is the consequence of variations in the attitudes of the great powers towards Libya.
A luminometric method was used to determine the levels of residual hydrogen peroxide present in preformed food packaging cartons after a decontamination process using sterile distilled water or 0.1, 1.0 or 30% (wt/vol) hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet (UV-C, 254 nm) irradiation. The reduction of post-process peroxide levels in the cartons by irradiation or hot air was assessed. A residual hydrogen peroxide level of approx. 100 ppb could be obtained by spraying 0.2 ml of 0.1% hydrogen peroxide into the carton. Treatment with 1% hydrogen peroxide, with or without UV-C irradiation, gave residual levels approximately tenfold higher. The level was not reduced by UV-C irradiation but could be reduced by blowing hot air into the carton. 30% hydrogen peroxide sprayed into cartons could not be reduced by heat to levels below 100 ppb. Extremely low levels of residual hydrogen peroxide were detected when water was sprayed into cartons, both with or without UV-C irradiation.
The effective magnetic head-tape spacing was determined by fitting the measured tape-noise spectral density to the Wallace exponential spacing-loss function. The advantage of this approach over the customary method of measuring the spectrum of the recorded signal is that no corrections are necessary for recording or demagnetization losses. Calibration was done with a spacing shim; good experimental fit to a straight line was obtained in the semi-logarithmic plots.
We report the observation of extensive a- and c-type rotation-tunneling (RT) spectra of (D2O)2 for Ka = 0-4. These data allow quantification of molecular constants and tunneling splittings for a number of previously unobserved RT states of (D2O)2. The vibrational ground state has thus been characterized to energies as high as those of some of the intermolecular vibrations, and we present the first test of the VRT(ASP-W) potential at these high Ka states.
Astrocytic provision of lactate provision to neurons may be a critical indicator of substrate fuel availability in metabolic sensing sites in the brain, including the hindbrain dorsal vagal complex. We examined the hypothesis that vagal complex monocarboxylate transporter protein levels are gender dependent and estrogen dependent, and that estrogen influences adaptation of these protein responses during repeated insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Western blot analyses showed that male and estrogen-treated ovariectomized female rats exhibit opposite changes in monocarboxylate transporter-2 levels after one insulin injection, as well as divergent patterns of adaptation to this metabolic challenge. The data suggest that sex differences in hypoglycemic patterns in vagal complex lactate transport may underlie disparate signaling of cellular energy imbalance.
When two populations of cells within a tissue mass differ from one another in magnitude or type of intercellular adhesions, a boundary can form within the tissue, across which cells will fail to mix. This phenomenon may occur regardless of the identity of the molecules that mediate cell adhesion. If, in addition, a choice between the two adhesive states is regulated by a molecule the concentration of which is periodic in space, or in time, then alternating bands of non-mixing tissue, or segments, can form. But temporal or spatial periodicities in concentration will tend to arise for any molecule that is positively autoregu-latory. It is therefore proposed that segmentation is a ‘generic’ property of metazoan organisms, and that metamerism would be expected to have emerged numerous times during evolution. A simple model of segmentation, based solely on differential adhesion and periodic regulation of adhesion, can account for segment properties as disparate as those seen in long and short germ band insects, and for diverse experimental results on boundary regeneration in the chick hind brain and the insect cuticle. It is suggested that the complex, multicom-ponent segment-forming systems found in contemporary organisms (e.g., Drosophila) are the products of evolutionary recruitment of molecular cues such as homeobox gene products, that increase the reliability and stability of metameric patterns originally templated by generic self-organizing properties of tissues.
Dielectric barrier discharge  is used as a cheap technique for surface treatment of polycarbonate. The  discharge system is working in open air at atmospheric pressure. The treatments  are carried out at low discharge powers (1.5 and 2 W) for treatment time (2.5 -  15 min). The treated samples show decrease in the contact angle and increase in  the crystallinity, thermal stability and surface roughness. The effect of ozone  on the increase in the oxygen containing functional groups is discussed. The  treatment process shows effective limitation of the migration of bisphenol A  from the surface of polycarbonate due to the cross linking. Zero migration of  bisphenole A is recorded as the sample is treated for 7.5 min. The treatment  process is found to be very efficient with very low cost.
OBJECTIVE To critically review cannabis research during the past 10 years in relation to rates of use, behavioral problems, and mental disorders in young people.   METHOD Studies published in English between 1994 and 2004 were identified through systematic searches of literature databases. The material was selectively reviewed focusing on child and adolescent data.   RESULTS In the 27 years between 1976 and 2002, approximately half of all 12th graders had been exposed to cannabis in the United States. There is growing evidence that early and regular marijuana use is associated with later increases in depression, suicidal behavior, and psychotic illness and may bring forward the onset of schizophrenia. Most of the recent data reject the view that marijuana is used to self-medicate psychotic or depressive symptoms. Research on treatment is very limited.   CONCLUSIONS Research on the mental health effects of cannabis has increased dramatically. Although doubts still remain about the role of cannabis in the causation of juvenile psychiatric disorder, the weight of the evidence points in the direction of early and regular cannabis use having substantial negative effects on psychosocial functioning and psychopathology.
Papillomas of the choroid plexuses are rare tumou rs, accounting fo r 0.4% ( 0 0.6 % of all cerebral tum ours (Guidetti and Spattone. 1980; N orlen, 1949; Stanley, 1968; Zülch, 1949). In child ren, however , th ese tum ours have a high er Incidence from 3% ro 5% of cerebral tumo urs (Rovit er al., 1970) and they are locared in the lateral ventricles and in the rhird ventricle (Fortuna er al., 1979) wh ereas in adults the principal sires are the fourth ven t ricle a nd lat era l vent ricles, more ra rely the third ventr icle and cerebellopont ine angle. The c1i nical signs an d sympto ms ar e usua lly nonsp ecific: generic signs of increased intracr ania l pressur e, acco rnpan ied inconstant ly by cha nges in cerebrospina l fluid che mistry an d/o r localising signs (ara xia, nystagmu s, pyra mid al signs a nd so on). H ence the diagnosis is radio logical. Since these lesion s are, as a ru le, histo logically benign and radica l operation offers excellen t eha nees of long rer m eure with aeeepta ble mo rta lity, th e importa nce of timely diagnosis is obvio us.
We describe a simple locally CAT(0) classifying space for extra extra large type Artin groups (with all labels at least 5). Furthermore, when the Artin group is not dihedral, we describe a rank 1 periodic geodesic, thus proving that extra large type Artin groups are acylindrically hyperbolic. Together with Property RD proved by Ciabonu, Holt and Rees, the CAT(0) property implies the Baum-Connes conjecture for all XXL type Artin groups.
Analytic expressions for the D [yields] [infinity] limit previously evaluated for one- and two-electron diatomic molecules are compared with the familiar D = 3 potentials as functions of the internuclear distance R for H[sub 2][sup +], H[sub 2], HHe[sup +], and He[sub 2][sup 2+]. We find that the D = 3 potential can be obtained from the large-D limit simply by E[sub 3](R) = E[sub [infinity]](R)/G(R), to good approximation, where the function G(R) has the same form for the four molecules. Furthermore, 1. G(R) has a corresponding-states property; when reduced by two parameters, it becomes the same function for all four molecules, nearly proportional to x[sup 2]e[sup [minus]2x], with x the scaled internuclear distance. This suggests that the pseudoclassical D [yields] [infinity] limit may provide a useful reference for analysis of intermolecular potentials. 21 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab.
The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains dismal, although many advances in its clinical study have been made. It is important for tumor control to identify the factors that predispose patients to death. With new discoveries in cancer biology, the pathological and biological prognostic factors of HCC have been studied quite extensively. Analyzing molecular markers (biomarkers) with prognostic significance is a complementary method. A large number of molecular factors have been shown to associate with the invasiveness of HCC, and have potential prognostic significance. One important aspect is the analysis of molecular markers for the cellular malignancy phenotype. These include alterations in DNA ploidy, cellular proliferation markers (PCNA, Ki-67, Mcm2, MIB1, MIA, and CSE1L/CAS protein), nuclear morphology, the p53 gene and its related molecule MD M2, other cell cycle regulators (cyclin A, cyclin D, cyclin E, cdc2, p27, p73), oncogenes and their receptors (such as ras, c-myc, c-fms, HGF, c-met, and erb-B receptor family members), apoptosis related factors (Fas and FasL), as well as telomerase activity. Another important aspect is the analysis of molecular markers involved in the process of cancer invasion and metastasis. Adhesion molecules (E-cadherin, catenins, serum intercellular adhesion molecule-1, CD44 variants), proteinases involved in the degradation of extracellular matrix (MMP-2, MMP-9, uPA, uPAR, PAI), as well as other molecules have been regarded as biomarkers for the malignant phenotype of HCC, and are related to prognosis and therapeutic outcomes. Tumor angiogenesis is critical to both the growth and metastasis of cancers including HCC, and has drawn much attention in recent years. Many angiogenesis-related markers, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF), thrombospondin (TSP), angiogenin, pleiotrophin, and endostatin (ES) levels, as well as intratumor microvessel density (MVD) have been evaluated and found to be of prognostic significance. Body fluid (particularly blood and urinary) testing for biomarkers is easily accessible and useful in clinical patients. The prognostic significance of circulating DNA in plasma or serum, and its genetic alterations in HCC are other important trends. More attention should be paid to these two areas in future. As the progress of the human genome project advances, so does a clearer understanding of tumor biology, and more and more new prognostic markers with high sensitivity and specificity will be found and used in clinical assays. However, the combination of some items, i.e., the pathological features and some biomarkers mentioned above, seems to be more practical for now.
Dysfunction of the cardiac sodium channel Nav1.5 (encoded by the SCN5A gene) is associated with arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. SCN5A mutations associated with long QT syndrome type 3 (LQT3) lead to enhanced late sodium current and consequent action potential (AP) prolongation. Internalization and degradation of Nav1.5 is regulated by ubiquitylation, a post-translational mechanism that involves binding of the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2 to a proline-proline-serine-tyrosine sequence of Nav1.5, designated the PY-motif. We investigated the biophysical properties of the LQT3-associated SCN5A-p.Y1977N mutation located in the Nav1.5 PY-motif, both in HEK293 cells as well as in newly generated mice harboring the mouse homolog mutation Scn5a-p.Y1981N. We found that in HEK293 cells, the SCN5A-p.Y1977N mutation abolished the interaction between Nav1.5 and Nedd4-2, suppressed PY-motif-dependent ubiquitylation of Nav1.5, and consequently abrogated Nedd4-2 induced sodium current (INa) decrease. Nevertheless, homozygous mice harboring the Scn5a-p.Y1981N mutation showed no electrophysiological alterations nor changes in AP or (late) INa properties, questioning the in vivo relevance of the PY-motif. Our findings suggest the presence of compensatory mechanisms, with additional, as yet unknown, factors likely required to reduce the “ubiquitylation reserve” of Nav1.5. Future identification of such modulatory factors may identify potential triggers for arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in the setting of LQT3 mutations.
The article discusses the features of industrial restructuring in Russia caused by crisis conditions. It is highlighted that the mechanism of adaptive management presupposes the development of the system of principles, approaches, techniques and trends adapting enterprises to environmental changes as well as a an anti-crisis plan. The authors present the key elements of the mechanism of adaptive management of enterprises including a system of principles, methods of adaptation, monitoring systems of the level of adaptation of individual companies, etc. The potential systems of indicators reflecting the level of adaptation of enterprises to changing conditions are analyzed.
Rise and decay transients of molecular orientation are simulated by computer for the enantiomers and racemic mixture of supercooled liquid fluorochloroacetonitrile. The rise transients are easily distinguishable in these three low temperature liquids and show a pronounced field dependence as predicted analytically by Morita from the Smoluchowski/Debye equation. An original result of this investigation is that the fall transients are accelerated considerably at constant temperature with respect to the equilibrium field-off orientational autocorrelation function. This is fundamental evidence for the use of non-linear Kramers equations for the description of molecular dynamics in the liquid state of matter at equilibrium.
Using the quantum Monte Carlo technique we compute thermodynamics and spectra for the orbitally degenerate Hubbard model in infinite spatial dimensions. With increasing orbital degeneracy we find in the one-particle spectra broader Hubbard bands (consistent with increased kinetic energy), a narrowing Mott gap, and increasing quasiparticle spectral weight. Hund{close_quote}s rule exchange coupling decreases the critical on-site Coulomb energy for the Mott transition. The metallic regime resistivity for twofold degeneracy is quadratic in temperature at low temperatures. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
The text invests in the ethnography of school scenes, a method that references cultural ethnography. The scenes was collected in public schools in Porto Alegre between 2008 and 2013 in an attempt to surprise the emergence and direction given to issues related mainly to sexuality, but without fail to understand its contours gender. Matter content of the dialogue scenes with some markers that opened the field of sexuality studies in the first half of the last century, particularly as expressed by authors Kinsey, Masters & Johnson, Hite, Hirschfeld & Ellis. As the critical discourse of the founding of the field of studies on sexuality resource, we make use of some works and themes problematized by Foucault. The text track a path that consists of three sections. In the first, we present some aspects of the emergence of sexuality as a field of knowledge, but also as a field of political dispute. Naming some elements, we seek to problematize the constitution of this field of research on sexuality in particular in Western scientific thought on the idea of reason and science, and in close connection with health and biology. In a second section collects some school scenes showing the confrontation between "normal" and "deviant" or "different" in conflict with the norm. In the third section, some recommendations are made to work with the theme of sexuality in the school environment, seeking to bring it to the part of the school and worthy of being in the curricula alongside other issues already canonical knowledge.
Many biopharmaceuticals (BPs) are known to be immunogenic in the clinic, which can result in modified pharmacokinetics, reduced efficacy, allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. During recent years, several technologies to predict immunogenicity have been introduced, but the predictive value is still considered low. Thus, there is an unmet medical need for optimization of such technologies. The generation of T cell dependent high affinity anti-drug antibodies plays a key role in clinical immunogenicity. This study aimed at developing and evaluating a novel in vitro T cell:PBMC assay for prediction of the immunogenicity potential of BPs. To this end, we assessed the ability of infliximab (anti-TNF-α), rituximab (anti-CD20), adalimumab (anti-TNF-α) and natalizumab (anti-α4-integrin), all showing immunogenicity in the clinic, to induce a CD4+ T cells response. Keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and cytomegalovirus pp65 protein (CMV) were included as neo-antigen and recall antigen positive controls, respectively. By analyzing 26 healthy donors having HLA-DRB1 alleles matching the European population, we calculated the frequency of responding donors, the magnitude of the response, and the frequency of BP-specific T cells, as measured by 3[H]-thymidine incorporation and ELISpot IL-2 secretion. KLH and CMV demonstrated a strong T cell response in all the donors analyzed. The frequency of responding donors to the BPs was 4% for infliximab, 8% for adalimumab, 19% for rituximab and 27% for natalizumab, which is compared to and discussed with their respective observed clinical immunogenicity. This study further complements predictive immunogenicity testing by quantifying the in vitro CD4+ T cell responses to different BPs. Even though the data generated using this modified method does not directly translate to the clinical situation, a high sensitivity and immunogenic potential of most BPs is demonstrated.
ABSTRACT Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are some of nature’s most important contributions to people in mountain regions and their provision is increasingly affected by climate change. Here, we identify the types of NTFPs and their contributions to people in the mountain communities of the Upper Madi Watershed of Nepal and describe how these are being impacted by climate change. We used a field-based household survey supplemented with key informant interviews to collect quantitative and qualitative data on their use of NTFPs and perceptions of recent climate change impacts. Our results show that mountain communities accrue multiple benefits from NTFPs including provisioning services (fuelwood, food, fodder, bamboo products, fiber, agricultural tools, and medicines) and cultural services (ornaments, and ritual products). Most NTFPs are used for subsistence but some also have market value. Locals perceived climate change to be impacting NTFPs and their benefits to people, in particular via increases in extreme events such as hailstorms and pest plant invasion. Understanding the contributions of NTFPs to people and the impacts of climate change is crucial for supporting policymakers, stakeholders, and practitioners in designing and implementing adaptation strategies for the continued supply, protection, and management of NTFPs in mountain communities.
P. oleracea L. contains high level of nutrients and biologically active compounds. Recently, lactic fermentation has been proposed as a biotechnological option to enrich the profile of biogenic compounds of Portulaca oleracea L. puree. This study investigated the capability of fermentation by selected lactic acid bacteria to enhance the restoring features of Portulaca oleracea juice towards intestinal inflammation and epithelial injury. Lactic acid fermentation markedly increased the total antioxidant capacity of P. oleracea juice, preserved the inherent levels of vitamins C, A, and E, and increased the bioavailability of the level of vitamin B2 and that of phenolics. The effects of fermented P. oleracea juice on a Caco-2 cell line were investigated using an in vitro model closest to the in vivo conditions. Fermented P. oleracea juice strongly decreased the levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and reactive oxygen species. It also counteracted the disruption of the Caco-2 cell monolayers treated with the inflammatory stimulus. We used a diversified spectrum of lactic acid bacteria species, and some effects appeared to be strains- or species-specific. Fermentation with Lactobacillus kunkeei B7 ensured the best combination for the content of bioactive compounds and the ability to counteract the intestinal inflammation and epithelial injury.
Self heating during long-term DC-aging is found to be responsible for the degradation of the electrical and optical characteristics of blue p-GaN/p-AlGaN/InGaN/n+-GaN/SiC LEDs. Electroluminescence and Cathodoluminescence studies reveal an additional large optical band, not observed in unstressed devices, on the p-type side of the LEDs. Deconvolution procedures shows the band, peaked at about 3.1 eV, is due to three main emissions at 2.93, 3.08 and 3.23 eV. Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy reveals the presence of four traps for majority carriers in p-type GaN. A comparison with the optical spectra suggests three of them (at 0.12, 0.22 and about 0.5 eV) are responsible for the additional emissions after stress, while a further trap at 1.21 eV is considered non-radiative in nature. A thermally activated mechanism inducing the dissociation of native Mg-H complexes and the subsequent formation of metastable Mg-H 2 complexes is considered responsible for the LED degradation. The hypothesis is supported by high power electron beam irradiation during Cathodoluminescence studies which induced a complete disappearance of the band at 3.1 eV as a consequence of the dissociation under energetic electron beam of the metastable Mg-H 2 complexes.
This research aims to enhance the understanding of the relationship between management quality and workforce quality on organizational performance. Self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data to measure the constructs of variables. The target population of this study was the management level employees at one of the foremost engineering company in Sri Lanka. A sample of 104 employees were randomly selected for interviews comprising of the all three levels of top, middle and lower levels of management and few customers were randomly selected to measure their level of satisfaction of the services offered, to illustrate the organisational performance. The study applied quantitaive method and regression analysis to analyze data. Findings show that there is a significant positive relationship between workforce quality and orgnizaional performance as well as management quality and organizational performance.
In the field of upper-limb myoelectric prosthesis control, the use of statistical and machine learning methods has been long proposed as a means of enabling intuitive grip selection and actuation. Recently, this paradigm has found its way toward commercial adoption. Machine learning-based prosthesis control typically relies on the use of a large number of electrodes. Here, we propose an end-to-end strategy for multi-grip, classification-based prosthesis control using only two sensors, comprising electromyography (EMG) electrodes and inertial measurement units (IMUs). We emphasize the importance of accurately estimating posterior class probabilities and rejecting predictions made with low confidence, so as to minimize the rate of unintended prosthesis activations. To that end, we propose a confidence-based error rejection strategy using grip-specific thresholds. We evaluate the efficacy of the proposed system with real-time pick and place experiments using a commercial multi-articulated prosthetic hand and involving 12 able-bodied and two transradial (i.e., below-elbow) amputee participants. Results promise the potential for deploying intuitive, classification-based multi-grip control in existing upper-limb prosthetic systems subject to small modifications.
Reprogramming the applicative behaviour of distributed sensor networks is becoming a more and more important ability in real-working monitoring applications to include new functionalities or modify the existing ones. Several approaches for reprogramming have been presented in the literature suggesting efficient reprogramming mechanisms. The aim of this paper is to address a problem that received less attention in the scientific community: minimizing the reprogramming effects on the applications running at the networks nodes. This issue is of paramount importance in complex distributed monitoring systems, where the network's behaviour is characterized by several (possibly concurrent) applications running at nodes. This paper suggests a novel reprogramming paradigm, called GINGER, designed to minimize the reprogramming effects on the nodes of distributed sensor networks. Critical aspects, advantages and open points are deeply described and critically commented.
AC conductivity, dielectric constant, loss and electric modulus of Sodium nitrate system have been studied in the frequency range from 1Hz to 10MHz and in the temperature range from 303 K to 563 K by employing impedance spectroscopy. The frequency dependent ac conductivity follows Jonscher’s universal power law. Dimensionless frequency exponent (n), dispersion parameter (A) are determined. The change over frequency independent conductivity to frequency dependent conductivity at all temperatures shows the relaxation mechanism. The variation of real part of dielectric constant with frequency shows strong dispersion at low frequencies and saturation at high frequencies. The presence of peaks in the frequency plots of dielectric loss, imaginary parts of impedance and modulus are attributed to the relaxation processes. It is also confirmed by the temperature dependence study of real part of dielectric constant. The activation energy from relaxation processes and conductivity has been evaluated.
Biomedical engineering is one of the promising disciplines in engineering that deals with technology advancement in human health. Osteoporosis is a common metabolic disease categorized by decreased bone mass and increased liability to fractures. Bone densitometry is a broad term comprising the art and science of measuring the bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) of particular skeletal sites or the whole body. There are various methods to measure bone mineral density which differs based on the differential absorption of ionizing radiation or the sound waves. The methods are SPA (Single Photon Absorptiometry), DPA (Dual Photon Absorptiometry), SEXA (Single Energy X ray Absorptiometry), DEXA (Dual Energy X ray Absorptiometry), QCT (Quantitative Computed Tomography), QUS (Quantitative Ultra Sound) and RA (Radiographic absorptiometry). The DEXA test can measure the whole body but usually the lower spine and hips. A major disadvantage of DEXA is that currently there is a lack of standardization in bone and soft tissue measurements. Furthermore, for a given manufacturer, results may vary by the model of the instrument, the mode of operation or the version of the software used to analyze the data. In addition to that, DEXA scan images are only for the confirmation of correct positioning of the patient and correct placement of the regions of interest (ROI). Motivated by the above issues, this paper can pave a way for analysis in the measurement of BMD, measurement of T-score, and Z-score from the DEXA scan images. This proposed methodology includes segmentation algorithms such as k means clustering & mean –shift algorithm and comparison of the accuracy of algorithms. Also in addition, a novel mathematical analysis is also proposed to measure the T–score values in DEXA images with a new parameter ‘S’ from BMD values in order to detect the osteoporosis condition accurately.
Thia paper presents new filtering and smoothing algorithms for discrete non-linear time-delayed systems with multi-channel delayed measurement signals embedded in both the coloured noise sequence and the correlated message and measurement noise processes. The derivation assumes that the smoothing estimator introduces new data in a linear additive fashion and makes use of the matrix minimum principle to minimise the error variance cost functional. The numerical example simulated indicates that the two-stage estimation algorithm developed in this paper does not have the narrow bandwidth problem, this is due to the dynamics of its two-stage operation.
Background: Immune-mediated neuropathies represent a significant portion of cases encountered by neurologists. The scope of responsive neuropathies, the extent of response to plasmapheresis and its predictors varies widely. Objective: To recognize predictors of response to plasmapheresis in autoimmune-neuropathies. Patients and Methods: Seventy-six subjects; 61 Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) patients and 15 chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) patients were recruited and evaluated using Medical Research Council sum score (MRCSS) and Modified Neuropathy Disability Score (NDS); on admission, 2 weeks and 3 months after six session of plasmapheresis. Different clinical, laboratory and neurophysiological variables were evaluated as possible predictors of response. Results: Of 61GBS patients, after 3 months, 41% (n=25) of them were poor-responders to plasmapheresis (<50% increase in MRCSS), and 59% (n=36) were good-responders. Older age, higher MRCSS on admission, lower NDS on admission, cyto-albuminous dissociation, electro-physiological evidence of axonal nerve affection and low NLR were predictors for poor response to plasmapheresis in GBS patients. Of 15 CIDP patients, after 3 months, 53.3% (n=8) of them were poor-responders to plasmapheresis (< 30% increase in MRCSS), and 46.7% (n=7) were good-responders. Higher MRCSS on admission, low CMAP amplitude, low MCV and long time between onset of the health problem and start of plasmapheresis were predictors for poor response to plasmapheresis in CIDP patients. Conclusion: Response to plasmapheresis in autoimmune neuropathies is variables and depends on several factors that can predict it.
Abstract A two-electron aromatic bis (tris-trimethylsilylmethylene)-substituted tetraborane(4) was found to be a useful precursor for the synthesis of two-electron aromatic tetraboranes(6), triboracyclopropanates,as well as tetraboranes(6) distorted toward triboracyclopropanates with boryl bridges. Bishomo two-electron aromatics with a borata bridge and a protonated borata bridge, respectively, are also presented.
This paper reports a study of ongoing social activities at a petrol station. Petrol stations constitute a nexus for mobility. Through ethnographic observations the author tests how the continuous flow of vehicles, commodities, money, and people are sustained and made accountable. The fieldwork demonstrates that, despite its transitory character, the petrol station offers a wide spectrum of ‘duration of stay’. The station was used while being-on-the-way as well as providing a possibility to disembark from automobility, that is, being-off-the-way. However, the most important finding is that the station tends to mobility, from the production and recognition of fluency, the constant negotiation and articulation work of situations, to continuous maintenance and repair of movement. Accomplishing a flow of people, vehicles, money, and commodities is a complex and delicate task requiring subtle negotiation between staff and visitors as well as among visitors themselves. A negotiation supported and hampered by available materialities of the place.
When converting diesel engines to run on natural gas on the gas-diesel cycle, additional problems arise associated with the high thermal stress of the exhaust valves and valve seats at high loads and engine speeds. There is also an increase in NOx emissions due to higher combustion temperatures of natural gas. One of the ways to improve the economic and environmental performance of engines operating on a gas-diesel cycle with a lean air-fuel mixture is to optimize the combustion of the air-fuel mixture by using an exhaust gas recirculation system (EGR). The principle of operation of this system is as follows: exhaust gas entering the intake manifold and further into the combustion chamber reduces the oxygen concentration in the air-fuel mixture, which leads to a dilution effect and, accordingly, to a decrease in combustion temperature and a decrease in NOx content. In order to study the influence of EGR on the dual-fuel gas and diesel engine parameters in the AVL Boost software package, a computer model of the existing 6ChN13/15 engine was developed. A low-pressure EGR system with an exhaust gas cooler was simulated on this engine. Values of NOx emissions, brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and brake efficiency have been obtained at different recirculation rate by calculation method. These values allow to estimate the feasibility of using a cooled EGR in a natural gas-fueled diesel engine.
Fermi/GBM (Gamma-ray Burst Monitor) and INTEGRAL (the International Gamma-ray Astrophysics Laboratory) reported the detection of the γ-ray counterpart, GRB 170817A, to the LIGO (Light Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory)/Virgo gravitational wave detected binary neutron star merger, GW 170817. GRB 170817A is likely to have an internal jet or another origin such as cocoon emission, shock-breakout, or a flare from a viscous disc. In this paper we assume that the γ-ray emission is caused by energy dissipation within a relativistic jet and we model the afterglow synchrotron emission from a reverse and forward shock in the outflow. We show the afterglow for a low-luminosity γ-ray burst (GRB) jet with a high Lorentz factor (Γ); a low-Γ and low-kinetic-energy jet; a low-Γ, high-kinetic-energy jet; structured jets viewed at an inclination within the jet-half-opening angle; and an off-axis ‘typical’ GRB jet. All jet models will produce observable afterglows on various time-scales. The late-time afterglow from  10 to 110 d can be fitted by a Gaussian structured jet viewed at a moderate inclination, however the GRB is not directly reproduced by this model. These jet afterglow models can be used for future gravitational wave detected neutron star merger counterparts with a jet afterglow origin.
Introduction Approximately 200 million people worldwide are affected by arsenic toxicity emanating from the consumption of drinking water containing inorganic arsenic above the prescribed maximum contaminant level. The current investigation deals with the role of prenatal arsenic exposure in modulating the gut microbial community and functional pathways of the host. Method 16S rRNA-based next-generation sequencing was carried out to understand the effects of in utero 0.04 mg/kg (LD) and 0.4 mg/kg (HD) of arsenic exposure. This was carried out from gestational day 15 (GD-15) until the birth of pups to understand the alterations in bacterial diversity. Results The study focused on gestational exposure to arsenic and the altered gut microbial community at phyla and genus levels, along with diversity indices. A significant decrease in firmicutes was observed in the gut microbiome of mice treated with arsenic. Functional analysis revealed that a shift in genes involved in crucial pathways such as insulin signaling and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease pathways may lead to metabolic diseases in the host. Discussion The present investigation may hypothesize that in utero arsenic exposure can perturb the gut bacterial composition significantly as well as the functional pathways of the gestationally treated pups. This research paves the way to further investigate the probable mechanistic insights in the field of maternal exposure environments, which may play a key role in epigenetic modulations in developing various disease endpoints in the progeny.
A new series of pyrene-based, pure-blue, fluorescent, stable monomers, namely 2,7-di-tert-butyl-4,5,9,10-tetrakis(p-R-phenylethynyl)pyrenes, have been successfully synthesised by Pd/Cu-catalysed Sonogashira coupling in excellent yield. The cruciform-shaped, π-conjugated structures were fully characterised by 1H/13C NMR and IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. As revealed from single-crystal X-ray analysis, there is a herringbone pattern between stacked columns, but the π-π stacking distance of adjacent pyrene units was not especially short at about 5.82 A due to the introduction of the two bulky tBu groups in the pyrene rings at the 2- and 7-positions. The photophysical properties of these monomers were carefully examined in different organic solvents, and these data strongly indicate their promising application as blue-emitting materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).
In this article, Walter Parker brings structure and agency to the foreground of the current tumult of public schooling in the United States. He focuses on three structures that are serving as rules and resources for creative agency. These are a discourse of derision about failing schools, a broad mobilization of multiculturalism, and an enduring nationalism. Drawing on Anthony Giddens's structuration theory, Parker examines how these discourses figure in redefining school reform, redefining school curricula, and requiring schools once again to serve nationalistic purposes.
We present herein a novel blind channel estimator for multicarrier (MC) systems in the presence of unmodeled narrowband interference. A generalized multi-channel minimum variance principle is invoked to design an equalizing filterbank that preserves desired signal components and suppresses the overall interference. While a channel estimate can be obtained by maximizing the filterbank output power through multi-dimensional nonlinear searches, such an approach is computationally prohibitive and suffers local convergence. To overcome this difficulty, an asymptotically (in SNR) tight lower bound on the filterbank output power is derived and used for channel estimation, which reduces to a quadratic minimization problem. The proposed scheme is shown to compare favorably with a subspace blind channel estimator in the presence of unknown narrowband interference.
In order to understand the molecular mechanism of heterosis of reproduction traits in chickens, we used the quantitative real-time reverse transcriptional polymerase chain reaction (Quantitative real-time RT-PCR) technique to investigate the differential expression of estrogen receptor (ESR) and follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) genes in 32-week-old ovaries of inbred chickens and their hybrid offspring in 4x4 diallel crosses, which involved White Plymouth Rock (E), CAU Brown (D), Silkies (C) and White Leghorn (A). We found that there were significant differences in mRNA expression of ESR and FSHR genes not only between hybrids and their parental lines (p<0.01), but also among different crosses (p<0.01). Furthermore, positive correlations between differential expression of both ESR and FHSR in hybrids and heterosis percentages of 32-week-old and 42-week-old egg number traits were significant at p<0.05. Our results suggested that differential expression of ESR and FSHR genes in the ovaries of inbred chickens and their hybrids could play roles in the formation of heterosis of egg number traits to some extent.
Block kriging (BK) is a common method of predicting the true value at the pixel scale when validating remote sensing retrieval products. However, measurement errors (MEs) increase the prediction uncertainty. In this letter, an extended interpolation technique - BK with MEs (BKMEs) - is developed. The properties of BKME are proven through derivation and demonstrated in a case study of soil moisture (SM) upscaling. Three prediction scenarios - one without MEs (BK), BK with homogeneous MEs (BKHOME), and BK with heterogeneous MEs (BKHEME) - are considered for the upscaling of SM data observed by a distributed wireless sensor network, and the results are compared. Both BK and BKHOME yield the same upscaling results, which differ from those of BKHEME, and the prediction results of BKHEME show less bias than those of the other scenarios. Because both BKHOME and BKHEME consider MEs, their prediction results show smaller kriging variances than do the BK results. Three primary conclusions are drawn. The first is that the optimal kriging coefficients assigned to the observations are affected not only by spatial distance but also by the MEs when the MEs of the samples are unequal. The second is that when the MEs are equal, it may not be necessary to consider the MEs to predict the value for an unobserved location. The third is that although the prediction uncertainty can be reduced by considering MEs, it is more meaningful to consider unequal MEs than equal MEs in the prediction process. BKME is an advanced upscaling method that achieves improved prediction accuracy by considering MEs.
The simultaneous liquid-phase synthesis of 2-ethoxy-2-methylpropane (ETBE) and 2-ethoxy-2-methylbutane (TAEE) has been studied over fifteen commercial acidic ion-exchange resins. Kinetic experiments were carried out in a batch reactor at T = 335 K and initial molar ratios of alcohol to olefins (R°A/O) and between olefins (R°C4/C5) of 1.1 and 1, respectively. The catalytic activity, measured as intrinsic initial etherification rates, has been found to decrease in the order: Amberlyst™ 35 > Amberlyst™ 48 > Purolite® CT-275 > Amberlyst™ 15 > Purolite® CT-175 > Amberlyst™ 40 > Amberlyst™ 36 > Amberlyst™ 16 > Purolite® CT-482 > Amberlyst™ 39 > Amberlyst™ DT > Amberlyst™ 45 > Purolite® CT-124 > Purolite® MN-500 > Amberlyst™ 46. This catalytic activity rank is related to the morphological properties of the resins in both dry and swollen states. The ratio of acid capacity to specific volume of the swollen polymer has been found to be the main catalyst properties that determine their activity: the higher the ratio, the higher the activity.
State-dependent channels have received much attention over the years, due to their relevance in many different network and multi-user communication scenarios. Nonetheless, previous treatments of this problem assumed that all of the state is available in the same manner: causally, non-causally or non-causally with a finite look-ahead. Yet, in many realistic situations, different parts of the state are known in a different manner. We consider the case where the state is composed of several parts, where each part is known with a different look-ahead. Specifically, we derive the capacity for the case where part of the state is known non-causally to the transmitter, whereas the other part is known only causally, and demonstrate that there are cases in which this capacity can be strictly larger that the capacity of the case where the state is known in a causal fashion, and strictly smaller than the capacity of the same channel, where the state is available non-causally. We note that the treatment in this work provides a unified framework for treating the causal state-information case, the non-causal state-information case, as well as a mixture of the two.
The objective of the study was to examine the effect of inulin level, in regard to its degree of polymerisation (DP), on microbial activity and mucosal immune system of the large intestine of pigs. A total of 56 castrated male piglets (PIC × Penarlan P76) were allocated to seven groups and fed from the 10th day of life cereal-based diets without the addition of inulin or with 1%, 2% or 3% of inulin with an average DP of 10 (IN10) or 23 (IN23). Pigs were sacrificed at the age of 50 days. Feeding IN10 diets increased fructan concentration in the large intestine compared with IN23 diets, but did not affect microbial activity, except for digesta pH and mucinase activity in the middle colon, which were greater at the 1% level compared with the control group and other IN10 diets, respectively. The concentration of secretory immunoglobulin A in the caecum and middle colon was reduced by the 1% IN10 diet compared with the control group. Pigs fed the 2% IN23 diet had a higher butyric acid concentration in the caecum and proximal colon and greater isoacid concentrations in the middle and distal colon in comparison to the control. Dietary level of IN23 did not affect secretory immunoglobulin A concentration but the count of caecal intraepithelial lymphocytes was higher in pigs on the 1% IN23 diet than on the control diet. Neither IN10 nor IN23 diets affected populations of Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus spp. In conclusion, the effects of inulin in the large intestine of pigs depended on dietary level and DP. IN23 increased short-chain fatty acid production at the 2% level and slightly activated mucosal immune status at the 1% level.
Stellated metal nanostructures are a class of plasmonic colloids in which large electric field enhancements can occur at their sharp tips, making them excellent candidates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy (SE-IRS) platforms. Shape-dependent rules for convex polyhedra such as cubes, nanorods, or octahedra exist, which describe far-field scattering and near-field enhancements. However, such rules are lacking for their concave counterparts, which include stellated structures. Here, the optical response of stellated Au nanocrystals with Oh, D4h, D3h, C2v, and Td symmetry were modeled to systematically investigate the role of symmetry, branching, and particle orientation with respect to excitation source using finite difference time domain (FDTD) calculations. Furthermore, these results are compared to experimentally obtained localized surface plasmon bands determined by UV–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy for ensembles of similarly shaped metallic nanostru...
This report describes how teachers support ninth-grade students who are doing scientific investigations in Natural Sciences in South African schools. This is of interest as allowing students to participate in inquiry-based investigations is a significant shift from traditional practices. It presents a new challenge to teachers as it signals an opportunity to shift from a teacher-centred to a student-centred approach in practical inquiry. The research study adopted a mixed methodology research design that involved the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data were collected by means of questionnaires that were administered to 55 teachers. Qualitative data were collected by means of five classroom observations of student investigations and in-depth teacher interviews. The analysis of all the data revealed that teachers believe in providing support and not allowing learners to discover for themselves when participating in investigations. Teachers use a number of support strategies depending on the stage of the investigation. Based on these findings, a learning progression of teacher support for increasing learner autonomy was formulated which teachers can use in guiding them in the use of appropriate support strategies as they shift students towards greater autonomy in doing investigations.
Change detection is one of the several important problems in the design of any automated video surveillance system. Appropriate selection of frames of significant changes can minimize the communication and processing overheads for such systems. This research presents the design of a VLSI architecture for change detection in a video sequence and its implementation on Virtex-IIPro FPGA platform. Clustering-based scheme is used for change detection. The proposed system is designed to meet the real-time requirements of video surveillance applications. It robustly detects the changes in a video stream in real time at 25 frames per second (fps) in gray scale CIF size video.
bility. Yet, by focusing on prevention and remedy, they have proposed a treaty that could go far to improve both corporate conduct and corporate accountability. Many aspects of the drafts need refinement in both concept and language. All will be the subject of advocacy for stronger provisions by civil society organizations and for weaker terms by business. The negotiation process will likely take years. In the end, states will decide whether to adopt the treaty and optional protocol, and later, whether to ratify them and, still later, whether to enforce them seriously. Especially at the negotiation stage, and, if reached, the adoption and ratification stages, all parties will benefit from the wealth of information and analysis in Building a Treaty.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of astragalus polysaccharides (APSs), active constituents of astragalus, in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and their potential as a promising candidate for future anticancer drug development. Astragalus polysaccharide was administered at different doses to HCC H22-bearing mice to investigate their antitumor effects. Results revealed that APS inhibited the growth of H22 cells with a tumor inhibition rate in the APS 400 mg·kg−1 group of 59.01%. Astragalus polysaccharides significantly increased the spleen and thymus indexes, and also the interleukin (IL) 2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α cytokine concentration in serum, indicating that APS influences immune-regulating properties involved in antitumor activity. In addition, APS increased Bax protein expression and decreased Bcl-2 protein expression; these proteins are apoptosis-regulating factors responsible for cell death or survival. Further development and exploration of APS may enable it to become an effective clinical agent for liver cancer therapy.
This study examines resistance by the managers of large Finnish metal corporations to management ideas that do not conform to the prevailing corporate culture and managers' understanding of corporation traditions. The data consist of the personnel magazines of the corporations and interviews of their current and former top managers. The findings suggest that management ideas focusing on social relations within workplaces were deemed foreign and therefore unrealistic and inefficient. Resistance was particularly strong against the management ideas that were labelled ‘soft’, as they were perceived to be imposed on the organization and in juxtaposition with the prevailing corporate culture and its traditional values. Resistance seemed to serve as a means of maintaining and restoring a historically prominent masculine corporate culture that was represented as culturally rooted and authentic. The article reveals that it is essential to take corporate history and corporate culture into account when studying the adoption of management ideas on an organizational level.
Channeling and transmission electron microscopy have been used to investigate the parameters that govern the extent of damage in ion‐implanted GaAs and the crystal quality following capless furnace annealing at low temperature (∼400 °C). The implantation‐induced disorder showed a strong dependence on the implanted ion mass and on the substrate temperature during implantation. When the implantation produced a fully amorphous surface layer the main parameter governing the regrowth was the amorphous thickness. Formation of microtwins after annealing was observed when the initial amorphous layer was thicker than 400 A. Also, the number of extended residual defects after annealing increased linearly with the initial amorphous thickness and extrapolation of that curve predicts good regrowth of very thin (<400 A) GaAs amorphous layers produced by ion implantation. A model is presented to explain the observed features of the low‐temperature annealing of GaAs.
The education sector is constantly progressing its competency paradigm by establishing a nexus between practical, theoretical, and technical dimensions of teaching and learning. In the modern age of education, hackathons are becoming increasingly prominent in providing an optimal academic environment that connects classroom learnings to real‐life scenarios. This study explored the motivational orientation behind student participation in hackathons through the framework provided by self‐determination theory. Specifically, it investigated the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in encouraging initial and continuous hackathon participation. The partial least squares‐structural equation modeling method was used to analyze data collected from 437 students in 12 countries. According to the findings, although intrinsic motivation influences participation intention, extrinsic motivation drives continuance participation. When intrinsic and extrinsic motivational constructs were analyzed individually, it was found that continuance participation demands both motivational orientations. Comparisons of demographic characteristics indicate that older students with more extensive educational experience may have higher intentions to participate and continue participating in these events. This study offers insights into how the education sector can increase hackathon participation by tapping on students’ motivational orientation. From a methodological point of view, it is apparent to recommend the promotion of hackathons as a core extracurricular activity at a school level, and more indispensably, as pedagogy at a classroom level. In a world where students are encouraged to fail early, fast, and often, participating in hackathons is a tactical preparation for eventual success.
Abstract:ABSTRACTFloral imagery plays a major role in Minoan art, and the crocus has long been recognized as an important motif. Previous studies, however, have been narrowly focused on specific materials or interpretations, thereby obscuring the richness of crocus iconography and its meanings. This article presents a detailed survey of the crocus in Aegean art from the Early Bronze Age to Mycenaean times, exploring the diversity and development of the motif across different media and reassessing possible explanations for its importance. A complex world of floral symbolism is revealed, in which the polysemic crocus functions as a key element in Minoan identity.
Purpose Flat panel detector (FD)-equipped angiography machines are increasingly used for neuro-angiographic imaging. During intracranial stent-assisted coil embolization procedures, it is very important to clearly and quickly visualize stent shape after deployment in the vessel. It is necessary to quickly visualize stents by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). The aim of this study was to compare CBCTs at 10 and 20 s, and to confirm that this method is useful for neuro-endovascular treatment procedures. Materials and methods We treated 30 patients with wide-necked intracranial aneurysms with a flexible, self-expanding neurovascular stent and subsequent aneurysm embolization with platinum micro-coils. We performed the CBCT after stent deployment. We compared the 10 s and 20 s CBCTs, using the full width one-half maximum (FWHM) visualization. Results Accurate stent placement with subsequent coil occlusion of the aneurysms was feasible in all patients. Stent struts were clearly visualized on both 10 s and 20 s CBCTs. Importantly, 10 s CBCT can reduce the radiation dose by about 42%, compared with 20 s CBCT. Performing 10 s CBCT with a 14% dilution of the contrast medium may significantly improve image acquisition during stent-assisted coil embolization. Conclusions Reduced-dose, 10 s CBCT can visualize stents in clinical cases, while significantly reducing radiation exposure.
Bioenergy future depends on an increased share of renewable energy, especially in developing countries. Bioconversion of lignocellulosic based biomass to ethanol is significantly hindered by the structural and chemical complexity of biomass, which makes these materials a challenge to be used as feed stocks for cellulosic ethanol production. Bioethanol is one of the most important alternative renewable energy sources that substitute the fossil fuels. Wastepaper has a content of cellulose and hemicelluloses, which make it suitable as fermentation substrate when hydrolyzed. The objective of this work is ethanol production from wastepaper by fermentation process. Eight laboratory experiments were conducted to produce bioethanol from wastepaper. By using Design Expert 7 software, it was formulated the dilute acid hydrolysis step to investigate the effects of hydrolysis parameters on yield of ethanol and optimum condition. All the three hydrolysis parameters were significant variables for the yield of ethanol. The optimum combinations of the three factors chosen for optimum ethanol yield 10.86 ml/50 g sample were 92.59°C hydrolysis temperature, 30 minutes hydrolysis time and 1%v/v acid concentration.
Fevers of unknown origin (FUO) in HIV/AIDS patients are due to the same infectious causes that are common in this subset of compromised hosts but manifest clinically as prolonged fevers. In North America, the most common etiologies of FUO in HIV/AIDS are due to intracellular pathogens, i.e., disseminated Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), fungi or cytomegalovirus. Worldwide, leishmaniasis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis are the most important. Infections presenting as FUOs in the HIV population occur only in the late stages of illness when the CD4 count is < 100.
Abstract This paper considers the nature of lexical knowledge and its role in language and information processing. The lexicon is the central component of language and plays a pivotal role in current linguistic theory [3, 4] and, increasingly, in natural language processing systems [5-7]. The lexicon embodies information aboutthe lexical items ofthe language and serves as the foundation for morphologic, syntactic, and semantic processing. The differences as well as commonalities among dictionaries, thesauri, and lexicons are discussed, and distinctions between words, lexical items, and terms are drawn. Next, the scope and content ofthe SPECIALIST lexicon are presented, followed by a discussion of certain writing conventions that can be troublesome for text processing applications. One approach to handling orthographic and other lexical variation is discussed in a section that reports on the design and implementation of the SPECIALIST lexical programs. The paper concludes with a discussion of controlled terminologies for the medical domain. Throughout the discussion, examples are drawn from the SPECIALIST lexicon and from the other UMLS knowledge sources [8,9].
Abstract. The analysis of ocean surface waves are essential to ensure a safe and economical navigation. Since 2010, different onboard observation data from a bulk carrier have been colledted for 6 years, including high-risk shipping regions in the Southern Hemisphere with strong ocean currents. For four rough sea cases, high-resolution numerical simulations of ocean waves, including the effect of wave-current interaction on ship navigation, have been performed using the WAVEWATCH III model. The simulations considered the ocean surface wind force from the widely used grid point value database NCEP-FNL and ERA-Interim. Aimed at providing practical suggestions for safe navigation by avoiding possible high-risk ocean regions as well as the construction of a more effective and efficient optimum ship routing system, the model results were validated based on onboard observations, followed by discussions on the responses of ship motion and navigation to wave states at different levels. Finally, identification of the early warning criteria, including various operational ocean parameters, is provided for ballast and loaded ships sailing in rough seas.
Field studies were conducted to determine the relationships between soybean yield and foliar disease index (FDX) of sudden death syndrome (SDS) as well as root colonization by Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines, the causal agent. Single-row plots in a soybean field with relatively uniform SDS incidence and severity were identified at growth stage R6 on cultivar Pioneer 9492 in DeSoto, IL, in 1997 and 1998. For each plot, foliar disease index (FDX), yield, and yield components were determined. In 1997, linear relationships between yield (Y, grams per meter of row) and FDX were obtained from the wide-row (Y = 207.84 - 1.09 FDX) and narrow-row (Y = 126.66 - 0.745 FDX) plots, respectively. A linear relationship (Y = 124.23 - 1.11 FDX) also was observed in 1998. Increase in each FDX unit caused yield loss from 18 to 29 kg/ha (0.7 - 1.1 g/m of row). FDX was negatively correlated with seed weight (grams per plant) in both years and with seed size (grams per 100 seeds) in 1997. A no-tilled field at Southern Illinois University planted to soybean cultivar Asgrow 5403 was divided into 25 plots in 1997 and 40 plots in 1998. Root samples were taken from each plot at five or six sampling times during the seasons. Roots were used to isolate and enumerate F. solani f. sp. glycines on a selective medium to obtain the CFU. FDX was assessed and soybean yield was obtained from each plot. Soybean yield correlated negatively with FDX in both years. Both yield and FDX correlated significantly with CFU from slightly before growth stage R1 to R2 in both years, and with area under the pathogen population curve (AUPC) in 1997. An increase in one unit of AUPC or CFU per gram of root at R6 was associated with yield loss of 0.19 or 0.014%, respectively.
Aim: To study cerebral electrical activity and local regional oximetry during cardiopulmonary by-pass (CPB) and determine the periods of time in which the brain is at its most vulnerability. Setting: Neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary university-affiliated children's hospital. Methods: Prospective observational study of newborns with congenital heart disease needing surgical therapy on CBP. Regional cerebral oxymetry (CrSO2) with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS, INVOS) and amplitude integrated electroencephalography (aEEG, CFM Olympic) were continuously monitored. Results: 23 infants were studied. 19/23 underwent cardiac surgery on CPB with deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA), 2 had selective cerebral perfusion (SCP), 4/23 did not need circulatory arrest. 70.6% presented critical electric activity during circulatory arrest (aEEG) and a rapid fall in cerebral oxymetry (CrSO2 < 40%) during CPB-DHCA. The electrical activity ceased when reentering cardiopulmonary bypass. In cases of CPB with SCP there was no critical electrical activity in the aEEG, nonetheless these patients had critical values of CrSO2 in the postoperative period. Electrical seizures occurred in 19/23 patients (82.6%). During anesthetic induction 2 patients presented seizures (8.7%), 12 (52.2%) during DHCA, 8 (34.8%) during modified ultrafiltration (MUF), 7 (30.4%) during re-warming and 4 (17.4%) during the postoperative period. Only 4 patients (17.4%) didn't have critical electrical activity at any time. Conclusions: Brain activity monitoring with aEEG allows us to identify seizures during CPB, which suggests an inadequate neuro-protection mostly during circulatory arrest. The combined use of aEEG and INVOS allows a rapid detection of high-risk situations for neurological injury and low cardiac output.
Simulation of rainfall over a region for long time-sequences can be very useful for planning and policy-making, especially in India where the economy is heavily reliant on monsoon rainfall. However, such simulations should be able to preserve known spatial and temporal characteristics of rainfall over India. General Circulation Models (GCMs) are unable to do so, and various rainfall generators designed by hydrologists using stochastic processes like Gaussian Processes are also difficult to apply over the highly diverse landscape of India. In this paper, we explore a series of Bayesian models based on conditional distributions of latent variables that describe weather conditions at specific locations and over the whole country. During parameter estimation from observed data, we use spatio-temporal smoothing using Markov Random Field so that the parameters learnt are spatially and temporally coherent. Also, we use a nonparametric spatial clustering based on Chinese Restaurant Process to identify homogeneous regions, which are utilized by some of the proposed models to improve spatial correlations of the simulated rainfall. The models are able to simulate daily rainfall across India for years, and can also utilize contextual information for conditional simulation. We use two datasets of different spatial resolutions over India, and focus on the period 2000--2015. We consider metrics to study the spatio-temporal properties of the simulations by the models, and compare them with the observed data to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the models.
Abstract Controlling the level of the extractable protein contents in a natural rubber latex is important to the sensitization of natural rubber latex products users. Allergies caused by latex products cause a serious problem in which the sweat removes proteins and allowing a skin contact causing allergic reactions. Calcium oxide from calcined chicken eggshells at 900 °C for 1 h was dissolved in 2M HCl (CaCl2) and used as the thickening agent in which it can modify the protein structure. The eggshells were characterized by the particle size analysis, the impedance analysis, simultaneous thermal analysis (STA), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR). Calcium chloride (CaCl2) interacts with the protein molecules and the solvent ions through the hydrogen bonding and the electrostatic interactions driving the extractable protein toward the film surface. Sodium dodecyl sulphate was used as the stabilizer in the natural rubber latex film formation. The extractable protein content...
The variational Riemann problem (VRP) is defined as the first variation of the solution to Riemann's initial-value problem, also known as the problem of breakup of an arbitrary discontinuity in a gas, when the initial data undergo small variations. We show that the solution to the VRP can be analytically obtained, provided that the solution to the baseline Riemann problem is known. This solution describes the interaction of two abutting parcels of small disturbances against the background of a given base flow and therefore can be efficiently implemented in numerical methods for aeroacoustics. When the spatial distribution of disturbances and base flow parameters are given at a time moment at mesh points of a computational grid, one can exactly determine the disturbance evolution for a short lapse of time by solving the VRP at mesh interfaces. This can then be applied to update disturbance values to a new time moment by using the standard finite-volume scheme. In other words, the VRP can be used in computational aeroacoustics in the similar way to the Riemann problem used in Godunov-type methods for computational fluid dynamics. The present paper elaborates on this idea and adopts the solution to the VRP as a building block for a finite-volume Godunov-type method for aeroacoustics.
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a powerful engineering tool that has different applications in the Petroleum Industry. In recent years, CFD has been used to analyze the complex 3D multiphase flow inside production separators. Due to changing reservoir conditions oil companies replace old internals with upgraded ones. In this study, a numerical simulation of the turbulent multiphase flow using the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) is used to assess the effects of the oil droplet size distribution on the oil carry-over in a production separator. Liquid droplet size distributions, meant to represent fine and coarse populations of oil droplets, were generated at the inlet of the separator within the range of sizes recommended in the literature for design purposes. The DPM model accounts for the key phenomena of droplets coalescence and breakup. Although the real case includes three phases, the present DPM simulations do not account for the water phase due to its negligible volume fraction and its prevailing gravitational settling compared to the carry-over effect. The new internals included; an inlet device known as Schoepentoeter, agglomerator, parallel-plates coalescer, and cyclonic mist extractor. Unlike many of the CFD studies reported in the literature, usually representing the internals by numerical models for simplicity, the internals of the separator were replicated with the maximum of geometrical details in this study. The present work was compared with field tests and previous numerical simulations using the Population Balance Model PBM. The PBM simulations considered the whole separator volume and the presence of three phases (gas, oil, water). The mean residence time obtained from the simulations agreed reasonably with some of the results published in the literature using semi-empirical formulas and experiments. The new internals were seen to promote droplet coalescence with minimal breakup. The new inlet device (Schoepentoeter), in particular, was found to contribute considerably to the coalescence of droplets and, hence, to separation.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Three experiments were conducted to examine effects of Buserelin, a potent agonist of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, on characteristics of ovarian follicles in cycling cows and heifers. In experiment 1, heifers were injected once with 10 micrograms Buserelin on Day 11, 12, or 13 of the estrous cycle (estrus = Day 0), or once with 20 micrograms of Buserelin on Day 12. Additionally, two groups were injected with a luteolytic dose of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) on Day 13 preceded with or without a Buserelin injection (10 micrograms) on Day 12. A control group did not receive a Buserelin injection. Ovaries were recovered and weighed after animals were slaughtered on Day 15. Follicle diameters were measured with calipers. Follicles for all experiments were classified as small (class 1: 3-5 mm diameter), medium (class 2: 6-9 mm), or large (class 3: greater than 9 mm). Heifers receiving only Buserelin had an increased number of medium-sized follicles compared to controls. Buserelin injection administered 24 h before PGF2 alpha reduced the decline in the average weight of the ovaries containing the corpus luteum (7.8 g for Buserelin before PGF2 alpha vs. 6.7 g for no Buserelin before PGF2 alpha). Buserelin pretreatment appeared to delay or prevent complete luteolysis by the injected PGF2 alpha. In experiment 2, 0, or 10 micrograms Buserelin was injected on Day 12 and follicle development was monitored by ultrasonography in situ from Day 12 to estrus. Follicles also were classified as clear or cloudy; cloudy was associated with flocculent material in the follicular fluid or with an indistinct follicular wall.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Primary formulation derivation indicates that the dimension of one existing centrifugal boiler circulation pump casing is too large. As great manufacture cost can be saved by dimension decrease, a numerical simulation research is developed in this paper on dimension decrease for annular casing of this pump with a specific speed equaling to 189, which aims at finding an appropriately smaller dimension of the casing while hydraulic performance and strength performance will hardly be changed according to the requirements of the cooperative company. The research object is one existing centrifugal pump with a diffuser and a semi-spherical annular casing, working as the boiler circulation pump for (ultra) supercritical units in power plants. Dimension decrease, the modification method, is achieved by decreasing the existing casing's internal radius (marked as "Ri0") while keeping the wall thickness. The research analysis is based on primary formulation derivation, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation and FEM (Finite Element Method) simulation. Primary formulation derivation estimates that a design casing's internal radius should be less than 0.75 Ri0. CFD analysis indicates that smaller casing with 0.75 Ri0 has a worse hydraulic performance when working at large flow rates and a better hydraulic performance when working at small flow rates. In consideration of hydraulic performance and dimension decrease, an appropriate casing's internal radius is determined, which equals to 0.875 Ri0. FEM analysis then confirms that modified pump casing has nearly the same strength performance as the existing pump casing. It is concluded that dimension decrease can be an economical method as well as a practical method for large pumps in engineering fields.
Research has shown that the memory characteristics questionnaire (MCQ) can be used to discriminate between ‘memories’ of perceived events and ‘memories’ of imagined events. The present study extended this research by examining the utility of the MCQ in distinguishing impossible memories (i.e., reports of an event a person could not have witnessed). Congruent with previous research, a considerable number of participants in both the pilot study (45%) and the main study (44%) were willing to report that they had seen a non-existent film of the car crash in which Diana, Princess of Wales was killed. The MCQ ratings of three groups of participants were therefore compared: (1) those who indicated that they had seen the non-existent film, (2) those who were asked to imagine having seen the film, and (3) a control group who were asked to rate their memory of when they first heard the news of the crash. The MCQ did not serve to distinguish impossible memories, but there were reliable differences on one of the MCQ subscales between those who imagined the film and controls. Furthermore, participants who reported that they had seen the film gave higher scores on the Self Monitoring scale. Implications are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
We propose a fully decentralized collaborative filtering approach that is self-organizing and operates in a distributed way. The relevances between downloading files (items) are stored locally at these items in so called item-based buddy tables and are updated each time that the items are downloaded. We then propose to use the language model to build recommendations for the different users based on the buddy tables of those items a user has downloaded previously. We have tested and compared our distributed collaborative filtering approach to centralized collaborative filtering and showed that it has similar performance. It is therefore a promising technique to facilitate recommendations in peer-to-peer networks.
The concept of atmospherics is discussed and redefined with service and product retailers in mind. A systematic aproach for investigating designed environment-behaviour relationships is then presented in the form of the indirect effects model. Utilizing techniques of design appraisal, measuring emotional states and service assessment, this model offers a framework for eliciting and evaluating the effects of the retail store or branch environment upon its users. To illustrate the approach and its practicality, the model is applied to the retail financial services sector, comparing the effects of modern and traditional-style bank branch designs upon customer opinions and behaviour. Preliminary analyses of over 2000 responses, from customers of eighteen different branches of five major UK banks involved in a survey, suggest that the modern styles have a more favourable impact on customers; some explanations for this outcome are offered. The direct implications of the approach and the value and use of the inf...
The basic principles of architecture are founded on the simple need for providing shelter from climate events. In the natural environment, man was searching for more comfort and preferences to adapt the environment to his presence, instead of adjusting to it. This process of evolution and the fast pace of technological rise in the past century resulted in man occupying the natural space for easier sharing conditions within society. Nevertheless, society is sharing this space with nature and architecture is producing something that becomes part of the environment itself. Can we share the built environment with nature? Instead of controlling and occupying the space, how do we connect, interact? What is the right way of prevention without designing obstacles? In vernacular architecture in many places in the world, the semi-outdoor space is an example of transition between the inside and the outside, between the nature and the building. The aim of this paper is to analyse the characteristics of the in-between space in the vernacular architecture and clarify its responses to climate and social conditions for the purpose of realizing the possibilities of sharing the space between the human and the natural environment. The research method conceives of recognizing architectural patterns in case studies of traditional houses in North Macedonia, which analysis shows few essential parameters, i.e. size, shape, enclosure/edges, orientation, use/occupancy, linkages, layers, cycles… By labelling and making cross-references, the connection between the environmental and social influence on the architectural elements is identified. The observed results promote one way of managing how we can make beautiful architecture by learning from the past.
Abstract Several different types of measurements of particle size and concentration were compared during the 2016 Airborne Research Instrumentation Testing Opportunity (ARISTO) campaign. The scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) measured number-size distributions for mobility diameters between ∼20–350 and ∼8–110 nm, depending on the mobility analyzer chosen. Also included were two stand-alone condensation particle counters (CPC) for determining size-integrated particle concentrations. A wing-mounted and a rack-mounted Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS) were used to measure size distributions between 60 and 1000 nm. Lastly, two different sampling inlets were used to investigate performance and observe any systematic biases. Most sampling occurred during cloud-free summer conditions in the western United States. Number concentrations from the two CPCs typically agreed within 12% once the flows in the ultrafine particle counter were corrected as a function of pressure. As expected, the size-integrated number concentrations from the SMPS and UHSAS were generally less than those of the CPCs, as the former cover only part of the total range of particle sizes measured by the CPCs. Integrated number concentrations from the wing-mounted and rack-mounted UHSAS generally agreed within 20% for all diameter ranges analyzed. The overlap region between the SMPS and the UHSAS showed reasonable agreement of ±20%. Some of the uncertainty regarding these measurement comparisons originates from a variety of factors, including sampling frequency, particle refractive index, differences between physical and mobility diameters, and counting efficiency uncertainties in the UHSAS optical cavity, especially for the smallest diameters (60–100 nm). Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research
The Na+‐dependent glutamate transporter EAAT3 facilitates glutamate uptake into neurons as well as many other cell types. GTRAP3‐18 (JWA, Arl6ip5) is a novel protein that interacts with EAAT3 and negatively modulates EAAT3‐mediated glutamate uptake. Previous studies suggest that retinoic acid (RA) decreases Na+‐dependent glutamate uptake and increases GTRAP3‐18 protein expression. However, the RA used in those studies was complexed with methyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (MeβCD). In the present study we found that MeβCD, but not RA, significantly reduced Na+‐dependent EAAT3‐mediated [3H]glutamate uptake in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. MeβCD also significantly increased GTRAP3‐18 protein expression in HEK293 cells as well as in rat hypothalamic neuron cultures. Intracerebroventricular administration of MeβCD to the mouse brain resulted in a significant increase in GTRAP3‐18 immunoreactivity in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In conclusion, we have shown that MeβCD reduces EAAT3‐mediated glutamate uptake and induces the expression of GTRAP3‐18 protein.
The in vitro diffusion of a series of substituted acetanilides across the hamster cheek pouch was studied. The keratinized epithelial layer of the cheek pouch appeared to provide the major barrier to diffusion of these compounds. Linear relationships were found for plots of log epithelial permeability (Pe) versus the log of the octanol-buffer partition coefficient (PCoct; r = 0.712), and log Pe versus the log of the isooctane-buffer partition coefficient (PCiso; r = 0.869). Comparison of the in vitro data with in vivo data obtained in humans using the buccal absorption test showed good correlation (r = 0.878) between Pe and percent buccal absorption in 5 min. These results suggest that diffusion across the hamster cheek pouch may have some utility in the prediction of human buccal absorption.
INTRODUCTION Concussion is unique among sport-related injuries as effective clinical diagnosis and treatment often rely on symptom-report for clinician diagnosis and treatment. However, at-risk populations such as collegiate athletes and military academy cadets often have been shown to under-report concussions and symptoms, complicating diagnosis, treatment, and policy-based interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore factors influencing concussion reporting in United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadets.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted on 34 cadets (18 with concussion history; 16 without concussion history). This study was approved by the USAFA Institutional Review Board. Analysis included a five-cycle process of clarifying the topic at hand through an introduction, conducting a literature review, data collection and summarization, relating current findings to current literature, and making final interpretations. Data were summarized by creation of a codebook after reading five transcripts and identifying meaningful units. A four-person research team read and identified meaningful units individually, then met to discuss common meaningful units and codebook creation. Once the codebook was created, the lead researcher used the codebook to code all transcripts.   RESULTS Eight themes were generated from interview transcripts. This manuscript focuses on the perceived costs following a concussion theme and the following subthemes: perceived costs to physical fitness, military career aspirations, pilot qualifications, sport, reputation, academics, and lack of time.   CONCLUSIONS Cadet interviews described a complex environment where concussions were often viewed as costly to future career ambitions and provided potential reasons for non-disclosure largely including disruption in daily life. Reduction in perceived and actual harms due to concussion disclosure will require not only improving clinical care, but also addressing barriers to self-disclosure. Additionally, research suggests the sooner one reports a concussion, the sooner they return to physical or military activity. Educational interventions should be designed to address the perceived costs identified from our study and educate cadets that while some costs may be reality, others may not. Secondly, it should also be stressed to cadets that the sooner one seeks medical attention following a concussion, the sooner they may return to activity. Messaging around these themes may decrease the costs associated with time removed from academics, athletics, or military activities therefore minimizing attempts at concussion self-management. Lastly, if efforts are made to improve the overall concussion disclosure stigma, cadets may increase seeking care after injury because their reputation may not be as impacted.
Microbial adsorption of soluble indium(III) was successfully achieved at room temperature over the pH range 2.3 to 3.5 using the gram-negative bacterium Shewanella algae. The microbial uptake of indium by the resting cells of S. algae was a fast process: 10-100 ppm indium(III) ions were completely collected into the bacterial cells within 30 min. The pH value and the cell concentration in aqueous indium(III) solutions had a significant effect on the adsorption fraction of soluble indium(III). The adsorption capacity of S. algae cells was determined as 41±2 mg-In/g-dry cells, indicating that the 100 ppm aqueous InCl3 solution was concentrated up to 680-fold by the microbial adsorption. The optimal pH for microbial adsorption was found to be 0.9-1.4 for Sn(IV), pH 2.3-3.5 for In(III), pH 2.9-4.3 for Al(III), respectively. For microbial recovery of indium from waste liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, moreover, S. algae cells were able to collect selectively indium(III) to the bacterial cells, after indium leaching from spent LCD panel with dilute HCl solution under hydrothermal conditions (120°C, 0.198 MPa, 5 min).
The compressive sensing (CS)-based tomographic SAR (TomoSAR) 3-D imaging method has the shortcoming of low efficiency, mainly represented in two aspects: first, the CS solver requires iterative calculation and hence is computationally expensive; second, the CS solver needs hyperparameters’ selection, which commonly requires cost-inefficient try-and-error attempts. Recently, the iterative CS solver is suggested to be replaced by a deep learning network for a tremendous processing speed improvement. However, the existing deep-learning-based TomoSAR imaging algorithms suffer from the problem of model inadaptability, i.e., being inadaptive to the observation model and the signal energy model and hence is low accuracy. This article proposes a new model-adaptive network (MAda-Net) to implement deep-learning-based TomoSAR 3-D imaging with a much improved processing accuracy. First, a new adaptive model-solving (AMS) module is introduced to solve the problem of the observation model inconsistency between the real spatially varying one and the approximately fixed one used by the network. Second, a new adaptive threshold-activation (ATC) module is introduced to solve the problem of signal energy model inconsistency between the real backscattered echo and the simulated echo for network training. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified by the computer simulations and the real unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) SAR experiments.
A computational modeling approach was used to test one possible explanation for the limited capacity of the subitizing phenomenon. Most existing models of this phenomenon associate the subitizing span with an assumed structural limitation of the human information processing system. In contrast, we show how this limit might emerge as the combinatorics of the space of enumeration problems interacts with the human cognitive architecture in the context of an enumeration task. Subitizing-like behavior was generated in two different models of enumeration, one based on the ACT-R cognitive architecture and the other based on the principles of parallel distributed processing (PDP). Our results provide good qualitative fits to results obtained in a variety of empirical studies.
ABSTRACT Host genotype influences the severity of murine Lyme borreliosis, caused by the spirochetal bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. C57BL/6 (B6) mice develop mild Lyme arthritis, whereas C3H/HeN (C3H) mice develop severe Lyme arthritis. Differential expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10) has long been associated with mouse strain differences in Lyme pathogenesis; however, the underlying mechanism(s) of this genotype-specific IL-10 regulation remained elusive. Herein we reveal a cAMP-mediated mechanism of IL-10 regulation in B6 macrophages that is substantially diminished in C3H macrophages. Under cAMP and CD14-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, B6 macrophages stimulated with B. burgdorferi produce increased amounts of IL-10 and decreased levels of arthritogenic cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF). cAMP relaxes chromatin, while p38 increases binding of the transcription factors signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and specific protein 1 (SP1) to the IL-10 promoter, leading to increased IL-10 production in B6 bone marrow-derived monocytes (BMDMs). Conversely, macrophages derived from arthritis-susceptible C3H mice possess significantly less endogenous cAMP, produce less IL-10, and thus are ill equipped to mitigate the damaging consequences of B. burgdorferi-induced TNF. Intriguingly, an altered balance between anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory cytokines and CD14-dependent regulatory mechanisms also is operative in primary human peripheral blood-derived monocytes, providing potential insight into the clinical spectrum of human Lyme disease. In line with this notion, we have demonstrated that cAMP-enhancing drugs increase IL-10 production in myeloid cells, thus curtailing inflammation associated with murine Lyme borreliosis. Discovery of novel treatments or repurposing of FDA-approved cAMP-modulating medications may be a promising avenue for treatment of patients with adverse clinical outcomes, including certain post-Lyme complications, in whom dysregulated immune responses may play a role.
ABSTRACT This paper investigates the price dynamics between a selection of international staple food and cash crop futures prices. This price interaction is particularly relevant for developing countries that rely on cash crop export earnings to finance their staple food import requirements. We employ a multivariate Copula-DCC-GARCH model to characterize the cash crop and staple food price interaction over time and a rolling-sample volatility index to identify the direction of the volatility spillover for staple-cash commodity pairs. Results show that the intensity of interaction varies considerably over the sample time, but is, generally positive, and stronger during the period 2007–2012 associated with high commodity prices and financial market stress.
This study analyzed the toxicity by residual contact and the repellency effect of the essential oils of Rosmarinus officinalis, Mentha piperita, Melaleuca alternifolia, and Commiphora myrrha and their mixtures on adult females of Tetranychus urticae in laboratory and protected cultivation. The essential oil of C. myrrha exhibited a LC50 of 0.55 ml L-1, and the mixtures R. officinalis + M. piperita + M. alternifolia + C. myrrha, C. myrrha + M. piperita, and C. myrrha + M. alternifolia showed 68%, 60%, and 36% mortality, respectively. The essential oils of C. myrrha and M. alternifolia showed 95 and 70% of repellency, respectively. Mixtures of C. myrrha + M. alternifolia, C. myrrha + M. piperita, and C. myrrha + R. officinalis provided repellency of 85, 74 and 73%, respectively. Toxicity by residual contact of the essential oil of C. myrrha in protected cultivation exhibited 93% mortality, while the acaricide fenpyroximate showed 80%. The constituents of essential oils were eucalyptol (49.66%), M. piperita menthol (48.53%), M. alternifolia terpinen-4-ol (48.93%), and C. myrrha benzyl benzoate (97.71%). The essential oil of C. myrrha and the mixtures R. officinalis + M. piperita + M. alternifolia + C. myrrha and C. myrrha + M. piperita showed significant mortality. However, further studies are needed to assess the cost/benefit ratio and the effects on non-target organisms.
Diana Pardue is director of the Museum Services Division at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, part of the US National Park Service. She was involved with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island restoration projects in the 1980s which created the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Her current duties include overseeing the museum programme and cultural resource management of the historic structures, archeology, history and ethnography of the sites. She is also a member of ICOM and chair of the International Committee of Architecture and Museum Techniques (ICAMT).
Introduction: Bispecific T cell engagers hold promise for effective cancer treatment. The anti-tumor activity of these therapeutics molecules predominantly relies on their capacity to induce direct killing of tumor cells by engaging the cytotoxic machinery of polyclonal CD8+ T cells. However, the impact of additional functionally different T cell populations that can be engaged alongside CD8+ T cells remains unclear. ImmTAC molecules are a novel class of bispecific fusion proteins that use an affinity-enhanced monoclonal TCR to target tumor antigen-derived peptides presented by HLA, and an anti-CD3 monomeric antibody to engage T cells. Tebentafusp, our lead clinical candidate, targets a gp100-derived peptide and is under clinical investigation in metastatic melanoma. Preliminary data revealed T cell activation, trafficking and infiltration into the tumor bed in patients responding to treatment. Importantly not only CD8+ T cells, but also different subsets of CD4+ T cells appeared to be activated, mobilized and redirected to the tumor site following tebentafusp treatment, suggesting a potential contribution of these T cell subsets to the anti-tumor response. The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro the functional capacity of different T cell populations, besides CD8+ T cells, following ImmTAC-mediated redirection toward cancer cells. Methods: Th1, Th2, Th17 CD4+ T cells, γδ T cells and Mucosal-Associated Invariant T cells (MAIT) were isolated from healthy volunteers and their functional response following exposure to ImmTAC in the presence of target cells was analysed. Results: In addition to CD8+ T cells, other T cell populations, were activated in vitro by ImmTAC and elicited a range of effector functions that may differentially contribute to anti-tumor responses. For example, we found that γδ T cells were able to mount rapid and potent cytokine and cytotoxic responses against cancer cells upon redirection with ImmTAC. The mechanisms that underpin our in vitro observations and the potential correlations in patients treated with tebentafusp are under investigation. Conclusions: Multiple T cells populations display functionally distinct responses following ImmTAC-mediated redirection. These results will add valuable insight to our understanding of bispecific T cell engager mechanism of action. In addition, they will help guide rationale for improving the design of these therapeutic molecules and select appropriate combination strategies. Citation Format: Adel Benlahrech, David K. Cole, Christopher J. Holland, Rupert Kenefeck, Rahul C. Khanolkar, Cheryl McAlpine, Sion Lewis, Angela Valerio-Fernandes, Mariantonella Vardeu, David Berman, Marco Lepore. Functionally distinct T cell subsets contribute to ImmTAC-mediated anti-tumor response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4554.
Application of different light-sensitive drug delivery carriers is limited due to a risk of overheating of living cells. Therefore, a real-time temperature monitoring within biological objects that controls the photothermal release of different cargos from light-sensitive carriers is highly demanded. In this work, we develop a multifunctional platform comprised of polymer microcapsules modified with nitrogen vacancies (NV) centers as nanothermometers and gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) as heating elements for the realization of laser-induced cargo release with a simultaneous temperature measurement inside cells. Such platform allows to prevent unwanted side effects related with the overheating of living cells and tissues.
In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), especially swarming UAVs are widely deployed in a variety of Internet-of-Things (IoT) scenarios. Since UAVs’ positions are essential for their collaboration, high-precision localization for swarming UAVs has attracted a lot of attention. Although the global positioning system (GPS) receiver has been widely integrated in UAV, it is not accurate enough and is prone to accidental or deliberate interferences. In this article, we propose a distributed and collaborative localization method for swarming UAVs that combines super multidimensional scaling (SMDS) and patch dividing/merging with GPS information. Specifically, the SMDS is first used to get the relative coordinates of the UAVs in each patch, then we merge relative map patches into a global map and transform the relative coordinates of the UAVs to their absolute coordinates. Furthermore, we propose a low-complexity algorithm that greatly reduces the computational complexity of SMDS with a large number of UAVs. Simulation results validate that with accurate enough angle measurements, the proposed SMDS localization algorithm outperforms the other MDS-based collaborative localization algorithms and can greatly improve the localization accuracy and robustness of swarming UAVs.
Plumbagin, an important phytochemical from the roots of the medicinal plant Plumbago zeylanica L. has shown many biological activities. The roots of this plant have been in use in the Indian system of medicine for more than twenty five centuries for treatments of various ailments. It has shown anticancer activities, however, the anticancer and anti-metastatic effects of plumbagin are largely unknown against cervical cancer cells. Herein, we investigated the molecular alterations associated with plumbagin-mediated inhibition of growth, survival and epithelial to mesenchymal transition of human cervical cancer SiHa and HeLa cells. Plumbagin (1–4 μM) caused a significant decrease in the cell viability and increased the cell death in SiHa and Hela cells after 24 and 48 h. Plumbagin also caused strong G2/M and S-G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in SiHa and HeLa cells, respectively which was accompanied by a decrease in the expression of cyclin and CDK levels. The expression levels of both mRNAs and proteins of cyclin B1, A and E2 and CDK 1 and 2 decreased after 24 and 48 h. Plumbagin strongly induced apoptosis along with increased ratio of Bax : Bcl2 and cleavage of caspase 3, 9, and PARP. Plumbagin caused a significant increase in reactive oxygen species generation which mediated cell death as it was attenuated by pre-treatment with N-acetyl cysteine. Additionally, we also report for the first time that plumbagin possesses an anti-metastatic effect at non-cytotoxic doses that was accompanied by the modulation of MMP-2, 9, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, β-catenin and vimentin. Taken together, our findings suggest that plumbagin has strong anticancer and anti-metastatic effects against human cervical cancer cells.
In this Letter, we highlight a system with a well-known polymer donor (PTB7-Th) blended with a narrow band gap nonfullerene acceptor (IEICO-4F) as the active layer and 1-chloronaphthalene (CN) as the solvent additive. Optimization of the photoactive layer nanomorphology yields a short-circuit current density value of 27.3 mA/cm2, one of the highest values in organic solar cells reported to date, which competes with other types of solution-processed solar cells such as perovskite or quantum dot devices. Along with decent open-circuit voltage (0.71 V) and fill factor values (66%), a power conversion efficiency of 12.8% is achieved for the champion devices. Morphology characterizations elucidate that the origin of this high photocurrent is mainly the increased π–π coherence length of the acceptor, the domain spacing, as well as the mean-square composition variation of the blend. Optoelectronic measurements confirm a balanced hole and electron mobility and reduced trap-assisted recombination for the best devices.
A study was conducted to examine production variability in American Sign Language (ASL) in order to gain insight into the development of motor control in a language produced in another modality. Production variability was characterized through the spatiotemporal index (STI), which represents production stability in whole utterances and is a function of variability in effector displacement waveforms (Smith et al., 1995). Motion capture apparatus was used to acquire wrist displacement data across a set of eight target signs embedded in carrier phrases. The STI values of Deaf signers and hearing learners at three different ASL experience levels were compared to determine whether production stability varied as a function of time spent acquiring ASL. We hypothesized that lower production stability as indexed by the STI would be evident for beginning ASL learners, indicating greater production variability, with variability decreasing as ASL language experience increased. As predicted, Deaf signers showed significantly lower STI values than the hearing learners, suggesting that stability of production is indeed characteristic of increased ASL use. The linear trend across experience levels of hearing learners was not statistically significant in all spatial dimensions, indicating that improvement in production stability across relatively short time scales was weak. This novel approach to characterizing production stability in ASL utterances has relevance for the identification of sign production disorders and for assessing L2 acquisition of sign languages.
A design methodology for an optical mesh network has recently been developed. For a given backbone packet network, we assume that a traffic matrix and an underlying optical fiber network are given. It is necessary to establish logical links between backbone nodes using optical wavelengths over the fiber network. The methodology chooses and sizes logical backbone links, chooses the physical paths for these logical links, and determines traffic routings over logical links under both normal and failure conditions. The methodology utilizes a linear programming engine embedded within a heuristic framework. This work presumes an optical networking environment utilizing dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) and intelligent optical switch (lOS) equipment. It can be used to study potential future networks with high levels of traffic, e.g., in which demand entering the network at any given instant may be measured in terabits per second. In this paper, we describe the optical mesh network design problem that is addressed, outline the solution methodology and discuss some computational experience.
Abstract Articular cartilage allows the human body to buffer and absorb stress during normal exercise. It is mainly composed of cartilage cells and the extracellular matrix and is surrounded by the extracellular microenvironment formed by synovial fluid and various factors in it. Studies have shown that chondrocytes are the metabolic center of articular cartilage. Under physiological conditions, the extracellular matrix is in a dynamic balance of anabolism and catabolism, and various factors and physical and chemical conditions in the extracellular microenvironment are also in a steady state. This homeostasis depends on the normal function of proteins represented by various ion channels on chondrocytes. In mammalian chondrocyte species, ion channels are mainly divided into two categories: cation channels and anion channels. Anion channels such as chloride channels have become hot research topics in recent years. These channels play an extremely important role in various physiological processes. Recently, a growing body of evidence has shown that many pathological processes, abnormal concentration of mechanical stress and chloride channel dysfunction in articular cartilage lead to microenvironment disorders, matrix and bone metabolism imbalances, which cause partial aseptic inflammation. These pathological processes initiate extracellular matrix degradation, abnormal chondrocyte death, hyperplasia of inflammatory synovium and bony. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common clinical disease in orthopedics. Its typical manifestations are joint inflammation and pain caused by articular cartilage degeneration, but its pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Focusing on the physiological functions and pathological changes of chloride channels and pathophysiology of aseptic inflammation furthers the understanding of OA pathogenesis and provides possible targets for subsequent medication development.
ABSTRACT To the Editor: —In The Journal, Sept. 8, 1917, p. 791, we described an outbreak of wound diphtheria. This communication stimulated interest in the subject, and led to the publication of the results of several investigations notably those of Janes and Thomas (Canadian Medical Association Journal, May, 1919) and that of Adami and his collaborators (Bulletin of the Canadian Army Medical Corps, June, 1918).We investigated carefully a considerable number of cases of diphtheric wound infections in the spring of 1917, and carried out virulence tests and protection experiments on several of the strains of B. diphtheriae isolated at that time. No endeavor was made to determine the virulence of every strain isolated, nor was any attempt made to ascertain precisely the proportion of wound infections which were due to B. diphtheriae in all of the cases studied. We contented ourselves with pointing out that we had observed an epidemic
Using H215O positron emission tomography in 6 healthy volunteers, we found that self‐initiated and externally cued blinking activated the right primary motor cortex and supplementary motor area (SMA). The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the rostral SMA showed greater activation during the self‐initiated task compared to the externally cued task. This study confirms the hypothesis of right hemispheric lateralization of volitional blinking derived from observations in stroke patients. Furthermore, it underscores the role of DLPFC and rostral SMA in self‐initiated movements, which has been found in similar experiments with hand movements.
Abstract Alumina particles is a ceramic powder used as a dispersed phase or filler to reinforce the mechanical properties and improve thermal properties of natural rubber foams via the vulcanization process at curing temperature 150°C with a two-roll mill. The amount of alumina added in natural rubber foams were varied from 0 to 60 phr on 100 phr of natural rubber in a sulfur curing system. The sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) and N,N′-dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine (DNPT) were used as foaming agents. The sponge rubber composite foams were characterized for the microstructure, phase formation, thermal property, particle size distribution, and mechanical property by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), particle size analyzer, and compression set testing. The fabricated sponge rubber composite foams have distinctive characteristics such as light weight and good mechanical and thermal properties suitable for energy absorption such as thermal, noise, and vibration.
OBJECTIVE To screen serum biomarkers for minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring according to differential peptidomics profile in the serum from the patients with acute leukemia (AL) and healthy controls.   METHODS Serum polypeptides from 90 AL patients, 60 healthy controls and 20 patients with benign hematological disorders were enriched by copper chelate magnetic beads, and the peptidomics profile was obtained by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis. And the intensities of differential peptides were calculated to assess MRD level.   RESULTS The diagnostic models by using support vector machine (SVM) algorithm according to differential peptides between AL patients and healthy controls with P<0.01 by t-test were established. The sensitivity and specificity of distinguishing AL patients from healthy controls were 98% and 99%, respectively. The model obtained a sensitivity of 98% and a specificity of 96% for distinguishing newly-diagnosed AL patients from AL patients with hematological complete remission (AL-HCR). Then a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 93% were obtained for distinguishing patients with AL-CR from AL patients with molecular complete remission (AL- MR). The intensity of peptide with m/z (mass-to-charge ratio) 4468 was significantly higher in newly- diagnosed AL patients compared to healthy controls, and gradually decreased with the increase of remission degree, and it was not found increase in patients with benign hematological disorders.   CONCLUSION The SVM diagnostic model established by differential serum peptide profile could be used to discriminate AL patients with different stages of remission and to evaluate the treatment efficacy. The peptide of m/z 4468 could be used for MRD assessment, and continuous monitoring of its expression level will play an important role in the individual treatment and recurrence prediction.
List Accessing Problem is a well studied research problem in the context of linear search. Input to the list accessing problem is an unsorted linear list of distinct elements along with a sequence of requests, where each request is an access operation on an element of the list. A list accessing algorithm reorganizes the list while processing a request sequence on the list in order to minimize the access cost. Move-To-Front algorithm has been proved to be the best performing list accessing online algorithm till date in the literature. Characterization of the input request sequences corresponding to practical real life situations is a big challenge for the list accessing problem. As far as our knowledge is concerned, no characterization for the request sequences has been done in the literature till date for the list accessing problem. In this paper, we have characterized the request sequences for the list accessing problem based on several factors such as size of the list, size of the request sequence, ordering of elements and frequency of occurrence of elements in the request sequence. We have made a comprehensive study of MTF list accessing algorithm and obtained new theoretical results for our characterized special class of request sequences. Our characterization will open up a new direction of research for empirical analysis of list accessing algorithms for real life inputs.
We present evidence for the enhancement of light-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency (IPCE) in photonic crystal dye-sensitized solar cells due to an amplified light field at the dielectric band edge. Under angle-resolved monochromatic irradiance along the LU direction, the IPCE enhancement peaks match well with the blue shift in the dielectric band edge. The numerical simulation indicates that the photon localization effect at the dielectric band edge causes the intensification of the light field in the dielectric matrix. Using a Maxwell−Bloch two-level atom model to quantify the dye absorption of light and photocurrent generation, we show that the improvement in IPCE is due to an enhanced light−matter interaction between the dye atom and the amplified field.
One feature of fertilization is the alteration of the vitelline layer, by components released from the egg, to produce an elevated, covalently crosslinked, hard, insoluble, fertilization membrane. The following evidence indicates that crosslinking and hardening are caused by the production of diand trityrosyl residues, by oxidation of protein-bound tyrosyl residues in the presence of a peroxidase. Hardening of the fertilization membrane, as evidenced by its loss of solubility in 50 mM dithiothreitol, is inhibited by compounds known to inhibit many peroxidases. A peroxidase, here called the ovoperoxidase, is released from eggs at fertilization. This enzyme is inhibited by the same compounds that inhibit hardening and at similar concentrations. Inhibitors of the ovoperoxidase and the hardening reaction include KCN, 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, NaN(3), phenylhydrazine, K(4)Fe(CN)(6), sodium sulfite, and glycine ethyl ester. In addition, tyramine and N-acetyltyrosine both inhibit hardening, but O-methyltyrosine does not. Dityrosyl and trityrosyl residues are found in acid hydrolysates of isolated, hardened fertilization membranes. These residues have been identified by cellulose phosphate column chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, and amino acid analysis. The amino acid data have been used to estimate that there is one dityrosine crosslink per 55,000 daltons of protein. We suggest that, by catalyzing the crosslinking of tyrosyl residues, the ovoperoxidase leads to the production of a hard fertilization membrane that blocks the entry of additional sperm. Because peroxidases are spermicidal, a secondary function of the enzyme could be to kill sperm in the vicinity of the fertilized egg.
In this paper, we propose a maximum entropy based approach for automatic annotation of multimedia content. In our approach, we explicitly model the spatial-location of the low-level features by means of specially designed predicates. In addition, the interaction between the low-level features is modeled using joint observation predicates. We evaluate the performance of semantic concept classifiers built using this approach on the TRECVID2003 corpus. Experiments indicate that our model performance is on par with the best results reported to-date on this dataset; despite using only unimodal features and a single approach towards model-building. This compares favorably with the state-of-the-art systems which use multimodal features and classifier fusion to achieve similar results on this corpus.
The arrangement of downward flowing evaporation heating surface in the furnace can effectively reduce the height of the furnace in the ultrasupercritical circulating fluidized bed boiler. According to the structural parameters of 660 MW ultrasupercritical circulating fluidized bed boiler, the scaled experimental system was established on the basis of the similarity criterion. The distribution of the gas–liquid two‐phase flow in the parallel branch pipes of the downward and the upward water‐cooled wing‐wall was studied under the rated loads of 25%, 50%, and 70% THA. The void fraction distribution, flow distribution of each phase, and dryness distribution in each branch pipe of the downcomers and the risers of the water‐cooled wing‐wall were measured via the quick‐closing valve method and the split‐phase measurement method. In the downward water‐cooled wing‐wall, both the nonuniform coefficient of void fraction and dryness in each branch pipe decreased with the increase in dryness in the inlet header. Under the same average dryness, the nonuniform coefficient of the void fraction increased with the increase in load. In the upward water‐cooled wing‐wall, under the same load, the uniformity of flow distribution was improved as the dryness increases. Under the same dryness condition, as the boiler load increases, the deviation coefficient of each phase distribution between the parallel pipes increased and the unevenness increased. In the study of flow and heat transfer characteristics of two‐phase flow, the void fraction α is a very important intermediate calculation parameter. The correlation formula of the cross‐sectional void fraction in the downward water‐cooled wing‐wall was fitted, and the calculation result was better compared with drift‐flux model, with an error of −6% to 6%.
Accelerators based on laser plasma wakefield acceleration are of great interest for a new generation of compact machines. External injection of an electron beam from an RF injector into a plasma accelerating stage has the advantage that a well-controlled and fully characterized beam can be used. The matching of the electron bunches into an accelerating plasma wakefield places high demands on the electron beam quality. The electron beam size must be extremely small to match the field structure inside the plasma wake. The short period of the accelerating field in the plasma requires a bunch length in the (sub-)fs range. These electron beam properties result in a high electron density and strongly space charge dominated bunches. The beamline upstream of the plasma must be able to control the significant effect of space charge on the bunch and to transversely match the beam to the focusing fields of the plasma. Further constraints to the beamline design are given by the in-coupling of the high-power drive laser and the implementation of diagnostic tools. Choosing suitable settings for the beamline elements in order to match the beam thus poses a great challenge. Using multi-objective optimization, suitable settings for the beamline elements can be extracted from Pareto optimum solutions. The development of a universal multi-objective optimization algorithm for beamline matching as well as first optimization results are presented.
Abstract Computer simulations have been made of the rates of chemical changes expected to occur in certain polluted atmospheres. The results point to an unexpected conclusion: Even in the absence of reactive hydrocarbons, the presence of small levels of carbon monoxide in an NO-containing atmosphere may enhance the photooxidation of NO to NO2 and may lead ultimately to significant levels of ozone. In view of the technological difficulties associated with the complete removal of NOX and CO from auto-exhaust and NOX from stack gases, significant ambient levels of ozone may be anticipated to continue to form in many urban areas even though a near total removal of the reactive hydrocarbons might be accomplished.
This paper describes flying multi-vehicle control strategies and its benefit for saving fuel. Exposition starts from inspiration of flying multi-vehicle in daily life. Furthermore, from model of single flying vehicle, we construct the model of multi-vehicle and cost functional model that describe the state of the cost to be met the flying vehicle. The flying multi-vehicle control designed with optimal control strategy. The design of optimal control is done through the Pontryagin Maximum Principle, brings the model to a system of equations consisting of state equations and costate equations. In the system of states equations, each having initial and final condition, in the costate equations system has no requirements at all. The next problem is converted to the initial value problem and search for the approximate initial condition equation of costate equations system which has no requirements using a modified method of steepest descent. Thus, the control of multi-vehicle successfully performed and the simulation results presented on the results and discussion section. In addition, we also calcute the fuel which used by multi-vehicle, compared by the fuel which used by each vehicle in solo flying. The result can be conclude that the fuel more efficient if the flying vehicles in formation flying.
This paper for the first time proposes and demonstrates the use of panel-based polycrystalline silicon interposers for highest I/Os at lowest cost. Such an interposer is targeted at roughly a 10× lower cost compared to wafer based silicon interposers with through silicon vias (TSVs) and back end of line (BEOL) re-distribution layers (RDL). Laser via ablation was used to demonstrate through package vias (TPVs) as small as 10μm diameter in 220μm thin polycrystalline silicon panels made without any chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP). A thick polymer via liner and stress buffer layer was formed in the silicon TPVs to replace oxide liners and diffusion barriers used in TSVs. A panel silicon interposer test vehicle process demonstrator was fabricated and initial electrical measurements indicate much lower loss compared to CMOS silicon interposer with thin oxide liners. Electrical and mechanical design and modeling was also carried out to provide design guidelines for TPV formation.
ABSTRACT The introduction of the “best interests of the child” standard as a legal presumption in family law in the 1970s signaled an important transition away from a maternal preference standard in child custody disputes, toward a recognition of the centrality and importance of both parents in the lives of children after parental separation. Paradoxically, this reform resulted in an increase rather than decrease in court-determined maternal sole custody. Despite robust empirical evidence in support of shared parenting, a gender convergence in child care roles, and increasing public support for shared parenting, the idea of shared parenting as a legal presumption has been met with skepticism and resistance among some legal and mental health professionals. This article traces the evolution of arguments against shared parenting since the concept was first introduced, from the early 1970s until the present day.
Electronic waste (e-waste) is a growing problem in the world due to increasing consumption and subsequent discarding of electronic devices. One of the ways to address this problem is to develop electronics made up of biodegradable components. Leaves are readily available, biodegradable and can be found with various types of architecture of the vascular conduits within. We investigated the possibility of developing electronic components based on leaves of a monocotyledon plant by introducing a conducting polymer inside the vascular conduits. We were able to construct conducting wires in those conduits extending to centimeters in length within a leaf. Furthermore, we were able to demonstrate the construction of a supercapacitor within a leaf by using the conducting conduits as electrodes. These results suggest the possibility of constructing embedded electronic components within leaves which may provide an alternative towards the development of biodegradable electronics.
Potato scab is an important disease caused by the Actinomycetes. Only a few reports have been published on the phytotoxin produced by the causal organism of common scab. Sakai et al. reported that Streptomyces spp. associated with scab of potato tuber and sugar beet produce a phytotoxic compound that inhibits the root growth of rice seedlings, but its structure was not identified10). Recently, thaxtomins A and B were reported by King et al. to be vivotoxins6,7). Antibiotic production by Actinomycetes is closely related to such morphological differentiation as aerial mycelium formation and sporulation. Repeated trans-
Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) represent the most frequent complications after lung surgery, and they increase postoperative mortality. This study investigated the incidence of PPCs, in-hospital mortality rate, and risk factors leading to PPCs in patients undergoing open thoracotomy lung resections (OTLRs) for primary lung cancer. The data from 1426 patients in this multicentre retrospective study were extracted from the German Thorax Registry and presented after univariate and multivariate statistical processing. A total of 472 patients showed at least one PPC. The presence of two PPCs was associated with a significantly increased mortality rate of 7% (p < 0.001) compared to that of patients without or with a single PPC. Three or more PPCs increased the mortality rate to 33% (p < 0.001). Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed male gender (OR 1.4), age > 60 years (OR 1.8), and current or previous smoking (OR 1.6), while the pre-operative risk factors were still CRP levels > 3 mg/dl (OR 1.7) and FEV1 < 60% (OR 1.4). Procedural independent risk factors for PPCs were: duration of surgery exceeding 195 min (OR 1.6), the amount of intraoperative blood loss (OR 1.6), partial ligation of the pulmonary artery (OR 1.5), continuing invasive ventilation after surgery (OR 2.9), and infusion of intraoperative crystalloids exceeding 6 mL/kg/h (OR 1.9). The incidence of PPCs was significantly lower in patients with continuous epidural or paravertebral analgesia (OR 0.7). Optimising perioperative management by implementing continuous neuroaxial techniques and optimised fluid therapy may reduce the incidence of PPCs and associated mortality.
OBJECTIVE To analyze the predominant genotypes of outer membrane porin I (PI) and to determine the correlation between G120 as well as A121 mutations in PI proteins and drug resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in the local area.   METHODS A double PCR to simultaneously detect both pIA and pIB genes, was established in this study. The target amplification products were T-A cloned and then sequenced to determine the mutations at G120, A121 and the specificity of double PCR. By using acidity slip method and double agar dilution method, the beta-lactamase production and resistance to six antibiotics of pIA(+) and pIB(+) gonococcal isolates were detected.   RESULTS Double PCR could be used to accurately genotyping pI genes in all the tested gonococcal isolates with the sensitivity of 1 ng DNA template. In the 116 N. gonorrhoeae isolates, 30.2% (35/116) were pIA(+) strains and 69.8% (81/136) were pIB(+) strains. All the pIA(+) strains presented G120D/A121G double mutations (88.6%)or A121G single mutation (11.4%). 98.8% of the pIB(+) strains presented G120K/A121D (65.0%), G120K/A121G or G120N/A121D (13.8%) double mutations, and G120D/N/K single mutation (21.3%). 34.5% (40/116) of the isolates produced beta-lactamase, and the enzyme-produced rate (20%) in pIA(+) strains was significantly lower than that in pIB(+) strains (40.7%) with P < 0.05. No spectinomycin-resistant strains were identified but three ceftriaxone-resistant strains were presented. However, the resistance ratios to penicilin, tetramycin, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin of all the isolates were as high as 75.0% - 90.5%. 100% and 71.4% of the pIA(+) strains without beta-lactamase production and with G120 and/or A121 mutations were sensitive to penicillin and tetramycin, respectively. On the contrast, 100% of the pIB(+) strains without beta-lactamase production and with G120 and/or A121 mutations were resistant to both the two antibiotics.   CONCLUSION The established double PCR method could be used for fast and accurate genotyping of N. gonorrhoeae pI genes. The N. gonorrhoeae strains prevalent in the local areas mainly possessed pIB gene. Both spectinomycin and ceftriaxone could still be chosen to treat gonorrhea. The resistance enhancement caused by G120 and/or A121 mutations to penicillin and tetramycin was only presented in pIB(+) gonococci.
The authors report three cases of post-traumatic hemobilia. Hemobilia complicates about 0.5% to 2% of liver injuries. The diagnosis can be difficult because of its possible delay of appearance. The ultrasound and CT scan performed urgently are of great help in both positive diagnosis and monitoring of this pathology. Once the diagnosis is made—immediatly or a while after the trauma—a diagnostic and therapeutic arteriography must be carried out quickly.
ABSTRACT This study was designed to apply intelligent methods to predict settlement after constructing central core rockfill dams. Attempts were made in this research to prepare models for predicting settlement of these dams using the information of 50 different central core rockfill dams all over the world using genetic programming (GP) methods. The results indicated that prediction of settlement based on the single parameter of dam height cannot be accurate and other parameters of materials are effective in dam settlement. Based on the sensitivity analysis, parameters such as height of dam, modulus of elasticity of core and shell materials, dry density of core, and internal friction angle of shell materials were considered as effective parameters. The results obtained from comparing the intelligent and empirical relationships showed that GP results were more appropriate, and the new models are ready to be applied as a predictor for future plans to predict settlement of central core rockfill dams.
In order to clarify the ways in which the use of pointing by deaf infetnts in a sign language environment changes with age, pointing and signs expressed by two deaf infants in a sign-language environment were described and analyzed. Pointing by two hearing infants who were in a spoken language environment was also analyzed as a comparison. As a result, the fbllowing became evident: (1) Pointing was classified as prelinguistic or linguistic, (2) False two-sign sentences, in which the sign and the pointing were combined, were observed between a one-sign sentence period and a two-sign sentence period, and (3) In the early stages, many false two-sign sentences can be regarded as semantic one-sign sentences because the pointing and the sign indicated the same concept; with age, we can observe semantic two-sign sentences in which the pointing and the sign represent diflerent concepts, and this led to two-sign sentences. This indicates that pointing plays an important role after the expression of one-sign
SDS -polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis has proven to be the method of choice for the separation of proteins according to their size (1). This method has been applied to the size estimation of transcription factors present in crude nuclear extracts. Transcription factors can be detected among gel-fractionated proteins by virtue of their ability to bind to specific DNA sequences. For this purpose, mainly three protocols have been employed: 1. UV-crosslinking of radiolabeled DNA recognition sequences to the proteins prior to electrophoresis (2); 2. 'Southwestern blotting', in which gel fractionated proteins are transferred from the gel to a membrane and, after renaturation in situ, are probed with a specific radio-labeled DNA recognition sequence (3); and 3. elution of size separated proteins from polyacrylamide slices followed by their analysis by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA's) or other convenient techniques (2, 4). While the simplicity and rapidity of the first two methods render them attractive, they are accompanied by several drawbacks. The efficiency of UV-crosslinking varies greatly between different protein:DNA complexes, depending on the chemical nature of amino acid-base interactions established between the protein and DNA partners (5). Moreover, this method shifts the protein-DNA binding equilibrium towards complex formation, particularly if long crosslinking times are required. Thus, it does not necessarily allow for affinity measurements and may reveal weak unspecific interactions, if crude extracts are used. A serious shortcoming of Southwestern blot analysis is that it is limited to the analysis of proteins which bind as monomers or homopolymers, since the subunits of obligatory heteropolymers
The synthesis of two-dimensional (2-D) linear-phase digital filters is studied in terms of approximation of 2-D transfer functions. A convergence result is established for the approximation of nonrational 2-D transfer functions under a certain mild frequency domain condition. It is shown that the synthesis of 2-D linear-phase FIR (finite impulse response) digital filters can be transformed into an equivalent approximation for which the convergence condition is satisfied. A 2-D linear-phase IIR (infinite impulse response) digital filter is then synthesized based on an FIR model. Several examples are given to illustrate the synthesis technique. >
We introduce and demonstrate a dual-channel radially-polarized surface plasmon microscopy (SPM) system with capability down to single nanoparticle detection. For nanospheres stained with fluorescent molecules, we are able to simultaneously collect both fluorescence and elastic scattering images. By using a radial polarizer, the entire incident beam is TM-polarized, which enables formation of a dark circular ring in the reflected image, thus providing higher sensitivity to refractive index changes. The fluorescence intensity is clearly enhanced by more than 50% under radial polarization as compared to a linear one. The complementary signals acquired from the two separated channels jointly lead to well-co-localized images in scanning mode. This technique is currently extended to study two photon fluorescence (TPF) signals from nanospheres, as well as second harmonic generation (SHG) signals from noncentrosymmetric nanocrystals. It also provides a way to compensate for the eventual blinking of the fluorescence, which does not affect the elastic scattering channel.
Cloud forensics has become increasingly critical in cloud computing security in recent years. A fundamental problem in cloud forensics is how to safely and effectively obtain, preserve, and analyze evidence. With massive cloud forensic systems and tools having been proposed over the years, we identify one challenge that is not adequately addressed in the current literature. The problem is “credibility of cloud evidence”; this is where the evidence collected in the cloud is unreliable due to its multitenancy and the multiple participants in the forensic process. In this paper, we develop a new Cloud Forensics Tamper‐Proof Framework (TamForen) for cloud forensics, which can be used in an untrusted and multitenancy cloud environment. This framework relies on the cloud forensics system independent of the daily cloud activities and is implemented based on the Multilayer Compressed Counting Bloom Filter. Unlike existing cloud forensics methods that depend on the support and trust of cloud service providers, TamForen takes into account the untrustworthiness of participants in the forensics process and conducts tamper‐proof protection of data in a decentralized way without violating users' privacy. We simulate a cloud forensics environment to evaluate TamForen, and the results show that TamForen is feasible.
Efficiently exploring the microarchitectural design space is crucial in order to find promising design subspaces satisfying better power constraints. Based on our previous work on Guided Search Space Genetic Programming (GSS-GP), we introduce a new fitness function based on Fisher Linear Discriminant, in addition to the weighted fitness function designed to improve unbalanced classification accuracy. Experimental results show that GSS-GP outperforms classical GP in both accuracy and convergence times, with a minor class accuracy improvement of 9.05 percentage points. In addition, GSS-GP resulted in a significant reduction of more than 99% in processing time compared to other robust classifiers like Support Vector Machines.
An approach to a macrocyclic lactam designed to bind to a carboxylate anion is described. The diaryl ether 8 was synthesised by Ullmann coupling of the protected 3-hydroxyphenylglycine derivative 7 and (E)-4-bromocinnamic acid methyl ester. Elaboration of an optically pure (R)-tyrosine synthon was achieved by transfer of electrophilic azide to the N-acyl oxazolidinone 12. The synthesis of a model system is also described.
Background: Analysis of mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) is important for predicting response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The overall rate of EGFR mutations in Korean patients is variable. To obtain comprehensive data on the status of EGFR mutations in Korean patients with lung cancer, the Cardiopulmonary Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists initiated a nationwide survey. Methods: We obtained 1,753 reports on EGFR mutations in patients with lung cancer from 15 hospitals between January and December 2009. We compared EGFR mutations with patient age, sex, history of smoking, histologic diagnosis, specimen type, procurement site, tumor cell dissection, and laboratory status. Results: The overall EGFR mutation rate was 34.3% in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 43.3% in patients with adenocarcinoma. EGFR mutation rate was significantly higher in women, never smokers, patients with adenocarcinoma, and patients who had undergone excisional biopsy. EGFR mutation rates did not differ with respect to patient age or procurement site among patients with NSCLC. Conclusions EGFR mutation rates and statuses were similar to those in published data from other East Asian countries.
Au-hyperdoped Si absorbs near-infrared (NIR) light and recent efforts have successfully produced Si-based NIR photodetectors based on this property but with low detection efficiencies. Here, we investigate the differences between the optical and photocurrent properties of Au-hyperdoped Si. Although defects introduced during fabrication of these materials may not exhibit significant optical absorption, we show that they can produce a measurable photocurrent under NIR illumination. Our results indicate that the optimal efficiency of impurity-hyperdoped Si materials is yet to be achieved and we discuss these opportunities in light of our results. This work thus represents a step forward in demonstrating the viability of using impurity-hyperdoped Si materials for NIR photodetection.
In this literature, we study the existence and stability of the solution of the boundary value problem of fractional differential equations with  $ Phi_{p} $-Laplacian operator. Our problem is based on Caputo fractional derivative of orders $ sigma,epsilon$, where $ k- 1<sigma,epsilonleq k $, and $ kgeq3 $. By using the Schauder fixed point theory and properties of the Green function, some conditions are established which show the criterion of the existence and non-existence solution for the proposed problem. We also investigate some adequate conditions for the Hyers-Ulam stability of the solution. Illustrated examples are given as an application of our result.
During the life of a Li-Ion battery, capacity and power capability fade. Despite this degradation, an electric vehicle battery needs to deliver designed power performance until battery end-of-life. Comprehension of battery performance degradation is required to design sufficient margin for power capability and thermal management. This paper proposes battery laboratory testing combined with advanced modelling techniques to obtain design parameters based on aged batteries. Laboratory cell aging and characterization tests are performed to parametrise models, which are used to verify electric city bus battery performance at various lifetime levels. The modelling gives an indication on the level of margin that needs to be designed for power capability and thermal management. The results obtained indicate that from performance point of view, the battery that was studied can be utilized well beyond 80% capacity point while still retaining power capability and low cell level power losses.
ABSTRACIT. Tho 'balance equation' is numerically solved to compute the geopotcnt lal Ileld using the st ream function derived from the observed winds. Synoptic end somi.qun.ot itative oomperleona ere made between the eompnted and the observed geopotcntiul ficlds. The contribution of different terms (vorMcity pand .Jeoobleu} are evaluated 8Cparately. The 0&80 st udied is one of SW monsoon situ ation and the pa ttcme of t .he computed geopotential ' fiold at different levels are found to have good correepondenoe with tho wind field as well ea the observed geopotontial field.
Primary roots of Zea mays seedlings germinated and grown in 0.1 mM chloramphenicol (CMP) were significantly less graviresponsive than primary roots of seedlings germinated and grown in distilled water. Elongation rates of roots treated with CMP were significantly greater than those grown in distilled water. Caps of control and CMP-treated roots possessed extensive columella tissues comprised of cells containing numerous sedimented amyloplasts. These results indicate that the reduced graviresponsiveness of CMP-treated roots is not due to reduced rates of elongation, the absence of the presumed gravireceptors (i.e., amyloplasts in columella cells), or reduced amounts of columella tissue. These results are consistent with CMP altering the production and/or transport of effectors that mediate gravitropism.
A simple polygon P is said to be unimodal if for every vertex of P, the Euclidian distance function to the other vertices of P is unimodal. The study of unimodal polygons has emerged as a fruitful area of computational and discrete geometry. Is the well-known that nearest and furthest neighbor computations are a recurring theme in pattern recognition, VLSI design, computer graphics, and image processing, among others. Our contribution is to propose time-optimal algorithms for constructing the Euclidian Minimum Spanning Tree, the Relative Neighborhood Graph, as well as the Symmetric Further Neighbor Graph of an n-vertex unimodal polygon on meshes with multiple broadcasting. We begin by establishing a Ω(log n) time lower bound for solving arbitrary instances of size n of these problems. This lower bound holds for both the CREW-PRAM and for the mesh with multiple broadcasting. We obtain our time lower bound results for the CREW-PRAM by using a novel technique involving geometric constructions. These constructions allow us to reduce the well-known OR problem to each of the geometric problems of interest. We then port these time lower bounds to the mesh with multiple broadcasting using simulation results.
The Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR2) follow-on mission is currently being considered, and end users are demanding the acquisition of sea-surface temperature (SST) with higher spatial resolution. However, it is assumed that the AMSR2 baseline design will be followed as much as possible to shorten the development period. The SST image retrieved from the 6- or 10-GHz brightness temperatures includes random “snow” noise due to the thermal noise originating from the receiver components. In AMSR2, simple spatial averaging was performed to reduce such random noise to obtain clear SST images, but this method is not suitable for acquiring SST images with the high spatial resolution because it degrades the spatial resolution. In the AMSR2 follow-on mission, the algorithm for the AMSR2 L1R product (Backus–Gilbert method) will be applied to reduce random noise without degrading the spatial resolution. In addition, we propose equipping not only a 10-GHz channel with the conventional frequency band but also that with an extended frequency band. This letter presents the results of the study that led to these proposals required to obtain clear SST images with higher spatial resolution in the AMSR2 follow-on mission.
Ferroportin disease (hemochromatosis type 4) is a recently recognized disorder of human iron metabolism, characterized by iron deposition in macrophages, including Kupffer cells. Mutations in the gene encoding ferroportin 1, a cellular iron exporter, are responsible for this iron storage disease, inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. We present clinical, histopathological, and radiological findings in a family with the most common ferroportin mutation, V162del. In the index case, the disorder is characterized by abundant deposition of hemosiderin in all tissues investigated (mesenteric lymph node, liver, gastric and duodenal mucosa, and also in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung). The radiological findings indicated the presence of excess iron in bone marrow and spleen. Despite a significant burden of iron, no features of chronic liver disease were found in affected members of the family, including individuals aged up to 80 years. Hyperferritinemia greater than 1,000 μg/L was a penetrant biochemical finding before the second decade in life and was associated with significantly increased serum concentrations of pro‐hepcidin that correlated positively with urinary hepcidin concentrations. In conclusion, the systemic iron burden in ferroportin disease is not a sufficient cause for chronic liver disease. In patients with most, but not all, ferroportin mutations, retention of iron in macrophages of the liver and other organs may protect against damage to parenchymal cells. Finally, macrophage iron storage in ferroportin disease is associated with elevated serum pro‐hepcidin levels. (HEPATOLOGY 2005.)
The fuzzy path selection is a framework for mobile ad hoc networks in which inaccurate information is available for making a routing decision. The goal of our path selection process is to identify a shortest path and to prolong the connectivity of the networks, using minimum hops and node remaining power as our model cost. Under an assumption that a list of candidate paths already exists, we explore the fuzzy logic approach to achieve the goal. The performance evaluation is done using a simulation program to compare between our fuzzy logic approach, the minimum hop, and the nearest neighbor approach the main performance metrics which are the number of hops in paths, the number of disconnected nodes in paths. The results show that our fuzzy approach yields the lower number of hops and the longest connectivity in the network.
Objective: Although the majority of women with serious mental illnesses (SMI) are mothers, limited research is available on the relationship between maternal SMI and pediatric health care use. Adherence with preventive care is associated not only with improved children's health and well-being but also decreased costs to the health care system. This study examines the relationship between maternal psychotic disorders (PDs) and pediatric health care. Method: This retrospective secondary analysis of Medicaid claims compares age cohorts of children (0 to 4 years) of mothers with and without PDs. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models are used to examine established measures of pediatric preventive care and emergency department (ED) care among 297,866 mother-child dyads. Results: Adherence to preventive care guidelines ranged from 19% to 34% among mothers with PDs and from 24% to 32% among mothers without PDs. Mothers with PDs are 1.41 times more likely to have at least one preventive care visit in Year 0-1 (95% CI [1.20, 1.65], p < 0.0001); 0.67 times less likely to have at least one visit in Year 3-4 (95 % CI [0.54, 0.82], p < .0001); and significantly more likely to have high ED reliance for their children ages 0 to 2 years (p < .01). Conclusions: Few differences existed in pediatric health care use among Medicaid-insured mothers with and without PDs. Although preventive pediatric health care use among mothers with PDs is comparable with that of mothers without PDs, mothers with mental illness could still benefit from targeted strategies to reduce ED reliance for their young children (0 to 2 years). Social work involvement with all families living in poverty should help these families access and use preventive care for young children.
The impact of electron irradiation on the structure of the PA6 polymer is researched in this article. The electron beam irradiation of samples from PA6 was carried out on an industrial pulse accelerator ILU-10 under different modes. Beam energy and radiation dose varied. The structural changes of PA6 were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray phase analysis, IR Fourier spectroscopy, and the thermal characteristics of the polymer were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It was revealed that after electron beam treatment, the melting temperature of the PA6 polymer decreases from 214 °C to 217 °C. It was found that electron beam treatment leads to a change in the surface morphology, that is, the surface becomes rough, the depth of the roughness and the structure of spherulites increase.
Photovoltaic is direct conversion of sunlight into electricity through electronic means that occurs at atomic level of semiconductors materials. It is neat, silent and elegant process of generating electric power in environmentally friendly manner. In this paper, the design analyses roof-mounted Grid-connected 148.5kWp Photovoltaic System with Energy Storage for use in a Local Government secretariat in Nigeria. The design was simulated using PV*SOL software to evaluate the system’s production performance and to know the amount of electric power generation for every day of the year. The result shows that the PV system’s daily production far exceeds energy demand in the building. The maximum monthly demand is 2893.22kWh while the least energy production is 13,802kWh which occur in July. The highest production occurs in November with 20,258kWh; followed by March energy yield of 20,053kWh. Hence, the system could serve as good revenue source for the government by exporting more than 75% of the power generated to the grid in exchange for good cash from electricity utility; while at same time serving as motivation for home owners in the community as well as other governmental offices to generate some or all of their energy need. Keywords : Photovoltaic, Photovoltaic design, Photovoltaic system, PV energy yield, Solar photovoltaic
It has been shown that electropyrexia is an effective treatment for all forms of syphilis of the central nervous system. Temperatures at 41°C. (105.8°F.) and above, maintained for at least two hours, kill most of the treponemata pallida in the human body and, consequently, all chancres and skin lesions heal promptly after such treatment. The physiological changes observed during hyperpyrexia cannot account for the treponemacidal action of fever. The fever itself must, therefore, kill these organisms. All the treponemata are not destroyed by this therapy, since those that have reached the deeper tissues, especially the lymph glands, become heat and chemo-resistant. Therefore, it is advisable to combine pyretotherapy with arsenicals and heavy metals in the treatment of all forms of syphilis.
Is copyright a property right? Common law and civil law jurists have debated that issue for over three centuries. It remains at the heart of battles over copyright’s scope and duration today, even if its import lies principally in the rhetorical force of labeling a right as "property," not in any doctrinal consequence flowing directly from that label. In parallel to their common law and civil law counterparts, presentday rabbinic jurists engage in lively debate about whether Jewish law recognizes copyright as a property right. And, as in secular law but for different reasons, that issue has significant repercussions in Jewish law. As discussed in rabbinic court decisions and writings, whether Jewish law accords authors a right of ownership in their works impacts such issues as whether it is permissible, without license from the author or publisher, to copy and distribute software and sound recordings, perform music in wedding halls, make copies for private and classroom use, and download songs from the Internet. There are numerous, and at times profound, differences in the terminology, form of argument, doctrinal specifics, and overarching legal framework of Jewish and secular law. Nonetheless, the arguments within the Jewish law debate have some intriguing parallels with those of secular copyright law. In fact, one finds the direct, if largely unstated, influence of secular copyright just below the surface in the debate in Jewish law about whether copyright is property.
Abstract Flash processing of an AISI8620 steel sheet, which involves rapid heating and cooling with an overall process duration of <10 s, produced a steel microstructure with a high tensile strength and good ductility similar to that of advanced high strength steels. Flash processed steel [ultimate tensile strength (UTS): 1694 MPa, elongation: 7·1%], showed at least 7% higher UTS and 30% greater elongation than published results on martensitic advanced high strength steel (UTS: 1585 MPa, elongation: 5·1%). The underlying microstructure was characterised with optical, scanning electron, transmission electron microscopy as well as hardness mapping. A complex distribution of bainitic and martensite microstructures with carbides was observed. A mechanism for the above microstructure evolution is proposed.
Although many hypotheses, such as stiffness control and muscle mechano-reflex control, have been proposed for the elucidation of a control system to maintain an upright posture, the detailed mechanism is still unclear. In this study, the characteristics of muscle activity in the upright posture were investigated to verify the stiffness control hypothesis by employing stabilometry and the simultaneous measurement of electromyographs (EMGs). For each experimental test, with the subjects’ eyes open/closed during stabilometry, EMGs were recorded for the gastrocnemius muscle, soleus muscle, and tibialis anterior muscles, simultaneously. We discuss a relationship between the center of gravity and muscle activity to control the upright posture. Mathematical models to control the standing posture are also discussed in this study.
SECURING CYBERSPACE TODAY involves in-depth defense, which in turn requires taking a multilayered view of the systems in play. All layers must be secured, from the hardware processor and platform to the peripherals, firmware, operating system, network, protocols, crypto-algorithms, applications, services and microservices, APIs, virtualization, and cloud distribution. Cybersecurity also involves threat modeling; vulnerability assessment; risk analysis; and risk-driven, best-effort security controls. Further, based on the use of computing and networking, we have information-technology (IT) and operationaltechnology (OT) systems at various industrial-control and critical-infrastructure systems. In India, several academic institutes have chartered course work in cryptography and security. The earliest steps trace back to the launch of the Cryptology Research Society of India (CRSI)14 by multiple academic institutes, such as the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) Chennai, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras/Kanpur/Kharagpur. To extend the theoretical foundations of cryptology to information security and cybersecurity, special initiatives were taken by various academic partners. ISI Kolkata has been one of the forerunners in paving the path of academic research in the world of cryptography, focusing on varied areas, including symmetric key cryptography and various research topics in the domain of cryptology and security.32 IIT Kharagpur developed expertise in a state-of-the-art research laboratory called Secured Embedded Architecture Laboratory (SEAL), focusing on hardware security.38 IIT Kanpur, along with partners at IIT Kharagpur, IIIT Allahabad (IIITA), and IISc, runs a technology innovation hub (TIH)6 for cyber-physical systems (CPS) security, where IIT Kanpur mainly focuses on industrial control system (ICS)/supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) security while IIT Kharagpur focuses on hardware security, Trojan detection, and automotive security.39 IIT Kanpur is also involved in the security of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). IIITA focuses on IoT security, while IISc focuses on multiparty computation. IIT Madras has a leading research group in foundational aspects of cybersecurity,13 and IIT Bombay, which fosters a strong group in theoretical cryptography, has also made pioneering contributions in secure computation, specifically in the domain of secure multiparty computations. This article looks at some of the major research accomplishments resulting from these efforts. Further, we discuss significant government initiatives that have helped to develop India’s discourse around cryptology and research.
The properties of KDP type ferroelectrics with impurities (D in KH2PO4 and H in KD2PO4) are considered using the method of zero-temperature Green function. The linewidth of the polarization waves caused by their scattering on such impurities as well as the local frequency of impurity itself are calculated. The obtained results can be tested by measuring an intensity of the coherent (for H in KD2PO4) or incoherent (for D in KH2PO4) inelastic scattering respectively of slow neutrons scattered by such impure ferroelectrics.        [Russian Text Ignored].
The Vascular Unit at Suez Canal University Hospital in Egypt covers a wide area with high rates of severe injuries. This is a prospective study of mangled extremities to identify risk factors associated with limb loss in these patients. Between December 2000 and August 2003, a prospective study on all patients with arterial injuries in mangled extremities was undertaken. All patients were scored using the Mangled Extremity Severity Score (MESS) and the Mangled Extremity Severity Index (MESI). During this period, arterial reconstruction was performed in 62 patients. Primary patency, secondary patency, and limb salvage rates were 81%, 85.5%, and 93.5%, respectively. The only factor affecting limb salvage (statistical trend) was the site of trauma (upper limb 100% vs lower limb 89%; p = .08%). There was no significant effect related to the mechanism of trauma (blunt 90% vs stab 100%; p = .125), MESS (< 7, 100% vs > 7, 91%; p = .22), and MESI (< 20, 100% vs > 20, 90.5%; p = .154). Upper limb injuries were the least likely to lead to amputation. We recommend that all injuries, whatever their score, should be surgically explored before treatment decisions are made.
Abstract The distinctive topography in western Shandong province consists of several NW‐WNW‐trending mountain ranges and intervening basins. Basins, in which late‐stage sediments to the south have progressively overlapped the earlier sediments and “basement” rocks of the hanging‐wall block, are bounded by S‐SW‐dipping normal faults to the north. Basin analysis reveals the Jurassic‐Cretaceous sedimentary rocks accumulated both within the area of crustal extension and during extensional deformation; they contain a record of a sequence of tectonic events during stretching and can be divided into four tectonic‐sequence episodes. These basins were initially developed as early as ca. 200 Ma in the northern part of the study area, extending dominantly N‐S from the Early Jurassic until the Late Cretaceous. Although with a brief hiatus due to changes in stress field, to keep uniform N‐S extensional polarity in such a long time as 130 Ma requires a relatively stable tectonic controlling factor responsible for the NW‐ and E‐W‐extensional basins. The formation of the extensional basins is partly concurrent with regional magmatism, but preceded magmatism by 40 Ma. This precludes a genetic link between local magmatism and extension during the Mesozoic. Based on integrated studies of basins and deformation, we consider that the gravitational collapse of the early overthickened continental crust may be the main tectonic driver for the Mesozoic extensional basins. From the Early Jurassic, dramatic reduction in north‐south horizontal compressive stress made the western Shandong deformation belt switch from a state of failure under shortening to one dominated by extension and the belt gravitationally collapsed and horizontally spread to the south until equilibrium was established; synchronously, the normal faults and basins were developed based on the model of simple‐shear extensional deformation. This may be relative to the gravitational collapse of the Mesozoic plateau in eastern China.
INTRODUCTION: A good organizational citizen is a thought and idea that includes various behaviors of employees such as accepting and assuming additional duties and responsibilities, following organizational rules and procedures, maintaining and developing a positive attitude, being patient, and tolerating dissatisfaction and problems in the workplace. The increase in the level of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in the organization makes the organization an attractive environment for work. In other words, the desired level of OCBs affects the improvement of the performance of employees and, in general, the organization. The Iranian Red Crescent Society is one of the human-centered organizations, and observing the indicators of citizenship behavior is one of the effective factors in the success of its performance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the OCB from a social perspective in the Iranian Red Crescent Society. METHODS: The present applied study was conducted based on an exploratory qualitative approach. The statistical population of this study consisted of all managers and employees of the Iranian Red Crescent Society. The required data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews, which reached saturation after holding 14 interviews. To analyze the data, content analysis, meta-synthesis, and fuzzy Delphi methods using grounded theory were applied. The MAXQDA software (version 10) was used in the theory analysis process. FINDINGS: In this study, the results were classified into 78 concepts, 14 sub-criteria, and 2 main criteria, including the dimensions of citizenship behavior and the consequences of citizenship behavior. The most important dimensions of OCB consisted of the categories of helpful behaviors, individual creativity, organizational obedience, organizational loyalty, chivalry, civic virtue, and personal growth. CONCLUSION: The results of data analysis showed that the categories of increasing performance productivity and effectiveness, promoting positive relationships among employees, boosting efficiency in resource allocation, reducing maintenance costs, creating the necessary flexibility for innovation, improving customer service, using rare resources effectively were the most important consequences of observing OCB from a social perspective in the IRCS.
Image registration is a fundamental image processing task to match and align physically two images which could have been imaged by different sensors, view angles and or at different times. This paper presents a new algorithm for image registration based on a combination between cross correlation function and feature-based methods .In the proposed algorithm, the ground control points are extracted from input images using the Harris corner detector, and the correspondence between the points extracted from the different images is established using RANdom SAmple Consensus (RANSAC) method with. The image coregistration in this paper is performed by three ways: It is first performed by the proposed algorithm then it is performed by feature-based methods and finally the results are compared with those achieved using Gamma design software. The method is also evaluated by using the coherence map. The results showed that the combination between cross correlation function and feature-based methods almost give us the same results of traditional method but with low processing time., which is our aim to prove and validate. (4 pages)
Many hyothalamic neuropeptides are involved in the regulation of food intake and body weight. The orexins (OX) which are synthesized in the lateral hypothalamus are among the most recently characterized whereas neuropeptide Y (NPY) belongs to a group of "older" peptides extensively studied for their effects on feeding behavior. Both stimulate food ingestion in rodents. In this experiment, we measured the expressions of these peptides as well as of their receptors (OX1-R and OX2-R, Y1 and Y5) in the hypothalamus of obese hyperphagic and lean Zucker rats by real-time RT-PCR using the TaqMan apparatus. NPY mRNA expression in the obese rats was significantly increased by a factor of 10 (P < 0.002) whereas expressions of the Y1 and Y5 receptors were decreased by 25% (P < 0.01) and 50% (P < 0.002), respectively. Their prepro-orexin mRNA expression was more than twofold decreased (P < 0.01) and expressions of their OX receptors 1 and 2 mRNA were five- and fourfold increased (P < 0.05), respectively. An inverse phenomenon was therefore noted between the two peptides: for NPY, increased levels and downregulation of receptors; and for OX, diminished levels with upregulation of receptors. The reasons for these changes might be linked to the absence of leptin signaling as similar profiles are found in the ob/ob mice. For orexins at least, other factors such as hyperglycemia might be involved. Based on anatomical considerations, a direct effect of NPY or of other brain peptides such as CRH cannot be excluded. We conclude that the diminution in the OX tone might participate in a counterregulatory system necessary to limit the noxious effects of NPY on food intake and body weight.
The article explores the cultural and semiotic elements of aso alaro, a Yoruba bridal fabric that features interesting animal and domestic object motifs. Generally spectacular bridal aso alaro were stored away after the wedding event and they became treasures that many people beheld later in life particularly because of the design motifs. This paper demonstrates how the iconographic features of the focused bridal fabric could be defined and interpreted by means of verbal arts and in terms of Yoruba cultural values, and attempts to establish that, although this type of cloth design/tradition has eclipsed in the context of modernity, its meanings are significant enough to engage intellectual attention as through which a society tried to articulate its understandings of social and cultural experience.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents the most frequently diagnosed subtype of this morbid malignancy. NSCLC is causally linked to tobacco consumption with more than 500 million smokers worldwide at high risk for this fatal malignancy. We are currently lagging in our knowledge of the early molecular (e.g., genomic) effects of smoking in NSCLC pathogenesis that would constitute ideal markers for early detection. This limitation is further amplified when considering the variable etiologic factors in NSCLC pathogenesis among different regions around the globe. In this review, we present our current knowledge of genomic alterations arising during early stages of smoking-induced lung cancer initiation and progression, including discussing the premalignant airway field of injury induced by smoking. The review also underscores the wider spectra and higher age-adjusted rates of tobacco (e.g., water-pipe smoke) consumption, along with elevated environmental carcinogenic exposures and relatively poorer socioeconomic status, in low-middle income countries (LMICs), with Lebanon as an exemplar. This “cocktail” of carcinogenic exposures warrants the pressing need to understand the complex etiology of lung malignancies developing in LMICs such as Lebanon.
We propose a new beating machine based on a dual cam and lever mechanism to operate flapping and torsion motions of a dragonfly wing. The beating machine was designed according to the time dependent variation in flapping angle and in torsion angle of a free flight dragonfly. Our experiment results show that the variations in flapping angle and in torsion angle of a wing on beating machine agree well with those of a real free flight dragonfly wing, confirming that our beating machine is available for studying the beating performance. We then use the beating machine to study the aerodynamic force and inertia affecting on the wing by comparing the flapping angle and torsion angle under the normal and vacuum conditions.
Neisseria meningitidis is a human pathogen that causes septicemia and meningitis with high mortality. The disease progression is rapid and much remains unknown about the disease process. The understanding of disease development is crucial for development of novel therapeutic strategies and vaccines against meningococcal disease. The use of bioluminescent imaging combined with a mouse disease model allowed us to investigate the progression of meningococcal sepsis over time. Injection of bacteria in blood demonstrated waves of bacterial clearance and growth, which selected for Opa-expressing bacteria, indicating the importance of this bacterial protein. Further, N. meningitidis accumulated in the thyroid gland, while thyroid hormone T4 levels decreased. Bacteria reached the mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract, which required expression of the meningococcal PilC1 adhesin. Surprisingly, PilC1 was dispensable for meningococcal growth in blood and for crossing of the blood-brain barrier, indicating that the major role of PilC1 is to interact with mucosal surfaces. This in vivo study reveals disease dynamics and organ targeting during meningococcal disease and presents a potent tool for further investigations of meningococcal pathogenesis and vaccines in vivo. This might lead to development of new strategies to improve the outcome of meningococcal disease in human patients.
In this paper, a surface-potential-based (SP-based) model for AlGaN/GaN modulation-doped field-effect transistors (MODFETs) is built for the first time. First, a closed-form analytical approximation for the Fermi potential EF relative to the bottom of the conduction band at the AlGaN/GaN interface is presented and verified to be accurate enough under different biases and temperatures. Then, the potential of the bottom of the conduction band at the AlGaN/GaN interface φs is defined as the SP, and the value of φs relative to ground is calculated. The development of SP-based compact dc model is achieved based on this calculation. Velocity saturation, channel length modulation, drain-induced barrier lower effect, and self-heating effect are included in the presented model. Compared with the Vth-based model developed by our group, this SP-based model provides a symmetric and more accurate but simpler description for AlGaN/GaN MODFETs. The calculated dc characteristics and transconductance for devices with different lengths are in excellent agreement with the experimental data over the full range of applied gate and drain biases and under different temperatures.
Preachers learn a great deal from each other. Two recent books by widely acclaimed preachers contribute to this learning process. The first is Preaching on the Historical Jesus by D. W. Cleverley Ford (Mowbray, 1993, £6.99, pp. 128, ISBN 0-264-67305-0). The second, Affirmation, is by John Fenton (The Canterbury Press Norwich, 1993, £7.95, pp. 184, ISBN 1-85311-071-X). Cleverley Ford’s book is a series of twenty-four full length sermons, all written to stress the importance of the Jesus of history, ’Christianity’s supreme and indispensable asset’ for twentieth-century Christians. The preacher chooses a text, imaginatively re-tells a story about Jesus, and interprets its meaning for life and faith today. He offers many an insight into the Gospels’ picture of Jesus which will enable others to proclaim the Jesus of faith
Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of racemic α-bromo sulfoxides with boronic acids are carried out in either aqueous or nonaqueous medium with formation of a new C sp3−C sp2 bond. The arylation of chiral α-bromo sulfoxides occurs without racemization. The cross-coupling reaction is general and gives high yields with arylboronic acids substituted with either donor or acceptor groups but gives poor results with heteroarylboronic acids. The best yields are obtained using degassed solvents and CsF instead of aqueous base. The use of aqueous base and the presence of oxygen favor the homocoupling side reaction.
The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the β‐amyloid fragment Aβ25–35 on mitochondrial structure and function and on the expression of proteins associated with the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) in rat hippocampal neurons. Ninety clean‐grade Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly assigned to six groups (n = 15 per group). Aβ25–35 (1, 5, or 10 µg/rat) was injected into hippocampal area CA1. Normal saline was injected as a control. The effect of Aβ25–35 injection on hippocampal structure was assessed by transmission electron microscopy. Ca2+‐ATPase activity, [Ca2+]i, and mitochondrial membrane potential were measured. The expression of genes associated with the MPTP, including the voltage‐dependent anion channel (VDAC), adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT), and cyclophilin D (Cyp‐D), were evaluated. Results showed that Aβ25–35 injection damaged the mitochondrial structure of hippocampal neurons, decreased Ca2+‐ATPase activity and mitochondrial membrane potential, and increased [Ca2+]i. The expression levels for VDAC, ANT, and Cyp‐D in all groups were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those in the normal control group after Aβ25–35 injection. These results indicate that Aβ25–35 damages mitochondria in rat hippocampal neurons and effects mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as increasing the expression of genes associated with the MPTP. Mitochondrial dysfunction may result in increased MPTP gene expression, leading to neurodegenerative effects. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 1450–1457, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Crude extracts containing protease inhibitors from edible legumes (canned chick-peas, canned kidney beans and bean curd) were capable of blocking the superoxide response to human polymorphonuclear leukocytes produced by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Protease inhibitors purified from crude extracts more effectively blocked the superoxide response produced by TPA. Bowman-Birk soybean inhibitor was more effective in blocking this effect of the tumor promoter than Kunitz soybean inhibitor. The significance of protease inhibitors in edible legumes and the possible role of free oxygen radicals in tumor promotion are discussed.
espanolLa dificultad del quiebre empresarial es una cuestion de plena actualidad, debido a que es un problema de permanente interes para un amplio conjunto de agentes economicos y sociales. En ese sentido, el objetivo de este articulo consiste en explicar el desempeno financiero de las empresas del sector minorista de alimentos y bebidas en Barranquilla, Colombia para el ano 2016. Metodologicamente, es un estudio explicativo, no experimental y transversal que calculo 17 razones financieras a partir de los estados financieros en el periodo de estudio, a una muestra de siete (7) empresas del sector, seguidamente, se aplico el analisis discriminante a traves del programa estadistico SPSS version 22. Como resultado, se obtuvo la derivacion de funciones discriminantes para el caso de quiebra y no quiebre en las empresas, ambas situaciones empresariales se explicaron y correlacionaron significativamente con los siguientes ratios: Periodo promedio de pago, margen bruto, rendimiento sobre activos y multiplicador del capital. Se concluyo, que estos indicadores en el sector minorista de alimentos y bebidas en Barranquilla, Colombia, intervienen fuertemente en una posible situacion de quiebra y no quiebra de las companias. EnglishThe difficulty of business breakdown is a matter of topicality, because it is a problem of permanent interest for a wide range of economic and social agents. In that sense, the objective of this article is to explain the financial performance of companies in the food and beverage retail sector in Barranquilla, Colombia for the year 2016. Methodologically, it is an explanatory, non-experimental and cross-sectional study that calculated 17 financial reasons From the financial statements in the study period, a discriminant analysis was applied to a sample of seven (7) companies in the sector, using the statistical program SPSS version 22. As a result, the derivation of discriminant functions was obtained In the case of bankruptcy and non-bankruptcy in companies, both business situations were explained and correlated significantly with the following ratios: Average payment period, gross margin, return on assets and capital multiplier. It was concluded that these indicators in the food and beverage retail sector in Barranquilla, Colombia, are strongly involved in a possible bankruptcy situation and not bankruptcy of the companies.
Blocking interaction of the immune checkpoint receptor PD-1 with its ligand PD-L1 is associated with good clinical outcomes in a broad variety of malignancies. High levels of PD-L1 promote tumor growth by restraining CD8+ T-cell responses against tumors. Limiting PD-L1 expression and function is therefore critical for allowing the development of antitumor immune responses and effective tumor clearance. Pyruvate kinase isoform M2 (PKM2) is also a key player in regulating cancer as well as immune responses. PKM2 catalyzes the final rate-limiting step of glycolysis. Furthermore, PKM2 as a dimer translocates to the nucleus, where it stimulates hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (Hif-1α) transactivation domain function and recruitment of p300 to the hypoxia response elements (HRE) of Hif-1α target genes. Here, we provide the first evidence of a role for PKM2 in regulating the expression of PD-L1 on macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), T cells, and tumor cells. LPS-induced expression of PD-L1 in primary macrophages was inhibited by the PKM2 targeting compound TEPP-46. Furthermore, RNA silencing of PKM2 inhibited LPS-induced PD-L1 expression. This regulation occurs through direct binding of PKM2 and Hif-1α to HRE sites on the PD-L1 promoter. Moreover, TEPP-46 inhibited expression of PD-L1 on macrophages, DCs, and T cells as well as tumor cells in a mouse CT26 cancer model. These findings broaden our understanding of how PKM2 may contribute to tumor progression and may explain the upregulation of PD-L1 in the tumor microenvironment.
Abstract While typhoid fever remains an important cause of illness in many low- and middle-income countries, important insights can be learned by exploring the historical experience with typhoid fever in industrialized countries. We used archival research to examine British and American attempts to control typhoid via sanitary interventions from the 1840s to 1940s. First, we assess how varying perceptions of typhoid and conflicts of interest led to a nonlinear evolution of control attempts in Oxford, United Kingdom. Our qualitative analysis shows how professional rivalries and tensions between Oxford’s university and citizens (“gown and town”), as well as competing theories of typhoid proliferation stalled sanitary reform until the provision of cheap external credit created cross-party alliances at the municipal level. Second, we use historical mortality data to evaluate and quantify the impact of individual sanitary measures on typhoid transmission in major US cities. Together a historiographic and epidemiological study of past interventions provides insights for the planning of future sanitary programs.
Aims    Lungeing on hard and soft surfaces is crucial to clinical lameness and prepurchase examinations. Here we 1) quantify movement symmetry (MS) in sound horses trotting on hard and soft surfaces, and 2) compare MS patterns for different rein and surface combinations between sound and mildly forelimb lame horses.        Methods    Twenty-three riding horses were equipped with an inertial sensor based gait analysis system and assessed in-hand on the straight and during lungeing (10 m diameter circle), both on hard and soft surfaces. Assessment of rein (left/right) was performed in a randomised order. Seven published MS parameters (3 poll, 4 pelvis) were quantified from an average of 38 strides per condition. Horses were subdivided into 3 groups: control (9 horses), left (5) and right (9) forelimb lame. Statistical analysis was performed using paired samples t test, ANOVA and post hoc comparisons.        Results    For control horses, only one MS measure was significantly different between the surfaces; Symmetry Index (P = 0.0122, increased asymmetry on hard ground). When comparing left and right forelimb lame horses, increased head movement asymmetry was found with the affected limb on the inside of the circle on both surfaces (P values between P = 0.0006 and P = 0.0481); circle and lameness induced asymmetry adding up. No differences in pelvic MS were identified between sound and mildly forelimb lame horses.        Conclusions    Sound horses show similar amounts of movement asymmetry during lungeing on hard and soft surfaces. Mildly forelimb lame horses show characteristic patterns of increased asymmetry in particular with the affected limb on the inside of the circle.        Practical significance    The observed differences between sound and mildly forelimb lame horses will contribute to higher specificity in identification of mildly lame horses based on objective gait analysis. It is recommended to include lungeing into objective gait assessments.        Acknowledgements    We are grateful to the owners of the horses that participated.        Ethical animal research    This project was granted ethical approval by the RVC Ethics and Welfare Committee as part of Hazel Mitchell's and Charlotte Jennings' final year research project and conducted with owners' informed consent. Sources of funding: RVC. Competing interests: None.
France, the United States, and the Algerian War, by Irwin M. Wall. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2001. xiii + 268 pages. Map. Illus. Notes to p. 309. Bibl. to p. 319. Index to p. 335. $39.95. The decolonization of Algeria is usually interpreted as a supreme French internal problem with considerable, though subordinate, external significance. Professor Irwin Wall offers an alternative perspective. He views this agonizing crisis as having immense global importance and places it squarely in the context of international affairs - specifically the Franco-American relationship. The author propounds several provocative interpretations that are bound to raise eyebrows among historians and political scientists. Charles de Gaulle is traditionally admired for freeing France and liberating Algeria by a deliberate, determined, though not always decisive, policy of decolonization. Wall contends that after coming to power, with the support of the United States, de Gaulle endeavored to preserve French Algeria. This objective dominated French foreign policy and de Gaulle's grander strategic designs - the independent nuclear deterrent, the tripartite NATO directorate, and the Eurafrican plan. Wall originally envisioned a book examining the collapse of the Fourth Republic with a concluding chapter on how de Gaulle decolonized Algeria. He eventually reoriented the book and included three chapters on de Gaulle's policies, which escalated the decolonizing conflict, leading to chaos and catastrophe in Algeria and, correspondingly, to frustration and failure regarding the general's global foreign policy ambitions. The most strategic bilateral relationship for France during this period was with the United States. France posed serious problems for American foreign policy, given France's humiliation in the Suez crisis in 1956 and its reluctance to grant independence to its two North African protectorates - Tunisia and Morocco. The latter two countries had moderate leaders whom Washington wished to shepherd into the anti-Communist camp. Even after Tunisia and Morocco attained independence, their sovereignty remained threatened by the colonial war in neighboring Algeria. Soon after the surprising hostilities broke out, the Eisenhower administration assessed that Algerian autonomy or independence was inevitable. It disregarded Paris's fearful rhetoric during the Suez crisis proclaiming that "France, in Algeria, was defending freedom against Pan-- Islamic theocratic fanaticism" (p. 35). Given its contacts with the Front de Liberation National (FLN), Washington also rejected the French formula that equated Algerian independence with communism. On the other hand, Suez and the Algerian War threatened NATO's strength and solidarity; this was a serious matter. Though the British were penitent after Suez and pursued an "Anglo" partnership with the United States, the French remained recalcitrant and resentful, and resorted to occasional anti-American outbursts. As the Fourth Republic disintegrated, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles astutely assessed the insurrectionary "fraternization" of May 1958 in Algiers between Europeans and Muslims as "artificial" (p. 146). Those demonstrations demanded de Gaulle's return to power. By that time, Washington had lost its patience with the Fourth Republic. French inability to suppress the insurgency led to collusion with the British and Israelis against Egyptian President Jamal `Abd al-- Nasir - a staunch supporter of the Algerian nationalist FLN. The subsequent Suez fiasco correlated with the beginning of the Battle of Algiers that was fraught with terror and torture. French governments lost control of civilian and military administrations, as illustrated by the skyjacking of a Moroccan plane carrying prominent Algerian nationalists in 1957 and the bombing of the Tunisian town of Sakiet in 1958. These events deepened Washington's impression that the Fourth Republic was politically and morally bankrupt. …
Transient hypothyroxinemia in infants born to mothers with poorly controlled Graves' disease was first reported in 1988. We report that short-term hyperthyroidism followed by hypothyroidism with low basal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels developed in a very low birth weight infant born at 27 weeks of gestation to a noncompliant mother with thyrotoxicosis attributable to Graves' disease. We performed serial thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) tests in this infant and demonstrated that TSH unresponsiveness to TRH disappeared at 6.5 months of age. The maternal thyroid function was free triiodothyronine (FT3), 21.1 pg/mL; free thyroxine (FT4), 8.1 ng/dL; TSH, <0.03 μU/mL; thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody, 52% (normal: <15%); thyroid-stimulating antibody, 294% (normal: <180%); and thyroid-stimulation blocking antibody, 9% (normal: <25%) on the day of delivery. A nonstress test revealed fetal tachycardia >200 beats per minute, and a male infant weighing 1152 g was born by emergency cesarean section. Thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibody was 16% and thyroid-stimulating antibody was 370% in the cord blood. We administered 10 mg/kg per day of oral propylthiouracil from day 1. Tachycardia along with elevated FT4 and FT3 levels in the infant decreased from 200/minute to 170/minute, 4.7 ng/dL to 2.9 ng/dL, 7.0 pg/mL to 4.8 pg/mL, respectively, in the first 33 hours. At 5 days, FT4and FT3 were 1.1 ng/dL and 2.9 pg/mL, respectively, and we stopped propylthiouracil administration. Although FT4decreased to 0.4 ng/dL, TSH was quite low and did not respond to intravenous TRH by 14 days of age. We began daily levothyroxine 5-μ/kg supplementation. The responsiveness of TSH to TRH did not become significant until 4 months old and normalized at 6.5 months old. At this time, levothyroxine was stopped. We conclude that placental transfer of thyroid hormones may cause hyperthyroidism in the fetal and early neonatal periods and lead to transient pituitary hypothyroidism in an infant born to a mother with uncontrolled Graves' disease.
A numerical method to solve the set of Dyson‐like equations in the framework of non‐equilibrium Green's functions is presented. The technique is based on the self‐consistent solution of the Dyson equations for the interacting single‐particle Green's function once a choice for the self‐energy, functional of the single‐particle Green's function itself, is made. The authors briefly review the theory of the non‐equilibrium Green's functions in order to highlight the main point useful in discussing the proposed technique. Then, the numerical implementationis presented and discussed, which is based on the distribution of the Keldysh components of the Green's function and the self‐energy on a grid of processes. It is discussed how the structure of the considered self‐energy approximations influences the distribution of the matrices in order to minimize the communication time among processes and which should be considered in the case of other approximations. The authors give an example of the application of this technique to the case of quenches in ultracold gases and to the single impurity Anderson model, also discussing the convergence and the stability features of the approach.
ABSTRACT Ulmus parvifolia (U. parvifolia) is a Chinese medicine plant whose bark and leaves are used in the treatment of some diseases such as inflammation, diarrhea and fever. However, metabolic signatures of seeds have not been studied. The seeds and bark of U. parvifolia collected at the seed ripening stage were used for metabolite profiling analysis through the untargeted metabolomics approach. A total of 2,578 and 2,207 metabolites, while 503 and 132 unique metabolites were identified in seeds and bark, respectively. Additionally, 574 differential metabolites (DEMs) were detected in the two different organs of U. parvifolia, which were grouped into 52 classes. Most kinds of metabolites classed into prenol lipids class. The relative content of flavonoids class was the highest. DEMs contained some bioactive compounds (e.g., flavonoids, terpene glycosides, triterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids) with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activities. Most kinds of flavonoids and sesquiterpenes were up-regulated in seeds. There were more varieties of terpene glycosides and triterpenoids showing up-regulated in bark. The pathway enrichment was performed, while flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis were worthy of attention. This study identified DEMs with pharmaceutical value between seeds and bark during seed maturation and offered a molecular basis for alternative or complementary use of seeds and bark of U. parvifolia as a Chinese medicinal material.
Scientific journals published on the Web are still based on a print model. Knowledge in those articles is in text format which is not processable by softwares. A Web publishing environment is proposed which enables authors to publish articles both as a text and a software "understandable" format. Sixty articles from Health Science electronic journals were analyzed to test and evaluate the model. The results of the analysis and the model proposed are shown and discussed.
Aims: Precise biometry is an essential preoperative measurement for refractive surgery as well as cataract surgery. A new device based on partial coherence interferometry technology was tested and evaluated for accuracy of measurements. Methods: In a prospective study 200 eyes of 100 healthy phakic volunteers were examined with a functional prototype of the new ALLEGRO BioGraph (Wavelight AG)/LENSTAR LS 900 (Haag Streit AG) biometer and with the IOLMaster V.5 (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG). As recommended by the manufacturers, repeated measurements were performed with both devices and the results compared using Spearman correlation calculations (WinSTAT). Results: Spearman correlation showed high correlations for axial length and keratometry measurements between the two devices tested. Anterior chamber depth, however, had a lower correlation between the two biometry devices. In addition, the mean values of the anterior chamber depth differed (IOLMaster 3.48 (SD 0.42) mm versus BioGraph/LENSTAR 3.64 (SD 0.26) mm); however, this difference was not statistically different (p>0.05, t test). Conclusion: The new biometer provided results that correlated very well with those of the IOLMaster. The ALLEGRO BioGraph/LENSTAR LS 900 is a precise device containing additional features that will be helpful tools for any cataract or refractive surgeon.
Background: The long-term success of implant supported prosthesis depends on many variables. In addition to the osseointegration rules, a clinician should consider also the biomechanical factors like angulation of the abutment that may have a profound influence on the stress levels on bone for long-term function of implant-supported prosthesis. Purpose : A 3D finite element method was used to evaluate the von Mises stresses (ΣEmax ) generated in varying thickness of cortical bone under axial and combined loading conditions by four angulated abutments in the anterior esthetic zone. Materials and Methods: The model resembles the maxillary bone, and the material properties similar to the bone are introduced in the model and clinical loading conditions were simulated. Von mises stresses occurring for four angulated abutments (0, 15, 20, 25 degree) in (a) compact and cancellous bone, (b) thick and thin compact bone, (c) subjected to axial and combined loading, were calculated. Results: ( a) Von Mises stresses (∑E max ) were higher in the cortical bone compared to the cancellous bone and were concentrated in the crestal (facial) region in both types of bone. (b) The ∑E max values of 0, 15 degree abutments in thin bone and 0, 15, 20 degree abutments in thick bone were within the physiological remodeling zone. (c) Stress values for a 25 degree abutment in both types of bone were above the resorption limit. (d) Stress values were higher due to combined loading compared to axial loading irrespective of the angulation or quality of bone present. (e) Clinically, within a load of 178 N angulated abutments up to 20 degrees can be placed in the anterior maxillary zone.
Summary When suspended in sterile distilled or pasteurized and filtered well water, Ps. putrefaciens was easily destroyed by chlorine, provided excessive numbers of cells were not present; destruction was especially active in the distilled water. When the numbers of organisms in relation to the amount of chlorine or its period of action were excessive, destruction was unsatisfactory. Among the strains tested there was some evidence of variation in chlorine resistance. There was excellent agreement between growth of Ps. putrefaciens on a special agar and production of the putrid defect in unsalted butter at 21° C. Various suspensions yielding good growth on the agar failed to produce changes in litmus milk.
In order to solve the three JiaoHe coal mine safety production the problems existing in the management and detailed analysis of the safety of this ore information management status, determine the safety information management system design goal, make the system design of the guiding ideology, the advanced nature, adaptability, according to the developmental and reliability of principles in the design, the management system has strong data processing ability can provide the scientific decision of leaders at all levels of the data support, advanced and reliable information means can help enterprise further improve safety management work process optimization and realize the goal of prevention, so as to reduce the number of accidents, ensure the safety of the QuanKuang production.
Bacterial phosphopentomutases (PPMs) are alkaline phosphatase superfamily members that interconvert α-d-ribose 5-phosphate (ribose 5-phosphate) and α-d-ribose 1-phosphate (ribose 1-phosphate). We investigated the reaction mechanism of Bacillus cereus PPM using a combination of structural and biochemical studies. Four high resolution crystal structures of B. cereus PPM revealed the active site architecture, identified binding sites for the substrate ribose 5-phosphate and the activator α-d-glucose 1,6-bisphosphate (glucose 1,6-bisphosphate), and demonstrated that glucose 1,6-bisphosphate increased phosphorylation of the active site residue Thr-85. The phosphorylation of Thr-85 was confirmed by Western and mass spectroscopic analyses. Biochemical assays identified Mn2+-dependent enzyme turnover and demonstrated that glucose 1,6-bisphosphate treatment increases enzyme activity. These results suggest that protein phosphorylation activates the enzyme, which supports an intermolecular transferase mechanism. We confirmed intermolecular phosphoryl transfer using an isotope relay assay in which PPM reactions containing mixtures of ribose 5-[18O3]phosphate and [U-13C5]ribose 5-phosphate were analyzed by mass spectrometry. This intermolecular phosphoryl transfer is seemingly counter to what is anticipated from phosphomutases employing a general alkaline phosphatase reaction mechanism, which are reported to catalyze intramolecular phosphoryl transfer. However, the two mechanisms may be reconciled if substrate encounters the enzyme at a different point in the catalytic cycle.
Significant technical improvements have been made recently in the design of coiled tubing (CT) blowout preventer (BOP) shear and slip rams. This technology is constantly being enhanced and refined as the CT service industry continues to mature and new operational demands are placed on the CT pressure control equipment. Larger CT sizes require better BOP shearing capabilities. Advancements in the understanding of CT fatigue life have caused the life reducing affects of the slip ram markings on the pipe to be examined. This paper explores the circumstances that have precipitated these improvements, and the research and development methods involved in developing better BOP rams.
Connexins (Cx) are largely represented in the central nervous system (CNS) with 11 Cx isoforms forming intercellular channels. Moreover, in the CNS, Cx43 can form hemichannels (HCs) at non-junctional membrane as does the related channel-forming Pannexin1 (Panx1) and Panx2. Opening of Panx1 channels and Cx43 HCs appears to be involved in inflammation and has been documented in various CNS pathologies. Over recent years, evidence has accumulated supporting a link between inflammation and cerebral neuropathies (migraine, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), epilepsy, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder). Involvement of Panx channels and Cx43 HCs has been also proposed in pathophysiology of neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders. Other studies showed that following inflammatory injury of the CNS, Panx1 activators are released and prolonged opening of Panx1 channels triggers neuronal death. In neuropsychiatric diseases, comorbidities are frequently present and can aggravate the symptoms and make therapeutic management more complex. The high comorbidity between some neuropathies can be partially understood by the fact that these diseases share a common etiology involving inflammatory pathways and Panx1 channels or Cx43 HCs. Thus, anti-inflammatory therapy opens perspectives of targets for new treatments and could have real potential in controlling a cerebral neuropathy and some of its comorbidities. The purpose of this mini review is to provide information of our knowledge on the link between Cx43- and Panx-based channels, inflammation and cerebral neuropathies.
Abstract Through a mixed-method design, the study investigated gender and context differences within the domains of agency, life satisfaction, affectivity, and symptoms of trauma. Two-hundred-fifty Palestinian children from cities, villages, and refugee camps (M = 11.58, SD = 1.49) completed four self-reported measures, Multilevel Student’s Life Satisfaction Scale, Children’s Hope Scale, Children’s Impact of Event Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect Scales. Based on drawings and walk-along interviews with 75 children (M = 10.27, SD = 1.38), thematic analysis was performed to detect gender and context-specific differences regarding all the variables, which assisted in the interpretation of quantitative findings. Findings showed higher girls’ satisfaction in the dimension of school (MD = 1.497, p< .05) and higher values of negative affect (MD = 1.192, p< .05). Correlation analysis revealed that older girls displayed lower levels of life satisfaction, positive emotions, arousal symptoms, and agency (p< .05). Children living in the West Bank reported higher levels of agency (MD = 1.898, p< .05) in comparison to those in Gaza. The comparison of urban, rural, and refugee camp participants yielded significant differences concerning children’s satisfaction with their lives (MSLSS: F (2, 245) = 10.69, p < .001) and positive emotions (F (2, 245) = 6.49, p = .002). Six themes emerged from the TA: girls’ feelings of insecurity and uncertainty; gender gaps in mobility and accessibility to public spaces; education as a mean for equal rights; perceived gender inequality; environmental unpredictability in the context of Gaza; unstable social and environmental conditions in the refugee camps. We explored participants’ strategies of resistance to endure adverse living conditions.
Abstract The commentary on my earlier review of Australian studies of parental divorce raises a number of important points. One of these is the evaluation of strength of association. I argue that the effect sizes found for the association between parental divorce and several social and psychological outcomes have been understated and can be shown to be equal to those of other important early-life and contemporary risk factors for mental health problems. A second issue is the research direction required to establish those factors which mediate or moderate the impact of parental separation for children. I suggest that the following questions need to be addressed: (a) What factors operating in childhood ameliorate or exacerbate the social and psychological problems associated with parental divorce? (b) What behavioural signs identify those children who develop long-term problems? (c) What circumstances in adolescence and adulthood operate as risk and protective factors for the onset and persistence of adult ...
Using the differential display method, latent transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β1) binding protein 1 (LTBP‐1) mRNA was identified as one of the enriched mRNAs in ovarian carcinoma tissues after isolation of genes responsible for the development of ovarian cancer. Semi‐quantitative reverse transcription (RT)‐PCR analysis showed that expression of LTBP‐1 and TGF‐β1 mRNAs was much higher in both serous and mucinous adenocarcinomas than in their benign counterparts, including serous and mucinous cystadenomas and cystadenomas of low malignant potential (LMPs). Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that only proliferating benign adenoma cells were immunoreactive for both LTBP‐1 and TGF‐β1 proteins. In contrast, most serous and mucinous adenocarcinoma cells and their surrounding stroma were intensely immunoreactive for LTBP‐1 and TGF‐β1. LTBP‐1 and TGF‐β1 proteins, and their complex forms were identified in ovarian carcinoma cell lines and in their culture media by western blot analysis, suggesting these products were produced in ovarian carcinoma cells. RT‐PCR analysis demonstrated that LTBP‐1L, one of the LTBP‐1 transcripts that has a strong activity in targeting the latent form of TGF‐β1 to extracellular matrix (ECM), was predominantly expressed in ovarian carcinomas. Taken together, the results suggest that upregulation of LTBP‐1 in ovarian carcinoma cells may have an important role in distributing TGF‐β1 in the stromal tissues surrounding carcinoma cells.
A quenched ethylene-hexene copolymer was annealed in the temperature range of 86 to 127°C. The morphological changes were monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and density. The slow crack growth resistance tested at 80°C was a maximum at an annealing temperature of 113°C and a minimum of 123°C. The lifetimes can be varied by more than a factor of 20 depending on the thermal treatment. The increase in slow crack growth resistance between 86 and 113°C is attributed to an increase in the strength of the crystals by becoming more perfect and to the conversion of loose tie molecules into taut tie molecules. The decrease in strength between 113 and 123°C is attributed to the decrease in tie molecules when a large fraction of the as-quenched crystals begin to melt.
Expanding knowledge, together with implementation of new techniques, has fuelled the area of translational medical research aiming at improving prognostication as well as prediction in cancer therapy. At the same time, new discoveries have revealed a biological complexity we were unaware of only a decade ago. Thus, we are faced with novel challenges with respect to how we may explore issues such as prognostication and predict drug resistance in vivo. While microarray analysis exploring expression of thousands of genes in concert represents a major methodological advancement, discoveries such as the finding of different mechanisms of epigenetic silencing, intronic mutations, that most gene transcripts in the human genome are subject to alternative splicing and that hypersplicing seems to be a tumour-related phenomenon, exemplifies a complex pathology that may not be explored with use of single analytical methods only. This paper discusses clinical settings for studying drug resistance in vivo together with a discussion of contemporary biology in this field. Notably, each individual parameter which has been found correlated to drug resistance in vivo so far represents either a direct drug target or a factor involved in DNA repair or apoptosis. On the basis of these findings, we suggest drug resistance may be explored on the basis of upfront biological hypotheses.
The role of pH on the antimicrobial activity of essential oils has not been well studied. The effect of four essential oils: Backhousia citriodora, Melaleuca alternifolia, Lavandula angustifolia and Santalum spicatum (0.1% to 10%) on the pH of two commonly used media, nutrient broth and Iso‐sensitest broth, was therefore undertaken. Small (less than 0.5 pH units) but statistically signiﬁcant differences between the pH of the two media followed the addition of M. alternifolia, L. angustifolia and S. spicatum essential oil. In general the effect on pH was greatest at higher concentrations and the fall in pH was greatest in the nutrient broth. The addition of B. citriodora essential oil to nutrient broth resulted in a fall in pH from 7.29 ± 0.02 (no oil) to 5.2 ± 0.03 (10% oil). This effect was not observed in the Iso‐sensitest broth. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
I compute the broadband source spectrum at periods from 1 to 50 seconds using teleseismic P body waves of the May 23, 1989 Macquarie Ridge earthquake (Mw = 8.1) recorded by the GDSN, GEOSCOPE, and IDA networks. The average source spectrum is obtained by windowing, tapering, and Fourier-transforming P waves, removing from the spectra the effects of attenuation, geometrical spreading, and radiation pattern, and averaging logarithmically over the stations. The source spectrum for the strike-slip Macquarie Ridge earthquake is higher than an average source spectrum of seven recent large earthquakes (scaled to be comparable to a Mw = 8.1 earthquake) by a factor of 2 to 3 at periods of 1 to 20 seconds. These other earthquakes were underthrusting events in subduction zones. Using Haskell's formulation assuming a point source with no directivity, I estimate the seismically radiated energy from the source spectrum by integrating the square of the source spectrum in velocity and scaling the result. The seismic energy thus estimated for the Macquarie Ridge earthquake is 3 to 8 ×1023 ergs. An Orowan stress drop can be obtained from the seismic energy and moment. The Orowan stress drop for the Macquarie Ridge earthquake is about 20 to 50 bars, much higher than similarly determined stress drops of other recent large earthquakes. There is a correlation between the Orowan stress drops and time since the last earthquake of comparable or larger magnitude for seven recent large earthquakes. This correlation suggests that a healing process operates that may control the mechanical strength of the fault and is important on time scales of tens to hundreds of years.
We have synthesized members of an isostructural solid solution series KxBa1-xO2-δ (x < 0.41, δ < 0.11) containing mixed-valent dioxygen anions. Synthesis in liquid ammonia solution allows a continuous range of compounds to be prepared. X-ray and neutron diffraction show that KxBa1-xO2-δ adopts the tetragonal rocksalt-derived structure of the end members KO2 and BaO2, without any structural phase transition down to 5 K, the lowest temperature studied here. We identify four oxygen-oxygen stretching modes above 750 cm(-1) in the measured Raman spectra, unlike the spectra of KO2 and BaO2 which both contain just a single mode. We use density functional theory calculations to show that the stretching modes in KxBa1-xO2-δ arise from in-phase and anti-phase coupling of the stretching of nearest-neighbor oxygen dimers when the valence state of the dimers lies between -1 and -2 because of mixed cation coordination. This coupling is a direct signature of a novel type of anionogenic mixed valency.
We found new two-dimensional (2D) quantum (S=1/2) antiferromagnetic systems: CuRE2Ge2O8 (RE=Y and La). According to our analysis of high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction experiments, the Cu-network of CuRE2Ge2O8 (RE=Y and La) exhibits a 2D triangular lattice linked via weak bonds along the perpendicular b-axis. Our bulk characterizations from 0.08 to 400 K show that they undergo a long-range order at 0.51(1) and 1.09(4) K for the Y and La systems, respectively. Interestingly, they also exhibit field induced phase transitions. For theoretical understanding, we carried out the density functional theory (DFT) band calculations to find that they are typical charge-transfer-type insulators with a gap of Eg = 2 eV. Taken together, our observations make CuRE2Ge2O8 (RE=Y and La) additional examples of low-dimensional quantum spin triangular antiferromagnets with the low-temperature magnetic ordering.
The aim of this study was to determine the acute and chronic effects of low doses of long chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (<100 mg per day) on plasma LC n-3 PUFA levels using a novel delivery form; bread containing microencapsulated tuna oil (MTO). Six omnivores (three men and three women) participated in the acute study, which involved ingesting a prototype MTO bread containing approximately 80 mg of LC n-3 PUFA/four slices. Plasma triacylglycerol fatty acid compositions were measured after an overnight fast and postprandially at 2 and 4 h. In the chronic study, 10 vegetarian subjects (nine men and one woman) consumed MTO bread at six to eight slices/day (comprising 60 mg of LC n-3 PUFA) as the only dietary source of these PUFA for three weeks. Fasting plasma total and phospholipid fatty acid compositions were measured at baseline and endpoint. In the acute study, the proportions of 22:6 n-3 and total n-3 PUFA in plasma triacylglycerol were significantly increased (P < 0.05). In the chronic study, the proportions of 20:5 n-3, 22:5 n-3, 22:6 n-3, total n-3 PUFA in plasma, and 22:6 n-3 and total n-3 PUFA in plasma phospholipid fractions were significantly increased (P < 0.05) at the endpoint compared with the baseline. This study showed that a low dose of LC n-3 PUFA, consumed as MTO-enriched bread, was bioavailable, as measured by an increase in LC n-3 PUFA levels in the plasma of human subjects.
This paper presents fast algorithms for power-optimal interconnect synthesis based on interconnect prediction and sampling considering dual Vdd buffers. We present three pruning techniques including interconnect prediction based pruning (pre-buffer slack pruning and predictive min-delay pruning) and sampling (3D sampling), of which 3D sampling is effective but the other two improve both efficiency and accuracy of sampling. We also show that the key to runtime reduction is to reduce the number of propagated options, while the sophisticated data-structures which have good amortized complexity do not necessarily reduce runtime. We obtain an empirically linear time algorithm with less than 1% of delay and power increase but over 50x speedup compared with the most efficient algorithm for dual Vdd buffer insertion. In addition, we further enhance the power-optimal buffered tree construction by introducing routing grid reduction. We apply our speedup techniques to buffered tree construction algorithm. Experimental results show that we obtain over 100x speedup compared with the most efficient existing algorithms for dual Vdd buffered tree construction.
Abstract Background Previous studies of pubertal timing and self-harm are limited by subjective measures of pubertal timing or by the conflation of self-harm with suicide attempts and ideation. The current study investigates the association between an objective measure of pubertal timing – age at menarche – and self-harm with and without suicidal intent in adolescence and adulthood in females. Method Birth cohort study based on 4042 females from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Age at menarche was assessed prospectively between ages 8 and 17 years. Lifetime history of self-harm was self-reported at ages 16 and 21 years. Associations between age at menarche and self-harm, both with and without suicidal intent, were examined using multivariable logistic regression. Results Later age at menarche was associated with a lower risk of lifetime self-harm at age 16 years (OR per-year increase in age at menarche 0.87; 95% CI 0.80–0.95). Compared with normative timing, early menarche (<11.5 years) was associated with an increased risk of self-harm (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.04–1.64) and later menarche (>13.8 years) with a reduced risk (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58–0.93). The pattern of association was similar at age 21 years (OR per-year increase in age at menarche 0.92, 95% CI 0.85–1.00). There was no strong evidence for a difference in associations with suicidal v. non-suicidal self-harm. Conclusions Risk of self-harm is higher in females with early menarche onset. Future research is needed to establish whether this association is causal and to identify potential mechanisms.
Experimental data on the diffusion combustion of round hydrogen microjet in concurrent coaxial flows are presented. The effects on combustion of the concurrent flow of air and that of air premixed with nanopowder of TiO2 are of interest. The hydrogen microjet is emanated from a round micronozzle which is surrounded by a coaxial slit to produce the concurrent flow. Combustion events found in the present conditions are similar to those observed in the previous studies on diffusion combustion of hydrogen microjets at subsonic and supersonic velocities. In a subsonic range, the so-called “bottleneck-flame region” is generated close to the nozzle exit, while in high-speed conditions the flame separates from the nozzle. At increasing velocity of both the hydrogen microjet and the concurrent flow, the “bottleneck-flame region” is still found and the combustion becomes more intense. The “bottleneck-flame region” is suppressed at the microjet velocity approaching transonic values.
Two-dimensional film growth models were introduced by Henderson et al.1 and Dirks and Leamy.2 These early models displayed several effects commonly observed in conventionally deposited thin films: columnar microstructure and the tangent rule relating the angle of columnar growth to the angle of vapor incidence. A model of this general type has been under development at the Optical Sciences Center for several years. The model incorporates mobility parameters for the condensing molecules, oblique angles of vapor incidence, substrate rotation effects, evaporant molecules of varying sizes, and various substrate defects. Recently the scale of the simulation has been expanded to realistic dimensions, of the order of an optical wavelength, which permits the inclusion of substrate variation effects up to this scale. The film growth model propagates substrate defects through a multilayer coating. Assuming a perfectly flat substrate surface, the dominant feature is an intrinsic film roughness. If a departure from perfection of the substrate surface is assumed, in a range of conditions diminution of the defect amplitude is observed as the defect propagates through the multilayer.
APC: Argon Plasma Coagulation CE: Capsule Endoscopy CT: Computerised Tomography DBE: Double Balloon Enteroscopy DAE: Device Assisted Enteroscopy EATL: Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma EBD: Endoscopic Balloon Dilation ERCP: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography EUS: Endoscopic ultrasound GI: Gastrointestinal MRE: Magnetic Resonance Enterography SBE: Single Balloon Enteroscopy PTC: Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiogram
Malolactic fermentation is the metabolic process of L-malic acid degradation in L-lactic acid and CO2. It is responsible by the reduction in total acidity and also contributes to the biological stability and a flavor modification of the wines. In normal winery operation it occurs commonly in red wines. However, recently malolactic fermentation had been also used in some white wines, such as Chardonnay. The main aim of this work was to evaluate the behavior of two commercial strains of Leuconostoc oenos in the induction of malolactic fermentation. Gewurztraminer grapes were fermented and inoculated with two lactic cultures, Viniflora Oenos and Vino, in several residual sugar levels: 55.0 - 21.9 - 1.1 e 0.9g/l. The sugar levels were compared with spontaneous malolactic fermentation (control), with two repetitions. Degradation of malic acid was followed by paper chromatography. Organic acids determinations were performed using eficiency high liquid chromatography. Reducing sugars, °Brix, pH, total acidity and alcohol values were evaluated. A low incidence (22.7%) of the malolactic fermentation in wines was observed. However, in those wines in which malolactic fermentation occurred it took a long time to reach the end, between 56 and 92 days. Using 1.1 and 0.9g/l of residual sugar the inoculated wines and the control did not undergo the malolactic fermentation. The wild lactic acid bacterias were identified as being as Leuconostoc genus and, due to some physiologic characteristics observed in the inoculated wine isolated, there was a raised suspicius that the cultures had lost the viability. The behaviour of the malic, acetic, lactic, piruvic and tartaric acids were demonstrates by the results.
The lateral mobility of the vesicular stomatitis virus spike glycoprotein (G protein) and various mutant G proteins produced by site- directed mutagenesis of the G cDNA has been measured. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching results for the wild type G protein in transfected COS-1 cells yielded a mean diffusion coefficient (D) of 8.5 (+/- 1.3) X 10(-11) cm2/s and a mean mobile fraction of 75% (+/- 3%). Eight mutant proteins were also examined: dTM14, lacking six amino acids from the transmembrane domain; TA2, lacking an oligosaccharide in the extracellular domain; QN2, possessing an extra N-linked oligosaccharide in the extracellular domain; CS2, possessing a serine instead of a cysteine at residue 489 in the cytoplasmic domain, preventing palmitate addition to the glycoprotein; TMR-stop, lacking the entire cytoplasmic domain except an arginine at residue 483; and three chimeric proteins, G mu, G23, and GHA, containing in place of the 29 amino acid wild type cytoplasmic domain the cytoplasmic domains from the surface IgM from the spike protein of the infectious bronchitis virus or from the hemagglutinin protein of the influenza virus, respectively. The mean D for the mutant proteins varied over a relatively small range, with the slowest mutant, G23, exhibiting a value of 11.3 (+/- 1.4) X 10(-11) cm2/s and the fastest mutant, GHA, having a D of 28.6 (+/- 4.5) X 10(-11) cm2/s. The mean mobile fraction similarly varied over a small range, extending from 55 to 68%. None of the mutations resulted in the more rapid diffusion characteristic of membrane proteins embedded in artificial bilayers. Therefore, it appears that the cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains themselves contribute little to restraining the lateral mobility of this integral membrane protein when expressed in transfected cells.
Bioactive ceramics/bioresorbable plastic composites have been expected as materials for the fracture fixations which have more biocompatibility than monolithic bioresorbable plastics. In this study, effects of strain rate on the mechanical properties of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and tricalcium phosphate/Poly(L-lactic acid) (TCP/PLLA) composites specimens were investigated experimentally. The TCP/PLLA composites containing three different TCP contents (5, 10 and 15 wt.%) were prepared by injection molding. The fabricated specimens were then immersed in the simulated body environment, such as phosphate buffered solution (pH = 7.4), to investigate effects of hydrolysis on the mechanical properties. In order to characterize the mechanical properties, compressive tests were performed at the strain rates ranging from 10−3 to 10−1/s. Initial molecular weights (M w) of non-annealing PLLA and TCP/PLLA composites were approximately 173,000 and 154,000. After 24 weeks immersion, M w of 15 wt.% decreased to 91,000. In the results of these tests, TCP/PLLA composites showed that their Young’s modulus has no dependence on the strain rate and their compressive strength increased with increasing strain rates. After 16 weeks immersion, compressive strength of 15 wt.% composites decreased slightly at a strain rate of 10−1/s. After 24 weeks immersion, compressive strength of 5, 10, and 15 wt.% composites decreased.
Fault detection technique is essential for improving overall equipment efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing industry. It has been recognized that fault detection based on k nearest neighbor rule (kNN) can deal with some unique characteristics of semiconductor processes, such as multimode batch trajectories and nonlinearity. However, the computation complexity and storage space required in neighbors searching of kNN prevent it from online monitoring, especially for high dimensional cases. To deal with it, principal component based kNN is also presented in literature, in which dimension reduction by principal component analysis (PCA) is done before kNN rule applied to perform fault detection. However, the process of dimension reduction by PCA may distort the distances of pairwise samples (trajectories). Thus the performance of kNN for fault detection degenerates after projection by PCA. To overcome this drawback, we propose a new fault detection method based on random projection and kNN rule, which combines the advantages of random projection in distance preservation and kNN rule in dealing with the problems of multimodality and nonlinearity that often coexist in semiconductor processes. Industrial example illustrates the performance of the proposed method.
Abstract Here, it was investigated whether substitution of amino acids (AA) from soy protein isolate with free AA in low crude protein diets influences the growth performance and N utilisation in broilers, and whether interactions with dietary glycine equivalent (Glyequi) concentration exist. Birds were distributed in two 2 × 2 factorial arrangements of 48 floor pens containing 10 birds each, plus 48 metabolism cages containing two birds each. Experimental feed was provided for ad libitum consumption from d 7 to 22. Diets contained either a soy protein isolate at 79 g/kg or a mix of free AA, which supplied the same amount of 18 proteinogenic AA. A mix of free glycine and l-serine was used to obtain low and high (12.0 and 20.5 g/kg dry matter) levels of dietary Glyequi. Substitution of soy protein isolate with free AA reduced the average daily gain and feed efficiency, mainly due to reduced feed intake. Efficiency of N accretion was not influenced by the AA source or Glyequi concentration on d 21, possibly due to the lower AA digestibility of soy protein isolate and higher urinary excretion of nitrogenous substances in the treatments with the AA mix. The average daily weight gain of the treatments with high Glyequi concentration was higher for both AA sources. This increase was due to higher average daily feed intake by broilers in the treatments with soy protein isolate and due to the increased feed efficiency in the treatments with the AA mix. Broilers exhibited different growth responses to dietary Glyequi between the AA sources; however, these responses could not be attributed to the different utilisation of Glyequi for uric acid synthesis.
Microquasars with high-mass companion stars are promising very high energy (VHE; 0.1–100 TeV) gamma-ray emitters, but their behaviors above 10 TeV are poorly known. Using the High Altitude Water Cerenkov (HAWC) observatory, we search for excess gamma-ray emission coincident with the positions of known high-mass microquasars (HMMQs). No significant emission is observed for LS 5039, Cyg X-1, Cyg X-3, and SS 433 with 1523 days of HAWC data. We set the most stringent limit above 10 TeV obtained to date on each individual source. Under the assumption that HMMQs produce gamma rays via a common mechanism, we have performed source-stacking searches, considering two different scenarios: (I) gamma-ray luminosity is a fraction ϵ γ of the microquasar jet luminosity, and (II) VHE gamma rays are produced by relativistic electrons upscattering the radiation field of the companion star in a magnetic field B. We obtain ϵ γ < 5.4 × 10−6 for scenario I, which tightly constrains models that suggest observable high-energy neutrino emission by HMMQs. In the case of scenario II, the nondetection of VHE gamma rays yields a strong magnetic field, which challenges synchrotron radiation as the dominant mechanism of the microquasar emission between 10 keV and 10 MeV.
Evidence supporting exercise as a medicine in the prevention and management of chronic disease is indisputable. Created in 2007, Exercise is Medicine®(EIM) aims to make physical activity assessment and promotion a standard in clinical care, connecting health care professionals with qualified exercise professionals to provide evidence-based physical activity resources and programs to everyone of all abilities. Opportunities exist for exercise professionals in several areas within EIM, including exercise referral and prescription, EIM on Campus, and physical activity and EIM education. Connections between EIM and kinesiology and the need for exercise professionals to contribute to the EIM evidence are discussed.
The crude petroleum ether and methanol ink extracts of Sepiella inermis were tested for their antimicrobial activity against human pathogenic fungi and bacteria by disc diffusion method. Spectral analysis was carried out by UV-VIS spectrophotometer, FT-IR, Raman IR and GC-MS. Of the two solvent extracts, only methanol extract was active and no activity was detected in petroleum ether extract. The human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans and bacterium Proteus vulgaris were found to be highly sensitive, with an inhibition zone of 20 and 19 mm respectively. GC-MS of methanol ink extract revealed sixteen compounds belonging to the derivatives of dihydroxy indole-2-carboxylic acid and dihydroxyindole. These investigations proved that methanol ink extract of Sepiella inermis possess significant antimicrobial property against both fungus and gram –ve bacteria. Since ink of sepia is available abundantly as a waste material, studies focused on isolation and characterization of bioactive substances pave the way for new antimicrobial compounds.
Introduces two hierarchical optical structures for processor interconnection and compares their performance through analytic models and discrete-event simulation. Both architectures are based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) which enables multiple multi-access channels to be realized on a single optical fiber. The objective of the hierarchical architectures is to achieve scalability yet avoid the requirement of multiple wavelength tunable devices per node. Furthermore, both hierarchical architectures are single-hop: a packet remains in the optical form from source to destination and does not require cross dimensional intermediate routing. >
There is no doubt that technology has been and will continue to be advantageous and an unstoppable player that has invaded and improved our minute lives with good experiences, immediate results with answers, making our lives lazier, easier and more comfortable. New generations are becoming more isolated and communication is jeopardized. This may separate us from what makes us human and may pave the way for humans to become expendable and replaceable. What we are seeing today, is just the beginning of what next decade revolutionary technological inventions is preparing for us and equals what humanity has produced since the invention of the wheel. The reason is that science and technology are growing exponentially. We, as pediatric dentists thought that one of our major advantages that would always prevail in humans is our ability to connect with other people. We were concerned with some telltales that did not look good. Young children boasting a tantrum when parents would take away the cell phones. Youngsters staying home connected digitally 8 to 9 hours every day. Young adults ordering food at home, eating and watching movies on demand alone. Parents ordering the their supermarket items digitally and missing the opportunity use their five senses. Not be able to see the variety of beautiful colors in the vegetable and fruit department, losing the possibility to smell all the fruits, touch them when picking them, hearing the different noises and tasting samples when they walk by the aisles. Communication is becoming more and more virtual, human contact, social life, human interactions, physical presence, communication, bonding is slowly but irreversibly being lost. With COVID and staying home, companies found that their employees could work from home. Self employed people could also operate at a distance. Dentists and physicians could dissociate themselves in many instances from the physical contact. They could with a phone and pictures, identify, collect, evaluate, implement information, diagnose, give indications, solutions and peace of mind with security for patient, parents and ourselves. We are witnessing what new technology is undoing. COMMUNICATION No matter how fast technology advances, we cannot afford to lose out humanity. A full paradigm shift will be necessary. Parents play an utmost part because their children are the most vulnerable part of society and we are a key element to guide them. We need to rediscover the power of communication, community, unity by being present and listening the “other”. Today our main asset that technology hopefully will never understand, is feeling, loving, bonding. We know more about children than any other person, specialty or profession. We see them growth, we know their likes, they will even come for their dental checkups with their children. As the world is turning colder, and communications among us are affected, we need to show the patient that we genuinely care, because we do. When we bond we enter a danger zone of “co-dependency” (in the good sense). " Do we want to be keepers of the past to preserve the future? " Can I care, still allowing the other to be separate?" " Can I leave the comfortable me and enter the ever-changing other? Are we ready to take on this challenge? If not, will most health specialties survive the XXI century?
The aim of the present study was to the determine the ranges and means ± SE of hematological parameters in Naemi clinically healthy lactating and ewes with mastitis . The study was conducted on 50 normal and 50 ovine mastitis ( 19 clinical and 31 subclinical ) infected with staphylococcus aureus, both groups aged 2-5 years in Salah al-ddin governorate / Iraq . The blood samples were collected from jugular vein during the period October 2012 till April 2013 .        Results showed that the means ± SEin normal lactating and ovine mastitis  were as follows ; Packed cell volume ( PCV ) 28 ± 0.27 %  and 21.76 ± 0.46 % , hemoglobin (Hb)  9.4 ± 0.12g /dl and 7.56 ± 0.14 g / dl , red blood cell count ( RBC ) 9.52 ± 0.11 ×10⁶/µL  and 7.67±0.19 × 10⁶/µL , mean cell volume ( MCV )  29.39 ± 0.19 fl and 28.43 ± 0.32 fl , mean cell hemoglobin ( MCH ) 9.83 ± 0.08 pg and 9.88 ± 0.08 pg , mean cell hemoglobin concentration ( MCHC ) 33.51 ± 0.19 g/dl  and 34.94 ± 0.33 g/dl , erythrocyte sedimentation rate ( ESR ) 6.28 ± 0.15 mm / 24 hrs and 27.08 ± 2.97 mm / 24 hrs , Platelets 247.22 ± 17.88 × 10³/µL and 185.58 ± 14.55 ×10³/µL , white blood cell count ( WBC ) 8.18 ± 0.22 x10³/µL and 14.38±0.26 ×10³/µL, lymphocytes 4509.6 ± 127.6 and 5033.4 ± 412.7 / µL , neutrophils 2857.2 ± 129.2 and 7714.8 ± 415.5/µL , monocytes 371.3 ± 32.7 and 846.9 ± 38.8/µL , eosinophils 331.2 ± 18.8 and 294.7 ± 24.4/µL and basophils 100.6 ± 7.3 and 463 ± 33 / µL respectively . The PCV, Hb , RBC and platelets were significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in normal lactating compared to that of ovine mastitis . The MCV, MCH and MCHC showed no significant differences between normal and ewes with matitis.       While ESR and WBC count were significantly lower in normal lactating. Moreover the results revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) in some hematological values of different subgroups .
The aim of the discussion will outline the interpretive discourse, taken on the basis of jurisprudence and doctrine regarding the arrangements for the issue of the time of committing the offense of defamation online. Will be presented arguments in support of the recognition of the moment of its commission, the timing of the entry defamatory, not its removal. Recognized that legal discourse taken the position of interpretation does not exclude the possibility of exposure “good name” of the victim of the danger of “humiliation” or “loss of confidence needed to take a position, occupation, conduct business,” all of the time available on the web portal defamatory content. On the other hand, was not a foregone conclusion of a lasting nature of such a criminal act, and only allowed the possibility of his qualifications as a “crime of the consequences (consequences) assets”. The study will address the issue of pass-through of such views on the issues of the limitation of the crime and the issue of demands, which in conjunction with the observed practice of justice extends doctrine, recognizing the specificity of Internet defamation and the fact constraints, and even deprive a victim of legal instruments (short limitation period) as well as practical tools that would allow the identification of the perpetrator.
Integrated intensities of 52 bands of the N2 first positive system have been measured using a recording infrared spectrometer. These data have been interpreted as vibrational transition probabilities which were compared with theoretical values calculated under the assumption that the electronic transition moment is independent of internuclear separation. The comparison shows that the assumption is not valid for this electronic transition.
The solid ion-pair material produced from the reaction between benzyldimethyltetradecylammonium chloride (BDTA) and sodium perchlorate on naphthalene provides the basis for a simple, rapid and selective technique for pre-concentrating iron from up to 500 ml of aqueous solution. Iron reacts with disodium 1-nitroso-2-naphthol-3,6-disulphonate (Nitroso-R salt) to form a water-soluble coloured chelate anion. The iron chelate anion forms a water-insoluble, stable iron-Nitroso-R-BDTA complex on naphthalene packed in a column. Trace amounts of iron are quantitatively retained on naphthalene in the pH range 3.5-7.5 and at a flow-rate of 1-2 ml min-1. The solid mass is dissolved out from the column with 5 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide and iron is determined by means of an atomic absorption spectrometer at 248 nm. The calibration graph is linear for concentrations of iron over the range of 0.5-20 micrograms in 5 ml of final solution. The standard deviation and relative standard deviation were calculated. The detection limit of the method was 0.0196 micrograms ml-1 of iron. The sensitivity for 1% absorption was 0.072 microgram ml-1 (0.165 microgram ml-1 by direct atomic absorption spectrometry of aqueous solution). The proposed method was applied to the determination of iron in standard alloys and biological samples.
his parents and diabetes team. He was then hospitalized, and fingertip glucose monitoring was performed in another hospital. Inpatient blood glucose measurements also tended to be low or normal, as it was previously reported by him. Severe episodes of hypoglycemia have been noted, especially when the patient is excited. The physical examination in the outpatient clinic showed that his height, weight, and BMI Z-scores were 0.45, 0.95, and 0.82 standard deviation score (SDS), respectively. Lipohypertrophy was present in the abdominal region and arms. Coldness and discoloration were noticed on the fingers and toes. Considering Raynaud’s phenomenon, he was referred to the rheumatology department to clarify an underlying etiological cause. In the family history, fibromyalgia in his mother and an unclear rheumatic disease in his father were noted. Laboratory evaluation showed an HbA1c level of 11.5%. Due to the marked Raynaud phenomenon noticed during the physical examination, the autoantibodies have been evaluated and
We tested whether refracted gravity, a theory of modified gravity that describes the dynamics of galaxies without the aid of dark matter, can model the dynamics of the three massive elliptical galaxies, NGC 1407, NGC 4486, and NGC 5846, out to $ sim$$10R_{ rm e}$, where the baryonic mass component fades out and dark matter is required in Newtonian gravity. We probed these outer regions with the kinematics of the globular clusters provided by the SLUGGS survey. Refracted gravity mimics dark matter with the gravitational permittivity, a monotonic function of the local mass density depending on three parameters, $ epsilon_0$, $ rho_{ rm c}$, and $Q$, which are expected to be universal. Refracted gravity satisfactorily reproduces the velocity dispersion profiles of the stars and red and blue globular clusters, with stellar mass-to-light ratios in agreement with stellar population synthesis models, and orbital anisotropy parameters consistent with previous results obtained in Newtonian gravity with dark matter. The sets of the three parameters of the gravitational permittivity found for each galaxy are consistent with each other within $ sim$2$ sigma$. We compare the mean $ { epsilon_0,Q, log_{10} left[ rho_{ rm c} left( mathrm{g} ,  mathrm{cm}^{-3} right) right] } =  {0.089^{+0.038}_{-0.035}, 0.47^{+0.29}_{-0.21}, -24.25^{+0.28}_{-0.20} }$ found here with the means of the parameters required to model the rotation curves and vertical velocity dispersion profiles of 30 disk galaxies from the DiskMass Survey (DMS): $ rho_{ rm c}$ and $Q$ agree within 1$ sigma$ with the DMS values, whereas $ epsilon_0$ agrees within 3$ sigma$. This agreement suggests that ellipticals and disk galaxies allow for common values of the parameters of the permittivity and supports the universality of the permittivity function.
There is a charming passage in Arthur Helps' Friends in Council where Milverton is as usual edifying his friends, this time with a fable. I cannot give the whole story here, but it concludes with an assembly of all things harmful to man electing the Mist as their King. They "set it on the brow of many a mountain where, when it is not doing evil, it may often be seen to this day" (Helps, 1951: 105). The most cursory examination of policy-orientated literature on drug "abuse" shows a veritable fog of confusion, of much potential mischief. I am not competent to disperse much of it. For example, we seem very ignorant about many pharmacological and physiological aspects of the problem. Such a pharmacological problem concerns the development of cheap, nondangerous ("nonnarcotic" in U.S. parlance) analgesics analogous to morphine (derived from opium exudate) or pethidine (a synthetic narcotic) (Culyer and Maynard, 1970). A physiological problem-or set of problems-concerns the long-term natural history of persons using drugs acting on the central nervous system (whether for therapeutic purposes or not), including the extent to which use of so-called "soft" drugs can lead
The hydraulophone is a fun-to-play self-cleaning keyboard instrument in which each key is a water jet. Many hydraulophones are already equipped with an array of underwater microphones (hydrophones), to pick up the turbulent sound from water inside musical sounding mechanisms under each water jet. Accordingly, we propose to make greater use of the sound of the water flow. We propose to extract more detailed information about flow and the obstruction of flow, based on sound alone. Beyond musical instruments, if further developed, this framework could have extensive applications in flow sensing for fuel lines in vehicles and for fresh water lines in buildings.
A simple, sensitive, selective, and reproducible method based on high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry was developed for the determination of nicotine and its major metabolite cotinine in human urine. The internal standard (acetaminophen) was separated from cotinine on a Hypersil Gold C(18) column with retention times of 9.3 and 13.0 min, respectively. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of 10 mM acetate buffer (pH 5.4) and methanol (45:55, v/v), running through the column at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The chromatographic analysis was operated at 25 degrees C. Sample preparation was prepared by liquid-liquid extraction with a mixture of methyl-t-butyl ether in dichloromethane (1:1, v/v). The precision of the method based on within-day repeatability and reproducibility (day-to-day variation) was below 15% (% coefficient of variation). Good accuracy was observed for both the intra-day or inter-day assays. Limit of quantification was accepted as 0.02 ng using 100 mL samples. The mean recoveries for cotinine and the internal standard were greater than 90%. The method has been applied to the investigation of a 2-h urinary excretion of cotinine in 154 healthy non-smoking Thai volunteers (aged 18-45 years) following the administration of a half-piece (2 mg) of nicotine gum.
Background . Antibiotics alter the composition of enteric bacteria and also alter the immuneresponsetoentericpathogens.Patientsintheintensivecareunit (ICU)frequent-lyreceiveantibioticsandareathighbaselineriskforbacteremia.Tobetterunderstandtherelationshipbetweenantibioticsandbacteremia,weperformedanICU-basedretrospec-tivecohortstudyfocusedonbacteremiaduetoentericornon-entericorganisms. Methods . Adults were included in the study if they were admitted to one of 14 discrete ICUs in three different hospitals from 2008 to 2014and did not develop bac-teremiawithinthe ﬁ rst3daysofICUadmission.Theprimaryexposurewasantibiotics, which were classi ﬁ ed as present only if antibiotics preceded bacteremia by a minimum of 72 hours. Antibiotic exposure was further classi ﬁ ed as broad narrow spectrum. The primary outcome was bacteremia, de ﬁ ned as bacterial growth in one or more blood cultures and was further classi ﬁ ed as arising from an enteric versus a non-enteric organism. We followed subjects from the third day after ICU admission for 30 days or until death, discharge, or the development of bacteremia. Multivariable Cox propor-tional-hazards modeling was used to test for an association between antibiotics and bacteremia after controlling for other factors. Results We analyzed 25,568 adult ICU patients including 789 patients (3.1%) with ICU-onsetbacteremia. Exposure to both broad (aHR 2.2, 95% CI 1.5 – 2.9)
The development of antioxidant active packaging systems is attracting considerable attention as one of the preferred emerging technologies for reducing the incidence of lipid peroxidation. This work presents the use of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer films containing two natural flavonoids, catechin and quercetin, to reduce the oxidation of food. In a series of experiments, these materials showed their ability to reduce the presence of hydroxyl radicals in the package headspace. Packaging fried peanuts in bags manufactured with these active films resulted in a large reduction in the presence of hexanal, a compound produced during peroxidation of the unsaturated fat in peanuts. The results indicated that the materials actively reduced the presence of radical oxidative species although the antioxidants are not released into the food. On exposing sunflower oil to the films, the peroxide values obtained showed that the films actively protected the oil; because of the higher solubility of quercetin in this food product as well as the higher antioxidant capacity, the samples containing this flavonoid were more efficient.
Magnetic materials such as α″-Fe16N2 and α-Fe, which have the largest magnetic moment as hard and soft magnetic materials, are difficult to produce as single domain magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) because of quasistable state and high reactivity, respectively. The present work reports dispersion of agglomerated plasma-synthesized core-shell α″-Fe16N2/Al2O3 and α-Fe/Al2O3 in toluene by a new bead-mill with very fine beads to prepare single domain MNPs. As a result, optimization of the experimental conditions (bead size, rotation speed, and dispersion time) enables the break-up of agglomerated particles into primary particles without destroying the particle structure. Slight deviation from the optimum conditions, i.e., lower or higher dispersion energy, gives undispersed or broken particles due to fragile core-shell structure against stress or impact force of beads. The dispersibility of α″-Fe16N2/Al2O3 is more restricted than that of α-Fe/Al2O3, because of the preparation conditions. Especially for α″-Fe16N2/Al2O3, no change on crystallinity (98% α″-Fe16N2) or magnetization saturation after dispersion was observed, showing that this method is appropriate to disperse α″-Fe16N2/Al2O3 MNPs. A different magnetic hysteresis behavior is observed for well-dispersed α″-Fe16N2/Al2O3 MNPs, and the magnetic coercivity of these NPs is constricted when the magnetic field close to zero due to magnetic dipole coupling among dispersed α″-Fe16N2 MNPs.
Patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are often prevented from receiving magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) due to risks associated with radiofrequency (RF) heating of tissue around the implanted leads. Although MR-conditional CIEDs are available, the safety labeling of such devices does not extend to patients with fragmented retained leads (FRLs), where segments of the leads are left in the tissue after the original device is extracted. Unlike intact and isolated leads of CIEDs, FRLs are often bare conductive lead fragments in direct contact with the tissue. No experimental work has been reported that assess RF heating of FRL during MRI thus far. In this work, we performed phantom experiments to measure RF heating of 4 patient-derived FRL models in a gel-based ASTM-like phantom during RF exposure at 64 MHz (proton imaging at 1.5 T) and 123 MHz (proton imaging at 3 T). We found FRL models to generate negligible temperature rise in the gel (∆T<1.84 °C) during a 10-minute scan at both 1.5 T and 3 T. These results are in agreement with previous simulation studies and suggest MRI may be performed safely in patients with fragmented retained leads.
A 4 GS/s 2-bit non-time-interleaved flash ADC is designed for an IR-UWB (Impulse Radio Ultra Wide Band) receiver. In this flash ADC, implementing differential low-swing operation in analog part and CML (current mode logic) in digital part result in high-speed and low power consumption. Furthermore, because of the low-bit-sampling characteristic of the IR-UWB system, non-time-interleaved structure is used without digital calibration which largely saves the power consumption, chip area and cost. And a differential resistive reference ladder is designed to minimize the inaccuracy of the reference voltage. The proposed ADC dissipates 34 mW power from a 1.8 V supply while operating at 4 GHz. This chip has been fabricated in 0.18 μm 1P6M CMOS process and the ADC achieves 1.86-bit effective number of bits (ENOB) for input signal of 1 GHz at 4 GS/s in simulation of FFT analysis.
Pertussis toxin (PTX) produced by Bordetella pertussis was first introduced by Ui and his colleagues in research on signal transduction under the name islet-activating protein in 1979, when the mechanism of toxin-induced stimulation of insulin release from pancreatic islets was reported in the rat. The stimulatory effect of PTX in vivo results from the blockage of α(2)-adrenergic receptor-mediated inhibition of insulin release. The receptor-induced inhibition of cAMP formation was also abolished in pancreatic islets isolated from PTX-treated rats, suggesting that the toxin caused uncoupling of adenylyl cyclase inhibition from receptor stimulation. The action of PTX on isolated membranes required a cytosolic factor, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), and the uncoupling induced by PTX was shown to be due to the toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of a 41-kDa protein with NAD as another substrate. The 41-kDa PTX substrate was soon identified and purified as the α-subunit of the inhibitory G protein that transmits an inhibitory signal from membrane receptors to adenylyl cyclase. After demonstration of the molecular mechanism of PTX, the toxin was widely utilized as a probe for identifying and analyzing major αβγ-trimeric G proteins. Thus, PTX-sensitive G proteins appeared to carry positive and negative signals from many membrane receptors to a variety of effectors other than adenylyl cyclase.
Welding copper and its alloys is usually difficult to achieve by conventional fusion welding processes because of high thermal diffusivity of copper, which is at least 10 times higher than most steel alloys. In order to reduce the increased temperature loss, it would be advantageous to use a process that is carried out at lower temperatures. Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid state joining process that relies on frictional heating and plastic deformation and was explored as a feasible welding process. In order to achieve an increased productivity this process is assisted by another one, TIG (tungsten inert gas), which generates and adds heat to the process. The aim of this paper is to determine the progress direction of the process parameter values in order to maintain the productivity of the hybrid process and also to increase the values of the mechanical properties. Are analysed the evolution of the temperature, of the plunging force, of the microhardness and of the tensile strength in order to evaluate the changes generated by the application of the hybrid process. Then changes to the process parameter values of the hybrid process based on the evaluation of the previously mentioned properties are suggested in order to improve its mechanical properties.
Cerebellar degeneration-related protein 1 antisense (CDR1as) is an important member of the circRNAs family, also known as cirs-7. Its main function in vivo is to act as a mir-7 sponge. Accumulated studies show that CDR1as is closely related to various diseases, especially cancer. Our analysis show that CDR1as expression in human cancer is significantly associated with poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.50, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.06–3.04; p < 0.00001) and that high CDR1as expression is associated with the tumor node metastasis stage (odds ratio [OR] = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.63–2.78; p < 0.00001), and distant metastasis (OR = 3.50, 95% CI = 1.90–6.64; p < 0.00001). Furthermore, the results reveal the prognostic significance of CDR1as in neoplasms of the digestive system (HR = 1.69, 95% CI = 2.14–2.71; p < 0.001), colorectal cancer (HR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.96–2.85; p < 0.001), and non-small cell lung cancer (HR = 2.40, 95% CI = 3.42–4.83; p = 0.008). In this study, we summarize in detail the latest research findings and demonstrate the function and regulatory mechanism of CDR1as in various cancer processes, and its potential as a biomarker for cancer prevention and prognosis.
Tetrandrine is known to exert antitumor effect, however, little is known about its effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. In this study, we tested tetrandrine-induced apoptosis and radiosensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line CNE and investigated the possible mechanisms. Using flow cytometry and DNA electrophoresis, we found that tetrandrine could induce cell apoptosis. Further, it was shown that the level of Bcl-2 mRNA decreased and Bax mRNA increased after addition of tetrandrine by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. X-ray-induced G2 arrest was abrogated by treatment with tetrandrine, as detected by flow cytometry and mitotic index. The accumulation of cyclinB1 protein and the suppression of Cdc2 tyrosine-15 and Cdc25C serine-216 phosphorylation were detected in irradiated cells treated with tetrandrine using Western blot analysis. Taken together, these results show that tetrandrine can induce apoptosis and abrogate radiation-induced G2 arrest in CNE cells.
The agricultural stock depends upon several factors like biological, seasonal, and economic determinants. The growers sustain a vital loss if they are not capable of predicting the variations in these circumstances. The uncertainty on crop yield can be predicted in a logical and mathematical way. The forecast is made based on the previous archives of yield data secured from that area. Data mining is one such procedure practised to predict the crop yield. The systems examine the data, and on mining, several patterns based on numerous parameters predict the return. This article directs on crop yield forecast in Trichy district by adopting data mining techniques for rule formation on classifying the training data and implementing prediction for test data. The suggested method employs fuzzy C means algorithm for clustering and multilayer perceptron design for prediction. The results of accuracy and execution time of the proposed system correlated with the regression algorithm of prediction.
Purpose This study tested whether natural cocoa powder ingestion could mitigate hepatic injury coincident with murine malaria. Plasmodium berghei infection causes liver damage including hepatic sinusoidal distension, and elevated serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels. According to literature, these pathologies largely result from activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and may be extenuated by antioxidants.   Animals and methods Thirty Balb/c mice were randomly assigned to three equal groups. One of two groups of mice inoculated with 0.2 mL of P. berghei-parasitized red blood cells (RBCs) was given unrestricted 24-hour access to a natural cocoa powder beverage (2% by weight) in place of water. The third group of mice were neither infected nor given cocoa. All mice were fed the same standard chow. After 6 days, mice were sacrificed and their livers processed for histomorphometric assessment of mean hepatic sinusoidal diameter as a quantitative measure of altered morphology. Serum ALT and AST were measured as a gauge of functional impairment.   Results Compared with uninfected mice, hepatic sinusoidal diameter in P. berghei-infected mice not given cocoa increased by 150%, whereas a smaller increase of 83% occurred in infected mice that ingested cocoa. Mean serum ALT increased by 127% in infected mice not given cocoa and 80% in infected mice that consumed cocoa, compared with the value for uninfected mice. Similarly, mean serum AST was raised by 141% in infected mice not given cocoa and 93% in infected mice that drank cocoa.   Conclusion Distension of hepatic sinusoidal diameter in P. berghei-infected mice was reduced by 67%, whereas respective elevations of serum ALT and AST concentrations were reduced by 47% and 48% via ingestion of cocoa. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant components of cocoa probably mediated the demonstrated hepatoprotective benefit by blunting pernicious ROS activity in P. berghei-infected mice.
Two systems for exposing mice to 2,450-MHz electromagnetic fields are described. In a waveguide system, four mice were placed in a Styrofoam cage and exposed dorsally to circularly polarized electromagnetic fields. The temperature and humidity in the mouse holder were kept constant by forced-air ventilation. For 1-W input power to the waveguide, the average specific absorption rate (SAR) was determined by twin-well calorimetry to be 3.60 +/- 0.11 (SE) W/kg in 27-g mice. The maximum SAR at the skin surface determined thermographically was 8.36 W/kg in the head of the mouse. The second system was a miniature anechoic chamber. Six mice were irradiated dorsally to far field plane waves. Copper shielding and high-temperature absorbing material were lined inside the chamber to accommodate the high input power. The air ventilation at the location of the mice was separately controlled so that any heating in the absorber would not affect the animals. For 1-W input power, the average SAR was 0.17 +/- 0.01 W/kg and the maximum SAR at the skin surface was 0.41 W/kg in the animal when irradiated with body axis parallel to the E field; the SARs were 0.11 +/- 0.01 W/kg and 0.64 W/kg, respectively, when irradiated perpendicular to the E field.
A sudden outbreak of COVID-19 caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in Wuhan, China in December 2019 quickly grew into a global pandemic, putting at risk not only the global healthcare system, but also the world economy. As the disease continues to spread rapidly, the development of prophylactic and therapeutic approaches is urgently required. Although some progress has been made in understanding the viral structure and invasion mechanism of coronaviruses that may cause severe cases of the syndrome, due to the limited understanding of the immune effects caused by SARS-CoV-2, it is difficult for us to prevent patients from developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary fibrosis (PF), the major complications of coronavirus infection. Therefore, any potential treatments should focus not only on direct killing of coronaviruses and prevention strategies by vaccine development, but also on keeping in check the acute immune/inflammatory responses, resulting in ARDS and PF. In addition, potential treatments currently under clinical trials focusing on killing coronaviruses or on developing vaccines preventing coronavirus infection largely ignore the host immune response. However, taking care of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with ARDS and PF is considered to be the major difficulty. Therefore, further understanding of the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is extremely important for clinical resolution and saving medication cost. In addition to a breif overview of the structure, infection mechanism, and possible therapeutic approaches, we summarized and compared the hematopathologic effect and immune responses to SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. Also the basic molecular mechanisms of an atypical pneumonia and molecular targets SARS-CoV-2 that allows to allocate 8 basic directions of search of pharmacological agents for struggle with SARS-CoV-2 are discussed. Mathematical methods of search of perspective preparations for struggle with COVID-19 are in detail discussed. The pathophysiological mechanisms of an infection inducing a lymphopenia or cytokine storm that allows to allocate a special direction of search of pharmacological preparations for struggle against new coronaviruse SARS-CoV-2 are discussed.
Immunization, also called vaccination, is the most cost-effective intervention to prevent infectious diseases. This is achieved by stimulating the production of pathogen-specific antibodies and/or cellular immune responses. Vaccines have been mainly used for the prophylaxis of infections, that is, they are administered to a large number of healthy individuals to confer protection against disease. However, the development of therapeutic vaccines against infectious and noninfectious diseases is gaining interest. Classic antibacterial vaccines, which will be the main subject of this article, have played a critical role in the efficient control of major diseases, both in humans and animals. These classic vaccines were mainly generated using inactivated or live attenuated organisms. More recently, a new generation of well-defined, safer, and effective vaccines has emerged, which is based on the use of recombinant technology and/or subcellular components.      Keywords:    DNA Vaccine;  Inactivated Vaccine;  Live Vaccine;  Subunit Vaccine;  Vaccine;  Vaccination;  Whole-cell vaccine
The Muon ATLAS Micromegas Activity (MAMMA) focuses on the development and testing of large-area muon detectors based on the bulk-Micromegas technology. These detectors are candidates for the upgrade of the ATLAS Muon System in view of the luminosity upgrade of Large Hadron Collider at CERN (sLHC). They will combine trigger and precision measurement capability in a single device. A novel protection scheme using resistive strips above the readout electrode has been developed. The response and sparking properties of resistive Micromegas detectors were successfully tested in a mixed (neutron and gamma) high radiation environment supplied by the Tandem accelerator at the N.C.S.R. Demokritos in Athens. Monte-Carlo studies have been employed to study the effect of 5.5 MeV neutrons impinging on Micromegas detectors. The response of the Micromegas detectors on the photons originating from the inevitable neutron inelastic scattering on the surrounding materials of the experimental facility was also studied.
BACKGROUND Advantages of digital clock drawing metrics for dementia subtype classification needs examination.   OBJECTIVE To assess how well kinematic, time-based, and visuospatial features extracted from the digital Clock Drawing Test (dCDT) can classify a combined group of Alzheimer's disease/Vascular Dementia patients versus healthy controls (HC), and classify dementia patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) versus vascular dementia (VaD).   METHODS Healthy, community-dwelling control participants (n = 175), patients diagnosed clinically with Alzheimer's disease (n = 29), and vascular dementia (n = 27) completed the dCDT to command and copy clock drawing conditions. Thirty-seven dCDT command and 37 copy dCDT features were extracted and used with Random Forest classification models.   RESULTS When HC participants were compared to participants with dementia, optimal area under the curve was achieved using models that combined both command and copy dCDT features (AUC = 91.52%). Similarly, when AD versus VaD participants were compared, optimal area under the curve was, achieved with models that combined both command and copy features (AUC = 76.94%). Subsequent follow-up analyses of a corpus of 10 variables of interest determined using a Gini Index found that groups could be dissociated based on kinematic, time-based, and visuospatial features.   CONCLUSION The dCDT is able to operationally define graphomotor output that cannot be measured using traditional paper and pencil test administration in older health controls and participants with dementia. These data suggest that kinematic, time-based, and visuospatial behavior obtained using the dCDT may provide additional neurocognitive biomarkers that may be able to identify and tract dementia syndromes.
The use of ynamides in organic synthesis has gained significant attention due to their ability to provide access to complex molecular structures through transformations such as 1,2-difunctionalization and annulation reactions. These reactions enable the formation of highly functionalized N-bearing olefins and unusual N-bearing heterocycles. In this minireview, we present a systematic overview of the regioselective difunctionalization and annulation reactions of ynamides. We discuss the use of bifunctional reagents, multi-component reactions, and radical-triggered functionalizations across the ynamides carbon-carbon multiple bonds, highlighting their potential in expanding the substrate scope. Furthermore, we provide insights into the mechanistic breakthroughs that have been achieved in recent years in the development of these reactions. Finally, we emphasize the promising future prospects of ynamides as versatile building blocks for the synthesis of complex molecular architectures.
During the early development of the acoustic system a conductive hearing loss may alter the maturation of acoustically evoked potentials and affect the development of hearing. The present experiments were carried out in newborn guinea pigs with binaural conductive hearing loss. The external ear canals were plugged over a period of one month from the first day postpartum. During and after deprivation click-evoked Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) and Middle Latency Responses (MLR) were collected to analyze changes in the maturation of these potentials in comparison to untreated animals. This type of deprivation is characterized by threshold elevations of about 40 dB over a wide frequency range. In young deprived animals, ABR Latencies (PIII, PV) and interpeak latencies exhibited a significant delay with a maximum between day 13 and 19, which disappeared within 10 days after the end of the treatment. MLR latencies were also significantly affected after three to four weeks of the deprivation phase. In contrast to the ABR, the recovery of the latencies was completed within four to six weeks. These results therefore indicate that a conductive hearing loss may alter the maturation of the acoustically evoked responses in the sensitive phase after birth. This type of partial deprivation may affect the development of hearing and speech perception in children with chronically occurring otitis media.
Gingival atrophy manifests as exposure of the tooth root surface because of recession of the gingiva, a condition that affects >20% of adults and leads to increased root sensitivity and ultimately, tooth loss. Tissue engineering approaches that employ novel synthetic polymeric scaffolds are being considered for rebuilding the gingival lamina propria lost in the atrophic process. Specifically, polyurethane hydrogels (degradable/polar/hydrophobic/ionic polyurethane [D-PHI]) can enhance the proliferation of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) and collagen production in a perfusion system. However, few studies have assessed the potential of synthetic block copolyurethanes to initiate blood vessel formation in an in vitro bioreactor system. As the gingival lamina propria is highly vascular, a coculture system of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with HGFs was used in perfused D-PHI scaffolds to determine the feasibility of initiating vascularization. Culture conditions were optimized for driving cocultures toward the desired tissue-engineered construct. HUVEC-HGF coculture in perfused D-PHI scaffolds with a cell seeding density of at least 80,000 cells/scaffold in a 50/50 mix of HUVEC and HGF media (by volume) exhibited enhanced cell growth and increased vascular endothelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 production, as well as reduced myofibroblast differentiation. A greater fibroblast proportion (seeding ratio of 1:2) in the coculture resulted in HUVEC cluster formations and increased transforming growth factor-β1 and FGF-2 production. The combined pro-angiogenic effects provided by these culture conditions are anticipated to be important in the development of a highly vascularized tissue-engineered construct for regenerating the gingival lamina propria and possibly other soft tissues.
Skin aging is caused by several factors. Ultraviolet (UV) exposure as well as oxidative stress elevates inflammatory mediators causing degradation of the extracellular matrix, which is regarded as the major cause of skin wrinkles, one of the signs of aging. Topical applications of active ingredients protect against dermal photodamage and scavenge radicals that can delay skin aging. Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors against degradation of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronan are the key strategy to combat cutaneous aging. In addition, active ingredients with the efficacy to enhance extracellular matrix production, including those with UV protection efficacy, play an important role in protecting the skin from aging. Naturally derived compounds for combating skin wrinkles are gaining more interest among the consumers as they are perceived to be milder, safer, and healthier. This article, therefore, briefly addresses the causes of skin aging and extensively summarizes on herbs appraisal for skin wrinkles treatment. Therefore, delaying aging of skin using the functional herbs would maintain the individual's appearance with high esthetic and psychosocial impacts.
Arcade, a regional architecture style in Taiwan, is gradually replaced by sidewalk with the prevailing global trends of architecture design, thereby bringing greater challenges to pedestrians comfort. Past researches suggest optimal urban wind regime can mitigate heat island effect and enhance pedestrians comfort level. Therefore, the relationship between arcade and pedestrian wind comfort as well as the influence of arcade’s height-to-width ratios (H/W) on urban wind environment are worth a thorough research. This study takes Farglory Kyoto Community as the example. Arcades in three varied sizes are compared: In Case 1, height-to-width ratio (H/W) =1.25; Case 2(H/W=1.54); Case 3(H/W=0.75). In Aug 2016, field measurement was conducted comparable anal++ysis on outdoor environmental comfort. The field measurement result indicates that, wind environment is more stable for arcade than sidewalk, and that air temperature of arcade is 3.9 °C lower than sidewalk, thereby concluding arcade tends to generate more pedestrian wind comfort in summer. The measurement result of Thermo GEAR G100EXD suggests, during the hottest time at noon, the difference between air temperature on sidewalk and on arcade reaches 8 °C. This study also proves that in subtropical climates, arcade is more likely to provide pedestrians with higher comfort level, and that air temperature on arcade is 3.9°C lower than outdoors. The lower the height-to-width ratio is, the more comfortable the environment appears to be.
In India, numerous tribal people are living. From generations onwards,there are socio economic disparities and problems among the tribal people. This paper discusses about trivials and tribulations of sugali people, who secluded in Jilleamanda Pedda Thanda, in Chittoor District. Sugalis are migratory one. Culture,traditions, pastoral life are part of their life. Aim: To evaluate the social status of sugalis and rehabilitation in Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh. Materials and Methods: We spent 15 days in the Thanda, and surveyed about the life style of living, interaction with tribe’s. We garnered some information from secondary sources. Results: Status of marriage system, living style, cultivation, political empowerment, cattle rearing, and alcoholism impact on their economic status are discussed. Conclusion: Tribal people must take care about their self-development. It leads to familial, society development.
Mutations in the GJB2 gene are a major cause of congenital deafness. One specific mutation, the 35delG mutation, has accounted for most of the GJB2 mutations detected in European populations and is one of the most frequent disease mutations identified so far. We evaluated the frequency of the 35delG mutation in DNA samples from Brazilians of European, Asian, and African ancestry. All DNA samples were screened for the 35delG mutation using an allele-specific PCR. This study shows that the frequency of a common mutation (35delG) is significantly lower in non-European populations.
Aiming to address the problems of the high bit error rate (BER) of demodulation or low classification accuracy of modulation signals with a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), we propose a double-residual denoising autoencoder method with a channel attention mechanism, referred to as DRdA-CA, to improve the SNR of modulation signals. The proposed DRdA-CA consists of an encoding module and a decoding module. A squeeze-and-excitation (SE) ResNet module containing one residual connection is modified and then introduced into the autoencoder as the channel attention mechanism, to better extract the characteristics of the modulation signals and reduce the computational complexity of the model. Moreover, the other residual connection is further added inside the encoding and decoding modules to optimize the network degradation problem, which is beneficial for fully exploiting the multi-level features of modulation signals and improving the reconstruction quality of the signal. The ablation experiments prove that both the improved SE module and dual residual connections in the proposed method play an important role in improving the denoising performance. The subsequent experimental results show that the proposed DRdA-CA significantly improves the SNR values of eight modulation types in the range of −12 dB to 8 dB. Especially for 16QAM and 64QAM, the SNR is improved by 8.38 dB and 8.27 dB on average, respectively. Compared to the DnCNN denoising method, the proposed DRdA-CA makes the average classification accuracy increase by 67.59∼74.94% over the entire SNR range. When it comes to the demodulation, compared with the RLS and the DnCNN denoising algorithms, the proposed denoising method reduces the BER of 16QAM by an average of 63.5% and 40.5%, and reduces the BER of 64QAM by an average of 46.7% and 18.6%. The above results show that the proposed DRdA-CA achieves the optimal noise reduction effect.
Abstract Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), recently classified among the acute myeloid leukemia and related precursor neoplasms, is a rare hematological malignancy with highly aggressive clinical course. We report a case of a 55 year-old female patient who presented spontaneous rupture of the spleen. The histopathological diagnosis without immunohistochemistry was splenic marginal zone non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The patient received 4 courses of polychemotherapy. Due to the unfavorable evolution the spleen was histopathologically reexamined and immunohistochemistry was performed in another laboratory. The diagnosis of NHL was excluded. Undifferentiated malignant cell proliferation, possible myeloid was suspected. Due to the discrepancy between diagnoses, a third immunohistological examination was performed in a third laboratory. NHL was excluded and myeloid, NK-cell or plasmacytoid dendritic cell leukemia was suspected. The patient was admitted to our clinic after 8 months from the initial diagnosis. Immunophenotyping by flowcytometry from the bone marrow showed 23% blasts positive for CD4, CD56, CD123, HLA-DR, CD38, CD11b, CD2, and negative for lineage specific markers of B-, T-lymphoid, NK- or myelomonocytic cells. The final diagnosis was BPDCN in leukemic phase. Due to the diversity of the clinical presentation, morphology and immunophenotype of BPDCN the diagnosis of this rare malignancy remains challenging. Immunophenotyping by flowcytometry is superior to immunohistochemistry because of the availability of a larger panel of antibodies and the possibility to identify the intensity of antigen expression. The atypical forms of BPDCN should be recognized early in order to manage properly the patients with this aggressive disease Rezumat Neoplasmul cu celule dendritice plasmocitoide blastice (NCDPB), clasificat recent în grupul leucemiilor acute mieloide este o boală hematologică malignă rară cu evoluţie clinică extrem de agresivă. Raportăm cazul unei paciente în vârstă de 55 ani care a prezentat ruptură spontană a splinei. Diagnosticul histopatologic, fără imunohistochimie, a fost de limfom malign non-Hodgkin (LMNH) splenic de zonă marginală. Pacienta a primit 4 cure citostatice. Datorită evoluţiei nefavorabile, splina a fost reexaminată histopatologic şi imunohistochimic într-un alt laborator. Diagnosticul de LMNH a fost exclus şi s-a ridicat suspiciunea unei proliferări maligne, posibil mieloide. Datorită neconcordanţei dintre diagnostice s-a efectuat o nouă examinare imunohistochimică într-un al treilea laborator. LMNH se infirmă şi se suspicionează leucemie mieloidă, cu celule NK sau cu celule dendritice plasmocitoide. Pacienta a fost internată în clinica noastră după 8 luni de la diagnosticul iniţial. Imunofenotiparea prin citometrie în flux efectuată din măduva osoasă a evidenţiat 23% blaşti pozitivi pentru markerii CD4, CD56, CD123, HLA-DR, CD38, CD11b, CD2 şi negativi pentru markerii specifici liniilor celulare limfoide B, T, NK şi mielomonocitare. Diagnosticul final a fost NCDPB în fază leucemică. Datorită diversităii prezentării clinice, morfologice şi imunofenotipice a NCDPB, diagnosticul acestei boli maligne rare rămâne o provocare. Imunofenotiparea prin citometrie în flux este superioară examenului imunohistochimic datorită disponibilităţii unui panel mai larg de anticorpi şi posibilităţii de a identifica intensitatea expresiei antigenice. Formele atipice ale NCDPB trebuie să fie recunoscute în timp util pentru a putea trata corespunzător pacienţii cu această boală agresivă.
ABSTRACT The papillomavirus E2 gene product plays a pivotal role in viral replication. E2 has multiple functions, including (i) transcriptional activation and repression of viral promoters and (ii) the enhancement of viral DNA replication. It was previously reported that E2 suppressed the growth of papillomavirus-positive cervical carcinoma cell lines. In the present study, we investigated the mechanisms of E2 growth inhibition. We found that the transcriptional activation function of E2 is required for inhibition of the growth of HeLa cells as well as for transcriptional repression of the viralE6/E7 promoter. It had been previously postulated that transcriptional repression of the E6/E7 promoter results from E2 binding its cognate sites proximal to the E6/E7promoter and displacing other cellular transcriptional factors. In this study, we report a requirement for the transcription activation function for the binding of E2 to transcriptionally active templates.
In the last part of the treatise Diversarum hereseon liber (from chapter 128 to 156), Filastrius of Brescia presents heresies based on the erroneous exegesis of the various biblical texts of the Old Testament. The author of the article dis­cusses several examples of the exegesis considered by Filastrius to be heretical, and wonders whether they indeed had signs of heresy and whether they could pose a significant threat to ecclesiastical orthodoxy. In the light of the examined texts, the Bishop of Brescia appears as a follower of the allegorical exegesis. As for the whole of the Alexandrian tradition from Origen, the overriding criterion of orthodox interpretation of the Scriptures was a spiritual advantage (utilitas spiritalis, scientia caelestis, scientia salutaris). If the proposed interpretation of the biblical text not carried out for such spiritual benefit, it was designated by the Bishop of Brescia as heretical, even if it did not materially harm the doctrinal truths contained in the Rule of the Church’s faith.
Power quality depends generally on the interaction of electrical power with electrical equipments. If electrical equipments operate correctly and reliably without being damaged or stressed, a suitable level of power quality is assured. On the other hand, if the electrical equipment malfunctions, is unreliable, or is damaged during normal usage, power quality is poor and probably the economical loss could be important like the technical one. In the scenario of the Distributed Generation, power quality issues will be moreover important because an higher dissemination of power conditioning equipment will be requested and this obviously increases the sources of vulnerability of the electrical system. In this paper fault tolerant power converters are considered as a viable solution of power quality problems and a suitable control algorithm of them is presented. The control proposed in the paper is based on the model of the power converter reformulated in terms of healthy leg binary variable and the paper shows how this control is able to save the aspect of power quality when the converter works in the linear range. The effectiveness of such an algorithm and of the fault tolerant power converters are finally verified by means of simulations.
Most P2P networks are used for file-sharing applications. These forms of applications mainly rely on keyword searching to locate file resources on the peers. Whilst this querying is suitable for many data-intensive applications, it is not suitable for applications where data changes over short periods of time, also known as time-critical applications. We investigate the use of timestamps on a peer’s knowledge about an application to create queries so that other peers may reply with more up-to-date information to keep the peer’s knowledge up-to-date. We propose means to synchronise peers to provide them with a shared, independent clock so that they utilize timestamps. To show that a peer’s knowledge about a time-critical application affects the performance of other peers, we carried out experiments to show information propagation over a P2P network and use various metrics to evaluate our approach.
ABSTRACT In this paper, collaborative autoethnography is used to explore the authors’ involvement as participants in and facilitator of an academic development programme that took place in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Recognising the significant differences in cultural origin between the Iraqi participants and its British facilitator, the authors share their reflections on the programme. Consideration is given to the implications of cultural differences in respect of the authors’ expectations and experiences of this educational encounter, with particular emphasis on different approaches to learning and teaching prevailing in collectivist cultures, compared to those that are more individualist. The authors highlight the importance of early relationship-building in cross-cultural educational encounters, emphasising the two-way nature of this particular learning experience and the subsequent impact on their practice as educators.
Compared to their parent materials, oxygen vacancy (VO)–ordered phases of complex oxides exhibit distinct physical properties and show great potential in multifunctional devices. With the expected unique behaviors, however, most of the VO‐ordered oxide films are extremely difficult to synthesize due to their thermodynamic instabilities. Herein, using LaCoOx as an example, the synthesis of large‐scale monophased VO‐ordered LaCoO2.67 and LaCoO2.5 films is realized by annealing as‐grown perovskite LaCoO3 films in vacuum with a special heating method. Their macroscopic properties, including the magnetic and electric transport and optical properties, are measured. It is demonstrated that the functionalities of LaCoOx films can be manipulated by tuning the concentration and ordering of the VO. The method in this work can be applied to fabricate a wide range of VO‐ordered oxide films.
A group of ten quinonoid-bridged diruthenium(II) complexes [(aap) 2 Ru II (μ-BL 1 2– )Ru II (aap) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 2 , [1a–1c](ClO 4 ) 2 and [(pap) 2 Ru II (μ-BL n 2– )Ru II (pap) 2 ](ClO 4 ) 2 [2–8](ClO 4 ) 2 [aap = 2-arylazopyridine, NC 5 H 4 –N = N–C 6 H 4 (R) {R = H (pap) [1a](ClO 4 ) 2 , m-Me [1b](ClO 4 ) 2 , m-Cl [1c](ClO 4 ) 2 }; BL 2– = 5,8-dioxido-1,4-napthoquinone (BL 1 2– ), 2,3-dichloro-5,8-dioxido-1,4-napthoquinone (BL 2 2– ), 6,11-dioxido-5,12-naphthacenedione (BL 3 2– ), 1,4-dioxido-9,10-anthraquinone (BL 4 2– ), 2,3-dimethyl-1,4-dioxido-9,10-anthraquinone (BL 5 2– ), 6,7-dichloro-1,4-dioxido-9,10-anthraquinone (BL 6 2– ), 1,4-diimino-9,10-anthraquinone (BL 7 2– ), 1,5-dioxido-9,10-anthraquinone (BL 8 2– )] have been synthesized. The crystal structures of [1a](ClO 4 ) 2 •H 2 O and [3](ClO 4 ) 2 suggest the preferential crystallization of the meso isomer in both cases. The two similar C–O distances in coordinated BL 1 2– [C2–O1/C4–O2 1.278(5)/1.291(4) A] and BL 3 2– [C2–O1/C4–O2 1.282(7)/1.280(7) A] in [1a](ClO 4 ) 2 and [3](ClO 4 ) 2 , respectively and the corresponding intraring distances suggest a delocalized keto-enol state of the coordinated BL 2– . [1–8] 2+ exhibit two successive one-electron oxidation processes and multiple reductions in both CH 3 CN and CH 2 Cl 2 . The first oxidation potential varies substantially depending on a variety of factors associated with BL 2– and follows the order: [8] 2+ ≫ [2] 2+ > [6] 2+ > [1a] 2+ ≥ [4] 2+ > [3] 2+ > [5] 2+ ≫ [7] 2+ . The separation in potentials between the successive oxidation processes translates to comproportionation constant (K c ) values in the ranges 2.5 × 10 4 – 2.6 × 10 5 and 1.7 × 10 3 – 1.3 × 10 6 in CH 3 CN and CH 2 Cl 2 , respectively. The intermediate paramagnetic species [1–8] 3+ systematically exhibit closely spaced rhombic or axial-type EPR spectra at 77 K corresponding to g values close to the free-electron value of 2.0023, thereby suggesting a radical complex formulation of {Ru II (π-BL – )Ru II } instead of the usually expected alternative mixed-valence formulation of {Ru II (π-BL 2– )Ru III }. Consequently, [1–7] 3+ display intense near-infrared transitions in the range 1200–1500 nm with a band width at half height (Δν 1/2 ) of 1900–3800 cm –1 which is lower than the calculated value of 3800–4600 cm –1 obtained using the Hush formula for a localized class II mixed-valence system. Electrogenerated EPR-inactive second-step oxidized species [1–8] 4+ have been described as spin-coupled radical-bridged mixed-valence ruthenium (II)(III) species, {Ru II (π-BL – )Ru III }. [1–8] 2+ exhibit multiple ligand-based reductions involving coordinated BL 2– as well as aap. The above preferential metal- or ligand-based accessible electron-transfer processes in the complexes have been further substantiated by DFT calculations on the geometry-optimized structure of [1a] 2+ .
Certain attitudes toward suicide may be a risk factor for suicide among the bereaved. To explore this possibility, we examined the relationship between attitudes toward suicide and family history of suicide. We focused on two specific attitudes indicating resignation in a survey: #1 “When a person chooses to die by suicide, the suicide is inevitable” (i.e., inevitability belief); and #2 “A suicide cannot be stopped by any person, because suicide is unpreventable” (i.e., unpreventable belief). The data of 5117 fully completed questionnaires were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the two attitudes of resignation were significantly associated with a family history of suicide. The adjusted odds ratio for #1 was 1.39 (95% CI, 1.07–1.79) for individuals having experienced suicide by a family member or relative, while that for #2 was 1.57 (95% CI, 1.27–1.95) for experiencing a suicide by a family member or relative and 1.25 (95% CI, 1.05–1.49) for experiencing a suicide by a friend, business associate, partner or other. These two attitudes of resignation toward suicide were significantly associated with a family history of suicide. These attitudes might increase suicide risk among the bereaved.
After 26 years of discovery of the determinant survival motor neuron 1 and the modifier survival motor neuron 2 genes (SMN1 and SMN2, respectively), three SMN-dependent specific therapies are already approved by FDA and EMA and, as a consequence, worldwide SMA patients are currently under clinical investigation and treatment. Bi-allelic pathogenic variants (mostly deletions) in SMN1 should be detected in SMA patients to confirm the disease. Determination of SMN2 copy number has been historically employed to correlate with the phenotype, predict disease evolution, stratify patients for clinical trials and to define those eligible for treatment. In view that discordant genotype-phenotype correlations are present in SMA, besides technical issues with detection of SMN2 copy number, we have hypothesized that copy number determination is only the tip of the iceberg and that more deepen studies of variants, sequencing and structures of the SMN2 genes are necessary for a better understanding of the disease as well as to investigate possible influences in treatment responses. Here, we highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach of SMN1 and SMN2 genetics with the perspective to apply for better prediction of SMA in positive neonatal screening cases and early diagnosis to start treatments.
ABSTRACT Beachrock, consisting of carbonate-cemented algal pisoliths and gastropod shells, forms a resistant unit 15 to 25 cm thick along the eastern shore of Ore Lake in southeastern Michigan. The cement occurs as thin crusts of highly acicular, low-magnesium calcite crystals. These crystals are actually aggregates of many small fibrous crystallites, each having the form of an elongate trigonal prism, An orderly arrangement of these crystallites forms a prismatic crystal with many small elongate triangular intercrystallite spaces. Crystals lining large pores consist of crystallites exhibiting either rhombohedral or flat terminations, whereas terminations in small voids are entirely rhombohedral, Scanning electron microscopy shows that in large pores the ends of the flat crystals define smooth curved surfaces around the void margins. These surfaces record the position of a meniscus surrounding air bubbles trapped within the larger pores, demonstrating cementation with the vadose zone. Crystal growth by elongation of the c-axis ceased upon coming in contact with the air phase. Smaller voids were completely filled with fluid, and in these areas uninhibited growth of calcite occurred. The acicular prismatic crystal morphology resembles that found in low-magnesian calcites from speleothems, suggesting that it may be the result of calcite precipitation from extremely low-salinity water. Mg/Ca ratios of beachrock pore waters are low, demonstrating that even though these crystals exhibit an anomalous habit for low-magnesian calcite, concentration of magnesium ions was not responsible for the lateral inhibition of crystal growth, and that "magnesium poisoning" of lateral crystal faces did not play a significant role in the formation of these acicular cements. Ore Lake beachrock resembles its marine counterparts in occurrence, rapidity of cementation, and general fabric, suggesting a similar origin. Lake waters and inflowing meteoric ground waters at Ore Lake are chemically similar and evaporation rates are negligible. Thus, the occurrence of these cements and an observed CO2 loss from the groundwater favor degassing of groundwater as a general mechanism for beachrock formation, rather than the mixing of meteoric and saline waters or evaporative concentration.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease in which oxidative stress could play a substantial pathological role. Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) has been known as a "universal" and "ideal" antioxidant. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oral administration of Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant biomarkers in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The study was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial. 70 RA patients were randomized 1:1 to two groups using blocked randomization method and received 1200 mg/day ALA or placebo for 8 weeks. Fasting blood samples were obtained before and after the intervention to analyze total antioxidant capacity (TAC), antioxidant enzymes [superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and arylesterase (ARE) activities] and malondialdehyde (MDA). We observed significant increase in serum TAC (0.11 mmol/L; p=0.033) and ARE (13.76 U/mL; p=0.046) and significant decline in MDA (-0.36 nmol/L; p=0.002), in ALA group. However, these changes in ALA-treated group were not statistically significant when compared with placebo-treated group (p > 0.05). Also, within- and between-group differences of whole blood SOD and GSH-Px were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In conclusion, unexpectedly, ALA therapy did not affect the oxidative status of RA patients in the present clinical trial. It seems that more comprehensive clinical trials in RA patients are still warranted to clarify the effectiveness of ALA which has been known as a potent antioxidant.
Here we examined the influence of the visual response in the superior colliculus (SC) (an oculomotor control structure integrating sensory, motor and cognitive signals) on the development of the motor command that drives saccadic eye movements in monkeys. We varied stimulus luminance to alter the timing and magnitude of visual responses in the SC and examined how these changes correlated with resulting saccade behavior. Increasing target luminance resulted in multiple modulations of the visual response, including increased magnitude and decreased response onset latency. These signal modulations correlated strongly with changes in saccade latency and metrics, indicating that these signal properties carry through to the neural computations that determine when, where and how fast the eyes will move. Thus, components of the earliest part of the visual response in the SC provide important building blocks for the neural basis of the sensory–motor transformation, highlighting a critical link between the properties of the visual response and saccade behavior.
The combination of thermal satellite remote sensing and geochemical tracing has been demonstrated as a robust and cost effective technique to identify potential groundwater discharge sites in coastal areas on a regional scale. Here, the approach is evaluated in its applicability to lakes, demonstrated through a case study in the west of Ireland. Surface water temperature patterns generated from Landsat 7 ETM+ Thermal Infrared (TIR) images are used to detect groundwater inputs captured as anomalous cold plumes visibly emanating from shallow lake margins during summer months. Qualitative assessments of groundwater inputs are completed using natural tracers (radon (222Rn, t½ = 3.8 days) and conductivity) to verify the presence of groundwater and to identify localized seepage sites or groundwater “hotspots”. Despite the difficulties in acquiring cost- and cloud free satellite imagery and the inevitable mismatch between satellite image acquisition and in-situ lake survey dates, the results are extremely promising. Temperature values generated from the thermal images reveal a strong negative correlation with measured radon activity which implies that decreases in surface water temperatures are associated with increases in radon activity and hence groundwater inputs to the lake. The study demonstrates the suitability of the approach as a comprehensive and cost-effective preliminary assessment tool for identification and localization of groundwater discharge entry points for use potentially in any region where discernible temperature differences exist. Understanding where groundwater discharge occurs is the first step towards more in-depth geochemical surveys that seek to clarify the role played by groundwater in lacustrine biogeochemical budgets.
Distributed Generation (DG) is an essential part in power systems. DG gives provision of an equivalent to the usual electric origins like oil, gas, water, etc. DG distribution is used to gear the reliability of a power distribution system. This is done with the help of reduction of outages or sudden interruptions which usually happen because of failure in the transmission or distribution systems. In this study, the reliability indices of a 132 KV Grid Station have been found out and by using those indices, it is analyzed that how the reliability of a distributed generation system can be improved with the help of System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI), Estimated Energy Not Served (EENS) and Average Service Availability Index (ASAI).
To determine the relation between swimming endurance time and burst swimming speed, elvers of the European eel, Anguilla anguilla (L.), were made to swim at speeds from 3.6 to 7.2 L (body lengths) s−1 in both fresh and sea water. Swimming endurance time of elvers averaging 7.2 cm total length decreased logarithmically with increased swimming speed from 3.0 min at 3.5 L s−1 to 0.7 min at 5.0 L s−1, and again logarithmically but with a lesser slope to 0.27 min at 7.5 L s−1. No differences were found between fresh and sea water elvers. In still water, elvers could swim at high speeds for about 10–45m before exhaustion, depending upon speed. Elvers would be able to make virtually no progress against water currents >50 cm s−1. Drift in coastal water currents and selective tidal transport probably involve swimming speeds below those tested in this study. Migration into freshwater streams undoubtedly involves avoidance of free stream speeds and a combination of burst and sustained swimming.
Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a method for measuring breast size from three-dimensional (3D) body scan image data. Background: Previous bra studies established reference points by directly contacting the subject"s naked skin to determine the boundary of the breast. But some subjects were uncomfortable with these types of measurements. This study examined noncontact methods of extracting breast reference points from 3D body scan data that were collected while subjects were wearing standardized soft bras. Method: 3D body scan data of 32 Korean women were analyzed. The subjects were selected from the Size Korea 2010 study. The breast landmarks were identified by graphic analyses of slicing contour lines on 3D body scan data. Results: Three methods determining bra cup size were compared. The M1 and M2 methods determined cup size by calculating the difference between bust girth and under-bust girth. The M3 method determined bra cup size by measuring breast arc length. Conclusion: The researchers proposed an anthropometric bra cup sizing system with the breast arc length (M3 method). It was measured from the geometrically defined landmarks on the 3D body scan slicing contour lines. The new bra cup size was highly correlated with breast depth. Application: The noncontact measuring method used in this study can be applied to the ergonomic studies measuring sensitive body parts.
ABSTRACT. . A circuit and accompanying program that allow an inexpensive personal computer to replace an expensive storage oscilloscope in displaying electroantennogram (EAG) recording is described. The maximum amplitude of the EAG is calculated automatically by the computer and appears as an alphanumeric display on the monitor screen. Because the entire EAG trace is stored by the computer, parameters of the EAG trace other than the maximum amplitude are also available for analysis, such as voltages at specified times after antennal stimulation.
Power management is a key component of modern data center design. Power managers must (1) ensure the costand energy-efficient utilization of the data center infrastructure, (2) maintain availability of the services provided by the center, and (3) address environmental concerns associated with the center’s power consumption. While several power management techniques have been proposed and deployed in production data centers, there are still many challenges to comprehensive data center power management. This is particularly true in public cloud environments, where different jobs have different priority levels, and where high availability is critical. One example of the challenges facing public cloud data centers involves power capping. As power delivery must be highly reliable and tolerate wide variation in the load drawn by the data center components, the power infrastructure (e.g., power supplies, circuit breakers, UPS) has high redundancy and overprovisioning. During normal operation (i.e., typical server power demands, and no failures in the center), the power infrastructure is significantly underutilized. Power capping is a common solution to reduce this underutilization, by allowing more servers to be added safely (i.e., without power shortfalls) to the existing power infrastructure, and throttling power consumption in the infrequent cases where the demanded power exceeds the provisioned power capacity to avoid shortfalls. However, state-of-the-art power capping solutions are (1) not directly applicable to the redundant power infrastructure used in highly-available data centers; and (2) oblivious to differing workload priorities across the entire center when power consumption needs to be throttled, which can unnecessarily slow down high-priority work. To address this need, we develop CapMaestro, a new power management architecture with three key features for public cloud data centers. First, CapMaestro is designed to work with multiple power feeds (i.e., sources), and exploits server-level power capping to independently cap the load on each feed of a server. Second, CapMaestro uses a scalable, global priority-aware power capping approach, which accounts for power capacity at each level of the power distribution hierarchy. It exploits the underutilization of commonly-employed redundant power infrastructure at each level of the hierarchy to safely accommodate a much greater number of servers. Third, CapMaestro exploits stranded power (i.e., power budgets that are not utilized) in redundant power infrastructure to boost the performance of workloads in the data center. We add CapMaestro to a real cloud data center control plane, and demonstrate the effectiveness of all three key features. Using a large-scale data center simulation, we demonstrate that CapMaestro significantly and safely increases the number of servers for existing infrastructure. We also call out other key technical challenges the industry faces in data center power management.
This experiment examined the effects of online Christian disclosure. Respondents (N = 233) viewed a fictional social networking profile containing one of three levels of Christian disclosure frequency: none, nominal, and extensive. Respondents made few distinctions between nondisclosure and nominal disclosure. Most notably, respondent religiosity moderated impressions. Regardless of disclosure level, religious respondents rated profile owners as more likeable and less stereotypically negative than less religious respondents. The least religious respondents tended to rate the extensively disclosing Christian as least romantically desirable and with more negative stereotyping. The most religious respondents rated the extensively disclosing Christian as most likeable and as most romantically desirable. Christian identity tended to be assumed when not disclosed. Nominal disclosure may constitute a socially acceptable level of online Christian disclosure.
In the field of evolutionary algorithm music composition, most of the current researches focus on how to enhance environmental selection based on multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs). However, the real music composition process defined as large-scale multi-optimization problems (LSMOP) involve the number of combinations, and the existing MOEA-based optimization process can be challenging to effectively explore the search space. To address this issue, we propose a new Multi-Objective Generative Deep network-based Estimation of Distribution Algorithm (MODEDA) based on dimensionality reduction in decision space. In order to alleviate the difficulties with dimensional transformation, we propose a novel solution search method that optimizes in the transformed space and ensures consistency between the pareto sets of the original problem. The proposed algorithm is tested on the knapsack problems and music composition experiments. The experimental results have demonstrated that the proposed algorithm has excellency in terms of its optimization performance and computational efficiency in LSMOP.
The interatomic potentials of the a(2)Π and b(2)Π states of the OAr(+) molecule are calculated using the relativistic complete-active space Hartree-Fock method followed by a multireference configuration interaction calculation with an aug-cc-pwCVNZ-DK basis sets where N is 4 and 5. The calculations were followed by an extrapolation to the complete basis set limit. An avoided crossing between the two potential energy curves is found at an internuclear separation of 5.75 bohr (3.04 Å). As the transition probability between the curves is negligible in the relative collision energy range 0.03-500 eV of interest here, collisions on the lower adiabatic a(2)Π potential may be treated without reference to the upper state. For low energies and orbital angular momentum quantum numbers, the one-dimensional radial Schrödinger equation is solved numerically using a Numerov algorithm method to determine the phase shift. The semiclassical JWKB approximation was employed for relative energies greater than 5 eV and orbital angular quantum numbers higher than 500. Differential, integral, transport (diffusion), and viscosity cross sections for elastic collisions of oxygen atoms with argon ions are calculated for the first time for the range of relative collision energies studied. The calculated cross sections are expected to be of utility in the fields of nanotechnology and arc welding. The combination of an Ar(+)((2)P) ion and a O((3)P) atom gives rise to a total of 12 different molecular electronic states that are all coupled by spin-orbit interactions. Potential energy curves for all 12 states are computed at the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) level and scattering calculations performed. The results are compared with those obtained using just the lowest potential energy curve.
The author taught foreign students Chinese in the Confucius Institute of EotvosLo-rand University in Hungary for two years. The mother tongue of Hungarian students is Hungarian in most cases. As Hungarian language (hereinafter referred to as “Hungarian”) is a typical agglutinative language while Chinese is a typical isolating language, there are immeasurably vast differences between the grammatical systems of these two languages. This paper conducted discussion on the problems in teaching Hungarian students Chinese gram-mars mainly based on three aspects: 1. the similarities and differences between study of Chinese grammars and teaching of Chinese grammars for foreign students; 2. brief summary of the grammatical differences between Chinese and Hungarian to understand several grammatical mistakes which Hungarian students always make; 3. some strategies of teaching Hungarian students Chinese grammars.
Thalidomide is a very potent teratogen capable of causing severe systemic malformations if the fetus is exposed during the sensitive period. Although structural anomalies of the eye can occur from thalidomide exposure, the most frequent eye complication is secondary to damage to the cranial nuclei in the brain stem, resulting in aberrant neurologic connections causing a condition of abnormal ocular movement, Duane syndrome. A less frequent anomalous neurologic complication is tearing when eating (paradoxical gustolacrimal tearing or "crocodile tears") or lack of emotional tearing. The involvement of the 6th and 7th cranial nerves, often seen together in the thalidomide-affected individual, is also characteristic of Möbius syndrome/sequence. This syndrome usually occurs sporadically, but characteristic findings of this condition have also been observed in South American children who were born after an unsuccessful attempt to induce abortion with the prostaglandin drug misoprostol (Cytotec). Aberrant tearing also occurs in some individuals with Möbius syndrome. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), an unexpected associated finding in a Swedish thalidomide study, is now also noted in Möbius studies, in patients both with and without exposure to misoprostol.
He began with fundamental contributions to polymer physics that earned him election to the National Academy of Sciences. He uncovered leadership resources within himself to reorganize his firm's research effort, turn around a sour management attitude toward research, and become a good shepherd to his scientific staff. Most recently, he has become the spokesman of the technical community, increasingly called on to advise the President of the U.S. and science-oriented agencies. These achievements led the American Institute of Chemists to award its gold medal to Arthur M. Bueche, senior vice president for corporate technology at General Electric Co., Fairfield, Conn. He is indeed a person, according to the dedication, who has been of service to chemical science and the chemical and chemical engineering professions. Bueche received the medal at AIC's annual meeting last week in Washington, D.C. Bueche obtained his Ph.D. in 1947 at Cornell University and did three years' postdoctoral work there with Nobel ...
The African Union and the African Development Bank estimate that corruption costs African economies more than US$148 billion dollars each year. This leads to a loss of 50% in tax revenue, increases the cost of African goods by as much as 20% and eats away 25% of Africa's GDP. Little wonder that fighting African corruption has become serious business. One weapon being used in the battle is the anti-corruption agency. These are new features on the African governance landscape and are usually instigated and resourced by transnational agencies with a `development' brief. Yet so little is known about their functionality. This article, for the first time, brings all African anti-corruption agencies into a mega case study. Using a novel mix of data approaches the article identifies serious program failure across all anti-corruption agencies. The African anti-corruption project is crafted offshore, in social and economic contexts that are not sufficiently replicated in the African experience, and for purposes connected more to international commerce than human rights. The study contributes to a significant intellectual conflict in cross cultural management research concerned with the pros and cons of a universal management model. It does this by demonstrating causation between program failure and the ubiquitous application of a culture-free universal management model to the highly complex issue of African corruption. In practical terms the article offers designers of anti-corruption programs an alternative way of thinking about African corruption.
Analyses are presented for a variety of ancient cyclic tidal rhythmites, which exhibit well developed neap‐spring tidal periods. Many such rhythmites were formed within the upper intertidal zone and exhibit truncated cycles that contain relatively few discrete lamina per neap‐spring cycle. In such cases it can be difficult to determine if the originated palaeotidal system was diurnal or semidiurnal.
Poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers play an important role in drug delivery systems, because the dendrimers are susceptible to gain unique features with modification of their structure such as changing their terminals or improving their interior core. To investigate the core improvement and the effect of core nature on PAMAM dendrimers, we studied two generations G3 and G4 PAMAM dendrimers with the interior cores of commonly used ethylendiamine (EDA), 1,5-diaminohexane (DAH), and bis(3-aminopropyl) ether (BAPE) solvated in water, as an aqueous dendrimer system, by using molecular dynamics simulation and applying a coarse-grained (CG) dendrimer force field. To consider the electrostatic interactions, the simulations were performed at two protonation states, pHs 5 and 7. The results indicated that the core improvement of PAMAM dendrimers with DAH produces the largest size for G3 and G4 dendrimers at both pHs 5 and 7. The increase in the size was also observed for BAPE core but it was not so significant as that for DAH core. By considering the internal structure of dendrimers, it was found that PAMAM dendrimer shell with DAH core had more cavities than with BAPE core at both pHs 5 and 7. Also the moment of inertia calculations showed that the generation G3 is more open-shaped and has higher structural asymmetry than the generation G4. Possessing these properties by G3, specially due to its structural asymmetry, make penetration of water beads into the dendrimer feasible. But for higher generation G4 with its relatively structural symmetry, the encapsulation efficiency for water molecules can be enhanced by changing its core to DAH or BAPE. It is also observed that for the higher generation G4 the effect of core modification is more profound than G3 because the core modification promotes the structural asymmetry development of G4 more significantly. Comparing the number of water beads that penetrate into the PAMAM dendrimers for EDA, DAH, and BAPE cores indicates a significant increase when their cores have been modified with DAH or BAPE and substantiates the effective influence of the core nature in the dendrimer encapsulation efficiency.
The goal of temporal annotation is to mark up all elements of a text that are relevant to the temporal interpretation of that text. As such, temporal annotation reveals part of the semantics of a text. We describe recent approaches to temporal annotation, focusing on the recently developed annotation language TimeML. In addition, we describe a couple of systems aimed at temporally parsing texts. We motivate the use of temporal annotation from a question answering viewpoint and describe some earlier insights from theoretical linguistics on what the temporal properties of language constructs are.
Decision-making requires the quantification and trade-off of multiple software qualities (aka non-functional requirements) and the analysis of benefits and costs between alternative functional goal realizations. Modern self-adaptive and self-organizing systems usually must achieve several functional goals. Each can be achieved through alternative realization strategies (i.e. choices) and supported by the decision process of one agent or subsystem. The above is an example, among many others, that implies considering a system shaped by several agents interacting among themselves in a decentralized way towards a higher level goal. The multiple interacting agents involve diverse perspectives with effects on different common software qualities (also known as non-functional requirements or soft goals) and the agents will collaborate or compete among themselves. An example of a potential problem could be that one decision suggested by an agent may cancel out the positive effects of another agent on a given software quality with potentially unwanted results. The agents can also use machine learning techniques which exacerbates the uncertainty implied and its effect on the interactions among agents over time. We argue that there is the need for coordinating the decision-making process by different agent-based models in an explicit and decentralized way and that models@run.time can be a means for this. The runtime coordination gives place to big challenges. In this paper, and based on an initial exploration of the state-of-the-art, we discuss ideas about how to engineer modern self-adaptive and self-organizing systems. We propose a taxonomy to ease the engineering of such systems and based on that, we discuss the role of models@run.time to support the models of expected behaviour in an explicit way.
In modern single pixel microscopy techniques, like Nano-Illumination Microscopy, long measurement times can become a major issue, especially when imaging biological tissues with large field of view. Usually, light intensity measurements are performed with CMOS pixels, with typical integration times around tens of milliseconds. In this work, we propose to obtain a light intensity measurement indirectly by applying statistical techniques to the photon arrival times gathered with an SPAD photodetector. We will present how the different statistical measurements can be used to minimize the total acquisition time and minimize also the hardware required. In this work, with captures of 256 SPAD measurements, reducing measurement time from 50ms to 50us. The dynamic range is extended by combining multiple statistical techniques with standard intensity measurements. This paves the way to practical Nano-Illumination Microscopy and other single pixel microscopy techniques.
Abstract The paper presents analysis of the results of floristic studies carried out over 25 years in the Viešvilė State Strict Nature Reserve (VSSNR) and its buffer zone. The list of 703 vascular plant species including the data on their distribution and dynamics of abundance are provided. The native flora of the VSSNR includes 580 species, i.e. amounts to 47% of all native vascular plant species recorded in Lithuania. Since 1991, after the establishment of the Reserve, 15 species have become extinct and 30 have become endangered as a result of natural succession. Among 37 alien species recorded in the Reserve, four species are penetrating into natural habitats and threatening their existence. It was ascertained that about half of all species were recorded in meadows and glades of the forests, i.e. in the habitats, which occupy less than 1% of the whole territory. These are also habitats of most extinct and endangered species. Riparian and fontinal black alder woods are the most rich in vascular plant species among forest habitats.
Cultured fibroblasts treated with divalent cation ionophore A23187 in the presence of extracellular calcium provide a useful model system for studying mechanisms of cell death associated with elevated intracellular calcium concentrations. Cell death induced by A23187 plus calcium can be conveniently monitored as membrane permeabilization to Trypan blue dye. Because lipids are a major component of cell membranes and play an important role in determining membrane permeability, the present study was initiated to identify changes in cell lipid composition that occur during membrane permeabilization induced by calcium plus A23187. The percent label in each of the major structural lipids in biosynthetically labeled NIH3T3 fibroblasts changed less than 10% during the time course of membrane permeabilization. During the course of membrane permeabilization there was significantly increased label in lysophosphatidylinositol and lysophosphatidylcholine and reduced label in phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. The time course of these changes corresponded to that of the arachidonic acid release response stimulated by calcium plus A23187, not to the time course of membrane permeabilization, which occurs later. These observations are consistent with lipid metabolism induced by A23187 plus calcium playing only a possible regulatory or intermediatory role in membrane permeabilization, rather than causing direct permeabilization of the lipid phase of the membrane.
Objective To investigate the changes of pancreatic-duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1) expression,and the proliferation and insulin secretion induced by free fatty acid ( FFA) in β cells. Methods Insulinoma cell line βTc6 cells were treated with 0.25-1.00 mmoL/L FFA for 24-48 hours,then the transcription of PDX-1 mRNA,the βTc6 cells' proliferation and the glucose stimulated insulin secretion(GSIS) were determined by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR),MTT viability assay and radioimmunoassay respectively.In addition.the morphological change of βTc6 cells was observed.Results The expression of PDX-1 mRNA was increased gradually after intervention with 0.25-1.00 mmoL/L FFA for 24 hours,but it was decreased when the intervening duration Was prolonged to 48 hours,espectially with 1.00 mmol/L FFA.After treating with 0.50-1.00 mmol/L FFA for 24-48 hours,the βTc6 cells tended to be apoptosis in morphology,and the corresponding proliferation and GSIS also decreased gradually.But the βTc6 cells treating with 0.25 mmol/L FFA for 24 hours didn't appear aforesaid similar changes.Conclusion Abnormal FFA intervention is toxic for islet β cells.FFA with lower concentration will up-regulate the expression of PDX-1,and do not affect β cells' proliferation and insulin secretion in a short time.But the expression of PDX-1 mRNA will be downregulated and β cells' proliferation and insulin secretion will be imDaired with the increase of intervention concentration and duration of FFA.    Key words:  Free fatty acid; βTc6 cell; Pancreatic-duodenal homeobox-1; Insulin
Introduction: Moving Testimonies Bhaskar Sarkar and Janet Walker 1. Embodied Memory: The Institutional Mediation of Survivor Testimony in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Noah Shenker 2. "We Shall Drown, But We Shall Not Move": The Ecologics of Testimony in NBA Documentaries Bishnupriya Ghosh 3. Rights and Return: Perils and Fantasies of Situated Testimony after Katrina Janet Walker 4. From "Superbabies" and "Nazi Bastards" to Victims Finding a Voice: The Memory Trajectory of the Norwegian Lebensborn Children Bjorn Sorenssen 5. Reclamation of Voice: The Joint Authorship of Testimony in The Murmuring Trilogy Hye Jean Chung 6. Trauma, Memory, Documentary: Re-enactment in Two Films by Rithy Panh (Cambodia) and Garin Nugroho (Indonesia) Deirdre Boyle 7. On Documentary and Testimony: The Revisionists' History, the Politics of Truth, and the Remembrance of the Massacre at Acteal, Chiapas Jose Rabasa 8. Mediating Testimony: Broadcasting South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission Catherine Cole 9. Mediating Genocide: Producing Digital Survivor Testimony in Rwanda Mick Broderick 10. Between Orbit and the Ground: Conflict Monitoring, Google Earth and the "Crisis in Darfur" Project Lisa Parks
Nerve conduction studies have been performed in 19 subjects with hereditary spinocerebellar degenerations other than Friedreich ataxia. Clinically, they may be classified as olivopontocerebellar atrophy or cerebello‐olivary degeneration. In 9 patients, sensory conduction was abnormal, and in the whole group there was a significant impariment of sensory conduction and mild slowing of motor conduction in the lateral popliteal nerve. Sural nerve biopsies were performed on 5 patients. In 3 cases there was a mild to moderate reduction of myelinated fibers of all diameters; unmyelinated fibers were normal. In 1 patient from a kindred with a spinocerebellar degeneration in which the inheritance was autosomal dominant, neuropathological findings at autopsy confirmed the clinical diagnosis of the Menzel type of olivopontocerebellar atrophy; thee was degeneration of dorsal root ganglion and anterior horn cells as well as of myelinated fibers of all diameters in the sural nerve.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the aetiology of the pinching off syndrome (POS), a generalized feather abnormality affecting free-living nestling of the white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Europe. For the first time, extensive clinical, haematological, biochemical, virological, bacteriological, nutritional, histopathological, parasitological and electron microscopical examinations were performed on three females and one male suffering from POS. Early and increased cytokeratin formation at the base of regenerating feathers and their follicle was observed in affected birds. Ultrathin sections of the feather papillae revealed an extended stratum transitivum and a compact, thickened keratinized stratum corneum. The transitional cells in POS feathers contained vacuoles often associated with the nucleus. Lipofuscin accumulations in neurons, glial cells and islet cells of the pancreas were found in all examined birds. It was not clear whether there is an association between the occurrence of lipofuscin and POS. No evidence was found to suggest that infectious agents (parasites, bacteria, fungi or viruses), malnutrition or hormonal imbalances are involved in the aetiology of POS in white-tailed sea eagles. It remains unclear whether there is a genetic background of POS.
Pocket implant effect on drain current flicker noise in 0.13μm CMOS process based high performance analog nMOSFETs is investigated. Our result shows that pocket implantation will degrade device noise characteristics primarily due to enhanced non-uniform threshold voltage distribution along the channel. An analytical flicker noise model to take into account a pocket doping effect is proposed. Introduction Flicker noise has been considered as one of major concerns in analog CMOS devices because it will affect the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in operational amplifiers and in A/D and D/A converters. Phase noise of oscillators originating from flicker noise is another concern for RF applications [1]. Recent study has shown that pocket implantation in a CMOS device will degrade drain current flicker noise. Although some researchers attributed the increase of noise to additional oxide trap creation by pocket implant [2], the real cause of pocket implant induced noise degradation is still not clear. In this work, we will investigate pocket implant effect on flicker noise in various gate length nMOSFETs. An analytical model based on a non-uniform Vt distribution is proposed to evaluate noise with different pocket implant doses. The devices under test have a gate length from 0.22μm to 1.2μm and a gate width of 10μm. All noise data are measured in the linear operation region and each data point represents an average of 6 to 11 devices. The normalized power spectral density (Sid/Id ) is used as a monitor of drain current noise, which is considered to be a fair index because of normalization to the drain current. In addition, charge pumping measurement is performed to characterize oxide (interface) trap density in different pocket splits. Results and Discussion Fig. 1 shows the normalized noise power density in two nMOSFETs with a different pocket dose. The gate length is 1.2μm. The noise in the two devices is almost the same without regard to a considerably different pocket dose. As a comparison, Fig. 2 shows the noise in two 0.22μm devices with the same pocket implant split. Unlike the result in the 1.2μm devices (Fig. 1), the higher pocket dose device exhibits much worse noise behavior in the entire range of gate bias. Fig. 3 shows the channel length dependence of pocket implant effect on drain current noise. The pocket implant induced noise degradation is larger in a shorter gate length device. Further characterization by using a charge pumping technique shows that the oxide (interface) trap density of the two pocket splits is about the same (Fig. 4). The distinct noise degradation in the high pocket dose device in Fig. 2 therefore cannot be explained simply by implant caused oxide trap creation. Instead, pocket implant will result in a non-uniform Vt distribution along the channel. An analytical model [3] to explain non-uniform Vt enhanced noise degradation is given in Fig. 5. Noise Modeling Including Pocket Implant In our model, the channel is divided into three regions, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Regions 1 and 3 represent a pocket implant region, where the local Vt is increased due to pocket implant. Since the noise in Fig. 3 is measured at a relatively low gate bias, the flicker noise is dominated by number fluctuation [4]. Mobility fluctuation thus can be neglected in Eqs. (1) and (2). In long channel devices, the noise component arising from the pocket implant regions is relatively small. This argument can be verified by the result in Fig. 1 that the noise is nearly the same for different pocket splits. Thus, the noise in a long channel device can be modeled by Eq. (1) and the oxide trap density, Nt(x) can be extracted from the measured noise directly. In short channel devices, the noise components in the three regions are modeled by Eq. (2). To obtain the effective length and local Vt in the pocket implant regions (i.e., regions 1 and 3), we use the method in [5] to extract them from the reverse short channel effects of the two devices (Fig. 6). Fig. 7 shows the calculated result in the high pocket dose device. The noise can be well modeled for both long channel (1.2μm) and short channel (0.22μm) devices except for a high gate bias region where mobility fluctuation should be considered. It should be pointed out that in our calculation no fitting parameters are used. In the low pocket dose device (Fig. 8), our model result deviates from the measured data slightly. The possible reason is that a severe short channel effect exists in the low dose device. Conclusion Non-uniform threshold voltage distribution along the channel caused by pocket implant is found to be responsible for flicker noise degradation in a short channel device. This effect will become more significant as channel length is further reduced. A simple analytical model including pocket implant effect has been developed. Our calculation is in reasonably good agreement with the measured result for different gate lengths and pocket doses. AcknowledgmentThe authors would like to thank TSMC, Taiwan for device fabrication. Extended Abstracts of the 2003 International Conference on Solid State Devices and Materials, Tokyo, 2003, 416 P2-3 pp. 416-417
Canadian scientists have played a major role in the discovery and characterization of various atrial natriuretic factors (ANF). It is now clear that this family of polypeptides induces multiple biological actions in a broad variety of peripheral tissues including the kidney, adrenal gland, and blood vessels. One generalized observation derived from multiple studies reveals that these peptides most likely act as important modulators of homeostasis by modulating the production of various body fluids. Recently, it became clear that the atrial natriuretic factors present in the central nervous system could influence various brain functions. Thus, the ANF-like peptides should be considered as a new family of brain–heart peptides.The present symposium, the first of its kind, was organized to examine and critically discuss the evidence for putative roles of atrial natriuretic peptides in the brain. It was clearly demonstrated that atrial natriuretic peptide-like immunoreactivity is widely distributed in mammalia...
Objectives Nasal bone fracture is a frequent entity consulted to the otolaryngologists, approximately accounting for 39% of all facial bone fractures. The most frequent mechanisms of injury consist of assault, sport-related injuries, falls, and motor vehicle accidents. In this study, we examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric nasal fractures. Methods Children with nasal fracture who applied to Malatya Training and Research Hospital during the year before the first case and the following year were included in this study. Data of 172 patients for the pre-pandemic period and 79 patients for pandemic were available and included in the study. Demographic information, clinical features, nasal fracture etiology, nasal fracture type, type and time of intervention, and other accompanying pathologies were recorded. Results While falls was the leading cause of fracture etiology before the pandemic (64 patients [37.21%]), assault seems to be the leading cause during the pandemic period (27 children [34.18%]). In the pre-pandemic period, the intervention for patients with nasal fractures was performed on an average of 5 days, while this period was calculated as an average of 6 days during the pandemic period. When the 2 groups are compared in terms of nasal fracture intervention time, it was seen that the intervention time was statistically significantly later in the pandemic period (P < .001). According to the results of the analysis, the most cases in the pandemic period were seen in the fourth month, which indicated a-month period between 11 June and 11 July. Conclusions In conclusion, our number of nasal fracture cases was decreased during the pandemic period compared to the 1-year period before the pandemic. We observed the most common type IIA nasal fracture. We gave outpatient treatment to most of the patients. Our most common cause of fracture was assault. We intervened in our cases in an average of 6 days and preferred closed reduction most frequently. We could not find any study on the same subject in the literature, and we aimed to contribute to the literature with this study.
The Maternal and Child Health Bureau commissioned the American College of Medical Genetics to outline a process of standardization of outcomes and guidelines for state newborn screening programs and to define responsibilities for collecting and evaluating outcome data, including a recommended uniform panel of conditions to include in state newborn screening programs. The expert panel identified 29 conditions for which screening should be mandated. An additional 25 conditions were identified because they are part of the differential diagnosis of a condition in the core panel, they are clinically significant and revealed with screening technology but lack an efficacious treatment, or they represent incidental findings for which there is potential clinical significance. The process of identification is described, and recommendations are provided.
Sendai virus induces human peripheral blood leukocytes to produce high levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) mRNA. TNF mRNA can represent as much as 0.6% of the total mRNA. Kinetic studies indicate that the level of TNF mRNA peaks about 2 hours before that of IFN-alpha mRNA produced in the same system. Although the peak levels of TNF and IFN-alpha mRNA were similar, TNF in the culture supernatants was at a 200 fold lower level than IFN-alpha. Cloning and sequence analysis of TNF cDNA isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes RNA showed that normal human cells in response to Sendai virus produce TNF identical to that previously isolated and cloned from tumor-derived cell lines. A bacterial expression system was used to produce the cloned TNF at a maximum level of 2 X 10(6) units per ml of culture.
The present study tackles the initiatives via which Italy is promoting the Italian language and culture abroad. It is aimed at compiling these initiatives in one place; this is profoundly important in the linguistic history of Italian as addressed to people outside Italy and familiarising researchers with these initiatives. This study analyses 9 initiatives that directly contribute to promoting the Italian language and culture outside Italy. The final conclusion of the study is that the Italian government and people are keen on supporting these initiatives and publicising them among non-Italian communities in Italy as well as abroad, which brings about disseminating not only a language or a culture but a whole state system (language, culture, economics, politics, etc.).
Two female cousins were found to be affected with severe retinal dystrophy characterised by visual impairment from birth and profound photophobia in the absence of night blindness. Minimal fundus changes with a small foveal atrophy in the older cousin and slight macular pigment epithelial changes suggestive of early bull's eye appearance in the younger were detected, indicative of a cone-rod type of congenital amaurosis. This was associated with trichomegaly, bushy eyebrows with synophyrys, and excessive facial and body hair (including hypertrophied circumareolar hair on the breasts of the older cousin). The mode of inheritance appears to be autosomal recessive.
Although research on the treatment of atherosclerosis has progressed recently, challenges remain in developing more effective, safer and transformative strategies for the treatment of atherosclerosis. Nanomaterials have recently played a unique role in many fields, including atherosclerosis treatment. Platelets are common component in the blood. Due to their inherent properties, platelets can target and adhere to atherosclerotic plaques. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) shows great prospects in promoting the efficiency of drug delivery in treating solid tumors. In this study, we explored the possibility that UTMD assists platelet biomimetic rapamycin (RAP)-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (RAP@PLT NPs) in the treatment of atherosclerosis. The biomimetic nano-formulations exhibit better targeting ability to plaques when administered in vivo. Targeted destruction of Sonovue™ in the aortic area further improved the efficiency of targeting plaques. Moreover, the progression of atherosclerotic plaques was inhibited, and the stability of plaques was improved. Together, our study established a novel strategy for targeted delivery of nanoparticles in atherosclerotic plaques, by combining the advantages of the ultrasonic cavitation effect and biomimicking nanoparticles in drug delivery.
The recognition of a temporary loss of cranial and facial hair occurring as a symptom of secondary syphilis or during the period of early latency dates from the first early description of syphilis by Hieronymus Fracastor. That its association with syphilis was apparently unknown previous to this time is indicated by the fact that after describing it as affecting the scalp, the beard and the eyebrows, he states that as a manifestation of syphilis, it was up to that time unknown. Previous to its identification as a symptom of the disease, Fracastor states that it was ascribed to the effect of remedies, notably of mercury. Modern texts accepting the syndrome as one of the manifestations of syphilis, have given various explanations for its occurrence. By some the loss of hair has been attributed to a temporary pressure atrophy, caused by a perifollicular syphilitic infiltrate; by others, it has been thought
Background : Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) has been suggested to play a role in fibrogenesis in alcoholic liver disease. We evaluate the correlation with fibrogenesis and ultrastructure of hepatic stellate cells in alcoholic fatty liver. Methods : We studied 6 patients with alcoholic fatty liver and 5 non-alcoholic fatty liver. The numbers of fat droplets in hepatic stellate cell was determined by electron microscopy. We also studied the grading of deposition of collagen fibers in the space of Disse. We were to evaluate the structure of hepatic stellate cells in the space of Disse by light and electron microscopy. Results : Wider distribution of fat droplets in hepatic stellate cells in alcoholic fatty liver than in normal liver. The hypertrophied endoplasmic reticulum in hepatic stellate cells is a prominent findings in alcoholic fatty liver. We observed basement membrane-like materials in patients with alcoholic fatty liver with hepatic fibrosis. Conclusion : The results demonstrate that, in patients with alcoholic fatty liver by alcoholic liver injury, the hepatic stellate cells may play an important role in the fibrogenesis of perisinusoidal spaces in the liver.
The rhizobium-legume symbiosis is a model system for studying mutualistic interactions between bacteria and eukaryotes. Sinorhizobium sp. NGR234 is distinguished by its ability to form either indeterminate nodules or determinate nodules with diverse legumes. Here, we presented a high-resolution RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis of NGR234 bacteroids in indeterminate nodules of Leucaena leucocephala and determinate nodules of Vigna unguiculata. In contrast to exponentially growing free-living bacteria, non-growing bacteroids from both legumes recruited several common cellular functions such as cbb3 oxidase, thiamine biosynthesis, nitrate reduction pathway (NO-producing), succinate metabolism, PHB (poly-3-hydroxybutyrate) biosynthesis and phosphate/phosphonate transporters. However, different transcription profiles between bacteroids from two legumes were also uncovered for genes involved in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides, lipopolysaccharides, T3SS (type three secretion system) and effector proteins, cytochrome bd ubiquinol oxidase, PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone), cytochrome c550, pseudoazurin, biotin, phasins and glycolate oxidase, and in the metabolism of glutamate and phenylalanine. Noteworthy were the distinct expression patterns of genes encoding phasins, which are thought to be involved in regulating the surface/volume ratio of PHB granules. These patterns are in good agreement with the observed granule size difference between bacteroids from L. leucocephala and V. unguiculata.
The working party was made up of eighteen members, including Peter Barclay, its chairperson, (who is chair person of the National Institute for Social Work in London), and a num ber of academics and staff members from social service agencies. After more than a year of taking testimony, reviewing submissions and publica tions, and making on-site visits, the working party issued its final report: Social Workers: Their Role and Tasks.2 W. David Harrison
OBJECTIVES We sought to describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, management and outcomes of patients in Oman with acute heart failure (AHF) as part of the Gulf aCute heArt failuRe rEgistry (CARE) project.   METHODS Data were analyzed from 988 consecutive patients admitted with AHF to 12 hospitals in Oman between 14 February and 14 November 2012.   RESULTS The mean age of our patients was 63±12 years. Over half (57%) were male and 95% were Omani citizens. Fifty-seven percent of patients presented with acute decompensated chronic heart failure (ADCHF) while 43% had new-onset AHF. The primary comorbid conditions were hypertension (72%), coronary artery disease (55%), and diabetes mellitus (53%). Ischemic heart disease (IHD), hypertensive heart disease, and idiopathic cardiomyopathy were the most common etiologies of AHF in Oman. The median left ventricular ejection fraction of the cohort was 36% (27-45%) with 56% of the patients having heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (< 40%). Atrial fibrillation was seen in 15% of patients. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and non-compliance with medications were the most common precipitating factors. At discharge, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers were prescribed adequately, but aldosterone antagonists were under prescribed. Within 12-months follow-up, one in two patients were rehospitalized for AHF. In-hospital mortality was 7.1%, which doubled to 15.7% at three months and reached 26.4% at one-year post discharge.   CONCLUSIONS Oman CARE was the first prospective multicenter registry of AHF in Oman and showed that heart failure (HF) patients present at a younger age with recurrent ADCHF and HF with reduced ejection fraction. IHD was the most common etiology of HF with a low prevalence of AHF, but a high prevalence of acute coronary syndrome and non-compliance with medications precipitating HF. A quarter of patients died at one-year follow-up even though at discharge medical therapy was nearly optimal. Our study indicates an urgent need for prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of AHF in Oman.
We show that a quenched and relaxed completely integrable system is hardly distinguishable from the corresponding generalized Gibbs ensemble in a dynamical sense. To be specific, the response of the quenched and relaxed system to a second quench can be accurately reproduced by using the generalized Gibbs ensemble as a substitute. Remarkably, as demonstrated with the transverse Ising model and the hard-core bosons in one dimension, not only the steady values but even the transient, relaxation dynamics of the physical variables can be accurately reproduced by using the generalized Gibbs ensemble as a pseudoinitial state. This result is an important complement to the previously established result that a quenched and relaxed system is hardly distinguishable from the generalized Gibbs ensemble in a static sense. The relevance of the generalized Gibbs ensemble in the nonequilibrium dynamics of completely integrable systems is then greatly strengthened.
Social cognition (SC) and neurocognition appear to predict different aspects of functional outcome in people with schizophrenia. However, the correlations between performance on these domains have not been tested extensively and compared cross-diagnostically with healthy controls. Further, some social cognitive measures appeared to have potential ceiling effects, particularly for healthy people, in previous research, so increasing their difficulty is of interest. In this paper we report on two studies wherein we examined the correlations between neurocognitive ability and performance on SC tests. In the first study the correlations between measures of social perception, emotion processing, and theory of mind and performance on a brief neuropsychological (NP) assessment were examined in 179 schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and 104 healthy controls (HC). In the second study, we instructed participants to perform a subset of the tasks as rapidly as possible in order to increase task difficulty, and we examined the effects of those instructions on task difficulty, task psychometrics, and correlations between SC and NP tests in 218 SCZ patients and 154 HC. In the first study, both HC and SCZ manifested a domain specific pattern of correlation between NP and SC test performance. Controlling for group differences in NP performance did not eliminate SC performance differences between the groups. In the second study, no differences in task performance, intercorrelations other SC tests, or test-retest stability were induced by the difficulty manipulation in the samples who performed the tasks with speed demands compared to the performance of the previous sample. These data suggest that simple manipulations aimed at increasing task difficulty may not have the desired effect and that despite consistent correlations between SC and NP test performance, impairments in social cognitive functioning are not fully explained by NP performance deficits.
In the present report I am describing various interesting crane-flies from Mexico, almost all received from my long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Alfons M. Dampf. These rich materials were chiefly captured by Dr. Dampf, with the assistance of certain of his co-workers and inspectors, as discussed under the individual species. I am very deeply obliged to Dr. Dampf for the privilege of retaining the type specimens of these novelties in my personal collection.
We obtain the κ-deformed versions of the retarded and advanced Green functions and show that their causality properties are blurred in a time interval of the order of a length parameter q=1/(2κ). The functions also indicate a smearing of the light cone. These results favor the interpretation of q as a fundamental length scale below which the concept of a point in space-time should be substituted by the concept of a fuzzy region of radius q, as proposed long ago by Heisenberg.
Transition-metal-activated alkynes or allenes can accept nucleophilic attack and undergo direct addition of the nucleophiles to the unsaturated bonds or trigger subsequent rearrangement reactions. This chemistry has witnessed increasing development in recent years. In this report, we have focused on the metal-catalyzed reactions of a variety of substituted propargyl allenic alcohols and thiophenols using indium(III) and zinc(II) catalysts, which can activate both the alcohol and alkyne. In this reaction, thio groups play the role of a nucleophile and trigger subsequent rearrangements to give benzene derivatives. The products can be further transformed into various 1,3,5-trisubstituted aromatic compounds by nickel-catalyzed coupling reactions through the cleavage of the C-S bonds.
Polycrystalline SiC grown on single-crystal sapphire substrates have been investigated as thin-film Fabry-Perot interferometers for fiber-optic temperature measurements in harsh temperatures. SiC-based temperature sensors are compact in size, robust, and stable at high temperatures, making them one of the best choices for high temperature applications. SiC films with thickness of about 0.5-2.0 /spl mu/m were grown at 1100/spl deg/C by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) with trimethylsilane. The effect of operating temperature on the shifts in resonance minima, /spl Delta//spl lambda//sub m/, of the SiC/sapphire substrate has been measured in the visible-infrared wavelength range. A temperature sensitivity of 1.9/spl times/10/sup -5///spl deg/C is calculated using the minimum at /spl sim/700 nm. Using a white, broadband light source, a temperature accuracy of /spl plusmn/3.5/spl deg/C is obtained over the temperature range of 22/spl deg/C to 540/spl deg/C.
Observation and interview with headmasters, teachers and administrative employees results showed that one of main problems faced by SMP Muhammadiyah 1 Kartasura and SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Kartasura is the do not have a representative school website. Based on this observation, after making discussion with headmasters, the community services team proposed an implementation of school website and train one of chosen teacher to manage implemented website. The outcomes of the community service activities are involving a school website for SMP Muhammadiyah 1 Kartasura and SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Kartasura and scientific publication draft. The contribution of each school is including providing information which will be uploaded to the website, providing fee for domain and hosting cost, and providing facilities for administrator training. The duration of this commuity services is three months. The results of the community services is both SMP Muhammadiyah 1 Kartasura dan SMA Muhammadiyah 4 Kartasura are now have representative website for their promotion and administative activities.
Zellner and Revankar in their paper “Generalized Production Functions” introduced a production function, which was illustrated by fitting the generalized Cobb-Douglas function to the U.S. data for Transportation Equipment Industry. For estimating the production function, they used a method in which one of the parameters (theta) is repeatedly chosen at the trial basis and other parameters are estimated so as to obtain the global optimum of the likelihood function. We show that this method of Zellner and Revankar (ZR) is caught into a local optimum trap and the estimated parameters reported by ZR are somewhat sub-optimal. Using the Differential Evolution (DE) and the Repulsive Particle Swarm (RPS) methods, we re-estimate the parameters of the ZR production function with data used by ZR and show that our estimates of parameters are better than those of ZR. We also find that the returns to scale do not vary with the size of output in the manner reported by ZR.
Almost a decade long research on the performance of TCP in wireless networks has resulted in many proposals and solutions to the problem of TCP throughput degradation. Several of these measures, however, have their share of drawbacks. With the continuing emergence of wireless technologies ever since the work on TCP performance over wireless began, smart link-layer mechanisms like adaptive modulation and coding, power control, and incremental redundancy have been designed and deployed. In this work, we outline a cross-layer optimization framework based on the congestion control dynamics of a bulk-transfer TCP flow and demonstrate its application to networks which offer link-layer adaptive measures. We begin by observing that the TCP's congestion window dynamics are comprised of certain recurring patterns which we term as cycles. We then overlay a TCP throughput optimization methodology that selects link-layer transmission modes (e.g. modulation scheme, coding rate, transmission power, or a combination thereof) in accordance with TCP dynamics and wireless channel conditions. We provide insights into the working of the optimization procedure which protects TCP segments against losses on the wireless channel when the TCP congestion window size (in bytes) is below the bandwidth-delay product of the network. The protection against wireless channel losses is rendered by the link-layer by employing robust modulation and coding schemes, high transmission power, etc. We show that TCP dynamics aware link adaptation measures lead to substantial enhancement of TCP throughput in EGPRS and IEEE 802.11a networks
This Article offers evidence that higher quality internal corporate governance is associated with higher levels of ownership by institutional investors. This finding is consistent with the idea that institutions have greater reason than individual investors to prefer well-governed firms, but surprising given the substantial empirical evidence that casts doubt on the efficacy of internal governance mechanisms. The study described in this Article also finds that higher quality external governance is associated with lower proportions of ownership by certain types of institutional investors, also a somewhat surprising result given available empirical evidence on the positive relationship between external governance and firm performance. After largely dismissing competing explanations for these findings, I conclude that institutional investors, as a group, generally prefer internal governance mechanisms over external governance mechanisms or have a higher tolerance for low-quality external governance than for low-quality internal governance. I argue that these preferences are reasonable and suggest that when debating the efficacy of governance mechanisms, the preferences of informed, sophisticated investors be afforded greater weight than is currently the case.
A transition probability and Markov chain geostatistical approach is applied to synthesize the discrete permeability structure of moderately fractured rock. The approach can infuse either hard or subjective categorical information that is consistent with geological interpretations. The methodology is tested using data collected from the Moderately Fractured Rock (MFR) experiment area of the Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. Attributes pertaining to fracture location, frequency, and orientation along an array of boreholes intersecting the MFR experiment area, taken together with results from hydraulic response tests within packed‐off intervals along the boreholes, are used to produce conditional stochastic realizations of hydraulic conductivity and effective porosity. Using the generated hydraulic conductivity and porosity realizations, we compare predicted tracer concentrations to the results of measured breakthrough data in a stochastic framework. The results show that solute migration behavior in moderately fractured rock can be successfully characterized and reasonably predicted upon careful error analysis of the results obtained from the various medium realizations synthesized from the conditional categorical descriptions of the fractured crystalline rock.
The use of computer simulations in professional rehabilitation counselling training has received considerable attention in recent years. Most notably, computer-based rehabilitation case management simulations have been developed for teaching and evaluating clinical problem solving skills of rehabilitation counselling trainees. However, a major problem confronting the use of computer simulations in professional rehabilitation training is the lack of quantification procedures for measuring performance on computer simulations. A current approach involves the computation of proficiency and efficiency indices as performance feedback measures. The purpose of this paper, however, is to demonstrate the potential problems with using these two indices as feedback mechanisms in computer simulations and to present an alternative quantification procedure for measuring and providing feedback about trainee performance on computer-based case management simulations.
Decaarginine‐polyethylene glycol‐conjugated 3,5‐bis(dodecyloxy)benzamide/plasmid DNA [Arg10‐polyethylene glycol (PEG)‐lipid/plasmid DNA (pDNA)] complexes (designated R10B/DNA complexes) are efficient nonviral carriers for pDNA delivery into human cervical carcinoma HeLa cells. Previous reports indicated that these complexes formed at a relatively low R10B/DNA ratio and showed high transgene expression efficiency. However, the intracellular behaviour of the two different nanostructures, which leads to differences in gene delivery, remains to be elucidated.
Despite the already consolidated impact of Feminist and Gender Theory in archaeological thought, which dates back to the late 1970s, the interest in the analysis of the role of Women and gender relations in the Past has remained largely marginal in Portuguese archaeological research. In view of the desirable consolidation of such an approach this contribution collects some reflections on Versão integral disponível em digitalis.uc.pt
Advent of microservices has increased the popularity of the API-first design principles. Developers have been focusing on concretising the API to a system before building the system. An API-first approach assumes that the API will be correctly used. Inevitably, most developers, even experienced ones, end-up writing sub-optimal software because of using APIs incorrectly. In this paper, we discuss an automated approach for exploring API equivalence and a framework to synthesise semantically equivalent programs. Unlike existing approaches to API transplantation, we propose an amorphous or formless approach to software translation in which a single API could potentially be replaced by a synthesised sequence of APIs which ensures type progress. Our search is guided by the non-functional goals for the software, a type-theoretic notion of progress, the application's test suite and an automatic multi-modal embedding of the API from its documentation and code analysis.
Target localization using a frequency diversity multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system is one of the hottest research directions in the radar society. In this paper, three-dimensional (3D) target localization is considered for two-dimensional MIMO radar with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing linear frequency modulated (OFDM-LFM) waveforms. To realize joint estimation for range and angle in azimuth and elevation, the range-angle-dependent beam pattern with high range resolution is produced by the OFDM-LFM waveform. Then, the 3D target localization proposal is presented and the corresponding closed-form expressions of Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) are derived. Furthermore, for mitigating the coupling of angle and range and further improving the estimation precision, a CRB optimization method is proposed. Different from the existing methods of FDA-based radar, the proposed method can provide higher range estimation because of multiple transmitted frequency bands. Numerical simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and its improved performance of target localization.
Within the framework of the European Space Agency's funding scheme PRODEX, an airborne imaging spectrometer named APEX (Airborne PRISM Experiment) is developed. APEX is designed to be a pushbroom imager with 300 spectral channels in the 400-2500 nm wavelength region, and with 1000 pixels across track. The mission objectives of APEX are mainly being a simulator, calibrator and validation experiment and fostering the application development for hyperspectral imaging. The APEX hardware consists of an airborne imaging spectrometer with an optimized hyperspectral sensor design for the detection of land surface processes, a flexible aircraft integration scheme, a laboratory calibration home base, and a Processing and Archiving Facility (PAF) for the generation of Level 1 through 3 data.
A 65nm CMOS 5.5GS/s non-interleaved 5-bit flash ADC with resonant clocking is presented. An on-chip 0.77nH inductor resonates the entire clock distribution network to achieve energy-efficient operation. The ADC occupies 0.035mm2 and consumes 28mW when operating at 5.5GHz, yielding 396fJ per conversion step. The clock network dissipates only 10.7% of total power, consuming 54% lower energy over CV2. By comparison, in a typical flash ADC design, 30% of total power is clock-related. From measurement results, ENOB is 4.56b and 4.11b with fin at 440MHz and 2.04GHz, respectively.
Numerical modelling is used to study the characteristics and mechanisms of tidal dynamics and vortex in Zhoushan Archipelago sea area. Results show that amplitudes and current speeds of the semidiurnal tides decrease significantly when passing through the islands. Conversion of tidal energy, archipelago topography and formation of shallow-water tides are important reasons for the evolution of tidal waves. The ebb tide has a longer duration in the archipelago sea area, particularly in narrow channels. The M2-M4 constituents play a major role in tidal asymmetry. The flow paths of tidal currents change much, causing the high speed flooding/ebbing near the north/south bank. The tidal vortex is mainly distributed on both sides of and behind the islands, which is related to the shape of islands and the flow velocity. Referring to the current directions, positive/negative vorticity generally appears on the right/left side of the islands.
Egg white sols diluted with various liquids are easily converted to soft, smooth gels by heating. In this study, the effects of various salts on the properties of diluted egg white gels were investigated. Using univalent NaCl or KCl, the breaking strength of gels was lower than for divalent MgCl2 or CaCl2, though it increased gradually with increased salt concentration. The amount of liquid released by syneresis from gels with divalent salts was significantly larger than those with univalent salts. Moreover, the breaking strength of gels with the same charge showed the same behavior, by adjusting to the same pH value of the sols. Thermal analysis (DSC) showed a peak assigned to ovalbumin, which shifted to a slightly higher temperature with univalent salts added.
Who governs is a traditional question in the study of politics: who is absent and who is present in the domains of public power? Feminist political scientists have taken and transformed this conventional question by focusing on the intractable problem of the relative exclusion of women. In so doing, the under-representation of women in parliaments and in national, local and regional assemblies has moved from the footnotes of political science to the focus of a flourishing international sub-field of scholarly inquiry. Academic interest has mirrored and paralleled growing political activism and advocacy around the issue by actors in local, national and international arenas. Despite global trends towards transformations in gender roles, such processes do not translate in a straightforward way into opportunities for political leadership (Inglehart and Norris 2003). During the 1980s and 1990s the political under-representation of women was reframed as a serious problem for democracy and human development, which was seen to raise awkward and crucial questions about the distribution of power. Governments and political parties were placed under increasing pressure to counter women’s chronic minority status in political institutions through affirmative action such as gender candidate quotas.
Renal agenesis and obstructive urinary tract anomalies causing oligohydramnios usually result in pulmonary hypoplasia. We report on the first female monoamniotic twin born with a combination of bilateral renal agenesis, agenesis of the urinary collecting system, absent external genitalia, anal atresia and single umbilical artery, compatible with VATER association but with normal pulmonary function. The infant had none of the manifestations of Potter sequence, in particular the facial changes and pulmonary hypoplasia typically associated with bilateral renal a/dysgenesis. The monoamniotic cotwin had normal renal function, such that sufficient amniotic fluid volume was maintained. This patient emphasizes the importance of adequate amniotic fluid volume for normal pulmonary development. The possible underestimation of genital malformations in the VATER association should be considered. Also noteworthy is the rare absence of external genitalia.
Neurofibroma is a benign tumor of the peripheral nerve sheath characterized by the proliferation of Schwann's cells, perineural cells, and endoneurial fibroblasts. Here, we present a case of unique variation in the observed characteristics of a neurofibroma, with no relation to neurofibromatosis (NF) type-1 or von Recklinghausen disease of the skin. A swelling was observed in the right maxillary gingiva in relation with 14-16 regions of a 25-year-old female patient. The lesion was smooth, with sessile base, painless, non-ulcerated, and with normal color. An excisional biopsy of the lesion was performed, and histologically the diagnosis was confirmed. The patient remains uneventful after 1 year of clinical follow-up. Oral cavity involvement by a solitary neurofibroma in patients with no other signs of NF is uncommon and the gingival involvement is very rare.
We describe the design of an object-oriented multimedia database management system that can store and manage SGML/HyTime compliant multimedia documents. The system is capable of storing, within one database, different types o f documents by accommodating multiple document type definitions (DTDs). This is accomplished by dynamically creating object types according to element definitions in each DTD. The system also has tools to automatically insert markedup documents into the database. We discuss the system architecture, design issues and the system features.
Abstract Two hours after 50 to 100g coffee were given intraruminally as a drench or through an established fistula, there was a marked increase in plasma levels of free fatty acids 1 1The terms free fatty acids (FFA), unesterified fatty acids (UFA), and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) are used interchangeably in the literature. in 14 of 18 cows and an increase in plasma triglycerides in all six cows on which this component was measured two hours post-treatment. Also, when 10g of caffeine citrate, a highly soluble form of caffeine, were infused intraruminally, there was an increase of 88.6% in plasma levels of free fatty acids compared with controls. However, there were no detectable changes in plasma levels of free fatty acids and triglycerides two hours after 5g of USP grade caffeine, a low solubility product, was injected intraruminally as a suspension in 30ml of water. The lack of a response to the USP grade caffeine appears to be associated with its low solubility. Feeding powdered instant coffee in the concentrate was not a practical means of getting caffeine into cattle, as they consumed an average of only 33.3% of their allowance. This resulted in low and highly variable intakes of coffee.
As one of the core contents of the company's financial management, dividend policy receives universal attention in the theoretical circles. This paper selects the IT industry as research object, firstly analyzes the status quo of dividend distribution about past six years, and then selects the financial data of 2011 to build a multiple linear regression model to verify the influence factors in the cash dividend. The analysis results show that a company's cash dividend level is positively related to company's profitability, the amount of wealth, solvency, company size, but is not directly related to the relationship with the company's growth and cash flow. It can play a guiding role for the IT industry's dividend allocation through analyzing the influence factors of the cash dividend.
SUMMARY New biological species and high levels of inter- and intraspecific genetic divergence were discovered in an allozyme study of some North European members of the acanthocephalan genus Echinorhynchus (sensu lato), parasites of fish and malacostracan crustaceans. (i) A strong differentiation between the marine E. gadi and the fresh- and brackish-water E. salmonis (genetic identity I ≃ 0) supports a generic distinction between these taxa; however, the subdivision would not entirely concur with the concepts of Echinorhynchus (sensu stricto) and Metechinorhynchus suggested earlier. (ii) Samples of E. gadi from the Baltic, Norwegian and North Seas included three distinct, partially sympatric biological species (spp. I–III; I ≃ 0·5). (iii) E. bothniensis, previously only known from the northern Baltic Sea, represents a complex of freshwater taxa with an intermediate host relationship to the ‘glacial relict’ Mysis spp. and with a distributional and host analogy to the North American E. leidyi. A population in a northern lake in the Barents Sea basin is closely related to E. bothniensis of the Baltic area, but is probably specifically distinct; the divergence between these populations (I ≃ 0·6) is similar to that between their Mysis host species. (iv) Considerable intraspecific differentiation (Fst = 0·25), probably reflecting post-glacial population bottlenecks, was found between Baltic and nearby lacustrine E. bothniensis, and between Atlantic and Baltic E. gadi sp. I.
ABSTRACT Objective The increased risk of mass accidents or major catastrophes taking place necessitates the organization of remedial measures to help protect against these unusual events and adequate preparation in order to minimize their effects. One such initiative is the early notification of residents within a specific area about the risk of a particular calamity. Nowadays, the prevalence of mobile devices enables the installation of various mobile applications allowing for the communication and receiving of information about potential dangers. In many countries there are variously developed systems of notification in place based specifically on text messages. Methods Currently, new laws introduced in Poland establish that it is the obligation of operators of mobile networks to send text messages to all customers of these networks who are within the area where there is a serious risk of a catastrophe. Such messages are in the form of a short alert, to be sent only in extraordinary situations when there is an immediate threat to health or life. The alert is intended to help in the avoidance of danger or to mitigate its impact. Results This article presents the potential implementation of the early warning system based on text message alerts in Poland, and in particular focuses on decreasing the risks associated with natural disasters. Conclusions While early text messaging is essential to disaster communications and mitigation, the article further states that means must be found to ensure equal access to the most vulnerable populations and all those, vulnerable and not, who do not have immediate access to text messaging systems. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:709–712)
Some animals have evolved chemical weapons to deter predators. Bombardier beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Brachininae: Brachinini) can eject toxic chemicals at temperatures of 100 °C from the tips of their abdomens, ‘bombing’ the attackers. Although some bombardier beetles can reportedly deter predators, few studies have tested whether bombing is essential for successful defence. Praying mantises (Mantodea) are ambush predators that attack various arthropods. However, it is unclear whether bombardier beetles deter mantises. To test the defensive function of bombing against praying mantises, I observed three mantis species, Tenodera sinensis, Tenodera angustipennis, and Hierodula patellifera (Mantidae), attacking the bombardier beetle Pheropsophus jessoensis (Carabidae: Brachininae: Brachinini) under laboratory conditions. All mantises easily caught the beetles using their raptorial forelegs, but released them immediately after being bombed. All of the counterattacked mantises were observed to groom the body parts sprayed with hot chemicals after releasing the beetles. When treated P. jessoensis that were unable to eject hot chemicals were provided, all mantises successfully caught and devoured the treated beetles. Therefore, bombing is essential for the successful defence of P. jessoensis against praying mantises. Consequently, P. jessoensis can always deter mantises.
OBJECTIVE To study the changes in mRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression profiles in a mouse model of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis and identify lung fibrosis-related mRNA for coding-noncoding coexpression (CNC) bioinformatics analysis of the differential lncRNAs.   METHODS Lung fibrosis was induced by intratracheal injection of bleomycin in 10 C57BL/6 mice and another 10 mice with intratracheal injection of saline served as the control group. Lung tissues were harvested from the mice at 14 days after the injections and lung fibrosis was assessed using Masson and HE staining. LncRNA chip technology was used to screen the differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs in mice with lung fibrosis, and GO and KEGG pathway analyses of the differential mRNAs were performed using NCBI database and UCSC database to identify possible fibrosis-related mRNAs, which were validated by qRT-PCR to construct a coding and non-coding co- expression network with the differential lncRNAs.   RESULTS Compared with the control mice, the mice with intratracheal injection of bleomycin showed obvious lung fibrosis. The results of gene chip analysis showed that 127 mRNAs were upregulated and 184 mRNAs were down-regulated in the model group as compared with the control group. GO and pathway analysis suggested that the differentially expressed genes participated mainly in immune response, cell differentiation, and cytoskeletons; the involved signal pathways were associated mainly with cytokine and cytokine receptor interaction and chemokine signal transduction. Bioinformatics analysis identified a significant coexpression network between the fibrosisrelated mRNA and the differentially expressed lncRNA.   CONCLUSIONS In mice with lung fibrosis, the differential expressions of fibrosis-related mRNAs in the lung tissues are closely correlated with the co- expressions of a large number of differential lncRNAs, which points to a new direction for investigation of the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis.
The projection from the rat's superior colliculus (SC) to the lateral posterior nucleus of the thalamus (LP) has previously been described as arising from a morphologically homogeneous population of neurons in the stratum opticum (SO). The present study combined immunocytochemistry with retrograde tracing and lesion techniques to determine whether or not the SC → LP projection arose from neurons that were also neurochemically homogeneous. The combination of retrograde tracing and immunocytochemistry with an antibody directed against calbindin‐D 28K (CBD) showed that 64.4% of the neurons that project from SC to LP contain this calcium‐binding protein. Retrograde tracing and immunocytochemistry for adenosine deaminase (ADA) showed that a smaller number of tecto‐LP cells (15.7%) were immunoreactive (IR) for this enzyme. Moreover, nearly all (93.0%) of the ADA‐IR tecto‐LP cells also contained CBD‐IR. Adenosine deaminase‐IR axons in LP were restricted to the dorsomedial portion of the nucleus and their density was substantially reduced after ablation of the ipsilateral superficial SC laminae. The lateral posterior nucleus contained numerous CBD‐IR cells and fibers throughout its extent and it was thus difficult to determine the extent to which the extra‐perikaryal CBD‐IR in this nucleus was dependent upon the tecto‐LP pathway. Nevertheless, destruction of the ipsilateral SC did reduce the density of CBD‐IR in LP. These results suggest that the SC → LP projection in rat arises from at least four neurochemically distinct cell groups: (1) those that contain CBD, (2) those that contain both CBD and ADA, (3) a very small population that contains only ADA, and (4) a group that is not recognized by either of these markers. Our results further suggest that ADA containing fibers may have a more restricted terminal distribution in LP than axons that contain only CBD. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Coconut isolate of Phytophthora palmivora DNA was extracted from sporangium and mycelium using SDS and Proteinase-K method. Sporangium and mycelium were harvested from liquid and solid culture of Potato Dextrose medium. The result of the study showed that the DNA extracted from sporangium and mycelium of 8 days solid culture was seen as distinct band. On the other hand, the dNA from sporangium and mycelium of 24 days old liquid culture was fragmented with smear band appearance. Key words: DNA, Phytophthora palmivora
Herein we report on crystallographic details of a structural phase transition measured with powdered Tb5(Si0.6Ge0.4)4 at low temperatures (150 and 130 K). The pseudo‐binary compound is monoclinic at room temperature (P1121/a). Changes of reflection intensities and positions in the diffraction patterns indicate a structural phase transition between 100 K and 150 K, where the compound orders in an orthorhombic structure (Pnma). This is in accordance with a magnetic phase transition from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic state (TC = 150 K), where the compound exhibits the giant magnetocaloric effect. Split‐up crystallographic sites of the monoclinic unit cell degenerate to sites of higher symmetry in the orthorhombic structure. Changes in the corresponding bond lengths are listed in detail. It turned out that both phases coexist at the selected temperatures but the phase content changes significantly. The observed phase transition is very similar to that reported for Gd5Si2Ge2, that is a shear movement of pairs of nearly rigid slabs of atoms along a direction by 0.84 Å and the tremendous increase of selected (Si/Ge)‐(Si/Ge) distances from 2.64 to 3.59 Å in between those slabs. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
This paper demonstrates the outcomes of a feasibility study of a microwave imaging procedure based on the Huygens principle for bone lesion detection. This study has been performed using a dedicated phantom and validated through measurements in the frequency range of 1–3 GHz using one receiving and one transmitting antenna in free space. Specifically, a multilayered bone phantom, which is comprised of cortical bone and bone marrow layers, was fabricated. The identification of the lesion’s presence in different bone layers was performed on images that were derived after processing through Huygens’ principle, the S21 signals measured inside an anechoic chamber in multi-bistatic fashion. The quantification of the obtained images was carried out by introducing parameters such as the resolution and signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR). The impact of different frequencies and bandwidths (in the 1–3 GHz range) in lesion detection was investigated. The findings showed that the frequency range of 1.5–2.5 GHz offered the best resolution (1.1 cm) and SCR (2.22 on a linear scale). Subtraction between S21 obtained using two slightly displaced transmitting positions was employed to remove the artefacts; the best artefact removal was obtained when the spatial displacement was approximately of the same magnitude as the dimension of the lesion.
The article discusses the issues of sustainable development of the region by the example of one of the old-developed economic regions of Russia - Central Black Earth, gives an analysis of the state of natural resources subjected to the active anthropogenic impact, reveals the factors and problems of using the main types of resources, shows the directions for their conservation and possible optimization.
BACKGROUND The regulatory mechanisms of parathyroid hormone (PTH) synthesis are complex, involving calcium, calcitriol, the calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR). In this study, the effects of calcium and calcitriol on the simultaneous expression of CaR and VDR mRNA and protein levels were assessed in parathyroid glands cultured in vitro.   METHODS Parathyroid glands (N = 424) were removed and cultured for 24 h to study the effect of calcium on the CaR, VDR and PTH. In addition, the effect of calcitriol at low calcium concentrations (0.6 mM) on CaR and VDR levels was studied after 48 h of incubation. CaR, VDR and PTH mRNAs were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and CaR and VDR protein levels were measured by immunohistochemistry.   RESULTS PTH gene expression was reduced by high calcium concentration. No differences were found in the CaR mRNA levels among the different calcium concentrations tested (0.6 mM calcium: 100%; 1.2 mM calcium: 120%; 2.0 mM calcium: 112%; median values), but VDR gene expression rose when calcium increased (0.6 mM calcium: 100%; 1.2 mM calcium: 164%; 2.0 mM calcium: 195%; median values). Calcitriol increased both CaR (control: 100%; 10(-8) M calcitriol: 196%; median values) and VDR genes expression (control: 100%; 10(-8) M calcitriol: 176%; median values). The same findings were corroborated at protein levels for both CaR and VDR.   CONCLUSIONS In parathyroid glands cultured in vitro, calcium up-regulates VDR but not CaR. Conversely, calcitriol up-regulates both VDR and CaR mRNAs and protein levels, even at low calcium concentrations.
L-MTP-PE (1), an immunomodulator and its metabolite MDP (4) were synthesized from labeled l-alanine and its protected derivative, respectively. The key intermediate product for the labeled L-MTP-PE synthesis, [(13) C3 ,D4 ]-alanyl-cephalin (2A), was synthesized from [(13) C3 ,D4 ]-l-alanine (3A) in three steps. The key intermediate product for labeled MDP synthesis, amine 11, was prepared from [(13) C3 ,(15) N]-Boc-l-alanine (5A) in two steps.
The authors examined how a perceiver's identification of a target person's actions co-varies with attributions of mind to the target. The authors found in Study 1 that the attribution of intentionality and cognition to a target was associated with identifying the target's action in terms of high-level effects rather than low-level details. In Study 2, both action identification and mind attribution were greater for a liked target, and in Study 3, they were reduced for a target suffering misfortune. In Study 4, it was again found that action identification and mind attribution were greater for a liked target, but like that for the self or a liked other, positive actions were identified at higher levels than negative actions, with the reverse being true for disliked others. In Study 5, the authors found that instructing participants to adopt the target's perspective did not affect mind attribution but did lead to higher level identifications of the target's actions.
Synaptic interactions between telencephalic neurons innervating descending motor or basal ganglia pathways are essential in the learning, planning, and execution of complex movements. Synaptic interactions within the songbird telencephalic nucleus HVC are implicated in motor and auditory activity associated with learned vocalizations. HVC contains projection neurons (PNs) (HVCRA) that innervate song premotor areas, other PNs (HVCX) that innervate a basal ganglia pathway necessary for vocal plasticity, and interneurons (HVCINT). During singing, HVCRA fire in temporally sparse bursts, possibly because of HVCINT-HVCRA interactions, and a corollary discharge can be detected in the basal ganglia pathway, likely because of synaptic transmission from HVCRA to HVCX cells. During song playback, local interactions, including inhibition onto HVCX cells, shape highly selective responses that distinguish HVC from its auditory afferents. To better understand the synaptic substrate for the motor and auditory properties of HVC, we made intracellular recordings from pairs of HVC neurons in adult male zebra finch brain slices and used spike-triggered averages to assess synaptic connectivity. A major synaptic interaction between the PNs was a disynaptic inhibition from HVCRA to HVCX, which could link song motor signals in the two outputs of HVC and account for some of the song playback-evoked inhibition in HVCX cells. Furthermore, single interneurons made divergent connections onto PNs of both types, and either PN type could form reciprocal connections with interneurons. In these two regards, the synaptic architecture of HVC resembles that described in some pattern-generating networks, underscoring features likely to be important to singing and song learning.
Visual characteristics of terrain affect the properties of pigeon trajectories in medium-distance flights. Pigeon flight often provides a solution to the task of searching for food (foraging), returning home (homing), or exploring territory (surveying). In this work, we considered the flights of single pigeons and pigeon flocks, calculated flight characteristics such as direction, altitude and its deviations, and analyzed reactions to the boundaries between different areas. Based on remote sensing datasets, we identified visual characteristics of terrain, such as the density of surface fill and its distribution over the study terrain, boundaries of single objects, and boundaries between homogeneous areas. Applying spatial analysis, we compared the characteristics of pigeon GPS tracks and features of object distributions on terrain over which birds fly. Our analysis revealed which flight parameters are stable and which, on the contrary, are very sensitive to visually perceived terrain characteristics. We found that the properties of flight over an urbanized area often differ from the properties of flight over a natural landscape. Spatial data-pigeon GPS track records and open-access remote sensing datasets-were processed using the geographical information system QGIS. Our results show that adaptive visual perception can help solve navigation tasks when pigeons fly over mixed terrain. Knowledge of the characteristic features of bird flights can be used both for a better understanding of the spatial behavior of living creatures (humans and animals) and for optimization of artificial intelligence algorithms.
The present research focuses on the analysis of EFL learner language output in two different formats and two different tasks, for students doing performance in a university EFL debate class in central Taiwan. The activities involved three pair combinations of students performing questioning and answering in a cross-examination session representing opposing sides on a debate topic. Two of the three sessions involve Student B performing the same task, questioning, but in different formats-in lab face-to-face questioning and in lab synchronous computer-mediated (CMC) questioning, via MSN Messenger. Another two of the three sessions involved Student B either questioning or answering, but both in the synchronous CMC format. Transcripts and computer logs were collected and analyzed in terms of language complexity, using general and weighted lexical density calculation measures (Halliday, 1989; O'Loughlin, 2001), plus type-token ratios. Though limited in scope, findings suggested stronger complexity differences based on interaction formats, but only mild complexity differences based on differences in task. Discussion of potentially influencing variables is provided.
Opioid use disorder (OUD)-associated overdose deaths have reached epidemic proportions worldwide over the past two decades, with death rates for men reported at twice the rate for women. Using a controlled, cross-sectional, age-matched (18–56 y) design to better understand the cognitive neuroscience of OUD, we evaluated the electroencephalographic (EEG) responses of male and female participants with OUD vs. age- and gender-matched non-OUD controls during a simple visual object recognition Go/No-Go task. Overall, women had significantly slower reaction times (RTs) than men. In addition, EEG N200 and P300 event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes for non-OUD controls were significantly larger for men, while their latencies were significantly shorter than for women. However, while N200 and P300 amplitudes were not significantly affected by OUD for either men or women in this task, latencies were also affected differentially in men vs. women with OUD. Accordingly, for both N200 and P300, male OUD participants exhibited longer latencies while female OUD participants exhibited shorter ones than in non-OUD controls. Additionally, robust oscillations were found in all participants during a feedback message associated with performance in the task. Although alpha and beta power during the feedback message were significantly greater for men than women overall, both alpha and beta oscillations exhibited significantly lower power in all participants with OUD. Taken together, these findings suggest important gender by OUD differences in cognitive processing and reflection of performance in this simple visual task.
Immune responses triggered by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) are key to pathogen defense, but drivers of the genetic reprogramming required to reach the immune state remain incompletely understood in plants. Here, we report a time-course study of the establishment of PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) using cap analysis of gene expression (CAGE). Our results show that as much as 15% of all PAMP response genes display alternative transcription initiation. In several cases, use of alternative TSSs may be regulatory as it determines inclusion of target peptides or protein domains, or occurrence of upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in mRNA leader sequences. We also find that 60% of PAMP-response genes respond much earlier than previously thought. In particular, a previously unnoticed cluster of rapidly and transiently PAMP-induced genes is enriched in transcription factors whose functions, previously associated with biological processes as diverse as abiotic stress adaptation and stem cell activity, appear to converge on growth restriction. Furthermore, some examples of known potentiators of PTI, in one case under direct MAP kinase control, support the notion that the rapidly induced transcription factors could constitute direct links to PTI signaling pathways and drive gene expression changes underlying establishment of the immune state.
It is through culture that children make sense of their worlds (Trevarthen, 1998). Cross-cultural models show that families are likely to primarily foster either independence or interdependence in their children (Gonzalez-Mena, 1997; Greenfield, 1994). Young children are likely to pay the ‘price of acculturation’ when they enter early childhood services which have values and practices which are not consistent with those of their family and cultural heritage (Greenfield, Quiroz & Raeff, 2000). The purposes of this paper are to outline some key ideas and issues pertaining to culture and children's development, and to offer some suggestions about how early childhood settings can support children's cultural heritages.
Cellular translation surveillance rescues ribosomes that stall on problematic mRNAs. During translation surveillance, endonucleolytic cleavage of the problematic mRNA is a critical step in rescuing stalled ribosomes. However, the nuclease(s) responsible remain unknown. Here we identify NONU-1 as a novel endoribonuclease required for translation surveillance pathways including No-Go and Nonstop mRNA Decay. We show that: (1) NONU-1 reduces Nonstop and No-Go mRNA levels; (2) NONU-1 contains an Smr RNase domain required for mRNA decay and with properties similar to the unknown endonuclease; and (3) the domain architecture and catalytic residues of NONU-1 are conserved throughout metazoans and eukaryotes, respectively. We extend our results in C. elegans to homologous factors in S. cerevisiae, showing conservation of function of the NONU-1 protein across billions of years of evolution. Our work establishes the identity of a previously unknown factor critical to translation surveillance and will inform mechanistic studies at the intersection of translation and mRNA decay.
In recent years, there has been an ever-increasing demand for liquid-fueled energy carriers, including direct ethanol fuel cells and direct formate fuel cells. Current research on liquid fuel cells is focused on the exploration of new, durable, and highly efficient non-platinum based electrocatalysts with long-term stability. In this research, bimetallic palladium–cobalt (Pd–Co) nanoalloys were investigated as bifunctional anode catalysts with enhanced efficiency and stability toward the direct electrooxidation of ethanol and formate in alkaline medium. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed for the in-depth characterization of the nanocatalysts synthesized by a modified polyol reduction process in triethylene glycol medium. Electrochemical analysis via cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry revealed improved electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability in alkaline medium towa...
Background: Short- and long-term consequences after treatment for childhood fossa posterior tumors are extensively reported in the literature; however, papers highlighting physical function throughout rehabilitation and its correlation with Intelligence Quotient (IQ) are sparse. This study aims to describe the physical functioning and IQ of these survivors, their progression during rehabilitation, and the association with histopathological tumor classification. Additionally, the correlation between gross motor functioning and cognitive functioning was investigated. Methods: This retrospective single-center cohort study included 56 children (35 (62.5%) males and 21 (37.5%) females, with an average age of 6.51 years (SD 4.13)) who followed a multidisciplinary program at the Child Rehabilitation Centre, Ghent University Hospital in the period from 2005 to 2020. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed with the use of non-parametric tests and linear regression to determine the relationship between gross motor functioning and IQ. Results: This report shows impaired motor and intelligence performance in children with a fossa posterior tumor. Although multidisciplinary rehabilitation is beneficial, it is not able to counteract the further decline of several motor skills and intelligence during oncological treatment, more specifically in children with a medulloblastoma. A correlation between gross motor function and total IQ was found. Conclusion: Pediatric survivors of a fossa posterior tumor experience impaired physical and intellectual functions, with more decline during oncological treatment despite simultaneous multidisciplinary rehabilitation.
A composite adaptive model predictive control (MPC) scheme is proposed to mitigate model mismatches due to parameter uncertainties and disturbances in controller designs for DC-DC boost converters. First, a model-based feedforward compensator based on a cascade proportional-integral (PI) MPC controller was developed as a current reference to improve the dynamic response performance. Then, an observer was employed to construct an accurate model and thereby avoid overcompensation and poor prediction due to model mismatch. Finally, a finite control set MPC was implemented to select a suitable switching state with which to realise output voltage regulation. Compared with a traditional PI MPC, the proposed controller has a rapid dynamic response, and compared with an unknown offset free MPC, the proposed controller is well suited to a simplified model. The proposed methods and benefits were validated by simulations in MATLAB/Simulink and by experiments on an NI Compact RIO rapid control prototype test bench.
For the linear discrete-time multisensor time-invariant system with uncertain model parameters and measurement noise variances, by introducing fictitious noise to compensate the parameter uncertainties, using the minimax robust estimation principle, based on the worst-case conservative multisensor system with conservative upper bounds of measurement and fictitious noises variances, a robust weighted measurement fusion steady-state Kalman filter is presented. By the Lyapunov equation approach, it is proved that when the region of the parameter uncertainties is sufficient small, the corresponding actual fused filtering error variances are guaranteed to have a less-conservative upper bound. Simulation results show the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed results.
Service-learning has been proven to be a high-impact educational pedagogy in many disciplines. It addresses human, and community needs through engaging in community activities. With professional engineering expertise, integrating engineering into service-learning not only can make particularly impactful community service, especially in developing countries where engineering expertise is not always available but also provides an effective way for students to apply their theoretical knowledge to solve real-world problems. Service-learning in engineering has been documented in the last 20 years, and it was implemented as extracurricular activities followed by integrating into core curriculums. However, most of the programs are only offer to the engineering students and less consider implementing as a form of general education with applying multidisciplinary approach. This research examines how to integrate students from very different disciplines into the same project. Our case study is a credit-bearing service-learning subject offered by the Department of Computing which is open to all undergraduate students and the projects were conducted in Rwanda and Cambodia in 2015 and 2016.
This article focuses on the interrelationship between Women's Studies, the professionalization of its students, and the so‐called Bologna process, with the emphasis very much on the first two terms, since the Bologna process itself is currently in process, and its outcomes remain uncertain. Based on findings from two EU‐funded projects, it argues that Women's Studies students want to engage in the labour‐market but on specific terms; that the labour‐market orientation which the Bologna process demands is inherent in Women's Studies but finds expression mostly at post‐graduate level, since few European countries have Bachelor degrees in Women's Studies; and that more needs to be done both to publicize the labour‐market orientation of Women's Studies, and to help students translate this into working reality. It also suggests that the academic labour‐market diversification initiated through the Bologna process through the setting up of for instance quality assurance agencies offers employment opportunities to Women's Studies students.
We have studied the quantum corrections to the resistance of two-dimensional (2D) percolation networks of quasi-one-dimensional (1D) wires in which the ratio between the percolation correlation length and the quantum lengths L,LT could be controllably changed over a wide range. We have shown that the percolation networks behave like homogeneous 2D conductors with respect to the quantum corrections if L, LT. Close to the percolation threshold (L, LT) a crossover to 1D quantum corrections is observed
Summary The warming of terrestrial high-latitude ecosystems, while increasing, will likely be asymmetric across seasons – where winter non-growing seasons will warm more than summer growing seasons. Asymmetric winter warming in temperature-sensitive ecosystems may delay spring phenological events by reducing the opportunity that a plants’ chilling requirement is met. Similarly, symmetric warming can advance spring phenology. To explore the impact of asymmetric warming on plant phenology, we applied a year-round warming and a winter warming treatment to our experimental plots. Over a two-year period, we monitored leaf-out and flowering phenology for 11 plant species. There was variation among species, however, both winter and year-round warming, advanced the leaf-out day and the first flowering day relative to the control treatment. Winter warming advanced leaf-out and flowering phenology by 11.1 (± 2.4) and 12.6 (± 2.9) days, respectively. However, year-round warming had less of an impact advancing leaf-out and flowering phenology by 5.1 (± 2.1) and 10.0 (± 3.0) days, respectively. Our study provides direct evidence that asymmetric winter warming has a larger impact on plant phenology than symmetric year-round warming. Increasing soil temperature in the winter from below to above freezing temperatures advanced the spring phenology of alpine plants. Winter warming increased soil temperature more than year-round warming, which explains why phenology advanced under winter warming more than under year-round warming. In addition, early or mid-season flowering plant species displayed different phenology strategies in warmer winters. Synthesis: Relative to other ecosystems, alpine ecosystems such as the Tibetan Plateau will likely respond to asymmetric warming given the higher amplitude of winter temperature increases due to climatic warming thus seasonal variation in warming should be considered when predicting and modelling the response of alpine ecosystems to climatic change.   This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A rise in body temperature is a signal that heat stress has exceeded the heat-exchange capacity of the dairy cow. Previous studies have shown a strong positive correlation between vaginal temperature and respiration rate, demonstrating a stress response to an increased body temperature. Vaginal temperature was collected by using temperature probes attached to an external data logger. Although these devices were very sensitive to changes in body temperature of cows housed in tie-stalls, the external data logger presented a significant application challenge for freeranging animals housed in freestalls. A data logger was acquired that would be completely indwelling in the vagina. The U12 stainless steel model (Onset Computer Corporation, Pocasset, MA) was 0.5 × 4 inches and weighed about 2.6 oz. It was retained in the vagina with foam and a blank CIDR insert. These devices were used continuously to measure and record body temperature in freeranging cattle for 5 to 7 days. Vaginal temperature was recorded at 1-minute intervals and then averaged into 5-minute blocks. Data were then graphed over a 24-hour period. Vaginal temperature increased with activity and amount of heat stress. Effective heatabatement systems were shown to reduce vaginal temperature. On commercial farms, data were used to identify where heat abatement should be improved. Heat stress issues with milking parlor holding pens were easily identified. Producers and industry personnel could use data loggers to evaluate heat stress and the effectiveness of heat-abatement systems on free-ranging dairy cattle. Devices also could be used to validate the effectiveness of modifications to heat-abatement systems identified by the initial evaluation.
It was a $40 a week job that young Tom Dodson worked to support his family. $40 a week and at the time you were glad to get it. " It taught me that anything I wanted, I had to work for, " Tom said recently when asked about his career. " Nothing was given to me. It also taught me to respect what I had. " After that $40 a week job, and a hitch in the U.S. Navy, Tom spent 26 years working for the State of Washington before he retired in 2011. These days, Tom is enjoying his retirement. He spends as much time as possible out on the open road on his motorcycle, or camping with wife Cathy (who's also a former DRS employee). " I just got back from a 4,000 mile round trip visit to see my brother in Kansas, " Tom says, " and we also have a pop-up tent trailer that we enjoy. We don't have money coming out of our ears, but we're able to do pretty much what we want, when we want. " Twenty-five of Tom's 26 years of Washington State service were spent right here at DRS. " I started at the Department of Transportation taking soil samples, " he says, " after a few months I went to the Department of Licensing for a little over a year. " Continued next page Former DRS employee Tom Dodson enjoying life after retirement Inside this issue
OBJECTIVE The infection of human papilloma virus (HPV) has been reported in head and neck cancer; however, the clinical significance of HPV infection on the pathogenesis of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still uncertain.   MATERIALS AND METHODS The study recruited 103 patients with pathological early-stage OSCC between March 1997 and December 2003 from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. Tumor specimens were HPV-genotyped by the EasychipVR HPV Blot method. Clinical association study was performed by using chi-square, Kaplan-Meier, and logrank tests.   RESULTS Thirty-one patients (30.1%) were positive for HPV infection. The most frequent HPV types were types 16 (16 patients, 51.6%) and 18 (seven patients, 22.6%). HPV infection was not associated with tumor aggressiveness (pathological tumor stage or differentiation status), risk exposure (alcohol, cigarette, or areca quid chewing habit), or the treatment outcome (disease-free survival or overall survival). However, infection with HPV-18 was associated with the occurrence of a second primary cancers (P = 0.033), indicating the infection of HPV in OSCC enhances the susceptibility of developing secondary malignancy.   CONCLUSIONS There are 30% of the patients with OSCC infected with HPV, with most high-risk types. HPV-18 infection may enhance the susceptibility of second primary tumors. Large scale of validation study will be needed to confirm this result.
As the first responders, neutrophils lead the innate immune response to infectious pathogens and inflammation inducing agents. The well-established pathogen neutralizing strategies employed by neutrophils are phagocytosis, the action of microbicide granules, the production of ROS, and the secretion of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Only recently, the ability of neutrophils to sense and respond to pathogen-associated molecular patterns is being appreciated. This review brings together the current information about the intracellular recognition of DNA by neutrophils and proposes models of signal amplification in immune response. Finally, the clinical relevance of DNA sensing by neutrophils in infectious and non-infectious diseases including malignancy are also discussed.
Abstract 2963 Cord blood transplantation (CBT) is an emerging treatment for many hematologic diseases. However, the low cell dose of most banked cord blood units precludes the safe use of single unit CBT for many adults. We developed a dog model of unrelated CBT to evaluate approaches to overcome the poor engraftment associated with low cell dose cord blood. The results of initial studies with double unit CBT in the dog model were previously reported. Nine dogs were conditioned with 9.2 Gy total body irradiation. A single unit of low cell dose (median, 0.7×107total nucleated cells/kg), major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched unrelated dog umbilical cord blood was infused on day 0. Post-grafting immunosuppression was cyclosporine from day -3 to +98 and mycophenolate mofetil from day 0 to +84. Among the 5 control recipients, there was poor neutrophil and platelet engraftment, 2 dogs had secondary graft rejection and only 1 dog had platelet engraftment (day +68). All 5 control recipients were euthanized due to severe infectious complications on days 11, 54, 70, 74 and 105, despite intensive supportive care including transfusions and prompt intervention with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Next, based on studies showing inhibition of CD26/dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV (DPP4) blocks inactivation of the chemokine CXCL-12 (SDF-1a), improving homing of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, we asked if pharmacologic inhibition of DPP4 with sitagliptin at the time of CBT improved the engraftment of a single low cell dose MHC-matched unit. Sitagliptin is clinically approved to lower post-prandial hyperglycemia in patients with Type II diabetes mellitus since DPP4 inhibition reduces proteolysis of glucagon like peptide-1. In 4 dogs sitagliptin was administered orally 10 mg/kg twice daily from day -3 to day +6. These dogs were otherwise treated identically to the control group. There were no adverse effects from sitagliptin treatment. Serum from treated dogs showed >90% inhibition of DPP4 activity. All 4 sitagliptin treated dogs engrafted with donor neutrophils (median, day +21) and platelets (median, day +48). There was no late graft rejection or secondary thrombocytopenia. None of the dogs developed GVHD. One dog was euthanized on day +66 due to seizures; necropsy showed viral encephalitis. The remaining 3 dogs remain alive and well with stable engraftment and prompt immune reconstitution. Even though a very limited number of dogs were studied, the survival benefit of sitagliptin treatment was significant, p =0.047 (log-rank test). Donor chimerism was increased and platelet recovery was significantly improved in sitagliptin recipients compared to single unit controls. The median number of blood/platelet transfusions given to sitagliptin vs. control recipients for supportive care was 9 vs. 17, respectively, p = 0.03. The results suggest that DPP4 inhibition with sitagliptin is effective in improving engraftment and survival after low cell dose CBT. Our findings are novel and can be readily translated to clinical trials. If a simple treatment with a well tolerated oral drug could make a significant difference in neutrophil and platelet recovery after human CBT, this would be a substantial therapeutic advance. Our data support further clinical trials of sitagliptin with CBT to improve engraftment. Disclosures: Off Label Use: Sitagliptin is a DPP4 inhibitor approved for reducing post-prandial hyperglycemia in patients with Type II diabetes mellitus.
This paper presents a 324-GHz signal source/transmitter. Input signal of 81 GHz is applied to a differential pair for conversion to 324 GHz via two cascaded push-push frequency doublers. Stacked push-push configuration is used for enhancing the output power at 324 GHz and passive baluns with asymmetrical grounding stub is deployed to improve the power efficiency. The 81-GHz signal can correspondingly be modulated to function as a modulator. The proposed design is fabricated using 0.13- μm SiGe BiCMOS process. The total chip area is 0.95 mm ×1 mm. With the buffers, the total DC consumption is 42.5 mW. The maximum output power is -6.5 dBm at 324 GHz when the input power of the 81-GHz signal is of 0 dBm. The ability to transmit modulated signals has also been demonstrated in the proposed circuit.
Background and Objective: Clinical trials have shown the potential use of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists like Ondansetron, Tropisetron and Zacopride in a number of disorders of gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system such as cancer chemotherapy induced vomiting, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and migraine. Various experimental and clinical studies also point the usefulness of Ondansetron in neuropathic pain. Therefore, the present study was conducted to find out whether Ondansetron could be used as an alternative to a standard drug, Amitriptyline in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy. Methodology: A randomized double blind prospective clinical study was conducted on
AbstractThe Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is a multiscale system. A skeleton model, developed by Majda and Stechmann, can capture some of planetary-scale aspects of observed features such as slow eastward propagation, nondispersive behavior, and quadrupole-vortex structure. However, the Majda–Stechmann model cannot explain the source of instability and the preferred planetary scale of the MJO. Since the MJO major convection region is leaded by its planetary boundary layer (PBL) moisture convergence, here a frictional skeleton model is built by implementing a slab PBL into the neutral skeleton model. As a skeleton model allowing the scale interaction, this model is only valid for large-scale waves. This study shows that the PBL frictional convergence provides a strong instability source for the long eastward modes, although it also destabilizes very short westward modes. For the long waves (wavenumber less than 5), the PBL Ekman pumping moistens the low troposphere to the east of the MJO convective envel...
Understanding the mechanisms that generate biogeographic range limits is a long-standing goal of ecology. It is widely hypothesized that distributional limits reflect the environmental niche, but this hypothesis is complicated by the potential for intraspecific niche heterogeneity. In dioecious species, sexual niche differentiation may cause divergence between the sexes in their limits of environmental suitability. We studied range boundary formation in Texas bluegrass (Poa arachnifera), a perennial dioecious plant, testing the alternative hypotheses that range limits reflect the niche limits of females only versus the combined contributions of females and males, including their interdependence via mating. Common garden experiments across a longitudinal aridity gradient revealed female-biased flowering approaching eastern range limits, suggesting that mate limitation may constrain the species’ distribution. However, a demographic model showed that declines in λ approaching range limits were driven almost entirely by female vital rates. The dominant role of females was attributable to seed viability being robust to sex ratio variation and to low sensitivity of λ to reproductive transitions. We suggest that female-dominant range limits may be common to long-lived species with polygamous mating systems and that female responses to environmental drivers may often be sufficient for predicting range shifts in response to environmental change.
Histone-modifying enzymes are key players in the field of cellular differentiation. Here, we used GSK-J4 to profile important target genes that are responsible for neural differentiation. Embryoid bodies were treated with retinoic acid (10 μM) to induce neural differentiation in the presence or absence of GSK-J4. To profile GSKJ4-target genes, we performed RNA sequencing for both normal and demethylase-inhibited cells. A total of 47 and 58 genes were up- and down-regulated, respectively, after GSK-J4 exposure at a log2-fold-change cut-off value of 1.2 (p-value < 0.05). Functional annotations of all of the differentially expressed genes revealed that a significant number of genes were associated with the suppression of cellular proliferation, cell cycle progression and induction of cell death. We also identified an enrichment of potent motifs in selected genes that were differentially expressed. Additionally, we listed upstream transcriptional regulators of all of the differentially expressed genes. Our data indicate that GSK-J4 affects cellular biology by inhibiting cellular proliferation through cell cycle suppression and induction of cell death. These findings will expand the current understanding of the biology of histone-modifying enzymes, thereby promoting further investigations to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
We see the early modern as an open carry society. Hamlet’s success in the swordplay at the end is usually seen as his triumph, fulfilling his father’s injunction at last. The 2013 RSC production of Hamletprojected ambiguity, which I share. The most intriguing angle was Hamlet’s costume. Jonathon Slinger very quickly donned half of a fencing jacket; but the straps of the jacket dangled, strongly suggesting a straight jacket. Half mad, half resolute, Hamlet is driven through much of the play until, I will argue, he reinvents himself as a mad version of divine providence. The providential idea is deeply rooted in the duel ethos, as drawn by Vincentio Saviolo, in Saviolo His Practice. I propose that Hamlet substitutes his will for God’s, claiming the agency of Providence as he strikes down those who beset him. Hamlet’s complacent fatalism is selfconstructed as he enacts the Providence he claims to trust. Hamlet’s moral thoughtfulness becomes his downfall, creating the desperation that is his fall from greatness. [164] The sixteenth century was the golden age of arms. J. D. Aylward, The English Master of Arms In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries tempers were short and weapons to hand. The behaviorof the propertied classes, like that of the poor, was characterized by the ferocity and childishness and lack of self control of the Homeric age. . . . Lawrence Stone, TheCrisis of the Aristocracy: 1558-1641 The 2013 RSC production of Hamletprojected ambiguity about male violence in the last half of the play. Under the direction of David Farr, Jonathan Slinger gave one of the edgiest performances I have seen. Slinger alternated between raving and giggles and firm self-assertion, between violence as troubling and as resolution. The most intriguing angle was Hamlet’s costume. He very quickly donned half of a fencing jacket, foreshadowing the final duel with Laertes as well as his need to destroy Claudius; at the same time the straps of the jacket dangled, strongly suggesting a straight jacket. Half mad, half resolute, Hamlet is driven through much of the play until, I will argue, he reinvents himself as a mad version of divine providence exacting revenge--in the duel. I wish to discredit the random duel, especially as providential, and with it Hamlet’s violence. Fraught with baggage, the honor duel is all that remains of the chivalric military role and comes to bear the weight of maleness itself. Aldo Scaglione traces the evolution of the knight into the early modern courtier beginning in Italy and spreading through Western Europe; in early modernism chivalry becomes courtesy, shrinking the military role to personal combat: “Thus, around the middle of the sixteenth century the new sociopolitical situation forced a major shift in the self-image of the nobleman/gentleman. 1Butler University, U.S.A. E-mail: wwalsh@butler.edu 2 International Journal of Language and Literature, Vol. 3(2), December 2015 The ideals of courtliness and chivalry underwent a momentous reduction that centered the new idea of nobility on personal ‘honor,’ with an accent on the duel as the definitive test of truth and merit. . . . [resulting in] the key principle that honor supersedes all other values, including loyalty to the prince and the laws of the country.” The knightly heritage “was adapted to a theatrical show of Castiglionesque gracefulness as the foundation of a new nobility, whose chief function was to serve the prince in his public display of splendor.”iThe age romanticizes confrontation itself as personal integrity in the face of opposition from church and state;ii it is about the individual’s honor and its defense, a still powerful cultural myth of self-assertion. As today, there is a certain theatricality to confrontation, a self-conscious maleness expressed as power.iii The duel is not Hamlet’s first choice. Opportunities for the chivalric challenge appear for Hamlet, but he ignores them. He distrusts violence and pursues moral autonomy independent of the formal duel. Only at the end does he embrace the sword as resolution; action becomes manly and inaction dishonorable. The failure to challenge indicates his rejection of traditional male values, but his own autonomous moral responsibility (“Whether ‘tis nobler” [3.1.56])iv will fail him as well. In a complex state of mind, Hamlet finds serenity in a conventional attitude about the duel, that its outcome manifests God’s justice. I propose that Hamlet substitutes his will for God’s, claiming the agency of Providence as he strikes down those who beset him. Hamlet’s security and fatalism have been embraced by critics, but I find themtragic. Hamlet’s complacent fatalism is self-constructed as he enacts the Providence he claims to trust. Condemned by both church and state (Laertes’ “both the worlds I give to negligence” [4.5.135]), the honor duel nonetheless rose in popularity in England in the later sixteenth century, coinciding with the advent of the rapier (and usually dagger) replacing the broadsword and buckler. The lightweight rapier was a thrusting weapon and, as it turns out, much more lethal than the sword: “The art of fencing . . . was a skill devised solely for the efficient killing of a man in a private quarrel,” and one asset of the rapier was that it was a portable weapon that could be worn at all times.vIt was an open carry society. Might society have been ambivalent? Early modern culture did seek to control male violence and the duel for both moral and political reasons. The ethical issues for the church involve taking life, usurping God’s prerogatives of life and death. Politically, Lawrence Stone places the duel in the context of the Tudor drive to centralize power and monopolize violence for the early modern state. The private violence of the duel was most difficult for the state to contain: “The traditional ambition of the propertied classes to demonstrate their personal courage and to avenge any disparagement of their virtue or their honour was given an outlet which at last affected no one but themselves.”vi Stone is dismissive of such manliness, but the age saw significant bloodshed and eventually James I made serious efforts to contain the practice.vii Jennifer Low focuses on the masculinity issue. She argues that the honor duel was the touchstone of aristocratic masculinity and class a crucial marker for it. Low too places the duel in the context of early modern humanistic self-fashioning. The early modern duel sanctions ritual violence as a quest for “honor.” The duel could be fought for apparently trivial causes because it is the aristocracy defining itself—as male: The duel “embodied a masculine code that shored up the faltering sense of masculinity among young male aristocrats and members of the gentry.” Low emphasizes the sense of individual heroism the duel represented for the aristocrat.viii Despite social and religious disapproval, we suppose that it was widely accepted in early modern times that personal honor may require personal action:Dueling was a daily reality for the Elizabethans. In the 1590s such English actors and playwrights as Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, Gabriel Spenser, John Day, and Henry Porter were involved in life-and-death duels that incurred a variety of legal penalties. Londoners enjoyed non-lethal prize-playings or fencing “performances,” especially in theaters and inns in the districts outside the city limits and its regulations. But bloody swordplay was also a common occurrence in London as in most of Western Europe in the sixteenth century. Considered the “golden age of arms,” this century “became the ‘most quarrelsome’ in history.” Aylward observes that in 1586 Holinshed remarked that one rarely saw any Englishmen “‘above eighteen or twenty years old’” without arms; men wore at least a dagger, and the nobility also carried swords or rapiers. Turner and Soper speculate that England, especially after 1603, probably resembled France with regard to mortality rates from duels; in France between 1590 and 1610, despite the illegality of dueling there, “one-third of the nobility—around 4000 men—were killed in private combats.”ix The youthful male aristocrat was easily slighted and responded to real or imagined offense with the challenge to combat. Fencing schools, lessons, books, and demonstrations become commonplace, often in theater settings, sometimes in other designated places in the city of London.x
The microenvironment plays a key role in cancer progression and metabolism of the extracellular matrix component hyaluronan (HA), a glycosaminoglycan, is associated with breast tumor progression. High molecular weight HA is degraded by hyaluronidases and free radicals to fragments of heterogeneous size, which accumulate in the peritumor stroma and activate signaling pathways in both tumor and stromal cells. The HA receptor RHAMM is a multifunctional protein that is found on the cell surface, inside the nucleus and the mitotic spindles of mesenchymal cells. RHAMM expression and HA accumulation in the tumor stroma are linked to breast tumor progression, predicting that RHAMM/HA regulated signaling is key to breast cancer progression. An N-terminally truncated RHAMM isoform, RHAMMonc, is oncogenic when overexpressed in mesenchymal cells. Intracellular RHAMMonc directly binds to ERK1, and complexes with ERK1,2 and MEK1. Intracellular RHAMM is required for sustained ERK1,2 activation and for nuclear localization of a subset of active ERK1,2. We hypothesized that this function results in expression of oncogenic proteins that support breast cancer cell aggression. Study purpose: determine the mechanism for RHAMMonc supported breast cancer aggression. Experimental procedure: we used microarray analysis in combination with real time PCR and ERK1,2 inhibition to identify genes that are upregulated in response to RHAMMonc overexpression. To determine whether nuclear RHAMMonc is required for neoplastic transformation we added a nuclear export signal to the RHAMMonc cDNA (RHAMMNES-onc). Mesenchymal cells overexpressing RHAMMonc or RHAMMNES-onc were injected into immune compromised mice. To test whether these cells could support in vivo growth of breast cancer cells, MCF7 cells were co-injected with RHAMMonc or RHAMMNES-onc expressing cells into the mammary gland fat pad. Tumor growth was quantified as tumor wet weight. Conclusion: Microarray analysis in combination with real time PCR identified altered expression of genes in all categories of the Hallmarks of Cancer in fibroblasts overexpressing RHAMMonc compared to parental cells. A subset of these were shown to be regulated by ERK1,2. Fusion of a nuclear export signal to RHAMMonc (RHAMMNES-onc) resulted in export of this protein from the nucleus, significant reduction of nuclear active ERK1,2 and modified expression of a subset of ERK1,2 regulated genes (e.g. LOX, MMP9, CDH11). Importantly, forced nuclear export of RHAMMonc suppressed its oncogenic effect on fibroblasts. Furthermore, proliferation of human MCF7 breast cancer cell xenografts was strongly stimulated by co-injection with RHAMMonc fibroblasts but this stimulatory effect was lost when MCF7 tumor cells were co-injected with RHAMMNES-onc. This study suggests that nuclear RHAMMonc:ERK 1,2 interactions control an oncogenic program in fibroblasts that support breast cancer aggression. Citation Format: Cornelia Toelg, Patrick Telmer, Sara Hamilton, James McCarthy, Eva Turley. Fibroblast RHAMM promotes breast cancer aggression by promoting expression of a subset of ERK1,2 target genes. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1162. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1162
This study examines participants’ savings in children’s savings accounts (CSAs) set up for AIDS-orphaned children ages 10–15 in Uganda. Using a cluster-randomized experimental design, we examine the extent to which families participating in a CSA program report more savings than their counterparts not participating in the program, explore the extent to which families who participate in the CSA program report using formal financial institutions compared with families who do not have a CSA, and consider whether families participating in the CSA program bring new money into the CSA or whether they reshuffle existing household assets. We find that participating in a CSA increased families’ likelihood to report having saved money. However, our results show no intervention effect either on the amount of self-reported savings or on the likelihood of using formal financial institutions. Further research is needed to understand whether use of a CSA helps families generate new wealth.
In our ongoing research for the discovery of new constituents with antimyeloma activity, we investigated 15 compounds present in the aerial parts of Leontodon saxatilis for their cytotoxic potential against NCI-H929, U266, and OPM2 cell lines. One of the isolated compounds displayed a new natural product and was identified as 5-feruloyl-2α-hydroxyquinic acid after LC-MS and NMR experiments. Of the remaining compounds, cichoric acid and three flavone glycosides, apigenin 4′-O-β-d-glucoside, luteolin 7-O-β-d-glucoside and luteolin 4′-O-β-d-glucoside, showed moderate cytotoxic activity, whereas the effects of two aglyones apigenin and luteolin were more pronounced. Though the cytotoxic potential of the two aglycones (against other cell lines) was reported in various studies, our work moreover showed that cooccurrence of these two compounds with similar components of lower activity led to comparable results and at the same time minimized the damage of healthy fibroblast cells. Thus, our work could be a starting point for additional studies on the synergistic effect of similar components against myeloma cell lines.
Over 220 crude extracts from repositories generated from plants native to Greece and Kazakhstan were evaluated for termiticidal activity against the Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Emerging from this screening effort were bioactive extracts from two Greek species (Echinops ritro L. and Echinops spinosissimus Turra subsp. spinosissimus) and extracts from two Kazakhstan species (Echinops albicaulis Kar. & Kir. and Echinops transiliensis Golosh.). Fractionation and isolation of constituents from the most active extracts from each of the four species has been completed, resulting in the isolation of eight thiophenes possessing varying degrees of termiticidal activity. 2,2':5',2"-Terthiophene and 5'-(3-buten-1-ynyl)-2,2'-bithiophene demonstrated 100% mortality against C. formosanus within 9 days at 1 and 2 wt% concentrations respectively. In addition, all but two of the eight compounds tested were significantly different from the solvent controls in the filter paper consumption bioassay.
Photoand Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Wan-Hui Wang,*,† Yuichiro Himeda,*,‡,§ James T. Muckerman, Gerald F. Manbeck, and Etsuko Fujita* †School of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Panjin 124221, China ‡National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba Central 5-1, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan JST, ACT-C, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan Chemistry Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973-5000, United States
Galactic conformity is the phenomenon whereby galaxy properties exhibit excess correlations across distance than that expected if these properties only depended on halo mass. We perform a comprehensive study of conformity at low redshift using a galaxy group catalogue from the SDSS DR7 spectroscopic sample. We study correlations both between central galaxies and their satellites (1-halo), and between central galaxies in separate haloes (2-halo). We use the quenched fractions and the marked correlation function (MCF), to probe for conformity in three galaxy properties, $(g-r)$ colour, specific star formation rate (sSFR), and morphology. We assess the statistical significance of conformity signals with a suite of mock galaxy catalogues that have no built-in conformity, but contain the same group-finding and mass assignment errors as the real data. In the case of 1-halo conformity, quenched fractions show strong signals at all group masses. However, these signals are equally strong in mock catalogues, indicating that the conformity signal is spurious and likely entirely caused by group-finding systematics, calling into question previous claims of 1-halo conformity detection. The MCF reveals a significant detection of radial segregation within massive groups, but no evidence of conformity. In the case of 2-halo conformity, quenched fractions show no significant evidence of conformity in colour or sSFR once compared with mock catalogues, but a clear signal using morphology. In contrast, the MCF reveals a small, yet highly significant signal for all three properties in low mass groups and scales of $0.8-4  h^{-1} textrm{Mpc}$, possibly representing the first robust detection of 2-halo conformity.
The main purpose of this paper is to develop a seismic location station that can detect unobserved, moving military objects, and heavy military machineries behind a forest or a mountain at a distance of 1-2 kilometers from the determined location. Seismic location station includes specific 3D seismic detectors based on the very sensible piezoelectric sensors. The proposed piezoelectric detectors are based on the PVDF+BaTiO 3 +PZT polymer hybrid composite fabricated based on nano sized BaTiO 3 (or SiO 2 ) and micro sized PZT (plumbum zirconate titanate) piezoelectric material. A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was taken as polymer filler. This study presents the results of the development of seismic wave cells based on 3D seismic detectors.  Additionally, a plan is developed and offered for a solution to detect unobserved moving military trucks.
Mantoux purified protein derivative (PPD) skin testing was performed in schoolchildren who were grouped according to positive (Group I, n = 205) and negative (Group II, n = 79) exposure to recent acid‐fast bacilli (AFB) smear‐positive tuberculosis (TB) family contact. A prospective case‐control study was undertaken to evaluate whether repeat bacille Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) vaccination, nutritional state, presence/absence of BCG scar, and degree of AFB positivity of sputum of adult TB cases affect PPD skin reactivity in these two groups. Group I with TB contacts had larger induration (13.00 ± 11.29 mm) than the Group II control group of 4.52 ± 6.20; P = 0.000. Purified protein derivative reaction as to the number of BCG vaccination(s) received showed an increase in size as the BCG vaccination is repeated with significantly larger induration in Group I than in Group II (P = 0.048). The nutritional status was subgrouped into A (weight < 10 percentile), B (weight 50–75 percentile), and C (weight > 90 percentile), which were comparable for both groups. The mean PPD induration of subgroup A in Groups I and II was not statistically different. However, the mean PPD induration was highly significant between Groups I and II in subgroup B (12.46 ± 10.70 vs 3.80 ± 5.71 mm; P = 0.000) and subgroup C (14.31 ± 11.54 vs 5.42 ± 6.70 mm; P = 0.000). Children in group I with the BCG scar were noted to have significantly greater PPD induration size than in group II (14.14 ± 11.23 vs 5.05 ± 6.24 mm; P = 0.000). The degree of AFB positivity of sputum of TB adult cases (1+ to 4+ and cavitary TB) has no effect on PPD size (P = 0.766). Close contact with individuals with active TB (AFB smear positive) is a very important factor for PPD skin conversion. Repeat BCG vaccination, malnutrition, and BCG with scars present difficulties in making a diagnosis of TB infection but did not affect PPD reactivity and did highlight the need for thorough clinical evaluation.
Popular electrospun technology can only obtain submicron fibers and fiber membranes in random or in slight orientation, in fact, they are not real nanofibers. A fast-rotating drum-collector has been introduced into the electrospinning setup to improve the orientation of electrospun fibers/membranes and, more importantly, to stretch the electrospun fibers. The measured results indicate that: (1) the submicro-fiber orientation and the angle frequency distribution can be characterized quantitatively by Hough transform (HT) and Regionprops function (RF) approaches, and the accuracy of HT is relatively higher than that of RF; (2) through changing the drum speed, an extra stretching force is exerted on the submicro-fibers, so making them thinner; and (3) the higher the drum surface speed, the greater is the orientation of the electrospun fibers, and the finer and stronger the submicro-fibers; their diameter ranges from about 250 nm at zero drum speed to 170 nm at 7 m/min, and may even get into the nanoscale—that is, 1–100 nm.
Reactor protection system is one of the most important safety systems in nuclear power plant and shall be designed with very high reliability. Digital computer-based Reactor Protection System (RPS) takes great advantages over its conventional counterpart based on analog technique and faces the issues how to effectively demonstrate and confirm the completeness and correctness of the software that performs reactor safety functions in the same time. It is commonly accepted that the essential way to solve safety software issues in a digital RPS is to pass a strict and independent Verification and Validation (V&V) process, in which integrated RPS testing play an important role to form a part of the overall system validation. Integrated RPS testing must be carried out rigorously before the system is delivered to nuclear power plant. The integrated testing are often combined with the factory acceptance test (FAT) to form a single testing activity, during which the RPS is excited by emulated static and dynamic input signals. The integration testing should simulate normal operation, anticipated operational occurrences and accident conditions, as well as anticipated faults on the inputs to the DRPS such as sensors out of range or ambiguous input readings. All safety function requirements of digital RPS should be confirmed by representative testing. The design and development of a test facility to carry out the integrated RPS testing are covered in this paper, which is merged in the research on a digital RPS engineering prototype for a nuclear power plant. The test facility is based on PXI platform and LabVIEW software development environment and its architecture design also takes into account the test functions future extensions such as hardware upgrades and software modules enhancement. The test facility provides the digital RPS with redundant, synchronized and multi-channel emulated signals that are produced to emulate all protection signals from 1E class sensors and transmitters with time varied value within their possible ranges, which would put integrated RPS testing into practice to confirm the digital RPS has fully met its predefined safety functionality requirements. The designed test facility can provide an independent verification and validation process for the research of digital RPS with scientific methods and authentic data to evaluate the RPS performance thoroughly and effectively, such as measuring threshold precision and trip response time, analyzing system statistical reliability and so on.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
In this paper, we propose an unsupervised kernel learning vector quantization (UKLVQ) algorithm that combines the concepts of the kernel method and traditional unsupervised learning vector quantization (ULVQ). We first use the definition of the shadow kernel to give a general representation of the UKLVQ method and then easily implement the UKLVQ algorithm with a well-defined objective function in which traditional unsupervised learning vector quantization (ULVQ) becomes a special case of UKLVQ. We also analyze the robustness of our proposed learning algorithm by means of a sensitivity curve. In our simulations, the UKLVQ with Gaussian kernel has a bounded sensitivity curve and is thus robust to noise. The robustness and accuracy of the proposed UKLVQ algorithm is also demonstrated via numerical examples.
Abstract Severe winds, in excess of 50 kt (25 m s−1), brought widespread damage across the mid–Mississippi Valley on the mornings of 11 April 1995 and 28 April 1996. These severe winds were unusual and unexpected as they trailed behind stratiform precipitation areas where severe weather is not normally expected. The wake low on 11 April 1995 appeared to be the result of strong adiabatic warming due to dry air subsidence while the wake low on 28 April 1996 appeared to be associated with a gravity wave. Because wake lows are short-lived mesoscale phenomena, they are generally not well understood by the operational forecasting community and have been nearly impossible for forecasters to predict. With the modernization of the National Weather Service, it may become feasible to anticipate and track these mesoscale phenomena with Doppler radar, surface observations, and finer-resolution models. With an evaluation of some of the differences and similarities in the generation and maintenance of severe wake lows, ...
2-Arylidene-indan-1,3-done derivatives have very different properties, thanks to which they find various applications in science, medicine, and industry. Selected derivatives show antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activity. This paper presents a procedure for the synthesis of a series of indan-1,3-dione derivatives that present antiproliferative activity. The aim of the work was to develop a method of simple synthesis and purification, evaluate the fulfillment of the Lipiński’s and Veber’s rule, and determine the potential scope of application of the obtained series of compounds. The structure of the synthesized compounds was confirmed, and their lipophilicity was determined using experimental and computational methods. Their antiproliferative activity against selected cell lines was tested in accordance with the MTT protocol; the ability to bind to albumin was tested, and the parameters related to the toxicity of substances in silico were determined. The selected compounds which showed antiproliferative activity were strongly bound to albumin and, in most cases, met the Lipiński’s and Veber’s rule. Thus, the obtained results suggest that 2-arylidene-indan-1,3-done derivatives appear to be good candidates for drugs with a potential leading structure for further development.
Chart ‘65’ in Stilling's pseudoisochromatic plates is the most sensitive test for ethambutol-induced side effects on the optic nerve. Since ethambutol intoxication accounts for a color-contrast defect at postreceptoral level, the size of the retinal image of the test figure plays an important role. Therefore, by measuring the distance in which the test figure can be recognized, very accurate information about the color vision defect caused by ethambutol is available. The plate is shown in a viewing box illuminated by two standardized lamps. Variations of the optotype were introduced by cutting the plate vertically. In this way, not only 65, but also 56, 59, and 95 could be shown. Thus, various colored optotypes with identical demands on color vision are at our disposal. Preliminary results from our study of more than 100 patients at the Heidelberg Tuberculosis Clinic show that about 95% of all patients tolerate the therapeutically necessary ethambutol dosage. The remaining 5% are efhambutol-at-risk patien...
The influence of the surface functionalization of silica particles on their colloidal stability in physiological media is studied and correlated with their uptake in cells. The surface of 55 ± 2 nm diameter silica particles is functionalized by amino acids or amino- or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-terminated alkoxysilanes to adjust the zeta potential from highly negative to positive values in ethanol. A transfer of the particles into water, physiological buffers, and cell culture media reduces the absolute value of the zeta potential and changes the colloidal stability. Particles stabilized by L-arginine, L-lysine, and amino silanes with short alkyl chains are only moderately stable in water and partially in PBS or TRIS buffer, but aggregate in cell culture media. Nonfunctionalized, N-(6-aminohexyl)-3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane (AHAPS), and PEG-functionalized particles are stable in all media under study. The high colloidal stability of positively charged AHAPS-functionalized particles scales with the ionic strength of the media, indicating a mainly electrostatical stabilization. PEG-functionalized particles show, independently from the ionic strength, no or only minor aggregation due to additional steric stabilization. AHAPS stabilized particles are readily taken up by HeLa cells, likely as the positive zeta potential enhances the association with the negatively charged cell membrane. Positively charged particles stabilized by short alkyl chain aminosilanes adsorb on the cell membrane, but are weakly taken up, since aggregation inhibits their transport. Nonfunctionalized particles are barely taken up and PEG-stabilized particles are not taken up at all into HeLa cells, despite their high colloidal stability. The results indicate that a high colloidal stability of nanoparticles combined with an initial charge-driven adsorption on the cell membrane is essential for efficient cellular uptake.
Using mobile phones to access healthcare data is an upcoming application scenario of increasing importance in the near future. However, important aspects to consider in this context are the high security and privacy requirements for sensitive medical data. Current mobile phones using standard operating systems and software cannot offer appropriate protection for sensitive data, although the hardware platform often offers dedicated security features. Malicious software (malware) like Trojan horses on the mobile phone could gain unauthorized access to sensitive medical data. In this paper, we propose a complete security framework to protect medical data (such as electronic health records) and authentication credentials that are used to access e-health servers. Derived from a generic architecture that can be used for PCs, we introduce a security architecture specifically for mobile phones, based on existing hardware security extensions. We describe security building blocks, including trusted hardware features, a security kernel providing isolated application environments as well as a secure graphical user interface, and a trusted wallet (TruWallet) for secure authentication to e-health servers. Moreover, we present a prototype implementation of the trusted wallet on a current smartphone: the Nokia N900. Based on our architecture, health care professionals can safely and securely process medical data on their mobile phones without the risk of disclosing sensitive information as compared to commodity mobile operating systems.
Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) experience a higher prevalence of dental disease, obesity, challenging behaviours, and mental health disorders compared to children without ID; and health and social service navigational barriers associated with unresolved health needs. The research literature has identified the types and implications of service navigational barriers experienced by children with ID and their carers, and the demographics of people vulnerable to them; however, the literature has not identified how ID is currently understood within social policy and by carers of children with ID. Using a Foucauldian discourse analysis, I explored how ID is understood and the subsequent materializations on service navigation trajectories for children with ID. I collected four governmental agency documents and conducted six interviews with eight carers of children with ID, between the ages of six to 14, residing in a rural Ontario area. I interpreted the dataset themes using Powers’ framework. I found three major findings: (1) ID is understood as an impaired identity, an experience of disabling barriers, and heterarchical difference; (2) children with ID participate in a standardized assessment-diagnostic-treatment process; (3) the hegemony of service providers to make decisions for children with ID contributes to tensions with carers, and unresolved needs of children with ID. Nurses should enhance collaboration with children with ID and their carers to deliver client-centred care. 1 A carer is a term used within disability literature and legislation, primarily in the UK and Australia, to refer to a person who provides ongoing care (general, intimate, and/or emotional) within a care relationship to a member of their family or household who has an “disability,... is older,... has a mental illness,... or an ongoing medical condition”. A carer is not a “person providing care under a contract of service... employment,... doing voluntary work,... or as part of ... education or training” 1. The Parliament of Victoria. Carers Recognition Act 2012. Victoria, Australia.2012.P3-4. 2. Strategy and Projects Team, Care and Transformation, Community Care. Carers Action Plan 2018-2020 Supporting carers today In: Department of Health and Social Care, editor. London: GOV.UK; June 2018. Carers Canada defined carers similarly to the above definitions and notes that carers also refer to caregivers
An integrated logic (I/SUP 2/L) macromodel for computer simulation of logical configurations of I/SUP 2/L gates is presented. The macromodel is synthesized from the familiar Ebers-Moll equivalent circuit which permits compatibility with numerous presently available circuit simulators. Measurement procedures are described for the complete and self-consistent set of electrical parameters required for macromodel definition. A five-stage ring oscillator is computer simulated to demonstrate the application of the macromodel. Lateral current transfer (LCT) between adjacent gates and injector current redistribution (ICR) effects are shown to reduce gate propagation delay times. When both effects are included, the macromodel produces an agreement between computer simulated and experimental results of better than 10 percent. A ring oscillator example illustrates the use of the macromodel to provide physical insight into the layout sensitivity of I/SUP 2/L.
We provide and discuss the general solution of a (Hamiltonian) three-body problem in the plane, characterized by Newtonian equations of motion with rotation- and translation-invariant velocity-dependent one-body and two-body forces. The model features a (nonnegative) real parameter ω: when it does not vanish, all solutions are completely periodic with period T = 2π/ω; when it vanishes, both unbounded and confined motions are possible with a rather rich phenomenology of possible behaviour in the latter case, including completely periodic motions and limit cycles.
The strain Pseudomonas brassicacearum S-1 is the basis of the biopesticide “Ecogreen”, which is used to control pathogens infecting vegetable and green spicy crops in small-scale hydroponics. Aim. The purpose of this work was to sequence and analyze the nucleotide sequence of the genome of strain P. brassicacearum S-1 (GenBank accession number CP045701). Methods. Whole-genome sequencing was performed by both MiSeq (Illuminа) and MinION (Oxford Nanopore). Analysis of the genome sequence was performed with a number of bioinformatics programs. Results. The genome of the P. brassicacearum S-1 strain comprising a single circular 6 577 561-bp chromosome with GC content of 60.8 %. Genome analysis revealed genes that constitute valuable biotechnological potential of the S-1 strain and determine synthesis of a wide range of secondary metabolites. Moreover, mobile genetic elements, prophages and short repetitive sequences were identified in the S-1 genome. Conclusions. Detected genetic determinants, which are responsible for the synthesis of practically valuable compounds, indicate a significant potential of the P. brassicacearum S-1 strain as a biocontrol agent.
Because of their fragile nature, marine snow-sized aggregates (aggregates >0.5 mm in longest dimension) have been generally overlooked in shallow-water environments. We report in situ observations and measurements in Cape Lookout Bight, North Carolina, that indicate that marine snow is probably always present and usually abundant. Underwater photographs show that over a period of hours, marine snow varies in size from 8 to 71 × 10−5 mL and in abundance from 291 to 489 L−1, but that such variations in size and abundance are not obviously related to tide, total suspended sediment concentration, or current speeds in the 10 to 20 cm s−1 range. Photographs and concurrent transmissometer records suggest that variations in size, shape, and abundance of marine snow may be sufficiently great that particulates do not remain optically constant and thus affect beam transmission, irrespective of total suspended-sediment concentration levels. Marine snow is significant geologically in that it has high settling rates (50 to 200 m per day) and may be the package in which much of the vertical mass flux occurs. If so, it offers an explanation for the high accumulation rates observed in coastal and estuarine fluid mud deposits.
The status of neurology in family practice residency programs was determined. Of 373 programs surveyed by questionnaire, 266 responded (71.34.). Neurology is a required rotation in 48% of the programs, most frequently done during the second year of residency. Preceptors are mainly neurologists in private practice. There is a need for cooperation between neurologists and family practitioners to develop appropriate educational experiences for family practice residents.
The well known Freund-Rubin 'spontaneous compactification' mechanism (1980) is based on Myers' theorem in global differential geometry. The authors extend this observation and attempt to clarify various global questions connected with the Freund-Rubin mechanism. The recent suggestion that non-compact manifolds of finite volume be employed as models of internal spaces is then considered. A non-compact analogue of the Freund-Rubin mechanism is proposed.
Aging in a two-dimensional Ising spin model with both ferromagnetic exchange and antiferromagnetic dipolar interactions is established and investigated via Monte Carlo simulations. The behaviour of the autocorrelation function $C(t,t_w)$ is analyzed for different values of the temperature, the waiting time $t_w$ and the quotient $ delta=J_0/J_d$, $J_0$ and $J_d$ being the strength of exchange and dipolar interactions respectively. Different behaviours are encountered for $C(t,t_w)$ at low temperatures as $ delta$ is varied. Our results show that, depending on the value of $ delta$, the dynamics of this non-disordered model is consistent either with a slow domain dynamics characteristic of ferromagnets or with an activated scenario, like that proposed for spin glasses.
Criteria for admission to college with advanced standing have not been subjected to study as have those in the case of freshman applicants. Transfer students at Pennsylvania State University were grouped according to the type of college from which they came. The change in the prior grade-point average was investigated. In general, the transfer group performed as well as the native Penn State student body. The average of most transfers decreased after one term at Penn State. The mean loss in average was approximately 0.3 of a grade point. Junior college transfers made poorer academic adjustments. The aptitude examination, not normally given, but administered for this study, appears to have merit as an admissions criterion.
Specificities of IgE and IgG4 antibodies in 12 cat-allergic patients were compared with respect to their reactivity towards 3 IgE-binding synthetic peptides of Felis domesticus allergen 1 (Fel dI): peptides 25-38 and 46-59 of chain 1 and peptide 15-28 of chain 2. Peptides were coupled to Sepharose and anti-Fel dI antibodies were isolated by affinity chromatography. Fel dI-specific IgE- and IgG4 antibody activity in the peptide eluates was measured using Fel dI binding assays. Fel dI-specific IgE/IgG4 ratios in the eluates from peptide-Sepharose were determined and compared with the IgE/IgG4 ratios in the eluates from Fel dI-Sepharose. The mean ratio Fel dI-specific IgE/IgG4 in the peptide eluates (0.84; range 0.06-4.6) was significantly higher than the mean ratio in the eluates from Fel dI-Sepharose (0.31; range 0.13-1.1), demonstrating a higher reactivity of IgE antibodies with the peptides, compared to IgG4. These results indicate differences between the B cells producing IgE antibodies and the B cells producing IgG4 antibodies.
Malignant transformation of nasal polyps is believed to be very rare. A 49-year-old man had suffered from nasal polyposis and visited the hospital complaining of nasal obstruction and a huge nasal polyp in the right nostril. Histologic findings showed squamous cell carcinoma with microinvasion on the surface of the polyp and no invasion of carcinoma in the stalk. Simultaneously, malignant transformation of a small polyp was found in the left nasal cavity. Clinical and histologic findings are discussed.
Based on several simplifying assumptions, a stochastic approach was developed which allows an estimation of the effects of nonregular spatial patterns of the distribution of individual plants on yield per area (F). In this approach, two random variables were attached to each plant: single plant yield (E) and individual space per plant (A). The latter was estimated by the area of Thiessen polygons. Yield per area was calculated theoretically by the expectation of the ratio E A. Appropriate approximations of this expectation depend on the means (Ē and A), coefficients of variation (v E and v A ) of E and A and their correlation (r EA ). Yield per area can be decomposed into two additive terms: the first term gives the commonl y used estimate Ē/A or h(A)/A if a functional relationship between E and A is assumed: E = h(A ). In this study, the two relationships E = k 1 + k 2 . In A and E = A/(k 3 + k 4 A) were used (with appropriately chosen constants k 1 . k 2 , k 3 , and k 4 ). The second term in the decomposition of F can be interpreted as the effect of variable individual plant spaces on yield per area. In this paper, all theoretical concepts and results were applied to 17 experimental data sets of three cultivars of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Single plant yields (E) and individual plant areas (A) were positively correlated with correlation coefficients from 0.64 up to 0.91. The ranges for both coefficients of variation were similar: 0.27 < v E ≤ 0.65 and 0.28 ≤ v A ≤ 0.59. One obtains no significant differences in the goodness-of-fit for both tested relationships between E and A although the logarithmic relationship seems to be slightly superior. For only three data sets one obtains negative values for the percentage of the second term in the decomposition of F. This indicates an overestimation of yield per area by the commonly used estimates h(A)/A and Ē/A, respectively. These overestimations, however, are less than 5 %. In all other cases with positive values for the second term the yield per area is underestimated by the common estimates. For almost all data sets, however, the percentages of F which are explained by the common estimates are much larger than 90%.
A bridge arm prototype of ITER poloidal field (PF) converter modules has been designed and fabricated. Non-cophase counter parallel connection is chosen as the arm structure of the prototype. Among all factors affecting current sharing, arm structure is the main one. During the design of the arm prototype, a novel method based on inductance matrixes is employed to improve the current sharing of the bridge arm. The test results on the prototype show that the current sharing performance of the arm prototype is much better than relevant design requirement, and that the matrix method is very effective to analyze and solve the current sharing problems of thyristor converters.
The largest known polyoxometalate (POM)-templated silver-alkynyl cluster, [(EuW10 O36 )2 @Ag72 (tBuC≡C)48 Cl2 ⋅4 BF4 ] (SD/Ag20), was isolated under solvothermal conditions and structurally characterized. It was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) as a {EuW10 }2 -in-{Ag72 } clusters-in-cluster rod-like compound. The high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS) shows that such a double anion-templated cluster is assembled from a crucial single anion-templated Ag42 intermediate in the solution. The crystallization of Ag42 species (SD/Ag21), followed by SCXRD, gave an important clue about the assembly route of SD/Ag20 in solution: the Ag42 cluster eliminates six silver atoms laterally, then fuses together at the vacant face to form the final Ag72 cluster (elimination-fusion mechanism). The characteristic emission of [EuW10 O36 ]9- is well maintained in SD/Ag20. This work not only provides a new method for the synthesis of larger silver clusters as well as the functional integration of the silver cluster and POMs, but also gives deep insights about the high-nuclear silver cluster assembly mechanism.
There have been growing evidences, both experimental and theoretical, that block copolymer systems with well-defined sulfonated regions may provide enhanced transport of protons, especially at low relative humidity. We have recently demonstrated a novel way to make nearly all hydrocarbon, hydrophobichydrophilic block copolymers. The chemical structure and chemical composition are very similar to BPSH copolymers. However the microstructure and the morphology are very different. This paper will try to unfold the structure property relationships of the multiblock copolymers for application as potential proton exchange membranes. Introduction
The purpose of the present paper is to investigate the mixed Dirichlet-Neumann boundary value problems for the anisotropic Laplace-Beltrami equation on a smooth hypersurface with the boundary in . is an bounded measurable positive definite matrix function. The boundary is decomposed into two nonintersecting connected parts and on the Dirichlet boundary conditions are prescribed, while on the Neumann conditions. The unique solvability of the mixed BVP is proved, based upon the Green formulae and Lax-Milgram Lemma. Further, the existence of the fundamental solution to is proved, which is interpreted as the invertibility of this operator in the setting , where is a subspace of the Bessel potential space and consists of functions with mean value zero.
On theoretical grounds, nicotine has been implicated as a modifier of cancer progression. We investigated possible associations of smoking or use of Scandinavian moist snuff (snus) with survival after cancer among Swedish male construction workers. Snus use is associated with substantial exposure to nicotine but not to the combustion products in smoke. Among 336,381 workers with detailed information on tobacco use in 1971–1992, we observed 40,230 incident cancers. Complete follow‐up through 2007 was accomplished through linkage to population and health registers. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for death from any cause, cancer‐specific death and death from other causes were derived from Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for age at diagnosis, body mass index at study entry and period of diagnosis. Never users of any tobacco served as reference. Increased risks of cancer‐specific death were observed both among exclusive smokers (HRall cancer 1.15, 95% CI: 1.10–1.21) and never‐smoking snus users (1.15, 95% CI: 1.05–1.26). As regards deaths due to other causes, exclusive smokers had higher relative risks than exclusive snus users (p = 0.03). A history of tobacco use, even exclusive use of the seemingly benign snus, is associated with moderately increased cancer‐specific mortality. Although nicotine might play a role, the mechanisms warrant further investigation.
A novel parallel 3-D point data registration algorithm based on differential evolution with local geometric feature on GPU architecture was proposed. Firstly, feature points were extracted by local spectral descriptor from original data sets, and then correspondence between them was computed, at last, transformation matrix was calculated witch differential evolution strategy. In order to improve the matching speed of large amount of data, this registration algorithm was implemented in parallel pattern on GPU. The speed comparison and noise simulation experiments show that this algorithm is efficient and robust against noise.
We describe a method for automatically detecting streaks in printed images using adaptive window-based image pro- jections and mutual information. The proposed approach accepts a scanned image enclosing the defect and computes the projections across the entire image at different window sizes. The resulting traces collected from the projections are analyzed with a peak de- tection algorithm and subsequently correlated using normalized mu- tual information to pinpoint the location and width of streak(s). Fi- nally, for a given peak, the window size is changed adaptively to identify and locate the intensity and length of the corresponding streak(s) while maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio. Results on syn- thetic and real-life images are provided to demonstrate the effective- ness of our proposed technique. © 2007 SPIE and IS&T.
Abstract Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) refers to different degrees of abnormal glucose metabolism during pregnancy, where blood glucose levels do not reach the level of overt diabetes, accounting for 80–90% of pregnancy with hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia affects the pregnancy process, leading to a series of adverse maternal outcomes that have a profound impact on the future of the offspring. The establishing of an appropriate GDM model will provide theoretical basis for study GDM pathogenesis involves, the choice of resonable drugs and the observation the disease trends and outcomes. At present, there are many methods for establishing experimental GDM animal models and animal choices. This paper examines the different GDM models and their induction methods.
BACKGROUND Accurate measurement of resting energy expenditure (REE) using indirect calorimetry (IC) facilitates optimal energy prescription. Steady-state (SS) REE obtained using a 5-minute protocol (SS5) has been used as a surrogate for 24-hour REE measurement. However, SS5 conditions are difficult to achieve in critically ill children on mechanical ventilatory support.   METHODS The authors prospectively examined factors associated with successful IC testing using the standard SS5 protocol in mechanically ventilated children. They examined the agreement of REE between SS5 and 2 abbreviated SS protocols: 4-minute (SS4) and 3-minute (SS3) protocols as well as the Schofield prediction equation, using Bland-Altman analysis.   RESULTS IC testing (n = 45) was completed in 34 children. SS was achieved during 25 (56%), 31 (69%), and 42 (93%) tests, using the SS5, SS4, and SS3 protocols, respectively. Intratest variability in respiratory rate, endotracheal tube leak, and inspiratory time was associated with failed IC by the SS5 protocol. The mean bias (limits of agreement) for REE was 2.8 (-47 to 65), 5.8 (-71 to 72), and -127 (-418 to 1176) kcal/d using SS4, SS3, and Schofield, respectively. A stronger agreement was observed when means of all abbreviated SS REE values during a 30-minute test were used.   CONCLUSION In mechanically ventilated children, 4-minute and 3-minute SS protocols allowed REE measurements to be obtained in most patients with reasonable accuracy. Abbreviated protocols may decrease the need to rely on inaccurate equations when assessing energy expenditure in children who fail IC testing by standard SS criteria.
On April 6, 1970, Charles Donald O'Malley, immediate past president of the History of Science Society, died at the age of sixty-three at his home in Los Angeles. His sudden and untimely death occurred at the peak of an extraordinarily productive career. In 1969 he had been honored as UCLA Faculty Research Lecturer, the highest tribute to superior scholarly achievement hat can be bestowed by the faculty of UCLA
Gingival epithelial cells function as an innate host defence system to prevent intrusion by periodontal bacteria. Nevertheless, Porphyromonas gingivalis, the most well‐known periodontal pathogen, can enter gingival epithelial cells and pass through the epithelial barrier into deeper tissues. However, it is poorly understood how this pathogen exits from infected cells for further transcellular spreading. The present study was performed to elucidate the cellular machinery exploited by P. gingivalis to exit from immortalized human gingival epithelial cells. P. gingivalis was shown to be internalized with early endosomes positive for the FYVE domain of EEA1 and transferrin receptor, and about half of the intracellular bacteria were then sorted to lytic compartments, including autolysosomes and late endosomes/lysosomes, while a considerable number of the remaining organisms were sorted to Rab11‐ and RalA‐positive recycling endosomes. Inhibition experiments revealed that bacterial exit was dependent on actin polymerization, lipid rafts and microtubule assembly. Dominant negative forms and RNAi knockdown of Rab11, RalA and exocyst complex subunits (Sec5, Sec6 and Exo84) significantly disturbed the exit of P. gingivalis. These results strongly suggest that the recycling pathway is exploited by intracellular P. gingivalis to exit from infected cells to neighbouring cells as a mechanism of cell‐to‐cell spreading.
This study was undertaken as an extension of two previous reports on the problem of non-sporulating, anaerobic bacilli; namely, that of Thompson and Beaver, (1931, 1932) and that of Beaver, Henthorne, and Macy (1934). The object of this research was the investigation of the morphologic, biologic, and agglutinative properties of several Gram-negative species of nonsporulating anaerobic bacilli; and a comparison of these species with each other and with the other anaerobes encountered, to demonstrate, if possible, the generic relationships of any or all strains.
To the Editor: We are writing in response to Dr. Forman’s1 editorial “The Expanding Genetic Toolkit for Exploring Mechanisms of General Anesthesia” in the April issue of ANESTHESIOLOGY. Dr. Forman covers many excellent points about the use of genetics in understanding anesthetic mechanisms. However, we think that he has overlooked, and perhaps unintentionally discounted, the key ability of an unbiased forward genetic screen to study anesthetic action. A forward screen generates mutations randomly and then looks for those mutations that affect a particular trait. Its unique beauty or power is that it can discover novel mechanisms that would not be found if one presupposed to know an anesthetic target. Forward genetic screens have identified plausible possible targets of volatile anesthetics. They have included leak channels,2 neurotransmitter release machinery,3 and mitochondria.4 All three possibilities have been occurs frequently after the acute phase of trauma-induced coagulopathy.14,15 Dr. Flores suggests the use of multilevel continuous intercostal nerve block catheter in a patient with flail chest. Although the risk of epidural hematoma may be lower with intercostal nerve blocks compared with epidural analgesia, other risks such as pneumothorax/hematothorax and inadequate efficacy may limit its use under the condition described in our case scenario. We need to develop specific outcome-oriented clinical pathways in critical care medicine that do not exclusively take into account the data taken from elective surgical procedures in the operating room. In patients with flail chest presenting with traditional contraindications for neuraxial analgesia, careful risk–benefit analysis may indicate that epidural analgesia improves important outcome measures. We believe that thromboelastography or thromboelastometry and aggregometry (if available) are helpful instruments for decision support in such a case scenario.
ABSTRACT Deposits of calcareous tufa have formed and are probably forming now ill numerous alkaline-carbonate lakes of the western United States. Many of these deposits in the Mono and Lake Lahontan basins are mushroom-shaped and lie at the orifices of what are or were sublacustrine springs. The mushroom-shaped masses are composed of concentrically arranged lithoid, dendritic, and thinolitic tufa with the core usually lithoid and the dendritic, and thinolitic layers alternating concentrically outward. The tufa is shown here to be formed as the result of mixing waters of varying calcium and carbonate content which react essentially in accordance with the solubility product of calcium carbonate in distilled water. The thinolitic and dendritic tufas are believed to be the result of either solutio and redeposition within the masses or of varying rates of deposition on the outside of the tower. The possibility is presented that many of the deposits of lithoid tufa on the shores of alkaline lakes are formed by precipitation at the contact of rain-wash and lake water.
Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) growth rates in northern Lake Champlain have declined in recent years while densities have increased, suggesting resource limitation. At high densities, predators have the potential to influence prey communities, but these effects can be highly complex. Using in situ mesh cages in an unmanipulated littoral zone setting, we examined the effects of two densities (0.5 and 1.5/m2) of yellow perch on (i) their growth and (ii) the abundance of major prey groups in the benthic community. Yellow perch growth rates were significantly lower in the high-density treatment than in the low-density treatment. Because site characteristics were not manipulated, measured covariates reflecting sediment and vegetation variation between cages were used to help clarify treatment effects on benthos. Fish predation on invertebrate prey was significant only in the high-density predator treatment for three of the six prey groups examined (predatory chironomids, prey chironomids, and isopods). For th...
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) has been chemically modified by polymerizing hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) in aqueous solution of PVOH and finally crosslinking PVOH with glutaraldehyde to produce a semi-interpenetrating network (SIPN) membrane. Accordingly, three such SIPN membranes, namely SIPNI, SIPNII, and SIPNIII were synthesized with different weight ratio of PVOH: HEMA i.e., 1:0.25 (SIPNI), 1:0.50 (SIPNII), and 1:0.75 (SIPNIII). These SIPN membranes were used for pervaporative separation of methanol from its mixtures with toluene. The flux and methanol selectivity of these SIPN membranes were found to be much higher than conventional PVOH membrane crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. Among the three membranes, SIPNIII with 75 wt% HEMA incorporation shows optimum performance in terms of flux and methanol selectivity. The permeability of the membranes was also found to increase with increase in HEMA content in PVOH matrix. The novelty of the work lies in synthesis and characterization of a new kind of membrane and its potential for selective removal of methanol from its mixtures with toluene.
Hercules killed the Hydra of Lerna in a bloody battle—the second of the labor tasks imposed upon him in atonement for his hideous crimes. The Hydra was a horrible, aggressive mythological monster with many heads and poisonous blood, whose heads multiplied each time one of them was severed. This article explores some mathematical methods about this interesting epic battle. A generalization of the original Kirby & Paris model is proposed. We also study the connection of this model with Goodstein ultra-growing and recursive sequences. As an interesting application, we next analyze the inevitable death of another huge monster of our modern era: the Internet.
We present some parallelization techniques for the Model Evolution (ME) calculus, an instantiation-based calculus that lifts the DPLL procedure to rst-order clause logic. Specically, we consider a restriction of ME to the EPR fragment of clause logic for which the calculus is a decision procedure. The main operations in ME’s proof procedures, namely clause instantiation and candidate literal generation, oer opportunities for MapReducestyle parallelization. This term/clause-level parallelization is largely orthogonal to the sort of search-level parallelization performed by portfolio approaches. We describe a hybrid parallel proof procedure for the restricted calculus that exploits parallelism at both levels to synergistic eect. The calculus and the proof procedure have been implemented in a new solver for EPR formulas. Our initial experimental results show that our term/clauselevel parallelization alone is eective in reducing runtime and can be combined with a portfolio-based approach to maximize performance.
Bovine myometrium and cervix contain luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) binding sites, LH receptor (LH-R) messenger RNA (mRNA), and LH-R protein. Expression of LH-R is dependent on the stage of the cycle. LH-R expression is high during the luteal phase but weak during the follicular phase. In both myometrium and cervix, LH activates both the adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C pathways, and the effect of LH on both pathways at each stage of the cycle is correlated with the amount of LH-R present in the tissue. Because activation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) is associated with myometrial quiescence, we suggest that LH activation of uterine cAMP could serve to keep the uterus quiescent during the luteal phase. On the other hand, in the uterine vein LH-R mRNA and LH-R are maximal during preestrus/estrus as opposed to the luteal phase. In the uterine vein, LH increases the expression of cyclooxygenase and production of both prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and PGF2 alpha. Because PGF2 alpha is the physiological luteolytic signal in the cow, we suggest that this increase in prostaglandin production by the uterine vein is part of the physiological events leading to luteolysis. In addition to uterine LH-R, the bovine cervix at preestrus/estrus has high levels of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSH-R) and its corresponding mRNA. As with LH-R, activation of FSH-R by FSH is associated with activation of a G protein-coupled receptor family that mediates the cAMP and inositol phosphate signaling pathways. Activation of these signaling pathways is associated with an increase in the expression of cyclooxygenase and production of PGE2. Because expression of the FSH receptor was maximal at the time of the FSH peak in the blood, we suggest a physiological role for FSH in the cervix relaxation and opening at estrus.
Complete genome sequences of many organisms have become available and the functional analysis of genomes will be a target of intensive research. Gene regulation in higher organisms is one of the most important biological functions, and it is achieved by a complex system of transcription factors. Transcription factors usually bind to multiple target sequences and regulate multiple genes in a complex manner. Finding target genes for transcription factors at the genome level will lay a basis for the analysis of the gene regulatory network. We have been developing methods for predicting target sequences of transcription factors. Structure-based methods, which utilize structural data of protein-DNA complexes, are promising candidates for DNA target prediction. Here we apply this method to the target prediction of transcription factors in the whole yeast genome.
Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a vaccine derived from attenuated strains of Mycobacterium bovis. Mycobacterium bovis BCG-based therapy is considered an effective alternative for bladder carcinoma in situ when exclusive transurethral resection is inadequate. Among the complications associated with therapy, there are few reports in the literature on reactive arthritis. We report the case of a 56-year-old woman who develops predominantly peripheral spondyloarthritis, following instillation of BCG, as preventive treatment of relapse onset high-grade urothelial carcinoma after surgical resection.
Abstract We study the size of matchings (expected number of agents matched to some objects) generated by random mechanisms in the assignment problem. We show that no mechanism that satisfies two weak axioms, weak truncation robustness and weak regularity, achieves an approximation ratio better than 1 − 1 ∕ e ≈ 63 . 2 % . This result indicates that it is impossible to achieve a matching size larger than 63.2% of the maximum feasible size in the worst case, as long as agents’ preferences over objects are private information. Our result indicates that the random serial dictatorship mechanism and probabilistic serial mechanism (which indeed has an approximation ratio of 1 − 1 ∕ e ) have the best approximation ratio among a broad class of mechanisms.
The paper presents a novel model for loss less video compression. In this paper we propose some mathematical models, using cartesian co-ordinate system, that can be used for prediction. The models are based on our novel approach of explanation to the working principle of Median Edge Director(MED). Experiments have been carried out with these models and based on their performance, one of the models has been considered for the prediction scheme. Performance of the proposed prediction scheme is same as that of the standard motion compensation but at a very low complexity.
Normal erythrocyte catalase, the enzyme present in the blood of Swiss acatalasemic heterozygotes, and their hybrid produced in vitro, were studied after crosslinking with bifunctional reagents. On theoretical grounds [cf. Hajdu, J., Bartha, F. & Friedrich, P. (1976) Eur. J. Biochem. 68, 373--383] it is inferred from the dodecylsulphate gel electrophoretic patterns obtained after treating catalase with diimidates of various chain lengths that the enzyme is an isologous tetramer (D2 symmetry). The minimal distances between crosslinkable primary amino groups across the three domains of bonding are different. Reaction with diimidates causes a moderate loss of enzyme activity in all three enzyme types due to amidination rather than crosslink formation. On the other hand, crosslinking stabilizes the enzyme against urea and heat inactivation. This is most prominent with heterozygote acatalasemic catalase. Crosslinking markedly prevents the development of peroxidase activity that can be elicited in catalases by urea treatment. The role of the quaternary structure of the protein in the relationship between catalase and peroxidase activities is discussed.
Abstract One critical point to improve the economic and technical results of every industrial process lies on the fact of achieving a good optimization, and applying a smart maintenance plan. In this context, the tools development for detecting the appearance of any kind of anomaly represents an important challenge. For this reason, the implementation of classifiers for anomaly detection tasks has been a significant trend in the scientific community. However, since the behavior of the potential anomalies that may occur in a plant is unknown, it is necessary to generate artificial outliers to assess these classifiers. This paper proposes the performance checking of different intelligent one-class techniques to detect anomalies in an industrial plant, used to obtain the main material for wind generator blades production. These classifiers are tested using anomaly data generated, giving successful results.
In this paper, we present the design of cylindrical and spherical electromagnetic cloaks working at visible frequencies. The cloak design is based on the employment of layered structures consisting of alternating plasmonic and nonplasmonic materials, and exhibiting the collective behavior of an effective epsilon-near-zero material at optical frequencies. The design of a cylindrical cloak to hide cylindrical objects is first presented. Two alternative layouts are proposed, and both magnetic and nonmagnetic objects are considered. Then, the design of spherical cloaks is also presented. The full-wave simulations presented throughout the paper confirm the validity of the proposed setup, and show how this technique can be used to reduce the observability of cylindrical and spherical objects. The effect of the losses is also considered.
Cardiotoxicity is associated with the long-term clinical application of doxorubicin (DOX) in cancer patients. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived small extracellular vesicles (MSC-sEVs) including exosomes have been suggested for the treatment of various diseases, including ischemic diseases. However, the effects and functional mechanism of MSC-sEVs in DOX-induced cardiomyopathy have not been clarified. Here, MSC-sEVs were isolated from murine embryonic mesenchymal progenitor cell (C3H/10T1/2) culture media, using ultrafiltration. H9c2 cardiac myoblast cells were pretreated with MSC-sEVs and then exposed to DOX. For in vivo studies, male C57BL/6 mice were administered MSC-sEVs intravenously, prior to a single dose of DOX (15 mg/kg, intraperitoneal). The mice were sacrificed 14 days after DOX treatment. The results showed that MSC-sEVs protected cardiomyocytes from DOX-induced cell death. H9c2 cells treated with DOX showed downregulation of both phosphorylated Akt and survivin, whereas the treatment of MSC-sEVs recovered expression, indicating their anti-apoptotic effects. Three microRNAs (miRNAs) (miR 199a-3p, miR 424-5p, and miR 21-5p) in MSC-sEVs regulated the Akt-Sp1/p53 signaling pathway in cardiomyocytes. Among them, miR 199a-3p was involved in regulating survivin expression, which correlated with the anti-apoptotic effects of MSC-sEVs. In in vivo studies, the echocardiographic results showed that the group treated with MSC-sEVs recovered from DOX-induced cardiomyopathy, showing improvement of both the left ventricle fraction and ejection fraction. MSC-sEVs treatment also increased both survivin and B-cell lymphoma 2 expression in heart tissue compared to the DOX group. Our results demonstrate that MSC-sEVs have protective effects against DOX-induced cardiomyopathy by upregulating survivin expression, which is mediated by the regulation of Akt activation by miRNAs in MSC-sEVs. Thus, MSC-sEVs may be a novel therapy for the prevention of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy.
Recently, with the emergence of retrieval requirements for certain individual in the same superclass, e.g., birds, persons, cars, fine-grained recognition task has attracted a significant amount of attention from academia and industry. In fine-grained recognition scenario, the inter-class differences are quite diverse and subtle, which makes it challenging to extract all the discriminative cues. Traditional training mechanism optimizes the overall discriminativeness of the whole feature. It may stop early when some feature elements has been trained to distinguish training samples well, leaving other elements insufficiently trained for a feature. This would result in a less generalizable feature extractor that only captures major discriminative cues and ignores subtle ones. Therefore, there is a need for a training mechanism that enforces the discriminativeness of all the elements in the feature to capture more the subtle visual cues. In this paper, we propose a Discrimination-Aware Mechanism (DAM) that iteratively identifies insufficiently trained elements and improves them. DAM is able to increase the number of well learned elements, which captures more visual cues by the feature extractor. In this way, a more informative representation is learned, which brings better generalization performance. We show that DAM can be easily applied to both proxy-based and pair-based loss functions, and thus can be used in most existing fine-grained recognition paradigms. Comprehensive experiments on CUB200-2011, Cars196, Market-1501, and MSMT17 datasets demonstrate the advantages of our DAM based loss over the related state-of-the-art approaches.
A study was carried out to examine whether the responsiveness of small intestinal epithelial cells to dietary carbohydrate varied during the daily 24 h cycle. The effect of sucrose on disaccharidase activities was compared during a period of decreasing disaccharidase activities, i.e. between 22.00 and 10.00 hours, and increasing disaccharidase activities, i.e. between 10.00 and 22.00 hours, in the jejunum of 7-week-old-rats. Rats were fed on a low-starch, high-fat diet (Lst; starch 5 and fat 73% of gross energy), or a high-starch, low-fat diet (Hst; starch 70 and fat 7% of gross energy). Both dietary groups exhibited typical diurnal variations in jejunal sucrase (EC 3.2.1.48), maltase (EC 3.2.1.20) and lactase (EC 3.2.1.23) activities, exhibiting a peak around 22.00 hours and a trough at approximately 10.00 hours. When rats were fed on diet Lst for 7 d and then force-fed on an isoenergetic sucrose diet (S; sucrose 40 and fat 37% of gross energy) for 6 or 12 h they exhibited increased sucrase, maltase and lactase activities compared with rats fed on diet Lst. The absolute increase in disaccharidase activities was similar regardless of the time diet S was given or whether rats were killed at 10.00 hours or at 22.00 hours. Analyses of sucrase and lactase activities along the villus–crypt columns showed that the distribution of cell cohorts that responded to diet S was not influenced by the time of introduction of diet S. These findings suggest that small intestinal epithelial cells possess the ability to respond to dietary carbohydrate throughout the daily 24 h cycle.
Purpose To assess the safety and efficacy of an ultramini nephrostomy tract, which we were using for the first time, combined with flexible ureterorenoscopy (URS) in the treatment of pediatric patients with multiple renal calculi. Materials and Methods Twenty pediatric patients (age, ≤6 years) underwent ultramini percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) combined with flexible URS. The group had multiple renal calculi, which were bilateral in 3 cases and were located in a total of 23 sites. The calculi were located in 2 calyces in 10 cases, scattered in more than 2 calyces in 7 cases, and limited to 1 calyx in 3 cases. The average patient age was 37.35 months (range, 14-68 months). The average stone diameter was 2.0 cm (range, 1-3.0 cm). In all patients, an ultramini nephrostomy tract was established under ultrasound guidance (dilated to F10) with simultaneous sheath placement. The flexible URS was placed into the collecting system during holmium laser lithotripsy. Results When ultramini PCNL was combined with flexible ureterorenoscopic holmium laser lithotripsy, the complete stone-free rate was 87% (20/23). The average level of hemoglobin decreased to 1.0 g/dL after the operation. No blood transfusions were needed. Levels of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and C-reactive protein were not significantly different before and after the operation. The average duration of hospitalization was approximately 4.85 days, and all cases were followed up for 6 to 12 months. No complications were found. Conclusions Ultramini PCNL combined with flexible ureterorenoscopic holmium laser lithotripsy is a safe and effective treatment for children with multiple renal calculi.
BACKGROUND The migratory locust is one of the most destructive agricultural pests worldwide. ATP synthase (F0 F1 -ATPase) uses proton or sodium motive force to produce 90% of the cellular ATP, and the α-subunit of F1 -ATP synthase (ATP5A) is vital for F1 -ATP synthase. Here, we tested whether ATP5A could be a potential target for RNAi-mediated pest management of L. migratoria.   RESULTS Lm-ATP5A was cloned and characterised. Lm-ATP5A is expressed in all tissues. Injection of 100 ng of the double-stranded RNA of ATP5A (dsATP5A) knocked down the transcription of the target gene and caused mortality in 1.5-5 days. The Lm-ATP5A protein level, the oligomycin-sensitive ATP synthetic and hydrolytic activities and the ATP content were correspondingly reduced following dsATP5A injection.   CONCLUSION These findings demonstrated the essential roles of Lm-ATP5A in L. migratoria and identified it as a potential target for insect pest control. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
This paper develops a review of the main models that have surfaced in the study of the construction process of gender identity. We analyse the conceptual frameworks that underlie each of them and, in particular, we give details of the research carried out on the role of the school in the configuration of gender identity. We finish by stating the theoretical model we defend. Also shown are some relevant conclusions whose aim is to discuss and analyse possible lines of research to be developed in the context of studies on gender and school. REIS 112-E 29/6/06 13:34 Pagina 165 REIS 112-E 29/6/06 13:34 Pagina 166
A catalytic method for the trifluoromethylalkynylation of unactivated alkenes is presented. The reaction is catalyzed by silver(I) trifluoroacetate for the simultaneous construction of two C-C bonds (alkyl-alkyne and alkyl-CF3). By employing versatile hypervalent iodine reagents, ethynylbenziodoxolones, useful trifluoromethylalkynylated compounds can be prepared from simple alkenes displaying excellent functional group tolerability. A radical mechanism is proposed with supporting evidence, providing a new entry to silver(I)-catalyzed trifluoromethylation reactions.
With the enormous volume of biological literature, increasing growth phenomenon due to the high rate of new publications is one of the most common motivations for the biomedical text mining. Aiming at this massive literature to process, it could extract more biological information for mining biomedical knowledge. Using the information will help understand the mechanism of disease generation, promote the development of disease diagnosis technology, and promote the development of new drugs in the field of biomedical research. Based on the background, this chapter introduces the rise of biomedical text mining. Then, it describes the biomedical text-mining technology, namely natural language processing, including the several components. This chapter emphasizes the two aspects in biomedical text mining involving static biomedical information recognization and dynamic biomedical information extraction using instance analysis from our previous works. The aim is to provide a way to quickly understand biomedical text mining for some researchers.
Meridional profiles of OI 6300 A nightglow emission measured using a scanning photometer over Cachoeira Paulista, a low latitude station, often show propagating patches of airglow disturbances with north to south and west to east velocity components, occurring mostly in the premidnight period. 132 measurements carried out during a period of 26 months since January 1978, show significant seasonal dependence in the occurrence of these disturbances, with most of the events occurring in the spring-summer months and with very rare occurrence during the winter solstice. The north to south propagation velocities lie in the range of 150 to 350 m/s. A case by case comparison of the occurrences of these airglow disturbances with simultaneous ionograms over Cachoeira Paulista show that almost the totality of these disturbances are accompanied by strong range type echoes in the ionograms and vice versa. These results therefore support our earlier contention that these types of airglow disturbances might be manifestations of the equatorial plasma bubbles.
In a recent session of our workshop to aid English teachers in teaching writing as a process, one participant asked, "Where does writing a research paper fit in?" "The fact is," we had to tell her, "it usually doesn't," which set her off on the common argument from secondary teachers. "We have to teach the research paper. It's expected. It's in the curriculum. Our students will need this when they go to college. How can you teach writing without teaching them to do a research paper?" Another colleague spoke proudly. "I always have my seventh grade students do research papers. It makes them feel the importance of being in junior high school-advanced, you know, grown up." Silently we wondered what kind of writing was in these documented reports required of students of all ages who had not, as yet, learned to translate their thoughts into good paragraphs. What could they possibly do with the ideas of scholarly authorities when they couldn't organize and record simple ideas of their own. Did any of the teachers who required research papers do any teaching based on real writing? And even as we questioned, we knew the answer was probably "no," for teaching the research paper seldom has any connection with teaching writing. The students, as usual, are given a detailed assignment, a date when the paper is due, and are left to produce it on their own. It isn't that doing research papers is unimportant. Naturally, some students need and even profit from the experience of putting together such a paper. But we had to tell our workshop participants that doing them will not help students learn to write better unless the emphasis is put on composing and this is seldom the case. Few students compose in the body of a research paper. Although it is possible to read the references thoroughly, digest ideas on the chosen subject, select ones which are most appropriate and pertinent, draw some conclusions, and transcribe the newly-acquired thoughts on paper in their own words, few secondary students have the writing skills and the syntactic maturity to do this. Even more significant, teachers who regularly assign research papers do not, as a rule, demand that the body of a research paper be the student's composition, and unless it is, this is not writing. Sometimes it's plagiarism, and most of the time it's phrasing, students lifting ideas from their reading and restating them by substituting words or phrases or changing word or idea order. In neither case are students composing, that is creating a text. When we think about producing a research paper, the writing is only part of the procedure. The rest is learning and practicing library skills, reading, learning correct forms for recording quotations or borrowed information, learning the formal acceptable methods for recording footnotes and the bibliography, and the cosmetic mechanics for margins, sectioning, and indentions used in a manuscript. These are research paper skills, not writing skills, and they are the elements upon which most teachers focus when they evaluate the students' papers. Most research-paper skills can, and usually have to, be rechecked for format every time the students (and most professionals) tackle a new reporting task based upon the use of source material. References are always available. Good instruction in how to write well is not.
Complementary recommendation gains increasing attention in e-commerce since it expedites the process of finding frequently-bought-with products for users in their shopping journey. Therefore, learning the product representation that can reflect this complementary relationship plays a central role in modern recommender systems. In this work, we propose a logical reasoning network, LOGIREC, to effectively learn embeddings of products as well as various transformations (projection, intersection, negation) between them. LOGIREC is capable of capturing the asymmetric complementary relationship between products and seamlessly extending to high-order recommendations where more comprehensive and meaningful complementary relationship is learned for a query set of products. Finally, we further propose a hybrid network that is jointly optimized for learning a more generic product representation. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our LOGIREC on multiple public real-world datasets in terms of various ranking-based metrics under both low-order and high-order recommendation scenarios.
The hydrophobicity and self-cleaning are the important influence factors on the precision and environment resistance of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) in detecting organic gas molecules. In this paper, ZnO nanorod array is prepared via the in situ method on the QCM coated with Au film via hydrothermal process. ZnO nanorod array film on QCM is modified by β-CD in hydrothermal process and then decorated by TiO2 after being impregnated in P25 suspension. The results show that as-prepared ZnO-TiO2 nanocomposite exhibits excellent hydrophobicity for water molecules and superior self-cleaning property for organic molecules under UV irradiation.
Existing error correcting schemes approaching the capacity of orthogonal modulations are mainly resorting to optimized bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) schemes with mandatory iterative decoding or to non binary coded coding schemes for which the field order is matched to the modulation order. The latter approach is efficient especially for short codeword lengths but suffers from a high complexity for high modulation orders. In this paper, we study properties of multi-level coding (MLC) schemes for high order orthogonal modulations and propose to consider non binary MLC to naturally address layer reduction. Design of non binary LDPC codes for non binary MLC is then investigated for both the Gaussian and Rayleigh fading channels showing good performance in both asymptotic and finite length regimes.
Monocytes are amongst the first cells recruited into the brain after traumatic brain injury (TBI). We have shown monocyte depletion 24 hours prior to TBI reduces brain edema, decreases neutrophil infiltration and improves behavioral outcomes. Additionally, both lesion and ventricle size correlate with poor neurologic outcome after TBI. Therefore, we aimed to determine the association between monocyte infiltration, lesion size, and ventricle volume. We hypothesized that monocyte depletion would attenuate lesion size, decrease ventricle enlargement, and preserve white matter in mice after TBI. C57BL/6 mice underwent pan monocyte depletion via intravenous injection of liposome-encapsulated clodronate. Control mice were injected with liposome-encapsulated PBS. TBI was induced via an open-head, controlled cortical impact. Mice were imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1, 7, and 14 days post-injury to evaluate progression of lesion and to detect morphological changes associated with injury (3D T1- weighted MRI) including regional alterations in white matter patterns (multi-direction diffusion MRI). Lesion size and ventricle volume were measured using semi-automatic segmentation and active contour methods with the software program ITK-SNAP. Data was analyzed with the statistical software program PRISM. No significant effect of monocyte depletion on lesion size was detected using MRI following TBI (p=0.4). However, progressive ventricle enlargement following TBI was observed to be attenuated in the monocyte-depleted cohort (5.3 ± 0.9mm3) as compared to the sham-depleted cohort (13.2 ± 3.1mm3; p=0.02). Global white matter integrity and regional patterns were evaluated and quantified for each mouse after extracting fractional anisotropy maps from the multi-direction diffusion-MRI data using Siemens Syngo DTI analysis package. Fractional anisotropy values were preserved in the monocyte-depleted cohort (123.0 ± 4.4mm3) as compared to sham-depleted mice (94.9 ± 4.6mm3; p=0.025) by 14 days post-TBI. The MRI derived data suggests that monocyte depletion at the time of injury may be a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of TBI. Furthermore, non-invasive longitudinal imaging allows for the evaluation of both TBI progression as well as therapeutic response over the course of injury.
The unscented Kalman filter (UKF) provides a powerful tool for power system forecasting-aided state estimation (FASE). However, when the power systems are affected by the abnormal operating situations, i.e., the non-Gaussian communication noises, sudden loads or state changes, and instrument failures, the original UKF based on the minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion may suffer from performance degradation. In contrast to the MMSE criterion, the minimum error entropy (MEE) exhibits the robustness with respect to complex non-Gaussian disturbances. In this article, we develop a new unscented Kalman-type filter based on the MEE criterion, termed MEE-UKF. To derive the MEE-UKF, a statistical linearization approach is adopted in the augmented model such that the state and measurement errors are combined in the MEE cost function simultaneously. Then, a fixed-point iteration algorithm is used to recursively update the posterior estimates and covariance matrix. Apart from the impulsive noises, the MEE-UKF can deal with complex multimodal distribution noises in both process and measurement. The high accuracy and strong robustness of MEE-UKF are confirmed by the simulation results on IEEE 14, 30, and 57 bus test systems under different non-Gaussian disturbances.
Layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes is a well established approach to build composite multilayer assemblies. It is based on the electrostatic interaction between the consecutively deposited, oppositely charged species. [ 1 ] Template-synthetic chemistry based on a LBL deposition technique using a nanoporous membrane has attracted considerable interest in the past decade since it provides highly uniform nanotubes composed of a variety of materials. [ 2 ] Many elaborated hollow cylinders were reported, fabricated within vertically oriented pore arrays of an anodic alumina template. [ 3 ] Recently functionalized nanotubes have begun to attract enormous interest in biological applications, including biolabeling, bioseparation, biocatalysis, biodetection, and biomolecule delivery. [ 4 ] To image biomolecules with the help of their fl uorescence, many kinds of chromophores, [ 5 a,b ] quantum dots, [ 5 c,d ] fl uorescent proteins, [ 5 e,f ] or tailored macromolecular architectures [ 5 g ] have been reported as fl uorogenic labels. To combine nanotechnology, fl uorescence visualization, and biological application, we present herein novel fl uorescent nanotubes fabricated by LBL deposition of oppositely charged core–shell perylene derivatives. These nanotubes can serve as biosensors to detect DNA in a dual-response manner.
We study the uplink achievable rate of full-duplex (FD) multiuser multi-input multi-output (MIMO) systems with a base station (BS) and users over Rician fading channels, based on maximum ratio combining (MRC) receivers. Contrary to previous related works over Rayleigh fading channels, this paper assumes that the fast fading MIMO channel matrix follows the Rice distribution which will be more common in future 5G wireless communication systems. A lower bound expressions of the uplink achievable rate for perfect channel state information (CSI) can be derived when the number of BS antennas grows large. Based on the theoretical analysis, it is found that when the antennas of the BS are large enough and the power scaling law is applied properly, the impact of multi-user interference (MUI), loop interference (LI) and noise can be suppressed. In addition, the simulation results show that the uplink sum achievable rates increase with the number of BS antennas and they will converge to fixed values with the increasing Rician K-factor.
Health care for the elderly is one of the key issues in the field of public health. In the context of global aging, the government's policy framework for elderly care affects the development of local elderly care. The priorities and instruments of the elderly care policy are important windows for understanding the local development planning system. This paper uses a quantitative text analysis method based on text mining to analyze 3,618 provincial policies in China. Considering the pilot demonstration projects for elderly care selected by the Chinese government in recent years, this paper finds that local elderly care policies have a three-phase evolution, and the priorities in each phase are solving the legacy of transition, expanding private sector participation, and realizing the well-being of the elderly. Moreover, mature regions use more environmental policy instruments, and the most effective are financial services, regulatory systems, and strategic guidance. For immature regions, it is necessary to use more core instruments on the premise of using basic instruments so that public policies can serve local development and realize the well-being of the elderly.
Compared with the rapid development and continuous improvement of the military-civilian integration development industry system, the construction of relevant think tanks is seriously lagging behind. Especially the strategic think tank construction has unreasonable think tank structure, the system is not perfect, the think tank channels are not smooth, the platform is lacking, and the government consulting service Purchasing opaque, lack of scientific and effective results transformation mechanism, the overall level of scientific research team is not high, the personnel are uneven, and many other problems or deficiencies, it is difficult to meet the actual needs of the deep development of Guizhou military and civilian integration, objectively require the provincial party committee and the provincial government and relevant departments From the four aspects of ideological consideration, structural gradual optimization, system advance design, and perfect mechanism support, we fully attach importance to and strengthen the construction of strategic think tanks for the integration of military and civilian development in Guizhou Province.
This paper presents a novel technique of using loop transmission lines to approximate shunt capacitors for microstrip type circuit design. The size of the surface area may be effectively reduced and greater layout flexibility can be achieved. This is particularly useful in HTS thin film microstrip circuit design because of its extreme low loss and limited substrate sizes. A 5-pole AMPS 1 MHz bandstop filter is shown as an example.
Compression fracture of the secondary centers of ossification is an important factor in the pathogenesis of Perthes' disease and osteochondrosis dissecans. Avulsion fracture produces osteochondrosis affecting the non-articular epiphyses, e.g., Osgood-Schlatter disease. Some of these injuries appear to be produced solely by repetitive trauma and others may represent pathologic insult to constitutionally vulnerable or revascularizing bone, e.g., the femoral head in Perthes' disease.
Swarm intelligence algorithms are designed to find approximate solutions to optimisation problems emerging from the individual contributions of members of a population, and hence they can be naturally interpreted within the framework of agent-based models. This paper takes a recently introduced numeric optimisation swarm method inspired in the foraging behaviour or urban pigeons and reports a reworking of the algorithm as an agent–based model. The practicality of the model is tested on a set of benchmarks suitably adapted to a discrete search landscape, and the impact of the model parameters is investigated by exhaustive empirical simulations. To further validate the model, we compared it to an existing agent-based model of the standard Particle Swarm Optimisation, a widely–known swarm intelligence method. Results indicate that effectiveness and efficiency of both models are comparable, and moreover, that the agent-based framework was useful to discover new insights about improving the behaviour of the pigeon-inspired method.
Ergonomics, the study of the relationship between the human and the environment, can be effectively applied to identify those aspects of a job that lead to the injuries and to the design or redesign of a job to prevent injury. This article addresses the importance of ergonomics in the prevention of work-related musculoskeletal injuries and the questions the orthopaedic nurse should ask to assist in the design of safer workplaces.
Wastewater generated from an industrial estate accommodating chrome as well as vegetable tanneries has a significant pollution potential with COD ranging from as low as 2000 mg/L to as high as 10,000 mg/L. This medium strength wastewater, if segregated from soak liquor and subjected to chromium removal/recovery, can very well be treated anaerobically with recourse to energy recovery. However, this anaerobic treatment is not sufficient and the post‐anaerobic effluent requires further aerobic treatment to make the wastewater quality conformatory to ISI norms for inland water disposal. Bench scale studies were carried out on treated “tannery effluent from a bench scale anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor to evaluate the feasibility of further treatment by the activated sludge process. This paper reports the experimental results of the studies and also highlights the performance evaluation and determination of kinetic constants for the ASP unit.
Abstract. The main goal of this study was to estimate the correlation between various psychophysiological variables and self-reported disgust during a picture perception paradigm. We further studied disgust sensitivity (DS) as a possible moderator variable for this relationship. Forty-seven subjects (23 females) were presented with a total of 36 pictures with different disgust intensities. Each picture was shown for 8s during which different physiological parameters were registered: heart rate (HR), skin conductance response (SCR), and electromyographic activity (EMG) of the musculus levator labii. Affective ratings and viewing times were assessed after the physiological registrations. The data were analyzed using hierarchical linear models. The degree of the disgust experience reported by the subjects showed a significantly negative correlation with HR and a significantly positive correlation with SCR. Disgust-inducing pictures resulted in higher EMG responses in comparison to neutral pictures, but there...
In this paper, we investigate the m-order linear ordinary differential equation with m linearly independent additional conditions. We have found the solution to this problem and give the formula and the existence condition of Green's function. We compare two Green's functions for two such problems with different additional conditions and apply these results to the problems with nonlocal boundary conditions.
THIS STUDY was initiated to determine whether in the treatment of streptococcal infections in children with oral penicillin the dose and frequency of administration recommended by the American Heart Association (250,000 units three times daily for ten days) 1 can be reduced without jeopardizing the efficacy of therapy. We also wished to determine whether ( a ) such a reduction in frequency of administration should be accompanied by an increase in total dosage, ( b ) an increase in dosage without decreasing the frequency of administration improved the effectiveness of therapy, and ( c ) how these changes in frequency of administration and total dose compared in effectiveness with an alternative recommendation of the American Heart Association, namely, a single dose of 600,000 units of benzathine penicillin G. Methods Subjects .—As in a number of our previous studies, children and an occasional parent from our private pediatric practice with bacteriologically proved beta hemolytic streptococcal illness were
The contents of the Journal of Sport Tourism [Volume 10, Issue 3] include two interesting articles from Turkey. One regarding the “New Product Developments in the Turkish Tourism Market: the Case of Football Tourism” and a cultural/ sports tourism related article pertaining to the “Antique Sports Places in Anatolia”. The article entitled “Sports-Events, Tourism and Destination Marketing Strategies: An Australian Case Study of Athens 2004 and its Media Telecast” provides readers with a “differential” view of the Australian Olympic Games. “Motivations of Equestrian Tourists: An Analysis of the Colonial Cup Races” article provides an in depth analysis of Equestrian sports tourists in terms of fan motivations, sport identification and expenditures. The “Analysis of Spending Patterns of Visitors of Three World Cup Cricket Matches in Potchefstroom, South Africa” provides insights into the visitor spending and the economic impact of three events taking into consideration the differences in spending by different categories of visitors.
In a recent article, Nowak et al. claim that the mathematical basis of inclusive fitness theory does not stand to scrunity and to have found an alternative explanation for eusociality. We show that these claims are based on false premises, many of which have been exposed more than 25 years ago, such as misrepresentations of the basic components of inclusive fitness and fallacious distinctions between individual fitness and inclusive fitness. Moreover, some limitations ascribed to inclusive fitness are actually limitations of current evolutionary theory, for which Nowak et al. propose no new solution. Likewise, their assertedly ‘common sense’ empirical alternative to estimating inclusive fitness is not applicable in cases of interest. Finally, their eusociality model merely confirms the importance of all the components of inclusive fitness. We conclude by discussing how rhetorical devices and editorial practices can impede scientific endeavours.
Background During slow pathway modification for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, heart block may occur if ablation cannot be stopped in time in response to high risk electrogram features (HREF). Objectives To develop an automatic algorithm to monitor HREF and terminate ablation earlier than human reaction. Methods Digital electrogram data from 332 ablation runs from February 2020 to June 2022 were included. They were divided into training and validation sets which contained 126 and 206 ablation runs respectively. HREF in training set was measured. Then a program was developed with cutoff values decided from training set to capture all these HREF. Simulation ablation videos were rendered using validation set electrogram data. The videos were played to three independent electrophysiologists who each determined when to stop ablation. Timing of ablation termination, sensitivity, and specificity were compared between human and program. Results Reasons for ablation termination in the training set include short AA time, short VV time, AV block and VA block. Cutoffs for the program were set to maximize program sensitivity. Sensitivity and specificity for the program in the validation set were 95.2% and 91.1% respectively, which were comparable to that of human performance at 93.5% and 95.4%. If HREF were recognized by both human and program, ablations were terminated earlier by the program 90.2% of times, by a median of 574 ms (interquartile range 412–807 ms, p < 0.001). Conclusion Algorithmic-driven monitoring of slow pathway modification can supplement human judgement to improve ablation safety.
Abstract Objective This article evaluates the current availability of information on residency program Web sites that may be of interest to residency applicants. Design Cross-sectional analysis of 117 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited ophthalmology residency program Web sites from October 17, 2018 to December 17, 2018. Methods Programs were identified through the ACGME-specialty search, and the URL links provided by the program were evaluated for directing the user to the institution, department, or residency program. If a link was not functional or not provided, programs were identified through a Google search. Web sites were evaluated for having information on how to apply, application requirements and eligibility, and providing a link to the San Francisco (SF) Match. Educational content included: didactic instruction, rotation overview, research requirement information, active and/or past research, institutional conferences, academic conferences, call schedules, and charitable work. Recruitment content included current residents and faculty and their biographies, graduate placement, salary, benefits, surrounding area information, message from the Program Director, Chair, and/or Chief Residents, surgical statistics, affiliated hospital information, selection criteria, and association links. Data was stratified by program size, geographic region, and top 20 hospitals in ophthalmology by the U.S. News & World Report. Results Nonfunctional links were provided by 16.2% of programs, and 3.4% did not provide a link. Application instructions were presented by 83% of programs and 77% provided a link to the SF Match. Greater than 80% provided didactic instruction, rotation overviews, research expectations of residents, and faculty and resident listings. Up to half of programs listed information about application requirements and eligibility, call schedules, surgical statistics, academic conferences, charitable work, salary, and selection criteria. A message to applicants was displayed by 48% of programs, and 16% of programs provided association links. Programs with more than 15 residents provided more educational content than programs with less than 12 (p = 0.042). Differences in recruitment content were observed among programs in the Northeast and West, (p = 0.003) and programs in the South and West (p = 0.037). No other differences were observed. Conclusion The Internet is frequently consulted during the residency application process. Many programs provide basic information, but this can be further optimized to maximize the utility of residency Web sites.
Soil nutrient availability often limits forest productivity, and soils vary considerably in their ability to supply nutrients (Cole 1995). Most southern Appalachian forests are minimally managed, with no fertilizer inputs or routine thinning regime. Nutrient availability is regulated by atmospheric inputs and the internal cycling of nutrients through such processes as forest floor decomposition (Hursh 1928; Alba.n 1982), soil organic matter mineralization, and the weathering of parent material or primary minerals. Long-term studies in undisturbed forests have shown that soil cation concentrations often decline over time (Binkley et al. 1989; Billett et al. 1990; Knoepp and Swank 1994; Richter et al. 1994). These decreases result from the sequestration of nutrients in aboveground biomass and/or leaching to streams (Johnson et al. 1988; Knoepp and Swank 1994). The sequestration of nutrients has raised questions about the long-term effects of harvesting vegetation and its associated nutrient removal on long-term soil nutrient availability and site productivity. The responses of soil nutrient pools to forest harvesting vary according to harvest method and forest type. Research has shown that a whole-tree harvest can decrease both total N and exchangeable base cations (Mroz et al. 1985; Waide et al. 1988; Knoepp and Swank 1997). While nutrient declines do not always occur (Hendrickson et al. 1989), the potential for such losses has raised concerns about long-term forest productivity when whole-tree harvesting methods are
The preliminary results of insertion of a cochlear implant via the middle fossa in nine patients with profound bilateral hearing loss are described. Aetiologies included a bilateral radical mastoidectomy cavity, adhesive otitis media, autoimmune inner ear disease, previous cranial trauma, genetic pre-lingual deafness, and otosclerosis. A classic middle fossa approach was adopted. A small cochleostomy measuring 1.5 mm in diameter was performed on the most superficial part of the basal turn. A Nucleus 24M cochlear implant system (Cochlear Corporation) was inserted in four patients, a Lauraflex implant (Philips Hearing Implants) was used in three patients and a Combi 40+ (Med-el) with a double electrode array in two. Single electrode arrays were inserted from the cochleostomy to the cochlear apex and occupied a portion of the basal turn, as well as the middle and apical turns. Double electrode arrays were inserted, one towards the apex and one into the basal turn of the cochlea towards the round window. The receiver stimulator was positioned in a bone well previously drilled in the temporal squama and the electrode carrier was inserted in the fenestrated cochlea. The activity of the inserted electrodes was tested by means of telemetry and intraoperative recording of electrically evoked auditory brainstem responses (EABR). Speech recognition tests, performed over a period of time ranging from one to six months after cochlear implant activation, yielded better results in these patients compared with those obtained in postlingually deaf patients operated on via the traditional transmastoid route. Cochlear implant insertion via the middle fossa approach is a technique which is suitable for the implantation of patients with bilateral radical mastoidectomy cavities, chronic middle ear disease, middle ear malformations, or with partial obliteration of the cochlea in the basal turn. However, the main advantage of inserting the implant through the middle fossa cochleostomy consists in the possibility of stimulating, with the single array, areas of the cochlea, i.e. part of the basal, middle and apical turns, where a greater survival rate of spiral ganglion cells is known to occur. In addition, with the double array total occupation of the cochlea is possible, providing the possibility of replicating the tonotopic organization of the cochlea. This new approach has led to major improvements in speech recognition in all patients compared with patients operated on via the transmastoid approach and, given the present state of the art, may be the elective approach for optimal implantation outcomes.
ABSTRACT The technology-based service encounter has received significant attention with the advance of technology, especially artificial intelligence robots, in the healthcare industry. In the technology-based service encounter, the technology as a service provider plays a critical role in succeeding the service encounter. The purpose of this study is to develop a framework for the success factors of a technology-based service encounter in the healthcare industry. Roles of subjects (human and technologies) and success factors in the encounter are reviewed and proposed. A systematic literature review supports the proposed framework, which explains success factors for technology-based service encounters in the healthcare industry.
Few studies document incidence of injection drug use among homeless youth. We followed a cohort of 70 street-recruited homeless youth in San Francisco, California who had never injected drugs for six months in 2004-5. We examined initiation of injection drug use and its predictors, informed by prior ethnographic findings. Data were analyzed using exact logistic regression. 11.4% of youth initiated injection drug use. Having no high school education, being over 21 years old, and being in disequilibrium predicted initiation. Limitations, implications and suggestions for future research are noted. Funding was provided by the National Institute for Child Health and Development.
Most of the Lithuanian cities try to achieve public transport priority by the provision of special dedicated public transport lanes. However, the possible priority measures at signalised intersections receive less attention. This paper explains common signal control strategies applied at isolated intersections in the cities around the world and estimated their effects on the travel times of both, public transport and general traffic. The analysis employs well recognised PTV VISSIM simulation environment and VisVAP graphical programming interface to implement and test priority measures under question. The results indicate that priority actions significantly reduce public transport delays up to 60%, without high adverse impact on general traffic delays.
Biochemical characterization of the haemostatic system has advanced significantly in the past decades. Sub-systems, such as coagulation, fibrinolysis, blood cells and platelets and the vessel wall have been studied by specialists, mostly separately and independently. The time has come to integrate the approaches, and, in particular, to develop tests to document the state of the whole system and to have available adequate pharmacodynamic tests to evaluate treatments. Many examples are available to show that traditional general methods of clotting and lysis do not provide the information that is desired. The present tendency is to use specific methods for specific factors or effects which are very limited in pharmacological information. There is also increasing awareness of the occurrence of rather broad interindividual variability in the haemostatic system. This suggests that individually tailored treatments are required. This is the more relevant since haemostasis is a balance and treatment should be positioned between efficacy and safety. The conclusion is reached that there is a need for integrated or global methods or sets of methods that reflect the complexity and individual status appropriately and allow the practitioner to judge the effects of interventions and their individual aspects.
Tomato is the most widely cultivated fruit in the world. The low production of tomato in Indonesia at planting tomato regardless quality. Then be directed to increase tomato quality with planting of the seed is available from the selection of good tomato quality. Science and digital image processing technology make it possible for tomato quality selection with automatically, by using application tomato fruit selection for superior seed by color and size using color space Hue Saturation Value (HSV) method and thresholding processing. From the result of application has 3 (three) output from the color and size of the fruit is good tomato, half as nice tomato and not nice tomato. Keyword :   Tomato, Color, Size, Hue Saturation Value (HSV), Quantization HSV, Thresholding, Otsu Threshold, Data Similarly.
The energy levels of exchange-coupled pairs of $3{d}^{3}$ ions, each in the $^{4}A_{2}$ or $^{2}E$ state, are derived, taking into account the orbitally anisotropic nature of the exchange interaction. Specific analysis is made of the spectrum of collinear pairs of vanadium ions in a KMg${ mathrm{F}}_{3}$ host. It is found that the Davydov-type splittings in the excited levels of the pairs, which are caused by the exchange orbital anisotropy, are 2-6 times greater than the ground-state-ground-state exchange matrix elements. Using a semiquantitative method for estimating the diminution of exchange as one increases the number of ligand linkages between the magnetic ions, the magnitude of energy-transfer integrals for ${ mathrm{V}}^{2+}$ ions separated by three ${ mathrm{F}}^{ ensuremath{-}}$ ions is found sufficient to cause rapid single-ion-single-ion energy transfer ( ensuremath{ sim}1  ensuremath{ mu}sec). This result indirectly supports the argument that the Davydov-like terms for weakly coupled ${ mathrm{Cr}}^{3+}$ pairs are responsible for energy transfer in dilute ruby.
Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have garnered enormous attention from researchers owing to their superior physicochemical properties, which are of particular interest in various fields such as catalysis and the diverse areas of biomedicine. Despite their position in the utilization for various applications compared to other innovative nanocarriers such as dendrimers and mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), in terms of advantageous physicochemical attributes, as well as attractive textural properties, ease of characterization, and abundant surface chemistry for functionalization and other benefits, MOFs yet suffer from several issues such as poor degradability, which might lead to accumulation-induced biocompatibility risk. In addition, some of the MOFs suffer from a shortcoming of poor colloidal stability in the aqueous solution, hindering their applicability in diverse biomedical fields. To address these limitations, several advancements have been made to fabricate polymeric nanocomposites of MOFs for their utility in various biomedical fields. In this review, we aim to provide a brief emphasis on various organic polymers used for coating over MOFs to improve their physicochemical attributes considering a series of recently reported intriguing studies. Finally, we summarize with perspectives.
The requirement for more efficient use of materials for pipelines has lead to the application of high strength low alloy steels such as X70 and X80 in pipelines. As the strength of these alloys has increased so has the risk of hydrogen assisted cold cracking (HACC). In Australia to minimize construction time, the root runs of girth welds are produced by shielded metal arc welding using cellulosic electrodes without either pre or post heating. Well defined welding criteria have been developed and are incorporated into the weld procedures for the elimination of HACC in the heat affected zone but the risk of cracking to the weld metal is still of concern.It has been reported that plastic deformation occurs prior to the formation of hydrogen cracks in weld metal. Therefore the evaluation of plastic strains at the micro- and nano-scale and their relationship to the weld metal microstructure could be of great significance in assessing the susceptibility of welds to weld metal hydrogen assisted cold cracking (WMHACC).A method for analysing plastic strains on the micro- and nano-scales using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) has been developed. This technique is based on the degradation and rotation of diffraction patterns as a result of crystallographic lattice distortion resulting from plastic deformation. The analysis can be automated to produce an Image Quality (IQ) map in order to relate the spatial distribution of plastic deformation to microstructural features e.g. grains or cracks.The development and assessment of techniques using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and EBSD for the determination of local plastic strain distribution in E8010 weld metal used for the root pass of X70 pipeline girth welds is discussed.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Abstract The dispersion of an elastomeric phase (blend of two miscible copolymers: ethylene-vinyl acetate and ethylene-methyl acrylate) in a polypropylene matrix along a corotating twin-screw extruder was studied experimentally. A sliding barrel allowed a direct access to the screws and thus permitted a rapid cooling and sampling. The dispersion of the elastomeric phase was controlled by scanning electron microscopy and the size distribution was obtained by image analysis. The particle size distribution was measured at different locations along the screws in order to quantify the evolution of the morphology. Complementary studies were carried out on a pre-shearing rheometer (Rheoplast) in order to study the influence of the mechanical treatment upon particle size. The dispersion of the elastomeric phase was observed at the capillary exit by the above mentioned techniques. The results of these different experiments enhance the importance of the melting mechanism and put in evidence that the final morphology of the blend is controlled by the opposite mechanisms of break up and coalescence.
For the present work, the magnetoelectric (ME) composites with composition 0.05 Ni0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 - 0.95 Ba0.9-3x/2Sr0.1LaxTiO3 (NZF-BSLT) with x = 0, 0.01and 0.02 were synthesized by conventional solid state reaction route. The existence of both phases was confirmed by the X-Ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The dielectric properties such as dielectric constant and dielectric loss were measured as a function of temperature at different frequencies. P-E hysteresis loops and M-H hysteresis loops confirm the ferroelectric and ferromagnetic nature of the composite samples.La substitution in ferroelectric phase results in significant improvement in properties of composite samples. The investigated composites seem to be very attractive for multiple state memory devices where data can be stored both as polarization (P) and magnetization (M). Copyright © 2014 VBRI press.
OBJECTIVES Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) in health economics commonly present choice sets in an unlabeled form. Labeled choice sets are less abstract and may increase the validity of the results. We empirically compared the feasibility, respondents' trading behavior, and convergent validity between a labeled and an unlabeled DCE for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programs in The Netherlands.   METHODS A labeled DCE version presented CRC screening test alternatives as "fecal occult blood test,""sigmoidoscopy," and "colonoscopy," whereas the unlabeled DCE version presented them as "screening test A" and "screening test B." Questionnaires were sent to participants and nonparticipants in CRC screening.   RESULTS Total response rate was 276 (39%) out of 712 and 1033 (46%) out of 2267 for unlabeled and labeled DCEs, respectively (P<0.001). The labels played a significant role in individual choices; approximately 22% of subjects had dominant preferences for screening test labels. The convergent validity was modest to low (participants in CRC screening: r=0.54; P=0.01; nonparticipants: r=0.17; P=0.45) largely because of different preferences for screening frequency.   CONCLUSION This study provides important insights in the feasibility and difference in results from labeled and unlabeled DCEs. The inclusion of labels appeared to play a significant role in individual choices but reduced the attention respondents give to the attributes. As a result, unlabeled DCEs may be more suitable to investigate trade-offs between attributes and for respondents who do not have familiarity with the alternative labels, whereas labeled DCEs may be more suitable to explain real-life choices such as uptake of cancer screening.
Within the erythroid lineage, erythropoietin (EPO) responsiveness is manifested by cell division and growth as well as specific changes in heme and globin production that ultimately result in the production of erythrocytes. However, the nascent relationship between EPO-associated mitosis and globin gene regulation has not been fully defined. In this study, cultured adult human CD34+ cells from peripheral blood were used to investigate early cellular responses to erythropoietin in the context of mitosis. Matched cultures were performed in replicate using human cells from at least two healthy adults. To detect mitosis, one million cells were labeled with 2uM carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinamidyl ester (CFSE). The CFSE-labeled cells were then cultured in the presence [EPO(+)] or absence [EPO(−)] of 4U/mL EPO, and analyzed using flow cytometry. No cell divisions were detected in either condition during the first 24 hours in culture, and multiple cell divisions were noted on subsequent culture days only in the EPO(+) cultures. Remarkably, dual-staining with CFSE and CD71 revealed a small ( 90% of those cells. These novel results suggest that the frequency and levels of gamma-globin transcripts are quite low at the earliest stages of an EPO response among adult human CD34+ cells. However, it is clearly demonstrated that the cells can increase their capacity to import iron and transcribe beta-globin mRNA at very high levels prior to their first EPO-dependent cell division.
A 54-year-old man with medullary thyroid carcinoma in the thyroid gland was unable to undergo total thyroidectomy because the tumor had invaded the mediastinum. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy were given. Seven years later, intractable diarrhea and abdominal pain appeared, and computed tomography demonstrated hypervascular tumors in the thyroid gland and in the liver. The tumors were successfully treated with percutaneous ethanol injection to a lesion in the thyroid gland and transcatheter arterial embolization followed by percutaneous ethanol injection to tumors in the liver. Transcatheter arterial embolization and percutaneous ethanol injection may be valuable in treating medullary thyroid carcinoma.
Aim : The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria is the most dangerous threat for the treatment of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to detect and characterize extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) and carbapenemaseproducing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli among patients and environment of intensive care units (ICUs) of three tertiary care hospitals in Pakistan. Materials and Methods : A total of 82 samples from ICU's patients and inanimate environment (injection trays, wash basins, door handles, hand swabs of professionals, and ICU fridges) were screened for ESBL by culturing on CHROMagar-ESBL. ESBL and carbapenemases production were confirmed by double disc synergy test and modified Hodge's test, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect ESBL encoding genes bla cefotaxime (CTX-M), bla CTX-M-1, bla CTX-M-2, bla CTX-M-9, bla TEM, blaSHV and carbapenemase genes bla KPC, bla New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1, bla OXA-48 and bla VIM. Results : Overall, ESBL production was found high 30/82 (36.5%) among isolates of which 15.8% K. pneumoniae and 20.7% E. coli were identified. All the K. pneumoniae and majority of E. coli isolates were MDR, i.e., resistance to three or more antimicrobial categories. Molecular characterization showed the bla CTX-M-1 as the predominant genotype found in 17/21 (80%) of the isolates. None of the strains was found positive for carbapenemase-encoding genes. Conclusion : In conclusion, this study demonstrates the emergence of MDR ESBL producing strains among ICU patients and hospital environment, posing a serious threat for the control of nosocomial infections.
Introduction: Recently, absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have been reported to be prognostic and/or predictive factors in breast cancer. However, most of the investigations on the relationship between systemic inflammatory markers and prognosis have been conducted perioperatively, with few studies reporting on patients with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer (MBC). Here, we investigated the role of ALC and NLR as prognostic factors of MBC. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of patients with MBC treated at the University of Tsukuba Hospital between 2013 and 2020. ALC and NLR clinical data were obtained from the patients’ charts. Based on the previous reports, the cutoff value of ALC was set at 1,500/µL and that of NLR, at 3. We investigated the prognostic significance of ALC and NLR. Results: About 80% of the 243 included patients were hormone receptor-positive, 20% were HER2-positive, and 10% were triple negative. The patients were grouped as follows: 114 (46.9%) and 129 (53.1%) in the high and low ALC groups and 145 (59.7%) and 98 (40.3%) in the high and low NLR groups, respectively. The group with high ALC at diagnosis of MBC showed significantly better prognosis (p = 0.002), and the median overall survival (OS) was 70.9 months, as compared with 40.2 months for the low ALC group. On multivariate analysis, visceral metastasis, subtype, and ALC were independent variables for OS; the NLR status was not correlated with OS. Conclusions: Analysis of real-world data suggests that ALC at diagnosis of MBC is an independent prognostic factor.
Guinea pig hepatoma cells (line-10) growing as ascites were studied for the presence of immunoglobulin, C4, and C3 (components of complement) on their surfaces. Immunoglobulin, C4, and C3 content increased with length of time spent in the peritoneal cavity. The persistence of these factors bound in vivo or in vitro was also determined. Complement-fixing (CF) activity of cellbound antibody disappeared from the surface more rapidly at 37 degrees C than at 4 degrees C; the continued presence of cellbound immunoglobulin in non-complement-fixing form could be demonostrated at either temperature. No CF activity was released into the medium. C4 and C3 were released into the medium and could be demonstrated in the medium by immunochemical methods.
Introduction Population-based disability prevalence estimates are limited for New York City (NYC). We examined the association of several health and health-related measures with disability among NYC residents aged 20-64 years.   Methods We used information from 1,314 adults who participated in the 2013-2014 NYC Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES). We categorized survey participants as having a disability if they reported a physical, mental, and/or emotional problem preventing work or if they reported difficulty walking without special equipment because of a health problem. We used log-binomial regression to quantify the association of each exposure with disability before and after adjustment for select covariates.   Results Overall, 12.4% of the study's NYC residents aged 20-64 years had a disability. After adjustment, disability prevalence was significantly greater among those who reported having unmet health care needs (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.18-2.57) and those who reported fair/poor general health (PR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.68-3.24). The probability of disability was greater among NYC residents with arthritis (PR = 2.66, 95% CI: 1.85-3.98) and hypertension (PR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.04-2.11) when compared with those without these conditions. Disability was also associated with depression (PR = 2.96, 95% CI: 2.06-4.25), anxiety (PR = 2.89, 95% CI: 2.15-3.88), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.66-3.91). Disability, however, was not associated with diabetes.   Conclusion Disability is more prevalent among those with unmet health care needs, fair/poor general health, arthritis, hypertension, depression, anxiety, and PTSD in these NYC residents, aged 20-64 years. These findings have implications for NYC's strategic planning initiatives, which can be better targeted to groups disproportionately affected by disability.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA was isolated and identified in calcified pleura from remains 1400 years old, with the polymerase chain reaction. This is the first demonstration of tuberculosis in non‐mummified archaeological tissue other than bone; the presence of mycobacterial mycolic acids in the sample supports this conclusion. The study of ancient DNA from microbial pathogens is of interest as it enables verification of traditional diagnoses, may answer long‐standing questions in the history of disease, and provides ancient DNA sequences that can be compared with those of modern isolates.
The most striking feature of the immune reaction consists in the production of specific protective substances, known as antibodies, in response to the presence within the body of a foreign protein, the so-called antigen. These factors, indeed, have been identified, but the finer details of the mechanism of the defensive process are almost entirely obscure. The theory originally propounded, and even now generally entertained, was based on the high degree of affinity which antibody has for antigen. As rapidly as the organism could produce these protective substances, they were supposed to attack the antigen, and to neutralize or destroy it. After this process had been brought to completion, so that no free antigen remained in the body, free antibody was supposed to accumulate, and was then demonstrable as such in the blood. According to this view, the latent period which followed the introduction of antigen into an organism, and which preceded the demonstrable presence of free antibody in its blood, was occupied by the neutralization of antigen by antibody. The succeeding period, the so-called positive phase, characterized by the presence of free antibody, was taken to denote the complete neutralization of the antigen. The validity of this theory was seriously threatened by a series of observations which seemed to indicate the coexistence of antigen and antibody within the blood over considerable periods of time.
127 Introduction The latest Home Office crime statistics reveal that in the 12 months to March 2001 there were 5.2 million crimes recorded in England and Wales. During this period there were 37 299 recorded sexual offences, 21% higher than in 1995–1996.1 Further analysis of the sexual offences data reveals that there were 7929 recorded rapes of a female within the 12 months ending March 2001; this represented a 1.5% rise compared to the previous year. It is likely that these figures represent only a small fraction of the sexual offences that actually take place. This review will examine how women who have been sexually assaulted may present to health care professionals working in primary care, family planning and genitourinary clinics, and discusses the management options that are available for such clients. How to use a FACT
SUMMARY Crustal thickness and Poisson’s ratio are two key parameters for investigating tectonic setting and evolution. The H-k technique has become popular to determinate their values in recent years.However,ifacomplexstructureexistsinthecrust,thereverberatedphasesfromdifferent depths may interfere with each other, resulting in reduction or even absence of the PpPs phase from the Moho, such that the H-k algorithm may not reveal unambiguous estimates of these two parameters. In this paper, the H-k technique is applied to process a synthetic receiver function for a test case, the result of which is compared with that from direct picking of the time delays of the converted and reverberated phases. Then we process the observational data recorded at two stations in eastern Tibet, determine the crustal thickness and the velocity ratio using the two methods, compare the result with that obtained by Xu et al .a t the same location, and analyse the potential causes for discrepancy as well as the reliability of the two methods. Finally, the crustal thickness and the Poisson’s ratio in eastern Tibet and Sichuan Basin are determined from the receiver functions recorded at 51 broad-band stations, using the two different methods. The results indicate that the crustal thickness from the time delays is thicker than that from the H-k algorithm near the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, and the crustal Poisson’s ratio in the rigid Sichuan Basin from the time delays ranges from 0.26 to 0.28, which are more reasonable than that from the H-k (0.28 to 0.34). Additionally, the Poisson’s ratio under the faults from the time delays is found to be higher than those on the two sides, which is consistent with the tectonic background and previous study.
Rationale: This is the first known report in the English literature to describe a case of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that has been controlled for >11 years. Patient concerns: A 71-year-old man visited our hospital because of dry cough. Diagnosis: Chest computed tomography revealed a tumor on the left lower lobe with pleural effusion, and thoracic puncture cytology indicated lung adenocarcinoma. Interventions: Four cycles of carboplatin and docetaxel chemotherapy reduced the size of the tumor; however, it increased in size after 8 months, and re-challenge chemotherapy (RC) with the same drugs was performed. Repeated RC controlled disease activity for 6 years. After the patient failed to respond to RC, erlotinib was administered for 3 years while repeating a treatment holiday to reduce side effects. The disease progressed, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation analysis of cells from the pleural effusion detected the T790 M mutation. Therefore, osimertinib was administered, which has been effective for >1 year. Outcomes: The patient has survived for >11 years since the diagnosis of lung cancer. Lessons: Long-term survival may be implemented by actively repeating cytotoxic chemotherapy and EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor administration.
Many countries worldwide are investigating the use of advanced fuels and fuel cycles for purposes such as increasing the sustainability of the nuclear fuel cycle, or decreasing the radiological impact of used fuel. One common metric used to assess the radiological impact to humans of fuels placed in a repository is the total radiotoxicity of the fuel, but this approach does not take into account how engineered and natural (i.e., rock) barriers can remove many radiotoxic nuclides from ground water before they reach the surface. In this study, we evaluate the potential radiological dose consequences of advanced fuels in the context of a full system model simulation for release and transport from a repository, transport through the surrounding geosphere, release to the biosphere and dose consequences for the target critical group. Heavy water moderated reactors, such as the CANDU® reactor, are well-suited to the use of advanced fuels, and the post-closure performance of a deep geological repository for spent...
Abstract Growth performances of sunshine bass (initial m.b.w.=200±50 g) were examined in 3 different rearing conditions: concrete square basins (HSB-1); raceways (HSB-2); natural ponds (HSB-3). Fish received the same extruded feed (prot. 48.8%; lip. 17.8%). The trial lasted 16 months in HSB-1 and HSB-2 and only 12 months in HSB-3 due to unfavourable welfare status and low growth performances. At harvest (after 16 months), sunshine bass reached a satisfactory mean weight without significant differences between groups. HSB-2 fish were longer with a smaller circumference, probably due to different hydrodynamics of the raceway. Glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, protein, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatine kinase (CK), glycogen of plasma or tissue were not affected by rearing conditions as well as the proximate composition and the fatty acid profile of the fillet.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face enormous pressure on the management of their resources. Lack of awareness and expertise are often major obstacles in achieving a better business strategy. Increasing customer pressure and the need to comply with regulations are also very strong drivers for the adoption of environmentally friendly procedures for the disposal of their wastes. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the parameters that interact in the implementation of environmental management tools taking into account the characteristics of SMEs. Particular attention is given to the management of packaging waste. General conclusions and further research are also mentioned. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment
Ramanitra, N.A. 2000. An analysis of bird communities in the Tsingy Forest of Madagascar's western domain. Ostrich: 71 (1):51. Composition of the bird communities at different habitats in the Tsingy Forest may be influenced by weather. The species, which occur in this region are important, but the presence of several eastern species was very surprising. Canyon and reservoirs of water in caves or between the rocks helped some species to survive the dry season. The mosaic habitat structure and steep slopes of the karst formation determined the distribution of birds, especially terrestrial species. The uneven furrowed rocky topography constitutes a barrier for human penetration and reduces anthropic pressure in this region. That is the reason Tsingy of Bemaraha is more protected than other natural reserves in the western domain of Madagascar.
PURPOSE To determine whether there is an association between the spatial distribution of lesions detected at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the brain in children after closed-head injury and the development of secondary attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).   MATERIALS AND METHODS Data obtained from 76 children without prior history of ADHD were analyzed. MR images were obtained 3 months after closed-head injury. After manual delineation of lesions, images were registered to the Talairach coordinate system. For each subject, registered images and secondary ADHD status were integrated into a brain-image database, which contains depiction (visualization) and statistical analysis software. Using this database, we assessed visually the spatial distributions of lesions and performed statistical analysis of image and clinical variables.   RESULTS Of the 76 children, 15 developed secondary ADHD. Depiction of the data suggested that children who developed secondary ADHD had more lesions in the right putamen than children who did not develop secondary ADHD; this impression was confirmed statistically. After Bonferroni correction, we could not demonstrate significant differences between secondary ADHD status and lesion burdens for the right caudate nucleus or the right globus pallidus.   CONCLUSION Closed-head injury-induced lesions in the right putamen in children are associated with subsequent development of secondary ADHD. Depiction software is useful in guiding statistical analysis of image data.
Spatial-temporal forecasting (e.g., traffic flow forecasting) plays a vital role in various applications and has important research significance. Most existing spatial-temporal forecasting methods improve the forecasting accuracy by stacking discrete modules. However, the discontinuous hidden state trajectories between discrete modules may lead to high numerical errors, parameter redundancy, and model complexity. Neural Controlled Differential Equations (NCDEs) can solve the above issues effectively, which have a mechanism that can continuously adjust the hidden state trajectories according to controlled signals. In this paper, we propose a novel Spatial-Temporal Continuous Encoder-Decoder (STCED) method for spatial-temporal forecasting. Specifically, we first propose an overall spatial-temporal continuous encoder-decoder architecture based on NCDEs, which can not only promote the spatial-temporal message passing, but also capture the periodicity without introducing multiple modules or extra parameters. Then, we refactor the core of NCDEs based on Fast Weight Programmers (FWPs) and Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) to overcome the limitations that previous NCDEs cannot capture long-range spatial-temporal dependencies. We conduct experiments on two representative spatial-temporal datasets, demonstrating the effectiveness and superiority of our proposed algorithm.
Botanical and chemical compositions of Angora goat (Capra hircus) diets, determined with esophageally cannulated animals, were studied with and independent of a cattle-sheep-goat herd in a short-duration grazing (SDG) system. The study site consisted of 2 pastures in a 14-pasture, 1-herd SDG system. Each collection period in both pastures began when 44 animal units of livestock moved into either pasture 1 or 2. This methodology allowed a comparison of diet selection with and without grazing pressure. Goats selected more grass during the summer and fall than during the winter and spring. Browse was preferred over grass and forbs. Generally, higher crude protein values tended to be associated with large amounts of browse and forb selection. In vitro digestibility was highest in April and lowest in August. Crude protein was highest in April and lowest in November. Under this particular stocking rate (.19 animal unit years/ha) and weather conditions, we concluded that increased grazing pressure, caused by a 4-day graze period in a SDG system, had little effect on goat nutrition.
sf ~Forum Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter. In 1956 a food technologist at Oregon State University made a startling discovery: cans of meat that had supposedly been sterilized with gamma radiation contained a thriving organism, subsequently named Deinococcus radiodurans. D. radiodurans has been shown to survive and continue to function after being exposed to radiation doses up to 10 times those that would kill most bacteria. In addition, it is able to survive nutrient-poor environments, including weathered granite in a dry Antarctic valley, and periods of extended desiccation. The organism has been tapped as a strong candidate for bioremediation of sites contaminated with radiation and toxic chemicals. Recently, the genomic sequence for this radiation-resistant bac-2 terium was completed by a team of scientists led by Owen White and Claire M. Fraser of The Institute for Genomic Research in a project reported in the 19 November 1999 issue of Science. D. radiodurans was selected for genetic sequencing because among six closely related species it was the most amenable to genetic manipulation. According to Michael who collaborated in the research, this amenability has already enabled him and colleagues "to introduce bioremediating gene functions into D. radiodurans from other organisms that can detoxify wastes but that are very sensitive to and are killed by radiation." In work published in the October 1998 and January 2000 issues of Nature Biotechnology, Daly and colleagues developed bioengineered forms of D. radiodu-rans that can transform toxic ionic mercury into much less toxic elemental mercury, turn soluble uranium(VI) into insoluble uranium(IV), and detoxify toluene and related chlorinated aromatic compounds. Despite this promising work, Jacqueline A. MacDonald, study director of the National Research Council's Committee on Technologies for Cleanup of Subsurface Contaminants in the DOE Weapons Complex, believes that "although the use of microorganisms to degrade organic chemicals has been known for years, this approach has a host of limitations that still need to be overcome." First, bioremediation generally requires a wet environment for the bacteria to flourish (although the fact that D. radiodurans can withstand adverse conditions means it may perform better than other types of bacteria in a dry setting). Second, the degradation of highly chlorinated hydrocarbons produces metabolites that, if not themselves further degraded, are often more mobile and more toxic …
Documentation of existing flora of the urban environment is important to determine existing resources and to set target for future improvement. An understanding of the flora in regional level must play an important role in elucidating the larger patterns of distribution of biodiversity. Floristic inventory of trees of Andhra University campus in Visakhapatnam city was carried out during 2010 to 2016. This study resulted in record of 175 tree species pertains to 132 genera under 53 families. The data presented will be a valuable source of information for management of tree resources in the Andhra University campus.
Previous studies have established that mycobacterial infections ameliorate allergic inflammation. However, a non‐infectious approach that controls allergic responses might represent a safer and more promising strategy. The 60–65 kDa heat shock protein (Hsp) family is endowed with anti‐inflammatory properties, but it is still unclear whether and how single mycobacterial Hsp control allergic disorders.
The broad objectives of liberal education include the instilling of a sense of responsible citizenship along with knowledge that creates a better society. Although financial literacy is required at both the individual and public levels for an improved societal outcome to ensue, it is rare to find a finance-related course within the general education curriculum of most universities. Liberal arts administrators and faculty are reluctant to include finance-related courses because they are not perceived to be sufficiently broad in scope. The argument is accurate for a typical personal finance course. However, the purpose of this article is to show that it is possible to construct a financial literacy course with design features that make it acceptable for inclusion in the general education curriculum of a liberal arts university. First, the objectives of liberal education are highlighted, as enumerated by three independent organizations [American Academy for Liberal Education (AALE), Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Annapolis Group]. Next, the assessment standards of the AALE are utilized to develop the pedagogical features of the course design. A liberal arts focus can be achieved by including topical readings, in-class discussions or debates and a research paper that highlights the societal impacts of financial decisions. Finally, it is illustrated how the design features allow the course to fulfil the assessment standards of liberal arts objectives including effective reasoning, broad and deep learning and the inclination to inquire.
Summary 1. Blood samples taken prior to vaccination and at rather frequent intervals after completion of antirabies vaccination were tested from 18 individuals who received 7 injections of vaccine and from 69 individuals who received 14 injections of vaccine. 2. Both neutralizing and complement-fixing antibodies were induced in the two groups of vaccinated individuals, (but in all instances the neutralizing index reached higher levels and persisted longer than did the complement-fixation titer. The highest antibody levels were attained in those patients who received the greater number of vaccine injections. 3. Four individuals had had antirabies vaccine 6 months to 2 years previously. Three of the 4 still showed an appreciable neutralizing index prior to being revaccinated, and all 4 showed a marked antibody rise or “booster” effect after the second series of vaccine injections.
Abstract The sterile insect technique (SIT) is widely used for suppressing or eradicating target pest insect populations. The effectiveness of SIT depends on the ability of released sterile males to mate with and inseminate wild females. Irradiation is the effective manner to sterilize mass-reared insects. The negative impacts of this procedure are not limited to damage on reproductive cells. Gamma-radiation damages the epithelial tissue of midgut, which affects the alimentation in insects. Irradiated males alter their mating behavior over time because of the depression of metabolic activity by sterilization. In this study, we evaluated the male mating performance and sexually compatibility of irradiated male Cylas formicarius elegantulus (Summers) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) with a 200-Gy dose, as currently used in the SIT program in Okinawa Prefecture, throughout 16 d after irradiation in the laboratory. The mating ability of irradiated males did not differ from that of control males for about a week. However, the mating ability of irradiated male drastically decreased thereafter. We consider that irradiated male C. formicarius elegantulus with a 200-Gy dose had no major effect on male mating behavior approximately for a week after irradiation.
Ms. Bushra, a poor 30 year old woman, threw herself in front of a moving train in Lahore together with her two children, Saima, age 3 and Zubair, age 5. The mother is reported to have covered the eyes of her children before all three were crushed under the train. She left a suicide note written in the copy book of Zubair in the school satchel found near the site of the tragedy. In the suicide note Ms. Bushra stated poverty as the cause of her decision to commit suicide along with her children. [News Report in the daily Dawn, 13th April 2008].
This paper describes how novel knowledge modeling and management techniques borrowed from the Semantic Web were exploited to publish data coming from Electromagnetic (EM) pollution monitoring to the Linked Data Cloud. The paper shows how, starting from requirements coming from the EM use case, the procedure of data publishing was carried out, with the support of public tools, shared standards and established methodologies. A synthetic comparison between available tools is provided, a knowledge model integrating proprietary and public ontologies and vocabularies described, and a practical use case narrated. In this way, starting from a concrete use case, a panoramic on Linked Data capabilities and on state-of-art procedures, tools and standards is provided.
ABSTRACT Legal Decision Support Systems in Cuba as yet show few results, but now a resurgence of this field is possible. This new opportunity is due to the worldwide boom in AI & Law research. In addition to the current efforts towards the digital transformation of society. This paper aims to review some antecedents, and discuss some proposals for the evolution of this domain in the country. We first identify the strengths and constraints of some previous contributions and outline the current state of this topic in Cuba. Then, we propose some ideas for future projects, considering the main international approaches and state of the art in Artificial Intelligence, Soft Computing, Big data, and Open Data. We argue the importance of creating different forms of legal knowledge representation, the development of specific algorithms based on the most appropriate techniques for each task, updating of jurists’ and computer specialists’ curricula, and the legislative process improvement. Besides, we advocate the feasibility of creating recommendations in natural language, and we exemplify their types and uses. Finally, the paper calls attention to the protection of personal data and the importance of jurists to participate in the development of systems and to understand how they operate.
Aim: To highlight the possibilities of Doppler methods to optimize navigation and 5000, Toshiba Aplio 500), probes - linear (7.5 MHz), convex (3.5-5.0 MHz). Paramount was the safety of minimally invasive procedure in visualizing instrument used. Results: It was established that optimal was the power Doppler mode for navigation in percutaneous interventions, prevent hemorrhagic complications, select a safe acoustic window, which improved the location of fluid motion in the hollow needle and visualization of the biopsy instrument based on initiation of twinkling artifact. The use of developed methods to improve ultrasound visualization in minimally invasive treatment of liver abscesses significantly reduced pain - 12.9%, avoided haemorrhage and leakage of pus into peritoneal cavity, reduced the number of inadequate drainages - 36.6%, reduced the duration of inpatient treatment - 2.2 times. Conclusion: It was established that use of power Doppler mode enhances the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous ultrasound-guided interventions. Thus, the studies confirmed the clinical use of optimization techniques of visualization in minimally invasive procedures under ultrasound guidance.
The results of studies of thermal and oxidative degradation of a free-radical poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and the influence of a fullerene C60 on these processes are considered. The best characteristic of the change of the thermal stability is the temperature shift of the entire thermal gravimetric (TG) curve (or the middle part of it), but not the shift of onset or the starting temperature of the mass loss. During oxidative degradation in air of PMMA, three processes occur practically simultaneously: thermal degradation, or scission of chains; oxidation, or insertion of oxygen atoms in the polymer chains and in products of the degradation; and a sublimation of degradation products. The competition between exothermic and endothermic processes results in sharp changes in the balance of heat energy in the system and the sign of the total heat effect. In accord with these changes all of the process of PMMA oxidative degradation can conditionally be divided into three stages. The introducing of small quantities of C60 in a system results in replacement of oxygen by a fullerene or to a partial avoidance of oxidation, as a result of which, at the first stage, a smaller quantity of degradation products is formed and oxidized. There is a “transfer” of degradation products and heat generation from the first, lowest temperature stage, to the third, highest one. Simultaneous application of DSC and TG techniques has shown that during oxidative degradation of PMMA, especially in the presence of a fullerene, there is a latent degradation manifested in exothermal effects on DSC curves without mass losses on the TG curves. The introducing of C60 results in narrowing of the peaks (by ∼1.5 times) on DTG and MTA curves that may be explained by the narrowing of a set of possible degradation reactions. The C60 molecules are divided during oxidative degradation of PMMA into two groups: linked (∼20%) and nonlinked with macroradicals of PMMA. The nonlinked molecules of C60, in turn, are subdivided into oxidized and volatilizing without oxidation and degradation. The inhibiting effect of C60 on the thermal oxidative degradation reduces basically to two processes: to formation of fullerene-containing chains of PMMA and to nonchain inhibition. The matrix of PMMA also has a significant influence on the thermal behavior of C60.
Twenty neurons in the subfornical organ (SFO) were antidromically activated by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON) in the rat. Electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) excited the activity of 12 identified units, but did not affect that of the remaining units. The excitatory responses to LHA stimulation were blocked by microiontophoretically applied saralasin (Sar), an angiotensin II (AII) antagonist. These results suggest that the LHA has an excitatory influence on the activity of SFO neurons projecting to the SON and that the influence may be mediated by AII receptors.
The effects of cryonecrosis in rat kidney after single and repeated local freezing were studied by morphological and cell kinetic methods. Shortly after single and repeated cryolesions a well-demarcated coagulation necrosis developed which was replaced by granulation tissue. 4 weeks after the second freezing only a small fibrous scar was visible. Cell analysis revealed no significant differences between single and repeated cryolesions. Autoradiographically, however, it was shown that the labelling index of fibroblasts in the granulation tissue was higher after repeated than after single cryolesions. The proliferation maxima of epithelial cells were delayed for 24 h. After 4 weeks the cell proliferation again had reached normal values. Hardly any differences between wound healing after single and after repeated cryolesion were found. Thus, repeated cryosurgery is advisable and no complications should be expected.
The possibility of retinal haemorrhages originating from the prolonged use of sodium salicylate was considered by Walsh and Hoyt (i 969) in a patient who had taken 40 grams several times a week for I0 years. He had been using a solution of sulphathiazole for a long time to paint his throat and it was suggested that this might have caused some periarteritic lesion accounting for the retinal haemorrhage. Salicylates are analgesic antipyretic drugs and may be given in high doses of up to 7 to 8 grams daily for long periods in cases of rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis
Abstract The paper contains procedures for obtaining Nash strategies from simplified models for singularly perturbed systems which are non-linear in the slow variables, and linear in the fast variables and controls. Two classes of problems are considered. The first is a Nash problem on single parameter systems where both the decision makers interact at the slow and fast subsystem levels. The second is a Nash problem on multi-parameter systems where the fast subsystems are individually controlled by each decision maker, and the interaction between the decision makers is only through the slow ‘ core ’. This problem is studied within the framework of multimodelling. The solution procedures for these two problems are compared to reveal the interaction between the slow and fast subsystem designs in the two cases. The simplified Nash solutions of both the problems are shown to be robust, in the sense that there is little incentive for either decision-maker to deviate from the proposed strategy.
BACKGROUND Zika virus (ZIKV) was discovered in 1947 with the virus isolation from Rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) in Uganda forest, Africa. Old World Primates are involved in a sylvatic cycle of maintenance of this arbovirus, however a limited knowledge about the role of New World primates in ZIKV transmission cycles has been established. OBJECTIVE This work aimed to investigate the presence of enzootic circulation of ZIKV in New World Primates from three Brazilian states: São Paulo, Paraíba, and Paraná. METHODS We analyzed 100 non-human primate samples collected in 2018 and 2020 from free-ranging and captive environments from São Paulo (six municipalities belonging to Sorocaba region), Paraíba (João Pessoa municipality), and Paraná (Foz do Iguaçu municipality) using reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase reaction (RT-qPCR) assays, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). FINDINGS All samples (n = 141) tested negative for the presence of ZIKV genome from tissue and blood samples. In addition, all sera (n = 58) from Foz do Iguaçu’ non-human primates (NHPs) were negative in serological assays. MAIN CONCLUSION No evidence of ZIKV circulation (molecular and serological) was found in neotropical primates. In addition, the absence of antibodies against ZIKV suggests the absence of previous viral exposure of NHPs from Foz do Iguaçu-PR.
A 38-year-old man underwent the catheter ablation for recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF). He presented paroxymal AF at the age of 34 years old and underwent the pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) at age 36. His resting ECG showed no Brugada pattern. After the second session of PVI, during the ablation in the left atrium under the guidance of complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAEs), profound vagal stimulation was induced, which caused a prolonged atrioventricular block (Picture 1). The ventricular asystole caused a marked ECG change mimicking the type-1 Brugada pattern with an inverted T wave (arrow). Finally, it led to degeneration to ventricular fibrillation (VF; Picture 2, arrows), which was immediately converted to sinus rhythm by DC delivery. Electrogram-based catheter ablation, targeting CFAEs, is empirically known to be effective in halting persistent AF (1). Increased vagal tonus complicated with CFAE-guided ablation, however, can produce a pausedependent dispersion in ventricular transmural repolarization to generate VF.
Background Wearable activity trackers have the potential to be integrated into physical activity interventions, yet little is known about how adolescents use these devices or perceive their acceptability. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the usability and acceptability of a wearable activity tracker among adolescents. A secondary aim was to determine adolescents’ awareness and use of the different functions and features in the wearable activity tracker and accompanying app. Methods Sixty adolescents (aged 13-14 years) in year 8 from 3 secondary schools in Melbourne, Australia, were provided with a wrist-worn Fitbit Flex and accompanying app, and were asked to use it for 6 weeks. Demographic data (age, sex) were collected via a Web-based survey completed during week 1 of the study. At the conclusion of the 6-week period, all adolescents participated in focus groups that explored their perceptions of the usability and acceptability of the Fitbit Flex, accompanying app, and Web-based Fitbit profile. Qualitative data were analyzed using pen profiles, which were constructed from verbatim transcripts. Results Adolescents typically found the Fitbit Flex easy to use for activity tracking, though greater difficulties were reported for monitoring sleep. The Fitbit Flex was perceived to be useful for tracking daily activities, and adolescents used a range of features and functions available through the device and the app. Barriers to use included the comfort and design of the Fitbit Flex, a lack of specific feedback about activity levels, and the inability to wear the wearable activity tracker for water-based sports. Conclusions Adolescents reported that the Fitbit Flex was easy to use and that it was a useful tool for tracking daily activities. A number of functions and features were used, including the device’s visual display to track and self-monitor activity, goal-setting in the accompanying app, and undertaking challenges against friends. However, several barriers to use were identified, which may impact on sustained use over time. Overall, wearable activity trackers have the potential to be integrated into physical activity interventions targeted at adolescents, but both the functionality and wearability of the monitor should be considered.
The current study aimed to understand the synergistic impacts of silicon (Si; 1.0 mM) and boron (B; 10 µM) application on modulating physio-molecular responses of date palm to mitigate aluminum (Al3+; 2.0 mM) toxicity. Results revealed that compared to sole Si and B treatments, a combined application significantly improved plant growth, biomass, and photosynthetic pigments during Al toxicity. Interestingly, Si and B resulted in significantly higher exudation of organic acid (malic acids, citric acids, and acetic acid) in the plant’s rhizosphere. This is also correlated with the reduced accumulation and translocation of Al in roots (60%) and shoots (56%) in Si and B treatments during Al toxicity compared to in sole Al3+ treatment. The activation of organic acids by combined Si + B application has significantly regulated the ALMT1, ALMT2 and plasma membrane ATPase; PMMA1 and PMMA3 in roots and shoots. Further, the Si-related transporter Lsi2 gene was upregulated by Si + B application under Al toxicity. This was also validated by the higher uptake and translocation of Si in plants. Al-induced oxidative stress was significantly counteracted by exhibiting lower malondialdehyde and superoxide production in Si + B treatments. Experiencing less oxidative stress was evident from upregulation of CAT and Cyt-Cu/Zn SOD expression; hence, enzymatic activities such as polyphenol oxidase, catalase, peroxidase, and ascorbate peroxidase were significantly activated. In the case of endogenous phytohormones, Si + B application demonstrated the downregulation of the abscisic acid (ABA; NCED1 and NCED6) and salicylic acid (SA; PYL4, PYR1) biosynthesis-related genes. Consequently, we also noticed a lower accumulation of ABA and rising SA levels under Al-stress. The current findings illustrate that the synergistic Si + B application could be an effective strategy for date palm growth and productivity against Al stress and could be further extended in field trails in Al-contaminated fields.
Abstract Li., L., Steinauer, K. L., Dirks, A. J., Husbeck, B., Gibbs, I. and Knox, S. J. Radiation-Induced Cyclooxygenase 2 Up-Regulation is Dependent on Redox Status in Prostate Cancer Cells. Radiat. Res. 160, 617–621 (2003). Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) is the inducible isozyme of COX, a key enzyme in arachidonate metabolism and the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to prostaglandins (PGs) and other eicosanoids. Previous studies have demonstrated that the COX2 protein is up-regulated in prostate cancer cells after irradiation and that this results in elevated levels of PGE2. In the present study, we further investigated whether radiation-induced COX2 up-regulation is dependent on the redox status of cells from the prostate cancer cell line PC-3. l-Buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), which inhibits gamma glutamyl cysteine synthetase (γGCS), and the antioxidants α-lipoic acid and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) were used to modulate the cellular redox status. BSO decreased the cellular GSH level and increased cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in PC-3 cells, whereas α-lipoic acid and NAC increased the GSH level and decreased cellular ROS. Both radiation and the oxidant H2O2 had similar effects on COX2 up-regulation and PGE2 production in PC-3 cells, suggesting that radiation-induced COX2 up-regulation is secondary to the production of ROS. The relative increases in COX2 expression and PGE2 production induced by radiation and H2O2 were even greater when PC-3 cells were pretreated with BSO. When the cells were pretreated with α-lipoic acid or NAC for 24 h, both radiation- and H2O2-induced COX2 up-regulation and PGE2 production were markedly inhibited. These results demonstrate that radiation-induced COX2 up-regulation in prostate cancer cells is modulated by the cellular redox status. Radiation-induced increases in ROS levels contribute to the adaptive response of PC-3 cells, resulting in elevated levels of COX2.
There are three errors in my Letter which should be corrected. (i) In the first paragraph of the second column, p. 2940, change all z2 ndA s6d 2 to z3 andA s6d 3 , respectively. (ii) In the second paragraph of the first column, p. 2940, change the two undisplayed equations from E0 1 g=xT ­ Eex, H0 ­ Hex, to E0 1 g=xT 1 b Ù B ­ Eex, H0 1 a Ù H ­ Hex. (iii) Change Eqs. (17), (18), and the ensuing text to the following: D ­ eEexstd , (17)
The precise overlay in see-through AR applications and the development of methods to calculate the registration error for such applications using an AR head-mounted display (HMD) present significant challenges. This difficulty arises primarily due to the absence of ground truth data (GTD) as the scene is partially hidden by view restrictions. Traditional approaches may require expensive setups, like cameras or laser scanners, to capture the hidden area and generate GTD. We propose an approach to calculate the registration error by using a marker-based pose estimation method. We use synthetic data to show the suitability of our method. The synthetic data is created in Unity, where we replicated a see-through application. Therefore, we employ image augmentation technologies for simulating a real see-through forklift application. The utilization of the simulation environment enables the generation of GT). This data forms the basis for evaluating the accuracy of our proposed method. Our primary contributions include a simulated see-through AR application in Unity, a labeled, application-specific synthetic dataset, and a validated method for determining the 3D registration error in world units (mm). This work demonstrates the suitability of the development of a marker-based registration error method to determine a 3D registration error in AR HMD see-through applications, providing an alternative to traditional, more costly approaches.
The random noise of complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor is the main factor limiting the further improvement of high-accuracy spot target detection. Accordingly, a window-adaptive centroiding method based on energy iteration is proposed in this article. The method can effectively mitigate the problem of localization performance fluctuations caused by the random noise at the low-intensity pixels within the extraction window. By analyzing the centroiding error model and the random noise of CMOS detectors, simulations are used to deduce that pixel response random noise that remains after removing systematic errors is the main factor limiting further improvement in positioning accuracy. Based on the generally applicable threshold centroiding algorithm, the influence of the pixel response within the extraction window on the centroiding accuracy is derived according to the pixel energy and the pixel location relative to the target centroid. This leads to an iterative method, which combines the pixels with better performance as a new extraction window and recalculates the target centroid. The effectiveness of the algorithm at the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) typical for real cases is simulated and analyzed. An experimental scheme is designed for the subpixel movement of point targets with a measurement platform based on a high-precision rotary table and a star tracker to validate our algorithm. Further real star experiment is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm. The results of the experiments indicate that the proposed method can reduce the random noise effect on spot extraction accuracy.
Rapid industrial modernisation and economic reform have been features of the Korean economy since the 1990s, and have brought with it substantial environmental problems. In response to these problems, the Korean government has been developing approaches to promote cleaner production technologies. Green supply chain management (GSCM) is emerging to be an important approach for Korean enterprises to improve performance. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of GSCM CSFs (critical success factors) on the BSC (balanced scorecard) performance by the structural equation modelling, using empirical results from 249 enterprise respondents involved in national GSCM business in Korea. Planning and implementation was a dominant antecedent factor in this study, followed by collaboration with partners and integration of infrastructure. However, activation of support was a negative impact to the finance performance, raising the costs and burdens. It was found out that there were important implications in the implementation of GSCM.
We describe a fetus from an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) pregnancy with severe facial clefts, receding jaw, preauricular skin tags, postaxial hexadactyly, bi‐lobed right lung, supernumerary cranial bone, and dilated lateral ventricles of the brain. Using a combination of G‐banding, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), whole chromosome paints (WCPs), subtelomere probes, and multicolor banding (MCB), the karyotype was found to include a de novo unbalanced highly complex chromosome rearrangement (hCCR) involving chromosomes 3, 12, and 15 with seven breakpoints, and including monosomy for two separate regions of chromosome 12. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
At the present time, numerical dosimetry has reached a certain level of maturity and dedicated commercial software packages are already available. However, the fast and accurate characterization of exposure in real conditions is still challenging for many reasons. For instance, when the exact body posture has to be considered, the classical approach is to evaluate the source magnetic field and then to perform a dosimetric computation with a postured phantom. We propose a different approach that, thanks to a change of variable, makes it possible to use a non-postured body model by deforming the source term. We show that for some rigid transformations, this procedure does not end up in a change of tissue conductivity, which is localized in knees, elbows, and other articulations, where deformations due to posturing are large. Only the source term must be determined by modifying the original one through a suitable transformation.
Correspondence (İletişim): Mehmet Sabri Gürbüz, M.D. Egitim Mah. Dr. Erkin Cad. 34722 Kadikoy Istanbul, Turkey Phone (Telefon): +90 216 566 40 00 E-mail (E-posta): mehmetsabrigurbuz@gmail.com Submitted Date (Başvuru Tarihi): 16.07.2019 Accepted Date (Kabul Tarihi): 23.07.2019 Copyright 2019 Haydarpaşa Numune Medical Journal OPEN ACCESS This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). 273 Gürbüz et al., Pediatric Head Trauma / doi: 10.14744/hnhj.2019.38980 structural differences, given that the child is a developing individual and the difficulties of fully evaluating the neurological examination play a role [2]. In the United States, 475.000 children are exposed to head trauma each year, while 37.000 of them are hospitalized and 2.685 of them die [3]. Especially in children under four years of age, mortality and disability rates have been reported to be higher than other age groups with the addition of child abuse rates [4]. It has been reported that sports injuries are very common in children older than one year and children are the victims of 60-80% of total sports injuries [5]. Between 1997 and 2007, 73,276 children were reported to die from traumatic brain injury and related complications in the United States [6]. Corso et al. [7] calculated the lifetime cost of children under the age of 14 who suffered from a traumatic brain injury as $60.4 billion. It is necessary to know the pathophysiology and prognostic factors of head trauma to improve the results of pediatric head traumas, especially severe head traumas, and to succeed in the treatment aiming to reduce the damage caused by secondary injury [2]. In the last 30 years, factors, such as the safety of motor vehicles and the development of infant seat technology, increased use of helmets, the development of intensive care equipment, the advancement of monitoring techniques and the increase in the number of experienced personnel have led to the improvement of the outcomes of head trauma. Understanding the importance of providing management of treatment by calculating cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) by monitoring intracranial pressure (ICP ) especially in severe head trauma and its frequent use by pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) specialists and neurosurgical specialists have improved the results even though to a small extent [8, 9]. However, there is not enough data about how widespread ICP monitoring is used in PICUs in our country. It has been repeatedly emphasized and included in the literature that it is essential to follow published guidelines, manage the treatment according to these guidelines and to refer this patient group to experienced, equipped advanced centers to achieve effective outcomes in pediatric head trauma [10]. This research aims to present the results of 96 pediatric severe head trauma cases treated by neurosurgery and PICU in the light of current literature. Materials and Methods
In this paper, we tend to ready a polyvinyl alcohol-polyethylene (PVA-Co-PE) composite nanofiber membrane catalyst decorated by bimetallic organic framework MIL-100(Fe)/MIL-88A(Fe). The experimental results of the performance of photocatalytic reduction of CO2 show that it exhibits glorious photocatalytic activity for the reduction of CO2 underneath actinic ray irradiation, and also the best conversion rate of CO2 is 8.3 mL/h. Through SEM, XRD, BET, DRS, FTIR, and alternative characterization ways, the factors touching the photocatalytic CO2 reduction method of the composite nanofiber membrane were investigated. Studies have found that the bimetallic framework structure increases the photocurrent density and significantly reduces the photoluminescence intensity. The versatile composite nanofiber membrane has high photocatalytic activity and smart reusability and features a smart prospect within the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 treatment.
The vascular anatomy of kidneys is very important both medically and surgically, especially in the era of renal transplantation procedures. Classically, each kidney is supplied by a single renal artery and a single renal vein, arising from the abdominal aorta and draining into the inferior vena cava, respectively. Anatomical variation is a common finding in renal vasculature where more than one artery supplying a kidney is the most common arterial variation, and this is seen in about 24% of cases (Sheo et al., 2010). These arteries are divided into two groups: hilar (accessory) and polar (aberrant) arteries. The accessory arteries enter the kidney from the hilum along with the main renal artery. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 01 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
Objectives Bipolar disorder (BD) patients with a comorbid substance use disorder (SUD) are notoriously difficult to treat. Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) are widely prescribed in BD, but their efficacy in patients with comorbid SUD is still debated. The aim of the present article is to systematically review the literature findings on the efficacy and safety of AAPs in BD patients with comorbid SUD. Methods We searched PubMed to identify original studies focused on the treatment of dual diagnosed BD with AAPs. Results Ten articles met our inclusion/exclusion criteria, involving a total of 969 subjects, 906 affected by BD and 793 with comorbid SUD: 4 were randomized controlled trials, 4 were open label trials and 2 were observational studies, published between 2002 and 2017. The most commonly abused substances were alcohol and cocaine. The AAPs used to treat patients were quetiapine (n = 337), asenapine (n = 119), olanzapine (n = 80), risperidone (n = 62), and aripiprazole (n = 48). In terms of safety, AAPs were usually well tolerated. Atypical antipsychotics were usually efficacious on acute mood symptoms, whereas their impact on substance-related issues was reported only in those studies without a placebo comparison. Conclusions According to our results, even though AAPs are widely used and efficacious in treating the clinical symptoms of BD, there are not enough data to suggest their adjunctive benefit on craving and substance consumption.
This study reports the synthesis of a SiC-MCM41 composite catalyst by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal process and the composite catalyst had the characteristics of MCM41 and SiC, and the surface of SiC grew evenly with a layer of MCM41 after characterization of the catalysts by various means (X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, scanning electron microscopy). The catalyst was applied in the pyrolysis of waste oil to investigate how it influences the bio-oil component proportion compared with no catalyst, only SiC, only MCM41 catalysis and the catalytic effect was also investigated at different temperatures and different catalyst to feed ratios. In a downdraft system with a pyrolysis temperature of 550 °C, a catalyst to feed ratio of 1 : 2, and a catalytic temperature of 400 °C, 32.43% C5–C12 hydrocarbons and 41.10% mono-aromatics were obtained. The composite catalyst combined the catalytic effect of SiC and MCM41 because it increased the amount of C5–C12 hydrocarbons and decreased the amount of oxygen-containing compounds in bio-oil. After repeated uses, the composite catalyst still retained the catalytic properties.
Collaborative design is a new design style for mechanical manufacture. It can help designers of different places complete the same design project at the same time. It is an important problem to select a suitable partner for the collaborative design project from the partners. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology is presented for the partner selection, which provide a multi-criteria decision making approach for partner evaluation and selection decision. Firstly, the concept of fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is introduced, which assist to acknowledge the concept. Secondly, the methodology for criteria weights is established to search for the suitable partner by fuzzy AHP method. The partner selection system is established by means of fuzzy AHP method. XML is applied for the evaluation model to explain the relationship of system. At last, a prototype is presented to demonstrate the methodology.
Objectives: The reduction of echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) mass and the change toward a less concentric geometry during antihypertensive treatment are independently associated with a better prognosis. Blood pressure–lowering therapy reduces LV mass, and different effect on LV mass changes have been observed among drug classes; whether differences on LV geometry exist among antihypertensive drugs remains to be fully elucidated. Our aim was to compare the effects of diuretics (D), beta-blockers (BB), calcium channel blockers (CCB), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I), and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) on relative wall thickness (RWT) in patients with hypertension on the basis of prospective, randomized comparative studies. Methods: We performed meta-analyses, involving pooled pairwise comparisons of the drug classes and of each class versus other classes statistically combined. The 38 publications involved 41 pairwise comparisons and 4500 patients. Results: Reduction of LV mass was significantly greater with ARBs and CCB than with BB (P = 0.02) without other significant differences between drug classes. RWT decreased during treatment with all classes of drugs; the decrease of RWT was significantly less with D than with ACE-I (2,6 % vs 7,7%, p = 0.02). When pairwise comparisons between drug classes were analyzed, significant differences were observed between ACEI and D or BB, and between CCB and ACE-I or BB or D (P < 0.001). The decrease of relative wall thickness (ie change toward a less concentric geometry) was significantly greater with ARBs and with ACE-I than with other classes of drugs statistically combined (p < 0.001 for both), while was less with D as compared with other classes of drugs statistically combined. (p < 0.01). Conclusions: In studies evaluating the effect of different classes of antihypertensive drugs on LV mass, less reduction of relative wall thickness was observed with D.
Purpose of review Invasive fungal infections have become the leading infectious cause of death in recipients of hematopoietic cell transplantation. Several factors have led to a renaissance in the study of invasive fungal infections. The growing incidence of both commonly encountered as well as emerging pathogens and the lethality of these infections coupled with the unprecedented number of available broad-spectrum antifungal drugs has lent a renewed vigor and enthusiasm to attempts to understand the pathogenesis of these diseases and, by doing so, improve prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The following is a review of the primary research published from 2003 to the present that is pertinent to invasive fungal infection in the setting of hematopoietic cell transplantation. Recent findings The main themes of published primary research during 2003 to the present include the efficacy and tolerability of antifungal prophylaxis, epidemiologic analyses of risk factors following nonmyeloablative preparative regimens, and more-detailed analyses of nonmyeloid immune responses. Summary Although few definitive recommendations emerged from the studies during the review period, these investigations do contribute to a greater understanding of the immunobiology of invasive fungal infection and of the utility and limitations of newer antifungal agents in the prophylaxis or treatment of invasive fungal infection.
This article examines low pay and the national minimum wage in the UK hotel industry, focusing on the lowest remunerated workers in the industry — room attendants — who have hitherto been overlooked in studies of the industry. It draws on qualitative research from eight case studies and relates this material to other secondary data. By including employees' experience, it reveals the management and employment practices that have limited the effect of the national minimum wage and attempts to alleviate low pay.The article ends by suggesting how this employee experience can be transmuted into political voice to improve the position of low wage workers.
Background:The floor of middle cranial fossa shows several foramina through which vital neural and vascular structures pass. Thus, the knowledge of normal and variant anatomy of these foramina is important. One such foramen is Foramen ovale which allows the passage of certain important structures.  Aims and Objective:This study also aimed to provide a base line data to neurosurgeons for easy and safe approach to middle cranial fossa. Thus, to fulfill the above, the morphometric and morphologic characteristics of the foramenovalewere studied and the observed metric and non-metric parameters were compared with those of previous studies.  Materials and Methods:The study has been conducted on 160 adult non-pathological dry human skulls of unknown age and sex. Those parts of broken skulls were included in the study in which the area of Foramen ovale was intact. All the parameters were obtained by one observer only to avoid inter-observer error. The foramen ovale was identified and different metric and non-metric parameters were observed and measured.  Results:The most common shape on both sides was noted to be transversely oval. Out of 160 skulls, 2 skulls (1.25%) showed accessory FO bilaterally. 4 skulls showed divided FO on left side. Out of 4, 2 skulls( 1.25%) were noted to have bony bar and in 2 skulls (1.25%) the main FO were divided by bony plate.  Conclusion: The morphologic variations of Foramen Ovale in the form of accessory foramen and presence of bony bar / bony plate are common. This study will provide a baseline data as well as frequency of related variations in our population for a safer approach by the surgeons.
ABSTRACT A new homologous series of mesogens with isoflavone heterocycle have been synthesised and characterised. The symmetric molecular structure consists of middle ethylene/phenylenediamine and peripheral isoflavone and biphenyl cores as trimer fragments. Chemical structures were evaluated using IR, NMR and CHN techniques. Thermal, mesophase behaviours and textural types are studied by DSC and POM instrumentations. Most of the compounds are favouring liquid crystalline behaviours with Smectic and nematic mesophases. Graphical abstract
In the first experiment, two measurements were compared--sensitivity to across-frequency changes in level and sensitivity to across-frequency changes in the modulation phase of SAM tones. For the level task, multi-tone stimuli composed of 2-80 tones ranging in frequency from 200 to 5000 Hz were used. For the phase task, the same frequency range was used, and 2-80 SAM tones were tested. For the level task, observers discriminated between a multi-tone, equal-amplitude standard and one of two signals--a one-step or an up-down signal. The one-step signal had higher levels at low frequencies and lower levels at high frequencies. The up-down signal had components with levels that varied high-low-high-low. For the phase task, the standard was the sum of SAM tones with identical modulator phases across frequency. The one-step signal had a common modulator phase at low frequencies and a different common modulator phase at high frequencies. The up-down signal had modulator phases that varied lag-lead-lag-lead. The results suggest that sensitivity to across-frequency changes in level and modulation phase reflect similar initial processing stages. In a second experiment, SAM tones were used, and psychometric functions were measured for the level task, the phase task, and a condition in which changes in level and modulator phase were both present. The standard was "flat," and an up-down signal was to be detected. For one observer, the data suggest that level and phase information are independently represented. For the other two observers, interactions between the two features of the stimuli are apparent. A multiple-looks model was moderately successful in accounting for the data.
The harpacticoid copepod genus Longipedia Claus is revised and all species where material is available for study are redescribed. The differences between species often depend upon a balance of rather subtle characters and it is pointed out that attention to such fine detail is proving to be crucial in harpacticoid taxonomy. The genus as now revised includes ten species. A further four species whose descriptions are inadequate are placed incertae sedis in the genus. L. rosea Sars is considered to be a nomen dubium
INTRODUCTION Historical Developments Need of Reliability in Medical Devices Medical Device Related Facts and Figures Government control and Liability Medical Device Recalls Medical Equipment Classification Medical Device Reliability Associated Areas Terms and Definitions BASIC RELIABILITY MATHEMATICS AND CONCEPTS FOR MEDICAL DEVICES Basic Law of Boolean Algebra and Probability Probability Distributions for Time to Failure Basic Reliability Related Definitions Reliability Configurations Aerospace and Medical Equipment Reliability Comparisons Guidelines for reliability Professional Working in Health Care TOOLS FOR MEDICAL DEVICE RELIABILITY ASSURANCE Failure Mode and Effect analysis (FMEA) Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) Failure Rate Evaluation and Parts Count Methods Markov Method Common-Cause Failure Analysis Method HUMAN ERROR IN HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS Facts, Figures, and Example on Human Error in Health Care Systems Causes of Patient Injuries and Medical Device Accident Classification Medical Devices with High Occurrence of Human Error Anesthesia Related most Frequent Incidents, Associated Factors, and Medical Device Related Operator Errors General Approach to Human Factors in Medical Device Development Process to Reduce Human Errors Human Error Related Analysis Methods useful for the Health Care Systems Reducing Medical Device/Equipment User Interface Related Errors MEDICAL DEVICE SOFTWARE QUALITY ASSURANCE AND RELIABILITY Software Terms and Definitions Hardware versus Software and Example of Software Failures in Medical Devices Medical Software Classifications and Specification Framework to Define Software Quality Assurance Program in a Medical Device Company Software Reliability Assurance Program for the Cardioplegia Delivery System and Important Software Issues in the Safety of Cardiac-Rhythm-Management Products Software Design, Coding, Testing, and Metrics Software Reliability Modeling for Medical Devices MEDICAL DEVICE SAFETY ASSURANCE Medical Device Safety versus Reliability Types of Medical Device Safety and Medical Device Hardware and Software Safety Essential Safety Requirements for Medical Devices and Legal Aspects of Device Safety Safety in Device Life Cycle Safety Analysis Methods Accident Probability Estimation of a Medical Device Safety Cost Estimation Methods and Models MEDICAL DEVICE RISK ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL Risk Management, Definitions, and Program Steps Risk Assessment Medical Device Risk Assessment Integrating Risk Assessment with Medical Device Design Control Factors Affecting the Values of Consequences and Medical Device Risk Assessment Related Data MEDICAL DEVICE QUALITY ASSURANCE Terms and Definitions Regulatory Compliance of Medical Device Quality Assurance Medical Device Design Quality Assurance Program Total Quality Management Tools for Assuring Medical Device Quality Quality Indices MEDICAL DEVICE RELIABILITY TESTING Test Plan Information and Test Types Classifications of Reliability Tests Accelerated Testing Success Testing Mean Time between Failures (MTBF) Calculation Methods in Reliability Testing Confidence Limits of Medical Device MBF Important Publications on Reliability Testing MEDICAL DEVICE COSTING Reason for Medical Device Costing and Medical Device Development Economic Analysis Factors Methods for Making Medical Device Investment Decisions Formulas for Determining the Time Value of Money Useful Cost Estimation Models for Medical Devices Life Cycle Costing MEDICAL DEVICE MAINTENANCE AND MAINTAINABILITY Terms and Definitions Medical Equipment Classification and Indices for Repair and Maintenance Computerized Maintenance Management System for Medical Equipment and Devices and its Selection Ventilator Maintenance and Field Performance Models for medical Equipment Maintenance Maintainability Maintainability Measures RELIABILITY RELATED STANDARDS, FAILURE DATA SOURCES, AND FAILURE DATA AND ANALYSIS FOR MEDICAL DEVICE What is a Standard? Organizations Involved with the Development of Medical Device Standards and other Documents Names and Addresses Directly or Indirectly Involved with Standard/Other Documents for Medical Devices Failure Data and Data Sources Failure Data Analysis Appendix Each chapter also contain problems and references
Basic helix-loop-helix proteins (bHLHs) comprise one of the largest families of transcription factors in plants. They have been shown to be involved in responses to various abiotic stresses, such as drought, salinity, chilling, heavy metal toxicity, iron deficiency, and osmotic damages. By specifically binding to cis-elements in the promoter region of stress related genes, bHLHs can regulate their transcriptional expression, thereby regulating the plant’s adaptive responses. This review focuses on the structural characteristics of bHLHs, the regulatory mechanism of how bHLHs are involved transcriptional activation, and the mechanism of how bHLHs regulate the transcription of target genes under various stresses. Finally, as increasing research demonstrates that flavonoids are usually induced under fluctuating environments, the latest research progress and future research prospects are described on the mechanisms of how flavonoid biosynthesis is regulated by bHLHs in the regulation of the plant’s responses to abiotic stresses.
Between August 11 and August 13, 2004, the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an archaeological survey of the proposed location for the City of Bastrop Wastewater Treatment Plant in central Bastrop County, Texas. The pedestrian survey was performed for Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc. on behalf of the City of Bastrop. Construction of the proposed wastewater treatment facility will primarily impact the northwestern portion of the property, although a gray-water outfall line will traverse the property and empty into the Colorado River. The survey, carried out under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3501 with Dr. Steve A. Tomka serving as Principal Investigator, was performed to identify any cultural deposits present within the project area. The Phase 1 project included a 100% pedestrian survey of the 26.5-acre property, the excavation of 27 shovel tests, and the excavation of seven backhoe trenches. Two archaeological sites, both located on the southern portion of the project area, were identified. Site 41BP678, located at the confluence of the Colorado River and a tributary, Spring Branch, consists of a light surface scatter of chipped stone debitage and buried cultural materials. The results of shovel testing suggest that two components may be present, with one located from the surface down to 20 cm, and a second located between 40 cm and 60 cm below surface. No features were identified, though burned rock is present in small numbers. No temporally diagnostic artifacts were recovered. The second site, 41BP679, abuts Spring Branch. This site consists of a light surface scatter of chipped stone, minimally including a biface and a core. Shovel testing demonstrates that debitage and burned rock is present down to 30 cm below surface, though deeper deposits (ca. 75 cm to 92 cm below surface), evidenced by two flakes present in a backhoe trench profile, are present at the site. No features were identified at 41BP679. While no diagnostic artifacts were recovered, a broken biface was collected from the backdirt of a backhoe trench. The highly patinated biface has parallel flaking reminiscent of late Paleoindian (c.f. Angostura) forms. The proposed wastewater treatment facility will impact limited portions of each of these sites. The graywater outflow line will cut through roughly 109 m of 41BP678, and 61 m of 41BP679. In addition, the construction of one clarifier tank and a flume will directly impact small portions of 41BP679. We currently lack sufficient information on either site to make determinations of eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or for determining State Archeological Landmark status. If the proposed wastewater treatment facility cannot be moved to avoid these sites, we recommend that limited testing be conducted to determine the eligibility status of 41BP678 and 41BP679. All artifacts collected during this project are curated at the Center for Archaeological Research according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines.
Abstract Information about the occurrence and chemical character of adsorbable organic halogens (AOX) in surface water and precipitation is reviewed and updated with results from on‐going studies. There is now very strong evidence that the widespread occurrence of AOX in unpolluted aquatic environments is primarily caused by naturally halogenated humic substances; and, recently, the first chlorinated structural elements in aquatic fulvic acids were identified. Despite the considerable amounts of high‐molecular‐weight organohalogens in humus‐rich surface waters, the concentrations of specific low‐molecular‐weight organohalogens are generally low. This is illustrated by chromatograms obtained by combining different enrichment procedures for trace organics in water with GC‐AED analysis (gas chromatography with atomic emission detection) of chlorinated and brominated compounds. On‐going studies of the chemical character of AOX in precipitation have shown that the compounds responsible for the major fraction o...
Energy, involvement, and efficacy comprise work engagement as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory — General Survey (Schaufeli, Leiter, Maslach, & Jackson, 1996) and according to the mediation model (Leiter & Maslach, 2004, 2005). This mixed method cross-sectional research provides an analysis o f the relationships among job resources, job demands, coping strategies, and work engagement for 91 teachers. Consistent with the findings of the job demands-resources model (Demerouti, Bakker, Nachreiner, & Schaufeli, 2001), job resources had positive correlations and job demands had negative correlations with work engagement. Analyses o f correlations, multiple regression models, and written comments showed that workload and social support had significant relationships with teacher work engagement. Student support seemed to offset the relationship between workload and energy levels. Professional development with a sustained focus did not predict engagement. The combination of resources and demands seemed to predict engagement levels. The study identified important resources and demands that could guide future research.
Abstract.   Four new species of earthworm species collected from various parts of Hainan Island were found. The species belong to Amynthas and Metaphire and are characterized by having two pairs of spermathecae in 7/8–8/9. They are described here as Amynthas flexuosus sp. nov., A. lucidus sp. nov., A. haikouensis sp. nov. in the aeruhinosusgroup of species of the genus Amynthas, and Metaphire fortuita sp. nov. in the insulana-group of species of the genus Metaphire. Their anatomical and morphological characteristics are compared to similar species from Hainan Island, China mainland and South-East Asia.
The automobile industry in India has gone through a lot of transformation since inception. With the liberalisation process starting in 1991, the industry has seen the entry of global auto majors in India. Due to changing customer preferences, environmental regulations, concern for safety and inclination towards entertainment, the role of technology in the auto industry has assumed great significance. In line with the global auto and auto component industry, the auto component companies in India has also gone in for technical alliances (TA), joint ventures (JV) with global auto component manufacturers, which seems to have impacted their technology management practices. This paper covers the longitudinal study of technology development at two joint venture auto component manufacturers. The methodology employed for this study is a combination of literature survey, expert opinion, comparative case analysis and SAP-LAP, a flexible systems methodology. The study finds that effective strategic technology management can contribute to faster technology absorption and overall business performance. The two cases provide valuable insights into the strategic technology management practices in joint venture organisations and exhibit the methodology adopted by the companies in their evolutions towards becoming the world-class integrated organisations.
Removal of organic contaminants from metal surfaces submerged in an aqueous surfactant solution can be improved by application of an applied potential. Earlier work has shown that the detachment of organic droplets is noticeably affected by variations in the pH of the solution and charge of the surfactant. Modifications in solution pH result in modifications of the electrostatic charge of the solid surface, which, depending on the charge and nature of the surfactant, will improve or hinder adsorption of surfactant at the solid–aqueous interface. This adsorption of surfactant molecules is of great importance to the detachment of organic droplets and, consequently, on the determination of cleaning efficacy. It is proposed that modification of the surface charge through application of potential will also result in changes in the adsorption of surfactant and, as a result, will alter drop detachment. Experimental results from a battery of tests for the removal of industrial quench oil from a stainless steel surface with different applied potentials are shown. Additionally, several different surfactants were examined, and drop detachment times and cleaning efficiency by ultrasonication were measured. A mechanistic model describing the affect of potential on surfactant adsorption was proposed, and a correlation between detachment time and cleaning was developed for some of the surfactants.
Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important legume crop, grown as a garden and field crop, Botanically, pea belongs to the genus Pisum and species sativum, which is further divided into two cultivated varieties hortense and arvense. The Garden Pea (P. sativum L.) (2n=2x=14) comes under the variety hortense (Ambrose, 1995). It is a popular as well as economically important vegetable because of its high proteins, vitamins and minerals content. In India, it is cultivated in an area of 4.20 lakh ha with a production of 40.06 lakh MT and a productivity is 9.50 MT/ha but in West Bengal, it is cultivated in an area of 0.22 lakh ha with a production of 1.3 lakh MT but productivity of the crop is low (6.1 MT/ha) as compared to national productivity (Anonymous, 2014). Pea cultivation is widespread in areas having a mild and warm climate, because relatively high or low temperatures are the most important factors limiting pea cultivation (Ambrose, 2008). However, adequate data to measure the effect of plant species, spacing, irrigation and various climatic effects on the yield of garden pea are limited. So, the studies in this direction for improving yield of garden pea are very essential. Therefore, the aim of study is to investigate the effect of different species, spacing, irrigation, and various International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 7 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com
In some private mobile radio/public access mobile radio (PMR/PAMR) applications, there is a stringent need for high-coverage locations probabilities. A spectrally efficient approach in this case is the use of several radio transmitters operating in a simulcast mode. There have been several analog mobile radio systems working in this way up to now, but less is known about the performance of digital trunked radio systems operating in simulcast mode. In this paper, predicted digital Trans-European Trunk RAdio (TETRA) system performance results operating in a quasi-synchronous mode are presented. These results were obtained by simulation of such a system under a wide range of operational conditions. A comparison is also presented with the European analog standard MPT 1327 currently in operation. It has been concluded that quasi-synchronous techniques well known in analog PMR/PAMR can also be successfully used in digital PMR/PAMR applications.
We developed a highly parallel simulator of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) of objects with arbitrary spatial distributions. This Monte Carlo method based simulator models the object as a tetrahedron-based mesh, and implements an advanced importance sampling scheme. This new method makes OCT simulations more practical, since the corresponding serial Central Processing Unit (CPU) based implementation requires approximately 360 hours to simulate OCT imaging of a single B-scan. We implemented this new simulator on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) using the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) platform and programming model by NVIDIA. We demonstrated that our new simulator requires one order of magnitude less time, compared to its serial implementation, to simulate the same OCT images. Our new parallel OCT simulator could be an important and practical tool to study different OCT phenomena and to design novel OCT systems with superior imaging performance.
IEEE 802.15.4 supports a Guaranteed Time Slot (GTS) allocation mechanism for time-critical and delay-sensitive data transmissions in Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs). However, the inflexible first-come-first-served GTS allocation policy and the passive deallocation mechanism significantly reduce network efficiency. In this paper, we propose an Adaptive and Real-Time GTS Allocation Scheme (ART-GAS) to provide differentiated services for devices with different priorities, which guarantees data transmissions for time-sensitive and high-traffic devices. The bandwidth utilization in IEEE 802.15.4-based PAN is improved. Simulation results show that our ART-GAS algorithm significantly outperforms the existing GTS mechanism specified in IEEE 802.15.4.
Extracellular and intracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) by Euglena gracilis (EG) strain and Euglena intermedia (EI) strain are reported in this study. The obtained nanoparticles showed an absorption peak approximates 420 nm in the UV-visible spectrum, corresponding to the plasmon resonance of AgNPs. According to the result of inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometer, the intakes of silver ions by EI and EG are roughly equal. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) analysis of the successful in vivo and in vitro synthesised AgNPs indicated the sizes, ranging from 6 to 24 nm and 15 to 60 nm in diameter, respectively, and a spherical-shaped polydispersal of the particles. The successful formation of AgNPs has been confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis connected to the TEM. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements reveal the presence of bioactive functional groups such as amines are found to be the capping and stabilising agents of nanoparticles. To our knowledge, this is the first report where two kinds of Euglena microalga were used as the potential source for in vivo and in vitro biosynthesis of AgNPs.
The transition from maternal to embryonic transcriptional control is a crucial step in embryogenesis. However, how alternative splicing is regulated during this process and how it contributes to early development is unknown. Using transcriptomic data from pre-implantation stages of human, mouse and cow, we show that the stage of zygotic genome activation (ZGA) exhibits the highest levels of exon skipping diversity reported for any cell or tissue type. Interestingly, much of this exon skipping is temporary, leads to disruptive non-canonical isoforms, and occurs in genes enriched for DNA damage response in the three species. We identified two core spliceosomal components, Snrpb and Snrpd2, as regulators of these patterns. These genes have low maternal expression at the time of ZGA and increase sharply thereafter. Consistently, microinjection of Snrpb/d2 mRNA into mouse zygotes reduces the levels of temporary exon skipping at ZGA, and leads to an increase in etoposide-induced DNA damage response. Altogether, our results suggest that mammalian embryos undergo an evolutionarily conserved and developmentally programmed specific splicing failure at the time of genome activation that attenuates cellular responses to DNA damage at these early stages.
In this paper an econometric model for corporate planning analysis is discussed and its operation is demonstrated by examples. The thrust of this effort has not been towards developing a new body of theory or detailed econometric examination of standard relationships in the theory. The main thrust has been towards the development of a capability for analyzing firm behavior utilizing economics in a straightforward fashion. The structure and econometrics simply allow the theory to be examined quantitatively. In a sense, this has been the theme of this development; that is, for present day corporate planning modeling, the state of applied economics and the availability of planning technology is such that comprehensive and informative models can be constructed on simple economic theory.
The United States Army is continuously improving upon its situational awareness in all operational environments. To extend the usefulness of seismic sensors to urban environments, we first need to understand the scattering of seismic waves by shallow foundations. Our objective is to use three-dimensional, high performance computations to characterize this scattering at fairly low propagation frequencies. The results include an h-(mesh size) and p-(element order interpolation) refinement study, and wave-field measures of constructive and destructive interference (scattering) at low frequencies for an urban model that includes typical shallow foundations. The interference measures demonstrate the ability of the code STARS3D to quantify seismic scattering from urban structures. We conclude that shallow building foundations do impact seismic wave propagation in urban environment.
The first Inmarsat-3 satellite was launched successfully in April 1996, which has a set of L-band spot beams. Using these satellites, Inmarsat has been providing the new mini-M services of voice, data, facsimile and enhanced services from autumn 1996 for the A4-sized laptop mobile user terminal which weighs less than 3 kg. A mobility management system has also been designed so as to make access to the mobile user possible, without knowing its location.
Background: Asthma is considered as a complex disorder in which genetics and environment play crucial role in its susceptibility. In addition to the huge financial costs that significantly reduce the quality of life of the patients and their families, it causes high prevalence of lung diseases. Finding contributing new genetic factors involved in early diagnosis or progression of asthma can provide novel approaches for treatment or managing of asthma. In the present study, the potential role of two key cytokines of IL-10 and IL-17A was investigated in asthma pathogenesis. Materials and Methods: Using real-time PCR technique, we analyzed the expression levels of target genes in two groups of mild and severe asthma patient in comparison with healthy individuals. Results: In comparison with control population, obtained data showed 4 and 7-fold down-regulation of IL-17A in the group of mild and severe asthma, respectively. Down-regulation of IL-17A showed a significant correlation with progression of asthma severity. While IL-10 showed up to 10-fold down-regulation in the group of severe asthma, its expression level was not correlated with severity of asthma. Conclusion: Obtained data revealed that deregulation IL-10 and IL-17A have potential to play crucial role in pathogenesis and prognosis of asthma. Observed down-regulation of these cytokines in blood cells suggests their usefulness as a marker in diagnosis of asthmatic types in patients.
This study examined development of the stir zone and plastic flow of the material during friction stir spot joining of aluminum alloys. The development of the stir zone was discussed through the observation of macrosections of the joints produced at various process times. The friction stir spot joining trial with insert of Au foil to lap surface and the dissimilar lap friction stir spot joining showed that the movement of the lap surface was attributed to the downward plastic flow from the upper plate to the lower plate around the probe. Additionally, it was clarified that the direction of the plastic flow was roughly the same as the direction of the tool rotation. The dissimilar butt friction stir spot joining suggested that the plastic flow occurred not only within the stir zone but also in larger area below the tool shoulder. The present study revealed that the threads on the probe surface were important for producing the plastic flow of thickness direction during friction stir spot joining.
Results are presented that have been obtained while operating the graphite hollow cathode duoplasmatron ion source in dual mode under constant discharge current. This dual mode operation enabled us to obtain the mass and emission spectra simultaneously. In mass spectra C3 is the main feature but C4 and C5 are also prominent, whereas in emission spectra C2 is also there and its presence shows that it is in an excited state rather than in an ionic state. These facts provide evidence that C3 is produced due to the regeneration of a soot forming sequence and leave it in ionic state. C3 is a stable molecule and the only dominant species among the carbon clusters that survives in a regenerative sooting environment at high-pressure discharges.
This paper analyzes the significance and consequences of Lope de Vega’s status as a legend when it comes to accepting his authorship of a few short plays, given that critics tend to demand extra proof in this matter, sometimes going beyond reasonable philological demands. I will also defend the idea that Lope was an author of dramatic dances, one of the subgenres which critics have always been reluctant to link with his name. To this end, I will cite evidence to prove that ‘el Fenix’ not only felt an interest in these sort of plays but also composed some which were staged in courtly performances in the early 1630s.
With around 194 million cases and around 4 million reported deaths, affecting 220 countries [1], Coronavirus (COVID-19) is still prevalent. Wearing facemasks in crowded areas is one of the undemanding and effective measures among the multitude of preventive guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, unruly humans are present; monitoring if people are wearing facemasks in dense areas is taxing and cumbersome. In this paper, we have experimented two ways of tackling facemask detection for comparison purposes: (1) by using transfer learning on four pretrained State-Of- The-Art (SOTA) models - Inception-V3, Resnet-50, VGG-16, and Densenet-121, (2) using these SOTA models as feature extractors and training ML classifiers (Support Vector Machine (SVM), Decision Tree, and Gaussian Naive Bayes) on them. Simulated Face Mask Dataset (SMFD) is used to train and validate all of the models, including data augmentation to enhance data samples. The SOTA models displayed exceptional validation accuracy (greater than 90%), with VGG-16 and ResNet-50 performing the best. Similarly, all combinations of SOTA-ML models have remarkable performance with the Densenet-121-SVM model obtaining highest accuracy with lesser training time.
Metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors and field-effect-transistors (FET) with atomic layer deposited (ALD) BeO and Al2O3 dielectric layers on InGaAs substrate were fabricated for electrical characterization and device performance comparison. Physical characterization of BeO grown film on Si and InGaAs substrates were done using TEM, AFM, and XPS. BeO devices show decent C-V results, lower dielectric leakage current and interface defect density. High thermal stability, large energy band-gap and strong diffusion barrier properties of BeO along with ALD self-cleaning effects on the interface makes it an excellent candidate for a dielectric or interface passivation layer for InGaAs MOS devices.
As the upcoming video coding standard, Versatile Video Coding (i.e., VVC) achieves up to 30% Bjøntegaard delta bit-rate (BD-rate) reduction compared with High Efficiency Video Coding (H.265/HEVC). To eliminate or alleviate different kinds of compression artifacts like blocking, ringing, blurring and contouring effects, three in-loop filters, i.e. de-blocking filter (DBF), sample adaptive offset (SAO) and adaptive loop filter (ALF), have been involved in VVC. Recently, Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has attracted tremendous attention and shows great potential in many tasks in image processing. In this work, we design a CNN-based in-loop filter as an integrated single-model solution which is adaptive to almost any scenarios in video coding. An architecture named as ADCNN (i.e., Attention based Dual-scale CNN) with an attention based processing block is proposed to reduce artifacts of I frames and B frames, which take advantage of informative priors such as the quantization parameter (QP) and partitioning information. Different from existing CNN-based filtering methods, which are mainly designed for the luma component and may need to train different models for different QPs, the proposed filter is adapted to different QPs and different frame types, and all the components (i.e., both luma and chroma) are processed simultaneously with feature exchange and fusion between components for information supplementary. Experimental results show that the proposed ADCNN filter can achieve 6.54%, 13.27%, 15.72% BD-rate savings for Y, U, V respectively under the all intra configuration and 2.81%, 7.86%, 8.60% BD-rate savings under the random access configuration. It can be used to replace all the conventional in-loop filters and also outperforms them without increase in encoding time.
The scattering of a plane electromagnetic wave by DNG metamaterial of semi-elliptic boss over a perfectly conducting ground plane is investigated. The scattered field is represented in terms of an infinite series of a complex radial and angular Mathieu functions with unknown expansion coefficients. The formulation is carried out using the boundary value solution along with the image theorem. The problem is replaced by a complete elliptic cylinder with no ground plane, and the given incident plane wave is supplemented by an image plane wave chosen such that the boundary condition for the total electric field is satisfied at all points where the conducting plane is located in the original problem. Scattering numerical results of the elliptical boss with lossy DNG metamaterials is compared with a conventional material and lossless DNG metamaterial.
DNA barcoding is an effective technique in species identification. To determine the candidate sequences which can be used as DNA barcode to identify in Papaver genus, five potential sequences (ITS, matK, psbA-trnH, rbcL, trnL-trnF) were screened. 69 sequences were downloaded from Genbank, including 21 ITS sequences, 10 matK sequences, 8 psbA-trnH sequences, 14 rbcL sequences and 16 trnL-trnF sequences. Mega 6.0 was used to analysis the comparison of sequences. By the methods of calculating the distances in intraspecific and interspecific divergences, evaluating DNA barcoding gap and constructing NJ and UPMGA phylogenetic trees. The sequence trnL-trnF performed best. In conclusion, trnL-trnF can be considered as a novel DNA barcode in Papaver genus, other four sequences can be as combination barcode for identification.
This paper discusses a new synthesis of bisphenol A-free polycarbonates based on four aliphatic–aromatic systems. In the first stage, different types of monomers (with/without sulfur) derived from diphenylmethane were synthesized. Then, new polycarbonates were prepared in the reactions with diphenyl carbonate (DPC) by transesterification and polycondensation reactions. Three different catalysts (zinc acetate, 4-(dimethylamino)pyridine and benzyltriethylammonium chloride) were tested. The structures of the compounds were confirmed by Nuclear Molecular Resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in each stage. The chemical structures of the obtained polycarbonates were verified by means of Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR–FTIR). The presence of a carbonyl group in the infrared spectrum confirmed polycarbonate formation. Thermal studies by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were carried out to determine the melting temperatures of the monomers. A gel permeation chromatography analysis (GPC) of the polycarbonates was performed in order to investigate their molar masses. Thermal analysis proved the purity of the obtained monomers; the curves showed a characteristic signal of melting. The obtained polycarbonates were characterized as having high resistance to organic solvents, including tetrahydrofuran. The GPC analysis proved their relatively large molar masses and their low dispersity.
Modification of some 8-benzylidene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolines, which have good antiulcer activity, led to three distinct classes of compounds with good in vivo antiinflammatory activity. Initial efforts led to a series of alkenes derived from 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinolines substituted at the 8-position. A second approach concentrated on replacing the CH linkage of these 8-benzylidene-substituted compounds with other spacer groups and increasing the size of the cycloalkyl ring from a six- to seven-membered ring, which provided 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-cyclohepta[b]pyridine analogues. Finally, the substituent was switched from the cycloalkyl ring to the 2-position of the pyridine ring. Variation of the 2-substituent was also examined. Optimal antiinflammatory activity after oral administration was found in both the rat carrageenan paw edema and rat developing adjuvant arthritis models with 2-substituted 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro-5H-cyclohepta[b]pyridines, and of particular interest was 27 (WY-28342).
The zebrafish is an important vertebrate model for disease, drug discovery, toxicity, embryogenesis, and neuroscience. In vivo fluorescence microscopy can reveal cellular and subcellular details down to the molecular level with fluorescent proteins (FPs) currently the main tool for zebrafish imaging. However, long maturation times, low brightness, photobleaching, broad emission spectra, and sample autofluorescence are disadvantages that cannot be easily overcome by FPs. Here, a bright and photostable terbium‐to‐quantum dot (QD) Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) nanoprobe with narrow and tunable emission bands for intracellular in vivo imaging is presented. The long photoluminescence (PL) lifetime enables time‐gated (TG) detection without autofluorescence background. Intracellular four‐color multiplexing with a single excitation wavelength and in situ assembly and FRET to mCherry demonstrate the versatility of the TG‐FRET nanoprobes and the possibility of in vivo bioconjugation to FPs and combined nanoprobe‐FP FRET sensing. Upon injection at the one‐cell stage, FRET nanoprobes can be imaged in developing zebrafish embryos over seven days with toxicity similar to injected RNA and strongly improved signal‐to‐background ratios compared to non‐TG imaging. This work provides a strategy for advancing in vivo fluorescence imaging applications beyond the capabilities of FPs.
In the arena of educational testing, accessibility refers to the degree to which students are given the opportunity to participate in and engage a test. Accessibility theory is a model for examining the interactions between the test-taker and the test itself and defining how they may decrease some students’ access to the test event, ultimately reducing the validity of subsequent test score inferences. The paper describes the application of accessibility theory to the development of tests that are optimally accessible for all students, with particular regard to students identified with disabilities. The author uses example test items to describe these sources of error and discusses how they may be addressed during the design phase.
Background This study used survival analysis to examine risk factors for substance abuse relapse among residents in Oxford Houses (OH), a national network of self-run, self-financed aftercare homes for individuals recovering from substance use disorders. Methods Participants who entered OH within 60 days of a 1-year longitudinal study (N = 268) were selected from of a nationally representative US sample. Discrete-time survival analysis compared baseline risk of relapse with 4 hypothesized survival models that included time-invariant and time-varying factors across 3 subsequent time periods. Results The model predicting higher risk for more severe substance use disorders and psychiatric problems was supported. The hypothesized model that predicted time-varying increases in alcohol (but not drug) abstinence self-efficacy significantly affected risk of relapse. Hypothesized demographic and employment variables did not significantly predict relapse risk. Conclusions Results suggested that OH recovery homes may reduce relapse by providing closer monitoring and referring additional services to new residents with more severe prior addiction severity. Risk for relapse may also be reduced by enhancing abstinence self-efficacy for alcohol regardless of drug of choice.
Measuring system of carbon dioxide concentration (pCO2) in seawater is described. Newly developed instrument consists of an infrared gas analyzer (NDIR), an equilibrator, a carrier gas generator and a processing signal generator. The present instrument is designed to measure the carbon dioxide concentration of carrier gas which passed through the CO2 equilibrator. The gas circuit of the NDIR is opened to the atmosphere to maintain the carrier gas line at a barometric pressure. Sample seawater of 150ml is enough to determine pCO2. The present instrument can measure pCO2 every 20min. The measuring error in pCO2 is within 2ppmv (coefficient of variance: ca. 0.6%). This denotes that the present instrument is adequate to measure pCO2 under field conditions.
How shall we face the enormous evidence of impersonation as a central cultural practice in the development of national discourses in the Americas? It is well known that, in December 1773, a ship named Dartmouth sat idle in Boston Harbor, prevented from unloading her cargo by the governor in protest of the import tax and prevented from leaving the harbor by customs rules. As the customs period came to a close, a group of newly patriotic Bostonians came up with a plan to resolve the crisis. One historian recounts, “a chorus of Indian war whoops sounded outside the hall and a party of what looked like Indian men ran to the wharf, entered the ships, and proceeded to dump the tea in Boston Harbor” (Deloria 2). And the rest, as they say, was history: the Boston Tea Party has since functioned as favored tale of origin for American independence and national identity.
The electrical and thermal transport properties are characterized for layer-structured (ZnO)mIn2O3 (m=5 and 9) (ZmIO) ceramics of near theoretical densities. The results of the low temperature Hall effect study suggested that the InO2- layers, which have oxygen defects, determine the carrier scattering mechanism of the material, and explain the previously demonstrated two-dimensional character of the carrier transport behavior. From an adaptation of the Wiedemann–Franz law, the lattice thermal conductivity (κL) of ZmIOs at 300 K is estimated to be ∼2.6 W/mK; this value is nearly one fifteenth of that for Al-doped ZnO ceramics (∼40 W/mK). These results suggest that the two-dimensional structure consisting of the InZnmOm+1+ and InO2- sub-lattices gives rise to the strong electrical anisotropy and the low κL which is attributed to the reduced mean free path of the phonon, similar to artificial super-lattice materials.
The role of data in AI has been significantly magnified by the emerging concept of data-centric AI. In contrast to the traditional model-centric paradigm, which focuses on developing more effective models given fixed datasets, data-centric AI emphasizes the systematic engineering of data in building AI systems. However, as a new concept, many critical aspects of data-centric AI remain ambiguous, such as its definitions, associated tasks, algorithms, challenges, and benchmarks. This tutorial aims to review and discuss this emerging field, with a particular focus on the three general data-centric AI goals: training data development, inference data development, and data maintenance. The objective of this tutorial is threefold: (1) to formally categorize the field of data-centric AI using a goal-driven taxonomy and discuss the needs and challenges of each goal, (2) to comprehensively review the state-of-the-art techniques, and (3) to discuss the future perspectives and open research directions to inspire further innovations in this field.
The Internet is a rich multimodal communication environment where researchers can often recruit large numbers of participants for survey studies at low cost; however, there are many unanswered questions about the use of this technology in medical research. An important question is whether the results obtained in such surveys are generalizable to other populations. In this article, we describe different approaches for recruitment of participants on the Internet and how specific approaches may limit generalizability. Another issue clouding use of the Web in research is the essential anonymity of participants. We discuss the risk and benefits of anonymous surveys and technical methods that minimize the risks while preserving anonymity and confidentiality. A related problem may be accidental or deliberate enrollment of unqualified individuals in studies. Researchers can use survey design and statistical methods described herein to partially address threats to validity arising from such individuals; however, in some situations, confirmation of eligibility, by manual review of medical records, may be necessary.
The Fifth International Mutation Detection Workshop brought together inventors and major users of mutation detection methodology in a freshly refurbished 17th century monastery in northern Italy. There were over 120 registrants from 22 nations, all of which gave either a poster or oral presentation, making it difficult to distill the meeting into a few pages. Here we review the meeting by method type and describe highlights within each. It was clear, however, that with the imminent completion of the Human Genome Project and the recent emphasis on the utility of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), many presenters emphasized the high‐throughput aspect of their methods as well as cost. Hum Mutat 14:451–453, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In this article, we provide sufficient conditions on a self-similar interval exchange map, whose renormalization matrix has complex eigenvalues of modulus greater than one, for the existence of affine interval exchange maps with wandering intervals that are semi-conjugate with it. These conditions are based on the algebraic properties of the complex eigenvalues and the complex fractals built from the natural substitution emerging from self-similarity. We show that the cubic Arnoux–Yoccoz interval exchange map satisfies these conditions.
Baseline stream water pH in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is generally good, however, over 95% of the streams have alkalinity less than 10 mg/L as CaCO3 making them susceptible to large pH drops during acidic storm events. Recent stream monitoring has given a better understanding of how stream water quality responds to storm events. Four multi-parameter water quality loggers or sondes and three colocated auto-samplers were installed along a stream reach in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The sondes recorded pH, conductivity, turbidity (three sondes), temperature, and stage every 15 minutes. The data have showed pH drops to as low as 4.0 which is consistent with the precipitation pH in the region. This poor water quality in storm events is suspected to be partly to blame for extirpation of native brook trout. Water samples representative of various portions of a storm hydrograph were analyzed for alkalinity, pH, major ions, and a suite of trace metals including aluminum, copper, and zinc. Metals analyses of storm event samples showed increases in some trace toxic metals (Al, Cu, and Zn) during storm events and exceedences of water quality criteria. Concentration-duration-frequency curves of pH and turbidity sonde were constructed to show how frequently the pH is below a given level and for how long. Copyright ASCE 2005 EWRI 2005
There is sparse data on the analysis of supplementary motor area in language function using direct cortical stimulation of the supplementary motor area. Here, we report a patient who experienced isolated anomia during stimulation of the anterior supplementary motor area and discuss the role of the supplementary motor area in speech production. The role of the pre-supplementary motor· area in word selection, observed in fMRI studies, can be confirmed by direct cortical stimulation.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important cause of nosocomial pneumonia associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate. This bacterium expresses a variety of factors that confer resistance to a broad array of antimicrobial agents. Empirical antibiotic therapy is often inadequate because cultures from initial specimens grow strains that are resistant to initial antibiotics. Surveillance data, hospital antibiogram and individualization of regimens based on prior antibiotic use may reduce the risk of inadequate therapy. The use of combination therapies for P. aeruginosa pneumonia has been a long-advocated practice, but the potential increased value of combination therapy over monotherapy remains controversial. Doripenem and biapenem are new carbapenems that have excellent activity against P. aeruginosa; however, they lack activity against strains that express resistance to the currently available carbapenems. The polymyxins remain the most consistently effective agents against multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa. Strains that are panantibiotic-resistant are rare, but their incidence is increasing. Antibiotic combinations that yield some degree of susceptibility in vitro are the recourse, although the efficacy of these regimens has yet to be established in clinical studies. Experimental polypeptides may provide a new therapeutic approach. Among these, the anti-PcrV immunoglobulin G antibody that blocks the type III secretion system-mediated virulence of P. aeruginosa has recently entered Phase I/II clinical trials.
Pneumatic Artificial Muscles are under investigation for many years. Most of them are units of large dimensions, impossible to use in medical robotics. However, low emittance of heat of working medium is one of the most important advantages of this drive and crucial in medical robotics. Problem of combination of advantages of this drive and preferable for medical use size found solution at Lodz University of Technology, where transversal pneumatic muscles were developed. Thanks to the innovative structure, designed muscles characterize much smaller dimensions and high strength relative to the total volume change. Therefore, they may be successfully used in drive of the robot which is moving inside the human body. The article presents the results of static and dynamic tests of Transversal Pneumatic Muscles.
The objectives of Physical Education include three aspects: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective. However, the Coronavirus 2019 outbreak is sweeping. The purpose of this study was to evaluate learning outcomes of Physical Education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This type of research is qualitative, the source of data for this study are Teachers, Students, and Parents. Data collection methods use observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis uses the triangulation method. Based on research, in the cognitive realm, primary school learning outcomes are 70%, junior high 75%, and high school 85%. The Psychomotor Domain, for Elementary School, is 45%, Middle School 60%, and High School 75%. And in the Affective domain, for Elementary School is 15%, Middle School 30%, and High School 65%. This study concludes that learning outcomes during a pandemic are not optimal. Suggestion: the government provides equipment lending services to students who do not have and provide internet network facilities.
This article analyzes the current normative and legal documents in the field of education, which define and describe the competence of teaching and academic staff of the system of postgraduate pedagogical education, namely: the Law of Ukraine "On Education", the National Qualifications Framework, the Approximate curriculum for training of trainers for educating teachers who will teach first-year students in 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 academic years, Typical educational program of organization and improvement of teaching staff’s professional skills by Postgraduate Pedagogical Educational Institutions, Regulations on advanced studying and internship work  of  academic staff of Higher Educational Institutions. Theoretical and methodological substantiation of the components of integral competence of teaching and academic staff for the system of postgraduate pedagogical education is made: general (capable of transferring from one subject field to another) and professional (applied in a certain subject field of science and is characteristic of it) competence. Abilities, skills and competences as a component of general (research, teamwork, problem solving, managerial, creativity, communicative skills, information transfer) and professional (occupational, subject) competencies that are clearly relevant to a specific field of scientific knowledge,  possibility to demonstrate this knowledge and  ability to apply research methods and tools (substantive, normative, legal, organizational, andragogical, constructive, control and evaluation, etc.) are identified and specified. It is concluded that the concept "integral competence of academic staff  for the system of postgraduate education" is understood as the ability to solve difficult specialized complex tasks and professional problems in the field of educational sciences by means of psychological and pedagogical, scientific research, innovative, scientific and methodological, project, managerial, cultural and educational activities in the dynamic conditions of postgraduate, higher education institutions, based on the knowledge of andragogy, synergetics, acmeology, as well as  new paradigms of native and foreign science in the field of education that provides  deep rethinking of existing and creation of new integrated knowledge and / or professional practice, implementation of innovations and contributes to the qualitative performance of their duties, expanding their competence, etc.
Obsah polyfenolových latek a antioxidacnich vlastnosti chmelů významných ceských odrůd - Žateckeho poloraneho cerveňaku (ŽPC), Sladek, Premiant a Agnus - byl hodnocen u výběru sklizňových vzorků (24, 12, 12, 4 vzorky) po extrakci z chmele vodným acetonem a porovnan s výsledky ze sklizni 2011 a 2012. Obsah celkových polyfenolů (TP), významných z hlediska CHZO Ceske pivo, i anthokyanogenů a flavanoidů je zavislý na odrůdě, nejvyssi obsah byl u ŽPC, nejnižsi obsah u odrůdy Sladek. Poměr TP k α-kyselinam klesa v řadě ŽPC - Sladek - Premiant - Agnus, významný je pouze rozdil mezi ŽPC a ostatnimi odrůdami. Antiradikalova aktivita chmelů odrůd ŽPC, Premiant a Agnus ve sklizni 2013 byla o přibližně 15 % rel. a u odrůdy Sladek o 25 % rel. nižsi oproti sklizni 2012. Nejvyssi obsah majoritniho prenylflavonoidu xanthohumolu (XN) byl stanoven u chmelů Agnus (7,73 mg/g), nasledovaly chmele Sladek (5,21 mg/g), Premiant (3,54 mg/g) a nejnižsi hodnoty byly stanoveny pro ŽPC (2,59 mg/g). Obsah XN byl u chmelů jednotlivých odrůd poměrně vyrovnaný (relativni směrodatna odchylka 8,0 % až 15,9 %). Oproti sklizni 2012 byl významně nižsi obsah u odrůdy ŽPC (o 24,3 %) a Premiant (o 15,2 %). Poměr XN k α-kyselinam je nejvyssi u odrůd ŽPC a Sladek, nejnižsi u chmelů Premiant. Průměrný obsah fytoestrogenu 8-prenylnaringeninu byl v roce 2013 u chmelů Sladek, Premiant a Agnus na urovni 29 až 33 µg/g, nižsi obsah byl u odrůdy ŽPC (22 µg/g). Obsah teto latky a dalsich prenylflavonoidů, 6-prenylnaringeninu a iso-xanthohumolu je znacně rocnikově zavislý. Nejvyssi obsah byl v rocniku 2012, nasledoval rocnik 2013 a nejnižsi byly hodnoty v roce 2011.
The velocity field and the associated tangential stress corresponding to the flow of a generalized second-grade fluid between two infinite coaxial circular cylinders, are determined by means of the Laplace and Hankel transforms. At time t = 0, the fluid is at rest and at t = 0 + the cylinders suddenly begin to rotate about their common axis with a constant angular acceleration. The solutions that have been obtained satisfy the governing differential equations and all the imposed initial and boundary conditions. The similar solutions for a second-grade fluid and Newtonian fluid are recovered from our general solutions. The influence of the fractional coefficient on the velocity of the fluid is also analyzed by graphical illustrations.
This chapter seeks to understand the implications of the recent decline in venture activity for innovation. It argues that the situation may not be as grim as it initially appears. While there are many reasons for believing that on average venture capital has a powerful effect on innovation, the effect is far from uniform. During boom periods, the prevalence of overfunding of particular sectors can lead to a sharp decline in the effectiveness of venture funds. While prolonged downturns may eventually lead to good companies going unfunded, many of the dire predictions today seem overstated.
The article addresses border tax adjustment from the perspective of world trade law. This classical instrument of foreign trade provides a level playing field for certain goods by adjusting the indirect taxes and charges to the level of the destination country. Particular problems have arisen with environmental charges. The structure of the article reflects the development of the scientific debate on border tax adjustments. The controversy of the nineties was about the adjustment of environmental taxes, which do not charge a product as such but the resources exhausted in the process of production. The article demonstrates that those taxes are to be numbered among the adjustable indirect taxes. The current debate deals with the expenses European producers have to bear due to the European Emission Trading Scheme. It is demonstrated that those expenses are in the same way adjustable as regular environmental taxes. Thus border tax adjustment on its own becomes important as an instrument of environmental policies. This is because environmental charges can only have an effect on the exhaustion of global resources, if they do not affect global competition in favour for countries that do not pursue environmental policies. Though, in adherence to the Most Favoured Nation Clause adjustments for environmental charges can only be made schematically without considering the environmental policy or the stage of development in the country of origin. However, a justification pursuant to Art. XX GATT would allow a more flexible application of border tax adjustments.
Temperature plays a very vital role in proper growth of crystals and compound semiconducting materials. Temperature also affects the properties of the materials. Therefore, it is desirable to accurately monitor and control the temperature of the furnace used for Growth of different types of Materials. This paper focuses on the design and construction of a low cost temperature controller for high temperature laboratory based furnaces used for crystal growth. It can also be used for industrial furnaces. The design is based on microcontroller (IC PIC16F873A). In the circuit K-type thermocouple is used as a temperature sensor. Suitable instrumentation and signal conditioning circuit is developed to give desired electrical signal to the microcontroller which is equivalent to the actual temperature. The actual temperature is monitored continuously. Because different materials have different melting points, facility is provided to program different temperature profiles. When the device exceeds a preset temperature level, power output of the circuit is switched OFF, hence switching of the heating device (Furnace). The developed circuit is reliable and cost effective. It has good accuracy better than ±1oC.The overall performance of the controller is tested and found it perfectly functional.
s of the 12th Congress of ECCO – European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation S469 Abstract P758 – Table 1. Significantly enriched deleterious mutations in the Icelandic UC cohort with corresponding allele frequency from EXAC and UCLex variant databasesP758 – Table 1. Significantly enriched deleterious mutations in the Icelandic UC cohort with corresponding allele frequency from EXAC and UCLex variant databases Gene name Variant ID Consequence amino acid CADD Condel EXAC non-finnish UCLex UC ICE Chi-square Yates corecction European p-value TPMT 6_18130918_T_C rs1142345 missense Y/C 19.88 deleterious 0.040 0.035 0.138 (0.0001) TPMT 6_18139228_C_T rs1800460 missense A/T 21.7 deleterious 0.036 0.028 0.138 (0.0001) SLC26A3 7_107427322_A_C rs34407351 missense C/W 13.76 deleterious 0.049 0.046 0.103 (0.014) UC. Exome sequencing identified 2 missense mutations in thiopurine S-methytransferase (TPMT) in 7/13 of the UC biopsies compared to 1/14 controls. The mutations identified are known to result in a loss of enzyme function leading to high levels of toxic metabolites from thiopurine analogues, which cause liver toxicity and bone marrow suppression. [2] This variant seems to be significantly more prevalent in this population. We identified 2 significant possibly damaging mutations which have influence on rectal gene expression. The mutations correspond with differential expression of SPOP with TPMT variant and DUOXA2 and DUOX2 with SLC26A3 variant. Conclusions: Rectal mucosal samples from UC patients show an elevation in cell cycle activity and protein metabolism. The perceived increase in the TPMT variant would suggest screening of the UC population to avoid the serious toxicity associated with thiopurine analogue therapy. Significantly enriched deleterious mutations in the UC cohort, also have an influence on rectal gene expression of DUOXA2, DUOX2 and SPOP. References: [1] Bjornsson, S et al. (2015). Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Iceland 1995–2009. A nationwide population-based study, Scand. J. Gastroenterolgy, 5521, 1–8 [2] Roberts, R.L. & Barclay, M.L, (2015). Update on thiopurine pharmacogenetics in inflammatory bowel disease, Pharmacogenomics, 16, 891–903 P759 MiRNA expression patterns in colon of active and inactive ulcerative colitis S. Juzenas*1, J. Skieceviciene1, V. Salteniene1, J. Kupcinskas1,2, G. Hemmrich-Stanisak3, Z. Du3, M. Hübenthal3, G. Kiudelis1,2, L. Jonaitis1,2, A. Franke3, L. Kupcinskas1,2 1Lithuanian University of Heath Sciences, Institute for Digestive Research, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Lithuanian University of Heath Sciences, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaunas, Lithuania; 3Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Institute for Clinical Molecular Biology, Kiel, Germany Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly tissue-specific, small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. These molecules are strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of various immune-related diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC). Recent studies identified numerous frequently deregulated miRNAs in UC, but there is a lack of information on miRNAs which are deregulated in different forms of the disease’s severity. To get further insight into the pathogenesis of UC, the aim of this study was to examine miRNA profiles in active and inactive forms of UC. Methods: In the discovery phase, small RNA transcriptomes of 76 individuals (HC =32, UCa =23, UCi =21) were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 2500 NGS platform. Small RNA-seq data pre-processing and quantification were performed using miRDeep2 package (reference database miRBase v20). Normalization, quality control, statistical analysis, and assessment of miRNA differential expression were performed using DESeq2 package. Validation of the most deferentially expressed miRNAs was determined in the independent cohort of 122 individuals (HC =38, UCa =38, UCi =36) using Custom TaqMan® Low Density Array (TLDA). The TLDA expression data was normalized using the CT method to the expression values of U6 snRNA, statistical analysis was performed by using HTqPCR package. In order to identify the overall similarity structure of the miRNA expression profiles, a multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis using Spearman’s correlation distance (1-correlation coefficient) was performed. Results: The comparative analysis of small RNA-seq data identified 108 differentially expressed miRNAs between active UC and normal controls. In contrast, in inactive UC vs. normal controls, 31 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed. Comparison of the miRNA expression profiles between active UC and inactive UC identified 74 differentially expressed miRNAs. To further validate the findings of small RNA-seq data, 22 highly differentially expressed miRNAs were selected for TLDA analysis in the independent cohort. The expression levels of 11 miRNAs showed significant differential expression in the same direction as in the sequencing data. The MDS analysis either on small RNA-seq or TLDA data revealed two clearly resolved clusters corresponding to active UC and healthy controls and one intermediate cluster corresponding to the inactive UC. Conclusions: The expression profiles of miRNAs differ among active UC, inactive UC and healthy controls. The patients with inactive UC have an intermediate miRNA expression profile that has similarities to both healthy and active UC-affected individuals. P760 microRNA expression profiling of inflammatory bowel disease C.F. Sibia1, R.P.L. Silva*2, J.R. Ariede3, F.E. Severino2, E. Farinelli2, F.L. Renosto2, L.Y. Sassaki2, P.P. Reis2, R.S. Hossne2 1Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil; 2Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brasil, Brazil; 3Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Botucatu, Brazil Background: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two major diseases that make up the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The etiology is multifactorial, is an interaction between individual genetic characteristics, predisposition and environment. These factors must be involved in the modification of the immune response with consequent formation of altered inflammatory response. Studies indicate that several genes, in addition to those involved in the modulation of the immune response, are differentially expressed in patients with CD. vsUC. Considering that microRNAs (miRNAs) are important gene expression regulators with a role in human diseases, including inflammatory and chronic degenerative diseases, they may be good candidates to investigate as biomarkers with diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic applications. An important feature of miRNAs is their stability and reliable detection in body fluids. Methods: A meta-analysis was performed for the identification of miRNA expression data in IBD. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied and 10 studies were selected, from which relevant miRNAs S470 Poster presentations with statistically significant, increased or decreased expression as compared to controls were identified. We also collected information on the type and number of analyzed samples (serum, plasma or tissue) with CD or UC, type of platforms used for analysis of global miRNA expression and data validation, author name and date of publication. Significantly deregulated miRNAs were used in bioinformatic analysis to predict the target genes regulated by these miRNAs. Prediction analyzes of miRNA target transcripts and enrichment of biological functions of the target genes were performed. Results: The results showed 6 CDmiRNAs with increased expression and 51 UC. On the other hand, miRNAs with decreased expression were found on 51 CD and 26 UC. The miRNAs that showed the greatest number of interactions with IBD deregulated genes were let-7a-5p, let-7b-5p and miR-199a-5p, miR-150–5p, miR-362–3p and miR-2245p. For patients with RCU, deregulated miRNAs were miR-155–5p, miR-24–5p, miR-335–5p and miR-16–5p. Such miRNAs may play an important role in the molecular mechanisms of disease. In addition, results were used to identify gene interactions and biological processes within inflammation and immune response. Studies such as this may contribute to the identification of miRNAs and target genes as useful biomarkers for the development of new therapeutic strategies for patients with IBD. Conclusions: miRNA-mRNA networks identified may play important roles in the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease. Future validation studies with large patient cohorts are required to demonstrate the role of miRNAs and target genes in IBD. P761 Gene expression differences between Crohn’s disease aphthous ulcers and healthy Peyer’s patches highlights potential treatment strategies C. O’Brien*1,2, H. Patel3, T. Freeman4, K. Zhang5, K. Peng5, P. Pavli1,2 1Australian National University, Medical School, Canberra, ACT, Australia; 2Canberra Hospital, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Canberra, ACT, Australia; 3Australian National University, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Canberra, ACT, Australia; 4University of Edinburgh, The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; 5Australian National University, Biological Research Facility, Canberra, ACT, Australia Background: The earliest macroscopic lesion in Crohn’s disease (CD) is the aphthous ulcer, which overlies Peyer’s patches and lymphoid follicles. Our aim was to characterize differences in gene expression of aphthous ulcers and Peyer’s patches. Methods: Biopsies were obtained from the terminal ileum of 12 patients (6 with CD, 6 healthy controls). Aphthous ulcers and adjacent unaffected mucosa were obtained from CD patients, and Peyer’s patches and adjacent mucosa from the controls. All patients were medication-free, except one. RNA was extracted using Qiagen kits. NextSeq 500 libraries were constructed using NextSeq 500/550 High output kits (Illumina) in a 150 bp paired-end format. Tra
IN the preceding section of this paper evidence was given by Mrs. Ewing to show that by the age of three years the mental development of the deaf and dumb child has begun to diverge profoundly from that of the child who can hear and talk. This is proved by his behaviour when analysed by the application of standardized tests and norms. Knowledge about deaf children under four years of age greatly facilitates an understanding of the results of investigations into the abilities of deaf children in later childhood and adolesence. Not long ago it was shrewdly remarked by one of our post-graduate research workers that much investigation has been made into the abilities of deaf children over a period of more than twenty years, but that there has been little or no co-ordination. To use a military analogy there has been plenty of reliable news, but it has all been under separate heads. There has been no adequate picture of the situation as a whole. The closer study of younger deaf children has already gone far to provide a remedy. The purpose of the present paper is to show how knowledge of younger children is helping to give coherence to all that was previously known about deaf-mutism. The average educational attainment of deaf children has been measured both in the United States and in this country. In 1928 the National Research Council published the results of a survey of American schools for the deaf. It was found that the educational attainment of deaf pupils of twelve years was comparable to that of children with normal hearing four years younger. Beyond that standard the progress of pupils in schools for the deaf tended to be very slow. At fifteen years of age the average attainment of deaf children, when judged by normal standards, had advanced only to the level of nine-year-old children. More recently pupils of English schools for the deaf have proved to be severely backward in reading and somewhat less backward in arithmetic.
Phase-separating porous glass (PG) was studied with respect to the ion-exchange reaction of Cs+ ions from aqueous solutions, and the effect of residual sol (aluminosilicate, in particular) in the pores was examined. Cs+ uptake from solutions containing Cs+ ions only was excellent in both the presence and absence of aluminum. For solutions containing additional ions, selective adsorption of Cs+ was only observed when aluminum was present in the PG. The results show that Cs+ ion-exchange can be controlled by slight changes in the chemical composition of PG. © The Electrochemical Society of Japan, All rights reserved.
In the last decade, additive manufacturing technologies like laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) have emerged strongly. However, the process characteristics involving layer-wise build-up of the part and the occurring high, directional thermal gradient result in significant changes of the microstructure and the related properties compared to traditionally fabricated materials. This study presents the influence of the build direction (BD) on the microstructure and resulting properties of a novel austenitic Fe-30Mn-1C-0.02S alloy processed via LPBF. The fabricated samples display a {011} texture in BD which was detected by electron backscatter diffraction. Furthermore, isolated binding defects could be observed between the layers. Quasi-static tensile and compression tests displayed that the yield, ultimate tensile as well as the compressive yield strength are significantly higher for samples which were built with their longitudinal axis perpendicular to BD compared to their parallel counterparts. This was predominantly ascribed to the less severe effects of the sharp-edged binding defects loaded perpendicular to BD. Additionally, a change of the Young’s modulus in dependence of BD could be demonstrated, which is explained by the respective texture. Potentiodynamic polarization tests conducted in a simulated body fluid revealed only slight differences of the corrosion properties in dependence of the build design.
This article highlights the increasingly important role of clean energy metals in return and volatility spillovers across energy and foreign exchange markets. During the collapse of oil prices from 2014 to 2016, crude oil futures were at the center of the risk contagion;however, since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the spillovers of clean energy metal futures have become one of the main sources of the risk contagion. Additionally, crude oil and the US dollar are the most important contributors to the spillovers, but further spillovers are emerging between the Chinese yuan, euro, and Japanese yen with clean energy metals. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
This study aims at developing an intelligent agent that can recognize user-specific emotions and can self-evolve. Previous studies have explored several methods to develop the model and improve the results while maintaining the feasibility of real-time implementation for later stages. We evolved the emotion recognition module by using Genetic Programming (GP) and explored several optimizations. We investigated and compared the evolution of a unique classifier (evolved from data from a single specific subject only), the evolution of a general classifier (evolved from data from multiple subjects), and the evolution of an adaptive classifier by implementing incremental GP (evolved incrementally, first from multiple subjects and then from a single specific subject). We conducted the experiments by using the same budget in terms of evolution sessions to obtain the best programs for a fair comparison between general approach, user-specific approach, and adaptive approach. We then performed repeated experiments to verify the robustness of the method. From the results, we concluded that, on an average, adaptive approach not only resulted in faster evolution time, but also achieved better accuracy in emotion recognition.
T wo weeks towards the end of my first clinical posting I had just completed a neurological examination, and walking down the corridor, I was practising my still imperfect and hesitant swing of the tendon tapper as I headed to the next case, a child with a heart murmur, sitting happily amongst brightly coloured toys. And then I saw it. Amongst the kaleidoscope of colour, a sheet of paper with four stark, simple words: ‘No medical students allowed’.
This paper explores the role of the state for an effective engagement of multinational corporations (MNCs) in corporate social responsibility (CSR). In the OECD context, the “shadow of hierarchy” cast by the state is considered an important incentive for MNCs to engage in CSR activities that contribute to governance. However, in areas of limited statehood, where state actors are too weak to effectively set and enforce collectively binding rules, profit-driven MNCs confront various dilemmas with respect to costly CSR standards. The lack of a credible regulatory threat by state agencies is therefore often associated with the exploitation of resources and people by MNCs, rather than with business’ social conduct. However, in this paper we argue that there are alternatives to the “shadow of hierarchy” that induce MNCs to adopt and implement CSR policies that contribute to governance in areas of limited statehood. We then discuss that in certain areas such functional equivalents still depend on some state intervention to be effective, in particular when firms are immune to reputational concerns and in complex-task areas that require the involvement of several actors in the provision of collective goods. Finally, we discuss the “dark side” of the state and show that the state can also have negative effects on the CSR engagement of MNCs. We illustrate the different ways in which statehood and the absence thereof affect CSR activities of MNCs in South Africa and conclude with some considerations on the conditions under which statehood exerts these effects.
their body build and they showed certain personality characteristics as well as a tendency to depression. The high incidence of stressful events before the onset of the illness suggested that these may be important in the aetiology of the condition. Dr. Bagge has approached the considerable problems inherent in this type of investigation with commendable care. He has taken great pains to provide adequate controls and to tackle the problem of personality assessment. His work is a model of its kind. Perhaps one's greatest reservations are about his sample of patients. In a recent investigation into dysmenorrhoea it was found that personality factors as well as the condition itself were important in deciding whether a woman goes for treatment; thus it may be that there is a bias in this sample of C.G.H. patients who were obtained from a gynaecological clinic. However, the interrelationships suggested by this and similar investigations on menstrual disorders are fascinating and relatively unexplored. There is the possibility of constitutional endocrinological differ ences manifesting themselves at different levelsâ€”the predisposition to develop the illness, the development of a certain body build and the development of certain personality characteristics. It is probable that the exploration of these complex constitutional relationships, rather than the search for specific precipitating factors, represents the most fruitful area for psychosomatic research. A. J. COPPEN.
Information retrieval researchers have studied passage retrieval extensively, yet there is no consensus within the community about how to evaluate the results of passage retrieval experiments. This paper describes five character-level passage evaluation measures and tasks for which they may be appropriate. In the second half of the paper we compare several passage retrieval models, including a new generative mixture model that outperforms strong baselines on many of the evaluation measures discussed in part one.
Objective: This preliminary report used data from a randomized controlled clinical trial to investigate the beneficial effects of a self-monitoring quality of life (SMQOL) intervention on communication, medical care and patient outcomes in Japanese women with breast cancer. Methods: This study compared a SMQOL intervention group with a control group that received usual care after 4 months on self-efficacy aspects of patient–physician communication among outpatients with breast cancer in Japan using the Perceived Efficacy in Patient–Physician Interactions (PEPPI) questionnaire. Patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups using permuted-block randomization. The intervention groups were asked to complete a paper-based quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire in addition to the usual care provided in the control group. Analysis of covariance was used to assess the difference in PEPPI scores between the intervention and control groups. Additionally, subgroup analyses were performed for outpatients with breast cancer accompanied by depression or anxiety. Results: In total, 232 patients were eligible for this study and randomized. Seven patients did not answer the PEPPI questionnaire at baseline after group allocation, leaving 225 patients for inclusion in the analyses. The modified intention-to-treat ITT analysis showed the SMQOL intervention had no significant effect on PEPPI total score (P = 0.226). We found a significant between-group difference in PEPPI total score in the anxiety group (P = 0.045), namely, the self-efficacy aspects of patient–physician communication of those with anxiety in the intervention group were better than for those in the control group after 4 months. Conclusion: Use of the SMQOL had beneficial effects on communication self-efficacy between patients and physicians for outpatients with breast cancer, those with anxiety.
Few long‐term studies have explored how intensively managed short rotation forest plantations interact with climate variability. We examine how prolonged severe drought and forest operations affect runoff in 11 experimental catchments on private corporate forest land near Nacimiento in south central Chile over the period 2008–2019. The catchments (7.7–414 ha) contain forest plantations of exotic fast‐growing species (Pinus radiata, Eucalyptus spp.) at various stages of growth in a Mediterranean climate (mean long‐term annual rainfall = 1381 mm). Since 2010, a drought, unprecedented in recent history, has reduced rainfall at Nacimiento by 20%, relative to the long‐term mean. Pre‐drought runoff ratios were <0.2 under 8‐year‐old Eucalyptus; >0.4 under 21‐year‐old Radiata pine and >0.8 where herbicide treatments had controlled vegetation for 2 years in 38% of the catchment area. Early in the study period, clearcutting of Radiata pine (85%–95% of catchment area) increased streamflow by 150 mm as compared with the year before harvest, while clearcutting and partial cuts of Eucalyptus did not increase streamflow. During 2008–2019, the combination of emerging drought and forestry treatments (replanting with Eucalyptus after clearcutting of Radiata pine and Eucalyptus) reduced streamflow by 400–500 mm, and regeneration of previously herbicide‐treated vegetation combined with growth of Eucalyptus plantations reduced streamflow by 1125 mm (87% of mean annual precipitation 2010–2019). These results from one of the most comprehensive forest catchment studies in the world on private industrial forest land indicate that multiple decades of forest management have reduced deep soil moisture reservoirs. This effect has been exacerbated by drought and conversion from Radiata pine to Eucalyptus, apparently largely eliminating subsurface supply to streamflow. The findings reveal tradeoffs between wood production and water supply, provide lessons for adapting forest management to the projected future drier climate in Chile, and underscore the need for continued experimental work in managed forest plantations.
Stiff person syndrome (SPS) spectrum disorders (SPSSD) cause spasms and rigidity throughout different body regions and can be associated with apnea and acute respiratory failure. There are limited data on the prevalence and predictors of respiratory symptoms with spasms (RSwS) in SPSSD. We sought to characterize the spirometry patterns and the frequency and predictors of RSwS in a large SPSSD cohort.
Is it possible for paleoanthropologists using data obtained from archeological, ethnographical, and biological (skeletal) sources to reconstruct the way that hunters in prehistoric human populations manipulated weapons? In a recent issue of this journal, Churchill1 and Kortlandt2 endeavored to estimate behavioral preferences for spear thrusting and spear throwing among prehistoric populations. Citing reports from anatomical (skeletal) and ethnographic sources, they agreed that Neanderthals dispatched large mammals living in densely forested environments with stabbing spears thrust directly into their prey. But they disagreed about how the spear was handled: Churchill proposed that the weapon was manipulated in the manner of the presentday bayonet-using infantry soldier, who grasps the rifle with both hands in an underhand position so that the fixed bayonet is at the level of his upper thorax. Kortlandt contended that Neanderthals held their spears with both hands in an overhand position at shoulder height because this afforded maximum mechanical advantage when hunter and prey were at close quarters. Spear throwing in the manner of a modern Olympic contestant, who holds the javelin with one hand at the level of his temporal bone, bears similarities to the practices of huntergatherers described in the ethnographic record, particularly those in communities inhabiting grassland and open forest environments. Churchill and Kortlandt offered different estimates of the frequencies of spear thrusting and spear throwing, the latter reporting his own observations of spear use among hunters of the former Belgian Congo, who threw spears at prey but also used a stabbing spear called an “assegai,” which was held in two hands at shoulder height. I wish to bring to the readers’ attention three sets of data that provide insights into prehistoric hunting activities and weapons technology based on archeological, ethnographical, and biological data from India. Human skeletal remains from the Early to Middle Holocene have been recovered from caves, rockshelters, and open-air burial sites on the Indian subcontinent (Fig. 1). Microlithic technology was advanced across this diversified landmass and has been radiocarbon dated to as early as 32,000 BP in Sri Lanka. The technological developments of this so-called Mesolithic tradition of a hunting-gathering lifeway consist of simple and fluted core tools, flakes, blades, and geometric points (lunates, trapezes), as well as small scrapers shaped from chalcedony, agate, jasper, flint, chert, and quartz. The prepared core technique, arguably derived from lands to the west of India during the Middle Paleolithic, was practiced. A spear was a composite weapon with a pointed microlithic flake at the tip of a wooden lance; smaller barbs were placed along the sides of the shaft (Fig. 2). Accompanying these artifacts at Indian Mesolithic sites are stone arrowheads, bone and horn tools, and the faunal remains of large and small game, including Bos indicus, Bubulus spp, Capri herous, Ovis sp, Sus scrofa, Gazella gazella, Equus sp, and Rhinoceros sp. This is an incomplete list of the prey whose remains were recovered, along with human remains, from the sites in the Ganga valley. The Mesolithic hunting-gathering lifeway underwent changes after the seventh millennium with the early domestication of plants and animals in Baluchistan, although microlithic manufacturing continued into historic times.3 It is hypothesized that some South Asian prehistoric populations used one or more specific weapon systems, as documented in the archeological record. However, morphological features on the bones of a particular skeletal specimen may not reflect a single mode of tool or weapon use by that individual. However, if it is assumed that the form of any long bone is an expression of remodeling to strains exceeding the elastic limit under the degree of external loading to which it is accustomed,4 it follows that markers of occupational stress are manifested in dimensions of diaphyseal thickness and shape and as prominent loci of muscular attachments (enthesopathic lesions or entheseal hypertrophies).5 There is a high frequency of hypertrophy of the supinator crests on the right ulnae of adult males recovered from three Mesolithic burial sites on India’s Gangetic plain in Uttar Pradesh (Damdama, Mahadaha, and Sarai Nahar Rai) and from several cave burial sites at Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh. This finding led me Kenneth A. R. Kennedy is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Corson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853 U.S.A. Email: kak10@cornell.edu
Several statistical approaches for the analysis of longitudinal data require that models be correctly specified for the association between a current outcome and the full history of past outcomes and time‐dependent exposures. It is empirically challenging to determine the specific aspects of the outcome and/or exposure history that are predictive of a current outcome because the potential number of variables representing the history can be quite large. The purpose of this article is to outline statistical methods that can characterize lagged effects and to provide a structured approach for data analysis with the goal of appropriate model development. One of the main contributions of the article is to emphasize the possibility that in practice transition models may frequently require more than simple additive and linear models for the predictors representing the history of the outcome and covariate processes. We illustrate the concepts using an example from anemia treatment for dialysis patients and show how linear models can be specified with flexible dependence on exposure and/or outcome histories.
In this paper, we will propose integrated power dividing/ combining networks for power combiner and phased array applications. The design procedures for a Ka-band 4-port power combining network will be presented, together with the simulated and tested results. It has a total insertion loss lower than 0.25dB and phase difference less than +/−3degrees in a relative bandwidth of 4% around center frequency of 35.8GHz. The isolation between any two output ports is better than 20dB. The design and tested results for a 10-port 2-layer power combining network will also be included. Finally, we will propose a 200W Ka-band power combiner based on the integrated waveguide networks.
e17100 Background: We have initiated a nutritional program where all patients treated with definitive radiation therapy are evaluated and closely followed by a registered oncologic dietitian. In this report, we analyze nutritional factors and compliance with dietary recommendations as related to overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Methods: We identified 352 patients with non-metastatic oropharyngeal (206) and laryngeal (146) cancer who were treated with definitive RT between 2004-2013. Individual patient data including compliance with nutritional program were tabulated. Adherence to the nutritional program was scored weekly and patients were deemed non-compliant with nutritional program if they cancelled > 25% of their appointments with the dietitian, refused nutritional counseling or did not follow recommendations. Descriptive analyses, logrank test and Cox regression model was fitted to examine predictors of OS and PFS. Results: The median follow-up was 22.86 (0.56-116) months. Th...
Here, we describe a new approach designed to monitor the proteolytic activity of maturing phagosomes in live antigen-presenting cells. We find that an ingested particle sequentially encounters distinct protease activities during phagosomal maturation. Incorporation of active proteases into the phagosome of the macrophage cell line J774 indicates that phagosome maturation involves progressive fusion with early and late endocytic compartments. In contrast, phagosome biogenesis in bone marrow–derived dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages preferentially involves endocytic compartments enriched in cathepsin S. Kinetics of phagosomal maturation is faster in macrophages than in DCs. Furthermore, the delivery of active proteases to the phagosome is significantly reduced after the activation of DCs with lipopolysaccharide. This observation is in agreement with the notion that DCs prevent the premature destruction of antigenic determinants to optimize T cell activation. Phagosomal maturation is therefore a tightly regulated process that varies according to the type and differentiation stage of the phagocyte.
In this paper, we developed several algorithms to combat the impact of synchronization errors on demodulating M-ary orthogonal signaling formats in asynchronous DS-CDMA systems. The system under study resembles the uplink of an IS-95 system. The channel is assumed to be a time-varying flat Rayleigh-fading channel. Investigation shows that synchronization errors severely deteriorate the performance of multi-user detectors. We proposed an adaptive algorithm to estimate the errors in synchronization. Based on this information, remedial actions are taken to alleviate the performance degradation caused by sampling the received signals at the incorrect timing. Simulation results show considerable capacity gains when the proposed algorithms are performed to erroneously sampled signals.
In this paper, three-dimensional finite element model of BGA package was used to be simulated lead-free solder. Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu was used as the material of solder joints array in the interconnection structure of BGA. The constitutive equation of power exponent law was applied to represent the stress-strain behavior of lead-free solder joints. The dangerous area of failure in the model was located. The change law of equivalent of stresstime and equivalent of plastic strain-time, and the correlation between failure and the loading modes of solder joints were studied. The results show that: the failure location of solder joints under different loading modes is the same. The position of stress concentration located at the lower left IMC (Intermetallic Compounds), the maximum equivalent plastic strain area located at the upper right solder neck. The residual stress of the lower left IMC under cycle loading unloading is the largest so the crack is most likely to happen. The equivalent plastic strain of the upper right solder neck under step cycle loading unloading is the largest and the ductile failure is most likely to happen. So cycle loading unloading mode and step loading unloading mode should be avoided at practical work.
It has been found that thin layers of aerogels applied by the sol-gel method on silica optical fibers change their optical properties due to the interaction with gases such as hydrocarbons. This paper deals with modification of the sensitivity and selectivity to vapors of hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons of siloxane aerogel layers based on their doping with TiOTi chains and/or immobilizing in them Cu-ephedrine and Cu-phthalocyanine. The sensing fibers were prepared by the sol-gel application of porous siloxane and doped-siloxane layers on bare cores of PCS fibers. By using the excitation of the fiber with inclined laser beams it is experimentally shown that there are positive or negative changes of the output optical power from the fibers due to bringing the prepared layers into contact with vapors of aliphatic, aromatic and chlorinated hydrocarbons in nitrogen. These effects may be related to a difference between the refractive index of the layer and refractive index of liquid hydrocarbon or hydrocarbon its derivative. It is shown experimentally that doping porous siloxane layers with copper complexes changes their refractive index and optical losses changing thus their sensitivity and selectivity to hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon derivatives.
Mice have gained more and more attention in recent years and been widely used in transgenic experiments. Although the number of researches on the heart rate variability (HRV) of mice has been gradually increasing, a consensus on the frequency ranges of autonomic modulation has not been established. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to find a HRV “prototype” for conscious mice in the state of being motionless and breathing regularly (called “genuinely resting”), and to determine the frequency ranges corresponding to the autonomic modulation. Further, whether these frequencies will change when the mice move freely was studied to evaluate the feasibility of the HRV spectrum as an index of the autonomic modulation of mice. The recording sites were specially arranged to simultaneously obtain the electrocardiography and electromyography data to be provided for the use of HRV analysis and motion monitoring, respectively. The states of being motionless and breathing regularly as judged from the electromyography results were selected as a genuine resting state of a conscious mouse. The frequencies related to autonomic modulation of HRV were determined by comparing the spectrum changes before and after blockades of the autonomic tone by different pharmaceutical agents in both the genuine resting state and freely moving states. Our results showed that the HRV of mice is not suitable for indexing sympathetic modulation; however, it is possible to use the spectral power in the frequency range between 0.1 and 1 Hz as an index of parasympathetic modulation.
A spreader for feeding and uniformly distributing grain in a bin. The spreader has a hopper to receive the incoming grain. A screw mounted in the hopper evenly spreads the grain and propels it into a chute whose discharge mouth is normally closed by a spring pressed gate, or valve. A rotary thrower blade, mounted below the chute, aids the chute to distribute the grain generally radially and downwardly uniformly in the bin. The screw, the discharge chute and the thrower are driven as a unit by a single shaft, mounted coaxially in the hopper, and rotated by a motor mounted externally of the hopper. The pressure of grain movement propelled by the screw opens the chute gate allowing grain to pass to the spreader.
To the Editor: I appreciate authors Halder et al for their interesting report on “Isolated bradycardia due to skull pin fixation: an unusual occurrence.” However, I have some points to add to this report to help understand the exact mechanism of bradycardia. In this patient, bradycardia was noticed without any changes in blood pressure (BP). There could be 2 possible explanations for this. Skull pin fixation produces intense noxious stimuli and generally manifests as hypertension, tachycardia, or bradycardia. The first probable mechanism may be a trigeminal cardiac reflex (TCR), which can be evoked during stimulation of any sensory branch of the trigeminal nerve (depending on the pin site—not mentioned).2 There was also normalization of the heart rate after removal of the stimulus (classic nature of TCR). TCR is also linked with anesthetic depth; therefore, bradycardia response was probably noted at the deeper level of anesthesia.3 In cases of raised intracranial pressure (ICP), sudden relative brain ischemia produces hypothalamic stimulation that causes sympathetic stimulation and raises peripheral vascular resistance (increase in BP). This response further activates carotid baroreceptor and finally vagal-mediated bradycardia. The author did not mention about the isoflurane concentration and total gas flow at the time of skull pin fixation; these factors could be responsible for transient increase in ICP. Sudden increase in isoflurane concentration–mediated cerebral vasodilatation coupled with noxious stimuli might increase ICP; however, as isoflurane also decreases the peripheral vascular resistance, no increase in BP was noted, and thus bradycardia was manifested as the sole indicator of raised ICP. Propofol and fentanyl coupled with hyperventilation abolished the vasodilatation effect produced by isoflurane and could normalize the transient rise of ICP. Thus, during skull pin fixation, supplementation of intravenous anesthetic agents seems to be a better choice, as sudden increase in volatile concentration may further worsen the raised ICP and hence should be avoided.
In February 1990, a multicentric randomized study was started to verify the therapeutic efficacy of adjuvant alpha-interferon in Robson's stage II and III renal cell carcinoma. Up to April 1992, 749 radical nephrectomies have been recorded by the 25 participating centers. Stage II and III patients fullfilling selection criteria were 124: 64 were assigned to Interferon therapy and 60 to control. The short follow-up does not allow any evaluation of the relapse rate. Therapy related toxicity was represented by mild fever and flu-like syndrome in 50% of cases and slight leucopenia in 5%. The recruitment of the first 200 randomized patients will end approximately within 1 year. While evaluating the hypothesis of a 20% difference in the 5 year disease-free survival between the two groups recruitment will continue up to a total of 350 cases, in order to verify the 15% hypothesis, too.
According to the doctrine of so-called docetic Christology, earthly Jesus and heavenly Christ were two different persons; it was Jesus who suffered on the cross, Christ just entered Jesus body for a while and abandoned it before his death on the cross; consequently, the suffering of Christ was mere appearance. On the basis of some passages from Gnostic texts containing examples of docetic Christology, the author attempts here to trace the origin of that concept, starting with the New Testament (Pt. 1: Synoptic Gospels); in this part of the article, he deals with Pauls and Deutero-Pauline letters (Pt. 2). To be continued.
We have used (e,2e) coincidence techniques to study electron momentum densities as a function of binding energy and momentum in thin films. The experiment employs symmetric coplanar geometry with incident electron beam energy of 10 keV. The outgoing electrons are retarded to about 100 eV before being dispersed in identical hemispherical analysers and counted in one-dimensional position-sensitive detectors consisting of multichannel plates and resistive anodes. Binding energy spectra are obtained by stepping the incident energy through a predetermined range. In amorphous carbon films 80 A thick, we have obtained electron momentum distributions for binding energies from 0 to 40 eV with momentum as parameter (0, 0.4 and 0.8 atomic units). The results clearly show contributions from the 03C0- and 03C3- bands and demonstrate the usefulness of the method.
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is responsible for <1% of colorectal cancer (CRC) cases and is inherited an autosomal dominant trait. Patients generally present hundreds to thousands of adenomas and develop colorectal cancer by age 35- 40 if left untreated. Here we report four patients with germline frameshift mutation (small deletion) at exon 15 of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumor suppressor gene. Peripheral blood samples were collected from patients and Exon 15 of the APC gene was studied by direct sequencing after genomic DNA extraction. Four frameshift mutations were detected. Two patients had 5 bp deletion, c.3927_3931delAAAGA and two siblings presented deletion at codon 849 (c.2547_2548delTA p.Asp849fsX62). This study was the first report of genetic screening in Iranian FAP patients. In contrast to other studies we revealed that one patient with mutation at codon 1309 had an attenuated phenotype.
Abstract Objective: The formation of a strong bond between patients and therapists can lead to successful treatment outcomes. Yet, little is known about the mechanisms that function to control this relationship. The objective of this case report was to examine the ruptures and repairs in the working alliance between a young therapist and an elderly caregiver, and to suggest ways in which to deal with age-related challenges to such an alliance. Method: In order to examine the ruptures and repairs in a working alliance, this case report reflects on the interdependent relationship among therapist variables, patient variables, and the therapeutic alliance. The clinical experience presented describes a newly educated psychologist's struggles to overcome the challenges in forming a strong working alliance with an elderly dying cancer patient's spouse. The spouse was enrolled in the DOMUS study (Clinicaltrials.gov: NTC01885637), an ongoing randomized controlled trial of a patient-and-caregiver intervention for facilitating the transition from an oncology ward to palliative at-home care, and then bereavement. As part of the DOMUS study, the patient and spouse received a psychological intervention based on existential-phenomenological therapy. Results: A therapist's therapeutic approach to breaking down age-related barriers to communication matters greatly. The existential-phenomenological method of epoché offers a way to effectively address ruptures and repairs in a working alliance, as it enhances the therapist's openness to learning. In addition, the insights of senior supervisors can promote a therapist's openness to learning. Significance of results: In conclusion, the method of epoché benefits the working alliance in several ways, as it enhances personal insight and provides methods for repairing an alliance. The reflections in this paper may be applied to clinical settings in oncology, gerontology, and palliative care, which are likely to be of great interest to young clinicians experiencing age-related challenges in their daily work.
DNA encoded libraries (DELs) represent powerful new technology for finding small molecule ligands for proteins and are increasingly being applied to hit finding in medicinal chemistry. Crucial to the synthesis of high quality DELs is the identification of chemical reactions for their assembly that proceed with very high conversion across a range of different substrates, under conditions compatible with DNA-tagged substrates. Many current chemistries used in DEL synthesis do not meet this requirement, resulting in libraries of low fidelity. Amide couplings are the most commonly used reaction in synthesis of screening libraries and also in DELs. The ability to carry out highly efficient, widely applicable amide couplings in DEL synthesis would therefore be highly desirable. We report a method for amide coupling using micelle forming surfactants, promoted by a modified linker, that is broadly applicable across a wide range of substrates. Most significantly, this works exceptionally well for coupling of DNA-conjugated carboxylic acids (N-to-C) with amines in solution, a procedure that is currently very inefficient. The optimisation of separate procedures for coupling of DNA-conjugated acids and amines by reagent screening and statistically driven optimisation is described. The generality of the method is illustrated by the application to a wide range of examples with unprecedented levels of conversion. The utility of the (N-to-C) coupling of DNA-conjugated acids in DEL synthesis is illustrated by the three cycle synthesis of a fully DNA-encoded compound by two cycles of coupling of an aminoester, with intermediate ester hydrolysis, followed by capping with an amine. This methodology will be of great utility in the synthesis of high fidelity DELs.
The construction sector is one of the most important production factors. In that manner property valuation consists of an important research field for significant production factors. Real estate valuation is the determination of the property transaction price on a specific date. Given the spatial nature of the real estate valuation procedures the role of geographic information systems can significant improve the quality of the valuation procedures so as to derive accurate price estimations and thus to provide decision support for investors and politicians with respect to financial and political decisions. GIS-based approaches are implemented aiming to obtain the most suitable spatial distribution of residential market prices from a set of known estimations. Through a description of the Greek real estate market, the paper at hand proposes a methodological framework that allows both private and public-sector organisations in Greece to obtain property price estimations. The framework is illustrated through a real-world case study
CONTEXT Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), a homodimeric glycoprotein produced by hepatocytes has been shown to be associated with metabolic disorders. Whether circulating SHBG levels are predictive of later risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unknown. In this study, we prospectively investigated the association between SHBG and NAFLD progression through a community-based cohort comprising 3,389 Chinese adults.   METHODS NAFLD was diagnosed using abdominal ultrasonography. Serum SHBG levels were measured by chemiluminescent enzyme immunometric assay, and their relationship with NAFLD development and regression was investigated after a mean follow-up of 3.09 years using multivariable logistic regression.   RESULTS Basal SHBG was negatively associated with NAFLD development, with a fully adjusted odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.22 (0.12-0.40) (P-trend < 0.001). In contrast, basal SHBG was positively associated with NAFLD regression, with a fully adjusted OR of 4.83 (2.38-9.81) (P-trend < 0.001). Multiple-stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that SHBG concentration was an independent predictor of NAFLD development (OR, 0.28 [0.18-0.45]; P < 0.001) and regression (OR, 3.89 [2.43-6.22]; P < 0.001). In addition, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.764 (95% CI, 0.740-0.787) and 0.762 (95% CI, 0.738-0.785) for the prediction models of NAFLD development and regression, respectively.   CONCLUSIONS Serum SHBG concentration is associated with the development and regression of NAFLD; moreover, it can be a potential biomarker for predicting NAFLD progression, and also a novel preventive and therapeutic target for NAFLD.
Control of biomolecular condensates may hold considerable therapeutic potential. Intracellular condensates are highly multi-component systems in which complex phase behaviour can ensue, including the formation of architectures comprising multiple immiscible condensed phases. Conceivable avenues for manipulating condensates to bypass pathologies thus extend beyond merely controlling their stability and material properties, and relying solely on physical intuition to manipulate them is difficult because of the complexity of their composition. We address this challenge by developing an efficient computational approach to design pairs of protein sequences that result in well-separated multilayered condensates. Our method couples a genetic algorithm to a residue-resolution coarse-grained protein model. We demonstrate that we can design protein partners to form multiphase condensates containing naturally occurring proteins, such as the low-complexity domain of hnRNPA1 and its mutants, and show how homo- and heterotypic interactions must differ between proteins to result in multiphasicity.
The veterinary antibiotic tildipirosin (20,23-dipiperidinyl-mycaminosyl-tylonolide, Zuprevo) was developed recently to treat bovine and swine respiratory tract infections caused by bacterial pathogens such as Pasteurella multocida. Tildipirosin is a derivative of the naturally occurring compound tylosin. Here, we define drug-target interactions by combining chemical footprinting with structure modeling and show that tildipirosin, tylosin, and an earlier tylosin derivative, tilmicosin (20-dimethylpiperidinyl-mycaminosyl-tylonolide, Micotil), bind to the same macrolide site within the large subunit of P. multocida and Escherichia coli ribosomes. The drugs nevertheless differ in how they occupy this site. Interactions of the two piperidine components, which are unique to tildipirosin, distinguish this drug from tylosin and tilmicosin. The 23-piperidine of tildipirosin contacts ribosomal residues on the tunnel wall while its 20-piperidine is oriented into the tunnel lumen and is positioned to interfere with the growing nascent peptide.
In this article we critically examine the principle of equivalence of care in prison medicine. First, we provide an overview of how the principle of equivalence is utilized in various national and international guidelines on health care provision to prisoners. Second, we outline some of the problems associated with its applications, and argue that the principle of equivalence should go beyond equivalence to access and include equivalence of outcomes. However, because of the particular context of the prison environment, third, we contend that the concept of “health” in equivalence of health outcomes needs conceptual clarity; otherwise, it fails to provide a threshold for healthy states among inmates. We accomplish this by examining common understandings of the concepts of health and disease. We conclude our article by showing why the conceptualization of diseases as clinical problems provides a helpful approach in the delivery of health care in prison.
We treated a 42-year-old female with subacute thyroiditis. She suffered from swallowing pain, general fatigue and slight fever. Though an increase in the erythrocyte sediment ratio was noted, the diagnosis was difficult to obtain.This short report describes the problem of the diagnosis of subacute thyroiditis and the rapid effect of corticosteroid hormone therapy. We believe that the history and the physical findings of the painful goiter as well as the inflammatory signs led us to the diagnosis of subacute thyroiditis.
Abstract Aim/objectives This study aimed to systematically review the literature on the impact of delay in diagnosis and treatment of oral cavity cancer. Methods PubMed and Embase were systematically searched for articles reporting impact of delay in diagnosis and treatment on cancer-stage and survival of oral cavity cancer. Studies comprising at least ten patients, and published since the year 2000, were included. Results Sixteen studies (n = 45,001, range: 62–18,677 per study, 83% men), from Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies (n = 1,460) examined delay in diagnosis, while five studies (n = 43,541) reported delay in treatment. Eight of the eleven studies, examining delay in diagnosis (n = 1,220), analyzed the correlation between delay in diagnosis and tumor stage at diagnosis. Three studies found a significant correlation between patient delay and advanced stage at diagnosis (p < 0.05), whereas three other studies did not. The studies reporting a significant correlation were from Asian countries, whereas the three studies that did not find a correlation were from other continents. Studies reporting on professional delay and total diagnostic delay, generally, did not find a significant correlation with advanced cancer at diagnosis. Time to treatment (TTI), defined as time from diagnosis to treatment, was found significantly correlated with survival in three studies (p < 0.01, p < 0.001, p < 0.05), and nonsignificant in two studies. Conclusion A significant correlation between patient delay and advanced stage cancer was reported in Asian studies only, while professional delay and total diagnostic delay were generally found to be non-correlated with advanced stage cancer at diagnosis. TTI was in some studies reported to be correlated with poorer outcome, while other studies did not report a correlation. One study presented that there was no clear advantage in overall survival (OS) for patients treated within 30 days, compared to patients treated between 30 and 44 days.
means following in the footsteps of the many eminent men who have occupied that office since 1 and it becomes a rather daunting prospect. I am nevertheless very happy to take up this challenge because for the last 25 years I have thought of myself as an illuminating engineer and I have enjoyed membership of the Illuminating Engineering Society for 20 year. The responsibility for representing the Lighting Division is an important one and it is a duty to which I am giving my best endeavour. I chose the title of my address many months ago to express the way that felt about illuminating engineering. However, as I have now been Chairman for almost five months I have had time to realise that before I launch into my main theme of the fascination of illuminating engineering there are a number of matters that should be referred to which are important rather than fascinating.
A 25-year-old male patient sustained complex blunt hepatic trauma after abdominal crush injury by an object heavier than 100 kg. He had liver laceration, pulmonary contusion and hemothorax. Exploratory laparotomy was performed, followed by urgent hepatorrhaphy. After 3 weeks, the patient presented with sharp pain and discomfort in the upper right quadrant and abdominal distension associated with intense nausea. An abdominal ultrasound (US) demonstrated voluminous liver cyst formation. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) was performed and showed voluminous intrahepatic loculated fluid collection (Figure 1). Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) was then performed (Figure 2) to exclude cystic lesion and to establish the actual location of the lesion; it demonstrated extra- and intrahepatic biliary tree injury (Figure 3). Abdominal drainage of the collection was performed by ultrasound-guided percutaneous drainage, collecting about 1,500 mL of bile, and confirmed the diagnosis of biloma. The procedure had no complications, and the patient was discharged with an abdominal tube draining biliary secretion, which was removed after 3 weeks. After two months, follow-up CT demonstrated the resolution of the case. The patient was then followed every two months for the following six months after the drainage procedure, with tomographic studies demonstrating no new biliary leak. Hence, he was finally discharged in good medical condition. Keywords: Biloma; biliary leak; liver trauma
Glycobiomarkers are valuable for disease diagnostics, monitoring and prognostics with greater sensitivity and specificity than the currently used biomarkers. For liver diseases diagnostics, Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA)-positive human Mac-2-binding protein, fucosylated haptoglobin, vitronectin, antithrombin III, WFA-positive colony stimulating factor 1 receptor and fucosylated hemopexin were recently reported to be promising glycobiomarkers, including fucosylated serum paraoxonase 1 and fucosylated GP73 in our previous studies. Large-scale validation and clinical trials of most glycobiomarkers are urgently needed for crossing the boundary from the laboratory into routine clinical use.
Image noise cancellation is necessary to remove noise generated in communication systems or remote video conferencing systems. Processing speed has become a challenge as a consequence of the increasing image resolution, especially in visual information processing. This paper presents the design and implementation of a real-time image noise canceller. Two-dimensional least mean square (TDLMS) algorithm is employed as the adaptive filter for noise cancellation. This algorithm is modified and designed with two concurrent phases: filter coefficient adjustment phase and image noise cancellation phase, with each phase mapping into a pipeline structure, therefore achieving real-time performance. The image noise canceller is implemented using hardware description language VHDL and is prototyped on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for system reconfiguration. A data buffer is developed using SelectRAM (BRAM) embedded in a Virtex FPGA to overcome the bandwidth limitation between external memory and the noise cancellation processor. The FPGA embedded multipliers are also employed to improve the processing speed. Tested using standard images, this real-time image noise canceller could process up to 1528 frames of 256 by 256 pixel images per second and could reach up to 10.4dB signal to noise ration improvement.
Objective To investigate the reconstructive methods and effectiveness of modified pedicled anterolateral thigh (ALT) myocutaneous flap for large full-thickness abdominal defect reconstruction.   Methods Between January 2016 and June 2018, 5 patients of large full-thickness abdominal defects were reconstructed with modified pedicled ALT myocutaneous flaps. There were 3 males and 2 females with an average age of 43.7 years (range, 32-65 years). Histologic diagnosis included desmoid tumor in 3 cases and sarcoma in 2 cases. The size of abdominal wall defect ranged from 20 cm×12 cm to 23 cm×16 cm. Peritoneum continuity was reconstructed with mesh; lateral vastus muscular flap was used to fill the dead space and rebuild the abdominal wall strength; skin grafting was applied on the muscular flap, the rest abdominal wall soft tissue defects were repaired with pedicled ALT flap. The size of lateral vastus muscular flap ranged from 20 cm×12 cm to 23 cm×16 cm, the size of ALT flap ranged from 20 cm×8 cm to 23 cm×10 cm. The donor site was closed directly.   Results All flaps and skin grafts survived totally, and incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 6-36 months (mean, 14.7 months). No tumor recurrence occurred, and abdominal function and appearance were satisfying. No abdominal hernia was noted. Only linear scar left in the donor sites, and the function and appearance were satisfying.   Conclusion Modified pedicled ALT myocutaneous flap is efficient for large full-thickness abdominal defect reconstruction, decrease the donor site morbidity, and improve the donor site and recipient site appearance.
The high rate of population growth in Indonesia is due to the low coverage of family planning participants. One of them is the low use of IUD family planning which is only 4.7% due to lack of knowledge and understanding of the long-term benefits of IUD family planning. To determine the related factors to the fertile age women participation in the use of IUD Birth Control. The type of this research is analytical survey with cross sectional approach. This research was conducted at Kelurahan Sei Kera Hilir I of Medan Perjuangan Sub District Medan Kota. The sample of 87 people. The sampling was done by accidental sampling technique. Knowledge variables (p value = 0.000), parity (p value = 0.031), education (p value = 0.022), income (p value = 0.021) and husband support (p value = 0.000) has a relationship with the participation of fertile age women in the use of IUD Birth Control. Variables of husband's support and knowledge were the most influential variables in the use of IUD Birth Control. Shows that the most influential factor with the participation of fertile age women in the use of IUD Birth Control is husband's support and knowledge
Cohesin is a chromosome-associated SMC kleisin complex that mediates sister chromatid cohesion, recombination, and most chromosomal processes during mitosis and meiosis. Through high-resolution 3D-structured illumination microscopy and functional analyses, we report multiple biological processes associated with the meiosis-specific cohesin components, REC8 and STAG3, and the distinct loss of function of meiotic cohesin during the cell cycle of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). First, we show that REC8 is translocated into the nucleus in a STAG3-dependent manner. REC8/STAG3-containing cohesin regulates chromosome topological properties and specifically maintains centromeric cohesion. Second, REC8 and mitotic cohesin RAD21 are located at adjacent sites but predominantly at nonoverlapping sites on ESC chromosomes, implying that REC8 can function independent of RAD21 in ESCs. Third, knockdown of REC8-cohesin not only leads to higher rates of premature centromere separation and stalled replication forks, which can cause proliferation and developmental defects, but also enhances compaction of the chromosome structure by hyperloading of retinoblastoma protein condensin complexes from prophase onward. We propose that the delicate balance between mitotic and meiotic cohesins may regulate ESC- specific chromosomal organization and mitotic program.
We study the interaction of two entangled two-energy-level atoms interacts with a single-mode and two-photon cavity field. The atom state is detected after exiting the cavity, and it is found that the nonclassical properties of the field states depend strongly on the entanglement degree between the two atoms. Meanwhile it is shown that squeezing of field and photon antibunching can be greatly enhanced via selective atomic measurements.
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objective The effects of spinal cord injury (SCI) on sensorimotor cortex plasticity have not been well studied. Therefore, to explore the reorganization after SCI, we dynamically monitored postsynaptic dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons in vivo. Methods Thy1-YFP transgenic mice were randomly divided into two groups: the control and SCI group. We then opened the spinal vertebral plates of all mice and sectioned one-half of the spinal cord in SCI group. The relevant areas were imaged bilaterally at 0, 3, 14 and 28 days post-SCI. The rates of elimination, formation and stable spines were evaluated. Results At the early stage, the rate of stable and elimination spines experienced a similar change trend. But the rate of formation spines in the contralateral sensory cortex was significantly increased after SCI compared with those in the control group. At the late stage, spines of three types remodeled very differently between the sensory and motor cortex. Compared with those in the control group, spines in the bilateral sensory cortex demonstrated obvious differences in the rate of stable and elimination spines but not formation spines, while spines in the motor cortex, especially in the contralateral cortex increased significantly in the rate of formation after SCI. As for survival rate, differences mainly appeared in time frame instead of cortex type or region. Conclusions The dendritic spines in hindlimb representation area of the sensorimotor cortex experienced bilaterally remodeling after SCI. And those spines in the sensory and motor cortex experienced great but different change trends after SCI.
Measures of resting-state functional connectivity allow the description of neuronal networks in humans and provide a window on brain function in normal and pathological conditions. Animal models are critical to further address experimentally the function of brain networks and their roles in pathologies. Here we describe for the first time brain network organization in the mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus), a small primate attracting increased attention as a model for neuroscience. Resting-state functional MR images were recorded at 11.7 Tesla. Forty-eight functional regions were identified and used to identify networks using graph theory, dictionary learning and seed-based analyses. Comparison of results issued from these three complementary methods allowed the description of the most robust networks from mouse lemurs. Large scale networks were then identified from resting-state functional MR images of humans using the same method as for lemurs. Strong homologies were outlined between cerebral networks in mouse lemurs and humans.
SUMMARY: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a new neurosurgical method principally used for the treatment of Parkinson disease (PD). Many new applications of DBS are under development, including the treatment of intractable psychiatric diseases. Brain imaging is used for the selection of patients for DBS, to localize the target nucleus, to detect complications, and to evaluate the final electrode contact position. In patients with implanted DBS systems, there is a risk of electrode heating when MR imaging is performed. This contraindicates MR imaging unless specific precautions are taken. Involvement of neuroradiologists in DBS procedures is essential to optimize presurgical evaluation, targeting, and postoperative anatomic results. The precision of the neuroradiologic correlation with anatomic data and clinical outcomes in DBS promises to yield significant basic science and clinical advances in the future.
Human bone resorption surfaces can provide a template for endosseous implant surface design. We characterized the topography of such sites using four synergistic parameters (fractal dimension, lacunarity, porosity, and surface roughness) and compared the generated values with those obtained from two groups of candidate titanium implant surfaces. For the first group (n = 5/group): grit-blasted acid etched (BAE), BAE with either discrete calcium phosphate crystal deposition or nanotube formation, machined titanium with nanotubes, or a nanofiber surface; each measured synergistic parameter was statistically compared with that of the resorbed bone surface and scored for inclusion in a "best fit" analysis. The analysis informed changes that could be made to a candidate implant surface to render it a closer "best fit" to that of the resorbed bone surface. In a second group of either titanium or titanium alloy implants their micro-topography, created by dual acid etching, was the same for each material substrate; but their nanotopographic complexity was changed by varying the degree of calcium phosphate crystalline deposits. These implants were also used in vivo where bone anchorage was tested using a tensile disruption test; and the "best fit" of synergistic parameters coincided with the best biological outcome for both titanium and titanium alloy implants. In conclusion, the four chosen synergistic parameters can be used to guide the sub-micron surface design of candidate implants, and our "best fit" approach is capable of identifying the surfaces with the best biological outcomes. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res B Part B, 2019.
WILLIAM B. GALLAGHER', CARL E. CAMPBELL2, JOHN W. M. JAGT3, and ERIC W. A. MULDER4, 1New Jersey State Museum, PO Box 530, Trenton, New Jersey 08625, and Department of Geological Sciences, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8066, U.S.A., william.gallagher@sos.state.nj.us; 2Indchem Group, PO Box 220555, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.; 3Natuurhistorisch Museum Maastricht, PO Box 882, NL 6200 AW Maastricht, The Netherlands; 4Museum Natura Docet, Oldenzaalsestraat 39, NL 7591 GL Denekamp, The Netherlands
BACKGROUND The structure of exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Bifidobacterium and their beneficial effects on human health have been fully studied, but only a few studies have investigated their influence on microbial diversity in the human/animal intestine.   RESULTS The strain named Bifidobacterium bifidum WBIN03 with high growth rate and exopolysaccharide (EPS) yield was selected to study the effect of its EPS on modifying the intestinal microbiota of mice. The results indicated that EPS significantly increased the growth of lactobacilli and total anaerobic bacteria, and exerted their inhibition effect on the growth of enterobacteria, enterococci and Bacteroides fragilis. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis indicated that the EPS significantly increased the diversity of total bacteria and lactobacilli, but significantly decreased the diversity of enterobacteria. When receiving a low dose of EPS, Bacteroidales sp./Lactobacillus sp. occupied the dominant position, and L. johnsonii, L. animalis and L. reuteri were identified as the dominant strains when receiving a high concentration of EPS.   CONCLUSION The combination of viable cell count, DGGE and sequencing was used as an effective method to assess the microbial diversity in mouse intestine, and the benefit effect of EPS from B. bifidum WBIN03 on probiotics and antagonistic effect against pathogens would guaranteed the health of their hosts.
The UK government has committed to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, with housing accounting for 27% of total current emissions. There are several drivers both to reduce emissions from homes and to reduce fuel poverty, promoting a range of building and behavioural measures in homes. The health benefits of warmer homes in winter have been described, but there has been less consideration of the potential negative impacts of some of these measures. We examine the changes in UK homes, and the possible consequences for health. The main concerns for health surround the potential for poor indoor air quality if ventilation is insufficient and the possible risks of overheating in heatwave conditions. This paper notes a limited evidence base and the need for further research on the health effects of energy-efficient homes, particularly with regard to ventilation.
Coherently strained Ge/Si(001) islands were overgrown with Si at temperatures ranging from 300 to 550 °C. The induced shape changes were investigated at different stages of the capping process by scanning tunneling microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Islands were found to strongly flatten and intermix at temperatures above ∼450 °C. By contrast, a good shape preservation as well as the recovery of a flat Si surface above the buried islands can be achieved by low temperature capping at 300 °C followed by Si growth at 550 °C.
We present a solution to the separate challenges faced by suction cups and gecko adhesives for one-sided grasping of heavy, irregular items. The gripping technology combines suction with adhesion for grasping and placing a wide range of objects in packed spaces. Applications include shopping and restocking in retail and warehouse settings where products vary in size and weight and are packed tightly, which limits access. A single suction cup is compact enough to reach and grasp the smallest items (down to 5 cm in size) but cannot provide the shear force needed for handling bulky items. Gecko-inspired adhesion provides extra lifting capability for objects up to 2.3 kg, using a 7.6 × 12.7 cm adhesive swatch −2.5x heavier than with suction alone. The adhesive is fabricated on a flexible nylon fabric. A small fan blows gently to help the fabric conform to irregular surfaces prior to lifting.
In this study, a method is developed to fabricate sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone)/phosphotungstic acid-polyaniline (SPEEK/HPW-PANI) membranes by in situ polymerization of aniline for the purpose of decreasing the weight loss of HPW in the membranes. The synthesis involves the production of a SPEEK/HPW hybrid membrane followed by different layer of PANI coatings on the membrane surface, and subsequent treatment using drying in vacuum procedures. The scanning electronic microscopy images showed that HPW had good compatibility with SPEEK polymers and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed the successfully doping with HPW and polymerization of PANI. The surface of SPEEK/HPW-PANI becomes more compact than that of SPEEK/HPW and pure SPEEK, which may lead to reduce the water uptake and swelling property. The proton conductivity was found for the SPEEK/HPW-PANI-5 composite membrane (91.53 mS/cm at 80°C) higher than that of pure SPEEK membrane (68.72 mS/cm at 80°C). Better thermal stability was determined in both SPEEK/HPW and SPEEK/HPW-PANI membranes than pristine SPEEK membrane. Therefore, PANI is a good potential coating for organic–inorganic hybrid e.g. SPEEK/HPW membrane materials to improve their hydrothermal stable properties and SPEEK/HPW PANI is a material that shows promise as a proton exchange membranes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41033.
The usefulness of a reduction in ST segment elevation to predict coronary reperfusion in myocardial infarction remains uncertain. ST segment changes and angiographic findings were compared in 45 patients soon after thrombolysis. The percentage ST segment change 3 hours after treatment (in the lead showing the greatest initial ST elevation) was compared with the TIMI perfusion grade (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction trial) obtained between 90 minutes and 3 hours after treatment. Global ejection fraction and regional wall motion were assessed by cineventriculography (11 (5) days (mean (SD))) and by gated blood pool imaging (44 (11) days). Prediction of coronary patency by a reduction of greater than 25% in ST segment elevation 3 hours after thrombolytic treatment had a sensitivity of 97% but a specificity of only 43%. Where the ST segment elevation was reduced by greater than 25% the global ejection fraction was well maintained whether or not the infarct vessel was patent. In patients with a reduction of less than 25% in ST elevation, the ejection fraction was significantly lower and regional wall motion abnormality more severe. Reduction in ST elevation of greater than 25% within 3 hours of thrombolysis indicates either a patent infarct artery or preservation of left ventricular function. When the ST segment elevation does not fall by greater than 25% persistent coronary occlusion is likely (predictive accuracy 86%) and is associated with a lower ejection fraction. These patients may benefit from further treatment or additional interventions.
Partnership ties shape friendship networks through different social forces. First, partnership ties drive clustering in friendship networks: individuals who are in a partnership tend to have common friends and befriend other couples. Second, partnership ties influence the level of homophily in these emerging friendship clusters. Partners tend to be similar in a number of attributes (homogamy). If one partner selects friends based on preferences for homophily, then the other partner may befriend the same person regardless of whether they also have homophilic preferences. Thus, two homophilic ties emerge based on a single partner's preferences. This amplification of homophily can be observed in many attributes (e.g., ethnicity, religion, age). Gender homophily, however, may be de-amplified, as the gender of partners differs in hetero-sexual partnerships. In our study, we follow dynamic friendship formation among 126 individuals and their cohabiting partners in a university-related graduate housing community over a period of nine months (N = 2,250 self-reported friendship relations). We find that partnership ties strongly shape the dynamic process of friendship formation. They are a main driver of local network clustering and explain a striking amount of homophily.
Abstract On 30 March 2006, a convective episode occurred featuring isolated supercells, a mesoscale convective system (MCS) with parallel stratiform (PS) precipitation, and an MCS with leading stratiform (LS) precipitation. These three distinct convective modes occurred simultaneously across the same region in eastern Kansas. To better understand the mechanisms that govern such events, this study examined the 30 March 2006 episode through a combination of an observation-based case study and numerical simulations. The convective mode was found to be very sensitive to both the environmental thermodynamic and wind shear profiles, with variations in either leading to different convective modes within the numerical simulations. Strong vertical shear and moderate instability led to the development of supercells in western Oklahoma. Strong shear oriented parallel to a surface dryline, coupled with dry air in the middle and upper levels, led to the development of the PS linear MCS in central Kansas. Meanwhile, mo...
The purpose of this study is to apply the principles of statistical process control (SPC) in the context of patient specific intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) QA to set clinic‐specific action limits and evaluate the impact of changes to the multileaf collimator (MLC) calibrations on IMRT QA results. Ten months of IMRT QA data with 247 patient QAs collected on three beam‐matched linacs were retrospectively analyzed with a focus on the gamma pass rate (GPR) and the average ratio between the measured and planned doses. Initial control charts and action limits were calculated. Based on this data, changes were made to the leaf gap parameter for the MLCs to improve the consistency between linacs. This leaf gap parameter is tested monthly using a MLC sweep test. A follow‐up dataset with 424 unique QAs were used to evaluate the impact of the leaf gap parameter change. The initial data average GPR was 98.6% with an SPC action limit of 93.7%. The average ratio of doses was 1.003, with an upper action limit of 1.017 and a lower action limit of 0.989. The sweep test results for the linacs were ‐1.8%,0%, and +1.2% from nominal. After the adjustment of the leaf gap parameter, all sweep test results were within 0.4% of nominal. Subsequently, the average GPR was 99.4% with an SPC action limit of 97.3%. The average ratio of doses was 0.997 with an upper action limit of 1.011 and a lower action limit of 0.981. Applying the principles of SPC to IMRT QA allowed small differences between closely matched linacs to be identified and reduced. Ongoing analysis will monitor the process and be used to refine the clinical action limits for IMRT QA. PACS number: 87.55.Qr
Background: Systemic corticosteroids and inhaled β2 agonists are accepted first line treatments for acute severe asthma, but there is no consensus on their optimum dosage and frequency of administration. American regimens include higher initial dosages of β2 agonists and corticosteroids than UK regimens. Methods: In a prospective, pragmatic, randomised, parallel group study, 170 patients of mean (SD) age 37 (12) years with acute asthma (peak expiratory flow (PEF) 212 (80) l/min) presenting to hospital received treatment with either high dose prednisolone and continuous nebulised salbutamol as recommended in the US or lower dose prednisolone and bolus nebulised salbutamol as recommended in the UK by the BTS. Results: Outcome measures were: ΔPEF at 1 hour (BTS 89 l/min, US 106 l/min, p=0.2, CI –8 to 41) and at 2 hours (BTS 49 l/min, US 101 l/min, p<0.0001, CI 28 to 77); time to discharge if admitted (BTS 4 days, US 4 days); rates of achieving discharge PEF (>60%) at 2 hours (BTS 64%, US 78%, p=0.04); time to regain control of asthma as measured by PEF ≥80% best with ≤20% variability (BTS 3 days, US 4 days, p=0.6); PEF at 24 hours in patients admitted (BTS 293 l/min, US 288 l/min, p=0.8); and control of asthma in the subsequent month (no significant differences). Conclusions: Treatment with higher doses of continuous nebulised salbutamol leads to a greater immediate improvement in PEF but the degree of recovery at 24 hours and speed of recovery thereafter is achieved as effectively with lower corticosteroid doses as recommended in the British guidelines.
It is typical, in a book of this nature, for the standard of the contributions to vary considerably. However, at $69.50, extracts such as 'We hope to creasonalble onvince the readership' do not inspire confidence. Much of the material makes interesting reading but on the whole it is perhaps a little disappointing considering the impressive array of contributors. Unless a cheaper version is produced it is hardly likely to find its way onto many engineers' bookshelves. T. A. YORK, Department of Electrical Engineering andElectronics, UMIST
Biodata as a selection technique is gaining greater acceptance in Australia and interest in the technique appears to be growing. There are a number of reasons for its rise in popularity, including particular advantages afforded by the technique such as enhanced validity and decreased adverse impact. This paper presents an overview of the development of a biodata instrument for large-scale recruitment and focuses specifically on how clients' needs were met by incorporating biodata in a revised recruitment system. The reader is also referred to another article in this issue by Karas and West that reports on this project, but covers technical aspects of the rational-empirical approach taken to instrument development.        The biodata technique was chosen to meet specific requirements of a new selection system for entry level clerical and graduate staff of the Australian Public Service. Broadly, the system sought to assess a range of job-related skills encompassing both cognitive and noncognitive abilities and to maximize the validity and fairness of the recruitment process. The addition of a biodata questionnaire, as an integral part of the selection system, assisted in meeting these aims and providing clients with a more comprehensive process which offered greater flexibility and the reliable assessment of noncognitive attributes that are critical to success in today’s workplace.
The fi eld of quorum sensing in bacteria has witnessed considerable development over the past years. It has been shown that bacteria by way of secreting communication molecules interact between individuals of the same species, and that interference across species has been evolved. The most prominent example for quorum sensing is the induction of bioluminescence by Vibrio through recognition of a compound secreted by every cell. Only if suffi cient concentrations are reached by the presence of many cells of the same species, the molecule is recognized and transcription of the corresponding genes is induced. A closely confi ned space will enhance the amount of quorum sensing molecules that will not diff use as easy as compared to the open sea, like within the crayfi sh light organs. Textbooks often use an over-simplifi cation that states that Gram-negatives use acylhomoserine lactones or AHLs, while Gram-positives use peptides as autoinducers. However, it is long known that for example Escherichia coli also uses a halogenated, peptide compound, and that Gram-positive streptomycetes produce a pheromone which is structurally rather related to the AHLs. And for plant pathogenic pseudomonads, the occurrence of multiple, cross-talking signaling cascades has been shown already for a long time. Quorum sensing, as well as quorum quenching, has been shown to govern multiple diff erent parameters of bacterial growth, including biofi lm formation, virulence, or development like spore formation. And interspecifi c quorum interference additionally contributes to the picture, where quorum sensing has been used by bacteria to establish communication across species and kingdom boundaries. One developmental process that needs intricate intraspecifi c communication is the formation of heterocycsts in cyanobacteria. These nitrogen fi xing cells are developing in a chain of bacterial cells interspersed among photosynthetic active cells in regular spaces. This needs a good communication, which is addressed on a molecular level. A review of this molecular circuit is presented by Harish (this issue). It stands to reason that quorum sensing is involved in stress response, since more cells of the same species might stand a better chance if all of them respond similar. An involvement of quorum sensing in phthalate stress response is shown here for Achromobacter (Hareesh et al., this issue). As detailed above, quorum interference is quite often observed in interspecifi c communication. This may open new roads to fi ghting bacterial diseases. Hence, the source of new quorum sensing antagonists is a focus of research explored by Singh et al. (this issue). And quorum quenching can not only be used in medicine, but also with respect to plant diseases. Here, an interesting case of endophytic bacteria involving quorum quenching is shown by Akbari kiarood et al. (this issue). With this selection of topics centered around bacterial communication, we hope that readers will fi nd a useful update on research around the quorum sensing abilities of bacteria.
equilibrium between man and tuberculosis in any race is attained by the sifting out over about 100years of life of bearers of unsuitable genetic combinations. This mayor may not be a too glib explanation of the facts, but the evidence quoted from Kallmann and Reisner's investigations on 616 twins is certainly striking. The author also points out that in spite of therapeutic advances it is not easy to correlate these with any decline in total mortality. The control of tuberculosis requires' constant critical study of the position in each community.' This attitude is required in the study of all epidemic diseases and is exemplified throughout these lectures. Reading this book is an enjoyable and stimulating experience. A. B. CHRISTIE
A 22-year-old man presented with a one year history of rightsided shoulder pain, hand weakness and tingling, and purplish discoloration of the upper extremity upon abduction. He had congenital pseudarthrosis of the right clavicle since childhood. Aside from an obvious deformity characterized by asymmetry of the shoulders and a palpable bony depression over the right clavicle, the patient had been previously asymptomatic. Physical examination revealed the musculoskeletal deformities as described, as well as prominent veins over his right shoulder, arm, and chest. With arm elevation, his right arm became dusky and his radial pulse diminished. Neurologically, the patient had no deficits except for mild weakness (Grade 4+/5) of the ulnarinnervated intrinsic muscles of the right hand. The clinical findings were consistent with a combined neurogenic and vascular form of thoracic outlet syndrome.
Four novel coordination polymers, [Mn2(cptc)(2,2′-bpy)(H2O)]·H2O (1), [Mn2(cptc)(phen)(H2O)]·H2O (2), Mn4(cptc)2(phen)4(H2O)2]·3H2O (3) and [Cd2(cptc)(H2O)3] (4) (H4cptc = cyclopentane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylic acid, 2,2′-bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), have been synthesized by hydrothermal reactions of flexible (1S,2S,3R,4R)-H4cptc with MnCl2/CdCl2. By breaking the mirror plane of symmetry, the meso-cptc ligand is successfully converted into two pairs of enantiomers, the (1R,2S,3S,4R)- and (1S,2R,3R,4S)-cptc groups in 1–3 are unprecedented while the documented (1R,2R,3R,4S)- and (1S,2S,3S,4R)-cptc enantiomers exhibit an unprecedented μ6-mode in 4. Layered 1 and 2 show similar structures and are constructed by centrosymmetric tetranuclear units. 3 is a binodal (3,4)-connected layer with Schlafli symbols of (53)2(54·82), in which cptc exhibits two types of μ5-mode bonding. 4 has a 3-D pillar layered structure composed of neutral [Cd(cptc)]n layers and octahedral CdO6 pillars. The presence probability of different enantiomers is in agreement with the relative stability of different conformations of cptc calculated by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT).
movements altered the tension on the tube. Instead, a semirigid cervical collar was applied (Laerdal Medical, Stavanger, Norway). A short length of endotracheal tube tape was tied to the Minnesota tube a few inches from the patient’s nose and this was then looped around the lower part of the collar and tied under tension (Fig. 1). The interhospital retrieval continued without evidence of further bleeding, and during handover at the receiving hospital, there appeared to be no alteration in the position of the Minnesota tube or loosening of the traction.
The adsorption behavior and the inhibition performance of Eosin Y Dye for carbon steel corrosion in 1 M perchloric acid solution have been carried using weight loss and scanning electron micrograph (SEM) techniques as well theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). The studied inhibitor concentrations were between 5´10-5 M and 5´10-3 M. Results obtained revealed that Eosin Y is an effective inhibitor and its inhibition efficiency increases with increasing concentration to attain 96.91% at 5´10-3 M at 30 °C. Thermodynamic parameters such as adsorption heat, adsorption entropy and adsorption free energy were obtained from experimental data of the temperature studies of the inhibition process at five temperatures ranging from 20 to 60 °C. It was found that the adsorption of Eosin Y could prevent steel from weight loss and the adsorption accorded with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The free energy of adsorption showed that the corrosion inhibition takes place by spontaneous physicochemical adsorption of inhibitor molecules on the carbon steel surface. SEM and DFT studies confirm the adsorption of Eosin Y on carbon steel surface. Copyright © 2020 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Abstract There are several ways planets can survive the giant phase of the host star, hence one can consider the case of Earth-like planets orbiting white dwarfs. As a white dwarf cools from 6000 K to 4000 K, a planet orbiting at 0.01 AU from the star would remain in the continuous habitable zone (CHZ) for about 8 Gyr. Polarisation due to a terrestrial planet in the CHZ of a cool white dwarf (CWD) is 102 (104) times larger than it would be in the habitable zone of a typical M-dwarf (Sun-like star). Polarimetry is thus a powerful tool to detect close-in planets around white dwarfs. Multi-band polarimetry would also allow one to reveal the presence of a planet atmosphere, even providing a first characterisation. With current facilities a super-Earth-sized atmosphereless planet is detectable with polarimetry around the brightest known CWD. Planned future facilities render smaller planets detectable, in particular by increasing the instrumental sensitivity in the blue. Preliminary habitability study show also that photosynthetic processes can be sustained on Earth-like planets orbiting CWDs and that the DNA-weighted UV radiation dose for an Earth-like planet in the CHZ is less than the maxima encountered on Earth, hence white dwarfs are compatible with the persistence of complex life from the perspective of UV irradiation.
The effects of the cathodes on the characteristics of the electrochemical seismometer were first studied in this paper. By utilizing the proposed MEMS fabrication process, four types of devices with cathodes of different structures were carefully designed and fabricated for comparison. The experimental results indicated that the sidewall cathodes mainly affected the attenuation rate in the high frequency domain and the surface cathodes per unit area had more effects on the device sensitivity than the sidewall cathodes per unit area. Moreover, the proposed electrochemical seismometers only with surface cathodes were featured with central working frequency less than 1 Hz.
To estimate the duration of postoperative headache after surgery for acoustic neuroma and the effects of age, sex, tumor size, extent of tumor resection, type of skin incision, surgical duration, hearing preservation, and postoperative facial nerve palsy. This retrospective review analyzed clinical data from 97 patients who had undergone surgery for unilateral acoustic neuroma via the retrosigmoid approach >1 year previously. We investigated whether patients had headache at hospital discharge and during attendance at outpatient clinics. We classified postoperative headache as grade 0 (no headache), 1 (tolerable headache without medication), or 2 (headache requiring medication). The period of headache was defined as the interval in days between surgery and achievement of grade 0. The period of medication for headache was defined as the interval in days between surgery and achievement of grade 0 or 1. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed median durations of medication and headache of 81 and 641 days, respectively. Headache was cured significantly earlier in patients who underwent surgery using a C-type skin incision (P < 0.001). Headache persisted significantly longer among patients who underwent a shorter surgical procedure (P < 0.02). Multivariate analysis confirmed the type of skin incision as a factor independently associated with duration of postoperative headache. Postoperative headache was cured in the majority of patients within about 2 years after surgery. The C-type skin incision is likely beneficial for reducing the duration of postoperative headache, although headache persisted in a small number of patients.
Gold nanoparticles from plant extracts and their bioactive compounds to treat various maladies have become an area of interest to many researchers. Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous unit caused by the opportunistic bacteria Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermis. These bacteria are not only associated with inflammatory acne but also with prosthetic-implant-associated infections and wounds. Studies have hypothesised that these bacteria have a mutualistic relationship and act as a multispecies system. It is believed that these bacteria form a multispecies biofilm under various conditions and that these biofilms contribute to increased antibiotic resistance compared to single-species biofilms. This study aimed to investigate the antibacterial and wound healing potential of synthesised gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) from an endemic South African plant, Plectranthus aliciae (AuNPPAE), its major compound rosmarinic acid (AuNPRA) and a widely used antibiotic, tetracycline (AuNPTET). Synthesised gold nanoparticles were successfully formed and characterised using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential (ζ-potential), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and they were investigated for stability under various biological conditions. Stable nanoparticles were formed with ζ-potentials of −18.07 ± 0.95 mV (AuNPPAE), −21.5 ± 2.66 mV (AuNPRA), and −39.83 ± 1.6 mV (AuNPTET). The average diameter of the AuNPs was 71.26 ± 0.44 nm, 29.88 ± 3.30 nm, and 132.6 ± 99.5 nm for AuNPPAE, AuNPRA, and AuNPTET, respectively. In vitro, biological studies confirmed that although no antibacterial activity or biofilm inhibition was observed for the nanoparticles tested on the multispecies C. acnes and S. epidermis systems, these samples had potential wound closure activity. Gold nanoparticles formed with rosmarinic acid significantly increased wound closure by 21.4% at 25% v/v (≈29.2 µg/mL) compared to the negative cell control and the rosmarinic acid compound at the highest concentration tested of 500 µg/mL. This study concluded that green synthesised gold nanoparticles of rosmarinic acid could potentially be used for treating wounds.
Spectral resolution may be enhanced by calculation of the analytic version of the signals processed. In this paper an open issue in the spectral estimation of Doppler ultrasound blood flow signals is addressed: when should the analytic signal representation be obtained and how to achieve such a representation. A comparison of the impact of two alternatives for achieving such a representation is reported. This is done by comparing the statistical performance of the short time Fourier transform on the estimation of mean frequency and bandwidth of simulated Doppler ultrasound blood flow signals. The comparison evaluates two approaches to obtain the analytic signal representation, one in the frequency domain -the common Fourier transform based approach - and one in the time domain - using a FIR filter with small latency that approximates the Hilbert transform. The results obtained show that the "analytic" signal should be used before the estimation process and that, in most cases, the use of the FIR filter diminishes the estimation error.
The copper-iodine based coordination polymer [Cu4I2(bmte)]n (1) [H2bmte = 1,2-bis(5-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl)ethane] was synthesized using cuprous iodide and a flexible 3-substituted, ethyl-bridging bis(triazole) ligand under solvothermal conditions. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that compound 1 shows a 3D framework containing Cu4I4 clusters and alternating left- and right-handed [Cu(triazole)] helices, which result in a (4,8)-connected fluorite (flu) topological network. Moreover, compound 1 exhibits orange phosphorescence with the emission maxima at 590 nm in the solid state at room temperature.
Permeability is the key property of nanocapsules because it dictates the release rate of encapsulated payloads. Herein, we engineer the crystallinity of polymers confined in the shell of nanocapsules. Nanocapsules with crystalline shells are formed from polyurea and polyphosphoester. The thermal properties, such as crystallization temperature and degree of crystallinity, are different from the bulk. The degree of crystallinity is used to control the shell permeability and, therefore, the release of encapsulated payloads, such as fluorescent dyes, typically used as model components for biomedical applications.
Multilayer feedforward neural networks (MLFNNs) are important modeling techniques widely used in QSAR studies for their ability to represent nonlinear relationships between descriptors and activity. However, the problems of overfitting and premature convergence to local optima still pose great challenges in the practice of MLFNNs. To circumvent these problems, a support vector machine (SVM) based training algorithm for MLFNNs has been developed with the incorporation of particle swarm optimization (PSO). The introduction of the SVM based training mechanism imparts the developed algorithm with inherent capacity for combating the overfitting problem. Moreover, with the implementation of PSO for searching the optimal network weights, the SVM based learning algorithm shows relatively high efficiency in converging to the optima. The proposed algorithm has been evaluated using the Hansch data set. Application to QSAR studies of the activity of COX‐2 inhibitors is also demonstrated. The results reveal that this technique provides superior performance to backpropagation (BP) and PSO training neural networks. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 28: 519–527, 2007
Objectives: Acute respiratory failure is common in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant recipients and has a high mortality. However, respiratory prognostic markers have not been adequately evaluated for this population. Our objectives are to assess respiratory support strategies and indices of oxygenation and ventilation in pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation and investigate how these strategies are associated with mortality. Design: Retrospective, multicenter investigation. Setting: Twelve U.S. pediatric centers. Patients: Pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients with respiratory failure. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Two-hundred twenty-two subjects were identified. PICU mortality was 60.4%. Nonsurvivors had higher peak oxygenation index (38.3 [21.3–57.6] vs 15.0 [7.0–30.7]; p < 0.0001) and oxygen saturation index (24.7 [13.8–38.7] vs 10.3 [4.6–21.6]; p < 0.0001), greater days with FIO2 greater than or equal to 0.6 (2.4 [1.0–8.5] vs 0.8 [0.3–1.6]; p < 0.0001), and more days with oxygenation index greater than 18 (1.4 [0–6.0] vs 0 [0–0.3]; p < 0.0001) and oxygen saturation index greater than 11 (2.0 [0.5–8.8] vs 0 [0–1.0]; p < 0.0001). Nonsurvivors had higher maximum peak inspiratory pressures (36.0 cm H2O [32.0–41.0 cm H2O] vs 30.0 cm H2O [27.0–35.0 cm H2O]; p < 0.0001) and more days with peak inspiratory pressure greater than 31 cm H2O (1.0 d [0–4.0 d] vs 0 d [0–1.0 d]; p < 0.0001). Tidal volume per kilogram was not different between survivors and nonsurvivors. Conclusions: In this cohort of pediatric hematopoietic cell transplant recipients with respiratory failure in the PICU, impaired oxygenation and use of elevated ventilator pressures were common and associated with increased mortality.
The number of people suffering from constant tinnitus is ever-increasing and has spread to all age groups, including adolescents. The etiology of tinnitus is multifactorial, but dietary factors have been rarely investigated. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between dietary factors and constant tinnitus among adolescents from an urban environment. A population-oriented cross-sectional study was carried out during the 2019/2020 school year in 12 Belgrade secondary schools. There were 1287 school children aged from 15 to 19 years who participated in the study. There were 1003 respondents who completed a questionnaire on tinnitus (response rate 77.9%; 31% male). We used the standardized Tinnitus Screener questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire specially designed for this study and adapted to Serbian adolescents. A logistic regression analysis revealed a strong negative correlation between fresh vegetables and fruits and tinnitus presence. On the other hand, the risk of constant tinnitus increased with the increased intake of white bread, carbonated beverages, and fast food. In conclusion, we show that fresh fruit and vegetable intakes may be negatively related to tinnitus frequency, while sweetened sodas, fast food, and white bread may raise the odds for tinnitus.
paranoid trends. They include real cases of abnormal sexual incompatibility, ranging down to cases which have failed to adjust in regard to contraception, with fears of pregnancy, and menopausal cases, where one of the parties has ceased to desire sexual relations. An appreciation of this caves much investigation of elusive symptoms. Coming to the special senses, blindness, deafness, and loss of speech may all occur. Elaborate tests to deceive the senses have been evolved to prove the functional nature of the cases. Unilateral blindness is perhaps more usual; conjunctivitis is not uncommon, being easy to produce and resulting in a similar incapacity. Aphonia; where phonation is lost but articulation is preserved, is the common hysterical lesion, as the patient can still converse in a whisper, again suffering incapacity without great inconvenience. The partially adducted state of the vocal cords is characteristic. The adoption of face-saving methods in inducing speech by faradism facilitates cure of this symptom. Mutism is more generally a sign of stupor, although it may occur in persons fully alert mentally, but silent owing to hysterical or delusional ideas. Among the common causes of stupor may be mentioned post-epileptic phen)mena, depressed cyclothymic cases, hysterics and schizophrenics, and cases of so-called idiopathic stupor. Somnolent cases of encephalitis lethargica may resemble this state, and cases of pathological somnolence or narcolepsy, some of which may be associated with organic lesions, such as cerebral tumour. Among the rarer conditions may be mentioned such a phenomenon as cataplexy, a condition in which movement is impossible, although consciousness is retained. While some of such cases have a physiological basis, many on investigation will be found to be-cases of hysteria. Without an adequate history, differentiation between the conditions may be difficult. The principal difficulty is in separating the cases of hysteria from the praecox syndrome. The hysterical type, fully alert to her surroundings, who, under suggestion or other suitable coniditions, passes into a hysterical trance, is usually obvious, but when extended periods of stupor, with few if any remissicn-, occur, with marked dissociation, the fear will be that the case is one of serious schizophrenic dissociation, even when mannerisms and other suggestive schizophrenic symptoms are absent. In conclusion, I would again repeat that neglect of the psychological aspect leads to failures in diagnosis and treatment, owing to undue emphasis being placed on the individual symptoms. When both physical and mental aspects are considered, a true perspective is obtained, with beneficial results both to doctor and to patient.
In a landmark ruling a judge has ruled that Australian doctors have the legal right not only to refuse patients access to their medical files but also to charge them for the privilege of seeing their files. In a test case in Sydney in which a woman is suing a plastic surgeon Justice John Bryson found that the notes belonged to the doctor. “It is his legal right to keep them to himself, keep them secret, or show them to anyone he chooses and to impose conditions, such as furnishing releases or indemnities, or paying fees, if he is to allow anyone to see them,” he said.  The controversial decision by the New …
During the ice-free summer season in 1995 the authors deployed and subsequently tracked 39 surface drifters to test the hypothesis that the discharge from the Kolyma River forces a buoyancy-driven coastal current from the East Siberian Sea toward Bering Strait. The observed mean flow is statistically significant at the 95% level of confidence, but its direction contradicts their initial hypothesis. Instead of a coastally trapped eastward flow, the authors find a laterally sheared westward flow with maximum velocities offshore that correlate only weakly with the local winds. At a daily, wind-dominated timescale the drifter data reveal spatially coherent flows of up to 0.5 m s21. The Lagrangian autocorrelation scale is about 3 days and the Lagrangian eddy length scale reaches 40 km. This spatial scale exceeds the nearshore internal deformation radius by a factor of 3; however, it more closely corresponds to the internal deformation radius associated with the offshore ice edge. Bulk estimates of the horizontal mixing coefficient resemble typical values of isotropic open ocean dispersion at midlatitudes. Hydrographic observations and oxygen isotope ratios of seawater indicate a low proportion of riverine freshwater relative to sea ice melt in most areas of the East Siberian Sea except close to the Kolyma Delta. The observations require a reevaluation of the conceptual view of the summer surface circulation of the East Siberian Sea. Eastward buoyancy-driven coastal currents do not always form on this shelf despite large river discharge. Instead, ice melt waters of a retreating ice edge act as a line source of buoyancy that in 1995 forced a westward surface flow in the East Siberian Sea.
Recently, Kat and Palaro (2005) showed how dynamic trading technology can be used to create dynamic futures trading strategies (or 'synthetic funds' as we call them), which generate returns with predefined statistical properties. In this paper we put their approach to the test. In a set of four out-of-sample tests over the period March 1995-April 2006 we show that the Kat and Palaro (2005) strategies are indeed capable of accurately generating returns with a variety of properties, including negative correlation with stocks and bonds and high positive skewness. Under difficult conditions, the synthetic funds also produce impressive average excess returns. Combined with their liquid and transparent nature, this confirms that synthetic funds are an attractive alternative to direct investment in popular alternative asset classes such as (funds of) hedge funds, commodities, etc.
We prove a new concentration inequality for U-statistics of order two for uniformly ergodic Markov chains. Working with bounded π-canonical kernels, we show that we can recover the convergence rate of Arcones and Gine (1993) who proved a concentration result for U-statistics of independent random variables and canonical kernels. Our proof relies on an inductive analysis where we use martingale techniques, uniform ergodicity, Nummelin splitting and Bernstein's type inequality where the spectral gap of the chain emerges. Our result allows us to conduct three applications. First, we establish a new exponential inequality for the estimation of spectra of trace class integral operators with MCMC methods. The novelty is that this result holds for kernels with positive and negative eigenvalues, which is new as far as we know. In addition, we investigate generalization performance of online algorithms working with pairwise loss functions and Markov chain samples. We provide an online-to-batch conversion result by showing how we can extract a low risk hypothesis from the sequence of hypotheses generated by any online learner. We finally give a non-asymptotic analysis of a goodness-of-fit test on the density of the invariant measure of a Markov chain. We identify the classes of alternatives over which our test based on the L2 distance has a prescribed power.
Textile industry processes are among the most environmentally unfriendly industrial processes, because they produce coloured wastewaters that are heavily polluted the environment. Therefore, wastewater from textile industry has to be treated before being discharged into the environment. In this study, experiments were performed at pH of 7 to investigate the adsorption capacities of locally available low cost bioadsorbents like neem leaves, orange peels, peanut hulls and coconut coir pith powders to remove colour in a textile industry wastewater. The experiments were conducted by different process parameters like adsorbent dosage, temperature, contact time and agitator speed using batch adsorption method and for both with and without aeration. From the experimental investigations, the maximum colour removal percentage for both with and without aeration in a textile industry wastewater was obtained at an optimum bioadsorbent dosage of 300 mg, an optimum contact time of 75 min., an optimum temperature of 330 K and an optimum agitator speed of 600 rpm. Further, from the validation experiments, it was found that results were higher than the results obtained by different process parameters for both with and without aeration. From the results of various process parameters, peanut hulls powder achieved the maximum colour removal percentage for both with and without aeration followed by coconut coir pith, orange peels and neem leaves powders. However, the order of increased in colour removal percentage with aeration is orange peels powder followed by neem leaves, peanut hulls and coconut coir pith powders.
Single crystals of [Cu(en)2(OH2)]2[H2en][{Cu(en)2}P2CuW17O61]·5H2O 1, [Cu(en)2(OH2)]2[Cu(en)2]0.5[H2en]0.5[{Cu(en)2}P2CuW17O61]·5H2O 2 and [Co(dpa)2(OH2)2]2[Hdpa][PCoW11O39] 3 (dpa = di-2-pyridylamine) have been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by IR, TGA and single-crystal structural analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 contain an unprecedented chain of Dawson polyoxoanions, whereas 3 has a chain structure similar to that of [NEt3H]5[XCoW11O39], (X = P or As).
This paper presents a preliminary sizing procedure for a fluid shaped rotor of a Synchronous Reluctance motor and the design refinement by an optimization step. Starting from the definition of the fluid shaped barrier based on the Joukosky equation and on the analogy between the magnetic and mechanical equations, the preliminary design can be defined. The method uses the same approach of the other rotor shapes accurately changed to match the features of the fluid shaped rotor. This procedure is applied to a case study where the stator core is already defined. After the definition of the preliminary design a further optimization is carried out which involves an optimization algorithm linked to the Finite Element analysis. The preliminary and the optimized designs are then compared and discussed.
In this paper, we are presenting a new dynamically evolving clustering approach which extends conventional evolving Vector Quantization (eVQ), successfully applied before as fast learning engine for evolving cluster models, classifiers and evolving fuzzy systems in various real-world applications. The first extension concerns the ability to extract ellipsoidal prototype-based clusters in arbitrary position, thus increasing its flexibility to model any orentiation/rotation of local data clouds. The second extension includes a single-pass merging strategy in order to resolve unnecessary overlaps or to dynamically compensate inappropriately chosen learning parameters (which may lead to over-clustering effects). The new approach, termed as eVQ-AM (eVQ for Arbitrary ellipsoids with Merging functionality), is compared with conventional eVQ, other incremental and batch learning clustering methods based on two-dimensional as well as high-dimensional streaming clustering showing an evolving behavior in terms of adding/joining clusters as well as feature range expansions. The comparison includes a sensitivity analysis on the learning parameters and observations of finally achieved cluster partition qualities.
Provision of energy is one of the most pressing problems facing humanity in the 21st century. Without energy, it is impossible to overcome the critical issues of our time. Industrial world suggests continuous growth in energy consumption in the future. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the world's generating capacity is now close to 18 TW. The main source of energy even in highly developed countries is fossil fuel, i.e. coal, oil and natural gas. However, resources of fossil fuel are limited, and its production and consumption irreversibly affect the environmental conditions with the threat of catastrophic climate change on Earth. Other energy sources, particularly nuclear energy, are also used that would fully meet in principle the energy needs of mankind. Capacity of existing nuclear reactors (nearly 450 in the world) is  370 GW. However, increasing their capacity up to  18 TW or about 50 times (!), is quite problematic (to provide humanity with electric energy, the capacity of nuclear power should be increased about 10 times). Resources of hydroelectric, geothermal, wind energy, energy from biofuels are also limited. At the same time, the power of solar radiation of the Earth's surface exceeds the world's generating capacity by more than 1000 times. It remains only to master this accessible, inexhaustible, gratuitous and nonhazardous source of energy in an environmentally friendly way. Solar energy can be converted into heat and electricity. Different ways of converting sunlight into electricity have found practical application. The power plants, in which water is heated by sunlight concentrating devices resulting in a high-temperature steam and operation of an electric generator, are widespread. However, solar cells are much more attractive due to the direct conversion of solar radiation into electricity. This is the so-called photovoltaics. Under the conditions of the growing problems of global warming, photovoltaics is the most likely candidate to replace fossil fuels and nuclear reactors.
A compact and inexpensive pump source is in high demand for ultrafast Ti:sapphire lasers, which has emerged as a main workhorse in biomedical imaging because of its broad emission bandwidth[1]. The widespread of Ti:sapphire lasers is limited by its cost, in which the contribution of its pump source is major. Latest progress in the field of direct diode lasers (DDL) technology [2,3] in the wavelength region suitable for Ti:sapphire pumping arose the opportunity of the development of inexpensive DDL based pump sources. The main factor that limits their commercial use for pumping is their far-from-diffraction-limited beam quality and low output power per emitter.
Abstract 13C NMR spectral patterns over the full temperature range of the twisted nematic phase of the binary mixture of MBBA (methoxybenzylidene butylaniline) and chiral MBMBA (methoxybenzylidene 2–methyl butylaniline) are evaluated in terms of the molecular motions averaging the chemical shift tensors of the 3C nuclei. The measurements allowed for a determination of the molecular self–diffusion constant along the pitch axis of the helicoidal structure.
Metagenomics has transformed our understanding of the microbial world, allowing researchers to bypass the need to isolate and culture individual taxa and to directly characterize both the taxonomic and gene compositions of environmental samples. However, associating the genes found in a metagenomic sample with the specific taxa of origin remains a critical challenge. Existing binning methods, based on nucleotide composition or alignment to reference genomes allow only a coarse-grained classification and rely heavily on the availability of sequenced genomes from closely related taxa. Here, we introduce a novel computational framework, integrating variation in gene abundances across multiple samples with taxonomic abundance data to deconvolve metagenomic samples into taxa-specific gene profiles and to reconstruct the genomic content of community members. This assembly-free method is not bounded by various factors limiting previously described methods of metagenomic binning or metagenomic assembly and represents a fundamentally different approach to metagenomic-based genome reconstruction. An implementation of this framework is available at http://elbo.gs.washington.edu/software.html. We first describe the mathematical foundations of our framework and discuss considerations for implementing its various components. We demonstrate the ability of this framework to accurately deconvolve a set of metagenomic samples and to recover the gene content of individual taxa using synthetic metagenomic samples. We specifically characterize determinants of prediction accuracy and examine the impact of annotation errors on the reconstructed genomes. We finally apply metagenomic deconvolution to samples from the Human Microbiome Project, successfully reconstructing genus-level genomic content of various microbial genera, based solely on variation in gene count. These reconstructed genera are shown to correctly capture genus-specific properties. With the accumulation of metagenomic data, this deconvolution framework provides an essential tool for characterizing microbial taxa never before seen, laying the foundation for addressing fundamental questions concerning the taxa comprising diverse microbial communities.
We present a fast scheme for arbitrary unitary control of interacting bosonic atoms in a double well. Assuming fixed interwell tunneling rate and intrawell interaction strength, we control the many-atom state by a discrete sequence of shifts of the single-well energies. For strong interactions, resonant tunneling transitions implement beam-splitter U(2) rotations among atom number eigenstates, which can be combined and, thus, permit full controllability. By numerically optimizing such sequences of couplings at avoided level crossings, we extend the realm of full controllability to a wide range of realistic interaction parameters, while we remain in the simple control space. We demonstrate the efficiency and the high achievable fidelity of our proposal with nonadiabatic population transfer, NOON-state creation, a CNOT gate, and a transistorlike, conditional evolution of several atoms.
Abstract Background Professionalism forms an important aspect of medicine's contract with society, and it is therefore important that it should be assessed and developed in medical schools. For the effective assessment of medical students' professionalism, clear objectives, or outcomes based on a clear definition of professionalism, have to be accepted by society, the faculty and the students. A Physician's Charter, “Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium”, was published by the Annals of Internal Medicine in February 2002. Fifth-year medical students of the University of Pretoria were challenged to comment on the applicability of this Charter's principles and responsibilities in the South African context. The majority of the students did not fully agree with the principles and responsibilities. A following cohort of fifth-year students was requested to define professionalism and describe attributes that could be included in an assessment tool. Methods A qualitative design was employed to explore the students' perceptions. An analysis of the scripts was performed using qualitative content analysis. All the scripts were read twice and the emergent themes (attributes of professionalism) were identified by two researchers. The scripts were reviewed and coded independently to enhance reliability. Investigator triangulation, involving researchers with diverse research backgrounds, was done to validate the identified attributes. The themes were organised into categories (domains of professionalism). The authors discussed differing concepts with the other members of the Professional Attitude Development and Assessment Committee (PADAC) to arrive at a consensus. In the second stage of analysis, the identified themes were compared to the Charter. This was supported by quotations taken from the students' perceptions, as well as from the relevant literature. Tabulations were used to determine the frequencies of the different themes. Results The attributes used to describe professionalism were grouped under four main domains: attitude and personal conduct, teamwork, patient care and professional competence. These correspond, to some extent, with the Charter. Most of the students, however, stressed the humanistic attributes of professional behaviour, which are not mentioned in the Charter. These attributes include empathy, interpersonal relationships, integrity, respect, maturity and teamwork. Conclusion The students' perceptions of professionalism differed from that described in the Charter. The fact that the students value the humanistic part of professionalism could possibly be ascribed to the following factors: • Teaching of professionalism at the University of Pretoria focuses on the humanistic attributes, which form an important part of patient consultations and teamwork. • Medical students are not actively involved in the social contract that is prominent in the Charter. They have very little influence regarding social justice, access to care, distribution of resources and conflict of interest. • The Charter is considered vague and open to interpretation It is recommended that a universally acceptable charter be developed for the Medical School of Pretoria by involving faculty members to validate and accept the students' perspectives. It is also recommended that these mutually accepted attributes then be used as the assessment criteria of a professionalism assessment tool. This should also encourage faculty members to act as good role models.
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are deployed in search and rescue operations where it is difficult for divers to reach. During the operation a fleet of AUVs communicate among themselves and exchange two type of information. The first includes control signal which has a low-data rate but has a very stringent bit error rate (BER) requirement and the second being the data collected by the AUVs in the form of high resolution video, pictures and important sensor observations, which has a high-data rate but a little relaxed BER constraint. This paper proposes an efficient two-rate data transmission scheme for AUV communication using carrier interferometry (CI) coded direct sequence code-division multiple access (CI/DS-CDMA). The BER performance of the proposed scheme is compared with that of the conventional Walsh Hadamard (WH) coded DS-CDMA in underwater channel and is shown to ensure improved BER performance. For two-rate communication we assume a basic low-data rate (LDR) “R” and a high-data rate (HDR) as “2R” and we further presume that the acceptable BER of LDR is atleast an order of magnitude less than that of the HDR. Simulation results show that with CI/DS-CDMA scheme, the high-data rate communication achieves a BER of 3×10-4 at 20 dB whereas the low data rate communication reach a BER of 1.76×10-5 at 16 dB for a typical underwater channel. The results justify CI/DS-CDMA scheme as a deserving candidate for single rate as well as two-rate underwater acoustic communication.
In the present investigation, authors made an attempt to study the sliding wear behavior of polypropylene/ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (PP/UHMWPE, 90/10) blends loaded with 30% carbon short fibers (CSF) as reinforcement and nanoclay as filler material. The nanocomposites have been prepared with varying amounts viz., 0, 1, 2 and 3 wt% of nanoclay. The composites were prepared by melt mixing at 60 rpm extruder speed and compression moulding at 180°C. From all the composites, 6 mm diameter and 25 mm length sliding wear specimens were prepared. Sliding wear loss, specific wear rate and coefficient of friction were investigated by using computerized pin-on–disc machine at normal applied loads of 20, 30 and 40 N; at a sliding velocity of 1.5 m/s and at two abrading distances viz., 200 and 300 m. The wear behavior data reveals that 3 wt% nanoclay filled composite exhibits higher wear resistance and lowest specific wear rate as compared to other nanocomposites. Also morphological study was carried out for wear out surfaces of all the composites using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
After holding Olympic games,the mass sports in the Japan and south Korea developed at a rapid speed due to the successful holding of Olympic games.After Beijing Olympic Games,how to prompt sustainable development of mass sports in china is focused by the public.By the method of literature review and comprehensive analysis,the paper makes a detailed research and comparison of the mass sports between china,Japan and South Korea,in hope of providing rational reference to promote the development of china's mass sports.
Hexavalent chromium pollution is a major environmental concern due to its toxicity and extensive use in industry. Industrial effluents containing Cr(VI) have been traditionally treated by chemical reduction, followed by precipitation, or more recently, by removal using non-viable biosorbents. This study investigates the use of a two-phase anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) for the treatment of Cr(VI) contaminated wastewater. Simulated wastewater containing potassium chromate and sucrose was introduced into reactor one which contained phase I optimized biomass. Complete sorption and reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) occurred in reactor one, which had a 1:1 volume of treated wastewater to settled cheese whey biomass granules. The chromium-free effluent from reactor one, rich in volatile fatty acids (VFA) was the feed stock or influent for reactor two, where optimum methane production was maintained. Reactor one was operational for about 40 days with a Cr(VI) loading of 25 mg/L-day. Cr(III) derived from the reduction of Cr(VI) occurred in the effluent of reactor one at levels between 1 to 2.5 mg/L only from about day 28 to the end of the experiment. Selective sequential extraction (SSE) of the spent biomass showed that 45% of the added chromium was in the form of insoluble Cr(III) hydroxides, and the remaining 55% as organo-Cr(III) complexes. VFA levels were eventually reduced in reactor one by about 50%, and soluble COD removal by about 65%. Average methane content in the reactor two biogas was greater than 80%. Based on sorption studies, and using a novel approach whereby sorbed Cr(VI) was interpreted as a "dose" in order to obtain various toxicological indices, models were developed for estimating the amount of Cr(VI)-wastewater that could be treated using plant size unit operations. Leaching tests carried out on spent biomass from reactor one over a five month period demonstrated the non-leacheability of chromium. This study indicated the potential feasibility of using a two-phase ASBR system for the co-treatment of inorganic Cr(VI) contaminated wastewater and high organic loading effluents.
Based on the realities of the middle school curriculum reform, the methods of university physical teaching were explored. In university physical teaching, we shoud know the characteristics of university physics and the essential difference from high school physics, change teaching habits and models, highlight the diversities of university physics and high school physics, offset the shortages of high school physics, refrain from simple repeats of teaching process. Utilizing the university efficient resources， stimulating students' interests to study, converting their thinking methods, training their abilities of handling problem, it can make university physical teaching vivid, interesting, applied and then attain the purpose of enhancing the teaching effect.
The 1 to 8 years follow-up results on a group of 15 patients who underwent a Le Fort I osteotomy with interposed bone grafts and who received implants at a second stage, are reported. The procedure proved to be extremely reliable in that sufficient bone was present for maximum size implants, whilst implant survival appeared to be high (94.6%). The forward advancement was stable and no discernible relapse occurred after prosthesis placement. All patients but one were highly satisfied with the aesthetic result and the rehabilitation of function.
Abstract  Several theoretical aspects of growth delay curves which can affect the relationship between delay and cell killing have been considered and compared with examples of real data. (1) Damage to the tumour "bed", presumably vasculature, can result in slower growth compared with untreated tumours; the so called "tumour bed effect". As a consequence the delay in growth depends on the end-point size. In addition, agents which modify tumour and stromal cell damage to a different degree may lead to different conclusions depending upon the assay. (2) A slow rate of clearance of dead cells and debris after treatment can lead to slower growth of tumours in the initial stages of regrowth above treatment size. This can appear to be a tumour bed effect even when stromal damage is absent. (3) Average growth curves for a group of tumours should not be used instead of the delay for each individual animal because this can also lead to an apparently slower regrowth in the absence of a tumour bed effect. (4) Tumour size at treatment should be standardized. If the normal growth pattern before and after treatment is Gompertzian, treatments which produce equal killing will produce more delay in larger tumours.
The invention provides an ultraviolet-cured coating composition. The ultraviolet-cured coating composition comprises a defoaming agent, an adhesive performance accelerator, a leveling agent, photoinitiator, solvent and polyaryletherketone with a structure shown as a formula (I), wherein R is H or methyl, m is more than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 4 and n is polymerization degree; and the intrinsic viscosity of the polyaryletherketone with the structure shown as in the formula (I) is 0.2-1.4dL/g. A propenyl ester group and more cross-linking points exist on a macromolecular chains of the polyaryletherketone with the structure shown as in the formula (I), so that the ultraviolet-cured coating composition provided by the invention has excellent mechanical performance; the hardness of a paint film formed by the ultraviolet-cured coating composition is 5H, the adhesive power is optimally 0 grade, the impact strength is more than or equal to 100kg.cm and the flexibility is 1-3mm; and the ultraviolet-cured coating composition facilitates the application. In addition, the ultraviolet-cured coating composition provided by the invention has better heat resistance; when the ultraviolet-cured coating composition is applied at the temperature of 300+/-20DEG C, no crack or fall occurs after the ultraviolet-cured coating composition is used for 30 hours.
This research used bioinformatical methods to predict the physical-chemical characteristics, hydropathy and hydrophobicity, signal peptide, subcellular localization, structure and function of BCRho3 gene from Botrytis cinerea, and constructed phylogenetic tree of Rho3, all of this would provide further support for following research. The result shows that BCRho3 is a hydrophilic protein which has not signal peptide and transmembrane structure, its secondary structure is primarily composed of alpha helix and random coil and it performs biological function mainly in the cytoplasm. Sequence analysis indicates that this protein might functions as growth factor, and may involve in transcription regulation and transcription, so it may play important role during growth and development such as spore production, thus it is likely to play a key role in pathogenicity of B.cinerea. The homology and evolutionary tree of Rho3shows that BCRho3 and related proteins of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Marssonina brunnea are close in the phylogenetic tree and identity, which shows highly homology.
In this article, the simulation of an automatic steering control algorithm which resembles the behavior of a human steering driver and consisting of a central controller and a vehicle built-in actuator system, is developed. The central controller is derived from the Position plus Orientation Preview optimum Acceleration (POPA) driver steering model while the vehicle built-in actuator system is derived from the neuromuscular and proprioceptive feedback dynamics of the human driver. The control algorithm is easy to implement, moreover, it provides a smooth switching between the human and automatic steering operations, and therefore offers a useful and direct method for the ITS lateral motion control. Simulation examples of the developed controller demonstrate its efficiency to track prescribed lane change maneuvre trajectories. For the covering abstract see ITRD E109380.
Human serum samples containing immunoglobulin G (IgG) and M (1gM) were stored at 4 degrees C, and -20 degrees C with and without thaw/freeze cycles by 30 days. Anti-HAV IgG, anti-EBV IgG and anti-EBV IgM were investigated by ELISA and ELFA methods. Freezing have given significant growth of measured antibodies concentration. In the IgM case, significant loose of activity was observed followed its growth in all assay conditions. Anti EBV IgG stored at freezing conditions were much stable than stored at 4 degrees C. Greatest changes of antibodies activity was found after multiple thawing and freezing.
The effects of griseofulvin and 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydro-2,4,6-trimethylpyridine (DDC) on ferrochelatase activity were compared in the 17-day-old chick embryo. While DDC reduced enzyme activity markedly, griseofulvin did not exert an inhibitory effect. These results are consistent with the fact that DDC, but not griseofulvin, causes hepatic porphyrin accumulation in this species. The effects of griseofulvin and DDC on ferrochelatase activity were compared in chick embryo liver cell culture. DDC reduced ferrochelatase activity markedly while griseofulvin caused no significant inhibition. Both DDC and griseofulvin cause marked porphyrin accumulation in this system. The porphyrins were separated and quantitated using high-performance liquid chromatography. Protoporphyrin was the major porphyrin which accumulated in response to DDC, a result consistent with the inhibition of ferrochelatase. In contrast, protoporphyrin was a minor porphyrin accumulating in response to griseofulvin, a result consistent with the failure of griseofulvin to inhibit ferrochelatase; in this case, coproporphyrin was the major porphyrin to accumulate. These findings in the chick embryo contrast with those reported in rodents, where both DDC and griseofulvin exert an inhibitory effect on ferrochelatase. Clearly, species differences exist in the effects of griseofulvin on the enzymes of the heme biosynthetic pathway.
With the increased competition of modern economy and globalization,consumer creation which based on the analysis of consumer behavior was more and more attentioned and respected by business.Based on the meaning and characteristics of agricultural product consumer creation,index system of value model of agricultural product consumer creation was put forward through analytical hierarchy process(AHP).The weights of the indicators and related indicators of impact on the value were analyzed,and value models of agricultural product consumer creation were constructed to provide ideas for development of agricultural product consumer market and research of consumer value.Consumer creation was constructed to provide ideas for development of agricultural product consumer market and research of consumer value.
The importance of understanding teachers' cognition has been frequently stressed in connection with an ongoing debate regarding the need for a new knowledge base in English language teacher education. However, as is indicated in Chapter One of the present thesis, there has so far been relatively little actual research into teachers' cognition in the field of ELT, and the majority of studies have focused on pre-service and novice, rather than experienced teachers. Research into experienced teachers has tended to rest on the questionable assumption that characteristics of `experts' can be identified and their knowledge prescribed to novices. Additionally, most studies have been carried out in ESL contexts, not the secondary school EFL contexts in which most teachers of English in the world work.  This justifies the focus in the present study on identifying experienced (but not necessarily `expert') teachers' personal theories of good teaching in an EFL secondary school context in Turkey. Both the contents and the overall nature (structure and sources) of such teachers' theories are investigated, as is the extent to which their classroom practices are congruent with their theories. The study adopts a Personal Construct Theory (PCT) perspective which is justified and explained in Chapter Two, and employs repertory-grid and follow-up interviews, and stimulated recall interviews based on video-recordings of lessons (as explained in Chapter Three). Four teachers, whose years of experience range from eleven to twenty-five years, are particularly focused upon.  Findings are presented and discussed in four chapters, which focus, respectively, on: participants' core constructs relating to `Significant others' in their past and present experience (Chapter Four); shared views (as revealed by content analysis) relating to professional development, and roles and relationships (Chapter Five); both shared views and individual constructs relating specifically to classroom practice and pedagogy (Chapter Six); and, finally, how the participants' personal theories are put into practice and situational constraints are perceived (Chapter Seven).  In Chapter Eight I discuss how the personal theories of the participants in this study appear relatively unaffected by formal theories of teaching and learning but are particularly informed by core constructs which have moral and affective significance.  These core constructs have deep roots in participants' personal biographies, and they have, to varying extents, developed ways of mediating them into their practice. This process is explained with reference to PCT, and original findings are also offered regarding the overall structure of teacher cognition and the way teachers respond differently to common constraints. The thesis ends (Chapter Nine) with a summary of implications and limitations of the study, suggestions for future research, and final reflections on theory-practice dissonance.
We present a stochastic turbulence generator based on a vorticity formulation where the generated turbulent field implicitly fulfills the kinematic constraints of an incompressible flow. The generator allows direct access to the turbulent velocity and vorticity field. Enforcing additional constraints such as a divergence-free vorticity field and a specified differentiability of the flow field can also implemented directly within this formulation. The resulting turbulent field contain improved kinematic properties and may be imported into numerical simulations without an excessive loss of energy.
The recent flurry of merger activity in the healthcare industry has given rise to a significant number of integration efforts. Unfortunately, some of these "marriages" will end in "divorce." Reasons for failure can be found in four critical dimensions of integration: structural, operational, clinical, and informational. Each dimension has its associated pitfalls, and every merger confronts clearly identifiable risks. By taking steps to mitigate such risks, merging organizations can improve the chances the merger will succeed. If the merger does fail, measures taken prior to the merger, such as including an escape clause in the merger contract, can help avoid problems in dividing operational assets, physicians practices, and information assets.
Abstract : The Billet Cost Model System consists of three models which estimate the marginal economic cost of establishing and operating a billet in the U.S. Navy. Three types of labor are covered by the three models: enlisted, officer and civil service. Within each of these models, a billet is defined as the intersection of a paygrade and occupational group. The latter is at the level of rating for enlisted personnel, designator community for officers and functional occupational group (FOG) for civil servants. The Enlisted Billet Cost Model has been produced in one form or another for about fifteen years. In the last four years the system was expanded to include, first, a civil service model and then an officer model. A reserve billet cost model was produced but has never been updated and is not included here. This report describes a completely revised system of models from those that have appeared earlier. The cost elements have been restructured, the cost equations redefined and the reporting formats altered significantly from earlier versions. Hereafter, it is intended that the data sets will be updated each year, but the models remain as documented in this volume.
A B S T R A C T We have produced a murine monoclonal antibody (F43 A1D2) that binds to the cell surface of both rat islet tumor cells (RINm clone 5F and RINm clone 14B) and normal rat islet cells. This antibody is cytotoxic in the presence of complement for RIN tumor cells as well as A, B, and D pancreatic polypeptide rat islet cells. Antibody A1D2 does not bind to rat thymus cells, pancreatic acinar cells, or fibroblasts. Antigen A1D2 (termed ICSAn-1 [islet cell surface antigen 1]) is a trypsin-sensitive glycoprotein with a molecular mass of -24,000 daltons. In addition to purification of its islet cell antigen, antibody A1D2 can be used to identify and isolate living islet cells from pancreatic digests.
River and stream dynamics is a topic of increasing importance: the morphological and granulometric study of waterways is a fundamental step in order to understand the mechanisms of formation and evolution of the different bed forms.  The evolution of a natural bed essentially depends on some factors that the river system cannot control (independent variables), related to the characteristics of the hydrographic basin (climate, geology, tectonics etc.) and on other characteristics (dependent variables) that the system can adapt (geometrical and sedimentological characteristics) (Paris, 2000).  The morphodynamical equilibrium of a waterstream is subjected to fluctuations ranging from small, due to the migration of the bed forms, to relevant ones, related to the variation of the hydrological resulting from antropical and/or natural factors.  Sediment transport, during floods, affects the hydraulic and geometrical characteristics of the channel.  A geomorphological approach applied to the prediction of the dynamics and stability of a water stream requires the understanding and possibly their quantification.  There are many morphological parameters affecting the general features of a natural system and they vary in space and time.  For instance, to the aim of evaluating the effects induced by a punctual intervention in terms of erosion and/or deposition, the rigorous approach to the problem requires the solution of the De Saint Venant equations of motion and the bed evolution equation obtained imposing the continuity of the solid phase together with a sediments transport law.  This approach is difficult to apply to a whole river course, mainly because of the lack of data necessary to implement such models and of the difficulty of calibration (Thorne, 1998).  In the present work, dealing with the Resia River (UD) as a case study, we present a detailed comparison between the information given by geomorphological analysis and the results obtained by applying models describing mobile bed in the hypothesis of two- (2D) and one-dimensional (1D) motion.
The volatile chemical constituents of citrus fruit peel were analysised in this paper.37 volatile compounds were identified by SPME and GCMS.The result showed that the most predominant compound was DLlimonene (5199%),followed by 2βpinene (2545%),αterpinene (866%),Nerol (540%),and Citral (314%).With the comparation of different extration fibers,it is indicated that the SPME with 65 μm CWDVB fiber was optimal for solidphase microextraction.
Some primary material, macrostructural and tectonic features of typical geological formations are identified, insofar as they affect the hydraulic fracturing operation whereby suitably treated fluid is pumped into massive crack(s) underground: the retardation or channeling due to strata interfaces, discontinuities and other heterogeneities is roughly characterized, in the context of fully three-dimensional crack shape evolution, and the initiation from oriented boreholes is discussed in detail. A general-purpose numerical scheme is described, efficiently based on a physically transparent distribution of discontinuity multipoles (or dislocations) and the solution of resulting singular integral equations, which permits precise quantification of these effects: in particular, the barriers provided by adjacent stiffer and tougher strata are properly rationalized and the roles of inelastic slippage, blunting, branching, arrest, and re-initiation are placed in more transparent perspective. Stabilization effects due to alterations of pore-fluid pressure (and hence effective decohering stress), or the flux of formation fluid into the open region near to the crack tip, are described as potentially unfavorable for hydrofrac containment. However, the dominant time-dependent mechanism of frac fluid penetration into the narrow crack aperture attracts most attention: this process is very naturally and tractably incorporated in our comprehensive numerical formulation so that realistic simulation ofmore » actual field operations should be feasible in the near future.« less
This paper identifies the ex ante factors of currency speculation based on the experience of Hong Kong’s three episodes in 1988, 1998 and 2007. The dynamic conditional correlation models are used to study the inter-temporal interactions among the Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng Index futures and exchange rate difference. The logistic model is applied to study the probability of currency speculation. The empirical results indicate that unusual movements in the exchange rate difference, Hang Seng Index premium and open interest of futures contracts can be found in the period prior to and during currency speculations. In addition, the conditional correlation between stock market and exchange rate market declined sharply during the periods of currency speculation. The paper traces the disposition of the speculators.
In a clinical, genealogical, biochemical, immunological and EEG study of children and adolescents with epilepsy and their closest relatives, it was established that the general activity of lactate dehydrogenase and the % of LDH in the blood sera of probands is higher than in normals. These changes were more expressed in the blood sera of probands and sibs, rather than in parents. The coefficient of inheritance according to both biochemical indices for probands and their relatives was approximately 80-85%. There were no differences in relation to the biological indices between epilepsy of an unknown nature and a symptomatical genesis.
This study is to examine the configurations of gender in the drama of Yuling during the 1937-1941 Japanese occupation of Shanghai. During the period, the Japanese army occupied Shanghai except for the areas of Foreign Consession(租界), so Shanghai was regarded as an isolaited island(孤島). However, despite the situation, drama was booming. Yuling was a playwright and dramatist, and had a role in the drama of Shanghai. He produced works of drama that reflect the configuration of gender in that period, such as 『Women's Hostel(女子公寓)』, 『Flowers draw tears(花??)』, 'Shanghai night(夜上海)』He reflected Shanghai's reality by means of women's tragic fate. Also, he pointed out the problem between 'being alive(生)' and 'staying alive(活)', and emphasized that one must live a life of spirituality. First of all, the writer concentrated on the closed areas of women, such as the home, a women's hostel, a dance hall, electra, where women are locked in. He then looked at the reality of the lives of dancing hostesses prostitutes and other women. Last of all, he pointed out, in the aspect of the social freedom, a woman's social activities more than her finding her true identity.
By means of questionnaires, lectures and mathematical statistics, we made research on a 99's crop of correspondence students for senior college courses of Hangzhou Teachers College about relative elements of teaching concept and teaching conduct and analyzed what led to the defects in process of carrying out the new course of physical education and healthy. We also put forward some proposals for implementing the new course and transforming the teacher's concept and teaching conduct.
This research was undertaken in the light of the issue of Ofsted inspections and failing schools and the resulting emotional turmoil for staff working in these schools. It also reflects a developing research interest in coaching in schools as a means of professional development and school improvement though there is little evidence of practice in education despite much writing on the topic. Specifically there is scant research on coaching as a means of facilitating organisational change in schools despite evidence suggesting that organisational change is one particular area in which coaching can make a valuable contribution from the individual, to the team, to the organisation as a whole. The study aims to explore coaching as an intervention to support the professional development of staff in schools and links to the school improvement agenda in a failing school. It seeks to explore whether coaching can be used to support staff to implement change in their practice at a time when staff morale would be potentially low and to gain some picture of the participant’s experience. A case study was carried out in a ‘failing’ primary school. It involved two teachers, two teaching assistants and one learning support assistant who together represented the Key Stage 1 team. Weekly coaching sessions were given to each participant on an individual basis over a period of sixteen weeks. Coaching focused on individual goals initially and extended to team goals. Feedback was given to the head teacher midway through the intervention and at the end of the intervention. Data transcripts from coaching sessions and interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. From this analysis master themes emerged from the data, those of theatrical, war and the coaching journey. It seemed that the coaching sessions motivated the participants to improve their practice and to achieve their goals. Participants appeared to alter their thinking about how they viewed change. The coaching seemed to build effective teams with improved communication and a sense of purpose and direction. Investigating the Coaching of Teachers to Support Change in Challenging Circumstances The findings indicate that a model of coaching that begins at the individual level with an individual focus and extends to support the development of team goals is effective for coaching in schools. It seems to be a model that supports change in challenging circumstances and the development of effective teams. Investigating the Coaching of Teachers to Support Change in Challenging Circumstances
Occurrence and sulphur isotopic compositions of pyrite in the manganese deposits of Nanhua Period in eastern Guizhou and adjacent areas, China were investigated, and it was found that: the structures of pyrite are mainly disseminated, banded, nodular, and the textures are mainly framboidal and idiomorphic- hypidiomorphic; the δ34S values of pyrite are ultra-high, ranging from +37.9‰ to +62.6‰ with an average of 52.7‰; the δ34S values is distributed in tower-shape, and the peak ranges from +46‰ to +59‰; the δ34S values descreases from bottom up along the ore body; the δ34S values differ significantly for different deposits. This study shows that the closed sedimentary basins are the main cause for the ultra-high δ34S values of pyrite. The sulfate concentrations in the closed basins were found to be low and enriched in δ34S, especially after undergoing the glacial event. Then the sulfate-minimum zone(SMZ) was formed in the basins after the glacial event, which further decreases the sulfur isotope fractionation between sulfide and sulfate. Therefore, the pyrite formed in the manganese deposits show ultra-high δ34S values. As the basin begins to open, the δ34S values for pyrite decrease from bottom up along the ore body, and the difference in the sealing properties of basins would make the δ34S values for pyrite different. Base on this study, we suggest that the manganese deposits were formed in the closed basins and mainly originated from the vadose hot brine or volcanic hydrothermal activities.
Greenhouse gas emissions trading has been widely promoted as a policy instrument that overcomes well-known political barriers to climate change mitigation. But others contend its political consequences make climate mitigation more difficult. However, few in-depth, theoretically-informed studies directly assess these claims. This thesis addresses these gaps by exploring the circumstances in which emissions trading generates policy feedback influencing subsequent political processes by reinforcing or undermining political support for the original policy.  The study focuses on the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the world’s largest and longest-operating trading system, combining the existing policy feedback literature with related literatures on emissions trading and EU policy making. Through document analysis and elite interviews, it examines the evolution of the ETS from 1998 to 2018, tracing its effects on actors, resources, and policy preferences over time.  This analysis reveals that while EU policy makers anticipated political obstacles to adopting the ETS, they gave less consideration to post-adoption policy feedback.  Indeed, the unintended feedback effects of the ETS were significant. One such selfreinforcing effect was the growth of a network of actors – such as industry associations and environmental NGOs – that became involved in subsequent policymaking processes and largely supported emissions trading. However, self-reinforcing feedback also stymied attempts to recalibrate the ETS to fit changing conditions.  Other, self-undermining feedback reduced support for the status quo policy but facilitated political opportunities for policy centralization and steeper emission reductions. Self-reinforcing and self-undermining policy feedback therefore coexisted and interacted in subtle ways not fully explained in the existing literature.  These findings are useful to those studying the long-term political viability of climate mitigation policy. They also contribute to the existing literature on policy feedback by analyzing a regulatory policy area in which feedback has been less explored. Finally, for EU scholars, they bring into sharper focus the endogenous influence of existing EU public policies on subsequent politics.
In order to research the conical spiral groove aerodynamic bearings, the lubrication analysis mathematical model of bearings was established. The Reynolds equation of the laminar flow condition was used to calculate the perturbation pressure partial differential equation with the locally finite difference method. Though calculating stiffness coefficient and damping coefficient and numerical simulation, the influence laws of speed and eccentricity ratio on the dynamic characteristic coefficients were gained. The mathematical model for the stability of rotor-bearing system was established to study the influence laws of speed and eccentricity ratio on the stability. The results show that the influence of bearing's speed and eccentricity on the bearing's dynamic characteristics is significant; a reasonable choice of bearing's speed and eccentricity contributes to improve the bearing's dynamic characteristics and the stability of rotor-bearing system.
We address an inherent difficulty in welfare-theoretic fair machine learning by proposing an equivalently axiomatically-justified alternative and studying the resulting computational and statistical learning questions. Welfare metrics quantify overall wellbeing across a population of one or more groups, and welfare-based objectives and constraints have recently been proposed to incentivize fair machine learning methods to produce satisfactory solutions that consider the diverse needs of multiple groups. Unfortunately, many machine-learning problems are more naturally cast as loss minimization tasks, rather than utility maximization, which complicates direct application of welfare-centric methods to fair machine learning. In this work, we define a complementary measure, termed malfare, measuring overall societal harm (rather than wellbeing), with axiomatic justification via the standard axioms of cardinal welfare. We then cast fair machine learning as malfare minimization over the risk values (expected losses) of each group. Surprisingly, the axioms of cardinal welfare (malfare) dictate that this is not equivalent to simply defining utility as negative loss. Building upon these concepts, we define fair-PAC (FPAC) learning, where an FPAC learner is an algorithm that learns an $ varepsilon$-$ delta$ malfare-optimal model with bounded sample complexity, for any data distribution, and for any (axiomatically justified) malfare concept. Finally, we show broad conditions under which, with appropriate modifications, standard PAC-learners may be converted to FPAC learners. This places FPAC learning on firm theoretical ground, as it yields statistical and computational efficiency guarantees for many well-studied machine-learning models, and is also practically relevant, as it democratizes fair ML by providing concrete training algorithms and rigorous generalization guarantees for these models
In recent years much light has been thrown upon the chemical nature of some typical enzymes, both by the direct method of purification and analysis and by other methods which, while indirect, have phoven none the less instructive. Pancreatic amylase has been purified by the methods developed in this laboratory 1 to a maximum enzymic activity practically constant in many independent purification experiments. This material in the dry state is an amorphous white powder having the ultimate composition, and showing the color reactions of typical proteins. Moreover, the enzyme material showed, on analysis by the Van Slyke method, 2 the same forms of nitrogen as are found in typical proteins, and in typical quantitative proportions. Like the purified malt amylase previously described by Osborne, 3 this pancreatic amylase on heating in water yielded a coagulated albumin and left in solution a proteose or peptone. Our purified pancreatic amylase preparation has much the highest enzymic activity of any material of which we have found adequate record. In thirty minutes at 40°, this material splits 20,000 times its weight of starch and forms 10,000 times its weight of maltose; and notwithstanding its gradual inactivation in solution, this material has, in sufficiently long experiments, digested as much as 4,000,000 times its weight of starch and formed as much as 2,800,000 times its weight of maltose. 4 This great enzymic activity was shown at a dilution of 1 :100,000,000, whereas the most delicate tests for protein are probably not valid at dilutions greater than about 1:100,000. Thus the failure of protein reactions in solutions enzymically active does not show, as many writers assume, that the enzyme is of other than protein nature, since as in this case, the enzymic activity may constitute a test 1000-fold more delicate than any reaction which can be employed as a test for the presence of protein material.
The drug response sensitivity and related prognosis of prostate cancer varied from races, while the original mechanism remains rarely understood. In this study, the comprehensive signature including transcriptomics, epigenome and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 485 PCa cases- including 415 Whites, 58 Blacks and 12 Asians from the TCGA database were analyzed to investigate the drug metabolism differences between races. We found that Blacks and Whites had a more prominent drug metabolism, cytotoxic therapy resistance, and endocrine therapy resistance than Asians, while Whites were more prominent in drug metabolism, cytotoxic therapy resistance and endocrine therapy resistance than Blacks. Subsequently, the targeted regulation analysis indicated that the racial differences in cytotoxic therapy resistance, endocrine therapy resistance, might originate from drug metabolisms, and 19 drug metabolism-related core genes were confirmed in the multi-omics network for subsequent analysis. Furthermore, we verified that CYP1A1, CYP3A4, CYP2B6, UGT2B17, UGT2B7, UGT1A8, UGT2B11, GAS5, SNHG6, XIST significantly affected antineoplastic drugs sensitivities in PCa cell lines, and these genes also showed good predictive efficiency of drug response and treatment outcomes for PCa in this cohort of patients. These findings revealed a comprehensive signature of drug metabolism differences for the Whites, Blacks and Asians, and it may provide some evidence for making individualized treatment strategies.
Two new species of the perlid genus Anacroneuria, A. rotunda n. sp and A. pitii n. sp are described from Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Additionally, six species of Anacroneuria and four species of Kempnyia are reported for the first time from Espírito Santo State. Records are also provided for A. debilis, A. subcostalis, K. flava, K. gracilenta, and K. neotropica. An undetermined species of Macrogynoplax based on nymphs is also reported from Espírito Santo State.
This bachelor's thesis deals with central venous catheters issues. The thesis contains a short description of the anatomy and physiology of venous, describes the history of central venous cannulation, indications and contraindications, technique of puncture and access ways to the central venous system. It also deals with preparing the patient for the implantation of central venous catheter and decantation. In the next chapter are described a patient's omplications with established central venous catheter. The practical part deals with the results of the questionnaire. The results are summarized in tables, graphs and commentaries.
0. Some Ideas of Logic.- I. Sets and Mappings.- 1. Some Concepts of Set Theory.- 2. Some Further Operations on Sets.- 3. Mappings.- 4. Surjective and Injective Mappings.- 5. Bijective Mappings and Inverses.- II. Metric Spaces.- 1. Definition of Metric Space and Some Examples.- 2. Closed and Open Balls Spheres.- 3. Open Sets.- 4. Closed Sets.- 5. Closure of a Set.- 6. Diameter of a Set Bounded Sets.- 7. Subspaces of a Metric Space.- 8. Interior of a Set.- 9. Boundary of a Set.- 10. Dense Sets.- 11. Afterword.- III. Mappings of Metric Spaces.- 1. Continuous Mappings.- 2. Continuous Mappings and Subspaces.- 3. Uniform Continuity.- IV. Sequences in Metric Spaces.- 1. Sequences.- 2. Sequences in Metric Spaces.- 3. Cluster Points of a Sequence.- 4. Cauchy Sequences.- 5. Complete Metric Spaces.- V. Connectedness.- 1. Connected Spaces and Sets.- 2. Connected Sets in R.- 3. Mappings of Connected Spaces and Sets.- VI. Compactness.- 1. Compact Spaces and Sets.- 2. Mappings of Compact Spaces.- 3. Sequential Compactness.- 4. Compact Subsets of R.- Afterword.- Appendix M. Mathematical Induction.- Appendix S. Solutions.
Based on special hiberarchy characteristic of radial network, this paper proposed a novel layer-by-layer back/forward sweep distribution load flow algorithm. In this algorithm, the branches of network are sorted by layers and the loss of voltage and power of branches in the same layer can be parallel computed, so the speed of power flow can be increased greatly. In this paper, this algorithm is realized by making full use of fast plural matrix operation function of MATLAB, and the increase of that speed is also outstanding. Furthermore, It is testified in this paper that the large shunt conductance will bring on the convergence problem of distribution load flow, which is produced by theΠ equivalent model when the impedance of transformer branch is too small. For solving this problem, an effective equivalent model of voltage transforming is proposed according to the principle for ideal transformer to transform voltage and power. In two power systems, the IEEE40 bus system and a 1338 bus actual power system, the proposed method has been tested. The results indicate that it has faster speed and more reliable convergence.
Value management capabilities is an important part of automotive logistics enterprise strategic objectives management, is a reflection of enterprise operating performance, is the importance reflection of corporate business, management support and adapt to environment development. Value Management capabilities not only to reflect the effectiveness of automotive logistics enterprises allocation of resources, but also provide a scientific basis for strategic decisions of automotive logistics enterprises. Therefore, scientific and effective evaluate value management capabilities of automotive logistics enterprise both the need of automotive logistics enterprise strategic management, but also the need to achieve enterprise value objectives. This paper is mainly analysis and design automotive logistics enterprise value management capability evaluation index model based on EVA (Economic Value Added), including capital value management model, MM model and Miller model, discounted cash flow model, residual income model analysis, valuation evaluation model analysis and index design of automobile logistics enterprises.
This paper presents a method to design and control a two-wheeled self-balancing robot by focusing on hardware description, Complimentary filter algorithm, system modelling and Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) back stepping controller design. In the system, signals from the digital Gyro sensor are filtered by a Complimentary filter before being fed to the Proportional-Integral-Derivative back stepping controller. The objectives of the proposed controller is to stabilize the robot while trying to keep the motion of robot to any direction. By experimenting, the values of Proportional-Integral-Derivative parameters such as, Proportional Gain Constant, Derivative Gain Constant and Integral Gain Constant have been obtained and applied for the Arduino board. The special software was complied to convert the digital data from the accelerometer to an acceleration magnitude vector. The magnitude is then compared to a predetermined mathematical function to infer the angle of tilt of the platform. The angle of tilt is then converted to angle of rotatior. for the gear motors to act on. Complimentary filter is used to filter the gyro data in order to reduce noise, drift, and horizontal acceleration dependency, for the fast estimation of angle. It was noticed that this approach promises much less lag than the low-pass filter alone, and not very processor-intensive. Tuning for Proportional-Integral-Derivath e controller is depending upon the physical properties of the robot and the battery' power, due to those reasons tuning the controller becomes a difficult task. Experimental results shows that the platform performed as expected. The two-wheeled robot was able to mo  t towards any direction while keeping its balance.
Questions: 1. Do different management types (i.e. hay meadow, silage meadow, meadow-pasture, pasture) have different impact on the size and composition of the seed bank of mesic grassland (Arrhenatheretalia)? 2. How strong is the effect of management on the seed bank in relation to above-ground vegetation, edaphic factors and land-use history? 3. Are there differences in C-S-R plant strategy types and seed longevity under different management regimes? Location: Lahn-Dill Highlands in central-western Germany. Methods: Above-ground vegetation and the soil seed bank of 63 plots (at 21 sites) in mesic grasslands were studied. Differences between management types in quantitative seed bank traits and functional characteristics were tested by ANOVA. The impact of management, above-ground vegetation, site conditions and land-use history on seed bank composition were analysed by partial CCA. Results: Management had no significant impact on species richness and density of the seed bank but significantly influenced their floristic composition and functional characteristics. CCA revealed that even after adjustment for soil chemical parameters and above-ground vegetation management still had significant impact on seed bank composition. ANOVA revealed that silage meadows contained higher proportions of R-strategy compared to hay meadows. In contrast, in hay meadows and meadow-pastures proportions of S-strategy were higher than in silage meadows. Conclusions: The type of grassland management has little impact on quantitative seed bank traits. Management types with a high degree of disturbance lead to an increase of species following a ruderal strategy in the seed bank. Irrespective of management type only a limited proportion of characteristic grassland species is likely to re-establish from the seed bank after disappearance from above-ground vegetation.
The obvious shortcoming of traditional experimental teaching,characteristics of Quartus II and advantages of the virtual simulation software are analyzed in this paper.Taking the traffic light control systemas an example,a new method of programming,circuit modeling and simulation with hardware description language(VHDL) and Multisim software is introduced.The simulation experiment shows that the method is effective.
On purpose to provide a low-cost transportation,intermodal transport was introduced into the traditional single road transportation through the study on intermodal transport,agricultural products logistics network planning and literature.In the paper,the complexity of intermodal transport was analyzed and solution offered.Besides,integer programming model was established and a comparison carried on,finally the results of the examples show the effectiveness of the model.
After WWⅡ,the cold war between the East and the West has become the main aspect of the post-war international relationship.And the politicians and scholars have an endless debate over which side should take the responsibility of it.In this essay the author tries to classify the main viewpoints home and abroad on the research of the cold war as the following: 1.In the west historical science circles,there are four schools: the traditionalist school holds the view that the Soviet Union should take full responsibility;the revisionist school thinks that The US should be responsible for the cold war;the post-revisionist school views that both the Soviet Union and the US should hold themselves to the cold war,but more sympathetic to the US;while the depolarization school stresses the importance that the UK played in the origination of the cold war.2.Before its disintegration,the Soviet historical science circles of the unanimously agree that it was the US that provoked the cold war,while after its disintegration,the scholars view that both sides should be responsible for the cold war.3.In China's historical science circles there are viewpoints as: theory of the function of Both the US and the Soviet Union;theory of varied factors;and theory of the UK taking the initiative,etc.
A multilevel recursive nonstationary time series model, which combines multilevel recursive method with nonstationary time series analysis method to forecast mine discharge, is presented in this paper. As a new mathematical statistics method, multilevel recursive method regards forecasting objects as stochastic dynamical time-variant system and abandons constant parameter model in usual statistical forecast methods. The method divides the prediction of system state into two steps. The first is to predict time-varying parameter and the second is to forecast system state on the basis of the first step. Thus the method has superiority dealing with strongly fluctuated questions and non-linear questions. The key of the method is the prediction of time-varying parameter. This paper applied nonstationary time series method to forecast time-varying parameter in stead of conventional period-variable method. Therefore the model precision is improved. Mine discharge is affected by many factors and does great harm to mine security. Applying deterministic models needs many parameters that can't be met usually. Therefore using multilevel recursive nonstationary time series model to forecast has superiority. This paper uses this method to forecast mine discharge of the Heiwang iron ore in Shandong province, China. In the process of prediction forgetting factor method is applied in tracking prediction so as to stress the new data and decrease the effect of old data. Example shows that the results of the calculation are found to be in good agreement with the measured data. The checkout shows that the forecast is satisfactory. In addition, the precision is also improved. This paper extends the applied range of the multilevel recursive method and offers a new method for forecasting mine discharge.
The terminology risk management incorporates the process of identification, assessment and prioritization of risks, involves coordinated and prudent application of resources to control and minimize the risk by reducing the probability and impact of unexpected events. Derivative instruments have become increasingly important specifically in the sphere of financial risk management for last three decades. The forward contracts, futures, swap, option and other derivatives are regularly traded by financial institutions, fund managers and corporate treasurers in over the counter market. Derivatives are added to the bond issues, used in the executive compensation plans, embedded in capital investment opportunities and so on. The objectives of the research paper are to identify different hedging, speculation and arbitraging strategies using the derivative contracts, interpret how the portfolio of retail investors, High Networth Individuals (HNIs) and Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) can be managed, optimized, rebalanced and monitored. The paper will also analyze how the stock portfolio can be integrated with derivative market to consolidate the position of the investors. The methodology used for preparing this full length research paper is based on secondary information available in different reputed national and international journals and real life experiences of the author from trading as well as various professional assignments handled by him. This paper will add a new dimension how derivative instruments can be used in enterprise risk management, risk management in banking as well as the portfolio risk management of the investors.
The rate of atrophic changes in spongy bones of the weightless man was estimated, using studies of human, dog and rat bones, as well as observations of neurological patients bed-stricken for a long time. Taking into consideration data on the literature on the bone status and mineral balance in real and simulated space flights, two models were built. The models make it possible to estimate osteoporosis of spongy bones of the axial skeleton in the absence of weight loading. One of the models--an intraspecies model for the human population--is based on the experimentally found rate of the physiological rearrangement of various spongy bones. The other--interspecies--model is built with reference to the parameters determining the rate, i. e. bone density and metabolism. The average monthly rates of axial bone losses calculated by means of the two independent methods are essentially identical. The data obtained allow prediction of the decrease of tolerance to head-to-feet impact acceleration as a function of flight duration.
Noninvasive rebreathing measurements of pulmonary tissue volume (Vt) and pulmonary capillary blood flow (Qc) theoretically and experimentally vary with the rebreathing maneuver. To determine the cause of these variations and identify ways to minimize them, we examined the consequences of varying the volume inspired (VI), rebreathing rate (f), volume rebreathed (Vreb), and alveolar volume (VA) on the observed Vt and Qc in six normal sitting subjects. When VA was increased by progressively larger VI and Vreb, Vt increased 50 ml/l of VA. Increasing VA while keeping VI and Vreb constant did not significantly alter Vt. Diminishing Vreb while VA and VI constant caused Vt to fall 108 ml/l decrease in Vreb. Therefore the observed Vt is not simply a function of VA but increased with greater penetration of the inspired gas into the lungs. Diminishing f from 40 to 12 breaths/min caused the observed Vt to rise 27%, indicating time allowed for alveolar mixing is an important determinant of Vt. The observed Qc, in contrast, was essentially independent of the same variations in rebreathing. The above findings were similar regardless of solubility of the tracer gas (dimethyl ether instead of acetylene) or changing to the supine position. A two-compartment series lung model derived from the anatomy and rates of gas mixing in normal human pulmonary lobules produced similar changes in Vt. Thus the degree of uneven distribution between ventilation, VA, Vt, and Qc within the normal lung lobule can account for variations in the observed Vt with different ventilatory maneuvers. Slow deep breathing maneuvers tended to reduce variations in Vt. Unlike Qc, the observed value of Vt can be expected to vary substantially with pathological processes that alter pulmonary gas distribution.
A series of catalysts (e.g. FeCl3, Zn(OAc)2, Pb(NO3)2, etc.) were tested for the trans-esterification reaction of 1,6-hexamethylenediamine (HDA) with methyl carbamate (MC), ethyl carbamate (EC), and butyl car-bamate (BC) to afford dialkyl hexamethylene-1,6-dicarbamate (AHDC). By applying the optimized condi-tion, 100% conversion of HDA and 93% yield to diethyl hexamethylene-1,6-dicarbamate (EHDC) could be obtained using FeCl3 as catalyst. The desired products could be precipitated by adding water into the resulting mixture, and the activity of recovered catalyst could be maintained.
BACKGROUND Alcoholic hepatic disease is a severe and frequent disease and its diagnosis is not always an easy task.   AIM To assess the contribution of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the hepatic sinusoids for diagnosis of alcoholic hepatopathy.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The presence of IgA was studied through direct immunofluorescence in 59 patients submitted to hepatic needle biopsy, indicated by clinical or in vitro changes suggestive of chronic hepatopathy.   RESULTS A significant deposition of IgA was found in alcoholic patients as compared to non-alcoholic patients, with 76% sensitivity (95% CI: 54.5-89.8) and 73.5% specificity (95% CI: 55.3-86.5). In individuals who present only alcohol as the etiological agent of hepatopathy, compared with the subgroup of B or C virus carriers, the results were even more significant, with 85.7% sensitivity (95% CI: 56.2-97.5) and 89.5% specificity (95% CI: 65.5-98.2).   CONCLUSION The deposition of IgA in the hepatic sinusoids present sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of an alcohol-induced hepatic lesion. This resource can be particularly useful when conventional histology can not be define a specific cause for the change found.
The invention relates to an irregular smooth curve surface display wall multi-projector image frame correction method, which comprises the following steps: using a theodolite to establish a data point lattice of known theodolite places in a whole multi-projection display system, wherein the latitude and longitude data point lattice is a line equal latitude and row equal longitude point lattice; and carrying out the following detection on the projection image deformation: firstly, obtaining the mapping relationship f between a feature point of a frame buffer image and a feature point of a camera feature image, then, calculating the deformation features of a projection image on a screen according to feature point data of the latitude and longitude point lattice image in a camera and feature point data of the screen feature image in the camera, and next, using the fine dividing network technology to obtain the pixel level deformation features of the projection image. The invention can fully utilize the information of each pixel on the projection image, a fusion belt of the adjacent image picture frames is enlarged to the maximum, the fault-tolerance performance of the edge fusion and color correction algorithm is enhanced, and good correction effect is obtained.
Studies on efficiently removal of organic micropollutants such as endocrine disruptors(EDCs) and pharmaceutically active compounds(PhACs) increase gradually,of which nanofiltration(NF) membrane has drawn much attention due to its high removal rate.The mechanisms of removing the compounds by NF are complicated and even unclear which results in difficulties for experiments.This paper reviewed several typical application of NF on removal of EDCs/ PhACs,as well as their three mechanisms,i.e.,sievingactoion,charge effect and adsorption.The problems produced in the removal process and the corresponding solutions were summarized.It offers references for future researches of EDCs/PhACs removal using NF.
Objective To investigate the possible relation between defecation frequency and colonic transit time in patients with chronic functional constipation(CFC).Methods The colonic transit studies were performed by obtaining X-rays every 24 h for seven successive days after ingestion of 20 radiopaque marks in 168 patients with chronic functional constipation. Total and segmental colonic transit time (CTT) were measured and compared with defecation frequency.Results The CTTs between the patients with low defecation frequency (0~3/week ) and those with high defecation frequency (≥3/week ) displayed no significant difference (P0.05).No significant difference of defecation frequency were found between the patients with normal or abnormal CTT (P0.05 ), although low defecation frequency preponderance predominated in both group patients (58.6% and 48.8%, respectively).Conclusions No significant correlation between defecation frequency and CTT could be demonstrated in the study. The results suggest the defecation frequency in patients with CFC can not indicate the colonic transit condition.
With an improved LP method featuring technology gap as the weight,this article estimates the RD spillovers from FDI and its effect on technological progress in China during 1985-2007.The comparison of the new estimates with the estimates made with the previous LP method suggests that the latter slightly underestimates the effects of RD spillovers from FDI on Chinese technological progress.Regression results with the interaction terms of RD spillovers with human capital and domestic RD stocks indicate that the improved method is more accurate.It is also concluded from the empirical results that domestic RD stock is a major driving force of technological progress in China,while RD spillovers from FDI also plays an important role.In addition,the human capital in China is not high enough to absorb RD spillovers.Finally,the current level of domestic RD input somewhat undermines the positive effects of RD spillovers on the technological progress.
PURPOSE: A flow measuring system using a total reflection channel and a flow measuring method using the same are provided to measure the macroscopic movement of various fluids without using expensive devices. CONSTITUTION: A flow measuring system using a total reflection channel comprises a channel unit(100), a light source(200), and a measuring unit(300). The channel unit comprises a channel where a fluid passes. The total reflection channel is formed in a later surface of the channel. The total reflection channel comprises a total reflection surface formed to be parallel to a flowing direction of the fluid. The light source is arranged in a lateral surface of the channel unit. The measuring unit senses lights reflected by the total reflection surface.
The keys to success in the implementation of RFID are the utilization of the data collected using the RFID technology and the establishment of an RFID implementation strategy for the future. These two issues necessitate a step-by-step implementation of RFID with a firm future perspective as well as of the technologies that supports it. As a practical means for enabling the above proposals NEC offers an RFID-Based Production Process Monitoring Solution backed by the RFID implementation and pilot expertise of the NEC Group. This paper introduces the RFID technologies backing the solution and its future deployment perspectives.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for securing and feeding the glass sheet in a super clean room to provide a sputtering system, a) the transfer frame 19 in the centering unit for horizontal centering the transfer frame (19) the handling and the transport frame 19 up and down the frame lifting apparatus (7) to the inside the roller drive (12) and, b) a magnetic rail mounting portion (2) designed to carry the frames into the sputtering system from the unit, c) the fixed unit (5, 8) as an open head 3 a, the fixed unit is provided for opening and closing a frame clip (17) for receiving the glass sheet 18 to secure and release the transfer frame (19) ( 5, 8) and, d) a lifting unit for lifting and pivoting the glass sheet 18, to bring the glass sheet in a vertical position, to place into the transport frame 19, the plate, the lifting unit It should.
Trichosanthes dioica R. (T. dioica) is an easily available common plant. The plant belongs to family Cucurbitaceae which has given us many important medicinal plants like Momordica charantia, Citrullus colocynthis etc. from which important pharmacological activities and markers like charantin and Cucurbitacin have been reported and isolated. In the present study T. dioica was evaluated for antiinflammatory activity using carrageenan induced acute inflammation model in rats. It was concluded that leaves of T. dioica possess moderate anti-inflammatory activity.
A simulation system of the landing of unmanned helicopter on ship deck was introduced,and the detailed ideas and design scheme were described.Based on PC/Windows,Visual C# 2005 and new released XNA platform,the system solved the inconsistent problem existed in the display of ship and waves.In order to provide unmanned helicopter manipulator with a vivid environment,the ship motion prediction was introduced into the simulation system.The system also tabled a new idea which suggested constructing a computer vision scheme used for automatic landing based on the simulation system set up.Finally,how to realize the real time monitoring and control of the landing process was introduced by the use of the simulation system.
OBJECTIVE:To study the pharmacokinetics of lidocaine and bupivacaine in children undergoing epidural anesthesia so as to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this anesthetic method.METHODS:A total of 30 children who were expected to undergo surgery for undescended testis,hernia or high ligature for hydrocele were assigned to receive 2% lidocaine(5 mg·kg-1) plus 0.75% bupivacaine(1.875 mg·kg-1)(single epidural dose) by epidural anesthesia.Plasma concentrations of lidocaine and bupivacaine were determined by HPLC.Pharmacokinetics parameters were calculated and fitted by using DAS ver 2.0 pharmacokinetic program.RESULTS:The plasma concentration-time curves of lidocaine and bupivacaine were in line with a two-compartment model.The main pharmacokinetic parameters of lidocaine vs.bupivacaine were as follows:tmax 27.0 vs.33.0 min;t1/2β 43.97 min vs.73.52 min;Cmax 2.411 mg·L-1 vs.1.475 mg·L-1;AUC0～∞ 144.714 mg·min·L-1 vs.168.541 mg·min·L-1.CONCLUSION:The dosages of the local anesthetics injected into the epidural cavity of children are proven to be safe and effective.
Dr. Cindy Hendricks, Advisor Since reading comprehension is such a critical component in all aspects of education, it is important to take into consideration all aspects of reading comprehension. Comprehension of a text takes place when the reader pays attention to the text, pulls out the pertinent information, and connects and integrates the new information to the previously stored information in the form of schemata. This is all made possible by the working memory. The working memory allows many processes to take place simultaneously. Many studies have linked decreased cognitive functions such as working memory performance and recall to a loss of sleep. Sleep loss is a problem faced by many children in our society today. Because of the increasing responsibilities at school such as homework and extracurricular activities and the increasing amounts of technology available, children are going to bed at later times resulting in sleeping less per night. This research study was designed to determine whether there was a relationship between the hours a child sleeps at night and his or her morning and afternoon reading comprehension scores. Also, this study investigated whether there was a relationship between the regularity in the hours of sleep participants got each night and his or her morning and afternoon reading comprehension scores.
In the previous report, the results of an experiment for utilization of the practically available tray in our effort to introduce a new technique for the application of fluoride gel products to patients were described. Through the experiment, it was found that the groove in the sponge tray is too shallow for the application of gel, and the need for standardization of the proper amount of fluoride gel for application was felt. In the present study, an experiment using an improved version of a ready-made sponge tray was conducted. Simultaneously, the standardization of the amount of gel for application using cotton pellets, sponge tray and custom-fitted tray was attempted with good results. However, problems still remain concerning the way of accommodating the standardized amount of gel in a tray, and how to apply the gel intraorally using the cotton pellets.
This paper examines the question of the legal nature of the right to sport. Furthermore, it explores the right to sport as a human right. Sport represents a global phenomenon that attracts the attention of a great number of people and has become an important factor of human life that deserves deeper legal analysis. This paper starts from the definition of the sport and its role in the society. The main premise is that the right to sport represents the human right and as such exists in the international legal system. The author uses a comparative legal analysis to explore the existence of the right to sport in several European countries, with a particular interpretation of international legal framework of sport. The elements that comprise the right to sport are also analyzed. At the end of the paper, the issue of protecting the right to sport as a human right is also examined.
This invention relates to preparation method of a kind of regenerated rubber, adopts microwave devulcanization process. It adopts microwave desulfurization method and mechanical desulfurization method, carry out desulfuration to scrap tire and scrap rubber by rubber power or colloidal particle form. The products can 100 percent substitute new rubber, as raw material of shoemaking or rubber goods. The process includes: shatter scrap rubber to gain power, transit 5 to 200 times screening; use magnetism method for removeing iron leavings and impurity; Then put the rubber power to microwave devulcanizing pan, add rubber emollient; the mass ratio of rubber powder and emollient is 100: 0 to 15; microwave heating desulfuration, heating temperature is 140 to 300 deg; cooling to 150 deg after desulfuration completed, roll and milling for piece.
The width of source faults relate to their size of earthquakes. Understanding the high-resolution seismogenic layer is important parameter for the earthquake hazard assessment because it can estimate the seismogenic width of the particular active faults. Heat flow, geothermal gradient, and D90 (the depth above which 90% of earthquakes occur) are known to correlate with each other. The temperatures for D90 range could evaluate to be between 250°C and 450°C, which falls within the range for defining the seismogenic zone (e.g., Fagereng and Toy, 2011). In this study, we estimated D95 and D05, the depth above which 95% and 5% of earthquakes occur, because more precise and reliable catalog is now available from the Japan Unified HIgh-Resolution Relocated Catalog for Earthquakes (“JUICE”, Yano et al., 2016).
This paper discusses on holographic imaging based on six lateral phase derivatives. Six lateral derivatives are generated by a high-resolution reflection mode holographic grating that is designed in a “kite” configuration. The integration of the derivative yields the phase and the optical thickness. Demonstration of the proposed approach is carried out for the case of the analysis of the supersonic flow of a small vertical jet, 5.56mm in diameter.
Spectral algorithms operate on matrices or tensors of word co-occurrence to learn latent topics. These approaches remove the dependence on the original documents and produce substantial gains in eﬃciency with provable inference, but at a cost: the models can no longer infer any information about individual documents. Thresholded Linear Inverse is developed to learn document-speciﬁc topic compositions, but its linear characteristics limit the inference quality without considering any prior information on topic distributions. We propose two novel estimation methods that respect previously unclear prior structures of spectral topic models. Experiments on a variety of synthetic to real collections demonstrate that our Prior-Aware Dual De-composition outperforms the baseline method, whereas our Prior-Aware Manifold Iteration performs even better on short realistic data.
von Karman originally deduced his spectrum of wind speed fluctuation based on the Stokes-Navier equation. Taking into account, the practical issues of measurement and/or computation errors, we suggest that the spectrum can be described from the point of view of the golden ratio. We call it the golden ratio phenomenon of the von Karman spectrum. To depict that phenomenon, we derive the von Karman spectrum based on fractional differential equations, which bridges the golden ratio to the von Karman spectrum and consequently provides a new outlook of random data following the von Karman spectrum in turbulence. In addition, we express the fractal dimension, which is a measure of local self-similarity, using the golden ratio, of random data governed by the von Karman spectrum.
This patent concerns a simple process for the preparation of a combined coffee with paprika, which through a series of steps and processes described herein, results in a final product with the following approximate percentages in percent by weight. # 30% infusion of paprika with green tea and honey # 40% # 30% coffee cream paprika and peanuts. # the product obtained acquires a color overlay, or not depending on its presentation on the market.
Do economic structural reforms have electoral consequences? This paper studies whether voters reward or punish governments for introducing structural economic reforms. Drawing on data from a sample of 122 democratic countries over the 1975-2006 period, I note—at first glance—that no significant relationship can be discerned between the probability of a government’s being voted out of office and its having put in place economic reforms in the areas of international trade, product markets, and domestic finance. However, such reforms do appear to have an impact on the outcome of subsequent elections, but to varying degrees, based on the factors of macroeconomic stability, institutional development, and a wise sequencing of proposed reforms. In other words, voters will tend to reward reformist governments if macroeconomic stability is attained, a certain threshold level of institutional quality is achieved, and an optimal sequencing of structural reforms is followed.
Observations of 21 ,cm line from neutral hydrogen promise to be an exciting new probe of astrophysics and cosmology during the Cosmic Dawn and through the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) to when dark energy accelerates the expansion of the Universe. At each of these epochs, separating bright foregrounds from the cosmological signal is a primary challenge that requires exquisite calibration. In this paper, we present a new calibration method called  textsc{nucal} that extends redundant-baseline calibration, allowing spectral variation in antenna responses to be solved for by using correlations between visibilities measuring the same angular Fourier modes at different frequencies. By modeling the chromaticity of the beam-weighted sky with a tunable set of discrete prolate spheroidal sequences (DPSS), we develop a calibration loop that optimizes for spectrally smooth calibrated visibilities. Crucially, this technique does not require explicit models of the sky or the primary beam. With simulations that incorporate realistic source and beam chromaticity, we show that this method solves for unsmooth bandpass features, exposes narrowband interference systematics, and suppresses smooth-spectrum foregrounds below the level of 21 ,cm reionization models, even within much of the so-called"wedge"region where current foreground mitigation techniques struggle. We show that this foreground subtraction can be performed with minimal cosmological signal loss for certain well-sampled angular Fourier modes, making spectral-redundant calibration a promising technique for current and next-generation 21 ,cm intensity mapping experiments.
Objective To summarize the examination data of 2 cases with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura(TTP) in Lanzhou University Second Hospital.Methods The closely related diagnostic features of TTP were reviewed retrospectively:hemoglobin(Hb),platelet(PLT),reticulocyte(RET),fragments of red blood cell(FRC),urinary protein(PRO),urinary occult blood(BLD),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),total bilirubin(TBil),direct bilirubin(DBil),indirect bilirubin(IBil),urea nitrogen(BUN),creatinine(Cr),D-dimer(D-D) and bone marrow analysis.Results Intravenous infusing plasma,PLT and immunoglobulin could not improve the severe reducing of PLT.Intravenously infusing red blood cells(RBC),Hb declined progressively.PRO and BLD were persistently positive.RET,TBil,IBil and LDH of hemolysis test continued to rise.D-D of coagulation test continued not to reduce.Bone marrow analysis showed that 2 patients were proliferative anemia and hemolytic anemia with Evans syndrome respectively.Conclusions Shallow understanding of TTP diagnosis leads to delay the clinical diagnosis and treatment.By retrospectively reviewing the tests and clinical features of TTP,the classic "five signs" are found,including thrombocytopenia,microangiopathic hemolytic anemia,neurologic symptoms,renal damage and fever.
Stock Market Prediction is a problem that people deal with when they want to predict market trend. For shortterm investment, news is one of the most important factors that has influence on stock price. Based on this idea, our target issue is to build a scalable stock market prediction system, which can process Chinese news articles in order to produce a prediction model. With this system, we can speed up the model training process and take into account more training source, e.g., posts from China’s microblog service, Sina Weibo. Also, with the emergence of cloud computing, a scalable system can lease more resources from cloud to serve the growing work. Our solution about building this system is using mature open source project, such as Hadoop for parallel computing, Mahout for scalable machine learning, and Jieba for Chinese text segmentation. We provide a basic algorithm for stock trend prediction, build the software stack, collect the news in Taiwan during March 2009 to May 2014 and also run some experiments to evaluate scalability of this system. The result shows that in this application, Jieba Chinese text Segmentation tool can scale well with multiprocessing, namely, 80 percent faster with four parallel processes compared to sequential mode. However, Mahout does not show significant speedup in
An alternative approach for topology optimization of Navier-Stokes flow problems is presented by using P1 nonconforming finite elements. Due to the discrete divergence-free property of the P1 nonconforming element, the continuity equation of flow can be imposed by using the penalty method into the momentum equation. So, instead of using the mixed formulation, the velocity-only formulation can be built and thus numerical expense for optimization can be efficiently reduced. Moreover, while nodes of other quadrilateral nonconforming elements are mostly located at the midpoints of element edges, the present P1 nonconforming elements have vertex-wisely defined degrees of freedom, so its implentation is as simple as the standard bilinear conforming elements. The effectiveness of the proposed formulation is verified by showing examples with various Reynolds numbers.
In order to explain physiological the reaction and adaptation of Sabina vulgaris community to sandy environment at different succession stages,we study the change of leaf water content and the chlorophyll contents of Sabina vulgaris in Tu Ke of Mu Us Sandland.The result show that leaf water content of Sabina vulgaris has the declining trend with the process of the succession.The leaf water content is decreased at the former period of the succession the decreasing becomes slow from the third succession stage to the fourth succession stage.With the process of the succession,contents of CHLa,CHLb and CHLa+b increase first and then decrease,and reach the minimum level at the third succession stage.The change of contents of CHLa/b is not significant in each stage of the process.At the fourth succession stage,the soil becomes relatively tightly solid due to the crust formed on the ancient stable sandland and it is disadvantage to water penetrating.This results in the soil desertification and the damage of the chlorophyll in the process of increasing of drought stress.
The invention discloses a modified hot setting resin and a preparation method thereof. In parts by weight, the modified hot setting resin is obtained by evenly mixing 100 parts of hot setting resin, 0-100 parts of curing agent, 0-1 part of curing catalyzer, and 1-100 parts of hyperbranched silicon resin containing active functional groups at the temperature of 30-200 DEG C. The modified hot setting resin has high storage stability, processability and reactiveness and sufficiently integrates the performance advantages of hyperbranched polymer and polysiloxane, and thereby the obtained modified hot setting resin has high tenacity, more prominent thermostability and excellent dielectrical property as well as damp heat resistance. The preparation method of the modified hot setting resin has wide applicability, simple operating process and easy molding.
Pediatric airway diseases are commonly encountered not only in emergency departments but also in outpatient clinics. Acute respiratory emergencies present either as upper or lower airway obstruction disease. Croup, epiglottitis, retropharyngeal abscess, deep neck infections, and bacterial tracheitis are the common causes of pediatric respiratory emergencies. This article reviews the differential diagnosis and management profiles of common and uncommon conditions in infants and children presenting with upper airway emergencies. Recurrent upper airway obstructions due to obstructive sleep apnea, which may cause recurrent pulmonary edema are also discussed. (J Pediatr Resp Dis 2012;8:25- 31)
The application of mathematics to real-world problems is moving more and more in the focus of attention of mathematics education; however, many learners experience huge difficulties in relating “pure” mathematics to everyday contents. In order to solve “modeling problems”, it is first necessary to find a transition from a real-world description to a mathematical model; second, intra-mathematical calculations have to be performed; and third, the result has to be interpreted with respect to the described real situation. In the present work, the effectivity of learning with worked examples and with fading procedures was tested experimentally. A design with 4 groups was implemented: “forward fading”, “backward fading”, “example-problem pairs”, and “problem-example pairs”. The results show that translation competencies were fostered best by way of example-problem pairs, whereas intramathematical skills were fostered most effectively by a backward fading procedure. Subjective assessments were especially positive when fading procedures or example-problem pairs were implemented.
Knowledge has been identified as an important resource that contributes to the competitive advantage of an organisation. The problems associated with irresponsible use of power manifest itself in the loss of organisational knowledge and the expensive duplication of knowledge acquisition, rising costs and reduced performance. Although interpersonal skills are most often cited as essential for successful knowledge acquisition, little is known about the affect of the forces of power in the process of knowledge acquisition. A survey of 130 members of selfmanaging teams who are engaged in knowledge acquisition activities was carried out to investigate the relationship between the dimensions of power associated with French and Ravens’ power-based taxonomy, a number of knowledge acquisition attributes, and performance. The findings suggest that most of the bases of power enable followers’ knowledge acquisition, but the bases of power and indeed knowledge acquisition are not pre-existing conditions for achieving desirable performance.
Nepalese economy, largely a subsistence as well as high-cost economy with no direct access to sea for expanding international trade and limited transit facilities, rising interest rate on lending, high tax burden, and costly doing business, is passing through a downswing phase circumscribed by poverty and stagnation. The economy is strangulated by sluggish economic growth rate, poor governance and rampant corruption, where a majority of the people lives in abject poverty struggling for their survival. The international comparison illustrates that Nepal's economy is conspicuously trailing behind other member countries in the SAARC region. Prolonged transition engulfed by growing risks and uncertainties with increasing inefficiency, corruption and political entrenchment jeopardized the entire prospects for economic development. In addition, the respective governments in the past and to-day are terribly engaged in managing the crisis with little emphasis and priority to resolving crucial economic issues. Investment is not a constraint to growth in Nepal, but lack of visionary and determined leadership with strong political commitment to fulfill aspirations of the common people is detrimental to economic progress and prosperity in Nepal. The vision or mission of Nepalese economy should be to build a strong economic nation-state through active participation of the people ensuring a high quality of life to each individual and household within given timeframe. The primary objectives of Nepalese economy should be to increase the magnitude of GNI from a diminutive US$ 13 billion (2009) to US$ 100 billion and transform the economy from extremely low GNI per capita (US$ 440) to a higher GNI per capita (US$ 3,000) at par with middle income countries by achieving a high, sustainable, broad-based, and inclusive economic growth and eliminating absolute poverty by 2025 and, ultimately, make Nepal the “Switzerland” of Asia. Despite numerous structural constraints, there are ample opportunities that Nepal could tremendously gear up the economy by stimulating its major foundations comprising hydropower, tourism, biodiversity and remittances through foreign employment in cooperation with the private sector. Economic Journal of Nepal Vol. 34, No. 2, Issue no. 134, 2011
Let κ be a positive real number and m ∈ N ∪ {∞} be given. Let pκ,m(n) denote the number of partitions of n into the parts from the Piatestki-Shapiro sequence (⌊l⌋)l∈N with at most m times (repetition allowed). In this paper we establish asymptotic formulas of Hardy-Ramanujan type for pκ,m(n), by employing a framework of asymptotics of partitions established by Roth-Szekeres in 1953, as well as some results on equidistribution.
Reward programs are incentives designed to create loyalty among customers and to provide the best rewards to the “best” customers. These programs have proliferated in the hospitality industry for nearly three decades, with little direct evidence that they actually build either attitudinal or behavioral loyalty. While program implementation seems to have expanded exponentially, the actual components and structure of any given program appears to be driven more by what the competition is offering rather than demonstrated effectiveness. This report (1) identifies program components that have been shown to be effective, and (2) offers a series of guiding principles that hospitality and marketing managers should find useful in designing and modifying their reward programs. Although there is no universal recipe for reward program success, the ten guiding principles adduced in this report could assist managers in leading the conversation on how to make their programs more effective. Key points include finding genuine ways to rewards guests, differentiating the loyalty program from those of competitors, and continually reevaluating tier requirements to ensure continued guest participation.
Educating K-12 students in the processes of design engineering is gaining popularity in public schools. Several states have adopted standards for engineering design despite the fact that no common agreement exists on what should be included in the K-12 engineering design process. Furthermore, little pre-service and in-service professional development exists that will prepare teachers to teach a design process that is fundamentally different from the science teaching process found in typical public schools. This study provides a glimpse into what teachers think happens in engineering design compared to articulated best practices in engineering design. Wenger’s communities of practice work and van Dijk’s multidisciplinary theory of mental models provide the theoretical bases for comparing the mental models of two groups of elementary teachers (one group that teaches engineering and one that does not) to the mental models of design engineers (including this engineer/researcher/educator and professionals described elsewhere). The elementary school teachers and this engineer/researcher/educator observed the design engineering process enacted by professionals, then answered questions designed to elicit their mental models of the process they saw in terms of how they would teach it to elementary students. The key finding is this: Both groups of teachers embedded the cognitive steps of the design process into the matrix of the social and emotional roles and skills of students. Conversely, the engineers embedded the social and emotional aspects of the design process into the matrix of the cognitive steps of the design process. In other words, teachers’ mental models show that they perceive that students’ social and emotional !"##$#%&'()*+&,-,.,/01!2&0,13',!45&.,/01-&.67,-4&68&,/9:/,,!:/9& & & $$$& communicative roles and skills in the classroom drive their cognitive understandings of the engineering process, while the mental models of this engineer/researcher/educator and the engineers in the video show that we perceive that cognitive understandings of the engineering process drive the social and emotional roles and skills used in that process. This comparison of mental models with the process that professional designers use defines a problem space for future studies that investigate how to incorporate engineering practices into elementary classrooms. Recommendations for engineering curriculum development and teacher professional development based on this study are presented. !"##$#%&'()*+&,-,.,/01!2&0,13',!45&.,/01-&.67,-4&68&,/9:/,,!:/9& & & $H& DEDICATION & To my husband, Tim McMahon. I met you on my first day as a co-op engineer. You are the engineer mentor I write about in Chapter 2. We married the next year while I was still an undergraduate engineering student. Together we have designed and built what is most important in life – a loving marriage and a happy family. Thirty years later, we are both thrilled that I’ve finished college at last. To our sons, Bryan and Scott. You have been the motivational wind beneath my wings as I migrated from a career in aerospace engineering to one in science and engineering education. Rediscovering the natural and human-made world through your eyes continues to be a joy. Thank you for inspiring and indulging decades of family vacations planned around astronomical events and engineered marvels. !"##$#%&'()*+&,-,.,/01!2&0,13',!45&.,/01-&.67,-4&68&,/9:/,,!:/9& & & H& ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS & My philosophy and identity as a science and engineering educator have been shaped by my university teaching partners of 16 years: Mr. Jack Wiegers and Dr. Patrick Gibbons. I am ever grateful for the thousands of hours we have spent together planning courses and presentations, teaching in-service K-12 teachers, and reflecting on our practice. Thank you to the teachers who participated in this study and to the many K-12 teachers throughout the country whom I have had the privilege of teaching and from whom I have had the privilege of learning. I have been fortunate to learn from experts in several communities of practice. My researcher’s point of view is synthesized from these experiences and perspectives. Thank you to my friends, colleagues and mentors from the following communities of practice: School of Engineering & Applied Science, Washington University in St. Louis K-12 Schools and School Districts throughout Missouri College of Education, University of Missouri – St. Louis Center for Inquiry in Science Teaching and Learning (CISTL), Ph.D. Cadre I Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, Tufts University Science Outreach, Washington University in St. Louis National Science Resources Center’s National Faculty for Leadership Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) Visual Communications Research Studio, Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis Psychodynamic Research Training Program, Anna Freud Child Study Center, Yale University Social System Design Lab, Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis Zoo Saint Louis Science Center Missouri Botanical Garden WestEd d.school, Hasso Plattner School of Design, Stanford University McDonnell Douglas Corporation (now The Boeing Company) McCare and University City Children’s Center Saint Louis Psychoanalytic Institute
Abstract : Glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GD-OES) is an analytical technique widely used for elemental and depth profiling analysis of materials 1. The technique is based on the analysis of the optical emission of atoms sputtered from the cathode and excited in the plasma. Radio frequency excitation of the glow discharge (RF-GD-OES) is developed for quantitative analysis of non-conductive samples. Capacitively coupled radio frequency discharges have been extensively studied both experimentally and theoretically over the past decade in the context of plasma processing for the microelectronics industry and thus these discharges are fairly well understood 2-3. The operating conditions used in RF-GDOES are, however, different than those standardly used in plasma processing, leading to a discharge behavior quite unusual and it is our aim to understand this behavior.
Abstract : The helminthosporium and fusarium root rot in the spring grain crops is observed every year but both the degree of the damage and the type of its manifestation vary according to the weather conditions. A study of the agricultural climatic conditions of the development and occurrence of the disease showed that the chief factor determining the intensity of the infection and manifestation of the disease is the moisture conditions in the soil in the period of the vegetation of the wheat plant.
No matter how perfect the system is,there did exist some defects.Thus we ought to design Disaster Tolerance mechanism for our information system in production time.In this article we make use of Hadoop’s advanced conception which is a prevailing Cloud computing platform,and then we propose a virtual Disaster Tolerance system which can be applied to diverse information system,the via-bility of which is enhanced extremely.
Security isalways apriority intheimplementation of information technology solutions. Thenecessity ofITas wellasthecomplexity ofIT basedsolutions has increased. Thetechnology oftheInternet anddistributed processing enableinformation processing in a geographically broadarea.TheITawareness andthe technological sophistication ofusersproduce a large numberofeducated hackers andcybercriminals. Companies worryaboutthisthreat andarewilling (forced) toinvest inimproving thesafety characteristics of their ITsystems. Sophisticated security equipment andexcellent aviation security requirements arenotsufficient toassure efficient aviation security services. Thehumanbeing continues to bethemostimportant factor inthesecurity process.
The invention relates to the use of carnosic acid in preparation of a composition for the treatment or prevention of type I diabetes; the composition is a medicine, a health product or a functional food; the carnosic acid is carnosic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate or an anhydrate thereof which is commercially available or prepared according to known methods; excipients or carriers are excipients or carriers commonly used in the pharmaceutical or food field such as diluents, disintegrants and lubricants.
Abstract : The CAMP project, primarily funded by the STARS Joint Program Office, sponsored by the Air Force Armament Laboratory, and performed by McDonnell Douglas, has taken a pragmatic approach to demonstrating the feasibility and utility of the concept of software reuse for real-time embedded missile systems. CAMP products include: 452 operational flight software parts in Ada for tactical missiles, and a prototype parts engineering system to support parts identification, cataloging and construction. In order to demonstrate the value of the reuse concept, a missile subsystem was built using the CAMP parts. Results indicate a significant increase in software productivity when developing systems using parts, Ada, modern software engineering practice, robust software tools, and knowledgeable software engineers. This report is documented in three volumes: Volume I- CAMP Parts and Parts Composition System, Volume II- 11th Missile Demonstration, and Volume III- CAMP Armonics Benchmarks.
Described are methods and systems to apply a plurality of test voltages to the test strip and measure a current transient output resulting from an electrochemical reaction in a test chamber of the test strip so that highly accurate glucose concentration can be determined. In one aspect, a method of determining blood glucose concentration with a glucose measurement system that includes a test strip and test meter is provided. The test meter has a microcontroller configured to apply a plurality of test voltages to the test strip and measure a current transient output resulting from an electrochemical reaction in a test chamber of the test strip.
This paper focuses on the geometry, kinematics and relationships between the tectonic structures of the Mt. Vesole-Mt. Chianello ridge located in Cilento (Southern Italy). The area corresponds to an internal sector of the southern Apennines Neogene thrust-and-fold belt that developed as a result of the deformation of the neo-Tethyan ocean (Liguride units Auct.) and of the African continental margin ("Apenninic carbonate platform"). The Liguride units are unconformably overlaid with a Langhian to Tortonian turbiditic succession (Cilento Group). This study was carried out by means of a detailed stratigraphic analysis of the Meso-Cenozoic carbonate succession, geological mapping, on scale 1:10.000, the reconstruction of five geologic sections using the dip domain method, and a structural analysis. Fault-bend folding and fault-propagation folding models were applied in order to reveal the deep geometry of the mapped folds. Four groups of structures based on structural geometry, overprint relationships and stratigraphic events, were recognized. The oldest structures (Phi 1) correspond to the foreland-verging overthrusting of the Liguride units above the Meso-Cenozoic succession of the Apenninic carbonate platform. This overthrusting corresponds to the beginning of the continental collision that occurred during the Langhian. Successively NNE- and NE-verging folds and thrusts (Phi 2) that affect the Meso-Cenozoic carbonates were generated. The occurrence of (i) carbonate blocks within the lower part of the Cilento Group succession, and of (ii) an angular unconformity affecting the Meso-Cenozoic succession covered by upper Serravallian-lower Tortonian quarzolithic sandstones, suggests that NE-verging structures were active between the Langhian and the Serravallian. Later on SW-verging folds and thrusts (Phi 3) gave rise to a general tilting towards the NE of the previously formed structures. The hinterland-verging structures affecting the Cilento Group formed during the Tortonian. Plio-Quaternary high-angle faults characterized by both normal and strike-slip kinematics offset the whole thrust-and-fold belt, hence contributing to the definition of the present-day geostructural setting of this sector of the southern Apennines.
A 73-year-old woman was admitted with sudden-onset back and abdominal pain. Computed tomography scanning revealed type B acute aortic dissection with narrowing of the true lumen. We inserted an oximetric catheter into the right hepatic vein and started continuous measurement of ShvO2. The initial value was 20%. Consecutive aortograms showed an intimal tear in the thoracic descending aorta. Endovascular stent graft placement was performed to close the entry, and ShvO2 rose to more than 60% immediately after the stent graft expansion. ShvO2 is an excellent indicator of abdominal blood flow, not only for early diagnosis but also for the evaluation of treatment.
The results from determining K,Mg,Ca,Fe,Na,Zn,Mn,Cr and Pb content of different millet varieties in China showed that there is rich in Ca,Mg,Fe,Na,Zn,Mn and K,and little Cr and Pb in millet,there is a certain difference between different varieties planted different areas in nutrition elements.The relative standard deviation of analysis results is 0.5% to 4.89%.ICP-OES with the advantage of rapidity,reliability,high sensitivity and determining many elements simultaneously can be used in conventional analysis.
While there is a relatively large empirical literature on the link between monetary policy and yield curve for developed economies, studies on emerging and developing economies are very rare. This paper contributes to reducing this gap by studying the effectiveness of monetary policy in Mozambique. Using monthly data it examines the pass-through of changes in the policy rate to the yield curve of treasury bills in the period 2006 - 2015. The main finding is that there is a pass-through from policy rate to treasury bill. However, the transmission from short to long term maturities in the yield curve is weak and slow.
Techniques of filtration with high flux dialysis membranes are capable of easily removing beta-2-microglobulin (beta-2-M) (MW: 11,800) from renal failure patients. However, hemodialysis is preferred as a method of removing beta-2-M in terms of cost and operation. The present study elucidates the permeability characteristics for beta-2-M of newly developed cellulosic and synthetic polymer membranes for hemodialysis to determine the diffusive clearance for beta-2-M. The authors did dialysis experiments with 3H-labeled water and 125I-labeled beta-2-M to obtain the solute permeability of cellulosic and synthetic polymer membranes. Radioactivity of a single hollow fiber after dialysis experiments for predetermined periods was measured in a gamma counter. Through analysis of radioactivity data, they obtained solute permeability data, from which diffusive clearance for beta-2-M was calculated. With wet cellulose triacetate membranes, values for inside diameter, wall thickness, and water content were 205 +/- 10 microns (N = 100), 12.4 +/- 1.5 microns (N = 200), and 78 vol%, respectively. The cellulose triacetate membranes had a solute permeability for beta-2-M of (4.12 +/- 1.83) x 10(-5) cm/sec (N = 25) and a pure water permeability of 60 ml/m2/hr/mmHg. Diffusive clearance for beta-2-M was calculated to be 39 ml/min at a plasma flow rate of 160 ml/min and a dialysate flow rate of 500 ml/min. The diffuse clearance of capillary dialyzers composed of regenerated cellulose and synthetic polymer membranes ranged from 23 to 19 ml/min.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Citral, cinnamaldehyde, and forecyclamen aldehyde interact with the surface of rhodium, platinum, and palladium blacks through the double bond of the aldehyde. In the hydrogenation of these compounds, the direction of hydrogen addition is determined by the degree of conjugation of the -C=C-C=O bonds of the aldehyde. Therefore, when the structure of the surface complex is changed from ..pi..-olefin to ..pi..-diene, the probability of hydrogen transfer to the carbonyl group is increased, and the process is less selective.
The process and philosophy used in the rehabilitation of two blind amputees are discussed. It is recognized that the number of persons with marked or total loss of vision who will require rehabilitation is going to increase in the future. These blind patients offer a challenge to the rehabilitation team, but they can be successfully returned to a preoperative level of independence and must be given every opportunity to do so.
These are the proceedings of a seminar on the ecological aspects of urbanization held in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia November 21-23 1983. The authors use a variety of approaches from different disciplines to examine various aspects of urbanization in Kuala Lumpur and their impact on the environment. The primary objective of the seminar was to draw up an agenda for research into such problems. (ANNOTATION)
To study the spread of viral hepatitis B in hemodialysis departments, 92 patients and 52 members of the personnel were examined at such department. The presence of the complex of viral hepatitis B markers was determined with the use of such highly sensitive techniques as the radioimmunoassay and the enzyme immunoassay. All markers of hepatitis B virus infection were detected altogether in 50% of the patients and 79.1% of the personnel of the department. Clinico-laboratory studies revealed a considerable proportion of persons with chronic forms of the disease among these subjects. In patients with chronic renal insufficiency the latent course of the disease was mainly established, which probably ensured the continuity of the epidemic process at the department. Taking into account the present epidemiological situation, the main measures for the prophylaxis of viral hepatitis B at hemodialysis departments were recommended. The conclusions made on the basis of these studies emphasize that a wide complex of anti-epidemic measures for controlling viral hepatitis B was necessary at hemodialysis departments.
Interactions between treatments with coumaphos, bishydroxycoumarin (an anticoagulane), trichlorfon (an organophosphorous compound), and phenobarbital sodium (an inducer of microsomal enzymes) were investigated in sheep. A daily dose of 2 mg of coumaphos/kg of body weight for 6 days did not affect the plasma enzymes or the antiprothrombinemic effect of bishydroxy-coumarin in wethers. The treatment of ewes with an intravenous (IV) injection of trichlorfon, insufficient to produce significant inhibition of erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, appeared to produce additive effects with those produced by subsequent treatment with 4 mg of coumaphos/kg/day. In ewes given 40 mg of phenobarbital sodium/kg for 5 days intraperitoneally (IP), the anticholinesterase effect of 4 mg of coumaphos/kg was significantly reduced and signs of toxicity were not present. Treatment with daily doses of 2 mg of coumaphos/kg for 6 days did not modify the anticholinesterase effect of a 2nd series of treatments given 6 weeks later.
Abstract The objective of this study was to determine nutrients and ruminal digestibility of silages from baby corn by-products. The experiment was assigned in Completely Randomized Design with 5 treatments and 4 replications. The treatments were silages under different harvesting method including baby corn stalks cut at 10, 40 and 70 cm height above ground, baby corn husk with and without silk. After 30 d ensiling, the silage samples were collected and analyzed for nutrients while ruminal digestibility was determined using Batch culture for 24 h incubation. Ruminal gas production was estimated in glass syringe for 24 h. The results showed that  increasing in cutting height from 10 to 70 cm improved nutrients of silage by decreasing (P 0.05) NDF (72.38 and 71.93%DM), dry matter digestibility (44.79 and 45.25%DM), organic matter digestibility (42.26 and 43.36%). The methane gas production was the highest in the husk without silk silage whereas silages from different cutting stalks and silage from husk with silk produced a similar amount of the methane gas (7.25-8.0 ml/200mg; P>0.05). In conclusion, increase the stalk cutting height to 70 cm improved the silage quality by increasing nutrients and ruminal digestibility. Silage from baby corn husk with silk had higher nutrients and ruminal digestibility than baby corn stalk silages. Lowering dry matter loss of silage from baby corn husk with silk by reducing moisture prior to ensiling requires further investigation. Keywords : Baby corn stalk; Baby corn husk; Cutting height; Silage; Nutrient; Ruminal digestibility; Batch culture.
OBJECTIVES The aim of this scoping review was to assess the oral health status of the children of refugees and immigrants ("newcomers"); the barriers to appropriate oral health care and use of dental services; and clinical and behavioural interventions for this population in North America.   METHODS Explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria were used in searching electronic databases to identify North American studies between 2007 and 2014 that reported oral health status, behaviours and environment of children of newcomers. Additional studies from 1995-2008 were found in a recently published review. Pertinent data from all selected studies were summarized.   RESULTS Overall, 32 relevant North American studies were identified. In general, children of newcomers exhibit poorer oral health compared with their non-newcomer counterparts. This population faces language, cultural and financial barriers that, consequently, limit their access to and use of dental services. Intervention programs, such as educational courses and counseling, targeting newcomer parents or their children are helpful in improving the oral health status of this population.   CONCLUSIONS Children of newcomers are suffering from poor oral health and face several barriers to use of dental care services. The disparity in dental caries between children of newcomers and their counterparts can be reduced by improving their parents' literacy in the official language(s) and educating parents regarding good oral health practices. An appropriate oral health policy remains crucial for marginalized populations in general and newcomer children in particular.
In this paper, an adaptive noise filter implemented in Wavelet Transform (WT) domain is proposed. This filter smoothes noise while preserving edges as much as possible by taking advantage of different characteristics of signal and noise in WT domain. (1) The shape of signal histograms in WT domain approaches a Gaussian distribution, the mean is zero and the variance increases as scale increases. (2) The white noise in spatial domain remains white in WT domain with variance decreasing proportionally to the scale. (3) Uncorrelated signal and noise in spatial domain remain uncorrelated in WT domain. (4) The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increases as scale increases in WT domain. Based on these analyses, we derive a simple form of the 2D Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) estimate algorithm in WT domain that is applicable for nonstationary image models. All the nonstationary image statistical parameters needed for the filter can be estimated from the noisy image and no a priori information about the original image is required. A comparison demonstrates that the method in WT domain provides better improvement of SNR and better subjective impression than the same method in spatial domain.
The complex thermo-mechanical process developing in injection molding leads to through-thick ness and point to point variation of fiber orientation. It is not economically viable to characterize experimentally the variation of fiber orientation. Thus, efforts have been put into modeling the fiber orientation in injection molding. Some commercially available programs already allow the prediction of fiber orientation distribution in moldings. If the fiber orientation field is known it is possible to calculate the major elastic properties, which can be input into finite-element structural analysis codes to predict product performance. That approach was followed in this work to compare the experimental flexure behavior of glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate injection molded discs with predictions obtained from FEM simulations. The data used in the FEM code was calculated from the fiber orientation data predicted using the software C-Mold.
The paper is aimed to propose a pilot plant of subsurface sewage infiltration system (SWIS) filled with a bio-substrate for treating domestic sewage with pilot-scale experiments performed to study the effects of hydraulic and organic loadings on the removing rate of organic matter and ammonia. The experimental results show that SWIS had quite efficient removing effects of COD, NH_4~+-N and TP. The exact average removing rates can be illustrated as follows: COD, NH4+-N and TP were 91.2%, 97.2%, 88.0% and 90.6%, 95.6 % , 90.4 % , respectively, at the hydraulic loading 4 cm·d~-1, organic loading ranging from 280 mg·L~-1 to 320 mg·L~-1. However, only 83.2% and 85.5% were found for COD and NH/ -N when the organic loading was raised to 450 mg·L-1. At the same time, the removing rate of TP turned to be varied slightly at 280 mg·L~-1 to 450 mg·L~-1.As to the average removing rates of COD, NH_4~+-N and TP, they were respectively found to be 90.6%, 97.4%, 90.0%; 87.3%, 96.8%, 84.0% and 85.6%, 96.3%, 83.3%, when the organic loading was 300 mg·L~-1 and the hydraulic loading varied from 4.0 cm·d~-1 to 8.1 cm·d~-1.The results of our experiments indicate that the optimal operation conditions for SWIS can be shown as follows: hydraulic loading: 8.1 cm·d~-1 and that of organic loading: below 450 mg·L~-1. Under the above conditions, the average effluent concentrations can be made to meet the standard of living sewage treatment (CJ 251—89) and the standards of the recycled sewage in Shenyang. It has also proved that the removing effects of this system prove to be stable and less affected from the outside environment. In SWIS with the bio-substrate, ammonified bacteria were found at a high level of activity in different depths with nitrifying bacteria at a high level of activity at 0-70 cm depth and denitrified bacteria in depth of 70-120 cm. A correlation analysis has been done with SPSS software, revealing that the amount of ammonified bacteria was in significant corelation with the removing rates of COD, NH/-N and TN whereas the amount of nitrified and denitrified bacteria were in close relation with the removing rates of NH4+-N and TN. Nevertheless, the removing rate of TP has found no obvious correlation with that of ammonified, nitrified or denitrified bacteria, which suggested that TP removing process is irrelevant to the microbial activities.
The invention provides a file storage method and device and electronic equipment. The file storage method is applied to the electronic equipment. The electronic equipment is provided with a plurality of storage mediums. The file storage method comprises the steps that a file storage request is received and a file to be stored is obtained; a storage medium corresponding to the file to be stored is selected according to the information of the file to be stored; the file to be stored is stored into the storage medium, and the storage performance of the storage medium is better than that of the other storage mediums when the storage medium is used for storing the file to be stored. Therefore, files can be stored in the corresponding storage mediums and the storage performance is optimized.
Earlier approach to road traffic safety system proceeded from the assumption that the driver must adapt to the traffic system. Modern approach to road traffic safety system recognizes that traffic system must be adapted to a traffic participant: drivers, pedestrians, particularly vulnerable participants: children, elderly, persons with reduced mobility. The starting point is the acceptance of human error and vulnerability of the human body, and in accordance with that, understanding that traffic accidents cannot be completely avoided, but the death and severely injuring of traffic participants may be reduced. For this purpose, the control function of road traffic safety system promotes interventions, by whose implementation results are achieved. Road traffic safety system management, in addition to national, must take place at the local level. Although the local system of road traffic safety can be, in functional terms, set analogous to national system, its frames are much narrower and thus put much more specific and evolving demands on local road safety management for adjusting the local management system to local conditions. In this context, local traffic safety goals should focus on areas where the effect of local intervention improves traffic safety. This paper has developed the concept of traffic safety management process at the local level, encouraged by the Global Plan of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020, which is modeled by conversion National Pillars Activities in Local Focus Areas and Measures and based on the analysis of general statistics on traffic accidents and in-depth analysis of traffic accidents with killed and seriously injured persons on local roads. With a focus on results to improve traffic safety in local communities of Montenegro, three areas are identified and twenty measures in them, whose implementation would obtain the greatest possible impact in adapting local road traffic safety system to road users, which is a precondition for improving traffic safety in the local community.
BACKGROUND Colon transverse volvulus is an uncommon pathology which is associate with alterations of the colonic motility, mental disorders and congenital anomalies of the fixation of the colon sistem. Up to 1994, 72 cases has been reported in world-wide literature.   AIM To report a case of colon transverse volvulus and the treatment.   CASE REPORT A female 46 years old who show intense abdominal pain 2 days of evolution. The physical exploration show important abdominal distension and pain in left inferior quadrant. The Rx of abdomen with gas absence in rectal descendent colon and ampula with level and important distension of proximal colon. Colonoscopic study with impossibility to advance endoscopy throw colon transverse by zone of stenosis, wasn't made a contrast study, underwent laparotomy of urgency, it was done right hemicolectomy and ileocoloanastomosis with good evolution and given of discharge fourth postsurgical day.   CONCLUSIONS This possibility is due to have in mind diagnoses, the treatment is surgical secondary to a high index of recidivate, nevertheless recommends the colonoscopy study accomplishment in order to discard obstructive injuries mainly cancer.
Critics of health care reform proposals that incorporate managed competition contend that it has never been broadly implemented. However, insurance plans that combine insurance with the provision of care have been widely implemented and have been tested most extensively in California. This DataWatch explores California's experience with health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organizations (PPOs), the introduction of which was followed by overall reductions in hospital costs. These reductions were larger in competitive markets. If implemented on a national scale, such selective contracting could be expected to reduce the growth of hospital costs even more rapidly than occurred in California.
PURPOSE To detect the condyle-disc relationship with bilateral temporomandibular joint(TMJ) in edentulous patients.   METHODS The study was based on the clinical examination and bilateral MRIs of 11 edentulous patients, the clinical and MRI findings of bilateral TMJ were recorded and the disc position was observed in edentulous patients and the relationship was compared between clinical and MRI findings in those TMJs.   RESULTS It was noted that disc displacement was in 45% of the TMJs in edentulous patients. Four TMJ disc displacement in man was found, accounting for 28.6%,whereas disc displacement was found in 6 TMJs of women, accounting for 75%.   CONCLUSIONS There is no relationship between disc displacement and clinical manifestations. Disc displacement is more frequent in women than in men. There is potential relationship between missing teeth and internal derangement of TMJ in edentulous patients.
The characteristic morphologic of the hyperparasites of the natural enemies of the caterpillar Antichloris viridis of the banana tree one carries out in the country property Celia Maria during the months of April to August /09 in that was studied the biological events related with the natural control of their larval state and hiperparasitismo, for three serial generations, objectives: 1.Estudiar the fluctuation of the population of the parasitoids of larva’s and pustules of the Caterpillar in three serial generations; 2. to quantify the level of the hiperparasitismo of the natural enemies; 3. to collect the hyperparasites and to characterize them in their aspects morphology. In the plantation you monitor in situ the plague observing the emergency of adults starting from pustules collected in the sector B, with 12 hectares of banana tree. Of prompt plants he/she took the 8va leaf making two superficial courts to the two sides of the petiole, and then by means of a final cut in the center their fall takes place; it placed it to him in the floor with the back up and you proceeded to see the caterpilar population, registering larva’s for sizes and the natural control. These events were carried out in the third and quarter week of the development of larva’s. The variables measures were: Population larvary for leaf. Percentage of the natural control. Percentage of hiperparasitoides emergency. The studied generations corresponded those registered among the months of April - September /09. The classification of the hiperparasitoides one carries out using descriptions taxonomical of the superfamilia Chalcidoidea. The population laver of Antichloris viridis was moderate to low, and the natural control in correspondence with the plague was much dispersed. In this context agro ecological that characterized to the study area the natural control caused by Elachertus, Meteorus, Casinaria has more than enough larva’s and of Brachymeria in pustules was also very dispersed.
The invention discloses a method for cleaning a ship pipeline and relates to the field of a ship manufacturing technology; pipes required for being cleaned are connected into a pipeline from the head to the tail, wherein a pipeline vibrator is arranged outside the pipeline which is pre-purged by accessing compressed air, the pipe vibration is started, both ends of the pre-purged pipeline are connected with a ship pipeline cleaning device, a hydraulic pump begins to operate after a motor is started, and a heater in an oil tank is started to control fuel temperature; the pipeline begins to hydraulically clean, within initial 8 hours, the pulse function is started for 2 hours by spacing 2 hours and backwashed for 1 hour by spacing 1 hour in the cleaning process, after 8 hours, the hydraulic oil is detected, the hydraulic pump stops working after the detected oil pollution level reaches the standard; when nitrogen is accessed into a nitrogen input end, the residual hydraulic oil in the cleaning pipeline is blown out, and the pipeline cleaning process is finished. The method can solve the problem that a ship hydraulic pressure system is faulted because the ship pipeline isn't thoroughly cleaned in the existing technology.
The combustion process and emissions of diesel with 10% of diesel /methanol blend or 10% of port-injected methanol are studied. 4B26 turbo-charge DI engine without any change in its original structure is test at a constant speed of 2 200 r / min under the conditions of four different engine loads,which is equipped with an electrically-controlled port injection system. The result shows that the in-cylinder pressure of DI engine has no great difference in the use of diesel / methanol blend and port-injected methanol. Compared with diesel / methanol blend,the port-injected methanol gives a lower intake air temperature, contributing to a further lower exhaust temperature. The ignition delay period becomes longer at low load, and NOxand soot emissions are reduced significantly,meanwhile,HC and CO emissions are high. In both cases,compared with diesel,the maximum pressure hardly changes,the in-cylinder temperature decreases,and the ignition delay postpones at low load; NOxand soot emissions are reduced,and HC andCO emissions are increased.
Reinier de Graaf and his position in 17th-century physiological research On the occasion of the commemoration of Reinier de Graafs birth 350 years ago, which took place in Delft (November 1991) a survey was made of the present state of historical research concerning De Graafs contributions to 17th-century physiolog)'. By considering the relationship between the circulation the blood and chyle, and the study of generation; the neglected differences between the editions of De Graaf Tractatus; the one-sided vision of De Graaf as iatrochemist; the context of the contemporary debate on the role of chyle and lymph in the body; the relevance of his experiments with splenectomy; and, in particular, De Graafs position in the debate on intermittent fevers, initiated by Thomas Willis in 1659; and referring finally to the religious dimension in De Graafs life and works, we tried to emphasize much still has to be done to clarify the position of Reinier de Graaf in 17th-century physiology'.
Overview: The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) was established in 1995, following completion of a major environmental impact statement on operations of Glen Canyon Dam (DOI, 1995). The GCMRC supports the Glen Canyon Dam adaptive management program (AMP) by providing research and monitoring information on a variety of resources associated with the Colorado River ecosystem within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park. Resources of special concern include native fishes, cultural and recreational resources, as well as fine-grained sediment deposits located along channel margins of the river. Owing to the ecosystem’s supply-limited sediment- transport behavior (Rubin et al., 1998; Topping et al., 2000a), intensive monitoring of fine sediment below Glen Canyon Dam is an AMP requirement for environmental management of the Colorado River ecosystem. One objective of the GCMRC’s monitoring program is measurement of the ecosystem’s monthly sand mass balance between influx from tributaries and efflux downstream in the main channel. Daily or near-daily measurement of suspended-sand concentration and grain-size using standard suspendedsediment sampling methods is currently required to estimate monthly sand flux between the dam and upper Lake Mead. The current program is logistically complicated, costly and provides limited spatial and temporal resolution. In-situ, laser-based sensors are being investigated as one alternative method for measuring sand export to Lake Mead.
Within South Africa's HIV epidemic, foreign migrant adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) face unique challenges in an environment typified by xenophobia and structural inequity. The intersection of age, gender, and migrant-related factors creates threats that may exacerbate their HIV risk, including discrimination, limited social capital, and economic dependency. This paper explores HIV-related determinants of risk from the perspective of foreign migrant AGYW who participated in a Girls' Club project implemented by Community Media Trust. Within clubs, foreign migrant AGYW met weekly with a female mentor to discuss HIV, safety planning, financial literacy, and other topics. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with club members and parents to learn about pressing challenges in a context characterized by early sexual debut, high rates of teenage pregnancy, and relationships typified by material exchange. FGDs addressed HIV risk factors such as social isolation and limited access to services, exacerbated by migrant-related stigma and discrimination and lack of identity documents. The foreign migrant AGYW appreciated the role of the Girls' Clubs and mentors in helping them overcome barriers to school and health services as well as building their social and other assets. FGD results indicate that HIV prevention in South Africa should prioritize action to address the specific determinants of foreign migrant AGYW's HIV risk, as well as inclusive policies that recognize migrants' heterogeneity based on gender and age.
In this paper,the investigation on the interaction and coagulation between standard FA and aluminum sulfate was well done. Through the determination of the complex stability constants the characterization of the main functional groups and the analysis of aluminum ion content in FA- aluminum sulfate coaggregant, the complexation was defined as the main interaction between FA and aluminum, as well the complex functional group hydroxyl and hydroxyl aluminum ion ratio (1:1)were determined.
Silica particles with different morphologies were prepared using cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp.PCC 6803 as a biotemplate via a sol-gel route.The Synechocystis sp.PCC 6803 and as-prepared silica were characterized.The reaction conditions of selective synthesis of monodisperse silica and hollow silica microspheres were established.The formation mechanism of different morphologies was discussed.The results indicated that the silica microspheres had an amorphous structure with an average diameter of 1.5 m,and retained the original morphology of the cells.SiO2 nanoparticles could be uniformly coated on the surface of cells to form the hollow SiO2 microspheres,which had uniform wall thickness and could maintain the original morphology of cells.It was confirmed that the formation mechanisms of SiO2 hollow spheres and SiO2 microparticles were based on the difference between adsorption and penetration.
High resolution real time heat release analysis will become increasingly important in the future development of engine control systems. The increased demands on efficiency and emissions will put high demands on future engine control. Future engine concepts, for example the HCCI engine concept might crave cylinder pressure based Closed-Loop Combustion Control (CLCC). The analysis of cylinder pressure is a relatively computationally expensive task that is difficult to implement in existing engine controllers due to the real time demands. This paper describes an approach to obtain such a high speed heat release analysis. The described system could act as a platform for further feedback control experiments.
in the study of slavery in Africa. As Martin Klein observes, European historians use the term serf for eighteenth-century Russians who could be sold. In contrast, historians of slavery in Africa have generally translated as "slave" African terms applied to persons who could not be sold (p. 6). This terminological looseness, which helps to push slavery to the very beginning of human society in Africa and accounts for the inflated size of the slave populations in African regions, has eliminated by a stroke of the pen all servile categories, except slavery, from African history. A somewhat related matter is Martin Klein's claim that "even during the peak years of the Atlantic trade, most of those enslaved were kept within Africa" (p. 10). This unsubstantiated claim was challenged in my paper "Export Versus Domestic Demand: The Determinants of Sex Ratios in the Transatlantic Slave Trade" (Research in Economic History 14, 1992). There is no empirical or logical basis for it. On the contrary, archival evidence and economic logic clearly support the view that the size and character of internal slavery in Africa, during the era of the Atlantic and trans-Saharan slave trades, were subordinated to export demand. Yet another misleading claim is made in Klein's introduction: "In West Africa, the end of the Atlantic slave trade and the decline in the Saharan trade hardly affected the price of slaves" (p. 21). This is contrary to the evidence produced by recent research. For example, David Richardson's time series of slave prices on the Western African coast (Bulletin of Economic Research 43, 1991) shows that between 1801 and 1807, the average coastal price ranged between £26 and £41 (sterling). But, as Clarence-Smith says in this volume (p. 158), the price of "a good adult slave" on the Portuguese islands in the Gulf of Guinea in the mid-1860s was only about £12 (sterling). In a verbal discussion at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1973, the retired Oxford reader in economic history, Max Hartwell, said that historians are the only ones free to say anything. An Oxbridge professor of history who was part of the discussion did not respond to the insult, apparently because he believed cases abound that support Hartwell's point. Historians cannot afford to perpetuate this weakness in the use of terms, especially in the study of slavery. It is gratifying to observe that most of the chapters in this collection seem to overcome this historiographical malaise.
Background There are abnormalities in vitamin D metabolism in people with calcium nephrolithiasis, but limited data are available on vitamin D status in dogs with calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis. Objective To compare serum concentrations of vitamin D metabolites in dogs with and without hypercalciuric CaOx urolithiasis. Animals Thirty‐eight dogs with (n = 19) and without (n = 19) a history of CaOx urolithiasis and hypercalciuria. Methods Retrospective cross‐sectional study. Serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], and 24,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D [24,25(OH)2D] were measured. The ratios of 25(OH)D/24,25(OH)2D and 1,25(OH)2D/25(OH)D were compared between cases and controls. Results There were no significant differences between cases and controls when comparing 25(OH)D, 24,25(OH)2D, 1,25(OH)2D, or 1,25(OH)2D/25(OH)D. Cases had higher 25(OH)D/24,25(OH)2D (median = 1.40, range = 0.98‐1.58) compared to controls (median = 1.16, range = 0.92‐2.75; P = .01). There was overlap in the ranges for 25(OH)D/24,25(OH)2D between cases and controls, but 6 cases (32%) had ratios above the control dog range. There was a moderate positive correlation between the ratio of 25(OH)D/24,25(OH)2D and urinary calcium‐to‐creatinine ratios (r = 0.40, 95% confidence interval = 0.10‐0.64; P = .01). Conclusions and Clinical Importance These data suggest that decreased conversion of 25(OH)D to 24,25(OH)2D occurs in a subset of dogs with CaOx urolithiasis. Abnormalities in vitamin D metabolism might contribute to stone risk in dogs.
Based on several age creep experiments in different temperature,the suitable creep temperature was 150℃.And TEM results show that high stress can accelerate the transformation of precipitation,as well as increase the flowability of dislocations.Thus,during the early stage of creep at 150℃,the yield stress value was dramatically increased and achieved the maximum,then decreased with the increase of the creep time.
The effect of flame retardant composed of bisphenol-A bis(diphenyl) phosphate ester(BDP) and ammonium polyphosphate or nano-SiO2 on epoxy resin is investigated by limiting oxygen index(LOI),horizontal and vertical firing and cone calorimetry.The results indicate that BDP/SiO2 is more effective on the flame retardancy of epoxy resin than BDP/APP.The flame retardant mechanism is deduced by analyzing the thermal stability and the morphology of the residue of the flame retarded EP.
Adsorption is one of the many used in the industry both in separation as well as  for gas storage. In this, the selection process adsorption adsorben is important.  One of the kinds of adsorben which are very suitable is activated carbon. Tracking  studies before shows that activated carbon that is derived from the materials  biomass containing lignin, selullosa, and fixed carbon that is quite enough.  Coconut Fiber and powder wood is biomass lignoseloluc that have the potential  to become a media sinks will be activated carbon. This research aims to increase  the potential for powder wood fibers and coconut casing to a activated carbon  through activating use the amino acids (H2SO4) with 3 variations concentration  (2.0 M; 4.0 M; and 6.0 M) to the ability to absorb (adsorption) pigment in waste  songket cloth. Mix coconut coir fiber powder and wood that has been activated  done trial standards according SII No. 0258-79, which is on the level of water,  abu, characteristics large surface, and the application of waste songket cloth.  Results of the study showed that a mix coconut coir and powder wood a hacksaw  after activated H2SO4 produces the level of water in accordance with SII max 15  percent, namely the level of water highest produced by raw materials 15 grams  fiber 35 gr powder on H2SO4 activator concentration 2M, and low produced by  the 35 grams fiber 15 gr powder on H2SO4 activator concentration 6M. For the  ashes produced by also meet SII No. 0258-79, namely max 10 percent. For the  abu highest produced by 35 grams fiber 15 gr powder and the lowest on H2SO4  activator concentration 6M, produced in 15 grams fiber 35 gr powder on H2SO4  activator concentration 2M, large surface highest produced by the H2SO4  activator concentration6M with materials 15 fiber 35 gr powder that is equal to  53,153 m2/gr, and absorbansi pigment absorbed with both produced by percent  degradation of 99.6170 percent.  Keywords : Powder wood saw, Fiber Coconut Casing, H2SO4, Methylene Blue,  Songket Clothes.
In certain orthodontic treatments therapy includes the removal of permanent tooth or teeth. The number of objective studies on assessing extraction frequency is low and values in the international publications range between wide limits. This shows that often the extraction decision in the treatment planning does is not made upon the criteria of evidence-based dentistry. In our practice, a retrospective analysis of treatment plans prepared between the 1st of January 2004 and the 31st of December 2006 (416 cases) has been performed. The overall prevalence of treatments with extraction was 41.59% for all patients, the rate was 51.63% in patients with permanent dentition at the time of the planning. The highest proportion of extraction (49.71%) was found in Class II subdivision 2 cases, and the lowest percentage (30.17%) in Class I cases. The decision for extraction does not seem to be influenced by cephalometric analysis directly. The higher percentage of extraction found in permanent dentition period shows that when we cannot use interceptive treatment alternatives, we are forced to extract tooth more frequently. On the other hand, the lower value in early mixed dentition period can be explained by the relatively higher number of treatments with the aim to avoid extraction.
With much more emphases having been put on cases of environment and resources recently, the studies on transfer rule for nutrient and pollutant in agricultural area between soil and water are getting more and more important. As the readily losing nutritional element, P is the studying hot in the field of environmental science. Quite a few researches on P transfer have been focused on red soil, brown soil, black soil and so on, but the studies on purple soil in south- west China are infrequent. The research was carried out in purple soil agricultural ecology system institution in Yanting to study the rule of P transfer in purple soil agricultural area. The rainfall samples were obtained every 5 min in the first 15 min, and then the time interval adjusted to 30 min in Aug 2003 when the rain continued for about 150 min and the rainfall came to 50 mm. The loading phosphorus in runoff didn't decreased with time constantly. In this area, the highest load of P- pollutants occurred in paddy field. Among all kinds of P- pollutants, the content of dissolve phosphorus and ortho- phosphrous in runoff were much beyond warning concentration for eutrophication, with the concentration of ortho- phosphrous fluctuating around 0.06 mg· L- 1. When taking measures to resolve NPSP (none point source cultivate manner pollution) in the area, we should pay attention to the load of dissolve phosphorus and ortho- phosphrous.
We have studied 93 cases of trabeculectomy, most of them performed on primary chronic open angle glaucomas, with a follow up of 2 to 11 years. Reviewing of the results point out that intraocular pressure stabilization over a long time period is correlated to the existence of an effective subconjunctival filtering bleb. Recurrence of hypertension increases with time, but most of the cases are stabilized by medical treatment, or by laser trabeculoplasty, when it is possible. Cataract producing concerns 46% of the cases, happening within one to three years in most of them. It is greatly influenced by patients age. On the other hand, effective subconjunctival filtering bleb and transient post operative athalamy are not major factors.
The objective of the article was to outline the measures taken by South Sudan's refugees to combat COVID-19 Some of it are: training village health team community health workers in understanding COVID-19 and recruiting them to educate refugees and promote hand washing, training village health team workers to educate refugees on the importance of physical distancing including limiting the number of people who meet together at any one time, and testing refugees to identify asymptomatic people who already have the disease with a view to isolating these people to prevent further spread
The project organises 105 senior citizens housing into three volumes spread out, on top of a two-story plinth containing a Health Centre and a Senior Community Centre.  The dwelling’s perceivable boundaries are expanded by the program organization.  The mixed-use of the program enable to preserve the existing social network of the neighbourhood.  The project is located near Glories’ square. This plot is within the Eixample’s urban fabric. At the same time, is part of a city block trimmed by Diagonal’s Street trace.  One of the main challenges the project had to face was the mixed-use program with different real estate developments: 105 housing for Barcelona’s council, a Health Centre for regional government, a Senior Community Centre for the district and a vehicle impoundment parking for BSM. We opted for a unitary building in order to organise and to encourage different uses but also to accommodate the whole program: a group of three volumes of housing on top of one double-height plinth containing the facilities.  By overlapping two different urban strategies, the project is capable of giving response to the surroundings’ complexity. On one hand, the continuous base of the building recognises the grid of the Eixample, by leaning on its alignments. On the other, the housing volumes give continuity to the sequence of nearby isolated blocks in respond to Diagonal Street. The void between these blocks is necessary to filter the public space through them and to remain as a global unit. The result is an architectural ensemble that despite its domestic height is able to dialogue with the unique geometry of the high and sharped nearby buildings, joining into a greater scale urban piece of strong identity.  Depending on the block, each building has seven or eight dwellings by floor with a central corridor. This walkway enlarges at both ends where it receives daylight.  At the top floor of each building there are a communal laundry, a covered porch with clothes lines and a patio-solarium with foreseen urban-garden.  At the plinth’s roof level, each building has a multi-use room connected directly with the outside terrace enabling the social services managing the building to organise workshops or activities.  Since these are dwellings for elderly, it must be considered that occupants usually spend long periods of time at home and in the building. Thus, communal spaces enhance and enrich the experience of living.  This dwelling’s renting typology is organised around a central core of serving spaces, which is surrounded by the bedroom and the living room, both understood as a continuous and flexible space articulated by the terrace. This layout enables to perceive space as limitless, not enclosed but interconnected. The bathroom segregates into two: a more private area and an open space.  Spaces connect or segregate through large sliding doors, like movable walls. If they are all open, space flows around the core. Depending on whether doors open or close, space is transformed so it can be differently used.  The corner’s typology repeats the same scheme of serving spaces. The entrance threshold is enlarged to host the dinning room, linked by a window to the kitchen. The sights connect with the exterior through a large series of frames. The enfilade of doors and windows increase the porosity of space; and as a result, space seems larger than it is.  Rooms are never enclosed, they always vanish into neighbouring spaces slightly introduced for the occupant to sense. Tangent views flow around the core, linking contiguous spaces.  The dwellings’s structure consists on perimeter walls and pillars always located on the in-between apartments walls so that a free plant is guaranteed. It is at the ground floor level and by using cross-beams where the structure turns into an orthogonal grid of pillars of 7,5x7,5m for the parking located at the lower floors.
The paper made detailed investigations of the language materials and comparisons of the semantic and stylistic to the two groups of synonyms-"bo ruo/ cui ruo/ ruan ruo" and "nuo ruo/ ruan ruo/ rou ruo",which come from Xinhua Synonym Dictionary.Thereby,we think that the basis is insufficient for the entry to include them in two groups of trinomial.So it is comparatively more appropriate to have two groups for "nuo ruo/ruan ruo" and "rou ruo/ruan ruo".
Nine elements including carbon,silicon,manganese,phosphorus,sulphur,chromium,nickel,copper and aluminum were quantitatively analyzed in middle-low alloy steel by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.By taking iron as the internal standard and applying signal integration averaging method,the effect of experiment parameters on laser spectroscopy signals,such as the height of sample stage,laser focus position,delay time and gas environment,were studied.Through repeated experiments,4 mm below the sample surface was selected as the optimal focusing distance,and 4 000 Pa was selected as the optimal argon environment.Under optimal conditions,the linear correlation coefficients of nine elements in steel standard samples GSBH40068-93 are all above 0.99.This method was applied to the direct determination of middle-low alloy steel samples with rust surface without sample pre-treatment.The result was consistent with the spark spectrum measurements.
Modern music production systems provide a plethora of sound resources, e.g. hundreds or thousands of sound patches on a synthesizer. The more the number of available sounds grows, the more difficult it becomes for the user to find the desired sound resource for a particular purpose, thus demanding for advanced retrieval techniques based on sound classification. This paper gives a short survey of existing approaches on classification and retrieval of sound resources, discusses them and presents an advanced approach based on ontological knowledge processing.
The paper shows the results from the application of mathematical simulation to study the quantum efficiency of a microstrips crystalline silicon detector, intended for medical imaging and the development of other applications such as authentication and dating of cultural heritage. The effects on the quantum efficiency of some parameters of the system, such as the detector-source geometry, X rays energy and detector dead zone thickness, were evaluated. The simulation results were compared with the theoretical prediction and experimental available data, resulting in a proper correspondence. It was concluded that the use of frontal confi guration for incident energies lower than 17 keV is more effi cient, however the use of the edge-on configuration for applications requiring the detection of energy above this value is recommended. It was also found that the reduction of the detector dead zone led to a considerable increase in quantum efficiency for any energy value in the interval from 5 to 100 keV.
In Cape Cod, Thoreau presents his journey to a stark and undomesticated New England setting that in his day offered bleak and foreign views far different from the homelike familiarity that his sojourn to Walden Pond afforded. Because many interpret Cape Cod as proof of Thoreau's loss of faith, they are unable to reconcile it with the philosophy of Walden. Offering an alternative to such readings, this study examines Thoreau's symbolic use of food and drink imagery in Cape Cod to support the view that rather than negating the writer's transcendental perspective, the book instead tests, reconfirms, and extends the convictions presented in Walden about the life cycle, the relationship between nature and humanity, and the spiritual benefits of a life lived close to nature. ********** Thoreau's concerns about mid-nineteenth-century American society e well known. His attitude toward dietary matters reflects his fundamental conviction that life is best lived simply, with moderation, and close to nature, a philosophy that he believes society has abandoned to its detriment. For Thoreau, as he writes in Walden, "The gross feeder is a man in the larva state." He counsels his readers: "Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion" (215, 91). In his Journal entry for 20 October 1855, Thoreau writes: I take some satisfaction in eating my food, as well as in being nourished by it. I feel well at dinner-time as well as after it.... I enjoy more drinking water at a clear spring than out of a goblet at a gentleman's table. I like best the bread which I have baked, the garment which I have made, the shelter which I have constructed, the fuel which I have gathered. (7: 503) Although generally ascetic in his own dietary practices, he was no fanatic on the subject. As Ralph Waldo Emerson observes about Thoreau, "When asked at table what dish he preferred, he answered, 'The nearest.' ... He liked and used the simplest food, yet, when some one urged a vegetable diet, Thoreau thought all diets a very small matter..." (240, 242). Opinions differ about the impetus behind Thoreau's inclination to dietary asceticism. In his study of Thoreau's diet at Walden Pond, Joseph Jones concludes that Thoreau's dietary practices were "far from original and not even especially bizarre, considering the times," but instead represented in some respects "a common-sense compromise with the austerity of vegetarian doctrines then widely current" (154). While Jones declines to probe further to consider other possible motives behind Thoreau's dietary choices, James Armstrong argues that "the basic motive for Thoreau's asceticism, both dietary and sexual, was his desire to reduce the threats to his uncertain health that the reformers maintained were offered by gastric and genital excitement" (125). Thoreau suffered from tuberculosis, or consumption as the disease was then commonly called. According to J. Arthur Myers, "when records were first kept in Massachusetts in 1842 ... 22% of all deaths were recorded due to this disease" (236). Further, the cause, communicability, and treatment of tuberculosis were still undetermined when Thoreau died from the disease in 1862 at the age of forty-four, a situation that undoubtedly fostered good reason for Thoreau--as well as the general public--to fear this mortal hazard and to consider dietary recommendations that might increase resistance to the disease and improve physical health. Arguing from a different perspective, however, Daniel A. Dombrowski claims that Thoreau's diet "seems to have been a part of his ascetical desire to purify the soul" (28). In keeping with his transcendental philosophy, Thoreau viewed the physical vitality of nature as an indication of spiritual well being. Conceivably then, his stringent personal diet, as well as his celibacy, may have been partially rooted in his fear that his poor health was a sign of an impure soul. …
Explorer Helge Ingstad set out in the 1960s to search for the much hypothesized and mythical Norse land of Vinland. Vinland, originally discovered by Leif Erikson c. 1000 CE, is described in two sagas written in the thirteenth century: the Saga of the Greenlanders and the Saga of Erik the Red. These sagas mention a land that appeared to be congruent with a description of northern Newfoundland. In his search, Helge Ingstad and his wife, Anne Stine Ingstad, came across a site in L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, which seemed to fit the description of Vinland. In this study, the published archaeological reports from the Ingstad and Wallace excavations are critically examined, in conjunction with supplementary background and comparative studies, to determine how the settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows functioned, and what its general purpose was. In particular its focus is dietary practices and site activities.
The utility model relates to a foot tub, in particular to a healthcare massage tub for foot bath. A control panel (1) is arranged on the upper portion of a flower basket handle (9), a foot rest (3) is arranged from one side of a cavity of a tub body (2) to the middle of the tub body (2), a bubble aerator (6) is disposed at the end of the foot rest (3) and connected with a vibration magnetic pump (14), a water suction port (7) is arranged on the bottom face between the foot rest (3) and the other side of the cavity of the tub body (2), and an ozone generator (4), a massage roller (5), a far infrared transmitter (16), a storage type drug box (17) and a water outlet (10) are respectively arranged on two sides of the foot rest (3). The healthcare massage tub realizes control of outlet water temperature at the water outlet, automatic heating and constant temperature by aid of reasonable structural function configuration, and guarantees integration of foot washing, health care and massage by aid of far infrared, bubble aeration, ozone sterilization and the storage type drug box.
Objective It studied the Art Deco movement representative for Emiie-Jacques Ruhloann′s furniture design, and analyzed the significance of its formal beauty. Methods From modeling,color,texture,component, decoration,pattern, materiala,it classified and analyzed the definition of formal beauty.It discussed the embodiment in the Emiie-Jacques Ruhloann′s furniture design,analyzed the importance of the law of formal beauty in furniture design,as well as to the motives of the decorative use of materials,until the products,surface treatment technology,process, technology and the arts,humanities natural combination. Conclusion Through the case study,it presented the revelation of decoration movement on furniture and design techniques for today′s design.
Introduction: A growing body of evidence suggests that inflammation plays a crucial role in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4; also known as CD26), a protease which degrades incretin hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), modulates inflammatory processes by regulating activity of T cells through co-stimulatory pathway. Hypothesis: Incretin-related drugs, including both DPP-4 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists, suppress the progression of PAH by attenuating inflammatory response of PA. Methods: Sprague Dawley rats were injected monocrotaline to induce PAH (N=80). After 14 days from PAH induction, these rats were treated with alogliptin, a DPP-4 inhibitor (M+A, N=20), liraglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist (M+L, N=20), both of these drugs (M+A+L, N=20), or vehicle (M, N=20). Results: A significant increase of survival was observed on days 30 after PAH induction both in the M+A and M+L compared to the M (M+A: 45%* vs. M+L: 60%* vs. M: 5%, *p...
OEMs need to transform the way they do business in order to ensure better quality of products and services. Crucial failure symptom information is lost between the end consumers of products and the manufacturers. Manufacturers have access to this information but are typically unable to handle its volume in a timely fashion. However, using this data properly can result in diminished labor time in issue resolution, decreased warranty costs for manufacturers and improved customer retention. In this paper, we present a novel system for Proactive Real-Time Event and Alert Processing, which enhances an enterprise's ability to monitor, analyze and detect critical business events and situations. This capability can help improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, streamline processing of business alerts, and enable the enterprise to react in a more timely fashion. The system can enable monitoring of near real-time, low-level, industrial sensor and controller events, and high-level events from underlying structured and semi-structured data. The alert system uses domain knowledge to enable processing the events in real-time, performing the appropriate analytics and evaluation on the events and alerting the right set of users. The alert and event processing system has been deployed and validated in real pilots with industry specific data. We are currently validating the scalability and performance of the alert system with many different information sources and high volume sensor information.
The study assessed the awareness, perception and adoption of NIFOR developed improved coconut processing technologies in Lagos state, Nigeria. A total of 120 coconut processors were sampled through a multi-stage random sampling procedure. Primary data which were obtained through administration of structured questionnaire were used for this study. Percentages, Weighted mean scores and Chi-square were used for presenting the data. The findings of the study show that majority (77.1%) of the respondents were female, married (88.1%) and belong to age bracket of 31-50 years old (78.9%). Also majority (78%) of the respondents had primary with or without secondary education and larger percentage (89.9%) had between less than 1 and 2 ha. of land with up to 15 years of processing experience (61.8%). The findings also revealed that majority (81.1%), (74.6%), (67.8%) and (60.2%) of the respondents were not aware of husk fiber weaving frame, coconut oil expeller, meat grater and rotary copra dryer. Nevertheless, results support high perception of improved coconut processing technologies but low adoption of NIFOR developed improved coconut processing technologies such as rotary dryer (100%), expeller (100%), meat grater (100%) and husk fiber weaving frame (100%) respectively, while dehusker lever (41.53%) was the only adopted NIFOR developed coconut processing technologies in the study area. Chi-square result showed that age (χ2 = -7.851, p = 0.049), educational level (χ2= 27.722, p = 0.000), farm size (χ2 = 20.460, p =0.000), years of processing experience (χ2 = 8.454, p = 0.038) and household size (χ2 = -0.190, p = 0.35) were significantly related to adoption of NIFOR developed improved coconut processing technologies. For coconut processors to be more aware and adopt NIFOR developed improved coconut technologies, the study, therefore, recommends that Extension arm of NIFOR in collaboration with LASCODA should carry out sensitization and training through workshops, seminars etc at least twice in a year in the study area.
Topics discussed included: database interfaces; object oriented and active constructs; graphical user interface to VODAK object-oriented database system; desktop objects; DRIVE environment; query languages for geographic information systems; diagrammatic and iconic query languages; Visionary visual query language; remote database interfaces; TOTEM interactive tool for creative data modelling; data dictionary; intuitive interface for spatial databases; data visualisation in molecular biology; graphic model interpretation; Smalltalk graphics; EER Designer for deductive databases; and graphic interface to Spanish emblematic literature database
Social attitudes towards epilepsy cause more distress to the patient and his/her near and dear ones, than the disease itself. The major psychosocial issues related to epilepsy are: Quality of medical management, overprotection, education, employment, marriage and pregnancy. Inadequate treatment is the major reason involved in psychosocial issues. Constant overprotection and pampering leads to behavioural pattern which makes epileptic patient dependent for ever. Education is hampered in epileptic persons. Teachers and students should have proper information regarding seizures. If seizures are well controlled, job opportunities increase. Employers and employees need to be educated about epilepsy. Self-employment is the best in epileptic patients. Regarding marriage, each patient is to be judged on individual merits and type of epilepsy. Society needs to be educated about the facts and consequences of epilepsy. Risk of anti-epileptic drug's usage is very insignificant compared to risk of seizures in pregnancy. So girls are advised to seek medical advice before pregnancy and during follow-up. With more and more support from the society, persons with epilepsy will have the courage and confidence to speak about themselves and their illness. It is only then that we will realise that persons with epilepsy are 'normal' or 'near-normal' and this will break the vicious cycle of stigma.
Internet is a network infrastructure that connects millions of computers and users worldwide. Increasing interest and access to the worldwide web have made the web as a potentially suitable medium for Computer Aided Learning (CAL). A web based presentation (courseware) is a collection of individual web pages having spatial and temporal objects in it. Spatial objects need to be organised in a two dimensional space, and temporal objects need to be sequenced. Our aim in this thesis is to provide an authoring toolkit which supports the author as much as possible to think in high-level domain oriented terms from which we generate a set of low-level spatial and temporal constraints automatically. A syntax-directed translation and a grammar are used for this purpose. We have developed a grammar that is suitable for specifying the spatial and temporal constraints in a page. A Concept Graph Model, which is a directed acyclic graph is used to organise a web based presentation of the courseware. The authoring and presentation tool kits developed as part of this thesis work are evaluated by applying them to a real life problem. In this application, the author has developed a courseware on Assembly Language for a first year course in Computer Science. The input for the authoring too], in this case, were made available by the author as Microsoft Word document and as slides in Microsoft Power Point. The authored material is used by about twenty five students as a way of evaluation. The conclusions are, it is relatively easy to develop courseware using our authoring toolkit and incremental development of the courseware is simple . The authored courseware is found by students to be very useful in Computer Aided Learning
espanolAnte la exaltacion de los danos producidos por la sarna del peral Fusicladium virescens Bon. en montes frutales del sur de la provincia de Mendoza ,se programo un estudio a fin de aclarar la biologia del hongo en la region y buscar la presencia de la forma sexual no detectada aun en nuestra provincia. En otono de 2001, en montes comerciales de la zona, se recolectaron hojas con sintomas claros de la enfermedad y se colocaron estratificadas sobre el suelo. Al inicio de brotacion se extrajeron estas hojas y una vez en laboratorio fueron observadas al estereomicroscopio en busca de cuerpos negros inmersos en el mesofilo de las hojas. Estos se apartaron y fueron observados al microscopio optico, determinandose que un gran numero de ellos correspondian a pseudotecios de Venturia pirina Aderh. Este trabajo confirma la presencia de la forma teleomorfica del agente causal de la sarna del peral, en la provincia de Mendoza, de fundamental importancia en la epidemiologia de la enfermedad y en las estrategias para su control. EnglishIn view of the increasing damages produced by the pear scab (Fusicladium pirinum Lib.) in fruit groves in southern Mendoza, a study was designed to explain some aspects of the biology of the fungus in this region, and to establish the presence of the still undetected sexual form in the province. In the autumn of 2001, leaves with clear symptoms of the disease were collected in three fruit groves in the area, and placed in stratified form in the ground. Early in July and for 15 days, some of the leaves were sampled and examined under a stereomicroscope. By the end of July, the first black bodies were detected on the surface of the leaves and identified as Venturia pirina Aderh. pseudothecia. At that moment the asci were beginning to differentiate their ascospores. Fifteen days later a high percentage of the ascospores were perfectly differentiated in the asci, and some of them had undergone dehiscence, which may have resulted in the presence of the inocula in the field under favorable environmental conditions. This study confirms the presence of the teleomorphic form of the pear scab�s causal organism in the departments of San Rafael and General Alvear in southern Mendoza. This is of the utmost importance for the epidemiology of the disease, and it should be given due consideration in the strategy to control it.
Objective To establish ultraviolet spectrometry method to determine the intermediate for calcium folinate injection.Methods Ultraviolet spectrometry was applied with 282 nm detection wavelength,and the determination results with UV and HPLC methods were compared and analyzed.Results The calibration curve of calciun folinate was in a good linearity within the range of 1.0-10.0 μg·mL-1,and the average recovery was 99.87% with RSD of 0.87%.No significant difference was observed between the determination results with UV and HPLC methods(P0.05).Conclusion This method is convenient,rapid and accurate,and can be used in quality control of calcium folinate intermediate for injection.
P ub lic traffic system depends mainly on driver’s manual operation, which will encounter many problems regarding the punctuality of the bus’s arrival and departure of the bus at bus stations. Paper proposes a supervisory system based on GSM and Zigbee technology to improve the operation efficiency   and realize intelligent transportation system. Paper introduces the punctuality enhanced bus system from the aspect of both hardware design and software design.  System takes into account of the respective advantages and disadvantages of GSM, Zigbee and ARM 7, and designs a feasible solution successfully.
In 2003, the African Commission established a Working Group of Experts on Indigenous Populations / Communities in Africa. This development has been heralded as a recognition of the existence of particular marginalised groups in Africa identifying themselves as indigenous peoples whose rights are protected by the African Charter. The establishment of the African Commission's Working Group was largely a regional manifestation of the developments taking place at international law. This article discusses the concept of indigenous peoples as it is developing at international law and under the African human rights system. It also explores the extent to which the African Charter, according to the African Commission's Working Group, accommodates the rights of indigenous peoples.
This study is financed by the National Swedish Road Administration together with the research funding agency Vinnova and will be conducted by Transek AB during spring 2003. The study aims at analyzing synergy effects of transport measures and pricing mechanisms for reducing congestion and environmental impact, and to achieve increased intermodality in the Stockholm city region. Pricing mechanisms that are included in the study are road pricing based on travelled distance, parking pricing, lower public transport fees, and subsidies for car pooling. Transport measures that are studied are park-and-ride solutions integrated with the public transport system, investments in public transport and cycling infrastructure, and investments to enhance comfort in public transport. The study is divided into two scenarios for the target year 2015, based on the predicted development of transport demand in the region. The first scenario consists of a package of road pricing, park-and-ride integrated with public transport, parking policies and pricing, and subsidies for car pooling. The second scenario is based on road pricing and the other measures in the first scenario, combined with measures to increase the perceived comfort in the public transport system. The scenarios are analyzed using the Swedish transport planning model Sampers. An important part of the study is to develop ways of integrating parameters as car pooling and investments in cycling infrastructure in model analyses using Sampers. Congestion in the road transport system and the constantly increasing car dependency causes as severe problems in the Stockholm region as in many other big European cities. Yet the effects of integrated packages of different transport measures like road pricing together with park-and-ride and investments in public transport are poorly investigated, in favour of strategies for road investments that are predicted to increase car dependency and decrease the share of travels with public transport rather than contribute to a solution of the congestion problem. The study will show the effects of road pricing combined with other measures. The focus of this study lies on what potential the analyzed measures and pricing mechanisms could have to reduce car dependence in a large city like Stockholm. Major road investments are therefore not included in the analyzed scenarios. The results of the study will also be of benefit for cities that are not as big and do not suffer from the same problems with congestion as Stockholm but wish to reduce car traffic in the city centre by mobility management measures. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Objective To probe diagnostic value of uninary trace albumin test on the early impairment of the kidney function in acute severe exacerbation of asthma.Methods To collect morning urine and intravenous blood specimenof thirty-four asthma patients,when they were in the severe exacerbation and in alleviation peried,to test the uninary trace albumin with ELISA,and serum Cr,BUN And 24 healthy volunteer as contrl.Results The asthmatic patients uninary trace albumin were obviously higher than that in the normal and alleviational period(P0.05),which Cr and BUN did not have obvious changes compared with in the normal and alleviational period(P0.05).Conclusion Uninary trace albumin appear earlier changes than that of kidney function of Cr and BUN in the acute severe asthma exacerbation.It is a sensitive marker for the early impairment of kidney function diagnose.
BACKGROUND/AIMS This study aimed to evaluate the clinical utility in Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)/ computed tomography (CT) in the management of patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP), with special emphasis on differentiating AIP from pancreatic cancer (PC).   METHODOLOGY FDG-PET/CT findings of 10 AIP patients were compared with those of 14 PC patients.   RESULTS There were no significant differences between AIP and PC in early and delayed maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)), and in the ratio of delayed to early SUV(max). Abnormal extrapancreatic FDG uptake was observed in 5 AIP patients, in the hilar lymph nodes (n = 4), mediastinal lymph nodes (n = 2), abdominal lymph nodes (n = 2), and bilateral salivary glands (n = 2). After steroid therapy, the abnormal FDG uptake in the pancreas disappeared almost completely in two patients, and the FDG uptake in the hilar, mediastinal and abdominal lymph nodes decreased in one patient.   CONCLUSIONS FDG-PET/CT may be helpful to differentiate AIP from PC by assessing FDG-uptake patterns in the pancreas and extrapancreatic lesions, it may have the potential to assess the disease activity of AIP and its extrapancreatic lesions, and it may be useful as a monitoring marker for tapering or stopping steroid therapy.
The paper identifies some training needs, its importance and adequacy of women farmers in crop production. 240 farm women from two KVKs of Rajasthan were selected for this study.  Structured interview schedule was used to collect information from the respondents. Analysis of the data revealed that farm women perceived dry farming practices as most important, the knowledge exposure to forage crops cultivation the most adequate and the training on dry farming practices the most needed. The implication for rural development is that empowering women farmers through adequate training in all the expressed areas of training needed in crop production is a predisposing factor to sustainable livelihood and consequent participation in rural development.
Of the 120 patients with colorectal cancer, 24 had distant metastases of a tumor. In these patients, increase in the level of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and ferritin in the peripheral blood serum was noted as compared with those in patients without tumor metastases (P less than 0.001). Measuring of CEA content in the peripheral and regional blood can be used in preoperative diagnosis of metastases of colorectal cancer.
The utility model relates to the field of LED lighting and more particularly relates to a redundant driving power supply for an LED illumination type light fixture, which comprises a main drive LED driving power supply and at least one redundant LED driving power supply. An AC power supply is delivered to the input ends of both the main drive LED driving power supply and the redundant LED driving power supply through a magnetic latching relay. The fixed contact of the magnetic latching relay is connected with the output end of the main drive LED driving power supply. The fixed contact of the magnetic latching relay is also connected with the output end of the redundant LED driving power supply. An electricity capacity sensor is configured to collect output current signals to enable a control unit to send out a control command and drive the magnetic latching relay to turn on or turn off corresponding channels, so as to realize the switching between the main drive LED driving power supply and the redundant LED driving power supply. In this way, during the normal operation of circuits, all driving power supplies completely break away from the entire system to be really in a standby state, so that the power loss and the energy waste are reduced. A lithium battery is adopted to power up both the magnetic latching relay and the control unit, wherein the magnetic latching relay and the control unit are extremely low in electricity consumption. Therefore, the working reliability of the entire system is greatly improved.
On February 19, 2002, the United States Supreme Court (www.supremecourtus.gov) gave an unexpected Valentine’s surprise to the copyright and publishing communities by agreeing to hear a challenge to the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (CTEA). The Act (available online at thomas.loc.gov) extended the terms of existing copyrights by 20 years and added the same 20 year extension to the term of all future copyrights. As a result of the Act, copyrighted material will not go into the public domain for at least 70 years and often well over 100 years.    The outcome of this case is likely to have a significant impact on access to and control of content on the Internet. There are many advocates both for and against the CTEA, with availability being the central focus of concern. However, there is greater reason to be concerned about the loss of pieces of our cultural history. Thousands of out-of-print books, journals, musical compositions, scripts and other “useful Arts” from the 1920's and 1930's risk being lost to time.
During the experiment of diverting water from the Taipu River from March 22 to April 6 in 2006,synchronous isotope monitoring for water quantity and water quality was carried out.Combining water quality and isotope data,a grey correlation analysis has been made between major water quality indexes and δ18O values during sluice-supply water period and the pump-supply water period.The correlation sequence of water quality indexes and δ18O variation was CODMnTPCODCrTNDONH3-N during the period of sluice-supply water,and that of water quality indexes and δ18O variation was CODMnTNCODCrDOTPNH3-N during the period of pump-supply water.Of the two different diverting methods,CODMn is in the first place in the sequence of correlation and NH3-N is in the last place in the sequence.Correlation degrees of TP and TN change obviously from sluice-supply water period to pump-supply water period.Furthermore,all the correlation degrees except TP during sluice-supply water period are higher than those during the pump-supply water period.Results show that pump-supply water have more obvious influence on the correlation degree.The value of CODMn,CODCr,TP and TN had high correlation with the value of δ18O during the two periods.
This paper critically reviews the model of subsidiary strategy proposed by Jarillo and Martinez and, based on the data from a survey of 171 MNC manufacturing affiliates in the UK, proposes an extension of their model. The key finding is the indentification of a group of affiliates (quiescent subsidiaries) in the low integration–low responsiveness quadrant, not previously identified in a study of this nature. Characteristics of the quiescent affiliate type are explored, and the determinants of strategy stability and strategy change over time are evaluated. It is concluded that differences between the extended model and the original may lie in basic strategic differences between Spanish and UK affiliates. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The article describes the new transportation plan published by the Pittsburgh Area Transportation Study. It describes the plan that was recommended, the preparation of the plan, and problems encountered during planning. It also describes the prospects for plan implementation and provisions for continued planning. The plans themselves include the construction of new freeways, improvements in arterial streets and traffic engineering, and rail rapid transit.
To give a paste having sufficient adhesion and sliding properties, and the window portion can be obtained in good air permeability, moisture permeability windowed catheter fixing an attaching member. Forming a window portion (5) on the nonwoven fabric sheet (4), the nonwoven fabric sheet (4) in the nonwoven fabric (2) is provided on one side of adhesive layer (3). Prepared with polyurethane adhesive layer (8) of the sheet window portion (6) in the urethane film (7) on one side. In the embodiment of the window portion (5) is attached to cover the window sheet (6) to said non-woven fabric (2) of the other side (9), fixing a catheter made with a window sticker (1). Adhesive disposed on the urethane film (7) a polyurethane adhesive layer (8) of the nonwoven fabric (2) of the other side (9) so that the surface roughness is ~ 7 were smoother than 20μm, the window sheet (6) securely attached to the nonwoven fabric sheet (4).
Using the density-functional theory(DFT) combined with the projector augumented wave(PAW) method,we have investigated the crystal structure,electronic structure and electrochemical property of LiVPO4F.The change of structural parameters after the release of Li atom is obtained.Analysis of the density of states(DOS) show that V atom is ionized and its valence varies from +3 to +4 in the process of discharge.Also,the electron transfer between P and O atoms does not occur and the 3d-space structure of(PO4)3+ keep changeless approximatively.The band gap of LiVPO4F is 1.63 eV,which means that it has good conductivity and the electron transfer is facilitated in discharge.Our results also indicate that LiVPO4F is a ferromagnetic phase and its ferromagnetic moment is 2μB,but VPO4F is a anti-ferromagnetic phase.Furthermore,it was found that the average intercalation voltage of LiVPO4F has the value of 4.0 eV.
It needs a code for the shaping and inheriting of city culture.As a city thrived for being a harbor,Shanghai has changed from a natural scenery of "beach" to an urban scenery of "harbor" and transcended the cultural scenery of existing geography.Heritage of modern port is a code and sign for the progress of cosmopolitan culture.We explore the cultural essence,symbol system and historical value of this city code from the three gene chains of objects,places and events by basing on document analysis and base investigation.The editable code of port heritage has a positive significance for the revival and development of Shanghai-school cultural heritages.
This paper presents a decentralized control strategy for the scheduling of energy activities of interconnected smart homes that purchase energy from a supplier while exchanging renewable energy produced by individually owned distributed energy resources. The scheduling problem is solved with a twofold design objective. First, the model aims at reducing the overall energy supply from the grid, by allowing users to borrow/lend some amount of renewable energy from/to other users. Second, the problem is formulated to optimally plan users' controllable loads. We assume a time-varying quadratic pricing of the energy purchased from the distribution network. The proposed solution is based on a decentralized optimization algorithm combining parametric optimization with the proximal Jacobian Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers. The application of the proposed technique to a simulated case study under several scenarios shows its effectiveness.
New pest control agents, in particular pesticides or acaricides, are provided. General formula (1): [Wherein, A 1 , A 2 and A 3 each independently represent a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom, G represents a benzene ring or the like, W represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom, and X represents a halogen atom, C 1 to C 6 haloalkyl, etc., Y represents a halogen atom, C 1 -C 6 alkyl, etc., R 1 is (C 1 -C 12 ) alkyl optionally substituted with R 16 , C 3 -C 12 alkenyl, -N (R 20 ) R 19, etc., R 2 is a hydrogen atom, C 1 -C 4 alkoxy (C 1 -C 4 ) alkyl, cyano (C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, C 1 -C 6 alkyl carbonyl, C 1 ~C 6 denotes a alkoxy carbonyl, R 3 is C 1 ~C 6 denotes a haloalkyl, etc., R 16 is halogen atom, cyano, C 3 ~C 8 cycloalkyl, C 1 ~C 6 alkoxy, C 1 ~C 6 alkylthio, C 1 ~C 6 alkylsulfinyl, C 1 ~C 6 alkylsulfonyl, C 1 ~C 6 alkoxyimino, (Z) phenyl, D-1 is substituted by p1 It represents the like ~D-60, E-1~E- 49, R 19 is by phenyl, (Z) p1 Substituted phenyl, D-3, D-4, D-21, D-47, D-50, D-51, D-53, D-54 and the like, R 20 is a hydrogen atom, C 1 to C 6 Alkyl, etc., Z represents a halogen atom, nitro, C 1 -C 6 alkoxy, etc., D- 1 to D-60 represent a 5-membered or 6-membered aromatic heterocycle, and E-1 to E-49 A 5- or 6-membered saturated heterocycle, m represents an integer of 0 to 5, n represents an integer of 0 to 4, and p1 represents an integer of 1 to 5. The isoxazoline substituted benz represented by Amide compounds or salts thereof, and pest control agents containing the same.
Objective To optimize the extraction technique of allicin from the garlic.Methods The optimum extraction condition of allicin from the garilic was determined through orthogonal design L1837.Results The best extraction conditions were as follows:enzymatic hydrolysis 30min,enzymatic temperature 45℃,pH6.0,ratio of material to liquid 1g∶ 4ml,extraction time 60min,extraction temperature 30℃ and 95% ethanol.Under such condition,the extraction yield of allicin was 2.91‰.Conclusion The best extraction conditions can extract allicin from garlic efficiently and the extraction technology is simple,reasionable.
IMeasurement of tumor markers level in human body fluids, mainly in serum may be useful for diagnosis, therapy monitoring and early recurrence detection. SCC-Ag, Cyfra 21-1, CEA, CA 125 and TPS are of a clinical value in uterine cervical cancer despite their diverse significance. Other biological markers that could be measured in serum as well as in tumor tissue are cytokines: VEGF, IL-6, IL-8, IL-4, IL-10, leptin, stromal drive factor (SDF- 1), although assessment of their importance needs further examination. Elevation of uterine cervical cancer hypoxia markers such as HIF 1a, CA 9, GLUT-1 is combined with poorer clinical outcome prognosis.
Name: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________________________ City, State, Zip:_________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone:________________________ Fax: :_________________________ Email:_________________________ OWNER (Submit proof of ownership)
A retrospective study was done on 130 AML patients treated in Shariati and Imam Hospitals in Tehran from 1991 to 1997 to investigate the value of three post-remission methods of treatment. All patients who were in complete remission (CR) (Group I) had been treated with ARA-C (300 mg/m2/day continuous infusion for 5 days) and Daunorubicine (45 mg/m2/day for 3 days) as induction and early consolidation therapy. Forty patients were treated by additional similar chemotherapy as second consolidation and no further treatment was offered. Fifty patients (Group II) were treated by ARA-C (120 mg/m2 subcutaneously for 5 days), Etoposide (120 mg/m2 on day one), and Mitoxantrone (12 mg/m2 on day one) on each successive month as short-term miniconsolidation. Forty patients (Group III) were treated similarly to Group II until relapse for up to two years as long-term miniconsolidation. There was no difference in the three groups regarding mean age and other prognostic factors. Treatment related mortality and morbidity were also similar. Median duration of disease-free survival (DFS) was 36 (3.5-68 with 95% CI), 17 (12.5-21.5) and 19 (14.7-23.3) months respectively in these three groups. In a 14month median observation there was no difference in DFS and overall survival (OS) among the three groups (p=0.7). We concluded that shortor long-term miniconsolidation chemotherapy com­ pared to standard treatment does not improve DFS and OS in AML patients. MJIRI, Vol. 15, No.2, 61-66, 2001.
This research analyses the absorption process of carbon dioxide in aqueous solutions of diethanolamine, with focus on the thermal effects related to the process. Absorption experiments were performed at room temperature, in two bubble columns (methacrylate and steel) operating in batches with respect to the liquid phase. The variables considered were the amine concentration within the range of 0.5-2.0 M, and the gas flow-rate. The temperature inside the column was measured using thermocouples and the superficial temperature was measured by an infrared camera. From the results, it is deduced that the process takes place in a non isothermal regime, and infrared thermography demonstrated being an useful and reliable tool for research in this area.
The analysis of gravity and magnetic field methods is becoming increasingly significant for the earth sciences as a whole and these potential field methods efficiently assist in working out both shallow and deep geologic problems and play important role on modeling and interpretation procedures. The main advantage of some gravity and magnetic data processing techniques is to present the subtle details in the data which are not clearly identified in anomaly maps, without specifying any prior information about the nature of the source bodies. If the data quality permits, many analyzing techniques can be carried out that help to build a general understanding of the details and parameters of the shallower or deeper causative body distributions such as depth, thickness, lateral and vertical extensions. Gravity and magnetic field data are usually analyzed by means of analytic signal (via directional derivatives) methods, linear transformations, regional and residual anomaly separation techniques, spectral methods, filtering and forward and inverse modeling techniques. Some commercial software packages are commonly used for analyzing potential field data by employing some of the techniques specified above. Additionally, many freeware and open-source codes can be found in the literature, but unfortunately they are focused on special issues of the potential fields. In this study, a toolkit, that performs numerous interpretation and modeling techniques for potential field data, is presented. The toolkit, named GMinterp, is MATLAB-based consisting of a series of linked functions along with a graphical user interface (GUI). GMinterp allows performing complex processing such as transformations and filtering, editing, gridding, mapping, digitizing, extracting cross-sections, forward and inverse modeling and interpretation tasks. The toolkit enables to work with both profile and gridded data as an input file. Tests on the theoretically produced data showed the reliability of developed toolkit. Additionally some experiments on real data sets were performed to interpret the geological structure of Biga Peninsula, NW part of Anatolia, Turkey.
A new technology for improving air-tightness of die casting with complicated structure using rheocast and slow shooting is introduced.At the early stage of die casting gas content and solid fraction related to air-tightness are strictly controlled.Other process design and parameters,such as pressure distribution,gate shooting and air escaping system are optimized and strictly implemented.Experiments showed that air tightness of the die casting is significantly improved and scrap is less than 10%.
In this study, the following scores of black and white university students were correlated: matriculation marks, the mean of each semester's marks up to the end of the third academic year, and the cumulative mean marks over the preceding and remaining semesters. In agreement with findings reported elsewhere, first-year and postfirst-year performance were better predictors of performance in subsequent semesters than matriculation performance. However, for any of these predictors, the correlations with the performance in subsequent semesters decreased progressively over time, whereas the correlation with accumulated performance over the remaining semesters was not subject to the same degree of decline. When marks were adjusted for mark non-comparability across various courses, the decline in correlations lessened, while the correlations of black students approximated more closely to those of white students, and the correlations of white male students revealed more similarity to those of white female students. In hierdie ondersoek is die volgende tellings van wit en swart universiteitstudente gekorreleer: matriekpunte, gemiddelde punte vir elk van die semesters tot aan die einde van die derde jaar en die kumulatiewe gemiddelde punte oor die voorafgaande sowel as die oorblywende semesters. In ooreenstemming met bevindings elders, was prestasie in die eerste en latere universiteitstudiejare beter voorspellers van prestasie in daaropvolgende semesters as wat matriekprestasie was. Vir elk van hierdie voorspellers het die korrelasie met prestasie in daaropvolgende semesters egter steeds afgeneem soos wat die tydsverloop tussen vergeleke semesters toegeneem het, terwyl die korrelasie met geakkumuleerde prestasie oor die oorblywende semesters nie in dieselfde mate afgeneem het nie. Na persentasiepunte aangepas is vir punt-onvergelykbaarheid, het die afname in die onderhawige korrelasies verminder terwyl die korrelasie vir swart studente nader aan die vir wit studente was, soos ook die vir wit mans aan die vir wit vroue.
On The Living Style of Peoples in Bahu County District of Malalayang Manado City. The consumption, is Sociology, is not observed as only fulfillment of needs of man, physically and biologically, but it is related to the aspect social and cultural aspects. The consumption is related in the problem of appetite, identity or living style. In economic science appetite is simply stable, focused on utility value, formed individually, and to be looked at as a exogenous thing. Whereas, in sociology, appetite is a thing can be alterable, focused on symbolic quality of the materials and it depends on the perception of appetite of people. Manado city has a social settlement relatively condusive and known as a relatively safe city in Indonesia. It is described from the motto of Minahasan peoples, that is : Torang Samua Basudara (We all are in brotherhood or we all are brother sisters). The Life in Manado city is in general, some with the other city of Indonesia. The Center of Manado city is located from Piere Tendean street (Boulevard) to the 45 market and the strategic locations as many shopping centers are found and also known restaurants. Manado city has many malls and, there are also shopping centers for electronics and furnitures are found along the beach that have a beautiful seaside scene, especially, when the sunset. The Life of people of Manado city, in general, has altered in the life style of glamour, royal and hedonistic are. It is resulted from the inflluence of western culture which has given negative effect to the norms and habit. Man has sensual weakness that is bodify effect called incompleteness. This is the reason for man easy to fall into the trial, exam test, obstacle. Pursue and worldly temptation. The worldly temptation, I mean is called the type of modern life that can be seem in attitude behavior, action, doings called as suitable with claims of time based on the ability of ratio or human throught. The type of life are the modes of behavior that differ the one man and the other. The modes of social life in specific often to be simplificated by the norm culture. Whereas, the type of life depends on cultural forms, norms, the manner to use the materials, location and time that the decived from group character. The type of life, according to Koetler (2002) is a mode life of someone in the world that expressed in the form of his activity interest opinion. “The type of life describes the whole of man himself” In his interaction with the suroundness. The type of life also refers to how someone lives, how the spends his money. And how to allocate the time and hours in his life, and it can be seem from his activities whole day and what interest to be his need in his life. The type of life describes all of someone modes in is action and how the interacts in the world. Keywords : The Turing Style Of People, Manado Communities.
MOCOAAB05 describes how the telescope control system at the W.M. Keck Observatory is being upgraded. A key change is that the control system is moving from a VxWorks/VME platform to a RHEL/PC+COTS solution. The control system will continue to use EPICS but will move from R3.13.10 to R3.14. Upgrading from VxWorks/EPICS has resulted in the need for a number of new drivers. This paper assumes that the reader is familiar with EPICS, Device Support and the ASYN driver framework [1] and will focus on the domain specific portions of the drivers. The primary focus will be on the drivers for the following hardware: Heidenhain Encoder Interface Box (EIB) [2], National Instruments RIO [3] and Symmetricom BC635 [4]. Throughout this paper the Telescope Control System Upgrade will be referred to as TSCU.
Abstract : Little information is available regarding the uptake kinetics of RDX or HMX by typical wetland (capable of root penetration into anaerobic zones) plants in constructed or real wetland systems. RDX uptake in aquatic and wetland plants has been studied previously (e.g. Best et al., 1997) but has not been rigorously explored. Wetlands are a key interface between non-point source runoff (e.g. firing ranges) and surface water or groundwater. Uptake kinetics are critical for an overall understanding of exposure as real systems are typically transiently loaded and concentration profiles are variable with depth due to microbial degradation. Leaching of RDX from simulated rain events and from simulated seasonal or event flooding will also play an important role in overall fate and exposure.
Urticaria has been known from antiquity. The disorder was  known to the Arabs as essera and it has found a place in the  writings of Cesius (circa 30 BC–45 AD). Although the condition  was recognised as an entity, its cause was a mystery to the  physicians of those times. It was initially thought to be a  manifestation of idiosyncrasy and later believed to be a form  of neuroses. However, now the pathophysiological basis of  urticaria is well understood. The development of antihistamine  group of drugs, paved the way for the management of urticaria.
Objective To analyze the accuracy,sensitivity and safety of multidetector CT angiography(MDCTA) and DSA;furthermore to explore the clinical value of MDCTA in studying the delayed cerebral vasospasm(DCVS) .Methods Delayed cerebral vasospasm was induced in 17 rabbits by injection of autologuous blood into the cisterna magna and followed by a second injection 24 hours later.MDCTA and DSA were carried out at the 7th day before and after the procedure in order to obtain the data of vascular diameter changes for comparative study.Results The basilar artery diameters detected by MDCTA were shown preoperatively as(1.55 ± 0.14) mm and postoperatively as(0.95 ± 0.20) mm;and detected by DSA as(1.61 ± 0.19) mm and(1.00 ± 0.17) mm postoperatively;showing statistically equivalence between the two methods.Conclusions MDCTA is recommended as a reliable,rapid,and minimally invasive diagnostic method,providing a new technique for the delayed cerebral vasospasm research.
This paper presents a 3D video dataset containing sequences with typical content from videoconferencing scenarios. The objective of this dataset is to provide freely-available sequences for the research community to support the develop-ment and evaluation of processing techniques applicable to 3D videoconferencing systems. Therefore, a detailed description of the generation process and the content characteristics is provided, together with insights of possible applications of the dataset
Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by typical signs and symptoms caused by a structural and/or functional cardiac abnormality, resulting in a reduced cardiac output and/or elevated intra-cardiac pressures at rest or during stress. The lifetime risk to develop HF at age 55 is 33% for men and 28% for women. In the Netherlands, every day more than 100 patients die of cardiovascular disease, and every year over 7500 patients die of HF. One of the key processes in the pathophysiology of HF is cardiac remodeling, a generally unfavorable process in which the myocardium is converted into a, mostly irreversible, changed structural and functional state. Circulating molecules, released during this process and also known as biomarkers, might aid physicians to better understand the pathophysiology of HF and to better treat and tailor therapy for specific patients. In this thesis, we investigate the utility of biomarkers in different clinical settings and whether biomarkers can provide insights in the interplay between different disease entities. We explore whether biomarkers could be used to identify subjects at low-risk for adverse events. Furthermore, we provide insight in the biological variation of biomarkers, to help clinicians to better interpret biomarkers levels over time. Biomarkers could also be used as a target for therapy. In a review article we discuss the possibilities of anti-galectin-3 therapy and the possible clinical consequences. Lastly, we demonstrate that biomarkers secreted by the failing heart have a direct effect on cancer development and growth. This interplay and possible other mechanisms involved are discussed within this thesis. Future studies need to further explore this interplay of the cardiac secretome with other organs and diseases.
Objective To investigate the possibility of transplantation in lupus nephritis end stage renal disease (LN ESRD) and the extent of transplant result and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) activity index.Method Retrospective study of activity index (SLEDAI),choice of transplantation,immunosuppressive therapy and patient/graft survival was made in the 6 LN patients who underwent cadaveric renal transplantation during 1972 to 1999 Result These 6 female patients were gone to end stage renal disease due to LN.Chronic dialysis was done before transplantation.The shortest period between dialysis and transplantation was 3 months,and the longest was 9 years.Three patients were given prednisone,cyclosporine A and imuran as immunosuppressive therapy after transplantation,another 3 patients were given prednisone, cyclosporine A and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).Five of 6 patients were still alive.The average survival period was (44±33 7) months.The longest was 85 months and the shortest was 4 months.Only one patient died of hypertension cerebropathy 4 months after transplantation,but till death the renal function was still normal and the recurrence of SLE was not seen.One week after transplantation all the graft function recovered to normal.No one had the graft loss because of recurrence of SLE,and the longest graft survival was 77 months.The SLE activity might disappear during dialysis and after transplantation.Conclusion Renal transplantation is effective method to LN patients.And the recurrence of SLE is rare after transplantation.
During the period from 1971 to 1988 there were 212 fatalities out of 24,822 obductions because of gastrointestinal bleeding. Bleeding from oesophagus varices was most often found, followed by bleeding from duodenal ulcer (16%), gastric ulcer (14%) and haemorrhagic gastritis (11%). The sex-ratio was 2:1 in favour of men. In most cases alcohol related problems were found (with organic diseases such as fat liver, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis as well as social deprivation, sometimes with acute alcoholization.
The Council Directive 2001/23/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the safeguarding of employees’ rights in the event of transfers of undertakings, businesses or parts of businesses, was originally adopted in 1977 as a result of an increase in restructurings and transfers of businesses. An important provision is found in article 3, which prescribes the automatic transfer from the transferor to the transferee of all rights and obligations arising from a contract relationship. The rule has been implemented in Swedish law through 6 b § in lagen (1982:80) om anstallningsskydd. The purpose of this essay is to describe and explain the regulation concerning the safeguarding of employees’ rights in the event of a transfer, and also to examine what possibilities there are for the transferor and the transferee to alter these rights in connection to the transfer.    In the Swedish labour market, the collective agreement holds a strong position as the main instrument for regulating terms of employment, which also affects workers who are not bound by a collective agreement. Consequently, the safeguarding of terms of employment stipulated by such an agreement is relevant for all employees concerned by the transfer. The way in which terms and conditions agreed in a collective agreement will be applied after the transfer varies, depending on whether or not the transferor and the transferee were bound by own agreements at the time of the transfer. The automatic transfer also includes a safeguarding of individual rights, although this protection appears to be somewhat inferior due to the strong position of the collective agreement.    Accrued pension rights are not automatically transferred to the transferee, which constitutes an exception to the safeguarding of acquired rights. However, the transferor and transferee are jointly liable in respect of financial obligations which arose before the date of the transfer. Consequently, this provides an increased protection for the employees.    The automatic transfer provides for a safeguarding of employees’ rights that is rather extensive, and, thus, the possibilities of altering the terms of employment are limited. The transferor cannot in any way change these terms in connection to the transfer, but has the possibility of regulating the remaining responsibility through a contract with the transferee. Given certain conditions, the transferee has the possibility to enter into a new collective agreement that stipulates the terms of employment for the employees that are transferred, as well as a possibility in some cases to change individual rights subsequent to the transfer. Even though the safeguarding of employees’ rights is strong, the employees are not protected against alterations in all situations. The fact that there will be a change of employer indicates that there can be some adjustments. The regulation concerning protection of employees’ rights appears to be quite clear, but this does not, however, rule out that any practical problems regarding the application of the provisions in each individual situation will not appear, which not in the least the case law concerning the directive points toward.
The present invention relates to a nozzle assembly for a three-dimensional printer, which includes a nozzle that melts a wire-type plastic raw material to supply the plastic raw material to the outside, wherein the nozzle comprises: a heat conduction injector tip that uses heat supplied from a heater to melt the plastic raw material supplied into the heat conduction injector tip and supply the plastic raw material to the outside, and is formed of a thermally conductive material; a backflow prevention tube, which is connected to the heat conduction injector tip, guides the supply of the plastic raw material to the heat conduction injector tip, and is formed of a heat resistance material to confine a backflow of the plastic raw material molten by the heat conduction injector tip; a connecting tube coupled to the heat conduction injector tip such that the backflow prevention tube is installed in the connecting tube; a blocking plate fixed to an end part of the heat conduction injector tip and preventing the molten plastic raw material, supplied from the heat conduction injector tip to the outside, from being attached to the end part of the heat conduction injector tip; and a heat conduction block, which is provided on the heat conduction injector tip and is disposed at the upper side of the blocking plate, which is provided with a heater that supplies heat needed for melting the plastic raw material, and which is formed of a thermally conductive material to supply the heat from the heater to the heat conduction injector tip. According to the present invention, heat is prevented from being applied to an output produced through a supply of a plastic raw material, thereby preventing a backflow of a molten plastic raw material and the attachment of a foreign substance to the output which would otherwise occur if the output is reheated.
The extensive searching for hydrocarbon-based spills in soil and groundwater during the last few years rises the question of whom caused these contaminations. The answer to this very specific question is not easy and often requires the exact determination of age of the contamination. Therefore, the sampling of all imaginable data around the spilled material is necessary. Beginning at the precise check-up of the geological surrounding, including the definition of the condition and construction of the soil as well as the determination of the flow-direction of the groundwater, the chemical analysis should describe the containing substances and/or the products in the best possible way. Summing all these data and taking into consideration the well-know microbiological pathways of decomposition for one- and/or a group of substances, it should be possible to determine the age of a contamination
This article is a first step toward the development of a Pentecostal theology of fasting. An examination of early Pentecostal periodical literature from 1906 to 1915 shows that Pentecostals practiced both individual and corporate fasting, but there is no mention of universally established fast days. Fasting was viewed through the theological lens of the Fivefold Gospel, which was the core belief system of the movement. Therefore, fasting was valuable particularly in preparing seekers for the experiences of sanctification, Spirit baptism, and divine healing. Fasting was generated by affectivity – the seeker’s passionate pursuit of God and deep-seated love for others, whether the other be sinner or believer. Pentecostals practiced a kind of fasting that might be described as crisis oriented fasting in which fasting was joined with prayer as a means of appealing to God for the outpouring of God’s grace in identifiable acts of revival, salvation, sanctification, healing, and Spirit baptism either for oneself or for others.
This document presents a value/impact analysis of the expected risk reduction and associated costs for seven regulatory alternatives which have been proposed to resolve the generic issue of low temperature overpressure (LTOP) transients. It also presents an analysis of the reduction of public risk which was accomplished by the 1979 imposition of requirements for LTOP transient protection, when LTOP had previously been designated as a generic issue. The alternatives evaluated were: no action, prohibit operations with the reactor cooling system (RCS) ''water solid'' except when it is depressurized and vented, and require all operating reactors to maintain a bubble of steam or noncondensible gas (N/sub 2/) in the pressurizer when the RCS is not vented; prohibit operation of the RCS in a water-solid condition when either train of the overpressure mitigation system (OMS) is out of service; prohibit operation with the RCS in a water-solid condition when a high pressure safety injection pump is in service; prohibit restart of a reactor coolant pump when the RCS is in a water-solid condition; require that the pressure setpoint for automatic isolation of the residual heat removal system be raised above the setpoint for residual heat removal safety relief valve opening to maintainmore » this relief path as backup to the OMS; and require the OMS to be safety grade. The risk analysis of each alternative estimated the public risk from the operation of the 63 presently operating pressurized water reactors summed over the period from the present to end of licensing. 20 refs., 7 figs., 45 tabs.« less
Edna B. Foa, Foreword. Introduction. The Nature of Obsessions and Compulsions. Behavioral Conceptualization and Treatment of OCD. Cognitive Theory and Treatment. Biological Models and Treatments for OCD. Assessing OCD Symptoms. Continued Assessment and Treatment Planning. Implementing Direct Exposure Sessions. Implementing Imaginal Exposure Sessions. Preventing Rituals. Managing Complications and Maintaining Treatment Gains. Appendices. References. Index.
Porcine granulosa and luteum cells were isolated and cultured in vitro to compare their morphology and secretory activity with these of corpus luteum cells in vivo. Granulosa cells were isolated from preovulatory follicles and the luteal cells were collected from corpora lutea in the early or middle phase of the luteal cycle. The cells were grown as a monolayer for 8 days at 37 degrees C in the Parker's medium (M 199) supplemented with 10% of calf serum. The concentration of progestagens and estrogens in the medium was measured by the radioimmunological method [Abraham et al. 1971, Hotchkiss et al. 1971]. Both granulosa and luteal cells were cultured with the addition of following amounts of hormones: 100 ng LH, 600 ng hCG, 100 ng PRL and 150 ng estradiol per 1 ml of culture medium. At two days of culture the release of progesterone from granulosa cells significantly increased after the addition of 100 ng LH. Luteal cells isolated from the postovulatory corpus luteum released much higher amounts of progesterone than granulosa cells both in control cultures and in cultures supplemented with LH. A secretory stimulation of the luteal cells was observed only on the first day of culture irrespectively of the phase of the luteal cycle. In contrast, granulosa cells reacted by the elevation of hormonal release after the administration of hormones not only at the beginning of the culture, but also after several days. Prolactin did not stimulate the secretory activity of the granulosa cells and the same is valid for the cells isolated from the corpus luteum in the middle luteal phase. However, prolactin stimulated hormonal release of luteal cells isolated from the early corpus luteum.
PURPOSE To evaluate whether 6 mm long by 4 mm wide dental implants could be an alternative to implants at least 10 mm long placed in bone augmented with bone substitutes in posterior atrophic jaws.   MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 20 patients with bilateral atrophic mandibles and 20 patients with bilateral atrophic maxillae, having 5 to 7 mm of bone height above the mandibular canal or below the maxillary sinus, had each side of the jaws randomly allocated according to a split-mouth design. They were allocated to receive one to three 6 mm long and 4 mm wide implants, or implants at least 10 mm long in augmented bone by two different surgeons in different centres. Mandibles were vertically augmented with interpositional equine bone blocks and resorbable barriers, and implants were placed 3 months later. Maxillary sinuses were augmented with particulated porcine bone via a lateral window and implants were placed simultaneously. All implants were submerged and loaded, after 4 months, with provisional prostheses. Four months later, definitive metal-ceramic prostheses were delivered. Outcome measures were prosthesis and implant failures, any complication and radiographic peri-implant marginal bone level changes.   RESULTS One patient treated in the mandible dropped out before the 1-year post-loading follow-up. All maxillary implants and prostheses were successful, whereas 2 mandibular prostheses could not be placed on implants at least 10 mm long due to graft failures; one was associated with the loss of 3 implants because of infection. There were no statistically significant differences in implant and prosthesis failures, though significantly more complications occurred at grafted sites in mandibles (P = 0.0078), but not in maxillae (P = 0.1250). In total, 14 complications occurred in 12 patients at augmented sites versus none at 6 mm-long implants. All failures and complications occurred before loading. Patients with mandibular 6 mm-long implants lost an average of 1.05 mm of peri-implant bone at 1 year and patients with mandibular implants at least 10 mm long lost 1.07 mm. These differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). Patients with maxillary 6 mm-long implants lost an average of 1.02 mm of peri-implant bone at 1 year and patients with maxillary implants at least 10 mm long lost 1.09 mm. These differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in bone level changes up to 1 year between 6 mm and at least 10 mm-long implants in both jaws (mandibles n = 18, mean difference -0.02 mm, 95% CI -0.16 to 0.12, P = 0.7384; maxillae n = 20, mean difference -0.07 mm, 95% CI -0.18 to 0.05, P = 0.2547).   CONCLUSIONS Short-term data (1 year after loading) indicate that 6 mm-long implants with a conventional diameter of 4 mm achieved similar if not better results than longer implants placed in augmented bone. Short implants might be a preferable choice to bone augmentation, especially in posterior mandibles since the treatment is faster, cheaper and associated with less morbidity. However, data obtained 5 to 10 years after loading are necessary before making reliable recommendations. CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT: Tecnoss and Southern Implants partially supported this trial and donated biomaterials, implants and prosthetic components used in this study. However, the data belonged to the authors and by no means did the manufacturers interfere with the conduct of the trial or the publication of its results.
Density functional theory and vibrational spectroscopy are used to investigate a class of bioionic liquids consisting of a choline cation and carboxylate anions. Through quantum mechanical studies of motionless ion pairs and molecular dynamics of small portions of the liquid, we have characterized important structural features of the ionic liquid. Hydrogen bonding produces stable ion pairs in the liquid and induces vibrational features of the carboxylate groups comparable with experimental results. Infrared and Raman spectra of liquids have been measured, and main bands have been assigned on the basis of theoretical spectra.
Since rural urbanization and industry development induce a hot demand for rural collective construction land, the land flows are increasing rapidly in Shanghai and other eastern area of China. However, some problems have been discovered there. Chinese current law concerning rural land, imposes many constraints on the nature of rural land's property rights, including rural land's use right and flow. That means farmer only owns a bounded property rights on rural lands. Except the law constraint, the collectivity system of rural land itself causes farmer's bounded behavior ability on land controlling right. Therefore, to solve the above problem, the farmer's property rights on rural lands should be enhanced from the law system and management
This study is to investigate the mechanism in the risky situation of family functional shortcomings for mediation effects of protective factors in the relationship among protective factors, risk factors, and adaptation to school life, and to identify protective factors for adolescents with high school adaptation ability. For data analysis, we have used the fifth year data of the 8th grade panel from the Korean Youth Panel Study conducted in 2008 by the National Youth Policy Institute. In the study, protective factors have statistically significant mediation effects in the school adaptation of adolescents, indicating that sense of self-esteem, sense of self control, attachment to teachers and attachment to school friends have partial mediation effects. The examination of protective factors for the resilient adolescent group experiencing functional shortcomings of family but exhibiting high school adaptation ability also shows that sense of self-esteem, sense of self control, attachment to teachers and attachment to school friends are all statistically significant, thus confirming as protective factors on school adaptation.
AbstractCloud-resolving models (CRMs) offer an important pathway to interpret satellite observations of microphysical properties of storms. High-frequency microwave brightness temperatures (Tbs) respond to precipitating-sized ice particles and can therefore be compared with simulated Tbs at the same frequencies. By clustering the Tb vectors at these frequencies, the scene can be classified into distinct microphysical regimes (in other words, cloud types). A convective storm over the Amazon observed by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) is simulated using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) in a semi-ideal setting, and four regimes are defined within the scene using cluster analysis: the “clear sky/thin cirrus” cluster, the “cloudy” cluster, the “stratiform anvil” cluster, and the “convective” cluster. Cluster-by-cluster comparisons between the observations and the simulations disclose biases in the model that are consistent with an overproduction of supercooled water and an excess ...
The superconducting toroidal field (TF) plays an important role in a superconduct-ing tokamak,whose power supply was developed based on the feedback control principle.In this paper,superconducting tokamaks in different countries are described,and the TF power sup-ply of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is taken as an example to study the current-sharing characteristics in the current-stabilized stage.Firstly,the math-ematical model of the TF power supply is established,and then the 3-loop control method is put forward for achieving the stability and reliability of current-stabilization and current-sharing.Furthermore,further studies indicate that the current-sharing controller has no influence on the current-stabilized control,and current-stabilizing and current-sharing can be realized at the same time.All the work done provides valuable references for the current-sharing design of the TF power supply for a superconducting tokamak,and all these studies lay a solid foundation for developing superconducting tokamaks.
The objective of the hereby work is to identify, within public debt, the prevailing part played by the two components of governmental public debt, namely internal governmental public debt and external governmental public debt, while considering both components as extremely important for the economic administration of a country in the present day context of financial crisis. With a view to make clear the analyzed phenomenon, we have employed an important amount of statistic data in order to carry out the research dealing with the dynamics of Romania’s governmental public debt during the period 2001-2010 which emphasized the main tendencies displayed by its evolution and which influence the measures meant to improve the management of public debt.
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN 2) is a rare autosomal dominantly inherited familial cancer syndrome caused by mutations in the ret proto-oncogene. MEN 2 has three distinct subtypes, which are MEN 2A, MEN 2B and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Identification of a disease gene has enabled a DNA-based strategy for detection of direct mutation in patients with MEN 2 syndromes and in patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma. The identification of mutations responsible for MEN 2 syndromes has resulted in the routine identification of gene carriers early in life before the development of disease, causing timely prophylactic thyroidectomy in these patients. This report includes our clinical and molecular experience on Turkish MEN 2 families and patients with sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma diagnosed and treated between 1994 and 2005.
The study focuses on the social impact of extreme events like typhoons, particularly on the cohesiveness of rural communities in the Philippines. It highlights how damayan (culture of compassion), and bayanihan (cooperation) are used as resources by community members in coping with extreme events and can be mechanisms towards rebuilding lives and communities damaged by typhoons. The study seeks to describe how the communal coping mechanisms alleviate the negative effects of typhoons. It highlights the role of the culture of damayan (compassion) and bayanihan (cooperation) among community members, as existing indigenous coping mechanisms which not only help rebuild the physical community but also uplift the emotional well-being of community members. The study provides insights on how mainstreaming damayan and bayanihan in disaster interventions can improve aid delivery and build more resilient communities.
Informat ion was collected from 34 pregnant adolescents ·between the ages of 13 and 18 to determine whether consumption of sugar­ subst ituted products is a component of their food practices. The concern has been raised that use of sugar-subst ituted products by pregnant women may lower kilocaloric intake below recommended energy levels resulting in low we ight ga ins. Low maternal weight ga in has been correlated to poor pregnancy outcome. Establ ishing current usage rates and evaluating the relat ionsh ip between use of sugar­ subst ituted products and overall d ietary adequacy was a secondary purpose of th is .study. Both quality of diet and quantity of nutrients may be negat ively influenced by the use of sugar subst itu·tes. Part icipants were interviewed by the pr imary invest igator about demographic and soc ioeconomic information, nutr ition and health prac­ tices, and nutr ition attitudes, part icularly towards the ir use of sugar-subst ituted products. Self-reported dietary records and one 24-hour food recall were completed also by the participants·. One-third of the part ic ipants indicated they used sugar­ substituted foods in their last month of pregnancy. However, reported frequency of use was less than once a week. Therefore, no current usage rates or correlat ions between use of sugar-substituted products and d ietary adequacy could be establ ished. Although 37% of the mothers younger than 18 were classified as underwe ight at con­ cept io"n, sugar-subst ituted products were not used as a means to l imit
Wheeled vehicles or robots can achieve high speed locomotion with a relatively lower control complexity compared to other forms such as legged, hopping, or slithering robots. However, wheeled vehicles have several limitations on rough and uneven surfaces. For instance, wheel robots are much speedier than legged counterpart, but wheeled rope climbing robots are supposed to have very smooth ropes. Moreover, wheels come into contact with all details of the terrain causing higher energy losses in friction. More specifically, this causes higher losses on soft contact surfaces like a slacked rope. "Development of a multipurpose rope climbing robot" research is mainly focusing on developing a rope climbing robot that can be applied in various practical situations. Objective of this research is to design a four legged rope climbing robot that smoothly and steadily moves on a rope. Different mechanisms such as wheeled robot, brachalion robot, crawling type robots and different kind of legged robots have been developed to achieve this target and they have their own advantages and disadvantages. The proposed robot is a four legged robot and each leg has two degrees of freedom. One degree of freedom to rotate the leg forward and backward and second degree of freedom is for grip the rope by each leg. This robot is always grip the rope very steadily and moves on rope very smoothly. These two characteristics are important to carry a weight with a robot and easily can maintain an overall stability of the robot. The robot is planned to work on various situations and the nature of the rope or characteristics such as size of the rope, whether the rope vertical or horizontal directional and whether the rope is having some obstacles like knots or bend at some points on the rope. The robot is planned to have, the design is simple as possible and overall cost is minimized for use the robot in practical situations. For rescue operations, military operations, scientific researches operate on danger areas for humans and specific rope climbing operations can be achieved by the proposed robot. Results show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology and the practical implementation.
The utility model relates to a single-leg lifting sick bed which belongs to a medical auxiliary device. A bed plate of the existing sick bed is reformed to form the utility model which is composed of a fixed bed plate and two lifting plates, right and left lifting plates. The right and left lifting plates can be raised. Lower surfaces of the lifting plates are provided with a positioning claw combination which is cooperated with a positioning rod arranged on a bed frame. The positioning claw combination realizes the purpose that the lifting plates can rise and fall independently and can adjust the height that the lifting plates are raised. The utility model solves the problems that the existing sick beds for treating leg diseases are not convenient in use, and especially a patient who has diseases in a single leg must raise both legs or put a padding under the single leg in the course of treatment, but the padding is easy to desquamate, and accordingly, the treatment effect and progress are affected. The single-leg lifting sick bed can only raise the diseased leg according to the patient's condition, which has convenient operation and is suitable for the treatment of patients who have diseases in legs.
In pearlitic steels, hydrogen trapping at interphase boundaries may induce hydrogen- cracking in the absence of external applied stress such as in blistering and Hydrogen Induced Cracking. However, in low alloy steels containing a much lower density of such trapping sites and/or when hydrogen activity is reduced, most instances of hydrogen-induced cracking involve strong interactions between local plasticity and hydrogen effects. We investigated the effects of these variables on the crack growth rate in two quenched and tempered high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels. Slow strain rate tensile and low-amplitude cyclic tests were conducted on micro-notched specimen in conditions of variable hydrogen activity. The results indicate a strong dependence of crack growth rate with the tempering on the one hand and both the notch-tip plastic zone and hydrogen activity on the other. At low activity, dynamic strain seems to be the major factor affecting hydrogen embrittlement, while trapping effects appear dominant at higher hydrogen activity.
This report describes the implementation and experience with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) for nuclear safety applications. Two applications are described. The first is an Anticipated Transient Without Scram (ATWS) mitigation system provided as a Diverse Auxiliary Feedwater Actuation System (DAFAS). It was implemented at Arizona Public Service`s Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and has been in commercial operation since early 1992. The second system described is an Emergency Diesel Generator Bus Load Sequencer installed at Florida Power and Light`s Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. This system was installed as part of an upgrade to the emergency power system in 1988. The experience gained in the design, development, implementation and qualification of these systems will be beneficial to utilities that are considering the utilization of PLCs for their plant applications.
St Martin-in-the-Fields was a large Westminster parish, with a population of c.30,000 for most of the eighteenth century. By the 1770s the poor rates about £10,000 a year were being collected in poor rates. Its workhouse was one of the largest in London: from the 1770s it had a capacity of over 700 with an annual throughput often exceeding 1,000. The workhouse kept good records and between 1725 and 1824 it apprenticed over 3,000 children from the workhouse.
Quality assurance in haematology laboratory is intended to ensure the reliability of the laboratory tests. A quality assurance programme has two main aspects, namely, internal quality control and external quality assessment. A two year experience of quality assurance in haematology laboratory at B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Nepal, is presented here. As a part of internal quality control, test results in the laboratory were scrutinized before release on a daily basis. Inconsistent result were checked for the given values with control material. In addition, the laboratory is a participant of the 'External Haematology Quality Assurance Programme' conducted by WHO regional reference centre at AIIMS, New Delhi, India. Variations related to errors in manual and autopipetting, calibration and inter-observer differences have been noted from time to time and rectified. The programme has helped us to deliver quality service in haematology laboratory at BPKIHS.
Wembley Park underground station in London, UK is being rebuilt to allow it to handle a 70% increase in passenger numbers when the new Wembley Stadium is complete. 10M of the 42M will go on aesthetic improvements to the station. Work started in April 2004 and is scheduled for completion in September 2005. Details are given of the funding for the station improvements. The project involves piling for new structures, building new platforms, canopies, a new concourse and ticket office, erecting a new station roof, widening the entrance stairs, building new emergency stairs, providing lifts to platforms and modernising the public address system and closed circuit television. The biggest challenge to the project was the tight timescale. Careful planning was needed as work will be conducted whilst the station is still open. The most noticeable features of the new station will be the 'Bobby Moore' steps and the 'bubblewrap' ethyltetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) station roof supported by a stainless steel spike.
Geopolymer concrete (GPC) are representing the most promising green and eco-friendly alternative to Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) . FRMGPC contains Metakaolin, Alkali activated solution, fineaggregate, coarse aggregate and steel fibre. This paper deals with the results of anexperimental investigation of the split tensile strength of steel Fiber Reinforced Metakaolin based Geopolymer Concrete (FRMGPC)(M25). The fiber content varied from 0 to 2 % by weight of geopolymer binder (Metakaolin + GGBFS). Beams of 150mm x 150mm x 700 mm were tested for the flexural strength which was failed and broken in between middle third. The smaller broken piece was taken and tested for the split tensile test. A circular bar of 8mm diameter placed at a distance 150mm from the finished end on opposite faces and loaded till the failure and the tensile strength was found. Results and expressions by regression analysis are also obtained. A significant improvement in the split tensile strengths is observed due to inclusion of steel fibers in the geopolymer concrete.
The present invention relates to automotive floor covering comprising a tufted velor carpet layer. The floor cover carries a pile knots and has a tuft carrier (18) provided columns of tuft (24) on the lower surface side including a zigzag backstitch (25). Such carpeted floor system for a motor vehicle lighter, and to improve the acoustic efficiency, tuft carrier (18) is a plurality of perforations defining a gap between the pile knots (28), without pile yarn including those produced by the tufting needles. The method of the present invention is to produce a velor carpet layer, the tuft carrier (18), by tracking method, the lower surface side of the tuft carrier, tufts columns containing zigzag backstitch (25) (24) is formed as such, a plurality of tufting needles held in a needle holder, upon introducing the plurality of pile yarns, a plurality of perforations defining a gap between the pile knots (28) to the tuft carrier, not including pile threads and essential feature to be made by tufting needles.
The issue of waste management within airports is becoming increasingly important with enormous increases in passenger numbers and is a key responsibility of the facilities manager. Airports are notoriously poor environmental performers and this growth in the industry is leading to increasing levels of waste production. The purpose of this paper is to assess the efficiency of waste management operations at BAA airports, with reference to best practices within airports in continental Europe. The paper presents the findings of a survey of waste management methods in a sample of UK airports. The analysis of numerical data is based on those airports in the BAA group. Many of these are among the busiest airports in Britain, and Heathrow and Gatwick are two of the world's busiest. Data constraints prevented a more detailed analysis of other airports outside BAA. The paper highlights some difficulties in measuring BAA's waste management efficiency based on the waste hierarchy and concludes that some European airports have achieved greater efficiency in waste management. The situation is now changing though and BAA is taking environmental management seriously. However, a more co-ordinated approach to environmental strategy is needed across the industry and this is best produced at government level.
Objective:To investigate the laparotomy and laparoscopy myomectomy clinical effects.Methods:127 cases of uterine fibroids were randomly divided into the LM group(laparoscopic surgery group) 64 cases and TAM group(laparotomy group) 63 cases,analyzed and compared the two groups of patients with postoperative situation.Results:There were all successful.LM group mean operation time was(115±25) min,blood loss was(150.8±180.5) ml,anal exhaust time average was(17.8±4.1) h,mean postoperative hospital stay was(3.4±0.8) d,postoperative morbidity was 7.81%;TAM Group:The average operation time was(110±30) min,blood loss was(245.1±281.1) ml,anal exhaust time average was(40.2±12.5) h,mean postoperative hospital stay was(6.6±0.8) d,postoperative morbidity was 41.27%,compared with the TAM group:intraoperative blood loss,postoperative morbidity,anal exhaust time average,mean postoperative hospital stay,there was significant difference(P0.05).Conclusion:Laparoscopic surgical trauma,effective,can replace most of the abdominal uterine fibroids.
The results of the 2018 Andalusian Parliament elections led to a political cycle change in the region, which had been governed by the PSOE without alternation since 1982. This article aims to analyze the explanatory factors of stability and change of vote to the PSOE between the regional elections of Andalusia in 2015 and 2018. A quantitative approach is offered to the socio-demographic profile of the faithful socialist voter in both elections and analyzes the psycho-political and contextual factors of permanence that favor this behavior. Finally, the elements that influence the change of vote for socialist formation in 2018 are explored. The analysis shows a permanence of the left-wing Andalusian socialist voter’s ideological preferences and the demobilization of a sector of the potential electorate of the party motivated by circumstantial elements.
Abstract : The dynamics of electron gratings formed in Hg(1 - x)Cd(x)Te at 80 K by the interference of pump and probe beams from a Carbon Dioxide TEA laser has been investigated. A CO2 TEA laser beam incident upon the backside of the sample quenches the forward mode phase conjugate signal from the pump and probe beams, with a response time no greater than 40 nsec. A model has been proposed based upon two-photon absorption and Auger recombination. A theoretical analysis of GaAs/Al(x)Ga(1 - x)As and Hg(1 - x)Cd(x)Te/Hg(y)Cd(1 - y)Te superlattices shows that the photo-excited plasma mechanism does not give rise to an appreciably larger third order susceptibility than bulk alloys. However, the third order susceptibility arising from conduction band nonparabolicity can be two orders of magnitude higher in the GaAs/Al(x)Ga(1 - x)As superlattices than in the bulk alloy. There is no increase in the third order susceptibility due to conduction band nonparabolicity in Hg(1 - x)Cd(x)Te/Hg(y)Cd(1 - y)Te superlattices compared with the bulk alloy. Keywords: Mercury cadmium tellurides, Gallium aluminum arsenide, Real time electron gratings, Dependence of diffracted beam signal upon erase beam intensity, Gallium arsenides.
The polyketide antibiotic Frenolicin-B (FB) produces anorexia and esophageal epithelial hyperplasia (EH) in rats, findings that are characteristic of zinc defi- ciency. Because FB also chelates divalent cations in vitro, we conducted studies to determine whether FB modifies blood and organ concentrations of zinc and other essential metals (calcium, copper, iron and magnesium). Groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats (250g; n 20/group) con- sumed diets with adequate (40 g/g), deficient (<2 g/g) or fortified (100 g/g) zinc concentrations ad libitum for 28 d. Two groups fed either Zn-adequate or Zn-fortified diets also were given 100 mg/(kgd) of FB in diet, and 2 groups were pair-fed controls. Histopathology or metal analyses were performed on tissues from 10 rats/group. FB caused EH of the nonglandular stomach but not of other tissues. Of the metals evaluated, only copper concentrations were sig- nificantly reduced in all tissues examined except kidney. A broad range of kidney copper concentrations was found; these concentrations were associated with plasma copper and proteinaceous deposits within tubules. In rats, FB sub- stantially and selectively depletes Cu in vivo, suggesting that drugs with structures that permit metal chelation should be evaluated for their potential to alter trace metal nutriture. J. Nutr. 131: 3247-3250, 2001.
This paper presents an evaluation of the wind potential in the area of the Lagoon of Venice (Italy). A full anemometric campaign of 2 year measurements, performed by the "Osservatorio Bioclimatologico dell'Ospedale al Mare di Venezia" has been analyzed to obtain the Weibull wind speed distribution and the main wind directions. The annual energy outputs of two candidate horizontal-axis wind turbines (“Aventa AV-7 LoWind” and “Gaia Wind 133-11kW”) have been estimated on the basis of the computed Weibull wind distribution, registering a better performance of the former turbine, due to a higher ratio between rotor swept area and rated power of the electric generator, determining a lower cut-in wind speed.
Alkaline phosphatase is an extracellular enzyme enabling the utilisation of phosphomonoesters as a source of Pi required for the maintenance of the cellular metabolism. Its catalytic properties have been extensively studied in aquatic environments in an attempt to describe its influence on phosphorous cycling in natural waters. Despite its significance and frequent determination a standard method has not been developed yet. In order to examine the effect of various reaction conditions on the kinetic properties of ALP in seawater the stability of ALP in chloroform-stabilised samples has been studied in addition to the influence of the buffer type, its concentration and pH, the metal-ion content, Pi and incubation time. It could be concluded that the kinetic properties of ALP are significantly influenced by the buffer pH, the concentration of Mg2+ and Zn2+ ions and the incubation period, requiring a precise definition of these reaction parameters in determining a standard method for measurement of ALP activity in water media.
Objective: To develop and validate a simple, selective, rapid, precise, and accurate high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for determination of atorvastatin in bulk and its pharmaceutical formulation product. Method: Reversed phase-HPLC (RP-HPLC) method was performed by a mobile phase consisting mixture of methanol and ammonium acetate buffer (pH 4.5) in the proportion 60:40 v/v. A ZORBAX Eclipse plus C (4.6 mm × 100 mm, 3.5 μ) column was used as a stationary phase. HPLC analysis of atorvastatin was carried out at a wavelength of 241 nm with a flow rate of 1 ml/minute. 18 Results: The linear regression analysis data for the calibration curve showed a good linear relationship with a correlation coefficient 0.9984. The linear regression equation was y=3726540.2x+27390388.1. This was found to give a sharp peak of atorvastatin at a retention time of 2.77 minutes. Validation parameters were evaluated for the method according to the ICH (Q2R1) guidelines. The limit of detection and limit of quantification for the method were 0.6721 μg/mL and 1.9989 μg/mL, respectively. The % relative standard deviation values for intra-day precision and inter-day precision were found to be 0.31% and 0.30%, respectively. An accuracy of the method was determined through recovery studies which were found to be within 97.57-102.22%. Conclusion: The method was validated for system suitability, accuracy, precision, robustness, and ruggedness. The precision, accuracy, sensitivityshort retention time and composition of the mobile phase indicated that this method is better than the earlier methods developed for the quantification of atorvastatin. Keywords: Atorvastatin, Reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatographic method development, Validation.
We prove a variant of the reciprocity laws for CM abelian varieties, CM K3 surfaces, and CM points on Shimura varieties. Given a CM object over the complex numbers, our variation describes the set of all models over a given number field $F$ in terms of associated representations of the absolute Galois group of $F$. An essential feature is that we work with stacky Shimura varieties to deal with objects that have non-trivial automorphisms.  To prove the result on K3 surfaces, we show that the stack of polarized K3 surfaces of given degree is an open substack of a certain Shimura stack. The precise statement of this folklore fact seems to be missing from the literature.
Vanadium oxide-zirconia catalysts were prepared by dry impregnation of powdered Zr(OH)4 with aqueous solution of NH4VO3. The characterization of prepared catalysts was performed using 51V solid state NMR, XRD, and DSC. The addition of vanadium oxide up to 9 mol% to zirconia shifted the phase transitions of ZrO2 from amorphous to tetragonal toward higher temperatures due to the interaction between vanadium oxide and zirconia. On the basis of results of XRD and DSC, it is concluded that the content of V2O5 monolayer covering most of the available zirconia was 9 mol%. The crystalline V2O5 was observed only with the samples containing V2O5 content exceeding the formation of complete monolayer (9 mol%) on the surface of ZrO2.
Two different predictive models,i.e.the gray theory GM(1,1) and the bottom line,are established on the basis of the number of inbound tourism in Shanghai to investigate into the influence of World Expo on the number of inbound tourism.Comparative analysis reveals that the bottom trend line model is more suitable for the prediction of tourism development trend and the quantitative evaluation of the influence of Shanghai World Expo on tourism.Comparing the predicted number with the actual one in 2010,it is found that the contribution of Shanghai World Expo to the attraction of overseas tourists is 21.24%.Finally,suggestions to improve the accuracy of prediction are put forward.
The invention relates to equipment and a method for dynamically configuring a proxy server. The equipment in the invention at least includes load balancing and flow management module and a load monitoring module therein, a load management module and a background proxy server management interface. The method in the invention performs reasonable deployment on a background proxy server mainly according to load conditions such as client-side access requests of equipment and the condition of the background proxy server management interface. According to the current load conditions, and in cooperation with the proxy server management interface, the equipment in the invention dynamically schedules resources of the background proxy server, thereby enabling limited resources to be reasonably used, and reducing usage cost; when background service is closed, current businesses are guaranteed not to be affected; and the whole process is intelligent, and no manual intervention is needed.
The study area is located in the southern part of the Central Anatolia Neogene Basin (north of Karapinar Town and  Aci Gol, Konya). The Insuyu Limestone Unit, which has a total thickness of 100-400 m, is composed of claystone,  sandstone, conglomerate and chert. There are also andezite and pyroclastic interclations within Insuyu limestone.  The claystone layers of this unit are white to pink in color and contain abundant Ostracoda and a few fresh water  Gastropoda. In this study, 160 samples from 8 stratigraphic sections were collected but only samples having  limestone lithology contained ostracods. Atotal of 16 ostracods taxa (11 previously known and five belonging to  open nomenclature) are systematically described as  Cyprideis pannonica, C. torosa, Ilyocypris gibba, I. bradyi,  Candona neglecta, C. candida, C. altoides, C. decimai, Pseudocandona compressa, Heterocypris salina,  Zonocypris membranea, Ilyocypris Candona , Candona Pseudocandona Cypridopsis  sp. sp.1 sp.2, sp. and sp.  Based on this Ostracoda fauna, the age of this unit is assigned as Pliocene-Early Pleistocene. This fauna indicates a  few brackish but dominantly fresh water conditions in a lacustrine environment.
An approximate analytic solution for the elastic load was derived by applying Taylor equation when the asperity heights follow an exponential distribution. The exact analytic solution for the plastic load and empirical expression for the static sealing flow were deduced. The leakage past the sealing surfaces is proportional to the cubic standard deviation of surface height. There exists a certain critical plasticity index during plastic contact. The total load becomes independent of the plasticity index and roughness parameter when the plasticity index exceeds the critical value. The dimensionless plastic leakage depends on the hardness of the softer material not on the composite modulus for two contact rough surfaces.
The intraperitoneal administration of different extracts of Pimenta dioica (L.) Merrill (Myrtaceae) to conscious normotensive and hypertensive rats caused a depression of the central nervous system (CNS). The intensity of this depression depends on the dose. Analgesic and hypothermic effects were also observed. The total aqueous extract was more effective than the ethanolic extract and the final aqueous fraction was the most effective. The peritoneal irritation caused by the extract explains only partially the depressive effect over the CNS. When the final aqueous fraction was given orally to SDN and SHR rats during 14 days there was no observed change on the sistolic blood pressure, heart rate and weight of the animals.
The theme researched by the author has important historical-political significance. The author showed the essence of the «Latvian national opposition during the Second World War that played an auxiliary role for Hitler Germany in its plans for world domination - in bloody crimes against humanity. Being covered by «noble slogans of protection of Latvia from bolshevism», Latvian nationalists and fascists were the instrument in the war against the Soviet Union.
Below I examine two aspects of the external comparison of Proto-Semitic, which represent at the same time two key areas of the Afro-Asiatic (Semito-Hamitic) consonantal reconstruction. Unfortunately, these two fields of research have up to now mutually very little contacted. However, the success of a better integration of the Semitic reconstruction into the recent process of comparative-historical Afro-Asiatic research can greatly depend just on this desirable contact.
Highway projects often require that adjacent utilities be adjusted to make room for new or expanded highway facilities. As an increasing number of highway projects are constructed in congested, interference-prone environments, timely completion of utility adjustment work is more critical than ever. The conventional strategy used by state departments of transportation demands that each utility owner involved complete its respective adjustments before highway construction. This strategy may present numerous challenges and can carry with it serious consequences for state departments of transportation, utility owners, and the traveling public. One major new strategic approach sporadically used by state departments of transportation within the past decade is to combine utility adjustment work with the highway contractor's scope of work and theoretically to reduce some associated complications and risks. This strategy is called combined transportation and utility construction (CTUC), and it offers many benefits while presenting its own set of disadvantages and challenges. Hence, it is necessary to design a decision support system (DSS) for use during the highway planning and design phases. Such a DSS could help both state transportation and utility decision makers determine when to use the CTUC strategy. Results of the CTUC DSS's verification and validation show that the CTUC DSS can facilitate communication and coordination throughout the entire CTUC decision-making process.
A dual-channel fully integrated RF receiver is designed and implemented for next generation Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in a 0.18μmCMOS process. Its two independent channels are capable of receiving 2MHz, 4MHz or 20MHz bandwidth signals around 1.2GHz and 1.57GHz, for GPS, Galileo, and Compass systems. Gain controls along with an all-digital automatic gain control (AGC) loop are implemented in each channel to improve the noise and anti-interference performance of the receiver. While drawing 25mA current per channel from a 1.8V supply, this receiver achieves a total noise figure of 2.5dB/2.7dB and a maximum voltage gain of 115dB/112dB at 1.2GHz/1.57GHz, respectively, with a die area of 2.4×3mm2 including ESD and I/O pads.
From the angle of the high relationship between the traffic organization and urban spatial structure, the geographic concept, coupling, was proposed in the article, and the coupling mechanism of urban spatial structure and traffic organization was studied primarily based on the analysis of the connotation of the coupling, and the coupling function of main associated factors between the urban spatial structure and traffic organization was analyzed.
When oil and petroleum products are stored, their temperature significantly impacts how their properties change. The paper covers the problem of determining temperature fluctuations of hydrocarbons during storage. It provides results of the authors’ investigations of the stored product temperature variations relative to the ambient temperature. Closeness and correlation coefficients between these values are given. Temperature variations equations for oil and petroleum products stored in tanks are deduced.
Introduction: Poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is a synthetic, tooth coloured polymeric material that has been used as a biomaterial in the field of medical sciences especially in orthopaedics for last few years. As PEEK is relatively a new material in dentistry compared to composite, ceramics or zirconia, it is important to explore and summarize its properties. Aim: The aim of this review is to study the characteristics, properties and clinical significance of recently introduced dental biomaterial in dentistry that is Poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK). Review Results: The PEEK is a recently introduced biomaterial in prosthodontics and due to its excellent properties like stable chemical properties and biocompatibility properties it can be used in fixed and removable prosthodontics and as well as dental implants among others. PEEK is more aesthetic, stable, biocompatible, lighter and has reduced degree of discoloration compared to the various metals used in dentistry hence may be viable option to replace metal used in dentistry. Clinical Significance: Numerous studies have proven that PEEK is an excellent viable biomaterial which can be successfully used in the field of prosthodontics. Its clinical use varies from an alternative to PMMA, CAD-CAM restorations, copings etc in fixed dental prostheses and also can be used in removable prosthodontics as an alternative to metal braces and hooks among others. It is being explored as viable option for use in various fields of prosthodontics. Conclusion: PEEK is an attractive modern biomaterial to use in prosthodontics. Due to its favourable chemical, mechanical and physical properties it is used in producing fixed and removable prostheses and also in implant prosthodontics.
We report the observation of the ratchet effect for a relativistic flux quantum trapped in an annular Josephson junction embedded in an inhomogeneous magnetic field. In such a solid state system, mechanical quantities are proportional to electrical quantities, so that the ratchet effect represents the realization of a relativistic-flux-quantum-based diode. Mean static voltage response, equivalent to directed fluxon motion, is experimentally demonstrated in such a diode for deterministic as well as stochastic oscillating current forcing.
Abstract In this article, an energy approach based on the correlation between dissipated friction energy and wear volume was used to compare wear resistances of human tooth enamel and four composite dental materials: Arkon, Ecusit, Ful-Fil, and Filtek. The results of the study showed that the wear resistance of enamel is approximately one order or more higher than the one obtained for the dental materials. The effectiveness of the approach used has also been shown. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examinations and chemical analysis surfaces subjected to tribological experiments made it possible to uncover substantial differences in the wear mechanisms occurring on enamel and the dental material surfaces. The wear mechanism of the dental materials used in the study is characterized mainly by chemical changes, while enamel is mainly subjected to physical transformations.
Four areas were selected to represent a range of processes characteristic of badland surfaces in southeast Spain: Petrer and Monnegre in Alicante, Vera and Tabernas in Almeria. At Petrer, rilling and swelling processes produce a deeply cracked surface drained by a finely textured network of shallow rills. At Monnegre, piping and rilling are differentially developed on slopes ultimately controlled by basal incision. At Vera, aspect-controlled lichen and vegetation cover produce a sequence of badland development within which the relative importance of piping, mass movement and rilling varies through the sequence. At Tabernas, simple overland flow is the dominant process, but aspect influences rill network density and badland evolution.  The factors controlling badland development can be grouped into those related to gross morphology, to surface cover and runoff generation, and to material properties. These factors are effective over varying timescales, implying that morphological response times differ among the selected badlands.
Tire characteristics and behavior are of great importance in vehicle dynamics since the forces transmitted in the tire-road contact are the main contributors to global vehicle performance. Several research groups have focused on the study and modeling of tires. Some of the most important factors that need to be known are tread characteristics and pressure distribution in the tire-ground contact patch. In this work, a test bench has been used to adequately determine the aforementioned factors. The measurement principle of the test bench is the frustration of total internal reflection (FTIR) of light. It makes use of a laterally illuminated glass on which the tire leans. An interposed plastic interface between them causes the reflection of light. Finally, a video camera captures the bright image formed through the glass. The brightness level in each pixel of the image is related to existing normal pressure. A study of the parameters that affect the test bench calibration such as type of interface material used, diffuse light, hysteresis, creep and transverse light absorption is performed. Experimental tests are conducted to relate tire inflation pressure and camber angle to the pressure distribution. Furthermore, the test bench is used to detect and evaluate the influence of defects in the tire on the contact pressures.
Living descendants of fossilized microbes in Lake Alchichica of Mexico are being characterized and their respective metabolic roles in microbialite construction described by Purificacion Lopez-Garcia at the Universite Paris-Sud in Orsay France, and her colleagues there and at other institutions in France, Poland, and Mexico. Details of their studies appear in the December 2011 PLoS ONE (6; 12:e28767; doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0028767).
In order to evaluate the neutron doses around nuclear fissile objects, a comparative study has been made on several neutron dosemeters: bubble dosemeters, etched-track detectors (CR-39) and 3He-filled proportional counters used as dose-rate meters. The measurements were made on the ambient and the personal dose equivalents H*(10) and Hp(10). Results showed that several bubble dosemeters should have been used due to a low reproducibility in the measurements. A strong correlation with the neutron energy was also found, with about a 30% underestimation of Hp(10) for neutrons from the PuBe source, and about a 9% overestimation for neutrons from the 252Cf source. Measurements of the nuclear fissile objects were made using the CR-39 and the dose-rate meters. The CR-39 led to an underestimation of 30% with respect to the neutron dose-rate meter measurements. In addition, the MCNP calculation code was used in the different configurations.
The auditory evoked response has a latency of about 50 milliseconds, when the first rather inconstant positive wave occurs, followed by a large negative peak at about 100 ms and large positive wave at about 175 ms. There is often another large negative wave at 250-300 ms in young people. This and later negative waves often predominate in very young children and most components of the response tend to be delayed compared to the adult.
Antibodies play a central role in prophylaxis against many infectious agents. While neutralization is a primary function of antibodies, the Fc- and complement-dependent activities of these multifunctional proteins may also be critical in their ability to provide protection against most viruses. Protection against viral pathogens in vivo is complex, and while virus neutralization—the ability of antibody to inactivate virus infectivity, often measured in vitro—is important, it is often only a partial contributor in protection. The rapid fluorescent focus inhibition test (RFFIT) remains the “gold standard” assay to measure rabies virus–neutralizing antibodies. In addition to neutralization, the rabies-specific antigen-binding activity of antibodies may be measured through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), as well as other available methods. For any disease, in selecting the appropriate assay(s) to use to assess antibody titers, assay validation and how they are interpreted are important considerations—but for a fatal disease like rabies, they are of paramount importance. The innate limitations of a one-dimensional laboratory test for rabies antibody measurement, as well as the validation of the method of choice, must be carefully considered in the selection of an assay method and for the interpretation of results that might be construed as a surrogate of protection.
Background Cardiotoxicity is a recognised adverse effect of trastuzumab. Cumulative doses of chemotherapy (CT) with anthracycline, low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), old age, high body mass index, constitute risk factors to consider. Measurement of LVEF by radionuclide angiography (MUGA) or echocardiogram must be carried out. Purpose Aim of this retrospective study was to define the tolerability and safety of patients with breast carcinoma treated with trastuzumab at the IPOCFG, EPE, according to the recommendations of The National Cancer Research Institute. Materials and methods Patients treated with trastuzumab at the Day Hospital (DH), between January 2009 and August 2011. Data collected using the computer application Oncofarm® and SIGEHP®. Results A total of 253 patients, 96.8% breast carcinoma and 3.2% inflammatory breast carcinoma; 52.2% left breast, 43.1% right breast and 4.7% both; average age: 55 years (28-79); average weight: 68 kg (42-110). Total mastectomy: 44.3%; conservative surgery: 55.7%. Average treatment time: 328 days (1-2806). Treatment was palliative in 62.4% of patients, adjuvant in 33.6% and neoadjuvant in 4%. Previous CT regimens: FEC (57.7%), Docetaxel (31.2%) and Docetaxel/Epirubicin (29.2%). Hormonal therapy prescribed to 10.7% of patients; 52.2% held radiotherapy; 28.5% hypertension controlled with medication; 485 values obtained by MUGA: 17.9% of LVEF were < 55%, of which 27.6% were ≤50%. Conclusions The trastuzumab is, nevertheless, well tolerated. The main recommendations of The National Cancer Research Institute include: monitoring scheme that defines baseline and heart function during treatment; intervention strategies with cardiovascular therapeutic; simplified rules for start, stop and discontinue trastuzumab; and multidisciplinary approach to the treatment.
The focus of this special issue as posed in the call for papers highlighted explorations of symbolic competence at several levels: theory; teaching and learning practices; and research. In this Afterword, we consider these levels central to our reflections on the particular contributions of this special issue as well as to considerations of future areas of inquiry. The guiding questions for each included: Theory: How can symbolic competence be further theorized?Teaching and learning practices: What is the relevance of symbolic competence to the language classroom? Research: How do we conduct research on symbolic competence, its theoretical potentials and limitations, in relationship to classroom learning and pedagogical practices? The articles in this special issue have made significant contributions in responding to these questions. These articles all grapple with theorizations of symbolic competence in relationship to questions of symbolic representation and language users’ understandings of the relationships between form and meaning; symbolic action and language users’ manipulation of semiotic resources to meaningfully engage in the multilingual and multimodal game; and, symbolic power in terms of how learners engage these resources to play this game. From pedagogical practice to classroom interactions the articles have all demonstrated the relevance of symbolic competence to the language classroom as well as offering insightful and innovative pedagogical practices designed to potentially support its development. Additionally, they provide differing models of research, from the level of detailed analysis of conversation and turns at talk to thematic analysis of reflections on the implementation of new pedagogical practices and considerations of their potentials.
Motivated by the proliferation of real-time applications in multimedia communication systems, tactile Internet, networked controlled systems, and cyber-physical systems, supporting delay-constrained traffic become critical for the communication system. In delay-constrained traffic, each packet has a hard deadline and if it cannot be delivered before its deadline, it becomes useless and will be removed from the system. In this work, we consider a slotted ALOHA system where multiple stations need to deliver delay- constrained traffic to a common receiver by accessing a shared channel. We prove that, under the frame- synchronized traffic pattern, the maximum system timely throughput converges to $1/e=36.8 %$ as the number of stations goes to infinity, which is the same as the asymptotic maximum system throughput for delay- unconstrained slotted ALOHA system with saturate traffic. While this is not completely surprising, we further investigate the speed of such a maximum system throughput approaching $1/e$ under borderline traffic.
The effects produced by the mutual coupling between the elements of an array must be taken into account to improve the reliability of an adaptive process in a real environment. An interpolation technique, between the real and a virtual environment, is used to solve the problem of mutual coupling in a conformal phased array. The real environment disturbed by mutual coupling effects can be obtained from measurements or from an electromagnetics simulation program. The methodology is now illustrated on a hemispherical conformal array. The array can be composed of different types of antenna such as dipoles, horns and microstrip patches.
Total-energy calculations within the local-density approximation (LDA) to the density-functional theory are used to study the properties of AlN under pressure. The free energy (at zero temperature) is calculated as a function of pressure for AlN in the wurtzite, zinc-blende, rocksalt, nickel arsenide, anti-NiAs, and  ensuremath{ beta}-tin structures. According to the calculations the wurtzite structure is stable from zero pressure (P) up to  ensuremath{ approxeq}12.5 GPa, where AlN transforms into the rocksalt phase. The volume reduction is 19%. The volume change agrees with recent experiments, but the transition pressure is lower than observed, presumably due to the LDA. It is argued that the transition pressure in reality is close to 17 GPa. Another transformation is predicted at higher pressures, and the calculations suggest that this structure could be similar to that of NiAs, but with c/a=1.72. The transition to the NiAs structure would occur between 30 and 40 GPa, and it is accompanied by a very small volume change. The internal parameters (c/a and u) of the hexagonal phases are optimized by total-energy minimization, and their variation with pressure is derived. At P=0 the internal parameters of wurtzite-AlN are (c/a,u)=(1.596, 0.3820). When P is increased c/a decreases monotonically, and u increases, but the interrelation between u and c/a differs from ideality (defined as the case where all bonds would have the same lengths).
The muscle intracellular (IC) free glucose concentration and the rate of muscle glycogen synthesis were measured by using in vivo 13C and 31P NMR spectroscopy in normal volunteers under hyperinsulinemic ( approximately 300 pM) clamp conditions at the following three plasma glucose levels: euglycemia ( approximately 6 mM), mild ( approximately 10 mM), and high ( approximately 16 mM) hyperglycemia. In keeping with biopsy studies, muscle IC free glucose concentration at euglycemia (-0.03 +/- 0.03 mmol/kg of muscle, mean +/- SEM, n = 10) was not statistically different from zero. A small but statistically significant amount of IC free glucose was observed during mild and high hyperglycemia: 0.15 +/- 0.08 (n = 5) and 0.43 +/- 0.20 mmol/kg of muscle (n = 5), respectively. Muscle glycogen synthesis rate, in mmol per kg of muscle per min, was 111 +/- 11 at euglycemia (n = 10), 263 +/- 29 during mild hyperglycemia (n = 5), and 338 +/- 42 during high hyperglycemia (n = 5), these three rates being significantly different from each other. As previous in vitro and in vivo studies, these rates suggest a Km (concentration at which unidirectional glucose transport reaches half-maximal rate) of the muscle glucose transport system in the 15-25 mM range under hyperinsulinemic conditions. The low concentrations of muscle IC free glucose observed under hyperinsulinemic conditions were interpreted, with this estimate and in the framework of metabolic control theory, as glucose transport being the predominant step controlling muscle glucose flux not only at euglycemia but also during hyperglycemia.
A new design for a coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed slot antenna is presented. The impedance matching and the radiation characteristics of this structure were studied using the method of moment technique. This antenna has an impedance bandwidth (for a VSWR<2) of 49% and a radiation bandwidth of 42% about its 4.8 GHz centre frequency, compared to the 12-20% impedance bandwidth of the standard CPW fed slot antenna. The cross-polarisation in both the principle planes is at least 20 dB below co-polarisation across the entire bandwidth. Simulated and measured results of the antenna are presented. This wideband antenna has significant applications in wireless technologies.
To scholars of Western intellectual history Hegel is one of the most important of all political thinkers, but politicians and other "down-to-earth" persons see his speculative philosophy as far removed from their immediate concerns. Put off by his difficult terminology, many participants in practical politics may also believe that Hegel's idealism unduly legitimates the status quo. By examining his justification of legal punishment, this book introduces a Hegel quite different from these preconceptions: an acute critic of social practices. Mark Tunick draws on recently published but still untranslated lectures of Hegel's philosophy of right to take us to the core of Hegel's political thought. Hegel opposes radical criticism like that later offered by Marx, but, argues Tunick, he employs "immanent" criticism instead. For instance, Hegel claims that punishment is the criminal's right and makes the criminal free. From this standpoint, he defends specific features of the practice of punishment that accord with this retributive ideal and criticizes other features that contradict it. In a lucid account of what Hegel means by right and freedom, Tunick addresses Hegel specialists and those interested in criminal law, the interpretation of legal institutions and social practices, and justification from an immanent standpoint.Originally published in 1992.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
This work investigated the influence of N fertilization and grain maturity on total phenolic concentration (TPC) of wheat caryopses. A pot experiment was conducted, using soft spring wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Thasos) which was treated with four different amounts of nitrogen (0.25–2.00 g N pot−1) and harvested at three different development stages (medium milk stage, late milk stage, and dough maturity). Phenolic compounds were extracted and analyzed as total phenolic concentration in three discrete fractions: free soluble, conjugated soluble and insoluble bound forms. TPC of free phenolic compounds rose with increasing N supply while TPC of conjugated soluble phenolics decreased at the same time. Insoluble phenolics were less affected by N treatment. Total phenolic concentration also changed with the development stage of caryopses and reached a peak at the late milk stage.
The article analyses the trajectory of a group of Brazilian intellectuals froml786 to 1810, who inaugurated a systematic critique of the environmental damage caused by colonial economy in Brazil, especially forest destruction and soil erosion. These authors, schooled in the culture of the Enlightenment, adopted a theoretical framework centred on physiocratic economic doctrine and the 'nature's economy' encoded by Linnaeus. Their focus was political, anthropo centric, and pragmatic. They defended the natural milieu on the basis of its importance for the survival and progress of Brazilian society. Waste and destruction of natural resources were attributed to the rudimentary technologies and social practices inherited from the colonial system. They proposed an overall modernisation policy as the road to overcoming environmental degradation in the country
Curtain-grouting is necessary to improve hydraulic and dynamic properties for dam foundation stability. Adequate evaluation of grouting improvement is extremely important for its rational execution. Such evaluation is conducted in accordance with the non-exceedance probability for a target Lugeon value. Ordinarily, for the grouting area, the probability is calculated from Lugeon values of regular pattern holes and supplementary ones individually. The probability for regular pattern holes conducted equally in the area represents the overall grouting effectiveness. However, although the probability for the supplementary holes does not represent the effectiveness, it has been regarded in many cases as the criterion of effectiveness. A new rational process of evaluating the probability is provided herein: it synthesizes both holes. Additionally, a rational process is provided for the reduction of supplementary holes. These processes were demonstrated as useful for curtain-grouting quality management at a domestic dam construction site.
We have studied on the slicing and polishing processes of R-plane sapphire wafers for the substrates of UHB nonpolar a-plane GaN LED. The fabrication conditions of the R-plane and c-plane wafers were influenced by the large anisotropic properties (mechanical properties) of the sapphire. The slicing process was more affected by the anisotropic properties of R-plane than the polishing process. When the slicing direction was 45 o to the a-flat, the slicing time was shorter and the quality of as-slicing wafers was better than the slicing direction of normal to the a-flat. The MRR(Material removal rate) of mechanical polishing processes such as lapping and DMP(Diamond mechanical polishing) did not show significant differences between the R-plane and c-plane. The MRR of the c-plane was about two times higher than that of R-planes at the CMP(Chemical mechanical polishing) process due to the formation of hydrolysis reaction layers on the surface of the c-plane.
ABSTRACT Skin gelatin of oneknife unicornfish (Naso thynnoides) was hydrolyzed using a crude protease from Bacillus sp. under optimum hydrolysis conditions. The resulting hydrolysate was subjected to centrifugal ultrafiltration to produce fractions of ≤10 KDa molecular weight. Antioxidant, antihypertensive, and functional properties of the hydrolysate fraction were determined. Results showed that 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity (63%) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (25.90 trolox equivalent (mM mg−1) increased with increasing protein concentration in the fraction. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity was directly proportional to the protein concentration, with the highest value obtained at 33.97% and IC50 determined to be 10.17 µg mL−1. Gel electrophoresis revealed that the gelatin hydrolysates contained mostly peptides, with a molecular weight ranging between 5 KDa and 30 KDa. Amino acid profile of the hydrolysates showed that it is rich in residues of glycine (Gly) (40.70%) and glutamic acid+glutamine (Glx) (25.40%). The hydrolysate was soluble over a wide pH range (79.38–97.12%). Foaming properties increased, while emulsion properties decreased with increasing concentration of the gelatin hydrolysates. The results of the present study revealed the potential of the oneknife unicornfish gelatin hydrolysates as a food ingredient with antioxidant and antihypertensive properties.
This study was aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices of rural children towards oral health. Children (n = 100) between the age group of 6 to 8 years, who attended the Government school in Gogi village on the day of screening were recruited into the study. The subjects completed a questionnaire that was aimed to evaluate young children’s oral health knowledge, attitude and practices. In the present study, 86% children were using tooth brush, 92% of the children were unaware of emergency management of avulsed tooth and that 91% reported that they have never visited the dentist. 47% stated lack of access to oral health care as the major reason for not visiting a dentist. Hence we conclude that oral health awareness and knowledge level among rural children in Gogi village was poor and needs to be improved. Need for School dental health programmes is highly recommended which incorporates the need of the population.
Filaments that form either between or around active regions (ARs) are called intermediate filaments. Even though there have been many theoretical studies, the origin of the chirality of filaments is still unknown. We investigated how intermediate filaments are related to their associated ARs, especially from the point of view of magnetic helicity and the orientation of polarity inversion lines (PILs). The chirality of filaments has been determined based on the orientations of barbs observed in full-disk Hα images taken at Big Bear Solar Observatory during the rising phase of solar cycle 23. The sign of magnetic helicity of ARs has been determined using /inverse– shaped sigmoids from Yohkoh SXT images. As a result, we have found good correlation between the chirality of filaments and the magnetic helicity sign of ARs. Among 45 filaments, 42 filaments have shown the same sign as helicity sign of nearby ARs. It has been also confirmed that the role of both the orientation and the relative direction of PILs to ARs in determining the chirality of filaments is not significant, against a theoretical prediction. These results suggest that the chirality of intermediate filaments may originate from magnetic helicity of their associated ARs.
The amount of fibrosis in endomyocardial biopsies from 55 patients with aortic stenosis and 42 patients with aortic regurgitaion was measured. Sixty per cent of the patients with aortic stenosis had some degree of fibrosis; the degree of fibrosis correlated strongly with ejection fraction, peak systolic gradient, symptoms of cardiac failure, and mortality. In patients with aortic regurgitation, fibrosis was found in 40 per cent and was never severe. A correlation was found with symptoms of cardiac failure and mortality at follow-up, but not with ejection fraction or degree of regurgitation.
Identifying transcriptional responses that are most consistently associated with experimental coronavirus (CoV) infection can help illuminate human cellular signaling pathways impacted by CoV infection. Here, we distilled over 3,000,000 data points from publically archived CoV infection transcriptomic datasets into consensus regulatory signatures, or consensomes, that rank genes based on their transcriptional responsiveness to infection of human cells by MERS, SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 subtypes. We computed overlap between genes with elevated rankings in the CoV consensomes against those from transcriptomic and ChIP-Seq consensomes for nearly 880 cellular signaling pathway nodes. Validating the CoV infection consensomes, we identified robust overlap between their highly ranked genes and high confidence targets of signaling pathway nodes with known roles in CoV infection. We then developed a series of use cases that illustrate the utility of the CoV consensomes for hypothesis generation around mechanistic aspects of the cellular response to CoV infection. We make the CoV infection datasets and their universe of underlying data points freely accessible through the Signaling Pathways Project web knowledgebase at https://www.signalingpathways.org/datasets/index.jsf.
Advanced statistical and computational techniques have been applied to estimate aircraft aerodynamic coefficients from flight test data only during the last decade. This paper surveys the achievements during this period and discusses the state-of-the-art in aerodynamic coefficient estimation. Problems with current technology are identified and areas where future research may be fruitful are proposed.
As part of regional commitments in the Americas aimed at elimination of rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, and consolidation of measles elimination, Colombia conducted mass vaccination of males and females aged 14-39 years in 2005-2006. The target population included 18,238< 443 persons (44% of the entire population). Vaccination activities were extended because of limited participation and public concerns about vaccine safety. Over a 10-month peroid, 17,697,717 doses of measles-rubella vaccine were administered, reaching 97% of the target population, including 96.4% of females and 97.6% of males. Estimated coverage exceeded 95% in 33 of 36 departments and districts, and in 3 others, it ranged from 92% to 95%. In rapid monitoring conducted in 504 (45%) of 1119 municipalities, 95% of persons in the target population were vaccinated. The Colombian experience underscores the importance of social mobilization at the local level, political commitment, and microplanning and offers lessons for future mass vaccination campaigns.
Fundamental quantum optical processes in photogenerated excitons in Cu2O are demonstrated using few-cycle terahertz pulses and field-sensitive electro-optic sampling: (i) In a dilute ensemble of 3p excitons, stimulated terahertz emission from internal transitions to the energetically lower 2s state is observed at a photon energy of 6.6 meV, with a cross section of 10-14 cm2. (ii) An optically dark, dense, and cold 1s-paraexciton gas is prepared by two-photon generation of electron-hole pairs and subsequent phonon cooling. Intense multi-terahertz fields of order MV/cm coherently promote 70% of the quasiparticles from the 1s to the 2p state via a partial internal Rabi oscillation. Electro-optic detection monitors the Larmor precession of the Bloch vector directly in the time domain, with femtosecond resolution. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Two lotus and 4 clover cultwars were oversown at 3 tussock sites ranging in altitude from 460 to 1040 m. The sites were initially similar in soil chemical characteristics, aspect and topography, so that dtfferences were attributable mainly to increasing severity of climate. The objectwes were to determme the extent to which legume choice is affected by(a) lime to raise so11 pH. and(b) increasing seventy of climate. In the first year’Grasslands Pawera’ red clover wards were Outstanding at the lower sites. With time the superiority of Pawera was overtaken by ‘Grasslands Maku’ and Maitland lotus. Maku wards were outstandmg in the absence of lime (UP to 5.5 t DM/ha at 460 m. and up to 2 t DM/ha at 760 m) in years 2-3-4, and Maitlsnd lotus wards produced up to 5 t EN/ha with lime at the lowest site, but did not perform well wthout lime At the highest site. lotus-based pasture did not perform consistently as well as the wh!te clover wards. At all sites lime greatly mcreased both the legume content of the swards and total pasture production for at least 4 years. Generally M&land lotus gave the greatest and Maku lotus the least responses to Inme.
This talk will provide an introduction to ongoing work in the Technical Committee on Engineering Acoustics (TCEA) of the Acoustical Society of America, which is one of the most diverse Technical Committees of the Society. Engineering Acoustics encompasses the theory and practice of creating tools for investigating acoustical phenomena and applying knowledge of acoustics to practical utility. This includes the design and modeling of acoustical and vibrational transducers, arrays, and transduction systems in all media and frequency ranges. It is also concerned with the design of acoustical instrumentation, metrology, and the calibration of those systems. It further considers all aspects of measurement and computational techniques as they relate to acoustical phenomena and their utility. The talk will provide an introduction to a broad range of research topics in TCEA, with specific emphasis on exciting new areas of research.This talk will provide an introduction to ongoing work in the Technical Committee on Engineering Acoustics (TCEA) of the Acoustical Society of America, which is one of the most diverse Technical Committees of the Society. Engineering Acoustics encompasses the theory and practice of creating tools for investigating acoustical phenomena and applying knowledge of acoustics to practical utility. This includes the design and modeling of acoustical and vibrational transducers, arrays, and transduction systems in all media and frequency ranges. It is also concerned with the design of acoustical instrumentation, metrology, and the calibration of those systems. It further considers all aspects of measurement and computational techniques as they relate to acoustical phenomena and their utility. The talk will provide an introduction to a broad range of research topics in TCEA, with specific emphasis on exciting new areas of research.
Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare but aggressive endocrine malignancy with poor prognosis. Despite its clinical importance, there have been limited investigations on personalized genomic survival indicators, specifically for recurrence free survival (RFS) and early-stage overall survival (OS). Nuclear trafficking machinery, including nuclear pore complexes (NPC) and TRanscription EXport (TREX), plays an important role in cell fates from senescence to malignancies but its association with ACC has never been addressed.     Methods: Univariate and multivariable survival analyses with stepwise variable selections were performed in 78 patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), using the gene expression levels of NPC, TREX and NPC-TREX (N-TREX) as covariates. It was further validated using two independent microarray-based datasets. In a meta-analytic approach, we combined the datasets to form the cross-platform reference ACC dataset and further examined the prognostic values.    Findings: Multivariable analyses showed the average expression level of N-TREX was a significant prognostic indicator for OS, early-stage OS, and RFS in TCGA RNA-seq dataset, which was consistent in the microarray cohorts. In the combined cross-platform reference dataset, N-TREX was still highly significant for OS (N-TREX HR=2137.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 55.10-82927.86, p < 0.001), early-stage OS, and RFS, which was consistent in Kaplan-Meier analysis.     Interpretation: N-TREX, the functional genomic group of nuclear trafficking machinery, is a reliable molecular prognostic indicator, particularly for early-stage OS and RFS, as well as OS in ACC patients. In addition, we have developed an individualized ACC prognostic web application for clinicians.     Funding Information: National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (NRF-2019R1F1A1062023).    Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.
Abstract 867 The NF-κB signaling pathway is constitutively activated in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Aberrant activation of the p65 (RelA) subunit of NF-κB is associated with chemoresistance, a shorter lymphocyte doubling time and poor overall survival (OS) in CLL. The transcription factor, NF-κB, regulates anti-apoptotic and pro-survival genes, and therefore represents a drug target for therapeutic intervention. Several studies have shown that targeting NF-κB decreases CLL cell survival, induces apoptosis and inhibits transcription of key pro-survival genes. In CLL, poor response to therapy and poor outcome are closely related to cytogenetic abnormalities. Loss of p53 function (del(17p) and/or TP53 mutation) confers chemo-resistance due to a defective DNA damage response pathway. Loss of the ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) kinase (del(11q) and/or mutation of ATM ) is also associated with chemo-resistance. We hypothesized that blocking NF-κB may circumvent the requirement for an active DNA damage response pathway, and that NF-κB inhibition may be efficacious independent of cytogenetic abnormalities in CLL. We tested the hypothesis with PBS-1086, a novel small molecule “pan-rel” inhibitor that has shown activity against multiple myeloma in vivo . For target validation, we analyzed NF-κB activity by quantifying NF-κB subunit DNA binding and rel expression in nuclear extracts prepared from patient-derived CLL cells. Levels of activated NF-κB binding correlated with rel protein levels. We confirmed that constitutive activation of the p65 subunit predicted shorter overall survival (p= 0.03, n=80, HR (hazard ratio) 2.4). We also found that the p50 and RelB subunits were associated with poor survival (p = 0.04, n = 80, HR = 2.5 and p=0.17, n=50, respectively). Whereas p65 and p50 (activated by the canonical pathway through IKKβ), were present at high levels in the majority of cases, RelB (activated by the non-canonical pathway) was found to be variable among patients, with levels ranging from very high to undetectable. We found that patients with del(17p) had higher levels of p65 and p50 DNA binding activity, whereas patients with del(11q) had higher levels of RelB activity. We examined the effect of PBS-1086, a “pan-rel” inhibitor, on viability of patient-derived CLL cells and compared it with BAY 11–7082, an IKKβ inhibitor that affects p65 and p50. PBS-1086 was more potent at decreasing CLL viability in a concentration-dependent manner than BAY 11–7082 (mean LC 50 6.4 +/− 1.9 μM, and 14.7 +/− 1.7 μM, respectively, n=20). LC 50 values of PBS-1086 and BAY 11–7082 derived from individual CLL samples correlated significantly, suggesting that they acted by inhibiting the same pathway (p=0.02, n=20). PBS-1086 LC 50 values also correlated inversely with the DNA binding activity of p65 (p=0.01, n=17), suggesting that these CLL cells were heavily reliant on p65 for survival, and were therefore exquisitely vulnerable to compounds inhibiting p65. There was no significant difference in sensitivity to PBS-1086 or BAY 11–7082 among patients with different cytogenetic abnormalities, or Binet stage A or stage B/C cases, or between cases with or without IGVH gene mutations. Patients who had received prior chemotherapies at the time of sample collection showed a trend to be more resistant to ex vivo treatment with Fludarabine than those naive to chemotherapies, however treatment status had no impact on ex vivo sensitivity to PBS-1086. Submaximal concentrations of Fludarabine and PBS-1086 were additive in decreasing CLL cell viability (n=3). Mechanistic studies showed that PBS-1086 inhibited p65 and p50 DNA binding activity in CLL cells (n=5). In one example case that had constitutive expression of all of the NF-κB subunits, PBS 1086 inhibited the DNA binding activity of all rel subunits. Both PBS-1086 and BAY 11–7082 induced apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner in CLL cells (Annexin V staining, n=4) that paralled the inhibitor-induced loss of viability. These data demonstrate that PBS-1086 reduced survival of CLL cells ex vivo through inhibiting the DNA binding activity of rel subunits concomitantly with induction of apoptosis. Such effects of PBS-1086 were independent of poor prognosis cytogenetics, and of Binet stage or IGVH status. Thus, PBS-1086 is promising as a therapeutic agent by itself and also as a chemo-sensitizer to overcome NF-κB-mediated chemo-resistance in CLL. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
We present a general route to reduce inhomogeneous broadening in nanodevices due to $1/f$ noise. We apply this method to a universal two-qubit gate and demonstrate that for selected optimal couplings, a high-efficient gate can be implemented even in the presence of $1/f$ noise. Entanglement degradation due to interplay of $1/f$ and quantum noise is quantified via the concurrence. A charge-phase $ sqrt{ text{i} ensuremath{-} text{SWAP}}$ gate for spectra extrapolated from single-qubit experiments is analyzed.
Abstract ‘Real’ and ‘really’ are deflated and minimalized in parallel to the minimalist and de-flationary treatment of truth. J.L. Austin's insightful comment that with ‘real’: ‘The negative wears the trousers’ is elucidated and developed. There follows a discussion of the bearing of the point on Plato's claims about knowledge, belief and ignorance. It is maintained that it is implausible to hope that acquaintance with a Form for various Fs is going to provide complete knowledge of the wardrobe of Austinian trousers, especially inasmuch as that wardrobe grows and changes with the vicissitudes of socio-industrial-commercial-technological life.
The digital rights management of museums is a mechanism that protects digital content from being abused by controlling and managing its usage rights. Traditional museums attach importance to the collection, display, research, and education functions of “objects”. In response to natural or man-made disasters, people are often caught off guard, destroying material, intangible assets, and spiritual symbolism. Therefore, with the advancement of digital technology, this research is based on the mechanism of blockchain, through the authorization of cryptographic proxy re-encryption, and proposes a new method for the preservation and authorization of digital content in museums, which can effectively display, store, and promote “important cultural relics and digital archives”. In this research, the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA), blockchain, and smart contracts are used to design a sustainable and traceable cultural relic exhibition mechanism. The proposed scheme achieves publicly verifiable, transparency, unforgeability, traceability, non-repudiation, standardization of stored data, timeliness, etc., goals. It is the museum’s preservation and innovation approach for the unpredictable future. Through appropriate preservation and management mechanisms, it has extremely important practical significance for the protection of museum collections, the inheritance of historical and cultural heritage, and the expansion of social education.
Relationships of genera traditionally referred to the subfamily Hydrocotyloideae (Apiaceae), with emphasis on Azorella, were estimated using sequence variation in the markers matK, rbcL, and rpsl6. The analyses were based on a combined dataset comprising 66 taxa represented by 134 sequences (29 matK, 40 rbcL, and 65 rps16) as well as partial datasets constructed from individual markers and combinations of them. The results confirm previous observations that the hydrocotyloids are an unnatural assemblage of taxa from at least four different groups, of which one belongs to Araliaceae and the remaining ones to Apiaceae. The recently recognized subfamilies Mackinlayoideae and Azorelloideae are supported, with the possible exclusion of Platysace from the former and the addition of Asteriscium, Diposis, Domeykoa, Drusa, Homalocarpus, Laretia, Oschatzia, and Pozoa to the latter. Within Azorelloideae, the Azorella, Bowlesia, and Asteriscium clades are identified, although relationships among them are obscure. The genus Azorella occurs in two subclades that also include other genera, and is obviously paraphyletic as presently conceived. The Azorella sections Cirrhosae and Ciliatae are probably also paraphyletic.
Objective: Synthetic class A amphipathic helical peptide analogs of apolipoprotein-AI (apoAI; with varied phenylalanine residues) are emerging therapeutic approaches under investigation for atherosclerosis. Utilizing retroinverso sequencing, we designed reverse-D4F (Rev-D4F) peptide with 18 d-amino acids containing 4 phenylalanine residues and reverse order that allows the side chain residues to be of exact alignment and superimposable to those of the parent l-amino acid peptide. This study examined the effect of Rev-D4F on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E (apoE)-null mice and the underlying mechanisms. Materials/Methods: ApoE-null mice were fed a chow diet and administered water (control), Rev-D4F, or L4F mimetic peptides (0.4 mg/mL, equivalent to 1.6 mg/d) orally in drinking water for 6 weeks. Aortic root atherosclerotic lesion area, lesion macrophage content, and the ability of plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) to influence monocyte chemotaxis were measured. Results: Rev-D4F significantly decreased aortic sinus atherosclerotic lesion area and lesion macrophage content without affecting plasma total and HDL-cholesterol levels in apoE-null mice. The HDL from Rev-D4F-treated mice showed enhanced anti-inflammatory monocyte chemotactic activity, while low-density lipoprotein (LDL) exhibited reduced proinflammatory activity. In in vitro studies, Rev-D4F inhibited LDL oxidation, endothelial cell vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and monocyte chemotactic factor 1 (MCP-1) expression, and monocyte adhesion to aortic endothelial cells. Conclusions: The Rev-D4F inhibits atherosclerosis by inhibiting endothelial inflammatory/oxidative events and improving HDL function. The data suggest that Rev-D4F may be an effective apoAI mimetic peptide for further development in preventing atherosclerosis.
Acoustic antennas in the form of active phased arrays have long been utilized to steer acoustic waves in both air and water. Although acceptable, these antennas form electrically complex, bulky structures. Acoustic leaky wave antennas have recently emerged as a method to achieve directional steering using a minimal number of active transducers coupled to an analog metamaterial aperture. In this study, a two-dimensional air-acoustic leaky wave antenna, coupled to only four sources, is shown to steer acoustic energy within a full three-dimensional space while also providing significant savings in terms of size, weight, and cost. By careful selection of the analog geometry, the aperture has the capability to produce a wide range of holographic acoustic images.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in various biological progresses of carcinogenesis. However, the function of lncRNAs in human sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) remains greatly unclear. In the current study, lncRNA AC091729.7 expression was examined in SNSCC samples by using microarray, RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell viability, colony-formation, wound-healing, and transwell assays were applied to SNSCC cells. Xenograft mouse models were employed to evaluate the role of AC091729.7 in growth of SNSCC in vivo. Human protein microarray (HuprotTM Protoarray) and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) were used for identifying AC091729.7 binding proteins in SNSCC. Results showed AC091729.7 was upregulated and closely connected with the survival of the SNSCC patients. Knockdown of AC091729.7 suppressed SNSCC cell migration, proliferation, invasion in vitro. Furthermore, downregulation of AC091729.7 could inhibit the growth of SNSCC in vivo. Moreover, Human protein microarray and RIP suggested that AC091729.7 directly combine with the serine/arginine rich splicing factor 2 (SRSF2). Our results suggest that in the cell progression of SNSCC, lncRNA AC091729.7 plays a carcinogenic role and serves as a novel biomarker and latent curative target in SNSCC patients.
Neutron diffraction data were used to refine the structures of three scandium substituted NASICONS: Na 2 ZrSc(PO 4 ) 3 , R3c Na 2.5 Zr 1.8 Sc 0.2 Si 1.7 O 12 R3c and Na 2.7 . Zr 1.0 Sc 0.2 Si 1.5 P 1.5 O 12 , C2/c. The phosphate (compound 1) exhibited oxygen disorder. The second compound exhibited a similar type of oxygen disorder but also an interstitial Na + position. The oxygen disorder in compound 2 apparently results from the position of the interstitial Nae whereas it is suggested that the Sc site in Na 2 ZrSC(PO 4 ) 3 is slightly removed from that of the Zr position, requiring a shift of phosphate groups. In contrast the monoclinic phase does not exhibit oxygen disorder and all the sodium ions reside within the cavities.
Food and eating are laden with significance with respect to health, pleasure, and social/moral concern^.^,^^,^^ In discussing eating and food selection disorders, it is too easy to focus entirely on the health domain. By doing so, we drastically limit the scope and significance of these disorders. The social/moral stigma associated with obesity, and the limitations of pleasure associated with guilt about eating and dieting may be the greatest costs of obesity. When we come to disorders of food selection, much of the justification for using the term disorder derives from compromises in pleasure. It is the thesis of this paper that there are many deviant and maladaptive food selection practices, but that (a) there is little psychobiology as opposed to cultural psychology that can be marshaled to explain them, and (b) the main cost of these activities is not directly on health, but on the quality of life. Disorders of food selection have received almost no attention in the scientific literature, being overshadowed by the salient pathologies of food intake (obesity, anorexia, and bulimia) and by substance abuse. Of course, substance abuse, in some cases, can be viewed as a disorder in food selection. Coffee, tobacco, and most particularly alcohol, qualify as foodsz4 according to some definitions. There is an understandable urgency in dealing with these problems. Nonetheless, it seems appropriate to take stock of food selection more generally, because there is wide variation here, and because the activities involved take up a good part of the waking time of humans (the procurement, preparation, and consumption of food). It is reasonable to define something as a disorder if it meets two of the following three criteria: (1) It is deviant, (2) it is maladaptive, and (3) it can be explained in terms of a known pathology in some system. Diabetes, for example, clearly qualifies on all counts. Obesity meets the first and perhaps the second, but not the third according to the current state of knowledge, while anorexia clearly meets the first two, but not the third criterion. In order to give full scope to abnormality in food selection, I will relax the definition of disorder and require that only one of these three criteria be met. I will also expand the maladaptive criterion to include decrease in the quality of life, as opposed to simply compromise in health. Maladaptiveness in its most objective form means mortality. Death, or length of life, is an unarguable dependent variable. Growth rate and size are other nicely measured end points. However, many sig-
Cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in India during the last 3 decades. The genetic predisposition and acquisition of traditional risk factors at a rapid rate as a result of urbanization seems to be the major cause. While efforts are being made to contain this epidemic by educating public and applying preventive measures, the ever increasing burden of patients with symptomatic and life threatening manifestations of the disease is posing a major challenge. This requires a concerted effort to develop modern facilities to treat these patients. The healthcare facilities to manage these high risk patients by contemporary methods like percutaneous coronary revascularization and surgical methods have shown a very promising trend during the last decade. The facilities of modern diagnostic methods and new proven techniques to offer symptomatic relief and improve their prognosis are available in most parts of the country. The lack of social security and health insurance for the large majority of the population, however, is a serious limitation. Unregulated availability of some of the newer devices for these techniques had become a very concerning issue. However, in the last few years serious efforts have been made to streamline these procedures. Indigenous research and scientific data acquisition in relation to the modern technology for achieving coronary revascularization has also started on a promising note.
The main contribution of this paper is the design of a unit dual quaternion-based attitude and position regulator. The dynamic model of rigid body represented by unit dual quaternion is derived firstly from the rotational and the translational dynamics. And then an output feedback regulator, which ensures asymptotical stability, is proposed using unit dual quaternion. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to relate dual quaternion to dynamic control of rigid body without requiring decoupling attitude and position. The simulation results are provided to verify the performance.
The biopharmaceutical industry continues to face enormous pressure to accelerate time to market, improve productivity and efficiency, and reduce costs. Vaccine manufacturers face additional challenges, including small batch sizes, varied product portfolios, pandemic outbreaks that require rapid responses and highly potent ingredients that place large demands on cleaning processes. Given these pressures, single-use fill-finish assemblies can represent an attractive option for vaccine manufacturing facilities. This article describes the implementation of a single-use fill-finish system at a large vaccine manufacturer. The new assembly enabled flexibility while reducing set-up time, capital investment, cross-contamination risk, and cleaning requirements. LAY ABSTRACT: Overall the biopharmaceutical industry is constantly being challenged to bring new products more quickly and efficiently to market while keeping costs as low as possible. One specific segment of this industry is the companies that manufacture vaccines. Vaccines present unique challenges because they tend to be made in smaller amounts for a larger number of individual products. The products can also be very potent, which can require special handling methods. Another challenge is the potential outbreak of a disease that may affect a large area or a large part of the population and would require immediate action. Single-use assemblies for filling the product into its final container are an attractive option for vaccine manufacturing facilities. This article describes the implementation of a single-use filling system at a large vaccine manufacturer. The new assembly was flexible enough to meet the demands of the manufacturer while allowing quick and efficient implementation with low upfront investment.
Purpose: Intracavitary HDR partial breast irradiation applicators require a planning CT to evaluate appropriateness for treatment. Issues such as tissue‐balloon conformance, balloon symmetry and minimal skin distance are considered. Daily kV and ultrasound imaging are sufficient to verify balloon symmetry and treatment position but are not sufficient to evaluate tissue‐balloon conformance or skin distance Plan quality can be compromised if tissue‐balloon conformance or skin distance change during the course of treatment. To evaluate the changes in tissue‐balloon conformance and skin distance we acquired daily CT scans on 5 patients. Methods and Materials: Daily CT scans were acquired and evaluation plans were generated from the treatment plan. In compliance with the NSABP B‐39 /RTOG 0413 protocol, tissue‐balloon conformance and skin distance were evaluated on the daily CT scans. Tissue‐balloon conformance was determined by measuring the air/seroma volume (ASV). Results: Daily imaging facilitated the identification of non‐compliant skin distances and ASV's. Patient 2 needed to be replanned to reduce the skin dose because the skin distance decreased from 6 to 3 mm over the course of treatment. After re‐planning, the skin dose was reduced from 156.5% to 128.1%. Patients 3, 4, and 5 required suctioning air to achieve a DVH with adequate coverage for the PTV. Before suctioning, the minimum V90PTVeval for patients 3, 4, and 5 was 83.2%, 71.8%, and 78.7%, respectively. After suctioning, V90PTVeval for patients 3, 4, and 5 was 97.6%, 99.2%, and 96.8%, respectively. Conclusions: This study shows that both skin distance and ASV can change over the course of treatment. These changes can compromise the quality of treatment if the plan is not adapted to account for these changes. It is important to treat with an acceptable skin distance to limit skin toxicity. Treating with a compliant ASV insures dosimetric coverage of the PTVeval.
The academic underachievement of students from the African Diaspora in Canadian schools is not a recent phenomenon. Afro-Caribbean students are reported to drop out of high schools in Toronto at disproportionate rates. To uncover the social forces that contribute to these problems this paper will examine Afro-Caribbean patterns of community formation and the issue of systemic racism in Canadian society operating as a barrier to academic success.  At an even greater rate Portuguese youth are leaving school prematurely. But unlike with Afro-Caribbean students racism is not an issue. Rather for the majority of Portuguese students in Canada the reasons behind chronic underachievement are rooted in the current education system, which views immigrants as different and the source of their own failure. This paper uncovers the subtle forms of racism that many underestimate and the huge role it plays in dictating the lives of many youth from the Black community.
In searching for continuous gravitational waves over very many ($ approx 10^{17}$) templates , clustering is a powerful tool which increases the search sensitivity by identifying and bundling together candidates that are due to the same root cause. We implement a deep learning network that identifies clusters of signal candidates in the output of continuous gravitational wave searches and assess its performance. For loud signals our network achieves a detection efficiency higher than 97 % with a very low false alarm rate, and maintains a reasonable detection efficiency for signals with lower amplitudes, i.e. at $ lesssim$ current upper limit values.
The primary objective of the study is to evaluate safety performances of different exit ramps used in Florida. More specific, the research objectives include: (1) to evaluate the impacts of different ramp configurations on safety performance; and (2) to identify the different factors contributing to the crashes happening on the exit ramp sections. 389 sites were investigated throughout Florida by four ramp configurations, diamond, out connection, free-flow loop and parclo loop. Cross-sectional comparisons and crash predictive model were used to quantify the impacts. The result shows that the out connection ramps appear to have the lowest average crash. The predictive model indicates that replacing an out connection exit ramp with a diamond, free-flow, and parclo loop will increase crashes counts by 26.90%, 68.47% and 48.72% respectively. This study will help transportation decision makers develop technical guidelines governing the selection of the optimum design on freeway exit ramps.
Objective: To share the lessons learned when recruiting and retaining Peruvian female sex workers (FSWs) in a clinical trial. Methods: Peruvian FSWs 18-26 years of age were asked to join a clinical study of HPV vaccine starting in August 2009. Condoms, lubricants, and health services were given as an incentive to join the study, as well as a gift valued at three US dollars at each study visit for retention purposes. Results: 120 participants completed the survey. Barriers to non-enrollment recruiting included the false association of our clinical trial with an ineffective HIV vaccine study, plans to become pregnant during the vaccine study, not identifying as sex workers, pushback from husbands with fear of vaccine related birth defects, questioning motives for a free vaccine, not wanting to use birth control, lack of high perceived value of incentives, and limited time availability. Barriers to retention included periodic travel out of Lima, high costs for commuting, the requirement of no clients one day before the visit, and misinformation by health care providers regarding associations between the vaccine and illnesses. Conclusions: Working with health promoters and brothel managers, making periodic phone call reminders of appointments, and identifying participants who were peer leaders helped facilitate study participation and retention. Despite hardships in recruiting and retaining female sex workers, this group will participate in a study they deem useful for their health. Before recruiting female sex workers in clinical trials, potential barriers need to be addressed by study investigators.
The onset of puberty in prenatally growth-restricted versus normally grown lambs of both sexes, born in April and housed under natural photoperiod, was examined. Singleton pregnancies were established and adolescent ewes were offered a high or moderate nutrient intake throughout gestation. Placental mass was reduced (P < 0.001) in high compared with moderate intake dams and resulted in the birth of growth-restricted and normal birth weight offspring, respectively. At birth, female lambs weighed 3.43 kg versus 5.03 kg (P < 0.001; n = 14 per group) and male lambs weighed 2.75 kg versus 5.18 kg (P < 0.001; n = 7 per group) in growth-restricted and normal birth weight groups, respectively. Lambs suckled for 12 weeks and thereafter were fed ad libitum until week 43 of age. Growth-restricted lambs had lower preweaning live weight gains and this difference was more pronounced in male (P < 0.05) than in female lambs (P = 0.07). Thereafter, live weight remained lower (P < 0.05) in growth-restricted than in normally grown lambs of both sexes until week 25 of age. In females, the time of onset of puberty was similar in the two groups. All females ovulated and there were no differences in the number of ovarian cycles recorded or in the incidence of aberrant ovarian function. In males, testosterone concentrations and testicular volume were lower in growth-restricted compared with normally developed lambs from birth until weeks 28 and 35 of age, respectively (P < 0.05). The seasonal increase in plasma testosterone concentrations occurred later in growth-restricted than in normally developed lambs (P < 0.01) but the timing of maximum peak concentrations was similar. Peak testosterone concentrations were lower (P < 0.05) in growth-restricted than in normal male lambs.
Water is a salient issue in the Intermountain West of the United States (U.S.), with concerns ranging from water scarcity and drought to intermittent flooding and water quality risks. This paper investigates coverage of water issues across seven newspapers in the core of the U.S. Intermountain West region. Newspapers have the potential to set agendas and influence perceived salience of issues among consumers. The Intermountain West region shares common concerns about water supply and demand, climate change, and water quality. We investigate whether or not local daily newspaper coverage of water issues provides a more local or regional sensitivity. Findings from this exploratory study reveal differences in water coverage across local daily newspapers. The overall volume of water‐related articles differed across newspapers as did proportion of articles on specific water topics and connecting issues. Coverage of local issues was more dominant than might be expected given mass media trends, but water geography in articles extended across the U.S. and the world in every newspaper studied. Variations in newspaper coverage of water issues suggests more local nuance persists despite the experience of common water issues across the region.
BACKGROUND The activation of signal transducer and activator of transduction (STAT) protein is thought to lead to the genesis of neoplasia by promoting cellular growth and preventing apoptosis, and by immune system modulation; STAT3 protein has also been implicated in tumor survival and propagation in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP).   OBJECTIVES To investigate the presence and activation of STAT3 protein in papilloma specimens from subjects with RRP and compare findings with those obtained from control subjects' tissue.   DESIGN Laryngeal papilloma samples were collected from 8 nonselected consecutive patients undergoing surgery for RRP, and control samples of anterior tonsillar pillar mucosa were collected from 8 patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy. After extraction, we applied gel shifting to the nuclear protein using an electromotility shifting assay kit. Quantitative analysis of the gel shifts was performed, and levels of activated STAT3 protein in RRP specimens and tissue from controls were compared.   RESULTS There was STAT3 protein activation in the nuclear extracts of all (100%) RRP specimens, which was significantly more frequent than in normal epithelial tissue from controls (P<.03).   CONCLUSIONS We conclude that STAT3 protein activation is present in RRP. However, further study is needed to determine if STAT3 protein activation is an important pathway through which human papillomavirus results in the propagation and persistence of RRP.
SUMMARY This paper demonstrates that for a rich class of problems the distribution of internally studentized statistics can be obtained from the distribution of the corresponding unstudentized statistics via an inverse Laplace transform. Various known results are easily rederived or extended by use of this theorem; among these are results for problems involving random divisions of an interval, residual analysis, ratios of quadratic forms in normal variables, and latent roots of a central Wishart matrix.
Summary Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is an evolutionarily conserved mRNA surveillance system that degrades mRNA transcripts that harbour a premature translation-termination codon (PTC), thus reducing the synthesis of truncated proteins that would otherwise have deleterious effects. Although extensive research has identified a conserved repertoire of NMD factors, these studies have been performed with a restricted set of genes and gene constructs with relatively few exons. As a consequence, NMD mechanisms are poorly understood for genes with large 3′ terminal exons, and the applicability of the current models to large multi-exon genes is not clear. In this Commentary, we present an overview of the current understanding of NMD and discuss how analysis of nonsense mutations in the collagen gene family has provided new mechanistic insights into this process. Although NMD of the collagen genes with numerous small exons is consistent with the widely accepted exon-junction complex (EJC)-dependent model, the degradation of Col10a1 transcripts with nonsense mutations cannot be explained by any of the current NMD models. Col10a1 NMD might represent a fail-safe mechanism for genes that have large 3′ terminal exons. Defining the mechanistic complexity of NMD is important to allow us to understand the pathophysiology of the numerous genetic disorders caused by PTC mutations.
Destructive identification of ballpoint pen ink was performed using field desorption mass spectrometry (FDMS) to determine the basic dyes in ballpoint pen ink. Seven different brands of black, blue, and red ballpoint pen inks (total: 21 samples) were examined in this study. A 1-mm section was cut from an ink line drawn on paper and used as the sample. Extraction was performed with methanol. Analysis of each extract by FDMS showed the molecular ion peak of each dye and the black, blue, and red inks were then classified into 6, 6, and 6 types, respectively, based on the ions detected. The results indicated that it was possible to distinguish between manufacturers of ballpoint pens. This analysis of ballpoint pen inks was found to be effective and the method was applied to the analysis of an actual forensic sample.
During the sheet metal forming (SMF), one of the major causes for die failure is transfer and accumulation of adhered material to the die surface, generally referred to as galling phenomenon. In the present work, the galling behaviour in macro-scale of several die materials was investigated against the high tensile strength steel under semi-dry and dry condition on laboratory experiments. The galling evaluation was carried out with different materials by using a separated cup square drawing die. Meanwhile, the finite element method with DEFORM-3D was used to simulate the square cup drawing process based on the drawing force distribution and volume change analysis, which gave us a rational interpretation of the galling phenomena and illustrated the galling behavior and seizing tumour theoretically. As a result, the galling on the die surface occurs at the bottom point of the boundary between the straight and corner edge, and grows upward with the drawing cycles. On the drawn cup, the galling starts at the top of the same boundary and grows downward. Moreover, any adhesion can not be found on the coated die for DLC-Si (DC-PACVD) even after 1000 drawing cycles, which showed a better anti-galling behavior against the high tensile strength steel.
Current therapies for sarcomas are often inadequate. This study sought to identify actionable gene targets by selective targeting of the molecular networks that support sarcoma cell proliferation. Silencing of asparagine synthetase (ASNS), an amidotransferase that converts aspartate into asparagine, produced the strongest inhibitory effect on sarcoma growth in a functional genomic screen of mouse sarcomas generated by oncogenic Kras and disruption of Cdkn2a. ASNS silencing in mouse and human sarcoma cell lines reduced the percentage of S phase cells and impeded new polypeptide synthesis. These effects of ASNS silencing were reversed by exogenous supplementation with asparagine. Also, asparagine depletion via the ASNS inhibitor amino sulfoximine 5 (AS5) or asparaginase inhibited mouse and human sarcoma growth in vitro, and genetic silencing of ASNS in mouse sarcoma cells combined with depletion of plasma asparagine inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Asparagine reliance of sarcoma cells may represent a metabolic vulnerability with potential anti-sarcoma therapeutic value. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09436.001
Substituted aryl and aliphatic amide analogues of 6-naltrexamine were synthesized and used to characterize the binding to and functional activity of human μ-, δ-, and κ-opioid receptors. Competition binding assays showed 11–25 and 27–31 bound to the μ (Ki = 0.05–1.2 nM) and κ (Ki = 0.06–2.4 nM) opioid receptors. Compounds 11–18 possessed significant binding affinity for the δ receptor (Ki = 0.8–12.4 nM). Functional assays showed several compounds acted as partial or full agonists of δ or κ receptors while retaining an antagonist profile at the μ receptor. Structure–activity relationship for aryl amides showed that potent compounds possessed lipophilic groups or substituents capable of hydrogen bonding. Metabolic stability studies showed that 11, 12, and 14 possessed considerable stability in the presence of rat, mouse, or human liver preparations. The ED50 of inhibition of 10% ethanol self-administration in trained rats, using operant techniques for 11, was 0.5 mg/kg.
I am writing on behalf the article ‘‘OSA in poorly controlled asthmatic children and effects of tonsillectomy’’ by Keirandish-Gozal et al. in this year’s April issue. This is a very interesting field for research. But, I must confess: I wonder how this study managed to pass peer review! It is unable to answer its own study hypothesis—it cannot say anything about the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in poorly controlled asthmatic children due to the lack of a control group, and the comparison to ‘‘literature’’made is vague. There is no comparison towell controlled asthmatics, e.g., and to the prevalence of obesity in the ‘‘literature comparison group.’’ The second study hypothesis about effects of tonsillectomy and adenodectomy (T&A) in childrenwith OSA and with poorly controlled asthma cannot even be answered since there is no data on controls who did not undergo T&A! The study design is highly questionable, with prospective identification of children undergoing a sleep study ‘‘as part of clinical routine’’ without having ethic’s approval prospectively, and then working in retrospect— at least the authors critically mention that in their discussion. There is no information given on asthma and allergic rhinitis medication apart from stating ‘‘no difference,’’ no information on therapy adherence and on, e.g., presence of house dust mite allergy and its treatment—and a lot of children are reported as having allergic rhinitis! No time frames are indicated—how long were children followed prior to T&A to make a diagnosis of ‘‘poorly controlled asthma,’’ what is the time gap between T&A and follow up? Authors have also not attempted to make a clear diagnosis of asthma, since only in 45—less then half—children spirometry results were obtained/given, although the age mean is 6.5 and more children should be able to undergo spirometry. No results about bronchodilator response are shown. There are way too many children lost to follow up, as well in the OSAþ (231⁄4 40% out of 58!) as in the OSA group—29%. And, again, most important: children with OSA not undergoing T&A are lost to follow up!!! And not a word about this in the discussion! No control was performed for multiple testing—if doing so acc. to Bonferroni’s method for correcting for inflated risk of type 1 errors in multiple comparison procedures, e.g., counting 22 tests (at least!) lead to P1⁄4 0.05/221⁄4 0.0023 showing that all the results concerning asthma symptoms after T&A are not truly significant and leavingOSA symptoms inOSAþ children as only ‘‘significant result’’—that is redundant. In the discussion authors talk about ‘‘moderate to severe’’ asthma, while the study dealt with ‘‘poorly controlled asthma’’—a significant difference! This publication leaves me wondering whether peer reviewed quality control does not apply any more when there are names of leading scientists in the field among the authors. . .
The Tim8 and Tim13 proteins in yeast are known to exist in the mitochondrial intermembrane space and to form a hetero-oligomeric complex involved in the import of the mitochondrial inner membrane protein Tim23, the central component of the TIM23 translocase. Here, we have isolated tim8 and tim13 mutants in Neurospora crassa and have shown that mitochondria lacking the Tim8-Tim13 complex were deficient in the import of the outer membrane β-barrel proteins Tom40 and porin. Cross-linking studies showed that the Tom40 precursor contacts the Tim8-Tim13 complex. The complex is involved at an early point in the Tom40 assembly pathway because cross-links can only be detected during the initial stages of Tom40 import. In mitochondria lacking the Tim8-Tim13 complex, the Tom40 precursor appears in a previously characterized early intermediate of Tom40 assembly more slowly than in wild type mitochondria. Thus, our data suggest a model in which one of the first steps in Tom40 assembly may be interaction with the Tim8-Tim13 complex. As in yeast, the N. crassa Tim23 precursor was imported inefficiently into mitochondria lacking the Tim8-Tim13 complex when the membrane potential was reduced. Tim23 import intermediates could also be cross-linked to the complex, suggesting a dual role for the Tim8-Tim13 intermembrane space complex in the import of proteins found in both the outer and inner mitochondrial membranes.
QuickFF was originally launched in 2015 to derive accurate force fields for isolated and complex molecular systems in a quick and easy way. Apart from the general applicability, the functionality was especially tested for metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of hybrid materials consisting of organic and inorganic building blocks. Herein, we launch a new release of the QuickFF protocol which includes new major features to predict structural, vibrational, mechanical and thermal properties with greater accuracy, without compromising its robustness and transparent workflow. First, the ab initio data necessary for the fitting procedure may now also be derived from periodic models for the molecular system, as opposed to the earlier cluster‐based models. This is essential for an accurate description of MOFs with one‐dimensional metal‐oxide chains. Second, cross terms that couple internal coordinates (ICs) and anharmonic contributions for bond and bend terms are implemented. These features are essential for a proper description of vibrational and thermal properties. Third, the fitting scheme was modified to improve robustness and accuracy. The new features are tested on MIL‐53(Al), MOF‐5, CAU‐13 and NOTT‐300. As expected, periodic input data are proven to be essential for a correct description of structural, vibrational and thermodynamic properties of MIL‐53(Al). Bulk moduli and thermal expansion coefficients of MOF‐5 are very accurately reproduced by static and dynamic simulations using the newly derived force fields which include cross terms and anharmonic corrections. For the flexible materials CAU‐13 and NOTT‐300, the transition pressure is accurately predicted provided cross terms are taken into account. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Fruit flies are a major constraint to the production and export of mangoes by causing the rot of mangoes. The objective of this work is to follow the fluctuation of population of flies in the northern part of Côte d'Ivoire between May 2015 and October 2016. A network of trapping flies using food baits (the Torula and Ceratrap) and sexual attractants (Methyl Eugenol and Trimedlure) were set up in Korhogo and Ferké mango orchards with the forest Diabaté Kamonon and the forest Petit Clerc as reference area. During trapping, 11 species of fruit flies were identified at all study sites. Among these species, Bactrocera dorsalis and Ceratitis cosyra, were the most abundant in the area. In general, diversity indices were low. The Ferké’s Forest has the highest Shannon index (H = 1.20). This index was higher than the index found in Ferke's orchards (0.9398). At Korhogo the Shannon index in orchards (H = 0.84) is higher than in the forest (H = 0.41). It has been observed that the genus Bactrocera swarmed on mango orchards when precipitation was plentiful. While the genus Cerartitis only appeared when precipitation was low. In addition, knowledge of the ecology and fluctuation of fruit flies, will allow to develop a site monitoring device through a trapping system with sexual and food attractants.
Interleukin (IL)-17 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF)-α are key players in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) pathogenesis. While both cytokines can be therapeutically targeted with beneficial clinical outcome, it is unclear whether inhibiting one cytokine will affect the other at sites of inflammation. If both act independently, this might provide a rationale for dual or combined inhibition of both cytokines. Here, we evaluated the effect of TNF blockade in PsA patients on IL-17 levels in both skin and synovial tissue biopsies. PsA patients with mild psoriatic skin lesions were randomized to receive either adalimumab or placebo for four weeks. Synovial and skin biopsies were obtained at weeks zero and four. Skin from healthy donors (HDs) was used for comparison. Expression of IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-17RA and IL-17RC was assessed by immunohistochemistry and analyzed with digital image analysis. We found relatively low levels of IL-17 and its receptors in the skin of PsA patients compared to HD, and only IL-17F in the dermis of lesional psoriatic skin was significantly higher compared to HD skin (p = 0.0002). Histologically IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-17RA and IL-17RC in skin and synovial tissue were not downregulated by adalimumab treatment. Thus, in this cohort of PsA patients with mild psoriasis, TNF blockade did not affect the protein levels of IL-17 cytokines and its receptors in skin and synovium, despite reduced cellular inflammation and improved clinical outcome for joint involvement.
Holographic optical elements (HOEs) have the characteristic of less space-bandwidth product. With this limitation, they cannot be widely used as conventional optical elements. In this paper, we first analyze the cause of this limitation, and then we intend to enlarge this product by using multiple exposures on one hologram. Each exposure records the interference pattern resulted from a fixed pair of object and reference light under different illuminating angle with respect to the hologram plane.
The restructuring of higher education (HE) according to neoliberal market principles has constructed the student consumer as a social category, thereby altering the nature, purpose and values of HE. In England, a key government attempt to champion the rights of the student consumer has taken the form of institutional charters which indicate the level of services students can expect to receive and what they will be expected to do in return. Pierre Bourdieu’s conceptual framework is applied to analyse the dynamics of practice in the context of the intensification of marketisation in English universities. The impact on student identities and learning processes, on the curriculum and on the academic practices of faculty is explored. By studying the production of institutional information related to charters, a particular image of the ‘good’ student is promoted to prospective students, which simultaneously regulates current student expectations. We argue that the marketisation of learning may result in passive and instrumental learners, a reduction in the range of disciplinary knowledge and a deterrence of innovation in teaching practices, all of which impact on the public good functions of universities.
Background: Research plays a prominent role in day to day life. Very little amount of literature is available on students interest and involvement in research in Pakistan, Most of the studies are quite old and new studies are required to identify the changing trends. It is therefore important to understand and highlight the attitudes and barriers of undergraduate medical students come across in conducting quality research. Objective: Our study intended to assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students at RIHS towards research. Methods: A cross sectional study of five months duration was carried out at RIHS. Sample size of 224 MBBS students was taken, with 5% margin of error and 95% confidence level. Response rate was 67%. Data was collected through close ended questionnaire and was analyzed using SPSS version 17/MS excel. Results: Most (65%) of the students only knew about research and its uses. The rest of 35% had no idea what research is about and what is the process. Out of those 65% who had knowledge, 39% students have conducted research in their life time, out of those 39 %, 16% have previous exposure of conducting research at school, and 23% have done it as a part of mandatory training at medical college (RIHS). The rest of students have done it with their teachers as a part of the team. Conclusion: The most important finding in this research was suggestion of enforcement of research project in the curriculum and as a part of their assessment and the preponderance of participating students considered it difficult to conduct research , with the most common barrier being lack of time, research training , schooling background, and the lack of motivation.
Land reform is a major Southern Africa issue. Land reform, to rectify its inequitable distribution between white and black Zimbabweans, became radicalized by President Robert Mugabe and his political party ZANU‐PF as a means to stay in power. This has had adverse impacts on food production, conservation, use of wildlife, and both national and regional economies. Ill‐considered internal and regional policies that result in economic ruin and uncontrollable immigration by the poor, hopeless disenfranchised masses could end any hope for an African Renaissance. This would harm South Africa, and prevent it from providing the benefits of development to Africa’s people.
Parkinsonism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are widespread brain disorders that involve disturbances of dopaminergic signaling. The sodium-coupled dopamine transporter (DAT) controls dopamine homeostasis, but its contribution to disease remains poorly understood. Here, we analyzed a cohort of patients with atypical movement disorder and identified 2 DAT coding variants, DAT-Ile312Phe and a presumed de novo mutant DAT-Asp421Asn, in an adult male with early-onset parkinsonism and ADHD. According to DAT single-photon emission computed tomography (DAT-SPECT) scans and a fluoro-deoxy-glucose-PET/MRI (FDG-PET/MRI) scan, the patient suffered from progressive dopaminergic neurodegeneration. In heterologous cells, both DAT variants exhibited markedly reduced dopamine uptake capacity but preserved membrane targeting, consistent with impaired catalytic activity. Computational simulations and uptake experiments suggested that the disrupted function of the DAT-Asp421Asn mutant is the result of compromised sodium binding, in agreement with Asp421 coordinating sodium at the second sodium site. For DAT-Asp421Asn, substrate efflux experiments revealed a constitutive, anomalous efflux of dopamine, and electrophysiological analyses identified a large cation leak that might further perturb dopaminergic neurotransmission. Our results link specific DAT missense mutations to neurodegenerative early-onset parkinsonism. Moreover, the neuropsychiatric comorbidity provides additional support for the idea that DAT missense mutations are an ADHD risk factor and suggests that complex DAT genotype and phenotype correlations contribute to different dopaminergic pathologies.
Abstract North America's largest outbreak of tularemia linked to human contact with aquatic mammals occurred in the spring of 1968 in Vermont, a state with no previous reports of tularemia. Forty-seven cases were diagnosed in persons who had trapped or handled muskrats within a four-week period. Investigation revealed a wide spectrum of disease ranging from severe prostrating illness to inapparent infection. Almost all the symptomatic patients had fever and constitutional symptoms. Skin lesions and axillary adenopathy, although present in most symptomatic patients, were variable features. In the 46 patients who had agglutination titers of 1:160 or greater against Francisella tularensis, there was no correlation between titer and presence or absence of symptoms, severity of symptoms, duration of illness or effect of treatment. F. tularensis was identified in the exudate from the skin lesion of one patient. It was also cultured from water, mud, and 5 per cent of the muskrats in the area of most intensive tr...
The key role of networks has been brought into focus as a result of the worldwide-distributed computing model adopted by the four LHC experiments, as a necessary response to the unprecedented data volumes and computational needs of the LHC physics program. As we approach LHC startup and the era of LHC physics, the focus has increased as the experiments develop the tools and methods needed to distribute, process, access and cooperatively analyze datasets with aggregate volumes of Petabytes of simulated data even now, rising to many Petabytes of real and simulated data during the first years of LHC operation.
Atmospheric water films affect the processing of chemicals in the atmosphere and have potential effects on human health and the environment. In this work, adsorption and photochemical transformations of gas-phase PAHs were studied in a flow-tube photo-reactor with a view to understanding the behavior of gas-phase PAHs occurring in thin water films such as those of aerosols and fog. Naphthalene and phenanthrene were chosen as model PAHs for this
Protoplasts are commonly used in genetic and breeding research. In this study, the isolation of sorghum protoplasts was optimized and applied to transient gene expression and editing by CRISPR/Cas9. The protoplast was most viable in 0.5 M mannitol, which was the highest of three concentrations after 48- and 72-hours treatments. Using this method we can derive an average of 1.6×106 cells which vary from 5 to 22 nm in size. The average transfection of the protoplasts was 68.5% using the PEG-mediated method. The subcellular assays located Sobic.002G279100-GFP and GFP proteins in the cell compartments as predicted bioinformatically. Two CRISPR/Cas9 plasmids were transfected into sorghum protoplasts to screen for an appropriate sgRNA for gene editing. One plasmid can correctly edit the target region using a single protoplast cell as template DNA. Our results indicated that the protoplast assays as optimized are suitable for transient gene expression and sgRNA screening in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing procedures.
Proposes an alternative approach based on a variant of the n-tuple technique to detect small defects in electronic printed circuit boards. The technique operates on a list of nine attributes formed in a 3 by 3 kernel. The comparison of corresponding frequencies of occurrence of these selected attributes recorded in the faulty and the fault-free images, provides an adequate means to categorize the defect. The results obtained during the study, show that the frequency distribution of the nine attributes gives an estimation of the size and shape of the faults. This suggests the use of this rapid technique in a preprocessing stage within a complete autonomous PCB inspection system.
The effects of radiation reaction on electron beam dynamics are studied in the context of plasma‐based accelerators. Electrons accelerated in a plasma channel undergo transverse betatron oscillations due to strong focusing forces. These oscillations lead to emission by the electrons of synchrotron radiation, with a corresponding energy loss that affects the beam properties. An analytical model for the single particle orbits and beam moments including the classical radiation reaction force is derived and compared to the results of a particle transport code. It is shown that the radiation could significantly affect the beam properties (e.g., increased relative energy spread) in plasma wakefield accelerators.
Eighteen patients with either clinically or laboratorydetectable gastrointestinal bleeding were studied using Tc-99m-PYP in vivo labeled red blood cells. In those patients with massive gastrointestinal bleeding, the site of bleeding was usually detected within the first half-hour of scanning. Slower bleeding required longer scanning time. In several patients, bleeding sites were detected which could not be located by other means. It was experimentally determined that as little as 5 ml of ingested whole blood labeled in vivo with Tc-99m-PYP could be detected in the upper gastrointestinal tract.
A new method for clustering analysis of QRS complexes is proposed. The method integrates principal component analysis (PCA) with self-organizing map neural network (SOM). The QRS complex feature is extracted based on PCA and the unsupervised SOM is employed to cluster the data. The characteristics and the behavior of the proposed method applying different SOM architectures are studied. The method is tested with the MIT-BIH database. It is demonstrated that QRS complexes feature can be presented by four largest principle components and the PCA results can be used to cluster analysis efficiently. The relationship between cluster results and clinical categories are also investigated in this paper.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has witnessed fast growth in urban development in the past four decades. A plan to build 7270 houses by 2021 has been initiated by the local authorities. Different local sustainability guidelines are being implemented, including the Public Realm Manual in Abu Dhabi. These local guidelines are tailored to consider the hot and arid climate of the UAE as well as the applied materials, the inclusion of greenery, shading devices, etc. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain are cities that have imposed the application of such guidelines. Additionally, the newly developed housing programs match the governmental plan. To understand the effect of these design programs on the outdoor thermal comfort (OTC), further investigations are necessary for each city. The most widely built prototype is detached villas, which result in untreated waste areas without shading or greenery. In the old local neighborhoods, Arabic houses were built next to each other to maximize the shading and to ease pedestrians’ walkability. This study aims to examine the districts where the housing programs are applied and to determine the most effective strategy to minimize the outdoor air temperatures and enhance walkability. The methodology implements the following processes in order: district analyses of the buildings as well as the externally applied materials, microclimate site measurements, ENVI-met (main software used) models of the current and future scenarios, results and recommendations. The strategies have different impacts in both cites due to the microclimate and other conditions.
Few studies have investigated relational environmental views of different stakeholder groups. In this study, we investigated how residents of rural and urban municipalities view the management of trees (who should decide about trees’ removal – the landowner, or the municipality), which provides a various range of ecosystem services and the extent that place attachment as a relational variable affects these views. The analysis was based on 231 questionnaires conducted in two Polish municipalities: one rural (Nysa) and one urban (Racibórz). Data were analyzed using statistical methods including logistic regression models for analyzing factors impacting the main research question. Our investigation showed that both place attachment involving public good sentiments and the perception of ecosystem services provided by trees, that are related to private interests significantly impacted views on tree management. In rural areas the opinion, that the municipality should decide to remove trees was positively associated with a place attachment. For residents of urban areas (Racibórz), the strength of place attachment was not related to the perception of tree removal, but it was related to the perception of trees’ cultural benefits. We argue that considering psychological variables related to the tree management issues could help avoid conflicts.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has risen as a global threat for human health. One of the leading factors for this emergence has been the massive use of antibiotics growth-promoter (AGPs) in livestock, enhancing the spread of AMR among human pathogenic bacteria. Thus, several alternatives such as probiotics, prebiotics, or phytobiotics have been proposed for using in animal feeding to maintain or improve productive levels while diminishing the negative effects of AGPs. Reducing the use of antibiotics is a key aspect in the pig rearing for production reasons, as well as for the production of high-quality pork, acceptable to consumers. Here we analyze the potential use of Allium extract as an alternative. In this study, weaned piglets were fed with Allium extract supplementation and compared with control and antibiotic (colistin and zinc oxide) treated piglets. The effects of Allium extract were tested by analyzing the gut microbiome and measuring different productive parameters. Alpha diversity indices decreased significantly in Allium extract group in caecum and colon. Regarding beta diversity, significant differences between treatments appeared only in caecum and colon. Allium extract and antibiotic piglets showed better values of body weight (BW), average daily weight gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) than control group. These results indicate that productive parameters can be implemented by modifying the gut microbiota through phytobiotics such as Allium extract, which will drive to drop the use of antibiotics in piglet diet.
Nonlinear multilayer principal component analysis (NMPCA) is well-known as an improved version of principal component analysis (PCA) using a five layer bottleneck neural network. NMPCA enables us to extract nonlinear hidden structure from high dimensional data, however, it has been difficult for users to understand obtained results, because trained results of NMPCA have many different locally optimal parameters depending on initial parameters. There has been no method how to find a few essential structures from many differently trained networks. This paper proposes a new interpretation method of NMPCA by extracting a few essential structures from many differently trained and locally optimal parameters. In the proposed method, firstly the weight parameters are made to be sparsely represented by LASSO training and appropriately ordered using the generalized factor loadings, then classified into a few hierarchical clusters, so that users can understand the extracted results. Its effectiveness is shown by both artificial and real world problems.
This paper attemps to offer a basic blueprint for the analysis of metaphors for emotion" and some realted abstract constructs which exploit body parts in their source domains. We adopt the well-known cognitive linguistics framework, in which metaphor is understood as a way of understanding and reasoning about the world (see Johnson, 1987; Lakoff, 1987; Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, 1999; Lakoff & Turner, 1989). As observed by Kovecses (1986, 1990, 1991), emotions, Like other abstract concepts such as pain or trouble, are hard to conceptualize unless we make use of metaphor and image-schemas, among other cognitive models. In this paper, we provide further evidence in this respect. In order to do so, we shall first distinguish between prototypical and less prototyp.cal body parts in the conceptualization of emotions. Secondly, we shall distinguish between metaphors based on the CONTAINER image-schema and those in which such a construct playa no role.
The automation of troubleshooting in mobile and wireless networks is essential to guarantee an efficient network operation with high performance and low cost. In this paper, we focus on automated diagnosis of faults in WLAN networks and propose a framework based on Bayesian networks to relate faults to symptoms. Candidate list of faults and symptoms for the diagnosis are proposed and the manner to construct the diagnosis model is described. To illustrate the proposed approach, some results are examined based on statistics from WLAN network simulator.
Greater protection for taxpayers is an idea whose time has finally arrived. The greater protection provided by the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, included in the Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988 (TAMRA) is a good start in consumerism but it does have significant limitations. Surprisingly, along with the greater protection taxpayers have under the new law comes even more accountability by taxpayers to the Internal Revenue Service. This article addresses these new protections, their limitations and the new accountabilities by taxpayers to the IRS.
Israelite religion is characterized by manifold references (both prescriptive and descriptive) to the cult and its smaller building blocks, rituals. Utilizing a mainly diachronic and historical approach, past generations of theologians of the Hebrew Scriptures have often relegated these texts to the margin or an early primitive phase of the Hebrew religion or just simply ignored these texts altogether. However, with the renewed interest in ritual studies and a more balanced understanding of the importance of public (and also private) rituals in the context of the cultic experience of ancient Israel, more theological studies are at least including a section on ritual/cult. This study firstly reviews the treatment of cult/ritual in the discussion of recently published theologies, thus describing the status quo. Secondly, basic principles for the fruitful integration of results stemming from ritual text research into theological work of the Hebrew Scriptures will be outlined. Finally, in the form of a trial cut, several Pentateuchal texts describing altar construction rituals will be studied in terms of their theological significance and contribution.
Executive dominance in the contemporary EU is part of a wider migration of executive power towards types of decision making that eschew electoral accountability and popular democratic control. This democratic gap is fed by far-going secrecy arrangements and practices exercised in a concerted fashion by the various executive actors at different levels of governance and resulting in the blacking out of crucial information and documents – even for parliaments. Beyond a deconstruction exercise on the nature and location of EU executive power and secretive working practices, this article focuses on the challenges facing parliaments in particular. It seeks to reconstruct a more pro-active and networked role of parliaments – both national and European – as countervailing power. In this vision parliaments must assert themselves in a manner that is true to their role in the political system and that is not dictated by government at any level.
This paper presents a unified framework for recognizing human action in video using human pose estimation. Due to high variation of human appearance and noisy context background, accurate human pose analysis is hard to achieve and rarely employed for the task of action recognition. In our approach, we take advantage of the current success of human detection and view invariability of local feature-based approach to design a pose-based action recognition system. We begin with a frame-wise human detection step to initialize the search space for human local parts, then integrate the detected parts into human kinematic structure using a tree structural graphical model. The final human articulation configuration is eventually used to infer the action class being performed based on each single part behavior and the overall structure variation. In our work, we also show that even with imprecise pose estimation, accurate action recognition can still be achieved based on informative clues from the overall pose part configuration. The promising results obtained from action recognition benchmark have proven our proposed framework is comparable to the existing state-of-the-art action recognition algorithms.
Techniques for image recognition through machine learning have advanced rapidly over recent years and applications using this technique are becoming increasingly common.. Applications using image recognition have enormous potential not only for research, education, conservation and capacity-building but certainly also for collections management. Perhaps by now an even bigger challenge than the technological one is supplying content in the form of large amounts of validated images. With an estimated 44 million objects, the collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Center has plenty of physical source material.  During a five-year digitization programme (2010–2015) at Naturalis, 4.4 million herbarium sheets were imaged and since the start of the “Butterflies in Bags” project, 50,000 papered butterflies (out of more than 500,000) have been digitized and photographed by volunteers in a standardized manner. Still there are large parts of our collection that are not digitized at specimen level, let alone imaged, but hold great potential for collections work. This poster presents a workflow for efficient scanning of insect drawers and automated segmentation of those images to “feed” deep learning-based image recognition with images of individual insects. It will also demonstrate how this will aid in enhancing the value of our collections.  With proper expert validation early on in the process, the software could mature and become more independent in such a way that ultimately, it could be used by non-specialist professionals to identify the majority of common species. The technique would pinpoint anomalies based on self-learned patterns, both in unidentified and in already identified specimens, and link those back to the taxonomic specialist. Not only does image recognition aid taxonomy, it may also hold potential for conservation and management by, for example, detecting damaged specimens or managing space utilization of drawers.
Apatite-forming ability on a zirconia surface was investigated using a conventional SBF (c-SBF), a 1.4 SBF (concentration of ions 1.4 times higher than in SBF) and a supersaturated Ca/P solution. After 5 days a small amount of hydroxyapatite was formed on the zirconia surface in the 1.4 SBF, whereas no apatite was detected on the zirconia surface exposed to the c-SBF for 5 days. In the supersaturated Ca/P solution some isolated clusters of hydroxyapatite were observed on the zirconia surface after only 2 hours, and after 27 hours of immersion time, the zirconia surface was homogeneously covered with hydroxyapatite. Some of the covered zirconia substrates were heat treated at 1050°C for 1 hour. The thermally treated and untreated samples were immersed in SBF for 7 and 14 days. The results confirmed that additional hydroxyapatite was formed in the SBF in both cases, regardless of whether the covered zirconia substrate was pre-heated or not.
The function of melatonin is not fully established, but recent studies suggest that it plays a role in the regulation of sleep. Thus, physiological doses of melatonin given to healthy volunteers decreased the time taken to fall asleep,1 and the incidence of insomnia in the population rises during middle and old age,2 when serum concentrations of melatonin decline.3 Haimov et al found that elderly patients with insomnia had lower than normal peak urinary concentrations of the melatonin metabolite 6-sulphatoxy melatonin and a delayed onset to peak secretion.4 We investigated evening plasma melatonin concentrations in subjects with primary insomnia and matched controls and predicted that the subjects with insomnia would have lower melatonin concentrations.  Cases and controls were recruited predominantly by advertisement, but two cases …
Along with physician education in depression recognition and treatment, restricting lethal methods is an effective suicide prevention strategy. The present study surveyed a random sample (N = 697) of Ohio licensed social workers regarding client firearm assessment and safety counseling. Analyses sought to determine what independent factors would predict the probability that a social worker would hold positive attitudes regarding firearm risk assessment and counseling. Findings indicated that prior training and reporting from an urban area significantly increased the odds (p < .05) of registering more positive attitudes toward firearm assessment and safety counseling by 91.1% and 44.7%, respectively. Training mental health professionals in firearm assessment and safety counseling is an important aspect in addressing the reduction of suicide by this means.
Myb‐binding protein 1a (Mybbp1a) was originally identified as a c‐myb proto‐oncogene product (c‐Myb)‐interacting protein, and also binds to various other transcription factors. The 160‐kDa Mybbp1a protein (p160MBP) is ubiquitously expressed and is post‐translationally processed in some types of cells to generate an amino‐terminal 67 kDa fragment (p67MBP). Despite its interaction with various transcription factors, Mybbp1a is localized predominantly, but not exclusively, in nucleoli. Here, we have purified the two Mybbp1a‐containing complexes. The smaller complex contained p67MBP and p140MBP, which lacked the C‐terminal region of p160MBP containing the nucleolar localization sequences. The larger complex contained the intact p160MBP and various ribosomal subunits. Treatment of cells with actinomycin D (ActD), cisplatin or UV, all of which inhibit ribosome biogenesis, induced processing of p160MBP into p140MBP and p67MBP. ActD, cisplatin and UV also induced a translocation of Mybbp1a from the nucleolus to the nucleoplasm. Both small and large Mybbp1a complexes contained nucleophosmin and nucleolin. In contrast, nucleostemin was detected only in the large complex, while the cell cycle‐regulated protein EBP1 was only in the small complex. These results suggest that Mybbp1a may connect the ribosome biogenesis and the Myb‐dependent transcription, which controls cell cycle progression and proliferation.
Although the importance of operations in reaching world-class competitiveness has been highlighted in the operations management literature, small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) have been found to have a poor uptake of world-class practices. Reports on a study of 285 SMEs located in Italy, the UK, and other northern European countries. The data are taken from the MICROSCOPE facilitated self-assessment benchmarking database, which studied operations practices and performance in small firms. The level of world-class practices and performance was compared across companies by company size and by country of origin. Significant differences were found between “micro” companies (fewer than 20 employees) and larger companies (between 20 and 200 employees). Other significant differences were found by country, which may be attributed to differences in regional policies and infrastructures regarding small firms.
Intrastriatal transplantation of embryonic dopaminergic neurons is currently explored as a restorative cell therapy for Parkinson disease (PD). Clinical results have varied, probably due to differences in transplantation methodology and patient selection. In this review, we assess clinical trials and autopsy findings in grafted PD patients and suggest that a minimum number of surviving dopaminergic neurons is required for a favorable outcome. Restoration of [18F]-fluorodopa uptake in the putamen to about 50% of the normal mean seems necessary for moderate to marked clinical benefit to occur. Some studies indicate that this may require mesencephalic tissue from 3–5 human embryos implanted into each hemisphere. The volume, density and pattern of fiber outgrowth and reinnervation, as well as functional integration and dopamine release, are postulated as additional important factors for an optimal clinical outcome. For neural transplantation to become a feasible therapeutic alternative in PD, graft survival must be increased and the need for multiple donors of human embryonic tissue substantially decreased or alternate sources of donor tissue developed. Donor cells derived from alternative sources should demonstrate features comparable to those associated with successful implantation of human embryonic tissue before clinical trials are considered.
Understanding the change of water requirement (ET) for crop production under climate change can provide scientific support for the management of agricultural water resources. The objective behind this study was to analyze spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of ET, effective rainfall (Pe), irrigation requirement (IR) and aridity index (AI) of winter wheat, and evaluate the driving force of ET changes as a result of the variation of climatic factors. Daily meteorological data from 18 meteorological stations from 1969 to 2019 distributed throughout Shandong Province, China were collected. Five climatic variables including maximum daily temperature (Tmax), minimum daily temperature (Tmin), relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), and sunlight hours (SH), were selected to identify their contribution to the variability of ET. Results indicated that (1) ET distribution differed significantly both in temporal and spatial scale on a general, and decreased -14.11-3.88 mm decade. (2) Tmax was the most influential climatic variable related to ET variability with sensitivity coefficient of 0.36, followed by RH (-0.34), SH (0.13), WS (0.11) and Tmin (-0.07). (3) Declines of WS and SD were indicated by the decrease of ET while the increase of Tmax and the decrease of RH contributed to enhancing ET.
UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) are membrane-bound glycoproteins that are resident in the endoplasmic reticulum with a type I topology. The roles of the membrane-spanning and membrane-proximal cytoplasmic domains in UGT activity were investigated. Site-directed and deletional mutagenesis techniques were used to generate truncated forms of the enzyme, forms with altered residues, or forms with heterologous tails appended to the carboxyl terminus. The presence of the transmembrane domain was a critical requirement for UGT activity whereas the cytoplasmic domain seemed to be a modulator of activity but was not essential. Truncation of the protein did not appear to lead to scavenging and degradation, although appending long heterologous tails to the cytoplasmic domain did seem to trigger proteolysis. Analysis of enzyme kinetic parameters and enzyme latency allowed us to discount substrate binding or substrate transport defects as the cause of ameliorated UGT activity in the mutants.
We demonstrate the coherent beam combination of eight Watt-level polarization-maintained fiber amplifiers. The phase control signal of each amplifier is generated by running a stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm on a digital signal processor (DSP). The experimental result shows that the whole system in close-loop performs well for long-time observation. Energy encircled in the target pinhole is 6.68 times more than that in open-loop. The combination efficiency is as high as 84.5%.
Research on foreign exchange market microstructure stresses the importance of order flow, heterogeneity among agents, and private information as crucial determinants of short-run exchange rate dynamics. Microstructure researchers have produced empirically-driven models that fit the data surprisingly well. But FX markets are evolving rapidly in response to new electronic trading technologies. Transparency has risen, trading costs have tumbled, and transaction speed has accelerated as new players have entered the market and existing players have modified their behavior. These changes will have profound effects on exchange rate dynamics. Looking forward, we highlight fundamental yet unanswered questions on the nature of private information, the impact on market liquidity, and the changing process of price discovery. We also outline potential microstructure explanations for long-standing exchange rate puzzles.
Since 1960, rural Burma has borne witness to three consecutive governments which came up with their respective rural development programmes. The "clean" AFPFL (U Nu's faction of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League), after overwhelming victory in the third national election in February 1960, took over from the caretaker government which ruled Burma from 1958 to 1960. Then, in March 1962, the Revolutionary Council overthrew the constitutional government. The rule of the Revolutionary Council government lasted until 1974 when a new constitutional government was installed. Although all of these three governments formulated their own rural development programmes, they had one common goal, that is, to transform rural Burma into a modern and prosperous socialist society. This study describes and analyses the changes which have occurred in rural Burma within this larger political setting. This is a longitudinal study of a Burmese village, Mayin, situated in lower Burma. It attempts to trace the extent to which social and economic changes have taken place in the village over two decades,
HfO2‐based ferroelectric materials are promising candidates for next‐generation nonvolatile memories. Since the first report on Si‐doped HfO2 ferroelectric thin film in 2011, it has been confirmed that various dopants can induce ferroelectricity in HfO2‐based films, and the “wake‐up” effect in HfO2 films with different dopants deposited by different processes has been studied extensively. Recent developments in the wake‐up effect of doped HfO2‐based films are presented. Aside from the differences between the various ferroelectric materials and their deposition methods, the electrodes used in a ferroelectric capacitor, which determine the nature of the interface between the electrode and the ferroelectric layer, can strongly influence the characteristics of the wake‐up effect. The rate of variation of the remanent polarization shows certain trends with different dopants. Based on the wake‐up mechanisms, many methods to optimize and control this effect are presented in this letter. Until now, the reported mechanism explanations of the wake‐up effect all aimed at one type of specific dopant or deposition technique, but can't systematically interpret why the root causes might be different with different dopants and deposition processes. There is also a lack of in‐depth research on the effects of interfacial layer with respect to different electrode material.
Abstract Two methods for rapid detection of fibrinogen-related antigens in serum using immunoelectrophoresis in agarose gels are described. A semiquantitative crossed electrophoresis method detects as little as 3 μg per milliliter, and does so within 30 minutes of serum separation. A more quantitative test requires 1 hour for the estimation of fibrinogen-related antigens at 15 μg per milliliter or greater concentration. The latter method can be used for quantitative measurement of 3 μg per milliliter to 15 μg per milliliter but additional time for staining is required. The tests correlated well with the hemagglutination inhibition test, and have been useful in a clinical setting.
Two novel easy‐to‐make pheromone traps, a cross‐barrier sticky trap and an open horizontal sticky trap, are described. Both types caught about the same number of male pine sawflies, Neodiprion sertifer, when baited with the synthetic pheromone (2S, 3S, 7S)‐3,7‐dimethylpentadec‐2‐yl acetate. The catch on unbaited cross‐barrier traps was about 17% compared with baited traps, whereas unbaited horizontal traps caught almost no sawflies. There was no difference in catch between horizontal traps positioned close to the stem and at the end of a branch in young Scots pines, but traps on the ground caught less than one tenth of the number caught in traps 1.5 m above ground. The catch in unbaited cross‐barrier traps was dependent on colour, with white being the most attractive.
Objective: The aim of this study was to assess performance and cognitive states during cognitive work in the presence of physical work and in natural settings. Background: Authors of previous studies have examined the interaction between cognitive and physical work, finding performance decrements in working memory. Neuroimaging has revealed increases and decreases in prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin during the interaction of cognitive and physical work. The effect of environment on cognitive-physical dual tasking has not been previously considered. Method: Thirteen participants were monitored with wireless functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) as they performed an auditory 1-back task while sitting, walking indoors, and walking outdoors. Results: Relative to sitting and walking indoors, auditory working memory performance declined when participants were walking outdoors. Sitting during the auditory 1-back task increased oxygenated hemoglobin and decreased deoxygenated hemoglobin in bilateral prefrontal cortex. Walking reduced the total hemoglobin available to bilateral prefrontal cortex. An increase in environmental complexity reduced oxygenated hemoglobin and increased deoxygenated hemoglobin in bilateral prefrontal cortex. Conclusion: Wireless fNIRS is capable of monitoring cognitive states in naturalistic environments. Selective attention and physical work compete with executive processing. During executive processing loading of selective attention and physical work results in deactivation of bilateral prefrontal cortex and degraded working memory performance, indicating that physical work and concomitant selective attention may supersede executive processing in the distribution of mental resources. Application: This research informs decision-making procedures in work where working memory, physical activity, and attention interact. Where working memory is paramount, precautions should be taken to eliminate competition from physical work and selective attention.
Case Report A married woman, 52 years old, first seen September 1, 1948, was complaining of epiphora and a slight irritation of both eyes, particularly the right, with some photophobia. The illness was of some three months' duration, though she said she had had recurrent attacks of " sore eyes " for many years. The present attack seemed to have started after a long traip journey. The visual acuity was right 6/6, left 6/36, the left eye having been known for some time to be amblyopic. Both eyes looked irritable and the conjunctiva was slightly congested. There was no evidence of intra-ocular inflammation but, with the slit-lamp, superficial vessels could be seen extending on to the cornea from the limbal plexus. These vessels were very thin but contained blood and were arranged in a fairly regular manner all round the periphery of the cornea and directed towards the centre. They were mostly straight and anastomosed with each other, forming attenuated arcades. There were no other abnormalities. The picture of the abnormal corneal vessels was so like that seen in ariboflavinosis as described originally by Sydenstricker and others (1940) and later by Gregory (1943), Ferguson (1944), and Mann (1945), that a provisional diagnosis of riboflavin deficiency was made. The possibility of an infective conjunctivitis was also considered, but bacteriological examination of the conjunctiva showed no pathogenic organisms. The patient was given no treatment apart from riboflavin 9 mg. by mouth daily. Unfortunately she did not attend again for a month but her non-appearance was apparently due to the improvement in her condition, for she said that her eyes seemed to be entirely normal after about nine days on riboflavin, all grittiness and photophobia disappearing. Improvement had been noticed within a few days of starting to take the vitamin. When next examined, September 27, 1948, the abnormal corneal vessels had undergone very considerable regression and those still visible contained little blood. There was no congestion of the conjunctiva. The patient was asked about her diet. She was a hard-working housewife with a husband and son out at work. She admitted that she was not particularly anxious about what she herself ate and liked "to give as much as possible to the men". Cups of teawith bread and butter seemed to figure largely in her diet. When it was put to her that perhaps she was not getting enough to eat, she agreed that, although she usually had something of what she cooked for the men, her portion was never very large. Twelve months after treatment with riboflavin she wrote, " I have not been troubled with sore eyes since my visit in October last. I have followed your advice about diet."
Transformable (cp+) and non transformable (cp-) variants of the Neisseria meningitidis Strain M1 could be separated on the basis of their sedimentation velocity in sucrose gradients. The cp+ cells sedimented slightly more slowly than the cp- ones. This supports previous observations that the change from cp+ to cp- is followed by alterations in cell structures. In cp+ populations, the transformable fraction banded with the bulk of the cells in sucrose gradients, indicating that the density of the phenotypically competent cell is identical to the rest of the cp+ population.
The purpose of this paper is to present a means of controlling anterior shear force at the knee during isokinetic exercise. A dual-pad attachment to existing exercise equipment allows selection of the degree of anterior shear placed on the knee during exercise, ranging from a value which apparently places minimal stress on ligamentous restraints, through intermediate shear levels, to a value nearly that of standard exercise equipment. The special problems associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) involvement are reviewed in terms of ACL function, failure, and healing. Calculated loading configurations illustrate the effect on shear afforded by the device. A pilot roentgenographic study indicates restoration of normal tibiofemoral alignment and joint surface velocity vectors during isometric extension with the device. This preliminary finding correlates with clinical observation. Clinical application includes isokinetic exercise of the chronically lax knee and rehabilitation of the knee after ACL repair or reconstruction. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1982;4(1):23-31.
In this paper, Y+163°-cut LiNbO3 (LNO) Film Bulk Acoustic Resonators (FBAR) with patterned bottom electrodes (AlSi or W) and a sacrificial layer cavity have been fabricated using a layer transfer process (4-inch). Unlike previous work based on films oriented towards the X axis [1], the Y+163° orientation provides a single resonance at 2.2 GHz, with an effective electromechanical coupling factor (kt2) of 26 %. Thanks to this single mode behavior and to the energy trapping induced by the heavy tungsten electrodes, the quality factor at antiresonance (Qa) is increased to 600. Moreover a Temperature Coefficient of Frequency (TCF) of –45 ppm/°C is obtained. This demonstrates a significant improvement towards introducing LiNbO3 as an alternative to AlN in Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) filters for the new generation of RF filters.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the association between separation anxiety and actual separation events during childhood in adult patients with agoraphobia with or without panic disorder (PD). Method: Forty-two women with agoraphobia with or without PD participated in long-term follow-ups after exposure-in-vivo treatment. We assessed separation anxiety and separation events from age 0 to 18 years, as well as adult separation from a spouse. Results: Childhood separation experiences (55%) and separation anxiety were significantly higher in patients than in healthy subjects, but both conditions were not associated with each other. Childhood separation anxiety was related to adult separation events. Conclusions: Retrospective measures of childhood separation anxiety appear to be confounded by adult separation events. Thus the conclusion of whether childhood anxiety is a consequence of actual childhood separation events cannot be drawn, owing to a lacking association between both ratings.
Early-life antibiotic interventions can change the predisposition to disease by disturbing the gut microbiota. However, the impact of antibiotics on gut microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract is not completely understood, although antibiotic-induced alterations in the distal gut have been reported. Here, employing a piglet model, the microbial composition was analyzed by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing and PICRUSt predictions of metagenome function. The present study showed clear spatial variation of microbial communities in the stomach and intestine, and found that the administration of antibiotics (a mixture of olaquindox, oxytetracycline calcium, kitasamycin) in early life caused markedly differential alterations in the compartmentalized microbiota, with major alterations in their spatial variation in the lumen of the stomach and small intestine. In piglets fed an antibiotic-free diet, most of the variation in microbial communities was concentrated in gut segments and niches (lumen/mucosa). The microbial diversity was higher in the lumen of stomach and duodenum than that in ileum. The early-life antibiotic intervention decreased the abundance of some Lactobacillus species and increased the abundance of potentially pathogenic Streptococcus suis in the lumen of the stomach and small intestine. Interestingly, the intervention increased the abundance of Treponema only in the colonic lumen and that of Faecalibacterium only in the ileal mucosa. Furthermore, the antibiotic intervention exerted location-specific effects on the functional potential involved in the phosphotransferase system (decreased sucrose phosphotransferase in the stomach) and antibiotic-resistance genes (increased in the colon). These results point to an early-life antibiotic-induced dramatic and location-specific shift in the gut microbiota, with profound impact in the foregut and less impact in the hindgut. Collectively, these findings provide new insights into the membership of the microbiota along the gastrointestinal tract of piglets and highlight the importance of considering the foregut microbiota in health management of piglets at early life.
Because the pairwise comparison is a natural and effective way to obtain subjective image quality scores, we propose an objective full-reference image quality assessment (FR-IQA) index based on pairwise learning to rank (PLR). We first compose a large number of pairs of images, extract their features, and compute their preference labels as training labels. We then obtain a pairwise preference model by training a binary classifier using the features and labels. Because image quality is affected by the masking effect, we propose extracting frequency-aware quality features by adapting state-of-the-art IQA metrics. The learned pairwise preference model is then used to predict the preference between pairs of images in the testing dataset. The quality of each image is computed as the number of preferences. Experimental results on four IQA databases validate that the proposed PLR-based IQA index achieves higher consistency with human subjective evaluation than the state-of-the-art IQA metrics.
We apply the Fokker-Planck equation to analyze the stochastic behavior of a 1-micron diameter polystyrene bead trapped in water using an optical tweezer. Due to thermal noise, given enough time, a trapped particle will escape confinement from the trap. However, at biological temperatures, for laser powers of greater than approximately 5 milliwatts at the focus, the mean first exit time in the lateral plane is extremely large, and unbounded for most practical purposes. We show that the mean exit time increases exponentially with laser power. Furthermore, for a trapped 9.6-micron diameter polystyrene bead, we show that experimental mean passage times within the linear trapping region are in close agreement with theoretical calculations.
Distance information is critical to our understanding of our surrounding environment, especially in virtual reality settings. Unfortunately, as we gage distance mainly visually, the blind are prevented from properly utilizing this parameter to formulate 3D cognitive maps and cognitive imagery of their surroundings. Our purpose is to increase the accessibility of virtual environments to the blind using distance information which they will receive as auditory information. We aim to create a setup which will enable the blind and visually impaired to experience novel environments virtually before travelling to them in the real world, and additionally will enable the blind better accessibility to virtual environments for purposes such as entertainment and education. Here, blind and sighted-blindfolded subjects performed navigation and shape-discrimination tasks in virtual environments, using a simple transformation between virtual distance and sound, based on the concept of a virtual guide cane (paralleling in a virtual environment the ‘EyeCane’, developed in our lab). We show qualitatively that with minimal training it is possible for blind and blindfolded subjects to easily learn this transformation, enabling the discrimination of virtual 3D orientation and shapes and navigation in basic virtual environments using a standard mouse and audio-system.
American Association for the Advancement of Science Science serves its readers as a forum for the presentation and discussion of important issues related to the advancement of science, including the presentation of minority or conflicting points of view, rather than by publishing only material on which a consensus has been reached. Accordingly, all articles published in Science-including editorials, news and comment, and book reviews-re signed and reflect the individual views of the authors and not official points of view adopted by the AAAS or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
Bacteriophages (BPs) are viruses that can infect and kill bacteria without any negative effect on human or animal cells. For this reason, it is supposed that they can be used, alone or in combination with antibiotics, to treat bacterial infections. In this narrative review, the advantages and limitations of BPs for use in humans will be discussed. PubMed was used to search for all of the studies published from January 2008 to December 2018 using the key words: “BPs” or “phages” and “bacterial infection” or “antibiotic” or “infectious diseases.” More than 100 articles were found, but only those published in English or providing evidence-based data were included in the evaluation. Literature review showed that the rapid rise of multi-drug-resistant bacteria worldwide coupled with a decline in the development and production of novel antibacterial agents have led scientists to consider BPs for treatment of bacterial infection. Use of BPs to overcome the problem of increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics is attractive, and some research data seem to indicate that it might be a rational measure. However, present knowledge seems insufficient to allow the use of BPs for this purpose. To date, the problem of how to prepare the formulations for clinical use and how to avoid or limit the risk of emergence of bacterial resistance through the transmission of genetic material are not completely solved problems. Further studies specifically devoted to solve these problems are needed before BPs can be used in humans.
A very great deal of work has been done during the last three years on the determination of atomic transition probabilities, and complete coverage here is impossible. Wiese and his staff at the National Bureau of Standards, Washington, have continued to collect all numerical results, and they can supply information as to what is available for any particular atom. They have published (1) a critical compilation of atomic transition probabilities for the atoms sodium to calcium (inclusive) in essentially the same way as an earlier compilation covered hydrogen to neon. At the time of writing a complete new bibliography is also in preparation (2), which will be published as NBS Special Publication 320 and which is complete up to June 1969. Review articles published include that of Layzer and Garstang (3) on theoretical allowed and forbidden transition probabilities, and the two volume conference report (4) covers beam foil spectroscopy (including lifetime measurements) in some detail. A fairly complete review of forbidden line transition probabilities was given by Garstang (5), where references to many original papers may be found. In the following we shall confine ourselves to mentioning a few areas of particular interest; detailed references can be traced through the bibliographies, reviews and abstracting journals.
The authors describe 2 cases of extensive intracoronary thrombus formation leading to acute closure of the left main where bivalirudin (Angiomax) was used as the anticoagulant during percutaneous coronary intervention leading to mortality. Both cases had similarity in the cascade of complications of coronary dissection leading to slow flow and prolonged procedure time with compromise of antegrade flow in the coronary artery and a final catastrophic development of extensive intracoronary thrombosis extending into the left main and nonintervened vessel (left anterior descending or circumflex) followed by ventricular fibrillation and death. Bivalirudin has reversible anticoagulant pharmacodynamics because the bivalirudin molecule is cleaved by the thrombin molecule. In situations when the antegrade flow is compromised, delivery of fresh circulating bivalirudin to replenish the catalysis of bivalirudin by thrombin is diminished, allowing thrombin activity to regenerate, thereby creating a prothrombotic milieu in these coronary segments. This can lead to extensive intracoronary thrombus formation in situations of slow flow precipitated by coronary dissection and prolonged dwell time with intracoronary hardware (wires, balloons, and stents). Interventionalists should be aware of the potential risk of this fatal complication and should be proactive in recognizing the scenarios where this is likely to occur. In such anticipated circumstances, the interventionalist may judiciously switch the anticoagulant to heparin and/or use additional glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor because freshly formed intracoronary thrombus is susceptible to lysis by glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors.
BACKGROUND Little is known about the therapeutic role of intravenous interferon-beta in chronic hepatitis C patients unresponsive to a previous treatment with interferon-alpha.   METHODS Two hundred interferon-alpha non-responders were randomized to receive either intravenous recombinant interferon-beta or interferon-alpha-2b and ribavirin for 12 weeks. The responders in both groups were followed up for a further 48 weeks.   RESULTS At week 12 a biochemical and virologic response was documented in 42% of the patients treated with interferon-beta and in 22% of the patients treated with combination therapy. A sustained response was observed in 21% of the patients treated with interferon-beta and in 13% of those treated with combination therapy, with similar differences on intention-to-treat analysis.   CONCLUSIONS Short-term treatment with intravenous interferon-beta seems to offer a chance for sustained response in a subset of interferon-alpha non-responders. The role of long-term therapy in these patients still remains to be explored.
A new sesterterpene, sesteralterin (1), four new meroterpenes, tricycloalterfurenes A-D (2-5), and a known meroterpene, TCA-F (6), were obtained from the culture extract of an Alternaria alternata strain (k21-1) isolated from the surface of the marine red alga Lomentaria hakodatensis. The structures and relative/absolute configurations of these compounds were identified by spectroscopic analyses, mainly including 1D/2D NMR, ECD, and mass spectra and quantum chemical calculations. Compound 1 represents the first nitidasane sesterterpene naturally produced by fungi, and 2-5 feature a tetrahydrofuran unit rarely occurring in tricycloalternarenes. Compounds 1-6 were assayed for inhibition of the growth of four marine plankton and one marine alga-pathogenic bacterium.
Switchgrass breeding and genetics research was conducted from 1992-2002 at the Oklahoma State University as part of the national DOE-Bioenergy Feedstock Development Program (BFDP) effort to develop the species as a bioenergy feedstock crop. The fundamental objective of the program was to implement and conduct a breeding program to increase biomass yield capability in switchgrass and develop cultivars for the central and southern United States. Supporting research objectives included: (1) switchgrass germplasm collection, characterization, and enhancement; (2) elucidation of cytogenetic and breeding behavior; and (3) identification of best breeding procedures.
The increasing reliance of organisations on information systems connected to or extending over open data networks has established information security as a critical success factor for modern organisations. Risk analysis appears to be the predominant methodology for the introduction of security in information systems (IS). However, risk analysis is based on a very simple model of IS as consisting of assets, mainly data, hardware and software, which are vulnerable to various threats. Thus, risk analysis cannot provide for an understanding of the organisational environment in which IS operate. We believe that a comprehensive methodology for information systems security analysis and design (IS‐SAD) should incorporate both risk analysis and organisational analysis, based on business process modelling (BPM) techniques. This paper examines the possible contribution of BPM techniques to IS‐SAD and identifies the conceptual and methodological requirements for a technique to be used in this context. Based on these requirements, several BPM techniques have been reviewed. The review reveals the need for either adapting and combining current techniques or developing new, specialised ones.
This study examines the influence of economic, political, and demand factors on the adoption of public–private partnerships (PPPs) from 2000 to 2016. State debt, urban travel demand, and state laws allowing unsolicited PPP proposals have a significant effect on PPP adoption. Counter to previous studies that suggest conservative state governments adopt PPPs at a greater rate than liberal governments, we find that the influence of political ideology on PPP adoption is contingent upon state legislative professionalism. For states with high legislative professionalism, a change in state government ideology in the liberal direction decreases the likelihood of PPP adoption. For states with low legislative professionalism, a change in state government ideology in the liberal direction increases the likelihood of PPP adoption. The results inform the study of politics of privatization by demonstrating how ideological preferences can be shaped by the legislative capacities of state governments.
This paper develops a recent line of economic theory seeking to understand public goods economies using methods of topological analysis. Our first main result is a very clean characterization of the economy's core (the standard solution concept in public goods). Specifically, we prove that a point is in the core iff it is Pareto efficient, individually rational, and the set of points it dominates is path connected.  While this structural theorem has a few interesting implications in economic theory, the main focus of the second part of this paper is on a particular algorithmic application that demonstrates its utility. Since the 1960s, economists have looked for an efficient computational process that decides whether or not a given point is in the core. All known algorithms so far run in exponential time (except in some artificially restricted settings). By heavily exploiting our new structure, we propose a new algorithm for testing core membership whose computational bottleneck is the solution of $O(n)$ convex optimization problems on the utility function governing the economy. It is fairly natural to assume that convex optimization should be feasible, as it is needed even for very basic economic computational tasks such as testing Pareto efficiency. Nevertheless, even without this assumption, our work implies for the first time that core membership can be efficiently tested on (e.g.) utility functions that admit "nice" analytic expressions, or that appropriately defined $ varepsilon$-approximate versions of the problem are tractable (by using modern black-box $ varepsilon$-approximate convex optimization algorithms).
Waterjet-based tank waste retrieval end effectors have been developed by Retrieval Process Development and Enhancements through several generations of test articles targeted at deployment in Hanford underground storage tanks with a large robotic arm. The basic technology has demonstrated effectiveness for retrieval of simulants bounding a wide range of waste properties and compatibility with foreseen deployment systems. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) selected the waterjet scarifying end effector, the jet pump conveyance system, and the Modified Light Duty Utility Arm and Houdini Remotely Operated Vehicle deployment and manipulator systems for evaluation in the Gunite and Associated Tanks Treatability Study (GAAT-TS). The Retrieval Process Development and Enhancements (RPDE assembled with that manifold, the end effector is termed the Sludge Retrieval End Effector (SREE).
Andrea Zittel’s multi-disciplinary art practice has consistently revolved around designing and building prototypes answering to her longstanding fascination with the social construction of human needs and personal liberties. Her aesthetic and functional investigations have resulted in the production and exhibition of portable homesteads, campers, clothing, modular home furniture, human waste disposal units, carpets, weavings, animal breeding units, paintings on paper and wooden panels and drawings. Zittel has established an ecologically sensitive and technologically innovative site responsive place to live and work. Like the actions of the back-to-the-land communards of the 1970s, she has chosen to inhabit the margins, in this instance, the area where the garden (high-desert wilderness) sits at the edge of the machine (the extremely large-scale suburban sprawl of Los Angeles). Despite her apparent longing for the romantic solitude of the desert, Zittel has set-up her desert outpost as a busy social configuration built around her internationally acclaimed artistic practice. Her unique conflation of art and life pulls other artists out of their urban environments inviting them to collaborate and learn about her experimental ways of living. This paper will discuss Zittel’s unique new century artists’ commune and examine why it might be perceived as neo-countercultural, and a social contract particularly attuned to contemporary times. The paper will illuminate how for contemporary artists across the globe Zittel represents a new breed of pioneer and the opportunity to spend time at her A-Z West property is a lived utopian art and architectural experiment for the world-weary arts worker.
Active human echolocation can be an extremely useful aid for blind people. Active echolocation can be trained with both artificial and organic signals. Organic signals offer some advantages over artificial ones. Very detailed studies of organic signals in animals have been done. However, in the case of humans, the scientific literature is very scarce and not systematic. This is the first paper of a series on the properties of several suitable sounds for human echolocation. In this work, we offer a detailed analysis of these sounds, comparing their merits from a physical point of view. The results of this study have important applications to design systematic and optimized training protocols for accurate echolocation awareness.
The prospect of bilateral trade liberalization requires an understanding of contemporary work on the adjustment process. This survey of recent models by principally Canadian economists examines the methodological foundations of this research. It is found that the new trade adjustment models are just beginning to incorporate key elements of industrial organization effects such as intra-firm trade and non-tariff barriers to trade. More progress in these areas is required.
Heterogeneous and homogeneous processes in the formation of diamond at low pressures, where diamond is a metastable modification of carbon, are discussed. Data on the kinetics of the growth of diamond from hydrocarbons under conditions which give codeposition with graphite are reported, together with data on the influence of hydrogen on this process and on the resulting fractionation of the stable carbon isotopes. Chemical and plasma-chemical methods of preparing diamond and diamond-like layers are discussed, as well as methods based on the use of atomic and ionic beams. The most recent theoretical and experimental results on the homogeneous formation of diamond in the gas phase are presented. The bibliography includes 73 references.
Athletes with microtrauma or overuse injuries resulting from an accumulation of repeated small forces may differ from athletes with macrotrauma or acute injuries in their psychosocial responses because of the unique challenges presented by these insidious-onset and often chronic injuries. Our purpose was to use narrative inquiry to examine the psychosocial experiences and responses of 10 long-distance runners who had experienced microtrauma injuries. Qualitative data analysis of interview data led to a chronological timeline of the injury experience and an assessment of the meaning attributed to these injury experiences using a variation of Mishler’s core-narrative approach. Participants reported distinct thoughts, feelings, and behaviors during each phase of the injury—pre-injury, injury onset, and outcome. In the pre-injury period, participants indicated specific running-related goals and attributed their injuries to overtraining or a change in training. During the injury onset phase, participants consistently indicated two themes: self-diagnosis and treatment, and not taking time off. Within the outcome phase of injury, participants acknowledged changed training because of the injury, and lessons learned from their injury experiences. The narratives of microtrauma-injured runners revealed psychosocial distress and behavioral tendencies post-injury that have important implications for runners, coaches, and healthcare professionals.
In the 1990s Eugene Podkletnov published results of experiments which in his opinion proved the effect of gravity shielding. The present paper is concerned with the question, what results may be expected from such experiments on the basis of the "Alternative Reflections on Gravitation", (ARG). The results of these considerations are in excellent agreement with those experiments. There, however, appeared no gravity shielding, but the production of additional, highly focused repulsive forces. Such curious results can hardly be explained on the basis of classical gravitational theories, which deal with attractive forces and their strong decrease with distance.
Diagnosis and prognosis of poisonings should be confirmed by comprehensive screening and reliable quantification of xenobiotics, for example by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The turnaround time should be short enough to have an impact on clinical decisions. In emergency toxicology, quantification using full-scan acquisition is preferable because this allows screening and quantification of expected and unexpected drugs in one run. Therefore, a multi-analyte full-scan GC-MS approach was developed and validated with liquid-liquid extraction and one-point calibration for quantification of 40 drugs relevant to emergency toxicology. Validation showed that 36 drugs could be determined quickly, accurately, and reliably in the range of upper therapeutic to toxic concentrations. Daily one-point calibration with calibrators stored for up to four weeks reduced workload and turn-around time to less than 1 h. In summary, the multi-analyte approach with simple liquid-liquid extraction, GC-MS identification, and quantification over fast one-point calibration could successfully be applied to proficiency tests and real case samples.
Combined sequential treatments with multiple modalities such as lasers and soft‐tissue fillers are commonly required for the treatment of atrophic acne scars. Recently, fractional treatment with picosecond‐domain lasers has proven to be effective for skin rejuvenation and scar treatment. However, little is known about the effects of picosecond‐domain fractional laser treatment over hyaluronic acid fillers (HAFs). We aimed to evaluate the in vivo tissue responses to 1064 nm picosecond‐domain fractional neodymium:yttrium‐aluminum‐garnet (Nd:YAG) laser treatments using microlens array (MLA) applied over pre‐injected HAF in rats. In addition, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of this combined same‐day treatment for atrophic acne scars in patients.
Abstract This paper presents a study of the benefits and obstacles perceived by preservice teachers when considering the use of computer technology in social studies classes. We chose a purposive sample of education students who are in programs at technology rich institutions to begin exploring how emerging teachers would define the benefits and obstacles. We review existing research on teachers' attitudes toward technology, the barriers to technology use, and factors that facilitate technology integration. We then share our own findings, which include preservice teachers' perceptions of the benefits and potential downfalls of using technology. We identified five perceived benefits: data collection; improved student computer skills; dynamic sound and images; instructional variety; and communication tool Obstacles include: accessibility; differing ability levels; dependability; and supervision of students. A discussion of the juxtaposition of these benefits and obstacles, and the implications for teacher educators is presented.
Generation of Anti-rat CRH-Receptor (CRH-R) Antibody and Distribution of CRH-R in the Rat Toshihiro OKURA 1), Chen-Yu ZHANG 1), Yuichi FUJINAKA 1), Yutaka YOKOGOSHI 1), Setsuji HISANO 2), Kouki KITAGAWA 3) and Shiro SAITO 1) 1) First Department of Internal Medicine and 2) Second Department of Anatomy ,School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima,Tokushima,Japan,3) Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technology,The Niigata College of Pharmacy,Niigata,Japan
The two-dimensional scattering and diffraction of plane SH waves by a semi-cylindrical canyon is analysed for a general angle of wave incidence. The closed-form solution of the problem shows that the surface topography can have prominent effects on incident waves only when the wavelengths of incident motion are short compared to the radius of a canyon. The surface amplification of displacement amplitudes around and in the canyon changes rapidly from one point to another, but the amplification is always less than 2. The over-all trends of amplification pattern are determined by two principal parameters: (1) γ, the angle of incidence of plane SH waves, and (2) η, the ratio of radius of the canyon to one-half wave length of incident waves. The higher η leads to greater complexity of the pattern of surface displacement amplitudes characterized by more abrupt changes of amplification from one point to another, while γ mainly determines the over-all trends of displacement amplitudes. For grazing and nearly grazing incidences, for example, a strong shadow zone is developed behind the canyon.        The qualitative analysis of the topographic effects on the Pacoima Dam accelerogram,1 based on the semi-cylindrical canyon, suggests that this strong-motion record was not seriously affected by surface topography of the recording site.
Transmission and Distribution of electric power through underground cables is a viable alternative to overhead lines, particularly in residential or highly populated areas. The electrical stresses are consequences of regular voltages and over voltages and the thermal stresses are related to heat produced inside the conductor due to flow of high rated current which is the main factors that affect its reliability. The performance of these underground power cables is important for proper operation of the power system. Long-term problems with them are related to the degradation of polymer materials used for the insulator due electrical, thermal or environmental stress. Most of these problems are related to the electric field stress on the insulation of the underground cables. The objective of the electric field analysis by using different numerical techniques is to find electric field stress and other parameters, which are an inevitable tool in various electricity concerned technologies; in particular for analyzing discharge phenomenon and designing Extra High Voltage (EHV) underground cables. In this paper Finite Element Method (FEM) numerical method has been discussed and used to find 2-D electric field stress and other parameters of EHV underground cables with given boundary conditions using 2-D electric field analysis software package (IES-ELECTRO module) which is based on the finite element method (FEM).
BACKGROUND There is evidence of racial/ethnic differences in the age at which young adults age out of heavy drinking. Some studies have found Black and Hispanic drinkers engage in more frequent heavy drinking than White people beyond adulthood. Yet, the alcohol-related disparities literature has produced contradictory findings on whether an age-crossover effect is evident among racial/ethnic groups; that is, whether racial/ethnic minorities' drinking levels or trajectories are lower than White people at young ages but later exceed (or crossover) those of White people. This study extends this scant literature by assessing whether racial/ethnic differences in heavy drinking have changed over time (possibly accounting for mixed findings from prior research); and tests for an age-crossover effect in heavy drinking using longitudinal data from 2 cohorts born 20 years apart.   METHODS Data are from the 1979 (n = 10,963) and 1997 (n = 8,852) cohorts of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Generalized estimating equations were used to model trajectories of heavy drinking frequency from ages 17 to 31. Racial/ethnic differences were determined using sex-stratified models and 3-way interactions of race/ethnicity with age, age-squared, and cohort.   RESULTS Racial/ethnic differences in heavy drinking trajectories have changed over time in men and women. In the older NLSY cohort, Hispanic men and Black women surpassed White men's and women's heavy drinking frequency by age 31. This crossover was absent in the younger cohort, where trajectories of all racial-sex groups converged by age 31. Normative trajectories have changed in Hispanics and White people of both sexes, with a delay in age of peak frequency, and greater levels of heavy drinking in the younger cohort of women.   CONCLUSIONS Changes in heavy drinking trajectories over time suggest the need for targeted interventions during young adulthood. While disparities in young adult heavy drinking were no longer apparent in the more recent birth cohort, continued monitoring is important.
Objective: To compare oral Azithromycin with oral Doxycycline in treatment of moderate Acne Vulgaris.  Study design: Randomized control trial  Place and duration of the study: Dermatology Department , Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from 1st August 2017 till 31st January 2018.  Materials and methods: A total of 92 patients with moderate Acne were selected from Dermatology outpatient department (OPD) Pak Emirates Military Hospital Rawalpindi, after written informed consent. Patients were randomly allocated to one of the two treatment groups: Group A and Group B by lottery method. Patients in group A were given oral Azithromycin 500 mg daily for four consecutive days each month for 03 months and patients in group B were given oral Doxycycline 100 mg daily for 03 months. Patients were reviewed monthly for 03 months and Acne Severity Index (ASI) was recorded at baseline, at one month and three months. The primary outcome measured was more than 50% decrease from baseline in ASI within 3 months of treatment, using Global Acne Grading System (GAGS).  Results: Mean age of patients in group A was 21.80 + 4.64 years whereas mean age of patients in group B was 21.61 + 4.48 years. In group A mean pre-treatment ASI was 24.83 + 3.15 and mean post-treatment ASI was 10.15 + 1.7. In group B mean pre-treatment ASI was 25.30 ± 2.96 and mean post-treatment ASI was 9.86 + 1.58.  Conclusion: Azithromycin is comparable to Doxycycline in terms of mean change in ASI, in the treatment of moderate Acne Vulgaris.
The crystal structure and phase stability of the group-V elements As and Sb has been investigated by total-energy calculations within the local-density approximation (LDA), without and including generalized gradient corrections (GGC). We show that, contrary to the case of the group-VI elements Se and Te, where the LDA predicts crystal structures with a much smaller difference between the short intra-chain bonds and the long inter-chain bonds than is observed, for As and Sb the LDA leads to equilibrium structures in reasonable, or even good, agreement with experiment and describes the pressure-induced phase transition to a simple cubic structure in Sb (but not in As) very well. The GGC corrections show a tendency to overshoot and do not improve agreement with experiment. In both cases the main effect of the GGC is to add an isotropic pressure to the system, while the local electronic and bonding properties at constant volume remain unchanged.
In its reality, the world is more complex than we expect it to be predicated and controlled; so, by minor view to issues and suppose many phenomena to be independent, it would be impossible to understand their totality and complexity. Utilizing appropriate scientific tools can provide us with useful information to manage decision making to improve methods to carry out operations and apply resources; one of these scientific tools is system dynamics approach. Therefore, based on stages in the methodology of system dynamics and by taking experts comments, in the present study, causal relations between influential factors in improvement of customs service are identified. So, by knowing these causal relations, one can allocate resources and prioritize activities leading to influence on other factors following with the best results. Finally, after validation and having the confirmation of the experts, the researcher has presented a causal model to improve customs services. Casual Modeling to Improve Customs Services in Iran: A System Dynamics Study
This paper presents a stacked rectangular dielectric resonator antenna design. In this structure, two sapphires having the same dielectric constant and different dimensions piled over each other have been used for designing the proposed antenna. The designed antenna exhibits two frequency bands from 7.41 GHz to 8.21 GHz and 9.11 GHz to 12.65 GHz and impedance matching of 50 ohms. The proposed antenna design is a fine choice for subterranean and rugged communication, in addition, owing to sapphires unique features viz. durability, endurance, and aversion to physical change. The antenna structure is aperture coupled. Due to the advantage of aperture coupled feed mechanism such as good isolation between antennas and feed networks it has been employed. The antenna prototype has been fabricated, measured, and tested using Vector Network Analyzer and Anechoic Chamber to validate the proposed antenna design. The simulation results obtained indicate close proximity of tested result.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) can extract sea surface wind speed information. To extract wind speed information through the geophysical model function (GMF), the corresponding wind direction information must be input. This article introduces some concepts about networked SAR satellites. The networked satellites enable multiple SARs to observe the same sea surface at different incidence angles at the same time. Aiming at the X-band networked SAR data with different incident angles, the cost function is established by using the GMF. By minimizing the cost function, accurate wind speed information can be extracted without inputting wind direction information. When the noise is small, the wind direction information is introduced, and the accuracy of the extracted wind speed will be improved. When the noise is less than 1 dB and the incident angle is greater than 30°, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the wind speed extracted by this method is basically less than 2 m/s.
We report on a novel gas spectrometry technique using pyroelectric thin film arrays. The 1/spl times/50 element arrays of PZT are integrated onto silicon using a membrane structure. The experimental characterization of the pyroelectric elements show both high voltage and current responses in defined frequency ranges. Mounting the array as a detector in a commercial spectrometer, we demonstrate its capability of detecting the infrared absorption lines of gases by the example of CO/sub 2/.
1.IntroductionThe internet has emerged as one of the most popular communication media for all ages and is the most widely used tool for socializing at the moment. Bargh and McKenna (2004) state that communicating with others via the internet can help maintain close relationships with family and friends. Internet-based communication is also called Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) (Thurlow et al., 2004).Currently, many online media companies promote CMC, as a form of social media to the general public, such as Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, MSN, Friendster, My Space, Facebook, Kaskus, CNN, Gmail, MIRC, Wikipedia, Twitter and others. One example of this form of social media communication or CMC that has become very popular today worldwide, is the social networking site, Facebook. Facebook was designed by Mark Zuckerberg to keep in touch with fellow students in Harvard University in 2004 (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). The advent of Facebook recorded 21 million users (Needham & Company, 2007). In Indonesia, as much as 47.96182 million people use Facebook, making Indonesia among the top four countries in the world to most frequently use Facebook with the percentage of males at 59.1% (28.42646 million users) and 40.9% of women (19.68732 million users) (www.checkfacebook.com).Research conducted by Subrahmanyam, Reich, Waechter, and Espinoza (2008) states that today, many adults are starting to use social networks to build intimacy and fulfill affiliation needs by connecting, and reconnecting with friends and family members. This tendency is reinforced by social networking sites such as Facebook often requiring users to create web pages containing information about themselves and information that want to share with other people (Clark & Roberts, 2010). By uploading information, both current and past about themselves, they create a "space" for themselves where they find validation by other like-minded people.Survey results of studies undertaken by several universities in the US Midwest found that 91% of participants used the website facebook.com (Wiley & Sisson, 2006). This shows that prevalence of CMC via Facebook among the general population. Spending time on social networking sites has become so much a part of daily activities among mostly young adults. According to a survey by Nielsen Telecom Practice (Kristo, 2011), five of the most widely performed activities by Facebook users in Indonesia are; sending messages to friends as much as 91%; profile editing as much as 91%; exploring a friend or stranger's profile as much as 86%; updating their status or uploading something on the wall as much as 84%; and uploading photos as much as 79%. The ease of use facilitates such activities and leads to its users using the internet to open Facebook almost every day.Facebook has become a part and parcel of everyday life for most people. Williams and Skoric (2007) have studied the tendency of using Facebook and found that a high tendency to use Facebook is associated with age, gender, consumption patterns, behaviors, and relationships between individuals. Through Facebook, people can find out almost everything about a person like the name, date of birth, facial image, address, occupation, and many other personal details like schools studied in, favourite movies and books and so.The high level of usage of Facebook is caused by certain motivations. The first is the reception by a group of "friends" or fellow users, and the second is interpersonal feedback (comments) to the user himself, where when one gets comments from others about what was said on Facebook, the person will reply to these comments and so on, causing the intensity of the individual using the Facebook to increase (Simatupang, 2011). Facebook utilization refers to the level of intensity of engaging in the various activities in Facebook with more time being spent by the individual on these activities.Intensity refers to the frequence of performing a certain activity which is usually based on a sense of fun and enjoyment that comes when engaging in such activities. …
Carbon‐supported single‐atom catalysts (SACs) are extensively studied because of their outstanding activity and selectivity toward a wide range of catalytic reactions. Amidst its development, excess dopants (e.g., nitrogen) are always required to ensure the high loading content of SACs on the carbon support. However, the use of excess dopants is accompanied by formation of miscellaneous structures (particularly the uncoordinated N species) on catalysts, leading to adverse effects on their performance. Herein, the synthesis of carbon‐supported Ni SACs with precisely controlled single‐atom structure via joule heating strategy, showing the coordination of 80% of N dopants with metal elements, is reported. The preclusion of the unfavorable N species is confirmed to be the main reason for the superior performance of optimized Ni SACs in electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction, which demonstrates unprecedented activity, selectivity, and stability under an exceptionally broad voltage range (>92% CO selectivity in the range of −0.7 to −1.9 V reversible hydrogen electrode). Such a synthetic strategy is further applicable for the design of SACs with various metals. This work demonstrates a facile method for preclusion of unfavorable dopants in the SACs and its importance in catalytic application.
Considerations on (Pseudo-) Convergences of Sequences of Measurable Functions on Monotone Set Multifunction Space In this paper, we further a previous study concerning convergences and pseudo-convergences of sequences of measurable functions on monotone set multifunction spaces. Various considerations concerning operations and the uniqueness of the limit with respect to such convergences are given and several asymptotic structural properties of certain set multifunctions are, in this way, characterized.
Software product lines (SPLs) are known for improving productivity and reducing time-to-market through the systematic reuse of assets. SPLs are adopted mainly by re-engineering existing system variants. Feature location techniques (FLTs) support the re-engineering process by mapping the variants’ features to their implementation. However, such FLTs do not perform well when applied to single systems. In this way, there is a lack of FLTs to aid the re-engineering process of a single system into an SPL. In this work, we present a hybrid technique that consists of two complementary types of analysis: i) a dynamic analysis by runtime monitoring traces of scenarios in which features of the system are exercised individually, and ii) a static analysis for refining overlapping traces. We evaluate our technique on three subject systems by computing the common metrics used in FL research. We thus computed Precision, Recall, and F-Score at the line- and method-level of source code. In addition to that, one of the systems has a ground truth available, which we also used for comparing results. Results show that our FLT reached an average of 68-78% precision and 72-81% recall on two systems at the line-level, and 67-65% precision and 68-48% recall at the method-level. In these systems, most of the implementation can be covered by the exercise of the features. For the largest system, our technique reached a precision of up to 99% at the line-level, 94% at the method-level, and 44% when comparing to traces. However, due to its size, it was difficult to reach high code coverage during execution, and thus the recall obtained was on average of 28% at the line-level, 25% at the method-level, and 30% when comparing to traces. The main contribution of this work is a hybrid FLT, its publicly available implementation, and a replication package for comparisons and future studies.
The balanced scorecard provides a framework for selecting multiple performance measures that supplement traditional financial measures with operating measures of customer satisfaction, internal processes, and learning and growth activities. An essential aspect of the balanced scorecard lies in its articulation of the linkage between performance measures and business strategy. This study conducts an experiment to assess how individuals' evaluations of the performance of business unit managers depend on strategically linked performance measures of a balanced scorecard. Statistical test results indicate that performance evaluations are influenced by strategically linked measures more than non‐linked measures only when evaluators are provided detailed information about business unit strategies. The results also confirm Lipe and Salterio's (2000) finding that evaluators rely more on common measures than on unique measures. Evaluators rely more on strategically linked measures than on common measures when they ...
Large-scale data centers store a huge amount of the world's data in their cloud servers. To ensure fast, reliable, low power, and low cost transmission, the communication channel between the server units is optical, at the highest available data rates of 100 - 400 Gbps. Consequently, all future solutions should rely on advanced communication techniques combined with high order modulation and digital signal processing (DSP).
Piloted simulations of encounters with vortices of various ages and degrees of attenuation were performed with the Visual Motion Simulator. In the simulations, a twin-engine, commercial transport on final approach encountered the modeled vortices of a four-engine, wide-body, commercial transport. The data in this report show the effect of vortex age and ground effect on the severity of the initial upset, as well as the effect of the vortex encounters on the landing capability.
Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is an infras-tructureless, self-configuring, dynamic changing wireless ad-hoc network in which, each node forward packets in multi-hop fashion. Each node in MANET possess minimal transmission range, minimal energy and minimal computational capacity. Thus, each attributes of MANET escalating attention of researchers. In MANET, various exicting and serious issues emerges due to limited resources. The limited resources of wireless network combined with the highly dynamic routing infrastructure need additional attention because packets may traverse with longer path and can get lost in a network. Therefore, the lost packet needs to be retransmited which results in doubling the overall delay in the network. In this research article, we present an improved version of Petal Ant Routing (PAR) which makes data packets traverse within the petal region and achieve lesser delay of the packets. The simulation results shows that, the proposed method achieve better performance by reducing the overall delay of the packet and provide better throughput than actuall PAR algorithm.
In multiattribute decision making, it is critical to indentify the importance degree of attributes before the overall assessment of the alternatives. In this paper, we give a measurement of importance degree of attributes based on knowledge discovery in the decision information system, which satisfies the conditions of fuzzy measure. Further, we construct an evaluation model combined Choquet integral with the importance degree measure. The case study illustrates the validity and the effectiveness of the method.
Circuit simulator model validation procedures and results are presented for SiC power MOSFETs. The characteristics discussed include on-state conduction, resistive load switching, inductive load switching, and high voltage depletion capacitance. The validation procedures are performed using a script written in the AIM language that is incorporated in the Saberreg* circuit simulator. The script uses the model parameter sets from the IGBT Model Parameter ExtrACTion (IMPACT) tools to perform simulations and then compares the simulated results with measured characteristics. Example validation results are presented for recently developed 5 A, 10 kV SiC power MOSFETs demonstrating for the first time the model performance at the full application switching voltage (5 kV for the 10 kV devices).
Challenges and opportunities of Internal Medicine at the beginning of a new century Internal medicine was born at the end of the ninete enth century as the result of the great amount of medical knowledge that accrued. The word "internal" has a great meaning and symbolism that underscores a holistic view of t he patient. After some years of fruitful work, internal medicine experienced the ap pearance of subspecialties. This meant a great technological advance but increased t he costs of services and deteriorated patient-physician relationship. These tactics along with world sanitary changes, offer a unique opportunity for the resurge nce of Internal Medicine. Nowadays the internist has the image of an expert able to tr eat patients with diseases that involve several organs or systems or to serve as a consulta nt for complex medical problems. The new threats of the specialty are Family Medicin e and hospital physicians. The areas in which the internist should acquire experti se to cope with the new sanitary requirements are also analyzed (Rev Med Chile 2003; 131: 679-84). (Key Words: Delivery of health care; History of Medicine, moder n; Medicine)
High critical transition temperature (high Tc) superconducting thin films of Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O (TlCaBaCuO) were fabricated on LaAlO3 substrates in an rf magnetron sputtering system. As-deposited thin films were sintered and annealed in a thallium rich ambient to obtain superconductivity with a zero resistance critical temperature (Tc) at 103 K. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that the thin films were highly c-axis oriented with both Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3O (2223) and Tl2CalBa2Cu2Ox (2122) phases present. A wet chemical etching process was used for patterning the as-deposited TlCaBaCuO thin films. Linewidths as small as 25 m were patterned using standard photolithography and wet chemical etching techniques. A ring resonator designed for a center frequency of 30 GHz has been fabricated.
The concept of “mental energy” has received considerable public and private interest, but little scientific attention. For the public, mental energy is relevant for routines of daily living (e.g., job performance, social commitments) and for perceived health (i.e., quality of life). From a business perspective, mental energy is the target of marketing efforts aimed at selling products purporting to boost an individual’s level of energy or decrease his or her level of fatigue. Although few researchers have a focused interest on mental energy, it is relevant for studies involving health and disease. Elucidating the mechanisms that underlie aspects of mental energy ultimately may lead to improved quality of life for consumers. However, the lack of scientific investigation has resulted in confusion about how to best conceptualize and measure mental energy. Previous reports have addressed how the basic concept of “energy” is viewed by the public, the scientific community, and regulatory agencies, and whether the necessary tools exist to scientifically determine the effect of foods on “mental state and performance.” The general conclusions were that consumers and researchers do not necessarily view the concept of energy in the same way, and that the scientific concepts of mental state and performance are no different than phenomena being studied in other fields of life science. Therefore, the methodologies to measure energy and scientifically validate it exist, and basic research is needed to determine the physiological and pharmacological mechanisms that underlie the perception of energy. The specific concept of mental energy was the focus of a workshop hosted November 8–9, 2004 by the North American Branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI NA) Technical Committee on Energy. The workshop brought together a diverse group of professionals representing industry, regulatory agencies, and the scientific community to explore mental energy from multiple perspectives. The goals of the workshop were to examine the concept of mental energy from public, private, and research interests, and to identify scientific, regulatory, and communication needs to further our understanding of mental energy and to better inform consumers. A preliminary model of mental energy was presented and thoroughly critiqued. Proceedings from this workshop are summarized and available on the ILSI NA website (www.ilsina.org), which contains abstracts from each of the invited presentations, commentaries on the methods presented for assessing various dimensions of mental energy, and a description of the perspectives presented that are related to regulatory and communications issues. This special supplement to Nutrition Reviews contains a series of articles that explain the development of a definition and model for mental energy, including methods for assessing its domains. We hope this summary of the workshop proceedings and the following articles will stimulate the scientific community to design studies on the effects of dietary interventions on mental energy from the proposed conceptual framework. The goal is to help to develop the scientific basis for substantiation of claims that purport to maintain or enhance mental energy.
The purpose of the work is to explore and construct the future teacher's role view from the perspective of postmodern knowledge view. Postmodernism is a philosophical and social trend of thought popular in Western society at the end of the 20th century. After Lyotard put forward postmodern view of knowledge, the form, nature, transmission mode and value of knowledge have undergone unprecedented changes. This work puts forward new requirements for teachers transmitting knowledge. Future teachers should abandon the traditional authoritative role and become the collaborators and promoters of students learning knowledge, pioneers of lifelong learning and designers of classroom teaching, to better adapt to the development of contemporary education. Keywords—postmodern view of knowledge; future teachers;
Action research, which in its very design can have an impact on the learning in classrooms during its course rather than having to wait until research results are translated into practical classroom models, can be fostered by teachers and researchers working together in a reciprocal relationship (Casanova, 1989). As teacher educators and college based researchers, we have had the benefit of experiencing this reciprocal approach to research by working with our graduate students in two models designed to support researching teachers. In our work, in which individual teachers are recognized for the expertise they contribute to research about teaching practice and student learning, we have seen several groups of teachers from different school districts develop into collaborative learning groups. Through this type of collaborative effort, where teachers as reflective practitioners are focused on their own learning and where the impact of that learning is on real classrooms and real schools, the we-they in school-university research partnerships can be broken down. Such models have the potential for changing the direction of educational research, which in the past has had little effect on teaching practice, has rarely involved classroom practitioners in initiating their own research activities, and has been about the schools rather than in the schools.
The dynamic process of the evaporation and desiccation of sessile saline colloidal droplets, as well as their final deposition, is investigated. During the evaporation, the movement of the colloidal particles shows a strong dependence on the salt concentration and the droplet shape. The final deposition pattern indicates a weakened coffee-ring effect in this mixed droplet system. The microscopic observation reveals that, as evaporation proceeds, the particle motion trail is affected by the salt concentration of the droplet boundary. The Marangoni flows, which induced by surface tension gradients originating from the local evaporative peripheral salt enrichment, suppress the compensation flow towards the contact line of the droplet. The inhomogeneous density and concentration field induced by evaporation or crystallization could be the major reason for the various micro-flow. At last stage, the distribution and crystallization of NaCl are affected by the colloidal particles during the drying of the residual liquid film.
Wuchereria bancrofti is a mosquito-borne filarial nematode that commonly invades lymphatic vessels. Common clinical manifestations include elephantiasis, orchitis, epididymitis, and chyluria. This report concerns an Egyptian man who developed superior vena cava syndrome secondary to a mediastinal mass that was found to contain a filarial nematode consistent with W. bancrofti. This is the first case, to our knowledge, of this parasite causing fibrosing mediastinitis.
Facing certain death from an unresectable and aggressive lung tumour, a 47 year old woman from Florida embarked on a cruise and a course of germanium, a controversial alternative treatment for cancer ( Chest 2000;117:591-3). Her tumour and her symptoms disappeared, and she remains well four years after diagnosis. Oncologists are baffled. They had definitive histology of a spindle cell carcinoma, so must choose between two equally implausible explanations: spontaneous remission of the tumour or a real treatment effect from a toxic elemental metal that has failed to work in clinical trials of breast, prostate, and renal cancers. It's unlikely we will ever know.  Plain skull radiographs should be abandoned as a screening tool for intracranial bleeding in people with a mild head injury, write Dutch investigators after their meta-analysis showed that it has a sensitivity of only 38% ( Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 2000;68:416-22). The low sensitivity means that a normal skull radiograph does not rule out serious internal bleeding, which occurs in about 8% of cases. The cornerstones of management are clinical triage, observation, and computed tomography for those at high risk, the authors say.  An observational study in Thorax finds …
In its 2007 guideline, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) recommends vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) as safer than repeat elective caesarean sections. However, this document does not give details of risk of emergency caesarean section for women accepting VBAC. An emergency caesarean is associated with increased maternal and neonatal morbidity, and women do consider the eventuality of emergency delivery when deciding mode of delivery. We sought to quantify this risk by designing a retrospective cohort study in a consultant-led unit. While higher than average rates of successful planned VBAC were achieved, the odds of emergency caesarean delivery were increased in women undergoing VBAC (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2–7.6, p = 0.03). Odds of requiring a Category 1 emergency caesarean were markedly raised. Our data adds to the VBAC literature by quantifying the risk of Category 1 or 2 emergency caesarean section for women entering labour who have delivered by caesarean section once previously, giving the odds of emergency caesarean section on entering labour compared with women without a scar. This gives further information to those counselling women about birth after caesarean section.
Seven strains of Emericella nidulans were isolated from lesions in the guttural pouch of horses with mycosis of this pouch. All strains grew in a wide range of temperature, pH and in five kinds of culture media. The optimum temperature that supported their growth was 38 degrees C, and all seemed to prefer an acidic environment with a pH of 4.0. Proliferative conidial formation was found to be induced by the aforementioned temperature and pH. Moreover, detection of beta-haemolysis and protease production suggested that these strains are biologically and biochemically active, which may imply that they have a potent pathogenicity of their own. Characteristics of two other strains of E. nidulans isolated from fomites were the same as those isolated from the infected horses. These findings suggest that E. nidulans is a potentially pathogenic to horses.
Abstract A frontal development observed during the CASP (Canadian Atlantic Storm Project) project is used to investigate the dependence of the spinup time of the divergent circulation on (i) the initial humidity held, (ii) the vertical structure of the latent-heating profile, and (iii) the precipitation rates used in the diabatic initialization. Five 12-hour simulations using the Canadian regional finite-element (RFE) model with diabatic initialization are carried out: one control and four test simulation with varying initial conditions. One experiment uses the analyzed relative humidity in lieu of the satellite-inferred humidity enhancement, two simulations use rain rates reduced to half and zero, and in a fourth experiment the condensation scheme of the model is replaced by the moist adiabatic approach (generation friction) to determine the initial rain rates. The results indicate that in spite of the diabatic initialization, the spinup times remain long (6–9 hours) if no humidity enhancement is applied...
Factors of Influence for Females Majoring in the Fields of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Ms. Danielle Grimes, Mississippi State University Danielle is a second year master’s student in Biomedical Engineering at Mississippi State University. She graduated Cum Laude from Mississippi State University with a Biological Engineering bachelor’s degree in May 2014, and Danielle was inducted into the Bagley College of Engineering Student Hall of Fame in April 2014. Her research interests include females in engineering and K-12 STEM education. Tom M Leathem, Mississippi state university
In this paper, a wireless sensor network is proposed as an approach to long-range communication in order to monitor data outside of the nuclear reactor. ATmega16 is used in the node to exercise master control; the net topology communication protocols and data collecting programs are developed with this node as the hardware platform. Experiments are carried out to monitor the humidity and temperature outside of the nuclear reactor. Experimental results show that the proposed system can accurately monitor the humidity and temperature changes and steadily display the humidity and temperature between nodes. Therefore, the proposed system can monitor the data outside the nuclear reactor as required.
Cryptococcus neoformans continues to present diagnostic and treatment challenges in patients with underlying malignant neoplasms. Cryptococcal empyema is a relatively rare complication of cryptococcal disease. It is important to distinguish whether uncontrolled malignancy or cryptococcal infection is responsible for the effusion. We used traditional diagnostic approaches, bronchoscopy and transthoracic fine needle aspiration, to verify the presence of the organism but continued to have treatment failure until adequate drainage was established.
Background and Aims The Multicenter Study of Colorectal Adenomas (SMAC) is a retrospective-prospective cohort study involving four Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Units in Italy. The main aim of the study is to evaluate the relationship between clinical and pathologic information at index colonoscopy and subsequent incidence of adenoma and colorectal carcinoma. We report the rationale, objectives and methods of the study, including patient characteristics at initial presentation. Methods All patients were consecutively identified from the endoscopy registries of the four Centres from January 1, 1985 to December 31, 1992. Inclusion criteria were: age 18-69 years, endoscopy performed with adequate toilette at least up to the rectosigmoid junction, and removal of all detectable polyps. Exclusion criteria were: familial adenomatous polyposis, inflammatory bowel diseases, adenocarcinoma in adenoma with infiltrated margins, previous invasive cancer at any site, colon resection and geographic inaccessibility. Results Out of 20,071 patients who underwent endoscopy at the four Centres, 11,959 fulfilled the eligibility criteria (5,892 males and 6,067 females, mean age = 51.1 ± 11.6 years). The main reasons for exclusion were age (n = 4,020) and previous or present colorectal cancer (n = 2,389). Symptoms were the most common reason for referral (72.3%), while post-polypectomy follow-up and positive fecal occult blood accounted for most of the remaining cases. A pancolonoscopy was performed in 3,088 patients (25.8%), while a left-sided endoscopy was performed in 7,887 (66%). A total number of 4,810 polyps were removed from 2,699 patients (2,994 adenomas, 1,580 hyperplastic polyps and 236 polyps lost after resection). A significant association (p < 0.001) between age and the endoscopic findings was observed. The subjects without polyps (n = 9,198) had the lowest age (mean = 49.9; 95%CL = 49.6 - 50.1) followed by the patients with hyperplastic polyps (n = 661; mean age = 52.3; 95%CL = 51.5-53.1), and the patients with adenomas (n = 1,732; mean age = 56.2; 95%CL = 55.8 - 56.6), and the patients with hyperplastic polyps and adenomas (n = 306; mean age = 57.2; 95%CL = 56.3 - 58.2). Polyps were diagnosed more frequently in males than in females (28.6% versus 17.0%; p < 0.0001). Conclusion This study provides some insights in the natural history of colorectal cancer and stresses the need to develop adequate strategies in the follow-up of subjects after either positive or negative colonoscopy.
Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of B-cell non Hodgkin Lymphoma (B-NHL) representing 30% of all B-NHL. There are three molecular subtypes: germinal center B cell-like (GCB) DLBCL, activated B cell-like (ABC) DLBCL, and primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma (PMBL). Of those, Activated B-cell like Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL) represents a third of the patients and is characterized by constitutive NF-κB activity due to mutations in various proteins of the B-cell receptor (BCR) as well as Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways. Mutations in the BCR pathway include: activating mutations of CD79A/B (20% of ABC-DLBCLs) and CARD11 (10%) and deletion or inactivating mutation of A20 (20-30%). In the TLR pathway, MYD88 is mutated in 37% of ABC-DLBCL patients. Given this scenario, numerous therapeutic strategies targeting proteins signaling downstream of the BCR pathway have been proposed for ABC-DLBCL -including inhibitors targeting kinases SYK, BTK, PI3K, PKC, MAPKs and AKT or the protease MALT1. MALT1 inhibition provides advantages to other targets because it is downstream of most of the BCR pathway mutations present in patients, including CARD11. Patients with CARD11 mutations do not respond to BTK inhibitors. However, none of the MALT1 inhibitors reported to date are good candidates for clinical use. Here we report a new class of substrate mimetic MALT1 inhibitors based on Z-VRPR-fmk. Our lead compound, SCM-02-138 displayed nanomolar potency in biochemical and cellular MALT1 protease reporter assays. Crystallography shows covalent binding of the compound to MALT1 active site Cys residue. SCM-02-138 was highly selective for MALT1 and showed over 100-fold differential killing in sensitive vs resistant cell lines. MALT1 inhibition was most effective in CARD11 mutant cells. SCM-02-138 was active in vivo, as assessed by hIL10 inhibition in xenografted models of ABC-DLBCL cell lines. Moreover it was effective against ABC-DLBCL xenografts and PDX DLBCL ex vivo. Combination of SCM-02-138 with other BCR inhibitors revealed PI3K delta inhibition as the most synergistic combination. Combination of SCM-02-138 and CAL-101 potentiated both proliferation inhibition and apoptosis. In summary, we have developed a new class of MALT1 peptidic inhibitor characterized by nanomolar potency, irreversibility and high specificity. This inhibitor will be particularly useful against CARD11 mutant ABC-DLBCL, which are resistant to BTK inhibitors. Citation Format: Lorena Fontan, David Scott, John Hatcher, Qi Qiao, Ilkay Us, Gabriella Casalena, Mariette Bekkers, Ulrike Philippar, Matthew Durant, Spandan Chennamadhavuni, Hao Wu, Nathaniel Gray, Ari Melnick. Substrate-mimetic covalent inhibitor of MALT1 is most effective against CARD11 mutant ABC-DLBCL [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-303. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-LB-303
The specific name of this form is not in doubt, but its authorship is less securely determined. The species Terebratula cuneata was proposed by both Dalman (1828, 141, Tab. vi, figs. 3a–c)and Hisinger (1828, 220, 239, Tab. vi, fig. 5) in the same year, and the first time each author mentions the name, he ascribes it to the other. Each account is accompanied by figures, and there appears to be no ruling of the International Commission on Nomenclature that would settle the authorship in such a case. Dalman's account, however, appears in the volume for 1827, though the title page bears the imprint 1828, and such a choice of authorship agrees with alphabetical priority and with the usage of most subsequent palaeontologists.
Abstract The designation “thrombolite” was proposed by Aitken for “cryptalgal structures related to stromatolites, but lacking lamination and characterized by a macroscopic clotted fabric.” In that same paper, he referred to the characteristic mesostructural elements as clots. Since publication of that paper, there have been several attempts at redefinition that have further complicated our understanding of, and communication about, thrombolites. A distinction must be made between the thrombolite column and the mesostructural clots (mesoclots) that comprise it. Poorly preserved thrombolite columns have only vague mesoclots recognizable, thus leading to confusion. This is particularly true if the columns, themselves, are complex and comprise larger thrombolite bioherms or biostromes. Mesoclots are generally polymorphic mm- to cm-sized objects whereas columns, which may also be polymorphic, are one to several orders of magnitude larger. In order for there to be clear communication among microbialite paleontologists and sedimentologists, a standard guideline for mega-, macro-, meso-, and microstructural studies of thrombolites should be followed.
References 1 Stueber T, Buessecker L, Leffler A, et al. The use of dipyrone in the ICU is associated with acute kidney injury: a retrospective cohort analysis. Eur J Anaesthesiol 2017; 34:673–680. 2 Signorello LB, McLaughlin JK, Lipworth L, et al. Confounding by indication in epidemiologic studies of commonly used analgesics. Am J Ther 2002; 9:199–205. 3 Glanzmann C, Frey B, Vonbach P, et al. Drugs as risk factors of acute kidney injury in critically ill children. Pediatr Nephrol 2016; 31:145–151. 4 Hinz B, Cheremina O, Bachmakov J, et al. Dipyrone elicits substantial inhibition of peripheral cyclooxygenases in humans: new insights into the pharmacology of an old analgesic. FASEB J 2007; 21:2343–2351. 5 Pierre SC, Schmidt R, Brenneis C, et al. Inhibition of cyclooxygenases by dipyrone. Br J Pharmacol 2007; 151:494–503.
I. V. Zaiets, A. S. Sivchenko, A. I. Khoruzhenko © 2017 I. V. Zaiets et al.; Published by the Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, NAS of Ukraine on behalf of Biopolymers and Cell. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited UDC 576.322 577.22
The paper discusses selected issues regarding to repair and reinforcing methods of the of culverts and animal crossing structures. Information was also provided on materials used for construction, and renovation of culverts. In addition, the paper discusses the most commonly used technologies of reinforcing and reconstructing these objects. Particular attention has been paid to the ways of selecting the reinforcement method and systems, taking into account the properties of the materials used in the renovation of these structures. In addition, the paper, according to the author, arranges also issues related to the proper performance of renovation for road culverts.
Plastids evolved from free-living cyanobacteria through a process of primary endosymbiosis. The most widely accepted hypothesis derives three ancient lineages of primary plastids, i.e. those of glaucophytes, red algae and green plants, from a single cyanobacterial endosymbiosis. This hypothesis was originally predicated on the assumption that transformations of endosymbionts into organelles must be exceptionally rare because of the difficulty in establishing efficient protein trafficking between a host cell and incipient organelle. It turns out, however, that highly integrated endosymbiotic associations are more common than once thought. Among them is the amoeba Paulinella chromatophora, which harbours independently acquired cyanobacterial endosymbionts functioning as plastids. Sequencing of the Paulinella endosymbiont genome revealed an absence of essential genes for protein trafficking, suggesting their residence in the host nucleus and import of protein products back into the endosymbiont. To investigate this hypothesis, we searched the Paulinella endosymbiont genome for homologues of higher plant translocon proteins that form the import apparatus in two-membrane envelopes of primary plastids. We found homologues of Toc12, Tic21 and Tic32, but genes for other key translocon proteins (e.g. Omp85/Toc75 and Tic20) were missing. We propose that these missing genes were transferred to the Paulinella nucleus and their products are imported and integrated into the endosymbiont envelope membranes, thereby creating an effective protein import apparatus. We further suggest that other bacterial/cyanobacterial endosymbionts found in protists, plants and animals could have evolved efficient protein import systems independently and, therefore, reached the status of true cellular organelles.
RelE and ChpAK (MazF) toxins of Escherichia coli have previously been described as proteins that mediate efficient cell killing. We show here that induction of relE or chpAK transcription does not confer cell killing but, instead, induces a static condition in which the cells are still viable but unable to proliferate. Later induction of transcription of the antitoxin genes relB or chpAI fully reversed the static condition induced by RelE and ChpAK respectively. We also provide a mechanistic explanation for these findings. Thus, induction of relE transcription severely inhibited translation, whereas induction of chpAK transcription inhibited both translation and replication. Hence, most likely, lack of colony formation is due to inhibition of translation in the case of relE and inhibition of translation and/or replication in the case of chpAK. Consistent with this proposal, later induction of transcription of the cognate antitoxin genes simultaneously reversed cell stasis and the inhibitory effects of RelE and ChpAK on macromolecular syntheses. These results preclude that RelE and ChpAK mediate cell killing during the conditions used here. In vivo and in vitro analyses of a mutant RelE protein supported that inhibition of colony formation was due to inhibition of translation.
In this paper, a weight method with using a reduced lookup table is developed to decode the three possible errors in (15, 5, 7) and (31, 16, 7) BCH code. The data in the reduced lookup table consists of syndrome patterns and corresponding error patterns which only have one and two errors occurred in the message block of the received codeword. The proposed algorithm makes use of the properties of cyclic codes, weight of syndrome, and the reduced lookup table. It often results in a significant reduction in the memory requirements comparing to the traditional lookup table or other algebraic decoding methods. This weight decoding algorithm together with a reduced lookup table makes a fast and low complexity of the table lookup decoding algorithm. Moreover, a computer simulation shows that such a novel method is a much faster algorithm in software than the traditional full lookup table searching algorithm.
Muhammad Akram Zia, former Assistant Professor of Agri-science at University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), developed a strong fancy in his college days to make an enterprise in agribusiness. He had read about many energetic persons who had made fortunes in this business. He was particularly very much impressed by his former principal, Sir William Robert, who had after his retirement, taken up cotton cultivation in Khanewal as a corporate business under the name of BCGA and had become a muti-millionaire. Zia was, therefore, on the look out for an opportunity to start his own business as soon as possible.
Under physically isolated conditions, net community production (NCP) can be accurately estimated from the rate of oxygen evasion to the atmosphere derived from local mixed layer oxygen/argon measurements. We use a simple box model to demonstrate that, when physical inputs are negligible, the sea‐to‐air flux of biological oxygen (bioflux) represents the average NCP exponentially weighted over the past several residence times of oxygen in the mixed layer. This new weighting scheme shows that there is no apparent lag between bioflux and exponentially weighted time‐averaged NCP. Furthermore, a strict steady state assumption is unnecessary to this relationship. However, this widely used O2/Ar method is not effective in dynamic coastal zones where low oxygen water upwells to the surface. Yet these zones are highly productive and their episodic productivity needs to be quantified. We use a quasi‐2‐D version of the Regional Ocean Modeling System, including oxygen and argon as prognostic variables, to explore the application of this method and the relationship between NCP and bioflux in a coastal upwelling system. We show that bioflux is an accurate measure of NCP over large regions of time and space. Bioflux is most biased near the shore following upwelling favorable winds, where bioflux is sometimes negative (flux from the atmosphere to the ocean) and even positive bioflux values can severely underestimate NCP. Assessing a range of model variables that are easily observed in the field, we show that sea surface temperature is the most effective at identifying bioflux measurements that are likely to be biased.
Many mutations leading to human disease are the result of single DNA base pair changes that cannot be identified by Southern analysis. This has prompted the development of alternative assays for point mutation detection. The recently described ribonuclease A cleavage procedure, with a polyuridylic acid-paper affinity chromatography step, has been used to identify the mutational lesions in the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) messenger RNAs of patients with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Distinctive ribonuclease A cleavage patterns were identified in messenger RNA from 5 of 14 Lesch-Nyhan patients who were chosen because no HPRT Southern or Northern blotting pattern changes had been found. This approach now allows HPRT mutation detection in 50 percent of the cases of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. The polyuridylic acid-paper affinity procedure provides a general method for analysis of low abundance messenger RNAs.
We compared the relative resistance and soluble variant surface glycoprotein (VSG)-specific responses in (C57BL/6 x BALB/c)-F1 (B6B-F1) and C3H mice during infection with Trypanosoma brucei brucei, the hemoprotozoan parasite causing a debilitating disease in man and livestock. We demonstrated that C3H mice are relatively more trypanosusceptible, as evidenced by their reduced ability to control parasitemia and shorter survival time, than B6B-F1 mice. Quantitative differences in the pattern of cytokine and antibody (Ab) production were observed between the 2 mouse strains following infection with T. b. brucei. Thus, although both mouse strains recorded detectable levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, NO and IL-10 in plasma and lymph nodes, as well as plasma IgM, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG3 Abs against VSG, the susceptible C3H mice only exhibited trace levels of Abs of all isotypes and yet produced elevated levels of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha and NO, compared to the relatively trypanotolerant B6B-F1 mice. In aggregate, these data strongly suggest that trypanosome-infected C3H mice have an immunological defect, manifested not only by suppression at the B cell clonal level, but also at the level of protective T cell and macrophage phenotypes.
The field of Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) is currently emerging as one of the most important new technologies of 1990s. The silicon and related material-based micromachining has emerged as an extension of the integrated circuit's technology and has reached a high level of industrial development. For the III-V semiconductors, processing technology developed for microoptoelectronic devices can be transferred in the field of micromechanics with the monolithic integration of electro-optical functions. These materials offer superiority over silicon for Micro Opto Electro Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) that stems from both technological aspects (great flexibility and precision in micromachining) and intrinsic properties (direct band gap, piezoelectricity, heterostructure-based physical effects). The objective is to develop novel III-V semiconductor devices which combine optical and micro-electromechancal functions including optically-biased sensors, modulators, optical switches, wavelength tunable filters or sources operating in both sensing and actuating configurations.
Dielectric ceramics in the system (Zn1−xCox)TiO3 (x= 0–1) were synthesized by the solid-state reaction route. The phase distribution, microstructure, and dielectric properties were characterized by using powder X-ray diffraction analysis, electron microscopy, and microwave measurement techniques. Three phase composition regions were identified in the specimens sintered at 1150°C; [spinel + rutile] at 0 ≤x≤ 0.5, [spinel + ilmenite + rutile] at 0.5 < x≤ 0.7, and [ilmenite] phase at 0.7 < x≤ 1. For the 0 ≤x≤ 0.5 region, the amount of Ti-rich precipitates incorporated into the spinel phase decreased with the Co content at 0 ≤x≤ 0.5, with a concomitant increase of the rutile phase. The ilmenite phase appeared for high Co content. The microwave dielectric properties depended on the phase composition and volume according to the three phase regions, where the relative amount of rutile to the spinel or ilmenite determined the dielectric properties. The dielectric constant as a function of Co addition was modeled with a Maxwell mixing rule. An optimum phase distribution was determined in this system with dielectric constant of 25, a Q*f 70 000 GHz, and a low temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency.
In reference to this article the author states: Since my earliest exposure to psychological theory, I have been convinced that the old conception of psychology as a mental' science had more in its favor than its historical plight indicates. It was Descartes who convinced himself poignantly that his existence was real by recognizing the simple fact that he thought. Whether the phenomenal awareness that an individual possesses of his thoughts is sound evidence of his existence may be questionable; but clearly, that awareness makes thinking a psychological process of considerable importance to the psychologist interested in mental phenomena. The mathematical psychologist who looks for a way of analyzing thinking may be tempted to start by trying to establish a comparison between human modes of simple verbal deduction on the one hand and the normative prescriptions for valid deduction given by the logician on the other. It was in the process of attempting such a comparison that I came to know, and indeed appreciate, the work of Abelson and Rosenberg.
This case study examines how a topic of Irish history, the Irish Famine 1845-49, is represented over time in history textbooks used in English secondary schools and whether and to what extent ethnocentrism is inherent in this presentation. The concept of ethnocentrism is used as a framework for interpreting the presentation of the topic. A strategy of content analysis of samples of history textbooks from the 1920s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s to the present is used. The conclusion drawn from the analysis is that the history of the Irish Famine is marginalised in the overall sample and that the textbooks contain examples of both direct and indirect ethnocentrism. The conclusion also highlights the importance of maintaining an intercultural approach when designing school curricula and of providing alternative accounts of history to that of the dominant culture.
The collagen phase in bone is known to undergo major changes during growth and maturation. The objective of this study is to clarify whether Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy, coupled with cluster analysis, can detect quantitative and qualitative changes in the collagen matrix of subchondral bone in horses during maturation and growth. Equine subchondral bone samples (n = 29) from the proximal joint surface of the first phalanx are prepared from two sites subjected to different loading conditions. Three age groups are studied: newborn (0 days old), immature (5 to 11 months old), and adult (6 to 10 years old) horses. Spatial collagen content and collagen cross-link ratio are quantified from the spectra. Additionally, normalized second derivative spectra of samples are clustered using the k-means clustering algorithm. In quantitative analysis, collagen content in the subchondral bone increases rapidly between the newborn and immature horses. The collagen cross-link ratio increases significantly with age. In qualitative analysis, clustering is able to separate newborn and adult samples into two different groups. The immature samples display some nonhomogeneity. In conclusion, this is the first study showing that FTIR spectral imaging combined with clustering techniques can detect quantitative and qualitative changes in the collagen matrix of subchondral bone during growth and maturation.
The principal complication arising out of free radical-initiated polymerizations involving vinyl acetate has been the chain transfer to monomer and polymer which results in a highly branched polymer chain. Some evidence has also been presented to show that the degree of branching in polyvinyl esters increases with an increasing number of carbon atoms in the vinyl ester. It was of interest, therefore, to obtain a relative measure of the chain transfer constants for successive members of the homologous series of vinyl esters and to relate the constants to the actual structure of the respective polyvinyl ester. Accordingly, the study of the chain transfer in the benzoyl peroxideinitiated polymerizations of vinyl acetate in the presence of a homologous series of ethyl esters of fatty acids was made. Chain transfer constants versus number of carbon atoms in the carboxylate portion of the fatty acid ester resulted in a linear relationship which can be expressed as        where n is the number of non-α-methylene groups in the side chain. A concurrent study of the influence of monomer chain lengths of selected vinyl esters on molecular weight of the derived homopolymer was also carried out. The results obtained provide a basis for predicting the trends for changes in branching and degree of polymerization within the homologous series of vinyl esters.
ObjectiveTo determine the costs associated with delirium in mechanically ventilated medical intensive care unit patients. DesignProspective cohort study. SettingA tertiary care academic hospital. PatientsPatients were 275 consecutive mechanically ventilated medical intensive care unit patients. InterventionsWe prospectively examined patients for delirium using the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit. Measurements and Main ResultsDelirium was categorized as “ever vs. never” and by a cumulative delirium severity index. Costs were determined from individual ledger-level patient charges using cost-center-specific cost-to-charge ratios and were reported in year 2001 U.S. dollars. Fifty-one of 275 patients (18.5%) had persistent coma and died in the hospital and were excluded from further analysis. Of the remaining 224 patients, delirium developed in 183 (81.7%) and lasted a median of 2.1 (interquartile range, 1–3) days. Baseline demographics were similar between those with and without delirium. Intensive care unit costs (median, interquartile range) were significantly higher for those with at least one episode of delirium ($22,346, $15,083–$35,521) vs. those with no delirium ($13,332, $8,837–$21,471, p < .001). Total hospital costs were also higher in those who developed delirium ($41,836, $22,782–$68,134 vs. $27,106, $13,875–$37,419, p = .002). Higher severity and duration of delirium were associated with incrementally greater costs (all p < .001). After adjustment for age, comorbidity, severity of illness, degree of organ dysfunction, nosocomial infection, hospital mortality, and other potential confounders, delirium was associated with 39% higher intensive care unit (95% confidence interval, 12–72%) and 31% higher hospital (95% confidence interval, 1–70%) costs. ConclusionsDelirium is a common clinical event in mechanically ventilated medical intensive care unit patients and is associated with significantly higher intensive care unit and hospital costs. Future efforts to prevent or treat intensive care unit delirium have the potential to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs of care.
Biochemical evidence has been collected which supports the proposition that the appearance of the staining reaction in tissue sections incubated in Fishman-Baker substrate solution is dependent on the activity of β-glucuronidase. It was first shown by quantitative analysis that the glucuronic acid is liberated into the medium simultaneously with the deposition of ferric-hydroxyquinoline as the hydrolysis of the substrate, 8-hydroxyquinoline glucosiduronic acid, proceeded. This demonstration was made both in a gel-β-glucuronidase model system and in incubation mixtures containing tissue sections. Next, it was established that the staining reaction was dependent on pH in a manner indistinguishable from the pH dependence of purified rat liver β-glucuronidase acting on 8-hydroxyquinoline glucosiduronic acid. Finally, the staining reaction was invariably prevented by adding to the Fishman-Baker substrate solution an appropriate amount of a second glucosiduronic acid beside that of 8-hydroxyquinoline. This inhibition was produced by naphthol AS-BI-β-glucosiduronic acid, a histochemical substrate for β-glucuronidase. Next, it was observed that the addition of p-nitrophenyl β-glucosiduronic acid to the digest prepared for each staining reaction inhibited the staining reactions of both. The use of the mixed substrate test suggests itself for application to the critical study of other enzymes.
Drip irrigation combined with split application of fertilizer nitrogen (N) dissolved in the irrigation water (i.e. drip fertigation) is commonly considered best management practice for water and nutrient efficiency. This research was conducted to study the influence of drip fertigation in combination with or without N fertilizers on vegetative growth, flowering quality, nutrients concentration in plants and soil fertility after the harvest of zinnia ( Zinnia elegans). A field experiment was conducted using a randomized complete block split plot design with two systems of drip irrigation (surface and subsurface drip irrigation) and 4 nitrogen rates (0, 30, 60, and 120 kg∙ha–1) as the main and split plots, respectively. The results revealed that vegetative growth rate, flowering characteristics , plant chemical contents, plant uptake and available soil from N, P, K, Fe, Mn, and Zn of zinnia increased significantly with increasing N level up to 120 kg∙ha–1. A similar trend was also found in the post-harvest soil fertility and nutrient uptake that approved the importance of drip fertigation with N fertilizers. Subsurface drip irrigation system was found to be more efficient than surface drip irrigation system to obtain maximum yield accompanied by the highest nutrients concentration in zinnia plants and soil fertility after harvest.
Very fast transient overvoltage (VFTO) generated by an operating disconnector is one of the main reasons for electromagnetic disturbance in gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substations. Generally, the amplitude of VFTO can be used as one of the references for the insulation design of GIS primary electric power equipment, so it is necessary to obtain its accurate amplitude. In this study, a new VFTO measuring sensor is developed and its measurement performance is demonstrated through hundreds of operations by a disconnector in a 220 kV GIS test circuit. The validation shows that the low cut-off frequency of the new VFTO measuring sensor has been greatly expanded to 0.01 mHz, which is improved by about 50% compared with the old sensor. The measurement accuracy of amplitude of VFTO micro-pulse improves greatly by about 80% compared with the old one. Thus, the new VFTO measuring sensor can fully meet the measurement needs of trapped charge voltage, power frequency voltage, and high-frequency transient voltage in VFTO waveform. It can be used to provide more accurate data support for insulation design of GIS primary power electric equipment in extra-high voltage (EHV) and ultra-high voltage (UHV) GIS substations.
reviewing Irish policy for the visual arts is a daunting task, not for reasons of any scarcity of such policy, but because of the diverse and dynamic activity emerging in the contemporary visual arts scene. Whether this activity is a result of policy initiatives, the buoyant economic climate, the spin-off of EU investment, or of growing cultural confidence is a question worth examining. Although the 1990s have not seen the emergence of architectural “grands travaux” on the French style, the decade has nevertheless witnessed the development of mixed investment “cultural quarters” in Dublin and some other Irish cities. Seen as reflecting continental influences, such new developments have included important initiatives in Irish visual culture. In addition, the past decade has witnessed the birth of a new Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) and a major capital investment in a new branch of the National Museum that will house the decorative arts. Viewed from outside the nation, the mainstream visual arts of painting, sculpture, and installation have existed as the Cinderella of Irish culture, certainly lacking the international profile accorded to the literary giants of the past—or to the many contemporary writers who appear to be moving toward similar renown. And with the continuing strength of the literary and performing arts, the cliché of an absent Irish visual tradition endures, even if it is rejected by contemporary artists. The catalogue of a recent exhibition of twentieth-century Irish figurative painting, for example, acknowledges that the vitality of modern visual arts needs to be appreciated outside Ireland—but still points to the overshadowing role of the performing and literary arts.1 And a London review of the exhibition reiterates the old cliché that Ireland has “an aural rather than a visual tra-
Background: Neonatal sepsis stays one of the main sources of morbidity and mortality both among infant in ICU, in light of the planning of the disease neonatal sepsis has been categorized into early and late-onset sepsis, where the latter occurs after one week of life and is often more insidious in onset than the former. Objective: To detect the rate of Serratia marcescens infection in neonatal sepsis in ICU by molecular technique. Methods: A total of 50 neonates with the age group 8 days to 30 days who were admitted to AL-Kadhumiya Teaching Hospital/ Baghdad during the period January to March ,2017 were recruited for this cross-sectional study. Approximately 3 ml of venous blood were obtained from each patients. These samples were examined for septicemia by blood culturing followed by API20 for quick identification of relevant bacteria. Furthermore, bacteria DNA was isolated directly from blood samples, and conventional PCR based on luxS gene, highly specific to S. marcescens, was achieved. Results: Blood culture were positive in 36(72 %) out of 50 samples; the most common bacterial causes were Staphylococcus aureus (18.7%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.8%) and Serratia marcescens (11.1%), Molecular method revealed specific amplification of luxS gene in 12 samples (24%). Conclusion: Serratia marcescens has risen as a most widely recognized causative agent in late onset sepsis.
The sleep patterns of 6 normals and 6 boys with visual-motor deficits were compared. While none of the usual symptoms of sleep pathology, e.g., insomnia, enuresis, night terrors, or somnambulism, were present in either group, the visual-motor boys showed a marked increase in Stage REM and correlated decrease in Stage 2 sleep. Results were interpreted as in accord with Berger's theory that the biological function of REM sleep is the innervation of anatomical pathways necessary for oculomotor control during waking.
The main aim of this pilot study is to investigate management anti-patterns encountered in IT innovation projects, in the long run. A quantitative research methodology was chosen. A group of software project managers in industrial innovation projects were requested to fill in a questionnaire. The collected data revealed anti-patterns, which were compared and contrasted to the anti-patterns mostly found in traditional software projects. Some anti-patterns encountered in conventional software projects were also identified in innovation projects. Additionally, a new possible anti-pattern was identified and further investigated. The new anti-pattern regards the management of team creativity and is considered as an anti-pattern, because it can be an obstacle in teamwork progress, having negative consequences. A remedy solution is recommended as a re-factoring and recovering management strategy. Overall, this pilot study offers a set of practical guidelines for project managers, and innovation project managers in particular; this is a current IT management need that must be addressed in the near future. Further, there is a gap of relevant knowledge in the field and there are no similar studies regarding software project management anti-patterns in innovation projects in the literature. Therefore, this work could be considered as the first ever pilot research study, which investigates and reports on anti-patterns in innovation projects. Finally, we mention our future plans and outline how this initial data gathering can be useful for constructing a research project to find out more on the above research needs and IT development metarequirements.
The time course of the epidemic of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) as it has occurred in the US hemophilia population is examined using surveillance data collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These data indicate that the epidemic course in hemophiliacs is distinguishable from that in the homosexual/bisexual and intravenous drug-using populations in at least one respect--the epidemic in the hemophilia population is characterized by a lack of consistent increase in the number of new AIDS cases in successive time intervals. This difference is interpreted as being attributable to the mechanisms by which AIDS virus is spread among hemophiliacs. In addition, the short survival following diagnosis of AIDS in hemophiliacs and the magnitude of yearly incidence rates for this group in 1984 and 1985 show the hemophilia population to have been severely affected by the epidemic.
A problem in (0, 1) hyperbolic programming is formulated and solved by the use of branch and bound methods. Computational results are presented including a comparison among several branching rules. Heuristic methods for quickly finding relatively good feasible solutions are presented and tested. The problem finds application in the scheduling of common carriers.        In the solution of the main problem, a subproblem is identified and solved. A geometric analogue is presented, which allows an interesting interpretation of the subproblem. The subproblem itself finds application in the design of gambles.
Toxic lipofuscin in the RPE (retinal pigment epithelium) is implicated in blindness in AMD (age-related macular degeneration) or recessive Stargardt's disease patients. In the present study, we identified a novel fluorescent lipofuscin component in human and bovine RPEs. Using 1D and 2D NMR and MS, we confirmed the structure of this pigment and called it pdA2E. It exhibits absorbance maxima at 492 and 342 nm, and is susceptible to photocatalytic isomerization and oxidation. This fluorophore was also detected in the eyecup extracts of Abca4(-/-)Rdh8(-/-) (Abca4 encodes ATP-binding cassette transporter 4 and Rdh8 encodes retinol dehydrogenase 8) mice, an AMD/recessive Stargardt's disease model. Excess amassing of pdA2E within RPE cells caused significant cell viability loss and membrane damage. The formation of pdA2E occurred when atRAL (all-trans-retinal) reacted with excess ethanolamine in the absence of acetic acid, and the process is likely to involve the participation of three atRAL molecules. Our findings suggest that endogenous pdA2E may serve as a sensitizer for yielding singlet oxygen and a singlet oxygen quencher, as well as a by-product of retinal metabolism, and its complete characterization facilitates the understanding of biosynthetic pathways by which adverse RPE lipofuscin constituents form.
Abstract This paper considers the case in which one wishes to determine a schedule for a two-facility sequencing situation internal to computer systems. For such a problem the total time involved in both calculating an optimal sequence and performing that sequence may sometimes exceed the total time necessary to simply select and process an arbitrary sequence. Linear decision procedures are presented so as to determine whether calculation of an optimal schedule is really worthwhile. Computational aspects of the procedures are also discussed.
A prominent theme in US federal infrastructure policy is the near-term insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the dedicated fnancing stream for highways and public transit. The HTF is projected to exhaust its reserves by 2022 and require more than $170 billion in cumulative general revenue transfers by 2029, leading to widespread funding uncertainty for nationally-signifcant surface transportation infrastructure and a dramatic increase in the national debt. This paper examines three countries—Japan, England, and Australia—that chose to eliminate earmarked taxes for highways and examines whether their infrastructure benefted as a result. International outcomes were mixed as to whether federal investments in highways and road quality remained robust following the intervention. But such a solution, with stringent safeguards, could provide an answer to the HTF solvency issue in upcoming surface transportation reauthorization legislation.
DDITIONAL S UMMARY . The ﬂoral industry has experienced declining sales in the past few decades, causing many to speculate as to the underlying causes. To identify consumers’ spending patterns for fresh ﬂowers and potted plants, we extracted and analyzed quarterly expenditure interview data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1996 to 2013. Our analysis revealed consumption trends over time by age group, and compared the differences in expenditure patterns across states. Additionally, we employed the Heckman two-step model to estimate how ﬂower consumption is affected by sociodemographic characteristics, geographic factors, housing status, and seasonal factors. The estimation results show that the source of declining demand can be attributed to the decrease in both number of ﬂower purchasers and expenditure among purchasers. Many factors including age, marital status, gender, education, income, number of earners in household, population size of the residing city, house type, and number of rooms in thehouse affect the demand for freshﬂowers and potted plants. Given that ﬂoral expenditure has been decreasing among consumers under 40 years of age for the past two decades, innovative marketing strategies to target this age cohort are essential for the ﬂoral industry’s success in the future.
Photoluminescence (PL) thermal quenching properties of zinc sulfide (ZnS) films, which were grown by mist chemical vapor deposition (mist‐CVD), were systematically investigated. The samples were grown from thiourea‐based solutions at various temperatures. Strong PL emissions related to S vacancies were observed from the sample grown at 600 and 700 °C and their thermal quenching properties were very small. PL spectra from the sample grown at 500 °C contains zinc oxide (ZnO) related peaks. The ZnO related PL peaks has almost no energy shift with the increase of temperature. This would be due to the mismatch of thermal expansion coefficient between ZnS and ZnO.
Congenital tracheal stenosis (CTS) is a rare disorder almost always diagnosed in infancy due to respiratory failure and other cardiopulmonary abnormalities. We experienced a 42-year-old female undiagnosed with CTS until difficult intubation upon surgery. Chest X-ray and computed tomography (CT) images revealed bronchial narrowing, which could already be seen prior to intubation, but was left unnoticed. Difficult airway management is a potentially lethal airway emergency. This life-threatening situation is preventable with the appropriate awareness. We report this clinically valuable case for the safety of future patient care. In English and Japanese literature, there are only 12 reported cases of CTS diagnosed in the adult. Ours and six previous cases were discovered with difficult intubation, a preventable life-threatening airway emergency. Pre-intubation images should be examined carefully for the possibility of CTS, as its frequency may be underestimated. Moreover, in treatment resistant recurrent asthmatic episodes, CTS should be kept in mind.
ABSTRACT Replication of poliovirus (PV) is restricted to a few sites, including the brain and spinal cord. However, this neurotropism is not conserved in cultured cells. Monkey kidney cells become susceptible to PV infection after cultivation in vitro, and cell lines of monolayer cultures from almost any tissue of primates are susceptible to PV infection. These observations suggest that cellular changes during cultivation are required for acquisition of susceptibility. The molecular basis for the cellular changes during this process is not known. We investigated the relationship between PV susceptibility and interferon (IFN) response in primary cultured kidney and liver cells derived from transgenic mice expressing human PV receptor and in several primate cell lines. Both kidneys and liver in vivo showed rapid IFN response within 6 h postinfection. However, monkey and mouse kidney cells in culture and primate cell lines, which were susceptible to PV, did not show such rapid response or showed no response at all. On the other hand, primary cultured liver cells, which were partially resistant to infection, showed rapid IFN induction. The loss of IFN inducibility in kidney cells was associated with a decrease in expression of IFN-stimulated genes involved in IFN response. Mouse kidney cells pretreated with a small dose of IFN, in turn, restored IFN inducibility and resistance to PV. These results strongly suggest that the cells in culture acquire PV susceptibility during the process of cultivation by losing rapid IFN response that has been normally maintained in extraneural tissues in vivo.
Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) and boron carbide (a-B4C) thin films were deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering of SiC and B4C target, respectively. Nanoindentation tests performed up to 450 °C in air were performed to explore and compare their hardness and elastic modulus.Hardness of a-B4C film decreases at smaller rate in comparison to a-SiC film up to 450 °C. Similarly, elastic modulus value of B4C is more stable with temperature than that of a-SiC.
Through static tests, this thesis studies the ability of activated alumina for absorbing the fluoride ion in fluorine-containing bitter salty water at Fuxin area, and fluoride ion in the regenerated liquid formed in a way that the original water sample is treated in a regeneration way with aluminum sulfate solution is removed with a coagulating precipitation method. Through comparison, this thesis analyzes the influence of different filter materials and coagulant varieties on the fluoride ion removal effect in fluorine-containing effluent, and also studies the influence of the concentration of regenerant aluminum sulfate solution and regeneration time on the regenerating effect of activated alumina. The study shows that as the filter material, the activated alumina has a good effect on removing the fluoride ion in the water sample, and the removal rate is 66.51%. On the same condition, as the coagulant, calcium chloride of the same mole quantity has the best effect on removing the fluoride ion, and the fluoride ion removal rate is 82.93%. On the conditions that the water temperature is 15°C, the concentration of aluminum sulfate is 3%, the regeneration time is 3h and the regeneration velocity is 3m/k, the regeneration effect is the best, and the regeneration rate reaches 95.10%.
were brought to East Berlin from England by their parents as infants; 5) Marion Thimm and Kate Leiterer, who came as children from the US and grew up in West and East Berlin respectively; and 6) Konstantin Miinz, who was born in 1957 in a gulag and came to East Berlin as an infant. Finally 7) there is Jessica Jacoby, a feminist and lesbian born in West Berlin in 1954. Perhaps with the exception of Cramer and Miinz, Judaism does not play a major role in their lives, and except for Jacoby they feel reconciled to living in Germany or even at home there. These interviews do offer us a glimpse into the lives of some Jews in postwar Berlin. The focus here is largely on people of the Left who felt alienated from Judaism and critical of the West. It would have been important to compare the views of these people from German Jewish backgrounds with others who either themselves, or whose parents were of East European Jewish backgrounds. I did find that the authors repeatedly lacked the thorough understanding of the German language required to carry out these interviews. On the most elementary level is the fact that in most instances when words or phrases are translated from the interviewee's German into English, the translation is incorrect. I am choosing a few cases at random: "durchgeschiittelt" does not mean "scattered;" "von oben bis unten," used as an idiom, cannot be translated "from top to bottom;" "lebensfahig" does not mean "having survival instincts;" "interfamiliar" is not "internecine;" "ausgerottet" is not "destroyed;" "irrwitzig" is not "strangely funny." These examples out of many should suffice to substantiate my doubts about the authors' understanding of subtleties of meaning in German. In addition in many cases where no German term is cited, it is nevertheless clear that the English word used is not what was meant, e.g., "human" instead of "humane," or "bourgeois" where "conventional" is meant. In conclusion: despite a strong awareness of the impermanence of life situations and a greater than usual fear of German xenophobia and nationalism, the interviewees do not, as has been claimed, sit on packed suitcases. In fact, they seem much like ordinary Germans, somewhat better educated and somewhat less adjusted than the average.
Introduction Organizational Theory Structure Change Commercialization Competitive Balance Conflict Context Control Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Corruption Critical Theory and Critical Management Studies Decision-Making Demand Effectiveness or Efficiency Employability Entrepreneurship Ethics Globalization Governance Image, Identity and Reputation Knowledge Transfer Leadership Legacy Media / Broadcasting Mega-Events Networks Organizational Culture Organizational Goals Performance Management Power Quality Sponsorship Sport Development (and Sport for Development, Development through Sport) Sports Funding and Finance Sports Law Sport Marketing Sport Organization Sport Participation Sport Policy Sport Tourism Stakeholders Strategic Planning Strategy Strategic Alliances Structure Technology Typologies and Taxonomies Voluntary Conclusions Keeping up to Date: Useful Sources
In the decade before World War I, two American naval officers tried to reform naval manufacturing with the help of Frederick W. Taylor, the foremost management consultant of his time. They failed. Admiral Caspar F. Goodrich was forced to retire in 1909, and Commander Holden A. Evans resigned in 1911 after his career was ruinedfor trying to change a Navy organizational policy by implementing Taylor's management ideas. Yet, the lengthy deliberations about how to manage helped the Navy find its own "best way" prior to World War I. This article, using new evidence, studies their actions as an example in American management history of the eventual success of a consulting effort that initially failed.
Current theories that attempt to explain the horizontal-vertical illusion (HVI) are inconsistent with all empirical evidence, largely due to the remaining gaps in our knowledge. This thesis expands our understanding of the HVI by addressing two main research issues – whether the HVI works in a similar manner across the spatial senses, and the effect of embedding single lines into two-dimensional shapes. The first research issue was addressed by presenting single lines sequentially to visual, haptic and auditory senses allowing a fair comparison by providing each modality the availability of equal information. In Experiment 1 participants used vision, haptics, audition, and a combination of the three senses to estimate lengths presented in the x-, y- and z-axes. No significant difference in length estimations was found between the modality conditions. A strong correlation was observed between the length estimations for each pair of senses. In Experiment 2 auditory lengths were presented using different sound to that used in Experiment 1 (i.e., white noise instead a buzzer sound) and a reverse HVI was found. Despite this, the findings show that length perception operates in a similar manner across the modalities. The second main research issue was broken into two parts. The first part (Experiments 3 and 4) assessed whether the HVI existed in the creation of squares, and the second (Experiment 5) compared the degree of illusion in traditional HVI figures with that of single lines. In Experiment 3 participants altered the dimensions of overlapping L-shaped cut-outs so the inner segment formed a square. As the sides of the squares were frequently made shorter than the bases (and/or the base longer than the side) it was found that the HVI does influence the creation of squares. In Experiment 4 participants were asked to construct squares using a cardboard cut out. The creation of squares demonstrated the error of the standard with changes to the side resulting in a greater degree of illusion. In the final experiment, Experiment 5, in which participants used vision and haptics to make length estimates of lines presented separately or as part of an L or inverted-T figure, it was found that the latter produced the greatest degree of illusion where the side was overestimated compared to the base, and the strength of illusion produced from L figures and single lines was relatively similar. All three stimulus types produced a significant illusion in that vertical lines were, on average, judged to be longer than horizontal lines of the same size. The findings reported here point towards a more appropriate explanation for the illusory distortion. It is likely that the HVI is the result of flawed spatial cognition that impacts all modalities; however it remains unclear why this phenomenon occurs.
This research was motivated by the low achievement of learning outcomes of Land and Rock Mechanics subject by students of Study Program Outside Domicile of Sawahlunto State Community Academy. This study purpose was to reveal the impact of Problem Based Learning application to the activities and the learning outcomes of Soil and Rock Mechanics subject of students of Study Program Outside Domicile of Sawahlunto State Community Academy. This research was in the form of Class Action Research Model Kemmis and Mc Taggart, consisting of four components (planning, action, observation, and reflection). After learning in three cycles, the results showed that the application of Problem Based Learning in Soil and Rock Mechanics subjects to Study Programs Outside Domicile of Sawahluto State Community Academy turned out to be able to increase student learning activities, reaching very high categories, and achieving student learning outcomes average 83.33, above of the Minimum Graduation Standards value (70).
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) is a rare disease, with an estimated prevalence of 1-10 in 100,000 individuals, and more common in the third decade of life. The etiology remains uncertain, although there are genetic factors involved in onset and progression of the disease. Gastrointestinal manifestations are present in 10-60% of the patients, with inflammatory bowel disease appearing in 2-4% of the cases. A 32-year-old male patient with common variable immunodeficiency on treatment with human immunoglobulin G, had recurrent episodes of intestinal pseudo-obstruction, which were medically treated. Imaging test showed a non-obstructive ileal stenosis, and biopsies performed during ileocolonoscopy revealed nodular lymphoid hyperplasia. The patient presented with a new clinical picture compatible with intestinal obstruction. An abdominal computed tomography was obtained, evidencing a jejunal loop dilatation secondary to a caliber change probably related to intestinal intussusception. Emergency surgery was performed, observing a scar-like stenotic area, which was resected. The postoperative period was uneventful, and the histopathological examination revealed an infiltrate compatible with Crohn-like enteropathy. Persistent activation of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF- α) may contribute to the pathogenesys of CVI-associated inflammatory enteropathy in some patients. In the last years, there have been cases treated with anti-TNF-α drugs (Infliximab and Adalimumab) resulting in favorable clinical outcomes, as described by Vázquez-Morón et al. Currently, the patient remains asymptomatic one year after surgery. Therefore, and given the abscense of other intestinal segments involved, no biologic agent neither additional therapies have been required.
Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of new soluble polyimides that are functionalized using carbazole moieties in their side chain. As a monomer for synthesizing the polyimides, 4″-carbazole-9-yl-[1,1′;2′,1″] terphenyl-4-4′-diamine and 2-(3-carbazol-9-yl-propyl)-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine were synthesized and then characterized using 1H NMR, 13C NMR, FTIR, UV–visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and elemental analysis. The polyimides synthesized via chemical imidization processes were characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, wide angle X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, DSC, tensile strength measurement, and dielectric property measurement. Results showed that the synthesized polyimides were soluble in a variety of organic solvents, optically transparent in a visible range, thermally stable, mechanically strong, and considerably low dielectric. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8117–8130, 2008
Peptides derived from endogenous and exogenous antigens compete for binding and presentation via class II molecules. Studies with mutant B cell lines defective in exogenous antigen presentation suggest that HLA‐DM molecules facilitate the interaction of foreign peptides and class II molecules. In contrast, presentation of self antigens is not strictly dependent upon HLA‐DM, as demonstrated by the ability of these mutant cells to activate T cells specific for endogenous antigens. Two distinct classes of DM‐negative cells, T2 cells generated by in vitro mutagenesis and lines derived from bare lymphocyte syndrome (BLS) patients, were able to present epitopes derived from self proteins. Transfection of DM genes into the mutant cells enhanced the presentation of some, but not all, endogenous antigens, suggesting that formation of select endogenous peptide/class II complexes is not dependent upon DM. The efficiency of endogenous antigen presentation in the absence of DM was also dependent on the mutant antigen‐presenting cell studied, as the TxB hybrid T2 presented greater amounts of self peptides compared to cells from BLS patients. Thus, additional genes, aside from DM, may regulate the pathway for endogenous antigen presentation.
Isoelectrically precipitated chickpea protein isolate (CPI) and its combination with maltodextrin (MD) were investigated for the ability to form and stabilize cumin seed oil emulsions. Solubility, net surface charge, emulsion activity/stability indices, and creaming stability of CPI at a pH of 3.0–9.0 were evaluated. Optimum conditions for minimum cream separation were identified as: 0.19% CPI and 6.83% oil concentrations. Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seed essential oil was microencapsulated within the CPI–MD matrix via spray drying. Effects of CPI–MD matrix formulation on the physicochemical characteristics and volatile composition of the microencapsules were investigated. CPI–MD matrices had positive effects on microcapsule properties such as relatively lower surface oil, higher encapsulation efficiency (EE), and oil retention. Approximately 86.6–96.4% oil retention and 90.9–98.4% EE were achieved. Optimum conditions for maximized oil retention (92.9%) and EE (98.6%) were identified as: 2.1% CPI, 14.8% essential oil, and 35% MD. GC–MS analysis of microcapsules was carried out to determine the changes in volatile composition during spray drying. Cymene, α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, terpinene, terpineol, phellandrene, and cumin aldehyde were determined as the major components. Optimized design showed the highest EE and minimal changes in the volatile composition of cumin seed essential oil.
WAIGHT, LEONARD. The History and Mechanism of the Exchange Equalisation Account. Pp. xiv, 191. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1939. $2.50. Mr. Waight believes that since the publication in 1935 of Professor Hall’s wellknown volume, The Exchange Equalisation Account, which he praises and frequently cites, there has arisen a need for a general textbook on the subject. In a clear style, free from excessive use of technical terms, he traces simply and rapidly the conditions which called for the Exchange Equalisation Account, and concisely examines the manner in which it has apparently functioned. By and large, he accomplishes his purpose. The book is almost wholly concerned with technique, and makes little attempt to deal with fundamental monetary theories or with basic questions of relationships with international trade and prices and the balance of payments. One of the most interesting features is the attempt to explain how an inflow of foreign capital under certain conditions nowadays may have a deflationary rather than an inflationary effect. The study is none too objective. It expresses throughout a somewhat uncritical enthusiasm for the Exchange Equalisation Account, and even concludes that the organization, in addition to its success in exchange equalization, &dquo;has brought the country great benefits, not least the loan of vast sums of foreign money without security at the lowest possible rate of interest,&dquo; thus providing British industries &dquo;the inestimable benefits of cheap money.&dquo; One wonders whether in the preceding chapters this has been fully proved, and whether England’s enviable (?) financial and industrial conditions of recent years may be attributed, at least in part, to other factors. But the author’s pride is consistent, for one of his mottoes, printed on the title page, is: &dquo;We do not copy our neighbors, but are an example to them.&dquo; It is not surprising, therefore, that foreign criticisms, like those of Professor Charles Rist, are resisted. This useful book would have been slightly more usable if the chapters had been given titles. It would be much more useful today if it included the experiences of the autumn of 1939. But for this, of course, the author is not to be blamed; he signed his preface in April. Perhaps his next edition will include wartime changes. JOHN DONALDSON George Washington University
As a natural generalization of the Euler-Mascheroni constant $ gamma$, Y. Ihara introduced the Euler-Kronecker constant $ gamma_K$ attached to any number field $K$. In this paper, we prove that a certain bound on $ gamma_K$ in a tower of number fields $ mathcal{K}$ implies the generalized Brauer-Siegel conjecture for $ mathcal{K}$ as formulated by Tsfasman and Vlǎduţ. Moreover, we use known bounds on $ gamma_K$ for cyclotomic fields to obtain a finer estimate for the number of zeros of the Dedekind zeta-function $ zeta_K(s)$ in the critical strip.
In an experimental model, slabs of sound and presoftened bovine enamel were worn in the human mouth for seven days except for periodic removal for in vitro exposure to experimental variables. Supplementation with 3% sucrose for 10 minutes, four times daily for seven days yielded predicted levels of experimental caries. Parallel exposure to 3% sucrose containing 100 ppm fluoride sharply reduced or negated the resultant caries in originally sound enamel, and reversed the simulated pre-experimental caries in most samples of presoftened enamel. Serial layers of test enamel surfaces showed high levels of fluoride accumulated in the originally sound enamel, and even higher levels in the presoftened enamel that had been supplemented with sucrose-fluoride solution. Quantitation of the plaque microbial flora showed that the fluoride ion exerted no detectable influence. Consistent with the findings in previous studies, some correlation appeared to exist between the degree of experimental caries and that proportion of total plaque that was comprised of S salivarius, S mutans, or lactobacilli.
Anophthalmia and pituitary gland hypoplasia are both debilitating conditions where the underlying genetic defect is unknown in the majority of cases. We identified a patient with bilateral anophthalmia and absence of the optic nerves, chiasm and tracts, as well as pituitary gland hypoplasia and ear anomalies with a de novo apparently balanced chromosomal translocation, 46,XY,t(3;14)(q28;q23.2). Translocation breakpoint analysis using FISH and high‐resolution microarray comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) has identified a 9.66 Mb deleted region on the long arm of chromosome 14 which includes the genes BMP4, OTX2, RTN1, SIX6, SIX1, and SIX4. Three other patients with interstitial deletions involving 14q22‐23 have been described, all with bilateral anophthalmia, pituitary abnormalities, ear anomalies, and a facial phenotype similar to our patient. OTX2 is involved in ocular developmental defects, and the severity of the ocular phenotype in our patient and the other 14q22‐23 deletion patients, suggests this genomic region harbors other gene/s involved in ocular development. BMP4 haploinsufficiency is predicted to contribute to the ocular phenotype on the basis of its expression pattern and observed murine mutant phenotypes. In addition, deletion of BMP4 and SIX6 is likely to contribute to the abnormal pituitary development, and SIX1 deletion may contribute to the ear and other craniofacial features. This indicates that contiguous gene deletion may contribute to the phenotypic features in the 14q22‐23 deletion patients. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
During August 1988, a cultural resources pedestrian survey was conducted within the West Salado Creek Outfall pipeline easement (two-mile long by 50-foot wide) in southeastern Bexar County, Texas. As a result of surface examination and limited subsurface shovel tests, one prehistoric site (41 BX 785) was recorded. Although some lithic debit age and burned rock fragments were found in the shovel tests at the prehistoric site, there was not enough information from the limited tests to determine if the site is intact. Further testing is recommended to determine if the site is potentially eligible to be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places or to be designated as a State Archeological Landmark.
A model for ball lightning is developed in which most of its energy is accounted for by a toroidal magnetic field. The poloidal motion of its electrons, which maintains the magnetic field, is stabilized by a seaparation of charges which produces the required electric field. Loss of electrons and ions by recombination is made up by an interaction of the magnetic field with the current which replaces the lost charges. Order of magnitude computations are made for three phenomena reported in the literature: (1) a large ball lightning, (2) a plasmoid observed in a submarine, and (3) a granule on the surface of the sun. The principal justification for this model is its mechanism for extended lifetimes.
Email services use spam filtering algorithms (SFAs) to filter emails that are unwanted by the user. However, at times, the emails perceived by an SFA as unwanted may be important to the user. Such incorrect decisions can have significant implications if SFAs treat emails of user interest as spam on a large scale. This is particularly important during national elections. To study whether the SFAs of popular email services have any biases in treating the campaign emails, we conducted a large-scale study of the campaign emails of the US elections 2020 by subscribing to a large number of Presidential, Senate, and House candidates using over a hundred email accounts on Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo. We analyzed the biases in the SFAs towards the left and the right candidates and further studied the impact of the interactions (such as reading or marking emails as spam) of email recipients on these biases. We observed that the SFAs of different email services indeed exhibit biases towards different political affiliations.
Abstract : The United States Air Force Research Laboratory is conducting research and development of a computer-based, simulation capability to support training in decision making and team coordination for security forces ground operations. The simulation capability allows an instructor to start and control a simulation exercise on trainee computer workstations connected via a local area network. Simulation software supports the interaction of trainees with each other and with computer-generated forces (CGFs) that initiate behavior of enemy, neutral, and friendly troops and civilians. For the security forces simulation capability, the goal is to design a control interface that instructors can learn to use in two hours and trainees can learn to use in thirty minutes. To achieve this goal, a Windows-based control interface was adopted as the initial point of departure. Menu options were developed to correspond to the standard mission planning procedures used by security forces and drag-and-drop functions were developed to replace menu options to contribute to usability. This paper describes the emerging control interface, the approach to and outcomes from a field evaluation of the interface to include actual times required for instructors and trainees to learn to use the system and instructors' acceptability evaluations. Summary conclusions shed light on critical human-machine interface design issues for computer-based training simulations.
Major duodenal papilla cancer (MDPC) represents the primary type of duodenal cancer, and is typically considered a periampullary carcinoma as most tumors arise in this region. This report describes an extremely rare case involving a patient with rapidly and extensively recurrent MDPC following pancreaticoduodenectomy, who achieved complete response by concurrent image-guided radiation and intravenous oxaliplatin plus oral capecitabine therapies. The patient was a 50-year-old female who was admitted to our hospital 6 wk after resection for MDPC for evaluation of a nontender and enlarged node in the left side of her neck. After clinical work-up, the patient was diagnosed with postoperatively recurrent MDPC with widespread lymph node metastases at the bilateral cervix, mediastinum, abdominal cavity, and retroperitoneal area. She was administered whole field image-guided radiation therapy along with four cycles of the intravenous oxaliplatin plus oral capecitabine regimen. A complete response by positron emission tomography with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose was observed 4 months after treatment. The patient continues to be disease-free 2 years after the diagnosis of recurrence.
We report on a possible optical tuning of the spin Hall conductivity in mono-layer transition metal dichalcogenides. Light beams of frequencies much higher than the energy scale of the system (the off-resonant condition) do not excite electrons but rearrange the band structure. The rearrangement is quantitatively established using the Floquet formalism. For such a system of mono-layer transition metal dichalcogenides, the spin Hall conductivity (calculated with the Kubo expression in presence of disorder) exhibits a drop at higher frequencies and lower intensities. Finally, we compare the spin Hall conductivity of the higher spin-orbit coupled WSe2 to MoS2; the spin Hall conductivity of WSe2 was found to be larger.
Helium can be a resource of great value to the post industr ia l wor ld by the turn of the century if i t can be made available in suff icient quanti ty and if current research and development efforts on those aspects of applied superconductivity which hold greatest promise for significant application can be sufficiently supported and encouraged in a well coordinated way. It i s almost certain that there wi l l not be enough hel ium to permit ut i l izat ion of al l the more signif icant options to be made available, difficult choices will have to be made and pr ior ities for use established. In the next twenty f ive years, whi le we wait for the new technologies to develop, the populat ion of the United States wi l l increase by about 40 to 90 mil l ion people and that of the world wi l l almos'i double to reach almost 7 bil l ion barring some great catastrophe. Land use wil l double. Demands for food, energy and resources wil l multiply, rates of change and tendencies to global instabi l i ty wi l l increase. Our principal immediate challenge is to organize and work so as to surv i ve as an individual society in these years immediately ahead, This is the perspective from which we must view the helium problem and longer term technology development.
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) e-beam patterned mask inspection (EBPMI) has been proposed by Applied Materials as a cost-effective solution for high volume manufacturing (HVM) in mask shops and fabs. Electron beam inspection technology is currently available for wafers. A recent publication described a successful sensitivity study of EUVs mask using a technology demonstration platform. Here we present a new study using extreme e-beam conditions to show the feasibility of using EBPMI in HVM. We examine potential changes in the reflectivity at the EUV wavelength after exposure to high e-beam currents, demonstrating that reflectivity does not change due to e-beam scanning. We therefore conclude that under the conditions tested, which include typical as well as extreme conditions, there is no evidence of mask damage.
The thermal decomposition of biomass particles in a microwave plasma operating at atmospheric pressure conditions has been theoretically investigated. The set of equations, including thermal balance equations for the gas and biomass particles and kinetic rate balance equations for stable and intermediate components of biomass decomposition was solved for two different assumptions: thermal equilibrium and non-equilibrium. The thermal equilibrium assumption is acceptable given the high temperature and high reaction rates achievable in the microwave plasma environment, and although it hides the evolution of the pyrolysis process, it allows the description of the detailed chemical composition of the stable pyrolysis by-products (H2, CO, C2H2, and C [solid]).
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder and its prevalence has been increasing in the world population and represents one of the chronic diseases with the highest socioeconomic impact on the health systems. It is expected that in the next decade life expectancy and population aging will increase with the consequences of the increasing incidence of diabetes and its associated comorbidities. (DM) is the main cause of chronic kidney disease and it is associated with a significant increasing in cardiovascular risk. The coexistence of cardiac and kidney diseases on a metabolic basis, named “cardiorenal metabolic syndrome”, in elderly patients affected by multimorbidity increase their clinical and care complexity. In order to assess clinical complexity it is necessary to change paradigm from a reactive approach to a proactive one and the integration of territorial, hospital and social services according to the Chronic Care Model (CCM) is important. The proactive management of the complex patient suffering from chronic diseases and multimorbidity has been implemented at the National ARNAS Civico Hospital in Palermo with the MUSE (Multidimensional aSsessment of Elderly) project. The interaction between hospital and territorial services to respond to patients’ needs should be a priority. The hospital must therefore be conceived as a highly specialized center for chronic disease management that works with primary care according to a multidimensional and multidisciplinar model of care reducing rehospitalization and negative outcomes in patients affected by chronic diseases. KEY WORDS diabetes mellitus type2; comorbidity; management model; complexity; cardiorenal syndrome.
The solar flare proton rigidity spectra for several flares occurring between 1967 and 1972 have been deduced from the ground level cosmic ray neutron monitor observations. To obtain consistent agreement for all the ground level events (GLE's) analyzed, the specific yield functions of Lockwood and Webber (1967) must be reduced slightly below P=1.6 GV. The typical spectral indices of solar cosmic rays deduced for GLE's vary from 4 to 6 if the differential spectrum is represented by KP−γ. Only occasionally is the spectrum as steep as 8 or 9. The observed spectral index is independent of the magnitude of the integral solar proton flux above 1 GV.
Adequate supply of micronutrients during the first 1000 days is essential for normal development and healthy life. We aimed to investigate if interventions administering dietary doses up to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) of iron and zinc within the window from conception to age 2 years have the potential to influence nutritional status and development of children. To address this objective, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized fortification, biofortification, and supplementation trials in women (pregnant and lactating) and children (6–23 months) delivering iron or zinc in doses up to the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) levels was conducted. Supplying iron or zinc during pregnancy had no effects on birth outcomes. There were limited or no data on the effects of iron/zinc during pregnancy and lactation on child iron/zinc status, growth, morbidity, and psychomotor and mental development. Delivering up to 15 mg iron/day during infancy increased mean hemoglobin by 4 g/L (p < 0.001) and mean serum ferritin concentration by 17.6 µg/L (p < 0.001) and reduced the risk for anemia by 41% (p < 0.001), iron deficiency by 78% (ID; p < 0.001) and iron deficiency anemia by 80% (IDA; p < 0.001), but had no effect on growth or psychomotor development. Providing up to 10 mg of additional zinc during infancy increased plasma zinc concentration by 2.03 µmol/L (p < 0.001) and reduced the risk of zinc deficiency by 47% (p < 0.001). Further, we observed positive effects on child weight for age z-score (WAZ) (p < 0.05), weight for height z-score (WHZ) (p < 0.05), but not on height for age z-score (HAZ) or the risk for stunting, wasting, and underweight. There are no studies covering the full 1000 days window and the effects of iron and zinc delivered during pregnancy and lactation on child outcomes are ambiguous, but low dose daily iron and zinc use during 6–23 months of age has a positive effect on child iron and zinc status.
Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a heterogeneous condition with a variety of clinical outcomes, the presence of which correlates with risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as pre-clinical stages of other dementia subtypes. The aims of this study were to assess the specific patterns of cognitive profiles and to identify changes from baseline to 24 weeks in patients with MCI using detailed neuropsychological testing. Methods: We consecutively recruited 120 MCI patients at baseline according to the Petersen’s clinical diagnostic criteria, who were admitted to the Dementia and Memory Clinics. We analyzed patients who fulfilled both inclusion and exclusion criteria for MCI and classified them into four subtypes according to deficits in major cognitive domains; amnestic MCI single domain (aMCI-s), amnestic multiple domain MCI (aMCI-m), non-amnestic single domain MCI (naMCI-s) and non-amnestic multiple domain MCI (naMCI-m). Four groups of MCI were evaluated by a detailed neuropsychological battery test. Results: 83 patients with MCI at the 24-week follow-up were classified into four subtypes. The most frequent subtype was amnestic multi-domain MCI, with the frequency of MCI subtypes as follows: aMCI-s (n = 21, 25.3%), aMCI-m (n = 53, 63.9%), naMCI-s (n = 5, 6.0%) and naMCI-m (n = 4, 4.8%). In the major cognitive items of the SNSB-D, there were significant changes between the initial and follow-up tests in the domains of language, memory and the fron-tal/executive function (p < 0.05), except for attention, in all MCI patient subtypes. At 24-weeks follow-up, the conversion rate to Alzheimer’s disease was 2.4% (n = 2) from a subtype of amnestic multi-domain MCI. Conclusions: Our study revealed the most frequent subtype of MCI to be multiple domain amnestic MCI, with this subtype having a higher tendency of conversion to Alzheimer’s disease.
Sputter deposited Al(1–x)ScxN thin films with a Sc content from x = 0 to 43 at% are investigated by electron microscopy in order to study and explain the formation and growth of abnormally oriented grains (AOG). It is found that the latter did not nucleate at the interface with the substrate, but at high energy grain boundaries, at which systematically higher Sc concentrations are detected. The AOGs are thus formed during the growth of c‐textured grains. They grow faster than those, and finally protrude from the c‐textured film surface, having at their end a pyramidal shape with three facets of a hexagonal wurtzite crystal: one (0001) and two (11 2¯ 0) facets. Process conditions favoring less compact grain boundaries, and lower surface diffusion across grain boundaries are thought to promote nucleation of AOGs. Finally, a 4‐step growth mechanism explaining the nucleation from a Sc‐rich complexion and proliferation of AOGs with increasing film thickness is proposed.
A typical inflammatory response resulted from the intravenous injection of endotoxin (E. coli) into living rabbits. Each rabbit was studied at three levels: the microvasculature and supporting tissue in the ear chamber was observed microscopically (up to X200) before, during, and at regular intervals following the injection of endotoxin; leucocyte and platelet counts were made periodically throughout each experiment; and tissue samples for histological study were obtained from each rabbit prior to death. The animal was anaesthetised before histological samples were secured. Within minutes after the intravenous injection of endotoxin, leucocytes were observed sticking to the endothelial cells lining the venules and the arterioles. Emboli appeared in the microcirculation within 10 min. Swelling of the microvascular endothelial cells was evident at 1 hr; oedema and extravasation of the cellular elements followed. The rectal temperature and leucocyte and platelet counts all fell within 10 min. of endotoxin. Histological examination of tissue from the ear chamber and visceral organs showed inflammatory changes. Congestion of the microvasculature, swelling of the endothelial cells, and margination and migration of neutrophils were common histological features in all organs. The earliest cells affected appeared to be the leukocyte and platelet.
To simulate confined combustion, a new numerical method is presented. Assuming low‐Mach number flow and neglecting viscosity, radiation and heat conduction, the divergence of the velocity field is time‐dependent only. Thus, Helmholtz decomposition of the flow field yields a simpler numerical solution algorithm. This leads to Poisson's equations for the scalar and vector potential. To track the flame front, marker points are distributed along the discontinuity.
One way of understanding empathy in music performance is as a process by which singers closely identify with the characters they encounter and portray in opera or art song. As singers embody these characters, they literally give them voice. Musical performance thus humanizes characters as well as performers and audiences as deeper, empathetic engagement may also reflect or elicit new pathways of growth, knowledge, and understanding. What is the process a singer goes through in empathizing with a character? How can young singers learn to empathize with the characters they are tasked with portraying, even when they may find the characters or their behavior to fall outside of their own moral convictions?  This paper posits that empathy is a necessary part of the role preparation process for singers and introduces the “role journal” as a way for young singers to track embodiment processes and develop healthy habits of empathy and boundaries in their work.
Highly oriented pyrolytic carbon has been rubbed in each of three mutually perpendicular orientations against specimens of mild steel, nitrided steel and tungsten carbide. The surface orientations developed on the carbon have been studied by reflection electron diffraction, and information has been obtained on the influence of hardness and surface finish. The surface orientations developed on rubbed pyrolytic carbons are found to depend on the wear rate of the carbon, but they are not related to the coefficient of friction except under the condition of abrasive wear. It is also found that plastic deformation is not necessary for the formation of the surface orientations and it is deduced that the surface orientations are formed by the removal of material from the rubbed surface and the subsequent redeposition of the removed material.
ABSTRACT Human hypothalamic tissues were defatted with acetone, extracted with 2N acetic acid, subjected to prolonged boiling and lyophilized. Acetone defatted human neurohypophysial tissues which included the pituitary stalk were extracted with acetic acid and lyophilized. The polypeptide materials in such extracts were concentrated by glacial acetic acid extraction, gel filtration on Sephadex and phenol extraction. Multiple assays were performed with these human hypothalamic extracts and purified human neurohypophysial preparations in order to determine their content of hypothalamic releasing factors. Luteinizing hormone-releasing factor (LRF) activity was determined by injection of test material into ovariectomized rats pretreated with estrogen and progesterone. The plasma of those animals was assayed for LH by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion method. Thyrotropin-releasing factor (TRF) activity was estimated by measuring the release of 131I from the thyroids of mice pretreated with codeine and 1/μg ...
Thoroughbreds are some of the most famous racehorses worldwide and are currently animals of high economic value. To understand genomic variability in Thoroughbreds, we identified genome-wide insertions and deletions (INDELs) and obtained their allele frequencies in this study. INDELs were obtained from whole-genome sequencing data of 101 Thoroughbred racehorses by mapping sequence reads to the horse reference genome. By integrating individual data, 1,453,349 and 113,047 INDELs were identified in the autosomal (1–31) and X chromosomes, respectively, while 18 INDELs were identified on the mitochondrial genome, totaling 1,566,414 INDELs. Of those, 779,457 loci (49.8%) were novel INDELs, while 786,957 loci (50.2%) were already registered in Ensembl. The sizes of diallelic INDELs ranged from −286 to +476, and the majority, 717,736 (52.14%) and 220,672 (16.03%), were 1-bp and 2-bp variants, respectively. Numerous INDELs were found to have lower frequencies of alternative (Alt) alleles. Many rare variants with low Alt allele frequencies (<0.5%) were also detected. In addition, 5955 loci were genotyped as having a minor allele frequency of 0.5 and being heterogeneous genotypes in all the horses. While short-read sequencing and its mapping to reference genome is a simple way of detecting variants, fake variants may be detected. Therefore, our data help to identify true variants in Thoroughbred horses. The INDEL database we constructed will provide useful information for genetic studies and industrial applications in Thoroughbred horses, including a gene-editing test for gene-doping control and a parentage test using INDELs for horse registration and identification.
Abstract - Kerupuk  is a typical Indonesian snack favored by the entire community. In the process of making kerupuk and the most important thing to consider is the drying process. The drying process is still used is the conventional way, using sunlight. However, if the sun does not shine with sunlight or even rain will affect the quality of the kerupuk itself. Therefore, with the advancement of technology in the field of robotics is made drier kerupuk using atmega16. The main components in these tools is the microcontroller as processing input from a light sensor and output the water in the buzer, a heating element and a DC motor. Water sensors will be detected when the weather is cloudy and rainy while, the light sensor will be detected when there is sunlight. When rain and overcast box will come in and when the weather is hot box will come out. Drying with this tool will be more convenient and because the box will automatically move itself in accordance sensor detected. Key w ord s : tools drying, water sensor, light sensor Abstract - Crackers is a typical Indonesian snack favored by the entire community. In the process of making the crackers and the most important thing to Consider is the drying process. The drying process is still used is the conventional way, using sunlight. However, if the sun does not shine with sunlight or even rain will Affect the quality of the cracker itself. Therefore, with the advancement of technology in the field of robotics is made drier crackers using atmega16. The main components In These tools is the microcontroller as processing input from a light sensor and outputs the water in the buzer, a heating element and a DC motors. Water sensors will be detected when the weather is cloudy and rainy while, the light sensor will be detected when there is sunlight. When rain and overcast box will come in and when the weather is hot box will come out. Drying with this tool will be more convenient and Because The box will automatically move itself in accordance sensor detected. Keywords: tools drying, water sensor, light sensor
Birds have evolved alternate physiologic strategies to contend with dehydration, starvation, malnutrition, and reproduction. Basic anatomic and functional differences between birds and mammals impact clinical chemistry values and their evaluation. Interpretation of the results of standard biochemical analyses, including BUN, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, gamma glutamyltransferase, bilirubin, ammonia, alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol, bile acids, glucose, albumin, globulins, calcium, phosphorus, prealbumin (transthyretin), fibrinogen, iron, and ferritin, is reviewed and discussed in relation to these physiological differences. The use and interpretation of alternative analytes appropriate for avian species, such as uric acid, biliverdin, glutamate dehydrogenase, and galactose clearance, also are reviewed. Normal avian urine and appropriate use of urinalysis, an integral part of laboratory diagnosis in mammalian species that frequently is omitted from avian diagnostic protocols, is discussed.
Introduction: Studies on migraine psychiatric disease indicate that the disease is chronic and in this study the mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes on the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and clinical syndrome of migraineurs has been studied. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes in relation to early maladaptive schemas and clinical syndrome in people with migraine. Method: The research method is path analysis. Regarding this study, it should be noted that the study population was Migrants of Mashhad with 96 males and 161 females and sampling was available. From this sample, 257 questionnaires were submitted to the researcher. Yang Schema Questionnaire(short form)،DAS-26 and DASS-21 questionnaires were used in this study. Results: The findings showed that indirect pathways of the model are significant and this indicates a significant (P<0.05) mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and clinical syndrome in migraine patients. Conclusion: The results showed that dysfunctional attitudes play a mediating role between early maladaptive schemas and clinical symptoms of migraine. Therefore, in patients with migraine, the dysfunctional attitudes of these individuals can be adjusted using the psychological method and this in turn will be effective in improving the clinical symptoms of migraine.
The present study deals with structural sensitivity of dynamic response having uncertainties in design parameters subjected to random earthquake loading. Earthquake is modeled as stationary random process defined by Kanai–Tajimi power spectral density. The uncertain design parameters are modeled as homogeneous Gaussian process and discretized through 3D local averaging. Subsequently the Cholesky decomposition of respective co-variance matrix is used to simulate random values of design parameters. The Neumann expansion blended with Monte Carlo simulation (NE-MCS) is explored for computing response sensitivity in frequency domain. Application examples related to a building frame and a gravity dam are presented serving to validate the NE-MCS technique in terms of its accuracy and effectiveness compared to direct Monte Carlo simulation and perturbation method.
This paper deals with nonlinear matrix completion problem, which is a problem of estimating missing entries in a given matrix, where its column vectors belong to a low dimensional manifold. Authors have proposed the method which assumes that a low dimensional manifold can be approximated locally as a low dimensional linear subspace and iteratively solves low-rank matrix completion problems for submatrices generated by using the k-means clustering for several values of k and restores missing entries. To reduce the computational time, this paper a faster solving technique by alternating optimization using the gradient method for the low-rank submatrix completion problem. Numerical examples show that the proposed algorithm achieves better performance than other algorithms.
Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solvers serve as the core engine of many techniques, such as symbolic execution. Therefore, ensuring the robustness and correctness of SMT solvers is critical. While fuzzing is an efficient and effective method for validating the quality of SMT solvers, we observe that prior fuzzing work only focused on generating various first-order formulas as the inputs but neglected the algorithmic configuration space of an SMT solver, which leads to under-reporting many deeply-hidden bugs. In this paper, we present Falcon, a fuzzing technique that explores both the formula space and the configuration space. Combining the two spaces significantly enlarges the search space and makes it challenging to detect bugs efficiently. We solve this problem by utilizing the correlations between the two spaces to reduce the search space, and introducing an adaptive mutation strategy to boost the search efficiency. During six months of extensive testing, Falcon finds 518 confirmed bugs in CVC4 and Z3, two state-of-the-art SMT solvers, 469 of which have already been fixed. Compared to two state-of-the-art fuzzers, Falcon detects 38 and 44 more bugs and improves the coverage by a large margin in 24 hours of testing.
Satellite Models are usually used by banks to project the impact of a given scenario, usually expressed in terms of macroeconomic and financial covariates, of various risk parameters, such as Loss Given Default (LGD) and Probability of Default (PD). These projections are needed in various contexts (ICAAP, Stress Testing, IFRS9 Provisioning, Recovery Plan) where usually the problem at hand is often sparse: we have relatively few observations of the risk parameter compared to the number of covariates available. To overcome the criticism of cherry picking related to any specific model, i.e. subset of covariates, a Bayesian Model Average approach has been suggested, as in [Gross and Poblacion, 2004] and [Sala-i Martin et al., 2004], where one samples the model space and an average projection is taken weighting the sampled models in terms of a penalized likelihood as in the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). The advantage of this approach lies in its ease of implementation involving OLS estimates. Also from a theoretical standpoint the suggested approach can be considered an asymptotic proxy of any bayesian model for a wide class of prior distributions on the covariates parameters. Here we will test the approach proposed in [Gross and Poblacion, 2004] and [Sala-i Martin et al., 2004] against a hierarchical empirical bayesian model on both simulated and real credit risk datasets showing how the two approaches give similar results in terms of fit and forecast distribution. Nevertheless the weights associated to the sampled models can significantly differ making the bayesian model a safer choice.
Deep electron trapping centers in tin-doped gallium selenide single crystals have been studied by Hall effect, space-charge-limited current and thermally stimulated current experiments. At room temperature the electrical properties are dominated by a donor center at about 0.52 eV below the conduction band. Moreover, two electron trapping centers have been detected at 0.36 and 0.53 eV and the corresponding thermal capture cross sections are evaluated. Finally, the possible nature of these centers is also discussed.
I remember watching Marlon Riggs dying. It was 1994, and I was in graduate school quite literally so: scrutinizing his image in a classroom in Schermerhorn, a building on the campus of Columbia University. The dying, the death, was no less real for its televisuality, for its offscreen finale, for my experiencing some small portion of it by way of a rolled-out video console’s totemic stacking of TV monitor atop VHS player, audio/video wires and power cords dangling carelessly off to the sides. In a form of filmic reflexivity far more rigorous than anything I had seen before, Riggs, a controversial documentarian who had already been denounced as a pervert undeserving of government funding on the floor of the United States Congress for his previous film, Tongues Untied (Riggs 1989), a meditation on black gay manhood, had decided to use his final documentary, Black Is, Black Ain’t (Riggs 1994) (a film on the openness, though not the emptiness, of blackness as a signifier) to chronicle his own end, his own death, his body more and more emaciated from the AIDS virus with every passing scene. Black Is, Black Ain’t, anthropological in its luscious holism, flags and chronicles all the erstwhile and over-determined markers (even clichés) of purported blacknesses: hair textures, bone structures, skin tones, striding gaits, musical genres, political histories, vernacular assumptions, existential anxieties, stereotyped burdens, sexist acculturations everything, including, literally, shots of kitchen sinks, the preparation of gumbo being its central metaphor of African American eclecticism. By the end of the film, however, a couple of images haunt most: (1) out-of-focus shots of a bony Riggs, naked and alone, jogging, as Ethnic and Racial Studies Vol. 35 No. 4 April 2012 pp. 637 642
Purpose:Vinca alkaloids, agents that cause depolymerization of microtubules, are highly active in treatment of many pediatric cancers. In contrast, taxanes, agents that stabilize microtubules, are far less effective against the same cancer types. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the antitumor activity of ixabepilone, an epothilone B derivative representing a new class of microtubule-stabilizing antimitotic agent in a wide variety of pediatric solid tumor models. Experimental Design: Ixabepilone was administered i.v. every 4 days for three doses to scid mice bearing s.c. human rhabdomyosarcoma (three lines), neuroblastoma (four), Wilms' tumors (six), osteosarcoma (four), or brain tumors (seven). Tumor diameters were measured weekly, and tumor growth or regressions were determined. Pharmacokinetic studies were done following a single administration of drug at the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) level (10 mg/kg). Results: At the MTD (10 mg/kg), ixabepilone induced objective responses (all tumors in a group achieved ≥50% volume regression) in three of three rhabdomyosarcoma lines, three of five neuroblastomas, six of seven Wilms' tumor models, two of six osteosarcoma, and four of eight brain tumor models. However, the dose-response curve was steep with only 2 of 19 tumors models regressing (≥50%) at 4.4 mg/kg. In comparison, paclitaxel administered at the MTD on the same schedule failed to induce objective regressions of three tumor lines that were highly sensitive to treatment with ixabepilone. Pharmacokinetics following single i.v. administration of ixabepilone at its MTD (10 mg/kg) were biexponential with Cmax of 12.5 μmol/L, elimination half-life of 19.2 hours, and total area under the curve of 5.8 μmol/L-h. The achieved drug exposure of ixabepilone at this efficacious MTD dose level in mice is similar to those achieved in patients given the recommended phase II dose of 40 mg/m2 by either 1- or 3-hour infusion every 3 weeks, a regimen that has shown significant anticancer activity in phase II clinical trials in adult patients. Conclusions: Administered at doses ranging from 66% to 100% of its MTD in mice, the epothilone B derivative ixabepilone shows broad spectrum activity against a panel of pediatric tumor xenograft models. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicates that the systemic ixabepilone exposure achieved in mice at its MTD is similar to that achieved in patients at the recommended phase II dose of 40 mg/m2 administered every 3 weeks. Importantly, the present results showed a clear distinction in sensitivity of pediatric solid tumors to this epothilone derivative compared with paclitaxel.
Mobile text entry is difficult for people with motor impairments due to limited access to smartphones and the need for precise target selection on touchscreens. Text entry on smartwatches, on the other hand, has not been well explored for the population. Crownboard enables people with limited dexterity enter text on a smartwatch using its crown. It uses an alphabetical layout divided into eight zones around the bezel. The zones are scanned either automatically or manually by rotating the crown, then selected by pressing the crown. Crownboard decodes zone sequences into words and displays word suggestions. We validated its design in multiple studies. First, a comparison between manual and automated scanning revealed that manual scanning is faster and more accurate. Second, a comparison between clockwise and shortest-path scanning identified the former to be faster and more accurate. In the final study with representative users, only 30% participants could use the default Qwerty. They were 9% and 23% faster with manual and automated Crownboard, respectively. All participants were able to use both variants of Crownboard.
Software stability means the resistance to the amplification of changes in software. It has become one of the most important attributes that affect maintenance cost. To control the maintenance cost, many approaches have been proposed to measure software stability. However, it is still a very difficult task to evaluate the software stability especially when software becomes very large and complex. In this paper, we propose to characterize software stability via change propagation simulation. First, we propose a class coupling network (CCN) to model software structure at the class level. Then, we analyze the change propagation process in the CCN by using a simulation way, and by doing so, we develop a novel metric, SS (software stability), to measure software stability. Our SS metric is validated theoretically using the widely accepted Weyuker’s properties and empirically using a set of open source Java software systems. The theoretical results show that our SS metric satisfies most of Weyuker’s properties with only two exceptions, and the empirical results show that our metric is an effective indicator for software quality improvement and class importance. Empirical results also show that our approach has the ability to be applied to large software systems.
Phase diagrams are powerful tools to understand the multi-scale behaviour of complex systems. Yet, their determination requires in practice both experiments and computations, which quickly becomes a daunting task. Here, we propose a geometrical approach to simplify the numerical computation of liquid–liquid ternary phase diagrams. We show that using the intrinsic geometry of the binodal curve, it is possible to formulate the problem as a simple set of ordinary differential equations in an extended 4D space. Consequently, if the thermodynamic potential, such as Gibbs free energy, is known from an experimental data set, the whole phase diagram, including the spinodal curve, can be easily computed. We showcase this approach on four ternary liquid–liquid diagrams, with different topological properties, using a modified Flory–Huggins model. We demonstrate that our method leads to similar or better results comparing those obtained with other methods, but with a much simpler procedure. Acknowledging and using the intrinsic geometry of phase diagrams thus appears as a promising way to further develop the computation of multiphase diagrams.
Two female Yorkshire terrier puppies were presented with generalized tonic-clonic seizures and ataxia. MRI revealed bilaterally symmetrical, diffuse regions of gray matter hyperintensity on T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences. Urinary organic acids were quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and were consistent with a diagnosis of L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria (L2HGA). The L2HGDH gene encodes for the enzyme L-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase, which helps break down L-2-hydroxyglutaric acid. In both puppies described in this report, a homozygous mutation at the translation initiation codon of the homolog canine L2HGDH gene was detected (c.1A>G; p.Met1?), confirming the diagnosis of L2HGA at the DNA level. Canine L2HGA is caused by more than one mutation of L2HGDH, as reported in humans.
MARSILIO FICINO'S thought may be said to be made up, essentially, of these two themes: light and love. Light is he splendor of the divine beauty. It penetrates the whole creation, and all created things, therefore, partake of it. Whenever man casts his eyes into the beauty of the universe and considers it, he sees and loves everywhere a beam of the supreme light, and is turned upward to the intuition of its pure essence.1 Love is the vital principle of universal existence, because love is in all things and for all things, indissolubly embracing them all: “Since they are the work of a single artificer, all the components of the world, as parts of the same machine, similar to one another in essence and life, are bound together by a certain reciprocal affection. Hence rightly may love be called the everlasting knot and bond of the world, the immovable support of its parts and the firm foundation of the whole machine.”2 Reality is seen through the eyes as form, and is felt through love to be love.
Plasma and urine folate fractions were evaluated after ingestion of radio‐active N5‐methyl‐tetrahydrofolic acid by a normal control (subject 1), a patient on maintenance haemodialysis for chronic glomerulonephritis (subject 2), and an anephric patient on haemodialysis (subject 3). In subjects 1 and 2 maximal plasma radiofolate peaks appeared within 1 h of isotope ingestion. In subject 3 the radio‐folate peak was delayed for 6 h although the total biofolate fraction reached a maximum at 0.5 h (comparable with findings in subject 2). Sephadex DEAE A50 chromatography showed the radiofolate fraction in subject 1 to be compatible with N5‐methyl‐tetrahydrofolic acid (peak 1). In subject 2 additional radiofolate peaks 2 and 3 were found. The nature of peak 2 is unknown but peak 3 may represent 10‐formyl‐tetrahydrofolate. Peak 1 was minimally present in subject 3. This limited study suggests a defect of methyl‐tetrahydrofolate metabolism in the anephric state unassociated with defective renal excretion per se.
In both developed and developing countries, governments finance, produce, and distribute various goods and services. In recent years, the range of goods provided by government has extended widely, covering many goods which do not meet the purist's definition of “public” goods. As the size of the public sector has increased steadily there has been a growing concern about the effectiveness of the public sector's performance as producer. Critics of this rapid growth argue that the public provision of certain goods is inefficient and have proposed that the private sector replace many current public sector activities, that is, that services be privatized. Since Ronald Reagan took office greater privatization efforts have been pursued in the United States. Paralleling this trend has been a strong endorsement by international and bilateral donor agencies for heavier reliance on the private sector in developing countries. However, the political, institutional, and economic environments of developing nations are m...
The zika virus (ZIKV) is an arbovirus belonging to the genus Flavivirus of the Flaviviridae family that is transmitted by mosquitoesof thegenusAedes. It has a transmissionmechanism similar to dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya viruses.1 Thefirst description of ZIKVoccurred in 1947when it was isolated in Rhesusmonkeys used as sentinels for yellow fever. This discovery occurred in the Zika forest in southern Uganda, hence the name of the virus. The description of thefirst infection in humans occurred in Nigeria in 1954, and its dispersionwithin the African continent can be considered slow. Until 2007, documented reports indicated that the number of people affected by this viral infection did not exceed 50 in sporadic occurrences in Africa and in some countries of Southeast Asia. After this apparent decrease in its dispersion, the first epidemic of ZIKV was observed in 2007 on the Pacific island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean.2 In 2013, there were other epidemic outbreaks in French Polynesia and Easter Island before it finally reached Brazil between 2013 and 2014. Along this course, the virus underwent genomic recombinations. Currently, two strains are recognized, one African and another one Asian, the latter being responsible for the epidemic in Brazil.3,4 These mutations appear to be responsible for the appearance of this pathogenic profile that directly or indirectly associates ZIKV with the occurrence of lesions in the central nervous system of human fetuses. In this context, one should also recall the significant increase in the number of cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome and encephalitis in people affected by that infection. Several other changes occurred in the virus, including a greater adaptation to mosquitoes of the genus Aedes.5 Considering this vector evidence, it seems that the spectrum of difficulties in this area has the potential to increase. The epidemiological evidence indicating the possibility of an association between ZIKV infection and the occurrence of microcephaly in fetuses of affected mothers is a sufficiently alarming challenge that requires an urgent joint effort from all areas of healthcare directly or indirectly linked to the diagnosis and care of pregnant women and newborns affected by this infection. Considering the effects it could have on the intrauterine development of the fetal central nervous system, one could safely say that the reproductive process in humans has not been impacted so forcefully by a microorganism in many years.6 The observation that maternal ZIKV infection was associated with the occurrence of microcephaly was the motivation for the demand of differentiated care for pregnant women with this infection.7 However, there is no consensus yet on whether the dual diagnosis of ZIKV and microcephaly is derived from a pure, accidental, or incidental causal association.8 Undoubtedly, this insecurity led to a considerable number of studies pursuing an answer. Additionally, according toOliveiraMelo et al,9 themicrocephalyassociated with ZIKV would be just the tip of the iceberg, indicating the imperative need for an urgent production of data regarding the vertical transmission of this virus. In fact, with the advances in knowledge on the subject, it was possible to confirm to date a series of additional harmful effects on the perinatal health of these infants, such as diffuse lesions in the central nervous system, serious ocular involvement, and arthrogryposis.10–12 The results obtained by Mlakar et al13 demonstrated unequivocally the presence of the virus in various organs of a fetus whose mother was affected by infection in the first trimester of pregnancy; they also support the view of Vogel14 that it is very likely that the ZIKV is directly responsible for the genesis of these lesions. However, to date, more questions than answers exist on this particular topic. The results of the ZIKV epidemic in French Polynesia in 2013 indicate that the infection affected 10.4% of the Editorial
We report 5 patients (2 females and 3 males) with endovascular coil embolizations for ruptured dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery (VA). The age of the patients varies between 44 and 66 (mean 54.8) years. All patients had a Hunt and Kosnik Grade of V at admission. One patient had a dissecting aneurysm of the VA distal to the PICA. One patient had a dissecting aneurysm of the VA without the PICA. Three patients had a dissecting aneurysm of the VA involving the PICA. One patient with a dissecting aneurysm of the VA involving the PICA underwent proximal occlusion, and the other 4 patients underwent internal trapping. All patients underwent endovascular coil embolizations on the day or the next day of the onset. Subsequent rupture occurred in 4 patients before embolization. The Glasgow Outcome Scale at 3 months after the embolization was good recovery in 3 patients. We had no ruptured aneurysm and no coil compaction at 0 to 40 months (mean 26.2 months) after embolization. Our experience showed that the internal trapping for ruptured dissecting aneurysms of the vertebral artery should be performed as soon as possible, even if the patients have a Hunt and Kosnik Grade of V.
Cell death‐inducing DFF45‐like effector (CIDE) family proteins, including cell death‐inducing DFF45‐like effector A (CIDEA), cell death‐inducing DFF45‐like effector B (CIDEB) and cell death‐inducing DFF45‐like effector C (CIDEC) [fat‐specific protein of 27 kDa in rodent (FSP27) in rodents], were originally identified by their sequence homology to the N‐terminal region of DNA fragmentation factor DFF40/45. Recent reports have revealed that CIDE family proteins play important roles in lipid metabolism. Several studies involving knockdown mice revealed that FSP27 is a lipid droplet‐targeting protein that can promote the formation of lipid droplets. However, the detailed roles of human CIDEC in the differentiation of human adipocytes remain unknown. In the present study, we found that the expression of CIDEC increased during the differentiation of fetal adipose tissues, but decreased during the de‐differentiation of adipocytic tumors, suggesting that the expression of CIDEC should be positively correlated with the differentiation of adipocytes. Furthermore, we verified that human CIDEC was localized on the surface of lipid droplets. Using human primary pre‐adipocytes, we confirmed that the expression of CIDEC was elevated during the differentiation of pre‐adipocytes, and knockdown of CIDEC in human primary pre‐adipocytes resulted in differentiation defects. These data demonstrate that CIDEC is essential for the differentiation of adipose tissue. Together with regulating adipocyte lipid metabolism, CIDEC should be a potential target for regulating adipocyte differentiation and reducing fat cell mass.
Small, round eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions jin the constituent neuronal cells of a gangliocytomatous nodule found in a temporal lobe glioneuronal lesion of a 17‐year‐old boy with intractable complex ipartial seizures is described. These inclusions, measuring several micrometers in diameter, were often multiple in the neuronal cells, forming clusters with a bead‐ or ribbon‐like appearance. Characteristically, they often showed clear areas within them. An ultrastuctural study using selected light microscopic sections revealed that they were electron dense, granular structures with or without fingerprints‐like multilamellar profiles, and often contained a number of translucent inner areas. These inclusions with and without fingerprint‐like multilamellar profiles appeared to be similar to the previously described multilamellar inclusions and Bunina bodies, respectively. The present finding is of great interest when considering that Bunina bodies are a pathological hallmark of amlyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and that in some patients with ALS, the concurrence of multilamellar inclusions and Bunina bodies in the same neurons has been described.
Abstract Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are the most frequent cause of foodborne viral gastroenteritis, causing approximately 90% of non-bacterial epidemic outbreaks around the world. Rubus coreanus is a species of black raspberry, rich in polyphenols, and known to exert anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral activities. In the present study, the antiviral effects of R. coreanus juice (black raspberry [BRB] juice) on foodborne viral surrogates, murine norovirus-1 (MNV-1) and feline calicivirus-F9 (FCV-F9), were compared with those of cranberry juice, grape juice, and orange juice by plaque assays. Among the four juices tested, BRB juice was the most effective in reducing plaques formation of these viruses. Time-of-addition experiments were designed to determine the mechanism of action of BRB juice on MNV-1 and FCV-F9. The maximal antiviral effect of BRB juice against MNV-1 was observed when it was added to RAW 264.7 cells (mouse leukemic monocyte macrophage cell line) simultaneously with the virus. Pre-treatment of either Crandell Reese Feline Kidney cells or FCV-F9 with BRB juice exhibited significant antiviral activity. The inhibition of viral infection by BRB juice on MNV-1 and FCV-F9 probably occurs at the internalization of virions into the cell or the attachment of the viral surface protein to the cellular receptor. The polyphenol components in BRB (i.e., gallic acid and quercetin), however, did not show any activity against these viruses. Our data provide great promise for the utilization of BRB in the prevention of foodborne viral outbreaks.
Abstract To compete global marketplace, many firms are adopting product families to increase variety, satisfy customer requirements, shorten lead-times and reduce costs. The key to a successful product family is the platform from which it is derived. When designing product families, it is important to resolve the tradeoff between product commonality and distinctiveness. To measure the commonality within a product family, it is necessary to develop the commonality index. It utilizes different parameters such as the number of common components, their cost, their manufacturing processes and so on. This paper present a new product family assessment index using the benchmarking method and considering environmental performance called green product family index(GPFI). Through the comparison analysis between some previous developed commonality indices and GPFI, we verify the suitability and effectiveness. Eventually, the proposed a new green product family assessment index can be helpful to design and develop the environmentally conscious product families.
Alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) causes intrahepatic cholestasis by injuring biliary epithelial cells. Adaptive regulation of hepatobiliary transporter expression has been proposed to reduce liver injury during cholestasis. Recently, the oxidative stress transcription factor Nrf2 (nf-e2-related factor 2) was shown to regulate expression of hepatobiliary transporters. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ANIT-induced hepatotoxicity and regulation of hepatobiliary transporters are altered in the absence of Nrf2. For this purpose, wild-type and Nrf2-null mice were administered ANIT (75 mg/kg po). Surprisingly, ANIT-induced hepatotoxicity was similar in both genotypes at 48 h. Accumulation of bile acids in serum and liver was lower in Nrf2-null mice compared with wild-types treated with ANIT. Transporter mRNA profiles differed between wild-type and Nrf2-null mice after ANIT. Bsep (bile salt export pump), Mdr2 (multidrug resistance gene), and Mrp3 (multidrug resistance-associated protein) efflux transporters were increased by ANIT in wild-type, but not in Nrf2-null mice. In contrast, mRNA expression of two hepatic uptake transporters, Ntcp (sodium-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide) and Oatp1b2 (organic anion transporting peptide), were decreased in both genotypes after ANIT, with larger declines in Nrf2-null mice. mRNA expression of the transcriptional repressor of Ntcp, small heterodimeric partner (SHP), was increased in Nrf2-null mice after ANIT. Furthermore, hepatocyte nuclear factor 1alpha (HNF1alpha), which regulates Oatp1b2, was downregulated in ANIT-treated Nrf2-null mice. Preferential upregulation of SHP and downregulation of HNF1alpha and uptake transporters likely explains why Nrf2-null mice exhibited similar injury to wild-types after ANIT. A subsequent study revealed that treatment of mice with the Nrf2 activator oltipraz protects against ANIT-induced histological injury. Despite compensatory changes in Nrf2-null mice to limit ANIT toxicity, pharmacological activation of Nrf2 may represent a therapeutic option for intrahepatic cholestasis.
Phylogenetic analyses using parsimony were performed on three independent data sets to test generic relationships between Actaea, Cimicifuga, and Souliea. Analyses of morphology and nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS were performed on 23 species of Cimicifuga, 4 species of Actaea, and the single species of Souliea. Analysis of chloroplast DNA trnL-F was applied to the same species, less two of Cimicifuga. The outgroup taxa Eranthis and Anemonopsis both resolved outside the ingroup in all parsimony analyses, whereas Souliea resolved within it. Jukes-Cantor pairwise sequence distances confirm Eranthis and Anemonopsis to be most distant. Souliea distances are comparable with those of taxa within the Actaea-Cimicifuga assemblage. A strongly supported monophyletic clade including all studied species of Actaea, Cimicifuga, and Souliea was found in all analyses. Evidence presented here allows a broader concept of Actaea to be adopted, reverting to the circumscription of Linnaeus in 1753. Seven sections, based on clades found in the total analysis, could be defined by morphological characters: A. sect. Actaea, sect. Podocarpae, sect. Cimicifuga, sect. Dichanthera, sect. Oligocarpae, sect. Pityrosperma, and sect. Souliea. One species, A. taiwanensis, is newly described and 23 new combinations are made in the ranks of section, species, and variety. Keys are provided to identify taxa at all ranks within the revised circumscription of Actaea. Maps showing the distributions of all seven sections and their constituent species are presented. Phytogeographic patterns suggest a Tertiary origin for the newly redefined genus, with species surviving in refugia during the glacial periods of the Pleistocene.
ABSTRACT In the Symposium Socrates shows how Diotima initiated him into the mysteries of love in two stages. Yet, at first sight, the teachings offered at the two stages seem divergent and discontinuous. In this article I argue that we can understand the continuity between them if we regard Diotima's notions of spiritual pregnancy and birth-giving as metaphors suggesting that the metaphysical horizon looming in the background of her teaching is that of Plato's theory of recollection.
Bimodal associations of mafic and silicic rocks are observed at Kikai volcano in the Ryūkyū arc, Japan. We determined 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 16 representative volcanic rocks of this volcano. The ratios scatter in the narrow range between 0.70477 and 0.70508, despite the varying SiO2 content of the rocks, except for one sample with a ratio of 0.70539. This suggests that both basaltic and rhyolitic rocks at Kikai volcano are generated from the same source material, in contrast to the separate origin required for the bimodal volcanism typically observed in the western United States. The origin of the bimodal volcanism in the island-arc setting is distinctly different from that in the continental setting, in view of source materials of basaltic and rhyolitic magmas.
In order to improve the quality of Microgrid data, an automatic detection method of Microgrid bad data considering manifold ordering is proposed. The ELM network design and training model was constructed to extract the characteristic quantities of Microgrid data. Then, after analyzing the generation conditions of bad data, the quartile distance method is used to divide the identification interval of bad data, so as to improve the detection accuracy fundamentally. Then the Microgrid data are mapped to corresponding points in multi-dimensional vectors to form a weighted graph model. Considering the approximate manifold structure of data, a high-dimensional data automatic detection method based on manifold ordering is designed. The sorting scores of data nodes are calculated by confidence propagation, and the automatic detection results of bad data are obtained. Experimental results show that the root-mean-square error of monitoring results decreases obviously when the proposed method is used to detect bad data of Microgrid, indicating that the proposed method improves the accuracy of data detection.
Injected or orally-administered progestagens have been shown to synchronize estrus in mature ewes during their normal breeding season. Oral administration of 6–methyl-17-αα-acetoxyprogesterone (MAP) or 6-chloro-Δ6-dehydro-17-acetoxyprogesterone (CAP) for 10 days was more effective in synchronizing estrus than intramuscular injections of repositol progesterone. CAP appeared to be more active in controlling breeding activity than MAP (2.5 mg CAP per head vs. 60 mg MAP per head). The administration of 2.5 mg CAP per head per day for 18 days was as effective as the feeding of 3.5 mg per head per day for 10 days. CAP, at a dosage level of 2.5 mg, administered over a 10-day period to motivate first post-treatment estrus, was more effective when injected intramuscularly than when administered orally. The administration of Pregnant Mare Serum did not result in an increase of lambing percentage.
A Next Step Options (NSO) study was initiated to consider the logical steps that might be undertaken to restructure the U.S. Fusion Sciences Program. Most of the effort was concentrated on designing the Fusion Ignition Research Experiment (FIRE), which is in the preconceptual design phase. It utilizes 16 cryogenically cooled wedged copper TF coils with beryllium copper in the inner legs and OFHC copper in the outer legs. We provided significant contributions in the areas of neutronics, shielding and activation analyses. The design went through different changes. Early in the year 2002 the baseline design changed from a major radius of 2 m to a major radius of 2.14 m and an aspect ratio of 3.6. In addition the fusion power during the DT pulses changed from 200 MW to 150 MW. We spent significant part of the effort calculating the nuclear performance parameters for the final baseline design. While pulses producing a total of 5 TJ of DT fusion energy and 0.5 TJ of DD fusion energy were considered in the previous designs, a detailed experimental plan was developed that results in higher total fusion energy. We assessed the impact on the peak magnet insulator dose. Multi-dimensional calculations weremore » performed also to determine the impact of plasma shape and profile on he peak radiation effects in the TF coils. We performed multi-dimensional calculations for one of the most critical diagnostics ports to assess streaming and determine the nuclear environment at the sensitive components. The radwaste level and volume was quantified for the different components of FIRE.« less
Objective. To assess monocytic expression and ratio of angiotensin and endothelin receptors in systemic sclerosis (SSc) and their functional relevance. Methods. Receptor expression was measured by flow cytometry. Chemokine ligand 18 (CCL18) concentration in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with immunoglobulin G was measured by ELISA. Results. Monocytes of patients with SSc presented an increased angiotensin II Type 1 receptor (AT1R)/AT2R ratio compared with those of healthy donors. Patients with lung fibrosis and patients with high modified Rodnan skin score showed a reduced endothelin 1 Type A receptor (ETAR)/ETBR ratio. High AT1R/AT2R, but low ETAR/ETBR ratios corresponded to higher CCL18 secretion. Conclusion. Altered angiotensin and endothelin receptor ratios observed in SSc influence autoantibody-mediated effects such as secretion of profibrotic CCL18.
We examined networks of joints, small faults, and minor cleavage exposed in the lower parts of the Jurassic Carmel Formation along the San Rafael monocline in east central Utah. By collecting data from the same 3 m stratigraphic interval we effectively guaranteed that variations in the architecture of fracture systems that we examined were not caused by influences that could be attributed to stratigraphic variables like lithology or environmental variables such as burial depth. We consequently interpret that the spatial variability of fracture system architecture we observe was due to local variations in fold kinematics or mechanics. Steeply dipping portions of the monocline contain suborthogonal sets of dominant strike‐normal and strike‐parallel joints. Shallowly dipping portions of the monocline contain multiple joint sets with no single dominant set and evidence for shear reactivation of joints. Sets of small offset conjugate faults are present throughout the monocline and are used to determine the orientation of paleostresses that caused them. This stress inversion yields a thrust faulting configuration with maximum compression bearing between 285° and 312°. There is a systematic 27° clockwise rotation of these stress directions from north to south along the monocline. We interpret the spatial variability in fracture systems in the monocline as a consequence of local cylindrical or noncylindrical folding associated with three‐dimensional flexure of the sedimentary cover during dominantly dip‐slip motion on the underlying basement fault. This interpretation suggests that the monocline did not grow laterally but evolved with fixed tips in response to a northwest‐southeast compression that is kinematically incompatible with accepted Laramide convergence directions.
In this paper array antenna concept along with symbol coding is applied at base station (BS) side to enhance channel capacity of a mobile cellular network keeping single antenna at mobile station (MS) side. Using this scheme, performance of a wireless network could be improved considerably within the limited dynamic range of transmitter. The performance improvement is achieved without any channel knowledge prior transmission
Two broadband detectors at W-band and D-band are analyzed and designed with low barrier Schottky diodes. The input circuit of the detectors is realized by low and high impedance microstrip lines, and their output circuit is composed of a radio frequency (RF) bandstop filter and a tuning line for optimum reflection phase of the RF signal. S-parameters of the complete circuit are exported to a circuit simulator for voltage sensitivity analysis. For the W band detectors, the highest measured voltage sensitivity is 11800 mV/mW at 100 GHz, and the sensitivity is higher than 2000 mV/mW in 80–104 GHz. Measured tangential sensitivity (TSS) is higher than —38 dBm, and its linearity is superior than 0.99992 at 95 GHz. For the D band detector, the highest measured voltage sensitivity is 1600 mV/mW, and the typical sensitivity is 600 mV/mW in 110–170 GHz. TSS is higher than −29 dBm, and its linearity is superior than 0.99961 at 150 GHz.
The process of voltage drop and recovery will cause violent electromagnetic transient response of DFIG, which may lead to problems such as generator over-current or over-voltage. This paper gives a deep analysis to the electromagnetic transient response characteristics of DFIG under different grid voltage drop failures. On the basis of establishing mathematical model of DFIG under space vector coordinates, the electromagnetic response characteristics under grid voltage symmetric and asymmetric drop failures are theoretically analyzed, and the specific response characteristics equations are deduced, then the simulation validation of the above theoretical deduction is carried out by using Matlab software. Meanwhile, the differences of DFIG electromagnetic response characteristics under different drop failure types are compared. The relevant factors that influence response degree of different drop types are concluded, which has guiding significance for further study of DFIG-LVRT technology.
OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to assess the suitability of emergency department (ED) discharge diagnosis for identifying patient cohorts included in the definitions of key performance indicators (KPIs) that are used to evaluate ED performance.   METHODS Hospital inpatient episodes of care with a principal diagnosis that corresponded to an ED-defined KPI were extracted from the Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection (QHAPDC) for the year 2010-2011. The data were then linked to the corresponding ED patient record and the diagnoses applied in the two settings were compared.   RESULTS The asthma and injury cohorts produced favourable results with respect to matching the QHAPDC principal diagnosis with the ED discharge diagnosis. The results were generally modest when the QHAPDC principal diagnosis was upper respiratory tract infection, poisoning and toxic effects or a mental health diagnosis, and were quite poor for influenza.   CONCLUSIONS There is substantial variation in the capture of patient cohorts using discharge diagnosis as recorded on Queensland Hospital Emergency Department data. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? There are several existing KPIs that are defined according to the diagnosis recorded on ED data collections. However, there have been concerns over the quality of ED diagnosis in Queensland and other jurisdictions, and the value of these data in identifying patient cohorts for the purpose of assessing ED performance remains uncertain. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? This paper identifies diagnosis codes that are suitable for use in capturing the patient cohorts that are used to evaluate ED performance, as well as those codes that may be of limited value. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? The limitations of diagnosis codes within ED data should be understood by those seeking to use these data items for healthcare planning and management or for research into healthcare quality and outcomes.
Evidence indicates that leukocyte microvascular flow obstructions play an important role in no-reflow phenomena after ischemia and that leukocytes may cause significant disturbances of capillary perfusion in low flow states. In the present study, a cell-free colloid perfusion (20-60 ml.kg-1.min-1) of isolated ventilated rat lungs was interrupted by bolus injections of leukocytes in varying numbers. Leukocyte effects on flow resistance, tracer gas exchange, and micromorphology were evaluated. The vast majority of the infused leukocytes remained trapped in the lungs after repeated infusions regardless of the number of leukocytes given, although leukocyte trapping decreased at the higher flow rates. The functional and morphological analyses showed that the polymorphonuclear granulocytes had a greater tendency than the mononuclear cells to become permanently trapped in the pulmonary capillaries. The tracer gas analyses indicated that the trapped leukocytes were scattered in the alveolar capillary networks and did not cause complete exclusion of flow from the affected alveoli. This was probably due to the anatomy of the pulmonary microvasculature, with its abundancy in interconnecting pathways.
Over the past 12 years, photovoltaics enjoyed an average growth of ∼45% per year that was affected only marginally by the recent global financial crisis. Industrial roadmaps and analysts’ forecasts share visions of solar power becoming a major contributor to national and global electricity grids, with several terawatts of cumulative deployment by 2050 or earlier. For photovoltaics technology to become a major sustainable player in a competitive power-generation market, it must provide abundant, affordable electricity, with environmental impacts dramatically lower than those from conventional power generation. This article summarizes the prospects in each of three basic aspects of sustainability, namely, system costs, environmental impacts, and resource availability, all of which are examined in the context of prospective life-cycle assessment. Indeed, these three aspects are closely related: Increasing the efficiency of material recovery by recycling spent modules will become increasingly important in resolving cost, resource, and environmental constraints on large-scale sustainable growth.
The paper presents a new approach for interactive visualization of data warehouses and data mining results in an immersed virtual environment. DIVE-ON is a data mining system prototype that is capable of constructing a multidimensional data model on a remote system, transporting pertinent views to a CAVE, creating an immersed virtual environment and providing an interactive data mining toolset. The main objective of this research is to examine the possibility of effective mining, visualizing and manipulating large amounts of distributed multidimensional data with little or no instructional help. To achieve this, DIVE-ON immerses the user in a virtual environment and provides a set of intuitive and effective interaction techniques within the CAVE environment. Intuitiveness was tackled by exploiting the user's considerable natural experience in interacting and navigating through a 3-dimensional world and by understanding the characteristics of a virtual environment that is well suited for the visual analysis of data. The ability to perform OLAP operations intuitively in such an environment provides the user with an effective means to conceptualize and gain an insight into large volumes of data from several distributed sources.
OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors for groin injury among subelite adult male soccer players. DESIGN: Cohort study. SETTING: Community study in 2004 of Norwegian first, second, and third division men's amateur soccer teams in the Oslo area. PARTICIPANTS: The study included the same 31 teams (508 players) as the study of hamstring injuries, above. ASSESSMENT OF RISK FACTORS: Preseason clinical testing using the protocol of the Federation Internationale de Football Association was done by sports physical therapists and physicians without knowledge of the player's history of injuries. The examination of the left and right legs included assessment of hip flexibility and range of motion, pain on external rotation of the hip joint, pain on functional testing of the rectal abdominal muscles, and strength of the adductor and iliopsoas muscles. Uninjured players completed 3 countermovement jumps (squat and then jump as high as possible) and 2 sprint tests (40 m). Players completed questionnaires that recorded information on age, height, and weight; playing history; and history of previous groin injuries. They also completed a modified Groin Outcome Score (GrOS) that included groin symptoms, pain, soreness, function in sports, and quality of life. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measure was the association of measured risk factors with any acute or overuse inside thigh/groin area injury that occurred as a result of play during a soccer match or training and that forced the player to miss full participation in future training or match play. Injury reporting was done by a team physiotherapist. Groin injuries were classified as such by 2 investigators blinded to risk factor information. Overuse injuries that caused continuing pain but not time loss were also included. Coaches recorded attendance at training and minutes of match participation. MAIN RESULTS: The incidence of groin injuries per 1000 playing hours was 0.6, 1.8 during matches and 0.3 during training, for a total of 61 groin injuries equally divided between the left and right sides and affecting 55 legs and 51 players (10.0%). Seven players sustained ≥2 groin injuries. There were 22 acute and 39 overuse injuries. In univariate analysis, previous acute groin injury, GrOS, pain and reduced range of motion on clinical tests, weak adductor and iliopsoas muscles, older age, and poorer performance on the counter-jump test were associated with groin injury (P Language: en
Hemorrhages of one-third to one-half of the total blood volume in dogs produced the following changes. The sudden fall in alkaline reserve (the total CO2 content of arterial blood was determined in the present investigation) which has been noted by various investigators, was associated with a decrease in pH of the blood, this decrease amounting to as much as .10 pH. On the day following the hemorrhage the total CO2 was normal, or above. At this time the blood was slightly more alkaline than normal, the increase varying from .03 to .09 pH. The CO2 tension of the arterial blood (calculated from the pH and total CO2 of blood) fell immediately after hemorrhage. Several hours later it was low, normal or high. The next day it was always low. The hematocrit fell rapidly, slowly, or not at all, immediately after hemorrhage. A minimum value was obtained on the day following the hemorrhage. It appears that the increased alkalinity of the blood is associated with the restoration of blood volume.
This paper describes a series of tests used to establish a method of nondestructive density measurements of cylindrical specimens contained within a mold by using a twin-probe gamma-ray density gage. Cylindrical specimens within molds are common occurrence in civil engineering practice; examples are soil, concrete, or bituminous cores obtained by in situ sampling or laboratory compaction. In several applications it may be desirable to determine the core densities without removal from the mold, and this can be achieved by the used of a gamma-ray density gage which is an adaptation of a twin-probe direct transmission field gage for laboratory density measurement. It is shown that linear calibration relationships can be obtained by two different procedures. Experiments were conducted with three aluminum molds of 116, 119, and 124 mm external diameters and 102 mm internal diameter, for five specimens of 100 mm diameters with density from 0.87 to 2.70 g/cm. Based on the radiation attenuation law, a theoretical basis for the linear calibration in the two cases are established. Comparison of the theoretical slopes of the calibration lines with the experimental slopes showed excellent agreement, thus verifying the validity of the calibration procedures.
Hybrid organic-inorganic layered perovskites are typically nonporous solids. However, the incorporation of silsesquioxanes with a cubic cage structure as interlayer materials creates micropores between the perovskite layers. In this study, we increase in the micropore volume in layered perovskites by replacing a portion of the silsesquioxane interlayers with organic amines. In the proposed method, approximately 20% of the silsesquioxane interlayers can be replaced without changing the layer distance owing to the size of the silsesquioxane. When small amines (e.g., ethylamine) are used in this manner, the micropore volume of the obtained hybrid layered perovskites increases by as much as 44%; when large amines (e.g., phenethylamine) are used, their micropore volume decreases by as much as 43%. Through the variation of amine fraction, the micropore volume can be adjusted in the range. Finally, the magnetic moment measurements reveal that the layered perovskites with mixed interlayers exhibit ferromagnetic ordering at temperature below 20 K, thus indicating that the obtained perovskites maintain their functions as layered perovskites.
Although several theoretical notions have been proposed predicting a relationship between acculturation orientation and juvenile delinquency, the available empirical research is scarce and limited. To extend former research, in this study, we used latent class analyses to compare bidimensional psychological acculturation orientation of Moroccan immigrant boys in pretrial detention with those of Moroccan boys in the general population. We also examined their parents' acculturation orientation. We found that boys in pretrial detention were clearly overrepresented in the integrated psychological acculturation class and underrepresented in the separated psychological acculturation class when we compared them with the boys in the general population. Highly similar results were found for their parents. In contrast, boys in pretrial detention were as likely to be faced with an intergenerational acculturation gap as boys from the general population.
Severe challenges such as depletion of natural resources, natural catastrophes, extreme weather conditions, or overpopulation require intelligent solutions especially in architecture. Built environments that are conceived from smart materials based on actuator and sensor functionality provide a promising approach in order to address this demand. The present paper reviews smart materials-based technologies which are currently applied or developed for application in civil structures, focusing on smart material applications for actuation or sensing. After giving a definition and categorization of smart materials, applications of the investigated materials (i.e. shape memory materials, electro- and magnetostrictive materials, piezoelectric materials, ionic polymer-metal composites, dielectrical elastomers, polyelectrolyte gels as well as magneto- and electrorheological fluids) are presented for the fields of architecture and civil engineering. While some materials are already highly advantageous in the application context, others still need further research in order to become applicable in real-world constructions. Nonetheless this review indicates their large innovation potential which should be consolidated by systematic research efforts in the near future.
Optical fiber temperature sensors have attracted much attention owing to their outstanding intrinsic merits of electromagnetic immunity, remote operation capability, compact size and high sensitivity. In the techniques of optical fiber sensors, the combination of Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with polymer filled resonance cavity shows an easy and feasible way to realize high-sensitive temperature monitoring. In this paper, an optical fiber tip FPI based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) filled silica capillary is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for temperature sensing application. The PVA in silica tube is shaped as a cylinder to form a Fabry-Perot resonance cavity, the fiber/PVA facet and PVA/air facet act as two reflection mirrors. When ambient temperature changes, the cavity length and effective refractive index of PVA varies, therefore induces a spectral evolution. By monitoring the interference dip wavelength, dip intensity and fringe visibility, the proposed sensor enables accurately online detect the ambient temperature change. The sensitivities are 90.4 pm/°C, −0.117 dB/°C and 2.4×10−3 /°C, respectively, in the test range of 50−70 °C. The proposed fiber tip sensor can be applied for temperature monitoring in space-limited environment with simple fabrication, low cost and good robustness.
Fever is a fundamental response to infection and a hallmark of inflammatory disease, which has been conserved and shaped through millions of years of natural selection. Although fever is able to stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses, the very nature of all the molecular thermosensors, the timing and the detailed mechanisms translating a physical trigger into a fundamental biological response are incompletely understood. Here we discuss the consequence of hyperthermic stress in dendritic cells (DCs), and how the sole physical input is sensed as an alert stimulus triggering a complex transition in a very narrow temporal window. Importantly, we review recent findings demonstrating the significant and specific changes discovered in gene expression and in the metabolic phenotype associated with hyperthermia in DCs. Furthermore, we discuss the results that support a model based on a thermally induced autocrine signalling, which rewires and sets a metabolism checkpoint linked to immune activation of dendritic cells. Importantly, in this context, we highlight the novel regulatory functions discovered for IGFBP‐6 protein: induction of chemotaxis; capacity to increase oxidative burst and degranulation of neutrophils, ability to induce metabolic changes in DCs. Finally, we discuss the role of IGFBP‐6 in autoimmune disease and how novel mechanistic insights could lead to exploit thermal stress‐related mechanisms in the context of cancer therapy.
Present study investigates employees from selected IT companies in Chandigarh to explore the predictive validity of big five personality traits on their job performance and identify the relationship between personality traits and job performance. The Big Five Personality dimensions, commonly known as five factor model consists of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience and neuroticism. The BFI-Personality Inventory – Revised and self structured Performance Appraisal Questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. A Correlation analysis and Causal Study (Multiple Regression Analysis) was conducted on 404 employees of selected IT companies in Chandigarh to analyzepredictive relationship. Openness to Experience, Agreeableness and Extraversion emerged as significant correlates and predictors of job performance and explained 35.2% of the variance in participants’ management performance.Neuroticism was found to be a negative correlate. On the other hand, Conscientiousness trait had insignificant relation to the model. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
This report, commissioned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), provides a comprehensive set of cost data supporting a cost analysis for the relative economic comparison of options for use in the Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) Program. The report describes the AFCI cost basis development process, reference information on AFCI cost modules, a procedure for estimating fuel cycle costs, economic evaluation guidelines, and a discussion on the integration of cost data into economic computer models. This report contains reference cost data for 26 cost modules—24 fuel cycle cost modules and 2 reactor modules. The cost modules were developed in the areas of natural uranium mining and milling, conversion, enrichment, depleted uranium disposition, fuel fabrication, interim spent fuel storage, reprocessing, waste conditioning, spent nuclear fuel (SNF) packaging, long-term monitored retrievable storage, near surface disposal of low-level waste (LLW), geologic repository and other disposal concepts, and transportation processes for nuclear fuel, LLW, SNF, and high-level waste.
In this paper k-means clustering algorithm has been used with k-points (KMK) selection. It has been applied on the PIMA Indian diabetes dataset. It has been used for distance estimation, centroid selection, effect of data size variations and for the analysis of the complete record. The cluster section has been found to be improved based on k-point selection. It has been used for the assignment of initial centroid. The results indicate that the KMK algorithm is capable in the improvement of centroid selection and distance measures in the assignments of data points. It is due to the better centroid selection mechanism by k-points selection based on the weight measures from the selected dataset. So, the obtained clusters are better in comparison to k-means.
Objective To evaluate the efficiency of the Frog appliance (FA) alone or in combination with headgear for distalizing the maxillary molars. Methods Fifty patients (25 males and 25 females) aged 12.6 - 16.7 years who received treatment for Class II malocclusion at the Orthodontic Clinic of Al-Baath University were selected for this study and randomly divided into 2 equal groups. Maxillary molar distalization was achieved using the FA alone (group 1) or a combination of the FA with high-pull headgear worn at night (group 2). Lateral cephalograms were obtained before and after treatment. Results The maxillary molars moved distally by 5.51 and 5.93 mm in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Distal movements were associated with axial tipping by 4.96° and 1.25°, and with loss of anchorage by mesial movement of the second maxillary premolars by 2.70 and 0.90 mm in groups 1 and 2, respectively. The combined use of the FA and nighttime high-pull headgear decreased the distalization time and improved the ratio of maxillary molar distalization movement relative to the overall opening space between the first maxillary molars and second premolars. Conclusions The FA can effectively distalize the maxillary molars, this distalization associates with some unfavorable changes. Nighttime use of high-pull headgear combined with the FA can reduce these unfavorable changes and improve treatment outcomes.
A diprotonated form of a cationic water-soluble saddle-distorted porphyrin (H416+) forms stable supramolecular assemblies with multianionic polyoxometalates (POMs) by electrostatic interactions. An assembly of H416+ with a Ru-substituted POM can perform photocatalytic oxidation of organic substrates in water under visible-light irradiation through adduct formation of the H416+ moiety with an oxidant.
Libraries have traditionally used manual image annotation for indexing and then later retrieving their image collections. However, manual image annotation is an expensive and labor intensive procedure and hence there has been great interest in coming up with automatic ways to retrieve images based on content. Here, we propose an automatic approach to annotating and retrieving images based on a training set of images. We assume that regions in an image can be described using a small vocabulary of blobs. Blobs are generated from image features using clustering. Given a training set of images with annotations, we show that probabilistic models allow us to predict the probability of generating a word given the blobs in an image. This may be used to automatically annotate and retrieve images given a word as a query. We show that relevance models allow us to derive these probabilities in a natural way. Experiments show that the annotation performance of this cross-media relevance model is almost six times as good (in terms of mean precision) than a model based on word-blob co-occurrence model and twice as good as a state of the art model derived from machine translation. Our approach shows the usefulness of using formal information retrieval models for the task of image annotation and retrieval.
This paper deals with collusive risks that can result from the ecosystems created by digital platforms. Recent case reports reflect that the potential for harm and benefit can be tightly interwoven here. It is not entirely clear, however, in what way the creation of a platform can, in itself, amount to a breach of the cartel prohibition, and how the potential for harm can be balanced against efficiencies in those cases. I argue in favor of an integrated construal of conduct and effect in order to close regulatory gaps whilst preventing false positives.
Cooper's (2021) “Accelerating Innovation: Some Lessons from the Pandemic” offers a clear reminder of not only the benefits but also the reality of acceleration in new product development. Indeed, when called upon to respond to dramatic shifts in the environment due to the COVID19 pandemic, many firms across various industry sectors quickly pivoted to generate new products or services. Some of these pivots involved minor changes to react to new, immediate needs. For example, numerous clothing retailers added cloth face masks to their product line and retailers offered curbside pickup to their delivery options. Other changes involved breakthrough products, such as the KC N901 smart helmet that can screen for fever within a twometer radius (kcwea rable.com) and robot nurses designed to deliver medicine and meals in northern Italy (Luo & Galasso, 2020). Firms have also engaged in alliances to pool their resources and accelerate the development of innovations to fight the virus. For example, Ford Motor Company transformed its production facilities while collaborating with GE Healthcare to build essential, lifesaving ventilators (Beresford, 2020), and the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca collaborated to develop the OxfordAstraZeneca COVID19 vaccine in a record time of 10 months.
The problem of ethics is acute in the modern Ukraine.Its relevance is due to the general level of our society, the low level of social responsibility for what is done in society in all its spheres and what society does. We come across misunderstandings, disrespect for ethics all the time in the process of our lives. Higher education also does not pay due attention to the formation of professional ethics of future professionals. The relevance of the topic is due to the need of Ukrainian society for social workers with a high level of professional ethics and responsibility for performing professional duties and solving complex life problems of the social sphere, as well as updating the search for an effective pedagogical system of professional and ethical competence of future social workers. The aim of the article is a scientific reasoning and experimental verification of the effectiveness of the pedagogical system of formation of professional and ethical competence of future specialists in the social sphere to improve the quality of their professional training. The following research methods are used in the article: logical-structural analysis – to determine the essence and structure of the concept: «professional and ethical competence of future professionals in the social sphere»; structural-systematic analysis – to ensure the complexity of reasoning of the concept and structure of the pedagogical system of formation of professional and ethical competence; modeling – to develop a model for the formation of professional and ethical competence of future professionals in the social sphere; questionnaire-diagnostic methods (questionnaires, testing, interviews, diagnostics) – to establish the effectiveness of the pedagogical system of formation of professional and ethical competence of future specialists in the social sphere. As a result of our research, a pedagogical system of formation of professional and ethical competence of future social specialists was developed and experimentally tested that its effectiveness is ensured by the principles of systemic, humanistic, deontological, axiological, acmeological, personal-activity, subject-subject, competence, andragogical approaches, specific principles, pedagogical conditions and factors. It was based on the author's concept of formation of professional and ethical competence and a model aimed at the formation of moral and ethical values, professional and ethical knowledge, skills and personal-moral and professionally important qualities during training was designed. The obtained results allow us to state that the diagnosis of professional and ethical competence was carried out at the ascertaining and formative stages of the experiment, gave us the opportunity to compare the levels of professional ethics of students of the studied groups and draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the proposed author’s pedagogical system.
Recently, influence maximization in social networks has attracted great attention. In this paper, we consider that a company intends to select some users to promote its multiple products (called influences) in online social network consisting of many communities, in which each user has different preferences for each influence. We focus on the Minimum Cost Seed Selection (MCSS) problem for multiple influences, that is, how to select some seeds with minimum cost so that the average influenced probability of all users in each community is not less than a threshold. To solve the MCSS problem, we design a submodular utility function, based on which we turn our problem into a non-trivial set cover problem with non-linear constraints. After proving the NP-hardness of MCSS, we propose a greedy algorithm, called G-MCSS, to solve it. We analyze the approximation ratio of G-MCSS. Additionally, we extend the MCSS problem to a complex case, where the number of acceptable influences for each user is limited, and the cost is proportional to the number of allocated influences. We further propose another greedy algorithm to solve the extended problem. Finally, we demonstrate the significant performances of our algorithms through extensive experiments based on real social network traces.
Laboratory dogs were vaccinated intramuscularly with a recombinant fusion protein (expressed and isolated from Escherichia coli) formulated with the Glaxo SmithKline Adjuvant System 02 (AS02). The fusion protein encoded Ac-MTP-1, a developmentally regulated astacinlike metalloprotease secreted by host-stimulated Ancylostoma caninum third-stage larvae (L3). Control dogs were injected intramuscularly with an equivalent amount of AS02 adjuvant alone. The vaccinated and control dogs were then challenged by s.c. injection of 500 L3 of the canine hookworm A. caninum. The vaccinated dogs developed prechallenge immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2) antibody responses specific to anti–Ac-MTP-1-fusion protein with titers ranging between 1:40,000 and 1:364,000, whereas they developed antigen-specific immunoglobulin E antibody responses with titers ranging between 1:500 and 1:1,500. By immunoblotting, canine sera obtained from the vaccinated dogs recognized a protein of the estimated apparent molecular weight of Ac-MTP-1 in activated L3 secretory products. Spearman rank order correlations between the canine intestinal adult hookworm burden and quantitative egg counts at necropsy and anti-Ac-MTP-1 IgG2 antibody titers revealed a statistically significant inverse association (r = −0.89; P = 0.04), suggesting that this molecule offers promise as a recombinant vaccine.
Introduction Twin pregnancy with complete hydatidiform mole and a co-existing normal pregnancy is a rare entity. Most patients opt for termination of pregnancy to reduce the risks of complications (Steller et al. 1994). Th ere have been case reports of successful continuation of pregnancy and live birth, but mostly ending in pre-term delivery. We report such a rare case, diagnosed in the 1st trimester and managed conservatively with successful pregnancy outcome and delivery near term gestation.
Identifying mix-and-match relationships between fashion items is an urgent task in a fashion e-commerce recommender system. It will significantly enhance user experience and satisfaction. However, due to the challenges of inferring the rich yet complicated set of compatibility patterns in a large e-commerce corpus of fashion items, this task is still underexplored. Inspired by the recent advances in multirelational knowledge representation learning and deep neural networks, this paper proposes a novel Translation-based Neural Fashion Compatibility Modeling (TransNFCM) framework, which jointly optimizes fashion item embeddings and category-specific complementary relations in a unified space via an end-to-end learning manner. TransNFCM places items in a unified embedding space where a category-specific relation (category-comp-category) is modeled as a vector translation operating on the embeddings of compatible items from the corresponding categories. By this way, we not only capture the specific notion of compatibility conditioned on a specific pair of complementary categories, but also preserve the global notion of compatibility. We also design a deep fashion item encoder which exploits the complementary characteristic of visual and textual features to represent the fashion products. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that uses category-specific complementary relations to model the category-aware compatibility between items in a translation-based embedding space. Extensive experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of TransNFCM over the state-of-the-arts on two real-world datasets.
In a spoken dialog system, the example-based response generation method generates a response by searching a dialog example database for the example question most similar to an input user utterance. That method has the advantage of ease of system expansion. It requires, however, a number of utterance examples whose correct responses are labeled. In this paper, we propose an approach to reducing the system expansion cost. This approach employs a detection method that screens the unknown examples, the utterances to be added to the database with their correct responses. The experimental results show that the method can reduce the number of utterances required to be labeled while maintaining the system response accuracy improvement as well as full labeling.
Silver particles show antibacterial and antiseptic properties at the nanoscale. Such properties result from an alteration in the binding capacity of silver atoms in bits of less than 6.5nm which enables them to kill harmful organisms. Silver nanoparticles are now the most broadly used agents in the area of nanotechnology after carbon nanotubes. Given that currency bills are one of the major sources of bacterial disseminations and their contamination has recently been nominated as a critical factor in gastrointestinal infections and possibly colon cancers, here we propose a new method for producing antibacterial bank notes by using silver nanoparticles. Older bank notes are sprayed with acetone to clean the surface. The bank note is put into a petri-dish containing a solution of silver nitrate and ammonia so that it is impregnated. The bank notes are then reduced with the formaldehyde gas, which penetrates its texture and produces silver nanoparticles in the cellulose matrix. The side products of the reactions are quickly dried off and the procedure ends with the drying of the bank note. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) images confirmed the nanoscale size range for the formed particles while spectroscopy methods, such as XRD, provided proof for the metallic nature of the particles. Bacterial challenge tests then showed that no colonies of the three tested bacterium (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa survived on the sample after a 72h incubation period. This study has provided a method for synthesizing silver NPs directly into the texture of fabrics and textiles (like that of bank notes) which can result in lower production costs, making the use of silver NPs economically beneficial. The method, specifically works on the fabric of bank notes, suggesting a method to tackle the transmission of bacteria through bank notes. Moreover, this study is a testament to the strong antibacterial nature of even low concentrations of silver NPs.
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) has received a fair amount of attention in recent years both in and outside of Madagascar, where incredible yield increases have been achieved using few external inputs and less water and seed. SRI initially seemed well suited to Madagascar due to the unavailability or cost of fertilizer and the inability of most farmers to grow enough rice to feed their families. Despite its promise, farmer adoption of SRI in the areas where it was promoted has been low, "disadoption" (abandonment) of the method has been high, and those who continue to practice the method rarely do so on more than half of their land. To help explain this phenomenon from an economic perspective, a study was conducted in five communities in Madagascar in 2000, using both participatory research methods and a household survey of over 300 farmers. Based on the study, we find that SRI is difficult for most farmers to practice because it requires significant additional labor inputs at a time of the year when liquidity is low and labor effort is already high. Thus, the poorer the farmer and the more his income depends on rainy season crops, the less able he is to take advantage of the technology.
We find and prove relationships between Riemann zeta values and central binomial sums. We also investigate alternating binomial sums (also called Apéry sums). The study of nonalternating sums leads to an investigation of different types of sums which we call multiple Clausen values. The study of alternating sums leads to a tower of experi mental resuIts involving polylogarithms in the golden ratio.
A radioimmunoassay (RIA) method for acid phosphatase detection was compared to a standard enzyme assay using sera from 210 normal volunteers and 285 patients with prostatic disease. Statistical and clinical comparisons were made between defined subgroups. All 55 normal females had RIA detectable serum acid phosphatase, implying that this assay cannot be entirely specific for enzyme of prostatic origin. Urinary catheterization did not affect acid phosphatase levels. In all stages of carcinoma there were more acid phosphatase elevations by the RIA method than enzyme method, but neither assay could differentiate intracapsular cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia. A small number of patients with biopsy proven negative nodules had marginally elevated values, suggesting an obligation for closer follow‐up. The RIA method may be superior for monitoring patients with more advanced malignancy. Additional practical advantages of the RIA include relative simplicity and elimination of the special serum handling required for the enzyme assay. Cancer 50:1847‐1851, 1982.
Central Asian nations all gained their independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991. Unfortunately, with their independence, they also inherited many environmental problems. By far, the most pervasive issue is the shrinking of the Aral Sea. The enormity of the environmental crisis of the Aral Sea has been attested by environmentalists both in Central Asia and in other parts of the world. In this chapter, the broad scope of the disaster is set forth along with its principle causes. An overview of the geography and water supply in the region is given. And the daunting challenge of cross boundary impact and thus need for multinational cooperation is discussed. The challenge in the region today is twofold. First, it must address the Aral Sea disaster. And second, it must create the conditions to sustainably manage transboundary water resources to head off new catastrophe.
ABSTRACT The jumping model has been used as an effective tool in tracking and detecting changes for continuous statistics in various applications. In this article, we extend the current jumping model from the continuous case to the discrete case to track and monitor the changes in attribute data. In this method, the jumping model–based posterior distribution of the process mean is constructed with attribute data and prior knowledge of the process. The posterior distribution consists of several components that account for the weights of the process to be “in-control” or “out-of-control.” Using the component representing the in-control weight as the monitoring index, a jumping model–based control chart is developed to monitor the attribute data process. The proposed chart is further extended to cover different out-of-control modes. The performance of the jumping model–based chart is investigated and compared to conventional control charts through numerical studies and a real-world data set. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed chart.
Peripheral and spinal hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channels play important roles in neuropathic pain by regulating neuronal excitability. However, the participation of HCN channels in the ventral-lateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) during neuropathic pain states has not been clarified. To investigate the role of vlPAG HCN channels in neuropathic pain, the authors developed a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model. By using western blot analysis, they detected the upregulation of HCN1 and HCN2 channel expression at vlPAG 14 days post-CCI surgery. Subsequently, the function of these upregulated channels was verified by the intravlPAG infusion of ZD7288, a specific HCN blocker, which significantly relieved mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in CCI animals. These results suggest that the upregulation of vlPAG HCN channels plays an important role in pain maintenance and might be a target for attenuating pain.
The extensibility of the myofilaments in vertebrate skeletal muscle was studied by stretching glycerinated rabbit psoas muscle fibers in rigor state and examining the resulting extension of sarcomere structures under an electron microscope. Although stretches applied to rigor fibers produced a successive yielding of the weakest sarcomeres, the length of the remaining intact sarcomeres in many myofibrils was fairly uniform, being definitely longer than the sarcomeres in the control, nonstretched part of rigor fibers. The stretch-induced increase in sarcomere length was found to be taken up by the extension of the H zone and the I band, whereas the amount of overlap between the thick and thin filaments did not change appreciably with stretches of 10-20%. The thick filament extension in the H zone was localized in the bare regions, whereas the thin filament extension in the I band appeared to take place uniformly along the filament length. No marked increase in the Z-line width was observed even with stretches of 20-30%. These results clearly demonstrate the extensibility of the thick and thin filaments. The possible contribution of the myofilament compliance to the series elastic component (SEC) in vertebrate skeletal muscle fibers is discussed on the basis of the electron microscopic data and the force-extension curve of the SEC in rigor fibers.
It is not clear so far what the implications of bifurcations in Discrete-Time Recurrent Neural Networks dynamics are with respect to learning algorithms. Previous studies discussed different phenomena in a general purpose framework, and here we are going to discuss in more detail. We perform an analysis of the dynamics of a neuron with feedback in order to find the different behaviors that it shows depending on the magnitude of the offset weight, the input weight and the feedback weight. We calculate the bifurcation manifolds that show the regions where the neuron behavior changes. We discuss the implications that these findings can have for the design of DTRNN learning algorithms.
The performance of all-printed flexible electronics is still much lower than silicon devices and significantly limits their commercially viable production. All-printed flexible carbon nanotube (CNT) fin field-effect transistors (FETs) with dielectric-wrapped CNT network are demonstrated with remarkable performance, making it possible to mass-produce high-performance, all-printed flexible electronics on large-area substrates.
This estimate covers the construction cost estihate of ,the NB Project Reactor including all areas enumerated in the following index. It does not include fissionable material, producer blanket and other items specifically mentioned in the summary.It is based upon a review of the materials Testing Reactor plans and cost estimate modified in accordance with the requirements of the NP Project. In most cases this has meant simiplification and elimination of certain costly, items but elsewheye the change of, power level has caused increases. It is subject to revision as further engineering details are developed.
ABSTRACT The envelope fusion protein F of Plutella xylostella granulovirus is a computational analogue of the GP64 envelope fusion protein of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV). Granulovirus (GV) F proteins were thought to be unable to functionally replace GP64 in the AcMNPV pseudotyping system. In the present study the F protein of Agrotis segetum GV (AgseGV) was identified experimentally as the first functional GP64 analogue from GVs. AgseF can rescue virion propagation and infectivity of gp64-null AcMNPV. The AgseF-pseudotyped AcMNPV also induced syncytium formation as a consequence of low-pH-induced membrane fusion.
Previous studies of the rapid rejection of MHC-disparate lymphocytes in rats, named allogeneic lymphocyte cytotoxicity, have indicated that rat NK cells express activating receptors for nonclassical MHC class I allodeterminants from the RT1-C/E/M region. Using an expression cloning system that identifies activating receptors associated with the transmembrane adapter molecule DAP12, we have cloned a novel rat Ly-49 receptor that we have termed Ly-49 stimulatory receptor 3 (Ly-49s3). A newly generated anti-Ly-49s3 Ab, mAb DAR13, identified subpopulations of resting and IL-2-activated NK cells, but not T or B lymphocytes. Depletion of Ly-49s3-expressing NK cells drastically reduced alloreactivity in vitro, indicating that this subpopulation is responsible for a major part of the observed NK alloreactivity. DAR13-mediated blockade of Ly-49s3 inhibited killing of MHC-congenic target cells from the av1, n, lv1, and c haplotypes, but not from the u or b haplotypes. A putative ligand was mapped to the nonclassical MHC class I region (RT1-C/E/M) using intra-MHC recombinant strains. Relative numbers of Ly-49s3+ NK cells were reduced, and surface levels of Ly-49s3 were lower, in MHC congenic strains expressing the putative Ly-49s3 ligand(s). In conclusion, we have identified a novel Ly-49 receptor that triggers rat NK cell-mediated responses.
A long-standing observation about the interface between emotion and language is that positive words are used more frequently than negative ones, leading to the Pollyanna hypothesis which alleges a predominantly optimistic outlook in humans. This paper uses the largest available collection of affective ratings as well as insights from linguistics to revisit the Pollyanna hypothesis as it relates to two dimensions of emotion: valence (pleasantness) and arousal (intensity). We identified systematic patterns in the distribution of words over a bi-dimensional affective space, which (1) run counter to and supersede most prior accounts, and (2) differ drastically between word types (unique, distinct words in the lexicon) and word tokens (number of occurrences of available words in the lexicon). We argue for two factors that shape affect in language and society: a pro-social benevolent communication strategy with its emphasis on useful and dangerous phenomena, and the structure of human subjective perception of affect.
Optoacoustic measurements were carried out in order to obtain better understanding of the ablation mechanisms during the illumination of hard dental tissue by Er:YAG laser radiation. A broadband microphone was used to detect laser generated acoustic waves in the ambient air. Correlation analysis of the laser pulse spikes and the response of the optoacoustic probe indicates that each laser spike ablates the hard dental tissue independently of other spikes. This is in agreement with the model of ablation by means of micro explosions. The optoacoustic signal is observed to be approximately linearly related to the ablation efficiency, and is thus demonstrated to be a good measure of the ablation efficiency. The experiments also show a significant difference in optoacoustic signals obtained during ablation in caries, enamel, and dentin.
Abstract This article presents a model of two firms with fixed budgets that simultaneously hire lobbyists to obtain exclusive contracts in multiple markets. In a pure-strategy equilibrium, neither firm can increase its payoff by using its reserves to hire more lobbyists in any market. Efficiency criterion is defined in order to facilitate the ranking of lobbyist allocations with the same payoffs, where efficiency is improved with the aggregate number of lobbyists that firms keep on reserve. Efficiency comparisons are used to reduced the number of pure-strategy equilibria.
Members of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) of organisms are important opportunistic pathogens, particularly in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Infection with members of the BCC is associated with poor prognosis. There is speculation that the BCC are intracellular pathogens, surviving and growing inside epithelial cells or professional phagocytes. B. cenocepacia strains are the predominant Canadian BCC-CF pathogens in that members of this species cause the most numerous infections, are the most highly transmissible, and are associated with the highest rates of systemic illness and mortality. B. multivorans infections, though prevalent, are associated with lower rates of transmissibility and mortality. The apparent differential pathogenic ability of these two species has not yet been studied in detail in any model systems. The purpose of these studies was to determine the mechanisms of differential pathogenicity between these two related bacterial species. Three different models of murine infection were used to evaluate B. multivorans and B. cenocepacia infections: an intraperitoneal model of systemic infection, a leukopenic model of pulmonary infection, and an immunocompetent model of pulmonary infection. Differences in the infection kinetics of B. multivorans and B. cenocepacia were observed in all three systems. These potential differences in the pathogenic capability of B. multivorans and B. cenocepacia were further characterized in the immunocompetent model of infection. In the immunocompetent model of intranasal infection, mice were challenged with a
The Ivinhema River basin is one of the main tributaries of the western portion of Parana River. However, few data are available on the fish communities of its streams. Monthly samples were made in seven streams of the lower portion of the basin, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, using a rectangular sieve 1.2 x 0.8 m, with 2 mm mesh size. Forty-six fish species were found in these streams. The richness estimated according to the bootstrap procedure was 50 species. At least two of the captured species were not previously recorded for the upper Parana basin, indicating the need of new sampling effort in this region.
Transition probabilities for W I lines of potential interest for fusion plasma diagnostics are reported in this paper. They have been obtained using the relativistic Hartree–Fock approach including core-polarization effects. The accuracy of the results has been assessed through comparison between two different physical models and through detailed comparison with available experimental lifetimes and transition probabilities. These results represent the first complete set of spectroscopic parameters computed for a very complex tungsten atomic system. The new data are expected to be useful for plasma modelling in fusion reactors such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are widely implemented in military, intelligent medical, intelligent transportation, space exploration, and other fields. However, the authentication and communication of WSNs are carried out in the harsh external environment via a public channel, which is more vulnerable to various attacks than the traditional networks. Authentication is the key technology of security measures, but a common authentication scheme is not suitable for WSNs due to limitations of memory, computing, and energy consumption. Therefore, designing a secure and efficient authentication scheme is essential in WSNs. In recent years, several studies proved that the dynamic authentication credential (DAC) is efficient for enhancing the security of the authentication scheme. This article designs a secure authentication scheme for WSNs based on DAC and Intel software guard extensions (SGX). Compared with other DAC authentication schemes, our scheme provides the confirmation action of DAC rotation, which can effectively prevent the asynchronous update problem caused by packet loss. In order to resist the privileged user attack and the authentication table leakage attack, we choose the SGX, which can protect the data in use, as the trusted execution environment in the gateway node, and we adopt SGX to store the master key for protecting the authentication table. Finally, the security of our authentication scheme is verified by BAN logic, the simulation tool AVISPA, and informal security analysis. Through the consumption overhead analysis, the NS3 simulation result, and detailed comparison with other recent schemes, we conclude that our scheme is practical and achieves better security with less overhead.
ObjectivesTo review the literature on direct and indirect markers of endothelial activation and damage in patients with sepsis and systemic inflammation and to assess their clinical usefulness for diagnosis and outcome. Various markers derived from or activated by endothelial cells are described, such as adhesion molecules, thrombomodulin, von Willebrand factor, parameters of the coagulation system, and interleukin-6. Furthermore, the association of these markers with the severity of sepsis, systemic inflammation, and outcome is evaluated. Data Extraction and SynthesisPublished research and review articles related to these parameters, with special emphasis on clinical studies. ConclusionsEndothelial activation and damage occur early during sepsis and play a major role in the pathophysiology of systemic inflammation. Various markers of endothelial activation are increased during sepsis and systemic inflammation, and in most studies, the level of markers such as soluble intercellular adhesion molecule, vascular cell adhesion molecule, and E selectin correlate well with the severity of inflammation and the course of the disease. However, to date, it remains unclear whether adhesion molecules and coagulation parameters are superior in this respect to interleukin-6 and procalcitonin, as direct comparisons are lacking. In addition, it is evident that markers of endothelial activation and coagulation parameters lack specificity for infection-induced endothelial damage and organ dysfunction.
We model the tracking of Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) transmitters as a three layer hidden Markov model with joint state and parameter estimation. We are after a filtering distribution by Bayesian approximation using Monte Carlo sampling techniques. In a test environment decorated with multiple BLE sensors, the tracking relies only on the naturally unreliable received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the captured signals. We assume that the tracked BLE transmitter does not provide any other motion or position related information. Hence, the transition density is designed to be merely a diffusion where the probability measures are diffused into the neighboring space. This makes the diagonal error covariance factor of the prediction density, namely the diffusion factor, the most important parameter to be tuned on the fly. We first show an experimental proof of concept using synthetic data on real trajectories by comparing three parameter estimation approaches: static, decaying and adaptive diffusion factors. We then obtain the results on real data which show that online parameter sampling adapts to the observed data and yields lower error means and medians, but more importantly steady error distributions with respect to a large range of parameters.
The theory of ultrabroadband multifrequency Raman generation is extended, for the first time, to allow for beam-propagation effects in one and two transverse dimensions. We show that a complex transverse structure develops even when diffraction is neglected. In the general case, we examine how the ultrabroadband multifrequency Raman generation process is affected by the intensity, phase quality, and width of the input beams, and by the length of the Raman medium. The evolution of power spectra, intensity profiles, and global characteristics of the multifrequency beams are investigated and explained. In the two-dimensional transverse case, bandwidths comparable to the optical carrier frequency, spanning the whole visible spectrum and beyond, are still achievable.
Elemental metals have been widely used to alloy metallic orthopedic implants. However, there is still insufficient research data elucidating the cell responses of osteoblastic cells to alloying elemental metals, which impedes the development of new metallic implant materials. In this study, the cellular responses of osteoblast-like cells (SaOS2) to 17 pure alloying elemental metals, that is, titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), ruthenium (Ru), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), silicon (Si), and tin (Sn) were comparatively investigated in vitro. Cellular responses including intracellular total protein synthesis and collagen content, cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity on these elemental metals were systematically assessed and compared. It was found that these elemental metals could be categorized into three groups based on the cellular functions on them. Group 1, including Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Cr, Ru, and Si, showed excellent cell proliferation and varied ALP activity for SaOS2 cells. Cells exposed to Group 2, including Mo and Sn, although initially attached and grew, did not proliferate over time. In contrast, Group 3, including V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, showed severe cytotoxicity toward SaOS2 cells. It is vital to consider the cell responses to the elemental metals when designing a new metallic implant material and the findings of this study provide insights into the biological performance of the elemental metals. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 148-158, 2017.
Abstract The establishment of cosmology as a science provides a parallel to the building-up of the scientific status of astrobiology. The rise of astrobiological studies is explicitly based on a transdisciplinary approach that reminds of the Copernican Revolution, which eroded the basis of a closed Aristotelian worldview and reinforced the notion that the frontiers between disciplines are artificial. Given the intrinsic complexity of the astrobiological studies, with its multifactorial evidences and theoretical/experimental approaches, multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives are mandatory. Insulated expertise cannot grasp the vastness of the astrobiological issues. This need for integration among disciplines and research areas is antagonistic to excessive specialization and compartmentalization, allowing astrobiology to be qualified as a truly transdisciplinary enterprise. The present paper discusses the scientific status of astrobiological studies, based on the view that every kind of life, Earth-based or not, should be considered in a cosmic context. A confluence between ‘astro’ and ‘bio’ seeks the understanding of life as an emerging phenomenon in the universe. Thus, a new epistemological niche is opened, pointing to the development of a pluralistic vision for the philosophy of astrobiology.
In China's current power market, traditional energy companies generally do not enjoy preferential policies, and need to face fierce competition. However, the industrial background and marketization policies of renewable energy and traditional power supply are different, so the risk factors of traditional power generation enterprises for different markets and the risk control optimization model constructed are not applicable to renewable energy power selling companies. At present, policies on the entry of distributed power supply into the power market was issued, and the government gradually reduce the subsidy price to encourage distributed power supply to participate in the power market transactions as power selling companies, so it is necessary to study and optimize the risk control of distributed power supply companies. Virtual power plant is an effective form for distributed power supply to participate in market transactions as a power selling company. This paper studies from the perspective of risk operation control, a virtual power plant operation risk optimization model is constructed, and industry development trend analysis is combined to help power selling companies control the impact of policy risk.
This paper investigates the human capital factors that contribute to the growth of the Nigerian regional growth rates. In particular, it is to determine whether the leading role of human capital factors in other economies could explain the regional growth processes dynamics in Nigeria. If these factors are not applicable, other possible explanations are to be identified for the country’s regional economic growth dynamics profile. Nigerian regional cross sectional data of financial, physical and human capital accumulation were utilized to run a growth accounting regression captured by an aggregate production function. The study uses panel data (cross sectional and time series data) from 1998 to 2008 and employed three (3) panel data models to estimate the dynamics and contribution of human capital factors. The results showed that the initial human capital stock has an influence on the GDP per capita growth rate. Similarly, the Southern regions that had a head start in school attendance have higher thresholds or secondary schools are significant; higher levels of schooling (secondary school) have significant impact on the GDP per capita growth rate. On the other hand, the Northern regions have lower technical frontier; as only the primary school have significant impact on the GDP per capita growth. However the federal financial allocation from the federation accounts was found to be significant across all regions with the exception of the South-South regions, and positive investment in physical assets of education. Thus it implies that regional differences should be taken into account when planning developmental processes.
We present an algorithm for extracting and classifying two-dimensional motion in an image sequence based on motion trajectories. First, a multiscale segmentation is performed to generate homogeneous regions in each frame. Regions between consecutive frames are then matched to obtain 2-view correspondences. Affine transformations are computed from each pair of corresponding regions to define pixel matches. Pixels matches over consecutive images pairs are concatenated to obtain pixel-level motion trajectories across the image sequence. Motion patterns are learned from the extracted trajectories using a time-delay neural network. We apply the proposed method to recognize 40 hand gestures of American Sign Language. Experimental results show that motion patterns in hand gestures can be extracted and recognized with high recognition rate using motion trajectories.
An analysis of the human estrogen receptor (ER) mRNA was performed on 71 human breast tumors using an RNase protection assay. Complementary DNA clones to the human estrogen receptor (lambda R8 and lambda R3) were used to generate small antisense 32P-labeled RNA molecules that were hybridized to the tumor RNA. We determined the relative amounts of ER mRNA in each tumor by measuring the amount of RNases A and T1 resistant hybrids. Moreover, because RNase A has the ability to cleave single-base mismatches within RNA/RNA duplexes, we were able to use the assay to screen for possible mutations or deletions in the ER mRNA. A significant correlation was found between the ER mRNA levels and the estrogen binding concentrations determined by a dextran-coated charcoal assay (r = 0.68; P less than 0.0001; n = 58). We also identified a subpopulation of tumors in which a mismatch in the ER mRNA was detected. This message modification, in the B region of the message, significantly correlated with low levels of estrogen binding. This result suggests that the observed B variant might lead to the production of receptors with altered properties.
Tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) thermochemolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was employed to study the chemical structure of soil organic matter sampled from a soil plot in which corn (Zea mays L.) was farmed continuously for 15 yr. The chromatograms exhibited peaks related to compounds derived from lignin, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), non-lignin aromatic structures, and heterocyclic N compounds. The dominant lignin-derived peaks in the TMAH thermochemolysis-GC/MS chromatograms were mainly derivatives of p-hydroxyphenyl and guaiacyl structures, suggesting a non-woody (grass) lignin type. With depth, the ratio of syringyl to guaiacyl compounds (S/G) decreased, suggesting a preferential degradation of the syringyl units by microorganisms. Fatty acid methyl esters of varying (-'-chain length (C 7 to C 27 ) were identified in the soil chromatograms. Both TMAH-GC/MS and 13 C-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) data suggested a relative increase of long chain fatty acids with soil depth (or degree of humification), suggesting a refractory nature for these compounds. The heterocyclic N compounds yielded from the TMAH thermochemolysis were mainly pyrroles pyridines, and pyrazoles. In addition, low levels of methylated amino acids (phenylalanine, leucine, and valine) were detected. The presence of the amino acids in the bottom layer of the soil suggests a preservation mechanism. The changes identified in the chemical components provide clues as to the nature of the humification processes in the soil profile and also yield information on the nature of the sources of soil organic matter.
This paper reports on an enquiry into relationships between students' views of their experiences of participating in networked learning courses and data on their conceptions of learning and approaches to study. It has been suggested in the literature on networked learning that students with more sophisticated conceptions of learning and students who take a deep approach to learning are more likely to benefit from, and have positive experiences of, networked learning. Drawing on a sample of almost 180 undergraduate social science students on four networked learning courses, we established that there were no strong links between students' judgements about their experience of networked learning and either their conceptions of learning or their approach to study. Further research is needed, but a practical implication of this study is that it is reasonable to expect all students to have positive experiences on well-designed and well-managed networked learning courses - not just those students with more sophisticated conceptions of learning or deep approaches to study. DOI:10.1080/0968776030110103
Introduction: The Attitudes to Aging Questionnaire (AAQ) was developed to measure attitudes toward the aging process as a personal experience from the perspective of older people. The present study aimed to validate the French version of the AAQ. Participants and methods: This study examined factor structure, acceptability, reliability and validity of the AAQ’s French version in 238 Belgian adults aged 60 years or older. In addition, participants provided information on demographics, self-perception of their mental and physical health (single items), quality of life (WHOQOL-OLD) and social desirability (DS-36). Results: Exploratory Factor Analysis produced a three-factor solution accounting for 36.9% of the variance. No floor or ceiling effects were found. The internal consistency, measured by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the AAQ subscales were 0.62 (Physical Change), 0.74 (Psychological Growth), and 0.75 (Psychosocial Loss). A priori expected associations were found between AAQ subscales, self-reported health and quality of life, indicating good convergent validity. The scale also showed a good ability to discriminate between people with lower and higher education levels, supporting adequate known-groups validity. Finally, we confirmed the need to control for social desirability biases when assessing self-reported attitudes toward one’s own aging. Conclusion: The data support the usefulness of the French version of the AAQ for the assessment of attitudes toward their own aging in older people.
Cancer continues to increase throughout the industrial world. Aging of the population, smoking habits, and improvements in diagnosis do not account completely for these patterns. About 5 percent of cancers occur in persons under age 45, while 65 percent of all cancers occur in persons over age 65. For this older age group, many of their most common tumors, in addition to those linked with smoking, are not curable and appear to be increasing in incidence as well as mortality in a number of industrial countries. Evaluating cancer causes by looking at an age-adjusted rate obscures important differences that are occurring at different age groups. In order to reduce the cancer burden further, it is important to look for bona fide explanations of recent shifts in cancer patterns, especially those not related to cigarette smoking or other habits.
imperative—B [35], 149-150) are unavoidable. Observations on the distinction between the different forms of consecutive clauses B [77-9], 169, and on absolute constructions B [115-7], 188 f.) are among the many interesting topics included. Two further misprints may be noted: on p. 4, 1. 24 read prehomerique and p. 83, n. to (8) indirecte. There is a bibliography (191) and a detailed statement of contents. The present book is a useful complement to Carriere, Stylistique grecgue pratique and provides much information likely to be of value to students in stimulating their further awareness of style.
Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the reproducibility of trabecular bone structure measurements of the distal radius at 1.5 and 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Root mean square reproducibility errors ranged from 0.69% to 4.94% at 1.5 T MRI and from 0.38% to 5.80% at 3.0 T MRI. Thus, reproducibility errors of trabecular bone structure measurements are overall in an acceptable range and similar at 1.5 and 3.0 T MRI.
Density functional theory (DFT) is used to study the formation and properties of native defects in 3C-SiC. Extensive calculations have been carried out to determine the formation of point defects and the stability of self-interstitials. Although there is good agreement in the formation of vacancies and antisite defects between the present study and previous calculations, a large disparity appears in the formation of self-interstitials. The most favorable configurations for C interstitials are and dumbbells, with formation energies from 3.16 to 3.59 eV, and the most favorable Si interstitial is Si tetrahedral surrounded by four C atoms, with a formation energy of 6.17 eV. The present DFT results are also compared with those calculated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the Tersoff potentials, with parameters obtained from the literature. The formation energies of vacancies and antisite defects obtained by MD calculations are in good agreement with those obtained by DFT calculations. However, the MD calculations yield different results for interstitials energies and structures that depend on the cutoff distances used in the Tersoff potentials. The results provide guidelines for evaluating the quality and fit of empirical potentials for large-scale simulations of irradiation damage and defect migration processes in SiC.
We fabricated and characterized nanowire superconducting single-photon detectors made of 4 nm thick amorphous Mo x Si1−x films. At 1.7 K the best devices exhibit a detection efficiency (DE) up to 18% at 1.2 &mgr; m ?> wavelength of unpolarized light, a characteristic response time of about 6 ns and timing jitter of 120 ps. The DE was studied in wavelength range from 650 nm to 2500 nm. At wavelengths below 1200 nm these detectors reach their maximum DE limited by photon absorption in the thin MoSi film.
ABSTRACT Welfare states and social security institutions are positioned at a nexus of the two principles self-responsibility and solidarity resulting in higher or lower social inequality. Despite historical and national particularities, it is possible to identify common tendencies in their relational developments in Europe. Here, four of them will be analysed. The analysis of these cross-national developments results in the observation that self-responsibility and solidarity are being redefined and have ultimately grown together into a strict circular logic of interdependency. This, however, assumes very different forms of self-responsibility and solidarity and thereby a different concept and nexus of both principles than was the case some 20 years ago. Dominant discourses based on dualistic concepts are much too limited to comprehend this complex nexus. Instead, the changed institutions of social security implement institutional norms that correspond to a broad concept of interdependency.
Riboflavin-induced ultraviolet light (UV) cross linking has received a significant amount of attention in recent years. It is currently approved in Europe as a treatment for keratoconus and is also being used for other corneal disorders. The goal of this paper is to review in detail seminal papers and studies that have been done to support cross linking as a safe and effective treatment for patients with early stages of keratoconus.
G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important targets for medicinal agents. Four different G protein families, Gs, Gi, Gq, and G12, engage in their linkage to activation of receptor‐specific signal transduction pathways. G12 proteins were more recently studied, and upon activation by GPCRs they mediate activation of RhoGTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RhoGEFs), which in turn activate the small GTPase RhoA. RhoA is involved in many cellular and physiological aspects, and a dysfunction of the G12/13‐Rho pathway can lead to hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, impaired wound healing and immune cell functions, cancer progression and metastasis, or asthma. In this study, regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) domain‐containing RhoGEFs were tagged with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to detect their subcellular localization and translocation upon receptor activation. Constitutively active Gα12 and Gα13 mutants induced redistribution of these RhoGEFs from the cytosol to the plasma membrane. Furthermore, a pronounced and rapid translocation of p115‐RhoGEF from the cytosol to the plasma membrane was observed upon activation of several G12/13‐coupled GPCRs in a cell type‐independent fashion. Plasma membrane translocation of p115‐RhoGEF stimulated by a GPCR agonist could be completely and rapidly reversed by subsequent application of an antagonist for the respective GPCR, that is, p115‐RhoGEF relocated back to the cytosol. The translocation of RhoGEF by G12/13‐linked GPCRs can be quantified and therefore used for pharmacological studies of the pathway, and to discover active compounds in a G12/13‐related disease context. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 1660–1670, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Objectives To develop and validate a clinical prediction model (CPM) for survival in hypopharynx cancer, thereby aiming to improve individualized estimations of survival. Methods Retrospective cohort study of hypopharynx cancer patients. We randomly split the cohort into a derivation and validation dataset. The model was fitted on the derivation dataset and validated on the validation dataset. We used a Cox's proportional hazard model and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) selection. Performance (discrimination and calibration) of the CPM was tested. Results The final model consisted of gender, subsite, TNM classification, Adult Comorbidity Evaluation‐27 score (ACE27), body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin, albumin, and leukocyte count. Of these, TNM classification, ACE27, BMI, hemoglobin, and albumin had independent significant associations with survival. The C Statistic was 0.62 after validation. The model could significantly identify clinical risk groups. Conclusions ACE27, BMI, hemoglobin, and albumin are independent predictors of overall survival. The identification of high‐risk patients can be used in the counseling process and tailoring of treatment strategy or follow‐up. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 130:2166–2172, 2020
Six automatic stations were used to evaluate the surface energy and radiation balances on a native prairie near Manhattan, Kansas, using the Bowen ratio technique for a total of 300 days. Data were taken during the periods from May 26 to October 16, 1987, May 10 to September 18, 1988, and July 21 to August 13, 1989. The station site locations were selected to represent burned and unburned treatments on ridges, valley bottoms, and slopes with various aspects. The measured variables were (1) air and wet bulb temperatures at two heights, (2) net radiation, (3) solar radiation (up and down), (4) total hemispherical radiation (up and down), (5) diffuse radiation, (6) soil heat flow and soil temperature, (7) wind speed, (8) wind direction, and (9) precipitation. Energy balance components at the sites were compared for the 3 years. The variation between sites and years was small, even though some sites were as much as 10 km apart and the years had different rainfall amounts. The average values for the four summer intensive field campaigns (IFCs) were as follows: albedo, 0.2; ratio of net radiation to solar radiation, 62 percent; evaporation equivalent, 4 mm/d; Bowen ratio, 0.32; evaporation fraction, 70 percent;more » and the ratio of evaporation to solar energy, 40 percent. These values were different for the fall IFC. The latent and sensible heat fluxes were more variable than the radiation terms reflecting soil moisture differences between IFCs. 3 refs.« less
Background: High day-to-day blood pressure variability (BPV) has been associated with an increased risk for cognitive decline and mortality in the general population. Whether BPV is associated with increased all-cause mortality in older people with cognitive impairment is unknown. Objective: To investigate the association between day-to-day home BPV and all-cause mortality in older patients attending a memory clinic. Methods: We included 279 patients attending a memory clinic, who measured home blood pressure (BP) for 7 consecutive days in the morning and evening. Within-subject BPV was defined as the variation independent of the mean (VIM). Time-to-death was verified through the Dutch population registry. Cox proportional hazard regression was used. Separate analyses were performed for morning-to-morning and evening-to-evening BPV. Results: Mean age was 73±9 years, dementia and mild cognitive impairment were diagnosed in 35% and 34% respectively, and mean home BP was 139/79 mmHg. After a mean follow-up of 3.2 years, 52 patients had died. Neither day-to-day systolic nor diastolic VIM were associated with mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] systolic VIM: 0.99, 95% -CI 0.92–1.06, p = 0.770, HR diastolic VIM: 1.04, 95% -CI 0.93–1.17, p = 0.517). When morning and evening measurements were analyzed separately, systolic morning-to-morning VIM was associated with mortality (adjusted HR: 1.09, 95% -CI 1.01–1.18, p = 0.033). Conclusion: In this study, day-to-day BPV was not associated with all-cause mortality in patients attending a memory clinic. However, morning-to-morning BPV was. Due to the short assessment window, there is still a lack of clarity; hence future research is warranted to clarify the role of all BPV components in aging.
Within the microscopic Bogoliubov–de Gennes formalism an exact quantization condition for Andreev bound states of the ferromagnetic-superconducting hybrid systems of box geometry is derived and a semiclassical formula for the density of states is obtained. The semiclassical formula is shown to agree with the exact result, even when the exchange field h is much larger than the superconductor order parameter, provided h is small compared with the Fermi energy.
In the final two chapters, the possibilities for future grain production are analyzed. The general conclusion is that the required increase in yields • by 1980 will be forthcoming. Most of the increase is expected from an expansion in the use of fertilizer. Even after such an expansion, however, fertilizer use is expected to be modest as compared to Japan and western Europe. The authors see little likelihood of future increases in grain output arising from increased irrigation. The major part of the research for the book was completed by 1959 and was based in large part on data no more recent than 1956. In closing, the authors note that a substantial part of the increase in yields required by 1980 has already taken place. This monograph is, in my judgment, a significant contribution to our knowledge of the forces which underlie increases in agricultural output through time. It is lucidly written and does not require of the reader a high degree of economic and statistical sophistication. This makes it useful to students of related fields outside economics.
Background: Little is known about the modulation of cortical excitability in the prefrontal cortex during fear processing in humans. Here, we aimed to transiently modulate and test the cortical excitability during fear processing using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and brain oscillations in theta and alpha frequency bands with electroencephalography (EEG). Methods: We conducted two separate experiments (no-TMS and TMS). In the no-TMS experiment, EEG recordings were performed during the instructed fear paradigm in which a visual cue (CS+) was paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (electric shock), while the other visual cue was unpaired (CS-). In the TMS experiment, in addition the TMS was applied on the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). The participants also underwent structural MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanning and were assigned pseudo-randomly to both experiments, such that age and gender were matched. The cortical excitability was evaluated by time-frequency analysis and functional connectivity with weighted phase lag index (WPLI). We further linked the excitability patterns with markers of stress coping capability. Results: After visual cue onset, we found increased theta power in the frontal lobe and decreased alpha power in the occipital lobe during CS+ relative to CS- trials. TMS of dmPFC increased theta power in the frontal lobe and reduced alpha power in the occipital lobe during CS+. The TMS pulse increased the information flow from the sensorimotor region to the prefrontal and occipital regions in the theta and alpha bands, respectively during CS+ compared to CS-. Pre-stimulation frontal theta power (0.75–1 s) predicted the magnitude of frontal theta power changes after stimulation (1–1.25 s). Finally, the increased frontal theta power during CS+ compared to CS- was positively correlated with stress coping behavior. Conclusion: Our results show that TMS over dmPFC transiently modulated the regional cortical excitability and the fronto-occipital information flows during fear processing, while the pre-stimulation frontal theta power determined the strength of achieved effects. The frontal theta power may serve as a biomarker for fear processing and stress-coping responses in individuals and could be clinically tested in mental disorders.
The convenient five-coordinate starting materials, Salen((t)Bu)AlCl (Salen((t)Bu) = N,N'-alkylene (or arylene) bis (3,5-di-tert-butyl-2-hydroxybenzylideneamine) (1-4) can be used in a wide range of reactions to form five-coordinate aluminum compounds. Herein, these reagents were used to produce new five-coordinate azides, LAlN(3) (L = Salen((t)Bu) (5), Salpen((t)Bu) (6), and Salomphen((t)Bu) (7)) through trimethylsilylhalide elimination. The decomposition of the azides produce first hydroxide (LAlOH (L = Salen((t)Bu) (8)) and, subsequently in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane, the siloxide compounds, LAlOSiMe(3) (L = Salen((t)Bu) (9), Salpen((t)Bu) (10), and Salomphen((t)Bu) (11)). Alkane elimination reactions may also be used to access this type of compound as evidenced by the formation of Salomphen((t)Bu)AlOSiPh(3) (12). Additionally, the first structurally characterized five-coordinate monomeric amide, Salcen((t)Bu)AlN(SiMe(3))(2) (13), can prepared by a salt elimination utilizing Salcen((t)Bu)AlCl (4). The compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods ((1)H and (27)Al NMR, MS, and IR) and, in the case of 2 (Salpen((t)Bu)AlCl), 3 (Salomphen((t)Bu)AlCl) 9, 11, 12, and 13, by X-ray analysis. Several of the compounds were explored as potential catalysts for the living polymerization of propylene oxide.
Gesture recognition provides a more natural method for interacting in the field of human-computer interaction. The current popular VR glasses either use a handle as the device to interact with the virtual scene, or integrate the gesture recognition system into the VR glasses. The former mode is inconvenient and unnatural, while the latter has poor stability due to the awkward position. The input devices for the current vision-based sign language recognition systems usually have fixed positions, which makes it impossible for users to use them anytime and anywhere. Therefore, this paper proposes a gesture recognition method based on the image acquisition belt which is fastened on the user’s waist, so as to improve the user friendliness and obtain stable gesture information.
Human activity recognition (HAR) is essential for understanding people’s habits and behaviors, providing an important data source for precise marketing and research in psychology and sociology. Different approaches have been proposed and applied to HAR. Data segmentation using a sliding window is a basic step during the HAR procedure, wherein the window length directly affects recognition performance. However, the window length is generally randomly selected without systematic study. In this study, we examined the impact of window length on smartphone sensor-based human motion and pose pattern recognition. With data collected from smartphone sensors, we tested a range of window lengths on five popular machine-learning methods: decision tree, support vector machine, K-nearest neighbor, Gaussian naïve Bayesian, and adaptive boosting. From the results, we provide recommendations for choosing the appropriate window length. Results corroborate that the influence of window length on the recognition of motion modes is significant but largely limited to pose pattern recognition. For motion mode recognition, a window length between 2.5–3.5 s can provide an optimal tradeoff between recognition performance and speed. Adaptive boosting outperformed the other methods. For pose pattern recognition, 0.5 s was enough to obtain a satisfactory result. In addition, all of the tested methods performed well.
Three ammonium transport systems of the Mep/Amt/Rh superfamily contribute to ammonium uptake for use as a nitrogen source in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A specific sensor role has further been proposed for Mep2 in the stimulation of pseudohyphal development during ammonium limitation. Optimal ammonium transport by the Mep proteins requires the Npr1 kinase, a potential target of the target‐of‐rapamycin signalling pathway. We show here that the growth impairment of cells lacking Npr1 on many nitrogen sources is shared by cells deprived of the three Mep proteins and is a consequence of deficient ammonium retrieval. Expression of a newly isolated Npr1‐independent and hyperactive Mep2 in cells lacking Npr1 and/or the Mep proteins restores growth on low ammonium but also on other nitrogen sources. This hyperactive Mep2 variant efficiently counteracts ammonium excretion. Hence, ammonium uptake activity plays an important role in compensating for leakage of catabolic ammonium. Our data also reveal that the requirement of Npr1 for ammonium‐induced pseudohyphal growth is an indirect consequence of its necessity for Mep2‐mediated ammonium transport. Finally, we show that Mep2 participates, through ammonium leakage compensation, in pseudohyphal growth induced by amino acid starvation. This argues further in favour of tight coupling of Mep2 transport and sensor functions.
HE so-called Ordinance of I784 presents some intriguing problems. Although it has long drawn attention because of its identification with Thomas Jefferson, its primacy among plans for governing the western territory, and its relationship to the more famous Northwest Ordinance, some of its most interesting features remain obscure. Others have been misrepresented. It is not my purpose in this brief note to deal comprehensively with the substance of the enactment. That mission has been ably undertaken by many others, although their interpretations have been anything but congruent.' My purpose is quite limited; it is confined to explicating the form, rather than the content, of the measure. To do so is to probe the matters of how the Confederation Congress struggled to define its ambiguous authority and how it chose to frame its decisions. The first scheme for the government of the West was drafted by a committee chaired by Jefferson. After its report had been revised and amended, the Congress agreed to it on April 23, I784, with only South Carolina opposed. The plan called for the division of the ceded, and as yet unceded, lands beyond the Appalachians into "distinct states" and fixed their boundaries.2 Settlers in a state could form a temporary government
Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease that can lead to intermittent hypoxia, increased sympathetic overdrive, and excessive oxidative stress, and eventually lead to cardiovascular/cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. The prevalence of OSA is reported to be higher in people with certain cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Therefore, the relationship between OSA and CVD has been gradually favored by researchers. Material/Methods Data were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Citespace was used to remove duplicated data and construct knowledge visual maps. Results A total of 7047 publications were obtained. The USA was the largest contributor as well as an important player in the cooperation network between nations. The leading institution was the Mayo Clinic. Our study ultimately identified the top 5 hotspots and 4 research frontiers in this field. Top 5 hotspots were: the specific types of obstructive sleep apnea-related cardiovascular and metabolic co-morbidities, the curative effects of CPAP on these co-morbidities, the specific mechanisms of co-morbidities, the importance of polysomnography on OSA and its co-morbidities with CVD, and the prevalence of OSA and its co-morbidities with CVD in particular populations. The top 4 frontiers were: the relationship between OSA and resistant hypertension, the molecular mechanisms of OSA and its co-morbidities with CVD, specific medications and treatment guidelines for the co-morbidities, and the mainstream research methods in this field. Conclusions This study provides insight and valuable information for researchers and helps to identify new perspectives concerning potential collaborators and cooperative institutions, hot topics, and research frontiers in this field.
Abstract Background The infertility phenomenon affects physiological and psychosocial aspects. Sexual counseling can improve sexual and marital satisfaction. Objective This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of sexual health counseling based on the mindfulness approach on sexual satisfaction of women suffering from infertility. Materials and Methods This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 44 women suffering from infertility referred to the Yazd Reproductive Science Institute, Yazd, Iran. Women were randomly divided into 2 groups. The intervention group (n = 22) received 8 sessions of sexual counseling, while control group (n = 22) received routine care. The data collection tool was the sexual satisfaction questionnaire. Results The mean age of women was 30.05 ± 4.9 yr, infertility duration was 6.83 ± 4.27 yr, and the mean duration of marriage was 8.3 ± 4.01 yr. The mean score of sexual satisfaction of women suffering from infertility in the intervention group was 62.9 ± 7.32, 71.6 ± 5.95, and 70.9 ± 6.26, before the intervention (baseline), after intervention (8 th wk), and follow-up (12 th wk) respectively. The mean score of sexual satisfaction of women suffering from infertility in the control group was 63.3 ± 6.82, 64.2 ± 7.93, and 62.25 ± 7.99, at baseline, 8 th wk later, and after follow-up (12 th wk), respectively. Sexual satisfaction scores increased before and one month after the intervention in the counseling group, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusion Mindfulness-based sexual health counseling programs may improve sexual satisfaction in women suffering from infertility in the intervention group.
Microbial keratitis (MK), the infection of the cornea, is a devastating disease and the fifth leading cause of blindness and visual impairment around the world. The overwhelming majority of MK cases are linked to contact lens wear combined with factors which promote infection such as corneal abrasion, an immunocompromised state, improper contact lens use, or failing to routinely disinfect lenses after wear. Contact lens-related MK involves the adherence of microorganisms to the contact lens. Therefore, this review discusses the information currently available regarding the disease pathophysiology, the common types of microorganisms causing MK, physical and organic mechanisms of adhesion, material properties which are involved in adhesion, and current antimicrobial strategies. This review also concludes that Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a model organism for the investigation of contact lens microbial adherence due to its prevalence in MK cases, its extremely robust adhesion, antimicrobial-resistant properties, and the severity of the disease it causes.
Abstract. Aiming at the deficiency of the existing DOM and DEM production modes and the networking and automation requirements of the information mapping production system, a method of network-based simultaneous editing and updating of DOM and DEM based on geomorphological change detection was proposed, a set of rapid update technical processes for changing regions were formed, and the DOM and DEM network rapid editing and updating platform was developed. The technology process is based on network parallel environment to achieve network task distribution and multi-person synchronous editing production, and the production efficiency of DOM and DEM is greatly improved.
A novel facultatively anaerobic bacterium, strain HC45T, was isolated from sediment of a brackish meromictic lake in Japan, Lake Harutori. Cells were pleomorphic, and filamentous bodies were 5-100 μm in length. For growth, the optimum pH was 7.0 and the optimum temperature was 45-50 °C. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 71 mol%. iso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 0 were the major components in the cellular fatty acid profile. The predominant respiratory quinone was MK-7. Strain HC45T shared very low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with cultivated strains ( ≤ 85%). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the isolate was distantly related to members of the family Symbiobacteriaceae and family XVII Incertae Sedis in the class Clostridia, and they formed a cluster separate from canonical species of the phylum Firmicutes. These results indicated that strain HC45T should not be placed in any existing class of the phylum Firmicutes. On the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic characterization, Limnochorda pilosa gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed with HC45T ( = NBRC 110152T = DSM 28787T) as the type strain, as the first representative of novel taxa, Limnochordales ord. nov., Limnochordaceae fam. nov. in Limnochordia classis. nov.
MgAlON ceramics were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and hot pressing (HP), respectively. It was found that SPSed MgAlON samples had a single MgAlON phase with almost no open pore while HPed MgAlON had a minor AlN phase. The strength of SPSed samples is higher than 500MP, being much higher than that of the HPed samples. The experimental results revealed that that SPS was a rapid and reliable process for the further development of MgAlON.
4093 Background: Randomized trials have demonstrated significant survival benefits with the use of adjuvant (including neoadjuvant) chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for gastric cancer. The importance of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) remains unclear. Here we perform an up-to-date meta-analysis of randomized trials testing the use of radiotherapy for resectable gastric cancer. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomized trials testing adjuvant RT for resectable gastric cancer. Hazard ratios describing the impact of adjuvant RT on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were extracted directly from the original studies or calculated from survival curves. Pooled estimates were obtained using the inverse variance method. Subgroup analyses were performed to determine if the efficacy of RT varies with chemotherapy use, RT timing, geographic region, type of nodal dissection performed, and lymph node status. Results: Thirteen studies met a...
Literature on the psychological contract has blossomed progressively over the last ten years to the extent that it is now firmly located within the lexicon of the Human Resource Management (HRM) discipline. Yet as this review indicates, the theoretical assumptions that seem to pervade the psychological contract literature are not without major deficiencies, which in turn pose serious questions around the continued sustainability of the construct as currently constituted. This paper addresses some of the central problems presently confronting the theoretical side of the psychological contract literature. In seeking to advance knowledge and understanding, this review calls for an alternative approach to studying the psychological contract on the basis of a more critical and discursive literature analysis. From this, the authors unpick the construct of the psychological contract as portrayed in much of the extant literature and argue that, in its present form, it symbolizes an ideologically biased formula designed for a particular managerialist interpretation of contemporary work and employment.
Objective To establish and apply a noninvasive method for estimation of total hemoglobin （Hb）content in red blood cell components to improve the level of standardization of transfusion. Methods Two hundred and thirty leukocyte-reduced red blood cells were elected as research objects, which were randomly selected in stock bloods of Foshan Blood Station. The weight, volume and Hb concentration of one hundred and thirty red blood cell components were tested. The correlation between Hb content with weight of red blood cell components was analyzed. A linear regression model was used to assess the relationship. Regression equation was built. One hundred red blood ceil components were tested and analysed by the regression equation. The results were compared with the actual detection value in order to verify the reliability of the method we built. Results There was a positive correlativity of the weight and Hb concentration of red blood cell components （r= 0.971, P〈0. 001 ） ;The regression equation was y = 0. 1913x-2. 9373, y was Hb concentration,x was weight of red blood cell components. Linear regression analysis results showed that the weight was closely related to Hb concentration of red blood cell components. Partial regression value（b）was -2. 9373 and 0. 1913（r^2 =0. 944, df=128,F=2138.12;P%0.01）. The estimation of total Hb content in one hundred red blood cell components showed that the assessment and the actual results were no significant differences（P〉0.05）. Conclusions The noninvasive method for estimation of total Hb content in red blood cell components was simple,safe,reliable and contributed to improve the level of standardization of transfusion. But it need to be confirmed by a multi-center and large sample and randomized controlled research before popularization in transfusion.    Key words:  noninvasive;  estimation;  red blood cell components;  total haemoglobin content; standardization of transfusion
This paper reports on an empirical comparison of two prominent measures of individual risk attitudes – the Holt and Laury (2002) lottery-choice task and the multi-item questionnaire advocated by Dohmen et al. (2011) – with respect to their within-subject stability over time (one year) and their correlation with actual risk-taking behavior in the lab – here the amount sent in a trust game (Berg et al., 1995). Our results suggest that the two risk attitude measures are at best only weakly correlated. Only the questionnaire measure shows high test–retest stability, while virtually no such stability is found in the lottery-choice task. In addition, only the questionnaire measure shows the expected correlations with a Big Five personality measure and is correlated with actual risk-taking behavior. With respect to behavior in the trust game, we find a high retest stability of transfers. This supports the conjecture that trusting behavior has a component which itself is a stable individual characteristic.
Subject. This article explores the ratios of the company's market capitalization to the net income of shareholders of the twenty five leading public oil and gas companies between 2008 and 2018. Objectives. The article aims to identify key trends in the changes in the values of market-capitalization-to-shareholders'-net-income ratios of the largest public oil and gas companies, identify the factors that have caused these changes, and establish the applicability of these multipliers to estimate the value of the business within the oil and gas industry. Methods. For the study, I used comparative, and financial and economic analyses, and generalization of materials of the companies' consolidated financial statements. Results. The article establishes that the multipliers studied based on the net profit of shareholders are of little use for assessing the value of oil and gas companies due to the volatility of oil prices. Conclusions. To apply the multipliers based on net profit is very difficult in the face of declining profitability and increasing debt burden in the stock exchange sector of the global oil and gas industry.
Non-malleable codes (NMCs) protect sensitive data against degrees of corruption that prohibit error detection, ensuring instead that a corrupted codeword decodes correctly or to something that bears little relation to the original message. The split-state model, in which codewords consist of two blocks, considers adversaries who tamper with either block arbitrarily but independently of the other. The simplest construction in this model, due to Aggarwal, Dodis, and Lovett (STOC'14), was shown to give NMCs sending k-bit messages to O(k7)-bit codewords. It is conjectured, however, that the construction allows linear-length codewords. Towards resolving this conjecture, we show that the construction allows for code-length O(k5). This is achieved by analysing a special case of Sanders's Bogolyubov-Ruzsa theorem for general Abelian groups. Closely following the excellent exposition of this result for the group F2n by Lovett, we expose its dependence on p for the group Fpn, where p is a prime.linear-length codewords.Bogolyubov-Ruzsa theorem
b Wherever journalists gather these days to discuss the successes and plights of the newsgathering fraternity, sooner or later the talk, formal and informal, turns to government, its officials and the repercussions of Watergate. Members of the profession point with pride to the efforts of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as exemplifying investigative reporting's '%nest hour." They echo emphatic approval at every mention of the virtues of "in depth" reporting, regarded as manifestation of media's shifting position from the libertarian theory of operation to what may be considered a more desirable concept of social responsibility. This same group indignantly wails that its First Amendment right is being infringed upon when some government official or agency advises that a certain desired "public record" is not available to it. A closer look at news media practice leaves the observer no cause for wonder at the admiration heaped upon the Woodward-Bernstein exploit; it was the exception rather than the ruk. If the nation's news media would do, all along, the "in depth" reporting to which they profess their al-
Guillain–Barre syndrome (GBS) manifests as areflexic motor paralysis with or without sensory disturbance. Usually, prognosis is good with 90% recovery.[1] Global annual incidence is reported as 0.6–2.4 cases/lakh/year.[2] Till date, there are no incidence studies in Indian population. Etiology of GBS is not known but about 70% cases were preceded 1 to 3 weeks before by respiratory or gastrointestinal infections. Theories suggest autoimmune mechanism in which antibodies are triggered to damage myelin.[3,4]
Rotational resonance (R 2 ) and rotational echo double resonance (REDOR) are powerful solid-state NMR techniques that can be applied in a site-directed fashion for precise distance measurements in proteins. These tools are well suited for systems in which a few precise distance measurements are needed to understand a mechanism or map a bind- ing site, particularly if this information is unavailable from x-ray crystallography or solution NMR, as is often the case for membrane proteins. Strategies and challenges in the design and implementation of such experiments are described and illustrated with experiments probing mechanisms of transmembrane signaling in bacterial chemotaxis receptors. ! 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 30A: 21-39, 2007
progress, political power, or national awareness to meet their ongoing and worsening needs. We seemed to &dquo;lose sight of children&dquo; in the 1980’s, as many of children’s health care needs were unrecognized and ignored. As we enter the 90’s, there are many areas related to children’s health where we are not doing as well as we were when we began in the 1980’s. It is only now, as we enter the 90’s, that we seem to be recognizing what a poor job we have done in the past 10 years. One in four children in this country live in poverty. As we enter the 1990’s, children are America’s largest pov-
Objective Synovial sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor. The role of apatinib in synovial sarcoma remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the biological functions and the potential molecular mechanism of action of apatinib in synovial sarcoma. Methods SW982 cells were stimulated with apatinib. The relative expression of the genes was determined by performing qPCR. Protein levels were evaluated by western blot and immunohistochemistry assays. Proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of SW982 cells were determined by the CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, flow cytometry, wound healing, and the transwell assay, respectively. Additionally, SW982 cells were injected into mice to induce synovial sarcoma. Results Apatinib decreased the proliferation, migration, and invasion but increased the apoptosis of SW982 cells. Apatinib repressed tumor growth in vivo and elevated miR-34a-5p in SW982 cells. The inhibition of miR-34a-5p repressed the reduction of proliferation, migration, and invasion and also the elevation of apoptosis in apatinib-treated SW982 cells. The luciferase activity decreased after cotransfection of the miR-34a-5p mimic and the wild-type HOXA13 vector. Additionally, an increase in miR-34a-5p repressed the levels of HOXA13 mRNA and protein. Moreover, HOXA13 reversed these patterns caused by the inhibition of miR-34a-5p in apatinib-treated SW982 cells. Conclusion Apatinib elevated miR-34a-5p and reduced HOXA13, leading to a significant decrease in proliferation, migration, and invasion, along with an enhancement of apoptosis in SW982 cells. Apatinib suppressed tumorigenesis and tumor growth in SW982 cells in vivo.
Alcohol consumption has multiple effects in the central nervous system (CNS). Whereas, alcohol is an immunosuppressive drug the effect of alcohol on the neuroimmune system, remains unclear. In cultured astrocytes, prolactin (PRL) induces mitogenesis and the expression of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNFα). We have recently shown that whereas ethanol does not inhibit PRL receptor binding, it markedly inhibits PRL‐induced mitogenesis and TNFα secretion in cultured astrocytes. It is clear that PRL activates the tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, including members of a novel family of protein tyrosine kinases, the Janus Kinases (JAKs). The aims of this study were to characterize PRL‐induced activation of the JAK/STAT (signal transducers and activators of transcription) pathway, and to determine if ethanol affects JAK/STAT activation in cultured astrocytes. We found that PRL specifically increases the tyrosine phosphorylation of JAK2, but not JAK1, JAK3, or Tyk2, and the subsequent phosphorylation of STAT1α, STAT5a, and STAT5b. Preincubation of astrocytes with ethanol markedly inhibited phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT1α, STAT5a, and STAT5b. In PRL‐stimulated astrocytes, ethanol inhibited binding of nuclear proteins to oligonucleotides corresponding to the gamma‐interferon activated sequence (GAS). Further, ethanol blocked PRL‐induced increases in interferon regulatory factor‐1 (IRF‐1) mRNA, a PRL/cytokine inducible transcription factor involved in the regulation of a number of cytokine inducible genes. The inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation by ethanol was not a general effect, however, as we found that ethanol increased basal and NGF‐induced tyrosine phosphorylation of extracellular signal‐activated protein kinase‐1 (ERK‐1). These data indicate that ethanol inhibits PRL‐induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the JAK/STAT pathway resulting in decreased nuclear GAS DNA binding and inhibition of the PRL inducible gene, IRF‐1. Thus, suggesting that ethanol‐induced inhibition of JAK2 phosphorylation may be one mechanism though which ethanol could alter the brain's response to injury or infection. J. Cell. Biochem. 74:278–291, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Introduction : Frontal sinus and nasal septum have different forms in different people. Frontal sinuses are different in shape even in monozygotic twins. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of different combined patterns of frontal sinus and nasal septum in men and women referring to a treatment center in Isfahan . Materials and methods: In this descriptive/analytical study Water’s views of 198 subjects aged 20‒40 were collected. The particulars of frontal sinuses in relation to the presence or absence of the sinus proper, symmetry or asymmetry, the form of the septum and the superior border outline of the sinus and the form of the nasal septum were evaluated and recorded. Data were analyzed with chi-squared test (α= 0.05). Results: Bilateral presence of frontal sinus was observed in 100% of the subjects. There were no relations between sex and the presence of a septum within the frontal sinus (p value = 0.53), sinus symmetry (p value = 0.35), and form of the nasal septum (p value = 0.89). There was a significant relation between sex and the presence of a scalloped superior border outline of frontal sinuses (p value < 0.05), with more scalloped borders in men compared to women. Conclusion: Under the limitations of the present study, it was concluded that the combined patterns of frontal sinuses and nasal septa on radiographs cannot be used to distinguish males from females. Key words: Forensic dentistry, Frontal sinus, Nasal septum.
A field orientation scheme for current fed induction motor drives is presented. The first part of this work gives a short introduction about principles of field orientation. After this the authors describe the used hardware. The control is implemented on a TMS320C30 DSP with new digital signal processors with which it is possible reduce the sampling time for the control loop and use floating point arithmetic. At last, some experimental results are shown where the prototype performances are shown.<<ETX>>
Hyperammonaemia is a potentially life-threatening condition that is often neglected diagnostically. It presents with non-specific symptoms, such as encephalopathy. Delayed recognition leads to potentially irreversible neurological damage. We report 3 patients who on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain demonstrated a rare pattern of cortical signal change, which spared the perirolandic cortex. This characteristic radiological pattern should prompt immediate testing for raised serum ammonia, facilitating early treatment for this disorder.
Carnivals in Serbia have a tradition of holding for more than 150 years. By   content they belong to the entertainment tourism events. One of the   carnivals, taking place over the past 10 years is the Boat Carnival on the   river Sava. This carnival is part of the overall tourist offer of Belgrade   and by its holding it also promotes nautical tourism on the river Sava. A   survey of visitors was conducted to determine the significance of this event   in the tourist offer of Belgrade. The study sample consisted of 169 visitors,   in random order, different structures. The analysis was done with the aim of   investigating the tourism market, attitudes and behaviour of visitors in   order to improve the tourist offer. Tourism valorisation of carnivals in   Serbia was also done. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br.   III47007 i br. 47027III]
Objective  To screen the dual oxidase maturation factor 1 (DUOXA1) gene mutations in children with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and thyroid goiter from Shandong Province, China, and to identify the gene mutation type and characteristics of DUOXA1 gene mutations in order to provide some evidence for gene diagnosis and therapy of CH.      Methods  A cohort of 52 cases of CH with thyroid goiter and 100 normal controls were selected according to neonatal screening system in Shandong Province whose genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes with a standard phenol chloroform method.The whole coding sequence (CDS) of DUOXA1 gene was amplified with 8 pairs of sequence specific primers by using PCR.The PCR products were directly sequenced with Sanger sequencing to detect new mutations types of DUOXA1 gene.The sequencing data were compared to the DUOXA1 gene reference sequence (National Center for Biotechnology Information: RefSeq: NG_033105.1) to see if there was any mutation.A χ2test was done for the gene frequency of discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP).      Results  There was no mutation in CDS of 52 CH patients with thyroid goiter and 100 normal controls.However, a SNP (rs75981505, c.398G>T) which was an missense mutation and could lead to a change of the codon from CGC to CTC, was found in 9 CH patients with thyroid goiter and 11 normal controls in the exon 7.The corresponding amino acid arginine was replaced by histidine(p.Arg133His). There was no significant difference in the SNP rate between CH patients with thyroid goiter and normal controls (17.3% vs 11.0%, χ2 =1.24, P>0.05).      Conclusion  DUOXA1 gene mutation rate is very low which may not be the main cause of CH patients with thyroid goiter in the population of Shandong Province.      Key words:  Congenital hypothyroidism; Dual oxidase maturation factor 1; Thyroid goiter; Mutation
Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a critical role in regulating body temperature in newborn lambs. Availability of a stable BAT cell line would be invaluable for biochemical studies to elucidate cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for nutritional regulation of fetal BAT growth and development. Ovine brown adipocyte precursor cells (BAPC) were isolated from fetal lambs at d 90 of gestation and cultured to establish a stable cell line. These cells were characterized by adipogenic differentiation and expression of a hallmark gene, (). The BAPC doubled every 24 h. After a 9-d induction with a serum-free Dulbecco's modified Eagle Ham/F12 medium, BAPC differentiated into brown adipocytes with large lipid droplets. The differentiation medium induced expression of mRNA and protein in BAPC. Furthermore, after BAPC were passaged 30 times, they maintained similar cell morphology, the potential for adipogenic differentiation, and the ability to express . Taken together, we have established a stable ovine BAPC cell line for studying nutritional regulation of BAT growth and development in the fetus.
Background Surgical treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is necessary when non-surgical treatments fail. Complications of surgical procedures vary from short-term post-surgical pain to permanent disability. The outcome of TOS surgery is affected by the visibility during the operation. In this study, we have compared the complications arising during the supraclavicular and the transaxillary approaches to determine the appropriate approach for TOS surgery. Methods In this study, 448 patients with symptoms of TOS were assessed. The male-to-female ratio was approximately 1:4, and the mean age was 34.5 years. Overall, 102 operations were performed, including unilateral, bilateral, and reoperations, and the patients were retrospectively evaluated. Of the 102 patients, 63 underwent the supraclavicular approach, 32 underwent the transaxillary approach, and 7 underwent the transaxillary approach followed by the supraclavicular approach. Complications were evaluated over 24 months. Results The prevalence of pneumothorax, hemothorax, and vessel injuries in the transaxillary and the supraclavicular approaches was equal. We found more permanent and transient brachial plexus injuries in the case of the transaxillary approach than in the case of the supraclavicular approach, but the difference was not statistically significant. Persistent pain and symptoms were significantly more common in patients who underwent the transaxillary approach (p<0.05). Conclusion The supraclavicular approach seems to be the more effective technique of the two because it offers the surgeon better access to the brachial plexus and a direct view. This approach for a TOS operation offers a better surgical outcome and lower reoperation rates than the transaxillary method. Our results showed the supraclavicular approach to be the preferred method for TOS operations.
First described in the 1800s, cardiac asthma is defined as wheezing, cough, and orthopnea secondary to left heart failure. The cardiopulmonary interaction forms the basis for the pathophysiology of cardiac asthma—a state in which disease or failure of the former manifests in pathologic findings and symptoms of the latter, the majority of which are reversible with correction of the underlying cardiac pathology. Treatment is generally aimed at primary cardiac disease, as no specific therapies for cardiac asthma itself have been proven effective. More recent research has focused on the molecular biology of the inflammatory reaction and profibrotic state of cardiac and pulmonary remodeling, with transforming growth factor-&bgr; and its associated signaling pathways emerging as possible therapeutic targets.
The aim of the study was to determine the fibre size distribution within the human m tibialis anterior. Ten-micron thick cross-sections of the whole muscle were enzyme histochemically stained for myofibrillar ATPase at pH 9.4. The cross-sectional area of 100 fibres with low (type 1) ATPase and high (type 2) ATPase activity was measured in three different regions (superficial, central and deep). Both the type 1 and type 2 fibres were found to be larger in the deep region than in the central or superficial regions. The variation in fibre size could not be explained by the cryofixation or cryo-embedding techniques used. The data suggest that muscle adaptation to physical demands may not only occur by means of variation in types and number of muscle fibres, but also by variation in fibre size over the muscle cross-section.
Authoritarian governments may face serious uncertainties when dealing with popular resistance because of the unpredictable consequences of making concessions or repressing opposition. However, a political system with multiple levels of authority can help reduce the uncertainties by granting conditional autonomy to lower-level authorities. Such a power structure prevents excessive repression and unconditional concessions when the priorities of different levels of authority do not match. Under this political arrangement, the central authority can avoid blame when local authorities use repression. The divided power also helps reduce the uncertainties faced by the central authority because it will then have to deal with only a very limited number of instances of resistance. Using the case of China, this article shows that divided state power has allowed the party-state to maintain social stability amid numerous instances of social unrest during the reform era.
Organic phototransistors (OPTs) have attracted enormous attention because of their promising applications in sensing, communication, and imaging. Currently, most OPTs reported utilize field-effect transistors (FETs) with relative long channel length which usually has undesired amplification because of their inherent low transconductance originated from their low channel capacitance, limiting the further improvement of performance. Herein, a vertical channel hybrid electrochemical phototransistor with a nanoscale channel and large transconductance (VECPT) is invented for the first time to achieve ultrahigh photoresponsivity along with a fast response speed. Benefiting from the nanoscale channel length and large transconductance, the photo-generated carriers in channel can be efficiently dissociated, transported, and amplified into the enlarged photocurrent output. Therefore, the devices deliver substantially improved optoelectronic performances with a photoresponsivity as high as ≈2.99 × 107 A/W, detectivity of ≈1.49 × 1013 Jones, and fast-speed response of ≈73 μs under a low voltage of 1 V, which are superior to those of the reported OPTs based on FETs. Moreover, the in situ Kelvin probe microscopy is performed to characterize the surface potential of device systems for better elucidating the photosensing mechanism. Furthermore, taking advantage of its excellent optoelectronic performance, an ultraviolet light monitoring system is constructed by integrating VECPT with a light-emitting diode, which also shows the real-time, high-sensitive, and controllable photoresponse threshold properties. All these results demonstrate the great potential of these electrochemical phototransistors and provide valuable insights into the design of the nanoscale channel length device system for high-performance photodetection.
There is still limited research that investigates emotional intelligence in the context of the real estate sector in China, despite the rapid growth of the industry. Furthermore, there has been an exponential increase in the number of Chinese students studying overseas. Underpinned by these tendencies, this research investigates the levels of emotional intelligence of overseas and local graduates in the real estate sector in China. Data were collected using a survey of 140 employees and semi-structured interviews of four human resource managers in six Grade One state-owned real estate companies in China. The findings suggest that emotional intelligence influences the levels of interpersonal skills, represented by communication skills and teamwork behaviour. However, there is no difference in the levels of emotional intelligence between overseas and local graduates, suggesting that there are other factors that influence emotional intelligence development. Overseas graduates also seem to have greater difficulties than local graduates from elite universities to find jobs in the real estate sector. This suggests that international study experience is no longer adequate; instead, various contextualised interpersonal skills are needed to meet work demands in China. Developing emotional intelligence has been found to promote success across cultures and is a way to meet the demands of today's work environments in the real estate industry in China.
Flux densities of diacrete radio sources measured with the 10-22-MHz T- arrays at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory are combined with observations from higher frequencies to construct and classify the centinuum spectra of 225 sources in the range 10-2000 MHz. New or revised flux densities are given for 38 sources at 10 and 22 MHz, together wiih revised calibration fuctors for previously published flux densities at these frequencies. Scales used for other published flux densities in the range 12-178 MHz are assessed and an intenally consistent set of scale revision factors is derived. The spectral propenties of complete samples of extragalactic sources selected at 10, 178, and 1400 MHz are compared, using spectral indices evaluated at six frequencies. Classes of sources having unusually high- and low-spectral indices are identified. Quasistellar sources are found to have spectral indices distributed differently from those of radio galaxies; quasistellar sources with power-law regions of their spectra have generally higher spectral indices there than those of the galaxies. A small group of sources identified with blank fields contains some members whose spectral indices are uncharacteristic of distant radio galaxies or of quasistellar sources. There appears to be no evolutionary effect present in the spectral index-luminositymore » correlation for radio galaxies. (auth)« less
1. Experiments are described in which retention time of digesta in the reticulo-rumen, fermentation rates of rumen contents, and dry-matter digestibilities were studied simultaneously in four grade European and three zebu steers. 2. Fermentation rates and rumen retentions were significantly negatively correlated. 3. Correlations between digestibility and the other two factors were not significant at a high level. 4. The multiple regressions calculated for retention time and fermentation rate were significant at the 5% level and that for digestibility approached this level. 5. While only fermentation rates show significant differences for the two types of cattle, the results suggest that grades and zebus differ also in the rate of passage of digesta through the rumen. 6. The loss in weight of substrate per unit of fermentation products was measured in in vitro experiments. 7. Using certain assumptions, estimates are made of the extent to which the measured fermentation rates could account for the loss in weight of dry matter during digestion, and are compared with the loss actually found.
We present on a metal-insulator-insulator-metal quantum electronic tunneling devices suitable for high speed rectifiers. Through the introduction of double oxide layer between similar metallic electrodes, a cascaded potential barrier is formed which alters the electron tunneling mechanism at forward versus the reverse bias. The cascaded potential barrier engineering manifests itself in both a highly nonlinear and asymmetric I-V junction characteristic. It is envisioned that high speed rectifiers and mixers having extraordinary nonlinearity can be realized through the incorporation of the cascaded potential barrier architecture and dissimilar metallic electrodes.
Extracts of 8 taxa of the genus Echinacea were found to have antiviral activity against Herpes simplex (HSV) virus Type I in vitro when exposed to visible and UV-A light. n-Hexane extracts of roots containing alkenes and amides were more active in general than ethyl acetate extracts containing caffeic acids. The most potent inhibitors of HSV were E. pallida var. sanguinea crude (70 % ethanol) inflorescence extract (MIC = 0.026 mg/mL), cichoric acid (MIC = 0.045 mg/mL) and Echinacea purpurea n-hexane root extract (MIC = 0.12 mg/mL).
BACKGROUND: The Affordable Care Act of 2010 allows the purchase of health insurance through special marketplaces called “health exchanges.” The majority of individuals enrolling in the exchanges were previously uninsured, older, and sicker than other commercially insured members. Early evidence also suggests that exchange plan members use more costly specialty drugs compared with other commercially insured members. OBJECTIVES: To (a) examine patient characteristics and specialty drug use for common chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs) among exchange plan members compared with other commercially insured members and (b) explore variations in specialty drug use within exchange plans by metal tiers (bronze, silver, gold, and platinum), as well as across local markets. METHODS: This analysis included adults aged ≥ 18 years who were enrolled in exchange plans (exchange population) and other commercial health plans (nonexchange population). The primary outcome was the likelihood of using specialty drugs prescribed to treat common CIDs, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis. The adjusted likelihood of using CID specialty drugs was calculated from logistic regression controlling for prevalence of CIDs and other health risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 931,384 exchange plan members and 2,682,855 nonexchange plan members were included in the analysis. Compared with the nonexchange population, the exchange population was older, more likely to be female, had more comorbid conditions, but filled fewer prescriptions. The 2 groups were similar in terms of CID prevalence. The observed likelihood of CID specialty drug use was 20.0% lower in the exchange versus the nonexchange populations (341 users per 100,000 exchange members vs. 427 users per 100,000 nonexchange members; P < 0.001). Within the exchange population, the observed likelihood of CID specialty drug use was 132 per 100,000 bronze plan members (69.1% lower than nonexchange); 326 per 100,000 silver plan members (23.5% lower than nonexchange); 579 per 100,000 gold plan members (35.6% higher than nonexchange); and 672 per 100,000 platinum plan members (57.5% higher than nonexchange). All differences were statistically significant at P < 0.001. There were also large differences by local market, ranging from 49.1% lower to 75.8% higher CID use in the exchange population than in the nonexchange population. After adjustment, the exchange population was 16.6% less likely to use CID specialty drugs than the nonexchange population (P < 0.001). Large variation in specialty drug use within the exchange plan metal tiers was reduced. After adjustment, the higher use of CID specialty drugs among the exchange population in certain local plans was no longer statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Members insured through exchange plans were older and sicker than those with nonexchange plans, but they did not use more CID specialty drugs compared with the nonexchange population. Large variations were seen among the exchange plan metal tiers and by local markets, which were often related to the risk profiles of exchange plan enrollees.
The values of the third-order elastic stiffness constants c I J K contain contributions not only from the anharmonic components of the interatomic potentials but also from the use of Lagrangian strain and from the harmonic (Hooke's law) components under finite deformation. The contribution from Lagrangian strain is general, while the finite-deformation contribution depends on the structure of the crystal. These harmonic components are calculated for some group IV and III-V tetrahedral semiconductors within a valence force-field model.
Background Growth monitoring and promotion are one of the health priorities in assessing the growth rate of a child. Appropriate growth monitoring and promotion services enable health professionals to control growth faltering and child mortality. However, there is limited information on the growth monitoring practice of health professionals and their associated factors at public health facilities of Bahir Dar health centers. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the growth monitoring practice of health professionals and associated factors at public health facilities of Bahir Dar health centers, northwest Ethiopia. Methods Institutional-based cross-sectional study for quantitative and phenomenology for qualitative was conducted from April 15 to May 15, 2021, among 314 health professionals, in Bahir Dar town, northwest Ethiopia. Census was used. A self-administered questionnaire was employed for quantitative data. Data were cleaned and entered into Epi-info version 7.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for further analysis, and the binary logistic regression was employed. In the bi-variable analysis, those variables with a p-value less than 0.2 were fitted to multivariable analysis. Qualitative data were analyzed by using thematic analysis. Results The overall growth monitoring practice of health professionals at Bahir Dar public health centers was 30.3%, with a response rate of 98.1. The number of participants who had at least a degree was [AOR = 3.57; 95% CI: 1.54, 8.26], health professionals who had greater than 11 years of work experience [AOR = 2.98; CI: 1.36, 6.53], those who took training [AOR = 5.11; CI: 2.20, 11.90], availability of growth monitoring equipment [AOR = 4.44; CI: 1.97, 9.98], those who had lesser workload (saw less than 25 children’s per day) [AOR = 3.02; CI: 1.16, 7.86], those who had good knowledge [AOR = 4.60; CI: 2.06, 10.31] and favorable attitude [AOR = 2.58; CI: 1.14, 5.83] were significantly associated with growth monitoring practice. Conclusion The overall growth monitoring practice among health professionals of Bahir Dar public health centers was low. Work experience, age, educational status, knowledge, attitude, workload, training, and availability of growth monitoring equipment were key predictors of growth monitoring practice among health professionals in Bahir Dar public health centers. Therefore, regular supportive supervision from the regarded body, provision of training to health professionals and fulfill growth monitoring equipment are all necessary measures to provide a better growth monitoring service.
Perovskite-type SrNbO2N crystal layers were prepared on niobium substrates by using an NH3-assisted chloride flux-coating method. The optimization of synthesis parameters (holding temperature and strontium source : flux molar ratio) was performed using a NaCl–KCl flux. By choosing the optimal synthesis conditions, platelet SrNbO2N crystals were grown over the entire substrate surface, and each SrNbO2N platelet has a single-crystalline structure in a cubic symmetry. The optimal crystal layer possesses a well-adhered SrNbO2N/NbNx/Nb structure and absorbed photons with wavelengths up to 680 nm. In addition, the optimal SrNbO2N/NbNx photoelectrode was used for photoelectrochemical water oxidation (2H2O → 4H+ + 4e− + O2↑), as one half of the water splitting reaction. A photocurrent density of 113 μA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE was recorded on the SrNbO2N/NbNx electrode without any additional co-catalyst loading and treatment under simulated sunlight, due to the higher crystallinity of SrNbO2N and higher interface-adhesion of the SrNbO2N/NbNx/Nb structure, which suppress the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes at the defects and lead to an increase of the photogenerated electron collection efficiency in a niobium substrate, respectively. This study is the first to address the fabrication of quaternary oxynitride crystal layers on a conductive substrate using an NH3-assisted flux-coating method.
This paper presents the performance of solar tunnel dryer to dry chemically untreated grape. Average air temperature rise in dryer was in the range of 20–21°C above the ambient temperature and it was almost constant in the dryer. The solar tunnel dryer of size 10 × 3.75 m 2 is in position to dry 320 kg of grapes from 85% (wb) moisture content to 16% (wb) moisture content within seven days. Developed solar dryer works at temperature between 55–70°C, therefore, there is scope for saving conventional fuel by adoption of solar energy-based drying operation.
A potent and orally active NK1 antagonist, trans-N-[3, 5-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]-7,8-dihydro-N, 7-dimethyl-5-(4-methylphenyl)-8-oxo-1,7-naphthyridine-6-carboxamide (1t), was shown to exist as a mixture of separable and stable (R)- and (S)-atropisomers (1t-A and 1t-B) originating from the restricted rotation around the -C(6)-C(=O)- bond; the antagonistic activities of 1t-A were ca. 6-13-fold higher than those of 1t-B. Analogues of 1t (3), which have (S)- and (R)-methyl groups at the benzylic methylene portion of 1t, were prepared and separated into the diastereomeric atropisomers, 3a-A, 3a-B and 3b-A, 3b-B, in enantiomerically pure forms. Among the four isomers of 3, the (aR, S)-enantiomer (3a-A) exhibited the most potent antagonistic activities with an IC50 value of 0.80 nM (in vitro inhibition of [125I]BH-SP binding in human IM-9 cells) and ED50 values of 9.3 micrograms/kg (iv) and 67.7 micrograms/kg (po) (in vivo inhibition of capsaicin-induced plasma extravasation in guinea pig trachea), while the activity of the (aS,R)-enantiomer (3b-B) was the weakest with an IC50 value of 620 nM. The structure-activity relationships in this series of antagonists indicate that the (R)-configuration at the axial bond and the stacking (or stacking-like) conformation between the two phenyl rings as shown in 1t-A and 3a-A are essential for high-affinity binding and suggest that the amide moiety functions as a hydrogen bond acceptor in the interaction with the receptor.
Oxidation process of bituminous coal, anthracite, and coke obtained after pyrolytic treatment of the corresponding fuels (bituminous coal and anthracite) modified with activating additives in the form of Cu(NO3)2 and Fe(NO3)2 in the amount of 5 wt% was studied. Application of the additives was carried out by incipient wetness impregnation method with preliminary dissolution of the additive in a water-alcohol solution with a volume ratio of C2H5OH/H2O=50/50. Additionally modified samples were subjected to thermal treatment at a temperature corresponding to the decomposition of the considered metal nitrates (about 220 °C) to ensure close contact between additives (metal oxides) and carbon materials. Oxidation process was performed by thermogravimetric analysis at a heating rate of 10 °C/min in the temperature range 45-1000 °C at atmospheric pressure. It has been established that application of activating additives in the form of metal oxides and their precursors helps to reduce the initial temperature of intense oxidation (Δti = 15-80 °C) and to shift the process to the low-temperature region as a whole. Mass spectrometric analysis was used to determine the qualitative composition of the gas-phase oxidation products. Decrease in the initial temperature of intense oxidation contributed to a decrease in the intensity of NOx release in the region of high temperature oxidation of the carbon residue.
In current fuel cell system, since some ultra-particles such as carbon and so on are filtered by fine filter, and collected on the filter surface in long term, they cause high pressure, and give damages to the filter system. This paper proposes to add electrostatic filtering as another process in front of fine filtering in order to remove these ultra-particles. In this process, a drum is partly charged in order to capture ultra-particles, the drum then turns and take the captured ultra-particles to another part. Finally, the drum is partly discharged in order to drop the ultra-particles, and the air input to the fuel cell system is cleaned up. The simulations are performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed system, and the results show that the efficiency of the system is approximately enhanced 90%.
IL-4 is known to promote the differentiation of CD4+ T cells into IL-4-secreting Th2 cells. However, the cellular source of the early burst of IL-4 that drives Th2 responses in vivo has not been conclusively identified. Mice deficient for the IL-4 receptor α-chain (IL-4Rα−/−) retain the capacity to secrete IL-4 and can be used to identify those cell types that produce IL-4 without a requirement for prior IL-4-mediated stimulation. To address whether naive, conventional CD4+ T cells may act as initial producers of IL-4 in Ag-specific responses, we crossed the BALB/c IL-4Rα−/−mice to DO11.10/scid TCR transgenic mice. Lymph node cells from wild-type and IL-4Rα−/− DO11.10/scid mice secreted ∼50 pg of IL-4 per106 cells within 48 h after peptide stimulation. This small amount of IL-4 was sufficient to cause the differentiation of wild-type CD4+ T cells into Th2 cells, particularly if IFN-γ and IL-12 were neutralized during the priming cultures. CD4+ cells from the IL-4Rα−/− mice gave rise to a minor proportion (∼2%) of IL-4-producing cells upon stimulation in the presence of anti-IFN-γ and anti-IL-12. These data show that conventional, naive CD4+ T cells may be considered as initial sources of IL-4 and, in the absence of IFN-γ and IL-12, this IL-4 can induce Th2 polarization.
Hernia pathology accounts for a large percentage of urgent surgical interventions. Obturator hernia is rare, usually presenting as a picture of acute intestinal occlusion. The aim of the study is to analyze the experience in a third level hospital in the diagnosis and treatment of obturator hernia, as well as to detect those signs that allow an early diagnosis. This is a prospective observational study, which included patients operated on urgently for obturator hernia between 2000 and 2016. For the registration of postoperative morbidity, the Clavien-Dindo classification was used. We identified twelve patients with intestinal obstruction secondary to obturator hernia. All of them were operated on urgently. Urgent midline laparotomy was carried out on 59% of them, infraumbilical laparotomy on 33%, and a posterior inguinal approach was realized on only one patient (8%). In eight patients (67%) it was necessary to perform intestinal resection. Repair was performed by polypropylene mesh in six patients (50%), by plugging in two (17%) and closing with loose stitches in four patients (33%). Four of them presented postoperative complications, recording a single exitus secondary to perforation due to intestinal suffering. Obturator hernia is a rare entity that develops mostly as an occlusive condition in elderly women. The imaging technique of choice for diagnosis is computed tomography. Establishing an early diagnosis and urgent surgical treatment is a priority to reduce associated morbidity and mortality.
In this paper we present the design of a Nyquist rate VCO based ADC implemented in 65nm CMOS process. The design achieves a peak SNDR of 63.7dB and a SFDR of 76dB in 10MHz bandwidth while consuming 1.1mW of power and occupying only 0.07mm2 of active area. The pseudo-differential VCO implemented in the prototype achieves better than 9-bits linearity with the overall ADC linearity better than 12 bits. The figure of merit (FoM) is 44fJ/conversion and should improve when implemented in more advanced processes.
For the three-dimensional steady non-isentropic compressible Euler system with friction, we show existence of a class of symmetric subsonic, supersonic and transonic-shock solutions in a straight duct with constant square-section. Such flows are called Fanno flow in engineering. We formulate a boundary value problem for subsonic flows, and study their stability under multidimensional small perturbations of boundary conditions. Since the subsonic Euler system is of elliptic-hyperbolic composite-mixed type, this is achieved by using the framework established in [L. Liu; G. Xu; H. Yuan: Stability of spherically symmetric subsonic flows and transonic shocks under multidimensional perturbations. Adv. Math. 291 (2016), 696--757], and establishing an iteration scheme, which involves solving a second order nonlocal elliptic equation.
ZOO-FISH mapping shows human chromosomes 1, 9 and 10 share regions of homology with pig chromosome 10 (SSC10). A more refined comparative map of SSC10 has been developed to help identify positional candidate genes for QTL on SSC10 from human genome sequence. Genes from relevant chromosomal regions of the public human genome sequence were used to BLAST porcine EST databases. Primers were designed from the matching porcine ESTs to assign them to porcine chromosomes using the INRA somatic cell hybrid panel (INRA-SCHP) and the INRA-University of Minnesota Radiation Hybrid Panel (IMpRH). Twenty-eight genes from HSA1, 9 and 10 were physically mapped: fifteen to SSC10 (ACO1, ATP5C1, BMI1, CYB5R1, DCTN3, DNAJA1, EPHX1, GALT, GDI2, HSPC177, OPRS1, NUDT2, PHYH, RGS2, VIM), eleven to SSC1 (ADFP, ALDHIB1, CLTA, CMG1, HARC, PLAA, STOML2, RRP40, TESK1, VCP and VLDLR) and two to SSC4 (ALDH9A1 and TNRC4). Two anonymous markers were also physically mapped to SSC10 (SWR1849 and S0070) to better connect the physical and linkage maps. These assignments have further refined the comparative map between SSC1, 4 and 10 and HSA1, 9 and 10.
Sucrose was supplied to stock plants of Pisum sativum L. cv. Alaska grown at different levels of irradiance. There was no significant effect on the rooting of the cuttings by sucrose supply to intact plants regardless of the irradiance. However, an increase in the number of roots per cutting was obtained at increasing concentrations of sucrose when the stock plants had been grown at 4 W m−2 and their cotyledons had been removed two days before the cuttings were excised.        Cotyledons were removed from stock plants at different times before the excision of cuttings with the intent to regulate the endogenous supply of carbohydrate. The number of roots per cutting was reduced by removal of the cotyledons and this reduction was correlated to the number of days the stock plants had grown without cotyledons as well as to the irradiance pre-treatment. A greater reduction occurred in cuttings from plants grown under 4 W m−2 than from those grown under 38 W m−2.        The growth of the stock plants and the subsequent stem growth of the cuttings was determined by the irradiance to the stock plants and by the time of removal of the cotyledons. Exogenous supply of sucrose had no effect on the stem growth of the cuttings.
Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases in women in the world. There are various imaging techniques employed in the diagnosis. The histological image analysis supported by computational systems has proved to be quite effective in diagnosing the disease. In this paper, we present an approach to quantify and classify tissue samples of the breast based on features extracted from the intensity histogram, co-occurrence matrix and the Shannon, Renyi, Tsallis and Kapoor entropies. The attribute set was employed to obtain the feature vectors which were evaluated as inputs to the random forest and sequential minimal optimization algorithms with the 10-fold cross-validation technique. In this study, we investigated the proposed approach with images obtained in four levels of magnification of the publicly available Breast Cancer Histopathological Database. In the feature selection stage, we investigated the correlation-Based feature selection, ReliefF, information gain, gain ratio, one-R and symmetrical uncertainty algorithms for evaluating the performance of the proposed approach. The proposed approach achieved significant results of AUC and accuracy for all cases analyzed. The proposed approach obtained 0.997 for AUC and 97.6% for the accuracy metric. These results are considered relevant and this approach is useful as an automated protocol for the diagnosis of breast histological tissue.
A set of mainshock and aftershock data following the Chamoli earthquake of March 29, 1999, recorded at a single station viz. Gopeshwar, has been studied. Particularly, the utility of the use of aftershock/weak motion data for site characterisation in seismic microzonation studies is investigated. The analysis of aftershock and mainshock data indicates that the spectral shape and amplification is quite different during the main-shock and the aftershock. This, in turn, implies that the use of weak motion/aftershock records may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding the expected ground motion during a strong earthquake. Further, it has been shown that the site characteristics estimated from H/V ratios are not stable in the near field conditions, even for weak motion data.
One of the major drawbacks of field programmable gate arrays is their poor energy efficiency. This paper focuses on the routing phase of FPGA design and attempts to optimize dynamic power consumption in FPGA interconnect. Power optimization is performed with small side effects on circuit performance and area. Our enhancements to the VPR timing driven algorithm reduced the FPGA routing power by about 10% with negligible loss in circuit performance.
We applied the geomorphic indices (hypsometry and stream length gradient) to evaluate the differential uplift of the central and southern Longmenshan, a mountain range characterized by rapid erosion, strong tectonic uplift, and devastating seismic hazards. The results of the geomorphic analysis indicate that the Beichuan‐Yingxiu fault and the Shuangshi‐Dachuan fault act as major tectonic boundaries separating areas experiencing rapid uplift from slow uplift. The results of the geomorphic analysis also suggest that the Beichuan‐Yingxiu fault is the most active fault with the largest relative uplift rates compared to the rest of the faults in the Longmenshan fault system. We compared reflected relative uplift rates based on the hypsometry and stream length gradient indices with geological/geodetic absolute rates. Along‐strike and across‐strike variations in the hypsometry and stream length gradient correlate with the spatial patterns derived from the apatite fission track exhumation rates, the leveling‐derived uplift rate, and coseismic vertical displacements during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. These data defined multiple fault relationships in a complex thrust zone and provided geomorphic evidence to evaluate the potential seismic hazards of the southern Longmenshan range.
This paper provides a report of the consolidation of journalism studies in Brazil. It reviews the pieces of research reported in 263 papers presented in six national conferences in 2003 and 2004, according to topic, region, media, quotations, national and disciplinary sources, and type of investigation. The paper concludes that there is a prevalence of studies on approaches, formats and newsmaking, local and national interest, the press and the Internet. The paper also classiﬁ es quotations of authors from Brazil, France and the United States in the ﬁelds of Journalism, Communication studies and Sociology.
We have utilized a highly sensitive radiationless energy transfer (RET) assay to investigate the effect of anions on the activity of carboxypeptidase A (CPD-A). The RET kinetic method visualizes the ES complex directly and thus enables both the mode of action of anions and the quantitation of their effect to be determined at a single substrate concentration. In marked contrast to the activating effect of anions on the closely related metalloprotease, angiotensin converting enzyme, Cl-, and other anions inhibit CPD-A catalysis. NaCl inhibits the hydrolysis of Dns-Ala-Ala-Phe throughout the pH range 6-10. Other di- and tripeptides are similarly inhibited while their ester analogues are affected only slightly. Changes in the type of cation [e.g., Na+, Li+, K+, Ca2+, and (CH3)4N+] at a constant [Cl-1] of 0.1 M showed no difference in the extent of inhibition, whereas with anion substitution the differences were marked. In all cases, the inhibition was partially competitive. At pH 5.9, the Ki values for the free enzyme are 51 (Cl-), 17 (N3-), 2.1 (SO4(2-)), and 0.21 mM (H2PO4-), and for the ES complex, the KI' values are 1000, 720, 42, and 13 mM, respectively. The other anions were shown to act at the chloride site. The results indicate that investigations of anion inhibition in 1 M NaCl, a typical assay condition, may be greatly hindered by the presence of Cl-. Thus, the competitive binding mode of phenylacetate toward peptide hydrolysis is greatly decreased by the presence of 1 M Cl- ion while its noncompetitive component is unaffected.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Objectives　In recent years, the importance of healthcare support for public assistance recipients has been recognized, and healthcare support measures have been implemented for them. This study aimed to investigate the expectations and problems of welfare offices, as well as their requests to the central government and prefectures about the healthcare management support program for public assistance recipients, which has been mandated since 2021.Methods　In November 2019, snowball sampling was used to select 23 welfare offices for sending self-administered questionnaires about the healthcare management support program. Respondents were asked open-ended questions about their expectations and problems regarding the program, as well as their requests to the central government and prefectures. A subsequent interview survey was conducted from November 2019 to February 2020, gathering additional information on the questionnaire survey.Results　We received consent for the questionnaire survey and interview survey from 16 welfare offices (response rate 69.6%). It was revealed that the staff in charge of the healthcare management support program at the welfare office expected the program to improve recipients' health awareness and condition and for it to be applied to other residents in the community. They reported difficulty in developing the implementation system, setting up the indicators and target population, and retaining health professionals. They requested the central government and prefectures to clarify the indicators and the criteria for evaluation, provide reference materials, introduce precedents, communicate and coordinate with welfare offices and related organizations in the community, hold meetings to share information, and secure financial resources.Conclusion　Findings from our study suggest a need to strengthen the cooperation between the central government, prefectures, and local governments and to establish a multilayered system to implement the healthcare management support program effectively in welfare offices.
We report on the electrical behavior of termination structures for silicon diodes irradiated with high-energy particles. In particular, the analysis is focused on samples featuring an all-P-type (APT) termination structure that has already been proved to yield excellent long-term stability performance. The radiation hardness of these structures is compared to that of more common reference devices. In order to characterize various radiation conditions, tests were performed using protons, neutrons, and high-energy electrons with different fluences up to values causing substrate type inversion. We verified that the APT samples remain functional in all the considered situations, their operational limit being comparable to that of the other devices.
According to the classic knowledge pyramid, we turn the data we collect into information by applying its context. We then interpret the information to derive knowledge from it. Our focus on knowledge management stem from our belief that knowledge is what provides value to our endeavors. Is this paradigm still true with the explosive growth in Big Data? One of the most obvious examples is language translation. By employing machine learning on the massive multilingual text data, Google Translate, without natural language understanding, outperforms traditional natural language processing (NLP) methods when it comes to translation. Medical science is another good example. Since the sequencing of the human genome in 2003, we have dreamed about treating patients more effectively based on their genomic profile. Such a dream remains elusive due to the complexity of system biology. On the other hand, major progress can be and has been made in "targeted medicine" with machine learning on the accumulated patient medical data. In essence, we can uncover ways to help patient treatment directly from the data without knowing how and why it works precisely. Using Big Data to derive value brings another set of management problems, namely the heterogeneous nature of data sources, different taxonomies, the enormous size of data volume, and large-scale data analytic processing requirements. We will discuss all these issues and show some examples at this talk.
We have designed a femtosecond electron gun suitable for ultrafast electron diffraction experiments, operating in the 30–100 kV regime. The concept is based on recompression of chirped expanding electron pulses emitted from a direct current photogun using a novel dispersion-corrected reflectron concept. We show, using detailed numerical simulations, that our design is capable of producing electron pulses containing 200 000 electrons with a full width at half maximum pulse duration of 130 fs, a root mean squared (rms) pulse radius of 140 μm, and transverse coherence length of 1.5 nm at 100 kV. Our analysis includes the bunch properties at the sample, as well as interactions of the main pulse of high charge density with diffracted electrons. Since our design employs only static electron optics, we believe that it will be easier to implement than concepts based on radio frequency compression.
In the following article, we provide a case study on a 25-year-old man who was released from a crisis stabilization unit following a suicide attempt. After completing a diagnostic intake, the client participated in a Therapeutic Assessment (Finn, 1996, 2003), which included the MMPI-2 (Butcher et al., 2001) and the Incomplete Sentences Blank (Rotter & Rafferty, 1950). In particular, in the article, we focus on how the Restructured Clinical (RC; Tellegen et al., 2003) scales can be used to form a personological conceptualization of the client. The RC scales measure important personality and affective trait dimensions including demoralization and both positive and negative affect, which allows for a clear explanation of the underlying etiological factors that influence a client's negative emotional experience. In this article, we highlight how explaining these underlying personality characteristics to the client within the framework of therapeutic assessment allowed for an increase in his insight.
The crystal structure solution of modulated compounds is often very challenging, even using the well established methodology of single-crystal X-ray crystallography. This task becomes even more difficult for materials that cannot be prepared in a single-crystal form, so that only polycrystalline powders are available. This paper illustrates that the combined application of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and powder diffraction is a possible solution to the problem. Using examples of anion-deficient perovskites modulated by periodic crystallographic shear planes, it is demonstrated what kind of local structural information can be obtained using various TEM techniques and how this information can be implemented in the crystal structure refinement against the powder diffraction data. The following TEM methods are discussed: electron diffraction (selected area electron diffraction, precession electron diffraction), imaging (conventional high-resolution TEM imaging, high-angle annular dark-field and annular bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy) and state-of-the-art spectroscopic techniques (atomic resolution mapping using energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and electron energy loss spectroscopy).
This research was conducted to find out the type of dicotyledon which its stem can be sectioned with the method of hand section (HS) and can provide clear anatomy appearances. Research activities start with (1) section using the HS method, (2) observation using a microscope, and the last is (3) limited trial. For the first stage, it was determined that 10 cosmopolitan dicotyledonous found around Universitas Negeri Makassar campus. The stems of all the plants were sectioned by the HS method. The result is 5 of 10 species of dicots were categorized as easy to slash by HS method, namely Ixora maxima, Eclipta prostate, Mirabilis jalapa, Catharanthus roseus and Acalypha siamensis. In the second stage, the five plant species were sections and observed with a microscope. Based on observations using the monocular XSP-12 light microscope adjusted by Optilab Professional Edition, it can be seen that there are 4 plant species that provide the good anatomical appearance that is E. prostate, M. jalapa, C. roseus, and A. siamensis. For the last stage, all four types of plants that provide a good cross-section of the stem anatomy were tested to final semester students and new students. Both groups tried on sectioning and observing and gave their opinion on the level of difficulties. The answer shows that the majority of the groups consider that sectioning and observing of the four dicots are easy or very easy. To sum up, dicots E. prostate, M. jalapa, C. roseus, and A. siamensis are easy to section by HS method and to observe by microscope.
In this work, we demonstrate properties of a novel dual-pump four-wave mixing (DPFWM) scheme using a distributed-feedback (DFB) laser. The DFB laser acts as the mixing medium and one of the pump sources, while the second pump and the probe are injected. New experimental results are shown, including successful demonstration of the power laws of this scheme. We also show the effects of the wavelength detunings on the conversion efficiency and the signal-to-noise rations of the output signals.
The demodulation scheme by using a discrete Hilbert transform that can change the interferometric phase by π/2 has been investigated. In-quadrature components of a fringe pattern are obtained from one captured interferogram by using a one-dimensional (1-D) discrete Hilbert transform and a 1-D discrete high-pass filtering that are based on a digital signal processing technique. The phase distribution in the range of 15π[rad] can be demodulated with the proposed method. The 1-D discrete Hilbert transform can be extended to two-dimensional calculation with a raster sampling procedure.
H E INCIDENCE OF CARCINOMA of the prostate T has been the subject of several thorough investigations, all of which have demonstrated an appalling frequency with advancing years. Rich, studying routine autopsy material in which removal of a single block from each prostate was usual, found an incidence of 14 per cent in males older than 50 years. Gaynor, in a thorough study of 1040 prostates, found an increasing incidence of carcinoma from 4 per cent in the 30-to-39-year age group to a maximum of 40 per cent in the 90 or older age group. The latter group included five cases, two with carcinoma. Moore, performing single sections at 4-mm. intervals (“step-section” technique), found an over-all incidence of 16.7 per cent in 375 males between the ages of 20 and 90 years. Carcinoma was not found in those less than 40; the incidence increased thereafter to a peak of 29 per cent in the ninth decade. Baron and Angrist, also using the step-section technique, found an incidence of 46 per cent in fifty autopsied males more than 50 years of age. Their study included only one patient 80 or more years of age. Recently Andrews studied 142 prostates by the step-section technique and demonstrated an increasing incidence of carcinoma from 4.5 per cent in the 40-to-49-year age group to 31.8 per cent in the 70-to-79-year age group. No patients of 80 or more were included in his study. Such studies have indicated that the incidence of carcinoma of the prostate as determined by refined histological techniques varies greatly from the frequency of its clinical and even autopsy recognition. Routine autopsy protocols at the Los Angeles General
A challenge in microseismic monitoring is quantification of survey acquisition and processing errors, and how these errors jointly affect estimated locations. Quantifying acquisition and processing errors and uncertainty has multiple benefits, such as more accurate and precise estimation of locations, anisotropy, moment tensor inversion and, potentially, allowing for detection of 4D reservoir changes. Here, we quantify uncertainty due to acquisition, receiver orientation error, and hodogram analysis. Additionally, we illustrate the effects of signal to noise ratio variances upon event detection. We apply processing steps to a downhole microseismic dataset from Pouce Coupe, Alberta, Canada. We use a probabilistic location approach to identify the optimal bottom well location based upon known source locations. Probability density functions are utilized to quantify uncertainty and propagate it through processing, including in source location inversion to describe the three‐dimensional event location likelihood. Event locations are calculated and an amplitude stacking approach is used to reduce the error associated with first break picking and the minimization with modelled travel times. Changes in the early processing steps have allowed for understanding of location uncertainty of the mapped microseismic events.
Spondylolisthesis is a hereditary anomaly of the spine, often associated with intractable pain in the back and lower extremities. The diagnosis is commonplace. Approximately 5% to 7% of the population in the United States has the anomaly. This percentage varies with country and race. In patients who seek medical aid for symptoms of low back pain, 10% will have a pars defect. Laminectomy of the entire separate neural arch and a posterior interbody fusion is a superior operation for spondylolisthesis. It is a difficult operation, requiring a high degree of technical skill, but when properly performed, it is possible to attain a more rapid recovery with a lower morbidity and higher percentage of permanent cures.
head. The inner part showed low density and the margin was associated with faint high density area and minute calcifications. Enhancement revealed gradually enhancing deep stain at the margin, but the enhancement effect was scarce in the center part. We speculated that the tumor might arise in the hepatoduodenal ligament and schwannoma might be most likely, and performed removal of the tumor. The section mostly showed yellow with slightly transparent property with concomitant dark red parts. Histopathology revealed proliferation of spindle-shaped cells at the margin of the tumor at where there were areas showing bundle arrangement and edematous areas concomitantly. The spindle-shaped cells were positive for S-100, and schwannoma was diagnosed. As we preoperatively speculated that the tumor might be a benign schwannoma, the tumor alone could be removed by conserving the hepatic arteries, portal vein, and bile duct which had closely adhered to the tumor.
When the holding pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Kingston coal-burning power plant broke on the morning of 22 December 2008, it released more than 5.4 million yd3—some 50 years’ worth of accumulation—of coal ash slurry into the neighboring lands and the Emory River. High levels of arsenic and mercury in the spilled slurry could pose serious environmental and human health risks, according to the first peer-reviewed assessment of the chemical contamination from this spill, published 1 August 2009 in Environmental Science & Technology.    Scientists have studied the chemical composition of coal ash for decades. They have a general understanding of how coal ash constituents travel through the environment but lack data on how spills translate into long-term human and ecologic health hazards. So environmental scientists Avner Vengosh and Laura Ruhl of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University visited Tennessee in the months after the spill to collect samples of coal ash slurry, sediments, and water from various sites along the Emory and Clinch Rivers, which flow into the Tennessee River, the primary source of drinking water for some 410,000 Tennesseans.    Data reported by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation showed the ash contained elevated levels of arsenic and mercury. With time, wrote Vengosh and colleagues, as the mass of slurry begins to dry, these toxic elements might become airborne and pose a health threat to local communities. However, investigating whether this is indeed happening would require long-term air monitoring, says Vengosh.    Trace elements including arsenic, selenium, lithium, and boron were measured at elevated levels in a tributary of the Emory that was dammed by the spill and turned into a standing pond. The concentration of dissolved arsenic in this pond was as high as 86 μg/L, whereas unaffected upstream waters contained 0.1–0.4 μg/L. Concentrations of these elements were significantly lower at the downstream Emory and Clinch River sites but were above background concentrations, suggesting that leaching of these toxicants was balanced by massive river dilution.    Although dilution improved the water quality, it could not control the deposition of ash in the river sediments. The mercury levels in sediments a couple miles downstream of the spill were almost as high as those in the coal ash itself, around 92–130 μg/kg. Anaerobic bacteria living in these sediments could convert this mercury to its more bioaccumulative and toxic form, methylmercury.    Frank Huggins, an environmental chemist at the University of Kentucky, isn’t convinced we yet know the real risk to humans and wildlife. The authors use the word “potential,” he notes. “Sure there is always a lot of potential, but . . . the actual risk is a much more difficult topic to address.” Huggins is just beginning to analyze some samples from the spill site for the TVA. He says complementary and longer-term analyses of the elements, their speciation, and how they behave over time and under different physical conditions in sediments and water will reveal the true hazards.    Ecotoxicologist William Hopkins of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University says future studies will need to investigate which of the trace elements measured by Vengosh and colleagues are bioavailable to biota in the area as well as the severity of any effects resulting from exposure. Some such investigations have already begun. The TVA recently hired Hopkins as a consultant to begin looking at issues of bioaccumulation and toxicity. Similarly, ecophysiologist Shea Tuberty of Appalachian State University is studying how the spill has affected levels of selenium and other elements in fish tissue, and how that in turn affects fish populations. His preliminary work has established baseline selenium levels in local fish populations that are already close to levels that cause reproductive failure in most aquatic species—possibly the result of decades of selenium leaching from the holding ponds, he says.    Vengosh and colleagues agree that much more research is needed to evaluate the long-term environmental and human health effects of the spill. With the support of a new project funded by the National Science Foundation, the Duke team will continue to investigate these effects.
The growth of Android in the mobile sector and the interest to investigate these devices from a forensic point of view has rapidly increased. Many companies have security problems with mobile devices in their own IT infrastructure. To respond to these incidents, it is important to have professional trained staff. Furthermore, it is necessary to further train their existing employees in the practical applications of mobile forensics owing to the fact that a lot of companies are trusted with very sensitive data. Inspired by these facts, this paper - a continuation of a paper of January 2012 [1] which showed the conception of a course for professional training and education in the field of computer and mobile forensics - addresses training approaches and practical exercises to investigate Android mobile devices.
To investigate the inter-relationship of structure and viscosity, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of Lennard-Jones site-site models representing selected simple molecules were performed. The simulation conditions nearly span the liquid density range over which experimental data are currently avalaible. The relationship between fluid structuer and the applied shear field are discussed
Most methods for calculating the sample size needed to detect gene-environment interactions use odds ratios to measure the effect size. We show that for any combination of susceptible genotype prevalence and exposure prevalence and their associated risks, the odds ratio measuring strength of interaction corresponds to a population attributable fraction (PAF) because of interaction and vice versa. Simultaneous consideration of odds ratio for interaction and the associated PAF attributable to interaction provides additional insight to investigators evaluating the feasibility and public health relevance of a proposed study. We considered gene-environment interactions on a multiplicative scale, and assumed a dichotomous environmental exposure variable and a single two-allele disease-susceptibility locus. Our results show, for example, that for studies of exposures and genotypes that are common in a population (30%–50%), the PAF for interaction is large (>27%) even if the odds ratio for interaction is only moderate (∼2). If simultaneous estimates of interaction odds ratio and PAF indicate that the PAF is so large as to be implausible, the investigator may decide to reevaluate the study design based on detecting a more reasonable PAF. In this case, the associated odds ratio for interaction will be weaker and a considerably larger sample size may be needed.
We describe a flameless atomic absorption method for aluminum determination in ethylenediaminetetraacetate extracts of biological tissues. Picogram quantities can be detected, and the technique appears to be more sensitive than other methods of aluminum determination used for biological samples. The extraction simplifies the method and virtually eliminates contamination with extraneous aluminum during the analysis. The extraction method might be useful for separating various other trace elements from biological tissues before analysis.
Abstract. In polar, coastal areas like Taylor Valley, snowfall is predicted to increase under warming conditions as reduced sea ice increases open water area and evaporation potential, thereby creating conditions that would facilitate precipitation. Taylor Valley is a mosaic of glaciers, valley-bottom ice-covered lakes, ephemeral streams and dark, rocky soils. Ecosystems are both light- and nutrient-limited and rely on seasonally available liquid water. Although Taylor Valley receives minimal snowfall annually, light snow cover during summer months reduces radiation for primary productivity and slows melting by increasing the local albedo. Snowfall has been measured at four sites in Taylor Valley since 1995. Daily photographs at the Lake Hoare station in the central portion of the valley record snow cover since 2007 and augment the automated precipitation measurements. Here, we focus on valley-floor snowfall due to its effect on ecosystems in the valley-bottom lakes and streams. Precipitation increased by 3 mm water equivalent (w.e.) a−1 from 1995 to 2009, then decreased by 1 mm w.e. a−1 through 2017. Since 2009, annual snowfall in Taylor Valley ranges from 1 to 30 mm w.e. High snowfall during the Spring near the coast is indicative of high summer snowfall at the more inland Lake Bonney station (r2 = 0.66; p
This article deals with some military governments efforts to build a state that could serve broad public rather than simply narrow private interests, and it does so with reference to the obstacles rooted in Ecuador’s patterns of social-political domination that have undercut those efforts. The article begins with a description of contrasts between the so-called “revolutions” of July 1925 and January 2000. It then briefly reviews key moments in state building from 1925 to 1979, the policies of state dismantling pursued by civilian elites since the transition to democracy in the latter year, and military responses to recent social protest.
Phase transformations occurring during the non-vacuum electron-beam surfacing using a mixture of amorphous boron and chromium powder (from 5 to 30 wt%) as well as the effect of the resulting structure on the corrosion resistance of the surface layers of chromium-nickel austenitic steel have been investigated. It has been found that when processing a powder mixture with a minimum chromium content (5 and 10 wt%), layers with a dense arrangement of borides are formed. Further increase in chromium concentration (20 and 30 wt%) leads to the formation of solid solutions in the modified layer. It has been shown that an increase in the concentration of chromium in the surface layer leads to a twofold increase in the corrosion resistance of the 12Х18Н9T (AISI 302) steel surface.
The focus of this article is on the quality safety in Schools. Although safety in schools is a worldwide problem, in South Africa this seems to be getting worse for they are broken into, vandalized and set alight in vast majority. Taking a heed to around 1600 number of schools robbed, vandalized and torched during this frustrating and terrifying period of COVID -19, one would agree that schools are not protected. People seemed to have lost ethics and ownership towards schools. Schools appeared to be the safest place as well as conducive for study in the previous decades. Safety school promotes social and creative learning. Schools are robbed their groceries, equipments including computers and other paraphernalia for learning and teaching support. On the 10th July 2020, four schools in Limpopo Province had been broken into and all groceries were robbed at a gun point.  Taking a number of instances into consideration, which occurred before horrifying situation of Covid-19, one would see a need for an investigation. Although schools are advised to establish tight and quality security fence, school equipments and groceries are still not safe. There is a variety of literature which focused on the roles of teachers, administrators and students in creating safe schools. For this study, the researcher focused on the role of Community towards ensuring quality safety in school as a Community resource. Therefore it is the Community’s obligation to ensure quality safety in Schools. Community needs to develop strategies to ensure safety in Schools for their children. In this study, the researcher established a model which is Community Support Team versus School Support Team.  Therefore the researcher adopted a Participatory Action Research Approach to empower Community to strategize for ensuring quality safety in Schools. The researcher employed qualitative technique to collect data from the community members around four selected schools in a rural area.
There is evidence of a detrimental effect of emotion on reasoning. Recent studies suggest that this relationship is mediated by working memory, a function closely associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Relying on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), the present research explores the possibility that anodal stimulation of the dlPFC has the potential to prevent the effect of emotion on analytical reasoning. Thirty-four participants took part in a lab experiment and were tested twice: one session using offline anodal stimulation (with a 2 mA current stimulation applied to the left dlPFC for 20 min), one session using a control (sham) stimulation. In each session, participants solved syllogistic reasoning problems featuring neutral and emotionally negative contents. Results showed that anodal stimulation diminished the deleterious effect of emotion on syllogistic reasoning, but only for a subclass of problems: problems where the conclusion was logically valid. We discuss our results in the light of the reasoning literature as well as the apparent variability of tDCS effects.
Solomon's status among his royal colleagues is a topic that receives considerable attention in the Solomon Narrative. V. 14 alone provides a basis of evidence for the assertion that the LXX took special interest in Solomon's prestige. But the sequel of v. 14 in the LXX reveals a continuous interest in the subject, especially when the LXX-account in the rest of ch. 5 is compared with the MT-version. The LXX-version of vv. 23-27 shows a marked tendency to highlight Solomon's status and glory among the kings of his time. The deviations from MT tend to emphasize glory and prestige of Solomon among his fellow kings. This tendency renders it very likely that they represent a secondary development in the text attested by the LXX. Regarding the placement of 3 Reg. 5: 14a-b, other motives, like a concern for a consistent, logical arrangement of materials, may also have played a role.Keywords: glory; LXX; Solomon Narrative; Solomon's prestige
Agreements at the special Premiers' Conferences in October 1990 and July 1991 removed Northern Territory Government control over the setting of heavy vehicle registration charges and arrangements for local roads funding on Aboriginal land. In relating the way in which the Northern Territory Government has traditionally administered these policy areas and reacted to the Premiers' Conference agreements, it is shown how land transport policy has been used to facilitate a preferred direction for development of the Territory's economic geography, namely, one in which costs to the private sector are subsidised and activities on privately-owned Aboriginal land are controlled. The agreements should result in a more equitable administration of land transport pol icy in the Territory. Changes to the administration of land transport reflect a broader shift in Australian Federal relations, in which the Commonwealth has sought greater national uniformity of transport policy. This has major implications for the future economic geography of the Northern Territory.
In this study, we examine the role of standardized, performance‐based assessment measures in the high school context. In addition, we report validity and reliability information on the Communication Competency Assessment Instrument—High School Edition (CCAI‐HS), which was used to assess student speaking performance and to gauge the level of improvement as a result of instruction. We suggest further uses of the CCAI‐HS and future needs for assessment at the high school level.
Significance Here we present an exception that supports the rule that the 20 human tRNA synthetases acquired new architectures to expand their functions during evolution. The new features are associated with novel, appended domains that are absent in prokaryotes and retained by their many splice variants. Alanyl-tRNA synthetase (AlaRS) is the single example that has a prototypical appended domain—C-Ala—even in prokaryotes, which is spliced out in humans. X-ray structural, small-angle X-ray scattering, and functional analysis showed that human C-Ala lost its prokaryotic tRNA functional role and instead was reshaped into a nuclear DNA-binding protein. Thus, we report another paradigm for tRNA synthetase acquisition of a novel function, namely, repurposing a preexisting domain rather than addition of a new one. The 20 aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) couple each amino acid to their cognate tRNAs. During evolution, 19 aaRSs expanded by acquiring novel noncatalytic appended domains, which are absent from bacteria and many lower eukaryotes but confer extracellular and nuclear functions in higher organisms. AlaRS is the single exception, with an appended C-terminal domain (C-Ala) that is conserved from prokaryotes to humans but with a wide sequence divergence. In human cells, C-Ala is also a splice variant of AlaRS. Crystal structures of two forms of human C-Ala, and small-angle X-ray scattering of AlaRS, showed that the large sequence divergence of human C-Ala reshaped C-Ala in a way that changed the global architecture of AlaRS. This reshaping removes the role of C-Ala in prokaryotes for docking tRNA and instead repurposes it to form a dimer interface presenting a DNA-binding groove. This groove cannot form with the bacterial ortholog. Direct DNA binding by human C-Ala, but not by bacterial C-Ala, was demonstrated. Thus, instead of acquiring a novel appended domain like other human aaRSs, which engendered novel functions, a new AlaRS architecture was created by diversifying a preexisting appended domain.
Background. In organ transplantation, the University of Wisconsin (UW) solution has been the gold standard for organ preservation. Quercetin (Que) has numerous antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and sucrose (Suc) may be effective for cold storage (CS). This study aimed to investigate the in vitro protective effect of Que and Suc on cold injury to the kidney and to determine whether Que + Suc could improve ischemia-reperfusion injury during CS and hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) in autologous transplantation models. Methods. BHK-21 cells were stored at 4°C for 3 days in UW solution for CS/machine perfusion (CS/MP-UW) with Que (33.1 μM, 3.3 μM, 0.33 μM) and Suc (0.1 M). In a porcine model of renal autologous transplantation, left kidney grafts were preserved under 3 conditions: group 1, CS preservation for 24 hours; group 2, CS preservation for 22 hours and HOPE with CS/MP-UW solution for 2 hours; and group 3, identical preservation as group 2, with Que and Suc added to the solution. Animals were euthanized on day 7 after autologous transplantation. Results. After 3 days of CS preservation, the CS/MP-UW solution with Que (33.1 μM, 3.3 μM) and Suc showed significant cell protection against cold injury. In the porcine model of renal autologous transplantation, the last blood Cre level and the blood lipid hydroperoxide on posttransplantation day 2 were significantly different between group 1 and group 3. Moreover, the total endothelial, glomerular, tubular, interstitial (EGTI) histology score in the kidney tissue was also significantly different. Regarding the change in renal resistance in HOPE, the decrease observed in group 3 was significantly larger than that in group 2. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the addition of Que and Suc to a UW solution can improve kidney preservation and could potentially enhance the outcome of kidney transplantation.
Between January 2002 and November 2003, 50% (n = 395) of short-toed larks (Calandrella rufescens) and 28% (n = 139) of Berthelot's pipits (Anthus berthelotti) examined on the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, Canary Islands, had gross lesions compatible with avian pox. However, Spanish sparrows (Passer hispaniolensis, n = 128) and trumpeter finches (Bucanetes githagineus, n = 228), which inhabit the same steppe habitats associated with goat husbandry, did not have poxlike lesions. Histopathology and electron microscopy confirmed poxvirus in the lesions, whereas serology using standard, fowl poxvirus- and pigeon poxvirus-based diagnostic agar gel immunodiffusion techniques was negative, likely because of the limited (74.6% pipit; 74.9% lark) similarity between the viruses in our species and fowlpox virus on which the serologic tests rely. on the basis of polymerase chain reaction analyses, the virus isolated from dried lesions of C. rufescens has 80.5% similarity with the virus isolated from A. berthelotti and 91.3% similarity with canarypox, whereas A. berthelotti poxvirus has only 80% similarity with canarypox. We have two distinct and possibly new avian poxviruses. Both poultry and the wild birds on the farms were heavily infested by fleas, which may have acted as vectors in transmission of poxvirus. Disease prevalence in these Canary Island passerines is higher than that described in song birds in Hawaii that are now threatened, endangered, or extinct. Environmental and biological factors contributing to increased disease susceptibility of these isolated populations must be investigated.
The purification of an acid invertase from washed discs of storage roots of red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) is described. An overall purification of 1210-fold was obtained using a combination of (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 precipitation, size-exclusion chromatography, exchange chromatography, con A-sepharose chromatography and two rounds of FPLC on Mono Q HR 5/5, the first at pH 7.5, the second at pH 6.5. The purified enzyme had a specific activity of 206 μmol sucrose hydrolysed min -1 mg -1 protein. Two peaks of invertase activity were separated, the larger containing a polypeptide of 65 kDa, the other a polypeptide of 46 kDa. A 52 kDa polypeptide was also detected, but its intensity of staining during purification indicated that it was a contaminant, not an invertase
As a learning step to gain experience in designing high specific power electric machines for demanding applications such as aircraft propulsion, this paper presents research results in the design, fabrication, and experimental testing of a scaled-down 300-kW electric machine. With advanced structure and materials, this machine achieves an active-material specific power of 14.4 kW/kg and an electromagnetic efficiency of 99.2% under full load condition using finite element analysis. The mechanical integrity of the rotor is fully validated at the rated speed of 17, 000 rpm in finite element analysis. The fabricated machine prototype is mounted onto a 350-hp dynamometer for comprehensive performance characterization. The efficiency of the machine prototype is mapped based on the experimental measurements under various operating conditions. In this paper, the electromagnetic analysis, trade-offs at the design stage, mechanical stability considerations, and experimental testing results are summarized and presented in detail.
The usual algorithm of the structure factor calculation, which is widely used for amorphous metals and amorphous semiconductors, cannot be applied to a number of amorphous metal oxides. Instead, we have developed a new algorithm based on the middle line method. It uses analytical properties of the structure factor and radial distribution function. The method has been applied to amorphous PbTiO 3 .
Motor skill acquisition occurs through modification and organization of muscle synergies into effective movement sequences. The learning process is reflected neurophysiologically as a reorganization of movement representations within the primary motor cortex, suggesting that the motor map is a motor engram. However, the specific neural mechanisms underlying map plasticity are unknown. Here the authors review evidence that 1) motor map topography reflects the capacity for skilled movement, 2) motor skill learning induces reorganization of motor maps in a manner that reflects the kinematics of acquired skilled movement, 3) map plasticity is supported by a reorganization of cortical microcircuitry involving changes in synaptic efficacy, and 4) motor map integrity and topography are influenced by various neurochemical signals that coordinate changes in cortical circuitry to encode motor experience. Finally, the role of motor map plasticity in recovery of motor function after brain damage is discussed.
During the 19th Century and the early 20th gender-class and feminism and socialism debates were influenced by the ideas developed around the New Woman. The contributions of different authors from the socialist feminist tradition such as Anna Wheeler, Clara Zetkin, Alexandra Kollontai or Sylvia Pankhurst are reviewed and analyzed. In this paper a dialogue between the present and the past is established regarding the moral and political challenges faced by feminism in contemporary societies.
Low-energy electron excitation spectra were measured on a single crystal of a typical iron-based superconductor PrFeAsO$_{0.7}$ using resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) at the Fe-$L_3$ edge. Characteristic RIXS features are clearly observed around 0.5, 1-1.5 and 2-3 eV energy losses. These excitations are analyzed microscopically with theoretical calculations using a 22-orbital model derived from first-principles electronic structure calculation. Based on the agreement with the experiment, the RIXS features are assigned to Fe-$d$ orbital excitations which, at low energies, are accompanied by spin flipping and dominated by Fe $d_{yz}$ and $d_{xz}$ orbital characters. Furthermore, our calculations suggest dispersive momentum dependence of the RIXS excitations below 0.5 eV, and predict remarkable splitting and merging of the lower-energy excitations in momentum space. Those excitations, which were not observed in the present experiment, highlight the potential of RIXS with an improved energy resolution to unravel new details of the electronic structure of the iron-based superconductors.
A 1-Mb (128 K*8-bit) CMOS static RAM (SRAM) with high-resistivity load cell has been developed with 0.8- mu m CMOS process technology. Standby power is 25 mu W, active power 80 mW at 1-MHz WRITE operation, and access time 46 ns. The SRAM uses a PMOS bit-line DC load to reduce power dissipation in the WRITE cycle, and has a four-block access mode to reduce the testing time. A small 4.8*8.5- mu m/sup 2/ cell has been realized by triple-polysilicon layers. The grounded second polysilicon layer increases cell capacitance and suppresses alpha -particle-induced soft errors. The chip size is 7.6*12.4 mm/sup 2/. >
Total neutron cross sections were measured by the transmission method for metal samples of Ti, V, Y, Ta, and W in the energy range from 0.002 to 0.285 ev. The data are in agreement, within experimental error, with the previously published data at energies for which a comparison can be made. Absorption cross sections for 0.0253-ev neutrons, obtained by fitting a 1/v line to the total cross section at cold neutron energies, give 20 plus or minus 0.9 and 18.8 plus or minus 0.8 barns for Ta and W, respectively. (auth)
At the footpoints of loops spanning a site of flux emergence, earlier investigated in the papers by Solanki et al. (2003) and Lagg et al. (2004), we find large redshifts in the He 1083 nm line coexisting with an almost unshifted component. The speed associated with these redshifts reaches values as high as 40 km/s. We interpret these downflows in the context of several models: the free-fall downflow of matter along vertical field lines (Schmidt et al. 2000), the redshift by downward propagating acoustic waves (Hansteen 1993) and the motion of condensation regions to either side of loop footpoints (Müller et al. 2003). We present the temporal evolution of these redshifts and reconstruct the magnetic field vector in these regions for both the redshifted and the unshifted atmospheric component.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
Known intermolecular force laws are used to calculate virial coefficients of the equation of state and the transport properties at very high temperatures for the rare gases and for molecular nitrogen. The crucial force laws which enable the calculations to be carried to high temperatures are those derived from molecular beam scattering measurements, which are valid at close distances of molecular approach. The calculations cover the temperature range from 1000° to 15 000°K, but take into account only the translational degrees of freedom and neglect the effects of excitation, dissociation, and ionization. The treatment of mixtures is outlined, and illustrated by calculations for the binary system helium‐argon. The methods which are used offer an approach to the problem of obtaining reasonably accurate estimates of gas properties at temperatures so high that direct experiments would be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Injection-locked oscillators (ILO's) are investigated in a new theoretical approach. A first-order differential equation is derived for the noise, dynamics of ILO's. A single-ended injection-locked frequency divider (SILFD) is designed in a 0.5- ??m CMOS technology operating at 1.8 GHz with more than 190 MHz locking range while consuming 3 mW of power. A differentiat injection-locked frequency divider (DILFD) is designed in a 0.5-??m CMOS technology operating at 3 GHz and consuming 0.45 mW, with a 190 MHz locking range. A locking range of 370 MHz is achieved for the DILFD when the power consumption is increased to 1.2 mW.
There is an optical diffraction limit for the recording density of conventional optical recording systems. There has been a lot of recent interest in the field of optical storage technologies for the recording methods that are based on near-field optical principles because they have the potential to overcome the limitation by using the localized optical near-field for writing and reading recorded marks. Many types of nano-apertures and nano-antennas have been investigated to achieve the high throughput of the optical near field. It is also well-known that the near-field is observed when the incident light is illuminated to a metallic nano-sphere. This study focuses on a ridged-circular nano-aperture with metallic nano-spheres for a near-field optical disk. The analysis is accomplished by a three-dimensional FDTD method, which combines the motion equations of the free electrons. This method can be applied to the analysis of various plasmonic devices and also handle Drude dispersion easily. First, nearfield distributions through the nano-aperture are analyzed and it is shown that the transmitted light intensity increases by adding the nano-spheres near the ridged-circular nano-aperture. It is thought to be due to the surface plasmon resonance between two adjacent nano-spheres. Phase distributions of the nearfield are also analyzed and the relevance to the near-field enhancement is investigated. Next, the near-field optical disk structures are analyzed and the readout characteristics are studied. The structure is composed of the ridged-circular nano-aperture with nano-spheres and the recording layer that is sandwiched between the two protective layers. The dependency of the readout characteristics on the recorded-mark size is studied and the crosstalk when using the plural recorded marks is also analyzed and the advantage for using the nano-spheres for the near-field optical disk nano-apereture is confirmed through FDTD simulations.
blood progeny which today, except in remote areas, prevails in Mexico. Miscegenation brought both biological immunity and cultural exchange. RUE'S message is that the Indian can still be discerned through un rostro encubierto, behind the mask. The contact population of Tabasco was perhaps 200,000, most of whom spoke the distantly related languages Chontal (in the lowlands) and Zoque (on the north slope of the Chiapas highland), although there were enclaves of Nahuatl-speakers. Spanish control was gradually imposed in 1522—35 with the apportionment of encomiendas, and by mid-century there were only some 13,000 survivors, mostly farmers cultivating subsistence crops and cacao for export. Throughout the colonial period the province was a backwater in the clutches of a most unsavoury collection of rogues whose sole means of support was the sweat of the Indian's brow. When the population had reached its nadir at mid-seventeenth century, the largely deserted coastal plain was invaded by north European (mostly English) logwood-cutters (Dampier wrote that they were welcomed by the peasants as a lesser evil), who were finally expelled in 1716. At Independence there were perhaps 60,000 people here, roughly half of whom were considered to be 'Indios' and the remainder predominantly 'Castas'. Cacao, grown with Indian labour, was the produit moteur of Tabasco, but the overburdened natives also had to contend with the Spaniards' cattle which destroyed their crops. Ruz, using primary sources from widely scattered archives and profiting from the previous work of Robert West, Scholes and Roys, and others, draws a grim picture of the monstrosities and chicaneries visited on these wretched people by corrupt bureaucrats, greedy and lecherous priests, and sadistic overseers. Each chapter is preceded by a quotation from the Bible, to emphasise Ruz's theme that' for the Indians of Tabasco, the colonial experience was a long epistle of captivity, the message of which, after almost five centuries, is still valid'. While most of Ruz's information comes from lawsuits and complaints, either between Spaniards struggling for priority in exploitation, or from the exploited themselves, the abundance of evidence is overwhelming. In Tabasco the Black Legend was unquestionably true. The author modestly states that his research has been 'superficial', yet it is difficult to imagine a more thorough treatment, considering that local government and parochial archives in Tabasco have been almost completely lost by flood, fire, neglect and vandalism. The volume is copiously illustrated with engravings, maps, tables and photographs, indeed they take up almost half the pages. Key documents are reproduced in a series of appendices. We might suggest for a future printing the addition of an index. Also, a map on page 246 which shows the political division in 1786 is erroneously captioned.
Objective At present, considerable efforts have been made to identify new cancer-specific markers for ovarian cancer (OC) diagnosis and the kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) family is one of the most studied candidates. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the pooled diagnostic value of serum KLK measurement for diagnosing OC. Methods The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Excerpt Medica Database were searched for all relevant literature. The Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy tool was applied to assess the quality of enrolled studies. Statistical analysis was conducted by using Stata 13.0 software and Meta-Disc. Results A total of 15 studies from 13 articles were considered eligible for inclusion in the present analysis. The following pooled parameters were calculated by using the bivariate model: sensitivity of 0.582 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.517–0.644), specificity of 0.909 (95% CI, 0.833–0.952), positive likelihood ratios of 6.367 (95% CI, 3.330–12.172), negative likelihood ratios of 0.460 (95% CI, 0.388–0.546), diagnostic odds ratio of 13.831 (95% CI, 6.460–29.614), respectively. Conclusions Kallikrein-related peptidase seems to be a promising candidate biomarker in diagnosing OC, but the associated poor sensitivity of KLK individually may limit its value in clinical application. To resolve this problem, the combination of KLK and other markers may offer improved performance than a single marker.
This paper is a brief survey of network realization techniques, from a general point of view. By realization techniques is meant methods of finding explicit networks (configurations and element values) from prescribed characteristics (such as impedance functions) which can be realized exactly. The statement of conditions under which prescribed characteristics are realizable is included in the definition. Important ingredients of realization techniques are first discussed. Then various past trends in the development of realization techniques are noted. Finally, some as yet unsolved problems are formulated.
In order to clarify the interaction between CO2 diffusion and HCO3- shift in the red blood cell (RBC), HCO3- shift was measured by using a stopped flow method combined with fluorometry. When HCO3- entered the RBC, the intracellular PCO2 increased, causing a secondary outflow of CO2. Conversely, when HCO3- ions flowed out of the RBC, the resulting decrease of PCO2 caused an inward CO2 diffusion. The PCO2 change caused by the inward HCO3- shift was about 3- to 4-fold that of the outward shift. During the respective in- and outward-shifts, the mean half-times of the extracellular pH changes were 0.15 and 0.13 sec. These were approximately twice as long as those of the primary CO2 diffusion. The permeability of HCO3- across the RBC membrane was obtained by comparing the experimental extracellular pH curve with a numerical solution for CO2 and HCO3- diffusions accompanied by the hydration and dehydration reactions. Thus the HCO3- permeability was determined to be 5 x 10-4 cm/sec, in the in- and outward-HCO3- shifts, respectively. The influence of Cl- concentration on HCO3- permeability was tested by reducing the initial Cl- gradient across the RBC membrane. In a physiological Cl- concentration range the HCO3- permeability was not affected by the Cl- gradient.
In 1516 and 1518, the Antwerp City Council introduced a collective system of debt recovery, which broke with the tradition of priority for the first seizing claimant. This view resulted in a legal framework, which was based on the concept of publicly known insolvency. Because of the vague legal definitions in the 1582 and 1608 customary law compilations, the position of pursuing creditors was strengthened. Although these rules weren't successful, they demonstrate an early intention to draw the line between criminal bankruptcy, persisting insolvency and temporary payment problems.
BACKGROUND: Craniofacial surgery has overcome many challenges since its initiation into clinical practice. Several technical issues have been addressed and the basic infrastructure of the specialty has now been developed. At present, 25 years after the first publications on frontofacial advancement, questions still remain as to the appropriate age for surgery and the appropriate type of surgery that should be performed. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients surgically treated for syndromic craniosynostosis over the last 10 years at our institution. METHODS: All syndromic patients who underwent monobloc frontofacial advancement or only isolated facial advancement from 2001 to 2011were selected. Out of 70 patients in total, 56 underwent monobloc frontofacial advancement and 14 underwent facial advancement after fronto-orbital remodeling. All data concerning these patients were correlated with patient age and final result. Moreover, age at surgery, complications, and final results were correlated with the main preexisting problems. RESULTS: Final results for syndromic patients varied, depending on the syndrome and the age at which the procedure was performed. Monobloc frontofacial advancements had a low index of immediate postoperative complications, but there was a clear need for further procedures at the time of final facial growth. The index of positive outcome was higher in patients who underwent surgery at an older age. CONCLUSIONS: In cases of severe craniosynostosis with functional problems, monobloc frontofacial advancement is still the best therapeutic option.
Objective: To understand the process of formulating, implementing and enacting national recommendations into practice, by exploring the interactions between government policymakers and national and local organisations supporting and delivering policy implementation within a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) context in Scotland. Methods: Data collection involved 16 semi-structured individual and four focus group interviews with a purposeful sample of policymakers, national health and social care stakeholders and local outpatient and inpatient CAMHS teams representing three NHS health boards in Scotland. Results: Study participants highlighted the challenges of navigating through evolving and often conflicting policy agendas, seen to not acknowledging the current evidence base or experiential learning from services and prior evaluations. Accounts of transformation fatigue often emerged from increased expectations for staff to adopt new approaches to accommodate constantly changing recommendations. Participants also reported a lack of integration and implementation support from national health and social care organisations, leading to duplication of effort and gaps in provision or waste. Policy recommendations were perceived as sometimes vague, lacking clarity about how to deliver service transformation using a whole-system approach. The collective narratives reflected increased tension between the need for local autonomy to innovate and the limitations created vertically by the relative inflexibility of policy recommendations, and horizontally by the proliferation of national organisations delivering the same transformation aims using different approaches in a resource-constrained environment. Conclusion: The findings contribute to the wider literature by offering an exploration of importance of evaluation and evidence uptake in policy formulation; the roles and remits in supporting the implementation of policy recommendations; and how the dynamics of central control and local autonomy might impact on the local enactment of policy recommendations.
Neonatal acute heart failure is a common critical illness,and also one of the material cause of perinatal death. It is difficult for early diagnosis due to the different characteristics and clinical manifestation between neonate and older children, which leads to the difficulty of diagnosis timely and affect the condition adversely. This article introduced the common etiology, characteristics of clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment of neonatal acute heart failure.    Key words:  Heart failure;  Diagnosis;  Treatment; Infant,newborn
Mechanical overloading-induced nucleus pulposus cell (NPC) apoptosis plays a core role in the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc degeneration. In this study, we investigated the involvement of mammalian silent information regulator 2 homolog (SIRT1) in NPC apoptosis under high-magnitude compression. Our results showed that high-magnitude compression aggravated cellular apoptosis and attenuated the expression levels of SIRT1 and microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain-3B (LC3B) in rat NPCs in a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture model and an in vivo rat tail compression model, whereas SIRT1 overexpression in NPCs partially reversed these indicators. Moreover, SIRT1 overexpression increased the formation of the LC3B/Fas complex, alleviated activation of the NF-κB pathway, and reduced NPC apoptosis. Finally, downregulation of LC3B partially activated the NF-κB pathway and aggravated NPC apoptosis. Overall, upregulation of SIRT1 increases formation of the LC3B/Fas complex, which contributes to suppression of NPC apoptosis by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway under high compressive stress.
Compressive sensing (CS)-based techniques can represent a very attractive approach to inverse scattering problems. In fact, if the unknown has a sparse representation and the measurements are properly organized, CS allows to considerably reduce the number of measurements and offers the possibility to achieve optimal (or nearly optimal) reconstruction performance. Unfortunately, the inverse scattering problem is nonlinear, while CS theory is well established only for linear recovery problems. As a contribution to overcome this issue, in this letter, we introduce two different CS-inspired approaches that exploit the “virtual experiments” framework, wherein it is possible to cast the inverse scattering problems in a linear form even in the case of nonweak targets.
Water pollution caused by microplastics represents an important challenge for the environment and people’s health. The weak international regulations and standards in this domain support increased water pollution with microplastics. The literature is unsuccessful in establishing a common approach regarding this subject. The main objective of this research is to develop a new approach to necessary policies and ways of action to decrease water pollution caused by microplastics. In this context, we quantified the impact of European water pollution caused by microplastics in the circular economy. The main research methods used in the paper are meta-analysis, statistical analysis and an econometric approach. A new econometric model is developed in order to assist the decision makers in increasing efficiency of public policies regarding water pollution elimination. The main result of this study relies on combining, in an integrated way, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) data on microplastic water pollution and identifying relevant policies to combat this type of pollution.
We have observed for the first time in an n-p-n bipolar transistor that if one of the junctions is forward biased and the other is left unbiased, then a voltage is developed across the unbiased junction. This effect is similar to the well-known photovoltaic effect in generation of the voltage across an unbiased p-n junction but differs in the method of creation of the excess minority carrier concentration which is responsible for the generation of the voltage. We therefore refer it to as the electrovoltaic effect. In a p-n-p structure the electrovoltaic effect is due to holes. Electrovoltaic effect can have many applications alone or in combination with another effect or phenomenon. We have designed a new solar cell which is based on a combination of electrovoltaic and photovoltaic effects. This solar cell is a four-terminal device and its structure is essentially an integration of n+-p-n+ and n+- p-p+ structures into a single structure. The output power of this cell can be controlled by manipulating the contribution of the electrovoltaic effect vis-a-vis the photovoltaic effect in delivering the power to the load.
The figure compares the costs inherent in each mode. One third of a consultation's costs are allocated to administration; this is taken as one cost unit, which happens to approximate to the average cost of one item on prescription. No account is taken of opportunity costs by the patient through loss of earnings or by the fact that the specialist clinic continues to function. Nevertheless, the model shows that referral as an outpatient, for example, may be seen to be a highly expensive management decision. Morbidity studies of general practice show that the referral option is exercised with a high degree of discrimination (about 1 in 10). The general practitioner thus plays a key role in "sparing" expensive specialist resources. Nevertheless, there is a wide range of variation, suggesting that there may be scope for creating a greater awareness of cost effectiveness in primary care. Issuing a prescription may be obviated by using the counselling mode, but at the expense of consulting time. The figure shows the relative insignificance of prescribing as a cost, yet this management option has received so much attention. We need a reappraisal of primary medical care costs in a fuller context, to include the general practice-hospital interface and the public.3 J D E KNOX University Department of General Practice, Westgate Health Centre, Dundee DD2 4AD
The authors study the problem of forming conflictological competence in students in the context of university education. The purpose of the article is to develop and test the pedagogical system of forming conflictological competence among students of the specialty "Social work" in the educational process of the university. The authors present a system of measuring the conflictological competence of students majoring in "Social work" in the process of higher education.
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, CfA, U.S.A.e-mail:clada@cfa.harvard.eduAbstract. In the present paper we present JHK photometric results of the young embedded cluster NGC2316. We constructthe cluster radial proﬁle from which we determine a radius of 0.63pc. We ﬁnd 189 ±29 cluster members in an extinctionlimited sub-sample of the survey, 22±19 of which are possibly substellar. An average extinction of 4.5 visual magnitudes isderived using (H − K) colours of control ﬁelds. This extinction is due to the pres ence of residual parental molecular cloud.NGC2316 presents 16% source fraction of excess emission which is consistent with other results from clusters with an age of 2– 3Myr. This age is consistent with the distribution of sources in the colour-magnitude diagram when compared to theoreticalisochrones, and the overall shape of the cluster KLF. The substellar population of the cluster is similar or smaller than thatobserved for other embedded clusters and the stellar objects dominate the cluster membership.Key words. Stars:Formation – Stars:low-mass,brown dwarfs – Stars:planetary systems:protoplanetary disks – Stars:luminosityfunction – Infrared:Stars – ISM:Individual objects (NGC23 16)
The trilattice SIXTEEN3 introduced in Shramko & Wansing (2005) is a natural generalization of the famous bilattice FOUR2. Some Hilbert-style proof systems for trilattice logics related to SIXTEEN3 have recently been studied (Odintsov, 2009; Shramko & Wansing, 2005). In this paper, three sequent calculi GB, FB, and QB are presented for Odintsov’s (2009) first-degree proof system ⊢B related to SIXTEEN3. The system GB is a standard Gentzen-type sequent calculus, FB is a four-place (horizontal) matrix sequent calculus, and QB is a quadruple (vertical) matrix sequent calculus. In contrast with GB, the calculus FB satisfies the subformula property, and the calculus QB reflects Odintsov’s coordinate valuations associated with valuations in SIXTEEN3. The equivalence between GB, FB, and QB, the cut-elimination theorems for these calculi, and the decidability of ⊢B are proved. In addition, it is shown how the sequent systems for ⊢B can be extended to cut-free sequent calculi for Odintsov’s LB, which is an extension of ⊢B by adding classical implication and negation connectives.
The pharmacokinetics (PK) of rivaroxaban have been studied in different populations, and there were differences in the PK parameters. However, most of these studies were conducted on healthy subjects from different ethnic groups. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the PK of rivaroxaban in real‐world patients to determine the covariates that may cause differences in the pharmacokinetics of rivaroxaban. This was a prospective observational study. Five blood samples were collected at different time points after starting the rivaroxaban dose. Plasma concentrations were analyzed, and population PK models were developed using Monolix version 4.4 software. In total, 100 blood samples from 20 patients (50% men/50% women) were analyzed. The patients’ mean (±standard deviation) age was 53.1 (±15.5) years and their mean body weight was 81.7 (±27.2) kg. The PK of rivaroxaban were described by a 1‐compartment model. The initial estimates for the absorption rate constant, apparent clearance (CL/F), and apparent volume of distribution were 1.8/h, 4.46 L/h, and 21.7 L, respectively. The interindividual variability for absorption rate constant, CL/F, and volume of distribution was 14%, 24%, and 29.3%, respectively. Covariates were tested for their influence on rivaroxaban pharmacokinetics. The aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, body mass index, and albumin concentrations had an effect on the CL/F of rivaroxaban. In this analysis, the population PK model of rivaroxaban found significant interindividual variability. Several covariates influenced the clearance of rivaroxaban and contributed to this variability. The results may provide a guide that can aid the clinician during the initiation and adjustment of therapeutic regimens.
Three years have elapsed since Profit-related Pay (PRP) was introduced and it is of interest to review what was heralded as an exciting and ambitious initiative. The Government clearly wishes PRP to 'catch on' and the 1991 Budget provides that bonuses paid under the scheme are now completely exempt from tax. Profit-sharing, broadly defined, has been strongly advocated and is widely practised. A survey by Baddon et al. (1987) indicated that 65 per cent of establishments in the private sector operate some form of employee financial participation scheme. In view of this and the tax relief available, it is puzzling that the number of PRP schemes that have been registered is far below the expectations of its protagonists.
Solitary fibrous tumours (SFTs) are rare tumours in the head and neck region. They have been reported in many anatomic sites but occurrence in the parotid gland is exceptional. We report a very rare finding of a benign SFT of the parotid gland in a patient with a past history of excision of a malignant type of mediastinal tumour. It is important that clinicians are aware of the possible existence of SFT in the parotid as a synchronous lesion or occurrence of the same disease later on elsewhere when SFT is diagnosed at one anatomical site. This case report illustrates that regular clinical and imaging follow-up is essential in SFTs to look for the appearance of new lesions in the other anatomic site.
Multi-year digital forensic backlogs have become commonplace in law enforcement agencies throughout the globe. Digital forensic investigators are overloaded with the volume of cases requiring their expertise compounded by the volume of data to be processed. Artificial intelligence is often seen as the solution to many big data problems. This paper summarises existing artificial intelligence based tools and approaches in digital forensics. Automated evidence processing leveraging artificial intelligence based techniques shows great promise in expediting the digital forensic analysis process while increasing case processing capacities. For each application of artificial intelligence highlighted, a number of current challenges and future potential impact is discussed.
In the first of two chapters investigating the role of Homeric epic in fabricating golden ages, Platte reveals how Joel and Ethan Coen’s O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which proclaims its debt to Homer’s Odyssey in the opening credits, also re-enacts Homeric epic’s creation of a golden age. Platte focuses on the role of song in generating ancient and modern societies’ gilded memories of the past, including the nostalgia-laden misremembering of the Depression-era American South in which the film is set. Platte emphasizes how technological change affected the American folk-song tradition through recording – a phenomenon similar to that which changed Greek song culture into “Homeric” epic. By focusing on a moment of epochal change, the filmmakers undercut the notion that folk music is a simple and genuine artefact of the past. Instead, invoking nostalgia through song exposes the artificiality of the traffic in nostalgia, which has shaped attitudes toward the ancient Greek and modern American pasts. Through the protagonist’s encounter with two Homer avatars, the Coens dramatize both the process of nostalgia-creation for such a golden age and the rejection of attempts to politically weaponize it: in this case, by obscuring racism in romantic depictions of the “Old South.”
Kinase inhibitors capable of blocking the phosphorylation of protein substrates with high selectivity are essential to probe and elucidate the etiological role of such molecules and their signalling pathways. By addressing these biochemical questions in disease relevant cell-based and in vivo models, strong pharmacological evidence can be generated towards validating or disproving a target hypothesis. Pharmacological studies can also provide fundamental information to identify appropriate biomarkers and rational drug combination strategies and thereby facilitate clinical translation. However, due to the high number of kinases encoded by the human genome (>500) and their highly conserved catalytic domains, the development of such an elite class of inhibitors—a.k.a. high-quality chemical probes—represents a major challenge. Through a ligand-based inhibitor design, focused library synthesis and phenotypic screening to prioritize compounds with potent cell activity, we recently identified a cell cycle inhibitor with micromolar potency that inhibits mTOR kinase activity. Following a rapid lead optimization campaign, we report the development of eCF309, an mTOR inhibitor displaying low nanomolar potency both in vitro and in cells and an excellent selectivity profile (S-score (35%) = 0.01 at 10 μM).
Text augmentation is a technique for constructing synthetic data from an under-resourced corpus to improve predictive performance. Synthetic data generation is common in numerous domains. However, recently text augmentation has emerged in natural language processing (NLP) to improve downstream tasks. One of the current state-of-the-art text augmentation techniques is easy data augmentation (EDA), which augments the training data by injecting and replacing synonyms and randomly permuting sentences. One major obstacle with EDA is the need for versatile and complete synonym dictionaries, which cannot be easily found in low-resource languages. To improve the utility of EDA, we propose two extensions, easy distributional data augmentation (EDDA) and type specific similar word replacement (TSSR), which uses semantic word context information and part-of-speech tags for word replacement and augmentation. In an extensive empirical evaluation, we show the utility of the proposed methods, measured by F1 score, on two representative datasets in Swedish as an example of a low-resource language. With the proposed methods, we show that augmented data improve classification performances in low-resource settings.
Ground-based synthetic aperture radar (GB-SAR) technique has been widely applied for the deformation monitoring and measurement of the natural and engineered slopes. To extend the 2-D deformation measurement from the conventional 1-D measurement along the radar-target line of sight (LOS), multiple aperture interferometry (MAI) techniques based on phase differences between interferograms of the forward-looking and backward-looking subapertures are tackled in this letter. The optimal subaperture selection is analyzed considering the typical signal-to-noise ratios and correlations in GB-SAR applications. Simulations prove that the coherent integration (CIM) can be utilized to improve the measurement accuracy of the MAI method. Besides, GB-SAR experiments are carried out to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the 2-D deformation measurement method based on MAI. Accuracy comparison of deformation measurement with the MAI and cross correlation methods is also taken. Experimental results show that the accuracy of deformation measurement along the perpendicular direction to LOS based on MAI and CIM can reach millimeter level for displaceable corner reflector.
Objective: To reconnoiter the IL-1A (-889) and IL-1RN (+2018) gene polymorphisms and their association with EARR. Material and Methods: The Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus databases were comprehensively searched by two independent reviewers. In addition, the bibliographies of all relevant publications and textbooks were searched manually. A meta-analysis was performed using data available up to May 9, 2020. Results: A total of 13 and 9 publications were selected for the systematic review and metaanalysis, respectively for both IL-1A and IL-1RN genes. Odds ratio (OR) was used to evaluate the association of the gene polymorphism and the risk of EARR. The risk of EARR was estimated using the overall OR from the published studies. No association was found for IL-1A gene for the risk of EARR. However, the dominant and co-dominant models of IL-1RN gene polymorphism were associated with the risk of EARR. Conclusion: More studies are warranted to determine the relationship between IL-1A and IL-1RN gene polymorphisms and EARR for a clearer understanding of their interactions.
A simple 1-dimensional model is used to ilustrate “super-absorption” in a crystal latice. The WKB method is applied to calculate the reflection rate and the transmission rate for a single cell. Then matrix algebra is manipulated to give the relation between the single cell and an array of N cells. The selective resonant tunneling in this array of N cells is discussed, and the dependence of the absorption rate on the number of the cells is calculated to show the difference between coherent and non-coherent systems.
Preface Acknowledgments Addiction: Drugs and Alcohol Corrections and Probation Correctional Treatment Crime and Society Crime by and among the Aged Criminal Justice Criminology and Deviant Behavior Fear of Crime Homicide, Aggression, and Violence Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice Law Law Enforcement Organized Crime Political Deviance and Violence Rape Social Stress Suicide Terrorism Traffic Offenses Victimology White Collar Crime Author, Journal, and Subject Index
In experiment 1, symbolic meanings of 32 computer-generated abstract figures were rated by 27 subjects (undergraduates) on eleven semantic differential scales. The stimuli were basically generated by sine waves on a circular line. Random fluctuation was added to half of the stimuli. The stimuli varied in five physical parameters: sine-wave frequency, amplitude, linearity, regularity, and the height/width ratio of the whole figure. A factor analysis on the results of ratings on the semantic differential scales revealed four factors: evaluation, activity, lightness, and sharpness, which correlated with the physical parameters of the stimulus forms as follows: evaluation with regularity (r = 0.830), activity with frequency (r = 0.806), lightness with regularity (r = 0.631), and sharpness with linearity (r = 0.782). In experiment 2, another group (54 subjects) had to match ten abstract words: happiness, anger, surprise, fear, anxiety, creativeness, destruction, time, eternity, and loneliness, with sixteen abstract forms [half of the stimuli from experiment 1, with constant height/width ratio (1.00)]. These abstract words were also rated by a third group of 26 subjects on the semantic differential scales. The results indicated that forms and words that were matched with each other were rated similarly on the semantic differential scales, and indicated the validity of the symbolic meanings of the forms measured in experiment 1.
Cepheid medusae appeared in great numbers in the northeastern coastal waters of Sri Lanka during the non-monsoon period (March to October) posing adverse threats to fisheries and coastal tourism, but the taxonomic status of these jellyfishes was unknown. Therefore, an inclusive study on jellyfish was carried out from November 2016 to July 2019 for taxonomic identification of the species found in coastal waters. In this study, three species of cepheid mild stingers, Cephea cephea, Marivagia stellata, and Netrostoma setouchianum were reported for the first time in Sri Lankan waters. Moreover, the diagnostic description of the genus Marivagia is revised in this study due to the possessing of appendages on both oral arms and arm disc of Sri Lankan specimens, comparing with original notes and photographs of M. stellata.
Vehicular crowdsensing is anticipated to become a key catalyst for data-driven optimization in the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) domain. Yet, the expected growth in massive Machine-type Communication (mMTC) caused by vehicle-to-cloud transmissions will confront the cellular network infrastructure with great capacity-related challenges. A cognitive way for achieving relief without introducing additional physical infrastructure is the application of opportunistic data transfer for delay-tolerant applications. Hereby, the clients schedule their data transmissions in a channel-aware manner in order to avoid retransmissions and interference with other cell users. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for this type of resource-aware data transfer which brings together supervised learning for network quality prediction with reinforcement learning-based decision making. The performance evaluation is carried out using data-driven network simulation and real world experiments in the public cellular networks of multiple Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in different scenarios. The proposed transmission scheme significantly outperforms state-of-the-art probabilistic approaches in most scenarios and achieves data rate improvements of up to 181% in uplink and up to 270% in downlink transmission direction in comparison to conventional periodic data transfer.
Abstract.   Although Ptychodus teeth are well known in Late Cretaceous marine deposits in North America and Europe and a few specimens with jaw elements have been discovered, the taxonomic position of the shark genus Ptychodus is enigmatic due to the lack of preservation of diagnostic material other than teeth. These sharks possessed a pavement dentition suited to a diet of hard-shelled macroinvertebrates (durophagy), leading several studies to variously describe Ptychodus as a batoid, a hybodont shark, or a selachimorph. Members of the Selachimorpha share one dental synapomorphy, a triple-layered enameloid (TLE) consisting of an outer shiny-layered enameloid (SLE) of randomly oriented hydroxyapatite crystallites, a middle layer of parallel-bundled enameloid (PBE), and an inner layer of tangled-bundled enameloid (TBE). Batoids and hybodonts both have teeth with single crystallite enameloid (SCE). We examined teeth from Ptychodus collected from the Lincoln Limestone of the Greenhorn Formation of Barton County, Kansas, and compared their enameloid ultrastructure with that of a Carboniferous hybodontiform and the Cretaceous lamniform shark Squalicorax curvatus Williston, 1900. Scanning electron microscopic examination of Ptychodus shows that crystallite bundling in the form of a TLE is evident in these teeth. The PBE is most apparent at transverse enameloid ridges of Ptychodus teeth. Columns of dentine penetrate into the tooth enameloid, and the crystallites near the dentine are randomly oriented. These observations bolster the argument that Ptychodus is a genus of highly specialized selachimorph shark, rather than a hybodont or batoid.
Simira robusta (Rubiaceae), a new species from the Atlantic Rainforest of the Espirito Santo state, south-eastern Brazil, is here described and illustrated, and compared with similar species. It most resembles S. grazielae , from which it differs by the larger inflorescences, antrorse pubescent flowers and fruits, and by its larger fruits. Its habitat and conservation status are discussed. A key to the species of Simira from Espirito Santo state is provided.
domestic affairs without making use of any Chinese material. In addition, it would have been interesting to examine how Morrison and his possible influence were seen by the other powers active in China. If his position actually was as important as Woodhouse suggests, this surely would not have remained unnoticed by the representatives, for example, of France and Russia. When it comes to research about international power politics, we still face the problem that most works are written on a bilateral basis, often also reflecting the bilingual skills of the individual author. A multinational approach like Woodhouse’s often goes beyond the scope of the individual researcher. This problem points to the need to further strengthen the international dialogue and to build up international networks which discuss and exchange information about current issues of research or available sources. Woodhouse’s work is nonetheless an interesting approach to the international diplomacy in China in the early 20th century. Morrison’s role will have to be taken into future consideration with regard to the course of the Xinhai revolution and especially the relations between Britain, China, and Japan at that time. The book is mainly of interest to historians concerned with late imperial China and the early republic, but also for the history of journalism and the influence of the press. C O R D E B E R S PÄC H E R , History, University of Oldenburg, Germany
It is well established that the evaporation of sweat from the human body surface is the main mechanism by which heat balance is maintained following a rise in body core temperature. Since the introduction of the first brand name antiperspirant in the United States during the early 1900s, antiperspirant products designed to control underarm wetness have grown to represent one of the largest cosmetic categories in most global markets. However, although axillary sweating only constitutes less than 1% of whole body sweat rate, consumers, particularly in hot countries, have begun to articulate the concern that antiperspirants may interfere with the body's natural cooling process. To investigate this, we undertook carefully designed experiments that measured the effects of axillary antiperspirant application on whole body sweat rate and body core temperature, following a regimen of exercise‐induced heat stress in a hot environment in human volunteers. Our data show clearly that although antiperspirant prevents sweat production in the axillary area, this does not impact the ability of the body to thermoregulate following a rise in body core temperature. Thus, recent consumer questioning over this aspect of antiperspirant use appears to be unwarranted.
A general linear precoding space-time-frequency bit-interleaved coded modulation (GLP-STF-BICM) is presented. By expanding the dimensions of linear precoding (LP) matrix we achieve the correlation between the adjacent code matrices, and further time diversity is realized, and by further time diversity higher diversity gain is realized which effectively avoids possible burst errors in block fading channels. Also, the Singleton bound, channel capacity and BER performances are theoretically analyzed. Then the optimum criterion of the precoding matrix to maximize both diversity and coding gain is given. Furthermore, to reduce the decoding complexity, we present an efficient sphere iterative decoding (SID) algorithm for our scheme. Finally, we consider the downlink multiuser system model for GLP-STF-BICM, the scheduling and capability of the three multi-access methods TDMA, F/TDMA, and S/F/TDMA are analyzed. The simulation results prove that the performance of the new scheme improved greatly in the frequency-selective block fading channels. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The selectivity characteristics of 4 juvenile fish escape panel designs and their utility for the regulation of a multi-species demersal trap fishery were evaluated using a suite of objective socio-economic and biological criteria. The panel designs consisted of a control (type A) which had a hexagonal mesh size which was the same as that of the body of the trap (3.5 cm), a rectangular mesh (type B) which was representative of the current regulation (5.0 x 7.6 cm) and 2 escape panels with square meshes of 7.5 x 7.5 cm (type C) and 10.0 x 10.0 cm (type D). The results demonstrated that there was only a limited reduction in the proportion of juvenile fish and by-catch retained for the existing juvenile escape panel design (type B). Furthermore, as the selectivity characteristics for the key species (Epinephelus coioides and Diagramma pictum) were similar to the control type, the predicted increases in yields, revenues and spawning stock biomass were small by comparison. The escape panel with the largest mesh size (type D) retained the least un-utilized and discarded by-catch. Whilst simulations predicted the highest spawner biomass per recruit, long term yields and revenues for the key species, its use was associated with a dramatic short-term decline in revenues which were 23.3% of the value of the control type. Traps fitted with the type C which had a square mesh of 7.5 x 7.5 cm had the lowest juvenile retention and the highest overall score for all the assessment criteria combined. The study provides an empirical basis for gear regulations for the demersal trap fishery of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the wider Arabian Gulf region.
Experiences of family members are often overlooked in social research on gender transitions. The current article aims to address this gap by considering the experiences of partners during a gender transition, approaching this topic through role theory and the concepts of role ambiguity and role conflict. Seventeen partners and former partners were interviewed. First, we distinguished three different roles of partners during the transition: the co-parental role, the ally role and the romantic partner role. We found that ambiguity was most apparent for the romantic partner role. Second, we observed that the expectations which accompany these different roles often contradict each other during gender transition. This leads to role conflict. We discuss how this role conflict may influence the acceptance and adaptation process of the partner and steer certain relationship outcomes. In the discussion, we construct three types of adaptation processes of partners.
In this study, it is aimed to plan an activity in which various educational methods and techniques for astronomy education for preschool children are used, apply, and determine the effect of the applied activity on children. The study was conducted with 12 pre-school students whose age group is 60-72 months in a kindergarten. Children participating in the study were identified using a purposeful sampling method. In the study, case study design was used as one of the qualitative research methods and the data were collected by Mosaic Approach. In the study, an observation form was used to reveal the level of participation of children in activities and group work throughout the application process, and the obtained data were analyzed by content analysis. In addition, at the end of the application, the children were asked for their opinions about the implementation process. As a result of the study, it has been observed that the children have active and Zeynep AKSAN-Dilek ÇELİKLER / KAÜSBED, 2017; 20; 347-359 348 willing participation, interacting with each other and having a good time in the applied activity. These results show that the applied activity has affected children’s cognitive, language, socio-emotional, motor development positively.
The return on investment (RIO) of a Liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plant is lower than that of conventional power plants with high pollution due to the “take or pay” supply mode of natural gas and the two-shift peak shaving operation mode in the LNG power plants. . In this paper, firstly, based on the characteristics of the gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) unit for peak shaving and standby application, it is proposed to calculate the generation cost of LNG power plants according to the depreciation of operation life. Secondly, through the sensitivity analysis of power generation cost, it is found that fuel price and average efficiency are the first influencing factors. Next, to reflect the environmental protection characteristics of LNG power plants, the on-grid price included in the environmental value is put forward innovatively based on the calculation of the environmental cost and environmental value of natural gas power generation.
A second mutant insulin, identified as [SerB24]-insulin, has a highly hydrophilic character. To determine the biologic activity and the degradation of this mutant insulin, human [SerB24]- and [SerB25]-insulin analogues were semisynthesized from porcine insulin by an enzyme-assisted coupling method. All of the following studies on isolated rat adipocytes were performed at 37°C to directly correlate the binding potency and the biologic activity. The ability of these insulins to displace 125I-porcine insulin bound to adipocytes was 0.5–2% and 1–4%, respectively, of porcine insulin. When the ability of these insulins to stimulate glucose transport and glucose oxidation was measured, both analogues had full activity at high concentrations (250 ng/ml). However, ED50 of the porcine, [SerB24]-, and [SerB25]-insulins tostimulate glucose transport was 0.37 ± 0.05, 46.3 ± 5.4, and 23.3 ± 5.5 ng/ml, respectively. Similarly, for glucose oxidation, ED50 was 0.38 ± 0.06, 33.8 ± 3.6, and 16.6 ± 3.4 ng/ml, respectively. Thus, the biologic activity of [SerB24]- and [SerB25]-insulins was reduced to 0.5–2% and 1–4% of that of porcine insulin, which was compatible with our previous studies under different conditions. No antagonistic effects were observed for either analogue. Degradation of 125I-labeled [SerB24]- and [SerB25]-insulins was also decreased to 62.8% and 55.8%, respectively, of 125I-porcine insulin. These results confirm the importance of the hydrophobic residues at B24 and B25 in the biologic activity of insulin; the patient having this hydrophilic insulin was considered to be in an insulinopenic state despite the hyperinsulinemia due to decreased degradation of the mutant insulin.
Contents: Preface This book: an overview Introduction: the design for policy nexus, Christian Bason. Section 1 Design in Context: Design in policy: challenges and sources of hope for policymakers, Tom Bentley Public design in global perspective: empirical trends, Christian Bason and Andrea Schneider Innovating public policy: allowing for social complexity and uncertainty in the design of public outcomes, Jesper Christiansen and Laura Bunt Towards policymaking as designing: policymaking beyond problem-solving and decision-making, Sabine Junginger Innovating large-scale transformations, Banny Banerjee Strategic design and the art of public sector innovation, Marco Steinberg. Section 2 Policy in Practice: Design and policies for collaborative services, Ezio Manzini Synthesizing policy and practice: the case of co-designing better outcomes for vulnerable families, Sarah Forrester and John Body Using an urban design process to inform policy, Christopher T. Boyko and Rachel Cooper Designing legitimacy: the case of a government innovation lab, Kit Lykketoft The Branchekode.dk project: designing with purpose and across emergent organizational culture, Mariana Amatullo Reflections on designing for social innovation in the public sector: a case study in New York City, Eduardo Staszowski, Scott Brown and Benjamin Winter Friendly hacking into the public sector: (re)designing public policies within regional governments, Francois Jegou, Romain Thevenet and Stephane Vincent. Section 3 Design Tools for Policy: Tools for intent: strategic direction by design, John Body and Nina Terrey Tools for insight: design research for policymaking, Andrea Siodmok Tools for ideation: evocative visualization and playful modelling as drivers of the policy process, Joachim Halse Tools for implementation, Simona Maschi and Jennie Winhall The frontiers of design for policy, Christian Bason. Index.
Blog's becoming the fastest communications tools and cheapest public relations handles for business. This paper aims to discuss the strategic implications of blogs marketing and proposes the conceptual framework, especially focusing the firm size variable as a key moderator. The roles of blog for marketing functions are different between big and small businesses. Blog has great impacts on SMEs such as boosting company's brand, speeding up the efficiency of product diffusion, improving the communications and maintaining brand-consumer relationship. The valuable findings are investigated by qualitative approach, and the discussion is supposed to be useful for SMEs' marketing practices in Taiwan.
In this paper we propose a new image search system using keyword annotations and low-level visual meta-data to generate inter-image relationships. Unlike other approaches the new system does not try to learn the degree of confidence between images and associated keywords. We rather propose to model the degree of similarity between images by building up a network of linked images. The weights of the inter-image links are learned from the userspsila interaction with the system only. For each image search a set of candidate images is selected from a visually sorted arrangement of result images. This candidate set is used to refine the result by filtering out non-suiting images from a larger set of further result images. Semantic inter-image relation-ships of images can be modeled by collecting the candidate sets from many searches. Our system improves Internet image search significantly.
Abstract:  A new species of Acanthocephaloides was recovered in the intestine of Symphurus plagiusa, the blackcheek tonguefish, and Cyclopsetta chittendeni, the Mexican flounder, from the Campeche coast, Mexico. The new species is characterized by having proboscis hooks arranged in 14 to 16 longitudinal rows, with 6–7 rooted hooks per row, a trunk covered with small cuticular spines (except in the zone of gonopore or bursa), a bursa without sensory structures, and the relative position of male post-equatorial reproductive system. The prevalence of Acanthocephaloides plagiusae n. sp. from S. plagiusa was low (0–7.3%) from July to October and high (29.4–40%) in November, January, and March. Similarly, the prevalence of A. plagiusae n. sp. from Cyclopsetta chittendeni was low (1.7%) in July and high (5.8%) March. Both hosts exhibited low (0.1–3.4) mean abundance. The variation in prevalence could be explained by the seasonal freshwater discharge from rivers, which affects the dispersal of parasites and the distribution of the host. Pathology changes, such as inflammation, loss of intestinal folds, increased mucous and rodlet cells, and detachment of intestinal epithelium, were associated with the proboscis hooks and spiny surface of A. plagiusae. This is the first record of an Acanthocephaloides species from a Mexican coastal zone.
This essay examines how “migratory aesthetics” expresses key dynamics in contemporary postcolonial culture and offers an alternative to identity politics. It demonstrates how migratory aesthetics is embodied in key international art exhibitions, from Kassel Documenta to the Contemporary Commonwealth show in Melbourne.Within the terms of identity politics, exhibitions function to represent specific groups, and also to constitute spaces in which disenfranchised or new “hybrid” identities might flourish. But the exhibiting of identity does not, in and of itself, enfranchise or facilitate participation. The institutional model of multiculturalism that simply promotes the representation of diverse identities as add-ons to mainstream culture is a static one, which does not address the issue of interaction; hence, “migrant” cultures may be acknowledged on their own terms, without any change to the “mainstream.” Migratory aesthetics, like other mobilisations of aesthetics that focus on connectivity and relationality, may be understood as a response to the limitations of identity politics in both institutional and aesthetic terms. An attempt to shift “identities” out of a static space into a dynamic set of relationships, it promotes new ways of understanding intercultural and transnational histories as well as new ways of imagining the future.
Empowerment ofpublic employees has been touted as an important mediating step in improving public organizational outcomes, yet such a relationship depends on an assumption that employees value what is offered as empowerment. This qualitative study explored the assumption through in-depth interviews of streetlevel bureaucrats in a large state human service agency. The interviews support previous research that empowerment is multidimensional; five patterns in empowerment were found. Empowerment programs must consider what each individual employee values. Employee empowerment has grown in importance in public administration. Early concern for employees as human resources and for the social aspects of work grew into the Quality of Work Life movement and such other efforts (e.g., McGregor 1960; Peters and Pierre 2000). The new public administration and the reinventing government movements have emphasized empowering employees (Marini 1971; Osborne and Gaebler 1992; DeWitt et al. 1994). Empowerment has become "one of the buzzwords of the hour" (Clark 1999, 5). We appreciate the comments of the anonymous referees. J-PART 12(2002):3:377-400 Two opposing viewpoints regarding employee empowerment appear in the literature. Some theorists imply that there exists, at least functionally, a relatively uniform understanding of empowerment, and they argue for implementing standardized programs (e.g., Rumelt 1974; Denhardt 1984; Wallace 1992; Balk, 1996). On the other hand, researchers have often found that empowerment is individually, contextually, and variably defined (e.g., Zimmerman 1995; Quinn and Spreitzer 1997; Foster-Fishman et al. 1998). These researchers argue for an understanding of a wide range of employee empowerment, varying across people even in the same setting. Yet, 377/Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory This content downloaded from 157.55.39.162 on Thu, 11 Aug 2016 05:37:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Patterns in Employee Empowerment despite understanding empowerment differently, both viewpoints support employee empowerment programs. Each viewpoint bases its argument on the same assumption. They assume that workers value empowerment and, thus, empowering workers will result in greater job satisfaction, more consistent ethical behavior, improved customer service, increased efficiency and productivity, better outcomes, and so forth. In other words, both viewpoints assume that all employees value empowerment and that the desired consequences will necessarily result from empowerment programs. Questions regarding this fundamental assumption have been raised. For example, Argyris (1998) suggested that for some employees empowerment is too much work. Clark (1999, 5) highlighted the problems that can arise with the empowering of employees who "take comfort in the old authority structure, knowing what the rules are and how they can protect their jobs." These authors have proposed that employees may not want to be empowered. This study focuses on this question and suggests that the assumption of value in empowerment may not hold. The study explored this fundamental value assumption in public employees who provide direct services to citizens: street-level bureaucrats (Lipsky 1980). Street-level bureaucrats have been the focus of employee empowerment programs, especially in recent welfare reform. Thus caseworkers in federal public assistance programs are relevant informants. This study asks the question, However they may define it, how do street-level bureaucrats value empowerment?
For squad selection in any sports events or tournaments, performance analysis of players at the international level and the domestic level is necessary. In cricket, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the prestigious tournaments in the world. Its teams constitute a diaspora of Indian and foreign players. Hence, it is of utmost importance that only the better performing players get selected. A player's performance can be broadly divided into two major categories in cricket, i.e. batting performance and bowling performance. Our study proposes a unique approach to mark an Indian player possibly suitable for the IPL, based on his performance in Indian domestic tournaments.
The last decades were marked by a rapid growth in using of information technologies in various areas of civiliza-tional practices. This confirms the course on digitalization of business processes, particular in the transport industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The tendency to digitali-zation of the economy and integration into business pro-cesses of various information and communication sys-tems, obliges to take into account emerging incidental risks. First of all, the part, which is connected with the protection of information and the cybersecurity of digital systems. In the tasks of cyber defense, cognitive technol-ogies for detecting and recognizing intrusions are increas-ingly being used. In the conditions of growing number of destabilizing influences on information and communica-tion systems, including transport, involving a variety of digital technologies, further scientific research is needed to develop the theoretical and methodological founda-tions for the synthesis of intelligent, self-taught intrusion detection systems. It is shown that the process of cyber defense for information and communication systems, in particular transport, is controlled and analyzed according to the values of several parameters of the signs of anom-alies, cyber-attacks and threats. There are considered ad-ditions to methods of selecting informative features for training samples used in intrusion detection systems in this work. It is shown that the most simple, and at the same time effective, from the point of view of hardware and software implementation in such systems are filter methods. Additions are proposed to filter methods in the tasks of minimizing training samples in systems for de-tecting anomalies, attacks and threats. It is shown that the most simple, and at the same time effective, from the point of view of hardware and software implementation in such systems are filter methods. It is shown that the filtering methods allow to perform the estimation of in-formativeness for the subset of characteristics suffi-ciently, in particular to reduce the low-information char-acteristics, the analysis of which makes the detection and classification of anomalies, cyber-attacks and threats dif-ficult.
The distribution of gas in the circumgalactic medium (CGM) of galaxies of all types is poorly constrained. Foreground CGMs contribute an extra amount to the dispersion measure (DM) of fast radio bursts (FRBs). We measure this DM excess for the CGMs of 1011–1013 M ⊙ halos using the CHIME/FRB first data release, a halo mass range that is challenging to probe in any other way. Because of the uncertainty in the FRBs’ angular coordinates, only for nearby galaxies is the localization sufficient to confidently associate them with intersecting any foreground halo. Thus we stack on galaxies within 80 Mpc, optimizing the stacking scheme to approximately minimize the stack’s variance and marginalize over uncertainties in FRB locations. The sample has 20–30 FRBs intersecting halos with masses of 1011–1012 M ⊙ and also of 1012–1013 M ⊙, and these intersections allow a marginal 1σ–2σ detection of the DM excess in both mass bins. The bin of 1011–1012 M ⊙ halos also shows a DM excess at 1–2 virial radii. By comparing data with different models for the CGM gas profile, we find that all models are favored by the data up to 2σ level compared to the null hypothesis of no DM excess. With 3000 more bursts from a future CHIME data release, we project a 4σ detection of the CGM. Distinguishing between viable CGM models by stacking FRBs with CHIME-like localization would require tens of thousands of bursts.
Gynaecomastia is the benign proliferation of glandular breast tissue in men. It is characterised by the presence of a palpable, firm, subareolar gland and ductal tissue (not fat) resulting in breast enlargement. 2 Gynaecomastia occurs in 35% of men and is most prevalent between the ages of 50 and 69. In pseudogynaecomastia there is a lack of glandular proliferation, with increase in breast size due purely to excess adiposity. It can be difficult to differentiate gynaecomastia from pseudogynaecomastia, as some patients will have an element of both adiposity and glandular proliferation. This article highlights the assessment and treatment of gynaecomastia but does not cover the management of breast cancer in men. What causes gynaecomastia?
BACKGROUND Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, the causal agent of pine wilt disease, severely damages pine forests, and Bursaphelenchus mucronatus, a species related to B. xylophilus, is weakly pathogenic. Because the use of synthetic pesticides to control pine wilt disease has raised concerns for human and environmental health, a search for useful botanically based compounds is needed.   RESULTS The ethyl acetate layer from an ethanol extract of Stellera chamaejasme L. roots showed significant nematicidal activity against B. xylophilus and B. mucronatus, with LC50 values of 169.7 and 37.7 µg mL(-1), respectively, at 72 h. Further purification of the active layer yielded eight effective nematicidal compounds, which were identified by mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectral data. Among the eight bioactive compounds, chamaejasmenin C induced the highest mortality against B. xylophilus, with an LC50 value of 2.7 µM at 72 h, and chamaechromone exhibited strong nematicidal activity against B. mucronatus, with an LC50 value of 0.003 µM at 72 h.   CONCLUSION The nematicidal metabolites from S. chamaejasme roots could be used as lead compounds for developing botanically based nematicides for the management of pine wilt disease.
This work reports on sensitive and selective gas sensors based on copper ferrite (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were produced different methods including: colloid microwave assisted hydrothermal method, and co-precipitation method. Those methods enable a precise control of nanoparticle size, The produced nanoparticles were annealed at different temperatures. Structural analysis were carried out using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and they revealed that the as-prepared nanoparticle exhibit cubic structure. The nanoparticles undergo crystal structure transformation to tetragonal structure upon annealing. Furthermore, the nanoparticle were found to grow in size upon annealing. The tetrahedral and octahedral absorption bands which are characteristic of the spinel ferrite were determined using Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements. Gas sensors were fabricate by pressing the produced nanoparticle powder into disks. The sensor device was produced utilizing capacitor structure, with the top electrode stainless steel of grid structure. The produced sensors were characterized to be sensitive to both H2S and H2 gases, with greater sensitivity to H2S at low temperatures, where these sensors could detect H2S concentrations of 10 ppm at 80 °C. The low optimal operation temperature reveals the low power requirements for sensor operation. Thus, those sensors exhibit the potential to be used for industrial applications, especially for the petrochemical industry.the Petroleum Institute under a grant number RIFP-14312 and Qatar University
Background: Rasayana therapy is one of the branches of Ayurveda, which aims at promoting the excellence of Dhatu, improving inherent defense mechanisms in our body, and improving general health. Aim: To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of Brahma Rasayana in apparently healthy elderly persons. Materials and methods: The clinical study was undertaken at three peripheral institutes in different geographical areas. One hundred and eighty apparently healthy elderly persons fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Brahma Rasayana was administered orally in the dose of 15 grams twice a day on empty stomach with lukewarm milk for a period of 12 weeks (84th day). Parameters, like the Hamilton depression rating scale, PGI Memory Scale, WHO Quality of Life-BREF Scale, hematological parameters, lipid profile, liver function tests, renal function tests, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), serum calcium, and serum vitamin D3 level, were assessed before and after the administration of therapy. The paired t test was applied to compare mean changes from baseline to the 84th day. Results: A statistically significant effect (p < 0.0001) was observed at the end of the 84th day on all the four domains of the WHOQOL-BREF score, PGI Memory Scale, Hamilton depression rating scale, and chief complaints at the end of 12 weeks, compared with the baseline. Nonsignificant changes in blood parameters were obtained, proving the safety of the test drug. Also, the significant increase in the serum vitamin D3 level and decrease in the fasting blood sugar level were observed. Conclusion: Brahma Rasayana was found to be effective, safe, and tolerable in apparently healthy elderly volunteers.
Neoliberal approaches to tourism have typically focused on economic growth, contributing to a “Tragedy of the Commons” in terms of degradation of shared resources. This has significant adverse effects on the social and environmental well-being of host communities. In a post-COVID-19 era, where the tourism industry has already suffered significant impacts, the adverse effects of neoliberal tourism will be compounded if there is no change to economic models of “growth”. In the age of climate change, we know that there are social and ecological limits to that growth, but responsible and sustainable tourism approaches do not go far enough to address the challenges highlighted by COVID-19 and future crises. What we need now is transformative change in a way that socialises tourism within social and ecological planetary boundaries. Buen Vivir can act as a guide for socialising tourism towards transformative change by reframing tourism objectives, with greater emphasis on the collective well-being of host communities and their natural environment. This would place the focus on the benefits to communities and their ecological and social limits rather than just on the desire of the traveller, seeking to address the growing inequalities on vulnerable host communities. Buen Vivir offers a guide to “reset tourism” in the post-COVID-19 era in the fight against the commodification of people, places and public commons for tourism development.
Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of Brandt-Daroff (BD) exercise and shopping exercise (SE) on the resolution of residual dizziness (RD) in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) following a successful modified Epley canalith repositioning maneuver (CRP). Methods: This single-blind, randomized clinical trial included patients with posterior semicircular canal type of BPPV. Following the modified Epley maneuver, patients that experienced RD were randomly assigned to 3 groups: (i) BD, (ii) SE, and (iii) control groups. Primary outcomes were quantified using the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI). Results: Following CRP, 240 (63%) participants experienced RD. All these patients were followed up weekly for RD. After the resolution of RD, patients were followed up monthly for recurrence. Mean time to recovery was 16.4 ± 10 (range, 5–49) days in the BD group, 11.5 ± 4.6 (range, 6–32) days in the SE group, and 23.4 ± 16.8 (range, 6–89) days in the control group. The SE group recovered significantly faster than the BD and control groups (p < 0.001). Baseline emotional DHI (E-DHI) scores were significantly correlated with the duration of pre-CRP symptoms (p < 0.001). Correlation analysis indicated that patients with obesity and diabetes mellitus (DM) recovered later than patients without these comorbidities. Conclusion: We found that RD improved significantly in the SE group compared to the BD and control groups. Additionally, a significant relationship was established between RD and high anxiety levels and DM, and obesity had a negative impact on the resolution of RD.
Background: Camptocormia, characterised by extreme forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine and severe stooping in the supine position, seems to be prevalent in Parkinson’s disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify features of parkinsonian camptocormia and to describe the main clinical characteristics of patients with Parkinson’s disease who develop the condition. Methods: An extensive range of clinical, biochemical and imaging data were gathered for 23 patients with Parkinson’s disease with camptocormia, notably including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain and spine, electromyographic recordings of the paravertebral muscles and muscle biopsies. Results: Camptocormia occurred in severe Parkinson’s disease with axial predominance, motor fluctuations and dysautonomic symptoms. The condition was often associated with spondyloarthritic changes and pain. MRI showed paraspinal muscle signal abnormalities in five patients and fatty involution in seven patients. The seven patients had motor unit reductions on the spinal erector electromyogram. The MRI results for the girdle muscles were normal. Cranial MRI showed signal abnormalities for the basal ganglia in three patients. Discussion: Various mechanisms may contribute to the development of parkinsonian camptocormia: dopaminergic depletion in Parkinson’s disease induces functional changes in the organisation of the corticospinal and reticulospinal tracts, where dysfunction could contribute to axial rigidity. Furthermore, rigidity of the spinal flexion muscles could lead to under-use of the spinal extension muscles, which become progressively atrophic. Rigidity may also induce spinal deformations, leading to a neurogenic syndrome via compression of the spinal nerves. Conclusion: The screening and early management of camptocormia in Parkinson’s disease is likely to be important for preventing axial disorders and spinal deformations.
Abstract. This paper presents evolutionary-based optimization procedure for designing natural rubber seismic isolation systems with viscous fluid dampers. The proposed technique is applied to the design of seismic isolation systems with viscous fluid dampers. A lumped-mass stick model representing a realistic five-story MDOF system with natural period of vibration ranging between 2.5 to 4.5 seconds. A suite of 24 Near-Field (NF) earthquake records representing different seismic hazard levels are utilized in the analysis and design. The damping coefficient (C), damping exponent (α) and fundamental natural period (T) are used as design variables for the seismic isolation system. The minimization of the key response parameter, the top story acceleration ratio (TSAR) of the isolated structure compared to an identical fixed base structure, is selected as the objective function in this optimization problem. The total maximum displacements (DTM), the peak damper force (PDF), as well as the maximum drift ratio (δmax) are presented as constraints in the optimization problem. In order to achieve global optimum performance [TSAR] while handling competing constraints [DTM, PDF, δmax], the presented GA-based technique is utilized. The commercial structural analysis software SAP2000 is utilized to perform the dynamic analysis for the MDOF system through direct Time-History Analysis (THA). The optimization algorithm is programmed in MATLAB and linked to SAP2000 through its OAPI feature. In agreement with conventional wisdom and sound engineering experience, it is found that combining low values of (C), highly nonlinear (α) [low values] with highly flexible rubber isolators [long T] produces the optimum performance.
Pulse electrodeposition of Sn from an electrolyte containing stannous sulfate and citric acid was investigated. The corrosion investigations were done by electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization methods. The phase evolution and coating morphology were studied by x-ray diffraction experiment and scanning electron microscopy. All the deposited films exhibit tetragonal tin β-Sn structure. The coating microstructure consists of big sized grains at lower current density which are refined at higher current density. The electrical resistivity of the coatings was increased continuously with current density. The coatings show the best corrosion resistance at a current density of 30 mA cm−2. This study shows that developed coatings can be a potential candidate for Pb-free soldering technology.
We used a novel NF-08-TM transplant protocol based on intravenous busulfan, cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, and thiotepa in 82 consecutive patients with β-thalassemia major (TM), including 52 with allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) from unrelated donors (UDs) with well-matched human leukocyte antigens and 30 with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from matched sibling donors (MSDs). The median age at transplantation was 6.0 years (range, 0.6-15.0 years), and the ratio of male-to-female patients was 56:26. The median follow-up time was 24 months (range, 12-39 months). The estimated 3-year overall survival and TM-free survival were 92.3% and 90.4% in the UD-PBSCT group and 90.0% and 83.3% in the MSD-HSCT group. The cumulative incidences of graft rejection and grades III-IV acute graft-versus-host disease were 1.9% and 9.6%, respectively, in the UD-PBSCT group and 6.9% and 3.6%, respectively, in the MSD-HSCT group. The cumulative incidence of transplant-related mortality was 7.7% in the UD-PBSCT group and 10.0% in the MSD-HSCT group. In conclusion, UD-PBSCTs using the well-tolerated NF-08-TM protocol show similar results to MSD-HSCTs and can be used to treat β-thalassemia patients in the absence of MSDs.
AbstractThree-quarters of the surface of our planet is covered by water. Nevertheless, these inexhaustible reservoirs like oceans are not suitable for drinking because it is salt water. This work deals with water desalination as a solution to the water scarcity problem. It presents a new process of solar distillation that naturally produces distilled water. The essential features of this process are summarized by the production of heat via electric resistor. In this work, the photovoltaic source is feeding the resistive load. The simulation work was elaborated under the real meteorological conditions of Gabes, a city in the south of Tunisia. In order to optimize the photovoltaic system efficiency, a maximum power point tracker that controls a DC–DC boost converter is used. The system was implemented and then tested on a sunny day under variable resistance combination. The simulation results show that increasing the number of panels increases the quantity of distilled water; on the other hand, the parallel...
Declining estrogen levels before, during, and after menopause can affect memory and risk for Alzheimer's disease. Undesirable side effects of hormone variations emphasize a role for hormone therapy (HT) where possible benefits include a delay in the onset of dementia—yet findings are inconsistent. Effects of HT may be mediated by estrogen receptors found throughout the brain. Effects may also depend on lifestyle factors, timing of use, and genetic risk. We studied the impact of self‐reported HT use on brain volume in 562 elderly women (71–94 years) with mixed cognitive status while adjusting for aforementioned factors. Covariate‐adjusted voxelwise linear regression analyses using a model with 16 predictors showed HT use as positively associated with regional brain volumes, regardless of cognitive status. Examinations of other factors related to menopause, oophorectomy and hysterectomy status independently yielded positive effects on brain volume when added to our model. One interaction term, HTxBMI, out of several examined, revealed significant negative association with overall brain volume, suggesting a greater reduction in brain volume than BMI alone. Our main findings relating HT to regional brain volume were as hypothesized, but some exploratory analyses were not in line with existing hypotheses. Studies suggest lower levels of estrogen resulting from oophorectomy and hysterectomy affect brain volume negatively, and the addition of HT modifies the relation between BMI and brain volume positively. Effects of HT may depend on the age range assessed, motivating studies with a wider age range as well as a randomized design.
Purpose: Conjunctivodacryorhinostomy with insertion of a bypass Lester Jones tube is effective in treating epiphora due to canalicular failure. There is little information in the literature that directly compares different types of tubes. We report our results of Jones tube placements over a 12-year period with comparison of 3 tube types: plain, frosted, and a new tube with an additional flexible internal silicone flange (StopLoss Jones tube). Methods: Case notes review of a single surgeon consecutive series of patients having Jones tube placement. Results: One hundred twenty-seven tubes were inserted in 81 eyes of 65 patients. Information on 121 tubes was available for comparison (67 plain, 25 frosted, 29 StopLoos Jones Tube [SLJT]), with flange sizes 3.5 and 4.0 mm. There were 31 males, 34 females, mean age 59 years. After mean follow up of 20 months (range 0.5–108), there were no complications in 50% of tube insertions. Forty-three percentage of tubes needed replacing. The overall rate of complications was higher with a 3.5-mm flange tube than with a 4.0-mm flange (67% vs. 43%). There were no cases of extrusion in the SLJT group after follow up to a maximum of 25 months. The risk of extrusion for both frosted and plain tubes was significantly higher than for SLJT (p = 0.0040). There was no significant difference in the risk of extrusion between frosted and plain tubes. Overall, the risk of complications requiring tube replacement was not significantly different between frosted and plain tubes; however, the risk was significantly higher with both frosted and plain tubes compared with the SLJT (p = 0.036 and p = 0.042, respectively). Patient satisfaction was full in 86% and moderate in a further 5% of patients. Conclusions: Although patient satisfaction with LJT surgery is high, complications occur frequently, although seem to be less common with the larger 4.0 mm flange. Frosted tubes do not protect against tube displacement. The addition of the internal silicone flange on the SLJT seems to prevent the previously common problem of extrusion.
Background: The aim of this study was to identify the axillopectoral muscle anomaly commonly known as Langer's axillary arch, and to understand its importance in surgical procedures of the axilla. Patients and Methods: Between 2009 and 2011, 758 patients underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy, axillary dissection, or both. Patients with Langer's axillary arch were identified and assessed retrospectively. The decision to cut or preserve the axillary arch was made based on clinical judgment, and patients were followed-up accordingly to monitor for adverse outcomes. Results: Of the 758 patients who underwent axillary procedures, 9 (1.2%) were found to have a Langer's axillary arch. In 2 patients the arch was cut, and in 7 patients it was preserved. No adverse outcomes were identified in any of the patients upon follow-up. Conclusion: Langer's axillary arch is a unique anatomic anomaly of the axillary region that may be problematic due to the potential risks of lymphedema and vascular or nerve compression. It is important for surgeons and radiologists alike to be aware of this anatomic variation in order to properly identify it and respond appropriately based on clinical judgment, and to complete close follow-up of the patient due to the potentially increased risk of adverse outcomes.
Objective The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy and mechanical consequences of 2 partial fundoplications performed laparoscopically under the framework of a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Summary Background Data Although laparoscopic total fundoplication procedures have proven their effectiveness in the control of gastroesophageal reflux, problems remain with the functional consequences after a supra-competent gastric cardia high-pressure zone. Partial fundoplications have been found to be associated with fewer mechanical side effects. Patients and Methods During a 2-year period, 95 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease were enrolled into a randomized, controlled single-institution clinical trial comparing a partial posterior (Toupét, n = 48) fundoplication and an anterior partial wrap (Watson, n = 47). All patients were assessed postoperatively at predefined time points, and the 12-month follow-up data are presented in terms of clinical results and 24-hour pH monitoring variables. Results Both patient groups were strictly comparable at the time of randomization. All operations were completed laparoscopically, and no serious complications were encountered. During the first postoperative year, a difference regarding the control of reflux symptoms was observed in favor of the posterior fundoplication. Esophageal acid exposure (% time pH <4) was substantially reduced by both operations but to a significantly lower level after a Toupét compared with the Watson partial fundoplication (1.0 ± 0.3 vs. 5.6 ± 1.1 mean ± SEM; p < 0.001). Postfundoplication symptoms were infrequently recorded with no difference between the groups. Conclusions When performing a laparoscopic partial fundoplication, the posterior modification (Toupét) offers advantages in terms of better reflux control compared with an anterior type (Watson).
An approximately excessive, already-much-too-full, incomprehensibly elliptical poetics of research representation, this post/conceptual writing/writhing about research explores a poetic, poemic, polemic, politic, post discourse, and describes a new grammar and rhetoric for understanding education and social science. It offers an undiscovered set of metaphors to unpack ed DUCAT ion scanty science. It is a spoken/written langue/tongue piece based on an intentionally outlandish and overwhelming form used by (some) conceptual, and POST poets. Avoiding the never-transparent language that inscribes the offalic and violent taxonomy of norm(&)al academic research Repres©entation, this writ(h)ing outlines, through a flagrantly and literally/littorally entirely tiresome, unspeakably visual and aural word conflagration, a po-etic that begins to de-inscribe the nature of metaphoric, medicalized, ventriloquizing, normative discourse of social science/education.
In 2000, the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) laid out a definition of competence that included six specific areas of focus: patient care (including clinical reasoning), medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement interpersonal and communication skills professionalism, and systems-based practice. The ACGME’s intention was to mandate increasingly reliable and valid assessment measures to be used by all training programs over the next decade, with the goal of providing “more credible, accurate, reliable and useful educational outcome data.” In this article, the authors will review definitions of competency according to the new ACGME standards and examine the assessment tools currently available, including global evaluations, 360-degree evaluations, checklists, standardized examinations and direct observations. The authors will provide an overview of critical considerations in different assessment methods, including timing, psychometric properties, benchmarks, and feedback. Finally, the authors will discuss the relevant literature concerning the strengths and weaknesses of these various assessment tools. Throughout, the authors will comment on the applicability of the literature on assessment to the field of psychiatry and consider directions for competency assessment within and beyond psychiatric training. Following the paper is an annotated bibliography of the literature for those wishing to explore this topic more deeply and a list of web-based resources that may be used by those wishing to access available instruments.
In this paper, we present new closed form expressions for lower bounds on the end-to-end outage probability of a dual-hop, non-regenerative cooperative communication system over independent, not necessarily identically distributed, Gamma-Shadowed Nakagami-m fading channel. More specifically, we obtain new closed form expressions (in terms of Meijer’s G function) for the cumulative distribution function (CDF) on the upper bound of the end-to-end signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the end-to-end signal to interference ratio (SIR) of the above cooperative communication system and then use these expressions to evaluate the lower bounds on the outage probability for both noise-limited and interference-limited cooperative communication systems. Finally, numerical plots illustrate the presented mathematical analysis.
Image enhancement is an important function of stereoscopic endoscopy. 3D images of stereoscopic endoscopy usually suffer from various kinds of degradation because of undesired noise, inhomogeneous brightness and poor contrast. In addition, it often contains color mismatch and different luminance between two stereo views. It will lead to many problems applying traditional image enhancement methods for 3D images of stereoscopic endoscopy. In order to solve those problems, we proposed a novel image enhancement algorithm which consists of three steps: adjusting image by contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization method, choosing the reference image and color matching. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm produces high quality 3D images by improving image contrast, enhancing the details of the image obviously, removing the color cast and improving consistency of two stereo views. Therefore, the proposed method can obtain high quality 3D images under stressful conditions and be easily applied to stereoscopic endoscopy.
Among the range of strategies available to a company, line extensions are an important way to keep a brand alive and to realize incremental financial growth. In order to be successful at introducing new extensions managers should understand line extensions’ key success factors. In this study three market‐related factors’ impact on line extension success were investigated, i.e. the level of competition in the market place; retailer power; and consumers’ variety seeking behavior. Data collected from 49 marketing and product managers in the fast‐moving consumer goods industry showed that line extensions have very little added value over existing products, and that cannibalization is very much related to a line extension’s success. Of all line extensions, those involving new flavors and new packaging/sizes were most successful. Extensions that improved product quality were found to be unsuccessful. The market‐variables: level of competition; retailer power; and variety seeking behavior all had a negative influence on line extension success. Dominant brands were hurt more by variety seeking behavior’s negative impact than less dominant brands.
In this paper, we investigate the integrability of an inhomogeneous nonlinear Schrodinger equation, which has several applications in many branches of physics, as in Bose–Einstein condensates and fiber optics. The main issue deals with Painleve property (PP) and Liouville integrability for a nonlinear Schrodinger-type equation. Solutions of the integrable equation are obtained by means of the Darboux transformation. Finally, some applications on fiber optics and Bose–Einstein condensates are proposed (including Bose–Einstein condensates in three-dimensional in cylindrical symmetry).
HPC offers tremendous potential to process large amounts of data often termed as big data. Distributing data efficiently and leveraging specialised hardware (e.g., accelerators) are critical in order to best utilise HPC platforms constituting of heterogeneous and distributed systems. In this paper, we develop a portable, high-level paradigm for such systems to run big data applications, more specifically, graph analytics applications popular in the big data and machine learning communities. Using our paradigm, we accelerate three real-world, compute and data intensive, graph analytics applications: a function call graph similarity application, a triangle enumeration subroutine, and a graph assaying application. Our paradigm utilises the MapReduce framework, Apache Spark, in conjunction with CUDA and simultaneously takes advantage of automatic data distribution and accelerator on each node of the system. We demonstrate scalability and parameter space exploration and offer a portable solution to leverage almost any legacy, current, or next-generation HPC or cloud-based system.
This survey study explores patterns of reproductive coercion (RC) and pregnancy avoidance (PA) among women recruited from domestic violence shelters in the southwestern United States (N = 661). Two logistic regression models assessed the demographic, relationships, and violence characteristics associated with RC and PA. Younger, African American, and Hispanic women were more likely to experience RC. Homicide risk, sexual intimate partner violence (IPV), and religious abuse were associated with RC, and RC and homicide risk were associated with PA. We discuss implications of the associations between RC and PA and their links to religious abuse, sexual IPV, and homicide risk.
The newborn's ability to compensate for a sudden increase in respiratory load remains unclear. The mouth occlusion pressure (Pmo) and the effective elastance (E'rs) were determined in 58 neonates ranging in gestational age from 28 to 41 wk. These results were compared with the esophageal pressure change (delta Pes) and with lung elastance (EL) obtained during regular breathing. Since E'rs = Pmo/delta Pes X EL, E'rs is proportional to an active component, Pmo/delta Pes and a passive component, EL. Although EL is 1.10 +/- 0.31 (mean +/- SD) cmH2O/ml at 28 wk gestation, this value decreases to 0.20 +/- 0.04 cmH2O/ml at full-term. The active component Pmo/delta Pes changes in the opposite direction. It is 0.92 +/- 0.25 at 28 wk gestation, indicating that there is no load compensation in the very premature infant. It increases to 2.06 +/- 0.50 in the full-term newborn, reflecting a linear increase in the ability for load compensation with advancing gestational age. The E'rs is largely determined by EL and is, therefore, not a good measure to compare load compensating ability. The quotient Pmo/delta Pes, being independent of tidal volume, lung maturation, and growth, reflects load compensating activity better than E'rs.
Accidental injury to the cardiac conduction system (CCS), a network of specialized cells embedded within the heart and indistinguishable from the surrounding heart muscle tissue, is a major complication in cardiac surgeries. Here, we addressed this unmet need by engineering targeted antibody-dye conjugates directed against the CCS, allowing for the visualization of the CCS in vivo following a single intravenous injection in mice. These optical imaging tools showed high sensitivity, specificity, and resolution, with no adverse effects on CCS function. Further, with the goal of creating a viable prototype for human use, we generated a fully human monoclonal Fab that similarly targets the CCS with high specificity. We demonstrate that, when conjugated to an alternative cargo, this Fab can also be used to modulate CCS biology in vivo, providing a proof of principle for targeted cardiac therapeutics. Finally, in performing differential gene expression analyses of the entire murine CCS at single-cell resolution, we uncovered and validated a suite of additional cell surface markers that can be used to molecularly target the distinct subcomponents of the CCS, each prone to distinct life-threatening arrhythmias. These findings lay the foundation for translational approaches targeting the CCS for visualization and therapy in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac imaging, and arrhythmia management.
Reactions between benzaldehyde or o-anisaldehyde and a series of silyloxy dienes catalysed by the chiral acyl- oxyborane (CAB) complex (4) give high yields of enantioselective products from a Mukaiyama aldol rather than a hetero-Diels–Alder reaction. Attempts to effect a similar catalytic reaction with anthraquinone aldehydes were unsuccessful but use of 2 equiv. of the CAB complex (1) followed by cyclization promotes a formal hetero- Diels–Alder reaction between the aldehyde (7) and the diene (12) to give the dihydropyrone (24) in 45p yield and with a 79p e.e. in favour of the 2'R enantiomer. Hetero-Diels–Alder reactions between the aldehyde (7) and the diene (12) using the chiral titanium complexes Til(R)-BINOLrCl 2 , Til(R,R)-TADDOLrCl 2 and Til(R)-BINOLr 2 have been investigated. The first two complexes promote the reaction at −30 and −78° respectively but with low induced enantioselectivities.
For roll-over protective structures (ROPS) in a mechanical driving dump truck cab, it simulates the lateral, vertical and longitudinal loads of ROPS. It obtains stress and deformation of the cab that occurs to roll. For the relative weak position of ROPS in the cab, the structure of the cab is improved and verified according to the ISO 3164: 1995. The results show that the established finite element model can effectively predict the deformation and stress distribution of ROPS, and optimize the weak structure of the cab, which has important guiding significance for structural design of the cab and ROPS optimization of the mechanical driving dump truck cab.
Radiation damage effects in ceramics are of interest in both current (e.g. nuclear waste forms) and next generation (Gen IV) nuclear technologies (e.g. transmutation targets, inert matrix fuels, waste forms etc.). The mechanisms of radiation damage production and recovery in ceramics often vary dependent on the damage source, e.g., energetic neutrons in reactor systems versus alpha recoil damage in nuclear waste forms. Furthermore, the kinetics of damage recovery are complicated by multiply activated processes and in certain cases, longer-term process may modify the structural state left by irradiation in the short term. Here, we review a selection of data collected by the current authors and associates, which highlight the roles played by in situ microscopy in unraveling the mechanisms of radiation damage in ceramics.
Development of a legume root nodule is a complex process culminating in a plant/bacterial symbiosis possessing the capacity for biological dinitrogen fixation. Formation of root nodules is initiated by the binding and stabilization of rhizobia to plant root hairs, mediated in part by a receptor/ligand recognition system composed of lectins on the plant root surface and lectin-binding sites on the rhizobial cell surface. The dinitrogen fixation activity of these root nodules may be an important feature of enclosed, space-based life support systems, and may provide an ecological method to recycle nitrogen for amino acid production. However, the effects on nodule development of varied gravitational fields, or of root nutrient delivery hardware, remain unknown. We have investigated the effects of microgravity on root nodule formation, with preliminary experiments focused upon the receptor/ligand component. Microgravity, obtained during parabolic flight aboard NASA 930, has no apparent effect on the binding of purified lectin to rhizobia, a result that will facilitate forthcoming experiments using intact root tissues.
MBE grown gallium arsenide crystals with (001) orientation were investigated with a three-crystal X-ray diffractometer under UHV conditions. In the region of total external reflection (Q<0.3AA-1) no Kiessig fringes occur and hence no electron density difference between the substrate and the MBE layer exists. In the tails of the 004 Bragg reflection, modulations are observed. They are ascribed to a phase shift at the substrate-layer interface originating from a misfit parallel to the surface normal or a thin intermediate layer. The method can be applied to other thin film systems like oxidized or buried layers.
ABSTRACTOpen design is a new design paradigm that creates a lot of dilemmas for designers to deal with. However, these dilemmas are mostly being discussed from within the design sector itself and from very polarized perspectives which do not provide much depth to create ways to deal with this new paradigm. This paper considers open design as a philosophical position that relates to broader cultural developments and puts the way we deal with design in the perspective from our attitude to identity which can be described as a performance. To create a new thinking space to reconsider openness, the non-representational thought model of the rhizome is applied to examples from Dutch design culture which will offer a more thorough understanding of where the true innovative power of open design lies.
ABSTRACT Molecular QED theory is employed to derive a generalised formula for the dispersion potential between two molecules with mixed electric multipole polarisability tensors of arbitrary order at each centre. This expression is used to readily extract the pair energy shift between an electric dipole polarisable molecule and a mixed electric dipole–octupole polarisable one, and that between two mixed electric dipole–octupole polarisable species. This is done to see whether these interaction energies give rise to higher-order corrections to the Casimir–Polder potential, as was found in the previously calculated case of the dispersion energy shift between an electric dipole polarisable molecule and an electric octupole polarisable one. Interestingly, for orientationally averaged species, both of the computed interaction energies are independent of the octupole weight-3 term, are retarded, and may be interpreted as higher-order corrections in the fine structure constant to the leading dipole–dipole dispersion potential. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Cocoa ( Theobroma cacao L.) became an integral part of palm-based cropping systems of India. It is being grown profitably as a mixed crop under arecanut ( Areca catechu L.), coconut ( Cocos nucifera L.), and oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) gardens of the southern states Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. It is well adapted to the humid tropics with high rainfall and short dry spells as well as irrigated gardens of tropical belts, utilizing the shade provided by the palms. Research efforts of more than four decades at the ICAR-CPCRI (Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute) and KAU (Kerala Agriculture University) have allowed efficient utilization of conserved cocoa genetic resources by farmers to provide additional income through multispecies cropping systems in the spices and plantation sector. National Horticulture Mission of Govt. of India identified cocoa as a potential crop for area expansion and development to meet both internal and export demands. Improved varieties were developed with high pod yield, bean quality, suitable to different agro-climatic zones and to tackle major biotic and abiotic stress. This chapter out-lines the contributions of cocoa breeding efforts at the research institutes and State Agricultural Universities; developmental programs of Ministry of Agriculture and procurement and processing facilities to the growth of the cocoa sector in India.
Abstract : The feasibility of utilizing the effect of a conducting medium on the impedance of a small coil for the measurement of the conductivity of high temperature gases is first investigated theoretically and then developed experimentally. The method described is well suited for measuring the electrical conductivity of gases at high densities. Data which have been obtained for air in the range of 5 mhos/meter to 250 mhos/meter at atmospheric density are included to illustrate the use and feasibility of the experimental technique.
Green tea extracts effectively inactivated SARS-CoV-2 in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. Serially 10-fold diluted solutions of catechin mixture reagent from green tea were mixed with the viral culture fluid at a volume ratio of nine to one, respectively, and kept at room temperature for 5 min. The solution of 10 mg/mL catechin reagent reduced the viral titer by 4.2 log and 1.0 mg/mL solution reduced only by one log. Pre-infection treatment of the cells with the reagent alone did not affect the viral growth. In addition, cells treated with only the reagent was assayed for host-cell viability using the WST-8 system and almost no host-cell damage by the treatment was observed. These findings suggested that the direct treatment of virus with the reagent before inoculation decreased the viral activity and that catechins might have a potential to suppress the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Presents a solution providing secure communications over an extended Ethernet LAN. This solution, proposed by the Applied Mathematics and Telematics Department of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, is based on a set of secure bridges, called cryptonets, and a supervision and administration center (SAC), which takes charge of the remote management of the work of these devices. A first version of the physical and functional architecture of these secure bridges was presented previously. The present authors describe a modification of the initial architecture, in order to improve substantially its performance, both the typical functions of a classical bridge (filtering frame speed) and the specific functions of ciphering. Furthermore, it allows one to build more integrated equipment, with a larger number of functions and at a lower cost.<<ETX>>
A psychophysical experiment was performed to measure the ability of human observers to compare the areas of two geometrical figures (squares and rectangles). The results show a systematic overestimation of rectangle area with respect to that of the squares. A formal model of area perception and its consequent estimation is proposed, which is based on the concept of an 'image function'. It assumes that not the original figure but some specific isocline defined on the image function surface determines area perception. The systematic error observed in the experiment is explained by the model. We discuss the role of different definitions of the image function as well as its parameters on the model performance.
Objective- Inhibition of SIRT (sirtuin)-1, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent protein deacetylase, is linked to cigarette smoking-induced arterial stiffness, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects and mechanisms of nicotine, a major component of cigarette smoke, on SIRT1 activity and arterial stiffness. Approach and Results- Arterial stiffness, peroxynitrite (ONOO-) formation, SIRT1 expression and activity were monitored in mouse aortas of 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice (wild-type) or Sirt1-overexpressing ( Sirt1 Super) mice with or without nicotine for 4 weeks. In aortas of wild-type mice, nicotine reduced SIRT1 protein and activity by ≈50% without affecting its mRNA levels. In those from Sirt1 Super mice, nicotine also markedly reduced SIRT1 protein and activity to the levels that were comparable to those in wild-type mice. Nicotine infusion significantly induced collagen I, fibronectin, and arterial stiffness in wild-type but not Sirt1 Super mice. Nicotine increased the levels of iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) and the co-staining of SIRT1 and 3-nitrotyrosine, a footprint of ONOO- in aortas. Tempol, which ablated ONOO- by scavenging superoxide anion, reduced the effects of nicotine on SIRT1 and collagen. Mutation of zinc-binding cysteine 395 or 398 in SIRT1 into serine (C395S) or (C398S) abolished SIRT1 activity. Furthermore, ONOO- dose-dependently inhibited the enzyme and increased zinc release in recombinant SIRT1. Finally, we found SIRT1 inactivation by ONOO- activated the YAP (Yes-associated protein) resulting in abnormal ECM (extracellular matrix) remodeling. Conclusions- Nicotine induces ONOO-, which selectively inhibits SIRT1 resulting in a YAP-mediated ECM remodeling.
This paper proposes an algorithm for motion planning among dynamic agents using adaptive conformal prediction. We consider a deterministic control system and use trajectory predictors to predict the dynamic agents' future motion, which is assumed to follow an unknown distribution. We then leverage ideas from adaptive conformal prediction to dynamically quantify prediction uncertainty from an online data stream. Particularly, we provide an online algorithm uses delayed agent observations to obtain uncertainty sets for multistep-ahead predictions with probabilistic coverage. These uncertainty sets are used within a model predictive controller to safely navigate among dynamic agents. While most existing data-driven prediction approached quantify prediction uncertainty heuristically, we quantify the true prediction uncertainty in a distribution-free, adaptive manner that even allows to capture changes in prediction quality and the agents' motion. We empirically evaluate of our algorithm on a simulation case studies where a drone avoids a flying frisbee.
BACKGROUND Porous tantalum was recently introduced as a metallic implant material for total knee arthroplasty. Its porosity, low modulus of elasticity, and high frictional characteristics were expected to provide physiologic load transfer and relative preservation of bone stock. However, to our knowledge, the effect of a Trabecular Metal tibial component on bone mineral density has not been reported. The purpose of the present study was to compare the periprosthetic bone mineral density between patients managed with uncemented Trabecular Metal and cemented tibial components.   METHODS Twenty-eight knees receiving a Trabecular Metal tibial component and twenty-eight knees receiving a cemented cobalt-chromium tibial component had dual x-ray absorptiometry scans at two weeks preoperatively and at two weeks and six, twelve, eighteen, and twenty-four months postoperatively, to assess periprosthetic bone mineral density. All of the operations were performed by one surgeon through a medial parapatellar approach.   RESULTS None of the differences between the two groups in terms of preoperative bone mineral density in the femoral neck, wrist, lumbar spine, or knee were significant. In both groups, the bone mineral density in the tibia decreased postoperatively. However, the postoperative decrease in bone mineral density in the lateral aspect of the tibia was significantly less in knees with Trabecular Metal components than in knees with cemented tibial components at twenty-four months (mean and standard deviation, -6.7% +/- 22.9% compared with -36.8% +/- 24.2%; p = 0.002). At twenty-four months postoperatively, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the Knee Society score, range of motion of the knee, or bone mineral density in the lumbar spine. No prosthetic migration or periprosthetic fracture was detected in either group.   CONCLUSIONS The decrease in bone mineral density of the lateral tibial plateau was less in knees with a Trabecular Metal tibial component following total knee arthroplasty than in knees with a cemented tibial component. Additional research is needed to determine whether long-term clinical benefits are realized with the use of porous tantalum tibial components for total knee arthroplasty.
Although enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes (EBPR) are popular methods for nutrient control, unstable treatment performances of full‐scale systems are still not well understood. In this study, the interaction between electron acceptors present at the start of the anaerobic phase of an EBPR system and the amount of organic acids generated from simple substrate (rbsCOD) was investigated in a full‐scale wastewater treatment plant. Quantification of microbial groups including phosphorus‐accumulating microorganisms (PAOs), denitrifying PAOs (DPAOs), glycogen‐accumulating microorganisms (GAOs) and ordinary heterotrophic microorganisms (OHOs) was based on a modified dynamic model. The intracellular phosphorus content of PAOs was also determined by the execution of mass balances for the biological stages of the plant. The EBPR activities observed in the plant and in batch tests (under idealized conditions) were compared with each other statistically as well. Modelling efforts indicated that the use of absolute anaerobic reaction (ηı) instead of nominal anaerobic reaction time (η), to estimate the amount of available substrate for PAOs, significantly improved model accuracy. Another interesting result of the study was the differences in EBPR characteristics observed in idealized and real conditions.
Independent living movements of disabled people are emerging in Asian countries, supported by independent living centres (ILCs) in Japan. A study was conducted in Japan to explore the impact of the training program offered by Japanese ILCs to disabled people from other Asian countries. A sample of 35 people was selected by a snowballing method. The sample included former trainees from Asian countries and Japanese personnel from disability organizations involved with the training program. In‐depth interviews and a focus group were conducted to obtain information about the program, the experiences of the trainees and Japanese hosts and the budding independent living movement in Asia.
Communication between two neighboring nodes is a very basic operation in wireless networks. Yet very little research has focused on the local delay in networks with randomly placed nodes, defined as the mean time it takes a node to connect to its nearest neighbor. We study this problem for Poisson networks, first considering interference only, then noise only, and finally and briefly, interference plus noise. In the noiseless case, we analyze four different types of nearest-neighbor communication and compare the extreme cases of high mobility, where a new Poisson process is drawn in each time slot, and no mobility, where only a single realization exists and nodes stay put forever. It turns out that the local delay behaves rather differently in the two cases. We also provide the low- and high-rate asymptotic behavior of the minimum achievable delay in each case. In the cases with noise, power control is essential to keep the delay finite, and randomized power control can drastically reduce the required (mean) power for finite local delay.
A deficiency of maternal thyroid hormones (THs) during pregnancy may have severe impacts on fetal brain development. However, the cellular targets of THs and their underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we found that maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy in mice inhibited neurogenesis in the embryonic telencephalon and caused learning and memory impairment in the offspring. To explore the underlying mechanisms, we treated cultured mouse embryonic neural stem cells (eNSCs) with a physiological level of 3, 5, 3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3). We found that T3 promoted the neuronal differentiation of eNSCs, while inhibiting astrocytic differentiation. In addition, the proliferation and maintenance of eNSCs were inhibited by T3. Furthermore, the TH receptor alpha 1 (TRα1) was detected in the eNSCs both in vivo and in vitro. Silencing TRα1 protein expression with specific siRNA eliminated the effects of T3 on eNSCs. We also found that T3 decreased STAT3 phosphorylation and STAT3-DNA binding activity through TRα1. The over expression of STAT3 attenuated the promotive effects of T3 on neuronal differentiation of eNSCs. Taken together, these results suggest that T3 promotes the neuronal differentiation of eNSCs by inhibiting STAT3 signaling activity through TRα1 and contributes to early neurogenesis in the embryonic telencephalon. Our studies reveal the physiological effects of TH in regulating eNSCs differentiation and suggest that eNSCs are one of the major cellular targets in the central nervous system by which TH influences early brain development. These findings also provide new insights into the mechanisms of neurological deficits caused by TH deficiency during embryogenesis.
Abstract As the new African peace and security architecture continues to develop, analysts need to decide how best to understand the extent and nature of contemporary security cooperation between African states and explain how the current state of affairs came about. On both these counts, there are elements of Benedikt Franke's book Security cooperation in Africa: a reappraisal which should be contested: first, his conclusion that the current state of security cooperation between Africa's states represents a type of ‘security community’ in the sense used by Karl Deutsch, and second, some of his explanations for how the African peace and security architecture took shape in the late 1990s and early 21st century.
Objective To systematically assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Clinical Dehydration Scale (CDS), the WHO Scale and the Gorelick Scale in identifying dehydration in children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Design Three databases, two registers of clinical trials and the reference lists from identified articles were searched for diagnostic accuracy studies in children with AGE. The index tests were the CDS, WHO Scale and Gorelick Scale, and reference standard was the percentage loss of body weight. The main analysed outcomes were the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR) and negative LR. Results Ten studies were included. In high-income countries, the CDS provided a moderate-to-large increase in the post-test probability of predicting moderate to severe (≥6%) dehydration (positive LR 3.9–11.79), but it was of limited value for ruling it out (negative LR 0.55–0.71). In low-income countries, the CDS showed limited value both for ruling in and ruling out moderate-to-severe dehydration. In both settings, the CDS showed poor diagnostic accuracy for ruling in or out no dehydration (<3%) or some dehydration (3%–6%). The WHO Scale showed no or limited value in assessing dehydration in children with diarrhoea. With one exception, the included studies did not confirm the diagnostic accuracy of the Gorelick Scale. Conclusion Limited evidence suggests that the CDS can help in ruling in moderate-to-severe dehydration (≥6%) in high-income settings only. The WHO and Gorelick Scales are not helpful for assessing dehydration in children with AGE.
Taxonomic relationship of two forms of Rana tagoi, a brown frog endemic to Japan, is assessed. Based on morphological and bioacoustical comparisons, as well as molecular analysis, we consider the large-form-lineage as true R. tagoi, and describe the small-form-lineage as Rana kyoto sp. nov. The new species and R. tagoi occur sympatrically in many places around the Kinki District, although the former can be distinguished from the latter by smaller body size, more developed dark marking on ventral side of legs, less developed toe webs, and advertisement call with fewer notes and lower dominant frequency. Rana kyoto sp. nov. sympatric with R. tagoi show smaller body size than the allopatric ones, whereas R. tagoi sympatric with the new species show larger body size than the allopatric ones, suggesting that the character displacement of body size occurs between the two species around the type locality of Rana kyoto sp. nov.
Physiologic changes incurred by pregnancy can cause severe decompensation in the parturient with underlying cardiac disease. The result is increased morbidity and mortality for both mother and child. Appropriate anesthetic management can significantly impact these outcomes. This review systematically presents the pathophysiology, peripartum risk, and anesthetic management in the puerperium of specific acquired cardiac abnormalities including: valvular disease, pulmonary hypertension, cardiomyopathy, cardiac transplantation, ischemia, arrhythmias, and cardiac arrest.
In 2012 The Chinese Room launched Dear Esther, a video game which would go on to shape video game history and define a new genre: the walking simulator. Walking simulators renounce traditional game tropes and foreground walking as an aesthetic and as a dramaturgical practice which engages the walker/player in critical acts of reading, challenging and/or performing a landscape. In October 2016, Dear Esther was adapted as a site-responsive, promenade performance set on the Scottish island of Inchcolm in the Firth of Forth. The resulting performance, Dear Rachel, was then experienced alongside the game under the umbrella name Inchcolm Project. This hybrid event multi-media (promenade performance, gameplay, musical performance) and mixed-reality (with physical, augmented and virtual components) required the development and implementation of complex processes of remediation and adaptation. Drawing from theoretical landscape and practitioner reflection, this paper puts forward a design framework – storywalking which reconciled the two adaptation challenges: responding to the site, and to the game.
Solar energy is the greatest potential source of renewable energy known to human kind and is still largely untapped. The quest to find an efficient means of converting it to a clean and storable fuel remains elusive and is the goal of artificial photosynthesis: the solar splitting of water in O 2 and H 2 in a man-made system. Our approach to water splitting is based on a photoelectrochemical cell with two semiconductor-liquid junctions, where AgCl acts as the photoanode for O 2 production along with the photocathodic materials p-GalnP 2 and a silicon solar cell for H 2 production. We report light-assisted water splitting with this system, under UV/Vis illumination from aqueous solution, at good yields and without degradation of the photocatalysts.
A simple approach for spectral reconstruction of spectral reflection by whole apple fruit is described. It is shown that an approximation to the reflection spectrum can be obtained by making a simple assumption on the shape of the featureless scattering and using known spectral properties of the following pigment pools: (i) thylakoid-bound chlorophylls and carotenoids, (ii) cuticular/vacuolar phenolics, (iii) extrathylakoid chloroplasts/chromoplasts carotenoids, and (iv) vacuolar anthocyanins. The in vivo spectra of individual pigment pools estimated in bleaching experiments or as a difference between fruit with high and low pigment content are presented. In most cases simulations based on a linear combination of spectra proved to be effective, but fruit with high chlorophyll content necessitated the use of a non-linear model. The models succeeded in simulating reflection spectra of fruit widely differing in pigment content and composition with relative error lower than ±4% over the visible range. The estimated relative contributions by the pigment pools into total reflection were found to be sensitive indicators of apple fruit ripening and could be useful in evaluating the light screening efficacy by flavonoids and carotenoids under stress conditions.
We performed the tensile test of an individual carbon nanofiber (CNF) inside a scanning electron microscope. The mechanical testing system was installed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The nano-manipulator was set up in the SEM, and the force sensor, which is formed as a cantilever, was mounted on the nano-manipulator. Then, the force sensor can be controlled by using the nano-manipulator. The CNFs were dispersed on the transmission electron microscope (TEM) grid, and the both end of the CNFs were welded on the TEM grid and the tip of force sensor by exposing electron-beam of the SEM. The tensile test of the CNFs was performed by controlling the nano-manipulator. The load response during the tensile test was obtained by force sensor. Stess-strain curve was obtained from force-displacement curve of CNF after tensile test. The elastic modulus of CNFs was calculated at ~12.5 GPa.
Current linguistic observation suggests that the low‐back vowels (specifically, international phonetic alphabet [ɑ] and [ɔ]) are merging in the majority of American English dialects. There has yet to be a phonetic study of this merger which would provide empirical support for this observation in the mid‐western varieties of English. The current study investigates this merger experimentally. Speakers of Minnesotan English were asked to read a list of 100 monosyllabic words containing the low‐back vowels (filler words were also produced). The first (F1) and second (F2) formants were measured automatically for each vowel. Observations of speakers suggest three possible outcomes: (1) both vowels merge to [ɑ], (2) both merge to [ɔ], or (3) that the merger results in a novel vowel which is slightly higher than [ɑ] but lower than [ɔ].
Objective Active smoking is an important risk factor for peripheral arterial disease. In contrast, published evidence on the association with secondhand smoke (SHS) is very limited. The aim of this study was to examine the association between SHS exposure and intermittent claudication (IC) among middle aged non-smokers. Design Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for potential confounders. Setting The Scottish Health Survey, a pan-Scotland, representative survey of the general population. Patients We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Scottish Health Surveys undertaken between 1998 and 2010. Inclusion was restricted to participants aged >45 years. Main outcome measures Of the 4231 confirmed non-smokers (self-reported non-smokers with salivary cotinine concentrations <15 ng/mL), 134 (3.2%) had IC based on the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire. Results There was evidence of a dose relationship, whereby the risk of IC increased with increasing cotinine concentration. Following adjustment for potential confounders, participants with a cotinine concentration ≥2.7 ng/mL were still significantly more likely to have IC (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.00; p=0.036) compared with those with a cotinine concentration <0.7 ng/mL. Among non-smokers, 5.6% (95% CI −0.8% to 11.7%) of cases of IC were attributable to cotinine concentrations ≥2.7 ng/mL and a further 3.6% (95% CI −6.6% to 12.8%) to cotinine concentrations of 0.7–2.6 ng/mL. Conclusions As with coronary heart disease and stroke, SHS exposure was independently associated with IC. Our findings add to the published evidence in support of protecting the general public from SHS exposure.
The authors have proposed the electromagnetic device called the “magnet wheel” with the rotator attached strong permanent magnets and the conducting plate. This has the functions of induction repulsive type magnetic lift force and thrust which are obtained by using the rotator over the conducting plate as the “partial overlap” or the “tilt” method.This paper presents the performance of self-driven magnet wheel integrated own drive equipment, which is composed by addition of the three-phase armature winding in the place between the permanent magnets and the yoke. As the results for the partial overlap type magnet wheel, the following facts were cleared. The power factor in the input of the self-driven magnet wheel unit is nearly 1.0 in spite of induction repulsive levitation. From the experimental results of the test maglev car mounted four magnet wheel units, it is confirmed that the magnet wheel has the sufficiently large lift force against the own weight and then the half of driving power required for the levitation can be converted into the thrust. By using four wheels, the component of torque is canceled, and the lift force and thrust of the test maglev car are obtained respectively by the summation of those of one unit. The stable levitation was confirmed experimentally.
Lactate dehydrogenase isozyme (LDH) is a tetramer constituted of two isoforms, LDHA and LDHB, the expression of which is associated with cell metabolism and cancer progression. Our previous study reveals that CC‐chemokine ligand‐18 (CCL18) is involved in progression of prostate cancer (PCa).This study aims to investigate how CCL18 regulates LDH isoform expression, and therefore, contributes to PCa progression. The data revealed that the expression of LDHA was upregulated and LDHB was downregulated in PCa cells by CCL18 at both messenger RNA and protein levels. The depletion of CCR8 reduced the ability of CCL18 to promote the proliferation, migration, and lactate production of PCa cells. Depletion of a CCR8 regulated transcription factor, ARNT, significantly reduced the expression of LDHA. In addition, The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset analyses revealed a positive correlation between CCR8 and ARNT expression. Two dimension difference gel electrophoresis revealed that the LDHA/LDHB ratio was increased in the prostatic fluid of patients with PCa and PCa tissues. Furthermore, increased LDHA/LDHB ratio was associated with poor clinical outcomes of patients with PCa. Together, our results indicate that the CCR8 pathway programs LDH isoform expression in an ARNT dependent manner and that the ratio of LDHA/LDHB has the potential to serve as biomarkers for PCa diagnosis and prognosis.
Abstract An 11-year longitudinal survey of patterns and preferences in music listening has revealed that a large majority of people would prefer to listen to music performed live but that only a small percentage of their exposure to music actually occurs at live performances. An initial analysis of the first few years of the survey suggests that choices concerning music can be influenced by cultural background, and that predominant music sources change as new technology becomes available. Reasons given by listeners for preferring to listen to a traditional, mechanical instrument rather than an electro-acoustic version of it indicate they are sensitive to an “originality” criterion. As a consequence, concert halls should be designed to operate as passive acoustics spaces. Further, listeners' reasons for electing to attend a live performance rather than listen to a recording or a live broadcast suggest that hall designers should try to maximize the sense of two-way communication between performers and listeners. An implication of this is that where active acoustics systems are to be incorporated in variable acoustics auditoria, those active systems which use a non-in-line approach are to be preferred over in-line schemes. However, listener evolution and new expectations may require a fundamental change in our approach to the acoustics of live performance venues.
Abstract : This paper presents a series of recommendations on how best to organize and optimize the intelligence analysis effort to ensure the USIC remains competitive and relevant for years to come. Accelerated and pervasive technology changes, its effects on organizations and people, and the necessity to adapt and adopt new ways given this new technology landscape demand nothing short of a cultural transformation within the USIC. It is a transformation many private sector businesses have already undertaken, but one the USIC has not started due to cultural and policy barriers. The new technology landscape, which is characterized by an unprecedented use of mobile devices, on demand Internet computing, the convergence of communications, content, communities, and collaboration, as well as an increased emphasis of semantic integration of data to better support decision-making, has shifted knowledge creation power from institutions to groups and individuals, forcing organizations to move toward greater decentralization. Successful institutions have adapted to this new environment by constantly seeking a "mercurial sweet spot" along the centralized-decentralized organizational continuum. Unfortunately, the Intelligence Community's proclivity toward greater centralization in spite of decentralizing technology advances prevents us from fully realizing our analytical network potential.
This paper explores the traditional Systems Approach to Training (SAT) for the Warfighter, suggesting improvements for complex large‐scale, live, and virtual training systems. Such systems are required to deliver military effectiveness and enable Readiness & Sustainment (R&S). It has long been accepted that the proper way to design training is by adopting a systematic approach to assessing the training gap, the design of the syllabus, and the evaluation of the performance improvement. This Systems Approach to Training (SAT) parallels Instructional Systems Design methodology, the latter also being a model to aid in the design, development, and delivery of a training program. The paper discusses the complexity of such large‐scale military training systems and presents a case for designing them using Systems Engineering (SE) principles. The traditional SAT method applies, but does not cope with the overall requirements capture, architecture design or interoperability; nor was it designed to do so. Complex large‐scale training systems are human centric and consequently should be designed using the most appropriate Systems Engineering (SE) processes, methods and toolsets.
Materials with A2B2O7 (pyrochlore) structure have received a significant attention for their applications as new protonic conductors and materials used in electronic devices. One of the unique synthesis routes for La2Zr2O7 (pyrochlore) powders is the glycine-nitrate combustion method, which shows superior properties of the synthesized powder by using glycine as a complexing agent. The Sr doped La2Zr2O7 powders in pure pyrochlore structure were produced using this approach. Selected characteristics of the synthesized powders, such as crystal structure, lattice parameters, crystallite size, the vibrational properties, the morphology of the particles, along with the specific surface area and particle size have been investigated. The dependence of some properties on annealing temperatures of the powders has been studied.
The validity of Sunakawa, Yamasaki and Kebukawa's Hamiltonian and that 'Of Bogoliubov and Zubarev's Hamiltonian are examined. Perturbational expansion of the ground state ·energy by these Hamiltonians disagrees with the exact solution of Lieb and Liniger for onedimensional Bose system with repulsive delta-function interaction. This. fact suggests that these Hamiltonians are not microscopic descriptions of the many-Boson system. Mathematical inconsistency in Bogoliubov and Zubarev's theory is also pointed out. Moreover analytic expression of high density expansion for the ground state energy density eo is found out to be e,n-'=r(4/3n)r'1'+ (1/6-1/1r')r'+O(r'1'), r==c/n, for one-dimensional Bose system with delta function interaction (density n, strength 2c, A=2m.=1) by the use of the correlated basis function method.
ABSTRACT Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)4 plays a critical role in regulating neuronal and glial activity in the course of spinal cord injury (SCI). The underlying cause and cellular source of BMP4 accumulation at the injured spinal cord remain unclear. Here, we observed that plasma BMP4 levels are statistically higher in SCI patients than in healthy donors. When comparing rats in the sham group (T9 laminectomy without SCI) with rats in the SCI group, we found a persistent decline in BBB scores, together with necrosis and mononuclear cell accumulation at the contusion site. Moreover, during 2 weeks after SCI both plasma and cerebrospinal fluid levels of BMP4 displayed notable elevation, and a positive correlation. Importantly, percentages of circulating BMP4-positive (BMP4+) monocytes and infiltrating MDMs were higher in the SCI group than in the sham group. Finally, in the SCI+clodronate liposome group, depletion of monocytes effectively attenuated the accumulation of both BMP4+ MDMs and BMP4 in the injured spinal cord. Our results indicated that, following SCI, infiltrating MDMs provide an important source of BMP4 in the injured spinal cord and, therefore, might serve as a potential therapeutic target.
Over the last few decades, business fraud and examples of scandalous management behaviors have sparked a lot of attention among several interested stakeholders. These increasing scandals have necessitated the question on the necessary steps required to prevent their frequent occurrence. The lack of commitment to strong ethical standards by management has been underpinned as the cause of ethical misconducts in organizations. The fiscal crisis of 2007-2009 witnessed many leadership misconducts and abuse of leadership responsibility. The fiscal crisis revealed the loss of about $11 trillion in household wealth, 26 million Americans losing their jobs, and 4.5 million Americans who could not afford their mortgages. These events and statistics show the prevalent lack of ethical leadership in organizations. While leadership ethics is a concern for all stakeholders within business organizations in the United States, only a few segments of the industry are taking steps to incorporate ethical awareness within their global organizations.
Visualization techniques were applied to several different types of VLSI design and simulation data. A number of different visualizations have been tried, with varying results. Examples include 3D visualization of voltage and currents from full-wave interconnect analysis, on-chip clock distribution networks, chip/package power supply noise analysis, wire congestion, chip layout imaging, and static circuit tuning. The goals, successes, and failures of these examples will be discussed, along with some unexpected benefits from our ability to easily see patterns in complex visualizations.
Patient satisfaction has been shown to be a factor in clinical outcomes, health care quality, and patient follow-through. Thus, a high level of satisfaction is a desired outcome of patient care. This article examines predictors of patient satisfaction with telephone nursing services among a sample of 1,939 respondents, using a conceptual model derived from the literature and preliminary work. The study was conducted in medical offices and call centers of a large national health maintenance organization. Calls were taped and content coded and then matched with caller questionnaire data. In the final multivariate predictive models, patient health status; caller ratings of expectations met by the nurse for listening, clarity, and collaboration; and nurse competence were the strongest predictors of satisfaction. Consistent with the literature, findings suggest that nurses should expand interpersonal communication skills, and systems should reduce barriers to effective listening, clarity, and collaboration with callers.
Cowboy Stuntman: From Olympic Gold to the Silver Screen Dean Smith with Mike Cox. Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2013.There is an intriguing group of books co-authored by Hollywood stuntmen about the business of making movies. Purporting to dispel myths about the industry by disclosing the inner workings of the Dream Factory, auto/biographies like Buster Wiles's My Days with Errol Flynn (1989), Gary Kent's Shadows & Light: Journeys with Outlaw in Revolutionary Hollywood (2009), Hal Needham's Stuntman! (2011), and Vic Armstrong's The True Adventures of the World's Greatest Stuntman (2011) offer entertaining and enlightening insights into the production and massmarketing of American popular culture. Released in 2013 by Texas Tech University Press, Cowboy Stuntman: From Olympic Gold to the Silver Screen is an important addition to this corpus. Co-authored by Dean Smith and Mike Cox, Cowboy Stuntman relates the fast-paced and unlikely life of Smith, a Texan farm boy turned Olympic Gold Medalist, who became one of Hollywood's leading stuntmen, appearing in ten John Wayne movies and doubling for a long list of actors as diverse as Robert Culp, Michael Landon, Steve Martin, Strother Martin, Robert Redford, and Roy Rogers.As James Garner points out in Cowboy Stuntman's "Foreword," Smith's incredible life story reads "like a Mark Twain novel" (xiii): born and raised in a small town in Texas, Smith lives the American Dream: becoming, in turn, a college track star, a world class athlete winning Olympic gold, a youngster playing professional football, and a talented newcomer breaking into the business of movie making. Containing fourteen chapters which arrange the events of Smith's life in chronological order, Cowboy Stuntman is quintessential^ a Horatio Alger story. Its first four chapters chart Smith's impoverished ranching roots in Texas and his natural athletic abilities that lead him to a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. The next four chapters chronicle the problems that plague many toplevel athletes after their careers on the track have ended. However, Smith, a superior athlete with good looks and engaging self-confidence, proves to be the stuff that Hollywood stuntmen who specialize in making Western movies are made of-an old friend, James Garner introduces him to the industry, and the rest, as they say, is history.The remaining chapters chronicle Smith's successful years in Hollywood and at home in Texas. Containing insider's memories of the professional lives of stars, stunt people, and extras in Hollywood backlots and television studios, these chapters hold intriguing material for movie buffs and scholars interested in the business of American film and television. …
The paper summarizes recent results obtained from a new wear test performed on fresh and artificially aged rocks. Four different types of granitic rocks with different mineral compositions and grain sizes were selected for this study. Some important physical and mechanical properties of the rock specimens were also determined. Measurements performed on fresh specimens showed that the wear coefficient is affected by the mineralogical composition, especially the predominant mineral which constitutes the rock. It was determined that wear resistance increased with increasing quartz content. The results also show that there is a positive correlation between the micro-fragmentation rate, during the wear test, and the average grain sizes. Two specimens of the tested granites were subjected to an artificial hydro-physical ageing test. Based on the results of the experiment, it was concluded that the wear testing method is a good indicator of the weathering degree. It was shown that the imposed weathering process decreases the abrasion resistance of the rock and increases its micro-fragmentation ability.
The idea of solving constrained optimization problems such as the TSP with Hopfield neural network is used and an algorithm of the neural decision (ND) of maneuvering levels is put forward. Because the ND algorithm is parallel, the ND adaptive estimator can compute as fast as an ordinary Kalman filter based on a 2nd-order model. Computer simulations indicate it has a satisfactory performance in tracking maneuvering targets.<<ETX>>
One of the main issues in seizure prediction is to provide a workable approach to apply in implantable devices. For this purpose, power consumption and computational resources should be taken into account. Hence, our motivation for pursuing this work was to propose an algorithm in which not only implementation requirements could be adopted but also sufficient sensitivity and specificity could be obtained. Low computational burden of linear features make them as a proper choice for seizure prediction. With Selection of optimal features using Principal components analysis (PCA) technique, the speed of algorithm can be increased. Support Vector Machines (SVMs) have robust performance in high dimensional and imbalanced data. Therefore the proposed solutions are concentrated on power spectrum over different frequency bands and PCA for dimensionality reduction of features. Finally, SVM is applied for distinguishing brain states. In this study, seizure prediction method has been applied to EEG of 9 patients in the Freiburg database and has been achieving high sensitivity of 88.9 % and low false alarm rate of 0.21 per hour.
Search engine users typically engage in multiquery sessions in their quest to fulfill their information needs. Despite a plethora of research findings suggesting that a significant group of users look for information within a specific geographical scope, existing reformulation studies lack a focused analysis of how users reformulate geographic queries. This study comprehensively investigates the ways in which users reformulate such needs in an attempt to fill this gap in the literature. Reformulated sessions were sampled from a query log of a major search engine to extract 2,400 entries that were manually inspected to filter geo sessions. This filter identified 471 search sessions that included geographical intent, and these sessions were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results revealed that one in five of the users who reformulated their queries were looking for geographically related information. They reformulated their queries by changing the content of the query rather than the structure. Users were not following a unified sequence of modifications and instead performed a single reformulation action. However, in some cases it was possible to anticipate their next move. A number of tasks in geo modifications were identified, including standard, multi‐needs, multi‐places, and hybrid approaches. The research concludes that it is important to specialize query reformulation studies to focus on particular query types rather than generically analyzing them, as it is apparent that geographic queries have their special reformulation characteristics.
Abstract. The multidecadal hydroclimate variations of the Seine basin since the 1850s are investigated. Given the scarcity of long term observations of hydrological variables, a hydrometeorological reconstruction is developed based on an method that combines the results of a downscaled long-term atmospheric reanalysis and local observations of precipitation and temperature. This method improves the representation of daily flows as well as at longer time steps. This reconstruction provide therefore an interesting tool to study the multidecadal hydroclimate variability of the Seine basin, as well as its possible influence on extreme hydrological events. Based on this reconstruction, it is shown that the Seine river flows, groundwater and soil moisture, have been influenced by multidecadal variations from the 1850s. Spring precipitations play a central role by directly influencing the multidecadal variability of spring flows, but also soil moisture and groundwater recharge, which then modulate summer river flows. Groundwater controls a large part of the multidecadal variations in river flows, particularly in summer and fall. These hydroclimate variations seem to influence extreme hydrological events. The positive multidecadal phases indeed appear to be more conducive to flooding, with twice as many flood days as in the negative phases while the negative multidecadal phases seems to influenced the droughts intensity. These hydroclimate variations over the Seine basin are driven by anomalies in large scale atmospheric circulations, which themselves appear to be influenced by sea surface temperature anomalies over of the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean.
Post-earthquake fire is a common disaster which causes serious safety issues to infrastructures. This study aims to investigate the residual loading capacities of circular concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns under post-earthquake fire experimentally and numerically. The experimental programme contains two loading steps - pre-damage cyclic loading at room temperature and transient state tests with constant compression loads. Three finite element models are developed and validated against the test results. Upon validation, a total of 48 numerical results were generated in the parametric study to investigate the effects of thickness and strengths of steel tube, axial compression ratio and damage degree on the fire resistance of circular CFST columns. Based on the analysis on experimental and numerical results, the loading mechanism of circular CFST columns is discussed. A design method is proposed for the prediction of fire resistance time under different seismic pre-damage and compression loads. The predictions by the new method is compared with the newly generated experimental and numerical results and is found to be accurate and consistent with the mean value close to the unity and a coefficient of variation around 1%.
We study the problem of joint power and channel resource allocation for orthogonal multiple access relay (MAR) systems in order to maximize the achievable rate region. Four relaying strategies are considered; namely, regenerative decode-and-forward (RDF), nonregenerative decode-and-forward (NDF), amplify-and-forward (AF), and compress-and-forward (CF). For RDF and NDF we show that the problem can be formulated as a quasiconvex problem, while for AF and CF we show that the problem can be made quasiconvex if the signal-to-noise ratios of the direct channels are at least -3dB. Therefore, efficient algorithms can be used to obtain the jointly optimal power and channel resource allocation. Furthermore, we show that the convex subproblems in those algorithms admit a closed-form solution. Our numerical results show that the joint allocation of power and the channel resource achieves significantly larger achievable rate regions than those achieved by power allocation alone with fixed channel resource allocation. We also demonstrate that assigning different relaying strategies to different users together with the joint allocation of power and the channel resources can further enlarge the achievable rate region.
Let K be a number field and let S be a finite set of places of K which contains all the Archimedean places. For any �(z) 2 K(z) of degree d � 2 which is not a d-th power in K(z), Siegel's theorem implies that the image set �(K) contains only finitely many S-units. We conjecture that the number of such S-units is bounded by a function of |S| and d (independently of K and �). We prove this conjecture for several classes of rational functions, and show that the full conjecture follows from the Bombieri-Lang conjecture.
Gamma rays from the reaction /sup 76/Se(p,n..gamma..) /sup 76/Br were observed at proton energies between 5.80 and 6.50 MeV. A total of 35 ..gamma.. rays were assigned to transitions in /sup 76/Br. A level scheme involving 15 levels up to an excitation energy of 616.3 keV was deduced from threshold measurements, energy sume, and ..gamma..-..gamma.. coincidence studies. These results have solved disagreements between two previous experiments involving the ..beta.. decay of /sup 76/Kr. Previously unreported levels have been assigned at 495.4, 505.0, 527.5, and 548.0 keV.
The 1992 Senate Report #102-104 and House Report #102-121 recommended that the Interagency Panel on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) review and establish an updated standard death scene investigation protocol for scene investigation of unexplained infant deaths. As a result of the recommendation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Reproductive Health (DRH), and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) organized a workshop entitled "Workshop on Guidelines for Scene Investigation of Sudden Unexplained Infant Deaths," which was held in Rockville, Maryland, on July 12-13, 1993. This article outlines the proceedings of the workshop. The goal of the workshop was to gather information and ideas that could be used to establish guidelines which could be useful in developing a model death scene investigation protocol. It was not a goal of this workshop to produce a specific protocol during the workshop. The workshop was successful in generating a variety of information and ideas concerning the desirable attributes of a protocol including essential items of data, identification of certain training needs, specification of procedures for data collection, reporting, and quality assurance, and proposed strategies for implementation. This information can now be considered by the HHS Interagency SIDS Panel to develop specific guidelines for developing a standard scene investigation protocol for sudden unexplained infant deaths.
Interactions of single atoms of element 120 (E120) and its lighter homologs (Ba and Ra) with the stable gold (111) surface simulated by clusters are studied using relativistic density functional theory and accurate two-component shape-consistent small-core pseudopotentials. The predicted E120 adsorption energy on gold (ca. 250 kJ mol(-1)) is significantly larger than the previously reported value. The trends in interactions of heavy group 2 elements with gold are discussed on the basis of electronic structure calculations and estimates by the semiempirical macroscopic Eichler-Miedema model.
Ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is a common complication of coronary disease that doubles postinfarction mortality. The main mechanism of IMR is left ventricular remodeling, which results in dilation of the mitral ring and displacement of the papillary muscles (PM). Reductive annuloplasty, the standard reparative technique used, leads to a large percentage of recurrences; hence, other techniques that act on ventricular remodeling are required. We present the case of a 61-year-old patient who came to the hospital for symptoms of congestive heart failure. A diagnosis of asymptomatic inferolateral infarction was established, with decreased injection fraction and severe mitral regurgitation, secondary to mitral ring dilation and distortion of the ventricular geometry with PM displacement (Figure 1). The IMAGES IN CARDIOLOGY
This study aims to review and investigates the role and function of humourin Ahmed Matar's poetry pragma-stylistically. Furthermore, it attempts  to identify the ways andstrategies in which he employs humour negatively. In a sense, he uses strategies of humour or joking so as tomock the socio-political situation in the case of Iraq. Thus, hecreates acceptability and sympathy on the part of the audience. The focus of this study is concerned with verbal mockery, which is produced by means of language or text. Additionally, the study postulates that there is no clear cut amongst humour types categories-that is the categories may interchange and merge in a few cases. Of the stylistic figures presented in this study is mockery,irony, exaggeration, comparison, and sarcasm. Key Words: Pragmatics , mockery, sarcasm, exaggeration, humour. 0.Introduction  This study is an attempt to deal with strategies of humour in Ahmed's Matar poetry .Since pragmatics and stylistics are interrelated, especially, in poetry (Nofal, 2011) , it is required to deal with both discplines while approaching a poem.It is not unclear that the stylistic figures , which are employed in the corpus have got pragmatic implications .In this perspective, the current paper aims to find out how '' strategies of humour'' are reflected and manifested in Matar'spoetry.More specifically, the study aims at: A.Showing the pragma-stylistic devices of humour,  which are utilized by Ahmed Matar. B.Evaluating the effect of such utilization. C.Finding the most common strategies. In view of the aforementioned aims, it is hypothesized that : A.AhmedMatar heavily relies on strategies of humour to convey his message, the message of mockery and criticism; B. he intentionally utilizes humour- he aims at, both, entertaining and mocking the public. C. the most common strategies are : irony, exaggeration, and sarcasm        To accomplish the aims of the study and test its hypotheses, the following procedures are adopted : A. Reviewing the literature on humour and pragmatics; B.Developing a model for analysing the corpus; C.Conducting a pragma-stylistic qualitative method of analysis of some randomly extracts chosen from Ahmed's Matar poetry; D.Discussing the results of analysis, however the discussion is done within the analysis-that is no separate heading is dedicated for discussion. Finally,it is worth mentioning that the translation of the corpus is made by the theresearcher himself.
Based  on the (CHFS) data of Chinese household finance survey, this paper divides the  housing wealth of residents into housing net value and housing loan. On this  basis, adding the virtual variable of whether to own provident fund or not,  Probit model and Tobit model are used to investigate the change of housing net  value and the influence of owning housing provident fund on the participation  of family stock market. The empirical results show that the increase of net  housing value will significantly increase the proportion of households  participating in the stock market and the shareholding rate. Families with  provident fund accounts are also more willing to join the stock market than  those without provident fund accounts, and their shareholdings are higher.
Objective: To report a case of peripheral and autonomic neuropathy following one cycle of bortezomib in a patient with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Case Summary: A 75-year-old male who was highly functional prior to therapy rapidly became bed-bound from hypotension, syncope, and peripheral neuropathy after initiating bortezomib. Orthostatic hypotension and syncope persisted despite exclusion of infection and endocrine derangements and his receiving adequate intravenous hydration. Five weeks after this single cycle, the patient had a complete treatment response, including undetectable M-spike, improved anemia, and return to baseline renal function. An objective causality assessment revealed that an adverse drug event was probable. Discussion: Although neurotoxicity is an adverse effect of bortezomib, a MEDLINE search revealed little evidence on autonomic neuropathy, such as orthostatic hypotension and syncope. Also unique is the patient's complete treatment response following this single cycle. One explanation for the toxicities and dramatic treatment response is increased bortezomib exposure due to decreased drug metabolism. Both drug interactions and genetic polymorphisms can reduce bortezomib metabolism via effects on cytochrome P450 enzymes. Our patient was concomitantly taking 4 CYP inhibitors; amiodarone and omeprazole were longstanding, and ciprofloxacin and fluconazole were recently initiated prior to chemotherapy. Of these, fluconazole inhibits CYP2C9, 2C19, and 3A4; amiodarone inhibits CYP3A4, 1A1, 1A2, 2B6, and 2D6; ciprofloxacin inhibits CYP1A2 and 3A4; and omeprazole inhibits CYP1A2, 2C19, 2C9, 2D6, and 3A4. Similarly, genetic variables affect CYP enzymes. Genetic testing can predict response to bortezomib therapy, but pretherapy testing is not standard practice due to availability and cost, as in our patient's case. Conclusions: CYP-inhibiting drugs and many genetic polymorphisms can reduce bortezomib metabolism and increase serum concentrations of the drug, but guidelines on drug-drug interactions, monitoring, and genetic testing prior to bortezomib toxicity are needed.
To improve pain relief for refractory pain condition, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) needs to target the dedicated neuronal fibers within the dorsal columns. Intraoperative feedback from the patient can optimize lead placement but requires “awake surgery”, allowing interaction between patient and surgeon. This can produce negative effects like anxiety and stress. To better manage these aspects, we propose to combine intraoperative hypnosis with awake anesthesia. Seventy-four patients (35 females, 22–80 years) presenting with chronic refractory pain, were offered intraoperative hypnosis during awake SCS lead implantation. Interactive conversational hypnosis was used as well as interactive touch, which was enhanced during painful moments during the lead intraoperative programming. All patients participated actively during the intraoperative testing which helped to optimize the lead positioning. They kept an extremely positive memory of the surgery and of the hypnotic experience, despite some painful moments. Pain could be reduced in these patients by using interactions and touch, which works on Gate Control modulation. Positive memory was reinforced by congratulations to create self-confidence and to induce positive expectations, which could reinforce the Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Controls at the spinal level. Cooperation was improved because the patient was actively participating and thus, much more alert when feedback was required. Combining intraoperative hypnosis with awake anesthesia appears helpful for SCS lead implantation. It enhances patient cooperation, allows optimization of lead positioning, and leads to better pain control, positive and resourceful memory.
Sb-based semiconductors incorporating heterostructures of InP, InAs, AlSb, InSb, GaSb, InGaAs, InGaSb, GaAsSb and InGaAsSb can be used for high speed, low power applications such as wide-bandwidth telecommunications for aircraft, satellites, wireless communication, and global positioning systems, as well as thermophotovoltaic cells, THz medical imaging and remote sensing, IR sensors for space exploration, high resolution biomedical spectroscopy and military systems, including security scanners. Sb-based electronic devices such as heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) offer high speed, low power consumption and good breakdown voltages. High electron mobility InAs/AlSb or InSb/AlSb and high hole mobility InGaSb/AlSb quantum well heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) have also been widely pursued for THz amplifiers and high speed complementary logic circuits.
transverse popliteal crease or where the tip of the patient’s middle finger touches when standing erect with hands hanging down close to sides). Acupuncture needles were inserted to achieve De Qi (an electrical impulse or pulling sensation) and left in place for 40 to 45 minutes while patient was positioned comfortably in a quiet room. At 41 weeks five days, all undelivered patients, regardless of group, were scheduled for pharmacologic induction. The gestational age at delivery differed between acupuncture and control groups (289 vs 291 days, P,.05), with the acupuncture group experienced a higher rate of spontaneous delivery (75% vs 53%, P,.01). Induction for prolonged pregnancy, defined as 41 weeks five days, was lower in the acupuncture group (5.3%, control group 10%, P,.01). No significant difference was noted regarding use of prostaglandins (8.9% and 8.7%, P..05); however, the use of oxytocin was lower in the acupuncture group (8.9% compared with 16.7%, P,.05). This trial was limited by a lack of a defined clinical significance.
Background Studies of the association of hypertension with incident colorectal cancer (CRC) may have been confounded by including individuals taking antihypertensive medication, at high risk for CRC (ie, colorectal polyps and inflammatory bowel disease), or with shared risk factors (eg, obesity and diabetes). We assessed whether adults with untreated hypertension are at higher risk for incident CRC compared with those with normal blood pressure (BP), and whether any association is evident among individuals without obesity or metabolic abnormalities. Methods and Results Analyses were conducted using a nationwide health claims database collected in the JMDC Claims Database between 2005 and 2018 (n=2 220 112; mean age, 44.1±11.0 years; 58.4% men). Participants who were taking antihypertensive medications or had a history of CRC, colorectal polyps, or inflammatory bowel disease were excluded. Each participant was categorized as having normal BP (systolic BP [SBP]<120 mm Hg and diastolic BP [DBP] <80 mm Hg, n=1 164 807), elevated BP (SBP 120–129 mm Hg and DBP <80 mm Hg, n=341 273), stage 1 hypertension (SBP 130–139 mm Hg or DBP 80–89 mm Hg, n=466 298), or stage 2 hypertension (SBP ≥140 mm Hg or DBP ≥90 mm Hg, n=247 734). Over a mean follow‐up of 1112±854 days, 6899 incident CRC diagnoses occurred. After multivariable adjustment, compared with normal BP, hazard ratios for incident CRC were 0.93 (95% CI, 0.85–1.01) for elevated BP, 1.07 (95% CI, 0.99–1.15) for stage 1 hypertension, and 1.17 (95% CI, 1.08–1.28) for stage 2 hypertension. The hazard ratios for incident CRC for each 10‐mm Hg‐higher SBP or DBP were 1.04 (95% CI, 1.02–1.06) and 1.06 (95% CI, 1.03–1.09), respectively. These associations were present among adults who did not have obesity, high waist circumference, diabetes, or dyslipidemia. Conclusions Higher SBP and DBP, and stage 2 hypertension are associated with a higher risk for incident CRC, even among those without shared risk factors for CRC. BP measurement could identify individuals at increased risk for subsequent CRC.
We developed a small-superconducting bulk magnet system using a 13 K refrigerator. The industrial applications of bulk magnets demand the miniaturization of the magnet apparatus as well as the enhancement of the magnetic field. A Gifford-McMahon cycle helium refrigerator with the ultimate temperature of 13 K at the 2nd stage was adopted, and a bulk material of 60 mm diameter and 20 mm thickness reinforced by a stainless steel ring was located on a cold stage. When a magnetic field of 7.74 T was applied, the trapped field reached 2.76 T, which is the highest ever reported for a pulsed-field magnetization of 60 mm class bulk material.
In this article, I argue that a defining characteristic of discussions of legitimacy within liberal internationalism and neo-conservative realism is that they do not engage with the colonial history and its legacies for the developing world and the private order of the market place. In my view, to the extent that colonialism and the economics underlying the exercise of public power are not a part of the discussion on legitimacy, the task of engaging legitimacy is both incomplete and could be read as an endorsement rather than an inquiry of hegemonic and other interests related to legitimacy concerns.
The amount of news being consumed online has substantially expanded in recent years. Fake news has become increasingly common, especially in regional languages like Malayalam, due to the rapid publication and lack of editorial standards on some online sites. Fake news may have a terrible effect on society, causing people to make bad judgments, lose faith in authorities, and even engage in violent behavior. When we take into the context of India, there are many regional languages, and fake news is spreading in every language. Therefore, providing efficient techniques for identifying false information in regional tongues is crucial. Until now, little to no work has been done in Malayalam, extracting features from multiple modalities to classify fake news. Multimodal approaches are more accurate in detecting fake news, as features from multiple modalities are extracted to build the deep learning classification model. As far as we know, this is the first piece of work in Malayalam that uses multimodal deep learning to tackle false information. Models trained with more than one modality typically outperform models taught with only one modality. Our study in the Malayalam language utilizing multimodal deep learning is a significant step toward more effective misinformation detection and mitigation.
yond its original home in literary studies and colonizing new niches in related fields. Among these is film criticism. many ecocritics have taken an interest in film and visual media: there have, for instance, been a number of discussions on the ASLE listserv about environmental films, and several courses in environmental literature include screenings of films. Yet most references to film among ecocritics have tended to focus on films that are considered “environmental,” especially those that portray nature and its defenders positively, as, for instance, Gorillas in the Mist, Koyaanisqatsi, Never Cry Wolf, On Deadly Ground, and Erin Brockovich. Rarely has cinema in general been viewed through an ecocritical lens, nor has there been much evidence in the main venues of ecocriticism of the sustained application of ecocritical strategies to film and cinema studies. 1 In the last six or seven years, this situation has begun to change, with the appearance of extended monographs examining wildlife and nature documentary (Gregg mitman’s Reel Nature and Derek Bouse’s Wildlife Films), environmental themes in experimental cinema (Scott macDonald’s The Garden in the Machine), critical analyses of the repre sentation and use of animals in film (Jonathan Burt’s Animals in Film), and green perspectives on film more generally (David Ingram’s Green Screen, Pat Brereton’s Hollywood Utopia, and Sean Cubitt’s EcoMedia). This article will review the main directions and achievements of eco logically minded film criticism to date and will suggest some as-yetunderexplored strategies for a green film criticism, or
Clinical summary A male-infant born to an 18-year-old mother, at 36 weeks’ gestation, weighing 2350 g with normal Apgar scores was found to have supernumerary nipples and a pedunculated skin lesion over a bony chest wall defect with normal skin covering, extending from the third to the sixth intercostal space on the left (Fig. 1). No hand abnormalities were noted. Clavicles, pectoralis major muscles, and sternum were palpable. The patient was pink, with no respiratory distress, and cardiac examination indicated a right-sided apex with no murmurs. No abdominal wall defect was noted, and the liver was palpable on the right side. The chest radiography (Fig. 2a) showed a right-sided heart, with partial rib aplasia (11th and 10th ribs on the left and right, respectively), reduced left lung volume, and opacification of the left lower zone with the gastric bubble in the left hemithorax. Clavicles and vertebra appeared normal. A chest radiography 2 days later (Fig. 2b) indicated expansion of the left lung and a normally positioned gastric bubble. Computerized tomography (CT) scan (Fig. 3a) confirmed anterior herniation of the liver into the left hemithorax consistent with a Morgagni-type congenital hernia of the diaphragm, cardiac dextroversion, and no significant left lung hypoplasia; the medial aspect of the pericardium adjacent to the liver was not visualized. Ultrasound and CTscan chest indicated an absent left pectoralis minor muscle. A 3D-reconstructed CT-scan showed a short sternum with an S-shaped configuration (Fig. 3b). Echocardiography confirmed an anatomically normal right-sided heart with concordance of cardiac chambers and great vessels, and right-pointing apex with no inversion of the cardiac chambers. Chromosomal analysis showed a normal 46,XY karyotype. The patient remained asymptomatic; therefore, surgery to repair the diaphragmatic hernia was deferred. Left lung volume improved and herniation of the liver reduced over time. The patient remained asymptomatic at 1 year of age and pedunculated skin lesion autoamputated.
For several years, quasi-operational (i.e., real-time, semi-autonomous, research-mode) nowcast/forecast systems have been run in two quite different regimes: (1) the Straits of Florida/East Florida Shelf, which includes the Florida Current, and (2) Prince William Sound, Alaska, which is a small, semi-enclosed sea with two major straits. For both regimes, the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) has been implemented with mesoscale resolution. Both implementations are forced by mesoscale numerical weather predictions, the US Navy's operational global ocean model (NCOM, which assimilates satellite altimetric sea surface height anomalies, MCSST, ARGO float temperature and salinity profiles, etc.) for open boundary conditions, and four diurnal and four semi-diurnal tides, also imposed on the open boundaries. Real-time observations are mainly used for model skill assessment, as a prelude to data assimilation. One of the benefits of this activity has been new understanding derived from diagnostics studies made possible by these numerical simulations. For example, the Florida Current Frontal (cyclonic) Eddies, which form weekly in the cyclonic shear zone along the shelfbreak, have been more fully characterized than had been possible by observations alone, and the prevalence of three-layered monthly mean flow in the straits of Prince William Sound has been determined in a highly variable regime that is difficult to observe comprehensively.
During fertilization in all animals investigated, fully developed eggs or meiotically immature oocytes must generate a proper change in their intracellular free calcium concentrations ([Ca]i) to develop normally (31). The first images of a fertilization-induced calcium response were obtained in fish oocytes that had been microinjected with the calcium-sensitive photoprotein, aequorin (4). Since then, aequorin has been used to monitor calcium dynamics in several other species (13). However, with the introduction of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and a wide collection of calciumbinding fluorescent probes, there has been a rapid growth in the number of investigations that use CLSM to track changes in [Ca]i during fertilization (24). This column specifically addresses changes in [Ca2+]i that occur within fertilized eggs imaged by commonly available confocal laser scanning microscopes (i.e., those employing single-photon excitations provided by a low-power laser). It serves as an adjunct to more broadly based reviews covering confocal microscopy and calcium dynamics in eukaryotic cells subjected to diverse stimuli (15,27). Several advantages and potential drawbacks to consider when conducting CLSM studies of fertilization-induced calcium dynamics are discussed. In addition, a few of the major findings of such investigations are described, and some possible future directions for CLSM analyses are explored.
PURPOSE To show the experience and results of the first TrueBeam™ linac in Latin America.   METHODS Several data were analyzed and compared among installation, manufacturer and own measurements. It was necessary to define a base line for our own Quality Assurance program. Some comparisons were made with others TrueBeam users in order to be placed based on our quality and confidence level.   RESULTS We show the complete process since vault construction until first patient treatment. The process is complex and full of information that will be shown at the meeting.   CONCLUSION This experience is unique now in our region so it is important to share the experience as a developer country and exchange trouble shooting with medical physics community around the world.
This paper attempted to shade the light upon “The cruciality of teaching Literature to enhance reading comprehension skills”, is conducted to find out the role and importance of teaching literature in developing comprehension skills in tertiary level. The researcher adopted descriptive analysis method, the population of this study of (30) English language teachers from different Sudanese universities. Date was gathered by questionnaire. The researcher used a statistical package for social studies (SPSS package). The study comes up with followings: Teaching literature in language courses helps students to develop Reading Comprehension skills, teaching literature in reading lessons helps students to develop skimming and scanning techniques, literature presents valuable material to teach reading comprehension lesson, literature is a good way to practice acquiring quick information from the texts, and teaching literature develops students’ interpretative abilities.
The photolysis of methyl N.N'‐dimethyl‐N‐((C‐methylcarbamoyl)‐oxy)‐l‐thio‐oxamimidate 1 was conducted in solvents (methanol and hexane) and in the solid state as thin film under a 300 nm light. The compound underwent rapid and extensive degradation in both systems. The half lives were approximately 7 h in solution and 2 h in the solid state. Photoproducts were separated and tested for nematicidal activity against root knot nematode larvae and were found to be less toxic.
Background Collateral status of the circle of Willis was associated with white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in patients with internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis, but few have investigated the effect of leptomeningeal anastomoses.   Objective The aim of this study was to observe the association between WMHs and the laterality of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) that presents leptomeningeal anastomoses in patients with severe ICA stenosis.   Materials and Methods WMHs and ipsilateral PCA laterality were evaluated in patients with unilateral ICA stenosis ≥70% (including occlusion) and contralateral ICA stenosis <50% or no stenosis. Ipsilateral PCA laterality was compared between two groups of no/mild and severe score of global, deep and periventricular WMHs, respectively.   Results We included 115 patients with unilateral ICA stenosis ≥70%. There were 60 patients with no/mild and 55 with severe global WMHs. The patients with severe global WMHs were older (OR = 1.849, 95% CI: 1.058-3.229, P = 0.031) and had higher incidence of negative PCA laterality (OR = 3.301, 95% CI: 1.140-9.558, P = 0.028). The patients with severe deep WMHs were also older (OR = 2.031, 95% CI: 1.130-3.651, P = 0.018) and had higher incidence of negative PCA laterality (OR = 4.250, 95% CI: 1.501-12.032, P = 0.006). There was no significant difference between the patients with no/mild and severe periventricular WMHs in the incidence of negative PCA laterality.   Conclusions The incidence of negative PCA laterality was higher in patients with severe global and deep WMHs, but not higher in patients with severe periventricular WMHs. The leptomeningeal anastomoses may affect the deep WMHs in patients with severe ICA stenosis.
Collaborative efforts among hospitals can facilitate the exchange of ideas, provide a forum for discussing the development of new policies or practices or changes to existing policies and practices, and increase the implementation of best practices. In November 2008, the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition formed a collaborative of maternity facilities wishing to pursue Baby-Friendly designation. Members provided insights from experiences and shared models and examples from outside. We describe highlights from the first 15 months of the Collaborative and present 4 recommendations for overcoming barriers: (1) manage expectations of patients, family/friends, and staff; (2) restrict access to materials that can undermine breastfeeding; (3) adopt the appropriate perspectives to creatively implement change; and (4) bundle, reframe, and harness larger forces. The strategies can be applied across diverse hospital settings.
The article is focused on the value of design archives as resources to be enhanced through exhibitions, and as heritage for innovation based on process of knowledge re-use, especially for creative industries. Starting from the background of the debate on the new dimension of the archive (especially the one focused on the relation between art and design practices and the archive), the article will focus on a specific context as the one of design archives which have been in recent years particularly vivid realities. Focusing on designer’s archive (in between the broader system of design documentation), and through a case study such as CSAC of University of Parma, we will examine how these archives are not merely repositories of drawings and how they can be connectors for creative industries, through exhibitions and other programs. In the second part of the article, we will focus on three exhibitions devoted to design which are expressions of a huge patrimony organized in structured archives, analysing different curatorial practices and narratives paradigms. In these cases, design exhibitions are ‘active’ representation of design archives.
In this paper, we report the wavelength-dependent performance of orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam generation and detection using a spatial light modulator (SLM). To characterize the wavelength dependency of the OAM beam generation and detection, we used a 10 Gbps non-return to zero ON–Off Keying (NRZ-OOK) modulated optical signal, and we measured the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) values and Q values over the C band. In this study, we have used OAM beams with topological charge (l) values ±1, ±2, and, ±3. The results reveal that the measured OSNR values and Q values show a variation of 1 dB over the entire C-band. In this work, we have also reported the BER performance of OAM beams with a topological charge of ±1, ±2, and ±3 at wavelengths of 1530 nm, 1550 nm, and 1565 nm. These results also show that for all topological change values, the required received power to achieve the Pre-FEC BER value (1 × 10−3) over the entire C-band depends on the wavelength of operation and exhibits a variation of 1.7 dB. The experimental results indeed show that the optical performance of the generation and detection of OAM beams strongly depend on the operating wavelength. Thus, this study can be beneficial for designing optical links using OAM multiplexing along with a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) transmission system.
In this work, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were successfully synthesized from AgNO3 through a simple and eco-friendly method, also called the green synthesis, using Mon Thong durian (Durio zibethinus L.) peeling extract. The main role in synthesis mechanism of AgNPs is using polysaccharides in durian rind as a reducing agent as well as stabilizer. The appearance of a yellowish-brown color in mixture of AgNO3 solution and durian rind extract is the indication of formation of AgNPs. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrometry. The AgNPs were found to be polycrystalline in nature and spherical particles with diameter of 11.7 ± 3.2 nm. The crystallinity with fcc phase is evidenced by clear lattice fringes in SAED pattern and diffraction peaks in the XRD pattern corresponding to the (111), (200), (220), and (311) planes.
The coil winding and core of a working electrical transformer often produce huge amount of rebarbative heat. An efficient heat transfer device is therefore very necessary. Conventional cooling approaches that encompass oil-immersed natural cooling, forced oil loop cooling and loop water cooling cannot meet the increasing transformer load, which may result in high safety risk and reduce lifespan of the transformer. In this study, a new conceptual loop cooling modality based on liquid metal coolant was proposed for the first time. Comparison on the performances between the present method and the conventional ways were computationally evaluated. It was found that liquid metal can dramatically reduce the temperature of the coil winding and core and temperature difference among each part of the transformer. This suggests a better cooling approach for the transformer in the coming time.
Routing is one of the most important reasons behind clustering in MANETs. However, the frequent changes of the clusterheads affect the performance of the routing protocol. The route between two nodes changes constantly as the clusterhead set changes. Maintaining and minimizing the routes interruptions are two ways of keeping the stability of the network. We claim that the lifetime of a particular route is dependent on all the clusterheads involved in this route. By maintaining the route lifetime, we can keep the network in stable condition as long as possible. Therefore, we propose a localized cluster-based rerouting and resource reservation (LC3R) protocol with packet redundancy over primary and secondary clusterhead chains. This protocol intends to improve the performance of MANETs by increasing the route lifetime to enhance the network stability and developing a reliable cluster-based routing protocol to support the QoS requirements.
Platinum bimetallic alloys are well-known for their ability to catalyze the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Pt(x)Co(1-x) colloidal nanoparticles were synthesized with varying initial Pt : Co ratios, but constant size to investigate how the initial metal composition affects their electrocatalytic performance. The results show that upon contact with acid environment the Co leaches out of the particles leading to almost identical compositions, independent of the initial differences. Surprisingly the data show a clear trend in ORR activity, although the Pt(x)Co(1-x) nanoparticles almost completely de-alloy during acid leaching, i.e. under reaction conditions in a fuel cell. To scrutinize the resulting particle structure after de-alloying we used pair distribution function (PDF) analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD) gaining insight into the structural disorder and its dependence on the initial metal composition. Our results suggest that not only the ORR activity, but also the corrosion resistance of the synthesized NPs, are dependent on the structural disorder resulting from the de-alloying process.
PURPOSE To determine the efficacy of transdermal clonidine for alleviating tamoxifen-induced hot flashes in women with a history of breast cancer.   PATIENTS AND METHODS A randomized, double-blind, crossover design was used in this prospective study. Women with a history of breast cancer who were receiving tamoxifen and suffering from hot flashes were potentially eligible for this protocol study.   RESULTS Clonidine did reduce hot-flash frequency to a degree that was statistically impressive (P < .0001), but clinically moderate (20% reduction from baseline). It also decreased hot-flash severity (P = .02, 10% reduction from baseline). Clonidine was related to increased mouth dryness (P < .001), constipation (P < .02), itchiness under the patch (P < .01), and drowsiness (P < .05).   CONCLUSION Better means are needed to alleviate hot flashes among patients in whom estrogen therapy is contraindicated.
ABSTRACT This study investigated the leaching yields of Mo, Ni and Co from a mineral sludge of a metal recycling plant generated by rainfalls. The investigated mineral sludge had a complex heterogeneous composition, consisting of particles of settled soil combined with metal-bearing particles (produced by catalysts, metallic oxides and battery recycling). The leaching potential of different leaching reagents (stand-alone strong acids (HNO3 (68%), H2SO4 (98%) and HCl (36%)) and acid mixtures (aqua regia (nitric + hydrochloric (1:3)), nitric + sulphuric (1:1) and nitric + sulphuric + hydrochloric (2:1:1)) was investigated at changing operational parameters (solid−liquid (S/L) ratio, leaching time and temperature), in order to select the leaching reagent which achieves the highest metal leaching yields. Sulphuric acid (98% H2SO4) was found to be the leachant with the highest metal leaching potential. The optimal leaching conditions were a three-stage successive leaching at 80°C with a leaching time of 2 h and S/L ratio of 0.25 g L−1. Under these conditions, the achieved mineral sludge sample leaching yields were 85.5%, 40.5% and 93.8% for Mo, Ni and Co, respectively. The higher metal leaching potential of H2SO4 in comparison with the other strong acids/acid mixtures is attributed to the fact that H2SO4 is a diacidic compound, thus it has more H+ ions, resulting in its stronger oxidizing power and corrosiveness.
Muscadine grapes (Vitis rotundifolia Michx) are considered as excellent genetic resources for grape breeding programs as they are known for their hardiness and resistance to pests and diseases. However, contrary to popular belief, our study indicated that not all muscadine cultivars are resistant to anthracnose disease. In order to identify a source of genetic tolerance towards anthracnose among muscadine cultivars, a series of in-situ and ex-situ experiments were conducted through strict and sensitive screening processes. Two consecutive years of field evaluation of 54 grape cultivars showed various levels of anthracnose incidence among the cultivars between a scale of 0 (tolerant) to 5 (highly-susceptible). Resistance bioassay by inoculation of different spore densities of Elsinoë ampelina on 40 cultivars presented similar results and was consistent with those obtained from the field test. A real-time PCR analysis was conducted to investigate differences of gene expression between susceptible and tolerant cultivars and to confirm results by phenotypic identification. Expression of genes encoding chalcone synthase, stilbene synthase, polygalacturonase-inhibiting protein, chitinase and lipid transfer-protein was only detected in tolerant cultivars. Resistant muscadine cultivars identified in this study could be excellent candidates for grape disease resistance breeding programs.
This paper describes the development and applications of a new generation of ‘vacuum tubes’ used primarily for ‘high-voltage modulator’ and ‘switch’ service. These tubes were developed to meet system needs that existing devices do not fill. Their prime features are reduced size and weight, rugged planar construction, low inductance, low capacitance, optimized high voltage performance, and ‘x-ray radiation shielding’. Circuits for several common applications will be shown.
In Higgs and Humphreys [7], the 2-groups that realize all their possible projective character degree patterns were classified. The p-groups of order p n , for n ≤ 4 and p odd, that satisfy this property are also all known. In this article, we will complete the classification of all p-groups that have this property. This will be achieved by showing that a p-group of order p n , for n ≥ 5 and p odd, cannot realize all its possible projective character degree patterns.
Doxorubicin treatment was found to augment the expression of the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein fibulin-1 in cultured human breast cancer cell lines and in MDA-MB-361 tumors grown in athymic mice. Doxorubicin was also found to augment tumor expression of the fibulin-1-binding proteins fibronectin and laminin-1. Growth of breast cancer cell lines on Matrigel, an ECM extract containing fibulin-1 and laminin-1, resulted in lower levels of doxorubicin-induced apoptosis as compared with controls. Moreover, tumors formed by injection of athymic mice with MDA-MB-361 cells mixed with Matrigel were significantly more doxorubicin resistant and displayed lower levels of apoptosis compared with those that formed in the absence of Matrigel. Monoclonal antibodies against fibulin-1 reversed Matrigel-dependent doxorubicin resistance. Furthermore, small interfering RNA-mediated suppression of fibulin-1 expression in breast cancer cells resulted in a 10-fold increase in doxorubicin sensitivity as compared with control cells. Together, these findings point to a role for fibulin-1 in breast cancer chemoresistance.
The purpose of this research was to investigate the possibility of peer recommendation and to provide a diverse perspectives identifying for gifted elementary school students. The subjects were 355 elementary school students who were either fourth, fifth, and sixth grade from D elementary school located in Gyeonggi province, 165 elementary school students who are either fourth, fifth, and sixth grade from J elementary school located in Gyeonggi province, and 16 teachers who were home-room teachers for students surveyed. This research investigate the difference of creative personality, achievement motivation, problem solving patterns, and task preference inventory between students recommended by peer and students not recommended by peer. The results of this research were as follows. Firstly, the students recommended by peer showed the significantly higher creative personality, achievement motivation, problem solving patterns, and task preference than the student not recommended by peer. Secondly, as a result of comparing the students recommended by peer and students not recommended by peer for each grade, fifth and sixth grade students showed a significantly higher score in the test than other graders. Fourth grade students showed significantly higher score in every sections in the test, except for the section of creative personality. Therefore, the peer recommandation method can be applied to fifth, and sixth graders. Thirdly, the student recommended by both teacher and peer showed significantly higher problem solving patterns, and task preference scores than the student recommended only by teacher. Therefore, peer recommendation method can be an useful data for complementing teacher recommendation and it can identify gifted elementary school students.
Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) ship detection especially for small ships has issues, such as dense distribution of ships, interference from land and small islands. To address these issues, many deep learning methods, including anchor-based and anchor-free methods, have been successfully migrated from optical scenes to SAR images. However, when the preset scale of anchors does not match well with the ships, it will seriously reduce the detection precision. Due to the lack of anchor-based refinement process, anchor-free methods may generate missing or false alarms in complex scenarios. In this article, a two-stage ship detection network which can generate anchors is proposed. First, our method generates high-quality anchors by network, which is more beneficial for the network to capture small ships. In addition, the generated anchors are centrally set in the region of ships, which reduces the number of anchors unrelated to ships. Second, the receptive field enhancement module is inserted into the feature pyramid network. It sets different dilation ratios of atrous convolution according to the scale of the feature map, which further enriches the semantic information of the elements in the feature map. Therefore, the network can use the information of a wider region effectively to detect ships. Finally, to verify the effectiveness of our method, extensive experiments are carried out on SAR ship detection dataset and high-resolution SAR images dataset. The results show that our method has more strong ability of detecting small ships, and achieves better detection performance than some state-of-the-art methods.
Urban Aedes mosquitoes are vectors of many viruses affecting human health such as Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses. Insecticide resistance and environmental toxicity risks hamper the effectiveness of chemical control against these mosquito vectors. Alternative control methods, such as the use of mosquito-specific entomopathogenic viruses should be explored. Numerous studies have focused on evaluating the potential of different densoviruses species as biological control agent. However, knowledge on the extent of inter- and intra-specific variations in the susceptibility of Aedes mosquitoes to infection by different densoviruses remains insufficient. In this study, we compared infection and mortality rates induced by the Aedes albopictus densovirus 2 in different strains of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The two Aedes species were different in terms of susceptibility to viral infection. Under laboratory conditions, Aedes albopictus densovirus 2 appeared more virulent for the different strains of Aedes aegypti tested than for those of Aedes albopictus. In addition, we also found significant intra-specific variation in infection and mortality rates. Thus, although even if Aedes albopictus densoviruses could be powerful biocontrol agents used in the management of urban Aedes populations, our results also call into question the use of single viral isolate as biocontrol agents.
In the next register Anubis tended the mummy on a bier, while Isis and Nephthys stood at head and foot in attitudes of protection. I This scene is described in Chapter 157 of the Book of the Dead, where we are told that Anubis places his hands on the mummy and furnishes it with necessary things. The register above showed the mummified hawk of Sokaraccompanied by a wgJt-eye, and surrounded by standing gods holding the feather of truth. This was Rostau, 'sacred place of Sokar', and the fifth hour of the night. In the Book of Imy-Dwiit we are told that 'he who knows them (these figures) shall be at peace. His soul shall enjoy the offerings of Sokar. Khemyt shall not cut up his body, and he shall pass by her in peace.' A prayer for funerary offerings accompanied the scene. Possibly the attendant gods were to protect the deceased from the fiend Khemyt. The judgement hall of Osiris, the seventh hour of the night, occupied the next register. On the right Thoth weighed the heart of the deceased in the presence of Ammut 'the eater of the dead', and on the left led her to the company of gods to proclaim her innocence.s The Book of Imy-Dwiit explains that 'he who knows this scene shall be in the boat of Re( in the sky and in the earth (i.e. the netherworld). But he who lacks this knowledge shall not know how to repel Terrible Face (i.e, Apophis).' This scene always occurs over the actual heart of the mummy. Immediately above was the facade of the tomb whence the deceased flew up to heaven.' The latter was represented by the Goddess Nut, the sun on her head, her wings extended in welcome, and carrying the feathers of truth. Sometimes the figure of Nut is replaced by the winged sun-disk with pendent uraei: the wings to welcome the just, the snakes to repel the wicked." At other times the winged ram of Amlin hovers above the hawk of Re(, taking precedence over the older god." And often the birth of the sun is depicted as in the Book of Gates.' The protective wgJt-eyes are also seen here at the entrance of heaven f likewise the jackals which led the deceased 'along the paths of the sky to Re('. On the head of the mummy case was depicted the sun-disk above a scarab beetle,v which reads, 'the coming into being of the sun', that is the sunrise; and so the resurrection of the deceased. Symbols of east and west were on either side and a Sn loop below, indicating the sun's circuit, and the deceased's future journey. In the Book of Imy-Dwiit we are told that 'he who knows these secret figures is a fully equipped spirit. He may leave and enter the netherworld. He may speak to the living.' Thus the underlying idea expressed on the mummy case was the familiar one of death and resurrection, which may be summed up in the words of the Christian creed, 'He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead, He ascended into heaven.' JOHN BENNETT
The major problems of information technologies forming a basis for modern hierarchic monitoring networks are considered. Such networks are used to trace natural processes mostly in seismic volcano-prone zones and technogenic processes associated with industrial and test site explosions, destructive processes in hydropower and nuclear power plants, etc. Algorithmic approaches to the online solution of problems and methods of their implementation, which increase the accuracy and performance of calculations at various network hierarchic levels, are proposed.
Objectives Patients’ and caregivers’ physical and mental health may interact. The theory of dyadic illness management holds that patients and caregivers should be regarded as a whole in health management. Previous studies have found that hemodialysis patients and their family caregivers experience poor sleep quality. Perceived stress and social support have effects on insomnia. However, the dyadic interaction between perceived stress, social support, and insomnia among hemodialysis patients and caregivers is unclear. This study aimed to explore the mediating role of social support in the association between perceived stress and insomnia in hemodialysis patient-caregiver dyads. Methods A total of 259 hemodialysis patient-caregiver dyads completed the Chinese Perceived Stress Scales (CPSS), the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) in Lanzhou, China, from May 2022 to July 2022. The actor-partner interdependence mediation model analysis was used for data analysis. Results In the actor effect, there was a significant positive correlation between perceived stress and insomnia in hemodialysis patients (β = 0.091, p = 0.001) and their family caregivers (β = 0.588, p < 0.001). Patient’s and caregiver’s social support played partial mediating roles in the relationship between caregiver’s perceived stress and insomnia (β = 0.135, p < 0.001 and β = 0.111, p < 0.001). In the partner effect, caregiver’s perceived stress was positively connected with patient’s insomnia (β = 0.915, p < 0.001), and the mediating effect of patient’s social support on the relationship between caregiver’s perceived stress and patient’s insomnia was statistically significant (β = −0.040, p = 0.046). Conclusion The perceived stress, social support and insomnia of hemodialysis patients and their family caregivers had interactive effects. Effective dyadic-based interventions should be developed to improve hemodialysis patients’ and caregivers’ sleep quality.
Small-interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of genes implicated in disease by the process of RNA interference offers a novel genetic medicine approach. Polymeric nanoparticles (or polyplexes) formed by self-assembly of polycations with siRNA can be used for site-specific delivery, cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking as a strategy to improve the therapeutic potential of siRNA. This review describes the application of polyplexes for in vivo delivery of synthetic siRNA with focus given to systemic and mucosal routes and in vivo requirements. Issues including use of stimuli-responsive systems for intracellular trafficking of siRNA are discussed as part of neccessary future directives towards the development of RNA-based clinical therapeutics.
Abstract Background and aims To explore the incidence and risk factors, as well as mortality, in critically ill COVID-19 patients who developed pneumothorax (PTX) and/or pneumomediastinum (PNM). Methods A retrospective cohort study was undertaken to analyse data of all patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 disease who were either RTPCR positive or had a clinico-radiological diagnosis. The exposure group consisted of COVID-19 patients who presented with PTX/PNM, whereas the non-exposure group consisted of patients who did not develop PTX and/or PNM during the stay. Results Incidence of PTX/PNM was observed to be 1.9% among critically ill COVID-19 patients. 94.4% (17/18) of patients in the PTX group received positive pressure ventilation (PPV); the majority of these patients were on non-invasive ventilation when they developed PTX/PNM; only one patient was receiving conventional oxygen therapy. COVID-19 patients who developed PTX/PNM had 2.7 times higher mortality. A mortality rate of 72.2% was observed in COVID-19 patients who developed PTX/PNM. Conclusion Development of PTX/PNM in critically ill COVID-19 patients is associated with more severe disease involvement, and institution of PPV is an additional risk factor. Significantly high mortality was observed following PTX/PNM in critically ill COVID-19 patients and is an independent marker of poor prognosis in COVID-19 disease.
In single-molecule force spectroscopy, individual molecules and complexes are often stretched by pulling devices via intervening molecular handles. Accurate interpretation of measurements from such experiments in terms of the underlying energy landscape, defined by activation barriers and intrinsic rates of transition, relies on our understanding, and proper theoretical treatment, of the effects of the pulling device and handle. Here, we present a framework based on Kramers' theory that elucidates the dependence of measured rupture forces and rates on the pulling device stiffness and attributes of the handle, contour length and persistence length. We also introduce a simple analytic model that improves prediction of activation barriers and intrinsic rates for all device stiffnesses and handle properties, thus allowing for a more reliable interpretation of experiments. Our analyses also suggests intuitive ways of displaying the measured force spectra for proper prognosis of device and handle effects and provides the range of device and handle attributes over which these effects can be neglected.
Abstract. In the framework of the linear theory, the representation theorem is derived for an incompressible liquid layer with a boundary of arbitrary shape and in a homogeneous gravity field. In addition, the asymptotic representation for the Green function, in a layer of constant thickness is obtained. The validity of the approach for the calculation of the tsunami wavefield based on the Green function technique is verified comparing the results with those obtained from the modal theory, for a liquid layer of infinite horizontal dimensions. The Green function approach is preferable for the estimation of the excitation spectra, since in the case of an infinite liquid layer it leads to simple analytical expressions. From this analysis it is easy to describe the peculiarities of tsunami excitation by different sources. The method is extended to the excitation of tsunami in a semiinfinite layer with a sloping boundary. Numerical modelling of the tsunami wavefield, excited by point sources at different distances from the coastline, shows that when the source is located at a distance from the coastline equal or larger than the source depth, the shore presence does not affect the excitation of the tsunami. When the source is moved towards thecoastline, the low frequency content in the excitation spectrum ecreases, while the high frequencies content increases dramatically. The maximum of the excitation spectra from inland sources, located at a distance from the shore like the source depth, becomes less than 10% of that radiated if the same source is located in the open ocean. The effect of the finiteness of the source is also studied and the excitation spectrum is obtained by integration over the fault area. Numerical modelling of the excitation spectra for different source models shows that, for a given seismic moment, the spectral level, as well as the maximum value of the spectra, decreases with increasing fault size. When the sources are located in the vicinity of a shore, the synthetic mareograms calculated at distances greater than the source depth show that the maximum tsunami amplitude decays with decreasing source-to-shore distance. The rate of decay is dependent on the dip, length and depth of the fault. The tsunami intensity, defined as maximum peak-to-peak amplitude, decays with the inland distance of the source from the coast. At an inland distance equal to the source depth, it becomes 4–5 times less than that from a source in the open ocean. If the source is located under the coastline, the intensity of tsunami is approximately the same as for oceanic sources.
The comparison of biocoenosis and thanatocoenosis at three observational stations, west of the peninsula Istria, in littoral of the Adriatic sea, has shown a suprisingly low similarity between them. The difference seems to be due to ecological changes during the deposition of thanatocoenosis (approximately in the last hundert years). These ecological changes can not be studied in thanatocoeno- sis because of a very high degree of bioturbation that destroyed stratification and mixed all the skeletal particles. Lateral transport of skeletal particles seems to be of minor importance.
Hydrogen is a promising alternative fuel for efficient energy production and storage, with water splitting considered one of the cleanest, environmentally friendly, and sustainable approaches to generate hydrogen. Electrochemically catalyzed water splitting plays an important role in energy conversion for the development of hydrogen-based energy sources. Porphyrin and macrocycle derivatives are versatile and can electrochemically catalyze water splitting efficiently. Because of the significance of molecule activation of electrochemical water splitting, this article covers recent progress in hydrogen evolution and oxygen evolution reactions catalyzed by porphyrin and macrocycle derivatives.
Theoretical models of species coexistence between desert mammals have generally been based on a combination of food and microhabitat selection by granivorous rodents. Although these models are applicable in various deserts of the world, they cannot explain resource use by mammals in Neotropical deserts. The present study examines diet composition in a mammal assemblage in the Monte desert, Argentina. The results show that two main strategies are used by these mammals: medium-sized species (hystricognath rodents: Dolichotis patagonum, Lagostomus maximus, Microcavia australis and Galea musteloides; and an exotic lagomorph: Lepus europaeus) are herbivores, whereas small-sized species (a marsupial: Thylamys pusillus; and sigmodontine rodents: Graomys griseoflavus, Akodon molinae, Calomys musculinus, Eligmodontia typus) are omnivorous. Small mammals also show a tendency towards granivory (C. musculinus), insectivory (A. molinae and T. pusillus) and folivory (G. griseoflavus).
The aim of this paper is to present the results of a longitudinal study based on anonymous (encoded) questionnaires filled in by a group of students enrolled at a university English Studies programme. The questionnaires analysed the students’ views and opinions concerning their own pronunciation in English as an L2. The initial stage of the study took place at the beginning of the first semester of studies before the first pronunciation class in which the students took part. Then the study participants were trained in both segmental and suprasegmental phonetics of English. Finally, they filled in almost the same questionnaire. The obtained results have shown that although initially the subjects had been satisfied with their own L2 pronunciation, later they realized that it had left a lot to be desired and it improved only after the university course in English phonetics.
Two novel complexes of CuCN were characterized by using a single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique and Raman spectroscopy. In the structure of 2CuCN·DMSO ligand molecule demonstrates unique bridging mode, being bound to two CuI centers via oxygen and sulfur atoms. The bridging role of both CN groups and DMSO molecules results in the formation of (CuCN·DMSO)n framework. Along the channels of the network are running infinite zig-zag (CuCN)n chains, which are bound to the framework by elongated Cu…(CN) bonds. A mixed-valence [CuII(DMSO)6][CuI6(CN)8] compound is composed of 3-D [CuI6(CN)8]n anionic framework and located in the channels of partially disordered [CuII(DMSO)6]2+ cations.
organ donation after cardiac death a the new england sample policy for organ donation after cardiac death national protocol for donation after cardiac death donation after cardiac death national kidney foundation issue: donation after cardiac death (dcd) donation after cardiac death, adult assessment windows donation after cardiac death an ethical reflection on arrest of transplant surgeon raises concern regarding organ donation: donation after neurologic death donation organ donation and transplantation after cardiac death donation after cardiac death: analysis and recommendations report of a national conference on donation after cardiac donation after cardiac death in the us: history and use protocol organ and tissue donation and procurement after dictionary of organ donation and transplantation terms cadaveric organ and tissue donation and transplantation donor after cardiac death: what is the christian?s response? chapter 6: opinions on organ procurement & transplantation basic issues boston college organ & tissue donor manual onelegacy organ tissue donation resource manual draft laf's edits donation after i cardiac death ku leuven the report of a national conference on donation after donation after cardiac death: an end of life option for physician-assisted death, organ donation after cardiac liver transplantation using grafts from donation after asts recommended practice guidelines for controlled ethics of donation after cardiac death home > home controversies in organ donation: donation after cardiac death current situation of donation after circulatory death in donation after cardiac death pediatric en bloc renal organ donation: brain death objectives and cardiac death unyts organ & tissue donation manual lifesource kidney transplantation from donors after cardiac death organ transplantation after cardiac death the lancet organ donation and transplantation after cardiac death lung transplantation from donation after cardiac death what's new in the transplant or? organ donation after cardiac death atul gawande using donation after cardiac death donors in liver non heart beating organ donation in adults: a clinical organ donation and transplantation after cardiac death 282 organ donation after death aagbi sample policy 1:donation after cardiac death current status and recent advances of liver liver transplantation using organ donation after cardiac death how i manage the adult potential organ donor: donation the process of donation after cardiac death: a us perspective organ transplantation after cardiac death researchgate donation after cardiac death liver transplantation
In awake rats, >80% bilateral reduction of neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R)-expressing neurons in the pre-Bötzinger complex (pre-BötzC) resulted in hypoventilation and an "ataxic" breathing pattern (Gray PA, Rekling JC, Bocchiaro CM, Feldman JL, Science 286: 1566-1568, 1999). Accordingly, the present study was designed to gain further insight into the role of the pre-BötzC area NK1R-expressing neurons in the control of breathing during physiological conditions. Microtubules were chronically implanted bilaterally into the medulla of adult goats. After recovery from surgery, the neurotoxin saporin conjugated to substance P, specific for NK1R-expressing neurons, was bilaterally injected (50 pM in 10 microl) into the pre-BötzC area during the awake state (n = 8). In unoperated goats, 34 +/- 0.01% of the pre-BötzC area neurons are immunoreactive for the NK1R, but, in goats after bilateral injection of SP-SAP into the pre-BötzC area, NK1R immunoreactivity was reduced to 22.5 +/- 2.5% (29% decrease, P < 0.01). Ten to fourteen days after the injection, the frequency of abnormal breathing periods was sixfold greater than before injection (107.8 +/- 21.8/h, P < 0.001). Fifty-six percent of these periods were breaths of varying duration and volume with an altered respiratory muscle activation pattern, whereas the remaining were rapid, complete breaths with coordinated inspiratory-expiratory cycles. The rate of occurrence and characteristics of abnormal breathing periods were not altered during a CO2 inhalation-induced hyperpnea. Pathological breathing patterns were eliminated during non-rapid eye movement sleep in seven of eight goats, but they frequently occurred on arousal from non-rapid eye movement sleep. We conclude that a moderate reduction in pre-BötzC NK1R-expressing neurons results in state-dependent transient changes in respiratory rhythm and/or eupneic respiratory muscle activation patterns.
A critical role is proposed for the quantity and quality of dietary carbohydrate in the pathogenesis of the insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia which characterise the Metabolic Syndrome. We propose that an insulin-resistant genotype evolved to provide survival and reproductive advantages for the cold-climate, large game hunters of the last Ice Age who consumed a low carbohydrate, high protein diet with periodic starvation. Insulin resistance would have minimised glucose utilisation by muscles thereby facilitating the preferential utilisation of glucose by the brain, foetus and mammary gland. But beginning about 10,000 years ago following the end of the last Ice Age and the development of agriculture, dietary carbohydrate increased and the selection pressure for insulin resistance decreased in some groups. Agriculture began in the Middle East and spread throughout Europe long before it was developed elsewhere. Hence the prevalence of the insulin-resistant genotype decreased in Europeans and other groups exposed to a high carbohydrate intake for sufficiently long. Some geographically isolated groups such as the Pima Indians and Nauruans experienced conditions which further diminished the gene pool diversity and resulted in particularly insulin resistant populations. Traditional carbohydrate foods have a low glycaemic index and produce only modest increases in plasma insulin. However, the constant supply of highly refined high glycaemic index carbohydrate in modern diets, results in postprandial hyperinsulinaemia. The insulin-resistant genotype is now disadvantageous and predisposes to the development of the Metabolic Syndrome.
The stomatal conductance of several anisohydric plant species, including field-grown sunflower, frequently correlates with leaf water potential ([psi]1), suggesting that chemical messages travelling from roots to shoots may not play an important role in stomatal control. We have performed a series of experiments in which evaporative demand, soil water status and ABA origin (endogenous or artificial) were varied in order to analyse stomatal control. Sunflower plants were subjected to a range of soil water potentials under contrasting air vapour pressure deficits (VPD, from 0.5 to 2.5 kPa) in the field, in the glasshouse or in a humid chamber. Sunflower plants were also fed through the xylem with varying concentrations of artificial ABA, in the glasshouse and in the field. Finally, detached leaves were fed directly with varying concentrations of ABA under three contrasting VPDs. A unique relationship between stomatal conductance (gs) and the concentration of ABA in the xylem sap (xylem [ABA]) was observed in all cases. In contrast, the relationship between [psi]1 and gs varied substantially among experiments. Its slope was positive for droughted plants and negative for ABA-fed whole plants or detached leaves, and also varied appreciably with air VPD. All observed relationships could be modelled on the basis of the assumption that had no controlling effect on gs. We conclude that stomatal control depended only on the concentration of ABA in the xylem sap, and that [psi]1 was controlled by water flux through the plant (itself con-trolled by stomatal conductance). The possibility is also raised that differences in stomatal 'strategy' between isohydric plants (such as maize, where daytime [psi]1 does not vary appreciably with soil water status) and anisohydric plants (such as sunflower) may be accounted for by the degree of influence of [psi]1 on stomatal control, for a given level of xylem [ABA]. We propose that statistical relationships between [psi]1 and gs are only observed when [psi]1 has no controlling action on stomatal behaviour. (Resume d'auteur)
Nowadays, in the age of rapid introduction of digital and fiber-optic technologies in neurosurgery, a technique for removal of tumors in the chiasmatic-sellar area via an endoscopic transsphenoidal endonasal approach is actively developed; this technique is considered less invasive and is well tolerated by patients, thus permitting to operate patients with somatic complications, as well as the elderly. Taking into account these facts, as well as world statistic data indicating a continuous trend of population aging in developed countries, including Russia, optimization of the perioperative care of elderly patients with a tumor of the chiasmatic-sellar area becomes the problem of highest priority. In order to solve it, this review discusses the basic peculiarities of the perioperative management of elderly patients (characteristics of their somatic status and possible variants of the pre-operational state) with a pathology in the chiasmatic-sellar region; it also presents the modern and most acceptable alternative solutions of this difficult problem (introduction of modern methods of anesthesia, management of the postoperative cognitive dysfunction, postoperative pain syndrome, and postoperative nausea and vomiting).
PURPOSE To investigate whether repeated sessions of motor imagery and action observation modulate corticospinal excitability (CE) over time, whether these processes are susceptible of any training effect and if such effect might be different for the dominant and non dominant hemisphere.   METHODS 11 subjects underwent three sessions, spaced 5-7 days, of single-pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) of right and left primary motor cortex. Subjects were asked to imagine or observe pinch-grip actions with either hand. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded bilaterally from the First Dorsal Interosseus muscle (FDI), acting as main agonist during precision grip.   RESULTS Motor imagery consistently enhanced CE with respect to action observation, regardless of hemispheric lateralization and of separate testing sessions. However, motor imagery increased CE only when measured over the non-dominant hemisphere, during the third session with respect to the first one. The increase of CE induced by action observation in the first session was not further modified throughout the remaining two sessions, in either hemisphere.   CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that motor imagery is sustained by a cortical network susceptible to training effects only for the non-dominant hemisphere. Such an effect was lacking for action observation, likely because of the innateness of these mechanisms. Results might have implications for rehabilitative purposes.
This article proposes a novel electro-mechanical device to facilitate the investigation of mechanical stimuli on cells. The system was designed to dynamically apply a generalized, multi-axial state of deformation to a cell-encapsulated in a hydrogel cube by applying independent combinations of normal and shear forces to the faces of the cube. The compact device was prototyped using ABS plastic and used shape memory alloy actuator wires to generate the required forces and deformations. The electro-thermal and thermo-mechanical behaviors of the actuation system were modeled analytically and the stimulator was tested to evaluate its performance. Strain amplitudes of up to 8% (tension/compression and shear) were achievable, while deforming a cube with 1 cm side length.
Editorial on the Research Topic Organization of the White Matter Anatomy in the Human Brain Between nineteenth and twentieth centuries, neurosciences experienced the first sharing of experiences and competences between the world of brain anatomy and clinics. The improvements in the knowledge of human white matter (WM) anatomy provided the natural background to the structural definition of a wide spectrum of clinical syndromes. This "disconnection" experience was the first field of strict integration between the WM anatomical and clinical skills, and constituted the hard core for the development of the modern neurosciences over the last century (Catani and ffytche, 2005). While the second half of twentieth century has seen the neurophysiology taking a front role in the definition of the physiological and physio-pathological processing of brain circuitries, the last decade has definitively brought neuroimaging into the world of neuroscience. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) tractography have successively opened a new era for a better understanding of functional and structural anatomy of the human brain (Le Bihan and Johansen-Berg, 2012; Smith et al., 2013). In particular, DWI-based tractography was the first tool allowing the exploration of human WM in vivo with an unprecedented level of details, and it shed a new light in the knowledge of the brain anatomy that became, finally, more accessible (Jeurissen et al., 2019). Beyond the technical aspects related to the continuous necessary improvement of this approach (Maier-Hein et al., 2017), tractography produced a conceptual revolution leading that the wiring diagram of brain connections regained a center scene of neuroscience research. Such a revolution was not only in research but also in the clinical and neurosurgical domains and opened the "connectome" era (Sporns, 2013). The fields of neuroanatomy, neuroimaging, neurophysiology and clinical researches are currently closer as never before. In fact, two decades of exploration of brain structure and functional processing with an unprecedented level of sensitivity opened new challenges. Among others, the research for a ground truth in structural anatomy is definitely the most impressive, especially considering the basic and conceptual consequences of that in assessing a reliable knowledge of brain processing, clinics and plasticity. This is what the vast majority of the articles in this Research Topic highlight by describing association WM pathways (Bao et al.; David et al.; Panesar et al.), cortico-striatal Cacciola et al. and cortico-thalamic (Maffei et al.; Roddy et al.; Sun et al.) projection pathways.
The relationship between psychoanalysis and Critical Theory (the Frankfurt School), contrary to dominant interpretations, is examined from a sociocultural perspective. Psychoanalysis addressed the sociopolitical issues of its time, including cultural shifts, war, and the cultural conditio humana in general. Beyond that, and more importantly, it is argued that the core psychoanalytic concepts, including drive itself, can be understood as a structure open to social co-construction. Such an interpretation of psychoanalysis can provide a link to Critical Theory of society. First, both sociopolitical and theoretical conditions in the 1920s and 1930s merit analysis under which members of the Frankfurt Institute for Social Research referred to Freud’s psychoanalysis. A theory was needed that would examine a missing point in Marxist interpretations, which the Institute adopted as its political and theoretical framework. What was missing was a place for subjective mediating factors, especially important among which were those generated by drives and those that operated unconsciously. The views on psychoanalysis and its role in the first generation of Critical Theory are analyzed, particularly the views of Horkheimer, Adorno, Fromm, and, most extensively, Marcuse, given the fact that Freud’s psychoanalysis had a central role in his thought. Finally, questions regarding the contemporary relevance of psychoanalysis and Critical Theory under new sociocultural conditions in the 21st century are raised.
Elite capture is a major barrier to citizen engagement in local governance processes in many developing countries. Data from six case studies of development initiatives in Bangladesh show that, in spite of attempts by aid donors and others to ensure citizen participation, programmes are dominated by a nexus of local elites including MPs and bureaucrats. Local stakeholders do not understand the value that direct citizen participation can bring, and citizens are unaware of their rights and wary of challenging elites. Monitoring of requirements for citizen participation is weak, and the management of some programmes deters participation. Representatives are sometimes selected by elites and legal frameworks are not sufficiently strong or enforced consistently. We conclude that a range of additional and effectively implemented policy measures are required to reduce the extent and effects of elite capture in developing countries.
In this paper, a wideband dual-polarized open-ended waveguide based on the open-ended circular waveguide antenna by adding special inverted ridge structure is proposed. It can be applied to Near-Field measurements. The antenna operates a wide bandwidth ranged from 6 to 15.3 GHz with| S11| < −10dB. Compared to the standard open-ended circular waveguide, it has less scattering due to the aperture size of 0.43λmax. The isolation is greater than 45dB and the cross-polarization discrimination is greater than 40 dB across 6-15.3GHz. The antenna gain is from 5.4 to 11.4 dB and beamwidth is from 40° to 100° over the entire band.
Delays often occur during some activities in software development projects. Without handling of project delays effectively, many software development projects fail to meet their deadlines. If extra employees with same or similar skills and domain knowledge can be rescheduled for the remaining activities of the delayed projects, it can be possible to reduce or even eliminate existing delays in concurrent software development projects of similar nature. However, it is evident that employee rescheduling may result in delaying other activities, which may lead to the problem of delay propagation. Hence, it is important to investigate how to reduce or even eliminate the delay in one project without impacting other projects. By nature this is an NP-hard problem. Therefore, we propose a novel generic rescheduling strategy based on adaptive ant colony optimization algorithm to provide decision support for software project managers to select appropriate employees to deal with project delays. We have carried out a set of comprehensive experiments to evaluate the performance of the proposed strategy. In addition, three real world software project instances are also utilized to evaluate our strategy. The results show that our strategy is effective, efficient and able to outperform its representative counterparts significantly.
Nonclassical adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (NC21OHD) has been described to occur in high frequency among certain ethnic groups, among them Ashkenazi Jews (1/27), Hispanics (1/53), Yugoslavs (1/63), and Italians (1/333). The haplotype segment HLA-B14; DR1 is in strong linkage disequilibrium with the gene for NC21OHD. Differential ethnic group associations have been described, while B14;DR1 is frequent in nonclassical subjects of Ashkenazi Jewish, Hispanic, and Italian origin, this haplotype is much less frequently observed in Yugoslav and northern European Caucasians. It is postulated that the B14;DRl-associated mutation differs from the non-B14 associated mutation and would produce a difference in clinical and/or hormonal phenotypes. we have observed 10 Yugoslav patients with NC21OHD from 9 unrelated families. Three presented with precocious adrenarche. The remainder, identified through family studies of patients previously diagnosed with CAH or NC21OHD, were noted to be asymptomatic. The clinical presentation among the Yugoslavs was different from that in 84 observed patients who were Ashkenazi Jews, Hispanics or Italians. In the latter group the prominent symptoms were hirsutism in 21, amenorrhea or irregular menses in 9, infertility in 4, acne in 8, clitoromegaly in 3, hair loss in 1, accelerated growth in 1, precocious adrenarche in 20, and 31 were asymptomatic. In these patients with NC21OHD, the B14;DR1 segment occurred in 91% of the non-slavic haplotypes. Only 3 of the Yugoslav patients were found to carry the B14;DR1 haplotype and in each case B14;DR1 was associated with Italian, Hungarian, or German ancestry. In summary, we propose that the Yugoslav mutation in NC21OHD is different from other European ethnic groups.
Knowledge of axial anatomy of the different laryngeal structures, identification of the plan of the cords, and relations between the true and false vocal cords is essential for laryngeal surgery where anatomical and radiological correlation is necessary for optimal orientation and guidance. This review constitutes an atlas of axial anatomy of the larynx obtained from a multidetector CT scan, describing the skeletal cartilage, the different folds constituted by laryngeal ligaments covered by mucosa, and the fatty laryngeal spaces. It shows that CT scan and the different reconstructions specifically virtual endoscopy are a valuable adjunct in laryngeal exploration.
Madagascar’s multi-sectoral efforts have helped to reduce the burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTD), which has declined from 5,975 disability adjusted life years (DALYs) per 100,000 people in 1990 to 2,423 in 2016. The World Bank (WB) has financed NTD control activities in the country since 2013 through the International Development Association (IDA) financed PAUSENS project. The World Health Organization (WHO) provided technical support. Both, the WB and the WHO are the primary development partners engaged in NTD control and elimination efforts in Madagascar. In 2016, all preschool-age children (100 percent coverage), and nearly nine out of 10 school-age children at-risk of infection with soil transmitted helminths (STH) (87 percent coverage) were dewormed. However, an estimated 29 million people still require preventive chemotherapy (PC) for at least one NTD. Schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, and STH, together represent 65 percent of total NCDs in the country. These diseases can be controlled by mass drug administration (MDA).
A Mach-Zehnder Interferometric (MZI) space switch using a novel CRE grown InGaAs/InP chopped quantum well (CQW) phase section is presented. Each CQW consists of three 3IA. InGaAs strained quantum wells separated by 12A InP barriers. This structure shows a shift of the absorption edge as high as 80nm at lOV reverse bias. The heavy hole and light hole subbands cross at approximately 0.6% tensile strain. Using these chopped quantum wells, we realized MZ/'s with low attenuation and a V2.l product as low as 3.6 V2.cm. Finally, we realized full polarisation independent switching using 0.75% tensile strained CQW's.
SCAPS- program is designed basically for the simulation and studying the properties of photonic devices. We explored the important controllable design parameters affecting the performance of the hetero junction solar cells, as operating temperature that we noticed increasing in J-V characteristics by increasing T, the effect of thickness of each layer on the performance of the cell was studied, an increasing of JV characteristics with increasing p-layer , In the numerical example ,3 m absorber layer and CdS layer 0.05 m, ZnO layer 0.1 m, works the best for given doping density, if we change the optimum value , the efficiency can reach to 17.72 % with FF 83.88 %, Voc 0.725 Volt, Jsc 29.07 mA/cm 2 at 300 K, in this case ,we have come out the optimum parameters to achieve the best performance of this type of cell, and then to made comparison with practical CIGS cell.
This study aims at a better understanding of the theological views of the Roman Stoic Seneca and the status of these views in relation to those of the earlier Stoics, and in the context of various other factors, such as the views of other philosophical schools and the purpose of Seneca's work.This attempt at a better understanding is motivated by the growing scholarly recognition that Seneca is a thinker who should be judged by giving a fair estimation of his philosophical work, not by assuming him to be either an uncritical follower of Stoic doctrine or a representative of the eclectic tendencies associated with philosophy in his day. The rationale for the focus on theology in this study is twofold. First, this alleged eclecticism is often associated with the emergence of Middle Platonism which manifests itself in the increasing prominence of the transcendence of god and the substitution of a contemplative telos for an ethical one. Second, there is as yet no systematic study of Seneca’s theological views that explicitly considers his doctrinal relation to the earlier Stoics, despite the obvious relevance of theology in Stoicism and Seneca’s self-identification as a Stoic. To come to the most impartial and straightforward interpretation possible, the many relevant passages in Seneca are inventoried according to certain standard topical categories, and are discussed both in their own context and within a larger synthesis of his views on the particular topic they belong to: these different syntheses each make out one of the chapters 2 to 8. In the first chapter, the necessary backgrounds for the study of the Senecan material are given. The most important conclusion of this study is that the assumptions of Middle Platonic influence on Seneca’s ideas on god were made too rashly. A close examination of the relevant material shows that we need not, and indeed should not, assume that Seneca alternated between Stoic and Platonist views on, e.g., the status of theology, the nature of god, or the human epistemological capabilities concerning the divine. The Stoic view on these topics is shown to be actually more complex and subtle than is often acknowledged, and to allow for different perspectives and emphases, and as already sharing much common ground with Platonism. This means that any interpretation of Seneca’s views on a particular topic must take this wide range of perspectives and emphases and the affinity with Platonism into account, too, and accordingly must take all the relevant evidence in his works into consideration before passing judgment on individual passages. By establishing this, it is shown that in the passages under consideration Seneca is simply moving within the doctrinal leeway granted by this complexity, rather than going beyond Stoic parameters. Seneca is not, however, a slavish adherent to Stoic doctrine: he reserves the right for himself to disagree with those aspects of Stoic theological doctrine that he thinks do not contribute to a better understanding of the divine and thus do not make us morally better. What is most important, however, is that for Seneca the basic Stoic conception of god as the corporeal, immanent and provident principle in the cosmos is never in doubt
To explore the mechanism of action of tetrabromo-glycoluril disinfectant in killing bacteria,the transmission electronmicroscope technique was used to analyze and compare the ultrasturcture of spores of Bacillus subtilis var.niger treated with tetrabromo-glycoluril disinfectant.The results showed that the killing rate of spores of Bacillus subtilis vat.niger exposed to the solution of tetrabromo-glycohril disinfectant containing available bromine 274mg/L for 30min was 100%.Transmission electronmicroscopic examination showed that the coat of spores of B.subtilis vat.after exposure to the disinfectant damaged obviously.The structure of coat inclusion became indistinct and the core of nucleus lysed.Some spores became nearly hollow.The results indicated that the sporicidal efficacy of tetrabromo-glycoluril disinfectant was better than that of ordinary chlorine-containing disinfectants and could destroy obviously the ultrasturcture of bacterial spores.
Newton's Principia, when it appeared in 1687, was received with the greatest admiration, not only by the foremost mathematicians and astronomers in Europe, but also by philosophers like Voltaire and Locke and by members of the educated public. In this account I describe some of the controversies that it provoked, and the impact it had during the next century on the development of celestial mechanics, and the theory of gravitation.
The present study was conducted to assess the socio-economic status of tobacco farmers of the Gongachora, Pirgachha and Taraganj thana of Rangpur district, from May to July, 2010. Data were collected through the use of well-structured questionnaire from the selected areas. Most of family members of tobacco farmers were belonged to the age groups of less than 15 years (38%). About 15.8% had no education while 30.4%, 45.9%, and 7.9% had primary, secondary, higher education level respectively. About 90% of tobacco farmers were involved in tobacco farming where about 10% were involved in business as their major occupation. The annual income of the small farmers were 70729, medium farmers were 97481and large farmers were 188302 Tk. About 80% the of tobacco farmers of study area received health service from village doctors and remaining 17% from health complex and 3% from private MBBS doctors. About 84% of the tobacco farmers informed their socioeconomic conditions were improved through tobacco production.
The aim of this research is to estimate the recharge from the water table fluctuations in a representative area of plain located 20 km southeast of La Plata, Buenos Aires. The water table fluctuations according to a sequence of monthly data are analyzed. It is recognized that the regime is directly influenced by natural climate oscillations. Periods with a general trend of increase in the levels coincide with wet periods. The evaluation has been possible to have orders of magnitude of local recharge, which is important for managing the water resources of the region.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the guardian`s experience about tepid massage of children who visited Pediatric Emergency Room (PER). Methods: Data for this study was collected from August 1 to September 30, 2009 using questionnaires of 300 guardians who visited a PER. All data analyses were done using the SPSS 17.0 program and statistical data on frequency and percentage were obtained. x2 test was done as well. Results: The results of this study were as follows: 73.7% of the guardians were doing the tepid massage, and 40% of them were doing the tepid massage when guardians thought that their children had a fever. 8.6% of them were incorrectly doing the tepid massage on their children such as using ice or alcohol. 90.5% of the children`s condition changed when they had the tepid massage applied. Only 48% of the guardians got information about tepid massage, and 52.8% of the guardians got this information from the medical team. There were significant differences according to the education background about tepid massage (p<.001) and past hospital admissions history. There were differences according to whether their child had experience with febrile seizure(p=.085) and having more than one child at home (p=.085). Conclusion: This study revealed that the guardians were incorrectly doing the tepid massage on their children. The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to develop certain emergency nursing processes on accurate information and management strategies about tepid massage, and further studies on the effects of this kind education intervention are necessary.
By the many year experience of agriculture expert,carrying on reason logically,the yield estimate model was produced.Making use of the weather condition to carry on the yield estimate to the soybean.Through the years average yield(or experiment yield) for basis,carrying on the weather and soil cordition to compare mutually.Making use of the heavy coefficient and conjunction with database data,using the "C#" language the result was got.With ARCIMS as server,SERVLET as engine,the mudel insplemeuts the data share,being convenient for the customer to browse and search.
DNA methyltransferase 1（DNMT1）is one of DNMTs family known for playing an important role in DNA replication by methylation of certain gene promotes to regulate corresponding gene expression in a cell. However, it is not clear if epigenetic modification can play a role on tumor malignancy. The study investigates the functions of DNMT1 on tumor metastasis. Overexpression of DNMT1 is associated with tumor malignancy of patients with lung cancer. DNMT1 is originally one of cloned genes identified from a cDNA library by subtracting metastatic tumors from primary tumors. Immunohistochemical study from patients with non-small-cell lung cancer shows higher expression of DNMT1 on the tumor parts than that of tumor-adjacent normal counterparts. Using a pair of cell lines, CL1-0 (low invasive cells) and CL1-5F4 (high invasive cells) as an in vitro tumor model shows DNMT1 mRNA and protein expression were higher in invasive CL1-5F4 cells than CL1-0 cells. Treatment of specific DNMT1 inhibitors, 5-aza-deoxycytidine and zebularine, significantly suppress cell migration and invasion ability of CL1-5F4 cells, and the reduced capability of cell migration and invasion in CL1-5F4 cells was not due to decrease in their cell growth which was measured by MTT assay. Furthermore, knockdown of DNMT1 by shRNA technique suppress cell migration and invasion ability about 3-fold in CL1-5F4 cells. On the other hands, overexpressed DNMT1 in low-invasive CL1-0 cells raise the cell migration ability. In conclusion, these results suggest that DNMT1 may participate in tumor cell invasion and metastasis.
Summary Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) and Comparative molecular similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA) methods was applied to study three"dimensional quantitative structure activity relationship (3D"QSAR) of a seri es of 7"hydroxy, 8"hydroxy and 7, 8" dihydroxy synthetic chromone derivatives as potent antioxidant agents. The CoMFA and CoMSIA models of cross"validation and the partial"l east"square (PLS) model of non cross" validation have been well established. The statistically significant model was established with 36 molecules, which were validated by a training set of 27 molecules and test set of 9 molecules. The best CoMFA model gave a good cross"validation c oefficient of 0.649 and a conventional correlation coefficient of 0.987. Moreover, the estimated standard error of estimate is 0.062 and the statistical square deviation ratio F value is 319.734. While the CoMSIA model yielded q 2 = 0.717, r 2 = 0.998, F value = 1708.98 and standard error of estimate is 0.025. The statistical parameters of the best CoMFA and CoMSIA model shows this model is reasonable and has predictive ability.
Endothelins, endothelin-1 (ET1), endothelin-2 (ET2) and endothelin-3 (ET3), are the most potent vasoconstrictor peptides released by endothelial cells. ET production is stimulated by vasopressor hormones, platelet-derived factors, coagulation products and cytokines, whereas nitric oxide and prostacyclin reduce ET production. ET bind to ETA and ETB receptors and produce marked and sustained rise in blood pressure, intense vasoconstriction of coronary arteries and have positive inotropic and chronotropic effects on myocardium. Besides, they influence neuroendocrine, renal and smooth muscle functions. ET appears to function mostly as a paracrine or an autocrine hormone. ET may have a role in hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, coronary artery disease, renal insufficiency, vascular hypertrophy, respiratory and cerebrovascular conditions. Several antagonists of ET acting at receptor level or influencing endothelin converting enzyme (ECE) are under investigation and have great potential as agents for use in the treatment of wide spectrum of disease entities and as biologic probes for understanding the actions of ET in human beings.
The experiments were conducted in main wheat production areas in Linfen and Jinzhong of Shanxi province to study cropping patterns of multiple cropping forage on wheat stubbles.Ten varieties of forage maize,forage sorghum and sorghum-sudangrass were used.The results showed that the developmental stage of forages planted on wheat stubble become shorter than that planted in spring,interval time of each development stage was also shortened.Hay yields of ten forages in no-tillage were higher significantly than that in traditional tillage,increased by 1747kg/hm2 and 2939kg/hm2 in Linfen and Jinzhong experimental areas respectively.
Control of nuisance or process dusts generated within a plant is a vital concern with today`s growing emphasis on indoor air quality. In the past, many companies simply moved these contaminants away from workers and discharged them into the atmosphere. More stringent pollution control requirements now make this course of action unacceptable. Also, in some cases there is a need to recover high-value dusts, such as chemicals or precious metals. As a result, proper design and selection of a dust collection system are more critical than ever. There are two types of fabric filter dust collection systems commonly used today: baghouses and cartridges. Baghouses were the first collection systems with fabric media (in the form of long tubes, or bags) for removal of contaminants. The versatility of the baghouse--coupled with constant technological refinements--have made it a long-standing favorite among specifiers of pollution control equipment. In fact, baghouses account for more than 80% of all fabric filter dust collection systems in use today. Cartridge dust collectors use rigidly pleated filter elements instead of bags, making it possible to accommodate a large amount of filter surface area in a comparatively small package. Cartridge collectors also offer high efficiency and low pressure drop.
This study aims to analyze the financial performance of the Islamic banking which has a performance in the category of Health. Object of study selected in this study is Bank Indonesia. The techniques data analysis is to measure and assess the performance of Islamic banking with the Camel method is by using the ratio of banks consisting of: the ratio of capital (Capital), the ratio of earning assets quality, management, profitability ratio (Earning) and liquidity ratio.  The results of this study indicate that the financial performance all Islamic Bank Mandiri good and superior financial performance compared Bank Muamalat Indonesia, Islamic Bank Mega, Islamic Bank Bukopin and Bank Islamic State savings. Overall financial performance of Islamic Bank Mandiri has met the applicable standard of Bank’s Indonesia and the overall financial ratios in the category of Health.
Background: The antiproliferative effect of the Hsp90 inhibitor 17-AAG (17-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin) on human retinal pigment epithelial cells is investigated. Methods: MTT and flow cytometry were used to study the antiproliferative effects of the 17-AAG treatment of ARPE-19 cells. 2D gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry were applied to detect the altered expression of proteins, which was verified by real-time PCR. Gene Ontology analysis and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were utilized to analyze the signaling pathways, cellular location, function, and network connections of the identified proteins. And SOD assay was employed to confirm the analysis. Results: 17-AAG suppressed the proliferation of ARPE-19 cells by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Proteomic analysis revealed that the expression of 94 proteins was altered by a factor of more than 1.5 following exposure to 17AAG. Of these 94, 87 proteins were identified. Real-time PCR results indicated that Hsp90 and Hsp70, which were not identified by proteomic analysis, were both upregulated upon 17-AAG treatment. IPA revealed that most of the proteins have functions that are related to oxidative stress, as verified by SOD assay, while canonical pathway analysis revealed glycolysis/gluconeogenesis.
The transabdominal chorionic villus sampling method was compared with the transcervical route and second trimester amniocentesis in a 3-winged randomised trial. Examination of 45 epidemiological variables showed the three procedure groups to be comparable at enrollment. In 3079 women at low genetic risk, we compared transabdominal with transcervical chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis. The total fetal loss was 10.9%, 6.3% and 6.4% in the transcervical, transabdominal chorionic villus sampling groups and the amniocentesis group, respectively (p < 0.001). The two CVS procedures were compared in 2882 low and high genetic risk women with cytogenetically normal fetuses. Rates of unintended post-procedure loss were 3.7% and 7.7% for transabdominal CVS and transcervical CVS, respectively (p < 0.001), difference in rates 4.0%, 95% C.I. +2.3% to +5.8%. By a priori ultrasound scanning, more transcervical than transabdominal procedures (p < 0.001) were considered to be inaccessible for sampling. Our data indicate that transabdominal allows freer access to the placental site than transcervical sampling and is easier to adapt to than transcervical CVS. Women run comparable risks with transabdominal CVS and amniocentesis. Given the results of our study, transabdominal procedures remain the first choice for prenatal diagnosis and, since in our hands transcervical sampling entails an increased fetal risk, we have abandoned transcervical CVS in our two study centres.
Toxicity of drin compounds currently on market was investigated and the following results were obtained. 1. Endrin. The dose of LD50 was 5.2 mg/kg for mice and 13,7 mg/kg for rabbits when given subcutaneously, 6,6 mg/kg for mice and 5.2 mg/kg for rabbits when orally, and 54.8 mg/kg rats when given percutaneously. 2. Aldrin. The dose of LD50 was 49.2 mg/kg for mice and 56.6 mg/kg for rabbits when given subcutaneously, 64.8 mg/kg for mice and 36.7 mg/kg for rabbits when given orally, and 141.4 mg/kg for rats when given percutaneously. 3. Dieldrin. The dose of LD50 was 68.0 mg/kg for mice and 59.6 mg/kg for rabbits when given subcutaneously, 44.4 mg/kg for mice and 37.1 mg/kg for rabbits when given orally, and 186,6 mg/kg for rats when given percutaneously. 4. Toxic symptoms observed were episodic generalized seizure, salivation, restlessness, inactivity, loss of appetite, irritability, epiphora, fever, tachycardia, paralysis of four limbs, dyspnea, and cyanosis,
This paper discusses quasi one-dimensional cadmium sulfide(CdS) nanostructures synthesis and corresponding devices.Cadmium sulfide(CdS) as a II-VI semiconductor material with band gap at room temperature is 2.42 eV,has a variety of synthesis methods,according to the specific needs and conditions,by adjusting specific parameters of synthesis needs CdS nanostructures and high-quality quasi-one-dimensional CdS nanostructures prepared by high-performance devices.Although the quasi one-dimensional CdS nanostructures synthesis and device fabrication is still in the laboratory stage,their unique optical and chemical properties have been widely used in photochemical battery and energy storage devices.
This report investigates the long-term performance of materials used for high-level waste packages. Glass waste-form studies, the topic of this report, focused on borosilicate glasses for both defense and commercial high-level wastes. Numerical modeling efforts describe the kinetics of glass dissolution, including the effects of water chemistry, and the kinetics of glass leaching assuming that silica precipitates as a more stable phase subsequent to dissolution from the glass. Glass leaching experiments conducted in this task included experimental validation of the numerical model for glass dissolution and precipitation, an evaluation of the effects of two natural organic acids on leaching of simulated waste glass, and an experimental study of the leaching behavior of devitrified MCC 76-68 glass specimens. Literature reviews also were conducted on the effects of both devitrification and radiation on glass-leaching behavior. Experiments documented the presence of experimental artifacts in glass leach tests under certain experimental conditions and examined the synergistic effects of temperature, pressure, surface-area-to-volume ratio, and leachate composition on glass leach rates. 100 refs., 41 figs., 22 tabs.
This chapter confronts the risk concept as a function of the external threat and the internal vulnerability of a system affected by conditions of climate changes. The zones of the Veracruz territory which are most exposed to incidences of climatic threats are identified, as are those which are most vulnerable from the present social, economical, and environmental conditions for the generation of the risk scenarios. The degree of vulnerability to which the state of Veracruz is exposed before the path of cyclonic systems is demonstrated and the effect this could have on the diverse socio-economic sectors. Because the climatic risk can become a natural disaster, the need to strengthen early warning systems is proposed. The risk to the Veracruz coast is also analyzed in the event of an increase to sea level from 1 to 2 meters through SIG, in an effort to principally evaluate the impact on the population.
Objective To investigate the protective effects of prescription for nourishing liver- kidney (PNLK) on PC12 cell injyred by 1- methyl- 4- phenylpyridinium (MPP+ ).Methods The rabbit serum contained PNLK was preparing by the method of sero- pharmacology.PC12 cell was cloned from pheochromocytoma of adrenal medulla and the MPP+ injured models were induced by nerve growth factor.The effect of serum containing PNLK on PC12 cell from MPP+ injured models was assayed by morphological, MTT staining and LDH measurement.Results The equivalent dosage of the serum of PNLK possessed obvious protective effects on PC12 cell,increased the number of survival cells and relieved the injury significantly.Conclusion Serum of PNLK can counteract the injuryof PC12 cell induced by MPP+ and has protective effect on PC12 cell in vitro.
The United States currently has underway a program to develop tracts on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for their petroleum resources that can have significant impact on and near the shore. The potentially affected States bordering the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico have expressed serious concerns about the availability and adequacy of the information they need to make planning and management decisions about onshore activities and impacts related to OCS petroleum development. This report discusses state policies, major concerns, organization, planning approaches and relation to other state planning efforts.
We have performed a qualitative study on effects of vasectomy on the testicular structure. Vasectomy performed with the traditional technique changes testicular structure. At first, the injuries are slight and restricted, but gradually, and in a time-dependent manner, become more severe and extensive. Ultrastructure studies indicate that the spermatogonia and Sertoli's cells are the most resistant to vasectomy, and are even observed in some regenerating testes lacking a complete germinal epithelium. Morphometric studies revealed a decrease in epithelial depth, an increase in the thickness of the basement membrane and in surface of the interstitial space, all significant (P < 0.01) with respect to the control. However, the percentage of the interstitial tissue occupied by cells, did not show any significant difference. We propose that the increase of intraluminal pressure is the essential factor that provokes testicular atrophy.
Environmental stresses including salinity are viewed as the most important limiting factors in crop production. The genetic improvement of banana is important in order to design more productive hybrids. Most of the molecular techniques are based on tissue culture. ASR protein located in both cytoplasm and nucleus and it is functioning as transcriptional regulator. Most of the ASR genes are up-regulated under different environmental stress conditions and during fruit ripening. ASR1 protein is a highly charged low molecular weight plant protein that is regulated by salt- and water-stresses and generated by abscisic acid. In this study, we obtained the full-inducing gene ABA, which is called MaASR1, from banana leaves based on cDNA and method of RT-PCR from a single clone Dwarf Cavendish cultured in MS medium treated with 250 mM of NaCL for 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours, and studied it with agarose gel electrophoresis. The study indicated that the expression of MaASR1 gene in banana leaves is induced under salt-stress and the high expression of MaASR1 will improve plant tolerance to salinity stress. Further studies on identifying the direct target genes of MaASR1 using chip method and the cellular mechanisms of MaASR1 in the nucleus and plasma membrane, as well as further studies on the gene expression of ABA/stress-responsive and their effects on salinity and structure and function of abscisic acid receptors in salinity stresses, it would be easier to find the role and significance of MaASR1 in tolerance to salinity stress.
This paper examines the mainstream viewpoint that poverty leads to land degradation, through reflection on the theoretical foundation of the Environmental Kuznets' Curve (EKC). Some of its assumptions are questioned, and we suggest that EKC has inherent flaws and limited application, and that the mainstream viewpoint tends to exaggerate the relationship between poverty and environmental degradation. Since the EKC is based on local-level empirical research, the applicability is limited. We also research the relationship between poverty and land degradation based on definitions of poverty; the relationship between wealth, population growth and land degradation; poor people's right to speech; and evidence from China. Research shows that the EKC concept has many limitations. In fact, even after the curve's peak, in the absence of effective interventions, damage to the environment and land degradation will not automatically make a turn for the better. Economic poverty is merely one of many factors which cause land degradation, while a lack of rights, institutions, cultural awareness, and technology may also be responsible for land degradation. Wealth also exacerbates land degradation through economic development, and thus should bear more of the social responsibility for protection of the environment and land resources. The right to speech of the poor is seriously lacking, and an irrational land system, international trade, and division of labor, as well as relevant domestic laws and policies, lead some to imagine a feedback cycle between poverty and land degradation. Poverty is not the leading cause of China's land degradation, with factors such as natural conditions, institutional arrangements, and flaws in land ownership arrangements as well as market and policy failures having more explanatory power. Economic development reaching the EKC inflection point is a necessary but not sufficient condition for improved management of environmental and land resources. Protection of these resources has to rely on state laws and policies for effective regulation, coupled with economic, administrative, technical and other methods. Due to the lack of more detailed data, this paper only presents preliminary thinking on the relationship between economic growth and land degradation in China, which is extremely complex, and provides a foundation for the next stage of analysis. This study combines two major problems of poverty and environment that China is facing, and discusses multiple dimensions of the issues. As China confronts its resource limitations, it is very important for the Chinese government to adopt the appropriate actions for implementation of sustainable development.
Firstly an integrated manufacturing/remanufacturing logistics network was constructed.Factors of the saving proportion of fixed facilities,transportation discounts,the minimum recovery rate,the government subsidy and so on were all taken into consideration.On this basis,a Mixed-Integer Non-Linear Programming(MINLP) model was set up.Then a Hybrid Genetic Algorithm(HGA) was proposed to solve the model.Finally the validities of the model and algorithm were illustrated by an example and sensitivity analyses of the parameters were also presented.
Objective: To determine the success and complication rates of preferred percutaneous nephrostomies (PCNs) performed in our clinics over a one-year period by different physicians.  Material and Methods: During 2008, a total of 79 PCNs were performed in 65 patients by two different techniques. We employed two different techniques: a “Seldinger” technique (by guide-wire insertion and track dilatation), with ultrasonography guidance, and “one-stab” technique. Selection of technique was according to physicians’ experience and preference.  Results: There were 36 using the one-stab technique and 43 procedures using the Seldinger technique. The direct one-stab and Seldinger technique were compared: primary technical success rate was 97.3% versus 97.7%. There was no major complication or mortality. Procedure time (time from skin incision to application of urinary bag to nephrostomy catheter) was found as 5 and 9 minutes, respectively.  Conclusion: The ultrasound-guided direct one-stab and Seldinger techniques are safe PCN procedures. These techniques can be applied successfully with minimal complications in outpatient clinics if performed by experienced operators. We recommend PCN applications as successful procedures for obstructive uropathy and/or in prevention of organ loss in addition to their good results.
Based on actual state of serious loss of soil and water, complicated terrain and discommodes transportation, the design of spraying polymers of different consistencies on sloping field to promote the efficiency of rainwater catchment materials was put forward. By the rain-simulated experiment, time of runoff yield, efficiency of rainwater catchment and the soil erosion was discussed after three treatment with soil consolidator, organic silicone and asphaltum on sloping field. The results should indicated that macromolecule polymers applied on sloping field can quicken time of runoff yield by 81.2%, advance efficiency of rainwater catchment by 72.0% and reduce clearly soil erosion. Among three treatments, order of efficiency of rainwater catchment is soil consolidator, organic silicone and asphaltum. So studying macromolecule materials is very significance to develop new-style materials and form of rainwater catchment in northwest area.
The ideas about how to manage state affairs put forward by the legalists before the Qin dynasty was based on their theories on values, human nature, history, and knowledge which constitute the legalists' philosophical view on their ideas of administration. In managing state affairs the legalists took the Way as the base, a powerful state as their goal, the law as the code of conduct, the force as the functioning power, and the tactics as the way of ruling. And the law, the force and the tactics put together constitute the vision of the legalists on administration ranging from the essence of management and the goal to the conduct, the organization and the control--all these constitute the legalists' mode of managing state affairs.
gnm is a function provided by the gnm package for fitting generalized nonlinear models. These models extend the class of generalized linear models by allowing nonlinear terms in the predictor. Nonlinear terms can be specified in the model formula passed to gnm by functions of class nonlin. A number of these functions are provided by the gnm package. Some specify basic mathematical functions, such as Exp for specifying an exponentiated term, whilst others are more specialized, such as the Dref function for specifying diagonal reference terms as proposed by Sobel (1981, 1985).
Bayesian networks are graphical probabilistic models consisting of variables and cause-e ect relations between them. First Bayesian networks are de ned and a couple of examples are given. It is illustrated how Bayesian networks are used for various task like calculating updated probabilities for variables given evidens, calculating probabilities for speci c con gurations of variables, calculating con gurations of maximal probability and analysis for con icting evidens. In uence diagrams are Bayesian networks argumented with special variables for actions. They are used for calculating optimal strategies for sequences of actions. It is nally shown how the problem of deciding between various information sources can be solved in situations with only one set of action options. These and other issues are treated more deeply in Jensen (1996).
In the developed countries, the community sports is closely connected with the P.E of high school, and has been brought into the social system effectively The study aim of this article is to explore the corresponding point between the community sports and the college P.E through analyzing the community sports in the developed countries, and to provide references for further deepening the college P E reform and promoting the college P E socialization
Half of the patients hospitalized in intensive care units have a central venous catheter (CVC) inserted. Management of CVC is not simple and the wrong medication on the insertion site may cause many complications including sepsis. Among the various modes of dressing are transparent polyurethane patches and sterile gauze, and both have both advantages and drawbacks. The aim of this literature review is to compare these two methods in terms of effectiveness in reducing infections. Seven bio-medical databases of the primary and secondary literature were consulted. We considered all articles published in the last five years, in Italian or English, and research that studies purely human subjects. Moreover, the work was limited to all RCT, all systematic reviews and guidelines published on the databases consulted. Only five studies tackled the research question. The results show that CVC-related infections are a frequent problem in intensive care units. This research found two systematic reviews and two randomized controlled trials. None of the studies show any evidence of the type of dressing applied to the CVC. In conclusion, despite consulting several databases, we found no evidence recommending the type of medication to apply.
Background:Female sex workers (FSWs) often lack the ability to negotiate safer sex and are at high risk for HIV-1 infection and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Methods:Seronegative FSWs were enrolled in an STI/HIV-1 prevention trial in Nairobi, Kenya. Demographics and sexual risk taking were assessed every 3 months. Predictors of reduced risk taking were defined using multivariate logistic regression. Results:Four hundred sixty-six FSWs were enrolled and followed for just over 2 years each. A spectrum of sex work was apparent: FSWs working in night clubs were younger, charged more for sex, and used condoms more frequently; FSWs working from home were older, charged less, and used condoms the least; and those working in bars were intermediate. Increases in reported condom use were most significant and sustained for FSWs working from home and charging less for sex and were poorly maintained for bar-based FSWs. Self-reported lower condom use, higher client numbers, and alcohol use were associated with higher STI rates. Conclusions:Home-based FSWs and those charging less for sex used condoms the least at baseline but showed the greatest and most sustained improvements over time. Potential response heterogeneity in FSW subgroups should be considered in the design of HIV-1 prevention programs.
Obesity is considered to be the epidemic of the 21st century. Until now there are no known medical or phar- macological methods to manage obesity in ways that control it and signifi cantly reduce the comorbidities associated with it. Bariatric surgery has become the best alternative for management of obesity. Management of patients undergoing bariatric surgery requires referral centers with multidisciplinary medical groups com- mitted to choice and long term follow-up of these patients. Bariatric surgery continues to be the gold standard for surgical management of morbid obesity.
Televisao; representacao; cidadania; personagens midiaticas; manifestacoes de rua. Abstract. In this paper, we examine the representation in the media coverage made by three television stations of street movements in the cities of Brazil, at different times. Among the first news and the news of the next few weeks, it is perceived that the coverage creates two characters: the "peaceful protester" and the "thug". These characters replace reflection on citizen demands on the agenda and, above all, seek to legitimize the initial coverage of the stations, which is contrary to the movements.
Hypothesis / aims of study We describe the use of autologous dermal tissue for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse. Established surgical methods for pelvic organ prolapse include tension-free vaginal mesh and laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy. However, many patients are anxious about foreign body insertion and laparoscopic surgery. We developed a new method of autologous dermal tissue transplantation for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse, which increases safety and effectiveness. Dermal transplantation is frequently used in plastic surgery and penile surgery. Dermal transplantation for pelvic organ prolapse utilizes an inlay graft. Blood flow is supplied from the uterine and mucosal sides of the bladder, and the engraftment rate is high. The present case is the first time dermal transplantation was used to treat pelvic organ prolapse(cystocele).
By means of the investigation and analysis to sintering process of Lenggang,researches sintering regular of the high Indian iron ore power by modeling production in laboratory.The results find that,in sintering process of higher basicity and higher MgO content ore,by reducing the allocating-ore ratio of Indian iron ore power,the sinter output and quality can be obviously improved.At the same time,the forceful guide for the optimizing sintering allocating-ore process of Lenggang is provided.
Investigations of natural variation in cell mechanics within a cell population are essential to understand the stochastic nature of soft-network deformation. Striking commonalities have been found concerning the average values and distribution of rheological parameters of cells: first, attached and suspended cells exhibit power-law rheological behavior; second, cell stiffness is distributed log-normally. A predictive connection between these two near-universal findings has not been reported, to our knowledge. Here we postulate, based on our own and others' experimental reports and leading models of cell rheology, that the exponent that characterizes power-law rheology varies intrinsically among cells as an approximately Gaussian-distributed variable. Besides explaining naturally the log-normal distribution of cell stiffness that is widely observed, this postulate predicts multiple empirically observed relationships from cell deformation studies. Our framework ultimately links inherent noise in postulated relaxation mechanisms of cytoskeletal networks to mechanical variation among cells and cell populations.
The authors described the procedures for the establishment of clone 515 of the cell strain of osteochondrosarcoma by capillary method.A single cell was sucked into a capillary tube by a microsyringe under the control of a micromanipulator.A segment of the capillary tube with the cell was then planted into the plasma clot in a Carrel flask. After the addition of conditioned medium,the flask was incubated at 37℃.Daily ob- servations were made.The propagation of the single cell,the migration of its progenies out of the capillary tube and the change in form and size of the cells were recorded. 63 days after the isolation,the progenies covered the whole bottom of the flask.First subculture was then made and the clone was established therefrom.
This report describes Task 15, Review of Experience Data for Power Supply Adverse System Interaction Events, for the System Interaction project (FIN No. B0789) sponsored by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission being performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Nuclear Operations Analysis Center. The task included (1) assessing the nuclear power plant operating experience data sources, (2) developing search methods and event selection criteria for identifying losses of instrumentation and control power supply events, (3) reviewing all of the events selected, and (4) performing a final evaluation of the events. This report outlines each of these steps and presents the results of this review.
Urbanization and rapid increase in population in Metro Cebu brought about increased demand for basic services and infrastructure. The creation of the Metro Cebu Development Council comprising of the four (4) cities and six (6) municipalities in the eastern part of the Cebu Province, as an organizational structure, attempts to address these problems. However, services that require areas larger than a local jurisdiction for cost-effective provisioning like water supply, garbage disposal and solid waste management are still a problem. The same is true for services like public health and basic education whose benefits and costs accrue to non-residents of a local jurisdiction. Financial sustainability of the MCDC is at also risk because it is donor-driven or its budget is tied with the funds coming from its partner agencies. A more permanent and solid body that will look closely at the various needs of Metro Cebu for a more efficient delivery of basic services is much needed. Also a body in terms of financial capability, like a metropolitan development authority, should be established to address the current and future urbanization and population growth problems.
This paper systematically analyzed the data of earthquake cases in Beijing and its adjacent area accumulated for many years,and point out that fluid anomaly can be divided by medium-term anomaly,medium-short term anomaly,short-term anomaly and short-imminent anomaly.Using "identity" idea and anomaly criterion of slave function,remain-curve and original-curve deviation etc,a set of medium-term,short-term and imminent-term anomaly of the moderately strong earthquakes,especially those with intensity ≥Ⅴ,above magnitude 5 earthquakes are extracted.Through statistics and analysis of fluid anomaly characteristics,this paper obtained the time distribution characteristics of fluid anomaly of the moderately strong earthquakes,especially those with intensity ≥Ⅴ,earthquakes in Beijing and its adjacent area,and summarized the leading time of each phases anomaly before the earthquakes,which can be regarded as index of occurrence time of earthquakes.It can provide reference for earthquake monitoring in this area.
Thus, hiding their attitudes from the external world these lords of religion portrays a fake of self which looks like hullabaloo for the other world. Such, blasphemous attitudes of patriarchal as well as religious lords are prominent all around world for which the subaltern had to face lots of traumas which got expressed several books like Beloved, The slave, The god of small things, Smaskara etc. therefore to project the atrocities and traumas of subaltern is the central goal of the paper.
Understanding the attitudes of farmers toward risk is important in understanding their decision making processes. It helps in accelerating the adoption of new technologies and agricultural development. There exists a huge gap in our knowledge of farmers’ risk attitude and their association with the personal characteristics of the farmers. The present study has been undertaken to study the risk attitudes of 80 farmers from four villages in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. The risk attitudes of the farmers were assessed by using experimental methods involving trivial but real payoffs to them. Mean-variance (E-V) utility function was used to calculate the risk aversion coefficients based on the alternative outcomes chosen by the sample farmers. The study found that slight to moderate risk aversion exists in most of the sample farmers. The slight reduction in risk attitudes between 2004 and 2006 was found to be associated with higher rainfall, better access to credit and insurance and improved levels of yields and income. Age of household head and family size were noted to increase risk aversion significantly
The regional binding of N1'-([11C]methyl)naltrindole (MeNTI), a selective delta-opioid antagonist, was studied in healthy human subjects with positron emission tomography (PET). After the bolus intravenous administration of high specific activity [11C]MeNTI, PET was performed over 90 minutes. Arterial plasma samples were obtained during the scanning period and assayed for the presence of radiolabeled metabolites. The data were analyzed with various kinetic (two- and three-compartment models, Patlak graphical analysis) and nonkinetic (apparent volume of distribution and activity at a late scanning time) approaches. This tracer showed irreversible binding characteristics during the scanning period used. The results of the analyses also were compared with the density and distribution of delta-opioid receptors in the human brain in vitro. Additionally, computer simulations were performed to assess the effects of changes in receptor binding and tracer transport changes on the perceived binding parameters obtained with the models. A constrained three-compartment kinetic model was demonstrated to be superior to other quantification models for the description of MeNTI kinetics and quantification of delta receptor binding in the human brain with 11C-labeled MeNTI.
This scienti c writ- ing, discusses about how to create and edit a video clip using Adobe Premiere 6.5. Adobe Premiere 6.5 is one of the software that can be used by many production houses and home cinema. And Adobe Premiere can make us be creative, one of which is with the own making video clips. Adobe Premiere 6.5 can used by amateur and proesional to produce video clips. Adobe Premiere 6.5 gives users the exibility to be creative without being limited by rule where we can put a lot of clips, eects, cut and connect, even from one clip only. More than that, Adobe Premiere 6.5 runs its own light, because no require super-sophisticated equip- ment, and can run on standard computers. Adobe Premiere 6.5 can also be used as an initial step to study the the secret of creation and editing of a professional video clip
The purpose of this research was to identify the effectiveness of using cooperative learning method towards students' achievement and attitude in learning Mathematics for low achiever primary school in Bintulu. In particular this study seeks to determine whether the low achiever can increase their achievement and attitude in learning Mathematics using the cooperative learning method. This study was a quasi-experimental, the experimental group received teaching method using cooperative learning method, while the control group received traditional lecture  method. This study was conducted in a primary school in Sarawak for eight weeks. Two of the Year Five classes have participated in this study, one class for experimental group and another class for control group. A total of 79 respondents have participated, there were 39 students in experimental group (cooperative learning method) and 40 students in control group (traditional lecture method). There were  pre-achievement test, post-achievement test, pre-attitude test and post-attitude test used to collect data in this study. The questions of achievement test were based on objective and subjective questions and the attitude test was based on questionnaires. Research findings analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 12.0. Package was chosen because it is more flexible, the researchers can  create various transformations of original data in addition to the advantages that statistical procedures can be used measurement variables are Likert Scale according to 4 degrees. Data were collected and analyzed by using descriptive statistics frequency percentages, mean and standard deviation. In addition, Independent-Sample T test also used to see whether there is a significant difference between the students' achievement and attitude with the cooperative learning method. The findings showed that cooperative learning method could enhance the low achiever achievement and attitude in learning Mathematics. In addition, cooperative learning method had shown the positive effects toward the performance of cognitive, social and affective for low achiever students in primary school
Abstract: We reevaluated the exchange stoichiometry of the Na+/Ca2+ exchange current by measuring its reversal potential. The exchange current was measured from the inside‐out macropatch excised from intact sarcolemma of guinea pig ventricular myocytes. This method provides more accurate control of extracellular and cytoplasmic ion concentrations and of membrane potential than is possible with a whole‐cell clamped preparation. The exchange current was isolated as exchanger inhibitory peptide (XIP)‐sensitive current or as cytoplasmic Na+‐ and Ca2+‐induced current. The reversal potential of the Na+/Ca2+ exchange current was, for the most part, close to the equilibrium potential of the 4Na+:1Ca2+ exchange, although it tended to get closer to that of 3Na+: 1Ca2+ exchange at lower Na+ concentrations. We concluded that the stoichiometry is 4 or that it may vary depending on the cytoplasmic Na+. The 4Na+:1Ca2+ exchange was further studied with computer modeling. A consecutive 4Na+:1Ca2+ exchange model with two active states and two inactive states (E2 model) could not well reconstruct the current‐voltage relation of the exchanger. However, a consecutive 4Na+:1Ca2+ exchange model with 10 active states and 2 inactive states (E10 model), which included voltage‐dependent Na+ and Ca2+ occlusions, well simulated the current‐voltage relation. Implications of 4Na+:1Ca2+ exchange is also discussed.
A open clinic assay with barbexaclone which is an association of phenobarvital with light stimulant of the central nervous system (tau-l-ciclohexil-2-methil-aminopropane) for the treatment of epileptic disorders is reported. The authors have studied 40 patients aged between 0-12 years of age, of both sexes, all of them having convulsive seizures of the Grand Mal type associated or not to other epileptic manifestations. After analysing the different aspects of the group they consider satisfactory the results obtained: very good or good in 82,5% of the cases.
This study compared the relative efficacy of two different theoretically-derived strategies in the hypnotic treatment for cigarette smoking. The use of counterconditioning suggestions (present or absent) was compared to the use of role-playing suggestions (present or absent) in a two-way factorial design. Also investigated was whether there were any pretreatment variables which could predict successful long-term smoking control. Fifty adult chronic smokers were matched on the dimensions of baseline smoking rate, number of years smoking and number of previous attempts to quit smoking, then assigned to one of four treatment groups. All subjects were offered four sixty-minute group hypnotherapy treatment sessions over a three week period, with smoking rate assessed at the second, third and fourth sessions, and at one-month, three-months and six-months post-treatment. The two dependent measures of percentage reduction from baseline smoking rate and percentage of subjects in each treatment group remaining abstinent from smoking showed similar results. ANOVA procedures found a significant Time of assessment X Counterconditioning interaction, indicating that the use of counterconditioning suggestions facilitates the long-term maintanence of smoking control more than the use of role-playing suggestions or a "hypnotic relaxation" treatment using no specific suggestions. The demographic variables of increased age, having a smoking-related health problem, and being a "stimulation" type of smoker were found to correlate highly with successful long- term outcome and to correctly classify subjects as abstainers or nonabstainers the majority of the time.
In privacy-preserving data publishing, approaches using Value Generalization Hierarchies (VGHs) form an important class of anonymization algorithms. VGHs play a key role in the utility of published datasets as they dictate how the anonymization of the data occurs. For categorical attributes, it is imperative to preserve the semantics of the original data in order to achieve a higher utility. Despite this, semantics have not being formally considered in the specification of VGHs. Moreover, there are no methods that allow the users to assess the quality of their VGH. In this paper, we propose a measurement scheme, based on ontologies, to quantitatively evaluate the quality of VGHs, in terms of semantic consistency and taxonomic organization, with the aim of producing higher-quality anonymizations. We demonstrate, through a case study, how our evaluation scheme can be used to compare the quality of multiple VGHs and can help to identify faulty VGHs.
The purpose of this article is to discuss the service and indicated protocol in dentistry to the pregnant women. This is a literature review conducted in Virtual Health Library (VHL) on the following databases: Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO), Latin American literature and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS).The inclusion criteria of the articles were: language in Portuguese on the theme mentioned above and full articles indexed from 2003 to 2013. The descriptors used were as follows: Protocol. Pregnant woman. Dentistry. The results showed that gestation is a peculiar period in a woman’s life, however it often have difficulties to perform a dental treatment by reason of the large number of dentists have some fear. It was concluded that although the doubts among traders, since dental procedures are properly carried out not generate evils to the fetus, particularly when performed during pregnancy. Furthermore, the dentist should exercise caution in indication of dental interventions in pregnancy. UNITERMS: Protocol; Pregnant women; Dentistry.
This bibliography provides publishing data for several hundred journals and serials in the fields of dentistry, dental health, and dental health education. The titles listed are produced at least once a year, have the bulk of their text in English, address some aspect of dentistry, and contain more than announcements. Arranged alphabetically by key words, the entries consist of two main parts. The first part lists bibliographic information about the title, including as much as possible of the following: name, date founded, title change(s), frequency of publication, subscription price, name and address of the publisher and editor, whether or not it contains illustrations and an index, circulation, criteria for manuscript selection, availability in microfrom, whether or not it accepts book reviews and advertisements, publication of special issues, if it is indexed, abstracted, or available on-line, and its target audience. The second half of each entry is a descriptive annotation.
The spatial and temporal dynamics of Meloidogyne incognita, relative to soybean shoot and root growth in field microplots, were determined at 11 sampling dates during a growing season. The population dynamics of M. incognita on soybean were dependent on initial population (Pi), soil moisture, and root spatial distribution. Final egg and juvenile population densities were greatest in plots with higher Pi. The population densities of juveniles and eggs were highest from mid- to late-season and were associated with increased soil moisture. Root spatial distributions and M. incognita numbers were closely related. Numbers of juveniles and eggs decreased with soil depth and distance from the center of the row. Greater numbers of juveniles and eggs were found in the upper 30 cm in the row center, and in the upper 15 cm at 10 and 20 cm from the center of the row. There were no consistent differences in root weights between nematode-infected and uninfected plants at any depth or distance from the center of the row. The optimum time for determining the relationship between Pi and soybean shoot growth was from late mid-season (September) to final harvest (14 November). The relationship between Pi and seed yield for the final harvest was best described by a quadratic model: yield (g) = 71.4 + 1.1(log[Pi + 1]) - 2.3(log[Pi + 1])(2), (R(2) = 0.99, P = 0.03).
During the last decades, all cod stocks of the North Atlantic have been exposed to gradually rising fishing pressures due in part to improvements in technology that result in increasingly efficient fishing practices. At the same time, all stocks have experiences changing environmental conditions, which, together with increasing fishing pressures, are thought to be responsible for the historical fluctuations in stock abundances and structures. Stock sizes, and the age and size structures of stocks have consequently been depleted. Such drastic changes in population sizes have raised concerns about potential (selective) changes in genetic composition and loss in genetic diversity. Today many of the stocks are heavily overfished and some are considered to have reached the stage of recruitment overfishing. In this paper, we review the state of knowledge concerning the genetic composition as well as trends in landings, fishing mortality, stocks size, stock composition and recruitment among all major cod stocks in the North Atlantic.
In this book John Saul examines the grim reality of post liberation southern Africa and also the forms of resistance that the re-subordination of the continent now calls for. In the process he exposes and contests the rhetoric that serves as apologia for the 'Empire of Capital', and shows the linkages between inequalities and injustices reinforced by the 'free' market on the one hand and, on the other, by the assertive religiosity and ethnic messianism that the 'Empire' helps to emerge and then uses as 'justification' for renewed imperialist intervention. His book makes a significant contribution to the discussion on Imperialism and resistance to it in the present day. John Saul tells this story forcefully with reference to southern Africa and 'its struggle against white colonial overlord ship and authoritarian capitalist imposition'. The first part evokes both the decolonization of southern Africa and its grim recolonization. The book then moves on to critique the ideologues of empire and to mark the emergence of new struggles against the new subordination in southern Africa and elsewhere, to discuss their contours and assess their possibilities. The book asserts the relevance of socialism as the only real alternative to the logic of empire and the marketplace.
Considering the features of high chlorine and high alkali metal content in biomass,a Hg/C/H/O/N/S/Cl/K/Na model was established for the co-combustion process of biomass and coal.Based on kinetic calculation and sensitivity analysis,the homogeneous mercury oxidation under different concentration of Cl2 was analyzed by applying Chemkin 4.1and Fluent 6.3software to realize the coupling of chemical kinetics and fluid dynamics,so as to subsequently study the effect of alkali metals on homogeneous mercury oxidation.Results show that the Hg oxidation activity is limited by temperature.Hg oxidation mainly occurs at the temperature around 800 K,when the Hg chlorination activity is the strongest,and the K chlorination activity is the weakest,in which case the generation of HgCl2 is promoted.Additionally,in the case that alkali metal exists,the reaction between alkali metal and Cl2 would inhibit Hg oxidation,and the reaction between alkali metal and SO2 would promote Hg oxidation.
Advancement in technology and the increased availability of internet enabled handheld devices have significantly increased students’ access and use of the internet. The use of social media is enhanced by the availability and access to internet. In Nigeria and the world today, social media has gained acceptability and has become a tool for communication and social cohesion amongst students. The use of this assortment of social media has diverse effects on the user’s life, some of which are negative and others, positive. This study is aimed at investigating the impact of Social Network Usage on University Students Academic Performance using Benue State University Makurdi, Nigeria as a case study. The study sampled 1596 students. The study focused on three key impact areas: the time spent on social media, the frequency of visiting social media and the relationship between the volume of social friends and a student’s academic performance. Correlation and regression analyses were used to determine and measure the extent to which the three variables were related to students’ CGPA. The study adopted a paper-based close-ended questionnaire and was restricted to undergraduate students in three majors. The study found that the time spent on social media, the frequency of visit and the total number of online friends has a statistically significant relationship with a student’s academic performance. It is therefore recommended that access to social media should be restricted and controlled, and the idle time should rather be channelled into studying. This, it is believed, will improve students’ performance.
The study titled Effects of Product Quality and Price Satisf action Impact Of Consumer Purchase Decision Self Sampangan Semarang Super Marketsis a study to determine and analyzewhether the variable product quality, price, and purchase decisions given by the Super Market Self Sampangan partially Semaranghas an influence onsatisfacti on consumers, this study took the title"THE EFFECT OF PRODUCTQUALITYANDPRICE ONPURCHASE DECISIONIMPACTOF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION". The samples usedin this study were100 respondents. The sampling techniqueused in the form of accidental sampling method or by selecting respon dentsin a  ccordance with the terms become a  resondenand by chance mettha thaves hoppedat  least 4 times and age less than 20 years. Data collected were tested be forehand using validity and reliability in order to obtain valid and reliable results that can be used in subse quent testing. Subsequent analys is the authors use regressi on testing to explain the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The resultis a quality product(X 1 ), price(X 2 ), the purchase decision(Y) and a significant positive effecton customer satisfaction(Z). From the results of the regressi one quations that prices have thegreatest influenceand product qualityhas theleast influence. Resultsoftest of determination obtained variable product quality, price, purchase decisi on sare relatively large in explaining consumer satisfaction. This study has limitations that the variables used only in the variable product quality, price, purchase decision, while there are many other factors that can in fluencea consumer'ss at is faction. In addition, this study only examined on consumers who are visiting and shopping at the SuperSelf Sampangan Semarang. Therefore, furtherre searchis  recommended to consider other   not been found in this study and wider sampling Keywords : Variable Productquality, Price, Purchase Decision, Customer Satisfaction
Rosalind P. Blakesley and Susan E Reid, eds. Russian Art and the West: A Century of Dialogue in Painting, Architecture and the Decorative Arts. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2007. 246 pp. Illustrations. Index. $42.00, cloth.The main theme that unites the essays in this well-written, impeccably researched, and finely-illustrated volume is Russia's thrall with the West-its technology, its economy, and its art-a love affair whose intensity is matched only by Russia's contempt for the object of its obsession.Rosalind Blakesley and Susan Reid have gathered the work of an impressive roster of Western scholars (including tiiemselves) whose contributions to the field of Russian visual culture are substantive and wide ranging. All ten essays in this volume fulfill the aims stated in the editors' introduction. Contributions like Blakesley's own essay on Aleksei Bogoliubov-a little-known figure who played a pivotal role in introducing Russian academic painters studying in Paris to French artists and ensured that the art of the Peredvizhniki was exhibited in the City of Light-broaden the focus of the discussion about Russian art and the "West" beyond better-known artists and movements; and include discussions of decorative arts and architecture, as well as realist and academic painting.In the introduction, the editors carefully nuance received notions of the "West" in light of recent postcolonial and post-structuralist thinking, but ultimately define it in much the same way as the otiier contributors to this collection, namely France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Despite their claim that many contributors illuminate "not a one way flow of influence passively absorbed by Russia, but a dynamic, dialogic process of proactive-and interactive-exchange" (p. 9), this dialogic, interactive exchange is hardly in evidence in the ten case studies this volume presents. One essay that posits a more dialogical process is Jane Sharp's discussion of Natalia Goncharova, who is placed in the position of authority (read: Western) vis-a-vis her artistic counterparts in Georgia. In this imperial(ist) position Goncharova is empowered to bring Nico Pirosmani to Moscow and to bestow upon him the legitimization that comes with acceptance in the centre of the Russian art world, all the while borrowing from his style.The other essays in the volume, however, are scrupulous and nuanced studies of the nature of Russia's complex relationship with the West. Space limitations do not permit an assessment of every essay, but several will suffice as exemplary.Charlotte Douglas rests her foot on the tricky terrain of influence, in her essay comparing the contemporaneous emergence of abstraction in the Bloomsbury circle in London and in Moscow. …
Silicon photonics is a research field in full expansion that works towards the integration of photonics and microelectronic components in a single chip. The creation of a broadband optical link that is able to carry high-speed information requires the development of efficient building blocks compatible with CMOS technology. The work carried out during my Ph.D. focused specifically on silicon optical modulators for high-speed applications from 10 to 40 Gbit/s. The work presented includes design, optimization, fabrication and characterization of the complete device. The modulator is based on the electro-refractive effect obtained by depletion of carriers in PN and PIPIN diodes to obtain a phase change of the optical mode. Intensity modulation is obtained by integration of the active region in a Mach-Zehnder interferometer or a ring resonator. Electrical, optical and radio frequency simulations were conducted on the various elements of the modulator to design a device for FTTH (Fiber To The Home) applications operating at 127 µm. Additional studies included the design of RF coplanar waveguide electrodes optimized through the development of an electro-optical model that takes into account the propagation of the electrical and optical waves in the active region. Compatible CMOS processes were proposed, and the necessary masks for fabrication were designed considering fabrication tolerances and critical parameters. Finally, various experimental results were obtained on components designed at IEF and fabricated at CEA-LETI. We can specially mention a Mach Zehnder modulator operating at 40 Gbit/s that uses a PIPIN diode to obtain an index variation, and having an extinction ratio of 7.5 dB and losses of only 6 dB. The goal of future optimizations of silicon modulator is to integrate these devices with the RF driver, and to move towards more complex and efficient modulation formats than the two-level intensity modulation seen so far.
According to the realistic duty of robot, it's necessary to find a short path to avoid obstacles and carry limited goods, and then the added constrains let the problem is more complex and more practical. The paper proposes a tabu-genetic algorithm for robot path planning. By utilizing the main frame of parallel search supplied by genetic algorithm and embed the individual serial search mode of tabu search algorithm, this method can enlarge search space. And in order to enhance optimized speed and quality, also improve the algorithm performance, fitness function and amendatory policy are designed. Besides, algorithm convergence is analyzed based on the model of Markov chains. The results of simulations show that the method proposed in this paper, which can find an optimal path quickly and improve convergence speed and solution quality greatly.
Security is the most important aspect while accessing Web application. Web application is a dynamic software program that provide communication medium between user and service provider. As popularity of web is increasing there are more possibilities of web application may be exposed to attacks. However web applications can offer good productivity and efficiency, there is also great chance, that they can easily be exposed to security threats. Those security threats may potentially be harmful for the organization. This happens because web developers are least concernd about the security of the application at developing stage. Since technology is taking faster advancement attackers are using new and automated way to attack the system. This paper surveys latest trends in attacks of web application. In recent years most of occurring web attacks are through SQL injections, DDoS attacks, and using automated botnets that uses artificial intelligence. This paper further discusses crucial security risks for web applications
In Colombia in particular, due to the conflicting tradition that still today strikes the society, it has been the target of international criticism for violating, through their agents, human rights throughout the country, which have motivated rulings against by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.  In this context, the demand not only abound in the administrative jurisdiction, but also to the Inter-American Human Rights, seeking justice, truth, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition.  This situation, coupled with other factors, has collapsed judicial offices, making decisions are increasingly late and therefore the concept of restorative justice loses its true essence, a fact that can be exploited by traders tempted to buy litigation rights of victims defenseless against the judicial system and red tape, paying derisory in exchange for sums litigation rights.  From that point of view, the answer to the question posed in this paper is that the transfer of rights litigation in the case of violated human rights, can be understood as a defense element of State responsibility to the obligation to repair the damage caused to the victim, given that the repair is personal and seeks the benefit of the affected, not only compensate him financially, but also by securing desagraviarlo rehabilitation, unravel the truth and guarantee non-repetition
Theadvent ofspatial information technologies, suchas GIS,GPS andRemoteSensing, havegreatenhancedour capabilities tocollect andcapture spatial data. How todiscover potentially useful information andknowledge frommassive amountsofspatial dataisbecoming acrucial project forspatial analysis andspatial decision making. Bayesian networks havea powerful ability forreasoning andsemantic representation, whichcombinedwithqualitative analysis and quantitative analysis, withprior knowledge andobserved data, andprovides aneffective waytospatial datamining. Thispaperfocuses on construction andlearning aBayesian network modelforspatial datamining. Firstly, we introduce thetheory ofspatial data mininganddiscuss thecharacteristics ofBayesian networks. A framework andprocess ofspatial datamining isproposed. Then weconstruct aBayesian network modelforspatial datamining withthegiven dataset. Theexperimental results demonstrate the feasibility andpractical oftheproposed approach tospatial data mining. Finally, wedrawaconclusion andshowfurther avenues forresearch. Keywords-Bayesian networks; spatial datamining; knowledge
Public sector organisations worldwide have implemented performance management systems to improve performance. They were initially designed by the private sector in western countries and then adopted by the public sector. Now, the performance management system (PMS) has become a global reform also implemented in the public sector of less developed countries such as Botswana. Success in implementing the PMS in public sector organisations has varied. This study investigates the less than satisfactory implementation of the PMS in the education sector in Botswana. While similar to performance management systems elsewhere, the PMS in Botswana differs from most in that it does not tie pay to performance. Furthermore, unlike most reforms of this magnitude in less developed countries that are funded by donor agencies, it was self funded. However, a similarity that it does share with other less developed countries is that it attempted to implement PMS models developed in western countries.    The PMS was introduced in the education sector in Botswana in 1999, but eight years later, schools had not yet fully implemented it. This study sought to investigate why the PMS had not become fully established in the senior secondary schools, the relatively better funded part of the schooling system. As well, the study limited itself to the perspective of the schools' senior management teams, the on the ground implementers and managers of the PMS.    The study used an adapted grounded theory approach to explore senior management's perceptions of the PMS in their schools. In total, interview data were collected from 94 senior management team members from 22 of the 27 senior secondary schools existing in Botswana in early 2008. The school heads were interviewed individually while deputy heads and heads of houses were interviewed in their respective schools as groups. The data were analysed using a repetitive process of coding to develop categories leading to theory development that explains the participants' lived experience of the implementation process.    This study concludes that eight years after the introduction of the PMS, the on the ground implementers in the senior secondary schools of Botswana are caught between the government's insistence that the PMS be seen as operating effectively (principally through reporting mechanisms), and a school environment that prevents this from happening. In summary, the PMS limps along as schools go about their business seemingly unaffected by the absence of a successfully embedded PMS.  Overall, the study showed that senior management did not reject the PMS reform. They saw it as a reform that could benefit their schools. The potential of the PMS to help senior management teams manage performance better was acknowledged. The use of the PMS as a tool for strategic planning and for holding people accountable for their performance through objective monitoring was identified as a strength. Value was also perceived in its requirement for teamwork amongst members of staff and in the professional development that would ensue from responding to teachers' professional needs.    Senior management also recognised the significance of their role as ―overseers‖, a term acquired from their training, which involved the coordination of the school strategy plan; the cascading of the PMS to the entire staff; the internal monitoring of the implementation process; and reporting and liaison with regional office. However, the impediments they encountered constrained their capacity to effectively implement this reform.    In general, the difficulties resulted from a mismatch between the PMS and the existing cultural and organisational structures within the schooling system, and the school managers' lack of capacity to effect changes either to the existing school environment or to the PMS itself. Impediments reported included PMS performance indicators that did not match what teachers valued; school staff who did not have the skills required to implement the PMS; school managers' lack of confidence to lead the PMS; resourcing constraints; increasing resistance by staff; and failure to liaise with the regional office.    Two particular impediments constrained their efforts to effectively lead the implementation process. First, was the ministry's use of the cascade approach to implement the PMS. This approach followed a top-down hierarchical structure whereby the strategic plan at the ministry level was cascaded to departments, regions, and ultimately to the schools. Reporting was in the reverse order. When blockages between regional offices and schools occurred, the process faltered. As soon as this link was broken, as it did happen in some cases, implementation of the PMS did not work. Training also followed the cascade approach.    The major problem with this ―train the trainer‖ approach was that the level of expertise of the trainers diminished at each level of the ―cascade‖. The quality of the information received at the vii school level was often distorted and did not accurately resemble the information delivered in the first round of training.    The second major challenge was trying to implement a reform that had been transplanted into an environment that was different from where it originated. Participants believed there was a mismatch between the PMS and their particular context. Not only did it originate in industry and the corporate world, but also in foreign countries different from Botswana. Despite this, the government had made no attempt to contextualise the PMS and had implemented it as a package across the whole public sector without undertaking trials or pilots.    Transplanted reforms from industry and from more developed countries have found their way into the schools of less developed countries. This study's focus on the school management's perspective of the implementation process of the PMS will inform not just policy makers in less developed countries, but also potential international foreign aid donors. To increase their chances of success, future school reforms need to better take into account the distinctive conditions at grass-root level in schools where the reforms are to be implemented.
The authors substantiate the hypothesis: culture (philosophy, art, literature, and so on) Nouveau is still on and is another reflexive transformation, including its own institutional foundations of civilizational basis. To specify our hypotheses and issues for deployment and justification are those existing in the modern socio-humanitarian knowledge, philosophy of culture and cultural studies of generally chronological, cultural (linguistic, aesthetic, etc.) markers, which allow you to talk about "modern" ("new time", "modernity") as a specific "civilization time" associated with industrialism, capitalization and assignment time of human activity.
Microgravity based commercial opportunities are broad, with applications ranging from fiber optics, device-grade semiconductor crystals, space beads, new materials, cell micro encapsulation, 3D tissues and cell cultures, genetic and molecular changes of immune suppression, protein and virus crystal growth, perfume and hair care. To date, primarily the knowledge gained from observing and understanding new end states of systems unraveled in microgravity has been translated into unique technologies and business opportunities on Earth. In some instances existing light qualified hardware is immediately available for commercial RD for small scale in-space manufacturing. Overall products manufactured in microgravity have key properties usually surpassing the best terrestrial counterparts. The talk will address the potential benefits of microgravity research for a variety of terrestrial markets. Our findings originate from discussions with 100+ non-aerospace private companies among the high-tech Silicon Valley ecosystem, show that the opportunities and benefits of using the ISS are largely not considered by experts, primarily due to a lack of awareness of the breadth of terrestrial applications that have been enabled or enhanced by microgravity RD. Based on this dialogue, the concept of microgravity verticals is developed to translate the benefits of the microgravity environment into blue ocean business opportunities for various key US commercial sectors.
Within the broad creative framework of stage director Calixto Bieito, this study deals with analyzing the main elements of his poetics, conceptual and formal, within the theatrical field. Likewise, the importance of the contemporary point of view of the scenic practice of Bieito is deepened, a process by which he makes a personal critique of the recent history of Spain, specifically since the end of the Dictatorship, the Transition and even Democracy. Finally, as an illustrative example of the above, this article integrates the analysis of a Bieito show that was contemporary to the period of the beginning of the economic crisis in Spain, the 'Don Carlos' by Friedrich von Schiller in 2009.
ABSTRACT The process of outsourcing background checks to third parties is fertile ground for testing employer liability. Failure of employers to select and retain qualified employees affects the quality of life and reputations of both the workers and the organizations involved. Many of these selection and retention decisions must follow procedures required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, particularly when consumer reporting agencies provide the background information. As a best practice, business needs to apply the same due diligence and good faith in contracting with these vendor-CRAs as they do in selecting and retaining qualified workers in-house. This article begins by explaining why most businesses investigate and many recheck employee backgrounds. The authors proceed to detail the relevant managerial, legal and compliance implications of screenings. The article then discusses the challenges facing employers that attempt to obtain accurate background information in order to comply with due diligence and good faith in their selection processes. The article also identifies the key constraints challenging employers, including erroneous or misleading data provided by a largely unregulated screening industry. Finally, the authors conclude with recommendations of good faith efforts and best practices for employers checking the checkers. INTRODUCTION Following September 11, 2001, many companies adopted Ben Franklin's adage, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" (Franklin, c. 1736). Seeking to reduce workplace violence by unknown workers, business increasingly verified the identities of prospective and current employees. Additionally, with the upsurge in negligent hiring and retention lawsuits, employers continued their prevention efforts by checking the qualifications and backgrounds of prospective and current employees. Despite these efforts at preventive litigation, many companies failed to receive their pound of cure. Employees and applicants have slapped organizations with lawsuits alleging that the very pre-employment checks implemented to avoid workplace violence and tort litigation as well as to verify background information are themselves flawed. Plaintiffs have filed claims of negligence, false light invasion of privacy (making public statements that give an inaccurate impression), defamation (untruthful assertions affecting one's reputation), and violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) as amended. Many of these allegations are in the beginning stages of litigation; however, some have been dismissed, others are proceeding to trial, and a few have been settled out of court. The process of conducting background checks, whether in-house or outsourced to third-party vendors, appears to be a new fertile ground for testing employer liability (Employment Law Alert, 2005). Background reports affect the quality of life and reputations of both the workers and the organizations involved. Plaintiff-litigants argue that business, in order to satisfy due diligence requirements in selecting and retaining qualified workers, must use information about individuals that is accurate. If the information obtained is not accurate, business must demonstrate its good faith efforts to obtain accurate information, particularly through third-party vendors. Thus, business needs to continue and expand its best practices to prevent or minimize litigation risks. The alleged experiences of The Vanguard Group and Federal Express offer glimpses into the twin risks posed by strictly name-based background checks. The consequences of using inaccurate data from a third party causes either a risk to privacy through a false positive (claiming workers have a tarnished past when they do not; usually a person's name is associated with another's criminal record) or a risk to security through a false negative (claiming workers have a clean slate when they do not; usually a criminal record is missed or the worker under review provided false information) (DOJ Report, 2006). …
Abstract This paper aims to discuss how to teach vocabulary using verbal technique. Verbal technique method is one effective strategy in teaching vocabulary because it is easily done by the teacher in teaching vocabulary. One of kinds of verbal technique is definitions and illustrative sentences. In the method of verbal technique, teachers must implement procedures ranging from pre-teaching, whilst-teaching, and post-teaching. The teacher should introduce the words that they will learn. After that, the teacher give definitions and illustrative sentences about the words and ask the students about them, to solve the problem teacher give solution with give other examples and discusses about the words that is difficult for the student to understand until the students understand what that words they learn. So, the verbal technique is one of effective way in teaching English vocabulary. Keywords: Teaching Vocabulary, Verbal Techniques, Definitions and Illustrative sentences
Objective:Summarize the reasons and disposing methods of foreign body swallowing of the psychotics.Methods:Check and investigate the foreign body swallowing medical records of the hospitalized psychotic patients,review and sum up correlative references and nursing key points.Results:The reasons of foreign body swallowing of the psychotics can be classified as psychotic symptom,losing the identifying ability,negative autolesion,menace,motiveless picking,etc.The categories of foreign body swallowing include disinfector,ironwire,glass fragments,toothbrush,clinical thermometer,etc.Conclusion:It is necessary for the nursing workers to keep an eye on patient's conditions carefully in the whole nursing process, avoiding the foreign body swallowing behavior.
This article argues that it is doubtful that the fivefold increase in maximum fines under New Zealand's Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act 2002 will be successful in providing suitable precautionary incentives. Expected penalties remain at relatively low levels, with the continued use of capped fines along with substantial margins for deterrence of the most serious cases. On average, fines were initially substantially lower in response to the introduction of the Sentencing Act 2002 for which uncapped (but insurable) reparations take precedence over fines, and must be accounted for in setting fines. The combined effects of the legislation led to average total financial penalties approximately doubling through 2004 rather than increasing at anything like the rate signalled for fines by the amendments. Subsequently, while fines have grown in absolute terms, even more rapid growth in reparations has caused relative crowding-out while total penalties remain well below those signalled by the amendments alone. The case for low caps on fines appears weak, while 'asset-testing' fines is unlikely to be an efficient practice. Absent further significant changes in workplace safety incentives, New Zealand is likely to face an ongoing (if possibly somewhat abated) stream of prosecutions for serious breaches of relatively onerous statutory health and safety duties.
The analytical view of th holistic issues of traffic education for school age children and youth, including secondary school students may determine, in the specific crucial areas, a number of detailed and fragmented aspects forming together a logically coherent portfolio. Examining the content of these aspects and their interaction is a vital part of the efforts to find an effective didactic model of implementing the content of this pedagogical sub-discipline. The development of the theoretical area focuses on examining characteristic features and requirements of traffic education and examining conditions under which it is executed.
In order to describe changes in water regime and production parameters caused by red polyethylene (PE) mulch in dehydrated watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai) plants, as well as to define their transpiration efficiency (TE) and water use efficiency (WUE) under different temperature environments, 2 individual pot experiments (summer external experiment and autumnal greenhouse experiment) were conducted. We found that red mulch reduced leaf relative water content (RWC) fall caused by water restriction but osmotic adjustment (OA) was not responsible for this stress alleviation. A general OA was observed in the course of dehydration, possibly associated with developmental changes as amplified by exposition to high air temperatures. Mulched watermelon plants produced significantly more dry biomass (W) and leaf area (A) than plants without mulch protection. They also reached much higher transpiration rates (T) but lower evaporation rates (E). However, due to red PE mulch TE appeared below that of non-mulched plants. On the other hand, WUE corresponded with the results of recent works exclusively on black PE mulch, since it was enhanced by mulch. Cooler autumnal conditions resulted in higher RWC, W, and A, but in lower T, TE, and WUE differences between treatments. These results are discussed in context of effective water use (EUW), a new parameter arising from WUE failure in breeding for drought resistance.
This research titled "role of women in economic development of Pakistan" provides information about the importance of role of women in economic development.    It contains a lot of information about the state of education and employment of women in Pakistan. Also evidence about discrimination and social prejudices based on sex has been presented. A detailed review of educational status and opportunities for females in Pakistan gives all Instructive picture.    Uneducated and Unskilled women serving mostly as unpaid family helpers remain denied of their rightful place in society. The need to provide greater education opportunities to girls has accelerated as a result of convergence of numerous contributing factors. Note worthy and major among these are.    Continuing high rate of fertility and urbanization. Vast acceleration and spaced of new knowledge and technologies, and various economic social. political and cultural developments culminating in rising expectations and changing values and priorities of women.    The purpose of the thesis is to examine the role and statue of women with in the strategies and instrumentality of development in Pakistan.    The four central questions underlying this study are:-    a) What is the present condition of women regarding education and employment. .    b) To what extant and at what level did women participate in Economic Development efforts in Pakistan.    c) How did this participation of women contribute to the relative success of economic development efforts in the country.    d) How education and employment among women can be popularized.    The implication of these cultural norms for women's economic activities are severe. These shape the perception of Pakistan's women who rarely consider their own tasks and activities as either essential 01' economically significant.    In reality. women are an integral part of the economic process of the country. within and outside their homes, in the formal and informal sectors. in urban and rural areas.    The refined LFPR for the female population reported by the LFS is 12 percent. Independent assessments put the FLFPR at closer to 20-30 percent of full time workers and a greater number of part-time workers. The vast majority, 72.2 percent of women are agricultural workers. Manufacturing represents 13 percent of the female labour force and community, personal and social services comprising a further 11 percent. Women's participation in all other sectors is minor.    Rural -women are major contributors in four sub-sectors of the rural economy, crop production, livestock production, cottage industry, household and family maintenance activities, such as transporting water, fuel and fodder to and from the home, food preparation and preservation and caring for children, the elderly and the disabled women make up 76 percent of all part-time workers and only 25 percent of those acknowledged as full-time workers. Female workers are more likely to be full-time workers in all farm sizes in NWFP (89.54%) and Sindh (74,36%). Punjab shows an almost equal division between full-time workers (55.6%) and part-time workers, while in Balochistan 82.84 percent of female family workers are part-time.    An estimated two million women are part of the informal urban labour force as home-based workers (piece-rate workers, family business, self-employed entrepreneurs) and these working outside the house (in manufacturing, as construction workers, in domestic services, and as vendors).    The informal sector is characterized by low levels of education and skills, lack of capital resources, lower incomes and high degree of segregation. Women, constrained by seclusion norms, lack of information about market forces and are dependent upon contractors and middle persons, are exploited and remain outside of protective legislation.    That women participate in Economic productive activities in rural and urban areas, both within and outside the house, is now an established fact. However, they face a variety at constraints, the major ones being seclusion and mobility, which prevent women's access to information, training skills, credit and opportunities. As a result women's work continues to be arduous and tedious and their potential productivity remains unrealized, concomitantly, their quality of life is abysmally sub-standard.    Some .measures to rectify such a situations are to. Improving data on women's economic participation, and increasing the proportion of women in education. Increasing rural incomes and productivity. Enhancing urban incomes and productivity.
In order to make clear the present situation of wetland species resources along the Yangtze River in Changshu and to provide references for wetland protection,an investigation was conducted at habitat and regional scales to obtain the information about the wetland plant and animal species composition,distribution characteristics,and biomass in the observation areas.The correlations between the wetland species and between the plankton and water quality were also analyzed.In the observation areas,Phragmites australis,Zizania latifolia,and Scirpus planiculmis were the dominant plant species,whereas Melosira italica and Microcystis aeruginosa were the dominant phytoplankton species.The diversity of plankton and zoobenthos was lower,while the fishery resources were relatively abundant.There were significant correlations between the wetland plant,plankton and zoobenthos,but no significant correlation was observed between plankton and water quality during the flood season of the Yangtze River.Due to the gradual reduction of the wetland area and of the biological resources,it would become important to restore the wetland area,set up dynamic monitoring system,and build scientific development model to protect the wetland along the Yangtze River.
The private clinical practice provides a unique environment for the collection of useful data on the severity of disease and on the management of patients with active diseases and conditions. By virtue of the higher volume of patients seen in a given period of time, compared to the academic setting, the continuity of care (in most practices), and the diversity of patients and disease states treated in the private setting is a potentially excellent source of valuable information. Yet these same features, particular the volume of patients needed to maintain an economically viable practice, and other necessary time commitments for practice in the private setting (bill paying, phone call management, general office management), present obstacles that most private practitioners find insurmountable.
The increasing amplitude of migrants and remittences in the last years, especially toward the developing countries has positive effects on development in the countries of origin. Empiric research outline the potentially significant effect of remittances on the economy of a country in various ways, as a source of external financing, contributing to the growth and economic development, to the increase of the national income and stimulation of consumption, and at the same time, important in financing households, contributing to poverty decrease. These challenges are a priority for Romania, an emigration country that receives every year un important volume of remittances, but, at present with a preponderant role in the consumption.
The invention relates to a sofa with a backrest and tea table conversion function, and belongs to the technical field of seating devices. The sofa with the backrest and tea table conversion function comprises a seat cushion and a backrest, and further comprises a backrest and tea table integrated part adjacent to the backrest, wherein the backrest and tea table integrated part is connected with the adjacent backrest through a conversion device; the backrest and tea table integrated part rotates towards the front lower part by taking a joint of the backrest and tea table integrated part and the backrest as a shaft until the backrest and tea table integrated part is close to or connected with the seat cushion, so that a tea table is formed and the sofa is in a tea table state; and the backrest and tea table integrated part rotates towards the back upper part by taking the joint of the backrest and tea table integrated part and the backrest as the shaft until the backrest and tea table integrated part is close to or connected with the backrest, so that the small backrest is formed and the sofa is in a small backrest state. The sofa realizes the backrest and tea table conversion function with simple structure and low cost.
In this paper, we propose ablock-wise watermarking scheme for color image authentication to resist malicious tampering of digital media. The thresholding technique is incorporated into the scheme such that the tampered region of the color image can be recovered with high quality while the proofing result is obtained. The watermark for each block consists of its dual authentication data and the corresponding feature information. The feature information for recovery iscomputed bythe thresholding technique. In the proofing process, we propose a dual-option parity check method to proof the validity of image blocks. In the recovery process, the feature information of each block embedded into the color image is rebuilt for high quality recovery. The simulation results show that the proposed watermarking scheme can effectively proof the tempered region with high detection rate and can recover the tempered region with high quality. Keywords—thresholding technique, tamper proofing, tamper recovery
In to Yudafu read and absorb to foreign literature. In alluding Absorbing French literature is very important yudafu have full and deep under stanching to breach literature. He gave higher assessment to many French authors. But only luso is his real friend and male resonance with him. Luso deeply effected yadafu from his bravery of bold and frank ?self-distension?and Farness of bursting real Harman nature; at same time, that luso love great nature and feel important to description of nature, deeply affected yudafu.
An examination of criteria used to determine church membership in the Netherlands. The adjective kerkelijk (belonging to a church) is used in opposition to niet-kerkelijk (not belong to a church) and on-kerkelijk (against belonging to a church). There is no agreement on the criteria of church membership; this is evidenced by a discrepancy of 9,000 in 2 diff calculations of membership in the Dutch Reformed Church in the province of Friesland. 2 criteria are proposed: (1) attendance at Sunday mass is proof of church membership; and (2) those who do not go to church do not belong to it. It is concluded that these criteria are not satisfactory, and it is suggested that criteria of 'internal validity,' as developed by H. Zetterberg, be applied. I. Langnas.
Building was occupied by Scott's Hotel, Melbourne. Located at 444 Collins Street, Melbourne. Building was built by master builders, Clements Langford Pty. Ltd in circa 1910. Company was originally established as Langford's small Richmond business around 1881, it became incorporated in 1923 and grew into one of Melbourne's largest building firms. Inscription: Name, date and architect of building written in white beneath the photograph. Previous Control Number: UMA/I/2440 Previous Control Number: OSBA/165
The purpose of this paper is to draw a distinction between two interrelated yet fundamentally different ways of ap proaching problems in computer ethics, with the goal of clarifying which problems call for which approaches. In a nutshell, I will draw a distinctio n between approaches and topics that are primarily concerned with how technologies affect the world, on the one hand, and those primarily concerned with how technologies affect our mind, on the other. I will argue that the type of approach w e choose should be determined on the basis of which of these concerns we are prim arily trying to address, which will also shed light on the advantages and disadvan tages of the multitude of approaches to be found in ethics of technology. In order to clarify and justify this distinction, I will categorize some common approach es in computer ethics correspondingly, and I will conclude by offering a set of suggestions for how they can and should complement each other in a way that yields an exhaustive analysis of the problem at hand.
Using Yanfeng47 to study the growth and yield of rice by comparative test,the results indicated that enlarge space in the row can enhance tillering rate and forming spike,raise the disease resistance of plant.When the distance between the rows which named X2 was 33 cm×15 cm,per unit panicles,dry matter yield of maturation period and the proportion of dry matter have the chief place,the yield was 697.8 kg/667 m2,increase yields by 6.7% and 3.9% than X1 and X3,the single-spike number of X1,X2 and X3 were 3.9,4.5 and 4.8.
Emission spectroscopy has been incorporated into our suite of experimental diagnostic tools to study the time-dependence of pusher-fuel interface mix during the implosion of D{sub 2} filled titanium-doped plastic inertial confinement fusion capsules. Titanium spectral emission data, in addition to X-ray gated imaging data and neutronics data, has been compared with results from one-dimensional Lagrangian radiation-hydrodynamics simulations utilizing the Scannapieco and Cheng fluid interpenetration mix model. The comparison showed differences especially in the relative intensities of the titanium lines that may indicate the need for changes in this simulation model. The comparison also demonstrated the potential usefulness of this experimental data set as a check on other mix models.
IPTV는 디지털 TV가 중심이 되어 정보를 주고받는 확대된 인터넷 세상을 지향한다. 세계 방송ㆍ통신 시장은 인터넷 전화, IPTV 등의 융합서비스를 통해 진화하고 있으며 규제 완화에 의한 경쟁 활성화를 통해 보다 시장은 뜨거워지고 있다. 그러니 무선 통신 기기 기반으로 편리하고 간편하게 서비스를 제공받을 수 있는 IPTV는 사용자 정보를 기반으로 결제가 요구되어지기 때문에 개인정보의 침해나 노출에 취약하다. 특히, 기존 방송망을 타고 오던 방송을 IP망을 통해 받기 때문에 쿠키에 의해 개인정보가 수집되거나 해킹ㆍ악성코드ㆍ바이러스 등으로 개인정보가 유출될 위험이 높아, IPTV의 활성화를 위해서는 개인정보보호 방안이 필요하다. 본 논문에서는 IPTV의 개념과 특성을 이해하고, IPTV의 개인정보 침해요인과 보호현황을 조시하여 분석한다.
The headset includes two earphones with each transducer (18) of sound reproduction of an audio signal, housed in an acoustic cavity bounded by a cover provided with a circumaural cushion. The active noise control includes, in parallel, a bandpass filter feedforward (32) receiving the signal of an external microphone (28), a bandpass filter feedback (42) receiving at input an error signal (e ) delivered by an internal microphone (36), and a bandpass filter stabilizer (44) locally increasing the phase of the feedback filter transfer function in a zone of instability, including a zone of waterbed effect around 1 kHz . An adder (46) outputs a weighted linear combination of the signals delivered by these filters as well as the audio signal to be reproduced (S). The control is non-adaptive, filter parameters (32, 42, 44) being fixed.
This paper presents a construction of teaching management and teaching evaluation information system for engineering University. The system's main functions and technical processing methods and characters are introduced in detail. The application of the system has a magnificent result in speeding up the scientific standardization and modernization of teaching management and decision in the university.
We present the application of the NVIDIA OptiX engine in numerical simulations for Medical Imagine systems. Based on the NVidia OptiX engine, the X- and Gamma-ray-tracer has been created and developed to perform accurate Monte Carlo simulations that determine the Point Response Function in case of parallel hole collimators used in SPECT tomography. Our software allows to simulate physical interactions of high energy photons with objects (in pixel or mesh representation) and recording any required quantities, like path integrals, deposited energies and others.
The cost of disposal of low-level waste (LLW) has increased dramatically since the 1960s. In the '60s waste was put into the ground for a fee of less than $$1/ft{sup 3} in truck-size quantities. Fees for the same burial services today begin in the $$30/ft{sup 3} range and increase rapidly from that level. Although the user fees associated with compacts will clearly exceed $$100/ft{sup 3}, improved operating techniques by the generators will reduce the amount of waste produced. Current estimates suggest this reduction will drive the per-cubic-foot cost of disposal over the $$200 mark. Technology is the only solution to this predicament. While costs already incurred will contribute to the fixed portion of the base user fees, the means to minimize the variable portion of the fees in now at hand. This variable portion results from on-site processing costs, waste form stability enhancements, and ongoing disposal unit construction. Technology exists to minimize volume through ultra compaction and selective incineration, greatly reducing the ongoing disposal unit construction requirements. Vitrification of incinerator residue provides waste form stability far in excess of that provided by concrete overpacks. As overpacks represent the second largest material cost at an engineered barrier facility, the potential for cost savings is substantial.
The utility model discloses a large -scale stainless steel oil cooler for engine, including radiator unit, radiator unit includes a plurality of chips that stack and fin, vacuole formation between two fixed and adjacent chips is sealed to adjacent turning on one's side of two chips between the limit, all be equipped with the fin in every cavity, all be equipped with two oil throughs and two limberss on every chip, the shortest line intercrossing between the shortest line between two oil throughs and two limbers equal diagonal angle settings on every chip, two oil throughs and two limberss, in the radiator unit water side passageway, the passageway of every tooth of fin all with two limberss between the shortest line parallel, in the radiator unit oil side passageway, the passageway of every tooth of fin all with two oil throughs between the shortest line parallel. Large -scale stainless steel oil cooler for engine can not prolong way and machine oil the way at oil side passageway of cooling water at water side passageway to improve oil cooler's radiating effect.
International Ioumal of Insrimuonar Managunent 111 Higher Education March 1985 Vol. 9 No. 1 S~12 MANAGING ‘rm-: AMERICAN uurvrartsrnrl David Gardnr: University of California United States The first thing to be said about American higher education is that it is not so much a System as it is a collection of colleges and universities, predicated on the idea that access to higher education for students with the ability to beneﬁt from such an education is an important nﬂtioml goal. Thus. American higher education consists of many institutions ~ qI013 llq!!! 3 000 — and enrolls 7.4 million full-time and 5.4 million part-time students. These institutions are unatally diverse : there are large research univetslﬂthﬁmlll “MN ‘q13 colleges. church-afﬁliated institutions. vocational schools. Pl°f°“i°“‘1 ’°h°°q q '°q‘° aligned with a university and others not - two-yell ctlllmllﬂiw ¢0“°S°5- P“w°lYq“P_P°q‘°d and privately supported institutions. As long ago as 1870 the United States had more institu- tions awarding bachelor‘: degrees. more law schools. and more medical schools than all of the countries of Europe cunbined2. _ It hardly needs to be said that these institutions VII‘! 8101'-1)’ in ¢'{|1‘“W- 3“ 313q Vq? Vlriety reflects the national enthusiasm for founding new cdleges or universities to rn.eet.chang~ ing conditions or dis American society. As a consequence. American c unsystanatic way, without any grand de network of colleges and universities different enough to nice differ greatly in both their educational aspirations and their considerable. especially in a pluralistic, large scale, govemrncntally decent! phically dispersed society like the United States. _ A consistent characteristic of American higher education has been the absence of virtually any planning for it by the national government. Even the relative‘! MW F‘d°q“ D°P'qm°'q of Education is concerned primarily with ei schools and high schools — and in any case its func _ national approach either to the schods or to hiﬂrer education but to see that education 11853 voice in the affairs of government at the Federal level and to administer the relatively few nt financial aid programs. d ' , . tude e ucatron programs sponsored by the Federal government egasn ma mans mdmom anew This arrangement — so surprising to foreiyt visitors — arises . _ control and individual initiative which have been such formative forces In American life 8'39‘ rally. This is not to say that the Federal govammmt that it is one of several actors on the educational scene. The Fedenl E°q°“mq'-“q5 ‘mm occurinthreegeneralareas: has no role in hiﬂrer education, b1It¢I‘l1Y buttons 5 «______h. tinctive local needs, a tradition with its roots the V81’! b¢9'}ﬂm85 °f » _..:.;:—.~...—...... 1.1- .- _'1-r_- -—_--a»-—... ._. $4..‘ :a;.~;q. '5‘ - rs:-._~ ,
We use topological data analysis as a tool to analyze the fit of mathematical models to experimental data. This study is built on data obtained from motion tracking groups of aphids in [Nilsen et al., PLOS One, 2013] and two random walk models that were proposed to describe the data. One model incorporates social interactions between the insects, and the second model is a control model that excludes these interactions. We compare data from each model to data from experiment by performing statistical tests based on three different sets of measures. First, we use time series of order parameters commonly used in collective motion studies. These order parameters measure the overall polarization and angular momentum of the group, and do not rely on a priori knowledge of the models that produced the data. Second, we use order parameter time series that do rely on a priori knowledge, namely average distance to nearest neighbor and percentage of aphids moving. Third, we use computational persistent homology to calculate topological signatures of the data. Analysis of the a priori order parameters indicates that the interactive model better describes the experimental data than the control model does. The topological approach performs as well as these a priori order parameters and better than the other order parameters, suggesting the utility of the topological approach in the absence of specific knowledge of mechanisms underlying the data.
The insulin resistance syndrome has been defined as a cluster of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidaemia and impaired fasting glucose in individuals with raised fasting plasma insulin levels. The development of insulin resistance may be genetic, or due to modifiable environmental factors such as weight increase and/or lack of physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate possible relationships between insulin resistance, glucose impairment, obesity and lifestyle factors in a small community in rural Australia. This study highlighted that 89% of the 53 participants, who were referred by their general practioners for testing for insulin resistance, were overweight or obese. Total cholesterol and triglycerides were raised in 25% of participants, with high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL) levels lower than the suggested guidelines of the National Heart Foundation. Impaired fasting glucose was found in 20% of participants, with 49% of participants having a family history of diabetes. Insulin resistance was demonstrated in 59% of participants with a homeostasis assessment model (HOMA index) of ≥ 2.2 and 7% of participants were borderline insulin resistant.
Abstract : After planning from September 2001 to May 2003, the George W. Bush administration failed to implement a coherent national plan at the transition to Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) operations in Iraq. This thesis applies four decision-making perspectives the rational actor, organizational process, bureaucratic politics, and individual level approaches to the Phase IV planning process to analyze how senior decision makers within the national security system selected foreign policy options. Despite an experienced national security team, officials were unable to coordinate and integrate various agency planning efforts, failed to decide on specific policy objectives, and limited the consideration of multiple courses of action.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a serious lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder. ASD is diagnosed for children at the age of two. ASD diagnosis, as early as possible, lays the foundation for treatment and much better prognosis. Notably, gene‐based test is an inherent method to recognize the potential infants with ASD before the age of two. To investigate whether SHANK family contributes to ASD prediction, on the basis of our previous studies of SHANK2 and SHANK3, we further investigated associations between SHANK1 polymorphisms and ASD risk as well as SNP–SNP interactions among SHANK family. We enrolled 470 subjects (229 cases and 241 healthy controls) who were northeast Chinese Han. Four tag SNPs (rs73042561, rs3745521, rs4801846, and rs12461427) of SHANK1 were selected and genotyped. We used the SNPStats online analysis program to assess the associations between the four SNPs and ASD risk. The SNP–SNP interactions among SHANK family were analyzed using multifactor dimensionality reduction method. We found that the four SHANK1 SNPs were not associated with ASD risk in northeast Chinese Han population. There existed a strong synergistic interaction between rs11236697 [SHANK2] and rs74336682 [SHANK2], and moderate synergistic interactions (rs74336682 [SHANK2]–rs73042561 [SHANK1], rs11236697 [SHANK2]–rs77716438 [SHANK2], and rs11236697 [SHANK2]–rs75357229 [SHANK2]). These SHANK1 variants may not affect the susceptibility to ASD in Chinese Han population. SNP–SNP interactions in SHANK family may confer ASD risk. Autism Res 2019, 12: 375–383 © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
All mature oil fields co-produce significant volumes of water with oil, which is a consequence of waterflooding and/or aquifer influx. Water cut increases with the life of the field, sometimes reaching as high as 99 %, leading to decrease in oil revenues. Such volumes of co-produced water require costly treatment to remove the oil before it can be safely disposed of or re-injected back into the reservoir. Typically, these waste streams of water have temperatures in the range of 65 to 150 °C. This combination of moderate temperatures and large volumes is favourable for generating electricity or for use in district heating. Being able to harness geothermal energy from existing oil and gas fields could extend their lifespan by delaying their economic cut-off point. This would be achieved by generating new revenue streams, using in-field generated power to offset fuel costs and reduce operational expenditure, delaying decommissioning liabilities, and increasing ultimate oil recovery. The emissions of greenhouse gases could also be reduced by providing renewable, low carbon energy. The objective of this study is to assess the potential for geothermal exploitation of the co-produced water from mature onshore hydrocarbon fields in the UK. The Wytch Farm oil field, located in Dorset, Southern England, was chosen as the case study, with the necessary data provided by the field’s operator. The available geothermal energy could be harnessed in the form of electricity, via an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plant, or as thermal energy for direct use, via heat exchangers. An analytical model is developed to compute the power generated from co-produced water by ORC technology over a range of operating conditions and with different working fluids. Flexibility is built into the model to account for time-varying properties, such as increasing water cut and decreasing reservoir temperature over the life of the field. At 65°C, the co-produced water at Wytch Farm represents a low- to moderate-temperature geothermal resource, with associated low cycle thermal efficiencies. However, in comparison with gas turbines or diesel engines, the ORC’s thermal efficiency is not critical in power generation, as the fuel source is essentially free and abundant. The results of this study indicate that, for the power generation option, a maximum of 1.4 MW of electricity could be produced at site M at the Wytch Farm oil field, and 850 kW at site F. With the combined heat and power (CHP) scenario, a total of 2600 households could be served with district heating from Site M, with a total thermal energy of 37 GWh delivered annually. However, these results must be interpreted vis-a-vis overall economics and users’ availability.
Imaginative Storytelling Experiences is a documentary short film which aims to reveal the shared experiences of a well-respected British writer, presenter and performer of imaginative stories, Sir Tony Robinson, and a group of his audience members located across the United Kingdom and Australia, who fondly remember watching his television series as part of their childhood. The programme ‘Tales from Fat Tulip’s Garden’ which originally aired in the 1980s, was highly innovative in its method of stimulating imaginations through semi-improvised imaginary (invisible) characters, and random often whimsical events conjured in viewers’ minds through a surrealist mix of words, sound, camera angles, gestures and a sense of ironic humour.    Interviews and observations made throughout the entire film production process provided insights into how human imaginations are fostered in childhood and beyond, particularly how five elements of this form of storytelling - personas, dreamscapes, relating, improvising, and counter-cultural - are experienced and shared between storyteller and audiences. Identifying these experiences can act as a catalyst to further explore implications for educators, parents, storytellers and researchers.
This paper describes and compares two governmental policies that aim to decrease nutrient losses from farming to ground and surface waters in the Netherlands. The mineral bookkeeping system (MINAS) is the first policy. It is applied in the Netherlands since 1998 and it is based on a farm gate balance approach. This national policy was definitely rejected on October 2, 2003 by the EU Court of Justice as it was considered not to comply fully with the EU Nitrate Directive. Consequently, the Netherlands developed the Application Standards Policy (ASP) based on a soil balance approach which will replace MINAS starting 2006. Especially for dairy farming, that combines plant and animal production, nutrient input and output at soil level are hard to determine as nutrient input via manure and nutrient output via grass and forage is not measured. ASP, therefore, works with standards leaving less incentives for individual farmers to improve their nutrient use efficiency through farm management. Comparison of the policies by means of modeling at farm level shows partial removal of manure and replacement of the nutrients in this manure by fertilizer for an intensive dairy farm when changing from MINAS to ASP. This leads to a decreased cost-effectiveness as nutrient losses remain roughly the same while the farm income decreases substantially. Also the income of an extensive dairy farm decreases, but there nutrient losses also decrease. The value of this last decrease is questionable, however, as the nutrient surpluses on the extensive farm are below the surpluses that are considered acceptable given the buffering capacity of the environment. The partial removal of manure from intensive farms will definitely lead to problems on the manure market in the Netherlands as it is already difficult in the current situation to place all the surplus manure in a responsible way on arable farms.
Reputation systems constitute an important institution to help sustain trust in on-line auction markets. However, only half of buyers leave feedback after transactions, and nearly all of it is positive. In this paper, I propose a mechanism whereby sellers can provide rebates (not necessarily in monetary form) to buyers contingent upon buyers’ provision of reports. Using a game theoretical model, I show how the mechanism can increase unbiased reporting. There exists a pooling equilibrium where both good and bad sellers choose the rebate option, even though their true types are revealed through feedback. The mechanism also induces bad sellers to improve the quality of the contract.
In this paper, we propose a new differential space-time-frequency (DSTF) modulation for MIMO- OFDM system with four transmit-antennas and arbitrary receive-antennas, which can improve the transmission rate since it can adopt high order quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation. Our proposed DSTF scheme embeds some full diversity full rate (FDFR) quasi-orthogonal space-time codes (QOSTBC) with QAM modulation into the frequency intervals and adopts the differential modulation in both time and frequency domains. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed DSTF scheme can improve transmission rate greatly. Compared with the conventional differential unitary space-time modulation (DUSTM), it can get better transmission performance in high transmission rate for MIMO-OFDM system.
Interest in objective, credible comparative clinical effectiveness information has been growing in the United States, both by those who support competitive behavior in health care and by those who support administered pricing. The Medicare drug benefit has heightened interest in better information, although the potential payoff is even greater for medical procedures than for drugs, since procedures account for more of the health care dollar. Careful consideration needs to be given regarding the appropriate structure, place- ment, financing, and function of an agency devoted to comparative effectiveness if it is to achieve its objective: a mechanism to support better decision making in health care. (Health Affairs 25 (2006): w572-w585 (published online 7 November 2006; 10.1377/ hlthaff.25.w572)) A mong t he m an y c ontroversial f eatures of the Medicare Pre- scription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003, none has caused more dissension than the provision stating that the secre- tary of health and human services (HHS) "may not interfere" in the negotiations between drug manufacturers and plans regarding prices or formularies. With the full drug benefit just being implemented, it is far too early to know whether this provision will be able to withstand the inevitable future pressures to rein in Medi- care Part D spending. The prohibition on government from using administered pricing or the full weight of Medicare's purchasing power to drive down prescrip- tion drug prices in the context of the new drug benefit has renewed interest in having better information available on the relative clinical effectiveness and cost- effectiveness of alternative therapeutic treatments as a strategy to moderate spending. What has been particularly promising, at a political level, is that inter- est in clinical effectiveness data is present both among those who support admin- istered pricing and among those who oppose it.
Provided are a drying machine and a film producing method from solution. A belt (91) is composed of a belt-like central part (91c) and belt-like sidepieces (91s) arranged at both sides of the belt-like central part (91c) in the width direction thereof. The central part (91c) and the welding part (91w) of the sidepieces (91s) expose from a surface (91a). The concentrated liquor flows out from an outlet port (133a) to the surface (91a) of a moving belt (91). A curtain coating film (136) is made of the concentrated liquor by covering the welding part (91w) upon the surface (91a). The drying wind is vented from the pipe to the curtain coating film (136). The solvent is evaporated from the curtain coating film (136) by contacting with the drying wind. The heating wind (150) is blown to the welding part (91w) from interior via a nozzle (151). The solvent, via the heating wind (150), is evaporated from the curtain coating film upon the surface (91a). A peeling roller peels the curtain coating film (136) off the belt (91) to be a film.
Human capital as characterised by good education and good health is an important determinant of economic growth. Most of the developing countries are facing health as a big hindrance in the process of economic development. Considering improvement in overall health status as an important step towards socioeconomic development, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched at par with national level in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2005 for provision of accessible, affordable, effective and reliable primarily health care services, especially to the poor and vulnerable sections of the society, bridging the gap in rural health care infrastructure with Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) as its core component for promotion of institutional delivery in rural areas through incentive based approach with a view to reduce Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate. In the state of Jammu and Kashmir were healthcare access is least in terms of infrastructure development because of its natural geographical constraints, NRHM provided an ample opportunity for upgrading its infrastructure availability in order to meet the growing demand for health care services particularly in rural areas. In the present study, the focus of study would be to give an overview regarding financial and physical performance of NRHM in Jammu and Kashmir.
PROBABLE CAUSES OF SURFACE CRACKING OF HYDRATED CEMENT PASTES WERE EXAMINED BY CHEMICAL AND X-RAY DIFFRACTION TECHNIQUES. GOOD CORRELATION WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE TWO TECHNIQUES. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE COMPOSITION AND CONSTITUTION OF THE CRACKED SURFACE ZONES OF THE PASTES AND THE REST OF THE MASS ARE ATTRIBUTED TO BLEEDING OF THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION IN THE CEMENT PASTE TOGETHER WITH EXTRACTION OF SOLUBLE ALKALIES AND CALCIUM SULFATE. BLEEDING IS THOUGHT TO BE CAUSED BY AN ABNORMAL PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF CEMENT RESULTING FROM DEFICIENCIES IN THE GRINDING PROCESS. IT ENABLES A GREATER CARBONATION, A GREATER SHRINKAGE AND, POSSIBLY A FASTER SET OF THE SURFACE ZONE, AS COMPARED WITH THE INTERNAL MASS OF THE PASTE.
Original scientific paper Izvorni znanstveni ~lanak SUMMARY A conducted research analyzes two systems of egg production, the conventional, commercial egg production and the egg production with a higher nutritive value - PUFA n-3 enriched eggs. Financial result of eggs production with PUFA n-3 is significantly higher than that of the conventional production - profitability of the conventional production was 19.29% and the one with PUFA n-3 enriched eggs 36.10%. It is, therefore, important to evaluate the efficiency of the use of capital based on the profitability of capital that is in the conventional egg production 23.9%, and in the production of PUFA n-3 enriched eggs 56.1%. According to the results of investigation, it is necessary to produce 258 eggs in the conventional egg production, whereas in the production of enrichments eggs with PUFA n-3 breakeven point (BEP) is lower and amounts 204 eggs per laying hen per year. A higher cover rate with a difference of 10% (42.99±53.07) confirms that the production of enrichments eggs with PUFA n-3 is economically more efficient.
This paper reports the results of rock magnetic fabric Investigation in the collisional orogenic zone of southeastern Zhejiang Province.The consistent directions of minimum axes of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility from melange,schist my lonite,schistized mudstone and so on show that there have been subject to compressive stresses in the direction of nortnwest-soutneast.And this compression directionis in good agreement with that revealed by post-Jurassic thrust in the same area.The authors challenge a conventional view of point that this orogeny is of Caledonian and make a suggestive point of Mesozoic orogeny and the corresponding metamorphic time of Longquan Group.
suitable grass species to build football lawn were selected and optimum model of management was made up based on the trial of three years(1997～1999). The technic targets are pruning 4～6 times/mon. to keep 5～7.4cm height and applying fertilizer N 2.5～3.7g/m 2 and fertilizer P,K each 1.25～ 1.85g/m 2 for a year. All the measures for building and management of the football lawn are summarized as: (1) grass seed selection, level ground bed preparation, sowing technique, pruning fertilizer application and watering etc; (2)disease and pest prevention and controlling, water fertilizer management; (3)improving soil quality, nourishing grass seed or turf for preventing lawn degaration.
Objective:To evaluate the risk factors for multiple organ failure (MOF) caused by acute organic phosphorus poisoning (AOPP) and the mortality of MOF. Methods: A total of 130 patients with AOPP were divided into MOF group and non-MOF group. The between-group differences were analyzed. Results: There were significant between-group differences for poison dose,alanine aminotransferase (ALT),total bilirubin (TBIL),lactate dehydrogenase (LDH),blood urea nitrogen (BUN),serum creatinine (Cr),Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS),past history,number of patients received blood transfusion,body temperature,and gastric lavage time. But no significant between-group differences for sex,age,poison category,positive stool blood,creatine kinase (CK),creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB),and acetylcholinesterase (ChE) were found. Logistic regression indicated that the gastric lavage time,past history of chronic diseases,TBIL,and GCS affected the occurrence of MOF. Conclusion: TBIL and GCS could predict the occurrence of MOF. The delayed gastric lavage and past history of chronic diseases are also the risk factors for MOF.
Water being most basic necessity for sustainability of the life on globe due to intensification in the population the distribution and sharing of water resources have become added problematical issue. With the intensification of water demand due to industrialization, agricultural practices and domestic need it is important to manage the water resources in an optimum way. With this viewpoint, hydrological modeling shows vital part which can performance as a significant tool for the assessment of water at the basin scale. In the present study, the Soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) have been adopted in assessing the climate change on Malaprabha sub-Basin. The model has been executed and calibration is carried out from the year 1988-1998 and validation is done from the year 1999- 2002 due to unsatisfactory R 2 and NSE values. SWAT-CUP (SUFI-2) is a semi-automated program has been employed in calibration and validation purpose. This study provides an ideology of extent of variation that may be caused in the forthcoming years in study Area and these data can be employed in designing the water structures, watershed management, and crop pattern adaptability.
Ever since Sen (1993) criticized the notion of internal consistency of choice, there exists a wide spread perception that the standard rationalizability approach to the theory of choice has difficulties coping with the existence of external social norms. This paper introduces a concept of norm-conditional rationalizability and shows that external social norms can be accommodated so as to be compatible with norm-conditional rationalizability by means of suitably modified revealed preference axioms in the theory of rational choice on general domains a la Richter (1966;1971) and Hansson (1968)
Speech-language pathologists and educators face unique challenges in assessing the language skills of children with complex communication needs due to the wide array of impairments with which these individuals present. For example, most receptive language assessment tools require that children either point to or label line drawings to determine whether or not they comprehend the depicted concepts; task demands such as these preclude administering such assessment tools with children who are unable to physically point to or verbally label presented stimuli. In light of these challenges, the use of eye tracking technologies has become particularly appealing since this alternate response mode reduces the behavioral demands associated with standardized assessment procedures. Another challenge clinicians and educators face as they strive to ensure accurate receptive language assessment results with children who have complex communication needs is the type of stimuli utilized in such assessments. When individuals with cognitive delays are presented with stimuli that may not be comprehensible to them, there is a risk of under-estimating language comprehension abilities (Emerson, 2003). Given the documented challenges that individuals with disabilities often have in identifying constructs depicted by the types of line drawings typically included in receptive language assessment tools (e.g., Mirenda & Locke, 1989; Mizuko, 1987), there is a critical need to include recognizable stimuli in assessment tools in order to determine this population’s true receptive language capabilities. Beyond this potential to improve the validity of receptive language assessments, improvement in assessment practices such as these also have potential positive implications for effective AAC technology selection and AAC treatment planning.
600 patients of pulmonary TB were studied using Beck depressive inventory. Depression was observed in 82% in females. It was observed more among elderly age group (45-55) person and females, business class patients, Middle (Education), Married and those who have low income. No difference was observed with martial and religion. The severity of depression was related to the duration of illness, severity of disease and response to chemotherapy. Depression was present in 82% in females and 52.6% in male of freshly diagnosed patients. It decreased to 69.8% in those who responded favorably to, chemotherapy but those with persistently positive sputum had a significantly high percentage 64%.
This study contributes to the exploration of the nutritional potential of under-exploited local resources (sesame and moringa) in weaning food. So, eight diets (MiS, MiSMo5, MiSG, MiSGMo5, MaS, MaSMo5, MaSG and MiSGMo5) were formulated from cereal flours (millet or maize), sesame seed (ungerminated or germinated) and moringa leaf. Commercial weaning foods (AT1 and AT2) were used as control. The biochemical composition and nutritional quality in growing Wistar rats of the various flours was determined. The results showed that the moisture, protein, ash, fat, fiber, carbohydrate and energy content of the formulations are within the recommended standard for weaning foods. Also, the formulated diets have induced weight gain of rats. The BMI of rats fed formulated diets (0.49 - 0.51 g/cm2) is similar to that of AT2 (0.46 g/cm2) control rats. The formulated diets had FER, PER, TD and BV values ranging from (0.18 - 0.23), (1.38 - 1.64), (85.18 - 93.55 %) and (86.64 - 94.91 %) respectively. Any abnormalities were not identified as far as concern rat’s organs (liver and kidney). The total cholesterol and HDL blood cholesterol levels in rats fed the formulated diets are higher than those in rats fed the AT2 control diets. In addition, the LDL cholesterol levels are lower in rats fed the formulations compared to those in the AT1 and AT2 control diets. These results appear adapted within the framework of the fight against infantile malnutrition in the context of the local resources available.
Algebras of distributions of binary isolating and semi-isolating formulas are derived objects for given theory and reflect binary formula relations between realizations of 1-types. These algebras are associated with the following natural classification questions: 1) for a given class of theories, determine which algebras correspond to the theories from this class and classify these algebras; 2) to classify theories from a given class depending on the algebras defined by these theories of isolating and semi-isolating formulas. Here the description of a finite algebra of binary isolating formulas unambiguously entails a description of the algebra of binary semi-isolating formulas, which makes it possible to track the behavior of all binary formula relations of a given theory. The paper describes algebras of binary formulae for root products. The Cayley tables are given for the obtained algebras. Based on these tables, theorems describing all algebras of binary formulae distributions for the root multiplication theory of regular polygons on an edge are formulated. It is shown that they are completely described by two algebras.
Surveys in the Elkhorn River Basin between 1972 and 1994 documented a unionid fauna of28 taxa. Two additional taxa were documented by museum records, bringing the total to 30 confirmed for the region. In recent collections only eleven species were found as live specimens or fresh shells, suggesting the possible loss of as much as 63% ofthe documented fauna of the Basin. Biological diversity was once greatest in the eastern portion of the Basin, reflecting the greater variety of habitats in this region. At present, the greatest diversity appears to be found in the western portion. This reversal of biologic diversity probably reflects the extent of habitat degradation in the eastern portion. Arcidens confragosus, Lampsilis teres f. teres, and Obovaria olivaria are newly reported for Nebraska.
OBJECTIVE To examine health behaviors and quality of life among disabled people in two provinces of Thailand.   MATERIAL AND METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted in 5,352 disabled people selected by multistage cluster sampling from Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces during April to June 2008. The WHOQOL-BREF-THAI and health promoting behavior scales were used to measure QOL and health behavior.   RESULTS Among the health promoting behaviors, exercise and health responsibility of the disabled people were mostly at the 'need to improve' level (46.6 and 52.8%), while their nutritional behavior and stress management level were mostly at the 'good' level (80.8 and 43.8%). Overall quality of life was mostly at the 'moderate' level (79.3%). Exercise and stress management were found to have a significant positive relationship with the quality of life at low level (r = 0.18, r = 0.12) at p < 0.01.   CONCLUSION The results indicated that person who had health promoting behaviors by exercise and appropriate stress management had a good QOL. Encouraging of family and health authority support in exercise and stress management may help them having a good QOL.
Article history: Received on: 07/12/2013 Revised on: 19/01/2014 Accepted on: 20/02/2014 Available online: 25/02/2014 Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri (Xac) is the phytopathogen responsible for citrus canker, one of the most devastating citrus diseases in the world. Fifty six strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri (Xac) were isolated from different citrus growing areas of Marathwada region of Maharashtra state and twenty representative strains of Xac were selected to study the genetic diversity. Morphological, biochemical and pathogenicity tests were carried out to identify and characterize the strains of bacteria causing citrus canker. Repetitive DNA polymerase chain reaction-based fingerprinting (rep-PCR) using repetitive extragenic palindromic (rep) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) and BOX primers were used to assess the genetic diversity.Cluster analysis done by combining the banding patterns of REP-PCR, ERIC-PCR and BOX-PCR clearly separated two diverse groups within species of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri based on the geographic region of isolation.
A 17-year Eritrean male presented with symptoms of rectal bleeding and three kilograms weight loss. Defecation pattern had not altered. Medical and family histories were not relevant. Physical examination was unremarkable. Ileocolonoscopy evidenced a 3 cm flat lobed polyp in the distal rectum. Partial removal was performed using snare electrocoagulation (Figs. 1, 2), which was complicated by an arterial bleeding. Attempts to achieve hemostasis endoscopically using electrocoagulation, adrenalin injection and haemoclips were unsuccessful. In the operating room under general anesthesia, the bleeding was stopped surgically using transanal applied resorbable stitches. Histopathological examination of the specimen showed hyperplastic mucosa with infiltrates of granulomatous inflammation around schistosoma eggs with a sharp hook, suggesting Schistosoma Haematobium (Fig. 3). There were no signs of malignancy. The patient was treated with a single dose Praziquentel of 2400 milligrams. Three weeks post-ileocolonoscopy, there were no signs of ongoing rectal bleeding.
The USDA’s estimate of soybean stocks at the end of the third quarter of the 2014-15 marketing year (June 1, 2015) of 625.4 million bushels was surprisingly small and helped ignite fireworks in the soybean futures market. For example, the price of the August 2015 soybean futures contract shot up over 50 cents after release of the June 1 soybean stocks estimate on June 30. That estimate comes on the heels of smaller-than-expected stocks estimates at the end of the first quarter (December 1, 2014) and the second quarter (March 1, 2015) of the marketing year. The cumulative effect of the smaller than expected stock estimates is an unusually large estimate of seed and residual (unexplained) use of soybeans during the first three quarters of the 2014-15 marketing year. Specifically, we calculate seed and residual use through the first three quarters at 297.9 million bushels based on the estimated size of the 2014 harvest, estimated stocks at the beginning of the marketing year, imports during the first three quarters of the marketing year, and estimated domestic crush and exports during the first three quarters of the year. In this article, we address the potential implications of this large unexplained use of soybeans on the magnitude of stocks at the end of the marketing year. The magnitude of those stocks has no implications for the price of old crop soybeans. However, those stocks become part of the supply of soybeans for the 2015-16 marketing year and have potential implications for the price of new crop soybeans. We analyzed the relationship between soybean endings stocks and price in a farmdoc daily article (May 14, 2015) earlier this year.
Bleaching for children is rarely performed in dental clinic, but the literature indicates that bleaching is used for children. Bleaching causes demineralization that can increase enamel surface roughness. However, the addition of fluoride and potassium nitarte can inhibit mineral loss and activate remineralization. The aim of this in vitro study is to evaluate the surface roughness of young permanent tooth enamel submitted to bleaching with 10% carbamide peroxide and 10% carbamide peroxide containing potassium nitrate and fluoride. Materials and Methods: fourteen dental blocks (5x5mm2) from young permanent teeth (premolar) with polished enamel surface were randomly assigned to 2 treatment group (n=7), as follows: 10% CP (Group 1) and 10% CP+PF (Group II). During fourteen days, each enamel surface was daily exposed to 1 hour bleaching regimen followed by storage in artificial saliva. Surface roughness (Ra) was measured before (baseline) and immediately after bleaching (fourteen days) with surface roughness tester (SRT) and by electron microscope (SRME). Data analyzed by paired t-test (statistically significant differences (p 10%CP+PF. In conclusion, bleaching with 10% CP increases surface roughness. However, the increase of Ra values was low and may not be clinically significant.
OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard went into effect on May 26, 1992. Explosions at various industrial facilities that claimed the lives of workers over the past several years were the catalyst for the new federal regulations. The new PSM standard deals with 130 specific chemicals along with flammable liquids and gases used at nearly 25,000 worksites. The performance-based PSM standard consists of 14 elements that establish goals and describe basic program elements to fulfill these goals. The PSM standard requires employers to conduct a process hazard analysis to examine potential problems and determine what preventative measures should be taken. Key elements include employee training, written operating procedures, safety reviews and maintenance requirements to insure the mechanical integrity of critical components. The presentation will cover the evolution of OSHA's PSM standard, the requirements of the 14 elements in the PSM standard and discuss the significant achievements in the development and implementation of the PSM process at US Steel's Clairton coke plant.
A bipolar patient presenting with catatonia may be misdiagnosed as having noncatatonic schizophrenia or unipolar depression because these conditions share the same signs. Of 12 patients with episodes of catatonia who were admitted to the authors' inpatient units, 8 were initially diagnosed as schizophrenic. Within 2 years, 8 of the 12 were ultimately diagnosed as suffering from bipolar affective disorder. Catatonia--a syndrome, not a diagnosis--seems more closely linked with bipolar disorder than with schizophrenia or unipolar depression.
The original design mineral cleaning method is artificial,that is artificial cleaning.People out of the well after tooling harvesters.Through the system underground central water warehouse operation will also be mine drainage system and production system and establish the mine production chain.Therefore,underground coal slime water of the central water storehouse directly take to the panel belt which is "special production chain" and has become the important cycle of chain to this production.
ABSTRACT The disclosure of cases relating to a lawsuit against the holder of the certificate by the original land holder has raised the insecurity of the certificate holder. In the city of Samarinda precisely in Jalan Ir. H. Juanda RT 02 Sidodadi Urban Village, Samarinda Ulu Sub-district, Samarinda City, land dispute occurred in civil case at Samarinda District Court Number. 93 / Pdt.G / 2000 / PN.Smda Juncto Number 48 / Pdt / 2004 / PT.KT. Smda Juncto Number. 74 / Pdt / 2005, used as the basis for the cancellation of Certificate of Property Number 2853 / Kelurahan Sidodadi, 2856 / Kelurahan Sidodadi, 2857 / Kelurahan Sidodadi, 2858 / Sidodadi Urban Village, 2859 / Sidodadi Urban Village, 2860 / Sidodadi Urban Village, 2862 / Kelurahan Sidodadi The Land Office of Samarinda City is forwarded to the Regional Office of the National Land Agency of East Kalimantan Province to subsequently issue a Decree of the Head of Regional Office of the National Land Agency of East Kalimantan Province regarding the cancellation of the Certificate as the execution of the decision of the Courts which has obtained permanent legal force. Under this circumstance, the writer encourages the writer to know what the legal considerations of the Court of Samarinda are in Decision Number 93 / Pdt.G / 2000 / PN.Smda that cancels the Certificate of Property Number 2853 / Kelurahan Sidodadi, 2856 / Kelurahan Sidodadi, 2857 / Kelurahan Sidodadi, 2858 / Sidodadi urban village, 2859 / Sidodadi urban village, 2860 / Sidodadi urban village, 2862 / Kelurahan Sidodadi and to find out what effect the law has on the Certificate of Property Owned by the Court and permanent law force. This research uses a normative sociological approach, referring to the truth obtained from a reality in the field that is linked to the legal aspect. From the research result it can be seen that the legal considerations of the Samarinda Court strengthen to grant the request for the cancellation of the Certificate of the Property and the legal consequences to the Certificate which have been subsequently terminated. The court which has obtained permanent legal force (Inkracht Van Gewijsde) is null and void by the Head of Office The territory of the National Land Agency of East Kalimantan Province Number 38 / KEP-64 / IV / 2016 which is further processed by the Land Office of Samarinda City, and to avoid land disputes such as this case case, / public complaints as an effort to protect the law of Land Rights . Keywords: Cancellation of Certificate of Property.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases brain beta-amyloid (Ab) in humans and animals. Although the role of Ab in the injury cascade is unknown, multiple preclinical studies have demonstrated a correlation between reduced Ab and improved outcome. Therefore, therapeutic strategies that enhance Ab clearance may be beneficial after TBI. Increased levels of ATP-binding cassette A1 (ABCA1) transporters can enhance Ab clearance through an apolipoprotein E (apoE)-mediated pathway. By measuring Ab and ABCA1 after experimental TBI in C57BL/6J mice, we found that Ab peaked early after injury (1–3 days), whereas ABCA1 had a delayed response (beginning at 3 days). As ABCA1 levels increased, Ab levels returned to baseline levels—consistent with the known role of ABCA1 in Ab clearance. To test if enhancing ABCA1 levels could block TBI-induced Ab, we treated TBI mice with the liver X-receptor (LXR) agonist T0901317. Preand post-injury treatment increased ABCA1 levels at 24 h post-injury, and reduced the TBI-induced increase in Ab. This reduction in Ab was not due to decreased amyloid precursor protein processing, or a shift in the solubility of Ab, indicating enhanced clearance. T0901317 also limited motor coordination deficits in injured mice and reduced brain lesion volume. These data indicate that activation of LXR can reduce Ab accumulation after TBI, and is accompanied by improved functional recovery.
The grammatical function subject can be identified reliably in Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian), but the same is not true of other clause-level nominal constituents in the language. The tests proposed in previous studies for identifying an object grammatical function turn out to be unreliable and inconsistent when the full range of data is considered. This thesis attempts to clarify the problem by examining non-subject arguments in Indonesian in the theoretical framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar. Both the properties associated with the various types of argument and the means by which they are licensed in clauses turn out to be problematic. Two argument verbs appear in a range of clause types which are related in interesting ways. I argue that it is possible to give a coherent analysis of the system as a whole, treating it as the basic transitive system of the language, when certain relationships are recognised as morphological rather than syntactic. This analysis also reveals similarities between Indonesian and more conservative Austronesian languages such as those of the Philippines. Another type of clause, sometimes referred to as the 'adversative verb' clause type shares an important property with one of the types of transitive clause, that of allowing an oblique argument to appear without a licensing preposition if it is adjoined to the verb which governs it. Another class of verbs, emotion and cognition verbs, has a non-subject argument which can be either a prepositional phrase or a bare nominal, but in this case the bare nominal is not an oblique argument, adjunction is not the relevant syntactic relation. The only possible analysis of these verbs, maintaining the assumption that the transitive system has been identified, is that they have a subject and a secondary object as their arguments. I argue that this analysis is implausible, and that the assumption regarding the transitive system must be reconsidered. When this is done, I claim that Indonesian is best analysed as having two distinct types of clausal organisation, one in which the major constitutents are subject and verb phrase, and one in which they are subject and predicate. Most verbs can head the predicate constituent in the second type of clause, with morphology playing a crucial derivational role. Evidence from nominalised clauses and from intransitive verbs supports this analysis, but crucial aspects of the analysis resist statement in the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar, suggesting that the theory is overly-constrained in important areas.
A great variety of scientific, engineering-based, and commercial application domains are fundamentally grounded in concepts of space and time. Over the last three decades there has been significant interest in more human-focused and intuitive qualitative spatial and temporal reasoning (QSTR) methods, which address the inherent limitations of purely numerical approaches for reasoning about space and time. However, despite the extremely significant theoretical advances that have been made in the QSTR field, there is a distinct absence of commercial and industrial applications that utilise QSTR calculi. The central issue is that relatively little research has addressed the unique challenges of designing and developing QSTR-based applications in comparison to more traditional systems that employ numerical processing techniques. The primary objective of this thesis is to support software engineering practitioners in the development of applications that utilise QSTR calculi. Five QSTR application case studies, which cover a range of diverse application domains, are presented and analysed throughout this thesis to motivate the development of effective methodologies. Furthermore, a comprehensive definition of QSTR applications is presented to provide a formal basis for establishing methodologies that address three major areas of QSTR application development: requirements specification, design, and validation. Design methodologies are presented that enable developers to evaluate the efficacy of numerous QSTR calculi with respect to QSTR application functional requirements. Additionally, the design methodologies adapt object-oriented concepts and machine learning techniques to facilitate the development of custom, high level, application-specific qualitative relations and constraints. Four key validation methodologies are adapted from well known techniques in software engineering: unit testing, integration testing, test coverage, and mutation testing. Furthermore, a novel metric called H-complexity is presented and used to define four additional test coverage classes that a developer can employ to assess the efficacy of a test suite. Finally, a meta-validation methodology is established that enables developers and the QSTR community to empirically investigate the efficacy of QSTR validation techniques. Experiments are conducted using the meta-validation methodology and the results are analysed to identify the most effective utilisation of QSTR validation methodologies according to the software development process being employed.
Supervisory Committee Dr. R.B.J. Walker, Department of Political Science Supervisor Dr. Arthur Kroker, Department of Political Science Departmental Member Dr. James Tully, Department of Political Science Departmental Member This thesis examines the discourse on human security, in particular the 2001 report by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, The Responsibility to Protect. I contend that the human of human security is deeply indebted to an account of the modern subject that is also responsible for producing the model of the citizen/state relationship to which human security is conceived of as a response. Human security reaffirms the appropriateness of the sovereign state while at the same time re-conceiving sovereignty as responsibility and empowering certain international actors to intervene in sovereign states should they fail to act responsibly. Like the citizen, the ostensibly universal category of the human is produced through the exclusion or dehumanization of some ways of being human and some human beings. However, I also consider the ways in which human security works to humanize its subjects, producing the kinds of humans that can be secured.
The evidence of the epidemiologic transition in the world is associated with the progression of chronic degenerative diseases, including diabetes mellitus. The impact this condition can have in the patient’s course of life is deleterious and the population at risk in reproductive ages, ranging from the second to the third decades of life, can have signifi cant effects on the mother-child binome, making imperative for a adequate obstetric outcome the diagnosis of pregestational and gestational diabetes mellitus and its timely treatment, thus avoiding secondary complications in the mother and fetus and avoiding the increase in the cost-benefi t of these patients. Regarding ocular health, anatomical alterations of the retina and lens are secondary complications in the life of diabetic patients, which can progress during pregnancy and leave important sequelae, with decreased function.
Studies of the prostacyclin-thromboxane system in children and juveniles of 7-18 years old with hereditary ischemic heart disease demonstrated that the hereditary factor proved to be of importance for the system state. Alterations of prostanoids in these children and juveniles were related to atherogenesis development, particularly to hyperproduction of thromboxane A2, whereas patterns of the system studied varied depending on sex and family history.
Objective: To conduct a genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to find genetic variations that affected renal function in the diabetic patients in Japan. Research design and methods: In a Japanese population of 955 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D), extracted from 14,091 participants appropriate for GWAS from the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (JMICC) study. Genotyping was performed at a central laboratory with use of a HumanOmniExpressExome-8 v1.2 BeadChip array. Genotype imputation was conducted with use of SHAPEIT, followed by Minimac3 software (with the 1000 Genomes phase 3 as the reference panel). We calculated the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) for each patient according to Matsuo et al. Association for the imputed variants with eGFR was performed by linear regression analysis with adjustments for age and sex. Results: We found 77 SNVs upstream of the NBEA genes that were significantly associated with eGFR in T2D participants with P values <5 × 10-8. This gene was reported as participatory in several metabolic functions and was associated with some disease conditions. However, no previous reports implied that the gene was related to nephropathy in diabetes. Conclusion: We found the 13q35.43-35.46 locus upstream of the NBEA gene was significantly associated with eGFR in participants with T2D in a Japanese population.
Research Methodology is a systematic approach to reach conclusions. The subject of Islamic Studies is inter related to all kinds of knowledge whether they have theoretical background or physical. Like other sciences this subject too requires specific methods to maintain research work. The researcher in this field most often suffers from confusion in adopting a proper and balanced approach. In this article such kinds of research methodology have been discussed scholarly in light of Quran and Sunnah aiming at to provide a guide line for researchers. Moreover qualities of a researcher have also been highlighted which is an integral part of research
Objective To observe the effect of acupuncture on heart rate variability(HRV) in the elder patients with hypertension, and to search for a feasible method for preventing and reducing arrhythmia.Methods Clinical trial was performed and 40 patients aged 43-79 years with ASA physical statusⅠ-Ⅱ were randomly divided into two groups:control group and Neiguan acupuncture group.There was no treatment for the control group.The low frequency(LF), high frequency(HF) and low frequency / high frequency(LF / HF) were recorded.Results Three indexes of LF, HF and LF / HF had descended in the Neiguan acupuncture group, and their amplitudes were 41.70%, 10.79% and 34.96%, respectively.The LF, LF / HF had significant difference(P﹤0.05 and P﹤0.01).The their amplitudes of controls were decreased 1.72%, 2.06%and 1.32%, respectively, and the significant different was found among them.Conclusion The Neiguan acupuncture can decrease the activation of sympathetic nerve and enhance HRV.It may prevent and reduce arrhythmia.
In article the special attention is paid to consideration of psychological aspects of a phenomenon of corruption and various forms and the reasons of its manifestation are described. During researches of authors the tolerant relation to the corruption, being one of important stability conditions of its existence in Russia is revealed; deformation of the professional sense of justice, allowing to speak about legal infantilism and law nihilism of the staff of the Department of Internal Affairs is noted.
We report a large study of the effect of BCG vaccination on the in vitro 6-day whole blood interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) response to antigens from eight species of mycobacteria among schoolchildren in south-eastern England, where bacille CalmetteâGuA©rin (BCG) vaccination is highly protective against pulmonary tuberculosis, and among young adults in northern Malawi, where BCG vaccination is not protective. In the UK children, BCG induced an appreciable increase in IFN-γ response to antigens from most species of mycobacteria. The degree of change was linked to the relatedness of the species to Mycobacterium bovis BCG, and provides further evidence of the cross-reactivity of mycobacterial species in priming of the immune system. IFN-γ responses to purified protein derivatives (PPDs) from M. tuberculosis and environmental mycobacteria were more prevalent in the Malawian than the UK group prior to vaccination; BCG vaccination increased the prevalence of responses to these PPDs in the UK group to a level similar to that in Malawi. There was no evidence that the vaccine-induced change in IFN-γ response was dependent upon the magnitude of the initial response of the individual to environmental mycobacteria in the United Kingdom or in Malawi. These observations should assist the development and interpretation of human clinical trials of new vaccines against M. tuberculosis in areas of both low and high exposure to environmental mycobacteria.
Reading always represents an individual’s going out toward meaning, though that meaning is not always recognizable. Regiewicz starts from the New Testament scene of Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the resurrected Christ in the garden to describe the interpretational situation through a kerygmatic lens. Adopting a comparative perspective, he makes the traditional Biblical exegesis overlap with elements of somatic criticism, revealing significant points of ‘contact’ as key moments of existential experience, also in relation to the text’s reading. Touching meaning, like Christ’s body after the resurrection, belongs to the order of faith, that is to say a certain openness to ‘grace’; it also challenges us to be keenly engaged in our reading.
The Personnel Launch System (PLS) being studied by NASA is a system to complement the Space Shuttle and provide alternative access to space. The PLS consists of a manned spacecraft launched by an expendable launch vehicle (ELV). A candidate for the manned spacecraft is the HL-20 lifting body. In the event of an ELV malfunction during the initial portion of the ascent trajectory, the HL-20 will separate from the rocket and perform an unpowered return-to-launch-site (RTLS) abort. This work details an investigation, using optimal control theory, of the RTLS abort scenario. The objective of the optimization was to maximize final altitude. With final altitude as the cost function, the feasibility of an RTLS abort at different times during the ascent was determined. The method of differential inclusions was used to determine the optimal state trajectories, and the optimal controls were then calculated from the optimal states and state rates.
The Australian group held a meeting at the Australian Institute of Nuclear Science and Engineering (AINSE), Lucas Heights, on 16-17 December 2009. The meeting was organised and co-chaired by Jessica Reeves and Tim Cohen, with support from AINSE.A full meeting report is at www.aqua.org.au/AQUA/attachments/OZ_workshop2009_ report.pdf. Prior to the meeting, a strategy of dividing Australia up into climate regions had been adopted, and at the meeting, selected early career researchers presented syntheses of available records for those regions. Paleoclimate modelling was also addressed alongside the climatic/geographic themes. The outcome of the meeting was the selection of co-ordinators and key continuous and fragmentary records on which regional climate event stratigraphies could be constructed. See www.aqua.org.au/AQUA/attachments/Key%20records.rtf.
Spatial-temporal monitoring of the health status of the population plays an important role in public health. For identifying and considering the effects of heterogeneity at the subpopulation level, Bayesian methods for analyzing mixtures of the probability distributions are currently being intensively developed. This article presents the results of studies of the distribution spectrum of the blood total antiradical activity (TAA) levels of the Sachkhere district (Georgia) villages' (Chorvila, Sareki, Sairkhe) population. The research results indicate a non-uniform distribution of blood TAA levels in the populations of the villages of the Sachkhere district. The average blood TAA value in the village Chorvila was statistically significantly lower than the value of blood TAA in the villages of Sareki and Sairkhe. In the village Chorvila, the distribution of blood TAA indices can be described by the Gauss distribution; in Sareki and Sairkhe, a bimodal type of distribution of these values was revealed (the reliability of the difference between the mean values of the distribution components was be lower than in Sareki), which indicates the existence of at least two different subpopulations in this region, related to the impact a certain (unidentified) factor inducing the mobilization of blood TAA. The obtained results allow us to consider the TAA of blood as the most important marker of the oxidative homeostasis of the body in the population.
The modern Chinese history sees Liang Qichao as a thinker,a statesman,and a translator as well.The systematic examination of Liang Qichao's translation activities exposes that his translation of western academic thought and doctrines is designed to enlighten modern Chinese people so as to serve the political reform and his translation of western literature is aimed to express political views in order to achieve national salvation.To conclude,Liang Qichao's translation behaviors clearly exhibit his value orientation——"taking translation as a tool to realize political objectives".
A binary quadratic form is a function  (f: mathbb{R}^2 rightarrow  mathbb{R} ) of the general form  [f(x,y)=ax^2+bxy+cy^2,  quad a,b,c  in  mathbb{Z}, ] In other words, binary quadratic form is a homogeneous polynomial of degree two in two variables with integer coefficients. In the first chapter of this master’s thesis we present the basic concepts and results on binary quadratic forms, such as the equivalence of forms, their matrix notation, and the discriminant. We also deal with the problem of the representation of an integer by some quadratic form and the reduction of positive definite and indefinite forms. In the second chapter, we describe the concept of topograph invented by the English mathematician J. H. Conway. A topograph is an extraordinary visual approach to quadratic forms by which we describe in the third and fourth chapter the basic properties of definite, semidefinite and indefinite quadratic forms with integer coefficients.
The present paper describes the construction process of a full-scale innovative GFRPconcrete hybrid footbridge, and summarizes the main tests performed. This footbridge is 11 m long, 2 m wide, simply supported, and composed of two pultruded I-shaped GFRP girders (0.2 m × 0.4 m) and a 0.04 thick deck in steel fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC). To evaluate the static and dynamic behavior of this footbridge, short and long-term load tests, and dynamic tests were performed.
Elderly patients constitute a significant proportion of the population. All they need skilled dental care.Elderly patients constitute a significant proportion of the population. All at some point need skilleddental care. However, a significant proportion of patients are afraid of dental appointments. Premedicationis prescribed for patients with high levels of anxiety before dental treatment. However, studyof each patient’s medical history reveals a significant number of comorbidities limiting the use ofmedications for the prevention of stress and pain at a dentist’s appointment. This study evaluated theperception of pain of elderly patients with middle and high levels dentophobia during a surgical dentalappointment. All patients who participated in the study live in geriatric center. All patients beforetooth extraction surgery took the advice of a psychiatrist and neurologist. Patients with a high level ofa dentophobia were given an over the counter premedication and local anesthesia with a solution of4% articaine with vasoconstrictor in a dilution of 1:200000. Premedication was not administered forpatients with a middle level of dentophobia, and local anesthesia was administered using a 3% mepivacainesolution without vasoconstrictor. Evaluation of pain perception was carried out by the followingmethods: electroodontodiagnosis, electromyography of facial muscles, Sound Eyes Motor Scale andthe visual analogue scale. The results obtained using these methods have shown a reliable correlationbetween each other. The efficiency of premedication was proven as reducing the perception of pain ofpatients with high level of dentophobia. Refs 15. Figs 4.
Thirteen editors and 50 contributors assembled to write this manual, sharing advice, insights, and tips on everything from choosing the right Mac to launching into cyberspace. This sixth edition has been fully revised and updated to include information on topics such as fonts, word processing, spreadsheets, graphics, desktop publishing and others. New material includes accessing and finding things on the Internet and using the Mac in a small office/home environment, as well as an expanded troubleshooting section.
Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) by transient charge transfer (TCT) is a widely accepted mechanism. This fi rst layer effect is not active at smooth surfaces, as shown from experiments and from metallic electron-hole pair (ehp) excitations after TCT. The fi rst layer effect is rather the average over a sub-monolayer of “SERS active sites” (SAS), where ehp excitations are less likely. We review and present experiments using various physical methods at electrodes and at ultra high vacuum samples to prove the existence of SAS, which are probably situated within fractal monoatomic steps. As the fi rst adsorbates in ultrahigh vacuum migrate to the SAS, scanning tunnelling microscopy can reveal their atomic structure. CO on vicinal Au(211) fi rst settles down at the kink sites. NO dissociates and CO 2 is activated on a subgroup of SAS of cold-deposited Cu, these processes are only observed by SERS but not by infrared refl ectionabsorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). Apparently, SERS focuses on “chemical active sites”, whereas IRRAS monitors the majority species, which did not react. Here we propose two possible explanations.
The reported benefits of endoscopic versus open scoliosis surgery include improved visualization, a muscle sparing approach, reduced pulmonary morbidity, reduced pain, and improved cosmesis. Some aspects of the surgical learning curve for this technically demanding method have been previously reported; however, improvements in other factors with increasing experience have not been quantified. This paper presents a series of 100 consecutive endoscopic anterior scoliosis corrections performed between April 2000 and February 2006. We report changes in the following perioperative factors with increasing experience; operative set-up time, operative time, x-ray irradiation time, number of instrumented levels, blood loss, intercostal catheter drainage, chest drain removal time, days in intensive care, days to mobilize, days in hospital, and early complications. Statistical comparisons were made between the first 20 (1 to 20), middle 20 (41 to 60), and last 20 (81 to 100) cases. Results showed statistically significant improvements and increased consistency in operative time, operative set-up time, x-ray irradiation time, blood loss, hospital stay, and mobilization time with experience. The complication rate was comparable to other recently published endoscopic studies. In the last 20 cases of the series, operative times had reduced to 35 minutes per level, x-ray irradiation times to 15 seconds per level, and blood loss to 38 mL per level. Most perioperative surgical factors therefore improve significantly with increasing experience in endoscopic anterior scoliosis correction.
The compound eyes of shrimp, Penaeus chinensis are grouped as "reflecting superposition" type. The dioptric apparatus consists of cornea, corneagenous cells, crystalline cells,crystalline lens and crystalline tract. The rhabdom is formed in the central core of each ommatidium from closely packed microvilli, which extent from the surface membrane of the retinular cells at 90° to the incoming light path. The rhabdom is `decapoda type` typically. It appears banded in longitudinal view because microvilli running horizontally and vertically interleave in alternate layers. The three pigmented cell types of the compound eye are the distal pigment cell, the reflecting pigment cell and the retinular cell which contains the proximal pigment.
In 1998, MDM, the well-known french NGO advocating for the deprived people social rights, was supported by European funds to compare inegalities in health facilities accessibility in several countries. The NGO objective was to denounciate social exclusions and find arguments to set a partnership between relevant institutions. Social oriented professionals and social scientists were interviewed in eleven European cities. A joint committee including humanitarian deleguees and universitarian researchers gave the guidelines and analysed the results. Facing diversity in health facilities access determinants, a common analytic framework has been proposed to the different European partners. This tool did not benefit from a great success given the amount of work to perform identification and data collecting for a proper use. As it is usual in comparative studies, data collecting process has to fit into the observer's interests scale. Most of the time, humanitarian NGOs know little about phasing, -in, flow and customers distribution? Available informations are no more relevant when the focus changes. In spite of health facilities access impediments and simulation in European health systems confluency, it is hard nowadays to give so refine a design of custudory principles.
Pharmacotherapy of intravenous opioid abusers has taken on increased urgency with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic, because in major cities intravenous drug abuse now accounts for half of new AIDS cases. The pharmacotherapy of acute dependence and withdrawal has benefited from the use of clonidine, particularly in combination with antagonist-precipitated withdrawal. However, protracted abstinence and its associated risk of relapse to drug abuse has underscored the need for maintenance pharmacotherapies. Maintenance pharmacotherapies such as methadone and naltrexone are frequently needed to sustain outpatient retention and abstinence from heroin. Methadone is more widely used than is naltrexone, an oral, long acting heroin blocker that can maintain drug abstinence after detoxification. Because of limitations in both of these maintenance agents, two investigational maintenance treatments have been tested: levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM), a long-acting form of methadone, and buprenorphine, a long-acting mixed opioid agonist-antagonist with properties similar to either methadone or naltrexone, depending on dose. Clinical use, limitations, and outcome with each medication are reviewed.
IT융합기술은 점차적으로 인간 중심적, 저탄소 녹색성장을 모토로 하여 진화하고 있다. 증강현실 기술이란 현실 세계의 감각을 유지하면서 가상의 객체를 혼합할 수 있는 융합콘텐츠 기술이다. 시스템과 사용자 사이의 상호작용이 가능하고, 다양한 응용을 할 수 있으며, 확장성이 매우 높다. 본 논문에서는 기존의 상호작용에 대한 범위를 확장하기 위해 상황적 UX 기반의 스마트 증강현실 시스템을 제안하고자 한다. 실세계 환경 변화에 반응하는 가상 객체를 생성할 수 있는 시스템으로써 사용자는 본인의 개인적인 취향을 직접 가상 객체에 적용할 수 있다. 또한 다수의 가상 객체를 한꺼번에 영상 정합할 수 있으며, 조명의 밝기에 따라 낮과 밤에 해당하는 애니메이션을 보여주기도 한다. 이와 같이 복합적인 사용성을 갖는 시스템을 통해 사용자의 만족도를 높이고, 증강현실 콘텐츠에 대한 지속적인 사용을 유도할 수 있도록 한다.
OBJECTIVE To compare fragment reconstruction and bone plate fixation versus bridging plate fixation for treating highly comminuted (> 4 fragments) femoral fractures in dogs.   DESIGN Retrospective study.   ANIMALS 35 dogs with highly comminuted fractures of the femur.   PROCEDURE Medical records of all dogs included in this study were reviewed. Dogs had been treated with fragment reconstruction and bone plate application (n = 20) or major fragment alignment and bridging plate fixation (15). Postoperative and follow-up radiographs were evaluated. Operating and hospitalization times, bone alignment, bone healing, and complications were considered.   RESULTS There were no differences in hospitalization times, limb alignment, and complications between dogs with fractures treated with fragment reconstruction and dogs with fractures treated with bridging plate fixation. Dogs with fractures treated with bridging plate fixation had shorter operative times and faster times to radiographic evidence of bone healing.   CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Bridging plate fixation is quicker to perform and results in faster healing than fragment reconstruction and bone plate fixation when used to treat comminuted femoral fractures.
In the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty,population in Sichuan sharply declined.Under the encouragement of preferential policy given by Qing government that recuited people from other provinces into Sichuan to cultivate wasteland,the second time "Immigration from Huguang to Sichuan province" was gradually in full swing.In the period of Yongzheng,the immigation movement for nearly fifty years seemed to be controled and ended,but actually it didn’t totally cease.Another climax appeared in Qianlong administration.In Three Gorges area,due to the immigrants,the well salt indusy destroyed by war before was growing and thriving,then prosperity of salt industry pushed the development of coal industry,water and land transportation,and town business and as well as the rejuvenation of culture in the whole region.Later,a standard immigrant social state appeared in these big salf fields located in Three Gorges region.
Currently, evidence related to infectious diseases and the nosocomial infection in hospitals with Gram-negative rods with extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) or metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) is accumulating. Thereby, it will be very important to know quickly the resistant mechanisms for antibiotics in the treatment strategy of patients with infectious diseases in a clinical setting. Then, beta-lactamase detection reagent Cica beta-Test (Kanto Chemical, Tokyo) which used HMRZ-86 was evaluated. Bacteria used in the present study were 42 stocked strains of beta-lactamase produced strain isolated from clinical samples in our hospital. ESBL were coincided in 13 strains among 17 (76.5%). MBL were coincided in 8 strains among 11 (72.7%). KOXY belongs to class A beta-lactamase was missjudged as ESBL. Therefore, although there are a little of limitations. Cica beta-Test provides us the rapid information of the esistance mechanism in 15-min with relatively, which is surely valuable to treat patients with bacterial infection and to prevent the nosocomial infection.
Environmental Sanitation is defined in this paper as the principles and practice of effecting healthful and hygienic conditions in the environment to promote public health and welfare, improve quality of life, reduce poverty and ensure a sustainable environment. Quality health and hygienic conditions is a fundamental right of all Nigerian citizens. While sanitation programmes and projects are relatively uniformly distributed throughout urban Nigeria, their impact on human welfare and life has been minimal. The Environmental Sanitation Policy and Programmes have been developed with scant attention to socio-cultural realities and contemporary challenges. The greatest challenge faced by the implementers of the Environmental Sanitation Policy and Programmes today is the exclusion of human capacity building as vital part of the programme implementation. This trend has contributed significantly to the high prevalence of communicable diseases that have continued to ravage the populace with grave health and economic consequences. No doubt, unhealthy population and damaged environment hinder progress towards developmental goals and there cannot be a healthy nation without healthy environment. Therefore, a wide range of actions are required to solve environmental sanitation problems in order to reduce and avert their consequential effects. This paper examines some cross cutting issues in the implementation of the existing environmental sanitation policy, programmes and projects. The paper also evolves a strategic framework for effective capacity building and empowerment of urban communities which could give credence to Sustainable Environmental Sanitation.
Abstract : As the United States (US) continues operations to neutralize terrorist activity and prepare its military for future hybrid threats, operations to target enemy leadership, in a counterinsurgency environment, have grown in complexity and importance. Over time, insurgent networks have adapted their evasion techniques to counter a superior technological foe. Insurgent networks are providing protected seclusion, constant surveillance, and disruption effects while gaining information superiority. Operating as a network has allowed the Taliban and other terrorist organizations to resource and train a force capable of operating without hierarchy orders. Terrorist organizations have capitalized on social networking to evade existing counterterrorism. Identifying and locating high payoff targets (HPTs) or high value targets (HVTs) remain key factors for achieving counterinsurgency success. Counterinsurgency is effective when the insurgency is controlled by the geographical terrain. Today's, insurgent networks operate globally while targeting efforts to apprehend these insurgents are confined to the geographical location of the military force executing operations. Given the global expansion of localized insurgent networks, the US military must establish networks to target insurgent leadership on a global scale. To do so, the US military must adapt doctrine, organization, and training to develop hunting teams within conventional counterinsurgency forces.
In the late 1980s, it was shown that by using vectors in bacterial expression systems, recombinant antibody fragments with correct folding could be produced. Before that, antibody fragments were produced by proteolytic cleavage in format of Fab and F (ab') 2. By progress in recombinant antibody technology, these antibodies were produced in bacterial systems, mammalian cells, insects, yeasts, plants and free cell systems. The basis of this technology is the ability to produce these fragments with conserved stability and specificity. By the development of recombinant technologies, monoclonal antibodies were dissected into minimal binding fragments and were rebuilt into multivalent high avidity reagents and fused with a range of molecules including enzymes for prodrug therapy, toxins for cancer treatment, viruses for gene therapy, cationic tails for DNA delivery, liposomes for improved drug delivery and biosensors for real-time detection of target molecules The following review will discuss the different types of recombinant fragments and their applications in various fields of science such as biology and medicine.
Objective:To explore the expression and clinical significance of ADAM10 in serum of lung cancer patients.Methods:In 58 cases of lung cancer,34 of lung benign lesions and 31 healthy individuals,we assessed the the serum protein level of ADAM10 with ELISA,and that of CEA with radioimmunoassay.Results:The serum levels of ADAM10 and CEA were 255.6±26.5 pg/mL and 16.5±6.7 ng/mL,detectable in 62.1% and 51.7% of patients with lung cancer.These figures were higher than those for lung benign lesions(124.8±12.5 pg/mL in 11.8% and 8.2±1.3 ng/mL in 8.8%) and normal controls(102.7±10.3 pg/mL in 6.5% and 7.9±0.9 ng/mL in 3.2%)(P0.01).Among patients with lung cancer,the serum level and positive rate of ADAM10 were significantly higher in those with lymph node metastasis(338.5±26.9 pg/mL,72.2%) compared with those free of lymph node lesions(P0.01),and in adenocarcinoma(308.5±26.9 pg/mL,88.2%) compared with squamous cell carcinoma and other pathologic types(P0.01),as were the data for CEA in adenocarcinoma(18.7±7.4 ng/mL,64.7%) compared with other pathologic types(P0.05).Conclusion:ADAM10 appears closely related to occurrence and metastasis of lung cancer.The high level of ADAM10 and CEA expressions in patients with lung adenocarcinoma may be attributed to the greater chance of systemic metastasis seen in this condition.
Objective To describe CT signs of endobronchial tuberculosis (EBTB) and to make a further understanding of the disease.Materials and Methods Thoracic CT findings in 18 cases with pathologically-proved EBTB were retrospectively analyzed. The abnormalities of the bronchi, pulmonary parenchyma, lymph nodes and pleurae were observed.Results A total of 21 bronchi was affected. The right lung was more affected than the left lung, with the lower lobes being most frequently involved. Bronchial wall thickening was seen in 16 sites, bronchial stricture and occlusion in 13 and 5 sites, respectively. The diseased segment of the bronchus was over 3cm in 10 sites. Thickened wall with localized dilatation of the bronchus was present in 5 sites. Secondary atelectasis (n=5) and bronchial dissemination (n=11) were observed. Old pulmonary tuberculosis was present in all patients, and fresh tuberculous lesions in 8 patients. Pleural lesion was noted in 15 cases. Mediastinal or hilar tuberculous lymphadenitis was demonstrated in 9 cases. Conclusion Concentric bronchial wall thickening which affects a certain segment of the bronchus is the main sign of EBTB. Pulmonary and pleural lesions are coexisted in most cases. Circle enhancement of the lymph nodes is characteristic.
The present experiment was conducted at Post Graduate Laboratory, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Uttar Pradesh during 2015 2016 with cowpea variety Kashi unnati obtained from Department of Genetic and Plant Breeding, SHUATS. The seeds were treated with polymer in combination with fungicide (mancozeb), inorganic chemical (ferrous sulphate), bioagent (Trichoderma viridae) and plant product (neem oil) along with control (untreated seeds). After treatment, seeds were stored in plastic container (P1) and cloth bag (P2) for evaluation of seed germination, seedling length, seedling dry matter, seedling vigour indices, protein content and carbohydrate content where data was analysed by factorial experiment laid out in completely randomized design. Germination per cent (95.33), seedling length (37.50 cm), seedling vigour index (SVI 3573.95), protein content (25.54 %) and carbohydrate content (80.17 %) were recorded high with seed treatment T7 and seedling dry weight (0.60 g) were recorded high with seed treatment T4 over all other seed treatments after storage period of 6 months.
Due to its numerous genetic aberrations, breast cancer is an only partially chemosensitive disease. These genetic changes predominantly affect cell cycle regulation (e.g., via the p53 function), apoptosis, DNA repair mechanisms, tumor-stroma interactions, and the drug transport activities of the tumor cell. Chemoresistance can be of a primary/intrinsic nature, as is currently being discussed for tumor stem cells, or of a secondary/extrinsic nature, emerging, for example, during chemotherapeutic treatment or disease progression. So far, data on chemoresistance has only gradually begun to influence clinical management and the design of chemotherapy regimens. This is likely to change in the near future due to the increased knowledge of tumor profiling and molecular target structures.
The aim of this study was to study suicide risk in subjects exposed to mobbing, that is, systematic psychological harassment in the workplace. Such psychological harassment, unique to the workplace, threatens both the emotional well-being and professional ability of its victims. The items of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) that assess suicide risk were studied in 102 individuals who were exposed to mobbing. The results indicated that individuals exposed to mobbing had clear differences on the MMPI-2 from normative samples. In addition, those who appeared to be at risk for suicide differed in their scores from those not at risk. Implications for psychopathology and suicide preventions are discussed.
The article highlights the way in which the resurrection of Lazarus is presented as a sign - or rather the culminating sign of the so-called "book of signs" (1,19-12,50) aimed at provoking or strengthening the faith of the eyewitnesses. As a sign of revelation, Lazarus' return to life was evident to all, although in fact denied by some. The evangelist's narration of this episode of faith and disbelief intends to preserve and bear witness (from a believer's viewpoint, naturally) to the "logic" of the revelation by means of signs, with which Jesus bore witness to the Father whilst respecting the freedom of his listeners.
The paper mainly focuses some frequent mistakes studying mechanics, especilly when students make use of isolation method to analyse the forces of obeject. For example, 1 imagining or doubling some forces in the analysis of force; 2 neglecting some forces in the analysis of force; 3 estimating and calculating friction force at random. The author presents some examples in detail and introduces some methods to correct them. At the same time the author demonstrates these methods.
The utility model relates to a water control switch with simple structure and reliability, which comprises a valve body and a dry reed pipe, wherein the dry reed pipe is arranged on the external side of the valve body. The utility model is characterized in that a valve cavity is arranged between a water inlet and a water outlet of the valve body, a slide block is arranged in the valve cavity, the front end of the slide block is just faced with the water inlet, a spring is arranged between the rear end of the slide block and a valve cap, and the part between the slide block and the valve cap in the valve cavity is communicated with the water outlet; the front end of the slide block which slides between the water inlet and the water outlet forms a sliding fit with the valve cavity, and the slide block is fixedly provided with magnetic grains.
We study ω -categorical MS -measurable structures. Our main result is that a class of ω -categorical Hrushovski constructions, supersimple of ﬁnite SU -rank is not MS measurable. These results complement the work of Evans [5] on a conjecture of Macpherson and Elwes [2]. In constrast to Evans’ work, our structures may satisfy independent n -amalgamation for all n . We also prove some general results in the context of ω -categorical MS -measurable structures. Firstly, in these structures, the dimension in the MS -dimension-measure can be chosen to be SU -rank. Secondly, non-forking independence implies a form of probabilistic independence in the measure. The latter follows from more general unpublished results of Hrushovski [10], but we provide a self-contained proof.
Proportional-Derivative-Integral control has been a dominant strategy used in industry to control temperature and other processes. However, their use in simple appliances such as electric kettle has not been widespread. With the increasing concern for energy and convenience, attention is being focused on how to develop simple and cost efficient controllers that will reduce energy waste. In this study, a mathematical model of an electric kettle is developed using the lumped parameter model. The characteristics transfer function of the system was obtained using the open-response characteristics. A PID controller was then designed for the process while MATLAB Simulink model was developed. The model was then simulated. The results show increase in overshoot from 5%−12.5%, rise time 230−300 seconds, settling time 720−750 seconds and zero steady-state error between 50°C-80°C.
This study aims to present an incorporated model between multi-objective linear programming (MOLP) and life cycle assessment (LCA). The model is to determine an appropriate choice of variables involved in the packaging system for canned tuna products. By the demonstration through a single-serve two-piece can, the results showed that the MOLP technique yielded feasible solutions in term of quantities of raw materials required to use in two-piece can for tuna products with satisfaction of various constraints pertinent to the production. The optimal solutions relating to objective functions of the environmental impact’s carbon footprint and total economic cost relating to the packaging production are 4,767 kg CO2 eq and $US 8,994.57 respectively. To this end, such optimal practicable environmental model can be beneficial as a decision-support tool not only to the production of canned tuna packaging, but also to other businesses alike to achieve an optimal packaging solution that compromises both economic and environmental aspects.
Aims Evaluation of the impact of the extent of primary surgery and reintervention on the outcome of patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma. Methods Seventy-two patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) were surgically treated between 1967 and 1992. Results Fifty-five cases were sporadic, 5 patients had MEN 2A, 4 MEN 2B syndrome and 8 familial non-MEN MTC; 1 patient had stage I disease, 30 patients stage II, 36 stage III and 5 stage IV. Sixty-four had their initial treatment at our center, and 8 came for subsequent treatment. At first treatment, 8 patients were subjected to partial thyroidectomy, 10 to total thyroidectomy, 53 to total thyroidectomy with neck dissection, and 1 to only radical neck dissection; postoperative serum calcitonin (Ct) levels returned to normal in 3, 6 and 27 patients, respectively. In the patient with only radical neck dissection, Ct levels remained elevated. No patient with Ct normalization after surgery became responsive to pentagastrin in the follow-up. Thirteen patients had a reoperation due to nodal relapse. At a mean follow-up of 5.7 years (6-252 months), the 10-year survival rate was 84.5% with a significant difference between patients under and over 40 years of age (96.4 vs 57%), between stage I-II (100%) and stage III, IV (83.8%, 0% respectively). At the last follow-up, 36 (50%) patients were alive and disease free and 26 were alive with disease (15 with distant metastases). Of the 10 deaths, 7 were due to tumor recurrence, 3 to 120 months after surgery. Conclusions Data suggest that an earlier diagnosis rather than more extensive surgery could improve survival and reduce recurrences. However, the least treatment required is total thyroidectomy plus central neck and upper mediastinum clearance and in addition, according to the extent of nodal involvement, mono- or bilateral neck dissection. To avoid ineffective reoperation due to distant (mainly liver) micro-metastases, persistent residual microscopic disease requires a more aggressive restaging.
The Irish border, and subsequently Irish politics, have been declared ‘troublesome’ in negotiations over Brexit – Britain’s exit out of the European Union. As the BBC reports, "In 2018, the Irish border assumed a greater role in British politics than at probably any time since it was created." Yet, ongoing attempts to make sense of Brexit has led some commentators to claim that it is not troublesome Irish politics – it is not even Britain’s relationship with Europe – but rather, it is the relationship between the four-nation state United Kingdom and British democracy that is the problem.
ABSTRACT For insects, chilling injuries that occur in the absence of freezing are often related to a systemic loss of ion and water balance that leads to extracellular hyperkalemia, cell depolarization and the triggering of apoptotic signalling cascades. The ability of insect ionoregulatory organs (e.g. the Malpighian tubules) to maintain ion balance in the cold has been linked to improved chill tolerance, and many neuroendocrine factors are known to influence ion transport rates of these organs. Injection of micromolar doses of CAPA (an insect neuropeptide) have been previously demonstrated to improve Drosophila cold tolerance, but the mechanisms through which it impacts chill tolerance are unclear, and low doses of CAPA have been previously demonstrated to cause anti-diuresis in insects, including dipterans. Here, we provide evidence that low (femtomolar) and high (micromolar) doses of CAPA impair and improve chill tolerance, respectively, via two different effects on Malpighian tubule ion and water transport. While low doses of CAPA are anti-diuretic, reduce tubule K+ clearance rates and reduce chill tolerance, high doses facilitate K+ clearance from the haemolymph and increase chill tolerance. By quantifying CAPA peptide levels in the central nervous system, we estimated the maximum achievable hormonal titres of CAPA and found further evidence that CAPA may function as an anti-diuretic hormone in Drosophila melanogaster. We provide the first evidence of a neuropeptide that can negatively affect cold tolerance in an insect and further evidence of CAPA functioning as an anti-diuretic peptide in this ubiquitous insect model. Summary: Many insects lose ion balance in the cold. CAPA neuropeptide can slow ion transport and reduce the cold tolerance of a fly.
Interpretation adjuncts are added linguistic or non-linguistic components,universally found in interpreting.The corpus analyzed in this thesis is mainly composed of three parts:a.Press conferences held by NPC(1998-2008);b.relevant textbooks upon interpretation;c.the writer's own examples.Major pragmatic functions of interpretation adjuncts are listed as follows:a)enhancing cohesion and logic;b)functioning as silence fillers;c)coping with mistakes;d)aiding communication;e)detouring and adapting.
Using the characteristics of prediction model,rolling optimization and feedback correction,a monitor AGC system based on generalized predictive control was designed,and its control performance was simulated based on a cold rolling experimental mill.The results show that the Smith predictor achieves better control effects than generalized predictive controller on response time and steady precision with matching model;when model mismatching is caused by inaccuracy of plastic coefficient and pure delay time,the Smith predictor AGC system is overshot or even oscillation,but the control performance of the generalized predictive controller is not influenced by model parameter variations.
Illegal fishing activities are basically not just done by foreign fisherman but also carried out by fisherman of Indonesia but they are using the size are smaller that is under 30 gross tonage. Due to the size a small fishing vessels are often allowed by the law enforcement officers due to the influence that is relatively small, whereas in the number of ships that are much smaller of course though its capacity would provide a major problem for the management of fish resources in Indonesia. Fishermen who settled in Brondong East Java is an example of illegal fishing activities as offeriders by loweinr the size of the ship that is lowering the gross tonage. These activities were carried out because the cost of maintaining a very troublesome permission and expensive.
The invention discloses a low pressure injection molding method for a battery buckle embedded copper sheet, which comprises the following steps: molding a metal sheet into a preset buckle shape; welding the molded metal sheet on a PCB of a battery; and spot-welding the PCB and a battery cell together, placing into an injection mold, and molding by adopting a low pressure injection molding process to obtain a semi-finished product of the battery. The method has the advantages of greatly increasing the strength of the battery buckle, guaranteeing sufficient strength of the battery buckle and meeting the requirement of test, such as falling off of the battery by embedding the copper sheet into the battery buckle and then performing low pressure injection molding; and the battery manufactured by the method has the advantages of insulation, temperature resistance, shock resistance, vibration reduction, moisture prevention, water prevention, dust prevention, chemical corrosion resistance, and the like.
The existence of a "bidding market" is commonly cited as a reason to tolerate the creation or maintenance of highly concentrated markets. We discuss three erroneous arguments to that effect: the "consultants' fallacy" that "market power is impossible", the "academics' fallacy" that (often) "market power does not matter", and the "regulators' fallacy" that "intervention against pernicious market power is unnecessary", in markets characterised by auctions or bidding processes.Furthermore we argue that the term "bidding market" as it is widely used in antitrust is unhelpful or misleading. Auctions and bidding processes do have some special features - including their price formation processes, common-values behaviour, and bid-taker power - but the significance of these features has been overemphasized, and they often imply a need for stricter rather than more lenient competition policy.
Continuous stirred tank reactor is a typical chemical reactor with complex non linear dynamic characteristics. There has been considerable interest in its state estimation and real time control based on mathematical modeling. However, the lack of understanding of the dynamics of the process, the highly sensitive and non linear behavior of the reactor, has made it difficult to develop the precise mathematical modeling of the system. Efficient control of the product concentration in CSTR can be achieved only through accurate model. Here attempts are made to ease the modeling difficulties using AI techniques such as Fuzzy logic. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of Fuzzy logic control technique. The system is a stirred tank reactor with two flows of liquid enter the system and another flow exits the tank with the formation of product. Simulink was employed to design a model for this system in the simulation environment. This work is aimed for utilization by researchers, industrialists’ and students. Furthermore it will be especially relevant and useful for the students of Electrical Engg. and Chemical Engg. for carrying out research in the area of simulation of CSTR.
It can come as no surprise that the ethnic makeup of the American population is rapidly changing. In this volume, John Francis Burke offers a "mestizo" theory of democracy and traces its implications for public policy. Mestizo, meaning "mixture," is a term from the Mexican socio-political experience. It represents a blend of indigenous, African, and Spanish genes and cultures in Latin America. This mixture is not a "melting pot" experience; rather, the influences of the different cultures remain identifiable but influence each other in dynamic ways. Burke analyzes democratic theory and multiculturalism to develop a model for cultivating a community that can deal effectively with its cultural diversity. He applies this model to official language(s), voting and participation, equal employment opportunity, housing, and free trade. Burke concludes that in the United States we are becoming mestizo whether we know it or not and whether we like it or not. By embracing this, we can forge a future together that will be greater than the sum of its parts.
Dry seeds of two cucumber generations—SP 1,SP 2 were planted at Yantai after they had been carried to space for studing the genetic mutation in biological characteristics and major traits The results indicated that there was no physiological damage in seeds,and seed germination rate was 100% as well as CK The special air condition in high space could cause positive mutation of major traits in progenies of space treatment such as plant height,node length,petiole length and stem diameter,etc Average area of single leaf and the 1st female flower node point showed normal distribution,which provided abundant variation materials for breeding
Water-filled portable road safety barriers are a common fixture in road works, however their use of water can be problematic, both in terms of the quantity of water used and the transportation of the water to the installation site. This project aims to develop a new design of portable road safety barrier, which will make novel use of composite and foam materials in order to reduce the barrier’s reliance on water in order to control errant vehicles. The project makes use of finite element (FE) techniques in order to simulate and evaluate design concepts. FE methods and models that have previously been tested and validated will be used in combination in order to provide the most accurate numerical simulations available to drive the project forward. LS-DYNA code is as highly dynamic, non-linear numerical solver which is commonly used in the automotive and road safety industries. Several complex materials and physical interactions are to be simulated throughout the course of the project including aluminium foams, composite laminates and water within the barrier during standardised impact tests. Techniques to be used include FE, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and weighted multi-parameter optimisation techniques. A detailed optimisation of several design parameters with specific design goals will be performed with LS-DYNA and LS-OPT, which will require a large number of high accuracy simulations and advanced visualisation techniques. Supercomputing will play a central role in the project, enabling the numerous medium element count simulations necessary in order to determine the optimal design parameters of the barrier to be performed. Supercomputing will also allow the development of useful methods of visualisation results and the production of highly detailed simulations for end-product validation purposes. Efforts thus far have been towards integrating various numerical methods (including FEM, SPH and advanced materials models) together in an efficient and accurate manner. Various designs of joining mechanisms have been developed and are currently being developed into FE models and simulations.
High integrity software systems are often so large that conventional development processes cannot get anywhere near achieving tolerable defect rates. This paper presents Correctness by Construction (CbyC)--an approach that has delivered very low defect rate software cost-effectively. We describe the main principles of CbyC and the results achieved to date. We also touch on some of the barriers that we have encountered in trying to field CbyC within our own and other organisations.
The utility model discloses an electronic type infrared wide angle safe rearview mirror outside a car, wherein each of the shells of the left and right rearview mirrors of the car is internally provided with a light pervious reflection lens; the tailing edge of the light pervious reflection lens is attached with a liquid crystal display; a miniature infrared wide angle camera, a detecting element and a light-emitting component are arranged at the proper position of the periphery of the shell; the components and the liquid crystal display are respectively connected with the control circuit in the car respectively; the control circuit is connected to a set switch and an original car direction light switch; the control circuit is provided with a single-crystal microprocessor for the connection with the infrared wide angle camera and the detecting element; and the output end of the control circuit is connected to the liquid crystal display and the light-emitting component. When the car turns left or right or goes straight, through the starting of the switch or the direction light, the images of the entity states behind two sides of the car are displayed by the left and right rearview mirrors, and the abnormal state can be detected, so that and warning by light flashing and sound is made, thus leading driving to be safer.
The invention discloses plasma equipment and a chamber structure applied to the plasma equipment. The chamber structure comprises a radio frequency coil, a quartz coupling window, a chamber body, a substrate, a lower electrode and a connecting cylinder, wherein the radio frequency coil is arranged at the upper part of the quartz coupling window; the quartz coupling window is arranged at the upper part of the chamber body; the substrate is arranged at the upper part of the lower electrode; the substrate and the lower electrode are arranged at the lower part of the chamber body; plasma is arranged in the chamber body; the connecting cylinder is fixedly connected with the quartz coupling window and arranged in the chamber body and is in a hollow structure; and when the radio frequency coil is electrified, the connecting cylinder couples an alternating magnetic field of the radio frequency coil into the chamber body and is used for applying the magnetic field to the plasma. According to the plasma equipment and the chamber structure applied to the plasma equipment, the density of the plasma can be increased to improve product quality.
The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is one of the most valuable organisms in genetic and developmental biology studies. Drosophila is a small organism with a short life cycle, and is inexpensive and easy to maintain. The entire genome of Drosophila has recently been sequenced (cite the reference). These advantages make fruit fly an attractive model organism for biomedical researches. Unlike humans, Drosophila can be subjected to genetic manipulation with relative ease. Originally, Drosophila was mostly used in classical genetics studies. In the model era of molecular biology, the fruit fly has become a model organ for developmental biology researches. In the past, numerous molecularly modified mutants with well defined genetic defects affecting different aspects of the developmental processes have been identified and studied. However, traditionally, the developmental defects of the mutant flies are mostly examined in isolated fixed tissues which preclude the observation of the dynamic interaction of the different cell types and the extracellular matrix. Therefore, the ability to image different organelles of the fruit fly without extrinsic labeling is invaluable for Drosophila biology. In this work, we successfully acquire in vivo images of both developing muscles and axons of motor neurons in the three larval stages by using the minimially invasive imaging modality of multiphoton (SHG) microscopy. We found that while SHG imaging is useful in revealing the muscular architecture of the developing larva, it is the autofluorescence signal that allows label-free imaging of various organelles to be achieved. Our results demonstrate that multiphoton imaging is a powerful technique for investigation the development of Drosophila.
Pollen morphological characteristics(including size,shape,and surface sculpture) of 15 cultivars in seven types of Paeonia lactiflora were examined under scanning electronic microscope(SEM).The results showed that the characteristics were stable in the same cultivars.There were some differences in pollen morphology among different types and varieties.The evolution trend of surface reticulate of different floral color varieties was relative to that of flower color,but there were no relationship and evolution trend correlation between pollen surface reticulate and flower types.
This paper decides to investigate the overall Quality of work life (QWL) and Job satisfaction of textile workers in Tamilnadu. The target group for this study is the textile mills in Virudhunagar district are categorizes into three groups namely Ginning Mills, Spinning Mills and Weaving Mills. Out of total 332 textile mills, 85 (25.60 per cent), 176 (53.01 per cent) and 71 (21.39 per cent) are under Ginning, Spinning and Weaving categories respectively. Quantitative data was gathered through questionnaires, totally 330 questionnaires were distributed to the respondent 300 questionnaires were returned and analyzed using SPSS version 16. For the purpose of analysis, a total of 300 sample workers were randomly selected from three categories by adopting stratified random sampling method. The Analyze of variance test (ANOVA) revealed that the perception about QWL differs according to different levels of quality of work life and time shift and also the perception of Job satisfaction and significantly higher than the workers on high-level of QWL than Middle and Lower level workers.
The paper considers the problem of the void through the theories of the early atomists. Philosophy began with the Parmenidian assertion of being, which can be read as a thesis premised on an exorcism of the void. With the atomists, the first to oppose the Parmenidian foundation of philosophy, the void made its entry as part and parcel of the atom. If the atom was to be counted as one, the void separating atoms was the very condition of such a count. Hegel saw this as the profound insight that negativity was the condition of positivity, hence the one and the void as the matrix of being. – The second twist in this atomist story is that of clinamen, a contingent swerve which befalls atoms, and hence something that inherently departs and undermines ‘the one and the void’. The clinamen theory was much criticized and ridiculed by the great philosophical tradition, including by Hegel. A very young Karl Marx, in his dissertation, defended the crucial value of clinamen, and in recent times Louis Althusser and Gilles Deleuze followed in his footsteps. – The third significant aspect is that of den, a curious neologism introduced by Democritus, which perhaps undermines both stories at the outset. For if atom is den, then it is not a body, not an entity, not one, not being, but also not non-being. It is a paradoxical departure from the bulk of ontology, an ontological scandal, obfuscated by the subsequent Aristotelian paradigm. Jacques Lacan took it up as a clue to his notion of the object a , the object of psychoanalysis.
buffered glutaldehyde solution followed by osmication. After dehydration in a series of graded alcohols and propylene oxide, tissues were embedded in Epon 812. Thick sections were cut with a glass knife in a Porter-Bloom microtome and ex- amined under the phase microscope. Thin sections were cut with an LKB microtome and stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined with an RCA ENIU- 3G electron microscope. Urine protein was determined in some of the animals. Of the 25 animals, 4 died in their cages, apparently from respiratory infections, and 1, from possible radiation damage to the large intestine. In these animals, tissues were fixed for light microscopy only.
In recent years,the price competition of the logistics enterprises between Shanghai Port and Ningbo Port has become an important factor to the enterprise development.The choice of strategy to deal with or avoid price competition has become a focus to the two port enterprises.The article applies the game theory to build a Bertrand oligopoly model between Shanghai port and Ningbo port.The article also analyzes the benefit from the establishment of the port logistics enterprise alliance and studies the choice strategies of the port logistics enterprises in terms of price competition.
First introduce the working principle of the inchworm in-pipe robot based on unilateral movement mechanism,and then an equivalent system model is founded after simplifying the whole robot system.According to the equivalent model,analyze the dynamic behaviors of DC servo motor,ball screw and unilateral movement mechanism.A complete framework model for the in-pipe robot is constructed,in order to research the relationship between input voltage signals and output movement speed of the system.The simulation of the in-pipe robot is performed by using MATLAB,to analyze the response characteristics in different input signals.It provides the theoretical foundation for mechanical structure and controller design of in-pipe robot.
The invention provides a method for configuring the cathode and anode of an aluminum electrolyzer with a novel diversion structure, which relates to a method for configuring the cathode and anode of the aluminum electrolyzer with the novel diversion structure in up-down correspondence. The method is characterized in that: (1) the cathode of an electrolyzer is designed to have two widths which aresymmetrically configured; (2) the width of the anode of the electrolyzer is the same with that of the cathode of a middle part, and the cathode and anode of the middle part are in up-down one-to-one correspondence; (3) the cathode of the aluminum outlet end and the flue end of the electrolyzer is wider than the cathode of the middle part; and (4) the break-joint bundle paste of the cathode corresponding to an alumina blanking area is kept level with the surface of the cathode. The method designs the cathode of the novel-structure electrolyzer to have two widths which are symmetrically configured; the width of the anode is the same with that of the cathode of the middle part; and the cathode of the aluminum outlet end and the flue end is wider than the cathode of the middle part, thereby ensuring that the alumina blanking area has enough width. The method has the advantage of configuring the cathode and the anode of the novel-structure electrolyzer in correspondence, which has important significance in improving diversion performance and current efficiency.
CRATER, MARS, AND OTHER LANDING SITES. R.Gellert, J.A.Berger, N.Boyd, E.D.Desouza, Catherine O’Connel-Cooper, L.Thompson, S.VanBommel, A.S.Yen. Univ. of Guelph (Guelph, ON, N1G2W1, Canada; rgellert@uoguelph.ca), Univ. of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, CA Introduction: Three generations of the AlphaParticle-X-ray-Spectrometer (APXS)[1] have been part of the science suite on all Mars rovers. For MSL and MER 16 standard elements are reported for all samples, including Ni, Zn and Br as trace elements with detection limits down to ~50-20 ppm, depending on integration time, standoff and overall composition. Here we report several additional trace elements that have been detected and quantified on MER and MSL. The discussion will focus on the Murray formation at Gale Crater from Pahrump Hills towards Vera Rubin Ridge(VRR), formerly known as Hematite Ridge, which the rover reached on sol 1780. The trace elements can be used for geochemical considerations, as well as distinguishing large scale rock formations and assessing their homogeneity and formation processes. Method: The APXS measures x-ray emission after irradiation with x-rays and alpha particles. The sample diameter is ~2cm, x-rays are detected from the top ~5 μm for low z elements and up to ~100 μm for high z elements like the ones discussed in this work. Typical detection limits (DL) for a few hours of integration on MSL are: Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Pb and Y ~15-40 ppm and Rb,Sr about 250 ppm. MER has slightly higher limits that require about 5 hours at least. Germanium: The Murray formation at Gale crater is very consistently enriched with ~100 ppm Ge. Basaltic mudstones at Yellowknife Bay had similar values. Compared to soils, which were used to estimate the average Mars composition, this is about 10 times enrichment, likely through fluid activity [2]. Some samples around Homeplate at Gusev Crater had similar high abundances. Localized values of 600 ppm were found in the vein system at GardenCity, as well as in bedrocks at Meridiani Planum [3]. Manganese: MnO is one of the standard oxides quantified with good precision and accuracy. The ratio of Fe to Mn was found to be a versatile indicator for alteration of the igneous minerals originally containing both elements. Fe/Mn is consistently ~50 for soils/average Mars and for many unaltered rocks on MER and MSL. The Murray formation at Pahrump has an Fe/Mn of ~50, whereas significantly higher values dominate upsection. Just below the VRR, samples with very high MnO of up to 4% and P2O5 of up to 7.5% are found in an area of Fe/Mn of 50 and lower. Absolute values of MnO and FeO are besides the addition of CaSO4 one of the few changes in the otherwise very homogeneous Murray composition.
The subject matter of the present paper is the phenomenon of reduction of thermal conductivity in thin samples (of the order of millimetres) of some selected synthetic materials and the related temperature slip at the cold measurement surface of the sample. A plate apparatus with a guarded hot plate has been used to determine the thermal conductivity and the temperature slip in polymethyl metacrylate (plexiglass - PMM) and polyamide 6 (PA6) of two kinds, that is pure PA6 and with soot admixture. It has been shown that the thermal conductivity of a thin sample of any of those materials is considerably reduced with reference to its bulk value. The results have been analysed by solving the differential equation of steady-state heat transfer for samples of different thickness. It has been shown that the phenomenon of reduction of thermal conductivity leads directly, for small thicknesses, to the occurrence of a temperature slip at the cold measurement surface of the sample. The spatial distribution of the type of dependence of that temperature slip on the temperature difference between the heater and the cooler of the apparatus and the thickness of the sample is presented.
The swing roller (302) using in a kind of vacuum chamber (212) of the vacuum freeze dryer (204) of producing at the bulk goods for freeze drying particle is provided. This cylinder (302) and vacuum chamber (212) open communication, and comprise the principal part section (304) stopping by header board (306) and rear plate (308), rear plate (308) is suitable for being connected with the swivel bearing axle (312) of the swivel bearing for cylinder (302), and rear plate (308) can see through by particle being carried out to the distillation steam that freeze drying produces.
A comparative study of knowledge, attitude and practice before and after potential  development for diagnosis and treatment in depressive patient among public health officers  was a pre experiment research. The objectives were to compare  knowledge attitude and practice before and after potential  development for diagnosis and treatment in depressive patient, survey and evaluate attitude toward on depressive patient, confidence on diagnosis treatment and follow up  and satisfaction on screening of depressive patient  respectively. The sample consisted of 33  public health officers in Nongpreu  district. The research instruments were self administered of knowledge, attitude and practice in depressive patient treatment.  A result was compared  before and after potential  development for diagnosis and treatment in depressive patient  by dependent t test . The results were as follows: Knowledge , attitude and practice of depressive disease among public health officers before and after potential  development for diagnosis and treatment in depressive patient were  statistically significant  different.  Attitude toward depressive disease was positive on achievement of performance outcome.  When compare an outcomes of service and treatment in depressive patient among others district in Kanchanaburi province, it’s showed that the percentage of screening , diagnosis  and treatment in depressive patient target was 36.96 %. This outcome was higher than an average percentage of  performance outcome in Thailand (3.34 %).
Objective To study differences in age and gender in orthostatic hypotension(OH).Methods 73 patients of OH were diagnosed from 1681(male 778 and female 903)ones with syncope and dizziness by head-up tilt table test(HUTT).They were 3.1 to 73 years old[(19.5 ±14.65)years old].The patients were divided into adults group(≥18 years old)and children group(18 years old)according to the age.The course of disease,diagnostic rate,changes of blood pressure in OH and their relationship with age and gender were analysed.Results(1)The course and onset age of OH:the course was 0.23-552(31.08±22.72)months in adults,there was no difference between male and female[(31.08±22.72)months vs.(116.22±158.24)months,t=2.049,P0.05)].In children group,the course was 0.3-72(12.69±18.32)months and there was no difference between boys and girls [(10.38±14.59)months vs.(15.0±21.53)months,t=0.814,P0.05].The adults'onset age in OH was 20 to 70 years old[(45.96±14.81)years old],and female was younger than male(t=2.049,P0.05).It was 6-17 years old[(10.47±2.40)years old]in children group without significant difference in gender(t=1.411,P0.05).(2)The diagnostic rate and changes of blood pressure of OH:the diagnostic rate of OH was not different in age and gender(χ2=3.13 and 2.16,P0.05).There was no difference in systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure decrease within 3 minutes during HUTT in age groups and gender ones(P0.05).Conclusions There are no differences of age and gender in the course and systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure decrease within 3 minutes during HUTT of OH.There are also no difference of age and gender in the diagnostic rate.The adult female's onset age is smaller than male's,that is of instructive significance in the diagnosis and treatment of OH in clinic.
Recharging the brain is extraordinary, the brain has 100 billion brain cells each time one stimulus (image, sound, and touch) using one of the senses, the brain cell creates the mind of the impression coming out of the brain cell and down one of the threads (dendrites) then this impression crossed into another brain cell. Selective Attention and Memory are indispensable. When a person wants to improve his memory function then one must also focus or focus on something he or she wants to pay attention to. The more a person operates the memory the better the memory endurance he has and the higher the Selective Attention and concentration on himself. Task Stroop is a type of test that will strengthen human ability in decision making [3]. Task Stroop will provide the process of interference in the brain, so the brain took to make decisions in difficult conditions and limited time. The use of EEG by using non-invasive methods is a way that can be done periodically in patients, adults, small children, and without risk of limitations. EEG signals are signals that appear irregular but contain information about the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. EEG signals in general and specific frequency.
Objective To investigate whether the disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is correlated with T cell activation.The CD69/CD3 ratio of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was measured.Methods The expression of CD69/CD3 on T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells was investigated in 54 SLE and 18 healthy volunteers by using flow cytometric analysis and immunofluorescence staining method.And the levels of anti dsDNA,complements C3 and C4 were also measured.Results Expression of CD69 on T cells from SLE patients and healthy controls showed significant difference ( P 0 01),and CD69/CD3 still showed high correlation with SLEDAI ( P 0 05) when levels of anti dsDNA,C3 and C4 failed to show good correlation.Conclusion CD69/CD3 which detects T cell activity is significantly correlated with SLEDAI scores and is a marker to monitor systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity.
Clinicians in the field of speech and language therapy worldwide rely on norms when  assessing the speech and language of individuals with developmental or acquired  communication disorders. Speech and language therapists in Saudi Arabia face  particular challenges when assessing children or adults due to the lack of research on  individuals with no communication difficulties, including normative studies on  phonological acquisition.  The aim of this study was to fill this evidence gap, by developing an assessment to  elicit the consonants of Saudi-Arabic. This project charts the typically-developing  children’s trajectory of acquisition of consonants with regard to consonant inventory  and trajectory of patterns of errors. It also shows how the preliminary norms are  adequate to be used for assessing atypically-developing children as seen from the  single case study. In addition, it compares the performance between single word and  connected speech tasks.  A cross-sectional study of 102 typically-developing children aged 2;6-5;5 years, where  two children were of the 5-year olds, showed that by 4;11, 21 of the 28 phonemes  used in Saudi Arabic were acquired. Data of fifteen of the typically-developing children;  between 3;6-4;11, were analysed for connected speech. Findings showed that there  was a significant difference between the single word task and the connected speech  task for the oldest age group (but not the younger age groups) as they were more  accurate in connected speech than in single words. In addition, data from the fifteen  typically-developing children and data from twenty-two younger children between 2;6-  3;5 were analysed for connected speech processes and the morphophonological  process involving the definite article /l/. Findings showed that the typically-developing  children generally used connected speech processes used by adults and used the  definite article correctly. A case study was included to see whether a child with suspected atypical phonological  features can be identified by comparing her data to the data of the typically-developing  children as well as by comparing her performance in the connected speech  task to that of the single word task. Findings showed that there was little difference  between her and her peers in terms of the acquisition of the consonants. On her  performance across contexts, she performed better in the single word context than  she did in connected speech. In addition, she had atypical behaviours in connected  speech which resulted in making her speech sound disjointed. On the definite article,  in contrast to her typically-developing peers, she used the incorrect allomorph of the  definite article.  Findings from this study will be compared to those of other studies in different  languages and Arabic dialects to explore similarities and differences across languages  and Arabic dialects. Theoretical and clinical implications will be considered.
The video performance of the Median wireless asynchronous transfer mode (WATM) system is evaluated for a range of application scenarios using the H.263 video codec and a novel packetisation and acknowledgement scheme. The video resolutions and system parameters used are summarised in Tables 1 and 2. The required channel signal-to-noise ratio for near-unimpaired video quality is about 16dB over the dispersive worst-case channel used.
Mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) of the gallbladder is a rare tumor. To date, fewer than ten cases have been reported worldwide, and the histogenesis remains unclear. Here, we report a case of a 75-year-old Thai woman who presented with epigastric pain. An abdominal X-ray showed an asymmetric gallbladder-wall thickening, with enhancing mass and lymph-node metastasis. The patient’s gallbladder was removed. A 5.5x3.0x2.2 cm. white-green exophytic mass was found on the gallbladder. Histologic examination revealed a MANEC, composed of an adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma, which had invaded the muscular layer. Although MANEC of the gallbladder is rare, pathologists should keep in mind that carcinoma of the gallbladder is a potential finding. Keywords: MANEC, adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma, gallbladder
This article is a report on the first results of the author’s efforts to learn to read and translate early colonial texts in Nahuatl, and to teach these competences to university students whose mother tongue is Spanish. First of all, the introduction of Nahuatl into the curriculum of the undergraduate program in History at the University of Guanajuato is discussed. Then the writing of a manual, designed to facilitate the learning of colonial Nahuatl grammar, is described; the manual is also a practical tool for translating texts from Nahuatl to Spanish. Finally, the method that was developed to accurately translate these texts is discussed, including the restitution of phonemic features such as the glottal stop and the vowel quantity (neither of which was usually represented in colonial texts), the morphological analysis of words, their literal translation, and the elaboration of more natural versions in Spanish. This method is applied, by way of example, to a brief text from the Florentine codex .
Optical surge suppression optical amplifier of the present invention, the WDM optical amplifier of connected multistage amplifier arrangement a plurality of optical amplifying means in series, with respect to the optical amplification means of the signal light output side, homogeneous upconversion (HUC) phenomenon by the applying an optical amplification medium that can be generated, by utilizing the reduction in gain efficiency by HUC generated during the input power decreases to suppress the light surge. As for the light for one wave amplifier with respect to the optical amplification means of the signal light input side, by applying the optical amplifying medium capable of generating a pair-in deuce de quenching (PIQ) phenomenon, when the input power increases by utilizing the reduction of the output efficiency caused to PIQ suppresses optical surge. Thus, the control circuit and the optical circuit configuration without complicating can provide a low-cost optical amplifier can be suppressed light surge effectively.
Objective: To promote recovery from nephrotic syndrome and cut down the rate of palindromia,put systemic health education in practice on the patients and their families.Methods: Health education was carried out when the patients was admitted,hosptalised and discharged stage by stage.Results: To some extent,health education could make patients and their families to grasp relative knowledge about nephritic syndrome,so that they could cooperate with staff for therapy and nursing.Conclusion: Systemic health education could enhance patient's subjective motility,improve the therapeutic efficacy and also prevent from relapse.
Model quality evaluation in set-membership identification is investigated. In the recent literature, two main approaches have been used to investigate this problem, based on the concepts of n-width and of radius of information. In this paper it is shown that the n- width is related to the asymptotic value of the conditional radius of information of the identification problem with noise free measurements. Upper and lower bounds of the conditional radius of information are derived for the identification of exponentially stable systems using approximating n-dimensional models linear in the parameters in the presence of power bounded measurement errors. The derived bounds are shown to be convergent to the radius for a large number of data and model dimensions. Moreover, a formula for computing the worst case identification error for any linear algorithm is given. In particular, it is shown that the identification error of the least square algorithm may be increasing with respect to the model dimension ("peaking effect"). An almost-optimal linear algorithm is presented, that is not affected by this peaking effect, and indeed is asymptotically optimal.
The utility model relates to a robot and specially relates to a multipurpose material-carrying industrial robot. A waist rotating shaft is arranged on a base; a shoulder pitching rotating shaft is arranged at the top of the waist rotating shaft; the shoulder pitching rotating shaft is connected with one end of a big arm; an elbow pitching rotating shaft is connected with the other end of the big arm; the elbow pitching rotating shaft is connected with a forearm; the forearm is connected with an elbow rotating shaft; a wrist part is arranged at the top end of the elbow rotating shaft; a wrist pitching rotating shaft and an operator rotating shaft are arranged on the wrist part; the operator rotating shaft is connected with a terminal operator. The multipurpose material-carrying industrial robot provided by the utility model utilizes the concord and coordination among the base, the big arm, the forearm, the waist and the terminal operator to increase the labor productivity and reduce the production cost. When two workpieces, namely, panels and pipes, are carried, the multipurpose material-carrying industrial robot can exchange the terminal operator without manual intervention, and only one terminal operator is required for finishing the manual carrying.
A high-resolution, multiproxy record of palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental variability extending to ca. 42 cal. ka has been constructed from lake sediment from Native Companion Lagoon (NCL), North Stradbroke Island (NSI), Queensland. Aeolian materials extracted from the lake sediment act as a proxy for aridity in eastern Australia. ICP-MS trace element analysis of the aeolian sediment and subsequent provenancing of the far-traveled dust component show variations in dominant dust source areas for NSI, with periods of increased aridity during the late Pleistocene showing increased input into NCL from the Murray-Darling Basin and central South Australia. Conversely, during periods of decreased aridity, dust is transported to NCL from a wide range of source areas, which may reflect increased sediment supply (e.g. due to increased precipitation under a strengthened summer monsoon regime). Variability in the dominance of continental dust source areas for NCL indicates variability in the position and intensity of dust transport pathways to NSI, reflecting major changes in atmospheric circulation patterns over Australia. Palynological and charcoal analyses from the NCL sediment support the record of aeolian sedimentation, providing an indication of local conditions on NS
A novel method is proposed to deal with the double square root slant range.This method can separate the distortion resulting from the multiple receivers and non Stop-and-Hop through Taylor series expansion.And the wavenumber domain function for multiple receiver SAS is expressed as a product of the monostatic item and the multistatic distorted item.The latter is compensated for by means of multiple receiver data fusion.Finally,the classic chirp-scaling algorithm is used for the imaging reconstruction of multiple receiver SAS.The simulation results prove the proposed method to be effective.
Based on the latest data from the United Nations Population Division and the National Bureau of Statistics of China, this paper compares the population aging of the BRICs from four aspects, including the extent and speed of population aging, the elderly population size, and the relationship between economic development and population aging. Through comparative analysis, the paper summarizes the common characteristics and individual differences of population aging among the BRICs, and reveals the positive significance of dealing with the opportunities and challenges of population aging. Finally, it concludes that only strengthening comprehensive cooperation, can the BRICs achieve mutual benefits.
The reuse of brownfield land is an important objective of planning and regeneration policies. In England this has been a key component of the urban renaissance agenda since the late 1990s. The national target for England to provide by 2008 a minimum of 60% of new housing on previously developed land (PDL) has been well exceeded with an estimated 90% of dwellings (including conversions) built on PDL in 2009. At the same time the density of new dwellings has increased from 25 dwellings per hectare in 2001 up to 43 dwellings per hectare in 2009 (Land Use Change Statistics July 2010, CLG). While on the one hand this can be seen as a success of a target-driven regional and national planning policy and a restriction of greenfield development, one can also argue that this urban intensification policy came at the cost of a lack of green infrastructure development within urban areas, an approach advocated by many landscape planners as part of the provision of social infrastructure. This was to some extent acknowledged by official policy documents. For example the National Brownfield Strategy, published in 2008, proposes a more differentiated strategy, considering different forms of new uses for brownfield land, including so-called soft end-uses in the form of open space and parks. More recently the new UK coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats revised some of the previous planning policies, such as the qualification of back gardens as previously developed land and the minimum density requirements within planning policy statement 3.The first part of this paper analyses the last decade of strategic brownfield land redevelopment across England using data from the Land Use Change Statistics and the National Land Use Database for Previously Developed Land. Following on from this quantitative analysis, the following part of the paper discusses future policy options and related strategies of local authorities in the light of both national targets for housing provision on PDL and local environmental green-space considerations. The de-facto abolition of regional planning and housing targets by the new coalition and the publication of the draft localism bill in December 2010 indicate a much more localised future approach towards planning and brownfield regeneration. The paper discusses to which extent this new policy setting increases the role of brownfield regeneration as provider of green infrastructure.Although the themes discussed in this paper focus on England they are relevant for planning and regeneration in other countries as well. In Germany for example targets for the reduction of housing on greenfield land and the regeneration of brownfield sites have become important policy themes over recent years.
Objective:Studied the cytotoxicity of CD3AK cells that imposed on small cell lung cancer with bispecif ic monocloned antibody. Methods: The cytotoxic activities of CD3 AK cells with monocloned antibody and bispecific monocloned antibody were determined by51Cr-Na2CrO4 release assay. Results: Bispecif ic antibody could significantly increase the killer activity of CD3AK cells out of the organism. Conclusion: compared with monocloned antibodies cytotoxicity of CD3AK cells was increased significantly after introduced bispecific monocloned antibody.
Transparent lyotropic ferronematic dispersions are synthesized by admixing a cationic ferrofluid to the lyotropic liquid crystal PL/1D/Wt. The transparency is spontaneous and time-independent. It is observed in zero magnetic field in white and polarized light for disordered layers of ferroliquid crystals of thicknesses ~1 cm in both isotropic and nematic phases. Justification of the low extinction of light in the systems of the lyotropic origin is presented.
A critical parameter to measure for any type of pavement structural analysis is the precise location of the applied load. Under live traffic conditions the placement is random (termed wheel wander) and is important to characterize since it defines the transverse location and severity of pavement distress. As more test roads are built with embedded instrumentation to support the calibration and implementation of mechanistic-empirical (M-E) pavement design, the load placement relative to the instrumentation must be determined. Also, it is necessary to assess whether the wheel wander under test conditions is representative of open-access facilities. In this research, a lateral-position measurement system, comprised of independent axle sensing strips, was installed at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) Test Track to measure wheel wander of the  traffic. The Test Track is a 1.7 mile (2.7 kilometer) cooperative research test road trafficked by five tractor-trailers operated by ten drivers over two shifts per day. This paper details the lateral-position measurement system, the installation process, the calibration process and the algorithms to compute lateral offset. Data collected over two trucking shifts are presented, comprised of over 3,000 axle passes, and indicate a normal distribution of wheel wander at the Test Track having a standard deviation of 8.6 in. (21.8 cm), consistent with measurements made at openaccess facilities.
The invention relates to an antenna for circular polarization. At a distance from the front of an electrically conductive ground plane 2 and in a oriented perpendicular to the electrically conductive ground plane 2 plane of symmetry SE a substantially oriented parallel to the electrically conductive base 2 of electrical dipole radiator 1 runs with dipole junction 8. To this is in the plane of symmetry SE extending towards the electrically conductive ground plane 2 dipole feed line 6 is connected. Furthermore, an antenna pad 12 present. In the electrically conductive ground plane 2, a slit lamp is designed with its longitudinal extent 4 along the line of intersection between the plane of symmetry SE and the electrically conductive ground plane 2. 3 The slot radiator connection point 7 is formed by opposed, situated on the longitudinal edges 18 connection points 19th The electric dipole antenna element 1 and the slot radiator 3 are matched in their resonance frequencies. The slot radiator 3 and the electric dipole antenna 1 with dipole feed pipe 6 are connected over a distribution network 13 with the antenna connection point 12 according to amount and phase in such a way that at the frequency to which the emitters are matched, circular in the far field polarization given is.
To perfect public sports service system is a necessity to build public service government.With the rapid development of economy,people pay more attention to health care and public sports service.In this context,the supply of the mode and content of public sports service should change in some ways.Specifically,it need to construct a harmonious relations between the sports management regimes,activate the sports operating system,improve the ground equipments,fitness guidance and health test,optimize the policy environment for the development of sports industry innovation,improve the quality and level of physical fitness,to build up a perfect public sports service system,which is characterized by government leading,society as main body and public participation.
The Values in Education project was commissioned by the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (NICCEA) to be undertaken over a twelve month period from February 1995 to January 1996. The aims of the project were to:- research existing approaches to values in education; - generate specific 'profiles' of values initiatives in education; and - evaluate the current provision for values in education in the Northern Ireland Curriculum.This report documents the findings from the research undertaken into values in education within the Northern Ireland Curriculum and in the wider educational context of the UK and Europe. The report also presents some recommendations for further development in this area. In Northern Ireland, explicit consideration was given to Values in Education by the Department of Education for Northern Ireland (DENI) in its strategic plan, which outlines the Department's priorities for education in the years leading up to the end of the century. One of the strategic aims referred to in the section entitled 'Learning for Life' is the "[nurturing] of moral values" and "respect for the worth of all individuals". The Values in Education (NI) project has been undertaken as part of NICCEA's remit, to help inform and guide policy and decision-making on matters related to the curriculum. The five year period from 1996 - 2001 has been earmarked as a period of planning and preparation to identify a vision for education in Northern Ireland for the new millennium. This stage of the project represents the beginning of a process to provide greater clarification of the values in and through the Northern Ireland Curriculum. It also provides the starting point for a further, developmental phase which investigates how values in education might be given more prominence within schools in a number of practical ways.
This paper aims to study the kinematic features of landslides to assess and mitigate landslide risks.It takes Jiaojiayatou irrigation-induced loess landslide in Heifangtai,Yongjin,Gansu Province as the research object.It is based on engineering geological mapping and soil tests,as well as landslide features analysis.It simulates the whole moving process of the landslide and analyzes the velocity field using the finite-difference-method-based kinematic model.The simulation results show that the velocity field of the landslide can be divided into three stages: the initial acceleration stage,the high-speeding fluctuation stage and the collision deceleration stage.The average velocity in the whole process is about 8.6m·s-1,which represents a high-speed moving feature and can cause dangerous results.The velocity at the shear opening from the numerical simulation is 1.2m·s-1 higher than that calculated using the ASCE recommended method,2m·s-1 lower than that calculated using the variational method,and close to the lower limit calculated using Pan Jiazheng Method.This study is helpful to the prediction of sliding velocity and influencing area of potential irrigation-induced loess landslides.
This following project optimizes a synthetic aperture radar prototype that is located at the Universidad de las Americas facilities, whose main objective is to improve its area of influence. In order to achieve its main objective, this work fulfills a systematized planning, in which applies different analyses and studying  methods according to each step purpose done. During the progress, the importance of analysis in each part of the radar is specified in order to determine the improvements that must be done in the radar  through different investigation methods such as: scientific, deductive, and quantitative. Which are applied when some testing devices are used, when it is possible to deduce how the radar works currently from a general to specific perspective, and after classifying information. Afterwards, some radiofrequency  elements are rebuilt and using experimental investigation they are implemented, tested, and finally evaluated. With this project it is possible to contribute to the Universidad de las Americas in the technical, scientific, academic fields; which will enrich student’s knowledge and contribute to the strengthening of projects that forge the level of the university.
The effect of light and bisulfite on infusion solutions containing epinephrine (2 micrograms/mL), bupivacaine hydrochloride (1 mg/mL), fentanyl (2 micrograms/mL) and sodium edetate (0.18 microgram/mL) was investigated. Solutions were made isotonic using sodium chloride, and they contained either 1.82 micrograms/mL sodium metabisulfite or no metabisulfite at all. The infusions were stored in polypropylene infusion bags (550 mL) and were subjected to light from a xenon burner with a specter similar to sunlight behind a glass window. The contents of epinephrine, bupivacaine and fentanyl were determined with stability indicating methods using a HPLC system. In two identical experiments epinephrine was demonstrated to be more stable under irradiation in the absence of sodium metabisulfite (89.3% and 91.3% remaining of initial concentration) than in its presence (64.5% and 60.1% remaining). Bupivacaine and fentanyl showed no degradation as a function of light exposure, and the stability was not affected by the presence or absence of bisulfite. After two weeks exposure to natural light (Oslo, 60 degrees N, March) the content of epinephrine was 45.0% of the initial concentration in the solutions containing bisulfite and 95.6% in the solutions without bisulfite (n = 3). The relationship between various concentrations of bisulfite and the photo-stability of three epinephrine solutions (2 micrograms/mL, 20 micrograms/mL and 110 micrograms/mL) were tested. The results indicated that approximately equimolar concentration of epinephrine compared to bisulfite, or bisulfite in some excess, was least favorable to the stability of epinephrine. A possible explanation for the photo-destabilizing effect of bisulfite can be the conversion of superoxide radicals (O2-) to highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (.OH) by bisulfite. From these results it can be concluded that solutions containing epinephrine and bisulfite should be protected from light not only during storage but also during use in cases where the infusion time amounts to several days. An alternative, wherever possible, would be to omit bisulfite in the solutions.
The Technical Center at JR East is developing a “track monitoring device” to collect data frequently. Running tests are currently underway using a train in operation running on the Keihin-Tohoku Line. The authors tried to predict changes in track irregularity by analyzing acquired data. As a result, the authors became able to confirm detailed track irregularity by frequently obtained data. In addition, the authors were able to confirm the quantity of improvement after repair of the track. In this way the authors catch changes in track conditions and can judge the most suitable time for repair of the track. The authors are continuing with work in research and development to make the most suitable decision-making by the frequent accumulation of data.
Calomys callosus are wild rodents present in the Brazilian savannas that were adapted to the laboratorial conditions. These animals are resistant to infections that induce chronic inflammatory responses ( Trypanosoma cruzi and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis ). The objective of this work was to characterize the acute inflammatory reaction, prompted by the subcutaneous implementation of a foreign body. Twenty seven C. callosus and thirty B10A mice received implant and were comparatively analyzed during 144 hours. Circular cover slides implanted in C. callosus showed predominance of macrophages and eosinophils whereas in the mice, the neutrophils followed by the macrophages were the migratory dominant cells (p <0.05). It was concluded that C. callosus present inflammatory mechanisms for the removal of foreign body different from the ones found in the other rodents as well as in the human beings. KEY WORDS: Acute inflammation, cover slip, granuloma, histology, wild rodents.
The aim of this work is to analyze the empirical cumulative layouts of annual household income in Poland between 2000 and 2006. Data were collected from the Central Statistical Office. The layouts were compared with predictions of Pareto rights, Law of Proportionate Effect, generalized Lotka-Volterra model and models of collisions. It turned out that middle class and wealthy Polish households are described very well by the cumulative distributions of Pareto, which differ by the value of the Pareto exponent. On the other hand the income of poor households is described by a cumulative log-normal distribution. To describe the poor andmiddle class households the generalized Lotka-Volterra model can be used, which provides the theoretical interpretation of the level of individual households.
Drought studies in different stages carried out from 39th day to 52nd day of plant age in natural conditions in four cultivable red gram genotypes. Among them PRG58 is showing drought resistant when induced drought stress and the remaining three cultivars are drought sensitive. The physiological parameters such as PN, gs, E and Ci were measured and IRGA-LICOR and chlorophyll content with SPAD meter. The same PRG58 cultivar showing drought resistant against three sensitive cultivars. It is concluded that PRG58 is drought resistant cultivar.
This paper turns its attention to the problems concerning the works which, usually, are not considered impacting on the crossing territory. For this reason they escape to a  correct control of their environmental compatibility, control that results to depend on designer sensibility and capacity. This is the major part of the ordinary one way  viability, that, very often, move itself in places with their own sensibility. Currently the need to improve existing viability give occasion to think about an environmental compatibility of the whole road constructions, not only the wudge ones, allouding that  the improvment became also “environmental”. In this contest, in the environmental qualifications of the interested area, plays a central rule the project of the green arrangement.
The utility model relates to an electronic scanning foot ring for a race pigeon, which is formed by the way that a foot ring main body (1) is provided with a cavity (2). The utility model is characterized in that one end head of the foot ring main body (1) is provided with a barbed buckle (3), and the other end head of the foot ring main body (1) is provided with a barbed groove (4) matched with the barbed buckle. The utility model has the advantages of simple structure and convenient use; the electronic scanning foot ring for race pigeon is provided with the barbed buckle and the barbed groove (4) matched with the barbed buckle, satisfying the requirements that the foot ring can be disassembled after using in a plurality of specific pigeon racings.
Objective: To observe the effects of rosiglitazone(ROZ),a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ activation,in the inhibition of tumor growth and inducement apoptosis in breast cancer in vitro.Methods: MTT was used to detect how ROZ inhibited the growth of MCF-7,observing ROZ how to influence the colony formation of MCF-7 by colony formation test.After different concentration of ROZ for 72 hours,the morphologic change of MCF-7 was seen by Hoechst33342 dyeing;the apoptosis percentage and cell cycle change were detected by FCM;the effects of ROZ in the expression of Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 of MCF-7 were evaluated by Western Blotting.Results: Using ROZ to treat breast cancer,with a dose-dependence,could inhibit cell growth and colony formation of MCF-7.The number of cells in G1 phase increased and the number of cells in S phase decreased when the concentration of ROZ was 6×10~(-5)M and 3×10~(-4)M.Through Hoechst33342 dyeing,there were granulochromatin and apoptotic body in tumor cells after being treated with ROZ for 72 hours,and the number of apoptosis cell reached 22.05% by FCM.ROZ inhibited the expression of Bcl-2 and enhanced the expression of Caspase-3.Conclusion: ROZ inhibited the cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro,which may be relative to inhibiting the expression of Bcl-2 and enhancing the expression of Caspase-3.These results hint that ROZ is hoped to be the therapeutic drug or aid drug in tumor treatment.PPARγ has great potentialities to be new target of tumor treatment.
The scope of this work was to analyze the main myths and beliefs surrounding breastfeeding for the theoretical-practical perspective of the various studies extant in the literature. The studies were obtained by bibliographical surveys in the main databases (Medline, Lilacs, scielo), retrieved using the key words "Breastfeeding," "Weaning," "Myths" and "Beliefs" (and their versions in English and Spanish). Books, theories, dissertations and publications in international and national organs were also consulted. It was seen that over the centuries there have been doubts surrounding the correct form of suckling newborns based on concepts that include biological aspects and socio-cultural determinants. It was seen that various myths and beliefs surrounding suckling generate either feelings of guilt, anxiety, or feelings of trust and support in the breastfeeding mother with respect to her capacity to produce breast milk. In this respect, it is necessary for healthcare professionals to understand suckling from the maternal standpoint, dispelling myths and beliefs, altering outlooks, in such a way as to comprehend the various factors present in suckling, acting in a more effective way for prolongation and maintenance of breastfeeding.
In cellular orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) networks, co-channel interference (CCI) leads to severe degradation in the BER performance. To solve this problem, maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) CCI cancellation scheme has been proposed in the literature. MLE CCI cancellation scheme generates weighted replicas of the transmitted signals where weights represent the estimated channel transfer functions. The replica with the smallest Euclidean distance from the received signal is selected and data are detected. When the received power of the desired and interference signals are nearly the same, the BER performance is degraded. In this paper, we propose a closed-loop power control (PC) scheme capable of detecting the equal received power situation at the mobile station (MS) receiver by using the newly introduced parameter power ratio (PR). When this situation is detected, the MS sends a fee㏈ack to the desired base station (BS) which boosts the transmission power in the next frame. At cell edge where signal to interferer ratio (SIR) is considered to have average value between -5 ㏈ and 10 ㏈, computer simulations show that the proposed CCI cancellation scheme has a gain of 7 ㏈ at 28 Km/h.
The case for labour movement in the EU is tied to the future equilibrium of the labour market, implying a minimum harmonization that has several limits. Therefore, the question of Turkish labour movement in the EU has been subject to the legislative structure that Turkey has to cover from its present situation to a possible accession to the EU. The EU encourages Turkey to strengthen its efforts to ensure full employment and social security rights in line with EU standards. This is particular relevant for the strengthening of the social dimension inside the EU and in a candidate country through more and better jobs, adequate social protection, labour standards and fostering the development. It is essential to bring Turkish legislation closer to the EU levels and the minimum standard application under the Community Law. The debate has focused on how far Turkey's recent constitutional amendment package has brought significant improvements in the area of social policy. The purpose of this paper is to review the harmonization process for compliance with EU's acquis communautaire through the accession of Turkey. This necessitates an analysis of the policy adjustments including approximation of Turkish labour law and social policy legislation. In this context, an interesting background material for the policy issues of the legal and social status of the EU workers in Turkey, which may arise in the event of accession, are described.
Referred to as FCFT (Fast Continuous Fourier Transforms), new algorithme are proposed to evaluate the (integral)  Fourier transform of a continuons signal . These algorithms compute without truncation error the Fourier integral,  over the sampling duration, of a continuous pseudo signal deduced from samples by polynomial interpolations of  order 0 (step by step function) to 3 (cubic spline) . They are very fast because an FFT (Fast Fourier Transform)  algorithm is used for the calculation of quadrature formulas . They seem to be especially applicable to the Fourier  transform computation of non periodic and/or not band limited signais because the yielded spectrum is not periodic.  In particular, with transient signais, calculations made beyond the half of the sampling frequency can be significant.  The FCFT algorithme based upon polynomial interpolations of order 2 and 3 are particularly efficient .
This study used a content analysis of 238 hours of Israeli talk shows from 2012 where 495 experts took part to map the gender distribution of TV experts and explore potential differences in the way men and women are treated in the programs. Men experts outnumbered women experts in a 1.7 to 1 ratio. These men were significantly older than the women and tended to have a higher academic rank, but they were not treated more favorably during the program. The topics on which the experts commentated reflect familiar gender stereotypes with men more likely to talk about security, politics and economy and women more often talk about body grooming and child care. The results, which partly accord with feminist criticisms of the popular media, are analyzed in relation to the theoretical concept of symbolic annihilation and the findings of studies that looked at the gender of scientists and scholars in other TV genres.
This paper describes how Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) recently remarked that "road traffic crashes are not 'accidents'" and urged society to challenge the notion that "they are unavoidable." Chan's comments coincided with the publication of a WHO report that revealed traffic injuries are the leading cause of death in people ages ten to twenty-four around the world—surpassing HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, self-inflicted injuries, violence, tuberculosis, fires and war. The annual cost of road injuries and fatalities is $518 billion. And that’s only in the United States and the European Region. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), road traffic crashes kill 1.2 million people a year – or 3,242 people each and every day. In addition, road traffic crashes injure or disable between 20 million and 50 million people a year. And, road traffic crashes rank as the eleventh leading cause of death and account for 2.1 percent of all deaths globally. The numbers are staggering and the physical, financial and emotional toll on victims and their families are incalculable. The numbers are only slightly better at the local level. United States Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters recently announced a nationwide drop in the number of road deaths. The two percent decline, the largest in fifteen years, has resulted in the lowest highway fatality rate on record of 1.42 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (42,642), compared to 1.45 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (43,510) the year before. During the same period, passenger car injuries dropped 6 percent from 2.7 million in 2005 to 2.54 million in 2006, and large truck injuries fell 15 percent. Most significantly, fatalities of occupants of passenger vehicles—cars, SUVs, vans and pickups—continued a steady decline to 30,521, the lowest annual total since 1993. So we’re getting better, right? Wrong.
We report here the identification and characterization of a new member of the mouse caspase family, named caspase-14. Northern blot analysis of mRNA from various tissues with caspase-14-specific probe showed a major transcript size of approximately 2.4 kb and variant transcripts of 2.0 kb and 1.5 kb. The major transcript is detected mainly in the liver and to a lesser extent in the brain and kidney. Caspase-14 cDNA encodes a 257-amino acid-long protein that has significant homology to other members of the caspase family. Like other caspases, caspase-14 has a conserved active site, pentapeptide QACRG. However, it lacks an NH2-terminal prodomain or a caspase recruitment domain, suggesting that it could be a downstream caspase that depends on other initiator caspases for activation. Consistent with this, procaspase-14 can be processed in vitro by the death receptor-associated caspase-8 and caspase-10 but not other caspases, and in vivo after stimulation of cells with anti-Fas agonist antibody or Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis Inducing Ligand. Furthermore, procaspase-14 can be cleaved by granzyme B. These observations suggest that caspase-14 may play a role in death receptor and granzyme B-induced apoptosis.
Dialytic clearance of urea is efficient, but other small solutes normally secreted by the kidney may be cleared less efficiently. This study tested whether the high concentrations of these solutes in hemodialysis patients reflect a failure of passive diffusion methods to duplicate the efficacy of clearance by tubular secretion. We compared the plasma concentrations and clearance rates of four solutes normally cleared by tubular secretion with the plasma concentrations and clearance rates of urea and creatinine in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis and normal subjects. The predialysis concentrations (relative to normal subjects) of unbound phenylacetylglutamine (122-fold), hippurate (108-fold), indoxyl sulfate (116-fold), and p-cresol sulfate (41-fold) were much greater than the concentrations of urea (5-fold) and creatinine (13-fold). The dialytic clearance rates (relative to normal subjects) of unbound phenylacetylglutamine (0.37-fold), hippurate (0.16-fold), indoxyl sulfate (0.21-fold), and p-cresol sulfate (0.39-fold) were much lower than the rates of urea (4.2-fold) and creatinine (1.3-fold). Mathematical modeling showed that prominent accumulation of the normally secreted solutes in hemodialysis patients could be accounted for by lower dialytic clearance relative to physiologic clearance combined with the intermittency of treatment. Whether or not more efficient removal of normally secreted solutes improves outcomes in dialysis patients remains to be tested.
An ongoing project to automate the monitoring of scour measurements at Louisiana bridge sites is discussed. The data at selected bridges is digitized and put into computer files for analysis. A graphics program is developed to plot historic scour measurements for visual inspection. Historic data is analyzed using scour prediction formulas found in the literature as well as formulas developed for this study. Regression analysis showed that scour equations based upon parameters related to the energy of the incoming flow gave consistently superior results when compared to other equations found in the literature.
The DECpc AXP 150 personal computer is not only the first in Digital's line of Alpha AXP PC products but also the latest in a line of experimental low-cost systems. This paper traces the evolution of these systems, which began several years ago in Digital's research and advanced development laboratories. The authors reveal some of the reasoning behind the engineering design decisions, point out ideas that worked well, and acknowledge ideas that did not work well and were discarded. Chief among the many lessons learned is that combining Alpha AXP microprocessors and industry-standard system components is within the abilities of any competent digital design engineer.
Abstract : In order to comply with Insensititive Munitions (IM) criteria, energetic binders comprising polymer and plasticiser(s) are finding use in cast-cured polymer bonded explosives and cast composite rocket propellants. Energetic binder systems confer energy output increases over conventional inert binder systems currently in use, and are thus of interest to the ADF. This report serves to characterise fully the physico-chemical properties of such energetic binder systems. Both the uncured prepolymer' binder and the fully cured system have been characterised by various techniques including thermal analysis, spectroscopic analysis, sensitivity tests, molecular weight chromatography and mechanical properties. Detailed cure information obtained from these analyses are used to ensure effective cure.
Objective To investigate the therapeutic outcome of monilial vaginitis by using high-concentration-and-low-temperature plasma. Methods Forty cases were divided into plasma group (n=20) and povidone iodine group (n=20). Plasma (15 mg/L,25 ℃) and povidone iodine solution (10 g/L) were applied for vaginal irrigation. Results Plasma was more efficient than povidone iodine solution in terms of score of symptoms and signs as well as cure rate (t=3.42-7.79, χ 2=4.47, P0.05). Conclusion Irrigating vagina with high-concentration-and-low-temperature plasma is simple and effective for monilial vaginitis and worth to be popularized.
The method of the present invention includes a generation control to be performed, the control signal including the sending of duplicate code to be executed in the frame, and receiving this signal in order to generate long duration control will be applied to control the actuator. The method further comprises: - means for generating a frame control indicates the duration of the time information is inserted into the project sent in steps - steps in this project for extracting time information, and - for the use of the time information to calculate project control application start and step / or end of the application time.
Objective To discuss change character of non-ester fatty acid in the kidney disease. Methods The different types of kidney disease were chosen, including 70 cases of kidney disease and 44 cases of health controls. The serum of NEFA,LP(a)、 ApoAl 、ApoB、TG、CH and HDL were examed by auto-chemical analyzer. The results were analysed by significance test. The correlation anlysis was made between NEFA and other results. Results The significant difference was found between NEFA and control group(P0.01). The positive correlation was tested between NEFA and TG,ApoB. Conclusion NEFA concentration was important to the development of kidney disease. The detection of NEFA has clinical significance to the diagnosis of different kidney disease.
The invention relates to a vehicle window roller blind lifting device and a using method thereof. The vehicle window roller blind lifting device comprises a fixed frame part (8) and a roller blind component (9), wherein the fixed frame part (8) is fixed on a vehicle body (88); and the roller blind component (9) can pivot relative to the fixed frame part (8). The roller blind component (9) comprises a roller blind scroll (81), driving shaft type gears (91) and a biasing pivot wheel (94), wherein the roller blind scroll (81) is fixedly connected with the upper end of the roller blind (92) and can wind the roller blind (92); the driving shaft type gears (91) are symmetrically and coaxially arranged on the front and rear sides of the roller blind scroll (81); the biasing pivot wheel (94) is fixedly connected with the lower end of the roller blind through a flexible traction cable; the biasing pivot wheel (94) is biased through a pivoting biasing spring so as to tension the roller blind (92) downwards; and two rack driving components, which are symmetrically positioned on the front and rear sides of the roller blind scroll (81), are arranged in the fixed frame part (8).
The ancient Turkish nationalities developed their own ethic traditional handicraft industry by taking advantage of the rich local raw materials such as primary and pasturage products as well as abundant mineral resource.It can be seen from Diwanu Lughat-it Turk(A Comprehensive Turki Dictionary,various categories of industries such as mining,metal processing and producing,furs and floss processing,brewage,ceramics had made prominent achievement to different extent,which also played an important role in economic life.
A hydraulic clutch (100) is provided with a first coupling element (102) which is fixed to a first support (104) and a second coupling member (106) attached to a second carrier (108) is attached. The first carrier (104) defines a Reinigungsaktor (110) and the second carrier (108) forms a fluid conduit (144) having an actuator opening (146) which is adapted to receive the Reinigungsaktor (110). The fluid conduit (144) has an opening (148, 150, 152, 162) is arranged to derive from the fluid conduit (144) fluid expelled from the first coupling element (102) and / or the second coupling element (106).
INTRODUCTION The paroxysmal and focal alterations in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of subjects who have never experienced epileptic seizures may be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in infancy.   AIMS To determine the true behaviour of the bioelectrical manifestation we have developed a therapeutic protocol with anticonvulsive drugs to enable us to evaluate the degree of clinical improvement along with that of the bioelectrical resolution.   PATIENTS AND METHODS Four groups of patients were selected with 10 patients in each group, allocated according to their clinical diagnosis. The study groups were made up of patients suffering from language and speech disorders (LSD), specific learning difficulties (SLD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a fourth group with mixed neuropsychological symptoms (MNS).   RESULTS A linear relation was found between the behaviour of the clinical progress and the electroencephalographic progress in the groups with LSD and ADHD, and to a lesser extent with the MNS and SLD groups. Clinical progress was considered to be successful in three of the 10 children studied in group A (LSD), in one of the 10 in group B (SLD), in two of the ten belonging to group C (ADHD), and in three of the 10 subjects in group D (MNS).   CONCLUSIONS The pharmacological treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, with an abnormal EEG pattern and no seizures, was found to behave favourably in 80% of the cases for the four groups under study. The presence of an EEG-4 pattern, slow focal activity, was indicative of a regular clinical prognosis.
The large majority of monogeneans are branchial or cutaneous ectoparasites and relatively few of them are known to parasitise internal organs. Among those of the Dactylogyridae, seven genera (i.e. Diplectanotrema, Pseudempleurosoma, Neodiplectanotrema, Paradiplectanotrema, Pseudodiplectanotrema, Metadiplectanotrema, and Enterogyrus) have been proposed to accommodate species colleted from the digestive systems of freshwater and marine fishes. During recent surveys of helminth parasites of marine fishes off New Caledonia, South Pacific, 20 specimens of conspecific monogeneans were recovered from the oesophagus of the deep sea fish Hoplichthys citrinus Gilbert (Hoplichthyidae) collected in the region of the Chesterfield Islands (Coral Sea, about halfway between New Caledonia and Australia). Their detailed study has shown that they represent a previously undescribed species of dactylogyrids belonging to so-called diplectanotrema-group. The specimens found were preliminary assigned to Pseudempleurosoma based on the following features observed on them: thick tegument with transverse ridges, tandem gonads (ovary pretesticular), a vas deferens looping the left intestinal caecum, a sclerotised copulatory organ without an accessory piece, ventral and dorsal anchor/bar complexes, a dorsal bar formed as 2 bilateral sclerotised rudiments, and 7 pairs of similar hooks with protruding thumb and slender shaft. However, re-examination of the type specimens of Diplectanotrema balistes, Pseudempleurosoma carangis, and vouchers of Paradiplectanotrema lepidopi showed that the type species of these genera share much more common features than it was believed earlier, and therefore it is likely that all these genera are synonyms.
This paper describes how the evaluation of car front aggressiveness in car-pedestrian accidents is typically done using sub-system tests. Three of theses tests have been proposed by EEVC/WG17, and the are: (1) the legform to bumper tests; (2) the upper legform to bonnet leading edge test; and (3) the headform to bonnet top test. These tests were developed in order to evaluate the performance of the car structure at car to pedestrian impact speed of 11.1 m/s, and each of them has its own impactor, impact conditions and injury criteria. However, it has not been determined yet as to what extent the EEVC sub-system tests represent real-world pedestrian accidents. Therefore there are two objectives of this study. First, to clarify the differences between the injury-related responses of full-scale pedestrian dummy and results of sub-system tests obtained under impact conditions simulating car-to-pedestrian accidents. Second to propose modifications of current sub-system test methods.
On 2 December each year Laos celebrates its national day. In times past this meant military parades on the That Luang parade ground. In recent years the character of the celebration has changed. Today the parade is more a celebration of Laos' culture, traditions and ethnic diversity. In 2003 a statue of King Fa Ngum, deemed to be the founder of the Lao nation, was unveiled in Vientiane. The inauguration ceremony included a procession featuring the sacred Prabang image brought specially from Luang Prabang. The absence of socialist iconography and the emphasis on royal and traditional culture surprised some observers. The transformation of the national day celebrations and the inauguration of the Chao Anou statue reflect broader processes in Laos, which, in turn, are shaping contemporary Vientiane. The abandonment of socialism has opened urban development to new influences. At the same time, however, the Lao Communists remain in power and in need of legitimisation as the sole legitimate political voice. As a result there is considerable emphasis on construction of museums and cultural institutions and on 'traditional' elements of the built environment. Thus, the evolution of Vientiane's urban identity has been conditioned by the specific characteristics of Lao history and by the fluctuating and complex integration of Laos into global economic and political processes. Once again older patterns are re-emerging, with Vientiane the modernised administrative centre and Luang Prabang, in the north, the cultural and heritage centre of the nation - a pattern that replicates the colonial-era urban system.
The invention discloses an air purifier with adsorption-filtration double functions for electro-catalytically removing formaldehyde. The air purifier comprises a casing, wherein a primary filter layer, a fan, an efficient filter layer, a fine metal net, an activated carbon fiber layer (5) loading metal phthalocyanine catalysts, an electro-catalytically purification device and an air quality detector are successively arranged from top to bottom in the casing, at least one air inlet is formed in a position above the primary filter layer on the casing, and at least one air outlet is formed in one side below the casing; the fan blows external air into the casing, and the external air successively penetrates through the primary filter layer and the efficient filter layer so as to enter the electro-catalytically purification device to be treated and exhausted from the air outlet A material which is prepared by combination of the efficient filter layer and bionics can filter PM2.5 (Particulate Matter), besides, the recycling of materials can be realized, so that secondary pollution can be greatly reduced. The electro-catalytically purification device can efficiently enrich the formaldehyde in the air and remove the formaldehyde through an electro-catalytical oxidation so as to efficiently purify the air. The air quality detector is arranged at the air outlet, so that the air purifying effect is more reliable.
Yao and Artusio's Anesthesiology is among the core texts for anesthesiology residents, and is frequently used as one of the primary study aids for orals. The book covers all areas of anesthesia using a problem-based approach. As in prior editions, the goal of the text is to present a group of important clinical entities covering the most critical anesthetic problems, and to provide logical and scientific fundamentals for individualized patient management. Each chapter is based on a real-world case history and includes questions that address every facet of management - from disease knowledge and differential diagnosis, through preoperative evaluation, intraoperative management, and postoperative care. The discussion of each question is followed by a short list of the most important references on that topic. Features: real-world cases incorporate questions commonly encountered on the wards and are great preparation for the oral boards; broad scope covers all major areas of anesthesiology; and problem-based approach emphasizes critical thinking, collaborative decision-making, and problem-solving skills. New to the Seventh Edition: fully revised content with updated references assures readers of the most current, clinically relevant information; full-color, abundantly illustrated format highlights essential anatomic features and improves anesthetic technique; new pediatrics section highlights the specific challenges of anesthesia in young patients; new authors and contributors share expertise and fresh perspectives from a range of disciplines; and companion website includes the fully searchable text.
The structure and control strategy of a novel two-phase brushless exciter were first proposed in this paper to solve the excitation problem of the main generator when three-stage brushless synchronous starter/generator starts up. Two-phase symmetrical winding was adopted as the field winding of the exciter, and was supplied with two-phase AC or DC by a two-phase inverter. This new exciter and control strategy have the advantages of high excitation efficiency and easy control compared with traditional single-phase and three-phase AC excitation strategy. A two-phase brushless exciter prototype, based on an existing exciter in three-stage starter/generator, was designed and analyzed using FEA. Simulation and experimental results verified the feasibility and advantages of the novel two-phase brushless exciter and control strategy.
The aim of this study is to provide data for the vision of drivers at night, not only for the promotion of road safety, but also for achieving an increased level of visual comfort under mesopic and dark visual conditions. The survey is based on a questionnaire combined with ergophthalmological tests. For all those who use their car to go to work, night driving is unavoidable. On the road, one can find two populations: those well adpated and those much less controlled. Two questions arise: are private drivers sufficiently aware of their possiible handicaps and are the used indicators sufficiently reliable? The results signify that a certain number of factors have to be taken into account simultaneously. These will determine the amount of visual disturbance and strain. This situation can be remedied largely through the application of appropriate ergonomic and ergophthalmological measures, which are detailed. (A) For the covering abstract see ITRD E106152.
An electric motor, in particular for domestic electrical appliances, comprising a stator and a rotor, said stator being formed by a pack of ferromagnetic plates 1 which are superposed and having passing therethrough a multiplicity of spaces for containing the coils, said spaces having their surface protected by an insulating element, characterised in that said insulating element is formed by a continuous layer 2 of plastics material which is injected and moulded on the surface of said spaces. The element additionally secures the plates together and bands 5 may be integrally formed for closing the slots over the windings (Fig 2). Alternative the band may be a separate element (Fig 3).
The translation of medical diagnosis to clinical coding has wide range of applications in billing, aetiology analysis, and auditing. Currently, coding is a manual effort while the automation of such task is not straight forward. Among the challenges are the messy and noisy clinical records, case complexities, along with the huge ICD10 code space. Previous work mainly relied on discharge notes for prediction and was applied to a very limited data scale. We propose an ensemble model incorporating multiple clinical data sources for accurate code predictions. We further propose an assessment mechanism to provide confidence rates in predicted outcomes. Extensive experiments were performed on two new real-world clinical datasets (inpatient & outpatient) with unaltered casemix distributions from Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. We obtain multi-label classification accuracies of 0.73 and 0.58 for average precision, 0.56 and 0.35 for F1-scores and 0.71 and 0.4 accuracy in predicting principal diagnosis for inpatient and outpatient datasets respectively.
Objective: To develop a 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA gene-targeted accurate detection system based on the promising DNA Chip technology for foodborne pathogenic bacteria in fishery products. Methods: By comparing the sequences of 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA gene of some pathogens in the GenBank, the four primers chosen were located in the conserved region and the oligonucleotide probes designed in the variable region. Then the probes were immobilized onto certain glass slides, which were used as DNA Chip in the experiment. Specified fragments of 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA of individual experimental bacteria were amplified, the purified amplicons were hybridized to the DNA Chip. The hybridization results were used to evaluate the efficiency of this detection system. Results: Under the same condition, the 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA gene fragments of 7 species of foodborne pathogenic were amplified by four primers and hybridized to the DNA Chip. Under the same hubridization condition, the detected ″targe″ pathogens were Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhimurium, and Escherichia coli O157∶H7. For S.typhimurium, the detection limit of this system was 1 000 cells/mL. The pathogens in the samples contaminated artificially could be also detected accuratly. Conclusion: This method can be used to detect rapidly and accurately seven species of foodborne pathogenic bacterias and provide an efficient way for diagnosis, treatment and control of foodborne disease.
The evolution of massive stars, as well as their endpoints as supernovae (SNe), is important both in astrophysics and cosmology. While tremendous progress towards an understanding of SNe has been made, there are still many unanswered questions. The goal of this thesis is to study the evolution of massive stars, both before and after explosion. In the case of SNe, we synthesize supernova light curves and spectra by relaxing two assumptions made in previous investigations with the the radiative transfer code CMFGEN, and explore the effects of these two assumptions. Previous studies with CMFGEN assumed γ-rays from radioactive decay deposit all energy into heating. However, some of the energy excites and ionizes the medium. A new solver is developed to include these non-thermal excitation and ionization processes. Non-thermal excitation and ionization are crucial for forming some lines, especially Hα in the nebular phase. To investigate non-thermal effects, a comparison is made between models with, and without, the non-thermal solver. Benchmarking the solver is done by comparing the non-thermal models with observations of SN 1987A. Satisfactory agreement is achieved and possible problems are discussed. With the new solver, future studies will shed light on the mixing of material between layers of different composition in supernova explosions and put further constraints on supernova explosion models.    Hubble expansion is a good approximation for most types of SNe, except Type II-P. Red supergiants are widely accepted to be the progenitors of Type II-P SNe and they have radii of hundreds to thousands of times larger than that of the Sun. Type II-P SNe “memorize” their large radii at the time of explosion for several weeks and material is still being accelerated. A time-dependent fully relativistic solver is developed to handle such cases.
The invention relates to fluid discharge head having an outlet connection (5) comprising a delivery opening (6), in which connection an inner sleeve (7) is arranged, which comprises a media duct (8) and accommodates a spring-loaded valve body (10) which automatically closes the discharge opening (6) by means of a pressure spring (20), wherein the valve body (10) is designed as a cylindrical piston which is axially shiftable by the cylinder chamber (12) formed by the inner sleeve (7), wherein an upper valve seat (14) and a lower valve seat (15) are provided for the piston ends (16, 17), and the valve body (10) comprises an intermediate valve disk (18) which forms a chamber bottom of a pressure chamber (19) connected to the media duct (8), in which chamber, in order to open the upper valve seat (14), a medium discharge pressure can be adjusted, and an opening characteristic is determined by a transmission ratio of the opening diameter of the cylinder chamber (12) and a medium inlet in the area of the lower valve seat (15), wherein the transmission ratio is greater than 2, and the selection of the spring stiffness of the compression spring (20) determines the media discharge pressure in the pressure chamber (19).
At the time of reorganization of states on the basis of the linguistic formula, the territory that belonged to erstwhile state of Hyderabad was broken down to three parts and annexed to Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. About one-third of the territory went to Maharashtra, one-sixth to Karnataka and remaining half was annexed to Andhra Pradesh. As the annexation brought the three parts under different political and administrative regimes, the progress made since then provides a ready testing ground for measuring the efficiency of governance in the three states.
Objective To investigate distribution of mosquito density from 2009 to 2011 in Shunyi district and provide data for scientific elimination of malaria in 2015.Methods According to GB/23797-2009,capture method of light-traps was adopted in mosquito surveillance.Epidemiological analysis was carried out on mosquito density monitoring from 2009 to 2011 in Shunyi district.Analysis of variance was adopted in statistic analysis.Results Culex pipiens pallens was the dominant mosquito species(99.57%).Mosquito densities were not significantly different among 2009,2010 and 2011(F= 0.214,P= 0.807).The mosquito number caught on July and August was 58.63% of total number.Mosquito density of public parks was 2.88 per hour and significantly higher than those of residential areas and hospitals(F= 34.55,P 0.01).Multivariate analysis showed that month and place of investigation were influence factors on mosquito density and their effects can be compounded.Conclusion The risk on spread native malaria was low and the compounded effect of month and place on mosquito density should be paid attention to.
The main aim of teaching the Malay language at school is to enable students to master the grammar of the language. Mastering the language means students’ competency in understanding, knowing, identifying and using the rules of the Malay grammar correctly. Malay idiom is a tool that depicts the rich poetic imagination with rhetoric aspect and not just beautiful and creative language. Thus, this article describes and explains the achievement of non-Malay secondary students in Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, and Sarawak, in mastering the Malay language grammar system that covers the use of idioms. The subjects consist of 300 Form 4 students in the three states. The research findings show that in general, the achievement of non-Malays is weak in terms of the correct use of idioms. In fact, the use of idioms among young non-Malays is still weak, particularly in understanding intended meanings and thus needs a serious attention. The finding also shows that the achievement of language among non-Malay students has a significant relation with their achievement in mastering grammar.
This paper concerns the properties of the Korean nominative case marker 'i/ka' in Korean spoken language. Spoken language is different from the written language in various aspects. So in this paper, I extracted the sentences with the Korean nominative case marker in the spoken language corpus and examined the various aspects of the nominative case markers. To analyze the various aspects of the spoken language, we divided the grammar into three levels; phonological level, syntactic level and discourse level. The linguistic information in each level can affect other level and change its function. In this model, I can explain the properties of the Korean nominative case marker more efficiently. This study will help the further study on spoken language.
Cell migration is a phenomenon requiring close regulation of numerous biochemical processes. Motile cells have to orchestrate countless symultanous biochemical pathways as well as properly react to change in environment, and respond to stimuli generated by other cells. One of the most universal ways of subcellular information transmission is a system based on changes in concentration of cytoplasmic free calcium ion. The article summarizes the current knowledge on the role of calcium signalling in regulation of the processes indispensable of cell migration such as actomyosin contractility, cell adhesion and cytoskeleton dynamics. The possible influence of mechanical effects of cell motility on emerging of calcium signal is also discussed.
Based on the comprehensive analyses of the geology of Xicheng ore concentrated area in Qinling Mountain,this study classified the lead-zinc mineralization into Caledonian(before the main metallogenic period),Hercynian(earlier stage of the main metallogenic period),Indosinian(later stage of the main metallogenic period) and Yanshanian Epochs(after the main metallogenic period).The deposits formed at different stages have different ore types,and the formation and distribution of the deposits is closely related to structures.Late Early Paleozoic extensional depression and Middle Mesozoic intracontinental orogensis played a vital role in the metallic mineralization in the ore concentrated area.The former geologic process resulted in the formation of hydrothermal sedimentary basin and exhalative-sedimentary metallogenesis,while the latter resulted in the extensive regional tectonism and magmatism,both of which reformed the existed lead-zinc deposits.
Extracted from text ... African Security Review 15.2 Institute for Security Studies  Somalia: Distorting reality?  Richard Cornwell*  The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) came into being in 2004 as the  result of protracted negotiations conducted under the auspices of the Inter-governmental  Authority for Development (IGAD). In many respects the TFG was the brainchild of  Ethiopia, whose government had long decided that a resuscitated state in Somalia, which  had been without an effective government since the fall of Siad Barre in 1991, would have  to be kept weak or dependent in order to prevent it renewing its irredentist claims to the  Ogaden regions of ..
The in-channel storage of fine sediment is an important, yet relatively poorly understood, component of sediment transfer through river systems. Pervious research has shown it to be a significant factor in controlling the suspended sediment flux through aquatic systems. Additionally, it may also be of significance in the degradation of aquatic ecosystems. This paper presents the results of a comparative investigation of in-channel fine sediment storage and deposition rates for four contrasting rivers in southwest England over a period of 27 months. The results obtained demonstrate significant spatial and temporal variations in the amounts of fine sediment deposited and remobilized from the beds of the study rivers and indicate that the potential role of in-channel fine sediment storage in regulating the suspended sediment flux varies significantly between the study rivers.
Thinking about the implementation of educational policies brings an emerging need for research on education and even more the need to identify what are the actors of these policies. This study aims to analyze the perception of workers about the meanings of actions CERTIFIC program on labor activity of the worker. We chose here to use a quantitative and qualitative analysis, using as a tool to semi structured document analysis then interview the students of the program as a means of identifying the meanings of CERTIFIC program for working life of the employee on campus Fern profile construction to try We conclude that despite the high dropout CERTIFIC program served to workers who sought. The program brought important changes and additions to the working life of the employee giving them the certificate as proof of their professional skills , in addition to an expanded vision of knowledge that refer to the practice of making work to which they belong.
O objetivo deste estudo e avaliar os potenciais impactos do Projeto de Transposicao do rio Sao Francisco e verificar se tal projeto e ou nao uma alternativa adequada para aumentar a disponibilidade hidrica e, consequentemente, contribuir para o desenvolvimento socioeconomico da regiao beneficiada por ele. Alem disso, foram estudadas algumas alternativas para aumentar a disponibilidade hidrica no Nordeste Setentrional. Por meio das informacoes coletadas, constatou-se, entre outras coisas, que: nao existe comprovacao da escassez de agua nos estados do Ceara e do Rio Grande do Norte; no medio prazo, os recursos hidricos da bacia do rio Sao Francisco sao suficientes para se atender a demanda da transposicao; e os beneficios da transposicao mencionados pelo governo federal estao superestimados. Quanto a esses beneficios, os indicios existentes indicam que: i) a populacao atendida sera menor do que a prevista pelo Ministerio da Integracao Nacional; ii) a area irrigada tambem sera menor do que a prevista; e iii) a reducao dos gastos emergenciais com as secas (beneficio potencial frequentemente mencionado pelos defensores do Projeto de Transposicao) nao sera na proporcao propugnada. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential impacts of the water transfer Project of the Sao Francisco River, located in the Northeastern region of Brazil. Besides this evaluation, the study aims to identify if the Sao Francisco River Project is or is not an adequate alternative to increase the water availability in the region benefited by it and, consequently, contributes to the social-economic development of that region. By the analysis of the gathered information, it was observed that, among other things: it doesn`t exist satisfactory evidence of water deficit in the benefited states of Ceara and Rio Grande do Norte; in the medium term, the water resources of the Sao Francisco basin are sufficient to attend the demand of the water transfer project and that the benefits of this project as demonstrated by the Brazilian Federal Government are overstated. About the benefits of the project, the existing evidences indicate that the i. The versions in English of the abstracts of this series have not been edited by Ipea`s editorial department. As versoes em lingua inglesa das sinopses (abstracts) desta colecao nao sao objeto de revisao pelo Editorial do Ipea. attended population will be smaller than that affirmed by the Government, as well as the irrigated area, and that the reduction of the Federal Government`s emergency expenditures to help the population suffering from the effects of the droughts, that frequently occur in the Brazilian Northeast, won`t be as significant as predicted by Government`s officials.
concerns in animal models, a team of researchers has launched the first human trial using gene therapy to treat a form of limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD2D) refractory to any treatment. Jerry R. Mendell, MD, director of the Center for Gene Therapy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, OH, and colleagues, used an adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver the gene for alpha-sarcoglycan (alpha-SG), a muscle protein, to knockout mice; there were none of the toxicity issues that hampered an earlier animal study of the technique. LGMD2D is caused by a deficiency of alpha-SG. The results, reported in the July 22 Neurology, prompted investigators to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application to the FDA. Approval by the FDA enabled the investigators to begin test-
Meghadrigedda, a non-perennial drainage system is one of the major water resource systems of Visakhapatnam city located in the north coastal part of Andhra Pradesh, India. The study was intended to present a twodimensional approach to describe the properties of Meghadrigadda drainage morphometry at sub-basin level using GIS as a tool for the analysis. Both linear as well as aerial morphometry parameters were analysed and computed to reveal the morphometric aspects governing the Meghadrigedda basin area and understand the fluviatile activity of it’s drainage system. The morphometry parameters are computed using Horton, Strahler and Deju’s computations and the analysis has resulted in the prioritization and division of the entire watershed into nine sub-watersheds having a catchment area of about 368 km 2 , which includes the reservoir. Correlated analysis of the geomorphometric parameters established the interdependency and the degree of influence of each parameter on the remaining. The results helped the hydrological characterization of the watershed. Since, the catchment area has been witnessing a large scale anthropogenic activity due to urbanization, the outcome of the study will serve as a basis for the planning and development of a sustainable basin area.
A 71-year-old woman was hospitalized because of hematemesis on December 1, 1987. Her white blood cell (WBC) count was 41,200/microliters with 48% of lymphoblasts, and the bone marrow was hypercellular with more than 90% of blasts. The diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (FAB: L3) was made by morphologic, cytochemical and immunologic studies of the blasts. The examination of fiber gastroscope revealed remarkable varix in the stomach, suggesting portal hypertension accompanied by infiltration of leukemic cells into reticulo-endothelial system. She died of respiratory failure because of bleeding into the trachea. The autopsy disclosed the massive infiltration of leukemic cells into the whole organs. In the chromosome study of the peripheral blood, t(2; 8) and 14q+ were observed, and these chromosomal abnormalities are relatively unusual in patients with Burkitt's lymphoma.
The purpose of this research is to examine the role of promotional mix variables which consist of advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing towards brand image of Daihatsu Sirion car in Pekanbaru. Sample’s selection that used with the method of non-probability sampling. Selected sample is consumer who uses Daihatsu Sirion car specifically who lives in Pekanbaru city, ever been involved in Daihatsu Sirion promotional mix activity, and the consumer that considered mature enough (about 20 years old) to fill the questionnaire. The data analysis that used is multiple regression linear analysis which use SPSS version 20. The result indicates simultaneously that all variables of promotional mix have a role in make a brand image of Daihatsu Sirion car in Pekanbaru. Known partially that only sales promotion and direct marketing variables that has significant effect for brand image of Daihatsu Sirion car in Pekanbaru. Public relation variable also has the role in establish brand image of Daihatsu Sirion car in Pekanbaru, however it is not significant. Sales promotion is a kind of promotional mix variable that has the most dominant role on establish brand image of Daihatsu Sirion car in Pekanbaru.
Understanding the growth mechanisms of phosphorus‐doped diamond is an important issue for the fabrication of n‐type diamond. In this work, the influence of the addition of phosphorus precursor, tertiarybutylphosphine (TBP), on diamond growth mechanism, is investigated. Isolated diamond crystallites and polycrystalline diamond films were grown on silicon substrates by microwave plasma assisted chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The growth rate anisotropy is deduced by measuring the facet sizes of crystallites observed in a scanning electron microscope. We show that a small amount of TBP added during diamond growth, has a strong impact on the growth rate anisotropy and on the secondary nucleation. We also show that phosphorus is incorporated in polycrystalline diamond films as observed by secondary ion mass spectrometry.
Consider a typical weekend in New Zealand. Before dawn, people wake up and prepare for a day of tramping, rowers and swimmers begin arriving at smooth stretches of water to prepare for training or racing and cyclists and runners set out. As the morning progresses, tens of thousands of young people engaged in sport competitions, spurred on by large numbers of parents and siblings supporting them on the sidelines. In some parts of the country, local professional or volunteer organisers may have arranged a special event or tournament that attracts hundreds of visitors as participants or spectators. As morning turns into afternoon, sport and recreation involving adult participants become more common. Social competitions and top-grade contests, for which the participants (including the contest officials) have trained seriously during the week, kick off. After these events, club rooms everywhere provide opportunities for members to socialise and talk about what they have done or watched. Sport and recreation activities continue into the evening.
Line-to-line short circuits impose a substantial thermal loading on a turbine generator rotor as a result of the eddy current heating arising from negative sequence and direct currents. The temperatures produced may be large enough to cause a reduction in the strength of the rotor wedges, and to induce high thermal stresses at the corners of inertia slits. The authors demonstrate that provided accurate equivalent circuit parameters are available, the full time-stepping transient finite-element method for calculating negative sequence heating effects shows no significant advantage over the simpler mixed finite-element/equivalent circuit pseudo-steady-state method.
The chitinase activity in roots and leaves of sugarcane clones in response to P. zeae infection was compared in four resistant (BO 99, Co 86010, Co 86011 and CP 52 - 1) and two susceptible (CoC 85061 and CP 44 - 101) clones at 14 days after infection. In both roots and leaves, the highest chitinase activity was recorded when compared to control in resistant clone Co 86011 and lowest in CoC 85061. In western blot analysis, totally nine isoforms of chitinase were recorded. The isoform 25 kDa was found only in nematode infected resistant clones (Co 86011 and BO 99). The isoform 55 kDa was eliminated in nematode infected susceptible clone (CP 44–101).
Standardization of annotation and bibliography is not only the need of writing forms, globalization, and information society, but also related to the evaluation and research of scientific achievements. Till now, academic periodical departments concerned recommend the form of sequence coding system. However, these standards are based on layout standards of scientific essays. Not fully considering the needs of social science and history subjects, they inevitably have some problems and drawbacks.
Develop ciculareconomy is the inevitable choice to actualize the strategy of sustainable development.Qingdao has been developing steadily,and it will create new developmental opportunity to undertake the aquatics of the 2008 Olympic Games.These all provide the foundation for the development of ciculareconomy in Qingdao.On the base of the analysis,the writer put forward the strategic countermeasure of developing ciculareconomy in Qingdao.
Herbig Ae/Be stars(HAeBes) are young stellar objects of spectral class F2 through B0, with the central star often surrounded by a circumstellar disk of gas and dust. They are the higher mass analogs to T Tauri stars. The interaction between the star and the disk is not well understood, nor is the disk structure. The central star will often accrete mass from the disk, and the mass accretion rate is an important parameter for modeling the disk structure and evolution. The methods for measuring mass accretion rates of T Tauri stars are generally not applicable to HAeBe stars. As such, reliable measurements of mass accretion rates for HAeBes are rare. Garrison (1978) saw that the Balmer Discontinuity of HAeBes was veiled, and attributed this veiling to accretion luminosity. Building on Garrison (1978) and the work of Muzerolle et al. (2004), I determine the mass accretion rates and accretion luminosities of a large sample of HAeBe stars by measuring the veiling of the Balmer Discontinuity due to the accretion luminosity. Muzerolle et al. (1998) established a strong correlation between the accretion luminosity of T Tauri stars and the luminosity of Br γ, and this correlation seems to extend to the evolutionary precursors to HAeBes, intermediate T Tauri stars, as well (Calvet et al., 2004). I test this correlation for HAeBes and discover that it is valid for HAe stars but not for HBe stars. From examining the HAeBes of my sample from spectral range A3 to B7, there does not seem to be a particular spectral type at which the correlation fails. A few of the late HBe stars are consistent with the correlation, but most of the HBe stars have Br γ luminosities much larger than what one would expect from the correlation. This suggests that there might be a significant stellar wind component to the Br γ luminosity for many of the HBe stars. T Tauri stars accrete mass from their disks magnetospherically, in which the strong stellar field of the star truncates the disk at some distance from the star and the disk material than falls to the stellar surface along the magnetic field lines. HAeBe stars are not expected to have
Cage culture has made possible the large-scale  production of commercial finfish in many parts of the  world and can be considered as the most efficient  and economical way of rising fish. The most vital  prerequisite for the development of sea cage farming  is the technology for breeding and seed production  and the reliable supply of good quality hatchery  produced seeds of suitable high value marine  finfishes.
The outlets of five unmapped headwater forest catchments on the Mid-North coast of New South Wales, Australia, 0.9-4.2 ha in area, were instrumented between 2002 and 2006 with flat-v weirs to measure streamflow; bed-load traps to measure bed load; and stage-activated automatic pump-samplers to allow water sample collection for analysis of turbidity and suspended-sediment concentration. Pressure transducers were installed in groundwater monitoring wells beneath the surface of each channel to measure subsurface flow. Additionally, 70 channel cross-sections were surveyed at least annually during the trial period while a total of 1037 erosion pins was installed at 180 locations of likely bank or nickpoint erosion and measured at 6-monthly intervals. Harvesting using BMPs occurred in three catchments in 2004, while two catchments were harvested, but total exclusion zones 10 m wide maintained on either side of the channels. On average, the channels flowed for 2-5% of the time. They are ephemeral features and surface flows that did occur were dominated by stormflows (79-95%) with a minor baseflow component. Groundwater monitoring indicated that 58-79% of annual channel flow was transmitted beneath the channel sediments as opposed to surface runoff. Because they flowed infrequently, sediment yields from the channels were extremely low. Pre-harvest values were recorded between 0.001 and 0.05 tonnes per ha per year, which are lower than typically recorded in larger forest catchments. Sediment yields and streamflow peaks increased in all channels following harvesting. However, harvesting using BMPs in selected catchments did not significantly alter the magnitude of the sediment response to harvesting, while channel bank and nickpoint erosion rates remained consistently low during the monitoring period.
Hypercoagulable state and thrombosis are major lethal causes of ulcerate colitis (UC). The aim of the present study is to explore the change and role of protein C (PC) system in UC thrombosis. 4% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was used to induce the UC model, and the body weight, the length of colon, and the weight of spleen were measured after intake of DSS as drinking water for 1 week. The macroscore and microscore were examined. The quantity of macrophage in colon smooth muscle was observed by immunofluorescence, and TNF-α and IL-6 levels in plasma were evaluated by ELISA. Intravital microscopy was applied to observe colonic mucosal microvascular circulation, activities of PC and protein S (PS) were determined by immunoturbidimetry, endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) and thrombomodulin (TM) expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry. In vitro, TNF-α and IL-6 levels were tested in supernatant of macrophage separated from colonic tissue. After stimulation of mouse colonic mucosa microvascular endothelial cells by TNF-α and IL-6 respectively, the activities of PC, PS, activated protein C (APC) were evaluated, and the expressions of EPCR and TM were detected by Western blotting. The results revealed that compared with control, the DSS mouse showed weight loss (P < 0.05), a shortened colon (P < 0.05), and swelled spleen (P < 0.05), accompanied by higher histological score (P < 0.05), as well as infiltration of macrophages, elevated TNF-α and IL-6 levels in plasma (P < 0.01). The intravital microscopy results revealed that compared with control, DSS mice showed significantly enhanced adhesion of leukocytes and colonic mucosal microvascular endothelial cells (P < 0.01), meanwhile, decreased activity of PC and PS in plasma (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05), and down-regulated expression of EPCR (P < 0.01). The degree of inflammation was negatively correlated with the PC activity. In vitro, TNF-α and IL-6 levels were increased in the supernatant of macrophages from DSS mice colonic tissue (P < 0.05), and after incubation of TNF-α or IL-6 with colonic mucosal microvascular endothelial cells, the APC activity was decreased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and expression of EPCR was down regulated (P < 0.05). These results suggest that PC system is inhibited in UC mouse. Presumably, the mechanism may be due to the secretion of cytokines from macrophages and subsequential influence on the function of endothelia cells. Furthermore, enhancement of PC system activity may serve as a new strategy for the treatment of UC.
Recent evidence suggests that prolonged mechanical ventilation (48-260 hours) results in a significant decrease in maximum diaphragmatic force generation in both rats and baboons. These experiments tested the hypothesis that relatively short duration (18 hours) CMV results in a significant depression of diaphragmatic maximal specific force production (specific Po). Adult (female) Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into one of two groups: 1) control (CON; n = 6); and 2) 18 hours of controlled mechanical ventilation (CMV; n = 6). Mechanically ventilated animals were anesthetized, intubated, and ventilated with room air. CMV animals were fed enterally with a gastric catheter and arterial blood pressure, pH, and blood gas homeostasis were maintained throughout the 18 hours of mechanical ventilation. Control animals were not anesthetized or mechanically ventilated during the experimental period. Diaphragmatic contractile properties were assessed in vitro at 37oC by analysis of force-frequency characteristics. Eighteen hours of CMV resulted in a significant reduction (P<0.05) in diaphragmatic specific force production at stimulation frequencies ranging from 15 to 160Hz. Compared to CON, mean maximal specific Po (stimulation @ 160 Hz) was 19% lower (P<0.05) in the CMV animals (CON = 26.3 vs. CMV = 21.4 N/cm2). These data indicate that short-term CMV is associated with significant alterations in diaphragmatic contractile function.
Abstract : Interoperability is a critical issue for DoD C2 systems. Current research has mostly focused on the data interoperability and ontology of context. While these studies are important and useful, they have not addressed other important issues on semantic interoperability and its verification & validation. This paper proposes a new technique called use scenario, which specifies the workflow of passing parameters among different services or the semantics of interoperation. For a C2 system, once the use scenario is specified, a family of automated analysis, verification, and validation techniques is available for testing and evaluating the system and its interoperability.
The application discloses a touch-control display panel. The panel comprises a first substrate, a first touch-control electrode which extends along the first substrate and is arranged along a second direction, a second substrate opposite to the first substrate and a second touch-control electrode which extends along the second direction on the second substrate and is arranged along the first direction. The first touch-control electrode intersected with the right projection of the second substrate and the second touch-control electrode. Multiple first metal electrode plates are arranged on the first substrate. Each first touch-control electrode is connected to a first metal electrode plate through a first touch-control signal wire. Multiple second metal electrode plates corresponding to the first metal electrode plate are arranged on the second substrate. A capacitor is formed between the first metal electrode plate and the second metal electrode plate. By arranging the first metal electrode plate and the second metal electrode plate, a circuit board connected with the first touch-control electrode is not needed so that the circuit is simplified. Signal transmission efficiency is increased.
With rapid development of high-rise buildings,foundation treatment is widely applied for its relative low cost.Cement flyash gravel(CFG pile) composite foundation with the advantage of making full use interpile soil and pile has become one of the most popular foundation treatment techniques and has very good applied prospect.This paper introduced application of CFG pile in foundation treatment of high-rise buildings by an example.
The invention relates to an agent for treating ultrasonic aerosol inhalation adverse reactions of a senile patient. The agent comprises the following materials according to the weight ratio: fructus cnidii, liquorice, peucedanum decursivum maxim, radix morindae officinalis, fructus liquidambaris, rhizoma dioscoreae septemlobae, pennycress, eucommia, himalayan teasel root, radix notoginseng, smilax, white hyacinth bean, radix angelicae pubescentis, lycopodium clavatum, achyranthes bidentata, ligusticum wallichii, salvia miltiorrhiza, paper mulberry fruit, perfoliote knotweed herb, rhizoma atractylodis, folium artemisiae argyi, fructus chaenomelis, carthamus tinctorius, sauropus spatulifolius, loofah sponge, caulis spatholobi, pinellia ternata, medulla stachyuri, leatherleaf mahonia and mulberry twig. The agent for treating the ultrasonic aerosol inhalation adverse reactions of the senile patient is prepared by natural drugs, is clear in curative effect, can effectively treat the ultrasonic aerosol inhalation adverse reactions of the senile patient, and is very suitable for clinical popularization.
The detailed shapes of spectral line profiles provide valuable information about the emitting plasma, especially when the plasma contains an unresolved mixture of velocities, temperatures, and densities. As a result of finite spectral resolution, the intensity measured by a spectrometer is the average intensity across a wavelength bin of non-zero size. It is assigned to the wavelength position at the center of the bin. However, the actual intensity at that discrete position will be different if the profile is curved, as it invariably is. Standard fitting routines (spline, Gaussian, etc.) do not account for this difference, and this can result in significant errors when making sensitive measurements. Detection of asymmetries in solar coronal emission lines is one example. Removal of line blends is another. We have developed an iterative procedure called Intensity Conserving Spline Interpolation (ICSI) that corrects for this effect. As its name implies, it conserves the observed intensity within each wavelength bin, which ordinary fits do not. Given the rapid convergence, speed of computation, and ease of use, we suggest that ICSI be made a standard component of the processing pipeline for spectroscopic data.
Karsten Harries’ book, The Ethical Function of Architecture, raises the question of how architecture can be interpretive of and for our time. Part of Harries’ pursuit of this question is done in dialogue with the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, whose evocatively expressed ontology of building and dwelling recovered, in philosophical and poetic terms, the power of buildings to symbolize and interpret the most fundamental truths of being and human existence. The present essay identifies contributions to this hermeneutic and ontological approach to architecture drawn from the philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer, emphasizing Gadamer’s notions of play (Spiel), symbol, and the relation of the present to the past. While Gadamer expanded upon Heidegger’s hermeneutic, he also diverged from Heidegger in ways that mitigate some of the difficulties that Harries and others have found with Heidegger’s archaism, rural romanticism, and singularity of philosophical focus.
It provides a readily cleavable laser processing method to an object to be processed. Converging point within the object (1) at the same time as the laser beam and, along the line along which the object to be processed to form the blood processing section (7, 13) caused by multiphoton absorption within the object to be processed, processing in the interior of the object comprises the step of forming the minute cavity 8 in a predetermined position corresponding to the blood processing.
This paper presents the 128-Channel Multicarrier Demodulator (MCD) developed at Bosch Telecom for use in the future European OBP satellite communications system. The development has been supported by the European Space Agency (ESA). In the uplink of this communication system a Multi-Frequenc y Time Division Multiple Access (MF-TDMA) scheme is used. The MCD presented here is capable of demultiplexing and demodulating of a MF-TDMA carrier group with a total bandwidth of 70 MHz comprising 128 single carriers. The MCD equipment consists of three major units: - the service board containing the power supply, clock generation and TM/TC interface. - the analog input section for down converting the input IF to an intermediate frequency suitable for A/D conversion.
Remarkable achievements had been made in American fiction between the first world war and the second world.As the most important genre of literature that comprehensively reflected the cultural idecology of the American people,it fully demonstrated the modernity,diversity and uniqueness of American literature,depicted different types of conflicts,contradictions in the context of a highly developed society of capitalism and portrayed its trend of social psychology.
Why can contracting with an intermediary be perceived as a " bad deal " compared with a direct contract between buyers and sellers? This study shows that information asymmetries in brokerage services lead to forming a judgmental heuristic that is a negative attitude toward commission fees, called " commission inequity. " Using a questionnaire from 3,484 housing buyers and sellers, we show that this heuristic influences the perceived satisfaction of the transaction price which, in turn, influences broker reputation. Moreover, buyers using brokerage services do not report different purchasing prices than buyers via direct transactions (FSBO) but perceive a significantly lower price satisfaction. These results are replicated with sellers who report a higher selling price when using a broker as compared to sellers selling directly. However, they also indicate a significant lower price satisfaction compared with FSBO sellers. Therefore, the commission inequity heuristic is shown to lead to the illusion of a bad deal.
We consider the problem of linear regression where the data are split up and held by different parties. We conceptualize the existence of a single combined database containing all of the information for the individuals in the separate databases and for the union of the variables. We propose an approach that gives full statistical calculation on this combined database without actually combining information sources. We focus on computing linear regression and ridge regression estimates, as well as certain goodness of ﬁt statistics. We make use of homomorphic encryption in constructing a protocol for regression analysis which adheres to the deﬁnitions of security laid out in the cryptography literature. Our approach provides only the ﬁnal result of the calculations, in contrast with other methods that share intermediate values and thus present an opportunity for compromise of privacy. We perform an experiment on a dataset extracted from the Current Population Survey, with 51,016 cases and 22 covariates, to show that our approach is practical for moderate-sized problems.
The article presents a reflection based on a comparative reading of documents and writings of Simon Bolivar and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, in order to examine their thinking about relationships between identity, diversity and otherness. So, first analyzes the specific problems with which each author faces in its historical context. Next, we study the way conceived diversity and its relationship to identity. Then, we explore the otherness takes place in how these characters build identity. Finally, it explores the normative horizons or projects that raise and its relationship to identity.
Owning Culture demonstrates how intellectual property law has expanded to allow for private ownership of a remarkable array of things, from the patenting of human genes linked to breast cancer to the trademarking of the phrases "home style" and "freedom of ownership." This book examines diverse areas of contemporary life affected by intellectual property law, including sampling practices in hip-hop music, the appropriation of Third World indigenous knowledge about the medical uses of plants, the effects of seed patenting on farming, and the impact of copyright law on folk music-making. By placing under scruntiny the individualistic, Western conception of the "author" that grounds intellectual property law, Kembrew McLeod shows how borrowing practices have been - and continue to be - central to cultural production. Additionally, this book highlights how intellectual property law facilitates the privatization of culture and the transfer of power into the hands of wealthy individuals and corporations. Clearly written, thoughtful, and thought provoking, Owning Culture provides an innovative approach to the study of culture and law.
OBJECTIVE To report our experience of thoracoscopic pulmonary operations from May 1991 to May 1994.   DESIGN Prospective open study.   SETTING District hospital, Germany.   SUBJECTS 93 patients who underwent 120 thoracoscopic procedures.   INTERVENTIONS Wedge resection (n = 56), pleural biopsy (n = 21), early decortication (n = 16), partial pleurectomy (n = 9), pleurodesis (n = 5), pulmonary biopsy (n = 4), segmentectomy (n = 3), evacuation of haemothorax (n = 3), biopsy of mediastinal tumor (n = 2), and costal biopsy (n = 1).   MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Morbidity, mortality, and avoidance of open thoracotomy.   RESULTS Indications for thoracoscopic intervention were: solitary pulmonary nodule (n = 37), recurrent pneumothorax (n = 17), pleural empyema (n = 14), diffuse pulmonary disease/multiple nodules (n = 10), recurrent pleural effusion (n = 11), haemothorax (n = 3), and mediastinal tumour (n = 1). In 29 of 37 patients in whom we attempted resection of a solitary pulmonary nodule we obtained enough tissue for diagnosis, and avoided thoracotomy in 18 patients. Complications included pulmonary embolus (n = 1), recurrent empyema (n = 1), haemorrhage (n = 2), infection of the drain site (n = 3), and two persistent air leaks. One was closed at a second thoracoscopy and the other required open thoracotomy after which he developed pulmonary failure and died. One patient with a haemothorax developed multiple system organ failure and died, and attempted resection of a mediastinal tumour was unsuccessful. Three thoracoscopic procedures had to be abandoned because of dense adhesions.   CONCLUSIONS Thoracoscopic surgery is a safe, well tolerated, and cost effective alternative to open thoracotomy in selected patients.
Adaptive management is an approach to problem solving that acknowledges uncertainty. Adaptive management involves a systematic and rigorous process of learning from the outcomes of management actions, accommodating change and improving management. Plans, policies or management strategies influenced by new information and learning, are modified. This study examines the implementation of adaptive management for endangered and threatened species covered in Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP). Introduced in 1982 as an amendment to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Habitat Conservation Plans are negotiated agreements that mitigate the incidental “take” (killing, harming) of endangered and threatened species during a development or resource extraction project. However, scholars found the scientific basis of approved HCPs to be inadequate and the efficacy of prescribed mitigation measures untested implying the need for adaptive management during implementation. This case study evaluation investigates HCP landowner compliance and progress within the parameters of the federal 1994 “No Surprises” policy. That policy limits landowner liability and responsibility for additional conservation action due to failed mitigation measures during HCP implementation. “No Surprises” assumes we can predict all the consequences of implementing a HCP. The policy seems to work against the objectives of adaptive management to improve scientific knowledge and modify action. The cases include the Central Cascades HCP implemented in the Central Cascades of Washington and the Orange Central Coastal County HCP implemented within a nature reserve in Orange County, California. The study assesses the strengths and weaknesses of adaptive management implementation in protecting endangered species and their habitat, and 2) recommends mid-course corrections for improving adaptive management before HCP maturity.
Based on some simple assumptions regarding [the] human reproduction process a continuous time probability model for describing variation in any closed birth interval of a woman of a marital duration (t) has been developed. The model incorporates the possibility of the woman being adolescent sterile at the time of consummation of marriage. The estimates for truncation bias in the mean closed birth intervals are also obtained. The model is applied to Indian data from a 1969-1970 survey conducted in Varanasi. (SUMMARY IN HIN)
When A television speaker system, the same input signal to the front left channel speaker and the left side of the left speaker, the same right channel input signal to the speaker and the front right side of the right speaker, left and right the sound emitted from the side surface 3 a sound emitting portion of the same signal, thereby improving the separation performance of the left and right sound, a sound can be generated while having a sense of depth, width and three-dimensional feeling.
Objective To discuss the influence of the wearing time of and functional exercise with Cheneau Scoliosis brace on its clinical efficacy.Methods We divided the 126 patients with scoliosis into experimental group and control group according to their own choice during July 2004 to July 2011.Patients in the experimental group wore Cheneau Scoliosis brace for 18-20 hours with functional exercise longer than 90 minutes;Patients in the control group wore scoliosis brace for 23 hours with functional exercise lasting between 30 to 60 minutes.Then we compared the improvement on cobb angle,top vertebral deviating from the center line distance(AVT),top vertebral rotation degrees(AVR),displacement of the torso(TS),spinal flexibility and lung function index of the two groups of patients before and after treatment.Results Based on the X-ray results,the cobb ange,AVT,AVR,and TS of both the two groups of patients were significantly lower after treatment(P0.01),and those indexes were also significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group(P0.01).After treatment,VC,FEV1,FVC,and TLC of the experimental group were all higher than those before treatment,while RV was lower(P0.01).After treatment,VC,FEV1,FVC,and TLC of the control group were all lower than those before treatment(P0.01),while RV was higher(P0.01).And the experimental group had higher VC,FEV1,FVC,and TLC than the control group,and had lower RV(P0.01).After treatment,the main cobb angle of the bend and the compensatory curve cobb angle were lower than those before treatment in both the two groups of patients(P0.01).The cobb angle of functional position and compensatory curve cobb angle of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P0.01).Conclusion By wearing the Cheneau Scoliosis brace for 18 to 20 hours every day combined with appropriate gymnastics therapy,respiratory training,strength training and McConkey mechanotherapy,we can improve the lung function,back muscle strength,spinal flexibility,body coordination and balance,so as to achieve better scoliosis treatment for the patients.
1 The Lake Shore Limited 2 'Me Lone Star 3 The Aztec Eagle 4 El Jarocho to Veracruz 5 The Passenger Train to Tapachula 6 The 7:30 to Guatemala City 7 The 7:00 to Zacapa 8 'The Railcar to San Salvador 9 The Local to Cutuoo 10 The Atlantic Railway: the 12:00 to Limon 11 The Pacific Railway: the 10:00 to Puntarenas 12 The Balboa Bullet to Colon 13 The Express de Sol to Bogota 14 The Expreso Calima 15 The Autoferro to Guayaquil 16 The Tren de la Sierra 17 The Train to Machu Picchu 18 El Panamericano 19 La Estrella del Norte ('The North Star') to Buenos Aires 20. The Buenos Aires Subterranean 21. The Lagos del Sur (Lakes of the South') Express 22 The Old Patagonian Express
Abstract: Abstract: Abstract: Since its first performance in 2006 by Druid Theatre Company, Enda Walsh's award-winning The Walworth Farce has toured Ireland, Britain, America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia to great acclaim, with the brilliance of the directing, design and acting engaging with the intelligence and theatricality of Walsh's script. The play deals with a family, who as part of a daily enforced ritual, re-enact a farce, written and directed by Dinny, the patriarch, a story which accounts for their exile in London, and away from their family home in Cork. Their enactment is an attempt to create a false memory, for their performance is very much at odds with the real events which provoked their exile. Keywords Enda Walsh, The Walworth Farce, Druid Theatre, Farce, Performance, Diasporic.
The fundamental question addressed in this paper is how to maintain the operation dependability of future chips built from forthcoming nano- (or subnano-) technologies characterized by the reduction of component dimensions, the increase of atomic fluctuations and the massive occurrence of physical defects. We focus on fault tolerance at the architectural level, and especially on fault-tolerance approaches, which are based on chip self-diagnosis and self-reconfiguration. We study test and reconfiguration methodologies in massively defective nanoscale devices, either at fine granularity field programmable devices or at coarse granularity multi-core arrays. In particular, we address the important question of up to which point could future chips have self-organizing fault-tolerance mechanisms to autonomously ensure their own dependable operation. In the case of FPGAs, we present known fault tolerant approaches and discuss their limitations in future nanoscale devices. In the case of multicore arrays, we show that such properties as self-diagnosis, self-isolation of faulty elements and self-reorganization of communication routes are possible.
The paper researches the optimal investment portfolios model among different regions with sunk cost.The model is a general equilibrium model including goods and factors market.We use S-D-S utility function and C-D production function,which ensures the model,could be expend to include more variables.The special conclusion in our model is that investment sunk cost makes greater effect on investment than interest.
The magnetic excitations of an antiferromagnetic spin dimer system, (VO)HPO{sub 4}{center_dot}{1/2}H{sub 2}O, are examined using inelastic neutron scattering. A dispersionless mode is found, consistent with expectations for a dimer excitation. The intensity variation of the mode reveals a V{sup 4+} - V{sup 4+} dimer separation of 4.43{angstrom}, almost 50% larger than the originally expected length.
INTRODUCTION Anorectal fistulas are a communication between the anal canal or the rectum to the perineum, which are generally formed by an infectious process of the submucosal glands. Surgery is the treatment of choice for these fistulas with preservation of the anal sphincters function, and hence continence, mandatory. Recently, however, some articles published suggested that the use of anal fistula plugs, instead of surgery, leads to better results. This study was designed to evaluate the use of anal fistula plugs in patients with trans-sphincteric anal fistulas.   METHODS A series of 10 consecutive patients were treated in our proctology department for complex fistulas with anal fistula plugs and were evaluated with subsequent follow-up. During the operation the fistula tract was identified and the plug was inserted and fixed by internal and external sutures.   RESULTS Ten patients, with a median age 40.8 years were included. There were 6 males and 4 females. At median length of follow-up of 12 months [range: 8 to 16 months] 5 of the 10 fistulas had healed (50%).   CONCLUSION The anal fistula plug is successful in the treatment of anorectal fistulas. Due to its low morbidity rate the insertion of anal fistula plugs should be considered instead of surgery.
The levels of testing employed in verifying the HAL/S-360 compiler were as follows: (1) typical applications program case testing; (2) functional testing of the compiler system and its generated code; and (3) machine oriented testing of compiler implementation on operational computers. Details of the initial test plan and subsequent adaptation are reported, along with complete test results for each phase which examined the production of object codes for every possible source statement.
The 2007-09 Global Financial Crisis has been described as the greatest crisis in the history of financial capitalism. The failure of the global financial system was triggered by the ‘Great American Real Estate Bubble,’ however it quickly developed into a global liquidity squeeze that left financial markets at the brink of collapse.    The thesis argues that the general culture of banking prevalent at the time both caused and exacerbated the crisis. The Business Strategies were excessively risky, focusing on short-term gains, at the expense of financial security. It is therefore purported that to mitigate the risks of any future global financial crisis a fundamental change in the culture of banking is needed. Behavioural expectations and norms must be redefined and more prudent strategies inculcated. The thesis will show that the only way to hope to achieve such a cultural shift is to employ a holistic approach, encompassing supervision, regulation and crucially corporate governance mechanisms.    Previous debates within the UK have tended to focus on macro and micro regulatory reform. However, it is purported that it was in many cases, risk monitoring and management practices within financial institutions that dramatically failed. Whilst prudential regulation is important, the thesis will show that it alone is insufficient to change the culture within the financial system; a multi-faceted approach is needed.    The central argument to the thesis will show that corporate governance mechanisms must play a central part in the legal and regulatory response to the Global Financial Crisis, as part of a cohesive package of measures necessary to effect cultural change; it will do this by conducting a case study into the collapse and subsequent nationalisation of Northern Rock Plc.
We uncover the exact athermal eigenstates in the Bose-Hubbard (BH) model with a three-body constraint, motivated by the exact construction of quantum many-body scar (QMBS) states in the $S=1$ XY model. These states are generated by applying an $ rm SU(2)$ ladder operator consisting of a linear combination of two-particle annihilation operators to the fully occupied state. By using the improved Holstein-Primakoff expansion, we clarify that the QMBS states in the $S=1$ XY model are equivalent to those in the constrained BH model with additional correlated hopping terms. We also find that, in the strong coupling limit of the constrained BH model, the QMBS state exists as the lowest-energy eigenstate of the effective model in the highest-energy sector. This fact enables us to prepare the QMBS states in a certain adiabatic process and opens up the possibility of observing them in ultracold-atom experiments.
OBJECTIVE To assess the radiographic, computed tomography (CT) and pathologic findings and response to therapy of cryptogenic organizing pneumonia in immunocompromised patients.   PATIENTS AND METHODS The study group consisted of 12 consecutive immunocompromised patients (seven men and five women), examined between July 1988 and July 1993, who had pathologically proven cryptogenic organizing pneumonia and for whom chest radiographs and CT scans had been obtained within 9 days of diagnosis. The 12 patients were treated with corticosteroids and underwent follow-up radiography.   RESULTS The findings of chest radiography included consolidation (in 10 patients), reticulation (in 3) and small nodules (in 2). None of the radiographic abnormalities were localized to particular zones of the lung. The CT findings included ground-glass attenuation (in nine patients), consolidation (in six), small nodules (in five) and reticulation (in two). In 8 of the 12 patients (67%) these abnormalities were most marked in the subpleural and peribronchovascular regions. The follow-up radiographs showed improvement in 11 (92%) of the patients.   CONCLUSIONS The most common radiographic abnormality associated with cryptogenic organizing pneumonia in these immunocompromised patients was consolidation, and the most common CT finding was ground-glass attenuation with or without associated consolidation or nodules. Most of the patients responded to corticosteroid therapy, irrespective of the initial radiologic pattern.
Particulate generation has been a problem in semiconductor device processing in highly corrosive plasma environments. The problem is exacerbated when the plasma is a reducing plasma. Empirically produced data has shown that the formation of a plasma spray coated yttrium-comprising ceramic such as yttrium oxide, Y2O3-ZrO2 solid solution, YAG, and YF3 provides a low porosity coating with smooth and compacted surfaces when such ceramics are spray coated from a powder feed having an average effective diameter ranging from about 22 mum to about 0.1 mum. These spray-coated materials reduce the generation of particulates in corrosive reducing plasma environments.
An optical intensity distribution measuring method, comprising the steps of: providing a carbon nanotube array disposed on a surface of the substrate, and the substrate disposed on the carbon nanotube array is placed in a vacuum environment or an inert environment, the carbon nanotube arrays having a first surface away from the substrate; a test surface with a first light source irradiating the carbon nanotube array, the carbon nanotube array of radiation visible light; providing a reflecting mirror, so that the carbon nanotube array visible light radiated through the reflecting mirror; and using a visible light image imaging element mirror reflected, and reads out the light intensity distribution of the light source to be measured.
Abstract : Two important features of a frequency selective surface (FSS) are bandwidth and frequency stability. Methods of increasing FSS bandwidth include, among others, decreasing inter-element spacing and increasing the thickness of the supporting dielectric layer. The shape of the FSS element also determines its bandwidth. To achieve any desired bandwidth, a combination of these methods is often required. The present work focuses on designing an FSS element where shape alone is the most important feature in determining its bandwidth. The elements are a combination of two known FSS elements with close resonant frequencies but not located in the same frequency band. The FSS's are designed to act as reflectors. The second part of this paper discusses frequency stabilization techniques, focusing on rectangular arrays of tripoles and cross dipoles. These elements have poor frequency stability with angle of incidence for parallel polarization. Dielectric loading and skewed arrays help minimize the problem. In the present work, a new method based on varying the element's impedance by partially removing the conducting patch at the center of the element is introduced.
The effects of noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in COPD patients (pts) with hypercapnic respiratory failure were evaluated. The study group consisted of 19 COPD pts (16M, 3F, mean age 60 +/- 8 years) on LTOT for at least 6 month before study. Patients were enrolled in random order to group I, which continued LTOT and to group II, which started nocturnal NIPPV and continued LTOT. There were 12 pts in group 1 and 7 pts in group II. Two pts from the group did not tolerate NIPPV and were transferred to group I. To ventilate the pts we used portable, volume ventilators. Mean time of follow-up in group I was 23 +/- 13 months and 16 +/- 10 months in group II. During that time died 5 pts from 1 and 4 pts from group II. Differences between functional variables (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/VC, PaO2, PaCO2, pH, PEmax, 6MWD), dyspnea, number of hospitalizations and mortality in both groups were not statistically significant. In both groups progression of the disease (decrease of FEV1, worsening of hypoxaemia and increase of hypercapnia) was observed. NIPPV did not slow down progression of the disease.
The present invention provides a method of separating at least one metal compound and / or mixtures thereof ingredient, the mixture is contacted with the heteropoly acid or heteropoly acid anion, thereby heteropolyacid or heteropolyacid anion and the metal compound and / or It said method comprising producing a precipitate containing the component. The present invention further provides a method for purifying a mixture comprising at least one metal compound, the mixture is contacted with the heteropoly acid or heteropoly acid anion, thereby to produce a precipitate that is substantially insoluble in the reaction mixture , and it relates to a process for the recovery of the reaction mixture.
Objective To report the experience of argon laser photocoagulation for the solitary choroidal hemangioma. Methods The clinical features, treatment techniques and outcome of eleven cases(11 eyes) of solitary choroidal hemangioma were analysized retrospectively. Result Eleven cases of solitary choroidal hemangioma were treated with argon laser, including 2 cases in combination with cryotherapy. The results showed that the neoplasms were essentially eliminated in 5 cases and were reduced to a different extent in 6 cases. The subretinal fluid were absorbed completely in 4 cases . The surface of neoplasms formed scar tissue in all cases. No relapse occurred during a follow-up of 6 to 36 months. The complications of treatment included blood vessel changes and macular abnormal. Conclusion Argon laser Photocoagulation is effective for solitary choroidal hemangioma. It is necessary to combine with cryotherapy when the neoplasms are adequately large.
The mortality and prognostic factors for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with solid tumours are unclear. The aim of this study was to describe demographic, clinical and survival data and to identify factors associated with mortality in critically ill patients with solid tumours. A prospective observational cohort study of 177 critically ill patients with solid tumours admitted to a medical-surgical oncological ICU was undertaken. There were no interventions. Among the admissions, 66% were surgical, 79.7% required mechanical ventilation during their stay in the ICU and 31.6% presented with severe sepsis or septic shock. In a multivariate analysis, independent prognostic factors for in-ICU death were the need for vasopressors (OR: 22.66, 95% confidence interval: 6.09 to 82.22, P <0.001) and the acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score (OR: 1.92, 95% confidence interval: 1.43 to 2.58, P <0.001). Cox multivariate analysis identified the length of stay in the ICU, Charlson comorbidity index score greater than 2, and the need for vasopressors as independent predictors of death after ICU discharge. The mortality rate in the ICU was 21.4%. Improved outcomes in critically ill cancer patients extended to the subgroup of patients with solid tumours. Independent prognostic factors for in-ICU death were the need for vasopressors and the APACHE II score, while the length of stay in the ICU, Charlson comorbidity index score >2, and the need for vasopressors were independent predictors of death after ICU discharge.
Social protection is an area, and an important direction, in the policy of any government regardless of its political orientation. Taking into account the regulations of the European Parliament and the Council on ESSPROS, the paper analyzes the evolution of Social protection expenditures in Romania after 2000, both as a whole and on social protection functions. The analyzed period was characterized by an upward trend in social protection expenditure per capita as well as a change in the share of expenditure on function on social protection.
The Faa di Bruno construction, introduced by Cockett and Seely, constructs a comonad $ mathsf{Fa{ grave{a}}}$ whose coalgebras are precisely Cartesian differential categories. In other words, for a Cartesian left additive category $ mathbb{X}$, $ mathsf{Fa{ grave{a}}}( mathbb{X})$ is the cofree Cartesian differential category over $ mathbb{X}$. Composition in these cofree Cartesian differential categories is based on the Faa di Bruno formula, and corresponds to composition of differential forms. This composition, however, is somewhat complex and difficult to work with. In this paper we provide an alternative construction of cofree Cartesian differential categories inspired by tangent categories. In particular, composition defined here is based on the fact that the chain rule for Cartesian differential categories can be expressed using the tangent functor, which simplifies the formulation of the higher order chain rule.
The project has established a data base of noise and traction characteristics for a sample of bias-ply heavy truck tires. The tire sample, representing both 'rib' and 'lug' type tread patterns, was tested according to the SAE J-57 tire noise procedure and in a variety of laboratory and over-the-road traction experiments. Dry-pavement traction results show that the noisier lug-type tires exhibit traction properties which are generally less desirable from the viewpoint of their influence on vehicle response to steering and braking. Wet traction results illustrate that the differences in braking traction between lug- and rib-type tires are even more discriminatory than on dry surfaces.
In general open policy or floating policy agreement plays very important role in modern insurance practice. Especially in the field of transport insurance and maritime insurance, the car, the ship, the amount of transport object can not be settled be the agreement of the insurance contract. But the insurance contract should exist by the time. In this case the floating policy agreement can be very useful. When the object or other things are settled, the insurance company should get information about those things. Therefore by the open policy insurance, the duty of declaration of the insured is very important. The insurer is going to check up the risk thoroughly afterwards. In germany(2007) there was heavy reform in the field of insurance contract law. It was effected on 1. jan. 2008. There were almost no regulations about open policy or floating policy agreement in german insurance contract law before. But the legislator has some regulations(§§ 53?58 german insurance contract law(VVG)) about open policy or floating policy agreement by the reform of the year 2007. This study concentrates on showing the detailed contents of german regulation and theories about open policy or floating policy agreement. The author has tried to pick out some suggestions from german discussions. Nowadays many countries are making effort to get better insurance contract law. The current korean insurance contract law in korean commercial code was effected in 1963. It has many problems. There is only one provision in regard of open policy or floating policy agreement in korean commercial code, namely § 704 KHGB. This is about the case of non-settlement of ships. The reform discussion about korean insurance contract law is now being done in korean national assembly. By the reform discussion in korea, we can also consider adopting some regulations about open policy or floating policy insurance. Thereby german discussions, court decisions and law can give us very useful suggestions.
As an essential sensing device of an Integrated Optical Gyroscope(IOG),the Passive Ring Resonator's Spectral-Linewidth is the key factor of IOGs sensitivity,which is determined by its structural parameters,including couple coefficient,lump loss,length and propagation attenuation.Theoretic analysis,based on Frequency Modulation(FM) spectroscopy and Multi-beams interference theory,shows that,under the condition of fixed level of waveguide's propagation attenuation,enlarging the length of PRR would upgrade its resonant performance through the interference optic path increased,and on the other hand,the degradation of PRR's resonant characteristic would be more serious arising from the enlarged total propagation attenuation in PRR,which mainly be aroused from the increase of PRR's length.Therefore,there is an optimum length determined by the previous contract factors.The experiment and simulation results verify the conclusion,and illustrate its value in the design and function optimization of IOGs.
Main indications for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation are severe aplastic anemia, severe combined immunodeficiency, acute leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia. In standard risk situations survival rates are 50 to 80%. The probability of disease-free survival after bone marrow transplantation is depending on the stage of disease. If possible bone marrow transplantation should be performed early, not in advanced disease when conventional measures failed. Main problems are therapy-related organ toxicity, rejection, graft-versus-host disease and a long lasting risk of infection. Usually histocompatible relatives of the patients are selected as marrow donors. Bone marrow transplantation using unrelated donors is under investigation. Autologous transplantations with cryopreserved marrow are performed in acute leukemia, malignant lymphomas and some solid tumors, but prospective studies comparing transplantation and conventional therapeutic procedures are still missing.
An Issues Paper examining some of the key differences between the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 and the Building Units and Group Titles Act 1980. The Issues Paper reviews the history of the legislation in Queensland and highlights that new approaches to planning and titling have replaced early approach. Public feedback is sought as whether there is a need to implement a transition to the newer legislation for resorts and developments that are still governed by the earlier legislation.
The laminar distribution of excitatory responses to iontophoretically applied acetylcholine (ACh) was studied in the first somatic sensory cortex (SI) of the Rat, using extracellular dye deposits for reconstruction of the electrode tracks. Most of the responses were recorded from neurons located in the lower half of the cortex, namely in layers V and VI. ACh sensitive neurons were found in two locations: one encompassing layer V and upper part of VI and the other at the border between cortex and white matter. The functional significance of this distribution is discussed.
In order to improve the performance of the amplifier circuit,Effects of negative feedback was studied on multistage amplifier circuit in detail by Multisim. The results show that the analysis results of DC operating point is same as non-feedback. When the negative feedback is introduced into the amplifier circuit,the basic performance of the circuit is improved greatly,but the magnification is reduced. It can largely restrain the nonlinear impact of the temperature. When feedback depth is deepened,the voltage magnification will be reduced,and the adjustment ability of the circuit will be Strenghened. The negative feedback could become positive feedback and destroy the normal performance of amplifier circuit under certain conditions.
OBJECTIVES:  Transitioning from clinical care to community-based self-management represents a significant challenge, throughout which social support can facilitate health adjustment and quality of life. However, community-centred, peer-led support structures are often underused. This study aimed to investigate the decision-making processes involved in the choice to attend a chronic pain support group (CPSG) following discharge from a Pain Management Programme.  DESIGN:  An in-depth, qualitative analysis was undertaken using interpretative phenomenological analysis, exploring participants' subjective experiences, decision-making, and rationale for initial CPSG attendance.  METHODS:  Twelve participants (four males, eight females) were recruited from a regional CPSG and completed semi-structured interviews lasting between 45 and 120 min. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed idiographically before a cross-case analysis was completed.  RESULTS:  Analysis of transcripts resulted in three superordinate themes: (1) The thirst for comparative friendship; (2) conjecture and the imminent choice; (3) progressive pain management. These themes reflect a desire for empathic, socially comparative friendships and the search for a forum in which to enhance pain self-management strategies, yet also internal conflict over initial CPSG attendance.  CONCLUSION:  Social support and associated friendships are attractive to prospective CPSG members and are conceptualized as opportunities to engage in social comparison and nurture self-care. The first visit to the support group presents a significant hurdle, but can be facilitated by managing the transition between therapeutic care and CPSG attendance. Clinicians can challenge preconceptions, foster positive viewpoints regarding the group and support collective decision-making to attend. Following initial attendance, psychosocial well-being was enhanced. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Social support functions as a protective buffer against declining health. Joining a peer-led support group can be initially intimidating and the first visit presents a significant hurdle. What does this study add? Participants are predominantly attracted to support groups due to the opportunity to develop new friendships. Health-related peer groups function as fora for social comparison, enhancing self-esteem and self-efficacy. Experience of pain management programmes primes willingness to attend support groups. The initial decision to attend is difficult but facilitated by collective, group decision-making processes. Health care professionals dynamically prime the transition towards peer support structures.
Introduction: Stimulation of erythropoiesis by the third-generation erythropoietin drug CERA, a pegylated derivative of epoetin β, has provided valuable therapeutic benefits to patients suffering from renal anemia, but has also rapidly found application as an illicit performance-enhancing strategy in endurance sports. Blood doping with CERA is currently detected by a laborious method that consists of immunoaffinity chromatography, ultrafiltration, isoelectric focusing, and double-blotting. In this study, we set out to develop a rapid and simple assay for selective determination of CERA in human serum.  Methods: We decided to combine selective precipitation, using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a fractional precipitating agent, with a validated homogeneous immunoassay for erythropoietin measurement. This method was applied to serum samples obtained from hemodialysis patients who had been treated intravenously with CERA in the past seven days (n = 6) and to serum samples from control subjects not receiving erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (n = 50). We also performed a direct comparison of CERA with its non-pegylated counterpart, epoetin β, by analyzing standard curves, prepared in triplicate, consisting of ten serial dilution points (from 1000 IU/L down to 1.95 IU/L of either CERA or epoetin β).  Results: PEG precipitation at a final concentration of 25% (w/v) PEG-6000 followed by immunoassay-based measurement of the erythropoietin concentration was highly discriminating between serum samples from CERA-treated patients and from control subjects, as endogenous erythropoietin was precipitated more efficiently than CERA (2-sample t-test, p < 0.0001). We could demonstrate that the pharmaceutical pegylation of CERA accounts for its enhanced solubility, because a dilution series of the non-pegylated counterpart, epoetin β, was precipitated to a substantially greater degree than a comparable dilution series of CERA (2-sample t-test, p < 0.01 for each concentration point tested).  Conclusions: We present here a novel method for selective determination of CERA in serum, based on PEG precipitation followed by a homogeneous immunoassay. This assay outperforms the currently available CERA detection method in terms of simplicity, convenience, cost, and throughput, making it ideal as a screening tool for doping control and opening perspectives for pharmacokinetic monitoring of CERA in a clinical setting.
This paper examines the Law of One Price using Nielsen disaggregated price data covering 13 euro area countries and 45 different product categories over the time period 2008 to 2012. The empirical methodology is based on a non-structural log-linear regression with spatial effects in both the geographical and product-variety dimensions, estimated by the Bayesian methods. The models link the relative prices of homogenous products in the sample of euro area countries to four distinct groups of factors: product-specific consumption preferences, country-specific macroeconomic and regional characteristics, volatility of prices and volumes, and spatial effects. The estimated reduced-form Law of One Price models uncover a strong interdependence of relative prices both on the geographical scale and across “similar” product varieties, going beyond the included set of explanatory variables and warranting further empirical investigation.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads is a member of the Origin Alliance, which is upgrading the Ipswich Motorway between Dinmore and Goodna. During the preliminary project design stage, it was discovered that some sections of the motorway was to be constructed over abandoned coal mines. These mines were worked from the mid 1800’s right up until 1987. The size, extent and stability of the abandoned mine operations were largely unknown. Given the critical nature of the motorway and the required 100 year design life, it was necessary to undertake an extensive investigation into the stability of the mines and undertake a risk assessment. This paper details how the old mine workings were filled with cement paste to eliminate any potential future risks to the motorway.
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The invention relates to a method for resolving and operating POI stacks in a virtual environment, which is displayed on an image screen surface, wherein, upon selecting a first POI stack with a first quantity of POIs contained in the POI stack, the representation of the virtual environment is automatically scaled such that POIs contained in the first POI stack are displayed on the image screen surface such that individual POIs, when correctly positioned in the virtual environment, maintain a minimum size and a minimum distance to respective neighbouring POIs, and, if the minimum distance cannot be maintained, a partial quantity of the quantity of POIs of the first POI stack is combined in at least one second POI stack on the basis of the respective position of the individual POIs in the virtual environment. The invention further relates to a corresponding system.
The adaptability,biological characteristics and performance indicators of 17 forage varieties in Yuyang district of Yulin are carried on the continuous observation and the comparative test.The results showed that the majority species grow normally,and the yield much higher than the local varieties.The varieties such as Qikeli,NS series,WL323HQ,WL232HQ,crown and Pastoral have the the advantages of high yield,high quality,strong resistance,which are the promotion of improved varieties.
The invention relates to a power module supporting wide voltage inputting. The power module comprises an input interface, an input protection module and an output adjustment module, wherein the input interface is electrically connected with the input protection module, the input protection module comprises an input reverse-connection protection module and an input surge protection module, the output adjustment module is connected with the input protection module and comprises a switching power supply module. Output voltage is adjustable, input voltage has the reverse-connection preventing protection design, the input/output voltage has the functions of overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection and undervoltage protection, and can be matched with a system to achieve the functions of starting and powering off in a delayed manner.
As the prices of metals slide, financial control of mineral processing operations becomes more and more important. Control of a mineral processing operation implies measurement of grades, recoveries and losses, with every effort being made to recover more product from the same feed. Shareholders become more concerned with the transparency of the operations and the corporate governance. There is only one way to achieve this and this is by sampling and making good use of the results of that sampling. Sampling systems that provide only 'rough' figures are not good enough. Similarly, a competitive position in the marketplace demands close control of product quality. Maximisation of product output demands that the product just meet the specification so that product yield is maximised. Decisions based on accurate and precise sampling results carry less risk that those based on imprecise and biased results. This paper reports some recent advances in sampling theory that permit full quantification of sampling distributions, not just the sampling variance as has been possible in the past. These advances can be used together with simulation methods to tie down sampling precisions and develop calculations that quantify decision making risk when using the sampling results. A number of examples illustrate the use of the new advances and a final example indicates the development of risk analysis curves in the coupling of sampling precision to sale of a commodity
Introduction Due to the novelty of COVID-19, uncertainty about the factors contributing to mortality, unavailability of definitive treatment options, limited access to medical, social support and rehabilitation in the community during the COVID-19 peak;compounded with anxiety and reluctance to seek medical help in timely manner, it was anticipated that vulnerable patients would be affected the worst We report post-discharge mortality and the associated risk factors Method This is a retrospective study of all the patients admitted at a busy district general hospital during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic i e 1st March to 20 June 2020 We included all patients aged 18 and above in data analysis Results A total of 628 patients were admitted during the study period with 481 having positive swab PCR Of these, 389 (62%) patients had two or more comorbidities, 311 (49 5%) hypertensive and 166 (26 4%) diabetic In-hospital mortality: 226/628 (35 9%) patient died in hospital, of which 194 (85 8%) had a positive Coronavirus nasopharyngeal swab This was statistically significant with p-value of 0 001 Post-discharge mortality of patients: 54/402 (13 4%) of those patients discharged home following hospitalisation died within 28 days of discharge 42/54 (77 7%) were swab positive Swab positive patients 42/54 (77 8%) had a higher risk of death Two thirds of swab positive patient were older than 75 years and 81% had two or more pre-existing comorbidities There was no difference in length of stay between the survivors and non-survivors Conclusion As expected, age, male gender, COVID-19 PCRpositivity, multiple comorbidities, high BMI and raised CRP were associated with higher in-hospital and post-discharge mortality It is unsurprising that antibiotic treatment without bacterial infection was associated with higher but statistically insignificant mortality rate, while therapeutic anticoagulation and steroids were associated with better outcomes There is an urgent need for further analysis of root cause to mitigate the modifiable factors and devise a robust post-discharge management plan in collaboration with all stakeholders
The cyanide leaching under alkaline conditions has been the primary method used for extraction of gold from ores. This process is mainly carried out in stirred tanks which are typical non-catalytic reactors where there heterogeneous multiple reactions involving the gaseous, liquid and solid phases. For this reason, the quality of mixing of the phases within the tanks is essential to optimize this process. This study evaluated the hydrodynamics of an industrial leaching circuit from the interpretation of the results of a tracer test. A tracer experiment was used to evaluate the characteristics of a gold cyanidation circuit with nine tanks. Samples were collected at the exit four tanks of the cascade. The residence time distributions were determined and analyzed. Arrangements of ideal reactors were used to fit the distributions using the least squares method. The average residence times were always lower than the nominal residence time, suggesting the reduction of the total volume of the tanks. The analysis of the distributions indicates the presence of small stagnant zones along the cascade. The mathematical modeling of the results suggests that about 63% of the volumes of the tanks can be explained by the association of continuous stirredtank reactor.
The utility model discloses a Bluetooth device with ultra-low power consumption under a standby mode. The Bluetooth device comprises a Bluetooth main body and a switch device, wherein the Bluetooth main body is provided with a control circuit, the control circuit comprises a Bluetooth module, a low-electrical level triggered ultra-low power consumption switch module and a high electrical level triggered reset switch module. The low-electrical level triggered ultra-low power consumption switch module is connected on deep sleep control pins of the Bluetooth module, the high electrical level triggered reset switch module is connected on an ON/OFF port of the Bluetooth module, the switch device controls the low-electrical level triggered ultra-low power consumption switch module and the high electrical level triggered reset switch module to work. When a Bluetooth headset of the Bluetooth device with ultra-low power consumption under the standby mode is powered by a battery with a capacity of 50 mAH, a standby current of the Bluetooth headset is 0.5 mu ampere, standby time of the Bluetooth headset can reach 2500 hours in theory, namely 104 days. When the technology of the Bluetooth device with ultra-low power consumption under the standby mode is applied to the Bluetooth headset, the standby time increases from 4 days to 104 days, namely, 100 days of standby are improved, and therefore charging frequency is greatly reduced and convenience is increased.
s: Hashimoto, T., J. H. Pollack, and H. J. Blumenthal. Carotenogenesis associated with arthrosporulation of Trichoiii phyton mentagrophytes. Abstr. Annu. Meet. Am. Soc. Microbiol. 1978, J21, p. 80. Hashimoto, T., J. H. Pollack, and H. J. Blumenthal. Ultrastructure and chemical composition of Trichophyton mentagrophytes arthrospore walls and septa. Abstr. Annu. Meet. Am. Soc. Microbiol. 1979, J23, p. 92. Pollack, J. H., C. F. Lange, and T. Hashimoto. Characterization of fibrillar and non-fibrillar chitin associated with arthrospore wall of the dermatophyte Trichophyton mentagrophytes. 1982, Jl9, p. 94.
The Tomb of an Unknown Craftsman is of a treasure hoard from a distinct civilisation. The difference is that it is a civilisation of one. The territory it springs from is my imagination...The relationship between my personal themes and obsessions and the vastness of world culture as represented in the British Museum is like a narrow pilgrimage trail across an infinite plain. "Grayson Perry" Grayson Perry's centrepiece to this fascinating journey is a major artwork: a metal tomb in the form of a ship, encrusted with reliefs and artistic cargo based on, or actually cast from, objects in the collection of the British Museum. The occupant sails into the afterlife surrounded by the talismans of many faiths and people. This is a memorial to all the anonymous craftsmen that over the centuries have fashioned the man-made wonders of the world, many of which are on display in the Museum. Around the tomb, the other artworks - ceramics, tiles, cast metal sculpture, textiles and prints - are laid out in ritualistic symmetry as if they once belonged somewhere else. Alongside his own works, Grayson Perry presents a personal selection of objects from the British Museum that are the inspiration for his pieces or connected strongly with them thematically or aesthetically. Including an introduction by Grayson Perry and lavishly illustrated, this book takes us to the fantasy world of a contemporary artist who never fails to challenge and unsettle his audience. "Grayson Perry is winner of the 2012 South Bank Sky Arts Award for visual arts, for the British Museum exhibition, "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman"".
The species composition, flora, physiognomy, structure, species diversity, etc. of Fraxinus guilinensis communities in Karst Hills of Guilin were investigated and characterized. 52 species of vascular plants belonging to 50 genera and 38 families has been found; among them, 5 families with 5 species were ferns, 1 family with 1 species were gymnosperms, and 32 families with 46 species were angiosperm. Tropical floristic elements dominated in the community. The community physiognomy was characterized by the deciduous broad leaved Me.phanerophytes. The community vertical structure could be subdivided into three layers: tree, shrub and herb layer. All the three layers had low species diversity.
It would be desirable to have negative exposure control on the basis of an exact science. Toward this end the functioning of the eye as it views a subject and the photographic reproduction of the subject is studied. The brightness of the subject is broken down into its components of reflectance (a constant) and incident illumination (a variable). The eye compensates for changes in the illumination. The “tone” of the object is based on its reflectance. It is this that determines the print density used to portray the object. Between the subject's fixed reflectance and the print's fixed density lies the variable of negative density. — A system is proposed whereby given reflectance in the subject is represented by fixed density in the negative. Operation of the system involves negative exposure control by measurement of incident light. Measurement of effective incident illumination is accomplished by a photoelectric meter specifically designed to respond to the three-dimensional characteristics of incident illumination. The system is free from many of the influences which tend to cause undesirable variations and errors in negative exposure. It provides a means of putting negative exposure control on the basis of an exact science.
Molecular mechanisms controlling the most important biological functions are highly conservative. This phenomenon can be seen in homeobox genes, which encode the regulatory proteins controlling basic developmental processes. The homeobox was first described about ten years ago in Drosophila melanogaster as a highly conservative gene region with characteristic structure. Later, homologous consequences were observed in many eukaryotic genes found in organisms ranging from yeast to humans. Biochemical, biophysical, and genetic studies have proved irrefutably that the homeobox controls a DNA-binding domain that allows proteins containing this domain to exert regulatory functions. The decisive role played by homeobox genes during development has stimulated great interest among researchers in this superfamily of genes. At present, more than 300 homeobox genes have been identified in animals of various taxa and their number is constantly growing. This review summarizes the published data about the structure and functions of homeobox genes and their role in development and regeneration.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the benefits of using steel slag as an additive in Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) which is a promising material can be used in streets, local roads, residential streets, high-volume roads, industrial access roads, airports...etc. The mechanical performances of steel scrap added reinforced cementitious composites produced with an industrial punch scrap. In specimen mixtures two types of scraps with diameters of 5 mm and 7 mm were used. The additive was mixed with 1%, 1.5% and 2% ratios by weight. Due to the results of the study, it was obtained that flexural strength properties of the specimens have increased up to 11%. In addition, freeze thaw effect of the specimens was investigated and found that 2% percent of scrap usage was given the best results.
Objective : The effects of single and co-cultures of predominant lactic acid bacteria and yeast as starters on the nutritional, anti-nutritive component and physical properties of “oti-oka“ like beverage using pearl millet as substrate was investigated. Methodology and Results : Lactic acid bacteria and yeast isolated from spontaneous fermented pearl millet were screened for the production of various enzymes, antagonistic activity against selected pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, production of lactic acid and diacetyl. Single and co-cultures of predominant organisms were selected based on the parameters stated above and used to produce “oti-oka” like beverage. The nutritional, anti-nutritive component, physical and sensory properties of “oti-oka” like beverage produced was investigated. Lactobacillus fermentum 01 recorded the highest occurrence of 20.60% while Saccharomyces cereviseae had occurrence of 14.71%. Most Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species could breakdown pectin while few were able to produce amylase, protease, invertase and lipase. However Saccharomyces cereviseae exhibited the best enzymatic profile amongst tested isolates. The quantity of lactic acid produced by LAB species ranged between 0.6 to 2.6g/l. Lactobacillus brevis produced the highest (8.6g/l) diacetyl. “Oti-oka” like beverage produced using combined starter cultures of L. fermentum and S. cereviseae had protein content of 7.50% and calcium content of 8.76mg/100ml. Phytate content reduced from 1.13±0.15mg/100ml to 0.60±0.10mg/100ml, Polyphenol content reduced from 1.33±0.64mg/100ml to 0.50±0.10mg/100ml while Tannin content reduced from 1.83±0.17mg/100ml to 1.00±0.11mg/100ml. ‘Oti-oka’ like beverage produced from pearl millet using combined starter culture of L. fermentum and S. cereviseae was rated best in terms of taste and aroma when compared with control sample. Conclusion and application : Pearl millet could be substituted successfully for sorghum to produce improved “oti-oka” like beverage that is more acceptable to the ‘Western palate’ in terms of nutritional, anti-nutritive contents and sensory properties using combine starter culture of S. cereviseae and L. fermentum .
The invention relates to a cotton breeding method. In the method, a combination part of genetic variation generated by cotton graft is used as an explant for inducing to culture callus; the cultured callus is subjected to propagation, subculturing and differentiated culture to obtain cotton seedlings; and after hardening off, the cotton seedlings are grafted for transplantation or directly transplanted. The cotton breeding method has the advantages that: by utilizing graft to create genetic variation, the method not only improves plant quality, yield, stress resistance, and the like, but also obtains distant variation which cannot be obtained through sexual hybridization, and has simple operation, high seed selection efficiency and low cost; the method provides a novel cotton transgenic means and can transfer target gene to a breed to be improved to generate a variation type combining the merits of parental stock and cion parents; and the creation of genetic variation by utilizing graft can be taken as a supplementary means of general breeding and modern gene engineering breeding and is an important breeding means with broad prospects.
A bedrock assumption of almost all judicial and academic interpreters of the Constitution is that the Constitution is in large part permissive. That is, most laws or governmental actions are neither forbidden nor required by the Constitution but are merely permitted.l I will call this presumably rather large set of governmental actions "constitutionally optional." The purpose of this essay is to show that this assumptionthat there are (many) constitutionally optional laws and governmental actions-gives rise to some immense and perhaps intractable difficulties in justifying large areas of constitutional doctrine. At stake is the entire domain of the Equal Protection Clause (and the equal protection component of Fifth Amendment due process), as well as the "equal protection" component of other constitutional rights, which is sometimes dealt with as a matter of equal protection, and sometimes as a matter of unconstitutional conditions on the rights in question.2 At the most general level, the theoretical difficulties I elaborate are all bound up
Abstract : The Taiwan Straits issue is a point of strategic, operational, and tactical priority for the U.S. Armed Forces. The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act expresses U.S. interests in the Western Pacific, stating that the United States would view attempts "to determine the future of Taiwan by other than peaceful means, including by boycotts or embargoes, a threat to the peace and security of the Western Pacific area and of grave concern to the United States." Due to the PRC's ongoing modernization and development of asymmetric weapons, any future U.S. military engagement with the PRC in support of Taiwan may incur significant operational risk. Thus, the qualities of land-based airpower must be leveraged to establish sea control in anti-access environments such as the Taiwan Straits in order to meet operational objectives. USAF assets provide the Joint Forces Commander and Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander critical operational capabilities to enhance maritime freedom of action. To provide a background, four cases, starting with the sinking of the Ostfriesland in 1921, spanning action in the Atlantic and Pacific during World War II, and ending with the Falkland Islands conflict in 1982, illustrate land-based airpower's ability to affect maritime freedom of action. Joint doctrine and Service doctrine prescribe how land- based airpower will and should be employed in support of maritime operational objectives. Additionally, USAF Countersea doctrine details how the JFACC could support the JFMCC at the operational level of war. Land-based airpower employed jointly with organic naval airpower can have a synergistic effect toward accomplishment of maritime objectives and reduce the risk to the force through persistent ISR, C2, AAR and stealth.
This dissertation explores the topic of intercollegiate athletics at public community colleges in the United States. This study is national in scope and includes members of the three major community college athletic associations: the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Commission on Athletics (COA), and the Northwest Athletic Association for Community Colleges (NWAACC). Community colleges that were not members of any of these organizations are also included. The sources of data are the Institutional Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) surveys as well as Equity in Athletic Disclosure Act (EADA) survey data and the Katsinas Community College Classification Scheme. The population for this study was the 567 public community colleges which submitted IPEDS data in 2001 and 2002 and EADA data in 2002. The geographic classification scheme for public community colleges used in this study revealed differences in the role of athletics in rural, suburban, and urban colleges. Rural community colleges place a larger emphasis on intercollegiate athletics. Urban colleges had a lesser emphasis on intercollegiate athletics. Topics that are examined include the extent of college sponsorship of athletics, athletic associations, student participation, sport sponsorship, athletically-related aid, divisions of competition, athletic revenues and expenses, state reimbursement, recruitment expenses, and staffing requirements. The dissertation includes six findings and four conclusions. There are fifteen recommendations for further research and eight recommendations for practice. Maps showing the locations of teams for each men's and women's sport played in the NJCAA, COA, and NWAACC are included in an appendix.
In the present studies stem cuttings of the Fuerte variety were used in early December, 1936, and in February, 1937. They were obtained from trees grown very close to the glass house and no precautions were taken to cut or to keep the cut surfaces of the cuttings under water. The cuttings usually were taken from the mature tips of shoots and were 6 to 12 inches in length, each bearing 3 to 5 mature leaves.
Indonesia has many islands and there are beautiful inland areas, interesting historical and cultural ruins, beaches, mountains, and more. Especially in the tourism sector is one of the largest industries that are very influential and grow very fast. The advancement of the tourism industry in a region is very dependent on the number of tourists who come both domestic and foreign tourists. The large number of foreign tourists that come push and accelerate economic growth. So that directly leads to an increase in demand for goods and services. To meet the needs and demands of tourists, it is necessary to predict the number of visits of foreign tourists. One method that can be used in forecasting is Monte Carlo. From the results of Monte Carlo research can work well, From the stage of the prediction system implementation that has been built using the initial parameter 12 months 100x simulation and delta-t = 0.001, then get sigma = 52.2650054, Mu = -0.0398. And the simulation is more accurate in predicting the number of foreign tourist visits in East Java, which has a small error value. To get a smaller error value is by reducing or delta-t value.
In dialogue we frequently present arguments which are based on commonly accepted non-logical inferences. In rhetorical theory, this type of argument is called an enthymeme, and a pattern of reasoning that it is based on is called a topos. The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate the role that enthymemes play in natural language dialogue. The analyses focus on authentic dialogue material, and informal theories from linguistics and language philosophy are combined with formal theories in what can be considered a micro-rhetorical approach. This approach focuses on function in language, and the idea is that linguistic phenomena of the type studied by linguists are the micro-end of rhetorical phenomena. Formalisation is an important method in this thesis. The information state of a dialogue participant is modelled as a dialogue gameboard showing her current take on the dialogue and the cognitive resources currently activated. The formalisations are done in the semantic frame work Type Theory with Records. The first part of this thesis focuses on the linguistic and philosophical context of enthymeme and topos. In chapters 3–4 the formal model is developed, and in chapter 5 it is applied to a number of cases. Some of the main contributions of this thesis are that it points out that underpinning patterns of resoning are necessary to make pragmatic inferences, and suggests a precise way of formalising these patterns. Also, the concept of Accommodation is associated with enthymemes and topoi. Accommodation of enthymemes explains how agents can infer some types of rhetorical relations based on accessed topoi. Accommodation of topoi offers an explanation to some types of misunderstandings as well as a way of looking at learning of new topoi.
A partial restriction map of cloned 5.42-kb chicken DNA (clone P542, Perbal et al. 1983), covering a portion of the c-myb locus, is presented. The 5' end of the v-myb gene (approximately 0.5 kb) is located at the 3' end of P542 DNA, the remainder are the cellular sequences not transduced by avian myeloblastosis virus. Two non-contiguous DNA segments were detected within these cellular sequences which code for the 5' end of c-myb mRNA. These two exons, designated e1 and e2, are separated by a approximately equal to 1.5-kb non-coding region. Both of them are transcribed into 0.4 kb located near the 5' end of c-myb mRNA. The second exon e2 (approximately equal to 0.2 kb) is flanked at its 3' end by a short non-coding region within which virus-cell recombination took place. The possible presence of a portion of this intron in the 2.1-kb v-myb mRNA is discussed.
The recast of the European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) requires the uptake of a definition of so called ‘nearly zero energy’ buildings (nZEB). Belgium was first to set a definition for a ‘net zero energy house’ (NZEB) in 2009. Every year the definition is revised for consistency with shortcomings and emerging issues. The Belgian definition raised many questions regarding (1) the net balance, (2) the application and calculation method (3) the indoor air quality and comfort, (4) energy use included in the balance, (5) the type of buildings, (6) the accepted renewable energy supply options, (7) the quality assurance and monitoring and (8) energy storage and the connection to the energy infrastructure. Therefore, the paper presents a review on the current Belgian definition and its market status in comparison with the international context. The aim of the paper is to review current definition discussions and pave the way to a more consistent definition.
Long period longitudinal oscillations of a flaring coronal loop are studied numerically. In the recent work of  Nakariakov et al. (2004) it has been shown that the time dependence of density and velocity in a flaring loop contain pronounced quasi-harmonic oscillations associated with the 2nd harmonic of a standing slow magnetoacoustic wave. In this work we investigate the physical nature of these oscillations in greater detail, namely, their spectrum (using the periodogram technique) and how heat positioning aﬀects mode excitation. We found that excitation of such oscillations is practically independent  of the location of the heat deposition in the loop. Because of the change of the background temperature and density, the phase shift between the density and velocity perturbations is not exactly a quarter of the period; it varies along the loop and is time dependent, especially in the case of one footpoint (asymmetric) heating.
This paper describes how human psychological aspects have been used in lifelike synthetic agents in order to provide believability during the human-computer interaction. We describe a brief survey of applications where Affective Computing Scientists have applied psychological aspects, like Emotion and Personality. Based on those aspects we describe the effort done by Affective Computing scientists in order to create a Markup Language to express and standardize Emotions. Because they have not yet concentrated their effort on Personality, here, we propose a starting point to create a Markup Language to express Personality.
Photoanodes based on semiconductor WO3 have been attractive due to its good electron mobility, long hole-diffusion length, and suitable valence band potential for water oxidation. However, the semiconductor displays disadvantages including a relatively wide bandgap, poor charge separation and transfer, and quick electron–hole recombination at the interface with the electrolyte. Here we present a significantly improved photoanode with a tandem structure of ITO/WO3/Cu2O/CuO, which is prepared first by hydrothermally growing a layer of WO3 on the ITO surface, then by electrodepositing an additional layer of Cu2O, and finally by heat-treating in the air to form an exterior layer of CuO. Photocurrent measurements reveal that the prepared photoanode produces a maximum current density of 4.7 mA cm−2, which is, in comparison, about 1.4 and 5.5 times the measured values for ITO/WO3/Cu2O and ITO/WO3 ones, respectively. These enhancements are attributed to (1) harvested UV, visible, and NIR light of the solar spectrum, (2) accelerated charge separation at the heterojunction between WO3 and Cu2O/CuO, (3) better electrocatalytic activity of formed CuxO than pure Cu2O, (4) formation of a protective layer of CuO. This study thus may lead to a promising way to make high-performance and low-cost photoanodes for solar energy harvesting.
Little is known about physicians' approaches to continuing medical education (CME) for continuing professional development despite the rapid evolution of CME offerings. We sought to identify the extent to which demographic, career, and experiential CME‐activity variables were independently associated with physicians' satisfaction with their ability to stay current on medical information and practice.
STUDY DESIGN A scanning electron microscopic study performed on 3 cadaveric specimens focused on the human suboccipital region, specifically, myodural bridge (MDB).   OBJECTIVE This study showed the connection form of the MDB among the suboccipital muscles, the PAOM and the SDM, and provided an ultrastructural morphological basis for the functional studies of the MDB.   SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Since the myodural bridge was first discovered by Hack, researches on its morphology and functions had been progressing continuously.However, at present, research results about MDB were still limited to the gross anatomical and histological level. There was no research report showing the MDB's ultrastructural morphology and its ultrastructural connection forms between posterior atlanto-occipital membrane (PAOM)and spinal dura mater(SDM).   METHODS A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to observe the connection of myodural bridge fibers with posterior atlanto-occipital membrane and spinal dura mater in atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial interspaces, and the connection forms were analyzed.   RESULTS Under the SEM, it was observed that there were clear direct connections between the suboccipital muscles and the posterior atlanto-occipital membrane and spinal dura mater in the atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial spaces. These connections were myodural bridge. The fibers of the myodural bridge merged into the spinal dura mater and gradually became a superficial layer of the spinal dura mater.   CONCLUSION MDB fibers merged into the SDM and became part of the SDM in the atlanto-occipital and atlanto-axial space. MDB could transfer tension and pulling force to the SDM effectively, during the contraction or relaxation of the suboccipital muscles.   LEVEL OF EVIDENCE N/A.
The fourth part deals with "Special Problems", which include with particular emphasis—and rightly so—Immigration (pp. 175-80). Unfortunately the author does not seem to appreciate that since 1967 that problem has taken on an entirely new dimension, with the influx of immigrant groups from socalled developed countries; and the chapter on Planning, for all its length and detail, is no more than an unduly elaborate and tedious enumeration of the many committees that have been set up. On every field there is an unusual proportion of errors, misconceptions and fallacious generalizations, the most astounding of which will be found in the chapter on Minorities and the Occupied Territories (one of the aims of occupation is said to be "integration"! pp. 249-250). And the book concludes with a series of Documents selected in the most extraordinary way: instead of giving the text of the Basic Laws, the author preferred to insert the statute on Town Planning, a map of Nahal settlements, and similar frills. Bibliography is on the same level, and the least reproach one can make is that a golden opportunity was lost to disclose the existence of this Law Review— although this omission is probably ascribable to sheer ignorance. The scarcity of publications on Israel law in the French language is no doubt a matter for regret, and yet one cannot help wishing that this deplorable book be as early as possible relegated into oblivion. Claude Klein
The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the efficacy of a periophthalmic cream of a pool of fatty acids (FAG®) in association with 0.15% hyaluronate eye drops in alleviating the clinical symptoms of keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) in a case series of dogs. The study was conducted on 10 dogs diagnosed with idiopathic KCS. All dogs had been previously treated with topical tobramycin alone, which had been ineffective in improving clinical signs. The affected eyes were treated with 2 applications daily of a periophthalmic cream of FAG® and 1 drop 3 times a day of 0.15% of hyaluronate eye drops for 8 weeks. Schirmer tear test I (STT I) values were recorded and ocular signs (conjunctival hyperemia, ocular discharge, corneal opacity, vascularization and pigmentation, and discomfort level) were collected, scored on a 3-point scale (grade 0, grade 1, and grade 2). Differences between scores and STT data recorded at baseline and at 8 weeks of therapy were statistically analysed. The effect of treatment was pronounced (increase in STT values by more than 4 mm/min, no signs of inflammation) in 8/18 eyes; moderate (increase in STT values of 3-4 mm/min or mild improvement in signs of corneal/conjunctival inflammation) in 3/18 eyes; and unsatisfactory in 7 of 18 eyes. Median of STT values significantly improved compared with baseline levels, while statistically significant decreases in clinical-sign scores of conjunctival hyperemia, ocular discharge, and discomfort were recorded. However, in moderate and advanced stages, reduction of neovascularization or corneal pigmentation was not observed throughout the treatment period. No noticeable adverse reactions were recorded. Preliminary results indicate that the application of periocular FAG and topical 0.15% hyaluronate eye drops may be a suitable treatment for KCS in dogs in selected cases. A larger comparative study is necessary to further confirm these findings.
A recently developed method denoted as SAPT(DFT), which applies symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) based on Kohn-Sham orbitals and orbital energies and includes the dispersion component obtained using frequency-dependent density susceptibilities from density functional theory (DFT), has been shown to provide as accurate interaction energies as high-level wave-function-based methods. At the same time, the former calculations can be performed at a greatly reduced computational cost compared to the latter, in fact, in a time comparable to supermolecular DFT calculations. The SAPT(DFT) method is particularly important for systems with a dominant dispersion component since the supermolecular DFT approach fails completely in this case. SAPT(DFT) was used to compute the interaction potential for the RDX dimer. This potential was applied to predictions of the properties of the RDX crystal in molecular dynamics simulations. The fully ab initio calculated properties are in excellent agreement with experiment and the predictions are even slightly better than achieved by empirical potentials fitted to the crystal experimental data.
We present a new end-to-end architecture for automatic speech recognition (ASR) that can be trained using  emph{symbolic} input in addition to the traditional acoustic input. This architecture utilizes two separate encoders: one for acoustic input and another for symbolic input, both sharing the attention and decoder parameters. We call this architecture a multi-modal data augmentation network (MMDA), as it can support multi-modal (acoustic and symbolic) input. The MMDA architecture attempts to eliminate the need for an external LM, by enabling seamless mixing of large text datasets with significantly smaller transcribed speech corpora during training. We study different ways of transforming large text corpora into a symbolic form suitable for training our MMDA network. Our best MMDA setup obtains small improvements on CER and achieves 8-10 % relative WER improvement on the WSJ data set.
A model for the generation and distribution of electrical potentials within the guinea pig cochlea was simulated by computer. Electrical impedances of the cochlear tissues and biological batteries in the stria vascularis and organ of Corti were modelled by a three‐dimensional network of resistors and batteries. It was assumed that cochlear‐partition movements caused electrical‐impedance changes in hair cells and resulted in modulation of steady‐state electrical currents normally flowing throughout the cochlea. The model response to a 1000‐Hz tone demonstrated that the amplitude envelope for the electrical current through the hair cells had the same shape as the mechanical traveling‐wave envelope, whereas the envelopes for the potential changes within cochlear scalae were broader and had their peaks nearer the basal end of the cochlea. Potentials generated by the model accurately reflected the amplitude and phase of the cochlear‐partition displacement only from the base to within about 3 mm of the peak of the traveling‐wave envelope. An important finding was that, when the impedance of a hair cell was decreased, current from adjacent hair cells was shunted through it, thus providing a possible excitation‐inhibition mechanism for neural sharpening.
Have public enterprises become obsolete policy instruments? Should they be privatized or can their governance be radically transformed so that they could still be used as policy instruments? The world around them has changed and forced governments to move. After a discussion on the arguments in favour of privatization, this article suggests an analysis of three cases in the Canadian province of Quebec. Considering the pressures linked to the liberalization of trade resulting from NAFTA, this article suggests that the governance of public enterprises can be transformed and adapted and that consequently, it is not useful or necessary to privatize them. There is in reality a lot of room in the public enterprise governance to reform them, room that has been neglected over the last decades. Copyright 2007 The Authors Journal compilation © CIRIEC 2007.
BACKGROUND Advanced glycation of proteins has been incriminated in the progressive alteration of the peritoneal membrane during chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD). Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) result from a modification of proteins by reactive carbonyl compounds (RCOs). RCOs resulting from glucose breakdown are present in commercial PD fluid. They also accumulate in uremic plasma. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the respective contribution of these two sources of RCOs in the genesis of peritoneal AGEs.   METHODS Three major RCOs formed during heat sterilization of PD fluid, that is, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and 3-deoxyglucosone, and total RCOs were measured in commercial PD fluid and in PD effluent. The generation of pentosidine, used as a surrogate marker for AGEs, during one-week incubations of PD fluid and effluent samples fortified with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Peritoneal samples were stained with antibodies specific for two AGEs derived from carbohydrate-dependent RCOs, Nepsilon-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and pentosidine, or for two advanced lipoxidation end products (ALEs) derived from lipid-dependent RCOs, malondialdehyde (MDA)-lysine and 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE)-protein adduct.   RESULTS Glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and 3-deoxyglucosone were identified in commercial PD fluid. Their levels in PD effluents decreased with dwell time probably by diffusion into blood circulation. In contrast, the levels of total RCOs were initially low in commercial PD fluid, increased in PD effluent with dwell time probably by diffusion from circulation into the peritoneal cavity, and after 12 hours, reached values observed in uremic serum. The relevance of the rise in total RCOs for AGE formation is demonstrated by a parallel increase in the generation of pentosidine during incubations of PD effluents. In contrast with RCOs present in glucose-rich PD fluid, RCOs diffusing from uremic circulation originate from both carbohydrates and lipids. Their role in the modification of peritoneal proteins is demonstrated by the immunohistochemical study of peritoneal tissue. Two AGEs and two ALEs increase in parallel in the mesothelial layers and in vascular wall of small arteries in the peritoneum.   CONCLUSIONS Protein modification of the peritoneum is determined not only by RCOs originating in PD fluid, but also by RCOs originating from the uremic circulation. The present data might be relevant to current attempts to improve PD fluid toxicity by lowering its glucose content.
Previous studies have documented that the surface solar radiation (SSR) over most regions of China has shifted from the ‘global dimming’ since the 1950s to the ‘global brightening’ after 2005. In this paper, the potential factors that affect the annual trends of SSR over East China from 2005 to 2018 based on different satellite-derived products are analyzed. Then, due to the lack of longterm various aerosol species from observation data, the focus of this study is to calculate the contributions from direct effects of different types of cloud fraction on SSR relative to the effects of total cloud fraction over East China during the same period using a BCC_RAD radiative transfer model. The results show that clouds and aerosols are the primary factors that affect the SSR over East China from 2005 to 2018, followed by water vapor and ozone.
The authors evaluated endothelial function in patients with MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke) by flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) and found a significant decrease vs controls. Two years of supplementation with oral l-arginine, a nitric oxide precursor, significantly improved endothelial function to control levels and was harmonized with the normalized plasma levels of l-arginine in patients. l-Arginine therapy improved endothelial dysfunction and showed promise in treating strokelike episodes in MELAS.
In nature, plants are simultaneously exposed to number of biotic and abiotic stresses (BS and AbS), hence adversely affecting the overall plant growth and crop productivity. BS are easier to control unlike AbS are multigeneic and quantitative in nature. Thus, it is necessary to understand the molecular cross talks of environmental stress response and tolerance in plants. Therefore, for the improvement of crop plants, new methods and tools for genetic transformation is prerequisite. This could be addressed by ultrahigh-throughput computational biology. Especially, the advancement of constrains based omics approaches paves a way to characterize the plant cellular physiology under diverse AbS by publically available genomic, proteomic, ionomic, epigenomic, interactomic, metabolomic and phenomic data is used to increase agricultural crop productivity. Hence, is used to promote molecular based research in model plants as well as important crop plants. Further, the opinion will be useful for molecular biologist and plant physiologists to derive or design agronomically related strategies for the development of large spectrum AbS tolerant crops.
The importance of after school latchkey programs as a major deterrent to the onset of drug use among elementary and secondary school students is reviewed. Most of the data in this study support the need for after school latchkey programs, especially at the elementary school level. Elementary school students indicated gains in all diagnostic categories. The elementary school students showed positive gain scores in family, school, self-esteem, substance use, and personal abuse categories. Elementary school students showed positive gain scores in the substance use category while secondary school students showed negative gain in this area. There is a need to reassert the role of after school latchkey programs in the development of socially desirable behaviors in elementary school students, with a particular need to reassert the role of increasing positive self-esteem in relation to drug use and peer influences. Some implications for educational interventions and drug prevention programs are discussed.
Background Allergic conditions and respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common causes of morbidity and mortality in childhood. The relationship between vitamin D status in pregnancy (mothers), early life (infants) and health outcomes such as allergies and RTIs in infancy is unclear. To date, studies have shown conflicting results. Objective This systematic review aims to gather and appraise existing evidence on the associations between serum vitamin D concentrations during pregnancy and at birth and the development of eczema, wheezing, and RTIs in infants. Data sources PubMed, MEDLINE, ProQuest, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Academic Search Premier databases were searched systematically using specified search terms and keywords. Study selection Articles on the associations between serum vitamin D concentrations during pregnancy and at birth and eczema, wheezing, and RTIs among infants (1-year-old and younger) published up to 31 March 2019 were identified, screened and retrieved. Results From the initial 2678 articles screened, ten met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. There were mixed and conflicting results with regards to the relationship between maternal and cord blood vitamin D concentrations and the three health outcomes—eczema, wheezing and RTIs—in infants. Conclusion Current findings revealed no robust and consistent associations between vitamin D status in early life and the risk of developing eczema, wheezing and RTIs in infants. PROSPERO registration no. CRD42018093039.
Traditional medicine (TM) has been used since ages, during the past few decades there was a notable global increase in TM usage. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) around 70% of world population relies on traditional healing system for their basic health care needs. The broad use of TM has highlighted many issues subjected to the efficacy and safety of such products. Some TM products contain toxic materials such as heavy metals. Exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) can cause adverse health effects and toxicity. This article explains, several possibilities for the presence of heavy metals in TM, the toxicity of some heavy metals and a number of reported clinical cases regarding to heavy metals toxicity due to the consumption of TM products from different parts of the world.
Determinants for a forest information system. This paper tests the relative importance of a group of pre-selected themes for the construction of a Forestry Information System for Brazil – BR-SIFLOR. The methodology that was used lies on a set of 12 thematic modules and 58 sub-themes in order to be evaluated by a group of people (holistic judging method). The information relates to: 1) Forest cover; 2) Production Forests; 3) Ownership of Forest Lands; 4) Forest-based Industry; 5) Forest Products Market; 6) Technology Products; 7) Forest Biological Diversity; 8) Climate Change and Forest; 9) Forest Economics and Statistics; 10) Forest Law; 11) Forest Certification; 12) Forestry Teaching and Research. We conclude that the key information to be included in the SIFLOR focus on themes of Forest Economy and Production.
Tedford, R. H. (Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, The American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York 10024) 1976. Relationship of pinnipeds to other carnivores (Mammalia). Syst. Zool. 25:363-374.-Classical studies in comparative anatomy in the last century led to the recognition of a tripartite subdivision of the living Carnivora, modified in this century into a bipartite subdivision formalized in most classifications at superfamily rank (Canoidea and Feloidea). Osteological characters, particularly those of the cranium, support the sister-group relationship of the Canoidea and Feloidea and permit their recognition into early Oligocene time. Analysis of the Canoidea further supports the sister-group relationship of the Canidae (Cynoidea) with the Ursidae-ProcyonidaeMustelidae (Arctoidea) as classically perceived. These groups are also recognizable on osteological criteria in the Oligocene. Recent studies in the comparative anatomy, paleontology and immunology of the pinnipeds have reinforced their phylogenetic affinity with the Arctoidea. Paleontology and comparative anatomy in particular have presented a convincing case of sister-group relationship of the Ursidae (especially the Amphicynodontinae) with the Otarioidea (including the extinct Enaliarctinae). A major gap in the early history of the Phocidae limits paleontological contribution to the question of their precise sister-group within the Arctoidea. The early Miocene aquatic arctoid Potamotherium fulfills many of the morphological criteria deduced for a phocid sister-group when autapomorphous characters of the living and fossil phocids are removed. Postcranial resemblances are particularly strong reflecting the reliance of Potamotherium on body flexion in swimming as in the phocids. Potamotherium retains a differentiated dentition and cranial characters which can be compared with other arctoids and these agree most unequivocably with those of the mustelids suggesting a specific sister-group relationship of the Mustelidae with the seals and Potamotherium. Thus the osteological evidence supports a specific sister-group relationship of the otariids with the ursids and of the phocids (including Potamotherium and its close relative Semantor) with the mustelids within the Arctoidea. By contrast immunological comparisons provided to date suggest a sistergroup relationship of the pinnipeds as a whole with the remaining Arctoidea. A cladogram (Fig. 5) summarizes the criteria for recognition of the sister-groups within the Canoidea and suggests a new classification which would express the phylogenetic conclusions of this paper. Modern classifications of the Carnivora begin with the work of two 19th century English anatomists, H. N. Turner, Jr. (1848) and W. H. Flower (1869). These men proposed the presently used diagnoses for the family divisions within the Order. Their work is especially noteworthy in that basicranial characters were emphasized for the first time, along with the traditional dental, postcranial and soft-part features noted by previous students. Flower and Turner both deduced that the families of living Carnivora could be divided into three groups (usually ranked as superfamilies) based primarily on the morphology of the auditory bulla (Fig. 1). The categories and principal characters used by Flower were: 1) the Arctoidea, in which he included the Ursidae, Ailuridae, Procyonidae and Mustelidae, possess a single-chambered auditory bulla; 2) the Cynoidea (he included only the Canidae) in which the bulla possesses a low septum but the middle ear cavity is not completely divided by it; and 3) the Aeluroidea, including the Felidae, Viverridae, Cryptoproctidae, Hyaenidae, Protelidae, in which the bulla is completely divided into two chambers by a prominent septum. In addition to these features, the patterns of the principal basicranial foramina aided in grouping the families in the same fashion as the structure of the bulla. Flower, writing ten years after the publi-
Abstract Spirorchiids (family Spirorchiidae Stunkard 1921) are a group of flukes that inhabit the circulatory system of turtles. Infection by members of the family Spirorchiidae involves egg deposition in the host bloodstream and accumulation in tissues, which cause inflammatory reactions and embolisms, leading or contributing to the death of the host. Reports of spirorchiid egg lesions in loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta Linnaeus, 1758) have only been reported from U.S. hosts. In the present report a female loggerhead sea turtle was found dead on the beach in the north part of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. During gross necropsy, no parasite egg nodule was found. But the microscopic analysis revealed a mild granulomatous inflammatory process due to eggs from the family Spirorchiidae and both Langhans giant cells and foreign-body giant cells in the heart, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and spleen. The present note is the first record of tissue lesions due to spirorchiid eggs in a loggerhead sea turtle outside the United States.
But when all is read one may pause and consider that one has gained no new information about life and conditions "on the other side". In keeping the messages in harmony with the teaching of the Bible, except possibly as to the fate of impenitent sinners, the letters have added uoessential item to what is revealed in the Bible. Stead gained, and others like him gained, in confidence of the reality of the other world by having these communications from those whom they knew "on this side". They think to substitute faith with knowledge. But to the rest of us it is still as much a matter of faith as ever. Then what are we to do with the inconsistencies, even the contradictions, in the testimonies that come from different ones who have "passed over"? What, for example, shall we do about the messages which "Julia" gave to Mr. Stead and those more recent messages to Sir Oliver Lodge from "Raymond"? Haw, too, account for "Julia's" style of argument and expression being so much of a piece with that of Mr. Stead? The book is very interesting, its teachings are mainly very sound and salutary. But one remains puzzled and unconvinced. W. O. CARVER.
We report the case of a young child suffering from vertigo and hearing loss caused by asymptomatic mumps.A three-year-old boy showed loss of body balance and vomiting. There was no swelling of the parotid glands and he did not complain of hearing loss, but we found he had spontaneous nystagmus to the left. During the medical examination, he staggered to the right from the standing position. After ABR testing, we found abnormality of his right ear and the testing showed high indices of mumps IgM and IgG. CT findings suggested tympanitis in his left ear, but no such sign was seen in the right. As a result of these tests we diagnosed asymptomatic mumps causing dizziness and hearing loss. Four months after he became ill, we found his spontaneous nystagmus had disappeared, but after head shaking nystagmus testing, nystagmus to the left was still observed. Subsequently, we observed that the patient often ran in the opposite direction from which his name was called.It is very rare for young children to complain of dizziness and vertigo. We should be aware that some children with hearing loss may not complain of symptoms. Physi-cians must also keep in mind that inner ear disorders can be caused by asymptomatic mumps. The number of mumps infections is on the increase. This disease is very hard to cure, so vaccination against mumps needs to be encouraged.
The effects of a radiation field (RF) on the interaction process of a relativistic electron beam (REB) with an electron plasma are investigated. The stopping power of the test electron averaged with a period of the RF has been calculated assuming an underdense plasma, $ omega_{0} > omega_{p}$, where $ omega_{0}$ is the frequency of the RF and $ omega_{p}$ is the plasma frequency. In order to highlight the effect of the radiation field we present a comparison of our analytical and numerical results obtained for nonzero RF with those for vanishing RF. In particular, it has been shown that the weak RF increases the mean energy loss for small angles between the velocity of the REB and the direction of polarization of the RF while decreasing it at large angles. Furthermore, the relative deviation of the energy loss from the field-free value is strongly reduced with increasing the beam energy. Special case of the parallel orientation of the polarization of the RF with respect to the beam velocity has been also considered. At high-intensities of the RF two extreme regimes have been distinguished when the excited harmonics cancel effectively each other reducing strongly the energy loss or increasing it due to the constructive interference. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the energy loss of the ultrarelativistic electron beam increases systematically with the intensity of the RF exceeding essentially the field-free value.
An anthropological study of the island of Lamu, an island belonging to Kenya off the East African coast, and its religious symbolism. This esoteric study moves to the heart of the religion of the Lamu people. The author explores the structure of their Islamic system and the relations between its various components and everyday life. In discussing myth and ritual as functions of existential symbolism, the book stresses the daily significance of the religious myths for the people. It goes on to examine specific myths, such as the stylized structure of the myth of creation and the myth of the transfer of the "light" from Noah to his sons. In the author's words, "In Lamu, myth, ritual, the Qur'an and Mohammed are the cast of an ongoing play, continually awaiting script and direction their precise characters changing from scene to scene." Recommended for Academic Libraries.
In recent years, speech enhancement (SE) has achieved impressive progress with the success of deep neural networks (DNNs). However, the DNN approach usually fails to generalize well to unseen environmental noise that is not included in the training. To address this problem, we propose "noise tokens" (NTs), which are a set of neural noise templates that are jointly trained with the SE system. NTs dynamically capture the environment variability and thus enable the DNN model to handle various environments to produce STFT magnitude with higher quality. Experimental results show that using NTs is an effective strategy that consistently improves the generalization ability of SE systems across different DNN architectures. Furthermore, we investigate applying a state-of-the-art neural vocoder to generate waveform instead of traditional inverse STFT (ISTFT). Subjective listening tests show the residual noise can be significantly suppressed through mel-spectrogram correction and vocoder-based waveform synthesis.
When using heterogeneous hardware other than CPUs, barriers of technical skills such as OpenCL are high. Based on that, I have proposed environment adaptive software that enables automatic conversion, configuration, and high-performance operation of once written code, according to the hardware to be placed. Partly of the offloading to the GPU was automated previously. In this paper, I propose and evaluate an automatic extraction method of appropriate offload target loop statements of source code as the first step of offloading to FPGA. I evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method in multiple applications.
This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of a partial μ-opioid agonist, buprenorphine, against the formalin-induced hyperalgesia in the upper lip in chronically inferior alveolar nerve (IAN)-transected rats. Subcutaneous injection of diluted formalin into the upper lip in the IAN-transected rats showed an increased number of pain-related behavior (PRB; face-rubbing behavior) in every phase up to 45 min (p < 0.01) compared with that in the nontransected sham control rats. The numbers of c-Fos-immunoreactive (IR) cells in the superficial layers of the trigeminal nucleus caudalis (VcI/II) at the rostral (0-0.7 mm caudal to the obex) and middle levels (1.4-2.2 mm caudal to the obex) 2 h after the formalin injection in the IAN-transected rats were significantly increased compared with those in the control rats. The PRB in phases 1 and 2 (0-15 and 15-30 min after formalin injection) in rats with preadministration of morphine (3 mg/kg i.p.) or buprenorphine (100 µg/kg i.p.) was significantly (p < 0.05) smaller than those in the control rats. There was no significant difference in the efficacy between morphine and buprenorphine at these doses. The antinociceptive efficacy in phase 2 of buprenorphine (100 µg/kg) was higher (p < 0.05) than that of morphine (3 mg/kg) in the IAN-transected rats. The number of c-Fos-IR cells in the VcI/II at every level (0-3.6 mm caudal to the obex) after formalin injection was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) with preadministration of morphine (3 mg/kg) or buprenorphine (100 µg/kg) in the control rats. In the IAN-transected rats, the number of c-Fos-IR cells in the caudal VcI/II (2.2-3.6 mm caudal to the obex) after formalin injection was significantly decreased (p < 0.01) with preadministration of buprenorphine (100 µg/kg) but not so much (2.2-2.9 mm caudal to the obex, p < 0.05; 2.9-3.6 mm caudal to the obex, p > 0.05) with preadministration of morphine (3 mg/kg). These results indicate that IAN transection enhanced formalin-induced nocifensive responses in the upper lip, the dermatome of the intact nerve neighboring the IAN. Systemic preadministration of buprenorphine had more antinociceptive effects on the formalin-induced nocifensive behavior in the upper lip compared with morphine in the IAN-transected rats.
Smartphones and other mobile computing devices are being widely adopted globally [1].The increasing popularity of smart devices has led users to perform all their day to day activities using these devices [2]. Hence, M-banking has become more convenient, effective and reliable [3]. It is extremely necessary to provide the security services including; confidentiality, integrity, and authentication between the financial institutions‟ servers and the mobile device used by the customer, as their communications are through unsecured networks such as the Internet [4].Users‟ confidential information may be at risk due to fixed valuesbased security schemes, one level authentication, separate hard token-based authentication, hardware stealing, and Android-Based attacks. This paper specifies a comprehensive sought of how M-banking schemes can be assessed. Also it introduces a solution to mitigate most of these risks.
Radio frequency-orbital angular momentum (RF-OAM) is a novel approach of multiplexing a set of orthogonal modes on the same frequency channel to achieve high spectrum efficiencies. Since OAM requires precise alignment of the transmit and the receive antennas, the electronic beam steering approach has been proposed for the uniform circular array (UCA)-based OAM communication system to circumvent large performance degradation induced by small antenna misalignment in practical environment. However, in the case of large-angle misalignment, the OAM channel capacity cannot be effectively compensated only by the electronic beam steering. To solve this problem, we propose a hybrid mechanical and electronic beam steering scheme, in which mechanical rotating devices controlled by pulse width modulation (PWM) signals as the execution unit are utilized to eliminate the large misalignment angle, while electronic beam steering is in charge of the remaining small misalignment angle caused by perturbations. Furthermore, due to the interferometry, the receive signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) are not uniform at the elements of the receive UCA. Therefore, a rotatable UCA structure is proposed for the OAM receiver to maximize the channel capacity, in which the simulated annealing algorithm is adopted to obtain the optimal rotation angle at first, then the servo system performs mechanical rotation, at last the electronic beam steering is adjusted accordingly. Both mathematical analysis and simulation results validate that the proposed hybrid mechanical and electronic beam steering scheme can effectively eliminate the effect of diverse misalignment errors of any practical OAM channel and maximize the OAM channel capacity.
Our understanding of population pain epidemiology is largely based on national-level analyses. This focus, however, neglects potential cross-national, and especially sub-national, geographic variations in pain, even though geographic comparisons could shed new light on factors that drive or protect against pain. This article presents the first comparative analysis of pain in the U.S. and Canada, comparing the countries in aggregate and analyzing variation across states and provinces. Analyses are based on cross-sectional data collected in 2020 from 2,124 U.S. and 2,110 Canadian adults 18 years and older. Our pain measure is a product of pain frequency and pain-related interference with daily activities. We use regression and decomposition methods to link socioeconomic characteristics and pain, and inverse-distance weighting spatial interpolation to map pain scores. We find significantly and substantially higher pain in the U.S. than in Canada. The difference is accounted for by Americans' lower economic wellbeing. Additionally, we find variation in pain within countries; the variation is statistically significant across U.S. states. Further, we identify nine hotspot states in the Deep South, Appalachia, and the West where respondents have significantly higher pain than those in the rest of the U.S. or Canada. This excess pain is partly attributable to economic distress, but a large part remains unexplained; we speculate that it may reflect the sociopolitical context of the hotspot states. Overall, our findings identify areas with high need for pain prevention and management; they also other scholars to consider geographic factors as important contributors to population pain.
River regulation can alter the structural complexity and natural dynamics of river ecosystems substantially with negative consequences for aquatic insects. However, there have been few studies of regulation effects on the export of emergent insects into terrestrial ecosystems. In northern Scandinavia, we compared emerged aquatic insect and terrestrial invertebrate biomass between four strongly regulated and four free‐flowing rivers using fortnightly measurements at three upland‐forest blocks in each over one summer. The biomass of emerged aquatic insects was significantly lower along regulated rivers than free‐flowing rivers. Biomass in Linyphiidae, Opiliones, Staphylinidae, total Coleoptera, Formicidae and total terrestrial invertebrates was also lower along regulated rivers. Aquatic insect biomass did not explain the entire regulation effect on terrestrial invertebrates but did explain significant variations among Linyphiidae, total Coleoptera, Formicidae and total terrestrial biomass. Variations in Formicidae also explained significant variance among several terrestrial taxa, suggesting some keystone role in this group. Overall, our results suggest that river regulation affects upland‐forest invertebrate communities, with at least some of these effects arising from links between aquatic emergence and terrestrial predators. The data highlight the need to consider areas beyond the riparian zone when assessing the effects of river regulation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cannabis is becoming increasingly present in our society. In recent years, the line between the natural (cannabis) and the synthetic (synthetic cannabinoids), the recreational (cannabis) and the medical (pharmaceutical cannabinoids and medical cannabis) has been crossed. In this paper we review some of the novel aspects of cannabis and cannabinoids in relation to their legal situation, changes in their composition and forms of cannabis use, the concept of medical cannabis, and synthetic cannabinoids as new psychoactive substances (NPS). We have also analyzed serious adverse reactions and intoxications associated with the use of synthetic cannabinoids, as well as the latest developments in the research of pharmaceutical cannabinoids.
This study was designed as an introduction to the main determinants of the development of smaller towns in the western part of Galicia in the years 1772-1866. It was assumed that these places had fewer than 5000 residents, though their urban status was not in doubt. During this period, the authorities were only interested in towns that belonged to the state and the largest private towns, where the authorities attended to the professionalisation of municipalities. However, given the prevailing low incomes, the attempt at professionalisation did not contribute to the municipalities' development. The attendant changes did not affect a large group of smaller private towns. It was only the later reorganisation of the local administration, in the 1850s, that yielded the opportunity to promote many small towns. A common weakness the towns shared was the poor organisation of education, although the mere presence of educational institutions distinguished them from villages. However, in view of the significant population growth in this period, we may presume that this growth was due to growth factors other than the above.
Factors interfering with market-based alignment of drug prices and value make explicit value assessment necessary. The widely used quality-adjusted life year serves as a starting point because it accounts for both quality and length of life. Cost estimates could improve by accounting for drug price changes accompanying the loss of market exclusivity. Consistent use of a societal perspective when relevant would also improve value assessments. Prices should sometimes reflect government contributions to development, although such adjustments make the most sense when government facilitates late-stage research. The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, a private group with a leading role in US value assessment, should make its analyses transparent and defer to payers regarding judgements about value. Finally, payers should embrace value-based pricing. They may not always get the lowest prices, but aligning price and value will mean society expends its resources efficiently and improves the population’s overall health.
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Abstract: Ninety‐eight patients completed a double‐blind, multidose, randomized parallel study in which buprenorphine (Temgesic) was compared to morphine. Drugs were administered at approximately equipotent intramuscular doses for a maximum of three days for the relief of moderate to severe postoperative pain. The two drugs exhibited similar profiles with pain relief evident at ½ hour, peaking at 1 hour, and decreasing to slight relief at 4–5 hours, with no significant differences for time to remedication. The most frequent side effect was somnolence. One patient suffered sudden chest pain shortly after an injection of morphine, and one patient had moderate hypoventilation after buprenorphine; both patients recovered uneventfully. Overall, both drugs provided good or excellent analgesia in 80 per cent of the patients in this unique multidose/observational study. Thus, these data and the reported lack of withdrawal symptoms and the absence of physical dependence liability suggest that buprenorphine may have a role in the management of chronic pain.
Instructional coaching has emerged as a popular policy lever for improvement efforts in an era of teacher evaluation. In this environment, coaches often face conflicting demands between their educative duties to develop teachers and their reform-oriented responsibilities to implement district policy. Coaches can wield facets of teacher evaluation to promote coherent instructional improvement. Drawing on interview data from 41 coaches across five educational systems, we apply the micropolitics perspective to examine coaches’ work as they navigate the intersection of teacher evaluation and instructional improvement. Our findings elucidate two major micropolitical strategies: convergence and divergence. In particular, coaches frequently converged their work with evaluation around goal setting and observation feedback, facilitating teachers’ and administrators’ understanding of the evaluation system and instructional reform. Conversely, coaches tended to separate issues of teachers’ formal ratings from their coaching. Our analysis reveals details on coaches’ political role and illuminates benefits and limitations of coaches’ involvement in evaluation.
Results of numerical simulation show that positive velocity anomalies exist in most parts of subduction zones. These values reach their maxima at approximately 400 and 550 km depths, which are consistent with the wave velocity structures determined by seismic tomography. Though resolution is low, seismic tomography shows the basic features of P-wave velocity variations in subduction zones. Data from regional stations indicate that P-wave velocity anomalies can be positive or negative in the range from -10% to 9%. Low velocity anomalies exist at the depth of about 700 km, and metastable olivine leads to formation of low velocity regions that decline along the dip directions of subduction zones. Low resolution of seismic tomography is an obstacle to show detailed P-wave velocity structure of subduction zones. To investigate fine structures of subduction zones, we should use high-resolution data obtained from regional networks.
Purpose          In this study, the authors relate cultural masculinity to individual level sexist beliefs (hostile and benevolent sexism) and gendered entrepreneurial stereotypes. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether hostile and benevolent sexism affect entrepreneurial intentions and whether this relationship is mediated by gendered entrepreneurial stereotypes.          Design/methodology/approach          The proposed relationships are explored using a sample of 192 participants from the USA and India with varying interest in starting a business. An online survey instrument was used to collect the data. Regression and mediation analyses were used to analyze the data.          Findings          The authors find that both hostile and benevolent sexism are positively related to entrepreneurial intentions of both men and women. However, only benevolent sexism is related to both the masculine and feminine gender traits ascribed to entrepreneurs. Interestingly, the authors find support that hostile sexism is actually positively related to feminine traits ascribed to entrepreneurs, albeit with a small effect size. The authors do not find any support that these results vary by participant gender; the findings are implicated for both men and women alike. The authors find that for both hostile and benevolent sexism only the feminine traits perceived as stereotypic of entrepreneurs partly mediate their relationship on entrepreneurial intentions.          Research limitations/implications          The survey consists of cross-sectional, self-report data, and therefore the authors cannot conclusively infer causality. The direction of relationships found is of theoretical value. Only two countries are included in the sample limiting generalizability to other countries. Most of the participants in the sample reported some interest or experience in nascent entrepreneurial activities, which may limit the generalizability of findings to those without any prior interest or experience as a nascent entrepreneur.          Originality/value          The relationship between ambivalent sexism (both hostile and benevolent sexism) and both entrepreneurial intentions, and the gendered traits ascribed to entrepreneurs, has not yet been explored before this work. Using the lens of cultural masculinity, we present a theoretical model of how hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes facilitate or inhibit entrepreneurship via how entrepreneurs are perceived. This is the first study we know of which explores the relationship between Ambivalent Sexism and the gender attributes ascribed to entrepreneurs, and how these gendered entrepreneurial stereotypes in turn are related to entrepreneurial intentions.
Lightweight complex concentrated alloys (LWCCA), composed of elements with low density, have become a great area of interest due to the high demand in a large number of applications. Previous research on LWCCAs was focused on high entropy multicomponent alloy systems that provide low density and high capability of solid solution formation. Present research introduces two alloy systems (Al-Cu-Si-Zn-Mg and Al-Mn-Zn-Mg-Si) that contain readily available and inexpensive starting materials and have potential for solid solution formation structures. For the selection of appropriate compositions, authors applied semi-empirical criteria and optimization software. Specialized modeling software (MatCalc) was used to determine probable alloy structures by CALPHAD, non-equilibrium solidification and kinetic simulations. The selected alloys were prepared in an induction furnace. Specimens were heat treated to provide stable structures. Physicochemical, microstructural, and mechanical characterization was performed for the selected alloy compositions. Modeling and experimental results indicated solid solution-based structures in the as-cast and heat-treated samples. Several intermetallic phases were present at higher concentrations than in the conventional alloys. Alloys presented a brittle structure with compression strength of 486–618 MPa and hardness of 268–283 HV. The potential for uniform intermetallic phase distribution in the selected alloys makes them good candidates for applications were low weight and high resistance is required.
A 9-month-old, previously well, girl presented to a regional Victorian Emergency Department, unwell, with significant decrease in oral intake and almost nil urine or bowel output in the previous 2 days. On examination within the Emergency Department, she was febrile to 38.2 C, tachycardic to 200 beats per minute, and tachypneic to 56 breaths per minute (but not hypoxic). She was pale and lethargic. Her chest was clear, and a murmur was not heard, although her heart rate was significantly elevated. Aside from the non-blanching purple spots on the soles of her feet (Fig. 1a,b), now understood to be janeway lesions, no further abnormalities were noted and she examined otherwise normally. There were no focal neurological deficits nor musculoskeletal abnormalities detected. She had background of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis, 2 weeks prior to this presentation, requiring admission at a tertiary hospital in Adelaide. She had been discharged when her respiratory symptoms were completely resolved; however, she remained generally unwell. On further questioning her mother noted that a murmur had been identified, without any further investigation, during this admission. She was fully immunised and previously well with no antenatal concerns. She was cannulated and a venous blood gas (VBG) showed metabolic acidosis with hyperketonemia (pH 7.22, HCO3 16 mmol/L, lactate 3.4 mmol/L, glucose 10.8, and ketones 4.1 mmol/L). A 10 mL/kg bolus of 0.9% NaCl was given and IV ceftriaxone 50 mg/kg was started, with a plan for ongoing fluid maintenance. Her VBG and clinical presentation rapidly improved with the fluid bolus.
The objective of this study was to accurately predict the grip strength using a deep learning-based method (e.g., multi-layer perceptron [MLP] regression). The maximal grip strength with varying postures (upper arm, forearm, and lower body) of 164 young adults (100 males and 64 females) were collected. The data set was divided into a training set (90% of data) and a test set (10% of data). Different combinations of variables including demographic and anthropometric information of individual participants and postures was tested and compared to find the most predictive model. The MLP regression and 3 different polynomial regressions (linear, quadratic, and cubic) were conducted and the performance of regression was compared. The results showed that including all variables showed better performance than other combinations of variables. In general, MLP regression showed higher performance than polynomial regressions. Especially, MLP regression considering all variables achieved the highest performance of grip strength prediction (RMSE = 69.01N, R = 0.88, ICC = 0.92). This deep learning-based regression (MLP) would be useful to predict on-site- and individual-specific grip strength in the workspace to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders in the upper extremity.
Fourier ptychography uses a phase retrieval algorithm to reconstruct a high-resolution image with a wide field-of-view. Reflective-type Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) is expected to be very useful for surface inspection, but the reported methods have several limitations. We propose a darkfield illuminator for reflective FPM consisting of a parabolic mirror and a flat LED panel. This increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the acquired images because the normal beam of each LED is directed toward the object. Furthermore, the LEDs do not have to be far from the object because they are collimated by the parabolic surface before illumination. Based on this, a reflective FPM with a synthesized numerical aperture (NA) of 1.06 was achieved, which is the highest value by reflective FPM as far as we know. To validate this experimentally, we measured a USAF reflective resolution target and reconstructed a high-resolution image. This resolved up to the period of 488 nm, which corresponds to the synthesized NA. Additionally, an integrated circuit was measured to demonstrate the effectiveness of surface inspection of the proposed system.
A quasi-resonant passive snubber for the conventional dc–dc step-down converter is proposed. The snubber uses six passive components to achieve a zero-current turn-<sc>on</sc> and zero-voltage turn-<sc>off</sc> of the switch, and to suppress the reverse recovery current of diode. At input voltage of 200 V, output voltage of 100 V, output power of 300 W, and switching frequency of 190 kHz, the snubber increased the power conversion efficiency <italic>η<sub>e</sub></italic> by 2.8% and stabilized the temperature of <sc>mosfet</sc> switch at ∼68 °C. The snubber worked well for both <sc>mosfet</sc> and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switches without increasing the voltage stress. These experimental results show that the proposed snubber is very helpful for improving <italic>η<sub>e</sub></italic> of a dc–dc step-down converter that operates at a high frequency.
BACKGROUND Polymorphisms in FcγR have been associated with different forms of periodontitis. This study determined the frequency of FcγRIIa and FcγRIIIb alleles/genotypes in patients with generalized aggressive periodontitis (GAgP).   METHODS Thirty-one GAgP and 49 periodontally healthy Brazilian subjects participated in the study. Full-mouth periodontal examinations were carried out, and mouthwash samples were collected for human DNA isolation. FcγR genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction and hybridization with allele-specific oligonucleotide probes. Significant differences between groups were sought by Mann-Whitney, χ2 , and Fisher exact tests and configural frequency analysis.   RESULTS FcγRIIa-H131 (53.8%) and FcγRIIIb-NA1 (75%) were the most prevalent alleles in this sample population. A significant overrepresentation of FcγRIIIb-NA2 was observed in the GAgP group, whereas FcγRIIIb-NA1 was detected more often in healthy individuals (odds ratio, 32.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10.6 to 99.8; P <0.001). No significant differences in the distribution of the FcγRIIa genotypes were observed between the groups. The prevalence of FcγRIIIb-NA2/NA2 was higher in GAgP patients, whereas FcγRIIIb-NA1/NA1 was predominant in the healthy group (χ2 = 45.1; P <0.001). The combination of the genotypes FcγRIIIb-NA2/NA2 plus FcγRIIa-H/H131 was observed more frequently in GAgP subjects than expected from marginal frequencies (χ2 = 12.5; P <0.001).   CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that the FcγRIIIb-NA2 allele and/or FcγRIIIb-NA2/NA2 genotype and the composite genotype FcγRIIIb-NA2/NA2 plus FcγRIIa-H/H131 may be associated with GAgP, whereas FcγRIIIb-NA1 and/or FcγRIIIb-NA1/NA1 may be related to periodontal health in this sample of the Brazilian population.
We have used P element deletion derivatives at defined locations in the Drosophila genome to construct a 100-kb extended P element more than twice the size of any previously available. We demonstrate that this prototypical extended P element is capable of transposition to new sites in the genome. The structural and functional integrity of a transposed extended P element was confirmed using molecular, genetic, and cytogenetic criteria. This is the first method shown to be capable of producing large, unlinked transpositional duplications in Drosophila. The ability to produce functional transposable elements from half-elements is novel and has many potential applications for the functional analysis of complex genomes.
To earn CME credit you must read the articles and complete the examination below, answering at least 70% of the questions correctly. Mail a photocopy (subscribers and nonsubscribers) or fax (subscribers only) of the completed answer sheet to the Office of Continuing Education, Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute, Inc., 770 Township Line Road, Suite 300, Yardley, PA 19067; fax: (267) 757-0651. Only the first entry will be considered for credit and must be postmarked or faxed by September 26, 2009. Answer sheets will be graded and certificates will be mailed to each participant two times per year: the first certificate will cover CME credit earned for the January through June period; the second certificate will cover CME credit earned for the July through December period. The answers for this examination will appear in the October 2009 issue of Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey.
Abstract A synthesis of the upper Moscovian sedimentological and palaeontological record of terrestrial habitats across the Variscan foreland and adjacent intramontane basins (an area which is referred to here as Variscan Euramerica) suggests a contraction and progressive westward shift of the coal swamps. These changes can be correlated with pulses of tectonic activity (tectonic phases) resulting from the northwards migration of the Variscan Front. This tectonic activity caused disruption to the landscapes and drainage patterns where the coal swamps were growing, which became less suitable to growth of the dominant plants of the swamps, the arborescent lycopsids. They were progressively replaced by vegetation dominated by marattialean ferns, which through a combination of slower growth and larger canopies resulted in less evapo-transpiration. This in turn caused localised reductions in rainfall, which further affected the ability of the lycopsids to dominate the swamp vegetation. These changes were initially localised and where the coal swamps were able to survive the lycopsids and pteridosperms show little change in either species diversity or biogeography, indicating that at this time there was minimal regional-scale climate change taking place. By Asturian times, however, the process had accelerated and the swamps in Variscan Euramerica became progressively replaced by predominantly conifer and cordaite vegetation that favoured much drier substrates. Except in localised pockets in intramontane basins of the Variscan Mountains, the last development of coal swamps in Variscan Euramerica was of early Cantabrian age. Further west, lycopsid-dominated coal swamps persisted for a little longer. The last remnants of the lycopsid-dominated coal swamps in the Illinois Basin disappeared probably by middle-late Cantabrian times, as the cycle of contracting wetlands and regional reductions in rainfall generated its own momentum, and no longer needed the impetus of tectonic instability. This tectonically-driven decline in the Euramerican coal swamps was probably responsible for an annual increase in atmospheric CO2 of c. 0.37 ppm, and may have been implicated in the marked increase in global temperatures near the Moscovian – Kasimovian boundary, and the onset of the Late Pennsylvanian interglacial.
Little Chloe is delighted to bring her beloved cat (who “loves sleeping”) the gift of a new bed. In true feline fashion, however, Kitty prefers to sleep everywhere but her bed—Chloe’s sock drawer, the sink, a potted plant, the bag the bed came in. A disappointed Chloe sprawls on Kitty’s bed, finally catching Kitty’s interest; what the cat wants, though, isn’t to lie on her bed, but to lie on Chloe who’s lying on Kitty’s bed. This is cat and kid reduced to their simple essence—the cat is sweet and completely unbiddable, and the kid wants to delight her beloved pet. Audiences with cats of their own will readily recognize the dynamic, and the spare text, with its gently controlled vocabulary, will be easily accessible to young listeners (and to novice readers). The stylized, simple line and digital color art recalls Dick Bruna and Eric Hill, with both Chloe and Kitty endearingly toylike, while a sly polka-dot theme and some realistic clutter add energy to the scenes. This will ring true for young pet owners and pet owner wannabes, who will all be eager to chime in with true or fictional accounts of their own charges. DS
Background: Diabetic gangrene is one of the complications of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) characterized by open wounds on the skin surface to the dermis layer. One of the complicating factors of the wound healing process is the infection of germs. For infection therapy in diabetic gangrene often associated with the use of antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to determine the germs that found in diabetic gangrene and its sensitivity to antibiotic in diabetic gangrene patients at Naval Hospital Dr. Ramelan Surabaya.Methods: This study is a retrospective descriptive study using 60 data samples that have fulfilled the inclusion criteria and obtained from the result of pus culture in diabetic gangrene at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory of Naval Hospital Dr. Ramelan Surabaya.Results: The results obtained from this study indicate the presence of 13 types of germs found in pus culture of diabetic gangrene patients and the most common found were Escherichia coli (33,3%). While the results on the sensitivity test showed that antibiotics with the highest sensitivity were Cefoperazone/ Sulbactam, Meropenem, and Levofloxacin (92.3%), whereas the lowest sensitivity antibiotic was Ampicilin (15.3%).Conclusion: Diabetic gangrene is often followed by the occurrence of infections that can be caused by various germs, and each germ has a different sensitivity to antibiotics. The culture of gangrene must be done because it is used to determine the type of antibiotic used for the treatment of diabetic gangrene based on the type of germs that infects. However, Cefoperazone/ Sulbactam, Meropenem, and Levofloxacin antibiotics may be the primary antibiotic choice because they have a high level of sensitivity.Keywords: Diabetic gangrene, germ infections, antibiotic sensitivity.
FAO estimates that each year 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted almost 1/3 of the total production intended for human consumption. The amount of food wasted each year in Italy is around 5.1 million tons, of which only 500.000 tons recovered (9% of food surplus). During the last three years, in Italy there was an important increase of the number of charitable organizations (OCs) active in recovering and distributing food for social solidarity’s purposes. The purpose of this study was to carry out hazards identification and potential risks analysis in the phases of recovery, collection, storage and distribution of food surplus with the aim to guarantee food safety among this supply chain. Based on the results of the analysis, the main critical control points (CCPs) were identified to guarantee the microbiological quality and safety of food recovery: (i) the best practices for managing the recovery of the different categories of food, (ii) the control of the correct storage temperatures and (iii) the volunteers required training on good hygiene procedures. The study of the CCPs allowed defining the significant prerequisite programme (PRP) that must be adopted by the OCs. All the PRP have been collected in the Manual of Good Procedures for Charitable Organizations validated by Italian Ministry of Health in conformity to Regulation (EC) n. 852/2004. Thanks to the Manual it has been also possible to write a simplified HACCP system for the benefit of the Centro di Raccolta Solidale per il Diritto al Cibo of Lodi.
Dear Editor Although antimuscarinic drugs have been the gold standard for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) for many years, high discontinuation rates have been noted. Previous studies reported an association between comorbidity and the persistence of antimuscarinic agents in OAB patients. For example, Lua et al. reported that the OAB patients with concurrent diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or depression are more likely to persist with anticholinergic medications. However, the association between comorbidity and medication persistence in OAB patients treated with antimuscarinics may not only be positive, but may also be negative. Therefore, identifying comorbidities associated with low persistence is a topic of great interest because a short-period prescription and close outpatient follow-up are recommended in these patients. Although Yu et al. reported no significant association between comorbidity and persistence with antimuscarinics, Balkrishnan et al. identified lower persistence with antimuscarinics among those with comorbidities. However, both these studies used the Charlson Comorbidity Index to rate the severity of comorbidities instead of investigating the comorbidities themselves. Recently, Vouri et al. explored this issue in a contemporary population of older adults in the US and found that cancer, dry eyes, and urinary retention were comorbidities significantly associated with a lower persistence with antimuscarinics, whereas other comorbidities common among geriatric patients (eg, diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, dementia or mild cognitive impairment, depression, and osteoporosis) were significantly associated with less discontinuation of antimuscarinics. Although that study was restricted to an older adult population, the results made us focus on each comorbidity independently. In our 10-year nationwide population-based cohort study in Taiwan, up to 52.6% of OAB patients using antimuscarinics for at least 3 months had concurrent hyperlipidemia, and hyperlipidemia has
Rice fields are a significantly sources of atmospheric methane. Methanotrophic bacteria are unique in their ability to utilize methane as a sole carbon source and their ability to fix N2. This research successfully characterized N2 fixation activity under different oxygen concentrations of methanotrophic bacteria isolated from rice fields. From 19 tested isolates, four isolates performed activity to fix N2. They could fix N2 on different concentration of air saturation (10 % up to 100%). The growth of methanotrophs is not directly corelated with the N2 fixation activity, and their N2 fixation activities are affected by O2 concentrations. The BGM 3 and BGM 9 isolates had very good N2 fixation activity. Their activities were increased by increasing air saturation up to 50% (approximately 10% O2), but then decrease by increasing air saturation from 50% (approximately 10% O2) to 100% (approximately 20% O2). However, the highest N2 fixation activity was performed by the BGM 9 isolate at 30% air saturation (approximately 6% O2), and the isolate was identified as Methylococcus capsulatus. This information can support application of the isolates to achieve sustainable and environmentally friendly agricultural system.
In the synchronized switching damping (SSD) techniques, the voltage on the piezoelectric element is switched synchronously with the vibration to be controlled using an inductive shunt circuit (SSDI). The inherent capacitance and the inductance in the shunt circuit comprise an electrically resonant circuit. In this study a negative capacitance is used in the shunt circuit instead of an inductance in the traditional SSD technique. The voltage on the piezoelectric element can be effectively inverted though the equivalent circuit is capacitive and no resonance occurs. In order to investigate the principle of the new SSD method based on a negative capacitance (SSDNC), the variation of the voltage on the piezoelectric element and the current in the circuit is analyzed. Furthermore, the damping effect using the SSDNC is deduced, and the energy balance and stability of the new system are investigated analytically. The method is applied to the single mode control and two-mode control of a composite beam, and its control performance was confirmed by the experimental results. For the first mode in single mode control, the SSDNC is much more effective than SSDI. In other cases, the SSDNC is also more effective than the SSDI, although not significantly.
SUMMARY 1. The frequency and intensity of cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoblooms) is increasing globally. While cyanoblooms in eutrophic (nutrient-rich) freshwater lakes are expected to persist and worsen with climate change projections, many of the ‘new’ cyanobloom reports pertain to oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) freshwater lakes with no prior history of cyanobloom occurrence. 2. Iron (Fe) is required in nearly all pathways of cyanobacterial macronutrient use, although its precise role in regulating cyanobacterial biomass across a lake trophic gradient is not fully understood. 3. In all lakes sampled representing a gradient in trophic status from oligotrophic to hypereutrophic (2.2–561.2 l gL � 1 total phosphorus), the relative cyanobacterial biomass was highest at low predicted Fe bioavailability in eutrophic Alberta lakes (<1.0 9 10 � 22 mol L � 1 ) and low Fe concentration in oligotrophic Ontario Lakes (<3.2 l gL � 1 ). 4. Fe-binding organic ligands were measured within this range of low bioavailable Fe. Concentrations of ligands with reactive hydroxamate moieties were positively correlated to cyanobacterial biomass in lakes with low Fe bioavailability and supply, suggesting a possible cellular origin (i.e. siderophores) mediated by low Fe. 5. These findings suggest that Fe serves as a possible cofactor that maintains cyanobacterial biomass across a lake trophic gradient and that cyanobacteria invoke a similar Fe-scavenging system to overcome Fe limitation in lakes of all trophic states.
This paper deals with the study of reliability of quasi-homogeneous bolted joints of the body of thin-walled constructions ofthe steel silos. Heterogeneity of this unit can be caused by number of reasons, in particular by presence of bolts of differentstrength in joint. In such case the reliability of the system is determined trough the probability of trouble-free work of the coefficient of the critical factor. The general conception of stochastic calculation consists in using the Monte-Karlo simulationprocedure for the samples of random values of the large volume. It was formed the system of conditions, under which the reliability of joints is provided and analytical expressions for the value of coefficient of the critical factor is got, and also madepractical calculation example with the following graphic presentation on a special coordinate plane – a critical stochasticscale. It was illustrated that random presence of bolts of less strength in field joint rapidly increases the risk of refusal.
As sensor networks are deployed over various terrains, the complexity of their topology continues to grow. Holes in networks often cause existing geographic routing algorithms to fail. In this paper, we propose a novel geographic routing algorithm called Greedy Forwarding with VIrtual Position (GF-ViP). We introduce virtual position as the middle position of all neighbors of a node. Instead of comparing nodes' geographic position, GF-ViP employs virtual position for selecting the next hop. Such virtual position reflects the neighborhood of a sensor node, as well as the tendency of further forwarding. For network with routing holes, GF-ViP significantly increases success rate of packet routing, while the overhead is kept low.    Furthermore, multiple levels of virtual position can be obtained with localized iteration. We propose the Greedy Forwarding with Multi-level Virtual Position (GF-MVP) algorithm. According to various context information of a sensor network, different levels of virtual position can be used alternatively to increase success rate of packet routing in sensor networks.
Using a constructed data series and another data series based on the All Media and Products surveys (AMPS), this paper explores trends in poverty and income distribution over the post-transition period. To steer clear of an unduly optimistic conclusion, assumptions are chosen that would tend to show the least decline in poverty. Whilst there were no strong trends in poverty for the period 1995 to 2000, both data series show a considerable decline in poverty after 2000, particularly in the period 2002-2004. Poverty dominance testing shows that this decline is independent of the poverty line chosen or whether the poverty headcount, the poverty ratio or the poverty severity ratio are used as measure. We find likely explanations for this strong and robust decline in poverty in the massive expansion of the social grant system as well as possibly in improved job creation in recent years. Whilst the collective income of the poor (using our definition of poverty) was only R27 billion in 2000, the grants (in constant 2000 Rand values) have expanded by R22 billion since. Even if the grants were not well targeted at the poor (and in the past they have been), a large proportion of this spending must have reached the poor, thus leaving little doubt that poverty must have declined substantially. However, there are limits to the expansion of the grant system as a meaNS of poverty alleviation, pointing to the importance of economic growth with job creation for sustaining the decline in poverty The data also shows that there is substantial progress in economic terms amongst some Black, who have managed to join the middle class. This expansion was most rapid at the upper end of the income spectrum – Blacks constituted about half the growth of this segment of the consumer market in the period 1995-2004.
Shimin Chen, Yuetang Wang, and Ziye Zhao (2009) examine motivations for managers of Chinese-listed firms to report asset impairment reversals. The study documents that the reporting of such reversals reflects incentives to avoid delisting from Chinese stock exchanges and that stronger monitoring mechanisms attenuate this opportunistic reporting. The study exploits a unique feature of financial reporting within China, which allows large sample investigation of impairment reversals. I discuss the study's strengths, note some limitations on the analyses and inferences, and suggest recommendations for future research.
tionship to cultural oral studies—for example, in his discussion of metaphor and myth and their relationship to the audience—he offsets these with weaker examples, as in his comment, "By purposeful oversimplification and some slight exaggeration, a typical line of oral poetry might be described as follows..." (59). Terms such as "purposeful oversimplification" and "slight exaggeration" do not give the reader a sense of confidence. This last example is the weak link in Scheub's discussion of this most important subject. Orality and oral cultures in general have long been overlooked by Western scholars because of the Hegelian assumption that cultures without a written history are inferior. Now, as cultural and postcolonial studies join the established oral studies scholars on the academic dais, the question arises, "Where do Professor Scheub and his cohort fit?" Perhaps it is this more subjective approach to orality that should complement contemporary scholarship. When one becomes "too theoretically informed," one may very well overlook the human side of experience, the ritualistic and ceremonial encounters that have provided the very foundations of all of our cultures.
Background:  In pediatric patients, several studies have been undertaken to establish central venous catheter (CVC) tip optimal depth. Assessments of catheter tip position using chest radiographs may be misleading, whereas transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been shown to accurately monitor catheter tip placement at the superior vena cava–right atrial (SVC–RA) junction. The aim of this study was to issue a guideline for ideal catheter insertion depth, from the right internal jugular vein (IJV) using TEE to confirm the position of the catheter tip at the SVC–RA junction.
Abstract The chemical space of naturally occurring compounds is vast and diverse. Other than biologics, naturally occurring small molecules include a large variety of compounds covering natural products from different sources such as plant, marine, and fungi, to name a few, and several food chemicals. The systematic exploration of the chemical space of naturally occurring compounds have significant implications in many areas of research including but not limited to drug discovery, nutrition, bio- and chemical diversity analysis. The exploration of the coverage and diversity of the chemical space of compound databases can be carried out in different ways. The approach will largely depend on the criteria to define the chemical space that is commonly selected based on the goals of the study. This chapter discusses major compound databases of natural products and cheminformatics strategies that have been used to characterize the chemical space of natural products. Recent exemplary studies of the chemical space of natural products from different sources and their relationships with other compounds are also discussed. We also present novel chemical descriptors and data mining approaches that are emerging to characterize the chemical space of naturally occurring compounds.
STUDY OBJECTIVES COPD affects millions of people in the United States. The purpose of this study was to describe the medical resource use and costs incurred by persons with COPD in the United States in 1987.   DESIGN Data for this study were derived from the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey. A societal perspective was adopted for this analysis.   PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS All persons > or = 40 years old with resource use or expenditures for chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or nonspecific chronic airway obstruction were included in this study.   RESULTS Mean per-person direct medical expenditures among persons with COPD were $6,469 (1987 US dollars), about 25% of which was COPD related. Approximately 68% of direct medical expenditures in persons with COPD were for inpatient hospitalization.   CONCLUSIONS COPD causes a large societal burden of illness that is expected to increase. This study provides a valuable foundation and historical measure against which to compare other estimates.
BACKGROUND the 16-item Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) has been shown to have excellent reliability and construct validity. However, for practical and clinical purposes, a shortened version of the FES-I would be useful.   OBJECTIVE to develop and validate a shortened version of FES-I while preserving good psychometric properties.   DESIGN initial development of a shortened version using data from a UK survey (Short FES-I; n = 704), test of reliability and validity of the Short FES-I using data from a Dutch survey (n = 300).   SETTING community samples.   METHODS comparison of reliability and validity of the Short FES-I and the FES-I in a random sample of 193 people aged between 70 and 92.   RESULTS the internal and 4-week test-retest reliability of the Short FES-I is excellent (Cronbach's alpha 0.92, intra-class coefficient 0.83) and comparable to the FES-I. The correlation between the Short FES-I and the FES-I is 0.97. Patterns in differences with respect to mean scores according to age, sex, falls history, and overall fear of falling are similar for the Short FES-I and the FES-I. The FES-I had slightly better power to discriminate between groups differentiated by age, sex, falls history, and fear falling, but differences are small.   CONCLUSIONS the Short FES-I is a good and feasible measure to assess fear of falling in older persons. However, if researchers or clinicians are particularly interested in the distributions of specific fear of falling-related activities not included in the Short FES-I, the use of the full FES-I is recommended.
AbstractOrganizational effectiveness is the main concern of all higher education institutes. Over the years there have been many different models of effectiveness along with the criteria for measuring organizational effectiveness. In this paper, four main models of organizational effectiveness namely the goal approach, the system resource approach, the process approach and the strategic constituency approach are reviewed. Moreover, this paper introduces several models of organizational effectiveness in higher education. Then, a brief review is made on some empirical studies that used the Cameron's (1978) model of organizational effectiveness. In the end, the paper suggests that Cameron's (1978) model seems the most appropriate for studying organizational effectiveness in higher education.Keywords: Cameron's (1978) model, Higher education, Organizational effectiveness model1. Organizational EffectivenessIn the 1980s, organizational effectiveness became more prominent and switched to being a concept from the status of a construct (Henry, 2011). This concept is related to issues such as the ability of an organization to access and absorb resources and consequently achieve its aims (Federman, 2006). As Gigliotti (1987) said, a unit which is individually ineffective in terms of cooperation with the rest of the organization is doomed to failure. Cameron (1978) pointed out that organizational effectiveness is the proficiency of the organization at having access to the essential resources. However, McCann (2004) noted it as the criterion of the organization's successful fulfillment of their purposes through core strategies.initwatanakhun's (1998) study illustrated that organizational effectiveness should focus on human resources and organizations and help individuals to achieve skills and self-esteem in order to control the new environment and find security and support. As Baker and Branch (2002) pointed out, the organizations, laboratories and universities that are involved in scientific researches suffer most, because they have to present effective management, behave more responsibly, and do jobs with limited resources in order to improve their effectiveness. Although willing to improve their effectiveness, the managers in these organizations first see themselves as scientists and then managers. However, they have to deal with the problems of the organization and system effectiveness. They are obliged to be innovative in their research, conduct, sponsorship as well as design and management of their organizations.In the literature, there is not a single model of organizational effectiveness to fit all organizations. According to Balduck and Buelens (2008), the issue of effectiveness in organizations revolves round four main approaches: the system resource approach, the goal approach, the strategic constituency approach and the internal process approach. These are effective and efficient approaches which are contingent upon the type of situation to arise. This paper deals with the characteristics of the four models of organizational effectiveness as referred to below.2. Main Models of Organizational Effectiveness2.1 The Goal ApproachThe first extensively used approach in organizational effectiveness is the goal approach. Its focus is on theoutput to figure out the essential operating objectives like profit, innovation and finally product quality (Schermerhorn, Hunt, R. N. Osborn, & R. Osborn, 2004). There are some basic assumptions for the goal approach. One of them is that there should be a general agreement on the specific goals and the people involved should feel committed to fulfilling them. The next assumption is that the number of goals is limited and achieving them requires certain indispensable resources (Robbins, 2003). As Altschuld and Zheng (1995) said the weakened significance of the goal-based approach for the evaluation of the effectiveness of research organizations and academic establishments is depicted in the accurate and clear measurement of the results. …
Metal and metal hybrid nanostructures have shown tremendous application in the biomedical and catalytic fields because of their plasmonic and catalytic properties. Here, a green and clean method was employed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticle (Ag NP)-SiO2-Fe2O3 hybrid microstructures, and biomolecules from green tea extracts were used for constructing the hybrid structures. The SiO2-Fe2O3 structures were synthesized using an ethanolic green tea leaf extract to form Bio-SiO2-Fe2O3 (BSiO2-Fe2O3) structures. Biochemical studies demonstrated the presence of green tea biomolecules in the BSiO2 layer. Reduction of the silver ions was performed by a BSiO2 layer to form Ag NPs of 5–10 nm in diameter in and on the BSiO2-Fe2O3 microstructure. The reduction process was observed within 600 s, which is faster than that reported elsewhere. The antimicrobial activity of the Ag-BSiO2-Fe2O3 hybrid structure was demonstrated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and the nanostructures were further visualized using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The magnetic properties of the Ag-BSiO2-Fe2O3 hybrid structure were used for studying reusable antimicrobial activity. Thus, in this study, we provide a novel green route for the construction of a biomolecule-entrapped SiO2-Fe2O3 structure and their use for the ultra-fast formation of Ag NPs to form antimicrobial active multifunctional hybrid structures.
Calcium ionophore A23187 or phenylephrine injected i.p. in doses of 0.05-0 .25 mg kg-1 and 0.1-1 mg kg-1, respectively, induced translocation of protein kinase C (PKC) from the cytosol to the membrane fraction of the rat frontal cortex and hippocampus. The action of A23187 was blocked in a dose-dependent manner by nifedipine and verapamil. The phenylephrine induced translocation of PKC was blocked by prazosin and in a dose-dependent manner by nifedipine and verapamil. In contrast, pre-treatment with a small, ineffective by itself, dose of A23187 (0.02 mg kg-1) potentiated the alpha1-adrenoceptor induced translocation of PKC. Thus, it seems that the influx of calcium ions through an L-type calcium channel is probably necessary for a full alpha1-adrenoceptor mediated activation and translocation of PKC.
The problem of ground level ozone is familiar to almost all the nations in the world. The levels of ozone are reported to be frequently exceeding the prescribed guidelines and hence have found their way into news papers. The effects of ground level ozone pollution have been studied in detail by various researchers world-wide [1-7]. These researchers have reported that concentration of ozone is increasing in most parts of the world. Their studies conclude that the rate of pollution is so high that even the background levels of ozone have also risen. Even in developing nations like India the rising concentrations of ozone are being reported from various parts of the country. The study conducted by Naja and Lal (1996) reports that the ozone concentrations are rising at a rate of 1-2% year in Ahmadabad. During 2004 at Pune the highest hourly concentration was recorded to be 75 ppb. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has provided the permissible limit for ground level ozone in the year 2009, 180μg/m3 for one hour average and 100μg/m3 for 8-hour average value. The literature available indicates that the studies pertaining to research on ground level ozone in India are principally focused on monitoring the concentration of ground level ozone. In the remaining studies the effects of high concentration of ozone are studied on various plant species which are important cash crops.
line emergency treatment: such advice should be discouraged as quickly as possible, because isoprenaline is much less effective than adrenaline in the peripheral circulatory failure situation. With regard to the infrequency of deaths following bee stings in children, perhaps this could be partly explained by parents' acute awareness of the dangers of bee stings and their insistence on expert preventive treatment wherever possible; many deaths might well have been prevented as a result. Finally, Harvey recommends that bee venom immunotherapy should be reserved for older patients and for those who have considerable anxiety about bees; one wonders how many people who have had anaphylactic reactions following bee stings have no anxiety about further stings. There is still a very poor understanding in this country of allergic problems and their management. The answer surely lies in better medical education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and I have been urging this for the past 20 to 30 years. Largely, however, as a result of academic apathy and scepticism, many medical schools are still found sadly wanting in this respect. Perhaps this present rather desperate situation could be partly overcome if a group of experienced allergists were to prepare suitable education brochures on various aspects of allergy, similar to those distributed by the Heart Foundation. Also, we could well do with better organized training programmes about allergic diseases in this country. R. Munro Ford, FACA ShortStreet Southport.QLD42 I5
What is the problem and what is known about it so far? The ability to resist infection depends on many factors, including proteins in the blood, known as immunoglobulins, that help kill bacteria and viruses. Some people cannot make enough immunoglobulin and need regular intravenous injections of immunoglobulin to protect them from infection. Although standard replacement doses of immunoglobulins decrease the number of infections, some infections continue to occur despite this treatment. Why did the researchers do this particular study? To see if doubling the standard dose of intravenous immunoglobulin reduces the number and duration of infections in people who do not have enough of these proteins. Who was studied? Forty-six people with known immunoglobulin deficiency. How was the study done? Before the study began, all patients received regular replacement therapy with immunoglobulin. Patients were then assigned to one of two groups. One group received 9 months of therapy with standard-dose immunoglobulin, followed by 3 months of the same dose they had received before the study, then 9 months of treatment with a double dose of immunoglobulin. In the second group, the order of low-dose and high-dose therapy was reversed. To ensure that patients, doctors, and nurses were unaware which dose was being administered, the pharmacy made the injections look identical. Researchers recorded the number, type, and duration of infections that occurred, as well as the use of antibiotics, for each patient throughout the study. The lowest level of immunoglobulin in the blood (trough level) was evaluated by measuring immunoglobulin levels immediately before each dose of immunoglobulin was given. What did the researchers find? Of the 46 patients in the study, 3 dropped out before receiving the first injection and 2 did not complete the study. One hundred thirty-five infections occurred during standard-dose treatment, and 103 infections occurred during high-dose treatment. Compared with low-dose treatment, high-dose treatment significantly reduced the number of infections (3.5 vs. 2.5 infections per patient). Forty-seven percent of infections during standard-dose treatment were severe, compared with 51% during high-dose therapy. The duration of infections was significantly shorter during high-dose therapy than during standard-dose therapy. The minimum level of immunoglobulin in the blood was significantly higher during high-dose treatment than during low-dose treatment. Side effects, such as headache and fever, occurred slightly more often during high-dose treatment than during low-dose treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant. What were the limitations of the study? Since the study was relatively short, it cannot be determined how long the effectiveness of higher doses of immunoglobulin will last. This is important, because the deficiency of immunoglobulin lasts a lifetime. Furthermore, high-dose immunoglobulin therapy is very expensive, and this study did not evaluate the relationship between the cost of the therapy and its potential benefits. What are the implications of the study? In patients with immunoglobulin deficiency, doubling the standard dose of intravenous immunoglobulin may significantly reduce the incidence and duration of infections.
Recommended Citation Dawson-Hahn, Elizabeth E. M.D., MPH; Koceja, Lorren RD, CD; Grant, Abigail R. M.D.; Ibrahim, Anisa M.D.; Farmer, Beth LCSW; Grow, H. Mollie M.D., MPH; Lowry, Sarah PhD, MPH; and Pak-Gorstein, Suzinne PhD, MPH (2019) "First Foods Nutrition Curriculum for New Immigrant Families: A Pilot Study," Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 10 : Iss. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol10/iss1/9
Michael Herman is a pioneer of the academic study of intelligence. His career spans the worlds of intelligence and academia in the United Kingdom, and has done much to bring the two closer together. Born in 1929, Michael was educated at Scarborough High School before securing a scholarship to read Modern History at Queen’s College Oxford, in 1946. His studies there were interrupted by two years’ National Service between 1947 and 1949, when Michael served in the Intelligence Corps in Egypt. He then returned to Oxford to complete his studies and was awarded a First Class degree. In 1952 he joined the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) based in Cheltenham, where he was to remain in a succession of roles until 1987, a period that also included secondments to the Cabinet Office, as Secretary of the Joint Intelligence Committee, and to the Defence Intelligence Staff. [Taken from introduction]
Caveolae are clathrin-free cell-surface organelles implicated in transmembrane transport. A fibroblast caveolar membrane fraction was isolated by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation and its identity confirmed by protein markers (caveolin, annexin II). When 3H-labeled free cholesterol was selectively transferred to the cells from labeled low density lipoprotein to increase cell free cholesterol approximately 15%, there was a 6-fold increase in label in the caveolar fraction above baseline levels. Subsequent incubation of these cells with unlabeled native plasma or plasma high density lipoprotein selectively unloaded caveolar free cholesterol into the medium. Okadaic acid, which decreased caveolar activity as measured by cholera toxin binding and uptake, decreased cholesterol efflux in parallel. Cholesterol newly synthesized from [3H]mevalonate was also preferentially incorporated into the caveolar fraction and selectively released by plasma into the medium. Together these data indicate that caveolae represent a major site of efflux of both newly synthesized and low density lipoprotein-derived free cholesterol in these cells.
Carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios of cellulose nitrate and oxygen isotope ratios of cellulose from species of greenhouse plants having different photosynthetic modes were determined. When hydrogen isotope ratios are plotted against carbon isotope ratios, four clusters of points are discernible, each representing different photosynthetic modes: C(3) plants, C(4) plants, CAM plants, and C(3) plants that can shift to CAM or show the phenomenon referred to as CAM-cycling. The combination of oxygen and carbon isotope ratios does not distinguish among the different photosynthetic modes. Analysis of the carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios of cellulose nitrate should prove useful for screening different photosynthetic modes in field specimens that grew near one another. This method will be particularly useful for detection of plants which show CAM-cycling.
The genotypes and oxacillin resistance of 420 S. aureus isolates from pigs (n = 203) and pork (n = 217) were analyzed. Among 18 spa types detected in S. aureus from pig t011, t021, t034, t091, t318, t337, and t1334 were the most frequent. Among 30 spa types found in S. aureus isolates from pork t084, t091, t499, t4309, t12954, and t13074 were dominant. The animal S. aureus isolates were clustered into MLST clonal complexes CC7, CC9, CC15, CC30, and CC398 and meat-derived isolates to CC1, CC7, and CC15. Thirty-six MRSA were isolated exclusively from pigs. All MRSA were classified to spa t011 SCCmecV. BORSA phenotype was found in 14% S. aureus isolates from pigs and 10% isolates from pork meat. spa t034 dominated among BORSA from pigs and t091 among meat-derived BORSA. This is the first report on spa types and oxacillin resistance of S. aureus strains from pigs and pork meat in Poland. Besides S. aureus CC9, CC30, and CC398 known to be distributed in pigs, the occurrence of genotype belonging to CC7 in this species has been reported for the first time. To our knowledge it is also the first report concerning CC398 BORSA isolates from pigs and pork meat.
Background: Febrile convulsions are the most common cause of convulsions in children under five years of age. Objective of current study was to know the incidence, age and sex distribution of febrile convulsions in preschool children Kashmir India.  Methods: A prospective hospital based study, carried out in the Department of Pediatrics, G.B. Pant Hospital, Government Medical College and Research Institute, Srinagar India from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010. All the hospitalized sick children who had febrile convulsions in the age group 1 month to 6 years of the age between 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010. All children with febrile convulsions in the age group 1 month to 6 years were enrolled in this study. Variables recorded were demographics, clinical presentation, laboratory tests, and diagnosis and hospital course.  Results: A total of 897 children in the age group 1 month to 6 years were admitted for recent seizures. Among these patients 545 (60.7%) had febrile convulsions. Among Febrile convulsions, 379 had typical febrile convulsion and 166 atypical febrile convulsions. Febrile convulsions were more common in males (308) than females (237). Febrile convulsions were more common in first three years of life.  Conclusions: Febrile convulsions were the commonest cause of convulsions in children under five years of age and majority of them occurred in first two years of life. Typical febrile convulsion were common than atypical febrile convulsions.
trial, started in 1965, using the lipid-lowering drug clofibrate in an apparently healthy group of middle-aged men believed to be at particular risk from coronary heart disease. The results are reported in the British Heart Journal (1978) 40, 1069. By studying this drug the investigators have produced valuable support for the 'lipid hypothesis' but in doing so have raised wider issues concerning the introduction of new drugs and the application of preventative measures to an apparently healthy population. Although there has been wide acceptance of an association between raised blood lipids and coronary heart disease, not everyone accepted that inducing a fall in blood lipids would reduce the incidence of the disease, but this study has clearly confirmed the concept that reducing the blood lipid levels reduces the incidence of the disease in apparently healthy men. For many coronary-prone men this comes as reassuring news, but it is unfortunately marred by a corresponding increase in deaths from other causes, notably of the liver, gallbladder and intestinal tract. Faced with this unexpected finding, the investigators went back to analyse certain aspects of their data in greater detail only to find an excess of hepatic, biliary and intestinal malignant neoplasms, thereby rendering clofibrate of little value for coronary heart disease prevention in a healthy population. It is pertinent to ask how a drug, introduced by a reputable pharmaceutical company, submitted to clinical trial and used quite widely for some years, should now be shown to have sinister and harmful effects.
The authors describe the use of the service control point (SCP) to provide intelligent network services for data customers. In particular, how an X.25 interface on the SCP allows use of the line information database (LIDB) application on the SCP to perform the network user-identification function required for a data calling-card service is shown. This service has successfully completed field testing. The authors also show how the SCP can be used to provide a variety of other services for data network users, including a data 800 service and private virtual network services.<<ETX>>
Current Anglophone research on Paul has gone in different directions, following the break-up of an older consensus: the ‘new perspective’ and reactions thereto, particularly examining Paul’s relation to scripture and narrative; Paul’s supposedly ‘apocalyptic’ theology; Paul’s relation to the Roman empire; to contemporary philosophy, particularly Stoicism; and substantial explorations of Paul’s socio-historical context. The central task of interpretation, that of historically and theologically coherent exegesis, is more challenging than before but no less exciting.
Young People and New Media draws on an extensive research project carried out in 1997–1998, which aimed to update Himmelweit et al.’s (1958) study of family television. As such it is a thoroughly empirical book, a fact that is central to one of the author’s main arguments: that in the realm of new media, populated as it is by mythical discourses about technical possibilities and potentials, it is important to look at real users and real uses, to look at actual experience, problematic though this contested concept may be. Although the book is clearly located within the context of ‘old’ media, Livingstone identifies four ways in which media can be seen as ‘new’ in her research. First, the multiplication of personally-owned media – what is new here are the social contexts of the use of media. Secondly, the diversification of media forms and contents. This point links to the first – the multiplication of familiar media goods leads to increased flexibility regarding the way in which media can be combined and, in turn, an increased individualization in the combination of different media. The third ‘new’ theme is convergence, not just of technologies, but also of previously distinct social realms, such as home/ work, entertainment/information, education/leisure. The final characteristic of ‘new’ media, according to Livingstone, is the expansion of interactive communication. All of these themes are discussed in detail in the chapters that follow. The first of the empirical chapters draws heavily on the quantitative material that the young people and new media research project generated, in order to explore the relationship between access and use. In particular, Livingstone is concerned to critique the slippage that is often made between these two concepts. As she points out, policies designed to ensure access will not necessarily result in increased use. For this reason, detailed data about children’s media access and children’s media use are needed. What is interesting in the data that she presents is the discrepancy between access and use that she identifies – some young people do not use media to which they have access, and some use new media & society
Objectives: Large rotator cuff defects involving the supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendons, either due to irreparability or after partial repair lack superior capsule support. Any remaining tendon is at risk for tear progression as the tendon must function as both a dynamic tendon and static ligamentous structure. Our purpose was to biomechanically assess an anterior cable reconstruction (ACR) using autologous biceps tendon. We hypothesized that ACR will normalize superior migration and subacromial contact, without limiting range of motion. Methods: Nine cadaveric shoulders were tested using a custom testing system. Glenohumeral kinematics and subacromial contact pressure were measured using a MicroScribe 3DLX and a Tekscan pressure sensor. Each specimen was tested in five conditions: Intact, Stage 2 tear (supraspinatus), Stage 2 tear + ACR, Stage 3 tear (supraspinatus + anterior half of infraspinatus), Stage 3 tear + ACR. ACR involved a biceps tendon tenotomy at the transverse humeral ligament preserving its labral attachment. ACR included “loop-around” suture fixation using two side-to-side sutures and an anchor at the articular margin in order to restore anatomy and secure the tendon along the anterior edge of the cuff defect. ACR was performed in glenohumeral 20° abduction and 60° external rotation. Specimens were tested at 0°, 20°, and 40° of glenohumeral abduction. Total rotational range of motion was measured with 2.2 Nm of torque under a physiologic muscle load. A superiorly unbalanced load was applied to measure superior translation and contact pressure. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used for statistical significance (P < 0.05). Results: The average specimen age was 58 years (range 33-77). Stage 2 and 3 tears showed increased total range of motion at all abduction angles (P < 0.007). ACR after both Stage 2 and 3 tears showed greater total range of motion at 20° abduction (P = 0.035 and P = 0.040) and 40° abduction (P = 0.003 and P < 0.001). The ACR conditions showed significantly higher total ranges of motion compared to Intact (P ≤ 0.007). Superior translation increased significantly from Intact for Stage 2 tears at 7/12 positions (P ≤ 0.014) and Stage 3 tears at all positions except 40° abduction, 90° external rotation (ER) (P < 0.001). At 0° abduction, ACR significantly decreased superior translation for Stage 2 tears at 0°, 30°, and 60° ER (P < 0.01) and Stage 3 tears at 0° and 30° ER (P < 0.001). At 20° abduction, ACR significantly reduced superior translation for Stage 2 tears at 0°, 30°, and 60° ER (P < 0.013) and Stage 3 tears at 0° and 30° ER (P < 0.004). At 40° abduction, ACR significantly decreased superior translation only for Stage 3 tears at 0° ER (P = 0.006). Peak contact pressure significantly increased with Stage 3 tears at 7/12 positions (P ≤ 0.023). ACR significantly reduced peak subacromial contact pressure for Stage 3 tears at: 0° abduction, 30° and 60° ER (P < 0.007); 20° abduction, 30° ER (P < 0.041); 40° abduction, 30° and 60° (peak only) ER (P < 0.024). Conclusion: ACR using autologous biceps tendon can biomechanically normalize superior migration and subacromial contact pressure, without limiting range of motion, similar to superior capsule reconstruction. ACR may improve rotator cuff tendon longevity by providing basic static ligamentous support while helping to maintain normal glenohumeral kinematics.
There are shown the results of experimental investigation of parameters of laser-formed periodic nanostructuring of metal film by means of intracavity processing in the resonator of ruby laser with laser radiation wavelength 0.69 micrometers. AFM-treatment of formed nanostructures profiles has shown the possibility to form multiple periodic structures with characteristic sizes less 200 nanometers during one laser pulse.
Abstract Field trials were established in 2005 and continued in 2006 to evaluate a conventional broadcast herbicide sprayer compared to a variable spray (sensor-activated) weed-sensing sprayer (WSS). The computer-based Herbicide Application Decision Support System (WebHADSS™) was used to determine a portion of the herbicides applied (based on herbicide efficacy and economics). Weed control, herbicide usage, crop yield, and net returns were compared across treatments. The broadcast applications were usually the most effective at controlling weeds. A PPI herbicide did not always improve weed control compared to treatments in which no PPI herbicide was applied. Variable treatments used less herbicide than the broadcast system in both years. Cotton lint yields in broadcast applications were similar to the weed-free check in both years of the study. Variable treatments often provided equivalent net returns (gross yield revenue less weed control cost) to the broadcast treatments. Although herbicide savings were observed in the variable treatments when compared to a broadcast system, a reduction in weed control was observed, indicating the need for future improvements of this system. A site-specific weed management program used in conjunction with WebHADSS™ may have potential in cotton production systems in the Texas Southern High Plains where weed densities are low. Nomenclature: Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L
This paper presents a graphical method for Controlled Islanding to prevent Blackout occurrence. This proposed method is proven to be effective by the obtained results. The proposed method is very simple in application and it depends on graphical methods. A weight index for the transmission lines which is the ratio between the absolute active power flowing in the line to the reactance of the line (|P|/X) is used in determination of islands. A load check and transfer within islands can be done in order to achieve minimum power imbalance. The proposed method is tested on IEEE-39 Bus New England. The results including rotor angles and frequency after separation are presented to show the effectiveness of the new proposed method. A table summarizing three-phase faults on every line on the IEEE-39 New England system with the required lines to be cut for each fault case based on the proposed method is presented in this paper. The used software in the simulation process is the power world simulator.
Ancient Halmyris lies in the NW corner of the Dobrudja region in SE Romania. It lies c.2.5 km east of the village of Murighiol on a rocky promontory which is slightly higher than the surrounding marshes. This is at the E end of the Dunavat peninsula (known in antiquity as Extrema Scythiae Minoris: Jord., Get. 266) and it is bordered by the Danube delta on the north and east, Razelm lake on the south, and the Tulcea hills on the west (fig. 1). The site was occupied continuously from at least the mid-first millennium B.C. up to the 7th c. A.D. The local environment, flora and fauna were favourable to settlement until as a result of natural causes the Danube became almost inaccessible; from that point on, the settlement became vulnerable to human and other natural events and eventually it became deserted. The site is known today as Bataraia or Cetatea. In the early 20th c. the locals still called it the Genoese stronghold (Geneviz-Kaleh). In antiquity it lay on the bank of the southern arm of the Danube called Peuce (now known as Sfantu Gheorghe). Today the southern arm of the Danube runs 2 km north of the site and it is connected to Lake Murighiol by the Periboina canal. Until 1983 there were two lakes, c.100 and c.200 m from the site, modern relics of the ancient course of the river. To the east lie the Dunavat hills and to the south is Dealul Cetatea (“fort hill”) (fig. 2).
Background: Sleep disorders are a common concern among pediatric epilepsy patients. This study aimed to assess the sleep quality in children with epilepsy. Subjects and Methods: The present study examined parent-reported sleep problems in 34 children (20 boys and 14 girls; age 4–14 years) with epilepsy. Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) assesses sleep patterns with 33 sleep disturbance items, and each item is rated on a 3-point scale (99 total score) that describes the frequency of the behaviors. A score of 41 was used as a cutoff for identification of poor and good sleeper. Results: Epilepsy poor sleepers (based on CSHQ score) have more sleep impairment than epilepsy good sleepers (CSHQ score) (P < 0.04), and the CSHQ subscores are as follows: night awakenings (P < 0.03), sleep duration (P < 0.04), daytime sleepiness (P < 0.04), sleep-onset delay (P = 0.02), and bedtime resistance (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Although sleep problems are known to be common among young children with epilepsy, the results of this work may provide the basis for focused studies to gain deeper understanding of sleep disturbances in this population.
Objective The aim of the study was to compare azathioprine versus mesalazine tablets for the prevention of clinical recurrence in patients with postoperative Crohn's disease (CD) with moderate or severe endoscopic recurrence. Methods This was a 1 year, double-blind, double-dummy, randomised study which took place in 21 gastroenterology centres in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Israel. The study participants were 78 adults with CD who had undergone resection with ileocolonic anastomosis in the preceding 6–24 months without subsequent clinical recurrence and with a Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI) score <200, but with moderate or severe endoscopic recurrence. The study drugs were azathioprine 2.0–2.5 mg/kg/day or mesalazine 4 g/day over 1 year. The primary end point was therapeutic failure during 1 year, defined as a CDAI score ≥200 and an increase of ≥60 points from baseline, or study drug discontinuation due to lack of efficacy or intolerable adverse drug reaction. Results Treatment failure occurred in 22.0% (9/41) of azathioprine-treated patients and 10.8% (4/37) of mesalazine-treated patients, a difference of 11.1% (95% CI −5.0% to 27.3%, p=0.19). Clinical recurrence was significantly less frequent with azathioprine versus mesalazine (0/41 (0%) vs 4/37 (10.8%), p=0.031), whereas study drug discontinuation due to adverse drug reactions only occurred in azathioprine-treated patients (9/41 (22.0%) vs 0%, p=0.002). The proportion of patients showing ≥1 point reduction in Rutgeerts score between baseline and month 12 was 63.3% (19/30) and 34.4% (11/32) in the azathioprine and mesalazine groups, respectively (p=0.023). Conclusions In this population of patients with postoperative CD at high risk of clinical recurrence, superiority for azathioprine versus mesalazine could not be demonstrated for therapeutic failure. Clinical trial registration number NCT00946946.
Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) was chosen to demonstrate that the respective vegetative or reproductive conditions of transplants can be controlled in their early stages of development under artificial light in a closed system. Transplant production under artificial light was divided into three growth phases and the photoperiod during each of these phases was varied. The rate of floral development was controlled by photoperiod, but floral initiation itself was not affected. Short photoperiod treatments (8 or 12 hours/day) retarded floral development and stem elongation (bolting). This delay continued even after the transplants were transferred to natural long-day (15.5 hours/day on average) condi- tions with high temperatures (17 and 37 °C minimum and maximum). We concluded that by using short photoperiods during transplant production, marketable plants with reduced bolting could be produced under natural long-day conditions. In Japan, spinach with this rosetting capacity would be of greater value. Further, this concept opens the possibility of producing better quality transplants of several species under artificial lighting conditions of appropriate length, and thereby controlling their floral development and/or bolting. with different conditions, for the final stages of growth. Thus, plants are produced under two different environmental regimes. Spinach, our model plant, naturally devel- ops a rosette of leaves soon after germination. This short stem begins to elongate as the plant matures (Singhal and Kulkarni, 1998). When spinach is grown under the long-day condi- tions of spring/summer, plants have a greater tendency to bolt and flower (Hartmann et al., 1988; Singhal and Kulkarni, 1998). Chun et al. (1999) showed that manipulating the day length and temperature during transplant production prevented bolting. In our study, the effect of photoperiod on floral development and bolt- ing of transplants produced under artificial lighting conditions was investigated, since few studies have been conducted on the physi- ological aspects of spinach transplants pro- duced under such conditions.
This paper sets out an identification method for the thermal conductivity λ and the heat capacity per unit volume ρc of a polymer material. The measurement of the temperature is registered with infrared camera. An inverse reading of the F.E.M. allows to perform this identification by solving a linear algebraic system coming from a least square method. The relative uncertainty obtained in experimental case are very good. because of the new possibilities of non-destructive mea- surement using an infrared camera. The thermal cartog- raphy of specimens surfaces made possible by infrared camera, could be used for the estimation of anisotropic and isotropic materials preperties. Particularly, in the lit- erature, these inverse methods were developed in order to estimate time-varying initial and boundary conditions or surface conditions ill-posed (Al-Khalidy (1), Girault and Petit (5), Kurpisz and Nowak (9), Wang and Zabaras (14)). In the present work, our aim is to develop an inverse method to estimate simultaneously thermal conductiv- ity λ heat capacity ρc. Finite element method is used to transform the continuous partial differential equation of heat conduction into discrete differential equation, suit- able for numerical computing. The least square method is used to identify the unknown parameters through mini- mization of a discrepancy functional. The quadratic func- tion defined in the least square method is built from the discrete difference equation. An application of the method is developped on two materials.
ABSTRACT Bryelmis Barr, a new genus of elmid, and three new species, Bryelmis idahoensis Barr, Bryelmis rivularis Barr, and Bryelmis siskiyou Barr, are described from streams and springs in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho. Drawings or photographs of the adult habitus and male genitalia of each species, and of the larval habitus of the genus, are included, as well as a key to the adults of the species and revised couplets for insertion into existing adult and larval keys to the Elmidae. The biogeography, habitat, and microhabitat of the species are discussed. Aquatic liverworts are the unusual primary microhabitat of all three species of Bryelmis.
The need for an explicit common terminology within Empirical Software Engineering (an ESE-Glossary of terms) was highlighted in the ISERN 2007 meeting [2]. The goal was to define a glossary of terms related to ESE based on an initial glossary published in http://lens-ese.cos.ufrj.br/wikiese. This initial glossary was built manually, based on expert knowledge. However, owing to the dynamic nature of the research works in ESE, this glossary must be dynamically updated with information extracted from the relevant documents in the research domain. Automation is, therefore, mandatory. We propose a text mining technique for the automatic extraction of the most relevant terms used in ESE documents. Our technique also provides the relationships between terms, with the degree of affinity between them. Our approach could, therefore, be useful in the improvement of the initial glossary of terms and in discovering relationships between terms.
Many businesses use email as a medium for advertising and they use emails to communicate with their customers. In the email world, the most common issue that remains unresolved even now is spamming or in other terms unsolicited bulk email. Currently, there is no common way to regulate the practices of an email sender. This proposed system is to formulate a protocol common for all the ESPs or inbox providers and a centralized system that will easily find the spammers and block them. By this method, the Email Service Providers (ESPs) or Inbox Providers need not wait for the sender behaviour and then take actions on the sender or sender domain or sender IP address. Instead, they can get the sender history of reputation from blockchain where the ESPs or Inbox Provider provides a score based on the emails they have received from the sender. The ESPs can get the Public Sender Score(S3) from the mobile application or web application which provides the score management user interface and APIs. The email marketers can also monitor their score through the application.
This chapter presents a preliminary review of what is known about the illicit trade in Vietnamese cultural heritage, both within Vietnam itself and from Vietnam to key regional and international market countries. It provides a brief contextual and historical overview of Vietnam's rich cultural heritage from the Paleolithic to the present and current examples of threats to it. The chapter describes the legislative framework that has been put in place to protect that cultural heritage. It discusses the nature of the current antiquities trade, both licit and illicit, within and from Vietnam. The chapter discusses the frequency and location of looting, what looting entails in Vietnam specifically, observations of the street-level trade in urban Hanoi and observations of forgery. It concludes that policy and related changes that might be needed to offer better protection to cultural heritage both within Vietnam and its neighbors in Southeast Asia. Keywords: antiquities trade; illicit trade; legislative framework; looting; Southeast Asia; street-level trade; Vietnamese cultural heritage
We consider the problem of incremental graph clustering where the graph to be clustered is given as a sequence of disjoint subsets of the edge set. The problem appears when dealing with graphs that are created over time, such as online social networks where new users appear continuously, or protein interaction networks when new proteins are discovered. For very large graphs, it is computationally too expensive to repeatedly apply standard clustering algorithms. Instead, algorithms whose time complexity only depends on the size of the incoming subset of edges in every step are needed. At the same time, such algorithms should find clusterings whose quality is close to that produced by offline algorithms. In this paper, we discuss the computational model and present an incremental clustering algorithm. We test the algorithm performance and quality on a wide variety of instances. Our results show that the algorithm far outperforms offline algorithms while retaining a large fraction of their clustering quality.
Congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract are amongst the most common birth defects affecting 3% of newborns. The human kidney develops over a 30-week period in which a nephron progenitor pool gives rise to around a million nephrons. To establish a framework for human nephrogenesis, we spatially resolved a stereotypical process by which equipotent nephron progenitors generate a nephron anlagen, then applied data-driven approaches to construct three-dimensional protein maps on anatomical models of the nephrogenic program. Single cell RNA sequencing identified novel progenitor states which were spatially mapped to the nephron anatomy enabling the generation of functional gene-networks predicting interactions within and between nephron cell-types. Network mining identified known developmental disease genes and predicts new targets of interest. The spatially resolved nephrogenic program made available through the Human Nephrogenesis Atlas (https://sckidney.flatironinstitute.org/) will facilitate an understanding of kidney development and disease, and enhance efforts to generate new kidney structures.
T A new method for scanning reshaping the spectrum of chirped laser pulse based on quadratic electro-optic effects is proposed. The scanning reshaping scheme with a two-beam interference system is designed and the spectrum reshaping properties are analyzed theoretically. For the Gaussian chirped laser pulse with central wavelength λ0=800nm, nearly flat-topped spectral profiles with wider bandwidth is obtained with the proposed scanning reshaping method, which is beneficial to compensate for the gain narrowing effect in CPA and OPCPA. Further numerical simulations show that the reshaped spectrum is sensitive to the time-delay and deviation of the voltage applied to the crystal. In order to avoid narrowing or distorting the reshaped spectrum pointing to target, it is necessary to reduce the unfavorable deviations. With the rapid and wide applications of ultra-short laser pulse supported by some latter research results including photo-associative formation of ultra-cold molecules from ultra-cold atoms[1-3], laser-induced communications[4], capsule implosions on the National Ignition Facility(NIF)[5-6], the control of the temporal and spectral profiles of laser pulse is very important and urgently need to be addressed. Generally, the control of the pulse profiles depends on practical applications, ranging from femtosecond and picosecond to nanosecond. For instance, the basic shaping setup is a Fourier transform system for ultra-short laser pulse. The most important element is a spatially patterned mask which modulates the phase or amplitude, or sometimes the polarization after the pulse is decomposed into its constituent spectral components by usually a grating and a lens[7]. One of the generation techniques of ultra-short laser pulse is the chirped pulse amplifications(CPA), which brings a new era of development for high energy and high peak intensity ultra-short laser pulse, proposed by D. Strcik and G. Mourou from the chirping radar technology in microwave region since 1985[8]. The other generation technique of ultra-short pulse is the optical parametric chirped pulse amplification(OPCPA) invented by Dubietis et al. in 1992, which combined the respective superiorities of CPA and optical parametric amplification(OPA). However, there are disadvantages for the both technologies such as gain narrowing, gain saturation effects, and even spectrum shift. The first one among the three is the most significant which narrows the spectrum after amplification so that it limits the minimum durations of ultra-short laser pulse. This paper proposed a approach for scanning reshaping the spectrum of chirped laser pulse to compensate for the gain narrowing effect, according to the characteristics of the chirped laser pulse, i.e. the frequency varies with time linearly. The spectral characteristics of the scanning reshaping was analyzed quantitatively. Furthermore, the influence of the time-delay and deviation of the controlling voltage employed on the electro-optic crystal on the reshaped spectrum was also been discussed in detail.
Single-path frequency-translated (SPFT) switched-capacitor (SC) systems have been previously proposed for the realization of highly selective bandpass filters with relative bandwidths below 1%. After examining in more generality the design constraints of such SPFT SC systems, novel solutions for the implementation of the decimator and interpolator architectures using an efficient combination of finite-impulse response, and infinite-impulse response SC circuits are presented. Several areas of application of SPFT SC systems, namely for filtering with programmable Q-factor and for single-sideband generation and detection are demonstrated. Detailed measured results, both in the frequency domain and in the time domain, are presented to illustrate the viability and performance of SPFT SC systems with the various operating modes. >
An experiment was conducted on 72 German Angora rabbits (42 youngs and 30 adults) divided into three groups to assess the effect of three experimental diets (T1, T2 and T3) with different levels of groundnut cake replaced by rice bran on their growth performance, wool yield, quality, and digestibility of nutrients. The inclusion rate of groundnut cake was decreased from 20 to 15 to 10% and that of rice bran increased from 13 to 18 to 23% in T1, T2 and T3, respectively. The same diets presented 16.1, 15.1 and 14.0% DM of crude protein and 11.3, 11.1 and 10.9 MJ/kg DM of digestible energy, respectively. All animals were kept under similar housing and management conditions and the experiment was continued for a period of 225 days (3 shearings). No significant effects of the experimental diets on body weight gain, wool yield and wool attributes were observed in young and adult rabbits. However, the wool yield at the 2nd shearing was higher in the T1 group (P<0.05) indicating the positive effect of a diet higher in protein and energy on the wool production at an early stage of growth. Voluntary intake both of concentrates and roughages were not affected by the dietary treatment. The digestibility coefficients of dry matter and crude fibre were increased both in young and adult rabbits with the reduction of groundnut cake, while those of crude protein and ether extract were decreased in young rabbits only. From this experiment it can be concluded that groundnut cake can be safely replaced with rice bran in adult feeds at rates of up to 10% of the total content, while in young rabbits it may not be advantageous to go above a 5% level of replacement to avoid a substantial reduction in protein concentration, and the impairment of growth and wool production.
Simple Summary On 23 March 2020, the UK Government introduced its first nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to reduce the impact of COVID-19. There have since been two more. “Lockdown” control measures meant both racehorse trainers and veterinary surgeons (vets) had to make changes to the way they worked. Beneficial practices which aided veterinary care have been reported anecdotally, as has an increase in the use of electronic communication and information technologies. The aim of this study was to investigate if these claims could be supported by exploring any changes to racehorse veterinary care that occurred due to the implementation of the first COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Data collection involved carrying out ten semistructured interviews with racehorse trainers and ten equine vets from November 2020 to January 2021. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to try and make sense of how vets and trainers interacted with each other before and during a period of rapid change and how both groups found alternative ways to ensure beneficial veterinary care was not compromised. Data Analysis revealed four themes threading through the data. These were, firstly, the trainer–vet relationship is built upon a good working relationship, secondly, there had been little or no change in the vet–trainer relationship during the first “lockdown” period. Thirdly, when COVID-19 restrictions were in force, more remote consultations took place using images or videos as well as telephone consults, and the fourth and final theme identified the way connectivity and poor-quality images and videos limited their effectiveness. Abstract In March 2020, the World Health Organisation called for countries to take urgent and aggressive action against a global pandemic caused by COVID-19. Restrictions were introduced in many countries to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and ultimately deaths. Such restrictions have been colloquially referred to as “lockdown”. Anecdotal evidence of the beneficial practices that facilitated safe veterinary treatment and equine care had been reported together with an increase in the use of electronic communication and information technologies during the first “lockdown”. Thus, the aim of this qualitative study was to capture any beneficial changes to racehorse veterinary care that were implemented during the first “lockdown” period in the UK that lasted from 23 March to 12 May 2020. Ten equine veterinary surgeons who primarily treat racehorses and 10 racehorse trainers were interviewed either by telephone or by videoconferencing. After using thematic analysis from a critical realist social constructionist perspective, four themes were identified. These were, firstly, according to our participants, the trainer–vet relationship is predicated upon a good working relationship, secondly, there had been little or no change in the vet–trainer relationship during the first “lockdown” period. Thirdly, when COVID-19 restrictions were in force, more remote consultations took place using images or videos as well as telephone consults, viewed favourably by both trainers and vets, and finally, intermittent connectivity and poor-quality images and videos limited their effectiveness. In order to fully benefit from the positive changes employed by some vets and trainers in their working relationships, we recommend that rural connectivity is prioritised.
The 37th Street Water Treatment Plant is one of two water treatment plants owned and operated by the City of Norfolk, Virginia. It was constructed originally in 1920, and serves the citizens in the western half of the city, as well as U.S. Naval Station Norfolk. The treatment plant is served by two 36-inch raw water mains, each approximately 16 to 20 miles long. These mains originate from the City of Norfolk’s Western Branch Pumping Station, located in Suffolk, Virginia, and traverse through the cities of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and into Norfolk. One main, installed originally in the 1920s, includes some of the original reinforced concrete bar-cylinder pipe with lead joints. The other main was installed originally in 1943, and contains large portions of 1940s vintage reinforced concrete (steel) cylinder pipe. Both of these mains have undergone varying degrees of upgrades and repairs during the past 30 to 40 years, including several emergency repairs in recent years. Based on the age(s) of these mains, fear of other future catastrophic failures, and because the two mains are the only sources of water supply to the 37th Street plant, the City of Norfolk determined it was necessary to conduct a condition assessment of the two pipelines. Since these water mains are located in several cities, and lie within limited right-of-way/ easement corridors, it was more prudent and cost effective to conduct a condition assessment of the mains up front, rather than opt for wholesale replacement. The condition assessment helped determine the structural integrity, pressure capacities, and overall condition of the existing water mains, as well as the capability to rehabilitate and/or need to replace these pipelines. It included analysis of the existing conditions of the raw water mains, evaluation of the frequencies of repairs and causes of failure, as well as thorough investigation and inspection of representative segments of each pipeline. This paper will present the components involved in the condition assessment program, including: records research and compilation of data, site selection for field investigations, coordination with neighboring jurisdictions, evaluation and prioritization of pipeline deficiencies, and public outreach, and recommendations for rehabilitation or replacement of the water mains, plus a few of the repair projects currently under design. It will summarize the existing conditions of pipe joints, associated appurtenances, aerial crossings, special structures and other facilities along each pipeline, along with environmental conditions and other factors that will impact the usefulness of these water mains. In addition, this paper will describe the development of a data/document management file system utilizing digital aerial photography, which was used to organize existing as-built record drawings, property and deed information, and other important documents, into a single environment.
Peer-to-peer content-distribution networks are nowadays highly popular among users that have stationary computers with high-bandwidth Internet connections. Mobile devices (e.g. cell phones) that are connected to the Internet via cellular-radio networks, however, could not yet be launched into this field to a satisfactory extent. Although most mobile devices have the necessary hardware resources for joining peer-to-peer content-distribution networks, they are often not able to benefit from participation, due to limitations caused by mobility. In this work, mobile devices are identified as providers of advanced mobile features and services that are usually not available to computers in stationary networks. These mobile features and services can be exchanged for services in peer-to-peer networks, turning mobile devices into valuable trading partners. Partnership schemes are set up to define the way of a fair cooperation between mobile devices and other peers. A novel peer-to-peer architecture is suggested that applies partnership schemes to a well-established peer-to-peer content-distribution network and facilitates the integration of mobile devices.
This article discusses recent feminist arguments for the possible existence of an interesting link between treating things as people (in the case of pornography) and treating people (especially women) as things. It argues, by way of a historical case study, that the connection is more complicated than these arguments have supposed. In addition, the essay suggests some possible general links between treatment of things and treatment of people.
Abstract Field observations and geodetic measurements suggest that in the Karakoram Mountains, glaciers are either stable or have expanded since 1990, in sharp contrast to glacier retreats that are prevalently observed in the Himalayas and adjoining high-altitude terrains of central Asia. Decreased discharge in the rivers originating from this region is cited as a supporting evidence for this somewhat anomalous phenomenon. Here, we show that river discharge during the melting season of the glaciers in the eastern and western Karakoram, respectively, exhibits rising and falling trends. We have implemented a statistical procedure involving non-parametric tests combined with a benchmark smoothing technique that has proven to be a powerful method for separating the stochastic component from the trend component in a time series. Precipitation patterns determined from ERA-40 and GPCP data indicate that summer-monsoonal precipitation has increased over the Karakoram Mountains in recent decades. Increasing flows in June and July in the eastern Karakoram are due to an increase in summer-monsoonal precipitation. The rising trend of August discharge is due to an increase in the loss of glacier storage at an approximate average rate of 0.186–0.217 mm d-1 year-1 during the period 1973–2010. Moreover, this rate is higher than the rate of increase in monsoonal snowfall during the months of August and September. Therefore, most plausibly, glacier mass balance in the eastern Karakoram is negative. In the western Karakoram, river flows show declining trends for all summer months for the period 1966–2010, corresponding to a rate of increase of glacier storage by approximately 0.552–0.644 mm d-1 year-1, which is also higher than the rate of increase in summer-monsoonal precipitation. The gain of the cryospheric mass in the western Karakoram is in the form of increased thickness of the glaciers and perennial snowpacks instead of areal expansion. This investigation shows two contrasting patterns of trends of river flows that signify both negative and positive mass balance of the Karakoram glaciers. Trends of river flows are spatially and temporally integrated responses of a watershed to changing climate and thereby are important signals of the conditions of the cryospheric component of a watershed where it is highly significant. However, they cannot unequivocally provide indications of the state and fate of the glaciers in the complex hydrometeorological setting of the Karakoram. Extreme caution and care must be exercised in interpreting trends of river discharge in conjunction with climatic data.
During the last 30 years the fecundity of the plaice, Pleuronectes platessa L., has been widely studied over its complete geographical range. In this paper all this previous work is brought together and a distinct pattern (with two exceptions) emerges. The fecundity is lowest in the Southern Bight of the North Sea, and radiating from there in all directions the fecundity increases, while in Faxa Bay (Iceland) and in the Barents Sea it is lower again. The possible factors producing this pattern are examined in detail and it is concluded that the amount of food available, which in turn is related to population density, is the most important. Only in Trondheim Fjord and in the Baltic is the fecundity so different that it is necessary to postulate racially distinct populations. Finally the importance of fecundity variations in natural population regulation is stressed.
The collapse of the Communist bloc in 1989 and then of the Soviet Union in 1991 has presented unique challenges to the educational systems in place during socialist times, and the ensuing transition in Ukraine is no exception. The introduction of Ukrainian as the sole state language when a high number of citizens still prefer to use Russian has generated some interesting paradoxes to explore. This paper surveys the diffusion of Ukrainian‐medium education in Odessa, a city of one million people in the south of the country. The introduction of Ukrainian as the language of instruction in schools was a result of a nation‐building project when the country gained independence in 1991. This gave way to a peculiar contradiction: whilst all Ukrainian schools are supposed to use Ukrainian as the sole means of teaching, including Ukrainian textbooks, a number of schools have adopted unofficially a dual‐language approach. Thus Ukrainian functions as the language for all written communication while Russian is used for communication among students and teachers in formal and informal contexts.
The purpose of this study is to observe the effects of the 8 week regular training program on body composition of the amateur amputee sports club athletes. 12 amateur amputee athletes in the Malatya Ay Yildiz Amateur Amputee Football Team with ages ranging from 16 to 33 (X age: 24.33 ± 5.71 years, X length: 1.74 ± 8.07 meters, X weight: 75.09 ± 15.16 kg) voluntarily participated in this study. The training program consists of strength, strength, agility, speed, technique, tactics, coordination and flexibility.  Body length, body weight, heart rate measurements, skin fold thickness of three different parts and body mass index (BMI) were measured before and after the 8 week training period to evaluate body composition. Densities were calculated using the Jackson and Pollock (1978) formula, taking into account the skin fold thickness measurements made. Percent body fat is calculated using Siri's formula. The body mass index is determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) formula. A statistically significant difference was found in the comparison of the athletes' weight, resting heart rate, body mass index and body fat percentage in the first and last week measurements according to Wilcoxon signed rank test results (p<0.05). As a result, in this study; The 8-week training program which includes strength, strength, speed, agility, coordination, technique and flexibility enhancing exercises showed significant changes in parameters of body composition of Ay Yildiz Spor Kulubu ampute athletes.
Approximately one in seven couples are infertile. Half of these couples fail to conceive following conventional therapies. Recently, technologies have evolved which provide hope to these couples and lead to cumulative pregnancy rates of 65%. An assisted reproduction (AR) program has recently been established at Wilford Hall Medical Center. The reproductive endocrinologists, on-service residents, and clinic support staff are responsible for all aspects of care including stimulation, retrieval, andrology, embryology, and transfer. To date, there have been 104 transfers with 28 pregnancies. In summary, AR is available in the Armed Forces and allows infertile couples to receive state-of-the-art health care.
During progressive transmission of 3D geometry models, the transmission order of details at different region has great effects on the quality of reconstructed models at low bit-rate. This work presents a ratedistortion (R-D) optimized progressive geometry compression scheme to improve the quality of reconstructed models by adjusting the transmission order of details. In this scheme, the input mesh is partitioned into parts, then each part is encoded into bit-stream independently, and the encoded bit-streams are truncated into segments while getting the R-D characteristics of every segment, at last all segments are assembled into a codestream based on R-D optimization, which ensure the region with rich detail will be transmitted early and make the reconstructed mesh achieve better quality as soon as possible. Experimental results show that, as compared with the well-known PGC method, the proposed one provides better R-D performance. Moreover, it provides a novel way to realize the region of interest (ROI) coding of 3D meshes. Keywords--Rate-distortion optimization; Progressive compression; Mesh partition
Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a rare side effect of hormonal therapy in transgender persons. Prothrombotic genetic variants can increase this risk. For this reason, previous VTE and/or genetic thrombophilia may be considered by some as contraindications to hormonal treatment. Aim: To formulate directions for clinical practice about the indications for thrombophilia screening and when to consider combination therapy of therapeutic anticoagulation and hormonal treatment as a safe alternative to withholding hormonal treatment. Methods: We conducted a literature search and describe a case series. All adult patients with gender dysphoria and a known prothrombotic genetic variant or history of VTE were invited by letter to participate in this study. Results: In our center, thrombophilia screening before start of hormonal treatment was restricted to those with a personal or family history of VTE. Sixteen individuals with a history of VTE and/or an underlying prothrombogenic condition were described. The time of follow up varied from 4 months to 20 years. Seven trans women had a positive thrombophilia screening (2 Factor V Leiden (FVL), 1 FVL + anticardiolipin antibodies, 1 FVL + high Factor VIII coagulant activity, 1 protein C deficiency, 1 prothrombin mutation, 1 positive lupus anticoagulant). Three trans women experienced an unprovoked VTE after start of hormonal therapy of which one lead to a positive thrombophilia screening. One VTE event in a trans woman was assumed to be provoked by surgery. Five trans men were identified with a prothrombogenic mutation (3 FVL, 1 protein C deficiency, 1 prothrombin mutation). One trans man, with a negative thrombophilia screen, experienced multiple provoked VTE events before start of hormonal therapy. Conclusion: Based on our literature review and case series we offer guidance when confronted with patients with previous VTE and/or genetic thrombophilia requesting hormonal interventions.
Template-directed synthesis of nanomaterials can provide benefits such as small crystalline size, high surface area, large surface-to-volume ratio, and structural stability. These properties are important for shorter distance in ion/electron movement and better electrode surface/electrolyte contact for energy storage applications. Here nanostructured FePO4 cathode materials were synthesized by using peptide nanostructures as a template inspired by biomineralization process. The amorphous, high surface area FePO4 nanostructures were utilized as a cathode for lithium-ion batteries. Discharge capacity of 155 mAh/g was achieved at C/20 current rate. The superior properties of biotemplated and nanostructured amorphous FePO4 are shown compared to template-free crystalline FePO4.
Induction of phase 2 enzymes (e.g., glutathione transferases, NAD(P)H:quinone reductase, glucuronosyltransferases, epoxide hydrolase) is a major strategy for reducing the susceptibility of animal cells to neoplasia and other forms of electrophile toxicity. In a search for new chemoprotective enzyme inducers, a structure-activity analysis was carried out on two types of naturally occurring and synthetic substituted phenylpropenoids: (a) Ar-CH=CH-CO-R, where R is OH, OCH3, CH3, or Ar, including cinnamic, coumaric, ferulic, and sinapic acid derivatives, their ketone analogues, and chalcones; and (b) bis(benzylidene)cycloalkanones, Ar-CH=C(CH2)n(CO)C=CH-Ar, where n = 5, 6, or 7. The potencies of these compounds in inducing NAD(P)H:quinone reductase activity in murine hepatoma cells paralleled their Michael reaction acceptor activity (Talalay, P.; De Long, M. J.; Prochaska, H. J. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 1988, 8261-8265). Unexpectedly, the bis(benzylidene)cycloalkanones also powerfully quenched the lucigenin-derived chemiluminescence evoked by superoxide radicals. Introduction of o-hydroxyl groups on the aromatic rings of these phenylpropenoids dramatically enhanced their potencies not only as inducers for quinone reductase but also as quenchers of superoxide. These potentiating o-hydroxyl groups are hydrogen-bonded, as shown by moderate downfield shift of their proton NMR resonances and their sensitivities to the solvent environment. The finding that the potencies of a series of bis(benzylidene)cycloalkanones in inducing quinone reductase appear to be correlated with their ability to quench superoxide radicals suggests that the regulation of phase 2 enzymes may involve both Michael reaction reactivity and radical quenching mechanisms.
Historiography of the post-war working classes has tended to underplay the role of industrial workplaces in the community life of many localities. This article uses an oral history case-study of Beverley, East Yorkshire, to show how industrial workplaces could still be central to the construction of social networks and local identity across the three post-war decades. I suggest that the decline of British manufacturing, which gathered pace in the 1970s and 1980s, may have been more detrimental to working-class community life than the supposed post-war shift towards consumerism and individualism.
The prognosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants is still significantly worse than that of older children. This is thought to be due to both clinical and biological factors, such as high white blood cell (WBC) counts at diagnosis, irregular or immature phenotypes, and molecular and cytogenetical abnormalities. In order to focus the significance of immunophenotypic analysis, we have reviewed the immunophenotypic studies of 145 infants under 18 months of age treated at the AIEOP centers from 1984 to 1992. Children have been divided in three age groups of six months each; WBC count at diagnosis has been evaluated both as mean values and within different categories (< 10.10(9)/L, > 100.10(9)/L). These have been studied in correlation with immunophenotype and with the expression of single, specific markers. A significant correlation has been found between young age, high WBC count and immature phenotypes. Common ALL was more frequent in older children and showed lower WBC counts. Moreover, event-free survival was significantly better in older children with WBC count < 100.00/mm3, with CD10+, MyAg- ALL. Therefore, we suggest that immunophenotypic analysis is still an important prognostic factor and can be usefully used, together with simple clinical data, to plan therapy for ALL in infants.
The optimization is the process of searching for the best results in a certain load case. Complete definition of optimization includes three conditions, which are closely connected: • optimization target, defined with object function, • subject of optimization, • optimization methods. The object functions can be different process parameters such as costs, manufacturing time, costefficiency, productivity etc. In designing of the structures such as a crane there is a tendency particularly towards reducing the weight of steel structures with the same load-carrying capacity. Thus the object function can be the volume, weight or mass of the structure. In the paper we will devote ourselves to optimization of truss structures-gantry crane mean girder by means of the FEM. This method has become indispensable in all areas of analyses of structures in combination with mathematical modeling and mathematical methods of optimization and is particularly of assistance to designers in conceiving the steel structures.
Many of the intransigent problems facing the world arise in complex systems. In this paper, I propose that communal rangelands in South Africa be recognised as complex social–ecological systems and that one of the reasons that development initiatives have had little impact on improving livelihoods and rangeland condition is that interventions have been based on reductionist thinking that has failed to recognise non-linearities and uncertainties in the system. This complexity resides in ecological, social and economic components of the system, and is characterised by dynamics operating at different scales within and beyond the boundaries of the rangelands. People and the environment are vulnerable to change in these systems from factors such as changing climate, economics, governance arrangements, as well as disasters. Policy that promotes adaptability and resilience, and is itself responsive to changing dynamics, should be sought. Complex systems modelling with an inclusive group of stakeholders holds potential for realising such policy.
Dynamic changes in the blood-based biomarkers could be used as a prognostic biomarker in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), although the data are limited. We evaluated the association between the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and early NLR changes with survival in ICI-treated patients. We retrospectively evaluated the data of 231 patients with advanced-stage cancer. We recorded baseline clinical characteristics, baseline NLR and fourth-week NLR changes, and survival data. A compound prognostic score, the NLR2-CEL score, was developed with the following parameters: baseline NLR (<5 vs. ≥5), ECOG status (0 vs. ≥1), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI, <9 vs. ≥9), LDH (N vs. ≥ULN), and fourth-week NLR change (10% or over NLR increase). In the multivariable analyses, higher NLR (HR: 1.743, p = 0.002), 10% or over NLR increase in the fourth week of treatment (HR: 1.807, p = 0.001), higher ECOG performance score (HR: 1.552, p = 0.006), higher LDH levels (HR: 1.454, p = 0.017), and higher CCI (HR: 1.400, p = 0.041) were associated with decreased OS. Compared to patients with the lowest scores, patients in the highest score group had significantly lower OS (HR: 7.967, 95% CI: 3.531–17.979, p < 0.001) and PFS. The composite score had moderate success for survival prediction, with an AUC of 0.702 (95% CI: 0.626–0.779, p < 0.001). We observed significantly lower survival in patients with higher baseline NLR values and increased NLR values under treatment.
The infant outcome determinants vary in different settings, and there is still a need for analysis within environments. This study was designed to examine the relation between poor infant outcome (PIO), (i.e. any of the following indicators: preterm delivery, low birthweight, perinatal death and low first-minute Apgar score) and socio-demographic factors, smoking and alcohol consumption in a Russian setting. The study was conducted in the town of Severodvinsk, north-west Russia. A total of 1404 pregnant women who attended antenatal care clinics in 1999 and delivered at the municipal maternity home comprised the cohort. Data on women and infants were collected from the medical files and a questionnaire on social indicators, smoking and alcohol consumption was administered. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) calculated by multivariable logistic regression was used as the measure of association between PIO and the variables studied. Education was found to be the most significant factor associated with PIO (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.2, 3.0 for secondary or less education compared with at least 3 years of university studies). Increased risks of PIO were also found in mothers aged 30 years and older (OR = 1.6, 95% CI 1.1, 2.5 compared with other age groups) and in unmarried mothers (OR = 1.4, 95% CI 1.0, 1.9) after control for the possible confounders. Other socio-demographic determinants studied (smoking, alcohol use, stress, maternal occupation, housing and young age of the mother) could not be found to influence PIO. The findings contribute to the hypothesis that maternal education is one of the most important social factors influencing pregnancy outcomes in countries in transition.
Antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles synthesised by irradiating an aqueous solution of AgNO3 in a bio-compatible polymer polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with electrons from a microtron, at doses of 1 kGy and 2 kGy, has been evaluated against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Nanoparticles produced by electron beam irradiation (EBI) at 1 kGy showed significantly higher inhibitory effects than 2 kGy on Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae). The inhibition was highest on P. aeruginosa, while it was least on S. aureus. The particles generated at 1 kGy at 1,000 μg/ml concentration showed significantly lower number of colonies of P. aeruginosa against 100 μg/ml. Our study demonstrates that silver nanoparticles generated at 1 kGy irradiation dosage will be of immense value to produce broad spectrum bacteriostatic or bactericidal agents and needs further studies for clinical applications.
In this chapter, we discuss the concepts of agent organization, organizational model, and review some existing organizational models. Before the review, we discuss how to classify the diverse aspects of agent organizations currently captured by organizational models. These aspects are named "modelling dimensions". We show that there are at least four basic dimensions: the structural dimension mainly composed of roles and groups, the interactive dimension characterized by dialogical interaction structures, the functional dimension formed by goal/task decomposition, and the normative dimension in which we find the concepts of norms, rights, rules, and so forth. Apart from the basic dimensions, we also identify four other complementary dimensions: environment, evaluation, evolution, and ontology. These are related to the aspects of situatedeness, measurement, adaptation, and domain specific semantics of agent organizations. Finally, we compare the organizational models reviewed and describe how the idea of modelling dimension can help in finding correspondences between organizational models.
As a Roman Catholic theologian, S. is able to relate Brunner to much of contemporary Roman Catholic Christology. This constitutes both the strength and weakness of the volume. On the one hand, the volume is historically structured insofar as it chronologically analyzes each successive stage of Brunner's development. It shows how the stages in the development of Christology correspog^ to the development in other areas of Brunner's theology. On the other hand, in line with its systematic concerns, there are three times as many references to Schnackenburg as to Bultmann or Jeremías. Historically, it would have been more relevant to relate Brunner to his own contemporary exegetes rather than to those contemporary with Scheid. The contrast between Brunner and Barth would have been given a sharper historical focus if it were viewed in the light of the status of exegesis at that time. The evaluation of Brunner in terms of Schnackenburg's exegesis of NT texts on Jesus' resurrection and virginal conception would then have a secondary role in the historical evaluation of Brunner's achievement. Nevertheless, S.'s study is an important contribution, for it analyzes a significant element of Brunner's thought that has been previously on the sidelines. His references to contemporary problems make the volume of interest not only to historians of theology but also to contemporary Christologists.
aTEFANIA-FELICIA BARBUCEANU1*, GABRIELA LAURA ALMAJAN1, IOANA SARAMET1, CONSTANTIN DRAGHICI2, CRISTIAN ENACHE3 1University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, Department of Organic Chemistry, 6 Traian Vuia Str., 020956, Bucharest, Romania 2 Centre of Organic Chemistry “Costin. D. Neniþescu”, Romanian Academy, 202B Splaiul Independenþei, 060023, Bucharest, Romania 3 Central Laboratory for Fito-Sanitary Quarantine, 11 aos. Afumaþi, Bucharest, Romania
Precursor B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (B-LBL) is an uncommon subtype of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), accounting for only 0.3% of NHL in adults and less than 10% of all LBL cases. Unlike T-cell LBL, it usually presents with extranodal involvement while sparing the bone marrow (BM). Among the 27 patients with LBL treated in the Asan Medical Center between January 2007 and March 2012, 3 had B-LBL. All had a good performance status and low International Prognostic Index. However, unlike most previously reported cases, the patients had lymphoma in their bone marrow and extranodal sites such as bone and lung. After intensive combination chemotherapy, one patient achieved a complete response and the other 2 patients, a partial response. Our experience suggests that multiple extranodal sites may be involved in B-LBL and BM involvement may not be as infrequent as previously thought. Furthermore, intensive chemotherapy seems to be effective.
Extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma is a rare entity. Here, we report a case of small cell carcinoma of left ethmoid sinus, in a 32 years old female. She underwent left medial maxillectomy and excision of the mass via lateral rhinotomy approach with post operative chemoradiation. Keywords: Ethmoid Sinus, lateral rhinotomy, maxillectomy, small cell carcinoma. DOI: 10.3126/joim.v31i3.2999 Journal of Institute of Medicine, December, 2009; 31(3) 59-60
The binding sites for zopiclone and benzodiazepines are adjacent or even overlap, and in vitro studies of rat brain homogenates showed that zopiclone and its metabolites inhibited the binding of flumazenil (7); flumazenil is therefore expected to be effective in the reversal of the sedative effects of zopiclone. However, the efficacy and safety of flumazenil in the treatment of zopiclone overdose remain unknown. Ahmad et al. reported a 55-year-old schizophrenic man who was unconscious after zopiclone overdose (8). The patient also received several regular medications, including chlorpromazine, amitriptyline, trifluoperazine, and procyclidine. Flumazenil therapy (0.2 mg) successfully reversed the patient’s coma. While re-sedation occurred, he regained his consciousness rapidly by instituting an infusion of flumazenil (0.1 mg/h). Toxicologic screen was negative for benzodiazepines. Cienki et al. reported a 27-year-old man who manifested unresponsiveness after an intentional ingestion of 105–150 mg of zopiclone (9). After 0.2 mg of flumazenil, he was fully alert. Re-sedation was noted, but the patient did not receive repeated flumazenil therapy. Toxicologic screen found only zopiclone. In this study, flumazenil was effective in reversing zopiclone-related CNS depression in the majority of patients. Furthermore, we did not observe any adverse effects after flumazenil therapy. Flumazenil thus seems to be effective and safe among patients with zopiclone overdose. Given the frequently short-lived response to flumazenil and the small size of this retrospective analysis, we cannot recommend routine use of flumazenil in zopiclone overdose. Nevertheless, flumazenil may be useful in establishing a diagnosis in a patient who presents to the ED with CNS depression from suspected zopiclone overdose and who does not have contraindications to flumazenil therapy (allergy to flumazenil, coingestion of pro-convulsants, or risk of benzodiazepine withdrawal). In this setting, flumazenil may prevent unnecessary brain imaging studies or endotracheal intubation.
Connectomics is fundamental in propelling our understanding of the nervous system’s organization, unearthing cells and wiring diagrams reconstructed from volume electron microscopy (EM) datasets. Such reconstructions, on the one hand, have benefited from ever more precise automatic segmentation methods, which leverage sophisticated deep learning architectures and advanced machine learning algorithms. On the other hand, the field of neuroscience at large, and of image processing in particular, has manifested a need for user-friendly and open source tools which enable the community to carry out advanced analyses. In line with this second vein, here we propose mEMbrain, an interactive MATLAB-based software which wraps algorithms and functions that enable labeling and segmentation of electron microscopy datasets in a user-friendly user interface compatible with Linux and Windows. Through its integration as an API to the volume annotation and segmentation tool VAST, mEMbrain encompasses functions for ground truth generation, image preprocessing, training of deep neural networks, and on-the-fly predictions for proofreading and evaluation. The final goals of our tool are to expedite manual labeling efforts and to harness MATLAB users with an array of semi-automatic approaches for instance segmentation. We tested our tool on a variety of datasets that span different species at various scales, regions of the nervous system and developmental stages. To further expedite research in connectomics, we provide an EM resource of ground truth annotation from 4 different animals and 5 datasets, amounting to around 180 hours of expert annotations, yielding more than 1.2 GB of annotated EM images. In addition, we provide a set of 4 pre-trained networks for said datasets. All tools are available from https://lichtman.rc.fas.harvard.edu/mEMbrain/. With our software, our hope is to provide a solution for lab-based neural reconstructions which does not require coding by the user, thus paving the way to affordable connectomics.
The internal variability of several varieties and strains of French bean is investigated, confining attention to the single character, seed weight. Out of eleven strains examined only two appeared to be homogeneous for seed weight, whilst two were obviously heterogeneous even by superficial examination of the seed.        A comparison of the distribution of seed weights in five strains of Canadian Wonder showed that each strain contains at least two or three lines out of the minimal estimate of four shared between them.        The natural out-crossing of fourteen varieties, including those analysed for seed weight, is compared. There are indications that varieties vary in their out-crossing propensities. No indication was found of the causes of the high frequencies of out-crossing occasionally encountered.        The possible sources of intra-varietal variation are briefly surveyed.
Preliminary findings from multiple studies indicate that dietary intake of soy-derived isoflavones exert beneficial effects on the skin including defense against oxidant damage, stimulation of collagen synthesis, and increased hydration. This study aims to investigate how oral supplementation of a soy protein isolate with added isoflavones (SPII) affects components of photoaging such as facial wrinkles and dyspigmentation, and skin biophysical measures such as skin hydration and sebum excretion in postmenopausal women. This 6-month prospective, randomized double-blind controlled study was conducted on 44 postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin types I, II, and III who were randomized to receive either casein protein or SPII. A high-resolution facial photography system was used to measure wrinkle severity and pigmentation at 0, 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Skin biophysical measurements included skin hydration and sebum production. The average wrinkle severity was decreased in the SPII intervention group at week 16 and week 24 by 5.9% and 7.1%, respectively, compared to the baseline. Compared to the casein group, average wrinkle severity was significantly decreased at week 16 (p < 0.05) and week 24 (p < 0.0001). Facial pigment intensity was decreased by −2.5% (p < 0.05) at week 24, whereas there was no significant change in the casein group. Compared to baseline, skin hydration in the SPII group was significantly increased by 39% and 68% on the left and right cheeks (p < 0.05), respectively, at 24 weeks. There were no significant differences in sebum production. Dietary soy protein supplementation with isoflavones may improve skin photoaging, including wrinkles and dyspigmentation, and increase skin hydration in postmenopausal women with Fitzpatrick skin types I, II, and III.
We discuss how the loop calculus approach of [Chertkov, Chernyak '06], enhanced by the pseudo-codeword search algorithm of [Chertkov, Stepanov '06] and the facet-guessing idea from [Dimakis, Wainwright '06], improves decoding of graph based codes in the error-floor domain. The utility of the new, linear programming based, decoding is demonstrated via analysis and simulations of the model [155,64, 20] code.
A high precision electron beam lithography systems which can be used to make reticles for 0.3 micrometers devices has been developed. This system is an enhanced model of the Hitachi electron beam lithography system, HL-700M. Key technologies used in this system are (1) the minimum address unit (0.0125 micrometers ) and the stage-positioning measurement unit (0.005 micrometers ) to correspond with higher precision specifications, (2) the refined beam correction functions and (3) the efficient environmental controls. The items of improvement on environmental controls are to design an anti-vibration column and to adopt a reticle temperature control system. The main specifications of this system are (1) the positioning accuracy: 0.06 micrometers , (2) stitching accuracy: 0.05 micrometers , (3) pattern width accuracy: 0.05 micrometers and (4) throughput: 0.5 reticle/hr. The system enables one to write phase shift masks using the direct writing mode in HL-700D.
ABSTRACT The NASIG Digital Preservation Task Force was charged to, “…identify new roles for librarians and publishers as well as the impact of these changes on preservation in an ever-changing digital environment, and develop some best practices for the industry. The task force will identify ways in which NASIG can be involved in proactive digital preservation, including tools for marketing digital preservation to a broad range of library administrations and publishers.” To that end, the task force created a survey to help inform how NASIG could best direct its efforts toward raising awareness and supporting digital preservation initiatives today. In this presentation, the task force (which is now a standing committee) shared the survey findings and highlighted the breadth of their work in the context of current best practices in digital preservation, and recent developments in the field. In addition, this presentation outlined the task force’s resulting recommendations for NASIG’s role in supporting digital preservation, and how the information community can move forward implementing and supporting digital preservation initiatives.
Visual factors in specific learning difficulties (SpLD) are reviewed. People with SpLD fail to achieve at a level that is commensurate with their intelligence. The commonest SpLD is dyslexia, which usually results from phonological processing/decoding deficits. Additionally, there are several optometric correlates of SpLD which may, in some cases, contribute to the learning difficulty. These correlates include binocular instability and a low amplitude of accommodation. Some people with reading difficulties and perceptual distortions/eyestrain can be helped by individually prescribed coloured filters. A visual processing anomaly is also often present in the form of a deficit of the transient visual system. The role of the optometrist is discussed.
Background: Palliative care is an important element of holistic care but has received little attention in cardiac disease patients. The purpose of the paper is (a) to investigate nurses’ knowledge of palliative care, attitudes toward care of the dying, coping with death, and preparedness to practice palliative care for those with heart failure, and (b) to evaluate influencing factors on preparedness to practice on palliative care. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design employed a structured questionnaire that tested nurses’ knowledge, attitude, coping, and preparedness to practice on palliative care for patients with heart failure. Ninety nurses in two tertiary university hospitals in South Korea participated in the survey. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple regression. Results: Results showed low levels of knowledge reported (an average of 48.3% correct answers), attitude (134.8±110.1), coping (117.2±24.3), and preparedness to practice (17.3±4.7) relating to palliative care. The extent of knowledge was related to both attitudes and coping. These attitudes and coping skills were related to preparedness to practice. The multiple regression analysis showed that preparedness to practice was explained by coping and attitude (R2 =0.46, F=6.1, p<0.001). Conclusions: Palliative care training is urgently needed to improve knowledge, attitude, coping, and preparedness to practice. Guidance to assist healthcare professionals involved in palliative care for those with cardiac disease needs to be developed and provided.
Among the problems facing cultivation of the melon in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, the salinity of the water and soil is a major limiting factor of both production and fruit quality. The objective of this work was to study the effects on the production of the hybrid Pele-de-Sapo melon Medellin, of irrigation waters at different salinity levels. The experimental design was a completely randomized block with four replications, with treatments consisting of different salt-concentrations in the irrigation water (0.54; 1.48; 2.02; 3.03 and 3.9 dS m -1 ). The production features measured were: total yield and commercial yield; total number of marketable fruits per plant; total number of fruits; mean weight of the marketable fruits, and total mean weight of the fruits. The increase in water salinity negatively affected the crop yield, with relative losses per unit increase in salinity of above 0.54 dS m -1 , 7.5%; 7.8%; 8.32% and 8.70% for commercial and total production, and the number of marketable fruits and total fruits, respectively.
In the present study, it is represented that the ability of murine stem cell factor (SCF) to expand hematopoietic progenitor cells in short-term suspension culture when used alone or with IL-1 beta, IL-3, IL-6, M-CSF and IL1 beta Plus IL-3. SCF alone had a limited effect on the expansion of early primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells (CFU-HPP: high proliferative potential colony forming unit, and CFU-S: colony forming unit in spleen) even at a high concentration, but expanded mature hematopoietic progenitor cells (CFU-GM: colony forming unit-granulocyte/macrophage, and BFU-E: burst forming unit-erythroid) markedly at low concentrations. When SCF was used in combination with other cytokines, the expansion of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells was significantly increased; namely, CFU-HPP were expanded approximately 2 to 5-fold compared with SCF alone. A marked expansion of hematopoietic progenitor cells was observed in a combination of SCF plus IL-1 beta plus IL-3. In this setting, CFU-S was increased 2.2-fold compared with the number of CFU-S in fresh bone marrow and CFU-HPP were increased 8.5-fold compared with the number of primary CFU-HPP. These results suggest that these factors may be utilized in experiments of murine bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and also in human BMT. Namely, the adequate number of hematopoiesic progenitor cells and stem cells required for the successful engraftment can be obtained from small volume of peripheral or bone marrow blood by this procedure, thus obtiating the donor's burden.
Shannon entropies for networks have been widely introduced. However, entropies for weighted graphs have been little investigated. Inspired by the work due to Eagle et al., we introduce the concept of graph entropy for special weighted graphs. Furthermore, we prove extremal properties by using elementary methods of classes of weighted graphs, and in particular, the one due to Bollobas and Erdos, which is also called the Randi´c weight. As a result, we derived statements on dendrimers that have been proven useful for applications. Finally, some open problems are presented.
Abstract The search for extinct and extant life on Mars is based on the study of biosignatures that could be preserved under Mars-like, extreme conditions that are replicated in different terrestrial analog environments. The mineral record in the subsurface of the Río Tinto system is one example of a Mars analog site that has been exposed to weathering conditions, including the biogeochemical activity of Fe and S chemolithotrophic bacteria, for millions of years. The SEM-EDAX analysis of different samples recovered in the Peña de Hierro area from four boreholes, ranging from 166 to 610 m in depth, has provided the identification of microbial structures that have affected a suite of hydrothermal minerals (~345 Ma) as well as minerals likely produced by biological activity in more recent times (<7 Ma). The hydrothermal minerals correspond to reduced sulfur or sulfate-bearing compounds (e.g., pyrite and barite) that are covered by bacilli- or filamentous-like microbial structures and/or secondary ferrous carbonates (e.g., siderite) with laminar to spherical structures. The secondary iron carbonates can be in direct contact or above an empty interphase with the primary hydrothermal minerals following a wavy to bent contact. Such an empty interphase is usually filled with nanoscale, straight filamentous structures that have a carbonaceous composition. The occurrence of a sulfur and iron chemolithotrophic community in the Río Tinto basement strongly suggests that the association between sulfur-bearing minerals, dissolution scars and secondary minerals of biological origin is a complex process involving the microbial attack on mineral surfaces by sulfur reducing bacteria followed by the precipitation of iron-rich carbonates. In this scenario, iron sulfide compounds such as pyrite would act as electron donors under microbial oxidation, while sulfate minerals such as barite would act as electron acceptors through sulfate reduction. Furthermore, the formation of siderite would have resulted from carbonate biomineralization of iron chemoheterotrophic organims or other microorganisms that concentrate carbonate through metabolic pathways. Although the distribution of the mineral biosignatures at depth clearly follows a redox gradient, they show some irregular allocation underground, suggesting that the geochemical conditions governing the microbial activity are affected by local changes associated with the fracturing pattern of the Río Tinto basement. The abundance of sulfur- and iron-bearing minerals in the Mars crust suggests that the Río Tinto mineral biosignatures can be useful in the search for extant and extinct subsurface life on the red planet.
Objective There are limited studies evaluating anal cytology results or the prevalence of anal human papiloma virus in adolescent and young adult (AYA) men who have sex with men (MSM). The purpose of this study was to review anal cytology screening results and determine whether abnormal findings resulted in completion of anoscopy in AYA MSM (13–26 years old). Patients and Methods This was a retrospective study evaluating 84 anal Papanicolaou screening results among 36 AYA MSM patients aged 13–26 years who had an anal Papanicolaou test completed at an outpatient Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine Practice at Boston Children's Hospital, an urban, nonprofit, academic, free-standing children's hospital, from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2020. Results The findings of anal Papanicolaou screening included atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) (37%), negative for squamous intraepithelial lesion (31%), inability to read (21.3%), and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (10.8%). Most patients who had ASCUS results were referred for anoscopy (n = 28, 90.3%), and of those referred only 6.5% (n = 2) completed an anoscopy. Of those with low-grade squamous cell intraepithelial lesion results, 88.9% (n = 8) were referred for anoscopy, and among those who were referred, only 3.3% (n = 3) had completed an anoscopy. Conclusion This study showed that there were abnormalities in cytology when anal Papanicolaou test screening was performed in this population, and the completion rates for anoscopy were low.
Imeglimin is a diabetic drug excreted mainly in the urine; therefore, the impact of renal impairment on its pharmacokinetics (PK) is of interest. We assessed the PK and safety of imeglimin in Japanese patients with impaired renal function. This was an uncontrolled, open‐label, single‐dose, phase 1 study. Participants were classified into 4 groups by their estimated glomerular filtration rate (mL/min/1.73 m2) as follows: ≥90, normal renal function; and 60 to <90, mild; 30 to <60, moderate; and 15 to <30, severe renal impairment. All participants received imeglimin 1000 mg except those with severe renal impairment, who received imeglimin 500 mg. PK parameters were estimated using noncompartmental analysis, and those after multiple administrations were projected using a noncompartmental superposition method. In total, 24 Japanese participants (6 in each group) were enrolled and completed the study. The mean plasma imeglimin concentration reached the maximum at 2‐4 hours after administration and then rapidly decreased. The geometric mean maximum observed plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration–time curve values were higher in the impaired renal function groups versus normal renal function group. Most imeglimin was excreted in urine by 24 hours after administration. Renal clearance decreased with decreasing renal function. Projected maximum observed plasma concentration and area under the plasma concentration–time curve over the dosing interval after multiple dosing were greater in the renal impairment groups versus normal renal function group. No adverse events were observed. Considering increased plasma exposure along with decreased renal clearance, dose adjustment is required in patients with moderate and severe renal impairment with estimated glomerular filtration rate of 15 to <45 mL/min/1.73 m2.
Stereo vision finds a wide range of applications for robot navigation, advanced driving support system, and autonomous driving in the automotive industry. The disparity map can be obtained through the implementation of stereo vision architecture using stereo matching. A stereo matching algorithm has recently been executed in FPGA. This study is aimed at assessing the stereo matching with the use of Stratix V FPGA and OpenCL framework. The latter refers to a parallel programming framework that enhances productivity by raising the code’s abstraction. Additionally, OpenCL allows for the processing of stereo matching using channel extensions. In the experiment, we partitioned the OpenCL kernel into three smaller kernels to examine the stereo matching on FPGA for computation. Such an approach enables streaming image pixels from the FPGA global memory. A line-buffer is employed to avoid the load-store dependencies caused by memory accesses when streaming the pixels to the window buffer inside the stereo matching kernel. We can achieve a rapid execution time, which is advantageous for real-time implementation, by streaming the image pixels through an OpenCL kernel partitioned using channel extension. The execution time to compute the disparity map using the stereo KITTI dataset with 1242x375 pixels resolution reaches 2.38 ms or 420 fps for 6x6 sliding window size, 2.44 ms or 409 fps for 7x7, and 2.52 ms or 396 fps for 8x8.
Background: Background: Due to the potential threat to nonhuman primates (NHP) the Primate Assay Laboratory (PAL), in collaboration with the National Primate Research Center (NPRC) Pathogen Detection Working Group (PDWG), was tasked with providing testing for SARS-CoV- 2 surveillance. Although some commercial and research reagents and protocols were available, none were well validated for use in NHP. Material(s) and Method(s): PAL formatted a panel of antigens for antibody detection using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and multiplex microbead immunoassay (MMIA) platforms with historical (pre-2018) serum as negative controls;and serum from experimentally infected animals as positive controls. Using the initial MMIA, antibody was correctly identified in 16/16 samples from experimental infections (>10 days post inoculation);and specificity for spike (S), nucleocapsid (NC), receptor binding domain, and whole virus antigens was 96.2%, 94.0%, 94.6%, and 97.8%, respectively on surveillance samples. No samples were positive for both S and NC. Six PDWG laboratories compared this MMIA with nine additional laboratory developed or commercially available assays using shared panels of known positive and negative samples. Despite some variation, all assays demonstrated acceptable performance (www.nprcr esear ch.org/prima te/patho gen-detec tion/PDWG%20Web page%20Upd ate%20Mar ch%202021-SAH.pdf). Result(s): The PAL MMIA has been further refined for use as a two-step screen and confirm algorithm. No known positive samples have been missed. Of the last 1653 surveillance samples, 90 were MMIA screen reactive requiring EIA confirmatory testing. Twenty-three of 90 confirmatory tests were reactive to NC only and 1 to S only;all others were non-reactive. Parallel work validating virus detection methods was also performed. Conclusion(s): We validated accurate assays and a testing algorithm to detect SARS-CoV- 2 infection in nonhuman primates. Over 10 000 animals across the seven NPRC's have been tested, with no detection of spontaneous infections.
BACKGROUND The course of heart failure can be unpredictable and uncontrolled symptoms are the main problem. This review analyses the current literature surrounding cognitive impairment and heart failure with special emphasis on self-management and quality of life. It attempts to explain the extent to which compliance and self-management contribute to acute hospitalisation, and to what extent the patient's mental capability influences compliance with treatment.   CONCLUSION The literature identifies a link between congestive heart failure and cognitive impairment.
The electromagnetic fields (EMF) are ubiquitous. The base transceiver station (BTS) and mobile phones (MPs) contribute to the generation of EMF around their locations and are regarded as important sources of non-ionizing radiations. The use of mobile phone has increased dramatically in recent years so also the skepticism regarding its effects. In this review, we have made an attempt to scan the key research papers those aimed at elucidating the effects of EMF starting from extreme low frequency (ELF) to radio frequency (RF) through low frequency (LF). We have selected papers that dealt with the effects of radiations emanating from the BTS and MPs on human sleep, circadian rhythm, and cognition. Mostly, we have concentrated on papers published in the last 15 years. We came across conflicting reports. The findings reported in many papers suggest that the exposure to EMF has potentiality to compromise parameters related to sleep quality; in contrast, there are several reports those have given a clean sheet to the EMF exposure. The effects of EMF on circadian rhythms also remain inconclusive. The EMF exposure while did not produce any effect on circadian rhythm of heart rate and blood chemistry, it modulated the rhythms in cortisol and melatonin characterized by a decline in their 24-h circulating levels. The effects of exposure to EMF on cognitive parameters, like performance and memory, are also equivocal. The existing contradictory findings could be attributed to inter-individual variability in tolerance, gender-, and age-dependent differences in response, latitudinal differences in efficacy, variability among employed methodologies and differences in specific absorption rate, frequency of the mobile phone usage, and interaction of EMF with other physiological and environmental factors, among others. The future research should be carried out with added focus on elucidating the modulatory effects of these factors to put an end to the existing controversies on the biological effects of low/RF EMF radiations.
ABSTRACT Molecular analysis of a cytopathogenic (cp) bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) isolate (1741) obtained from a case of mucosal disease (MD) led to the identification of five different viral subgenomic RNAs in addition to a noncytopathogenic (noncp) strain (NCP 1741). For each of the subgenomes, a large internal deletion was found together with an inserted sequence encoding part of ribosomal protein S27a fused to an N-terminally truncated ubiquitin monomer. Surprisingly, the two cellular insertions together with flanking viral sequences encoding parts of NS3 and NS4B are >99% identical to the previously described sequence of BVDV vaccine strain RIT (P. Becher, M. Orlich, and H.-J. Thiel, J. Virol. 72:8697–8704, 1998), while the remainder of the subgenomes is derived from the genome of NCP 1741. Further analyses including molecular cloning and nucleotide sequencing of the recombination partners revealed that both homologous and nonhomologous RNA recombination contributed to the generation of the viral subgenomes. Interestingly, for another cp BVDV isolate (CP 4584) from an independent case of MD, again an insertion of a RIT-derived sequence element was detected. In contrast to CP 1741, for CP 4584 a duplication of the genomic region encoding NS3 and parts of NS4A and NS4B was found. Transfection of bovine cells with RNA transcribed from a chimeric cDNA construct showed that the RIT-derived insertion together with the CP 4584-specific duplication of viral sequences represents the genetic basis of cytopathogenicity of CP 4584. Remarkably, passages of the recovered cp virus in cell culture led to emergence of noncp BVDV and a number of viral subgenomes whose genome organization was similar to that in BVDV 1741.
The Z- and E-isomers of fluoromethylenecyclopropane analogues 11a-d and 12a-d were synthesized, and their antiviral activities were evaluated. The purine (Z,E)-methylenecyclopropane carboxylates 13 and 24 were selectively fluorinated using lithium diisopropylamide, LiCl, and N-fluorobenzenesulfonimide to give (Z,E)-fluoroesters 22 and 25. Reduction with LiBH(4) or diisobutylaluminum hydride gave after chromatographic separation Z-isomers 11a and 11e and E-isomers 12a and 12e. The O-demethylation of 11e and 12e afforded guanine analogues 11b and 12b. Fluorination of (Z,E)-cytosine and thymine esters 15 and 16 afforded (Z,E)-fluoroesters 26 and 27, which were resolved before the reduction to analogues 11c and 11d and 12c and 12d. Adenine Z-isomer 11a was the most effective against Towne and AD169 strains of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV, EC(50) 3.6 and 6.0 microM, respectively), but it was less effective against murine virus (MCMV, EC(50) 69 microM). Thymine Z-isomer 11d was effective against HSV-1 in BSC-1 cells (ELISA, EC(50) 2.5 microM) but inactive against HSV-1 or HSV-2 in Vero or HFF cells. All of the analogues with the exception of 12d were effective at least in one of the assays against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in Daudi or H-1 cells in a micromolar or submicromolar range. Cytosine and thymine Z-isomers 11c and 11d were active against varicella zoster virus (VZV) with EC(50) 0.62 microM. Adenine Z- and E-isomers 11a and 12a were effective against HIV-1 in MT-2 or MT-4 cells with EC(50) 12-22 and 2.3-7.6 microM, respectively, whereas only 12a was effective against hepatitis B virus (HBV) with EC(50) 15 microM. Analogues 11a and 12a were weak substrates for adenosine deaminase.
Background: Treatment options for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remain inadequate. Irinotecan has been tested in various combinations with platinum agents but the optimal regimen remains uncertain. We undertook a phase I trial to optimise the dose intensity of a 3-weekly irinotecan/carboplatin combination. Methods: Twenty patients with extensive stage SCLC received intravenous carboplatin at an area under the curve (AUC) of 5 on day 1, and irinotecan in 40–70 mg/m2 dose levels on days 1 and 8, every 21 days, for up to 6 cycles. Results: Dose-limiting toxicity occurred in 1 patient at the 50 mg/m2 irinotecan level (grade 3 diarrhoea) and in 2 patients at 70 mg/m2 (grade 5 neutropenic sepsis; combined grade 4 febrile neutropenia, grade 4 diarrhoea and grade 3 thrombosis). Toxicity patterns were consistent with the expected profile for this combination. The objective response rate was 75% and the median survival was 9.3 months (95% confidence interval 7.5–11.2). Conclusion: Irinotecan 60 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 combined with carboplatin AUC 5 every 21 days is recommended for phase II evaluation. This regimen has clinical activity, acceptable toxicity and greater dose intensity over those currently tested in phase III trials.
Few economists can match the volume and breadth of Gottfried Haberler's contributions to economic theory and policy analysis. At eighty, his flow of insightful analyses of the analytical foundations of contemporary macroand international economic policy issues shows no sign of diminishing. The full scope of Haberler's many contributions cannot be done justice in the short review piece presented here. In the following sections, however, I have tried to present the flavor of his work in two of the areas of his greatest continuing interest: the analysis of and solutions for the problems of inflation and unemployment, and issues of international monetary theory and policy. The companion pieces by Robert Baldwin and Lawrence Officer cover Haberler's important contributions to international trade theory and policy and to analysis of the business cycle.
Short communications in the form of Letters to the Editor are intended to provide prompt publication of significant new research results and to permit an exchange of views on papers previously published in the JOURNAL These communications are not submitted to formal review as are research papers, and the editors do not assume any share of the author’s responsibility for the information given or the opinions expressed. When work previously published in the JOURNAL is the subject of critical comment, the authors of the original paper are given
Russell's "new contradiction" about "the totality of propositions" has been connected with a number of modal paradoxes. M. Oksanen has recently shown how these modal paradoxes are resolved in the set theory NFU. Russell's paradox of the totality of propositions was left unexplained, however. We reconstruct Russell's argument and explain how it is resolved in two intensional logics that are equiconsistent with NFU. We also show how different notions of possible worlds are represented in these intensional logics.
PURPOSE The authors present their experience with previously unsuspected carcinoma of the lung detected at preoperative computed tomography (CT) in patients with severe pulmonary emphysema who were scheduled to undergo lung volume reduction surgery.   MATERIALS AND METHODS Preoperative chest CT was performed in 148 patients (84 men, 64 women; mean age, 65 years +/- 8 [standard deviation]) with advanced pulmonary emphysema before lung volume reduction surgery. At surgery, an attempt was made to excise any pulmonary nodule considered suspicious for carcinoma at CT.   RESULTS Eighteen pulmonary nodules suspicious for lung cancer were found at CT in 17 (11%) of the 148 patients. Sixteen of these 148 nodules were resected at lung volume reduction surgery. Nine non-small cell carcinomas (adenocarcinoma, n = 4, including three with bronchioloalveolar differentiation; poorly differentiated, n = 3; squamous cell carcinoma, n = 2) were found in eight (5%) patients. Eight of the cancers were stage I, and one was unstaged surgically. Maximum diameters of the cancers ranged between 1.0 and 3.8 cm (median, 1.6 cm). The seven (5%) other resected nodules were all benign.   CONCLUSION A 5% rate of stage I primary lung cancer in patients selected for lung volume reduction surgery suggests that performance of chest CT in candidates for lung volume reduction surgery is appropriate not only to identify patterns of pulmonary parenchymal destruction but also to search for stage I lung cancer.
The apprehensive meaning (“anxiety about a possible undesirable situation”) is expressed in various ways in the world’s many languages. This paper compares how this meaning Is expressed in two Slavic languages, namely: Russian and Bulgarian. In Russian the apprehensive is considered to be primarily marked by the  kak by ne  construction (Dobrusina 2006). Some non-specific forms and locutions are also employed to convey this meaning. This paper mainly focuses on how the apprehensive meaning is expressed in the Bulgarian language. It is argued that Bulgarian has a special marker of the apprehensive: the compound particle  da ne bi . The paper points out that in dependent clauses the  da ne bi  structure is always the marker of the apprehensive, while in independent utterances it is also vested with other modal functions. The parallel Russian-Bulgarian corpus has been used as the source for an adjusted list of the Russian correspondences for the Bulgarian marker  da ne bi . The corpus-based approach yielded an extensive range of means of expression of the apprehensive in Russian. On the other hand, the syntactic constraints on the use of the Bulgarian  da ne bi  drastically limit the usage of this Bulgarian apprehensive marker as the means of rendering the Russian  kak by ne  construction in translation.
Thermal spray jets composed of Zr–B–O molten particles produced by the electrothermal explosion of a mixed powder of Zr and B2O3 were quantitatively characterized of their velocity, volumetric mass density, and mass velocity by flash radiography, to investigate a unique characteristic of a coating formed by using such jets, i.e., the mixing of a substrate material with a coating. Yttria-stabilized zirconia balls were used as tracers of jet flow. Mass velocity, i.e., mass flow rate per unit cross section of the flow, in a cylindrical space in front of the virtual position of a substrate was calculated using the velocity of the tracers and the volumetric mass density of the jet. The maximum mass velocity in the present spraying was two orders of magnitude larger than that in conventional plasma spraying. Thus, the very high mass velocity probably contributes to the appearance of the unique characteristic.
AIM A new generation of commercially available implantable loop recorders (ILRs) has improved arrhythmia detection algorithms but reduced manually activated ECG storage duration. We investigated the effect that this would have had on symptom-arrhythmia correlation in a retrospective patient cohort.   METHOD AND RESULTS Retrospective review of all patients receiving a Medtronic Reveal 9525/9526 for the investigation of unexplained syncope or pre-syncope in our centre between 1998 and 2008. All ILRs were programmed for a single manual activation with 40 min retrospective ECG recording. We identified all patients who subsequently underwent permanent pacemaker implantation and analysed the time delay between bradycardia onset and manual ILR activation. Five hundred and sixty-four patients underwent implantation of an ILR during the study period. Of these, 57 (10%) subsequently underwent the implantation of a pacemaker (31 male, median age 66 years, range 9-86 years). In this group, 35 of 57 (61%) bradycardia diagnoses were made in patients (18 male, median age 65 years, range 9-86 years) after manual activation of the ILR. The median time from bradycardia onset to ILR activation was 136 s (0-488 s). Nineteen recordings showed high-grade atrio-ventricular block and 16 sinus node disease.   CONCLUSION Ten-year experience with the ILR confirms its utility in establishing a pacemaker indication as the cause for syncope or pre-syncope in 6% (34 of 564) of recipients following manual activation. This requires a recording loop of sufficient duration to reliably include both symptoms and activation.
Background & objectives: Chikungunya is a reemerging arbovirus infection. Laboratory diagnosis can be done by Classical test involving Rapid Immunochromatography, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent assay and Molecular methods. The present study was undertaken to know the genotype of the Chikungunya virus (CHICKV) among patients suspected of CHICKV and investigated by virus culture, partial sequencing, Rapid Immunochromatography, and Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To understand different techniques used in Chikungunya diagnosis viz., virus culture, partial sequencing along with Immunochromatography and ELISA. Methods: This is a prospective, laboratory-based study at a tertiary care center. Lateral flow chromatography and ELISA was carried out on serum samples. All 50 samples were cultured and indirect Immunofluorescence was performed on positive samples at Interactive Research School for Health Affairs (IRSHA), Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College Pune, Maharashtra, India. Virus isolates were subjected to partial sequencing for identification of genotype after confirmation by PCR. Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 22.0 software was used to calculate the Receiver operating curve (ROC) for different tests. Results: Out of 50 samples, 20 were positive by Immunochromatography, 23 by ELISA, and 3 by culture, PCR confirmed CHIKV isolates and sequencing identified genotypes as East Central South African type. Interpretation & conclusion: CHIKV culture isolates of East Central South African type lineage were predominantly found in the present study. These are also common genotypes present in Asia including India.
The objective was to evaluate body weight, leg weight and morphologic aspects of the muscle fibers of the flexor hallucis longus muscle and electrophoretic profile of myosin heavy chain of four strains of broilers, reared in confinement and semi-confinement systems. 1440 chicks were randomly assigned in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement: four strains (Ross 305, Master Gris, Label Rouge and Vermelhao Pesado), two production systems (confinement and semi-confinement), with four replicates for each treatment. Four birds were sacrificed for each treatment, at 28 and 84 d, totaling 64 animals. Electrophoresis technique identified the presence of three myosin heavy chain types: MyHC-I, MyHC-IIa and MyHC-IIb, in the flexor hallucis longus muscle of the broilers. There was increase in MyHC-II and decrease in MyHC-I, as age passed. Only at 84 days-old was the MyHC-II expression influenced by strain, confirming a response of selection in Ross lineage on a more glycolytic muscle. The Ross lineage has higher live weight, leg weight, weight and area of the flexor hallucis longus, compared to different chicken strains.
This paper reports on the use of focus groups in the design and development of America's Talent Bank. America's Talent Bank was designed with support from the U.S. Department of Labor as a nation-wide labor exchange system to be used on the Internet. The use of focus groups significantly enhanced the design and development of this system. The authors believe that this case is reflective of the successful use of focus groups in the development of an Internet system designed for national use.
This paper discusses the dominance of textbooks within classroom teaching in India. In the history of Indian education in the post-independence period, since as early as 1952, various education commissions and policy frameworks have expressed concern over textbook dominance within Indian classrooms. But the education system still relies heavily on textbooks for ‘educating’ its students. National Curriculum Framework 2005 establishes the need to make learning meaningful for children by actively engaging them within the classroom. But with consistent domination of textbook reading as the only method of classroom teaching, actively engaging children remains a challenge. The paper discusses how choosing textbooks that create opportunities for actively engaging students can be a step towards developing a link between textbooks and active participation of children within classroom processes. It further suggests certain parameters for looking at texts in an analytical manner and also provides an example by analyzing a text on the parameters that are suggested.
Summary    The encapsulation of bergamot oil by spray drying was investigated by using octenyl succinylated waxy maize starch as wall material and bergamot oil as core. The bergamot oil is majorly composed of d-limonene, linalool and linalyl acetate. High-speed and high-pressure homogenisers were used as major tools of emulsification process. The results indicated that some chemical functional groups were lost during the high-pressure homogenisation. Moreover, larger emulsion droplet size (5–10 μm) was observed when emulsion passed through high-pressure homogeniser. Meanwhile, the saturation of carrier solution before preparing the emulsion was also important to produce the encapsulated flavour powder by spray drying. The optimal value of air inlet temperature at 160 °C to give the highest flavour retention and the lowest surface oil content was observed. Furthermore, the retention of linalool after spray drying was higher than 100%. The transformation of each flavour might occur.
decide if John thought it was necessary to assert his property rights to save Bell or Belinda’s life, wewouldwant to knowwhat he expectedwould happen if he did not do so.Whatwas normal in Scottish courts dealing with infanticide? Was transportation a rare or a common punishment? Were there precedents for transporting without actually holding a trial, as happened here? Would execution have been a likely outcome when a pre-trial hearing had determined (as Rothschild shows) that ‘there was no sufficient evidence of intentional murder’?With this legal context in place, we could better assess John’smotives; but it would require an entirely different research strategy from the one Rothchild has pursued. In both her successes and failures, Rothschild raises compelling questions for historians. How do we draw boundaries around a subject, especially if we refuse (as Rothschild does) the traditional geographical and sub-disciplinary divisions of historical labour? Are all possible connections that can be made of equal analytical importance – and does the responsibility of deciding what connection is important belong to the historian or to the reader? Is the surface really ‘all you’ve got’? Could this book have been better as a website? If you want to grapple with such issues, you will find this book well worth reading.
The invention belongs to the technical field of microwave photonics, and particularly relates to a single-band-pass microwave photon filter with a super-wide tuning range based on high-nonlinearity optical fiber stimulated Brillouin scattering effect and multiple pumping signals. The single-band-pass microwave photon filter comprises a laser device, a phase modulator, an isolator, N pumping sources, a coupler, high-nonlinearity optical fibers, a circulator, a detector and a network analyzer. The characteristic of the high-nonlinearity optical fiber stimulated Brillouin scattering effect and the characteristic that phase modulator output signals are opposite in phase and the same in intensity are used, a first-order upper side band output by the phase modulator is enhanced or weakened through the high-nonlinearity optical fiber stimulated Brillouin scattering effect, intensity balance of the first-order upper side band and a first-order lower side band of the signals output by the phase modulator is broken, and accordingly the signals with needed frequency are output in a filter mode. Due to the fact that the number of pumping signals is increased reasonably, stimulated Brillouin gain caused by the high-frequency pumping signals is used for canceling out stimulated Brillouin loss caused by low-frequency pumping signals, and the tuning range of the filter is enlarged.
It is observed that the development of Information and Communication  favor the dissemination and access to intellectual production in all areas of  knowledge. In this context, there are institutional repositories that aim to preserve  and give visibility to this production. This paper aims to discuss the experience of  implementation of catalog-making authority in the Repositorio Institucional of  Universidade Federal do Rio Grande – RI FURG. In the methodology it is  presented the inconsistencies in the authors' names, both in the Plataforma Lattes  and publications. It also discusses the importance of the authority catalog for the standardization and the considerations to the adoption of AACR2 at Repositorio  Institucional of Universidade Federal do Rio Grande – RI FURG.
Mentally retarded parents in the community represent a relatively new and increasing population. Due to the parents' limitations, the children are at significant risk for medical, emotional, and cognitive delays and neglect. An estimate of the size of this population that comes to agency attention is needed in order to program supportive services. The methodology and results of a community-based survey to determine the size of this population receiving agency services in a large metropolitan area are described as are the results of a survey interview with a subset of these parents and their children to determine services needed from the parents' perspective.
Abstract Initial velocity patterns have been obtained for rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase at pH 7.4, 25°, with six nucleotides as substrates, and also with 2,5-anhydro-d-mannitol-6-P and 2,5-anhydro-d-mannitol-1,6-P2 as substrate analogs. In the forward (MgNTP, fructose-6-P) direction most of the patterns were parallel or nearly so, but with MgITP and MgCTP there was clear convergence. In the reverse direction all patterns except for MgGDP were clearly intersecting. The mechanism must therefore be sequential. The good activity of the anhydromannitol analog, but the failure of l-sorbose-6-P or 2,5-anhydro-d-glucitol-6-P prepared either chemically or enzymatically to act as a substrate suggests that the enzyme is specific both for the β anomers of fructose-6-P and fructose-P2 and for the d configuration at carbon 5. The activity of fructose-1-P (presumably the β anomer) as a substrate is consistent with this view, as is the failure of l-sorbose-1-P to act either as inhibitor or substrate.
The aim of the study is the statistical description of the random factors of the self-educationт process, namely that stage of the process of continuous education, in which there is no meaningful impact on the student’s educational organization and the development of algorithms for estimating these factors. It is assumed that motivations of self-education are intrinsic factors that characterize the individual learner and external, associated with the changing environment and emerging challenges. Phenomena available for analysis a self-learning process (observed data) are events relevant to this process, which are modeled by points on the time axis, the number and position of which is assumed to be random. Each point can be mapped with the unknown and unobserved random or nonrandom factor (parameter) which affects the intensity of formation of dots. The purpose is to describe observable and unobservable data and developing algorithms for optimal evaluation. Further, such evaluations can be used for the individual characteristics of the process of self-study or for comparison of different students. For the analysis of statistical characteristics of the process of selfeducation applied mathematical apparatus of the theory of point random processes, which allows to determine the key statistical characteristics of unknown random factors of the process of self-education. The work consists of a logically complete model including the following components.• Study the basic statistical model of the appearance of points in the process of self-education in the form of a Poisson process, the only characteristic is the intensity of occurrence of events• Methods of testing the hypothesis about Poisson distribution of observed events.• Generalization of the basic model to the case where the intensity function depends on the time and unknown factor (variable) can be both random and not random. Such factors are interpreted as motivational factors, as directly affect the intensity of formation of dots.• Generalization of the basic model of a different type, when each random event is attributed to random or non-random number. These numbers are interpreted as a resource (price), which is consumed with the appearance of each event and are mapped to external factors selflearning process.For each private model provided optimal algorithms for estimating the relevant factors according to selected criteria, in the simplest cases, the analytical expressions are indicated. It is shown that for a random parameter that is not time-dependent sufficient statistics is the number of points on the observation interval, and for time-varying random parameter, we apply the algorithm of optimal linear fi ltering. For external factors of self-educationт process, expressions for mathematical expectation and dispersion are obtained.. Considered a numerical example of application of the theory, including computational experiment. The use of mathematical apparatus of random point processes allows us to formulate the model of the random factors of the process of selfeducation in the form of random sequence of points which are identified with some of the events that accompany the process of self-education. The fruitfulness of the approach is confi rmed by the fact that algorithms to determine all the basic statistical characteristics of all the considered types of random processes of the occurrence of events are indicated and for simple cases analytical expressions are obtained. Целью исследования является статистическое описание случайных факторов процесса самообразования – такого этапа процесса непрерывного образования, при котором отсутствует целенаправленное воздействие на обучающегося образовательной организацией и разработка алгоритмов оценки этих факторов. Предполагается, что мотивациями самообразования являются внутренние факторы, характеризующие личность обучающегося и внешние, связанные с изменяющейся средой и возникающими новыми задачами. Явлениями, доступными для анализа процесса самообразования (наблюдаемыми данными), считаются события, имеющие отношение к этому процессу, которые моделируются точками на оси времени, число и положение которых предполагается случайными. Каждой точке процесса может быть поставлен в соответствие неизвестный и ненаблюдаемый случайный или неслучайный фактор (параметр), который влияет на интенсивность образования точек. Цель состоит в описании наблюдаемых и ненаблюдаемых данных и разработке алгоритмов их оптимальной оценки. Далее такие оценки могут быть использованы для индивидуальной характеристики процесса самообучения или для сравнения различных обучающихся. Для анализа статистических характеристик процесса самообразования применен математический аппарат теории точечных случайных процессов, который позволяет определить ключевые статистические характеристики неизвестных случайных факторов процесса самообразования. Работа состоит из логически завершенной модели, включающей следующие составные части.• Обоснование базовой статистической модели появления точек в процессе самообразования в виде пуассоновского процесса, единственной характеристикой которого является интенсивность возникновения событий.• Методика проверки гипотезы о пуассоновском распределении наблюдаемых событий.• Обобщение базовой модели на случай, когда функция интенсивности зависит и от времени и от неизвестного фактора (параметра), который может быть как случайным, так и не случайным. Такие факторы интерпретируются как факторы мотивационного типа, поскольку непосредственно влияют на интенсивность образования точек.• Обобщение базовой статистической модели другого типа, когда каждому случайному событию приписывается случайное или неслучайное число. Эти числа интерпретируются как ресурс (цена), который расходуется при появлении каждого события и сопоставляются внешним факторам процесса самообразования.Для каждой частной модели указаны оптимальные алгоритмы оценок соответствующих факторов по выбранным критериям, в простейших случаях получены аналитические выражения. Показано, что для случайного параметра, не зависящего от времени достаточной статистикой является число точек на интервале наблюдения, а для изменяющегося во времени случайного параметра применим алгоритм оптимальной линейной фильтрации. Для внешних факторов самообразования, получены выражения для математического ожидания и дисперсии этих факторов. Рассмотрен сквозной числовой пример применения теории, включающий вычислительный эксперимент. Применение математического аппарата случайных точечных процессов позволяет сформулировать модель случайных факторов процесса самообразования в виде случайной последовательности точек, которые отождествляются с некоторыми событиями, сопровождающими процесс самообразования. Плодотворность упомянутого подхода подтверждается тем, что указаны алгоритмы для определения всех основные статистических характеристик всех рассмотренных типов случайных процессов возникновения событий, а для простейших случаев получены аналитические выражения.
ITER (in Latin “the way”) is designed to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of fusion energy. Fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier over one and thus release energy. In the fusion process two isotopes of hydrogen – deuterium and tritium – fuse together to form a helium atom and a neutron. Thus fusion could provide large scale energy production without greenhouse effects; essentially limitless fuel would be available all over the world. The principal goals of ITER are to generate 500 megawatts of fusion power for periods of 300 to 500 seconds with a fusion power multiplication factor, Q, of at least 10. Q ? 10 (input power 50 MW / output power 500 MW). The ITER Organization was officially established in Cadarache, France, on 24 October 2007. The seven members engaged in the project – China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia and the United States – represent more than half the world’s population. The costs for ITER are shared by the seven members. The cost for the construction will be approximately 5.5 billion Euros, a similar amount is foreseen for the twenty-year phase of operation and themore » subsequent decommissioning.« less
Farmers need information about the expected value and variability of net revenues for alternative crop insurance and futures hedging strategies to manage risk. Specifically, the model will determine which risk management strategies are most desirable under various levels of risk aversion. The unstable futures basis relation in the data used in the simulation model contributed to increased variability of net revenues. In general, none of the crop insurance or hedging strategies markedly reduced variability of net revenue and relative riskiness when compared with the cash strategy. Revenue Assurance strategies were the most effective at setting a floor on net revenues. As a result, Revenue Assurance products may perform well for extremely risk averse producers.
In this work, samples of pure polystyrene and polystyrene (PS) doped with (pomegranate peel)  were prepared using casting method .The effect of addition of pomegranate peel (PP) concentration on optical properties of poly styrene have been studied in the wavelength range (200-800)nm. The absorption coefficient, energy gap, refractive index and extinction coefficient have been determined. The results show that the optical constants change with increase of PP concentration. Key words: polymer , Polystyrene , pomegranate peel, Optical properties, absorbance.
English is international language which is very important in the world communication. Therefore the English has been taught in all of school level based on the curriculum. The first and main step in learning English as second language is mastering the vocabulary. Without master any vocabulary the students will not be able to develop the four skills in learning second language, thus are listening, reading, speaking and writing. In this thesis, the researcher tried to prove the theory that reading text can enrich the vocabulary mastery. Therefore the researcher determined to conduct her research improving vocabulary through reading folktale. She chose folktale as material because it is fun for teaching to motivate students in reading the texts. The design of this research is Collaborative Classroom Action Research. The researcher conducted four cycles in four meetings. One cycle consist of four elements thus are: planning, implementing, observing and reflecting. Moreover, the researcher used instruments to collect the data they are observation checklist, field notes, questionnaire and the score of students. The researcher discussed the data as the result of study in descriptive qualitative manner. In the implementing of study, the researcher conducted the activities, thus are: reading folktale, identify the word classes, guessing the meaning of word considering the context, opening the dictionary to look for difficult word, drilling the list vocabulary, and memorizing. After the implementing the study, the researcher gave the students vocabulary test to measure the improvement after implementing the material. The data of test score stated that the students could reach the Standard Minimal Score and it always increases in every meeting. Inaddition, the researcher gave the students questionnaire sheet to check their response after getting the material. Considering the result of questionnaire, the researcher concluded that most of students like the material of this study. Finally, this research is expected to give useful contribution for teacher and students in teaching learning process of English lesson. Moreover, it is also expected become references to help other researcher whether they want to conduct wider the research study in the same field.
Pretransplantation biopsies of kidney grafts have become a key to select organs suitable for transplantation from marginal donors. The main microscopic features to be evaluated are as follows: percentage of glomerulosclerosis, interstitial fibrosis and vascular pathology. Although the percentage of glomerulosclerosis prognosticates kidney outcome, it has not yet been established what the age limit and type of kidney injury absolutely forbid the use of a particular organ. The principal reason for the controversy about the real value of the biopsy is due to the limited knowledge of the impact of age on the morphology of renal injuries. We reviewed 50 autopsies of patients older than 65 years, and 75 kidney biopsies showing renal disease. The percentage of glomerulosclerosis was always <15% in autopsy material, and <20% in kidney biopsies. We consider that improvement of the predictive value of pretransplantation renal biopsies may be achieved with the following guidelines: sufficient size of wedge biopsies (1.5 cm deep), not limited to the subcapsular area; never having <25 glomeruli; and a fast paraffin embedding technique that allows an objective evaluation of percentage of glomeruli and arterial-arteriolar damage. Transplantation is contraindicated when there is >20% of glomerulosclerosis accompanied by arteriolar damage.
This paper presents a brief insight into the nanostructure preparation and material modification performed mainly by plasma which is an inexpensive and effective method for the treatment of even highly resistant materials. Besides, this method is used to increase the cytocompatibility for tissue engineering applications. An integral part of the issue is the characterization of material changes caused by modification. Currently, many different characterization techniques are used. For detailed description we have chosen several basic methods including the measurement of contact angle and zeta potential, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transformation (FTIR).
The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of lower order solid finite elements in the elastic analysis of plate and shell structures. The 8-node solid finite elements are formulated with three different ways such as the use of standard strain-displacement relationiship, B-bar method and enhanced assumed strain method. The convergence of solid elements is investigated by using comprehensive three obstacle shell finite element analysis benchmark tests. From numerical results, the solid finite element with enhanced assumed strain method exhibit a better performance than other two solid finite elements. Finally, we propose the present numerical results as a benchmark test suite for future solid finite element development.
The hospital market in the United States has always been competitive, but the nature of that competition has changed in the last few years. In the past, when most patients had third party coverage which reimbursed hospitals for incurred costs, competition focused on quality and services as hospitals sought to attract physicians and their patients. This competition led to duplication of services and facilities in a "medical arms race" which resulted in higher, rather than lower, costs in areas with many hospitals. Hospitals with many neighbors even had longer lengths of stay for patients undergoing specific surgical procedures. Now, with Medicare's Prospective Payment System offering fixed payments for patients with a given diagnosis, there are strong pressures for cost containment. These pressures will have their greatest impact in areas with the most hospitals, especially when health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organizations contract selectively with some hospitals. Hospitals, in turn, will be less responsive to cost-increasing requests by their medical staffs.
A mechanism for a bidirectional QoS reservation procedure within an in-band signaling mechanism gives symmetric real-time services running on mobile devices, which are used to support different access technologies in dynamic, mobile, wireless IP networks where the quality of the node connectivity can sometimes be unpredictably time-varying, the possibility to mutually reserve, monitor and adapt QoS resources and service parameters for up- and downstream direction along a communication path. The proposed solution thereby optimizes conventional QoS reservation mechanisms, especially for adaptive real-time services in wireless and wireless ad-hoc networks, by making use of a dynamic bidirectional QoS reservation in-band signaling approach. The expression, in-band" refers to a situation where separation between control and user plane data is abandoned. ® KIPO & WIPO 2007
Objective:To analyze comparatively the value of MSCT,MRI,DSA in the diagnosis of tumor recurrence after hepatocellular carcinoma patients operated by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.Methods:After HCC patients operated by TACE,108 patients with tumor recurrence were collected by exclusion the residual viable tumor.We evaluated the diagnositic value of MSCT,MRI and DSA in the tumor recurrence of HCC operated by TACE with clinical follow-up results.Results:① For the lesions in diameter less than 0.5 cm,in MSCT compared with DSA,the detection rate of MSCT was 43.5%(40/92),while DSA was 86.9%(80/92).In MSCT compared with MRI,the detection rate of MSCT was 50%(11/22),while MRI was 90.9%(20/22).In MRI compared with DSA,the detection rate of MRI was 93.1%(27/29)while DSA were 89.7%(26/29);② For the lesions more than 0.5 cm and less than 1.0 cm,in MSCT compared with DSA,the detection rate of MSCT was 86.5%(45/52),while DSA were 94.2%(49/52).In MSCT compared with MRI,the detection rate of MSCT was 85.0%(17/20)while MRI was 95.0%(19/20).In MRI compared with DSA,the detection rate was 100%(24/24)for MRI while was 95.8%(23/24)for DSA;③ For the lesions more than 1.0 cm,the detection rate of lesions were 100%(42/42)for MSCT,MRI and DSA respectively.Conclusion:① The sensitivity of MRI is superior to that of MSCT,and DSA for appearing lesions with both eack of blood supply and less than 0.5 cm.So MRI should be first selected;② DSA is superior to MSCT and MRI in some aspects,such as tumor staining and vascular shape;③ The collected iodipin shape appeared by MSCT is superior to MRI and DSA;④ The sensitivity of MRI and DSA is superior to that of MSCT for appearing lesions with less than 0.5 cm.
This legal writing has made in order to know what factors that frequently caused criminal disparity within decision of corruption case and what efforts were made to overcome problem of criminal disparity within decision of corruption case. Approach used in this legal normative research method. The result of research, researcher show that the factor which influence the occur of criminal disparity on the decision of Corruption Court in Semarang District Court is law factor and judge factor first, law factor. Law factor which meant that provisions in the corruption legislation only regulate minimum and maximum limits so that in order to determine the severity of the criminal imposed left entirely to the judge. Second judge factor. The judge factor is legal views from the judge himself. The difference of the judge who examine and decide case has taken great effect towards severity of criminal distancing, although the case is exactly the same, included indictment and demand.
Objective To explore the application value of urine microalbumin(mAlb) detection in the diacrisis of early renal damage of hypertensive.Methods Determine the mAlb of 76 patients of observation group and 70 patients of control group with immunoturbidimetry,and the results were analysed with statistics methods.Results The mAlb consistency and its positive incidence of the observation group were respectively higher than those of the control group,and the differences were statistically significant(P0.05).Conclusion Determining the mAlb of hypertensive whose urinary albumin was negative,we can assess renal function early.
Objective To investigate the effects of the left ventricular geometry on left atrial structure and function in essential hypertension (EH).Methods One hundred and thirty-eight patients with EH and 86 normal controls were studied with echocardiography.According to left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and relative wall thickness (RWT),a total of 138 patients with EH were divided into normal geometry group (58 cases),concentric remodeling group (22 cases),concentric hypertrophy group (21 cases) and eccentric hypertrophy group (37 cases).Correlation between left atrial diameter index (LADI),left atrial ejection force (LAEF) and all parameters was respectively obtained using linear regression analysis,and the stepwise regression analysis was used to assess the independent effect of each parameter.Results Compared with control group,LADI and LAEF were higher ( P 0.05 ) in four LV geometry patterns with EH.Correlation analysis showed that LADI was positively correlated with age,hypertension duration,body mass index (BMI),systolic blood pressure (SBP),LVMI,interventricular septal thickness (IVS),isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) and E-peak deceleration time (EDT) ( P 0.05 ),inversely correlated with E/A ratio (E/A) ( P 0.05 ); LAEF was positively correlated with age,SBP,LVMI,IVS,IVRT and EDT ( P 0.05 ),inversely correlated with E/A ( P 0.01 ).Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that LADI was independently correlated with LVMI,age,SBP,IVRT and EDT ( r = 0.481 , r 2 = 0.231 ),LAEF correlated with LVMI,IVRT and E/A ( r = 0.376 , r 2 = 0.141 ).Conclusions Increased LADI and LAEF appear before LV hypertrophy,and occur in EH with all LV geometrical patterns.LV hypertrophic geometry,age,SBP and LV diastolic parameters may be related to LA enlargement and increased systolic performance,and promote the changes of LA structure and function.
Due to the contemporary societal trends social services are becoming more important in welfare state architecture than in the past. In the proposed article we are dealing the question whether the development of selected Czech social services is following (dis)similar trends when compared to the other EU countries. Two areas of social services (childcare and elderly care) will be analysed with focus on the key aspects of governance in child care and elderly care: financing, regulation and service delivery, how they developed during past ten years in the Czech Republic, in comparison to other states that represent different welfare regime (liberal United Kingdom, conservative Germany and social-democratic Denmark).
SUMMARY Recent changes on the energy market lead to new requirements in the Transformer Substation equipment. The period of use is rising especially for Transformers and the stress to the equipment, for example throughout temporarily overloads, is increasing as well. Hence, there is a demand for intelligent and user-friendly devices that are capable of remote control, monitoring, collecting and sending important measurement parameters around the transformer to the control room. This paper will inform you about possibilities to support users to conquer the current challenges in the energy market. such as possibilities to increase Power Quality and reliability of regulated Power Transformers in order to stay a competitive partner in today’s and tomorrow energy market.
Microsatellite DNA variation were used to assess the outcome of stocking salmon and trout in River Saevara, N Sweden. No information on pre-stocking genetic composition of salmon and trout in R Saevara was available. In two year classes of salmon smolt microsatellite data indicated that post-stocking genetic composition differed markedly (Fst = 0.048) from the main donor strain, Byskeaelven salmon, and from other Gulf of Bothnia salmon stocks (Fst 0.047- 0.132). The STRUCTURE program failed to detect any sub structuring within Saevara salmon. It was concluded that only minor introgression estimated to a proportion of 0.11 (95% CI 0.07 - 0.16) has occurred in salmon. Sea migrating trout showed overall low differentiation among populations with maximum Fst of 0.03 making analysis more cumbersome than in salmon. Still, the Saevara trout deviated significantly from potential donor populations and structure software supported that majority of trout in Saevara formed a distinct genetic population. Admixture was more extensive in trout and estimated to 0.17 (95% CI 0.10 - 0.25).
A novel attempt in tomato nursery using two neonicotinoid insecticides viz., imidacloprid @ 5, 7.5 and 10 g/kg seed, thiamethoxam @ 3, 4 and 5 g/kg seed and phorate applied in soil @ 50, 75 and 100 g/m 2 for the control whitefly and their impact on seed germination and survival of seedlings were studied at the Experimental Farm of Department of Entomology, Dr. PDKV, Akola during Kharif 2002-03. The data on seed germination indicated that untreated control recorded highest germination (85.33%) than any other treatment and it did not differ significantly from treated plots. The insecticides either seed treatment or soil application with higher doses recorded lower germination percentage than their respective reduced doses clearly evidencing higher concentration had deleterious effect on seed germination, but contrary to this, maximum survival of seedlings was increased with increase in concentration of all insecticides. Among them, phorate @ 100 g/m 2 and imidacloprid @ 10 g/kg seed topped the list with 90.91 and 88.67 per cent, respectively at 10 days after germination (DAG) and all tested insecticides produced better seedling stand upto 35 DAG due to their superiority in keeping down the sucking pests especially whitefly. The lowest population of whitefly recorded in imidacloprid @ 10 g/kg seed followed by thiamethoxam @ 5 g/kg seed at all observation i.e. 10, 25, 30 and 35 DAG, whereas, relatively higher whitefly incidence was noticed in lower doses of phorate 50 g/m 2 and imidacloprid 5 g/kg seed.
The invention provides a herbicide which takes haloxyfop-p-methyl as the active ingredient and is used after cassava seedling is planted in the field; the herbicide consists of haloxyfop-p-methyl and is made into various formulations such as water dispersible granule, suspending agent, wettable powder, aerosol, slow-release agent, aqueous emulsion, missible oil, microemulsion, effervescent tablet and the like, after being added with addition agent and carrier. The herbicide is used for killing weeds in the cassava field. The invention has no drug resistance and excellent effect for killing grassy weeds; the invention can effectively kill weeds like goose grass and cynodon dactylon and has excellent preventative effect on the grassy weeds in the 4 to 6 leaf periods; moreover, the herbicide is safe for cassava with low residue and poison and the active ingredient can be used in the field of nearly all broadleaf plants to prevent and kill the grassy weeds; the operation is simple and convenient, and the cost is lower. Therefore, the invention is easy to be spread.
The traditional pattern of spatial data sharing and its limitations are discussed firstly; then, with the analysis of Web Service technology, a Web Service based novel pattern of spatial data sharing is presented; at last, this pattern is checked up with the support of ArcIMS and GeoBeans. The results shows that it is a kind of effective pattern to implement the distributed and isomerous spatial data in Internet.
The Difference in Attitudes of Regular and Special Education Teachers Toward Inclusion by Janice Lorraine Brown Oyola M.A., Cabrini College, 2008 B.S., Temple University, 1999 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning Walden University September 2016 Abstract Inclusion has been introduced throughout the educational community as a method to increase math and reading scores of underachieving schools on standardized tests. The problem was that teachers were not effectively implementing inclusion. Guided by Bandura’s (1994) self-efficacy theory, which hypothesizes that a person’s sense of efficacy provides information of their capability and the ability to assess their performance, the purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to determine if there was a significant difference in attitudes on inclusion between regular and special education teachers using the 4 subsections of the Scale of Teachers: Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms through an online survey program. A t test was used to examine the attitudes of 50 regular and 50 special education teachers on inclusion in an elementary charter school after the special education subgroup failed to show progress on standardized tests over a 5 year period. Overall, the data indicated significant differences between regular and special education teachers’ attitudes on inclusion. Both regular and special education teachers did not agree on Factor 1: advantages and disadvantages ofInclusion has been introduced throughout the educational community as a method to increase math and reading scores of underachieving schools on standardized tests. The problem was that teachers were not effectively implementing inclusion. Guided by Bandura’s (1994) self-efficacy theory, which hypothesizes that a person’s sense of efficacy provides information of their capability and the ability to assess their performance, the purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study was to determine if there was a significant difference in attitudes on inclusion between regular and special education teachers using the 4 subsections of the Scale of Teachers: Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms through an online survey program. A t test was used to examine the attitudes of 50 regular and 50 special education teachers on inclusion in an elementary charter school after the special education subgroup failed to show progress on standardized tests over a 5 year period. Overall, the data indicated significant differences between regular and special education teachers’ attitudes on inclusion. Both regular and special education teachers did not agree on Factor 1: advantages and disadvantages of inclusion and Factor 2: teacher feelings on inclusion. However, the teachers did agree on Factor 3: philosophical beliefs on inclusion and Factor 4: administrative issues on inclusion. This study’s implications for social change included evidence to incorporate a unified vision for best practices for professional development as well as the importance of collaborative teaching at the undergraduate level, and a working knowledge of various learning disabilities, which may be used by school principals, teachers, parents, and policy makers to create an effective inclusion program. The Difference in Attitudes of Regular and Special Education Teachers Toward Inclusion by Janice Lorraine Brown Oyola M.A., Cabrini College, 2008 B.S., Temple University, 1999 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Administrator Leadership for Teaching and Learning Walden University September 2016 Dedication I dedicate this dissertation to my family, especially... to my husband, Tony, for his support, encouragement, and his constant love which have sustained me throughout this journey; to my children, Jesse and Janna, for their patience and understanding; to my siblings, Jerry, Ida, Barbara, Otha, Willie, Michael, Major, Billy, and Charlotte, for instilling the importance of hard work and higher education; to Jo-Ann Savoy, Erin Cunningham, and Yolanda McEachin, for their encouragements, faith, and their belief in me; and to my late parents, Logan and Anna Brown, both of whom believed in diligence, the pursuit of academic excellence, and the encouragement to reach your dream. Acknowledgments I wish to thank my committee members; faculty, family members, and friends who have helped me reach this point in my academic career and were more than generous with their expertise and precious time. A special thanks to Dr. Denise Weems and Dr. Esther Javetz, my committee members for their countless hours of reflecting, reading, encouraging, and most of all, patience throughout the entire process. I would like to acknowledge and thank my school division for allowing me to conduct my research and providing any assistance requested. Special thanks to Johnathan Hess for his statistical genius and to the members of the staff development and human resources department for their continued support. Finally, I would like to thank the teachers and administrators in our school division that assisted me with this project. Their enthusiasm and readiness to provide feedback made the completion of this research an enjoyable experience.
PURPOSE: An environment-friendly organic-inorganic complex nontoxic green pigment is provided to minimize the harmfulness to human body, prevent environmental contamination at the manufacture of pigments, and reduce the used amount of organic pigments and color material of high cost extremely. CONSTITUTION: An environment-friendly organic-inorganic complex nontoxic green pigment comprises color forming particles, consisting of an 80wt%-99wt% inorganic parent particle(11) and 1wt%-15wt% organic child particles(12) attached to the surface of the inorganic parent material. The parent particle is barium sulphate, talcum, kaolin or calcium carbonate. The child particle is cooper phthalocyanine green.
The study was conducted in district Swat during 2007 to make comparative cost benefit analysis of per acre rice production of different rice varieties. Primary data was collected through structured questionnaire. Five villages from three tehsils namely Kabal, Barikot and Matta were randomly selected. A sample size of 100 farmers was used and the respondents were randomly selected. For comparison, Cost-Benefit Analysis approach was used. The total per acre rice production of these varieties was amounted to Rs. 40000, 52500, 33600, 34000, 30400, 30400 and 68750 respectively. The same average cost amounted to Rs. 13565 was observed for all the varieties. The Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) of variety JP-5, Basmati-385, Sara Saila, Dil Rosh-97, Swat-1 and Swat-2 and Fakhr-e-Malakand was 2.24, 3.20, 1.80, 1.80, 1.46, 1.54 and4.36. The highest BCR value is observed for variety Fakhr-e-Malakand indicted the most profitable variety in terms of net production. Awareness about the cultivation of Fakhr-e-Malakand variety should be given as against the growing traditional varieties in district Swat.
Serum levels of IgE and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were determined in 100 patients with carcinoma of the breast and 81 with colon carcinoma in different stages of their disease. CEA levels reflected the stage of the disease and increased progressively from stage 1 to 4. In contrast, all patients regardless of their type of malignancy, stage of the disease, or CEA level had a similar IgE blood level which did not differ from that of the control group.
In this paper a new method of modulation classification based on spectrogram analysis is described. The classification method can discriminate between various digital signal modulations such as FSK, BPSK, MSK, QPSK and QAM-16. This classification method is examined on signals corrupted by Gaussian noise, phase noise and on signals after their transmission through multipath Rayleigh fading channel. The Matlab program is used for the analysis.
Inhibitory nonadrenergic noncholinergic (i-NANC) nerves are the only neural bronchodilator pathway in human airways. Possible candidates for the neurotransmitter include vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and nitric oxide (NO) and purines such as ATP. We have investigated the potential role of these neurotransmitters. Phosphoramidon (10(-5) M) significantly potentiated relaxations to low doses of VIP with no effect on i-NANC responses. Relaxations induced by VIp were abolished with alpha-chymotrypsin (2 U/ml), but i-NANC responses were unaffected. Reactive blue 2 had no effect on i-NANC neural responses, indicating that endogenous ATP was not involved. The NO synthase inhibitor L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10(-4) M) produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of the i-NANC response, producing almost complete inhibition at every frequency studied (0.5-40 Hz), whereas L-NG-monomethyl arginine was effective only at low stimulation frequencies. The inhibitory effect of L-NAME was partially reversed by L- but not D-arginine, and D-NAME was without effect. These results suggest that in human tracheal segments the neural bronchodilator response is mediated by NO, and there is no functional evidence for implicating VIP in this response.
The goal of this research was to estimate the humita lifetime according to storage temperature with the application of preservative (sorbic acid) and calculating the acceleration factor Q10. We studied the storage of humita at 0 to 10 °C, and two methods of application of sorbic acid (direct application and dipping). The experimental unit was 100g using a completely randomized design bifactorial AxB with three replicates. Sensory parameters were evaluated: taste, smell, color, texture, overall quality, chemical (pH, acidity), microbiological (molds and yeasts) and life cycle through linear regression equation proposed by Labuza and the acceleration factor Q10. In sensory analysis of a1b2 treatment presented the best average. The number of CFU/g does not exceed the limits allowed by the standard that is establish in INEN 1528 50x103UFC / g (In = 10.81) in most cases, except for the treatment a2b1. The pH in a1b2 and a1b1 treatments had the highest averages close to neutral. The days of life were 5.5, 0.9, 2.61 for treatments and the Q10 value obtained was 2.1. The longest lifetime is obtained at 0⁰C with direct application of preservative (sorbic acid). Q10 factor established that the temperature at 10⁰C is 2.1 times faster in degradation reactions.
s: Objective To investigate the correlation and clinical significance between plasma noradrenaline, adrenaline, behavior pattern and ventricular premature beats. Methods A study was conducted on 80 patients with sympotomic ventricular premature beats and without clinical organic heart disease as experimented group, 160 healthy people volunteered as the control group. they were surveyed by Type A Behavior Pattern Questionnaire(TABPQ). Plasma noradrenaline, adrenaline of 60 patients and 30 controls were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ventricular premature beats in patients were recorded by Holter.Results The logarithm of the concentrations of plasma noradrensline, adrenaline in patients and controls were 3.10±0.32,2.33±0.18; 2.90±0.30, 2.21±0.16 respectively, the total scores of TABP in both groups were 32.27 ±7.63 , 25.20±6.07 respectively. There were statistically significant differents between two groups (P0.01). The scores of TABP were strongly related to the concentrations of plasma noradrenaline, adrenaline, the degree of the VPB (r=0.321,0.482;0.385,0.431; 0.272,0.393 respectively, p 0.01). Conclusion People with TABP tend to be nervous and lead to excitement of sympathetic nerves, then they have greater catecholamine responses to psychological stressors. With the secretion of noradrenaline, adrenaline increasing, the stablility of the heart electric activity decreases, this can contributed to the trigger of VPBs.
OBJECTIVE To analyze perioperative outcomes of laparoscopically assisted myomectomy.   DESIGN Pilot study.   SETTING Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Endoscopic Training Centre, Hospital Kladno, Czech Republic.   MATERIAL AND METHODS Eight consecutive women with fibromyoma were treated by laparoscopic assisted myomectomy. Laparoscopic surgery was performed based on size of fibromyoma over 6 cm.   RESULTS The application of the operative technique of laparoscopically assisted myomectomy was effective in all out exception. In the studied group the mean operative time and the mean of weight of the specimen were 76 min (range 50-90) and 151.7 g (range 45-220), respectively. In one patient the relaparoscopy for bleeding was necessary.   CONCLUSION Laparoscopic assisted surgery is feasible in women with fibromyoma and may also be considered for myomectomy.
Abstract Most published correlations are at the level of stage-age and do not allow the resolution of patterns of extinction over shorter time intervals. The temporal ranges of taxa in global (or regional) literature compilations are only as precise as the published relative age data, and this produces a compiled correlation effect (CCE). The CCE not only obscures the complexity and duration of some mass extinctions, but it can also “create” a mass extinction as a methodological artifact of compilation. Elimination of the CCE reveals the Permo-Triassic tetrapod “extinction” to have been a long and complex evolutionary turnover. Without the CCE there is no evidence for a tetrapod extinction at the Carnian-Norian boundary. Detailed evidence of a tetrapod extinction at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary has not been discovered.
Ovitrap surveillance was conducted in methodically selected areas in Bentong, Pahang, Malaysia from June 2008 till December 2009 in order to identify insular sites with stable Aedes aegypti population. Eleven sites were surveyed in Bentong district, Pahang, and one of these locations (N3o33' E101o54') was found to have an ovitrap index of Ae. aegypti and Aedes albopictus ranging from 8%-47% and 37%-78% respectively, indicating that this site could be a high-risk area for dengue outbreak. Ae. aegypti larvae were found in both indoor and outdoor ovitraps (p>0.05) while significant difference between the populations of Ae. albopictus larvae from indoors and outdoors was observed (p<0.01). Data collected in this study could provide important entomological information for designing an effective integrated vector control programme to combat Aedes mosquitoes in this area.
The Olympic Triathlon is a combined endurance sport. It includes back-to-back swimming, cycling, running and the transition between events (T1 & T2). The aim of the current study was to analyse the possible relationship between the Lost Time T1 & T2 and overall performance. The results showed that the percentages of total time corresponding to each part of the race were: 16.2% for swimming, 0.74% for the swimming-cycling transition (T1), 53.07% for cycling, 0.47% for the cycling-running transition (T2) and 29.5% for running. The correlations between each part of the race and the final placing were: r=0.36 for swimming, r=0.25 for T1, r=0.62 for the cycling, r=0.33 for T2, and r=0.83 for the running. Also, values of r=0.34 & r=0.43 were obtained for Lost Time T1 and Lost Time T2, respectively. In conclusion, losing less time during T2 has been demonstrated to be related to obtaining a better final result.
It is shown that the surface nanocrystalline structure with raised microhardness, low friction ratio is formed in the process of mech-pulsed treatment based on the use of high-speed friction energy. Dependence of the parameters of hardened layer and surface condition on the technological treatment schedules is identified. The high wearing quality of the hardened surface layer and the prospects of its use to improve the working capacity of machine elements are shown.
We report the case of a 15 years old patient, admitted in surgical ward, at the Hopital de l’Amitie of Bangui (CAR), who has been operated for an acute appendicitis. After the operation, the occurrence of infectious complications led us to the diagnosis of appendicular location of lymphoblastic leukemia. This exceptional localization allows insisting on the necessity of blood cells analysis during the preoperative surgery checkup, which is not the case right now in Central African Republic (CAR) due to economic reasons.
Objective To explore the relationship between diet structure and Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) in Banma County, a diseased area. Methods A questionnaire regarding the residential diet structure in recent twenty years was performed, and the outcome was analyzed in combination with the data of the surveillance on KBD in the period of 1984 to 2004. Results From 1984 to 2004, cereal, rice and highland barley, which were the staple food of the local residents, made up a less and less portion in their diet structure, while non-staple food, such as meat and vegetables, was eaten in a gradually increasing portion; Local grain yeilds became less and less, which was substituted by food produced elsewhere; KBD rate examined by X-ray descended by 42.01% of 1984 to 0 of 2004. Conclusions KBD prevalence in Banma naturally fades away, the dereased morbidity may correlate with the change of the diet structure.
In the green house,pot experiments were conducted to study the effects of chloride stress(0,0.1,0.15,0.2 mol·L-1) on the growths,photosynthesis and chlorophyll content of the of chinese cabbage seedlings.The results showed that the chloride stress,especially stress at high chloride concentration(0.2 mol·L-1),significantly reduced the total fresh weight,dry weight,net photosynthetic rate,stomata conductance,transpiration rate,total chlorophyll amount(chla and b).But increased the intercellular CO2 concentration.These revealed that non-stomatal constraint was the main reason why the seedlings had decreased Pn under chloride stress.
21st century is an information society,innovative and flexible knowledge services must be developed to meet the training needs of community medical staff.Helping them develop skills and a high-level information literacy they need to fully participate in an information society.This could be addressed by formal and online training options,but we suggest that permanent knowledge librarians should be enabled to play an integral part in this training by bringing their skills directly into the workplace.To achieve and ensure an appropriate level of service to this group of staff,library and knowledge librarians will themselves need to have a highlevel of information literacy and to be active lifelong learners.A 'blended learning' approach,involving e-learning together with other methods,is identified as the most appropriate way for skills to be acquired.
Judith A. Sylva is a professor with the College of Education at California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, California. How does one determine what constitutes the natural environment as a context for early intervention service delivery for students living in culturally diverse families and communities? This question was posed by an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) teacher in a large culturally and socio-economically diverse urban school district. The question is central to the gap between research and practice in early intervention. In the United States, federal legislation provides the framework and guidelines under which all children between birth and age 22 with disabilities are provided equal access to educational opportunities in public schools. This legislation is known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part C of IDEA addresses the unique needs of children between birth and age 3 and their families. Part C is unique because it not only provides for individualized supports and services for the child, but it recognizes the importance of the family as the primary context in which to promote optimal child development. When Congress revised and amended Part C of IDEA in 1997 (P.L. 105-17), it mandated that service delivery to young children between birth and age 3 be carried out in natural environments (Walsh, Rous, & Lutzer, 2000). The IDEA regulations defi ne natural environments as “settings that are natural or normal for the child’s age peers who have no disabilities” (34 CFR Part 303.18). This statement is qualified by the stipulation that “to the maximum extent appropriate, early intervention services are provided in natural environments” (34 CFR Part 303.167(c)). This stipulation and defi nition of natural environments has led to continued discussion about what constitutes natural environments with respect to the diversity that characterizes the families and young children who are eligible to receive early intervention services. Family-centered philosophy and practice has been a central component of early intervention for infants and toddlers that is related to natural environment service provision. Family-centered practices have been widely accepted in the provision of early intervention services since the 1960s (Bruder, 2000). Research indicates that families are essential to the success of early intervention services (Baily et al., 1998; Guralnick, 1998; Roberts, Innocente, & Goetze, 1999). However, the family is strongly infl uenced by culture as it pervades all aspects of the family structure and it infl uences how a family defi nes itself. Therefore, understanding cultural infl uences in relation to the family system increases the likelihood that interventions will be appropriate (Wayman & Lynch, 1991). This article will explore the literature related to natural environments, family-centered practices, and the infl uence of cultural diversity as it relates to service provision in early intervention in an attempt to link the research to practices that promote appropriate and effective early intervention services.
Beam pumping unit is a kind of variable load with high starting torque, this kind of load changes a lot in one cycle of stroke. Beam pumping unit is usually driven by Y-series motors. The mechanical feature of Y-series motors is hard, which made the motor match the beam pumping unit irrationally, and then results in the low efficiency of the system. The paper firstly introduces the characteristic of the beam pumping unit, then discusses on rational driving and energy saving of beam pumping unit, finally brings forward an idea of considering the rational driving and energy saving together. Since the beam pumping unit is a complex system consisting of motor, rod, and pump, the rational driving problem is considered firstly, and secondly is the energy saving problem.
The research work entitled "STUDY OF THE BROWN SUGAR IN THE CANTON MARKET LOJA" was held in Loja canton, the objectives of this study are intended to analyze the behavior of the demand the parishes of this canton and in relation to the offer, identify more representative of Vilcabamba and Malacatos parishes producers in order to meet the technical implicationsquality, quantity and price of it; Likewise determine the different marketing channels.  This study was used to 384 surveys consumer of panela, the sample size that turned out to be according to the 2010 census, projected to 2014, which rests in the INEC where the total number of inhabitants in the urban area of the city of Loja is 189.131, whereas the number of individual average of 4.68; determined 40.240 families within the city of Loja; In addition surveys was applied to most representative panela producers including identified a total of 11; in 8 Malacatos and 3 Vilcabamba.  The surveys found an average of annual 8202 panelas 1 pound block of panela consumption, then the analysis of supply 11 brown sugar producers, was 32,500 blocks 1 lb panela weekly sales average, that multiplied by 4 gives a result of 130,000 monthly; annual and a total of 1' 560.000; and the sale of brown sugar in the city of Loja is 18% means an average of 280,000 panelas's block of 1 pound, this product generally offer an average of 0.30 cents.  Costs were calculated for the production of 900 panelas's block of a pound a pound which is the product of two tasks of cane, being the amount of 285.85 dollars and revenues of 284.40 dollars, with a net income of 25.55 with a return of 10% resulting in a benefit cost of 1.09 dollars. i.e. for every dollar of investment generated a profit 9 cents. It is justified from the financial point of view since it would cover the costs of production generated.  The unsatisfied demand turned out to be 1 pound block panelas 1.177.468. Plaintiffs requirements and according to the surveys applied to the families of the  canton of Loja and leaning on the marketing mix, product, price, place, promotion, is the relevant recommendations in order to offer an excellent product presentation undergo a rigorous control of the quality according to the requirements of the market.
The contents of caffeine and sodium benzoate injection may be determined by P-matrix method without separation of its components. BSAIC language is used for programming. The average recovery of caffeine is 100.0% and that of sodium benzoate is 99.95%. The variation coefficient of caffeine is 0.40% and that of sodium benzoate is 0.65%. On the basis of recovery rate and data observed it is concluded that this method is accurate, reliable, simple and rapid as compared with the standard pharmacopoeia regulations.
Texture differences of cooked quinoa were studied among 13 different varieties. Correlations between the texture parameters and seed composition, seed characteristics, cooking quality, flour pasting properties, and flour thermal properties were determined. The results showed that texture of cooked quinoa was significantly differed among varieties. 'Black,' 'Cahuil,' and 'Red Commercial' yielded harder texture, while '49ALC,' '1ESP,' and 'Col.#6197' showed softer texture. '49ALC,' '1ESP,' 'Col.#6197,' and 'QQ63' were more adhesive, while other varieties were not sticky. The texture profile correlated to physical--chemical properties in different ways. Protein content was positively correlated with all the texture profile analysis (TPA) parameters. Seed hardness was positively correlated with TPA hardness, gumminess, and chewiness at P ≤ 0.09. Seed density was negatively correlated with TPA hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness, whereas seed coat proportion was positively correlated with these TPA parameters. Increased cooking time of quinoa was correlated with increased hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness. The water uptake ratio was inversely related to TPA hardness, gumminess, and chewiness. Rapid Visco Analyzer peak viscosity was negatively correlated with the hardness, gumminess, and chewiness (P < 0.07); breakdown was also negatively correlated with those TPA parameters (P < 0.09); final viscosity and setback were negatively correlated with the hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness (P < 0.05); setback was correlated with the adhesiveness as well (r = -0.63, P = 0.02). Onset gelatinization temperature (To ) was significantly positively correlated with all the texture profile parameters, and peak temperature (Tp ) was moderately correlated with cohesiveness, whereas neither conclusion temperature (Tc ) nor enthalpy correlated with the texture of cooked quinoa.
This article defines the theoretical matrix and clinical value of the emerging complementary discipline of medical acupuncture, the acupuncture approach most commonly integrated by physicians into conventional medical practice. Medical acupuncture respects our contemporary understanding of neuromuscular anatomy and pain physiology while embracing the classical Chinese perception of a subtle circulation network of a vivifying force called qi. This hybrid acupuncture approach expresses the best of both worlds by describing a context in which to organize patient symptoms that usually escape attention in the standard medical evaluation. Musculoskeletal problems have been shown to be the most frequently and successfully treated disorders; however, medical acupuncture is adaptable to most clinical practices and can be used either as the primary or a complementary treatment. The physician acupuncturist can creatively intervene in a spectrum of medical disorders from early premorbid manifestations to chronic organic or musculoskeletal lesions by activating the appropriate subunit of qi circulation.
Processes of apoptosis and necrosis of peripheral neutrophils were investigated in 43 patients, operated on for an acute abdominal organs diseases on the first and fourth postoperative days. Changes of apoptosis and necrosis processes in peripheral neutrophils in dynamics were established. Unfavorable course of early postoperative period in patients with initial high and average risk of postoperative peritonitis occurrence was accompanied by shift in necrosis/apoptosis ratio towards necrosis of peripheral neutrophils.
The spin observables for elastic spin {1/2} x {1/2} scattering are calculated with a microscopic, momentum space optical potential in a relativistic Schrodinger equation. The partial wave analysis includes the full spin dependence with mixing of the triplet and singlet channels. This mixing introduces a new term into the spin decomposition. Off-shell kinematics are considered, as well as an exact treatment of the coulomb potential. The predictions are compared to available data for p-He{sup 3} at 200, 400, and 500 MeV, and for p-C{sup 13} at 500 and 547 MeV. This comparison tests the necessity of Dirac like effects, the adequacy of the currently understood spin structure of the nucleus, and, ultimately, the degree of charge-symmetry violation.
The Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn) is an important subtropical evergreen fruit crop grown in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh. It belongs to the family Sapindaceae and is believed to have originated in the Kwangtung and Fukien provinces of Southern China. It is highly specific to climatic requirements and due to this reason its cultivation is restricted to few countries in the world. In India, litchi was introduced in the 18th century through Burma and from there, it spread to many countries. India and China account for 91 per cent of the world litchi production, but it is mainly marketed locally.
The anomalous nonradiative dynamics for three cyclobutanone isotopomers ([D0 ]-, 3,3-[D2 ]-, and 2,2,4,4-[D4 ]cyclobutanone) have been investigated using femtosecond (fs) time-resolved mass spectrometry. We have found that the internal motions of the molecules in the S1 state above the dissociation threshold involve two time scales. The fast motion has a time constant of <50 fs, while the slow motion has a time constant of 5.0±1.0, 9.0±1.5, and 6.8±1.0 ps for the [D0 ], [D2 ], and [D4 ] species, respectively. Density functional theory and ab initio calculations have been performed to characterize the potential energy surfaces for the S0 , S1 (n,π*), and T1 (n,π*) states. The dynamic picture for bond breakage is the following: The fast motion represents the rapid dephasing of the initial wave packet out of the Franck-Condon region, whereas the slow motion reflects the α-cleavage dynamics of the Norrish type-I reaction. The redistribution of the internal energy from the initially activated out-of-plane bending modes into the in-plane ring-opening reaction coordinate defines the time scale for intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR), and the observed picosecond-scale (ps) decay gives the rate of IVR/bond cleavage across the barrier. The observed prominent isotope effect for both [D2 ] and [D4 ] isotopomers imply the significance of the ring-puckering and the CO out-of-plane wagging motions to the S1 α-cleavage dynamics. The ethylene and ketene (C2 products)-as well as CO and cyclopropane (C3 products)-product ratios can be understood by the involvement of an S0 /S1 conical intersection revealed in our calculations. This proposed dynamic picture for the photochemistry of cyclobutanone on the S1 surface can account not only for the abnormally sharp decrease in fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime but also for the dramatic change in the C3 :C2 product ratio as a function of increasing excitation energy, as reported by Lee and co-workers (J. C. Hemminger, E. K. C. Lee, J. Chem. Phys. 1972, 56, 5284-5295; K. Y. Tang, E. K. C. Lee, J. Phys. Chem. 1976, 80, 1833-1836).
We study the effect of strong radio-frequency (rf) fields on a chromium Bose-Einstein condensate, in a regime where the rf frequency is much larger than the Larmor frequency. We show that the Lande factor of the atoms is lowered by the presence of the rf, and can be even set to zero for a proper combination of the rf power and frequency. The trajectories of the atoms under the influence of magnetic potentials are thus greatly modified. We study the criteria for adiabaticity of the rf dressing process leading to such a modification of the atom magnetic susceptibility. We also measure the lifetime of the rf dressed BECs.
Data mining is a method that analyzes and understands vast amounts of data,the rich knowledge among them were revealed by this method.On the basic of the algorithm on association analysis used by the author.In this paper,the test scores of students in the Educational Administration System of Jiaxing TVU and some other survey data were researched by using data mining,some preliminary results about the association between students' learning motivation and some related factors were obtained.
The present invention relates to a method for detecting the data block to be stored in the magnetic tape recording apparatus damage method, a magnetic tape recording apparatus includes a write head and read head memory buffer, the tape recording apparatus linked to the server system, the server system executing an application and device drivers, tape recording apparatus capable of being applied via the first task and the second task to access by the device driver. Sending the task via a first block of data recording means to said magnetic tape. The tape recording apparatus by using the write head to write the data block to the tape, and reread the data block is written from the magnetic tape by using the read header. The magnetic tape recording apparatus and then re-read the data block stored in a memory buffer. The read data block is then re-read from the storage buffer via a second task. Comparison of the data block and then re-read the data block, wherein the comparison of the data block if the data block is re-read and display the difference between the detected damage.
The Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) is a proposed new law that will govern all transactions in software, including contracts for sale, licensing, documentation, maintenance and support of computer software. It will also govern contracts involving electronic information (movies, music, text that you download or buy on a CD) and, at the vendor's option, can govern sales of computers and some other devices that are sold in conjunction with software.
There are studies that show the better balance after dry needling in lumbar pain. However, the postural control effects after foot dry needling are unknown. Our objective was to check if dry needling reduces postural control. Eighteen subjects with flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) muscle Myofascial trigger point were evaluated pre‐ and post‐deep dry needling. We measured stabilometric variables in a pre‐post study. We have found significant differences in three stabilometric variables: surface with eyes closed (29.36–53.21 mm2) (p = 0.000), medium speed of the laterolateral displacement with eyes closed (1.42–1.64 mm/s) (p = 0.004), and medium speed of the anteroposterior displacement with eyes closed (1.30–1.53 mm/s) (p = 0.025). Dry needling therapy application in FDB muscle reduces standing postural control with eyes closed.
A measuring head for a spectrophotometer, for direct analysis of products, comprises a light-conducting assembly connected to a carrier for the source or sensor, forming a unit with the source or sensor in between. A novel measuring head is for a spectrophotometer, for direct analysis of products, including: a source of electromagnetic radiation with at least one chosen spectral component in the 300-2500 nm wavelength range; a photosensor, sensitive to at least the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and optionally 4th harmonics associated with the wavelengths used, receiving radiation scattered by the sample for analysis by transmission, reflection and/or volume reflection; a sensor signal processing unit, generating signals representing the spectral composition of the sensed radiation; and a sample space having an inlet and outlet for the sample. The measuring head comprises a light-conducting assembly connected to a carrier for the source or sensor, forming a unit with the source or sensor in between. Independent claims are included for: (i) methods for calibrating the device; and (ii) a method of producing the measuring head.
The field of applications for Discrete Element Method is constantly growing, enabling the simulation of granular matter. However state of the art integration schemes are mostly adopted from other methods, which results in certain drawbacks in either performance and/or accuracy. The most common time integration schemes in Discrete Element Method are explicit algorithms which are conditionally stable, only. Attempts to use implicit schemes usually require evaluation of the right hand side of the equations of motion, i.e. a complete reevaluation of the neighborhood search and contact forces within predictor-corrector iterations. While both are most suitable for simulations of rapid flows, computational efficiency is sacrificed for simulations of dense granular matter. The algorithm presented in this paper is a predictor-corrector scheme using a prediction of the forces, without evaluating the right hand side, to get an implicit estimate for the next time step. This technique enables to speed up particle simulation while using considerably higher time steps. The usage of the algorithm and the correspondent time step control are shown in example problems and accuracy is verified.
The fun and easy way to make the most of your iPod and the iTunes store iPods have totally revolutionized the way we play music, videos, and TV shows. This handy guide is written by veteran For Dummies author Tony Bove and will have you off and running with your iPod in no time. Youll get set-up advice and help loading your iPod with tunes, podcasts, movies, and more. Got an iPod touch or iPhone? Learn to use the multitouch interface, add photos, surf the Web, manage your e-mail and calendar, and even play games. Introduces the different iPod models, including iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle Explains how to set up iTunes, shop at the iTunes store, and import music, videos, and podcasts Shows how to manage photos, videos, synchronize devices with iTunes, burn CDs from iTunes, play iPod content, and play music on your home stereo, TV, or car stereo Includes tips on working with Genius to create playlists, resetting and restoring your iPod, troubleshooting, and organizing and sharing content Dont wait another minute to start enjoying your new iPod! Start enjoying everything your iPod can offer with the latest edition of iPod & iTunes For Dummies today.
PURPOSE To investigate the stereopsis functions in the cases of congenital nystagmus (CN) and determine the relations between nystagmus, visual acuity (VA) and stereoacuity (SA).   METHODS The random-dot stereograms was used to examine the patients' SA, crossed and uncrossed disparity. The oscillation types of the eyeballs were determined under the naked eyes cooperating with the electronystagmorgraphy (ENG) examination. VA was measured at 5 m and 30 cm with distance and near International Standard Charts. The patient was permitted to see the target with his compensatory head posture.   RESULTS Of the 57 patients tested, only 8 cases have normal stereopsis including normal SA, crossed and uncrossed disparity, which are all the jerk nystagmus. Forty-one have abnormal SA including 19 stereoblind, 18 abnormal stereopsis and 4 abnormal SA only. Serious damages of stereopsis exist in most of the pendular and more than half of the jerk nystagmus. The relations between stereopsis and VA are that (1) the better the VA is, the less the stereopsis is damaged, and the SA improved as VA is improved, i.e. SA is directly proportional to VA, but is nonlinear. It can be expressed as an S-shaped function; (2) the stereopsis damages may appear in normal VA in distance (6 cases) or normal VA at 30 cm, which we can not explain; (3) stereopsis is more marked with near VA than with VA in distance; (4) normal SA (SA < or = 60") is not achieved by any subject at monocular or binocular vision less than 0.4, stereoblind appears as soon as VA is under 0.1.   CONCLUSION VA and/or SA can be damaged by the abnormality of CN. Both VA and SA can be apparently affected by the oscillation types although VA is demonstrated to affect SA.
To investigate the effect of modified atmosphere packaging, CO_2 absorbent CaO and ethylene absorbent KMnO_4 on the fruit quality of miscellaneous citrus fruit during cold storage, ‘Tsunokaori’ tangor citrus fruits ((Citrus sinensis×C. unshiu)×C. unshiu) in low density polyethylene bags with or without CaO and KMnO_4 were stored at 41 under a relative humidity of 855%. The CaO remarkably decreased water loss of fruit during storage. The organic acid content and sugar-acid ratio of fruit gradually decreased in all treatments. But the sugar content did not change during storage. Internal CO_2 content of fruit was also discussed as related to the changes in fruit quality.
The steady development of graphic representation’s methods has been possible due to tools and techniques mostly belonging to their time: the evolution of the architecture “story telling” is still in progress, establishing the foundation of every project information and communication strategy. The pervasive information processing operated by computers, through graphical and textual digital contents, led to a rediscovery of traditional approaches to depict the built space, declining them to new technologies in order to amplify their possibilities and values. This happened to stereoscopy, common method adopted in photography since the 19th century to render the spatial perception through the binocular vision and today easily consistent with threedimensional models and digital images captured by special cameras. This paper aims to investigate the features, benefits and criticality of stereoscopic immersive communication in the modern architecture of the project.
This paper presents a descriptive overview of the management actions for the benefit of the Community, carried out by companies belonging to business organizations that promote CSR in Uruguay. In the first place the paper contains an analysis of the documentation provided by this kind of organizations and some of their suggested criteria towards an adequate management in social action are extracted from there. Then, the document shows the results on an empirical research based on a self - administrated survey which was addressed to the managers who are responsible for the social actions in those companies.
Jordanian students in the secondary schools face difficulties while writing English language. These problems arise because the students are not adequately familiar with English language and they do not have enough practice of it. This article highlights the main reasons behind the problems of writing and recommends some solutions to overcome them in the Jordanian classrooms. The skill of writing is one of the four skills of English language which must be taken into consideration and not neglected.
Mobile Ad hoc Network is a Network which contains mobile nodes that topology constantly changing. The mobile nodes can move freely from one place to another place. Most current ad-hoc routing protocols select paths that minimize hop count like AODV, DSDV and DSR .In ad hoc wireless networks; minimal hop count paths can have poor performance because they tend to include wireless links between distant nodes. These long wireless links can be slow or lossy, leading to poor throughput. Due to mobility the link between distant nodes is broken quickly. Therefore, the method can be considered in the routing that select nodes between the source and destination which are more stable than other node as intermediate nodes. In this paper we proposed a method which measures signal strength between nodes and compare with RSSI threshold values if it is greater than threshold value then it is accepted for further processing otherwise it is discarded. The benefit of this scheme is by selecting a strong route to the destination we can increase the lifetime of the network. Simulation results show that SSAODV has performance better than AODV routing protocol in terms of the metrics: End-to-end delay, Packets delivery ratio, throughput, Routing overhead.
IR-transparent beta-GeS(2) crystallized glasses were fabricated by crystallization of the glass with a stoichiometric composition corresponding to target crystal and only beta-GeS(2) crystallites were precipitated. A clear second-harmonic generation was observed in the crystallized glasses by the Maker fringe technique. The optical nonlinear susceptibility, chi((2)), of beta-GeS(2) crystallized glasses was found to be ~7.3 pm/V, being comparable to that created by thermal/electric or other poling methods, which opens a new way to an optical converter operating in the mid-IR spectral region.
Calibration of an inertial measurement unit is important to the success of accuracysensitive missions. This thesis analyzes calibration techniques for two inertial measurement mechanizations: (1) an inertially stabilized system and (2) an inertially referenced slew. An inertially referenced slew rotates the inertial measurement unit with respect to an inertial reference frame independent of the vehicle motion. The appropriate inertially referenced slew is determined by a proposed optimal calibration method that maximizes the correlation between a measurement and a covector, specifying a mission performance indlex. The performances of a six-position dwell calibration (inertially stabilized system) and an optimal slewing calibration (inertially referenced slew) are determined to be dependent on the mission. The inertially stabilized system is preferred for determining accelerometer errors and an inertially referenced slew is preferred for calibrating ratesensitive gyroscope errors. Thesis Supervisor: Matthew Bottkol Title: Principal Member of the Technical Staff, C. S. Draper Laboratory Thesis Supervisor: George Schmidt Title: Lecturer in Aeronautics and Astronautics
The paper summarized the effectiveness on the athletic performance,athletes cultivation,management for the training and competition,coaches cultivation,youth?training etc.since the reformation for the professional competitive tennis in China.According to the conflicts between nationwid system and professional tennis,the author proposed countermeasures based on the essensial character of modern tennis.
The 3D transient temperature distribution during the cooling process after curing of solid rocket motor grain is numerically simulated with finite element method. Based on the viscoelastic integral constitutive relation, the thermal stress and strain response is calculated. The variation curve of stress and strain with time for danger nodes is presented. It is avaliable for reference in structural integrity analysis.
Hydrogen fuel cells proton exchangemembrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is currently still in development and commercialization. Several barriers to the commercialization of these Nafion membrane as electrolyte is its very sensitive to humidity fluctuation. Nafion must be modified by making a composite Nafion-SiO 2 -HPA to increase electrolyte resistance against humidity fluctuations during the cell used. Research carried out by mixing Nafion solution with Tetra Ethoxy Ortho Silicate (TEOS) and conductive materials is phosphotungstic acid (PWA) by varying the ratio of Nafion, TEOS and PWA. The membrane is produced by heating a mixture of Nafion, TEOS and PWA by varying the evaporation temperature, time and annealing temperature to obtain the transparentmembrane. The resultingmembrane was analyzed its physical, chemical and electrochemical properties by applying the membrane as electrolyte of PEMFC at various humidity and temperature of operation. The results showed that at low temperatures (30-90) °C and high humidity at 100 %RH, pure Nafion membrane is better than composite membrane (Nafion-SiO 2 -PWA), but at low humidity condition composite membrane is better than the pure Nafion membrane. It can be concluded that the compositemembranes of (Nafion-SiO 2 -PWA) can be used as electrolyte of PEMFC operated at low humidity (40 %RH) and temperature between (30-90) °C. Keywords: Membrane, Nanocomposite, Nafion-SiO 2 -PWA, PEMFC, Humidity.
The closed string model in the background gravity field is considered as a bi-Hamiltonian system in assumption that string model is the integrable model for particular kind of the background fields. The dual nonlocal Poisson brackets(PB), depending of the background fields and of their derivatives, are obtained. The integrability condition is formulated as the compatibility of the bi-Hamiltonity condition and the Jacobi identity of the dual PB. It is shown that the dual brackets and dual Hamiltonians can be obtained from the canonical PB and from the initial Hamiltonian by imposing the second kind constraints on the initial dynamical system, on the closed string model in the constant background fields, as example. The hydrodynamical type equation was obtained. Two types of the nonlocal brackets are introduced. Constant curvature and time-dependent metrics are considered. It is shown that the Jacobi identities for the nonlocal brackets have particular solution for the space-time coordinates, as matrix representation of the simple Lie group.
The automotive industry is mostly known for its large concentration on a few global players. However the industry also encompasses a series of small and medium-sized enterprises, either as suppliers or as value adders, focused on smaller submarkets. This paper focuses on the specific situation in the automotive industry of a medium-sized manufacturer of tankers for trucks in the road transport industry. The company delivers design, manufacturing and service of high quality products to its customers within an engineer-to-order and manufacture-to-order market. The company faces a range of conflicting demands. The company operates in Northern Europe and benefits from proximity to its customers, yet experiences pressure from low cost, volume manufacturer competitors. Its operations strategy focuses on improving efficiency while maintaining the high value adding element to meet the needs of its identified market. The paper provides a case analysis aimed at evaluating the company’s operation strategy, and more specifically its efforts to improve layout, and synchronizing material flows and bills of materials, where the use of kits, bundles of materials and location of stocks, are prominent aspects of production. An operations management theoretical framework is adopted including material handling and layout concepts. The contribution builds on interviews with key informants within the company as well as document analysis and the presence of one author within the company over a longer period. The paper evaluates the development of the company’s operations strategy. It describes the analysis made of internal logistics and the bills of material as well as the role of business strategy, market and fluctuations in personnel numbers, together with the operations strategy steps taken subsequently.
Statistics suggest that in the Netherlands and elsewhere being overweight has become an ‘epidemic’ and major public health concern. In response individuals are often admonished to take control of their weight. They should make so-called healthy choices and engage in good behavior. In her research, Else Vogel articulates alternatives to such calls for bodily discipline. She derives these alternatives from an ethnographic study of care practices for people who classify as overweight or obese, or who feel fat or at risk of becoming so. Vogel’s fieldwork included techniques as diverse as dietary recommendations, exercise regimes, meditation, tasting, diet shakes and surgery. These do not just intervene in the bodies of the people involved, but also reconfigure their lives. They change everyday practices and their meaning – from cooking and eating, to pain and pleasure; from shopping for food, to being a family. However, different forms of care help to shape daily life in different ways. Vogel argues that there is no ‘natural’ imperative for how to best care for body weight, that would be handed to us by solid facts about foods and human bodies. Her study is not out to provide definite answers either. Questions such as which self-care practices should be supported, how this might be done and what should be most valued while doing so, are left open. Rather than giving another verdict, this dissertation opens up a new evaluative field. It offers original ways of deliberating about care practices for, and life with, overweight.
The role of the institution of constitutional complaint in the process of balancing the actions of state bodies in a transitional period has been proved. The basic features of a post socialist model of constitutional complaint have been identified. The reasoning of introducing a "limited version" of the constitutional complaint in the countries of early democracy has been approved. The prior importance of law in the work of the bodies of constitutional control has been emphasized. The effect of the constitutional court on the formation of the concept of fundamental human rights in post socialist countries of Northern and Eastern Europe has been considered.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the value of color doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and pulsed doppler (PD) determinations in early diagnosis, evaluation of therapeutic effects and prediction of prognosis of gestational trophoblastic diseases (GTD).   METHOD CDFI and PD were performed in 55 cases of GTD and 30 normal pregnant women as controls.   RESULTS The uterine muscular layer in GTD showed multicolored abundant blood flow and blood sinuses. Blood flow resistance was low with a resistance index (RI) less than 0.5. After chemotherapy the RI changed dramatically. Pathological evidences were found in surgical specimens of 8 patients. Findings of pelvic hysterography in 16 cases were in accordance with the results of CDFI and PD determinations.   CONCLUSION CDFI and PD as new methods for early diagnosis of GTD can also be used to evaluate the chemotherapeutic results as well as to determine the prognosis of the disease.
Objective To generalize the factors of the influence on the prognosis of embolectomy on the mesenteric arterial embolism.MethodsSeventeen cases of superior mesenteric arterial(SMA) embolism were analyzed retrospectively.The patients were divided into group A and group B respectively depending on the peritoneal irradiative sign(Group A: Positive;Group B: Negative).All the cases was confirmed by CTA three-dimension reconstruction and arteriography prior to surgery.The embolectomy of SMA with or without enterectomy was performed on these patients.All cases were transferred to surgical intensive care unit and given anticoagulation as well as parenteral nutrition post operation.The patients with renal failure or sepsis underwent hemofiltration therapy.ResultsTen cases was dead post operation with 58.8% death rate.Eight patients died in Group A while only two in Group B.The Mortality,the duration of ICU,the time for adminstration of pressor agent,the time of mechanical ventilation as well as the time of dialysis in Group A all was statistically higher than those in Group B(P0.05).ConclusionThe early diagnosis and treatment,the appropriate surgical method as well as postoperative intervention relate closely to the prognosis of patients underwent embolectomy on the mesenteric arterial embolism.
research work, refers to a study on: "FAMILY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE CHILDREN FIRST YEAR OF BASIC EDUCATION SCHOOL" JOSE ENGINEERS "CITY OF LOJA. PERIOD 2014-2015 ". GUIDELINES PROPOSITIONAL. of the city of Loja. PERIOD 2014-2015.Se structured and developed in accordance with the Rules of Academic System of the National University of Loja. The problem raised in this research is how the Family affects language development of children in the first year of basic Education School "Jose Ingenieros" of the city of Loja. Period 2014-2015?. an overall objective, it referred to the following is stated:  To analyze the impact of the family in language development in children. The methods used were scientific, deductive, inductive and descriptive statistical model; The techniques used were: Survey, same as the Parents of Children First Year Education Center applied, in order to establish the types and ways of being of the Family; Plus an Observation was applied to children, First Year of School investigated; To evaluate the development of language.  Taking into account the implementation of the Survey of Parents came to determine that: 42% of Parents believe that the kind of family you have is Nuclear; Extensive 29%, and 29% Parent. 25% Parents consider how to be your family corresponds to a family Rigid, 24% to a stable family, 20% to an overprotective family, 14% to a family centered on the Children, 12 permissive Family% to 5% of an unstable family. With regard to the results of the observation guide the children it is concluded that: 46% of children have reached Language Development Satisfactory, while 41% Very Satisfactory, and finally 13% it is unsatisfying.
Introduction "Science, by itself, provides no panacea for individual, social, or economic ills ..... But without scientific progress no amount of achievement in other directions can insure our health, prosperity, and security as a nation in the modern world." --Vannevar Bush, Science, 7he Endless Frontier. Research administration and leadership, above all, directly serve the needs of researchers, scientists, research programs, institutions and their leaders, and the public trust itself. Research administration is therefore an expansive and all encompassing profession. It integrates all of the diverse arts and sciences that are foundational to leadership and service in the management and strategic development of research. Such areas include policy formulation, leadership science, organizational psychology, financial management and oversight, regulatory compliance, and critically needed tactical areas. However, the foundations of research administration also include other areas that are sometimes assumed. Research administrators need to develop an appreciation for and understanding of the actual academic or scholarly areas of the research being conducted. There is a need to understand the art of publication practices and scholarly writing. Communication arts are critical. For international research efforts, it is essential to understand the underpinnings of multiculturalism and the processes of paradigm shifting that occur in global partnerships. For the future advancement of the research portfolio of the individual program or institution, there is a need to gain some level of the arts and sciences of programmatic development. Of particular importance to our concerns here, there is a need to understand the overwhelming power of ethics as it touches upon nearly every aspect of the act of research and its administration. Unfortunately, there has developed an understandable but incorrect assumption that ethics is the same as compliance. In some cases, very erroneously, there are some underdeveloped notions that ethics is the same as a type of legalism that is disrespectful of the profound nature of law that is itself an art and a science. Ethics is assuredly not about legalisms. It is not simply about "checking off the box" to fulfill requirements. It is also not just about complying with those requirements. Indeed, it includes compliance, but its definition is not subsumed by compliance. Ethics is far broader. Ethics is the essential context for compliance. Assuredly, they are related. Also related are law and ethics. Yet ethics has a broad and demanding foundation. It is, at its roots, about the formation of character in both individuals and institutions. Ethics is about the ongoing development of a system of values and high principles that inform and guide one's activities both for individual persons and for the institution as a corporate sole. Ethics is as much about "who" one is, as it is about "what" one does. In this sense, ethics in research is critical especially when one considers appreciably the power of research to touch the lives of individuals and the world in which we live. As such a phenomenon, ethics in research is a powerful and critically important area of concern for research administrators, executives, managers, and professionals. Research administrators help to steward the development of values and the formation of character in the communities we serve. Often, this occurs silently, but always definitely. Such an understanding helps us to appreciate ever more deeply the nature of "research integrity," as that term so often appears in research policy. To ensure the integrity of research and of those who conduct research, there is a need for research administrators to develop, support and oversee policies and practices that are always compliant; but, even more deeply, are always aimed at promoting the highest values of personal and institutional research conduct, aspiration, and identity. …
The volume rendering of medical images embrace a wide field of research and application in recent years as an important method to aided diagnosis and treatment.This paper discusses ray casting,which is the most popular technique of volume rendering,and implements kidney' 3D reconstruction based on medical serially sectioned images.3D results can be read and wrote in file format,and virtual cut function is also realized in this paper.Since the study process and the reconstruction process are separated,this method is easy to get ideal results with good flexibility and quality.
This paper discussed the problems in text categorization accuracy.In traditional text classification algorithm,different feature words have the same affecte on classification result,and classification accuracy is lower,causing the increase algorithm time complexity.Because the maximum entropy model can integrated various relevant or irrelevant probability knowledge observed,the processing of many issues can achieve better results.In order to solve the above problems,this paper proposed an improved maximum entropy text classification,which fully combines c-mean and maximum entropy algorithm advantages.The algorithm firstly takes shannon entropy as maximum entropy model of the objective function,simplifies classifier expression form,and then uses c-mean algorithm to classify the optimal feature.The simulation results show that the proposed method can quickly get the optimal classification feature subsets,greatly improve text classification accuracy,compared with the traditional text classification.
The nearest and furthest points of clear vision were determined in 475 patients aged 6 to 16 years using an AKT-02 device after the optotype of Landolt's ring for 0.7 vision acuity. The mean values of accommodation volume for each age group were determined. They increase from 9.29 +/- 0.19 diopters at the age of 6 years to 12.25 +/- 0.23 diopters at 13, then gradually reduce to 10.0 +/- 0.19 diopters at 16. The descending slope of the curve coincides with the curve plotted by S.L. Shapovalov, who used the same method for measuring the accommodation volume. The volume of accommodation was 0.75 diopters reduced in myopic children in comparison with those with emmetropia.
The deicing robot,which works on the 220KV high voltage transmission line,is a new application field of special robot.In this paper,a motion control scheme is proposed for the deicing robot.The opening motion control system,includes industrial computer and motion control card,is applied in this control system.In this system,wireless-communication is using for Controling walking and obstacle crossing behavior of deicing robot,such as Leaping over damper and Suspension clamp and so on.The hardware and software of this system is introduced,and the experimental result indicate that the this system has advantages of higher reliability,real-time performance and man-machine interaction.
PURPOSE: A fabrication method of an LCD device is provided to open gate pads and source pads after bonding an upper substrate with a lower substrate, and to apply a connection material to a predetermined position of a panel outer side, thereby connecting a line of the lower substrate with a common electrode of the upper substrate. CONSTITUTION: An alignment layer is formed, and is rubbed(S11). A spacer is distributed between a lower substrate and an upper substrate, and a sealant is formed(S12). The lower substrate is bonded with the upper substrate(S13). Plural cells formed on the lower substrate and the upper substrate are separated(S14). Gate pads and source pads of the separated cells are open(S15). A connection material is applied to connect a line of the lower substrate with a transparent electrode of the upper substrate(S16). A liquid crystal is injected between the cells(S17). A liquid crystal injection port is sealed(S18). Polarizers are attached to both sides of the cells(S19).
The invention relates to a device for spraying a cosmetic composition comprising a container equipped with a spraying mechanism, comprising a perforated membrane, where the perforations of the membrane allow to communicate inside of the container with the external environment, an actuator for vibrating the membrane, and a unit to bring the liquid cosmetic composition contained in the container in contact with an internal surface of the membrane. The cosmetic composition under the effect of vibrations of the membrane flowing through the perforations up to an outer surface of the membrane, emerges in the form of droplets. The composition comprises at least one silicone and/or at least a non-siliconized fatty substance in a cosmetically acceptable medium.
This work deals with linear systems with scalars in a commutative ring R with the property of being “von Neumann regular”, i.e. R is zero-dimensional and has no nonzero nilpotents. We prove that every single-input, n-dimensional system over R is feedback equivalent to a special normal form, whose existence actually characterizes the class of von Neumann regular rings. This normal form, which captures completely the structure of the reachable submodule of the system, is associated to a collection of n principal ideals generated by idempotent elements f1, . . . , fn, each dividing the following one. The normal form can be obtained by an explicit algorithm, which is implemented in PARI-GP in the case R = Z/(dZ), where d is a squarefree integer.
Abstract. This study discusses the impact of African ports in facilitating pilgrimages' matters to the Hijaz in the sixth and eighth centuries AD / twelfth and fourteenth centuries, and highlights the historical significance of being addressed to the role of the two most important East African ports are ports Aidab and Zeila as they are considered the leading African pilgrimage outlets for pilgrims of this continent to the west coast of the Arabian peninsula in the land of Hijaz across the Red Sea. Zeila port has many facilities for travelers through it. Zeila port presented many facilities for travelers through it, and provided them with some of the requirements needed by the pilgrims in their travel trip, such as protection during the road trip, means of transport, food and other necessary things for any traveler who traveled through land or sea, with reference to some trouble and hardships that were exposed to the pilgrims as they traveled in the sea journey such as , bad weather, severe storms, pirates 'cutting off and thieves ships at sea, and other things that exhausted pilgrims and tired them through trip.
During the construction of reinforced earth wall, an amount of accumulative horizontal deformation induced by backfilling compaction action is inevitable. To reduce the horizontal displacement, an isolated-reinforced earth wall method was developed by isolating the facing blocks from the reinforced embankment. Field tests were performed by sequential construction of a 7.2 m high trial embankment in order to verify the effect of the method. Firstly, a reinforced embankment composed of geogrids, geotextiles and backfills was constructed. As a second construction stage, the facing blocks were installed in front of the embankment. During the construction, displacement pins and strain gauges were used to measure the horizontal deformations of the wall and the tensile strains of geogrids, respectively. Based on the field instrumentations of trial embankment, it is found that the reduction in horizontal displacement of facing blocks is significant; the horizontal deflection in the first construction stage was 70 mm and the corresponding value of second construction was approximately 0 (zero). It is also found that the prediction by FEM analysis simulates well the general trend observed from field instrumentation. For the covering abstract see ITRD E125786.
E-voting is a process that utilizes electronic voting. Along with the times, has been a lot of research on the use of electronic voting process that replaces the voting process manually. During the mayoral election Bengkulu done manually, of course it requires a lot of time and errors in counting. To overcome this very necessary to saplikasi e-votting which can facilitate in Bengkulu City mayoral election and provide ease and speed of sound calculations. The system uses a data base system design and the design process. The design process that illustrates how the system processes the information that is shown by data flow diagrams (DAD). The e - voting produced to facilitate the election of the mayor of Bengkulu and counting
Background:HIV has been associated with elevated suicidal ideation. Although new treatments have changed prognosis, they also bring new challenges. This study measured suicidal ideation in HIV clinic attenders in the United Kingdom (London/Southeast) and explored associated factors. Method:All 1006 attenders at five HIV clinics were approached, of which 903 met inclusion criteria and 778 participated (86% response). Participants provided detailed information on suicidal ideation, demographics, treatment, adherence, symptoms (psychological and physical on Memorial Symptom Assessment Schedule), quality of life (EuroQol) information, HIV disclosure, clinical variables, sexual risk behaviour and treatment optimism. Results:There was a 31% prevalence of suicidal ideation. Factors associated with suicidal ideation were being a heterosexual man, black ethnicity, unemployment, lack of disclosure of HIV status, having stopped antiretroviral treatment (compared to treatment or treatment naive), physical symptoms, psychological symptoms and poorer quality of life. There was no association with sexual risk behaviour. Sex/sexuality and ethnicity were independently associated with suicidal ideation: the odds of suicidal ideation increased almost two-fold for heterosexual men compared with gay men or women and for black respondents compared with White or Asian respondents. Lack of disclosure was independently associated with a two-fold increase in odds of suicidal ideation. Elevated physical and psychological symptoms were strong independent predictors of suicidal ideation. Independent predictors of suicidal ideation were very similar among the subgroup of 492 patients on antiretroviral treatment. Conclusion:Despite advances in treatment, suicidal ideation rates among HIV-positive clinic attenders are high. Emotional support and attention to mental health provision and social context are strongly endorsed.
Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of differential serum tumor markers for diagnosing elderly lung cancer and screening the excellent marker or markers combination.Methods:To detect serum tumor markers:Fer,CEA,CA724,Cyfra211,NSE,CA125,CA199,CA153 by using electrochemiluminescence immunoassay(ECLIA),and which were significant difference in expression levels between lung cancer group and control group would be established function diagnostic model by logistic stepwise methods,then forecast classification,screen the excellent marker or markers combination lastly.Results:There are significant difference in expression levels of single marker between lung cancer group and control group,Cyfra211was the best single index.A discriminate model which was composed of CEA+ NSE+Cyfra211 was considered the best model.Conclusion:Using the Logistic methods to construct discriminate models by serum tumor markers could conveniently,rapidly and effectively make differential diagnosis elderly lung cancer,and convenient for clinical diagnosis.
Virtual territories and their theme parks are more akin to the physical world of real estate than they might at first appear. The trick in triggering the designer's imagination, is to find a 'nice renovator' (cottage/ house) at a low price, with loads of potential, and by doing it on the cheap to add character, and engage the imagination. Here the designer can construct changes from an imagined space. Vision is more important than how the actual place presents.This work describes a case study involving undergraduate students in the Creative Industries who needed a place to explore, so as to create their own visions and projects. The place had to inspire, trigger engagement, and their imaginations. At the same time it was important that the place did not coerce activity, or distract from the task by confusing tools with task, or architectural navigation with conceptual skills.The solution was an alternate reality.
In the developed regions of the world crops are today primarily grown as sole crops and monocultures. However, increasing awareness of the link between agricultural practise, environmental issues and long-term stability of existing food production systems has put focus on the role that greater crop diversity in time (crop rotation) and space (field size and mixed cropping systems) may play in reducing the extent of these problems. Intercropping represents one way of increasing crop diversity. As a result of differences in the way component crops respond to and affect the environment in which they are grown intercrops may use available growth resources (light, water and nutrients) more efficiently, reduce the prevalence of disease and pests and reduce weed infestation compared to sole crops. The greatest intercrop advantages are attained when the species that are mixed differ markedly either morphologically, phenologically or physiologically. The mixture of a nitrogen fixing legume and a non legume is the most common intercrop combination and in Denmark this is primarily in the form of the pea (Pisum sativum) – barley (Hordeum vulgare) mixture.   In two field studies and one pot study the link between crop diversity, productivity and nutrient use was evaluated. The impact of crop density and the relative frequency of crop components in pea – barley intercrops was determined and the methods traditionally used to study the effects of intercropping compared to sole cropping were evaluated.   The mixture of a nitrogen fixing crop and a non fixing crop gave rise to greater productivity than in comparable sole crops. As a result of the legumes ability to use atmospheric nitrogen, an ability that was strengthened through competition from barley and rape for soil nitrogen, the intercrops displayed complementarity with respect to nitrogen use. Increasing the functional diversity of an intercrop, as a result of increasing the number of intercrop components from two to three did not give rise to greater yields or resource use.   The competitive dynamics at play between the component crops of an intercrop are to a large extent determined in the early growth phases. Barley was the fastest emerging crop component and thereby gained a head start on the growth of pea and rape. As growth tends to be selfcompounding early advantages will often lead to advantages throughout the growth season and may further be strengthened when competition for light sets in. However, conditions relating to the growth environment or cropping strategy may alter this picture. The soil nitrogen availability and cropping density had great impact on the relative competitive strength of the studied crops. At low soil nitrogen availability the pea crop had a great advantage and as cropping density was increased the pea crop became increasingly dominant. Under the given cropping condition, increased sulphur availability had very limited impact on the competitive dynamics of intercropped pea and barley.  Intercrop research has to a great extent used an experimental design that includes two crops grown as sole crops and in proportional mixtures that relate directly to sole crops (the proportional replacement design). This design has been the topic of much discussion. It is a simple design that has been valuable with respect to showing that intercrops may be more resource use efficient and productive than comparable sole crops. However if the aim is to understand underlying mechanisms in order to construct the most “optimal” mixtures then it may not always be the most appropriate design. Experimental designs that include different crop densities and proportional mixtures of crop components (response surface design) could in that respect be valuable.   In most intercrop studies conclusion about the relative competitive strength of crops are drawn on the basis of data from one final harvest which, limits the possibilities of pointing at specific structuring factors. This project shows that collecting data from several harvests throughout a growth season gave valuable indications of how competitive hierarchies were established and changed over time.
PURPOSE AMG 386 is an investigational peptide-Fc fusion protein (ie, peptibody) that inhibits angiogenesis by preventing the interaction of angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2 with their receptor, Tie2. This first-in-human study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics, and antitumor activity of AMG 386 in adults with advanced solid tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients in sequential cohorts received weekly intravenous AMG 386 doses of 0.3, 1, 3, 10, or 30 mg/kg. Results Thirty-two patients were enrolled on the study and received AMG 386. One occurrence of dose-limiting toxicity was seen at 30 mg/kg: respiratory arrest, which likely was caused by tumor burden that was possibly related to AMG 386. The most common toxicities were fatigue and peripheral edema. Proteinuria (n = 11) was observed without clinical sequelae. Only four patients (12%) experienced treatment-related toxicities greater than grade 1. A maximum-tolerated dose was not reached. PK was dose-linear and the mean terminal-phase elimination half-life values ranged from 3.1 to 6.3 days. Serum AMG 386 levels appeared to reach steady-state after four weekly doses, and there was minimal accumulation. No anti-AMG 386 neutralizing antibodies were detected. Reductions in volume transfer constant (K(trans); measured by dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging) were observed in 10 patients (13 lesions) 48 hours to 8 weeks after treatment. One patient with refractory ovarian cancer achieved a confirmed partial response (ie, 32.5% reduction by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors) and withdrew from the study with a partial response after 156 weeks of treatment; four patients experienced stable disease for at least 16 weeks. CONCLUSION Weekly AMG 386 appeared well tolerated, and its safety profile appeared distinct from that of vascular endothelial growth factor-axis inhibitors. AMG 386 also appeared to impact tumor vascularity and showed antitumor activity in this patient population.
Objective To construct the double hairpin siRNA and green fluorescent protein(GFP) expressing vector pU6/double-siRNA/Neo/GFP/1A/2A to interfere 1A and 2A gene of Coxsackie virus B4.Methods 21 bp fragments of the Coxsackie virus B4 2A and 1A gene were chosen as the targets and 65 bp complimentary fragments were synthesized,then the target gene fragments were cloned into pSilencer2.1U6 Neo and pGCsi-U6/Neo/GFP/siNeGative,respectively,then the double siRNA expressing vector pU6/double-siRNA/Neo/GFP/1A /2A was constructed by restrict endonuclease digestion,elctrophoresis isolation and reclaimer,ligatied by T4 DNA ligase;then the double siRNA expressing plasmid was transfected into Hela cells,and the GFP was observed under fluorescent microscope.Results The correct results showed that the recombinant plasmid had the correct special fragments and DNA sequence detected by restrict endonuclease digestion, electrophoresis and DNA sequencing;and GFP was also observed in Hela cells tansfected with pU6/double-siRNA/Neo/GFP/1A /2A under fluorescent microscope more than 15 d after transfection.Conclusion The double siRNA expressing vector pU6/double-siRNA/Neo/GFP/1A/2A is constructed successfully;it has the correct target viral gene sequences and can express GFP gene in Hela cells more than 15 d after transfection.
The effects of pre- and post-administration of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene (3'-Me-DAB), benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), and phenobarbital (PB) on the induction of hyperplastic liver nodules by N-2-fluorenylacetamide (2-FAA) were studied in F344 rats. Rats were given 3'-Me-DAB (0.06% in the diet), B[a]P (80 mg/kg b.wt. x 7, intragastrically) or PB (0.05% in the diet) for 6 weeks before (experimental series I) or after (experimental series II) diet containing 0.02% 2-FAA for 2 weeks, and killed in week 10 of the experiment. The number and total area of hyperplastic nodules per unit area of liver were greatest in rats treated with 3'-Me-DAB in both experimental series. B[a]P significantly increased the induction of hyperplastic nodules in experimental series I and PB significantly increased it in experimental series II. Partial hepatectomy performed during administration of test chemicals enhanced the induction of hyperplastic nodules, especially in experimental series I, and an oral dose of carbon tetrachloride during 2-FAA feeding enhanced it in both experimental series. In the present system, initiating activity of both the hepato- and the non-hepatocarcinogen was detected, and promoting activity of both the hepatocarcinogen and the hepatopromoter was demonstrated.
Present day weather forecast models cannot provide realistic descriptions of local weather variability due to the horizontally restricted resolution (50-100km at best for global, 2-7km for local models) and missing microphysical processes. However, they provide reliable forecasts of the atmospheric circulation that encompasses the subscale processes leading to precipitation. Hence, a description and forecast of extreme events can only be achieved through a combination of dynamical and statistical analysis methods, where a stable and significant statistical model based on a-priori physical reasoning establishes a-posterior a statistical-dynamical model between the local extremes and the large scale circulation.
Apparent SIGMA hyperon decay events in a large emulsion stack of 240 9 in. x 12 in. pellicles were classified into those judged to have occurred at rest and those in flight. Of 36 decay events at rest, 21 secondaries were observed to be protons of about 1675 mu range; these were classified as belonging to the decay mode SIGMA /sup +/ yields p + pi /sup 0/. The remaining 15 SIGMA - like particles which decayed at rest all produced secondaries of near-minimum grain density compatible with the reaction SIGMA /sup +/ yields pi /sup +/ + n. Of the events decaying in flights, 23 were decays into protons and 46 were decays into near-miaimum secondaries. There were in addition 5 decays into protons and 19 decays into near-minimum secondaries which were not classified definitely as at rest or in flight. An attempt was made to trace the tracks of 35 of the lightly ionizing secondaries. Events in flight in which the decay product was emitted in the backward hemisphere relative to the SIGMA momentum were given first priority, as these events have secondaries of the shortest ranges. (auth)
On the front cover of In Search of Middle Indonesia is a remarkable photograph. A man is seated upon a motorbike the colour of a green tree frog, which is parked by the side of the road. One leg is folded, his heel is in his crotch. He is pot-bellied, balding and shirtless, but his skin is taut. He is holding a cigarette in one limp hand.    The image encapsulates a number of stereotypical Indonesian masculine gestures: the cigarette, the cocked leg, the shirtlessness, but for one feature. A woman is standing by the bike, gently leaning into the man. She is also middle-aged, and looks freshly bathed. With one hand, she pinches the man’s upper arm. The man recoils slightly, but they are looking into each other’s eyes and laughing unreservedly. It is this open, contented, equal, and self-confident exchange of looks that serves as the image’s focal point, and hints at some of the findings about provincial middle-class life trajectories, political affiliations, and economic interests presented in this volume...
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common recessively inherited lethal disease among the Caucasian population. CF is caused by mutations in the CFTR gene. Although several organs and tracts are affected, severe lung disease is the cause of the most of the morbidity and mortality in CF individuals. Current treatment is aimed at slowing the inevitable progression of lung disease, rather than halting it, or preventing its onset. The isolation of the gene responsible for CF suggested the feasibility of new therapeutic possibilities based on the CFTR gene transfer to CF patients. At present, somatic CF gene therapy clinical trials, using mostly animals but also CF patients, are being conducted. Gene therapy development is restricted by the lack of the appropriate gene vector systems, which could be successfully used to transfer in vivo and protect the therapeutic gene. This is because of the many extracellular, intracellular and immunological barriers, which protect living organisms against invasion of foreign genetic material. Future improvement in gene therapy depends on the more effective ways of the gene transfer methods, creation animal models of the human diseases and development of strategies involved in the new gene construct formulation, which facilitate to control gene transcription activity.
In studying the urban complex issues, simulation and modelling of public space use considerably helps in determining and measuring factors such as urban safety. Depth map software for determining parameters of the spatial layout techniques; and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software for analysing and evaluating the views of the pedestrians on public safety were used in this study. Connectivity, integration, and depth of the area in the Tarbiat city blocks were measured using the Space Syntax Method, and these parameters are presented as graphical and mathematical data. The combination of the results obtained from the questionnaire and statistical analysis with the results of spatial arrangement technique represents the appropriate and inappropriate spaces for pedestrians. This method provides a useful and effective instrument for decision makers, planners, urban designers and programmers in order to evaluate public spaces in the city. Prior to physical modification of urban public spaces, space syntax simulates the pedestrian safety to be used as an analytical tool by the city management. Finally, regarding the modelled parameters and identification of different characteristics of the case, this study represents the strategies and policies in order to increase the safety of the pedestrians of Tarbiat in Tabriz.
INTRODUCTION:  Esophageal resection and reconstruction remain a major therapeutic challenge for surgeons involved in the care of patients with benign and malignant disease of esophagus. Despite major advances in postoperative care, operative mortality rates worldwide remain high. Much of the operative mortality is related to complications of anastomotic leak.  In a majority of esophageal surgeries, the anastomosis involves another segment of the esophagus, stomach, jejunum or colon. Anastomoses in operations of the stomach like total gastrectomy or proximal gastrectomy also involve the esophagus.  One of the commonest complications encountered in patients after the above operations are an anastomotic leak. These leaks can lead to severe morbidity, increased hospital stay and cost and increased mortality. The crucial factors in the management of anastomotic leak are to recognize it earlier even at a sub clinical stage and act accordingly. Conservative management like delaying oral feeds and drainage techniques can be employed. However, rapidly progressing clinical scenario mandates aggressive approach.  Contrast esophagography is the investigation of choice for detecting sub clinical anastomotic leaks when done from 7th to 10th postoperative days. Barium or water soluble contrasts are being used for the same. Our institution routinely performs thin barium contrast studies between the 7th to 10th postoperative day. Due to its hygroscopic property, water soluble contrast agents causes dilution of the contrast, thereby decreasing its sensitivity and specificity. Barium is more sensitive than water soluble contrast agents but is known to cause complications such as barium peritonitis and can interfere with repeat scans. Moreover, various studies show that the numbers of false negatives are high. Technetium scans are being used for diagnosis and evaluation of esophageal motility disorders and gastroesophageal reflux disease. There is no data of its use in detection of sub clinical anastomotic leaks in current literature. This study is to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of technetium scans in detecting sub clinical leaks in comparison to barium contrast studies. It also aims at evaluating the reliability, limitations, disadvantages and complications of a Technetium sulphocolloid scan.  AIMS OF THE STUDY:  To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and feasibility of Technetium sulphocolloid scans in comparison to esophageal contrast studies in diagnosis of sub clinical anastomotic leaks following esophageal anastomosis.  OBJECTIVES:  1. To prospectively evaluate the feasibility of technetium sulphocolloid studies in the diagnosis of sub clinical anastomotic leaks.  2. To quantify the agreement that technetium sulphocolloid scans have with contrast studies in diagnosis of sub clinical anastomotic leaks.  3. To evaluate advantages and disadvantages of technetium sulphocolloid studies in terms of reliability, patient acceptance and cost in comparison to contrast studies.  4. To characterize Tc-99m sulphocolloid scan findings that would describe a sub clinical anastomotic leak.  5. To correlate patient dependant surgical factors with development of anastomotic leaks.  This study aimed at exploring the diagnostic feasibility and efficacy of nuclear images in the detection of postoperative sub clinical anastomotic leak.  METHODOLOGY:  Patients;  Cases for the study were selected according to a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were as follows:  Inclusion criteria:  All patients undergoing the following operations, irrespective of age or sex, were included for the study.  1. Esophagectomy with reconstruction – Transhiatal, transthoracic (Ivor- Lewis, McKeown’s), en bloc esophagectomy.  2. Substernal colon bypass with or without esophageal resection,  3. Total gastrectomy,  4. Proximal gastrectomy.  Exclusion criteria:  1. All patients who are clinically unstable and may not be able to tolerate both the studies as according to the surgeon’s judgment.  2. Patients with clinically obvious leaks.  3. Patients in whom both the studies could not done to completion.  All patients who underwent the operations listed in the inclusion criteria were selected for the study after obtaining informed consent. Selected preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative data as mentioned in the proforma were collected for each patient. Patients who satisfied the exclusion criteria during the course of the study were taken off the study.  PATIENT PROFILE:  51 cases were enrolled into the study of which 13 cases were excluded from the study due to the various exclusion criteria. The reasons for exclusion form the study were as follows.  1. Patients who were clinically unstable during the time of the tests – 4 patients.  2. Patients who developed clinically detectable leaks prior to the imaging – 5 patients.  3. Patients who could not complete either one of the study due to patient related factors -1 patient (Barium induced vomiting).  4. Patients who could not complete either one of the study due to technical reasons- 2 patients.  CONCLUSION:  1. Technetium sulphocolloid esophageal scintigraphy have a good agreement with barium contrast studies in detecting sub clinical anastomotic leaks.  2. The sensitivity of technetium scans could not be assessed due to lack of a proper gold standard.  3. Technetium scintigraphy was found to have detected more sub clinical anastomotic leaks than barium.  4. Technetium sulphocolloid scans are more economical than barium contrast studies.  5. Technetium sulphocolloid imaging does not cause any of the complications of barium such as barium peritonitis or barium inspissation.  6. The amount of radiation exposure to the patient as well as his/her attendants is negligible.  7. Technetium is excreted from the body rapidly and so repeat scans are not confounded by the old technetium.
Comparing Efficacy of Different Dynamic Models for Control of Underdamped, Antagonistic, Pneumatically Actuated Soft Robots Morgan Thomas Gillespie Department of Mechanical Engineering, BYU Master of Science Research in soft robot hardware has led to the development of platforms that allow for safer performance when working in uncertain or dynamic environments. The potential of these platforms is limited by the lack of proper dynamic models to describe or controllers to operate them. A common difficulty associated with these soft robots is a representation for torque, the common electromechanical relation seen in motors does not apply. In this thesis, several different torque models are presented and used to construct linear state-space models. The control limitations on soft robots are induced by natural compliance inherent to the hardware. This inherent compliance results in soft robots that are commonly underdamped and present significant oscillations when accelerated quickly. These oscillations can be mitigated through model-based controllers which can anticipate these oscillations. In this thesis, multiple model predictive controllers are implemented with the torque models produced and results are presented for an inflatable single-DoF pneumatically actuated soft robot. Larger, multi-DoF, soft robots present additional issues with control, where flexibility in one joint impacts control in others. In this thesis a preliminary method and results for controlling multiple joints on an inflatable multi-DoF pneumatically actuated soft robot are presented. While model predictive controllers are capable, their control commands are defined by solving an optimization constrained by model dynamics. This optimization relies on minimizing the cost of a user-defined objective function. This objective function contains a series of weights, which allow the user to tune the importance of each component in the objective function. As there are no calculations that can be performed to tune model predictive controllers to achieve superior control performance, they often need to be tuned tediously by a skilled operator. In this thesis, a method for automated discrete performance identification and model predictive controller weight tuning is presented. This thesis constructs multiple state-space models for singleand multi-DoF underdamped, antagonistic, pneumatically actuated soft robots and shows that these models can be used with model predictive control, tuned for performance, to achieve accurate joint position control.
An oxygen and iodine laser. In this laser having a reaction unit (18) producing a gas stream containing oxygen, by chemical reaction between a reaction liquid and reaction gas, a water vapor trap (20) having a condensation chamber in which the water vapor entrained in the gas stream condenses on cold surfaces, iodine injector (24) injecting iodine in the gas stream, and a laser resonator (28) through which the working gas mixture of the laser point of view for the laser effect, the cold surfaces used for the deposition of the water vapor are formed by the surfaces a condensate liquid moved into the condensation space (86). useful in particular for industrial applications of lasers oxygen-iodine.
A 25-year-old woman visited our hospital with a complaint of right lower abdominal pain. As a result of the examination, she was diagnosed as having acute appendicitis. After conservative treatment, we planned an elective surgery. At 3 months after discharge, laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. We found a mass of 10mm in diameter at the body of the appendix. Histopathological examination revealed the proliferation of heteromorphic cells with small round nuclei. It was positive for chromogranin A and synaptophysin in immunostaining, so we made a diagnosis of NET G1. Tumor cells infiltrated beyond the intrinsic muscle layer, but no vascular invasion was observed, and the margin was negative. In accordance with the guidelines, we followed up the patient with imaging examination and did not find any signs of recurrence.
This study explores the convergence property of the interference leakage minimization algorithm (ILMA) proposed by S. W. Peters and R. W. Heath Jr. Among the cooperative interference alignment (IA) schemes, we specialize the ILMA for its better feasibility in real applications than others. However, ILMA cannot converge to a global minimum because of its unitary constraints. As an iterative algorithm, no guarantee of global convergence means the tendency towards system instability. Up to the present, most efforts on cooperative IA are focused on pursuing high sum rate or low error floor. None of existing works looks into the convergence issue. In this paper, we explore the global convergence of ILMA. Specifically, we devise a constraint relaxation version of ILMA, named rILMA. Except that rILMA inherits the benefits from ILMA, mathematical proofs given in this paper also show that rILMA converges to a global minimum. This exploration directly results in the improvement of performance. Numerical simulations show that rILMA outperforms Max-SINR and ILMA in sum rate performance.
For an optimum and lasting administration of the forests, the forestry roads represent the main acces way and as a conseqence the most used acces way, so they suffer a series of degradations under the influence of lots of factors. In order to establish some solutions both for the design as well as for the execution of such acces ways and also for the maintenance and for a rational exploitation of these, a road section has been studied in this work and following the obtained results, some discussions are presented that can offer some answers to the any arising questions.
3. This takes the last matter a step further: the difference between, on the one hand, what people say what something is and what it does (the socalled objective account) and, on the other hand, what it means to them collectively and/or individually. The latter is a subjective account, perhaps private, perhaps with strains of ambiguity, even ambivalence: an account which the ethnographer may never hear or learn. What of interpretation in that case?
The development of a surface-acoustic-wave(SAW) chemical sensor that can operate continuously and in situ detect volatile organic compounds is summarized.A ruggedized stainless-steel package and integrated circuit board allows the SAW sensor to be used a variety of media including air,soil and water to monitor valatile organic compounds(VOCs).Polymers based on their response to groundwater contaminants—chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons(e.g.trichloroethylene) are introduced,and the optimization of the sensor is done.
Mission Capable Autonomous Control Systems in the Oceans, in the Air and in Space.- Three Paths to Relevance.- Brain-Like Evolving Spiking Neural Networks for Multimodal Information Processing.- Human-Like Local Navigation System Inspired by a Hippocampal Memory Mechanism.- Brain-Inspired Emergence of Behaviors Based on Values and Curiosity in Mobile Robots.- Emergence of Behaviors by Reinforcement Learning Based on the Desire for Existence.- Classification and Novelty Detection of Omni-view Images Taken from a Mobile Robot.- Curiosity and Boredom Based on Prediction Error as Novel Internal Rewards.- Skill Transfer of a Mobile Robot Obtained by Reinforcement Learning to a Different Mobile Robot.- Effect of Fitness Functions on the Performance of Evolutionary Particle Swarm Optimization.- Constraint Satisfaction with Neural Network for Trajectory Planning.- Acquisition and Extinction of Avoidance Response by Social Interaction in Rats.- Positive and Negative Effects of Environmental Chemicals on Brain Function in Rodents.- Category Recognition in the Monkey Orbitofrontal Cortex.- An Adaptive Controller System Using mnSOM (2nd Report: Implementation into an Autonomous Underwater Robot).- An Environment Recognition System Using SOM.- A Novel Embedded Computer Based Autonomous Robot for Sewer Pipe Inspection.- The Angular Threshold for Frog Collision Avoidance Behavior Changes Depending on Not Only the Stimulus Location But Also the Behavioral Strategy.- Spike-Timing-Dependent LTP/LTD Caused by Uncorrelated Signals through Medial and Lateral Perforant Pathways in the Dentate Granule Cell.- Spatiotemporal Synchronization of Neuronal Activity in a Hippocampal CA3 Network Model Including the O-LM Cell.- The Regulation of Glutamate-Induced Astrocytic [Ca2?+?]i Responses by the Desensitization of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor.- Functional Properties of Resonate-and-Fire Neuron Circuits for Bio-Inspired Chemical Sensor Array.- A Robot Vision System Using a Silicon Retina.- Real-Time Human-Machine Interaction System Based on Face Authentication and Arm Posture Recognition.- Shadow Elimination Mimicking the Human Visual System.- An FPGA-Based Collision Warning System Using Moving-Object Detection Inspired by Neuronal Propagation in the Hippocampus.- A Chemical Sensor Array Inspired by Mouse Taste Buds.- Emotional Behavior and Expression Based on a Neural Network Model of Amygdala.- Effective and Adaptive Learning Based on Diversive/Specific Curiosity.
Objective To yield high-quality tolerogenic dendritic cells (TolDCs) for therapeutic intervention by a refined technique of TolDC preparation from the spleen of modified collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats. Methods The refinements took place amid monocellular cell isolation process, including both the preparation of single cell suspension and the adjustment of incubation time after plate seeding of mononuclear cells. TolDCs were induced by administration of NF-κB oligonucleotide (ODN) decoy at the initiation of cell culture. Cell morphology was examined under a microscope and cell viability was revealed by trypan blue staining. Expression of classical cell identity and activation makers, CD103 (OX62), CD80 and CD86 was determined by flow cytometry; meanwhile, DC-stimulated lymphocyte proliferation was measured by MTT assay following mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). Results With the established approach, the viability ratio of resulting cells reached over 90% and the proportion of OX62 positive ones was above 87.4%, which altogether confirmed their ideal DC phenotype. Functionally, the tolerogenic nature of the NF-κB ODN-treated DCs was further unveiled by the low expression of costimulatory molecules (CD80 and CD86) and the abrogated capacity of lymphocyte stimulation effect. Conclusion Compared with TolDCs generated by conventional protocol, CIA rat spleen-derived TolDCs isolated by the optimized splenic mononuclear cell preparation procedure and induced by NF-κB ODN decoy show the higher regulatory activity, higher phenotypic stability, higher purity and tolerogenic properties.
Structures and methods for operating the same. The structure includes (a) a substrate; (b) a first and second electrode regions on the substrate; and (c) a third electrode region disposed between the first and second electrode regions. In response to a first write voltage potential applied between the first and third electrode regions, the third electrode region changes its own shape, such that in response to a pre-specified read voltage potential subsequently applied between the first and third electrode regions, a sensing current flows between the first and third electrode regions. In addition, in response to a second write voltage potential being applied between the second and third electrode regions, the third electrode region changes its own shape such that in response to the pre-specified read voltage potential applied between the first and third electrode regions, said sensing current does not flow between the first and third electrode regions.
An editorial is presented which addresses the author's views about digital health and adolescent girls' sexual assertiveness and decision-making skills, and it mentions another article which appears in the same issue of the journal and deals with the Health Education and Relationship Training (HEART) interactive skills-building online program. Adolescent girls' safer sex behavior and intentions are examined, along with the health-related aspects of the Internet and social media.
The efficacy and tolerability of nedocromil sodium, 4 mg four times daily, were investigated in a 4-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial in 54 asthmatic patients. Significant improvements were seen in the nedocromil sodium treated patients with respect to asthma severity (recorded by patients on diary cards); lung function (assessed by PEFR); daytime and night-time asthma (patients' diary cards), and morning and evening peak flow rates (measured by patients at home). Unusual symptoms were few and of a minor nature, differing little between active and placebo treatment. Nedocromil sodium, at the dosage used in this study, was well tolerated and provided a useful addition to asthma therapy.
Mobile manipulators that combine manipulability and mobility, are increasingly being used for various unstructured application scenarios in the field, e.g. vineyards. Therefore, coordinated motion of the manipulator and mobile base is an essential feature of the overall performance. In this paper, we explore a whole-body coordinated motion controller of a robot which is composed of a 2-DoFs non-holonomic wheeled mobile base with a 7-DoFs manipulator (non-holonomic wheeled mobile manipulator, NWMM). This robotic platform is designed to efficiently undertake complex grapevine pruning automation. In this control framework, a task priority coordinated motion of the NWMM is guaranteed. Tasks with lower priority are projected into the null space of the top-priority tasks so that higher-priority tasks are completed without interruption from lower-priority tasks. The proposed controller was evaluated in a grapevine spur pruning experiment scenario.
The stochastic kinetics of a well-mixed chemical system, governed by the chemical master equation, can be simulated using the exact methods of Gillespie. However, these methods do not scale well as systems become more complex and larger models are built to include reactions with widely varying rates, since the computational burden of simulation increases with the number of reaction events. Continuous models may provide an approximate solution and are computationally less costly, but they fail to capture the stochastic behavior of small populations of macromolecules. In this paper we present a hybrid simulation algorithm that dynamically partitions the system into subsets of continuous and discrete reactions, approximates the continuous reactions deterministically as a system of ordinary differential equations (ODE), and uses a Monte Carlo method for generating discrete reaction events according to a time-dependent propensity. Our approach to partitioning is novel in that we partition the system of reactions, in an online and dynamic manner, based on a threshold relative to the distribution of propensities in the discrete subset. We have implemented the hybrid algorithm in an extensible framework, utilizing two rigorous ODE solvers to approximate the continuous reactions, and use an example model to illustrate the accuracy and potential speedup of the algorithm when compared to exact stochastic simulation.
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tame them under the unifying tent of cinema but rather to open paths of inquiry through the past of art in order to challenge a limited and homogenous understanding of cinema’s future. This is a filmmaker who pursued film treatments of Marx’s Das Kapital and Joyce’s Ulysses. According to Arsenjuk, Eisenstein was not interested in the essence of cinematic representation. He was more concerned with “strategies of material construction,” the more practical, “operational” approach to creating pathos. He studied the “formula for pathos” in other art forms—their patterned compositions, tonality, measure and rhythm for emotional effect—not to entertain audiences better but to communicate revolutionary ideas. Arsenjuk looks closely at this “dialectic of division” across Eisenstein’s main concepts of cinema: movement, action, image and montage, and pursues his subject through this same dialectic. Each chapter treats the four concepts as a crisis or rupture of traditional notions. The author writes, “the idea of cinema emerges when we are able to grasp the determinate shape of the crises that traverse the set of its conceptual conditions.” In cinema’s illusion of movement, Eisenstein sees a crisis of the figure. The perception of a man running across the screen is disfigured and disturbed by the thought of his movement. Cinematic movement is experienced as a division between a nonfigurative force (movement made visible) and a figurative appearance (the distinct form of a body, interrupted by movement). Cinematic action, the clear depiction of events, brings a crisis of form. Theater of the grotesque, in which action is broken down into antinaturalistic gestures and designed movements, is divided from epic form, in which naturalistic action builds and accumulates as a continuous, singular event. Eisenstein’s massacre sequence in Strike! demonstrates this dialectical approach to dramatic action. A historical event, worthy of epic and heroic depiction, is built from a montage of minor gestures and movements. The “schematic reduction” only hints at the actual massacre and has the effect of magnifying the event in the mind of the viewer. The image is also put into crisis in Eisenstein’s thinking. “An image is a cut that discloses,” writes Eisenstein. The multiplying of cuts through montage problematizes the idea of image as singular. The cinematic image undergoes a division into two distinct and incompatible forms: the “symbolic image” and the “symptomimage.” A painting of a mother and child may signify the intended idea of maternal love. A film of a mother and child may signify the same idea, but there is always an excess, produced by time, that resists iconic representation. The symptom-image, the image in cinema that does not carry meaning or that has become incomprehensible, is the ground for unconscious fantasy. In Arsenjuk’s final chapter on montage, the concept that permeates all the other concepts, he asks rhetorically if there exists a unifying concept of Eisensteinian montage. The word montage, appropriated from engineering, implies division and calls into question any unifying principles of aesthetics. Montage is simply the juxtaposition of two heterogeneous elements that can potentially become “productive of a mental continuity.” In the montage practiced by Eisenstein, it is the essential incommensurability of two shots, the leaving out, that causes a bifurcation in thought and sets cinema on the way to language-like possibilities. “Cognition is construction,” is Eisenstein’s revolutionary lesson from cinema. The world—its poetry and its meaning—is actively built out of fragments and “ceaseless division.” Given the proliferation of cinematic forms in the digital age, this is a vital lesson.
The results of this research make three distinct contributions. The first contribution refers to the immediate body of knowledge on closed-loop supply chain management. The thesis reviews existing closed-loop supply chain and remanufacturing structures and creates, through the application of the research findings, new and more appropriate structures for the automotive sector. Secondly, the findings contribute to the development of a theory for closed-loop supply chain management. They demonstrate that theories from related fields cannot sufficiently explain why corporations engage in product recovery activities. This thesis therefore develops a rational for closed-loop supply chain management and remanufacturing in the automotive sector. The third contribution is made with regard to methodology. Research in closed-loop supply chain management has been largely dominated by quantitative contributions. This thesis therefore adds to methodology by taking an interdisciplinary perspective and by applying a unique combination of methodological considerations to investigate the specific research problem
Thank you very much for reading anticancer and interferon agents synthesis and properties. As you may know, people have search numerous times for their chosen novels like this anticancer and interferon agents synthesis and properties, but end up in harmful downloads. Rather than reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they are facing with some malicious virus inside their desktop computer.
By means of the described system it is possible to measure and as well analog as digital process the organ movement, needing a X-ray television system for flouroscopy and a videotape for continuously recording. Using the densitometric principle measurements of time and a quantitative form analysis of the curves are performed. After border recognition and using the topometric principle, the local organ motion can be evaluated. The levels of signal and noise in the measured curves are computed by a fourier transformation. In the field of functional cardiology the video signal is recorded and processed synchronously with the electrocardiogram.
Virtlab is a virtual material testing laboratory that works with a variety of material models. These materials specify functions as part of their definition, some of which must be differentiated for use in the simulator. Virtlab can be extended with new models by the user, and as a result all functions needed will not be known at development time. To prevent the user from calculating large error-prone expressions by hand, general purpose methods for calculating these derivatives must be considered. Previously, Maple’s symbolic computation and code generation facilities were used for this task. However, this creates a dependency on a commercial software package and an associated maintenance challenge if the Maple interface should be modified in the future. The goal of the current project is to use FADBAD++, an automatic differentiation package, for the same task and to compare the two methods. The refactored code proved to be faster in some cases, and slower in others. Enough changes were made to the underlying code that the particular reasons for this are unknown, and a more detailed analysis is needed to determine the direction of future development.
Objective: To understand the unmet needs of unmarried young adults aged 18 ~ 24 for contraceptive services including counseling services and identify their acceptable ways to provide the services. Methods: Focus group discussion was used to collect data in eight provinces/cities in China from May 1998 to April 1999. Results: Although it was very convenient for young unmarried people to get contraceptive methods from drug stores shops and supermarkets especially in urban areas their needs for high quality of contraceptives and counseling could not be met. They consented that contraceptive services including counseling should be provided for them because premarital sexual behavior could not be controlled by limiting the provision of contraceptive methods. Young unmarried people had special needs in contraceptive services. Conclusion: To increase the access of young unmarried people to contraception and counseling services it is important to provide contraceptive methods at specified drug stores strengthen supervision to the drug stores and train drug store clerks. Special counseling center which provide information and services only for adolescents/young un-married people should also be set up. (authors)
A high-performance frequency-hopping(FH) filter is designed by using the method of the active switched capacitor load to passive resonator.The switched capacitor array loaded cavity is used to realized high-speed broadband low-loss frequency hopping.The two indexes(insertion loss and power) of the FH filter,including cavity unloaded quality factor,switching power and insertion loss,insertion loss of load RF capacitance are analysed.By using three-dimensional electromagnetic simulation software HFSS and planar circuit simulation software ADS,part corresponding simulation curves and test results of the filter are provided according to specific technical requirements.This filter is featured by high-speed,broadband,low loss,small size and digital control,and can be widely used in FH communications,software radio and other fields.
Aimed at the properties of multi technology synthesis integration of intelligent Building, discussed in the paper. It mainly consists of BAS, CAS and OAS. The Building environment and technological principle is also mentioned in this paper. The intelligent Building is a complicated system engineering. It should pay more attention that the key point is system integration in the programming, design and practical realization.
The renal lesion may be the most serious manifestation of a systemic disease. In the past six years 112 patients have had a renal biopsy as part of the evaluation of a systemic disorder. These patients are documented and some of the important observations highlighted. The greatest benefits have been in assessing the extent and severity of the renal involvement and using this information to make decisions regarding management and prognosis.
Singular fibrations generalize achiral Lefschetz fibrations of 4-manifolds over surfaces while sharing some of their properties. For instance, relatively minimal singular fibrations are determined by their monodromy. We explain how to construct examples of singular fibrations with a single singularity and Matsumoto's construction of singular fibrations of the sphere $S^4$. Previous results of Hirzebruch and Hopf on 2-plane fields with finitely many singularities are outlined in connection with the work of Neumann and Rudolph on the Hopf invariant. Eventually, we prove that closed orientable 4-manifolds with large first Betti number and vanishing second Betti number do not admit singular fibrations.
Hungary was the first post-socialist country in eastern Europe to adopt a general anti-avoidance rule (GAAR). The original GAAR adopted in 1990, best described as a "form and substance" GAAR, was supplemented by a second GAAR in 1998, best described as a "proper use of rights" GAAR. The tax administration also attacks tax avoidance arrangements using the ordinary Civil Code, arguing the transactions fail as a matter of substantive civil law. There are three elements to the second GAAR, the taxpayer's purpose, inconsistency with the principles of a tax law, and the use of multiple steps to replace simpler transactions that would have attracted a higher tax liability. The GAAR contains an explicit reconstruction rule allowing the tax authority to reassess all parties on the basis of the transaction that would have been used if the tax avoidance transaction had not been used. The GAAR is supplemented by three rules considered specific anti-avoidance rules -- a rule substituting arm's length prices, a thin capitalization rule, and a rule restricting use of carried-forward losses. The law is silent on whether the GAAR can apply to a transaction covered by a tax treaty, although some recent treaties include recognition of anti-avoidance rules.
Identify the user's intention is an activity of increasing interest due to the fact that it makes possible for organizations to provide users with value­added services in response to their actions. This problem has been addressed from different approaches, however, there are still some open problems. Specifically, we address the problem of identifying the intention of users that searches in a Website from their mobile device. This is challenging in mobile devices due to the impact of ubiquity, in particular the users' changing context that influences their information needs. In this paper, we present a model to analyze the queries issued by a user based on their relationship with previously issued queries and the proper Website content. We present the process and a metadata model that allows its systematization, actually forming the basis for its automatization.
For fixed positive integers n, we study the solution of the equation n = k + pk, where pk denotes the kth prime number, by means of the iterative method kj+1 = π(n− kj), k0 = π(n), which converges to the solution of the equation, if it exists. We also analyze the equation n = ak + bpk for fixed integer values a 6= 0 and b > 0, and its solution by means of a corresponding iterative method. The case a > 0 is somewhat similar to the case a = b = 1, while for a < 0 the convergence and usefulness of the method are less satisfactory. The paper also includes a study of the dynamics of the iterative methods.
A 561-year (5.13 ~ 5.69ka B.P.) oxygen isotope time series in the Mid-Holocene is established on the basis of ~(230)Th, annual-layer counting and the Δ~(14)C of growth ring dating results of a stalagmite from Mingling cave at Yixing, Jiangsu province. The remarkable positive correlation (r=0.54) between the 3 ~ 4 year resolution oxygen isotope curve and the Δ~(14)C of growth ring curve during the same period reveals that East Asian Monsoon precipitation is positively related to solar activity at centennial time-scale during Mid-Holocene. Power spectrum analysis for δ~(18)O of the stalagmite proves that there were the periodicities of 28 ~ 25 year and 10 year respectively, which shows the East Asian Monsoon precipitation was also affected by decadal scale variations of solar activities.
This research critically analyses the extent to which a government organisation, the Citizens Economic Empowerment Commission of Zambia (CEEC) established by the CEE Act, empowers the countryâ€™s women Cross Border Traders (CBTs) in the establishment and growth of their businesses. The CEE Act forms part of a wider policy and legal regional COMESA framework to promote and facilitate CBT, most of which is carried out by women who operate small businesses in the informal sector. Adopting the grounded Womenâ€™s Law Approach, which has a strong feminist and human rights emphasis, the researcher examines in great detail the legal and other challenges faced by both formal and informal women CBTs in their attempts to access the loans offered by the Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund (CEE Fund). The Fund is specifically intended to benefit marginalised groups, especially women in the informal sector, who have been historically disadvantaged and excluded from Zambiaâ€™s recent privatisation drive. Relying on the voices of informal women and men CBTs at four popular Zambian CBT centres, government and NGO officials, relevant legal, policy and other literature, the researcher discovers that there are several challenges which prevent women, especially informal CBTs, from accessing the Fund. Most of these factors arise directly from the fact that the specific gendered needs of the lived working realities of women in business, in general, and in informal CBT, in particular, were not seriously investigated prior to the drafting of the Act. As a result, their specific needs were not accommodated in the design or operations of the Commission or its Fund. Consequently, the research found that both female and male informal CBTs eschew the Fund, preferring to operate their businesses autonomously and to borrow from their own informal co-operative-type revolving fund whenever they need funds to sustain them. Prior to making some recommendations to improve the situation, the researcher also highlights certain other weaknesses inherent in the establishment, management and control of the Commission and its Fund including inadequate funding, lack of independence and poor staffing.,NORAD
The study presents the results of follow-up of a male population born between 1916-1935, living in a city district of Leningrad in 1975. The first epidemiological examination, designed to detect ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and its risk factors included 3,907 men. Repeated screening using the same protocol was conducted, at a 7-8 year i